The Marriage Decree

Chapter 92: Are you Breaking Up with Me?

Draco has had about enough of his NEWT class when there's a short rap at the door to his classroom. They'd started off the lesson by continuing to brew a potion from the previous morning. However, after two cauldrons overflowed, another exploded, and a final cauldron got knocked off the table and started melting a hole into the floor, Draco removed all the cauldrons and potions from his classroom and had them write the rules for brewing in the classroom fifty times in silence. Rules they should have ingrained in their brains after seven years of brewing, especially with having Severus as their potion professor for four years. They had grown lazy in the past two year's tutelage under Horace and Draco was determined to train it out of them.

He's sat at his desk, marking homework from his first-year class he had previous to this one when Minerva walks in after knocking. He stands to attention smiling invitingly at their headmistress. She rushes to the front of the classroom, not paying attention to the students, who all look up gloomily at the entrance.

"Professor McGonagall, welcome to our class." He greets her, meeting her at the bottom of the steps that lead to his desk.

She waves his greeting off. "Pansy's gone into labour." She states, Draco's eyes widening. "And Hermione's taken her to St. Mungo's. She asked me to inform you." She adds. "If you wish to join them, I'll have Horace cover the remainder of your lessons this afternoon." She says.

"Thank you, Minerva." He glances at his class who are trying to hide the fact they're listening to their professor's conversation. "May I leave now? There are only ten minutes left." He asks.

"You may send your class early to lunch." She agrees.

"Thank you." He turns to the class. "I want your fifty rules on my desk by first period tomorrow, and I will know if you use a duplication spell. You are dismissed." He tells his class, and they all quickly pack up and leave.

"Send our congratulations to Pansy when the babies arrive." Minerva mentions.

"Of course, thank you again, Minerva." He nods. "I'll be flooing over to St. Mungo's." He states, waving his wand over the fireplace, collecting a handful of floo powder and flooing away.

Hermione pours Pansy a glass of water from a jug beside her bed.

"You need to keep your fluid up." She reminds her friend, who's sat cross-legged above the bed covers, reading a magazine.

"I haven't felt anything in over fifteen minutes. It's probably Braxton Hicks." She shrugs, turning a page in her magazine.

Hermione sighs, plumping the pillows on the bed in preparation as Pansy's healer, Rachel, enters with a clipboard.

"Good afternoon, Miss Parkinson, are you ready to meet your babies?" She asks a happy disposition.

"I don't think they're actually coming. We still have six weeks to go. Is it not Braxton Hicks?" She asks.

"I'm afraid not, Miss Parkinson. The junior Healer has checked you over. You're having your babies today, or tomorrow if you're unlucky." Healer Rachel explains, having her clipboard off the end of Pansy's bed.

Pansy sighs, "Perfect, trust me to give birth on a leap day." She mutters.

The healer chuckles. "Has your husband been informed?" She asks.

"No, I didn't think this was real." She lies back in the bed against her freshly plumped pillows. "Hermione-?" She starts.

"I'll let him know." She nods, leaving Pansy's room and walking down to the lift where she waits.

"Hermione? How is she?"

She turns to find her husband had just burst through the staircase door.