𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐎𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒

Chapter 6

There was something wrong, he could feel it. Something wrong with the baby. If he moved even a centimetre a sharp pain ran down his left side. He was terrified and he desperately wanted Ron to wake up and check on him like he always did. He tried to take deep breaths and calm his heart rate but the baby was moving around so much it wasn't helping. He was keeping as still as he could but still the panic was really beginning to set in. He needed Ron now. He couldn't wait any longer. He weighed up the pros of moving against those of staying still. Realising that he couldn't afford to wait any longer he eased himself up off the bed. Something shifted inside him and he cried out in pain. Stepping carefully across the room he reached the door and made it out into the corridor, taking as deep a breath as he could he shouted as loud as he could for Ron, it came out little louder than his normal voice. He held his breath for a moment hoping Ron would have heard him. There was no movement anywhere else in the house. Not even Ron's Ghoul was awake.

He inched along the hallway sending up prayers to Merlin with every step that he was making the right decision going to Ron. As he reached Ron's door he tried the handle, it didn't open. Draco had a terrible feeling that after Ron's declaration last night he'd put the protections on he'd used when Draco first came to the Burrow; when Ron hadn't trusted him not to murder him in his sleep. Draco hit the door with his fist hoping Ron hadn't muffled the door as well. He felt the terrible pain like someone twisting his organs with a hot pair of pliers building and building. The pain was like a living organism that wanted to exist in every part of his body at once. As the pain reached his shoulders he began to whimper. He pounded on Ron's door hoping for a response. There was none and he slid down to the ground ending in a foetal position, it seemed the only way he could lie without crying out at the pain. He resigned himself to waiting for Ron to wake up.

So he lay and panicked that the baby was dying or he was.

The next thing he was aware of was Luna Lovegood's face above his telling him everything was going to be okay. He closed his eyes again and gave in to the darkness.

==

When he woke up it was to the sound of snoring. A head covered in red hair was lying face down on his bed right next to Draco's knees. He was snoring like a dragon. Just as Draco thought to wake him up the body jerked awake and sat up, it was Charlie. Draco felt a wave of joy rushing through him that Charlie was here. He looked into his face and couldn't help the tears that jumped to his eyes.

"The baby?" he said as soon as Charlie met his eyes

"She's fine, safe and well." Charlie said standing up and leaning over the bed to press a kiss against Draco's forehead. Then Charlie ran his hand over Draco's hair resting it behind Draco's neck and holding him still for a brief kiss.

"Don't ever do that to me again." he said as he drew back.

"I'm sorry." Draco whispered as Charlie kissed him again. Draco was aware that Charlie was trembling and then he realised the wetness on his cheeks wasn't from his own eyes it was tears that were dripping from Charlie's face onto his. He raised his hand to wipe them off Charlie's cheeks and kissed him again.

Just as Charlie looked like he'd gotten control over his emotions and was about to start talking

Ron came barrelling into the room carrying two steaming cups of coffee. Directly behind him was Hermione who smiled broadly as she saw Draco was awake. As Ron met his eyes he started talking in one long run on sentence that Draco didn't really hear properly.

"I'm so sorry Draco. I should have taken that charm off. I'm so stupid. Merlin knows how long you were lying there before I woke up. I'm so sorry. Luna says you're going to be fine, something was being compressed by something else I didn't really understand it but she says you're going to be fine. They had to give you some potions to sort it out but they did and you're going to be fine."