Amour

PRINCESS

"We're on our way. We will be there as soon as possible. The babysitter is taking forever to arrive..."Ginny was saying on the phone. "Nah, just come at your own time,"Harry told her.
"Is it done already? Wow, that was fast...did she sneeze the baby out?"
"No, no. She has started having her contractions but the doctor said it's gonna be a while."
Light screams could be heard from inside the room, where Hermione was waiting before she was to be taken to the delivery room. "Breathe Hermione, just breathe."Snape coaxed."Remember what you learned from that pregnancy video." "I remember thinking it was stupid!"Hermione snapped. "Ooh, ooh, here we go again...!" She was almost crushing his hand during the pain she was feeling every few minutes, but Snape let her hold one of his hand, while he rubbed soothingly at her back with then other one.
"Dr.Mortimer said it has to be atleast ten centimetres-"
"Oh, what does she know?"
"Do you want me to get another doctor-?"
"No. If another human comes anywhere near my uterus, I'm gonna snap them in two!"
Ron was swinging his legs from another spare bed inside that room. "Try and relax would ya?" Hermione bared her fangs at him while breathing heavily through her teeth. "Excuse me, did you ever have one of these contractions?" Ron looked up towards the couple who were shooting daggers at him. "Uh...no. It only happens to women." "Exactly."Hermione smiled dangerously,"No ovary- no opinion." This ought to have zipped Ron's lips for the time being. Snape wiped the sweat off her face. "Do you want something else, sweetie? What can I do?" It was one of the intervals and Hermione let her head fall back, her clothes almost drenched. "Ugh, maybe some more ice chips?"
"Sure." But he turned around to find Ron already finishing off the last of it from the mug, only stopping his loud munching when he noticed Snape giving him a death-stare. "Uhh...I thought..it was ice chips for the room."He promptly jumped down and made for the door,"Don't worry, I'll get some more." "Yeah, and Ronald, while you're out there- don't come back."Snape said menacingly. Ron slunked out. Mostly everyone had arrived by then. "So, what's going on? How is she doing?"Arthur inquired. "Ah, she- she's hanging in there."Ron replied, giving no clue that he had practically been kicked out. "So much for being the magic of giving birth...Boy, is it a snooze-fest!"George prepared to go back to sleep reclined in one if the chairs in the waiting room. "Ah well, first deliveries can be a little slow."Molly observed knowledgeably. "Why don't we all go and get something from the vending machine?"she suggested..........................................
"Oh god, here comes another one...ooh this is big!"Hermione groaned loudly, scrunching up her face as she held onto her husband for support. He laid her back down after it passed. "Shouldn't it be time already? Why doesn't the baby wanna come out?"she panted. He rubbed her back,"You know what I think? I think that you had made such a nice home for it over the last nine months that it doesn't wanna leave." She cupped his face adoringly,"Look at you..making up crap stories for me." Ginny and George came in after Arthur and Molly had left. "I can't believe it's taking this long. How are you doing?"Ginny asked, genuinely concerned. "Oh I'm terrible!"Hermione snapped, mock-smiling."The last time the doctor said I had dilated only three centimetres. Three! Aargh, I can't do this anymore..." "Everyone has to go through the same thing Hermione."George tried to vaguely console. "What do you know?"Hermione said enraged,"No one has come up to you and said, 'Is that your nostril? Let's just push a pot-roast through it!'. Oh here comes another one...Aaaaaahhhh!" "You should really stop losing your temper like that Hermione."Snape said authoritatively."And I think you should all just leave her alone for the time being." Dr.Mortimer came in then to check. "Doctor please, you have to do something."Hermione pleaded,"Maybe something's wrong-" "No. I think you are ready now. You're fully dilated. You are ready for the ER."Mortimer informed nd there were two very deep sighs from the couple as they got ready for the most difficult time yet.............................................
"Push for five more seconds. 1-2-"
"3-4-5. Oh!"Hermione was periodically pushing and letting go. "Come on darling, one more time. Push!"Snape egged her on.
"I can't...I can't anymore..."
"Yes you can. Come on now, together."
"No, I ca- will you please do it for me?"
Snape rolled his eyes even in the midst of this, but he knew she was not in her right mind. "I would've done this for you sweetheart, but I can't. You are braver than me. You are stronger than me. Come on, let's do this." Hermione tried again and the crowning started. She convulsed into further pain, due to which she clutched onto him even harder while shrieking. "If I die, would you weep for me?"
"You are not going to die, Hermione."he rolled his eyes again."And anyways, how would you even know?"
"I'll know!"
He leaned over to watch the magical process of the birth of his child and wondered aloud,"Oh my god...that's- how are you even doing this...?" "Not helping!"Hermione cried. But he was too engrossed in the arrival of the newest member of their family. "Oh, I see a head...beautiful little hands and...oh it's a girl. It's a girl!"he rejoiced out loud while Hermione panted, relieved finally. "Oh, Hermione, she's here. She's so perfect! Our tiny little daughter."Snape gushed. The doctor and the nurses took her aside. "Oh...ah...I want to see her. Wh-where did she go?"Hermione blinked through the tears and sweat.
"It's allright, they just took her away to get her cleaned."
"Do be careful with her, please, she's so tiny..."
"Here you go."Dr.Mortimer carefully placed the baby, wrapped in loincloths into the father's arms. He had the widest smile on his face. Then he took her to her mother and Hermione held her for the first time as Snape kissed her head."Hey you..."she stroked her baby's chin gently, as her little offspring let out cries, as if announcing herself,"Thanks for coming out of me."
"Thank you, My Princess."Snape bent down to kiss Hermione full on the lips and they knew that they couldn't be happier.......................
"Can we come in yet? We're dying out here!"Harry shouted after Hermione had been shifted to a private recovery room. Snape looked towards his wife once before letting them in.
"Show us, show us.."
"There she is!"
"Look what you made!"
"Oh she's so beautiful.."
The baby was passed from one hand to the other then finally back to her father. "So, do we have a name yet?"Molly asked. "I was thinking...Emmanuela."Snape looked at his wife for approval and she nodded, smiling. Everyone clapped and expressed their appreciation. Hermione let out a sob. "What's wrong dear?"Ginny sat beside her bed, hugging her friend sideways.
"Oh no..I'm sorry. I just can't stop crying."she wiped at her eyes.
"It's perfectly normal dear. It's because of all the hormones."Molly informed, gently rubbing her hand to comfort her. Hermione extended her arms to take her baby into them, which Snape did but he still held the whole of his family in his arms in one big hug. Hermione sighed, looking down at the sweet little innocent face, sleeping peacefully. "Emmanuela Snape. Our little Emma.".......................................
Hermione was breastfeeding Emma and baby-talking with her along with Ginny and Molly, when Ron came in. "Dude, I just saw a woman breastfeeding both of her twins at the same time, it's like a freak show out there!" He looked around and noticed the three women staring disapprovingly at him. "Oh..no guys around here huh?" Hermione covered herself up after Emma was done and looked adoringly at her baby. "She's so cute. I love her so much." She proceeded to touch her cheeks but Ginny protested,"You really shouldn't wake up a sleeping baby. She just had her milk, she needs to-" "No, but I wanna see those lovely little eyes. They are so black, just like her father. Two shiny black pearls."Hermione tried to gently shake her awake and Emma gazed upon her mother's face for a few seconds and then burst out crying. Then no matter how much Hermione tried to pat her back to sleep, she kept on bawling. "Give her to me, dear."Molly took her up and gently swung her around,"Who's my good cherub?" "Wow, she has been crying for like a week and a half."Ron complained rolling his eyes exaggeratedly. But Molly got her to calm down and Hermione was all praises. "Ah, it's no big deal. I am super grandma! Eh Emma?"Molly grinned down at the sleeping child.
Snape was standing in front of the wide glass pane of the window looking through at the nursery. The nurse had taken Emma inside and he watched as she powdered her up and changed her diapers and laid her down in one of the cots. All the while, a slight twitch could be detected in his hands for he wished he could do all this himself. He could'nt wait to get his wife and child home with him. Arthur came and stood beside him, watching Emma as well. "How is everything?" Snape was reluctant to break his gaze from his precious but he had to tear his eyes away to acknowledge Arthur's presence; a friend he was glad to have by his side now. "Emma is asleep in there and Hermione is back at the recovery room. She is quite exhausted- I made sure she is taking her rest before I came here."he replied. "And what about you, Severus?"Arthur asked. Snape brought his eyes back on his baby and they shone tearfully."I'm great. I'm on seventh heaven. I can't believe how lucky I am..." The two men stood there for some time, quitely observing the little one stretching in her sleep and again curling up in a ball, sometimes smiling toothlessly. Smiles crept up on their faces too. Arthur wondered,"I can't seem to fathom whom she looks more like- you or Hermione." Snape took no time in answering,"Are you kidding? She's gorgeous! It's all Hermione." Arthur looked at him, gave a pat on his back and left the proud father alone with his daughter in order to cherish his moment.