As usual I hope that you will not copy or download my works. I do try look at other sites to look for thieves but am not always acceptable. Sure the HP world belongs to the wonderful Mrs R but stealing fics people write in their free time is low and petty and I try keep an eye on mine. I own nothing. If I did I would have all the best tech for my health. If you enjoy, let me know. If you don't, try be an adult about it. X
Once the children are all in bed Narcissa joins Lucius in his study for a glass of wine. Both keep themselves to just the one large glass given their new brood. It has been a long day. From the young twins up all the children knew how to use a full cutlery set but their hands were tense around the utensils which tells Narcissa it is a newly learned skill set that probably involved striking at the knuckles every time a mistake was made. It makes her blood boil. Her aunt had taught Sirius and Regulus that way but her own mother had been patient. Narcissa and her sisters had simply not been allowed to join any official dinner parties until they had mastered the skill. Fred had make several mistakes and glanced with fear at Lucius every time but the young father had simply ignored him and continued with his own meal.
Ron and Draco are not the best of friends at first but they had spent the day exploring together. Draco's beloved elf is ever their shadow which confuses Ron for the first hour before he simply accepts her as fact.
Ginny is unsettled and Narcissa's heart goes out to the babe who has never found any sort of peace and routine in her young life. It had taking convincing from both Lucius and Jetty to leave her in the newly created baby nursery. Narcissa frets that she will awake scared but both her husband and elf tell her that is the norm and Jetty promises that as with Draco if Ron or Ginny wake during the night they will be brought straight to their parents. Milk will follow.
The children go to bed at nine. It is late for Draco, Ron and Ginny but time had marched on from them all in discussion. Lucius comments on how early it is for Charlie and Bill but they both seem exhausted and go willingly. Jetty informs Narcissa she will report hourly. Dobby asks if he should go to any stores in the morning to get anything further for the new children. Narcissa refrains.
From their previous comments the last impression she wants to give is that she is attempting to buy their approval.
No. What Dobby can provide is a good wine, and he does so.
"Do not tell me you are having second thoughts now," Lucius drawls, "I find myself rather committed."
The look she throws across the room causes Lucius to tilt his glass towards her and concede defeat. An inane question indeed.
"I worry about what they have gone through since their parents died. William, I mean Bill, defends them like no child should have to. Percy is so much older than his years. The twins, for their antics, ...it is too much to think about. It makes me want to march to each address they once called their own!"
"There is seven of them, my love. It is hard-"
"Children are hard! One or two or twenty! You still treat them right! Fred and George, and yes I will be labelling them until I find another way, are terrified that they will be caned! They are four!"
"I know," Lucius says quietly. Rather than add to his comment he takes a deep drink of his red wine and holds back the cough trying to escape from between his teeth and from his nostrils. In a way each of the Weasley children remind him of his own childhood. The defiance of Bill. The inquisition of Charlie. The responsibility of Percy. The fear of Fred and George. The quiet resignation of Ron and yet the innocence of Ginny. He wants better for them all. Each fear can instil qualities but he wants more for them. Now that they are under his care and the ink is dried, the conversation is done.
The names don't matter. To Lucius, they are Malfoys now. He will aid, abet and defend them as such. He will tell them of the past. He will begrudgingly reach out to the families that failed them so they know their heritage and if they realise that family failed them while his stood firm then so be it. So be it.
It had not taken long for Lucius Malfoy to realise that his father had given an oath to a madman. A man no longer human. If the Dark Lord began a pureblood that was hardly what he ended with. There is no loyalty to him anymore. The loyalty is where it should have always been and to Lucius that means family.
If that family just expanded then so be it.
AOW
The morning after taking in the Weasleys finds Narcissa all but stumbling to the dining table, Ginny in her arms, pyjamas still upon her person. A horror of generations of Malfoy portraits follow her journey and she ignores the lot of them. But then, no other Malfoy has raised three children under two before and five under five so as far as Narcissa Black as is concerned they can shut their painted pie holes.
Jetty conjures extra high chairs as she has the previous times and lifts Draco into one. Narcissa lifts Ron into another. Thankfully both boys had been glad to see her in their room in the morning and after hugs and kisses to cheeks were happy to toddle their way after her towards the dining room, Jetty hovering to prop either of the boys up when Narcissa could not.
Ginny had woken hourly from midnight. Jetty had brought her the first two hours without questions but on the third Narcissa had heard the cries and followed them to find the elf trying to soothe the child,
"I said to bring her to me."
"I was not wanting to disturb mistress once more. She is most distressed. And her brothers!" Jetty had wailed.
Narcissa had gathered Ginny up, the bottle to feed her too, and quirked her head at the elf, "Who else wakes?"
"Master Ronald is much disturbed. Masters Fred and George awaken often but speak together before sleeping. Master Draco hears the noises and wakens too but Jetty has calmed him!"
"You do fine Jetty. Focus on the twins. I will see to Ginny and the boys."
Jetty had disappeared then, probably off to see on Fred and George, as Narcissa had glided back to her bedroom and deposited Ginny in Lucius' half woken lap. "Feed her this. Check her nappy."
"I know how to feed a babe, Cissa," Lucius had grumbled as he settled the girl in his arms.
Ignoring him had been easy. Draco seemed mostly concerned with the noises from the others rooms and then preoccupied with his mother. Ron simply seems puzzled and glanced around the room several times before wailing.
"Are you lonely? Here, come lie with your new brother."
Draco seemed confused. So did Ron.
But they settled.
On her way back Narcissa had confirmed sleep from Bill, Charlie, Percy and then finally the twins as Jetty appears in the hall, ears high.
"Tell me of any of them, Jetty. And...mind Remy is your partner too."
Her ears flop up and down. "Yes Mistress."
'Pop'.
"Don't run boys," Narcissa hears from the corridor, drawing her back to reality. The twins burst into the room full of excitement, the elder three brothers rounding up behind them and Lucius at their heel.
"Good morning my darlings. You all seem full of energy!" Narcissa comments softly.
Bill heads straight for Ginny who makes a grab for his top and then to Ron who seems more interested in trying to grasp Draco's hand across the two high chairs. "Were they ok? Are you sure you don't need me to help?"
Narcissa gestures him to sit down and shakes her head, "I will not lie to you. They did not sleep well but that is not your worry anymore. That is for Lucius, myself and Jetty to take care of."
"And we got through it fine," her husband adds on while at the same time pouring himself a large coffee and filling it with sugar. Charlie sniggers.
"Ron seemed a little confused at times so we popped him into the same crib as Draco and as you can see they have been fine since. Already on their way to being brothers."
Dobby appears with a 'pop' and then with another click of his fingers the table is filled with toast and cereal for the adults and older children while two bowls of porridge appear in the high chairs for Ron and Draco. As Draco makes to grab a first full of the warm goo Dobby makes to grab his small hand with a cry of "Little Master!"
"Perhaps if you could bring down Ginny's cot, Dobby? She seems settled for the moment. Then Lucius if you have Ron?"
"Indeed."
Bill starts pouring everyone pumpkin juice, one for all ten of them, with earns him a warm smile from Lucius. Charlie cuts the twins toast into halves for them and they all settle down to their first meal of the day.
"You said they were settling as brothers," Charlie begins. "Will you teach Ron and Ginny to call you mum and dad"
Narcissa's heart lurches but her husband finishes up with Ron and leaves him content with a spoon to bang on his tray before addressing the young boy,
"Yes. As I said to Bill yesterday, you lot are my children now. In the eyes of the law and in my own. I will defend you as such and I will refer to you as such and hopefully that will always be with pride and not dismay. I would like if you all came to call us mum and dad or mother and father when in public. However, I know that is not as simple for you older ones. Aunt and Uncle might be preferable. No one is going to force you to call us anything that you don't want to."
"Will we be Malfoys?" Percy demands.
"No. Not unless you wish to be. Your father's family has a long and proud history, even if it is very different from the Malfoys. Bill stands to inherit a title upon the death of your Grandfather. You should bear the name Weasley with pride. However, as I said, if you wish to be known as a Malfoy or a Malfoy-Weasley officially then the paperwork is simple and I would be happy for you to have my name."
Bill looks surly but nods to Lucius, a quiet respect between them. It makes the Malfoy Lord feel terrible. He is all for children learning their responsibilities but this boy has aged too much too fast since the death of his parents.
"What are we doing today?" This comes from one of the twins or at least that is what Narcissa thinks he means.
"We do not talk with food in our mouths. Not ever! As for that, neither Lucius or I have engagements-"
"You mean dad?" Bill cuts in suddenly, staring at his cereal as he stirs it in circles, "If we are going to do this...you shouldn't call him that in front of us. It is weird."
"Of course. Of course, sorry, neither your dad or I have any engagements so I thought I would take the young five out onto the grounds where the peacocks wander and let them run around and play games. There are some toys around here but I will send Dobby to the Alley today to fetch some more things."
Peering over her teacup at him with narrowed eyes informs Lucius he is meant to speak next but it finds it hard. Dad. Draco has never said that word. Dada. Daddy. Not dad. From Bill too, the boy trying so hard to do everything right. He grasps the boy by the shoulder and tells him to eat his cereal before he ruins it.
"I thought I might take Bill and Charlie to my office and explain some things about the coming election to them. Percy is most welcome to join us or join the others outside for play or sit quietly to read either in your room where the elves can monitor you or in the office with me."
"I'd like to listen too!"
"Very well then! We shall adjourn after breakfast."
Percy starts mouthing out the word to himself which makes one of the twins laugh and then it all descends into a chaos Lucius finds he will just need to find a way to deal with.
AOW
By dinner time Bill and Charlie are far warmer towards Lucius, Percy thinks himself far older than he is and George has a drastic haircut.
"I got dirt in my hair," he informs Lucius who raises an eyebrow at Narcissa.
"Well colour coded t-shirts won't work. They would swap them."
"Indeed."
Dinner goes well. The elves have already adjusted and each child has their dinner presented as needed. Bill can cut a chicken breast unaided while Percy needs his in bits. The twins share one and so on. Narcissa decides that everyone should bathe and regrets it ten minutes later when both Fred and George are running down the second floor of the East wing as naked as the day they were born.
AOW
"The Parkinsons' still want their play date," Narcissa murmurs a week later as her and Lucius lie sprawled across their bed. She has one foot hanging out. She is also pretty sure that the white shirt Lucius is wearing is one he normally he wears under a dress shirt and nothing to do with pyjamas. "No one knows of the adoptions yet but if she sees them-"
"We might as well take an ad out in the Prophet."
"Are we ready for that?"
"Frankly my love I have not felt ready for anything since you declared we were taking them in. Yet here we are."
"Right. So I should invite them over?"
"Parkinson at least knows some decent journalists and it won't be Skeeter."
"Right. We should still talk to the children first."
A pause. "Narcissa, I'm not completely heartless. Not even Parkinson deserves the children being released upon her without them being bribed into decent behaviour first. "
"Don't use that word. I don't want to be known as a parent who has to bribe their children.
Another pause. Longer this time. "Narcissa, Fred was wearing his pants as a hat before bed."
"Go to sleep, Lucius."