Amid the Falling Snow

Chapter 12: Draco Learns to...Drive?

Ginny was in labour and Harry was in hysterics. As soon as Ginny told him, he started running all over like a madman. To say the least, it was horrible timing, but when had anything ever gone right? Harry Apparated Ginny to the hospital, Hermione and Ron following behind. Although Ron was still in shock from the failed wedding, his sister seemed to get in the way of any bad thoughts.

When they arrived at the nearest hospital, Harry rushed around some more, trying to remember which floor they should go to. Hermione finally went up to the receptionist, who told her what floor it was. Harry Apparated Ginny to the floor, Hermione and Ron following behind.

"I swear to God, Harry. Calm the fuck down before I have to throw a Pumpkin Pasty down your throat," Ginny hissed, trying to breathe in and out at the same time as talking.

"Ginny, no need to get violent, dear," the Healer cautioned. "Everything will be alright."

Ginny glared at her, and Harry intervened before Ginny could say anything. "Ginny, be nice to the kind lady," he said as if he was speaking to a small child instead of his twenty year old wife.

"Harry, I swear-" Ginny started.

"Ginny," Hermione said, "I have a magazine for you. Read it." She had conjured it at that moment. She didn't need anymore bickering.

Ron just laughed, and Hermione couldn't help but feel envious. Even after all that he had gone through he could still put a smile on his face. She so badly wished she could be as strong.

"If she's like this now, I don't want to see what happens when she's popping out that baby," Ron commented, grinning.

"I don't either," Hermione answered, smiling slightly. "Poor Harry."

"You've got that right," he replied.

The two went into the waiting room, and Hermione grabbed a magazine that was sitting on one of the tables. It was full of rich, happy witches and wizards and she quickly put it down.

After a moment, Ron turned to her. "How are you?"

"I'm just fine, Ron," she answered. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm worried about you," he replied. "You don't seem happy."

"That's coming from one who just got left at the altar," she snapped back.

There was sadness evident in his eyes, and Hermione instantly felt like an idiot for saying that. "I'm sorry, Ron. I didn't mean it."

"No, it's okay. I deserve everything that's happened to me," he replied sullenly.

"No," she answered, pushing back strands of hair from his distressed face, "you don't. No one deserves that, especially not you."

"It makes you wonder, doesn't it? How the people you love can destroy you within seconds. How is it that you can love someone one moment and hate them from their insides out the next?" he wondered, staring intensely at Hermione.

"I don't know," she whispered.

"Hermione," he said, his face edging closer to her own.

Hermione became very aware to the fact of how close he was to her. She tried to move, but was already at the edge of the sofa. "Ron..." she started.

"We deserve to be happy," he told her, not moving from his spot. "Don't you think so?"

Hermione nodded faintly. "Ron, we can't do this..."

"I don't think I can go much longer," he continued, ignoring her words. "I need to be happy."

"Ron," she whispered feebly, "I don't love you."

Ron's body twitched at these words, and he moved himself away from her face. "I'm going to get us some coffee," he told her, not meeting her eyes.

Hermione watched him go, still stunned by what had just happened. Nothing in her life was easy, was it? She sighed, and, not wanting to be there when he returned, decided to take a walk around the hospital. It was strange how one so unhappy could find themselves in a hospital whose halls lingered with fear and death.

"Hermione!" a voice cried, bringing her back to reality. "Hermione! Hurry! It's time!"

She immediately realised that it was Harry who had called her name and hurried into the room where Ginny was.

"Where's Ron?" he asked when she entered.

"Um, getting coffee, I think," she answered coolly.

"Oh, good, you're here!" Ginny cried. "Tell that nurse that I want this baby out of me, now!"

After many painful hours of screaming, shouting, and throwing things all over the room, Ginny gave birth to a baby girl. As if Harry wasn't worried enough as it was, he now had a daughter whom he knew nothing about taking care of. Hermione knew that they would need a lot of help, especially Harry.

"Hermione, look. She's so beautiful!" Ginny whispered, tears streaming down her face.

Harry was staring at his daughter, wide eyed with either fear or in awe. "What are we going to call it?" he asked.

"Harry! She's not an it," Ginny answered. "She's an Apple."

"I thought she was a baby, Ginny. You're comparing our daughter to a fruit?

Even it is better than that," Harry replied with a raised eyebrow.

"No, idiot. I'm going name her Apple."

"Oh, Ginny. Give me that magazine. I knew I shouldn't have let you read that. Thanks a lot, Hermione," Harry said, looking over at Hermione. He grabbed the magazine that was in one of Ginny's hands and looked at the front cover. "Just because Gwyneth Paltrow names her baby Apple, doesn't mean you have to."

Ginny laughed. "I just wanted to see what you would say. Like I'm really going to name our daughter after a fruit, let alone an apple."

"So what are you going to name her?" Ron asked from the doorway.

"Nice of you to join us," Hermione told him, giving him a quick smile.

"Yeah, where've you been, mate?" Harry asked.

"I just needed to clear my thoughts," Ron replied. "Can I hold her?"

Ginny nodded and handed him her baby. Ron played with the baby's fingers, talking to her. "Hello there. I'm Ron, your uncle. Your mum was going to name you Apple, can you believe that? You'll have to get her for that when you're older," Ron whispered.

"Ron! Give me my baby back. I don't want her to hate me already!" Ginny cried, but she couldn't help but smile.

***

"How about Elizabeth?" Harry suggested.

They were all sitting around the hospital room trying to think of names for the baby. They had been sitting there for about an hour and were getting nowhere.

"That's too plain," Ginny complained. "How about Diana?"

"Too prissy," Hermione commented. "How about Jewel?"

"No more with the inanimate objects here. We've gone over this, Hermione," Harry retorted.

"How about Arabella?" Ron suggested for the first time. He had just sat with them, listening.

"SOLD!" Ginny cried. "I love it! Do you like it, Harry?"

"If I said no, would it really make a difference?" he replied.

"No, not really. Go and get that nurse. Tell her we've finally made a decision."

Harry did as he was told and Ginny smiled. "Thanks, Ron. That's a beautiful name."

He shrugged and stayed silent.

"Ginny, do you need anything?" Hermione asked.

"No, I'm alright. I just wish that my Mum-"

"Ginny!" a voice cried. Mrs. Weasley, along with the rest of the family, came stumbling in.

"Mum? What are you doing here?" Ginny asked, elated.

"Harry told us! Where's my granddaughter?" she questioned excitedly.

"Right here," a nurse replied, entering. "Arabella Lily Potter."

Mrs. Weasley hurried over and pulled the baby into her arms. "She's so beautiful! She has Harry's eyes! Do you think she'll have red hair?"

She moved around excitedly, talking animatedly with the others. Ginny smiled.

Harry walked over and kissed her. "I knew you'd want your family here, so I Flooed over to the Burrow and got them."

"Thanks, Harry. I knew I was smart in marrying you," she replied, smiling.

Hermione watched them silently. She wanted what they had so desperately, but she didn't know if she knew how to love someone else; to give them everything she could. She knew who she wanted, but like Helena and Ron, it wasn't meant to be. No matter how badly she wanted it.

***

Draco stared at his clock as if he was attempting to move it with his eyes. He needed more time than he had. He had just arrived from Harry's house, where he knew Hermione was staying. Turns out she was going to America. Today. He didn't care what she thought. He was going to be with her, marry her, have little Malfoy-Granger children jumping around, and love her until the day he died. Malfoys always got their way no matter what the situation. He wasn't about to let a beautiful stubborn woman like Hermione get in the way.

He knew she wanted him. He just knew. Now, all he needed was a plan. How was he going to get the airport without seeming suspicious, find what plane she was going on, and find her in an hour? Of all the days he decided he was going to go for it, he chose the worst timing possible. Curse his blood ancestors and their ways. He always did things at the last minute.

Draco knew he had to act fast. He knew he couldn't just Apparate into the airport. That would be just plain stupid; not even Crabbe or Goyle would do that. He would have to...drive there. Now, if he had been thinking clearly and given a few more minutes, he would have thought of Apparating to a dark alley near the airport and would have saved himself loads of time. But he wasn't thinking clearly; love always got in the way. So, he did what any wizard would do; he "borrowed" his neighbour's car.

The first step was trying to open the door. There wasn't a doorknob so he didn't know quite what to do. Realising he could do magic, he opened the door quickly with his wand. A loud noise went off, and he thought it was very curious that cars had their own theme songs when opened. He slipped inside, only to find many more mysterious buttons. How was he supposed to turn on the bloody thing? He noticed a slit near the circular device, but didn't know what should be placed in it. He attempted to place a Muggle coin inside like those mechanical toys little children ride on, but to no avail. He decided he'd just have to do it his own way. He flicked his wand, using every spell he could think of to try and turn on a Muggle gadget. Something rumbled, and lights turned on all over the car.

What was he supposed to do now? There he was, sitting in a Muggle device with theme music going off (it was more of an obnoxious noise that repeated itself than actual music), with no knowledge as to how to operate a vehicle. He looked down and noticed two pedal-like things on the ground. He stepped down on one and zoomed backwards. Well, at least he knew how to make it move. He noticed a stick looking thing sitting in the middle of two seats and moved it to the one that lit up the D. Now, how did he steer it so he didn't hit someone? Ah, maybe that circular device? He stepped on the pedal and moved the "circular device" at the same time. He hit a car in front of him. Someone got out of it, looking angry. At the same time, another person walked out of the building to see what all the commotion was. It was the neighbour whose car Draco had stolen. Maybe it was time he left. He stepped on the pedal and zoomed forward onto the street, the neighbour chasing after him with a balled fist.

Phew. Part one of his plan was well underway. Now all he had to do was get to the airport. How hard could that be? Very hard, as he would soon find out. He was driving along and a car stopped suddenly in front of dangling lights. What was the idiot doing? Did he not see that the other cars were moving? He obviously didn't know what a car did. Draco moved around him and started to move across the intersection. He stopped all the other cars going in the opposite direction and went on his way.

"Idiots," he muttered to himself, laughing. He was making good headway.

He soon merged onto some kind of motorway, the cars going even faster. This looks like good fun, he thought to himself. He zoomed through the cars, but then came to a sudden halt as everyone ceased moving. What kind of place is this? Does everyone stop all the time? He slowly inched his way through the motorway. He soon saw a sign that read London Airport, next right. He turned right immediately, despite the fact that there was nowhere to turn. There were only hills. As Draco mindlessly rode up the hill to get the airport, he heard another strange sound besides the noise his own car was still making. There were lights on the car behind him.

"I see more people realised how much easier this is to go this way than to sit in that unmoving line," Draco mused. "I've already set an example for these Muggles!"

The car still followed behind him as he emerged to another motorway that led to the airport. As he sped up, so did the car. Perhaps they need help to get to the airport. As Draco hummed merrily to the repetitive noise he was growing rather fond of, he got sight of the time. Six-fifty, the clock read. He had ten minutes to find Hermione before it was too late! He stepped on the pedal, going even faster and finally reached the airport. He ran out of his car, leaving the noise and everything else still on. He hurried through the airport, trying to figure out where to go. He finally found a desk that didn't have any people in line and walked over to it.

"Excuse me, but do you know where the plane to America is?" he asked the woman, who in his opinion wore far too much makeup for one's own good.

The woman looked at him strangely and smiled, revealing pink lipstick on her tooth. It took every bit in Draco to keep from laughing. "Where in the United States, sir?"

"I...look. The love of my life is leaving in ten minutes and I need to stop her before she makes a huge mistake. Can you please just tell me what plane Hermione Granger is leaving on?"

"You'll have to see customer service for that. Go down the hall and to the right. You can't miss it," she replied.

"I don't have time to go down the hall and to the right. Can't you just look her up in your...machine?" he replied frantically.

"I suppose. Just give me a second. How do you spell her name?"

"H-E-R-M..."

"H-A-R-M...what's the next part?" the woman asked.

"No, no. H-E-R-M-I-O-N-E G-R-A-N-G-E-R," he answered, enunciating each letter with care. "Could you please hurry up?"

"Alright, alright. Don't get your knickers in a bunch. She's on flight 1298 to Boston, Massachusetts," she told him. "Good luck!"

"Thank you!" he cried, hurrying away from the desk.

"That's gate A13!" she called after him.

Gate A13? What did that mean? He looked around the airport, hurrying through the slow people walking. He finally saw a sign that read, Gate A1-Gate A14 with an arrow pointing straight ahead. Muggles had strange ways of doing things, that was for sure. He hurried on, and finally found Gate A13. He ran to the desk.

"I need to get on that plane! The love of my life is on it! I need to find her!" he told the woman between breaths.

"I'm sorry, sir, but the plane has already taken off," she explained. "Perhaps you could call her when she arrives."

Draco kicked a nearby chair in anger. He had missed his one and only chance to make things right. He had lost his battle for love. With a heavy heart and no regard for who saw him, he Apparated back to his flat to drink away his problems.