Chapter 48: Mothering Nature
{A/N: Here's Another Update...As Promised Trickster32...and for those interested Reynard=Male Fox and Vixen I am sure you know is Female Fox...of course you will find why these names are used in the letters eventually...}
My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.
The Market Place, London England, Muggle World...
Lily Potter escorted her two sons, Harry and Lyell toward the front doors of the local market. She'd been so busy fussing about with Harry and the subject of his broken glasses that she had hardly noticed that Petunia had been there as well with two boys whom looked to be a good deal similar to each other. Both had messy raven hair and dark eyes and both seemed to be on their best behavior despite the fact that they were only eight years old.
"Tuney?" said Lily finally noticing her elder sister.
"Lily." said Petunia as the red head witch approached her with her boys. "Hello Harry, hello Lyell...you probably don't remember me much but I'm your mother's elder sister, Aunt Petunia."
"Hello...Aunt Petunia." said Harry meeting her gaze with as little confidence as he had the bully at school.
He shoved his hands into his pockets watching her twin sons come an inspect Lyell before the three of them began making funny faces at each other.
"These are your cousins, Silas and Sebastian." Lily said introducing them. "I haven't seen them since they were babies but my have they grown."
"Like weeds, I'm afraid." remarked Petunia looking over her children with the utmost affection behind her eyes. "They are doomed to take after their father in that regard and he can eat one out of house and home when the shopping isn't done right...bloody man doesn't gain much weight luckily for him."
Lily found that hard to believe but smiled as she looked upon her nephews. They had the same dark hair and dark eyes she had come to note when they were born. Although Silas was slightly more pale than Sebastian, they seemed like happy healthy children.
"Lyell was or last born thus far." said Lily showing her sister her youngest son.
"Weren't you pregnant last summer?" asked Petunia with an arched brow.
"I was." replied Lily. "Miscarriage."
"I'm sorry to hear that." said the elder of the Evans sisters meaningfully. "It must have been a terrible thing to go through."
"It was." replied Lily wanting to change the subject. "Anyway what's got you out and about, are you feeling any better since Severus' visit?"
"Much." replied Petunia with a fond smile. "Say what you will, but that man can work miracles."
"I'll bet." replied Lily with a smirk.
It was strange to look upon Petunia in public with her twins sons and recall the rather steamy letters Lily had read from Reynard to her and the nickname of Vixen. She seemed quite content with her life and even more so with her marriage.
"As it turns out, we have a family trip scheduled before Harry's birthday...and I was of the mind to ask if I could keep the boys for the weekend...Silas and Sebastian could use the company and their father is out of town at the moment." said Petunia breaking her younger sister's train of thought.
Harry looked over at his mother for a moment confused about the sudden interest of his Aunt in his and his brother's lives after all this time and then excited about having something to do besides stay in the same boring house for the weekend.
"Well..." began Lily considering it. "I don't want to cause you any trouble...Harry here can be a real handful."
The green eyed wizard narrowed his eyes at his red head mother at the perceived insult to his character.
"Oh they won't be any trouble." said Petunia. "They are my nephews after all."
"You say that now." said Lily with a chuckle.
As she and Petunia continued to chat, some nearby clerk came out of the store with a fresh bag of goods and handed it to her.
"Here you are Mrs. Prince." he said with a smile. "These are the supplies your husband ordered, give him my warmest regards if you please."
"Will do Karl have a nice day." replied Petunia pleasantly.
"Mrs. Prince?" said Lily with a smile. "That's what's become of your last name?"
"Better a Prince than a Potter I'd say." countered Petunia with a smirk.
"Touche." replied Lily knowing her sister had her there. "I'll return with you to drop off he boys, make sure they get where their going alright."
"Of course." replied Petunia with a smile.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
The Prince Residence, Modest Flat, London England, Muggle World...
Harry Potter had not been particularly impressed by his Aunt's modest looking flat as his brother and cousins raced ahead of him toward the front door. They laughed and played as if they had not a care in the world, the bliss of youth seemed to know no bounds with them.
Lily entered the flat as she had before still finding it odd and less than comfortable a place for a family of four. Of course it was Petunia's home after all and she knew little to nothing of her sister's comforts. Aside from what she learned about this mysterious Reynard.
Once the boys settled in, Petunia went to get lunch started for them leaving Lily to wonder about the sitting room as she causally placed the letters she had taken with her to her home back into the pile upon the writing desk and managed to get her hands on a couple more. A small smile filed across her face as she noticed she had taken five this time around.
"What are you doing?" asked a rather inquisitive Harry whom had been standing behind her.
Lily nearly jumped when she heard his voice.
"Harry weren't you playing with the other boys?" she asked narrowing her eyes at him.
"Are you going through Aunt Petunia's things?" asked the green eyed wizard studying the parchment in his mother's hands.
Lily looked at her son for the longest time. As much as she loved him, he was quite the pain in the rear when it came to always watching and questioning whatever she or James did. Life had been so much more simple when he was a baby.
Still, she thought of a lie a rather quick lie to get him on his way. She wanted to leave as soon as possible after all and five letters were all she managed to grab for the long weekend with no children and possibly no James to interfere in her reading.
"I was straightening the mess of her writing desk." said Lily casually. "Your Aunt can be quite hopeless at times."
Harry watched her for a moment before shrugging and turning his attention to his cousins and brother calling for him in their bedroom.
"HARRY COME AND PLAY!"
Lily let out a sigh of relief as she quickly spelled the letters to fit into her coat and walked into the kitchen with Petunia.
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The Kitchen, The Prince Residence, London, England, Wizarding World...
Petunia had been in her own little world happily moving about her modest kitchen making a good deal of sandwiches for the boys. Lily smirked believing she looked a good deal like their mother use to bouncing around the kitchen back in the days of their seemingly long past youth and cooking up a storm to keep her husband and children satisfied.
"I'm heading out." said Lily.
"Well don't be a stranger." replied Petunia humming along to a tune in her head as she continued to get things ready for her sons and nephews.
As Lily made to leave, it had occurred to her that her sister was a natural when it came to being a mother. She had her fair share of issues with the awkward stages of youth but when it came to finally having children of her own, she was well and truly ready for them.
Closing the front door behind her, Lily Potter took her leave of her elder sister's home still rather curious as to whom her mysterious brother-in-law had been and the nature of his relationship with her seemingly bubbly home-maker sister.
