The Golden Years

Chapter 2

Two Years Later

"Isn't she just the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?" Ron asked excitedly of his newborn daughter, asleep in Bethany's arms.

Harry smiled and nodded. His goddaughter was beautiful. She had the finest thatch of blonde hair and her cheeks were already rosy. She was going to grow up to be a looker. "We're going to have a hell of a time keeping boys away," he remarked.

"Hell, she's going to have a hell of a time trying to get out of the house," Ron retorted. "I swear to you, she's not going anywhere unless properly escorted."

Without looking up, Bethany asked, "And who would that be, Ron?"

Ron and Harry gave each other a telling look. "That would be us, of course!" they said in unison.

Bethany clucked her tongue as she shook her head. "Right. Then you'll have to deal with her hating you the rest of the night; Ron, honey, you can't stand anyone hating you. You'll let her leave the house," she said reasonably.

"Knock, knock." Ron's parents entered the hospital room. His mum was wearing the brightest smile he'd ever seen, and his dad was wearing a new sweater that proclaimed: "I'm Proud to be a Grandpa Again!" It was a loud, ugly sweatshirt that Molly had knitted her husband, but it was totally like his dad.

Molly bustled over to Bethany's bedside, swooping in on Ron's wife and new daughter just as she had done to Ron's brothers and their new families before. "Let me hold her," she crooned, taking the baby adeptly from Bethany's arms. She immediately started cooing over her new granddaughter, swaying in spot as she did so.

Harry laughed and leaned into Ron's ear. "I think your mum will like having a granddaughter," he commented.

"You think?" Ron snipped back.

Arthur clapped his son's shoulder. "We're proud of you, Ron. You and Bethany have done your mother and me proud." He smiled at the image of his wife holding her first granddaughter. "That girl is going to be so spoiled," he remarked.

"Between Ron, Harry, you, and Molly she'll think she's the Queen of Sheba," Bethany joked with a smile.

Everyone laughed except Ron, who wrinkled his brow. "You know, I never really understood that line," he muttered.

Bethany opened her mouth to say something, and then shut it. "Oh never mind, honey."

Harry stepped toward Mrs. Weasley, holding out his pointing finger and brushing his goddaughter's cheek. "Well, I suppose I should get going, business calls. Well, Parvati actually called." His cheeks still turned a little red whenever he mentioned his girlfriend, more like his almost fiancée.

Ron gave him a knowing grin. "Uh huh, sure. Business. Is that what they call it these days?" He winked at Harry.

"Ronald!" his mother exclaimed softly, but sharply. "Don't talk like that in front of your daughter!" she scolded.

"Yeah, but Mum, she doesn't know what I'm saying--"

"That doesn't matter, Ron, you can't talk like that. These are the formative years, you know. Babies soak up all sorts of knowledge just by observation," she said knowingly.

"Mum, she's asleep," he pointed out.

Molly Weasley just shook her head. "You have a lot of work to do yet with this one, Bethany. Are you sure you're still up for it?" she asked worriedly.

Bethany couldn't help but laugh. "Of course I'm up for it!" She blew Ron a kiss. "Besides, we still have years together. I've got time," she added with a smile.

"All right then," Harry said loudly. "I'm going to head out before the Third Great War starts." He touched his goddaughter's cheek again. "See you tomorrow Audra!" he whispered gently against her ear.

He then patted Bethany's knee and clapped Ron on the shoulder. "See you two tomorrow. I'll be here to pick you up at eleven o'clock, sounds good?"

Bethany nodded. "Yes, and thanks again for everything, Harry. Ron and I really appreciate it."

Harry shrugged. "'Tis nothing," he muttered. Then he half hugged Molly and Arthur. "Take care."

Molly kissed her surrogate son on the cheek. "You need to stop by The Burrow, and make it sometime soon, Harry. It's been too long. Bring Parvati," she offered happily.

Harry chuckled. "Will do, Mrs. Weasley," he said as he exited the hospital room.

***

Half a world away, Hermione sat on her back porch, her hand resting on her slightly swollen stomach, and her eyes focused on the mountain range in front of her.

She and Peter had moved to Nepal shortly after marrying a little less than nine months ago. Since then, Hermione had endured unseasonably warm weather, a downpour of rain for days on end, and finally, a comfortably warm temperatures that allowed her to appreciate the beauty of her new home.

Not that she had had much time to sit still. Between working at the local clinic and visiting her husband, who was working at Base Camp on Mount Everest and sometimes assisting him there.

In Nepal they seemed more open to the mystical world than anywhere else Hermione had been, and Muggles frequenting Base Camp openly asked their magical counterparts questions regarding their 'world.' Never once had Hermione been approached for magical help and assistance in climbing the mountain, for which she was amazed. It seemed no matter who you were -- Muggle, witch, or wizard -- climbing the beast without magic was ideal. She was touched by the purity and honesty of it all.

Hermione brought her hand up to shield her eyes from the sun. Mount Everest was a breathtaking sight. She was amazed and sometimes mystified, that she and Peter had been so lucky as to be able to choose this home at the magical compound. There was no sight as beautiful anywhere else in the world.

Today was a rare day; she was able to put her feet up, relax, and think, one of her favorite things to do, but something she seldom had time for anymore. Inadvertently, her thoughts turned to her unborn son.

There was something quite powerful about being pregnant, she had found. It was as if she had finally found a part of herself in becoming a mother. There was something very mystical to it all, much like the people surrounding her.

It helped, of course, that the baby was Peter's.

She smiled, thinking about her husband. It had been his idea to leave Pakistan for Nepal in the first place. Initially, she hadn't been keen on the idea of leaving her work, not to mention her friends behind, but Scott and Abby had thrown a lovely farewell party for the couple, and Miriam had agreed to be their baby's godmother before leaving, which made saying goodbye all that much easier.

And then, surprise of all surprises, her parents made a trip to Pakistan to watch their only daughter get married. Once there, they had ended up staying one month, which was long enough for them to assist the newlyweds with their move to Nepal. Hermione had never appreciated her parents more.

Still, it was nice to be with just her husband. At the thought, Hermione smiled serenely.

Now, if only the nine month mark was tomorrow, life would be perfect.

***

It had all started a little over a week ago. Ron was already sleeping since he had practice early the next morning, and Bethany was putting Audra in her bassinette for the night. Suddenly, she was on the floor, simple as that. Ron woke to a snapping noise immediately, and found Bethany sitting on the floor, rubbing her ankle. After summoning ice from the icebox downstairs, he helped her to bed and fell asleep with his back to her. It had been nothing more than that.

One week later, however, Bethany's ankle was the size of a melon, in Ron's opinion, and she was still limping. No amount of magic had been able to help anything.

"Ron, it isn't that big of a deal," Bethany said impatiently.

The look she gave him almost reminded him of the ones Hermione used to shoot him back when they were at Hogwarts and she was explaining something to him that he obviously should have gotten. Almost.

"Really?" he challenged. "Have you taken a look at that thing?" he asked, motioning to her swollen ankle. "If I took a frigging pin to it, it would pop like a balloon!"

"Not funny, Ron. Not funny at all," she said, shaking her head.

Ron knew that if she could, she would tap her foot. As it was, if she tapped her good foot she would most likely lose balance due to the swelling of her other foot.

In her playpen, Audra gurgled behind them. Obviously irritated with him, Bethany whirled around on her good foot to get their daughter, but lost her footing and landed on the floor with a loud thud.

Ron was next to her in a heartbeat. "Are you OK?" he asked, concerned. His wife had always been so strong; it was hard to see her like this.

The look she gave him broke his heart; tears were filling her blue eyes quickly. She shook her head, and some of the blonde strands stuck to her damp cheeks. "I'm scared, Ron," she whispered.

"Bethany..."

She nodded fearfully. "I'm scared, Ron," she said barely loud enough for Ron to hear.

He smoothed her hair away from her eyes and kissed the tip of her nose. "I know you are, Bethany, but we'll figure this out. The Healers will know how to help you," he reassured her, although he felt a small niggling doubt himself.

"Are you sure?" she asked worriedly.

Ron wasn't, but he couldn't very well let her know that, if only for his own sanity. The thought of losing her terrified him. Not that she was going to die. "Of course. They're Healers, Bethany; it's what they're supposed to do."

She didn't look as if she were totally convinced, but God bless her soul, she didn't ask him to reconfirm his reconfirmations.

And so, here Ron was, sitting in the waiting room with his infant daughter sleeping in his arms while the Healers performed wand tests on Bethany's ankle.

The waiting room was silent except for the quiet hum of witches behind the desk, murmuring about this patient or that patient and the occasional pop! as new patients and their comrades Apparated into the room.

It seemed to take forever for Nurse Willow, the same middle-aged witch who'd taken Bethany into the Healer's office, to come and ask for Ron to join them. "Bethany asked that you come back here now, Mr. Weasley." The older witch smiled serenely, as if that would help Ron's nerves!

He followed Nurse Willow through a maze of corridors, but with each step Ron felt more nervous.

He hated hospitals, always had, and he supposed he always would. It didn't help that rarely anything good happened in them.

At that moment, his daughter decided to wake up. He looked down at her just as she blinked up at him with her big blue eyes. Her cheeks were all scrunched up like she was about to cry, but she didn't make a sound and instead settled back to sleep. Well, nothing good except for her, he thought to himself, his thoughts and eyes still on his daughter.

"Right in here, Mr. Weasley," the nurse said stopping in front of an exam room. She nodded motioning towards the door. "Go on ahead; Healer Millwright will be with you in a few moments." Then her eyes dropped to the small bundle in Ron's arms. "You have a beautiful daughter," she complimented.

Ron said his thanks quickly and joined his wife in the exam room. Bethany was sitting on the patient bed wearing a thin hospital robe. She was hugging the robe close to her skin.

"They made you take off all your clothes because of your ankle?" he asked incredulously, curiously.

"Oh shut it, Ron," she snapped.

Ron clamped his mouth shut. He didn't remember Bethany ever snapping at him, not in their four-plus year relationship. They'd had some awful rows, of course, but she'd never snapped before.

Letting go of the robe with one hand, she pressed the thumb and index finger of her other hand to her forehead, wearily rubbing it. "I'm so sorry," she said quietly.

He shook his head nonchalantly. "It's fine, really it is," he repeated when she looked like she was about to argue with him. "I know how stressed out you are," he added gently.

Bethany sighed heavily. "Can I hold her?" she asked tentatively.

"Of course," he said, as he brought their daughter to her. He kissed her forehead just as the door opened and the Healer came in.

Healer Balthazar Millwright was a burly wizard who reminded Ron a bit of the Muggle St. Nicholas, except for the fact that he was not smiling or jovial, but rather frowning and brooding. Actually, Ron felt rather intimidated by the wizard.

Without saying a word, the Healer picked Audra out of her mother's arms and handed her to Ron. Ron didn't know what to make of this, but Bethany was physically started. She glanced at him then, her face flush with worry.

"D-do you know what's wrong with me, then?" she asked finally, looking intensely at Millwright.

For his benefit, Millwright smiled then, albeit it was a half-smile, half-frown. "We're not sure, actually," he said.

The Healer looked between Bethany and Ron. Then he sat down on a chair and rolled over to Bethany, pointing at her calf as he did.

"Her bone is fractured right here," he said, pointing to just above her ankle. "But we don't know what caused it. There's a slight weakening of the bones." His half-smile turned into a full frown. "You weren't able to repair the bone because it's a more complicated spell then the one you probably learned in Health class at Hogwarts," he explained.

He conjured a small notepad from thin air and with a flick of his wand, a potion appeared on the table.

It was blue and steaming. "Drink this potion," he directed, and the steaming liquid flew to Bethany's hand. "It will heal the fracture within twenty-four hours."

Bethany drank the potion quickly, gasping for breath when she had finished. "That was disgusting!"

Healer Millwright leveled his gaze at Ron. "Now, Mr. Weasley, the fracture will heal twenty-four hours. The potion your wife just took also alleviates the pain and makes bones less susceptible to fracturing. You'll need to watch for limping. If she limps within seventy-two hours from now, we'll need to see her again. Comprehend?" he asked shortly.

Ron nodded weakly. "So you don't know what is, was, wrong with my wife?" he asked, feeling rather helpless.

The bear of a wizard waved his hand. "Sometimes bones break on their own accord. Perhaps she is not drinking enough milk," he said nonchalantly, as if this was something he saw every day.

"But--"

Millwright sighed heavily. "Mr. Weasley, do not tell me how to do my job. I don't tell you how to play Quidditch, do I?" he challenged.

Ron was shocked speechless.

From behind the Healer, Ron could've sworn he saw Bethany's hand fly to her mouth to cover laughter.

He sank back into his chair. "Of course," he muttered irritably.

The Healer patted Bethany's knee. "There you are, Mrs. Weasley. I'm sure you'll be fine in a couple of days. But, I cannot stress how important it is that you come back if you start to limp again."

Bethany nodded. "Of course," she said, hopping down from the examination table. "My ankle is already feeling better," she added brightly.

Millwright nodded. "I thought so." He moved toward the door. "I'll leave you to dress then, have a nice day." Then, as an afterthought he added, "You have a beautiful daughter. You ought to be proud."

***

Hermione's eyes flew open. There was total darkness in their bedroom. She stared at the ceiling. Something wasn't right.

She turned her head to the right. The time on her alarm clock read 2:12am. She sighed.

Turning her head to the left, she looked at the sleeping form of her husband next to her. Then she looked to their bedroom window. Even from inside their home, she could see stars glittering in the night sky.

Hermione raised her hand to her swollen belly. Something isn't right.

She shifted in their bed and then she realized it: her water had broken.