The morning sun cast a soft glow in the room as Mia and Jace Grimaldi lay in bed, their family in slumber. Four voices were hushed as they conversed in whispered tones.
"EJ, shut up or you're going to wake up mom," a voice whispered.
"But it's her birthday, right?" EJ asked, enthusiasm evident in his voice.
"The birthday is in two weeks, dummy," the voice whispered. "They just want to celebrate it before I go to Hogwarts."
"I'm going to miss you, Percy," said a childish female voice.
"I'm going to miss you too, Lizzie," Percy whispered to Lizzie.
"She's waking up," said another sweet little child's voice.
The children saw their mother begin to stir in her, and they watched as she buried her head deeper into the pillow. Their father, too, stretched and looked at his wife dozing before leaning in for a morning kiss.
But the sight of their parents kissing elicited an immediate reaction from their children. "Ewww," the four children exclaimed in unison, causing their parents to pause in surprise.
Realizing they were no longer alone. Jace laughed heartily, glancing at his four children while Mia blushed and playfully batted him with a pillow.
"What are you doing here, little troublemakers?" their mother asked, grabbing her youngest son and sitting him on her lap.
"We wanted to give you a surprise for your birthday, mommy," her youngest son, Romy, said, looking at her with his olive green eyes shining with excitement.
"Thank you very much, Romy," her mother told him, kissing the top of his brown curls.
Romeo Lorenzo Grimaldi, or Romy, as the whole family called him, was Mia and Jace's youngest son. Romy had inherited the infamous Potter hair and Grandma Lily's olive green eyes.
"Happy birthday, mom," Percy, her eldest son, came up to kiss her on the cheek.
"Thank you very much, darling," Mia smiled at him.
Perseus Alexander Grimaldi, or Percy, was an exact copy of his father, with the same hazel eyes and blonde hair. He was the only one of their four children who had not inherited the infamous Potter hair.
"I love you, mommy," EJ came over to hug her mother.
EJ's real name was Evan James Grimaldi, and he was the second son of the Grimaldi-Borghese couple. EJ had been the first of their children to inherit the infamous Potter hair and had inherited his blue eyes from his grandmother Eloise.
"I want a hug too," Lizzie squealed happily, approaching the bed.
Sophia Elizabeth Grimaldi was the only daughter of Mia and James, an exact copy of her mother. She was her father's pride and joy and the most spoiled granddaughter of the family. Deciding on the name for her daughter had not been easy, both parents wanted to honor their mothers: Eloise, Isabelle and Lily and in the end they decided on Elizabeth because it was the closest to a combination of the three names.
"Happy birthday, princess," Jace whispered, approaching Mia to give her a kiss.
"No," Romy shouted, moving his father's face away from his mother's face. "No kiss."
Laughter erupted, except from Jace and Romy, who glared at each other. Unfortunately for Jace, all of his children were obsessed with their mother, just like him.
"Romy, buddy, let me give your mother a kiss," Jace said.
"No," Romy said, pouting as he narrowed his eyes at his father.
"Romeo Lorenzo Grimaldi, your mother was mine before you came into this world," Jace said with an arrogant smile to his youngest son.
However, Romy wasn't very happy about that. His lower lip began to tremble, tears welled up in his eyes, and he began to cry. Mia hugged him, trying to calm him down while she looked disapprovingly at her husband.
"Mia... baby, princess," Jace implored, pouting desperately, "I'm right, you know I'm right."
"Children, let's go have breakfast," Mia said, looking at her three other children. "In a few hours, the whole family will be here."
Jace was left alone in bed, pouting and feeling a touch put out. His children, however, were unfazed, trailing behind Mia as they made their way to the dining room. The last thing Jace witnessed was his youngest sticking his tongue out playfully, causing him to huff loudly.
"Where is Romy?" the voice of her husband asked her, hugging her from behind.
Mia turned around, amused by her husband's question. "Are you afraid of your five-year-old son?" she asked.
Jace pouted slightly. "He hasn't let me kiss you."
"He's still a child, Jace. All children go through that phase," Mia reassured him, caressing her husband's cheek.
"You know that's not true. Percy gives me dirty looks every time he sees me doing something to you that seems indecorous to him," Jace explained, grabbing her by the waist.
Mia grinned and gave her husband a kiss on the bridge of his nose. "And whose fault is it?"
"Mia," Jace sighed, pouting sadly, "can you give me a kiss?"
"Come here," Mia told him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Jace had taken it upon himself to emphasize to their children that their mother was the most important person in his life and that when he was away, they had to protect her from him. The problem was that his sons had taken his words so seriously that sometimes they didn't let him get close to his wife. His children were very overprotective of their mother.
"I'M HERE," Enzo's voice echoed throughout the living room.
Quickly, all of Mia and Jace's children ran out to greet their grandfather Enzo and grandmother Izzy.
"How are you, little rascals?" Enzo asked them while Isabelle hugged her grandchildren.
"Today is mom's birthday," EJ exclaimed.
"It's true," said Enzo, "where is your mother?"
"She is with dad in the kitchen," Romy said, frowning.
"What's wrong, Romy?" Isabelle asked her grandson worriedly.
Romy explained, "Romy stopped dad from kissing mom, and then dad told Romy that mom was his first, before Romy was born," Percy chimed in.
Isabelle and Enzo exchanged knowing glances, understanding how jealous and protective their grandchildren were of their daughter.
Mia and Jace entered the living room. "Dolcezza, happy birthday," Enzo said, embracing her. "Where do I leave these bags?"
"In the kitchen," Jace answered, offering to help.
"How are you, Jace?" Enzo asked as they walked to the kitchen.
"Happy birthday, baby girl," Isabelle told her daughter.
"Mom, I'm going to be thirty-one," Mia replied, rolling her eyes. "I'm not a little girl."
"Don't let your father hear you say that," Lily quipped, entering the living room.
"Hello, Mom," Mia said, approaching to hug her.
"Principessa, happy thirty-one," James exclaimed, joining the family gathering.
"Where's Harry?" Mia asked.
"I'm here," Harry exclaimed, out of breath, entering the living room. "Happy birthday, by the way."
Mia chuckled. "Why are you running?"
"Pans wants to kill me," Harry said fearfully, hiding behind his older sister.
"What have you done?" Mia asked.
"HARRY JAMES POTTER! HOW CAN YOU FORGET MY BABY AT HOME?" Pansy's voice bellowed down the hallway.
"That," Harry whispered, terrified.
"Where is my husband?" Pansy hissed furiously, holding a redheaded baby in her arms.
Harry stammered, "He...Hello, darling. Have I told you how pretty you look today?," and cowered behind Mia.
"Rookie mistake," James whispered to Lily.
"DON'T DARLING ME, HARRY JAMES POTTER!" Pansy said furiously, approaching and grabbing her husband by the ear, leading him away.
"Aunt Mia," exclaimed the two eldest children of the Potter-Parkinson couple.
James Sirius Potter was a copy of his grandfather, while Darius Leo Potter resembled his mother.
"Jamie, why did your mom come in yelling at your dad?" Mia asked her nephews.
"Dad accidentally left Amy at home when we were already in the car, and Mom had to come back to get her," Jamie explained to his godmother, while Darius greeted his grandparents.
Little by little, the Grimaldi-Borghese garden was filling up with friends and family eager to celebrate Mia's birthday. Laughter and chatter filled the air, and the atmosphere was lively with the joy of the occasion.
"Theodore Aeneas Nott, put my son on the floor!" Mia screamed as she approached her best friend, her voice filled with both amusement and exasperation.
Theo had Romy by the waist as they flew low to the ground through the garden. "But little Romy was having fun, right?" Theo asked, glancing at his nephew.
Romy, clearly enjoying the ride, clapped his hands and nodded enthusiastically. "Yes!"
Mia smiled and gently took Romy off the broom. "Romy, baby, go play with your cousins in the pool," she instructed, placing him on his feet.
Romy nodded and happily trotted off to join Lyra Malfoy, the Malfoys' youngest daughter, and Matteo Zabini, the youngest son of Blaise and Luna.
"Where is my goddaughter?" Mia asked Theo, her eyes scanning the gathering.
"Rory is over there talking to Rosie, Scorp, and Percy," Theo pointed out.
Aurora Nott was the perfect combination of her parents, with her blonde hair inherited from her mother and her violet eyes from her father.
Mia's excitement bubbled over as she observed her goddaughter talking with her eldest son. "How glad am I that in the future, we are going to be a family, Teddy" she exclaimed.
"What are you talking about?" Theo asked, a horrified expression on his face.
"I'm talking about my son Percy and my goddaughter one day getting married," Mia said, a mischievous glint in her eye.
Theo's face turned even more horrified. "Your son is not going to get close to my little princess. I'll give Balerion your son if he gets near my little girl."
Mia stood her ground, her voice firm. "You're not going to touch my son's hair, or I'll feed you to Vhagar."
Jace, who had been approaching the scene, finally arrived, and he looked at his wife and best friend inquisitively. "What's happening here?"
"Your wife is a bad shit crazy," Theo said, shaking his head. "She's playing Cupid with my little girl and your son."
"Percy is your godson too, Teddy," Jace reminded him, amused.
Theo crossed his arms and declared, "He'll stop being so if he gets close to my little girl."
Mia, undeterred, continued with her matchmaking enthusiasm. "The whole family is betting on Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley, just as my son Percy and your daughter Aurora are. Accept it, Teddy, we are going to be a family."
Theo sighed and relented, "But only because you are my best friends and Percy is my godson. And because Percy is the male version of Mia because I don't trust Jace chromosomes one bit."
"Rude, so fucking rude." Jace said with mock hurt
The family spent the entire afternoon celebrating Mia's birthday with laughter and anecdotes from her childhood. The older children were excited about going to Hogwarts, eager to create their own stories and experiences, inspired by the tales of their parents and grandparents.
Jace, Theo, and Mia had made a deliberate choice to take their children to Hogwarts, wanting them to grow up close to their cousins, uncles, and grandparents. It was a decision that had brought their families even closer together.
As the afternoon sun dipped lower in the sky, Jace, followed by their children and all their nephews, began to sing "Happy Birthday" to Mia. He presented her with a birthday cake, adorned with lit candles.
"I want to blow out the candles," Romy piped up.
Lizzie scolded him gently, "Romy, it's not your birthday; it's mom's birthday."
"But I want to blow out the candles," Romy pouted.
Mia smiled and called her youngest son over. "Baby boy, come here."
Romy approached his mother, and Mia lifted him onto her lap. "Now we can both blow out the candles," Mia told him, tickling Romy.
"Make a wish, Mom," EJ urged, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
Mia gazed around at all the people in the garden, surrounding her with love. Her parents, uncles, brother, friends, nephews, and finally her children and husband, who winked at her, amused. Everything she had ever wanted was already in front of her. She had a large and loving family, children she adored, and a husband who treated her like a queen.
"Let's blow out the candles on the count of three...1, 2, 3," Mia and Romy blew out the candles together while the whole family erupted into applause and cheers.
The rest of the afternoon was filled with joy as they all spent time in the pool, playing water polo, Quidditch, or soccer. The older children played cards, while the younger ones played hide-and-seek with their uncles and grandparents.
As the sun set, casting a warm and golden glow over the garden, Mia rested her head on her husband's shoulder while squeezing Theo's hand.
"We've made it," Mia said, sighing happily.
"We've come a long way," Theo agreed, gazing at his two friends.
"This is what I've always wanted," Jace confessed, looking out at their large, joyous family.
"There are too many of us," Theo quipped, a smile playing at his lips.
"We are very strange," Jace admitted, laughing.
"We are the best family in the world," Mia declared. "I love you all so much, you idiots."
"I'll take it as a compliment," Theo said, pretending to be hurt.
"I love you so much, Mia," Jace said, planting a kiss on her temple.
"I love you both," Theo said, enveloping them both in a dramatic hug, while Jace and Mia laughed.
The three of them continued to watch the scene before them, as their entire family enjoyed the evening. As the moon and stars emerged in the darkening sky, laughter and music filled the air, and love bound them together, until the very end.