Riddle and the Ancient Contract

Chapter 52: Birth

The unexpected mock exams flustered all the students and sent many into such a panic that Healer Mystrain had to have Severus brew more calming draughts. So many that Severus made the draughts the potion to be brewed in his sixth and seventh year classes. The mock exams also did as intended and showed the professors where each student needed help.

Areas that quite a few had issue with was taken care of in the weekend remedial classes that everyone grumbled about. Individual problem areas were given over to tutors. As May progressed, potion-calmed students actually managed to focus on their work and slowly the staff began to believe that grades at the end of the year wouldn't be as abysmal as they had thought they would be.

The new teaching assistants were given the news that they would be helping out with the new summer introduction classes and poured over the outlines they were given. They would be responsible for introducing new magicals to their world and helping them understand and accept the new culture. It was a huge responsibility and they didn't want to fail.

It was the second week of May and Hari was on edge and miserable. The baby was due any day now and she had been having so-called mild contractions for four days. She had a constant lower back ache that made her miserable and irritable. She wasn't allowed to go anywhere alone and the constant supervision was irritating her.

Of course, everything was actually irritating her. Her clothes didn't fit right. She was burning up most of the time. Her feet and ankles were swollen and ached. Food didn't taste right. She had her own areas of difficulty in her classes and gave over all the running of the school to Tom, her investments to her account manager and the estates to the stewards in order to completely focus on her studies. She had broken down into tears three times this past week in the library because she couldn't find the right book to finish her assignments.

She just wanted the pregnancy to be over with.

She cried. She raged. She demanded. She complained. She was utterly uncomfortable and unhappy and stressed except for when she was anxious and eager to greet their son.

Everyone wanted the pregnancy to be over with.

Tom kept the thought that they had to go through this one more time firmly behind his occlumency shields especially when he was rubbing her back or her feet.

A cry of pain woke Tom in the early morning hours of May 15th. He was on his feet, wand in hand, looking for an enemy before his brain realized what was actually happening. "Hari?" He bent over his wife who was curled as much as possible, her face scrunched in pain.

"It's time," she panted as the worst contraction so far eased slightly.

At any other time, she would have laughed at the panic on the Dark Lord's face. Now, she was too focused on how much that contraction had hurt.

"Time. Right." Tom swallowed and forced the panic her scream of pain had engendered down and strode to the fire place. He tossed floo powder in and called out, "Hogwarts infirmary! EMILY!"

A few seconds passed then Emily's sleepy voice was heard.

"She says its time! Do I dare floo with her? Are you stepping through? Should we take the stairs?"

Emily bit back her laughter. Laughing at her distraught lord would not be beneficial to her health. "Has her water broke?"

"Water?" Tom pulled his head from the fireplace and dashed to the bed. Hari was indeed soaked. He dashed back to the fire. "Yes."

"Alright then. It is indeed time. Take the stairs, my lord. Slowly. Let her set the pace. There is plenty of time. I shall be ready for her when you two get here."