Harry rushed through the corridors to the Entrance Hall and out the big, grand doors. He ran through the grounds to the Whomping Williow. He shouted at it "IMMOBULUS!" and the limbs froze in place. Harry didn't waste any time. He shot through tunnel and ran. He was a man on a mission. A mission to save the one he loves. A mission to save his unborn child. He felt as if it was a race against time itself. He had to get there before Hermione gave birth. He tripped a few times, but no harm done. He broke through the trapdoor into the Shrieking Shack. He saw in the corner of the room, four Slytherins including Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, and some boy named Levitt Harry had only seen from the Gryffindor table once or twice. They whipped around to look at him.
"Stupefy!" he shouted at Levitt, who dropped to the ground unconscious.
"Potter!" Malfoy shouted. "I knew you'd come for the Mudblood slut." He laughed.
That made Harry very angry. "Stupefy!"
"Protego!" Malfoy blocked it and shot back with "Expelliarmus!"
Harry dodged it and hit Crabbe and then Goyle each with a "Stupefy!" Them, too, dropped down unconscious.
Now it was Harry and Malfoy. "Where is she?!"
"Expelliarmus!" Harry's wand flew out of his hand and he immediately launched himself on top of him, knocking his wand out of his hand. He punched him as hard as he could, until he fell unconscious as well. In the window, something caught his eye. He gasped. The Dark Mark. Voldemort was coming. He had to get Hermione and get her out of there. He grabbed his wand where it flew.
"HERMIONE!" he yelled running up the stairs hearing her scream in pain.
"HARRY!" she called back from his right. He ran into the room and saw her on the floor. "She's coming!" She screamed in pain again as another contraction rolled through her. He knelt down next to her and took out the feather out of his pocket. "Portus. On three...one, two, three." They both touched the feather and were pulled up into the the sky and landed in the Hospital Wing. Harry landed on the floor on his stomach, while Hermione landed safely on a bed, screaming.
Harry at once jumped into action. "MADAME POMFREY!" The medi-witch came running out of her office. "She's in labor!"
Madame Pomfrey rushed to Hermione's side. "How far apart are her contractions?" she asked Harry.
He looked confused. "What?"
"Nevermind," she replied as Hermione screamed again. "Get her out! Now!"
Madame Pomfrey stuck out her wand and said, "Expecto Patronum!" A silvery Saint Bernard came out of her wand. "Professor McGonagall, Miss Granger is in labor. Hurry!" The Saint Bernard ran off.
Harry ran to Hermione's side to grab her hand. He gripped it like they were about to start a wrestling match. "Squeeze my hand when something hurts." She automatically squeezed it...hard. Harry grimaced, squeezing his eyes shut in pain. "Oh, my God!" He just kissed her hand and told her everything would be alright.
McGonagall came soon enough. "Professor, she was kidnapped by four Slytherins. Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Levitt. They are unconscious in the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade..." Harry told her.
"...and I was Crucioed," Hermione added weakly as Madame Pomfrey put a pillow behind her back to support it. All three looked at her shocked. "Is my baby okay?"
Harry tried his telepathy with his daughter. 'Arabella, are you okay?'
'Daddy, I'm fine. A little shaken from the shock. Worry about Mummy. I tried to save her from the Curse, but I couldn't. My magic is too weak.'
Harry wanted to cry at her noble words. "She's fine but a little bit shook up. We need to get her out now." Madame Pomfrey nodded and said, "Potter, I'm going to need you to step outside."
He looked shocked. He understood that he had to leave for the appointments, but this was the birth of his child. He should stay. Hermione and Arabella need him. He was about to protest, when Hermione beat him to it. "No...he stays."
"Miss Granger..." the medi-witch stared at her, but she was interrupted by the soon-to-be mother.
"He...stays," she said firmly. "This is the birth of his daughter. He deserves to stay." Harry smiled and nodded.
"I can help," he offered.
"Very well, Potter. Hold her hand and keep her conscious. I can't deliever a child unless the mother is unconscious," she ordered.
Harry nodded and did as what she asked of him. "Minerva, I need you to get a blanket, a towel, and fill a basin with water for the child." McGonagall ran off doing as she was told. While she was gone she sent a Patronus, ordering that aurors were needed to pick up four unconscious boys in the Shrieking Shack.
Madame Pomfrey pulled Hermione's pajama pants and panties down and off of her. Hermione screamed as the contractions kept coming, squeezing Harry's hand with a death grip. He tried to make himself angry to keep his mind off of the pain. He hated Malfoy. He hated Crabbe. He hated Goyle. He hated Levitt.
'Daddy, tell Mummy and Pomfrey I'm ready. Tell them I'm ready to come out. I want to meet you and Mummy. I want to see you,' he heard Arabella's voice in his head. He turned to the medi-witch. "She says she ready to come out." He turned to Hermione. "She's ready to meet us." Hermione smiled softly, sweat on her brow. He gave one back.
"Okay, Miss Granger, you're at ten centimeters. Get ready to push." McGonagall came back with a basin filled with water, and a towel and a blanket draped over her arm. She set the basin down on a table next to Madame Pomfrey.
"Okay, one, two, three...push, Miss Granger!" Hermione gripped Harry's hand and pushed as hard as she could.
"I can see the top of the head! Push!" She pushed once again.
Push.
Push.
Push.
Push.
"Come on, Miss Granger, one last push. One big push!"
Harry felt as if everything was going in slow motion. Hermione arched her back and screamed loud as she pushed hard to get her daughter out. Madame Pomfrey between her legs getting the baby out. McGonagall was by her side, ready to take the baby to clean her. This was it. The birth of his daughter. His first-born. With his best friend. He couldn't believe this. He felt as if time had stopped. Time stopped so his child could be born.
That's when he heard it. The most beautiful sound in the world.
A baby's cry.
He smiled and watched as Hermione fell back onto the pillows as Madame Pomfrey cut the bond that connected mother and child.
"She's here," announced the medi-witch.
"Is she okay?" Hermione asked tiredly.
"She's just fine, Miss Granger. Ten fingers and ten toes," Madame Pomfrey assured her looking at her limbs.
Harry saw his child being given to the Headmistress to have her first bath. She was beautiful. Like he said, almost as beautiful as her mother. Maybe even. He looked back at Hermione and mentally shook his head. 'No, they're both equally beautiful.' She was quite small, but she was born two months early.
He turned to look at Arabella, who was being wiped with a towel. Soon, she was swaddled in a blanket. The crying ceased a little as she sensed her parents near. Harry thought to her, 'Arabella, you're so beautiful.' He got nothing in return. He began to get scared. He couldn't hear her thoughts anymore. He felt a great sadness that the mind-bond was gone, but became overjoyed that she was here in the world. Ready to meet them.
"Here, Harry," McGonagall said with a warm smile that Harry had never seen on her before. He was given his daughter. He took her in his arms and held her. It was the first time he had ever held a baby. She opened her eyes and he gasped. Green. They were his emerald-green eyes. Her brown hair-Hermione's brown hair-felt soft and stringy. He could see Hermione's chin and mouth. His forehead, minus the ugly scar and his cheekbones. She looked up at him and he smiled. "Hey, Arabella, I'm your Daddy." He swore-swore-he saw in her eyes a flicker of recognition. She looked at Hermione and gave her the same look. Harry passed her over to her Mummy.
"Time of birth: two fourty-eight am on Saturday, November the eighteenth, nineteen ninety-five," Madame Pomfrey said looking at the clock on the wall.
Hermione stared down at her daughter as she stared right back. Tears came to the teen's eyes. "Hi, sweetheart, I'm Mummy. Do you remember my voice? I'm Mummy. Mummy loves you." Arabella looked at her, knowing exactly who she was, along with her father. She did recognize their voices.
Hermione gazed at her eyes. Harry's eyes. Oh, she hoped she'd have his eyes. If she didn't, she'd love her the same, but she still hoped for his eyes. She couldn't tell who she looked like the most. Her or Harry. She was in the middle, leaning more towards herself, though, because she was a female. Hermione wanted to rest, but she knew that if she tried, she wouldn't be able to fall asleep, knowing that she would not be woken up by a kick anymore. She missed it. Her kicks. Her hard kicks that would make her stomach shudder.
Arabella began to softly cry. "No, don't cry. It's okay," Hermione tried to sooth her.
"I think it's time to start breastfeeding now. She's hungry," Madame Pomfrey suggested.
Harry began to get uncomfortable and he looked at Hermione, "I think I'll leave the room, if that's okay." She nodded knowing it would be awkward if he stayed. He kissed her forehead and then Arabella's and left the room.
Outside the Wing, he ran into someone he hadn't seen in a while. "Remus!" He saw bubble-gum pink hair next to him. "Tonks!"
"Hello, Harry, is Hermione giving birth?" he asked with a smile on his face. "McGonagall mentioned it in her Patronus."
"Actually, she already had Arabella. She's...breastfeeding, so I'm giving her space."
They nodded. "Did you clear out the Shrieking Shack?"
"Yes, what happened exactly?" Remus asked.
"Well, I woke up to Arabella mind-calling me and she said-" He was cut off.
"Wait, what? 'Mind-calling you'?" Tonks asked confused.
"Long story. I'll tell you later. She said that her and Hermione had been kidnapped and were in the Shrieking Shack. Of course, I immediately jumped into action. I got there and stunned three of them and punched Malfoy unconscious. I saw the Dark Mark over Hogsmeade and knew that I had to get Hermione out of there, because she was going into labor. I used the portkey and got her here. They crucioed her. Twice," he shook with anger.
"Whoever it was will be sent to Azkaban for use of an Unforgivable. Each one of them will be expelled, I'm sure, for kidnapping and harming a student and an unborn child," Remus told him.
Harry smiled, glad that they were getting what they deserved. "Good. What of the Dark Mark?"
"Well, we got there just in time. Some are dead though, but only a few. Once they saw that Malfoy wasn't there and that they were a bit outnumbered, they fled," the werewolf explained.
Harry nodded and looked down sad that some had to die.
"So, what does she look like?" Tonks asked excitedly.
Harry smiled, "Like a little Hermione, with my eyes."
"Aw, how cute! Well, since I am a woman, can I go see her?" she asked hopefully.
"Yeah, sure," Harry nodded stepping aside so that she could enter the Wing, leaving Remus and Harry alone.
"I need to make contact with Siri-Snuffles and Hermione's parents. But Snuffles can't come see her. He'll have to see her at Christmas. We can take pictures tho," Harry said.
"I'll tell them later today when I get back to London and have them sent straight here," he told the new father.
"Thanks."
"So, you said Arabella...talked to you?" he asked confused.
"Oh, yeah, sort of. Ever since October, I've been mentally talking with my daughter. She said it was a bond. We were connected when Hermione and I made her. Hermione could't hear her though, since Arabella was inher. She's almost exactly like her mother," he smiled.
"'Were'?"
"Yeah, I figured out not long ago that I can't 'speak' to her anymore. It's over. The bond has done it's job. Now she must learn by herself," he said sadly.
Remus put a hand on his shoulder and the door to the Wing opened. Tonks stood there excitedly. "Harry, you can come back in now." Harry, followed by Remus, walked into the Wing. Hermione was sitting there holding Arabella. She looked like she was about to pass out. Harry walked to her side and took his daughter from her arms gently. "Go to sleep, Hermione. Rest."
With one last look at Arabella, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Remus smiled when his eyes found saw the baby.
"She does look like Hermione," he cried.
"Yeah, yeah, she does." Harry looked at his newborn daughter with a smile. He sat on the bed, next to Hermione. Arabella reached up with her hand to touch him. He touched her wandering hand to satisfy her. What she did next made tears roll down Harry's face.
Arabella Charlotte Granger-Potter wrapped her tiny hand around his index finger. Harry then knew. He knew.
He knew that he was a father now at that moment in time. She gave a happy coo and he smiled. "Daddy's here. Daddy loves you, Arabella. Daddy's never going to let you go. I'm going to do whatever it takes to protect you and Mummy. I promise."
She smiled at him slightly. He wondered if she could still understand him. He wondered if that part of the bond was still in effect. He saw McGonagall, Remus, and Tonks leave, giving the family time with each other. Madame Pomfrey, however, stayed to watch over her patient and the new, inexperienced father.
He watched as the newborn yawned cutely, making a little yawning noise, as she slowly drifted off to sleep. Madame Pomfrey conjured a bassinet to put her in. Harry moved to set her down. "On her stomach, Mr. Potter."
"Right." He laid her down on her stomach and covered her with the pink blanket. He was glad he and Hermione had...that night together. Because something beautiful and wonderful came out of it. All those times getting up in the wee hours of the night were totally worth looking at this sight. This baby that was blessed for being alive. He wondered if this is how his father felt the day he was born.
Overjoyed.
He watched as she twitched every now and then. Moved her leg to get comfortable. He grabbed Hermione's limp hand and held it to his chest, right over his heart. If she was awake, he wanted her to rip it out of him. Because he wanted her to have it. He wanted her to have his heart. She's the one and he knew it, all thanks to his daughter. All thanks to the creation they had made on mistake. He vowed he would never call Arabella a "mistake", but rather a "blessing". That's what she was, a blessing from God to two teenagers who were going to love her forever.
He laid there and closed his eyes.
They last thing he saw was his blessing.