October 21 2005

"NANNY LUCY!" Several kids yelled in unison, to their nanny. She was busy changing a nappy in the baby's bedroom on a change table beside the door. Three, six year olds, came running down the hall from the living room. Lucy-Ann Whitlock's heart sank. A fourth, six year old, dragged his younger sister by the armpits after them, her little feet dragging on the ground. Lucy stuck her head out the door of the room, one hand on an infant's tummy, to stop her from rolling in her own pooy nappy to see what the other children were into now.

"STOP!" One loud command and the children froze."Andrew Raine Lupin! Very gently! Put Ella down, she can make her own way, I've have told you that!" Not as gently as she would have liked, he let his sister down onto the ground her arms went *thud* as they hit the ground and she grumbled but turned around and started crawling down the hall. Ella Christine Tonks, eleven month old, daughter of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks.

Luckily Ella was a relaxed baby, which was good considering, how many siblings she was growing up with. Ella watched intently with big pale pink baby eyes, what little hair she have she had, tied with a bow, a little blueberry coloured tuff atop her head. "Ella 'n' JoJo, knocked over the washing..." Rosemary Lupin tattletaled on her baby siblings. "Yeahaaa" recited the other three children standing in the hall. Lucy could only sigh.

"All right everyone just, give me a minute, to..." she trailed off as the kids had already run back into the living area. Ella following in, her older siblings, heavy gum-booted and plastic heeled wake. Her little tuff bobbing. Another little girl crawled over Lucy's feet as she returned to changing Keira's bum. Keria Marielle Tonks or Kei's blue eyes with their two tiny purple rings around each iris watched Lucy's face as she fastened her nappy and pulled her tights up over it.

"daaa" Keria said. Her similarly tied tuff of cream hair, bobbed when she leaned down, to where her sister had made it over her nanny's feet and out the door. "Are you gonna go join the mischief, Becca?" she asked the little girl, while putting Keria down on the ground. Rebecca Katherine Tonks, turn in a sitting position and gave Lucy a cheeky smile, her sunflower yellow eyes lit up, she quickly turn around again and crawled as fast as she could, down the hall. Lucy grinned at her equally cute, green and red tuff that reminded her of Christmas, hanging lopsided because she had removed the little tie.

"Of you go Kei; I gotta get your brothers" not really bothered about whether, she followed her sister or not, she turned back to the cribs and sighed. The afternoon helper called in sick and the morning helper couldn't stay past 4pm, so Lucy was left with the monumental task of handling the kids on her own. Mr Lupin hadn't come out of his room since lunch when his son, Melly had thrown the contents of his mushy vegetables in his father's lap. He had over-reacted if you asked her.

Malcolm David Tonks or Melly, had light brown hair and normal honey brown coloured eyes. The only child in the bunch that didn't show his metamorphmagus, in coloured hair and eyes. He sometimes however had extra long earlobes or arms, like when he wanted to dump his lunch in his father lap or when he wanted to pull one of his sibling's hair from across the room. He was a rat-bag, to be sure. He'd be no-end of trouble for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, when they got him in ten years or so.

Melly and his brother Jamie watched her, standing up in their cribs. Lucy lifted Melly and smelled his nappy. "You smell alright" She told him placing him on the ground "Off you go Melly. Alrighty Jaime, what do you have in your pants?" She asked the second wee boy, lifting him out of the bed, she crunched up her face, finding she didn't need to get her nose anywhere near his nappy to know, he needed to be changed. James Thomus Lupin, crunch his own face, copying his nanny.

"Cheeky, yes that's right, you have a stinky bum" she laughed at the small boy's face, trying to flatten the black streaked, pale blue mess atop his head. He giggled as she tickled under his chin. His dark purple, almost black eyes shone with glee. As quickly as she could while holding her breath, she changed his nappy, trying her hardest not to smell it and replaced it with a clean one.

Turning around she noticed Kei and Melly had started making their way, down the hall to the chaos in the living area. Kei lagged behind, so Lucy stooped to pick her up, in her another arm as she passed, carrying Jamie. She steeled herself and walked into the living area. Gasping at the mess and trying not to lose her cool.

Placing the babies in her arms down, she closed her eyes and counted to ten and opened them again, it didn't help. The mess was still there, the washing she had spend hours, sorting and folding, was spread all over the floor like a rug, stacked up in piles next to the couches for jumping on and hanging for the ceiling fans and bookcases that surrounded the room.

"No No NO NO!" Lucy exclaimed trying not to cry with tiredness and frustration in front of the children. "I doubt the babies did this all on their own, who else did helped?" she asked looking pointedly at the six year olds. Each child pointed both at a baby sibling and a sextuplet brother or sisters, with both arms out. Six innocent looking faces looked at her.

"No! Bedroom, now! Or I'm waking your father!" she threaten the six. All but one of the sextuplets ran for hall, their fear of their father was strong. Which she didn't blame them for, he could be a little intimidating sometimes. Angie stood in front of her with her hands on her hips. "Angelique Ginny Lupin, get in your room!" giving the little girl an 'If looks could kill' kind of look. With one last ditch effort she said "but..." Angie hung her head in defeat and stomped out of the room, pushing the last pile of clothes still folded over, so it landed on her baby sister Dora, on her way out.

"ANGIE!" Lucy snapped at the retreating back of the little girl, while rushing to rummage, for the baby, in the clean washing. Dora Marie Tonks, the only one of the babies Remus had named himself, taking a liking to her, he had taken her home from the hospital the first night, unlike the other children, which had be split up between friends and family for a while. Her crystal blue eyes filled with tears as she prepared to scream.

Lucy quickly picked her up, one of the children crying usually set of a few more off, out of sympathy or jealously and that was the last thing she needed. Dora rested her head in her nannies neck and sobbed, soothed by having her, rose-pink hair, pet gently. Practice had taught, Lucy what soothed each of the children best. Sighing she sat down on the couch and looked the mess with dismay.

The older children had blamed Ella and JoJo, looking around she found the accused brother and gasped. "JOJO!" she yelped and quickly put the now soothed, Dora down on the ground, where she began to grumble, but she had to help the little boy. John William Lupin looked up at her with green, purple poka-dot eyes, from under one of the white washing baskets. Lucy fumed as she removed the heavy book, one or two of his older siblings had placed on top, to stop him from escaping.

Lucy cradled him, giving herself comfort more than the child, she was reaching her limits. Sitting on the ground she held him and stoking his electric blue hair. The babies gathered around their nanny, as if they knew she was upset. A small hand touched her face and she opened her eyes, unaware she had closed them and looked into the small concerned face of Anna. She was a wise little girl and very caring.

Annabel Louise Tonks watched her with silver-grey eyes, pensive. The look was wise beyond her years, an old soul looked out from the small golden haired girl. Her hair shimmered in the light as she released the wiggling JoJo and cuddled the little girl. Her brother Mattie thought it was time he got a cuddle too. He climbed on Lucy's other out-stretched leg. She swallowed at the lump forming in her throat, touching his small back. She loved the children so much sometimes, it hurt her to think she was the closest thing to a mother these children had.

Matthew Dante Tonks, last born son out of the Nonuplets born last November. His smiling amethyst coloured eyes, making her smile despite herself. She hugged him closer, placing a kiss on the top of his cobalt blue haired head. A tear finally escaping her tired eyes, this was going to be a long night.

A/N: PLEASE REVIEW!