The Binding is Fragile
June 2011
“No…”
“No don’t… please”
“Don’t hurt them please…”
Draco stirred in bed, rubbing his eyes as something pulled him out of his deep sleep. When he heard his wife start to whimper, his body jumped to immediate action. Silently lighting the candles around the room, he turned to his sleeping wife who was next to him writhing and crying out in her sleep. He gently grabbed her, stroking her hair and whispering soothing words in her ear to wake her. “Shh love… it’s me. You’re ok. Lyra is ok… the babies are you ok. You’re here with me ma belle.” Kissing her temple, he continued on reverently as her body shook and clutched at their little ones still growing inside of her. “No one is going to harm them, I won’t let it happen.”
From the beginning of this pregnancy, Hermione’s nightmares had come back with a vengeance. Night after night, especially in the beginning, she wake in tears, her throat raw from screaming. Her dreams had seemed to calm after the first trimester but lately, they were back and worse than ever. She could never seem to wake herself and her cries broke his heart. His mother had tried to assure him that the stress of pregnancy and the hormones that accompanied it were a factor in her very vivid night terrors but Draco had other ideas for the root of the problem. Ever since the incident with the cursed blade at Nott Manor, Hermione’s nightmares had been different. They were more violent and draining.
“Open your eyes love,” Draco murmured, brushing her sweat-soaked curls from her face. As she whimpered, he pulled her closer, humming softly in her ear. He felt her trembling hands tighten in his arms and he felt his body relax slightly.
“Draco…” Hermione breathed, her eyes fluttering open. Her vision was cloudy with tears but she could feel her husband holding her close. She tried to take deep breaths to calm herself, her own healer training kicking in, but nothing except the feel of her husband and his warm voice was helping her to calm down. Something in her heart clenched as she felt a sharp, stabbing pain in her lower abdomen. “Draco… something is wrong…”
“Milly!” Draco said, jumping to action right away. As the little house elf appeared in the room with a crack, her eyes widened at the sight of Draco and Hermione in bed, the young witch clutching onto her husband. “Milly I need you to get my mother and bring her here please. Tell her it’s the babies.”
“Yes Mr. Draco yes!” Milly shouted before cracking out of the room again. Hermione tried to breathe, her and Draco both clutching onto her stomach. Within a few moments, even if they felt like minutes to the young couple, Milly appeared again with Lucius and Narcissa in tow. Narcissa quickly approached the bed, looking at the terrified young couple.
“Let’s take a look darling,” Narcissa soothed, tucking a curl behind Hermione’s ear.
“I’ll go and tend to Lyra,” Lucius spoke, nodding to his son. “I’ll make sure she’s still asleep.”
“Thank you,” Draco spoke, helping Hermione get into position for his mother.
“Just try to breathe,” she reminded the young witch that had very much grown to be like a daughter to her. “I know you know everything I’m about to do.”
Hermione nodded, clutching onto Draco as she watched Narcissa cast the diagnostic charms over. She tried to stay calm. She tried to listen to the words her husband was whispering in her ear, to no avail. She couldn’t keep her eyes off the runes illuminated above her stomach and going over in her mind everything that they could mean. Her mind never shut off and it was racing a mile a minute at the moment.
“It’s too soon,” Hermione breathed, meeting Narcissa’s eyes.
“I know,” Narcissa nodded. “Let’s try to calm you down, shall we? Milly, could you get Hermione some tea, her favorite with a few drops of diluted calming drought?”
“Yes Miss!” Milly popped in and immediately brought Hermione her favorite tea. Draco took the cup from the elf with a soft thank you and helped her drink.
“Tell me how the nursery is coming along?” Narcissa murmured, watching her and the twin’s vitals. “I know you were very excited about the progress.”
“It’s,” Hermione started, taking a deep breath, her body starting to slowly relax. “It’s coming along. Pansy is working her magic.”
“Hermione and Pansy have started nesting,” Draco chuckled, kissing Hermione’s temple. “Whatever that means.”
“That is not your concern darling and it is perfectly normal for all mothers,” Narcissa smiled, squeezing Hermione’s hand. She waited a few more moments, watching her son as he helped his wife finish her cup of tea. “There. That’s better. Your heart rate has calmed and so has the babies.”
“She’s ok?” Draco asked.
“The babies? They’re ok?” Hermione asked, her bottom lip quivering.
“They are fine,” Narcissa said, soothing Hermione. “You all are. Now… I know you told me that your healer said if this continued, you would have to be put on bed rest. Sweetheart, I think it’s time that we take the healer’s advice.”
“But…”
“I know that goes against everything in your nature,” Narcissa continued. “But clearly the stress to your body and the stress from the dreams you keep having is not healthy to you or your body. You need to rest. Carrying twins to term is not an easy feat. It’s time to rest Hermione.”
“Please,” Draco said softly. “Please let us take care of you.”
All three heads turned to look when the door opened and Lucius Malfoy walked in with an awake Lyra in his arms, resting her head on his shoulder. The small girl held onto him, watching her parents with a worried look in her eyes. “See little star, I told you they were fine. Everything is fine,” Lucius spoke softly, soothing his young granddaughter.
“Come here love,” Hermione spoke softly, reaching her hand out for her daughter. Lucius walked over to the bed as Draco helped shift Hermione back laying down in the only position she has been able to sleep at all in. As his father deposited Lyra onto the bed, Draco thanked him, turning to look at two girls he loved the most in the entire world curled up together.
“Thank you both,” Draco said again, running his fingers through his hair as he stood to escort his parents back to the floo. As they exited the room and entered the library where the floo was, Narcissa rested a hand on her son's shoulder.
“You don’t need to thank us,” she spoke, smiling softly at her son. “She is our daughter and those babies, including Lyra, are our grandchildren.
“Nightmares again?” Lucius asked and Draco nodded solemnly. “You still think it’s from the blade.”
“I do,” Draco sighed.
“I’ll look into it,” Lucius said. “I’ll see if there is any way to help with the effects of the dark magic. Now go. Get some sleep.”
&&&
One…
Two…
Three…
It had been two weeks since Hermione had been put on bed rest and to say she was going out of her mind was an understatement. She had never been one to sit on the sidelines and watch everyone around her go about their lives. There was so much she needed to do before the twins' arrival and yet here she was, stuck in her bed, driving herself and everyone around her crazy. First, it was Draco taking away her files and research from work. He told her that no stress meant no work and sent her files away with Theo to stay at Nott Manor. When she no longer had work to do, she turned to Draco’s work files.
“Hermione… love,” Draco started slowly, looking at his wife with wide eyes. “What is all of this?”
“I went through all of your players and their stats and your plays and I made these charts to show you your team's strengths and weaknesses,” Hermione started, spreading out all the parchment on the bed for him to see. “Then for each potential player file that you had, I made pro’s and con’s list for if you were to add them to your team.”
“That’s…” Draco took a breath, looking up at his wife who had a quill shoved into the curls that were piled on the top of her head. She had a small ink smudge on her cheek and she was wearing an old Quidditch shirt of his. “Are you wearing my shirt?”
“It’s all that fits me right now,” Hermione pouted. “My lists Draco!”
“What is a pro’s and con’s list?”
He now left his files at the office and Hermione was stuck reading novels or counting the iron flowers that adorned the posts on her and Draco’s four-poster bed. She was bored. Logically she knew that she needed to stay on bed rest for herself and her babies. Emotionally on the other hand… she was on the verge of committing a murder.
“And how is my favorite babymaker today?” Theo asked as he strolled into the room with a smile on his face before plopping down onto the bed beside her. “How is my little Theo doing in there?”
“The baby’s name is not Theo,” Hermione sighed, rubbing her stomach.
“You say that but I don’t believe you,” Theo shrugged, picking up a book off of her stack. “Haven’t you already read this one?”
“Of course I have,” she said rolling her eyes. “I’ve done nothing but read and read some more.”
“Oh please,” Theo laughed as Hermione plucked the book out of his hands. “We both know that you stuck in bed is Draco’s favorite wet dream.”
“Draco will barely touch me,” Hermione huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “He’s taking bed rest to an entirely new level.”
“He’s just worried about you and the babies,” Theo said softly, taking her hand.
“I know,” Hermione sighed. “I’m just… I’m not used to sitting still. My pregnancy with Lyra was nothing like this.”
“Well like you’ve said many times,” Theo pointed out. “This pregnancy is very different. Twins, not just one little perfect child to push out of there.”
“Theo.”
“I’m just saying.”
“So how is she doing?” Blaise asked as he and Draco walked down the hall after coming back from a pickup Quidditch game with Potter and a few others. He had taken it upon himself to try to keep Draco distracted so that he wasn’t stressed about his wife and children twenty-four seven.
“She’s frustrated,” Draco sighed, running his hands through his pale hair. He knew the last few weeks had been hard on Hermione and even he was at the end of his rope. He wasn’t helping matters by obsessing over every little thing but he hadn’t been there for Lyra’s pregnancy and it was all new to him. “I’m not making things any better by worrying and trying to make every little thing perfect. But… I missed it all with Lyra you know? I want to make sure she knows she has a partner this time. Not one that is going to abandon her.”
“She knows that Draco,” Blaise soothed. As they made their way up the stairs, they watched as Theo came hurdling out of Draco and Hermione’s bedroom. He had barely made it through the door when a book came flying through the air next, hitting the wall in the hall with a loud thud.
“THE SPINAL INTEGRITY HERMIONE!” Theo gasped. “THE BINDING IS FRAGILE!”
“AVIS” Hermione shouted and Blaise and Draco cocked their heads to the side as little innocent canaries came out of the room. The look on Theo’s face told them everything they needed to know.
“Ok! Ok! I’m going!” Theo shouted. “Call off your attack birds!” As he spotted Draco, Theo walked up to him, clapping him on the shoulder and looking him straight in the eyes. “Good luck. I love that witch but she is scarier than Voldemort ever was.”
“What are you-”
“I’m not getting attacked by bloody charmed birds,” Theo shook his head quickly. “I’m out.” He grabbed Blaise by the arm and pulled him down the stairs with him. Taking a deep breath, Draco walked past the birds that were acting almost as if they were guarding her and took a step into the room.
“Hello love,” Draco said smiling softly. “Rough day?”
“I have to get out of this room Draco,” Hermione begged, her bottom lip quivering. “Please… I’m going crazy.”
“I think crazy is a bit of an understatement,” Draco chuckled, going and sitting on the edge of the bed. “Theo just compared you to a sociopathic megalomaniac.”
“He said I was worse than Voldemort?” Hermione asked quietly, tears starting to stream from her eyes.
“Love,” Draco chuckled softly, taking her hands in his. “I know being cooped up in this room is hard. I know that you are not used to having to let everyone else do things for you. You spent your entire childhood fighting just to survive and to keep your dimwitted friends alive. Don’t argue that with me. It’s a fact. You went through one pregnancy alone and now you’re being told to sit still and be patient.”
“I’m not good at being patient…”
“I know,” Draco smirked, tucking a curl behind her ear. “But I need you to realize that you aren’t alone anymore. You have me and everyone else here with you. I need you to put yourself first and let us take care of you please.”
“I love you…” Hermione said as Draco wiped a stray tear away.
“I know you do,” he chuckled. “Otherwise you would have sent your attack birds after me or the bloody toy dragon.”
&&&
“Lyra sweetheart,” Hermione said shifting in bed as her daughter sat, curled up beside her, surrounded by all of her stuffed animals and colored to her heart's content. “Did you pack your bag to go and stay with Uncle Theo tonight?”
“Uncle Theo has everything I need,” Lyra smiled and let out a giggle as Hercules nuzzled against her. “Auntie Pansy buys me lots of clothes and keeps them at Uncle Theo’s so you don’t yell at her.”
“Of course, they are working together,” Hermione chuckled, sitting up to grab her glass of water. “You do know how much they love you don’t you?”
“I know,” Lyra smiled. “Almost as much as you and daddy.”
“Almost,” Hermione agreed and got out of the bed to grab another blanket. Letting herself stretch for a moment, a smile graced her face as she listened to Lyra hum softly in her bed. As she took a step forward, she felt a sharp pain, one that was very familiar. “Oh no…”
“Mummy?” Lyra asked, her head popping up from her parchment. Hermione locked eyes with her daughter, before looking down at her feet as something warm leaked down her leg. As she looked down, she saw that her water had just broken and there was nothing that was going to stop her labor now. “Mummy are you ok?”
“Lyra…” Hermione said softly, taking a deep breath as a contraction hit her and she held onto the bedpost. “Lyra I need you to go and wait by the floo ok? Go and wait by the floo for Papa or daddy ok?”
“But…”
“Go, go now,” Hermione said, silently calling for her wand as Lyra ran off. “Expecto patronum…”
As she watched her silver otter swim off to go and inform its destination, Hermione took a deep breath. “Missy! Milly!” Both house elves popped into the room at the same time.
“Yes Miss Hermione?” Missy asked.
“Mistress Hermione!” Milly stated.
“Milly… I need you to tell Lucius and Narcissa that I need them to come and get Lyra. Now.”
“Yes Mistress!” Milly exclaimed as she popped out of the room.
“Missy, please tell Theo that I am in labor and he needs to tell the others.”
“Right away Miss Hermione!” Missy said and popped out as well. Hermione waited, trying to breathe through her contractions. The babies were early and none of this was going according to plan. It wasn’t long before she heard the crack of apparition and voices from the library. She knew it was Draco before she even heard him.
“Hermione!” Draco yelled as he bounded into the room. “Are you sure? Are you ok?”
“I’m ok,” she nodded, taking a breath. “But I’m sure. My water broke.”
“My father just picked up Lyra,” Draco nodded coming over to her and kissing her forehead. “He’s going to tell my mother and I can send for Andromeda.”
“The babies are early Draco,” Hermione shook her head. “We need to go to st. Mungo’s.”
“Ok,” Draco nodded. “Ok. We can do that.”
“Draco,” Hermione chuckled, rubbing her stomach.
“What? Are you ok?’ Draco asked looking over her.
“Draco breathe,” she smiled, resting her hand on his cheek. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, leaning into her touch. “There you go.”
“St. Mungos?” Draco asked, opening his eyes and staring into her beautiful chocolate eyes.
“St. Mungos.”
&&&
The waiting room in the maternity ward was full as Theo paced back and forth. Since the moment Missy had popped into the manor announcing that Hermione was in labor, he had been a mess. He let all the people who needed to know, Pansy and Blaise, know and he grabbed Charlie and immediately apparated to St. Mungos. Throughout the twelve hours he had been there, the waiting room had begun to fill up. First to arrive was Pansy, Blaise, and Luca of course, demanding an update. Next to arrive were Harry and Ginny, followed closely by Narcissa, Lucius, and Lyra. It didn’t take long before even more Weasley’s showed up.
As the hours passed by, he began to grow more and more anxious. He thought about how the birth of his own child would be in a few months and he couldn’t help but wonder if this was how he was going to be then too.
“She will be alright,” Charlie said soothingly, walking up to him and squeezing his hand. “You know Hermione. She is the strongest girl we know remember?”
“I know,” Theo nodded and took a deep breath. “I just can’t help but think the worst. It’s early… she had a plan.”
“I think we have all learned that none of our plans actually work out in the end,” Harry muttered, running his fingers through his mop of black hair.
“Someone has to know something right?” Pansy said, looking over at Lyra who was asleep with her head in Lucius’ lap before she continued. “There has to be some kind of update.”
It was at that moment that the doors to the birthing suite opened and Draco stepped out and towards the awaiting people. Everyone came to attention and looked at him expectedly as he approached. “Have you all been waiting here this whole time?” Draco asked.
“How is she?” Theo asked running his fingers through his hair. “Is she ok? Are the babies ok?”
“Theodore,” Charlie murmured as he gently rubbed his back. “Breathe.”
“Is wasn’t supposed to be like this,” Theo shook his head looking at his fiance. “She didn’t want it to be like this.”
“Theo-” Draco started but Theo began again.
“She was supposed to give birth at home like Pansy did with Luca,” Theo continued. “She had a whole birth plan. Did you know that’s a thing? She wrote out a birth plan. Narcissa and Andromeda were supposed to help her give birth. There was a birth plan!”
“Theo,” Draco chuckled. “Why don’t you come with me and see for yourself hmm?”
“What about the rest of us?” Pansy scoffed. “We want to know how she is too!”
“Hermione is fine,” Draco sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “The twins are…. They are absolutely perfect.”
“We are going in with him,” Pansy demanded, a protective hand over the baby in her stomach. “Try and stop me.”
“I don’t even know why I try,” Draco sighed shaking his head and turning back to lead them into the room. Even though he was annoyed at his friends, the sight of Hermione made the smile on his face grow again. Even as she lay in bed, utterly exhausted, she was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Her eyes raised up as he and the others entered the room and a serene smile crossed her face.
“I thought you left to get Theo hmm?” Hermione asked, laughing softly.
“I think we both knew that wasn’t going to go over well with the others,” Draco chuckled, returning to his wife’s side and kissing the top of her head. Smiling down at the little bundles in her arms.
Theo and Pansy moved to get a closer look at the babies their best friend was holding while Blaise clapped Draco on the shoulder with a knowing smile. The friends were all used to the adoring look that Draco usually watched Hermione with but the look at his face was different now. It wasn’t just adoring now. He looked at her as if she walked on water. Placing a kiss on top of her head, he turned his attention back to their friends.
“I’m having a feeling of deja vu,” Theo smirked as he perched himself on the edge of the bed. “Other than the fact that I’m not alone with you in this hospital room and you have a husband here that is looking at you like you are a goddess.” Hermione laughed gently and turned to Draco, handing him the little boy with tufts of blonde curls.
“Everyone,” Draco spoke up, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room. “I would like to officially introduce you to Scorpius Lucius Malfoy.”
“Your father is going to love that,” Blaise smirked, looking down at the little boy in Draco’s arms. As the infant yawned, scrunching up his little nose, Pansy couldn’t help but coo over him.
“Hermione he is so beautiful,” Pansy said gently as her and Blaise took in the little boy that Draco was holding proudly in his arms. Theo on the other hand had already turned back to the little bundle in Hermione’s arms. With a smile on his face and a sense of deja vu filling him, he met Hermione’s eyes.
“Well Hermione,” Theo began with a chuckle. “Are you going to continue to hold me in suspense or do we finally get to see what all this fuss was about hmm? Well besides the other one in Draco’s arms.”
“I suppose I should introduce you,” Hermione said, smiling softly at the familiar words. Here she was again introducing her child to one of her closest friends in the entire world. “Theo… I’d like you to meet your goddaughter… Theodora Astra Malfoy.”
The room went silent as everyone’s attention turned to Hermione, Theo, and the little infant girl in her arms. Draco smiled, handing Scorpius over to Blaise to hold and turning his attention back to Theo, Hermione, and his daughter Theodora. He took a seat on the bed beside her, smirking at his friend. “Didn’t you say that the only apology you would accept was from us to name one of our children after you?”
“It’s not a constellation,” Theo choked out, his eyes never leaving the little bundle in Hermione’s arms. His heart was pounding in his chest and his emotions were all over the place.
“We couldn’t think of a more perfect name,” Hermione said softly. “Theo… do you want to hold her?”
He nodded his head quickly and Hermione gently handed over the little girl to him. As he pulled the little girl tightly to his chest, he was vaguely aware of Charlie’s presence behind him. His entire focus was on little Theodora in his arms. She was absolutely perfect from her little rosy cheeks to her button nose that came straight from Hermione, and her perfect blonde curls. It was when her eyes opened, and her grey eyes met his blue ones that his heart completely stopped. Just like Lyra, Theodora instantly had Theo Nott wrapped entire around her little fingers. “You… you are my perfect little goddaughter… I would commit bloody murder for you if you asked me to.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t start cursing right away,” Charlie chuckled as he watched the love of his life hold the little girl close to him.
“Shh love I’m bonding with my goddaughter,” Theo said and everyone in the room chuckled. As he continue to stare into the eyes of this little infant, he knew that when the time came for his own child to be born… he would be ready.