Three days later Nox was ready to resume breast-feeding, as the potion should have taken full effect. Gideon hadn't taken the bottle too well and it was a far messier business feeding him with that than breast-feeding, and they were all looking forward to it.
"How's it going?" George came into the nursery, eating an apple.
"Not as good as I hoped," she answered, taking hold of Gideon's small hand to keep him from pounding her breast again. It was her second try that morning, but it didn't seem the baby was pleased with the menu.
"It's better, though?" he asked, sticking his finger into the baby's fist and stroking the back of the tiny hand with his thumb.
"Not much," she muttered as the baby let go of her with a soft plop! and she slowly turned him the other way to try the other breast. "I'm afraid we'll have to stick to the bottles as prime source of milk."
"Is that such a bad thing? He's already chewed up your nipples, imagine several more months of that," George pointed out and she gave him a cold look while hitching the shirt up over her exposed breast.
"Same rule goes for you as for Fred," she said as the baby began mewling, but didn't let go of the potential food source.
"It's wrong if I don't take an interest, it's wrong if I do. What the hell do you want from me?" George said, taking another bite out of the apple.
"An interest in Gideon, not in me," she pointed out. "If you're interested in breasts, go fondle Luna's."
"That was below the belt," George said. "Besides, if you insist on breast-feeding him, you're the only one that can feed him at all, with the bottles we can take turns." What he didn't add was that he rather enjoyed giving Gideon his bottle and trying to figure out what the baby was looking at, he had the knack of looking fully absorbed in thin air. Luna had come up with some theories of what he saw that they didn't, which wasn't completely against him, either, she had a lively imagination and got completely caught up in telling him.
"Yes, but..." Nox ran a hand through her hair and hoisted the baby up against her shoulder. "All the books say breast-feeding is the best."
"What books? The formula we're using is the best on the marked, it says so right on the package," George said and offered to take the baby from her so she could get properly clothed again. She handed their son over and began buttoning up the shirt.
"I just want what's best for him, okay?" Nox said wearily.
"So do I," George answered and patted the baby's back. He belched and left a wet, sticky spot on George's shoulder, which the latter made a face at. "You might want to take into consideration that formula is better than letting him starve, though."
"He's not starving," she insisted.
"Oh, then what do you call being hungry all the time?" George shifted the baby, who had settled into a doze again, to his other arm. Nox gave him a long stare, but was prevented from giving her a piece of her mind by the entrance of Luna and Fred.
"Hello, Gideon." Luna tried making contact with the baby, but he hardly opened his eyes.
"He's eaten himself into a stupor?" Fred asked, standing behind Luna and watching as the baby snuggled his face against George's shirt, leaving a wet trail of saliva.
"No, the potion isn't working," Nox told him shortly. "I'll go get him a bottle."
"Nox, it isn't your fault," Luna said, taking hold of the other woman's shirt sleeve as she tried to get away. "I said the potion might not work because you don't have any magic, but we tried."
"Yeah, we tried," Nox said flatly.
"Lighten up, mug-lug," Fred put in. "You carried the creature around for nine months and gave birth to it, it's okay for us others to pick up the slack now."
"You mean me and Luna to pick up the slack," George corrected and handed the child over to Luna, where he buried both fists in the fabric of her dress.
"Hey, I've been helping out, too! It's not my fault I can't change nappies and stuff," Fred said, sticking his nose in the air.
"And what a great loss it is for you, I'm sure," George answered and finished his apple.
"I'm getting that bottle now, and then you can fight over who's gonna feed him," Nox said and tried getting away again before the baby started fussing after more food.
"Wait a second, though," Fred said, looking from Luna to Nox and back again. "She's got tits, too, you know." He pointed at the blonde with his thumb, his eyes narrowing a bit in calculation.
"Fred, I'm soon calling the Ghostbusters on you," Nox said quiet, but firmly.
"This better be good," George told his twin, crossing his arms.
"You know, she's got tits, too!" Fred repeated, practically vibrating with excitement.
"It's that good?" George still looked a bit sceptical, but the few times Fred got so excited he got nearly speechless with the effort of trying to explain his idea it was something brilliant.
"She's a witch! The potion's made for witches, and she got tits!" Fred exclaimed, hardly able to string two words together in the euphoria of solving their problem.
"You mean Luna could breast-feed Gideon?" George said, unfolding his arms as a grin began to spread on his face. "It's a thought. She's well equipped, at least, and Gideon likes her."
"And Nox's dry as a desert, better stop while she's ahead, " Fred said, grinning back. "Or at least not too far behind."
"Hold it right there!" Nox interrupted. "Were you planning on asking us what we think of this ridiculous scheme, or just run with it?"
"We were getting to that part," George told her. "So, Luna, you think you're up for the job?"
"I'd love to, if Nox is okay with it," Luna answered and turned to the other woman.
"Well," Nox said, chewing her lower lip. "The books never mentioned something like this –"
"Screw the books! If you can't have an independent thought of yourself soon I'm setting up a play date with Hermione for you," Fred said.
"But I'm okay with it," Nox finished, scowling at Fred. "After all, if it backfires, we still got the formula."
AN: When I thought about Luna being Gideon's nurse I didn't automatically think wet-nurse, but it just worked out that way.