Chapter 9: The Watch
For his twenty-first birthday, Severus got more positive attention and presents than he ever had in the years prior. The only gift he'd truly cared about was the one he'd gotten from Roslyn. One she'd given him repeatedly, even as they prepared to Floo to Malfoy Manor.
"Dada."
He glanced down, pausing in the middle of fastening his cloak around his shoulders as he did so. She was sitting on the marble floors, cozy in a thick footed onesie to ward of any chill. A blanket - her current favorite - was in her lap, one edge wrapped snugly in a little fist and slightly darker grey than the rest from drool and being assaulted by her sore gums.
She'd stopped babbling back and forth with him shortly after Christmas, which had made him worry a great deal. If he prompted her she obliged very softly and with purpose, but she no longer freely offered up series of sounds with the uncaring enthusiasm her cousins had. She smiled, close-lipped, when she wanted to show agreement or approval and she frowned or narrowed her eyes when displeased. On the rare occasion that her displeasure was severe, she would scowl in such a way that negated any questions - not that any arose - of her father's identity. But she didn't fill his ears with endless baby chatter anymore.
He missed her voice.
Though there was some small consolation in the fact that she'd said her first actual word on his birthday. And that he was her first word. Not that he was surprised, but it still sent a thrill of pride and warmth through him.
"Yes, my Rosie?" He answered dutifully, wishing hopelessly that she'd string together a series of senseless sounds at him like he had grown so fond of her doing.
But she didn't. Instead, her green - oh so very, very green - eyes strayed to the Floo some feet away from the coat closet and entry table where he was standing. He suppressed a sigh of disappointment and shielded the rest of his negative emotions from his expression. This was a phase. She'd get out of it, surely.
"Eager to leave?" He questioned.
She nodded once, efficiently, unsmiling, and somewhat forcefully chewing on her cloth covered fist. Her cheeks were pink, at least. So she must not have been too unhappy if she still appearing capable of switching into her usual, cheerful self.
Still, he worried. She wasn't sick, but she hadn't been acting what he'd come to expect as normal for some weeks now. Something had to be wrong.
She'd never seemed impatient with things like preparing to leave before either. Never pointed or seemed to rush him, as much as someone who was just learning to crawl and had a one word vocabulary could rush and impress their opinion on another person, at least.
He just couldn't shake the feeling that he was overlooking something.
"I was just about to pick you up," he said gently, finishing the clasp of his cloak at last. "Rosie, are you okay?"
She blinked at him with intense impassiveness, her eyes once again flicking to the fireplace. As if she were resigned to go to his birthday dinner and simply wanted to get it over with. Like he did, only he was somewhat looking forward to spending a few hours with friends, especially since Lucius had discovered Regulus Black's recently lost faith in the Dark Lord and suspicions of some plot or another. But the deserter Death Eaters would be discussing that issue another night.
He crouched down and puts his palm, then his lips to her forehead. Warm, but not enough to be feverish. Her eyes seemmed almost desolate and he could only interpret her expression as "Why bother? It won't help."
"Roslyn," he said gently. "Are you hungry?"
She typically signed her needs to him as well as her wants and questions if she knew how, but perhaps if she was unwell she'd forget she could.
She shook her head slowly.
"Thirsty?"
No.
"Too hot?"
No.
"Cold?"
No.
"Tired?"
She hesitated, then gave him the tiniest of nods.
"Daddy will hold you if you'd like to have a kip while we're at Auntie Cissa's," he promised. "Would you like that?"
She lifted her arms, still moving slowly compared to normal, and he had his answer.
He was even gentler than usual when he lifted her and settled her familiar weight against his left shoulder, tucking the blanket around her. He managed to wrap her sufficiently without interfering with the corner she was chewing on, and figured she must have slept poorly the night before. Though that didn't explain the last few weeks.
He'd have to ask Narcissa if she'd ever heard of such sudden changes in behavior in small children that weren't caused by some illness or another.
He gently shook his head, trying to stop fretting. It was his birthday after all and for once he was looking forward to some small celebration. A handful of Floo powder later and they stepped into Malfoy Manor.
Narcissa was quick to get him coatless, settled in one of the most comfortable chairs in the largest drawing room, and in possession of an excellent cup of Earl Grey. Roslyn was still laying against him in the same position he'd been holding her in and hadn't moved except to settle against him more comfortably when he sat down. She had barely acknowledged Narcissa with a weak wave, ignored Lucius and Theron equally, and Regulus had figured she wouldn't be much nicer to a stranger if she was in a mood, so he didn't introduce himself.
"Don't suppose she'll want to be put down with the boys?" Theron asked from his spot on a nearby sofa. "She seems awfully discontent."
"She is," Severus said with a sigh. "I can't figure out what's the matter, either. I told her I'd hold her all night if she was tired and she reached for me, so I'm not going to even attempt to put her down unless she acts like she wants to be."
"Draco's been a bit moody lately," chimed Lucius as he reentered the room, trailed by Regulus. Both of whom carried glasses of something dark and amber. "Is she teething?"
Severus nodded. "She started teething before Draco, Lucius," He reminded him.
The blond frowned. "And she's only just now acting this way."
"So it would seem," Severus answered, trying not to roll his eyes. "That's what makes me think whatever's bothering her is unrelated."
Regulus spoke up, "Mum told me a story once about how Sirius was the worst when his teeth came in, because he had several come in at a time. It made him miserable, his gums were inflamed and he used to scratch at his jaw or something."
Theron nodded with a deep sense of understanding, gesturing to the nearby collection of blankets where Theo and Draco were entertaining themselves. "That's why Theo's got all those little scratches on his chin and cheeks - they hurt and he's trying to rub them I suppose. He's been having a time with it. Wakes me up crying in pain a few times a night when it's worse than usual."
Severus's frown only deepened. Roslyn had two teething symptoms: drooling and he had trouble getting her to take her bottles or try any new solids. She didn't fuss, didn't wake him up wailing, didn't rub or claw at her cheeks. She was out of sorts, had been for a couple weeks, and it didn't seem to be caused by her teeth.
"She hasn't done any of that," he told them. "She's stopped 'talking' to me throughout the day. Today is the first time she's made any verbal sounds without prompting, and that's only because she's learned - or decided to inform me of - her first word this morning." He paused, frowning in thought rather than worry. "That was deliberate," He said after a moment.
"What was?" asked Lucius.
"Saying Dada this morning, all day. She goes quiet shortly after Christmas, then suddenly says a word?"
Theron grinned. "Your birthday present, perhaps?"
"I thought the same, but she's barely four months old, she can't possibly understand the concept," said Severus.
"Well she's extremely clever, right?" Regulus asked. "Narcissa's told me a bit. She's at about the same level as Draco and Theo, so about a month or two head for her age."
"She is," Severus said. "But they don't understand the significance of a birthday either."
Regulus shrugged. "She's still oddly advanced for her age. Maybe she understands more than you think."
"Even so," Lucius added. "This doesn't explain anything else about the poor dear. Have you taken her to a healer?"
Severus arched a brow at the same time Theron rolled his eyes and said, "She lives with one, you dolt."
Lucius huffed in annoyance. "Yes, yes, he's certified, but he's not a specialist he's a bloody potions apprentice."
"I asked Madam Pomfrey to look her over when I dropped off some assignments to Slughorn last week. She's not ill," Severus muttered, just as Narcissa entered the room.
"Apologies, I had to see to the elves and supper preparations," She said softly, her eyes concerned. "Is something the matter with Roslyn?"
Severus's concerned were relayed along with the speculations from the others. Narcissa was pensive by the time they're finished.
"Well, I was going to wait until after supper that way you could choose to open these at home in private if you wished, but it seems you could use your last two gifts now," she murmured, confusing him. "Dobby? The presents."
Two boxes were dropped off on the small coffee table before him and the small elf bowed and vanished just as quickly as he'd come. Severus eyed Narcissa curiously as she moved from her perch on the arm of her husband's chair to the seat beside Severus and across from Theron. Picking up one of the small neatly wrapped boxes, she hands it to him.
"Theron helped with this one," she told him. "We each got our own, actually, since they're so useful. Hopefully it'll help you figure out what's got her out of sorts."
Balancing the box, which held a slight weight to it that he wasn't expecting, on his knee, he uses his free hand to start peeling away the paper. The lid lifts with ease.
Inside is a fetching, practical sort of watch. The band clearly a durable black dragon leather, the clasps and timepiece itself were glistening and timepiece itself were glistening silver. Upon closer inspection, he realized that there were no numbers. And there were too many hands, each straight and a different color. A small card was still in the box, under where the curious trinket had sat. He traded the two out, inspecting the lines written, each line in a color matching one of the hands.
Blue – Mood
Red – Location
Green – Physical State
Purple – Current Need
He glanced up at Narcissa, who was smiling patiently, and waited for her to explanation.
"It's enchanted, obviously," she said, still smiling. "It's one of the newest models of parenting watches. Typically, they're only meant to last until the child is of a certain age, but —" Her eyes flicked to Theron, who smirked and looked away, causing her smile to take on a mischievousness he'd never seen on the Slytherin before. "— we figured with how protective you are that you might prefer to have it long term. So, it won't stop monitoring her unless you use the counter charm on the back of that card. There's also the charm to reinstate the monitoring, in case you don't want to use it persistently."
With a new sense of appreciation, he eyed the handsome trinket.
No more guessing what was ailing her. No more games of fifty questions just to figure out whether she was hungry or tired.
"Sometimes there will be more than one hand of the same color, if such a situation arises where you need more than one word to get a grasp of what's going on," Narcissa continued as he – carefully, as not to jostle Roslyn – fastened the watch on his right wrist and set the face against his pulse point, and almost instantly the colored hands became neat, easy to read cursive words.
In blue – Discontent – on the first of two red lines – Malfoy Manor – on the second – L. Drawing Room – three green lines – In pain – Hungry – Tired – and lastly, in three purple lines – Something cold – A bottle – and – Sleep.
Severus shifted the empty box to the arm of his chair and gently settled Roslyn against his arms so he could see her face. She squinted at him, frowning with that damp edge of blanket still wrapped around her fist and being assaulted by her gums. He mentally sorted through every magical parenting spellbook he owned, none of which contained spells that did more than healed minor injuries. There wasn't a spell teething pain.
Yet.
"Extenuant dolor," he murmured wandlessly, touching the fingertips of one hand to the space where her cheeks met her jaw.
Roslyn blinked a few times; some of her muscles that he hadn't quite realized were so tense relaxed. She stopped chewing the blanket and he watched as her tongue explored her gums.
"Better?" He asked.
She nodded, obviously confused about why her pain was suddenly gone, but wasted no time taking advantage of it.
"Dada?"
He smiled softly. Her voice sounded less strained, as well. "Yes, my dear?"
Letting go of the blanket for the first time since she'd decided to chew it after his last lackluster attempt at feeding her earlier in the evening, she uses her raisin-y little fist to make the sign for milk.
"Topaz," he said gently, the elf appearing at his side instantly. "Please bring me a bottle for Roslyn. Warm, please."
"A'course, Master," Topaz answered obligingly, disappearing with a soft 'pop'.
Roslyn seemed to realize her pain wasn't returning anytime soon and grinned up at her father, who smirked in return.
"Dadadadada," she said softly.
His eyes widened. "Rosie, Rosie, Rosie, Rosie, Rose," he said back.
"Back to normal, I take it?" Regulus asked, startling Severus out of the Roslyn-Daddy universe he'd fallen into.
"Yes," he said, somewhat unsteadily. "Would you like to meet a friend of Daddy's, Roslyn?"
She had, indeed wanted to meet Regulus, and to her father's great surprise, the two got on famously.
Dinner had been flawless, though he expected no less from the kitchens under the command of Madame Malfoy. Roslyn had perked up by the minute after his impromptu spell creation and had been very interested in his plate even after Topaz had returned with a bottle she emptied in record time. He'd appeased her by letting her taste the rich Alfredo that had been generously ladled over his pasta. It had gotten to a point where every time he took a bite, he'd use a small stirring spoon to scoop the excess for her to enjoy. Narcissa had even been so kind as to have some last minute, quite soft dinner rolls to go alongside their breadsticks. And after breaking one open to cool and adding a swipe of butter, Roslyn had been allowed to gnaw on that as well.
Naturally she inherited his — denied — obsession with chocolate, which Narcissa was aware of. So, of course, there had to be a black tie mousse cake rather than vanilla cupcakes or something less extravagant.
Outwardly he complained. Loudly. In the privacy of his own mind, he was never quite so pleased to have made friends with aristocrats.
Roslyn's reaction to her first taste of chocolate had been similar to his first memory of the treat as well, and her appreciative 'Mmmmm' drew the attention of the other adults. Namely, Narcissa 'cat that caught the canary' Malfoy.
"Chocolate is quite good, isn't it, Rosie?" She'd asked as Severus scooped an adult sized bite for himself.
The only thing remotely close to an answer Narcissa received was Roslyn's sound of intense protest when the generous spoonful went to her father's mouth instead of hers. Regulus had thrown his head back and laughed at her indignant grunt.
"She's quite the opinionated little thing when she's not in pain, isn't she?" He said to no one in particular, still chuckling. "Don't take this the wrong way, Sev, but in that regard she reminds me of my mother."
Narcissa glanced at Severus for permission, which he granted with a nod, before she said, "Well, Regulus, she is our cousin."
Severus focused on Roslyn, allowing Theron and Narcissa to do the honors of explaining that Roslyn's mother had been a long lost cousin or other of Regulus and Narcissa's. Regulus only became more bewitched by Roslyn upon learning they were family, murmuring something about trading one Sirius for another.
"What?" Severus questioned, having only hear the tail end of the statement.
"I said it's a bit ironic," Regulus repeated. "My brother essentially disowns me the same week I meet the legacy of long lost cousin Aschere." At Severus's blank expression, Regulus continued, "Sirius. Aschere. They're both names for the Dog Star."
Severus had known that Aschere was another name for the Dog Star but he hadn't exactly acknowledged that the name was connected to Sirius Black, as he did his best not to think about that tosser.
"It's odd, now that you mention it…" Narcissa adds. "Your mother and father surely shared their intended name for your brother within the family so no one else would think to take it."
Regulus shrugged. "Mother must not have minded that one of our cousins shared a star with him."
"Antecanis," Severus said quietly. "Her name was Aschere Antecanis."
"The Dog Star before Canis?" Regulus mused. "Seems Mum was the one asking for permission to let cousins share a star, if she was born before Sirius."
Theron shrugged. "All I can tell you is that she was a few months old when my parents took her in. We picked her birthday and her new name. I don't even think her birth mother told my parents her actual birthday."
"Have you checked your copy of the family tree?" Regulus asks Narcissa.
"Several times," She sighed. "I even did the charm to show all the cousins that aren't part of the family proper or were from the wrong side of the sheets, so to speak," she said carefully. "I've even looked for Roslyn specifically and I couldn't find her either."
Roslyn made another noise of approval as Severus fed her a small spoonful of dessert, interrupting the brief period of thoughtful silence the adults had fallen into.
"I'll talk to Mum," Regulus said after a moment. "Though I doubt she'll be forthcoming."
Narcissa gave him a wry smile. "We Blacks are nothing without our secrets, Cousin."
"Nor our mysteries," Regulus agreed, smiling.
A quick glance at his fetching new watch told Severus that Roslyn was content, slightly drowsy, and would benefit from a cuddle somewhere dimly lit.
He set her up against his shoulder again when they finished their cake, patting her back gently and pressing a kiss to her hair once she was settled. Severus was too focused on taking care of his own child to notice Narcissa slipping out to feed Draco or Theron summoning an elf to bring Theo a bottle and a blanket.
It seemed all the children could use some sleep.
"Under any other circumstances I would be offended that you lot had a little club of your own and hadn't invited me to be a part of it," Regulus said.
Severus eyed him with a mildly annoyed expression. "If you'd like to have a child on the way before your age no longer has the word 'teen' in it, I suggest you get to work, Regulus," he said, albeit with very little heat behind his words.
"Oh shut it, Sev," the slightly younger wizard responded, "Though to be fair, I'd love to see the look on my brother's face when he finds out you having living proof that you lost your virginity."
"He'd likely have a stroke," Severus grumbled to himself.
"I would imagine he'll find out about Roslyn eventually," Theron mused. "I think I might be close to figuring out who the other spy is. Isn't Dumbledore going to reveal you to the rest of his band of self-righteous Gryffindors once we've exposed this other person?"
Severus nodded, his expression making it clear what he thought about seeing the Marauders again. "Un…fortunately," he sighed. "Regulus, Lucius mentioned you were working on something sensitive. A weakness of the Dark Lord's?"
Regulus made a face. "It's dark," he said. "And most likely it will be a life threatening adventure."
"Perhaps Dumbledore will lend us a Gryffindor," Theron muttered darkly, drawing smiles from his companions.
"If not," Regulus continued. "Then I'm more than capable of doing whatever needs done."
A blanket of comfortable silence fell over them, interrupted only by soft noises from Theo as he finishes his bottle. Lucius tossed back the last mouthful of his drink before twisting the tumbler pensively a few moments.
"How are your parents, Regulus?" He asked.
Regulus made an offhanded sound. "On the mend. Abraxas?"
Lucius made a face. "Still at St. Mungo's. They think he'll recover, but they won't know for certain until they break his fever. Regardless of whether or not he returns home in good health, I will remain head of the family."
"Think he'll still encourage you to follow the Dark Lord's bidding?" Asked Theron. "He's been at Mungo's for what - three years now? Surely he wouldn't have supported the inner circle breeding agenda."
Lucius glared at the far wall, clearly lost somewhere in his own musings. "I don't know," he said after a moment. "And to be frank, I don't care. I control the family and I'll be the one to decide how I protect my son."
Theron nodded in understanding. "If you need help keeping him out of the public eye…away from Draco..."
"One of the old wings or the dungeons will suffice if his flirtation with death does not dislodge his head from his arse," Lucius murmured venomously. "But thank you."
Theron waved off his thanks. "My grandmother went mad when I was small. I still own a cottage in Bulgaria that was set up with containment and protective wards. If you need it for him, I'm happy to lend it to you."
Severus drowned out their conversation, content to gently rubb and pat Roslyn's back as she laid against him.
"Mum'll probably want to meet that one if she heals up properly," Regulus said, gaining Severus's attention. "Would you be amenable to that or should I discourage her if she asks?"
Severus frowned, considering the idea. Walburga Black was renowned for her temper and opinionated nature. Orion, her husband, was more reserved, patient, but no less lethal. Even if Roslyn was family, he didn't feel comfortable having her near them, especially with the suspicions he had concerning Roslyn's mother, but certainly Orion - the more level-headed half of Regulus's parents - would ignore the fact that Roslyn's blood status isn't exactly pure.
"Roslyn isn't a pureblood," Severus said slowly. "If you think that will be a problem then I'm not comfortable with the idea."
Regulus nodded in understanding. "I won't name names until I get a read on her," he promises.
Severus thanked him, before making his gentle patting on Roslyn's back somewhat softer. She hadn't squirmed since cuddling up with him, giving him the sinking suspicion that she was dozing off. Remembering his watch, he checked it carefully, as not to disturb his little one.
Asleep.
He didn't send for an elf or take her upstairs to sleep in Draco's crib with him when Narcissa gave him the option. Her little body was warm against his chest and her weight was familiar, comforting even. When the evening came to a close he had his elves fetch his belongings for him so he only had to worry about the Floo. Narcissa sent him home with her recipe for black tie mousse cake, which he was certain the elves would make for him no matter what he told them to do. She dropped a soft kiss first to Roslyn's cheek, then his, and bid him happy birthday once again before he departed.
It had been a 'happy' day, he supposed. His daughter could now address him, he had a teething charm to ease her pain, and a watch to help make parenting less of a guessing game and more efficient.
Though as he crawled into bed and settled Roslyn gently beside him, surrounded in a cocoon of charms to prevent her from suffocating amongst the bedding, he recalled his previous birthday and the witch he'd spent it with.
He could still hear her reading off the instructions to prenatal potions, smell the cauldron even, as he drifted into a discontented sleep.
