Nostalgia
The evening at Nott Manor was starting to slow down, but everyone present was still enjoying themselves throughout the various rooms. Severus and Lily had returned to the sitting room where the children had greeted them before, with a vast majority having threatened the integrity of Severus's back from carrying them. He was currently sitting in one of the larger chairs, while Lily and Alice-Marie had helped the younger ones settle down in front of the couch the two women were sitting on. Alice-Marie was busy reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to them all, with Gloria and Helena being closest to her. Lily had Molly Joanne and Thomas sitting on her knees as the two whispered different questions while their aunt was reading, ranging from 'what is a faun' to 'what's Turkish delight'.
Severus recalled the questions Alice-Marie would ask him as he read to her, his fondest memories being those when she barely knew how to ask a question and instead played with his hair or nose (the latter of which she'd developed the habit of squeezing whenever his attention wasn't on what she wanted). Gloria and Helena had inherited that habit whenever they'd come to visit him or vice versa, as had Molly Joanne, and as had Sharon (who had fallen asleep on his lap, her face nuzzled into the crook of his arm). He was beginning to think it was a trait from their grandmother; for the life of him, he couldn't prove it, but he would die on that hill. Once Neville and Harry were old enough to understand English, they could be found either sitting with their mother (as Molly Joanne and Thomas were doing currently) or re-enacting the action scenes with Snarky (who ended up playing whatever part was required). And, once Marley was old enough, she'd either join her brothers in re-enactment or sit atop his shoulders and rest her head atop his.
But those days were behind them. Now, it was time for the next generation to take part in the tradition and form their own.