"Arthur! You won't believe what Healer Sedgewick told me!" Molly exclaimed, coming into the living room, having just gotten back from a healer appointment that Arthur had had to miss because they didn't have anyone to watch the boys. She was three months pregnant, due in March, and she still couldn't believe it, after what had happened with Percy.
"What did he tell you Mol?" He asked, pulling her into his lap, resting a hand on her abdomen, which was slightly rounded even though she was three months in.
"Well first he said that everything is fine, and that I should be carrying them to term, unlike Percy."
"Them?"
"Yes, them. Arthur, we're having twins!"
"T-twins? Isn't that two babies?"
"Yes, Arthur, twins. Two. At once."
"H-h-how did we get twins?"
"Healer Sedgewick explained it to me. There are two kinds of twins, fraternal and identical."
"What's the difference?"
"I'm getting there. Fraternal twins are twins that develop from two separate eggs, which means you can have a boy and a girl or twins of the same sex. Identical twins come from the same fertilized egg, which splits in half, one half going to one side of the uterus and the other half going to the other side, developing into two babies, which means that unlike fraternal twins, no matter what, you get two girls or two boys."
"What kind will we be having?"
"We won't know until they're born. Healer Sedgewick offered to run a test to determine the sex of the babies, but I told him I wanted to be surprised."
"So there are two in there?" Arthur asked, patting his wife's belly.
"Yes, Arthur. I was wondering why I was showing so soon. That also explains why I was throwing up for two months straight."
"What do you mean?" Arthur asked, recalling the past three months. After Molly had announced that she was pregnant, she had spent nearly every day afterward in bed. She had been extremely nauseous, throwing up after every meal. She had had bruises on her cheeks from throwing up so much as the capillaries in her cheeks had burst and she had had to wear make-up constantly so the children would recognize her.
"Well, there's twice as much baby in there than normal, isn't there? So both babies had to have their turn at making me puke. One was responsible for one month, the other responsible for the second month."
"I see. Is there anything else I should know about these twins of ours?"
"I have to take prenatal potions."
"Why?"
"Twins are a high-risk pregnancy right out of the starting gate, and our history with miscarriages and what happened with Percy increases the risk. Healer Sedgewick wants me on prenatal potions to make sure the babies get nice and big and that they're born healthy."
"Molly,"
"Arthur, I've already checked with the Ministry, our health insurance covers the prenatal potions that Healer Sedgewick prescribed. St. Mungo's will give us a month's worth at a time."
"How often do you have to take them, Mol?"
"Twice a day."
"Do you think I should try to put in for more time off? I mean before, I was anticipating one baby, not two."
"No. Three months will be fine. I believe I'm becoming an expert at managing several small children at once."
"Yeah, but twins? That's a lot of work my dear."
"I know, but I'm happy. Aren't you? Two little babies to hold in the hospital this time."
"Of course I'm happy, Molly. How did we get so lucky as to get twins?"
"I don't know, but I feel like the luckiest woman in the world. I have a wonderful husband, three wonderful little boys, and twins on the way. I couldn't be happier, Arthur." She replied, resting a hand on top of his.
"Well, we better get to thinking of names then, if we've got two babies to name this time."
"Arthur, I was thinking we could name them after Fab and Gid. They're twins, and that's what increased our chances of having twins."
"What?"
"Arthur, because I have twin brothers, our chances of having twins were increased, because twins tend to run in families."
"Oh."
"So what do you think? Naming them after Fab and Gid, I mean."
"I like that idea, do you think Fabian and Gideon will go for it?"
"Not the entire name. Fabian and Gideon aren't going to want to be called Big Fab and Big Gid, so I figured we could use their first initials. F and G. That way, we can pick out girl names too, in case the twins aren't boys."
"How about we write down some names, and when they're born we'll decide. Is that okay with you?"
"Yes, Arthur. Can it wait until tonight? I'm not ready to start brainstorming names. I'm too excited."
"I understand. Wow, Mol, I can't believe I'm that good."
"That good?"
"Yeah, good enough to get you pregnant with twins."
"It's not up to the father if twins develop or not. It's the up to how many eggs the mother's body allows to be fertilized and how the eggs develop into babies. Sorry, dear, but you can't take credit for twins."
"What can I take credit for then?"
"The sex of the babies. It's up to you what we have. I have two X chromosomes, so if you give me a Y we have a boy. On the other hand, if you give me a X chromosome, we have a girl."
"I lost you when you got to X chromosomes."
"The human body has forty-six chromosomes. Two of those forty-six determine your sex. If you have an X and a Y, you're a boy. If you have two X chromosomes, you're a girl. When your body makes sperm, some of the sperm have the X chromosome and some have the Y chromosome. When my body makes eggs, they all contain the X chromosome because that's all I have. When you and I have sex, you give me an assortment of sperm cells. If the sperm cell that fertilizes my egg has the Y chromosome, we have a baby boy. If the sperm cell has the X chromosome, we have a girl."
"How do you know all of this, Molly?"
"I had to know a little bit about the human body to pass my potion exam at St. Mungo's and I did a little extra research. That and I ask a lot of questions."
"Oh."
"Arthur, I told you about Fab and Gid coming to dinner tonight, didn't I?"
"No."
"Well they are. I can't wait to tell them we're having twins."
"You haven't told them yet?"
"No, I wanted you to be the first to know."
"What time are they coming?"
"I told them we usually have dinner around six. They said they get off work at five thirty and they'll be here after that."
Arthur was suddenly overcome with a desire to kiss his wife thoroughly and soundly. She was glowing with motherly joy, and she was so beautiful. He leaned in, covering her mouth. Her mouth always tasted delicious and he felt her begin to kiss him back after getting over the shock of him kissing her without warning.
"Arthur! Molly! Break it up!"
They quickly broke apart, and turned to see who it was. Fabian and Gideon had arrived, and Molly practically leaped from Arthur's lap. She hugged Fabian and Gideon and when she had caught Arthur's eye, she mouthed 'we'll finish tonight' to him and received a smile in return, letting her know he agreed.
"So, Mol, what did you make for dinner?"
"I haven't got around to it yet, to tell you the truth, Gid. Well, the scene you walked in on should give you some idea."
"We understand. Where are those nephews of ours?"
"They're upstairs in their rooms. You can go on up and see them if you like."
Fabian and Gideon retreated up the stairs, leaving Molly and Arthur alone again. Molly headed into the kitchen to start dinner. Within an hour, they were seated around the table, catching up.
"Boys, why don't you go on upstairs, we want to talk to your uncles alone." Molly said, addressing her sons, who immediately obliged.
"What do you want to talk to us alone for, sis?"
"Come into the family room, Arthur and I have news to share with you."
The twins settled themselves on the sofa, and once Arthur had settled into his armchair, Molly sat in his lap.
"So what's the news?"
"Arthur and I are having twins." Molly replied, resting a hand on her abdomen.
"Congratulations."
"We were wondering if you minded us naming them after you guys."
"No, Molly, we don't mind."
"Not your whole name that is, so we were going to use your first initials, just in case they aren't boys and we can pick out girl names too."
"Molly, we're honored that you want to name your children after us."
"You are?"
"Of course we are. That's the greatest honor anyone can give to a family member, naming a child after them. Look, we're sorry we can't stay longer, but we have duty tonight."
"Fab, Gid, before you leave, I have something to ask you."
"What is it, Mol?"
"You guys still see a lot of Mum and Dad don't you?"
"Yeah, have Sunday dinner with them every week."
"Well, can you tell them that I'm happy?"
"Sure."
"And tell them about the boys, that Arthur's a wonderful man, that he's been good to me, and tell them about the twins. Please?"
"Sure, Mol, but why?"
"I want them to know about their grandchildren. If I showed up or sent an owl, I'd get a long lecture about how I made my bed so I can lie in it and a reminder about a letter."
"What letter?"
"When they disowned me, I got a letter telling me not to go crying to them when Arthur and I didn't have enough money to support ourselves, and I know they meant when you're pregnant and can't support yourselves."
"Oh. Molly, we'll do that for you."
"Thanks. I love you two, you know that don't you?"
"Yes, Mol, we do." Fabian and Gideon got off the couch, hugged Molly and Disapparated.
"So shall we put the boys to bed and finish what we started?" Arthur asked.
"Yes."
They headed upstairs, put the boys to bed and headed to their own room. Arthur pulled Molly into his arms, kissing her happily. Molly arched her chin as he left her mouth, placing little bites around her chin and neck, his hands exploring her curves. He quickly slipped her out of her dress, backing her toward the bed as he hurriedly slipped off his robes and trousers. He slipped off her bra as he lowered her on to the bed, and he began kissing her breasts. She writhed beneath him as he brushed his lips over her nipples, and began planting hot, wet, kisses on the silken under curves.
"Arthur, please," Molly crooned, and he smiled as she arched her back for more. He continued treating her breasts like they were a delicious dessert, nibbling and suckling, planting hot, wet kisses everywhere. Her breath became shallow and hard, as she moaned and whimpered at her husband's touch. She arched her back again as his hands slipped between her thighs, circling the outside of her panties. Her thighs willingly parted at his gentle urging, allowing him to tease her. When he knew she could stand the teasing no longer, he lifted her hips, removing her panties, leaving her completely naked for his view. He allowed her to remove his boxers, and her breath hitched at the sight of his manhood standing tall, hard and proud for her appraisal.
"Mollywobbles, are you ready for me?" He asked, spreading her legs wider as his fingers rubbed gently between her thighs, making her flow hot and wet for him.
"Yes, Arthur, yes." Molly gave a strangled cry of pleasure as he entered her, calling out his name as he found a steady, hard, rhythm. She kissed him with fervor when his mouth found hers again, and it wasn't long before he had exhausted himself. He flopped down on the bed beside her, pulling her into the crook of his arm. It was only then that the news of them having twins had fully sank in to his brain.
"Molly, about these twins, do we have to buy another crib?"
"Healer Sedgewick said it didn't matter if they slept in the same crib, but he recommended a second crib, so when it comes time to move them to a regular bed, they won't try to sleep in the same bed."
"Oh. So I guess a better question would be would you like another crib, Mol?"
"It would make my life easier, Arthur. But do we have to talk about the technicalities now? I want to start brainstorming names, I'm so excited."
"I know." Arthur grabbed his wand, summoning a roll of parchment, ink and a quill. "So, what are some possibilities for these twins of ours?" He asked, placing a spell on the quill to write by itself so he could still hold Molly close to him.
"I was thinking Fred and George if they're boys."
"How about Frank?"
"Arthur, I don't like that name. Besides, Frank Weasley doesn't sound right."
"Okay then, scratch that one. What about Gawain?"
"From the King Arthur legends?"
"Yeah."
"It's a possibility. What about Ginevra if one happens to be a girl?"
"That's a very beautiful name, Mol and I hope we get the chance to use it."
"So do I, I want a baby girl very much."
"I know, Molly-girl. We'll get a daughter eventually."
They sat in silence for a few moments, each suggesting a name every now and then. When Arthur didn't hear a reply to a name he had suggested, he looked over at Molly, who had fallen asleep. He waved his wand, sending the parchment, ink and quill to rest on his bedside table. He kissed Molly's forehead gently so he didn't wake her, pulled her closer to him so he could rest both of his hands on her belly and drifted off to sleep himself.