The Eighth Year Universe

Love Wins

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year


Christmas Day, 2021.

Potter Manor

Christmas day in Potter Manor was as busy as ever. It started out relatively quietly – with only Harry, Daphne, Andrea and Thea in the house. But as the day went on, it became a case of the more, the merrier.

After they had opened their presents, the Longbottoms came over for a late breakfast. Harry happily fried eggs and flipped sausages while humming a Christmas tune and Daphne got on with the very important task of making a gallon of mulled wine for later on in the day.

"Daphne, the turkey is more important."

"Harry, the turkey is not more important than the wine."

"Aw, you guys haven't gotten better in the months I've been gone."

Daphne almost dropped the spoon she was holding into the pot of mulled wine when she heard her son's voice.

"Alastor?"

Alastor grinned and held his hands up, "Surprise!"

Daphne crossed the room and hugged him tightly, drawing back to look at his face and comment on his tanned skin and the cut above his eyebrow.

Alastor brushed her off, shook his dad's hand, then hugged Lilly and smiled across the table at Neville.

"It's nothing, Mum," Alastor said, "Just got on the wrong side of a venomous tentacula."

"They can be nasty," Neville piped up, "Hope you got some salve on it straight away. They scar like a bitch otherwise."

Alastor grinned, "Yeah, I did Uncle Nev. Don't worry, you taught me well."

Daphne smiled broadly and said, "Well, this is a lovely surprise, Alastor. It looks like we'll all be together for Christmas after all, and you'll have the chance to meet Piper."

"Oh, you're gonna love Piper," Thea said with a nod.

"She's so cute," Andrea agreed, "Almost as cute as Vic and Charlie's baby, Phoenix."

"Honestly, I leave for a couple of months, and everybody has babies," Alastor said.

Harry chuckled and nudged his head towards the doorway, "Are you going to let your boyfriend into the kitchen at any point? Or is he supposed to spend Christmas day loitering outside?"

Alastor laughed sheepishly and rubbed his neck, "Sorry, I was waiting for the right time to introduce him."

Daphne tutted and rolled her eyes, "Come on in, Swann."

Swann Avery, the reason Alastor had gone to study in Brazil and not in any other exotic country, stepped into the kitchen and smiled nervously at the Potters. He had dark red hair and deep brown eyes. He was about two inches taller than Alastor and built a little bulkier; he had the build of a dragon tamer, not a Herbologist.

"Merry Christmas, Mrs Potter."

"Daphne is fine," Daphne smiled, "Sit down somewhere. You two will need breakfast if you just got back in the country."

Swann sat down next to Andrea, and she lowered her voice to say, "Yes, she is always like that. I swear, she likes the people we bring home better than she likes us."

Daphne had better hearing than Andrea gave her credit for, so she shot her daughter an exasperated look.

"Swann, darling, how are your parents?"

Swann looked over in surprise, "You know my parents?"

"She knows everyone's parents," Andrea and Thea chorused.

Alastor nodded and grabbed a croissant from the table, "She does."

"I knew your Aunt Reyna," Daphne corrected, "And through her, I became friends with your mother. I also vaguely know your father; my brother-in-law worked with him in Romania."

"Oh, right," Swann said. His mother was Naomi Rookwood, the sister of Reyna Gibbon [nee Rookwood], and his father was Kane Avery, the prodigal son of the Death Eater Albion Avery. He had opted to run away to Romania instead of following in his fathers' footsteps.

"They're okay," Swann said with a nod, "It's just…the first Christmas since Aunt Reyna and Uncle Azriel died, so…I didn't really want to spend it at Avery Manor."

Daphne nodded sympathetically and put a croissant on his plate, "I understand that, sweetie. But you better eat something; you'll need your strength for the Quidditch game."

"The Quidditch game?" Swann echoed.

Alastor grinned at his boyfriend, "Why do you think I invited you for Christmas? The Potter team might actually stand a chance of winning this year."

"No chance, Alastor," Laurel grinned, "The Longbottom team is bagging its third win in a row."

"I swear to Merlin, Lilly, if you beat me to the snitch this year, I will lose it," Harry said, grinning over at Lilly.

Lilly smirked and reached forward to grab her coffee, "Oh, just admit you've lost your touch in old age, Harry."

"Never."

Swann chuckled, and Alastor shook his head, "They're embarrassing, and they're always like this, but they're my family."

Swann smiled over at Alastor, "I think they're great."


Bones Manor

Christmas in Bones Manor felt odd that year, but in a good way. Having a young child in the house again added magic to the proceedings, and Nova brought light everywhere she went anyway. Her name was rather appropriate because it meant 'new star', which was exactly what she was to Susan and Caroline.

Despite not liking kids, Natasha was the one who ended up lying on the floor building a Quidditch set with Nova on Christmas morning.

"Do you think she'll change her mind?" Susan asked Jennifer. The Wolfe's had decided to spend Christmas at Bones Manor because Nick was busy spreading himself between the Potters and the Blacknots, and this was where Natasha wanted to be.

Jennifer sipped her coffee and looked at her daughter, "Maybe, but that's up to her if she doesn't."

"Addison loves kids," Susan admitted, "And I see how much they love each other….I just hope nothing gets in the way of that."

"Life will throw them curveballs," Jennifer said. She smiled at Rob as he sat down next to her, looking bleary-eyed and needing coffee, "But if they're strong enough, they'll get through them."

Rob yawned into the cup of coffee Jennifer had just pushed towards him, "Who are we talking about?"

"Addison and Nat," Susan replied, "And whether they'll have kids one day."

Rob looked over at Natasha just as she finished building the set and had Nova jumping up and down with glee. He smiled and said, "Ah, well, if she doesn't, she'll be fun Aunt Nat. I'm pretty sure Nick'll give us enough grandkids."

Jennifer chuckled, "They've given us one already in Piper, and Nina's due in February with the next one."

"You're saying that Nina is the next generation's Daphne Potter," Susan grinned, "She'll just keep popping babies out and being flawless?"

Rob barked out a laugh, "Sounds about right, yeah."

Addison swept into the kitchen then and kissed her mum on the cheek, "Morning, Mum. Where's Caroline?"

Susan looked up at her daughter, "She and Edith went to Eddie's grave. It's a tradition; they go every Christmas morning and lay down flowers before they let themselves celebrate. She asked if I wanted to go, but I think some things should be for just them and Eddie."

Addison nodded and looked over at Natasha. She smiled slightly, "Well, that's a cute but bizarre sight."

Natasha pushed herself to her feet and said, "I can hear everything you're saying, you know? And if you're lucky, you might convince me someday."

Addison grinned at her girlfriend, "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Natasha admitted, "But you're giving birth to them."

Susan snorted, and Addison laughed, "Yeah, that's probably fair."

In her pyjamas, Alyssa stepped into the kitchen and asked, "What's fair?"

"Addison being the one who gives birth to the babies," Susan replied. She smiled at her youngest, "Merry Christmas, Alyssa."

Alyssa hugged her mum then patted her sister on the back, "Really taking one for the team there, Addy."

Addison made a face, "I'm already starting to regret this decision."

"Oh, I bet you'll regret it more after childbirth," Jennifer joked.

At that point, the backdoor clicked open, and Caroline and Edith walked in. Susan got to her feet and kissed Caroline lightly, "You okay?"

Caroline had obviously been crying, but she smiled, "I'm fine," she promised.

Edith stepped into the room and grabbed a cup of coffee, then looked over at Nova, "Someone is happy this morning."

"That's because someone got spoiled rotten," Caroline said as she swooped in and picked Nova up, "Isn't that right?"

Susan smiled broadly, and Rob nudged her in the ribs, "You're just as bad as Addison."

Jennifer chuckled her agreement, "You look at Caroline the same way she looks at Natasha."

Susan shrugged and smiled over at the Wolfe's, "Like mother, like daughter, I suppose."


Potter Manor

The Quidditch game was as fun as it always was. Over the last couple of years, the Longbottoms had tended to win, but that hadn't been helped by the fact that Teddy, one of their star players, had spent last Christmas with the Blacknots and the year before, Thea and Andrea had both gotten spattergroit.

"But this year," Harry said as he gave his family the pep talk, "This year is our year."

Daphne amusedly said, "Whatever you say, sweetheart."

Team Potter consisted of Harry as the seeker, Teddy as the keeper (he had played that position for Hufflepuff for six years and was better than even Oliver Wood had been), Swann and Nick as the Beaters and Daphne, Andrea and Thea as the chasers.

Team Longbottom, irritatingly enough, could also use the Corners, which was the only reason they were so good. That combined with the fact that Harry had taught James, Harry Junior and Laurel everything they knew about playing Quidditch. Lilly played as the seeker, Neville as the keeper, James and Harry as beaters and Grace, Laurel and Michael as chasers.

When the match kicked off, that left some people sitting on the sidelines, but they were the sort of people who were quite happy not to have been chosen. Almina was the self-proclaimed worst Quidditch player in her family, including her mum. Nina was pregnant and quite happy to sit this one out, and Alastor decided not to play because he was so good, it would be unfair to the others.

"You just wanted to hug Piper, didn't you?" Almina asked.

Alastor grinned from his sister-in-law to his niece, "Yep. Figured this was the only chance I'd get for a decent hug. Mum will steal her for the rest of the day."

Nina laughed, "Your mum does love her."

"I think she just loves babies," Almina admitted, her eyes on the match happening above them.

"She does," Alastor mused.

"Reckon you'll adopt one day?" Linda asked. Being the only muggle here, she was also not on a broomstick.

Alastor thought about that for a long moment, "I hope so."

Nina patted him on the leg, "I'm sure you'll make a brilliant father one day, Alastor."

Alastor laughed, "Yeah, one day very far in the future."

They all laughed, then a shout from above made them all look up.

"Come on, that's a foul!"

"Shit," Alastor muttered, "Who's the ref?"

"I am!" Linda yelled, with no need for a sonorus charm or a foghorn; she was loud enough in her own right.

"Lillian, that was a foul! Red card!"

"There are no red cards in Quidditch, Mum!" Lilly yelled down.

"Sin bin!"

"There's no sin bin either!"

"Whatever the penalty is, you're getting it!" Linda yelled, "You can't kiss the opposing seeker and grab the snitch from above his head!"

"Thank you, Linda!" Harry yelled back.

Alastor shook his head and threw himself back on the grass, "If Swann sticks around after this, he's crazy."

Nina shot Alastor an amused look, "Or he's in love with you."

Almina grinned, "You have to be in love with a Potter to hang around this madhouse."


Blacknot Castle

When the Potter-Wolfe's arrived at Blacknot Castle, they were bickering.

"They didn't win fairly!"

"Maybe not, but they did win."

"Not fairly, though," Teddy argued.

"I mean," Almina mused, "They didn't break any rules."

"Not technically, maybe," Teddy muttered.

"Bunch of cheaters, the lot of them," Nick said irritably.

"Bloody Longbottoms," Teddy agreed.

"Hey, watch your language in front of Piper!" Almina cut in.

"She's asleep!" The two men echoed.

Nina shook her head in exasperation and stepped into the drawing-room, "Merry Christmas, everyone!"

They were all greeted with a merry Christmas and drawn in for hugs. It was getting into the evening now, which meant that some of them were already tipsy, if not drunk. But the whole family was back together for Christmas, which was why, despite it being a long day for Piper, they had made an effort to come here for the evening.

Charlus and Victoire were here with Phoenix. Ella had come home from Egypt, and for once, she didn't have a book in her hand. She had replaced it with a glass of wine, and she looked more carefree than she had for a while. Cas, Ada and Dora were all home from Hogwarts for the holidays too.

Once the greetings were over with, Draco said, "So the Longbottoms won the Quidditch game then?"

"Yes, by cheating!" Teddy said furiously.

"Lilly tricked Harry into dropping the snitch, which technically isn't cheating; it's just smart," Almina said, shooting her dad a smile, "But you know what the Potters are like. It wouldn't be Christmas without a Quidditch game and an argument."

Draco chuckled and looked into the pram, "It seems like all the excitement has tired someone out."

"Oh, she'll be wide awake after her 8 pm feed," Almina said, "Then she's all yours, Grandpa."

Draco grinned and said, "You know I'll take that."

Almina laughed, "I know you will."

Lacey got to her feet and kissed Almina, "He's been deprived of baby cuddles. Dad hasn't let go of Theo all day."

"I put him down for Christmas lunch!" Theo objected, but he still had baby Theo in his arms, and the little boy was fast asleep.

"That was literally the only time," Lacey said, giving him a warm smile.

Theo just smiled back happily in response. If Almina had to guess, she'd say this was probably the best Christmas of his life.

"He's gorgeous, Lacey. I wouldn't want to put him down either," Almina admitted.

Lacey smiled proudly, "This little one is lovely too. Her hair is so dark, it's raven-like."

Teddy chuckled, "That's the nickname we've given her, isn't it?"

Almina smiled down at Piper, "Our little raven girl."

Theo smiled over at Sadie, thinking of the prophecy, "That's appropriate."

Sadie leant across baby Theo to kiss him on the cheek, "Or maybe it's fate."

"Maybe it is," Theo agreed.

He looked out at his family as Almina sat down next to Ella and questioned her about Egypt. Teddy and Nick gravitated towards Jack, and from the odd titbits of the conversation he picked up, Theo sensed they were comparing parenting techniques and trading tips now that all three of them were dads.

With a family as big as theirs, it was natural that they split off into smaller groups to converse, but when supper was served, and they all crowded around the table, Caspian became a hot topic, much to his embarrassment.

"Sorry we haven't been around so much over the last month," Almina said as she poured herself a glass of wine, "What have we missed?"

"Oh, there's so much," Sadie said. She smirked at her other children, "Should we start with Cas or Ada?"

Ada rolled her eyes, "Start by telling them what Jamie Longbottom did."

"Oh, we heard all about that this morning," Teddy grinned, "What kind of a dumbass pretends to permanently stick himself to his girlfriend?"

"A Longbottom, evidently," Draco replied dryly.

Hermione smacked him around the back of the head with a rolled-up napkin, "Draco!"

"Merlin, Hermione, will you ever get less violent?" Draco retorted.

Almina snorted and looked over at Charlus, "What's Caspian done? And why didn't you tell me?"

"Because when you came over to gossip last week, I didn't know yet," Charlus admitted, "I only found out this morning."

Cas leant back in his chair, "I snogged Thea Potter, and I got caught, alright? I'm surprised you didn't hear about it at Potter Manor."

"Oh, we did," Almina grinned, "I just wanted you to be tormented the same way that Thea was."

Cas groaned, "Ugh, I hate you guys!"

Sadie cocked her head at Ada, "And I presume you heard about this one too?"

"That she got caught making out with a Longbottom again?" Nick asked with a grin, "Yep."

Ada made a face.

"That wasn't the embarrassing thing, though," Dora said with a shit-eating grin, "It was Mama giving her the sex talk."

Almina groaned, "Oh, not the 'all sex is dangerous' talk?"

Ada rolled her eyes, "Yes, that one."

"Hey, at least you didn't get the 'guys can give you sexual diseases' talk that I got from Pops," Charlus cut in.

"Which was futile," Almina put in, giving her brother a knowing look, "Because you'd been sleeping with Blake for weeks by the time Pops cottoned on."

Victoire snorted and rocked Phoenix's seat with her foot to keep him asleep, "That sounds about right, Charlie."

Dora's grin widened, "At least Pops didn't burn you like Mama burned Ada."

"Dora," Ada groaned, "The whole family doesn't need to know about the exact fucking conversation!"

"Language, Adeline," Hermione cut in sternly.

"What was the whole conversation?" Theo asked with interest.

Dora grinned, and Ada tried to grab her and cover her mouth, but she jumped up before her twin sister could reach her.

"Ada got mouthy about how Mama couldn't give her the talk because she had no idea about sleeping with girls anyway," Dora sniggered, "So Mama said, 'Ada, do you seriously think your fathers are the only people in this family who have sex?'"

The table erupted in laughter, and Ada let her head drop onto the table.

"I hate this family."

"Me too," Cas said, patting her on the back.

"Solidarity against the embarrassment of being a Blacknot?" Ada asked her big brother.

Cas nodded solemnly, "Solidarity, sister."


Potter Manor

"You're a lying, cheating piece of shit!"

None of the kids even bothered to look up, despite the loud argument going on between their parents in the middle of the drawing-room.

"Oh yeah?" Harry countered, "Well, you're a liar who thinks they can get away with everything. But that's not happening, welcome to the real world!"

Daphne got to her feet angrily, "But the chosen one can do swaps with whoever he wants and that's fine? But when I do it, I'm an evil wench? I see how it is."

Neville looked between Harry and Daphne, "Okay…" he said as he picked up the Wizarding Britain Monopoly board, "I think we're going to stop playing now."

"Oh, come on, Neville!" Lilly complained, "It was just getting fun!"

"I was about to shut down his hotels," Daphne objected.

"Not if I had made you bankrupt first," Harry cut in.

Alastor shook his head and looked at the man he was sitting next to, "Why are you still here?"

Swann grinned and admitted, "I kind of love it here. Your family are so open and honest; it's nice."

"Your family isn't like this?" Alastor asked.

Swann shook his head, "My parents are friends, but they don't have fun like yours do."

Alastor smiled slightly as Monopoly-gate carried on in the background. He supposed he didn't thank his stars often enough, but he knew how lucky he was to have been raised as a Potter.

The moment that thought crossed his mind, his mother threw the monopoly board at his father.

"Oh, for fuck's sake, Daphne," Harry muttered, "You can pick up all the hotels and houses."

Daphne flicked her wrist in his direction passive-aggressively, "Accio Monopoly pieces."

"Smart-arse," Harry retorted.

"Cheater," Daphne returned.

Alastor shook his head and let it drop back against the headrest of the sofa.

"What's your sister doing?" Swann asked.

Alastor opened an eye and looked over at Thea, who was scribbling in a book of some sort.

"Writing in her diary about her boyfriend, probably."

Thea glared over at her brother, "How did you find out about that?"

Alastor grinned, "How did I find out about your little snog with Caspian? Well, Theodora, Professor Blacknot told Mum and Dad, who told Andrea, who called me to gossip about it."

Thea glared at her sister, "Traitor."

"Bitch," Andrea retorted.

Thea scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest, "Do you know what? You can tease me all you want, but I don't care because I'm learning how to be myself for the first time."

"Well, miracles will never cease," Alastor joked.

Thea huffed, "I mean it! I'm tired of trying so hard not to be me; I like me!"

"Well, that makes one of us," Andrea joked.

"Andrea!" Daphne cut in. Apparently, Monopoly-gate was over.

"What?" Andrea objected while Alastor sniggered, "She left herself totally open to that!"

Swann chuckled and said, "This is the one part of your family I get. I have two sisters, and they are just like that."

"That's sisters for you," Daphne said. She shot Astoria a smirk across the room.

Astoria smiled slightly, "They either hate each other or save each other's lives."

"Thank Merlin we didn't have girls," Charlie said with a grin.

Amber smiled a little tightly and sat further back in her chair, but that did not go amiss with Daphne. She excused herself and crossed the room to perch on the edge of Amber's armchair.

"So, that was an interesting look back there," Daphne remarked.

Amber was a squib, though; she had just as good a poker face as Daphne.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, hon," Amber replied passively.

"Hm," Daphne said with a nod, "You're excellent at not giving your true feelings away, Amber. You have spent the entire evening in a room with Swann Avery, who is your…?"

"Very distant relation," Amber finished, "He's my cousin's child. My cousin I never knew, might I add, because I grew up in Muggle London."

"You are so like Lilly, it scares me sometimes," Daphne muttered as she poured herself a firewhiskey and held one out to Amber.

The other woman took it and smirked, "You Greengrass women have a type, clearly."

"Apparently so," Daphne agreed. She sipped her whiskey thoughtfully, "But sweetie, you're new to this whole magic thing, so I know you can't wandlessly turn whiskey into water yet."

Daphne took Ambers's glass and tasted it, "And that is water, which means you have an accomplice. Is it my sister or her husband?"

Amber sighed and looked across the room, "Neither."

Lilly glared at Daphne, and the blonde woman rolled her eyes, "Lilly, of course. How far along are you?"

"3 months," Amber replied, "Neither of them's worked it out yet."

"Well, they aren't the brightest wands in the shop," Daphne mused, "Congratulations. Is it all going okay? I mean, you know you're - "

"Over 40 and therefore an OAP as far as pregnancy goes?" Amber quipped, "Yeah, I know. Your girlfriend told me as much. Everything is fine, though."

"So," Daphne probed, "If everything is fine, why haven't you told them?"

"Because," Amber said, she lowered her voice to a whisper, "I don't know how they'll react. Obviously it wasn't planned, and I don't know how Charlie will take it. Astoria knows something is off, but she hasn't cottoned onto what yet."

"I suppose it's not where the mind immediately goes at our age," Daphne mused.

Amber nodded her agreement and looked over at Charlie and Astoria, "It's a girl."

"I guessed as much from the look on your face just now," Daphne said with a small smile, "But you really ought to tell them. They'll be over the moon after Charlie complains that he's too old to do all of that again."

Amber smiled slightly, "He is fifty next year," she teased.

"Ah, you and Astoria are young enough to manage just fine," Daphne said. She smiled warmly at Amber, "Don't worry so much. Everything happens for a reason."

Amber nodded and pushed herself to her feet, "Yeah, thanks, Daphne."

"Anytime," Daphne promised.


Bones Manor

It was many things when evening fell in Bones Manor, but quiet was not one of them. Rob and Jennifer had gone home, but Natasha had decided to stay the night with Addison. Nova was fast asleep, tucked up in her princess four-poster in her new bedroom. Susan and Caroline were taking turns to check on her.

Nevaeh had worked the dreaded Christmas shift at the hospital, but with it over, she had been persuaded to come to the manor for supper with Clara, Josie and Cora.

They were sitting around the table eating cheese and talking about their day. Edith leant across the table and kissed Nevaeh quickly, "How was your shift?"

"Awful," Nevaeh replied. She forced back a yawn and added, "Two domestic callouts to contend with. Why do people always try and kill their families on Christmas?"

"It's tradition," Addison joked.

Nevaeh smiled, but there was a tightness to it, and they all knew why. Edith reached over and grabbed her girlfriend's hand; Nevee had offered to work because this was her first Christmas without her sister, and Ivy-Rose had been the last link to her fractured family.

Alyssa broke the slightly tense silence with a joke, "I feel like the world's worst third wheel. Like, not only am I single but am I really the token straight person in this family?"

Addison grinned at her little sister, "I mean, yes, you are,"

Susan shrugged and said, "Edith was straight until Nevee ambushed her in the shower room at the hospital."

"Susan!" Edith exclaimed, she looked to her mother for support, but Caroline just laughed.

Clara chuckled and said, "You can be an honourary Cauldwell, Alyssa. I think all of us are into guys."

Josie snorted, "You think? Thanks, Mum."

"Well, you never know these days," Clara said, "Look at Addison, Edith and their mothers."

"That's a fair point," Cora mused, "But, yes, we are both into guys. Josie is into one guy, in specific."

"Cora!"

This drew all attention onto Josie, though, and the poor girl's cheeks flushed. She, like Cora, was a carbon copy of her mother – they both had Clara's pale skin and dark hair, but Cora's eyes were a lighter shade of blue like Sorenson's had been.

"Josette Cauldwell, who on earth are you dating?" Clara asked.

Addison whistled, "Ooh, the full name treatment!"

Alyssa and Cora were chuckling; they were best friends, both of them were in Ravenclaw and in the same year. Josie was a year older; she was in her fifth year.

Josie glared at her little sister and looked down, "I went to Hogsmeade with Harry Longbottom."

Clara smiled slightly, "Of course you did."

Josie looked up in surprise, "You knew?"

"No, but I suspected," Clara admitted. She shot Susan an amused look, "We all did."

"You've had the biggest crush on him forever," Addison agreed.

Natasha grabbed a slice of cheese from the table, "I mean, I hardly know you, and I'm not surprised."

This made Josie's cheeks flush even more, but Clara said, "He's a nice boy, Josie. You could have picked worse. I know Lilly's strict on her boys, so I will tentatively approve."

"And we will move this conversation onward!" Susan said. She clapped her hands, "I don't think Josie can handle anymore embarrassment!"

Josie nodded her agreement, so they shifted the conversation along. Susan got up to top up everyone's glasses, and when she did, she pulled a chair alongside Clara and sat down beside her friend.

"How are you doing?"

Clara smiled, "I'm okay."

"Clara, it's the first Christmas without Sorenson," Susan said softly, "I pulled my way through it, saying I was fine, but I wasn't. It took Daphne to see that, so let me be your Daphne and tell you, it's not fine."

Clara sighed and rubbed her eyes, "No, it's not fine, but what else can I do, Susan? If I let myself wallow in this, I ruin the girls' Christmas. It's just a day, and when it's over, I can…."

"Go back to pretending that you don't feel it?" Susan guessed, "Work yourself to the bone? Hope that will help you push through it?"

Clara swallowed and looked down. Susan moved closer and whispered, "It doesn't help, Clara. You just spend ten years sleeping with idiots when the urge arises and pretending that your best friend is just your best friend."

Clara looked up and said, "That oddly specific example is clearly how you spent the ten years between Percy and Caroline, but I am not you, Susan. For a start, I don't sleep with idiots, ever and secondly, I wouldn't pretend I didn't have feelings for someone."

Susan nodded thoughtfully, "How did the road trip with Ron go?"

Clara rolled her eyes, "Fine, but could you at least try to shield your intentions when you ask such insensitive questions?"

Susan shook her head, "I don't see the point with my best friend, Clara. I just don't think you and Ron should be each other's comfort. It could get complicated - "

Clara brought up a hand to silence Susan, "I didn't sleep with him."

"You didn't?" Susan asked.

"No," Clara replied simply, "My husband just died. What kind of person sleeps with someone else after that?"

"The mentally unstable kind," Caroline said. She stopped behind Susan and kissed her on the cheek.

Susan rolled her eyes, "It was a coping mechanism, and you were my therapist, so can you even divulge that information?"

Caroline smirked, "I'm your fiancé now, so I can."

"And can I just say you were right to go to therapy?" Clara cut in, "Because jumping into bed with strangers is not a healthy way to deal with grief."

Susan made a face, "Now you just sound like Caroline did."

"But you are not the first client I've seen who has used sex as a coping mechanism, Susan," Caroline assured Susan.

Clara raised an eyebrow, "And didn't you sleep with the last one too?"

Caroline rolled her eyes, and Susan sniggered, "Maybe you do have a type, Caroline. Charlie Weasley and I have red hair, tattoos and terrible coping mechanisms…."

"So Caroline is attracted to red-headed sex addicts," Clara joked, "I mean, you're in the right line of work, I suppose."

"Oh, shut up," Caroline said half-heartedly.

Clara and Susan both laughed, then Caroline turned her attention to Clara.

"You know, I was about to comment on how well you're doing, Clara, but then you offended me."

"Sorry," Clara said with a slight smile, "And thank you, I was just telling Susan that I have healthy coping mechanisms."

"You aura certainly exudes calmness," Caroline agreed with a nod.

Clara gave Susan a pointed look, "See?"

"Shock horror," Susan said, bringing a hand to her chest with mock surprise, "You're all more mentally stable than me!"


Blacknot Castle

It was late at the castle; all of the babies were in bed, and so was Narcissa. She had been more tired than usual lately; her strength seemed to fail her. Ever since Cygnus had died, she hadn't been the same. Almina had whispered to Teddy late one night about broken heart syndrome, and he supposed she might be right.

Still, everyone else was here, and from the general amount of alcohol consumed, they would all be staying the night.

"Being the only sober person in a room sucks," Nina complained to Ada and Dora as she braided their hair in the corner of the room away from the drunken idiots she called her family.

Ada nodded solemnly, "Adults suck."

"Adults do suck," Nina agreed.

"Apart from you," Dora said, "You're pretty cool."

"And super good at braiding hair," Ada added.

Nina finished Dora's braid and yawned, "I think I'm going to head to bed. Tell your sister where I went, alright?"

Ada nodded, "Night, Nina."

"And thanks for the braid," Dora added.

Nina smiled and headed up to bed. Ada and Dora made their way over to the rest of their family to inform Almina, Teddy and Nick that Nina had gone to bed, but they ended up walking into an amusing argument instead.

"Who's Carina?"

Ella stiffened up, "What?"

Cas smirked at his older sister, "Carina."

"How do you know that name?" Ella asked. She snapped her book shut and glared at her brother.

The argument brought silence, which meant that now, everyone was listening.

"I just took a floo call for you downstairs," Cas said. He leaned back in his chair and smirked, "From Carina, she's very pretty, sounded Greek."

"Italian," Ella corrected a little too quickly.

"Italian?" Cas asked with a grin, "Friend of yours from Egypt then?"

Ella narrowed her eyes at her brother, "Yes, she is."

Hermione sighed, "Caspian, she is allowed to have friends."

"It's great that you've made friends out there, Ella," Sadie agreed, "Stop trying to stir an empty pot, Caspian."

Cas laughed, "Oh, but the pot isn't empty, is it, Ella? It's so full, practically overflowing in fact."

Ella's glare intensified, and Theo smacked Cas around the head with the book in his hand, "Stop being a little shit, Cas."

Cas smirked and got to his feet, "She asked to speak to her girlfriend, Pops, and unless that's what they call their gal pals in Italy, I don't think this pot is empty at all."

Ada and Dora gasped, almost comically, and Ella didn't reach for her wand. She lunged at Cas and punched him as hard as she could.

They heard a crack, and Theo winced, "Ooh, she inherited her right hook from her mother."

Draco grimaced and rubbed his cheek, "Yeah…that hurt."

Hermione ignored them and threw up a shield between Ella and Cas, then she forced them back into seats on opposite sides of the room.

Sadie crossed her arms and said, "Caspian, I think you've said enough."

"Ella," Hermione said calmly, "Is there any truth to what Caspian just said?"

"Yes, there is," Ella said irritably, "And it should have been my choice to tell you, not that little shits!"

She glared at Cas, then got to her feet, "But if it's quite alright, I'd like to go and speak to my girlfriend."

She stormed out of the room before they had a chance to say anything else, and Theo blew out a breath.

"Right, well…I can't say I saw that coming."

"No," Draco agreed, "I mean Ada, yeah. I clocked that a mile off."

Ada looked up in disbelief, "What?"

"It was obvious pretty early on, sweetheart," Sadie said calmly.

"But Ella," Hermione said with a shake of her head, "No, I didn't see that coming."

"I guess Noah Wood really did a number on her," Theo mused, "Put her off men completely."

"Woah, woah, woah," Ada cut in, "Can we go back to how it was obvious that I was into girls?"

Theo waved a hand, "It just was, love, don't worry yourself about it."

Ada raised her hands in disbelief, and Dora sniggered.

Almina shook her head and muttered, "It was obvious with Ella too. You four were just too blind to see it."

Theo raised an eyebrow at his eldest daughter, "Is that so?"

"Mina and I theorised about it when she was….?" Charlus trailed off and looked at his twin sister.

"16," Almina finished.

"We were pretty sure she had a crush on Andie Potter," Charlus added.

Teddy snorted, "Everyone thought Andie was into girls, then she brought a fucking dragon tamer home."

"It's always the quiet ones," Theo said. His eyes went from Sadie to Hermione.

Sadie raised an eyebrow, "Is that so, Theodore?"

Charlus gagged, "That's more than I ever wanted to know about either of my mothers."

Almina made a face, and Teddy chuckled in amusement.

"D'you think someone should go after Ella…?" Teddy asked.

"Nah, she'll have cooled down by the morning," Draco said with a wave of his hand.

Theo nodded and said, "And we probably all owe her an apology."

"One of us more than the rest," Hermione said. She narrowed her eyes in Cas's direction.

"Oh, but it was fine when you all gave me shit for snogging Thea?"

The room descended into an argument, and Almina dropped her head onto Nick's shoulder.

"Can we go to bed?"

"Yeah, I think Nina gave up the ghost a while ago," Nick replied with a chuckle.

"She braided our hair first," Dora chirped.

Nick opened an eye and gave them a thumbs-up, "Yeah, looks super."

Almina fought a yawn, and Teddy patted them both on the back.

"Executive level decision, it's bedtime."


Potter Manor

People went to bed as the night drew in, and things wound down. But towards the end of the night, Daphne found herself alone in the kitchen with Astoria.

"Hey," Daphne said, she fought a yawn, "It's after midnight. What are you doing awake?"

Astoria leaned against the counter and said, "Amber told us, and she told me that you know."

Daphne nodded in realisation, "Right. How did that go?"

"Charlie freaked out," Astoria admitted, "Partly because he thinks he's too old and…."

"He feels like he's betrayed you?" Daphne asked.

Astoria nodded, "Never mind that I was in the room with them when Amber must have gotten pregnant."

Daphne nodded too, "It's a tricky thing though, isn't it?"

Astoria sighed and rubbed her eyes, "Yeah."

"How are you feeling about it?" Daphne asked her sister.

Astoria was quiet for a moment, then she looked up at Daphne.

"Conflicted, I think, I don't know."

Daphne moved to the stove and put the kettle on to boil, "Drink tea with me and talk it over?"

"Tea is not what I want to drink right now, but yeah," Astoria said, and in the moonlight, Daphne could see that she looked quite pale and run down.

"I'm going to hazard a guess that Amber hasn't been as…generous…to you lately with her being pregnant?" Daphne asked. She pulled the cups from the cupboard.

Astoria let her head drop into her hands, "Yeah, but it's okay. There's a blood bank at the STV (Society for the Tolerance of Vampires)."

Daphne stepped into the pantry, Astoria assumed to get teabags, but she returned with a plastic bag and dropped it in front of her sister.

"Is that…"

"AB+," Daphne replied as she poured herself a cup of tea, "Which is the best, right? It has the A- and the B- type protein groups on the cellular wall and the rhesus protein on the cell wall, so it should have the most flavour."

In disbelief, Astoria looked at her sister, "You are a brilliant sister, but you disturb me deeply. Why do you have blood in your pantry, and how do you know which is best?"

"Because, as your girlfriend put it earlier, my girlfriend is a healer," Daphne replied. She picked up her mug of tea and leaned against the work surface, "And my sister has a tendency towards human blood, so I make sure to keep a store of it in the pantry, just in case."

Astoria picked up the blood bag, "There are so many deeply disturbing things about that sentence, Daphne, but thank you."

Daphne poured her tea out and said nothing in response.

"How do you expect me to drink this, though?" Astoria asked.

Daphne reached into a drawer and pulled out a straw, then she stabbed it through the bag.

Astoria looked at her in disbelief, "Seriously? You want me to drink it like a fucking Capri Sun?"

"I just want you to drink it so you stop being bitchy and start thinking straight," Daphne retorted.

Astoria sighed and caved. She sipped the blood through her straw while Daphne sipped her tea. The kitchen fell silent, and when the blood bag was finished, Astoria let out a breath.

"Better?"

She nodded, "Yeah, thank you."

"So," Daphne said, leaning against the counter, "How do you feel about Amber being pregnant?"

"I'm worried about Amber and…." Astoria shook her head, "I'm worried about trying to be a parent again. I…I didn't do a good job with William, so maybe it's fair enough that Charlie and Amber get a chance."

Daphne shook her head, "No, this isn't Charlie and Amber raising this baby because you and Charlie raised Will. This is all three of you raising this baby, the same way all three of you raised Will."

"No," Astoria said bitterly, "I didn't raise Will. I wasn't his mother, Daphne; Amber was."

Daphne sighed and set her mug down, "You weren't around as much as you wanted to be for Will, so rectify that with this baby, Astoria, but don't say that you weren't his mother. You gave birth to him. You cried when he cried as a baby and as a teenager. You love him; you are his mother."

Astoria let her head drop onto the table, "Lydia was a better mother than me. She sacrificed her life to give Nina a better life. I can't help but think that they all would have been better off without me, Charlie, Amber and Will."

Daphne grabbed her sister's hand, "You're one of the most confident, strong businesswomen I have ever met. Why don't you believe in yourself as a mother?"

"Because I'll always view myself as a monster," Astoria replied quietly.

Daphne shook her head, "You aren't; you are human. You are a mother, a friend, a wife, a sister. You are loved, and you love those around you. You are not a monster, Astoria."

Astoria sighed, and Daphne let go of her hand.

"What kind of monster drinks blood like a Capri Sun anyway?" Daphne added.

The comment was so absurd that it forced a laugh from Astoria.

Daphne shot her an amused smile, then clattered around for a few minutes. She made another cup of tea then set it down in front of Astoria.

"How would you feel?"

Daphne couldn't say that she hadn't been expecting the question, so she probably should have had an answer, but she couldn't immediately bring one to mind.

"It nearly happened, didn't it?" Astoria asked. She looked up at Daphne, "Lilly really did panic when she fell pregnant with the twins."

"Briefly," Daphne admitted, "But then she worked out the timing, and we knew, months before they were born, that they were Neville's."

"But," Astoria pressed, "What if they hadn't been? How would you have coped with it?"

Daphne pushed herself upright and looked her sister in the eye, "If you're asking if I would have been okay with Lilly having Harry's baby, the answer is yes."

Her eyes flitted from the kitchen doorway back to Astoria, "Lilly and I talked about it. We never told Harry or Neville…at the time, there was no need. They were Aurors, they worked a lot, and their job was stressful. When Lilly fell pregnant with the twins, the need disappeared, so we never told them about our backup plan."

"You don't even know if Harry would have agreed," Astoria pointed out.

Daphne looked down into her tea, "No, I do. He knew how much Neville wanted a family. He would have done anything to help them with that."

She sighed and looked up, "I suggested it to Lilly, and she said she didn't think our friendship would survive it. She thought I would get jealous, but I don't, not with Lilly."

"She's your family," Astoria said quietly, "Just like Harry is."

Daphne nodded and looked over at her sister, "I love Lilly's three children as much as my own four. If one of them was made up of Harry's DNA, it wouldn't have changed anything."

Astoria let out a breath and nodded, "You're right; it doesn't matter. But it is a second chance."

Daphne nodded too, "All of those things you regret about Will's childhood, this is your chance to try again."

Astoria grabbed her sister's hand, "Thank you."


Blacknot Castle

After Almina, Teddy and Nick headed up to bed, things quietened down slightly. Ella came in briefly to say goodnight after her conversation with Carina. She had gotten hugs and apologies from everyone, even from Cas.

Sadie suggested a nightcap, and as they all sat around sipping whiskey, Charlus spoke up.

"Vic and I were waiting for the right time to say this, but I think now might be the right time, so…we're engaged."

The only person who knew was Almina, who wasn't here, so his family reacted precisely as he expected them to. There were congratulations and lots of hugs, then the questions came.

Victoire put her hand on Charlus's knee and answered the questions for him, "We plan to have a spring wedding in March or April next year."

"Oh, that will be lovely," Sadie said with a smile, "Especially if you have it outdoors."

"We would like to," Victoire said, "But we just want something small, nothing too fancy."

"You could use the castle if you like," Hermione suggested, "Like Almina did."

Charlus shook his head and moved his hand into Victoire's, "No, we know what we want to do, and if it's all the same to you, Mum, we'd rather not copy Almina."

Hermione smiled, "It's your wedding, sweetheart. You know that we will be there whatever you decide to do."

"Always," Sadie promised.

"You know that family is the most important thing to us," Theo assured his son, "It matters more than anything else."

Draco nodded and smiled at his family, "I think we need a new family motto to go with the new surname."

Theo was sitting by his side. He grabbed Draco's hand and whispered.

"Familia est Omnia."

Draco squeezed Theo's hand and nodded.

"Family is Everything."

- TBC -