Mid September, Tonks' family, Mordor and Merime, and Shaul gathered at Malfoy Manor for supper one evening. Belle seemed to have calmed down a lot since Mordor had place the charms on her ears, and Nymphadora thought her daughter could survive a night out. Rohan and Desmond were both asleep, held by their father and grandmother. Teddy held to his mother's hand as she held his sister.
Narcissa opened the gates for the Tonks family to enter the Manor, and they followed her into the sitting room. Teddy spotted Ginny's little boy lying on the floor, watching them, and tugged on his mother's robe. "Mum, there's Cor!" he said with a grin. "Cor grow!"
"He did," Nymphadora smiled, taking a seat with Belle on her lap. Teddy crawled up beside his mother, still watching the blonde baby. Belle, still half-asleep, spotted Cor and wrinkled her nose thoughtfully.
"That's Cor," Teddy told his sister. "Ginny's baby, and D'aco's."
Belle made a few soft sounds, then began to wriggle for her mother to put her down. Nymphadora set Belle on the floor by her feet after glancing at Narcissa, and Belle immediately got to her hands and knees, approaching Scorpius.
Narcissa smiled at Belle. "She can crawl fast! Can she pull herself up yet?"
"Yes," the girl's mother answered. "I think she'll be walking before she's a year."
"Belle, be nice," Teddy cautioned his sister as she sat on her bottom, looking down at Scorpius.
The younger baby seemed mesmerized by the dark-haired baby, and reached out, touching Belle's robe. Belle scooted away, out of Scorpius' reach, frowning at the blonde baby. Scorpius looked at her a minute, then pulled himself along the floor until he could reach her again. The two babies did this for several minutes until most of the adults were laughing at them.
Finally, Teddy got down off the couch and went over to his sister and Scorpius, sitting down so that Belle wouldn't move anymore. "He's okay," Teddy told Belle. "Cor see Belle."
Belle finally sat still, allowing the blonde child to come up to her. When Scorpius tried sitting up, however, he tipped over backward and Belle burst into giggles, pointing at Scorpius' look of surprise before giggling up at her own brother.
"Belle," Teddy said with a frown, "no laugh. Cor little!" She giggled a little more, then watched Teddy help baby Scorpius sit up, supporting him.
"Well, hello, Teddy," came a girl's voice, and Teddy turned to see Ginny come into the room, Draco at her side. "You're such a good big brother, and now you're helping Cor."
"Cor not Teddy's brother," the boy corrected Ginny. "Mum's babies are Teddy's little brother."
Nymphadora smiled at Teddy and Belle, then looked over at Ginny. The redhead seemed a little pale, although she was smiling, and there was a little glow on her cheeks.
At that moment, Belle reached out to Scorpius, touching the child's face. Scorpius reached his hand up and Belle gave him a sharp command in her baby way. The Malfoy baby froze, and Mordor raised his eyebrows at them, glancing at Draco, who was frowning.
Teddy frowned, then replied to Belle softly in her own syllables, making her fix her black eyes on him and pout. Teddy just gave her a disapproving look. "Cor nice, Belle," Teddy told her. "Belle be nice too."
Belle pouted at her brother a little longer, then looked back at the blonde baby. She touched his face again, and allowed him to grasp her hand, patting him carefully on the head with her other hand. He made a little sound, and Belle glanced at Teddy before removing her hand. The girl couldn't get her fingers away from Scorpius' grasp, trying to tug her hand away from him. She made an indignant sound, and Scorpius grinned, seemingly amused by her struggle.
The adults were laughing again, especially the two mothers. Ginny came over and sat down next to the three children, grinning as she gently pried her son's fingers from Belle's hand. He frowned up at her, and she lifted him onto her lap, letting him continue to watch Belle and Teddy. Belle said a few syllables, looking at Scorpius, and Teddy frowned.
"No, Cor 'lone," Teddy said to Belle. "Teddy has Belle and two brothers, but Cor by hisself."
"Actually, Teddy," Draco began, helping his wife to her feet and slipping his arm around her with a smirk. "That's not quite true."
"Cor's going to get a little brother or sister soon," Ginny told Teddy, blushing furiously as everyone gasped and began to congratulate her and Draco.
Nymphadora smirked at her friend. "I knew it wouldn't take you very long," she told Ginny. "Good for you!"
Ginny blushed, looking at Scorpius, then down at Teddy. Belle had already left them, crawling over to Merry and pulling herself up too look into Merry's face.
"Hi, Belle," Merime said softly, lifting the girl onto her lap. "Goodness, child, you're getting to be so big!"
"She's almost nine months old now, isn't she?" Ginny asked Tonks, trying to distract everyone from herself and the news of her coming baby.
"Almost," Nymphadora smiled at Belle, who had sat up and was watching the rest of her family.
Teddy walked over to Mordor, crawling up beside his friend. "Belle lots better," he told the older boy. "Belle's ears good."
Mordor nodded at Teddy before glancing at the child his wife was holding. Belle seemed very happy to sit on Merry's lap and watch everyone else, especially after her mother levitated Belle's snack across the room to them. Belle snacked on some small bits of cereal gingerly, her mouth tender because of her teeth coming in. Pointing to her bottle in the bag, Belle looked at Merry and said a few syllables.
"Thirsty?" Merime asked Belle, then leaned down and picked up the bottle.
"M'ry," Belle nodded happily, grinning as she reached for the bottle. She leaned back against Merry's arm as Merry tilted the bottle for her, Belle reaching up as if to help.
"Thank goodness for spill-proof," Mordor chuckled when the little girl suddenly pushed the bottle away, spluttering. "Don't drink too much, Belle," he told her, a mild smirk on his lips.
Belle reached for the bottle again, but turned her face away when Merime offered her a drink. "Ah," Merry said, then put the bottle into Belle's waiting hands and just held the child. "There you go."
Teddy grinned to see Belle holding the bottle in her hands, looking at it thoughtfully. "Belle do it herself, but not know how," Teddy told Merry. "Belle want to, though."
Merry guided the little one to lift the bottle, then tip it up to her mouth. Belle only got a little bit of apple juice, but when she set the bottle aside, the child had a huge grin on her face as she looked up at Merry. "Yes, sweetling, you did it!" Merime praised her softly just as Narcissa announced to the rest of the family that supper was ready if everyone would wash up.
Ginny motioned to Tonks and Merime. "Follow me if you and the babies need to visit the nursery." The redhead led the way, Tonks and Merime following. "Oi, I forgot you've got three babies, Dora," Ginny told the older girl, wrinkling her nose. "Who's got the other one? Your mum?"
"Yes," Tonks nodded. "But she's way better at taking care of my babies than I am. She doesn't need a nursery: she just puts up a small ward and takes care of whichever child it is in a minute or two. She's so efficient it makes me jealous, but anyway, I guess it's a good thing, in case Rodolphus and I ever go out together again."
"Hahaha," Ginny told Tonks. "You really did yourself in with the twins. There's no escaping the diapers for you now." Ginny laughed in amusement, motioning Nymphadora to go first with the twin she was holding.
"So when will the baby be born?" Nymphadora asked Ginny, not looking at her.
The redhead rolled her eyes. "I knew you wouldn't just forget about it," she sighed. "Sometime in late May or early June. Close to Draco's birthday, maybe. The mid-wife—we've got one now, unfortunately—wasn't exactly sure. I didn't tell Narcissa, because I'm pretty sure she would have fired her for incompetency. The woman's not incompetent, just hesitant to state something she doesn't know for sure. And I liked the woman; she was younger and nice to me. Very important in a mid-wife."
Tonks laughed happily, lifting Rohan from the table. Ginny motioned Merime to go ahead with Belle, and as Merry stepped forward, Scorpius gave a little cry.
"Oh, stop it," Ginny scolded her son, lifting him up closer to her. "You're not any more uncomfortable than any other baby in your predicament." He closed his eyes, and Ginny said, "If it makes you feel any better, I was a baby once too, and I survived." Scorpius did not look any happier.
Merry was giggling, though, and lifted Belle up moments later, cuddling the freshly clean little girl. Ginny grinned at Scorpius. "See?" she said, laying her son down on the table. "All you need is some patience, little Malfoy."
Tonks laughed too, and said, "Got to teach him early, before he becomes a spoiled brat—"
"Dora, don't you dare finish that," Ginny said without turning around. "Scorpius will be a well-mannered child, but I just want to make sure that he knows I don't like whining. Because I don't." She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Come on," she said after a moment, lifting her son into her arms once more. "Let's wash up and report to the dining room before Cissa comes after us."
The three young women headed to one of the restrooms, washing their hands, and Teddy's as well, for he had come running down the hall from Mordor to join them. Merry washed her hands as Belle sat on the counter next to the sink, then dried her hands, picking up the entreating child once more.
"Merry, do you think you could hold Ro and Belle at the same time?" Tonks asked, and Merry bit her lip.
"Probably not very well," she answered finally, and Tonks shrugged, laying the child down on the counter, his blanket protecting him from the cold of the counter top.
Merime took Belle and left the bathroom without the two noticing, heading back down the hall toward the dining room. Mordor joined her just before she entered the room so they could go in and sit together. She quietly accepted his kiss on her cheek and his murmured compliment before they walked into the dining room.
The young Lestrange woman was quiet for most of the meal, making sure that Belle had her snacks and her drink. She ate quietly, not joining the conversation even when Mordor glanced at her to see if she was all right. He reached down and squeezed her hand under the table once to let her know he understood, then returned to the conversation at hand.
That night, at home in their room, Merime lay tearfully awake in her husband's arms, wanting, and wishing.
A few days after the gathering at Malfoy Manor, Rodolphus received a letter from his previous employer and shook his head at it. "He still wants me to go back, Dora," Rodolphus said, shaking his head slightly.
They were all sitting in the living room just after lunch, and the two older children were playing on the floor. Rodolphus sighed and Nymphadora squeezed his hand gently before placing her finger into baby Desmond's tiny hand. "Are you going to, Roddy?" she asked softly. "What all did he say?"
"He said the Auror Office has given approval for me to return, but they say that I should be extremely cautious when I'm going to and from the bookstore," Rodolphus answered. "Apparently my life is in my own hands and it's up to me to stay safe from the Lestrange trolls."
Nymphadora smiled at him, then leaned over and kissed his lips. "I have faith in you," she told him firmly.
Rodolphus slipped his arm around her, and she leaned her head against his shoulder. "Thanks," he said softly. "Thank you, Nymphadora. I think I will try to go back to work, then. Do you think you and Andromeda will be able to manage the children?"
"Yes, Rod," she said, looking down at Desmond, who was snuggled close to her chest. "Belle has calmed a lot since Mor helped her, and mother and I can care for Teddy and the twins just fine."
"All right," he agreed, looking down at Belle, who had crawled over to them and pulled herself to her feet by his robe. "Need something, darling?"
"Da," Belle said, grasping his robe still and reaching her other hand out toward him. She lost her balance, and her father reached out in time to catch her, holding her up.
Rodolphus took her by the hands and helped her "walk" across the living room to Teddy, both of them sitting by him. Teddy grinned at his sister, who grinned back, turning to point at her mother and Desmond.
Teddy nodded. "Belle walk to Teddy from Mum!"
"She'll be walking on her own before long," Tonks warned her son. "Belle's growing fast, Teddy."
"Teddy love Belle," said the boy, and Belle crawled closer to him, Teddy giving his sister a hug. "Belle grow big like Teddy!"
"'dy!" Belle said, and he released her. The girl reached out to see what block was on top, then crawled around the other blocks to find the magic match. "Here, 'dy!" she told him cheerfully, holding out the next block to him.
Rodolphus nodded as he thought to himself of how he would like to teach Belle a deeper knowledge of magic, as he had. He knew that Nymphadora would want a full explanation of anything that he taught their daughter—and that Teddy might need an explanation—or even to learn beside Belle. He frowned. That would be interesting: to try to teach Teddy Lupin and Belle Lestrange about the elements of magic together.
Elementals, he thought to himself, a small smile on his lips. Rodolphus could still remember doing wandless magic as a child, but alone because Rabastan wasn't born until just before Rodolphus started at Hogwarts. He wanted his daughter to have the privilege that he had: to know magic more deeply than most normal wizards.
Nymphadora was going to blow her top, probably, but he could explain. And Rodolphus had time. He wanted his daughter to be two years old before she consciously used the Elementals. He would have to think very carefully about the rules he would need to lay down for her to follow.
"Rodolphus?" Nymphadora asked, a frown on her face. "Are you thinking too much?"
"I'm just thinking about the children's future," Rodolphus answered, getting up and going back to his seat beside Tonks and one of their twins. "I'm kind of excited, but there are special things I want Belle to know. I will need to talk to you about them before I teach her, though."
"Oh." She smiled. "Teach her how to Summon her shoes like you do mine. That's handy."
Rodolphus laughed and kissed her cheek teasingly. "I'll see," he said. "Maybe you should sit in on that lesson to learn for yourself?"
Nymphadora smirked. "I have you," she said.
He shook his head, still grinning. "I love you," he chuckled.
"I love you too," she replied.
The following Monday, Rodolphus woke early and dressed for work quietly, allowing Nymphadora to remain asleep until he was finished. He leaned down and kissed her lips slowly until she woke, slipping her arms up around his neck and clinging to him. "Good day," she murmured sleepily.
Rodolphus chuckled softly. "Get up and come down to breakfast," he murmured in return. "You've got some time before I have to leave." Nymphadora pouted, and he kissed her pouting lips firmly before grasping her hands in his and pulling her to a sitting position. "Come along, Dora."
Nymphadora sighed and stood up, raising an eyebrow when she found herself to be taller than her husband. Glancing in the mirror, she realized that she retained her natural form during the night and turned to Rodolphus, biting her lip. "I...didn't know I—"
He caught hold of both her wrists, looking slightly up into her face. "It's fine, Nymphadora. I don't mind." He slipped his arms around her and gave her a hug, then stepped to the door. "Join us soon, Dora." Rodolphus left the room, heading down the hall into the nursery where the older children were.
Teddy was sitting next to Belle's crib, his hand reaching through the columns and patting his sister's back gently. Belle had her eyes open and was watching him, then looked over at the doorway and said, "Da!"
Rodolphus came over to the crib and Belle yawned and stretched, then sat up. She held her arms up to her father entreatingly, and he glanced down at Teddy, who had also stood, frowning. The little boy hurried from the room, seeming to pout, and Rodolphus lifted his daughter into his arms, sighing. "I love you," he murmured to her, and she wrapped her small arms around his neck.
Belle seemed content to stay in her father's arms, even when he sat down at the kitchen table. Teddy was sitting on the floor in the kitchen, watching his grandmother finish the breakfast preparations, and didn't turn when the two came in, leaning against the lower cupboards.
Nymphadora came into the room moments later and motioned Teddy to come to the table. The boy reluctantly got to his feet and allowed his mother to put him in his high chair. Teddy was quiet as he ate dutifully, but Belle cooed and talked happily to her father, looking up at him adoringly every so often. She seemed much happier recently, her baby brothers' cries not so shrill anymore.
After several moments, Rodolphus stood Belle up on his lap so that she was looking straight into his eyes, wobbling a little as she grinned at him. "Da has to leave," he told her softly. "Play nice for Mum and Grandmum, okay?"
"Da," she cooed, reaching for his face, and he smiled, hugging his daughter.
"I'll see you later," he murmured, kissing her forehead before getting up and setting her in her playpen. She gave a little cry of disappointment, and he winced slightly but didn't turn back to her. "Goodbye, Dora," he said, leaning down to kiss his wife.
"Take care of yourself," she ordered him firmly, just as Belle cried out more urgently. Nymphadora turned to see her daughter standing up in the playpen, reaching out one hand to Rodolphus, her lower lip trembling. "Belle," sighed the girl's mother.
Teddy was also looking at Rodolphus worriedly. "Dad not leave!" he pleaded. "Belle and Teddy and babies need Da! Pwease, Da, stay."
Rodolphus walked over to Teddy and lifted him down from his high chair, hugging him in the process. "I've got to go back to work, Teddy," he said softly. "I'll be back tonight before you're asleep."
The boy looked up at his father after glancing at Belle, who was pouting and watching them. "Pwomise?" Teddy asked sternly, giving his father a glare. "Da not leave?"
"I won't; I promise," Rodolphus answered the child, wondering at Teddy's insistence. "But I've got to get back to work since I haven't been for a long time. That isn't good for me."
"Da," sniffled Belle, rubbing her eyes with her fists as she sat down in the playpen. "Da!"
"Oh, Belle," her father sighed, coming over to rest his hand on her head a minute. "I'll see you when I get home, okay? I'll come see you."
Belle looked up at him as Nymphadora caught her husband by the hand, squeezing it. "Teddy, Belle, your dad has to go to work, but he'll be home after a little while. Say goodbye now."
Teddy came over to his father, hugging his leg tightly. Rodolphus chuckled and leaned down, hugging the little boy. "Take care of Belle and your mum for me, okay, Teddy?"
He finally grinned at his father and nodded. "Teddy take care of Belle and Mum."
Nymphadora leaned down and picked Belle up as Rodolphus headed for the entryhall. Belle watched her father as he left the room, and Nymphadora followed her husband, Teddy at her side. From the open door, the three waved to Rodolphus as he walked away, then turned and disapparated. Nymphadora closed the door and Teddy immediately looked up at her in worry. "Ma, Da coming home to Teddy and Belle and Mum?"
"Yes, darling," Nymphadora answered, smoothing her oldest son's brown hair. "Your father is returning to work as he used to nearly every day before he was taken away from us for a little while. Da will come home to us, before your bedtime tonight."
"Okay," Teddy nodded with a sigh, looking up at his sister. "Da be back," he told Belle reassuringly, patting her leg. "Da come back to Belle."
"'dy," Belle said, then wriggled to be put down.
Nymphadora allowed Belle to slip to the floor and crawl after Teddy, who was laughing and leading her to their playroom. She poked her head back into the kitchen, and Andromeda ordered her to go get both twins and bring them downstairs for their feeding. She headed upstairs to find both sons crying in their cradles.
"I think I'm a terrible mother," she told them, her information not seeming to impress the children. "Four children under two and a half years old is way too many. Come here, sweetlings." She carefully gathered the twins in her arms and took them downstairs to the living room as her mother had ordered. "I'm doing awful with them," Nymphadora mourned to her mother, who handed her a bottle. "I can't keep track of my own children!"
"They were asleep until a moment ago," Andromeda said with a shrug in her voice. "They slept for a long while last night—or this morning, however you look at it. Thank goodness: the two are a little more than a month old."
"I still feel like I'm behind schedule somehow," Tonks sighed. "I don't think I'll ever catch up with where I should be. And that reminds me: you do know that Ginny's expecting her and Draco's second child?"
Andromeda frowned. "I do. And what are you asking?"
Nymphadora bit her lip. "I just wanted to know what you thought about it."
"Well, there haven't been two Malfoys born in the same generation for a very long time," Andromeda mused. "The Malfoys have long preferred to keep their Only-child Syndrome. That makes them act better than everyone else because they don't know how to relate to siblings. I'd say if the House of Malfoy hadn't already changed greatly, it's surely about to change even more—especially if the baby is a girl. There has not been a girl born to the House of Malfoy for even more generations than there has been more than one child!"
"Ginny's sure changed them," Nymphadora said. "Although, did she, or is it more noticeable because she's there?"
"Or is it that you pay more attention since your friend is married to the young Malfoy now?" Andromeda questioned her daughter with a smirk.
"Mum," Nymphadora pouted, but grinned. "Probably. I didn't want to cause them any embarrassment before—and I still don't—but I know Ginny. I can tease her, even though she doesn't react the same way anymore." Tonks rolled her eyes. "Ginny's changed too, not just the Malfoys. Everyone's changed, and everything's changed."
Andromeda frowned at the twin she was holding. "Not this one," she commented, and Nymphadora laughed uproariously. "Easy, Nymphadora," commanded her mother. "And here comes Belle. Hi, Belle. Where's Teddy?"
Belle glanced from her grandmother to her mother, then crawled over to her feet quickly, begging to be taken up. Nymphadora lifted the child to lie down beside her on the couch, facing up. "Hi, baby," Nymphadora said to her little girl, turning back to Rohan and his bottle. "What's going on?" The girl gave a little cry, and Tonks reached over, touching the child's cheek gently. "Roll over," she said as she did so to her daughter. Tonks began to press her fingers into Belle's back very relaxingly, very gently. Belle's eyelids drooped shut minutes later, the child asleep, one arm hanging off the couch.