On the day of my due date I go down to the kitchen to find a banner hanging up saying 'HAPPY DUE DATE, BABY TOMMY!"

"Tommy?" I ask, horrified. "You do know that's You-Know-Who's real name?"

Astoria blinks at me. "I thought it was Lord Voldemort?"

"That's not his real fucking name!"

"Surely he's not called Tommy?" Astoria gasps, holding her hand to her mouth. "But it's such a darling name."

"Trust me," I say, gritting my teeth. "Daddy Tom Riddle's parents obviously thought that too, and look what he ended up producing."

"Oh well, I'll run some names by Daphne." Astoria says as she begins make my usual nutritious morning smoothie. "She's treating me to a pamper day out in the spa today so that I can truly relax before the baby is born!"

I look at her, surprised. "You're going out?"

It's not that I'm bothered, but I assumed that today of all days she would want to be available.

"Oh, don't worry about a thing," she says, handing me a large glass of green liquid. "Statistically, the due date is the least possible day you will actually give birth."

"And how does that work, exactly?"

"No one gives birth on their due date. You'll be fine."

Taking my smoothie out in the garden, I decide to go for a walk as it's such a lovely sunny day.

The baby boy in my tummy is particularly wriggly today. I keep having to stop to catch my breath and allow the strange tightening of muscles across my abdomen to abate before I can move on.

As I continue my walk, sipping my breakfast smoothie, I allow my thoughts to wander to Draco as they usually do.

I know he's very much aware of the due date, and I honestly cannot believe he will have forgotten. But after my harsh words four months previously, I wonder if he even cares anymore.

Astoria has not even mentioned his name once since the baby shower. She acts like he isn't even involved in this surrogacy whatsoever now he's done his job.

My heart twists for the Boy Who Had No Choice. Yes, I made my decision, but it doesn't stop it from hurting. There is no chance for us, not when I'm determined to give this child to Astoria. I don't even think of it as my child. It's always been Astoria's, despite what Draco thinks.

I am brought out of my musings when another tightening sensation across my abdomen makes me gasp out loud in pain and causes me to drop my smoothie.

The glass smashes around my ankles, green liquid splashing up my legs and over the pathway. This is followed by a sudden gush of water evacuating from between my legs, cleaning the green shit right away.

More pain shoots through me, this time more agonising than the last. And it lasts longer, too.

"Astoria!" I shout pathetically as I cling onto a nearby statue of a naked boy doing a piss.

I grit my teeth so hard, I am surprised they don't break in my mouth. The pain is horrific, like nothing I've ever experienced before.

Hand shaking, I reach into my pocket for my phone, only to discover it isn't fucking there. I check my other pocket for my wand, and realise that isn't there, either.

"FUCK!" I holler as loud as I can. And, because it feels good to say, I shout it again.

"FUUUUUCK!"

I try not to panic, but I've walked so far away from the manor, I can't even see it. The only thing I can do is take deep breaths and carefully, yet quickly, make my way back there.

I wonder whether Astoria has left for her spa day yet? If I can make it back to the manor, and up the staircase to my room, I can grab my phone off my bedside table and call her back. She'll be devastated if she misses the birth.

But the pains come thick and fast and renders me completely immobile each time they consume me. I only seem to manage a few feeble steps in-between.

"Astoria!" I try yelling again. "HELP ME!"

But it's no use. She's obviously can't hear me or has already left.

I sit down on some grass and cry. I'm going to have this baby all by myself and I'll probably die knowing my luck. In fact, I'm pretty sure I am dying because neither Hermione nor Ginny warned me the pain would be this bad.

"FUUUUUUUCK!" I holler again and again until my voice is hoarse. I don't know how long I do this for but finally someone must have heard me as I hear the sound of footsteps skidding across gravel and someone yelling:

"Fuck! Harper!"

I look up to see Draco racing towards me, his face full of alarm.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" I yell at him. "I told you to stay away!"

He comes to a halt, folding his arms across his chest as he stares down at me huddled on the lawn, clutching at my swollen belly. A smirk actually flickers at his lips. "You're not really in a position to be making those sorts of demands right now, Snow. For your information, I tried to ring Astoria to ask how you are doing seeing as it is your due date, but she's not answering her phone. So I came over to check you were okay for myself."

He crouches down next to me, his grey eyes piercing in mine. "And thank fuck for you I did."

I want to reach out and hit him. But instead I say, "I think my waters have broken. And I think I might be dying."

"You're not dying," he drawls, amusement flickering in his eyes, "you're just in labour."

"Just?!" I splutter, "and stop smirking - I feel like my whole body is ripping in two here! You need to get Astoria, she needs to be here."

"No, I need to get you to St Mungo's." He takes my arm and helps me to my feet, despite my protests. "And fuck Astoria. The only reason I stayed away was because I thought she was looking after you."

"She has been! Daphne is treating her to a spa day before the baby comes along."

"It is your due date for fuck's sake and she's swanning off to get pampered?"

I don't answer, for another tidal wave of pain consumes me. I cling to Draco with everything I have, hissing and groaning and probably sounding like a dying animal. Strong arms go around me, holding me up.

"I'm here," Draco says, his voice calm and soothing. "I'm going to get you through this. I promise."

As the pain subsides, I sob, collapsing against his chest, forgetting all my anger. "I didn't know it was going to hurt this much. I can't so this. Make this stop, please."

"You can do this, Harper. I know you can. And I'm going to get you to St Mungo's and get you all the drugs you need."

I shake my head. "No, Astoria wants a completely natural birth. No drugs."

"She's not the one going through this." Draco snarls as he cups my face, his grey eyes piercing vehemently in mine. "If you need drugs to get you through this, then by merlin we are going to get them in you."

I nod, too exhausted to argue further. If Draco wants to take charge, then that is absolutely fucking fine by me.

He counts me down before Disapparating us out of the grounds, appearing in the busy reception area of St Mungo's.

Before we can find someone to help, another contraction rips through me, the pain so unbearable I bite into Draco's shoulder.

"Ah, fuck!" Draco hisses, jumping back to rub his shoulder. "A bit of warning next time, please."

"YOU SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF THAT BEFORE YOU PUT YOUR FUCKING COCK INSIDE ME!" I holler in his face, not feeling sympathetic in the slightest.

"Well you agreed to it, remember?"

"Oh, don't fucking get into that now! In case you hadn't realised, I'm about to give birth to your son!"

"Our son."

"YOUR SON!"

"Um, can I help you?"

A nervous looking Healer approaches us as everyone else in the reception area stares at us in shocked silence.

"Harper Snow," Draco says authoritatively. "And she's about to give birth to our son."

"Delivery suite is on the sixth floor, twenty second door to the right. I'm afraid our elevators are out of order and Apparition is not permitted beyond the reception area."

"For fuck's sake," Draco snarls. "How exactly am I supposed to get her up there, then?"

"We recommend arriving before your contractions get too severe."

"WELL IT'S A BIT LATE FOR THAT!" I hollar as another one rips through me. "FUUUUUUCK!"

"Fuck this," Draco mutters, scooping me up in his arms, sweeping me quite literally off my feet.

"But, Sir!" The Healer splutters as Draco carries me over to the stairs "It's six floors up! You'll never make it!"

Fuck that stupid Healer making out that I'm some heffer.

"Just watch me," Draco mutters.

And he does, never complaining as he climbs each step, despite carrying a nine month pregnant woman screaming and writhing in agony. I feel his muscles tense all the way, but he does not once break a sweat.

When we finally reach the delivery suite I'm too far gone in a world of pain to really register what is going on anymore. I am vagally aware of Draco making demands, being laid down on a something soft, the prick of something in my arm.

And then sweet, delicious painless bliss. I'm even more out of it, but I no longer care. Every now and then I can hear someone (Draco?) order me to push. Push what? I think. What am I even doing here? "Push, damn it!"

Another prick in my arm. And then pain comes flooding back like an explosion.

"ARGHHHHHH WHAT THE FUCK?!" I yell, angry that I was taken from that blissful place.

"They had to give you the anti drug, Harper," Draco says, clasping my hand as he stands over me. "you weren't pushing. And you need to do so. Now."

"I can't," I cry, "I don't know how and I'm too tired."

Draco looks right into my eyes, pulling my hand up to his lips. "You can, Harper. I know you can. And you can squeeze my hand as much as you like. I can take it. I would break every single bone in my body for you, Harper. Just do this one thing for me. And for our son."

I nod, not even having the energy to correct him on the last part.

"Okay," says a lady who I presume to be the midwife seeing as she is sitting on a stool at the foot of the bed inspecting intently between my legs. "Now after three, I want you to bear down like you practised in your antenatal classes, can you do that for me?"

She doesn't wait for me to respond, but instead starts counting just as another contraction begins to rip through my body.

"ARGHHHHHHHHH!" I scream, pushing in what I hoped was the correct way, with all my might. I squeeze Draco's hand so hard I cannot believe he isn't screaming himself.

Instead, he is calmly saying, "You can do this, my love. I believe in you."

A few more rounds of this and I flop back exhausted onto the pillow. "Please," I gasp, breathlessly. "Is it over yet? Please tell me the baby is out."

"The head is out," the midwife says. "I just need one more push from you. One big push."

I start to cry, wishing I had taken the Hogwarts caretaker's job after all. I bet Filch never had to endure anything like this. I just want to go fucking home and watch trash on telly with Ginny. I just want this pain to fucking stop.

"You've got this, my love." Draco says, his expression tender and full of love as he leans his head down and kisses my forehead. "I believe in you."

And so, as another vile contraction starts up, I sit up and give it all I've got, screaming so hard I swear the walls vibrate around us.

And then, just when I think I can take no more, the sound of a baby's cry fills the room.

******