The weather didn't look like it was going to let up anytime soon. Luckily, those who were needed at work could apparate. Everyone else would just remain indoors. The problems with having rooms on the roof meant the chance of getting wet just by going to breakfast. Luckily, a canvas cover was erected to shelter Mama Florencía, Esperanza, and the Architects when they went inside the house.

Despite the violence of the storm, Cedric slept peacefully for once. When he woke up, he still hurt like he always did, but he wasn't as cranky. Maybe it was Hermione's idea that worked. It wasn't a permanent fix, but he always did feel calmer with her. When she wasn't on a mission for justice. Okay, so maybe he was calm around her 30% of the time. He sleepily climbed out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom before going downstairs to breakfast still in his pajamas. He wasn't alone, nearly everyone else was in their pajamas, too, looking rather sluggish as they drank their morning coffee.

Though the storm wasn't as violent as it was last night, it was still enough to keep everyone indoors.

"You know what I think today calls for?" said Tía Manola. "A spa day. For everyone."

"Ooh, yes," said Esperanza. "I love spa days. Where should we hold it?"

"How about the meditation room?"

"We can set up," said Cecilia, nodding at her triplets, Juana and María.

"Yay! Spa day!" said Hermione, clapping her hands. "Viktor, Cedric no getting out of this."

"There is no makeup involved?" Viktor asked, lightly touching his face and wincing.

"No," said Cecilia. "Just face masks. Every man needs to know how to take care of himself. Women love hygiene."

Cedric nodded. "They do."

Eyes turned towards him.

"I dated before Hermione," he said defensively. "I got dates because I'm hygienic and was handsome. I couldn't hold down a girlfriend my fifth year because one) they were expecting to put up with Quidditch talk and then they realized I was a geek. Two) I was slowly falling in love with Hermione and didn't realize it."

Hermione smiled and rested her cheek against his shoulder for a moment.

Just about everyone gathered into the meditation room for spa night; many wore swimsuits under dressing gowns. They had a sauna now, so that was running. The doors were also open to let in the fresh smell of rain but charms were put up to keep it out of the room. They had pillows, nail supplies, masks, combs, and Renata had set up a chair so she could give haircuts. Plus trays of snack foods they could get into at any time were set up on the table.

Cedric hated to admit that his meticulous grooming routine had gone lax. It was just hard with only one hand. It took him three times as long to get ready. In the shower, he just dropped things. Maite, Ana, and Elisa took this into account and had a tray for him to put his shampoo and conditioner and soap on. Putting on the shampoo and conditioner was an issue on its own. For now he was just pouring it straight on his head and hoping it wouldn't get in his eyes.

Everything was harder.

He sat down next to Hermione.

"So, what are spa days like?" he asked.

"We just relax and hang out."

"Last spa day was when Herminia realized she had a crush on you," said Paula as she studied nail polish colors.

Cedric couldn't help but smile. He looked at Hermione who had that face where she was both embarrassed and bashful so she just held her head at an angle and looked like she was trying not to smile or nervously laugh.

"I wonder what revelations will happen today then," he joked.

Celeste kicked back in a chair and rested a hand on her stomach.

"I feel like I'm ready to pop," she groaned. "This baby better come soon."

"She will come," said Diego, sitting down and putting one of her feet in his lap for a massage.

"I'm telling you, it's a boy," she said.

"I told you, the baby will come after a huge storm," said Antonella, pointing at the raging storm. "The bones say so."

"Science will tell you that babies are usually born during a storm due to a change in barometric pressure," said Angela.

"That baby isn't coming today."

"We shall see."

"There's bets going around as to what gender the baby will be," said Renata. "We're not allowed to bet money, Abuela's rules. So, we bet chores and sometimes goods. Like, I bet intricate hairstyles, Esperanza bets outfits, Juana bets jewelry, that sort of thing."

"What if the baby is born intersex?" Cedric asked remembering reading about it in some books he checked out last summer. He was intending to learn more about bisexuality, but ended up learning other stuff instead. "Who would win then?"

"One of my sisters was born both," Mama Florencía mused. "We also had a cousin who was a transgender woman. Thought the curse was broken until she told us."

There was silence and then bet changes.

"No bet," said Cedric when asked.

"Smart," said Hermione, dipping a brush into a jar filled with a sweet smelling, pinkish-yellow concoction. "Lean forward."

"What's this?" he asked as she smeared it over his face. It was cool and tingled a little, but not in a bad way.

"Honey, pineapple, and jélvre," she replied.

"Jélvre?"

"It's a plant a bit like aloe vera," she said, making sure she covered all his face.

"Put some on his arm, too," said Noa.

Hermione looked at his residual limb and dipped the brush, raising her eyes up at him expectantly. Sighing a little, he pulled the sock he was using to cover it off. It still looked raw from where it was sealed with the dittany, but it wasn't inflamed. She furrowed her brow and winced.

That looks like it hurts, she thought loudly without intending to. He felt a bit of relief she didn't find it gross or disturbing.

Their talk last night did them good. It did him good. He didn't even know why he was so scared to share what he was feeling. Who would understand his newly cursed existence than a family who had been cursed for centuries? He and Hermione had similar baggage. They could carry it together.

"What?" Hermione asked, looking up at him as she brushed the paste on. "Does it hurt?"

"No," he replied. The paste burned for a moment before going cool and, for once, it didn't hurt.

"Stop eating it!" Esperanza laughed.

Viktor was scraping the avocado mask off his face with carrot sticks and eating it.

"What?" he said. "It is tasty!"

"You're not supposed to eat it," said Esperanza, filling in the gaps with her brush.

"What flavor is yours?" he asked, eyeing the lumpy, beige paste on her face.

"I won't say!"

"I dare you to lick her!" said Noa.

"Don't you dare!" Esperanza shouted in vain which turned into a squeal when Viktor licked her cheek.

"Oatmeal," he said with a straight face.

Laughter erupted. Cedric laughed and glanced at Hermione.

"Don't lick me," she warned. "My mask is made with clay."

"Good to know," he replied.

Everyone used sugar scrubs on their arms and legs as well. It was oddly satisfying to rub it into the skin. It was supposed to exfoliate which was just a fancy word for, 'it will make your skin smooth like a dolphin.'

"May I use more of that jélvre?" Viktor asked.

"Why?" Esperanza asked. "Where do you need it?"

Viktor paused. "Okay, don't freak out when you see them."

"I promise," said Esperanza

Viktor waved his wand over his forearm. "Avslöja."

Where his skin once looked smooth was now ridged and dipped with old and recent-looking scars like craters. The family gasped at the sight and Esperanza looked furious.

"Who would do this to you?" she whispered.

"I told you, Durmstrang was tough school. We would have morning runs on mountain paths and students could choose ballet or wrestling to assist with—"

"My love… tough is not accepting late work when you have homework due every single class," said Esperanza, mixing up a similar concoction to what Cedric had on his face. "Tough is putting three days worth of material in one hour. Beating children who are entrusted in your care and working them until they collapse is not tough, it's child abuse. Your parents never…"

"No," said Viktor. "They did not believe in physical discipline. If we were bad, they would send us to grandmama. She would have us run laps or do tightrope. Sometimes we had to stand absolutely still and balance objects on head or hand."

"My mother liked to use the chancla," said Mama Florencía.

"I remember," said Abuela Ximena. "You never used it."

"It didn't change my behavior, why should I have expected it to change yours?"

The conversation steered away from the horrors Viktor faced.

Hermione helped Cedric with the fine grooming, even going as far as to trim, file, and buffer his nails. At least his feet weren't disgusting. That would just be embarrassing.

"Can I paint my nails, too?" he asked. "It's totally punk."

"Sure. What color?"

He considered the options then pointed to a dark metallic polish.

"Bronze Aztec it is," she said, shaking it.

Viktor got a similar treatment and was taught how to do this himself by Esperanza after much insistence on her part, though he declined having his nails painted.

"Why do you have that jélvre stuff on your hands?" Cedric asked Hermione curiously.

She shrugged and tugged on the glove that was protecting it. It was supposed to do something but she wasn't going to say just in case it didn't work. He didn't push. She knew when he was pushing. She could feel it more and more each day. The training she was doing with her abuela was really amazing.

Cedric was learning a lot, too. He learned so much this past month-and-a-half. Things he never would have learned had he stayed in England.

"Okay," said Renata. "Who wants hair done?"

"Cedric and I do," said Hermione. "We're growing our hair out." She looked at him. "You did want to try it long, right?"

He nodded and hoped Hermione would find him attractive with long hair. It would take a while to grow, however, and his hair was getting into that awkward stage.

"Okay," said Renata, turning to examine a tray of potions and products. "Once he's cleaned up, stick him in my chair."

Being pampered was an entirely new experience. He figured it was best to embrace it rather than argue and lose. Once Hermione cleaned his face and arm up with a warm, damp washcloth, he sat down in the chair.

"You have a lot of hair," Renata commented, running her fingers through his locks. "Has a bit of a wave, but not so much and it seems like it doesn't get frizz. It's a nice shade of black. Almost looks a little blue, doesn't it?"

"I've never noticed," he said truthfully.

"Hm…" she clicked her tongue and studied his facial structure. "Your cheekbones could cut cheddar."

"So I've been told," he said. He was rather proud of his cheekbones and felt they were his most distinct feature.

"Strong jaw… hm… decent sized forehead… Yes. I know what to do."

She grabbed a comb and a spray bottle, making his hair damp as she combed it through to get out any tangles. Then, she massaged an odd smelling oil into his scalp, it tingled and his head felt heavier. He tipped his head forward and several locks of hair fell into his face. Whoa… He knew of a few hair charms, but not potions that could grow it out to a significant length with no side-effects.

Renata washed his hair thoroughly and squeezed it with a towel to get the extra water out. It felt good to have a clean scalp. Cedric watched the rest of the room as his hair was cut.

Everyone was having fun and it was keeping the little ones distracted from the storm. Though, Melanie was more keen on watching the rain than having her mum or dad paint her nails a pretty color.

"Celeste and I are still arguing on baby names," said Diego.

"Just throw some names at us," said Celeste.

"Maybe you can keep a trend," said Esperanza. "Use music terms like Viola… Harmony… Melody…"

"Cadence," suggested Viktor. "Carol."

"Clef if it's a boy," said Hermione.

"Agitato," Cedric threw in.

"Oboe player," said Noa.

"F sharp," Cedric added.

Everyone jumped in with musical terms that were increasingly more and more ridiculous.

"Plagal!"

"Smorzando!"

"Canon in inversion and augmentation," said Mama Guadalupe.

"Semihemidemisemiquaver!"

" " said Cecilia.

"How did you do that with your mouth?" Viktor whispered and everyone laughed.

Renata gave Cedric a fringe similar to how he used to wear it before he cut it short. She checked for evenness and spent about twenty minutes making small changes here and there. She ran her fingers through it with product to style it a bit, then nodded.

"Yeah," she said. "I like it. Herminia, what do you think? You're the one who has to look at him."

Hermione looked up and swooned, a goofy grin pulling at her lips. Cedric smiled, any nervousness about his hair drifting away. Judging by the reactions from the others, his hair looked good.

"Alright," said Noa. "I need you to cover your eyes. Can someone blindfold him?"

"I gotcha," said Cecilia, bringing over an eye mask, which she immediately strapped on him.

It was cold, heavy, and smelled like lavender.

"Okay," said Noa when she returned. "Hold out your arm. No, your other arm."

Bemused, he did as she asked and held out his right arm. There was a slight numbness and then the feeling as if he were being drawn on with a pen. When it ebbed, a different type of sock was placed over his limb and then something was pushed on over that. He felt the same phantom limb sensation he got too frequently, except this time it didn't hurt. He could almost believe he was twitching his fingers.

"Okay," said Noa, removing the mask. "Open your eyes."

He did and looked down at his arm, gasping slightly at the sight of his new prosthetic. It was almost a mirror copy of his left hand, except it was obviously made of metal and he could see the joints.

"State of the art," said Noa, eyes bright as she spoke. "It moves in real time with your thoughts and it has basic nerves so you know that you are touching something, though it can't feel hot or cold and it can't distinguish textures yet. I bet you could find someone who makes synthetic skin to cover it with, especially since it'll get really hot in the sun. You'll have to practice with it, too. I recommend the piano, and we have a number of guitars you can use."

Cedric twitched the fingers one at a time, made a fist, then spread his hand wide. He turned it over, inspecting it with disbelief while Noa talked about the features.

"Do you like it?" she asked.

He nodded and blinked back tears. "It's brilliant." He gave her a giant hug. "Thank you! It's wonderful."

"Good," said Noa. "I'm glad you like it. Okay, now you can look at the rest of you."

Renata turned him towards the wall that was entirely mirror so yoga or tai chi forms could be checked.

"Whoa," he said and got up so he could step closer and see himself better.

His hair was long, about to his shoulder blades. It looked good , a small bit of him thought it was a little… roguish. A bit pirate-like. All he needed was the outfit. But his face. The scars that had marred his appearance and constantly reminded him of what happened were smooth and faded. When his summer tan went away he bet they would disappear entirely.

He touched his face lightly and laughed. While his inside couldn't be fixed, the cosmetic changes alone gave him some of his confidence back and not having to be reminded of what happened every time he looked in the mirror.

"I'll show you how to take care of your hair and skin," said Renata. "I strapped my arm to my chest and worked out the best way to do it until you get control of your prosthetic."

"And we'll go over some exercises," said Mama Florencía. "Meet me in the Music Room after we're done here."

"Alright," said Cedric and glanced at Mama Florencía's hands. For the first time, he noticed her right hand was made of wood, it was just colored close to her skin tone and almost moved like a real hand.

"I lost it in a potion accident," she said before he could ask. "Someone lined my cauldron with bulbadox powder as a prank and didn't realize I was making a volatile substance to begin with. Boom. Goodbye hand."

"Yikes," he said.

"Viktor, did you want a new hairstyle?" Renata asked as Hermione took a seat in her chair.

"I think I will just let it grow out on its own," he said. "I do not even know what it would look like and do not want to make you go through trouble just to end up with same cut."

"Fair enough."

Hermione didn't quite want to go back to her old style, she didn't care for the short hair, but she wanted to do something different.

Cedric watched her for a little bit and didn't voice his opinion. Mostly because he thought she'd look great no matter what, and he learned from his years of having friends who were mostly girls that, 'I think you look good in anything,' is not an appropriate response to, 'What do you think?'

"I think now is a good time," said Mama Florencía. "Come on, Cedric."

Cedric got to his feet and left the Meditation room with Hermione's great-grandmother. Everyone else stayed behind to mess with hair or nails, or just enjoy the company.

"The phantom pain won't go away entirely," said Mama Florencía. "It will hurt. I know it isn't comforting, but I won't sugar coat any of this. The world is made for two hands, so you'll always be adapting. Prosthetic or no prosthetic."

Cedric nodded to show he was listening.

They used the elevator to get to the ground floor rather than the stairs. Mama Florencía was getting on in age and didn't like to waste energy if she could help it.

When they entered the parlor, she opened the closet and brought out two guitars, one simple and plain and the other beautifully decorated.

"Do you play?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. "I am well-versed in many instruments after mind-numbing practice sessions. I do like to play the guitar and the piano, however, and Hermione gave me this flute in the shape of a badger for my birthday a couple years back."

"Good, so I don't have to teach you that," she said. "We can move on."

Cedric took the simple guitar and sat down across from Mama Florencía.

"Now, playing the guitar will help with dexterity and control," said Mama Florencía, playing a soft, ongoing tune. "I do this warm-up almost every morning when I put on my prosthetic. I don't actually need to anymore, but it's good to, yes?"

"Yes," said Cedric, looking down at his hands. He could strum just fine, the thing would be to get the chords right. It was just… weird. He knew what he wanted to do… he could see what he was doing… there was a sensation… but it just wasn't the same. It was like wearing a really thick glove over his entire forearm. It hurt to move his fingers as his brain tried to decide what was real and what was fake.

"It's okay," said Mama Florencía, noting his growing frustration. "It will take time to get used to it."

Cedric rested his chin on the guitar and sighed through his nose. Well… it was nice having some of his old confidence back, even if for a little while.

He sat and talked with Mama Florencía for a while. She was really cool and had, as she said, "seen a lot of shit." Apparently, for the longest time, Sanchez women were Healers, Seamstresses, and Broommakers. It was with her daughters that they diverged into other careers. She'd only ever seen her youngest sisters at weddings anymore, all of them feeling their ages and getting too old for travel.

"Listen, Cedric," Mama Florencía placed a hand on his shoulder, "you will always have a safe place here. No matter what happens between you and Herminia, you will have refuge."

"Thank you, Mama Florencía," he said.

"Cedric!" Hermione shrieked.

He jumped to his feet. "What? What's wrong?"

She ran into the room grinning broadly.

"Look at my hair!" She pointed to it. "Look! Look! Look!"

Her hair had indeed undergone a transformation. It was back to the length it was before she had her unexpected haircut, but only on most of her head. A section on her left side had been shaved almost completely off, and what was left had designs shaved in not unlike her papá's tattoos.

"Isn't it just the awesomest?" she said, her mind trying to come up with words to describe the sheer joy she felt about having a unique style.

Cedric was blown away.

"Wicked," he breathed. "Let me see."

She sat down next to him and Mama Florencía stood giving them both a nod.

"Tavi," she said as she left the room. "Come and have tea with me."

Cedric traced the ocean pattern with his fingers.

"I love it," he said. "Oh, when everyone back in England sees—"

Oh… right…

Hermione bit her lip. "Well, I was thinking… Cecilia is being temporarily transferred to Gringotts in Britain this August. Perhaps… I mean… I could come too and leave a few days before school starts, and then I could come home with Cecilia, that way we get a bit more time together and I can see everyone one last time, including my parents. What do you think?"

Cedric hugged her. "Sounds brilliant."

Hermione's mental calendar began working, determining how long she could possibly stay in England before she had to return for school. Then she began a checklist of things she wanted to accomplish before they had to part, and from there on it just got too busy and fast for him to follow.

"You don't have to keep hugging me," he said.

"Do you want me to stop?" she asked.

"No."

He held her tighter, pressing his face into her hair. He didn't want to think about the end of summer yet.

~o0o~

Just a few days after getting his new prosthetic, Cedric felt like he was having more control and so started working on a commission in the workshop. It felt amazing to be back in a workshop with his papers and his devices, even if it was slow going. He missed this and found that his right hand made neater runes. He'd had practice writing with his right hand, so it wasn't too weird and he could actually make the runes smaller. Abuela taught him several charms to keep them from wearing down over time, which was pretty cool. The raging storm had stopped and it looked like it was going to be a beautiful day.

A knock came at the door and Juana looked up from her work, annoyed.

"What?" she snapped.

Cedric looked over his shoulder to see Hermione enter the room.

"Celeste went into labor," she said. "Thought you should know."

"Oh, that's great!" said Juana, grinning. "Keep me updated."

"Wait," said Cedric. "What do we do?"

"We? Nothing," said Hermione. "I asked Tía Manola and she said just let Angela, Celeste, and Diego be. Apparently, giving birth is awkward, especially with everyone trying to, er… get a look."

"Oh."

"Diego will keep us updated," she continued. "It'll be hours."

She waved and left.

A baby was important. Cedric could see that Hermione was freaking out on the inside but everyone else was being calm about it, so she would, too. He found himself a good stopping point and went inside to find everyone who wasn't working waiting around in the family room.

"How long do these things take?" asked Hermione.

"Mm… hours," said Ximena. "It could be all day. You were ready to get out, you were born in six hours. Esperanza took nineteen and Noa, Josefina, and Bianca took ten hours in total."

"So, basically, it varies," said Cedric, glancing at the time-clock beside the family tracking-clock.

It was still early afternoon. Everyone was prepared to wait, but Cedric knew waiting would get boring quick. He looked at Viktor who was pretending to read while periodically glancing at Esperanza's embroidering.

Biting back a grin, he popped his arm off, approached Viktor, and threw it down like a gauntlet. Viktor jumped, startled, and looked up.

"I challenge you to a rematch duel and Seeker's Bombardment," said Cedric.

Hermione giggled.

The corner of Viktor's mouth twitched. "I accept your challenge."

"Ohhh, we got a duel!" Noa shouted. "Everyone to the Quidditch Pitch!"

Cedric grinned and picked up his arm, putting it back on. It hurt a bit to do that, but it was worth it.

About two-and-a-half dozen girls from the nearby school were on the field playing fútbol and looking like they were having the time of their lives. The oldest seemed to be about Viktor's age and the rest were as young as four or five. Their playing slowed and they smiled and waved at the group of witches. Cedric remembered that these girls, though they were all No-Majs, knew of magic.

The youngest girls approached Salome, Rafaella, and Melanie and they ran off to go play their own game on the sidelines.

A girl who seemed to be the leader approached them, the football tucked under her arm.

"You joining today?" she asked.

"Not today, Cendy," said Esperanza. "These two boys are having a duel and then a round of Seeker's Bombardment."

"Seeker's Bombardment is the best!" said Cendy. She relayed the message and everyone ran off the field, sitting down on the ground or cramming onto benches to eagerly watch.

Cedric and Viktor decided to do Seeker's Bombardment first since they didn't know where the duel would take them. Eva presented them with two brooms that would keep it equal. Cedric thought it was rather nice and had a good feel to it, but he preferred his Velozmente.

Hermione blindfolded him and pressed a light kiss to his lips before spinning him around in circles to disorient him.

"Good luck," she said. "I'll try not to hit you."

Cedric chuckled. "I appreciate that."

"The snitch has been released!" said Esperanza. "Countdown, everyone!"

Everyone chanted the countdown. The blindfolds were removed and Cedric quickly blinked and squinted against the sunlight flooding the Pitch and making the dirt shine as if it were gold. He mounted his broom and took off into the air already scanning for the snitch.

A bright yellow ball smacked him in the forehead and laughter bubbled up from the sea of girls.

"¡NO PARE SIGUE SIGUE!" Hermione shouted.

Cedric and Viktor zoomed around the pitch chasing after the snitch and dodging the upward hail of foam balls.

The snitch zipped up so Cedric and Viktor followed it, flying higher and higher into the quintessential blue sky, trying not to be blinded by the sun, and keeping their sweaty hands on the grips Eva kindly remembered to put in. Neither boy was used to this type of heat and Cedric, having the fortune of being in a tropical climate for longer, was more adjusted.

Cedric stretched his metal fingers out, reaching forward as far as he could without steering the broom wrong, and then his hand clamped shut around the golden snitch. He slowed to a stop and looked into his palm in amazement.

"Holy shit!" he said and looked at Viktor who was completely stunned. "HOLY SHIT!"

"Good game," said Viktor, cracking a grin.

Cedric cheered in triumph. "I JUST BEAT THE BEST SEEKER IN THE WORLD!"

"Coach Estir is still disappointed you did not sign on," Viktor commented. "I am a little as well. It would have been nice having a friend on the team."

"I know," said Cedric. "And I love Quidditch, but I think my true calling is in technology adaptation."

"That is fair," said Viktor.

"If you didn't do Quidditch, what would you do?" Cedric asked.

"Linguistics."

"Cool."

They landed and Cedric held out his hand proudly to show the snitch.

"Ooh! I'm so proud of you!" said Hermione, throwing her arms around his neck.

"I will win next time," said Viktor. "Have to train harder now."

"You got it," said Cedric, winking at him.

"Use the spell lumos gladius," Hermione whispered in his ear. "I made it up."

"Alright, thanks," he said.

"Are you ready to duel?" Esperanza shouted and cheers rose up from the crowd.

"I'm ready," said Cedric, looking at Viktor.

Viktor nodded and took his wand out of its holster.

After barriers were put up to protect everyone outside the duel, Cedric and Viktor bowed, took ten paces, and readied.

"Three… two… one… DUEL!" Hermione shouted.

"LUMOS GLADIUS!" The two boys shouted.

From Cedric's wand came a sword of silver light and, from Viktor's, a sword of purple light. Merlin, Morgana, and Gandalf, Hermione created a spell for lightsabers. Recovering quickly, Cedric rushed forward, swinging his lightsaber.

Viktor reacted, blocking it. The connection of light created a pretty shower of sparks drawing up "oohs" and "ahhs" from the audience.

Cedric grinned and dueled with Viktor, not bothering to cast any spells yet. They didn't know where this duel was going to go, but it was fun and neither would admit that whenever one of them pulled a fancy trick, they were doing it to show off for their girlfriends.

"Ha!" Viktor shouted, feinting and tapping Cedric's arm.

There was a weird shock up his arm and his prosthetic fell off. Viktor gasped.

"I am so sorry," he said and chuckled. "I guess I win?"

"Tis but a scratch," said Cedric.

"A scratch?" Viktor furrowed his brow. "Your arm, it is off."

"No it isn't," said Cedric, twirling the sword in his hand and grinning.

"What is that, then?" Viktor huffed, pointing to the ground where the prosthetic lay, drumming its fingers on the ground.

"I've had worse," said Cedric.

"Liar," Viktor retorted.

On the sidelines, Hermione was slowly losing it and trying to stifle her laughter while she audio recorded it and Noa snapped pictures.

"Come on, ya pansy!" Cedric shouted, swinging his wand.

Viktor blocked, parried, and with a thrust, zapped Cedric's other arm making it go numb.

"Okay," said Viktor. "I win."

Unable to hold his wand due to the numbness, Cedric dropped it and began dancing around Viktor.

"Come on, then!" he shouted, kicking at him much to the Bulgarian's confusion. "Have at you!"

"Cedric, I have won," said Viktor.

"Had enough, eh?" said Cedric.

"Your arms are out," said Viktor losing his composure. "Look."

Cedric stared him dead in the eye and stated, "It's just a flesh wound," before kicking his butt lightly.

Viktor snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Chicken!" said Cedric, still kicking him lightly, thrilled that this was all working out brilliantly. "Chicken!"

Viktor gave him a look and tapped out Cedric's left leg. He hopped on his right.

"Right!" he said, pretending to be affronted. "I'll do you for that!"

"What?!" Viktor squawked, following up with incredulous laughter. "What can you do?"

Cedric head butted his friend's shoulder.

"I am invincible!" he declared.

"You're a loony!" Hermione shrieked.

Viktor completely lost it at this point and laughed hysterically, promptly dropping to the ground and hugging his stomach, Hermione raced over and recorded the genuine laughter for Esperanza. Viktor laughed just like the hyenas from the Lion King. The other girls were roaring with laughter. They had never seen Monty Python before so, in their eyes, Cedric was a comic genius. He was okay with that temporary label.

Hermione stopped the recording and wiped the laughter tears from her eyes.

"Call it a draw," she said.

Cedric chuckled and stood on two legs once more.

"I do need some help, though," he said. "That spell made my hand and leg numb."

"I've got you," said Hermione, picking his arm and wand up, cradling them in her arms.

Esperanza helped Viktor to his feet and they cleared the field so a game of baseball could start.

"That was fun," said Cedric, limping slightly, still not having much feeling in his leg. "We should do that again sometime. It won't always end in a draw, you know."

Viktor open his mouth to speak but only snorted and went back to laughing so hard, there was no longer any sound and his shoulders were shaking.

"I wish I had a camcorder," Hermione giggled. "Still, I audio recorded it and we have pictures."

"I'm glad you found it funny," said Cedric. "It just fell in so perfectly."

"It did!"

"I think he just did it to get to indirect second base," Bianca joked, glancing to make sure the Mamas didn't hear her.

Hermione realized how she was holding Cedric's arm, then glared at her cousin halfway embarrassed and halfway peeved that Bianca's mind would go to the gutter like that. She was just holding his hand. Literally, but still.

"I think I might go back to the workshop and fill in a few more commissions," he said.

"Can you feel your limbs, yet?" she asked.

His silence told her all she needed to know. She felt it would be good if they went inside the house, maybe talk Viktor and Esperanza into a game of dominos since everyone else was keen on remaining outdoors. Her hands were aching with weather pain.

"Dominos sounds like fun," he said. "I think I'll take my arm back."

He extended his residual limb. Hermione helped attach it, then glanced up and briefly admired his hair before inviting Viktor and Esperanza back inside for tea and dominos. Viktor would be leaving tomorrow and, assuming she'd say yes, Esperanza would be following. Cedric really enjoyed having Viktor as a friend and hoped they'd be able to maintain that friendship. It was nice knowing someone outside of Hermione's family who wasn't afraid of him.

Tavi was more than happy to make them some tea when they entered the house.

"Hot or iced?" she asked.

"Hot," said Cedric, answering for everyone.

Tavi nodded and disappeared. Cedric wished he knew what she was thinking but he either couldn't read the minds of other species yet or she knew how to block him. He still got emotional reads from her and he saw that she was happy here, which made him happy. Back in England, she was merely content. He realized that now.

It wasn't until after dinner that they heard anything about the baby.

Everyone was just doing their own thing when they heard the thud of footsteps.

"IT'S A BOY!" Diego shouted. "IT'S A BOY! IT'S A BOY! IT'S A BOY!"

"Do you know what his means?" said Ximena. "It means the curse is over for all of our descendants!"

Within minutes everyone around the house was cheering and hugging. Cedric caught on to the excitement, and whenever anyone grabbed his hands and bounced, he bounced with them. Everyone was eager to see the newborn, but Angela was insistent that Celeste needed her rest and it wouldn't be good for the baby if they all crowded in there.

"How big is the baby?" Esperanza asked Diego as she held up handfuls of baby clothes she'd made. "Six pounds? Seven?"

"Six," said Diego. "He has the Sanchez eyes."

"What's his name?" Tía Manola asked.

"Ángel."

"Aww, what a sweet name," said Hermione.

"I still think you should've gone with Smorzando," said Noa.

Cedric could see 'baby' on the minds of everyone. Future or past. Honestly, he had 'baby' on the mind, too. He'd always known he wanted to be a father someday. With his lycanthropy… if he couldn't have biological children, then he'd be just as happy adopting. There were plenty of children out there. Hell, he would adopt even if he could have biological. Like what Roger and Beatrice did.

"I bet he's absolutely adorable," said Hermione. "It makes me miss Chibuzo, you know?"

Cedric nodded and couldn't help but wonder if he and Hermione would make it that far. At this moment in time… he hoped so.