An Unexpected Gift

An Unexpected Gift

~ Chapter 06 ~

A week after the break-up, Ginny was walking down a corridor with Colin Creevey, both on their way to lunch. They were just rounding a corner, when they came face to face (sort of) with a snogging couple backed up against the wall. The two broke apart when they realized they weren't alone anymore, and it shocked Ginny - Colin as well - to see just who it was that had been making out.

Dean Thomas stepped smugly away from Sunset McKinley, not seeming even the least bit ashamed to have been found with someone else so soon after the breakup. None of them said a word.

"Come on," muttered Ginny to Colin, trying to keep the tears from welling up in her eyes, without much success.

"Gin...." Colin said, looking sadly at her.

"Come on," Ginny said, and turned around without even waiting for him to follow.

After she was gone, Colin turned to Dean. "You're a despicable bastard, you know that?" And without even waiting for an answer (which smug Dean wasn't planning on giving him anyway), Colin turned on his heel and went after Ginny.

~*~

Ginny was eight-and-a-half months pregnant. It was a Thursday and she was sitting in Potion's class next to Colin. They were working together on the potion Snape had assigned them on the board. He was sitting at his desk grading papers.

All of a sudden, Ginny got sharp pains in her lower abdomen. She tried ignoring it, but after awhile it was becoming unbearable. The class was half over and her pains were coming every six minutes.

Another one came. She winced, holding back a cry that was threatening to escape.

The pains soon started coming three or four minutes apart. "Ow!" she whispered as another sharp pain ripped through her.

"What is it?" Colin asked worriedly.

"I keep getting these sharp pains in my lower stomach about every three or four minutes. I think... I think I'm in labor. Go get Professor Snape."

"Alright." With a panicked look on his face, Colin got up out of his seat and hurried up to Snape's desk.

"What is it?" Snape asked irritably.

Colin leaned towards Snape and whispered something to him. Snape's eyes widened a little.

"Are you certain?" He was still whispering, but the students could still hear and were listening.

"Well," Colin said, "I'm pretty positive she's never been pregnant before, but she told me she's having sharp pains in her lower stomach about every three or four minutes."

"Three or four?"

"Yeah, that's what she said."

"She should've been in the hospital wing already." Colin looked even more worried than before. Snape looked at Colin. "Run - and I mean actually run - ahead to the hospital wing and inform Madam Pomfrey that we're on our way. Then come back here and continue with the assignment." Colin took off out the door as fast as he could, letting the door slam shut behind him. "You two," Snape said, pointing to two random Gryffindors. "One of you go find Professor McGonagall and the other go find Professor Dumbledore and tell them to meet me in the hospital wing. Then return here. Go! Now!" He pointed toward the door, and they immediately left.

Snape went over to Ginny, helped her out of her chair, and helped her to the door. When they got there, he turned around and glared at the class who were all watching. "Everyone get back to work. Now. When you have completed the assignment, put your finished product in a bottle, seal it, label it with your name, and set it on my desk. Then clean up your mess and sit quietly until the bell rings."

He helped Ginny outside the classroom, where she collapsed and cried out as a jet of pain seared through her stomach. Snape conjured up a stretcher, helped her onto it, and floated her at a run to the hospital wing. When they arrived, McGonagall and Dumbledore were there and Madam Pomfrey had everything set up that she would need. McGonagall helped Ginny off the stretcher and around a curtain that was pulled around so that it covered one of the hospital beds.

"Professor Snape," Dumbledore said, turning to face the potions master, who was surprisingly more pale than usual, "would you kindly go and locate Mr. Ronald Weasley and...." He turned towards the curtain. "Miss Weasley, would you like Miss Granger to come?"

Nothing for a moment. Then, McGonagall peeked around the curtain. "She's in too much pain at the current moment to actually say anything, but she nodded." McGonagall then disappeared behind the curtain again.

"Anyone else, Miss Weasley?" Dumbledore asked.

McGonagall stuck her head around the curtain again. "No," she said, before disappearing again.

"Okay," Dumbledore said. He turned back to Snape. "Would you kindly go and locate Mr. Ronald Weasley and Miss Hermione Granger?"

"Yes, sir," Snape said, nodding his head at Dumbledore. He left the hospital wing then, the door clicking shut behind him. Half an hour later, they could hear Snape, Hermione, and Ron coming down the hall.

"I don't see why I have to come in the first place," they heard Ron say, his voice drowning in irritation.

"She is your sister, Mr. Weasley. You should be supportive."

"Well, I'm not. She doesn't want me there, and I don't want to be there, so I don't see why I have to be there when the little bitch gives birth."

"Watch your mouth, Weasley, or it'll be a detention for you," Snape said.

"I just don't see why I can't just go back to class."

They entered the hospital wing, then, and Dumbledore walked over to them.

"How long has she been in labor?" Hermione asked, her voice drenched with concern.

"About half an hour," Dumbledore replied. "Go to her. She has been asking about you; she wants to see you."

Hermione went immediately towards the curtain and disappeared behind it.

"What about me?" Ron asked sarcastically, already basically knowing the answer.

"She has said nothing about you," Mr. Weasley.

They stood there for a moment, Ron scowling at the floor. Snape left then to return to his class, where he would find two boys - a Gryffindor (Colin) and a Slytherin (Braxton Randolph) in an everything-goes fist fight/wrestling match on the floor, Colin with a bloody nose and Braxton sporting a big black eye. Both would receive three weeks worth of detentions.

Back in the hospital wing, Ginny's contractions were still coming about every three minutes.

"Here comes another one, Ginny," Madam Pomfrey said, watching the seconds tick by on Hermione's watch she had in her hand. When it came, Ginny gave out a cry and tears streamed down her face.

Hermione squeezed her hand. "It's okay, Gin; this one's almost over."

Outside the curtain, Dumbledore and Ron were sitting on a couple of the completely white beds - white mattress, white sheets, white pillows, white pillowcases....

"I know your sister would appreciate it if she had some support from her older brother," Dumbledore said.

"She has five other brothers; let her go to them if she wants support from an older brother," Ron said with contempt. "She too young to have a kid."

"What is really bothering you, Ronald?"

Ron was quiet for a moment. "I just think she's throwing her life away. She's always been so... smart about most things. Why'd she have to go and do something so... so stupid?"

"Maybe she wanted to grow up too fast, but did the act and did not think of the consequences of her actions. However, it also might just have been a mistake. People make mistakes all the time. Some are just a bit larger than others, like this one."

"But... I just don't understand.... Why would she do something so...." He was looking down at the floor while saying this.

"I do not know."

"You know, I always thought I would be the one to screw things up so badly. I always thought it would be me, not her."

They were both silent for a few minutes, listening to the murmurs and occasional cries of pain coming from behind the curtain.

"You have high hopes for your sister, do you not?"

"I did."

"Why not now?"

"Her dream was to become a Healer. She was even gonna help out Madam Pomfrey next year on her free time, get some extra practice."

"And what, may I ask, will keep her from doing this, from fulfilling her dream?"

Ron looked at Dumbledore like he was completely insane. "Are you nuts?"

"Some people believe so."

"Well, I'm one of them. Do you even have to ask? Do you really think she has the slightest chance of doing anything with her life now? I'd be surprised if she even finishes school after this."

"I will arrange for tutors for her so she can finish her schooling in her own time. Sometimes, the scheduling we have at this school can be a bit hectic and overbearing."

"What about her kid?"

"A babysitter will be provided as well when she is working on her studies."

Once again, they were both silent for a moment.

"So... you really think she can do this?" Ron said disbelievingly.

"I have complete confidence in her. She is strong."

"Well, whatever. I'll believe it when I see it."

"Will you? If you do not believe in her now, how are you going to believe in her in the future?"

They fell silent. Nine hours later, Ginny was fully dilated and, five minutes after that, the baby was born. A cry filled the air. Ginny collapsed, giving a sigh of relief, and Madam Pomfrey cast a charm on Ginny to stop the bleeding and to heal her.

"Can I see my baby?" Ginny asked after a minute. Madam Pomfrey and Hermione had very strange looks on their faces, glancing back and forth between Ginny and her newborn child. "What's wrong?" Ginny asked, worry filling her voice.