Christmas that year was one to remember for many reasons.

At first glance, it was significant because it was Harry and Draco's first holiday together since they'd become a couple, as usually Draco was forced home by his parents, but they thankfully hadn't kicked up a fuss about it this year.

Probably too involved in the falling apart of their own marriage, Draco thought to himself. He couldn't work out whether this thought made him sad, and decided it probably didn't.

This Christmas was made all the more memorable, however, by the sudden awakening that the boys received at around 4 in the morning by a very panicked Hermione.

"Harry, Harry, Draco, oh my God, wake up," she'd cried, crashing into the Gryffindor boys' dorm in her bare feet.

Both boys jerked awake, startled. Harry fumbled for his glasses on the bedside table; a reflex action even though it was early enough to still be pitch black in the room.

"What is it?" Draco asked, concern sharpening his tone. "Did something dreadful happen?!"

"I think I'm having the baby," she wheezed, and crystal clear terror shot through both boys' veins.

Draco was the first out of bed, thankful that he'd slept in a pair of Harry's joggers for once so that he didn't have to risk exposing himself to Granger as their eyes adjusted in the dark.

He pulled a robe around his shoulders, not caring if it was his or Harry's, and passed the other to Harry.

"Lumos," he muttered, and then, turning to Hermione, "Are you sure you're in labour right now? You're not due for three more months!"

"As sure as I can be, but not one hundred percent," Hermione admitted breathlessly. "But my stomach feels all tight and I keep getting these waves of pain all the way through my back, something's not right."

"We'd better go to the Common Room - or perhaps the Hospital Wing?" Harry seemed increasingly flustered.

"No!" Hermione snapped. She felt her cheeks heat up with embarrassment at her outburst.

"Not the Hospital Wing," she said, more quietly this time. "Nobody else can know."

In the light cast from Draco's wand, she looked even paler than he did, and utterly worn out.

Her face was never particularly round but it had taken a real edge to it throughout the enormous stress of her pregnancy, giving her an almost unkindly sharp look.

This was only accentuated by the enormous panic she was very obviously experiencing in that moment, which Harry in particular was not coping well with.

As the three hurried to the Common Room, Draco appeared more and more distracted, and suddenly he diverted from the group and began to head out towards the portrait exit.

"Draco, what are you doing, you nutcase?!" Harry hissed. "You can't leave us like this, you're the one who wants to be a Healer! You could be our only hope if this baby is literally coming tonight!!"

"Library," Draco said briskly, just before he disappeared out of sight. "I'm going to make sure I know what to do if that does happen."

"We might not have time for that!" Harry called after him angrily, but softened slightly as he realised how much more relaxed Hermione was at this news.

He knew how much she relied on literature to help her through things; of course she'd think it a good idea for Draco to fetch books. Idiots, the pair of them, Harry decided. Intellectuals have no common sense.

Hermione eased herself down onto the comfier of the fireside armchairs, and puffed out some short breaths.

"I feel a little better," she admitted after a while. "It comes and it goes... I just panicked."

"That's ok!" Harry reassured her quickly. "It's good that you came and woke us. We want to help you."

Hermione smiled up at him, then winced again and dug her nails into the armchair fabric.

"Hurting again?"

"Yeah. Ow, oh, Harry-"

"Move up," he sighed, and she shifted slightly along so that he could slot in beside her. She sighed at his warmth, and nestled against his chest contentedly.

"You need to relax," Harry told her gently. "The panic will worsen any pain. We've got you now, haven't we? Draco will know what to do."

Draco's a fifteen year old boy who has never seen a vagina, the little voice in Harry's head piped up, Draco will fucking not know what to do. Draco will probably faint.

He quickly squashed down the bile that rose in his throat. "He'll know what to do," he said again, more to convince himself than Hermione.

She turned to him suddenly, and anguish was so clearly written through her expression that it half pulled his heart out.

"Draco told me what you discussed," she said, her voice hoarse with stress. "That you'd want to raise the baby."

Harry fidgeted awkwardly. "We did agree that we'd both like that but it's not exactly the most sensible idea in the world, is it?" he replied.

Hermione grabbed his arm. "But it's better than no parents!" she said. Her eyes filled with desperate tears. "I keep trying, Harry, but I can't find anyone who wants to help me. Apart from you."

"You've got to keep trying," said Harry weakly. "It's still early days yet-"

Hermione shook her head in frustration. "No, Harry," she interrupted. "I can feel that there's no one else. You two are the only ones who I can trust with my child, and I sure as hell can't raise it myself."

She paused. Her decision-making skills were clearly impaired by her discomfort and panic at the prospect of having the baby so prematurely, but something in her soul told her that this was the right thing to do.

"If anything happens, Harry," she spoke, her voice shaking. "If anything happens to me, I mean. I need you to swear you'll look after the baby."

Harry pulled her in for as tight a hug as he dared without hurting her, and then reached for his wand to make a more official promise.

"Unbreakable Oath," he said, sounding slightly choked up. "I swear to do my best to support you through this and, if you want me to, I swear to look after your baby regardless of what happens to you. I want this. I'll be a good dad."

Hermione nodded emotionally. "This is so fucking insane, do you realise that?"she said, and they both laughed tearfully. But the promise was made. And it was huge.

He only promised to help "if I want him to", Hermione told herself, pushing down her anxieties at the radical decision. I can still look for other adoptive parents in the meantime if I need to. If this baby gives me the planning time.

After what seemed like an age but was probably only fifteen minutes, Draco reappeared, halfway through a thick book bound in blue leather.

"Your pains, are they getting stronger or staying the same?" He asked immediately, striding over to Hermione.

"About the same," she replied.

"Are you... are you bleeding at all?" He paused, having received no response. "Vaginally?"

She blushed. "I knew what you meant, Draco. And no. I'm not."

"And this contracting sensation, it isn't occurring more frequently over time, is it? There's no particular pattern to it?"

Hermione thought about it. "No, it seems fairly random," she replied, and Draco laughed with relief.

"It's not labour," he told her with a grin. "Thank fucking Merlin."

"It's not?"

"No," Draco replied. "It's a thing called 'Braxton Hicks' - it's like practice contractions that happen relatively early on in the pregnancy, they don't mean anything. You're safe!"

Hermione's entire body visibly relaxed at the news. "Oh, my God, what a relief!" she sighed. "I thought we were having a Christmas baby!"

"My sexy little Healer," Harry grinned, reaching up from his chair to rub Draco's arm approvingly. "Good work, baby."

"Sorry to have bothered you both," Hermione grinned apologetically. "It's really quite embarrassing to have done all that for nothing. I feel so much better now!"

"You need some sleep, I think," Draco told her. "I prescribe a good two hours' nap before we meet again for a nice Christmas breakfast. How does that sound?"

"Sounds pretty good, Healer Malfoy," Hermione responded. She was really warming to the blonde more every day. He was proving himself to be quite overwhelmingly lovely.

"Sounds good to me too," Harry chipped in, standing up so he could slip an arm round Draco's waist. "Wake us up if you need anything though, H, don't be worried about it."

"Thank you both so much again," Hermione smiled, before turning towards the girls' dorms again. "And Merry Christmas!"

Harry chuckled.

"Merry fucking Christmas," he replied. And it was.

________________________________

a/n: tried to make a pun out of "braxton hicks" and "christmas" haha it's appalling i know but let it slide;)

it felt so weird to write something christmassy in october haha but still i like soft christmas drarry so it makes sense.

thank you so much for reading, please favourite if you enjoyed this chapter! i'd been putting it off because it seemed complicated but actually it was really fun to write!

lots of love,

~ paradisedraco