"I'm glad they're old enough to appreciate sleeping in." Severus murmured against his wife's hair as he held her close, "it gives me more time with you..." He had been more than pleased with the gorgeous leather bound, gold leafed set of Italian potions books she had given him. But had been even more pleased when Morgan presented herself to him as a Christmas present earlier that morning, wearing little more than a large green bow tied around herself. It had been a decidedly pleasant present to unwrap.

"Mmmm... I like time with you too," she purred, "but don't you think its time we joined the children, they're probably up by now."

Severus growled a noncommittal response, but dislodged his wife from his arms and got up to get dressed. About an hour later he was feeling a bit more benevolent towards the world in general as he sat on the couch in the living room with his wife leaning against him, and there five children sitting around opening presents.

"Hmmm... 'for Mum and the oversized bat from your three trouble makers', should we be worried? And should I assume that you made the card Kamen?" Morgan studied Kamen, Dierna, and Serena as they tried their best to look innocent.

"Of course I made the card Mum, trust us, nothing to worry about. As long as you discount the fact that we did sneak out of school a couple of days to get it..." Kamen gave her a broad grin.

Morgan rolled her eyes, "If it's over and done with I don't want to hear about it." She leaned against Severus, who was more than happy to let her do the unwrapping, as she tore off the plan brown paper. "Sweet Circe..." Morgan brought her hand up to her mouth as tears formed in her eyes.

Inside the package was a muggle painting, a portrait of Kamen who was sitting, and looked incredibly similar to his father dressed in black, with Dierna and Serena standing behind him dressed in flowing cream colored dresses. "It is beautiful, where did you get it done?"

"We found a gallery in London that has a resident artist who does portraits," Serena supplied.

Morgan wiped away her tears, "I'm going to go start breakfast," she kissed her children before heading towards the kitchen, "give me a hand Sev."

Severus followed his wife, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Sev, just trying to accept that fact that all my babies are grown up now," she smiled for him, "and you," she shook a spatula in his direction as she worked on breakfast, "spoiled the girls horribly."

"What did I do?" Severus looked hurt.

"Sev, honestly! Pearl necklaces for the twins?! I know how much those cost and I had to get married before I had anything that nice."

"I like giving my girls nice things," Severus said as he kissed his wife, "besides, I don't see you complaining about your own necklace..."

Morgan rolled her eyes as her hand went to her throat where garnets the size of her thumbnail were set in a heavy dark gold setting, this was the difference between jewelry and jewels. "I just think that there are some things that aren't quite appropriate for girls their age."

"Well I can't help it if I like to make my girls happy."

"Hmmm... well I'll keep that in mind for later or the next time I want something from you..."

Severus raised an eyebrow as he looked down at his wife, "I'd give you the world if I could."

"Are you ready for this?" Meg teased Zach as they arrived at the Burrow. The Weasley family residence had been expanded over the years to accommodate the growing family, but was still as full of love as ever.

"Should I be worried?" Zach asked.

"Not at all, just be prepared to be swamped by a sea of red heads," she told him as they made their way into the house, where the Christmas celebration was already underway.

"Uncle Charlie! When are you going to let me help with the dragons at school, I've read all the books on dragon handling I can get my hands on, please let me help!" Angie Weasley tugged at her uncle. "Please..."

Charlie laughed, "Don't even think about it kid. If Zach or I find you anywhere near those dragons you can consider yourself done with."

"Oiy, you're not giving my daughter too much trouble are you? You teachers always stand in the way of fun," Fred took Charlie's hand as he wrapped an arm around Angie's shoulders.

"He's no fun Dad," the third year looked up at him, "I just want to play with the dragons..."

Dierna's hands trembled slightly as she retrieved the package Stefan had sent for her. She slowly unwrapped it and opened the box lifting out a piece of paper on the top:

"Quando sono sola sogno all'orizzonte e mancan le parole si lo so che non c'e luce in una stanza quando manca il sole se non ci sei tu con me, con me Su le finestre Mostra a tutti il mio cuore Che hai accesso Chiudi dentro me la luce che hai incontrato per strada"
I'll be yours always, Stefan

She smiled at the words, it was part of a song that he had found last year, he said it explained how much he loved her. She was his sunlight. "I love you Stefan," she murmured as she reached into the box and withdrew a first edition copy of Jane Eyre. She lovingly ran her hand over the book; he had remembered that it was her favorite. "Come back to me Stefan, I can't wait much longer."

Viviane glanced at her calendar and took a deep breath. She crossed out the circled day, December 26, and then looked up to check her appearance in the full length mirror. Nervously she ran her hands over the skirt of her wedding dress, brushing out imaginary creases.

She turned, looking at herself from all angles, making sure that her hair, done in a loose chignon was still intact, and that her dress was hanging evenly. "I can do this," she told herself, taking another deep breath, "just a few more minutes, and it'll all be over, I'll be Mrs. Bennet." She smiled at that thought.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't hear the knock at her door. And didn't realize that anyone had joined her until her father came up behind her and laid his hands on her shoulders, "are you ready?"

"I think so. Are you?"

Severus sighed, "To hand you over to another man? Never. I'll always think of you as my little girl."

"I'm not sure if I can do this..."

"You'll be fine," Severus kissed the top of her head, "Colin is a good man and I know he will look out for you, if I doubted that at all things would never have come this far."

Viviane gave him a small smile, "I think I'm ready now. Is it time?"

Severus nodded, but in his mind he cursed the way time seemed to fly by. That now, he had to go downstairs and hand over his first child to another man. The thought tore at his heart.

"Where is he going to stay?" Sophia leaned close to Kalliope to ask.

"In my room," Kalliope answered, without looking at her ward.

Sophia smiled widely; in her mind they were as good as married.

"You can wipe that smirk off your face young lady and stop jumping to conclusions," Kalliope still didn't look at the girl.

Sophia wasn't at all deterred by her guardian's less then amiable demeanor, she was just happy that the relationship with Remus was looking promising. For the first time the novice found that she really wanted a family, and not just any family, but this one.

Kalliope turned to Remus who was several paces behind her, "we have duties to attend to in the temple, will you be alright by yourself for awhile?"

Remus nodded, "of course," he glanced up at the buildings that composed the temple. There were several out buildings which housed the priestesses and the novices of the temple, and there was the large main temple building. It was rectangular in shape, with several layers of pillars supporting the roof. In its cool, quiet interior were two rooms, one housed the cult statue of the goddess, and the inner sanctuary was where oracles were received. He figured if nothing else he could explore for awhile, it had been a long time since he had really been inside the temple.

"Not to worry priestess, we'll keep him out of trouble for you," Cadmus appeared, followed by several men of his tribe, his white teeth shining against his dark beard.

Kalliope narrowed her eyes slightly, "but can I trust you to stay out of trouble?"

Cadmus laughed, a deep rumbling sound, "no, but I don't expect you to!"

"I wish we had done more, it was over so fast and now they're gone..." Morgan sniffed as she leaned her head against Severus' shoulder. The wedding had been incredibly short and small, with just the immediate family there. Viviane had protested against having a large ceremony and reception, saying she just wanted to get married with the family there and have it done with.

"It is what she wanted darling, you know that," Severus told her gently.

Morgan sighed, "I know... I just feel like it should have been a much bigger production, she is the first of them to go after all. But she did look beautiful."

"Almost as beautiful as another bride I remember," Severus let a small smile play at his lips as he brushed a stray curl out of Morgan's face.

Morgan snorted in response.

"You don't believe me?" Severus asked her, "Perhaps I'll have to show you exactly how I feel about that other bride," he trailed a series of kisses down her neck.

"Ewww..." Dierna made a face as she came into the living room, "haven't I put up with enough mushy stuff for one day? The last thing I want right now is to watch my parents snogging..."

Morgan rolled her eyes, "if you don't like it then leave."

Dierna raised an eyebrow, unconsciously mimicking her father's favorite gesture, "or you two could get a private room, or better yet never do that again." She smiled sweetly at the murderous look her father was giving her.

"Are you quite finished?" Severus sneered.

"No, I have a feeling if I stick around a little longer I'll get to irritate you even more."

"Dierna, so help me, if you..."

"Oh stop it you two!" Morgan interjected, "if you're going to argue go ahead and have at it, but I'm going to go for a walk. The two of you are going to drive me mad one of these days!"

"You like it Mum," Dierna gave her an impish grin.

"Like hell I do," Morgan rolled her eyes, "now I would appreciate it if the two of you didn't rip out each others' throats while I'm gone, I'd hate to have to clean up that mess when I get back," she gave her husband a wink and swatted her daughter on her backside as she swept out of the room.

Severus crossed his arms over his chest and glared at his daughter, "are a few moments uninterrupted with your mother too much to ask for?"

"What happens if I say yes?"

"You are more trouble than you are worth," he reached out and ruffled her hair, earning him a dark scowl.

"I hate when you do that," she spat at him.

"I know you do, but it's a paternal privilege."

Dierna rolled her eyes at that, "help me do a couple of potions out of the book you got me for Christmas? Please..."

Severus sighed and ran a hand over his face wearily, "of course."

When Morgan returned she quietly crept down the stairs to the basement, where Severus had his own personal lab. She smiled to herself as she watched her husband and daughter hovering over a steaming cauldron and consulting a large, battered book. "So much alike..." she murmured, "If they're not at each others' throats they're the best of friends..."

"What are you doing?"

"Coloring?"

"What are you coloring?"

"A picture."

Harry rolled his eyes, he had been looking for a more specific answer, "what are you coloring a picture of?" he pressed.

Lily looked up, "of Ralph," she pointed to the stuffed llama who was currently covered in bows from Christmas presents. Lily had been adamant about the fact that the llama wanted to look pretty.

"Are you going to leave all of those bows on him?"

"Yep! He likes them, 'cause he's a pretty llama."

Harry looked up to see Ginny in the doorway, a strange look on her face, as she watched them, "Ginny... are you alright?"

Ginny shook herself and smiled at her husband, "of course," she went back into the kitchen and leaned against the door, taking several deep breaths. "I want this to work," she murmured to herself, "Mum, keeps telling me that love is a choice, and I want to love him. I just wish I wasn't so afraid of getting my heart broken..."

"What are you doing up here? I know very well that you have duties you are supposed to be attending to."

Sophia turned from her perch on the cliff, "I was watching the men."

"Honestly child, do you think of nothing else?"

Sophia rolled her eyes, "of course I do! But don't you want to watch? Remus is wrestling..."

Kalliope hurried over to the edge of the cliff and looked down, a slight smile pulled at her lips as she observed the scene on the beach below. Remus had stripped down, so that he was only wearing pants, and was indeed wrestling with one of the men, while the rest of Cadmus' tribe stood round and cheered them on. "How typical..." she muttered.

"How typical what?" Sophia asked.

Kalliope gave her ward of smile, "typical male behavior. You put them together and they have to start proving their masculinity. Now back to the temple with you, you better see to your duties before Rheia finds out you've been up here."

Sophia hesitated, "Kalliope, before we go back to Hogwarts, there's something I want to do."

"What is it child?"

"I want to see my mother, my real mother; I want to know why she abandoned me."

"Are you going Zach?"

"Yes, I have some..." he sighed, "business... to attend to in Paris."

"Well, you have a good trip, and make sure you come back here if you have time before you have to be back at the school," Meg handed him his cloak and impulsively threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly, "its nice having a gentleman around the house when I'm usually stuck with these two," she nodded her head in Charlie and Alberto's direction.

"I heard that," Charlie tried to frown at his wife, but couldn't quite manage it.

After a quick round of goodbyes Zach was out the door, with his bag clutched in his hand he apparated to Paris, just outside the opera house. Dreading what the next few days might bring he made his way into the ornate building and through the secret passageways to his grandfather's lair. He stopped short as he reached the main living area and stared for a moment at the small blond girl sitting in front of the fire, "who are you?"

"Ich bin Clara. Wir wohnen jetzt bei Herrn Eric, Tante Eva und mich. Und du, wie heisst du?"

Zach didn't catch any of it beyond 'Clara', but had a vague idea of what the girl was after, "my name is Zach."

"Ohhh!!! Eric ist dein Opa! Aber kannst du kein deutsch? Das ist nicht so gut, ich kann nur ein bischen englisch. Eric said you were coming," the girl labored over the English, but flashed a bright smile when she succeeded.

"I see you've met one of my guests," Eric chuckled as he joined them, "never seems to stop talking that one, but I rather enjoy it."

"Care to explain, or do I even want to know?" Zach crossed his arms across his chest as he gave his grandfather a scathing look.

"It's simple, this is Clara Bhaer. She is currently staying with me, along with her aunt."

"Why do you do this?"

"Now Zach, there's no reason for you to start imposing your morals here, there's nothing for you to worry about. I simply thought that this would be the safest place for the ladies for the time being. When you return to Hogwarts you will take them with you. The Order of the Phoenix is being reinstated, it is imperative that Eva be part of it, I need you to watch over her, no harm must come to her."

"Did you have a nice time with Cadmus and his men?"

"Not as nice a time as I would have had with you," Remus grazed Kalliope's cheek with a kiss as they walked towards her quarters on the edge of the temple complex. "It's been an awfully long time since we've been here together, I remember last time..."

"I'm never doing that on a beach again," Kalliope frowned, "there are just some places where sand does not belong."

Remus smiled softly at her, "I wouldn't notice, not if I were with you..."

"Remus, the last thing I need is for you to start spouting poetry to me; I'm not that kind of woman."

"Yes you are, you deserve to be worshiped."

Kalliope blushed a bit as she led Remus into her room. She smiled as he wrapped his arms around her, and sighed softly as he kissed her neck and his hands gripped her waist. "I love you," she whispered.

"And I'll always love you. I will never leave you."

Serena finished stretching and headed outside. She hadn't been able to get Dierna out of bed this morning, so she was going to go running by herself. She hummed to herself under her breath as she stepped outside and breathed in the sharp cold air. She was about to take off when something stopped her. She turned slightly, and felt a wave of nausea sweep over her. She clamped a hand to her mouth, trying to keep the bile from rising, as she let out a muffled scream.
Severus heard the scream from where he sat in the kitchen with his morning tea, and instantly hurried outside. "Merlin's balls!" he gently tried to turn Serena away from the grisly scene.

"No... my Bastet..." Serena tried to breathe as she looked at what was left of her cat. Bastet's head had been turned nearly completely around and her blood stained the pristine snow.

"Don't look," Severus gripped her arm a bit for forcefully, "come on Serena," he spoke patiently and slowly, as though to a young child.

Serena turned and buried her face in her father's shirt as she sobbed. When Morgan appeared moments later Severus handed their distraught daughter off to her and turned to deal with the mess. He quickly disposed of the cat's body, but something else caught his attention. He bent to retrieve a scrap of parchment from the snow:

You'll be next traitor, the dark lord will rise again and you life won't be worth living, even if we have to pick off your family one at a time.

He crumpled the paper in his hand and swore loudly. "Those fools cannot even face me, but they can kill my daughter's cat! Damn them all!" He stalked back inside, trying to get a handle on his temper. He tried to calm down as he entered the kitchen, where Serena was at the table, sobbing into her mother's shoulder. "Here, I thought you might want this," he laid Bastet's collar on the table. He cleared his throat awkwardly, "I am sorry about your cat."

"You hated my cat," Serena choked out.

"Yes I did, but I am still sorry that it happened. You loved her, and you should not have had to lose her because of me."

Morgan's head shot up and she gave her husband a questioning look, but he shook his head, indicating that he would tell her later. "It'll be alright sweetie, why don't you have some tea, and then you can go back to bed for awhile," Morgan rubbed her back.

Serena mutely nodded her head, but made no effort to move from where she was.

"Serena I want you to go upstairs now," Severus managed to keep his voice even, but his eyes were blazing.

Serena obeyed instantly, in an almost unthinking manor.

"What is it Sev?" Morgan clutched her husband's arm as soon as their daughter left the room, "this goes beyond the cat, I can tell."

Morgan found herself actually blushing at the string of profanities her husband let loose. She sat silently for several minutes, letting him vent.

"Those bloody cowards!" Severus sank down into one of the kitchen chairs, burying his face in his hands, "they will not face me, they will only attack those that are too weak to fight back. What if they do go after our children...?"

Morgan wrapped her arms around her husband's neck from behind, "I don't even want to think about it."

"They are butchers, inhuman..."

Morgan gently kissed his cheek, and leaned against him, not sure how to respond to his fears when they were want she feared the most. She didn't know what they would do if anything happened to their children.