Project Motherhood: Emilia and Rem

by Gamer95

Subaru never came to Lugunica. Instead, the ones transported to another world were Emilia, Rem, Beatrice and Puck. Shortly after arrival, they find themselves learning the story of the Boy Who Lived, and discovering he lives right next door to their gracious host. Upon realizing he is harshly treated, Emilia and Rem take it upon themselves to raise him. Co-writer: francoslama2005

4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Rem awoke slightly before the sun began to rise, then saw Emilia and Harry were asleep in the bed next to her. The events of the prior night came flying back to her, and she began to tear up slightly with a wide smile on her face.

She gently cupped the half-elf's face and stroked her cheek, and she responded by subconsciously reaching over and grabbing her hand, letting out a content hum and gently nuzzling it in her sleep with a smile. Rem laughed softly. She was so cute...

Still... She wanted Emilia to help her make a special breakfast for everyone. And she decided to give her... her lover a special wake-up call. Slowly, the oni leaned forward, and then she gently pressed her lips against the half-elf's own.

At first, Emilia had no idea. She simply chuckled in her sleep at the sudden sensation, which she very much liked. Then, she opened her eyes, which instantly widened at the sight of a red faced Rem giving her a deep kiss. That said, she wasn't about to let it all go to waste. She closed her eyes and continued the kiss, letting herself melt in the delicious taste. They stayed like that for a while, before eventually separating to get some air.

"Ah...ah..."

Rem chuckled. "Good morning...my love."

Emilia squealed as her hands covered her face. "Aaaah, I can't believe this is real!"

Rem smiled and closed her eyes, giggling softly. "Yes, it is a bit surreal, isn't it...? I certainly wasn't expecting to confess my love to you last night... But I'm very glad I did... And I'm even more glad that you reciprocated..." Both women exchanged a hug.

Then, it was time to get out of bed. They changed into their day clothes, Emilia's usual attire and Rem's maid outfit. "So um... Do we wake Harry up?" Emilia asked.

"No... I want us to work together to prepare a special breakfast for him... This is a truly momentous occasion, Emilia. Not only are we together, but we're also parents now... We need to celebrate this with a very special breakfast." Rem explained.

Emilia perked up. "Oh! Good idea! And we can tell Beatrice and Puck all about it!"

Rem laughed softly. "I get the sense Puck may not be entirely happy."

Emilia pouted. "Hmph... Well he needs to stop being so overprotective."

"He cares about you, Emilia." Rem said. "He is your father figure after all."

"I know that." Emilia answered. "But...he can be so overbearing sometimes. Like he doesn't give me any freedom whatsoever."

"I can understand that much. Roswaal rarely let us out of the mansion, though that was mostly because he didn't want anything to happen to us."

"Yeah...speaking of caring..." Emilia said, looking at Harry. "I'm sure he'll be scared when he realizes we aren't around. What do we do?"

Rem tilted her head to the side. "Hmm..." She approached the sleeping boy slowly, then leaned down and kissed his forehead before giving him a gentle nudge. Harry jolted and looked around wildly, sitting up.

"M-M'sorry, I'll get to work, I'll-" Rem cut him off by pulling him into a gentle embrace and stroking the back of his head, softly shushing him.

"It's okay, Harry, it's just mama..." She said soothingly. "Mommy and I are going to go and make breakfast... We just wanted to let you know so you're not scared if you wake up and we're not in the room..." She gently laid the boy back down. "Try and get some more sleep... One of us will come and get you when it's time to eat." She kissed his cheek.

"Oh... M'kay... Love you mama... Mommy..." Harry mumbled before closing his eyes again.

The two girls observed him for a minute, processing what he said.

"So...we really are..."

"We're parents...we're really parents..."

Emilia couldn't take it. She walked around the bed and embraced Rem in a tight hug. "I can't believe it. I always thought I was going to be a parent with a man...a king...but you're way better."

Rem blushed at the sweet praise, and returned the hug. "I'm glad you think so, Emilia."

Emilia let out a soft squee and gently nuzzled Rem's face. "I'm soooo happy you love me back, Rem, seriously..." The oni returned the gesture with a small bashful smile.

"I feel the same, Emilia..." She gave her a quick peck on the lips and the half-elf squeaked slightly before giggling. "Now come on. Let's go and make breakfast."

"Okay!" Emilia saluted, and happily followed along behind her girlfriend with a delighted giggle. When they made it downstairs, Emilia looked around with a tilted head. "So, what do you wanna cook today, Rem?"

"Well, first let's see what's in the pantry." Rem replied. "Hmm... This mixture looks promising... Pancake... mix...?"

"Pancake mix? That sounds good!" Emilia chirped, looking at the label. "...Hey, did they charm this stuff to be in our reading language?"

"Thankfully so. It comes with instructions. I'm unfamiliar with this recipe, so we'll have to follow it to the letter..." She looked over at the fridge. "Hmm..." She pulled it open. Some eggs would do nicely as well... And some bacon too perhaps. And there was also a bag of what appeared to be tatoes, chopped up into smaller chunks. ".Hash browns..." She read aloud.

"Ooh, those look crispy." Emilia said, before putting a finger on her chin. "Tatoes seem more like a lunch food, though."

"No one says they can't be for breakfast too." Rem responded. "And these "hash browns" seem easy on the stomach, too."

"Hmmm...a buffet consisting of...pancakes, bacon, and hash browns...easy on the stomach, but still filling enough for breakfast."

"Seems good enough."

Emilia nodded. "Yeah. Let's do it. Ooh, I can't wait to taste more new food!" She said, clapping in excitement.

Rem laughed softly. "Indeed. I just need to properly read over these instructions, we wouldn't want to botch anything..." Emilia looked over the pancake mix and frowned as she read the instructions. "Oh... Um... The oven... It's that... thing with the flat top, right? Um... And then... the pre-heat... Um... Oh my goodness this place is strange..."

Rem looked over with a tilted head. "Oh? Here, let me show you how it works." She took the package of pancake mix, read the instructions for all of ten seconds, and then promptly gathered the required utensils before expertly setting to work.

"...How do you already understand exactly how this thing works? It's so... confusing and metal!" Emilia exclaimed.

"A great maid can work with anything she's given." Rem replied simply as she effortlessly poured in the required amount of batter into the pan. "Emilia, would you crack some eggs into the pan in front of you? I'd say two for each person is the ideal way, so ten will do the trick."

"Okay!" Emilia nodded. Using all Rem had taught her, she easily cracked the required amount of eggs and stood back as she waited for them to cook properly.

"Well done, you've learned well." Rem said with a smile. Emilia beamed with pride.

"Alright. Now for the next step..." Rem stopped to take out the pancake and place it on the plate, before placing more batter. "...you should work with bacon."

"Okay." Emilia nodded enthusiastically. She placed the large chunk on the chopping board, taking out a knife.

"Now remember, you need to cut them into thin, but not TOO thin, almost transparent strips. If they're too thick, they'll be hard to chew on, and if they're too thin, all you'll get is a fried feather." Emilia listened intently, following the maid's instructions closely. She sliced the bacon into strips, just how Rem told her to, and ended up with twenty strips in total. "Two for each. Perfectly balanced. You're doing great!"

Emilia let out a soft squee and clapped her hands together excitedly. "I had a great teacher!" She said happily, causing Rem to let out a soft giggle as she continued her share of the work. The rest of their cooking went on like this, with Emilia expertly following Rem's instructions, until finally, every inhabitant of the house had a plate of food, with the cat dishes being filled as well.

Rem let out a content sigh and nodded her head. "Excellent work, Emilia. You're a very fast learner." She praised the half-elf, who was glowing at this point.

"Thank you, Rem!" She chirped. "Now, it's time to wake up Harry!"

"Yes. But first..." Rem grabbed Emilia's chin and pulled her into another kiss. Emilia blinked, but giggled into the kiss and closed her eyes, allowing herself to sink deeper into it.

The two of them didn't hear the footsteps coming into the kitchen, and so didn't notice when a sleepy Beatrice walked in with Puck on her shoulder, the latter cleaning himself with his paws. "I smell cooking, I supp-" Beatrice froze at the sight of Emilia and Rem passionately making out before her.

Puck noticed it too, and he stiffened up, fur standing on end. "No... NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He yelled as he flew off of Beatrice's shoulder and directly at Rem at full speed. His sudden shout prompted Emilia and Rem to break their kiss just in time for Puck to fly at Rem's face and deliver a series of fast and rapid punches.

Which might have been a problem if it weren't for the fact that he was doing so with his squishy little cat paws, which only left Rem standing in place, blinking as she watched the great spirit pounding at her face with his paws with comical tears streaming down his face.

"No! No! NOOOOOOOO!" He wept, completely undignified and not caring the least bit. "She was so innocent! You ruined her! You ruined my precious little baby!"

Rem simply stared blankly. 'THIS is the supposedly strongest spirit in the world?' She thought.

"Puck, what do you think you're doing?!" Emilia said, hands on her sides.

"Ah, Lia!" He said, flying over to her and inspecting her. "Are you okay? Did she do anything? Did she touch you somewhere? Do you feel warm? Did you do the deed? Tell me you're okay Lia!"

Emilia sighed and closed her eyes before she grabbed Puck by the cheeks and began to pull on them. "That's quite enough out of you, Puck. Rem and I confessed last night that we're in love with each other. She helped me recognize these feelings. I felt them for a long time, and you told me that I was just tired or hungry or something else like that! Well now I know that all this time I've been in love with Rem! Why didn't you teach me about love, Puck? Why don't you want me to fall in love?"

"Cush I dowant oo ta gwop oop!" Puck whined, his voice muffled by Emilia pulling on his cheeks. "I wammted oo to sty incent frever!"

"Puck, you know you have to let me grow up at some point, right? I need to have life experiences like this. I can't be sheltered forever. You lied to me about where babies come from, and you lied to me when I was in love with Rem, and I'm suspecting you've probably lied about a bunch of other things too. But Puck. I LOVE Rem. And I WILL be showing that love every single day, whether you like it or not. So. To answer your questions. I was the one to initiate our first kiss last night. She kissed me awake this morning and it was the best wake-up call I've ever had. She uh... might have touched my butt a little just now..." Rem tensed up and blushed. She hadn't even realized it! "I feel VERY warm and VERY happy. And um... no, we didn't do... that thing she told me about. But... I'd like to... someday..." She admitted shyly.

After receiving this info, Puck then reacted the same way any other sensible father would. That is to say, he went limp as a ragdoll. "Ah! Puck!" Emilia gasped, adjusting him in her hand. "Puck! Are you okay? Wake up!"

Rem sweatdropped with a shaky smile. "I, uh...think he fainted."

"Huh? But why?" Emilia asked. "Was it something I said?" Rem shrugged.

Suddenly, a flash of fur leapt up in front of her, causing her to yelp in surprise, and when she looked back at her palm, Puck was nowhere to be seen. She looked over to see that once again, Tabitha was holding him by the scruff of his neck. She padded over to the corner of the room, laid down with him and began to lick him, as became her usual routine. Emilia sighed and closed her eyes. "Well... He had to learn it eventually, and he needs to understand that he needs to let me grow up and mature." She said firmly. Rem smiled at the half-elf and nodded her head in agreement.

"Yes, you're absolutely right, Emilia. He coddles you way too much, you need more life experience to truly make it in this world. You've done very well all things considered, but there's still so much more for you to understand-"

"Ahem! Don't act as though I'm not here, I suppose!" Both women blinked when they realized Beatrice had seen it too.

"Ah, right!" Emilia exclaimed. "Sorry. We didn't mean to ignore you."

"Hmph! Just try not to do it again, I suppose." She said, flicking her nose up, and walking over to the table, sitting down, and looking at them expectantly. "Well? What are you waiting for, in fact? Bring the food out!"

The two girls blinked. "Uuuh...you're not...gonna say anything?" Emilia asked.

"About what?"

"About...you know..." Rem gestured between herself and Emilia. "Us?"

"I don't see why I should, I suppose. It's not my problem."

"But...aren't you surprised?" Rem asked.

"Oh, please. I noticed the signs from the moment you returned from that grocery trip. You were so obvious it was hilarious how you didn't notice it sooner."

Both girls turned red at that. They exchanged a glance. Were they really so obvious that everyone noticed... EXCEPT for them? Rem knew that her sister was aware of her feelings for Emilia, she had given 'subtle hints' in the past, but Beatrice too?! Rem shook her head. "Yes, well... Harry... also called us his mothers last night for the first time." Beatrice perked up slightly, an eyebrow raised, but didn't have much of a reaction beyond that.

"Well, it was inevitable, I suppose. Mother did tell me that you were his mothers in this timeline, in fact."

Emilia blinked, then smiled widely. "Heeeeey..."

"...Why are you looking at me like that?" Beatrice asked.

"If we're Harry's parents, and you're his big sister... Then that means you're also our daughter, and you have to treat us with respect!" Emilia declared triumphantly, one hand on her hip as the other pointed at the little spirit, who just stared at her with a flat expression on her face.

"...Believe what you must, I suppose. I've no intention of playing into such a ridiculous delusion. I know who my mother is, and it most certainly isn't either of you. Need I remind you I'm several centuries your senior, I suppose? Respect your elders, in fact!"

"Awww, come on!" Emilia said. "Wouldn't you like to have parents out in the real world just like you do in the dreams?And besides, people will definitely see you as our daughter if they see me and Rem with you and Harry."

"I could care less what those idiots on the street think, in fact! Echidna is my mother, and that's final!"

"I'm sure Echidna would want you to have someone you could call a parental figure when you're not in the dream world. She'd probably tell you to relax and enjoy your life a little. Wouldn't it be okay to at least play along and see if you like it after a while?" Beatrice went to answer that, but stopped. That...actually did sound like something Mother would say. Or at least, THIS more considerate version of Mother. Would...would it really be okay?

Beatrice pouted and crossed her arms, looking away. "It's weird, I suppose!" She declared. "I've never seen you two as parental figures, you've been acquaintances! I can't just suddenly believe you're my mothers!"

Rem looked at Emilia. "Now, Emilia, we mustn't push her, I can understand why she wouldn't see us in that light. I'd imagine she's... Harry's half-sister to us. She has her own mother, separate from you and I, yet she's still Harry's elder sister. Therefore... I do believe that makes us... her aunts."

Emilia perked up. "Oh! Okay! I can work with that! Beatrice, I want you to call me Auntie Lia from now on!"

"No."

Rem shook her head in bemusement at Emilia's crestfallen expression. "Perhaps it's best we simply leave this be, dear. Now, why don't you go and wake up Harry while I serve everyone their breakfast? And... attempt to get Puck back from Tabitha..." She gave the cat an annoyed look, which she responded to by looking at her and holding Puck closer in her forelegs.

The two met eyes, and electricity flashed between their gazes. Tabitha hissed, holding Puck even closer to her. Rem's eye twitched, small arcs of lightning flashing around her forehead, a small spike slowly forming. Beatrice and Emilia looked at the two, Emilia with a slightly nervous face, and Beatrice with caution. "Uuh...I'm gonna... go get Harry now." She quickly said, before zooming out of the room, leaving Beatrice alone with two beasts. The spirit just gained a blank face.

"Why do I always get stuck with the problematic ones, in fact?

Back upstairs, Emilia slowly opened the door to see Harry was still fast asleep, innocently sucking his thumb as he slumbered. "Awwww..." She cooed at the sight, smiling warmly. "He looks like an angel..." She didn't even want to wake him anymore, but she knew she had to, so she sighed and begrudgingly knelt down and scooped him out of the bed into her arms, giving him a squeeze. "Harry... It's time to wake up for breakfast, sweetie..." She murmured, jostling him lightly.

"Hmm...?" Harry groaned softly, looking around in confusion at the room before rubbing at his eyes with a quiet whine. "Mmm... G'morning, mommy..." He mumbled softly, leaning his head against her shoulder. Emilia giggled and patted his back gently.

"Good morning, dear, did you sleep good?" She felt him nodding against the crook of her neck. "Good... Are you hungry? Rem and I made a yummy breakfast to celebrate you calling us your mommies!"

"Oh...that...wasn't a dream?" He asked. "You're...really my mommies?"

Emilia nodded. "Mhm! We're officially your parents now."

Harry looked up at Emilia in silence. Then, he jumped up and latched around Emilia's neck. "Mommy! I have mommies!" He exclaimed, feeling like he's about to cry.

"Oh!" Emilia gasped slightly caught off guard by Harry's sudden hug. She then smiled and returned the embrace with equal affection. "Yeah. We're your mommies now..." She still couldn't believe it. Her, a parent! And with a wife instead of a husband to boot! This was way different than what she was taught. And yet, Emilia still found herself liking this way more than the typical version.

She couldn't really imagine herself married to anyone other than Rem... She felt something... so special about the Oni, something that she couldn't describe... Add little Harry to the mix, and she was just so... overwhelmingly happy. ...Hmm... Rem wasn't technically her wife right now... They needed to have a wedding. But... They didn't really have many people to invite to one...

'Maybe it can be a small wedding? Just us, and our little family. We can invite Dumbledore and his friends too, as well as Ms. Figg.' A smile appeared on Emilia's face. "Yeah...I think I would like that."

"Huh?" Harry looked up at Emilia. "Did...did you say something, mommy?"

"Hm? Oh, no. Just me talking to myself. Nothing special sweetie." She adjusted him in her arms. "C'mon. Mama is waiting us downstairs with the food."

"Okay mommy." Harry said with a small smile, cuddling up to Emilia as she softly stroked his hair with a smile.

"You're so cuddly..." She cooed, kissing the top of his head. "I'm so, SO glad we got you out of that awful place, you deserve SO much better than what you had to deal with over there, poor thing..." Harry looked up at her.

"Th-Thank you... mommy..." It was clear he was still getting used to being able to call her that. "I...I'm happy now... I think... I dunno... I'm still kinda scared, but... I...I feel a bit... less scared... kinda..."

Emilia giggled. "I'm glad you feel that way. Everything is gonna be okay from now on! No more yelling, no more fighting and no more hurting!"

"LET HIM GO ALREADY! YOU'RE A COMMON HOUSE CAT! HOW ARE YOU THIS STRONG?!"

MROOOOOOWW!"

Emilia blinked when she set foot into the kitchen to find Rem and Tabitha were in the middle of a tug of war, with Puck acting as the rope, the great spirit still limp and defeated from Emilia's earlier revelation, his tiny feline body stretching out as both maid and cat yanked as hard as they could, all while Pumpkin stood between them, periodically batting at the limp Puck, and Beatrice was on the floor laughing and clutching at her sides at how ridiculous the whole scene was.

"Ummm..." Emilia began, but her words died in her throat when the chaos just got louder. Beatrice continued to roll on the floor in laughter, even coughing a few times for losing her breath, before resuming her cackling. The tug of war seemed to have only gotten more painful for poor Puck (who was thankfully still out cold so he couldn't feel any of it). Eventually, it did end. It ended by Tabitha having enough and letting Puck go, causing him to slam into Rem's face, making her stumble backwards and plant her head into the sink.

Rem stood still for several seconds, submerged in water from her head to her shoulders, before she finally pulled herself out of the sink, soaked to the bone, her eye twitching in pure annoyance. "...I hate that cat." She declared as Tabitha smugly laid down with Puck and continued grooming him.

Emilia rushed to Rem's side and carefully set to drying her off with a towel. "Oh, Rem, are you okay?" She asked, concerned.

"Yes, my pride is the only thing that was harmed..." Rem sighed, her expression softening when she saw her son was awake. "Good morning, Harry. Did you sleep well?"

"Hi mama." Harry reached out for Rem with his tiny hands, and Emilia handed him over with a smile. Rem took him into her embrace and gave him a gentle squeeze, smiling softly before pressing her lips against his forehead.

"Ah... Now why can't YOU be as sweet and loving as Harry?" Rem asked Tabitha pointedly. The cat simply looked at her with what she just KNEW was a glare despite the limited capacity for facial expressions cats had.

Harry clutched at Rem's apron. "Tabitha's not trying to be mean. She just wants to be a good mommy to Mr. Puck. Like how you and mommy have been good mommies to me." He said innocently.

"I know." Rem sighed out. "But Puck still needs to be around Emilia. He's her spirit, so he needs to be by her side." As if she knew what Rem just said, Tabitha hissed towards Emilia as well, before taking Puck and running out of the room, back into her basket. Emilia blinked.

"And what the heck did I do?!"

"She probably sees you as a danger to Puck." Rem shook her head. "Cats are such good mothers. Part of what makes this one so bothersome."

Emilia's cheeks puffed out as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I am NOT a danger to Puck! I just need a little bit of space every now and then, that's all." She said with a pout. Pumpkin sat down at her feet and meowed up at her and she smiled and picked him up. "Aww, you're not a little troublemaker, are you, Pumpkin? You're a sweet little kitty." She cooed. Pumpkin mewled and playfully batted at her nose with his paws, causing her to giggle. "You kitties need your breakfast too, let me fill your bowls up!" Emilia chirped, making her way to do so.

Beatrice had finally managed to calm down. Rem sighed. To the little spirit's credit, she HAD been making an effort to call Tabitha over to her, it's just that she was struggling to do so between the unstoppable laughter. The little spirit rose to her feet. "Well then. This has been an eventful morning, and we've yet to even eat our breakfast yet."

Rem smiled. "Ah. Yes. I made something special for breakfast, Harry. It's to celebrate the fact that... well... Emilia and I are your mothers now..."

"Thank you mama!" Harry tilted his head. "Um... But... If you're my mommies, does that mean you're married like Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon...?"

"H-huh?" Rem perked up, confused and flustered. "Married? Already?"

"No, not yet, Harry." Emilia said, chuckling. "We haven't had a real wedding just yet. We need to date a little first, before we start thinking about that."

"Oh...so..." Harry asked. "You're my mamas...but...you're not married..."

"Yeah, it does get a bit confusing, hehe." Emilia rubbed her head sheepishly.

"But rest assured, we're still your mothers, Harry." Rem said, putting a hand on Emilia's shoulder. "Even if we never get married, though not to say we won't, we'll still be your parents, regardless."

Harry smiled and cuddled in close to her neck. She laughed softly and gently patted his back. "Now then... We really do need to go and eat breakfast... We wouldn't want it to get cold now, would we?"

"Oh, right. Um... But Puck..." Emilia looked over at Tabitha, who narrowed her eyes into slits as she held Puck protectively.

"Tabitha." Beatrice called out, prompting the cat to immediately hop to her paws and rush over to her. Beatrice extended her arms and caught Tabitha as she leapt up to her, smiling and gently scritching under the tabby's chin as she purred.

"...How are you so GOOD at that?!" Rem exclaimed. Beatrice stuck her nose up in a smug manner.

"Well, I'm just naturally gifted with cats, I suppose." She said.

"Well, that means Puck is free now..." Emilia went and scooped up her father in one hand, trying to wake him by poking and prodding at him. "Puck? Puck, come on, time to wake up now... Puuuuck..."

Puck groaned out weakly, his head lifting up slowly as he came to.

"Whah? Ow...why does my back feel like a rubber band that was stretched to it's limit?" Rem winced. Maybe she should've been more careful with how she was handling Puck. Even with his existence as a great spirit, she imagines it must still be painful to be pulled like that.

"That, uh...that was me..." She spoke up. "I got into a tug of war with Tabitha, and pulled on you too hard."

"Huh?" Puck said, still groggy, before his eyes landed on Rem. Suddenly, he remembered what happened earlier...

"Uuuuuggh..."

...and promptly fainted again.

Emilia gave him a flat look, walked over to the sink full of water, and casually dropped him inside of it, waking him instantly and causing him to fly right back out, coughing, sputtering and spitting. "Heeeey, what the heck, Lia?! What'd you do that for?!"

"Cause you're being a drama queen, Puck! Me and Rem are in love and I'm happy and that should be okay with you! You want me to be happy, right? Well I'm VERY happy that me and Rem are together, I've loved her for a reeeeeally long time and I didn't even know it cause you kept trying to convince me I was just hungry or sick or something else stupid like that!" She crossed her arms over her breasts. "You kept so many secrets from me because you didn't want me to grow up, but I'm a woman now, I'm not a little girl. You HAVE to let me grow up, Puck. I NEED to learn and understand all the things you kept trying to keep me sheltered from. I'm not a little girl anymore, and it's time to stop treating me like one."

"I...but...but I...ah..." Puck struggled to get any kind of word out, unable to come up with anything to counter Emilia's arguments. Realising he had no way of winning, he slumped, his ears falling down. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Eh?" Emilia tilted her head.

"I'm sorry. It's just that...I'm your father figure, Emilia. And just like every other father, it hurts to see their kid grow up and develop. They, just like me, want their kid to be a kid forever. I guess I just...have a hard time accepting your development because I want my little Lia back."

Emilia took a deep breath and smiled softly. "That's never gonna happen!" She declared happily. Puck winced at that. "I'm happy you care so much, Puck, but it's time for little Lia to be big Emilia! I'm ready to grow and mature, and I hope you'll be there to support me every step of the way!"

Puck chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "You got it, Lia."

"Good! Now, first say you're sorry to your new daughter in law for hitting her."

Puck turned to Rem with a small smirk. "Sorry for wailing on ya back there, Rem. Hope I didn't mess you up too bad." He said with a wink.

"Oh, I'm sure I'll live." Rem replied with a small sigh and a light smile.

"And now... Meet your new grandson!" Emilia gestured to Harry.

Puck's ears perked up at that. Of course! He forgot the most important part of it all. He flew up to Harry, before landing into his arms and nuzzling into his chest. "Hi Harry! I'm your new grandpa!"

Harry got confused at that. "Grandpa? But...Mr. Puck is a kitty...how are you my grandpa?"

"Puck is basically like my father." Emilia said. "He's been by my side ever since I grew up, and he's been taking care of me like a parent. So, since he's my father, that makes him your grandfather!"

Harry processed this for a moment, before hugging Puck close with a smile. "Hi, grandpa Puck!"

"Heya there, grandson! Lia, you're gonna have to get me a little rocking chair and a cane and a big fake bushy beard so I can properly look the part." Puck said, looking over at Emilia from his spot in Harry's arms.

"Wait, what does that make Tabitha...? Is she my great grandma now...?" Harry asked, confused.

"No. Cause she's not my mom!" Puck huffed, sticking his nose up.

"Aww, don't say that, Bubby, you'll hurt Tabitha's feelings!" Beatrice cried out, hugging Tabitha protectively.

Emilia blinked. "Wait, if Tabitha thinks Puck is her baby, and I'm Puck's daughter, then does that mean she's my grandma...?"

"Dear, you're thinking much too deeply about this, Tabitha is just being difficult." Rem sighed, squeezing Emilia's hand. "Besides, I'm almost certain most cats consider themselves the parent."

"Huh...so she would see me as her kitten?"

Rem sweatdropped. "Again, too deeply."

"Ah...right. I guess you're right. Hehe." Emilia rubbed her head sheepishly.

Beatrice huffed. "Can we please get to the eating portion of the morning? I'm starving, I suppose!"

"Right. Almost forgot." Rem nodded. She went back to setting up everything for breakfast, while Emilia took Harry into her lap, and sitting him down with her. Rem soon placed several plates on the table, before setting down the pancakes she made from the mix.

She'd found a small package of chocolate chips inside the bag, and had decided she'd sprinkle them in as well, Emilia perked up when she saw them. "Oooh, little bits of chocolate melted into the pancakes!" She said excitedly, clapping her hands.

"Yes, I know you love your sweets, dear. As do you two." She nodded to Beatrice and Puck. "And I'm sure you'll love it as well, Harry." The maid reached over and gave the boy an affectionate head rub. "Now eat up. Wouldn't want it to get cold now, would we?"

Beatrice was excitedly bouncing in her seat as she was given her dish of food. "Thank you, I suppose!" She said excitedly before digging in. Emilia smiled gratefully at Rem, then speared some of Harry's pre-cut food onto his fork. "Okay, Harry, open wide!" Harry obediently did so, and she gently fed him the portion of pancake. He chewed, then swallowed, clearly pleased with the taste, and Emilia giggled. "Good, huh?" He nodded eagerly. "Good! I helped Mama cook today, so I hope you enjoy it! Now, that's one for you..." She took some of her own breakfast. "And some for me!" She put it in her mouth, chewed and swallowed.

She went on like this the rest of the meal. One forkful of food for Harry, and then one for her, so on and so forth, until breakfast was finished.

"Man, that was swiftly done, eh?" Puck said, patting his belly. He had helped himself with some of the pancakes, having enjoyed every bite. Rem's cooking was just that good.

"Yes." Rem nodded. "Just goes to show how my skills haven't dulled. Emilia helped out too, so the food turned out even better." She spoke as she collected the plates and went to wash them.

"Correct in fact." Beatrice said. "By my approximation, it would take you growing older than 80 for your cooking to worsen."

"Aww, I appreciate the compliment, Beatrice." Rem giggled in amusement.

Beatrice looked away with a soft huff and a light blush, clearly shy about handing out compliments to people. She was used to being standoffish, so treating others with kindness was very new to her, but it was what mother wanted her to do.

"Oh... Beatrice, have you had any more dreams about your mother?" Emilia asked with a tilted head. Beatrice blinked, then closed her eyes with a soft smile.

"Well... Yes... Just last night, I suppose..." She said softly before grimacing. "It was rather awkward to start with, it seemed she summoned me accidentally while she was very passionately kissing the witch of wrath and they didn't notice I was there for ten minutes even though I tried everything possible to get their attention."

Rem and Emilia blinked at that, their faces turning slightly red. "U-um...how...passionately?" Emilia asked.

Beatrice raised a brow but answered nonetheless. "There was...a lot of noise, I suppose-"

"Let's not talk about that in front of Harry, please." Rem interrupted her.

"Oh, right. Sorry. Just uh...curious...yeah..." Emilia said, rubbing her head sheepishly. She definitely didn't want any pointers for Rem.

Beatrice sighed. "But we did have a nice visit after they realized I was there, even if they were appropriately horrified that I'd been standing there watching them I suppose..." She smiled softly. "We had some tea, and some cookies, and they told me more stories of how they came to be..."

"Aww, I'm so glad you get to see your mother again, Beatrice, you've been so much happier these past couple days!" Emilia said with a bright smile.

"Yes... I... feel as though I've gotten the closure I needed... And I'm reassured that mother still cares greatly for me... Even if... she herself didn't realize it at the time..."
Beatrice closed her eyes. "What she did hurt me, but... she wishes to make amends and be my mother once more... And... I wish to give her that chance..."

"You're not that different from me and Emilia then." Rem remarked.

"Ah, yes. You two hated each other for a while."

"Yes. And just like I was willing to give Emilia a chance to prove that she's a good person, you are willing to give Echidna a chance to prove that she can be a good mother."

"Indeed." Beatrice nodded. "Although, she could have chosen a less...overbearing partner. That Witch of Wrath nearly broke my spine when she hugged me when we met in the dream."

"Umm..." Harry began. "Why did mama and mommy hate each other? I thought they loved each other."

Emilia and Rem exchanged a glance and smiled at him. "Well, you see, Harry, no one loves each other as soon as they first meet. I... was a naive child when I first met your mommy, and I harshly judged her just by the way she looked..."

Harry blinked at that. "But... But why? Mommy's so pretty! She has pretty white hair and pretty purple eyes!" He asked innocently with a small pout. Rem giggled into her hand as Emilia let out a soft squee of delight and kissed her son on the top of the head.

"Yes, Emilia is beautiful, that's for certain, but she also... looks a lot like someone else I know. Someone very, VERY bad that has caused a lot of pain to not just me, but just about everyone I've ever met... And I judged her for looking like this person."

"Oh. But... she's not that person. She's mommy... So... she's good... right...?" Harry asked softly. Rem nodded her head.

"Yes. You're absolutely right, sweetie... I learned that I was wrong when she continued to show me kindness no matter how cruel or harsh I was towards her..."

"And I NEVER hated Rem." Emilia piped up. "Not even ONCE. I wanted to be her friend so bad, and I just kept trying until I finally managed to make friends with her. And in the end... friendship became love!"

"Oh...I'm happy." Harry said. "I...don't want mama and mommy to hate each other. I don't want you to fight..."

"We will NEVER do that, Harry." Rem said. "There's nothing I could ever find about Emilia that would start a fight. She's too sweet to have something like that."

"Awww, thank you sweetie."

"And she'd verbally chew me out. I wouldn't stand a chance."

"Wha-hey!" Emilia exclaimed. "Come on, you know that's not true."

Rem gave her a flat look. "Emilia, you literally chewed out Lady Krusch over her treatment of her soldiers and made her a better army general that her army actually LIKES now."

Emilia looked away and twirled a lock of hair around her finger. "Was... Was that really because of me...? I kinda thought she decided to make that change all on her own and it was just a big coincidence..." Rem sighed softly and gave her a smile.

"You really have a way with words, Emilia... You won me over, you talked Lady Crush out of being difficult, and you seem to know just what to say to console Harry when he needs it most." Rem said softly. "You'd have been a fine ruler..."

"Ruler...?" Harry asked.

"Oh... Um... Well... I was in the running to be... in charge of a kingdom..." Emilia explained to the boy.

"Ooooh. Like a queen?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, like a queen." Emilia nodded.

"So, would you have a shiny crown?"

"Yep! Reeeeaaally big, shiny crown with lots of gems."

"And a big chair?"

"Uhuh! The throne. Oh, I always loved sitting on it. It was sooooo comfyyyyy."

"And...does...does that make mama...a king? But...I thought only boys can be kings."

Rem laughed into her hand. "Truthfully, it's hard to say if we would actually be together if we were still in our world... It feels like... you were the one that brought us together, Harry." Harry's eyes widened at that as he looked at his mother.

"M-Me...? I made you and mommy love each other...? But... But how...? I... I just... was there..." Harry murmured softly.

"Yes. And that's all you needed to do." Rem replied gently. "You're someone that both of us love dearly, Harry... Someone that we both want to take care of and protect and nurture." She leaned over to cup his cheek in her hand. "Both Emilia and I felt the need to care for you as soon as we first met you. Our feelings for one another had been slowly growing over a few years... And because we both wished to care for you... we wound up confessing those feelings. At least... I'm certain that has something to do with it."

"It certainly does make up a large part of it." Emilia nodded.

"So...you...already loved each other, and...I helped you co...conn..."

"Connect. Yes." Rem said. "Without you, I think it would have taken us much longer to fully accept and come out with our feelings. Your light in our life is what spurred our love on."

She closed her eyes and giggled softly. "We're very lucky to have you in our life, Harry... It's as though we were always meant to be a family..." Harry's eyes widened at the realization. Two mommies... a big sister... a grandpa kitty... He... He had a family... A REAL family...

A family that treated him nice, and cared about him, and loved him... A family that didn't want to hurt and abuse and torment him... A family that took care of him and made sure he was feeling okay... He... was properly a part of a family now!

Emilia caught on to his demeanour, and she smiled softly. "Uh-oh... I think everything is hitting him..." She said softly, giving him a squeeze. "It's okay, sweetie... Just take your time to process it all, I know you're dealing with some big changes in your life..."

Harry just whimpered. But it wasn't out of fear or sadness. No, it was joy. He was happy. He was really, really happy right now.

And how could he not be? He had a family! Not one that abused him. Not one that broke him over every little wrong thing. Not one that always yelled at him.

A real family.

That actually loved him!

"Oh, dear, something's wrong. Harry, please don't cry, whatever it is, we're here. Don't worry."

Emilia looked at Rem with a smile and shook her head. "It's okay, Rem... Harry's crying because he's happy." She explained softly. Rem blinked at that, but then realized Emilia was right when she saw the light in the boy's eyes that hadn't been there the last time he broke down.

Slowly, the maid rose to her feet, as the half-elf did the same, and the two approached each other. And then, they both pulled each other, and by extension, Harry, into a tight, warm embrace. Their goal was to ensure that Harry knew they were both right there for him, to keep him safe, warm and loved.

Harry felt himself snuggle in between his two mothers. Their warmth surrounded him, and he began to relax. "There. All better, isn't it?" Emilia said, smiling gently.

"Mmm...yeah..." The three stayed like that for a short while, enjoying each other's warmth. They loved moments like this. Moments where they just relaxed and hugged each other. Emilia was always fond of hugs. Every time she was hugged or gave a hug, she would gain an inexplicable feeling of immense joy. And since it's with her new family? That joy was that much more potent.

Beatrice let out a light huff. "Well are you just going to leave me out, I suppose?! I AM his elder sister, aren't I?" She demanded. Emilia giggled softly.

"Aww, Beatrice is a little fussy." She cooed. "C'mon over!"

"Hmph! Don't patronize me, I suppose..." Beatrice grumbled with her arms crossed. Nevertheless, she walked over and reached up. "I must regretably admit that I am too small, and I need to be lifted..." She grumped. Rem sighed and lifted the little spirit up with one free arm so she could join the group hug.

"Well don't leave me out of this!" Puck exclaimed as he flew over onto Harry's shoulder to nuzzle his face.

"This is getting a bit tight." Rem said with a sweatdrop. "My arms are a bit heavy."

"I don't mind." Emilia said, before moving her arms under Rem's to hold them up. "There. I'll help you."

Rem chuckled. "Thanks, love." She planted a kiss on Emilia's cheek, causing the half-elf to blush.

"Oh, you..."

"Can you two not flirt while holding two children and a cat in your arms, I suppose? If you drop us, I'm freezing you solid, in fact."

"NO!" Emilia squeaked out.

"Uh... Beatrice, freezing's kiiiind of a sore spot for Lia, soooo if you could NOT make threats like that..." Puck chuckled awkwardly.

"Mommy?" Harry asked, concerned.

"It's all right, dear, I won't let her do that to you." Rem assured Emilia before frowning at Beatrice. "Honestly, you should know better, don't you know about her history?"

"Hmm? No one told me she's had experience with freezing solid, I suppose."

"PLEEEEEASE stop saying it..." Emilia said, shaking slightly. "I don't wanna get trapped again and wake up and find everything gone..."

"Um...did big sister put mommy in the fridge?"

Rem blinked, before chuckling in mirth. "No. It's just that Emilia once got frozen in ice for a very long time."

Emilia pouted. "I grew up in an ice cube."

"Oh..." Harry said simply. He didn't understand how mommy got frozen, and he doesn't understand how she grew up inside the ice... But she's okay now. That alone was enough for him.

Beatrice looked down in slight regret. "I...apologize then. I didn't know, I suppose."

Emilia looked away and closed her eyes. "I...I woke up so many years later, and...everyone I knew was just... not there anymore, and... it hurts to think about it, and I never want to be trapped in ice again, ever..." She whispered softly.

"I see... Very well then... I'll simply settle for blowing a gust of wind powerful enough to make your hair messy, I suppose."

"What?! No, don't do that either, it takes me a reeeeally long time to get it looking good every morning!"

"No kidding..." Rem sweatdropped. She still remembers that one morning when she had to help Emilia untangle her MASSIVE mess of a...she doubted she could call it anything at all, much less a haircut.

Beatrice tilted her head. "How? I'm pretty sure pulling your hair straight into a cascade isn't that hard, I suppose."

"As if!" Emilia exclaimed. "It hurts so much! Every end has to be perfectly straight, not a single strand must have a swirl or twist, and don't even get me started on the loose hairs that fall out." She winced. "Ouuuuu, I hate cleaning hair out of the carpet."

"Perhaps you don't understand because you never truly bother with your hair, Beatrice." Rem said. "You pretty much have the same hairstyle as always. Without change."

Beatrice huffed. "And do you think my hair is easy to maintain, I suppose? It's extremely difficult to get it curling just right, in fact! You're the one who has the easiest hair to maintain, maid, your hair is short!"

"Hmm... I suppose that's fair." Rem relented.

"Um... I can help with your hair... Aunt Petunia made me brush her hair all the time when she had to go someplace and she didn't ever tell me I did a bad job..." Harry murmured.

"Awww, that's so sweet of you to offer, sweetie!" Emilia cooed. She wanted to say no to spare him unnecessarry labor, but the thought of her son innocently brushing her hair for her was just too cute!

"Well, I guess it's not as though it's hard, grueling work..." Rem mused.

"Thank you, Harry, but I'm afraid my hairstyle is very particular, I suppose." Beatrice spoke up. "It's very difficult to get it just right."

"I-I can try..." Harry said, but Beatrice interrupted him.

"Nay, little brother. You should work on your mother's hairstyles first. Mine shall come later when you're older and more skilled, I suppose." She gently patted his head. "For now, focus on something easy. We'll work our way up as we go. Understand, little brother?" She asked. Harry's heart warned up upon hearing Beatrice call him little brother. He has a big sister. Dudley was always hurting him, and he wasn't his brother. But...Beatrice...no, big sister Beatrice was so nice to him. She couldn't be like Dudley! She was too good!

He leaned over and gave his big sister a hug. She blinked twice, then smiled and hugged him back, gently nuzzling his face. "There there, small brother, just let big sister take care of you, I suppose..." She whispered softly. Emilia and Rem beamed at each other, their eyes conveying the same message. Beatrice was doing an AMAZING job as Harry's big sister... He clearly adored her with all his heart, just the same as he did them.

"Look at you two..." Rem said, tears threatening to well up in her eyes.

"I knew it! I knew you would be an awesome big sister!" Emilia beamed, kneeling down and embracing Beatrice in a hug of her own. Beatrice blinked again. Normally, she would have grumbled while roughly shoving Emilia away, before insulting her harshly. However, that was the old her. This new her is much different. Her old self would probably scoff and deny this ever happened, but Beatrice didn't care. She returned the hug, surprising both Emilia and Rem, whose eyes widened in considerable surprise.

She pouted slightly. "Well don't look at me like I'm some unknown life form, I suppose! I'm allowed to show a more open and friendly side every now and then, in fact!" She said indignantly.

"Aww, of course you are, Beatrice!" Emilia cooed, squeezing her gently. Beatrice looked away, face turning slightly red.

"It's embarrassing, I suppose..." She grumbled softly.

"You don't need to be embarrassed over being shown affection." Rem said gently.

"I...I received it so rarely growing up... Even mother wasn't one for physical affection until very recently..."

"That just means you need to brush up on what you missed." Emilia said, before lifting Beatrice up, adjusting her in her arms, and placing Beatrice's face on her chest. "I will always be there if you need a biiiiig warm hug. So don't hesitate to ask when you want to. Okay?"

"R-right. Okay, I suppose..." Beatrice stuttered, unable to keep herself from blushing at the very comfortable position she is in currently. Seriously, not even Echidna's hug was this nice. And she was her own mother! Granted, she was barely present to give her any affection at all, but still! 'How is this buffoon such a good mother figure I suppose?!' She asked in her head.

Rem smirked at Beatrice's position as she held Harry, who now had Puck sitting comfortably on his shoulder. Tabitha seemed more or less content to let the Great Spirit be for now, as she trusted Harry with what she considered to be her kitten. "Heh... Well, all things considered, that daughter of mine grew up just fine." Puck said with a nod.

"Yes. Even if it WAS a little stifled." Rem agreed.

"...Oooh, I should have known you were gonna hold that over my head..."

"Well, only a small amount, she could have sorted her feelings and emotions out much easier if you'd been truthful with her." Rem replied.

"True...but you can't blame me for wanting her to remain pure. I'm sure your sister wanted the same for you as well."

"Yeah..." Rem nodded. "Unfortunately her efforts were for naught. I became...I don't know what I became. But..." She looked out the window, observing the patches of snow on it. "The pure little oni girl from the past is long dead. Died alongside her parents." Puck stayed silent for a moment. He blinked up at Rem, before slowly floating up until he was at eye level with her.

*bap*

He slapped the bridge of her nose with his paw.

She blinked twice as she stared at him, and he did it again. And again. And again. It didn't hurt in the slightest, it was just... strange. "...Why are you assaulting me, if I may ask?"

"Eh. Cause you're saying dumb stuff."

"I speak nothing but the truth."

"So ya grew up a bit, doesn't mean you're not pure anymore. Honestly, if Lia has to end up with anyone, I'm glad it's at least someone like you that's responsible, knows when to get serious, nice to her and won't hurt her or take advantage of her."

"I would never..." Rem hissed out.

She remembers a few times when she and Emilia were ambushed by annoying thugs who saw them as easy pickings for their "plans." Safe to say, their limbs will likely not hold anything ever again.

"And that's what gives me peace." Puck continued. "As a father, I still knew deep down that, no matter how hard I try, Emilia will eventually find someone she likes. And as her father, I promised myself I will support her to the very end. And you have no idea how happy it makes me that it's you who became her center of the world alongside Harry." He spoke, holding her face between his paws.

Rem blinked twice at that, then closed her eyes and smiled softly.

"The center of the world..." She whispered. She liked that... She really, REALLY liked that... The love of her life, their son, their... step daughter...? And three cats that were going to be the death of her. If only Ram could be here to see this too... Then her family would truly be complete, and she would be absolutely overjoyed.

"Hmmm...I wonder how I could tell Ram about this. She has been pushing me to confess for the longest time."

Puck smirked at that. "Heh. Don't worry. I can deliver her the message, if you'd like. Remember, I can travel everywhere using my connection to..."

"The Spirit Realm. I remember."

"Correct." Puck nodded. "I can go and inform her. Though ONLY if you're okay with it."

Rem gave him a nod. "Yes. Go ahead. She would definitely want to hear about this."

Puck grinned and saluted the oni. "All right! I'll head off right away!" He chirped. "Be right back everyone!" And with that, he vanished into thin air, which alarmed Tabitha and caused her to meow at the spot he had been.

"It's okay, Tabitha." Beatrice hugged the kitten close. "Puck will be back."

"Mroooow!"

"I know, I know."

"Meeeeeeeow!"

"He's not gone forever, don't cry..."

Rem's face just went flat, her eyes turning into dots. "So melodramatic..." She said in embarrassment.

"Hush you!" Beatrice yelled. "You have no idea how painful it is for a mother to lose her child!"

"That's because anyone and anything that tries to make me lose MY child will get a flail to the face. The cat is just being overly dramatic." Beatrice pouted as she hugged Tabitha close to her.

'Honestly, who does that maid think she is.' She gave Tabitha a sad look. "She doesn't understand your pain, Tabitha dear. Ignore her simplemindedness."

Tabitha purred and nuzzled in closer to Beatrice as Rem looked at her with a frown. "Cats...are strange..." She murmured softly to herself before turning away to see Emilia giggling as she held Harry close.

"Aww, don't be mad, Rem, Tabitha just doesn't understand why Puck's gone, she's just a kitty, she doesn't quite have the ability to grasp these things yet!" She said. Rem let out a sigh and looked back at Beatrice and Tabitha.

"Yes, yes, cats are not all too intelligent..."

"How dare you!" Beatrice snapped, hopping to her feet. "Tabitha is VERY smart, in fact! I even taught her to do some tricks last night."

"...Cats can do tricks? I thought that was just a dog thing..." Emilia murmured.

"Hmph! So narrow-minded, I suppose. Observe!" She pulled a piece of cat food from out of a bag and tossed it. Tabitha immediately ran after it and ate it. "Ha! She knows how to fetch!"

"...No, she knows how to eat. If she were fetching it, she would be returning it to you." Rem replied.

"Ugh!" Beatrice cringed at Rem's blunt response. Especially so since it was correct. "Darn you, oni God!" Beatrice cursed the oni deity. "Your spawn is irrefutable!"

"Someone has to be."

"Nyhhhhhhhhhhh..." Beatrice snarled. Meanwhile, as the two girls bickered, Emilia and Harry simply watched from the side.

"Um...why are mama and big sister angry?"

"Just a little squabble, sweetie." Emilia said, kissing his face. "Don't you worry about it."

He giggled softly at the kiss, and Emilia pulled him closer and gently stroked the back of his head with a soft coo. "So cute..." She whispered. Pumpkin was jealous that Tabitha was receiving more attention than him, so he padded his way over to Emilia and meowed. "Hi Pumpkin. Feeling lonely?" Pumpkin meowed and jumped up onto her shoulder to nuzzle her face. "Awww, little baby kitty parrot." She cooed. "Wanna say hi to Harry too? Here." She grabbed Pumpkin in one hand and placed him in Harry's arms.

"Pumpkin!" Harry cheered, giving the small cat a gentle hug. Pumpkin playfully batted at his face with his little paws.

"Aww..." Emilia cooed. She stroked Pumpkin's head with her finger and he lightly and gently nipped at it in a playful manner, holding her hand in place with his paws.

Emilia giggled at the playful feistiness. "Hehe, stop it, you little rascal." She wiggled her finger out of his mouth. Pumpkin tried to bite it again, only to be stopped by a gentle hand on his head. He began to purr, and looked up to see Rem, petting him with a gentle smile.

"Pumpkin is so much better than Tabitha." She sighed. "He at least knows when to stop being a nuisance."

Beatrice went to angrily retort, but stopped because the oni maid was yet again right. Pumpkin was definitely easier to manage than Tabitha.

She closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh, looking down at Tabitha. "Rem just can't handle the uglier sides of cat ownership, I suppose. I imagine she's more of a dog person in fact." Rem snapped her head around with a disapproving look.

"You dare accuse me of enjoying the presence of those disruptive, drooling, loud-mouthed-" Emilia put a hand on Rem's shoulder to calm her, and it worked almost instantly as her body slacked slightly. The half elf giggled softly and tilted her head.

"Rem's had... issues with dogs ever since Roswaal had that one meeting with that noble that brought his along to the manor." She explained.

"Hair shed everywhere... Cloth and carpet in tatters... Valuables shattered to pieces and scattered all over the manor... Food stolen from right under our noses... Muddy paw prints all over the floors... Wet dog smell... Constant whining, always barking... Staring at the dinner table, demanding the food I slaved away all day on... And the drool..." Rem seethed, muttering under her breath about her pent up frustrations. "And he laughed... Lord Roswaal thought it was greatly amusing..."

She felt a tiny hand grab hers and looked down at Harry. "Um... I don't like doggies either, mama... They hurt me..." He murmured softly.

"At least you understa-wait, what?" Rem immediately stopped when her brain processed what Harry just said. "They...hurt you?"

Harry twiddled his thumbs as her looked down in embarrassment. "Th-there was...aunt Marge. She had this...scary dog, called Ripper. He was... mean to me."

Rem grabbed his shoulders. "What did he do? Tell me, please."

"Umm...he would bite me a lot...he would growl and bark...and...he always destroy my stuff with his drool." Emilia had to tighten the grip on Rem's shoulder when she heard the familiar rattle of chains.

Harry continued. "He drooled all over one of the plushies mommy and daddy left me and ripped it up, and I tried to fix it but couldn't, and Miss Figg fixed it for me..."

"Aww, that was nice of her..." Emilia said softly. Rem, meanwhile, snatched Harry away. "Um... Aww..." The half-elf let out a reaction that was half 'Aww, that's sweet' and half 'Aww, that's so sad' as Rem cuddled the boy close and stroked his hair.

"I will NEVER let that happen to you EVER again..." She whispered softly to her son. "I won't let ANY creature hurt you anymore... I don't care if it's human, dog, cat, bear, or even a divine being, I will not allow you to be hurt anymore while I'm still standing, I promise you, Harry... You can rely on me to keep you safe..."

Harry leaned into Rem's touch, hugging her with his own small arms. "Mmmm..." He thanked in his head for his mama and mommy finding him. He...he was afraid of thinking what would've happened if they didn't.

Emilia meanwhile had different thoughts. 'A dog...was the cause of some of his injuries?' She thought. Her mind went to several memories of her...old days. Back when people still hated her much more than now. Some of them would sic dogs at her, which would chase her until she left the village or town. Or until she was exhausted. Those were the worst moments. She didn't wanna think about them.

Puck thankfully usually intervened at that point... But the initial moment was bad enough... And sometimes he couldn't intervene...

Silently, she joined the embrace from the opposite side, Rem giving her a sad frown as she recognized the look on her face. Both her son and the love of her life had experienced past trauma regarding dogs... A dog free household this would remain then. "I know it hurts, Harry..." Emilia said softly. "I'm sorry you had to go through that... If I could change it, I would... My poor baby..." She whispered, beginning to tear up slightly at the thought of her young, tiny son being savaged by a vicious animal in the same way she had.

"Mommy...? D-Don't cry..." Harry said softly.

"Hmm? Oh... I...I'm sorry, I didn't notice that I was... I just... I can't stand the thought of you being hurt..." She responded softly.

"I am the same." Rem replied, wrapping her arms around both. "You are both my family now. My son, and my...wife." Emilia, despite her tears, blushed slightly at that word. "And you both can bet your magic that I'm going to protect this house, and those living here, from any that would try to hurt you. No mangy, drooling mutt is taking a single step inside without an icicle in their paws." She tightened her hold on them. "So please, don't be afraid. It hurts to see the people I love in fear..." Emilia noticed a slight tremor in her tone.

Emilia's eyes widened. Rem...crying? She had NEVER even entertained the concept. Rem was too strong to cry, right?

And yet she saw the tears beginning to form in her eyes. She slowly reached over with one hand, shifting her hold on Harry to keep him tucked in one arm safely, and gently wiped the tears away with her fingers. "Oh, Rem, please don't cry... I promise I won't be scared anymore."

"Me too!" Harry said urgently. "I don't want mama to be sad!" Rem laughed softly, the tears flowing more freely.

"I...I'm sorry... I am... very sad... I'm hurt that the ones I love most in this world were harmed so cruelly by the world around them... And yet, I'm also so happy, because you completed my family... My son... The love of my life... I'm so, so grateful to you both for being a part of my life..." She took a deep, shakey breath. "I just... love both of you so much, it makes me want to cry... I know that may not make much sense, but that's simply how I feel..."

"Then in that case, don't stop, I suppose." Instead of Emilia or Harry saying anything, the surprise occurred when Beatrice of all people spoke up.

"E-eh?" Emilia stuttered. "Beatrice...you..."

"Hmph. What's gotten you so slackjawed, half-elf? I say let her do it in fact."

"What..." Rem started.

"Ugh. I hate repeating myself. Just cry, in fact. Keeping that awful sadness garbage inside you for too long with just hurt not only you, but those closest you. So cry. Spew it all out. That's what the Witch of Wrath said."

The two women and their son looked back and forth between each other. It seemed all three of them still had tears to shed for the trauma of their pasts... They made their way to the couch. They sat down. They huddled in close together in a warm family embrace. And they all began to cry.

They cried for each other.

They cried for themselves.

And they cried because they felt free.

Beatrice watched on with a soft smile. She remembered her previous conversation with her mother and the witch of wrath. It seemed Minerva's advice worked for others just as well as it did for her before she had awakened.

She remembered crying herself back into the real world. She began to let it all out, and eventually lost the ability to stop. Her waterworks just wouldn't cease.

And yet...

She couldn't find herself complaining.

At all.

It felt good. To let it all out. She only now understood what Minerva meant by "spew it all out." She definitely felt more at ease in her soul, now that everything she was bottling up had been released.

She decided to sit on the sidelines and play with Tabitha while the others had their moment, Pumpkin busy offering his condolences by curling up between them all and purring softly.

After a few minutes, all three of them had gotten the pain out of their system. Now, they sat in a group hug, holding each other close, all smiling softly, enjoying each other's presence, before pulling away. "Ah... Beatrice was right. That was most relieving..." Rem murmured.

"Yeah... I feel like a huge weight's been lifted..." Emilia sighed.

"I don't hurt as bad anymore..." Harry said softly.

"Mew." Pumpkin looked up at them all, shifting his gaze, wanting to make sure all of them were okay.

Rem sighed, chuckling as she gave Pumpkin an appreciative pet. The kitten leaned into her hand as she did so, purring in enjoyment.

"You just wanted to make us feel better, huh?" Emilia said, scratching at the base of Pumpkin's tail. The cat purred even louder, throwing it's head back and licking Emilia's fingers.

"Hehehe! Stop, that tickles." She laughed, pulling her fingers away. Harry watched as his moms played with Pumpkin. He had a smile on his face, happy that his parents weren't sad anymore. He began to pet Pumpkin too, the cat laying down and wrapping his tail around the boy's arm.

Tabitha looked over and tilted her head. Beatrice laughed softly and let her go to see them as well, wanting to see how it played out. She hopped onto the couch with them, and Rem sighed. "Just don't be a nuisance." Tabitha meowed, decided she didn't want to deal with the maid and instead turned her attention to Harry. He was a good kitten, he loved her just like her new owner did.

"Hi Tabitha." Harry said softly, stroking her head with his finger, causing her to purr.

"So, she CAN be sweet and calm, just only with specific people..." Rem huffed.

"Hey I'm back!" Puck chirped as he popped up.

"Huh?" Emilia asked. "Puck? Where did you go?"

"To Lugnica obviously." He said. "Rem allowed me to tell Ram about your new love."

"Oh?" Emilia asked. "And...how did she take it?"

Puck sweatdropped slightly. "Eheheh. I uh...kinda had to stop her from organizing a wedding ceremony. It was a bit tricky to convince her, but she eventually relented."

"Ah, that's good." Rem sighed in relief. "I'm glad that she supports our love."

"She also said that if Emilia ever breaks your heart, she's gonna rip out and crush hers with her bare hands."

Rem sweatdropped. "There it is... And did you punch her for it too?"

"Nah. I get where she's coming from. After all, that's what I'm gonna do to you if you break Lia's heart, so it kind of evens out, right?" Puck lightly knocked on the side of his head and winked with his tongue sticking out. Rem laughed softly.

"I suppose it's only natural for elder family members to bond over their overprotective nature..."

"But I don't want mama or mommy's hearts being ripped out, that'll hurt them..." Harry murmured softly.

"Ah! Please don't think about that stuff." Emilia quickly said. "That's too...uhhhh..."

"Not for children, Harry. You should wait a little until you're old enough to think about that sort of thing."

"He shouldn't think about it in the first place!" Emilia exclaimed. "That's way too gruesome for a baby!"

"Oh, come now." Rem rolled her eyes. "He's got to learn how to defend at least. I can actually teach hi-"

Emilia yanked Rem's collar. "You. Are. Not. Teaching. Him. Weapon. Usage."

Rem tilted her head and looked at her. "Well, he will need to learn to use his magic as he grows older, and that requires a wand, which would technically qualify as a weapon." Emilia closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh of exasperation.

"I suppose so, but still, not now, he's too little, it's our job to protect him, he shouldn't have to protect himself." She insisted.

"Yes, you're right..." Rem relented, smiling softly at her son before she turned back to Puck. "Did you tell big sister that I'm a mother now too?"

"Oh, you bet I did!"

"And how did she respond?"

"Uuuuuhh..."

*flashback*

"Oh, also, Rem is now a mom."

Suddenly, the air grew cold, so cold even Puck shivered. Then, the windows began to crack rapidly, some even losing a few shards.

"She is bloody what now?"

*flashback end*

"Thankfully the mansion is still in one piece. I managed to convince her that it was an adoption and not...ya know." Rem shook her head with a sigh. Her older sister was so overly protective, it sometimes felt suffocating.

Puck chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "She seemed pretty happy for ya after I explained the situation though. She said she hopes she has the chance to meet her little nephew someday." Rem closed her eyes and smiled sadly at that.

"I hope so too... I really do..." She whispered. She wished her sister could have come here with them... But then... She was very attached to Lord Roswaal... VERY attached... To the point where she was worried because it didn't seem very healthy.

Emilia tilted her head. "Wait, did she think Rem was pregnant? We haven't done... THAT yet!"

"Not in front of Harry!" Rem whispered urgently.

"Eep! S-Sorry..."

"It wouldn't work anyway, Lia, it only happens if it's a man and woman-"

"What did I just say?!" Rem hissed harshly to the great spirit, who stuck out his tongue before Tabitha noticed he was back.

A loud meow rang out. Puck noticed it in time, but was too slow to react when he found himself suddenly snatched in the soft bite of his new "mother." "Oh, Flügel darn it!" He said in annoyance. "Would you put me down already!?" Tabitha heard his loud protest, and simply meowed in a low, threatening tone. Kittens these days. Need to respect their elders. Before he could protest any further, Tabitha carried him to their pillow, setting him down and beginning to lick him.

All three girls giggled into their hands at the sight. "Heeeeeeelp..." Puck groaned in frustration as he was groomed, clearly displeased with the situation but helpless to do anything about it.

"Aww, but Puck, you look so cute when Tabitha's taking care of you." Emilia cooed.

"Lia, you're a traitor!"

"Oh, she's having a good time, just let her spoil you!"

"She's not spoiling me, she's coddling me and I don't like it!"

"But you've never been cleaner!"

"I can clean myself!"

Rem let out a sigh. "Just bear it, Puck... Tabitha is far too much of a nuisance for me to be bothered." Rem said simply.

"Finally someone who agrees!" He said, only to be interrupted when Tabitha gave him another lick, before nuzzling her face against his. "Aaaahhhh, stop iiiiit!" He whined. Tabitha took it as a sign of distress, and as any cat mother would, she placed her arm on Puck, before laying her head on his and beginning to purr. "Oh...Goooood...why does this feel so...comfy..." Puck groaned as he suddenly felt himself get woozy. No! He couldn't waver. He's the Great Spirit! The destruction of the world! Oh, screw it. As much as he hated to admit, this was too nice to pass up.

He fell asleep seconds later, purring a little himself, and Emilia giggled. "Awww, no matter how much Puck tries to deny it, he loves his mommy's attention." Emilia cooed. Rem tilted her head to the side.

"Couldn't he just increase his size to ward her away from him? I've seen him do it in the past."

"Shhhh! Don't tell him to do that, I suppose! Watching Tabitha mother him is too cute, in fact!" Beatrice huffed. Rem gave her a flat look before letting out a sigh and frowning at Tabitha.

"Well, at least SOMEONE likes you." She said flatly. The tabby narrowed her eyes at her and tensed up slightly. "Well it would appear the feeling is mutual. Fine with me."

"Do you hate Tabitha, mama?" Harry asked sadly.

"...Only slightly..."

"Aww, Rem, you don't have to HATE her." Emilia lightly chided.

"I said only SLIGHTLY..."

"Slight hate is still hate, in fact." Beatrice said. Rem's eye twitched. That cursed cat is taking her family away!

"Like. I. Said." She began, before lightly smiling and patting Harry on the head. He wasn't guilty. "I only hate her, SLIGHTLY. S-L-I-G-H-T-L-Y." She spelled out. "Does that make sense."

"And like I said..." Beatrice began again. "Slight hate is still hate nonetheless."

"Beatrice, stop before my hand *slightly* twitches and you find yourself in an ice cube."

Beatrice stuck her nose up in the air. "Hmph. I've no further words for a cat despising heathen anyway, I suppose."

"I like Pumpkin!" Pumpkin meowed at the mention of his name and Rem gave him a pet on the head, causing him to purr.

"Tabitha's not a BAD kitty, she's just a troublemaker." Emilia reasoned.

"Exactly. I cannot abide by animals making trouble in a nice clean home." Rem huffed.

"...Y'know, Harry kinda reminds me of a kitten." Emilia spoke up, changing the subject. Rem raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? And how do you figure that?"

"Well... He's tiny... And he's adorable... And he has big cute eyes... And his hair is fluffy now that it's clean... And he leans in when we show him affection, just like Pumpkin does! Look!" Emilia petted Harry and Pumpkin at the same time and they both leaned into the touch, clearly happy with the affectionate gesture.

Rem nearly shattered to pieces. Such cuteness was her weakness! Why did her love have the best weapon against her? That is just plain unfair. Rem sighed, leaning down to give Harry a pet as well. The boy giggled, happy with the affection he's getting from both moms. "See? He's just like a widdle kitten!"

"That he is." Rem nodded. She had to agree with Emilia. Harry was just like a kitten. Same behavior, and same cuteness. Well, if we don't count Tabitha. The same Tabitha who hissed as if she read Rem's thoughts.

Rem simply huffed, then let out a sigh. "Well then... I believe it's lunch time." She rose to her feet. "I'll go and prepare our meal." She felt a light tug at her skirt, then looked down to see Harry, looking up at her, standing on his tiptoes so that he could just barely reach her skirt.

"Um... Mama, can I help...?" He asked softly. Rem tilted her head to the side, considering it. She wasn't AGAINST Harry helping, but she didn't want to worry about him getting hurt in the process... But she couldn't bear to disappoint him, so she smiled.

"Of course, dear." She knelt down and picked him up. "We'll prepare something nice and simple..." She turned to Emilia. "Would you like to come and help as well, dear?" Emilia smiled warmly and tilted her head to the side, eyes closed.

"I think I'll leave it to you two! This is a good bonding excercise!"

"Mm." Rem nodded, blushing slightly at the smile. "Come sweetheart. Let me show you how to really cook."

"Okay mama." And so, the duo headed into the kitchen, leaving Emilia alone with the cats and Beatrice. Rem set Harry down on the counter, before pulling out a pot and opening the book of recipes.

"So, anything specific you would like to cook, or do you want me to choose?" Rem asked. Harry tilted his head.

"Um... I don't really mind, we'll make what you think is a good idea..." The boy murmured softly. Rem smiled and gently patted his head before looking down at the book, head tilted to the side as she studied the various meals.

"Hmm... How about... Oh, this looks nice... It's called... Miso chicken ramen..." She held up the book for Harry to look at.

"It's noodles! And... some eggs... and... um... other things too!" Rem giggled into her hand.

"Let me just see if we have the right ingredients, and if we do, we'll get started." She picked him up, holding him against her side, and moved to the cupboards, opening them in search of what they needed. She was grateful to find that they had everything.

"Let's see here..." Rem began, her finger on the pages. "First soak the beans for a minute and throw them into a pot to cook." She said. "Harry, please give me that blue bowl over there." Harry nodded and grabbed the blue bowl opposite to him. He gave it to Rem, who proceeded to place the soy beans in, careful not to miss a single grain. "There. Now we let it soak for a minute." She said, leaning down to open the cupboard. She pulled out a big pot, setting it on the stove with a *clang!*

"Are you making a lot for supper, mama?"

"It's lunch, dear. And yes, if we prepare plenty, then we can keep it in the fridge for later and save some time on cooking. Honestly, that fridge is such an amazing idea for an invention, how come we never came up with anything like that in our world? Food would be so much easier to keep... Um... Anyway... Yes, we'll eat some now and save the rest to eat on other days, likely in case Beatrice or yourself get hungry and Emilia and I are not available to cook." She smiled at her son warmly. "And besides... I just enjoy trying new dishes... This may seem like quite a lot for a simple lunch, but it's a wonderful opportunity to expand my cooking knowledge. When you enjoy doing something, you want to learn as much as you can about it." She gathered the needed ingredients onto the counter as she spoke. "Cooking always was my preferred out of my many duties at the mansion back home, it's a relaxing, quiet task, it can be quite relaxing if you allow it to." She lightly booped his nose. "And you're welcome to help me whenever you wish."

"I like cooking too." Harry began. "I...used to burn and cut myself a lot, but...it was really fun. The food always smelled so yummy."

'Oh, right. He was forced to cook.' Rem remembered with a wince. 'Well, at least the animals didn't deliberately try to fry him alive...or...did they?' She shook her head. 'No. Don't think about that right now. You're having fun with your son, and nothing will ruin that. Not ever." She thought. "That's good." She spoke. "That means I don't have much to teach you. Let's try to cook together so I can see just how good you are at it."

Harry nodded his head and smiled brightly, and Rem giggled. "Now then... What do you think we should do first, dear?" Harry looked at the ingredients laid out before them with his head tilted to the side.

"Um... Maybe we should... make the soup and noodles first...?" He asked timidly. Rem smiled and nodded.

"Very good, Harry, those are the first steps, everything after is supplementary. The broth and the noodles are the bulk of the meal. Now... you can help me prepare the broth, let's begin." Harry was excited. He enjoyed cooking on his own, but now he got to cook alongside his mama! It was gonna be FUN!

"Alright, so the first thing we need are bones." She began. "We have these big ones, which are usually the ones with the best taste."

"And we need to cook them, right?"

Rem nodded with a smile, ruffling Harry's hair. "That's right! We first need to boil them." She filled a pot nearly to the brim with water, before placing the large bones one by one. "When cooked, the bone marrow inside them releases a strong taste that is important for the broth's own taste. Although that usually takes a lot of time."

She tilted her head to the side. "Although I'm not sure why these bones were in the cupboard to begin with..."

Back at Hagrid's hut, he was looking for the chicken bones he had planned to give his dog Fang, having no idea where he could have possibly put them. Oh well. A nice juicy t-bone would probably suffice just as well.

Harry watched as the bones simmered in the pot. "Wow... I thought bones were the only part you DIDN'T eat..." He murmured softly. Rem giggled.

"Well, technically you don't EAT them. You drink them."

"Huh?" Harry grew confused at that. "Drink? How...how do you drink bones?"

"Well, you see..." Rem began. "What you drink from bones isn't just any part. It's the marrow. The soft part inside the bone. It's the most delicious bit and makes up almost all of the taste in food with bones."

"Okay..." Harry said, listening intently.

"When the bone is being cooked, the marrow inside is boiled and released out of the bone as a tasty liquid that is full of various healthy vitamins, minerals and...pretty much everything healthy but tasty."

Harry looked at the bones as they simmered in the pot. "Oh... Is that what's making the water change color like that...?" Rem beamed and nodded her head.

"Yes, that is correct!" Grabbing a chair from nearby, she picked her son up and gently set him down atop it. "Now, you can stir the broth as I add the rest of the ingredients. But don't stir it too hard or too fast. Do it at a nice, slow, gentle pace... Yes, just like that, you know what you're doing already, excellent work!"

Harry smiled. "I got burned a lot cooking for Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon and Dudley, so I learned how to stir it without splashing hot water on me!"

Rem's smile became ever so slightly strained. "Ah. That's wonderful to hear, sweetie." She said, internally raging against the ones that had forced this skill onto her young son.

While she did agree that it was useful, forcing it on him, who wasn't even at the proper age to be cooking, is just plain wrong. She now regretted not doing anything more to them back in that house. Deciding not to pay any further mind to that, Rem grabbed her ingredients and began cutting them up and adding them into the broth. She added some potatoes and sweetcorn, before mixing in rice for the paste. Then, came the most important ingredient. The noodles.

"Now then..." She grabbed her son's shoulder gently. "You did an excellent job on the stirring, it looks just about perfect. Now you can help me break these noodles down into smaller pieces. Here..." She handed him a small handful, then picked some up herself. "Try to get them to around this size..." With one swift, expert motion, she snapped her handful of noodles into smaller pieces. "This way, they will fit properly into the pot, and they'll cook much easier." Harry nodded, then looked down at the noodles, then tried his best to immitate his mother's motion. Rem saw that he struggled ever so slightly to break them and felt a clench in her heart. He had been so starved that he couldn't easily break something as brittle as some noodles, it actually took him a small amount of effort!

"Here. Let me help out a little." She said with a heavy heart, grabbing a pair of scissors and slightly cutting the noodles, making them weak enough for Harry to break.

"I did it, mama! I did it!" He exclaimed. Despite her earlier heartbreak, Rem smiled as she witnessed Harry's pride and happiness at his success.

"Indeed you did, darling. Indeed you did." She said, ruffling his hair. "Now, let's put them in the pot." She picked up the noodles and placed them into the pot with her own. Turning up the heat a little, she observed the pot to make sure no accident could happen, like water spilling over the edge.

"Now then... Do you know what to do with the noodles?" She asked.

"Stir them around or they get burned!" Harry said with a smile.

"Correct. Very good job." Rem praised. "You really do understand how this works." Harry looked down.

"Um... Uncle Vernon REALLY wanted to make sure I did, he yelled at me when I burned it the first time, and then...And... And then..."

"Shhh..." Rem shushed him gently, caressing his cheek. "Don't think about that right now, sweetie... He is not here, he will never be a part of your life again, this I promise you..."

"Hm...o-okay..." Harry nodded, leaning into the touch.

"Alright. Here. I'll help you stir so that you don't burn yourself."

"Okay, mama." And so, Rem grabbed the ladle and handed it to Harry. The boy adjusted it in his hands, and Rem placed her own around his.

"Now, slowly, so that the boiling water doesn't get spilled anywhere." She said, guiding his hands so that he doesn't burn himself.

She was impressed with how well he seemed to understand it, but she kept her hand firmly wrapped around his, just to be on the safe side. Didn't want her son to get burned... When she was satisfied with the noodles, she turned off the stove and smiled at Harry. "Well done, dear. Now we'll put this to the side, and we can begin work on the toppings."

Moving the noodles to the side, Rem pulled out a series of various toppings.

"Let's see..." She began. "We have green onions, Chinese spinach, fish cake, Radish, sesame seeds..." Something green caught Rem's attention. She picked it up and examined it... "Eugh." Before putting it away. "No way I'm using seaweed."

She looked at the recipe book again. "And sometimes they even put an egg on top of it, that could be quite tasty, let's do that..." She made her way to the fridge, pulled out the carton and set everything up to soft boil the eggs.

"I can do that..." Harry said shyly. "I made all sorts of eggs... Um... How do you want them...?" Rem tilted her head.

"Hmm... We want to boil them, but not TOO much, they still need to be relatively soft..."

"Oh. Okay. Um... I think I know how to do that, you put them in the really hot water for um... five minutes I think..."

"Yes, that sounds about right. Very good, dear, let me get it set for you..." She began to boil the water and set the eggs inside. "Now, while we wait, let's add the rest of the toppings on as well..." She laid out what she decided to use.

"Alright..." She began. "We'll start by adding radish. Then, we'll move onto the green onions, a few slices of fish cake, and then we add the eggs."

"Okay." Harry nodded.

"Now, let me do this. Even if you did use a knife before, you should still sit back and watch me do it." Harry gave a nod. Rem then turned to begin chopping. Harry watched intently as his mama worked expertly on the veggies. She chopped the onions into tiny bits, and sliced neat little flat pieces of radish while also cutting up the fish cake into even smaller slices.

It was really cool just how quickly she did it, and how she didn't hurt herself even once. "You're... really good at this, mama..." He said softly. "I wish I could do it that good so I didn't cut myself..." Rem exhaled through her nostrils and smiled sadly at her son.

"Well... Someday, when I think you're ready, I would be more than happy to teach you my methods. Then you can be an expert cook just like me." She said with a wink. Harry perked up at that. Him? An expert cook that could make food easily? That sounded amazing!

"Okay, mama...!" He said, trying not to be too loud or overexcited. Rem giggled and turned back to her work, Harry continuing to watch, until it was time to get the eggs out.

"Hmm... These look like they can be used to safely remove the eggs." Rem explained, holding out a pair of tongs to Harry.

"I don't have to use my hands...?" He asked.

"PLEASE tell me they didn't..." Rem said with wide eyes, looking over his hands for any sign of permanent burn marks.

Sighing in gratitude when she found none, she responded. "No, Harry. We have these...uh..." She picked up the paper they came with. "Tongs. We have tongs to take the eggs out. We don't need to use hands at all."

"Oh...okay." H nodded. Rem handed him the tongs.

Carefully, Harry handled them with both hands. He grabbed the eggs one by one, taking them out of the pot and setting them into the bowl Rem had prepared earlier. One by one, the eggs filled the bowl until the pot was completely empty. Save for the water.

Harry let out a sigh of relief as he looked down at his hands. "That's a lot better than my hands..." He admitted softly. Rem nodded her head with a sad smile and picked up one of the eggs, looking it over to make sure it had cooked just right. "Very good. It seems we're ready to start portioning it."

And so, the mother-son duo set to putting their concoction into bowls for everyone. Afterwards, Harry went to fill the cats' dishes. Then he went back up to his mother. "D-Did I do good, mama...?" He asked nervously. Rem smiled, then picked him up.

"You did VERY good, dear." She assured him, giving him a kiss on the forehead. "You're my special little helper."

"I'm...special?"

"Mhm. You are. More than you realize." Rem nodded.

"I...I..." He began, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Ah!" Rem gasped, quickly embracing Harry in a big hug. Harry in turn wrapped his won tiny arms around her.

""I...I'm special...I'm...really..."

"Yes." Rem whispered to him. "You are special. The most special little angel we've ever had the lucky chance to meet."

She gently moved a strand of hair out of his eyes and smiled down at him. "From the moment I first saw you, I just knew that you were special... That you were a precious little gem that I wanted to protect with everything I had..." She leaned forward to press a kiss against her son's forehead. "You've already become one of the most important people in my life, and I've only known you for a few days... That's quite special, wouldn't you agree?"

Harry sniffled slightly and nodded his head before snuggling in closer to his mother, who giggled softly. "Thank you... I love you, mama..." He whispered softly, causing Rem to tear up slightly.

"I love you too, sweetie... I love you very, VERY much. Now come... Let's set the bowls on the table..." They did so, and Rem gently sat Harry down in one of the chairs. "Lunch is ready, everyone!" She called out. Beatrice was the first one to enter. Emilia was next, but she looked rather... dishevelled. "...Emilia? What happened, dear?" Rem asked, concerned.

"Hmm? Oh... Um... I... tried to save Puck from Tabitha... I chased her around a bunch... She... wasn't having it..." Emilia replied sheepishly as Tabitha walked past her with a pouting Puck still held by the scruff of his neck.

"At least you tried." Puck huffed. "I swear, if this continues I'm going to start asking why this cat wasn't there when we fought the Witch of Envy. Flügel wouldn't even be needed!"

"You can say that again." Emilia nodded. She plopped into her seat, sighing in exhaustion as she began to fix her hair to normal.

Tabitha meanwhile put Puck down to let him run around the house for a bit if he wants. Puck immediately flew up and away from her, angrily rubbing the back of his head.

"Agh. My fur is all wet from her tounge now." He said grumpily. Tabitha just gave him a meow.

"Yeah, yeah, I won't 'wander off too far' or whatever, thanks for the concern, 'mom'." Puck replied to her sarcastically. Tabitha hissed. "I'm not a kitten, I can take whatever tone I want with you!" Tabitha let out a warning growl. "Oh, what are you gonna do about it?" Tabitha meowed. "...You can't ground me! I'm not a kitten!" Another meow. "Ugh... Fine, whatever, I'm just gonna eat, leave me alone..."

"...You can understand what Tabitha says, I suppose?" Beatrice asked as she sat down.

"Huh? Oh. No, I'm just being goofy." Puck chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. "Wow, this looks yummy!"

"Oh yes it does!" Emilia chirped. "It's noodles and... soup and eggs? Wow. I didn't know that was a thing..."

"It very much is. Harry and I followed a recipe book and everything. And he was a very big help, I must say." Rem praised her son, causing him to smile happily.

"Aww, I bet he was! And I also bet he put lots of love into it, so that'll make it taste even better!" Emilia cooed.

"Huh?" Harry was confused. "How...how do you put love in food?"

"Oh, she means you put great care into making the food super tasty and perfect for everyone who eats it. And I gotta say, this dish is certainly full of love."

He munched on a piece of fish cake. "Mmmm, especially these white things with the pink swirl in the middle. Ooh, I think I just found my new favorite food."

"I read about those, in fact. They're called Kamaboko. A sort of cake made of fish. It makes sense Bubby would love it, I suppose."

Puck looked at Tabitha with a smug grin. "Bet you wish you had some of this, didn't you?" He finished off the food and stuck his nose up at her. "Sorry, 'mommy', but you're just not good enough to eat at the sentient life forms' table, so there!"

"Don't tease her, Bubby!" Beatrice protested.

"Hey, I've earned the right to tease her at this point." Puck grumped, crossing his forelegs. "She's done nothing but patronize me since the second she saw me."

"It's really cute." Emilia said before taking a bite of her ramen. Puck sulked.

"My own daughter, betrayed me..." He sighed.

"Aww, don't be so depressive, Puck." Emilia gave him several pats on the head. "You know she cares for you, right?"

"I do. It's just that I'm not meant to be cared for. I'm a powerful spirit who can turn the planet into his personal snowglobe, not a kitty to be locked by a mother cat!"

"Meow."

"You shut it!"

Rem just sighed as she observed the pair of cats bicker between each other.

'If only we'd settled for a nice quiet fish.' She thought to herself. 'Or perhaps a turtle, they're more or less content to stay in their little spots...' She took a forkful of her lunch and smiled in content, pleased with how it had turned out. "I would say this recipe is one we should keep using."

Harry smiled and nodded as he too enjoyed the taste of his ramen. "Can I help next time too...?" He asked.

"Of course you can, dear."

"Ooh! And me too! I wanna learn how to make it!" Emilia chirped, causing Rem to giggle.

"Of course, my love, we'll all prepare it together as a family next time." She assured her half-elf lover, who squeed softly and clapped her hands in excitement. 'She really is adorable...' Rem thought.

How did she find herself someone so amazing? She honestly couldn't tell you. But she wouldn't trade her for the world.

"Ugh." Beatrice remarked. "That sappiness is making my lunch taste weird, I suppose."

"Would you like me to throw it away?"

"No! No, absolutely not!" Beatrice quickly stopped herself.

Rem shrugged. "Okay then." Before continuing with the meal.

The rest of the meal was eaten in a comfortable silence. Puck lay flat out on the table when he was done, his stomach bulged out slightly from eating so much. "Ah, I am STUFFED..." Unfortunately for him, that just made him a sitting duck for Tabitha to come and snatch him up. "Uuuuuugh, leave me aloooooone..." He groaned as he was carried off.

Emilia giggled. "I'm...sure Harry will get his chance to play with Puck sooner or later." She murmured.

"It's okay. Tabitha's happy." Harry said with a small smile.

"Ha! Harry appreciates the bubbies and values their happiness, I suppose! He's the perfect little brother because he gets what's truly important in the world!" Beatrice said smugly.

"I can think of several things more important than a cat being catered to." Rem said flatly.

"And I can think of several reasons why you're wrong, in fact." Beatrice huffed.

"Really?" Rem raised a brow. "Name them then. Go ahead."

Beatrice looked away with another huff. "Figure them out yourself then, if you're so smart, I suppose."

"So, nothing then. Didn't think so."

"Hmph." Beatrice didn't say anything after that.

"Whatever." Rem finished, before collecting the plates and moving over to wash them. She turned on the tap and let the water flow, before suddenly a white hand settled on her own.

"Let me do it." Emilia said, smiling.

Rem opened her mouth to speak, but Emilia gently clapped a hand over it. "Uh-uh! You cooked for us, and now it's my turn to do the work, now YOU get to relax!" She chirped with a closed-eyed smile that Rem simply couldn't say no to. She let out a sigh and smiled at her.

"Very well, my love." She gave Emilia a quick kiss on the cheek, causing the half-elf to start giggling as she clapped her hands over her cheeks and blushed. Rem stepped out of the room, noticing Harry was moving towards the kitchen chairs, and decided to hang back a bit to see where this went.

Emilia just got started filling the sink when she heard the sound of something scraping against the kitchen floor. Blinking, she looked over to see Harry pushing one of the chairs over. "Oh, Harry, you don't have to help me do this." She assured him.

"Um... Yeah, but... I wanna..." The boy murmured softly.

"Awww... Are you sure, sweetheart?" Emilia asked gently, cupping his cheek with her hand.

"Mm-hmm. I wanna spend time with you too. Just like I did with mama." He admitted softly.

"Hehe. You're so precious, you know that?" She asked.

"Mhm." Harry nodded. "Mama told me the same thing."

"Well, she's right. You're the most precious thing in the world."

"Thanks, mommy." Harry said with a smile.

"Always."

And so, the pair got to work. Emilia poured some detergent onto the sponges, gave one to Harry, and both began to scrub away at the dishes.

And as they worked, they talked. "I did this a lot back at Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's... It's... a lot easier when there's two people doing it..." Harry murmured softly. Emilia tilted her head to the side.

"Oh... Um... I AM doing it right, right? I just thought that the orange stuff was something you used to clean. I couldn't decide between it and the purple stuff here..." She pointed at the bottle of handsoap. Harry nodded his head.

"Um... Yes, that purple stuff is for washing your hands, you were right..."

"Oh, good!" Emilia chirped. "And just look at you, you're such a fast little worker!" She praised.

"Um... Thank you... I... I had to be because if I wasn't..." Harry paused. Emilia stopped and knelt down to pull her son into a tight hug.

"No. Do NOT think about that, sweetie."

"But...I'm still..."

"There's nothing to be afraid of, Harry." Emilia interrupted him again. "NOTHING. We, will NEVER hit you. Ever. Nor will we punish you."

"R-really...?" He said, starting to sob. "You...won't..."

"Never." Emilia finished. "You are the sweetest, most polite and gentle creature in the world. You don't deserve punishment because you NEVER did anything wrong. Those people were just horrible, and didn't deserve to have you as their family."

She picked him up gently and cuddled him against her shoulder as she heard him sob a bit louder. "Aww, Harry, it's okay..." She whispered softly, stroking his tiny, frail back. "Mommy's got you..." He buried his face in the crook of her neck, sobbing softly for a few minutes before calming down.

When she heard his crying cease, Emilia put him back down on his chair and smiled warmly at him, resting her hands on his shoulders. "Now. I want you to ALWAYS remember what I told you, okay? You didn't deserve any of that, they were bad people, and you're a good boy. Can you repeat it please?"

"I...I didn't deserve any of that... Th-They were bad people, and... and I'm a good boy..." Harry said softly.

"Good!" Emilia chirped with a slight giggle. "Now, let's get back to washing these dishes!"

"Mm...okay." He nodded, and so, the two returned to washing the dishes.

"Now, you have to be careful not to press the green part of the sponge too hard, otherwise you'll scratch the plate and leave damage."

"Like this?" He asked as he scrubbed away on the plate.

"Exactly!" Emilia clapped. "Great! You're doing so well!" She complimented. She giggled softly. "The only reason I know not to do that is because Rem hammered it into miy head when I was helping her with her chores one time. You can't use the rough parts because they'll scratch up the dishes. And we want them to look pretty, clean and presentable!"

"Yeah!" Harry cheered along with her. Emilia beamed and gently patted his head.

"Good boy!" And as they continued to work, they continued to talk. Emilia wanted to know as much information about her son as she possibly could.

"So..." Emilia began. "What's your favorite taste of cake?"

"...Huh?" Harry looked up at her with a confused expression.

"Uh...cake. I-I asked what's your favorite taste of cake?"

"What's a...cake?" Emilia froze up at that.

'What?' She asked in her mind. 'He...he asked...what's a...cake?'

"Ha-Harry..." She stuttered. "Do you...not know what a...cake is?"

Harry scrunched his face up slightly, clearly thinking long and hard about it, before his eyes widened in realization. "Oooooh, you mean the big thing Dudley has every year on his birthday! Um...I dunno... I didn't get any..." Emilia's eyes widened and she let out an excited gasp.

"We'll ask Rem if we can bake a cake after we're done with the dishes!" She squeed, clapping her hands together. "We have soooo many things to celebrate! Rem and I just got together, and we also just adopted you! It's a VERY special day for all three of us!" Harry tilted his head to the side. Baking a cake...? With both of his new mommies...? That... sounded nice. He'd never baked a cake before, Aunt Petunia said she didn't trust him to get it right. But if he could bake the cake and then eat it afterwards with the help of his parents, he'd finally know what the fuss was all about...

"So...I can bake too?" He asked.

"Of course! You are part of the celebration too, so there's no way you'll be left out! Not with me and Rem around!"

"Yay!" He cheered. He would finally be able to taste a cake. And one he made himself too! He just hoped his new mommies would be happy with him.

"Hey..." Emilia must've noticed what he was doing and probably figured out his thoughts. She placed her hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. You can tell me what's wrong."

"Um... I... I just don't wanna do it wrong and get you and mama mad at me, I wanna do good..." He murmured softly, looking down.

"And you will!" Emilia chirped. "Neither one of us is ever gonna ask you to be perfect. If you make a mistake, you make a mistake, it's not the end of the world!"

"But... But what if..."

"Harry, we're not gonna stop loving you over a little accident. It could turn out perfect, it could come out burned and ruined, but in the end, what's important is that we have fun making it! And besides... I make mistakes all the time, and no one hates me for it!" Emilia explained.

"Huh?" Harry looked at her. "You...do?"

"Mhm! I make lots of mistakes all the time!" Emilia nodded.

"Um...what kinda mistakes?"

"Well..." Emilia thought back to all the mistakes she made recently. "I once accidentally shrunk Beatrice's dress when I washed it."

"Clothes can...shrink?" Harry asked. That was a new one for him.

"Yep! I think it has something to with the material. Anyway, when I gave it back to her, she could barely breathe in it. Rem had to fix it back to normal."

She giggled softly into her hand. "Beatrice was reeeeeally mad at me, she wouldn't even look at me for a week. It was... kinda cute, she kept puffing her cheeks out and looking away with a little huff sound! Like this!" Emilia immitated the face Beatrice had made and let out a soft "Hmph!" as she turned to look away before giggling softly as Harry let out a quiet laugh. "Oh, she'd probably do it again if she knew I was telling funny stories about her, especially to her favorite little baby brother."

Harry tilted his head. "So... Are you... Big Sister's mommy too...?"

Emilia sighed. "It's... kinda complicated... Beatrice has a mother that she refuses to let go of, and I doubt she'd EVER see me or Rem as her mothers, she just sees us as... acquaintances. But... well... Her mother... She really cares about you too! Even if you... haven't technically met her..."

"Big sister's...mama?" Harry asked. He didn't know big sister already had a mommy.

But...if she already has a mommy...then...who are mommy and mama to her?

And...big sister's mommy loves him too? Is she his...

"Is big sister's mommy my grandma?"

Rem tilted her head at that question. She went to answer, but stopped and thought.

'Hmmm...well, technically Echidna is old enough to be considered his grandma...and she IS the mother of his older sister...'

She looked down thoughtfully. 'But then she's ALSO his mother in another reality, so... um...' She looked at Harry with a small smile. "Um... I'm gonna say yes, but I'll ask your big sister to ask about that next time she sees her, okay?"

"Oh. Okay. Um... Will I ever see her...?" Harry asked.

"Um... Well... I don't exactly know. It's kind of... a weird situation, sweetie." Emilia explained, patting his head.

Up in the witch's garden, Echidna's entire body was a pale ghostly white as she sat in shock for a few seconds. "G-Grandma...?! ...Minnie, please tell me I'm not that old, I'm still a young lady, right!" She pleaded to her lover.

Minerva blinked, before looking away slightly.

"Uh, you...um...are as young as a flower!"

Echidna crumbled to dust.

"I'm a hag..."

The rest of the next 3 hours was spent with Minerva trying to console Echidna and convince her that she's not an old hag.

Back in the real world, Rem raised her brow. 'Why do I feel really bad all of a sudden?'

Tilting her head, she decided to go and check up on Emilia and Harry. When she entered the room, she saw that they had more or less completely finished washing the dishes, and were now seated at the kitchen table. They seemed to be looking over something. "Ooh, this one looks super nice!" Emilia pointed at a page in the book they were reading, and Harry perked up. Curious, the Oni approached, and she saw that they were looking over a cookbook, specifically one full of cake recipes. Emilia noticed her presence and looked up with a bright smile. "Hi, Rem! I was just telling Harry I wanted us all to bake a cake together! You know... To celebrate everything that's happened! We're parents, we're... we're in love with each other and want to stay together forever, we... Well, I just wanna have a special little thing to celebrate it, do you think that's a good idea?"

"A cake, hmm?" Rem remarked. "Yes, I do believe a big cake would be a perfect way to celebrate." Stars suddenly shone in her eyes. "A huge, 1.5m cake with pristine white frosting, chocolate chips and cocoa powder covering it in it's entirety. The inside a soft, yet perfectly delicious base, made of hazelnuts and almonds, complimented with bits of cookie inside!" Emilia and Harry simply watched as Rem listed off all the details of her supposed "perfect cake." Emilia rubbed her head with a sheepish look on her face.

"Ah. Well then. It seems Rem... really likes cake." Rem caught herself. blushed slightly, then coughed into her hand.

"Um... Yes, well... I... do enjoy sweets, admittedly. I would be more than happy to bake one with you two. I would ask Beatrice to help, but she's utterly hopeless in the kitchen, absolutely unteachable. Last time I let her near a stove, she very nearly burned down the entire kitchen."

"I can hear you you know!" Beatrice called from the other room.

"And am I wrong?!" Rem called back.

"...Your hair looks stupid, I suppose!"

Rem's mind froze up in astonishment. "THAT'S the best you can come up with?"

Beatrice snarked back. "It is! It looks like a blue upside-down broken bowl that's missing a shard, in fact!" Rem shut down for a moment in an attempt to comprehend that. She created an ice mirror and took a peek at her reflection. Then the ice cracked.

"Hmmmm..." She half hummed half snarled. "She's right...if that one bit of hair in front of my other eye wasn't missing, I would look like I'm wearing a blue bowl over my head."

"I think it would look cute like that." Emilia spoke up.

Rem looked away with a small blush and smiled. "Oh. Why thank you, dear. I do prefer to have a cute hairstyle over an overly complex bunch of drills and curls that's liable to get stuck in doors!" She said that last part loud enough for Beatrice to hear.

"My hair is elegant and beautiful and you're just jealous, I suppose!"

"What about my hair?" Emilia asked innocently.

"Your hair is beautiful, Emilia." Rem assured her.

"Um... Your hair... It's... Uh... No comment, I suppose!" Beatrice said with a pout, arms crossed.

"Awww, you like iiiiit!~" Emilia squealed, leaving her chair and scooping Beatrice up in her arms.

She began nuzzling her face against the spirit's affectionately. "I always knew you liked my hair. You always gave me that weird look whenever you saw me brush it. You wanna have the same one?" She asked.

Beatrice blushed as she struggled to get out of Emilia's embrace. "Shut up I suppose! I don't wanna have your stupid haircut! All you have is a bland, long stream, while my drills are elegant and show off my skill and status above you, in fact!"

"Now that's rude." Emilia pouted. "I put great care into my haircut!"

She grabbed a lock of her hair and twirled it around her finger. "I spend a reaaaally long time brushing it every day... Um... I... didn't really think to do it today though, so it's a bit of a mess right now, but... I do try to keep it looking nice! Mostly..." She looked at Rem. "Does my hair look okay...?"

Rem nodded. "Better than okay, your hair is breathtaking no matter how neat it is, you don't have to worry about keeping yourself perfectly groomed just for my sake." She assured her lover, getting a smile from her.

"Again with the flirting, I suppose." Beatrice muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, just let us have our fun, you big killjoy!" Emilia said, waving her arms in protest.

Beatrice hmphed. "If you're going to do that non-stop, try to at least limit it to private places, in fact. There are children here."

Rem spoke up. "I dislike to admit but she's right. Let's keep the flirting to a minimum around Harry, lest we get too into it and say something inappropriate."

Emilia went to say something, but realized and stopped. "Yeah, you're right. Let's keep that stuff away from Harry..."

"Speaking of, I'm gonna turn every girl that ever dares break his heart in the future into my Witch Cultist Chunky Salsa special."

Emilia lightly nudged her with her elbow. "Hey, hey, none of that, we're not going to kill anyone. I mean, you can beat them up a little, but you can't kill them because I don't want you to go to prison." Rem sighed and closed her eyes.

"And just for that reason?"

"Well... I also do believe life is very sacred and shouldn't be carelessly destroyed at the drop of a hat..."

"I see. Then I'll settle for putting them in a coma."

"That...isn't MUCH better, Rem."

"Anyone who would hurt someone as pure and sweet as Harry can't be any good."

"...Okay, fair point." Emilia conceded. "But, try to be gentle at least."

"Very well." Rem nodded. "I will gently smash them into the dirt."

"Reeeeeeem." Groaned Emilia in annoyance. Rem giggled in amusement. It's so fun to make Emilia annoyed. Her purity makes her hard to anger, so the rare moments when she's annoyed can be quite precious. Mostly because she sounds and looks so adorable when she's annoyed.

"Alright, hehe, alright. I won't do anything drastic, I promise. But if someone hurts Harry, I won't hesitate to return the favour. You won't change my mind on that."

Emilia sighed. "You can throw them. That is the most I will allow. You can throw them as far as you want, but that's it, I'm not letting you get yourself arrested. Now come on, let's go and get started on that cake! We gotta have it ready so we can eat it after dinner!"

Rem smiled in bemusement and nodded. "All right then... Let's do it." She gently picked Harry up and carried him to the cupboard, looking around to see if they had what they needed. "Hmm... Perhaps a quick trip to the store is necessarry... We're missing a few ingredients..." She mused.

"Ooooh, family shopping trip!" Emilia said excitedly.

"And I'm assuming..." Beatrice began. "...that I will be left to take care of the house while you two are away, I suppose?" Emilia laughed awkwardly and rubbed her head. Beatrice simply shook her head with a sigh. "Figures. Well then, you'd best prepare, in fact. Go off now, I suppose." She walked away, headed towards the living room.

"I will never get over how much she has matured." Rem said, making sure Beatrice was out of earshot when she said that.

Emilia nodded her head with a small smile. "Yes, it seems reconciling with her mother has been good for her..." She looked to Rem with a tilted head. "Is it mean to leave her behind after I just called it a family shopping trip? She's family too after all..."

"She is, but someone has to keep an eye on things while we're gone. We won't be gone long anyway..." She looked at the note Dumbledore had left them with. "Now then... A small safe behind the wall with all the money we'll need... Hmm... We may as well double check and make sure there's nothing else we'll need to pick up while we're out..." She mused. "Just let me take quick stock of the kitchen and we'll be on our way."

"Kay!" Emilia chirped, watching Rem walk off into the kitchen before turning her attention to Harry. "So have you been in this world's marketplace?"

"Um... You mean grocery store...? No... I wasn't allowed to be seen..." He replied softly.

"Grocery store... Hmm... Is it like a little shop?"

"Um... I think it's a really really big one."

"Oh! Wow... Um... I don't know where we're going or what we're gonna be looking for..." Emilia realized.

Before she could ponder this, a map suddenly appeared on the table in front of them.

Emilia was a little confused, until a yell came from outside the dining room, in the hallway.

"You're welcome, I suppose!"

"Oh...um...thank you, Beatrice!" Emilia yelled back. Her response was a "Hm.", before the owner of the voice went back into the living room.

Emilia blinked, before shaking her head and examining the new map.

"Ouuuuu, this map is so detailed." She groaned. The maps in Lugnica never had this much effort put into them!

She tilted her head to the side, closing one eye and sticking out her tongue as she tried to decipher it. "How did Beatrice even know...?"

"Mother told me!" Beatrice called back.

"Oh... Um... If she's watching Harry, I guess she WOULD know, huh? Okay... Um... Ooooh... Maybe Rem can help me figure this out, it's hard, I'm soooo bad at chartography..."

"Car...cart...what's...cartophragy?"

"Cartography, dear." Emilia explained. "It's basically a skill that lets you read maps."

"Um...how do you...read maps?"

"Well, you see, maps aren't read like books. To read a map, means to be able to know where you are on the map, and then plan and figure out which way you need to go to get to where you wanna be."

"Oooooh... That sounds kinda hard..." Harry murmured softly.

"Oh, it is... It REALLY is..." Emilia sighed. At that moment, Rem stepped out of the kitchen, holding a small shopping list and looking it over with a focused frown. "Oh, Rem. Um... Can you help with this map? I'm just not sure how to read it..."

Rem tilted her head and took the map, looking it over for all of ten seconds before nodding her head and putting it in her skirt pocket. "I know where to go, dear, don't worry, just follow my lead." She said.

"Wow., just that one glance is all it took for you to get it?"

"Yes, I learned maps at a very young age. Ram and I both. It was necessarry for the environment we grew up in." Rem replied.

"Grew up in?" Harry tilted gis head. "Where...did you grow up, mommy?"

Rem cringed at the memory, preferably to not talk right now. "I'll tell you some other time, sweetheart. It's...not a story for children like yourself."

"Oh..." Harry said, nodding. He could see his mommy wasn't comfortable, so he decided not to ask anymore. He didn't want them to get mad at him. Ever.

"Are...are you sure you know?" Emilia asked. "This is a completely different environment from what both of us know. We could easily get lost."

Rem closed her eyes and nodded her head. "Yes. After all, the marketplace and the city we came from are very different from where I was born, so I'm used to adapting to different environments." She gently grabbed Emilia's hand. "And if we do get lost, then we needn't worry, we're more than capable of keeping ourselves safe."

"Yes, but..."

"Now now, dear, you mustn't worry so much, we'll simply go to the store and return home. It will be easy. I will memorize the direction we walk from, and we will find our way back home. Do you trust me, my love?"

"...Yes, Rem. I trust you." Emilia said with a soft smile. "Lead the way!" Giggling, Rem grabbed Emilia's free hand, the half-elf holding Harry in her other arm as she led them out the door.

"Now then... It seems we're going to a store in the Muggle world... That's what this strange paper is for. Such an odd method of currency..." Rem murmured, studying the pounds she was given, with a woman's face on it.

Emilia gave it a look. "She reminds me of Priscilla."

"I can see why." The woman did look like a stereotypical noblewoman after all.

"Why do they use funny coloured paper for paying stuff?"

"Um..." Harry began. "That's money. Aunt Petunia said that...different coloured paper has a...different...val...vala..."

"Value?" Rem asked.

"Yeah, value." Harry nodded.

He looked at the one Rem was holding. "Um... This is one... And... this one is five... And there's ten... And..." Emilia and Rem listened patiently as he explained the numbers of the pounds laid out before them. Rem picked them up, then recited what he had just told them in an effort to make sure she understood, pleased with herself when Harry nodded his head in affirmation.

"Very good! Thank you, Harry." She gently ruffled his hair. "You're an excellent help." Harry beamed with pride at her praise. He was helping!

Emilia picked Harry up and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead before gently holding him up against her side, his tiny body leaving his legs only going down just past her ribcage. "Wow, you really are a tiny little guy, aren't you?" She murmured, booping his nose lightly.

"I am...? Oh... I am..." He looked down. "Um... Sorry for not being bigger..."

"Aww, don't apologize! I kinda like you being all tiny, it makes it reaaaaally nice to snuggle and hold you!" Emilia chirped as they walked out the door. "And you also just look really cute!"

He was?" "I'm...cute?" He asked timidly.

"The cutest in the whole universe." Emilia confirmed.

"Thank you...mommy." He said with a small blush.

"Hehe, you're welcome." Emilia responded with a light pinch of his face.

"Ah!" The two looked to find Rem running after a paper leaf, likely money, being carried by the wind. "Ah, wait!" The trio took chase after the pound. Thinking quickly, Emilia fired a spell at it, encasing it in ice and letting it fall down. It hit the ground and the ice shattered, leaving the pound safely intact. Rem sighed with relief and picked it up. "I should have seen that coming, I'm so much more used to using coins that I didn't expect the currency to fly out of my hand like that. It seems there's much about this world that I've yet to accustom myself to..." She sighed. "I'm still not certain if I can ever get used to those strange carriages..."

"You mean the cars...?" Harry asked softly.

"Ah, yes, those." Rem nodded. "How do they move without horses or earth dragons pulling them along...?"

"Earth dragons?" Harry asked with a tilted head. "Um... Do they breathe mud like normal dragons breathe fire?"

Rem tilted her head. "Hmm? Oh! Well, no... They're essentially large lizards that we use to pull carriages back home." She explained.

"They're beautiful creatures to be certain. I wish I could show you one." Emilia murmured.

"We might get the chance one day. We can keep contact with Lugnica, and Echidna did say our worlds are split with a barrier. Who's to say we can't cross it again?"

"Oh, you're right! Now I remember!" Emilia exclaimed excitedly. "You hear that Harry? We might be able to see one someday!"

"Really? I can see an Earth Dragon one day?"

"When you're a bit older. I don't trust those things around you while you're so small." Rem said. "I hope you considered that too, Emilia."

"Ah...yeah, totally." Emilia bluffed. Truthfully, she was a bit too excited to show Harry an Earth Dragon that she forgot to consider his small size. It would be dangerous to let him anywhere near any big beasts without supervision.

She sighed. "They're super big. Bigger than any horse! Um... You... probably haven't seen a horse up close, but they're pretty big animals!" Harry nodded his head.

"Would they eat me...?" He asked softly.

"No. They simply... play a bit rough." Rem spoke up. "They don't know their own strength, and so they have a tendency to hurt their masters by accident..."

"Oh... And then they get sad." Harry said with a nod.

"Yes. And then they get sad." Rem said with a soft giggle. She looked at the passing cars and tilted her head. She would have to do further research on these strange things. Perhaps she could learn how to control one. It would certainly make getting around much easier...

"Hey! I have an idea!" Emilia spoke up all of a sudden.

"Huh? What idea?"

"Seeing how we both need a better way of transportation beyond just walking...aaaand since those cars look fun..."

"You want to see if we could learn how to drive one."

"Yep! That's right."

"Hmmm...I don't know. They seem unsafe." They moved so fast! What if there was an accident? Or worse, run over a poor animal! And they're so big, so they might get caught up in a traffic jam!

Traffic jams were a rarity back in Lugunica, but here, they seemed like they were likely to be far more common and likely to happen. There was so much to consider. They were so out of their depth here... Frankly, she was more concerned about Emilia driving one of these vehicles than herself, she was confident enough in her own discipline to drive well, but Emilia... not so much.

Emilia looked at her with a pout. "You don't think I can do it!" She exclaimed, crossing her arms over her bust.

"Emilia, it looks like a very complex process, and we don't understand much of how this world works..."

"I'm a good learner, I can figure it out!"

"I'm not saying you can't, I just... worry... That's all..."

Emilia's gaze softened. "Rem... I'm not a child. You don't have to stress out over me." She said softly.

"I know, but I love you, and I'm terrified of anything happening to you." Rem replied softly.

"Same goes for me." Emilia said. "I don't wanna lose you like I did mother. That's why we're in this together. We'll learn everything we need to with each other. That way we can cover all bases."

Rem nodded. "Hm, good idea. I'll be glad to fix your mistakes every time you screw up."

"Was that the only reason you answered me?"

"Partially, yes."

"Awwwww!" Emilia huffed. "You can be sooooo mean! Ram at least does it less often!"

"Yeah, but hers sting a lot harder."

Emilia winced and looked down. "Ram's reeeeally mean..." She murmured softly. "She told me my head looked like a watermelon except for the bad haircut..."

"...That haircut you got WAS pretty bad, dear." Rem spoke softly.

"I just wanted to try a shorter hairstyle!"

"But your hair is so much better when it's long and flowing. You have such beautiful hair, it's a waste to cut it all away." Rem replied sincerely. Emilia blushed and twirled a lock of her hair around her fingers.

"Oh... You really think that...?"

"Your hair is really pretty, mommy... It's...shiny." Harry said softly with a smile.

"Awww, thank you sweetie." Emilia said, flustered. "I didn't know my hair is shiny."

"It is. Especially under the Moon, where it stands out the best." Rem confirmed.

"Wait, really?" Emilia asked. "Huh. So that's why people wouldn't look at me with scorn whenever I took a walk through the town on a clear night. They'd give me these wide gazes full of wonder."

"No surprise there." Rem nodded.

Emilia ran her fingers through her hair with a small, bashful smile. "Um... We'll... have to spend some time outside in the moonlight when we find the time... Maybe... eat dinner as a family outside... and then when Harry's in bed we can just... sit together for a while..." She said softly.

Rem blinked at the suggestion. "...That... sounds lovely..." She murmured softly. Her face turned slightly red at the thought of sitting next to Emilia, and cuddling up with her in the moonlight, the glow of her silver hair lighting the night, maybe sharing a kiss or two...

Okay, she wanted to do it now, desperately.

Emilia saw how eager she looked, giggled softly and kissed her on the cheek. "Aww, we'll find a chance to do it as soon as possible then!" She chirped.

"Of course... we'll have to schedule our dates to accomodate for our child." Rem said, smiling at Harry.

"Dates? What are dates?" Emilia asked, tilting her head. "Like the fruit?"

'So innocent.' Rem thought, and made a mental note to punch Puck in the face later. "Right, you don't know about dates. Haaah, how do I explain this..." Emilia tilted her head. There were other types of dates than the fruit? "A date is essentially a...let's call it hangout session, between two lovers. The couple in question either arranges a special place they spend time in, or simply enjoy what they find the most fun while walking around. To put it simpler, it's a short event specifically for two lovers to spend time together and deepen their relationship."

Emilia blinked twice. "Oooooooooh. Wow! That is SUCH a good idea! Getting a little extra time to bond with the one you love!" Emilia said excitedly. "So... Like... Is this a date...?" Rem giggled softly into her hand.

"No, dear, a date is traditionally just between the two lovers. We brought Harry with us, so in this case, it's more of a family outing." The maid replied. Emilia nodded her head in understanding and beamed down at her adopted son.

"Did you hear that, Harry? We're on a family outing! Isn't that amazing?!" She asked excitedly.

"Y-Yeah... I... I can't believe I... have a family to do outings with..." Harry murmured shyly. Emilia kissed his forehead gently and giggled.

"We should do lots of these kinds of things! Ooh, and we can also bring Beatrice along, and Puck, and then we can also have lots of dates too, just me and Rem, and we can all get reaaaally close to one another and be the happiest family ever!" It was clear as day to Rem that Emilia was utterly overwhelmed by her excitement, and she giggled softly into her hand. Emilia was honestly so adorable... She was oh so lucky to have her as her lover...

She couldn't stand still, so she moved and gave Emilia and kiss on the cheek. Emilia stopped in place, blinked in surprise, and patted her cheek with a blush. "Hehe...thanks. Here..." Emilia decided to return the favor and kissed Rem on the nose. Then on the cheek... Then on the other cheek... Soon, Emilia was planting kisses all over Rem's face. Rem waited in slight amusement to finish. Emilia was always overly affectionate after all. Just one of her cuter traits.

Soon enough, Emilia stopped and giggled with a closed-eyed smile as Rem stood calmly in place, hands clasped together and looking at her lover in bemusement. "Well then..." Was all she could say. Emilia looked down at Harry in her arms.

"And don't think I forgot about you, sweetie!" She proceeded to do the exact same thing to him, and he giggled and squirmed a bit in her arms as she did so. When she was done, Harry was smiling wider than she had ever seen before, earning him just one more right on the forehead.

"We're lucky you don't wear any of that artificial makeup people use to enhance their beauty, because we would both have lipstick marks all over our faces if you were. But you certainly don't need that, your natural beauty is all you truly need." Rem said softly.

"Awwwwwww, thank yoooooou!" Emilia cooed with a smile and a blush. "You really know how to make me feel special, I can't believe you really think I'm pretty!"

"You're not pretty, my dear, you're beautiful." Rem said sincerely. Emilia felt a warmth welling up inside her. She LOVED getting these compliments! It made her feel... worthy of existence!

She always wondered if she would ever have someone complimenting her that way. And now that she does, she feels like the wait was worth it. All those endless days of scorn and glares have all amounted to what she has right now. A beautiful girl she loves and who loves her back. And a son both of them love. If this was a dream, she'd slap herself awake. Although she would drop Harry if she did that. No slapping then! "And...and you're beautiful too, Rem." Emilia said, struggling to speak due to the incredible joy in her heart.

Rem closed her eyes and giggled. "Oh, thank you, my love, I always thought Ram was the pretty one to be perfectly honest..."

Emilia blinked owlishly. "Wait... You're identical twins though. You're BOTH the pretty one."

Rem giggled. "Oh? Are you saying you might have chosen Ram over me then?"

"No way! I'm WAY closer to you than I ever was with Ram! We have a special connection!" Emilia squeezed Harry gently. "And I know Harry would also choose you over Ram every time!"

"Harry hasn't even met Ram, dear. ...Although I do hope we can change this fact someday, I'd love for her to get to know her nephew..."

Emilia tilted her head. "Hmm... I don't feel right taking Harry over to our world past the great waterfall... It's reaaaally dangerous, and this place feels so much safer... Maybe we could get Ram to come here!"

"She wouldn't leave Lord Roswaal."

"...Why does she love him so much...?"

"I...I don't know, my love. I can't even begin to imagine, I've always had a strange feeling about him..."

"Hmm... Me too... I only stayed with him out of necessity, I felt like he was using me for something..." Emilia looked down at Harry. "Oh... Um... Don't mind us, sweetie, it's just grown-up talk."

"I have an auntie?" Harry asked, tilting his head. "Would... Would she like me...?"

"Most definitely." Both girls said in unison.

"Ram is particularly fond of children. She'd love you in a heartbeat." Rem said.

"And with your cuteness and sweet little face..." Emilia continued. "...I'm sure even Lord Roswaal would absolutely adore you!"

"I'm not letting him near Harry?"

"Eh?"

"You heard me." Rem said. "He may be my lord, but he is immensely disturbing. I am keeping Harry away from him at all costs."

Emilia tilted her head. "Fair enough... He IS a bit weird..."

"What's a Roswaal...?" Harry asked.

"A clown." Rem said flatly.

"Reeeem, that's not nice." Emilia chided.

"But far from inaccurate... Just... don't worry about it, dear... Ah. We've arrived. Um... This IS the place, correct?" Rem asked. Harry looked at the large supermarket before them.

"Um... Yeah... It... It looks like a grocery store... I think... I see some food inside..." He murmured.

"Okay! Let's go and get what we need then!" Emilia chirped, grabbing Rem's hand and leading her into the building. She turned to see a row of strange metallic carts. "Oh! How convenient! They give you something to cart your groceries!"

"They look like really large baskets...on wheels." Rem noticed.

"Those are...shopping carts, I think." Harry said. "They, um...carry all the stuff you buy...and...you also need to put them back when you're done."

"Huh?" Emilia asked. "But why? Is it not normal to just bring them home with you to carry everything and bring them back when you're done?"

"Uncle Vernon tried to do that once...he...he got beat up by a policeman."

"What a spineless little..." Rem muttered, causing Harry to look up at her.

"Ah, it's nothing sweetie. Just some Rem talk, that's all."

Truthfully, she was more than a little bit pleased that a police officer assaulted that disgusting obese blob of a man, he deserved every ounce of pain the world could possibly throw his way... She approached the shopping carts, and carefully pulled one out. "Ah... It moves quite smoothly..." She murmured.

"Oh look! We can put Harry in here!" Emilia chirped, setting Harry down in the front of the shopping cart. "Awww, he fits in so nicely, you look so cute sitting in there!"

Rem giggled into her hand. "It will certainly save us the trouble of keeping an eye on him. He's not going to get lost now. Now then... Let's go and get what we need..."

"And maybe we can browse around a little?" Emilia suggested. "I'm kinda curious to see just what kind of stuff they sell in this world..."

"Indeed, I myself feel the same way." Rem nodded. "Particularly about the never before seen foodstuffs I can use in my cooking."

Emilia giggled. "Hehe, you really like cooking, don't you Rem?"

The maid nodded with a smile. "Yes. It was always one of my favorite jobs back at the mansion. And to use completely new and unfamiliar ingredients is an educational experience I refuse to pass up!"

"Uh...you're getting a little...passionate, Rem." Emilia sweatdropped as the Oni gained stars in her eyes. She knew Rem loved to cook, but not to this extent!

Rem blinked twice and cleared her throat. "Ah, apologies." She murmured, clutching at her apron. Emilia giggled.

"It's fine, it was actually kinda cute, you're always reaaaally serious, it's nice to see you loosening up more!" Rem tilted her head, then closed her eyes with a smile.

"Well, I am in an environment now were I feel I can afford to drop my regal facade at least a little bit. But I can't release it entirely, one of us has to be the serious one in this relationship after all." Emilia gasped, then puffed her cheeks out.

"Hey, I am PLENTY serious!" She protested. Rem giggled.

"Of course you are, dear." She replied before giving her lover a kiss on the cheek, which caused Emilia to blush and put her hands over her cheeks with a soft smile. "Now let's go inside." And with that, she wheeled the cart with Harry seated snugly inside, Emilia following behind her, silently giggling to herself and gushing softly about how happy she was to be with Rem.

And so, the trio took off further into the store. At first, they were sort of overwhelmed. The sheer amount of aisles, shelves, products...they never had to deal with this much on the market in Lugnica. Thankfully, Harry was here. Since he was far more knowledgeable with the stores of this type, the two girls had to rely on him to guide them through the chaos. At first, they didn't want to. They didn't wanna make him do anything, as to not be a burden. But unfortunately, they had to admit they had no choice. Harry was their only way of knowing where to go and what to take. Didn't stop Rem from vowing to make an extra big dinner to make up for his help though.

Emilia noticed that Harry seemed all too happy to help, though. In fact, he seemed so proud of the fact that he was being useful to them. It actually kind of reminded her of how she'd react back in Lugunica whenever someone offered her praise for what she'd done. She had been so used to scorn and disgust that any sort of positive reaction towards her actions was enough to make her feel overwhelmingly happy, and it was the same thing with Harry. And that... was something that they needed to keep going. They needed to continue making him happy just like this.

"So, this is supposed to be some sort of...tool?"

"Um, yeah...it's uh...used for...blowing away leaves."

"Hmm..." Rem said as she looked at the massive contraption that resembled a green box with a long black pipe.

"Ooh, can I see how it works?"

"W-wait, Emilia, you shouldn't-" Unfortunately Emilia didn't listen fast enough. She pressed a button, and was suddenly blown away with a shriek, followed by a loud sound that make Rem's heart skip a beat. She quickly turned it off, ceasing the noise. "Whew...quiet." She then blinked. "Uh...Emilia? Dear? Where are you?"

A groan was her answer. Emilia was now sitting on the floor with a bucket stuck on her head, the janitor looking at her weirdly. "Uh... That's... mine...?" He said, rubbing the back of his head. Emilia immediately set to trying to pull the bucket off, but it seemed stuck tight. Now standing, she started to pull even harder. Rem sighed and went to help her lover, grabbing on.

"Hold on, I'm here... You pull at the same time I pull... Now!" Both women pulled back with all their might, and while the bucket came off Emilia's head successfully, the force sent the half-elf stumbling back towards a large stack of canned foods. "Oh dear..." Rem sighed, seeing exactly where this was going.

CRASH!

And so, Emilia found herself face-first in a pile of metal and food.

"Ooooogh..." Groaned the half-elf in pain.

"Are...are you okay?" The janitor asked in worry. "Is she okay?"

"She's taken worse, sadly, so yes. She's fine."

"Mmmmnot..."

"Oh, dear. Let me help." Rem quickly walked over and began to move the cans off, before pulling up a dizzy and bruised Emilia.

"Uughhhh...my head is spinning..."

Rem helped Emilia to her feet and hugged her close. "There there now, it's all right, you're okay..." She whispered softly into her ear. She also subtly imbued the half-elf with a small healing spell, one that would heal the worst of her injuries without giving away that she was using magic. She just felt like that was something they simply should not do in the muggle realm.

When she pulled away from the hug, Emilia beamed. "Thanks, Rem... I'm okay now..." She murmured, giving her lover a quick peck on the lips before walking back to the shopping cart.

"Mommy? You're not hurt, are you?" Harry asked worriedly.

"Mm-hmm. Don't worry, sweetie, mommy's just fine." Emilia reassured him, rubbing his head.

"She just needs to be a bit more careful in the future." Rem said, stepping up with a small frown.

"I know..." Emilia sighed.

She really hated her clumsiness sometimes. Seriously, she was a royal candidate, and she couldn't even stand on her own two feet without tripping every other minute! And she also envied Priscilla's luck. That woman must have made it her life's work to be her enemy, since she must've stolen all of her luck and made her a clumsy wreck.

"Stop sulking. You don't look pretty like that."

Emilia was pulled out of her inner complaining by Rem's voice. "Huh?"

"I said..." Rem lifted Emilia's head with her finger on her chin. "...stop sulking. You don't look pretty like that."

Those words just made Emilia sulk even more. "Awwww..." Rem sighed.

"It seems that was the wrong thing to say... You're always beautiful, Emilia, but I don't like to see you upset."

"It's Priscilla's fault, she turned me into a klutz!"

"...How did she make you into a klutz?"

"With... With... I don't know, somehow!" Rem chuckled and hugged her.

"It's all right, dear, I'll always love you even if you do slip up frequently."

"Ah, but I don't wanna make you any more trouble..."

"It's no problem, Emilia." Rem said, patting her head. "I can take any kind of trouble you bring. No matter what."

"Are you sure? But..."

"Enough buts." Rem interrupted her. "Keep those for sitting. Point is, do. Not. Worry. I can do it. All of it. So do not be afraid to mess up a little."

"Aaaaaaah..." Emilia squealed with tears and threw herself around Rem in a big hug. Rem blinked in surprise, but smiled and returned the hug.

As this was happening, the janitor watched them with a smile.

"Ah, young love."

He returned to his work as Harry watched them interact with a tilted head. It was nice to see his mother being reassured when she'd slipped up and made a mistake. When HE made a mistake, he never got this kind of nice, gentle treatment... Well... Not from the Dursleys anyway... He was at least reassured by the idea that his new parents would... PROBABLY react more or less the same way if he made a mistake and messed something up. ...He hoped so anyway...

After they had their moment, the group went back to shopping, Rem pushing Harry along in the cart as Emilia looked around at the shelves, in awe at everything.

"Woooow!" Emilia zoomed over to a huge mirror next to the cosmetics stall. "Look at this! The mirrors back in Lugnica were never this shiny! They had better designs and frames, but this one is so clear!"

"It looks difficult to maintain though." Rem remarked. "I can't imagine the torture the poor person cleaning this is going through trying to maintain it."

"Yeah, it looks pretty expensive too!" Emilia said. She went to touch the mirror, before noticing Rem giving her a "Don't you dare." look.

"Uuuh...didn't mean to do anything! That's right! Nothing! Hehe..."

Rem grabbed her by the arm and lightly pulled her away. "Look, don't touch." She said simply. Emilia pouted, and obediently took a few steps back, looking elsewhere in the store.

"Hmm... Ah, more furniture... These couches are nice!" Emilia took a seat on one of the couches in question. "Hmm... Strange... What does this do...?" She pulled a small lever on the couch.

"Emilia, maybe you shouldn't-" Rem's words were cut off when the couch abruptly slammed shut on her.

"Hm!? Hmmm! Hmmmmmph mhhhhh!" Came out the tiny terrified squeaks of the half-elf now trapped inside the couch.

Rem just looked at the object, before sighing in exasperation. "What a troublesome girl. I clearly said not to touch, just to look." Approaching the couch, she opened it up, letting the silver haired girl out with a gasp.

"Ahhh! I thought I was gonna suffocate!" Said Emilia. Looking up, she found an upset looking Rem looking down on her wife with her arms crossed.

Rem sighed and extended her hand to her lover, who shyly accepted it and looked down in shame. "I'm sorry..." She said softly. Rem shook her head.

"Honestly, dear, if you don't know what it is, you mustn't mess with it. Especially with the foul luck you've had thus far."

"Oh, but it's all so interesting, Rem, this place has things you could never dream of seeing back home in Lugunica!" Emilia exclaimed, a couple passing shoppers giving her a weird look as they walked by.

"...Do be careful, we're supposed to be blending into this society." Rem whispered. "And you can't touch things without knowing what it might do, that could cause damages and lead to us having to pay for it..."

"...We need to learn about this stuff though, don't we? One of us has to get a job, right? We need to support our family." Emilia said. Rem blinked twice.

"Ah. Yes. A fair point... We'll need to work..." She murmured. "But where WOULD we work...?"

"Hmmmm...somebody needs to stay home and take care of Harry." Emilia said. "Beatrice is there, yes, but she's not exactly a good cook, so there's no guarantee she can make edible food for Harry."

*meanwhile with Beatrice*

The spirit looked up from petting Tabitha and gained a confused expression on her face.

"Why do I suddenly have an urge to cook an incredible dish with incredible spite behind it?"

*back with the family*

"Hmmm...maybe Dumbledore could help us with that?"

Rem tilted her head to the side. "Hmm... Yes... He's the headmaster of a school, perhaps it needs someone to keep it tidy..." She murmured. Emilia beamed and pulled her into a hug.

"Oh, you'd be perfect for that job, you're so good at everything you do back at the mansion!" Rem giggled and returned the embrace.

"Thank you, dear. Now then... Let's go and get the foods we need..."

"Right!" Emilia agreed. While they were on their way, however, they stumbled upon a section of the store containing various colorful bags of rather appetizing looking snacks. "Hmm? What are these things...?"

"Hmm... They look vaguely similar to sliced tatoes... Only... sliced EXTREMELY thin... and... boiled in oil...? And it seems they've added flavoring as well. What a strange idea, however could that have been conceived?"

"...I'm... kinda curious now..." Emilia admitted.

"Hmm... I suppose there's no harm in taking a few... They do seem to be pleasant snack foods..." Rem relented, taking a few bags of differing flavors.

While Rem chose which flavours to take, Emilia took a look around, before gasping and running off.

Rem meanwhile gazed at the bags labeled with "bacon" and "onion" flavours, able to tell by the pictures on the bags.

"I can understand onions, but..." She began. "...how in Flügel's name does one make tatoes taste like bacon?" She turned around. "What do you...think...Emilia..." She sighed that last word out. "She's gone again." Putting the bags into the cart, she looked at Harry."Sweetie, which direction did mommy run off in?"

Harry blinked twice, then pointed in the direction he'd seen Emilia rush to. Rem sighed and patted his head. "Good boy." She murmured, pushing the cart in the direction Harry had specified. "Your mommy is quite the handful, you know, she's so eager to see everything she can that she just keeps wandering off from my sight. Be sure not to copy that sort of behaviour, okay?"

"I won't... I don't wanna get lost..." Harry murmured softly.

"And you won't just as long as you stay close to one of us at all times." Rem beamed with a smile. "...Although I wouldn't be surprised if mommy managed to get herself lost in here, it has happened before..."

"Really?" Harry asked.

"Oh yes. We went to the market one day, I lost sight of her, and I wound up finding her at a small lost and found point they made in case children wandered off. It WAS her first time there, so I didn't tease her TOO much. My sister did though." Rem giggled. "You see, we have an established dynamic. I'm the serious one, and she's the silly, innocent one."

"Oh... What does that make Big Sister...?"

"Hmm... The one that reacts."

"And Mr. Puck?"

"...The overprotective father."

"And me?"

"Well, I would say you're the perfect little angel." Rem booped his nose with a smile, and he giggled. "Now, where is...Oh, there you are, what in the world are you doing over here?" Rem asked Emilia.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Rem, I just saw this cute little aisle full of these adorable little soft dolls and I had to get a closer look." Emilia chirped, holding up a plush avocado. "Look! They put eyes on food! How charming is that?!"

Rem blinked. 'Huh. Upon closer inspection, it does look quite cute. The googly eyes give a touch of silliness, while the small size and fluffy, soft plush give a welcoming and huggable feeling that-' Emilia and Harry just watched as Rem suddenly began to stare really hard at the avocado.

"Uh, Rem?"

"Hm? Huh? What? Did I miss a spot?"

"No, you, uh...spaced out for a moment."

She shook her head. "Hmm... I believe it's in our funds to buy it... And perhaps a second one as well for Harry..." Harry blinked twice.

"For me...?" He asked softly.

"Well of course. You need some things to keep you entertained while the rest of us are busy, don't you?" Rem gently patted his head. "We'll see what else we can find that you'd like, just so long as we stay within a budget, we can't throw all our money at playthings after all."

"Oooh, Rem, you're so sweet!" Emilia squeed, hugging her lover tight. Rem laughed softly and pulled a second avocado plush from off the shelf.

"I just pray this thing doesn't see more affection than I will." Emilia gave Rem a kiss on the cheek.

"That could NEVER happen! The stuffed toy's cute, but you're MUCH better! It might take some attention away from Puck though."

Rem giggled. "Oh, he's going to hate that toy now that you've said that."

"Ha. He has Tabitha and Pumpkin. I'm taking Puffers with me!"

"Puffers? You named it Puffers?"

"Yeah, look at him!" She presented the plush again. "He's so squishy and puffy and soft. I could use him as a pillow!"

"Now I understand the troubles Puck will go through.".

"Hey!"

Harry giggled softly at the interaction before looking at the plush Rem placed in his hands. "Do you like this, Harry? We can get another one if you'd prefer." Rem offered.

"I like it a lot cause it's a present from you..." Harry murmured shyly, squeezing the plush toy. Rem beamed and stroked his hair.

"You're a sweetheart, Harry... All right. Now let's see if we can find a few more things and then we'll go and get our groceries."

A few minutes later, Harry had settled on a toy car, a red rubber ball, and a couple small action figures. "What kinds of costumes are they wearing...?" Emilia murmured. "This one looks like he's dressed as a bat, and this one... He has a spider on his chest... And this one... He's in some sort of armour I think..."

"They're superheroes... Dudley watched them on the tv... They were cool..." Harry murmured.

"Super...heroes?" Rem tilted her head at that. "These terms are so unusual. What exactly differentiates them from regular heroes?"

"Maybe they look super cool while saving people? Is that super? Because they look super cool?"

"No, I don't think it's that." Rem shook her head. "But regardless, I believe we have plenty of things. Or is there something more Harry wants?"

"Do you want anything more Harry?" Emilia asked. "We've got plenty of money to spare. We can afford some more stuff, if you'd like."

Harry shook his head. "Um... No, it's okay, thank you. It's more than I thought I'd ever get to have..." He murmured softly, looking at the small amount of toys they had more or less picked out for him, truthfully he had just said yes to whatever they suggested, he was just happy to have anything.

"Aww, you're such a good boy, happy with what he has!" Emilia chirped, giving him a quick kiss on the forehead. "Okay! We might come by some time soon and pick some other things as a surprise though..."

"You'll spoil him, Emilia." Rem giggled.

"He deserves to be spoiled though!" Emilia chirped. Rem rolled her eyes goodnaturedly.

"Well, since we have that finished, it's time to deal with what we came here for. Where is the baking section of this establishment...?" Harry looked up at the signs, trying to read them. His mothers did the same. They all promptly gave up.

"Oh, I'm sure we'll find it if we just look really hard." Emilia chirped. It took them a half hour, but they did eventually find what they were looking for. "Oooooh, look at all this stuff, Rem, I've never seen so many strange looking treats before!" Emilia exclaimed.

"I've seen them." Rem said. "In fact, I've actually even made some of these back in the mansion on occasion. They weren't for us though. Mostly meant to be delivered to different noble families." She picked up a circular bun with chocolate on it. "These are donuts. They come in two shapes, this being one of them, and are most commonly either filled with or covered in some sort of sweet liquid, either chocolate or vanilla."

"Ooooh...sooo cool." Emilia said with stars in her eyes.

"And these..." She pointed at the twisted pointy things. "Are croissants. Weird name to write, but the food the name is attached to is worth the unusual. I myself have occasionally snuck one or two after making them."

Emilia squeed softly and clapped her hands. "We have so many different types of foods to try baking together, it's gonna be soooo much fun, I'm so excited for all the things we can do together as a familyyyyyyy!" Rem laughed softly.

"I'd be happy to show you and Harry how it's done. Beatrice as well if she's interested. But for now, let's focus on what we came for. We need cake ingredients... Hmm..." She picked up frosting, then blinked. "Oh, and what are these?"

"Sprinkles." Harry murmured softly. "It's like... little tiny candy you put on cake and cookies and stuff..."

"I see. Hmm... Would these go well with the cake, or would the tastes clash...?" Rem mused, weighing her options.

"Um... I think they're chocolate sprinkles, cause they're brown..."

"Ah. Then they'll go just fine with any flavour we choose to bake." Rem put them in the cart. "Frosting... sprinkles... Hmm... Some flour won't hurt..." Rem muttered under her breath as she grabbed everything the would need for their cake.

By the time she was done, the cart was halfway full with mostly baking ingredients and toys. Emilia blinked. "Hum. I said we have plenty of money, but are we sure this isn't too much?"

"Not like we need to worry too much." Said Rem as she threw in a bag of sugar. "Dumbledore continuously supplies us with money, so we don't need to worry too much."

"Feels like we're using the poor old man..."

"A necessary sacrifice. Think of it as his way to atone for his mistake. He will suffer along with his wallet."

Emilia blinked twice. "Um... That's kinda mean..."

Rem shrugged. "One day of splurging just slightly won't hurt him, I'm sure, it's not as though I intend to make this a regular thing... Harry... deserves this day, just... he needs to have something... He's been denied life's basic pleasures for so long, I want to bring it to him..."

"Aww... Okay, I understand." Emilia said with a soft smile. After paying at the till, they ran into a slight impasse. "There's... a lot of bags to carry, isn't there...?" Emilia murmured.

"Oh yes. Take as many as you can carry, I'll handle the rest, I've handled far more bags than this all at once." Rem assured her lover.

"Um... Okay..." Emilia took four bags, and Harry offered to take two of the lighter ones. She looked over at Rem, who expertly had multiple bags draped over her arms, one wrapped carefully around her neck like a necklace, and the bag of flour held securely in her arms.

Emilia looked at her four bags and pouted.

"Hm. Sometimes I envy your Oni strength..."

"Nothing to envy, dear." Rem nonchalantly replied. "Just a product of extensive training."

"No way. You Oni are just differently built."

"If you say so." The two women giggled at their little bickering. Harry looked between them with a smile. They looked so happy laughing together like that.

Harry was sitting comfortably atop Rem's shoulders, and Emilia was simply amazed at how good she was at multitasking, not only able to comfortably support him, but also able to easily carry all the bags. And so, the trio returned back home, pushing the door open to find Beatrice playing on the floor with Pumpkin and Tabitha, wiggling a piece of string back and forth on the floor that the two cats eagerly lunged to try and get. The little spirit heard them walk in and looked up. "Ah. Welcome back, I suppose." She said with a nod.

"Hello, Beatrice. I see you've kept the cats from destroying the house while we were away." Rem nodded.

"Pumpkin wouldn't destroy the house!"

"You specified Pumpkin only."

"I know..."

"Hi Beatrice." Harry murmured softly as he approached.

"Hello, Harry." She got up. "How was your little trip to the store?"

"It was fun. We bought lots of stuff. Mama and mommy bought me toys."

"As they should, in fact." Beatrice nodded. "I would have reprimanded them if they didn't."

"It's good to see you care so much about him, Beatrice." Rem said with a smile. "You're really fitting well into this big sister role."

"Well of course." Beatrice crossed her arms. "Only the best for my little brother."

She stood up, and Pumpkin snatched the string in his teeth and dashed off with it triumphantly, Tabitha whining as she chased after him, almost tripping Rem in the process, much to the oni's chagrin. "Now then, what did you get? Oh? It seems they're... lifeless figures, how odd... Such bizarre costumes, I suppose..."

Emilia and Rem giggled. "We thought the same thing. Apparently they're costumed heroes." Rem remarked.

"I see... They hide their identities behind masks. A clever trick, I suppose, to keep their loved ones safe, in fact..."

"Harry? Would you like to play with your new toys first, or would you like to start baking the cake?" Rem asked gently.

"Uh...cake...I-I wanna help make cake with mama and mommy."

"Awww, that's so sweet of youuuuu." Emilia cooed. "Okay. You can play with your toys later if you want. Now..." She went over picked him up. "We are gonna make the bestest cake in the world. Just the three of us."

"Ahem."

"Four of us."

"I'll go put the toys in his room." Rem said. "You three prepare the tools for the baking."

Beatrice hopped to her feet, still energized from the weird gut feeling that she had something to prove to Rem from earlier, and strutted her way into the kitchen. Giggling, Emilia followed along behind, carrying Harry and the bags Rem had left behind. "Now then..." Beatrice looked over the many ingredients set on the counter. "What shall we start with?"

"Well, we need to make the batter first, so..."

When Rem entered the room, the tools were all laid our.

Emilia nodded gingerly. "Yep yep! It was suuuuper easy, especially with Beatrice's help."

Beatrice smugly smiled. "Well, I am very good at organization, in fact!"

"Soooo, first we make the batter, right, Rem?" Emilia asked.

"Correct." The oni nodded, grabbing a measuring cup. She studied it closely. "Hmm... Unusual numbers, but I can take an educated guess as to how much we'll need..." She carefully poured the flour into the cup, frowned as she carefully studied it to make sure it was just right, then poured it in. "And now some water... I'd estimate four eggs... Sugar... Yes, very good, Harry, you know just what to put in, excellent." Rem praised her son with a smile as he brought forth all she listed and everything else she hadn't quite yet.

"Now, the next we add in the taste." Rem said. Emilia clapped her hands in excitement.

"Ooh, this is my favorite part!"

Rem chuckled. "I'm sure it is." She then pointed a spoon at her. "But don't you dare "sample" the cream again."

"The last time you did that Rem had to make it all over again, in fact." Beatrice smirked. "It was very fun watching you get scolded for it, I suppose."

"Oh, get off my back, the two of you!" Emilia complained. "I can't help it! It's just soooooo delicious! I just need a finger..."

"Which you then turn into the entire bowl."

"Hey!"

"But it'll taste way better if we finish it and make the cake, won't it? And... And we can't waste food..." Harry murmured shyly.

"But... But it's going in my mouth, so... it's not wasted." Emilia replied awkwardly. Rem gave her a stern glance and a raised brow and Emilia sighed in defeat. "Okaaaaay... I'll waaaaait... As torturous as waiting is..." Rem nodded her head in understanding.

"Now then..." Rem turned to Harry. "How would you like to handle this, sweetie?"

Harry blinked in surprise. "M-Me? Really? I never made a cake before..."

"I find that surprising, I suppose, with how clearly lazy and incompetent THEY were." Beatrice drawled, getting a light nudge from Emilia that made her huff.

"Well... Just follow mama's instructions, Harry, and all will turn out well, trust me." Rem assured him. Harry nodded his head obediently, and Emilia and Beatrice stood by and watched as Rem coached Harry through finishing off the batter.

"So first we throw in some grated lemon flakes. These are made by grating the lemon peels. They add a fruity taste to the batter which can then be combined with pretty much any other taste once the cake is done." Saying that, she handed Harry the bottle, and guided his arms so that he wouldn't throw too much in."There we go. Good. Now to fully finish the entire thing off." With that she let the others watch as she stirred, mixed, rolled and molded the batter to fit her standards, always starting over whenever she felt dissatisfied.

Harry watched her especially closely, wanting to learn how to do it the right way. His mama clearly had a very special way of doing everything. He wanted to know how to do it too, so that he could make her proud of him. Rem noticed how intently he was watching and beamed. "I see you're very eager to learn. Just like your mommy was." Emilia giggled into her hand.

"Yep! You're gonna be an amazing little student! If she can teach me, she can DEFINITELY make you the best cook in the whole world!" The half-elf said, gently rubbing her son's head. Harry was happy with the praise, his smile growing as he watched his mother hard at work.

Rem let out a soft sigh and nodded her head. "And done." She turned to Harry. "You see, Harry? The cake batter is nice and smooth... This is the ideal cake batter. You want to try and avoid lumps as much as possible, and you certainly don't want it to be runny. It should be smooth and soft, see?" She stuck a small spoon over the surface of the batter and gently pushed it across. Harry nodded in understanding. Rem giggled. "Now then... Do you want to guess what we're supposed to do next?"

"Oh... Um... Put it in the oven...?" Harry asked.

"Correct!" Rem ruffled his hair. "It goes into the oven."

She took the batter, and carefully to make sure she doesn't drop it, she opened the oven and slid it inside. Shutting the door, she adjusted the temperature and moved back to observe.

"Alright. Now it has begun baking." She nodded, turning to Harry. "And once it's done, the fun part comes around."

"The decorations!" Emilia exclaimed, arms high in the air.

Beatrice rolled her eyes. "Yes yes, no need to shout, I suppose."

Emilia pouted and crossed her arms. "I'm allowed to be excited." She huffed. "Decorating cakes is fun, okay?"

"If you say so." Beatrice said simply. "Now what are we to do while we wait for it to properly bake?" Rem looked thoughtful.

"Hmm... We could make sure all the tools we'll need are properly prepared. And we'll also need to prepare the icing so it will be ready as soon as it's finished baking."

"Okay! What kind of icing were we gonna use again...?" Emilia asked.

"I believe my plan was a huge, 1.5m cake with pristine white frosting, chocolate chips and cocoa powder covering it in it's entirety. The inside a soft, yet perfectly delicious base, made of hazelnuts and almonds, complimented with bits of cookie inside..."

"Wow, you repeated yourself word for word, you really have your mind set on this specific cake." Emilia said with a smile.

"She hyperfocuses, I suppose." Beatrice sighed.

"What are you two standing around for?! Quick! Prepare the equipment!"

"But the batter still needs about 30 minutes to bake..."

"Just listen to her I suppose." Beatrice sighed in annoyance. "Once she gets going, she won't ever stop, in fact."

"Ah...I guess that's true." Emilia said sheepishly.

And so, the two girls pulled out the equipment used for decorating. Rem went through the list to make sure they had everything...about 20 times. By the time she was done, the batter had finished baking, and Rem wasted no time in pulling it out of the oven and getting to work.

"All right, everyone, it's time to add the icing... Watch carefully, Harry, you need to get a nice thick layer on your spatula, like this, and then you just carefully run it across the cake and make sure it gets nice and coated... Yes, yes, very good, just like that, you're doing amazing." Rem praised her son as he followed her instructions. "Oh, careful, not too much now, we don't want it to be overwhelming... Yes, much better, very good." Rem guided her son through the process of icing the cake, and when they were done, she beamed and gently rubbed his head. "Very good, you're mama's little helper." She cooed, causing him to giggle.

"Wow, good job, sweetie, it looks soooooo gooooood!" Emilia exclaimed, eyes shining brightly as she clenched her fists up to her face and leaned in close to the cake, only for Beatrice to lightly tug her back.

"Not so close, I suppose. With your luck and clumsiness, you're likely to trip and fall into the cake and ruin all our hard work, in fact." The little spirit huffed.

"Awww, I'm not THAT clumsy!" Emilia protested.

"Well..." Rem said with a sheepish smile.

"Reeeeem..." Emilia whined.

"Oh, you know I love you regardless of how accident prone you can be." Rem assured, giving her a quick kiss on the nose.

"Ah...erm...th-thanks..." Emilia giggled and stuttered with a blush.

Beatrice scoffed. "Oh, get over it already. You are dating, yet you somehow always get flustered at the slightest bit of affection."

"Stop iiiit! I'm still coming to terms! It's sudden!"

"That just makes your reaction all the more adorable, my love."

"Eeeeeek! Stop I'm gonna cook myself!"

"Are we still working on the cake?" Beatrice asked.

"Ah, right..."

"The cake..."

Beatrice facepalmed.

Getting over their little flirting session, the group quickly turned back and began working on decorating the cake. Each member added a signature touch.

Beatrice liked the edible glitter, so she made sure to liberally sprinkle as much on as she could. Harry carefully put sprinkles across the length of the cake, taking care not to make it look bad. Emilia used one of the icing tubes Rem had bought to make little art pieces atop the cake of her and her family. And Rem carefully added chocolate chips to spell out the word 'Family' on the cake. Or at least... 'Family' in the language of their homeland.

"Mama? What's that say?" Harry asked innocently, pointing at the chocolate chips.

"Oh! Well, mommy and big sister and I all come from another world, and that world... has a very different written language, so this is how we write 'family'. Because we're making this cake to celebrate the fact that we've become a family. ...It's amazing where family can come from, isn't it? We all come from such different backgrounds, yet here we are... A family of five... And two cats as well... All brought together by fate..." Rem murmured.

"And it's a fate we wouldn't give up for the entire world. Right Beatrice?"

The spirit gave a nod. "Indeed, I suppose. I...hadn't paid much mind to how sad and hollow our lives were before we came here. But now that I know, I refuse to ever return to our old home again. Not even the destruction of the Forbidden Library would force me."

"That's surprising. You greatly cared about the Library." Rem asked.

"Yes, well, after mother explained everything, I have realized how sad such an existence is."

She smiled softly at Harry. "I have so much more here than I ever had in some dusty old library full of dusty old books, in fact." Harry smiled back at her, then they all looked at the cake. "Hmm... Seems we were a bit disjointed on this cake, I suppose..." The cake was a bit of a cluttered mess, from all the various things they had added to it. Emilia giggled softly.

"Aww, I think it looks cute!" She chirped. "The messiness adds soooo much character!" Rem let out a sigh and smiled softly.

"It's perfect. Just perfect. It's almost a shame to cut into it."

"...We'll still do so, I suppose?" Beatrice asked with a raised brow.

"Of course, it's a cake, not an art piece. We will have some... after we eat dinner tonight." Rem replied.

"I'll put it away in the freezer, I suppose." Beatrice said, using her magic to telekinetically move the cake to the freezer. Swinging the door open, she slid the cake smoothly onto the shelf, and shut the door gently.

"There we go."

Emilia clapped her hands. "Alright! The cake is ready! Now...um...what now?"

"If you all don't mind..." Rem let out a yawn. "...I'll go take a nap. Even I am a bit exhausted."

Emilia nodded. "Alright. You go do that. I can cook tonight. But until then, anyone wanna see what that strange box in the sitting room is? I've been dying to see how it works in full!" She perked up. "And we even bought some of these strange bags of some sort of snack food! Look!" She held up one of the bags of chips they'd bought with a bright smile. "I have no idea what these things are, or how they're made or what they taste like!"

Rem laughed softly. "Be sure to save some for me, I'm curious as well..."

"Sure thing, sweetie!" Emilia chirped. "You go and rest now, I'll make sure to leave a whole bag for you, we bought like six of these!" She gently ushered Rem out of the room and into their bedroom.

"Emilia, I'm not a child, I can get myself to sleep!" Rem giggled in amusement.

"Oh! Okay." Emilia released her. "Sleep tight!"

"Thank you, my love, I'll join you all soon enough..." Closing the door behind her, Rem climbed into the bed. Now it was Harry, Emilia and Beatrice.

"...Are those... sliced tatoes, I suppose?" Beatrice asked with a raised brow.

"Uuuuuhhh... Maybe...?" Emilia studied the bag. "They do kinda look like it, don't they?" She tried to open the bag, to no avail. "Um... How do I...?" She tried pulling at the top. Nothing. She tried biting it with her teeth. No dice. She squeezed the bag with her hands... and it popped open, startling her slightly. "Oh! Um... Yay, it's open! ...Oh, these would fit nicely into a bowl, I'll get one!" As Emilia left to do so, Beatrice looked boredly at the open bag.

"Hmph. These don't look like much, I suppose..." Reaching into the bag, she grabbed one and studied it closely. "I don't see why any would be interested in purchasing something like this." She put it in her mouth. Chewed. Swallowed. Paused. Then grabbed another one immediately after.

'Th-these...' Beatrice thought as she chewed on another slice. 'These are...delicious!' She looked at the bag. As soon as it had entered the house, the translation charm took effect, allowing her to read it. 'Crisps... A fitting name, I suppose.'

"There!" Emilia said, pulling out a big bowl. Placing it on the table, she shook out the crisps, arranging them so that they don't fall out.

"Hmmm, and there! Neat and tidy." She said, before spotting one that fell out. "Oh...wait. Hmmm..."

Humming, she grabbed the slice of tato, and examined it. It really was supremely thin. Shrugging, she popped it in her mouth, before her eyes widened at the taste and feeling.

"OH MY GOSH THESE ARE AMAZING!" She squeed, clapping her hands against her cheeks, eyes sparkling brightly. "Whoever made these is a genius!" She started helping herself to more.

"Now slow down, I suppose! Save some for the rest of us, in fact!" Beatrice chided, causing her to blush.

"M'sowwy..." She mumbled through a mouthful of chips.

"Honestly, at least SWALLOW before responding, that's repugnant!" Beatrice huffed. Emilia whined, finished chewing and hung her head in shame. "Now, your plan was to do something with that strange box thing in the living room, I suppose?"

"You mean the tv...?" Harry asked softly.

"I suppose." Beatrice shrugged.

"Oh! Right!" Emilia perked up and rushed into the living room. Beatrice rolled her eyes and carried the bowl of chips into the room, Harry following close behind, and when they entered the room, Emilia was looking at the tv. "Um... Okay, so... how do I...?" Harry picked up the remote and pushed the power button, turning the TV on and startling Emilia into falling flat on her backside.

"Ah! Mommy! I'm sorry please don't be mad I didn't think-"

"It's okay! I'm okay, Harry." Emilia said, noticing her son's distress. "Just...startled is all."

"Oh...are...are you sure?"

"Positive."

"You're not angry?"

Beatrice climbed up onto the couch. "If Emilia could get angry just from getting slightly startled, that would not be Emilia but an impostor."

"Oh...okay..."

"Now uh...what just happened?"

"Um... I turned it on..." Harry murmured softly.

"Oh, good job, you did it!" Emilia cheered. "Okay! Um... Wow... Uh... How does it...?" She pushed one of the buttons and yelped slightly as a channel came on. It depicted a news station. "Hmm? What's this man talking about?"

"Ah. It must be the news of this world. ...I despise the news, it's always so depressing..." Beatrice sighed.

"Um... We can see if we can find anything else..." Harry murmured, holding up the remote and pressing a button combination. This time, the screen depicted a show about a young girl and her talking monkey friend going on adventures. Emilia quietly joined them on the couch, and Beatrice promptly got fed up with the girl's incompetence after approximately two minutes of watching her.

"YOU are the one with the map, I suppose! Don't ask ME, in fact! You call yourself an explorer?! You're a disgrace! You shame the name of all the truly great explorers who have discovered wondrous sights and sounds! Oh, you're being hounded by a fox and you didn't think to bring anything to defend yourself with, in fact?! No blade, no bow, nothing?!"

"Ehe, maybe Beatrice shouldn't watch this then..." Emilia giggled awkwardly. Taking the remote, she switched to another channel.

This one depicted a group of men dressed like cooks. They all worked in rows of kitchen tables and appliances, diligently cooking their respective dishes.

"Ah, this seems nice-"

"WHERE'S THE LAMB SAUCE!?"

"Ah!" Emilia was startled by the sudden yell. "W-w-what was that!?"

Beatrice suddenly felt like she needed to cover her little brother's ears, this man seemed quite volatile. Her concerns were quickly proven right as the man began to scream a series of profanities that made Emilia's face turn beet red before she promptly changed the channel. "...He uh... He needs to be nicer to his employees, they won't wanna work for him if he's always yelling at them like that... Oh, what's this one? Oh, he's all dressed up, he must be on his way to a masquerade ball, look at the mask! ...Why is he following that girl with the big knife...? ...Oh... Ooooooh, he's trying to kill her... Oh, that's not good! Run! RUN! RUN FASTER, HE'S CATCHING UP! NO! DON'T GO IN THERE! IT'S A DEAD END! NOOOOO!" Beatrice immediately changed the channel just as the killer swung his weapon, thankfully sparing her younger brother the grizzly sight and giving Emilia a deadpan look.

"You should not be watching this, possibly less so than Harry, I suppose. You're horrible with horror in fact." Emilia pouted.

"I am not!"

"You needed to sleep with jars of fireflies in your room because I told you a ghost story that one time."

"Oh, hey, what's on now?" Emilia shut down the whole conversation.

"Scaredy cat."

"Meow?"

"No, not you Pumpkin."

This time, they were looking at what appears to be another colourful show. On the screen was a young boy with red and blue clothes, speaking to what looks like a yellow...triangle. With one eye. And a top hat.

What?

"Uh...what am I looking at here?" Asked Emilia.

"I...do not know..." Beatrice answered.

Before they could question anything further, the screen suddenly flickered and the triangle's single eye slowly turned to look...

...right towards them.

"Remember! Reality is an illusion, the universe is a hologram, buy gold, byyyyyye!" The triangle said as it vanished into thin air. Emilia gasped in fright. "It... It knows we're here! It's talking to us! And... It said we're not real, Beatrice, is it true?!"

"Tch... Don't be absurd, I suppose. It's merely a storytelling tactic to make this being seem more intimidating, in fact." Beatrice huffed.

"I like the triangle, he has a funny voice." Harry murmured softly.

"...I still feel like he's watching me..." Emilia shivered, hugging herself.

"Honestly, books address the readers all the time, television should be no different..." Beatrice huffed. "Let's watch this show and see what happens..."

And so they settled on that show, and they quickly found themselves enjoying what they were watching.

The antics of the yellow triangle, Bill Cipher as they learned he was called, were incredibly entertaining to watch. His chaotic abilities always somehow found a way to make the small family laugh.

"Pfft...hehe...pain is hilarious...hahaha!" Emilia giggled.

"I do not understand how he could think that. But alas, he is a being of chaos, do I suppose it's his nature."

As the show continued, the episodes got increasingly weirder as they went on, even if Bill wasn't the biggest focus in most of them. Emilia nearly chocked when she saw the Time Baby.

It was so ridiculous!

Beatrice huffed and stuck her nose up."Honestly, can you focus only on the comedy? The story they tell is very intriguing and your uproarious laughter is drowning out their voices, I suppose!"

"I'm sorry, this show's too funny!" Emilia giggled. "Heeheeeheeeee! The balloon says 'I Eat Kids' now! That really backfired on him, haaaahaha!" The half elf all but cackled, causing Beatrice to groan. They heard approaching footsteps and turned to see Rem approaching the couch, looking as regal and composed as ever after her rest.

"Ahh... Hello, everyone. I see you've managed to figure out how the strange box device works." The maid noted with a nod.

"Rem! Rem! You GOTTA sit down and watch this with us, this show is so cute and funny!"

"And kinda scary. I like it..." Harry murmured with a small smile.

"Oh, and try these... these... crisp things too!" Emilia said with a bright smile.

"Hm?" Rem looked at the bowl of yellow leaves on the table. Raising a brow, she took one and ate it... "I need a recipe. NOW."

Emilia giggled. "Hehe, I knew you were gonna say that." She grabbed her hand and pulled her down on the couch. "C'mon, sit here."

"What exactly were you doing?" Asked the oni.

"We were trying out this TV thing here, and we ended up settling on this show called "Gravity Falls." It's really fun, if a bit scary sometimes."

"Scary?" Rem asked. "Should Harry be watching that sort of thing?"

"I like it..." Harry mumbled softly.

"It's harmless. No different than horror literature intended for children back in Lugunica, just given a visual form, it will be fine." Beatrice said with a light huff.

"Hmm... Okay, but if it gets too scary, let me know and I'll keep your eyes averted until it goes back to normal..." Rem said gently to Harry, who nodded. "...It seems whoever owns this home knows more about this 'muggle world' than they let on, I'm amazed they even have this..."

Rem quickly found herself hooked on the show, even moreso than Emilia and Beatrice ever were. It was greatly amusing and the mysteries intrigued her, it reminded her of the mystery novels she always enjoyed reading back home in Lugunica. She was so engrossed in the story that she hardly noticed when someone was speaking to her.

Emilia giggled. "Well. I wasn't expecting Rem to have THIS much fun with the show." She leaned over and kissed the oni on the cheek, which got her to turn to her with a small smile, quickly returning the gesture before looking back at the screen.

They ended up watching their first marathon of the show. Soon enough, they got so into it that they lost track of time.

It was only after Pumpkin meowed to get their attention that they snapped out of their focus.

"Ah! Pumpkin?" Rem asked.

"Hm...it appears we've been glued to the screen for too long." Beatrice said. "That thing is dangerous, I suppose."

"Hm." Rem nodded. "We'll need to be careful how we use it. We don't wanna miss something important while glued to the TV."

"Alright! Now I'm cooking!" Emilia said, jumping off the couch and running into the kitchen to start cooking.

They watched her head off before Rem turned to look at Pumpkin. "And I imagine you two are hungry as well, hmm?"

"I can feed them!" Harry hopped to his feet and made his way to the bag of cat food next to their bowls. Tabitha was currently trying to climb into it while also not letting go of her grip on Puck.

"Oh, hey, someone FINALLY noticed I was missing! Help me out here, Harry!" The spirit pleaded.

"Oh! Sorry, grandpa Puck!" Harry grabbed him out of Tabitha's mouth gently, and she let out a mew of protest, trying to grab at him with her front paws. "It's supper time, Tabitha, don't you wanna eat? You can't eat with grandpa in your mouth..."

"Don't bother, Harry." Puck sighed. "She won't ever listen." The tabby continued to pat Harry's hands with her paws, meowing to get Puck back. Harry felt bad for her, so he decided to try and play with both. He looked around and approached a yarn ball sitting in a basket near Tabitha's. He took it and rolled it over to Tabitha. The cat curiously inspected the yarn, before she started to play with it, pushing it with her paws and occasionally grabbing it with her claws. Now, this wouldn't normally be a problem. Tabitha was distracted so Puck was free at last, yeah? Except, Puck too found himself greatly interested in the yarn. And he was having a very hard time resisting the temptation.

Harry caught on and grabbed a piece of string from the yarn ball, holding it up. "Oooooh..." Puck inspected it. "Would ya look at that..." He began to bat at it with his paws. "Urgh... Come on... I can... Ugh... I can grab it, I can do it! Agh, curse my squishy little paws, I can't grab things, I want that string darn it!" Harry lightly tickled his nose with it, and he sneezed before looking at him with a pout. "Aww, come on, Harry, don't tease your granddad like that!"

"Oh, sorry. Um... Here..." He set the string down on the floor, and Puck leapt down.

"Yeeeeah! Now I got it for sure!" Predictably, his paws still couldn't pick it up. He opted to use his mouth instead. "HA! Mm gt th strng! Hmm... Snot nough..." He looked at the yarn ball and spat out the piece of string. "I need the whole thing, but that crazy cat's got it... What do do, what to do... Harry, distract her!"

"Huh? Uh..." Harry reached over and scratched Tabitha behind the ears, calming her enough to where Puck was able to swoop in and tackle the yarn ball away from her, latching onto it with all four limbs and hugging it close. "YES! THE YARN'S ALL MINE NOW!"

Beatrice watched with a coo as Puck embraced his feline nature.

"Oooh, my sweet little Bubby! He looks so adorable!" Sadly for Puck, Tabitha seems to have noticed him holding onto the ball, and she moved over to lick him. Puck noticed and tried to bat away, but he got a pat on the head of his own for his troubles.

"Hey! No touchy!" He said. "My yarn!" Tabitha didn't listen and pushed the ball, getting Puck underneath it. What followed was a back and forth, both Puck and Tabitha pushing the ball of yarn between each other and trying to steal it from the other.

And then Pumpkin decided he wanted in on the action and lunged at the ball from the middle, ripping it away from both of them as he rolled around on his back and batted it into the air. Puck flew up and caught it again. "HA! Mine now!" Tabitha leapt up after him and bit down on his tail, causing him to yowl as he lost his grip on the ball, sending it bouncing off of Pumpkin's head, prompting him to lunge for it. He pushed it into the closet and hid underneath a pile of rags so he could play with it undisturbed. Puck and Tabitha weren't about to be defeated so easily, however, and so they both went after him, throwing themselves into the pile of rags in pursuit of their yarn. All the while, Rem watched with a deadpan expression.

"Cats... They're such strange animals..."

She noticed Harry watching them blankly. Approaching him, she leaned down and smiled.

"Is everything okay, sweetie?"

"Huh? Oh...um, yes, mama."

"You don't seem like that's the case."

"Huh?"

"You look a bit downcast." She said, kneeling down and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Are you unhappy because the kitties aren't playing with you anymore and are with Puck instead?"

Harry shook his head. "Um... I was gonna play with Grandpa but the yarn got in the way..." He mumbled. Rem tilted her head.

"Hmm... Yes, I'm surprised they took more to their yarn than their food, honestly. Don't worry, they'll come back to you eventually, I'd be surprised if that ball of yarn lasted ten minutes the way they're assaulting it." Harry giggled as she gently picked him up. "Now, perhaps I could play with you in Puck's stead." Harry tilted his head. "Um... While Puck is busy." She booped his nose. "What would you like to do, Harry?"

"Umm...I don't know any games...m'sorry..."

"No need to apologise, Harry." Rem comforted. "You'll learn eventually. You've got plenty of time. Now then...I believe I have a perfect rookie game we can play."

She went back and sat down on the couch. "Now, the game I'll show you is called Rock, Paper, Scissors."

"Are we gonna cut paper?"

"Hehe, no." Rem chuckled. "This game is played entirely with our hands. No need for actual scissors and paper."

She showed him the rules of the game. Beatrice watched on with a deadpan expression on her face. 'Honestly, this is her idea of fun, I suppose? Well, what can one expect from a workaholic like her, in fact?'

"All right... Are you ready?" Rem asked. Harry nodded. "Good. Then let us begin... Rock paper scissors!" She chose rock. Harry chose paper. "Oh, very good, you won! Now let's go once more... Rock, paper, scissors!" She chose paper. Harry chose scissors. "Very good! Once more... Rock, paper, scissors!" She chose scissors. Harry chose rock. "You've won again!"

They kept playing. And Rem found that she just couldn't seem to win no matter what she did.

"Oh, dear...Ren sweatdropped. "It appears I cannot seem to win at all."

"Oh...are you mad? I'm sorry, mama. I didn't mean to win so much..."

"Goodness no, Harry. It's perfectly fine. In fact, you should be proud of yourself!"

"Really?"

"Yes. Not everyone is lucky enough to win every time in a game."

She gently patted his head. "Now then, perhaps we should play something else... Perhaps with those new toys we bought for you..." Harry perked up.

"Okay!" Rem giggled and gently took his hand.

"I've just put them back in our bedroom, let's go check up on them to make sure they haven't gotten up to any mischief in our absence, shall we?" She remembered being a young girl and being utterly convinced that toys were secretly alive whenever you turned your back on them. So silly of her...

"Ah! They CAN do that! I KNEW they were alive when we weren't looking!" Emilia declared triumphantly, as if she was feeling validated. Rem looked at her with a sweatdrop.

"...It was just a joke, dear..."

"...Oh. ...Well, there's no way of proving it's NOT true..." Emilia murmured bashfully.

"And there's no way to prove it is." Beatrice scolded. "So please stop acting like an immature kid."

"Harsh! What was the point of apologizing back then?"

"That was then. This is now. And I'm fulfilling my apology anyway."

"...Argh! I hate it when you win our arguments!" Rem sighed as she led Harry out of the room, leaving the two to bicker among each other."

Harry looked back at them and then at Rem. "Why are mommy and big sister fighting?"

Rem sighed. "Oh, they aren't fighting, they're simply... having a disagreement, and... having a debate..." Harry tilted his head.

"Oh... I hope they aren't mad at each other..."

"Um... Their relationship is... like that. Your big sister likes to tease your mommy, and your mommy gets a bit grumpy about it and defends herself, which only gets your big sister to tease her more to get a reaction out of her, it's... a little bit complicated..."

"...They don't hate each other, do they...? I want them to be friends..."

"Oh, of course they don't, they just have a unique way of showing their friendship!"

Harry tilted his head. "By... By arguing...?"

"By arguing. Not to say you should take that approach, I find it's much better to treat your friends kindly so they enjoy being around you, but I believe Emilia and Beatrice have... an understanding. They speak to each other in that manner because they know each other, and have known each other for several years. You certainly can't speak to a stranger like that..."

"Oh... Okay..." Harry murmured.

"Now then, let us see about these toys... Goodness these 'superheroes' wear strange clothing..." Rem held up the Spider-Man and Batman action figures, looking them over with a tilted head.

"It's so the bad guys don't know who they are, I think..." Harry murmured.

"Ah... I see... A wise choice. Their loved ones could be in danger if their nemesis was aware of their identity..." Rem realized.

"So, like...if bad guys don't know who they are, they don't know who their family is?"

"Correct!" Rem nodded. "Such a smart boy, aren't you sweetie?"

She ruffled his hair gently, eliciting a giggle.

And so, they went to play. They enacted a battle between the various "superheroes". They got so into their game, that they lost track of time, and so 30 minutes went by unnoticed.

Throughout the game, Rem wore a smile on her face. And for good reason.

It made her so happy that Harry was still able to hold on to his innocence, at least enough so to have that creative spark every child had when it came to their playtime. Suddenly, they heard a knock on the door, and Emilia poked her head in with a small smile. "Awww, you two are having so much fun, it's cute!" She chirped. Rem beamed at her.

"Indeed we are. I assume this means dinner is ready then?"

"Yup!" Emilia chirped. "I tried to call you a couple times, buuuut you were so into your little game that you didn't hear me! C'mon, come and eat, don't want it to get cold now, do we?" Giggling, she left the door open and turned to walk back downstairs.

"Sorry, mommy!" Harry called out, rushing to follow Emilia.

"Awww, don't apologize, I'm glad you were having fun!" Was the half-elf's response as the smiling Rem rose from her kneeling position and followed after them, happy as can be.

'I really am the luckiest woman alive...' She thought to herself.

The trio went down into the dining room. Rem immediately noticed how the table was neatly set without a single thing out of place. She smiled. 'I taught her well.'

Emilia quickly went into the kitchen to grab the dinner. Rem meanwhile picked Harry up and set him down in his chair. Soon enough, Emilia came out of the kitchen carrying the food.

"Heeeere it is!" She said, before stopping and blinking. "Wait...huh? Something's missing?"

"It seems Beatrice isn't here."

"She must still be in the living room." Emilia said. I'll go get her." She set the food down on the table and entered the living room to find Beatrice reading yet another book.

"Beatrice. It's dinner time."

"You go. I'm not hungry."

"Oh..." Emilia said.

Beatrice returned her thoughts to her book, but before she could properly continue reading, she was suddenly lifted up, the book falling out of her hands and onto the sofa.

"Huh? What? Heeeeey!" She whined, struggling to break out of Emilia's grip. "I said wasn't hungry, I suppose!" Her stomach growled. "...Ignore that!"

"Come on, Beatrice, come eat with the family, don't make a fuss, please, we're gonna have a nice dinner and we reaaaaally want you to be a part of it! Do it for Harry?" Beatrice huffed.

"Oh, very well, I suppose..." She grumbled.

"Oh, good!" Emilia cheered, setting the little spirit down in her chair. "What were you reading, anyway?"

"Oh... I was reading a book about this world. I was trying to get a better feel for it, I suppose..." Beatrice replied softly.

"So, what did you learn from the books?"

"Many things, in fact." Beatrice smirked. "Supposedly, humans have a celebration here called "Christmas." It's meant to celebrate the birthday of what I assume to be their equivalent of our Flügel, someone named "Jesus." "

"Oh, wow! That's so nice!" Emilia exclaimed. "I wonder if we can celebrate it too..."

"According to the calendar, we have about 14 days until it comes."

Emilia gasped. "Oh, you have to tell us what we can do so we can do it right!"

"Well... We get a tree and we put it in the living room and decorate it... And we bake cookies... And we drink hot chocolate...And we... we watch christmas movies on tv... And we... leave cookies out for Santa..." Harry murmured.

"Santa? Who is Santa?" Emilia asked.

"He... He flies through the world with his reindeer every year and gives presents to all the good boys and girls, but I was bad so I never got any..." Harry murmured.

"That isn't true, I suppose. He just didn't know about you because your relatives did everything they could to keep you a secret from him, in fact. They were the ones giving you the coal every year, not Santa." Beatrice said.

"...Is this Santa Claus even real?" Rem asked skeptically.

"Of course he is, I suppose." Beatrice said curtly, giving Rem a warning glare.

"...Really?"

"Yes!"

"I'm not certain I buy it." Scowling, Beatrice motioned for Rem to lean down to her level so she could whisper in her ear.

"Of COURSE he's not real, I suppose, he's a fictious character parents came up with to provide their children with a sense of magic and wonder for the holidays, and mother asked me to keep up the illusion for Harry!" She hissed into the maid's ear.

"Oh...oh dear." She whispered out. Rising back up, she spoke.

"Well, it seems I'm wrong. Beatrice is correct. Santa is real. Silly me." She said, lightly bumping her head with her fist.

Emilia gave her a flat look. 'She really isn't good at lying.' She thought, turning to Harry.

"Well, I certainly can't wait to meet Santa! I bet he's a really nice guy!"

"Um...you also need to leave milk and cookies in front of the door for him. He gets hungry traveling so far...so you leave cookies and milk for him outside."

"Actually, it's supposed to be by the fireplace, he comes down through the chimney." Beatrice said with a tilted head. "At least that's what mother told me..."

"Ah, yes, the chimney, it's VERY possible to... to come down a chimney..." Rem said, her smile strained.

"Rem, is it really that out of the ordinary compared to what we're used to seeing...?" Emilia murmured.

"Of course not, that's why it's real!"

"...I'm... sure it's a spell of... some sort..."

"Anyway, it's time to eat, isn't it? Come on, let's have our dinner, what did you make, Emilia?" Rem asked,

"Ah! Right! Lemme show you!"

She opened the oven, putting on a pair of gloves, and pulled out what looked like some sort of...cheese food. "What...is this, I suppose?"

"It...smells exquisite." Rem said.

"This is a recipe I found for something called Lasagna. It's made from flat pieces of pasta, between which is a mix of red sauce and minced meat, with melted cheese at the very top to complete everything."

"How...do we eat this?" Beatrice asked.

"Okay, so... I guess I just... cut into it... like a cake... Um... Hold on, everyone..." Emilia pulled a knife from the drawer and carefully sliced the meal into pieces for everyone. "Oh wow, this is a little bit messier than I expected it to be, um... Oh... Sorry... It's a bit sloppy, but here..." Emilia smiled sheepishly as she set down a plate for Harry and Beatrice, then two more for Rem and herself.

"Hmm. I'm impressed, Emilia, this seems to be quite the complex dish, it seems you really are capable of just about anything if given the right instructions." Rem complimented. "You didn't even need my help."

"Awww, thank you! But um... maybe we should see if it... actually tastes good first, heehee... Uh... Go ahead, everyone, take a bite and uh... let me know if it's okay..."
Jan 1Beatrice was the first. Taking her fork and knife, she cut off a small piece, before slowly putting it in her mouth.

She chewed for a few moments, letting out slight hums as she did so. Eventually, she swallowed and looked at Emilia, who along with Rem was watching with anticipation.

"It's hot."

"..."

"E-eh?"

"It's hot, I suppose." Beatrice repeated. "The taste is exquisite, and the texture of the dough and meat feels good in the mouth, but dear Flügel is it hot in the mouth, in fact."
Jan 1Emilia's cheeks puffed out. "Of course it's hot, it's supposed to be hot, it's a hot meal, it's not supposed to be cold, that would ruin the whole thing, you're really bad at criticism, Beatrice!" Emilia stuck her nose up in the air and let out an indignant huff. Rem giggled.

"Oh, don't be upset, my love, Beatrice is just being her difficult to please self, frankly, she's giving the highest of praises when you know her personality." The maid assured her lover, who still sulked, her shoulders drooping.

"I guess so... Thanks, Rem... Do you like it...?" She asked with a small smile. Rem tilted her head, used her silverware to cut off a perfect chunk of lasagna, placed it in her mouth, and chewed. Emilia watched closely, seeing the smile on her face and the way her eyes warmed, and Rem looked up at her, beaming.

"It's amazing, Emilia, well done, I'm very proud of you, you prepared a complex dish we've never even heard of with utter perfection." She praised. Emilia blushed and looked away, smiling softly as she clapped her hands over her cheeks.

"Awwwww, thank yoooooou..." She said softly, giggling in delight at the praise.

"It's really good, mommy." Harry said with a smile, carefully trying to cut his up in an effort to imitate the way Rem was doing it. Emilia beamed and leaned over to kiss his cheek.

"Glad you think so, sweetheart!" She chirped. Puck flew in. Emilia frowned. "Puuuuck, I called you like twenty minutes ago, your food's waiting, come and eat!"

"Ah, sorry, Lia, I was just really invested in playing with this ball of yarn, and... Aww man, just noodles and sauce?"

"Sorry, Puck, but you're lactose intolerant, so..." Emilia said with a small apologetic smile.

"Yeah, I get it..."

"I did my best to make sure it tastes good all the same!"

"I'll be the judge of that!" He said, sitting down and cutting off a tiny piece for himself. He put it in his mouth, chewing for a few seconds...

Then he swallowed.

And then he cut off a seconds one.

After that a third one.

Emilia giggled as Puck began to steadily speed up the pace of his eating. "I take it you like the food?"

"You kidding, Lia?" He said, gulping down another piece. "This is wonderful! You're right, it IS tasty!"

"Hehe, knew you would like it!"

And so, the family enjoyed their dinner, exchanging light banter over the food. It took a while, but the plates were empty soon enough. Emilia stored the leftovers into the fridge, since there was FAR too much for everything to be done in one meal.

Now, it was time for the cake. The family of five sat around the table. Rem cut into it and served everyone their piece. They all bit into it.

"...It turned out perfectly." Rem said with a nod. Emilia hummed as she happily chewed on her slice. Beatrice was struggling not to drool over her piece of cake, and Harry ate his, all too happy. Puck tore into his like a wild animal. All in all... a good meal time.

"Well, you've certainly outdone yourself, my love..." Rem murmured as she carefully tucked Harry in for bed, the boy nestling snugly into the covers with a small smile. "Now we don't even have to worry about preparing lunch tomorrow." Emilia beamed.

"Aww, thanks, Rem, I'm just happy everyone liked it." Both women slipped underneath the covers next to their son and smiled down at him. "Now then... It seems we have a lot to do if we're going to get our Christmas celebrations done..."

"Oh yes." Rem nodded. "We must make our child's very first true celebration one to remember, even if we do have much to learn ourselves about the holiday..."

"Hmmm...actually, we have something right here!" Emilia said, looking at Harry.

"So, Harry...what does one do on Christmas?"

"Um..." He began. "You...put up a big tree...which you cover in pretty, shiny red, white and green balls and lights, and a star on top."

"A tree?" Rem asked. "Do we need to chop down a tree? And how would we bring it into the house?

"No...it's a...fake tree...like, made of metal and...pla...plas...plaste-"

"Plastic?"

"Yeah, that."

He looked down. "Uncle Vernon used a real tree once, and I cleaned up the needles, it was really messy..."

"Needles? Oh, it must have been one of those big pine trees, I love those, they're so pretty and they smell so nice!" Emilia chirped.

"Hmm... If we can find one that fits, perhaps we could use a real tree... And we bake, correct?" Harry nodded his head.

"Um... Gingerbread men... Sometimes a gingerbread house... and... and cookies shaped like trees and snowflakes and snowmen, and... whatever you wanna make..." He mumbled softly.

"Okay, we can do this. Am I to assume we're to have a nice dinner that day?" Harry nodded. "And what is traditional to eat on this holiday?"

"Um... Turkey, and mashed potatoes, and... and... Um... Whatever else you wanna make, I guess..." Rem nodded.

"I see, I see... This does sound nice..."

"And we give each other presents too. I... I don't know what to give you, but um... I can try and find something..."

"Awww, you don't have to worry about that." Emilia cooed softly.

"But I really wanna give you something, you're so nice to me..."

"Well... Whatever it is, I just know we'll love it!" Emilia giggled. "Rem and I will learn all we can about Christmas and I promise we'll give you the best one you've ever had! Okay?" Harry looked at her with a small smile.

"O-Okay... Thank you, mommy... Thank you, mama..." Harry yawned softly as his fatigue caught up with him, his eyelids growing heavy.

"You're welcome, sweetie... Rest now..." Rem whispered softly into his ear.

"Mmkay... Love you, mama... Love you... mommy..." Harry closed his eyes, and sleep overtook him.

"Hehe, he was reeeeaaaally tired, wasn't he?"

"Indeed." Rem nodded. "Poor dear. This day must have been exhausting for him."

"For all of us." Emilia said. "But at least we can now cozy up and drift away into the land of sweet dreams."

"Very sweet dreams." Rem agreed. She and Emilia exchanged a short gaze, before leaning in and connecting their lips. They stayed like that for several seconds, before pulling back and laying down.

"Good night honey."

"Night night, Remmy."

"Huh?"

And with a cheeky smile, Emilia fell asleep, with Rem following soon after, a red flush on her face the whole night.