The Eighth Year Universe

Love Wins

These Scars Run So Deep

The chapter title comes from the song:

Patience – Take That.


Potter Manor

The Lake District

It was early when Hermione dropped in to visit Harry, but he was awake and happy to see her.

"Hey, Mione."

Hermione's smile faltered when she saw him. He looked skinnier than he had in a long time, and paler too. But he was sitting up in bed with a plate of toast on the bedside table, and a newspaper open in front of him.

"I'm surprised they're letting you read that," Hermione joked, "Daphne said you were supposed to be reducing your stress levels."

"I'd be more stressed out if I didn't know what was going on in the world," Harry admitted, "How are you?"

Hermione sat down in a wing-backed armchair by his bed and raised an eyebrow, "How am I? You're the one who almost died, Harry."

"And I think you had the harder job," Harry admitted, "Dealing with all of this."

He gestured down to the paper, so she knew he meant the ongoing situation with the Statute Saboteurs.

But Hermione didn't budge. She just looked at him for a long moment, "You were putting your soul back together; you definitely had the harder job."

Harry shrugged, "Well, I didn't do it by myself. I had a little help."

"I know," Hermione admitted, "Sadie filled us in."

"So you know everything?" Harry asked, his eyes meeting hers.

"Not everything," Hermione corrected, "Just how Daphne, Neville and Lilly got into your head."

Harry ran a hand through his hair, "It was a trial, in the same courtroom as last time."

Hermione looked at him, sympathy shining in her eyes, "You mean…after the dementors?"

With a sigh, Harry replied, "Yeah. I don't know if it was real or if it happened in my head, but Death was the judge. There were witnesses….people he said had died because of me and…Daphne, Neville and Lilly, had to convince me that their deaths hadn't been my fault. Once Death realised I wasn't carrying guilt over their deaths, I woke up."

Hermione had been frowning as she listened to him, "It doesn't sound real…but then again, I never was the greatest believer."

"No," Harry grinned, "You always did think Divination was a rather woolly subject."

Hermione fought back a smile, "Shut up."

Harry laughed and picked up the glass of water on his bedside table, "I'm glad you came, Hermione. I didn't know if you would."

"I didn't know if you wanted me to," Hermione admitted, "But after everything…I know I made mistakes, and I'm sorry about that. But you're my best friend, Harry, and we've both almost died in this war once."

"Life's too short to be angry," Harry agreed, "And I forgive you. After seeing the lengths my family would go through to save me, I understand why you did what you did. We've been through a lot, all of us. I think we all cling onto what we can in this life."

"I think you're right," Hermione agreed.

Harry smiled at her, "So no hard feelings?"

"Absolutely none," Hermione promised with a nod.


Červený Kláštor

Slovakia

"Hermione's going to kill us when she finds out we left the country."

"No, she isn't," Draco assured Theo.

"Oh, so you think when she finds out it was for a good cause, she'll just drop it?" Theo asked. He raised an eyebrow at Draco, "Because if so, you don't know your wife very well."

"I know she won't just drop it," Draco said. He was distracted because he was scanning for magical wards, "But she won't kill us."

Theo opened his mouth to argue, but then Draco's wand buzzed, and he threw out a hand to stop his best friend. Theo stopped without question, and Draco whispered a spell then twisted his wand in a circular motion.

The spell he had used effectively cut through the wards, creating a window so that they could see what was on the other side.

The wards covered up a large building with a clocktower attached to the main section and several smaller wings. It was set upon a large green area, penned in by tall stone walls and with an ornate wooden well at the centre.

Several boys and girls of varying ages were milling around the outdoor area. Draco would put the youngest at 6 or 7 and the oldest in their mid 20's. They were all dressed identically in full length dark blue robes.

"Is this a fucking cult or something?" Theo asked in a whisper.

Draco sighed and said, "I know exactly what this is, and I didn't think they existed anymore."

Theo frowned and glanced sidelong at him. He knew from the horrified look on Draco's face that whatever it was, it was bad.

"What is it?"

"It's a magic suppressing camp," Draco answered, "The wards stop anyone inside from using their magic."

Theo's frown deepened, "Why would someone trap a bunch of kids in here with magic suppressing wards? I mean….Is it linked to Lazarus?"

"Of course it is," Draco whispered, "This is like a holding camp, where they stay until they end up on his table in that Russian lab."

"So this is the key to finding the Russian lab, isn't it?" Theo asked quietly, "Someone here must know about the connection."

"The person in charge, I would wager," Draco said with a nod, "But that's a mission for a full strike team, not us. We just need to get in, get Natasha and get out again."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Theo asked.

"We slip through the wards, stun Natasha and leave," Draco replied, "We'll have around ten minutes before any notification of a breach in security goes out."

"Ten minutes? Draco, this place is huge," Theo hissed in disbelief, "We'll never find her in ten…."

He trailed off, and his eyes widened in horror.

Draco took his eyes off Theo and followed his line of sight. He was looking at an older woman who had just come out to call the girls in, and she was sickeningly familiar to them both.

Her once blonde hair was greyer now. She was noticeably older – haggard was almost the word. But there was no mistaking those ice-blue eyes, even from this distance.

"No," Draco said in disbelief, "That's…."

"Lareina Greengrass."


Getting Natasha out had been easier than anticipated. When the girls were led in, they spotted Natasha at the back of the group.

"This is too easy," Theo had whispered, "Things never go this well for us. I feel like it's a trick…."

"Well, I say it's an opportunity," Draco had said.

And he had slipped through the wards under a disillusionment charm. Silently stunning Natasha and getting her out hadn't been a problem after that.

They apparated back to Britain, woke her up and then came the hard part.

"I've never seen a memory charm like it," Theo whispered to Draco.

"What do you mean?" Draco replied urgently.

"I mean, there are so many layers of encryption," Theo said with a shake of his head, "I can break through them all eventually, but…I don't know if she'll ever fully recover, Draco."

"She's alive, Theo," Draco reminded him, "If you can just get her to remember who she is, I think the Wolfe's are going to call that a win."

Theo nodded and swallowed.

"I'll do everything I can," He promised.


Belgravia

London

The first person that Nick wanted to tell about the baby was his dad. Everyone else understood why. After all that had happened, Rob sure as hell needed a bit of good news.

"Something to live for, maybe," Nick had whispered to Teddy.

"He doesn't need that," Teddy had murmured back, "He already has you."

Nick hadn't looked entirely convinced, and that had made Teddy as mad as it had sad if he was being honest.

All the same, Teddy and Almina tagged along when Nick and Nina headed home to break the unexpected news to Nick's parents. Nina didn't really have any family to tell. Howard Abbott had raised her as his ward, and they were close, but he had never felt like a father to her.

Teddy and Almina both knew that telling their families would be chaotic. They also had enough other things going on – Almina didn't want to steal the spotlight from Charlus and Victoire. And Teddy knew his dad could barely get through a conversation without falling asleep right now, so it wasn't exactly the best time to break the news.

They were more than happy for Rob and Jen to be the first to find out.

It was mid-morning, and come noon, Natasha's funeral would take place. It was going to be a quiet, family affair at the church down the road. They didn't want a lot of people to show up. They didn't want the press there either.

When they stepped into the kitchen, they could hear Rob getting the full works from Jen in the lounge across the hall.

Jennifer Weir-Wolfe, who always got slack after deciding to double-barrel her name, was a nice person. She was a diplomat, so by nature, she was calm. But when she was angry, she was a force to be reckoned with.

"You are going to see that Healer, Robert Wolfe! You'll spend every Monday morning pouring your heart out to her for as long as you bloody live! And do you know why? Because you're an alcoholic and don't even think about giving me the 'no I'm not, I'm just Irish joke' because I am not in the mood for it!"

"I wasn't gonna," Rob said. He didn't sound angry though, just tired.

Jennifer wasn't done yet, anyway, "You got so drunk that you forgot you were a wizard and let a muggle stab you half to death, or you're lying, and you tried to kill yourself the other night. Either way, you need help, and if you refuse to get it, I refuse to be your wife any longer."

There was a sigh, then, "Fine. I'll do it your way…fucking therapy. Honestly, Jen, why do I need therapy when I've got Shep and Harry?"

"Because they're just as fucked up as you are! It's like the blind leading the blind!"

Teddy snorted, and Nick shook his head in amusement.

"We are burying our daughter today, Robert," Jen said quietly, "I don't want to have to bury you too."

Rob sighed, and there was movement inside the room.

"I'm sorry," He said, and it sounded genuine.

"I lost it, after Natasha…." Rob sighed again, "I just…I understand if you and I can't work it out, Jen. She was your only child, our miracle baby."

"She was our miracle baby," Jen agreed, her voice breaking, "But she is not my only child. As strong as he seems, Nick is going to need both of us to get through this afternoon."

Teddy looked over at Nick, who seemed a little tearful. Nina grabbed his hand tightly, and he gave her a slight nod.

"We're all going to need each other," Rob said, his own voice choked with emotion.

At that point, Nick brought his hand up and knocked on the lounge door.

It swung open, and Jen smiled weakly when she saw him. He could tell that it was a struggle, but he appreciated her trying. Rob looked up from where he was sitting in a chair by the fire. He still looked pale and sickly, even though he had been discharged from the hospital yesterday.

"How you doing, dad?" Nick asked calmly.

Rob shrugged and told him the truth, "It's gonna be hell today, kiddo. Especially without any firewhiskey."

"Jen's right," Nick admitted, "You need to stop drinking."

Rob rubbed his eyes and nodded, glancing at the entourage Nick had brought in with him, "You guys keeping him right?"

Nina sat down by Rob, "We all feel the same about today."

Teddy nodded and put a hand on Nina's shoulder, "But we got a little bit of good news to balance out the bad, and we thought it might help you guys too."

Jen looked over at them, "Any kind of good news would be welcome right now."

Almina smiled supportively at Nina, who said, "I'm pregnant. I kept it quiet because I found out when…."

Nick cut in, "She found out the morning Natasha died. She only told us yesterday, but she's had the 12-week appointment, and everything is great."

Rob looked at Jen, who actually smiled. He didn't think she was capable of smiling, not today, and honestly, he hadn't seen a smile on her face since she found out about Natasha.

"We're engaged too," Nick added, "I proposed before she told us about the baby, though."

Teddy nodded a slight smile on his lips, "He proposed. Nina burst into tears and told him she was pregnant. She thought he wouldn't want to marry her."

Rob scoffed, "Don't be daft. He's been mad about you since before you even went to school. Just took him years to admit it."

"I pretty much said that in my proposal," Nick said with a chuckle.

Jen walked over and hugged Nina, murmuring, "Congratulations, sweetheart."

Rob patted Nick on the shoulder, "Congrats, kid."

Nick nodded, "We're buying a house together and…we're all going to get married."

Rob just nodded, then he looked at Jen. She smiled sadly and said, "We have lost one child. Nick, we are not about to lose you because you have made different choices from us. I suppose this is what they mean when they say for every death there is a rebirth."

Rob smiled sadly, "We're going to be grandparents."

Nina smiled too, her eyes full of tears, "I'm sorry, that the timing is so awful and - "

A knock sounded on the front door, interrupting their conversation. A crack sounded, and the door was pulled open by Rob and Jen's house-elf.

"Who is it, Pokey?"

"It's Aurors, miss."

Everyone in the room frowned, but they didn't have to wonder for long because Draco and Theo stepped into the lounge.

"Technically, neither of us are Aurors anymore, but I suppose we look the part," Theo said, smiling at the room of people.

Rob frowned at them.

Draco looked between Rob and Jen, "Some new intel came in this morning. One of the Statute Saboteurs started to talk, and it was…the one who had been tasked with killing Natasha."

Jen swallowed and reached down for Rob's hand. He tightened his grip on it, and they both looked up at Draco.

"She told the Aurors that she didn't kill Natasha," Draco said.

"She faked it, but to avoid being caught out by the person who had ordered her to do it, she wiped Natasha's memory and dropped her off at a convent in Eastern Europe."

"What?"

"She's…"

"She's alive?" Rob asked quietly.

"Our baby girl is alive?" Jennifer asked, her voice breaking.

Theo nodded and stepped forward, "We retrieved her early this morning, and I was able to restore her memory, for the most part. It's still a little bit patchy, and she may never get every memory back, but she will know who you are."

Jennifer's eyes filled with tears, "Where is she? Can we see her?"

Draco nodded at Theo. He stepped into the hallway and brought Natasha in. She looked pale but beyond that, perfectly fine. Her brown hair was a little more tamed than it used to be, and her eyes were wide and fearful, but it was undoubtedly her.

"Natasha!" Jennifer cried, rushing forward to hug her.

Rob pushed himself out of his chair and hugged Natasha from the other side. They held her there for a long moment, and the room fell eerily silent.

Until Natasha managed to draw back enough to smile tearfully at the others.

"Hey…everyone."

Nick swallowed hard and walked forward to join the group hug.

When she saw him, Natasha said in a whisper, "Hey Nick."

"Hey Nat," Nick said, pulling her in tight and taking a shaky breath.

Nina, Teddy and Almina sat on the sidelines for the most part. But Natasha saw them and gave them a tearful wave.

"Hey Nat," Teddy said, kissing her on the cheek.

"Hey, Ted," Natasha returned, "Nina, Mimi."

Almina smiled at the old nickname. She pulled Natasha into a hug and kissed her cheek, "Just in time to find out that you're going to be an Aunt."

Natasha's eyes widened, "You're having a baby?"

"We are," Almina said warmly, "Although Nina is having it, technically."

Natasha laughed and pulled Nina into a hug, "Congratulations."

Rob and Jen were just watching. Both of them with tears rolling down their cheeks.

"Is this actually happening, or is it a dream?"

"No," Theo said, smiling tearfully at Rob, "It's actually happening, Wolfie."

Draco patted the other man on the shoulder, but his eyes were damp too.

"Why are you guys crying?" Teddy asked them.

Almina laughed tearfully, "You know what my dads are like, Teddy. They love a good happy ending."

"I think we all do," Rob said, pulling his daughter close again, "God, Natasha, you have no idea what it was like. I'm so glad you're home."

He looked up at Draco and Theo, "Thank you, thank you for bringing my girl back."

Draco bowed his head, "If it were any of our kids, we would be going out of our minds. You don't have to thank us."

"Just enjoy being a family," Theo said, wiping his eyes hastily.

"We will," Jennifer said, running her hand over Natasha's face and stroking her hair, "We will."

Natasha hugged her mother again. Then she let out a shaky breath and asked, "Where's Addison?"

"You remember her, then?" Nick asked in surprise.

"I remember most recent things," Natasha answered honestly, "My older memories are quite sketchy. I can just about remember Hogwarts, but before that…it's very vague."

"It might come back," Jennifer said, kissing her forehead, "If we show you some pictures, perhaps."

"Maybe," Natasha agreed, "But where's Addison? Is she okay?"

"She's fine, physically anyway," Draco answered, "She's staying at Blacknot Castle at the moment. I can send her a Patronus if you like?"

Natasha nodded fervently, "Yes, please do. I have to make it right, with the way I had to end things…I have to make it right."

Draco nodded and left the room, and Jennifer sighed against Natasha's hair, "We are going to get you a therapist, you know? You were blackmailed into stealing from your own work, then you had your memory wiped, and you were sent away. That must leave a mark, whatever you say, so you will need to speak to someone."

"Whatever makes you happy, Mum," Natasha said simply. She was too tired to fight it and too happy to be back to argue with her mother right now.


Blacknot Castle

Scotland

The drawing-room of Blacknot Castle was busy. It always was in the holidays. But there was an air of sadness too, because tomorrow was the day that Ella left for Egypt.

As the first of the six kids to fly the nest, it hit them all quite hard. They had all had dinner together that evening, and it had consisted of all Ella's favourites. Then they retired to the drawing-room where most of them were reflecting or just finding a way to pass the time.

Sadie was lying on the sofa with a book open in her hands and her head in Theo's lap. He had one hand in her hair, and with his other hand, he was flipping through his own book.

Hermione and Draco were sharing a large armchair, doing some sort of puzzle together. Ada and Dora were scheming. They were jotting things down, whispering and occasionally cackling.

Ella was going through an Arabic phrasebook, murmuring things to herself every so often. And Cas was playing chess against Faustus. He was a spirit they had discovered when they cleared the lowest level of the basement out. Faustus had been a monk who had taken a vow of silence, so they rarely noticed that he was in the room, and he generally kept to himself, but he did enjoy a good game of chess.

The doors clicked open, and Charlus walked in, looking more than a little nervous.

"Ah, the prodigal son returns," Theo joked, smiling over at his eldest.

Charlus smiled weakly and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Hi Pops," Charlus said with a half-smile.

"Did you get everything sorted?" Theo asked, eyeing him carefully.

Charlus took a breath and nodded, "Yeah."

Draco frowned over at them, "What are you talking about?"

"Yes, what haven't we heard about?" Hermione agreed.

"And why haven't we heard about it?" Sadie added, pushing herself into a sitting position.

"Oh, just a little thing Charlus came to me about the other day," Theo said with a smirk, "But unfortunately, it was on a need to know basis, and you three didn't need to know."

Charlus snorted, "Why do I feel like I'm missing out on an inside joke?"

"Because you are," Theo said with a chuckle.

Charlus raised an eyebrow, "Well, they kind of do need to know, Pops."

"Damn it, Charlie," Theo joked, "It's the one time I thought I would get to hold something over them! I was the only one who knew."

"No, Mina knew too," Charlus pointed out.

"Why didn't I get to know?" Caspian asked irritably.

"Because you can't keep a secret!" Ella exclaimed, "You could have told me though, Charlie."

"Or us," Ada said.

"We've very trustworthy," Dora added.

Theo scoffed and said, "Almina only found out because she was eavesdropping, to be fair."

Draco narrowed his eyes, "So what's the big secret?"

"Yes, what is going on?" Hermione asked, looking between Theo and Charlus.

Charlus rested against the fireplace and said, "Dad, do you remember when I thought I was in love with Blake and I said, if I ever got married to him, it would be weird because we wouldn't know who would take what surname?"

Draco nodded slowly, "Yes."

"You told me that a name is a very powerful thing," Charlus said simply, "You told me to make sure that I didn't give mine to just anyone."

"Oh my god," Ada gushed, "Are you marrying Victoire?"

"No way!" Dora added, "You're not."

"No, I'm not," Charlus agreed. He looked over at his dad once more, "I'm not talking about giving my name to Victoire. I'm talking about giving it to my…son."

"What the fuck?"

"Holy fuck-amole!"

"Adeline! Dorothea!" Hermione exclaimed, "And Charlus, what?"

"Do you have an illegitimate kid?" Ella asked in disbelief.

"No, you idiot, Victoire's pregnant," Charlus remarked with a roll of his eyes.

"That's…unexpected," Sadie said honestly, her eyes on her son.

"But, congratulations," Draco said. He ran a hand through his hair, "I mean, she's lovely, considering she's half-Weasley."

"Draco!" Hermione chastised, punching him rather hard in the side.

Draco mouthed the word 'ow' and rubbed the spot she had hit him in.

"We are happy for you, obviously, Charlie," Hermione said, "But you live on the estate, and Victoire lives in a beach shack. You need a house, and you need to be settled."

"You've got months to work that out though," Draco said calmly, "So don't worry too much."

"I only found out I was pregnant with you and Almina at 3 and a half months, and it was still plenty of time," Sadie agreed.

"Uh, yeah…" Charlus said awkwardly, "…about that."

Three sets of eyebrows were raised.

"Do you want to tell them Charlie, or shall I?"

They looked over to the doorway, where they could hear Victoire's voice.

Charlus grimaced and said, "Don't freak out, okay?"

The occupants of the room nodded, so he called, "Come in, Vic."

Victoire stepped into the room, noticeably pregnant but with a neat bump, hidden underneath a tight Ravenclaw jumper.

"Holy shit."

"Adeline!"

"That is a big bump," Dora said with a snort.

"How the fuck did you keep that hidden?" Cas asked in disbelief.

"Caspian!" Hermione chastised, "Honestly, where you lot learned to curse like that, I don't know."

Victoire looked a little sheepish, so Charlus grabbed her hand and snaked his arm around her waist.

"It's called Magical Cryptic Pregnancy," Victoire said nervously. "My brain tricked my body into believing I wasn't pregnant, so my magic covered it up. I only found out after I was shot with an arrow on the raid in Hungary. But apparently, some people don't know until they're actually in labour."

Sadie nodded, "Well…that sounds awful, but it does make sense. I've heard of that condition, actually."

Hermione frowned, "But…how…how far along are you, Victoire?"

"Six months," Victoire replied.

Hermione did the maths in her head, "So you must have conceived around New Year, then?"

"I suppose so, yes," Victoire replied, her cheeks flushing.

"Wow, bit personal, Mum," Ella muttered.

Hermione brushed her daughter off and said, "I thought you two got together in February?"

"We, uh, started seeing each other more in February," Charlus agreed. He shuffled from one foot to the other, "But we…acquainted ourselves with each other on New Year's Eve."

Caspian cackled at that, "Oh, wow, that's brilliant."

Theo bit back an amused grin, "Must run in the Nott blood, being incredibly fertile."

Sadie smacked him around the head hard, Hermione threw her book at him, and Draco hit him with a stinging hex.

"Ouch! Fuck you guys!"

"Theodore!"

Victoire let out a reluctant chuckle at the exchange.

"Why did you attack me?" Theo asked, looking at Draco with an irritated look on his face.

"Have you forgotten that it took Hermione and me a year to conceive with Ella?" Draco pointed out.

Cas looked up, "What about me?"

"You were named for the holiday they were on when Dad accidentally knocked Mum up," Ella remarked dryly.

"Elladora!"

A new voice chuckled and said, "Am I the only one who hasn't had the full name treatment from Mum tonight?"

"There's still time," Sadie said when Almina stepped into the room with Teddy.

Almina snorted, "You told them then?" she said, motioning to Victoire's bump.

"It's a little hard to hide it now," Victoire admitted.

Teddy grinned and kissed her on the cheek, "You look great. I'm still gonna be the fairy godmother, right?"

Draco snorted, "Do we want to know the context behind that?"

"It involves Teddy morphing into a girl in my shower, so probably not," Victoire admitted, biting back a grin.

Almina gave him a long-suffering look, "What have I told you about doing that?"

"Not in public or without permission?" Teddy joked.

Hermione chuckled and said, "We are happy for you two, but I hope you have a plan."

"We do," Charlus promised, "We're buying the flat above P&W. Vic's dad said he would give us a good price on it because he doesn't need it anymore."

Hermione snorted, "Is that because he's living rent-free in Potter Manor?"

Teddy grinned, "You know all about 'ex-wife-gate' then?"

Hermione's eyes widened, "That's why Lara kicked him out?!"

"He shacked up with Fleur?" Theo asked in disbelief.

Teddy grimaced, "Uh, yeah. He hooked up with his ex-wife. Mum called her his deep-fried twinkie, which sounds disgustingly sexual."

"Holy fuck!"

"Mum!" Almina exclaimed through her laughter.

Theo grinned at her, "And you wonder where the children learned that foul language, Princess."

Hermione threw her quill at him, but Theo pre-empted the move and transfigured it into a butterfly in mid-air.

Charlus rolled his eyes and said, "Bill's living at Potter Manor, then he might move…somewhere else."

Victoire rolled her eyes, "He'll move back into Shell Cottage because he and my mum can't stop sleeping together, which is as disgusting as it sounds."

Charlus snorted, "And the flat above P&W is convenient anyway. It's on the alley, close to work for both of us, you know?"

"Is a flat really a place for a baby, though?" Sadie asked, "You know we have plenty of properties, love. Most of them are sitting empty, and it would be better for you to have some green space with a baby on the way."

"With all respect, we want to do it by ourselves." Charlus said, "We got ourselves into this situation, and we can get ourselves out of it. Once we've been on the market for a little while, we'll be able to upsize to somewhere bigger, like Teddy and Mina are doing."

"Yeah, about that," Almina said carefully, "We're not just ditching the one-bed flat for a three-bed penthouse anymore…."

"Why?" Theo asked curiously.

"Hm," Draco agreed, "I sense that there's a story behind this."

"Wow, some seer you are, Dad," Almina teased. She sat down on the edge of his armchair and said, "As it turns out, we need a house. Teddy wants to live in Somerset, but Nick and I are trying to push him towards Devon. I don't think Nina cares much either way."

"They're not gonna win," Teddy pointed out, "I hate Devon."

"What's to hate about Devon?" Victoire asked in disbelief.

"What's not to like about Somerset?" Teddy shot back.

"Right, hold on," Theo said. He held up a hand, "Where you live is rather unimportant right now. Why do you need a house? Is there something you're not telling us?"

Teddy looked at Almina, who nodded.

"We're having a baby," Teddy said.

An echo of, "What?" went around the room.

"You're pregnant, Mina?" Sadie asked in disbelief.

"No," Almina laughed, "No, Nina is."

"So why did you say we then?" Ada asked.

"Yeah, don't you mean Nick and Nina are having a baby?" Dora added.

"No," Almina said carefully, her eyes flitting over to her parents, "Because Nina's having a baby, but…."

Hermione nodded, realisation filling her eyes, "But for argument's sake, it's easier to say that Nick and Teddy are having a baby too. Until you know otherwise?"

Almina nodded and let out a breath, "Thank Merlin you understood that. I didn't know how to say it."

Hermione smiled slightly, "If anyone understands it, I do. I carried two babies, who are as inseparable as they were the day they were born, but they don't share the same genetics."

Ada and Dora looked at each other in realisation.

"Oh, yeah," Dora said.

"I always forget we're not really twins," Ada admitted.

"But we are, though," Dora said with a grin, "Cause we were womb-mates."

Ada rolled her eyes, "Oh my god, that joke is so old."

Almina laughed at the exchange and said, "The baby is due in January, Nina doesn't know what it is yet, and she doesn't want to find out. Obviously, we want to buy a house soon, so everything is ready before it's born and…there's going to be a wedding soon."

Draco nodded, "Nick did right by her then?"

"He proposed before he knew, actually," Teddy said, "But it's not just them getting married. We're going to do something a little controversial."

"You're a Potter, of course you are," Draco muttered under his breath.

Teddy just grinned, "We're all getting married on the same day."

"Oh, I'm shocked," Draco said dryly, sounding utterly un-shocked.

"You have never sounded so much like your father," Theo said with a smirk.

Draco shuddered, "I think I need a shower to wash that off."

Theo grinned and said, "You know, this baby better not come early, Mina. If it's born in December, I'm going to have three grandkids born in the same year, and I'm too young for that."

Ella grinned and got to her feet, "No you're not, Grandpops."

"Oh, you are lucky you're going to Egypt tomorrow, Elladora or I'd have grounded you for that!" Theo called after her. But Ella just slipped out of the room laughing.

Almina smiled and kissed him on the cheek, "Well, if you're half as good at being a Grandpops as you are at being a Pops, all three of those babies are going to be very blessed."

Charlus nodded his agreement, "Mina's right, Pops."

Theo smiled a little tearfully and nodded, "Alright, but you could have given me more notice. I'm never gonna get enough hats knitted in time, so I'm going to have to rope the house elves in, and you know how much trouble that will get me in with your mother."

The kids all sniggered, and Hermione fixed him with an exasperated look.

"I will smack you round the head with your cane, Theodore Nott."

Theo grinned and got to his feet, "Oh, I don't doubt it, princess," he teased.

As he headed for the door, he clicked his fingers, and an entourage of house elves appeared behind him.

"Alright, guys, I know things have been quiet around here, but this lot are popping out kids like they're tic-tacs, so let's get knitting!"

Hermione shook her head in disbelief and looked at Draco, "How is this my life?"

Draco smiled and kissed her, "Because you fell in love with three purebloods."

- TBC -