You Raise Me Up

I love you all, and the bunnies are growing in leaps and bounds. They are starting to produce other little bunnies, but unfortunately their offspring have nothing to do with this story. It is truly hard to write a story when another is nagging at you, but I hate to do several works at one time....I feel it is unfair to the reader. AH well, I'll just suck it up and be a woman about it...

Enjoy this chapter, my friends, for I have worked hard on it...
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Fred and George lowered the crying witch, and Lucius lifted the Body Bind. Hermione practically jumped on the bed, and Draco smiled gently as she smothered his face with kisses.

“Draco…” she howled, and buried her face against him. He wrapped his arms around her, and cradled her as she cried. “I missed you so much….” She sobbed.

Narcissa stepped forward, stroking her son’s face.

“Would anyone explain to me why my wife was begging not to be forcefully taken from my room?” he asked, his voice hoarse from disuse.

“We were trying to help, mate. She was exhausting herself waiting for you to wake up from your beauty sleep. We were going to ‘persuade’ her to rest…” Fred said with a shrug.

Draco looked down at the little witch at his side. She looked up with a pout.

“Is that true, my little rabbit? Did you exhaust yourself trying to take care of me?” he asked gently, brushing hair from her face. She didn’t answer, but instead buried her face guiltily into his side. “I appreciate your concern, but your duty should have been first and foremost to yourself and our unborn child. Did you at least keep up with your vitamins and prenatal potions?” he asked. She nodded against him, and pointed to several bottles lining the back of the small sink in his room. “Good girl.” He said, and held her tight.

“I love you.” Came the muffled message, and he smiled at her.

There was a small gasp from behind them. Everyone turned to Bellatrix, whose eyes were wide, and her hand clutched to her stomach. She stood to her feet, her breath coming in shocked puffs.

“That’s all fine and dandy, but I do believe I just had a contraction…” she said. Severus was at her side in a black flash.

“I’ll take her home. You call the Midwitch, Narcissa.” Severus said, gently leading the witch from the room. Narcissa apologized to her son.

“I’m sorry, Draco, but Bella needs me now….” She said gently. He gave her a crooked smile.

“Go on, mum. I’ve got Mione here with me…” he said, his arm around his witch-wife. She smiled and nodded, and
then left the room in a hurry. Lucius sat down in Bellatrix’s chair in her absence, looking at his son. Fred and George exchanged silent glances, and left quietly.

Lucius gave a slightly uncharacteristic smile.

“Welcome back to the land of the living, son.”

~~

Bellatrix was eased into the bed that had been prepared for her birthing. Severus put pillows behind her, making her as comfortable as possible.

“Just be calm, blaireau…this is supposed to be the easiest stage…” he said, gently tying her hair back from her face.

“I know, moufette, I know. This is what my Lamaze coach called the ‘Yippee! I’m in labor!’ stage…” she said, and reclined gently against the pillows.

“Are you okay? Are you comfortable?” he asked. She gave a light laugh.

“Yes…and I probably will be for hours to come. Unfortunately, this is the longest and most anticipated part. I’m supposed to rest, or do something productive. Darn! I left my needlepoint in Draco’s hospital room…oh well. I’ll try to get a light nap in.” she said, and closed her eyes. Severus crossed the room, and settled himself into a chair, watching over his fiancé like a dark sentinel. Within a few moments she was lightly napping. He knew she would need this time to rest, as he had read every book he could get his hands on that had to do with this particular subject. He had made a promise to her at the beginning of their engagement that even though the child was not biologically his that he would protect and care for the child as though it was. He already had adoption papers drawn up, ready to be signed when the child was born. Unfortunately, they would have to find out which of the Aurors had knocked her up, and have him sign as well.

Percy had warned them personally that that they had a snowball’s chance in hell of getting that to happen. Both of the Aurors, condemned on their own confession, had been stuffed into Azkaban for the obligatory seven month rape charge, and severely demoted. There were no better than Auror water boys now. But that didn’t stop the fact that one of them was a father, and would probably want to be part of his child’s life. Bellatrix would cross that bridge when she came to it, though, as she wasn’t really too worried about that until the baby was delivered safe and sound.

True to what he had read, the first stage of labor began fairly easily. She would wake about every twenty minutes with a light contraction, and would use the time she was awake to go to the bathroom, or get something to drink, knowing she would need the fluids in her body.

The Midwitch arrived as the contractions were beginning to come closer together. At about five minutes apart, a light sheen of sweat had formed on her brow, and Severus was there with a cool rag and ice chips to keep her comfortable. Between the contractions, he would gently pat her face with the cloth, and put the chips of ice into her mouth for her to suck on. She was starting to enter her ‘This is hard work!’ phase, and wasn’t particularly enjoying it. Having Severus next to her kept her calm, though, and helped her to the bathroom if need be.

The next phase was the part that made Severus truly respect Bellatrix as a woman. This phase was the hardest part of labor. Her contractions were coming quick and hard, lasting over a minute. Her Midwitch was there beside her, telling her it wasn’t quite time for pushing yet, and helping Severus keep her calm with the controlled breathing. She shook violently, and felt at one point she was going to be ill. But nothing more than a few scattered whimpers left her mouth. A few errant waves of labor magic broke a few trinkets in the room, but the place managed to go unharmed for the most part.

Then….the pushing. This seemed to have eased up in intensity, but it still hurt like hell. Her controlled whimpers morphed into full-blown cries as she pushed, each one worse then the last.

Narcissa had, on her sister’s request, stayed in the room, but not right at her side. She was on the edge of her seat with sympathy for her sister, but she also knew that Bellatrix was not one for idle attention. Severus was enough to keep her calm, and her own presence would just upset the woman. Narcissa’s reverie was broken when her sister gave another shriek of agony that was accompanied moments later by the shriek of an infant. She stood to her feet as the Midwitch received the child, and cut the umbilical cord.

“Congratulations, Miss Bellatrix. You are the proud mother of a baby boy.” She said, and wrapped the child in a soft blanket so that Bellatrix could hold him.

Tears streamed down Bellatrix’s face as she looked into the face of her crying son. “Baby…” she sobbed, and rocked the child in her arms.

~~

Once mother and child were cleaned and resting comfortably, Narcissa was able to coddle with Bellatrix.

“Have you though of a name yet, Bella?” she asked, looking into the sleeping infant’s face.

“Yes. I’ll give him his first and middle name, but I’m going to wait before I give him a last name. I don’t want his name to be the Auror’s just yet.” She said, and ran a finger over her son’s cheek. “I’m going to call him Orion Cygnus.”

“A beautiful name for a beautiful child.” She said, knowing enough to avoid the topic of the child’s father. Bellatrix had known who the father was the moment she looked into her baby’s eyes. The child had not been given the standard green-blue that most babies got. He had been ‘blessed’ with his unique eye color right away. His eyes had given it all away. They were large and bright golden-yellow, and when paired with the dark hair he’d inherited from his mother, it made him look rather owlish.

Bellatrix had remembered those eyes from Azkaban. She had even had a stray thought that they were lovely eyes just before he beat her senseless. Damn that Auror and his warped sense of justice. But she couldn’t love the baby any less, for if the Auror didn’t step up to the job as father, she knew one man who sure as hell would. She glanced over at Severus, who had just fallen asleep in the chair next to her. She smiled softly, and tears filled her eyes.

Narcissa was a bit shocked. “Are you all right, Bella? Do you need anything?” she asked. Bellatrix shook her head.

“I just love them so damned much. That one…” she said, pointing to Severus. “…Has stood by me through thick and thin. He’s ten thousand times the man Rodolphus ever was. And this one…” she said, looking down at her son. “I’ve only known him for a few hours, and already I’d die for him…” she said, tears streaming down her face.
Narcissa smiled, and watched as Bellatrix leaned back into her pillows, falling asleep almost immediately from exhaustion. She watched as her little nephew waved a tiny fist sleepily, and chuckled as he inadvertently tucked it under his chin, going back to sleep.

Her eyes lit on Severus’ tired face, then on her sister’s, and back on her nephew’s. “Rest now, my motley bunch….you will all need it.” She said, and gently tucked the blanket around Bellatrix
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Awwwww......I know...I love little babies too....they are so CUTE!!! And then they learn how to talk and crawl and they lose their cuteness...JK!!!!!

Review for the baby! He wants to know if you think he'll be a good boy, or a Dark little thing like his mummy. (Personally I'm voting on a nice solid balance between Light and Dark...)