The Clothes Yet to be Shed

by Poot_the_Potato

Summary:

Families always bring secrets.

It doesn't matter how old they are, mere of five years old or aging to ninety.

A secret is a secret when one decides that it shouldn't be heard or discovered by another.

There's deadly secrets, happy secrets — secrets big and small of all kinds. Secrets that should be said rather than withheld.

And secrets that should never had been whispered or discovered at all because they just might ruin lives.

Part 3 of Aster/James - OC/OC

Chapter 1: August 31th, 2000

August 31th, 2000

 

Aster runs a hand down his face as he was crouched down, stressfully trying to potty train his youngest. The last child (but not the youngest Potter, his grandkids held that title by a few months) in the Potter Manor that was still in nappies and probably was the most stubborn with him out of all of the nine kids he’s trained.

Honestly, his son was four and still in nappies. It was like they were going through Harry all over again when James thought he could potty train Harry while standing, when the boy couldn’t even see the toilet in front of him.

But Aster was determined to get this boy trained by their birthday.Very determined, given he needed to be potty trained in order to move up a level in his pre-school and finally be in the same class with his twin again.

“Papa!” Aster drops his chin to his chest with a low groan in defeat. In the end he points a warning finger in Nyx’s face. “Don’t go anywhere. Je reviendrai, mon enfant.”

He only receives a cheeky smile with bright pink cheeks dotted with a dusty freckles that only seemed visible after playing in the sun with the sunburn on his nose and cheeks. Aster rolls his eyes before he’s standing up straight and heading over to the stairs and remaining at the bottom and seeing his blonde son at the top.

“What!?”

“Posie’s magic gone haywire again. She ruined my packing!” Elias protests with his cheeks flushed pink with the obvious anger towards his younger sister.

Aster leans on the post on the handrail and sets a hand on his hip.

“Elias, you know her magic isn’t something we can control. Especially when it comes to being underage still.” With a sigh. “How bad is it? It’s nearly dinner time. You need to be set to leave tomorrow morning.”

“Come see for yourself.” Elias stomps away without another word making Aster groan tiredly before climbing up the stairs and going after his one of his middle sons.

“Oh, wow,” Aster mutters with his eyebrows raised looking around and seeing possibly every single item that was packed now floating high in the air above arm level to Elias and his own height. Magic would be needed to get all the stuff down. “Alright, you had a reason to call me up Eli. I take back what I said.”

“Told you.” He huffs with his arms crossing over his chest. “I was nearly done, too.”

“Accidents happen. Remember when your magic started to kick in when you were ten?”

“I was a late bloomer. Everyone was thinking I was a squib by then and it took me to be really mad for it to finally show up.” Elias scowls more at him as Aster pulls out his wand from his arm holster that was strapped to his arm, visible in his short sleeved shirt he had on layered with a tee shirt under.

With a swish of his wand, every floating item went straight back to the new trunk that was engraved with Elias’s name and Elias was officially ready for Hogwarts.

The first Potter to return since Azura which has been three years since she’s left to follow James’s footsteps in being a professional Quidditch Chaser. 

After Elias’s starts Hogwarts, the rest of the kids were going to be following him not too long after starting with the triplets who were six, then Persephone who was going to be six in the following winter of the same year.

Then leave it to his youngest twins, both four years old and the last to make it into Hogwarts.

With the last book settled into the trunk, Elias grabs the lid and pushes it closed, clicking it lock just in time for the ugly orange cat that most of the time resided in Elias’s room despite the freedom to roam the grounds leap onto the lid, swishing their tail seeming annoyed.

Aster glares at the animal.

Years together, and the feud between the two never vanished.

“Papa, stop. You’re making her upset.” Elias scolds at him petting Clementine’s head calming the cat rather trying to calm his own father. Aster rolls his eyes at his son.

“Well she’s making me upset.” Aster jabs a finger into his chest.

Thank gods that cat was leaving with Elias for the next four months.

“Now where’s Posie? I need to get her and your other siblings washed up for dinner.”

“Don’t know, don’t care.” Elias mutters making Aster roll his eyes.

Yes, again.

Of course he’d get that sort of response from his pre-teenager. Gods, where has the time gone from the little bubbly blonde boy he adopted and was magically skilled at any instrument possible he touched?

“Well don’t stay up here too long. Dad’s making your favourite tonight. You’ve earned it.”

That made Elias’s greenish brown hazel eyes light up. “Paella?”

Aster hums an affirmative noise leaving the room hearing the excitement noises from his son.

He decides to check the all the kids room first before the yard (front and back) and was happy he did, seeing Persephone with Nico playing in the two of three triplets room.

And by playing, toys were floating all over the room and the two were giggling and jumping on the two twin-size beds set side by side with each other, Nico on his own and Persephone on Rigile’s.

“Oh, fuck,” Aster breathes out, eyes drifting on all the toys, (especially the tiny legos pieces floating one by one and in larger connected builds suspended in the air piece by piece) seeing the mess it all made in the air.

This was probably their worse case yet of accidental magic to date with all their kids.

“Papa said a bad word!” Persephone screeches with laughter pointing at Aster mid jump, her ankle length dress in her favourite colour (strictly coral pink. It was shockingly vibrant against her warm olive skin tone and dirty blonde hair).

Aster groans seeing both Persephone and Nico had taken out their braids (hours worth of work between himself and Barty, gone).

Their hair had gone wildly bushy and all stuck up on their heads as they continued to jump on the bed despite Aster now made way into the room pushing away the floating toys out of his way making way over to the two beds and over energetic bouncy kids.

“Come on you two, Dada’s almost done with dinner.” Aster tells them wiggling his hands at the two kids for them to take.

They both ignore his hands, the jumping contuines. 

“Did you help Dada with dinner, Papa?” Nico asks through his jumping.

“No.” Aster narrows his eyes setting his hands on his hips. “What’s wrong with me helping Dada make dinner?”

“It always tastes funny when you help.” Persephone comments with a last bounce before dropping to her butt to land and climbs off the bed.

Nico follows her lead, even if he’s older than her Persephone is the leader if she has anything to say about it with her spunky and perky attitude.

Aster scoffs at the two kids as they run out of the room and head to the bathroom to wash their hands before dinner.

“I don’t cook that bad.” He mutters to himself moving back into the hall leaving the toys in the air for a later problem to be solved.

“Yes you do.” Elias comments leaving his bedroom, door left cracked open for Clementine to leave if she wished to.

Aster’s jaw drops as Elias leaves him in the dust, heading straight down the stairs ignoring him.

“How rude. I have rude children. I raised rude children.”

“Aster!” A breaking quick pause. “Aster!”

Aster rolls his eyes at James’s shout for him. He was happy it was one of his good days with his legs, no cane in sight as he takes the stairs slowly to see James holding up naked waist below Nyx by the ankles in the air. There was mud all over Nyx to make the problem worse, clearly the youngest Potter in the manor had gotten outside.

Aster slaps a hand over his mouth with his eyes growing large. He completely forgotten about trying to potty train Nyx.

Problem number two with potty training the boy: if you leave him too long unattended on the toilet, he will always make a run for it naked.

James always makes a joke (privately, of course between the two of them) of how much Nyx likes to shed his clothes outside and be free with nature as much as Aster liked to fuck James outside (which hasn’t happened in years, thank you very much).

Of all the kids, Nyx looked most like Aster.

With his slightly darker skin from the summer sun (both tanned up and sunburned), only a shade darker than Aster’s skin and dark blue eyes that matched Aster’s own and tiny dimples on his cheeks and an extra one on his chin.

Aster finally got his mini carbon copy, and it took him nine biological children to succeeded in that and his very last child. And to think back that him and James were highly considering to aborting Nyx and Aurora where now they couldn't dream of a life without them, as much as each child was a pain in the arse.

“Oh shit-!”

“Papa said another bad word!”

Aster sends off strangling the air gesture when Nico and Persephone bolts by him on the stairs, Persephone calling him out with a loud giggle and with the giggle being released, the vase on the dining table with flowers suddenly start to float in time for Elias to grab it and bang it back onto the table.

At least now he knew what was the trigger of the accidental magic.

Unfortunately if it means the magic being released every time the girl laughed then-

“James! The dishes! Posie’s magic’s kicking in with her laughter-!” Aster cries out as all the table settings start to float which included forks and butter knives.

It takes both Aster and James to get all the plates on the table under sticking charms and they had to only hope for the best that the silverware and cups wouldn’t float off as everyone got served dinner and settled down from their summertime playtime activities.

“Are you ready for Hogwarts, Eli?” James asks before taking a bite of his food sitting at one end of the table.

“Yeah. Papa had to get my stuff I packed up out of the air because someone,” A glare send to a blonde girl who sat across from him that wasn’t even paying attention to their 'adult' conversation, poking Aasil in the shoulder just to solely bug him with a long piece of cooked asparagus. Aster wasn't even going to get into that to make her eat her veggies until at least halfway into dinnertime.“-decided to make all my stuff float above what I could reach for.”

“What house do you think you’ll be sorted into?” Aster asks Elias from the other end of the table, studying his plate and ensuring none of his small portions of dinner was touching before he started to take smaller bites out compared to James. He starts with his lightly seasoned vegetables.

Elias shrugs half heartedly. “Does it really matter?”

“I suppose not.” Aster has to agree with a nod.

So far Azura’s been in Ravenclaw, Harry in Gryffindor, and Elianna in Slytherin. Between the large age gap from Azura to Elias by nine years, it's been a while since they've got to go on the 9 3/4 platform, let alone start a new schedule up to work around all the kids since Nyx and Aurora started pre-school when they were three, finally retiring Pandora and Barty from their baby-sitting jobs to when they were sick jobs and picking them up from school if no one could make it if one of the kids got sick (that ended up with Pandora ending up installing a muggle phone in her home, she wasn't entirely pleased until Aster and James promised that they'd be paying the bills involving the phone).

But with ten kids and four houses, he expects to have at least one in each house; however, Hufflepuff was his least expected house to be earned into the family.

But there has been Teddy Lupin, a proud Hufflepuff raised by his sibling and brother-in-law and now taken a career position in Hogwarts in teaching Charms, now that Flitwick has retired only the start of this term. It was a smart choice Teddy had made, studying in not only Charms, but Defence Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration to be able to become a professor in any of those classes.

But at the end of the day, Aster doesn’t care about whatever house placement any of his kids may be sorted into as much as Elias seems to.

“I think who you meet on the train is probably more important than what house you’re sorted into.” Aster decides to say.

“Because if Uncle Regulus never had brought me with him and introduced me to Zio Barty, Auntie Panda, and Uncle Evan, I would be far of who I am today. And I didn’t care for their houses when I met them as an eleven-year-old, and honestly I still don’t. But of course, who you meet, who you befriend, it’s all on your good judgment. And Dad and I, we’ll back you up through thick and thin when you need us most.”

Elias meets Aster’s eyes hesitatingly. A pea flies across the long table, which goes ignored. “Even if I mess up? If I screw up so bad beyond repair?”

“We’ll do our best to help you repair of what can be fixed.” James tells Elias with a soft smile, Aster matches James's expressions happily. “We did with your older siblings, we still do, and we’ll do just the same with you.”

A tiny nod in time with a giggle down the table that had Aster’s cup starting to float. He grabs his cup and slams it back on the table and otherwise remains unbothered from the tiny spill that he cleans up quickly with a small square napkin.

“You’re our son, Elias. Adopted or not, you love you the same.” Aster reminds him, and he will always make sure Elias will remember that.

Elias’s cheeks turn pink, focusing back onto his dinner plate.

“I know.” A pause. “I’ll always be forever grateful for you both. Especially of you, Papa. You got me out of the boy's home and gave me a family. I don’t think I could ever want anything else when you’ve given me so much already.”

Aster sends him a tired smile, there were bags clear under his eyes but his dark eyes shone proudly.

“I’m proud of who you’ve become, Eli. So very proud. And I know you’ll do yourself good at Hogwarts. You’ll be just as successful as I was, no matter the obstacle, I know you will.”

Chapter 2: September 4th, 2000

September 4th, 2000

 

First thing in the morning when Aster returned to work he wasn’t expecting to see Elias so soon, but he got to see him before breakfast had even started given usually he'd start his first shift of work on the night all the students return back to Hogwarts and miss the following morning on the second and then the he's usually off on weekends.

Dressed and ready for school already, a muggle bag tossed over his shoulder hanging by a single strap and in black and yellow robes with a Hufflepuff crest on his chest.

Aster can’t remember a time where he’s seen Elias look as small and as awkward as he was making himself as he stood in the hospital wing quietly and toeing the flooring with his foot, his prosthetic leg standing still for balance when he and Aster was in the awful car accident years ago when Persephone was born that nearly costed Aster his life as well as Elias's leg and put Elias in a medically induced coma for a few days to let the swelling in his brain go down.

“Papa?”

“What’s up, bud? Miss me so soon?” Aster teases just a bit with a careful smile.

The small frown on Elias’s face had him holding a faker smile by the ticking passing seconds. Aster runs his hands down his son’s shoulders squeezing his biceps in a comforting way.

“Hey, is everything okay, Eli?”

“I think I need glasses.” Elias quietly tells him, eyes squinting for a second before relaxing and easing up.

Much like the tell tale signs Aster knew to look for with his other kids, which landed each one of them glasses like James and himself (he used contacts more than glasses these days as much as James hates it on him. Glasses were a stay at-home thing only).

A tiny nod from Aster. “What makes you think that? I’d have to take you out of Hogwarts to get tests done like with me, Azura, Aurora, and Dad at the muggle’s eye doctors.”

“I, I, I-…” Elias stammers before falling quiet. His eyes drifted around the room big and cautious.

“I thought I was imagining it. When I was younger.” He ends up whispering. "It felt kinda like a... dream?"

Aster gives Elias gentle eyes, not wanting to scare him off but encourage him to tell him what was bothering him. “Imagining what?”

“There’s these…” His eyes narrows, he looks back onto Aster. “These squiggles. I can see them sometimes… often, actually. It's weird. I remember seeing them before, when you and Dad brought me here when Harry and Ellie stayed here for the holidays but… it was just the once.”

Aster pinches his eyebrows. “And they’re back?”

A tiny nod. “Only here.” Elias mumbles. “In Hogwarts.”

“What about Hogsmeade?” Aster asks.

They’ve been on some trips to the old town before, rarely but for when Elias wanted to go shopping for someone’s birthday or for Christmas for an extra special gift that he couldn’t get anywhere else.

Like for example, Azura’s favourite broom polish supplies.

Elias shakes his head. “No, I…" There was that thoughtful pause before Elias lifts his gaze to Aster. "Sometimes when we go on those hikes. Like to or in Feldcroft or Hogsfield… I’d see these… flashes of the squiggles around the ruins, sometimes. Bright, light, but they vanish quick or too far away for me to get a proper look. But you and Dad never let me close enough to investigate.”

“Why haven’t you said anything before?” Aster asks him softly.

Elias gives him a slightly dark mixed with annoyed look. “I didn’t want anyone to think I’m crazy.”

Aster was shaking his head. “I’d never think that. Trust me, Elias. Between you and me,” Aster gestures between himself and the eleven year old. “I’m the crazy one in this family, I get the crown in that title. This, this is just…”

Aster was ransacking his mind. He couldn’t think of anything that’d fit what Elias was telling him. A symptom of something. He was a healer for Rowana's sake! He's got this!

“I don’t know.” Aster ends up muttering. “You’ll have to give me some time. I’ll figure it out for you. I promise.”

Elias shakes his head, looking defeated already at Aster’s unknown answer. “Don’t say that.”

“Say what?” Aster asks the eleven year old.

“Don’t make promises over something you can’t fix. You can’t see what I’m seeing. No one else is seeing it. What if it’s all me?”

“I think magic is strongly involved with this, Elias.” Aster tells him firmly. “And when magic is involved, believe me. I’ll get to the bottom of it.”

He wasn’t going to let his son go insane like he had once under the influence of magic by his mother. Never again. He’ll rather die all over again than watch someone suffer mentally, and that someone being his own child made him feel more determined.

“No-”

“-Elias-”

Elias was shaking his head, loose wavy blonde hair shaking. “-don’t say that, Papa-”

“-Elias what am I?” Aster firmly asks him, hands on his shoulder.

Elias stares at him. He was quiet for the longest of time. Finally Elias huffs, rolling his eyes. “You’re my Papa.”

“And?”

He sighs. “And one of the healers of Hogwarts.”

“I’m a healer at Hogwarts. I’m a mediwizard. Do you know how many people would kill for a job here that I'm working at? How many people Madam Pomfrey turned down but picked me, giving a chance to a pregnant sixteen year old that she saw potential for some damn reason? And the one thing I learned while working as a healer, is that I never promise anyone anything, believe me on this. Promising someone under a medical issue is always a wrong move. But I’m making you this promise that I will figure this out. Okay? Give me- give me some time. That’s what I’m asking from you. Time. And I promise you I’ll be at least a step closer to figuring something out. Even if it’s just one step forward, it’s better than nothing.”

“And if not?”

Aster shakes his head firmly. “Go to breakfast. Make some friends, or if you got some already, join them and enjoy being at Hogwarts. Let me worry about this. I do ask you of one thing though.”

“What?”

“The squiggles. What do they look like? Do you think you can draw it out for me. Description and all? It'd be helpful, for me. To know more of what I'm looking for.”

Elias’s lips pinched into something twisted. Hazel eyes drift around the room. “Do you have something I can draw on?”

Aster summons a muggle birdo pen and a piece of parchment from his desk with a silent twirl of his wand, a summoning charm is probably the only spell he's able to perform nonverbally with and without a wand after years of pratice of being in the Hospital Wing.

Elias takes the stuff from Aster and pushes the parchment against the wall before he’s drawing out a symbol of sorts of the squiggle.

There were a few pauses, a few eye drifts before Aster got his hands on the parchment. Looking at what was sketched out, it reminded Aster a bit like a swirl to the top of an ice cream cone.

In the top right corner there was also a note of color description, which Aster knew would be very helpful. He was greatful Elias added it on the paper, even without Aster asking him to do so.

White, light blue, a light, ghosty grey to the form.

Aster isn’t even given a chance to tell Elias a thank you before his son is stomping out of the room without another word spoken to him.

Aster doesn’t see Elias for the rest of the day, not even when the last period of classes end. He waits until his shift changes with Pomfrey before he’s telling her he’s taking a detour to the school’s library with the sketched out parchment folded in his back pocket to bring to the library before heading home.

And so, that’s how Aster found himself deep in the restricted section of the library, knowing with that certain wing in the library was smaller than the general area it’d be quicker to scoop out, hopefully.

Aster was in the deep part of the library, doing something he hasn’t done for a few years and was nose deep in four books all laid out, reading each page carefully and noting down the titles he’s read to make a list of books he’s gone through for future reference.

Rarely does time get away from Aster now that he knows he has so many kids at home waiting on him, including James if he’s working later than him.

“Aster?”

Aster jolts out of the book he was reading, a hand on his chest when Remus finds him and leans on a nearby bookshelf.

“Putain, Remus. Trying to kill me, are you? You know we are old enough to get heart attacks now.”

First it was the random books falling off the shelves about an hour ago that scared the crap out of him. Now Remus scaring him too?

“Nah, Sirius would go batshit on me if you died at the fault of my hands.” Remus pulls out a chair at the small table he was sitting at and takes a seat across him. He slides over one of the books to himself, eyeing the page Aster was scoping through.

“First official day of classes and you’re driving yourself mad already? Isn't that Teds, James, and my job? You just tend to them when they injure themselves at fault of us?”

“I suppose,” Aster mumbles.

“What are you researching?”

“Uh,” Aster doesn’t think twice, sliding over the piece of parchment to Remus for him to look at. Aster readjusts his glasses before going back to his book. “A student came up to me this morning asking about this symbol. I’m trying to find anything about it in these books. I figured checking this part of the library first would be faster before I hit the rest of it given it's smaller.”

“Smart.” Remus nods looking at the symbol with furrowed eyebrows. “Who’s the student?”

“Can’t tell you that.” Aster mutters under his breath. “Patient-Healer confidentiality. You know this by now.”

Remus rolls his eyes. “Of course…”

“How did you find me?” A pause, his blue eyes look off the book for a moment. “No, wait. Why did you decide to sought me out, dear fake yet legal brother of mine?”

Remus snorts. “James. You should’ve been home an hour ago, he floo-called me.” Remus slaps the old piece of parchment onto the table. “So I took the map off Elias for the night so he could try to make some friends here and used it to find you. Promised him I’d give it back by tomorrow.”

Aster blinks at the old blank parchment for a second before going back to his book.

“Can I help?” Remus offers up. “If you're not going to head out?”

“If you want. I’m just looking for anything illustration or a mention of something similar to the description of this symbol right now. Don't got much to work with right now.”

“Hmm-hmm,” Remus hums going into the book he had slid over to himself. “Not asking of who it is, but where has this symbol been seen?”

“Everywhere, by my guess. I don’t know,” Aster answers a bit stressfully, running a hand through his hair and flipping a page before rotating books. He just wants to finish at least the four books he had laid out on the table the very least. Remus helping him would at least cut his time by half hour. Maybe an hour if Remus isn't a slow reader.

“Uh-huh… and… what if you don’t find it in a book?”

“There’s got to be information on it somewhere, Remus.” Aster doesn’t lift his gaze. “Somewhere.”

“I’m just saying,” Remus mutters under his breath. “What if we’re looking in the wrong place? Instead of books, we look for objects. Hogwarts, you say?”

Aster blinks at the page he was on before looking up at Remus. “What are you on about?”

A lazy shrug. “Hogwarts is like that. Like the one eyed witch passageway. Uh, there’s the room of requirements. Have you ever heard about the Chamber of Secrets? I read up somewhere that the Headmisstress's office has a secret entrance and a room somewhere. You have to remember, Aster, Hogwarts is centuries old. Where was this symbol seen again?”

“Here. In Hogwarts from what I was told. And some old, broken down ruins around here, probably as old as Hogwarts by my guess, I don’t have the exact locations.” Aster tells him honestly. “So you’re saying we should be looking for clues rather than reading books? I never took ancient runes, what if this is just a rune mark?”

“Doesn't look like one. This is looking more like a puzzle that needs to be solved. I always enjoyed doing these things when I was a school boy. It’s why I made the map to start out with.”

“When did you start making the map, Remus?” Aster can't believe he never asked this years ago. He always did wonder how the map was made, because he knew with how it tracks each person by their magical signature that it was made with powerful or very strong tracking magic.

“It started out without magic involved, I was just a first year. Just like a normal map, no magic involved yet, I was noting down anything weird, puzzling clues together and putting down passageways. Being a werewolf, certain senses are heightened. I figured out the one eyed witch was a passageway when I could smell the sweets. It took me a few months, but I managed to crack the code after going back to the statue often and observing around it, just an example. It was…” Remus rubs a hand on his chin, stroking his short box beard, more of short stubbles than beard, in deep thought.

“I think it was James who said I should put an illusion charm on it to keep Hogwarts’ 'secrets' hidden. Then Sirius came up with the idea to add the traces of magic of people to find them easier and… yeah. That’s how the map came to be. Peter helped with the drawings and sketches and all that. But I did most of all the magic, the charms.”

Aster’s eyes drift over his shoulder where the books fell. “And you have the map now? When did you take it off Elias?”

“After dinner. He was talking to some older years. Not that older, third and fourth years at most… And... I think a fifth year. I don't think he was talking to make friends though, it looked like he was asking questions more than anything.”

“James gave him the cloak.” Aster mutters under his breath and standing up fast where his chair falls behind him as he’s closing up all the books, including the one Remus was reading.

“Putain, pourquoi je ne m’en suis pas rendu compte plus tôt? Je suis vraiment un idiot.” Aster mutters in fast French to himself that Remus couldn’t keep up with his switch of language and with a swish of his wand the books were sent back onto the shelves and Remus was eyeing him confused.

“What’s wrong?”

“That bloody boy,” Aster hisses at Remus. “I think he’s gone and snuck into the library to do some research of his own when I told him.” Aster hisses at Remus grabbing his cane and the sketch drawing. “Follow me, Lupin.”

Remus moves quick to follow Aster who doesn’t wait for him. Aster heads to the very back of the restricted section, where there was a door that was known by the professors to be a storage room.

Also known to have a broken veil archway inside as well.

“The broken veil.” Aster mutters under his breath touching the old stone and seeing the symbol carved into it, just barely noticeable. “Remus, you were right. I was looking into the wrong place after all. Maybe it isn’t in the books after all.”

Remus cups his ear and points it at Aster with a smirk on his face. “Mind saying that again? Wait, better yet, can I say 'I told you so'?”

Aster ignores Remus, moving through the veil, both ways and testingly casts some spells, basic and advanced to see nothing has happened.

“It’s got broken in the title for a reason, Aster. It’s not going to work.”

“But that’s the thing,” Aster holds out his wand for a final test. “Accio invisibility cloak.”

Aster waits. And he waits.

Remus stares at him with a raised eyebrow. “It’s Elias?”

“I could have sworn that he snuck by me this way.” Aster mutters to Remus. “I swear he did. The books-”

“Might’ve been your imagination. When I checked the map, you were the only one in the restricted section.” Remus softly dismisses his assumption. “You’re overtiring yourself, Aster. It’s time to head home. James is waiting for you. As well as the other kids.”

Aster sags his shoulders in defeat. He tucks his wand away into his belt holster before running his hands stressfully down his face with a sigh.

“You’re right. I’ve been reading for hours. I’ll see you tomorrow Remus.”

That catches Remus off guard. “You will?”

Aster doesn’t always make a pit stop to visit Remus every day. And it happens both ways. It was their work of place, not a place to hang-out.

“Yes.” Aster nods tiredly. “You’re in on this with me now. No telling Sirius. Oh-! Or James or even Teddy. As you’ve said, you’ve been doing this since you were a firstie. We don’t know what these symbols will lead us to and it’s looking to be a puzzle now. And honestly — preferably I want to figure it out before Elias. Who knows how dangerous this could be.”

And Aster meant that.

His past with magic, any kind of magic, is not to be played with and to be taken lightly with.

Chapter 3: September 2nd, 2005

Notes:

CW: sexual content

September 2nd, 2005

 

“I think it’s nice that Barty offered up to watch the kids today when we both had to stay late at work. It's rare for a pratice to be booked after dinnertime and after Wednesdays.” James tells Aster as he was undressing to get ready for bed. "Everyone's always booking on Saturdays and Sundays, usually, along with Mondays and Tuesdays."

Aster was already in his pajamas. Legs crossed over each other in bed with a blanket over his legs and a book that has been on their TBR shelf for a while (a while by meaning a few years left untouched after being bought). He doesn't remebering buying the book, so it was probably James who bought it a while ago and never bothered to mention it to him.

He never realized that he even had the book until he was looking across the shelves in his and James’ bedroom and seeing the small symbol on the spine.

Now the book was propped up on one of his million of pillows that he was deeply engrossed when he found himself a few pages into the diary-written book to be talking about the symbol that he was given from Elias.

This book was mentioning something about the symbols that him and Remus were still quietly (and very secretly) investigating for the last five years.

Elias had spoken to him once, and only once of the weird symbol. Since then, Aster had been holding onto the paper he’s received from Elias that was drawn on with caution.

Remus had a copy, but that was it.

The book he was deeply lost into, was set back between the fifteenth century during the 1470s, though it was published in the early 1900s based off a silent Hogwarts’s even that happened in the 1890s.

Confusing? He well knows it.

He was reading about a witch named Isidora Morganach.

Her life and death, and how a Hogwarts professor (Professor San Baker, as the book stated) used the killing curse to… well, kill her.

But he didn’t understand of what magic was being used that had her labeled as ‘evil’ or even dark, because to Aster it just felt like uncharted magic that wasn't truly researched or looked into from how little the magic is able to be used or seen from witches and wizards.

And to Aster, he couldn't wrao his mind around the fact that ancient magic is just magic. Simple magic is old magic, therefore it is technically ancient.

Magic in witches and wizards are all the same and has been used for probably thousands of years. Much like the Black family name, pure blood magic is generations worth of magic. So therefore it was already ancient and hereditary.

Aster’s eyebrows furrowed on the book as he flips to the the next page.

James’s words falling deaf to him as he had to read what was next about what was under Hogwarts that had been sealed up under the decision of a unnamed fifth year. The same year Elias was in now.

Just as he was about to get to the next paragraph, James was snatching up the book off his lap and out of his unsuspecting weak grasp.

“No! James! Give that back!”

He’s never been so happy before with the silencing charm they permanently had on thier room that he set up (because James Potter will always be shit at silencing charms) until now with all their kids asleep around the manor for muggle school the next day.

“Nope.” James shakes his head bookmarking it and setting it far away from Aster with a rather careless toss making Aster glare lightly at his husband. “You’ve been reading it for the last two hours since the kids got into bed. It’s time you took a break.”

Aster frowns at him. “It’s important that I read the book, James.”

James purses his lips, his eyes drift between the book to Aster.

“How important?”

A long pause.

“Work important.” Aster tries knowing damn well that James won't give it back either way to prevent him from overworking himself.

“In that case, it can wait until tomorrow.” James tells him having Aster whine at his husband as James turns off the main light above them leaving the bedside lamps on and crawling into bed with Aster.

James crawls farther into the bed than just his spot.

He happily grabs and tilts Aster’s chin with his callous rough palm from all the Quidditch he’s been playing and working on over the years and brings Aster into the start of a gentle kiss with nothing but wet lips.

Aster lets out a tiny hum of the distraction James was providing him, lifting his hand to be set on James's jaw and feeling the scratchiness of his beard, and kisses James back with more force and guiding James closer to him.

It didn’t take much to know what James was trying to hint at as James’s hand slides down his jaw and neck, tugging at the collar of his jumper that is really James’s that Aster had on.

A tiny pull away to breathe, “I’m still annoyed with you for taking my book and for tossing it so carelessly.”

James grins at him a bit devilish. “I know.”

James dips back into the kiss, sliding his lips against Aster’s and carefully pushing his body and adding weight onto Aster and deepening the kiss with a nibble to Aster’s lips.

He slots one leg between Aster’s, moving down to press his hips up against Aster’s and grind down on Aster. Aster can feel him growing hard at the friction as he pushes up his leg a bit more for James.

Very rarely have they been able to get up to anything regarding to sex.

Either Aster is bone dead tired, or James is. Often both of them are and they just prefer to snuggle. And the nights rare that they do try to get up to no good, there’s a kid or two knocking on their door like they just know what James and him are trying to do behind closed doors.

Just because Elias was the off at Hogwarts and the triplets were starting their first year this term, and they were down to three kids, didn’t mean they weren’t still didn’t any kids that could disturb them.

Aster loves his kids, he did. He’d kill for them and hide the body.

Probably.

Maybe (he’s probably going to leave that up to Barty to be honest).

But he also does love being sexually satisfied ever so often, and it’s moving closer to a month than not since he was last touched by James in such a way under his clothes.

Aster pushes James over. Pushing the older man to his back and tossing his leg over his thigh and deepening the kiss while grinding down on James, smiling into the kiss as James moans softly into his mouth with his hands grabbing Aster’s thighs and guiding him through each steady movement.

Aster pulls away with a bite to James's bottom lip. His nose nuzzling across James’s cheekbone as he releases James's lip when he lets out a tiny whimpering moan bucking his hips into Aster's.

Aster drags his swollen bottom lip drag across James's cheek he opens his eyes to James’s rather new salt and peppering natural dark and light hair that Aster was just loving and adoring on him since the first sign of a silvering grey.

“I am loving your hair, mon soleil. Do you know that? It’s about time you caught up to me.” Aster purrs into James’s ear before nibbling on the earlobe and reaching to burying his fingers into James’ long hair that reached down just past his shoulders and had been taken out of it’s braids and tugs on it. Hard.

James groans bearing his neck back as Aster moves down, sucking and biting his way into James’s neck.

“We need to make this quick, mi estrella azul,” James warns Aster with his fingertips digging into his thighs and squeezing. “You birthed the worse cock-blockers there is on this planet for us to get down and dirty not even for an hour.”

“I know,” Aster groans a bit annoyed at the reminder letting go of James’s hair and sliding his hands down his naked chest before reaching his pajama pants and pulling apart the weak tie. “A fast, hard, fuck until we're boneless. I got it.”

Aster lifts off James a bit, tugs James’s pajama pants and underwear down enough just to pull his cock out and stroke him a few times hearing that lovely deep moan that he hasn’t heard for probably a good three weeks and so days now.

He makes quick work getting his own pants off, tossing the clothes off somewhere on the floor. James doesn’t wait, as soon as Aster’s underwear was off he had his hand reaching between his legs to warm him up a bit and making him struggle between wanting to keep James’s hand on his clit that had a silver piercing through the hood and his thick fingers pumping in and out of him to get him wet and ready to ride James’s cock.

“James do you- putain -want to come tonight?” Aster ends with a moan, hips grinding down on his hand with his hands on James's shoulders trying to keep himself up on his knees with his hips rocking on James's fingers. “Because if you do, you really need to stop and stick your cock in me real soon.”

Aster wasn’t as young as he once was. He could hardly take four orgasms when the kids are out of the house before knocking himself out fast. Between running around the house then to managing to fuck James as good as James does fuck him, he did not have his youthful energy anymore. Take the kids out of that equation, he might can last longer in bed.

But that wasn't the case. If Aster spreads out his orgasms carefully, timed wisely with James, he could so much last longer with a lot of torturous edging. But tonight he knew he probably could only last two, and he wanted his first one to have James deep inside him.

And if they're lucky go for a fast second orally or just keep James deep inside him and push James over the limits.

“Do you want me to?”

“Mmh, fuck no. Just not- yes, right there. Don’t stop. -the time. Want you in- yes, yes, yes! -me!”

His body, words, and pretty much just everything was all mixed up. He was just happy James knew him and could read him well enough to know exactly what he wanted when he pulls his fingers and hand away and grabs the base of his cock, quickly lining up to Aster.

Aster works with James, sinking down on James with a jaw drop and releases a low moan of his husband’s name.

James takes no mercy on him, even if it’s been weeks since he had something in him filling him up so perfectly like James was.

James had his hands on Aster’s hips and rammed into him. Hips thrusting and snapping into him at a fast and hard pace and all Aster could do was wrap his arms around James’s neck and hold on because him riding James was far out the window.

James was the one taking him for the ride even with him on top.

He was choking on moans, his head in the crook of James’s neck licking and biting with whatever last brain cell he had.

“Yes! Jamie, Jamie, Jamie-! N’ose pas t’arrêter!” Aster pants out feeling James’s hand back on his clit, knowing just what Aster needed and wanted without him needing to ask or beg.

James brought him over the line of being mindless as his eyes glossed over, spasming and pulsing and coming over James’s cock with only a few minutes of focus on his clit and James thrusting into him.

A final hard bite to James’s neck in time of him coming trying to keep himself quiet even though he didn't have to with his grip around James’s neck as James comes into his cunt with his cock pulsing itself, James coming hotly into him that has Aster moaning deeply at the sensations, he can’t help but clench down on James. His body still trying to come down from his climax.

Heavy breathing fills the room along with the heavy scent of sex.

James moves his hands from Aster’s waist to his back, running his nails up and down making Aster shiver. Aster could feel that smile on his face as he drops his face in the crook of his own neck.

Hot, wet kisses were being placed across his neck as Aster goes slack on top of him, now tired out of his mind. All Aster could manage was lazy kisses across James's shoulder of waht he could reach, his body occasionally clenching around James's cock that was still down to the hilt inside him.

“I’ve missed this,” James easily tells Aster, hands not stopping roaming around Aster’s body. “Why did we have so many kids? We still have three more to send off to Hogwarts yet.”

“I still blame you.” Aster quietly moans in complaint as he's done over the last two decades in a light and teasing tone.

James laughs heavily, his warm breath blowing across his skin making Aster shiver yet again for a different reason.

James rocks his hips, still half hard and obviously trying to keep himself deep in Aster. “You reckon we’ll have time for round two?”

Aster squeezes around James with his pelvic muscles, a grind down on his cock. “Hmm, maybe we could-”

A tiny knock hits their door. A sigh and Aster presses a final kiss to James's shoulder before lifting his head off James with a shake of his head showing his flushed cheeks to James as James groans dropping his head back on the headboard in defeat.

“Scratch that. No, sorry, love.” An apologetic smile sent to his husband before he gives James another kiss and lifting up on his knees to start to seperate themselves into two.

Aster scrunches his face as he’s easing himself off James and grabs his removed clothes before opening a window and going into the ensuite bathroom of his and James’s bathroom for privacy to clean up and lets James open the door to whichever kid that was outside knocking.

It was a quick clean up, his pajama pants and underwear is back on before he’s back out into the bathroom to see Aurora in her night gown with her big silver glasses set on her face and trying to blink tears away from her big brown eyes and more tears running down her cheeks sitting in the bed with James.

“What’s wrong, Rora?” Aster asks the nine year old girl as he’s climbing back into bed and brushing back her dark hair that was more wavy than curly like his than James and her twin.

She sends Aster shaky pouty lips and a sniffle to her runny nose. “I miss Aasil.”

This was new.

Never once had he or James had to deal with this before. Azura was eager to get Harry and Elianna out the door. And when Elias joined the household, he was old enough to understand that the older three had to go to Hogwarts and didn’t ever say he missed them in the way Aurora was expressing like now.

And even when Elias had left for Hogwarts, the younger six who stayed behind never complained once over his departure. If anything, they were always excited to see the scarlet red train and to set and receive Elias each time.

But Aurora was crying and clearly upset and missing Aasil of all her triplet brothers and Elias who left to Hogwarts to terrorize McGonagall and their professor uncle and cousin.

Aster sends his regards to all the professors.

“You want to hear a secret?” Aster asks her quietly. She sniffles as she nods. “I miss him too. But he’s not gone forever. We’ll see him again at Christmas and Dada and I made sure to make sure they all knew to write letters home to you, Posie, and Nyx.”

He’s extra careful not to mention that he may or may not see Aasil on occasion if he ever ends up in the hospital wing. And James who still taught first and second year flying lessons as well as referee all the Quidditch matches.

“You promise?” She asks him before looking over to James for confirmation.

James nods, pulling her into a side hug. “Papa and I promise. If you don't get a letter by the end of the week from him, I'll be sure to talk to himself at Hogwarts.”

She leans into James’s hold, rubbing her snotty, teary face into his chest. “Can I sleep with you and Papa tonight, Daddy?”

James looks up over to Aster. They had to set up a rule that the kids couldn’t sleep with them after one night they ended up with seven kids in their bed and James and him had to move into one of the kids’ room to sleep after there was physically no more room in the bed to squeeze two adults in their queen size bed that they had no intention of sizing up.

Aster takes a deep breath. “How about Dada and I tuck you into bed again and read you another story.”

“Can you tell me a story about you and Daddy, Papa?” Aurora tries to negotiate.

“Alright. Deal. Come on, off to bed. We’ll have to be quiet so we don’t wake Posie up.”

James holds Aurora’s left hand and Aster had her right. The three of them shuffle into the girls’ bedroom far down the hall in what they call the kids’ wing of the house.

When they head into the bedroom, Aster casts a basic silencing charm around Persephone’s bed where she slept on the top bunk and James sets Aurora on the bottom.

Aster sits carefully on the bed, tucking Aurora under the blankets as she waits patiently for him to start the story.

“So, you already know I was eleven when I met Dada. But I started to hear about him when I was nine way before I even was old enough to go to Hogwarts.”

“Because of Auncle Sirius.” Aurora mumbles quietly settling herself into her bed.

“Yes, because of Auncle Sirius,” Aster nods.

It wasn’t the first time Aurora’s heard this story. Or requested it.

“But also because of Uncle Reggie.”

“‘Cause Uncle Reggie hates Daddy but that’s because he loves you very much and wants you safe. Like you are with me.”

“Very much so.” Aster sends James a soft smile with a soft laugh. “But before I fell in love with Dada, I tried very, very hard to hate Dada like Uncle Reggie. And doing so, when Dada first properly got to meet me, I was very mean to him.”

“Daddy doesn’t deserve a mean Papa.”

“Yeah, he doesn’t.” Aster agrees. “Dada’s a very good man to me, as well as a good dada to you and all your siblings. Very patient. Very… very kind.”

“It’s good-” Aurora interrupts herself with a yawn. She smacks her lips and blinks her eyes tiredly at Aster.

Aster knew he wouldn’t even get to the middle of the story telling, which has been told in different ways of the same story depending on the kid that was listening.

Some of his kids like to side comment and add thier own things into the story, much like Aurora was doing. Others stayed quiet and listened throughout the whole thing.

It was difficult when it came to having many kids as the listeners, the ones trying to listen quietly getting annoyed to the ones always interpreting.

Aster always tries to make sure to adapt the story that’ll make it good for the kids depending on the mood and time.

And this time, it was meant to put Aurora to sleep.

“-good that you love Daddy now, Papa.”

“It’s very good.” Aster agrees with a serious nod. “If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have you. Tu es ma lumière du matin, chérie.”

Aurora rubs her face in her pillow, breathing starting to steady.

“Sigue adelante.” Aurora mumbles to him.

James laughs softly as Aster rolls his eyes and hits James gently in the shoulder. James and him really should stop teasing and hitting each other, no wonder their kids were so violent to one another to show their love and affectionate with each other and the rest of the family, as well as being a bunch of smart arses.

“I didn’t get to meet Dada until at least a whole month after starting Hogwarts-”

“How long is a month?”

“Roughly thirty days.”

“That’s forever.” She mumbles quietly, face in hiding.

“But just because we never talked, didn’t mean that we didn’t look at each other. Sneaking little glances from across the room. Then, one afternoon after dinner, I was in the library. I was studying for a charms test and Dada just plopped himself at the same table as I was.” Aster smiles more directed to himself. "A cocky thirteen year old, Dada was."

Aster smirks at James before James winks at him.

“I told Dada to leave me alone. And he wouldn’t. He kept acting like a little fly that wouldn’t leave me alone, no matter how much I swatted at it. It took Zio Barty a whole week to scare Dada away and protect me. But if I knew that was only the start… I wouldn’t change a thing if it means marrying Dada and having him as my husband. Loving him and loving all my babies and Aria and Leala.”

Aster smiles seeing Aurora’s breathing evening out as she falls quiet.

Aster carefully gets himself off the bed with James’s help. He can’t help himself, tucking in the blankets around Aurora and placing a kiss to her head. “Fais de beaux rêves, ma lumière du matin.”

He takes down the silencing charm over Persephone and pulls up the blankets over her small body as well. He was too short to kiss her head like with Aurora but he was able to whisper just as equal to her in French.

“Fais de beaux rêves, ma petite princesse blonde.”

Aster and James sneaks out of the bedroom, door quietly clicking shut behind them leaving them in the dark hall.

“Was I really that annoying at thirteen-years-old?” James asks as they make their way back to their bedroom.

“Very.” Aster nods solemnly making James scoff before a hand was wrapped around his shoulder and pulling him in closer to James’s body. Aster doesn’t fight against James, resting his head on James’s side and welcoming him and his touch.

“Times like this, I miss my mum.” James quietly tells him as they make it to the other side of the manor.

“I know, I can imagine,” Aster tells James taking his hand and pressing a kiss to the back of his hand in a comforting gesture. “I can imagine living here doesn’t help much.”

Euphemia had passed a few years ago, leaving Fleamont and James behind. Aster had manage to convince Fleamont to keep his potion lab where it is, meaning Fleamont often stopped by rather he wanted to or not but Aster knew it did both James and Fleamont some good to see each other a few times a week.

They both always say they’re fine. That they do miss Euphemia but nothing more farther than that. Aster doesn’t know how they’re grieving in a way of losing Euphemia.

The closest person that Aster may say he’s lost was Maggie, and after her funeral that he attended to with his oldest kids and friends he knew that she would not want him to be all sad and mopey.

So after the funeral, in Maggie’s honor, James and him had a cook out. Reminiscing all sorts of stories, including Maggie or not.

It was nice. It was a good way to remember Maggie, morn her and at the same time celebrate her life with stories that she’d often tell.

And any time if Aster truly wanted to remember Maggie, all he had to do was look at his skin. Because nearly all his tattoos were done by Maggie, minus the one on his neck that he does regret a bit.

But what was done, was done.

Sigue al sol.

He regrets the tattoo, but doesn’t was well. But who doesn’t grow to regret something in their life? He only regrets the fact that he got the tattoo done in a shop than going to Maggie.

“Do you want to talk about her?” Aster gently offers to James, a tight squeeze to his hand.

Not the first time, won’t be the last.

They stop in front of their bedroom door, James’s parents bedroom when he was growing up was in the room right across from them. James’s eyes linger on the closed door for a moment.

In the end, James drops his head. His curly hair draping down his shoulders and he’s shaking his head as he shags his body in obvious emotional defeat. James’s hand and goes to open their door, twisting the knob as he gives his verbal answer. “No.”

Aster follows him quietly to bed. Not without sad eyes on James’s back for a long minute.

Chapter 4: September 14th, 2005

September 14th, 2005

 

“What do you reckon we’ll find if we ever accomplish at actually finding the symbol on something other than the broken veil?” Aster asks Remus as they roam the corridors in the dungeons moving past the alchemy classroom past curfew.

The last few weeks, Aster has been behind on sleeping.

His body has been fighting his usual small dose of sleeping potions he took daily and once James was asleep, he’d grab a book or two with his journal and sneak out of the bedroom to hang out in the family room to quietly busy his mind.

He was currently running on no sleep that evening, hanging out with Remus. And his body was feeling it more than his head. He was constantly shivering, his body covered in goosebumps and he was running warm despite his body temperature regulating potion he takes daily to prevent himself from dropping to a dangerously cool level.

“Because I don't know if you're aware, I am missing my oldest kids birthday for this. The big twenty-seven. Twenty-seven years ago, Remus, I tried to throw a glass at your head.”

Remus rolls his eyes, sighing as Aster’s cane noisy complaining and clacks on the stone floor. “You know with how loud your walking with the cane, you’re scaring off the students by having them know we’re around, right?”

“I know.” Aster smirks at Remus. “It’s why I’m doing it. I don’t fancy giving out detentions tonight. Never liked doing that unless I'm royalty pissed off at someone else. Usually I fancy giving them a head start and all that. Not like I’m going to chase after them with the old bones I've got filled with screws and wires anyway. I’m not as big and scary as you are, Remus. I’m a healer, not a professor. I make friends, not enemies of the students or random visitors.”

Another eye roll. “I think Harry and Ellie will live if we’re a bit late to whatever it is they’re doing tonight. They’re turning twenty-seven, not seventeen. And I overheard the Sallow twins whispering with Opal Rookwood about sneaking somewhere down here in the dungeons with Elias. So, my best guess is those four are looking around for something, if not, then they’re doing a prank.”

Aster rolls his eyes that time. “Of course. How stupid of me, my prefect son getting up to no good like his head-girl and boy of a sister and dad.” Then he pauses as they make a turn where the one rotten cellar gates were that from his understanding would never budge unlike the others, so it was just left there to sit.

Elias was always changing up his friend group every few months.

Nothing was ever permanent like his other kids and he never knew exactly why Elias couldn’t have a steady friendship with anyone. It was always something that was ending the relationship.

Bad arguments. Fights. Disagreements. Stealing. Lying.

Nobody ever just… stuck with his son longer than three months. Four, if Elias (and in Aster's prayers) was lucky.

By summer, Elias was alone to stay in his room without signing up to do any activies besides practicing his music insturments or vocal cords.

No one comes over and he was stays in his room and either nose deep in books or fingers playing something than going out which had Aster and James concern, to say the least.

“Wait, isn’t Rookwood a seventh year? Aren’t they like, one of the most advanced of all your students your little dueling club that you're always sending me injured students to my annoyance? I tell you to put mattresses down and you never do.”

“Yep.” Remus nods. “And the Sallow twins are fourth years, both Slytherins and a Rookwood's a Ravenclaw. All they need now is a Gryffindor to join their group of friends and they got one of each.”

Remus decides to go up a small set of stairs, eyeing it for a minute before his gaze drops to the ground.

He crouches down quickly, picks something up and stands back up holding something for Aster to see. It was a lock and he even looked impressed.

“Bloody hell,” He murmurs examining the lock. “Not even I’ve been able to get this unlocked, as a student or a professor.”

“It’s just a blank padlock.” Aster makes a face eyeing it. No key holes or anything that looked that would let it unlock without magic, probably sealed with a charm.

Alohomora, perhaps?

Remus shakes his head. “This lock has been charmed shut for as long as- McGonagall asked me to try to get it undone after I became a professor here with certain studies done and…” Remus looked at it impressed.

“It took me a while before I determined this lock is charmed to unlock after a certain thing or task is succeeded in. Nothing’s been left behind to explain how to unlock it so at this rate it’s just… running on fate to be unlocked. And beyond this point, there’s so many strong charms keeping people out. Not even McGonagall can apparate past this gate. My best guess it’s been locked for centuries, Aster. No one’s been past this gate for so long. Who the fuck managed to unlocked this?”

“Careful Remus, don't fancy any out of bed students hearing their professor swearing like a sailor.”

Remus snorts a quiet laugh at him before setting the lock onto a nearby barrel to set aside and pushes on the gate.

The gate opens with ease and a tiny squeak.

“Curiouser and curiouser.” Remus mutters under his breath quoting off a muggle book, Alice in Wonderland that Aster knew by book and a child cartoon film. He does have ten kids and two grandkids after all.

In the end, Remus pulls out his wand and decides to head forward.

Aster wasn’t going to let him go wherever the locked gate lead to alone, so he’s pulling out his own wand and they both head forward.

Making their way down a spiral staircase, they’re met with a large and very empty room with only an opened chest pushed up against the wall.

“Oh wow. Lookie here.” Aster sarcastically mocks. “Nothing’s in here. The lock was protecting absolutely nothing.”

Remus ignores Aster’s complaint. He’s walking forward and moving deeper into the room. Aster follows and when they reach a certain point deep in the room, the ground starts to rumble for a moment.

Aster steadies himself on Remus, both watching the ground shake before lowering and forming a new round of spiral stairs. Neither of them speak at the moving staircases that would bring them deeper into the castle than just the dungeons.

They start moving their journey forward with their wands pointed and armed.

“Bloody hell, this has to be like a million steps down.” Aster quietly complains sliding against the wall than using his cane that Remus complained about early into their journey down.

He was only to be hushed by Remus making Aster glare and growl lowly at the wizard.

The more they went down, the colder and dimmer it became. There wasn’t any lights or candles lit but for some magical reason Remus and himself could still see. It was like having night vision.

They reached an empty corridor. There was water puddles on the floor and it was eerily quiet.

“If I get killed, I am so haunting your ghost.” Remus mutters under his breath.

“Why me?” Aster quietly complains yet some more. “Haunt Elias. He brought this on me years ago.”

“Yeah but you dragged me into it.”

Aster rolls his eyes. “Admit it, you’re just as curious as I am to have stuck around this long after so many years.”

Remus purses his lips as they stop in front of a large double door.

Aster takes the risk and reaches forward and touches the smooth texture of stone that the symbol was carved out of with his right hand, his left hand is passing his cane over to Remus before he’s pulling out the old folded sketch of the symbol Elias passed him and holds it next to the door.

“Matching, don’tcha think?” Aster asks.

 “Color matches up too.” Remus points out taps the parchment of where Elias had noted down of a white with certain shades of grey and blue.

“What do you think is behind the door?”

“I’m hoping none of the students, or you have some detentions to serve out.” Aster honestly tells Remus as he’s collecting his cane being passed back. “You know... This could be dangerous. Magic is unpredicable. Magic in a room that hasn’t been touched in centuries probably… I mean, dark curses and spells were legal at a time once. Even taught in Hogwarts around the fourteenth centry, depending when this room was built.”

“Only one way to find out, A.” Remus tells Aster.

Aster folds back up the paper and stuffing it back into his pocket. He holds up his cane, ready to push open the door with it and his wand was drawn and armed. They couldn’t be too careful and just walk in. Honestly a dragon could be behind the door for all they knew. They were a professor and healer, not a dragon tamer like Charlie Weasley and his little cousin, Tonks.

“Ready, Rems?”

Remus takes a deep breath before slowly nodding and holding up his wand. “When you are.”

“If it helps, if we die, your my favourite brother-in-law.” Aster does tell Remus. “Kingsley’s too boring for my taste. Good bloke for Regulus, but very boring. He’s never do this with me.”

Aster flashes Remus a large toothy grin. Remus snorts, lips threatening to curve up.

“Just open the bloody door.”

Aster pushes open the door that opens without a single sound and Remus quickly casting up a protego spell around himself and Aster before either is truly getting a sight inside. Then when nothing attacks them, they move forward.

“And to think this has been beneath us the whole time? What is this room full of, silver, gold, and moonstone?” Aster murmurs to Remus in amazement as they look at the large room.

With high fancy ceilings probably at least twenty feet or more above and the floors looked… just wow.

There was an old and honestly ratty, worn-out looking book set on a podium of some sort and the floors down another smaller flight of stairs looked to be like some sort of map.

Aster can’t help himself going up to the book and scanning through some pages, lazily flipping through them as the whole book glowed on the podium.

Stopping the reading, he rests both of his palms on the pages of the book and looking across the room.

Far away from them, very far away by meaning across the room and probably a good thirty feet in distance or more, there was five students (yes, one including his own teenage child) all surrounding by the large painting that Aster has ever seen, was talking to them.

Or maybe scolding by the looks of the wizard?

All the students were in casual clothing, but what was awful about it was that it looked torn, burned, destroyed in areas and they had cuts all over their body from what Aster could see.

Aster was seeing red. And only a very few things can make him so beyond angry.

Example, Harry entering the forbidden forest under the liquid luck potion.

“ELIAS!” Aster calls out already making his way down the stairs grabbing everyone’s attention and leaving Remus behind.

Protective Papa-bear mode: On.

“Are you insane!? Are you truly mental to come down here!?”

“And who is this?” The painting asks as Elias drops his head with a groan.

“I’m his father.” Aster snaps pointing at Elias. “And who the fuck are you?”

He was damn ready to argue with a bloody portrait if he had to if it meant getting some answers to explain why his son looked beaten up and injured. And to include the other students as well? That just wasn’t right.

“What a nasty mouth you have.” The painting decides that was the best to comment first making Aster glare deadly.

“I won’t hesitate to set you on fire if you don’t answer me.” He threatens, finger moving onto the bearded painted wizard.

“Papa! NO! Don’t, please! He's helping me!”

“I’ll deal with you later.” Aster snaps, finger moving to Elias. “I told you, I’ll figure this out. I never gave up for you. And what you go and do? Form a band of bandits and get up to no good. Are you trying to be like dad and his merry band of Marauders?”

“Favorite brother-in-law, was it?” Remus mutters catching up to Aster. Aster glares at Remus.

“Brother-in-law who’s best friends with my husband and sibling, not my most favorite person. There's a difference.” Aster corrects Remus before going back to the painting. “And you? Who are you? Last time I’m asking, final warning before this whole room goes up in flames.”

“Professor Rackham. And you are?”

“Lovely, then. Formal introductions.” Aster sarcastically tells him with a mocking bow. “Healer Potter at your service.”

Aster points at Remus. “My brother-in-law, a current Professor,” Aster goes back onto the students who were out of bed and in deep shit. “-that you five should be listening to instead of him who's a bloody portrait-!” Aster growls at the students before getting interrupt.

“And how did you find this place?”

“Oh, you know? We followed the damn bloody butterflies.” Aster sarcastically tells the former professor. 

“Papa, please shut up.” Elias groans now seeming embarrassed at his disciplining outburst.

“I’m not done with you. You’re coming with me personally.” Aster adds. “And as for you four-”

“I’ll handle them.” He’s cuts off yet again. “I’m their professor and technically responsible for this one being head of the Gryffindor house.”

Remus eyes one of the students, the only sixth year of the group, a Gryffindor, just as he joked about a while ago that the four needed between Slytherins, a Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.

Samuel Onai-Williams, a year older than Elias and probably as clumsy as he was brave on a broom from the amount of times he’s been sent to Aster by James since his first year.

Samuel and Tonks in the same room alone would probably be extremely dangerous. Catastrophe, even.

Aster does probably the wisest thing possible for himself and closes his eyes, takes a deep breath before counting to ten in his head and half of his panic attack counting becaue this was just too much for him far too quick.

He had a lot of questions that needed to be answered. And clearly he was only getting them from a bunch of kids (three teenagers if he was to be technical) and a portrait that he was already getting onto the bad side of.

This is why Regulus had to hide their great-great-grandfather’s portrait after a while when they finally got to clean out Grimmauld’s place before Aster had the opportunity to burn it down when the damn bastard didn’t know when to shut their mouth from all their side comments.

And to think that Aster had a common personality to Phineas Nigellus Black, mostly over their hatred of broom riding and Quidditch.

A second deep breath was taken before he opens his eyes and focuses on the portrait of Rackham.

“I apologize for my language of use, Professor. But you must understand, I am just being a protective father, wanting to keep his son alive and as far away from death as possible.”

He’s being eyed up and down, he ignored the looks and glances from Elias and Remus mainly.

A curt nod. “You’re excused for your foul language.”

Aster's eye twitches for a second.

“What is this room and how does it connect to my child?”

“How did you find this place?” Rackham counters.

Aster’s eye twitches again. “As I said, we followed the butterflies.”

“You followed me?” Elias accuses Aster and Remus.

Aster rolls his eyes at him. “No, we used clues. I was digging in the restricted section back in your first year, Uncle Remus found me. Then we found the broken veil and the symbol that you gave me. Since then, we figured, chances are we’d probably solve this faster by actively looking around Hogwarts than digging through books. Then, ta-da! Here we are five years later. Quite easy to enter the room after you five arrived in here. Now, Rackham, answer my question. An answer for an answer.”

“The room is-”

Aster points at Elias. “I didn’t ask you. I want to hear from Professor Rackham.”

Elias rolls his eyes before crossing his arms and walking over to Rookwood as Aster looks back at the enormous painting. Aster waves his hand at the painting. “Proceed. I answered you, now it’s my turn. I'm listening.”

“This room is the Map Chamber.” Rackham’s voice echos across the room. That explains the enchanted map looking flooring at least.

Aster leans on his cane, eyes narrowed sharply. “And?”

“Your son should have come to Hogwarts in his fifth year, started in his fifth year, and yet he started here in his first. How?”

Aster scoffs at him. “And who are you to choose his destiny and life path? He'll start wheverever I want him to start. I could've sent his arse striaght to Durmstrang or Beauxbatons if I fancied and he'd never been here. My family is French, English, Spanish, there's some Italian too if you just count spoken language but- there's a whole lot of... chaos...? Besides the point. It's none of your business. I decide where he goes.”

Elias glares at Aster as he declares that. Aster ignores him.

“Every child who holds the ability to see ancient magic always arrives to Hogwarts in their fifth year as their first.”

Aster recalls the book he was still reading (it was taking him an embarrassingly slow time to read and understand each point). Bought from the bookstore after having to return the library book after it hitting it’s return date of a week.

Aster blinks back in focus to Rackham. “Isidora Morganach. You knew her?”

And if he was right, he’d probably been fooled with how well Rackham schooled his expressions. But then a second person comes out in a different portrait grabbing everyone’s attention.

“San, you aren’t suppose to be summoned yet. Charles comes first.” Rookwood scolds.

Aster narrows his eyes on the second person. “And you killed her.”

A bow of San Baker’s head in comfirmation. “I did. And how do you know such information?”

“San, enough! You’re ruining the process for the trials-”

“As if you’re sending my son on any damn trails!” Aster goes back to cursing at Rackham then looking back the second wizard. “Why did you kill her? I don't understand the book, it's all over the place.”

“And how do you know of Isidora’s story?”

“I just said it! Books!” Aster spits at him. “People read, you know!? It’s not a popular book or a book that’s been written in many copies, I reckon. But I actually stumbled across it because I care for my son enough to read it!”

San Baker looks over the students before settling on Onai-Williams. “And you must be the one who finally uncovered the Map Chamber.”

“Uh…” Samuel shakes his head awkwardly before pointing over to Elias. “That’d be him, actually.”

San’s eyes widen in surprise. “And what year are you in?”

Elias’s cheeks tinted pink, a hand ruffles through his short hair. “My fifth, sir. I'm Elias Potter. I started Hogwarts in my first like any other student. I’m just... small for my age group.” Elias's voice drifts off quietly towards the end, his cheeks a bright red.

“Remarkable.” San looks over to Rackham. “Percival, you said each student to discover us would be in their fifth for their first year like yourself and Isidora and all the former ones who could see ancient magic. That must mean Mr Potter is far more skilled in magic than when Isidora started or yourself.”

There was it again. Ancient magic. Something Aster just doesn’t understand.

“Are you saying that I would’ve come to Hogwarts somehow?” Elias asks the two in the paintings curiously.

“That’s how it usually goes, yes.” Rackham nods. “But something has clearly disrupted your timeline of arriving to Hogwarts.”

“That must be me.” Aster huffs. “I adopted Elias when he was just a young boy down South in Spain at the time. It was a spur of a moment decision. A last minute choice and very unplanned, but it's something I will never regret making a choice over.” Strongly warns the two.

“And that explains it.” San Baker seemed to have a lighter attitude than Rackham.

And if portraits could sleep (Aster doesn’t believe they sleep for shit. He thinks they do that just to spy on them), a third joins them, this time a witch. She enters with a large yawn and stretch.

“Niamh! We’re all breaking code of order!” Rackham stresses.

Aster rolls his eyes, Rackham was far too much like Regulus.

“Yeah, yeah. I heard talking on this end and it was you or listening to the Headmistress lecturing some seventh years who got caught by that weird man with a lover of a cat in some broom closet. He's threatening them to hang them by their thumbs again, not even we did that.” The witch lets out a scoff with a ligth shake of her head. “That man shouldn't even be working here. A disgrace to Hogwarts, he is.”

Remus tilts his head at the witch. “You were one of the former headmistresses here at Hogwarts, weren’t you? I’ve seen you before somewhere.”

“As have I with you.” Niamh tells Remus with a polite nod. “Professor Lupin, we never had gotten a chance to meet formally. How I greatly admire you and how far you’ve come from being a young school boy getting detention to being one of the most admired professors of your time.”

“Oh, really?” Remus cockily fixes his robes making Aster roll his eyes. He could see why Sirius married him other than for looks now.

“And it’s no doubt to imagine you would have been selected as the next mentor to guide the next- Oh, hello? Many people are in here. Percival? San?”

Aster huffs with her finally noticing him as well as the others.

“Niamh, the student is a fifth year who started Hogwarts in their first, they know all the magic possible to be caught up with age.” San gossips with the witch.

“Is that so? Which one?” Elias slowly starts to lifts his hand. “Put your hand down, Elias. Before I put it down for you.” His hand drops at Aster’s order.

“And this is his father, also known as a healer here and is very against us teaching his son.”

“Ah, yes. I’ve seen you on occasion as well. You take your job well seriously. An excellent healer. Well done.”

“I also take my job as a father even more seriously.” Aster snaps banging his cane on the floor.

“He’s having a bit of a hard time accepting that his young child has to go through the trials. But what’s intresting he knows of Isidora and her past.”

“-That is intresting.” Niamh tells San.

“-Elias is going on no fucking trails!” Aster argues.

“He also has a pretty big potty mouth. Some soap will ought to clean that right out.” Rackham adds, making Aster point his wand at him. “I’m still thinking about it. Say that again one more time, professor.”

“Papa.” Elias groans pinching the bridge of his nose, now just looking tired and embarrassed with Aster. “Please.”

“Thinking of what?” Niamh asks over to Rackham.

“Healer Potter wishes to burn me.”

“And I will. Don’t tempt me. You should see what I tried to do to my great-great-grandfather-!”

“Your son needs to go on these trials to-.”

“No he doesn’t! Look at them! All of them! They're all students! They're kids! Wherever you just had them, clearly they had gotten hurt! And who has to heal them?! ME!”

“To be fair, it was only suppose to be just-”

“-Only Elias, I got it!” Aster screams at Rackham the far loudest of the night, louder than when he shouted at Elias from across the room. “But he’s not alone! You got two fourths years, a seventh year, a sixth, and a fifth year and they’re all looking to be on their last leg right now! What’s next!? Everyone dying?!”

“Actually-”

Aster’s ears buzzed out the next portrait that was speaking.

The book.

The book he was reading.

It wasn’t just a book but it was a story telling of everything that had happened in a first point of view, almost like a diary.

And he’s remembering reading about a Hogwarts beheaded ghost, Richard Jackdaw, who actually did mange to get into the so called ‘trials’ and he didn’t see ancient magic, but he did die.

“Oh my gods,” Aster heaves out looking back at the portraits (and Remus) wide eyed. “You are trying to get them all killed.”

“Now, Aster, maybe we should jsut try to hear them-” Remus tries.

“Richard Jackdaw, Remus. That teenage ghost that pops in Hogwarts sometimes when Nick tries to get into that headless hunt thing the other ghosts reject him out of that club because he's not headless enough. He was like, seventeen but he couldn’t see the ‘ancient magic’ which I call absolute shit on.” Aster jabs a finger at the portraits again. “And he died there. In the trials, that person found his remains after like, a century of rest and he's still floating about!”

Aster points at the portraits, each one of them. “You’re all the insane ones.” His tone eerily quiet. “I know what’s in those trials.”

He looks over to Elias and the students. “The book I read, described them as guardians. Kinda like solder knights. Big, hallowed out, solder-y things with no one inside it, probably twice as big and as tall as Professor Lupin that carried around murderous weapons like swords or- I don’t know. Don’t tell me you five just went up against however many?”

They all avoided his eyes, each passing second made them look more tired and worn and Aster’s heart hurt.

His legs were aching so bad from all the stairs and the looks of the kids avoiding him had him on his last leg, starting to shake and knees lock, ready to collapse on him just at the thought of thinking of these innocent young teenagers going against something like those.

All except the Gryffindor. Maybe Samuel was good for something after all. “There were six we had to fight and duel against, Healer Potter.”

Aster crumbles to his knees in defeat for his son and exhaustion.

Chapter 5: September 15th, 2005

September 15th, 2005

 

Aster groans, shifting in the bed and quickly going to cradle his head feeling like crap all before he even opened his eyes. “Merde, j’ai mal à la tête.”

He feels a hand gently brushing his hair away from his face.

“Remus said you passed out and hit your head on the way down. He also mentioned to let me know that you were running a bit warm when he brougth you to me.” James.

Another groan is released before he’s opening his eyes to be faced with James. He blinks hard, trying to get his eyes used to the lights from the two lamps in the bedroom that were on rather than the overhead hanging light.

At least he was home, in his own bed. Much preferred than the hospital wing and under Madam Pomfrey’s care.

“Hello, amar.” James quietly tells him, leaning on his side and staring down at Aster as his last piece of memories start to flood his mind. James leans over, pressing a gentle kiss to his temple before he’s back to running his hand through his hair.

“What happened?” Aster asks James softly, even though he damn wells know what happened.

“Remus said you’ve been working yourself too hard. That you went to visit his office to talk about something and you just went down, just hardly had a second to catch you before you hit the ground.”

A tiny hum of noise is released from Aster’s throat before he’s rolling to his back and rubbing his eyes. “I guess I’ve been more tired than I thought.”

“You haven’t been sleeping good, have you?”

“Can’t.” Aster doesn't lie as he mumbles pushing himself up to sit up in the bed. James follows suite, leaning on one hand rather than two like Aster. Aster gives his eyes a few blinks, trying to wake himself up as the dim lights from the single lamp on James' bedside table was irritating the pressuring headache he had going on. “I got things to do. No time to sleep.”

“Aster,” James’s voice gentle but firm. “You need to sleep. You’re no good for yourself if you don’t sleep.”

“The kids rely on me, James. I got so many things to do. Sleep is just an obstacle in my way that wastes my time.” Aster takes a deep breath before tossing the blanket off himself to get out of bed.

“Aster you shouldn’t be-”

“I’m just grabbing something for my head and using the toilet. My head's killing me, James.” He softly complains getting to his feet only to wince feeling how sore his legs and hips were.

He’s rubbing his forehead as he’s getting onto his feet slowly.

“I must’ve hit my head on something or something happened to it when I was passing out.”

He doesn’t think twice to grab his cane, which was very unusual for him when it’s only a quick short bathroom trip to and back the bed. He hardly uses his cane unless James gets the chance to fuck him a few good times deep into the mattress without uninterrupted time.

“Are your legs bothering you?” James questions.

“A more bit today than usual.” Aster does honestly answer.

He has no reason to lie to James of all people that he would and could lie to, like to his siblings, for example.

“I had a long day. Had to go around Hogwarts, one of the students got injured in Remus’s class after dueling club. Climbing the thousands of stairs when I was already sore and achy. Stairs that move and make me wait longer because the founders believed moving stairs was the best thing to do for the castle.” And that was a half-lie.

He could feel the disapproval from James being aimed at his back as he goes into the bathroom leaving the door cracked open.

He uses the toilet before rummaging through the cabinets for a pain potion.

Aster pulls out the first pain potion he gets his hands on, uncorks it and downs it with a grimace on his face from the taste and feeling the ease in his body hit instantly.

He replaces the cork before turning on the tap and quickly rinsing out his mouth with the water and spitting into the sink before rejoining James on the bed.

“See, I’m back in bed with you,” Aster reassures James tucking himself back under the covers.

It didn’t ease much of James’s narrowed eyes on him.

He rarely ever does fall off the horse with his sleeping schedule since his youngest set of twins were born because he couldn’t afford to be knocked out randomly and sleeping whenever.

He knew it, James knew it too.

He needed to be up and busy and on the go all the time to keep up with the kids despite being nearly forty-four unlike James who was already forty-five now.

Aster turns his head, staring at James at that realization.

James’s lips curve up a bit at his staring. A tiny breathless laugh escapes from James’s lips. “What? What’s with the staring?”

“We’re old.” Aster can’t help himself reaching forward and picking at James’s hair where grey grew.

He may love the change, but it was a heavy reminder to himself that he’s been going grey for nearly a whole ten years before James, and for a few years he did manage to dye his hair with his siblings when he found the time making a whole day out of it with them to bond over. He’s only just given up on keeping up with dying his hair to finally match with James now that James was showing. But not as fast as Aster’s was.

James snorts a laugh at him that has him frowning deeply. “It’s only just dawning on you?”

“I’m in my mid-early forties, James. I'm forty-three. I hate it. I’ve been all achy and sore since Posie was born.”

A subtle way of saying since the car accident. Aster didn’t drive for a good four years from then to until they had decided to go on another vacation that required him to drive. It took him nearly half a year to prepare in advance with Remus to work up his nerves to regain his confidence in driving a large van that’d fit his entire family in the back seats.

“I am past forty-five, Aster.” There was that tease in James’s tone.

Aster groans, slumping to the side and onto James. “Where has the time gone? When did we grow up to become old?”

Actually, now on that topic. When did he start sounding like Sirius complaining on becoming old?

“We grew up when we made the choice to have kids as teenagers instead of like most of our friends in their early to mid twenties.”

“Right,” A sad sigh. “Putain. I missed seeing Harry and Ellie, didn’t I?”

Aster hardly gets to see them anymore. And if he wants to see Azura, he has to attend to her Quidditch matches when the Holyhead Harpies team plays, which meant he would have to attend with James and Persephone, and usually Rigile and Aasil would go too, if they weren’t at Hogwarts.

“Don’t worry about it.” James easily shakes his head. “Harry had to cancel because Leelee had a bit of a cold, Ria’s also running a fever. He was afraid of it getting worse with either of them. Then Ellie was here for like ten minutes with Zura before they all dipped out after eating what I cooked up. Lottie, Luna, and Draco stopped by too, to take the girls to go clubbing, which honestly I don’t think you’d approve of any of their clothing if you were here. I think Azura has high hopes on actually getting Ellie into a club tonight, though Ellie was saying something of needing to head home because Pansy has a stomach bug though she didn't say much when any of us asked if Pansy was okay.”

“That’d be a miracle if Azura gets Ellie inside the club. Dressing up is one thing, getting her in, ha,” Aster huffs a laugh. “You’d think with how different Ellie and Pansy are, they wouldn’t have last this long as they did now. I'm actually surprised Pansy didn't show up.”

“How long have they been together now?” James ponders.

“I think…” Aster furrows his eyebrows in thought. “We were properly introduced to Pansy in their irst year as a friend. So… it’s been…” Aster starts counting out loud. “I think thirteen years? Ish-y? I think they both only succeed in their relationship because Ellie’s asexuality and Pansy being demisexual, so it’s a heavily compromised thing.”

James picks up Aster’s hand. He flips over Aster’s hand and uses his pointer finger and traces over the creases in his palms quietly in deep thought.

“I feel like I should be asking you this: Are you okay, James?” Aster asks him softly, not moving his left hand as James’s finger travels over his wedding band.

“Yeah,” His Adam’s apple bobs visibly as he swallows thickly. “Just guessing you’ve forgot. I’m not mad, don’t worry. Though now I'm a bit greatful we didn't plan anyything with you passing out and overstressing yourself.”

Aster lifts his head. “Forgot what?”

Now there was that buzzing that he feels like he’s forgotten something important at that reminder. But he couldn’t remember what.

James turns his head to look at Aster. A small smile on his lips, nothing too bright or sunny and one of his eyebrows were raised a bit. “Twenty-six years.”

Aster’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Twenty-six years for what?”

A small, breathless laugh. “Happy anniversary, mi estrella.”

Aster’s eyes widen comically as he falls quiet for a moment. Of all things to slip his mind (which a lot has been popping in and out to be frank) it had to be his marriage anniversary of all things.

He remebered his kids birthday but not his anniversary (which fell on the same day)?

What kind of person is he?

Twenty six years was no excuse, he’s never forgotten before.

Aster rubs a hand over his face upset with himself.

James was the most amazing man to ever be married to (and he got lucky to be married to the man twice, nearly losing him once in the past from his own selfish problems) and he’s gone and screwed that up.

He’s never forgotten their anniversary before. And James is the type of person to be sentimental over these sort of things, certain dates that were extremely important. Aster knows this.

“It’s okay, love.” James lifts his hand which sat limp-less in his lap and pressing a gentle and so loving kiss to his palm. Aster really doesn’t deserve this man. “Don’t fret over it.”

“But…” Aster’s voice was lost. He shook his head in disbelief at himself. “I forgot. I never forgotten before. We… we didn’t even plan for anything this year.”

“I figured.” James hums softly, his hand is twisted around. A kiss to the back of his hand. “You didn’t say anything this morning when we got ready for work, or to when we got the kids on the school bus. So I didn't see a reason to bring it up myself.”

“And I came home late when we could’ve done something after we got the kids to bed, even if it is just reading a book and cuddling…” Aster sighs not even finishing that sentence. “James, I am really so-”

“Don’t worry about it.” James tells him, now moving his hand to brush a piece of Aster’s hair behind his ear before cupping his cheek. Aster happily leans into the touch, feeling the rough callouses on his palm.

“We didn’t plan anything anyway, I never asked, neither did you. I knew you’ve been over working yourself, even through the summer. You’re tired. Exhausted, even. We can make it up another time. And in your defense, you didn’t even make it home. Techinally. Remus brought you home. You were unconscious.”

Aster lets out a low groan, chin touching his chest. “Don’t remind me. I feel awful now. I’m going to have to make it up to Remus, too.”

A loving kiss is pressed on to his forehead, he feels James’s hand on his cheek move from his palm to the back of his hand. “And now I’m starting to think you’ve caught whatever the nietas have. Are you feeling okay? Don’t lie to me.”

Aster’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he lifts a hand to wrap around James’s wrist. “What?”

A tiny hum, James’s hand moves from one cheek to the other before Aster’s forehead. “You’re feeling pretty warm, love. Are you sure you feel okay?”

Aster bats James’s hand away from his face. “I’m fine, other than my head that’s still bothering me... oh, and little bit of the shivers. I just need a good night sleep, then we have work again tomorrow after getting the kids on the school bus.”

James frowns at him. “I think you should send a letter in to Poppy and call in sick for once in your life.”

“No,” Aster shakes his head. “No. I’ve got too much to do. I need to-”

“You need to rest, Aster.” James interrupts his train of thought. “Just one day. At least until this fever and headache goes away. I don’t think Poppy would let you work anyway if she figures you have a fever this hot.”

Aster groans at James. “But I really need to speak with Elias, James-.”

“Elias can wait. If you really need to, write a letter and I can pass it on. Faster than an owl.”

“No, James I-”

“Aster.” James speaks sternly. “You’re staying home tomorrow and getting some rest. That’s final. My word's above the sick man's tonight.”

“But-”

James shakes his head. “My word is final.” A soft sigh. “Merlin, people saying healers make the worst patients aren’t kidding. Do I need to charm you to the bed for the entire day when I’m not here? Ask Barty or Sirius to stop by to make sure you're actually resting and drinking fluids and eating something other than lollipops?”

Aster glares at James. “Don’t you dare.”

James rolls his eyes. “I’ll send for Barty, then.”

Aster groans, finally fluffing his pillow by beating it up. He grabs another and starts building a wall around himself that James always hates when he does. But by morning, James steals half of the pillows for himself and the wall around Aster becomes a larger wall surrounding not only him but James as well.

“I hate you. And I’ll hate Barty when he gets here tomorrow.”

He lays down, James presses a kiss to his temple before reaching over his body to turn off the lamp on his side. James turns off his own lamp, then he’s stealing two of Aster’s pillows and tossing them off the bed before laying on his side and gently running a hand through Aster’s hair in a way that Aster hates that he likes and James knew.

Aster closes his eyes to James’s fingertips in his hair. He lets out a tiny moan at how good the scalp massage feels.

“My babies are twenty-seven. I gave birth twenty-seven years ago for the first time and everyone lived to tell the tale somehow.” Aster whispers his thoughts out loud to James with his eyes remaining closed.

“Actually our babies are still nine until January eighteenth. Those kids you're talking about are our adults kids you’re thinking about that come home when they’re hungry for my cooking or in need of a free babysitter.”

Aster weakly hits James’s chest. A small smile forms on his lip hearing James laugh at impact. The bastard probably knew it was coming.

“You know what I mean,” Aster quietly huffs at him annoyed, though his lips curving upwards.

“I know.” James sighs. “I feel the same way. It feels like it was only yesterday that I was watching you turn purple and nearly passing out trying to push them out. It's still weird to think that tiny hole of yours managed to push out nine babies and still squeeze my cock so deliciously.”

“Harry came out so easy.” Aster huffs a laugh. “Not as fast as Azura, she was hard, but damn she came out fast and unexpectedly.”

James snorts. “You can say that again.”

James’s hand moves from his hair to his cheek, gently caressing his skin now.

“I wish all our babies stayed babies.”

“If they all stayed babies then we’d have ten babies on our hands. No thank you. We dealt with six at most, toddlers to newborns.”

Aster falls quiet for a moment. The room is quiet, James’s hand stays on his cheek with only his thumb moving. Aster thinks of Narcissa, who was working with Draco currently on planning out a nursery theme for the new baby in Malfoy manor that was on the way through surrogacy that Draco was going to have with his husband, Theo. He had to admit, he was a bit jealous of Narcissa who was going to be a grandmother soon.

“Do you think Harry and Teddy would have more kids? Or the girls?”

“Don’t know.” James answers. “It’s up for them to decide. But Teddy and Harry doing well with the girls. Especially with them being both blind. But I know it’d be helpful if they could go to muggle school so Harry could get a break since he decided to be a stay-at-home dad with them. But we can’t blame Leala, she can’t see herself and her own hair when it changes colours. Not even Tonks can help her with that like she did with Teddy as a little boy.”

“Yeah.” Aster had to agree with that. “And to think Teddy was going to try to move to France without us all to raise them. He wouldn’t last a day.”

James laughs quietly. “Way to be encouraging.”

“We wouldn’t either.” Aster tells James fairly. “Just us, with Harry and Ellie. No way. Effie helped me a lot before and after they were born.”

James doesn’t answer him, his thumb stills.

“You can talk about her, you know. With me, at least.” Aster quietly tries to encourages him to at least talk about his mum. "About anything. The good and bad. I won't respond if you don't want me to."

James is quiet for a long time. Aster thought he wasn’t going to get an answer at all out of him as his mind starts to drift and body relaxes and sinks into the bed to try to sleep.

“I don’t want to.” James faintly tells him. “I don't have nothing to say about her.”

Aster breathes deeply, moving a hand to rest on top of James and giving his wrist of where he could truly wrap his hand around James's limb properly a tiny squeeze.

Other than that, he remains quiet and falls asleep in the room with a dark charmed starry ceiling.

Chapter 6: September 20th, 2005

September 20th, 2005

 

Aster lets out a pitiful pained groan to himself staring at his cup of water on the coffee table that was just out of arm’s reach from him. He was curled up under a blanket on the family couch, a book in hand and he was feeling downright miserable.

It’s been nearly two weeks and you’d think by then as a healer, he’d be able to at least heal himself back to health.

His grandkids bounced back to perfect health in less than a week, three days to be exact.

So why the fuck was he so fucking miserable and sick?

He had a migraine. A bin beside him to vomit into if needed with the way his head made his stomach churn the morning after James declared he had a fever. His fever hardly goes down, only staying stable or dipping just a bit when he takes a potion before going back up to a worser temperature.

And his cough.

It was like he was trying to loose a lung that left his throat all raspy if he tried talking.

At that point Aster was thinking if he did loose a lung, he might get back to normal health. That was how miserable he was. He was miserable enough to be desperate enough to want to loose a lung if it meant becoming healthy again.

So Aster was hacking up probably his left lung under a blanket to shield his eyes and to spare his throbbing head as he forces himself to keep reading and learning and absorbing every bit of information there is to know from the book written in first point of view that he has no clue who it’s written about with no author noted on the cover to help his child.

He may was under the watch of guard dogs under the name of Barty Crouch and sometimes Sirius Lupin (*cough-cough Black*) the last of days to keep him from sneaking off to Hogwarts which James had no clue why he was so hell bent on trying to go back but knew he was sick enough but insane enough to try to go back to Hogwarts.

Intro, his eldest sibling and best friend tag teaming to keep him home when his youngest kids weren’t home but at school.

Except this time, this morning neither Sirius or Barty is able to make it from breakfast until lunch time and Aster wasn’t even going to try to make a run for it. If he ends up in Hogwarts, he’s under Madam Pomfrey’s care.

If he stays home, well, he prefers that to Madam Pomfrey to say the least. That woman was a fierce to be reckoned with if someone was sick under her gaze. Aster was sick down to the bone, he knew that the least.

“You look like shit.”

Aster blinks over to his brother who emerges from the green flames from his fireplace that were quickly dimming down, here to deliver some potions for him to see if it’d cure his nasty nonstop migraine and fever.

“Thanks.” Aster dryly tells Regulus as Regulus sets his bag onto the coffee table and opening it up.

“Chronic migraines are usually your thing to suffer with.”

“I know,” Regulus scans over the label of a vial as he pulls it out his bag.

Since Regulus has beaten his alcoholism and gotten into sobriety and has been sober for the last nine years going without a single drop of alcohol, one word: migraines.

Aster has no clue if it’s something that came with being sober or not, but Regulus has been dealing with chronic migraines since six months set of becoming sober. So if there’s anyone who could figure something out to ease Aster’s pain and suffering, it was his big brother.

“How bad is it?” Regulus asks.

“The lights’ a pain. The sun’s a pain. Noises are a pain. The kids' a pain. James' a pain. Bee and Sirius' a pain. You're a pain.”

“Bottom line, everything’s a pain?” Regulus asks with his lips upturning as he settles on three vials and uncorks each one.

“Yeah.” Aster murmurs dropping his head on the back of the couch. “Plus I’m hot. I’ve not had a fever or a cough in years and this is how it decides to treat me. I take potions to regulate my cold body temperature and I’m always at least cool to the touch. Now I’m always hot. No pun intended from James. I still haven't decided how to get him back on that when I'm better.”

Regulus scrunches his nose passing over the first vial to Aster. “Didn’t need to know that part. Why don’t you just go see a healer?”

Aster sticks his tongue out with a rejecting noise before he’s downing the potion without even asking what it’s for or what it is.

The scratchiness in his throat is quickly soothed as his face scrunches up in disgust and his stomach is churning.

He’s makes fast work at grabbing the bin beside him and hurling what he drank of the potion and vomits it out with a low groan. The pain in this throat returns.

“Sheesh, should’ve told me that you’re having the nausea too.” Regulus mutters under his breath before pulling an entirely different potion out of his bag. He uncorks it and passes up another potion. “I would’ve just started with this one.”

Aster stares at him with his dead cold eyes, snatching the second potion and trusting his brother as he drinks it. This time the nausea goes away and he doesn’t feel like he has to hurl the next potion up as Regulus passes the third one. He drinks, his head is still aches but far better than how it’s been in the last of days.

The next potion he takes, he’s quickly shivering and huddling back under the blanket. Regulus presses a hand to his forehead, then each of his sickly flushed pale pink cheeks.

“Better, cooler,” Regulus murmurs.

Aster slaps his hand off his face moodily, he was tired of people touching his face to check for a fever that he could feel that was still present. “Don’t touch me.”

“Alright, alright. Have you eaten yet?” Aster stares at Regulus quietly. “I’ll take that as a no. I’ll make you some toast, plain and simple. Any butter or jam?”

Aster grunts, shuffling around on the couch and curling up with the book on his lap again. Regulus rolls his eyes before ditching his bag and heading into the kitchen.

“You get butter, by the way! Because you’re being a brat.” Regulus calls over to him from the kitchen before cabinets were slamming around noisily. Too loud for Aster to focus on reading, and his mind was drifted as it was.

With another quiet grunt, he’s bookmarking the book and closing it. He swaps out the book for his glass of water to sip, waiting on Regulus. He’s served one lightly toasted slice of buttered bread that he pokes at for a good while before gathering up the courage to take a bite out of the slightly soggy bread from the melted butter.

“Thanks,” Aster murmurs to Regulus as he flops himself onto the couch after passing Aster the plate and serving him some apple juice to go with the toast.

“It’s fine. You rarely ever get sick, but when you do you apparently need a tag-team from a minimum of four adults to get you better.” Aster sniffles a small laugh. He couldn’t argue with Regulus with that point.

“What are you reading?” Regulus nods at the book set on the coffee table.

Aster makes a tiny wave gesture letting Regulus look at it. Regulus leans over to grab the book, but when he does, the book slides out of his touch and scoots away from his hand to the other end of the coffee table away from both Aster and Regulus. Aster blinks at the book a bit dazed, that was the last think he was expecting.

“Is this some prank?” Regulus accused Aster still leaned over with an arm outreached as Aster blinks still at the old book confused and startled, now he narrows his eyes.

“…No?” A tilt to his head. “I never put any spells on it.”

“Well someone did.” Regulus snips annoyed.

Aster rolls his eyes and grabs his wand tucked between cushions rather carelessly. He sends a quick removal spell, ensuring all spells were removed from the book before another silent gesture to Regulus to grab the book again.

"There, try again."

Regulus goes to grab it, the book slides off the table.

“Maybe the book doesn’t like you?” Aster weakly grimaces at his own words. He did the removal spell in front of Regulus, there was no way he was doing that on purpose now.

“Fuck off.” Regulus curses pulling out his own wand. “Clearly you didn’t do the spell right.”

Aster rolls his eyes as the same spell is made by Regulus. Regulus gets up and rounds the coffee table to pick up the book. The book slides under the coffee table much to Aster’s annoyance. If Regulus couldn't pick up the book, then it meant it'd leave it up to Aster to pick it up. “Still think I didn’t do it right?”

Regulus glares at him. “Where did you get the book?”

A tiny shrug. “I don’t remember. Maybe James got it? I think it’s been in our room on the bookshelf for the last of years untouched. Opened it up last week, been reading it slowly since.”

Regulus sighs, pushing the coffee table out of the way to reveal the book. “You grab it.”

Aster groans as he moves his sore body. The blanket that was up to his shoulders fall down his lap. Aster tosses his legs off the couch and he bends over, coughing as he's sliding to the edge of the couch’s cushions and grabs the book with ease without it sliding away from him. “Got it.”

Regulus never looked as jealous as he did then, scowling at Aster.

Aster rolls his eyes, opening up the book. “This book is about this… person. I don’t know. It’s like a diary, first point of view, it switches around from the late eighteen hundreds to the fifteenth century-ish and I don’t know all of what it means. But it’s telling me a few different stories all at once. I read through it fast once, but this time I'm reading through it to make sure I understand everything. Word by word.”

Regulus takes a seat beside him. “Let me see, hold it up.”

Aster flips to the first page, and angles it open to Regulus. Regulus’s eyebrows furrowed at the book before glancing over to Aster. “It’s blank.”

Aster shakes his head, looking at the page and flips through the book going to his bookmarked spot. “No it’s not. See, this is where I stopped off before you arrived. Professor Isidora Morganach was a professor in the Defense Against the Dark Arts position in the 1470s. Born in Feldcroft, Scotland, she held a very unique ability that’s so rare it seems to be only one child born with magic to hold it at random to be able to see and wield ancient magic, but I wouldn't call it luck as some people may say if they ever learn of what ability can do. It's scary, being alone. No one else to understand you, no one else that could heal you if you need it regarding to the magic. It's like... you're on your own before life even begun because of how terrifyingly powerful the magic is itself alone. I never wanted to hurt anyone, and yet, I did, because no one knew what to do.”

Regulus blinks at the book before slowly shaking his head. “No. Now I’m just starting to think you’re making this up.”

“I’m not! Why would I even say that!” Aster defends himself. “It’s like- it’s like a history book. I bet-… Professor Bins!” Aster’s eyes widen. “Why didn’t I think of him before!? I could’ve asked him all this-”

He cuts off himself, hacking and coughing up his lungs, a hand over his mouth.

“What is ‘ancient magic’, anyway?” Regulus uses quotation marks over the words when Aster recovers his coughing fit.

“That’s something I’m not quite understanding myself either.” A deep breath and he shifts himself over to Regulus. “You can’t tell anyone what I’m about to tell you.”

Regulus blinks at him not saying anything. “Regulus, I mean it.”

“Fine. I won’t tell anyone as long as it doesn’t involve you self harming yourself or anything of the relating.”

Aster nods. “So, back in Elias’s first year, on his second day after sorting he came to me with these concerns. He could see these… me and Remus have been calling it a squiggle mark-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Regulus interrupts him. “Remus is involved but not me?”

Aster nods. “Yeah. So, for the last five years we’ve been investigating Hogwarts. Looking around. I mean, we’ve found more hidden passageways, more… not the point. In Hogwarts, we were looking for traces and clues for-” Aster closes the book and shows Regulus the spine of the book. “This mark.”

Regulus nods slowly. “Nothing’s there.”

Aster’s jaw ticks. “I’m not mental. I mean, I am clinically insane, but not on this. Don’t look at me like that, Regulus. Ask Remus. But don’t say anything to anyone else. Not Sirius, not James, not even Kingsley. But Remus and I just uncovered a big Hogwarts secret.”

“How big?”

Aster leans closer in to his brother. “The dungeons go deeper than what we all think.”

Regulus lifts an eyebrow. “And what room does that lead to?”

Aster scowls with a tiny huff leaning back into the couch. “This stupid portrait told me it’s called a map chamber. I wanted to set him on fire. Honestly, life would be so much easier if we just didn't make portraits talk.”

Regulus rolls his eyes. “Of course you did.”

“Professor Rackham, Headmistress Niamh… Fitzgerald, I think that’s her name. And another former Hogwarts professor, San Baker. There was a fourth portrait but I guess that one was still asleep or wasn't interested on coming out yet.”

“And you say Elias is involved?”

A tiny and very uncomfortable nod. Aster pinches his face a bit angry.

“Yeah,” Aster breathes out. “He, uh, I think he can… perform this sort of magic — ancient magic, I mean. I think… he found the map chamber first. With some new friends of his.”

“Friends?” Regulus lifts an eyebrow. “Weren’t you and Potter just complaining to me over the summer about how you were concern about him being in his bedroom all the time over the summer?”

“He has new friends every month, Regulus. No one every sticks around with him. I don’t know why, he never says.” A half shrug. "I'm just a worried Papa. The others kids weren't like that. He doesn't even hang with Tae Fenwick anymore since his second year."

“But he…” A pause. “How exactly did you and Remus find this room?”

“Well, it’s been locked up. Powerful magic and all that shielding around the room. He realized it was unlocked, so we went it.”

“Sensible decision, no wonder you're a Ravenclaw.” Regulus huffs rolling his eyes.

Aster rolls his eyes. “When we got into the room. Elias was already in there. He looked, awful to say the last. Worn out, like he was in a terrible life battling duel. And Elias wasn’t alone. He brought some other students with him. A seventh year, twin fourth years, and a sixth year.”

A frown forms onto Aster’s face. “And you’d think he’d rather go alone to find the room than bring new friends he just formed.”

“Maybe it was meant to happen?” Regulus tries having Aster glare at him. “What?”

“You’re sounding a lot like that portrait I want to burn.”

Regulus pinches the bridge of his nose. “What did the portrait say?”

“Destiny and shit. Elias is meant to find the room in his fifth year, but he’s suppose to start Hogwarts also in his fifth year to start learning magic as a first year.” Regulus snorts making Aster gesture at him. “Exactly. It’s so rare when a student start so late, even when Philius joined Hogwarts, he already knew magic from Beauxbatons.”

“And the book? It sounds like you’re reading the right thing. Maybe you’re on the right track on learning what Elias is getting himself into and also have to learn if he wants to apparently control this… ancient magic?”

“Yep. Ancient magic.” Aster dryly grumbles. “I’ve been stuck on the first chapter of this book for the last week trying to pick apart every sentence there is to read of it, Regulus. I just don’t get it. I mean, pure-bloods like us, we have generations worth of magic running through our veins so why isn’t that counted as ancient magic? Why is it-? What is Elias seeing that we can’t? I don't even know if Elias if a half blood or pure blood. What is he going to be able to do that we can’t?”

“Maybe… he’s destined for great things?”

Aster swallows thickly as he looks down at the book. “Then why can’t you read this book, let alone touch it? Why only me? Why is every other sentence coming out in a warning?”

“Maybe you’re meant to read this book, to be Elias’s mentor?” Regulus tries as Aster keeps his eyes glued on front cover.

“That’s what Niamh called Remus.” He mumbles with a frown. “If I show this book to Remus, would be be able to see it? Read it?”

“I don’t know. Has James said anything about you reading it?”

Aster looks up to Regulus. “He took the book out of my hands. Once. He touched it. Maybe… he can touch and read it like me?” Aster can’t help himself when he glances to Regulus looking hopeful.

“Maybe. But clearly that book wants something to do with you.” Regulus frowns leaning back into the couch with his arms crossing over his chest. Aster sets the book aside on his lap. “And not me, obviously.”

“How’s Izzy doing with muggle school?”

“She’s good,” Regulus softly answers about his nine-year-old daughter he shared with Kingsley. A soft smile forms on his lips. “Trying up a new hobby every other week or so. Kingsley and I are trying to encourage her to make it last for a month than just a week. Leo's just chilling.”

“I get it.” Aster nods in agreement. Two kids meant two different personalities to be working with.

“Good thing Elias knows right away what hobbies he likes and doesn’t.”

A roll of dark blue eyes. “That’s because Elias has the same hobbies since he was four when he played a piano for the first time with Sirius. He picks up an instrument and magically he’s able to play it after two lessons.”

They both laugh softly. “Anyway, I’m surprise Elias never joined the choir or whatever it is they do in that music room Hogwarts has.”

“He likes playing instruments, he doesn't really sing. Not like you.”

“I wasn’t trying to say he’s like me. But I did give him vocal lessons a few years back, he has protentional if he works on it a little bit.”

Regulus lifts an eyebrow. “Really?”

Aster scowls at his brother. “What are you trying to insist? That he's a terrible singer?”

“Sometimes,” A tiny shrug. “You know how you always encourage the kids to come to someone if not you or Potter. Elias comes to me, often. Especially over the summer. This past summer. And does he complains. A lot.”

“About?” Aster asks unbothered but curious wanting to know what's bothering his child.

Regulus thins out his lips, not entirely meeting his gaze. “About you.”

Aster rolls his eyes. “Well, he’s suppose to complain about me. I’m his papa, not his friend.”

“I know that, but…” Regulus trails off a bit. His green eyes drift off to the television that was flickering on a random show on a random channel that Aster hasn’t been watching for the last hour. “Elias thinks you’re trying to push him to be like you, just… well, you know.”

“No, I don’t, Regulus. Tell me. Stop fooling around.”

Regulus exhales deeply. “Elias thinks you’re pushing him to be just like you. Just, you know, better. Better than you and... yeah.”

“What?” Aster makes a face at Regulus. “I push him just like I do with any of my other kids. I push cause I love them.”

“Do you, Aster?” Aster opens his mouth. “The others haven’t been in mind healing since they were five.”

“That’s because Elias was molested as a child and practically raped by damn veggies and thin bottles at that bloody orphanage and he’s still under certain effects of an unbreakable vow. I sent him there for his own good. We were looking for loopholes as well as trying to help him the best to our ability!”

“And him bring transgender has nothing to do with you looking at him differently?”

“I look at him like he’s my son.” Aster hisses quietly and his hand is hitting the book on his lap. “Sure, I am trans too, like him, but-”

“What about all those lectures to him ensuring he wasn’t sexually active because and I quote, ‘don’t want you to ruin your life like I had by having babies so young’.

Aster’s mouth snaps shut. He thinks before opening it again. “I say that to all of the kids. Even to Harry or Elianna or even Azura. To-”

“You wouldn’t say those exact words to Harry or Ellie, Aster. We both know this. I was there before.” Regulus tiredly tells him going to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Look, I’m not trying to attack you. I know you're probably feeling that way now. I’m trying to get you to see that maybe you’re putting too much pressure on Elias in the last few years since he started Hogwarts, yeah?”

“Few years? Few years!? He needs to get good marks for his future. He needs to focus on his schooling, and to make friends that’d last lifelong like we’ve got. He needs to not worry about having a boyfriend or girlfriend when he's only-”

“He’s not us, Aster.” Regulus cuts him off again. “And this sort of behavior is going to drive him away. Just like how we ran away from mother. He’s not you, and you can’t automatically assume every big and small mistake you made at his age is something he’ll do, too. Elias is a smart kid, just trust him.”

“He’s fifteen,” Aster grumbles tugging his legs back up on the couch which forces Regulus to shuffle a cushion away from him so he could curl up on the couch again. “I trust him as much as the next parent who has a teenager.”

Regulus lifts an eyebrow. “So… no trust at all?”

Aster glares at Regulus.

“I do trust him, but there’s a line at that trust because he’s… I don’t know how to say it without sounding so harsh. I, I, I-… I treat him like how I treated Harry, and Ellie, and Azura as they were at fifteen. Encouraging but with that limit of flexibility. I’m not about to let him get full free reins in my house, Regulus. Just because he’s a teenager, but you have to remember, he’s the first teenager in this house since Azura which puts in a big age gap. So I can’t keep treating him like this little kid like the rest of the others in this house, but I absolutely can’t treat him like the older kids who are all adults. Do you see the dilemma? Elias still needs to be punished when he does wrong. He still needs that foundation of structure from me and James because, I mean... We're doing what we can when he's home.”

“He was too young to see how you truly treated the older ones and now he’s facing it, he thinks they got some sort of special treatment?”

“Exactly.” Aster nods closing his eyes as he relaxes against the couch. "If he just asked Harry or Ellie or even Azura, I bet they'd tell him all the times they got grounded for the things they did. Like when James punished Azura from her brooms when she snuck out of the house when she was sixteen to go to this party with Carlotta. Or how I was with Harry when he was a slag, sneaking people in and sneaking out."

"What about Ellie?"

"And Ellie, I..." Aster's eyebrows pinched. "She was actually fairly hard to ground. She liked everything. So if you took something away, she'd just replace it with something else with ease. It... I'm not going to go there with her."

Aster takes a deep breath.

“I’m not trying to make Eli feel neglected or unloved or… shamed or however it is he is feeling with me.” He lets out a shiver, tugging up the blanket to his shoulders. The book falls to the floor and he leaves it there, Regulus makes no movement to grab it. “But I’m not here to be his best friend, and I can’t keep acting like it’s the very first day I’ve adopted him with the special treatment to make him feel welcomed into the family. He’s my son, I love him, I just want what’s best for him. And yes, that means, I will be hard on him on certain days than not. But I was with the other kids too. No special treatment, believe me, Regulus. That's the last thing I'm doing.”

The topic of Elias is dropped fairly quick after that. Aster manages to sleep the rest of the morning while Regulus propped up his legs on the coffee table with the television remove in hand and his own book he brought with him to babysit Aster in his lap and it stays that way until Barty arrives an hour past lunchtime. The first thing Barty does is ruffle Aster's hair, jolting him awake before he goes around the large main couch.

“You’re late.” Regulus wryly tells Barty as he flops himself on the loveseat away from the brothers.

“I know. I’m sorry.” He didn’t look sorry as Aster glares a bit dazed at him, still tired from where Barty woke him up. “I was doing stock count for Evans and Macdonald for the books in the back to be put out tomorrow and lost track of time. What’s up with the book on the floor?”

“It won’t let me pick it up.” Regulus huffs.

Barty lifts an eyebrow amused. “Prank? Any spells on it? Was it Jimbo's fault?”

“Removed any possible spells twice.” Aster answers half asleep, head buried under the blanket. “It runs away from Regulus. Only likes me. You can give it a try though, Bee.”

Barty takes it up for challenge. Aster peeks through the blanket watching Barty as he gets up he rises to his feet and moves a few paces over to Regulus and Aster and when he crouches down make a grab at it. As expected the book slides in the opposite way from Barty.

A growl comes from Barty before he’s quite amusingly chasing after the book, making grabby hands at it and looking very determined to at least pick it up it seems.

“Don’t loose my book.” Aster quietly warns him with sleep seeping back into his body before curling back up to sleep some more. "'m not done studying it."

Chapter 7: October 3rd, 2005

October 3rd, 2005

 

Aster flips through the book that apparently only he’s able to read and touch moving onto the next chapter (much to Barty and Regulus’ annoyance).

Aster hardly has been able to catch Elias without the map on him, and when he does his son was hardly ever alone now.

Now hanging out with those four other students he made friends with that was brought as well as caught in the map chamber had Aster sending his son big eyes full of hesitation.

It wasn’t that Aster disapproved of the other students. It was the fact that they knew what possible ability that Elias could hold and if Elias was as powerful as the book he was nose deep in, studying word by word that he honestly didn’t even study his school books this hard when he was a teenager, he was afraid of them guiding Elias in the wrong direction.

“Hey,” James pops into the hospital wing making Aster check the time in the empty room.

It was a slow day for him. He always worked two extra hours in comparison to James before switching out with Madam Pomfrey and it looked to be that James was stopping by to check on him now that his work shift was done.

“Bonjour.” Aster grabs his bookmark and places it between pages. He notices James’s eyes on the book looking at it curiously but he doesn’t say a word on it looking back to Aster and taking a seat in his boss’s chair and setting his lunch bag on the floor beside the chair.

“What day is it today?” James asks with a goofy grin making Aster pinch his eyebrows together in confusion. He slides his book over to check the calender he had on his desk.

“Uh, give me a second... it’s… it’s October third-” Aster lets out a scoff at him, a hand slapping to his forehead. “Fuck, I can’t believe just fucking I fell for that.”

James’ newest thing to obsess with in his free time at home. A film that came out only a year prior, Mean Girls.

“We wear pink on Wednesdays, love.” James wiggles his eyebrows at Aster, eyeballing his white and blue healer robes where the git had on red ones himself.

Aster deadpans at James. “Does this mean I can tell the kids not to have sex because they’ll get pregnant and die?”

James snorts, his smile large and bright. “I love that I married the right bloke who just… gets me.”

“No taksie-backsies.” Aster warns him with a growing smirk. “You liked it and put a ring on it.”

“That I did, didn’t I?” James dreamily tells him propping an elbow onto his desk and resting his chin on his hand staring at Aster.

“Cheeky git.” Aster fondly rolls his eyes at his husband. “Tell the kids I said hi, and I’ll be home soon. Maybe… another two hours or so. I'm going to try and see if I can catch Elias alone today for a quick chat that's long overdue.”

“Will do.” James beams at him before standing up.

He hovers over Aster, a knuckle goes under Aster’s chin to tilt his head up and James presses a chaste kiss to his lips. Aster can’t help himself chasing for one more kiss, tasting the citrusy orange off James’s lips that he clearly ate before coming to see him before departing home. “Love you.”

“Je t’aime aussi, mon soleil.” Aster replies with his lips curved up in a small smile, stealing another kiss before James finally does pull away with a soft laugh seeing Aster’s pretty flushed cheeks decorated with freckles and beauty marks. “I’ll see you at home, mi estrella azul.”

Aster sends off a wave to James as James disappears with his lunch bag in hand, taking the hospital wing’s floo system back home. With that he goes back to his book for the rest of his hours without any students stopping by.

In the time span, Aster learned exactly what the trials that Elias had to take and what the trails were demonstrated for. It wasn’t just about the Pensieve guardians that Elias would have to battle (all on his own, that Aster learned of) in time choice of each portrait’s picking, but each trial was to teach Elias how to manage, learn, and work with his powers and so to speak with.

And the reason that the writer of the book believed that fifteen was chosen to learn how to control ancient magic is because they’d be old enough to understand and hopefully to not take that control over it.

Aster was at least happy that the book explain what each trail that had been faced, that there’s an memory pensieve at the end of each one showing Isidora’s story, which is how the writer knew and understood of the witch who got herself killed.

How she used ancient magic to take the ‘bad stuff’ out of people, to put it lightly.

That’s how Aster finds himself determined to track down Elias.

“Papa!” Aster stops in his tracks, turning to see his Ravenclaw and Slytherin sons, Aasil and Nico, running up to him with their school bags hanging off their bags and thumping into their sides. Aster sends them a smile. “Hey, you two. What got you both running?”

“Rigile.” Nico cheekily grins at him running a hand through through his wavy hair that had a shaven undercut which he thought made him look cooler without the semi-long braids that he grew up with Aster and Barty putting in bi-weekly.

Aasil was the only one of the triplets who kept his braids, now reaching just past his shoulders with the braids in. Hair grown out and long, probably the longest hair length of any and all the boys Aster has raised in his pod of male-children as his braids fell right before his shoulders and was pulled back into a low pony-tail with a blue hair-tie to match his uniform.

“We set off some dungbombs on him and his Gryffindor friends. He thinks he’s too ‘cool’ for us now.” Aasil adds using finger quotation marks around cool, grinning hard enough that his singular cheek dimple on his left side is showing.

Aster’s smile drops into a thinner smile. “And this is where you both leave the other way and pretend I didn’t hear that confession so you can be Uncle Remus problem for once instead of mine.”

Both eleven year olds in their school uniforms of black with their own blue and green let out a cackle of laughter before taking off again, sprinting by Aster and pushing through a group of chatting second and third years before disappearing around the corridor.

Aster took his cue to turn the opposite corner of where he watched his sons bolt off in, still looking for Elias.

Aster finds himself heading down to the dungeons, fiddling with his hair and the claw clip trying to get all the hair out of his face and pinned back on the top of his head quietly.

When he gets the claw clip in place, he sets his wand in his hair. Too much of a habit he’s picked up again from Sirius before moving along past the entrance of the Slytherin common room where the door forms as he walks by it with the fake slithering stone snake.

He arrives to the next set of stairs that would lead him up to central hall when he hears a bit of shuffling from the broom closet he was going by.

Now, normally, Aster would leave whoever was trying to snog or shag in whatever peace they could get out of being in a broom closet.

But after the run-in with his younger sons, he had a bit of a mischievous itch running in his veins. And when he heard a soft moan from the other side, he had to open it and see who it was for gossip material with Remus for later when they’d meet up later in the week to go over things around Hogwarts that they’ve been investigating.

It was just some of the things they’ve been doing for the last of five years.

Aster adjusts the satchel on his shoulder filled with books, papers, and pens, sliding it to his back before he glances around his surroundings to check if there was anyone around because he had no intention of giving out detentions. All he wanted to do was give a tiny fright.

Given it was just the end of the last period of classes, and moving onto that free time between classes to dinner time, no one was loitering around outside the Slytherin common room.

Aster goes to press his ear against the door first, before moving to open it.

“Fuck- mmh, yes just like that-” Aster listens in on the quiet cursing trying to figure out who it was. There was a bit of shuffling around, the sound of something falling and more cussing that had Aster covering his mouth to keep himself from laughing.

A minute passes, then Aster hears a tiny hiss. A less appreciated noise than anything from what he could detect. “No- don’t touch me there. Don’t- don’t touch my chest. Not in here, it’s too risky. How about moving your hand... yeah, there. That's better... fuck- that feels good.”

And, oh, now that had his eyes widen and his heart lurching in his chest as he pulls back and quickly pulls open the door.

Elias tumbles out first, clearly was being pressed up against the door and he hits his back. His uniform top buttons were undone by the first three, his pant buttons were undone and briefs were ruffled about and sticking out visibly from his school pants and Aster doesn't dare to look too closely where he could indeed see dark golden wiry hairs being a bit on the too revealing side.

Still inside the closet was Opal Rookwood. Her usual shoulder length hair of dark brown hair that fell in neat waves were messed up as her eyes were wide showing off her light baby blue eyes from her dark thick eyelashes.

Her own uniform top was unbuttoned, Aster could see the grey lace of her bra she chosen to wear and her cleavage was on display that had the count of three hickeys between the two lumps of flesh and she was quickly whiping down her fingers on her school uniform skirt from behind.

Aster wasn't going to ask. He knew better. Instead of asking, he was telling.

“Fix yourself.” Aster snaps at Rookwood to be exact, glaring at the seventh year Ravenclaw. She was quick, hands buttoning up her top and she runs her fingers through her hair as Elias scrambles to get himself up, stumbling over his prosthetic leg, all while buttoning up his pants first and hiding his boxers where it should’ve never been seen to begin with.

“Papa, wait! I didn’t-!”

Aster holds up a finger, shutting him up. Aster counts another hickey on Elias too, high up on his neck.

“Have I taught you nothing?”

“To be fair, castle walls…” Elias tries. “Can’t exactly get-”

“I don’t care.” Aster near growls at him glaring darkly. “I don’t care, if we’re in Hogwarts or not. If you can or can’t get pregnant or get someone else pregnant. I’ve already dealt with myself. I’ve dealt with Harry. I refuse to do it with you too.”

Elias’s cheeks were an embarrassed dark flushed shade of red as he glares quietly at Aster. Opal sends Elias a small smile. “I’ll see you later,” She quietly tells him, a quick and very awkward peck to his cheek that he doesn’t react to still very much under Aster’s gaze.

Neither of them speak as she departs. She goes up the nearby stairs and even after, when her shoes went inaudible to Aster and Elias, Aster keeps his son pinned under his stare.

It took a lot of courage for Elias to speak first. “I was going to tell you. And Dad.”

“Tell us what?” Aster tightens his jaw.

“Uh,” Elias runs his hand through his already messy dirty blonde hair. “O’ and I, we-”

“I don’t like her.” Aster interrupts Elias train of speech crossing his arms and acting very defiantly. "And I definitely don't approve of her with you."

Honestly, Aster knew he had no place on saying that. He didn’t even know the girl. Rarely ever stops at the Hospital wing for herself, unless it was a friend who was there. She never had been sick from his knowledge in the last seven years as a student in Hogwarts. He had no right to judge that student as much as he rarely ever judges any other student in Hogwarts when he does catch then shagging, or, in his son’s case, trying to.

“What?” Elias’s voice comes out a bit broken and rejected. Elias’s big brown eyes were large and sad on him. The redness in his cheeks doesn’t fade the slightest.

“I don’t like her.” Aster repeats, this time shaking his head. “She’s clearly no good for you. Trying to get you to shag in a broom closet of all places. I heard some of it. She was trying to touch your-”

“She didn’t know I didn’t want to be touched there right now. I don't mind if it was somewhere else. It's- It’s too public here. That's all, I'm not like you.” Elias practically snarls at Aster. “Honestly, Papa, do you even know her? You don’t- Eres un maldito bastardo.” He hisses at Aster in Spanish.

“Watch your tone with me, Elias.” Aster snaps at him. “Just because we’re in Hogwarts doesn’t mean you can-”

“Because we’re in Hogwarts, I’m walking away.” Elias snaps at him, doing exactly as he said, walking away from Aster. Aster only chases after him.

“Elias! Another step and you’re-!”

“And I’m what?” He spits at Aster stopping in his tracks leaving Aster to stop toe-to-toe with him. “I’m grounded? A detention? Maybe you should make sure to give me enough to last a month or two so I can't have time to see Opal? You’re going to tell Dad? Uncle Remus? Zio Barty? Go the fuck ahead," Elias spits. "I’m not afraid of you. Harry’s done worse, and he gets a slap on the wrist then a pat on the back. I get a girlfriend, my first relationship that I’m serious about, and you don’t like her. You don't approve of her?” A cold laugh. “Too fucking bad, Papa. How about that for my opinion after wanting your approval with Dad's?”

Aster flexes his hands that hung at his sides, his knuckles cracking loudly with the movement.

Elias only grows more boldly. He holds out arms, arms spreading wide for Aster like wings of an angel. “If you’re going to hit me, get it over with.”

Aster lets out a scoff. “I’m not- why the hell would you think that? I'd never hit you."

A half shrug. “I’m not you, Papa. How should I know what you’re going to do?”

Aster’s jaw drops a bit at Elias' bold words. “So you’re saying you would hit someone?”

“You hit Harry, didn’t you?”

Aster scoffs rolling his eyes. “Once. And that wasn’t even me. I told you that story when I thought you were old and mature enough. Not so you could use it against-”

“It was still you!” With that Elias turns on his heels. “Don’t make excuses for what you did. Own up to them, don’t blame others like you're doing it now, blaming grand-mère. I’m not you. I won’t get pregnant. Just trust me, okay? Just let me live out my own life. I don’t care if you approve of Opal or not, because at the end of the day it’s your opinion over mine. And she’s my girlfriend, not yours.”

“Elias!” Aster calls back at the bottom of the stairs as Elias runs up them, taking two at a time knowing damn well Aster can’t move that fast on a flight of stairs.

“ELIAS! GET YOUR ARSE BACK HERE THIS INSTANT! DON’T YOU DARE IGNORE ME! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!”

Aster puffs out his cheeks, big and red as he bites his tongue as Elias doesn’t stop and disappears from sight and quickly his footsteps go quiet.

Aster lets out a growl, it sounded nearly inhumane from how frustrated and pissed he was. “Putain!”

Chapter 8: December 15th, 2005

December 15th, 2005

 

James playfully rolls around the three younger kids on the trolley cart that was going to be used to load up their four kids’ trunks when they got off the Hogwarts Express that they were waiting for.

The whole platform was busy with younger kids and parents. Everyone was pushing and shoving as the red train came into view while James distracted the laughing kids and giving them another twirl as Aster leans on the brick wall feeling the hot steam of the train as it pulls in and stops with a loud screech.

James said he’s already talked with all the boys telling them where to find them when they got off the train so they could have privacy to say goodbye to their friends without them hovering.

“Dad! Lift me up! Can you see them!” Persephone shouts at James which makes James laugh. “I’m not lifting you, Posie. You’re eleven.”

“Eleven and yet I’m not in Hogwarts.” She huffs annoyed standing up on the trolley that gave her a good two inches more in height as she reaches up on her tip toes, not counting the two large curly blonde buns on her head that was full of pink hair clips that she found closest to the shade of coral pink, which has been her favourite colour since she was three and figured out the certain colour of pink had a name.

“Sit down, Posie.” Aster warns her. “I don’t need you to break a bone just cause you fell off the luggage cart.”

Persephone stuck out her tongue at Aster, which he mockingly returns making her wrinkle her nose that had a lightly dusted scatter of freckles across with a beauty mark that devolved over the years under her right eye much like James’s making her a perfect combo of them both.

Aasil was first to to join the waiting family. Aurora latches onto him fairly quick, not giving him time to even get his trunk onto the cart when she flies into his chest and probably breaks a rib or two in their hug.

“I miss you.” Aurora muffles into Aasil’s chest. Aasil wraps his arms around her smaller body and rocks them both. “Missed you too, Rory.”

There was that tiny giggle from Persephone as she launches herself off the cart, the force of her jump pushes the cart backwards which gives Aster a near heart attack as it slides under her feet and she spider-monkey herself onto Aasil’s back pulling him off one sister and onto the other.

Aasil nearly drops Persephone, grabbing her legs as she wraps her arms around his neck.

“Don’t choke your brother, Posie.” James warns her as Nyx remains content on the cart sending a lazy wave to Aasil like the saw each other yesterday and not four months ago.

Rigile was next to join the Potter clan. He hardly waves a goodbye to his friends before kicking Nyx off the cart and heaving his trunk onto it with James’s help.

“Two down, two to go.” Aster announces ruffling Nyx’s loose curly hair and having his glare at him before hitting his hand away much like he’d do himself to other people.

When Rigile arrives, his trunk is added to the pile of trunks and James is making room for a fourth plus a cat carrier.

“Dad, I’m hungry.” Nyx complains, tugging on James’s jumper as it’s been forty-five minutes since the train arrived and at least half of the crowd has disappeared.

“I know, we’re just waiting on Eli, Nyx. We can’t just leave your brother here.”

Nyx tosses his head back and lets out a long groan. Aster decides to pull aside the triplets.

“Boys, have you seen your brother on the train?”

Similar looks were all shared between the three before they look his way and shook their heads at the same time. Aster sighs before sending them off back with their siblings and pull James to the side. “I’m going to talk to a few of the people on the train to see if they’ve saw him. Chances are, he might’ve missed the train.”

“Wouldn’t we have gotten an owl hours ago if he did?” James points out.

“Let me just-…” Aster doesn’t even finish already walking off. 

First Aster asks the bloke who was helping all the younger years get their trunks off the train. A quick description of what Elias looked like, and he gets a head shake before being told to ask the trolley witch on the train because apparently that woman sees and knows everything that goes on the train.

Aster boards the locomotive part of the train, easily finding the witch speaking with the conductor. Another request and explaining what Elias looks like, he’s receiving two head shakes from both conductor and the witch.

Aster had to take a deep breath before getting off the train with his car keys in hands. He hardly spares a glance at his family taking the cart and pushing it. “Come on, we’re getting take-outs for dinner tonight.”

“We are?” James questions as the rest of the kids celebrated. “Where’s Elias?”

“Apparently he’s too cool for us now.” Aster mutters under his breath. “When we get home I’m flooing to Hogwarts and dragging his arse back home rather he likes it or not.”

James knew the basics of strains between Aster and Elias. He hardly sees Elias, given he only teaches first and second years as well as oversees Quidditch pratice as well as matches on Saturdays on occasion but Elias desires anything there is to do regarding to a broom stick (except when it comes to shagging in a broom closet, it appeared).

Meaning that James sees Elias just as much as Aster would.

“Maybe I should-”

“No, James. Clearly he’s avoiding coming home because of me, and I’m fixing this. It’s been two months and I’m tired of fighting with him. If he wants to act like a whore that shags in closets, fine. So be it.”

“He’s dating, Aster. It’s to be expected.”

Aster glares at James. “And who’s side are you on?”

James doesn’t answer, looking away from Aster and staying very quiet. Aster scoffs at him.

“I’m just saying,” James tries again. “You didn’t act this way with the older girls. Or- or Harry. And Harry didn’t have a longer relationship than he does now other than with Teddy. And Harry was worse. Elias’s been with- Uh, Rookwood for the last two… three months-?”

“May I recommend you to shut up while you still can?”

“Why are you so against Elias and Opal?” James doesn’t stay quiet, which Aster should’ve seen coming as he clicks the button on the remote of the van keys to unlock the van. The kids board into the van leaving James and him to stuff the three trunks into the back.

“Because Elias is my little boy, James. I don’t want him to make the same mistakes we made.”

James frowns at him. “What mistakes?”

Aster sighs pulling the top trunk off the cart and putting it on the ground for James to heave into the vehicle. “We had Ellie and Harry when we were teenagers. I wasn’t even done with Hogwarts yet. I had to juggle between two newborns and my school work. Then we got married when I was hardly out of Hogwarts, and Azura came which was foolish of myself cause I know now I didn't even talk to you and-”

James cuts him off as he pushes the trunk into the van.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Are you saying you regret marrying me?”

Aster slides off the second trunk. “What? No. Why would you think that? I love you, James.”

James doesn’t answer him, now unhappy with Aster as he puts the second and third trunk into the car. Aster grabs his wrist as soon as he closes the trunk of the van to hold him in the cold as flurries start to fall.

“James, I’m sorry,” Aster feels that he has to apologize. “I- You’ll never be a mistake in my life, James. Not now. Never. I am happy with you. Believe me on this. Please. I wouldn't lie about this.”

James looks at his hand on his wrist for a few seconds before pulling away. “The kids are probably freezing in the van by now.”

“James, please don’t-” James doesn’t wait on him, leaving him and going to his side of the door to get in the passenger seat. Aster hears James open the door, get in, and closes it.

As soon as James closes the door he lets out a groan and kicks the tire with a string of curses at himself to release some of his tension. Aster kicks the tire again for extra measures before readying his keys and getting into the van.

The drive was noisy, with James fiddling with the radio and the kids all talking loudly in the backseats with the triplets droning on about what they did and got to see at Hogwarts to their younger siblings.

The noise didn’t help Aster’s anger towards Elias and his tension with James with how tight he was gripping the steering wheel. They don’t get out of the van, but Aster pulls into the drive through of McDonald’s and gets everyone their screaming order as well as James’s usual, leaving himself a cup of water knowing James was staring at him and his lack of dinner.

James could be as angry as he wants with Aster, but there was that line where even if he was angry, he did still care.

It takes Aster two and a half hours to get everyone home before he’s able to get through the fireplace with his newly added sticker covered cane to floo to Hogwarts using James’s office floo not in the mood to deal with Madam Pomfrey’s questioning.

And he’s stomping his cane with every step he takes, through Hogwarts wishing he had the map on him.

When he’s about to give up and actually go to McGonagall, he decides to check the music room again.

He hears a soft key playing melody of a piano, Bohemian Rhapsody which he’s able to identify that had him going into the room with a sigh of relief to see Elias all alone with his wand beside him on the piano stool he was sat by the piano playing the song with a single hand and closed eyes and a relaxed look on his face.

“You really pissed me off today, you know that?” Aster speaks for Elias to acknowledge he’s in the room as he walks deeper in. He notices the vines growing across the walls from a few potted plants that were set in the windowsills. He wasn’t sure what kind of vines they were, but they were thick and strong looking.

“I don’t want to go home this holidays.” Elias tells him not reacting, fingers still dancing across the black and white keys.

“Too bad. You’re going home. Come on.”

“No.” Elias doesn’t even move making Aster fold his arms over his chest.

“Elias, lets go.” Aster uses his stern fatherly tone, putting his foot down.

He doesn’t miss how Elias stops playing the keys, the hand on the piano drops and covers his wand.

He wouldn’t. Aster trusts him.

“I’m not going home, Papa. I’m staying here for Christmas.”

“Elias, you know the agreements. You can stay in Hogwarts for Christmas in your seventh year if you want to by then. But now, you’re coming home and spending Christmas with the family.”

Fingers wrap around the wand gripping tightly. “I said no, Papa.”

Aster probably should’ve but he doesn’t grab his wand from his holster tucked under the sleeve of his ugly jumper he was wearing for James’s sake when he asked that morning.

“Elias, don’t make this harder than it needs to be. I will get Headmistress McGonagall involved if it comes to sending you-”

He doesn’t know how he misses it. The vines from the walls slithering around his ankles like snakes. Wrapping around his limbs and in a swift move he’s tightly being pulled backwards into the stone wall, slamming into it and hitting his head hard.

In the weak moment, he drops his head with a noiseless groan as his head throbs. He feels a sticky warm liquid moving down his neck from the pain on the back of his skull as plastic and metal wiring from his claw clip in his hair rubs into his scalp.

In fleeting defeat, he drops his head on the back of the wall he’s pinned up against. Elias rises from the piano stool standing up to his feet and walking over to Aster with his wand in hand.

“I am tired of you telling me what to do. Where to go. What to like and what to hate.”

Aster lets out a soft mumble of nonsense. Eyes slightly rolling in the back of his head as the pain in his body intensifies as the vines move around him, pulling his body into a stretching Y-position.

“I am not you, Papa. I will never be you. I will never be your son. The blood than runs through my veins are no match to yours or to Dad’s. No match to any of my siblings. It’s- it’s not fair you get to treat me so differently from them. Putting all this unnecessary pressure on me.”

Aster tries to focus his eyes on Elias. “Your- your magic-”

“I’ve been doing the trials, Papa.” Elias tells him. “I know what’s in there. I know what I can do now. And I know,” He lifts his wand pointing it at Aster. “For a while, that I’ve been needing you to be less on me.”

“What-? What are you doing?” Aster tries to tug against the vines that only grip tigher around him as he tugs on them as the tip of Elias’s wand touches the spot over his heart.

“It’s okay, Papa. It’ll do you some good, as much as me. You’re always joking about how mental you are in this family. I’m just taking all the bad out of you. The negativity that haunts you and me. I think... I think this will help you more than just me.”

Aster yanks more on the vines as Elias picks up a jar that had a toad in it. The toad is vanished making Aster trying to fight against the vines more furiously.

“Elias, please let me go. I’ll change. I’ll be better for you. I’ll do whatever you want from me. What do you want? Money? Your brothers' bedroom with the private bathroom? I- I give it to you. Tell me. Just let me go, I beg of you.”

He’s remembering what he read. The trails. Of what they taught and what Isidora had done. Four trials, the first was an introduction. The second he read about and how it explained-

Aster gasps choking on his breath, jaw dropped and shaking with his eyes big and wide and full of fear as he stared down Elias who stood in front of him looking more tired than anything.

His chest tightening, he couldn’t breathe. He felt stuck to take a breath in or out. Just watching Elias holding his wand at his chest. And for a moment he thinks that his son was going to kill him.

Aster feared for his life. He can’t recall a moment he was this terrified, not even with his mother because he didn’t love her. Never. Not like how he loves the teenage boy in front of him and all he wants for him to be safe, to grow up happy and without a worry.

A lone tear runs down his cheek. It drips and stains his jumper.

Then as Elias pulls the tip of his wand away from his chest and drags out dark swirling bits of magic.

Aster sucks in a deep breath, eyes falling closed as it felt like there was this wave of calmness washes over him as his head thumps back on the stone wall.

There was nothing.

Nothing mattered anymore.

Not to him, at least.

Everything that he could possibly try to think of that bothered him before just didn’t make sense of why it did bother him to start with.

There was a clink of a jar being closed. “Isn’t that better, Papa? No more suffering now. You don’t need to worry about me anymore. Okay?”

Aster lets out a small hum, opening his eyes and looking at Elias. The vines slowly let him down, releasing him back to his feet. Aster nearly tumbles over if it wasn’t for the wall behind him that he slumps onto.

Elias picks up his cane off the floor that had been dropped and tries to pass it back to him. Aster doesn’t take it, staring at him.

“How do you feel, Papa?”

Aster looks at the jaw, the swirling dark magic that was once inside him.

He couldn’t think of anything right to answer other than feel how painless he felt. Something he hasn’t felt in... he can’t remember the last time he felt this way.

Instead he looks at Elias with a kind smile. “Thank you.”

Elias returns the smile. “I’m going to stay here now, okay? At Hogwarts. It’s quiet here, I’m left alone. That’s what I like. Opal’s here, too. And the Sallow twins, Axel and Sienna. We have plans to visit Hogsmeade. So I’m not entirely alone. You don’t need to worry about me anymore. I’m okay.”

Aster nods slowly.

“Yeah. That’s perfect.” He breathes out softly.

“Go home, Papa. Dad and my siblings are waiting for you. They need you more than me.”

A nod. “Yeah… yeah… You’re right.”

Aster turns leaving the music room.

One step. Two. One step. Two.

“Papa, wait!” He stops in his tracks. Elias moves in front of him. “You’re hurt. Let me help you. I can heal you, I taught myself how. With the new magic I’m learning.”

He remains still as Elias moves behind him, he feels a poke of a wand-tip press into the back of his skull for a moment. Warm blood seeps back into his open wound, the wound stitches itself close. Elias vanishes the bits of broken plastic pieces of the claw clip.

“There. Go on, now. Tell dad that I’m staying here and you approved of it, if he asks questions. I’m working on a project in Herbology.”

“Okay.”

Aster makes his march forward; one, two, one, two.

He hears the piano playing up again seconds later as he reaches the stairs, a light smile forms on his dreamy stated face as he walks down, leaving Hogwarts without a second thought.

Chapter 9: December 18th, 2005

Notes:

CW: sexual content

December 18th, 2005

 

It was living with a ghost, to James.

Sharing a bed with a stranger. James hasn’t felt like this in years.

They fought, or at least to him, they did and Aster left to give them both some space and to retrieve thier middle child back home and…

Were they fighting?

Was it just him?

Was his husband’s true feelings finally being shed to life for him to see about himself?

Did Aster feel trap with him? Did Aster still love him?

Should James just put an end to all this to set Aster free?

To let him live his life the way he wanted without him, without the kids being such a burden on him?

Those sort of questions constantly spun around in his head, nagging him nonstop that he'd never dare to utter to Aster and put more stress onto him.

James sighs, shifting in the bed and yanking and tugging at his blankets and turning to face Aster. The man wasn’t even asleep. Just staring blankly at their starry bewitched ceiling that they had for years.

James lets out a groan, pushing himself up on one hand. He squints over to the blurry alarm clock on his nightstnad before facing Aster. “Are you really still awake?”

He watched Aster take his daily potions, only after reminding him before they went to bed.

It was weird, the past few days it seemed as if Aster was only moving to do the most simplest tasks if only someone reminded him to do so. Which was James or the kids, and once Sirius when they made a pit stop to say hello and pick up some wolfsbane potions for Teddy and Remus both that James went head and picked up while getting Aster's own potions.

Aster doesn’t reply, making James turn around again, clicking on his bedside lamp. He looks at Aster, he was staring unblinking up at the ceiling like he was in a daze. It was fairly creepy, to be honest.

A little nudge to the shoulder as James hovers over Aster a bit. He may be having an bitter resentment right now on the man beside him, but he wasn’t going to turn down an opportunity when the chance arose dead in the night where all the kids were asleep. Chances of them being interrupted while shagging were highly low at this time of night.

James lets his fingertips ghostly touch around Aster's collarbone. “Aster, d’you need help going to sleep?”

A blink. Aster’s eyes drift over to James. They looked a bit lifeless to him. Emotionless, even, if James thought baout it hardly.

“Do I?”

James lets out a soft chuckle, leaning down and pressing his lips across his neck. He lets his tounge lick across his milky white skin before speaking. “It’s nearly four in the morning and you’re still wide awake, looking like you haven’t had a wink of sleep yet in the last of days, I think you do.”

Aster breathes in deeply. “Okay.”

James takes his cue, placing bigger open mouth kisses across Aster’s neck and pushing up his shirt while shifting his weight onto Aster.

His mouth moves from neck to abdomen, licking between Aster’s flat pecs before moving onto a nipple where they both reactively perks up into little buds under his tongue. Hands grabbed at the familiar soft flesh that he's grown to love and crave over the years, a body that always knew what he needed and wanted, always satisfying him plenty without complaint.

James spares a glance up to Aster, seeing him laying with his eyes on the ceiling quietly. Determination runs through his veins. James smirks at Aster with soft laugh escaping his lips.

Clearly his husband was playing hard to please tonight, being quiet which meant James would have to work to get what he wants. And he wanted to hear Aster beg.

James hooks his fingers into Aster’s waistband of his plaid sleep pants and briefs. “Can I, love?”

He gets an answer almost instantly. A tilt of his head. “Okay.”

Pants and underwear come off. James sets Aster’s legs over his shoulders before feasting on what was provided, pushing two fingers into him easy and quick and mouthing and doing what he knew Aster alwys enjoyed (as well as himself) and grinds his hips into the bed releasing soft moans into Aster.

He looks up through his blurry vision to Aster, the man still laying there far too quiet. By now he’d at least make a sound or started to show signs of cracking his facade.

James pumps his fingers in and out of Aster lazily, unlatching his mouth off Aster and resting his cheek on Aster's thigh looking up at him with an occasional bite or hickey sucked into his thigh. “Are you going to come for me, love? Or do you want me to take this nice and slow?”

There was that pause, and he feels Aster squeeze around his fingers. Probably the first time since starting. “Whatever you want.”

“I want to know what you want.” James tells him with a gravelly voice, his hips rutting into the bed. “Slow or fast. How far do you want to go tonight?”

“Um… what do you want?”

A soft laugh from James, another kiss to his inner thigh. James adds a bite to it, licking across his teeth marks. “I want to make you come on my fingers and mouth. Then, I’m going to fuck you into the bed, make you come around my cock again, and again, and again. Okay?”

A nod. Finally, a small wimper. “Okay.”

James grins, going back to what he was doing. He curls his fingers inside Aster knowing exactly how he liked it and licks over his pierced clit that he doesn’t think he’ll ever get over no matter how much older they get. He doesn’t even get a chance to suck on it before Aster’s spasming over his fingers quickly, coming fast and painfully obviously, hard with how much his legs were shaking and the loud noises of moans and whines he was making.

James lets out a deep chuckle, another kiss to his legs. “It’s clearly been too long for you. You always get too worked up and come so fucking fast when we don’t fuck for long, especially when I go so long without my mouth on you. Always takes you off guard.”

Aster lets out a tiny whimpering moan as James tugs down his pants and underwear just down to his thighs to free up his swollen cock that he's been grinding into the bed.

James strokes his cock a few times, just to tease himself before dropping it and letting it slap on Aster’s opening slit on his clit that has Aster jerking his own hips up at the impact.

Using his thumbs, James holds open Aster’s puffy lips and slide his cock between them rubbing himself against Aster’s hole and clit getting himself all wet before pushing in with a low moan.

James grabs Aster’s thighs and pushes them up open on either side of him guiding them to set around his hips, careful not to cause too much pain to Aster but enough to hold Aster to spread apart all for him to ram into.

It takes only a few thrusts into him before he feels Aster pulsing and tightening around his cock with a tiny moan. James drops his head in the crook of Aster’s neck, breathing hotly at his collarbone. “Fuck- You’re coming already? Barly even touched you.”

He gets another whimper in response, he could feel Aster clawing down his back, but he keeps on moving. Not stopping unless Aster calls out the word despite how tight and hot and wet Aster felt with his continuous coming around his cock.

James usually has a higher stamina. Even if going without sex for a few weeks, but Aster was making himself feel too good around his cock with what felt like his nonstop climax that has never happened before. Hell, neither of them even touched his clit yet which usually is they key source to get Aster to reach his usual orgasm.

Aster can never come without some sort of stimulation on his clit and now this?

James moans deeply into Aster’s skin, biting down on the jutting bone under his neck as he pushes himself deep into his husband for the final time before coming, keeping himself buried deep inside Aster feeling how Aster pulsed and tighten around him working him through his own climax.

They fall quiet. The room smelling heavy of sex and the only sounds heard was James’s heavy breathing as he blanketed himself across Aster’s body, still nested between his legs and deep inside him.

And suddenly James is hyperaware of how exactly Aster had his legs positioned around him. Feet planted by his knees on the bed. Aster’s knees bent and pressed up beside his hips and his arms were on the bed, laying by his side still rather than clinging onto him. Around his sides. And his dick was still inside of him.

And James is pushed back mentally to square one that they are fighting. And it wasn’t just him and they haven’t talked about it once since he walked away.

And that Aster doesn’t feel right and he doesn’t know how else to explain it.

James lets out a full body shiver as his prick starts to become flaccid, still inside Aster.

They rarely fucked when they were mid-argument without a solution in sight yet. It was very sacred. They always tried to talk things through before they went to bed, and on the times they don’t, it ends up in a angry sex session, while usually those were hard and fast when they were younger, they'd keep going at it until they have no more energy left to give and end up laying in their bed or wherever they do the deed at and do talk it out. But James sure felt tired out after the one round. Enough to think that it was safe enough to talk to Aster over the tension that's been hovering over them for the last few days.

“Do you regret marrying me?” James speaks barely audible. Speaking his fears out loud as he his face in still in hiding of Aster’s neck just smelling the familiar comforting scent.

He feels Aster breathe. Rising. Falling.

Please, please, please. Don't say yes. Say that you love me and that you'll never leave me.

“What do you want?” Aster asks him quietly.

James squeezes his eyes tightly, head shaking a ‘no’ in his neck.

“Am I burdening you, Aster? Just- Be honest. Please. That’s all I’m asking of you tonight. Am I too much for you?”

Rise. Fall. Rise. Fall.

Aster remains the same.

“Do you want to be?”

James lets out a pained whine, squeezing his eyes tightly. He moves out from between Aster’s legs. His pale milky white legs covered in little dots were left spread open, left exactly how James moves away from him when he snatches one of his pillows off the bed and gets off the bed entirely.

James grabs his pants and underwear, not caring to clean himself up or even Aster, as he pulls up his underwear and pants.

“I’m sleeping on the couch. Don’t bother on following me.”

James doesn't slam the door, but he hopes the silence of the door closing makes his husband realise how much he is hurt and this isn't as nothing as it may seem to him.

Chapter 10: December 22nd, 2005

December 22nd, 2005

 

Aster sat on the floor of the bedroom where he was suppose to be wrapping.

James' voice was ringing in his head repeatively in a reminding order that they needed to get the last few gifts wrapped up, but his hands sat still in his lap.

He stared blankly at the colourful papers.

He stares.

And he stares.

And he keeps on staring.

“Aster?” Aster stares unblinking. A hand touches his shoulder. “Aster?”

Finally he blinks once, lifting his head slowly, he looks over to James quietly without a single sound.

“Yes?”

“Are you okay?”

“... Am I?” He sends him a blank and emotionless smile, eyes wide and clearly waiting despite his question of an answer.

James still eyes him hesitatingly and careful. “You… you’ve been staring at the stuff than wrapping for the last hour. You haven't even finished the first present needing wrapping...”

Aster looks down at himself, ignoring James. He tugs on the jumper, noticing the thick layers on himself. “Why am I dressed like this?”

“Oh, if you don’t want to use the ugly jumper I can get you one of your plain ones so you don't need to get up-”

Aster pulls off the jumper, setting it aside and then pulls off the thin, tank top that was underneath it before putting back on the jumper. “That’s better. Being in layers when I’m inside all day, ridiculous. Right?”

James blinks at him startled. James didn’t know what to think anymore. Each passing day got weirder and weirder with Aster. James shifts his expressoins on his face, looking more hesitate. Just because he was still angry, didn't mean he didn't care for Aster.

He could multi-task with his emotions. He's been doing that pretty much since his mother died.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

A sweet smile is sent to James. “I’m okay if you think I’m okay.” There it was again, the questionable agreeing only if James was content with wahtever Aster was feeling or doing. Aster was satified if James was. Or, now that he thinks about it, if anyone was.

“Is dinner ready?”

James nods slowly. Thinking carefully of what to say with Aster. “I- I haven’t started yet.”

A blink. “You haven’t?”

“… No. Did you want something in particular?”

“Hmm,” Aster pursed his lips with the tiny hum before meeting James’s eyes. “Do I?”

“Alright…” James sighs deeply, sending him an uneasy smile knowing this would just go back and forth until James would end up saying something and getting pissed and storming away. That's how their conversations have been as of late, the past of days. “I can go cook something up now if you’re feeling hungry. It’s almost dinner time anyway.”

“Okay.”

Aster goes back to staring with an empty mind at the small electronic Tamagotchi Connexion resting on the wrapping papers until he’s being tapped on the shoulder again.

Looking up to James again, he could then smell dinner filling his nostrils. James' eyes were locked on the unwrapped gift yet again, now going on probably four hours unwrapped and sat untouched.

“Uh, dinner’s ready. The kids said they couldn’t get you out of the bedroom.”

A forced looking blink. “Really?”

James nods slowly taking his hand and lacing thier fingers together. “Yeah. Remeber we told them not to come in, charmed the room and all cause we agreed you'd finish up on wrapping gifts?” His eyes drifted to the pile of unwrapped stuff that hasn't been touched. James lets out a soft exhale, knowing he'd have to do it on his own later. Aster may hold a strong disliking towards the Christmas holiday itself, but this was going onto a new extreme.

“I made your favorites," James nods to the door. “Come on.”

A singular hard blink. “What did you make?”

James frowns at him as they leave the bedroom. His eyebrows come together. “Bouillabaisse? We had the stuff so I thought why not.”

“Really? Sounds intresting. What’s in it?”

James stares at him questioningly with a deep frown playing on his lips as they head into the dining room. All the kids were already set, eating away and chatting noisily without their parents as Aster sits at his spot where his plate had been set and served.

Aster tilts his head questionably at the amount, eyes drifting over to the kids where they were eating far more and bigger portions in certain food categories that they liked and all thier food were touching.

Aster looks back to his own food, picking up his fork. Without a second thought, he’s mixing up his food.

Putting some salad onto the bread. He’s copying his daughter and putting his boiled potato that had a cut sliced in the middle of it to let the steam out and dumps it into the Bouillabaisse whole before cutting it up.

He eats all his food on his plate that was served to him, and even goes for seconds and thirds and by the time he reaches for fourths the table was empty, all the kids had left and James moved from his end of the table to Aster. Grabbing at his hand gently stopping him from grabbing another piece of bread to his plate before taking a new seat beside him from the opposing head of the table.

“What are you doing, Aster?” James asks him quietly, taking a seat in Rigile's spot that he was in a while ago before excusing himself from the table.

Aster blinks at the bread at his hand. “Eating? Do you not want me to eat?”

“You’ve had enough. Too much, in fact. You’ll eat yourself sick. You never eat this much. Ever.”

“I will? I don’t? Why not?”

James lets out an annoyed scoff, looking away from Aster and missing the dark azure blue eyes becoming shades lighter into something more pale.

Something cold and icy.

Familiar but not.

Something like Sirius’ own. Something that wasn’t Aster. But it wasn't Sirius’ either.

It was colder, far more lost and dematerialize.

“Is this about our argument? Is this your way of getting back on me? By acting dumb? Because I have a right to be upset. You won’t give me a straight answer, Aster.” James was careful with his tone, keeping it quiet to not alarm the kids in the house. “Not for days, now. I'm getting sick of it. Don't act like I don't see you doing it with the kids too. Letting them do reckless things.”

Aster furrows his eyebrows. “About what?”

His wrist is released from James’s, forcefully tossed away and his hand falls and hits the table loudly with the piece of bread still being held. ASter turns his head to look at his hand, eyes missed, yet again.

“Unbelievable. You’re so fucking unbelievable, Aster.”

His head tilts. Not quick, but slow like a dreamy shift. A pause in his breathing when he inhales, it was like Aster held his breath for a few seconds before speaking.

“I am?” His words come out breathlessly.

“Clean up when you’re done eating yourself sick. I don't care anymore. I'm tired of this foolish act from you. I’m not doing the dishes tonight, and I’m not doing them tomorrow either.”

Aster blinks blankly at his hand still clutching with the slice of bread with his hand laid out reached on the table as James pushes himself up and out of the chair, leaving him alone at the table.

Aster stares off blankly in the direction of his hand of where James tossed his wrist. James moves out of the house through the sliding glass backdoors and into the snow needing some fresh air to clear his mind and to cool off, staying away from the kids for the time being.

Aster stares. He stares at the table without a single blink or thought.

His chest rises and falls with an unsteady pattern. Breaths being held, breaths being refused to be inahled.

He doesn’t move his hand that was dropped and forgotten in the middle of the table, still holding onto a piece of bread and his chest leaning forward on the table.

He can’t find it in him to move anymore. To remember what he needs to do. What others expected of him to do.

His vision blurs over. Nothing but a white light was remaining.

The pinkish colour vanishes from his face entirely, leaving him nothing but a papery white pale, dotted with his dark freckles and beauty marks.

A missed gentle tap on his shoulder, very hesitate to reach out and touch him.

“Papa? ...Are you okay?”

A gentle tug on his side, probably from his tee shirt Aster had on.

Aster’s head lulls to the side to his shoulder. Body slumping back, then leaning over to the side heavily with all his body weight in one direction leaned in his seat that nearly sends his chair tilting over if it wasn't for the child catching and stabilizing the chair. Aster's head slumps over in the direction to whoever tugged on his side with the final will-power his body could muster up.

The manor is filled with an ear piercing screech that he can’t find it in his mind to process.

Aster was nothing but a hallowed out body-shell.

Nothing was left to salvage in him.

Not his memories. Not his soul. Not even his magic.

Not even the life in his eyes.

Some may even say it was like a half dementor's kiss had been performed; leaving him only the bare minimum to keep just his body alive left.

Now if only there was someone who knew what was going on and who was responsible.

Chapter 11: December 22nd, 2005

December 22nd, 2005

 

James’s knee bounced anxiously as he waited in St Mungo’s fidgeting as fast as his heart was pounding. He didn’t know who’d beat who. Sirius or the healer who’d hopefully have some sort of results that’ll explain his husband’s crisis and health and fix him.

“Prongs!” He turns his head, of course, he should never doubt Sirius with a patronus.

In a nanosecond James is up on his feet and crashing into his best mate’s arms and letting out a shaking, terrified sob. Sirius wraps their arms around James in a heartbeat, holding him tightly not even knowing what’s going on.

“Hey, hey-? What’s going on, Prongs?” Sirius asks quietly, a hand rubbing James’ back.

“I should’ve noticed it days ago, and I didn’t!” James sobs into Sirius’ shoulder. “I’ve been so busy being angry and- and pissed and I didn’t see any of the signs. I thought he was just trying to piss me off more! I’m so sorry, Sirius!”

Sirius grabs James’ shoulders and push James’ away at arms’ length. “Hey, what’s going on? Where’s Aster? Is it one of the kids? Is Aster with them? How bad is it?”

James rubs his hands under his glasses. “It is Aster.”

Sirius’s shoulders tensed up. Sirius slightly pushes James away, less than an inch or so. “What’s going on, Prongs?”

“I don’t know.” James blinks his wet eyes at Sirius, golden rim glasses sitting askew on his face. “I was outside. I- I left him at the table after dinner.” He stutters a bit. “He just wouldn’t stop eating. Then Posie went up to him, said he wasn’t moving and just sitting there and… his eyes, Sirius. His eyes. They’re so creepy looking, Sirius.”

“Hey, Prongs, calm down,” Sirius’s hands go from James’s shoulders to his cheeks holding his face. “Aster’s here now, isn’t here? This is the best place he can be at now. Even he’d say it himself if he could. He’s getting the help he needs. What are the healers saying? Have they spoken to you yet?”

James’ head is furiously shaking, he’s glancing over to the double doors that had been charmed to keep him out then back at Sirius. “I don’t know, they haven’t-”

“Mr Potter?”

James snaps his neck at the healer that called for him. He escapes Sirius’s clutches to scramble in front of the healer. “Is he okay? Please tell me he’s okay.”

A thin smile is sent to him. “We don’t know what’s going on. I’m sorry. If it’s magic-influenced, anything like this never has never happened before. But if it’s a muggle illness-”

“He’s a pure-blood.” Sirius interrupts the wizard. “Chances of him getting something of a muggle disease that’s deadly to muggles is highly unlikely. Closer to zero than one.”

They both get a half shrug from the wizard in the professional white and blue robes, reminding James far too much of Aster.

“I’m sorry, sirs. It’s like… Mr Potter is here, but… he’s not, from how we’ve examined him.”

“What do you mean by that?” Sirius asks.

“He reacts when spoken to. But he… doesn’t speak, and never… how do I put this…?” A tired sigh, the healer places a hand on their hip. “We tried to do some mental tests with him, along with inviting his mind healer down to this ward that he’s been seeing for the last few years that’s been charted. But… Whoever Aster Potter née Black was before, isn’t him now. He just… ceases to exist. It’s like he’s just a void. A hollowed out shell, if you will. There’s nothing left but a body. A body that’s alive, at least.”

“What about his eyes?” James asks. “I left him at the table for maybe, half hour before our daughter found him. His eyes were- they were perfectly normal before that. Dark blue, a dark azure shade. I- I, I know those eyes. Not what he’s got now. You know? When the light hits it looks like a lighter blue, and when he smiles or when he’s really happy, and I don’t mean a normal amount but truly-”

James is interpreted from his stuttering rant. “I think whatever has ahold of him is inflicting to that.” The healer interrupts with a sad smile. “The eyes are the window to the soul, as many like to say.”

“Can- can we see him now?” Sirius asks.

“As long as you both don’t stir up any trouble, yes, it’s after visiting hours but I can permit you both for now.” The wizard nods and guides them to the room.

Inside, Aster sat with one leg off the bed and one on top. One of his hands were dangling in the air at his side and the other set on his lap. Eyes staring off driftingly at a wall and he doesn’t react at all when they enter the room.

There was a witch trying to settle Aster in the bed, dressed in a gown as if Aster could complain or even voice of what he likes how she was setting him up or not as she fluffs the single pillow behind him set by his bum where he was sat and gently lifts his hand to drape a blanket over his legs and try to get both legs on the bed which was given up on as soon as Sirius and James enters the room with Aster’s assigned healer.

There was a bag on a small table on wheels, filled with all the clothes Aster arrived in along with jewelry and piercings. James had been warned in advanced when he brought Aster in.

“This is how we left him. Last interaction with him, he just drops still. Like… he needs human interaction to function the bare minimum.” The healer warns both Sirius and James before looking at James.

“And from what you’re telling us, from your estimate of when this started, I give him weeks. If not, days, if he’s lucky. I don’t see him eating or drinking anytime soon to preserve the body to normal survival functions. And I don’t know if we give him potions, if he’d even be able to swallow them. But we’re going to try when breakfast time comes around.”

Sirius sucks in sharply. “Of what?”

“Being alive. Days, gentlemen.” The healer rolls his eyes rudely as the witch leaves the room entirely to give them privacy.

“We work fast as healers, but can we work fast enough to stop his body from stopping himself of breathing? Dying from starvation or dehydration? I’d have him moved to the Janus Thickey Ward but I see no point if he has a limited amount of time left and can’t potions. He’s just going to sit there the whole time, drifting in nothing. He’d be better off just being here in this room until the end. We won’t give him a roommate, usually we don’t if we know the patient is going to pass soon.”

James lets out a small pained noise being the first to take a step forward to Aster. He takes a seat on the bed in front of him, slowly he sets his hand on Aster’s hand that rested on his lap. Even with the touch, Aster doesn’t move.

“Why does this always fucking happen to you, love?” James asks him quietly with his voice wet. His thumb caress the back of Aster’s hand. “I thought you said third time’s a charm with dying?”

Sirius pulls up a chair, takes a seat beside Aster.

“Aster?”

A poke to his shoulder. Another poke, this time to the temple, and Aster turns his head half way, eyes staying locked in place in his skull and relying solely on head movement to stare up at Sirius who stood by his side, unlike James who sat in front of him.

“Fuck, that is creepy.” Sirius breathes out being under Aster’s stare moving a hand back and forth in front of his little brother testing his reactions. Sirius snaps their fingers, then a loud clap in Aster’s face.

James stares at Sirius upset. “Why aren’t you- you’re acting like this is all normal.”

Sirius lets out a tiny chuckle with a small and timid smile playing on their lips.

“Lets put everything out in the open, Prongs.” Sirius quietly begins. “It’s never crossed your mind at least once in the last of years questioning, when’s the next time something like this was going to happen to Aster? He has this bad luck luring about him, doesn’t he? Somehow coming in contact with the impossible and making the possible reality to beat. It’s his specialty by now.”

“Yeah, but…” James shakes his head quietly. “They’re giving him days. You heard the healer.”

“And? He’ll come back from this.” Sirius tells James confidently. “He always does. He has to, Prongs. He’s got kids to raise and grandkids to watch grow up to be amazing people with your kids.” Sirius glances over to James. “He got you too. Don’t forget that. Don’t give up on him so soon. We’re not calling funeral homes just yet.”

“But what if-”

Sirius furiously shakes their head. “No, no, no, no. No. Stop thinking that way. We’re not going there. Aster’s probably all… lost up in here right now.” Sirius does a tap on Aster’s forehead a touch too hard. Aster’s head bobs back before setting up straight with the touch, looking near ready to fall backwards entirely like how James found him when he jumped off his broom that was a good six feet in the air to run inside when he heard his daughter screamed.

James lets out a shiver at the memory.

He never wants to hear Persephone scream like that again. It was terrifying just to think about, let along thinking if the other kids were capable of screaming such a way as well.

“Again, weird.” Sirius comments eyeballing Aster. “But he always fights to come back to us. But remember when Mother had ahold of him? Twice? Years apart. He fought like hell then. To get back to us. The first and second time. And- and there’s the accident with Elias and Posie. We thought he was going to die at seventeen. And thirty-three. And… well, thirty-four, I suppose it wasn’t that long between those two time periods. But my point still stands, Prongs. This-… this is just a little fright he’s trying to pull on us again. Yeah, Prongs? Give him a few days, and he’ll be up and bitching to us again in no time.”

James ignores Sirius, reaching forward and cupping Aster’s cheeks. His head shakes rejectively. “He’s so cold, Sirius. He got no colour in him no more. He needs to take his potions, Sirius. He can’t go long without his body regulating potion or else his temperature is going to keep dropping.”

“I know, Prongs. He needs to take his potions and he will when he’s back to normal. The healers will keep him alive until he’s ready to come back to us.”

James strokes Aster’s cheeks. “And what do I tell the kids? Posie’s probably going to be having nightmares for weeks now, seeing Aster like this. You should’ve heard her scream, Sirius. It was terrifying. I’m terrified of hearing her scream like that. I thought someone was murdering her. I jumped off the broom from like six or eight feet up!”

“We… make something up.”

“Like what?” James looks at Sirius tiredly, hands dropping from Aster’s face. Aster still doesn’t react. “They’re not babies anymore. They’re going to have questions.” James hisses.

“All kinds of questions that not even the bloody healer knows.” James shakes his head looking at Sirius with an exhausted face. “I can’t answer that!”

James takes off his glasses and runs a hand down his face. “I can’t keep doing this, Padfoot. I can’t- I can’t-”

“Well, you’re going to. In sickness and in health, you vowed to him.” Sirius strongly tells him with that heavy reminder of the golden band on James’s finger. “Because you love him as much as he does. And Aster would do anything for you. He’d do anything for any of the kids, hell even Crouch’s kid. All of them, in this family he made with everyone, no matter how old they are. Babies or adults. You know this, James.”

“We were fighting, you know.” James tells him dropping his hand and replacing his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose. “Or-… I was. I mean… I was.” His voice cracks at the end. “I was fighting with him…. this whole time and I didn’t notice, Sirius.” James starts to cry again.

“About what?”

“I… We picked up the triplets from the train, Elias never got off the train and Aster was pissed. I mean, I was too but I wasn’t letting it show cause of the kids. But he knew more of the answers than I did because he went on the train to look for him. Elias’s suppose to come home, not stay there. Then, loading the trunks into the van… Aster said something along the lines of regret having Harry and Ellie when we were talking over Elias dating this seventh year. And I don’t know how it escalated but it got to that point where it sounded like he regretted marrying me. It made me feel…”

Like he was too much to be handled. That everyone had their breaking point with him and Aster was finally reaching his.

His kids were already starting to leave him. Sirius and Remus didn’t visit as much anymore. He hardly sees Teddy or Harry or his nietas… And his own dad was coming around less and less.

Sirius clicks their tongue before shaking their head. “Nah, you must’ve misheard or something. He’s never regret marrying you. Aster’d never.”

“You don’t know that, Sirius. Has he told you?”

“I do know. Know that, I mean.” Sirius firmly tells him. “Look, Prongs, he- Aster doesn’t have to tell me. I can see it on him. The look in his eyes,” Sirius looks over to Aster. Dull grayish-white eyes stared unblinking, looking completely empty.

“I guess… Not with those eyes.” Sirius scrunches their nose. “But… yeah. He doesn’t look at just anyone like that. The way he looks at you. No matter whatever you both are going through. He loves you. Far more than he loves me and Reggie, at this point probably. I’m betting on Junior, too. I-” James looks away. “No, come on, James. I mean it. Why else would he have stuck out with you this long if he didn’t love you? I mean, Moony loves me right? And… If you really want to figure out what he thinks of you, ask Junior. Yeah, ask him. He’d know for sure. But when have I lied to you, ever, about this? About Aster as something as important as when it comes to him being in St Mungo’s on his death bed?”

“Oh, I don’t know?” James sarcastically says. “How about the time when we all thought he actually dead, then you and Regulus knew he came back to life. Magically, so. Kept it a secret for who knows how long and decided to scare us all to the point where Barty threw up and I broke a dish in front of Harry and Ellie before destroying my bedroom and making Aster feel like he was being kicked out of the house and he actually left home to live with you and Regulus? Hmm? Padfoot?”

Sirius runs their tongue over their lips. “Okay… I forgot about that to be honest. You got me there…” Sirius looks back over to Aster. They reaches over and takes his hand into their own. Sirius looks over at all the silvery old scars on his fingers with a deep frown on their face. They still haven’t entirely gotten over for how long Aster kept that a secret from him as a child, hiding it from them and Regulus for so long.

“But I’m not giving up on him, Prongs. And neither should you. No matter how many times we go through this. And if you do…” A deep breath. “It’ll probably destroy this family, just so you know. Picking sides and all that. So… No pressure.”

James looks over to Sirius both shocked and confused. “What? No pressure? What the fuck, Sirius? You can’t just drop something like that on me!”

Sirius shakes thier head. They look up to meet James’ eyes and their steel shaded eyes were a touch darker than normal. “I always told myself I’d never pick between you or him when you both are fighting. And I never had. And, you know? I never will.”

“And?” James scoffs lowly. “It sounds like you’re picking a side now.”

“Well.. I mean, if you leave him, you’re not fighting, are you? So…” Sirius quietly tells him. “And he’s my brother, Prongs. I’m not going to put him out on the streets, and I don’t think Regulus would want him with him unless it’s a last choice cause of his kids, because we both know he’s going to let you keep the house, and the kids until he’s got a steady place for himself.”

“Bottom line, it’s him.” James’s voice comes out scratchy. “Aster wins. Got it, Sirius. Good thing he’s beyond repair now. The way we’re looking at him.”

“Don’t say that.” Sirius snaps cruelly at James loosing his patience as their cheeks quickly flushing with anger. “Stop it. Honestly, Prongs. Every time something like this happens, you both get like this with each other for a good few months making it feel like it lasts a life time. It’s exhausting. Every decade or so. Don’t you get tired of threatening each other of leaving when things get beyond hard? I mean, I know me and Moony were bad in Hogwarts but you guys…? This is unbelievable.”

“We don’t… we don’t do this.” James shakes his head looking away with his face going hot. “I mean, why would he say he regret marrying me?”

“If he did, and I’m using the big if.” Sirius stresses. “If Aster did, he was probably meaning of age-wise. He was hardly a legal adult in the muggle world. A legal wizard by a single year and only a few months later you guys were adding a third baby to the family. But I don’t think he literally meant, oh, ‘I wish I never married you’ sort of thing. Did you even ask him?”

James sighs before shaking his head. “We got home and he left straight to Hogwarts to get Elias back home.”

“Isn’t Elias still at Hogwarts? That’s what Moony and Teds told me.”

James nods defeatedly. “I don’t like it. Hate it, in fact. Aster and I agreed to let the kids stay at Hogwarts for Christmas in their seventh year, and only their seventh year. But he went there pissed, then he came back empty handed and…” James’s eyes lifts to Aster’s face studying closely.

“And? Prongs, don’t leave me hanging?”

“He was just…” James exhales. “Confused and was agreeing to everything I was saying like he didn’t have a single opinion to himself.” James slowly points out looking over to Sirius slowly.

Sirius furrows his eyebrows. “You don’t think-…?”

“Something happened at Hogwarts, while he was there.” James breathes out loud. “Something happened at Hogwarts. To Aster. Someone must’ve attacked him there, Pads.”

“What if it’s a dark curse?” Sirius asks, already pulling out their own wand to use their advance Auror knowledge to clean Aster through from any possible curses. Maybe they needed to call in a curse breaker. Sirius could only do so much with his training, now on desk duty for the last decade and so.

“Better question, who’d do it to him?” James questions as Sirius scans over his brother. “Aster doesn’t have enemies. He doesn’t make enemies. He’s-”

“Someone sweet and caring that you keep thinking on leaving but yet you love?” Sirius snarkily questions.

James sighs standing up and off the bed to give Sirius more room to work with seeing how they’re moving their wand. “So, maybe-”

“Big word there.” Sirius sarcastically snips.

James tenses his jaw. “So… I’m a douchebag.”

“Ding-ding-ding! We have a winner. How big, Prongs?” Sirius calls out with dry humor. “Trying to become a divorcee before a widow, right, Prongs?”

James groans dropping himself into Sirius’s chair. “I’m the biggest douchebag in the world.”

“Universe, more likely.” Sirius lets out a sigh, their hand holding their wand drops to their side and for once since entering the room, they’re truly looking defeated and upset.

“What is it?” James asks.

The longer Sirius looks at Aster, the more their grey stormy eyes start to fill up with tears. “I think we should get Regulus and Junior here and get them up to speed. Fast. I may don’t like Junior, but I can’t deny he is the smartest of his year — no, scratch that, all of us. Don’t tell him I said that, his ego is big enough as it is. And he reads all sorts of books on the daily in Lily and Mary’s shop. He’s got to know something.”

“What’s wrong? You sounded so sure he’d be fine just before.”

“The damn medi-wizard left something important out when talking to us… unless he think to didn’t check… It’s nearly impossible to mess with so I doubt they did check it…” Sirius looked peeved as they grow on the verge of crying. “There’s something messing with his core of magic.”

“How is that possible? A curse?”

Sirius shakes their head. “Worse. I think… I think it’s missing. His magic is missing.”

“What? How-?”

“I don’t know, Prongs. Okay? But clearly, no core magic in him, there’s no life to fill out that empty void. And without it. There can’t be any-”

“Any Aster.” James fills out carefully.

“No Aster, no magic. No magic, no Aster.” Sirius bottom lines it.

“Bottom line, Prongs, there’s no life at all in this body. The healer is technically right. Aster’s just an empty body waiting to be filled or taken.”

“What does that mean, Sirius?”

“I think it means… it’s kinda like when Aster was in that coma. But when we were told he could possibly hear us. When we spoke to him. He could sense us when we touched him. He can’t. Because… he’s not here. He’s… I mean, he’s already taken.”

“So he’s dead?” James concludes.

“If his soul isn’t returned back to his body, wherever it may be, he might as well just faced a Dementor’s Kiss, James. I-… I’m sorry. I don’t know what there is to do with this. I don’t know how to save my baby brother.”

Chapter 12: December 24th, 2005

December 24th, 2005

 

Barty was staring furiously straight ahead, deep in thought while his tongue flickered in and out of his mouth and his piercing clacking across his teeth noisily.

If anyone can think of anything; it’d be Barty Crouch Junior of everyone in the room.

All the kids were outside playing in the snow. James hopes they’d stay out long enough for them to sit and talk this through without any interruptions.

Sirius was sitting on the loveseat with Remus. Evan sat in the middle of the three-seater couch with Barty and Regulus on either end. James paced.

Pandora was on the floor with her husband who was painting with his watercolour paints just casually being there for support for Pandora — much to Evan’s annoyance. He still doesn’t like the French man who’s been nothing but kind and loving to his sister for over twenty years.

He was leaning on Pandora’s back with his own, both of their long platinum blonde head of hairs touched each other each time one of them straightened out their backs.

Everyone who can possibly care for Aster and practically grew up with the man and lived locally, sat in the family room trying to draw up some sort of plan with the information they had current as Aster sat as a hallowed-out barely-alive body in St Mungo’s.

It was a shock to say the least when only Regulus and Barty saw him, along with Sirius and James.

Everyone else hasn’t had a chance to before there was a immediate family emergency meeting was called with a patronus by a raccoon and stag patronus sent together.

Those two animals together made everyone drop what they were doing, any possible plans, and they all arrived nearly the same time via apparition than floo.

Barty shifts with a noisy sigh sinking into the couch. “Only fucking Aster can get himself into something this deep in shit of the unknown and leave it to us to solve.”

He tosses his legs over Evan and Regulus’s laps and rests his head on the arm of the couch.

Barty already heard the story once from James, but he needed to hear it again step-by-step in as much details as possible. He may be the smartest bloke- no, scratch that— he is the smartest person on the whole property of Potter Manor and with his ego, he’d even say the UK, but he wasn’t about to think on this alone.

No, that was too dangerous.

He needed someone to help with the rational thinking. But everything else, he had covered with the beautiful, pink wrinkly brain he had.

“Okay, so you’re saying there was an open window between the time you got home after picking up the kiddos, then when he left to Hogwarts he was fine. But when he came back, that’s where he started to seem off?” Barty asks talking with his hands swinging around, his hands talking as he did as well.

“Yes.” James nods.

“And he went to Hogwarts… for?”

“To get Elias home.”

Barty sighs tiredly and lulls his head over to James.

“And where is Elias?” Barty questions, his eyes becoming more narrower by the ticking seconds.

“Hogwarts. Aster was mumbling over how Elias could stay there because he’s happy there when he returned.”

Barty lets out a defeated sigh, head tilts back now believing James was a true Gryffindor idiot. “Only you, Potter. Only you Gryffindors are this dumb.”

James stops in his tracks from pacing, his arms fold over his chest to look at Barty, the godfather of pretty much all his kids like he had a choice in the pick. “What?”

Barty lifts his hands again. “Don’t you see the big picture of things?”

James blinks hard. “Am- am I suppose to?”

Barty blinks dully at him. He kicks off his feet from his friends and sits up for a moment glaring at James.

“Let me paint the picture for you. Aster leaves here normal. He goes to Hogwarts to sought out Elias and to bring that moody teenager’s arse home with determination. Then he comes back home, everything is fine and dainty. Get the picture?”

James’s mouth opens, then closes when nothing comes out.

Barty growls at him, hands slapping his thighs. “Come on, Potter! Do I have to do all the work!? Elias was obviously the last one to see him!”

“Are you saying Elias did something to Aster?” Pandora asks quietly with her head tilting a bit, hitting her husband’s shoulder.

“No.” Barty rolls his eyes. “He’d never. We know him enough that he wouldn’t as much as we do know he’s annoyed more than anything with Aster on more days than not.” Barty shakes his head. “I’m just saying, Jackie-boy wasn’t the last person to see Aster as normal. Got the picture? Someone needs to talk to Elias.”

Remus lets out a thoughtful hum. “I didn’t think of it like that. You might be onto something, Crouch.”

“Thank you. Someone who’s a Gryffindor with a sensible mind.” Barty heaves out falling back into the couch and kicking up his legs back over Regulus and Evan laps.

Remus sighs before getting up. He gives Sirius a kiss before fully getting to his feet. “I guess I’m paying a visit to Elias, then. I’ll be back with updates.”

“Don’t come back if you don’t have any!” Barty shouts as Remus gets into the floo flames. Remus rolls his eyes before calling out the location to his office.

Remus was a bit annoyed, given he realized that he didn’t have the map but he follows his guts and makes work going to the Hufflepuff common room first and hope that he doesn’t get soaked in vinegar.

The corridors were fairly empty with it being the winter holidays as he walks, the common room even more empty with just a single student who didn’t bat an eyelash his way as he goes up the boys’ dormitory.

He doesn’t knock, walking straight into the room and finding it empty.

No Elias was around.

Remus purses his lips, looking around the dorm room being a bit too nosy for his own good.

It was fairly peacefully decorated with all the hanging plants around the room. The yellow wasn’t too bad as he thought, never going past the common room before for a prank. But there was a lot of brown in the room, and that’s saying from someone who uses different beige scale jumpers during their free time on a daily basis.

All the beds in the room looked fairly untouched and empty.

There was a single trunk set in the room in front of a bed with Elias’s initials engraving in it that told Remus which bed belonged to his nephew.

Remus strolls up to the single bedside table, picking up the book that must’ve been Elias’s current read.

He’s careful with the precaution of setting it back exactly how it was picked up before going through the two drawers under the bedside table. The first drawer had a glass jar with a metal lid with a weird looking blackish-grey swirling thing constantly tapping and pushing on the glass like it was trying to escape towards himself.

Remus shrugs, having no clue of what it was before putting it back and moving on. Next was a plastic baggie that he lifts to his nose to smell. Definitely weed. He takes a second smell before putting it back and moving onto the bottom drawer.

That’s when he had to take a pause.

“Oh, Elias, what did you do?” Remus murmurs to himself under his breath picking up a collapsable metal black cane that was far too familiar that was covered in probably a minimum of a million different kind of stickers peeling and semi-fresh from over the years.

Remus grabbed the cane, looks over his shoulders, and got the hell out of there.

He doesn’t dare try to find Elias, going straight to his office and floo-ing back to Potter Manor.

“Alright. This is bad.” He announces stepping out before he even brushes off the soot from his clothes. “This is really, really bad.”

“What’d you find out, Lupin?” Barty asks.

“That was fast, Moony.” Sirius tells him with a semi-easy smile, but their silver eyes told him otherwise, they was as worried as anyone else in the room. Just like Barty was trying to hide with his fidgeting of his tongue.

Remus walks over to the group, tea and Christmas cookies had been served since he’s disappeared back to Hogwarts. James must’ve been stress baking again.

Remus holds up the cane not daring to meet anyone’s eyes. “I found this. Familiar, anyone?”

“Aster’s cane.” James breathes out. “He hasn’t been using it at all since then. He-… oh, I remember… he left with it.”

Remus twists his lips as he sits back down next to Sirius. The collapsed cane is tossed onto the coffee table, landing into the pile of cookies.

“Where’d you find it?” Pandora asks.

“Worse place to find it, probably,” He tells the group.

“Don’t leave us in suspense, Lupin. Did you check in with Elias?”

“I went to Elias’s room first, to find him. Given he has the map.” Remus’s eyes widen. “He has the map. Oh fuck, I feel sick.”

“Why are you looking like that?”

Remus runs a hand stressfully over his chin. “Oh, gods. He has the map, Sirius, James.”

“Moony, calm down. What happened?”

“The cane was in his bedside drawer. He wasn’t there, I noised around, okay? I should’ve had, but I did. And now we’re here and now he might know taken it!”

“Whoa, hey, come on, Remus, what are you trying to say?”

“That your son did something to your husband.” Remus spits out aggressively to James. “And if he did, and if Aster dies. He’s a murderer.”

Regulus quickly was shaking his head. “No. Elias wouldn’t.”

“Then explain the fucking cane I found in his bedside drawer.” Remus hisses. “Why else would Elias have it?”

“Maybe he just found it, and held onto it to give it back to Aster?” Pandora tries weakly.

“Or maybe he did do something.” Barty has to side with Remus. “You never do know when someone’s snapping point… well, does snap.”

“Oh, you’d know all about that, wouldn’t you, Junior?” Sirius snorts.

Barty shrugs, not fighting him on that. “Rosie loves me for it.”

“Debateable.”

Barty kicks the cookie out of Evan’s hand. It goes flying into Regulus’ lap where Regulus sweeps it off him and it goes onto the floor. Regulus sneers at Barty.

“Elias is only sixteen,” Regulus brings them back to topic. “He wouldn’t even know how to wield this sort of magic without some sort of training or something right? And I mean, we’re looking at some really powerful magic. Aster’s magical core is missing. That’s nearly impossible to tamper with.”

Sirius points over at their brother. “An important point. I didn’t know half the spells to even check Aster’s core if it wasn’t for Auror training. And even then it took me years to master. Some of those spells only curse breakers know, I shouldn’t even know them.”

“I know but…” Remus drops his forehead into his palms and set his elbows on his knees.

No time like the present, he supposes.

“Well, Aster and I’ve been doing this thing. For a few years now. Around Hogwarts, an investigation, if you will. That’s what we call it. And it actually started with Elias back in his first year.”

“A what?”

“With you? Without me? No way.”

“Why didn’t you ever say anything to me, Moony?”

“What were you investigating?”

“It started with this thing,” Remus sighs lifting his head. “Elias drew out this little sketch, as back when he was a firstie. It looks like a squiggle. Like… the soft serve ice cream of an ice cream cone when you get it perfectly on the cone. Anyway, Aster started looking into it at the very start of that Hogwarts year, and I got looped into it. It’s been very… bonding, for us, to say the least.”

“Okay, you both had secret brother-in-law bonding time. Next time invite Kingsley. I’m sure he’ll be happy to hear about this.”

“What? No.” Remus shakes his head at Regulus. “No. We weren’t really finding much of anything beside there was this new passageway in the Defense the Dark Arts Tower-”

“You found a what!?”

Remus holds up a hand. “Not the point, Sirius. The dungeons go deeper than the dungeons.”

Evan snorts. “I think you’re wrong, and a little loopy, Lupin. From someone who’s lived in the dungeons for seven years, I can confirm. The dungeons are the deepest that Hogwarts goes. I mean, the Slytherin Common Room and dorm room is literally under the Black Lake.”

“That’s what I think everyone else thinks as well, though.” Remus stresses. “There’s this… map chamber. That’s what the portrait Aster was arguing with called it. There were three of them. Large. Probably bigger than this whole manor, ground to roof in height.”

Regulus stiffens up. “I think I remember him telling me this bit.”

“He told you but not me!? But I’m his best mate!” Barty cries affronted.

Regulus looks over to Barty. “That book, Barty. The one you were chasing when he was sick for like two weeks straight with that fever and terrible cough with vomiting and migraines. Where is it?”

“Why would I know? It wouldn’t let me touch it.” Barty huffs crossing his arms over his chest childishly.

Regulus rolls his eyes. “Has anyone in this room seen Aster nose deep in a blank book? Plain, no title, thick, old looking?”

Everyone raised their hands except for James who gets everyone’s eyes on him. “What?”

Pandora was distracted with Xenophilius whispering something and pointing at his painting. No one paid a mind to her distraction.

“You’re around him most, Prongs. Surely you’ve seen him reading it.”

“Uh, if you mean the old ratty book he pulled off our bookshelf one night and haven’t moved onto another book, then sure.” A shrug. “It’s upstairs on his bedside table. But I haven’t bothered to touch it or move it.”

“Wait, can you read it?”

James lifts an eyebrow at Regulus. “What do you mean by that?”

“The insides? The front or back cover? Can you touch it?”

An awkward laugh. “Uh, yeah? I touched it once, but that was to-”

“What are you waiting for!? Get it!”

James flinches at Regulus’s shout, getting up from the arm of the loveseat that he was leaning on. “Geez, okay, okay. I’m going, I’m going.”

He makes a quick run, grabbing the book and bringing it down and reading the title as he walks.

To The Loved Ones with Secrets

“Here,” James passes it over to Remus. He drops it in his lap, only for the book to hover a good two or three feet above his lap. James’s furrowed his eyebrows at the book. “Did he charm it?”

Regulus shakes his head. “That’s what he said before. Sirius, try grabbing it. Clearly it doesn’t like Remus either.”

A hand moves, and the book flies past a good few feet, stopping mid air and hovering over Xenophilius and Pandora, who both looked above themselves.

“Fasinating.” Xenophilius murmurs staring above himself with Pandora.

“You’re all being ridiculous. It’s just a book. I’ll get it.” Evan sighs moving up to grab it, kicking Barty’s legs off himself. Barty lets out a snort just watching with an amused smirk as the book zooms by Evan’s hand.

Evan scoffs at it, slumping back in his seat. “Bloody book.”

“Wait, why can only James and Aster read or touch the book?” Barty questions.

“That’s what I want to know.” Regulus agrees as James goes to grab the book with ease, picking it off the ground from where it landed.

“I don’t get what’s so special over the book.” James tells them. “I mean, it’s titled To The Loved Ones With Secrets. There’s no summary on the back, and the spine only holds a tiny squiggle thing like Remus said before… I think, at least.”

“What colour?”

“Uh, a greyish blue shade?”

Remus pats over his pants pockets before pulling out an old piece of paper. “Aster made me a copy of this, it’s what Elias drew him in his first year. Does it look like this?”

James takes a peek at what Remus showed him on the old piece of paper that apparently he carries around with him then back at the spine of the book. “Yeah, just about fitting.”

“Read it!” Regulus snaps.

“Read it? I can’t read all this in a single night.” James heaves out opening up to the first page to the preface.

This book will show itself to the ones that means most, when they need it most. Use it wisely, I could’ve used it when I needed it most.

“What does it say?”

“Oh,” James looks up. “Just the preface. About the book showing itself when ones that mean most to it, need it most. And how the author could’ve used it themself when they needed it most. Whatever it means.”

James flips through the pages, landing on a random page and scanning through. A small snort. “Hey, Moony, what was that secret room with the painting called again?”

“The map chamber.”

James looks up to him, then back to the book tapping on the chapter titled and quite very clear, The Map Chamber. “Are you sure you can’t read this book?”

“From where I’m looking, looks like an abandoned ratty old diary that never gotten to be used or read… How did we even get this in our bedroom anyway?”

James frowns looking back to the book. He inhales deeply, exhaling and he flips through a few more random pages to the ending scanning over every few pages.

“Okay,” James announces. “So what I’m reading is something about ancient magic-”

“That’s what the portrait was saying about Elias possessing.” Remus tells everyone.

James nods. “So, it’s a powerful thing and…” James flips through a few more pages and lands on a new page to read. His face starts to fall as he quietly reads through.

“Prongs, what it say?”

“Uh,” James chokes on a cough. “It-… It’s talking about this woman who possess the ability and she… took… her father’s pain.”

“What?” Regulus breathes out confused. “That’s not possible.” He whiplashes to look over to Sirius. “That’s not possible, is it?”

“Uh, I don’t think so. No.” Sirius shakes his head. “I never heard of such a thing. Prongs, are you sure you’re reading right?”

James flips through a few more pages, adjusting the book to rest on his forearm as he uses his pointer finger to read off.

“Uh, here. It talks about her past. She was a Professor in Hogwarts, a defense professor, like you Moony. She… She grew up in Feldcroft. She thought she was a squib until she was fifteen, then started Hogwarts pretty late into as a firstie and fifth year at once.”

“The portraits, I remember them saying something about how Elias was suppose to start Hogwarts in his fifth year as a first year. Aster went ballistics on them, something about destiny or whatever.”

James nods. “So… Isidora, that’s her name, she… studied under some wizard named Rackham to learn about the ancient magic but she always had been too invest in studying it in hope it’d help her father, who became depressed and a selective mute after the death of her brother…”

James falls quiet, continuing his fast reading. “I…” His frown deepens, his forehead grows wrinkles as his eyebrows furrow. “I don’t think she really meant harm in doing what she was doing. At least not to me…”

“What was she doing, Potter? What are you reading?”

He looks up to his friends. “She was trying to help her father, by taking his pain. But in the process of doing that, she took everything he could possibly possess for himself.”

“Like Aster is.” James nods at Barty before looking back to the book searching for an answer. “Is there a way to heal him?”

“I’m looking, I’m looking,” James growls lowly. “Uh… so this chapter says the ability to control ancient magic gives the user an extremely advance ability in nearly all subjects.”

“What kind? Is the book specific?” Sirius asks.

“It says ancient magic, Transfiguration, Defense, healing, dueling… even spell creation.”

“Damn.” Barty huffs. “Now if only Elias wouldn’t mind sharing that with me.”

Evan hits Barty’s leg. “Not the time, Bee.”

“Okay,” James loudly declares, a finger on a new page. “Here, it says something about what Isidora did. The after affects… she did the… the things on Hogwarts’ students, not only just her father.”

“When did this happen?”

“Back in the fifteenth century.” Regulus answers. “Aster told me.”

“Isn’t that when a bunch of the kids dropped dead?” Barty points out. “Like they all just went to sleep one night and… died? Didn’t we cover this with Bins or something? That there was so many deaths that they threw the bodies in with the muggle disease… uh,” Barty snaps his fingers. “Black Death?”

That makes Sirius furiously look at James. “Prongs, tell me there’s a way to help my brother.”

James lets out a choking noise, the book slamming closed and he pushes up his glasses to rubs the back of his hand against his eyes, tossing the book on the cookies.

“Okay, so,” James sniffles. “The best the book says is to not let that happen, if it’s attempted. From what the writer said, it’s easy to just knock the wand out of the caster’s hand when they’re focusing on drawing out the magic. Why didn’t Aster just fight back?”

“We don’t know, James. That’s why we’re all here trying to figure this shit out. But the big problem is no one was there except for him and bloody Elias.” Remus curses. “What happens if it does happen? How do we help Aster?”

James shakes his head looking defeated. “I need to get the kids in before they freeze to death.”

“Prongs-”

“Please, Sirius, don’t. Christmas is tomorrow. I’m doing the best I can with what I got right now.”

Everyone stays lip-locked as a swarm of wet and cold kids come running into the house. James ushers them all into the available showers, and the ones waiting to get ready for bed.

“Does anyone else wish they can read the stupid book?” Barty grunts thinking out loud glaring at it from his spot on the couch.

“I want to know what Potter isn’t saying.” Evan says.

Pandora makes a tiny hum, getting up to her knees and hands and crawls over to the coffee table and picks up the book with ease making everyone’s eyes go large.

“Did- did you all just see that?”

“Pandora touched the book,” Barty yanks on Evan’s arm. “Dora touched the book! Why does she get to touch the book!?”

“But didn’t the book hover over her it ran away from Sirius?”

“I like to think it was hovering over Phil.” Pandora gently says, flipping to the very last page. “We were right next to each other, don’t you think?”

“What does it say, Panda?” Evan asks.

“Last page… there’s a keeper’s cavern underneath Hogwarts that’s currently holding probably hundreds of healed students’s emotions. That’s where Isidora stored it all.”

“And is there a way to cure Aster? To heal him back to his normal self?”

“No.” She straightforwardly answers before closing the book. “But I think I have a theory.”

“I like theories. Pandora tell your theory.” Barty encourages her rubbing his hands together like a grasshopper.

“I think those students couldn’t have been healed, and Isidora’s father, because between Isidora snorting the magic and was merging them all together, it was too mixed to just be able to return the magic back to separate the magic as individual to assign the magic back to the rightful owner.”

Barty nods slowly. “I think I know where you’re going with this.”

“The smartest guy of this century teaming up with a seer, lets see how this goes down.” Regulus mutters under his breath.

Barty rolls his eyes. “What Pandora is saying, if Elias hasn’t mixed whatever he took out of Aster yet to whatever is being stored under Hogwarts. As long as Elias doesn’t find the… keeper’s cavern where the untouched and stored magic is, Aster is safe for the mean time of wherever Elias is keeping his magic for as long as the magic isn’t merged with anyone else’s?”

Pandora nods. “Only if we return the magic back to Aster before his body gives up on breathing entirely. So, we’re on a deadly time limit.”

“So we just need to find the… whatever it is that Elias is holding his magic and return it to him. Plain and simple.”

“I don’t think it’s as simple as you make it seem.” Remus tells Barty. “I found Aster’s cane and got the fuck out of his room. Like, my heart is still racing, Crouch. If Elias is able to take magic from people-”

“Pain, technically.” Pandora corrects.

“Pain,” Remus changes. “Then who is it to say he wouldn’t do the same to us?”

“I think he did it because he was fed up with Aster.” Regulus tells everyone. “Has anyone here been getting letters or personally talked to him, seeing how much he’s complaining about Aster and feeling like Aster has been trying to control him? Like he’s… him?”

“A bit, yeah.” Barty nods. “I don’t think Aster is intentionally trying to do that, though. He just wants what’s best for Elias. He told me himself.”

“I know. Aster would always wants what’s best for his kids.” Sirius nods in agreement. “But I don’t think he realizes how much pressure he’s putting on the kid. The pressure that’s pushing Elias away in the long run.”

“I think it’s safe to say at this moment, Elias is mentally in America right now, love.” Remus tells Sirius. “That’s how far he’s away he’s trying to be from Aster.”

“We’re getting off track. We find Aster’s pain-magic, but how do we return it to him? Pans?” Barty snaps his finger before pointing at her. “Theory.” Barty points at her.

Pandora blinks at Barty. “We can’t.”

“What? What do you mean we can’t?”

“Elias took it. Only Elias can return it.”

Barty scoffs. “That might as well be like negotiating with me at sixteen years old.”

“Impossible, then.”

Barty taps his nose as Pandora. “Exactly.”

“So we just need to find a way to make Elias see within reason. Make him guilty enough to return Aster back to his rightful state.”

“And then what? Would it still be counted as attempted murder?”

Sirius sighs. “I’d let it slide if and only if, Aster is back to who he is and Aster doesn’t want to file the report.”

“Does Elias even knows what happens if he takes the person’s pain?”

Remus sighs deeply. “I can think of a way we can get some answers of what Elias knows and doesn’t.”

“How?”

“First, it’ll start with sneaking you all into Hogwarts. Secondly, showing you the map chamber.”

Chapter 13: December 25th, 2005

December 25th, 2005

 

James whisks the pancake mix rather unfocused — entirely lost in his mind and unable to get the most recent visit of Aster out his mind when he should be focusing on the holidays upon him — Christmas.

In other words, his favourite holiday if the decorations around the manor didn’t reveal his hints.

It’s only been two full days before getting Aster to St Mungo’s after he ate so much at the dinner table…

The dark and large bags under his eyes, sunken in cheeks that James hasn’t seen in years since getting his eating habits under control…

Just horrifying…

“—You cook just like your Mum when she’s stressed out,” Fleamont hums with curiously overseeing James move around and cooking with his hair a mess on his head from the amount of times he’s run his fingers through the curls. James blinks startled at the bowl of batter in his hands, coming out of his deep thoughts.

“Can’t find anyone better to match her cooking than you, hijo.”

James doesn’t answer Fleamont, forcing himself to set the bowl aside and go back to focusing on frying the bacon before it got too burned. He was trying so hard to stay away from adding more flour and water to the batter to make another type of pancake that was far too unnecessary.

Even if it was Christmas. James always over did it when it came to anything batter-related. Once starting, he never could quite get himself to limit the amount or stop at just one type of the certain food.

“James,” Fleamont calls out his name through the noise of all the kids playing loudly in the background. Just what his mum always wanted. A loud house full of child laughter. It was a pity she wasn’t around anymore to see her dreams in actions.

James’ jaw ticks at the thought of his mom, then Aster at the top of his mind. His grip on the metal prongs tightens by an extreme amount as he flips over the bacon. His back remains turned to Fleamont.

“Yeah, Dad?”

“Where’s Aster this morning? He wasn’t down for presents.”

“Papa’s sick.” Persephone tells her abuelo, climbing onto the stool and plops a brand spanking new colouring book she got for Christmas with a new box of markers and crayons that Aster had bought ages ago in preparation for the holiday-shopping; setting up beside him to sit at the breakfast bar with him.

Her blonde hair was down in a mess, just reaching to her mid back and was looking to be ready to become a home to a bird with what looked to be some strayed clips and stickers stuck in the curls.

James could only do so much around the house alone and on top of that, mourning Aster now that he had no stars to look at anymore above his bed. He can’t sleep without his stars. How could he? With Aster sitting in St Mungo’s unable to sleep either, too?

Usually with the kids, Aster usually tended to the girls’ hair. James hardly could handle his own. James should’ve paid more attention when he had the chance to whenever Barty was around to teach Aster when they had their hair days.

“Very sick.” Persephone gravely warns her grandfather. “He scared me.” Then her light green eyes glance over to James’ back.

“But Daddy said he’ll be okay. That he needs a few days to sleep it off and let the healers help him.” And she starts to kick her legs happily, choosing a blue marker and popping the lid open on the marker to colour the very first page of the colouring book.

“Oh, I see… and how did Papa scare you?” Fleamont knew he’d get more answers out of the kid than his adult son that wasn’t even looking at him in the eye.

Persephone touched her own eyes. “His eyes were all white. Like… this crayon.” She plucks out a white crayon which James thought was useless to add in the box, though he knew Aster would know how to make the crayon useful with his random artistic skills that came out of no where which he usually only coloured when it came to being with the kids.

Fleamont’s eyebrows lift, his eyes drift over to James seeing how his back tensed up. “I see. Anything else I should know about of his sickness?”

“Uh-huh,” Persephone nods ready to spill all James’ secrets he’s been holding in all morning from Fleamont.

“He fell over on the floor, he didn’t get up until Daddy helped him. Right over there at the table.” Persephone points over at the large dining table fit to sit for twelve. “Daddy had to leave us all here all alone. We got to watch the telly late until he got home.”

“I see, I wish he floo-called me to come over… and at the table? Was your Papa in the chair at first or was he walking?”

“I sent Sirius a patronus, Dad.” James mutters under his breath. “They were just a bit late.”

“Yep. At the table, he was sitting when we had dinner.” Persephone pops the p before sucking in her lip to concentrate on her colouring and think of all the important details to spill.

“Daddy said it was because he ate a big dinner. His tummy got too big to fit any more food, so he got sick and had to go to St Mungo’s for some help.”

“I see.” Fleamont nods seriously. “I hope your Papa gets better soon so he can come home.”

Persephone nods in agreement. “Me too.” A pause. “I miss him. And my hair needs brushing. I can’t do it on my own. It’s too thick.”

“I’m sure your brothers and sister miss him as well, as well as Aurora’s hair needs brushing too.” Fleamont pats her back gently. “Alright, go play, Posie. Let me have some grown up talk with Daddy.”

“But I’m hungry.” She moans dramatically draping herself onto Fleamont’s side. “Daddy… when is brunch gonna be ready?”

“Go play,” Fleamont repeats in a more serious tone before easing up. “Brunch won’t be made any faster with you moping around about how much you’re just starving.”

Fleamont teases her gently and pinching her pink cheek making her giggle before leaping off the stool while quickly abandoning her coloring stuff at the breakfast bar and running back to join her brothers who surrounded the television with their new video game system where all the kids were forced on cooperating with each other on taking turns on the two controllers.

“So… Aster’s in St Mungo’s?” Fleamont laces his fingers on the counter’s surface eyeing James with a tilt of his head.

“Yeah.” James nods softly.

“What for, James? Care to tell me why you didn’t think that it wasn’t too important to tell me earlier?”

“He, uh,” James swallows thickly as he transfer the bacon to a plate. “He’s dying, Dad. It’s really bad. Worse than when he was in the muggle hospital from the car crash. Cause magic’s involved, and no one knows what to do… He…”

There was no way to cure him. There was no cure. Once the pain was taken, it couldn’t be returned.

James drilled that into his head in the last twelve hours after spending the whole night curled in bed alone and nose deep in the book that Aster was always in.

After finally accepting that Aster was indeed going to die — It took James turning off the lights and looking up to the ceiling to see no more bewitchment on his ceiling — James cried like a baby up until the first banging loud knocks with loud screeches of excitement over Father Christmas coming on his bedroom door with all the excitement over the presents he set under the tree. Alone.

Fleamont frowns. “This is new-news.”

“It’s new-news to me too.” James tells him with a sad smile. “He was… I think the easiest way to explain it, is that he was cursed. A dark one. I don’t know, honestly. He’s hollowed out. Just a body, right now. He’s not there, Dad. He doesn’t eat, or drink, or sleep. He looks awful. Sirius and I only had a limited amount of people see him for right now. It’s not… I don’t want the kids to see him like this. It’s bad enough that Posie had to find him like that in that state he’s in now.”

“And the kids think he’s just… What? Sick?” Fleamont sounds disbelieving.

“I don’t know how to break it to them.” James weakly tells his father lifting his shoulders before dropping them in defeat. “I don’t want to be the one to tell them that their Papa is dying. That he’d be dead in the matter of time of days. That’s what the healers are saying. They said weeks, at first. But he’s got days now.”

“What?”

James freezes, startled. He turns around slowly to see his older three kids coming in through the front door, along with Luna who came with Azura and Pansy with Elianna.

He doesn’t even notice his granddaughters already had shredded off their coats and shoved them into Harry’s hands and Leala is making clicking noises using her echo locating noises like dolphins using her metamorphmagus abilities that always fascinated James a bit seeing how they adapted as they grew up, just like when Harry was a young boy.

Her twin sister was hand-in-hand with herself letting herself be dragged and guided with full trust given that Aria doesn’t give just anyone else.

The two girls bolting through and out of the kitchen fast without a second thought to James to join their biologically aunts and uncles in close ages with them.

Loud laughter fills out the family room and increases in volume as they join his own kids, it’s been at least a good month and a half since his youngest three have seen the two blind girls — his grandkids. It was safe to say Harry and Teddy were doing an amazing job with them.

“Papa’s dying?” Azura asks quietly sliding off her own coat, car keys in hand, the ring looped around her middle finger as she hangs it up on the hook beside Aster’s.

There were six hooks total, one for Aster, another for Azura, Remus, Teddy, Sirius, and whenever Salem or Peter drives down to visit which was becoming rarer these days along with their phone calls.

“Shh,” James hisses at them. “Long story, I’ll catch you up soon enough. Don’t tell your siblings.”

“Where’s Papa, Dad?” Elianna asks, arm looped in Pansy’s own.

Elianna didn’t look happy one bit with the deep frown on her face, Pansy softly squeezed her arm out of comfort.

James throws his hands up feeling defeated. It’s like his words go in one ear and out the other. “Where do you think, Ellie?”

“St Mungo’s?” Harry questions smartly.

James nods before shaking his head and he’s giving a verbal answer to his son.

“Yeah, just- Look, I don’t expect you all to be happy-happy today, especially after hearing this when I already planned on telling you all later.” James eyeballs his own dad too. “Just… enough not to make the kids suspicious. ‘kay?” James pleads visibly seeing how quick his older kids were becoming distraught.

“Does Uncle Reggie and Auncle Sirius know?”

“Yes, them and your Zio Barty, that’s all right now. Is Teddy coming over? Everyone said they’re arriving late, I don’t know why. Lottie should be here soon.”

“Yeah, soon. He wanted to stop by to see the ‘cles first before coming over, asked me to bring the girls with me. Guess I should warn him when he gets here so we can all have a crying fest later.”

“Yeah.”

James runs his hands through his hair a moment before washing them again and quickly going back to cooking.

Quietly, Azura joins him cutting the fruit for the fruit salad and Elianna helps him by the stove while Harry sat with his abuelo and Pansy at the breakfast bar, looking to be a perfect young version of Fleamont that James once could pass as.

Teddy arrives an hour after his kids’ arrival, he’s all teeth and smiles and coat is quick to be hung on the rack. He’s clueless as he’s dragged over by James’s kids and daughters to play a fast card game with them as the table was being set.

Carlotta arrives with flushed cheeks, a Weasley on her arm that has James staring a bit then looking over the food prepared.

One Weasley, he learned, always came with more at some point down the road. Pre-planned or not. He supposes he couldn’t blame them, given the amount with his own kids and family size.

“Where’s everyone?” Carlotta asks hanging her coat up, then Fred’s over lapping it on the same hook. “I feel like we’re missing so many people today.”

“I don’t know.” James throws his hands up in the air again. “I gave up on tracking everyone a long time ago. They get here when they get here.”

“Da and Pa said something about possibility running late, actually, Uncle Jamie. I don’t know why.” Teddy tells James shooing Leala off his arm to go sit at the twelve-seater table that was going to be for all the kids to let them eat first.

Carlotta looks at Teddy with a raised eyebrow. “Mine said the same.”

Teddy shrugs at her. “Big Christmas family surprise?”

“My Padre with your Pa? Yeah right. They’d be trying to tear each other’s hair out trying to out-do each other’s gifts.”

Teddy snorts. “Good point, lets call it a coincidence, then.”

A affirmative nod from the fake blonde with green dye streaks in her hair. “Much better.”

Pansy hooks an arm around Elianna’s waist before leaning close and whispering something into her ear in matching time as Teddy leans closer to whisper something privately to Harry.

Quickly Harry was shaking his head and Elianna was making a rather upsetting face, a deep frown and a tiny shake of her head.

James’s eyes twitch between his older twins, and Azura did the same thing.

“Am I missing something here?” James asks his daughter feeling a bit left out from the twin thing that was going on.

“I don’t know.” She quietly answers, her long hair in two thick french braids running down her back and reaching her bum showing years of hard work and dedication to her hair. “I’ve been working my arse off the past few weeks since Quidditch is starting up soon. But I know these two. They have something up their sleeve. Their faces are riding with guilt.”

James pulls back. “Guilt?”

A nod. Azura loudly interrupts the two separate couples. “Harry, Ellie, mind sharing what you’re whispering with your lovers to the class?”

Elianna’s face was full of guilt as she looks away from everyone except for her partner. “It’s not a good time to say.”

“Harry?”

Harry blindly feels for Teddy. He manages to grab onto his arm. “Um… Teddy?”

“No, no. I already told Pa and Da this morning. This is your family’s side.”

Harry grimaces. “Yeah, but-”

“Harry, just tell them. Where’s Uncle Aster? He needs to be here to hear this.”

The older Potters fall quiet. Pansy looks to the tile flooring and no one answers Teddy. Teddy’s hair starts to fade from his usual vibrate turquoise to a light shading grey that was quickly darkening.

“Well? Where’s Uncle Aster?”

James swallows thickly. Might as well keep up with the lie he’s been telling his younger kids, for now.

“He’s sick. Not upstairs, before you ask. It’s a bad sick that he’s required to be at St Mungo’s for a few days.” A weak smile is sent to his nephew and son-in-law. “Don’t worry about him. I’ll catch him up later, and you as well with everyone else. Go on Harry, what do you need to say? Sounds important.”

Harry rubs a spot behind his neck, his eyes were unfocused and drifting everywhere in the room. “This is a really bad timing, Teddy.”

“Come on, we’re not young kids anymore. It’s been semi-planned out already anyway.”

“I know but-”

Teddy sighs, rolling his eyes at Harry. “Coward, some Gryffindor you are.” A fast pause. “Harry and I are expecting. We’re going to have another child, our last kid. Three’s a plenty.”

Azura snorts. “That’s what I thought before seven more came.”

“Lucky for me I can control my bollocks and vaginal canal.” Teddy remarks as Pansy and Elianna fall quiet looking at them both.

“How far along are you?” Elianna asks curiously.

“Ten weeks. Now I know should wait for the second trimester but-” Teddy was cut off quickly.

“Twelve weeks.” Pansy tells them with a cocky smirk. “A bit of baby magic for us all. Azura, do you have anything you want to announce? Should we be expecting a third baby into the Potter family as well?”

Azura’s eyes go wide before she’s furiously shaking her head.

“Fuck that. No.” Azura hisses to her older twin siblings. “I’m a working woman right now. No man is putting a baby in me right now. In that fact, I haven’t even been with anyone for a while, just to put that into the open, not that it’s any of your business.” Azura finishes with a sassy finger pointing that waves over everyone, including James, not that he needed to know that last bit of information of his daughter’s sex life. He wasn’t and never will be as curious as Aster ever is.

“Lottie?” Azura shifts the attention to someone who was dating and had an active sex life.

“Uh,” She’s matching Azura’s head shake, glancing over to Fred who’s wedged between the four eleven year olds and passing over Weasley Wizard Wheezes products to all the kids.

She swallows thickly placing her hands behind her back. James doesn’t miss that little action as she hides her hands. She flashes everyone an awkward smile before her tongue anxious flicks and glides across her teeth for a fast moment like her Padre’s own anxious habit.

“Condoms.”

“Condoms don’t always work.” Teddy sings teasingly making her scowl at him. One more wrong word out of Teddy, Harry was taking the brunt of Carlotta’s hit.

James doesn’t doubt it.

Not at all with the looks of her hands curling up into fists.

And they think only their fathers had issues against one another…?

“Fred and I are being careful. For now.” She repeats glaring.

“For now, she says.” Harry sings.

Carlotta makes an aggressive lunge forward in their general direction just in time for Azura to catch the blonde pushing her back into her rightful spot without hitting anyone.

In the end, Carlotta flips them off with a mean looking eye roll as the front door opens revealing a blonde and pale man first, before an annoying brunette man that James just can’t seem to keep out of his house no matter what and who the bloke is with followed by a witch their age as well. James still held grudges.

Grudges that not even a broken cock that his daughter gave seconds after breaking her virginity — yes, he’s well aware that the whole idea of virginities is a social construct, not a virtue but still. It was his little girl and it was that man who he’s quite sure shagged his son as well.

“We’re looking to tie the knot first before having any babies. It’s not my fault you lot all want to break the traditional way.” She still continued to finish saying. “I don’t see a ring on any of y’all’s fingers.”

“Actually the traditional way is to have wait before having premarital sex. Once you’re married, then you have as much sex as you want to make a baby.” Draco lectures, his silver wedding band catching light on his ring finger.

“And you’d know all about that, wouldn’t you Malfoy.” Harry snarks with his family feud attitude against Draco that has James and quite everyone else rolling their eyes, other than Draco who’s glaring back just as fiercely.

Draco lets Theo Nott follow him in, with a heavily pregnant Astoria Greengrass carrying the possible next Malfoy heir, in other words their surrogate and one of Draco’s female best friends, probably equal to Pansy, if Draco had to say to be on Pansy’s good side.

Talk about a full circle with Theo and shagging all the Blacks descendants on the family tree.

James mildly glares at Theo with a side-eye, focusing on the food in front of him. Just cause he was the second oldest in the house, didn’t mean he was going to he the maturest. He’d leave that to his dad.

“So, Pansy, I heard you’re up the duff?” Astoria teases.

“Yes.” Pansy smirks at her Slytherin friends. “I should really be thanking Blaise and Ellie.”

Elianna wrinkles her nose. “Ew. Why would you say it like that?”

“How else am I suppose to say it?”

“Like you didn’t fuck him and I’m not the pregnant one. That’s how. And that’s not the entire story. Biologically, we both know that baby is mine.”

Harry lets out a groan. “So you’re having the kid with fucking Zabini?”

“No! I’m having a baby with Pansy. It’s just she’s doing all the work. Growing it and shit. I’m just going to have my hand broken when it comes and become a slave for a good… six to eight weeks after waiting on her and it.”

Teddy snorts. “It. Already at peak ignorance to be a mother, eh, El?”

Elianna deadpans at her cousin. “You’re lucky you’re up the duff too, or else I’d be hitting you right about now. Papa and Dad raised me right not to hit pregnant people.”

“Why is everyone in this family so violent?” James mutters under his breath before speaking up louder. “Just to be clear, and a bit hopeful on your Papa’s behalf,” James has to speak up. “Singulars? I have to ask. Sorry, it needs to be in the air.”

“Oh Merlin’s tits, Dad!” Azura groans face palming herself as if she’s the one the question is being directed towards. “You’re so embarrassing.”

“I’m asking then.” Fleamont speaks up curiously raising a hand before resting a cheek on a fist watching the group of the younger generations.

“Where is cousin Aster? Mother’s coming over later, just so you know. She’s trying to get Father off her arse. He’s still very defiant on coming ‘round to visit.” Draco asks.

James groans loudly. “Sick, St Mungo’s. Long story, later.”

“I think it’s safe to say everyone’s having one each. So that makes… three new babies to introduce into the family by this time next year.” Teddy points at Pansy who nods, then he even includes Astoria who laughs softly and nods herself placing a hand on her large eight month bump.

James tries to be happy for everyone. He does. But he can just imagine how excited Aster would be. If he was here. Which he refuses to believe Elias truly did something.

Elias… doing something… to the man who saved him. Possibly the one to be behind of killing Aster. But it’s not to that point yet because Aster isn’t dead, yet.

James shakes his head before going back to the food and scanning over. He’s grabbing stuff to make crepes, because he can’t cope with the buzzing talking going on behind him without Aster being here.

He can’t help but think of Aster and their conversation. Aster pondering if any of the kids having their own, becoming a grandfather again. Having a baby in his arms again and the chances of James already knowing of Aster is going to look at him with his big blue eyes, trying to be as convincing and pleading as possible and probably ask him if they could-

No. No. No. Nope. No way. Na-da.

In any language possible that exists on the world, this day is meant to be happy. Aster coming back to normal is the definition of percentage of closer to zero than one. James has been told that each and every time he’s asked a healer that’s been to see Aster.

The loud chatter from the large table with so many kids sat at.

The buzzing chatter of his adult children behind him and close friends and family.

Aster should be here.

A hand on his forearm makes him flinch as he furiously whisks the batter. He looks up to see Azura carefully staring back at him quietly.

“Let’s take a step outside and get some fresh air. Come on.”

It wasn’t a request as she pries the bowl out of his hands and sets it aside, taking him straight through the kitchen and dining room and leaving out the back door where snow covered the entire land that he inherited from his parents.

Azura doesn’t speak, going over to the broom shed and grabbing out two adult-size brooms. She passes one over to James before mounting her own borrowed broom that was a few years old and worn out to the bone.

“Are you okay, Dad?”

James slowly shakes his head as he mounts and kicks off. “Not really, no. But I’m trying to be.”

It was cold. They didn’t have coats on but thick, woolly jumpers. The cold was nice against James’s hot face.

“What really happened to Papa?”

“I…” James drops his head, they were ten, fifteen, twenty feet in the air and he lets out a sob. He was crying in front of his daughter when he should be strong. Azura stays quiet, watching and waiting. “Fuck. Lo siento. No debería estar llorando. Debería ser un hombro más fuerte sobre el cual llorar.”

Azura shakes her head, there was an unreadable look in her eyes as her face hardens a bit on James. She looked soft, careful, tender to him. But James knew his daughter and this talk wasn’t going to be all of a pity party on him. She was Aster’s daughter too, as much as his.

“If Papa is dying, you do have all rights to cry. You love him. And he’s leaving you. You can talk about it, Dad. If not me, someone, I’m sure would be happy to listen. Auncle Sirius? Uncle Remus?”

James shakes his head rubbing at his eyes and pushing his glasses up to his hair. He didn’t care if his glasses fell to the ground. Not the way his Mum or Aster would.

Azura watches him for another moment. “Do you want to know what I learned? When abuela died?”

James lets out a half sigh, coming out like a scoff. Azura doesn’t flinch at his noise. He drops his hand back on the broom, smacking it loudly.

“What, Azura? What could you possibly have learned when abuela died?” He slightly snaps at her and immediately regretting his tone. Because at the end of the day it’s not just him who’d be loosing someone.

She frowns at him. “You don’t stop living, just because you lost someone. And frankly, I don’t think either abuela or Papa would be pleased with you if you did.”

James stares at her.

“Actually… I like to think I learned that before abuela, actually. When Papa was in that accident.” She stares at James carefully.

“When we thought he was going to die in that muggle hospital. Because while everyone was in and out of that hospital,” She lets out a small shrug. “I was moving forward with life, because the world doesn’t stop for just one person, even if they are on their death bed. I was at home, taking care of Nico, Aasil, and Rigile. Feeding them. Changing their nappies. Making sure they were all still healthy and growing while trying to be their big sister and not their mother. All while preparing for the chances of whenever Persephone to be joining the mix of them. A newborn with three toddlers and while all that was going on, I was trying to keep the house in order. Clean. Then Elias came home, half his leg gone and in a wheelchair more times than using his prosthetic leg and walker because he was still learning and we had to move his room around to the first floor. He was still healing. And you were all mopey, depressed, sad. Every single time you came home because Papa was snappy at you. I get it. I do. But at the same time, you weren’t doing shit for anyone but yourself. At most, the bare minimum when it was needed at most.”

Her eyes were big and sparkling in the white sky as she glances upwards and away from James, clearly trying to hold back some tears. A light brown with a pretty blue in them. The slightest bit like Aster’s but mostly like James’.

“But then Papa did wake up. It took time, it took months, but he’s better. You got better. I know something bad happened between the two of you then, that none of us know about. Letters came in all weird, between mine and Ellie’s, and the ones that Harry got too… That we still don’t know about. But… then abuela died a few years ago. And Papa’s doing everything for you; like we were when he was in the hospital.”

James scoffs a bit. “He didn’t-”

“But he did, don’t lie to cover your own arse.” Azura tells him leaning on her broom getting closer to James with her eyes growing darker.

“He- he got all my little siblings ready for school. He got them fed, dressed, did their hair. Have you seen Aurora and Posie’s hair right now? It’s like a bird’s nest right now. All it’s waiting for is some eggs and a family to live in it. Have you even tried to help them brush it? To clothes them in fresh clothes or do you just let them wake up and say it’s pajama day? How long has everyone been in the same clothes? How long as it been since the last load of clothes been washed? You may cook, Dad, but that’s it. That’s how I grew up and saw things until Hogwarts. You work, you were gone days on end, every other week for Quidditch when you had a family waiting for you at home. You may cook, sure I get that you do that, yeah,” She spits coldly at James.

“Papa’s a shit cook, anyone who ate his food can agree on that, but he tries so fucking hard. And he does a lot that you don’t know of and Papa had managed us just fine when you were gone for days straight until you came back, most times in the dead of the night. Papa runs the shit show around here. He makes sure everyone’s okay and sane and- and healthy and prepared and all set to go when it’s time to go and makes sure we’re on time, including you more times than not. And that’s not fair. Not on him, and my siblings don’t deserve that just because he’s gone. They don’t deserve out of orderly fashion just because you can’t handle it as a single parent. And I’m not about to sacrifice my career or Ellie sacrifice her’s or Harry coming here when he has his own family to worry about and I worked my arse off for the job I got now not to come back home to help you when you should be able to manage on your own if this situation is to ever occur, because we both know, Papa could and would make it work without you.”

James stays quiet.

“All you’ve done since for as long as I can remember was go out and play Quidditch dad. You’re the fun dad. I get it, it’s your job. You made the primary source of money when Papa couldn’t work because he was too busy raising us sacrificing his time and happiness for us. We have the same dream but you’re suppose to be a family man. You had kids at home. You- you were out three, four days a week every other week from February to August leaving Papa to handle Harry, Ellie, and I. And you stayed late on days when Quidditch was in season and it’s just… The difference between you and me is that I don’t have a family waiting for me at home, wondering when I’ll get back and if they’d catch me in time for breakfast before they head out to school or if they’d see me before they had to go to bed.”

Azura lets out a cold scoff at James, shaking her head and pulling up on her broom drifting away from James to be ready to head back to the ground.

“You can be sad. You can be depressed. You can cry. But you’re not alone. And the world doesn’t fucking stop for Papa, nor does it stop for you when either you or him, go through a hard time or even die. And right now, you have seven underage kids who still live here and rely on you. So get your shit together and be ready when they find out Papa’s not coming home. Because I sure didn’t have a dad’s shoulder to cry on when I was told that nearly ten years ago. I had my brothers, I had my sister. At least let them have a parent. And do me a favor, when Elias gets home, don’t make him become the dad of the house. Because it’s sure as hell isn’t fun to do when you’re fifteen years old.”

James looks at her with a guilt-full expression on his face. Visible and clear as day. “Azura-”

“Don’t,” She shakes her head firmly not letting James get a word in. James doesn’t miss how she’s floating and drifting away from him slowly.

“It’s too late for any apologies, Dad. I had Harry. And I had Ellie. We had each other and we didn’t have you. So get your shit together, and… stop making people walk on eggshells around you and do your crap for you when you should’ve done it yourself, just because you can’t stop grieving the hard way. You’re not alone, but… just remember what I said. I think I’m going to go home. I’m not in a Christmas-sy mood anymore.”

James’ face was crestfallen for so many different things he couldn’t process it all at once. “Azura, you don’t have to go-”

She shakes her head. “There’s too much excitement and sadness all at once between everyone. I don’t need this- What I do need is a bottle of wine. Maybe some firewhiskey too… Send Carlotta, Luna, and Ginny my way when they’re all done here. I know Ginny is bound to show up sooner or later. Fred is her favourite brother after all.”

James stares down his daughter’s form, watching her become as small as an ant before dismounting the broom and abandoning it in the heap of snow and walking inside, to grab her coat and car keys and to leave James, like how he bet her Papa has been wanting to.

Chapter 14: December 25th, 2005

December 25th, 2005

 

“Echo!”

Echo, echo, echo, echo…

Sirius shoves Barty due to his childish behaviors hard enough to make him stumble down the last step and barely catching himself, hands falling off from cupping around his mouth as his voice echos across the large — and thankfully empty — room.

“Are you honestly swear to Merlin moron or something, Junior?”

“I prefer to think of a term, ingenious,” Barty tells Sirius with a smirk knowing damn well the chances of the eldest Black wouldn’t know the term definition. “Also, right now, I’m not a book keeper. I’m a consulting detective right now.”

“Let it go, Bee. You can’t just copy Sherlock out of the book.” Evan dryly tells his partner with an eye-roll of his blue eyes.

“It’ll catch on!” Barty scowls out in protest. “What do you think we’re doing now, Rosie? Detective-ation!”

“Bloody hell, Lupin,” Regulus stares across the floor, walking and studying the map under his feet.

He could identify the tiny dots as stars above the large buildings that waved across with every step someone made on the map to avoid being crushed. “This room has been under Hogwarts the whole time? It’s so… fancy. How many galleons do you think one panel of this flooring would get us each? What you'd reckon it's made of? Surely... not moonstone or white-gold.”

Remus ignores them, heading straight forward to the portraits and quickly calling for Professor Rackham to come forth. He was a bit relieved to see more than just the only wizard to come out.

“It’s been a while, Professor Lupin,” Niamh smiles gently and extremely kind at Remus. “And I see you’ve brought… friends?” Her head tilts a bit to the side eyeing the rest of the mismatched group of adults.

“Family=.” Remus re-corrects her taking a step back to get a better visual on the portraits as the others grouped up around him. “We also have a problem. A big one, I like to believe.”

“What kind of problem?”

“The trials, the ones you’ve mentioned of Elias having to go on. Has he started those?”

“Yes. He’s just completed his second trial. The third is set to be completed this mid-spring.” Rackham answers.

Remus’s jaw tightens. “What exactly does he learn between the first and second?”

“That’s for him to learn. I don’t see how this can possibly concern you or your friends if any of you don’t possess the ability to wield ancient magic.”

Regulus easily pinches the bridge of his nose annoyed. Barty lowly growls, a step forward and Evan’s holding a hand out to keep him back.

“My brother,” Sirius steps forward politely. “Yey-tall. Salt and pepper black hair. Probably threaten at least one of you to be burned down?”

“Yes, yes. We remember Healer Potter.”

“Good, do be sure to remember him. He’s on his death bed. It’s all your pricks fault!” Sirius doesn’t hold back matching anger that Aster once showed to them all.

Remus sighs lowly dropping his head and stepping back knowing his partner had this taken care of.

“Do you have any idea how wrong it is to teach a sixteen year old such powerful magic? Alone?! Without any proper guidance other than these stupid fucking trials and a pensieve about some bloody witch!?”

“And how do you know this? Has Elias spoken with any of you?”

“No, sir,” Pandora steps forward sending her husband a soft smile that she'd be okay.

She un-tucks the book from her under her arm and shows them the cover, unsure if they’d be able to see the cover or not, but either way it was the polite way to go.

“This book has fallen into our family’s hands. It started with Healer Potter, then his husband which I’ve made a copy of this book for him to read. But this is the original of it’s kind, and the book is very careful of who’s hands it falls into and allows to be read. I like to believe whoever trained with you, whoever came before Elias; had wrote this book in warning that fifteen is far too young for a child to truly understand everything and it’s consequences you’re trying to teach. Or at least to do this on their own with only a single adult as a mentor that they can’t quite trust over every single detail that they go through in life.”

“I see,” A beard is stroked. “But I don’t see how this concerns Elias yet. He’s been remarkable in learning about ancient magic. Stops by here time to time to ask questions occasionally on anything he may not understand of what we can and cannot answer.”

“But that’s the thing, sir.” Pandora looks over to Niamh with a soft smile. “-And ma’am, I believe Elias is on the way of falling into Isidora’s footsteps because he is too young to understand. Right now he’s a teenager who only wants, and just wants. He thinks he already knows what’s best for himself, and can get away without consequences. And if we don’t get answers that you’re not giving Elias entirely just yet, or even the person who came before Elias; Not only Elias, but both Elias and my best friend will hold a terrible future.”

“And you are?” Niamh asks carefully.

“Pandora Lovegood. I’m a seer.” Pandora outrightly answers the second man beside Rackham. A rare answer that she never outrightly gives anyone, ever of her magical occupation of which she possesses.

“I see, what kind of future are you seeing for young Elias?”

Pandora doesn’t blink. “A dark one. Far too dark for any sixteen year old. Death is near if we don’t solve this soon, and that’s all we want. We need to know what we’re facing. We don’t wish to know your secrets, but to help, find, and save of what’s been lost and stolen.”

“The only way we could overcome Isidora was death.” San Baker answers. “I had to kill her out of defense, before she had tried to take Niamh’s pain. It took all of us to take her down entirely. I do not wish for Elias to face such a young death himself. He is a bright wizard, a highly curious one, in that fact.”

“What exactly has Elias done?” Niamh asks instead.

“My little brother is in the wizard hospital, St Mungo’s.” Regulus speaks darkly. “He’s a shell. Not eating, not drinking. It started weeks ago. And now they’re giving him days. We all believe Elias has something to do with it, but no one was there to witness anything be done. We’re looking for facts, not theories.”

There was fast and low murmurs being talked over them between the four portraits.

“I told you we should’ve done three instead of four trails, putting mine and Charles’s memories together would’ve been the safest way to do it. To show Elias exactly the side effects of what to come if he did what Isidora had done.”

“Yes but he wouldn’t learn enough in just three trials. He needed the-”

“But look where we’re at now, Percival. A man is dying, again.”

“You know there’s no way to heal what has been taken-”

“The man with green and black hair is starting shooting sparks from his wand far too close for my liking, I’m fearing for my portrait’s safety. This is the only portrait of my kind-”

“What can we do to save my best mate and no one gets hurt.” Barty threatens, red burning sparks flying out of his wand as he twirls it between his fingers far too skillfully that put obvious fear into the paintings interpreting their discussions.

All four paintings shut up fast.

“I know you lot heard me. I want answers. Now!”

“There is no possible way, I’m afraid.” Rackham answers with a flat face. “After Isidora’s death, I tried every possible way to heal the students who’ve she’s stolen from. But all the magic between what she inhaled and absorbed into one ball. It’s impossible to give back what she took exactly and precisely.”

“So you’re saying: my brother’s going to die?” Regulus asks them quietly.

“How long has he’s been the way he’s now? What state does he look like?”

“White-grey eyes. He just sits there. Falls over if not supported to be sitting up.”

Niamh makes a noisy inhale. “Days. When did it start?”

“Just about three days ago. He was able to reply at first, but it all went downhill, fast.”

“No one lasts longer than a week.” The short man answers sincerely to the group. “Once they hit this point. A week, is what we’d give them. So many innocents had died, because we failed to help them when we started to feel like something was wrong.”

Barty’s eyes were calculating. “You say what Isidora did to the pain she took, was either inhaled like a junkie or put into a big ball, all mixed up. What. if. his. magic. isn’t. mixed. yet?” Barty ends punctuating with each final word with a smack on his hand.

“Hope.” San tells them. “I’d say you’d have hope.”

Niamh nods in agreement. “I agree. We never had an opportunity if the chances are Elias never mixed the pain with another’s. But once there’s a second, your hope would be gone.”

“If we find Aster’s pain, and it’s not mixed with anyone else’s. How can we give it back. How can we return his pain?”

“That comes the tricky part.” Rackham tells them. “You may can see it after it’s taken and stored, but only Elias can wield it.”

“Fuck!” Barty curses loudly yanking at his hair stressfully. “Fuck! Fuck! “Fanculo quel dannato ragazzo! Perché doveva essere così carino quando Aster lo ha visto e lo ha convinto ad adottarlo!?”

Everyone look defeated then. Deep, sad frowns on thier faces and half of them who were on the sensitive sides looked on the verge of tears.

“So the only way we can save Aster is if we confront Elias.” Regulus softly speaks. “We’re screwed.”

“There’s seven of us and one of him,” Sirius refused to back down. “We can take him in a duel.

“The book said that the past person was able to change a man into a chicken with a wave of their wand. And they learned how to do that early on. We’d all be hens and roosters in no time.”

“Elias has always been exceptionally talented in all his classes. I’ve talked to all his professors. He’s a natural in wand-casting in everything. And he’s exceptional in written work too, so… pointless. Elias likes studying.”

“Like the book says.” Pandora repeats.

Barty stops his tantrum that everyone was ignoring and lights up. “I got it!”

“Got what?”

“If he refused, Elias is like, weak. He hates sports. He hates Quidditch. He hates anything that has to do with even running. He’s physically weak of literally everything. He can't pack a punch, he can't out run anyone, the best he may can do is bitch-slap Big Black over there... You guys see where I'm going with this?”

“No. Where are you going with this, Barty?” Pandora asks with a large blink of her bright blue diamond-like eyes.

“Elias may be good with his wand. But he’s shitty athletically. We just got to get him without his wand. Disarm him, get the best athletic person of us, and we're good to go.”

“Great. One problem.” Remus points out.

“What?”

“The most athletic person between all of us isn’t here.”

Barty hisses smacking a hand onto his mouth. He slowly slides it down his face still thinking hard, using every elections of his brain. “Right. Damn. Fuck. Alright. New plan: we get Potter involved.”

“I don’t think James would.” Sirius shakes their head knowing their best friend too well. “Not when he’s in this sort of headspace. James is too... miserable right now.”

“Well get him out of this headspace of whatever he’s in.” Barty hisses. “This is his husband we’re talking about.” An far too annoyed twinge to Barty's eye. Beside him, Evan's jaw tenses and his blue eyes look away from everyone towards the flooring to aimlessly look over the map that was exposed.

“This is my best mate. This is your little brother, Regulus. You too, Sirius!”

Sirius' eyebrows lifts when Barty uses their proper name. No Black, no ridioculus nicknames. There was no mocking coming from him. This was Barty who meant business on bringing Aster back and using every pawn possible on the chess board. And if it mean being on the best terms possible with everyone, so be it.

“We all love him! If it was my Rosie, I’d kill every man, woman, or child that’d even try to conceal you from me. That’s how much I love you. I’d kill for you, Rosie. And yeah, you know what?” A low scoff. “I'd kill for Aster too. That's how much I love him...” Barty's voice drifts into something far more quiet. “Don't you guys love him too? Enough for revenge? Or, even if there's a slim chance of bringing him back, to try it?”

“I don’t think James would kill Elias. Elias is still his son. James loves Elias, probably as much as Aster does. It’s probably how Elias had the upper hand on Aster to begin with.”

Barty scoffs. “I'm not looking to get the boy killed. I'm looking for revenge. And revenge looks far better with years well spent in Azkaban than dead.”

Pandora lets out a tiny gasp, her hands covering her mouth. “No, Barty. That's for Aster to decide and him only. Until then, Elias is as innoncent as any other student here.”

Barty lets out a groan, rolling his eyes.

“Elias is Aster’s son. Look where Aster is now.” He points out.

“Why don’t we just talk to him? Make him see with reason?” Pandora tries carefully.

And there was that rational thinking quality that he always seemed to lack.

Barty licks his lips, tounge piercing clacking across his teeth noisily.

“Who votes on getting Potter involved rather he likes it or not, raise your hand.” Barty announces lifting his own hand.

Barty. Evan. Regulus. Remus. To Barty’s surprise, even Xenophilius’s hand goes up.

“That’s five. Those who want to form a Plan B, be my guest. Anyone else, we’re already late as it is to Potter Manor. The kids are waiting on us and probably are going to chew out arses out when we get there. Let me deal with Jimbo. I promise, I'll get him on our side in no time.”

Signed.

Set.

Now it just needed to be delivered and served.

Chapter 15: December 26th, 2005

December 26th, 2005

 

James lets out a heaving unbelievable laugh at Barty. It has been an emotionally long and taxing day for him to say the least.

“You want me to attack my child?” James breathes out already shaking his head as he puts away left overs. “Are you insane? No, Crouch. Just,” James shakes his head in disbelif. he's heard a lot of insane stuff come out of Barty's mouth but this beyondly tops just about everything. “No.”

“He’s responsible for killing Aster, Jimbo.” Barty points out as if it was the most obvious reason to attack a sixteen year old when they’re least to expect it.

“He’s not dead yet.” James points out. “I’m taking the little kids to see Aster tomorrow. Then I getting the boys out of Hogwarts the following day. Splitting them up into smaller groups so I can tackle and focus on everyone better so they can see him and I can comfort them.”

“And to see what?” Barty argues with him.

It was just him and James.

If anyone could come up with the best argument and keep at it, it was Barty. And Barty does it best when he’s alone with his victim in sight.

“A body? A dead body? We don't know if he'll make it up to suviving that long. Then what are you going to do? Ask the healers and medi-nurses to make it look like he’s sleeping? Put a bit make up on his cheeks to make it look like he’s not dead? Newsflash, Potter. He will be if we don’t try this. It’s our best bet.” Barty slaps the counter hard wishing it was the side of James’ head.

“Best or only?”

“Both.” Barty spits in his face and slides over the Marauder's map to him on the coutner in the kitchen. James looks at it for a moment beofre looking away and distracting himself to what he was doing before Barty came into the kitchen half hour ago.

James looks down at the container full of crepes between the two of them he was about to put the lid on. He sets the lid on it and passes it into Barty’s chest. “Bring back the container when you’re done with it. I already charmed it so you can bring it into the bedroom to put with your stuff and bring it home tomorrow morning.”

Barty tosses the container on the breakfast island carelessly.

“Look, Potter. We got one shot at this and a very strict time limit. Lupin and Black got that map off Elias without him being too suspicious and it has to be returned tomorrow. Use it, track him down. Fight him when he least expects it where he won't have his wand on him. Lupin says all his roommates are gone, it’s just him in the room. That’d be a good place to pop in and take him down when he least’s ready to draw his wand.”

“He’s sixteen, Junior.” James sighs. “I’m not going to get in trouble for hurting a sixteen year old whose my son. Do you realize what’d happen if I get caught? I’d lose my other kids too. I just can’t afford it. I’m not-… No.”

Barty smacks the blank map down on the counter between the both of them. “When did you grow up to be suck a fucking coward? And to think Aster’d kill for you.”

James sighs tiredly pushing up his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose stressfully. He was done with this conversation the moment Barty walked into the room.

“Aster would be sensible and think rationally before doing any slaughtering for me.”

Barty cocks his head to the side. “Prove it.”

James drops his hand looking at Barty like he's insane.

Which, he was.

“How!?”

A mindful shrug. “Ask Aster.”

James ends up rolling his eyes with a deep groan. Barty’s neck was looking really good to put his hands around right now.

“I can’t.”

“You can. If you give your son a proper beat-down and threating. Bloody hell, even a hard pat on the bum-bum.” Barty’s eyes drift over James. “I’d bet Aster would think you’d look sexy while doing it. Fighting for him… For his honor, you know?”

James’s jaw ticks. Barty smirks, he had him right where he wanted him.

“I’m just saying…” Barty hums quietly turning on his sock covered feet with ease. “It’d be hot. Even if it is a sixteen year old you’re up against, it’s probably the most powerful person of this century to ever fight, magic or physical, though we both know Elias isn’t very strong. Very Gryffindor of you, don’t you think?”

“I know what you’re trying to do and it’s not working, Crouch.”

“Whatever you say, Semaj.” Barty grabs a cookie on his way out of the kitchen heading to the guest room that once was Azura’s room that Barty and Evan were staying in for the night.

James’s eye twitches with Barty hitting a nerve and getting the last word as the door closes loudly. A deep and tired sigh before James mouths to himself, probably the weirdest nickname Barty came up for him yet before he goes back to what he was doing.

James went back to putting away the food. But his eyes drift onto the map every time he goes by the counter Barty smacked it on.

When he gets the last bit of leftover food in the fridge, he’s leaning on the counter, hands flat on the surface as he’s staring at the blank map really debating if he should do it or not.

Chances are, Elias would be asleep now with it being past two in the morning.

And if Barty was right — that was a big if James was playing with — he’d be alone in his room.

James knew how to get into the Hufflepuff common room, and if he gets caught at Hogwarts, he can get away with it with both his job and masking up an excuse saying he was visiting Elias.

James sucks in a deep breath, pulls out his wand from his belt holster and mumbles the enchantment to the map.

Elias’s name comes up quick and still.

He was more than likely in his dorm room asleep as predicted.

Asleep, unarmed, unprepared, unsuspecting.

James pinches his eyebrows together, grabbing the map and shoving it into his pajama pants pocket and quickly grabs a handful of floo powder and goes straight to Hogwarts through Remus’s floo in his private quarters being closest to the Hufflepuff common room.

It felt entirely so wrong of James to be sneaking around at this day and age with him being a forty-five years old man.

For starters, he wasn’t a student anymore pulling pranks.

Another thing, this was his son. He still can’t find it in him to probably lift a fist to him if he had to. But he’d think of something. Maybe. Or maybe he’ll end up just like Aster.

Thirdly… his heart was pounding showing just how much fear was rushing through his veins as he snuck through the corridors of the castle.

He was terrified as he taps his wand to the Helga Hufflepuff rhyme to the stack of barrels.

The Hufflepuff common room was quiet. No one was around. A simple Christmas tree was set up in the far corner and a small dying fire was hardly going.

James pulls out the map, rechecking it to see Elias’s name remaining in place.

A deep breath. He’s creeping up the stairs looking at the doors at the temporarily engraved initials for Elias’s and sneaks in.

Elias was asleep on his side. A pillow under his head, another tucked under his arms that he was cuddling into with his blanket all tangled and twisted around his one and a half legs and his blonde hair spilling around his head and he looked a whole decade younger sleeping so innocently in the bed.

All alone in the dorm room. Looking like a child.

James’s child.

He was James’s child. Is his child.

His child that he may or may not is about to fight and possibly hit.

James clenches his jaw as he quietly sets the map on the nightstand, spotting Elias’s wand and moving it to another location. Under the mattress to a different bed farthest to Elias.

Then he creeps over to Elias, hovering over him like some stalker-ish lurker who watches children when they slept like some weird pervert which he wasn’t.

Staring at Elias in the dark. Just looking how peaceful he was sleeping.

James quickly saw red for the life of Aster.

A hand swiftly smacks over Elias’s mouth firm and tight, fingertips digging into his cheeks to keep his mouth sealed shut.

James swiftly grabs and collects his boney wrists into one hand, small enough to fit into his large hands and Elias’s eyes were wide as he shouts and cries with muffles under his hand and his light hazel eyes with hints of green were full of panic.

Elias attempted to kick with his good leg, lower half far too tangled up with his blanket. And James’ grip on his wrists had him wiggling around like a worm at best under him with James pinning him down to the bed, far much heavier than the sixteen year old with his adult body.

“What did you do to your Papa?” James hisses at him quietly, leaning dangerously close to his face. “I know it was you. You got one chance before I turn you into the authorities. Don’t even think about lying to me, hijo. I’m not the only one who knows. If you make me disappear, there'll be even more hell to pay.”

Slowly, his hand removes off Elias’s mouth but he keeps him pinned in place. Elias’s breathing was shallow and quick. “I did what was best for him.”

“Fuck that.” James curses. “What did you do? Tell me.”

“I- I took his pain away. I made him better. I helped him.”

“He’s dying because of you.” James spits in his face still practically leaning on top of him to keep him pinned down.

Elias’s face drops and he looks earnestly concern as well as very confused. “He is? What-? How?”

“Because of you. Of whatever the fuck you did to him. Taking his pain, you took everything from him. Posie’s been having night terror for days now since she found him. Naps, bedtimes. You need to fix your Papa, now, Elias. Or it’s Azkaban for you. Believe me, it’s not just me who wants to turn you in.”

Elias nods slowly. “Okay. Uh… I… I can try. I don’t really-”

“No.” James shakes his head. “No trying. You’re doing. You’re fixing him.”

“I- I need my wand. I- I think it’s simple. I just have to return what I took from him.”

James shakes his head again easing off Elias. “You’re not getting your wand back.”

Elias sits up, blanket falling to his lap. “Why not? I need it to-…” He looks to the nightstand to see it missing. Elias snaps his head to stare at James wide-eyed. “Where did you put it? Where did you hide it!?”

“Save your breath.” James dryly tells him. “You fix your Papa, but you’ve got a whole lot more fixing up to do if he chooses not to report you when he’s back to normal. But if he dies… You got a whole lot of explaining to do to the ministry and more than a handful of aurors and family members.”

Elias doesn’t meet James’s eyes.

“How- how bad is he?” Elias stutters.

“He’s nobody.” James answers easily. “You took him. Whatever you did. There’s nothing left of him. No magic. No personality. No opinion. No soul. Ever heard of a dementor’s kiss?”

Elias nods going more pale by the second. He throws his legs off the bed and quickly sets up his prosthetic leg on. He didn’t even have to get up and off the bed before he pulls open the top drawer of his nightstand and pulls out a jaw. James watches the dark bit of what looked to be like smoke rapidly tapping on the glass looking to escape.

“This- well, it’s him.” Elias tells James softly. “I… It felt wrong to just toss it away. So I kept it here. I didn’t know what to do with it. Yet.”

“Why’d you do it?”

Elias shrugs tiny. “I’m tired of him trying to make me someone I’m not. I’m not him. AS much as we’re alike. And I’m not who he wants me to be.”

“And your best decision was to attack him and take… this from him?” James gestures ridiculously to the jar.

“The memory said she took his pain. I thought if I took Papa’s pain, what’s been haunting him. He’d stop stressing on making me perfect.”

“Taking this,” James grabs onto Elias’ wrist that held the jar. “-his pain or whatever it is... you’re killing him, Elias. It’s all on you.”

“I didn’t mean to. I didn’t know that I’d kill him.” Elias’s voice cracks looking up to James with glossy eyes. “I just wanted him to stop pressuring me. And I thought- she took his pain. I wanted Papa to feel less pain. He’s always so… tired and miserable-looking, Dad. I just… I wanted to help him. I did. I- I do.”

James sighs deeply, he moves a hand onto Elias’s calf that shifted onto the bed.

“I don’t like seeing Papa in pain either. Mentally or physically. But this isn’t the right answer, Elias. You need to return this to Papa and make up to him for what you’ve done. Not only to Papa, but to everyone else too. Everyone's freaking out and scared for him right now.”

Elias winces. “Who else knows?”

“Everyone.” James honestly tells him. “All your uncles, Auncle Sirius. Auntie Pandora. I did my best to beat around the bush with Harry, Ellie, and Azura, so you might get lucky with them. But you also might be facing legal charges from Papa, if he decides to press any against you. Everyone already agreed that if he goes back to normal, that he get the final decision to turn you in or not.”

A tear runs down Elias’s terrified face. It’s quickly added with more tears as Elias lets out a choking sob falling into James' chest like the child he was. “I messed up, Dad.”

“I know.” James nods softly setting a hand onto Elias’ upper back and giving it a firm few pats. “You did. Big time.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt him so bad.”

“I know that now.” James also says. “But your Papa needs to hear that most. Not me. Not Your Uncles. Not… Just him. You need to make it up to him, somehow. No one was there but you and him. No one knows what went down, but you and him. And you need to be clear and straight with him, with how you feel. With how much he’s been pressuring you. And also apologize to him.”

“What if he doesn’t forgive me.”

James exhales deeply. He gently pushes Elias up and away from him.

“I don’t know.”

“You both promised me,” Elias quietly cries looking at James for help. “That if I mess up so bad. No matter what, you’d both help me. Will you? Will you help me if Papa can’t?”

James swallows thickly before looking away. He doesn’t answer Elias straight. “First, lets heal your Papa.”

Elias lets out a heart-wrenching sob, launching himself back into James’s arms and crying into his ugly Christmas jumper. James rubs his back soothing, soft whispers of kind words like he always does when his kids are crying and upset. Because at the end of the day, Elias was still James' child. He was still a kid who was still learning from right to wrong.

A few minutes pass before Elias gets a hole of himself. He scrubs his face dry with his blanket before nodding shakily at James and holding the jar. “Okay. I’m ready.”

“I won’t give you your wand until we’re there. I can’t trust you not to attack anyone with my back turned.” 

A shaky nod. “… Okay. I… It’s understandable. I don’t blame you.”

James gets up and collects Elias’s wand. Elias doesn’t fight James for it as James slips his own wand into his holster and keeps Elias’s firm in his hand. Elias holds onto the jar and they both walk back to Remus’s office after Elias grabs out the invisibility cloak from his trunk.

“Where is Papa?” Elias asks as he gathers a handful of powder.

“St Mungo’s. I told you, he’s dying. No one can save him but you.”

Not to put any pressure onto the sixteen year old, but yeah, pretty much that's it.

They floo, they arrive.

It was an awkward shuffle to the room Aster was being held in while under the cloak. With James bent over a bit, slightly spooning Elias as they count their steps to match up and when James gets them both in the room, he didn’t know what to expect. But it wasn’t what he walked in on.

At least half a dozen healers were running around the room.

Aster laid on the bed, limpness and eyes wide open with the dull and scary whiteness and he was pale. No blood flushing his cheeks anymore. He looked physically dehydrated and starved going on now five days without eating or drinking.

“He stopped breathing!” Someone in the room shouts, clearly one of the people more panicked than the few others who just stills.

“-There’s nothing else we can do.” Another decides.

“-Don’t bother with the resuscitation, it’s already in his documents not to. He's a hopeless cause.”

“-Someone call it!”

“-Someone go send a patronous to Mr Potter’s family.”

“-Already on it, sir!”

A time is declared, a white sheet is placed over Aster’s body and the room was empty in a single minute.

“Do it now before it’s too late!” James shoves Elias forward, wand being shoved in his hand.

Elias shakily nods, he grips his wand handle tightly with a shaky grip and unlids the jar. Quickly he catches the magic before it goes flying out of the jar with the tip of his wand and brings it over to Aster’s body.

The jar is set to the side on the bed, the sheet is yanked back revealing Aster's deceased body.

“Forgive me, Papa.” Elias whispers lowering his wand and guiding the dark stormy stolen magic back into Aster’s unmoving chest.

Elias lifts his wand after the tip touches the thin material of the hospital gown. The magic was absorbed and all James and Elias could do now was watch and wait for a sign of hope.

“He’s still not breathing.” Elias tells James taking a step back to stand by his side and take in the bigger picture of Aster with silent tears running down his face. “I- I returned it. I did it. Why isn’t he waking up?”

James doesn’t answer, only setting a hand on Elias’s shoulders and watching Aster with locked eyes. Light, golden eyes on Aster mentally pleading and begging for Aster, to the gods, to whoever was listening.

Come on.

Come on, love. Don’t die on us now.

This is when you always wake up. This is when you always like to give everyone a jump fright.

Make my heart race for a whole new reason, mi amor .

Relieve me. Wake up. Take a breath. Breathe.

Please.

For me. For us. For the family. For yourself.

Don’t give up.

Don’t tell me you fought this far, this long, this hard, to give up now.

Keep fighting.

If not for yourself, for me, for the kids, find a reason to keep going.

Please. Por favor. S’il te plaît .

Whatever other language there is, he promises to learn it. James promises to get to his knees to beg.

To fight.

To plea. To do anything for now on for Aster.

Please mum, don’t let me loose him too.

Chapter 16: December 26th, 2005

December 26th, 2005

 

Aster releases a choking sob — entirely terrified as his emotions hit him with a wave of force as he sucks in a deep breath like he was suddenly deprived of all air for the last few minutes of his life.

Suddenly he’s regaining movement in his hands and he’s curling up his body into a fetus position without a single proper word or even opening his eyes.

His head was throbbing — right where he felt his hair clip had broken into his skull.

He smacks his lips, suddenly feeling dry in the mouth. His mouth down to his throat was so dry by to unbelievable measures. And for once in his life he could truly admit that he was hungry like he was a starving man and actually wanted to eat something.

It takes him a second to process he was laying against something soft than a stone wall in the Hogwarts music room… so did he pass out? Did his son attack him with enough force that had him knocked out on the floors? Who found him? Don’t tell him it was another student…?

“Oh, thank gods,” He hears James before a loud thump follows.

“Papa!” Aster’s eyes snap open the second a hand touches his forearm and he’s screeching loudly and shoving Elias back with his arms and legs.

He's moving fast, pressing himself to the wall the bed was up against and resulting in kicking him despite how pained and heavy his legs felt.

“Don’t touch me! Don’t you fucking touch me!” Aster hisses wildly at his child, waving his hands everywhere all at once to shove every touching thing off him. “What did you do to me!?”

And if Elias didn’t look any more upset then, his hand falls and Aster’s taking in that’s he’s crying. Aster doesn’t drop his guard for a second. Even when he looks over to James, who was on his knees in front of the bed looking to be sending some sort of prayer while looking at him.

“Aster… what’s the very last thing you remember?” James asks him softly.

Aster’s eyes look at on Elias. Hard and full of fear. He carefully places a a hand on the back of his head, feeling no wound or blood. He looks between James to Elias confused.

“I was bleeding. I swear I could feel it… my head’s throbbing of from the clip…” Eyes harden even more. “What did you do to me?”

“I’m so sorry, Papa. I am. I- I didn’t know what would have happened.” Elias sniffles.

“What happened?”

“I- I just wanted to take your pain. I wanted to help you. Take what’s been burdening you and making you suffer. To get you off my back.”

Aster looks away from his crying child, attempting to shuffle away still on the bed and looking around the room with large and alarmed eyes. He knew he wasn’t in Hogwarts anymore. “Where am I?”

“St Mungo’s.” James quietly answers lifting a shaky hand and setting it on Aster’s left ankle. His fingers over a pulse point just feeling how fast and heavy the flickering beat was under Aster’s skin. “You pretty much just died. You stopped breathing for a moment… or two…”

“What happened to me?” Aster ask ever so quietly, eyes zoning back on Elias with so much fear in them. “What the fuck did you do to me? The- the- that black smokey stuff. That’s the last thing I can think of. What- what was that?”

Elias’s jaw trembles. “I fucked up, Papa. I didn’t mean to kill you. I promise. It was an accident. I just wanted to make you better-”

Aster wheezes loudly, choking on his own breath. Kill him?

He was dead!?

What happened?!

“You messed with magic that you didn’t know the consequences of?!” Aster hisses.

Why did this keep happening to him? Why? His mother? His son?

“You should never do that.” Aster’s voice cracks breaking down mentally.

And Christmas was right around the corner. He needed to… there was so much stuff to do still… And now he was stuck in St Mungo’s?

Aster thumps his head on the wall that the bed was pushed up against gently. He couldn’t get his body to stop shaking no matter how hard he tried.

“No matter if you only read about it. No training, no second-hand experience. You should never do that. And you did. On me, nonetheless.”

Aster’s hard face cracks. Jaw trembles and he’s shaking. James can feel it under his hand that was gently touching his ankle.

“Why me?” A shuddering released breath. His jaw was clattering noisily. “I’ve done nothing but love you, Elias. I took you in. I adore you. And now… it’s like looking at a stranger who just wanted to kill me. I… I…” Aster doesn’t even finish his sentence, a tear running down his face that he quickly cleans off.

“But I’m not. I- I didn’t. I didn’t want to, I promise.” Elias weakly begs. “I’m not a stranger, Papa. I’m Elias. You know me. I’m that little boy you adopted. I’m the same boy you raised since I was four! I’m- I do love you. I love you too. Je t’aime, je te le promets. Vraiment.”

Aster was furiously shaking his head, arms wrapped around his body securely. His cheeks were growing colour back by the passing seconds. But it didn’t help with the coldness that made him feel like he was freezing his arse off and the fear that had him shaking as much as the cold strongly inflicted on his body.

“I don’t believe you. How can I?”

Elias was shaking his head furiously. “Please, Papa. Please, I didn’t mean to. I don’t know what else I can say to convince you-”

“Elias, I think it’s time you waited out in the hall.” James tells him with a gravely voice. “Give Papa some time.”

“But, dad-!” His voice is broken and strained, light hazel eyes flickering wetly between fathers. “I- I didn’t mean to! You have to believe me!”

“Go.” James sternly tells him, hands on his smaller shoulders and turning him around to face the door with force. “Find a healer or someone who works here and tell them your Papa’s breathing and alert. I half expect someone to not be shocked at this with his past records and medical history.”

Slowly Elias leaves the room with only socks on his feet. Aster doesn’t stop shaking just because he’s not in the room. Not even when he notices the invisibility cloak on the floor by the door.

James’s thumb strokes Aster’s ankle, trying to calm him a bit as his eyes were fixated on the door.

“I don’t want him to come home.” Aster tells James with a hard fixated voice, eyes still glued on the door like he didn’t trust Elias leaving and to return under the invisibility cloak.

“It’s not safe for the others. After what he’s done with me. The kids are defenseless…” Aster releases a shuddery breath. “You don’t know what he did to me, James.”

“I figured.” James nods tiny. “Whatever you want.”

Aster’s eyes finally flickered to James for a second before fixating back at the door. Aster lifts a shaky hand and brings it to his forehead massaging his temple for a moment with a tiny pained groan.

“How long has it been? I imagine I blacked out for a while at most.”

“A few hours past midnight on the twentieth-sixth. I never went to bed after trying to settle down, went from trying to keep everyone calm for the holidays to… well, sneaking in and getting Elias out of Hogwarts to heal you. Barty and Evan are staying the night at the manor so… I’m pretty sure this was planned out somehow so the kids wouldn’t be alone tonight.”

Aster breathes in deeply. He doesn’t comment on the date James gives him.

It was the fifteenth, the last he can recollect his thoughts. Nearly two whole weeks he had blacked out for.

“What’s the last thing you remember?” James asks him quietly.

“Nothing pleasant, if that’s what you’re asking.” Aster answers stiffly holding himself tightly in a ball with just his one leg untucked for James to touch, not wanting to lean on James and otherwise be touched.

“Tell me.”

Aster shakes his head. “I don’t want to even think about it.”

“You should talk about it anyway.”

“Why should I?” He looks back to James with a hard glare. “You don’t talk to me about Effie. Or anything that’s bothering you. I think I’ve got rights to this.”

If James was to push, Aster was to shove. Certainly in a mood like this.

James’s jawline tenses as he clenches down on his jaw. “If you want me, I will.”

“Do it then.”

“I’m angry at her.” James easily answers. Voice calm and steady. “As well as upset. Furious. Every possible negative emotion to feel, I bet I’ve felt it at least once since she died. A part of me wishes she’s in hell. A part of me wishes she’s dining with the best of the best people and being served the best of the best food, with the best wine ever to be created in the clearest glass in her hand and gossiping with whoever that’s up there that she loves. I…” His voice trails off for a few seconds.

“I’m pissed, because she thought she could try and keep herself such a secret of dying from me at the start. I never got over that part. And when she had finally told me, I was upset that she thought it was the best thing to not tell me. Then she lasts longer than we all expected, and a part of me had hope. Hope she’d… I don’t know. Live forever, I guess? Even if it meant her suffering. I wanted her to live as long as I’m alive for? But she didn’t, and I’m still here, living on my own with Dad who’s going to die one day too, and leave me all alone. And she’s not here. And it’s just me. And my Dad left. And I’m mad. And I’m so fucking scared and you almost died again by the hands of Elias of all people just because he’s fucking annoyed like any other teenager with their parents like with you pestering him to be perfect and all I want to do is fall in my mum’s arms and get another one of her hugs and instead I’m on the dirty floors of St Mungo’s on my knees in front of you who’s in a bed, in a totally non-sexy way bawling my eyes out and you’re shaking down to the bone terrified for your life all because I cannot live life alone but I also now know, life doesn’t just stop because one person fucking dies.” James ends with a growl, his hand tight and digging into Aster’s ankle now.

Aster lifts a hand, less shaky but still tremoring and brings it to James’s hair. His fingers run through it and he catches on a knot fast.

A quiet sigh escapes his lips before he can help himself. And even with him still shaking, a tiny smile starts to form on his lips.

“When was the last time you tamed your hair?”

James lets out a wet laugh, head falling and pressing into Aster’s thigh. “I hate you as much as I love you, Aster. You died and you’re worried about my hair?”

Aster laughs soft, lips forming a better smile as he’s gently picking apart the knot from James’ hair not to cause him pain, treating him with just as much care and precaution as he does with his kids.

“As much as do I.” Aster agrees. “Always that fine line between hate and love. I always did thought we used it like a jump rope when we were younger.” A deep sigh was exhaled.

Aster remains shaking, but picking apart and trying to focus on James’ knotty hair was helpful some. He’ll probably be shaking for a long time if his mind has anything to do with it.

“No wonder there’s so many books based off enemies to lovers trope. We need to start reading together again. Make time for that in bed now that we’re fucking a whole lot less. Need to make use of our bed for something other than sleeping.”

Another wet laugh, putting a bigger smile on Aster’s face. Aster rubs the back of his hand against one of his eyes, leaving one hand still in James’ hair.

Without any glasses or contacts in, James was all blurry. But he could care less over his vision at that soft moment between the two of them.

“I never drew my wand out at him, you know? When he did, even when I saw him pick up his wand. I still didn’t.” Aster tells James quietly, picking apart another big knot. James is careful not to move that’d disturb Aster from telling him what happened.

“Because I trusted that he’d never hurt me.” A deep breath in. “But he did anyway. My wand was still in my holster when he… I don’t know how he did it. The vines. The plants. They were like the devil’s snare but not.”

“What did he do?”

“He used them to… pinned me to the wall. I hit my head so hard I can still feel it now. I… I don’t know why, even if it is healed. He was controlling the overgrown vines that were growing in the pots in the music room. The…” Aster uses his free hand and touches the back of his head where there was still a throbbing dull ache.

“I had one of my clips in my hair. The force of me slamming into the wall broke it into my skull. I remember I was bleeding, I could feel it down my neck. Was I bleeding when you saw me after I got home?”

James shakes his head. “He probably healed you somehow. Concealed it all up.”

Aster thumps his head on the wall behind him, the pain in his head screamed at him. He drops James’s hair entirely and his hands are shaking to the point where he can’t keep still. They’re brought to his lap and cradling one another.

“I was begging him, James. I remember telling him I’d give him anything. Everything. Whatever he wanted. I was… I was scared, James. Like, I didn’t even feel this way with mother. That’s how scared I was. I-… I just wanted to go home. I wished I never had gone to Hogwarts to try to get him to go home… if I knew that was what I was going to be facing.”

“Because you love him and we have a structure foundation of rules not just for him but for all the kids to be fair. Elias just didn’t see that. Just like any other of our older kids when they were his age.” James softly tells him. Aster pursed his lips and nod tiny.

“A part of me hates that I adopted him that day, now. Just because of what he did to me.”

Aster lets out startling a choking laugh. Tears start to run down his face, he uses the pad of his fingers to clean his face catching them as they fell to the best of his ability.

“I never thought I’d say that from how much I love him. But I don’t think I can ever regret adopting him. I love him too much. Like all the other kids… equally. But… why? I would’ve licked the dirt and mud off the bottom of his shoe at that very moment, James. That’s how desperate I was to just… leave him alone.” Aster swallows thickly. “If I didn’t get the clues before, I got it now. Okay? I got it now. I’m leaving him the fuck alone and staying the hell away.”

James inhales, then exhales. “I think you should talk to him. He seemed-”

Aster shakes his head. “Not for a fucking long time. No. I can’t. Never again.”

James nods taking Aster’s hand and squeezing it tightly. “I won’t push you. Just think about it. Get yourself some answers. I’m sure he’s willing to answer you, as you are to listen to him. But give yourself time to heal, too., first”

James moves his hand back to Aster’s ankle, fingers gently caressing the revealed skin above Aster’s socks he had on that clearly belonged to St Mungo’s and in the right moment when they fall quiet, the door slams open.

Barty barges into the room first, and quickly he sags in relief and lets out a choking noise. 

“Oh, thank gods it worked. I was starting to doubt myself.” He praises flinging himself over onto Aster’s bedside not even asking and dragging Aster into a tight embrace unlike James who has been trying to respect his shaking boundaries. “Stop fucking dying on us, Fiore Stellato.”

“What worked?” Aster questions quietly, face burried into Barty’s chest where he happily stayed without fight.

“Barty had a one-on-one talk with me after everyone went to bed when I was putting away left overs. Trying to convince me to attack Elias to heal you.”

That made Aster sit up and push out of Barty’s chest to look at James. “You attacked Elias?”

“What? No-!”

“It took a bit of psychological manipulation but clearly it worked.” Barty smirks shifting on the bed beside Aster and grabbing his cheeks to examine his eyes closely, their noses nearly touching.

Barty smiles softly at Aster when their eyes meet. The faintest pink blooms on Barty’s cheeks as Aster reaches up to grab at his wrist and giving him a tiny squeeze in comfort.

“I didn’t attack Elias!” James tells Barty rolling his eyes as the others start filing into the room. Barty pulls Aster into another hug.

“You didn’t?”

“No.” James shakes his head. “No. I- I did a sneak attack- No-! I phrased that wrong. I just made him listen. He was willing to come after I told him where Aster was and what was happening. He didn’t know that doing so of whatever the hell he did would even kill someone. One word that Aster was dying because of him, he willingly came here with me to fix it. He’s not all cruel and evil.”

Barty studies James for a minute before nodding. “Good.” Then he looks down at Aster who was curling up a bit into his taller, bigger body, expressions softening expeditious. “How are you doing, fiore?”

“Overwhelmed.” Aster answers one-wordly lifting his gaze to meet Barty’s for the first time in days since losing the colour of his eyes.

Barty was relieved to see the dark blue has returned. But he was beyond pissed to see the fear that filled the eyes and the way Aster’s body trembled.

Not even when Aster returned back to Hogwarts after being at Grimmuald over break had him shaking this bad.

“Where is he?” Barty’s voice was raspy. His usually playfully light hazel eyes in a shade of dark. “Where’s Elias? I’d like to share a word with him myself.”

“Bee, no.” Aster shakes his head to the bare minimum gripping at his shirt to keep him firmly where he is on the bed with him. “Just… no. Please, no. No one speak to him. Just, someone get him back to Hogwarts and keep him there without the map and cloak, take those away from him.”

“Would he be safe at Hogwarts alone?” Evan ponders out loud.

“I’ll inform Headmistress McGonagall about the map chamber being discovered and that she should get daily updates of Elias’s progress.” Remus tells the group of adults with his eyes drifting over to Aster curled into a ball on the bed. “Unless… you want to report him?”

Aster’s eyebrows pinch, sparing a glance at Remus from his place on top of Barty. “For what?”

“Uh? Attempted murder?” Barty says in a duh tone.

The tiny shake of Aster’s head was the answer everyone needed. “Elias didn’t know he was going to kill me by doing… whatever he did. He just… he said he was trying to help me.”

Barty scoffs at Aster. “Unbelievable. I can’t believe you’re on his side after all this, Aster. I nearly lost you because of him.”

“I’m not on anyone’s side other than my own, Barty.” Aster tells him weakly. “I’m not dead yet. But he’s not coming home any time soon, I promise you that.”

“Cross your heart, swear to die?”

Aster weakly smiles. “I’ll let you be the next to try and kill me. It’s about time you got a turn, eh?”

“At this point I think you’re indestructible, A.” Barty tells him shifting Aster around entirely manhandling him and pulling him onto his lap to curl up into him.

Barty wraps his arms around Aster, pulling the still-obvious-shaking man into his chest and holding him tightly in his given hug.

Barty presses his face into the side of Aster’s head, a hand on the opposite side of Aster’s face, just holding him in place, draping over him entirely and surrounding him with his bigger body in comparison to Aster’s smaller one.

Aster may had been talking okay. Being snarky and reasonable and seeming calm other than the shaking but Aster felt like Barty was the only one seeing through that.

Truly giving him what he needed without him asking anyone.

Aster lets out a muffled shaky sob, face pushing into Barty’s chest with ease and he puts himself into hiding from everyone else. His ankle is tugged out of James’s gentle grasp and he’s curling up into his best friend making himself as small as possible.

Barty rocks Aster’s body gently like he was baby, tiny whispers only for Aster to hear were made and his grip was tight and firm around Aster, showing Aster that he wasn’t letting go any time soon.

Aster tucks himself under Barty’s head, arms wrapped around Barty midsection tightly in return. Barty grabs his legs and tugs them to curl up better and more comfortably between his legs, tangling them up more and letting Aster cry and soak up his shirt.

Barty holds him.

They ignore the others staring at them. They ignore the healers that burst into the room that try and fail to check up on Aster which were all shoved away and snapped at by a protective Barty.

It was one of those times where Aster wanted nobody but Barty.

Nobody to touch him but Barty.

It was Aster and Barty.

Barty and Aster.

Them against the world again just like when they were eleven and twelve and Barty fighting with Aster over leaving his clothes on the floor all over their shared dorm room.

Just like when they were twelve and thirteen and Aster was teasing Barty over his first kiss with a boy (Evan) that came from a dare that Aster gave his (best) friend not knowing he was responsible for just what the future would bring Barty in the long run.

Just like when they were thirteen and fourteen, and Barty was dragging Aster all over Hogsmeade for the first time and Aster was able to buy his own green apple acid pops for the first time on his own and ended up needing to borrow a few sickles off Barty for his butterbeer that was only sipped on twice before it was given off to Pandora in discovery of just how sickly sweet the drink was.

Just like when they were fourteen and fifteen, and Aster was probably traumatized for walking in on Barty and Evan shagging in their dorm room for the first time and he can hear Barty’s cackling laughter from the other side of the door seconds after he slammed it closed knowing damn well he’ll be teased about it later on — Barty asked him who’s dick was prettier, his or Evan’s. Aster didn’t even see Evan’s with it being shoved so deep into Barty’s mouth. Later that night after their showers, Aster did gather up the courage to ask Barty one and only the one time how he managed to fit something so big in his mouth without choking. He was laughed at and cooed, treated like a mere young child than a fourteen year old in response.

Just like when they were fifteen and sixteen, and Aster’s stressing over his OWLS the entire year from the very first day of Hogwarts and Barty gives him all the best tips he used himself to pass his own exams to help Aster pass with all Os and Es to avoid punishment from either parent.

Just like when they were sixteen and seventeen, and Aster asks Barty to kiss him to help him with his sexuality crisis — twenty plus years later, he identifies himself as queer not wanting to put any strict label on it since he’s never had sex with anyone who has been born with a vagina. He doesn’t count those who are magically given one. Then when he breaks the news of being falling pregnant just hardly six months later.

Barty yells, he yells. And they’re happy.

And by the time they’re both young, legally aged wizards, (they were adults for crying out loud) and Barty’s holding and caring for his kids and loving them as if their his own when Aster couldn’t. Aster then and there was forever in debt to his best friend — no matter how many times Barty does fuck up, he always does manage to one-up his fuck-ups with good fuck-ups.

And now, they’re middle-aged adults well into their forties as much as they both hated the obvious fact.

They’ve shared joy. They’ve shared sadness. Tears and laughter. Snarky remarks, teasing tones in both positive and negative ways. Even swapped spit and plenty of body fluids over the years when they were horny people who opened up their legs with their respected partners because one day Barty offered and kept offering and one day Aster finally accepted. It was probably an acceptance that Aster would never regret — a good and extremely acceptable outcome.

But no matter what, no matter how long they’ve each been with their own respected partners or been apart for days, months, or even years — the longest they’ve last apart was when Aster fucked up when he and James were struggling years ago when their youngest twins weren’t even born yet. No one knew one another best than the other.

Not their respected partners. Not their kids. Not their parents. Or Aster’s siblings.

It’s Barty for Aster.

It’s Aster for Barty.

And that’s it.

That’s how much love Aster has for Barty as his best friend and vice versa.

Barty has been there for Aster through it all.

His highest and his lowest.

The morning sun started to peek without either of them moving at all from the bed other than a tiny shift when Aster replaces his lollipops he ate one after another throughout the night because going days without eating, even when Aster had an eating disorder, Aster couldn’t just pick up where he left off with eating a normal (normal for him) sized meal without making himself sick.

He had to start small, and he started with his favorite thing in the world that he could probably eat non stop.

Even with Barty’s bladder screaming at him on the verge of him pissing the bed in any given second as they both laid flat with Aster’s arm tossed over Barty’s mid-section with their legs intertwined to the point of not knowing which leg belonged to who (that was a lie, Barty’s feet were hanging off the bed up to his mid-calves) and Aster’s head on his chest with Barty’s arms wrapped around his securely holding him close like they both were lovers.

“You know what I can go for right now?” Aster asks in the quiet medical room with just the two of them snuggling each other.

Barty opens his eyes to Aster breaking the silence after the last few hours. He wasn’t asleep, but he was relaxing now that Aster had stopped with his crying and his shaking has gone down by a lot. It was still there, but less as strong and noticeable.

“What? Seeing Elias’s head on a stick stuck on the tallest tower in Hogwarts that used to be our dorm room? I’d sure fancy that right about now.”

Aster hits Barty’s stomach weakly.

Unsatisfied with the first hit, a second attempt to hit. Barty grabs his hand by the wrist. Instead Barty lazily laces their fingers together and swings around Aster’s hand like he’d do with Evan.

Aster knew, he saw Evan and Barty do this sometimes when they were in a relaxing and laying on the couch or playful mood.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. I really gotta piss.” Barty warns him after a passing few seconds, fingers still well laced together. “Like, I’m seconds away from bursting if you push on me wrong.”

Aster lets out a soft laugh, face shifting into Barty’s chest. “I would’ve let you go, you know? I’m not that touched starved as I once was when we were teens. I can part with you for a few minutes. And I really don’t really fancy you pissing on me or in the bed I’ll be in for however long the healers here think I need to stay here. I’m into kinky stuff, but not that kinky stuff.” Barty only wraps his arms tighter around Aster, which he instantly snuggles closer into. Maybe he lied?

“Maybe I’m the touch starved one this time.” Barty hums quietly, holding onto him that Aster didn’t protest to.

“You peeing the bed is just unsanitary.” Aster muffles into his chest, though his body language says otherwise as he’s curling into Barty with another snuggle.

“What’d you go for right now, Fiore Stellato?” Barty asks pulling his mind back on track, his hand sneaking under Aster’s shirt and running up and down his back soothingly.

Aster lets out a long sigh. “It’s been a while since we got high together. It’s been years.”

A quick laugh. “A long, long while for you. I can safely say I get high once a week.”

“Not my fault you cut me off getting high with you and Evan.” Aster points out shifting his head to look up at Barty, chin pressing into Barty’s left pectoral. He can feel the piercing in Barty’s nipple under his chin shift as he moves.

“Because you’re a horny fucker when you’re high on weed. You’d hump our thighs if you could if Potter isn’t around.”

“I am, aren’t I?” Aster quietly thinks. “It’s been a while since we hooked up with Ev and James.”

“Five years, eleven months, and ten days. But who’s counting.”

Aster pinches Barty’s exposed hip from where his pants have started to sag down and shirt rise up; this time with a small smile on his lips and his cheeks turning a pretty shade of rosy red.

At least he’s finally stopped shaking. Barty took that as a win with the smile on his lips as he kisses the top of Aster’s head.

“You are, apparently. You little pervert. Think about me often when Evan’s fucking you? How about when you come? Ever moan my name instead of Ev’s?” Aster teases Barty gently pulling his hand back from Barty.

“Not my fault Rosie decided to close our bed and limit it by a lot of who goes in it now.” Aster doesn’t miss the odd look Barty gives him staring at him on the bed as they laid.

It looked a bit wistful before Barty draws his eyes away breaking eye contact as he sighs staring up at the ceiling.

“You have the best cunt I’ve ever fucked. Open to trying new stuff with me. A good stamina too to keep up with me and Evan when Jamie-poo calls it for himself. Years ago we’d fuck someone new at least once every two weeks as long as Lottie was out of the house. Very helpful when she started Hogwarts.”

“We’re old, Bee. Too old for hook-ups anymore. Not even James and I get up to much stuff these days. I probably can’t keep up with you and Evan myself now.”

“Says you. I bet you still got that little piece of silver between your legs don’t you? Ever play with it without Jimson in the room?”

Aster huffs out a tiny laugh. “Don’t make me push you to piss your pants. I got the upper hand right now.”

Aster sighs, he moves off his chin and back onto his cheek laying on Barty’s chest.

Barty’s hand moves against his back under his shirt and caressing him soothingly, putting them right back into their last two years at Hogwarts.

“What was I like?” Aster asks Barty. “When I was… You know? After Elias…?”

“Awful, from what Potter said.” Barty answers. “It makes me wish I came to visit you and the kids earlier. I bet I’d pick up on the signs you were showing faster than Jameson dear.” Barty coldly scoffs at the mention of James. “And he’s your fucking husband. I would’ve noticed something was off the by the very first twelve hours.”

“How long did it take him to realize?”

Barty sighs deeply. “I think… he said something about… He kept blaming it on some bullshit fight you had.” Barty ends up shaking his head softly.

He knew as much as he was told when he was called to St Mungo’s in emergency by James and Sirius. Even then he wasn’t given all the details with Regulus.

But he was determined, despite how relaxed he may had been acting. Sometimes wit over brawn was the best way to go.

Barty lets out another sigh before he starts talking again. “He said you were acting off, but he didn’t bring you here until you truly were gone and nearly unresponsive. That’s what really pisses me off by a lot. It was like he waited until the very last second to get you help.”

Aster breathes in deeply. Exhales just as deep. Barty’s hold around him tightens.

“When did I get here?”

“The twenty-second. Posie found you.”

“How?” He’ll probably regret asking.

“I don’t know. Didn’t ask him the details about that. But you… you had these grayed over eyes. Your pupils, your irises. Just… gone. Fucking creepy, honestly. You fell over if not set up right. You… by the time I got here you weren’t answering at all. No replies. No reactions. Anything that’d make you flinch, usually, didn’t. There was nothing left of you. The best way to say of what Elias took from you, is your soul, Aster. He didn’t take your magic, even though your core of magic was missing.”

“The eyes are the windows to the soul.” Aster mumbles in common knowledge poetry.

“Exactly. I think that’s why you had no eyes left. You had nothing left.” They fall quiet for a few minutes.

“I imagine sometimes it’s like getting a Dementor’s kiss.” Barty quietly tells him. “And that scares me. If there’s an afterlife, I want you to go there. Not- not dying into a void that you don’t ever deserve. You worked too hard to not go there, Aster. You’re too good of a person to go to hell, you-” Barty sniffles, Aster doesn’t dare to move as he listens. “You have your flaws. I know that you’re not perfect but… you’re pretty damn close to perfect to me.”

Aster shifts his cheek on Barty’s chest in a nod. “I think so too- I mean, Not being perfect. I meant by, I imagine dying, sometimes. Passing away is far more peaceful than wherever I was just now. To me that was like… falling asleep without dreaming ever again. Black, blank, and emptiness. Even those nightmares where you fall off from a high point and you wake up with your heart beating heavy and hard in your chest… even those sort of dreams are… better than nothing. You get what I mean, Bee?”

A few more minutes pass before Ater pushes his face into Barty’s chest into hiding. Aster lets out a tiny inaudible mumble that Barty doesn’t quite catch or understand.

“What was that, A?”

A sigh, his face is revealed again. “Please don’t hate Elias.”

Barty’s chest bounces in a cold laugh. “Oh, I’m well pissed at him plenty already. He’s got a lot to learn.”

“Bee, please.” Aster breathes more that speak. “He’s just a kid who doesn’t know any better. I… I’m pissed too… I think. But… he’s still learning from right to wrong. I don’t think he knew where this sort of magic would’ve taken him.”

Barty is shifting under Aster. “Firstly he’s not a kid, he’s sixteen. He nearly killed-”

“And if it was Lottie? You in my place with her? Would you want me to hate her or to love her as her uncle, still?”

Barty slumps in defeat.

“I hate when you do this…. But I also hate that I do love that kid as much as you do.” Barty grumbles.

Aster nods tiny. “Me too, right now. But… it’ll pass, Bee.”

“Which part?”

Aster closes his eyes. “I don’t know.”

“And if it doesn’t?”

Aster breathes in.

Barty wasn’t James. He wasn’t smelling that spicy citrus with that musk from his cologne from his soap he uses for his beard that Aster knew and loved but Barty was Barty.

And Aster loved him and his attempted hidden scent of weed that Aster could still smell regardless. There was that woodsy scent which he thinks it’s funny he can smell it off Barty more than James.

And there was a sweet, slight holding floral lavender-musky natural scent that Aster always knew would be there to protect him with a single word asked against no matter who, even if it was Barty himself.

Aster breathes out feeling relaxed; he was comforted by Barty entirely.

“I don’t know.” He sighs. “I’m not Pans, I can’t predict a possible future and give you weird riddles to follow through or not.”

Barty squeezes his body tightly, pulling him in closer to his body.

“Hey… I… I love you, A. Just so you know, I’ll probably end up doing anything you want from me regardless.” His voice raspy and deep as he spoke, holding onto Aster. “I’m also so fucking proud of you. You’ve come so far from that little girl on the train of who I first met.”

Aster makes a tiny noise, curling into Barty’s side and hugging him back with his face hidden in his side. Aster doesn’t know entirely why it made his cheeks go warm.

It won’t be their first time, and certainly not their last.

Barty was always going to be his best friend. “Love you too, Bee… And I’m proud of you too. You’ve come a long way. A long… reckless but brilliant way.”

Barty lets out a shaky breath. His body tenses up for a moment, then relaxes as he clings onto Aster tightly. Aster does the other way around, arms wrapped around Barty, and he ignores his bladder and manages to stay with Aster for another long hour.

Chapter 17: December 29th, 2005

December 29th, 2005

 

Aster lets out a puff of air that was knocked out of his lungs when he’s tackled by his kids.

He’s hardly given a second to set his journal aside with his pen tucked between the pages that he was writing in — it’s been so long since he had time to do so without interruptions. And now it felt like he had all the time in the world to write and hum out loud.

He greets each and every one of them with the biggest smile he can muster up. A hug each, more than just a single kiss to their face somewhere that most of them lightly shove him away with their lips threatening to smile regardless and he tells each and every one of them how much he missed them when it felt like it was just yesterday when he last saw them all.

To the kids it’s only been a few days since they've last seen Aster.

To Aster, it’s been exactly two weeks that’s been stolen from him.

Persephone was last to squeeze him in the tightest hug out of all the kids.

Her olive toned hands cup his cheeks making him face to face with her. Aster sends her a soft, warm smile and cups her own cheeks in return so that they were holding each other.

“Are you okay, Papa? Are you all better now that you got some sleep?”

Aster leans forward, his forehead touches hers and nuzzles his nose against her’s playfully before dropping her head to his shoulder to properly hug her again. “Jamais mieux, ma petite princesse blonde.”

Her pink lips turn up in his reassurance and comfort and she’s the one to give Aster a light kiss to the cheek with anther tight squeeze to his body that he feels a rib pop in place — or maybe out of place, he wasn’t sure as he wraps his own arms around her.

He runs his hands through her hair. Brushed, surprisingly without any knots in it, and messily styled. “And who did your hair today, sweetheart?”

Persephone lets out a tiny giggle, along with Aurora. “Dad did.”

Aster’s eyebrows leap up looking over to James. “He did, did he?”

James nods. “I did. Not as good as you or Barty but… I tried.”

Aster sends him a fond smile. “I can pass you some pointers when I get home. But,” He runs his fingers through Persephone’s hair, minimal catching to his fingers. “You get points for brushing her hair thoroughly, managing to get it done without any knots. Even though it is frizzy.”

Aurora’s hair was pulled up in two high pigtails. Both unevenly set and her curls wild and frizzy as much as Persephone’s blonde hair was but he wasn’t going to make harsh corrections to James’s attempt in trying.

Because James never tries with hair. Not with the girls or the boys — short or long hair. It always fell on Aster and occasionally Barty, often enough when he stops by on the early mornings before school hours begun.

“Dad also made the washing machine bubble over.”

Aster’s eyes widen large at Nico as he looks between his identical triplet boys with completely different hair. “He what?”

James rubs behind his neck awkwardly and pinches his fingers with his other hand. “I might’ve overdid the soap a bit. I didn’t realize I could measure the soap in the cap.”

“A bit!?” Rigile exclaims.

Nyx laughs at James, joining his older brothers’ teasing antics. “The whole room was filled with bubbles! It took all day to clean the room!”

James hisses at him, pushing the nine-year-old boy away gently to shut up. It only makes his sons laugh more at him.

“I’m trying okay?” James huffs. “Can’t let the house fill up in trash and clothes and let your sisters’ hair turn into bird nests.”

“Would a bird really fly into my hair?” Aurora frets, hands clinging to the bands holding her hair up.

“Would a bird really fly into my hair?” Persephone questions in an entirely different tone from Aurora’s with a more curious question and her eyes drifting upwards to her blonde locs that grew on top of her head that she couldn’t see without tugging on them.

“No. It’s just a saying of how bad and knotty your hair looks.” Aster easing both of them about a bird making a home in her hair. “But I’d be more worried about the nargles.”

“Eek!” Aster manages to make both girls shriek much like a tiny Pandora and Luna and their hands tighten around their hairs more making Aster snicker.

“When are you coming home Papa?” Rigile asks.

“Soon, hopefully.” Aster answers softly. “I was really sick so all the healers are making sure I’m all okay to go home with you all.”

“You missed Father Christmas, Papa.” Aurora points out.

“Oh, I know. But did you all enjoy yourselves?”

He gets all sorts of chimes of agreements, rambles of different sorts of favourite presents each child got.

After a while, Nyx bounces over to Aster and sits on his lap. Aster wraps his arms around his waist. He was getting a bit too old for this, both of them were, but Aster wasn’t going to just push him off the bed. Who knew how many more times he had before it’d be the last time?

“Harry and Teddy came with Aria and Leala and they told me something.”

“What did they tell you?”

“They’re going to be big sisters.” Nyx hums resting his head onto Aster’s collarbone. “Are you and Dad going to make me a big brother so I don’t have to be the baby of the family anymore?”

Aster lets out a choking laugh holding Nyx tighter. “No, no, no. That train left the station a long time ago, son. You’re my last baby I’m having. You got plenty of brothers and sisters to pick on and love even if they’re older than you.”

“Aww.” He pouts. “What if… I gave you my galleons I’ve been saving?”

Aster rolls his eyes with a smile on his face as James joins them. “The answer’s still no, Nyx. No more babies are coming from me and Dad.”

“No about what? A dog? Another cat?”

“No more animals in the house, too.” Aster furiously shakes his head.

They had a family owl that stayed at Hogwarts more months than not during the year and an ugly orange cat that just won’t die. That was plenty enough plus the seven kids they had to remember to take care of who still lived at the manor.

“Dad, are you and papa going to have another baby like Harry and Ellie?”

Aster sits up straighter as he looks over to James with raised eyebrows. Harry and Teddy was to be kinda expected, but his daughter? Elianna? The one who always shown no interest in sex and was a proud asexual even though she was in a relationship with Pansy Parkinson? “Ellie?”

“Whelp, that news for her to tell you is ruined.” James huffs before turning to Nyx. “No more babies from me and Papa. You’re our baby in this family. You can’t change our minds otherwise.”

Nyx lets out a depressing moan, sinking himself out of Aster’s arms and he escapes to join his sisters with their new Christmas toys, Tamagotchi Connexion.

“Ellie is having a baby?” Aster whispers quietly to James.

James shakes his head, then a quick pause before he’s nodding. “Pansy’s having a baby, if we’re being technical. They’re doing that thing… uh, biologically it’s Ellie’s, as well as Blaise’s.”

Aster’s eyebrows raise. “Zabini? As in that Slytherin boy? Ellie's friend, among Pansy and Draco's too?”

“Yep. He doesn’t want to be a father, from my understandings of their Christmas gossiping that I was hardly included in yet included in. So he was happy to donate the… swimmers to them. Like Astoria for Draco and Theo. And Harry and Teddy are also expecting a little one. And before you ask, everyone’s having one. A last one from Harry and Teddy. Teddy’s firm on that. Funny thing, Pansy and Teddy are like, two, three weeks apart. Ten… or was it twelve weeks? And it wasn’t even planned out or anything, I think they kept it from each other.”

“And you don’t think anyone’d get married first before having babies these days?” Aster huffs a laugh.

“Actually,” Aster eyes James as he speaks again. “I saw that Carlotta has a ring.”

“She’s getting married? Does Barty know? Is Fred dead yet?” Aster quickly asks.

“Not dead yet. I don’t think he knows yet, after the whole news thing with you nearly dying, I think she held back on breaking the news to him and everyone else. She hasn’t really told everyone, hiding her hands behind her back as much as possible but I caught that ring on her finger. But I won’t be surprise if Junior catches up sooner or later.”

“Makes sense.” Aster nods. “What does the ring look like? Enlighten me. Did you see it closely?”

James nods. “I did. It’s… normal. Silver. A teardrop cut, I think.”

Aster shakes his head in disapproval, tongue ticking already picturing Barty’s reaction when he sees the ring and Fred. “Fred’s a dead man. Normal to-go diamond?”

“A chunk of a rock.”

“Better be a big one. Make it money’s worth. Barty’s going to ask him who much it costed him, I bet. Be better answer saying something about his half of his joke shop being on verge of bankruptcy on that ring… At least he did put a ring on it before putting a baby in it. Though I don’t think Barty would care about that. If anything he’d be excited for finally getting a grandbaby more than having to help pay for a wedding even though he and Ev is loaded with more money than they know what to do with.”

James lets out a tiny wheezing laugh as Aster takes his left hand, tracing out the Potter name in his palm lazily. Aster’s head falls on his shoulder softly.

“Hey… um, are we okay, Aster?”

Aster lifts his head. Eyes trying to meet to James’s as his hand stops and flattens on James’s larger hand matching his fingers. “Are we? I thought we were.”

James opens his mouth, only to close it with a shake of his head. “Never mind.”

Aster grabs his wrist before he could think of pulling away from him.

“Hey, no. No, no, no, don’t do this. Talk to me. Open communication, James. What did I do? Before, during, or after? Clearly something’s bothering that I did.” He asks quietly trying not to draw attention to their conversation from the kids.

James shakes his head, a wet laugh escapes his lips. “There’s so many things I need to talk to you about, Aster. The more time that passes, the more things that I’m realizing that I did wrong.”

“Like what?” Aster deeply frowns at James and towards himself. “Anything you did during, I’m not mad. I won’t be. I- I mean… I’ll try not to be and if I am, I’ll talk to you about it I think or feel like it’s wrong or bothers me. But right now, I don’t remember it anyway. I don’t remember anything.”

James lets out a small nod.

“Before.” He starts with quietly, not letting the kids in the room overhear their semi-private conversation. “Before you went to Elias. The van, when we were loading up the trunks after picking up the boys from Hogwarts. Do you remember that?”

Aster racks his memory for a moment. He remembers James storming away. The conversation was hazy a bit.

“Can you remind me what I said? The only clear thing I remember of that day by like… after… noon-ish is the music room with Elias. I don’t even know how I got there, entirely. I thought… I don’t know what to think anymore about that day.”

James sighs. Best be out with it. “Do you regret me? Marrying me? Or- or having Harry and Ellie? Maybe Azura too? The rest of the kids?”

“No.” Aster shakes his head furiously sitting up more than leaning on James. “No. Never. I mean, sure, the timing was bad with the older three but... We were only kids ourselves, James. But I’d never regret having them, if I could pick, the only thing I’d probably pick is to have them at least until I was done with Hogwarts. A little bit older, for the both of us. I think I can speak for a lot of people who have kids around our age, muggle or magical. But never- never… I love you, James. And I will never regret marrying you or having the kids, even if the timing was wrong and we were teenagers. No matter the number we have, or how old we were because we can’t change the past. And as wrong as it does sound,” Aster’s eyes drift onto his six kids a few feet away from him and James on the bed.

His voice goes quiet, low as a whisper that James nearly misses. “I don’t regret Elias either. And… I don’t think I ever will.”

James nods gently.

“Is that what you needed to hear from me?” Aster asks softly, shifting James’ hand around to lace their fingers together. Their wedding rings click as their fingers bump together. Aster lifts James’ hand and presses a gentle kiss to the back of his hand before resting his forehead against his hand for a long moment like he was praying with the extra hand and letting James’ fingers glide across his wedding band he had on, one of the first pieces of jewelry he put back on the second he was allowed to.

Aster was only just allowed to put back in his jewelry, still being in St Mungo’s, missing his rings and piercings. He was lucky enough to find his clit-hood piercing still open to put the curve barbell in. He rarely ever takes the piercing out or even changes the jewelry.

James wets his lips. “I feel like I raped you. The more I keep thinking back on it.” He quietly confesses to him, making Aster try to meet his gaze where James refuses.

“You were already in that state, and I was still angry and we… you always agreed to everyone no matter what was said at the time and I- we did shagged. Once.”

“You didn’t know.” Aster runs his thumb across the back of James’s hand. “I’m quite sure if you did, you wouldn’t have.”

“Yeah.” James breathes out. “I wouldn’t. But I did anyway because you were still awake and I was thinking it’d help you sleep and it’d help us… talk through that argument. And now I just feel awful about it and I hate it.”

Aster lulls his head over to James, cheek on his own shoulder and his dark blue eyes glistening with a bit of mischief and his dimples start to peek out for the first time since waking up back in his body with a mischievous grin.

“Did I enjoy it at least?”

James lifts his eyes, finally meeting Aster’s weakly. “For some reason your body was coming on demand. I tell you to come, you just… came.”

Aster hums in thought with a soft smile. Only seconds later he was laughing quietly against James’ hand, pressing another kiss that muffled his laughter. “That’d be nice. Coming on demand when you order me to.”

James lets out a scoff and his eyes are rolling, hands still laced but used as a fisted weapon to hit Aster gently making him laugh softly. “Menace. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

“Coming on demand?” Aster falsely ponders. “It’s like you don’t even know me. Oh, absolutely, James. That’d make your job a whole lot easier, right?”

“Only you, Aster.” James fondly tells him, threatening to lips upturning a bit. “Only you would say that.”

James relaxes a bit. More than when he first sat down with Aster on the bed with Nyx. Aster rests the side of his head on James’s shoulder again relaxing with him.

“I’m sorry.” James quietly tells him giving Aster’s hand a quick tight squeeze before relaxing and just holding his hand again.

“Another apology? What for this time?”

“I should’ve noticed before. All the signs. I thought you were just trying to piss me off more. And I thought it was hate sex, that we’d fuck it out and then we’d talk about it like we’ve done in the past and I ended up sleeping on the couch after…” James runs a hand down his face pissed at himself. “Mierda.”

Aster waves a lazy hand. “All in the past. I’m trying not to stress over it right now. No use crying over spilled milk.”

James nods slowly. “What are we going to do?”

“Going to do what over doing what?”

“Elias?”

Aster swallows thickly. A deep breath in. “Nothing.”

James lifts his eyebrows and tries to look at him. Aster turns his face to hide in the crook of his neck to avoid any possible judgmental look from James. Instead he hears the verbal questioning. “Nothing?”

Aster sighs deeply.

“He’s keeping his arse in Hogwarts until the end of the year.”

“And then?”

A deep sigh. “He’s not allowed to be alone with me. I’ll be sure of that. I don’t trust him. I don’t want him to be alone with me. If he’s sick… he goes to you or Remus first for an escort to see me in the Hospital wing unless Madam Pomfrey is there.”

“Make sense. But what happens when June comes? Hogwarts is done, he has to come home.”

“We… we’ll reevaluate him. His… whatever it is we want to call it, and his behavior as well as he’s getting his arse back in mind healing again when June comes.” Aster can’t help but shrug.

“But we can’t really send him anywhere, can we? Kick him out… Just… lets take his wand away. Lock it up. Maybe send it off to one of the other’s houses so if he tries looking for it, he won’t find it. Or- I’m sure Sirius would hold onto it in his desk in his office if we ask. I don’t think he’d even dare to go there with all the other aurors working around the clock in the office. And make sure to give the cloak to someone else to hold onto, again, untrustworthy.”

“Sirius will snap Elias’s wand in half if he gets his hands on it.”

“Elias doesn’t have a wand.” Aasil sings being dirty minded much like half of his family as he moves away from his siblings and closer to his fathers making Aster roll his eyes.

Aasil sends his fathers a mischievously smirk that would quickly match Aster’s identically minus having only one dimple than two.

“And neither does Papa.”

Aster rolls his eyes as James snorts.

“Well spotted, what gave that one away?” Aster dryly asks staring at his child.

“Your stretch marks. It’s everywhere. Even though your last pregnancy was in ‘96.”

Aster scowls at Aasil making a fake threatening grab at him that has him running away laughing as James laughs at them. Aster leaps off the bed, not backing down off his son.

“I carried nine of you little spawns to term healthy enough to survive- get back here you little coward. You don’t just get to say that to me and think you'll get off scott-free!”

Chapter 18: January 8th, 2006

January 8th, 2006

 

Aster rubs his eyes as he starts to open them, waking up in his bedroom that he shared with James.

He was surprised he was awake before his alarm he set on his bedside table beside him so he could wake up early enough to get a head start before waking up the other kids for muggle school.

It was only the sixth day back to school for the youngest three.

And the ones who belonged to Hogwarts left three days prior and Aster only got back home the afternoon before, staying so long from how slow his mental energy was recovering and his mind healer wanting to keep him under close observation for a few extra days so he could restart his usual potions and steadily increase dosages back to where he suddenly halted them.

And there was also that work in progress with his appetite that would've improved faster if he was with James than in St Mungo's.

He wasn’t about to let his stay in St Mungo’s throw him off schedule, and he wasn’t about to lack around and be a lazy bum just because he was there for a mini-vacation that he didn't ask for.

He had school lunches to make, hair to groom, clothes to pick out and set for his kids and get their school bags ready and everyone out on time to get on the bus as well as making sure they’re all fed breakfast if James isn’t going to cook a hot meal that morning.

And after there was dishes to be washed, he’s also hoping to have time to get at least a second load into the washing machine and one in the dryer and he had to get himself ready to head out to work with James the second his husband got out of the shower because he was in desperate need to shower using his own hair shampoo and conditioner.

Because money didn’t grow on trees — which was ridiculous because muggle paper money quite literally did grow on trees.

Aster does a full body stretch, arms above his head and his legs does a little jiggle shake with his arms as he rolls over in his nest of missed pillows that James hates (James secretly loves his pillows, Aster damn well knows it with the amount James steals for himself by morning. The pillows just need to give James enough room to cuddle him).

Rolling over to the edge of the bed, Aster reaches over and blindly slaps his hand around his nightstand.

He feels his wand which rolls onto the floor which he ignores. His empty glass of water he drank entirely during the dead of the night. And finally finds his glasses that he uses before putting his contacts in and slides it onto his face before opening his eyes with a tiny squint before closing his eyes again and rubbing them which pushes his glasses up to his forehead.

Rubbing the crust away from his eyes, he tosses his blanket off his body and his legs hang off the bed that was a touch too tall for him which he has to climb into more days than not.

Then he notices it.

His alarm clock that was flashing seven-fifteen telling him he had only ten minutes or less to get the kids onto the school bus.

His heart drops to his stomach and his blood runs cold.

He did not have time to drive the kids to school and make it back to get ready for work and make it there in time. Which mean this morning magic was going to be heavily involved.

Aster ignores the pain in his lower joints as he grabs a random jumper to yank on from his drawers and rushes down the stairs. If James wasn’t in bed with him by this time, that usually meant he’s spending a rare morning out on his broom or working out and gotten distracted. Lost track of time which Aster usually would call him in when he gets up to make breakfast.

“James! I woke up late! Dry cereal in a bag for breakfast- where’s the girls’ hairbrush-!?”

Aster near misses the last three steps nearly stumbling down the steps and clinging on the railing to see three younger kids sitting at the table eating, already dressed in their acceptable school uniforms, bags set and ready to go on the breakfast bar stools and James was doing Aurora’s hair and was nearly done.

Persephone’s hair already done in a single braid as they ate at the table, everyone blinking owlishly at Aster like he was a mad man running through their home.

Which, fair.

He was.

But in his defense he woke up late. Or… well, he thought he woke up late.

Aster returns the owlish look with an added hard blink as he fixes his jumper and his hair, grooming his fingers through it. “Um… Hello? Good morning?”

“Morning, Papa!” Persephone beams before taking a bite out of her pancake that had a sliced piece of strawberry on it with syrup added to it on top.

He gets a tired grunt from Nyx, his pale cheek mushed in his palm and eyes more closed than open and his breakfast only half eaten before Nyx gave up and probably fell asleep at the table. Nyx was probably the only non-morning bird that he birthed of nine by ten kids.

“Ow! Dad!”

“Sorry, sorry.” James quickly apologies. “I’m almost done. Two or one braids? Or did you just want your hair up?”

“One. I want to be like Posie.”

“Give her two.”

James rolls his eyes. “I’m giving her one because I listened you what you wanted too. I’m being fair, tomorrow I’ll Rory’s hair first, how about that?”

Aster creeps up to the large dining table where everyone crowded on one side of the table. He sets his hands on the back of the chair that was the head of the table.

“…Am I missing something here?”

James quickly finishes Aurora’s hair, the brush set aside and he pecks Aster cheek. “Morning, mi amor. Thought I’d let you sleep in this morning.”

Aster blinks hard at James. “It was intentional?” Aster guestures over their large family dining table. “This was intentional?”

“Yep. Kids are ready to get on the bus in a few minutes. All dressed, hair is done. They’re fed. I checked their bags.”

“Uh-huh.” Aster nods slowly. “I guess I can get started on the clothes. I saw the hampers in the bathrooms-”

“No need.” Aster frowns at James as he leans back away from James with a hand on his chest to keep him a distance apart from him. “Why? We need clean clothes, just cause the older boys don’t live here doesn’t mean there’s not five of us-”

“I got the whole washing clothes thing figured out a few days ago. I know you always do the clothes in the morning before anyone’s awake so I went ahead and put a load in when I started with breakfast before I got the kids up.”

“Well, then I’m sure the clothes are due to be put into the dryer. I’ll just start the next load so it’s ready to dry when we get home.”

“Dad already did it.” Aurora comments, jumping into their conversation making Aster’s frown deepen as he looks from James to their daughter and back to James. “You did?”

“Yep. After breakfast was ready, I did the clothes when the kids got up and dressed. By the time they got down here, I got the girls’ hair stuff out of the utility room. And now I’m done.”

“I see that.” Aster quietly comments looking around at his kids now feeling very useless now. “At least let me do the dishes when they get onto the bus when you get your shower. I can push my shower until tonight or tomorrow morning.”

“I already took my shower, I can do the dishes and you can take one now.”

Aster bites his tongue from saying anything mean or cruel in front of the kids. All James was trying to do was be helpful.

But where was this new James coming from? They’ve been working on a steady and similar schedule since the youngest twins started preschool seven years ago.

It was all mixed up now and getting on his nerves. He did not like it one bit.

Aster lets out a deep exhale instead, face feeling warm from embarrassment with his kids eyeing him and James’ large smile. “I… guess I’ll just go back upstairs and take my shower then. Seeing you got everything handled down here.”

James beams at him, a peck to his lips and as he turns around there was a playful and very unexpected quick swat to his arse that has him jolting and leaping a step forward and looking over his shoulder to glare at James who winks at him cheekily as his kids giggled and snickered as his blushing, slightly humiliated cheeks.

Aster lays out his blue healer robes on the bed only bringing in his boxers and an under-tee in the bathroom with him with his towels.

Aster shreds from his clothes and leaves the door slightly opened before getting in the shower that was a boiling temperature and quickly got to scrubbing his body with his green apple cinnamon scented soaps and hair stuff.

It takes fifteen minutes before the door was creaking open and him in his second cycle of shampooing when James comes into the bathroom starting up his stuff at the sink like brushing his teeth or applying his deodorant.

“Don’t forget I’m going straight over to see Narcissa and Draco when I’m done at work. I don’t know how long I’ll be.” Aster warns James midst scrubbing his scalp with condition after rinsing himself free from the shampoo.

“Draco and Theo have the baby yet?”

“I don’t think so? So I’m preparing myself mentally for Astoria nagging everyone when I’m there. At least they’ve got house elves to wait on her or all of us will be running around like headless hippogriffs.” Aster runs his head under the hot water. “Makes me sure wish we had a house elf waiting on me hand and foot when I was pregnant with the triplets.”

James laughs through a mouthful of toothpaste, he spits. “I’m sure you’d absolutely would have loved that. With those veiny, swollen legs of yours when you were carrying them.”

“My legs had never been that bad during pregnancy besides that one and I blame mother for squeezing my feet in those heels that were at least two sizes too small.” Aster complains turning off the water and slipping his hand out of the glass that wrapped around the shower and grabs his first towel.

He runs the towel over his hair, drying it first before twisting it up and grabbing the second to dry his body then stepping out with the same towel wrapped around his waist.

He moves over to his assigned sink of the double vanity sinks, grabbing his tooth brush and paste and beginning to brush his teeth as James grooms his beard, tidying up the edges on his cheeks to make everything even out.

Aster stares at James’s reflection in the large shared mirror they both stood in front of shamelessly. At least his face was already red from his shower as James skillfully uses his shavette straight razor.

James smirks before switching sides on his cheeks. “You’re staring.”

Aster spits before talking. “Of course I am, what else am I suppose to do? My husband’s a sexy beast with all that body hair he possess. I’m as much jealous as much as I want to climb you like a tree right now, but, work calls.”

James laughs continuing his light trimming as Aster sets his contacts in, quickly adds his hair potions to his hair, and slips on his underwear and under shirt before heading out of the bathroom and gets dressed with the robes he laid out on the bed, not missing the green apple slices in a baggie set on top of the articles of clothes from James, probably for his breakfast.

Aster clenches his jaw before relaxing it and setting it to the side and slips on his robes.

By the time James comes out of the bathroom, they were ready to head out to work parting at their separate ways.

Aster treats two first years who got burned in potions class from the same exploding cauldron. A third year who got a bite from a Clabbert. And a seventh year who got splinched in the leg in apparition lessons.

At lunch hour it was fairly quiet from Aster’s busy morning.

Aster nibbles on his apples that James packed him, where he found another bag in his satchel bag with a plain sandwich if he was hungry for more to eat for lunch as he quietly writes in his journal.

He hears the door open to the hospital wing but he doesn’t lift his head straight away, quickly trying to dot down the last word in his journal and clean his fingers off from the juice from his apple with his mouth.

“Be with you in a second.” He manges to speak covering his mouth a bit with a mushy mouthful of chewed up green apple.

“No need to rush, Papa.”

Aster drops his pen fast from the familiar voice.

Sticky fingers grab his wand that was on his desk and he’s armed before he’s even up on his feet. The tremor in his body returns the very second his son spoke. And to think before he’d never raise his wand on his own child before that day.

“I think you should leave right now, Elias.” Aster warns with his voice deep at the sixteen year old. “You shouldn’t be here.”

Elias holds up his dark ebony wooden wand between two pinched fingers to Aster for show that he wasn’t even holding the wand the former or proper way.

Aster can’t help but remember when Elias first got his wand. Aster wasn’t with his oldest three when they got theirs, they were with James and Sirius. But he was with Elias. Elias wanted him there.

Ebony wood, ten inches, supple in flexibility… a unicorn core meaning Elias is more unlikely to turn to dark arts.

And yet… Aster stood shaking with fear.

“I just want to talk, Papa.” Elias quietly tells him holding out his wand more. “Take it.”

Aster shakes his head. “No. Leave. Now.”

Elias’s warm olive skin flushes darkly at his cheeks that reached to his ears and neck.

Elias sets his wand on the nearby table for an unassigned empty bed. When the piece of magical wood was set aside, he moves away from it with his hands up in the air, showing his surrender of his wand.

“I’m sorry, Papa.” Elias quietly tells him making Aster shake his head more. “I am. I only wanted to help you… and me.”

“Sorry’s not good enough.” Aster refuses his apology, wand still raised showing he was far from trusting. “Not this time. Not now. Leave, Elias. Before Uncle Remus or Dad sees your name on the map and that you’re alone with me. I’m one person, but you don’t want to face either of them.”

“Let them.” Elias stays stubborn.

Of course he was raised by the most stubborn people after all. And if not him or James, then his relatives. “You need to understand, Papa. I never meant to hurt you that- this way. Not to kill you- not to, not… I don’t know how else to say it. I didn’t mean to kill you. I…”

Elias releases a wet laugh. “Don’t kick me out. Don’t disown me like…” His voice drifts off into something scared and quiet. Elias turns his face down, not looking Aster in the eyes any more.

“Why did you do it?” Aster asks him quietly, wand lowering just a bit. “You say didn’t want to, but you did anyway. Why?”

“I’m tired,” Elias tells him with a shake of his head. “I’m so fucking tired. I’m tired of- of trying to get all Os on my marks. I’m tired of studying my arse off all the time for you. I’m tired of trying to make you proud all the time. I’m tired of trying to stay in your shoes all the fucking time and I’m not you.”

“I know you’re not.”

“Do you, though?” His voice was weak yet defensive. As much as it was making Aster think twice of everything he’s done with Elias, he still knew he treated Elias with love, kindness, respect… has he?

“I do.” But there was that wavier in his voice as he spoke.

“But you keep pushing me. Pushing me to not make mistakes. I want to make mistakes. I want to learn. I want to- I want to have fun. To enjoy myself and live the full Hogwarts experience! To make friends that aren’t afraid of my pranking brothers or my know-it-all sisters or my scary uncles or sexy dads,” Elias makes a grossed out face.

“-that they all can give them detentions or take away their house points. Don’t you see that? How much you influence over me rather you do it on purpose or not? Then you make me a- a fool in front of Opal?! My first girlfriend that I want to keep and you go off saying you don’t approve of her as if that’d keep her away, or me away from her?!”

Elias falls quiet and Aster releases a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Aster’s eyes were wide as he stared at Elias as silence filled the room between them for a long minute.

“I’m sorry, Elias. For making you feel that way. I just wanted you to have the whole world ahead of you. To have every possible available choice you can pick from. And dating can fog that up.”

“Let me date anyway, Papa.” Elias’s voice is quiet. “Let me sneak around and let me go to parties and get drunk. Let me get high with my friends and waste all my galleons on stupid stuff and learn when I don’t have any money left for a Hogsmeade trip cause I spent it all on weed. And if you catch us, treat us like any other student you’d catch. Not- not like I’m your son. That’s what you did with Harry. And Ellie. And Azura. I mean- fuck -you had to fix Theo’s dick when Azura fucking broke it and worked on treating them both as normal as possible-”

“I beg to differ on that.” Aster mutters under his breath remembering him threatening Theo without Azura’s knowledge before taking a deep breath.

“What do you want from me then? Condoms? I don’t think those would be helpful in your case right now but who knows? Little packets of lube? Uh, magazines?”

Elias’s entire face goes red. “No, I, uh, got all that covered since I’ve been active. Thank you, though.”

Aster’s eyebrows pinched. “Since? When did even you start?”

“That’s not important.”

“I think it is.”

“Papa.” Elias groans. “It’s not important. Believe me.”

Aster’s eyes narrowed on him, he doesn’t say a word. A minute ticks by before the younger trans boy groans, squirming under Aster’s unblinking gaze. 

“Fine. Over the summer. You’re not getting a name though.”

“Are you straight?”

The underlining question was rather clear, Aster thought to himself.

Are you fucking anyone with dicks?

Because dicks mean more farther than what Elias may or may not be thinking of. And Aster was going to proceed with caution around that.

Elias doesn’t meet his eyes. “Bi, actually… I think.” He grumbles under his breath. “But I’m with Opal, so it doesn’t matter. Moving on.”

Aster rolls his eyes.

“What can I do to earn your forgiveness?”

Aster’s chair squeaks as he sighs, leaning back in his seat. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t-… You don’t know?”

“Yes. I don’t know.” Aster repeats. “The best thing I can probably propose to you for right now is to redeem yourself. Prove yourself to me that you… I don’t know.”

Elias scoffs, tossing his hands up before they slap his sides. “How can I prove myself when you don’t know what I can prove myself to?”

A weak shrug. “Figure it out. It’s not just me you got to prove yourself to, just so you know.”

Aster doesn’t miss the hurt look flashed his way before Elias grabs his wand with a weak grip and turns his back to walk out of the hospital wing.

Even when Elias is long gone, Aster is still shaking for a long period of time. Muttering to himself constantly under his breath to get a hold of himself when he needed to treat a student.

He doesn’t realize how relieved he felt when he leaves Hogwarts, going straight to Malfoy Manor and giving Narcissa a hug that she doesn’t usually get before they start their late lunch of tea and scones in a charmed warm private part of the gardens for just the two of them that either of them hardly touch after Aster says a quick hello to his cousin and cousin-in-law as well as the pregnant witch who was carrying a fifty-fifty chance of the Malfoy’s next heir.

Aster eyes the white peacock that strutted a bit too close for comfort as the snow falls above them, but melts far before it touches their heads from the warm charmed garden area.

“So… uh,” Aster dodges the large cocky bird as it brags it feathers out, shimmering it as it struts. Aster grabs the seat of his chair and scoots away from the bird a few inches before daring to speak again. “How have you been, Cissa?”

“Well. Preparing for the new petit bébé to come. Far better than you have these past weeks.”

A tiny cough as he lifts his cup to his lips. “You heard then?”

“From Draco. Have you ever found out who cursed you?”

A tiny shake of his head hoping Narcissa doesn’t know he’s lying.

“No. Just lucky enough to still be alive from what I’m told. A lot of black spots from the whole day out of when the dark curse happened.”

“I see.” She hums softly before taking a sip of her tea from with her dark red lips. “Are we just going to pretend you didn’t just lie to me?”

Damn.

“Yes.”

Her eyes narrow, glaring at him. “Alright. I’ll pardon it.” A pause. “For now.” He didn’t like the look in her eyes. “But I will come back to the topic on a later date.”

“And I’ll dismiss it again when you ask.” Aster warns her setting his fancy teacup down.

Narcissa rolls her eyes before they move onto a new topic. “How’s the husband?”

“Okay.” Aster easily answers. “James’s fine. Yours?”

Her eyebrow lifts. “Lucius is driving Draco up the walls over expecting a heir and the baby’s name but… Am I sensing an unspoken but for you…?”

Aster sighs. “Since I left- no… no, before I left St Mungo’s, he started doing things that I usually do around the Potter Manor. Like tending to the kids-”

“House elves.”

Aster rolls his eyes knowing that would’ve been her obvious answer to household chores and tending to children’s basic needs.

“Getting them ready for muggle school. Their hair. Um, chores around the house. I… I usually do all that. And now he is.”

Narcissa tilts her head a bit looking confused.

“And? I don’t see the problem.”

A quiet sigh. “Of course you would say that.”

“And how are you feeling about it?” She counters knowing just what to say.

Aster groans softly. “I hate it. James turned off my alarm this morning to let me sleep in.”

She smiles lightly. “Why do you hate it? All I’m seeing is him helping you out. You should be thanking him for letting you sleep more if anything, in my personal opinion.”

Aster grabs his seat and scoots away from the albino peacock on his chair again, glaring at the flightless bird and mentally declaring it his personal enemy bought internationally from his cousin-in-law.

“I hate it because it’s what I do at home. I always do those stuff at home. It’s what helps me bond with the kids. I sometimes struggle with that. Bonding, I mean, and setting certain boundaries and lines.” Aster frowns recalling his conversation with Elias.

“And now he’s doing it. And he’s doing the laundry. And the dishes. And taking the kids out to the bus. And… I hate it. I feel useless. There’s nothing for me to do if he does all that for me.”

“Did you tell him that?”

Aster shakes his head. “No. James… James always worked, cooked, and played with the kids. He’s the- the fun dad. That’s how it’s always been for us and the kids. And now he’s the…”

“Super parent dad who does it all.”

“Exactly. Certainly since when I’ve been in St Mungo’s.” Aster breathes under his breath. “I just need to find a way or- or a time to talk to him without the kids around.”

“So… never?”

“Ha-ha.” Aster dryly laughs at Narcissa as her dark red lips curves up at him.

“This reminds me about something,” Narcissa does smile softer at him before snapping her black fingertips twice. A house elf appears and passes along a dark grey fabric drawstring bag before disappearing themself again.

“Lucius and I tried these once but it wasn’t much of our style. I think it’s more of your thing than ours. It’s far too… extreme for our likings.” She passes along the bag.

Aster picks apart the strings to look inside. In the bag, there were tiny gummy snakes of the Hogwarts house colours. The snakes were two colours each, split down the middle.

“Greens and blues are for Potter. The reds and yellows are for you.”

Aster glances up to Narcissa. “What do they do?”

“Bedroom stuff.” Aster lifts an eyebrow at her drawing his gaze away from the bag. She rolls her eyes. “Lucius sometimes has a hard time getting… well, hard, due to his age. So, that’s the green.”

“And the blue?”

She smirks. “Longer lasting. Very fun to play with but when I say it lasts long. It lasts long.”

“How long?” Aster curiously asks tugging the strings closed to keep for himself. James didn’t have any problem getting hard, but he was curious on how these snake gummies would work.

“Twelve hours if you take the full half length.”

Aster chokes on air. “James would murder me if I let him be hard for that long. Bloody hell, we’re lucky if we’re able to get a hour alone.”

“Exactly why I said it was fun to play with. A tiny nibble should be decent enough for him.”

“And why are you giving it to me and him of all people?”

“I said it was fun to play with. Not Lucius. If it was up to me, we’d be keeping it.”

Aster snorts. “Figures. Now we just need to get rid of the kids so… I’ll let you know how it goes in four years when Aurora and Nyx goes to Hogwarts.”

“Why can’t you just let me watch them one night?” Narcissa asks with a frown forming on her face.

“Because they will and I promise they will destroy every single thing that costs more than twenty galleons in this house in the span of an hour and I don’t fancy facing a pissed Lucius. As funny as it is watching his face become a tomato.”

Narcissa waves her hand. “Don’t worry about him. Isn’t Aurora and Nyx’s birthday coming up?”

“Yep.” Aster nods. “The big double digits. One-zero. The big ten before they’re old enough to get their Hogwarts letters.”

Aster frowns the more he focuses on their ages.

“They’ve gotten so big, Cissa.”

“They all have. And to think back like it was yesterday that Draco and Harry were fist fighting each other as toddlers.”

Aster snorts moving to rest his chin on his hand. “More like Harry was bold enough to attempt to punch Draco and Draco took a few steps back and watched him make a fool of himself. I made a smart-arse son, but not a smart son.”

“Pity, given you’re a Ravenclaw.”

“Two kids of seven so far.” Aster beams proudly. “Tied with James on that so we can’t fight. Then two in Slytherin and Elias is in Hufflepuff.”

“Do you think you’ll get another Hufflepuff to even out the numbers?”

“Nope.” Aster pops his lips. “I’m already picturing Nyx in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, but sometimes he has a bit of cunning side starting to peak out. Or he’s always had it and I just never noticed until now… then Persephone in Gryffindor, easy, I think. Aurora is… complex. She’s all over the place to be honest.”

“I have a proposition.”

“Go on.”

“Let me throw Nyx and Aurora their birthday party here.”

Aster lets out a tiny hum before he shakes his head. “Can’t do that this year, sorry.”

“Why not?”

“They go to a muggle school, Cissy. This manor is too far from where we live and the muggle school they attend to. And besides, James and I already reserved two different places to host for their birthday.”

“Then can I come?”

Aster smiles with his eyes as much as his mouth, dimples showing brightly. “Of course. I’d never refuse you to show. But just leave all magic related behind.”

Chapter 19: January 18th, 2006

January 18th, 2006

 

The one best thing about the birthday party that was basically a swarm of children for Aster was that he was actively being kept busy after what felt like the longest of two weeks of James taking up his household chores and spots that he uses to bond with the kids.

Aster had a tiny problem and it wasn’t anything birthday-related with the dozens of kids screaming and running around him in the aquarium that he and James settled on for the first half of the day before the afternoon would take place at a laser-tag/arcade/pizza place.

The problem was indeed extremely tiny.

A whole five pounds and four ounce worth of tiny.

“He’s so adorable, Draco.” Aster coos quietly over the tiny baby boy that was born only days ago.

Five days, to be exact.

Little Scorpius Malfoy wasn’t even a full week old yet and was already stealing hearts. Primarily Aster's as of current.

“He looks just like you when you were a baby. Down to the hair and eyes and the sickly pale skin. But he’s got curls!”

“Oy! You’re just as pale as I am!”

Aster ignores Draco, smiling and cradling and rocking the white planum blonde newborn baby that had no reason to be at two ten-year-olds birthday party despite being their cousins. He had just a tiny bit of tuff of loose curly blonde hair on his head and beautiful and very traditional Black silver-grey eyes.

The aquarium was a very exciting place to be at (even to the adults, including Aster and James and all the pure bloods as well as halfs and muggles).

Lots of fish to go around to look and gawk at. Some animals too were around that didn’t entirely make sense to Aster.

Aster had no clue where James was after he quickly pulled Aster to the side saying he had to make a quick pop home via using magic to grab the gift bags to shove into the van because they forgot to put them in the van before leaving the manor and Aster hasn’t seen James since.

They only ten minutes left before they were due to head out and switch reservations which was a half-hour drive. But James knew where they’d be if the whole approximately two dozen kids and his family just disappeared from their first location.

Aster wiggles his pinky that Scorpius’s tiny hand was latched and wrapped around onto taking in the baby a final time for the moment before passing him back to his father with a tiny cooing goodbye before going out to the front in hope that he’ll be allowed to borrow a phone to make a quick call home to James.

He should probably invest in one of those advance, small, and modern phones that could fit in his back pocket that Barty was bragging to him the other day.

He couldn’t decide what was better, a flip one or one of those that had all the alphabets on it.

Texting, is what Barty called it.

Nonsense, is what Aster called it.

“James where are you?” Aster hisses plugging in one finger into his ear to hear better as he talks into the borrowed phone when he’s answered by James on the other end.

He hears James chewing on something making him scoff. “Are you eating? We’re about to head out to the pizza place, laser tag whatever-multi-entertainment building and you’re eating?! You can eat at our next stop for-! My gods!”

“Sorry, sorry. I was grabbing the gift bags and I’m hungry so I thought I could get a snack and I saw this little bag in the bedroom-”

“I don’t care. Just- meet us at the next place in forty-ish minutes. I’ll just try haul everyone there alone.”

“Okay. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I’ll see you then.”

“Love you, mi estrella.” James quickly says before Aster could pull the phone away from his ear. Aster’s cheeks became warm as he bites down on his bottom lip despite no one being able to hear James or making an attempt to spy on his conversation, it still made him a blushing mess.

“Je t’aime aussi, mon rayon de soleil. À bientôt. Et puis, je te botterai le cul.”

He listens to James laugh softly from his quiet and slow spoken French for James to understand before hanging up first before passing the phone back to the front desk workers with a polite thank you and with the help of Regulus, Remus, Sirius, his older kids, and Narcissa and the extra parents who were around, all the kids were loaded up in the transporting vehicles.

Aster was transporting his family that included his kids, cousins, and Draco’s baby which required a car seat leaving no room for any extra kids such as friends of Aurora, Nyx, or the few of Persephone’s to join his van — not that he wanted to take that extra responsibility to drive extra kids that weren’t his.

James was hiding behind a few trees and bushes as everyone pretty much ran in leaving Aster behind. Aster was just greatly that he gave Azura and Elianna certain information to get the pizza orders started and some play time in as he starts to unload the back of the van from presents belonging to the twins.

“You sure took your sweet and precious time.” Aster hums teasing James a bit when James wraps his arms around Aster’s waist and pressing a kiss to his neck. Aster doesn’t miss how James presses up his entire front side to his back with his arms wrapped around his hips.

“We got a problem.” James lowly whispers in his ear.

Aster lifts his head, twisting to look at James better over his shoulder. He can’t think of any problem that occurred during the last location. “We do? What’s going on? I mean, everyone’s happy…? I don't see anything going wrong yet.”

“Yes,” James then pushes up his hips into Aster’s backside. Aster’s eyes widen feeling a bit scandalized. “I’m so fucking hard it’s not even funny anymore, amar.”

“What do you want me to do about it?”

“I don’t know.” James weakly replies dropping his face into hiding into his neck. “I’m hoping coming stronger from you will make it go away than what my hand can give myself.”

“You- you tried rubbing one out?”

“One. Two. Three.” James groans. “It’s not going away. I don’t know why. I thought getting older means chances increase that I’d struggle getting hard, not staying hard.”

Aster racks his brain for some logical explanation. “Oh merde- James did you eat the gummy worms in a velvet drawstring baggie hidden in the desk in our bedroom by any chance?”

“Hogwarts’ colours? Two colours on one worm?” James asks exactly as Aster feared.

Aster drops the presents he had in his hands back in the van.

“Putain-! How- how many did you eat?” Aster asks in his defeat.

“I don’t know. Maybe half-…” Aster sighs in relief as James ponders for a moment. “-of the bag. A third of it? What the fuck did I just eat? Why would you keep that sort of candy in our room without telling me!”

“Narcissa gave them to me the other day.” Aster tries shaking off his jitters with his hands turning around to face James. “One of the colours on one worm were suppose to make you hard and last a really long time and on another worm if I took it, I’d get more wet and tighter.”

James stares at Aster in disbelief. “I ate all the colours, Aster! I can't physically get wet or tighter.”

“I well figured that out!”

“Do you even know which colours belonged to which?”

“Uh… no. I forgot. Which is why I put them away so I could find time to write Narcissa letter first before finding time to bring them out for us to try.”

“I can’t go in to a kids birthday party with a fucking boner, Aster. I don’t think I’ve been this hard since- since I was probably a teenager and a bloody virgin who didn’t know the concept of sex. We got four hours in that place. Birthday candles to be blown out, pizza, cake, presents! Party games that Nyx and Aurora wants me to play! And I got a fucking obvious hard on that I can’t get rid of! I'm so fucking hard I think I got more blood in my cock than my brain at this rate!” James loudly hisses at him as an elderly couple walks by making the both freeze until the old people got into their car.

Aster grabs James’s wrist and drags him around the van and opens the sliding door to the the back before pushing him in and getting him in himself.

“You took more then one half each of each colour.” Aster thinks out loud. “What I do remember Narcissa saying is that uh… half of the worm of the one colour, I think green maybe, lasts like twelve hours? I don't know if eating more than one would double the time or not.”

James lets out a pitiful whine at Aster sitting on the floor of the van with his legs wide apart and bulge very visible. “I had half of the damn bag.”

“I know, honeslty we tell the kids not to take food or candy from strangers and you go eating random candy you find in the bedroom! I heard you the first time.” Aster lowly growls. “I- I guess I can go in and pull Narcissa aside and see if where she and Lucius got the gummy worms from so I can send you to get a reverse effect thing and come back to the party. Just stay right here for now.”

“Oh I’m staying right here alright.” James grumbles already undoing his pants and shoving a hand down his underwear. He lets out a hiss the second his hand wraps around his heavy looking redish-purple cock and was jerking off for some sense of relief before Aster could even get out of the van.

Aster quickly slips out and bolts into the building and finds Narcissa quick with her white-black hair. He says nothing with his hand wrapping around her forearm and dragging her away to the bathroom.

“This is the ladies’ bathroom, Aster.” She hisses fixing her clothes as he quickly checks each stall before locking the door. She lifts an eyebrow at him. “I know. I have a problem and somehow only you can solve it.”

“You think? You’re a man. In a ladies bathroom. With a lady.”

“Who’s my cousin, moving on.” He grunts.

“Tell that to all our ancestors. Our family is twisted but I refuse to get involved with that sort of thing. With you of all our cousins.” Narcissa huffs crossing her arms. “Why did you drag me in here?”

“You know those the gummy worms you gave me?”

Her lips curve up. She was smirking at him! How dare she!?

“Yeah? You and Potter tried them yet?”

“What? No-… I... yes? I-” Aster rubs his face stressfully. “Listen. James went back to the manor to grab the gift bags we forgot. I never told him about the gummy worms and what they did. That they were magical candies and not normal ones.”

Narcissa’s dark painted lips curve up, still very much smirking. Aster glares at her.

“We don’t have time for this Cissy. We have a party to throw. A kids party. I don’t think anybody will fancy us starting a orgy right about now to cure James’s…” He fists his hands into a ball. “…very hard problem.”

She rolls her eyes. “Fine. How many pieces did he eat? One? Two?”

Aster looks around the dim-lit bathroom with three stalls and sinks.

“Uh… Half of the bag you gave me? ...We haven't used any yet.”

Narcissa’s eyes bugged out. “Do you know why Lucius doesn’t like it?”

Aster shakes his head.

“Because he has to wait it out. It doesn’t matter how many times they’ve climaxed. Dry or… seedy?” Her powdered nose wrinkles. “Your husband is going to have to wait it out. I’ve asked the shop keeper myself. And as for taking your part of the candy… well… I can only imagine he’s tight and wet too.”

Aster blinks hard, eyes darting back to her. “What? He can't be.”

She gives him a single nod, curt with a raised eyebrow. “You know.”

He cautiously shakes his head slowly.

Narcissa’s pale cheeks turn a bright red. “You know… his… his rectum.” She whispers as if they weren’t locked in the bathroom alone.

“What?” Aster gasps. “He doesn’t have a cunt so the magic goes to the next best thing?”

She nods slowly. “That’s what the witch warned me of when I bought it in case Lucius does or doesn’t like the whole… as she said, butt stuff. I can’t say for you and him though.”

Aster lets out a short laugh. “Oh, I can tell you butt stuff is good. Very good, in fact. Works both ways.”

She pinches her lips. The pink in her cheeks spread to her nose and ears. There were certain lines that Aster could talk to Narcissa about and couldn’t regarding sex. Anal, wasn’t on the okay-list obviously as she starts to close up on him.

They fall quiet for a few seconds.

“James can’t just disappear from the party to jerk off endlessly, Cissa. I’m afraid to disappoint, but he actually likes being involved with these sort of things. And it wouldn’t be fair if I stayed here the entire time while he goes making the van smell like sex.” That was a term he learned from Barty. Never thought he’d be saying that one day.

“Then…” Her eyes study the tile flooring for a moment before looking up. “Why don’t you both miss out?”

“Miss our kids’ tenth birthday to shag?”

She shrugs. “Why not? Do cake now, put a present or something on Potter’s lap to hide… that, until the candles are blown out and then have him disappear and tell everyone he’s not feeling good. Go home with him and play healer, have me handle the rest few hours with my other relatives.”

“And then what? The kids still got to go home and you said the gummies can last for-” Aster didn’t like the look in her eyes. “No. Lucius will be pissed if you and Draco go home instead with a newborn and with three kids and a newborn.”

“We already have a crying newborn in the manor. What’s better than three more kids to add?”

“Yeah, but the kids-”

“I’ll keep him away from them. Then he can’t shout or scold at them.”

Aster takes a deep breath truly thinking about it. Then thinking back of how miserable James was when he left him in the backseats of the van.

“Fine but the kids get a choice.”

Narcissa lifts an eyebrow. “A choice?”

Aster nods. “Either they can crash with you or they can go with Remus and Sirius. I want them to be comfortable and where they feel safe.”

She nods. “Alright. Deal.”

Aster lets out a long, tired groan running his hands down his face. “Now I have to drag James out of the van for a few minutes. I should probably open up the windows too if Remus is going to drive the van back to his place…”

Narcissa smirks, Aster scowls. “Wipe that look off your face. This is your fault.”

“You're the one who didn’t tell your husband what the candy did.”

Aster lets out a tiny growl before unlocking the bathroom and leaving. He quickly gets the cake set out and requests Remus and Sirius to round up the kids, that they were going to mix up the excitement a bit and have cake before pizza.

Poor James was dragged out of the van where Aster had to crack open a few windows. The only convincing way that Aster had James coming near the building with a ten foot pole was if he kept his front side glued to Aster’s back the entire time.

It was convincible enough and passable with them being married and as affectionate as they were.

As soon as laser tag starts up after slices of cake was passed out, Aster quickly passes his van keys to Remus. Then him and James disappeared back outside into the bushes and trees where James arrived at and they apparate back to Potter manor straight into their bedroom where James wasted no time slamming his lips into Aster’s.

Aster makes fast grabs at James’ hips, slipping his hands under James’ shirt and squeezing at his soft skin.

“What did Narcissa say?” He pants pulling back for only a second before yanking off his own shirt and attacking Aster’s neck.

“You’re stuck with it until it cools off on it’s own. But it doesn’t mean you’re be dealing with it alone now that I’m here. I made a plan with Narcissa.” Aster lets out a tiny moan as James bites on his neck.

“Narcissa or Remus and Sirius will take the kids for the night. So we got all night and hopefully half of tomorrow morning without interruption.”

“Bloody brilliant.” James grunts pulling back and pulling off Aster’s jumper and shirt before licking down his collarbone to suck on his nipple.

“Narcissa also told me something I want to try.” Aster tries to keep his mind intact with James’s mouth on him.

“Like what?”

“How- how do you feel about bottoming for right now? I can take the dick-ifying potion and top you for a while until I get my cunt back then you can top me for the remaining of the night and tomorrow. I promise to make you feel all so pleased for the entire night. It’s the least I can do until this cools off the very least.”

“Sounds good-… brilliant.” James grins with blown back dark eyes again pulling back to let Aster grab the gender affirming potion Regulus invented for Aster and it was quick drink.

Aster rinses his mouth from the slimy, gods-awful taste from the potion and smiles at his reflection feeling the shifting of his body take place before returning to James who was stripped naked on their bed on mostly his front reaching into their bedside drawers to grab their bottle of lube set to the side when they needed it.

“On your hands and knees for me, amour. Spread yourself all nice and out for me.” Aster gently tells James tapping his hips to get him where he wanted him before shedding his own jeans and underwear and climbing onto the bed between James’s ready bent legs and arched back where he presented himself to Aster without shame and the lack of dignity from the amount of times either one of them have been in such an exposed position to the other.

Aster could see then, what Narcissa was talking about. Aster can’t help himself grabbing his own half hard cock and jerking it off slow and leisurely, taking his sweet time.

“Huh. She was right after all.” Aster can’t help but smile, skipping over the lube and pushing in a finger feeling how wet James was inside already not needing any lube or spit. James’s breath hitches. Aster presses a kiss to the bottom of his spine, tiny pecks making their way down the cleft of his arse.

“Right about what?”

“You didn’t only take the gummy worms assigned for the person who has a prick but the ones that technically should’ve been for me too.”

“And what happens with the other ones-? Fuck-!” Aster curls his single finger in James, finding his prostate with ease.

Aster doesn’t hold back on biting James’s arse cheek as he curls his finger as well before licking across the teeth mark to sooth the bite that he left behind.

James buries his face into the pillows by the headboard of the bed with a loud and long moan and he starts to pushes back on Aster’s single finger.

Aster adds his pointer finger with his middle, sliding in with no restriction but he can feel how tight James was from the inside that had his cock pulsing and spurting a bit of precome just thinking about pushing into James. Sinking deep into James and feeling just how tight he is.

Aster lets out a tiny moan at the thought alone as his forehead presses against James’s arse cheek where he just bitten him, fingers curling inside James making James gasp.

“I don’t think you ever had a prostate orgasm before. Never managed to been patience enough to test if you can truly last that long without a hand on your cock. And you always call me impatient.” Aster comments to James from his place behind. “You reckon you’re so very sensitive by now to achieve one? How many times have you come so far since you started to get hard by the gummy worms?”

James lets out a muffle sob when Aster relentlessly pushes against his prostate not easing up.

He leans back on his knees seeing just how hard and heavy James hung between his spread legs with the tip of his cock barely grazing their used bedsheets and leaking onto the blankets leaving a tiny wet spot behind of leaking pre-come.

“It’s been a long while since we had time like this, Jamie. A really long time since we’ve been able to fuck without me bottoming and being able to take the potion. All without any risk of interruption. And we got all night long. It’s a miracle we made it this long without snapping. Remember how randy we were only ten years prior when the kids were just tiny babies? We could hardly go a single week without fucking at least once.”

James moans and Aster grins watching his cock pulse with every hard press to his prostate. “Aster touch me. Please.”

“No thanks, I’m good right where I am right now.” Aster grins at himself just watching. “When I finally do decide to fuck you though, which do you prefer. Me coming inside you or out, marking you all up as mine and coating you up all over in my come?”

After the potion Regulus invented for Aster to take, it opened up a lot of new doors for James and him to experiment and play around with. For starters, James loves being cumed in when he has a pussy. But when he bottoms anally when Aster has a cock and no pegging is involved, that was a bit different.

Aster tries to remember to ask before they start. Sometimes he forgets, but if he does he tries to remember to come outside of James but it doesn’t always work. But he does his best to remember.

“In.” James pants with his breathing becoming more quick and shallower. “Inside. Want you all inside me.”

“Got it. Loud and clear, Jamie. You’re doing so well for me. You’re being such a good boy for me.”

Working a third finger into James was hard. He was wet, very wet as much as he would usually get in the past times taking the potion that’d give him a pussy and it had Aster curious by the time he was teasing James by catching the head of his cock on the rim if he should push in without any lube on either of them at all.

“You- you haven’t used the lube. H-How?” James breathes out moving his head to the side and spotting the bottle still laying untouched on the bed.

“Indeed, Jamie. The gummy worms don’t just make you impossibly hard and needy for me.”

Aster can’t help his tiny smile from behind. The flushed pink head of his cock pushing pressure on James but not pushing in.

“You don’t need any, I bet. But do you want me to put some on anyway?”

“If- if I don’t need any. No.” James answers before pushing back and popping the head in and making him stretch around Aster with a low moan from either of them.

James was tight. Tighter than usual, even when he has been stretched out to three fingers where he wasn’t reacting to any sort of pain or stretching burn.

Aster lets out a string of curses in mixed French and English, being very careful to go slow as he pushes in with his hands tight on James’s hips to not let James push back just because wanted to.

Aster didn’t want to cause James any more pain than needed. Not even when James thought he was ready to take Aster down to the root. Not under the influence of these sort of edible gummies of whatever James was feeling and Aster wasn’t going to find out by taking whatever worm gummy that was left to take.

Aster was only halfway in when his hands were so tight around James’s waist that his fingers were probably going to leave bruises the next day.

James was breathing heavy under him, his arms given out a while ago and his back so arched as he dropped his head to the pillows to moan into them instead.

“Please tell me you’re already inside me.” James begs.

“Halfway. You’re so tight for me today, mon amour.” Aster groans deeply with his nails digging into James now and eyes squeezed tightly shut trying to contain himself from coming like it was his first time fucking James from how warm and tight he felt wrapped around his cock. “You’re so fucking tight, Jamie. You don’t know what the damn gummy worms do to you. You won’t ever be able to imagine.”

Aster’s nails drag from from James’s hips down to his arse leaving dark trail marks before he gropes James’s perfectly rounded flesh as he sinks in the rest of the way before practically collapsing on top of James’s back as his hips become flushed against James’s arse.

Aster feels the way James was shaking under him. The way his legs tremored holding them both up and him gasping with short breathy half moans and pants as he shallowly attempts to rocks his hips back against Aster.

“Shh, shh, shh. Shh, Jamie. It’s okay.” Aster purrs as he places his hands just past James’s shoulders and sets them on the bed to be barely hover overtop James with his mouth behind the shell of James’s ear.

“Let me take care of you, Jamie. Lâche-toi pour moi. Je t’ai, mon soleil. Je te ferai du bien.” He whispers sweet nothings into James’s ear all in French feeling the slick build up of sweat rub across his chest from James’s back as he starts to move on his own.

James lets out little noises as Aster picks up the pace. Hips snapping and pistolling into James like it was his only job and never once does he move to wrap his hand around James’s heavy cock.

“Aster, pl-eease!” James cries for him to touch him without saying. Aster knew James well of what he wanted and begging for just feeling how tight he was squeezing around him.

James attempts to move onto one hand to fist himself but his body gives out under him, chest falling to the bed and his back arching lovingly that had Aster hitting a whole new spot making him gasp.

Aster moves carefully, not stopping his hips and pressing his chest against James’s back and collecting James’s hands into his own.

He laces his fingers against James’s own, with his smaller hands on the back of James’s hand and fingers wedging between between fingers and he pins James’s hands down to the bed.

James makes a whining sob, hardly making a move to struggle against Aster as he thrust his hips hard into James before pulling out fast and pushing in again with the same amount of force.

“I want- to see you coming- around my cock- entirely untouched.” Aster grunts with his hips snapping harder with more force, pushing James up the bed with each snap of his hips.

Times like that moment, Aster wished he had put a cock ring on himself before starting as his eyes start to roll back into his skull and movements started to become sloppy but he’d be damned if he comes before James and he wasn’t going to touch James’s prick as much as he (or James) wanted to come.

“A- Aster please-!” James begs with a sobbing cry trying to fight against Aster’s pin that had him down.

“If you want to come so bad, no one’s stopping you. You can do it love. I know you can. I bet you’re so close now.”

It starts with the pulsing tightness around Aster’s cock, squeezing then relaxing, squeezing and relaxing in steady motions as he thrusts in and out with the snap of his hips.

Aster lets go of James’s hands for a second, grabbing at his hips for a moment and readjusting James by yanking up his hips using all his strength and pushing down on his back to force down on his back to arch deeply.

James lets out the loudest crying wail yet of that night before he’s tightly wrapping around Aster and not releasing him at all as he’s spilling across the blankets.

Aster finally let himself go, a few shallow thrusts, hardly moving from being buried deep inside James before he’s coming as well with his eyes rolled back with a deep moan with James feeling even more wet around him from the inside now that he’s come.

“Fuck you feel amazing, James.” Aster groans deeply with his voice ruined and raspy.

His eyes were still closed with a blissed out look on his face. His cheeks held a pretty pink hue that spread across his nose, ears and all the way down to his chest. His ears ringing a bit as he’s trying to cool down from his climax with his hips staying flushed against James. Rocking just the slightest bit to give him that oversensitive friction he still craves and loves despite his recent orgasm that’ll be kicking into overdrive soon if he’s not too careful.

James was shaking by the legs under Aster’s touch.

No, the more Aster came back into his head, James was shaking everywhere. Shaking as much as Aster was when he snapped back into his mind after being granted it back from Elias.

It takes Aster a second to open his eyes and truly listen. The tiny whimpers and soft cries coming from James where he had his head half buried into Aster’s pillows and face entirely in hiding.

It an embarrassingly long second to realize that James was shaking because he was crying. And Aster was still hard, still mentally high in the clouds trying to anchor his way down to process that James is crying with him so deep inside him inside him that Aster didn’t know where he ended and James started between the two of them.

Aster lifts his hands off James like the man burns him, but it didn’t help with their hips being connected. Then he doesn’t know why he sets his hands back on James’s lower back that only makes the older man flinch a moment before crying a bit louder.

Aster withdraws his hands off James again, not daring to touch him. Not knowing what to do because usually it’s the other way around.

Usually it’s him who’s breaking down. Freaking out. Crying quietly. Crying loudly. What do he do? What does James like to be comforted when he’s like this?

What-? Why-?

Is it him?

Is it his fault? Did he push James?

Did James not want this as much as he thought?

He can’t help himself when he lets out a shiver that he can’t hold back when his prick was softening rapidly quick from the inside of James, slowly slipping out at the sudden move shift.

“James… are you okay?” Aster asks quietly, not entirely sure of what to do because he didn’t know why he was crying. He means, James was all perky and bubbly and happy only that morning for the kids birthday. And now…?

James lets out a noisy sob in response. As soon as Aster was able to pull himself out of James entirely being gentle with James. James shifts off his knees and falls over to his side curling up into a ball in the middle of the bed crying his heart out with Aster left at the foot of the bed in a confused mess just staring at James.

And if this happened at any other time, really. Aster would probably be caught in a better mental state to approach James better. To care for him better.

To… help him better.

Instead Aster gets off the bed carefully and goes into the bathroom collecting a warm cloth to clean up James.

He’s gentle on James, running the cloth across James’s backside, his back, between his legs and the cleft of his arse before being extra gentle on his dick that was still very much hard and held a deep purple shade to it that had Aster mentally thinking if it goes a shade or two darker he’s taking James to St Mungo’s for safety precaution.

He doesn’t think James would forgive him if Aster allowed him to loose his dick.

Each gentle touch of his hand as he cleans up James with the cloth between direct skin contact, James flinches. His crying and noisy sobs soften rather quickly during after care but doesn’t stop as Aster drops off the piece of wet fabric in the dirty towel hamper.

Aster crawls back into bed without a word spoken to James, gently pulling up the blankets over James and his naked bodies and he spoons James in bed.

Holding him tightly. Caressing his hair with gentle touches.

It’s peaceful. It’s enough.

It has to be.

At least for now under dire circumstances of what was going on between James’ legs.

“Are you okay, James?” Aster asks again as the sun starts to disappear and the sky goes dark.

Aster rests a hand on James’s dry tear streaked cheek, gently using his thumb to rub what he can off.

Aster doesn’t move otherwise, he keeps his body around James, holding James tightly. He constantly runs his hands through James’s messy, soft curls.

Aster thougth James had fallen asleep when he asked when James doesn’t reply and how soft he was breathing. Steady and peaceful.

Or so he thought.

“I don’t think so.” James quietly answers. “I’m tired, Aster.”

Aster doesn’t stop his hands running through James’ hair gently.

“How tired?”

“Mentally, a lot.” A cold laugh. “And physically… My dick hurts so much. I don’t think I came this much in a such a short time span in years.”

“Yeah.” Aster lets out a soft laugh, trying not to be mocking. “A shade or two too darker from what I saw when cleaning you up. I was thinking I’d need to haul your arse to St Mungo’s rather you like it or not. Do I need to take a peek under the covers soon?” He teases gently trying to lighten the atmosphere between them.

“I think I’d go for the sake of my dick.” James lightly jokes. “Kinda fond of it. Gave me nine kids and a rather satisfied husband, after all.”

“It’s not just your dick I’m fond of, just so you know.” Aster teases trying to keep the mood light as his hand drifts from James’ hair to his face, his fingers gently trace James’ lips that were surrounded by facial hair.

“I love your mouth. You use it well, rather it's just to talk or when you know where just where to put it, where I need it at the right time when you’re trying not to be a little brat.” A thoughtful hum.

“There’s also your chest. Your stomach. Your entire face. Your… body hair,” Aster snakes a hand around James’s body feeling up and down his chest, fingers twirling around his chest hair before finding way past his navel and to his pubes where he ignores James’s cock in choice to gently play with the wiry thick hairs.

“Your thighs are pretty good too, not as muscular as they once were though when we were far younger but I think all the broom riding you do with the first and second years as well as the kids does pay off for you. But I think you can do some work on the hair on top of your head, but the rest is parfaitement beau in my eyes.” A tiny tug to James’s hair from where Aster was slightly propped up on his elbow to give James a scalp massage.

“Arsehole.” James grunts making Aster laugh softly before pressing a gentle kiss to the back of his neck.

“I also love your personality, as much as I do hate you being on a broom or insisting on taking my kids on brooms. I love your mischievous streak as much as I hate it when you team up with the kids to prank me or someone else in the house. I love how good you are with all the kids and me, as well as my siblings and friends, as much as we do get sometimes.”

“They’re my kids too. I got to love them regardless, not that it’s hard to do since most of them act like you and me anyway and is a hundred percent adorable. Each and every one of them.”

“I know.” Aster squeezes James a bit in a hug from behind. He pushes James to his back a bit, pressing gentle kisses starting with his neck.

“I know, mon chaud soleil. I also love how smart you are, as dumb as you are too. Because you can really be dumb at certain times.”

“Hey,” James warns him lowly before softly moaning as Aster runs his tongue across his neck down to his collarbone, gazing his bottom teeth carefully against James’ skin.

“I also love how you make sure I don’t starve myself, even on my bad days where I feel more triggered and struggle more than usually where I’m more of a bitch to you than usually. That you always make sure I’m okay as much as I try to make sure you are too. I love that you love all the kids equally, without showing favoritism despite most of them hating brooms.”

A tiny huff. “Four of ten. I got nearly half.”

“Exactly. I win this round, Jamie. You got the looks, I got the brawns.” Aster smirks feeling James’ hand drift to settle on his thigh, drifting from his hip and down. “I also love how much you care for your friends, no matter how insane they are.”

“Hilariously insane, you mean.”

Aster rolls his eyes fondly, moving up to press a soft kiss to James’s lips before pulling back and adding another to his cheek and forehead.

“I love how you care for my friends, as much as you hate the all the nicknames Barty calls you.”

“I wonder how the hell he manages to think of those each time.” James complains. “Catches me off guard all the time. Each time he does call me James or even Potter, even if it’s only the once, I get my hopes up.”

“I love… I love your cooking. The way you’re very patient with me with anything. The way you know me, inside and out. Literally. The way how you know what makes me tick and what doesn’t. Just like how I know you.” Aster moves a hand, sliding it down James’s chest, his sides, carefully missing his cock to grab his thigh and pulling it up a bit so he can slot himself better between James’ open legs on their bed.

Being fully on top of James, Aster rubs his naked body on top of James’s feeling the roughness of their body hairs rub together. Aster could feel his potion-made-cock starting to slowly fill out as he grinds down slowly on James’ stomach, still careful to avoid his groin area for now.

“I don’t think anyone can live with you without knowing your little pet peeves.” James points out moving his hands to rest on Aster's hips and encourages him to move with guidance. “Especially with your eating habits. Otherwise you’ll probably never eat if someone cooks for you.”

“Very true.” Aster agrees with a tiny nod, nuzzling his nose in the crook of James’s neck smelling the spicy citrus smell of James’s cologne he’s been using for years that’s blended in with the oranges he always ate every day. “What else is there I should tell you…?”

“What is this about?” James hums, hands slipping from his hips to grip onto Aster’s arse and kneading. Spreading him apart and releasing, letting his arse-cheeks fall back to their natural roundness. Aster doesn't miss the way James thumbs around the small tattoo on his arse of his initials, marking Aster forever as James'.

Aster props his chin up on his arms, resting on top of James and easily peering at him from on top. “What is?”

He blinks from below Aster. “Listing all these things you love about me.”

“I’m just telling you how much I love you. Should I go on?” Aster moves his hand from James’s hair, running it down the side of his face and into his beard. Dark with silver streaks in it.

“I also love your beard. But I think you already know that for the last of years of me begging you not to shave.”

“You hate the burns that I always leave behind on your thighs.” James points out.

“Hate the burns, love the orgasms and how it looks on you. I think it’s safe that one can weigh out the other. And I’m a healer, love. Don’t forget, it’s an easy and fast fix with some dittany salve.” Aster runs his hand down James’s jaw, his neck, settling it above his heart on his chest. His fingers let out a tiny wave against his chest as he stares down at James.

“Now enough with changing the subject. What’s bothering you? Talk to me, then we can get into another shag, anything of your pick, I won’t care if it’s not even about you or entirely about you.” Aster asks him softly but firm.

Because if there’s anyone Aster can talk to, it’s always going to be James if not his new mind healer since Lina retired only a few years ago, right before Euphemia’s passing which Aster wished she didn’t, or else him and James wouldn’t be going through this.

Then there was that fifty-fifty chance of his option of people to pick from outside the healer field, it was going to be James. Then Barty is there when he needs that heavy slap in the face.

James opens his mouth, but it falls close after each time no words come out.

Aster truly thought James was going to talk to him. Like he did in St Mungo’s over Euphemia even though that was a quick rant that hasn’t been discussed of since.

Which Aster knew it needed to be spoken of soon because that can’t go unspoken for another few years since Euphemia’s passing. It just can’t.

James lets out a shaky sigh before he’s moving Aster off him, entirely pushing Aster’s gentle touches away and sitting up. James swings his legs over the bed, feet touching the floor with his back facing Aster.

And for a moment, Aster thought maybe James just needed no eye and no physical contact to be able to talk about it.

Instead James drops his head into his hands. Aster doesn’t miss the tiny, unmissable shake of his head. “I can’t talk to you about it.”

Oh?

And doesn’t that just sting?

Laying naked in bed with the man he loves with his whole heart and a half hard boner that was rapidly softening because the man he loves can’t talk to him about it?

Aster's heart drops. Can’t or won’t?

The man he’s married to and exposed everything he has to expose of himself, the good and bad, showing without concealing and expressing every single thing he’s struggled with emotionally and physically for the last of years and working through them with James?

And when it comes to James’s time in need, for James to rely on Aster?

He doesn’t?

What was Aster to James then?

What was Aster if he was anything at all?

Is that why James has been taking over every duty and tasks Aster usually does in the house?

Was James already preparing to get rid of him from the house? Preparing to do things on his own, single handedly?

Getting the kids up for school? Making sure they’re dressed and ready in good clothes? The girls’ hair every morning, making sure they’re decent? Washing all the clothes, at least a load a day? Mopping and sweeping the floors? Making sure the house is clean? The dishes? The food — not that Aster did that anyway but usually he’d set the table and try with helping out anyway with chopping the veggies and meat along with the prepping?

Aster sits up, running his fingers through his hair stressfully and moving off his elbow and he inhales sharply trying not to say a single thing because if he starts, who knows how this would end between him and James.

He and James couldn’t afford a big fight when they got kids in the house that could sense the tension if they even tried to hide it.

Instead Aster gets off the bed. His face was red and burning hot with shame and embarrassment that James has been making him constantly feel for days on end as he moves around the room gathering his clothes that he shed off hours ago and yanked them on furiously.

He ignores James’s eyes on him.

“What are you doing?” James asks him quietly. “Why are you getting dressed up?”

Jaw clenches and unclenches, he stays quiet, grabbing his wand. His wallet. Anything he thought he’d need for the weekend away that would be a fast grab for him to take from the bedroom. If his kids aren’t going to be home, then so wasn’t he. Not when James was going to keep acting like this.

He was fed up.

He was tired of feeling useless.

Tired of James turning off his alarm every single morning after he watches Aster resets it every night to ‘let him sleep in another hour or so’ and do his tasks. His house chores that make him feel like he’s worth something more than just him going out to work and coming home to sit on his arse all day doing nothing.

No. That’s not what he worked his arse off for. Aster likes being a busy man. He likes working. He likes being on the go often more than sitting around and doing nothing and twiddling this thumbs. James knew that. They’ve been together for so twenty-seven years!

“Aster?” There was that crack in James’s voice. “Don’t- don’t leave. I’m sorry. I- what did I-?”

“I’m staying at Barty and Evan’s. If not- then-… I guess Narcissa’s with the kids. Or Pandora’s. Or- Regulus’s couch for fuck sake.” He finally speaks in a dry, strained voice.

“Why? What-? Why?”

“Because you won’t talk to me!” Aster hisses still moving around the room not daring to look at James. “You never talk to me, James. Not anymore, not since she died! It’s always Sirius or Remus or anyone but me! Don't brush it off because I do notice. And I’m sick of it! Then you go and, and take up all the stuff that I do around the house and for the kids! What am I?! What am I to you?”

“You’re Aster, my husband.” James weakly tells him. “I’m just trying to help-”

And he’s seeing red. He’s tired and so fucking done with people trying to help him. He’s done.

Aster opens his mouth before snapping it close right away. No. He needs to cool off. He needs to… he needs to get away. That’s whet he needs to do.

First, Elias.

Now James?

No. Just no.

“I’ll be back by Sunday evening latest before the kids get back. I’m going to send a word to Narcissa to keep them for the whole weekend.” He grunts at James. “Enjoy finding someone else to talk to and a new shoulder to cry on because I’m done right now, James. I'm so fucking done with you. You’re tired? Well, newsflash, James. So am I. But I bet you didn’t know that with all the extra hours of sleep I get when you kept turning off my fucking alarm.”

Aster slams the bedroom door leaving James naked and alone, his dick still hard and purple looking.

He doesn’t even take a step forward from the bedroom door, apparating on the spot knowing James could hear the pop of him leaving.

Chapter 20: January 19th, 2006

January 19th, 2006

 

The one good thing that came out with Barty and Evan having only one kid that was now a full fledging adult was that Aster could escape to their shared two-bedroom flat without worry of a child being present.

Bonus point that Carlotta was moved out of the said two-bedroom flat leaving her full size bed behind in opt for a queen size bed.

Now sharing a flat with Azura and Luna which Aster imagines she’ll be moving out as soon as she ties the knot with Fred because now Aster didn’t have to crash on the fold out couch but on Carlotta’s old bed that he’s almost positive she’s snuck Fred Weasley in often throughout the summers and breaks when she was home from Hogwarts right under Barty’s nose to shag her boyfriend who had six siblings, far less than his own kids so Aster couldn’t really judge the Weasleys — he could and he does. When one Weasley comes to his house, they spawn like the devil. He can’t decide what was worse, Remus, Sirius, and Teddy eating him out of his home one day or trying to feed Ron Weasley that one day when he came over as a thirteen year old boy when Harry invited him over.

But he wasn’t going to say anything. Mostly because as bad as his mother was to him growing up, she did teach him to be polite and to not speak if nothing nice was to be said.

But that was the last thing on his mind.

Certainly not when Barty was sharing his bong — it was being passed between Evan, Aster, and Barty.

And Barty was letting Aster get as high and floaty-feely as he wanted as long as he shared what happened of how he ended up at his and Evan’s flat and having to borrow Barty’s clothes given he had no clothes on his back besides the ones he showed up in because despite ASter being in Ravenclaw, he was dumb enough to grab everything but clothes.

“So Jimmy’s been doing pretty much everything that makes you useful in the manor?” Barty asks with his mismatched sock covered feet kicked up and crossed over on the coffee table with an empty muggle glasses of open beer carefully set on it that Barty was previously drinking, now onto his second bottle.

“And you’re here complaining about him over that minor fact when you could be using the time to… I don’t know, catch up on reading that you’re always complaining about or maybe get some sleep, just to suggest because you do have a boat load of kids with him that he’s tending to?”

Aster had his own beverage which he rarely ever drank since having kids.

He doesn’t think he’s had a single drop of alcohol since Regulus’s confession of his alcohol addiction which Aster played a huge role in on helping Regulus go sober with Sirius primarily as Kingsley tended to their newborn, now Isadora was nearly ten years old along.

Just seeing how much Regulus had struggled with that addiction and him already having his eating disorder and mental health, Aster didn’t need or want to take the risk with alcoholism that runs in the family.

His kids need him, thank you very much.

And now Kingsley and Regulus was thriving. They already had their second child, a little boy, Leo Denis Shacklebolt-Black — whom Kingsley biologically fathered with Lily Evans, which also meant technically both children weren’t biologically related at all but it didn’t mean shit to anyone or the kids.

Leo was now three as of last October with the most brilliantly beautiful green eyes inherited from Lily that actually made Leo look related to Isadora and Regulus as well as Kingsley with his dark, beautiful chocolate skin making Aster think that they both had picked out the best surrogates possible to make the best family for themselves.

Isadora had a beautiful shade of sage green eyes that were once nearly identical to Regulus’s when she was born, but as she grew older the shade got darker and gained some brownness to it close to the pupil to her eyes. Her skin was on the pale side, in comparison to her brother’s but her hair was curly in thick, luscious locs that felt like only Mary knew how to control and on occasion when around, Dorcas.

It’s simple and easy to say that Regulus and Kingsley picked the best witches to reproduce with because they had beautiful kids.

Second to James and Aster’s of course, because Aster was selfish to think otherwise of all the beings (and adopted being) he put hard work into growing, raising, and all the other shit that came to being their Papa since he was seventeen (sixteen if he counts the birthday he had when he had fallen pregnant before birth).

Aster just really needed a break from everything as he removes the bong off his lips and passes over the bong to Evan who sat to his left before grabbing his martini glass that his cocktail was in that even the drink reminded him of James from it’s fruity orange taste as he takes a sip of his second glass of the night.

“I’m just tired of him treating me like I’m useless and a nobody,” Aster pretty much whines to Barty picking out the cherry soaked in alcohol in his drink by the stem.

“I’m tired of sitting on my arse the second I get home because he gets home two whole hours before me. Sometimes I get home even later than two hours which is to be expected if an emergency happens. And I get home just to find out he’s already helped the kids with their homework and got the last load of clothes done along with dinner getting started or done. I can’t even help with dinner or else the kids are going to whine, mope, or complain and I’m tired of him doing a fucking better job than I do and keeping the whole house together without me. We’re suppose to be at this together, not- not separate. That’s not what being married and being parents is all about together!”

“Uh-huh.” Barty nods grabbing his beer as Evan lights the lighter to the pipe.

They both seemed very uninterested in what he had to say, but this is how it’s been for the last few years. Their uncaring attitudes increased steadily whenever Aster needed to complain or rant about James.

It wasn’t the best interaction Aster could get from them now in comparison of what he got in the past, but it was better than talking to a brick wall.

Aster frowns at Barty before looking away entirely feeling hurt and trying not to let it show. He takes a small sip of his drink before Barty speaks some more. “What else?”

“He doesn’t talk to me.” Aster confesses quietly. “I want to be emotionally dumped on sometimes. I like that from him once in a while. I mean... he used to do that. He used to... I used to be emotionally relied on by James. He doesn’t do shit like that anymore. He- he said ‘he can’t’ when I asked him to... I’ve done nothing for years but rely on him and asked him to talk to me and to work things out... Why can’t I do the same for him in return!? What’s wrong with me, Bee?” His voice cracks ever so slightly. “Tell me. Please. Don’t lie to me.”

Barty’s eyes drift over him once, hazel eyes soft on Aster. “Nothing’s wrong from where I’m seeing it. It’s all on him, not you. You’re probably the best partner anyone could ever have, and make that as a Papa, too. The kids as just as lucky to have you as Potter is.”

“We’ll something’s wrong with me!” Aster cries in protest stomping his feet a bit on the floor a bit childishly as he passing his alcohol soaked cherry over to Barty to eat.

“Am I not a good partner? Am I a terrible husband or something? Wait- no! Don’t answer that.” Aster quickly adds the last part before Barty can get a word out nearly hitting him in the chest when his mouth opens knowing Barty would just shower him in praises and compliments.

“I just want to feel used.” Aster fists up his hand. “And not in the sexual way. I- I- I mean, bloody hell,” He stammers over. “Why can’t he just talk to me about Effie or anything that’s bothering him but instead he goes and decides it’s better to break down and cry when I’m at the end of fucking him off my rockers with an orgasm?”

“Was it a good fuck at least?” Evan asks blowing out the smoke before draping his body half on Aster than leaning back on the couch. He closes his eyes with a soft sigh, weight entirely on Aster now.

Aster groans more, slightly pushing Evan up on him but not off, leaving him be. He leans into Evan once he was comfortable with Evan’s weight on him, knocking his head onto his a bit just to rest and sip on his fruity drink.

“We haven’t fucked since I got home from St Mungo’s. Not a single time.” Aster scowls at that fact holding up a finger.

Barty raises his eyebrows at Aster looking surprised himself.

“I made him come un-touch for the first time just by having him take me by the arse. I guess that has to count for something, given I found a good angle to fuck him in. But it’s just…”

Aster shyly meets Barty’s gaze, tucked into Evan’s side a bit. His cheeks blooming a blotchy pink.

“Do you think he still loves me? I keep coming back and thinking and asking myself, what’s the point if he acts like this. What’s the point if he’s just going to use me as a sex-toy and a second parent who just brings money into the house more than anything else? I- I had this problem, a awhile back where I was constantly questioning everyone and everything they were doing for me but I got over it but now it feels…”

“Who?” Barty asks dumbly, eyebrows furrowed and his eyes looking to be turning dark a bit as he drinks some of his beer that Aster’s not the biggest fan of both smell and taste.

The alcohol and weed was clearly getting to Aster now. More than his friends.

Aster shifts around, pushing Evan off him to dutifully hit Barty this time. Because between the three of them, one thing of them showing that they cared for each other was to hit each other. Aster gets Barty straight behind the head.

“James! Barty, geez. My gods. Aren’t you suppose to be the smart one of us three or something?”

Aster slums back a bit onto Evan, both of them leaning away from Barty on the same three-seater couch. Aster had clear vision to glare at Barty clearly.

“Oh.” A pause. “Yeah. Of course. Why wouldn’t he? I love you. Rosie loves you. I love you.”

Aster’s lips tilt up for a moment when Barty doesn’t look away the slightest bit when he says that. It takes him a moment, a startling blink before he’s realizing what exactly was being said and who it came from.

Aster groans downing the rest of his drink. “That’s not the same. You guys have to love me or else Regulus would honestly probably kill you for breaking my heart. I wouldn't be surprised if he managed to kill James.”

At the same time he says that, he can feel Evan tense up a bit beside him as Barty scurries to sit up properly.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Barty shakes his head shifting on the couch a bit to face Aster.

He goes as far as grabbing Aster’s jaw and forcing him to maintain eye contact and leaning in so close to the tip of their noses nearly touching.

“If you and Potter ever fail, you’re so very welcome to join me and Evan.”

Evan snorts from the other end. Evan and his loose lips from the weed and alcohol. “Unlikely he’d go for that.”

Aster tries looking at Evan with Barty’s hand still tightly gripping his jaw. In fact, when Evan mutters that comment under his breath, Barty’s grip on his jaw got tighter and his gaze drifts off Aster and to behind him where Evan was sat.

“What are you both on about?” Aster questions Barty, unable to look over to Evan at whatever Evan was gesturing to Barty that he couldn’t see but could feel the shift of the couch cushions.

“We talk…” Barty shrugs dropping his hand and smoothly masking what tension had just arose. “A lot.”

And if Aster was anyone else. He may be a bit too tipsy, a bit too high to catch certain cues.

But this one, if he was sober, he'd probably end up dismissing. But this wasn't that case.

“Obviously.” Aster rolls your eyes. “But you’re not being very clear right now about that, Bee. What do you mean by that?” Aster leans back and looks at Evan. “Evan? You too. I know you’re in on whatever this is. What do you both mean?”

Evan sighs long and noisily. He stretches himself and rubs a hand behind his neck with pink cheeks, darker than just from the alcohol that they’ve all been drinking.

“It was a big fantasy thing Barty and I had spewing up a few years back. If you and Potter ever ended… Or if you and Potter ever want to change from having a monogamous relationship and wanted to give something… bigger a try… Barty just wants you to be well aware that… well, you know, we’re open to you joining us.”

Evan furrows his eyebrows. His eyes were probably as red as Aster’s.

“Or is it us joining you and Potter?” He quietly hums to himself.

Aster snorts, his mouth quicker than his mind. “James would never go for that.”

“See.” Evan tells Barty tossing an arm behind Aster’s neck and tugging him close. Aster felt like he was on a high wire feeling Evan’s fingers dance with his hair at the nape of his neck as they talked. “Monogamous.”

It takes Aster a drunken minute to process what Evan was saying exactly with his fingers on the back of his neck. Aster falls quiet, his eyes grow large suddenly feeling quite caught in the middle from his seat in the middle of Barty and Evan.

He knew he was missing something out of this. Something that only Barty and Evan knew of and that he lacked knowledge of.

Aster suddenly becoming warm all over, and he couldn’t decide what kind of warm it should be determined as of. The good kind or bad. Was there even a good kind in this sort of situation?

He couldn’t determine that.

“Great. Now you’ve gone and sent him into a thinking state. We’re suppose to be relaxing, Rosie. He needs to relax with after everything that’s been going on with Potter. That's why he came here.”

“Wait- Evan-!? What? No! Barty?” Aster stresses sitting up that caused Evan to topple over a bit from leaning on him.

He moves from couch to coffee table to sit across both men to look at them both in the eye and to have a better view on both rather than one over the other. He points at them both with a finger with each hand and wide red eyes that made his dark blue irises look more striking.

His head was spinning as much as his stomach was starting to churn nauseously.

“What the hell are you both talking about and why do I feel like I’m missing some key information?” He stares at them both with big eyes.

At any other time, Aster would’ve laughed at how comically their eyes drifted at the same time to one another as they sat on the ends of the three seater couch they had.

“Well?” Aster stresses probably having a bit too much alcohol in his system for this conversation with the look he was giving the two of his best mates.

He leans his elbows onto his knees trying to steady himself for a moment. “Are you both being serious right now? Or are you joking? I honestly cannot tell right now. I may only had two glasses but Barty you made my drinks strong and I need someone to be flat out honest with me right now.”

“Um… Barty? Do you wish to tell him?” Evan calls out making Barty’s jaw drop from being called out from Evan and there was a rosy blush bloom on his pale cheeks that could live up to the nickname Barty likes to calls him Aster wasn’t going to take lightly because Barty blushing, too, and this time it wasn’t from all the beer he’s been drinking.

They both were sitting across from him and blushing with pink and rosy cheeks each at the talk of feelings.

Oh fuck. Aster wasn’t ready for this.

Aster drops his hands to cover his mouth for a minute. No one dares to say a thing, twisting at least one hand in their their laps.

Barty looking at his lap at his beer bottle, Aster covering his mouth, and poor Evan was looking everywhere but them.

This wasn’t going to be something that they could just drop or move by lightly. And someone needed to break the silence.

“Barty…? do…? you…?” Aster tries, not entirely sure of what to say but each word comes out question-like.

Barty resorts to squeezing his eyes tightly close and shaking his head. “Please don’t.”

“No, come on. Hey. It’s okay. I... I think...” Aster gently tells him, reaching forward and placing a gentle hand on his knee not thinking twice of the gesture to his number one best friend. Because if it was anyone, Aster could always touch Barty.

Barty was his safe zone. His safety net and it was exactly the same vice versa. Barty could go to him just as much as he could to Barty.

No.

Please, no.

Don’t let him loose Barty too. He already lost a son, and he’s halfway gone to his husband.

Aster felt like crying.

“No, I-” A deep breath.

Aster knew this would probably pain him just to get them to talk about this. But the last thing he wanted was another James, another person he loves to close him out. To make him feel cold.

“We have to talk about this now.” His voice was soft. Very quiet as he tells the two men across to him. He wanted to get everything out in the open, discussed through, solved, and so they can move on without anyone feeling hurt. But doing this drunk- or tipsy was probably not the best way to go.

“No we don’t. You can just pretend Evan never said anything.”

“Me?” Evan squeaks. “You said just as much.”

“Yeah but it could’ve been passed off as a joke.”

Aster’s chest was swelling tight.

“I… I can’t do that.” Aster tells him softly, shaking his head and squeezing his hand a bit that was on his knee. “You know that I can’t. You know me, Bee. Please.” He weakly finds himself begging Barty and in extension to Evan. “Talk to me. Please.”

“Yes you can. I’ll help. It’s easier than you think. So, uh, Elias? That little bugger bugged you yet? Do I need to go to Hogwarts yet to threaten a student?”

Aster blinks at him softly with tired eyes. It takes him a moment of just staring, trying to catch Barty’s gaze where Barty doesn’t even look at him.

Staring down in his lap at the beer bottle. Oh, and that hurts. Barty not even being able to look at him like he was some-

“Barty.” Aster breathes out his name wetly. “Please.”

He didn’t know what else to say. How could he? How often did he get some sort of confession that someone fancied him that wasn’t a student in Hogwarts and that was his best mate, and his best mate’s life long partner.

Barty keep rambling, not daring to look at him. “-Has he kept his distance with you? Potter and Lupin said they’ve been keeping an eye on that weird tracking map of theirs, watching over you and that he doesn’t have the cloak so-”

“Bee, please.” Aster gently calls his nickname out again. “Don’t be like James right now. Talk to me, please. I don’t need another James. I don’t need another person who won’t talk to me when… I came here to get away from him for a minute. I came here to be with you and Ev.”

Aster watches the rose tattoo on his neck move, waving across his skin as Barty swallows thickly. He watches how there was a tick of tension in his jaw that stays for a good while before relaxing as he speaks.

“Well, uh, firstly,” A deep breath, an awkward cough with a fist partially covering Barty’s mouth. Barty pauses for a long painful minute waiting to see if Aster would clearly leave or drop the topic. He doesn’t. “…you weren’t suppose to ever know.”

“I know now. No point in hiding anymore.” Aster softly tells him showing that he wasn’t going to be angry or going to lash out. That wouldn’t solve anything. His eyes drift over to Evan as well. Evan wasn’t looking at him either.

“How does this work? I… I know you both love each other a lot. I- I don’t really understand myself. What…? What have you both been talking about about me? About… James?” Aster mentally curses at himself for stuttering a bit as he’s trying to carry this whole conversation afloat without somebody sinking.

“Well, when a bloke fancies someone, usually either they swallow up their feelings until they take it to their grave or sometimes they wait it out for it to go away, but in this obvious case, you know-”

Aster rolls his eyes with a small groan, glaring at Barty making him shut up and dart his eyes away again before their eyes could properly meet.

“I’m with James, Barty. I mean, as Evan put it, monogamous. He’s my husband. Has been for the last twenty-seven years. As much as I'm pissed at him, I'm going to do all I can to make things work out with him.” Aster flinches just watching Barty flinch himself with Evan.

Straightaway he’s feeling the guilt of how blunt he was speaking to them.

He takes a deep breath.

“I’m sorry. That was mean. I, uh-” He shakes his head. “James is far too of a jealous man. As well as myself in many situations over James.” An apologetic smile sent his way. “But I’ll be damned to loose either of you over this. Believe me. You both do mean so much to me. If you didn’t, I wouldn’t be here hiding from my husband for a break after fucking him into tears and leaving him in bed. You guys are the first people I go to when James and I fight.” Aster immediately feels a bit of guilt for James now, maybe leaving James wasn’t the best thing he could have done.

But now he was in Evan and Barty’s flat high and a bit past the point of tipsy but not drunk.

Where would Aster rather be? James, dealing with him crying and not talking to him of why he’s crying or now sitting on the coffee table of Barty and Evan’s and being told that apparently both of them fancy him?

Why didn’t he just go to Pandora’s again?

Right, he didn’t fancy waking up to Xenophilius trying to do some sort of exorcism on him with him covered in so many different colours of paint and whatever the hell he was using the burning sage around him for.

Neither say anything. Aster sighs withdrawing his hand off Barty’s knee to scrub his face stressfully knowing he’d have to take this into his own hands if he wanted answers.

“Okay… Uh... How long?” He asks them with his voice quiet and eyes shining with far too much emotions that was making Aster sick to his stomach. Maybe he should just never drink again. “I- I firstly can say I’m so sorry if it felt like I’ve been possibly leading either of you on or-”

“No.” Barty shakes his head. “Don’t. It’s all on me-”

“Abeille, no, don’t. Aster, it wasn’t Barty’s fault.” Evan finally speaks up. “The idea wouldn’t have been in your head if it wasn’t for me. I started this whole thing.”

Aster’s eyes go back to Evan, who had a redder face than Barty.

Okay, they were getting somewhere after all. Aster was starting to think it was Barty to start things out first. He can’t help when his eyebrow lifts. “You? Really?” The he’s making an apologetic face, the alcohol loosen his tongue a bit too much.

Evan shrugs. “I’m a masochist man. I like to hurt myself, wanting a man who I know is off limits already.”

Barty drops his head back on the couch lifting his beer to silently cheer Evan who still had the bong in his lap. “Me too, Rosie. I mean, I know Aster better than you do.”

Aster laughs softly, his eyebrows were furrowed with confusion however. “I’m not that mean during sex. Am I?”

“It doesn’t have to be just with the sex, Fiore Stellato. Clearly you don’t get the whole picture of what masochism can truly be like.” Barty rolls his eyes. “Rosie?”

Evan sucks in a deep breath. “So… sometimes… I may… watch you and James.”

Aster furrows his eyebrows with his eyes widening a bit looking cautious.

“Watch us? How?”

Very rarely do him and James ever sneak away for a quick fuck. They don’t do it as often with the kids getting older.

Honestly if Aster knew there would have been chances of the possibility of just knowing Evan or Barty was watching him, it’d probably turn him on a whole lot more. But still, it was all physical.

“Evan? What do you mean by that?” He needed everything to be clear as his mother’s untouched crystal glasses she had in Grimmuald.

“You two aren’t the most secretive people in the house when you both sneak off.” Evan shrugs weakly. “When one of you disappear. Then the other. Sometimes I excuse myself to the bathroom to find you. Big house, you know? It’s not just about the sex but I can hear you both. The- the quiet whispers. I can just listen around the corner and just hear you both talk. It could be about the kids. Or your siblings. Or your jobs or just something entirely random. Just… to calm the other from whatever is bothering them. I notices it happens more than either of you let on.”

“Us… just… talking…?” Aster repeats slowly not sure he was entirely following.

Evan nods with a thin, very awkward smile.

“I mean, sure, you both do sneak away to shag, rarely, I try not to spy in on those but… regardless, sometimes that happens when I catch you. But there are a lot of moments where it’s just you or him needing space. A break. And he holds you or the other way around. I don’t always get that from Bee.”

“Oy! I try.”

“I know.” Evan softly tells Barty with a small, softer smile than he was sending Aster. Evan reaches across the couch and places a hand onto Barty’s knee and gives him a soft squeeze.

“But then, uh, one time Barty caught me listening in one evening after a party, I think a birthday party for one of the kids, a few years ago. I was taking too long and he got a bit concern so he went to look after me. I didn’t realize just how long I was missing. I don’t know, but when we went home. I- I told him how I was feeling. Of what I was missing and liking of what I saw from you and Potter. And I guess… I… the seed was planted for him. Barty wasn’t mad at me, I mean, then he started to see that possibility. The… A new possible picture if you and Potter didn’t work out one day, as bad as it sounds.”

Aster nods slowly, eyebrows pinched a bit confused. “It’s not- Evan, you do understand that’s not masochistic behavior, right? I think… That’s you seeking for intimacy, I think. That’s what I’m seeing. Barty’s just seems to be shit at giving you that. I don't blame him though, he's not the best at it, all the time.”

“Come on, not you too.” Barty groans.

“Can’t it be both?” Evan asks.

“I-” Aster shrugs weakly. “I guess if you want it to be?”

“It’s both then.” Evan settles on. “but,” A deep breath in. “I do fancy you. I believe so. And I think it could extends to Potter in some circumstances… too? Because it’s not just the times I snuck away to listen in on you both but it’s… the affection you share each other. The hugs, the kisses. The way you give me attention too, though far less than what you give to Barty.” Evan’s cheeks looked to be burning like red apples as he glances over to Barty who shrugs.

“And that- that is what brings up the whole monogamous thing? You were trying to sneak in the idea of a poly relationship? With either just me or… all of us? The… four of us?” Aster furrows his eyebrows unsure of what exact that was suppose to be from Barty and Evan.

“Yep.” Evan pops his lips. “And I mean, the sex was brilliant too, the few times we all got together. Can’t lie on that. It was really good. Far nicer than just hooking up with random people at bars or clubs.”

That explains with Evan closed his and Barty’s bed up to strangers.

And Barty keeping track of the last time they all hooked up with each other. Barty taking any bit of touch he gave him. Evan being more open to letting Aster touch him, lean into him over the last few years. Evan’s eyes lingering on him for a few seconds too long when he’s doing the most simplest task or giving Evan the slightest bit of attention or starting the conversation instead of Evan or Barty.

And Barty’s been… saying ‘I love you’ far more to him since the incident with Elias… Aster always replies those back with solid ‘I love you, too’ but it’s always been in different ways. He’s always meant it as like-…

Aster swallows thickly. How did he not see the signs sooner?

“Because you know us. That's why.” Aster speaks Evan carefully.. “Again, this is all a form of intimacy. Intimacy that… I apparently… I’m sorry, I still can’t really wrap my head around this yet. Really? Me? Why not Regulus? Or- or Kingsley?”

Barty lets out a rather cold scoff. His head shakes and his knees move a touch away from Aster and Aster notices. It also pulls Evan’s hand away from touching him, but Evan was less bothered compared to Aster as he leans back on the couch.

“But you’re with James. Like Regulus is with Kingsley. And we don’t like him, like we fancy you.” Barty tells Aster.

Fancy. Fancy. Fancy. Fancy. Fancy. Fancy.

They fancy him.

“So… just drop it, Aster.” Barty snaps at him a touch too mean in a tone that Aster knew he should take serious. A tone that hurt him as much as he knew he wouldn’t. He couldn’t.

Aster snaps his neck to his best mate still trying to meet his hazel eyes full of different shades of browns and greens. “How? I can’t just- just ‘drop it’- drop… drop this, Barty.”

They all needed to work through the issue together. To figure out the best out come where they wouldn’t loose each other.

“What do you mean how? Do I need to pull out my wand and obliviate you?”

Aster’s body kicks in full of adrenalin fear.

He’s scooting far back on the coffee table straight away and he can’t lie that his heart skips a beat in a terrifying way as he stares at Barty wide-eyed and he’s pretty sure he stopped breathing, stuck mid-breath on the inhale he was doing when they were talking.

Barty doesn’t even have a wand in his hand. Just saying that has him so worked up…

Aster’s frozen stuck, sat as far as possible away from Barty and staring at him unable to tear his eyes off Barty and Barty’s eyes quickly met his knowing exactly where he fucked up.

He’s finally meeting his and he can’t look at Barty with nothing else but overwhelming fear. It hurt Aster more than it was hurting Barty as Evan sat quiet and still and looking unsure what to do just stuck.

It was between Barty and Aster.

Aster and Barty.

Barty and Aster.

Aster and Barty.

Evan was tossed to the sidelines at that point.

This sort of talks did not go by lightly with Aster. Everyone knew by now to trend carefully on what they said when joking when directed to Aster.

Barty quickly realizes what he said wrong and slaps a hand over his mouth with wide eyes and he’s shaking his head softly.

“No- Aster, I didn’t mean it like that. It just came out. I would never. I would never draw my wand on you. I promise you I am not like your Mother or- or like Elias, I would never-”

Aster was proud that his body wasn’t entirely shaking, but his jaw was the only part of his body that was trembling, teeth clattering and a single tear drips down his cheek just staring at Barty.

“How can I trust anyone not to?” Aster quietly asks with a broken voice, scratchy and ruined so fast with a single sentence. “I love Elias. I- I trusted him so much. I never thought to grab my wand and point it at him and he didn’t think twice on it because he thought he was helping me.”

For the second time in a twenty-four hour time span, Aster finds himself fretting around a room and quickly grabbing his stuff.

He was feeling suffocated. He needed to leave. His spinning head and churning stomach wasn’t helping him at all.

“You know what? This was a mistake. I shouldn’t have come here at all. I should go. I need to go.”

“No. Aster, please, don’t-” Barty scoots to the edge of the couch ready to get up but Aster was already tugging out his wand from his hair.

“No, don’t get up. It’s fine. I just- I- I need to leave. I’m sorry, I overstayed my welcome. I shouldn’t have pushed you or Evan. At all. I’m sorry, again. Really.”

“Never.” Barty shakes his head while Evan remains quiet, head pointed down to his lap and looking entirely guilty. “Don’t.”

“I’m going to go.”

“You’re high, Ast-”

“I’m fine.”

“You’ve been drinking, too-”

“All more the reason to leave.” He snaps fuming. “I never drink, Barty. I shouldn’t be drinking anyway. I shouldn’t have taken the drink when you offered up. I wasn’t planning on drinking tonight anyway! I shouldn't have trusted you!” Barty’s eyes flashed with hurt as Aster shouted at him before dialing back his harsh tone. “I’m sorry, Barty. You too, Evan.”

Aster disapparate straight out their living room.

He lands on a forest ground with the address a bit far off. French curses quickly spilling out of his mouth realizing he never put his shoes on and a sharp point of a freezing cold twig stabbing the bottom of his foot as he landed.

“Putain, merde! Aïe, putain de brindille stupide-!”

Aster nearly tumbles over if it wasn’t for catching and leaning onto a tree.

He was just grateful he was able to see the cottage’s glowing windows in the pitch black dark and that he landed right outside the edge of the forest.

He thumps his head on the bark of the tree once before carefully tip-toeing himself out of the forest until he feels the sticky freezing thin layer of snow become entirely a mixture of snow and grass and pads his way quietly over to Sirius and Remus’s small family-friendly cottage.

Aster unfortunately landed on the opposite side of the only entrance to the cottage, so he’s taking the long way around the building, quietly walking by all the open windows and freezing his arse off.

“-I just don’t get it, James.” Aster pauses mid-step.

He was so going to get a frostbite on one of his toes from this because karma was always a bitch to him.

Always.

First James.

Then Barty and Evan.

Then James again but now with his sibling and brother-in-law.

It was a vicious cycle.

Never ending.

“Why can’t you just talk to him? You’re risking your marriage now. Putting it on the line all because you think he won’t understand from how hard he struggled on bonding with Effie and never having a true mother figure in his life. He left the manor, if that isn’t the most obvious thing he can scream at you just to talk to him, then I don’t know what is.”

Aster doesn’t dare to peek into the window. Instead he ducks his head right blow the open window — thank you, Remus — and pressing his body against the stones of the cottage and is thanking the gods that Sirius and Remus keyed him into the wards years ago in case of an emergency.

At least now they wouldn’t be alerted that someone was on their property and he could listen in without being caught and anyone getting suspicious.

“He won’t get it, Remus.” He listens to James sternly tell them. “If I just pour my heart out and the chances are high he’d just sit there or stand just looking at me like i’m insane for crying over my mum years after she died or like when I couldn’t keep her garden alive the first winter after she finally died or that I can’t get her aubergine stuffed with pisto right and I can’t practice on cooking it without him complaining of how it makes the house smell and makes him gag even if he's not pregnant anymore. And it’s not just me, he has stuff too that he doesn’t always tell me. I think it's only fair.”

Aster bites on his lip feeling entirely guilty as he shivers out in the cold without shoes and a jacket on. At least it wasn’t snowing, he supposes. He’ll be lucky if he leaves this weather without getting sick.

If James had just told him all that, he would’ve had an entirely different approach with everything.

It’s all Aster’s been trying to encourage James to do for the last of years. It wasn’t like he wasn’t trying at all.

Aster doesn’t tell James everything because he doesn’t need to upset James more than needed. James was already on edge what felt like half of the time.

“Then we had that stupid fight and Elias nearly killed him right after.” There was the sound of glasses clanking around, so Aster can only imagine that they were drinking inside.

Like he was with Barty and Evan. Aster’s head pounded just at the thought of the two glasses he drank. He should never had accepted Barty’s offer when he did.

He should have grabbed some water to drink before leaving their place.

Aster was already imagining how the conversation with James was going to turn out to be when he finally does sit down to talk with him about Evan and Barty because this was not something he was going to let float around in the air without James knowing. James deserves to know as much as Aster knew.

“At least he doesn’t know how bad you panicked when you brought him to St Mungo’s. When I found you there after you send the patronus.” He hears Sirius speak. There was a quiet pause, Aster doesn’t know what was going on inside.

“If Aster ever finds out what I was panicking over… it’s over between us. I just know it. He wouldn't forgive me for that. You saw how he reacted with the papers before... He can never find out about how much I was freaking out that day. I still haven’t told him anything about that.”

Aster’s eyebrows furrowed at James’s voice as Remus speaks up.

“What are you both talking about?” A clink of glasses. “You both are keeping an important detail out away from me. I want to know. Catch me up, Prongs.”

James sighs loudly. “I… I had a bit of a melt down when I got Aster to St Mungo’s and when they said he was going to die I just… was panicking on what to tell the kids when I’d get home.”

It falls quiet for another minute. “I don’t see how it’d be over with you and Aster over that. I think it’s reasonable. If I had to tell Teddy that Sirius died on field when he was still working actively, I’d be a mess too, as well as there being a child involved. And in your case, both yours and Aster’s, multiple kids.”

Glasses clink around. “Prongs, just tell Moony. It’s only him here. He won’t tell, even if he has been hanging out with my baby brother without any of us knowing.”

Remus scoffs. “Don’t look at me like that. It’s not like we’ve been sneaking around and having an affair. Aster asked me and I agreed to hang out with him at most. So, go on, Prongs.”

“I-…” James’s voice drifts off for a few minutes. Aster freezes his butt off outside just waiting. “I told Sirius I couldn’t do it anymore. But it was just the adrenaline talking, alright? I don’t mean it. I- it’s just a hard place for us right now. He’s still coping and dealing with what shit Elias did to him. I don’t want to add onto that, let alone sex? I’ve been tyring to avoid that with him. Hell, I still have a ranging hard on right now from that damn candy your cousin gave him, Pads.”

“Narcissa gave him sex related candy?” Sirius snorts. “No wonder there’s only one Malfoy spawn. Clearly they can’t handle getting too randy.”

Aster’s mouth gapes open a bit before a hand quickly covers his mouth.

What did he mean by that?

“Wait- what do you mean by not can’t being able to do it anymore, Prongs?”

Aster could probably kiss Remus right now.

James sighs sounding stressed.

Aster can picture James having an elbow on his knee and pinching the bridge of his nose with his glasses either taken off entirely or pushed up into his messy finger-run-through hair.

He didn’t have to look into the cottage that he was pressed up against to imagine what James was looking like in position.

That’s how well Aster thought he knew James.

“I… I’m tired, Moony. Can we just finish these drinks and go to bed? It’s getting late and my prick’s just about ready to fall off. I just want to sleep the rest of the hours off.”

“Prongs.” Remus’s voice comes out warningly. Another audible sigh is heard.

“It feels like every time Aster and I go through something hard- not like a simple argument but a hard time in our marriage. With him nearly ending up dying or nearly so.” James quietly speaks so low that Aster nearly misses it. “It feels like sometimes it’s his… I don’t know… excuse? To get out of the argument and just drop it when he does something wrong.”

It was not an excuse! He tried to talk to James over it for years, but James wouldn’t talk to him! That motherfucking little-!

“I may had panicked, when Aster was that blank slate hollowed out body and told Sirius maybe it was better to… file a divorce. Put an end to all this madness. You know? But now, I swear, I’d never, Moony. I promise you, both. Sirius, Remus, I- I’d never want to. I want to make us work. Always. It’s always going to be us. Me and Aster. Through thick and thin. We’ll get by. I mean… It’s probably just me who’s feeling this way, anyway. I’ll get over it.”

Aster lets out a muffled noise behind his hand, his eyes quickly shining and burning and he’s hot all over despite it being dark and cold out. He’s unable to make himself move just yet despite the way his legs were screaming at him from going all day without his cane.

“Aster loves you James. I told you that before, and I’m reminding you again now.” Sirius speaks up. “He won’t let you go without a fight.”

“I know.” James softly replies. “I mean, I love him too, but since he got back home he’s always been…” A sigh. “He’s been acting a bit pissy at me. All the time. I don’t know why. It’s like, the minute he wakes up and… he doesn’t even bother to come downstairs anymore in the morning for breakfast with the kids. I mean, I turn off his alarm so he can sleep in some. I do it because I hope that with him getting more sleep would... I don't know, make him less pissy or grouchy? I did everything I can think of to be more helpful for him but he’s still snippy at me. All I want to do is help him and I keep fucking it up. I don’t know how to make things better anymore.”

Aster lets out a quiet scoff, shaking his head as he drops his hand off his mouth and creeps away from the cottage quietly.

He’s been trying with James. That’s all he’s ever been doing since Euphemia died. 

He tries. And tries. And tries.

And you know what?

He’s done. But he’s go no where else to go.

No where he can go…

No where… can’t even go to Evan or Barty.

He was losing people he cared so much about that it was driving him mad.

Aster kicks the first tree he sets eyes on hard, hearing a sickening crunch in his toe making him bite on his tongue from screaming and cursing out more.

Instead he grabs his ankle and hops a few paces on one foot hoping not to get stabbed in his good foot.

A few feet deep in the forest, he pulls out his wand and apparate back to the Potter manor, given James was at the Lupin cottage.

Aster lands straight in the kitchen freezing his arse off. He’s shivering down to the bone as he limps into the living room and starts a fire in the fireplace with a wave of his wand before collapsing himself on the large couch fit for half of his family.

He doesn’t make a sound as tears rolled fat down his cheeks, staring at the fire and letting his foot throb by the toe.

He’s always fighting to get James to talk to him. He’s always using his voice to get James’ attention, the good and bad way.

Aster grabs his (Barty’s, just an awful reminder truly) shirt by the collar and rubs his face dry with it feeling entirely defeated.

What was the point? Constantly fighting with James, if he wasn’t going to listen to him?

He might as well just waste his breath with James.

Without a sound, Aster weakly tugs at the blanket that was draped over the back of the L-shaped couch and covers his body with it.

He had no interest in going upstairs to his and James’ bed, so the large sectional couch would sufficient just fine for him to sleep on as he hits a decorative pillow a few times and rests his head tiredly.

His mouth was dry. His head was pounding.

But he opts for laying under the thin blanket in front of the fireplace and shivering and being beyond thirsty and miserable instead.

Chapter 21: January 19th, 2006

January 19th, 2006

 

Aster woke up to a faceful of James crouching down in front of him reminding him where he had fallen asleep at and a gentle touch of a hand running through his sleep-mess curls.

Everything from the night prior slaps him hard in the head as he hardly reacts to James who smiles gently at him.

“I didn’t realize you’ve come home last night. I went out to cool off at Remus and Sirius’ if you were looking for me.”

He could’ve answered then. He could’ve. But he just didn’t want to. He saw no point in it.

Instead he blinks tiredly at James before shifting a bit and turning around entirely to face the back of the couch. He hears James sighs.

“Aster, are you really still mad about last night?”

A tug on the thin blanket, he lets out a shiver against his will. Between last night’s adventures and not talking his body-temperature-regulation potion as well as being under a thin blanket, it was bound to happen.

Another sigh. The flooring creaks as James shifts and he can slightly see James move around to the back of the couch. He’s squeezing his eyes tightly close. A thump of a hand is obvious on the back of the couch.

“Fine. Be like this.” James’ voice comes out snappy before it softens by a lot. “I… I’m going to go grab your potions. You’re obviously startin' to run cold.”

His eyes fluttered back open when James’ footsteps retreat. Aster rubs his eyes hard, sleeping with his contacts in weren’t ideal. Now leaving his eyes all dry and irritated.

He lets his hands run down his cheeks, where he could feel some dryness of where his tears had dried up when he eventually had fallen asleep last night from crying.

By the time he sits up, blanket on his lap, James is coming back down the stairs with more than just one potion in hand for Aster to take.

Aster says nothing to James when his daily potions are laid out on the table for him but he does take his potions one by one.

When he’s done, he leaves the vials that were all re-corked and takes off the blanket from his lap. Standing up, one step forward, he’s hissing out in pain and falling back onto the couch to cradle his foot where he’s forgotten about his big toe that was now decoloured and slightly crooked. He definitely broken it.

“Did you break your toe? How’d you manage to do that?” James questions concerned, moving forward to touch his foot only to earn a tiny slap to the hand before he could touch Aster.

Aster glares at him before grabbing his wand that was tossed on the coffee table a little farther down from the vials that contained his potions.

Biting down on his tongue, he grabs his toe and painfully angles it straight before silently casting an episkey.

He testingly wiggles it once, still very sore, before getting up and moves forward and away from James to the kitchen.

“Aster!” James chases after him. “Come on!”

Aster grabs a glass out from the cupboards and fills it up with tap water before drinking it to get rid of the taste in his mouth from the potions.

“Aster, just talk to me. I don’t like this from you. Are you really this pissed at me?”

Aster moves away from James again, rummaging through the last cupboard by the front door and standing up on his toes with a slight wince, toe still mildly throbbing with pain as he pulls out a muggle bottle of paracetamol.

He drops the right amount of tablets in his hand that he’d need to take for his head that was throbbing, along with his toe and pops it into his mouth before drinking more water.

“Is that for your toe?” James asks confused. “Why-? Why didn’t you just take a pain potion? Those are stonger.”

Aster rolls his eyes.

Because pain potions does nothing for hang-overs for some damn reason. And taking paracetamol might as well just kill two birds with one stone with his toe.

Aster places his glass now filled halfway on the counter before setting the lid back on the bottle before putting the bottle away back where he found it.

He picks up the glass and lifts it back to his lips taking another sip not missing how James was staring at him with big, confused eyes.

“What-? What if…? Breakfast?” James weakly offers him looking more than halfway to being defeated. “The… the kids aren’t here… I can… I could make…” James quickly starts rummaging around the kitchen.

He’s going through cupboards, the fridge, seeing and counting for everything they had. “What about chausson aux pommes? Just for us today?”

A tiny lift and drop of one of his shoulders. Aster keeps the cup to his lips, sipping quietly.

“Aster. I’m sorry. Please just talk to me. You never-… I don’t like this. Not from you. Ellie can do this, but from you? No. Don’t- don’t just copy her.”

Honestly, their oldest daughter never ran through his mind once. Her quiet mute phases she had. It’s something that he and James had been preparing themselves for since she was young and hardly making a sound.

But this was all on his own choice.

He just doesn’t want to talk.

And certainly not to James. Or Barty. Or Evan.

Is it considered copying if he didn’t even think twice of the person who does something similar too?

Aster quietly drops the cup from his lips, moving over to the sink and dumps the glass of water into it before quietly setting the cup into it as well.

He wanted to speak so many words and questions to James. But his voice was gone and died as soon as the words formed in his head.

Why am I not good enough for you?

Why am I never going to be enough for you?

With his back turned to James, a fresh new tear slips and falls down his face. He uses the pad of his finger to clear it away before sucking in a shaky breath and walking straight by James.

“Aster,” James heaves out moving to grab his arm where Aster knew it was coming and slips away before he could. “You can’t just not not eat just because I’m the one cooking. At least have an apple.”

Aster slips out of the kitchen.

“Aster! Come on! Are you really going to make me chase after you all over the house!?”

James goes ignored, Aster goes upstairs with him chasing after him.

Aster starts pulling out some stuff, readying himself for a shower.

Fresh clothes are on the bed to get him out of the sudden heavy reminder that he’s still in Barty’s sleep clothes where the pants were pooling around his feet. A clean tee with a jumper to put on top. Some fuzzy socks just because he was still cold.

James takes a startling hard blink at him. “Who’s clothes are those?”

Aster makes the tiniest noise, taking the pile of clothes with him and carrying it to the bathroom to set it on the counter by his sink of the bathroom.

He fusses with his contact lenses case, carefully cleaning out the old saline and filling it up with fresh before skillfully peeling out the contacts from his eyes and blinking hard and rubbing his eyes when he knows he shouldn’t.

With that done and with a blurry vision, he yanks off his shirt and the thin white tee-shirt he had on all day yesterday and all night and tosses them into the dirty clothes hamper before sticking a hand into the large glass-encase shower and turning on the water to a hot level that he knows James hates the high temperature of.

Aster doesn’t bother closing the bathroom door knowing James was in the doorway just staring at him with his eyes narrowed into slits and jaw tensed up.

He undoes the tiny knotted piece of string that was keeping Barty’s pajama pants on his waist and letting the piece of fabric fall off his body without an extra movement given.

His underwear comes off next, added with the pants that he doesn’t even bother to pick up before slipping into the shower and straight under the spray of the hot shower.

Aster lets out a tiny moan of relief, turning around and letting the water pressure hit his back as he rolls his shoulders and tilts his head back with his eyes closed trying to loosen up some of his tensed muscles over the last few days between planning out his kids birthday party to James to his best friends’ apparent love confession.

Aster lifts his hands to run through his hair, making sure his hair was getting fully soaked with the water. Once he was sure with his hair being soaked through, he twists his body a bit to grab his shampoo bottle.

As soon as he has the bottle in hand, he lets out a startled squeak of surprise and the bottle is dropped. He looks back in front of him, to see James already on his knees, fully clothed that was getting heavy and damp and his hands touching Aster's sides before sliding down his body and cupping his arse and squeezing.

The water that was spraying on Aster’s back was slowly getting James wet as James stared at him with dark, heavy eyes.

“If you’re not going to talk to me, I bet I can find a way.”

Aster’s eyebrows knit in confusion for a moment before James readjusts his grip onto his thighs and leans forward with his tongue sticking out and he licks across his folds before sucking onto his clit eliciting a tiny moan from Aster and having fast arousal rushing through his blood that’d have his clit sticking out puffy, hard, and aching in no time for James to suck him off.

Aster hardly has time to adjust before James is pushing his legs apart a bit and properly mouthing at his clit, sucking and licking with his tongue pushing inside him every so often having him grab onto James’ hair for balance.

Aster lets out a low moan when James pushes him back into the shower wall and knocking him out of the spray’s way. James shuffles forward a bit, not wasting any time and grabbing onto his leg and tossing it onto his shoulder to give him more of an opening and his tongue laps all over him having him knock his head against the wall with a tiny whine.

Aster tilts his hips, bucking a bit into James’ mouth when he starts to suck again on his clit. His thighs tensed up and he’s rising up onto his toes of his non-broken foot. His hands are wrapping into James’ hair and pulling his face closer to he can grind into him entirely.

Aster lets out tiny gasps, pleased with James letting him take control on fucking his face as James moans around him increasing more vibrations around his clit and piercing that always had him closer to coming sooner.

He makes tiny pleased humming noises, his hand wrapped around James’ hair on the back of his head.

Aster’s emotions were all over the place, sure. But this? He could do this. He could let James use him like this for the one time.

The one leg he was hardly balancing on starts to shake. His breathing starts to go uneven as he’s so close to coming. His heel digs into James’ upper back, trying to push him even closer into himself if possible.

Aster lets out tiny, uneven streams of moans as his grip on James’ hair becomes unimaginably tight and he’s just about to-

Aster’s mouth drops open and no matter how hard he tugs on the salt and pepper wet curls, James was able to pull back with a pained wince on his face.

James took a few deep breaths, his glasses were all fogged up and had wet spots from the shower spreay as he looks up to Aster with his big golden eyes. His pupils were huge and dark, and his face looked dead serious when Aster meets his eyes.

“You want to come so bad? Beg me for it.”

Aster lets out a tiny whine, hips bucking a bit only for James to push him back and his leg tossed over his shoulder slides off a bit. James readjusts it back to where it was.

Aster lets out tired whines. Squirming around while pinned up on the warm tiles in the shower didn’t get him much and his leg was quickly starting to cramp being held up without a distraction happening from James.

“Come on, Aster. All you got to do is talk. You haven’t said a single word since we started. Just say something, and I’ll do anything you want.”

Aster knocks his head against the wall again out of pure frustration. He didn’t want to talk, so he shouldn’t have to. And James using sex wasn’t helping at all as Aster looks around the enclosure space of the shower feeling like he wanted to cry more than beg.

His leg was hurting him up to the hip. James was hurting him, physically as well as emotionally.

Instead of struggling to tug James closer to him, he’s releasing his hair and moving his hand to his collarbone and pushing him away with a trembling jaw.

James frowns at him. He frowns deeply but lets himself be pushed back and helps Aster carefully put his leg back on the floor without falling or slipping.

Aster doesn’t turn off the water, walking straight out of the shower and grabbing his towel off the hook beside the door as he goes, scrubbing his skin dry.

The handles squeaked as the shower turns off.

“Are you really just… not going to talk to me?” James asks him quietly, grabbing his own towel to cry his hair, soaked clothes dripping water more than Aster's naked body.

“What did-? I know last night was bad but… shout. Scream. Say something.” James pleads with him.

Aster faces the sink, still drying himself and letting quiet tears fall down his face. He takes his time, James’ refection staring at him as he dries himself up and tries to find the courage to say something.

Aster swallows thickly. His tongue licks his lips wet.

“Do I really mean so… little to you?” His voice finally croaks out to James.

“What?” James breathes out taking a slippery step forward. “Aster… you mean so much to me that I can’t even begin to-”

“You won’t talk to me, James.” His voice eerily quiet. “I’ve been doing certain things that’s apparently been hurting you in the long run. I… I ask and try to work with you and it’s like you just… close up and shove me away. You… ice me out. I don’t know what I can do anymore around here. Everything I used to do here, you do it now. You’ve taken my place here. I was gone for just... only a month. I had to get better, but I'm here now and I've lost my place in my own home.”

“What do you mean by that?” James lets out a tiny scoff that makes Aster shake his head. “You’re the one who doesn’t spend time with the kids anymore. You’re the one who stays late at work all the time now. You’re the one who… You don’t come down for breakfast and you miss dinner more times than not. I’ve got to make you something transportable to bring to Hogwarts because you don’t eat with us anymore. I don’t get to see you in the morning, or hardly at night either before we go to bed. You don’t get to blame this all on me, Aster. This is not my fault.”

“I’m not the one who wanted a divorce, though, am I?” Aster breathes out quietly as he turns around to face James with a wet face.

“I’m not the one who wanted to leave whenever things get hard. I’ve been here for you when Effie died. I’ve been trying with you. I-” He shakes his head, eyes squeezed tightly closed.

“Let me tell you something, James. I may not have a mother figure, or a father figure that I love or care for me. But I am one. I love my kids just as fiercely as Effie and Monty loves you. I don’t need a parent to love me to know what that sort of paternal love is. I get it. I know what it is. And you, James, of all people, don’t get to push and punish that on me like it’s my fault because I never truly got to be that close to Euphemia like Sirius was to call her mum, or like how Regulus is with Fleamont, calling him dad. And you don’t get to lie to Sirius and Remus and tell them I have been doing nothing around here when you’ve been doing literally everything there is to be done leaving nothing for me! You’re the one who turns off my alarm! You’re the one who’s doing all my chores! We’re suppose to do this as a team, James! Everything’s suppose to be even divided between us! Well, let me tell you something. Us, you and me,” Aster gestures between himself to James.

“Right now we’re far from being a bloody dream team. So fucking far, it’s out the front door. It's out of this bloody fucking house and off the property, down the road and ridden off into the sunset. If you want to blame someone for all the distance that’s been going on between you and I, that’s on you, because I've tried with you and I'm done with it.”

A cold laugh hits James hard when it’s released from Aster. James physically flinches from him, Aster hasn’t even taken a single step closer to him. Still standing in place drying his body all over, including his mostly graying hair.

“And to think, you’re such a fucking soleil. But when things finally get hard for you and you get slapped in the face with reality, you ice everything and everyone out. Especially me! You’re a dead star now, freezing cold and full of ice. Happy now, mon étoile morte? You got me to talk and now, you don’t like what I got to say. Too. fucking. bad.” Aster spits at him, glaring at him with hard eyes. “And if I don’t want to talk. You leave me. the fuck. alone.”

Aster takes his clothes with him along with his towel and goes out of the bathroom to the bedroom and starts to get dressed.

He’s halfway to getting into his comfortable clothes when James finally comes out mostly naked, shredded from his jeans and shirt only in his boxers.

“Were you spying on me at their cottage last night!?”

Aster rolls his eyes, tugs on his jumper and grabs his towel to hang back up in the bathroom.

He knew this was about to be a long weekend without the kids around.

Chapter 22: February 1st, 2006

February 1st, 2006

 

Aster leans on his cane to get his weight off his aching hip as he gently knocks on the door to Remus’ private quarters.

It doesn’t take long for Remus to open the door. “Hey, come in. Thought you’d be home by now.”

He makes a tiny hmph sound, cane clacking as he enters the room quietly and wastes no time to drop his small bag he brought with him from home and flops himself onto the small loveseat with an aching groan.

His hip has been bothering him more on the painful side since James had it hoisted up on his shoulder.

Aster twists himself in the seat, leaning on the right side of his body more than his left.

“You’re quiet today.”

A tiny nod comes from him as he rubs his hand across his face tiredly. The whole weekend without the kids meant James nonstop chasing after him, just constant nagging. Even when Aster gave up on replies, James never did. It’s never been this bad between them before and Aster didn’t want to go home just yet.

He’s already prolonged his work shift for the last four hours, than his usual two-ish and Madam Pomfrey was on her last leg with him dusting the stored potions; finally sending him home where he grabbed his belongings and instead of going home, he’s now in the presence of his brother-in-law.

Aster was just in luck that Sirius wasn’t around.

Or worse: Teddy.

“Bad day today?” Remus questions sitting in the small arm chair beside the fireplace. A wave of his cypress wood wand and starts up a fire.

“Or… a bad weekend?” He carefully adds eyeing Aster.

Aster lifts his gaze slowly. Calculating.

“You knew I was listening? Didn’t you?” His voice asks soft and broken, only speaking during the day when spoken to.

Remus sends him a crooked smile. “The potions keep me from turning on the full moon. However, they don’t compress my hypersensitive abilities. I could hear you breathing from outside the window as well as smell the weed and alcohol off of you. It was a full moon that night, may I remind you?”

Aster doesn’t bother to response, falling quiet again and resting his chin on his fist.

“I asked him those questions for you.” Remus informs him softly. “Because I know how long you’ve been running around like a headless chicken over him. And,” A deep exhale. “After all the crap you’ve gone through, you deserve it. The truth from the person you love most, the very least.”

Aster closes his eyes, thinking back to that very morning.

Thinking of how his alarm clock finally went off for the first time in weeks. How he finally got up, as much as he wanted to stay in bed. James side was empty, but when he got up he found all his household chores that James has been doing entirely undone.

The kids weren’t ready for school.

Hair wasn’t done.

Clothes weren’t washed, or dry, or even folded or sorted.

Between him and James, not a word as spoken. Aster only spoke when he had to for his kids. Other than that, he remained quiet with a tight smile on his lips.

He wouldn’t be surprised if the kids quickly picked up that him and James were fighting.

He could just hope that they don’t become too concern over them and focus on their youth and enjoyment.

They sit in silence for a few minutes.

“Not that…” Remus coughs awkwardly with a fist close to his mouth. “Not that I don’t mind you being here… but… why are you choosing to be here… exactly?”

Aster lifts an eyebrow before he even opens his eyes to look at him.

“I just mean, wouldn’t you prefer to be at Crouch’s flat? Or- or I mean, with Rosier if Crouch isn’t there?”

And his eyes fall close again with a tiny grunt. Remus lets out a tiny hum. “Bad terms right now?”

“One could say that.” Aster’s voice is nearly missed. “I’m loosing everyone right now, Rems.”

“No,” Remus breathes out. “Don’t say that. You’re not.”

“My husband. My best mates… I haven’t seen or talked to Elias in over a month if we’re going to be ignore the small briefing of when he brought me back. I bet I’ll lose Sirius next, they’ll take James’ side in a heartbeat and I don’t know where Regulus would go… he’s as close to Evan and Barty as I am. And there’s Pans who’d pick her twin brother over anyone in a heartbeat… So… everyone.”

“You haven’t lost me.” Remus reassures him. “I’m not picking sides. If anyone doesn’t like that, they can leave. That’s them picking the side.”

Aster lets out a tiny protested whine. “I don’t want you loosing friends over me, Remus.”

Remus gives him a small smirk, leaning forward onto his lap. “That’s not for you to decide, is it, though?”

He groans, the hand on his cheek goes to rub at his face.

“You know…” Remus picks at a stray string on the arm chair. “You can always start to make amends with those before you lose them for good.”

“Or…” Aster quietly hums opening his eyes to look at Remus. “We could go on another adventure of ours? You got the map?”

Remus lets out a soft laugh. “I think it’s time we retire from that for now.”

Aster grunts, leaning back and crossing his arms. “Fine. What did you have in mind?”

“Elias is in the music room.”

Aster’s face remains neutral. There was no signs of anger or hatred but there were no signs of peace or joy.

Remus took his non-shaking body as a bonus. He sends Aster a tiny smile of encouragement. “Elias’ been spending a lot of time there, since.”

“Since?”

“Since… your…” He didn’t need to spell it out, did he? “You asked everyone not to hate him. You, yourself, don’t seem to be mad at him either, now. Have you given him any thought?”

“I..” Aster blinks once at Remus. His mind as been so occupied with the recent birthday party and there was James, too. He supposes not. He supposes he hasn’t truly put time into thinking to work on himself to move on or to at least forgive his son for what he’s done to him.

But Aster knew that Elias truly didn’t mean harm. As terrifying as Elias did approach him by tangling him up with vines and stealing everything that made him, him.

Aster swallows thickly, knowing his answer.

“I suppose I haven’t.” He quietly informs Remus. “He did try to speak to me once.”

“When?”

“The first day I came back to work. He… he tried to give me his wand in peace offering to talk. I didn’t take it. So he had set his wand on the bed, tried to apolgize to me.”

“And?”

A tiny shake to his head. Aster could feel the strains of his grey hair that came loose from his claw clip holding tickle the side of his face. With a sigh, he reaches up to redo his short hairstyle.

“I told him he had to figure it out. To make it up to me.”

“And has he?”

“He hasn’t bothered me since.”

“Then I believe Elias’ way of making it up to you is by staying away, Aster.”

Aster drops his hands to his lap, his claw-clip in hand and his hair dangling around his shoulders. “I know. Deep down, I know, Remus. He’s my son. Of course I know.”

“Then what are you going to do about it?”

“I… don’t know.”

“I say talk to him.”

Aster hardly reacts to Remus’ words.

“Alright, list the top three things on your mind that could go wrong if you end up talking to Elias?”

“One, he could attack me.” Remus holds out his pointer finger. “Two, the talk could end up in a screaming match.” His middle finger sticks out. “Three…” Aster licks his lips in thought, trying to think of something reasonable. “Um… we just… fall out entirely. That everything I once thought I knew of him, as my son… he’s not him anymore.” Remus thumb is out.

“Can I give you a piece of advice, Aster? Adoptive father to adoptive father?”

A tiny shrug.

“Elias isn’t that four year old boy in the boys’ home anymore.”

Aster rolls his eyes. “I know that-”

“Elias is not that four year old boy when you first met him anymore.” Remus repeats with his forearms leaning onto his thighs and leaning as close as possible to Aster. “He’s sixteen. He’s a teenager, he's not a child. He’s happy now. He’s your son, not an orphan. Do you understand that? Tell me, you understand that, Aster.”

Aster swallows thickly.

Tiny, four year old Elias stuffed in an even smaller toddler size dress and being made fun of from the older boys in the home when all he was trying to do was fit in as a transgender child.

Tiny, four year old Elias, bringing Aster into his closet-size bedroom where he’s been put into because he had to be separated from the others due to his born gender and telling Aster all the horrid things he’s been through in that four-wall room with his tiny torn up teddy bear name grizzly that was his only toy he had with a missing eye and leg along with a torn up ear that he truly believed came from his birth mother — that Aster still has tucked away in a small memory box that contains certain legal documents and forms regarding to Elias that not even Elias knows of himself.

Elias isn’t that broken four year old boy, touched and broken without even realizing that he’s been shattered in certain places due to perverted older boys and all due to an unbreakable vow, Elias would never be able to get back to those boys ever again.

But then Aster thinks of four year old Elias, playing the piano the very first time with Sirius. The joy in his eyes as he worked with himself, Regulus, and Sirius on making a song to perform for the family.

The interest in his eyes when he got to learn anything music-related.

The tenderness in his eyes when he started to come around and become closer to James.

The love in his eyes when he’s around all his siblings, no matter how often they all got on his nerves the older they became along with himself.

The excitement in his eyes, when he receives a new instrument so he’s able to master a new ability that he actually wants to master.

The gratitude in his eyes when he receives help when he doesn’t even have to ask for it. It’s just there.

And the anger.

The anger when he looks at Aster when he's hover too much. Answering for him, judging for him, doing anything and all for him.

The anger in his eyes, whenever Aster treats him like a child. Too innocent and too fragile to be touched and played with.

The hope and love and joy that turned into anger in his eyes when Aster refused to accept the fumbled introduction of his first girlfriend.

The love that turned into anger as fast as someone switching a light switch, because Aster didn’t want his little boy to grow up too fast because he missed out on so much already.

All because Elias would never truly be his. Not like his other kids, where he’s got them from birth to however long he’s lucky to have them for. Aster missed the first four years of Elias’ life. The first four, hard and awful years that he would never understand or get a clue of why it had to happen to Elias of all kids because Elias was so special. So… unique.

Aster lets out a long groan, finally dropping his face into his hands with a muffled sentence that not even Remus could make out as he tilts his head confused.

Aster hides his face from Remus for a long time. Breathing heavy into his hands. Tiny noises, but never a proper syllable.

It takes a full twenty minutes for Aster to coax himself out hiding from his hands. His nearly shoulder length hair curtaining around his face as he looks at Remus entirely ashamed of himself.

“I need to talk to Elias. Listen to him and what he's got to say.”

Remus doesn’t say anything, getting up and grabbing the blank map off the small rounded table sat for two and passes it to Aster. “In case if he should be in the music room, usually he’s there until dinner other wise he should be found in his dorm room, but he lingers there after until curfew sometimes. Sometimes even longer than. Take the map in case.”

Aster nods softly. “Thank you, Remus.”

“Anytime. Even if I’m not your favourite brother-in-law.” Aster rolls his eyes, flipping his middle finger up before grabbing his cane and hoisting himself up with a pained grunt. A dull ache was fast to hit his hip.

“Fuck this hurts.”

“Your leg?”

“Hip.” He huffs leaning on probably more than half his weight on his cane as he walks to the door to let himself out. “Don’t ask.”

Remus huffs a soft laugh. “Don’t think I was going to anyway.”

Finding Elias wasn’t the hard part for Aster when he left Remus’ private quarters. The hard part was all the stairs he had to take to reach the tower that held all the musical instruments.

By the time Aster reached the door, he had to take a pause sitting on the stone seating of the bow window. The coldness from the stones eased the pain on his hip as he listened in the music room where the door was cracked open just by the slightest bit.

A violin was being played loudly.

Words could not be formed into the music being played.

And if Aster had the confidence to say, it was Elias playing the violin, maybe the cello but it was certainlly a string instrument.

Dramatic, with flare, flawlessly being performed with the bow scratching the strings showing every inch of emotion his son was probably feeling that Aster knew himself couldn’t be put into words.

Of everyone who probably could understand Elias in this moment, it’d be Aster as he listens to the notes being played as the loudness starts to dip into something softer.

Quiter.

Dimmer.

Into hiding.

Aster winces to himself when the song seems to be coming to a close end, he could hear a string snap and Elias cursing to himself loudly telling Aster it was indeed his child.

A string snapping when it’s tightly adjusted is never fun. Especially when it manages to hit your hand or arm.

Aster heaves himself up to his feet, grabs his cane and quietly enters the music room to see Elias parked on the bench of the piano tending to the palm of his hand with pinched eyebrows with the former played violin set at his feet with the bow beside him.

The whole room was screaming at him that he should turn the other way and run. With the last time Aster and Elias were left alone in a room, this room…

Aster swallows thickly, leaning on his cane as he silently observes Elias pick up his wand and points it at his large wound that went from his palm slicing down and across his wrist to the back of his forearm.

Elias’ dirty blonde hair looked to not have been cut since coming to Hogwarts. Pulled back in a half-up do with a rubber band that showed off his semi-pierced ears of four with three in his lobes and one in his cartilages each.

What was new about his was the dark blue jean jacket he had on. Aster can’t recall ever getting that for him, or James either.

“Are you okay?” Aster quietly asks him just as he was about to point his wand at his palm.

Elias’ eyes flickered up once to him. The second his eyes landed on him, his hand holding his wand instantly drops on the keys of the piano — light enough not to make a sound — and sets it aside and he hesitantly smiles at Aster.

“You’re here?” Voice breathless as much as his eyes looked a bit dazed, like he was dreaming of Aster’s existence.

“And you’re bleeding.” Aster nods at his obvious wound. He moves through the room, carefully getting closer to Elias and moves around the violin bow, taking a seat beside Elias. He collects Elias’ wand and passes it back to him. “Show me.”

Elias stares at his wand in Aster’s hand. “Show you what?”

“I injured my head when you… Dad said I didn’t have a single injury when I went back home. I’m intrigued as a healer, so… show me how you healed me.”

Elias’s tongue peeks out, licking his lips a bit as his eyes glance over to his bleeding hand where blood was starting to drip and stain his Hufflepuff uniform slacks. Carefully, very slowly as if he wanted Aster to watch his every move, he picks up his wand between his thumb and pointer finger.

“It’s uh… a trick I picked up. With the ancient magic. You wouldn’t be able to do it… It’s not hard for me. It’s kinda like reparo but instead of doing it on broken objects, I started to experiment on, well, broken skin. Samuel’s really nice on letting me 2 whenever he got paper cuts and tiny injuries since he’s the clumsiest of us all.”

“Fascinating.” Aster side comments quietly as Elias readjusts his grip on his wand.

The tip nearly touches the very start of the opening of the cut and without a word, without a certain wave to cast the spell, slowly Elias’ skin was knitting itself back up and the blood that was dripping out was seeping back into his body.

Aster watches with big eyes, very fascinated with what he’s being shown.

So… maybe there is something good that can come out of magic such as this that Elias is learning of.

There wasn’t a single blemish left behind other than from Elias’ former random spotted moles or freckles on his body when he completed the healing.

“And you say you do this on your friends?” Aster asks him quietly.

“Not as of late.” He nods. “Before… before everything that had happened with you. I did. I don’t do magic on anyone, anymore. Not even when they ask.”

“I see.” Aster hums quietly turning around on the piano bench to face towards the piano keys. He finds himself placing a single hand on the piano and carefully plays a tune to one of his songs.

Not published, not well known, but personal.

He quietly hums, feeling Elias’ eyes on him.

“I know sometimes you’re feeling lost. It’s hard to find your place in it all. But you don’t have to fear. Even when you mess up. You always got my love. I’m always right here.”

Music was always going to be their thing.

Even though Sirius was first to introduce Elias to it, Aster was the one to persuade and work in music. Aster was the one who took Elias to all his lessons.

Aster was the one who worked with Elias the most of all adults in the family.

Aster stops playing. He doesn’t go through the whole song. Elias turns around, facing the piano and his thigh is touching Aster’s as his own hand is on the piano to play his own chosen song.

It’s something unfamiliar to Aster. Something that Aster’s never heard before. It takes only a few seconds before Elias truly starts to sing, rather than hum, for it to dawn on Aster that his son had written a song himself.

“Nothing’s gonna change the things that you said. And nothing’s gonna make this right again. Please don’t turn your back. I can’t believe it’s hard just to talk to you. But you don’t understand. ’Cause we lost it all. Nothing lasts forever. I’m sorry. I can’t be perfect. Now it’s just too late. And we can’t go back.”

This was them.

Them talking and apologizing through music.

And this was Elias’ way of ‘proving it’ to Aster.

Writing a song. Putting the work into it to show he’s sorry but at the same time explaining of why he did of what he’s done.

Unlike Aster, Elias goes through the whole song. Aster sits and listens, soaking in every verse and chorus there was to listen to.

Silence falls over them when Elias reaches the end of his song. Aster believes it’s because Elias didn’t know what to say, and truthfully, neither did Aster. But he was the adult between them. The… older and maturer person where he hasn’t been for a while.

A deep breath in, “I’m sorry, Elias.”

Elias carefully tilts his head a bit to look at Aster. “Why are you sorry? I’m the one who nearly killed you.”

A short chuckle. “I know but… you wouldn’t have gone that far if I had just…” Aster lets out a self deprecating laugh. “Listened to you. And I’ve been constantly ignoring the warning signs from everyone. Treating you like a child when clearly you’ve…”

He looks at Elias with soft eyes. He can’t help himself when he reaches out, gently touching Elias’ cheek where he can feel a bit of awkward patches of shaven down stubble. No more baby fat was on his cheeks and jawline. Elias was well grown into his features now at sixteen years old. That hurt Aster more than any wound he had on his body. “You’ve grown up on me. And I hate that you did.”

“I’m still here.”

And if that couldn’t be said any worse.

Aster nods. “I know. I know you are. I’m sorry for treating you differently from the others. I… I didn’t mean to. I mean, I didn’t try to. I thought I wasn’t.”

“I think on certain parts you weren’t. And certain parts you were.” Elias couldn’t had said that any better as Aster nods being honest with himself as much as with Elias. “Yeah. I suppose I should also apologise to… uh, what’s-her-name..?”

Elias’ lips tilt up a bit, looking more amused than angry or bitter or even sad as he’s been with Aster in the last of months. “Opal, Papa. Like the stone.”

“Ah, yes,” Aster teases. “Rookwood. The health-girl that’s never came by the Hospital Wing once in her seven years of attendance of Hogwarts.”

Elias lets out a breathless laugh. “She’s scared of you. You know that?”

“Good. Let her know I bite.” Aster jokes snapping his teeth at Elias making him squeak out a laugh and shoving Aster away some, just enough where he was pushed back but not where he’d fall back and off the piano bench.

“With all the marks you leave on Dad, I’m sure you do.” Elias jokes with him, and the atmosphere between them becomes something more light and soft and familiar.

“Dad does too. Don't mistaken me as the worser one. I just know how to heal my marks up.”

At the mention of James alone, Aster relaxes into something a bit more tense.

Not wanting to let James ruin his mood, he shifts the conversation as he feels the map crinkle in his back pocket.

“So… Have you seen your brothers around lately?”

Elias shakes his head. “No. Why?”

Aster pursed his lips in thought, pulling out the map. “I got this off Uncle Remus. Think you got any dungbombs hidden away in your room? There’s three of them in the castle. I bet we’ll run into one of them eventually.”

Elias’ eyes light up into something younger. This was usually something of James’ doing. But who was it to say James could take all the fun with the kids. Aster was always the one to hide out in the bleachers with the kids who never dared to get on a broom. With all the kids old enough to be on a broom with at least adult supervision, it was five out of ten on each side of James and Aster’s team.

Five would die rather than to get on a broom.

Five would kill to get on a broom.

And to think James was so hopeful to get his Quidditch team when they reached to have more than seven kids.

“If not we can prank Uncle Remus or Teddy?”

Aster smirks passing along the map to Elias to take the lead.

Maybe, just hopefully, their relationship as father and son wasn’t ruined yet.

Notes:

Where You Belong - Kari Kimmel

Perfect - Simple Plan

Chapter 23: February 10th, 2006

February 22nd, 2006

 

“Do you want to know what I think is stupid?”

Aster perks his head up at the voice from his work.

Elias storming into his place of work like he owns the place with a scowl on his face. His yellow Hufflepuff robes flying behind himself and shiny Prefect badge on display.

Aster wondered slightly how he even got that badge, hardly having friends that stuck around and being a good role model. Deep down he knew Elias would be far from crowned head boy, but prefect was enough to make both of them puff out their chests in pride for different yet similar reasons.

It wasn’t even lunch time yet for either of the as he drops his bookbag and guitar case onto a nearby hospital bed where Aster would have to sanitize and clean when Elias leaves.

“No, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me.” Aster murmurs quietly. “Wait- Shouldn’t you be in class right now?”

“Free period. None of my friends share one with me.” He grumbles taking a seat at Madam Pomfrey’s seat, bold and daring like his Dad and only his dad. Not even Aster has the guts to do that. Elias is the number two person to do such a thing and he’s not even a Gryffindor.

“Of all houses in Hogwarts, why does the Ravenclaw girls’ dorm have to be the most bloody dangerous to break into as a boy?”

Aster blinks at him from his spot two desks away. His childhood memory of sliding down the stairs of the Ravenclaw girl’s dorm of just trying to get his trunk flashes across his mind but he does recall Pandora mentioning that the Ravenclaw’s girl dormitories has more than just one security feature to keep boys out due to stubborn wit and intelligence.

“The knights outside the doors, Papa,” Elias bangs a hand on Pomfrey’s desk. “They’ve got real axes. Weapons! We're just horny students who want to shag!”

“Uh-huh.” Aster makes the noise of acknowledgement going back to his work just trying not to be present in the conversation of his son sneaking into the girl’s dormitories to shag his girlfriend.

“I almost lost my foot! I only got one of those! Man,” He sighs leaning back into Pomfrey’s seat having it creak. “Next time, Papa, I’m taking a broom and just going through the window. Fuck the Ravenclaws for being the tallest tower in Hogwarts.”

Aster stops mid-writing, pen hovering above his parchment as he lifts an confused eyebrow and glances over to Elias. “You don’t fly?”

Elias points at him. “Broom closets can only take me by so much. I want to be comfortable.” He explains.

Aster blinks at him and nods slowly. “Sure. Can we move onto a different topic? Please? For my sanity and your sake of not ending up in detention by me?”

Elias rolls his eyes. He crosses his arms with a grumble. “Fine.”

Aster smiles, pen is set onto the surface of his desk. “Better. Lets start over. Hello, Eli. How are you this lovely morning? What made you to pay a visit to me than, lets say bugging Dad or Uncle Remus or even Teddy?”

He blinks at him bored looking. “Uncle Remus is still pissed at me. Dad refuses to even look in my general direction. And Teddy… he’s fine, just has class and I’m just bored of him. I see him every other weekend if it’s not Hogsmeade weekend.”

“Really?”

A tiny hum of confirmation. “Yep. Where do you think I send all the stuff I order through the mags, Papa? With a family as big as mine, you need to find an outside source and a different address or your little siblings will end up opening a box with a fake penis in it.”

Aster purses his lips at Elias. “Okay… fair. Can’t say the exact thing happened to me but… yeah... similar...”

His son snickers at him. “Uncle Reg or Auncle Sirius?”

“Uncle Regulus, here actually. But when I first ordered it, Zio Barty got it for me and Dad got his hands on it before anyone else and hid it for my safety.” Aster’s lips curve into a tiny smile. “That was how Dad figured out I was trans, actually. Had a big freak out because he assumed I was doing butt stuff with it.”

Elias snorts, he’s smiling at Aster more than looking uncomfortable with him. Aster takes a deep breath.

“I’m… glad you have someone you can confide in about this stuff, even if it’s not me, Eli. I may seem mad sometimes but I’m honestly not. Not really. I just want you to be safe and have someone to talk to if you're in any sense of trouble.”

Elias nods a bit. “I know. You just react too big… sometimes.”

Aster frowns. “No I don’t.”

“Yes. Yes you do.”

“I do not-”

“You were trying to figure out who I lost my virginity to!” Elias accuses him. "That's pretty big, Papa."

Aster feels his cheeks going warm. “To be fair… I wanted to know because if you were having sex, if you were having sex with someone who had a… you know? Cause that sort of sex can lead to… more risker stuff.”

“A dick?” Aster pinches his face and nods. “That.”

Elias rolls his eyes. “Over the summer, yes. I did have sex with a bloke. Before Opal.”

Aster nods slowly. “You… you were always in your room. I mean, I thought you were in your room.”

Elias shrugged. “Dad knew.”

Aster chokes on his own spit. “What-? Dad knew?”

Aster really needed to check his surroundings out more in the house.

“Well… not… the shagging part.” Elias’ cheeks go pink. “But he knew where I was.”

“And where was that?”

“The neighbors. Sometimes I’d walk there. Or I’d walk into the back, pass through wards and meet them in the forest. The McKinnons keyed me into their wards me in after I kept visiting after we got back from the summer house in France.”

Aster’s eyebrows lift, fingers tapping his desk slowly in thought taking in what he's being told. “The McKinnons? Like… Marlene McKinnon?”

“Yep,” Elias pops his lips as he kicks up his legs to props up his feet on Madam Pomfrey’s desk, hands under the prosthetic leg's calf to get it up on the the desk. “I was hanging out with Angus’ step-kid. The muggle one. You met him?”

Aster opens his mouth only to close it. Out of Marlene, he’s never met anyone in her family. But through James, he’s heard that she had two siblings, being the youngest herself.

He supposes he might need to brush up on his neighbors if his kids had opportunities to sneak over without him knowing so easily.

“Elias,” Aster slowly says. “The McKinnons are more of… Dad’s friends. Not mine. I don’t... know them. I hardly got friends of my own other than Zio Barty and Uncle Ev and Auntie Pandora and Salem over our phone calls. As sad as that sounds... You know that.”

Aster really needed to get out more and make more friends his age.

“Oh, uh, well, Angus is Marlene’s brother. I was hanging out with Brett.”

Hanging out. Sure. One way to put that. Hanging out by smashing some genitals together to feel good. Or… so he hoped it was okay for Elias.

With his past childhood of sexual trauma, Aster read up before that sometimes it can cause problems as adults or in Elias’ case as a teenager when trying to explore-

“You’re overthinking, Papa.” Elias brings him out of his mind. “I can see it all over your face. I’m okay.” Elias shoots him a soft, gentle smile before kicking off his feet from the desk. “In fact, actually, I… I wanted to ask you something, regarding this topic, a bit.”

“You do?” Aster lights up realizing he sounded far too excited. “I mean,” He clears his throat. “You do?”

“Yeah… um… I realized that it never did dawn on me before but… what’s your sexuality? As a trans-man.”

“Oh,” Aster softly mutters. “I’m very open with that sort of identity. I don’t really have a label for myself anymore. When I was your age I thought everything had to be labeled. That I had to be straight, or… gay or bi, just cause I was with your dad and only ever been with your dad and less than a handful of other sexual partners that's very limited but… you know, that’s not really the case. It doesn’t really give you answers, just because you’re with someone, you know?”

Aster knew Elias was listening carefully as he nods small.

“So, I, uh, I would say in my… thirties. About the time I first tried the thing with,” He swallows thickly. “Your dad along with Zio Barty and Uncle Evan-”

“A gang-bang?”

“No.”

“An orgy?”

“No.”

“Family body-ily feud thingy?”

Aster stares at his son with large eyes, not even able to conjure the two-letter denial anymore. It takes him a few seconds too long.

“What is wrong with you?” Aster finally asks with a laugh that he can’t hold back.

“A lot of things. I think we both know this.” Elias cheekily tells him, smiling hard enough for his lone dimple to be on display. “Go on. Tell me about the weird foursome you had with my uncles and dad.”

Aster lets out a groan. He drops his face into his hands for good minute, rubs his tumbles before facing his son again.

“Just-… It took me a few bodies to realize that there are so many different kinds. How can I just say I can be attracted to one or a certain type when I can look at someone new and go… ‘oh, I like that’ does that make sense?”

Elias bites on his bottom lip. “I suppose it does.”

Aster nods. “So, with that conclusion. Then, I’m sure you’ve heard of the potion Uncle Reg invented that changes genitals and all that. Dad was willing to take some of the potions on occasion and it kinda opened up a lot. But don’t take it yet, you’re still too young for it, seventeen. But, with that potion between the two of us, I’m able to explore even more. And that helped me by so much to decide that I simply didn’t want to label myself.”

“So… you don’t have a label?” Elias mumbles confused.

“I’m a trans man whose queer in sexuality.” Aster simply answers. “I’m on the colorful-rainbow side, but you can’t say how many colors. Make sense?”

A small nod. “I suppose it does. Yeah. W-what about dad?”

Aster shrugs on James’ behalf. “Last I know he’s pansexual. We don’t really talk much on this. We love each other, sexualtity's a touch and go basis of all we need to know but not it can change overtime but we don't ask unless it's brought up.”

“I guess so.” Elias agrees.

“What brings this on?”

Elias shrugs. “I’ve just been doing a lot of thinking.”

“You and Rookwood?” Aster asks, doing his best to remain neutral.

“Myself, mainly. But sure, Opal’s included somewhat.”

“And? You told me before you were Bi. Has that changed?”

Elias pursed his lips in thought. “Well… I mean… I’ve tried stuff with Brett over the summer. Then there’s Opal I’ve been with since October… But I do relate to what you just said. But then I think about Ellie and how she’s attracted to Pansy but sex isn’t… I mean… I like sex. I know that.” Elias heaves out seeming stressed with himself.

Aster remains quiet, just listening.

“I do. I've open with it. I'm confident with myself, confident in my body over it... I mean… I think I do? But Brett wasn’t what I’d say is 'good' at it. No, that’d just be me being nice at best to spare his feelings. And then there’s Opal,” He moans out her name tilting his head back and that was something Aster didn’t need to hear. “Fuck, Opal… She’s amazing…”

“May I speak?” Aster asks quietly. Elias nods. “Per chance… do you think you could be straight, Elias? That does exist, you know.”

His lips curve into a frown staring at Aster. “In this family that feels like it’s impossible.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way,” Aster presses his lips into a flat line. “But straight or not, sexuality itself is fluid. And no one would treat you any different in this family, queer or not. Straight, bisexual, pansexual, or anything else.”

Elias tilts his head a bit, slowly coming to a nod.

“No one’s replying my letters except for my siblings and I feel like sometimes I'd like to talk baout this stuff with someone who has more experience.” He quietly tells Aster. “Now I can’t even talk to Zio Barty about this…”

“I’m guessing you tried to before me?”

Elias nods, not looking at Aster anymore. “I charmed the letter to inform me if he even opens it… he burned it.”

Aster sighs. “Well, to be fair, I haven’t talked to Zio Barty either for… probably just as long.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Different problems but still as… hurtful.” Aster remembers the lunch in his bag that had gotten mixed up in the morning when he and James headed off to work. “I think I know something that might get your Dad to finally talk to you, let alone look at you. Even if it's for a few minutes.”

“Like what?”

Aster goes into his bottom drawer of his desk where he kept his lunch usually. He pulls out an orange and tosses it over to Elias.

“Some of our lunch stuff got mixed up. He’s got my apple. I’m very sure he’ll be very tempted if you show up with that and bargain a chat for it.”

“But what if he doesn’t?”

“Stupid is as stupid does.” Aster quotes off from Forrest Gump the top of his head thinking of another quote such as like father like son given it's his most recent muggle book he's reading.

Elias cocks his head to the side. “What?”

Aster shakes his head. “What?”

“Did you just say I was stupid?”

“What? No.” He cheekily smiles at Elias. “I said like father like son.”

Elias’ eyes narrow on him. “Which father?”

That has Aster pursing his lips. “Touché.”

“Learned from the best didn’t I?”

Aster rolls his eyes daring to get up from his seat. “Get out of my bloody Hospital wing!”

Elias cackles leaping up and quickly grabbing his bag and guitar case. “Bye, Papa! Thanks for the orange! I’ll let you know how it goes!”

Aster flips him off, sinking back into his seat as Elias slams the door open and close. A tiny laugh to himself, Aster picks up his pen and rips off a small piece of parchment to remind him to clean the bed that Elias had dropped his stuff all over.

Reminder — Bed #15 needs to be re-sterilized before Madam’s Pomfrey’s arrival due to idiotic-

The door creaks open, making him shift his eyes off his writing to the door. He spots his Slytherin first year son entering with a face full of blood that went all the way down their robes and covering their entire mouth.

“Nico!” Aster exclaims dropping his pen and quickly getting out of his chair and makes sure to grab his wand.

He quickly makes it to Nico’s side, guiding him farther into the room. He doesn’t miss his brothers loitering in the archway of the open door.

“What happened? Come on, take a seat. It looks like you lost a lot of blood for it just being your nose. Sit, sit.”

Aster tilts Nico’s head up as soon as he’s seated on the closest bed. A tiny touch to the swollen and crooked bridge of his nose and Nico winces.

“You definitely broke your nose.” Aster tuts at him. “That explains why you didn’t pinch it right away.”

“Yep.” Nico nods as Rigile and Aasil joins his side, both having a bit of blood each on themselves too. Aster can only hope it was Nico’s. Aster pulls out his wand, readying to fix his son’s nose.

“How?”

“He fell.” Aasil quickly answers for Nico.

Not suspicious at all.

“Where?”

Rigile crosses his arms over his chest defensively. “What is this, an interrogation, Papa?”

Aster rolls his eyes. “Not by me but if I decide to call in Uncle Remus or Teddy it just might turn into one that’ll end with so many detentions and loss of house points that might just put all three of you in the negatives. So spill it.”

Nico lets out a tiny pain groan when Aster gently touches his nose, seeing which bones were exactly broken and out of place before he’d fix it. “I fell down this slide.”

“Trying to go into the girl’s side of the dorms, I’m guessing? Happened to me once on my first night here before I was moved into the boys’ dormitory. Though I didn't manage to break a bone.” Aster comments for the second time that day, believing there’s four places the nose was broken in. Some nasty fall Nico had.

“No.” Nico attempts to shake his head forgetting his nose was in Aster’s grasp making him whine in pain. “I- uh, was pushed.”

“Tattler.” He hears one of the boys behind him grumble under their breath.

Aster pauses. “By who?” He’ll be damned to accept any sort of bullying. Especially on his own kids.

“Rigile.”

“Hey!”

Aster sighs dropping his son’s face to look at his other son. “Rigile, did you honestly push Nico? He broke his nose in four different places from what I can feel right now.”

Rigile rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. “Uh… maybe?”

“Five points from Gryffindor for pushing another student.”

Rigile’s mouth drops open in protest. “But Papa!”

Aster rolls his eyes.

“I can’t ground you or give you detention without it being properly reviewed by your head of house who happens to be Uncle Remus, but I’m allowed to take up to twenty points per student without question. Now,” He pulls out his wand. “This is going to hurt, Nico. Breathe in deeply from your mouth… Episkey.”

There was that sickening crunch that Aster has grown used to but the other two winced at as Nico lets out a slight shout before moving to grab his nose out of instinct.

Aster moves quick, hand grabbing his son’s to keep his hands off his nose.

“Don’t touch it, I can’t have you re-breaking your nose. It’s still weak for the next hour or so. You need to let the magic set in.” A pause. “Now where is this slide you three are investigating if it’s not to sneak up the girls’ dorm?”

Rigile gives Aasil a nudge only to receive a shove back. It goes on like that for a while, back and forth and Nico gets roped into it not too long later. Aster stands and watches the three of them bicker quietly until someone said something.

Nothing like bringing your kids to work.

Or work to your kids?

Either way, Aster stares at them unsure if he should take more points away or just walk away entirely and hope Nico doesn’t break his nose again.

“Nico can talk to snakes!”

What?

“Aasil!”

“What!?”

Again, from him. What?

Never a boring day or year with these kids. This school year felt like it was draging on forever to Aster at this rate.

“There’s this big slide in the girls’ bathroom!” Rigile exclaims talking with his hands.

“Rigile! Oh my gods! You just broke the code.” Aasil hisses looking ready to bitch slap his brother.

“It’s Papa though.”

“And? Who’s next? Elias? Dad? We don’t break the code for anyone!”

Aster blinks at his boys. What code?

“Well…”

Aster pinches the bridge of his nose. This was too much.

“No. Don’t tell me you did!”

“I didn’t! I swear! It’s just Papa!”

“Then how’d you get the map?! Uncle Remus and Dad already said no before to us after Elias did something fucked that no one will tell us about.”

That made him freeze. “You three got the map? Dad and Uncle Remus is suppose to have it.”

Despite him making up with Elias, it was up to Remus and James to decide when to return the map to the boys. But Aster was expecting the map to be held onto until next year the very least. He thought James would at least warn him when the map would be given back to the kids.

Unless…?

Aasil freezes. LIke, full body freezes as if that’d help Aster not see him. Aster rolls his eyes at his son’s idiocy. “I can still see you even if you aren’t moving, Aasil. Spill it.”

Aasil slowly comes out of his full-body freeze and toes the ground not looking at Aster. “I didn’t ask Uncle Remus or Dad.”

Aster blinks once, hard. “How did you get the map? Last time I’m asking before I bring all three of you to Uncle Remus.”

“After class… I, uh… saw Uncle Remus left it on his desk.”

“So… you just took it?” A tiny nod. “How long ago?”

“Just today.” Aasil weakly answers. “I- it wasn’t that long ago. Maybe two hours- uh, three-?”

Spoke too soon.

The doors open and Remus bursts in looking to be in a bit of a state that goes away when he lays eyes on Aster. Aster makes a tiny wave over his boys with a thin smile. “Loose something, Remus?”

“You.” Remus hisses lowly storming over to the four of them with a finger pointed at Aasil in particular, clearly he knew who it was. “You never go taking anything off your professors’ desks, you hear me? Nothing! Ever! I should start putting jinxes on my desk. Why did I become a professor again!?”

“External crisis, now, Remus?” Aster teases. “Not the best time while dealing with three first years who’s your nephews.”

A deep breath then he looks at Aster. “I couldn’t make it down here sooner to check on you because I was swamped with practice exams. Last class just got out-”

“I’m fine, Remus. Everyone’s okay. Nico however suffered a broken nose at hands of Rigile so sorry to tell you that your house lost five points.”

Remus waves his hand unbothered. “Eh, I don’t care about that.” As if he wasn’t about to beg Aster to return those take five points.

“Uh, why the hell did you three team up to steal my map when I explicitly told you no the first time you each asked individually?”

“Because it’s not fair that Elias got it for the first five years of his Hogwarts life?” Rigile tries with a shrug, his brothers nod in agreement.

Aster face palms. His kids, everyone. Too much like him and James. Too fucking much.

Remus shakes his head looking done with the three of them. “You know that? I don’t give a fuck anymore. But I want the map back. Fork it over.” He holds out a hand.

Nico pats his bloody robes first. Aster waves a cleaning charm over everyone’s clothes covered in blood that cleaned them up before Nico shakes his head at his brothers with slight widen eyes.

Aasil and Rigile goes to pat their own robes before their identical eyes all widen.

“Did you really leave it down there?” Aasil hisses at Nico.

“May I remind you that Rigile pushed me and I had a broke nose which I'm covered in blood. I had more things to worry about than a stupid map.”

“That is not my fault.”

A scoff. “Yes it is!”

“You can’t prove it.”

“Agh!” Nico launches himself onto Rigile.

He’s on Rigile’s back, yanking at his ears because Rigile’s hair was far too short since he buzz cut it to give each triplet boy a completely different style.

Aster winces as Remus yanks off Nico with his hands tucked under his armpits, pulling him off and keeping him away from his brothers.

“Where’s the map?” Remus orders the three of them to spill it.

“Uh… under Hogwarts?” Aasil tries.

Under Hogwarts? Under… the Map Chamber?

“Where? I want an exact room. The hands it’s in. Where is it? Do you know how important and how much work was put into that map?”

“Um…” Rigile tilts his head. “A lot?”

Remus didn’t look amused at Rigile, looking ready to rip his own hair out with that crazy eye twitch on his face.

Nico sighs defeatedly. “You can’t get it without me.”

“Why not?” Remus questions.

“Wait a minute… Snakes.” Aster carefully speaks pointing his sons. “Who said who can talk to snakes?”

Nico lifts his hand. Aster was far too tired to deal with this. Not after with Elias. He walks back until he hits the bed Nico was on and sits on it.

“Why do my kids keep finding random rooms in Hogwarts? I’m going to be put into an early grave at this point.” Aster murmurs letting his head fall into his hands. “The Chambers of Secrets, I’m guessing, right? Unless there’s more hidden rooms that no one knows about?”

The three first years scrunch their faces up in confusion.

“The what?” They chime simultaneously together.

Of course leave it to them to never open up a history book. Not even Aasil who’s an actual Ravenclaw. Of all his ten kids, he’s pretty sure Nyx’s the only one who has properly and sunk in all the information from read Hogwarts: A History.

“Oh man.” Remus mutters. “I really need to update the map.”

“You said you were in the girls’ bathroom? That’s where Nico broke his nose?” Aster asks them.

“Oh, yeah. The one on the second floor. I wonder how they manage to make something from the second floor go under the castle...?” Aasil nods along with Rigile.

At least they were being honest and straightforward with him and Remus.

“How did you three find it?”

“The sinks.” They answer simultaneously before glaring at one another. That’s how much they all hated being the same, as much as they were practially identical.

“The… sinks.” Remus nods slowly. “Yeah, very… obvious. Lets go with the sinks. So… what do the… sinks do?”

“You have to be a Parselmouth, Uncle Remus.” Rigile flashes him a charming smile he learned and picked up from Sirius and Barty. “Can you speak or understand Parseltongue?”

Remus blinks at the boy unamused again. “I’m a werewolf, not a fucking bloody snake. I’m also a bloody Gryffindor!”

“Doesn’t matter if you’re a Gryffindor or a Slytherin.” Nico shrugs. “But gardening with abuela paid off, Papa. All those garden snakes.”

Aster’s mouth gapes open. “Of course!” He smacks his forehead recalling all the times when Nico was with Euphemia in the garden and playing with the tiny snakes. As much as he hated it, Euphemia told him she’d keep a close eye on him but after she died, Nico never went back out to play with the snakes. He was hardly past six at the time.

“I thought you were just playing around all those times! Playing around, trying to be a snake but you were talking to them! I’m an idiot.” Aster groans. “Stupid is as stupid does.”

Remus pinches his eyebrows at him. “Forrest Gump?”

Aster waves his hand at him, dismissing him.

Nico frowns at Aster before shaking his head. “No you’re not. You’re one of the smartest people I know, Papa. And I know a lot of people.”

Remus lets out a tiny huff. “Rude. I’m standing right here.”

Nico glances over to his uncle. “You’re the second smartest.”

Remus’s eyes narrow. “Now you’re all trying to be a kiss up.”

“I prefer the term, smart arse.”

That earns him a flip of the middle finger that has Aster groaning and scrubbing his face all over again stressfully.

How many more dangerous secrets does this damn family have and hold?

“How deep did you three get into the Chamber of Secrets? Don’t you realize how that place can be bloody dangerous?”

“Well, there’s this fifty-ish foot pitch black dark tunnel you slide down, then-”

Aster lets out another tiring groan. “Rigile you did not push your brother down a pitch black tunnel that you could not see the other end to instead of just throwing something down instead?”

“It wasn’t like the object could answer us back after it landed, could it?”

Remus snorts a laugh making Aster lift his head and glare before his eyes drift to glare at his son. His son shrugs carelessly.

“It was a science experiment, Papa.”

“No. A science experiment is making a volcano out of paper and vinegar with baking soda like I had to work with all of you for your muggle school. Not- not pushing your brother down a tunnel and hoping he comes out alive at the other end.”

Rigile blinks at Aster a bit too boldly. “Well… He’s alive?”

Aster could just imagine the scenario if James was here with Sirius and Peter. No, wait, scratch that. Eleven year old James and Sirius with Remus.

Oh, Salazar, what did he get himself into when he decided to reproduce with James Potter of all people for the fourth time?

Oh, he knew. Three triplets boys who doesn’t think twice before doing. They do then think. Aster’s eye twitches at Rigile.

“Uh, Papa? Your eye’s going a bit wonky.” Rigile points at his own eye for example.

“How about you guys go wait outside the Hospital wing right now? Give us a minute.”

“Is Papa going to kill us?”

“Not today. I’ll be sure of it. Maybe try again tomorrow without me here.” Remus tells them with a hand on Nico and Rigile’s shoulders sending them off. Remus is quiet until the door closes behind them.

“You okay, Aster?”

“Honestly, no.” Aster shakes his head. “I’ve only just made up with James last week and I think my relationship with Elias is far better than it has been in years since he was thirteen the latest. I still can’t get in touch with Barty, let alone what I’m going to say. And now I’m dealing with four James’ for the price of one!”

Remus lets out a short, soft laugh. “Well, you did choose to reproduce with him intentionally that time you had them.”

“Intentionally by having one baby.” Aster jabs one finger up in the air for Remus to see. “Not three. Not…” Aster sighs in defeat glancing order to the door where he knew either his boys were waiting or had ran off already to save their arses.

Chances were high with Aster leaning on the later.

“Still wouldn’t change it for the world, I love my family as dysfunctional and chaotic as we are. Just… just go with them to get the map and make sure they don’t get up to anything stupid in the meantime, will you? Check out that Chamber of Secret thing and we can make a date out of it where the two of us go with those three to properly investigate the tunnel-slide-whatever. Make sure they know that so they don’t try to… be dumb zoo animals.”

Remus snorts a laugh. “Remember that day where James and Sirius thought it’d be a good idea to bring everyone to the zoo? Including Leala and Aria, shoving their hair in hats?”

Aster groans at the memory. The worst thing was the fact that not only was Nyx and Aurora’s magic starting to kick in but Isadora’s and Leala and Aria’s as well, making all the adults having to handle the five of them rather than each one in individual households.

“Go, Remus.” A point at the door. “Before Madam Pomfrey gets here and murder my children.”

“But not me.” Remus sings making is way out of the door.

“Never you.” Aster grumbles under his breath knowing his boss never played favorites with anyone. Unless your last name just happens to be Lupin. “Never you with you Lupins.”

Chapter 24: February 14th, 2006

February 14th, 2006

 

“Papa, can I ask you something?”

It was Thursday night. A full two weeks now of him and James on edge of private fights and arguments careful to keep it away from the kids.

James and him steer clear from each other at work. Any time they crossfire each other at home, short and brief words were said to one another.

If things kept the way it was going, Aster was quite afraid to say he wasn’t going to like where he and James were going to end up. And that was going to be a broken home.

Aster had just ran through showers with the kids.

Everyone were in their pajamas.

Those who wanted to be tucked in, were tucked in and the last Aster was aware of, everyone was asleep in bed.

Now it was quiet time for him and James, where Aster was as far away as possible from James as he could be in the manor tucked away in the small library of the manor where before he’d usually do his work in the bedroom as James got ready for bed.

Nyx looked entirely hesitate as he peeked around a bookshelf looking rather tired.

His big blue eyes blinked at him cautious, tired looking, and he was probably scared that Aster would punish him for being out of bed two hours and so random minutes after bedtime for some possible ridiculous question that he was about to be asked such as which animal would win in a fight: three teen graphorns or a single adult dragon?

Aster sighs loudly, dropping his pen to rest in the hinge of his healer book that he was reading because he always had to stay up to date on such things.

A tiny wave over, Nyx scurries over to him like a rat running with a large piece of prized stolen cheese.

Nyx slots his thin child-short legs between Aster’s own and leans back onto Aster’s thighs and obviously tiredly leans his upper body into his chest, dark curls tickling Aster’s collarbone as he cuddles into his Papa obviously still very tired.

Nightmare reassurance, perhaps?

“What’s on your mind?”

“Are you and Dad going to get divorced?” He asks quietly, warm breath breathing on Aster and his eyelashes tickling Aster’s cheek as he tilts his head up to look at Aster through tired eyes.

Aster swallows thickly. Feeling a bit too called out. “What makes you think that?”

“You’re fighting.” He point blanks it. “You’re not talking anymore. It’s… quiet.”

Aster sighs before he does end up nodding and wrapping his arms around Nyx. “Yeah, it is quiet, isn’t it?”

“I miss you coming home earlier.” Nyx confesses to him softly. “Do you stay at work late because of Dad?”

Aster carefully thinks of what to say.

“No. I…” Yes. “It just gets busy sometimes. Madam Pomfrey’s been needing me to stay to help brew up some potions that we’re falling behind on in stock. But I’ll see what I can do to come home earlier. Thank you for telling me.”

Nyx nods his head before tucking himself under Aster’s head. Aster holds him in a gentle hug.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“I didn’t-? Oh, that one.” Aster sighs. “I can’t… Me and Dad are going through a hard time right now, Nyx. I can’t promise you that… us getting a divorce isn’t in our future but I can promise that, no matter what happens, Dad and I will always love you.”

“Just me?” There was that hint of cheekiness in his tone. Aster softly laughs at him. “And your brothers and sisters. Don’t get all smart on me now.”

A tiny hum, Nyx wraps his arms around Aster for a hug. “Do you and Dad still love each other?”

A heavy exhale. “I can’t answer for Dad, but, I do. But as I said, it’s hard. Love works in a lot of mysterious ways. And right now, it’s biting Papa in the butt, big time.”

“So… you still love Dad?”

“I never stopped.” Aster grabs the tuff of hair on top of Nyx’s head and tug him back some to get a clear look at his youngest son’s face. “Where is this coming from?”

“Um… nowhere. I just…” A large blink of his big blue eyes that matched Aster’s own. His pale cheeks started to become pink. “I was just checking in with you. Can’t I?”

Aster narrows his eyes suspiciously on his ten year old. “Well, you can but-”

“Then I am.” He’s being sassed at. Aster blinks at him, eyebrows furrowing as Nyx walks out of his hold. “I’m going to go back to bed. Good night.”

Aster doesn’t even get a response in before his son is disappearing and he’s suddenly feeling like he’s being played with like some doll in a dollhouse.

He rolls his desk chair over a bit to peer over to the door, only catching the last bit of Nyx escape out the library in the right direction back to the stairs.

Aster glances to his book he was on, then to the large grandfather clock seeing it was a few minutes past midnight and not the start of eleven as he thought it was.

With a deep sight, he knew he needed to clean up for the night and hit the couch where he’s been sleeping for the last few nights when he and James got into a bigger argument a few days ago after Aster took a shower, walking around the bedroom with nothing but a towel on his head like he was purposely trying to seduce James.

Aster closes his book with the pen still wedged between the pages and collects his papers, filing everything into his satchel to bring to work the following day and grabs his bag before heaving himself up to his feet and setting his bag on his shoulder and grabs his cane that’s been hanging off a nearby bookshelf shelf.

He leaves the library and sets his satchel up on the coffee table in the living room to remember to grab tomorrow, before quietly moving into the family room where the larger sectional couch was as well as the television that would probably end up running throughout the night without the volume on.

Not bothering with the television first in the pitch dark family room, he picks up the throw blanket off the back of couch and sets his cane down.

He eases himself down two cushions away from the arm and just as he reaches for remote on the side table, he lets out a fast yelp of fright.

Not one, but now, two of his three kids in the house stood beside the side table like tiny lurkers staring at him with wide eyes and messy hair on top of their head.

Aster presses a hand to his chest, the other turning on the lamp on the table so him and his girls wouldn’t be up in the dark.

“Can I help you two?” He asks them getting a horror book-film vibe from The Shining with his daughters.

“Why are you sleeping on the couch?” Persephone asks him while Aurora nods, big brown eyes blinking largely behind her rose-gold round glasses like she hasn’t slept a wink since Aster put her to bed with Persephone and Nyx. And he did check up on them, he swears they were all asleep in bed.

“Um… well, sometimes…” Aster looks around the family room for a moment. “Papa can’t sleep and he doesn’t want to keep dada up?”

He mentally curses at himself for letting that come out more question-like than statement. These were his girls. They weren’t dumb, but like sometimes they could be… a passable daft-smart sort of way. They were half James after all.

Aurora tilts her head a bit. “But Daddy’s awake.”

Aster looks at her, studying her for a good minute. “And how do you know that?”

Her lips pinched, mouth opens then closes. Aster knew he caught her in something.

What were these kids up to?

“Are you and Dad getting a divorce?” Persephone asks, straightout and forward just like with Nyx.

Aster frowns deeply at her.

“No. Just-…” He shakes his head running a stressed hand through his hair. “No. We… we’re just going through a hard time right now.”

“Do you still love Daddy?” His eyes move back over to Aurora feeling like he was being interrogated between the two of them and only minutes ago, Nyx.

Aster twists in his seat, looking for his son questioning himself if he was still around in the big house somewhere than his bed. He finally looks back to the girls feeling very frustrated.

“What is going on with you kids? What are you all up to?”

Persephone flashes him a very (creepy) innocent smile. “Nothing, Papa.”

He looks to his younger daughter. She holds a smaller smile, shy and far more careful and calculated with her eyes on Aster, a step back and to the side hiding a bit behind her older sister.

“If you and daddy aren’t getting a divorced, why aren’t you sleeping in bed with him?” Aurora asks him quietly through her smaller smile.

Aster sighs, removing his glasses off his face and pinches the bridge of his nose stressfully for a good long second.

Breath in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Parenthood was truly testing him right now.

“If I go upstairs, will you go back to bed without argument?”

“If you go upstairs; to bed with Dad.” Persephone corrects him smartly.

Aster lets out a tiny defeated groan, dropping his hand to his lap. “Fine. Fine. Where’s Nyx? I can only assume he’s up to something too around here?”

“No, he actually went to bed.” Persephone snorts. “He was being a baby.”

Aurora elbows her sister in the ribs, which quickly shuts her up.

Aster grumbles at the two, grabbing his cane and the moment he gets to his feet, his daughters bolt away from him maintaining arm distance in safety away from him but Aster doesn’t know why they’re doing so because the worse he’d probably do is ground them.

But he’s far to tired to even think about that right now.

“You’re going back to daddy, right? In bed? Not the couch?” Aurora asks when Aster gets them both back into bed, under their blankets heads on their pillows. He mildly wishes he could put them under temporary sticking charms to their beds.

“Yes, yes. I’m going to bed,” He mocks them with an eye-roll. “But first I’m checking on your brother.”

He bids them goodnight (again), and creeps across the hall where Nyx’s bedroom was and creeps open the door taking a step into the dark bedroom.

There were Aster’s charms of stars on his walls and a matching moon that followed the moon’s cycle for Nyx to track on the side of his wall than the ceiling, much like on his own bedroom ceiling and Elias'. The rest of the walls were painted in a dark blue, a small mural of large letters of Nyx’s name in white that Aster painted when Nyx was old enough to tell him what he wanted.

Other than the toys that scattered across the floors that Nyx refused to pick up, his youngest son’s room was rather plain and simple. A small desk set by the window that was overflowing with books and a small space to work at where he usually does his homework, best always doing his work privately and alone which got him to focus best.

Aster sighs, spotting the window wide open from where Nyx was passed out, face-planted on his bed with a foot and arm hanging off and not even under a single blanket with his dark short loose curls spilled around his head covering his face entirely.

Aster closes his window first. Shivering a bit from the winter breeze that was brought into the room despite all the strong heating charms in the manor before moving over to his son and picking up the thick duvet off the floor and covering Nyx with it.

Carefully setting the loose limbs hanging off the bed back onto the bed and covering his body where Nyx easily curls up under the blanket that Aster provides for him.

A tiny brush of his hair out of Nyx’s face, Aster presses a gentle kiss to the crown of his head before finally leaving his bedroom — moving careful not to step or trip over any toys and closing his door behind himself.

He quietly makes his way out of the kids’ wing. The closer he inches by the staircase, truly debating to just go back downstairs, he stops halfway between wings, right in front of the stairs and looks over his shoulder.

There was a sudden slam of a door when he looks down the kids’ wing and that gave him the insight the girls were not in their beds and he was being watched to make sure he follows through with his part of their deal.

“Being blackmailed by my own daughters over me for bedtime. Where has the world come to?” Aster mutters under his breath pretty sure he’s hearing some little girl giggling from behind himself as he goes past the staircase to his bedroom he shares with James.

The lights were still on from where he could see under the door which is probably how the girls knew James was still up as he takes a deep breath before opening the door.

James was casually sitting on the bed. Legs tucked under the duvet blanket and a book in his lap with a pen in hand obviously annotating it — something that they've not done for a long time together. Aster sends him a thin smile fully going in and closing the door behind him.

James only spares him a second of his time. “Thought you were sleeping on the couch again.”

Aster shrugs. “Got blackmailed.” A thoughtful pause. “... I think?”

James snorts, finally bookmarking his pen into the book and setting it onto his nightstand. “Aurora see you?”

“Uh, well, technically I don’t think so? Um… Nyx did? Then both of the girls.” Aster moves over to his side of the bed, pulling back the covers and taking a seat. He sets his cane to the side carefully. He leans over to look at James suspiciously. “Aurora spoke to you?”

“Yep.” He nods, glasses are removed and he clicks off his bedside table lamp. “‘Night.”

Aster frowns at James as he sinks into the bed, back turned to him and his blanket tugged up over his bare shoulders.

As much as Aster was pissed at James. It still stung. Everything about this fight stung and hurt him in ways he didn’t think it’d do before.

Aster sighs quietly. His eyes stung as he’s left in the dark with James turning off the only source of light in the bedroom.

He feels around the bed blindly in the dark, pulls the blanket his legs up and under his own blanket and surrounds himself in his pile of pillows that he knows will go untouch by James tonight. “Night.”

Just because Aster finally slept in the same bed as James for the first time in days or just because it was his boys’ birthday as well as the day that was dedicated to celebrate love, didn’t mean that his day was going to change from being shitty waking up in his fort of pillows and an empty bed when his alarm went off.

He washes the clothes quietly, James got breakfast started and done before the kids were even up.

Kids are dressed.

Aster does their hair in silent.

James doesn’t make Aster anything that morning, he doesn’t even give Aster an sliced up green apple, and everyone notices. Not that Aster dared to say anything about it.

“Dad?” Nyx leans on his cheek tiredly as he blinks one eye open towards James as he only just sits down with the kids to eat his unpeeled orange, toast, eggs, and a mug of hot freshly brewed tea. “Yes, hijo?”

“You didn’t get Papa his manzana.” Nyx mumbles with his words slowly slurring into Spanish to James.

Aster’s jaw clenches as he was nearly finished with Aurora’s hair, already done with Persephone’s and done with a quick brush through with Nyx’s.

“I’m fine, Nyx. But thank you for thinking of me.”

Nyx lets out a tiny tired hum, never the morning bird unlike everyone else in the house other than Aster.

Persephone was clearly not pleased, eyes glaring sharply at James as Aster refused to acknowledge his surroundings.

“Dad,” Persephone hisses with a hard obvious kick under the table getting James to look up, glaring just as hard as his daughter. “Get Papa his apple.”

“He said he’s fine.” James warns her.

Then in a fatherly tone, “Don’t kick me again.”

Persephone’s eyes dart from James to Nyx, tired and halfway to face planting into his plate that was only half touched. Quietly he blinks awake, a bit more alert for a moment and meets eyes with eldest sister of the house.

With a sigh, he drops his head back to his fist and ever so subtly, there was a second, more subtle kick to James’ way.

 A kick where no man wants to be kicked in.

James’ eyes widen largely, a less-manly pitchy squeak is made and his hot tea spills over his toast and eggs in opt of his work uniform. There was that startled blink as no one makes a move, not even Aster who was mid-french braid with Aurora.

“Uh… oops?” Nyx breaks the table’s silence and tension before Persephone lets out a startling giggle, a hand smacked over her mouth before any more could be made.

Aster holds back his own laughter as Aurora quietly snickers from her spot two seats away from James.

“In the nuts, James?” Aster can’t help but ask with a slight snicker.

"I didn't mean to kick him there." Nyx shyly whispers stabbing his food with his fork.

James visually swallows before scooting his chair out.

“I’m going to go get Papa that apple.” He speaks with a slight high pitch voice, standing up, collecting his ruined breakfast plate. “And I’m never having any more kids.”

His last comment has Nyx sticking his tongue out at him.

“Didn’t think that was on the agenda anyway, ten’s a plenty. Don’t need to try for a dozen.” Aster murmurs under his breath with his lips curling up tying up Aurora’s hair with a small rubber band.

Once the kids were on the bus, the light mood dips fast into a space where nothing was spoken to one another.

James and Aster go their separate ways to work and that was the end of their surprising nut-added breakfast.

Aster was going to stay late again at work, flooing to different destinations. But then he thinks back to his and Nyx’s conversation and soon as Madam Pomfrey showed up, he’s slowly packing up his stuff.

“You’re in no rush to get home.” She comments watching him from her desk in the empty room. “But you’re not asking to stay late either. What’s changed?”

“Kids.” Aster breathes out.

“Well,” She hums quietly. “Those little ones do things to you in ways you least expect it.”

“You can say that again.”

And it was as if he was being summoned by his Papa-healer duties when his son burst into the hospital wing.

Black and green Hogwarts uniform flying behind himself as he looked out of breath, wide eyes and in a panic the second he laid eyes on Aster.

“Papa! It’s-” A heaving deep breath in. “Rigile! He- he feel off his broom! I think he broke his leg!”

“Uh- Where’s your dad?” In normal circumstances such as this, being a first year and small enough to be carried, James can easily bring them to the hospital wing from the Quidditch pitch. But was this even a time for flying for the first years…?

With Nico’s face already flushed red from running, there was a tiny grimace on his face. “Rigile and Aasil thought it was a bloody brilliant idea to sneak out some borrow brooms and go flying without him.”

Aster rolls his eyes. “Of course they did. Did you- did you even bother to get your dad?”

His eyebrows furrowed together. “Uh… no?”

“Well, I mean I just got off shift-” Aster looks over to Madam Pomfrey but his attention was suddenly drawn back to his son. “No! He wants you!”

“What?”

Now he was confused.

“He- Uh-? Aasil. He wants you. Come on!”

Aster blinks at him, eyebrows drawing together. “I thought you said Rigile was the one to break his leg?”

A startled blink. “Yeah.” A furious nod.

“Then-? You just said Aasil?”

Nico shook his head. “What? Did I? No I didn’t. You must be hearing things. Come on, come on, come on! Are you really going to leave Rigile in pain!?”

Aster glances over to Madam Pomfrey, she was quick to dip her head down to whatever paper work she suddenly had laid out on her desk.

Nico wasted no time, moving forward and grabbing his hand and pulling him to his feet. “Come on, Papa! Come on!”

“Okay! Okay! I’m coming! I’m coming!” Aster shouts in a snappy tone quickly grabbing his wand and cane before rushing with Nico.

At some point when they get outside, Aster wished he grabbed his coat too as he shivers falling ahead of Nico making his way to the Quidditch pitch.

There was a thin layer of sticky snow on the path he walks on. He tucks his wand into his holster on his hip, arms folded and hands tucked into his arm pits for warmth as he makes a mental note to tell his sons happy birthday at least, given he didn’t exactly plan on seeing them that day given he expected them to rather hang with their friends and it was a Friday.

As soon as he enters the pitch’s stands, not yet in the field, he’s hit with a sudden warmth that made him shiver entirely confused.

“What the-?”

Walking forward carefully, he notices how the usual Hogwarts’ houses colours were changed entirely into reds, pinks, and whites. There were decorative strings of valentines hearts and whatever all around the pitch going on five hundred feet and he was confused.

Because surely this couldn’t be James’ doing.

Not James Potter.

The man who he was currently married to and was royalty pissed at him where they coudn’t even go to bed together or have breakfast without the kids interfering to make the tension lighten up.

Unless he got it all wrong?

James planned this out for him. Got the kids involved somehow to get him here? To lure him here and maybe to apologise?

Aster looks around the area, feeling his heart flutter and his hopes rise as his cheeks heat up, he’s searching for James. Both the ground full of lavishly green grass and Quidditch stands to try and spot James but he only sees a bright red picnic blanket farther down away from him and no other human being in sight on the pitch or in the stands.

Unless this was a… prank?

Aster turns on his heels feeling a bit humiliated, ready to leave just in time to see James enter the pitch with an equally confused look as himself.

“Aster?”

“Did you do this?” Aster accuses him walking up to him with a glare.

James shakes his head, eyes still roaming around. “No. This-…” Hands run through his messy hair. “A lot of magic must’ve been involved to… I was just here a three hours ago for my last class... everything was normal!"

Aster frowns at him. “Well,” He swallows painfully hard.

“If you didn’t… I’m leaving. I don’t know what- whoever did this but I’m not up for this. I told Nyx I’d be home earlier and- Putain. Tell the boys I’ve said happy birthday if you see them.” He mutters under his breath walking away from James to the closest exist. 

He doesn’t even get past the archway to the stairs that leads up to the stands before there’s some sort of protective barrier that is set to keep people out. Or more importantly, to keep him and James in.

“C’est quoi ce bordel?” Aster curses in French, placing a whole hand on the barrier with not a single finger going through. "What the hell?"

James stood a foot behind him. “Looks like someone put up a ward.”

“No shit.” Aster huffs. “Who the fuck do they think they are?”

James sighs. “Why are you here?”

“Me? I- Nico told me that Rigile went flying with Aasil and he fell and broke his… Nico!? Boys!? Where the fuck are you!?” Aster screeches.

James shakes his head in disbelief.

“Aasil told me the same thing. Except, well, it was Nico with Rigile.”

Aster groans. “What is up with our kids today? First- first last night? Now them? How the fuck do the boys even-?” Aster suddenly recalls closing the window in Nyx’s bedroom. He falls quiet. “Oh.”

“What?”

“They’ve all been owling each other. And right under our noses too. I can almost guarantee it.”

James lets out a tiny scoff. “It still doesn’t explain how three first years are able to perform this much magic, Aster.”

Aster turns his head to James with slit eyes. “I’m going to let you think on that for a moment.”

He counts in his head.

One, two, three, four, five, ten, fifteen, twenty, thirty, forty-

“Elias?”

“Ding-ding-ding. We have a winner.” Aster sarcastically tells him walking back into the Quidditch pitch and re-examine everything.

He takes in all the alternated decors. The hanging decors. How Elias clearly put up a warming charm around the pitch where there was snow falling but melting as soon as it got to Aster’s shoulder height.

And the picnic blanket.

Aster makes his way over to it. James follows him.

“Have you spoken to him?”

“Elias?”

“Yeah.”

“A few times. We’re mending what can be fixed. It might take time, but I have hope.”

“And you haven’t thought to tell me?!” James argues with him following him.

“I didn’t bother to tell you because this is how we’ve been for the last of weeks, James. Actually, it’s been a month. Birthday to birthday. The twins to the triplets. And now, I think we’ve gotten so bad that the kids are noticing and now they’ve plotted a bloody Valentines date for us.”

“A date-?” James finally notices the picnic blanket they’ve stopped in front of.

Candlesticks were lit carefully. There were two pillows. A few different sized plates were set out. There were wine glasses, a bucket full of ice and two different bottles of wine where Aster isn’t even going to think of where Elias even got the wine from. And he’s pretty sure in the basket there’s food for them.

“How long do you think we’re stuck in here for?” James asks him.

“Until someone finds us, I bet.” Aster mutters dropping his cane to the ground before sitting down. He doesn’t hesitate to grab a bottle of wine and there was even a cork screw in the bucket, weirdly enough, and he easily opens it up. “Want some?”

“You’re-? You’re going to drink? You never drink.”

“Chances are, James, Remus and Sirius knows we’re here, meaning one of them are with the kids at home. My boss was there when Nico lured me here. So… I think we’re safe to get plenty drunk and can blame it on Remus and Sirius. If McGonagall finds us, tell her that there wasn't anything else to drink and we were dehydrated to the point of desprate.”

“And if not?”

Aster blinks up at him form where he still stood. Aster doesn’t even pour the wine in a glass, putting his lips to the opening of the neck and knocking back the bottle taking in a few drinks. “Then we face Miss Minnie?”

A soft laugh before James finally does join him on the ground. “I'm such a bad influence on you."

"Took twenty-seven years, but you did it. You and the kids plus Sirius and Remus finally broke me." Aster mumbles.

"You don’t think we’ll be out here all night, do you?”

“With our boys and Remus plus Sirius. We’ll probably be forgotten until morning. Sunrise, the latest.” Aster hums more unbothered than he should be. “At least we got a pillow each and this picnic blanket.”

“And food and wine.”

“Nah,” Aster shakes his head. “Wine’s going to be gone in a few hours.”

James laughs softly opening the basket up. His eyebrows rise as he rummages down to the bottom getting a look at everything inside.

“I wonder who packed this?” James hums.

“The boys? House elves?” Aster takes another drink.

“I hope not. There’s also a small bottle of lube in there, too.” James pulls out a butt plug with a red ruby diamond on it making Aster near do a spit take, coughing as the red wine goes down the wrong pipe. He takes a good minute to clear his throat and to stop coughing. “Remus. For sure.”

James lifts an eyebrow at him. “You don’t think Rosier and Junior is involved with this?”

Aster frowns, glancing away from James. And for the first time in a whole month, James finally senses something is wrong.

“Is something going on with you three?”

“I… I walked out on them.” Aster shakes his head. “I said some pretty mean shit. And… I don’t blame them if they don’t want anything to do with me anymore.”

“What?” James breathes out. “But… but you guys are like three peas in a pod. Nothing’s been able to tear you apart. You’re closer than me and Sirius. And that’s saying something cause I never fucked Sirius and Remus.”

Aster shrugs defeated. “Why do you think I’m here all the time, James? At Hogwarts.”

“Because… you want to work and get away from me?”

“Well, there’s that. But I got no one else to go other than them. Without them, without you, it’s Madam Pomfrey and Remus here. As pathetic as that sounds.”

James frowns at him. He takes the bottle and takes a long drink from it before setting it back in the ice. He crosses his legs and lean back on his hands.

“Alright, lay it on me. What happened?”

“You.”

James pursed his lips. “Well… that now defeats my purpose.”

“You don’t get it, do you, James? Everything that’s shitty in my life right now, circles around you. You're the center of every bad thing, it always starts with you. I would never had found out, if it wasn’t for you.”

James’ eyes slowly drift over to Aster. “Found out what?”

Aster groans loudly. He lets himself fall back on the blanket, tucking the small pillow under his head.

“Apparently,” He slowly begins. “Bee and Ev… they... fancy… me.”

James pushes himself up, not hiding himself as he grabs the open bottle of wine and drinks it well less half of it. He pulls it from his lips with a long smack of his lips before putting it back on ice. “Sorry. I thought you just said your best mates fancied you.”

Aster blinks deadpanning at him.

“Are you joking?” He shakes his head. “I may have been high and borderline above tipsy but I’m not. They… They said some negative stuff that night about us not lasting. But… What I said was way worse.”

“Tell me you turned them down?”

Aster winces. “Cruelly.”

James winces. “How bad?”

“I told them I’d never be in a relationship with them, because I loved you too much and I was a jealous prick over you. But to be fair, I kept pushing them to tell me certain things after they let something slip. Then Barty said something about obliviating me to drop it and I just…”

Aster frowns at himself, looking away from James.

“Something in me snapped. I ended up blaming him and Evan for my drinking that night, and the smoking of the weed which I've been wanting to do as of late — I wanted to do it on my own clear conscious decision. I’m pretty sure somewhere among the lines I probably insulted them or said something cruel about them fancying me when I’m already with you. And um… then I left. And that was after I left you at the manor, so I thought you were still home. I went to Remus and Sirius. I didn’t mean to over hear your conversation with them on purpose. I just… got there at the right time and Remus knew I was outside, he kept asking you certain questions intending for me to hear and listen knowing how much I’ve been trying to get the answers out of you.”

“That’s how you overheard our conversation.” James breathes out in realization. “Why didn’t you just say that in the first place, Aster? Instead of picking a fight with me all this time.”

Aster picks at the grass with a weak shrug. Strain after strain. He stays quiet for a while.

“Because telling you how I overheard you, meant, telling you how I ended up leaving Barty and Evan’s. And I wasn’t ready to… I don’t know anymore, James. I miss them but I feel… scared.”

“Of what?”

“That I ruined everything. For us. For them and me. I haven’t heard of them since. It’s been a whole month. I'm afraid of things changing but... things probably already did the moment I got a confession out of them.”

Aster pushes himself up and grabs the bottle of wine to drink. He takes a few sips. In less than half an hour the bottle was nearly empty.

“Now onto you. Why don’t you talk to me, James? You’ve heard everything I’ve got to say.”

James breathes in deeply.

“I just feel like… you wouldn’t understand me.”

“You never tried.”

“I know. I didn’t see a reason to. Not… before. Not with you.”

“And now you do?”

“Yeah… I… when you were yelling at me. I kept putting on how you didn’t have a mum or a dad, but I entirely forgot you are a Papa. You are a dad. That is a big reason that I entirely ignored. And-… you may not have gotten that love before, but you give it. And of everyone to see it, I’m the one who’s seen it most. That should be enough for you to understand it and reason with it.”

Aster nods. With a deep breath, he told himself it was going to be the last time he’d ask James. Carefully, Aster looks at James.

“Do you want to talk about her?”

James’ jaw opens, and closes, then opens again. “I…” His mouth closes, he breathes heavily through his nose and looks up to the cloudy white sky where snow fell and never made it down to touch them. James stares up for a long while.

And Aster prepares himself to close up. He prepares himself for that to be the end because he cannot put himself through this sort of trouble any longer.

Aster watches a stray tear slide down James’ cheek. “I miss her, Aster. So, so much. And everything I feel like I’m doing is always wrong and never enough for anyone.”

Aster reaches out quietly, without James looking at him, his gentle touch on his hand startles him a bit. It was soft and sweet as Aster collects his bigger hand into his and gives James a tiny squeeze.

“You don’t always have to be right. And you don’t always have to be enough.” Aster carefully speaks, holding James’ hand, his wedding ring shining from the bright white sky above.

“But if it helps; you’re plenty for me. And you’re the best for the family; you don’t need to be more for anyone else than the people who truly do rely on you other than the kids, not even me. You’re there when I’m not… you love everyone, even when you don’t got any left to give. And all those qualities together… James… aren’t you ever tired of trying to prove yourself to others more than yourself?”

James lets out a choking cry. His chest stops mid-breath as he chokes on his sob. Aster doesn’t hesitate to move closer to him, letting James roll onto his side and burry his face into the crook of his neck.

His beard and hair tickled him, but he does his best to hold back that reaction with a hand on the back of James’ neck gently caressing James and the other keeping himself up as well as James’ heavier body.

“Shh. It’s okay, James. Let it out. Cry all you want. It’s just us… It’s just us.”

Chapter 25: February 15th, 2006

Notes:

CW: Sexual content

February 15th, 2006

 

Everyone definitely forgotten that James and Aster were warded into the Quidditch pitch.

It was that or they were just all far too lazy to get them out. And by that, Aster was ninety percent sure only Elias could get them out.

Which brings him back to the first fact, lazy.

But again, it wasn’t as if he and James actively bothered to get up and check if the wards were truly still in place or been taken down hours ago.

So… maybe they were the lazy ones?

It was past sun down and James and him probably have done everything there is to think of.

They argued when they first arrived. They talked out their problems. Shared two whole bottles of wine. Ate. Talked some more about random things to catch up in their lives now that they’ve made up properly.

They’ve laughed. They’ve cried.

They were angry. They were sad. They were happy. And now moved onto a new emotion.

With the sky clearing up from the clouds leaving a rare wintery starry night, they were once laid out on their backs on the picnic blanket trying to star gaze.

That didn’t last long.

“James,” Aster breathlessly says as James starts to suck on his neck, moving down from his jaw. “We shouldn’t. Not here.”

Aster’s body said otherwise. With his hands gripping James’ naked sides keeping him firmly on top of him.

“I’ve always had a fantasy of shagging someone in a Quidditch pitch. This pitch.” James murmurs before licking up the collum of his throat drawing out a whine before he bites down on his pulse point changing his noise into a moan.

“When’s a better point to do so than now with my husband? El amor de mi vida.”

Aster lets out a whine when James starts to unfasten his buttons to his healer robes. In the process of getting to the last button, James sits up and knocks over the picnic basket that they both ignore as James pushes off Aster’s robes.

Despite Aster knowing he should put all stops to this, he lets his arms fall through the sleeves and the fabric fall off him as he pushes himself up to crash his lips into James’, craving James after being deprived for the last month after the last stunt James pulled on him in the shower.

“I really hope the kids aren’t in the stands spying on us.” Aster whispers as he makes his move onto James’ neck nuzzling a bit into his beard.

“If they’re smart enough, I’m sure at least one of them gotten the clue to leave us alone by now.” James breathes deeply running his hands up and down Aster’s spine eliciting a shiver from him.

How long has it been since James and him been able to claim a time to fuck outside safely without a chance to be walked in on? Probably not since the youngest two were babies. Eight years, at least. Maybe longer.

The thought of just being outside as a warm-charmed breeze blows by makes Aster’s lips curl up as he runs his tongue across James’ collarbone.

“I can feel you thinking, amar.” James’s voice was scratchy. “What’s exciting you?”

“We’re outside.” Aster purrs bringing his hands to James’ pants and undoing his buckles quickly not wanting to let this moment escape him. “It’s been too long since we’ve gotten a chance.”

James chuckles lowly, pushing Aster back down to the ground and easily pushing his hips up against his own grinding down through all the layers of fabrics with a soft moan.

James’ beard tickles Aster a bit on his way down his chest, licking, nibbling, biting everywhere he could have access to. Aster doesn’t hold back his soft laugh as James finally licks up from his waist band of his trousers to his navel, licking at the faint dotted scar from his former navel piercing he once had and gotten rid of, just the same with his nipple piercings.

James’ fingers danced across his waist band of his white and blue uniform.

“What are you going to do to me, James?” Aster asks looking down at James, a hand easily running through James’ messy curls.

James looks at him in the dark, the candles long burning and nearly out were reflecting in his eyes behind his gold rim glasses that has his eyes looking like solid gold. “What I should’ve done last time I had my head between your legs.”

Aster lets out a soft laugh when James tucks his fingers into his waistband and tugs off his remainder pieces of clothes in one go. His underwear and pants were tossed away in the same direction before James gets rid of his own pants and underwear and lays onto his stomach between Aster’s bent and open legs ready to feast as his fingers danced teasingly with his folds.

Aster hums quietly, hand in James’ hair as he looks up to the stars. “You’re not going to tease me this time, are you?”

He feels James press a few kisses to his inner thigh before there was the scratchiness of his beard with a quiet hum.

“Edging with release is more on my mind tonight. We got the time tonight after all.” James informs him as he feels a finger find his clit and rolling in soft circular motions. Aster sighs quietly, legs parting a bit more for James willingly. He keeps his eyes open on the real stars. “I think I can do that. I’ve missed you.”

“Me too, love. Me too.” There was a kiss to his cunt before a tongue licking through his folds and sucking on his clit that’s been long untouched for a while given Aster had no time or desire to touch himself.

It was easy to slip two fingers into him, curling happily into his g-spot that has Aster withering on the ground and bucking his hips into James’ mouth and touch.

All while James stayed true to his word edging Aster, bringing him so close to his orgasming edge but never letting him spill but pulsing and tense tightly around his fingers, James was grinding into the picnic blanket, edging himself in time with Aster.

By the fourth time Aster was denied. With James’s mouth suddenly off him and biting more marks into his thighs and resting playfully on his mound Aster was quite sure he was going to die at the hands of James.

“Jamie, please, fuck me.” He begs grinding into James’ three fingers he had inside him clenching around him tightly. He could feel James’ lips curling up. “S’il vous plaît. Plus jamais.”

“No more?” James teases, understanding his begging French. “But what if I want more?”

Aster whines, legs attempting to close by the knees that has James laughing and bringing his one free hand to part them open again and he’s carefully moving his hand inside Aster, curling and pulling out before pushing back in.

Aster’s eyes were a misty haze as he stares up at the stars. It wasn’t as good as a beautiful spring or summer day with the sun shining on him or that one time where he’s quite sure he and James got away being on the beach by the waves and under the full moon approximately eleven years ago but it was still a nice change from their bed or shower.

James’ thumb rolls his clit around and his three fingers work faster that has Aster thinking ‘yes!’

He’s about to be given what he’s begged for as he feels that tightening band readying to snap in just a few seconds and he doesn’t even bother trying to warn James not taking the risk of him stopping.

His eyes are halfway to being rolled in his skull and he’s tensing up as his back arches up pushing himself to take James’ fingers deeper. His hands out reach and accidentally hits a bottle that had fallen out of the picnic basket that still hasn’t been unrighted.

He feels himself starting to tightening from the inside, the band is about to be cut and released and-

“No!” He cries- no, he sobs as James pulls out his fingers entirely and licks them clean one by one sitting up with that obnoxious grin on his face that has Aster glaring at him with a flushed face and soaking wet pussy that wasn’t from any sort of orgasm. “You’re evil.”

James smirks at him. “I know.”

Aster scowls at him as his husband inches closer to him on his hands and knees, hard and throbbing cock hot and heavy between his legs and smearing pre-come onto his stomach as he moves up to kiss Aster slow and leisurely.

Aster could taste himself on James’ lips as he welcomes him regardless of his pissed he was at James. He blindly readjusts his knees to rest on either side of James’ hips and they both moan into each other’s mouths when James’ cock slips and rubs between his folds without any hands interfering with to guide it.

“I was going to let you come,” James breathes heavily as he pushes up with his hands on either side of Aster’s head. “But the thought of you coming around my cock was far more better to my mind than around my fingers or mouth.”

Aster snaps his mouth, a teasing bite at James that has him laughing and rising up to his knees. James grabs the base of his cock and teasing not only Aster but himself by rubbing the head against his suck-swollen-puffy clit.

Aster pushes up his hips a bit, James’ cock slides from his clit to his hole catching just by a bit. “Stick it in, James.” Aster orders from his laying position on the ground. “Now. No more fun and games.”

“Bossy. Bossy.” James tuts at him with a smile firm on his lips. “I like it.” He huffs a laugh before finally sliding and pushing into Aster drawing out two different moans from them each.

A moan of relief from Aster.

A moan of entire from the wet and warm pleasure that envelop his cock from James after all the dry rutting and leaking precome into the picnic blanket for the last hour and half.

Hips meeting hips, Aster wastes no time pulling James to lay on top of him entirely, just staying still for a moment and holding him on top of him with his hands on the small of James’ back keeping his hips still and they both breathed heavily.

“Aster, I need to move.” James groans with his face burred in his neck.

“Soon.” Aster breathes out still able to see the sky from where he was. One hand moves off James, the other keeps James firmly pressed into him. “Let me… I want to do something first. Be a good boy for me and wait. Just a little longer, Jamie.”

James whines as he blindly feels around the picnic blanket, remembering the several times where his hand had hit the cool metal and bottle. His lips curl up finding the butt plug first, then the lube.

Carefully he manages to twist off the cap quietly without drawing James’ attention to it and clumsily coat his fingers with lube, hoping the bottle won’t spill over in the mean time.

“Sois un bon garçon, and do try to hold back. Don’t need you coming so soon or you’ll be far too sensitive. Because I’m not letting you go so easy.” Aster whispers into James ear as he uses his uncoated lube hand and drifts to James’ arse spreading him apart.

There was a hot gasp into his neck as his slick fingers find way to James’ hole and so carefully, he pushes his middle finger in. James somehow manages to grind into Aster deeper with a low moan. Aster could feel the way his cock jolted from the inside as he moves his finger in and out a few times feeling James relax fast around him.

A second finger is added easy and quick.

“Feel good?” Aster asks him. James nods with muffled noises and moans, hot face in hiding in his neck. It takes Aster pressing up against his prostate to get James to pull out of his neck for a moment.

“Need to move- I need to move, Aster. Mierda, por favor. Let me move. Please. Let me move, por favor, mi estrella.” He cries grinding in Aster.

Aster squeezes around James, having him cry and pull back on him bringing his fingers deeper before thrusting forward into Aster and stilling, James was tight around Aster trying to contain himself.

“You want to move so bad, Jamie?” Another tease to his prostate with his fingers. “Fine. Just give me a few more seconds.”

James sags in relief on top of him when Aster pulls out his fingers. Aster chuckles softly at his reaction, his lube-free hand runs through James’ hair gently while he grabs the plug not letting it go to waste as he more clumsily coats it with lube.

“Just another second…” Aster sings quietly letting his hand from James’ hair rake down his body eliciting a shiver from James as he reaches his arse. Aster pulls James’ arse cheeks apart once again, and slowly pushes the red diamond plug in having James press himself into Aster’s body and draping around him like a heavy hot blanket.

Once the plug was fully in and settled, Aster lets James arse go. “There we go. Couldn’t let that go to waste. You can move now, mon amour. Whenever you’re ready.”

James lets out a whine, hips rolling a bit testingly pulling out and lets out a gasp when he pushes back into Aster.

“It presses right up to- oh, mierda.” He heaves out rolling his hips more. Aster could only assume that the plug was doing it’s job, pressing up against all the things it needed to press against.

Aster grabs onto James’ hips tightly, guiding him through each movement that has them both a panting mess.

Every few thrusts in, James has to stop for a few long seconds tensing his body with a long groan clenching himself up as Aster feels his cock pulsing from the inside.

“You want to come, don’t you?” Aster teases James, nipping at his neck.

“So fucking bad.” James whines before moving again managing four more fast thrusts before halting again and tensing up. “But- but- you… Mierda.”

Aster snickers at James’ misery of trying to hold back. He runs his hands up James’ back, making sure to run his nails up and to leave marks. “You want me to come first?”

“Yes.”

Another soft laugh, his nails run down James’ back leaving a runway of deep red marks. “Okay, love. But I’m going to come how I want to come. And I want to come hands free.”

James whines as Aster’s legs bend and spread as far as possible open. He moves one hand between himself and James and splits open his labia before using his other hand to push James forward letting their bodies truly be flushed on one another. Aster could feel James’ pubic hair rubbing against his clit that was already sticking out, hard and horny and far too ready for him to finally come.

“Go on, make me come.” James groans, rutting into Aster and doing his very best to provide that handless tickling friction without having himself come first.

There was a good thing that came out of all the edging James did on Aster. Aster was already so much on edge, he was already so ready to come and his body could only hold onto for so long before starting to feel that build up.

When James suddenly stops, they’re both panting and whining to each other.

“You’re tensing up too much.” James groans. “I- I can’t if you keep-… fuck. I don’t think I can keep holding back. Been edging as much as you on the blanket-...”

“You want me to come, don’t you?” Aster near growls at him. James nods, face hiding in the crook of his neck.

It was one of those moments where Aster gains sudden strength out of no where and he manages flips them over making James seem like he weights like nothing putting himself on top.

“This is more better,” Aster huffs rolling his hips in a figure eight that has James banging his head into the ground. James’ fingers grab onto Aster’s thighs just as Aster lifts himself with an arched back and leaning forward a bit and pressing his clit onto James’ body hair, still determined to come without hands.

“Just remember, I’m not stopping for you.” Aster warns James before sinking down and taking the lead and everything he wanted for that night.

Somewhere among the riding, James’ bollocks draw up tightly and he comes fast and hard, seconds into Aster’s riding.

His back arches and hips push up into Aster and Aster keeps true to his word of not stopping for James as he places his hands onto James’ chest and dutifully grinding down on James taking what he got on top for.

Fingers spasm across Aster’s legs but James doesn’t dare to utter a single word of telling Aster to stop, watching him through nearly closed eyes taking what he pleased from him and finally feeling that last slam down on him, the last grind and the last tension of Aster snap and pulse. Throbbing around his cock and somehow managing to draw out a second ejaculation out of James in time of Aster’s own orgasm.

“You know what really sucks right now?” Aster quietly asks James, still taking James balls deep. James lets out a tiny whine. “We don’t got anything to clean me up with. Got to wait until who knows how long until morning, walk out of here with all your come seeping out between my legs.” 

James feels his cock twitch with life and his whole body spasms with his cock making Aster bubble out a loud laugh. Every laugh out loud, Aster clenches around James making him groan.

“Are you still trying to stay hard, James?”

“It’s not that…” He grimaces at himself covering his face with his arm. “Hard to do so with you wet and hot around me.”

Aster hums quietly, rocking his hips a bit. “Maybe we should stay like this a little bit.”

James doesn’t even get a chance to answer when Aster shifts his body, leaning down and laying on James’ chest. James’ cock shifts a bit out of Aster, but otherwise remained well inside him.

“Cock warming now, are we?” James breathes out.

“Hmm-hmm,” Aster nods tiredly into his chest. “I can feel your come trying to come out. Trying to keep it in. Less messy this way.”

“How long do I got to keep the plug in?” James heaves out, feeling the plug pressing up against his prostate without him even trying to do anything.

“As long as I got to walk around with your come between my legs.” James groans out in mild protest, not really that bothered. If anything, he thought it was a fair trade.

It takes a while but James’ cock starts to go soft without any sudden increased movements and James was certain Aster had fallen asleep on top of him with how steady his breathing had gone.

James runs his hands across Aster’s back, all the way down to his butt. “Aster, love, you awake?”

A tiny noise was made then silence. James took his time, hands on his arse squeezing him a bit.

“Get your hands off my arse.” Aster grumbles after a few moments before falling quiet again, face snuggling back into James’ chest with his eyes closed making James laugh softly.

“I need you to get off me. We need to at least put our underwear back on. I don’t think Minnie would be pleased to find out that there’s been two of her workers spotted on the Quidditch field butt naked and cock warming one another.”

Aster doesn’t reply. James truly thought he had fallen back to sleep with how still he became again and his gentle breathing of his chest rising and falling. “Pequeña estrella.”

Aster lets out a tiny noise, chest rising a second longer to do so before falling quiet. Making James laugh again and letting his fingertips roam Aster’s naked body for a few more moments.

“Let me roll us over. I can find your clothes and dress you up like my little doll.” James tells him.

“With our size differences, I am your little doll like Nyx is to Posie.” Aster grumbles making James’ chest rumble with a louder laugh.

James eventually rolls them over to their sides carefully. Both grimacing as James pulls out with a soft cock and the surprisingly not entirely dry come seeping out of Aster. James used a bit of the picnic blanket in sacrifice to clean up Aster, dipping a bit of it into the melted ice in the bucket that used to hold the wine and attempts to clean Aster just a bit as well as himself.

And when he gets up, fingertips itching to go behind himself to pull out the plug that he was still wrapped around and holding onto tightly-

“Don’t even think about it.”

James lets out a groan, grabbing the loose articles of clothings around their area they’ve been in for the last few hours.

“How’d you know? Your eyes aren’t even open.” He complains.

“Cause I know you.” Aster informs him like it was common sense curling into both of the tiny pillows that was provided for him and James. “Just cause you cleaned me with dirty freezing water with the edge of a picnic blanket doesn’t mean that I’m clean as I’d like to be as if we were at home with a warm, wet, and clean cloth.”

James mimics Aster’s words, dressing himself first before getting Aster into some clothes — clothes being his underwear and pants.

Shirts to be damned with in the warm charmed weather they were provided with.

James tugs on the pillow tucked under Aster’s arm drawing out a whine from him.

“Get your own.”

“You gotta share with me this time, Aster. There’s only two. This pillow is my own.”

“Use your wand and…” A soft snore, Aster curls up into the pillow James was tugging at. James rolls his eyes knowing where Aster’s more than half asleep brain was going with using his wand to transfigurate something into a crappy arse pillow.

James grabs onto the pillow and pulling more harder to get it away from Aster’s death sleep grip. “I don’t got my wand on me. It’s in my office. Sharing is caring.”

Aster whines when James frees the pillow from his grip. His arm is smacking around, waving and searching blindly for the pillow as James quickly lays on it before Aster can snatch it up for himself again.

Without a second thought, James grabs his waving arm and tugs him closer, guiding his arm around his naked waist to use his body as a pillow which Aster uses happily curling into him and holding him tightly.

James wraps his arm around Aster’s body and presses a kiss to his forehead before resting his chin on the top of his head and taking his glasses off and hoping they won’t get crushed in the morning as he falls asleep.

Aster was woken up rudely with a freezing shiver as he curls up into the warmth that was holding him tightly.

“Do you think they’ve stopped fighting?” He hears a whisper.

“I think so.”

“It’s that or they just drank all the wine last night and hate-fucked each other.”

“Ew!”

“Gross.”

“How'd you figure that one out?”

“Uncle Remus, did you have to say that!?”

“Yeah, Moony, did you have to say that?”

“I’m just saying… the lube is open-”

“And… I’m out.”

“Me too.”

“I don’t see why I’ve got to be here anyway.”

“Yeah. Bye.”

“You can just be out you got to-! Elias! Nico! Not you too-! Rigile!? Aasil!?”

“Sorry! I took off the all the charms, I don’t need to be here any longer!”

“You need to help us clean up-! And they’re not coming back, are they?”

“I don’t think so, Teds.”

“Bloody kids.”

“I’m surprised those two still aren’t up. It’s bloody freezing and they’re shirtless.”

“Hey, Da… didn’t you put a plug in here as a joke?”

“Shhh.” James muffles as Aster is manhandled, pulled over and around and suddenly he’s on top and on a chest that startled him enough to open his eyes before quickly shutting it form the bright sunlight.

“Mmh? What time is it?” He manages to ask rubbing his eyes and hiding his face into James’ chest feeling the contacts in his eyes irritating him already.

“Breakfast time, Hogwarts.” Remus jokes toeing James with his shoe. “Your kids ditched us after scheming this for the last few days.”

“Kinda figured that one out.” Aster mutters finally pushing himself up and spotting his robes and yanking them on shivering to death.

He doesn’t hesitate to smack James in the face with his own. “Get up, James.”

James groans, grabbing the clothes off his face and doing as so. He pushes himself up and as soon as he’s sitting up he winces before attempting to subtly put his robes on with his arse slightly clenched up.

“Found that missing object you were so curious about, Teds.” Remus comments looking at them amused. “You both hashed it out then?”

“We did everything that we could possibly in this five-hundred foot warded place you enclosed us in. And I don’t know about James, but right now, I got to piss. So, for the firs time ever it looks like I’m going into the locker rooms.”

Aster makes grabby hands over to Sirius. “Help me up.”

Sirius makes a face at him. “Why me?”

“I don’t got my cane and I’m sore.” His face becomes a grossed out one. “Not that kind of sore. Sore from sleeping on the damn ground cause all you bloody gits thought a cheap arse picnic blanket and two tiny pillows were enough for me. Now help me up.” He wiggles his fingers at his sibling.

Sirius rolls their eyes before complying. Black manicure hands grabbing onto Aster’s inner wrists as Aster does the same and he’s hoisted up to his feet. Aster cracks a few bones in his joints, stretching himself out.

James is up to his feet easier than Aster but as soon as he attempts to do some morning stretches that’d he usually do in the bedroom, James makes a fast stop with arousal pushing through his body and his blood rushing south with a certain spot being pressed against.

The plug felt like it was constantly always hitting his prostate. Last night. When he moves. Worst of all, now. Just by standing still.

“By any chance is…” James swallows thickly avoiding his friends and nephew’s eyes, looking at his husband instead. “That little missing object… magical?”

Remus snorts. Teddy laughs. Sirius gags.

That gave him his answer. James’s eyebrows pinched as he truly does look at Aster.

“Aster, I have to-”

A firm shake of his head.

“No.”

And Aster’s off to the pitch’s changing rooms. James stares wistfully in his direction. Big pleading eyes staring at his back and his husband didn't even care for his misery.

“Geez, Uncle Jamie, can you be any more obvious of who’s the power bottom in your relationship?” A hand goes and smacks his bottom, making him squeak embarrassingly pitchy and stumble a few steps forward and away to glare at his nephew. Each step had the plug digging into him far too good. He could feel himself getting hard already.

James points a warning finger at Teddy. “Don’t do that again.”

A smirk, a testing raised eyebrow as if Teddy wasn’t in his early thirties right now. “Oh? And why not? How long do you have to keep it in for, Uncle Jamie? Already sporting something hard to conceal?”

James didn’t know how hard he was, how showing he could possibly be, but he’s grabbing the edge of his robes and covering his front and praising his uniform for having such covering old fabrics from the eighteen hundreds.

“I just need to get out of Hogwarts,” He breathes under his breath.

Teddy lets out a tiny hum, eyeing James up and down.

“What?” James grunts defensively.

“Nothing,” A shrug. “Just good to know Harry’ll last into his forties… hopefully even longer than that. All natural? I’m hoping.”

James stares at Teddy, long and hard. Teddy wiggles his eyebrows in a teasing manner in his direction as he hears Remus laugh softly, possibly even shake his head as Sirius scoops out everything that was riffled through and touched over the course from last night between himself and Aster.

He loves the turquoise-haired guy.

He’s watched him grow up. He’s one of the fathers of his granddaughters and he’s pregnant with another grandchild but damn.

Since Teddy was a child, there always that joking — it didn’t always feel that way — crush on him. James was so relieved when he found out that fancying shifted from him to Harry over the years.

James darts his eyes, looking away and over to Remus with a slight tensed cough, a fist to his mouth. “Um… if you three are here who’s at the manor watching the kids?”

“Reg.” Sirius mutters wrinkling her nose as James spots Sirius’ golden necklace with the pink gem in it. It wasn’t often that she had her necklace of gender on or changed around these days.

“Brought over Izzy and Leo with him to spend time with the cousins. Might want to head back soon before someone’s head pops off. I'm betting Izzy's, Sirius think it'll be Reg's. Ted think Leo.”

“Right…” James spots Aster emerging from the locker rooms. “We’ll head out now. Pretty sure Aster’s in dire need of a shower. Ta.”

“But-! Aren’t you going to help us clean up-!? Ugh!”

James was taking two footsteps in distance as a time speed walking over to Aster feeling the press in him as he wraps an arm around the small of Aster’s back and quickly starts to guide him to his office which had the closest floo.

“I’m going to need to get myself off again when I get home.” James mutters to Aster as they cross the grass making Aster glance up to him with a tilt of his head, snickering at his misery. “What does the plug do?”

“It’s constantly rubbing into me. Can’t determine if it’s a good thing or bad, but Regulus is watching the kids with his own so-”

“Oh poor you.”

“I’ve got a hard on right now. I’m just grateful it’s not vibrating.” James grunts as they make it to the outside stairs that’d lead up to his office.

“I got my wand. I could wave it and we could find out-”

“Don’t!” James barks at him with a bubbling up laughter himself. “I can’t go back if I get any harder. Please spare me some dignity. I have to face your brother.”

Aster rolls his eyes fondly. There was a soft smile on his lips that James missed seeing in the last of weeks directed his way.

“Yes, my love. I’ll spare you.” James sighs in relief. Probably too soon. “For now.”

Like Teddy, like Aster, they didn’t need to share blood to be family; James receives a second, far harder smack too directed in the arse aimed at the plug as soon as they arrived to the fireplace.

Chapter 26: March 27th, 2006

Notes:

CW: sexual content

March 27th, 2006

 

It was a slow and leisurely night for Aster and James for James’ birthday night where his birthday was hardly celebrated other than a take-out dinner of his favorites plus cake that Aster horribly burned made with the kids — and you’d think after so many years of making this tradition that they’d have a store-bought cake ready for back-up?

James’ arms were wrapped around Aster’s waist, holding his husband on his side. Aster’s pants and underwear were just hardly down his thighs as James slowly grinds into him breathing heavily into the back of his neck.

“Hmm, James,” Aster ever so quietly moans with a pinched face. His hands reached to grab onto and claw at his forearms. “I need- I need you to touch me.”

“Not yet.” James pants drawing his hips back and thrusting forward.

Aster whines as the air escapes his lungs being knocked out by James' hips. Which does nothing on James as James holds him closer if that was even possible between their meshing sweaty bodies. Aster thighs squeezed tightly close, making the pressure of having James inside him feel so much fuller as his mouth falls open and head falls back onto James’ collarbone.

The room smelled like them. It smelled familiar. Like sex and built up sweat but it was them.

Years worth of them spent together of what they knew.

“Mon soleil, please. Touch me.” Aster begs yet again feeling his insides begging from the outside of him.

This time as quiet as a whisper. He feels James smile on the curve of his neck before his bigger hand finally creeps between his legs making him gasp, melting into a puddle between being filled and being toyed with.

James brings him to the edge, slow and steady. It wasn’t one of their fast paced nights, despite having the kids in their bedrooms.

They hardly had the energy for that anyway, just wanting to share their bodies with one another, wanting to make each other feel good without that extra exertion and this was perfect.

Aster’s quiet sounds stutter as he reaches behind himself, grabbing at James’ waist in time as he comes, feeling a familiar warmth overcome his hardly naked body and spread.

His face was flushed down to his chest as his eyes rolled back and head knocks back into James feeling that extra pumping liquid being poured into him as James holds his waist tight and close to himself, rocking the last few times into him.

Without pulling out, James nuzzles his face into the crook of Aster’s warm neck, pulling down his shirt to expose his skin and suck marks into his skin that he knew he’d have to heal in the morning before heading out to work. “Te amo.”

Aster gives out a tiny nod. Eyes closed and entirely sedated in James’ arms. “Je t’aime aussi, mon soleil.” He manages to mumble quietly, hand still behind him and on James where he gives out a tiny squeeze, managing his grip on James to hold him while being held. “Happy birthday, James.”

Instead of sucking or nibbling or biting on his neck, James presses a kiss, then licks across his spine. “Am I finally an old man to you yet, love?”

Aster laughs softly, eyes still closed. “If you are; then I must be, too.”

James pulls Aster closer if possible, this time he’s able to manage a kiss to Aster’s cheek. “Thank you. And thank you for the horrible cake with delicious frosting you made with the kids every year since I was eighteen.”

Aster lets out a struggle grunt as he softly hits James on the side from behind that’s more of a pat than hit. James laughs softly in time as a knock was rapid on their door. James sighs, knocking his head on the back of Aster’s own.

“Every bloody time. It’s like those kids just always know when I’m balls deep in you.” James groans dropping his head into the back of Aster’s neck presses some kisses in the area before pressing his sweaty forehead up against him.

"We created the worse cockblockers in history of cockblockers... Do you think if we just ignore them they’ll go away?” He mumbles quietly holding Aster close, still tucked away deep inside him.

“I’d say to just talk through the door and find out what they want. We could’ve easily stay on the bed but the one-way silencing charm’s a bitch to take down and put up, since you know, you wanted a permeant silencing charm on our bedroom.” Aster tells him making James groan in that reminder.

Aster gently taps his arms that were wrapped around him, making James release him begrudgingly. “I’ll get it. Just stay in bed.”

With no time to clean with the second round of knocking, Aster was forced to grab his clothes that were around his thighs and tug them clumsily up to his waist as he slips out of bed and grabs his glasses to put onto his face from his bedside table as James covers his naked lower half with his own duvet.

Aster pulls open the bedroom door to meet eyes with a slightly full of terror full of light green eyes splashed with flecks of brown staring at him dressed in a long light coral night gown reaching her ankles.

Persephone was yanking at her night gown from behind, her dark olive complexion was a splotty with a deep red shade on her cheeks from what Aster could see from the two lamps on in the bedroom behind him and as soon as their eyes met, she lets out a tiny sniffle suddenly on the verge of tears.

“What’s wrong?” Aster asks in a warm tone, outreaching to her with a hand only for her to take a large step back from him with a trembling jaw and a shake of her bushy two bun-style hair on her head she went to sleep in. “Posie?”

“Can I talk to you?” Her voice was quiet. Eerily quiet. Aster nods, and his first instinct was to open the door more, inviting her into the bedroom to speak with him and James.

Instead she shakes her head, eyes averting to the ground. “Just you.”

Aster blinks at her surprised. “Oh, uh… okay. Yeah.” He leans back into the room, knowing James probably just heard everything that’s been said and sends him a small smile. “Be back soon.”

That was all James needed to hear before Aster steps into the hallway wishing he had time to clean up the mess slowly spilling into his underwear. Aster mildly wonders why Persephone didn’t turn on the hall lights as he flicks on the switch, the lamps on the walls becoming alive.

“Are you okay, Posie? Did something happen at school?”

“No. School’s fine.” She mumbles to him quietly, eyes still on the hardwood flooring where she stood off the runway rug that was both overdue for a cleaning.

Aster nods slowly. “Okay… what brings you to Dad and mine’s bedroom at nearly…” He doesn’t even know the time so he’s just going to wing it with this one. “Far past your bedtime.”

Her lips remain in a small frown. She toes the ground in silence for a long time, hands behind herself and yanking and toying at her nightgown anxiously.

“Posie, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s going on or what’s bothering you.” Aster softly tells her leaning back on the wall a bit for balance.

A whole passing minute goes by before she breathes out a tensed inaudible sigh and tugs on her night gown more, stretching the fabric out more and Aster suddenly realizes the problem that was bothering her.

“Oh,” He breathes out seeing the small blood spot staining his daughter’s favorite current nightgown. “I see. Well… Lets clean this up first and get you... set up, then, if you want to talk about it we can. Or if you prefer, we can in the morning when we're both more awake.”

“Do we have to?” She asks quietly, finally looking up at him to meet his eyes. “I know what it is. I just… need the stuff.”

Aster lets out a soft laugh against his better judgement. “I’m sure you do. But it’ll make me feel better to know and have you know everything there is to this. Yeah?”

She frowns at him, almost scowling-like. Aster thinly smiles. “Would it help if I reassured you that I’ll be able to save your nightgown from the blood stain?”

That makes her roll her eyes, becoming more like the daughter he knows. Less shy, that is.

“Let me go back in the room so I can get my wand and the stuff-” When Aster sets his hand on the doorknob, Persephone latches onto his forearm fast. “Don’t tell Dad.”

Aster looks away from the door to her. “I think he’s going to find out one way or another. Telling him or not. Malheureusement, chérie, papa n’est pas si stupide. You are the oldest girl in the house right now. He'll figure it out somehow.”

Persephone lets out tiny groan, releasing his arm as Aster sends her a reassured smile. “Dad won’t care. Believe me.”

“But… he shouldn’t know.” She scrunches her face up.

“He knew about Ellie and Azura when they first got theirs.” Aster tries to reason with her. “And there's Elias too.”

“Elias was obvious about his.” Persephone rolls her eyes. “I’m trying not to be.”

Aster sighs. “I won’t tell him. But I won’t deny it if he ask. Alright? But Dad won’t judge, and Dad won’t be all up in your business. Not like me. If anything, he’d be helpful and ask what flow you are and if you take pads or tampons over the summer when you’re home from Hogwarts. But right now, you’re still here for the next few months. Believe me, he had me to teach him all about this when Ellie and Azura got close to your age.”

“Fine.” She grumbles. “Do you have any of the stuff?”

“Which do you prefer trying out first? Pads or tampons?” Aster asks her. “I was going to go and grab both, anyway, but it’d be a waste if I grab the tampons if you think you’re not ready for them or don’t want to use them. I can show you how to apply them, dispose of them, and if you’re up for it, that talk tonight or in the morning.”

“Just get both. And the morning.” She grumbles walking away from him.

Aster shakes his head with a sigh, going back into his room and closing the door behind himself.

He ignores James, going into their bathroom and going under the sink cupboards where he started to stock up on stuff not only for Elias — not that Elias had his period in the last few years — but for the girls too when their ages started to hit too close for comfort to not have any products in the house for thier size.

“Ah-ha,” Aster whispers to himself, pulling out a new box of junior size tampons as well as small pads to start out with.

He sets the boxes onto the sink one at a time as he rummages around, finding everything he needed.

“Everything okay with Posie?” James asks, now leaning on the doorway watching Aster fix everything back to where it belonged then closing the doors.

“Yeah. Can’t tell you.” He hears James softly laugh, probably seeing the boxes of menstrual products on the sinks’ counters. “I think I can guess for myself.”

“I did told her you wouldn’t care.” Aster huffs grabbing the counters to hoist himself up to his feet with pure upper body strength. “But did she care? No. So… Told her I wouldn’t tell you but I wouldn’t deny it if you asked.”

“And I’m guessing you also didn’t tell her you wouldn’t hide it either.” James nods at the boxes as he collects them into hand.

“That too. But again, it’s me. Almost half the girls at Hogwarts come to me for this type of thing if they didn’t pack in advance or not enough for themselves. Honestly this doesn’t bother me as much as it does to her. It’s not a taboo subject in this house, certainly not when Elias got his when he was twelve and was a total arsehole for that whole week of the duration of his, but… maybe I don’t talk to the girls about it enough as I did with Elias? Have I been too focused on him with his transitioning jouney...?” Aster ponders to James.

“You do focus on Elias more than them when it comes to his transitioning.” James points out. “But it’s not your fault. I don’t blame you after what you went through yourself. You just want him to know all the options he has.”

Aster frowns at him.

“She couldn’t tell me, James. She told me by showing me her bled through nightgown.” In the end, Aster sighs with a shake of his head walking by James into the bedroom to grab his wand. “Well... It’s too late now. Wish me luck.”

“Suerte.” Aster rolls his eyes with a fond smile on his face. Stopping in front of James, he reaches up to his toes and presses a kiss to his lips. Pulling back, Aster makes sure to bite down on James’ lip and draws it out seductively in a warning.

“When I get back, you better not be asleep.” He lowly warns James. “I still got a mess between my legs that is need of cleaning up. And that tongue of yours is looking pretty good right now.”

James lets out a tiny noise when Aster presses another kiss to his lips just to tease him. “Isn’t it my birthday?”

Aster falls back down to the soles of his feet. “Maybe it is. Maybe it isn’t. Guess we’ll just have to find out if I make it back before midnight.”

That makes James laugh as he walks away and out of the room with a sway of his hips. It isn’t hard to find his only blonde daughter loitering in the hall outside the bathroom quietly looking at different pictures that’s been on the walls for years or freshly new that James has put up.

“You want the tampon or the pad?” Aster asks her lightly, one box in each hand plus his wand tangled in his fingers to clear away the blood on her nightgown.

Her gaze is torn away from the one frame hung on the wall. Aster and James’ vow renewal where it was a family picture, all ten kids surrounding them along with Aria and Leala. It’s been a while since Aster saw his granddaughters. He’ll have to make time to ask Harry to stop by with them, or offer to babysit one day of the weekend.

“Do the tampons hurt?”

“Not really, if you relax inserting it and taking it out.” Aster reassures her. “It might feel uncomfortable if you’ve never put anything up there before.”

He receives a disgusted look in response. It was obvious his daughter wasn’t into that sort of exploration stuff yet. Or she wasn’t comfortable talking to him about that sort of thing: body exploration. Either way, he’s not going to push her.

“What would you recommended to me as a healer?” She finally asks.

Aster sighs, looking between the boxes. “Well, I hardly get my period now. But I usually went for pads, at your age until I stopped getting them when I was twelve.”

“How?”

“Testosterone potions.” Aster lifts an eyebrow. “So unless you’ve got something to tell me…?”

She scowls at him but it didn’t ease up her confusion as she eyes between boxes before shrugging, still confused.

“How about this. Use a pad for now.” Aster passes her the box. “And in the morning, when we talk and you get some more details in your little blonde mind, then we’ll re-approach of considering the tampons. But you don't have to use it if you don't want to, and don't feel peer pressured to use them either just because others use them.”

“Does Elias still get his?” She wonders with the box of pads switching between hands fidgeting.

“That’s for you to ask him.”

She purses her lips. “How did Azura handle hers?”

“Ask her.”

“Ellie?”

“Ask her.”

Persephone groans at him. “Why can’t you just tell me.”

“Why don’t you want dad to know?” Aster counters crossing his arms and leaning on the wall knowing he’s being a smartarse with his own eleven year old daughter.

“Fine. How do I use a pad? Open it and stick it on my underwear, I’m guessing?”

“Well, first, you’re going to want a fresh pair of underwear. But yes, that’s the ideal way of using a pad. Put the sticky side on your underwear. That box of pads doesn’t have wings, it’s small size, it’s what I used to start out with Elias and your sisters until you’re familiar with what you’re comfortable with as well as your flow.”

“Wings?”

“It’s these sides, they fold onto the side of your underwear to provide a more secure fit as well as to catch extra leaks and staining on your underwear. You don’t have to stick with the same type of pad throughout your entire monthly cycle, some would go with a small pad like this one at the start and end of it, a bigger one during the heavy point duration of the middle of your cycle.”

Persephone blinks hard at him, slowly nodding and Aster knew she didn’t entirely understood everything he said.

“You do know you have school tomorrow, right?”

He made her confused look shift to a horrified look.

“How about, for one time only, I let you play hooky and you come to work with me?”

She pursed her lips. “Do I have to stay there late with you too?”

“I’ll send you home with Dad when he gets off work. But on one condition.”

“What?”

“We got to tell him.”

“Ugh.” She groans. “What’s next? Standing on the tallest tower in Hogwarts and shouting fro the top of my lungs that I started my period?”

“Would it help?”

She gasps at Aster offendedly. “No!”

Aster shrugs. “I’m telling you, Posie, this is entirely normal. Telling dad, he’s going to be the first man of many who’ll have to deal with you as well as associate with you on your period.”

“You’re a man.” She points out.

“A man with a vagina and personal experience of having a period.” Aster dares to correct. “What happens if one day you get a boyfriend?”

Her nose wrinkles. “Ew.”

“Girlfriend?”

A shake of her head. “No.”

Aster sighs. “Non-binary partner?”

“Uh-huh.” She refuses.

“A friend?”

“Nope.” She pops her lips.

“One of these days you’ll end up desperate and having to ask someone for a pad or tampon.” Aster finalizes with his daughter. “And whose better to start with other than your own dad?”

“I got you?”

“And if I’m not around?”

She shakes her head, lips curling into a smile showing Aster that she was clueless of the horrors of the true outside world that she’s been shied from of her eleven years of life. “You’ll always be around when I need help, Papa.”

Aster sighs with a soft smile. “I do my best to be.” He nods over to the bathroom door. “Go get some fresh knickers and change. I’ll be out here if you need any help.”

“Okay.” She settles on with a nod passing back the box of pads to him and heading back to her shared bedroom being thankfully quiet.

Aster goes ahead into the bathroom, turning on the light and setting the box onto the counter for Persephone.

Staring down at the box, he goes ahead and sets the tampon box with it.

With a deep exhale, he can’t help but think, round number four and you’d think that he’d got this in the bag.

Then there’s Aurora, he has on the back of his mind. At least she’d be his last child to go through this maturity cycle with. Unless Teddy and Harry comes crashing through his floo one day begging on thier knees for help. Or Regulus with Isadora. That’s be an intresting sight to behold but he can imagine that Regulus and Kingsley could hold themselves up on their own with their own daughter.

Aster brings himself to step out of the bathroom, and he leans on the wall simply waiting for Persephone to come out of her bedroom.

Persephone had her underwear balled up in a tight fist as she finally does come out of the bedroom. Aster shoots her an easy going smile.

“I imagine there’s blood on your underwear you’ve got on now, so I recommended getting the muggle peroxide out from under the sink, just a little bit on the blood and let it sizzle up beofre rinsing it. You might want to do it twice before put it in the laundry hamper.”

She gives him a tiny nod before heading into the bathroom.

No longer than fifteen minutes, Persephone comes out yanking at her underwear like she’s got a permanent wedgie up her butt. Not that Aster blames her, he totally understands when he was her age.

“I don’t like how it feels. I might as well be using a diaper.” She complains to him.

“You’ll be in a diaper if you give birth. Believe me on that, you get this mesh thing and the pad is huge.” Aster jokes with his hands holding out how large the pad he used each time he gave birth lightly making her glare at him.

“How’d you feel?”

“I don’t like it.” She dryly tells him.

Aster nods in agreement. “Yeah, I don’t get why many people tell girls when they first get their periods that they’re told they're officially a woman.”

“Am I?” She asks him curiously making him bark out a loud laugh.

“Hell no. You’re eleven who’s bleeding out from their uterus because your body is treating you like an adult than a child. I’m not telling you that. Make it through Hogwarts without getting pregnant and we’ll come back around to it.”

She blinks at him. “But you got pregnant before leaving Hogwarts.”

“Exactly.” Aster huffs. "I was still a child myself who had to grow up too fast just cause I bled out of my pussy."

Aster took a deep breath and recollected himself as Persephone had a slight smile to her lips from his outburst.

“So, that pad should be okay until morning. Usually they're good for four to eight hours-ish depending how heavy your bleeding is. Maybe until after breakfast but I’ll say to change it when you’re changing your clothes to make things easier on timing and all that. Try to keep on hygiene, because it may get… smelly, down there. More than what it could if you don’t bathe after a few days. When you change your pad in the morning, roll it up in some toilet paper and put it in the trash with the wrapper.”

“That’s all?”

Aster nods. “Tampons are a bit different, but overall they both got the same concept. Oh, and let me clean up your nightgown.”

Aster suddenly remembers pulling out his wand and uses the spell for cleaning up staining liquids such as blood. “Tergeo.”

Persephone turns around, letting Aster check her back for any miss spots but he got it all. “Alright. Go to bed. Don’t think you’re staying home tomorrow, and act sick, maybe give yourself a bad tummy ache and fake vomit during breakfast. I don’t want Nyx and Aurora to think you’re getting a freebie out of this.”

Persephone gives him a fake cough. Too fake, with her eyes locked on his and a fist covering her mouth with one-two cough.

Aster rolls his eyes and points back to her bedroom door that was slightly cracked open. “Go.”

Persephone spins on her feet and turns to head back into her room. Aster makes a mental reminder to check her bedsheets in the morning before heading out to work as he quickly checks into the bathroom, seeing the two boxes gone into hiding place under the sink.

With that he heads back to his bedroom, happily joining James back in bed through not in the mood anymore to do anything as he groans.

“That bad?” James asks as Aster wraps his arms around his midsection and James runs his large hands through his hair. Aster hums pleased at his hands in his hair. “No. Just tired now.”

A soft laugh comes from James. “And what happened to me cleaning you up?”

“Still want you to… just use a rag or ‘omething.”

“Alright. Soon.” James agrees, fingers twisting the strains of his hair. “What’s on your mind?”

“Taking Posie to work tomorrow. She’ll be with me until you get off shift.”

“Alright.”

“Told her she could only go with me instead of school if she agreed to tell you. Probably will after Nyx and Rory gets on the bus, so expect to have a weird conversation in the morning.”

“She doesn’t have to.”

“I know,” Aster sighs. “But I don’t want her dancing around this topic with you of all people. She can with her sisters and brothers but not us. I mean, where is she going to get the products without asking us? She’s go to have some sort of confidence to ask you the very least than going to me all the time.”

James sighs deeply. “I see your point, but… I don’t want her to feel like she’s got to push me away because of this.”

“She won’t. I’ll make sure tomorrow.”

“Okay.” James breathes out.

Aster lets his hand drift under the duvet, finding James still very much naked as he dances his fingers across his thigh. “I miss Barty. It’s been too quiet without him around... barging in and screaming whenever he feels like it.”

“It has been, hasn’t it?” Aster hums. “Why don’t you just try to talk to him in person, than writing a letter?”

“I practically tore out his and Ev’s heart and stomped on it, James. At this rate, knowing them, I mean… I can think of a way to earn their forgiveness but… I don’t think you’ll like it... it might not even work for Godric's sake.”

“Tell me anyway.” James encourages him. “I don’t like seeing you like this.”

And so Aster forms out a plan to James. It wasn’t the best, by far. And James certainly didn’t entirely like it. But it was probably the only way Aster could think of that would get him his friends back.

Chapter 27: April 2nd, 2006

April 2nd, 2006

 

Aster is met with one of his scowling children — arms folded across his chest and purely glaring at him.

“It’s about time we’re able to do this.” Nico complains.

“It’s not my fault you three decided to open the Chamber of Secrets midst season of the family’s birthdays.” Aster’s eyes drift over to Elias, who he assumes that had gotten tangled up somehow by his younger brothers.

“Elias.” A curt nod.

“Papa. Uncle Remus. Teddy.” It was returned putting a curl of a smile on Aster and Teddy’s face. “Ready to explore the unknown deepest and darkest secrets Hogwarts have to hold?”

“Didn’t we already do this months ago?” Remus mutters annoyed, circling the sinks with close examination where the map was still down a tunnel. “Now tell me again how you three, of all people — of all ages, figured it out?”

“Well,” Nico begins. “There’s a snake down there. It’s only a baby.”

“Ew.” Teddy scrunches his nose, Nico glares at him. “I’ve been feeding her.”

“You have?” Aster questions. “With what?”

“Hagrid always got stuff laying around that he was going to feed his own animals so… I just took some every so often for Nico. It was that or the Forbbiden Forest.” Aasil informs the professors and healer. Aster is just glad one of the three sons were smart enough to think of that.

“Do any of you know what type of snake you’ve been feeding? The breed?”

“Uh-huh.” Rigile nods affirmatively. “Took a few books and no trips down the tunnel as we agreed, but we figured it out.”

“How?”

“Egg shells. Aasil collected some broken pieces to bring back when I broke my nose.” Nico shrugs unbothered. “The snake’s very dangerous, but it listens to me like I’m her master. So we’ll all be okay.”

“What kind of snake are we facing?” Teddy asks waving his hands in the air frustrated.

“A basilisk.”

Aster’s eyes bulged out his head. It was safe to say Remus and Teddy could agree. Even Elias, too, seem to be kept in the dark.

“Salazar Slytherin has been hiding a bloody basilisk in Hogwarts?”

“She’s only a baby.” Nico mutters defensively. “She doesn’t know any better. She’s learning.”

“Oh, boy. Does she have a name too?” Elias mocks his little brother having Nico’s cheeks flush with anger.

“Yes, she does. We’ve been calling her Nagini.”

Aster facepalms himself. Pets. This is why he doesn't let any of the kids have pets in the house. The family owl was hardly counted as one, and the cat that Elias was out of sight, out of mind for Aster. One day he'll convince Elias to give Clementine to Azura for a permanent stay in her flat and out of the manor.

Slowly he looks over to Teddy.

“Teddy, I think you’ll be safer to stay up here.” That was something Teddy easily agreed on. “Boys, how did mange to feed the snake without going down there?”

“We open the chamber, drop the animals down, call Nagini and… that’s that.”

“Alright, show me how it’s done.” Remus tells the three with a settling clap of his hands looking a bit too eager for Aster's liking, primarily ordering directed towards Nico to open the Chamber.

“Well, I found the chamber because this one sink,” Aasil steps forward and picks out a certain sink and points at the tap. “It’s got a snake engravings on it. See? It's funny cause Salazar Slytherin is a man who made his mancave's entrance in the girls' bathroom.”

Looking closely with Elias, Remus, and Teddy the snake marking was in the same metal material as the sink itself was made out of. Making it very missable and unnoticeable. Which explains how no one would’ve figured out how to open the chamber to begin with.

With that, Nico waves his hand to make the adults take a step back before licking his lips wet. Opening his mouth, snake-like hisses come out of his mouth. It was brief, but very intresting to hear.

“It means open, in Parseltongue.” Rigile nudges Elias in the ribs with his smart arse tone which he gets shoved roughly away in response from his brother.

The top of the sinks levitated off, making Aster’s mouth fall open in astonishment. Slowly the circle of the sinks all started to pull apart, forming space apart and the one sink that had the snake engraving on it sinks down, giving a path of a dark tunnel down.

Remus creeps close to the tunnel first, peering down it and indeed seeing no bottom end to it. “So this is the tunnel you pushed your brother down?”

“Yep.” Rigile smacks his lips with a cocky smirk.

“It’s like a slide, don’t worry.” Nico reassures them. “As long as you know where to land.”

“We don’t.” Elias sneers at them. “I say Nico goes down first, and we all head down with our eyes closed in case.”

“The smartest thing you probably ever said.” Aster agrees.

"Oi."

“Papa, why isn’t Dad here?” Aasil asks.

“Cause I haven’t told him.”

“Why not?”

“Cause.”

“…cause… why not?”

Aster rolls his eyes. “Cause I’ve got four of my kids already going down there with me and I don’t need another one, that’s why.”

Remus lets out a tiny laugh. Aster points a thumb in his direction. “I already got that one to deal with too. Between all of us, I’m the only adult.”

“Wanker.” Remus huffs at him.

“Oh, Papa, what are you doing after this?”

“Uh, well let’s see?” Aster hums in full sarcasm. “If my three o’clock death doesn’t happen I’m due home at four. So… I’m going home?”

Teddy snorts somewhere behind them making Elias roll his eyes.

“Do you think you’ll be able to make time between death o’clock and home o’clock to meet Opal. Offically, this time?”

“What happened the first time?” Teddy questions.

“Broom closet, I saw her tits, don’t ask.” Aster brushes Teddy off.

“You did not!” Elias argues back.

“I saw a hickey on her tits and her lacey bra! And your boxers! It was plaid blue!”

Elias scoffs. “I don’t even remember my underwear from that day-! You know what? That’s not the point.” He wiggles a finger at Aster. “I want you to meet her. Properly, no shagging involved.”

Aster sighs. “Alright. As long as there’s no tits involved. Or incest.”

“Why not? Not a boob man, Uncle?”

“Very.” Aster prisses around the topic. “Tried it once, tried it twice, ugh.” He sticks out his tongue and bites on it slightly in disgust with a shake of his head. “Now who’s going down there first?”

“Oh, that’s easy.” Rigile grins at them taking a few steps forward. There was literally no time before Rigile gives Nico a one hand shove and Aster’s watching his child scream for a brief moment before it becomes a shout of glee.

It’s silent for a long moment between everyone in the bathroom. Aster glaring darkly at Rigile.

“You know what?” Rigile points at his father. “I feel like now that you’re here. You, Papa, in particular, out of everyone in this room, I’m just gonna-” A step backwards, Rigile disappears silent and fearless.

“I feel like I just had flashbacks with a little Sirius and James again.” Remus mutters under his breath looking down the slide thingy before wincing as he hears both boys crash into each other with shouts of pain.

“I hope he knows that I’m letting his arse go easy just cause he went down there first.” Aster grumbles hobbling forward with his cane, thinking it was a wise move to bring it with him on this journey.

“You’re going next?” Remus asks with his eyebrows raised.

“Eyes closed, and take that leap of faith, Lupin. It’s what I’ve been doing with life since I was sixteen.” Aster passes along his cane to Elias. “Toss this down lets say, a thirty seconds to a minute after I jump.”

With that, he winks at Remus with a click of his tongue before closing his eyes and taking his next leap of faith into the dark tunnel.

Aster crosses his arms and legs tucking his body in safely, it takes a few long seconds of free falling before his back hits surface and he’s sliding around for another approximately ten seconds before crashing and stopping.

“Boys?” He blindly feels around, rolling out of the way smartly in case anyone came in after him. “Any snake around?”

“You’re okay to open your eyes, Papa.”

Aster peeks one eye open, the second follows and he’s in a dark, metal cave-like thing and there were a fair amount of animal bones laying around that made him groan in disgust.

His cane came down with noisy clatters, banging against the walls of the slide. Twenty seconds later, Elias comes with a groan arching his back with a pained noise.

“Oh fuck, that landing up there killed my back.”

“Did you tuck yourself in? Need a Wiggenweld potion?” Aster offers him.

“No. Maybe. How many did you bring?”

“Five. I bought 'em from Diagon Alley.” If Aster took them out from the Hospital Wing, he’d be having to answer to Madam Pomfrey which he didn’t want to face her wrath of questioning for missing potions or potion ingredents.

There was sudden loud shout coming from above, and Aster acts quick grabbing onto Elias’ arm and leg and yanking him out of the way having him slide on the bones under them only seconds before Remus came in landing farther than Aster.

“Thanks,” Elias speaks in pure gratitude as Remus groans in pain too.

“I should’ve packed more Wiggenweld potions.” Aster mutters under his breath knowing Remus would certainly need one, pulling one out as the third triplet comes down.

“Question,” Elias speaks up as Aasil arrives. “How do we get out of here?”

“There’s same tunnel, the part where you hit and slide down, there’s a ladder you can’t see that brings you out to the entrance.”

“And you couldn’t have showed that to us instead?” Remus groans as Aster uncorks the potion and passes it along. “Not all of us are as young as we used to be.”

Nico shrugs. “It’s faster and more fun this way.”

“What’s down here anyway?” Remus asks as Elias casts a rather bright Lumos where everyone’s able to see one another now.

And don’t forget the bones. No one seemed phased at the bones other than Aster, who used his cane to rise to his feet and shivered constantly at the crunches under everyone’s feet. This was why he didn’t go with his friends to bury Pandora’s random animal findings that didn’t last long in her (or Evan or Regulus, or even Aster and Barty’s) dorm.

“Besides Nagini, not much other than some creepy statues of heads.”

Elias groans in annoyance. “Why the bloody hell did we come down here then?”

“To check out a room in Hogwarts that’s considered untouched and undiscovered since the founding of Hogwarts.” Remus mutters grabbing onto Elias’ wrist and using his hand to choose where to shine the bright light. “Where to, boys?”

“This way. I sent Nagini off into the cave behind the statute. We should be okay but I’ll warn you if I hear her change her mind suddenly.”

The walk was rather long as they all pulled out thier wands to glow the way. It didn’t take long for their group to become bothersome on one another with Remus in the lead and Aster in the back with the four boys in the middle of them.

“Stop touching me.” Aasil hisses at Rigile.

“I’m not touching you. You’re touching me.”

“Papa, tell him to stop!”

“Why can’t you both just be quiet?” Elias grunts.

“Why don’t you be quiet?”

“You’re an idiot.”

“No, you’re an idiot.”

“Oh my fucking gods.”

“Papa, Elias-! Papa, Elias pushed me!”

This was worse than the Map Chamber. Probably because there was four underage wizards between himself and Remus. And Remus humming didn’t help much.

“Remus, what are you humming?” Aster asks exactly six feet behind him.

Instead of answering with a title, Remus starts singing instead.

“This is the life, bo-bo, bo-bo-bo. This is the life, bo-bo, bo-bo-bo. This is the life, bo-bo, bo-bo-bo. Bohemia.”

“What?” Elias questions Remus. Aster had to nod in agreement sharing a look with his son. “What song is this?”

“Shower’s in the kitchen, there might be some soap. Dishes in the sink, brush your teeth if you can cope. Toilet’s in the closet, you better hope. There’s a light bulb in there (not today).”

Rigile started to snicker, Aasil is quiet, Nico is bobbing his head to Remus' beat. Aster rolls his eyes as Elias starts making rhythm  to Remus’ song with pats on the wall as they kept walked.

“Revolving door roommates prick up your ears. 14 people in just four years! Harry, and Elianna, and Azura, and Luna, and Carlotta. Teddy, Draco, no, Draco was just a guest from June to January. Rigile, Aasil, Nico, Elias, Persephone, Aurora, and Nyx. And Scorpius, the bill collector’s dream who still is on the lam.”

Aster’s smile grows as Remus lists all the kids’ names. He wonders how long it took Remus to make this song or was it coming off right off from his head.

“Don’t forget the neighbors, Leala and Aria. More like a family than your family, hey. The time is flying and everything is dying. I thought by now I’d have a dog, a kid, and husband. The ship is sort of sinking, so let’s start drinking. Before we start thinking, “Is this the life?” This is the life, bo-bo, bo-bo-bo. This is the life, bo-bo, bo-bo-bo. This is the life, bo-bo, bo-bo-bo. Bohemia (ya-ya-ya). Bohemia (woo-oo-oo). One more time! Bohemia. Bo-bo, bo-bo-bo, whoa.”

Everyone’s voices and laughter echoed off the walls by the time they all reached a large circular obvious door with seven snakes on it.

Aster mouths a ‘thank you’ to Remus who winks at him as Nico approaches the door. A few more whispers in Parseltongue and each snake pops back, unlocking the door.

Inside, Aster then understood the statues of heads.

There were so many heads of Salazar Slytherin it was uncanny. The largest statue of his head sat at the very back of the room, the walkway into the room had water surrounding nearly the entire room.

“Where’s that snake of yours?” Remus asks.

“Nagini is behind that head,” Nico points at the biggest statue where two tunnels sat on either side. “As long as we don’t go in either of those tunnels, we’ll be okay. But she’s friendly.”

“That’s what they all say before they go on a murder spree.” Elias creepily jokes to his brothers trying to scare them only to fail as he’s glared at by half a dozen eyes.

The more Aster looked around with Remus, the more the space itself looked completely harmless — other than the snake, that is.

If anything, the room could just be another place to hide out for his kids like the Room of Requirements or even the Map Chamber.

“Well… I’m not seeing anything suspicious or dangerous or… well, anything other than water and stone, really. You guys can come back down here,” Aster decides as he looks over to Remus for confirmation. Remus nods.

This room was probably less dangerous than the Map Chamber where Elias was set to finish his trails by the end of school year.

The only thing that still bothered Aster was- “I don’t like the snake though.”

“But Papa!” Nico cries in complaint, clearly grown attached to the snake.

Aster purses his lips in thought for a negation, but Remus was quicker to beat him to it.

“How about we put a covering on the- Nagini’s eyes, so she can’t petrify anyone and bring her up to daylight to Hagrid?” Remus offers. “That way she’ll be out of here, much happier, I’m sure of. And you’ll put less grey hairs on your Papa’s head.”

“Oy!”

“Will I still be able to see her?”

“I’ll do what I can to keep her with Hagrid. You know he’ll take great care of her. You've seen all the animals he keeps and tends to.”

Nico breathes in deeply through his nose. Exhales through his mouth before nodding. “I guess... If it keeps Papa from going fully gray.”

“Oy! I’m right here, Nico!”

“You are looking more grey these days, Papa.” Elias teases tugging a strain of his hair earning a swat to the hand to get him off his hair that was in a half-up do and a glare. “Don’t you start. I still have to meet a certain girlfriend, don’t I? New first impressions and all that, right?”

Elias sticks his tongue out playfully at Aster, to which Aster rolls his eyes at.

“Alright,” Remus peels off his top professor robes, passing it to Nico. “Here, take this, cover up Nagini with this and we can get out of here.”

Despite the deep frown on Nico’s face, he moves swiftly along in a crouch as every turns their back on him. There was a lot of hissing, a few grunt noises.

“Everything okay, Nic?” Aster asks.

“Uh… yeah. She’s just a bit… bigger than I thought she’d be by now.” A struggled grunt. “I don’t think I can carry her on my own- Nagini-!” Her name was followed by a few hisses, a few more noises before Nico speaks up again. “It's okay. I got her, now.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, got her to climb on her. Her head’s tucked into my shirt but I got Uncle Remus’ jumper on so she’s got more room.”

Aster takes the risk first, looking over his shoulder to see the snake probably half the size or more of Nico. Scaley body curled up around Nico’s abdomen then crawled up to slump and sink into the collar of his shirt and jumper, probably for double layers of protection.

“When did Nagini hatch?” Aster asks when they start making their way out.

“Um… the first time we came down.” Nico confirms. “So... Probably January.”

“It’s April.” Elias points out. “That thing is huge.”

“This thing is a girl!” Nico defends Nagini, arms curling around her body that was around him. “And she’s my pet. Like Clementine is yours that you don't see me complaining about.”

Elias scoffs rolling his eyes. “Clementine doesn’t like you.”

“Exactly! She doesn’t like anyone but you and Zura! All she does is hiss and scratch everyone and hides in your room!”

Aster rubs his temples. There goes his quiet walk back.

The entire way, Remus and him doesn’t bother to break up the fight. It takes them longer to get out than to get in, due to climbing a ladder that has Aster on his last amount of strength as he nearly collapses on the floor of the girl’s bathroom on the second floor ready to kiss it.

“Oh fuck,” He groans laying out starfish style. “This is going to kick me in the arse tomorrow. I just know it.”

“At least it’s the weekend.” Teddy reminds him, somehow ending up on the floor during the time of them being in the Chamber with his satchel open and scribbling down grading charms work for whichever class using his five-month bump as a semi-table, not big enough just yet but decent.

Aster silently flips him off. “Just because it’s the weekend doesn’t mean I don’t have any kids to Papa-tend to.” A long sigh. “Remus, can you-”

“Yes, I’ll make sure Nico brings Nagini to Hagrid.”

“The snake?” Teddy questions, making the last thing on the parchment he was on before finally starting to clean up.

“Yep.” Remus murmurs, tossing an arm over Nico who still had Nagini wrapped around him and the other on Rigile and Aasil. “Come on, boys. Bye, guys.”

Aster lays on the tile floor for a little while long. He knew Elias was waiting on him as he exhales deeply before slowly starting to get himself up after taking a well needed wiggenweld potion for himself after not taking one from the hit down.

“Alright, next on my before I die checklist today: son's girlfriend.” Aster smiles at Elias. “I didn’t forget about that. Don’t worry. Lead the way.”

Aster was rather glad that Elias knew where Opal was, given no Marauder’s map and not having to drag him around longer or more than needed.

Opal was found in the library, studying for her upcoming NEWTS which Aster took as a positive sign than negative for being with Elias.

Elias gained a bounce in his step the second Opal’s back got into their line of sight. He easily reaches over behind her, hands on her shoulder than startles her a bit before pressing a kiss to her cheek and greeting her with soft whispering words that Aster doesn’t overhear before Aster took a seat from across the two teenagers feeling rather uncomfortable.

It felt like he was interviewing Opal for approval to marry Elias, like what he’d imagine his mother would do for Sirius or Regulus if they wished to court someone.

“Um… hello. Hi...” Aster flashes her a crooked smile with a tiny wave of his hand before he sets his palms flat on the table’s surface that had half a dozen books laid out.

“Hi.” She nods curtly before holding out a hand. Not to shake but for Aster to take her fingers and… kiss the back of her hand? The first thing that goes through his mind was that Opal Rookwood was definitely a pureblood. And not just any kind of pureblood, but the type that he could’ve grown up to be like. “It’s nice to meet you, formally, Healer Potter.”

Aster takes her hand, doesn’t kiss it but gives a respectful tilt of his head while holding her hand. She was a seventh year, meaning she was seventeen. If she came from a sort of family that Aster could only imagine, he needed to keep a close eye to spot certain things out on her.

Not for himself, but for Elias.

“So…” Aster’s eyes drift over to Elias. “You’re a seventh year right? That means you're seventeen now. What are your plans for, after you take your NEWTS?”

“To pass all my classes, firstly.” She smiles politely. Aster notices the silver Prefect bandage pinned on her casual clothings. That might be how they met. “I’m taking all possible classes I can take. I aim only the best for myself.”

“I see.” But that wasn’t an answer he was asking for. That was an answer he could picture himself giving if he was under his own mother who had his own future planned out for him without any consent or imput himself. “I don’t usually ask this, but given my place as Elias’ Papa and having other children in the house, do you have plans on coming over to my house during the summer holidays?”

“Opal’s family sending her to France for the summer.” Elias speaks for her. Aster glances over to him with a lazy lift of his eyebrow. “We do have a summer house in France that go to every year.”

Opal doesn’t look at either of them, eyes on the book laid out in front of her and her fingers twisting her necklace fidgeting around subtly. Aster doesn’t the fainted silver scars on her fingers that might as well match his own, hidden under his rings. He wonders what lies she comes up with about her own.

“What’s in France for you, Miss Rookwood?”

“A several things that’s none of your concern.”

Aster pursed his lips. He leans forward on the table, elbows on the surface and he doesn’t miss her sharp gaze flickering to his bones for a moment before going back to her work.

Aster leans onto his hands, his seat creaks with movement.

“What are your intentions with my son, Miss Rookwood?”

“Papa!” Elias whisper shouts a touch too loud drawing the librarian’s attention to their conversation.

“Mr Potter!” Madam Pince hisses, appearing out of no where between bookshelves. Aster lifts a hand, waving at her.

“Excuse us. I apologize, Madam Pince. We’ll be leaving soon.”

She glares at the three of them. Aster’s reputation may be fine with the librarian but his children and husband’s is far from it and he couldn’t say much about the teenage girl in front of him.

“Well, Miss Rookwood? I’d like an answer.” Aster does press quietly. "What are your plans with my son?"

“I wish for nothing but happiness for Elias.” She speaks in a whisper, fingers still on her necklace, which Aster notices the charm that doesn’t go amiss. Aster didn't like that answer either.

Aster sighs with a nod, leaning back in his seat. “Elias, I’d like a private word with Miss Rookwood.”

“What?”

“Just a few minutes of her time. I’m sure she won’t mind. Right?”

Opal glances up from her book, eyes looking from Aster to Elias before she nods. “I’ll be okay. Here,” She passes his a piece of parchment. “Can you go find me this book please?”

Elias’ face twists into annoyance between the two of them as he huffs, presses a peck to her forehead while getting up clearly not the one to hide affections before leaving the table. Aster watches Elias disappear between bookshelf, he gives Elias twenty seconds before casting a silencing charm bubble around the table.

“You’re going to break his heart, you know. We both know that me being at this table, means his Dad is next meeting you and I can promise you, he is far worse than me.” Aster quietly tells her. “You want him to be happy, but you’re leading him on all at once. You can’t have the best of both worlds, Miss Rookwood. Believe me, I know.”

“You know nothing.”

“I know everything.” Aster warns her tapping the table with a single finger. “I was just like you once. What do you plan on telling him? That ring on your neck is just… a family heirloom thing? When I can bet soul that it’s an engagement ring? Who are you promised to? What does the Rookwoods get out of it? What big family name are you going to? What are you really going to do in France? Is that where your future husband is waiting for you to finish your schooling? You going to marry a Frenchman, Miss Rookwood? Pop out his babies, become a perfect, quiet, little housewitch for him?”

Opal’s cheeks were flushed a deep red at Aster calling her out.

“You have a choice, Opal. You do make him happy, I don't doubt my son for a second. But it’s them or him. I’m not letting you drag my son down with you and I won’t ever let him feel like he has to be a second choice to feel special over a first love. If you truly want him to be happy,” Aster sends her a soft smile, eyes locked on the ring on her chest than her face. "You'd let him go." Aster breathes out warningly at her.

“Don’t lead him on if you’ve already made your choice. Because I think between the two of us, you’ve already made it. And that's not here in London.”

The silencing charm pops when Elias plops himself back in the seat next to Opal with a large book to set on the table. “Wasn’t to hard to find the book. Someone just returned it, all I had to do was ask Madam Pince and pick it up at the front desk.”

“Thank you.” Opal sends him a soft smile with her pink flushed faced, sliding the book over to herself.

“What did you two talk about?”

“Not much.” Aster sends him a confident smile rising to his feet. “She’s a good one, Eli." His voice strained and tensed. "I can only hope for the best for you in the future to come.”

He looks over to Opal, their eyes meet. “Miss Rookwood, have a nice evening. I’ll speak with you soon, Elias.”

Notes:

Song:

BoHo Days

Chapter 28: April 5th, 2006

Notes:

CW: sexual content

April 5th, 2006

 

Aster’s been doing everything possible to reach out to Barty and Evan in the last of weeks.

All his letters have either been burned or sent back without tampering of being read. He’s tried to floo over directly to their fireplace only to learn that they’ve blocked all addresses possible from Hogwarts to house in Godric’s Hollow to Potter Manor.

With James watching the kids for the night, Aster walks with a bag of Chinese takeouts in one hand and his cane in the other as he presses the button to the lift that’d take him to the floor to Barty and Evan’s flat.

He wasn’t going to give up on them. Not after four months. Not even when it’s Barty’s birthday and chances were high that they were possibly out than staying in.

Aster shook off all his nerves as he knocks on their door, feeling the wards slightly blocking him out that he hasn’t quite crossed yet.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.

He knocks again.

“Who is it!?” He smiles hearing Barty’s screech from the inside. At least now he wouldn’t be waiting outside their door for an unknown amount of hours until his friends(?) would get back home. Aster instead knocks again, knowing if he spoke, all chances he had of even being heard was out the window.

“Ugh! I’m coming! I’m coming!”

He knocks again, just to be a tiny bothersome with a faint teasing smile to his lips just to Barty hearing his shouts yet again as the door is yanked open. “What do-?”

Barty falls quiet. His jaw was tight as he leans on the door trimming and kept the door as closed to the smallest amount of a crack as possible with hardly his face showing.

“Hi, Bee.” Aster timidly breathes out a bit too breathlessly just by seeing Barty’s face. “I… can I come in?”

“No.” Barty lays it out flat. “What do you want?”

“Is Evan home? I… I’d like to talk to you both.”

“Why?”

“I want to apologise. From my behavior from the last time I was with you both-”

“You can fuck right off then.” Barty snaps at him lowly. “We don’t need you here.”

“Barty, please.” Aster quietly begs. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to- I-… Fuck. I… I shouldn’t have pushed either of you and I shouldn’t have accused you for ever doing magic on me when I know you wouldn’t. I was just scared and I freaked out beyond what my panic attacks did when I was a kid.”

“Personally I’d prefer you giving me a black eye than when you smack and punch the shit-”

“Abeille? Who’s at the door?”

Barty winces before backing away and closing the door entirely and shutting Aster out again.

“No.” Aster breathes out growing on verge of tears as he hits his cane on the wall beside the door. “No, no, no. I wasn’t done. Let me-”

There was the sound of a chain then the door opens and Barty steps out with the door closing behind him. Barty leans on the door, arms crossed over his chest.

He was in a dark blue crop tee, black joggers hanging low on his hips that showed off the hairs under his pierced navel and dipping down between his jutted hipbones with a faint healed scar from where he had Carlotta and the rest into hiding.

Aster had clear view of Barty’s second rose tattoo on his body that was on his hipbone-handlebar, the first smaller one on his neck, this one was the side of his forearm, reaching around from the front where the petals were and thorns and stem ended at his back.

On the opposite side of the rose, there was a daisy. In representative of Barty’s favourite flower — his favourite star flower. In representative of Aster.

Aster never did get a tattoo of or for Barty. He’s covered in black ink, all of James. All for James, showing who he belongs to.

“You got a few minutes. He thinks I’m giving weird delivery bloke directions who speaks mandarin.”

Aster nods furiously, opening his mouth only to close it again as his cheeks burned as much as his eyes did.

“I’m sorry, Bee-”

“You don’t get to call me that anymore.” Barty hisses, Aster nods tiny not entirely meeting his eyes.

“I’m sorry. I… I acted rashly and I was overwhelmed and it doesn’t excuse my behavior at all. I know what I said was cruel, absolutely mean and…” Aster’s shoulders fall in defeat.

“I know I probably will never deserve yours or Evan’s forgiveness. I don’t. Why should I? I don’t deserve James, either. Or my kids. Or my siblings. My family… I’m an awful man. A man who doesn’t deserve anything good in life… I'm so fucking selfish. Maybe I should just give you the food and turn around and forget the plan entirely-”

“What plan?”

Aster’s face burned hot as he stares at Barty’s sock covered feet.

“I spoke with James about… you and Evan. I had to tell him.”

“Figured.” Barty grunts.

“We… I…” A deep breath. “I came with an apology, your favorites, to hopefully say ‘happy birthday’ to you, and… well… James isn’t here. I came alone.”

“Obviously.”

Aster nods tiny, eyes lift up to meet Barty’s hazel eyes.

“I was hoping to get your friendship over, and to close a significant chapter of our lives.”

“What chapter?” Barty seemed hesitant as he asked.

Aster squeezes his eyes tightly. “James’ never been here when… it’s always been the four of us.” He really hoped Barty would catch up. “I’ve talked to him about it. He’s with the kids tonight. I wouldn’t be surprise if he’s invited some friends over to distract himself and, well… I’m here. Alone. Call it being a sadist or masochism or… I don’t know anymore.”

Aster knew by then he caught Barty entirely off guard by the way his eyes widen, staring shell shock at him and a blooming pink on his cheeks that was no match to the red of Aster’s.

“You…” Barty’s voice cracks heavily. He lets out a cough, a deep inhale. “You?”

Aster presses his lips together into a thin line. “Call it a peace offering. I don’t mind. I mean… I do get some out of it. It’s not like it’d be out first time. Just… our last?”

Barty flattens a hand across his jaw, covering his mouth staring down at Aster for a long time. Aster blinks at him boldly but silent, head tilted up a bit at their uneven matched height.

It was obvious Barty was taking too long when Evan goes opening the door that nearly knocks the breath out of Barty as he’s sent flying backwards and into his flat to the floor.

“Oh my-! Are you okay?” Aster asks dropping the bag of food in opt to help Barty as Evan stares at his presence wide-eyed and frozen.

Barty groans, knocking his head on the floor with a tiny thud. “Hey, uh, Rosie, I lied. Aster’s here.”

Evan swallows thickly, a tiny nod, before he dismisses himself entirely without a word said heading into the bedroom and closing it with a rather loud slam. Far out of ordinary from Evan’s usual presence as Aster flinches with a slight jump with the slam.

“He’s… uh… been taking it pretty bad since you left.” Barty murmurs pushing himself up on his hands. “Honestly, I don’t think even serving yourself up on gold platter would win him over that easy. Then again, I've been bested wrong before with him.”

Barty’s eyes then drifted to the bag of food Aster set down. “You get Chinese?”

“Yeah. All your favorites. Even from your favorite place down the street.”

“Yes. The one good reason of moving here in this shitty tiny flat.” Barty lets out a pleased praised, rolling to his knees and snatching up the bag of food and finally getting to his feet on his own and clenching onto the bag like Aster would take it back for himself. “How about this, you win Evan over, I’ll reconsider everything.”

“Everything?” Aster asks quietly. “The floo, the letters, the- the wards?”

Barty nods. “I miss you too, A. As my best mate, as my… It just sucks life has to play out this way for us.”

With that, Barty takes his leave moving into the small kitchen and letting Aster enter the flat. Aster closes the door quietly behind himself.

“Lock that, would you? Knob and chain.” Barty requests before he walks away from the door, riffling through the bag and pulling out boxes of the food he brought over.

Aster locks the chain, he turns the tiny lock on the knob.

“You’ve got your cane.” Barty points out to him as he walks more into the flat, feeling more like a stranger than not.

Aster glances down to his left hand where he held on to his cane, leaning a lot of his weight on it. “Yeah. Uh, my back’s been hurting the last few days. I mean… You’d know why if you opened a letter every once in a while.”

Barty remains quiet on that fact, humming quietly as he pops open a contain and picking out a spring roll. He tears a packet of duck sauce open with his teeth, pours the sauce directly onto the roll before taking a bite out of it.

Aster rolls his eyes. Figured.

“Any advice?” Aster quietly asks, a head bob towards the bedroom where Evan was hiding inside.

Barty chews in thought, taking his sweet and precious time. He swallows slowly. “He cried. More than once, on occasion. It's been a weekly thing in the shower now. Maybe more when I'm sleeping. His eyes are red-rimmed and wet when I wake up but he tries lying to me about it.”

Aster frowns. That was far from what he wanted to hear. Evan crying meaning Pandora was to bite than bark. He was wise to have stay away from her since trying to get in contact with Barty and Evan.

Aster breathes in deeply before moving forward. Aster doesn’t bother on knocking, knowing Evan would either sent a hex his way or lock the door entirely before he has a chance to go in.

Evan was curled up on bed, not under the covered but on top of the messily made bed with his back faced towards the door.

“I’ll be okay, Abeille. Another day to wash him away.” Evan mumbles, hearing Aster enter the room.

Aster closes the door behind himself and takes a seat on the bed beside Evan’s feet. The room was small enough with the large king size bed stuffed in it for Aster to easily lean his case on the wall opposing from where he sat.

He taps his thighs quietly, unsure how to break the silence. He wasn’t even sure if Evan was aware still, that it was him and not Barty.

“So…” Aster breathes out and Evan was quick to jab his feet as his hip, making him cry out in pain and nearly slip off the bed.

“Get out!”

“You kicked me!”

“Sortir!” Evan repeats again in French, glaring at him hard and pointing at the door.

“You. kicked. me!” Aster hisses at him with a hand clenching his hip, not backing down from this. “You can be as pissed as me as you want, Evan. But that gives you no right to get physical with me!”

“And? You were the one offering yourself up to Barty!” He snaps. “As if I’m not here! I’m never here, am I? Always third wheeling the two of you when we’re together! Always desperate to be seen and heard!”

Aster falls quiet. “I never meant for that to happen, Evan. I'd never purposly ignore you just because Barty's around.”

“Well it did. It happened. And somehow I fucked up and fell in love with you both. Next thing I know he’s going to leave me for you.”

“What?” Aster breathes out. “No. No. What’d make you think that?”

“Isn’t that what you were trying to do? I heard you out in the hall.”

Aster lets out a soft laugh, shaking his head. “How much did you hear, Evan?”

“Enough. I’ll never be enough for Barty. Never. He wants so much that I can’t- won’t give him. Kids. Time. I… It was only the matter of time, honestly. I should’ve seen it coming.”

Aster furrows his eyebrows at him. “I don’t want Barty, like that, Evan. I miss him as my best friend. Nothing more. I- I have James.” Evan winces, he refuses to look at Aster. “What you may or may not entirely had heard while we were in the hall, I was…”

Aster lifts his hands, rubbing his cheeks for a moment. “I was suggesting to him that way, yes. But not in the way you are thinking. I was offering myself up to him and you. As a closure. When- after we fix this sodding mess of our relationship.”

“And where’s Potter?”

“Not here.” Evan’s eyes narrow on him suspiciously. “I spoke to James over this whole thing. He doesn’t like it, but he gets it. Or… he trusts me. He’s giving me the whole night with you two.”

“Just… you?” Evan quietly questions with his arms crossing over his chest trying to make himself obviously smaller. Aster nods. “Yeah.”

“Why? We never done it that way.”

“I know. That’s why I decided to make it this way. You, Barty, me. That’s it. Just for tonight. Then never again. I… I was going to storm here banging on the door with food and my body for peace offering and drop to my knees and beg for your forgiveness for taking your hearts and stomping on it but that’s… as far as where things are going right now. So… Um,” He sighs deeply.

“I bought Barty’s his favorites for his birthday. I’m hoping we can eat, talk, catch up a bit. Then…” Aster swallows thickly. “If you both want to… I’m ready.”

“You don’t seem to want to. If we do.” Evan points out carefully.

Aster shrugs, rubbing his elbows awkwardly. “It’ll be fun, I know it. But I also know this time it’ll be far more intimate than fun. And we never done that before. That makes me a bit nervous. I’ve never been that way with anyone other than James. And I’ve been with Salem before, once. But that was just for fun too. Experimenting, at most.”

“If you don’t want to, just say it.”

“I do. I think.” Aster reassures Evan. “If I change my mind, I’ll use the safe word.”

Evan stares at him quietly for a moment. “That’s it?”

Aster pursed his lips. “Well, I did have this big extravagant plan to attempt to apologize.”

A tiny smile forms on Evan’s rosy pink lips. “Like what?”

“Well,” Aster leans back on his hands with a deep exhale. “As I said, I brought Bee’s favourite dinner. That was only the start. Then I have a few different plants. There’s feeding you off my body, begging on my hands and knees… There’s-”

“And Potter’s okay with all this?” Evan interrupts.

Aster nods small. “He trusts me not to take it too far and I know my limits and I trust you. I think that’s all there is to it.”

“What’s Barty doing?”

“Eating and spying, I believe.” Aster grabs the handle of his cane and angles the base of it at the door. He measures by estimate calculation before giving the cane a hard hit on the door. On the other side, a glass hits the ground followed by curses in Italian.

“Ah, the glass method. He doesn't change does he? And here I thought he’d finally use a Weasley extendable ear.” Aster sarcastically tells Evan.

Evan laughs softly. “Not after Weasley put a ring on Carlotta. She wants to change her name to become a Weasley from ours.”

Aster wrinkles his nose. “No more Rosier-Crouch. Damn.”

“Damn indeed. Won't even go for adding an extra hyphen for three last names.” Evan agrees, smile growing soft as he gets off the bed and opens the door in time to catch Barty spelling the glass cup back together with a carton of noodles in a hand to eat from.

Barty looks at Evan, then over to Aster before going back to his lover. “Us three going to be okay, Rosie?”

Evan exhales, long and deep. “I don’t like it. I probably will never like it. But I’m not alone, and I’ve got you and I’ve got my daughter as well as an amazing friend. Shutting people out won’t solve anything, nor will make problems disappear. But yeah,” A nod of his blonde head. “I think we’ll all be okay in the long run.”

“And…” Barty stretches on. “His proposal? Did he say anything to you?”

Evan nods. “I think it’d be a nice closure but I’m in no rush to get to that, the night is young. I heard we got food that we don’t need to cook?”

They spent hours catching up. Aster explains how he got his back all bruised up, even going as far as taking off his shirt and jumper to show them the fading dark purple and green bruise that he can’t reach to heal on his own.

Barty was as impressed as concern as he was hearing Nico had opened and even found the Chamber of Secrets, finding out Salazar Slytherin’s big secret of what he kept in the chamber — Nagini’s egg that was in hibernation until the next person who opened the chamber.

The three of them debate if Aster truly was getting involved between Opal and Elias’ relationship with the private conversation he shares with them as well as inform them that his relationship over the past few months have significantly improved with Elias, as well as he was doing his best to keep his boundaries drawn with his son listening to his wishes.

Aster learns that Barty and Evan has been attending to a several wedding-planning events with both soon to be bride and groom with the wedding set to be for next summer to not rush anything. Such as trying — and failing — to pick out a location, catering, the cake, flowers, and only Barty went with Carlotta with the girls of her choices (Aster was somehow only just learning that Ellie and Azura was in her wedding?) to look around for bridemaids dresses and a wedding dress, which he learns that Carlotta is looking for something elegant but simple, modern but old.

“Do you still have access to the Crouch and Rosier Manor? The both of you?” Aster questions them. He gets affirmative hums with mouths full of food in response. “What are the chances of your mums’ wedding gowns being in there? You said she’s looking for all those things but has been nearly everywhere, muggle and wizard — why not take those two gowns, carefully take them apart at the seam in certain areas, then merge them together? Bee, didn’t your mum use this ballgown dress with a corset?”

“Yep.” Barty wrinkles his nose. “But I don’t think Lottie would go for it. She’s looking for something light.”

“Exactly.” Aster nods. “I saw pictures of Evan’s parents’ wedding and his mum had a slim mermaid gown. Why not take the bottom of that one, then the top of the ballgown but use the lace from the ballgown to make that matching train and veil with the garter. You’d have plenty of fabric left over from the ballgown, I’m sure of. And the best part I’m sure of, it’d all be original and if Lottie wants to change anything to her own preference, she can.”

Evan nods on the other end of the couch. “That’s actually not a bad idea. I’ll have to run through the idea with Pans though, make sure Luna wouldn’t want it to be fair.”

Barty groans, slumping down on the armchair he was sitting on. “Guess I’m going to have to ransack the manor then one day.”

Aster man spread his legs on the couch he was sat on, done eating but engrossed into the wedding talks with Barty and Evan.

“I’ll help look, you know I’m free on weekends.” He offers to Barty, entirely missing Evan’s eyes on him as Evan sets his empty plate aside on the coffee table. “I’ll just leave the kids with James for a few hours. I’m sure he won’t mind now with the weather getting warmer. The girls have been itching to get on their new broom sticks that James got them over Christmas. You know I won’t let them fly in the snow or any bad weather unless it’s sun and shine until they get to Hogwarts.”

Evan lets out a sigh, scooting up to the edge of his seat and getting up. “I’ll be right back. Gotta use the toilet.”

Barty and Aster watches him with matching eyes until he disappears into the bathroom, door closing softly behind him. Barty was quick to jump to the opportunity, setting his plate to the side and getting to his feet.

“What are you doing?” Aster asks him as he’s grabbed and hoisted up to his feet.

“Don’t act coy with me.” Barty teases tugging him quietly to the bedroom. “You’ve been teasing Evan and I, haven’t you?”

Aster blinks at him a bit startled. “What?”

“The whole spreading your legs on the couch?” Barty wiggles his eyebrows at him, the faint scar and missing growth of hair leaving a slit behind on his face moves in a wave as Barty pulls off his own small shirt. “Taking your shirt off, flexing your back to us?”

Aster drops his mouth open in offense. “I was showing you my bruises.” He crosses his arms over his naked his chest glaring at Barty.

“Then why didn’t you put it back on?”

His scowl depends. “If I truly were to try to seduce you and Evan, I’d start by taking off my pants and show you what I’ve got planned out.”

That has Barty freezing, fingers on his own waistband as his eyes dart back over to Aster. A slow, devious smirk forms on his lips. “Pardon me, little one?”

Aster could feel himself growing warm under Barty’s stare. “I’m waiting for Evan to come out of the bathroom.”

“Already here.” Evan speaks up, leaning causally on the doorframe with a raised eyebrow. “Had to brush my teeth. Ate a bit of spices, didn’t need to be putting my mouth where it’d cause pain.”

Evan pushes off the doorframe and enters the bedroom. Casually he drops his pants and strips off his shirt like it’s nothing before sitting onto the bed leaning back on his hands with a mostly soft cock staring at Aster for a good minute.

“What do you want to do first, Rosie?” Barty asks him.

“There’s a lot of things in my mind right now that I can put Aster into.” He thinks out loud. Instead of answering them, he scoots back on the bed moving to the head of the large bed and sits with his legs spread out.

“Strip and come over here. I don’t care for the lingerie you’ve put on.” Evan orders Aster with a pat between his legs, not informing him of anything that was on his mind.

“I, uh,” Aster thumbs the waistband of his jeans, slowly bringing his fingers to the buttons to undo them. “I did told Barty a few months back but… I don’t have as much stamina as before. So… I’m not-… I can't last-…”

Evan watches him stutter over his words with an amused smirk on his lips. Aster shakes his head with a sigh, chances are he doesn’t actually care and they’re safe-wording it at best.

He unbuttons his jeans, pull down the zipper and as Evan ordered him, the dark green lingerie drops with his jeans to the floor leaving him a blushing pink mess as he crawls onto the bed where Evan patted the spot on the bed, letting out a tiny squeak when Barty manages to swat him on the arse on his way to the middle.

The kind size bed was far larger than what he and James has as Aster reaches the middle, settling on his knees where Evan simply shook his head making him feel like he was already doing wrong.

“On your butt.” Evan corrects him.

“What are you planning?” Aster asks shifting off his knees and hugging them slightly to his chest feeling the bed shift from behind him.

Evan hums quietly, grabbing Aster’s feet and far more gently tugging at them to part and spread to cross over Evan’s own legs and be set beside Evan’s hips.

“Lay down, A. Relax. We got you.” Barty purrs from behind him gently pulling him down from the shoulders clearly catching up to whatever Evan has planned.

“In any other world, I’d be smart enough to be running the other way.” Aster murmurs leaning back into Barty’s chest and slowly sinking down until his head was set on his naked lap where he could just look up and meet Barty’s eyes.

Aster keeps looking at Barty, feeling Evan’s hands run up and down his thighs and hips.

“You know, if we changed Evan’s name to something that started with a C, we could be the ABCs.” Aster hums quietly, spitting out a random and anxious thought being naked and spread wide open between his best friends. It’s always been fast and thoughtless with his friends in the past, but knowing this time that feeling were involved for the two of them. It was just more intimate for Aster as much as it was for Evan and Barty.

Barty lets out a choking laugh in time as Evan’s hands touch across his stomach and slips down on his mound before finally touching his slit, rubbing the outer folds careful to tease him.

“You’re ridiculous.” Barty quietly tells Aster brushing some of his long hair out of his face.

“A ridiculous man who needs a haircut.” Aster murmurs. “I keep pushing back on that. Getting tired of it- mmh, fuck.”

Aster drifts his eyes down to Evan who had pulled back the hood of his clit with the other hand doing a lazy, pressing circular motion going of his thumb on his clit that made Aster more reactive than doing without him pulling back his clit hood.

Evan doesn’t procrastinate long, shifting a bit and grabbing at his hips to lift him up and shoves a pillow under his butt to keep him elevated.

Evan looks up, meeting Aster’s eyes then holds him open and does one, slow and long lick from hole to clit before taking his clit into his mouth and slowly sucking.

Aster moves, going to put a hand in Evan’s blonde hair but Barty quickly holds him back with ease. A hand on both of his upper arms, keeping his arms held up high enough only to grab onto either of thier long legs that were formed into a poorly diamond shape around him.

“Ah, ah, ah.” Barty clicks his tongue at him in light scolding. “Let him enjoy this.”

Aster whines, attempting to buck his hips into Evan’s mouth only to be pushed back into the bed. All while Evan had his mouth on him, taking his slow, sweet time, Evan’s bright blue eyes stayed locked on his for as long as he looked at him. Just by the staring with their eyes in contact and Evan's mouth on him made his nerves light up so much already.

“Evan,” Aster groans when he pulls off pressing sloppy wet kisses across his thighs and mound. “Evan don’t stop. No-… yes.”

His mouth was back on him as soon as he took his little break, lapping at his clit with little licks as he pulls back the hood to ensure he was getting all of Aster’s sensitive nerves. It got worse when he sucks back onto the head, the hood still pulled back having Aster cry out in pleasure grabbing onto Evan’s pale feet trying his very best to keep his legs apart.

It doesn’t stop his trembling as his back starts to arch as much as both of them kept him pinned down.

“Godric, Evan- Je vais-... Je suis si proche-!” Aster shouts in French that only Evan would truly understand in the room.

Evan releases his latch of sucking on him, resulting in a long groan as Aster slumps back into the surface of the bed on top of Barty and a bit of Evan with a groan of… he doesn’t know what but it wasn’t relief as he feels his insides throb from being edged and denied. Evan takes his time, more mouthy kisses were placed across his lower half of his body that Aster hardly registers.

Usually with Barty and Evan it’s a non-stop go. It’s a test to see just how much Aster can handle and how much he can come and release but this was different as Evan licks across him again, making Aster whine and attempting to move his arms with no avail with Barty still holding him down.

“How long are you going to keep him like this, Rosie?” Barty asks. “He’s already getting impatient.”

“And yet,” Evan pulls back with his fingers ghosting across his hole. “He said we can have our way with him all night.”

“Unless I safe word.” Aster mumbles.

“Yes, unless you do.” Evan answers with his fingers tracing around his damp hole, not pushing in just yet. Just ghostly teasing him. “But you’re not going to. Because we’re going to take this nice and extra slow tonight. It is our last time, after all.”

Aster moans, tossing his head back when Evan pushes in two fingers, easily curling it inside him with his thumb brushing on his clit.

“S’il te plaît, Evan. Je veux venir.” Aster begs with his face half buried into Barty’s naked thigh.

“What was that?” Evan hums with a smirk.

Aster whines. “I want to come. I’ll be good tonight. I promise.”

“Oh, I know you will be.” Evan reassures Aster with a kiss to the thigh. Aster is squirming into his touch. “Because you’re going to lay there and take everything I’ve got to offer you, as well as Abeille, this time. You’re my only pet of the night, tonight, Aster. Haven’t you seen that yet?”

Aster attempts to rock his hips to take Evan’s fingers more but Evan only slips his fingers out. Aster goes to protest, only for Evan to slowly start to jerk him off with the two wet fingers, pinching his clit and stroking the foreskin perfectly where it had his piercing rub against him well.

“It’s nice to see you still have this little thing still between your legs.” Evan grins at him as Aster hardly was meeting his eyes through hooded lids. “That feels good, doesn’t it, A?”

Aster makes tiny noises with a nod, thighs clenching and unclenching and his hands tightly gripping on Evan’s feet with no other option but to hold on.

Evan pulls back his clit hood and licks once at him that has his back arching in no time.

“How hard do you think you’d come if I took this nice and slow, Aster? Let it just creep up on you.”

Aster lets out a shaky breath, Evan’s fingers not quite stilling as they moved back and forth on his teased erect large clit. “Answer me, A.”

“It- it’s been a while.” He’s breathing through his mouth, slightly panting. “Since me and James took it slow. Too many nosy kids knocking on our door. Little cockblockers.”

“Ah, so quite hard.” Evan concludes spitting down on his fingers and adding a new motion with the back and forth slow jerking. Aster drops his head, unable to look at Evan anymore and now was looking up at Barty.

“Barty-” Aster moans out his name feeling Evan doing something with him that he had no clue what but it felt too good.

Barty simply brushed some of his hair out of his face, looking highly amused. “Yeah, A?”

“What- what are you gonna do?” He manages to ask with the last few brain cells he had bouncing in his brain.

“I’m okay right here, for right now. Don’t worry about me.”

Aster lets out a tiny whine. “Not fair.”

Barty laughs softly. “Life’s not fair. But I get to hold you while you’re looking pretty out of it, so I think right now I’m winning.”

“Actually I think I’m winning.” Evan jumps in their conversation. “I’m holding him and making him feel this good.”

“Good point.” Barty agrees with a smirking nod.

Aster attempts to move his hips only for Evan to push him down again with little strength needed.

“Evan, please.” Aster begs him. “Just fuck me. I bet you’re dying to.”

“All in due time.” Evan presses his lips to his inner thigh, fingers steadily working at him at a slow pace.

It goes on for so long, Aster closes his eyes trying to feel his body and urge it to be pushed over the edge with so little and slow touches. With his eyes closed, he doesn’t see it coming.

Evan pulls his foreskin back entirely and wraps his mouth around the sensitive head of his clit. It takes little moans, little swirls around with his tongue that has Aster shaking with loud, gasping moans as he comes with nothing inside him, all from simple teasing on his clit.

Evan doesn’t pull off him, pushing him through his orgasm and after.

The after part.

No matter how tight Aster had Evan’s head between his thighs and he fought against Barty, Evan wouldn’t give off.

His pleads and begs went deaf to Evan, being driven into the point of overstimulation by Evan’s mouth fast.

The noises Evan made were obscene.

Wet, loud, his mouth sucking and licking and moaning at everything Aster had to give.

It’s been so long since Aster was treated with this sort of focus and to have it going nonstop, he was shaking down to the bone.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!” His head bangs onto Barty’s thigh, half buried into hiding trying to do his best to hold on as he squirms around as time flew by — but with Evan and Barty, what was the concept of time when you had someone in your mouth?

Reaching his breaking point with tears running down his face, Aster had to truly call it. And he’s never safe-word with Barty and Evan in the past because James and him always had that sort of stamina to keep up with them.

It’s been years.

He was old, for Rowena’s sake! As much as it pained him to admit it, he was old!

“Hogwarts! Fuck! Hogwarts!” He cries squeezing Evan’s head like a watermelon between his thighs fighting with Barty’s hold around his arms.

There was that instant relief that came to him when Evan gives him a last lick on his swollen, puffy, and far too over sensitive clit giving him that last full-body spasm as he’s finally able to slump and catch his breath while keeping his legs as far apart as possible from how sensitive he was feeling by closing them.

Evan didn’t look the slightest bit guilty as he wipes his mouth and chin off with the back of his hand and looks at Barty with the proudest grin on his face. “Time?”

“Lasted a full four minutes and thirteen seconds before he broke.” Barty answers.

Aster lets out a tiny noise, unable to do much of anything else. It was intentional. The whole thing was for him to safe word it.

Barty runs his hands down from his shoulders to his chest, tweaking at his nipples which Aster weakly bats him away.

“And he’s still shaking.” Barty teases. “I can feel him all over. You really tried your best, didn’t you, A? Didn’t you know that Evan was going to stay on until you called it? How long would you truly have kept him on if you knew?”

“Fuck off.” Aster groans, finally able to cover his face with his arms and hands. His whole body was vibrating down to the bones.

Just for his words, Evan slaps at the top of his clit with three fingers having him spasm and gasp, legs instantly closing before spreading widely open again when his back arches at the unwanted pleasure waving though him far too soon.

“Fuck,” Aster mumbles quietly. “What are you two going to do to me tonight?”

And he didn’t like the look on their faces.

He could say that full of truth and honesty. But then he’d be lying.

Chapter 29: April 6th, 2006

April 6th, 2006

 

Aster took no risk in letting his kids catch him when he went home, apparating straight into his and James’ bedroom and scaring the shit out of James for a second who looked to be getting dressed into something less than passable for outside.

Aster stares at him with a rather blanked out face as he tosses away his wand onto the desk in the bedroom. He was entirely unsure if he should even bother say anything of how his night went with Evan and Barty.

“Well, you sure look happy.” James comments pulling up his shorts despite it still being a bit chilly out.

“I’m not sure if you want to hear about it or not.” Aster confesses, trending carefully.

James sighs, picking up an old Quidditch tee off the bed. “Alright, lets hear it. How’d it go? I’m guessing well, at least, given you stayed the night?”

“They ravished me like a piece of meat.” That was the best he could come up with. “Nothing like we’ve ever done before. N-not with you there. That's for certain. It was mental.”

James’ lips turn up a bit, a slight smile. Not too bad. Aster brings himself to sit on the foot of the bed with a wince from his sore arse as James finishes dressing.

“I had to come straight here because I’m covered in marks all over. I didn’t want the kids to see. They wouldn’t let me heal it before I left. And I mean — fuck, James, they took their precious bloody damn time with me. I- I didn’t get any sleep. They wouldn’t let me.”

James snorts. “Sounds like my kind of night. We should get your cousin or one of your siblings to watch the kids this summer.”

“I’m throbbing, James.” Aster laughs pathetically with his husband who was laughing at him than with him. Aster buries his face in his hands. “I don’t think I can ever fuck someone again. I’m so fucking sore. I need a bloody bath with those bubbles… um, you know… the muscle reliever kind.”

“I think we should have some under the sink. Want me to get it out and start a bath for you?”

“Please do. I don't want to bend over anymore than I have to today.” Aster chokes out only making James laugh more heavier.

“How rough did they go?” James asks. Aster could hear him turn on the water for the bath first before he went under the sink.

“That’s the thing, James. They didn’t go rough at all! They… It was slow. And teasing. And far too intimate for me but at the same time they were entirely all to focused on me. I thought we were… I don’t know life anymore. And I make life! Nine times!”

“You’re going to have to reenact it for me one night.” Aster groans louder. “I don’t think I can. They- It was like you. On those slow… love making nights,” Aster mocks eliciting a laugh from James in the ensuite bathroom. “They were rather surprised you were okay with this-… it. That.”

James emerges from the bathroom. “Not okay. I trust you and I trust that you’d come home to me and still pick me at the end of the day no matter what they say or do to you.” James lifts a questionable eyebrow as Aster rises to his feet, the cane he brought home helps him tremendously.

Aster doesn’t lift to his toes but he wraps an arm around James’ neck to tug him down and press a soft kiss to his lips. Pulling apart, he rests his forehead against James with a nuzzle of thier noses and his fingers dances with the hair the grew on the nape of James’ neck.

“I love you. And thank you for trusting me, mon soleil.”

James leans down, pecking his lips again. “I tell you've been sucking some cock last night. Be sure to brush your teeth when you’re done in the bath.”

Aster gasps at James a bit more playfully than taking him out of offense. James flashes him a pearly smile, pulling away with a wink.

Aster could sense James’ hand before it made contact and quickly grabs his wrist. “I wouldn’t dare.” He hisses glaring at James. “I don’t after you bottom and taking it hard in the arse.”

James chuckles softly at Aster’s misery and catching his head and pressing another kiss to his temple. “Enjoy your bath, love. Take your time, don't rush. You’ve earned it.”

“Oh, I know I did.” He mutters under his breath making way to the bathroom and shredding his clothes off as he walks. By the time he made it to the bath, he was naked and showing off all the hickeys and bite marks left on his body.

Sinking into the tub gave him sweet relief.

Aster attempts to bring his hand between his legs just to get a feel of the throbbing only for his hand to be yanked away as soon as he attempts to touch his clit that was still sticking out and puffy from all the sucking Evan and Barty did taking turns on him.

He was definitely not having sex for a long time.

James could live without his cunt for a long while. To his hands and mouth to please his husband for the time being.

The potion induced bubble bath in the bath water slowly eased up on Aster’s muscle tension as he remains in the hot water pleased James ran the water on a super hot temperature.

Aster stays in the bath until the water runs cold, forcing himself to get out then brushes his teeth per James’ request and his own given Barty and Evan didn’t have a spare laying around for him to use at their flat.

He applies so many healing salves to his body doing his best to heal all the marks from his neck down to his ankles of where he could reach.

He leaves the jar of salve on the counter by his sink for later in reminder to ask James to get the rest of the spots that he couldn’t reach of might’ve missed as he heads into the bedroom where James had clearly laid out some clothes for him that puts a soft smile on his face at the thought and gesture.

It’s not everyday where your husband is okay enough to let you get fucked by your best friends and treat you with some aftercare such as making you a bath and setting out some clothes.

Aster takes his cane with him when he finally heads out of the bedroom down to the main floor.

Only halfway down the stairs, no one was in the house by his guess and landline phone (the only phone in the manor) was ringing.

He could overhear James with the girls outside, and by his guess Nyx was also probably outside with a book or two being far quieter just relaxing in the grass and soak in the sun if not hiding out in the treehouse just past the treeline.

Aster doesn’t bother trying to race to the phone. He’ll get there when he gets there.

He picks it up just when he thought it was about to hung up on.

“About bloody time, Prongs! I’ve been calling for ages!”

“Wrong Potter.” Aster hums easing himself onto the loveseat in the family room where the television has been left running on. “How’s it going on the other side, Pettigrew?”

“You both really need to invest in cellphones. Salem and I’ve been calling all morning. How many people are in the house again?”

“May I remind you again cellphones don't owrk in this area? Also, I can still hang up, you know. The kids know not to answer the phone, nothing special for them anyway unless it’s Elias and he doesn't even answer the phone, too.”

“No, no, no!” Aster snorts at Peter’s hurried words. “Don’t hang up!”

“Alrighty then. What’s up? I think James’ up in the sky right now with the girls. Don’t you usually talk on Wednesdays?”

“Yeah but this couldn’t wait. Listen, since you’re not Prongs, I guess you’re the next best person.”

“The phone dock is looking really temping right now.” Aster sings.

“Don’t hang up for the love of Jesus Christ!” Peter groans using his muggle swears. “Look, you know the house my parents used to own?”

Aster makes an affirmative hum. “The one half a mile down the road, neighboring to the one we live in now? Why? Want the kids off the property? I think they go over there when they’re playing extreme hide-and-seek during spring and summer. More ground to cover and what-not.”

Peter chuckles softly. “I don’t care about that as long as everyone plays safe. Anyway, Salem and I finally got some free time this summer. So we’re thinking about heading over to stay at the manor, use it like a vacation house. I need you and Prongs to head over there before summer starts to check out to see if all the charms and wards are still intact and safe and if there’s anything in need of repairing as well as look at the all the plumbing and electricity.”

Aster’s eyebrows raise. He hasn’t seen any of the Pettigrews for a good few years. Probably not since… the late nineties, to be safe. They were always so busy, and with Salem and Peter’s kids being muggles, their time schedule always ran different to his that attended Hogwarts.

And the drive was a good seven hours from where they were.

“Yeah, sure. But I think Sirius would be better to send over than myself. Remus too, he’ll keep them both in line to get things done before you guys get here. James will be thrilled to hear that you guys are finally going to visit. Are the kids coming too? How are they?”

“They’re good.” Peter informs him. “Salem too, she’s a bit busy right now before you ask, it’s Nic’s last year at school so it’s been very busy around here.”

“And-… um, Owen? How’s he?”

“Good, good. Moved out on his own a few months ago, in Uni now, but he’s still rather close by. Lives with his girlfriend.”

“A girlfriend?” Aster hums. “Elias’ got one, too.”

“That going good?”

“Eh.” Aster lets out a tiny noise. Nothing readable on Peter’s end which makes him laugh. Aster spots James coming into the house, running a hand though his messy curls with a shake as he spots Aster on the phone.

‘Who’s that?’ James mouths at him. Aster waves him over to come closer.

“Listen. Between you and me, he can do better. And I can only hope for the best for your son.” Aster can’t keep his mouth closed. “James just came in from outside. I’ll pass the phone so you can be the barer of good news for him. Ta-ta, Pettigrew.”

Aster was perfectly content to stay on the loveseat and watch James’ face shift from elated to ecstatic in the matter of seconds. It didn’t take long for James to abandon whatever reason he came into the house to settle next to Aster, leaning on him a bit with the phone pressed up on his ear and chatting away with Peter.

Aster happily leans into James side. Resting his eyes as James tosses an arm over his shoulder welcoming him to curl into him.

Aster breathes in his scent, happily falling asleep using his husband as a pillow.

Chapter 30: June 20th, 2006

June 20th, 2006

 

Two whole months managed to get by Aster rather fast when there wasn’t any added stress for other than work and basic home-related stuff other than him raising his kids with James and being with his friends.

Before exam-season had kicked in, Opal had made her choice to break up with Elias. Aster could only hope Elias was taking the break up okay-ish given he never came to Aster. Aster found out through Remus, which Remus had only learned of the break up through Teddy. Family gossip, you could call it.

Aster was relaxing, sitting at the breakfast bar watching James who forbade anyone from entering the kitchen with an amused smile on his face.

Elias was on the couch nearby, lazily strumming his guitar with a book wide open that he was occasionally writing music notes in and his prosthetic leg and real one kicked up on the coffee table.

The television was blaring a video game that Aurora and Persephone were playing. And Nyx was right beside Aster, nose deep with a few different kinds of books as if that’d help him read any faster, but Aster wouldn’t put it past his youngest son who seemed to wanted to know it all of the world.

Times like this, Aster enjoyed and loved his big family and how peaceful it can be with this many different personalties being in one house.

“Oh! For the love of gods, would you please go and put some clothes on!?” James begs for the millionth time that morning to one of the kids as he turned around (again) to see Nyx in absolutely nothing but his loose boxers — a common daily occurrence with the summer heat fast approaching them.

That went for Elias too and the triplets while the girls held a bit more modesty having shorts and a tee-shirt on. Aster and James weren’t going to lecture them to use a bra in their own home if they didn’t want to and felt comfortable not to.

“Why?” Nyx asks with big curious eyes that could probably run James his for money from how much he looked like Aster at that very moment with three magic-related books laid out and ready for him to multitask in reading that he took out of the library, also for the millionth time knowing James’ answer. It probably didn’t help James much with Aster sitting right next to him, teasingly fluttering his eyes in Nyx’s aid.

Everyone knew at that point Nyx was just saying ‘why’ like a toddler to press some buttons. In particular, James’ buttons.

“Because we have guests coming over later. Peter and Salem are coming with their kids and we haven’t seen them other than weekly phone calls for the last seven years!”

Nyx blinks widely at James exclamation, as if he was to care about Peter or Salem or their kids.

The last time Nyx has saw Salem and Peter, as well as their kids was when he was just hardly three years old if Aster was to be nice on the age to Nyx’s memory.

Aster was as excited as James was, having the Pettigrew family around for the entire summer to the point where he was willing enough to drop the annual summer trip to France that usually would stretch on for a whole month so they could spend more time with their friends who were staying in the empty neighboring home since Peter’s parents died a few years ago.

“But I don’t know ‘em.” Nyx boredly replies. “Why should I care?”

“I agree.” Elias speaks up, also in his boxers and a thin under tee.

It was times like this Aster was happy where Elias was confident and safe-feeling enough to be around the family without needing his binder on all the time unlike how Aster was before his own top removal procedure (that he had to get twice. Thanks a lot, mother).

It was already agreed between Aster and Elias that when the Christmas holidays come around after he becomes seventeen, they’d start the process of getting his top removal procedure. But they were already expecting that he wouldn't actually get his top removal procedure done until next summer the earliest.

But for now, it is what it is.

James scoffs at Elias. “You out of everyone here should know them. Don’t you remember Owen and Nicole? You were certainly old enough to remember them. You guys used to play together, they’re just a bit older than you by a few years.”

“Meh.” Elias grunts as his fingers dance across two strings making a tiny tune which has Aster snorting a laugh.

“They’re driving, right? From Scotland? I haven’t been able to catch a call with Salem the past few weeks. She’s been far too busy, as well as I.” Aster asks James, who got more details from Peter through a phone call a few days prior.

“Yeah. They’re taking two cars which is going to save a lot of time in the long run while they’re here. Pete said that Owen and Nic wanted their own space on the trip here so they’re following, and somethin’ about a girlfriend coming along. And that the girls over-packed so they really needed two cars.”

Aster had to bite a laugh on that because he was an over-packer himself when it came to the kids.

“A muggle?” Aster asks instead, of the girlfriend he was newly hearing about.

“Yep. So no magic talk! Hear me everyone!?” James shouts across the first level of the manor, hands still busy with lunch. Aster has no clue where the triplets where but clearly James knew where with the loud and fatherly booming voice he sends out that makes him flinch.

“That includes broom riding and begging to go on them this summer!”

“Yes, dad!” All the kids chime together, Aster finds the triplets right outside the sliding door in the backyard. Probably the only boys in the house in proper clothing.

Aster chuckles softly, and soon after lunch was served. It was simple, sandwiches with fruit of everyone’ choices before everyone scattered to do whatever they wanted in the house on the rainy day.

Aster was cleaning up on the lunch dishes which was mostly plates and cups, James had disappeared off somewhere leaving Aster to clean up, not that Aster minded given it gave him something to do in the meanwhile.

Nyx was back on the breakfast bar as Elias was on the couch, this time he brought down his keyboard from his bedroom at some point after lunch, but it was hardly being played with, still focused on his guitar.

And Aurora and Persephone went somewhere upstairs, from Aster’s last recollection while the triplets all split up from being outside to the library to being in their room, from his guess.

“Papa… what’s this?” Nyx asks after some time from behind him as he was focused on cleaning the silver wear. He just needed another minute to rinse off the soap. “Just a moment.”

He hears some stuff being shuffled around, the sound of some sort of plastic foil being crumbled. Aster knew if Nyx was nearby there wasn’t much for him to get into that he didn’t know of, so it didn’t bother him as he took his time.

What he didn’t expect was when he placed the last dish on the drying rack and turned around, was to find his youngest son making a balloon out of a blue colored pre-lube shiny-slicked up condom with Elias’ bag spilled open on the breakfast bar’s counter.

“Oh… my…” Aster slaps a hand over his mouth to stop himself from cackling out loud. Moments like these, he loved how innocent the child’s mind worked.

Nyx and Aurora were ten and lived in a home where sex and sexuality was an open thing to talk about. Aster didn’t put it by him that Nyx didn’t know what sex was. But he knew there were areas that still ran clueless wonders or probably just didn’t click right away in the children’s minds when they saw certain things.

This, was one of those times for sure.

“I figured it out, Papa.” Nyx blows it up some more. There was that look of disgust on Nyx’s face as he licks his lips from the obvious thin layer of lube on the condom and he scrunches his face for a moment before glancing over to Aster. “Why does Eli have so many balloons in his bag?”

Elias’ head perks up in confusion from the couch. His prosthetic leg is taken off the coffee table first manually before his other leg goes down as he rises up, setting his guitar to the side on the couch in wonder of what the hell his youngest brother was talking about.

It didn’t take long for the peace and quiet in the house to vanish.

“What? I don’t have- oh my gods! What are you doing!? That’s my bag you little nosy fucker!”

Not long at all.

Nyx shrieks, taking off with the balloon condom with him, not seeming to want to give it up as Elias chases him around the house. “Get back here you little beast! Give that back! You don’t just get to go through my shit and get away with it!”

“Papa! Dad! Help! Help me!”

Aster shakes his head with a smile, watching the two amused from a safe distance in the kitchen.

He creeps over to the breakfast bar where a lot of Elias’ stuff was laid out on the surface at the hands of Nyx. Plenty of connecting packets of rainbow colored condoms, two tiny travel size bottles of lube, a notebook that seemed personal, that Aster wouldn’t dare to touch, different kinds of pens, crumbled torn pieces of ripped papers, and what Aster believes maybe is a small vibrator which he refuses to look at twice let alone dare to touch to figure it out if it is or not.

At least he knew Elias was being safe, regardless of being active or not after Opal.

“Ah, nothing like being welcomed back to a house full of screaming terrorized children. I sure don’t miss this.”

Aster jumps in place, Salem was behind him, welcoming herself into the house. “Fuck, Salem, you scared me. You didn’t even knock.” Then a bright smile and he’s pulling her into a hug, their short heights hardly go against one another, evening them up perfectly.

“Gods I’ve missed you. Eight hours away is too far for a drive.”

“Says the man who goes to France every summer.”

“We don’t drive, though. It’s a pity we don’t go to Scotland. Your three bedroom house there is far too small to fit all of us. We’d end up in a tent in your yard.” Aster beams at her pulling back.

“A tent?”

“Yeah? You know?” She blinks at him with a dark raised eyebrow. “ A tent can hardly fit two people, Aster.”

Aster rolls his eyes. “A magic tent, then. Small on the outside, big on the inside. We’d just pop in to use the toilet.”

She laughs softly at him, pulling him into another hug with a kiss to the cheek. They squeeze each other tightly before pulling away. It doesn’t take long for her to look over his shoulder for a moment before pulling back confused.

“Is… does one of the kids have a balloon made condom?”

“Yep.” Aster nods. “Nyx got the balloon, Elias’ chasing him. I’d say it’s a normal occurrence around here but…” Aster tilts his head a bit to the side. “The condom’s a bit new right now. The screaming, no. Chasing... that's a half-half thing we're trying to out grow now. At least inside the manor.”

“Aww, they’ve grown up so much since I’ve last seen ‘em.” She coos to him. “And look at you! You’re finally growing in the grays! Only took you what? Ten years to do it?”

Aster glares at her. His arms crossing over his chest defensively. “Just cause I am doesn’t mean I like it. It’s for James, he likes it, got his own greys coming in too.”

“If it helps, I’m covering my own roots right now.” Salem winks, having him roll his eyes. “So that makes you a brave man.”

“Where’s Peter and the kids? James’ been bouncing around all morning and snapping at the kids to put on clothes for you guys, which, clearly you can see didn’t work.”

“The kids are outside. They’re not quite used to seeing all this… fanciness. Peter made a stop to the house first to unload the first car but he dropped me off here first and lead the kids over before-handed. He’ll be over in a while.” Aster lifts an eyebrow.

Salem shrugs. “They didn’t know their father inherited a large mansion years ago and we continued to live in a cramp cottage in Scotland when we could’ve been living around here. Peter hardly uses magic around them, I’m pretty sure this summer is going to be a whole new experience for them. Knowing or not.”

He lets out a soft laugh with a shake of his head. “That’s better.”

“Where’s James, anyway? I thought he'd be the first one down here to greet us.”

“Don’t know, don’t care, pretty sure he’ll be down here the second Peter comes through that door through.”

“Mum? Are we allowed to come in?”

Aster turns around to see a teenage boy peeking his head inside first before entirely coming through the kitchen when Salem gives him the okay. It was a grown up version of a child Aster once knew.

Owen has changed by a lot from the last time Aster’s seen him.

He was tall as well as on the fit side. He had long, light chestnut brown wavy hair that was pulled up in a messy bun and sun glasses tucked into his hair rather than on his eyes and pretty dark blue eyes that were dark enough to look nearly black surrounded by thick dark eyelashes of the appearance aided by with some eye-makeup.

His clothes were far different from the jean vest and button up plaid shirt and pants he used as a child, now in a crop top with netting stocking that went past and above his hips for style with ripped jeans over on top.

He had plenty of earrings in his ears, a double navel piercing on both top and bottom and his fingers had a few rings on them scattered than stacked and beside one another like Aster’s own.

If Aster could combine his own style with Barty and Sirius, this is probably what he’d come up with: Owen Pettigrew.

A bad boy-hipster sort of guy.

“Oh, yeah, come in, Owen. I didn’t realize you guys were waiting on me.” Salem beams at him, moving away from Aster to Owen. Salem doesn’t give the teenager a chance to go back out to bring in whoever else was outside waiting with him, probably Nicole and Owen’s girlfriend.

Or maybe it’s Nicole’s girlfriend?

“Owen, I don’t know if you remember, but this is Aster. He’s one of the neighbors who live here and one of mine and Dad’s good friends when we were younger. His husband grew up with Dad at that school we talked about.”

“Right,” Owen nods. “The magician school.”

In time, Elias stomps into the kitchen in plaid red and black boxers and a thin under tee with the stretched out deflated blue condom in one hand and his guitar hanging off his back by the strap and discards a stretched and deflated condom muttering under his breath of how ‘a good condom went to a waste’ and how ‘Nyx was going to pay’ and ‘he better sleep with one eye open tonight’.

“Elias!” Aster calls out his son, quickly snatching onto his arm tugging him over. “This is Salem, and you remember Owen? Remember you both played together when you were little?”

It takes one second of their eyes to meet before Elias’ cheeks to turn pink. Owen’s blue eyes scan across Elias. Elias does the same in return, both very quiet.

Aster bet Elias was regretting of listening to James now about getting dressed.

The silence is broken when Owen’s eyes land on Elias’ wand holster strapped to his arm. “Ah, don’t tell me you’re a stick waver too.”

Elias glares at him. “I’m a wizard.” He corrects with a snap. “And it’s called a wand.” He corrects Owen defensively.

Owen rolls his dark eyes into his skull for a quick moment. “A pretty boy with a stick, that’s what I’m hearing.”

“You have some balls, don’tcha, Pettigrew?” Elias hisses lowly.

“And you don’t got any from the last time I recall us playing in the mud, fiddle-player.” A nod towards the guitar hanging off Elias’ back. “Still trying to succeed in life playing some lullabies, are you?”

“First of all, that isn’t true. I’d never low myself as low as to play in mud anytime, anywhere. Believe me. Anyone in this house would know that. Secondly, I have you know one day my name is going to be everywhere,” Elias snaps taking a step forward and jabbing a finger into Owen’s chest. “Any corner shop you go into, I’m going to be right there, front cover. And I’m going to so fucking famous you’ll be on your knees begging me for a concert ticket to see me.”

A snort, Owen takes a step forward getting closer to Elias. “A ticket to a dive bar in ten years, maybe. That is if you learn that you make more money there than the streets.”

Aster glances over to Salem and she meets his eyes for a quick second before they both look back to their kids together, not saying a word to moving to break whatever this was apart.

This was escalating fast, and they both knew it. The worst part is that Aster knew Salem was as intrigued as he was to break this up.

“More like Wembley’s stadium.”

A cooling scoff, Owen crosses his arms which knocks Elias’ hand out of the way and his veiny forearms touch just the slightest bit to the curve of Elias’ chest from how close they were in each other’s faces.

“Maybe.” A mocking hum. “Only if you give that little stick a twirl and make all your dreams come true. While you’re at it, do mine too, fairy godmother.”

“It’s a wand. It’s not just some random piece of wood you pick off the ground from a basic-arse tree!” Elias snaps. “And I would if I was old enough because my number one wish is to wipe that smirk off your face.”

Salem scoots herself over to Aster’s side. Quietly, she leans closer towards him. “What is happening?”

“Sexual tension, I believe. Or just pure hatred.” Aster thinks out loud quietly to her. Salem frowns at that fact. “Yeah but… Owen’s got a girlfriend of three years just outside those doors. I don’t think anyone will be happy if he gets any closer. And he’s getting very close.”

“Should we break it up?” Aster questions, his head nearly knocking into Salem’s as they ponder together quietly.

“We should,” Salem does drag out. “But I am curious on how this will go. I also really don’t like his girlfriend.”

“Me too. I mean, Elias got dumped a month-ish ago so he's free but... I'm just nosy.” Aster nods in agreement. “So… let fate handle them? Jump in if they start hitting each other like when they were kids?”

“Yeah.” She decides with him with a small nod.

“-You say you’re the best of the best but I still yet to see it.”

Elias’ cheeks flushed at Owen. “I never said that. I said: I know I’m good at what I give and I know I’ll make it to the top of the billboards charts one day.”

A low hum comes from the depths of Owen as he steps forward, closing the distance between Elias and himself having his crossed arms fully touching Elias’ chest.

Aster doesn’t see Elias pulling away any time soon as Owen leans down to Elias’ short height, their noses touch and for a second Aster thought they were going to start snogging in James’ kitchen.

Salem digs her long nails into Aster’s arm, clawing at him and yanking at his arm as he bites his tongue as they watch. This was so better than the opera shows on the telly.

Aster isn’t sure what he sees, but he swears he saw Owen lick his lips before he spoke his next battling line. “All I’m hearing is that you’re a bottom who’s always going to be on the bottom.”

Elias’ mouth drops open in time as his face flushes a deep red with Salem’s own and Aster’s just as the front door opens.

A tall girl comes in, sleek straight light blonde hair pulled up in a high pony tail.

She wore a pencil skirt stopping just above her knees and a tube top with her outfit accessorize with some necklaces that fell between her breasts on show and everything about her screamed Barbie to Aster as her light blue-green eyes scans across the kitchen before settling on Owen.

Owen takes a large step back the second the kitchen door had open. Followed by smaller ones when the girl’s eyes landed on him, leaving Elias entirely red in the face with mix emotions flying through his face as the muggle-girlfriend wraps her arms around Owen’s abdomen, not shy at all, even in front of a bunch of strangers and the mother of the boyfriend to touch his well toned stomach with splayed fingers slightly twirling with the hairs and piercings that were in the area and pull him down with one hand to give him a kiss straight on the mouth with a tiny smile sent to Owen, which Owen returns with an awkward smile and blushing face that wasn’t there before when arguing with Elias.

It made Aster wonder briefly for a moment if Owen simply allowed the girl to do whatever, whenever, even if he didn’t like it. Because in that case, Aster certainly didn’t think their relationship was any good if there wasn’t any honestly built there to say of what they liked and didn’t like. Where lines were drawn and boundaries were set that made not one or the other, but both partners comfortable in the relationship.

Aster eyes drift over to his son. He knew by the look on Elias’ face alone, if there was any chance of Elias thinking he was straight or was confused about being straight or not, that was out the window with the way he stared at Owen for a long hard minute before taking a small step back himself and putting more space between himself and Owen.

That just happened.

“Bloody hell.” Salem murmurs under her breath, which Aster nods in agreement as Elias finally tears his eyes away from Owen and quickly shoves everything that was in his bag, back into it and leaves the kitchen silently.

Aster was already imagining this peaceful summer with Peter and Salem with their kids around was going to bring so much drama Aster could already feel a headache coming on just sensing the silence in the house not purely existing.

By the time Salem’s daughter comes into the manor and Aster was introduced to the quiet seventeen year old girl, James was still not downstairs to both Aster’s annoyance and curiosity of what was holding him up for so long. So Aster found it to himself to go deer hunting before Peter arrived.

“James, you in here?” Aster questions cracking open his bedroom door checking out the bedroom first. The one lamp was on, and as he peers deeper into the room, the bathroom light too was on with running water.

“Yeah, just a minute. Almost done.” James turns off the tap as he speaks. There was a slight bang of something against the porcelain sink as Aster enters the bedroom, door open behind himself.

“Salem and her kids are downstairs. Peter went to the house to unload one of the cars first so he’ll be here soon. Elias just going into the biggest fight with Owen. It was weird. Like… angry-sexual tension, weird.”

“Really?” James’ voice rings out with curiosity from the bathroom.

“Yeah. Couldn't tell if they were going to start snogging or swinging fists in the next five seconds.” Aster lets out a soft laugh moving to the bed and laying down on it with his legs hanging off. He stares up at the charmed ceiling, mapping out the constellations that may or may not be correct in his mind. “How much longer will you be? You’re going to miss Peter.”

“I won’t. Sirius and Remus is apparating over. I told them to arrive in the backyard down by the treelines due to that muggle girl Wormtail warned us about.”

“That’s Owen’s girlfriend. Rachel, he called her Rae so I’m not entirely sure about that.”

“You met her?”

“Not directly, yet.”

“You seen her?”

“Yep.”

“What she look like?”

“Like one of the kids' Barbie dolls. She looks like one of those stereotypical muggle bully girls in the films. A cheerleader one. I would even bet a galleon or two that she is a cheerleader.” James snorts and his shadow emerges out the bathroom before himself.

Aster tits his head over to look at James, his calmness lasts less than a nanosecond before he lets out a short screech, pushing himself up to sit on the bed feeling panicked.

“James!” He wanted to cry. “What did you do!?”

“You like it?” James runs a hand down his naked chin with a smile on his face. Aster stares at him, sitting up and getting off the bed, unable to draw his eyes away from his husband.

Twenty-seven years… Twenty-eight if he were to count before marriage and never once when he was together with James has James ever… shaved it all off.

Rather it was full size beard or a goatee or even a tiny soul patch and a mustache, James never truly gone without facial hair since Hogwarts. Never with Aster.

James moves closer to Aster, standing in front of him as Aster gently brings his hands to his cheeks cupping James’ face.

“You- you shaved it all off.” Aster pathetically cries feeling the softness of skin under his palms. It was like looking at a stranger now. He didn’t recognize James anymore. He could feel the way his eyes were burning, threatening to cry.

“Why?” He whines choking out a sob to James wanting to cry for James’s beard.

James lets out a soft laugh, hands covering his own. “You’re acting like I’ve gone and murdered someone, love.”

“You might as well gone and killed one of the kids and I’d feel less awful than this.” Aster chokes out with a pout with his thumbs caressing James’ jawline feeling no stubble that was hardly there anymore, all smooth and cleaned off. “Why?” He asks again.

James grabs his head and brings it down to press a kiss to his forehead, then his temples on either side before his cheeks, James was trying to pepper his entire face with kisses. Aster screeches at him, smacking at his chest loudly which only encourages James to keep up at it.

“James! Stop! Let me have my moment to mourn my loss!” Aster laughs as James pushes him back onto the bed, easily fitting between his legs and slotting a leg onto the bed finally making his way home on Aster’s mouth.

Aster slide his hands from James’ cheeks to the back of his neck welcoming James to kiss him, but not dominate him as he bites and licks his ways first into his mouth with a soft moan as James pushes up just the slightest bit with his knee to rub against Aster as the time slips past them as Aster groans at James pushing onto him with all the layers of clothes between them.

“Oh, come on. With the door wide open for all of us to see, really? The least you could’ve done was spare our eyes if we've got to hear this.” James pulls off with a breathless laugh resting his forehead on Aster. Aster slumps in the bed, falling entirely lax under James with bitten swollen lips and a dreamy smile on his face.

“What do you want, hijo?” James asks in a scratchy voice if it wasn’t obvious of what they were getting up to.

“The Pettigrews are waiting for you both downstairs. Primarily waiting on you, Prongs.” Elias huffs annoyed, crossing his arms over his chest as he pops a hip out and remaining in the doorway.

“Eli, look away from Dad.” Aster waves lazily at him as James starts moving off him.

“I’ve seen Dad with a boner before.” Elias deadpans.

“No, it’s worse.” Aster cries in time of James turning around, revealing his clean shaven face to Elias. Elias’ mouth drops open, staring at James horrified with probably a similar look Aster had.

“What did you do to your face?” Elias lowly asks James, eyes only growing bigger. “Who are you?”

“Told you.” Aster sides with his son. “I betcha that you’ll scare the girls. Make Nyx cry.”

“I won’t.” James shakes his head as Elias takes a few steps back. “Nyx! Rora! Posie! Dad’s turned into a great ugly beast! Run away, Aasil! You too, Riggie! Don’t look, he’s horrid, worse than your petrifying snake Nico!”

“Oy! I don't look that bad!”

Elias takes off with an evil film-actor laughter, James chasing after him.

“Mind the stairs! Don’t fall or trip down them!” Aster shouts after the two with a shake of his head with an amused look on his face.

He hopes Elias never truly grows up from this sort of teasing, as much as he does always seem to pick on the others.

Chapter 31: June 28th, 2006

June 28th, 2006

 

One of the best things Aster loved about summer was the fact since James transferred out from playing professional Quidditch, it wasn’t just him around acting as the primary adult for the whole summer.

It was him. It was James. They tag-teamed without needing to rely on an alarm clock and soaked in certain times and moments with the kids when the other wasn’t around.

Such as a time like now.

Elias scowling at the television as a film as they watched their third film of the night, a comedy film, Aquamarine, of Nyx’s choosing with popcorn and some candy with it just being the three of them.

Summer meant Aster could let his night owl bird come out to play when he didn’t have to wake up at the crack of dawn with James to worry about getting the kids on the bus on time then making sure he got to work while certain chores around the house were at least started.

Summer meant that Aster could relax on the couch in the living room with his oldest child who still lived with him — even with him in a grumpy mood since dinner after getting into (another) fight with Owen — and his youngest child who was probably the only child Aster birthed who could manage to stay up until three in the morning if they truly desired to do so as long as they didn’t have to wake up at the crack of dawn with him.

Nyx took up most of one of the couch’s L-shape side, head in Aster’s lap and munching on some Crystallised pineapple candy that Aster picked up earlier in the day from Diagon Alley specifically for this film night as he sucked on his own green apple lollipop.

Even with Elias in a bad mood, it didn’t stop him from eating his licorice wands and sticking his hand in the bowl of (microwave made) popcorn.

“Papa?”

“Yeah?”

“Do mermaid’s nails really change colors with thier moods?” Nyx asks him looking up at him from his lap.

Elias snickers at him. “No. If they did there’d be a whole lot less drowning reports if we could tell in advanced the second we as wizards and witches piss'em off.”

Nyx lets out a gasp, pushing himself up and in the process spilling his Crystallised pineapple candy all over himself. “No they don’t! Don’t lie. Mermaids are pretty people who sing lovely, they’re just shy and a bit scared cause we're the ones who got the wands.”

Elias lifts an eyebrow at Nyx. It was hardly noticeable in the dark other than the light coming form the television of where the three teenage girls were on a shopping spree.

“For someone who has their nose in at least three books a day all summer, you would think you’d be so much smarter.”

“Elias, enough.” Aster warns him. “You can be in a bad mood but don’t pick on Nyx just cause you can.”

“I’m not lying though!”

Nyx gasps again. A hand smacks over his mouth as he looks over to Aster. “Do mermaids really kill people, Papa!?”

Aster sighs, glaring at Elias for a moment. Elias only shrugs before taking a bite out of his candy.

“Nyx, baby,” Aster trends carefully placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Mermaids are… unknown creatures to us wizards.” He uses the word carefully. “Like… you know how Uncle Remus and Teddy become werewolves if they miss a single dose of their potions? And they become creatures who are then dangerous to… society? They were unknown at first but we had to... learn about them. They don't want us to learn about them.”

“Yeah…” Nyx frowns deeply in thought. “But not all creatures are mean. They’re just misunderstood.”

“Je sais, ma veilleuse.” Aster mutters in quiet French carefully edging Nyx to relax again back into his lap.

“One day, Papa, I want to help Auntie Pandora and help all the creatures in the world so they can be good creatures.” Nyx decides on Aster’s lap.

Aster runs his fingers through Nyx’s curls. “That sounds lovely.”

They get a little farther into the film before a knocking was at the front door loud enough for them to hear. Nyx was half asleep as Aster glances over to Elias. Elias gives Aster shrug before sighing in defeat getting up to his feet. “I’ll get it.”

“Be careful.” Aster warns him. “They don’t call it witching hour for nothing.”

“You’re spending too much time with Salem.” He grumbles under his breath making Aster laugh quietly as he moves out of the room.

Aster fusses at Nyx’s blanket a bit, tugging it up to his shoulders to ensure it covered his whole body that was curling up slowly on the couch.

It takes a few minutes, but Elias returns to him, shoes on and tugging on his jean jacket. Elias grabs the neck of his acoustic guitar that was leaning on the nearby wall and tugs on the strap over his head.

“Papa, I’m going out for a short walk.”

“At this time of night?”

Elias nods a bit, a thin smile was sent his way. Aster opens his mouth, ready to protest that Elias was in his pajama bottoms and a thin tee without covering on underneath but then he closes it.

He can’t hover Elias.

It’s summer, and where they lived was full of witches and wizards mostly who lived miles from one another.

Aster had to trust him.

“Who was at the door?”

He doesn’t miss the faint blush on Elias’ cheeks. “One of the Pettigrews,” Very vague. “I’ll be back. If I end up at theirs, you know where I’ll be.”

Aster lets out a long sigh. “Alright, fine. But I expect a phone call in the morning if you crash on their couch. Deal? Lets say, ten? You don’t have to talk to me, but either me or Dad.”

Elias nods furiously, already taking small steps away from him. “Deal. I- I don’t got my wand, it’s upstairs in my room. Don’t need it anyway. See ya.”

Aster hardly gets a nod in before Elias disappears entirely with the front door closing softly.

Aster sighs deeply, fingers running through Nyx’s curls and he stays on the couch until the film ends entirely. Aster cuts off the television and replaces his lap with a pillow for Nyx to remain asleep on the couch where he’d definitely get pranked in the morning by whoever finds him asleep on the couch first.

Aster does his best to tidy up the living room in the dark before heading up to bed himself where James was knocked out, snoring softly under his duvet and cuddling up to a few of Aster’s pillows.

Aster smiles softly, climbing into bed and under his own blanket and subtly wrapping his arms around James’ midsection spooning him.

James picks up his head a bit before dropping it back on the pillow. “Hmm?”

“Shh, it’s just me.” Aster quietly tells him hugging him from behind. “Film night’s done. Go back to sleep.”

James gives him a few garbarlished words, mumbling back into the pillow that has Aster kissing his bare shoulder blade before settling in behind him.

It doesn’t take long for Aster to relax, falling into slumber himself.

Aster wakes up near eleven in the morning, he doesn’t bother changing his clothes as he uses the toilet and washes his face from sleep, along with brushing his teeth.

The first thing he does was quietly wandering over to the kids’ wing.

Easy, he finds Nyx in his bed still dead asleep and a bit smelly from an obvious prank of a dungbomb for simply sleeping on the couch last night where Aster waves his wand clearing him from the smell.

Aster closes his bedroom door and heads over to the room next door, not knocking but just taking a quick peek inside.

On Elias’ full bed there wasn’t one but two lumps of bodies curled up into each other with noticeable bright yellow dandelions with long stems laid out on Elias’ desk.

Aster frowns at the yellow flowers, both buds and bloomed flowers were there that certainly weren’t there before. Obviously the boys had gone flower picking at some point throughout the night wherever they ended up.

Aster can only hope they didn’t get into any trouble and he was glad they ended up in a real bed rather than passing out on a field of flowers or grass.

A small shift moves on the bed, making Aster freeze from his place near the desk.

Elias moved on the bed, turning around from his back being faced to Owen to curl up and tucking his head under his head and wrapping his arms around Owen’s body holding him close with a leg tossed over Owen’s hip. Almost straight away Owen wraps his own arms around Elias in return, shifting himself to make them both comfortable in the crowded bed.

Aster smiles at himself, shaking his head a bit before leaving the room to give them their privacy. He can almost imagine hearing them screaming at one another in refusal and denial when they would wake up.

Who was holding who? Ridiculous!

Aster rolls his eyes, making his way downstairs to see James looking a bit frantic on the phone.

“What’s going on?”

James brings the phone to his chest. “Peter and Salem can’t find Owen. They’ve been looking around all morning for him. By car, by foot, even Peter’s been using magic and we’ve got Sirius and Remus over, I ever asked Pandora-”

“Did you bother to just look upstairs?” Aster hums with a sneaky smile on his lips meeting James’ eyes. James pauses. “He’s upstairs?”

Aster nods shifting to sit onto the stool pulled out to the breakfast bar. “Just saw him with Elias. Both knocked out in his bed. Clothes on, before you ask. Owen stopped by around three-ish last night, Elias went out with him on a walk. I let him.”

James blinks once, hard, at Aster before putting the phone back to his ear with an awkward clearing his throat cough.

“Um, Moony, call off the search. Aster knew where Owen is.” A listening pause. James chews on his lip looking to be a bit pissed at himself. “He’s with Elias. I didn’t- I’m sorry-! I didn’t think to check- I know they despise each other, it doesn’t make sense to me too. Just- just tell Wormy and Salem, okay? I’ll get Sirius and Pandora in. I’m sure Pandora is driving Sirius crazy by now.”

James hangs up the phone and glares at Aster. “A heads up would’ve been nice.”

Aster shrugs. “You didn’t wake me up. How would’ve I known?”

James scowls at him just in time for a grumpy Sirius to stomp into the manor with Pandora on her tiptoes, her wand waving and familiar yellow flowers dancing around Sirius’ head trying to plant and weave themselves into her hair as Sirius hits a flower every time they got into her eyesight.

“Would you stop it!” Sirius snaps at Pandora.

“What’s with the dandelions?” James asks amused.

“There’s a huge field full of them about half a mile up from here.” Sirius grumbles. “Blondie keeps thinking I need ‘em.”

“Everyone can use a bit of dandelions.” Pandora plucks out two yellow flowers from the air and starts to do Aster’s hair. Aster doesn’t fight with her, unlike Sirius.

“What do dandelions represent, Pans?” Aster asks her.

“A few things. Hope, dreams, wishes.” She hums quietly as he feels her doing a braid to his hair. “Dandelions can survive a lot of hardships in life. They work like hope thrown in chaos.”

“Like Bee.” Aster points out.

“Exactly. Like Barty. I also like to think they have a cosmic representative of stars, moons, and the sun. There’s joy and miracles… Manifestation of how long they can travel by wind, good luck with their relations to the planet of Jupiter. And I’m sure you know well all about them with healing.”

“I do use a fair few of dandelions for potions.” Aster does agree on that.

“But I have a sense that the dandelions are here for a purpose.” Pandora informs him. Aster doesn’t speak, he doesn’t dare to interrupt her. “A purpose of something new, something worth growing and expanding.”

“Like expanding family?” Sirius proposes, picking out the yellows from his black hair.

Pandora doesn't outrightly corrects Sirius, or denies him.

“Hmm…” She tilts her head a bit in thought. “Something… worth dreaming for, worth… holding onto. Something… like… new beginnings that’ll go through hardship of life before the triumph. I don't think he's quite there yet, but it's the start of it. The seeding of a bud of the blossom.”

Aster furrows his eyebrows in thought, trying to nitpick of what Pandora meant — of who she meant — when a shout comes from upstairs.

“Get the fuck off me!”

A loud thump of something falling. Everyone’s heads tilt up to the ceiling.

“You’re in my room!? Why the fuck are you on my bed?!”

Aster sighs. “Sounds like they’re up.”

“Is that Elias?” Pandora questions.

“And Owen.” James sighs. “Those two go together like gasoline and a bloody match. Always fighting. Always picking at each other. It’s like they enjoy seeing the other suffer.”

“Don’t touch that!” They hear Elias scream at the top of his lungs.

“Shouldn’t you… I don’t know, go up and break it up?”

“After everything we’ve gone through with Harry and Draco,” Aster shakes his head. “We learned it’s far more easier just to let them hash it out. Who knows, maybe one day they’ll learn to get along.”

Pandora lets out a tiny hum as stomps start to come down the stairs.

Owen had his shoes on, laces untied and his thin jacket tossed over on his arm as he grumbles at the adults with a flushed red face before making hitting a floating dandelion that was in his way of tyring to make his leave. Another dandelion catches in his shoe as he goes past them, he yanks open the front door and slams the front door loud enough where both Aster and Sirius flinches.

“That was Owen, Pandora.” Aster sarcastically introduces her to him. Pandora blinks at the door with a small tilt of her head.

“He seems miserable.”

“He always seems miserable when Elias is around.” Sirius huffs a soft laugh. “It goes both ways and can last hours after when they’re apart.”

Pandora’s light pink lips frown at Sirius. “It’s not because of Elias. There’s something else troubling him.”

Aster’s eyes drift over to the backyard. Only a very few plants have managed to stay alive since Euphemia’s death, such as James’ orange tree and Aster’s almond blossom tree that Pandora once found him when he was first expecting at sixteen, before he even knew.

Something told him that he should trust Pandora on this.

Another thing told him he should check on Elias given that his son hasn’t come down yet.

“Are you almost done with my hair, Pans? I’d like to check up on Elias.”

Pandora finishes his hair with a quick fast final braid with three dandelions in his hair.

Aster heads upstairs and knocks on Elias’ door this time with two knuckles. “Elias? Can I come in?”

There was a grunt from the other side, a noise Aster couldn’t confirm that was positive or negative so he cracks open the door and peeks inside.

Elias was on his bed, a few pieces of papers laid out and he was glaring at them like they’ve personally offended him.

“You okay?”

Elias sighs deeply. “I guess. Owen just reminded me of something and… fuck he just pisses me off so bloody much.”

“I got that.” Aster lightly chuckles pulling out his desk chair and taking a seat on it than his bed. Aster notices a small bruising on Elias' neck, seconds before Elias looks up and meet his eyes before tugging on his shirt a bit to cover the spot.

Well then.

Aster coughs akwardly a bit, clearing his throat and acting like he didn't see the obvious hickey on his son's neck.

“What’s up? Anything I can help you with? I feel like you're holding something back that I could offer my help with.”

“Umm…” Elias’s eyes drift through the papers, now closer and able to look at them, Aster can tell they’re forms that have been filled out mostly. “You know how I was hanging out with the McKinnons last summer? Mainly Brett, Marlene’s muggle nephew?”

Aster nods, hoping his memory was serving him right. “Yeah?”

“Well… I’ve been writing to him while at Hogwarts and he gave me an idea. Something I could do over the summer. But I need you to sign for me, and it could end up being an all day thing in the muggle world and I really want everyone in the family to be there for me.”

Aster nods slowly. “Um, before I sign anything. What is- I mean, what are we talking about, Eli?”

Aster is passed over a paper, right at the top there was a logo of the X-Factor, that Aster had no clue of what it was. Reading it over, it was primarily just asking for Aster to sign given Elias was still a minor.

“Owen found the papers, not that I was hiding them, really. I filled them all out ages ago. I just have to bring them with me when I go, which, you’d have to drive me. It’s… like this television show. You go on it, you perform for some big time people and they’ll judge you to see if you’re worth it or not to move it to the next level.”

Aster nods slowly. “And… what happens if you… win, this thing?”

“Well, what Brett said in the letters is that first they hold auditions. Then you got to bootcamps, train and all that, have live shows, try to gain popularity. And if you win the whole thing, by my understandings you’d get a recording contract, a cash prize, I just- it’d be a really big deal, Papa. If I win this.”

“If you win this.” Aster repeats. “You’re still in Hogwarts, Elias. If you get past the auditions, there’s that bootcamp thing you said. You got to go back to Hogwarts for your sixth year.”

“I know…” Elias frowns looking back at all the papers. “But I just thought I could…”

“What if,” Aster slowly tries to reexamine the situation. “What if we hold onto this, until you’re done with your seventh year. Now, I’m not saying no. I’m not tyring to be discouraging. But the summer of your seventh year, you’re entirely done with Hogwarts, you don’t even have to get your NEWTs back yet, you can go. But, how about this summer, we do something else?”

Elias frowns at Aster. “Like what? What could I possibly do?”

Aster shrugs. “You are sixteen. I could talk with Uncle Remus and we could work on getting you your drivers? Give you some independency. But you can’t drive on public roads until you’re seventeen, but on the roads around here, you can. get some practice in.”

“Like when Azura got hers?”

Aster nods. “Just like when Azura got hers.”

That cracks a smile on Elias’ face. “I think I can work with that.”

Chapter 32: June 30th, 2006

June 30th, 2006

 

“I don’t think you were ever this pasty before.” Salem comments as Aster leads her to the treehouse just to show her given the treehouse has been up for the last thirty-five years.

“Well, I don’t go outside and sit and bathe in the sun as much compared to when the kids were tiny tots.” Aster’s feet and cane crunches the sticks under his feet as they make a sharp right turn, not bothering to stop at the pond if they kept going straight. "I'm a busy man, Salem."

He could show her that later.

Salem has been on the property before, been inside the manor, too. But she’s never been able to go out in the back and truly take a walk around with her timing always coming when it’s in the winter or staying for a short period of time, with no time at all to be shown outside of how much land James and him truly possessed.

“James does all the outside stuff now.” Aster shrugs as the approach the treehouse. “And this is the treehouse that the kids still play in to this day that James played in as a child.I think Monty built it when James was like... seven? Six? You'll have to ask them.”

Salem lets out a curious hum. “Have you been up there before?”

“On occasion. Not recently, though.” Aster answers. “Usually just to blow James.” He adds nonchalantly.

That catches Salem off guard as she chokes on air, coughing and mixing it with a laugh. “I should’ve expected that from you.”

He winks at her slyly. “Would you believe this treehouse holds our very first sexual adventure.”

“Honestly, no.” She answers with a snicker as Aster shoves her on the arm. “You reckon any of your kids got up to the no-good in there?”

Aster shrugs. “Possibly. Maybe not. With Elias, again, I'll have to circle around back to the word of possibly. I found out he was sneaking out a lot around here cause last summer one of the neighbors had their grandkids around. It wasn’t a one time thing, but an often occurrence so, who knows.”

Salem sighs. “Yeah. I get it. Teenagers. Payback’s a bitch for all the shit we got up to ourselves.”

“How’s um… Rachel? I haven’t seen her around here as much as I'm seeing Owen pick on Elias.”

Salem groans loudly. “She literally took one of the cars to go in London and waste all the gas in the bloody tank. She’s gone most of the day than not. Not that we really care but I can tell it bothers Owen. I don’t know what he sees in her.”

“A question we’ll always ask ourselves when our children end up with someone we don’t truly approve of.”

“I feel like,” Salem holds out both her hands. “We can either disapprove of the person our child is with but lose our child in the process or accept the person rather we like them or not, and watch our child be miserable for the rest of the time they’re with them, even if it’s for the rest of their life.”

Aster could relate to that feeling.

As they started to walk some more, Aster could hear some music being played. It didn’t take long when he lifts his head for Salem to yank him back behind a wide tree with a finger pressed up to her lips.

A muggle song was being played on the guitar as they both peeked from behind.

By the edge of the pond on the property, Elias and Owen were in their rare quiet moments of getting along.

Owen had Elias’ guitar, strumming along and surprisingly playing the guitar well as Elias hums, singing quietly sitting close beside him.

“You took my hand, you showed me how. You promised me you’d be around. Uh-huh, that’s right. I took your words, and I believed. In everything you said to me. Yeah, huh, that’s right.”

“Pink,” Salem whispers the singer’s name to Aster as they watch the scene unfold in front of them.

“If someone said three years from now. You’d be long gone. I’d stand up and punch them out. ‘Cause they’re all wrong. I know better ‘cause you said forever, and ever. Who knew? Remember when we were such fools. And so convinced and just too cool.”

Aster notices a dandelion tucked into Owen’s hair, making a popping appearance in his long light chestnut hair in comparison to Elias’ short dirty blonde hair. Aster and Salem remained quietly spying on their kids from behind the tree.

“See, I told you I could play, goldilocks.” Owen teases.

“And I told you I could sing.” Elias remarks taking back his guitar. "I don't hear you complaining."

“And now you’ve got to prove to me you’re such the song writer you say you are.”

“I am,” Elias scowls at Owen before he’s looking away with flushed cheeks. “I’m just… new at it, still, that’s all. My papa’s better at it than me. I'm picking up his tricks. One word at a time.”

Owen catches underneath of Elias’ chin with a finger, tilting his face up to meet his eyes. “Come here, try. For me.”

Elias forces his head away, face turning a share redder. “Fine. I-… It’s not finished yet, okay? It’s a work in progress, lyrics and music isn’t done, so you don’t get to judge on it.”

“Alrighty, sing to me, goldilocks.” Owen stretches out on the large rock, a silver of skin showing from where his shirt rises above his jeans catching the black long dangly piercing that hung from his navel.

Elias’ eyes stared at the revealed piece of sun-kissed tan skin for a moment before suddenly shifting back to his guitar and clearing his throat and he started to strum the guitar.

With the amount of years that Elias has been playing on his guitar, he picked up on a few skills. Able to pluck the strings strumming far faster than Owen had previously and use the heel of his hand to hit the body to make a drumming sound to give off more rhythm and beat.

Elias didn’t even have to start singing before Owen was bobbing his head, already interested.

“I wanna be your slave, I wanna be your master. I wanna make your heartbeat run like rollercoasters. I wanna be a good boy, I wanna be a gangster. ‘Cause you could be the beauty and I could be the monster.”

Elias smirks up at Owen, a lick to his lips with a devious wink. The look on Owen’s face painfully obvious got dark, fast.

“I love you since this morning, not just for aesthetic. I wanna touch your body, so fucking electric. I know you’re scared of me, you say that I’m too eccentric. I’m crying all my tears and that’s fucking pathetic. I wanna make you hungry, then I wanna feed ya. I wanna paint your face like you’re my Mona Lisa. I wanna be a champion, I wanna be a loser. I’ll even be a clown ‘cause I just wanna amuse ya. I wanna be your sex toy, I wanna be your teacher. I wanna be your sin, I wanna be your preacher. I wanna make you love me, then I wanna leave ya. ‘Cause, baby, I’m your David and you’re my Goliath.”

Elias stops, the song felt far from completed but it was already off to a good start, Aster had to admit.

Owen licks his lips, staring down at Elias and leaning closer without Elias noticing him. Elias stops the strings, hand pinching them from making more noises as he looks up, letting out a tiny undignified noise as their noses bumped into one another from how unexpectedly close Owen gotten to him.

“I gotta say, Goldilocks,” Owen tilts his head to the side, just the slightest bit and slotting their noses to fit better. “You impress me more and more every day.”

“Do I?” Elias’ voice comes out shaky.

Owen nods, nose nuzzling up to Elias’. Salem claws onto Aster’s arm tightly, yanking on him. Aster didn’t want to look away. It was getting too good now. Aster wonders if he should tell her about the hickey he saw on Elias' neck the other day.

“Yeah. I mean, I knew you were good but that was just… raw talent.”

Elias blinks at Owen once, twice. Owen attempts to leans closer, lips so painfully obviously grazing but yet not touching just yet. Elias pulls back a bit, seeming to be teasing Owen with the gleam in his eyes.

Aster really need to lay off the whole enemy-to-lover romance books as his heart pounded in his chest.

“This is where you tell me ‘thank you, master’.” Elias murmurs to Owen with a cocky smirk on his lips, being bold and daring to the larger and older man.

Aster was the one to let out a tiny noise in time for Salem to finally yank him back and slam him into the tree with a hand covering his mouth. Quickly, before he could have second guesses about it, he grabs out his wand.

He yanks Salem as close to him as possible and casts a silent disillusion charm on them both to blend them into the tree, hoping to hell it’d work for them both as Owen walks by them.

His eyes were not entirely focused to know what or who he was searching for, and by Aster’s best guess he’d be looking for any of Elias’ siblings or even his own or Rachel who hasn’t been over to the Potter Manor since her first day of arrival.

The best part was that with Owen being a muggle, was that the spell itself was more tricker to catch than if it was Elias if he came to search.

After a long minute of both parents holding their breath, Owen gives up with a shrug of his shoulders and returns to Elias. Aster sags in relief, releasing the spell and dropping his arm.

“Fuck, that was terrifying.” He murmurs quietly trying to calm his racing heart.

“Come on,” Salem forcefully drags him away from the tree and the boys. They don’t speak until they were a good distance away from the boys. “Why did you keep watching them?”

“I read too many books.” Aster admits. “That was like, a book coming to life. I had to.”

“It’s your son.”

“Owne’s yours too. You were just into it as I am. They were going to kiss, Salem.” Aster exclaims talking wildly with one of his hands. “Did you not hear what Elias said to Owen?”

“I heard. Do you have a little spell to erase my mind of that? I do not need to know my child’s sex life kinks.”

Aster rolls his eyes as they make it into the clearing of the backyard where James was with the younger kids. “I think I need to borrow James’ invisibility cloak. If only I could become an animagus and hide up in the trees.” Aster complains.

“That is you becoming an animal, right?”

“Yep.” Aster nods. “Like James’ a stag, Sirius is a dog, Peter’s a rat. Usually your animagus animal matches your patronus animal. Mine, before it became a stag to match James’, was a flying squirrel. I’d have no problem hiding in the trees. And the better part, flying without bloody planes or brooms.”

They both start to head into the house. Salem opens the sliding door and steps in first. Aster gets only one foot in before there’s screaming and shouting coming from the forest. Both of them sigh, knowing exactly who it was coming from.

Neither of them bothered to head back out, going in to see what they could help James and Peter with for lunch.

Chapter 33: July 3rd, 2006

July 3rd, 2006

 

Aster glared at his book as he read.

“Why do you look like you’re seconds away from tossing the book in the trash?” James questions coming into the bedroom and seeing Aster on the bed.

“Cause I’m trying to be a decent Papa and give our son privacy in his possible love life without spying but all I really want to do is spy on him.” Aster grunts on his reread of Pride and Prejudice copy that was full of annotates already.

“You’re still on that?” James asks with a short laugh crawling onto their bed without changing from his day clothes. “I don’t know what you and Salem are seeing. Nor does Pete. All we’re seeing is those two being seconds away from tearing one another’s hair out. And their eyes. Maybe even a limb or two, too.”

“Then you’re not looking close enough, James.” Aster sets the book down. “The other day they were so close to snogging. I swear on my life. Stupid Owen.”

James lets out another laugh. “Owen? What’d he do? Pull away cause he remebered he has a girlfriend down the road?”

“No,” Aster rolls his eyes. “Elias told Owen to say, thank you, master. Because his song that he’s currently writing is all about sex and part of it says ‘I want to be your slave, I want to be your master’. Which, I do admit, if you heard it, it’s really catchy.”

James lets out a tiny hum, settling down next to Aster. Aster picks his book as James brushes his hair to the side and starts to press kisses across his jawline and neck. Aster tries to keep his eyes on the book, tilting his head a bit to expose his neck more for James as he reads.

James sucks a mark into his skin on his pulse point, Aster lets out a tiny pleased noise as his eyes fell closed.

“And what can I do to get your mind off our son and his may or may not be summer romance?”

Aster lets out a soft moan, relaxing into James' touch as his mouth goes back onto his neck. “You’re doing rather well right now, actually. Points for distracting me fast with that excellent mouth of yours.”

James chuckles softly, sucking another possible mark into his skin before pulling off. “I want to try something new tonight.”

“That’s something new I don’t hear everyday.” Aster hums opening his eyes. “What is it?”

“Well, you know how Teddy and Pansy’s due this month?”

“Yeah.”

“It got me thinking-”

“Oh, no. You’re thinking about our children’s sex lives.”

“Technically I don’t think Pansy and Ellie has one. But, yes.” James rolls his eyes laying a hand on Aster’s bare thigh where he could touch easily with the short shorts he had on.“I was thinking of a rather popular kink we never tried before. I was hoping to do you first, then we could find another time for you to try me, another night.”

“That depends. What is it?”

James presses another kiss to Aster’s neck. “A blindfold.”

Aster’s eyebrows raise as he pulls back some to look at James. “You want to take away my sight?”

“I was just thinking. Harry’s blind, I’m almost positive he’s done something with Teddy similar to this. And I’ve heard that taking away one sense of the body makes the others hypersensitive. Want to see if that theory is correct?”

“Hmm, I don’t know.” Aster honestly tells him. “I- I don’t want to be blindfolded, then handcuffed to the bed or restrained. I don’t think I’d be all into that, after with what happened with-”

“No restraints.” James easily says. “A blindfold, and if you don’t like it, it’s easy and simple to take off and we can resume back to our usual actives. It was just an idea.”

Aster sighs. “I’m guessing you already have a blind fold?”

“Yeah,” James nods sheepishly.

“And we have time tonight? No one’s going to come knocking on the door?”

“I can only hope for it.” James answers.

Aster sighs, closing his book and giving up on it entirely. Maybe James would be better than the book as a distraction.

The book is on the night table and James pulls out a black eye mask. James securely ties it behind Aster’s head and quickly Aster feels vulnerable as he reaches out in the direction he last saw James, hearing his husband laugh at him.

The second Aster lays hands on James, he hits him.

“Ow. Blind and as violent as ever.” James complains pulling the blanket off his legs.

“You knew what you were getting into when you married me.” Aster remarks easing himself to lay down on the bed following James’ hands and gestures.

It didn’t take long for Aster to lose his clothes by the help of James. But as soon as his clothes were off and he was laying in bed, he remained untouched.

“James? Are you still there?”

There was that soft laugh coming from his left before lips were on his stomach, right below his navel that spooks him a good amount to elicit a gasp out of him.

“You’re jumpy.” James comments before his tongue glides across his skin.

“You’d be too if you had to rely on your ears than eyes.” Aster snarks.

“Like our son and granddaughters?”

Aster goes to hit James from where he could hear him but clearly miscalculated how close or far James was when he misses entirely, hand hitting the bed instead and James laughing loudly at him.

“Shut up.” Aster’s face burned.

“Never.” He could just hear the grin on James’ face as James moves to straddle his legs, pressing his thighs up together. Aster could feel his bollocks resting on his pubic mound and his cock possibly being at least half hard as James swirls his tongue around his nipples, seeming to take his time tonight.

James takes his time, focused on Aster’s nipples before working his way up his collarbone and leaving plentiful of marks up until he’s able to kiss Aster gently, sliding thier lips together without rush.

Aster reaches forward, hands easily finding way to James’ abdomen. He feels around the hair on his pecs, tracing around the soft skin down to his hipbones and easily grabbing his cock to stroke him with a dry hand making James moan into his mouth.

Aster may be blinded with a mask but he knew James’ body probably more than his own at this point.

James breaks away from the kiss with a gasp, hips rolling into his hand. “Now you’re just being mean to me, love.”

“I don’t need to see to know your body to know what you like, mon soleil.” Aster smirks lifting his head and blindly trying to kiss James.

He gets lucky, James leaning down to kiss him as his hand continued with the soft strokes to James’ cock to fill him out.

James pulls away. He slips his body down and off Aster, pushing his legs up and apart and takes his times with his fingers between his legs and his mouth focused on Aster’s chest and occasionally this thighs.

Each touch was slightly surprising for Aster, not entirely sure if James would just drift up or down, or going left or right or merely lifting off and jumping to the other side of his body.

Aster could quickly see the thrill in the blindfold.

Aster couldn’t find James’ head, but his hand easily grabs onto his wrist that was between his legs, holding onto it tightly to keep it in place and rocking his hand onto James’ fingers.

“Putain- don’t-…” Aster’s body shudders as he feels himself getting closer, wetter around James’ fingers with his thumb massaging steadily against his clit. “Just like that, Jamie. Don’t stop.”

He turns his head, burring his head into the pillows and blankets smelling the mix scent of himself and James.

His insides clenched as his eyes saw nothing but black but his nose was filled with James as much as his cunt was. James curls his fingers just the right way and Aster knew he could only hold back for a few more seconds as he started to tighten uncontrollably around James’ fingers.

“Come for me, mi estrella, I can feel you holding back.” James speaks in his husky voice that has Aster moaning loudly as he crosses the breaking point of his orgasm, coming in time as the bedroom door is knocked on to James’s annoyance as he spills out curses to the door.

Aster was far than mentally prepared for the door to be knocked on, still rocking on James’ fingers trying to get himself through. The least James could do for him was get him through before wrapping himself up in something to answer the door.

Aster sucks in a deep breath of the smell of James. Blood rushing in his ears as he lets go of James’ wrist and finally smacks his face and grabs at the blindfold taking it off. He stares at the charmed ceiling for a good moment. “Did someone fucking knock on the door the moment when I came?”

James softly chuckles, pressing a kiss to Aster’s inner thigh before sucking his fingers clean. “Yeah, I thought everyone went off to do their own thing by now.”

“We have seven kids in the house, James.” Aster murmurs grabbing the blanket and yanking it over his body. “Go see what they want? No fire, no one’s dying, no bleeding, tell them to handle it on their own. They’re old enough now.”

James laughs harder this time, getting off the bed and grabbing his own underwear that had been discarded on the floor and shoving it on. He hides his body behind the door as he creaks the door open a bit, whispering to whoever it was outside in the hall.

Only a few words were shared before the door closes and James comes over to Aster on the bed.

“It’s Elias. He wants to talk to you. He seems… a bit upset.”

Aster looks at James. “Upset?”

James nods. “Yeah.”

“Did he say why?”

“No. He just said he wanted to speak with you, told me to tell you to get dressed and to meet him in his room.”

Aster sighs long and hard. He stares at the stars for a long minute before getting up, grabbing his glasses to shove on his face in the process.

He grabs the clothes James took off him and tugs them on before flashing James a fake smile which James softly laughs, flipping Aster off.

Aster creeps out of the bedroom and into the hall.

It wasn’t late-late into the night. Probably eight or so, meaning most of the kids were probably starting to settle down in their rooms or something as Aster passed all the closed doors and went straight into Elias’ room where he was sat at his piano bench, facing the instrument and his nimble fingers gliding across keys but not playing anything.

Aster took a seat on the edge of his bed.

“You called?”

“Sorry to interrupt your shag fest,” Aster rolls his eyes. “-but I just… really needed to talk to someone. There's no one else to talk to.” Elias quietly speaks, not lifting his head or turning to look at Aster.

“Dad said you seemed upset.”

“I… I am. I think.” Elias carefully calculates. “There’s been some things I haven’t told you.”

Aster nods despite Elias not being able to see him. “Like what?”

“Um… Well, first… you know about the whole ancient magic thing and the trials.”

“Yeah. You passed all of them, still alive, I take it as a win.”

Elias lets out a short, cold laugh. “You could say that. But um… There’s been something I had been doing, without telling anyone. Probably foolish, reckless, dangerous, in your eyes.”

Aster tenses up. He didn’t bring his wand. He doesn’t have his wand on him. Maybe he should get up and get out while he still can. Maybe he should-

“I’m not going to do anything on you, Papa. Never again, never anything on anyone, ever again.” Elias shakes his head. “I… the magic was on me.”

“What are you talking about, Elias?”

“I…” A deep breath. “Remember that… unbreakable vow? The once I was foolish to take when I was like four, or three?”

“Yeah.” He breathes out.

“I… uh… I think I got rid of it.”

“What?”

A soft laugh. “That’s the good news. Now I’m truly debating on taking those arseholes to court, wizard court,” Aster couldn’t process what he was being told. He came to terms and acceptance long ago that names, faces, anything and all would never be told to him because of the vow.

Only to find that the strong and powerful magic Elias is able to wield, he’s able to remove it off himself?

“The bad thing is, I do know where one of those pricks are. Which brings me to where I’m on the tightrope of considering of it, and yet, not. Also… why didn’t you tell me Opal was set to be married?”

Aster’s mouth opens, only to drop close. He could lie, but lying would certainly put him in a worser spot if Elias ever found out.

“I… She’s a pureblood, doing her family’s duty.” Aster’s voice cracks when he tells Elias that, looking down in his own lap. “It wasn’t hard, I knew what signs to look for. Not even Uncle Regulus or Auncle Sirius would know. And… she’s a seventh year, seventeen, of marrying age in the wizarding world. If she wasn’t engaged, her family was probably already searching for a suitor. A suitor that just wasn’t… you.”

Elias inhales sharply. “That’s why you wanted to speak to her privately that day in the library?”

“I told her she shouldn’t lead you on. She already had the ring, she already had her mind set on what she wanted to do. It wasn’t fair to you, but I wasn’t going interfere with your relationship anymore, Elias. I was- I was trying to do what you wanted from me from the start. My support, you making mistakes. I-”

“I got dumped, Papa.” Elias softly tells him. “I told her I loved her, and she dumped me the same fucking day.”

“I didn’t know.” Aster promises. “I swear, I only talked to her the once. Never-”

“Is there something wrong with me?” Elias asks him. “Is it me? My body?”

“What?” Aster breathes out. “No, of course not-”

“Then why don’t people like me, for how I am?”

Aster’s heart broke hearting the unsureness wobble in Elias’ voice. Elias rubs his eyes with the back of his arm for a moment.

“I knew things wouldn’t last with Brett cause he’s rarely ever in the area. I thought Opal felt the same way-”

“She does care for you, Elias-”

“Don’t lie for her!” Elias snaps at him, making Aster fall quiet.

“And I try with Owen, but he just…” Elias shrugs heavily. “I don’t know what to think. He keeps confusing me. It’s like he tells me he likes me then he’s turning around to fling himself into Rae’s arms in front of me. And I don’t even think that’s the worse part with him.”

“What is it then?”

Elias scoffs. “He keeps telling me he’s straight. That in no way in hell, would he ever date a guy. But then he flashes those eyes at me and… Do I need to put on a skirt and grow out my hair or something? I got the tits. I got the pussy. Is that why he’s still giving me the time of day? Is that why he…? Maybe he thinks I’m the confused one. Maybe I am!?” Elias bangs on the keys loudly, making Aster flinch at the sudden loudness that unexpectedly fills the room.

“And Opal! Suddenly I’m seeing her face in the Daily Prophet in a wedding dress months after and I see that fucker watching her get married in the crowd! Maybe-… Maybe I should just put on a bloody dress and- and call myself Elena Dolores Potter.”

“Don’t change yourself for other people, Elias.” Aster straightly tells him. “Believe me, it doesn’t help. It doesn’t get any easier.”

Elias lets out a soft scoff. “You used a skirt for that vow renewal thing.”

“I did, because I wanted to. The whole time I got ready, Dad was asking me, making sure I wanted to. I haven’t used a skirt since. It’s been ten years, just about.”

“Why not?” Elias asks quiet, nearly in a whisper.

“Because I didn’t see a reason to.” Aster shrugs a bit.

“I don’t want to. It’s nice to keep something like that for a special occasion, don’t you think? Kinda like, wearing a tux, or a wedding dress? But don’t do something for other people to get their attention if it makes you uncomfortable. You’re Elias José Potter. My son. The little boy I found in a boys’ home, and tore that damn place to the ground because no one deserved to be in there. And now, you’re not that little boy, but you’ve grown into a man. And- and life isn’t going to get any easier. You’re probably going to hate it at some point and love it at another. But you can’t live it for other people. If you live your life for others, then… what’s the point of living, you know?”

“I guess.”

Aster sighs knowing the root of the issue.

“Gender dysphoria is going to be a bitch, Elias. It’s going to sneak up on you in the weirdest ways. It’s going to make you feel like utter crap, Elias. I of all people can relate to you in this family. So many people are going to trigger it; you’re going to trigger it yourself, but at the end of the day, only you can learn to control and manage it. The thing is,” A faint smirk rises to Aster’s lips. “Are you going to let someone like Owen control you, or are you going to make him eat his own shit?”

Elias bows his head, fingers go back on the keyboard, dancing across and doing what he did best.

“Did all my dreams never mean one thing? Does happiness lie in a diamond ring? Oh, I’ve been asking for. Oh, I’ve been asking for problems, problems, problems.”

Elias sighs. “How’d that sound? I’ve been brushing up on trying to write songs, like you.”

“Did you come up with that on the spot?”

Elias finally turns, looking at Aster slowly with red eyes. “Yeah. Impressed? Or should I be regretting singing it?”

Aster cracks a smile. “It was good.”

“Never as good as yours.” Elias breathes out. Aster shakes his head in denial. “You’re getting there. I’ve just spent half my life writing. That’s the difference when you have dozens of journals sitting unreadable in the library.”

Elias laughs softly. “Nyx was rather pissed when he found out there were books in the library he couldn’t read.”

“Those aren’t the only books he can’t read in this house.” Aster winks at him. “Dad and I just know how to hide those. Now, how do you feel about a shopping trip with me tomorrow? Muggle and stopping at Diagon Alley? Just the two of us? I’ll treat us to lunch too?”

Elias beams at him. “Budget?”

Aster hums. “I won’t tell you but it’ll be more than what you’re thinking of as a treat. But we do have to make an errand in the morning before then. Somewhere that you’re not going to like. Okay?”

Aster holds out his hand, holding his tongue that he was going to take Elias out either way in the following morning.

Elias grabs his hand, giving it a firm shake. “Deal.”

Chapter 34: July 4th, 2006

July 4th, 2006

 

Elias was a scary shade of pale that had Aster a bit worried when he sat in the seat beside him.

“I thought you were joking. I- I thought we were coming here for Teddy or- or Pansy.” He hisses at Aster staring at a pregnant witch walking by.

“Welcome to adulthood when you choose to be sexually active, my child.” Aster thinly smiles at him. “Believe me, I wasn’t all that thrilled coming here for my first time either. But it’s not as scary as it seems.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, as long as you’re not pregnant, it’s not as invasive as you may think at this age.” Aster shrugs relaxing in his chair. “I set this appointment for you, like a month ago. Honestly the talk last night was not only something for me to take advantage of, but you get to treat yourself with too for surviving this.”

“Condoms are eighty-five percent effective.” Elias mutters like the numbers were on the top of his head.

“Ninety-eight if you use them every time correctly.” Aster corrects.

“Eighty-five, I read the box.” Elias re-corrects Aster lowly making Aster slowly lose his relaxation. “You know I don’t get my periods anymore. I- I can’t track things regularly, Papa. And we don’t know if I’m a pureblood or a half, and I don’t know if muggle oral contraceptive would even work for me-”

“What are you saying, Elias?”

“I used a Plan B, very recently.” He quietly confesses, head down in his lap. “No condom.”

“When?” Elias stays quiet. “Elias, when?”

“Um… a few days ago?”

“A few days ago?” His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he repeats Elias' words. Elias hardly wandered far. If anything, he was always with-

Aster’s eyes widen. The hickey.

“No.”

“I told you things were confusing.” Elias quietly tells him. “I… I know I shouldn’t have. Especially without one but neither of us one and we were too far into it and it just… happened?”

“What happened to all the condoms I saw you have in your bag when Nyx played with the balloon? There must’ve been at least a dozen or two.”

“I didn’t have them on me.” He argues. “We- we went out to this field full of dandelions. He seemed upset. I had my guitar, we talked, he needed to get away from Rachel and… It was nice for once.”

“Nice.” Aster groans leaning forward with his elbows falling onto his knees and pressing his hands on his face. “I should’ve pushed this appointment for two weeks then. Plan B doesn’t work when you’re ovulating, Elias. Or- or if you don’t take it right away. Did you take it right away?”

“I don’t know what that means.”

Aster groans again. “And here I thought having a sex-positive and well known house would keep me from having pregnant teenagers.”

“I’m-” Elias’s mouth drops open. “We don’t know that if I’m… I took Plan B.”

“How did you get the Plan B?”

“Owen got it for me.” Elias quietly informs him. “Two days after it happened… he couldn’t get it any sooner without causing suspiciousness.”

Aster takes a deep breath, trying to steady himself. He lifts his face out of his hands. “Well, you better as hell hope it works. Pull out method?”

Elias remains quiet, refusing to look his way at all, staring at a poster that had different listing of contraptions methods other than condoms.

“And to think I came here to consider of discussing with you of getting birth control.”

“I still can.”

“I don’t think they will give you any until they know for certain that you’re not expecting.” Aster massages his temples.

“Putain-... not even coming here with Ellie was this stressful, and we’re not even in the room yet.”

Elias makes a tiny noise, sinking down in his seat that has him sighing feeling guilty.

“Look, I'm sorry, Elias. Believe me when I say that as calm as I may do seem when it comes to being here in this office, I’m not.”

“You’re not?”

“No. The first time I came here with your abuela and Dad I nearly backhanded a witch and put up hell of a fight with everyone, making an half hour appointment into two hours. Each time gets easier but, trust me, I still have some nerves up in the sky.”

That puts a slight easier smile on Elias’ face, but the tension was still in him.

“If… I happened to be, would you be mad?”

Aster sighs before looking at Elias. “What’s done is done, right? You got your options, I mean, you know them. I’m not going to make you do what I want you to do. You’re going to do what you want to do.”

Elias nods softly. “Thank you.”

“It’s what your abuela told me, pretty much. If anything, you guys all deserve the same choice. Keep it, or don’t. It’s up to you.”

“Did you ever… wanted to abort Harry and Ellie?”

“No.” Aster shakes his head. “As young as I was, I didn’t. But, funny enough, don’t say anything to anyone, not many know but… um…” Aster sighs deeply. “When I found out I was pregnant with Aurora and Nyx, Dad and I agreed to abort them.”

“Really?”

Aster nods. “We had eight kids, four toddlers already, and there was you. My accident. Dad and I were going through a rough patch. It just… seemed like the best choice.”

“What stopped you?”

Aster lets out a soft laugh, leaning his head back and hitting it on the wall. “You can only get an abortion up to a certain week. I found out about the pregnancy too late, as funny as it seems. But now, I love all my kids, Elias. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I guess you can call it a miracle in disguise.”

It was tensed when Elias finally got called back into the room. Aster had to keep a sharp ear out for Elias’ dead-name, and the moment Elias was sat on the table, he couldn’t quite stay still.

“This is so much worser than when I first decided to shag Brett.”

“I think Azura probably said something similar.” Aster chuckles softly. “Calm down, I don’t think they’d do anything too invasive. It’s your first appointment and you’re sixteen.”

“Does age matter?”

“Yeah. For certain tests, and cause we don’t know your magic status, I’m obligated to put you down as a muggleborn. So they might test you for some stuff that they might not with me.”

Elias lets out a slight groan. He drops his face into his hands. “What if I am pregnant?”

“You knew the risks and possible consquences to it. Adult actions and decisions lead to adult consequences.”

He groans, still hiding in his hands at Aster’s response. “Why does sex have to feel good but give bad results!?”

Aster laughs softly. “You won’t know for a few weeks, Elias. It takes at least two weeks to get a accurate result of a pregnancy test, muggle or wizard.”

Elias finally lifts his head at Aster, glaring. “And you’d think with how advance one or the other is, we’d be able to detect a pregnancy sooner?”

Midst of Elias’ sentence, his doctor — not Jenny, it sadden ASter by a lot when she announced her retirement — and the witch lifts her eyebrows amused at Elias. “Should I put you down for a pregnancy test too?”

He scowls at her staying silent.

“It’s too early.” Aster tells her with a thin smile. “Only a few days, but he took a Plan B, muggle contraption.”

She nods, easily noting that down.

“What-? What are you writing?” Elias quickly asks trying to get a glimpse at the chart.

“Notes about you. In case you come back sooner, a muggle Plan B isn’t as effective as a potion, especially if you are to be a pureblood or half blood since your records say you’re adopted but you don’t know your heritage bloodline, just so you’re aware of.”

He lets out a tiny growl.

“So, this is your first time at this sort of office, are you sexually active?”

Elias deadpans at her. “Did you just not hear about the pregnancy test thing? Are you plain stupid or something?”

She hums with a twinge of a smile playing on her lips, writing some more on the charts making Elias’ eye twitch.

“Since you’re sixteen and this is your first time in the office here… are your menstrual cycles regular?”

“I’m on testosterone.”

A tiny hum. “Okay… so you don’t get it at all or is it irregular?”

“Yeah- I mean, no. Don't get it at all.”

“And… being sixteen, I won’t include a pelvic exam for now.”

Elias blinks at her a bit confused. “What’s that?”

“Well, I’d have your legs up on the stirrups, get a peek in and-”

“Nope.” He shakes his head flat out refusing her and to listen her out anymore. “Next?”

“Medical history?” She glances over to Aster.

“He’s only been on testosterone, and sometimes he’d get UTIs cause he likes to hold in his bladder than go when he should.” She nods, more notes are made as Elias whines a bit at Aster for confessing such personal things about him.

“Since you are sexually active, I’d like to screen you for possible STIs.”

“Please do.” Aster has to nod in agreement. Owen was still with Rachel, rather Elias or Aster liking it or not. And even if that put a label of a cheater on the guy, going without a condom (even if it was once) meant chances of such things being passed around.

“How does that work?” Elias questions.

“Nothing too invasive as a pelvic exam,” His healer reassures him. “I’ll be able to tell with some wand work in just a few minutes. Lets see… As for the possible pregnancy, you can test that at home after two weeks to get an accurate result.” The healer wiggles two fingers up. “If you get a positive, come back here… and last thing, a breast exam.”

“A what?!” Elias screeches with his hands and arms crossing over his chest protectively.

“And there it is.” Aster mumbles. “She wants to check for possible lumps.”

“Why? No! Don't touch me! Sit back down!”

Aster sighs, feeling his remorse for his child. He looks over to the healer. “Um, I think it’ll be okay for Elias to sit this one test out.”

“I understand but you must know that-”

“I know, I’m a healer.” Aster reassures her. “He’s going to start the process of getting breast removal in the winter anyway, would a few months be any different if they’re just going to remove all the tissue regardless?”

Finally she nods. “Alright. Just the STI test and I think we can get you out of here without removing any clothes.”

Aster doesn’t know how he gets dragged into it after that appointment, but he ends up signing permission forms for Elias to get some piercings done in a tattoo parlor.

His ears, his navel, he might as well came out of the shop filled with many holes in his ears and body.

“Stop touching it,” Aster warns Elias as he touches the tiny gem in his nose again over lunch. “You can cause an infection or worse. I can’t heal it properly until we get home. You know it.”

“I know, I know. I’m just excited. I look hot with them in.”

“I can tell. You’re filled with holes. I’m surprised you didn’t cry during any of them.”

“I bet you would.”

Aster scoffs, which turns into a short laugh. “You know nothing about me, son.”

Elias peers at Aster curiously. “What do I not know, then, Papa?”

“The shit I put in my body is for me and only me to know.”

“And dad.”

“Yes," Aster rolls his eyes. "And dad.”

“And I’m quite sure Zio Barty and Uncle Evan knows too.”

Aster rolls his eyes. “Them too.”

“Uncle Regulus?”

“No.”

“Auncle Sirius?”

“They’d die if they knew.”

Elias leans on his fist on the table, eyeing Aster carefully. “Your nipples?”

“Twice. Not really a secret.” Elias gasps. “Before or after your top removal?”

“Both.”

“But if they know about that then… what don’t they know, is what I should be thinking of.”

“Correct.”

“I know you had your belly done before, I can tell by the healed scar.”

“Yeah.”

“And your ears are obviously done.”

“Uh-huh.”

“It can’t be your nose, then.”

“Nah, you know me. All in or all out.”

Elias’ eyes become slits. “The question I feel like I should ask is 'how far would you go?'”

Aster taps his nose. “I’ll give you a hint, I was off my rockers at that time and Dad and I were going through a hard time. And it’s a place that I highly doubt you’d ever think of getting a piercing at. Ever.”

Elias picks up a chip, taking a bite out of it. “Can I ask a question?”

“You can, it doesn’t mean I’ll boast the hint.”

“Fine. Loophole question, does Zio Barty have the piercings?”

“Depends.”

“How so?”

“Depends on how one would look at it. Anatomy.”

“I see.” Elias strokes his imaginary beard. “If Zio Barty has it… or the idea of it… and it’s something not many would know of it…”

Aster picks up his cup of ice water, taking a drink of it unbothered. Letting Elias traumatize himself for thinking so hard on it instead of letting it go.

Slowly, Elias’ eyes widen. “Oh gross!”

“Got an idea of where?”

“Is it on your-?” His nose wrinkles. “Didn’t that hurt?”

“Like a motherfucker.” Aster nods.

“What kind?” Elias asks curiously. “Wait, if Zio Barty has something similar, how exactly does that work? With you and him… I mean… I don’t get it.”

Aster sighs. “Zio Barty has… Let me think… I think it’s called a Jacob’s ladder. So, the shaft itself gets hard, then there’s- the piercings that go on the underside of it. He has like eight or seven of them there.”

Elias’ eyebrows raised so high it disappears under his hair.

“He also has-”

“He has more?”

“Yeah, a frenum piercing. That goes under the head of the, you know?” Elias blinks at him. “And-” Elias’s mouth drops. “I forgot the name of that one but it’s a hoop. It goes- well, I’m not entirely sure. I’m guessing, through the urethra?”

“The what?”

Aster rolls his eyes. “The pee hole. Then it comes out from under it. Ask him about it, you know Zio Barty wouldn’t shy away from this kind of conversation.”

“And you?”

“Well, you know that testosterone does change our body. Our genitals, giving us bottom growth. I only got one. As I said, hurts like a bitch but it made things far easier and more pleasurable. When I started to do things after I got it, I was not expecting-”

“I didn’t ask for the sex life that came with the piercing, Papa.” Elias groans. “I asked of the piercing itself.”

Aster rolls his eyes. “Clit hood. Simple jewelry, I don’t change it often. Hardly take it out, but I think if I use a heavier piece of jewelry I might hang a bit, gives off more of a gender euphoria.”

“You still have it? But you got rid of so many other of your piercings.”

Aster folds his arms over his chest defensively. “Zio Barty still has his, why should I give mine up?”

Elias rolls his eyes at Aster’s childish answer. “When you’re seventeen and can sign for yourself to get your own tattoos and piercings, if you want it, go for it, I can’t stop you.” Aster easily says. “Just like I can’t stop you from having sex, when you want it. All I can do is hope that I can persuade in your lifestyle and choices you make of the future.”

“And the persuasion of the piercing?”

Aster shrugs. “It feels good with your dad. I can’t lie about that.”

Elias groans. “Papa!”

“You asked, I answered.” He snickers.

Aster gets himself and Elias a fresh haircut that was long overdue. He gets Elias some new clothes, along with James per Elias’ opinion.

They just had to wait out their days. See what the future brought them.

Chapter 35: July 13th, 2006

July 13th, 2006

 

Per agreement, Aster kept his lips zip tight shut until the testing results.

Aster bought muggle tests, because he couldn’t just pop into Diagon Alley and buy a pregnancy test without Regulus getting a whiff and he wasn’t interested of getting him involved. For now, it was a him and Elias father-son transgender bonding problem.

Elias was in the bathroom with the tests as Aster waiting around in the hall pacing back and forth in front of the bathroom door in the dead of the night where the whole house was asleep. Even James, too, was asleep.

It was their only time they could properly do it without anyone asking questions or getting suspicious of them.

“Elias? How much longer?” Aster whisper shouts through the door.

“A few more minutes.” Elias grumbles not coming out from the locked bathroom door. “Be patient, its hard to piss when I know you're listening through the door, geez.”

Aster runs his fingers through his long crew cut stressfully. He goes back to his pacing. Back and forth in front of the door for what feels like eternity passing by.

Finally, eternity breaks.

Aster skids to a stop, he faces Elias to turns off the light in the bathroom by the switch and he’s tucking his wand away into his jumper sleeve. Everything of all signs of the pregnancy test being taken was vanished from existence.

“Well?” Aster asks slapping his sides a bit.

Elias sends him an small, easy going smile with flushed pink cheeks as he rubs the back of his neck. “It's negative.”

“Oh, thank Godric.” Aster breathes out in relief as Elias lets out a soft, very small chuckle. “Yeah. I suppose so. It’s late, I’m going to go to bed, okay, Papa?”

“Yeah, yeah. I should do the same.” Aster nods giving Elias a firm pat on the back, his hand remaining on Elias’ neck for a moment and squeezing him confidently. “Bonne nuit, fils.”

“‘Night.” Elias mumbles walking out of his grasp, making fast way to his bedroom as Aster had to go down the long hall to his bedroom.

Aster sneaks into bed, James doesn’t react when he lays himself into bed and wraps his arms around James. He was able to sleep with more peace that night, with one less thing to fret over.

When Aster woke up, right away he knew it was going to be one of those lazy days with James.

He knew it from the start when he opened his eyes and the sun was already beaming through the window and James was still snoring softly in bed with Aster’s arms wrapped around him tightly, with no rush to get out or gazing upon him as he slept.

Aster blinks the sleep from his eyes as he was holding James. Arms wrapped around his naked chest as James breathed softly, quiet snores escaping from his mouth as Aster presses his forehead up against his spine for a moment before kissing the space between James’ shoulder blades softly.

Aster didn’t know what time it was, but it was quiet outside the bedroom door as he rubs his hands across James’ chest feeling James up.

Of all times James always woke Aster up with a hand down his pants, it was finally time for Aster to return the favor as his smaller hand trails down the softness of James’ stomach, following the hair on James and sneaking into his underwear and pajama pants that Aster knows will come a day where James will love to sleep without any clothes on if not for having kids.

Aster grabs onto James’ morning wood, giving him slow strokes that draw out a quiet moan from his still sleeping body he held onto.

He could feel the way James reacted in his hand, his cock twitching as he shifts a bit on the bed as if he’s to grind more into Aster’s hand as Aster sweeps his thumb around the head that quickly started to leak pre-come.

Aster brings his hand back, cupping his balls and rolling them a few times before going back to stroking his cock.

“You’re going to kill me one of these days, mi amor.” James breathes out when his hips jerk, finally starting to wake up in Aster’s arms.

“Good morning.” Aster presses a kiss to his spine again.

“Good morning, indeed.” He sighs happily, leaning back into Aster’s touch. “What time is it?”

“Don’t know, don’t care.” Aster murmurs tightening his hand around James teasingly for a moment before gathering some pre-come to spread across his cock and stoke him some more. “Thought this was far better to do than turning over and checking the time.”

“You might be onto something.”

Aster laughs softly, picking up the speed and smiling into James’ summer sun-kissed dark skin listening to him moan louder as he brings a hand behind himself to grab at Aster’s hip for some grounding.

“Fuck- I… I’m not going to last long.H-how long have you been doing this before-... mierda.”

“It’s okay. Don't worry about it.” Aster purrs twisting his wrist around the sensitive leaky head. “Let go, Jamie. I got you.”

James shifts a bit on the bed, thrusting his hips forward into his hand to pick up on speed. As promised, James doesn’t last long at all. With a long and loud moan, the hand on his hip tightens as he comes into his hand and pants while tossing his head back into Aster’s chest.

Aster strokes James through his orgasm, letting him go when he’s milked dry and Aster smears the come across his pubes and happy trail, twisting his fingers into the wiry hair.

“Keep doing that and I’m going to end up needing a shower.” James mumbles not moving an inch.

Aster laughs softly not stoping his actions. “You’re going to end up in the shower either way, love. You’re still in your pants. Never took you out.”

“Ugh.” James grumbles his distaste, yet still makes no effort to move keeping his back pressed into Aster’s chest. Aster kisses a few random spots across his back. “You got in bed late last night. Tried waiting for you.”

“Had a film night.” Aster lies a bit. He did have a film night, waiting out for everyone to go to bed with Elias then they both jumped up, taking first chance they got. “Waited until Nyx went to bed, then watched an adult film with Elias.”

“Hmm, okay.” James sighs relaxed in his arms. He had no reason to not believe him on it. It was a regular occurrence in the manor during the summertime, never a steady and planned out schedule. Film nights happened spontaneous and whenever they felt like it during the summer.

Aster rarely ever turned the kids down when it was requested; any day, any time.

James rolls onto his back, eyes squinting up at Aster. Aster finally slips his hand out of his pajama pants. Aster leans down to lay a kiss on his lips, which James easily goes chasing for more.

“What films,” James pushes up for a kiss, interpreting himself. “Did you,” Another kiss. “watch?”

“There was Penelope,” Aster tries to remember all the names, fingers being licked clean from the salty fluids that came out of James. Aster doesn’t miss the dark looks coming from his husband. “Akeelah and the Bee. Then the one with just me and Elias was… I think it was SAW? It was a horror, you wouldn’t like it. A lot of murdering was in it.”

James huffs a quiet laugh.

It was known that James couldn’t stomach a thriller or horror film. But he loved a good book, even if it was the same story of the film.

Aster moves onto his side, laying down his head on James’ chest and tossing a leg carelessly over James’ hip. He doesn’t miss James’ hand moving to rest on his arse, or even when it slips under the blankets and his clothes to get direct skin contact.

Aster closed his eyes. Easily falling asleep again, them just laying on the bed in silence with James slipping a finger between his folds, wet and damp. He lets out a tiny noise for James, bucking his hips a bit forward.

James couldn’t reach far with the angle his arm was wrapped around behind and to his midsection, but clearly he had other plans anyway as he used his finger to go back to his arse, pressing on his second hole.

“What are you doing, James?” Aster mumbles into his chest.

“I can’t reach the first hole, so this is second best.” Aster could sense that smirk on James’ lips as he pushes in past the tight ring of muscles down to the first knuckle having him let out a soft gasp. He splays his fingers wide on James’ chest, dragging his nails into his skin having James lazily pump in and out of his arsehole.

“Feel good?” James checks in on him, hardly moving.

Aster nods as he wills himself to relax around James' finger. His forehead pressed in on his chest as he hides his hot face, clinging entirely onto James. Sleep vanishes from him quick.

“Good, cause this is all you’re getting.”

“James,” Aster whines pushing back onto his one finger. “You can’t just… you’re a bloody tease. So mean to me.”

“I can and I know I am.” James easily answers, a single finger still wiggling around in and out of him knowing he was being a tease. Knowing it wasn’t near enough for Aster but knowing it felt good for him.

Aster lets out a tiny whine, muffled in James’ chest.

“I can do this all day, love.” James hums forcing Aster to lift his head from his chest, chin pressing into his chest instead.

“I know you can. Which is why I beg of you to do something else. You- you know I can't come without-...” Aster whines lowly pressing his face into hiding again in James' chest.

James chuckles lowly. “What if I don’t want to?”

Aster whines again, dropping his head in defeat and rolling his hips back trying to increase the speed.

Trying to increase something. The thing he needed most was friction on his clit if he truly wanted to come. He got just the tiniest bit of it from where he rubbed on his underwear.

“Come on, James,” Aster tries begging as James slows down when he attempts to move. “I let you come.”

“Of all times we’ve been together and you didn’t?” James counters with a raised eyebrow.

Aster whines, James’ finger entirely stilling and he was officially fucking himself on his finger. “Please, please, please, please.” He chants with hooded eyes, trying to keep eye contact with James. “Please, make me come. I beg of you.”

The worst thing possible happens when James slips his finger out of him. Aster reaches behind him, grabbing James’s wrist just as he takes his hand out of his pants. “No! No, no, no. Don’t. Please, James.”

“As much as I love hearing you beg my name. Maybe I’ll reconsider tonight.” James easily tells him, finally tossing the covers off his body and gently pushing Aster off him. “You did leave me waiting in bed last night, all night, after all.”

Aster was left on his stomach, face planted on the bed with a long protesting groan as James leaves him to go into the bathroom.

Aster stays protestingly in bed, face buried in his mountain of pillows and his pajama pants and briefs hanging lowly on his hips where his arse crack was showing a bit of where James had tugged down his pants some with the blankets covering his lower legs.

He could hear the shower running from the bathroom where the door was left open halfway. It took Aster probably more energy to force himself to get out of bed from being teased than reaching an orgasm.

Aster pulls out some clothes for James while getting himself dressed. He doesn’t wait on James, however, still very much pissed at him and heads downstairs.

“‘lright, Eli?” Aster questions as he passes the family room, seeing Elias sitting on an armchair with his keyboard laid out and guitar on a stand nearby, just staring at the piano keys seeming lost in his mind more than actively putting effort into doing anything.

Elias blinks for a starling moment, before looking up at Aster and nodding. “‘m fine.”

Aster gives him a solid nod, heading to the kitchen and grabbing himself a green apple to rinse off before chopping up for himself to eat.

It doesn’t take long for visitors to stop by.

Elianna stops by first, picking up some leftovers for Pansy who was now overdue (Aster sends her his regards, he knew exactly how she was suffering).

Then Harry and Teddy stops by with the girls, both being dropped off until Teddy were to have the baby since it was the week of his due date, making the house more louder as it was.

Then came over Owen, who was at their home more than the Pettigrews at this point of the summer with the goal to pick and fight with Elias (and snog and shag him in their private time). Aster made sure to keep a close eye on him as he and Elias bickered in the family room of who could play the guitar better.

“There’s no way you know more songs than I do. I've been playing since I was like, five!” Elias shakes his head in refusal at Owen’s declarant.

“I bet I do, and I bet I can play them too. It's not about how old you were when you start, it's about dedication and determination.”

Elias rolls his eyes. “Yeah right.”

“Want to bet on it?”

Elias narrows his eyes at Owen. “Fine. Five songs each of our choice, we put it in a hat, pick randomly. Yours or mine, we’ve got to play them perfectly. No mistakes.”

“Deal.”

“What does the winner get?”

Owen leans back on the couch in thought. “How about… loser has to do whatever the winner says for a full twenty-four hours, any day of thier choice.”

“You as my personal twenty-four hour slave? Very tempting.” Elias murmurs.

“Your words, not mine. Do we have a deal?” Owen holds out his hand. “Or are you a chicken, goldilocks? Bwak! Bwak! Bwak!”

Elias scowls at him, slapping his hand rather than shaking it before ripping out a page of his notebook and tearing it up messily into ten pieces to divide between himself and Owen.

Neither teen tells the other what song was being written down. Each piece of paper was crumbled into a tiny ball, tossed into a cup rather than a hat as said while Aster watches the two sipping on a mug of tea quietly.

“Who picks first?” Owen questions.

“Since I’m such a kind man,” Elias sneers at Owen. The look of hatred Elias was giving Owen made Aster question how the hell does Elias even fancied the brunette. Because he was seeing none of it.

Elias thrusts the guitar into Owen’s grasp. “You can go first.”

“Coward,” Owen mutters under his breath before sticking his hand in the cup and picking out a random paper.

The paper is unfolded, and Owen’s eyebrows knit in pure confusion.

“ABBA? Who the fuck still listens to fucking ABBA?” Owen judges harshly.

Aster laughs softly behind his cup as James pokes his head out of the kitchen to defend his own honor. “I do!”

“Good luck, I think you’ll need it.”

The difference between Elias and Owen playing as they worked through their songs was that Elias sang through his own. Rather it was soft hums, inaudible words or full and proper words, Owen made no attempt to speak at all.

“All my little plans and schemes. Lost like some forgotten dreams. Seems that all I really was doing. Was waiting for you.” Elias murmurs quietly onto the last song which was Real Love, by the Beatles.

Neither of them making a mistake of all ten songs, which meant neither losing the bet. Aster wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not as he set his empty mug down in the sink of the kitchen hearing the boys bicker yet again.

“And you’d think by now they’d both kiss and make up with all the arguing they do as they hang out?” James murmurs wrapping his arms around Aster’s waist, making him laugh softly.

“Salem and I are hoping something happens by the end of summer.” Aster doesn’t say anything over the fact that something already did happen. Because Elias didn’t want him to. He had to bite his tongue out of respect for him. But it was certainly hard.

“And if something does?”

“Were finally properly inviting Peter and Salem into the family? Pettigrew-Potter? Potter-Pettigrew? Whichever P-name comes first.”

James huffs a laugh into Aster’s neck before kissing him in the area. “At this rate it’d be a hate-fuck more than anything else with what I'm seeing. Those two work together like water and oil. It’s all arguing and fighting, there's no peace and calmness. Not like us, most of the time.”

“They have their moments... I think.” Aster finds it in himself to defend them, turning around in James’ hold to face him. “Just… when no one else is around.”

James leans down, kissing Aster. “Water and oil, mi estrella.”

A clicking noise and feet patter into kitchen, James doesn’t move away from Aster, keeping him pinned to the counter.

“Grandda? Poppy?” Aria’s hands were ahead of her, gliding across the counter as Leala clicks her tongue like a sea animal to find them both. It doesn’t take long for both to find them in their own ways.

“What do you want girls?” James asks, a hand on Aster’s hip and another flowing into Leala’s short shoulder length hair that contained her changing yellow and black hair.

“How long does it take to have a baby?" Aria questions, black and white hair pulled up in pigtails as her curious fingers grabbing onto Aster’s arm and tugging on him. "It already took months to make the baby.”

“It depends.” Aster answers.

“How?” They question again.

“Having a baby is a process that involves going into labor, laboring, birthing, then there’s also recovery having your baby sibling. Your Tata will be very sore after your baby brother or sister arrives.”

“How sore?”

Aster pursed his lips on how to explain it best to the ten year olds. “Did your dad and Tata explain where babies come from?”

He gets double nods, Leala speaks for them both. “Yeah. And they explain where they come from, but they didn’t tell us much.”

“Alright, well, labor can be fast or slow. It depends on the body and the baby. It can take hours or even days. Sometimes there can be complications, or the baby is merely stubborn to come out. And sometimes that can lead up to a surgery where Tata could be cut open to safely deliver the baby to keep both the baby and Tata safe. Bottom line, until Tata goes into labor, you girls will be here for an estimate of a week, maybe two. Maybe even three weeks.”

“Would he get cut open?”

“I doubt it.” Aster answers. “But again, I’m not his healer, I can't make that decsion. And I won’t be there, unlike I was for you two.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know. Tata didn’t ask me to be there this time, Dad didn’t ask me either. It’s not my place to push myself onto them. Just like how Aunt Ellie is going to have her baby with Pansy soon, any day now like Tata.”

“What if they have their babies on the same day?” Aria ponders tapping her chin. "Is that possible?"

“Wouldn’t that be something.” James snickers, having the two girls snicker with him. “You think they’d make Teds and Pansy roommates if that happens?”

“Pansy would bite off everyone’s head including the newborns.” Aster softly laughs, dropping his head on James’ chest as the front door opens welcoming to whoever entered.

The four of them fell quiet as Aster tilts his head a bit to get a glimpse of the tall blonde in a summer dress and boots staring at them.

“Where’s Owen?” She gives them all a blank face. “I’ve been trying to text him but this area has a lousy service for cell-phones.”

Aster gently pushes James away. “Get started on lunch, will you? I’ll join you in a minute, girls, why don’t you help Grandda make your sandwiches?” He side steps away from the three, praying that Leala’s hair stays the same color of her usual yellow and black as he waves over Rachel to follow him.

Rachel was only a few steps behind him. Seven feet away at most and just around the corner as he leads her through the dining room to the family room where he though he left Elias and Owen, where they both were not there.

Aster frowns at the missing people. The guitar was on the stand, piano still set up. “Um… there were right here… uh, just take a seat. I’ll go look for them. The manor's pretty big, it'll take me a few minutes.”

Rachel sends him a deadpanning nod as Aster goes up to check Elias’ bedroom first, which he finds empty. There weren’t much spaces that he could picture the two wandering away to as he heads back down the stairs, passing Rachel and holding up a finger her way to give him another minute and making his way down a hall that contained the library.

Aster enters quietly. Rows of bookshelves full of muggle and wizard books stocked and emptied and he creeps through making his way to the back, ensuring to check each and every nook and cranny the large room had to offer.

He checks the desk set up on one end of the library when he hears a loud thud coming from the other side of the room where the fireplace was. Aster quickly goes through the shelves only to smack a hand over his mouth as he lets out a surprised noise.

Elias was well straddling Owen, both snogging deeply into it and an opened book that they may or may not had been reading at some point on the carpeted floor, probably what Aster had head that fell.

Owen’s hands were large and Aster could see the sticking out veins on the back of his hands that ran up his exposed forearms that were obviously grabbing at Elias’ upper thighs tightly, far too close to home for Aster’s comfort as he watched.

Elias runs his hands through Owen’s once upon a time, neat hair that was in a man bun when he was in the family room, now undone entirely.

Aster attempts to cough, rather loudly in his opinion, to get their attention. But instead he’s listening to one of them moan and Elias is yanking back Owen's hair, exposing his neck and leaning forward and pressing his body up more against Owen’s to grind onto him. Owen’s hands move from Elias’ thighs onto his jean covered arse.

“Oh, fucking bloody hell- hello? I am right here? Am I invisible or something?!” Aster stresses waving his hands frantically only to still go ignored.

Aster had half the mind to truly bring Rachel in to find them herself. Or, maybe just tell her where to find them and go back to the kitchen and pretend he didn’t know that they were going at it like a bunch of rabbits?

But at the same time Aster really wasn’t in the mood for drama.

As Owen grabs Elias’ hips and guides him to rock on him, drawing out even louder breathy moans, Aster did what he had to do.

Elias grabs one of the heaviest, thickest books off the nearest shelf he stood at— Magical Theory: Guide III — and drops it on the floor glaring at the two teens.

Both teens broke away faster than a niffler seeing something shiny. Owen dutifully shoved Elias off him. Elias lands on the other side of the loveseat with a breathless landing, wide eyes and seem more taken back from the toss of being manhandled than Aster dropping a heavy book as he sets his prosthetic leg right and on the ground.

“Hi there.” Aster flashes them both a tensed smile.

Their faces were flushed. Both were eerily quiet for once in thier lives in the same room while awake as they sucked in a deep breath.

Aster stared them down as Owen awkwardly fixes his pants, hips shifting up a bit and a tug here and there to his jeans before dropping back on the loveseat.

“So… Owen, a random question.” Aster tilts his head side to side. “What’s… your relationship status with Rachel right now? Just so I know what to tell her about this… whole thing?” Aster gestures over Elias and Owen.

Owen furiously shook his head, eyes wide and alarmed as he looked at Aster. “Please don’t.”

“And my son to you is…?”

Dark blue eyes that looked nearly black switched between Aster to Elias a few times. “I think I should go.”

“Yeah. I think so too.” Aster agrees before looking to Elias who had kiss swollen red lips. Elias refused to look at either of them. “And what do you think, Elias? Should Owen go too?”

Elias remains quiet, hands in his lap like they weren’t just in Owen’s long, wavy hair.

“Alright.” Aster sighs. “Goodbye, Owen. May I recommend checking the family room to collect something of yours on your way out?”

Owen quickly nods, fixing and fussing at his hair as he gets up and scurries out of the library. Aster doesn’t even warn him of Rachel who’s in the family room waiting on him for whatever reason.

Aster crosses his arms, staring down on Elias until the footsteps of Owen dissolved. “Was last night not a warning?”

Elias shrugs, staying quiet. Aster shakes his head with a sigh. In the end, he finds himself taking a seat where Owen once sat nest to Elias.

“I thought you said Owen didn’t like you like that.”

“He doesn’t.” Elias answers quietly.

“And what did I just saw? Mouth to mouth resuscitation with his hands a bit too close for personal liking?”

Elias sighs, shaking his head a bit. “Your personal liking. I was fine with it. Just... Please, Papa… I can handle this-”

“You’re setting yourself up for heartbreak, Elias.” Aster warns him. “Owen may or may not be into blokes but… what he’s doing now is purely using you. You don’t deserve that. No one does. He’s manipulating you and your emotions. And in the long run, he’s not only using you but Rachel too. Even if, apparently no one likes her. Which I can’t speak for her given this is my second time even talking to her.”

Elias blinks at his lap. “This…? She…? She’s here?”

Aster nods. “Family room. You both got lucky this time. You both shagged already. You both snogged on multiple occasions by now. There’s been a pregnancy scare, for Merlin’s tits. And clearly you’ve tried to talk to him about this… limbo you’re both playing around with. Elias,” Aster gently reaches out to him, a hand gently places on his leg. “If you keep letting him do this to you, he won’t learn. And frankly, neither will you.”

“He keeps picking on me. Like I’m some… little kid.” Elias scowls. “I feel like this is the only way for him to see that I’m not. He’s only nineteen, he's not that much older than me.”

“But you’re egging him on. All the time.” Aster warns him. “You encouraged him and his bad behavior. It’s one thing if and when he starts it, but you let it keep going. In any case, Eli, you’re both being little kids. But that’s not a bad thing. Why are you trying to grow up so fast?”

Elias stays quiet. He’s picking at a random string on his jeans. It falls quiet for a few minutes, and the silence was unbearably uncomfortable with Elias staring down at his lap, refusing to look at Aster let alone answer his question.

It got to the point quick of where Elias gets up without a word and walks out leaving Aster on his own to pick up the two books on the floor.

The book that was nearby the loveseat, it was clear Elias was trying to show Owen some details of Hogwarts as Aster picks it up and reading the old cover of Hogwarts: A History.

With a defeated sigh, Aster quietly puts away the books.

Chapter 36: August 23rd, 2006

August 23rd, 2006

 

It was weird with Elias.

It’s been two whole days since the Pettigrews took their departure and since, maybe longer if Aster is being honest with himself, Elias has been in this… gravitation float, somewhere deep in his mind unless Owen was around to start arguments with him and it seemed that Elias took his advice most times and walked away rather than fighting back, which Aster could see that it bothered Owen as much as it did with Elias, too.

There was nothing that truly kept Elias out of his mind for a long time. He even stopped playing his instruments. He wasn’t writing in his notebooks anymore, of whatever it is he was writing.

Many times, Elias would sit at the dinner table with family and guests. He’d eat but the past few weeks his meals has gone half eaten. Sitting quietly or staring and picking at his food on his plate more than talking with everyone.

Aster could tell his behavior has it only gotten worse with the Pettigrew family finally leaving, with summer soon to be over and everyone is due to go back to Hogwarts in a week and so.

Aster knocks on Elias’ door, quickly peeping in to see the trunk usually used for Hogwarts still wide open and empty with nothing inside it.

Elias usually started his packing slowly, taking his time and truly debating on certain things if he’d need it or not to bring with him.

“Can I come in, Eli?”

“I guess. Not like it'll stop you anyway.” Elias was on his bed, writing away in his notebook, something he’s hasn’t been doing for the last of weeks since Aster caught him and Owen in the library. It was nice to see him falling back into something he could call as an old routine.

Aster takes a seat on the chair by the desk. “So… um, how are you doing? You feeling okay?”

“Fine.” He’s answered directly, pen scratching away in the notebook.

“Are you… upset about the- Owen, leaving? I know you guys gotten pretty close. Then… you know?”

“You could say that… We were always screaming at each other, weren’t we?” He lifts his gaze for a moment. “You don’t have to worry about me. I tried to talk to him but… He always dismissed me and now he obviously picked Rachel over me. Couldn’t find it in him to handle the ‘queer’ label ‘cause, you know, I’m a guy even though I've got tits and a pussy… And he made it very clear that he isn’t gay or bisexual or… any of that. Besides, I’m here, he’s in Scotland. He's staying in Scotland. It just wouldn’t work. What happens here, stays here. At least... for him. Actually, it's a good thing he's gone. Far less stress on me and arguing and fighting and... yeah... I was getting tried of him anyway.”

Aster frowns at him. “Well, plenty of more fish in the sea.”

“Uh-huh.” Elias’ eyes stay on the muggle notebook. "Any fish is better than him at this point. Not that I'm looking right now."

“Well…” Aster runs his hands down his thighs awkwardly. “I was just… Just wanted to check up on you. Make sure you’re okay. You seemed a bit off, these last… month. I noticed you haven’t started packing. Are you pushing on that? Not that you need to rush just yet. Your siblings haven’t started… Posie’s excited to finally go to Hogwarts with you and your brothers.”

“Oh, I’m not going.” A pause. “Back to Hogwarts, I mean. I've been meaning to tell you since the Pettigrews left.”

Aster blinks at Elias confused. “What? No. You’re going back to Hogwarts. I'm not letting you just drop out after a bad summer. You need to finish your sixth year, Elias. Then your seventh and take your NEWTs and-”

“I lied, Papa.” Elias breathes out quietly. He sets his notebook down with his pen on his bed. “A few weeks ago, I lied. To you.”

Aster blinks at him. Taking in Elias’ pinking cheeks and hesitating light hazel eyes that were lifting to look at him.

“About…? You do realize there can be so much that you can lie to me and Dad-”

“I didn’t lie to Dad. He doesn't know crap. I lied to you. No one else knows but you. The test. It… it wasn’t negative.” Aster stares at Elias, long and hard. The air grew heavy between the two of them in the bedroom. “You… lied?”

He nods slightly. “That muggle Plan B pill... It failed, Papa. I guess I should’ve gone to Diagon Alley to get a potion instead of... At least Owen owned up to one thing for once in his life to help me out with.”

“Why-? Why would lie to me about something like… that? Over this?”

“Because if you knew, you’d told Salem and Peter and Dad, and… then... then Owen would know, one way or another because no one in this stupid family knows how to keep their bloody mouth closed. Rather I wanted him to know or not.”

Aster blinks at him, still being quiet.

“He’s nineteen, Papa. He’s still in Uni. Lives in Scotland, hours away from here. He still has Rachel,” Elias’s face washes over with a fast dislike before clearing up. “He picked her, not me. I’m not going to take all that away from him. Take his choices away from him. It’s not fair or right.”

“Okay, let me make sure I’m hearing this correctly.” Aster slowly says, Elias nods. He counts off with his fingers.

“I never did see the test, and you lied to me. You trashed it, it was positive?”

A nod. “Technically I vanished it. I had my wand in the bathroom with me at the time.”

He moves on from his thumb to his pointer finger.

“Okay, Owen cheated on Rachel with you and you still thought it was the best idea to let him go off with her than tell him?”

“Yep.”

Middle finger is now being counted.

“You lied to me about something like this!?” Aster stresses yet again, his voice coming out a bit louder than he probably should’ve. “Elias, you don’t- we should’ve- you should’ve-”

“My body, my choice, right?” Elias stares straight into Aster's soul as he said that.

Aster’s mouth snaps shut, his hands drop down to his lap. He supposes Elias has him there. Aster then could notice just how tired Elias was. The bags under his eyes with red rims.

He was tired. Stressed out. Upset. Probably freaking out, too.

Elias was all alone and finally was confidning in Aster over this after weeks of solitary.

“I had all intentions on telling you, Papa. I did. I just… was waiting for them to leave. Waited until I was sure they were back home. Eight hours away.”

Aster nods carefully.

“Alright… okay… um… what if, a big ‘what if’, Owen would want to know?”

Gods he sounded too much like Euphemia right then and now.

Elias shakes his head. “I doubt it. He doesn't-... Who’d want a kid at nineteen, let alone a child with a trans bloke when they’re not queer themself? Having people know you share a child with a transgender man?” Elias leans back on his headboard. “I heard him say he’s straight so many times… I don’t see the point.”

“You don’t know that until you tell him.”

“He’s eight hours away in Scotland, Papa. I could write him a letter and I’d bet everything I’ve got that he still wouldn’t come, even if it’s just for the… baby and… not me.”

Aster takes a deep breath, eyes tightly closed, before nodding. “Okay. This would make you six weeks then?”

“Seven. And a half... The end of June.”

Aster nods slowly.

“And… plans?”

Elias shakes his head softly. “I rather die than put my own child in an orphanage after everything I went through. And abortion sounds... scary.”

A long exhale. “Fair. I see your reasons.” Just like Teddy…

“I’ll be seventeen in November, Papa. I’d be a legal wizard, I’d be looked at as an adult.” Elias finds it in himself to remind Aster. “I- I’ll still do my school work. I’ll finish Hogwarts from here, at home, like you did. I’ll get a job now. I mean, I'll try to. There's nothing around here though. Just… I can do this. I know I can. On my own.”

Aster glances over to the muggle digital clock on Elias’ bedside table. It was only five thirty. Aster could make a quick run with a plan already forming in his head.

“You’re not doing this all on your own, Elias. You got us. You got me, and Dad. You got your siblings and everyone else in the family.” Aster reassures him. “But I’m asking something of you first.”

Elias nods small.

“I want you to take another test, one that I see. No trashing it. No vanishing it. None of that. I need to see it for myself.”

Elias nods again. Aster rises to his feet. “I’ll be back soon. A quick pop in to the shops.”

“Alright.”

Getting a test from Diagon Alley was too risky with Regulus and James’ friends lurking around, so Aster pops into an alleyway of muggle London and goes into the closest shop he knew that’d sell pregnancy tests.

He gets a few, quickly pays for them hardly sparing a glance at the cashier through he was quite sure it was the same muggle who saw him buy the same tests a few weeks ago.

By the time he gets back to the manor, it was like no one even knew he was gone as the grandfather clock struck six.

Aster shoves Elias’ arse in the bathroom with a disposable cup to piss in while he held onto the tests to ensure no tampering would be involved.

In a few minutes, Aster was dipping pregnancy tests into his son’s pee and lining them up on the sink’s counter.

Elias studies them closely, instruction paper in his hand while Aster had his own from another box of the same test brand.

“Is this how you felt? Waiting on results?”

“The first test I took was nearly instant, and I was with Madam Pomfrey and Auntie Pandora. Plus, it didn’t take me minutes, let alone dipping sticks into piss.” Aster mutters sitting onto the toilet with the lid close and reading over. “It was a potion kind, these are muggles tests. I’m not about to go to Diagon Alley and risk either of our arses if Uncle Regulus or one of Dad’s friends catch me buying pregnancy tests. I already got ten kids, I don’t need anyone biting my arse over it or someone telling Dad.”

“True.” Elias hums picking up one and holding it up to the light. “It’s darker than last time. Two lines. Positive, just as I’ve told you.”

It’s passed over to Aster. Aster examines it closely, definitely a positive. He bags it in the brown paper bag he got when he bought the tests without a single word spoken, Elias raises his eyebrow at him.

“Would you rather explain to Dad why there’s positive pregnancy tests in the bathroom trash? You know he's the one who usually takes the trash out in here when no one else wants to.”

“Fair point. Vanish them when you can,” Elias murmurs passing Aster the rest of the tests which he carefully looks at, each positive sign and puts them in the bag along with the box and instructions.

“You know…” Aster starts. “If you were straight like you told me before, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Shut up. I was confused. Brett’s just shit at sex. Or maybe it was cause it was my first time but I’m definitely bi. I know that for certain now.”

“Oh, and Owen’s just so amazing at it he couldn’t pull out?”

“Dad pulled out, didn’t he? Look where that got you both.”

Aster sighs in defeat. His child had him there.

“Fine. You got me. I’m going to throw this out-.”

“No. Vanish it.” Elias sternly tells him.

Aster rolls his eyes. He supposes he’s taking this better than he could’ve. Maybe with Harry’s past with Teddy it gave him some… preparation, if one could even call it so.

“I’ll vanish it. But you need to figure out a way to… tell people. Mainly the family. Cause that isn’t my job anymore. I- my days of pregnancy announcements and getting half disappointed-half excited stares are long over. But I’ll help you make an appointment to see that healer you saw. Actually, I have to. You're still underage.”

Elias wrinkles his nose but he says nothing against it as he nods.

They both part ways and Aster makes a beeline to his bedroom, hiding the pregnancy tests in the bag bag on the console table full of picture frames.

James was freshly out of a shower when Aster walks in empty handed. He was walking around in nothing but his boxers, picking out some clothes to be comfortable in for the rest of the night.

“Listen, James, are you able to watch the kids tonight?” Aster asks as soon as he enters the room.

“Why?”

“I got a letter from Barty and Evan. They’re asking if I’m free tonight to meet them in London. I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up crashing at their place. I’ll give you a night with Sirius and Remus as a trade off, your choice of any night.”

“You’re taking the van?”

“Yeah, that okay with you?”

James pursed his lips before nodding, making his way over to Aster. “Yeah. Alright. Just be careful driving.” A peck to his lips, an easy going and very clueless smile was flashed to Aster.

“Send me a patronus or call if anything happens. I don’t care what time it is, even if I’m asleep.”

“You know I will. Elias is in his room, he’s in bit of a mood. I tried talking to him but not much was said, so don’t expect much out of him tonight. I’d just recommend not to bother him at all.”

“Alright.” James gives him another kiss of goodbye. Aster grabs a change of clothes before heading out of the bedroom, grabbing the bag as he goes and he doesn’t stop until he’s in the van with the bag in the passenger seat.

Cracking his knuckles, Aster sets the van’s gears into motion.

Eight hours of driving to Scotland. Two stops to get a full tank of gas. One stop to get so much caffeine in him that his blood might as well be pure sugar. And four stops to ask for directions. But he made it.

He’s never been to Peter and Salem’s cottage, but he was once sent pictures when they first got it. It was cute. It was cozy looking.

It was four in the morning, the sun wasn’t even up yet.

Aster slumps in his seat as he killed the engine staring at the cute small house in the pure dark. He had eight hours to think on this. Eight hours to turn around at any time and he didn’t when he well knew he should've.

Elias was probably going to kill him.

Not if Peter and Salem’s couch didn’t first.

Aster grabs the paper brown bag. It cringles with loud noises as he pops the van door open and climbs out of it. It dawns on him then that he forgot his cane, but it wasn’t like he could turn around now, right?

With a deep inhale, he stretches his legs as he walks, hobbling over to the front door and knocks loud enough where he hopes someone in the house would hear him.

The fourth time he knocks, he’s starting to think he’ll end up sleeping in the van when a light flickers on and the locks behind the door finally start to undo.

He flashes the best smile he could give the person who opened the door, Salem in her robe that was wrapped tightly around her body.

“Aster? What-? What are you doing here? Did you drive all the way here?”

“I’m going to kill your son.” He tells her straight through his strained smile. His eyes and smile probably telling a whole different story. “And I give you full permission to kill mine.”

Her eyebrows furrow, but she lets him in regardless. “Honestly, he’s damn lucky he doesn’t live here right now and I don’t know his address.” Aster rants coming into the cottage. “Lovely home, by the way. Very cozy. It’s a pity I’ve finally come to see it in this circumstance. But I’m gonna kill ‘em. I just can’t decide which one to kill first and which way is the best to do it.”

“What are you talking about? And why did you-? It’s still dark outside. Why are you here? Are you all alone?”

Aster lets out a low growl, unrolling the paper bag and passing a pregnancy test to Salem. “Welcome to grandma-hood, Salem.”

“Whoa.” Her hand runs through her hair, brushing her messy hair back staring at the test jaw-slacken. “What-? When? Is this Elias’?”

“If we’re going to be exact, seven and a half weeks ago. I mean, I knew of it. Plan B was taken but it doesn’t work well with… you know. And our boys were stupid enough to not use a condom, I had him take a bloody test prior these when he confessed to me at the witch doctor I surprised forced on him like I did with Azura and Ellie but… fuck I’m so stupid for not looking at the first test he took.”

“But-? What? Owen’s at his flat with Rachel. Rachel, his girlfriend that he's still dating. Are you saying you knew this whole time and never told me that Owen cheated on her?”

Aster nods defeatedly, collapsing on the sofa tired out of his mind. “James doesn’t know I’m here. He thinks I’m with Barty and Evan. He doesn’t know about that,” His hand waves at the test in her hand. “Either. So… um, in the morning, Elias is going to find a way to kill me.”

“You said he took a test before these?”

“Yeah. I-… I didn’t look at it. I took his word for it when he came out of that bloody bathroom and told me it was negative. I was so bloody stupid enough to believe him when he told me.”

“Well… these sure don’t look negative. Two lines mean positive, right? That's what it is in the films. These are different from the potion things that Evan and Barty once took before.”

“Sure beats that smiley face one when I tried for Azura without telling James.” Aster mutters. "I think I'm truamatized from that test."

“Why did he lie?” Salem asks him carefully.

“So many reasons, Salem. One, which is why I’m here.” Aster gives up on everything as he sinks into the couch.

“Owen?”

“He doesn’t want Owen to know.”

“Why not?”

“So many reasons.” Aster says again. “There’s Rachel. Um, Owen told Elias that he was straight.”

Salem’s mouth opens a bit. “But Elias is a… boy. Like, that’s loud and clear. Owen knows that. I mean, even when Elias isn't around and he's being spoken about, Owen uses the correct pronouns and all that.”

“He is. Owen knows.”

“And… I don’t mean for this to come out wrong but… there’s no one else?”

“Elias’ pretty much spent his whole time with Owen the whole summer and the last sexual partner he had was a cis-girl back in Hogwarts months ago. If there was someone else, even a small possibility, he’d tell me. I don’t think he’d… lie or push over something as big as this onto Owen or… I don’t know anymore, Salem. I get him because I was in his shoes before, but at the same time I need him to tell Owen.”

Salem nods. “Okay… well, I didn’t teach Owen to be that cruel. I certainly didn’t teach him to look at people that way, to use or... take advantage of them in a vulnerability way such as he did with Elias, then to tell him he’s only interested in girls? How did… do you know how Elias felt?”

“He asked me if there was something wrong with him and if he should put a dress on and grow out his hair only for me to find them snogging on the thin line of snagging days later.” Salem sighs frowning, she finally takes a seat with Aster on the couch. “Poor boy.”

She gazes at the pregnancy test. “And Owen cheated on Rachel… with Elias… who’s now pregnant.”

“Seems so. The lines seem pretty dark, don’t you think?” Aster questions for her opinion.

“I guess? I never actually did a pregnancy test other than any with you guys when we were younger. I have a dick, remember?” She hums bringing the test under the lamp. “So why didn’t he tell you before, when he lied? Or tell Owen?”

“He thinks he can do it on his own. I mean, there’s us. He’s got us, he knows that, but… he started to go on about how Owen’s here. And how Owen’s in Uni, and he’s got Rachel and he’s nineteen, like, honestly, Elias’ sixteen. That doesn’t make me care any more of the age difference. James was eighteen.”

“I think Elias doesn’t want to trap Owen.” Salem carefully tells him. “He wants Owen to live his life, knowing if Owen knew of the pregnancy, of the baby, his life would go on halt. Or… maybe he’d blame Elias for ruining it?”

“But Owen ruined Elias’ life too. It works both ways.”

“But Elias may not see it that way. Or, he does but doesn’t want to ruin two lives for the price of one... But we have to look at this in Elias' eyes. Owen's always picking on him. Fighting with him. Maybe... he doesn't want that sort of eviorment for the baby? But why…” Salem exhales deeply as she looks at Aster. “Why are you here, Aster? If Elias doesn’t want you to tell him? I’m sure he doesn’t want you to tell us; me, certainly, included. Any of us Pettigrews.”

Aster exhales long and slow. “I think I had half the mind to tell Owen myself the whole drive here. Yell at him. Tell him to step up, be a man. Put those balls into good use for once that just for fucking around with people.”

Salem shakes her head, brushing her dark hair to the side and onto her shoulder. “That’s not your place. This isn’t you and James. It’s not even Teddy and Harry, anymore. This is Elias and Owen. But right now from where I see it; it's just Elias for as long as Owen doesn't know.”

Aster nods. “I know. I think it’s just clicking with me right now that I shouldn’t have come here to start with at all.”

Salem sends him a soft smile and reaches out to put a comforting hand on his knee. “You look tired, with those bags under your eyes. You could probably carry my next shopping trip of groceries in them. Why don’t you take Owen’s old bed for the night instead of the couch? It’s small but far more comfortable, and I’ll have Peter phone James in the morning to let him know where you are. Then when you’re refreshed in the morning, I think you should go home.”

Aster groans. “So many people are going to be pissed at me.”

“Well, you haven’t told Owen yet. So I think you might've gotten spared. I’ll keep this between you and me for now. As much as it will pain me doing so, because Owen is my son.”

“I suppose so… can I still say congratulations, grandma-to-be right now?”

Salem lets out a soft gasp with a laugh, slapping Aster’s thigh making him laugh with her.

“Come on, you’re clearly more sleep deprived than you think you are.”

“I agree, I don’t think I’ve ever had this much sugar in my whole life. I had so much candy and suggary muggle energy drinks on the way here. I am buzzing. I feel ready to vibrate out of my skin.”

Salem passes him back the test, which he shoves back into the bag. “Hey, um…” He slightly stumbles when he rises to his feet. “When Peter calls James in the morning, mind making sure he doesn’t… tell him why I’m here?”

“Are you asking me to ask my husband to lie to your husband?”

Aster shakes his head. “No, I’m asking you to ask your husband to merely tell my husband that I’ll explain everything of why I’m here when I talk to him myself. And… the whole pregnancy thing stays between the two of us?”

Salem flashes him a soft smile, she takes his hand and guides him through the house to a bedroom where he doesn’t even look around, to snoop in Owen’s old bedroom.

He crashes upon impact.

Chapter 37: August 24th, 2006

August 24th, 2006

 

Aster wasn’t greeted by James when he got out of the van in the early evening after driving pretty much all day as he closed the door softly behind himself.

No. Not at all.

Instead he’s greeted by his pissed off, threatening, five-foot-two blonde son who was on the path to kill as the front door opens and slams wildly closed behind him.

Aster, very unfortunately, was on that path with walls blocking him not giving him any option to leap off the path to freedom.

“I told you not to tell him!” Elias hisses stomping up to Aster and bares his teeth threateningly. “I told you!”

“I didn’t!” Aster defends himself lifting his hands where the keys dangled around his finger, the brown bag with tests in it long ago vanished before he even got into the van.

“I didn’t tell anyone!” A bit of a lie, only Salem knew but Elias didn’t need to know that. “I swear! I promise you, Elias.”

Elias glared at him hard, cheeks pink and arms crossed over his chest. “Then why were you there? Why were you in Scoland!?”

“I uh…” Aster sighs. “Alight, fine. At first, I did want to. But by the time I got there, I had a long time to think. Then I didn’t. And, it was late. I couldn’t just turn back around. So I crashed at theirs, got some breakfast, came back here.”

Ever so slightly, Aster notices his glare softening as James comes out, joining them both quickly. James glances between the two of them confused. “What’s going on?”

Elias drops his defensive stance, arms dangling at his sides as he shakes his head with his eyes still watching Aster. “Nothing. Forget it.”

That was the end of it.

Elias went back in and Aster had to deal with James who looked at him with a lifted eyebrow. “Why did you end up in Scotland? You told me you were hanging out with Barty and Evan.”

“I know. I did. I’m sorry.” Aster nods with a sigh. “Just… I can’t tell you right now.” James frowns at him. “It’s not like that, James. It’s… not my secret to tell.”

“Not your-?” James scoffs, shaking his head. “You ended up in Scotland. You don't just drive to Scotland.”

“I know.” Aster repeats. “Just give me… a week or so, and I promise I’ll clear things up. I will. I just need a bit of time right now.”

Aster knew James didn’t like his answer. Not with the look he was giving him. Might as well replaced Elias with James, arms crossed, eyes a bit narrowed; just add height and an entirely different man.

Aster runs his hands down his face stressfully. One stops to pinch the bridge of his nose. “I swear, James, by the time the kids go to Hogwarts, I’ll tell you. I'll have an answer by then.”

James gives him a curt nod, stern and staring. “I’ll hold you onto that.”

Aster’s greeted by his other kids when he goes into the house. Then he’s busy sending a letter off to schedule an appointment for Elias in the kitchen, carefully writing with a hand covering his paper and his head leaning close like he was taking an exam and didn’t want anyone cheating off him.

He was zoned in, putting down details that he knew of and didn’t that he knew to put down when James scared him. 

“I thought Elias already had his appointment?”

“Fuck-!” Aster slams a hand to cover most of his writing as he stares at James who snuck up behind him. He takes a second to recover with a pounding hard. “I- He wasn’t able to do all the stuff and asked him to come back a later date. I only just remebered. I’m trying to get him booked in before Hogwarts.”

James blinks at him, then glances down to the paper on the counter, still mostly blocked off. Aster can only assume James knew where he was writing to due to the top left addressed to.

James’ looks back up to meet his eyes. “Is he okay?”

Aster nods softly. “He’s fine. Just, um, he made a little confession that had to push some testing and I entirely forgot about it. Better safe than sorry.”

“You… forgot?” James stares at him unbelieving.

“Yes.”

Aster forgetting something medical related was high to unlikely. It wasn’t him and James knew that. He took everyone’s health as serious as his job. Everyone’s health other than his own, that is.

James keeps staring at him, like it would crack Aster into telling him everything that was spinning in his head.

“I can hear you thinking right now. I can see how much a lot of everything is bugging you.” James murmurs lowly, a tap onto his forehead that has Aster swiping at his hand to stop. Aster grabs the paper and pen he was working with, ready to find a new spot. “Why can’t you tell me? I want to help you.”

“Same idea on why you didn’t talk to me for years, James.” Aster easily tells him walking away. “You wouldn’t get it. I told you, a week. Give me a week.”

That’s how Aster ended up in his bedroom, the next escape plan would be the library where the family owl was at over the summer as he finishes up the letter.

Aster signs the letter and gets the letter in an envelope. He seals it, sets the address on with a return address if it doesn't get through but he wasn’t in a rush to get up and get it sent out as he looks across the room with a nitpicking feeling at the back of his brain that he should do something.

Aster sighs deeply as he leans back in the desk chair, stretching himself to set the letter back on the surface of the desk and that’s when he noticed it.

The small box tucked under the bed that James and him had all intentions and plans to give to Elias for his seventeenth birthday.

Elias was months out from the date in early November as Aster sighs, getting up and going onto his knees and digging the rest of the sage green box out from under the bed.

It wasn’t big, a shoe-size box that contained certain things that Aster and/or James believed that would’ve meant a lot to Elias when he was older. As an adult.

There were mostly documents in the box, but alongside the documents there were other objects and photos.

Aster knew he should’ve talked to James first as he headed out the bedroom with the box in hand, but Aster goes to Elias’ bedroom, knocking before going in.

Elias was sat on his bed, writing away in his notebook that looked half full and the edges of the pages wrinkled and his Hogwarts trunk sat open, a random few items were inside it which Aster had to smirk at. It was smart thinking, to keep James off his back.

“I brought you something.” Aster quietly takes a seat on Elias’ bed sitting opposite from him than at the desk chair. Elias lifts his light hazel eyes at him as Aster sets the box on the bed.

“New shoes?”

“No.” Aster shakes his head. “Um… Dad and I’ve been holding onto this. It’s for you. We were going to give it to you for your seventeenth but…” Aster looks around the room, no lights were on. The curtains were wide open letting the last bit of sunlight of the day in the bedroom.

“With everything going on, I think I can spare myself the trouble with dad and give it to you now without him.” Aster tells him gently, fingers already picking away the spell-o-tape that kept the box from opening from how packed full it was.

“What’s in it?” Elias asks him curiously.

“Oh, all kinds of stuff.” Aster manages to free one side of the box, opening the lid and keeping the other side taped up. Right at the top was Elias’ old and worn teddy bear, probably long forgotten.

The sight of the bear puts a faint smile on Elias’ face as he reaches into the box and pulls out it, carefully examining it. “I thought I lost thing old thing.”

“Grizzly? Never. Dad wouldn’t let you.” Aster shakes his head. “You came home with him. He was your buddy. No one else’s. We didn't let anyone else play with him. He was yours to keep. Only yours.”

Aster picks into the box himself, he pulls out a picture. A muggle picture that Regulus managed to take of Elias, along with Sirius and Aster in it, the three of them surrounding the piano of the vacation house in Spain when Aster had adopted him. It wasn’t exactly a picture of a welcome-home thing, but it was the first picture they had of Elias that Aster cherished.

“This is the first picture we got of you. Uncle Regulus took it. I don't know if you remember it.” Aster passes it along, where Elias snatches it up greedily to look at, front and back of the noted writing of the date.

Aster lets Elias pick out the next thing.

“What’s this?” Elias questions as he passes him a broken sealed envelope. Aster takes a good look at it with a frown. “It’s the most information Dad and I were able to get of your birth parents. It was a dead-end, we were warned that when we adopted you but we wanted to give it a shot when you were… eight, I think. In case you ever got curious when you got older.”

“Is there anything in there? Anything at all?”

Aster sighs, shaking his head. “Whoever mothered and fathered you… it’s like they vanished without a trace. I’m sorry.”

Elias nods a bit, the smile on his face dims a bit but it doesn’t vanish. “It's okay. I got you. You and Dad. I don’t need ‘em.”

Aster lets out a soft wet chuckle as the letter was tossed to the side carelessly landing on the bed by the hands of Elias. Next came a small baby blanket, wrapped inside was another picture.

“That’s the blanket you were found in. They gave it to me and Dad.” Aster explains of what he was informed when he received it. “When you were found. I wrapped the only baby picture you’ve got in it. I didn’t want to lose it. I thought about making copies of it but… I wanted to wait to give the box to you first. Let you decide what to do with the picture first.”

The blanketed was a worn, wooly light green and white that was falling apart to the seams. Elias took obvious extra precaution to it as he unwraps it to get to the center to the picture that Aster informed him of.

Elias’ baby picture contained a bald Elias, no hair in sight and eyes big and wide looking startled when the flash went off at only a month old. His hands were held up in tiny balled fists by his head and looked seconds prior to begin wailing his lungs off.

Elias took an extra long time staring at the picture.

“I was a bald baby?” He mumbles, probably to himself. Maybe to Aster.

“What- what else is in the box?” He asks, not moving to go through it himself anymore.

“Most are documents, your adoption papers or legal papers that been made when you were found since no one knew your exact birthday and your age was estimated with your umbilical cord attatchment. I think those are the rest of the pictures and stuff. I never lied about there not being a lot to begin with. This is it.”

Elias nods slowly, eyes never once leaving the picture of him as a baby. “Do you think infant baldness is genetic?”

Aster laughs suddenly, a bit startled at himself if he’s honest. “I don’t know.”

Elias looks up to him, looking away from the baby picture for the first time since seeing it. “I was an ugly baby. I was bald. All sicky looking. More pale than now. I could be a Malfoy!”

Aster gasps at him. “Don’t say that. You were… I mean, I can’t really judge the one picture they took when you were filed into the system. It was a bad picture.” Aster tries to reason with him, his laughter bubbling up with Elias.

Elias lifts an eyebrow, a playful smirk on his lips.

“Would you have adopted me if you saw me like this?” He grabs the first picture of himself when he was adopted holds up the small imagines beside his head for comparison to present Elias. Aster rolls his eyes. “I was a cute kid, not a cute baby." He moves each picture as he says the word kid and baby. "No wonder no one adopted me then.”

“Egoistical much?” Aster chuckles as the door of the bedroom opens without a knock. Aster twists to look behind himself and his smile fades fast when James stared at them both, eyes catching the old pictures and stuff scattered across the bed.

“We were suppose to give that to him together for his birthday.” James’s voice was deep and painfully obviously he was pissed before he turns around and leaves the room.

Aster looks to Elias before quickly getting up and chasing after James.

“James-! James, wait-! Will you just wait!?”

“First you end up in Scotland.” James spits out the fact as soon as they’re in their bedroom, door still wide open. “And I still don’t know why. And you’re acting all… I don’t even know what to even think anymore. You’ve been weird all evening since you got home. You lied to me yesterday about where you were going. Where were you, Aster?”

“I… I went to the Pettigrews.” Aster weakly answers.

“I got that. What were you doing before? Fucking around? Screwing other people behind my back?”

Aster's heart sinks as he shakes his head. “What? No! Why would you even think-?”

“I let you go off with Barty and Evan that one time because I know how much they mean to you. Did that fuck with your brain or something?”

“No! I came back to you, didn’t I? I wanted you right after that-... I didn’t even stay with them to get a bath or-”

“Then what are you trying to hide from me? Every time I take my eyes off you- you go off doing something that I thought we already agreed on doing something together or-”

“I can’t tell you.” Aster hisses. “I told you, give me a bloody week. I'm trying. I suffer for years with you but you clearly can’t even take a single day? Gods, James, you're such a bloody-!”

“Papa’s helping me.” Aster’s mouth snaps shut fast. Quicker before he could say something he’d regret as he and James turns to face Elias who stood in the doorway between bedroom to hall.

“With what?” James spits a bit crueler than needed at Elias.

Aster shakes his head. “You don’t need to do it this way, Elias.”

Elias steps forward into the bedroom, closing the door behind himself.

Elias flattens his lips into a thin smile as he faces James in particular. His hands run down his sides stressfully as he makes a tiny noise, no coherent words said.

Impatient, James only crosses his arms over his chest. “What was that?”

Elias made himself smaller, if that was even possible as he stares down at the ground. A deep breath was inhaled.

“Papa was showing me the box… cause… I… tested positive for…” Then Elias falls quiet yet again. James glances over to Aster, which he took a step back.

“For?” James pushes, not easing up on his stance as Aster sits himself on the bed with no where else to go.

Elias wasn’t able to produce the words. Instead he makes a gesture with a single hand of a large bump over his flat stomach with his face a dark shade of pink.

James stares at him for a good long minute. A minute turns into two and James’ hands move from being crossed over his chest to resting on his hips.

“You’re pregnant?”

Elias nods.

“But… you’ve been home all summer. Who-? How?” James questions him confused. “Is Brett around? Is he- has he been over at the McKinnons this summer?”

Elias shakes his head. “No. He’s back in Westminster.”

Aster sighs. “James, sometimes it’s better off not to ask these kind of questions.”

James shifts his body to look at Aster on the bed, then he looks back to Elias. “Was this- did someone take you by force, Elias?”

“What? No!”

“Then why can’t you tell me?” Elias remains quiet. James looks over to Aster. “Do you know whose it is?”

“It’s Elias’.” Aster answers in the best tone he could.

“I know that.” James lowly warns. “I meant the other-” Aster meets James’ brown eyes warningly. “Oh, you do? Why can’t I know? I'm his dad, I-”

“It’s Eli’s choice to tell who he wants to know. And if he doesn’t want you to know, the accept it.”

“I’m his dad.” James jabs a finger into his own chest. “I deserve to know.”

“You deserve to know up to a certain limit of what I want to share.” Elias defends himself. “If I had it my way, Papa wouldn’t know either. But he does and he’s the only person who will ever know. So just leave it, okay?”

James’ jawline tenses tightly as he stares between Aster and Elias.

Aster sighs from his spot on the bed. “The letter, James. I the one was writing earlier was to get him an appointment. Nothing’s been confirmed but… he’s gotten a positive home muggle test. I’m trying to get him in before Hogwarts to see if he’ll be… well, going or not for his sixth year.”

James studies Aster for a moment. “How long have you known?”

“Not long.” Aster shakes his head. “A day? Two, if you want to be exact, but I don’t think you can even count it as so yet. But Elias, on the other hand…”

“I lied to Papa a month ago.” Elias quietly informs his father. “Papa knew of the pregnancy ‘scare’,” Elias uses quotation marks with a blank face as he spoke. “When I had the first appointment at the witch doctor but I lied to him of the results.”

“Why?” James asks carefully.

Elias shrugs. “I needed to wait out a few weeks anyway. So… I pushed it. Waited and watched for any possible signs. I just… needed some time to think on everything on my own. Process things.”

“A whole month.” James breathes out. “Does that mean you know how- how long you might be?”

“Seven weeks. Unprotected sex can get you far.”

James chokes on air. Maybe his spit. “You had unprotected sex? What- what happened to all those condoms you had?”

“Didn’t have any on me and I was a completo idiota.” Elias’ Spanish accent comes out strong as he slaps his sides with a weak shrug. “Is that what you wanted to hear? That I slept with someone and maybe I did wanted them to come in me?”

“You what?” Aster heaves out with his eyes growing large. “I thought that it was an accident!”

“It was… it wasn’t? I… it was a spur of the moment thing.”

Aster narrows his eyes threateningly on his son. “What happened, Elias?”

A shrug. Elias avoids their eyes. “I was on top, we were outside. Didn’t want to get off cause we were surrounded by... mud, so I didn’t and… well, I’m sure you can picture the rest. As I said, it was a spur of the moment sort of thing.”

Aster groans, face palming himself. “Des enfants idiots. J’ai des enfants idiots. N’apprennent-ils rien?”

Elias frowns at Aster, but even he couldn’t bring himself to talk to defend himself.

“Well…” James clicks his tongue looking upset. “Under the circumstances," James exhales deeply. "I’m glad you told me.”

“I told you because Papa doesn’t deserve to be snapped at by you trying to protect me.” Elias snips at his Dad glaring, which James shrinks at. “As for protecting me, I think it’s only fair I protect him back regardless of whom it’s from. That’s what family’s all about, isn’t it?”

James clears his throat with a nod. “Yes. I suppose so.”

Elias nods. “Well then, I’ll be in my room now. Good evening.”

James quickly closes the door behind Elias and stares at Aster.

“He’s pregnant? Who’s the other-?”

“Don’t even go there on trying to ask me when he's not around.” Aster shakes his head. “If he wants to tell you, he’ll tell you himself.”

James groans. “Why can’t I know?”

Aster shrugs. “Ask him.”

“But he’s been home all summer. Who could it possibly be?” He whines, falling backwards on the bed and nearly hitting Aster in the process.

Aster rolls his eyes, getting up and grabbing the letter. “I’ll let you worry your pretty little head over that. I have a letter to send.”

James’ frowns at Aster as he leaves the room. Aster doesn’t stray away from James long, having a feeling that he should return to James.

James hardly moved an inch from where Aster had left him. Laying on the bed on his back quietly in deep thought, hands tucked under his and staring up at the slightly faded charm ceiling that’d look brighter if the lights were off.

Aster quietly turns off the lights and joins James, both laying vertical on their bed with their feet hanging off. Aster tucks himself into James’ side, head resting on his chest and staring up at the fake stars and the moon that’d be displayed tonight.

“You’d think with all the years we’ve had this on our ceiling, we’d know our constellations better?” Aster quietly questions James, not knowing where to even spot out the big dipper.

James untucks one arm from under his head. Slight adjusting the two of them, he lifts his hand and points at a random star. “That cluster of stars is the Milky Way.”

So, not a certain star but an area.

“We can’t see the Regulus star, cause it’s blocked out by the sun this time of year. And Sirius doesn’t come out in the winter.”

Aster lifts himself up, hovering over James with an confused look. “When did you get so smart with astronomy?”

James shrugs a bit. “I remember some facts when I took the class with Sirius and Remus. But don't ask me where exactly Regulus is.”

Aster laughs softly, dropping his head again. “You never told me that.”

“If we tell each other everything, too soon, we’d get bored of each other. I don't want to be a boring husband.”

“What else don’t I know about you?” Aster ponders out loud.

“Sometimes… I feel like a shit son to my parents and a shit father to my kids.” James thinks out loud with a deep exhale. “But right now, I wonder if we’re doing good as parents. If… we’re doing okay?”

“We are. No one’s dead yet... Is it worse if no one's dead or if they're pro-creating life?” Aster questions out loud to himself.

James tucks his arm back under his head. “That’s not what I mean.”

“Is it ‘cause of Elias?”

“And Harry. And us. A bad cycle we’re bringing, don’t you think?”

“We do our best to lecture them and expose them to having safe sex, James. We can’t be there when it happens, and we can’t hover them forever.”

“I know that but…” James sighs. “We agreed when our oldest three were only tots that we’d expose them to a world of what sex is, not to shy them away from that. I mean, most kids Aurora and Nyx’s age wouldn’t even know where babies come from.”

“And most kids would freak out when they get their first period and think they’re dying. I like to think our kids are well educated in health.”

“We still have six more kids to raise, Aster.” James breathes out. “Four kids and two of four… I mean, I’m not liking our odds.”

“Would you rather put Elias out on the street?”

James shifts, pushing Aster off him and now hovering over him. “No. Why’d you think that?”

“Kids make mistakes. Teens also make mistakes. Elias made a mistake. Bottom line, we too made a mistake and your mum didn’t put either of us out on the street. Why should we do that to our own kids? We have the resources to support Elias. I- I get your point, maybe we should reduce exposure of sex some on the kids. But… I don’t see how that’ll change anything. They’ll get curious. They’ll want to touch. They will touch themselves, touch others, do shit that we may will or not know of. Things will happen. Elias did take precaution of taking Plan B but-”

“It failed, obviously.”

“It did, because he didn’t know of what blood status he is, and that’s the truth. We don't know his biological parents, who they are and what their own statuses are. Elias could be a pureblood or even a half. But apparently muggle Plan Bs is crap the more pure blood you are. Not even I knew that until I saw the witch doctor. I don’t practice in that field of healing but if I knew that, I would’ve made sure the kids knew that myself.”

“Really?”

Aster gestures to James’ shock self. “See? He did take the safe precaution and it failed on him. At least he tried. That’s what counts. That's what counts to me.”

“But you heard him, he made that guy — whoever it is, come in him, like they didn’t even try. That wasn’t being safe.”

Aster rolls his eyes. “Picture this. What I imagine that he was on top in whatever position they were in, the guy,” Owen, Aster doesn’t dare to name. “-was seconds away from coming and they were outside, from what Elias told me. It was either be thrown off and into the dirt, grin and bear it, or by chance, Elias was too distracted himself to think.”

James groans, laying himself back on the bed. “And why can’t I know who was the partner? It’s got to be someone who lives around here, right?”

“Or someone whose got a car and their drivers.” James groans louder. Aster pats James’ chest, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Just think on it James. I’m sure it’ll come to you sooner or later with that big Bambi brain of yours.”

"It's Prongs." James compains yet again.

Chapter 38: August 31st, 2006

August 31st, 2006

 

Elias didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.

He told Aster that at the appointment and he kept stern on his word, asking Aster to invite close immediate family over for a large dinner where he’d tell everyone that he isn’t going back to Hogwarts and why and that’s that.

If only it was that easy as Elias hoped for.

Aster sacrificed his spot at head of the table to sit at the breakfast bar where he held his slightly month old grandbabies each in one arm with the large twelve-seater table full to the brim with extra chairs shoved at the table.

Fleamont was over, as well as Teddy and even Pansy who’s been an exceptionally well mother along with Elianna to their handsome son, Atticus Marco. While Teddy and Harry ended up with yet, another brilliantly beautiful daughter, Fawn Blu, named after James and Aster in their own weird way that Aster wasn’t going to judge.

Deep down, Aster slightly wished that he wouldn't be named after anymore by any of his kids. He wanted his family members to earn their own names as their own. But he wasnt' going to be rude, so he grinned and simply admired Fawn instead.

It was safe to say, when Remus and Sirius popped out of the fireplace in accusal to Aster and James of hosting a dinner party without them, Elias’ nerves were through the roof as he looked to Aster for help with panicked eyes.

Honesty all Aster could think of was that Elias was lucky that the Potter genes didn’t run through his veins and that there was a single baby growing in him when surrounded by twins and a set of triplets brothers.

“So, why isn’t Reggie and King here?” Sirius questions with a plate full as they park themself next to Aster at the breakfast bar and swooping Fawn out of his arms.

“Reasons of why you and Remus weren’t suppose to be here.” Aster remarks. “Along with Pansy and Teddy when I stated Harry and Ellie only, with no kids.” He holds up Atticus for example.

Sirius hums, rocking Fawn and he picks up his fork. “What kind of reasons?”

Aster shrugs. He shouldn’t be surprised if Elias ended up backing out of his supposedly small announcement as he watches his son pick at his plate, pushing his food around more than eating. Aster had learned Elias was often feeling queasy during meals, but never gotten to the point of vomiting yet which explained his quietness over the past few weeks.

Sirius follows his eyeline of view, now both siblings watching Elias. “Elias doing okay? He looks a bit pale, doesn’t he? I she sick?”

“A bit.” Aster nods. “He’s nervous.”

“Why?”

Aster doesn’t answer, looking down to Atticus and fixing at his pacifier that was nearly ready to be spit out of his mouth. After that, Aster adjusts the baby to be slightly sitting up in his lap with support to the neck and head.

Sirius leans closer, taking Aster’s silence as a sign for something. “Is he in trouble?”

“Something among the lines,” Aster murmurs under his breath. “I’m giving him until the first person here tries to leave.”

Sirius furrows his eyebrows as Elias lifts his eyes. Light hazel eyes darting over the large table nervously yet again where loud chatter and laughter went around. Elias looks at each person, each sibling and family member before landing on Aster last. Aster nods just the slightest bit for encouragement, Elias looks away from him.

“What’s going on?”

“Wait.” Aster mutters to Sirius. “You're suppose to find out later.”

“Later?”

“Later as in a few days from today: later.” Aster sighs. “There’s too many people here. He’s procrastinating.”

“What did Elias do?” Sirius pushes him again as Aster watches Elias set his fork down with a sudden look washing over his face as he grows another shade paler.

“He’s been sick today.” Aster answers straightforwardly, sliding off the stool and quickly passing Atticus to Sirius. “Take him.”

Aster’s up before Elias. He’s making his way subtly to the hall where nearest bathroom was and lingers in the hall for less than a minute before Elias was rushing by him. Not running but speed walking with a hand over his mouth.

He wasn’t fast enough to make it to the toilet, emptying his dinner in the sink as Aster walks into the bathroom and closes the door behind them with a hand easily rubbing Elias’ back to ease him through the vomiting and brushing back his hair to stay out of his face.

“I thought I had time,” Elias groans keeping his face hovering above the sink. He gags but nothing comes out. “To make it to the toilet.”

“It’s fine. I can vanish it.” Aster tells him, hand easing up on the rubbing but still on his back. “You okay?”

“My ribs hurt.”

“Probably vomited too hard.” Aster thinly smiles using his other hand and brushing back Elias’ bangs behind his ear. “I suppose now I should teach you the tea that your abuela taught me.”

“But I hate tea.” Elias grumbles easing himself up from his slightly bent over position. Aster pulls out his wand from his holster on his hip and vanishes the vomit to prevent clogging the sink. Elias runs the tap, rinsing his mouth out.

“You got to tell them, Eli.” Aster quietly tells him. “Auncle Sirius is already suspicious. I won’t be surprise when we go out they’ll be holding Dad under interrogation. Dad can only be quiet for so long with them.”

Elias spits before standing. “But they just keep on adding.”

“I know. I didn’t invite everyone and no one listened to my invitations obviously. But I promise once everything’s out in the open, it’s less scarier than it seems.”

“Is that what you did?”

“Well, I told everyone in smaller groups, multiple times. You were the one who wanted to do the one and done thing. Probably the biggest group I did my first pregnancy announcement when I was your age was with Uncle Regulus, Uncle Evan, and Zio Barty. Auntie Pandora already knew by then.”

Elias frowns at Aster. “I should’ve did what you did.”

“Maybe so. But we’re here now.”

“That we are.” He folds his arms over his chest. “Don’t people usually wait until the second trimester or something?”

“You can’t go to Hogwarts, Elias. It’s not safe for you to be there for a long period of time with the charms there is in the castle walls. I’ve already sent out a letter to Headmistress McGonagall to go over this with you when classes start. That alone will raise suspiciousness with everyone when you don’t get on the train tomorrow.”

The reminder is what Elias seemed to need as he gives Aster a shaky nod with a deep inhale. Elias turns to leave the bathroom, but Aster catches him by the shoulder.

“Hey,” Aster sets a hand on Elias’ shoulder. “Remember, this family is the least of it’s kind to judge you. Think of me and Dad. There’s Harry and Teddy. The worse that’ll happen is someone’s going to crack a shitty joke that no one laughs to, ‘kay?”

“It’s not my age I’m afraid of being looked at.”

“What is?”

“I’m making the choice of doing this alone.” Elias reminds him. “I know who the other father is. I can tell them, but I’m not gonna. I won’t. But there's no one else in this family is raising a child on their own. And there’s me. The black sheep of the family already and… I’m only just starting to get back into some’s good graces after what happened with you over the hols.”

Aster drops his hand. “You know what I think?”

“What?” Elias’ voice was full of defeat. "What can you possibily be thinking of now?"

“You’re brave.” Aster quietly tells him. “More so than all of the Gryffindors sitting in my dining room right now. You’re smart. Far more than I ever could be when I was your age. And there’s that loyalty in you, a bit of cunningness that you’d only find in a Slytherin.”

Elias softly laughs. “I’m a Hufflepuff, Papa.”

“Exactly. And this… all this. This is exactly why you’re proven to be a Hufflepuff.” Aster carefully tells him. “You’re so kind; you’re sacrificing your own future, your own life to raise a baby all on your own in trade to not bring Owen down with you. Something that I will never understand. That’s some damn dedication you’ve got cause I cracked within’ a few-” Aster lets out a soft laugh at himself.

“I didn’t want to tell your dad, but I did. If I never did, though, I wouldn’t know the man I am today if it wasn’t for him and I certainlly wouldn't have my family, or all my kids without him. And certainlly not you.”

Aster scoops up Elias’ face into his hands.

“I am so very proud of you, Elias. No matter how much I may not like your decisions, you make those choices in the thought of to make others happier than yourself. And that's so very selfless of you. Don’t change who you are for someone lower than. Hell, don’t do things just to make me and Dad proud. Do things because you want to, yeah? Do things for Elias.”

Elias cracks a smile at him, he nods with Aster holding his cheeks. Aster brings his head towards him and presses a kiss to his forehead where Elias doesn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around Aster, hugging him tightly.

“I love you, Papa.” Elias muffles out loud into his chest.

Aster squeezes him tightly, pressing another kiss to the side of his head. “Je t’aime aussi, mon fils.”

Elias pulls away with a deep breath. “I got this.”

“You got this.” Aster encourages him with a nod. “You got this.”

“I got this.” Elias repeats yanking open the bathroom door and leaving head first with bravery and determination. Aster follows him out and they both rejoin everyone in the dining room, where dessert has been served without them. Aster retakes his seat next to Sirius, where the two babies were now being held evenly by Sirius and Remus who crowded the breakfast bar together.

“Everything okay?” Sirius asks Aster which he nods in response as Elias stands between James and Harry.

“Everyone, can I have your attention?” Elias calls out making everyone slowly fall quiet, dozens of eyes on him. “Um…” Elias looks around the room anxiously. “I have news.”

“What kind of news?” Teddy questions relaxed as he leans back in his seat, two spots away from where Elais stood.

“Good or bad?” Elianna questions down the table.

“Uh-”

“Ooh!” Persephone perks up looking excited. “Are you and Owen dating?!”

Elias looked at his younger siblings alarmed. “What? No! I haven’t talked to him since he left!”

“Why would they? They’ve been at each other’s throats all summer.” Aasil points out from across her, which Persephone sticks her tongue out at her brother.

“Yeah. Don’t touch my stuff!” Rigile mocks Elias in a fake voice.

“I’m bet I’m better than you on the guitar.” Nico joins in teasing Elias.

“You’re so annoying. I can think of better ways to shut you up.” Aasil’s last comment in a falsely high pitch that leaves Elias turning pink and blinking at his brothers with a slightly dropped jaw.

Teddy snorts a laugh as Harry full on laughs out loud while Pansy and Elianna snickers lowly with Fleamont on the other end of the table, Pansy whispering something into Elianna’s ears making her cover her mouth with a snorting laugh pushing through her nose.

“I- I do not sound like that.” Elias stutters over pointing warningly at his brothers.

“He’s not denying it though.” Nyx side comments before taking a bite out of his creme brulee, one of the options that James made for dessert as a rare treat along sided with a two different pies.

“Kids,” Aster warns them in hope it’d be enough to hold them off for a little while longer to let Elias say what needed to be said. “Enough. Elias, you were saying?”

“Right…” Elias mutters with a now pink face, eyes looking around the room trying to focus on anything other than the family.

“I fucked up. I went to a healer with Papa yesterday and…”

Elias takes a deep breath. “I’m going to need a drumroll, please.”

That puts a smile on the younger ones faces. All the kids start to pat on their laps unrhythmically with laughter as Elias smiles softly, finding the balls to spit it out in him.

The adults looked at one another amused. Aster spots Teddy grabbing Harry’s hand and Harry tugging at Teddy’s hand to place a kiss on the back.

“I’m pregnant.”

Sirius nods slowly. Half the table was hardly phased. “Well, not the total worse thing I could hear.”

“True. He could’ve been dying.” Teddy agrees with his Pa.

“We should start a list of teen pregnancies in this family.” Harry comments with a shrug leaning back in his seat. “Just a thought.”

“I wouldn’t be the first, or the youngest. Neither Elias.” Aster informs Harry. “Would you believe Uncle Cygnus, Narcissa’s father, had Bellatrix when he was fourteen?”

“Really?” Both Teddy and Harry looked amazed at that.

“Then he had all three cousins by the time he was like, twenty-one. It gets worse the more you look up the Black family tree, believe me.” Sirius adds in to Aster's comment.

Aster could see the tension in Elias’ shoulders start to ease out as he sends Aster a smile.

“Wait! Does that make me an aunt?” Aurora questions.

“Yes.” Elias answers her with a soft laugh, slipping back into his seat where his dinner plate had been cleared up.

“I thought we’d be cousins?” Nico dumbly questions with his eyebrows furrowed.

“You’re the uncle to Harry and Ellie’s kids. And eventually Elias’ too, Nico.” James chuckles as he points that out.

Nico leans down on the table to look at James better. “Then what does that make Leala and Aria to me? Aren't we cousins?”

Nyx facepalms himself, elbows on the table and he digs into his creme brulee with a shake of his head. “What’s next, you asking us if you’re the aunt or the uncle?”

There was that pause from Nico as he twists his head to look at Aster pointing at his chest. “Am I an aunt, Papa?”

“You do you, boo.” Sirius easily answers, making Aster facepalm with his youngest son.

Like father like son, they say.

Chapter 39: September 4th, 2006

September 4th, 2006

 

It was intresting to see Elias in study-mode for Hogwarts as he worked with Teddy who was one of his tutors who was to teach him from home along with Remus.

While Teddy was with Elias, Aster had Fawn in her bouncer seat asleep as he prepped for dinner with James. His youngest twins along with Harry and Teddy’s were outside playing with Harry as the designated adult.

“Alright, so I want you to practice with this beetle.” Teddy’s hands dipped into the small plastic carrying cage that contained a large flying elephant beetle. “Usually in class I’d let loose some cornish pixies for the hell of it but Uncle Aster won’t let me.”

“Damn right I won’t.” Aster grumbles chopping the carrot for the lamb stew James wanted to make for dinner. “This is my home. It’s not a bloody classroom. You’re lucky I’m even permitting a bloody bug in here.”

James lets out a wheezing laugh from somewhere behind him as Elias readies his wand. The beetle is released and with a lazy wave, hardly much of an effort put into the spell, the speed of the beetle mid-air slows down by a lot. The flutter of the wings were hardly heard and Aster ponders on how the beetle managed to stay in the air when it’s wings were practically stilled, hardly moving.

“Brillant as always.” Teddy compliments Elias with a crooked grin. “I’ll never get over the fact your wand work is astounding. You hardly ever need a second demonstration. I bet you could get away without a first one, too.”

“Ancient magic gives me a boost in natural wand work.” Elias shrugs resting his cheek on fist as he leans on the table looking into the book he and Teddy were reviewing. “Now if only it was the same for written work too.”

“With tutoring being three times a week for only a few hours, believe me, you’ll start to read willingly out of your school books.” Aster easily tells him sliding the chopped pieces of carrots into the bowl beside him. “Chores will only get you so far while being home from Hogwarts.”

“Until the baby comes.” Elias murmurs flipping the page and pushing the book away to move onto transfiguration. “Then I’ll be plenty busy and distracted.”

“Newborns sleep, eat, and shit until safe to say until the second to third month. You got some time until summer, my safest bet.” Teddy reassures Elias. “I would be more worried about your NEWTs for next year than this year exams. When are you due again?”

“April.” Elias sighs boredly. “The start of. Until then, there’s literally nothing to do here.”

“Find something to do.”

“Like what?” Elias lifts his head annoyed at Teddy.

“You’re still working on your drivers, I know you’re not old enough just yet but what about a job?”

“I had a muggle job when I was pregnant with Harry and Ellie. That’s how I met Maggie and got closer to Salem.”

“Too close,” James mutters under his breath grabbing the bowl of chopped veggies from Aster as soon as Aster was done with the peppers.

“Uncle Jamie’s jealous.” Teddy announces looking entirely bemused as he leans back in his seat. “Never thought I’d live to see the day.”

“Dad’s jealous plenty.” Elias rolls his eyes. “You just don’t look careful enough. What do I need to work on and focus on when you leave, until I see Uncle Remus? My weak points in writing? I'm never able to ask with a full class around, and now that we've got one-on-one...?”

“Well, there’s your essays that can do good with some…” Teddy hums and they got back to work, heads together and murmuring a bit quieter.

James used the moment to wrap his arms around Aster, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “It’s not just me, is it?” He quietly whispers to him.

“Elias being studious over something than music notes?”

A puff of a laugh, James nuzzles his nose into the crook of Aster’s neck. “Exactly. Remus and Teddy’s lucky to see this side of him.”

“Eh.” Aster turns around, placing his hands around James’ neck and lacing his fingers together, slightly toying with the curls that grew there.

He misses James’ long hair when he grew it out. With both hair cut just above his jawline and beard still growing out again from James’ sudden summer shave, Aster was in deep misery with the lack of visual hair.

James sends off a crooked smile. “What?”

“I miss your beard.” Aster doesn’t lie. “You shouldn’t have shaved it. I nearly cried when I saw you. I wanted to die.”

James leans down, pressing Aster’s hip into the counter and kissing him. It was soft and not rushed. They had no where to be. Nothing to do with their workday done and dinner mostly already set on the stove.

James pushes Aster a bit more into the counter, biting onto his lip and his hips push into his with a soft moan being pushed into Aster’s mouth as his tongue licks into him. Aster’s hands creep down his chest, gripping at James’ side, tugging at his old tee shirt of ABBA that was probably as old as their oldest kids.

James pulls off Aster’s mouth, quickly dipping down to his neck and brushing back some of his hair back gently before kissing across his skin. Hips pushing more, grinding into Aster. Aster could slightly start to feel James losing it.

“James- fuck,” Aster quietly moans out with his eyes threatening to flutter close with James gripping at his sides tightly and teeth grazing across his skin sucking away as soon as he reaches his collarbone, probably sucking hard enough to leave a mark where it was low enough for Aster to hide.

Aster attempts to pat James’ side a bit to get his attention. “Not here, mon amour. Not...”

James lets out a quiet growl, biting down and pulling out the soften moan Aster tries to hold back with his lip tucked into his mouth. Aster feels James’ teeth sinking in a bit more deeper, testing him and he knew it as Aster slips his hands under James’ shirt a bit and vice versa.

Aster’ breath hitches when James keeps his teeth in him just a bit more to test the waters of how far Aster would let him go, tongue sticking out a bit to lick between the crack of canines and a leg pushing between Aster’s. His hands guide Aster to grind down on his thigh, and Aster can’t help but lessen his fight against his husband.

Eyes fluttering close with the thought at the farthest point in the back of his mind that his son and nephew were fifteen feet away at the dining table and seconds away from possibly catching them at anytime they'd lift their heads.

The thought of being caught made Aster’s hips move more willingly with James’ hands, grinding down harder on James' thigh.

“—Which one of you fuckers thought you could host an important family dinner party and not invite me without suffering the severe consequences?!”

James’ teeth come down with a sharp impale as they were both startled.

“OW!”

Aster pushes James away, hand slapping over a throbbing mark that was made into his skin. “You bit me!”

“Crouch scared me!” James accuses pointing in a direction somewhere behind Aster with the sharpest points of his canines teeth coated in a thin later of blood. Aster draws back his hand, seeing droplets of blood on it. He’s quickly tugging down his shirt to get a look at the mark himself. “You bit me! I’m bleeding!”

“What the fuck were you doing in the kitchen!? We eat in there!” Elias screams at them in disgust.

“Nothing!” James attempts to defend them, hands held up for everyone to see. “Believe me, we’ve done way worse before with preferably no one around. This was by far nothing!”

Aster scoffs at James touching the bite mark on his neck certainly remembering who was the one who kept going at it and who tried to stop things.

“Bloody disgusting. Honestly.” Elias mutters with the shake of his head, tutting at his fathers like he was the adult in the situation when he's the one pregnant and stuck at home.

“Why wasn’t I invited to family dinner before everyone went off to Hogwarts!?” Barty screams at the top of his lungs joining in the screaming like it was his paying job.

“‘Cause I didn’t want you there.” Elias heaves out looking seconds away from shouting.

“Why not!?”

“You don’t talk to me!” A slam of his school book closing. “You never open my letters anymore! I don’t doubt for a second you even read them, or Uncle Evan when I send him letters!” Elias accuses Barty as he stands up from the table and grabbing his school book. “You didn’t deserve to be there! Unlike everyone else, invited or not.”

“I’m your Zio, Elias, I’m family-!” Barty takes a warning step forward.

“No.” It was a jab. “You’re not! Not to me. Certainly not right now. Family doesn’t do that. Pushing them out and embracing them in when you feel like it. You- You can be pissed at me for a while, then you forgive me or at least try to move on. It’s been months. It’s September for crying out loud. Nine whole months and nothing.” Elias spits at Barty. “I needed you and you weren’t there when I needed you. I was all alone and I made a bloody mistake that I've owned up to! And to be my so-called family that you claim to be, doesn’t do that.”

Barty falls quiet as Elias walks by him, straight down the hall into the library. Aster ignores Barty’s eyes when he looks over to him, instead touches his new wound on his collarbone and glares at James. “You drew blood. I hope you’re happy.”

“I’m not. Very unsatisfied right now.” James grumbles going back to the stew to tend to it.

“Good.” Now he turns to Barty. “And you! Why the fuck do you think you can just floo in and scare everyone and start screaming at people like that? You can do that with me but not my kids!”

Barty crosses his arms over his chest. “I found out from Reg who found out from Big Black that apparently there was a family dinner that neither Reg or Evan and I were invited to.”

“Techinally, Sirius, Remus, Teddy, and Pansy weren’t invited either. Along with their own kids. But everyone kept coming and popping up like this whole manor is their business. It was up to Elias to keep them around or not, obviously.”

“You could’ve sent me a patronus.”

“It was Elias’ dinner. Not ours. He didn't ask for you to be there, he made it very clear just now that he didn't want you or Evan there.” Aster repeats the obvious.

Barty frowns. “Why is he here? Isn’t he suppose to be at Hogwarts? It's the fourth.”

Aster shrugs. “I don’t think that’s for us to tell you if you’re going to keep being a stone-cold bitch to him. He's just a teenager.”

“He nearly killed you.”

“And?” Aster deadpans at him. “I highly think that’s mainly between me and him. If there’s going to be a long held grudge between anyone in this family against Elias over me nearly dying, it’s going to be me and only me. And I’ve longed moved on from it. I think you should too, Bee.”

Aster brushes by Barty, following Elias’ footsteps going to the library. Elias was tucked away at the desk, book open once again and nose deep as he took notes with a new piece of paper and pen.

“Need help?” Aster asks leaning over Elias’ shoulder a bit to see what he was working on. Transfiguration. He regrets offering that ounce of help. He'd probably make his own son fail.

“Why can’t my studies just be entirely wand work?” Elias mutters under his breath. “I’d be done with my seventh year lessons by January if it wasn’t for these crappy essays and paperwork.”

“You were always terrible at written work.” Aster quietly comments pulling over a chair from the second desk in the library. “Even in muggle school, always more excited over projects than essays.”

“Were you any good?”

“Um… kinda? I mean, you’re lucky to have Uncle Remus and Teddy to be your tutors than Miss Figg.” Elias huffs under his breath.

Elias’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he lifts his head to Elias. “Who?”

“This old squib woman abuela and abuelo wanted me to work with as a tutor. She used to babysit your dad when he was little. She was a good woman.”

“I’m hearing a ‘but’ coming along.”

“But she’s a squib and couldn't even use a wand, let alone teach proper magic.” Aster softly laughs. “I was on my own more than not. I was asking Dad to help me when he had the time, Auncle Sirius, Uncle Regulus… Uncle Remus… anyone, honestly. Even had abuelo help me on my potions. So don’t be surprise if he’s sending Dad down there while you’re brewing something.”

“Dad? Why?”

“Dad’s just awful when you’re brewing.” Aster sends off a soft smile. “He knows just the right buttons to push. He knows how to annoy you to get distracted of brewing. It’s extremely bothersome, but it pays off in the long run depending what job you want in the future.”

Elias falls quiet, eyes drifting back on his school book. “I don’t think I want to work in the magic world, Papa.” A deep exhale. "I hate magic. All it's done has brought me pain and destruction."

Aster doesn't take his words to heart, not taking it personally.

“What do you want to work as?”

“All I know what I want to do is pursue in something regarding to the music industry. But I know that’s hard. More tough than what you did, going to the Riddle industry because there’s less people wanting to pursue music in the Wizarding world.”

“Yeah.” Aster nods. “It’s easier in the wizarding world, but the population and crowd is far smaller. Muggles, however… I can only imagine it’d be far more tough than what I had it. And I was stressed as it was needing to turn in four songs a year and trying to focus on my own family.”

Elias swallows thickly. “Do you think I could do it?”

“Do what?”

“Be successful?”

“In music?”

“Yeah.” His voice is breathless. “I want to be like you, just without the quitting after a decade or two. The… I want to make it my life. My whole life.”

“I think so.” Aster nods. “You got the talent. Just… brush up on your charisma. Meet the right people. You got to start at the bottom, but you’ll get there. I believe in you.”

Aster wasn’t expecting it when his breath was hit out of him as Elias tackles him into a tight hug, still holding his pen in his hand. “Thank you.” Elias breathes into his ear.

“You got this, Elias. You’ve always had.” Aster rubs his back encouragingly as he returns the hug. “One day, you’ll make me proud and be on that huge stage.. that… I forgot what it’s called but I’ll be there listening and I’ll be with Dad. I’ll be with your siblings or- or your child and we’ll all be cheering you on. I promise.”

Elias lets out a soft laugh. “You mean Wembley stadium?”

“Yeah, that. Wherever it is.”

Elias pulls back, a soft smile was on his lips. “They’re building a new stadium to be opened next year. Ninety thousand seats. Imagine that.”

“Each one of them will be filled. I just know it. A sold out show. Everyone there paying just to see you.”

Elias falls quiet, licking his lips as he looks back to his school book. “What’s wrong?”

A tiny shrug. “Just shit that Owen said. That’s all. It’s nothing.”

“Nothing that’s clearly bothering you.” Aster quietly points out. “What’d he say?”

“Nothing you haven’t heard of. How he’s better at playing than me or I’d end up in dive bars than… anywhere else and how that I'll deserve it.”

“Ignore him.”

“It’s kinda hard when he says that but when it’s just us, he says how much he loves my accent, how I can change it around. How it’s perfect for some songs.” Elias breathes out. “He tells me how he loves certain things about me when it’s just us… then it’s a flick of a switch like pure hatred of everything he nitpicks and hates about me when everyone’s around.” Elias' face morphs into a scowl. "He's so confusing."

“You know what I think?”

“What?”

“I think he’s just scared. And he’s a bloody big coward.”

Elias looked very hesitate. “Why’s that?”

“He’s clearly miserable with Rachel to the point where he’s willing to cheat on her with you, but he won’t break up with her. And he’s a coward because you’re as boy as they come, and he refuses to accept that side of himself. That means he’s holding back a lot. And he’s afraid. Of what, I don’t know. But those are his own choices, and he’s going to grow up possibly lonely even though he’s surrounded, he’s going to grow up as a miserable and bitter old man. And there’s you.”

“Me?”

“You’re going to have his kid, his first born, and you’re going to be the happiest and most successful that he wished he could be, Eli. And he’s going to regret tossing you to the side. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but one day he will. I can feel it. I know it.”

“I hope he suffers as much as I am.” Elias confesses quietly.

Aster softly smiles. “Auntie Pandora always said to treat people with kindness, no matter if they deserve it or not today. Cause karma’s a bitch, and it’ll get back to you one way or another. Regardless how, or when. I won’t say I hope he suffers as you are now, because this isn’t permeant. But I know one day, he’ll get what’s coming. And then, only then, I can hope maybe then, it's a permeant misery. Cause misery loves company, Elias. But don't make him your company.”

“Spoken like a true Ravenclaw.” Elias quietly mumbles, turning back to his work as Aster lifts his eyes to see Barty creeping through the bookcases quiet and cautiously. Aster doesn’t dare to speak or point out Barty, but his eyes meet Barty’s and he gives him a curt nod, getting up with a gentle pat on the shoulder to Elias.

“I’m going to go see if Dad needs any more help with dinner.”

“Please don’t.” Elias begs making him softly laugh. “Help Harry outside instead. Also if Teddy’s still out there, ask him to come here. I don't want to go out if Zio Barty's still out there.”

Aster ruffles his hair, he was quickly batted away. “Alright. You know where to find us.”

Passing Barty, he mutters under his breath only for him to hear. “Don’t fuck it up.”

With that, Aster went to his bedroom to tend to the slightly bloody bite mark that was already purpling across his pale skin.

Chapter 40: September 14th, 2006

September 14th, 2006

 

“Guess what I did?” James asks Aster rocking on his heels excitedly closing the door of the small mudroom for some hopeful privacy to separate them from their three kids that were all over the house given it was the weekend.

Aster was bent over, stuffing wet clothes in the dryer as the washer started to run it’s cycle. James’ eyes were glued on his arse, his excited mind turning a bit distracted for a moment. “What, James?”

This year, unlike last year where Aster had forgot and gotten sick quickly after, he and James planned for a quiet night in (if possible) and gotten themselves a small French apple cake which was being kept in the fridge under a charm to keep the kids hands off.

“I convinced Elias to watch Nyx and Aurora tonight, so we are going out.”

Aster stands up, twists the buttons to the dryer and the machine roars to life as he feels James’ hands snake around his waist just as he turns around to face him. “Going out where? We hardly go out unless it’s for food or necessities.”

“That’s the fun part.” James grins at him, leaning down to kiss him quickly. “It’s been ages since we’ve been on a," Intro the jazz hands. "Date.”

“Ages as in years.” Aster points out. “Unless we’re going to count the ones the kids set up on the Quidditch pitch on the triplets birthday- wait, how did convince Elias to watch Nyx and Rora?”

James grimaces a bit. “I traded in on our cake.”

Aster’s mouth drops and he hits James on the arm repeatively. “James! I was actually looking forward to that cake!”

“So was Elias! And to be fair, you were looking forward to the specially requested candied sour apples on the cake. Not the cake itself.”

“And? Same thing.” Aster pouts which James attempts to kiss off.

James leans back, the pout was turning into a scowl. He dips back into Aster, and nibbling on his bottom lip before trailing off onto his jawline.

“I’ll make tonight fun.” James promises kissing across his neck. “I made reservations, love.”

“Where at?” Aster asks with a sigh, neck opening up some to give James more access as the dryer and washer start to hit against one another with a bit more force behind him.

“That fancy French restaurant you’ve pointed out a while ago. The new one.”

“The one with white curtains and a golden looking chandelier that we pass when we go grocery shopping?”

“Uh-huh.” James nods into his neck, teeth grazing his neck before James grabs thighs and hoists him up onto the warm, rumbling dryer.

It was an intresting sensation to sit on. With jogger pants and thin underwear on, the vibrations going off under him and the heat with James on his neck made things… intresting.

“Oh, putain,” Aster curses under his breath, spreading his legs more and tilting his hips forward a bit testingly. James took that as an invitation to go between his legs, capturing his lips back into a heating heavy kiss that Aster moans into entirely clueless of what the vibrations from the machine was doing to Aster as he sat on it.

With the warmth of the machine, the vibrations, James between his legs and large hands on his thighs just squeezing him as Aster keeps his hips tilted forward and slightly rocking back and forth, his moans become more frequent and slightly more bitten and blocked out as James moves back to his neck.

“Shh,” James purrs into his neck. “I’m hardly doing anything and you’re being too noisy. Can’t have the kids catch us.”

There wasn’t a clock in the mud room. Just the washer, dryer, a small shelf that contained hair stuff and some random hooks if anything needed to be hung to dry than in the dryer.

Being on the dryer, Aster quickly lost all sense of time of how long he was on it. He hasn’t used a vibrator in so long, not even a sex toy with time being so limited between him and James usually.

Aster could feel his insides tensing up. The familiar feeling of what James’ hands and mouth usually would bring him, being brought on by a dryer of all things.

His underwear was quickly becoming wet, he was twitching and his insides were tightening up, threatening to come as James licks over his neck, seeming to have no intention of actually doing anything more than Aster’s neck.

“Mon soleil- Jamie-… Putain…” Aster’s eyes roll as his hips push forward the last time, pressing his clothed pulsing clit into the machine and letting himself go.

His legs quickly try to close around James’ hips and his arms grab at James holding him close, his underwear is soaked as he moans far too loud dropping his head into the crook of James’ neck trying to muffle his noises.

“Are you-?”

“Fuck-! Fuck-! Fuck-!” Aster clings onto James, legs shaking as he can’t get himself off the dryer. He’s pushing James forward, unwrapping his legs from around him in desperate need trying to get off the dryer with a hand quickly trying to push himself up and off a bit to get some pressure off from where he sat. “Move!”

There was that relief when Aster slides off the dryer, hands gripping on James’ shirt tightly for balance as his legs were as shaky as a newborn’s deer. He swallows a deep breath and releases a shocked laugh with his forehead dropping onto James’ chest.

“Did you just come?” James asks, mouth next to his ear. Aster nods, feeling his clit pulsing thobbingly between his legs and a sticky wet mess in his underwear. “How?”

“T-the dryer.” Aster’s voice cracks embarrassing him as if his face wasn’t flushed red from coming already. He feels James’ knuckles run across the side of his cheek. “You’re so warm. You’re red in the face.”

“No shit.” Aster grumbles, face going into full hiding. “That took me out of surprise.”

“Me too.” James chuckles softly, his chest rumbling with Aster still hiding away. “Something new we learned. I should do this every morning.”

“Fuck off.” Aster grumbles with no bite in his words. “Now I’ve got to change my underwear.”

“Not everyday I get you to come without even a hand or toy in your pants.” James cockily tells him. Aster scoffs, gently hitting him. “Don’t take the credit. The dryer did all the work. Now hold me for a minute or two...”

James laughs softly and readjusts his arms to wrap around Aster more snugly. Aster hums very pleased at James as his clit throbbed happily with the space between his legs damp. “What else did you have planned for us today?”

“I was also thinking…” James’ hands move around his back slipping under his shirt and tracking his skin. “Maybe, I could bring you to that muggle shop you never want to go into?”

“Which one? There’s plenty I never go into.”

“The sex shop. Pick out something new to try with me for tonight?”

Aster blinks very dazed in James’ arms. “Wasn’t the dryer new?”

James laughs heavily. “The dryer’s old, love. I think Mum’s had it for ages before we even moved in.”

“It was certainly new around my bits when it made me come moments ago.”

“I’m sure Mum will be pleased to hear that when you tell her of this new discovery one day in the future if she's not witnessing it now.”

Aster lets out a low growl which James found entirely amusing as they hear a loud thump and a slam of a door. Aster sighs before gently peeling himself off James. “I suppose we have to tend to that.”

“Which kid do you think it was?”

“Elias. Bathroom door is the closest to this room. Chances are, he’s hurling again. I'm surprised he doing this as late into the first trimester compared to myself.”

“What about the tea Mum taught you? Didn’t Teddy drink that when he was pregnant? And didn’t you teach Ellie to give to Pansy?”

Aster shakes his head, grabbing the basket of clean clothes to take with him. “He refuses to try. You know he likes coffee over tea but even then, he doesn't drink coffee that much.”

“And the anti-nausea potions?”

“He can’t rely on them, I'm not bothering to give him a single one.” James opens the door for Aster and they both leave the mud room. “They could have long side effects on him and the baby if he takes more than a couple per week let alone a month. Elias just has to push through this like any other witch who has morning sickness.”

“Remember when you were pregnant with Harry and Ellie?”

Aster makes a face to James as he leans on the wall beside the bathroom door where they both could hear Elias from the inside. “Ugh, don’t remind me of that. That was awful.”

Aster balances the basket on his stomach and one hand, then he causally knocks on the bathroom door. “You okay in there, Elias? Need me or Dad in?”

“Go away!” Elias groans from inside.

Aster glances at James with a shrug. He re-grabs the laundry basket with both hands and they head into the living room. Aster plops the basket on the couch from behind, with all intentions of making a quick run up to his bedroom to change his underwear the very least.

“How long is Elias going to be sick?” Aurora asks, lazily laying on the couch spread out with Nyx and playing with her pink DS, Nyx was on his white one.

“Who knows.” Aster easily answers. “James, mind starting sorting the laundry. You can pick out first film.”

“Yes!” James excitedly bounces to the rack of the dvds to pick out Mean Girls as Aster heads up stairs.

That is what their Saturday afternoon looked like.

At least until five and dinner was cooked for the kids and Elias had another round so-called ‘morning’ sickness when James was cooking.

Instead of taking the van, Aster and James apparate straight to the restaurant for dinner.

“When is Elias due again?”

“April fifth. He’s got an appointment coming up in a few days. It’s a bit intresting being there. It's far different from me the first time with Harry and Ellie, then there's Barty and Teddy I can compare to as well for first times.”

James chuckles lowly as he picks up his flute champagne glass and taking a sip of his white wine.

The restaurant was fancy. Something that James and Aster hardly ever experienced for themself before and it was safe to say with them both sitting in their neatest casual-fancy wear, they were still feeling a bit out of sort.

Aster was having a hard time eating his food. Between the touching of the sauce and visable heavy spices on his starter dish of duck confit that he ordered and ended up putting to the side to bring home before the main dish came out, being in the restaurant was a heavy reminder of why he didn’t like going to fancy places such as even though the food reminded him of home.

The food can remind him of home, but without him eating it.

“We can leave, you know. Pay and bring this stuff home.” James quietly whispers to him from across the table as he picks at his main dish of Coq au Vin. James was only halfway into his own and leaving made Aster feel guilty.

“You’re still eating.”

“I’m getting full.” James brushes it off.

“But you ordered the tarte tatin.” Aster frowns at the dessert James did get, requesting it to come out when they were done with their main courses.

“We can ask for some boxes and a bag take them home. I’m sure the kids will eat them if we don’t.”

Despite James’ comforting words, Aster frowns and leans his head on his hand with an apologetic sigh. “I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

“This-… you got us a table here and I’ve hardly had more than five bites off one plate that probably cost us more than a week’s worth of family dinner you could’ve cooked the same dish at home. We’re suppose to be having a nice time out. It’s our anniversary for Godric’s sake and I’m letting something as simple as food bother me right now.”

“Mi estrella, it’s fine.” James tells him taking his hand that rested on the table into his own. “There’s always a chance of this happening no matter what. It’s not like I don’t know about it. I signed up for it when I married you.”

Aster sends him a thin, more than forced smile. “I still feel bad we didn’t even get to dessert.”

“Which is why we got one more stop after this before we head home.”

Aster furrows his eyebrows in confusion. “We do?”

James softly laughs as he lifts his hand to flag down the server who’s been serving them. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten.”

“I think I did… unless you're lying and actually didn’t tell me?”

“I can’t say it in here. Too many people.” James shakes his head as the man comes over. “We’ll take the tarte tatin to go. And can we get a few boxes for all of this? And a bag to carry the boxes? Oh, and the check now. Thanks.”

“Merci.” Aster sends the man a thin smile as he brushes by them to grab the stuff James requested of, along with the check.

They pay fairly quickly and head out onto the sidewalk walking hand in hand with their opposite hands full of food and cane.

“So… where are we going?”

“Not too far.” James hums quietly as they walked under the streetlights. “Just another block from here. Then we can head to the next apparating point and go home and spend our planned night in.”

“And by that are we going to tell the kids we’re home or apparate straight in our bedroom?”

“I was thinking the latter sounded more intriguing, that way no one will knock on our door for a few more hours.”

Aster huffs a laugh as James guides him to a shop that had a bright pink neon sign of a woman’s body and head dipped back with long hair on display. Aster didn’t even need to get a look at the title before he’s yanking at James’ hand.

“No! Absolutely not. No, James, I’m not going in there.” Aster puts his foot down.

“Why not?”

“You know why.” He hisses lowly.

“You can stand in front of a bunch of eleven and twelve years old and teach them the basics of sex and a whole bunch of teenagers and lecture them of safe sex and pass out condoms and tiny packets of lube but you can’t go into a sex store?”

“Yes.” Aster nods furiously. “I know more about sex than immature teenagers and children. I’m far more superior than them in all aspects of life.”

“It’ll just be us and possibly a few more stray customers and the cashier, Aster. That's how it always is when I go in. We don’t even have to talk to anyone, let alone look at anyone in the eyes other than just a quick pay once we get something.”

“B-but…” Aster frowns deeply at James staring at the door of the shop. James leans closer to his ear. “I stopped by Regulus’ shop a few days ago when picking up your and Elias’ potions. I got myself one of his potions, if you’re in the mood to mix things up tonight.”

Aster’s breath catches as he nearly hits James’ nose from how fast he looks up. “You mean-”

“The one that gives me a cunt, yes.”

Aster licks his lips, now a bit more interested. “If we go in there, if at any time I say I want to leave. We’re leaving. No buts, ands, ors, or ifs. Deal?”

James beams at him, swooping down to kiss him before tugging him along once more.

The door rings when they enter, making Aster wince a bit as they enter. Many boxes and all the shelves in eye distance had all sorts of dildos from where he could see.

“You’ve been in here before?”

“Yeah. I actually want to show you something I saw last time. It’s not in the mag, which I couldn’t show you but I think it’d be really neat to try. Just- wait here.”

“No- James, don’t leave me-…” Aster groans as James hurries off leaving him alone in less than a minute being in the shop.

With the time and how late it was, there was hardly anyone in the shop as Aster slowly gains the confidence to creep around with his cane.

Going deeper into the shop, there’s sales going on for the vibrators.

There’s intresting shaped dildos of all shapes and sizes.

What catches Aster’s eye was something that he never seen before.

It was a box that advertised to contained three in it, a stroker. It looked like some sort of small pump from what Aster could tell, and there was a hole on the toy from what was on the box.

Without thinking, Aster picks up the box curiously to get more details. It worked like a cock sleeve, made for trans or binary people who experienced bottom growth like Aster himself.

In the box, with the three provided, each one held a different texture on the inside.

Aster could picture with a bit of lube that the toy would work well with himself as he starts looking across the shelf at similar models.

There were small ones, ones that sucked, one that vibrated, different kinds with different textures.

“There you are.” Aster lifts his head from the box he was reading hearing James. He turns around to have his eyes widen into the size of snitches at the toy in James’ hand.

“I asked for an example of the dildo that wasn’t in the box so I could show you and let you get the idea of the full length and size. What do you think?”

In James’ hands, yes Aster was using the plural for hands, was probably the largest dildo Aster’s ever laid eyes on. It could probably give Barty a run for his money if Aster was being honest.

“James, no way in hell that will ever fit in me. Or you for that matter.” Aster declares on the spot. “I’m not even going to consider on trying to put that in me.”

It was the size of his whole arm from wrist to shoulderblade. He swears it’s got two heads of a cockk instead of one like a normal dildo and it didn’t make sense at all with it’s vibrant blue and green swirling color mixed in with some black and white.

“It’s not just for you.” James laughs softly holding on both ends. “Two ends mean double the fun.”

Aster stares at him and the enormous dildo unwavering.

“Why do you think I got the potion for.” James’ voice lowers quietly. “You,” He lifts one end, then the other. “Me… I know how much you like to grind on me, and I thought when I saw this, what if we had something inside us while you did it? Hmm?”

Aster takes a very long time, staring at the set on display dildo just trying to wrap his mind around the fact that the whole thing doesn’t go inside him as whole.

“So… you’re saying I take that as deep as I can get it and… the other end goes in you?” James nods furiously. “But… how does that work? That doesn't make any sense.”

James looks back at the dildo, a curious purse of his lips as he examines it himself. “I guess we can find out, won’t we?”

“You sound very confident right around there.”

He rolls his eyes and nods over to the box in Aster’s hand. “What’s that?”

“Nothing for you.” Aster huffs out looking back to the box that was a vibrating stroker. He was considering of going back to the first box he picked up, the one with three options to try out and maybe get himself and James a new bottle of lube, even though they still had half a bottle at home, the warning sign on most boxes said that he should use water-based and he wasn’t sure what kind of lube they had at home.

“It’s a stroker, frrom what the labels says. Good for trans people — I mean, for people who have bottom growth. Kinda like a cock sleeve but smaller and more fitted. I think it’d works well with gender dysphoria. Gives a feel like we are able to use a cock sleeve in our own way.”

James lets out a curious hum, picking off the box that Aster was going to pick as he puts back the vibrating one. “Are you going to get one?”

“That one, actually. Three different kinds. I think like to give it a try.”

“Seems intresting.” James hums looking at the box before passing it over to Aster. “I’m going to go get the proper box for this one, and… is that it?”

“Lube.” Aster add. “Water base. You reckon they’ve got any intresting water-base lube? Or any type of lube in general?”

“I can ask?”

“No.” Aster firmly warns James going red in the face fast. “Don’t you dare talk to anyone, let alone a worker here. I’ll find it myself.”

James laughs at Aster’s pinking face and walks off and leaving him alone again.

It wasn’t hard for Aster to find the lube aisle. Bottles of bottles were lined up of all sorts of options. Aster got caught staring between different flavored kinds of lube to the expensive ‘tingly’ lube that had him both intrigued and nervous of what it mean of the tingles.

“Do you think we could get a vibrator?”

Aster drops the bottle of lube with a French curse off his lips as he spins to see James trying to juggle at least four different medimum size boxes in his arms.

“You’re acting like a kid in a bloody candy store. You’re forty-six years old, James. We’re not teenagers anymore.”

“Yeah but I won’t have a cock and I’ll be able to keep up with you longer tonight.” James points out. “And you never come in here with me. Ever. This is the first time I’m actually able to ask you for your opinion.” He excitedly exclaims having Aster hiss at him to quieten down.

“I may be a kid in a candy store,” James is grinning at him. “But you’re certainly an embarrassed pre-teen in an adult store.”

“I’m trying.” Aster grumbles picking up the lube he dropped. “Do you think the tingly weird lube is worth a shot at trying?”

“I’ve actually considered that. But you never came in here before for me to ask you.” Aster deadpans at him. “Yes or no, James?”

“Yes. I want to try it too.” Aster rolls his eyes, putting it on the box. “While you’re at it, can we get flavored lube?” James ponders. “Apple for you and…”

“Citrus for you? Orange-flavored?”

“Do they have that?” James questions.

“Um… let me see… lemon-grass… there’s tropical passion… grapefruit. Ah-ha, oranges.” Aster holds up a small bottle. “We don’t need too many bottles. Just-”

“Get a big one.” James swaps out the small one in Aster’s hand for large one. “Gods I can’t wait to suck you off with this.”

Aster blinks at James. “I feel like I should be scared.”

“You should be.” James answers grabbing an eight ounce bottle, then two eight ounces orange flavor bottles of lube to add with the small travel size fifteen mL apple flavor. “We should’ve gotten a basket.”

“You can put those vibrators away. We got enough at home.”

James groans. “What about the butt plug vibrator? We don’t have one of these.”

“Yeah but we got the-”

“Or- or we don’t got this shape prostate plug. This one vibrates. I bet you’d have plenty of fun with it.”

“But James-”

James suddenly lit up, spotting something from behind Aster. “Are those see-through?”

Aster pinches his face sighing as James rushes by him. He turns to see James examining glass dildos which sound very concerning to him.

“First time in here?” Aster flinches, bumping into the shelf beside him and knocking over a few small bottles of lube as he clings onto the boxes and chosen apple flavor bottle in hand as he faced a teenager looking just a bit older than Elias.

He had a smirk on his lips, looking ready to start laughing at him at any second. The vest he wore showed that he was a worker here. He nods over to the excited James. “Partner?”

“Husband. Unfortunately. Should've never said my 'I dos' with him if I knew I'd be in here of all places years later.” Aster mutters under his breath growing warm in the face and looking straight at the ground.

“Nothing to be ashamed of in here. We’re all after the same thing in the end. Enjoyment. Pleasure. Some fun.” He lists off casually. “Looking for anything in particular? I think I’ve seen him around before, but certainly not you.”

The guy’s eyes drift to his once upon a time black cane, now covered in stickers that Aster gave up on trying to peel off years ago. His light green eyes didn’t linger long on him, drifting back over to James. “I’m guessing husband finally lured you in?”

“I usually look at catalogs that he brings home from here.” Aster quietly confesses. “It’s ridiculous because he- well, I work at a…” He swallows thickly. “Private school, I’m a nurse and give our sex ed and health annually to the kids and teens there. I can deal with that but this is just…”

“It gets easier as it goes. The more you go into stores than avoiding them like this one, it’s different asking than already knowing. I get it.”

Aster lifts his eyes, narrowing on the boy. “How old are you?”

He shrugs. “Eighteen. You?”

Aster scowls with a scoff. “Forty-five.”

The teen didn't look to make fun of Aster as he merely nods.

“You gotta start somewhere.”

“I have my first kids when I was seventeen.” Aster snarks. “I like to think that I know plenty.”

“Kids? As in multiple?”

“Twins.”

“Well… you’re here, aren’t you? Good life, I imagine. Husband and all that. Kids any good?”

“The best.” A soft smile grows on his face. “Got grandkids too.”

“You didn’t fuck up your life?” Aster looks back at the man. He was looking at him curious, like he needed his own reassurance or advice.

“That man who’s acting like this place is a candy shop,” Aster points over at James. “Has been my husband since ‘79. All of my kids’ dad.”

“Lucky.”

It was a soft murmur, a soft glent in the stranger's eyes shining with a touch of jealousy.

“It wasn’t easy. It’s never easy, I can't say that.” Aster easily answers, leaning on the shelf carefully not to knock anything over. “I can never say that. Every relationship has it’s up and downs. But when you know they’re the one, that’s when you know you’ll fight for them. That’s when it truly counts. And times when you feel like giving up, just… don’t. Just keep going, even if you need to rest for a little bit. Resting is good, stopping entirely isn’t. Or it’s going to bite you in the arse. For the kid or the partner.”

The guy next to him nods.

“You got a kid?” Aster asks him.

“Yeah. My mum’s watching ‘em.”

“Partner around? The other parent?”

A soft shake of his head. “Just me and my mum. Rough times, just a few months ago when he were born. Only days old and she off’ed herself on drugs. Didn't want to take the responsibilities of a newborn, even if we weren't together but I was still there. Just me now, me and my mum.”

“Your mum’s a good woman.” Aster begins. “And you’re a good man for not giving up on your kid as young as you are. Don’t give up, even if this isn’t your dream job or where you want to be now. Think about where you want to be in… I don’t know. Five, ten years? Just keep pushing and aiming for that goal.”

James looks up from the pile of different type of glass dildos he was picking and poking at, examining each different one closely.

James meets Aster’s eyes. He beams a big smile at Aster, which Aster returns a softer and smaller one which was enough for him to be encouraged to go back to looking around.

“If it helps,” Aster starts to add. “My oldest son. Um, twins run in the family, big time. He got his- boyfriend knocked up. Trans, twins. My son is blind so it was a really big and hard adjustment on him. Accepting and coming around was probably the biggest thing on himself.”

“Really? Hard on you too, I bet.”

“He’s my baby. My first born.” Aster easily says. “If he was here, he’d probably kill me for saying that to you. But it’s true, and I changed so much in my life for him. Learned so much, did everything I could to work and adjust with him. To learn with him. The one thing they don’t teach you, when you’re becoming a parent is that you have to expect the unexpected. I was seventeen, thinking I just had the two most perfect and beautiful babies and there they were all wrapped up only to be told that one of them was blind and there’s nothing I could do to change that but to give him love and support.”

“Must’ve been hard.”

Aster nods. “You don’t know what you have until you think you've lost it. Or… I guess I hoped for and never had. But I’m happy now. Big family man. Amazing job. Fantastic husband. And I just got two new grandbabies with another one on the way.”

“Twins?”

“No,” Aster laughs. “It’s a funny story. My oldest, my oldest twins, they… their partners were weeks apart and one went overdue by two weeks. Both had one baby each but same birthday, hours apart.”

The guy laughs a bit. “You say oldest twins…?”

“Big family. I’m not lying. I'm half expecting by the time I'm dead I'll have twenty-something grandkids.”

“How many kids do you have?”

Aster flashes all his fingers, wiggling them with a mischievous smile. “One’s adopted, if you can’t believe it.”

“Bloody hell. And I’m driving my head off the roof over my son. And he’s not even crawling yet.”

“Try imaging back to back pregnancies, triplets, a single, the twins then adopting a four year old in the middle of that.”

“Damn. Age gap?”

“The triplets are twelve now, thirteen in February. Eleven months later my singleton came, she’s eleven now, birthday in November. Then my youngest, the twins, they’re ten. Only just about a year later, January. Just barely hitting the mark.”

“Ever heard of safe sex? Condoms?” The guy jokes, which Aster laughs with him as James wanders away and out of sight from them both.

“He had his bollocks snipped after the singleton. We were just… I guess you could call it blessed, with our twins. I can’t imagine my life without them. But after I had them, I’m done.” Aster nods gravely at him. "I got myself fixed. Been happy since then with the number."

“I can imagine.”

“That’s my life, pretty much.” Aster shrugs holding up the stuff in his hands. “These are just to spice things up in the bedroom once in a while when we're lucky to get some time to ourselves.”

“I’d say I’m surprised that people your age still get up to things like this but after starting working here a year ago,” The guy shakes his head. “I swear I’ve seen eighty year olds in here.”

Aster burst out in loud laughter. He quickly closes his mouth at his loud noise, biting on his lip to stifle his laughter. He takes another look over on the teen. His apperanced look decent from what Aster could see not spotting any tattoos on his arms or neck, but he did have some piercings on his ears and a black hoop through his nostril, otherwise, he seemed like a good kid.

“You’re eighteen, you had your kid same age or younger?”

“Younger. Just a month before I turned eighteen.” Aster nods slowly. “My son… um, I adopted him. Trans like me. And he got himself in a bit of a pickle.”

He’s snorted at.

“He’s pregnant.” That has the guy quietening up. “I don’t… he doesn’t… no one’s his age or… I just want him to have someone around close to his age than his younger siblings. My oldest are twenty-eight and twenty-six, he’s only sixteen, seventeen in November. He just... doesn't have any close friends or anyone to talk to. Do you…”

“You want to set up a playdate with me and your sixteen year old pregnant son?”

Aster grimaces. “Well when you say it like that…”

The guy laughs a bit. “Only if I can bring my son around. I don’t like my mum watching him all the time.”

Aster nods, a smile forms on his lip. “I don’t mind. I- I don’t care, honestly. I’m- Shit. I never gave you my name. I’m Aster Potter.”

“Casey. You can call me Cass, though. Not many friends stuck around after I became a dad, so… not many call me that anymore. But you can.”

“Aster! You won’t believe what they’ve got over here!” Aster flinches at James’ loud volume, probably coming from somewhere across the store.

Casey laughs at his flinch. “You sure are a jumpy fellow.”

He glares at the teenager.

Casey rolls his eyes, unbothered at the icy Black glare. Maybe Aster was loosing his touch. “I’ll give you my contact info up front when you check out.”

Chapter 41: October 2nd, 2006

October 2nd, 2006

 

Elias glared at Aster annoyed from the breakfast bar, hardly touching his lunch.

“Would you stop looking at me like that?”

“I can’t believe you set me up on a play date.” Elias spits at him. "I'm sixteen."

“It’s not a play date.” Aster grumbles knowing damn well that’s what Casey called it himself too. “I just thought it’d be nice for you to-”

“Make buddy-buddy with someone like you and Dad tried to do with Benjy and Tae?”

“They moved, that’s not my fault.”

“Tae was my only friend before Hogwarts and you know that, Papa.”

“Would you just give Casey a-”

The front door was knocked on in a shave and haircut rhythm. Aster points a warning finger at Elias. “Be nice. No magic talk. Don't forget he's a muggle.”

Elias rolls his eyes as Aster goes to open the door. Of all Saturdays that Casey was available, it had to be the one where Quidditch started up, leaving James having no choice but to hang out with Sirius at the cottage in Yorkshire until further notice given he couldn’t floo straight home with a muggle hanging around.

“Cass, hi. Hello. Come in. And who is this little sir?” Aster beams with a bit too much force seeing the light brown wavy hair of Casey as he held a tiny blonde little boy on his side who has matching green eyes that blinked tiredly and tucked hiddenly away under Casey’s chin. Casey had a diaper bag hanging off his shoulder on the other side from where he held onto his son.

“This is Brighton.” Casey gives the boy a bounce as they go by Aster, coming into the house. “Five months old. Starting to get around, scooting. Trying to get him to properly crawl.”

Casey looks around the kitchen as he steps around the kitchen. Elias eyes Brighton in Casye's arms with fast softening eyes. “Nice place you got here.”

“Inherited it from James’ parents.” Aster easily answers closing the door. “It was too big for them, plenty big for our family, so they moved into our old place. Swapped houses is the easiest answer to give.”

Elias sat at the breakfast bar, staring at Casey for a long moment. Or maybe it was the months old baby that Aster failed to mention Casey had. Casey’s smile softens when he spots Elias with ease. “You must be Elias.”

Elias nods slowly. “Yep. I’m he.”

A soft laugh comes from Casey. “I’m Casey, you can call me Cass, though. This is Brighton. Or Bright, that’s what my Mum and I call him.”

A tiny nod from Elias. Casey glances over to Aster. “Did you not tell him I was coming over?”

“I did.”

“He failed to mention that you were a…” Elias points at Brighton. “Baby.”

“Brighton.” Casey corrects, soft smile. “I’m his dad. I'm not the baby, he's the baby." Casey lightly jokes. "I heard you got yourself into a similar situation as myself.”

“I suppose.”

“You suppose?” There was an amused smile on his lips. “It’s a yes or a no. Last I’ve checked, there’s no in-between. Believe me, I’ve tried asking.”

Elias laughs softly, shaking his head tilting his face down a bit with pink cheeks. “Fine. Yes. Yes. Happy?”

“Much. Show me and Brighton around? This place seems huge. I need to decide the best room to do a nappy change. Need to know which room's best to let out Bright's stink bomb.”

“Any room other than mine will sufficient.” Elias jokes slipping out of his seat to show Casey around. "Maybe you should change him in my sisters' room. They've been quite picky on me lately."

Aster beams at himself, full of pride watching Elias chat among with Casey bringing him to the family room where he could change Brighton before showing him the rest of the house.

Aster slides over Elias’ half untouched plate and picks off a far off baby carrot, taking a loud crunching bite out of it as Nyx comes hobbling over to the breakfast bar with an old book and taking a seat.

“Why do you and Dad write in the books in the library?” Nyx questions Aster upon climbing up the stool.

“Which book is that?”

“Little Women.”

Aster smiles softly. Nyx had gotten his hands on his old and worn copy of one of his favourite books that he has so many quotes on his skin inked off of.

“It’s called annotating. It’s just something Dad and I did a lot when we were younger.”

“And now?”

“We got ten kids, don’t we?”

Nyx deadpans at him. “You can’t blame all your problems on us, Papa.”

“I can and I will.” Aster jokes leaning on the counter to slide over the book where Nyx had it opened. He makes sure to save Nyx’s spot in the book, scanning through the next few pages.

“Here, I have part of this quote tattooed on me in Dad’s handwriting in Spanish.” Aster clears his throat. “I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.”

Nyx lets out a tiny, curious hum as he takes back the book and reads over what Aster had pointed out. He was only a few pages behind from the quote.

“Do you have any more quotes tattooed from books?”

“Plenty.” Aster easily answers. “I had Dad write them all for me. Haven’t you noticed.”

“Don't care enough.” Nyx shrugs flipping back to his original page. “What other book do you have on you?”

“Most are from Little Women. But I’ve also got this one,” Aster points on his upper arm. “Jane Eyre. Even for me life had its gleams of sunshine.”

“Do you have any tattoos that are not quotes, Papa?” Nyx asks, not looking away from the book.

“Um, I got these letters. On my hand. For the family. Dad, me, Harry, Ellie, Azura, Elias, Rigile, Aasil, Nico, Aurora, and you. The first letters of our first name.”

“That’s all?” Nyx didn't look impressed with him.

Aster frowns. “It’s not much, I know. I’m just so boring, aren’t I?”

“Dad’s got pictures. They’re neater to look at.” Nyx judges Aster with James with heavy criticism over thier own preferred tattoos making Aster roll his eyes.

“Are you going to eat that?” Aster sighs quietly, pushing Elias’ plate over to Nyx before walking out of the kitchen.

He finds Elias and Casey in the family room, tummy time was happening as Brighton was scooting himself weakly with both teens attempting to encourage the baby with different type of rattling toys a few feet away from him. It looked to Aster that they both were in competitive mode, racing to see who Brighton would go to first of whichever toy they got in hand.

“No way Bright’d go to you. I’m his Dad, I’ve been changing his nappies since day one.” Casey rattles the toy. “Come to Daddy, Brighton.”

“And I’m a intresting new stranger who’s got one of his favourite toys he likes to dribble and drool on.” Elias jokes sticking his tongue out. “So I win.”

“No, you’ll win if Brighton goes to you. But he hasn't yet so I'm going to win.”

“Brighton, come to Eli. I got your rattley… circle thingy.”

“His teether ring.”

Elias looks down at his hand where the toy was being held. “What does that do?”

“He bites on it. Teeth coming in and all that, it relieves the pain a bit.”

“It does? Sounds dumb.”

Casey lets out a soft laugh. Not to make fun of Elias’ curiosity but simply amused given the amount of little siblings he had and had no clue of what it was. “Yeah.”

“Weird.” Elias mutters to himself before giving it another rattle to the baby. “How do biting things relieve your teeth from coming in? I remember my teeth falling out and not having the desire to bite on these things.”

“You’re asking the wrong guy, Eli. But I’ll make sure to make a note to ask Brighton’s doctor next time we see ‘em.”

Elias looks away from Casey suddenly when Casey winks at him, face looking pink as he shifts off from his knees onto his side on the floor. Getting closer to the ground seemed to give the baby the push he needed to rise off their stomach and onto his hands and knees taking a few steps forward and make their way to Elias to snatch up the teether ring.

Elias shouts in celebratory victory. Hands thrown up in the air as he laughs loudly while Brighton sticks the toy in his mouth to gnaw at. “Ha! In your face, Cass!”

With both teens laughing loudly and Brighton gurgling some random squeaky loud noises between them, this is what Aster liked seeing for Elias.

Unlike with Owen, it was always bickering. Always arguing. Fighting. The picking on.

Yeah, maybe there was that bit of slight hope at the start when there was that tension Aster and Salem sensed and hoped would get them together at the end of the day just to merge their families together but at the end of the day with the slap in the face of reality, it was more than very likely only sexual tension and nothing else.

Owen and Elias was more than toxic for each other. Bringing one another down, or at least Owen was for Elias.

There was that joy and excitement Elias held in his eyes as he boops the squealing loud baby on the nose while Casey slides over the diaper bag to himself, ruffling through to grab whatever it is he needed to pull out.

Even if Casey and Elias don’t end up together, Aster could only hope for the two to become good friends.

“What are you staring at, Papa?” Elias questions Aster, pulling him out of his mind. Aster shakes his head, sending off a light-hearted smile.

“Nothing, just thinking of how you’re going to look in thirty-odd weeks.” He can't help but tease a bit.

Elias lets out a low growl as Aster leaves them be with a loud cackle, hearing the baby boy in the family room laughing with him along with Casey.

Chapter 42: October 12th, 2006

October 12th, 2006

 

Aster’s alarm went off half hour after James’.

It took him an extra fifteen minutes to coax himself out of bed but he did it by doing the math in his head of pushing the laundry for when he got home and he could only hope that James had already started with breakfast as he got Nyx and Aurora up, making sure they had their uniforms to get dressed in and freshened up as he heads downstairs entirely shirtless in nothing but his boxers with his wand tucked in his hair that was half up in a clip.

He’s moving through the ground floor of the manor with his eyes mostly closed. Drifting around like a ghost with his hands ahead of himself as he wonders into the kitchen easily finding James and wrapping his arms around James’s waist and pressing his chest up against his back.

“Bonjour, mon soleil.” Aster mumbles quietly, snuggling into James. James’ back muscles flexed as he fixes whatever was being cooked in the pan.

“Are you French? Is that where your accent comes from? You don’t sound entirely English.”

Aster flinches with a fair amount of curses coming out of his mouth as he pushing himself more into James to go into hiding as James laughs heavily as he cooked the bacon on the stove.

“Fucking hell- Casey what are you still doing here?” Aster grumbles. “It’s six in the bloody morning.”

“Feeding time.” Casey lifts his arms to show the bottle being sucked away on by Brighton. “It was late, Elias let us crash last night. I don’t work until later today in the afternoon. He was kind enough to pull out a pack and play for Brighton to use... So are you French?”

“Yes.” Aster grumbles hiding in James’ warmth. “Where did you crash?”

“Couch. Plenty of space. Where else would Brighton and I go?”

“We have a guest room, you know?” James points out. "Proper bed and private space to sleep and all that."

Casey’s face darkens. “That bloody little wanker. He didn’t tell me nothing.”

“Well. Did he give you blankets and a pillow at least?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s his way of showing his affection.” Aster sighs. “Believe me, it could've been worse.”

“How worse?”

“Elias can have a mischievous streak when he wants to. You sleeping on the couch was for shits and giggles for sure for him last night.” Aster sighs pressing his face back into James’ back and breathing in deeply with a tiny hum. “I got to do Aurora’s hair. Ugh.”

“Could be worse. Could be Azura’s.”

“Azura?”

“Our second oldest daughter.” James answers as Aster groans loudly, lets Aster cling to his back for a little while longer, starting up the eggs as the bacon was moved onto a plate not to burn.

“Elias has six younger siblings but there’s only two here and he’s the fourth oldest? Where is everyone?”

“Private boarding school. It’s in Scotland. It’s very unheard of.” Aster mumbles into James' back. “You can be enrolled starting when you’re eleven. Aurora and Nyx are going next year.”

“And Elias didn’t go cause he’s-?”

“Pregnant? Yes. Same thing happened to me. It’s a very high strung place. He's not exactly kicked out but he's finishing his education here.”

“I meant to ask religious? You guys don’t seem to be the type.”

“Nah.” James answers as Aster shakes his head remaining quiet in James’ back.

Casey tilt his head a bit at Aster, looking amused. “Not a morning person?”

Aster lets out a few inaudible grumbles. “—you are an annoying morning person.”

“Dad!? Is breakfast ready yet!?” Aurora comes banging down the steps with a birdnest on top of her head. Nyx was quietly coming down behind her, eyes half open and his short curls equally a mess on one side of his head and flat on the other. Unlike Aurora who goes into the kitchen, Nyx pops himself on a chair at the table and thumps his head flat into his arms using them as pillows and drifting right back to sleep.

Casey lets out an amused snort between the two twins siblings differences as Aurora pester James to see what was being made.

“Is Elias getting up?”

Aurora sneers at Casey’s question. “Do you have a death wish?”

“Um… no?”

“Then don’t wake him up if you want to see another morning.” Aurora says as if it was that simple.

“How does he get up for school then?”

James chuckles. “Hours from now. Classes at Hogwarts don’t start until nine and he never took the school bus. Aster and I took him to school in the morning. We only decided to start using the bus when we realized it gave us more time to get ready for work.”

“You guys got work today?”

“Yes.” Aster groans like a protesting child, peeling himself off James slowly. “As much as a I hate the timing, I hardly ever take off for myself since I started working there when I was in… I was eighteen? Nineteen?”

“I think so.” James nods in confirmation when Aster walks away to grab the hair stuff from the mud room.

“You have a large stick in your hair, by the way. I thought you should know.” Casey calls out to him. Aster doesn’t even reply, hands wandering up to his hair and feeling his wand sticking out. He doesn’t think twice, yanking it out before he’s even in the mud room and setting it on the shelf where he usually puts the brush and rubber bands so he wouldn’t forget it.

When Aster gets the kids on the bus and Casey was still around, things started to become a bit concerning.

“We can’t leave if he’s still around, James.” Aster complains lacing his hair with some potions to get that volumed bounce. “And there’s no other way to get to Hogwarts other than the floo. He’s a muggle.”

“I know, I know. But what do you want me to do? He’s Elias’ guest.”

“Any time on the weekend, honestly.” Aster groans casting a drying charm over his hair. “Elias couldn’t wait until the bloody weekend?”

“Cass did say it was late… and driving tired with a baby in the back seat isn’t exactly the best state you’d want to drive in…” James attempts as Aster glares at him. James shuts up quickly as Aster tugs on the last bit of his white and blue robes with a long sigh.

“Guess I’ll go wake up the beast and have him hold Casey in his room for a few minutes so we can sneak out.”

“Alright. Get me when we’re ready to go.”

Aster had no clue where Casey manged to wander off with Brighton, but he could only imagine it was somewhere still downstairs as he knocks on Elias’ bedroom door softly knowing he wasn’t awake and peeks into the room rather surprised at the sight he was looking at.

The curtains were pulled apart, letting the morning sunrise in when it was usually closed until ten the latest.

Casey was on the bed, propped up with his ankled crossed casually and leaning on his arm and smiling softly down at Elias with a bit of dark blonde hair twisting between his fingers as he tugs on it lightly while Brighton sat between himself and Elias who was curled up under his blankets and mountain of pillows — a collection much like Aster’s own — and Aster could hardly hear the tiny muffled soundless answers coming from Elias as Casey spoke softly to him.

“-Are you going to get up and say goodbye to us, E?”

“-Hmmph-.” It was muffled up as the lump on the bed shifts a bit. “Don’t call me that…” A few seconds of silence of quiet breathing. “Do I have to?”

“Bright and I would like that very much. I don’t know when we’ll be able to come by to see you again. Maybe Halloween, if we’re lucky to get away from my mum. It'd be Bright's first Halloween. I don't think she'd fancy him being here for the holiday awya from her.”

It was quiet for a moment. Aster swore Elias fell back to sleep. “…Need to get my drivers. Get out of this hellhole ‘ometime…”

“Another month to go til you’re seventeen. I can help you with it. Get some pratice driving in.” Casey quietly confirms, picking at the strain of Elias’ hair and starting to braid it messy and loose. “I’ve told my Mum a lot about you. All about the family. She’s been wanting to meet everyone... I think. It's always hard to read her. But I think she wants to meet you though, meet the guy who I’ve been wasting mine and Bright’s time with. Having us come down here.”

Elias shifts under the blankets. Aster could hardly spot his warm olive skin peeking out a bit as he sees the shine in Elias’ tired eyes blinking awake. Elias rubs his eyes a bit. “I’m awake.” Elias grumbles, voice laced with sleep still. “What’d you want?”

“Is this this big and bad scary beast I was warned about just an hour ago?”

Elias’ blanket is yanked over his head as Casey laughs softly, yanking the blanket back down and dropping the strain of hair entirely. “Hey, no, no, no. I was joking. Come on, I was only kidding. Your brother look far worse to be reckoned with than anyone in this house.”

“Actually that’s Dad.” Elias grumbles peeking out again. “He’s too much of a morning bird.”

“And who says I’m not hesitate to join him?”

Elias yanks up the blanket over his head once more, making Casey laugh loudly. Brighton lets out a loud happy and gleeful squeal with his dad with a bonus of clapping his hands and nearly toppling his small frame over as Casey tugs the duvet back down to peek Elias back out before uprighting his son back on the bed.

Aster opens the door more, feeling like he shouldn’t watch any more than he already has intruding on a private moment between son and friend. “Hey, um, Elias, Dad and I are heading out to work now.”

“Alright.” Elias grumbles snuggling into his pillow. Aster’s eyes drift over to Casey and sends off a soft smile with a tiny nod.

If he moves fast enough with James, they should be safe to escape without being caught.

“Assure-toi qu’il ne descende pas trop tôt. Papa et moi, on passe par la cheminée.”

Elias lets out a huff. “Combien de temps?”

Aster doesn’t miss the confused eyes from Casey as they talked in fast native French. “Distrayez-le au moins pendant dix minutes supplémentaires.”

“Bien.”

Aster sends off a final smile off to Casey. “It was good seeing you, Casey.”

“You too, Aster. Have a good day at work.”

A curt nod and Aster closes the door behind him with a soft click.

Chapter 43: October 31st, 2006

October 31st, 2006

 

Teddy stared at Casey, entirely judging him with Fawn on his hip dressed like a little deer for her first Halloween as Elias had Brighton in his own baby costume of a handmade stitched monkey that Casey declared his mum had made for her grandson while Casey was dressed up in a bright yellow suit.

It took Aster a long time to realize what they were dressed up as. The muggle book and cartoons, Curious George.

“Teddy, stop staring at Cass. You’re freaking him out. He's just a friend.” Elias grumbles hitting his cousin on the side, careful given the two babies in their arms.

Teddy ignores Elias entirely as his mouth opens.

“Where did Elias meet you again?”

“Uh… I actually met Aster first.” Casey mutters pointing over to Aster who dutifully ducks his head into hiding refusing to get involved in that conversation helping James set the final bowls of candy worth for the trick-or-treaters.

“You’re telling me that Uncle Aster, a forty-something year old man, hooked you up with Elias? I find that hard to believe.”

Casey lets out an awkwardly laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. “Elias and I are far from hooking up. We're just friends. I- I'm not like that. I mean I've got nothing against it. I'm just... I... I mean, you might find it harder to believe of where we met then. Aster and I, I mean.” Casey stumbles through looking and feeling very nervous. "...Aster and I met first..."

“Yeah? Where did you meet him?”

“A sex shop. I work there.” Teddy lets out choking gasp, a hand curls around protectively over his youngest daughter. “Uncle Aster was in a sex shop?”

“Please stop talking about this.” Aster begs them with a growing warm face.

“What else do you expect me to talk about!? I don’t know the bloke! I need to know if he's right for Elias!”

"We're not dating!" Elias snaps at his cousin.

“Uh-… Elias had his appointment the other day. Seventeen weeks. Elias, tell them how that went.” Aster attempts to change the topic stressfully.

“Nah. I’m rather interested in this certain topic now. You met Casey in a sex shop? Why were you in a sex shop? You and dad are old.”

“Oy!"

"To be fair, James was in there too. He was a bit too distracted though. Like a kid in a candy shop, Aster’s words, not mine.” Casey snickers lowly at himself. “Aster was the one flinching, dropping stuff, and jumping at every noise made his way.”

“Fuck off.”

Casey frowns, a hand covering one of Brighton’s ears. “Language. There’s babies around.”

“You can talk about a sex shop around Brighton but not cuss? Wait until you meet Harry then. He’s got the biggest potty mouth on him.” Aster threatens. “First words were all sorts of curses. Should’ve been in the restaurant that day, I swear, James was embarrassed. He was raised by a group of rowdy teenagers, just to warn ya.”

“I know that.” Casey rolls his eyes. “You were seventeen and nineteen when you guys had him.”

“No, no, no.” James shakes his head with a soft chuckle. “Our oldest three kids were raised by teenagers and young adults. Other than my parents, every one of us were teenagers. Us, his uncles, aunts. Everybody had no filter what so ever, up to this day. If you’re going to stick around, Brighton’s going to pick up a thing or two. You can’t stop or even control that.”

“No such thing as being a perfect parent.” Teddy simply tells Casey. “I got two older girls at home. You’re going to fuck up eventually. Own up to it, make up to your mistakes, and move on. Cussing, the least of your worries.”

“Teddy, are the girls coming over later?” Aster tugs at his hair in sudden subtle reminder that has Teddy’s mouth curving into an O.

“…I don’t know. I’m going to go give Harry a call now.” Teddy answers before making way to the landline phone in the house to give Harry a call. Probably to warn him that there’s a muggle in the house.

“Elias,” Aster moves the subject onto his son. “Are you going out with tots to trick or treat?”

“What am I? Seven?” Elias huffs crossing his arms over his chest.

He was wearing a baggy tee shirt, now not allowed to use any binders but being at home all the time he doesn’t use sport bras either unlike Aster who wore them for covering while pregnant.

“I’m going with Brighton. I saw a small town not far from here, probably will drive up and take his stroller.” Casey points out.

“Brighton can’t eat candy. He doesn't even have a single full tooth yet.” Elias states staring at Casey challenging. “We’d be better off staying here and handing out candy. Not receiving it.”

“Mum said just cause he can’t eat the candy, doesn’t mean I can’t.” Elias blinks at Casey's hard logic. “If you help me… I might let you in on some of the good stuff he gets.” There was that teasing tone in Casey’s voice.

Aster bit on his bottom lip, keeping himself from laughing out loud as Elias’ jaw tightens a bit before he rolls his eyes. “Fine. I’ll go. Just to keep you company and so you don’t go asking strangers for help to take your pictures.”

Casey lets out a little cheer, grabbing Brighton’s hand to celebrate with him. “Hear that, Bright? E’s coming with us. We’re going to get so many pictures of you for Grammy.”

“Don’t call me that.” Elias grumbles annoyed with himself for caving so fast as Casey passes over Brighton onto Elias’ lap where he sat on the couch and took a seat next to him, sitting a bit too close and tossing an arm over his shoulders carelessly.

Elias easily melts into Brighton like he used to when he was a little kid with his younger siblings. Playing around with his hands, dancing a bit, singing muggle songs softly and making both Brighton and Casey laugh.

Aster was a bit startled when James grabs his attention by swooping in snatching his sides and pressing a kiss to his cheek, forcing him to tear his eyes away from the teenagers to the dining table. “What?”

“You’re staring at them.” James whispers quietly at him, setting a green hat on Aster’s head that Aster had no intention of wearing. It was bad enough he was already stuffed in a green shirt and some overalls.

The least James could’ve done was let him be Mario.

Aster yanks it off his head and tosses it on the table with a glare at James.

“Put it on.” James huffs at Aster.

“No.”

“Aster. Please. It’s just for tonight.”

“No. We do this every other year. Read my lips. What do they spell? N. O. Nooo.”

“We’d be doing this every year if it wasn’t for your complaining.”

“It’s bad enough I’m dressed like bloody Luigi. We’re not even brothers, James. We’re husbands. One kiss in front of the wrong people and kids are going to be screaming their heads off accusing us of incest. Couple costume my arse!” He bickers with James like they do, every few years when James actually manages to get Aster into costume.

“You didn’t like the other costume I got upstairs. It was that one or this.” James pouts at him.

Aster groans. “Because that costume you got in my size is a pain to get on and off.”

“What’d you got to take it off for? Wait- who are you taking it off for?”

“Don’t get any smart ideas, it’s for when I got to piss. Plus I rather be the cowboy, James. Less shit that’s on me. Why’d I got to be Buzz the Space Ranger Toy?” Aster mocks making quotation marks with his hands of the title of the costume James got him.

James smiles soft and goofy at him. “I thought you’d look cute in it. Like you look cute now. Kinda like a farmer in the overalls. Farmer vibes.”

James leans down to kiss him. Aster turns his head, giving James the cheek. It doesn’t really stop him as James presses his lips down onto his jawline, teeth grazing and nibbling.

“Don’t be mad at me, love.” James lightly begs as Aster stands his ground scowling at him. “The costume makes you look cute.”

“I’m not cute. And I’m suppose to be a plumber.” Aster grumbles.

“Adorable, then.”

Aster reaches forward. He makes a fast jab to pinch James’ nipples and twisting them hard that has James laughing and howling in the inflicted pain. James grabs his wrists. Aster play fights with him, trying to grab his nipples again where James holds his wrists above his head before ducking and this time properly leaning down and kissing him.

“You’re also very sexy. The overall does things to your arse that no other man will do to, other than me. I’m a very luck man.”

“You’re an arse.” Aster grumbles tugging at his arms.

“Your loving arse.” James beams at him, sneaking in another kiss before letting him go with a soft laugh. Aster glares in time when James sneaks the green hat on his head that lasts three seconds on his head.

Aster stomps away, yanking the green hat with the L off his head and flopping it onto Elias’ head from behind the couch and heads upstairs. “I’m not wearing the bloody damn hat, James Fleamont Potter!”

“It’s just for tonight when we hand out the candy!” James cries chasing off after him, his own red hat on top of the mop of messy curls.

Casey chuckles, taking off the hat from Elias’ head before Elias could himself and setting it on Brighton’s light blonde hair. “Are they always like this on Halloween?”

“Every other year, give or take when Dad actually gets close to convincing Papa to try to use a costume. This time Dad actually manged to get Papa in his costume. But I would bet on it that he comes down back in his normal clothes.” Elias shrugs, fixing the hat to sit better on Brighton’s head where it was snatched off and drooled on as the baby chewed on the cap.

“Whenever Dad comes up with a couple costume, Papa hates it. He didn’t do this shit when he was a kid, unlike Dad who invests his whole life into every passing holiday, mainly Halloween and Christmas.”

“We wouldn’t be like that, would we?” Casey thinks out loud. “You’d dress up next year, right? Us and the kids? Maybe we could find something that’d work for all four of us, like me and Bright? Make the best of it before Brighton starts to pick out his own costumes.”

Elias stared at Brighton for a long moment in silence. His warm olive skin turning dark in the cheeks the more time passed by.

Casey softly chuckles at Elias, his knuckles on the oppsite side where his arm was over Elias' shoulder gently caresses his cheek feeling the warmth. “You okay there, Eli? You've gone warm on me. Are you getting sick?”

“Uh… y-yeah…” A tiny nod, Elias’ voice cracks slightly which only makes his face become warmer. “What- what did you mean by that?” Elias’ eyes drift over to Casey carefully, turning his head as Casey focuses on the televsion for a moment.

“Well, we’re going to know each other for a long time, aren’t we? I imagine when you have your- well, I don’t know if your having a girl or boy yet but Brighton will have a friend, and there’s us. We’re already becoming best mates, aren’t we? I feel like we are. It’d be neat if our kids were best mates too. Plus, I mean, I’m always here, well, I’m trying to be… it’s an hour drive but I’m always willing to make the sacrifice to see you as long as when you get your drivers you come and see me…”

Casey turns his head mid-rant to nearly hit his nose against Elias’ from how close they were sitting next to each other.

Casey’s arm still over Elias’ shoulders and Brighton on Elias’ lap with his little legs wiggling on Casey’s lap.

Elias’ breath hitches when Casey doesn’t pull away suddenly. The tip of their noses touching as Elias stares into Casey’s light green eyes. So light it was like looking at tiny stones of jade. The same eyes that Brighton had.

Lighter than Elias’ large eyes who had flecks of brown in them and the shade of dark green like olives. Casey leans in a bit closer, the light catching in Elias’ eyes making the brown sparkle like tiny droplets of honey.

Casey just wanted a closer look, biting his lip as Elias’ hands flexed around Brighton, itching to move to touch Casey instead as Elias licks his lips a bit tilting his head up getting a bit more closer-

“…why- why are you looking at me like that?”

Elias pulls back suddenly, a small shake of his head as he focuses back on Brighton who made the green hat naturally damp and soggy now and his voice ringing out in his head loudly reminding himself that Casey was straight. That he hasn't shown a single intrest in him, unlike Owen before in the past and took complete advantage of him all the time.

“No reason…" Elias croaks out. "Looks like Papa has a reason to get out of using the hat now.” Elias lightly comments weakly tugging at the hat that doesn’t come out of his stubborn tight grip.

Casey lets out a soft, awkward laugh, pulling his head up looking straight ahead as he clears his throat looking back to the running television that was hardly audible between James and Aster’s shouting from the floor above and Teddy on the phone in the hall a few feet away from them.

The green fabric of the hat has changed to an entirely different shade of darker green in Brighton’s mouth. “I’m sure he’ll be pleased.”

Elias nods, far quieter than he was a few minutes ago. “When are we heading out? Can’t go trick or treating with a sleeping baby.”

“We got some time from now. Brighton’s got to take a nap first soon. I’m off work tomorrow so if it gets late I can just crash in the guest room that I know about this time. My back thanks you lots.”

“Ha-ha.” Elias dryly laughs. “You’re very welcome.”

“So… thinking about names yet?” Casey asks casually, fingers twirling into Elias’ blonde hair where he can’t feel it.

Elias shrugs. “Names are hard.”

“Not really.”

Elias rolls his eyes. “Did you pick Brighton’s name? Or was that his… mum? I don’t know. I don’t think I ever really asked about his other parent.”

“My mum did, actually. I wanted her to. His actual mum was going to dip on us either way. And she did.” Casey wasn’t bothered as he answers Elias.

“Then you get no saying on saying it’s not hard, cause it is.” Elias huffs. “I gotta pick out a name that’ll I’ll be calling this kid for the rest of their life. It’s a big thing to think about. It’s no wonder Dad and Papa forgot to pick out names for Nyx and Aurora when they were born.”

Casey lets out a soft hum. “Do you know what you’re having?”

“No. I don’t know if I want to know. I was offered to find out but I turned it down… Maybe I’m not ready yet.”

“So you need to pick out two names, or are you thinking about something more neutral?”

Elias leans a bit onto Casey. Getting closer into his side and Casey simply readjust his arm around his shoulder, welcoming him in. “My Papa’s family is heavy with star and constellation names. I noticed that other than my cousin, just two of ‘em, none of us really got those names.”

“Like what? For example.”

“My Papa’s siblings… My uncle’s name is Regulus, and there’s Auncle Sirius. There’s cousin Draco and his son Scorpius. More cousins, Narcissa- actually I don’t think her name is a star or constellation now that I think of it but her sisters, Andromeda and Bellatrix.”

“Fancy names.”

Elias hums in affirmative with a nod. “My grandparents names are Walburga and Orion. There’s more up the family tree but I don’t know ‘em.”

“Both… constellations? Stars?”

“Papa’s a product from incest. I think he said they’re third cousins or something. Which I think technically makes him both cousin and a brother to his siblings.”

“Bloody weird and disgusting.”

“You’d be surprise. They’re not the only racking up and popping out little ones on the family tree from what I’ve heard.”

Casey groans in disgust. He shakes his head at Elias.

“Enough about them. What about you? I want to know what names are bouncing in your brain.”

“Well… If I was to go for something neutral… maybe… Vega?”

“That’s not too bad. It’s normal-sounding. Bit on the classy side.” Casey tries to help. “Like Brighton.”

“For boys, on the top of my mind, all the names start with A’s. Altas, Artemus, Apollo. Girls, Carina, Astra, Capella.”

“Capella.” Casey hums out loud looking at Elias. “I don’t know why but that one seems fitting for you.”

“I’m not looking for a name for me. I’m looking for a name for my child.”

“I know, I know. But you still can like it. What- Does Capella mean something? It reminds me of music. Or… I don’t know. I feel like I heard of it before.”

“It’s the goat-star, if I remember correctly. But… in Italian, I think it represents chapel. Um… cappella. It’s spelled differently. Vocal only music. No instruments, I believe.”

“And don’t you want to become a famous singer or something? I mean, I think it’s fitting.”

Elias lets out a soft hum, head falling on Casey’s shoulder as he maintains a firm hand on Brighton’s back to keep him steady.

Chapter 44: November 5th, 2006

November 5th, 2006

 

Elias sat on the couch with Aster studying his potion book as Aster was studying his own book.

“If I brew a memory potion correctly and took it while studying all this crap, what is the chances of me passing potions?” Elias wonders out loud making Aster snort.

“That’d be call cheating, papillon.”

Elias groans loudly, flipping backwards a page and rereading the memory potion he was suppose to study for Fleamont since it was his next brewing he was going to work on with his abuelo.

“Jobberknoll feathers… Stewed Mandrake… Powdered Sage…Galanthus Nivalis… Alihotsy… Peppermint… Eel eyes…” Elias chants the ingredients out loud before falling quiet again.

It was fairly quiet for Elias’ seventeenth birthday.

There was a small pile of presents left untouched on the coffee table that Elias was set to open later along with James out with Remus who took the van with Aurora and Nyx to pick up the birthday cake Aster put in order earlier in the week.

Elias told Aster and James he didn’t really want to do anything — probably much due to the pregnancy he was having, now eighteen weeks along and not wanting to do anything wild or rough— in other words, it was going to be a quiet night in for him and his family who still lived at home.

Just the people who lived in the Potter manor with Sirius and Remus who was staying for dinner and cake, and probably to sneak in a present in Elias’ small pile that he got through multiple borrowed school owls from Hogwarts from his siblings.

Aster and Elias’ silence was broken with a rapid tap on the door. Both lift their heads from their respected books and shared an equally confused look.

“Who’s that?”

“How am I suppose to know?” Elias scowls at Aster.

“It’s your birthday.”

“And? Just because it’s my birthday doesn’t mean I know every single person who comes up to the door today.” He grumbles as the door is knocked on again, the shave and haircut rhythm was made making Aster’s head perk up at the familiar sound. “Is Cass coming over today?”

“He said he was busy. Couldn’t come.”

The shave and haircut rhythm knocks on the door. A rhythm that Aster knew only one person has started to take habit of knocking on his front door with.

“Want to get that?” Aster asks, nodding towards the kitchen.

“I would but…” Elias lazily waves an arm. “I’m too pregnant and… the door is just so far away.”

“You hardly got a bump yet. Get up. Complain to me again when you’re in your eighth month and I’ll reconsider.” Aster grumbles at him, sending a soft kick to his legs where they shared the extra middle land of cushion space on the couch.

Elias rolls his eyes, closing his book and taking it with him as he heads through the kitchen to the front door. He slips his potion book on the nearby counter lazily where it slides back an inch on the smooth surface and yanks open the door.

“Cass?” He mentally curse at himself for how breathless he sounded saying his name seeing the guy standing huddled up in a thick jacket with his eight-month-old baby wrapped and bundled up in a blanket in his arms. In his hand was a large decorative bag of an obvious birthday present and a worn diaper bag. “W-what are you doing here? You said you couldn’t come cause of work.”

“I lied. Surprised? Happy birthday.” Casey flashes a smile at Elias. “Can we come in? It’s bloody freezing out here.” 

“Oh- y-yeah. Sorry.” Elias pushes open the door. “No one’s here but Papa and me. We’re not doing anything much today.”

“I see that. Not even a birthday banner’s up.” Casey causally mentions setting Brighton on the counter to sit and passes along the large bag. “Mum helped me with some quids. She said it was just better off putting everything in one bag. So it’s safe to say it's from all of us, Brighton picked something out too.”

“You didn’t have to get me anything.” Elias shakes his head taking the bag and feeling the heavy weight of it. “I haven’t even met your mum. Tell her thanks.”

“You haven’t even opened it yet.”

“And? I don’t need to open everything to already know that I’ll like it. It's from you and Brighton.” Elias doesn’t think on the comment as he sets it on the far counter and digging into the bag pulling out the first thing his hands touched.

“That’s from both mum and me. Her idea.” Elias flips through the empty photo book. “I noticed there’s a lot of pictures around here, she pointed that out when I described the place to her. I thought you might like to have something of your own, when the baby comes.”

Elias smiles softly, setting it beside the bag and blindly going back into the bag. The next thing he pulls out was a stuffed toy.

“From Brighton, I’m guessing?” Elias laughs softly as the boy makes grabby hands to the small elephant. He passes it over, letting him play with it. Casey frowns. “It was from him, but it was suppose to be for your baby when you have 'em.”

“I think it’ll be fine to let him play with it first.” Elias tells him. “Something to keep here. Sharing is caring and all that.”

He feels around from the outside, checking to see if there’s anything else in the bag. He finds something flat and rectangular left in it at the very bottom.

Elias could identify it was a jewelry box when he pulls it out. Black, sleek, a simple light blue ribbon tied around it making a bow on the front.

Carefully, Elias undo the ribbon, setting it aside and opens it.

It was a silver chain necklace, two stone charms sat on it.

“I know it’s a bit risky but I went ahead and got the month you were due and your own birthstone. They’re charms, so, in the future you could add to them if… I don’t know, you have more kids. Or… if you want to add a significant other. You seemed to be the kind to know your stones and November had a two to pick from and I wasn't sure so I did a bit of research into and-”

“Topaz and a diamond.” Elias mumbles under his breath staring at the expensive tiny stones. “Cass… This must’ve costed you-”

“Don’t worry about it.” Casey smiles softly. “When you mentioned your birthday two months ago and I had a bit of savings set to the side, I dipped into-”

“You shouldn’t have. You've got Brighton-”

“I wanted to.” Casey interrupts him. “If I didn’t, if I couldn’t, I wouldn’t. Believe me when I say that.”

Elias lifts his eyes, spotting his Papa watching them from the far distance with a sneaky smile on his lips as his blue eyes quickly darted back to his book in his hands.

“I… I don’t know what to say.” Elias ends up saying softly.

“Maybe you could stay with… ‘thank you, Cass’? Just to start out with, and maybe… treat me with some dinner of your Dad’s cooking? You must be having birthday dinner at least, right?”

“And cake.” Elias looks back at the necklace, carefully picking it up and out of the box.

“Dinner and cake. Brillant then. All paid back in debt for the gifts, I see.”

Elias smiles shyly at Casey, not entirley meeting his eyes as he feels the texture of the chain and charms.

“Mind putting this on me?” Elias asks in a shy voice, face warm and pink as he unclasps the chain and holds it up to Casey.

“Yeah, as long as you keep hold of Bright.”

Elias keeps the toddler entertained, getting goosebumps across his skin feeling Casey’s fingers dancing across his neck as he brushes his hair out of the way and clasps the necklace together.

Casey’s fingers move across Elias’ neck, feeling across his skin to his shoulder before he walks around to the side, fingers no longer on his neck but on Elias’ school book that sat on the counter. Casey flips it open curiously.

“Advance Potion-making? What kind of book is this? Step by step guide on how to brew… Amortentia? Felix Felicis? Polyjuice Potion? What kind of book is this?”

“Oh, uh… nothing.” Elias quickly slams the cover close, nearly taking Casey’s fingers with it as Casey had no time to pull back. “Just something I found in the library. I bet Nyx put it in there as a prank. He’s always in there, him and Papa. I bet this book was for Papa. I found it and thought it was... a new book to read until I actually opened it up. He got me, ha... ha-ha...” His false laughter was stilled off.

“You got a library here?”

“Yeah but, nothing’s important in there.” Elias plays it off with a smile, collecting Brighton off the counter. “I don’t even go in there to do my school work. I was just extra bored today and... You're here now with Brighton. Why don’t I… show you my room?”

Casey lifts an eyebrow. “Your room? What’s in your room?”

“I’ve been working on a song. Want to hear it?”

Elias' cheeks were pink to look at, warm to the touch.

“Hear you sing and play for me? Always.”

Elias grabs his potion book and as they pass Aster — who was spying on the whole thing — he quickly drops the book in Aster’s lap roughly before taking Casey up to his room with Brighton where he had the pack and play set up, ready to be carted around if needed.

Casey easily sets Brighton in the pack and play, letting him stay busy with the stuffed elephant and sets a small blanket over the rim if the toddler wanted it before taking a seat on Elias’ bed.

“So… song?”

“I’ve only just finished it. I think I got it down with the music. I… I started it when I was around-…” His hand wanders over to his stomach, feeling the butterfly feeling that he did question his Papa over once. It was normal, it was the baby.

“The other parent?” Casey eases into the topic lightly.

Elias sighs, sitting onto the bench to his piano. “He’s the son of Papa and Dad’s close friends. They don’t see each other often but they call each other weekly and happened to stay over the summer. And… he just gets on all my damn nerves but-”

“You thought fucking it out was the best way to go?”

“I think he did.” Elias quietly answers. “I… I was confused. When it was just us, he was… sweet. Charming… Funny… But then we argue and bicker and fight all the time. He's very negative to be around, at least for me.”

“Does he know? Did- is that why you’re on your own? Cause he left?”

Elias shakes his head. “He’s got a girlfriend and I… don’t want my kid to be around that sort of temper.”

Elias lets out a soft self deprecating laugh.

“It’s funny because I try telling myself I’m going to do this on my own to let him have his life. The girlfriend he cheated on with me. The- to graduate Uni and become that bloody fucking nurse he wants to become. I… I could tell him, but then I’m afraid he’d take it out on the baby.” Elias’ hands run over his stomach. “And they don’t deserve that. To be snapped at or argued with or any of that by their own parent. To have them pick at them and find what makes them the most vulnerable and use that against them…”

Casey nods quietly. Being the listening ear for Elias. Being the first person Elias truly shared the most inner and deepest fears and thoughts he had.

Elias doesn’t say anymore, picking up his guitar and fiddling with his notebook, opening it up to a page and letting it rest open on the piano’s stand. He begins quietly.

“You’ve got a hold of me. Don’t even know your power. I stand a hundred feet. But I fall when I’m around ya. Show me an open door. Then you go and slam it on me. I can’t take anymore, I’m saying, baby.”

Elias could feel Casey’s eyes on him as he played. He tried not to let it bother him as he flickers his eyes between notebook and once, to Casey and Brighton.

“Oh, please have mercy on me. Take it easy on my heart. Even though you don’t mean to hurt me. You keep tearing me apart. Would you please have mercy on me? I’m a puppet on your string. And even though you got good intentions. I need you to set me free. I’m begging you for mercy, mercy.”

Elias looks up to Casey, waiting for any feedback from him.

Casey doesn't give him feedback on his song.

“I think you’re brave, for doing this. Keeping your child safe. I know I would’ve done that the second I had the chance — the choice.” Casey quietly tells him. “You’re doing a lot of things right, not even a parent yourself just yet... but you're already a dad.”

“I’ve seen a lot of stuff go down between my dad and Papa. You watch, you learn.”

“I certainly didn’t.” Casey softly laughs at himself. “And my Mum was a single mum all my life. I never had a dad to look up to.”

Elias studies Casey for a lingering moment. He picks up his guitar and moves over to sit next to him. “I got a better song, if you want to hear one more. I finished this a week and so ago.”

Casey nods. “Lets hear it.”

Elias didn’t need his notebook for this one, strumming again.

“Untouchable like a distant diamond sky. I’m reaching out and I just can’t tell you why. I’m caught up in you. I’m caught up in you. Untouchable, burning brighter than the sun. And when you’re close, I feel like coming undone.”

He feels the brush of Casey’s shoulders against his own. The way their thighs touched and the cluelessness and innocence of Brighton playing quietly in the pack and play, always been the quietest and calmest baby from Casey’s claims.

Elias can only hope for his own to come out as good as Brighton. Maybe not perfectly like the boy, but special in their own way of goodness. He could only hope that nothing bad was inherited from the mean man who he doesn’t even want to think of anymore. Not when he had Casey right next to him, looking at him that way.

“In the middle of the night, we can form this dream. I wanna feel you by my side, standing next to me. You gotta come on, come on. Say that we’ll be together. Come on, come on. Little taste of heaven. I’m caught up in you.”

Elias doesn’t stop the last strum, letting it drag out as he looks up to Casey with slightly hopeful eyes, not realizing how close Casey was leaning into him already.

Their noses touch, just the slightest bit, brushing as Elias closes his eyes slowly. Carefully, hesitatingly as he leans forward to testingly touch their lips together the slightest bit.

It was all it took for Casey to lean forward just a bit more, leaning more into the kiss with a hand lifting to cup Elias’ face.

Casey makes the move on Elias first, mouth opening gliding his lips slowly that has Elias' lips curving up into a smile. Sucking on his lips that Elias never wants to pull away from as he moves his hand to hold onto Casey's wrist and shifts a bit to move his leg only for his guitar to go crashing to the floor loudly, falling off his lap and making it starting for not only him and Casey but for Brighton too. Crying in the pack and play.

It starts with the wide-eye and adoring shifting to mortified look Casey stared at Elias, breathing heavily. Then his hand is being pulled back from Elias’ face like he was suddenly burned and he’s jumping up off the bed and moving to the pack and play quickly bending down into it and tugs the blanket from Brighton, setting it over the side of the pack and play.

“I think I- I- I mean, we should go.”

“What? You just got here. Don’t go.” Elias stares at him with wide eyes, feeling a hot flush all over his body and impulsively he places a hand on his stomach without thinking.

“I- I forgot I had something to do, something really important.” Casey collects Brighton out of the pack and play — the stuffed elephant falling into it forgotten — bouncing Brighton a bit on his side trying to ease his crying as he leans his head on Casey’s chest trying to comfort himself with a thumb sticking into his mouth to suck on, Casey grabs the pacifer on the pack and play's floor and eases Brighton's thumb out of his mouth and replaces the tiny thumb with the proper baby equipment.

“Like what?” Elias heaves out, not hiding the disbelief in his voice knowing it was a lie. That he was being lied to as he stares at Casey, not bothering to get up off the bed to chase after him.

What was the point?

All guys were the same. It painfully rings in the back of his head as his eyes burned, holding back the angry tears needing to hurt himself more to hear Casey finish up his lies.

“Uh-… I- Inventory. Yeah. Stock count. I entirely forgot about that. Now I got to drive back and drop off Brighton with Mum and… oh, damn," There was that fake breathless tone in his voice. "That’s two hours already gone and I'd be half hour late. I- I’ll call you later. Bye. Happy birthday, E.”

Elias stares at the door as Casey rushes out without a second glance send his way, Brighton in his arms and he doesn’t even get a word in with his usual rambling he does when he’s nervous.

Elias wasn’t an idiot.

He wasn’t dumb.

There’s always going to be something wrong with him.

Rather it was being trans. Or being pregnant or being a man or being a woman or somewhere in between or just not right for someone.

He would never be in that perfect medium spot for anyone to love him, let alone just to fancy him.

His burning eyes drift down to his acoustic guitar on the ground.

He was mad. He was upset. He was more furious than anything else as he stands up, picking up his guitar from the floor at the neck and looks over to the piano, slightly shrunken to fit in his room.

Nothing a little magic couldn’t fix when he was done.

He raises the guitar over his head and screams, not caring who heard him.

He swings the guitar.

Hard.

Notes:

Songs:

Mercy - Shawn Mendes

Untouchable - Taylor Swift

Chapter 45: December 4th, 2006

December 4th, 2006

 

Aster hands over the phone to Elias, trying to pass it over.

Elias shakes his head staying quiet, already knowing who it was without needing to be told. He’s only just left his bedroom after all day of isolation, with it being nearly three in the afternoon now.

Only one person ever called the Potter Manor and asks for Elias. One person who went entirely silent on him for three whole weeks and made Elias destroy his whole room to the point where a single reparo charm wasn’t enough but it took the whole day and a half of the following and Elias sleeping in the guest room for the night.

Aster sighs, bringing the phone up back to his ear walking away from Elias who was watching television.

“Sorry, Cass. He’s busy with school work right now. He can’t answer the phone.” Aster lies walking away from Elias a bit.

“Like last time when he was taking a nap? And the time before when he busy with his tutor? Or what about the time when he locked himself in his bedroom cause Aurora and Nyx annoyed him to the point where he didn’t come out for hours?”

“Firstly, he was taking a nap.” Aster finds it in himself to defend Elias a bit. “And Remus is a beast to be reckoned with if even I interrupt them with something as mere as a phone call because a friend is calling to chat.”

“And the thing with Nyx and Aurora?”

Aster sighs, shaking his head despite Casey not seeing him, he could hear the way the phone rubbed on his head.

“Try again another time and hope to get James instead of me.” Aster pulls the phone off his ear and hangs up, setting the phone back on the dock . “Alright, come on, what happened with Cass upstairs in your room?”

“I don’t feel good.” Elias mutters with a tired sigh, legs propped up on the coffee table. He had a oversize baggy shirt on and loose light grey boxers on. His skin was a bit on the pale side that day since coming out of his room, and there were heavy bags under his eyes showing just how depressed he was on the inside-out.

“Elias, you can only come up with so many excuses to aviod this conversation with me.” Aster quietly tells him taking a seat in the nearby armchair. “I can’t lie to Casey and Dad forever. I don’t even know what’s going on, or why you destroyed your bedroom. Mainly all your instruments?”

“Then don’t. No one’s asking.”

“You're asking me to lie. I'm the one asking.”

“I never did. You just took it up to yourself to lie to cover for Casey's feelings.” Elias grumbles picking up the remote and clicking the television off and putting his focus on Aster. “You just took it up to yourself to. So it’s all on you, Papa.”

Aster twists his face into a frown, without thinking he’s putting his hand up to Elias’ face. “Are you feeling okay?”

“I already told you.” Elias grumbles pushing his hand away. “I don’t feel good.”

“Like what?”

“Feel sick to my stomach. Cramping a bit. I don’t know, a bit shaky-ish.”

“Hold up your hands for me.” Aster asks him falling into his healer-mode. Elias rolls his eyes, lifting both hands and showing tiny tremors in his hands. “And you’re cramping?”

Elias nods.

“Like period cramps?”

“I guess.”

“Do you got to go to the bathroom?”

“No?”

Aster stares at Elias for a long minute. “Can you stand up for me?”

“Why?”

“Just do it. I want to run a test. Stand up, spin around in half a circle.”

Elias groans, complying to Aster. He spins slow and faces Aster. “Well?”

“Other way now.”

Elias sighs, turning the other way around. Aster’s eyes drift to the couch’s cushions quickly where his son was sitting only moments ago.

“You know what?” Aster stands up quickly and tugs Elias along with him, not giving him a chance to see the couch. “I entirely forgot you have an appointment soon.”

“Today?”

“Yes, today. It'll give you a chance to talk about you not feeling good. You might be coming down with something. I’ll go get you some clothes from the mudroom, I just did a load so I just need to get you some pants and you can change in the bathroom, yeah?”

Elias’ eyebrows furrowed as he follows Aster. “Okay?”

Aster stops Elias outside the mudroom. “Wait right there. Don't go anywhere.”

Aster was happy to see James still in the room folding laundry and pulling clothes out from the dryer to sort through as Aster snatches up a pair of joggers, quickly passing it to Elias to change into.

“James,” Aster watches Elais head into the bathroom. He was praying to all the gods he could that he doesn’t use the toilet or think to check his underwear.

“Yeah?”

“I’m taking Elias to St Mungo’s. I need you do something for me.”

“What?”

“There’s a spot on couch, I need you to get it off before it stains or let Aurora or Nyx see it.”

“What kind of spot?” James asks setting a folded shirt of Aster’s onto the sorted pile.

“It’s blood.” Aster quietly informs him that has James loosing all relaxation in his body. “What?”

“Elias hasn’t caught on yet. I’m hoping it’s nothing serious, like when I was spotting before. I’ll tell him when we get to St Mugno’s, I just don't want him freaking out with the others here, but right now, you need to get the stain off, okay? That and watch the kids.”

“Is he okay?”

“He’s not feeling good. Pale, clammy like. Bags under his eyes, shaky. I don't like what I'm seeing as a healer. I’m fairly worried, and there’s the bleeding with the cramping. Just-… I’ll send a patronus when I can if we’re not back soon. I can't say how long we'll be.”

James nods quietly and Aster leans fast that he couldn’t take Elias straight through the emergency department of St Mungo’s but instead Elias is sent to the maternity ward for being twenty-two weeks along, too early to possibly have a alive birth, too late for a miscarriage from what all the warnings from mostly the witches were coming from that was getting on both Elias and Aster’s nerves and putting them on edge before Elias even got to see a healer.

“I could loose the baby.” Elias panics with both hands yanking at his blonde hair.

“We don’t know that.” Aster tries to put some optimism into Elias’ mind. “They ran the tests, we just got to wait for the results.”

“I was bleeding Papa. You didn’t tell me.”

“I didn’t want to worry you yet.” Aster attempts. “Not with Nyx and Aurora in the house. Certainly if you would act like this. You need to stay calm, Elias.”

Elias lets out a panicked whine, hands covering his face. “What’s taking the bloody healer so long?!”

“Elias,” Elias ignores him, face covered still with his hands. “Elias, look at me. Hey, come on. Look at me,” Aster eases his hands off his face and places them on his bump where he was forced into a gown. “You feel that? You told the medi-witches you could still feel the kicks. The movements. That’s good. That means your baby is still alive right now.”

“Yeah but what if-”

“Good news!” Elias was startled into silence as his not usual witch-healer comes into the room all smiles. “Mr Potter, you’re suffering from iron deficiency.”

“And the bleeding?” Aster asks.

“Subchorionic hemorrhage. The bleeding has stopped now, correct?”

“Uh- Y-yeah.” Elias nods a bit shaky.

“That’s good. It resolved on it’s own. But it’s a bit unusual to have that in the second trimester so I’d advise to take an easy. Avoid things causing you stress. But just be advice it can cause a preterm birth. But I think having a healer in the house,” Eyes drift over to Aster. “You’ll be in safe hands.”

“I’m not helping him give birth and catching the baby, if that’s what you’re insisting. I'm a school healer, not a healer in St Mungo's.” Aster tries to lighten the mood a bit from Elias’ bedside.

Elias lets out a relieved laugh, relaxing more in the bed he was provided. The young witch-healer — a wizard — places a firm hand on Elias’ shoulder. “Your little girl is in safe hands, Mr Potter. Only just half-way to go now.”

A tiny shake to Elias’ body and the healer walks out, mumbling something to one of the medi-witches to help get Elias and Aster get checked out of St Mungo’s with some potions leaving Aster staring at Elias who stared straightforward ahead of himself.

“It’s a girl.” Elias breathes out.

Aster gently touches Elias’ leg. “How do you feel about that? That guy seem pretty young, he probably didn’t see it in your file that you didn’t want to-”

“I just don’t want to fuck it up.” Elias honestly answers with a deep inhale.

“You won’t.” Aster easily reassures him. “You got us to help you. You’ll be an amazing dad. I can already picture it. How you are with Brighton, you’re already so good with him.”

Elias softly sighs, sinking in the uncomfortable bed.

“I’m not going to see Brighton again, Papa. Never again.” His voice is quiet like a whisper.

“Why? What did you or-… Casey? What did you both do in your room? Why did Casey run off like that, Eli?”

“We kissed, he bolted lying saying that he forgot he had something to do. I’m never going to find someone who’ll just like me for me.” Elias rubs his eyes. “I honestly thought he liked me. Or that if we cleared some things up he’d at least stay around and we’d talk about it…" Elias jaw trembles as his eyes become glossy. "There’s always something wrong. I might as well just be shoved into the trash bin and forgotten about.”

“He’s calling, Elias. He’s been asking for you. That's got to mean something.”

Elias scoffs at Aster, tossing off the thin blanket on his cold legs.

“After I spent weeks trying to call him first without answer? I’m not putting myself through that shit, Papa. I- I already gone through so much with Opal, then there came Owen, I’m not about to put myself through more with Casey if it’s not going to last or work out or… it’s not just us in this relationship. We got to think of our own kids and that’s not fair. On us, or the kids and you know what? It’s probably better off for us not to be around each other. We just won’t work. He isn't worth my time anymore. I just need to focus on my daughter and no one else.”

Elias snatches up his clothes he was wearing when he arrived in, making a face at the boxers that had a blood stain on it and trashes it entirely in the nearby bin before slipping on his joggers underneath the gown going commando and his tee.

Elias is requested to take a potion before he’s able to leave. And when he’s sent home, he has a new potion added to his prenatal potions.

They make it home long past midnight. A long evening for them and Elias quickly digs into the food James made for dinner as Aster catches James up on everything that happened.

“Oh, before I forget, Cass called.” James announces leaning on the counter with his brown eyes looking between Elias to Aster. “Does someone want to explain to me why there’s a sudden no-talking-to-Elias rule?”

“What did you say, James?” Aster sighs.

James grimaces. “I may had told him Elias went to the 'hospital' before I knew that little… minor… detail.”

Elias’ fork drops quickly on his plate of pasta.

“What!?” Elias shrieks at his Dad.

“Shh.” James hisses at them. “That’s not all. Probably not the worst thing right now.”

“What else is there to know?”

“He’s…" James rubs the back of his neck. "Here?”

“Here? What do you mean he’s here?”

James points towards the hall. “Guest room. He came here in a state, worried about you. Got here late, refused to leave, and... I told him to crash, that I’d wake him when you guys got home.”

Elias quietly pushes away his plate, only half eaten after going the whole evening without eating. “I’m going to bed.”

Aster takes a step forward. “Elias-”

“Don’t.” Elias weakly cuts him off with one word, quiet footsteps retreating upstairs to his bedroom.

Aster and James stare at Elias’ back in silence until they couldn’t see him no more.

Elias retreats to his bedroom, doesn’t think twice before collapsing into his bed and hiding away under the covers exhausted. He curls himself up, knees tucked up as far as he could bring them and he lets himself be surrounded by the warmth of his blankets, squeezing his eyes tightly closed.

He’ll just hide out in his bedroom until he was certain that Casey left. Starve until his Dad or Papa brought up some food for him. Hold his weak bladder until he had no choice but to cross the hall to take a piss.

Elias looks up to his ceiling, wishing he never asked his Papa to take down the charms due from Casey asking questions of how realistic the stars and moon-changing phases looked. He hates how much he changed for Casey in the matter of months of knowing him and his son.

He stares at his white ceiling, hands drifting under his shirt and feeling across his bump just feeling the small kicks and punches until his eyes grew heavy, finally closing them and drifting to sleep.

Waking up, he’s face smushed into the weirdly U-shaped large pillow he was gifted by his fathers for his pregnancy. Cuddling into it with his legs and arms wrapped around one side of it and he could feel a bit of movement tugging on his hair.

“Fuck off.” Elias grumbles with sleep still laced in his voice as he snuggles back into the pillow.

“Glad to see you’re okay. Had me worried last night. Finally got James to answer a phone call of mine. Gave me a lot more details than Aster ever has.”

Elias doesn’t move. He keeps himself hidden and buried well in his pillow. “What do you want, Casey?”

“I want to talk to you. No, I need to talk to you. Not an option.”

“Well, I don’t so you can fuck off, respectfully said.” With that, Elias snuggles back into his pillow.

“No, if you don’t want to talk then you can shut up and listen quietly.”

Elias shifts in bed, turning himself around and putting his back on Casey and using another pillow on the bed to curl up to and shoving one between his legs to ease the pain in his hips.

Casey sighs from behind him, still sank in and sat on the bed with no motive to move. Elias knew he wasn’t going anywhere, and worse case if he left the bedroom he’d just follow him around the house like a lost puppy.

“I never looked at a guy like you before.” His voice is quiet. A sigh. “I didn’t think I could look at a man like… like…”

“A woman.” Elias answers for him with a sleep laced voice.

Him speaking up showed that he was listening, he wished he didn't spoke up.

“Yeah.” Elias squeezes his eyes tightly closed for a moment. “And kissing you… scared me. Made me feel things I didn’t realize that I could feel. With... with a bloke.”

Elias sighs, pulling off the covers and getting himself out of bed. He’s in sudden reminder that he’s not wearing any underwear underneath his joggers as he sits up. “You shouldn’t have come here, Casey. Come here or called. Whatever Dad told you, it was none of your business and he had no right to tell you anything without my permission.”

“No, no, no. You don’t get it." Casey hurrily tells him. "I never-… Elias, I never looked at a guy like this before.”

“Exactly.” Elias snaps standing up. “You never did, so why start now, right? My face is all bloke but my body isn’t? I’m not doing this again. You- I told you what I went through with... I'm not doing this again. Not with you. Not with-… just leave, Casey. The door is right over there." He jabs a finger at his bedroom door that was closed. "Please. Don’t make me beg you for it. I will get on my knees and cry if I must.”

Casey shakes his head, getting off the bed and rounding it to stand in front of Elias. “Don't. Y-You’re not understanding, Elias. I never thought I could fancy a- a guy. I just needed the time to think. That's all I-”

“I’m hearing you loud and clear. Leave now-!”

Casey’s hands were large and warm on his face as he cups his cheeks, giving no warning as he swoops down pressing his lips onto Elias’.

Elias’ eyes were wide, his hands grabs Casey’s wrists not pulling him away but savoring the moment as he takes a few long seconds but he does eventually kiss back as they stood in the middle of his room.

The kiss ends as soon as it started.

Casey’s thumbs rub Elias’ cheeks soothingly.

“I never thought I could picture myself with a bloke. And there came you.” He breathes out moving his nose down to Elias’ neck, pressing butterfly kisses down his jaw.

Elias hasn’t shaved that day or the day before, he knew there was stubble across his jaw even if he's gone off his testosterone potions. Stubble that probably went all the way down his neck too where Casey was pressing his lips up across his skin.

“God, you don’t know what you do to me. You drive me crazy. I fancy you so much. Meeting you is the best thing that could ever happen to me and Brighton. I left Brighton home with Mum and drove all the way out here without a second thought all cause James said you might’ve… fuck, Elias.” Casey groans out his name before moving his mouth back up and kissing him again.

Casey’s hands drift down, holding Elias’ neck carefully as Elias moves his hands around Casey’s waist and grabbing. Grabbing and clawing at his jumper and dragging his body closer to his.

“Elias.” Casey moans out softly into his mouth as their hips meet. Casey pulls away from the kiss with a deep breath, lips back on Elias’ neck. Elias happily opens his neck for him. “Elias. Elias. Elias. Elias. Elias. Elias. Elias. All the things you could do to me. All the things I’d let you do.”

A warm olive tone hand is slipped between them, easily cupping Casey’s thick jeans and palming hard. Elias could feel the fast growing bulge straining against the fabrics as Casey moans quietly into his neck.

“What do you want?” Elias asks Casey. "What things would you let me do to you?"

“You.” His hips rock forward the slightest bit into his hands. “I want you.”

“What do you want from me? My mouth?” His fingers start to unbutton the jeans and unzip the pants. “My hand?” He opens up the jeans, fingers across the waistband of Casey’s underwear. “Or what about my pussy? I’ve been told that it’s very wet and warm, as well as tight. I can’t promise it’ll be the same after I have my baby.”

Casey moans quietly with his head falling forward on Elias’ shoulder, his pale cheeks dotted with a few visible winter freckles that’s scattered randomly across his face with a heavily flushed pink. His hips bucking forward as Elias slips his hand into his underwear. Easily grabbing him and pumping him with a dry hand.

Elias memorizes the grith in his hand as he pumps his cock. The legnth and the slight curve to it and the way his cock pulsed in his hand.

“You don’t know how long I’ve been dreaming of, doing something like this with you.” Elias quietly talks, not stopping his hand with steady jerks making Casey a puddle in his arms. “I thought we would be good as friends but then you started stopping by more and more. You stayed over more, waking me up in bed with me with the aimless chatter and annoying the hell out of me. And Brighton… Little baby Brighton who’s got your pretty green eyes and his beautiful blonde hair… I can’t get you out of my head, Cass. You drive me as insane as I do to you, I bet. Every single corner in my mind, full of you.”

Casey moans, body tensing up with a jerk of his hips before quickly relaxing. “Close. ‘m close, E.”

“Already? So fast? And don't forget that ridiculous nickname.” Elias huffs a soft laugh with a tiny shake of his head.

“Honestly, it’s Elias. Or Eli. Are you trying to make me like my uncles and dads? What’s next? Me making you cream your pants? You know, I still haven’t taken you out yet, right? I bet you’re dripping so much in your pants that you’re making a filthy mess. Send you home in nothing but jeans and a jumper. Wouldn’t that be so uncomfortable for you? A whole hour, driving and having to sit in your jeans without a protective barrier. Or do you think you’ll come so hard you’ll stain through your jeans too? What would your mum think? Coming through the front door to greet her and your son with come-stain pants and no underwear on?”

Casey lowly whines, hands gripping tightly at Elias’ side. Fingers snuck up his shirt and feeling across the small curve of his stomach to his sides.

Elias could feel the pulsing twitches running through his hand.

“You know what would be funny, Cass?”

It took Elias slowing down his hand just a bit for Casey to gain a brain cell back to answer Elias. “Wh- what?”

There was that mischievous grin on his face. “What if I just… stopped?”

“No. No, no, no. Please don’t. I’m so close. Don’t stop, don’t stop… don’t… stop… close…” His voice trails off with his begs, hips jerking into his hand in shallow thrusts.

“You said that minutes ago, and still haven’t come. I’m getting tired.” Elias complains lazily moving his hand again, this time finally twisting his hand at the shiny wet tip that causes a full-body spasm out of Casey showing how sensitive he was in the area. The sweep around the tip provided natural lube to smear around Casey’s cock, no more dry chafing to jerk him off.

Just to fuck around with Casey, Elias brings his hand to the base and squeezes tightly around him. Doing so, Casey moans loudly and his cock pulsed heavily but hardly anything came out besides a few drops of pre-come with the tight pinch Elias had on him.

“Fuck- what are you doing to me?” Casey whines in protest trying to thrust his hips as Elias starts moving his hand again, getting back into rhythm.

“Some trick I learned, read it up. You’d be surprised what kind of books my school has in the adult section that you need a professor’s permission to enter. I have my ways to sneak in there.” Elias cockily answers grinning at the older man. “It delays you coming. I read that if I do it enough times, it can make you feel far more intense when you finally do come.”

Elias does it again when he feels the jolt in the cock, knowing it was putting Casey on edge. Elias enjoyed edging him tremendously. He doesn’t need to see to feel of how much Casey’s dick was enjoying his hand.

Casey whines noisily, his hot face buried in Elias’ neck. “Stop. You’re being bloody mean to me. I don’t like mean Elias.”

“Oh, don’t you know? I love being so mean and controlling in bed with people. You're finally meeting bossy, dom Elias, Cass.” Elias presses a kiss to the side of his face as his moans become more noisy. "And dom Elias does not like giving up his control easy."

Elias could feel a bit of drool leaking on his neck from Casey’s mouth from his hot pants as he twists his hand around the tip again and he knew it wasn’t going to take any longer for Casey.

He grabs the tip, seeing how sensitive Casey is and thumbs the underside glands with the occasional tease and twist of his wrist over the head.

“E- Elias,” Casey moans his name. “I’m gonna- fuck I’m gonna-”

“Come when you still can, Cass. Remember, I’m getting tired. Not a lot of wanks left in me.” Elias warns him in a quiet tone with one hand holding his cock and the other wrapped around his body safely as his hips buck into his hand once, twice, and he’s spilling into his underwear and Elias’ hand hotly with curses and moans.

Casey nearly buckles down with his knees giving out under him if it wasn’t for Elias holding onto him. Elias eases Casey back onto his bed with a few stumbling steps backward. A face was made as Casey sucked in a deep breath, hips shifting up as Elias pulls out his sticky hand and in process tugs down his underwear a bit to sit low on his hips.

Elias plays around with his fingers, the stickiness smearing around on the five digits. “You ever tasted yourself before?”

Casey tired scrunches his face up at both sensation in his pants and Elias’ question. “No, why would I do that?”

A half shrug.

“You gone down on someone before?”

A tiny recovering nod. “Yeah. A few times. Not often...” He breathes out.

Elias’ lips curve up a bit as he inches closer to Casey, fingers twirling closer to his face. “No difference. Suck my fingers clean.” Elias orders him softly, sticky fingers in the face.

“No! You do it!” Casey laugh softly attempting to dodge Elias’ hand by grabbing his wrist as Elias climbs onto him, straddling his hips with his legs on either side of his hip. Times like this, Elias was happy that his prosthetic leg moved fluidly with his movements.

“Alright. Watch and learn, Lambert. Next time, I won't go easy on you.” Elias sticks out his tongue, flatten it out and licking up the come. He doesn’t swallow, holding the bitter saltiness in his mouth. He makes sure to lick and suck his hand clean.

Then he cups Casey’s jaw, pinching his cheeks.

“Now open.” Elias orders him, holding the spit and salty bitter tasting come in his mouth as he spoke.

Casey stared at him for a moment.

Eyes wide and large staring at Elias and his light jade green eyes were a few shades darker from before they started all the demand. Casey licks his lips carefully and opening his mouth with his tongue stuck out. A bit hesitated but obeying and falling into submission to the younger pregnant teen on top of him.

Elias bends down, pressing an open mouth kiss to Casey’s own and passing the spit mix with come pushing the fluids into his mouth.

Casey accepts it with a soft groan, tasting himself for the first time and the bitter saltiness as his hands grabs Elias’ hips tightly, easily sneaking into his pants and finding him not using any underwear.

Their kiss was messy and hot. No one was stopping for air as they breathed through their noses when they could.

Elias moans softly, backing a bit to let Casey cup and grip and tug and knead at his arse. Fingers slowly start to slide down, closer, testing waters of how far Elias would let him go. Elias pulls back fast, feeling him touch a bit of his wet slit.

“Don’t.” He manages to breathe out sitting up. Not with the visit at St Mungo’s last night. Not with the bleeding. He didn’t want to take any risks. Not so soon. “I- I’m sorry. I… not now. Last night- some spotting and… no. It’s too soon.”

Casey nods, pushing himself up with a single hand and pressing his lips back onto Elias’, still tasting himself in his mouth. Hands slip back into Elias’ pants, but doesn’t dare to go farther knowing where the line was drawn.

Elias grinds down on Casey, absorbing the soft moans he was eliciting from the man when Casey grabs onto his hip fast. “Too fucking soon, E.” He speaks into his mouth making him laugh.

“Don’t have the stamina to keep up with me, Lambert?” Elias jokes pulling back with a bright smile on his face.

“You haven’t come even once. Just wait until the day I get into your pants.” Casey remarks pressing another kiss to his lips before moving to his cheek and onto his jaw. “Then I’ll be the one saying that to you.”

“Big words, Cass.” Elias hums with a soft laugh opening his neck feeling Casey’s mouth kiss and suck across his skin. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Casey’s hums vibrated into his neck as a knock on the door startles them into paralysis, freezing on the bed. A hand in Elias’ pants with Casey’s mouth on his neck with Elias on top of him with unbuttoned jeans and wonky fixed underwear. At least Elias never pulled him out where he was softening up fast now in a sticky mess.

“Elias? Are you up? Papa and I can’t find Casey and the guest room’s empty. Usually he’s around ghosting somewhere by now to bug someone.”

“Did you lock the door when you came in here?” Elias hisses at Casey as the door is knocked on again, then the knob was testingly twisted around.

“No. I didn’t think I was going to get a bloody hand-job coming into here- James, hi.” Casey flashes an extremely tensed and awkward smile over Elias’ shoulder where Elias was still sat straddling on his lap and a hand well stuck in Elias’ pants and both with kiss swollen lips.

James stared at both Elias and Casey for a long second, frozen in spot with his hand on the doorknob. Casey quickly yanks his hand free, as if James hadn’t seen where the placement was already. Elias remains quiet, face hiding in Casey’s neck and shaking his head.

“Well…” James coughs awkwardly, eyes looking everywhere in the room but the bed. “Mystery solved.”

“I suppose so.” Casey nods in agreement with a crack in his voice that has him snapping his mouth shut fast.

“Dad, please, leave.” Elias hisses from his spot still in hiding tucked in Casey’s neck.

“Um… in a second. Papa will probably want me to say and lecture to use protection and-”

“DAD!”

James is retreating for safety. “Be safe! Don’t do anything Papa and I would do-!”

“LEAVE! GET OUT OF MY ROOM!” Elias grabs a pillow off the bed behind Casey and readies it to throw.

James grabs the knob, nearly out the room. “Just cause you’re already up in the duff, use condoms regardless!”

“GET OUT!”

James slams the door loudly in time as the pillow hits the closed door.

The room is quiet for a moment. Elias is flushed in the face as well as Casey as the stared at each other for a moment before Casey cracks into a loud laughter and falling back into the bed, smiling brightly at Elias like he was his personal warm sun.

“Well… That was embarrassing.” Elias grumbles getting off Casey carefully and crawling onto his bed to sit with his back resting at the headboard and legs crossed.

“For you or me? I had my hand in your pants. You have no underwear on for god’s sake! Where's your bloody breifs?” Casey laughs laying on the bed, head tilted to look at Elias with his hands tucked under his head, not wanting to look away. Casey just stares for a few quiet minutes.

Elias sends him a goofy face; eyes crossed with his tongue stuck out at the corner of his mouth and he’s puffing out his cheeks. If only Brighton was here to giggle at the face, Casey laughs instead with a puff of relieved air relaxing on the bed and a shake of his head. Still, he doesn't look away staring at Elias.

“God, I miss this.”

Elias raises an eyebrow, he lifts a hand to ruffle his hair. “This? We’re literally doing nothing now.”

“You. Just being here,” Casey lists. “Feeling like my age again. I feel young again being here, like all my worries just… disappear for a few hours when I'm not around my mum to have her nag over every little thing I do.” An exhale. “And I miss seeing you with Brighton. You’re good with him; to him. You don’t ask questions, you know what do without needing to hover me or me hover you. That shows how much I trust you with him.”

“Papa and Dad always said I was a natural with babies, even when I was a kid, it was one of the reasons that got me adopted… Though I'm not sure exactly what I did then at the time. And, for the record, I miss Brighton too.” Elias quietly confesses. “I miss you too. A lot. But I am still pissed. I thought… I thought you were going to dip out on me. Vanish. Leave. Never come back. I don’t even have your address, Cass. I- I tried calling, and you never answered. I was always send to voicemail so I thought...” Elias falls quiet.

“I had a lot to think about at first… but I don’t think I ever could leave you, stop being your friend or more...” Casey shakes his head looking back up at the ceiling. “You took the stars down and painted over the black.”

Elias glances up at his white ceiling, Casey tucks an arm under his head. He sighs at the tiny lie. “Yeah.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

“You shouldn’t have. I don’t think I’ve ever seen sticker stars as pretty or good as the ones you had up. I don’t think I know any parents who’d let thier kids paint their ceiling black, too.”

“I’m a lucky one.”

“Very lucky.”

Elias chews on his bottom lip. “It’s a girl, by the way.”

Casey looks back to Elias. “What?”

“The baby. The hospital- The doctor I saw. I don’t think they read my file entirely. Told me and Papa it was a girl. So... I’m having a daughter.”

“How you feel about that?” Casey asks him quietly.

“Scared.” Elias quietly answers. “Happy. Terrified. Elated. Like I can’t do this at all but at the same time I can cause I've got to?”

“I get it.”

“Of course you do.” Elias huffs a laugh looking at Casey softly.

“Knowing it’s a girl, you have a name? Or something more solid thought out?”

Elias nods. “I think so.”

“What is it?”

“My family has this thing where they wait until the birth to announce the name. Usually.”

“Are you?”

“I… I want to. But I want to tell you too.”

“I won’t tell.” Casey lifts a hand, pinky wiggling for Elias to take. Elias cocks his head to the side. “What are you doing?”

“What? You’ve never done a pinky promise before?”

Elias shakes his head a bit confused making Casey gasp, sitting up right on the bed and entirely ignoring the cooling sticky mess in his underwear.

“You can’t become a dad if you don’t know what a pinky promise is! How do you have six younger siblings and not know what a pinky promise is!? Come here, give me your hand,” Casey grabs Elias’ hand and picks out his pinky to stick out, doing the work for him.

“Now you lace your pinky with mine and I’ll make a pinky promise to you that I won’t tell anyone the name of your first unborn until you announce it. Kinda like... a vow that we can never break until it’s completed.”

Elias frowns, arm dropping into his lap. “A vow?”

“Vow, oath, word of honor. Pledge. Whatever you want, eh?” Casey holds up his pinky once more for Elias to take. “I, Casey David Lambert, pinky promise to not tell a single soul of you, Elias… What’s your middle name?”

Elias chuckles softly, a soft warm blush spreads across his cheeks. “José.”

Casey clears his throat, ready to repeat his statement once again.

“I, Casey David Lambert, pinky promise to not tell a single soul of you, Elias José Potter, his first unborn’s daughter’s name until you, Elias José Potter either give I, Casey David Lambert rights or say so yourself.”

Elias stares at Casey’s finger for a long moment, not lifting his hand or his pinky.

“I did something like this… once. I ended up keeping secrets for years from how bad it was. They had full control of me. They still do, no matter how much I try to take charge of it. I still wake up scared, more days than not. It’s hard to move on from what they did to me… I try to act like everything’s fine but… a vow is a big thing to me.” Elias quietly confesses to Casey. “Really big. Really important.”

Casey doesn’t drop his hand, he keeps his eyes on Elias. Full focus, entirely serious. “It’s different this time. No bad secrets, you get full reins over me. I promise you, E. Every decision, you get to make. Kinda like... sex.”

Elias cocks his head to the side confused. "Sex?"

"Yeah. Sex. Except... each piece of clothing that we take off, together, it's all based on trust and vulnerability we've got in one another. This promise is based off on trust. You shed my clothes, and I shed yours. One sock at a time, hmm?"

Elias eyes study over Casey, searching for any hint of lying. He takes a shaky deep breath before a firm nods and lifts his hand, pinky out reached. Moving forward, he wraps his finger around Casey’s own.

Casey smiles softly at him. A promise, not a vow. Elias will never put himself through something like that again.

The fear of saying something wrong: a death wish on top of a wish.

“Now we kiss our thumb, to seal the promise.” Casey instructs Elias.

Elias chuckles softly with his cheeks becoming a soft pink warm glow in the sun-block out curtains that were pulled apart at the hands of Casey.

Casey always did that when he came into his room while he was still asleep, preferring the natural light over the lamps in his room.

He licks his lips before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his own thumb in time with Casey. Both not tearing their eyes away from each other as time slows down for a few long seconds.

“Alright,” Casey’s voice is deep and a bit scratchy as he pulls back. Cracky even, too. He quickly clears his throat with a cough. “Promise made, you have all rights to castrated me and take my future children away from me if I break it. At least I still got Brighton.”

Elias shakes his head, a fond smile on his face as he rolls his eyes at Casey’s exaggeration.

“I was thinking a lot about what you said before. Capella. Capella Elanor Potter.”

Casey low whistles. “Fancy.”

“Her middle name is for Dad and Papa. I’ve been in the library, looking at astronomy books. The Elanor star, it’s the sun-star. My Papa calls Dad ‘mon soleil’ in French, it means my sun. I don't know why Papa calls him that but... I think it's a pretty name.”

“Well, I think it’s perfect.” Casey easily answers. “Are you going to use any nicknames?”

“Ella, maybe.” Elias hums in thought as he picks up Casey’s hand and fiddles around with the limb. “Nicknames usually come as they go in this family. I don’t think I’ll have any control over that. She’ll have to fight her own battles when she can like I am and very much failing with you.”

“Well,” Casey moves his hand, lacing his fingers with Elias’ and squeezing his hand gentlly. “You got halfway to go until you meet her.”

“Eighteen weeks.” Elias quietly murmur placing his free hand on his small bump, smiling as he’s kicked and squeezes Casey’s hand tightly in return.

Chapter 46: December 25th, 2006

December 25th, 2006

 

Elias was helping Nyx on the floor build up a rather large LEGO set, strictly building out of the book.

All magical gifts were away and hidden and Casey was due over at any minute with Brighton and for the first time, his Mum, Wanda.

Aster only just manged to calm Elias’ nerves, a few presents remained under the tree after everyone opened most first thing in the morning and James was in the kitchen in a fit of baking.

“Do you think she has any allergies?”

“No. Cass said she loves baking herself. Stress baking. You might just finally get yourself a stress baking buddy, Dad.” Elias calls from the living room, snapping on an orange lego piece as Fleamont snores away softly in an armchair with his legs kicked up on the coffee table.

“No.” Aster hisses. “Don't give him any ideas! We have enough pasties and sweets in this house to last us until year twenty-ten!”

“You’re overthinking, Papa.” Elias leans back on the couch with a relaxed smile. “With this family size of twelve, soon to be thirteen; two werewolves, abuelo, uncles, aunts, family in general, we’d be lucky to have sweets in our kitchen by New Year of this year.”

“You forgot something important.” Nyx casually adds a light blue two by four brick. Elias squints his eyes at his youngest brother. “I did?”

“You." Nyx grins mischievously. "A pregnant bloke.”

“Oh fuck off!” Elias kicks Nyx under the coffee table that has him laughing as the door knocks, the shave and haircut rhythm. Elias lights up by the mile but he doesn’t get up off the floor as Aster goes to open the door, James pulling out multiple muffin pans from the over and replacing them with pies.

“Cass, Brighton, hello. And you must be Wanda, Cass as told us much about you. Come in.” Aster happily brings the family of three in, moving to help them with their bags of gifts and food as Rigile, Aasil, and Nico slips out of the kitchen grinning at Elias slyly.

“Hey, Eli, your boyfriend’s here.” Nico teases.

“Shove off!”

Aasil turns around, painted blue and silver nails crossed over his chest and showing on his back and he makes kissing sounds to mock Elias, having Elias' face turn a blushing pink.

“You’re lucky I don’t have my bloody wand on me! Don’t forget I’m seventeen now you little rugrats, you better sleep with one eye-! Cass,” Elias softens up by a lot laying eyes seeing Casey who had Brighton on his side and hands full of bagged gifts, taking the easy way out that Elias knew his Dad would have a total fit over.

“What’s that about a wand?” Casey questions with a raised eyebrow as he sets Brighton on the rug in the family room. Brighton crawls over to Elias easy. Casey passes Nyx, ruffling his hair as he goes. “Hey-a, Nyx-ster.”

“Look at what I got, Cass.”

“What LEGO set is that?”

“It’s suppose to be SpongeBob’s house. Whoever that is. It's suppose to be a house but it looks like a pineapple for some reason.”

“Well it’s looking good so far.” Casey softly informs Nyx before looking at Elias with a smile. “Where can I set these down? Gifts for everyone.”

“Everyone?” Elias stresses. “You didn’t have to. There’s too many of us here.”

“Mum and I divided and conquered. Technically I didn’t even meet half of your siblings until a few weeks ago, so I couldn’t just do last minute shopping.”

Elias pulls Brighton onto his lap, careful not to let him get a hand on any of the small LEGO pieces. “Um… you can just put it under the tree for now.”

Casey crouches down, unpacking the gift bags showing boxes of properly wrapped gifts. Elias guess his Dad won’t have someone’s head today after all as he stares at Casey’s back.

“Why are you staring at him?” Nyx whispers loudly leaning up on his shoulder.

Elias scoffs, shoving his brother away.

“He’s hot and I'm dating him now so I get to stare as much as I want to. Deal with it.”

Nyx looks back to Casey. He scrunches his nose and tilts his head. “Is it because of his butt?”

Casey lets out a laugh, hearing the conversation.

“Nyx!”

“What? Dad says that about Papa all the time!”

“What do I say about Papa?” James questions coming into family room with a tray of biscuits and cookies. A woman — Wanda — had her own tin of sweets to bring out as well.

“That Papa has a nice butt to look at. Elias was looking at Casey so I asked… I don’t see it.” Nyx answers to his dad.

Elias groans, hiding his red face into the toddler’s back that was squirming for release to crawl away from him. This was far from how he wanted to meet Casey’s mother for the first time.

“Da! Da!” Elias sighs, letting go of Brighton and letting him crawl away under the table and making a beeline to Casey. Casey had to drag Brighton out from under the tree, a hand on his chest the whole time as he hurries with the final bit of gifts.

“And you must be Elias? You certainlly live up to the... apperance that I've been described to by Cass.”

Elias nods bashfully, holding a hand up. “Hi, Miss Wanda. That’s not the way I wanted to meet you but with my family around, it could be going worse.”

“With everyone I’ve met so far, you have a lovely family.”

Elias didn't know if that was a lie or not, given what he was informed by Casey about his mum. Hard to read. Stotic and usually a bit blank to the face until she had something to judge. Unless in the last five minutes of being in the manor she's already decided how insane the Potters truly were.

Elias blinks at her hesitantly. “Are you sure we’re thinking of the same people?”

“Elias!” Aster shouts from the kitchen proving his point. “Be nice to the guests!”

“Casey might as well live here by now, Papa!” Aurora shouts with Persephone giggling as they run down the stairs. “All the times Casey’s been sneaking into Elias’ bedroom, you should hear them!”

Elias’ face flushed as his jaw drops in affront at his sisters. “We don’t do anything your tattletalers! Anything you hear is us talking! Brighton’s always with us!”

“That’s not what my eyes tell me.”

“Dad!”

Elias was being betrayed!

Betrayed by his own family!

“Just speaking the truth.”

“That was the one time!” Elias groans, grabbing a decorative Christmas pillow off the couch from behind him with a snowman on it and shoves his face in it to hide.

“Why’s everyone’s ganging up on me!? Do first impressions mean nothing in this family!? Isn’t Christmas suppose to be happy, jolly, family or something? Or has it turned into 'Gang-up-on-Elias' Day?”

“For starters, I think you should get off the floor.” Nyx side comments, moving the coffee table a bit to free up Elias. “That’s the first step in mannerism. Then, since Miss Wanda’s a lady, you kiss her hand and bow in proper greeting. That’s what Auncle Sirius told me.”

“Don’t listen to Auncle Sirius, Nyx. They don’t teach modernism manners. But yes, you should get up, Elias.” Aster lectures his youngest son.

Elias doesn’t budge form his hiding spot. Not even when he feels a body sit beside him, lining up from shoulder to hip to leg and ankle.

“You going to come out of hiding any time soon?” Casey nudges him. He could hear a soft laughter from a woman. A laugh that he knew came from Casey’s mum.

“No.” Elias muffles into the pillow. “Everyone’s ganging up on me. I refuse.”

“Have I ganged up on you yet?” Casey gently nudges him on the side. “I’d like to see my pretty boyfriend some time today. Introduce him to my mum properly. Maybe even kiss ‘im under a mistletoe, if I’m lucky. I think I saw one hanging in the kitchen.”

Elias whines, shaking his head in refusal feeling his face become warm.

“We got to do this the hard way then?” Casey asks him with a sigh. Elias muffles a noise. Casey sighs, getting up to his feet. “Right, then. Bright, you gonna help Daddy with Elias?”

Brighton lets out a squeal followed by a clap of hands. Elias doesn’t lift his head to see what was happening but he didn’t have to. Hands wrapped around his ankles and suddenly he’s being dragged across the floor by the feet by the hands of Casey.

“No-oooo!” Elias shouts in protest as his back slips off from leaning on the couch slowly sliding himself onto the floor. Nyx easily steals the pillow from his weak grasp and Brighton climbs onto his stomach when Casey stops to re-grip his fuzzy sock covered feet.

Elias holds on to nine month old Brighton who sat on his bump with a silent scowl on his face, glaring at the high ceiling of his home as Casey drags him through the family room, through the dining room and into the kitchen with Brighton announcing their presence with loud laughter and squeals.

“My back and hair is going to be filthy, just so you know. Who knows when the last time the floors got cleaned.” Elias complains, not moving off the floor with his legs still being held up in Casey’s hands.

“I try my best, okay!? I got ten kids dragging mud through the house during the holiday seasons!” Aster shouts.

“And I’m not getting up.” Elias folds his arms over his chest in refusal staying laid out on the cold flooring.

“Never?” Casey grins down at him.

Elias shakes his head, eyes closing not to look at Casey hovering above him. “Never.”

“Then I guess we can’t date anymore. I can’t be with someone who’s going to live on the floor for the rest of their life like a bum.” Elias frowns at him. “Brighton’s sure is gonna to miss you.”

Elias glares at Casey.

“And I mean… I’ll miss you too. You are fun to have around. Entertaining. A good person… It’s a pity I won’t be able to kiss you no more… not even be around to even see you have the baby-”

Elias groans holding onto Brighton with one hand and sits up with the other pushing himself up. He passes up the toddler to his father before Casey offers a free hand to help Elias up as well.

“Ah, there he is. Back to his normal short height.” Casey praises him for doing the simplest task of getting up and off the floor he was dragged on, smacking a dramatically wet and noisy mwah kiss to his blushing cheek which Brighton copies, pressing a wet open mouth kiss to his other cheek.

Elias lets out a soft scoff, taking Brighton’s hand and giving the boy a tiny shake. “Thank you for your kisses, Brighton.”

Brighton grins at him, two teeth on display on his top jaw giving him bunny teeth with the rest of his gums. Elias reaches out pinching his cheek gently which he grabs onto his hand with two tinier hands.

Casey tugs at Elias’ jumper. “Do I get a thank you?”

Elias deadpans. “No.”

“He learned that from you.” James elbows Aster teasingly who glares at him along with Elias. James ducks for cover from both husband and son, going back over to his baking dough checking if any of it has risen.

With a blushing face, Elias turns to meet Casey’s mother.

He sticks his hand out for proper introduction. “Hi, I’m Elias Potter.”

His hand is taken and shook. “Miss Wanda Lambert. It’s nice to finally meet you. Cass never shuts up about you. I swear since the first day he met you, non-stop talking.”

“Mum.” Casey whines bouncing Brighton who was outreaching over to Elias. Elias easily takes Brighton, setting him on his hip.

It was clear with Wanda seeing Elias with Brighton put some ease in her. “I see that you’re good with him.”

“Elias is always good with babies and tots.” Aster easily answers. “When he was little, he’d make up these stories to get his younger siblings to stop crying when James and I weren’t around or couldn’t get to them right away.”

It was Elias’ turn to be embarrassed as he turns a shade darker hiding away slightly in Brighton who tugged on his blonde hair, a few shades darker than his own. “Papa.”

Aster shrugs, unapologetic as he pulls out an apple from the fruit bowl only for James to snatch it and put it back. “No. It’s Christmas. Eat a cookie.”

“I don’t want a cookie.”

“A mince cake, then. No fruits.”

“I don’t want sweets, James.” Aster argues.

“I made palmiers?” Elias and Aster both perked up.

“You did?”

“What’s that?”

“Only the second best French dessert Dad can make today.” Elias eagerly grins looking over the full counters of baked goods. “Where’d you put them? Do the others know you made them? I need to stock up. Cass, I need to borrow your hands. Dad has a rule, one palmier per hand.”

James grimaces. “They’re still baking in the oven?”

Elias and Aster groan simultaneously. “In the meantime while they bake, why don’t we open the last bit of presents now that the Lamberts are here?” James suggests.

“I guess.” Elias murmurs expressing his obvious disappointment at his dad, walking away with Brighton and taking Casey’s hand to be tugged along. “You’re coming with me.”

“I am?”

“Yes. Lambert boys are coming with me. No questioning allowed.” Elias mutters bringing them to the large Christmas tree that was strictly decorated by James.

Elias sets Brighton down first before getting back on the ground. “Oh no,” Casey teases getting on the floor with them. “How hard will it be to get you up again?”

“Tremendously.” Elias huffs at him picking out the presents in the far back that he knew which went to went. He passes along a semi large bagged present that was easy for Brighton to pull out.

“Did he open his own gifts this morning?”

“With some help.” Casey answers. “A lot of help, actually... he had no clue what he was being handed. Didn't care for the present either until it was out of the box.”

“I just put it in a bag. I don’t know what he’s got at home so it might be a duplicate. I got it at the start this month, when I went shopping with Dad and Papa.”

Casey scoots over to Brighton, showing Brighton the opening of the bag and pulling out a tickle-me-Elmo. The red talking and shaking doll was nearly the same size as tiny nine-month-old Brighton, making the whole scene funny to Elias watching Casey open and free up the doll for Brighton to enjoy to the fullest.

“He seems to like it.” Elias states under observation, watching the doll shake as Brighton sticks a rattling limb in his mouth with a loud squeal. “He does. If he didn’t, his mouth wouldn’t be on it.”

“Say that again in about sixteen years.”

Casey laughs softly, grabbing a gift from from the pile that he brought from home. “My turn. For Aster.”

“PAPA!” Elias shouts at the top of his lungs.

“What!?” Seconds later, Aster is coming into the family room with his hands on his hips when Elias didn’t answer him right away. Elias flashes Aster a cheeky smile, holding the wrapped gift in his hand.

Wanda follows in after Aster, a faint smile is on her lips when she spots Fleamont — which Elias swears he cast a silencing charm over himself before falling asleep, where he’s still napping peacefully and snoring softly very much still undisturbed with all the noises going on around him.

Elias flashes him an innocent smile and holds up the small wrapped gift for his Papa to see. “For you from the Lamberts.”

Aster rolls his eyes before walking over and taking the gift and reading the tag from who it’s from. “You didn’t have to, but thank you, Cass.”

“Didn’t have to, but wanted to. Think of it from me and mum both. Got a little something for everyone. I hope.”

“You hope?” Elias snickers. “Why do you hope?”

“Lotta people here. Lotta names to remember. Should've gone by numbers, probably would've made things easier but I don't know birth order either.”

Elias purses his lips. “Name everyone.”

“Um…” Casey leans back on his hands, eyes drifting over the room then settling on Brighton. “James, Aster, you.”

“Uh-huh. Keep going.”

Casey sighs. “I know Aurora and Nyx well enough. There’s… Posie.”

“Full name’s Persephone, doofus.” Persephone hits the back of Casey’s head as she walks by, sitting on the couch. Casey goes to glare at her only to receive three more hits from the triplets. Elias rolls his eyes and shakes his head. Casey might as well take that as a 'welcome into the family' greeting from his siblings.

“There’s those three.”

“Names?” Nico tests with a cunning smile that didn’t sit right with Elias. Elias might have to pre-check any possible gift that might go to Casey from his brothers. “Be happy we’re not asking to assign names to person. We are identical, just to remind you. You're lucky we all got differenet hair now, Papa used to make us look far too the same.”

“Yes, yes. I know. I can see it on your faces.” Casey grumbles rubbing the back of his head. “I know one of you’s is Nico. That’s easy for me to remember for some reason.”

“And?” Rigile presses.

“Rigile. Um… I think I heard a rhyme. Basil-Aasil?”

Aasil groans, glaring at Aster. “Really, Papa? I thought you dropped that by now?”

Aster innocently shrugs, saying nothing as he unwraps his gift of bath oil beads. He smiles softly at Casey. “Thank you. This will do good with my legs.”

Casey does a curt nod with a tiny smile. “Cass, that’s not all my siblings.”

“Right, right… older ones… Um… The twins. Not those but... There’s… Ellie and Harry.”

“Elianna.” James corrects. Casey points at him. “And Azure?”

“Azu-ra. With an A.” Elias beams at him. “Congraduations, Cass. You got us, Potters.”

“Not all of us, but close enough.” Aster mutters. “There’s the grandkids.”

“When am I going to meet them?” Casey ponders, catching Brighton before he could crawl away from the sitting area. “I’ve met Fawn and Atticus that one time, they get along well with Bright. There’s Teddy too, but not his older daughters I’ve heard about often. Both blind, right? Like Harry?”

“They’re busy.” Aster quickly answers. “School. Just about Nyx and Aurora’s age. Little younger but same year.”

Casey nods slowly and Elias quickly tugs out a gift, passing it to Casey. “For your mum.”

“Mum,” Casey out reaches the wrapped gift that’s passed along through the line of people until it arrives to Wanda. Casey leans over to Elias as she starts to unwrap it.

“What did you get her?” Casey already warned Elias that his mum was a hard gifter and hard to please when she got things, always working hard in her life to provided not only for herself but Casey as well. She wasn’t a fan of handouts but it didn’t mean she rejected them when she knew she needed them.

“You said she doesn’t like new things, or over the top expensive things. Or things that seems like hand outs. I thought hard on it. I think she’ll like it.” Elias reassures his boyfriend of three weeks as his mum gasps softly, a hand covering her mouth hiding her faint and very tiny smile as she looks over to Elias giving him a soft nod of approval.

She picks up the wooden frame, hand painted with wood stain to look natural that contained a Halloween picture of Casey and Brighton.

“It’s very lovely. Thank you, Elias.”

Elias flashes her a smile. “You’re welcome.”

Casey tilts Elias jaw with his thumb to make him look back at him. He wasn’t leaning back on his hands any more, now leaning forward and far more closer to Elias.

“Can’t you be any more perfect? Trying to woo my mum over now like you did with me and Brighton?” Casey whispers for the conversation to be just for them both.

Private and safe.

Elias smiles softly, teeth biting down on his bottom lip. “Perfect’s boring. I aim to please, not to perfect.”

Casey laughs softly as a gasp comes from Aurora who was nudging her siblings to look up.

“The nargles are in here. Look, Nyx, mistletoe. We need to get Auntie Pandora here, send her a letter so she can defume the house.”

“You know I don’t believe in Auntie Pandora and the so-called nargles stuff she says, Rora.”

Elias looks up in time with Casey, a mistletoe that wasn’t there before had grown out and hung itself above them from a stray overgrown branch on the Christmas tree. Casey looks down in time to meet Elias’, confusion was clear in his eyes. “What are nar-?”

Elias leans forward, kissing him softly with a smile on his face. Casey forgets all question that was in his mind, lips moving in sync with Elias’ with his own smile forming against Elias’ own as they forget everything going on around them for the time being.

One day, maybe.

He’ll tell him.

It just couldn’t be today.

Chapter 47: December 29th, 2006

December 29th, 2006

 

“If you can just drive us from here to the office then take your test and pass, you’ll get your drivers E. It’s not that hard. That’s why you stayed the night with me last night, so you didn’t have to get up earlier.”

“But it’s snowing.” Elias stresses in a panic. “It wasn’t calling for snow yesterday. I should just skip it. Cancel. I’ll get my drivers in the spring when it's warm and not calling for snow.”

“You’re not going to do that. You get your drivers then you can aim for bigger things like getting a job. Besides, what’s so scary about driving in the snow? It’s just flurries, not even snowing that bad. I'm pretty sure it'll stop soon.”

“Snow turns to ice. You slip. You skid. You- you crash. Crashing is like over like fifty percent higher, Cass. In cars. In- In vehicles. I'm in a vehicle right now... In the driver seat... I'm responsible for it all...” Elias taps his fingers anxiously on the wheel checking the mirrors again with the car running to blast the heat and doing nothing more.

Casey reaches over and takes Elias’ hand into his own, squeezing it. “What’s got you acting like this?”

“Papa almost died because me because I was kicking his seat so foolishly when he picked me up from school.” Elias whispers. “I was in a medically induced coma for a few days... I lost my leg that I was kicking his seat with. He nearly died because of me. He broke so many things I can’t even list ‘em and it could’ve cost Posie her life too just cause he was pregnant at the time…" Elias' hand drifts off the wheel onto his stomach. "Maybe I shouldn’t do this. I mean, Harry and Ellie doesn’t drive. Dad doesn't either.”

“Harry’s blind. He legally can’t.” Casey softly reminds him. “And I don’t know about Ellie, but Azura drives. And this car is way better than that huge van your Papa has, right? Smaller. You're more in control, just like we've been praticing. You have far less blind spots.”

“... I guess so.” Elias quietly nods. “Will you be able to be in the car with me when I get the test done?”

“I don’t know if I can. It depends on the rules they’ve got. But we can ask.”

Elias bangs his head on the headrest on the driver’s seat, staring at the falling snowflakes that melted then they touched the warmed windshield.

“You know what I think of the snow?” Casey quietly asks him, bringing Elias’ hand to press his lips against for a soft kiss.

“No, but I'm pretty sure you're going to tell me anyway.”

“Snow makes me think of... magic.” Elias tenses up a bit. His wand tucked away in the very bottom of his bag, only to be pulled out in case if he really needed it which he didn’t expect to.

“If I had to describe a color of magic, it’d be white. Its... pure, innocent, magical… And it makes me think of snow.” Casey quietly rambles, letting him listen. “Snow, when it’s untouched and blanketed across the ground, fresh from the sky. It’s so beautiful it’s like an enchantment. Like someone’s gone and put me under a spell, making me crave to touch it. To destroy the beauty of what’s been gifted from above. They say rain is like the angels crying for us. But what about the snow? Wet and cold, but beautiful, extraordinary… magical. What do you think about magic, Elias?”

Elias breathes in deeply. “I think your way of thinking about magic and my way of magic is very different.”

“Try me.”

Elias shakes his head softly.

“There’s limits and yet no limits at all. There’s questions to the unknown that’s demanded to be known but yet people can't accept the answers once it's discovered. You think you know everything and yet you know absolutely nothing. You, Cass, sees the innocence in snow. Pure, white, untouched snow. I see the touched parts. The cold, the bitterness, the pain it can bring if you lay in it too long and it causes frost bites and you loose a toe or finger or even an arm or leg. I see the black that seeps in it when cars run over it with gas or leaked oil. I see the redness of blood it can hold if someone or something bleeds. The yellow if there’s been an accident of a child or drunken adult or if an animal pisses nearby. The thing is, with snow," Elias glances over to Casey carefully.

"Between you and me, you’re looking at a freshly newborn baby in a hospital in the arms of a tired mother and father looking down at the baby sucks the milk out of a bottle for the first time in it's life. And I’m looking at the little newborn baby from the same exact parents who's starving, who is about to be abandonded outside of a fire-station with nothing more than a ratty old blanket nad maybe if it's lucky, a torn up box.”

Casey is quiet, thumb running across the back of Elias’ hand steadily. Calm, calculated, and thinking.

“I may can’t change your mind of certain things and how you see things. Which is... very deep and a bit scary.” Casey quietly speaks, being honest with his words. “But I’d like to show you new windows, that the one you're looking out of isn't the only one that you can look through. See that there's new ways to look at life, if you’d let me guide you. It might make you happier, bring you more peace with yourself… because I know there’s a lot that I don’t know of, a lot that I don’t think I’ll ever understand with you, but if you can, maybe one day, I’d like you to show me your windows too. Like you just did now.”

Elias blinks hard at the windshield, watching the snow melt.

Slowly he drifts his eyes over to Casey, the empty car seat in the backseat in his eyeline of view. “You might never understand everything that I may do or say. I've been through a lot. More than you probably can even think of right now.”

Casey nods. “I know. But I want to try. If you'll let me, that is.”

Elias tugs on the sleeves of his jean jacket, the jacket didn’t button up anymore around him but he still wore it. Still protected it no matter that it was gifted to him a year ago from Opal. The jacket bear far too many secrets for him to give up. Elias grounds himself, rubbing the jean material between his thumb and forefinger.

“Even if I have secrets that I may never share with you?” He whispers, hardly audible to Casey.

“One day at a time.” Casey carefully tells him, green eyes looking at the windshield. “One snowflake at a time. Some may stick and stay. Some may melt. But we got this. I know we do. Because I believe in us. I never believed in anyone as much as I do in you, E.”

Elias sucks in a shaky breath, studying Casey. “You aren’t going to run off on me and get married, are you?”

“What?” Casey laughs softly. “Who’s there beside Brighton, Mum, and you for me?”

Elias shakes his head softly. “Forget it. Never mind.” He shakes Casey’s hand free from his own and grabs Casey left side of his jaw tilting him to look his way and tug him close, gently kissing him.

“We got this.” Elias repeats with his thumb gently rubbing his jaw for a moment before quietly shifting back in his seat and letting Elias focus back at the wheel and gears in front of him.

Elias takes a deep breath, sinking in a bit in the driver seat and putting his hands on the gears like he was taught in the last of months. He feels the tiny movements in his stomach. It was one of those moments he had to ignore it for his own sanity and safety.

“I got this.” He breathes out tensed putting the car in drive, hoping Casey wouldn’t get him lost with the directions he didn’t know where to go.

To Elias’ relief, Casey was able to sit in the back quietly with the empty infant car seat throughout the whole final test of his exam that he passes with very small few errors that were passable enough for him to still get his license on the first go.

“When do you need to be home?” Casey questions closing the front door to the quiet small two bedroom flat.

“Not til later. If I take too long Papa or Dad will call when they get home from work.” Elias grabs Casey’s hand and pressing his lips to his own. “Where your mum go?”

“Uh-” Casey pulls back, looking around to see no Brighton or Wanda. He racks his brain as Elias mouths at his neck being very distracting. “Grocery shop, I think. Got paid the other day- oh fuck- E, what-?”

“That’s the plan.” Elias grins against his neck, teeth grazing against his skin. “You think we’ll finally get lucky this time? No parents. No siblings. No baby.”

“Come on.” Casey hurriedly drags Elias to his small bedroom with them both giggling and grinning together with a full size bed shared with a crib in a tiny bedroom. They both stumble into the room laughing quietly even though there's no one in the flat but them.

“I got my drivers.” Elias beams before kissing Casey in celebratory.

“I know. I was there. Fuck- I'm so proud of you.” Casey laughs grinning at Elias as soon as he’s freed. Elias wastes no time, yanking off his jean jacket and tossing it on the floor before fixing at Casey’s belt as Casey strips off his jumper.

Besides the one hand-job Elias gave Casey, they haven’t done anything for the last month. Not with Brighton in the room. Not with the chance of being walked in. Not with too many listening ears and spying eyes around.

“Got a rubber?” Casey asks.

Elias pulls off from Casey’s throat. “Do we need one?”

“Uh-?”

“I’m clean. Pregnant. Haven’t fucked anyone since I got pregnant and I got tested when I've gone to my appointments. I trust you to be honest with me.” Elias sticks a hand down Casey’s pants, palming him over his underwear. 

“Fuck- I- It’s been far too long for me. Not- not since Brighton. Long before he was-... mmmh fucking...”

“Tested?” Elias questions, not stopping his hand. Casey thinks with a foggy mind. “No. Used a condom though.”

Elias pulls back for a moment, giving Casey a questionable look. “How did you end up with Brighton if you used a condom?”

“It ripped mid-use. Bad luck. But I think my prick’s clean.”

“You think or you know?”

“I- fuck- I know. I- I think I might got condoms in my drawer but I don't know for sure-”

“I’m just fucking with you.” Elias grins at him. “I told you. I trust you. You ever fucked someone pregnant?”

Casey falls back on the bed as Elias pushes him backwards. “No. Might be surprising but I hardly got around.”

“You’re my fourth sexual partner.” Elias informs him thumbing his pants. “Third one with a dick, second proper partner, first boyfriend.” Elias lists every fact off on the top of his head.

“You had a girlfriend?”

Elias nods, tugging off his pants off as Casey lifts his hips taking his jeans and underwear off in one go. Elias struggles a bit, stumbling over and would’ve fallen if Casey didn’t catch him as he laughs, managing to kick off his pants.

“My tits been changing. Wanna see?” Elias grins at Casey as if he's seen Elias' breasts before, giving him seconds before yanking off his jumper where he wasn't wearing anything underneath and showing the small curves of nearly non-passable breasts and darkening nipples and a growing belly.

“They grew a bit. More perky these days,” Elias had no shame giving a side view showing Casey who leaned back on his elbows watching Casey with a heavy dick between his legs. Elias had grown up going to healers and talking and showing a bit of certain body parts or even seeing things to prepare himself as a trans-man, thanks to his Papa who knew everything of what to do. He didn’t mind showing off his breasts, only if it was in certain rooms and certain circumstances and far away from broom closets where he could be caught fast and stumbled out of.

“And my nipples gotten darker. I was warned that they might start leaking soon. I was suppose to start medical plans to get them off after my birthday but that has to be postponed cause of Ella.” Elias’ hands round his stomach, feeling the kicks. “She’s been kicking a lot more these days.”

“Can I feel?”

“Why not? You’ll be touching a lot more of me soon enough.” Elias moves forward, between Casey’s legs and let him touch his bump. Casey forms a soft smile, fingers and palms moving around his stomach with ease. “I never got to do this with Brighton.”

“Really? Were you there when his mum had him?”

“She had a c-section. I wasn’t allowed in the room, didn’t want me in there. But I was the first one to see him when he was brought out of the room, first to hold him, first to feed him, first to... everything with him. I’m lucky to have him today.”

“He’s a good lad.” Elias runs his hands through the light brown hair on Casey’s head. “He’s lucky to have you.”

“It’s me or a foster home. She never wanted him. I tried though... I didn't like her but I still wanted him to have a mum like I have my mum.”

Elias gently cups Casey’s cheek and lifts his head to look at him. He bends down a bit, still standing over him and kisses him softly.

“If I asked, would you?” Elias quietly talks without thinking, thier lips centimeters apart.

“Would I what?” Casey questions, eyes closed.

“Be with me when I have Ella?”

His eyes open, staring straight at Elias. “You want me there?”

“Yeah. Only if you want to be. No pressure or anything.”

Casey laughs softly, arms wrapping around Elias’ legs and pulling him even closer. “I’ll have to get Mum to watch Brighton. I wouldn't want him there for that, but.. yeah. I’ll be there. I’ll be one phone call away. I’ll be anything you need me to be.”

Elias smiles softly, placing his hands on Casey's cheeks.

“Really? You'd be there for me?”

“Yes, really.”

Elias moves his hands back, gently brushes Casey’s hair with soft touches. “Would you be my fuck toy right now? A mouth and cock for me.”

Casey laughs more. “I suppose we are getting a bit distracted right now, aren’t we?”

“Very. Time crunch, Cass. Small window opportunity.” Elias grins at him tugging at his hair, far less gentle exposing Casey's neck. “Take off my boxers, Cass. I want you to suck me off.”

“Suck you-” Casey’s eyebrows furrowed a bit in confusion. “Wha-? How?”

“I’ll show you how.” Elias happily answers in a soft and cooing tone. “But first, you need to take off my boxers.”

Casey nods, fingers moving on his bump and feeling around before arriving to the waistband of the boxers and tugging them down inch by inch, not daring to look away from Elias’ eyes.

“Touch me. I feel a bit different down there, from most girls, don’t I?”

“What?” Casey goes to try to look, Elias catches his hair, pulling and forcing him to keep looking up. “Ah-ah-ah. I didn’t say look. I said touch. Touch me. Basic instructions right? Or are you just that stupid?”

Hands touches his thighs first, squeezing around the area before moving up blindly without Casey fighting Elias’ hand to look down. Two fingers carefully touch his slit, parting his folds and touching his wet hole for a moment before moving up to where he knew would please Elias.

Casey’s eyes grow a bit as Elias softly moans, hips rocking into Casey’s hand. “It’s bigger than others.”

Elias nods with a light. “Going on testosterone does that to people.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It doesn’t just give me body hair and a deeper voice, Cass. It blessed me with my own t-cock.”

Casey lets out a curious hum, fingers still blindly moving as he learns he’s able to squeeze his clit between his pointer and middle finger, slightly moving back and forth on the small length that has Elias softly moaning and leaning onto Casey’s shoulders. “You learn to work fast.”

Casey grins at him with dark yet light eyes. “I’m a hands-on learner.”

“Lets see how fast you learn with your mouth then.” Elias grins mischievously stepping back and knocking his hand out of the way and finally giving Casey the full view of him naked. “On your knees, Cass.”

Casey’s eyes widen. “My knees?”

“You got to suck me off somehow, don’t you? I can’t be the only one who gets on my knees all the time.”

Casey blinks once before nodding furiously and slipping off the bed and onto his knees quick with a soft thud on the carpet floor. He spreads his legs open a bit, cock resting on the floor between his thighs.

Elias steps forward, tugging at his hair a bit to tilt his head back some to look up at him. He was a perfect height for Elias. Not too tall, not too short; as he comes head to groin with Elias.

“Tap my thigh if you need to stop.”

“You’re not big, E. I choked on bigger things that that.”

Elias lifts an eyebrow, daring him. “Like?”

“A baby carrot. Just to list something.”

“Ooh, you poor, poor boy.” Elias laughs softly, fingers threading through his hair before yanking hard. Harder than he has ever before. “I’ll make you regret saying that one day soon. Open.”

Casey opens his mouth, tongue out and ready for Elias.

“You’re going to suck on me. Blow me like you’re blocking a cock. No biting. No teeth. Don’t forget, I do have to give birth. I’d like my pussy intact as much as possible.”

With that Elias guides and pushes Casey’s mouth onto him. Casey takes him in right away, sucking and moaning around him as he grinds on his face and pulling him back and forward to properly suck him off with the occasional tongue licking around when he’s able to.

For his first time, Elias had to say he was doing good. He could hardly see Casey’s head with his bump in the way, the grooves that the baby made from the inside where Elias gives out soft positive noises, moans and grunts guiding Casey’s mouth where he needed it to be.

“Lo estás haciendo muy bien.” Elias moans with his eyes closed, hips rolling forward into Casey’s mouth. Casey moans around him making his hips stutter forward, he didn’t plan on warning Casey as he feels himself getting close. No, he was going to let Casey figure that out for himself.

“Casey… Cass-…” Elias moans out his name. “Such a good boy for me. Your mouth feels so good- Sí, eres un buen chico. Y además aprendes rápido.”

His legs were tensing up as he leans on Casey’s head. Casey moans with a long whine around him. Elias lets out a gasp, coming as his fingers tighten around Casey’s hair guiding him to stay on him for a little longer to work him through his orgasm a little longer until he couldn’t tolerate having Casey on him any longer.

He pushes Casey fully onto himself. Casey had to grip onto his hips for balence with the slight force adjustment change as Elias grinds himsalf into Casey's mouth taking what he wanted.

Casey laps his tongue up, managing to catch and push up the hood of his clit and getting direct contact to swirl around the head of his clit, getting direct contact to the overly sensitive part of his body. Something that none of his partners have ever been able to do before on him as he buzzed with oversensitivity fast being pushed overdrive as he shoves Casey off feeling a warm trickle down his legs, being released before he could put a stop to it.

“Fuck-!” He breathes out staring wide-eyed at the small wet spot on the carpet under him as his clit and pussy pulsed. “I- I didn’t expect for that to happen. That never happened before. Not- not with someone else.”

“Did you just have an accident?” Casey asks carefully falling to his butt, his wetness shining across his mouth, cheeks, and chin.

Elias shakes his head carefully. “No. It- I… I know I can do this but… I only manged to do it with toys in the past and being alone... where I'm entirely relaxed. If I push myself too much, too far, I squirt a bit. I just- never managed to do that without something in me before.”

That puts a crooked smile on Casey’s face. “I was good then?”

Elias huffs at him, a tiny scowling glare on his face as he grabs his shoulders and sink down to his knees with slight adjustments to his prosthetic leg to be leveled up with Casey once again. Casey grabs his hips confused. “What are you doing?”

“What do you think?” Elias asks straddling him and grabbing his cock from behind, lining him up to his hole. “We’re not done yet.”

“Only- only if we clean up after- Ooohhh... fucking hell.” Elias sinks down on Casey with a low moan, hands running up and down his chest as he rolls his hips in circular motions. Casey drops his head back on the edge of his bed from where he was leaning up on it.

“How much longer you think we got?” Elias asks starting to lift up and sink, bouncing steadily on Casey’s dick.

“No- no clue. Mum can t-take hours or it c-could be a fast run.” Casey answers as he grips on Elias’ waist, thumbs managing to run across the curve of his bump.

Elias hurries up on his actions. Both of them growing sweaty with Elias doing most of the work and keeping Casey well distracted and well pinned down. Elias grabs one of Casey’s hands off his waist, forcing him between his legs.

“Touch me.” He orders, not stilling his bouncing. Casey’s hand was sloppy. He probably would’ve failed on getting Elias off if it wasn’t for the previous blind show and tell as Casey gets his clit between his middle and pointer and stroking him in attempt as he moves up and down.

“Oh fuck-! E, tou’re getting tighter-… Don’t stop-”

“Wasn’t planning on it.” Elias grunts feeling himself close to coming as he drops the last time, grinding more than bouncing and taking Casey’s dick as deep as he can.

Elias throws his arms over Casey’s neck and pulls him in for a searing hot kiss, both moaning all muffled up as Elias clenches down tight, hot, and so wet around Casey’s dick pulsing as he slams down on his dick with a few weak grinds and half efforts to lift up halfway up on his cock before riding again trying not to give up for Casey’s sake finally having Casey moan loudly into his mouth feeling his cock throbbing a few times before Elias could feel more hotter and wet inside. Warmth spreading over and fulling him up.

Casey knocks his head back on the bed the first chance he gets when they break the kiss, all blissed out breathing heavily as Elias drops his head in the crook of his neck breathing hotly against his skin.

“I never had someone come around my dick before.” Casey mumbles breathless. “That could get addicting fast. Might become a problem...”

“I had someone come in me before.” Elias mumbles tiredly in Casey’s neck feeling his aching leg. “But I wish it was you and I wish you were Ella’s other parent than that prick.”

Casey doesn’t say anything on that. Bringing his hand to his mouth and sucking his fingers clean, one by one. “This taste could get addicting too. You taste good.”

Elias laughs softly. “Would you eat me out with your come in me?”

Casey hums quietly. “Maybe another day I could try when the chance of Mum walking in isn’t too high.”

Elias reaches behind himself, lifting himself just the slightest bit and running his fingers across the wetness and catching the white fluids on two fingers before sinking back down, not ready to lift off yet. He shoves his fingers in Casey’s mouth, not needing to bark orders at him.

Casey opens his mouth the moment Elias had two fingers ready for him, tounge stuck out and ready.

“What do you think?” Elias asks him, fingers being sucked clean.

“I can work with it.” Casey answers when his mouth is free. Casey smiles softly looking at Elias. “You look all pretty like this. Orgasmic-haze and flushed.”

Elias groans as the front door opens making them both stiff up. The bedroom door was still wide open, forgotten entirely.

“Casey? You home? Is Elias still with you?”

“Fuck!” Casey doesn’t hide his language, tipping Elias over and onto his back and reaching forward to slam the door just as Wanda stepped foot into the small living room that gave her eyesight of Elias’ backside from where he straddled Casey.

Elias can’t help his laughter as Casey buries his face into the crook of Elias' neck for a moment before pulling out with a slight groan. “You think she saw my arse?”

“You know that she did.” Casey hisses at him as Elias remained on his back naked, legs apart and come leaking out of him and a goofy grin on his face.

Casey moves around the small room, grabbing and sorting between scattered clothes, tossing Elias’ his on his chest and stomach.

Casey looks over Elias, eyes softening with less panic as he roams over his naked body as Elias sits up. Casey doesn’t bother with his jeans, swapping them out for some joggers instead. “I’ll be right back, I’ll try to get something in to clean you up with. I don't got no tissues in here, which is weird cause usually I do.”

“And the carpet.” Elais reminds him with a quiet laugh.

A small, soft chuckle with a fond nod. “And there's the carpet, too.”

Elias watches Casey leave the room quickly and close the door behind himself before there was muffled words that he couldn’t make out. He tugs on his jumper before getting to his feet carefully with creaks and groans from the bed that helps him up.

Standing up, the come seeped out faster with the gravity pull down as he looks on the carpet seeing two fast crusting stains instead of one.

“Fuck, Wanda’s gonna kill us for sure.” Elias mutters staring at the floor for a long minute trying to decide what to do with it. The longer the drying fluids sat on the floor, the harder it’d be to get off.

Elias’ eyes twitched over to his small bag that he packed with some clothes and stuff he’d need, he knew his wand was at the very bottom of it. A flick of his wand and the mess would be cleaned up fast and painless.

With a sigh, Elias knew he’d have to come up with a fast lie as he grabs his bag and digs around for the piece of magical wood.

Elias quickly cleans up the mess with a silence flick of his wand vanishing the mess. Just as he shoves his wand back into his bag a bit too roughly, Casey comes back into the room with his hands full.

“I brought you a warm cloth and some stuff to hopefully get the spot off the floor. I wasn’t sure if it’d smell or not so I brought a spray that’d make it-” Casey blinks at the floor. “It’s gone.”

“Would you look at that.” Elias plays it off acting impressed, zipping up his bag. “It is.”

Casey looks up at him confused. “Did you do something?”

“No. If I did, I would probably clean the mess between my legs first before the mess on the carpet.”

Casey blinks at him. Eyes drift from carpet to him a few times before nodding and passing over the cloth. Elias was able to clean himself gently without sensitivity with some time to settle from when he was fucked and get his underwear back on, not bothering with his pants yet. “Your mum mad?”

“A bit.” Casey shrugs. “I never brought anyone home before. Let alone got the opportunity to shag someone in my room, or in my bed. I think the whole thing is just a bit new for her.”

“You never brought anyone home before?”

“Nope.” Casey pops his lips with the p. “Never found anyone worthy to introduce to mum.”

“I’m worthy?”

“You met Brighton, didn’t you?”

Elias smiles shyly. He approaches Casey with a few small steps and wraps his arms around his waist rising to his toes to press a kiss to his lips. Breaking away, Elias rests is head on Casey’s chest.

“I wish we could stay like this forever. Hide in here forever.”

“I have a feeling Mum’s tempted to barge in here any second. Making sure we aren’t trying to go at it again.”

Elias giggles softly, moving his face to bury it in the crook of Casey’s neck and smelling the natural musk and sweat from the area that built up over sex — some sort of woodsy sweet vanilla with a touch of raspberry from the blend of tea he drinks.

“You smell good.” Elias mumbles breathing in deeply.

“I haven't even showered today or last night, put on any soap or some of that cologne that I hardly wear unless I go out.”

A tiny hum. Elias slips his hands under Casey’s shirt, feeling a bit of silver skin and the hair that grew on his lower back. “Hmm... Don’t. Like smelling you like this.”

Casey wraps his arms around him securely, lips press a kiss onto his temple.

“How’d you clean the mess on the floor so fast? I know it was you.”

Elias knew Casey was too smart to be fooled. Elias breathes in deeply, cherishing the moment. “Another time. I’ll tell you another time, I promise.”

“Do you?”

Elias pulls back just a bit, a hand where Casey can see it and holds out his pinky. He gives his tiny finger a wiggle. “Pinky promise.”

Casey softly laughs, a small smile on his lips that didn’t quite reach his eyes as he wraps his slightly longer and thicker pinky around Elias’.

“Pinky Promise.”

Chapter 48: January 7th, 2007

January 7th, 2007

 

Elias could relax a bit more knowing everything was okay and going well. Though he had a question spinning on his mind that he needed to ask as he rests a hand on his bump, now twenty-seven weeks along.

“So, before I pop out and let you guys leave and check out at the front, do you have any last questions for me?”

“I actually have one.” Elias quietly speaks up, his Papa’s dark blue eyes drifting over to him from the chair he sat at from where he was looking curiously at the imagining pictures of his daughter. His healer nods with a reassuring smile. He takes a deep breath.

“I was wondering if it’s possible to… give birth in a muggle hospital.”

“What?” Aster’s eyebrows raise up a bit startled as his healer looked taken back. “Why would you want to do that?”

“I want Cass to be there, Papa. He can’t be here at St Mungo’s.”

“You want-? What?”

Elias nods at his confusion. “I already asked him. He wants to be there as long as I’d let him. I don’t want to be alone.”

“You’re not going to be alone.” Aster tries.

“I want Cass to be there.” Elias firmly gives Aster no room to argue. “He doesn’t know about magic and I can’t tell him yet, so I can’t bring him here. The best thing I can do is have the baby in a muggle hospital or wherever muggles do and go to have their own babies.”

“Hospitals, there’s birth centers, you could even do a home birth-”

“I can do that? Have my baby at home?” Elias questions curiously thinking of where he’d be most comfortable.

“You want a home birth?” Aster slightly wrinkles his nose. “I had one with the triplets. It wasn’t all glamourous as you may think-”

“I’m not thinking of the glamor, I’m thinking of comfort.”

“And you want Cass there?” Aster asks again.

“Why can’t he be there? Dad was there for you.”

“Yeah but-”

“Just because he’s not the biological dad doesn’t mean he doesn’t care, Papa.” Elias quietly tells him, his healer in front of them both watching silently. “He wants to know everything that’s been happening. He might as well already be her proper dad.”

Aster inhales sharply, exhales deeply. Aster nods, giving in.

“Alright. I can’t argue with you if it’s what you want. I’m in no place to do that. And… Cass is a good bloke. He’s around enough for me to see that.”

Elias smiles softly before looking back at his healer. “Is there a way or something I can get more details between my options before I make a final decision?”

Elias knew he said something right with the look on Aster’s face as his healer started talking about sending him home packets of benefits and non-benefits of each options between both muggle and wizard choices.

Going back to the Potter manor, Elias goes straight back to his school work that was left on the table spread out as Aster heads back to Hogwarts to finish his work-day where Madam Pomfrey took his morning shift, meaning he had to work late.

He sets the folder he received from his healer on the far end so he won’t forget about it and focuses on his water making charms with a few empty glasses spread out on the table.

Perfecting the spell wasn’t hard to do. Taking notes and reviewing it’s properties for Teddy was, as he take notes in the quiet house.

“Icey blue appearance when spell is performed…” Elias mumbles out loud as he writes down his notes for his twelve inch essay that was due at the end of next week. “It’s a conjuration charm… water conjuration but can be affected over time with transfiguration… such as tea or rum…”

Elias was zoned in on his school work that he nearly misses the ending of the haircut and shave knock as he casts another watering conjuring charm that has him perking up, a smile forming on his face.

He drops his wand on the table and scoots out of his seat getting to his feet — his feet were swelling more days than not much to his annoyance — and opens the door beaming at Brighton and Casey.

“I didn’t know you guys were coming today.” Elias cheerfully lets them in, happily taking Brighton into his arms where the toddler could sit on his stomach at this point.

“Thought we’d surprise you.” Casey pecks him happily and they walked more into the kitchen, moving closer to the dining room.

“I took an early shift this morning so I picked up Brighton from Mum and drove over to see how your appointment went instead of calling. Is anyone home or is it just you?”

“Papa just headed back out to work like, an hour ago. I was just doing some school work since-” Elias freezes as his eyes drifted onto the dining room table where at least three of his school books laid out on the table, his wand out to be seen and half filled cups of water with papers full of his handwriting.

Casey wanders over to the dining room table, Elias stays quiet seeing his sudden mistake.

No use on trying to hide it, there wasn’t any point as his eyes drifted and raked over the books with a questionable look on his face. “What kind of school work is this?” He mutters picking up his notebook that held his charm lists that Elias needed to do and complete for this week.

“Twelve-inch essay in Charms for Teddy about properties of the water-conjuring charm. Don’t forget to use apperance as well as touch-description to boost in writing essays, will help with exams?” Casey looks up to Elias, setting the book down. “What?”

Elias’ face was warm as he looked at his feet and a hand safely under Brighton’s bum to keep him on his bump from falling over. Casey picks up a proper school book, this time it was his potion book, reading what was laid open that Elias was studying for his abuelo.

“Draught of the Living Death? Standard potioning water, powdered root of asphodel, infusion of wormwood, valerian root, A sopophorous bean, a sloth brain, moondew, flower head? What the fuck is all this? Elias, what the fuck are you reading?”

“...It’s for school...” He weakly answers.

“What kind of school needs a seventeen year old to,” Casey looks at all the books, hurriedly closing each and everyone of them to read the titles. “Brew potions and do charms and what the ever living fuck is trans-firg-uration?”

“…Hogwarts.” Elias quietly answers.

“What?”

Elias touches Brighton’s tiny sock covered foot, not yet adjusted to wearing shoes and Casey never forcing the tiny shoes on him just yet, given he hasn’t started walking yet.

“Hogwarts.” Elias speaks up a bit more clearer. “I go to Hogwarts. All my siblings go to Hogwarts, my parents went and work at Hogwarts.”

“That can’t be.” Casey shakes his head. “I looked up every private and boarding school there is in Scotland. There’s no Hogwarts on the list, Elias. Don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not lying.” Elias breathlessly tells him. Casey shakes his head, refusing to look at him. “I’m not, Cass-! I’m not. I- I’m not suppose to tell you. I can get in trouble for telling you this.”

“Bullshit. You’re trying to make me crazy, aren’t you? I know I've been going crazy being around here. Seeing those sticks and those books that you and Nyx read and-!”

“What? No! I- Hogwarts is a school for young wizards and witches. You go when you’re eleven if you show signs of magic. That’s why Aurora and Nyx haven’t gone yet. That’s why some things don’t quite add up here. That’s why sometimes things seem odd or weird or just… out of place.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Cass! I’m not lying!”

“Prove it!”

“The stars!” Elias nearly screams blocking his way to the front door. “In my room. Remember those? I had to get Papa to remove them. I had them on my ceiling for as long as I can remember because they bring me comfort — because I’m terrified of the dark and I got rid of them for you. Because of you. You said they looked so real. It was a bewitched ceiling. They were as real as they could get. A-and the moon changed with every passing night and- no. Stop shaking your head. I’m telling you the truth, Cass. Just believe me. Please.”

“That’s not enough. You- you expect me to believe you’re some- some wizard?” He spits at Elias.

“I am!”

Casey shakes his head. “Give me Brighton. We’re leaving.”

“No. Please- I-”

“Give me. My son. Elias.”

Elias shakily nods, pressing a kiss to Brighton’s temple before carefully passing him over. “I’m not lying.”

“This is something so fucking stupid to lie about. Honestly. I know you don’t look at things the same way as I do but… now it feels like you’re making fun of me the way I told you how I feel about looking at certain things like they're magic.”

Elisa shakes his head, moving to lean back on the table. “I’m not, Casey. I’d never make fun of you like-”

“Goodbye, Elias. I’ll call whenever.”

Elias’ eyes stun when he looks at the messy table, wand rolled crookedly on the table and half hidden under the scattered mess of papers. He lets out a soft gasp, grabbing his dark wood wand. “Wait! I can prove it. I’m seventeen. Casey, stop! Please. I can prove it!”

Elias moves fast, grabbing Casey’s shoulder seconds before he reaches the front door. “I’m not lying. I swear on it. I- I pinky promised you. I told you I’d tell you one day. I just didn’t think it’d be this soon but-”

Casey rolls his eyes seeing his wand. “What is wrong with your family and those bloody sticks?”

“It’s not a stick.” Elias snaps like he was talking to Owen showing Casey his dark wooden wand. “It’s a wand. My wand.”

Casey adjusts Brighton on his side. “A fancy carved stick then.”

Elias glares at him. He turns with a huff with a spell in mind. “I never been able to conjure a full-body patronus before. But I haven’t tried the spell since meeting you. New happy memories and all that... Trusting Uncle Remus on this. You make me happy. You're my happy person.”

“A what?”

“Just... watch. Please." Elias' voice becomes soft and his face is flushed pink from the fight. "If you don’t like what you have to see then… then you can leave. Break up with me. Do-… do whatever you want and I… I’ll let you go if that’s what you want.”

Casey remains quiet with a tiny nod of his head, eyes flickering down to Elias’ hand where he held his wand.

Elias sucks in a deep breath, closing his eyes. He’s only been able to conjure wisps and vaporing mists when he thinks of his family, being adopted, just being happy with his music.

“Any time now.”

“Shhhh.” Elias hisses, eyes remaining closed. “This is a complicated and advanced spell. But it’s amazing when you get it right…”

He thinks of the times when both his Papa and Dad cast their stags together, watching them both prance off across the manor.

It puts a smile on his face.

Elias sucks in a deep breaht and relaxes his body, thinking of the first time he meets Casey and Brighton.

The times he’s on the floor with Casey and playing with Brighton. All the close moments he shared with Casey before they kissed. Falling for Casey, fancying him, confessing to him through his song. Their first kiss.

He ignores Casey leaving, skipping over to when Casey admits he fancied him too in his own stumbling over words way. Admitting that he was willing to change his outlook in life for him. Willing to explore a new side of himself with Elias.

Being family with Elias, having a family with Elias and Brighton and soon, Capella.

Elias imagines Casey’s face when and if he gets the chance to show him the pictures that he received earlier in the day of Capella, the scans. Hoping to see the look on his face, seeing him proud and happy like he was the father of her instead of him.

Elias thinks of the past, the present, and the future. All with Casey and Brighton involved with him.

A true smile forms on Elias’ face as he points and aim his wand forward, his eyes snap open. “Expecto Patronum!”

It starts with the swirl of the mist. The mist starts expanding, widening like a swirl of a tornado with his wand being the eye and Elias thinks he didn’t do it. But the blue-ish mist isn’t stopping it’s growth as it gains in size bigger than his parents’ stag forms. Larger than his auncle’s dog or his rare sight, once in a blue moon to see uncle’s wolf.

A large animal pops out with a silent grunt with it’s mouth wide open like it was roaring or something.

A massive hump behind it’s head and a horn that was blinking from blue to white as it takes off in a charge, running around the room. Elias rakes his mind trying to pin what animal it was, but he couldn’t. It was an unfamiliar animal to him as well as to Casey, obviously.

“What is that?!” Casey shrieks holding a giggling Brighton close to his body as the animal charges around them in a circular motion, harmless to their touch as Brighton reaches and his tiny fearless fingers go through the animal.

“I don’t know. It’s suppose to be my inner animal. My… spirit animal, a guardian animal, to put it in general sense.” Elias softly laughs at himself. “I never been able to make a full corpal animal before.”

Casey dodges the animal, snatching Brighton’s hand back to his body from touching the mist. “Is it… dangerous?”

Elias shakes his head. “It’s harmless. Can’t even touch you, really. Just... mist at most.”

“If you never done it before why do it now to prove it to me? I probably would’ve believed you if you made something float, ya know?”

Elias chuckles softly. He smiles at Casey with light eyes and watching the animal walks over to Brighton where the toddler reaches out again. Casey who still was hesitate, but he allows Brighton to touch it once more. Tiny fingers go through the glowing horn of the animal. “I like to go all out…” A thick swallow. “You can’t tell anyone, Casey. Not even your mum.”

“Not even mum?”

Elias shakes his head. “I shouldn’t even tell you. You can only know if we get married or have a kid together, or-… you know, something change between us that’s serious enough to prove it to the wizard-ministry.”

Casey blinks at him. “Is Brighton not serious enough?”

“Brighton?”

A tiny shrug. “You’re good with him. And… I mean, you invited me to be at the birth of your daughter and at this moment I know Ella isn’t mine but… I feel like she is. Like she’s one of my own. You, me, Brighton, and soon, Ella? A family…? ...Us?”

Elias drops his wand, the animal dissolving much to Brighton’s squealing pouting dismay. “The four of us?”

Casey nods, moving away from the door and closer to Elias. “Yeah. I know we only met in October and it’s just January but-”

“No rush, I know.” Elias quickly says. “But, yes. I feel that way too. I told Papa, that, actually. Or a general sense of it today at my appointment.”

“How’d he take it?”

Elias sighs deeply. “I don’t see a normal doctor that you think I see, Cass.”

“You don’t?”

“No… Magical doctor. A healer. A witch-healer. The place I’m suppose to have Ella, they don’t let muggles in. Not usually. Very rarely they’d make an exception. I asked today, actually, to see if I could transfer or see my options so I could have you with me.”

Casey nods slowly. “Muggles? What’s that?”

“Non-magical people. Like... you… Brighton… Your mum. Like, ninety percent of the world’s population. Muggles.”

“Wow…" A soft but curious smile forms on his face. "What else don’t I know?”

“A lot.” Elias thinly smiles. “Do you recognize that animal?”

Casey shakes his head. “Why?”

“The animal suppsoe to represent my innder animal. I’m fairly curious of what it is… what is represents. Come with me.” Elias takes Casey hand and brings him to the library, a room where Casey hasn’t gone in before. “Where are you taking me?”

“Library.”

“I’m allowed in there now?”

“Now that you know about wizards and witches, I don’t see why not. A lot of the books are heavy based on that world.” Elias explains. “That’s why we can’t have just anyone in the library. Clueless muggles, that is.”

“Wow.” Casey mutters looking at the rows of bookshelves worth. “Lotta books. Probably more than the public library by my flat.”

Elias laughs softly, nonverbally summoning a book of animals with his wand. Casey watches wide-eyed in amazed at the book floating off the shelf going straight by him. Brighton makes grabby hands at the book as Elias catches it with fast hands. “Whoa.”

Elias clicks his tongue, winks at Casey a bit too cocky as he nods over to the small loveseat. “If you put Brighton down, make sure to keep an eye on him. Lots of hiding places in here. Trust me, I know with past experiences over Nyx. You loose him one time when he’s three and suddenly you loose your babysitting privileges for a whole year.”

Elias sits on the loveseat, patting the spot for Casey to sit next to him.

Elias reads the book out loud. Not the whole thing, but lists off both muggle and magical animals, pointing at the pictures to Brighton as they start with A, working their way to E.

“I think that’s it.” Casey taps on the the book, on a picture. “The nose and hump. It fits, don’t you think?”

Erumpent.

Elias nods with a faint smile on his lips. “Yeah. Quick eye. It’s a magical beast, probably why neither of us knew what it was… Lets see if there’s any more books in here about it. If I was in my fifth year I’d be writing an essay on it if I was able to conjure it.”

Elias attempts to summon a more general book, testing waters to see if anything comes his way. Nothing.

“Guess there’s nothing in here about Erumpents. We’ll have to make do with this book.” Elias announces looking closer at what was provided to know.

Casey hums quietly, reading over with him.

“An Erumpent is a powerful and generally calm magical beast unless otherwise provoked. If provoked, the erumpent will become destructive and and feared.”

Elias pursed his lips as Casey reads out loud.

“So in other words from what I’m reading is that they’re… calm and gentle, strong and resilient… but can be a provocative danger to others… and they seek to be respected and feared.”

Elias traces the edges of the pages to the book in deep thought. Casey loosens his grip on the book, passing it back to Elias as he readjusts his grip on Brighton to sit on his lap. He was starting to fuss.

“You okay, E?”

“Do you think people are afraid of me?”

Casey shrugs. “That’s for them to decide.”

Elias’ eyes stared at the picture of the erumpent. “Are you afraid of me?” He recorrects his question.

“Should I be?”

“I don’t want you to be.”

“Me either.”

Elias leans onto Casey’s shoulder, resting his head and staring down at the book. “I don’t want to be feared to be respected.”

“No one said you have to.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Cass.”

“Do you do drugs? Drink alcohol?”

“No. I- I mean, I smoked weed, before. Not since I got pregnant. And I haven’t drank since school last year.”

“With Brighton, his mum, she did drugs her whole pregnancy. I had to wean him off everything she was on. I was so terrified of her doing something to him in the meantime. She drank, too. She did shoot shit in her arms where there was bruises... She did everything advised against to do while being pregnant.”

“How… why did you sleep with her to begin with? Not to sound mean or anything.”

“I was drunk and at this stupid party my old friends took me to. I… I took a pill and I didn’t know what it was. I never took drugs before and I was so out of it that night that I hardly even remember putting on a condom but waking up with it leaking and ripped a bit on my dick and she was passed out next to me... Bloody hell, I was thinking for half the time she was pregnant that Brighton wasn’t even mine but then I saw him and he opened his eyes and I just… I knew he was mine. I didn’t need any test to prove it. Even mum knew it. He has my eyes. Her eyes were a faded blue, lifeless, cold.”

Elias nods softly.

“Can I ask you something.”

“I guess.”

Casey rests his head on top of Elias’ blonde hair. “What happens if that guy finds out you’re pregnant? Or if you have his daughter? Didn’t you say he’s the son of Aster and James’ friend?”

“I can only hope he doesn’t. He lives in Scotland. In Uni. Never came here for like, I don’t know, eight years. Another eight years I’ll twenty five. Maybe I can be… out of this place… Maybe… in a flat with you, Brighton, Ella… Playing Dad to them, working my dream job or any other job honestly… But I hope I can prove him wrong, that I can make it in the big life in music. And… I mean, who knows. Maybe we’ll have another kid together. A third one, you and me. But for now, we got Brighton and Ella to think about. One baby at a time.”

Casey nods, pressing a kiss to the crown of his head as Brighton leans on Casey’s chest seeming ready for a nap. “Yeah. We don’t need a third kid for a while.”

“Maybe we can re-evaluate in five years.” A sigh. “Or less.”

Casey chuckles. “Less?”

“I kinda like how my dads got all the kids in clusters of close age groups. Then there’s me. It’s kinda lonely.”

“What are you saying?”

“I think, my minimum for having kids,” Elias slowly speaks. “Would be four. Because Ella and Brighton would be nearly just a year apart if I have her in April. With Brighton’s birthday on the twenty-eighth in April.”

Casey has one hand securely around Brighton, another moves around to touch Elias’ bump. Even with the thick jumper on, he can feel the grooves on his palm under the shirt. “When’s your exact due date? I don't think I ever asked.”

“The fifth.”

“You think you’ll have her on time?”

“Nah. She’s my daughter. She's a Potte, too, blood or not.” Casey chuckles softly. “If anything, I’ll bet she’ll come out late just to get on my nerves.”

“What if she comes out early?”

Elias is quiet for a moment before shaking his head and resting a hand on top of Casey’s own. “Nah.”

Chapter 49: January 31st, 2007

January 31st, 2007

 

Elias shifts his legs a bit, opening them with a quiet sigh of relief with the slight added elevation to his hip with one full leg set up as he snuggles closer to Casey, his bulging stomach in-between them as he keeps his eyes closed, ready to drift back to sleep again, still far too early in the morning for him.

Casey shifts forward, pressing his hips into the slight opening where Elias could feel him through their sleepwear.

“I can get used to waking up like this.” Casey’s morning voice was deep as he presses a kiss to Elias’ neck.

“Too early.” Elias grumbles kicking him a bit to still.

“Come on, you don’t even have to do anything.” Casey breathes out gripping his hips to keep him in place. Casey’s hips shifting and moving to rut into him a bit making Elias whine.

“Cass… You’ll make a mess of the bed. I’m still sleeping.”

“Shh,” Casey whispers not stilling. “Bright’s still sleeping, too.”

That explain a whole lot of reasons to Elias of why Casey was trying to do such lewd stuff so early in the morning with his morning wood with Elias than taking care of it in the bathroom. It was only their second time sharing a bed properly without Casey sneaking up into his bedroom, a second time Brighton was sleeping away in the pack and play in the bedroom than the guest room with Casey. Where Casey would usually leave him in the room until he woke up or carried the toddler with him to bug Elias.

Much like Casey was bugging Elias now.

Casey’s face was buried in Elias neck as he rolls over on top of him, a bulge in his pants and soft moans as his hips thrust forward to rut between his legs where Elias was only wearing his thin boxers that had a unbuttoned hole in the front.

Elias can’t help the tiny whine feeling the way his bulge rubbed on his clit through the fabrics in the right way. He claws at Casey’s naked back. “Fuck- Cass, if you’re going to act this needy by dry humping me like a dog just put it in.”

“Shouldn’t.” He pants. “What if Brighton-”

“He’ll be fine. Trust me.” Elias breathes out already sliding off his boxers. “Just keep the blanket over us. He won’t know the difference if he catches us.”

“And if he does?”

“Tell him daddy was giving Elias very special kisses.” Elias grins up at him with the sleep leaving him fast as Casey slips out his dick.

Casey teases Elias a bit, sliding his cock between his folds and catching the tip by his hole before pushing past and sliding around against his puffy clit. Elias wraps his one leg around Casey’s hips, kicking him a bit in the back and forcing him to push his cock in and finally getting the teasing to stop as he’s forced to slip in with a low groan.

“You don’t get to tease me waking me up this early.” Elias growls at him. “Now move.”

Casey huffs a soft laugh, drawing back and snapping his hips hard and fast and relentless, not going easy on Elias. Elias keeps him close between his leg around his body — his stump leg beside his hip not doing much — and an arm wrapped around his neck while the other is shoved between them to do the dirty work for Casey who was too gone and far too distracted to think as kept thrusting into Elias.

Elias rubs at his clit furiously, pressing his forehead to Casey’s sweaty collarbone where he was pushed up above him, hands on either side of Elias’ head.

The bed was squeaking noisily under them, the headboard slightly hitting the wall behind them, with them being probably being louder than their hard attempting soft pants and moans as Elias lifts his head off Casey’s collarbone and presses his lips onto his as he comes hard with his eyes rolling into his head and leg pulling Casey in and close.

Casey moves a bit more sloppy. Shallow thrusts mixed with grinds before he hardly is able to pull out with half a mind coming a bit inside and yanks up Elias’ shirt to get the rest on Elias’ stomach, grabbing his cock and jerking himself off with a muffled moan against Elias’ mouth.

Elias drops back on the bed with a relaxed slump and a soft smile on his lips staring up at Casey with no longer sleep-laced eyes but hazy-orgasmic filled eyes.

“I’ll be all sticky now.” Elias chuckles softly without much a care yet.

Casey gets a twinkling spark in his eyes seconds before he dips under the cover into hiding. “What are you-? Oh fuck, yes, yes-! Just like that.”

Elias smacks a hand over his mouth before he could be any noiser in risk of waking anyone up, let alone Brighton.

Elias’ leg shook as Casey cleaned him up, first licking between his folds, teasing his clit before derailing and licking up his stomach and cleaning off all the come from his stomach before moving down lower. Down to his ruined hole licking him clean with his tongue sticking inside him and sucking away on his clit.

“You’re being so good to me this morning.” Elias praises taking his hand off his mouth and staring at his bewitched ceiling, opening his legs to make room for Casey. “Making up to me with your little sunny-brat behaviors. Every goddamn morning when you’re here… I have to be up before eight a.m.. Worse than my professors.”

Casey laughs around his clit, making Elias moan a bit too loud as he covers his mouth once more remembering the sleeping baby in the room. When Casey puts full focus of his mouth on his clit, Elias could feel fingers pushing into him and curling up into him.

Elias reaches under the blanket, wrapping his hand into the soft brown hair. He’s shaking as Casey is pulling back the hood, taking full advantage of the full exposed clit like he had done once before.

Elias moans a muffled out Casey’s name out behind his hand as his body shook coming on Casey's fingers and mouth. Casey doesn’t pull off him, fingers being squeezed around as they curl inside Elias.

Elias doesn’t push himself too far, unlike the last time they were in Casey and Wanda’s flat. He pulls off Casey by the hair, sucking in air like he was deprived of it.

Casey laughs softly, still hidden away as he seemingly flattens himself under the blankets a bit and press kisses across his hypersensitive skin around his pussy, his thighs, even on his bump.

“Elias? Are you up? Is Cass with you?”

Elias curses at his younger sister as they're being barge in, opening his bedroom door peering in with curious eyes to see if he was awake when usually he’s not. Aurora’s hair was a bird’s nest, school clothes on, as she meets eyes with Elias who pushes himself up on the messy bed full of pillows and blankets. With Casey flatten out underneath, it looked like he wasn’t there at all.

“What do you want?” Elias ask with a flushed face.

She looks over to the pack and play where Brighton was still peacefully sleeping. “Where’s Casey?”

“Bathroom, maybe?”

Elias feels fingers tapping across his inner thighs. Thumbs pulling him apart and warm air blowing on him that has him clit pulsing and twitching. He doesn't react to it.

“Nyx’s in there.”

“What. do. you. want?” Elias asks her again, feeling fingers slowly jerking him off. Elias couldn’t even reach under the blanket without making it too noticeable. All he could do was hit his head on the headboard with a shaky inhale.

“Dad told me to see if you and Casey were up and asked if you want breakfast. He’s making crepes.”

“Um…” He already came two times. He was so wet already with Casey’s wet fingers working at his sensitive clit. He wouldn’t be surprise if he came fast and hard from this from how foggy mind he was becoming already.

“Well?”

He blinks at Aurora. “What?”

“Dad? The crepes?” She sasses leaning on the doorframe. “I don’t have all day, Eli.”

Casey’s pace picks up in speed and pressure. 

“Right… right… um…” His voice cracks a bit. “T-tell him to make us some and put some to the side. And a small one for Brighton.”

“Geez.” She huffs grabbing the knob. “That wasn’t so bloody hard.”

His door clicks closed with a slam and he lets out a choking moan, hips jerking up into Casey’s hand as he laughs at Elias. “You wanker.” Elias mutters too out of it to think of anything better of an insult. “That’s my baby sister.”

“I know,” Casey pulls back the blanket revealing himself. “Which makes it all far more fun. Better than the 'Rents cause she can't get us in trouble.”

Elias lets out a tiny groan when Casey pulls back the hood and his thumb rubs across his clit. His hips stutter into his hand. “You’re really sensitive when I do this, aren’t you?”

“I think- the healer said something about- fuck… it’s suppose to feel like the head of a cock.”

“Really?” Casey hums.

Elias nods pathetically with a tiny whine. “And the hood- like foreskin. That’s why it grew bigger compared to normal clits. Acts like a real cock with testosterone.”

“Fascinating.” Casey murmurs slowing down a bit. “Just like a cock?”

“Not entirely. But yes. The idea of it.”

Casey hums, two fingers go back to slowly jerking him off making Elias whine. “Faster. I can’t come like this Cass.”

“Like a cock.” Casey repeats, less of a question. “Slow and steady, E. Not everything has to be a race.”

Elias could feel himself becoming more wet if that was even possible, leaking out of him and down his arse to his bed under him was starting to get damp.

“Cass, need more. If you don't- bloody hell-...” He could feel his clit pulsing and twitching between Casey’s fingertips. He felt so swollen at the touch. Throbbing and big and he bet if his bump wasn’t in the way he could probably see just how much he was hanging out and sticking out from between his folds.

Casey grins at him, stopping for a moment with his fingers still on his clit. His eyes sparkled as Elias whine, readied to hit him before he’s moving again, slowly still.

“I can feel you pulsing when I stop. Throbbing in my fingertips.”

Elias whines quietly. His insides clenching tightly before relaxing like his body was tempted to come but there was that small line it just couldn’t cross yet. “Cass, please. I’ll do anything. I- I’ll suck you off.” Elias wasn't the biggest fan of blow-jobs but he'd do it.

“Maybe another time.”

Elias whines. “Another time is like a whole month's time away.”

Stubbornly, Elias reaches down to touch himself only for Casey to grab his wrist and pin him to the bed. “No, no, no. This is my turn. Let me have this.”

Elias attempts to fight against Casey a bit, struggling by a lot with a far too disctracted mind and Casey taking advantage of his pregnancy while Casey somehow manages to not stop, being that extra heavy distraction that has Elias slumping in defeat in the bed huffing and puffing with glossy eyes staring up at the ceiling.

He could feel it now. He was close.

“God, I love seeing you like this.” Casey presses a kiss to his exposed hipbone, a smile on his lips. “So come-desperate for me. I bet you’re close, aren’t you? I can practically feel it. You’re so bloody hard. I bet, if I changed one single thing… I’ll have you coming in no time.”

Elias lets out a tired whine. He parts his legs willingly, spreading them more open for Casey in silent encouragement to do whatever he wanted.

“Maybe… I’ll do this…” Casey kept his middle finger and forefinger jerking him off, merely adding his thumb to the tip of his clit when he pulled back the skin and rubbed just the little bit of added friction to Elias. Elias lasts an embarrassingly few seconds before the simple small change up from Casey has him coming hard for the third time that morning.

His hand reaches between his legs, grabbing Casey’s wrist holding him there as he comes harder than the last two times around nothing before yanking Casey’s hand off him with a shaking shiver.

“No more.” He manages to get out. “No more. Fuck, no more, Cass. Don't you dare touch me. Or I'll... I'll... fuck I don't know. Just don't touch me no more.”

He lets out a shaky laugh at his surrender, breathing hard and deep as he pushes his head burying it in the pillows.

“Is that you drawing up a white flag? Have I finally done it?” Casey asks and Elias could hear the cockiness in his voice.

Elias squeezes his legs closed and kicking at him, attempting to block Casey off that only has his boyfriend laughing at his oversensitivity.

Casey crawls over Elias to the side of the bed and leans down to press a kiss to his lips. Elias grabs Casey’s hand and presses it up on a lower part of his bump and breaks away from the kiss with a red face. “She’s kicking up a storm.”

“Reckon she can feel you coming all the time?” Casey teases with his fingertips splaying across his bump, a foot more likely hitting his hand.

“I don’t know if that’s possible.” Elias ponders. “Can unborn babies feel that from my own body?”

“They say it’s safe to have sex while you’re pregnant so I guess not.” Casey shrugs.

“Yeha, but that’s different.” Elias shakes his head. “Sex is you sticking it in and out of me. Me coming, is like… my organs contracting or some shit inside. Like I tighten up and flutter and- would you stop laughing!” Elias hits Casey across his chest as Casey lays down next to him, tugging down his shirt a but to expose his collarbone and pressing a kiss without leaving a mark.

“Three months to go, E.”

“Then Brighton will be one.”

Casey sighs deeply, rolling onto his back and tucks a hand under his head. The blankets were hardly covering his waist, draping low on his hips. “One whole year of being his dad. How did I get so lucky?"

Elias turns onto his side, curling into Casey’s side and tosses his leg over his waist. Casey wraps an arm around him and they fall quiet for a while. Elias’ breathing becomes more steady, closer to falling back to sleep than being awake.

“We need to open a window.” Elias mumbles quietly into Casey’s chest. “Bright doesn’t need to be smelling this shit when he wakes up.”

Casey laughs softly, craning his head to check the time on the clock on the nightstand. “Yeah. He’ll be waking up soon. He had a late night last night.”

“Boys and their gas problems.” Elias mumbles of Brighton's stomach issues from the night prior. “Need to start using condoms. Make a good habit out of it.”

Casey lets out a tiny affirmative hum, his fingers sneaking under Elias’ shirt and running across his skin from lower back to hip.

Elias moves his hand onto his neck, feeling the chain necklace on his neck with the two charms as his eyes were closed and vision black. “I think I love you, Cass.”

Casey looks at the full pack and play across the room.

His heart skipped a beat watching his son sleep on his stomach with his fingers curled around a tiny stuffed badger with a black and yellow scarf that Elias bought for him a while ago, it was an intresting pick of a toy but he didn’t question it watching Brighton happily play with it when he was here. A small toy box set in Elias’ room all ready for Brighton to pick and play from with age-appropriate toys.

The love that Elias gave them, didn’t just extend to Casey, but to his son as well.

Unconditional love that Casey didn’t ask for, wasn’t looking for himself and his son, but got anyway in the house full of Potters.

Love that was slowly being opened up, bit by bit and trust that was fully there without question.

Casey knew to Elias, it was him peeling off his clothes, one by one. Shedding himself into the light for Casey to see him as whole even with him seeing Elias entirely naked before and vice versa. Being emotionally vulnerable took a large toll on Elias, more than Casey can even think of going as far himself with the stuff he's personally been through.

He was just happy to be slowly earning that trust.

One article of clothing at a time.

Casey doesn’t answer right away when Elias mumbles again in a soft sigh.

“Wake me up when Bright’s up… wanna tell him too…”

Casey smiles softly, squeezing Elias’ body just a bit as he shifts them over slightly to press a kiss to his head. “Love you too, E.”

He doesn’t know if Elias acknowledged it, or even heard it with the silence that filled the bedroom afterwards.

Chapter 50: February 2nd, 2007

February 2nd, 2007

 

Elias frowns with his eyebrows furrowed staring at the papers spread out across the coffee table.

Casey couldn’t stop by today or tomorrow, not that Elias wanted him with the stuff he needed to finish up between his two essays he needed to turn in then reviewing the far too thick folder that his Papa was getting on his arse over.

He sets down the paper in his left hand titled big and bold Muggle Hospital births trading it out for a birthing clinic to compare it with the home births pros and cons.

“You’re not really considering a home birth, are you?”

Elias glances up for a moment, seeing his Papa and Dad take a seat on the two armchairs around the couch in the large family room he was taking over. His eyes twitch over between them studying them carefully. Something was up. He knew they were about to try and talk him out of something.

“Is there something wrong with that?”

“I mean-”

“James.” Aster warns him with a shake of his head. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to have a home birth, but this is your first baby. You don’t know what to expect. And lets be frank, anything can happen.”

“I know. But I’m thinking of how I’ll be most comfortable here. I mean, Papa, you saw how I was at St Mungo’s when I had that spotting scare and the low iron. I don’t want to feel that way.”

“You were also agitated because of what was happening with Cass at the time, Eli. Don’t forget that. Don't lie to me and say that wasn't bothering you too.”

“I know. I- I going through all my options that I was given. Don’t worry about it. That's what all this is about.” Elias waves over all the papers already laid out.

“What’s wrong with St Mungo’s? Papa had nearly all of his births there and it went perfectly well. Had everything for him that he could possibily could request for.” James offers, picking up the paper most farthest away from Elias’ preferred choices he had lined up, all muggle listed. Aster sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“I want Cass to be there, Dad.”

“Oh-?” James’ eyes flicker up to Elias from the papers. “You do?” He looks over to Aster, then back on Elias. "I didn't know that. Why didn't you say that, Aster? Elias?"

“Yeah. And he’s muggle. Can’t exactly go into St Mungo’s.”

Aster sets a leg over his knee and leans over the arm of the table, picking up the paper that Elias just set down of the birthing center.

“Actually, Papa and I have been meaning to talk to you about Casey and Brighton.” James smiles small to Elias. Elias looks away from his papers. “What about?”

“Um… well… we noticed you put up the bewitched stars back on the-… your bedroom ceiling.”

“Yeah. It’s rather hard to sleep without them. After over ten years of having them up. I didn’t want to hassle Papa with putting it back up himself so I looked up the charm myself and put it up. And I certainly don't want to start sleeping with a nightlight without the stars and moon. You don’t mind, do you?”

“No, not at all.” James clears his throat. “It’s just that… Casey will see them. T- the moon. And Brighton will only be young for so long before he starts asking questions. Noticing certain things and-”

“He’ll be one in April. I’ll give it another year, Dad.” Elias hums as he looks over to Aster who lets out a interested hum at the paper he was reading, flipping it over to the next page it was provided with.

“Elias, we have to be careful. I know you’re dating Cass and there’s Brighton but they’re muggles. You know the laws and how much trouble you can get into if you-”

“Like how you guys didn’t get into trouble with Salem?” Elias test the waters with his fathers as Aster looks up from the paper to James.

There was a reason he didn’t tell them that Casey knew. A reason he told Casey not to tell his family that he knew of witches and wizards.

Elias runs his hand through his hair, running it down to his neck to his collarbone. “I know what I’m doing. Trust me on this.”

“Elias, we do trust you. It’s-” James is cut off by his husband's soft laughter.

Aster lets out a soft laugh. Head shaking as he looks back to the paper, dragging James’ attention over to him. “What are you laughing about? This is important.”

“Can’t you see it? It’s written all over his face, mon soleil.” Aster nods over to Elias with a small smile still playing at his lips before he taps at the paper in his hand. “I think you should do the birthing center. It sounds nice. We could make it like here from what I'm seeing they offer, plus there’ll be less of a mess to clean up and less hassle for me and Dad to stress over you.”

“What-? Aster. Don’t change the subject. Elias needs to know that-”

“James,” Aster shakes his head. “Cass already knows.”

Elias’ eyes widen at Aster, matching his looks with his Dad. “What?”

“I know my son enough when he lies to us about somethnig as important as this, you can get away with lying to me once over the pregnancy test but I'd be daft not to fall for it again. I don’t know when or how but he’s able to pull it off this long without us knowing that Cass knows, but... I think he’s a good person for our son. I'm certain for sure. It's not like with Pansy or Teddy, this is different.”

Aster sends off a soft smile to Elias. Kind eyes, a relaxed posture. It was far different from when it was with Opal.

Elias knew he meant it.

“Thank you, Papa.”

Aster nods, passing the papers to the birth center over to Elias.

“You should consider the birth center. It’s muggle so Casey can be there; you don’t really need a doctor, just a midwife, and I think it’s passable enough if you’re sent there from St Mungo’s without raising any suspicious alarms for you showing up without that many history files. It’s got everything that you’d have here, maybe more too, I bet. I’m sure we can even go and take a look around, before you’re due.”

Elias takes the paper from Aster, truly taking another look at it without the comparison of it to the home birth.

“What- what is it like to… what does it feel like?” He finds himself asking his Papa for the first time.

“Indescribable, honestly. I gave birth five times and I honest don’t think I can really put it into words.”

“Violence. Maybe domestic abuse… but he abused everyone who dared enough to be around him.” James mutters under his breath earning himself a glare from Aster and a soft laugh from Elias.

“You’ll know it when you feel it.” Aster puts it in the most simplest words.

Elias nods, looking back at the paper of the birthing center. “The birthing center sounds nice.” He finally decides on. “I think checking it out would be worth a shot.”

Aster nods. “We can do that tomorrow when we go out.”

Elias was confused as he looks between his fathers.

“Go out?”

“You need new furniture to put in your room, don’t you?” James shrugs at him. “And maybe start looking around that job you said you wanted. Look out for some wanted signs. Ask around too, now that the snow is starting to reduce and you got your drivers.”

Elias manages to finish his essays in time for Teddy to review them and give him feedback for later in the week with the surprise planned trip for shopping for baby furniture with his parents.

“Can I ask you guys something?” Elias leans forward from his spot in the front row in the large van with his head stuck between Papa and Dad. His bump was low and hanging between his spread legs as he did so.

“What is it?”

“If I gave you both all my saved up allowance, my wizard currency not muggle, I don't got any muggle money, can I trade it off to get two cribs instead of one?”

“Two?” Aster twists in his seat, unbuckling himself to get a good look at Elias. “Why two?”

“Well, I mean… I don’t like seeing Brighton in the pack and play all the time when Cass and him are over. I can imagine it’s not entirely comfortable compared to what a proper crib can give him. I-… It doesn’t need to be an expensive crib or anything. The cribs don’t even got to match. I won't be that choosey. Now that I think about it, do you think they’d have cribs that can be converted into toddler beds? Not now but when he’s ready later? When he’s older.”

James raised an eyebrow at Aster, both sharing a glance with each other. Aster looks back to Elias. “Let me make sure Dad and I understand this right. You want to use your allowance to get Brighton a crib? Down to the last knut?”

“Yeah. I- I brought it, if you and Dad want to count what I've got.” Elias passes up a decently large sack of coins and drops it in James’ lap. “I’m not sure how much a crib costs. Honestly I don't know what any sort of baby item cost. But if I don’t have enough, if you don’t mind, I know you guys already offered up to cover the basics stuff but if you let me pay you back with the second crib-”

“Elias, it’s fine.” Aster nods without needing much to be convinced. “We’ll see how much everything’s in there before we make a decision then if you have a crib in mind — preferably a sturdy and safe one over looks — we’ll get it and talk over the payment if you owe me and Dad anything back. Okay?”

“Really? You’re not mad?”

James’ head lifts confused as he tucks the coin sack away in the glove compartment. “Mad? Why would we be mad?”

“I… I don’t know. I guess with everything’s going on. Me being pregnant and I mean… Brighton isn’t exactly my kid but-”

“Elias, if anything, Papa and I are proud. Not many people, especially those yours and Cass’ age would be doing what you both are doing now. Taking in other’s kids. Loving them as your owns. It’s like… well, I guess free adoption?”

Elias laughs softly, shoulders softly shaking as he leans back on the bench seat of the van. “I know I haven’t been the easiest kid on you guys but I’m trying.”

“We know.” Aster reassures him. “You putting all your savings in for crib for Brighton to sleep more comfortably when he and Casey are over for the night… Elias… that makes me proud of you. It shows me how selfless you truly are. It’s a trait about you that makes me proud to be your Papa.”

“Me too.” James nods in agreement. “Now lets go get some furniture and check out that birthing center. Papa already made a call, we’re due over there around four so we got a few hours on our hands.”

“What about Aurora and Nyx?”

“Auncle Sirius will watch them when they get home. Today’s about you and your baby.”

Elias got overwhelmed fast when he got into the shops. He never realized how many different kinds of cribs there were. Then there’s the bouncer seats he hoped to get so he could do his school work and watch his daughter. Then there came the play mats that were good for tummy time but he didn't know which would be best to get with all different sorts to pick from.

Then a helper came by and he got separated from his parents and now he got lured into the aisle that had so many different cans and brands of formula and there were pumps and just looking at the pumps made his tits ached and feel sore under his light grey jumper.

“—That’s the difference between hand and the electric pumps. But there’s all kinds of of pumps between each, electric to hand pumps. And you also should pick out a suction that goes over your nipple by the size of your nipple. Personally I prefer hand because it gets out more milk unless you plan on only breastfeeding but I’d still recommended on getting a hand pump for a pump and dump if you drink- wait a second, how old are you again?”

Elias stared over the pumps questioning himself, his sanity, the far too much movements going on inside him, the pain in his tits, and if he should try breastfeeding for the hell of it before even thinking about looking at the thirty different kinds of formula because how does someone know where to start with that?

“Do you have pads?”

Elias blinks startled as he looks at the young woman, probably a little older than Casey in her early twenties. “I beg your pardon?”

She points at her own chest, them quietly points at himself where he looks down to the grey jumper he had on. No binder underneath, no tee, nothing and he’s leaking visibly. He doesn't think he's ever leaked this much in his whole pregnancy to date. His jean jacket couldn’t even button up to cover it and he had no extra clothes-

“Come with me,” The woman smiles gently. “I don’t usually do this, but you seem a bit young. Too young. Toilet paper hurts, personally. Your nipples get sensitive at a time like now. I use cotton nipple pads. Just under my bra.”

She guides him over to the back room, Elias stands around awkwardly for a few minutes with his arms folded across his chest before the woman returns, two circular and a plain shirt hung over her arm with… what Elias imagine to be a sports bra.

“I don’t know if this would be your size exactly or if you have anything underneath but I grabbed this anyway, um, the sports bra will help keep the pads in place. I'm sorry if it doesn't fit but I don't have anything else.” She sends him a kind smile, passing along the objects.

“Thank you.” He kindly tells her receiving the items. “I’m Elias. I- To answer your question, I’m seventeen. My dads are around here somewhere.”

She nods with a soft smile. “I’ll show you to the bathroom.”

Elias changes quick. The polo shirt was a bit… too feminine for him, it was entirely pink and had two buttons on the top by his chest that he didn't bother on buttoning up, but it was better than nothing and walking around with wet circular patches on his chest in a wooly jumper.

Putting on the sports bra was a bit intresting for him, as well as the nipple pads that were far more comfortable than what he could imagine could be rough against toilet paper as the pads were cotton and soft.

Elias pulls back on his jacket and rinses out his shirt a bit hoping that the shirt won’t stain and maybe it’ll dry up by the time he leaves to change back into it.

He didn’t expect for the woman to be waiting on him as he comes out. But he was a bit happy at the same time seeing her as he folds his slightly wet shirt over his arm. “Can you show me where the- the nipple… pads, is it? Where I can find them here?”

She smiles and happily takes him through the store.

“So, do you know what you’re having?” A quick pause. “If that’s okay to ask. I know you’re young, I mean you could be putting the baby up for adoption but- I mean you’re here so I assumed that-”

“I’m having a girl.” Elias softly laughs. “It’s okay. You seem to know about the breastfeeding thing-nipple pad stuff… you have one of your own?”

“Yeah. Little girl too. Six months old. She’s teething and it’s a pain but I enjoy breastfeeding her as much as I hate it.”

“How come?”

“The bonding. You get that skin on skin contact that your baby won’t really get anywhere else.”

Elias nods softly, seeing her point. “Did you plan on breastfeeding?”

“Uh… I don’t know. I never really thought about it.”

She winces. “Did I scare you off on the topic already?”

“I... I don’t think so?” Elias shakes his head. “I… I’m actually thinking I’m a bit intrigued, to be honest. I just think being trans is what makes me nervous about it. The judgement I'll get.”

The woman shrugs. “Ignore them. That’s what I do. They expect us to cover up and cover our babies every time they feed? How would they feel if we put a thick towel or blanket over their head when they ate every single time?”

Elias lets out a small hum. “My- my cousin breast-fed. I mean, for a short time from what I remember. I was young, didn’t really pay attention much to it.” Elias shrugs. “I might give it a go.”

“Hand pumps personally work for me when I'm not with my daughter, gets more milk out too but that's just for my preferance. But electric pumps, though noisy, free up your hands if you're busy with your hands but want to keep up at whatever you're doing. And just some advice, it may seem hard at the beginning, you’ll be exhausted, tired, like you want to give up most times than not. The hard work pays off seeing the light and excitement your child’s eyes. And I'm not talking about the breastfeeding.”

Elias smiles softly, thinking of Brighton. “I know.”

The woman looks at him curiously as she leads him over to the pumps again. “Is this your first?”

Elias nods. “Yeah. I'm seventeen. I sure hope so.”

“You seem like you know a lot and yet not.”

“I uh… my boyfriend has a baby boy. He’ll be one in April. He’s a really good baby. And... I'm a big brother so I know a bit here and there.”

She doesn’t ask Elias any more personal questions, showing him her personal use of pumps she tried and Aster and James was surprised to find Elias picking out two different kinds of pumps, along with little bags and syringes to store away in freezers after learning about colostrum.

“You satisfied with what you got today?” James asks Elias as they head into the birthing center.

“I think so. Beggers can’t be choosers. Sucks Papa didn’t like any of the cribs that could be transformed into a toddler bed.”

“They were all shaky and unstable.” Aster grumbles. “I’m not paying for something unsafe to put a child inside of. My petit-enfant or not.”

“You know,” James wraps his arm around Aster’s hip and pull him in close. “If Casey and Elias ever got married. Or not, technically, Brighton would be our nieto anyway.”

“The place looks nice.” Elias mutters as he ignored his cheeks a blushing pink as he interrupts their conversation eyeing around the hall with a few visible rooms that had open doors.

“It does.” Aster agrees as they’re spotted, arriving a bit earlier than planned by a woman in her late twenties.

“Hi! Hello. What can I do for you?”

“We’re the Potters. We made a call earlier to see if my son could take a look around, see if he’s interested to… well, obviously have his baby here.” Aster points over to Elias who waves a bit.

“I’m Elias.”

“I’m Emma,” She flashes a soft smile. Her brown hair was cut short to her shoulders and she had warm brown eyes to match. “I’m one of the midwives here. I’ll be happy to show you around. Can I ask how far along you are?”

“Thirty weeks. It’s a girl.” Elias answers and adds before she could ask as they’re guided into a large and luxurious room.

“Sounds exciting. So, this is one of the rooms here. You can have your privacy simply closing the door. All the rooms contain the same thing, so there’s nothing that could be unfair or trying to claim a better room. As you can see, a large bed, plenty of space to move around during labor.”

“I have a question.” Aster lifts a hand as their eyes look over the large king size bed. Certainly plenty of space. “Yes?”

“I know usually when labor starts and contractions and all that, going to a hospital you have to wait until you’re at a certain dilation. We live about roughly an hour and so away, would Elias need to wait or…?”

“Usually we take people in when they’re in active labor but I think with your driving distance we could make an excpetion depending on the room availability.”

“When’s that? I mean the active labor thing.” Elias asks.

“About when you’re five to six centimeters or have steady contractions. And the bath is a bit bigger than what you’ll have in a normal bath in a home. There’s plenty of jets in there all around. And we do have a kitchen out in the hall that you’re allowed to use, we encourage eating to keep up on energy during labor. Eating and rest.” The bath was set in the same room with the bed, it was a bit weird but no one said anything on it.

“Brillant. Dad can cook for us then. Otherwise the whole place is going to be burned down.” Elias jokes making James roll his eyes.

“And over here is the bathroom, toilet, sink, shower. Each room has a private bathroom with a shower. But we usually recommended only the laboring person to use it here, guests and supporters can use the toilet out in the hall.” A smile flashed at James and Aster. “We provide a lot of things that you may not see in here, stored away in the storage room where everything is already sanitized, clean and prepared for you to use.”

“What if something goes wrong?” Elias asks. “I mean, this isn’t a hospital. Like, something really bad happens?”

“Good question. Not many dare to ask us that. So we have a connecting emergency line to the closest hospital here in London. The second if we see something concerning or going wrong, they’re one click of a button away and you and baby'd be transfered with all information ready to be passed along to the hospital.”

That was reassuring for Aster as the three of them shared similar looks. “And… how many people are allowed to be here at once?”

“Well, usually it’s up for you to decide. For your own comfort but we don’t want an overcrowd. So something for you to think of.” Emma sighs, a big smile on her face. “It’s not much of what you can see, but it’s what’s preferred as we try to keep all the medical equipment out of eyesight to keep a peaceful environment, but we do have many equipments. But in other words we want our facility to be a comforting place, a home away from home to safely have your baby. Any questions?”

“Um… I don’t think so.” Elias thinks out loud, eyes still looking around the room. A sudden question pops in mind. “Wait. Who would be- I mean, who’d help me with the whole birthing thing?”

“That’d depend on who’s on shift. Usually there’s at least two of us here on shift. We trade in, pop in and out regularly to check in on things. Everything we do is by consent and only if you agree to it after we ask you. You can stop or ask us at any time of what we’re doing to understand what being done. In other words, we always try to make sure that the birther’s words are final. Even if there’s a last minute change or if it’s not on the list you may or may not give us. Everyone’s different, every birth is different.”

Aster had to agree on that as his head was bobbing without even knowing it.

“Do I have to decide now? If I want to…” Elias’ voice trails off.

“No.” Emma easily tells him not looking offended. “I can send you home with a form that has all the amenities we provide here so you can review everything. If you decide that you want to come here. Call back, we can start making arrangements. You’re only thirty weeks along, not too long to go, but not at the point where you need to rush just yet. Think on it, sleep on it. Okay?”

Elias nods, eyes locked at looking at the largest bed he probably ever seen. There wasn’t much to look at but Elias’ mind was spinning like it was in the shop as he walks out with his parents and a folder in hand.

Before getting into the van, Aster pulls Elias to the side as James climbs in.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, just…” Elias blinks looking over his shoulder. Aster doesn’t miss the spaced out look in his eyes. “Overwhelmed, a bit. Spaced out... Today’s a lot. Between shopping and... the birthing center, looking around and all.”

Aster reaches out, forward with his hands on Elias’ arms giving him warm gentle rubs. “I get it. If anyone in this family does, it’s me.”

“Really?”

“I once had a meltdown in a shop buying newborn clothes when I was pregnant with Harry and Ellie thinking I had to go through birth not once, but twice over them.”

Elias’ lips crack into a small smile. “Look at you now. A pro, Papa.”

Aster laughs softly. “I don’t think having nine kids come out of me can make me a pro. I'm winging it half the time.”

“I say otherwise.” Elias breathes out. “I’m never having nine kids. Let alone adopting and having ten just to make an even number.”

“Might as well cross two off your list now.”

“Exactly.” Elias eyes sparkled. “Maybe… all I need is the two. Maybe… I’ll just have to wait and see. I’m still young.”

“A little piece of advice. Don’t do what Dad and I did. Between having Harry and Ellie, then Azura and the rest of you. We originally were only suppose to have four in the end and got a sneak attack with triplets.”

His smile grows a bit more, a tiny nod. “That’s what I told Casey. I want a big family but not too big. Close ages… I may not want to be you, but I want a lot of my life lessons to be like yours.”

Aster pulls Elias into a tight hug. Elias wraps his own arms around him fast. “And I want you to live your own life, not following my own. You’re already following me down to the dot. I need to find a shovel and stray you off my path and get you on your own.”

“I’m trying not to.”

“I know, mon papillon. I know.” Aster murmurs softly. “What’s Casey up to these days? It’s been a few days since I’ve seen him and Brighton ghosting and squealing around our halls.”

Elias lets out a tired noise in Aster’s shoulder. “I asked if he could go with us today but he had work. Booked up for the next few days so he’s busy.”

“I see.” Aster pulls back. “It’s getting chilly and we have one more stop to go to. Get in.”

“Where to next?” Elias asks pulling back the van door as Aster did his own.

“You’ll see.”

Elias rests his eyes for a few minutes, feeling the buzz of the van as Aster drove. The drive was only a few minutes long before the van is shifted into park.

“Alright. Don’t ask us for anything and if you get anything, please for the love of Merlin at least try to make it discreet.” Aster grumbles. “Now get out. You got twenty minutes or we’re leaving your sorry arse behind.”

Elias cracks his eyes open and peers out the window to see a flashing neon sign of a woman silhouette in a dark and tinted window of a shop.

“What kind of shop is this?”

“Just go in.” Aster mutters. “You’ll know.”

Elias leaves the folder on the seat as he climbs out with a bit of a hassle and goes in a bit curious yet confused. He was hit in the face with all sorts of dildos and vibrators that has him snorting a laugh as his hands rest on his stomach walking around with large curious eyes.

It doesn’t take long for him to realize why his Papa brought him there.

“E?”

Elias nearly snaps his neck, beaming to see Casey in a unbutton vest with a curious eyebrow raised as him as he had two medium size boxes in hand looking to be restocking a shelf with vibrators. “You work here?”

“Uh, yeah? You knew?” He looked amused at him, sliding in the two boxes and grabbing two more from the large box beside him not slacking on his job.

“I- I knew you worked in a sex shop but not here.” Elias mutters. “Papa drove me here. Told me to come in... oh. I forgot he knows you worked here.”

“Right, you’re in town today. How’d the shopping go?”

“Got the primary stuff.” Elias doesn’t mention the second crib to his boyfriend. “I really need to start looking out for a job now. Blew all my savings today.”

“The joy of parenthood.”

Elias laughs softly, eyeing the box that Casey was stocking.

“Wand vibrators.” Casey wiggles one box for Elias to see. “Got one yourself?”

“Uh… no? I guess?”

“Do you have any vibrator?”

“I got righty and lefty.” Elias holds up his hands. “I think I’d personally prefer dildos and my hands. I mean, I have a tiny bullet vibrator but feeling it buzz in my hand alone makes me not want to use it.”

Casey lifts an eyebrow at him. “You never tried it?”

Elias shrugs. “Why should I? My hands got me this far in life.”

Casey clicks his tongue with a shake of his head and sigh before stocking two more boxes onto the shelf.

Elias cracks a grin at him with a small laugh. “What?”

“How is it you’re my boyfriend and I work in a sex shop and you never used something as simple as a vibrator?”

Elias shrugs. “Dildos are perfectly fine. I got two hiding under my bed right now at home. They make me plenty happy when you're not around.”

Casey adds two more boxes onto the shelf before nodding his head. “Walk with me for a minute.”

Elias doesn’t hesitate, walking side by side with him. “Tell me, young Elias. These… dildos.” Elias rolls his eyes. “Did any of them look like these?”

Casey gestures over to a new shelf behind himself that has Elias’ eyes widen. “Those would tear me apart.”

“Exactly.”

“Says the man who hardly has any sexual partners.” Elias teases.

“Three. You have four, not a big difference.” Casey grumbles under his breath. “But it doesn’t mean I can’t play with myself plenty.”

Elias’ eyes drift to his boyfriend slowly. A mischievous smile is playing at his lips. “You used a dildo before?”

“No.” Casey shakes his head. “I've tried using beads. Once... Until mum caught me putting them in and I was walking around all day with them hanging out of my arse with no time to get them out.”

“Beads?”

A small nod. “Like,” Casey uses his hands trying to explain. “It’s like on a chain…? They grow in size with each added one you push in… I’ll bring mine over the next time I see you. All of them are in boxes here.” Casey decides on making Elias laugh softly, shaking his head.

“I should get going.” Elias deems not knowing how long it’s been. “Papa gave me twenty minutes and a warning to be discreet if I get anything. Not that I got any money on me anyway.”

“You want something? I can get you something on a big employee discount.”

“Not really. I can get better stuff in the wizarding world better than this place.”

“Is that a challenge?” Casey smirks at him, taking a step forward and resting his arms onto Elias’ shoulders. He leans forward, resting his forehead on Elias.

“I didn’t say it was.” Elias puts his thumbs into Casey’s back pockets.

“Sounds like it though.”

“Muggle verses wizard, sex toys edition. I bet I can get my Zio Barty behind this.” Elias laughs at himself shaking his head softly.

“Hmm.” Casey hums quietly. “Still haven’t met this… Zio Barty of yours that I hear about. The cool uncle.”

“He is. When he wants to be.” Elias sighs with a dreamy smile on his lips. “I buy my weed and alcohol off him, half price and ordered a lot of my sex toys or lube using his or Teddy’s address instead of my home address. Papa and Dad doesn’t know, don’t tell them. Shhhh.” Elias teasingly kisses Casey's lips with a soft smile on his face.

“Cool uncle indeed.” Casey hums pecking his lips. “You know, I get a do get employee discount here, forty percent off. We could do a little… challenge. I pick the best thing here for you. You get something for me from your… wizard thingy?” Casey’s voice went lown in a quick hush whisper.

“Just me?” Elias ponders. “Wouldn’t it be more fun if we did this… together? A mutual thing?”

“Mutual masturbation.” Casey laughs softly as Elias’ cheeks started to grow a shade of pink, he tugs Elias closer, feeling his bump pressing up against him. “I can get behind that. Something for myself and you, I’m guessing then?”

“Yeah.” Elias nods, leaning forward and pressing his lips for a quick kiss on Casey’s. Casey chases him when he pulls back, another fast peck. He presses his lips on Elias’ again, each added kiss is a second longer than the last.

“I gotta go.” Elias murmurs trying to pull away with not so much effort as he leans back in for another kiss. “Papa and Dad’s going to be on my arse. I don’t fancy them coming in here of all places where we’re surrounded by monster and... tentacle dildos?”

Casey groans, stealing another kiss. “Call me later?”

“Already on it.” Another stolen kiss. “I’ll tell you all about the shopping trip. Needing to change my jumper. The birthing center.”

Casey opens his eyes as Elias takes a step back. “The what?”

“I’ll call you.” Elias smiles softly waving him a goodbye and leaving with a clear and refreshed mind, feeling far more relaxed and happier as he joins his parents once more in the van.

“Feeling better?” Aster asks from the driver seat, looking at Elias from the rearview mirror.

Elias’ cheeks were pink as he yanks on the seatbelt and hooks himself into safety. “Yeah. Thanks for bringing me here.”

Chapter 51: February 16th, 2007

February 16th, 2007

 

It was one of those rare few moments where Elias allowed Aurora and Nyx both in his room as he got things together.

Cribs were built and pushed up against the wall with a bit of space in-between one another — a piece of advice from his dads.

A changing table that he didn’t need or want but got anyway — courtesy from his Papa.

Some things were left in their packaging boxes, shoved in and left on the floor of his closet until farther notice.

And now, Elias was following a sheet that his papa passed on to him of recommendation of what he should and shouldn’t pack for his bag, cause apparently even if he had weeks left (approximately two months) he should still be as prepared and ready as he can be.

“Why are you packing three different sizes of baby clothes?” His sister questions as he lays out a few outfits of each size, premie, newborn, and three to six months on the bed where Aurora and Nyx sat on the bed watching him.

“Cause I don’t know what size she’ll be fitting when she comes out.” Elias mutters holding up a long sleeve pink onesie realizing his room looked like a pink unicorn vomited all over the place.

He suddenly wished he was having a boy. Or at least was more stern on the gender neutral colours when his family started buying and sending him used baby clothes.

He sighs, collecting two more similar styles of long sleeved in two more sizes out of the new small dresser in his bedroom and tosses them on the bed carelessly.

Nyx picks up the three to six month onesie. “How does this come out of you?”

“Don’t ask, please.” Elias mumbles. “I find it better not to question and ask those type of things… where is that blanket? I swear I just saw it.”

“Pink with white embroidery stitching?”

Elias perks up from digging in his closet where he shoved some baby stuff in it thinking he might’ve misplaced it in there. “Yeah, you seen it?”

“It’s hanging on one of the cribs.” She points over at the light grey wooden matching cribs with different sheeted mattresses to identify which bed belongs to Brighton and the other for when the time comes, Elias’ daughter.

“Is her name going to start with a C?” Nyx questions as Elias snatches the blanket off railing of Brighton’s crib. The blanket was a gift from Casey, a poor stitching from himself after trying to learn from Wanda and hardly forming out a C.P. on the corner of the pre-bought pink baby blanket.

Casey said his mum made one for Brighton when he was born, but with Elias keeping the name a surprise, he took it up on himself to make one. As sloppy as the stitching was, the gift was thoughtful and the blanket was made from good material that wouldn’t go to waste. Plus, Elias wanted it to be the first blanket to wrap his daughter in.

“Fuck, I’m getting too sentimental over this shit.” Elias mutters under his breath at the sudden realization as he shoves the blanket into his duffle bag.

“What are you naming her?”

“You’ll find out in a few months… weeks…? The hell I know how to say it at this point.”

“So you do have a name.” Nyx declares.

“I’ve had a name picked out longer before you two started nagging me over if I had a name picked out.” Elias grumbles as a rapid running footsteps run to Elias’ open bedroom door.

James runs into the bedroom, slamming the door behind himself as Aster was screaming somewhere in the manor loudly. The forty-six year old man presses himself up against the door and looks at his three kids.

“Who wants to make five galleons?” James breathes out, eyes wide and panicked staring at the three.

Nyx tilts his head a bit. “How?”

“OH MY GODS!” All the kids look at the door behind James, rather than James himself.

“I need someone to take the fall.”

“OH MY FUCKING GODS!”

Elias’ jaw drops a bit as he looks back at James from the door. “What did you do?”

“I can’t tell you. Yes or no question. Five galleons.” James breathes out with pleading eyes to his kids.

Elias looks over his bed where he’s hardly started packing, he rests a hand on his bump. He hardly had money in his savings…

He was seventeen, pregnant, what harm could his Papa do to him if he took the fall? Wouldn’t be the first time he did this for his Dad.

“Make it ten.” Elias negotiates.

James’ shoulder fall in relief, pulls open the door and Elias walks over to him. “You’re a good son.”

“I know.” Elias cockily with a smirk answers as James sets a firm hand on his neck and drags him out of his bedroom with Aurora and Nyx snickering.

“Don’t touch my stuff.” Elias hisses at the two just as James starts to drag him out gently.

“I got him! I got him, Aster!”

Of all stupid things James could possibly do that Aster had to sit on the couch boredly and be lectured through with James nodding throughout by his Papa as if James didn’t do it himself, it was dumb.

The thick and blocky television behind the two grown adults was smashed in. Broken to bits and bits. Elias has no clue how it got that way but he was just happy that it wasn’t coming out of his allowance due to his Dad — he gave him the stink eye when his Papa thought of the whole taking away his allowance and a bit of money from each pay check from his new part-time job at a fast food chain restaurant to pay for a new television.

James stepped in to support Elias that he needed every dime that he earned to support not only himself but the baby. So that got Elias off the hook.

At dinner, James slips Elias the owed ten galleons in a coin sack with a sloppily scribbled note of a 'thanks' that had him rolling his eyes and storing away the coins.

Elias goes back to packing.

Clothes for himself to be comfortable not stylish. Baby clothes. Nappies. Wipes. His pump stuff he wanted to try out. Extra clothes for him and his daughter. He was informed that the birthing center would have all the supplies he’d need for the after birth, so anything he’d need for that could just leave here.

By nine, he was worn and tired and his feet hurt standing and walking around his bedroom. Usually he’d go down and watch television now that his siblings are in bed, maybe take a school book with him and do some school work. He had no homework or essays, caught up on all his work and it being the weekend currently.

He hoped, at least he was caught up without forgetting anything.

Elias pulls off his jumper and replaces it with an old baggy sleep tee shirt that once belonged to James or Sirius with a peeling Queen cover on the front and tugs off his jogger pants and changes into fresh boxers to sleep in.

He unhooks his prosthetic leg and turned off his lamps in his room and crawls onto his bed over the covers. He grabs his new phone in his room off the dock out of boredom and calls pretty much one of the only numbers in the system press it up to his ear as he looks up at the stars on his ceiling.

“Hey,” He smiles softly. “I just put Brighton down for the second time. I was just thinking about calling you.”

“He having a hard time going down again?” Elias asks hearing a door close on Casey’s end.

“Yeah. I don’t know why he’s starting to wake up like this.”

“Nightmares?” Elias randomly offers up a thought.

“Maybe.” Casey hums. “He wakes up, cries a bit, it’s easy to put him back down though, he just won’t go to sleep though if I’m still in the room awake. Had to grab my shit and get out.”

“Good, good.”

“What are you doing?”

“Laying in bed. Using my new phone in my room. It took me seventeen years but I finally got something electronic other than my piano and guitar in my room. You won’t believe what happened today when I was packing my bag. Dad broke the telly and needed a cover up. I got some money out of it though. You?”

Casey laughs softly. “Hiding in the bathroom. Sitting on the toilet lid, contemplating to lay in the empty bath so I can keep talking to you.”

“Why the bathroom?”

“Cause this flat is bloody small… If Mum was in bed, I’d probably go out in the living room and take my chance of a breech in privacy.” Elias huffs a laugh. “Just trying to avoid everyone?”

A tiny noise. “You could say that. Just need some privacy.”

Their breathing is the only thing that’s heard for a passing minute as Elias’ eyes map out the stars.

“What are you wearing?”

Elias’ eyes furrowed as he picks at his shirt. “Um… I got on an… old tee. It’s got the band Queen on it. The cover’s peeling though. I think it used to belong to Dad maybe.”

A breathy sigh. “What else?”

“Um, boxers. You know, the usual stuff I sleep in. I’ve been sweating a lot lately so I’ve been going without my joggers more often-”

“You’ve never done this before, have you?”

“You mean… call… someone? Talking on the phone?”

Casey laughs softly yet raspy. “I’m touching myself right now, E.”

Elias’ eyes widen, now locked on the small warning crescent moon. “You… are?”

“Hmm-hmm.” A quiet sigh. “I’m so happy to hear you right now.”

“Really?”

“Yeah… f-fuck.”

Elias’ fingers danced across his stomach where he could feel the heavy movements of his daughter through the thin shirt he had on. “Have you done this before?”

Focusing on the sounds when Casey falls quiet for a moment, he could hear the tap running, then the shower. “Sorry. You say something?”

“Did you turn on the shower?”

“Didn’t want mum to get suspicious. You can only take a shit for so long. I need to be quiet.”

Elias chuckles softly, licking his chapped lips wet. “You really think you can be quiet, Cass?”

“Not everyone got like five bathrooms and a million other rooms to pick from to have a wank when their bedroom is occupied with baby trying to sleep.”

“True, true.” Elias nods even though Casey can’t see it. “When am I going to see you and Bright again?”

A quiet whine comes out. “I’m trying. Just been- so busy here.”

“I know.” Elias sighs. “If there was anything else other than the van to drive, I’d come over in a heartbeat. I have to rely on my Auncle to drive me. In a motorcycle. It’s that or apparating and I get sick every time I do it now.”

“Don’t know what that is but okay.” A soft moan. “E, can you do something for me?”

“Sure.”

“Touch yourself.”

Elias makes a tiny startled noise.

“Now?”

“Hmm-hmm.”

“On the phone?”

“That’s the idea.”

“My belly’s huge, Cass. I don’t think I can hardly reach-”

“Use that toy I left with you.”

“I haven’t tried it yet.” Elias quietly confesses making Casey laugh softly. “No time like the present. Come on. Have a wank-off with me over the phone.”

Elias sighs, looking at his dotted ceiling a final time before rolling over to his side and reaching into his bottom drawer of his nightstand and rummaging into the far back. He finds it with a bit of struggle.

“It’s not loud, is it?” Elias questions Casey as he puts him back on the phone, his fingers examining the muggle sex toy in the dark. It gave him a few inches in length of reaching so he was straining his body a bit less.

“It shouldn’t be once it’s under the covers. It goes right on your clit.”

“And it doesn’t hurt?”

“Play around with it. It has a few different kinds of adjustments. The first level when you turn it on usually is it’s lowest.”

A sigh. Elias slips the toy into his underwear with his arm bent around his bump. He fiddles blindly with the buttons until it turns on with a quiet buzz.

“I just put it on?”

“Right on it. I’ve read up that some might like it better if you pull up the skin but it might be too much for you to start out with.” A soft laugh. “I wouldn’t have gotten it for you if I didn’t think you wouldn’t like it. It’s a bit different from a vibrator. Promise.”

Elias breathes out closing his eyes as he guides it onto his clit. He lets out a shaky moan at the soft sensations.

“Oh mierda- Cass…” Elias’ hips buck into the machine. “It’s- it's sucking on me.”

“I know.” He could practically hear the smirk on Casey’s lips as his fingers feel each of the three buttons on the small whirring machine wondering what each one does.

Elias lets out tiny noises with the steady soft sucking. Casey’s letting out his own moans and pants from his end of the phone. “What- what level you got it on?”

Elias lets out a keening noise, his thighs tensing up before relaxing. “What do you mean by that?”

“You haven’t messed with the settings yet?”

“No.” His body jolts a bit. “I- I could probably come like this if I… just… mmmh putain…” His breathing starts to become a bit shaky as he parts his legs wide open. “What about- you…?”

“I’m close. Don’t worry your pretty little mind. Click the middle button.”

“Why?” Elias whines a bit. “I like… I like this one.”

“Then you’ll like the next. Middle then last.” Casey instructs with his breath hitching making Elias wish he was in the bathroom with him or Casey in bed the other way around.

Elias fumbles around with the buttons. He clicks the middle one as Casey told him. For a moment the sucking stops making him whine then it comes back, starting up a pattern of fast stopping and going that has his body tensing and relaxing and his legs shaking at the fast nonstop teasing.

“This is just-” Elias shakily moans with a bit of a sob. “This one pattern's just mean.”

“I want you to play around, E. Go through all of them, figure out what you really like.” Casey informs him.

Elias whines, pressing the same button again and going through all the sucking patterns until he found one that truly stuck. It was a frequency that was constant for a long few seconds, stop for a single second, lasts for a short few seconds and picked up again in a cycle of the two long-short sucking.

Elias closes his eyes, relaxing with his hand weakly holding on the sucker and head tilted to stay pressed on the phone with his eyes drifted close with a hazy mind.

“Have you tried the bottom button yet?”

“Do I have to?” Elias murmurs rubbing his head into the phone a but uncomfortably but he was too gone to care. “I like this. It’s nice.”

“Just a little longer.” Casey grunts. “I’m close, love. I want to hear you. Nice can be better.”

Another tiny fumble around and Elias hits a new button.

His eyes are rolling as he bucks off the bed some as somehow the intensity of the sucking increases.

His ears are ringing as he reaches down with his second hand, tugging up his leg slightly with struggle and pulling back his clit hood that has him gasping for air as the sucker goes right for it. 

Elias is hardly able to open his eyes from how intense the feeling was. “Cass-” He chokes out Casey’s name. “I’m gonna- fuck-!”

He’s shaking as he comes feeling hot all over. Blood was pounding in his ears as he drops his hand releasing the sucker and letting it fall to his bed still buzzing around.

He isn’t able to hear Casey with the buzz in his ears, to tell if or when he finishes for the next few minutes as he stares at the stars on his bedroom ceiling.

Elias brings his fingers testingly between his folds, feeling how puffy he was and how much he was sticking out between his folds from all the sucking the toy gave him.

“Still there, E?”

Elias lets out a tiny noise from the depth of his throat. Casey laughs softly.

“I’m guessing the sucker was good?”

Elias blinks for a moment, feeling the rumbling on his bed. “Oh shit, I forgot to turn it off.”

Casey laughs as Elias turns on his lamp, looking through his bedsheets and blankets for the used toy and turning it off and dropping it back on the blanket and put the phone back on his ear.

“I’m back.”

“Just rinse it off with some water, maybe some soap but I don’t think you’ll need it and dry it in a cool place.” Casey warns him making him laugh softly. Elias could hear the shower handle squeaking off.

“What did you do today?” Elias asks.

“Had to take Brighton to get his jabs. Wasn’t fun. I think I cried more than him.”

Elias furrowed his eyebrows. “Jabs?”

“Shots. Vaccines. Don’t you get them?”

“Um… I guess?”

“It like little needles with medicine pushed into our arms or legs to boost our immune system.”

“Weird, definitely don’t have that.”

“What do you have then?”

“Um… I don’t know. I’ve always been told by Papa that our immune system is different from muggles. Stronger-wise.”

“Hmm.” Casey hums quietly. “I never realized how much is different between you and I.”

“Don’t worry, I’m learning as much as you are.” Elias lightly tells him.

“I um… is magic passed down like a gene?”

“Yeah. But sometimes it can skip a few generations or there could be a squib-born in a family and that causes a bloodline of muggles where a muggle born is born later down. At least that’s what I understand.”

“And muggle borns are…?”

“A witch or wizard who has muggles for parents. Like, your mum’s a muggle but one day you show magic abilities. So that’d make you a muggle born wizard.”

“What about you?”

“well… I’m adopted. And I don’t know who my biological parents are. So I don’t know. But Papa thinks I’m a pureblood over a half blood. But I took a Plan B that failed, and the home I was in was a magical home so I must’ve came from a family of magical blood.”

“I’m guessing a pureblood is when both parents are witches or wizards?”

“Yeah. And half is one and the other.”

“Gotcha… so Ella will be a witch?”

“Unless she’s born a squib. But that’s unlikely. Squibs are usually born through a lot of crossbreeding.”

“What would Ella be?”

“Half blood. Me and… a muggle.”

“But you said that it was… your dads’ friend’s kid?”

“Adopted like me. So they're a muggle.”

“I see.”

They fall quiet for a bit. Casey finally leaves the bathroom, wandering into the kitchen where Elias listens to him make himself a bowl of cereal before settling on the couch, Wanda finally settling into her room for the night.

“You know what I just realized.” Casey speaks as soon as he swallows, a late night show running in the background.

Elias had made himself comfortable on his bed, sitting up and going through the things he wanted and didn’t want for his birth along with some stray studying for school. “What?”

“When Ella’s eleven, she and Brighton won’t be able to go to the same school anymore. What if they grow apart from then on?”

“We have owls. They could write.” Elias tries.

“Owls? Write?”

“Like… sending a letter? Using a mailman but without the interfering?”

“Bloody hell.” Casey huffs a laugh. “Instead of saying talk dirty to me I should start saying talk magic to me.”

“Okay… did you know that Uncle Remus and Teddy are werewolves?”

There was a long silence on Casey’s end. “No. Are they really? Wait… that explains the scars on Remus’ face.”

“Yeah, don’t point that out or say anything to him. He’s sensitive more than Teddy. Teddy was born one, Uncle Remus was bitten when he was… five-ish?”

“Interesting. I didn’t know you can be born one.”

“Yeah. They take this potion that they cannot miss a dosage. If they do they got to isolate themself in the forest that surrounds Uncle Remus and Auncle Sirius’ house down in Yorkshire. And all the fiction shit you might’ve read about werewolves, the illustrations and shit. Real werewolves do not live up to the muggle imagination. Don’t say anything but they are… terrifying to look at in real life if you ever encounter one and life to tell the tale.”

“What else?”

“You know how you haven’t met Leala and Aria?”

“Um… who?”

“Harry and Teddy’s oldests?”

“I haven’t met Harry either, too, but, yeah. Go on.”

“You know how Teddy’s hair is blue.”

“Yeah. It’s neat that he’s able to work as a professor with his hair dyed that colour. How often does he got to dye his hair to keep the roots from growing in?”

“It’s not dye.”

“… it’s not?”

“Nope.” Elias smiles to himself. “It’s this rare thing called metamorphmagus. You’re born with it. Teddy is able to control his. He can change his hair colour, his skin, and some certain features like for example, give himself a beak or… maybe gills or some shit. So, it’s also genetic. Leala and Aria are blind, so they can’t see. Leala has it, so she in particular can’t be around muggles because she can't control her abilites like Teddy can.”

“Damn. I really wish I could imagine this better.” Elias laughs softly as there was a crunch of Casey taking a bite of his cereal. “I can show you some pictures of an actual werewolf the next time you’re here. There should be something in library.”

Elias falls quiet, going back to his Care of Magical Creature book. It was probably one of his most boring classes he took now that he was at home without the hands on lessons from Professor Hagrid but it was still fascinating to read but yet, a quick read and fast learn for Elias.

“Can you tell me something about you?”

“Like what?”

“Something… magical? Maybe? Something that makes you unique? There’s got to be something.”

Elias hums, not looking away from his reading. “I’m the first one pregnant in Hogwarts since my brother knocking up Teddy, if that counts?”

“Not really.”

“Hmm… Teddy’s not actually trans?” Elias spits whatever tops his brain as he reads.

“What?”

“Yeah. He uses that metamorphmagus ability to shift his bollocks around and give himself a vaginal canal. The first time was an accident when he got pregnant. Papa said he freaked out and all that, but with Fawn it was planned.”

“Umm… okay? But that’s about Teddy. Not you.”

Elias sighs. “I can see magic.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. No one else can. Not-… At least not that I know of.” He quietly answers. “I’m able to wield this thing called ancient magic.”

“Old magic?”

“Something like it. It goes more deeper than that. It’s… complicated. I don’t like it. The magic. The-… everything that has to do with it. Normal magic is okay but the line that crosses into ancient magic, I don’t do it anymore.”

“Why not?”

Elias swallows thickly. “I… I accidentally hurt Papa. About a year ago when I started to learn, to train with ancient magic. It nearly killed him. And it… half of the family hated me. I just… When I graduate Hogwarts, I don’t think I want to do anything with magic anymore. It’d be nice living like a muggle.”

“Elias, you can’t run and hide from something that’s apart of you.”

“I can try.”

“From what I see, you fucked up and you were forgiven. I see you are with everyone. No one’s mad anymore.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I don’t need to know it to have to ask.” Casey quietly speaks through the phone. “If Aster and James were still pissed at you, they wouldn’t have helped you at all with Ella. Your uncles adore you. Your siblings annoy you the way any sibling would to show their love. You can’t beat yourself up over this all the time. You made a mistake.”

“I know but-”

“Ella will make a mistake one day. Probably a big one. A fucked up one.” Elias’ breath hitches. “I’ve learned so much between my mum, from your family too. You’ll end up with two choices, E. Forgive her or not. But from what I see, no one’s mad. No one’s angry. If anything, they’re all excited, happy, waiting on you to have Ella, to meet her, to see you do amazing with her like how you’re already doing so with Brighton. You made a mistake, you owned up to it obviously, just like I did with Brighton, and now you can walk forward or backwards.”

Elias quietly closes his book. He tilts his head up to the stars, mapping out all the constellations and his eyes land on the Auriga constellation. He looks to the right, down a bit… He sucks in a shaky breath.

“You okay, E?”

“I will never be perfect.” Elias quietly talks, eyes locked on a single star. “I’m probably going to fuck up so many times, Cass. But the timing’s wrong, the guy’s wrong… but at least I got her, right? My little star.”

“You got me, too. Bright and Capella.”

Elias’ lips twitch into a smile. “Bright and Capella… Our bright stars…”

Casey laughs softly. “You could say that.”

Elias breathes out softly where Casey could hear him.

“Another two secrets to cross out from me.” He informs Casey quietly.

“But there’s more?”

“Nearly killing my Papa with magic is just one thing. There’s a still a few more that you’ve got to crack out of me.”

“Give it time.” Casey quietly hums. “Listen, it’s getting late. I got to let you go for tonight, get to bed. You’d be surprise how early a sex shop can open up.”

“Okay.”

Elias keeps his ear on the phone, listening and waiting for Casey to hang up first as he hears the television be turned off, dishes be put into the sink. “Still there?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay… goodnight. Try to get some sleep, you don’t know how many more nights you’ll get before Ella comes.” Elias opens his mouth to tell him good night but Casey beats him to it with a final addition. “I love you.”

His face grows warm as he bites down on his bottom lip with a shaky, breathless sigh. “I love you too, Cass. Goodnight.”

Casey hangs up first before Elias. Elias drops the phone on his bed and quickly grabs a pillow to cover his face as he lets out a loud giggling laugh.

Dropping the pillow, Elias felt a fresh relief aura around him as he looks around his room, eyes landing on his song-notebook that was laid on top of his piano going untouched for the last few busy weeks and his guitar that sat propped up on it’s stand by the neck.

Elias quickly clears off his bed and grabs his notebook, a pen, and his guitar and starts to write music.

Chapter 52: February 20th, 2007

February 20th, 2007

 

The deal was Casey had to be quiet and stay far away from him in the family room with Brighton and to leave Elias undisturbed. While Elias finished up his work with Remus.

It was a Professor Remus day, unfortunately. No Teddy in sight to be manipulated and far much more flexible.

The second Remus disappeared into the manor’s library to check if the had a book he wanted Elias to read, Casey wasted no time plopping into his seat across from Elias who was writing about Kappas running a hand through his hair that was pulled out of his usuall high top bun.

“Do you think I’d look good as a blonde?”

Elias doesn’t answer, though his lips twitch a bit into a smile as he notes how Kappas react to human blood. He adds a side note to ask if there was a difference of preference of different animal blood, as well as muggle to magical.

“I brought over some bleach... I've never been a blonde before. Reckon people would think I'm dumb? If that doesn’t work, we could shave my head tonight. Unless you think that's an absolutely terrible idea.”

“Shh.” Elias hisses pressing his finger up to his lips. Just cause his uncle was down the hall, far deep in the library, didn’t mean the chances were low of not being heard.

“He won’t hear us. Mr. Lupin is all the way down in the library. Checked myself.”

Elias keeps his eyes on the paper, not even daring himself to look up. He wasn’t looking to get in trouble with Professor Remus. He learned that the hard way six years ago as a firstie.

“Elias…” Casey teases out his name. In the corner of Elias’ eyes he narrowly spots Brighton grab the chair next to where he was sitting on and pull himself to a stand. Elias grabs the chair to balance it out before Brighton sends himself and the chair to the floor.

“Eee-lll!”

Elias sighs, shaking his head and clicking his tongue at the two Lamberts attempting to bother him. He looks back into his book, studying over the picture of the Kappa.

“What is that?”

Elias cracks.

“A kappa. It feeds on human blood.”

Casey snorts a laugh. “No, really. What is it?”

Elias lifts his gaze to peer at Casey. Casey starts to tug at his hair, pulling it back into a manbun on top of his head.

“You can find it in Japan, and if you’re unfortunate enough to enter…” Elias looks back at the book. “A body of of ponds of rivers… you’ll die.”

“Bloody hell, really?” Casey tugs over the book himself as Elias writes down the pond and river body of waters.

“And you can save your life with a sodding cucumber!? What the fuck? What is this!?”

Elias laughs softly, dropping his pen on the table to carefully move the chair Brighton was crawling onto and bring the toddler onto his lap. He picks up his pen again with his arm around Brighton’s body.

“I’m going to get in so much trouble with Uncle Remus.”

“Nah. We’ll play it cool.”

“Can I have my book back? I kinda need it to learn more about Kappas.”

“Only if you tell me if I’d look good as a blonde.”

“Truth or lie? Also, you'd be hideous bald, that one is the complete and utter truth that I have to be honest with, don't shave your hair off.”

Casey gasps at him with a hand slapping onto his chest offended. Elias took the opportunity and slides his book back over to himself as Brighton grabs his dark wood wand off the table. “Be careful with that, Bright.”

“Isn’t that dangerous? For him to be playing with a wand?”

“A muggle with a wand is like a wizard playing with a stick from outside.”

“Same thing.”

Elias lifts his eyes warningly at Casey. “You’re lucky Mr Ollivander isn’t here. He'd be backing me up.”

“Who?”

“The wand keeper. He sells wands.”

“Uh-huh.”

Elias sighs as he sees his uncle returning to him behind Casey. “My wand is made from ebony wood. It’s ten inches long, supple flexibility, and made with unicorn hair.”

Casey blinks at him. “Unicorns are real?”

“Very.” Casey jumps a bit in his seat at Remus’ response. “You should brush up a second year book in my classes, that or read Elias’ Care of Magical Creature’s book.”

“Stroke the spine if you bother to do so.” Elias mutters bouncing Brighton, multi-tasking as he writes.

“Stroke the-? What?”

“Book bites. Book destroyed half my bedroom when I first got it.” Brighton squeals loudly. He lifts the hand with Elias’ wand readying to slam it halfway into the table to break it in half. Elias catches his hand in seconds before his wand was snapped, taking the wand away from the baby and grabs one of Remus’ quills transfigurating it into a small stuffed toy to replace the wand.

“Whoa.” Casey’s eyes drift over Elias at his careless focus, going back to his work.

“Yeah… Elias’ always been good at wand work than written work. Quite remarkable, it's a pity he wants to work in the muggle world when he's done with his school work. Not that it's never happened before.”

“Cause your stupid twenty-four inch essays take forever to write and I hate magic.” Elias grumbles. “Also, is there a difference between muggle and magical blood if a kappa gets the chance to taste the difference?”

Remus lets out a curious hum. “That is a good question… I’ll have to get back on you on that.”

“Does that mean you’ll push my essay?” Elias flutters his eyelashes in attempt to charm his Uncle.

“No.”

He slumps in his seat with a pout on his lips.

“Drats.”

“As for you.” Remus eyes Casey. “You’re clearly very curious.”

Casey nods. “I am.”

“I’d get in trouble for teaching you.”

Casey's face scrunches in thought and confusion.

“Would you?”

“I would. But I know Elias does his best at thinking when highly annoyed. And since I can’t have Nyx and Aurora here all the time, you’ll work well.”

“Hey!”

“Oy!”

“I’ll let you stay if you stay on task.”

Casey narrows his eyes. “What’s my task?”

“I understand you’re not a student.”

“I graduated last year, just around when I had Brighton, yes.”

“Exactly. Meaning your brain must be itching to learn something new.”

“It’s itching alright.” Casey murmurs. “What’d do you teach?”

“Defense Against the Dark Arts.”

Casey blinks at him. “Does that mean there’s a class on Dark Arts, too?”

Elias snorts as he continues to write quietly.

“That’s illegal.”

“Uh-huh… what does Teddy teach?”

“Charms.”

“Charms seem more intresting.”

“Charms is more wand work than not. Last I’ve checked, you can’t use a wand.”

“Wanna bet? I think I use my quite wand well.”

Elias drops his pen a bit too noisily with his face turning pink as he’s refusing to look at either uncle or boyfriend and flips a page of his book and rapidly taps at the sketched out image of a kappa.

“Would you look at that? Uncle Remus, does a kappa have a brain or is it somewhere else other than in it’s head?” Elias awkwardly asks pointing at the picture of the Kappa where the head held a dip that held water in it.

Casey nods his head over at Elias. “He knows I use my wand well.”

Elias makes a tiny noise. “I can leave the table?”

“No. Casey, you earned yourself back to the family room. Get.”

“Can I at least have that biting book about animals?”

“It’s in my room, one of the drawers in my desk. It’s brown, has eyes, has teeth, got fur on it. Hard to miss, it might growl at you if you get close to it. Don't be scared though, it's harmless until you open the buckle.” Elias weakly points at the stairs.

Casey clicks his tongue and winks at Elias before getting up and heading up the stairs. “And don’t forget to stroke the spine!” Elias shouts at him.

“Don’t tempt me! I’ll give you something else to stroke!”

Elias lets out a groan, hugging Brighton from behind. “Your Daddy’s being a pain today, Bright.”

“Da-da-da-da.” Brighton chants with his four teeth as he kicks his legs and kicking the metal of Elias' fake leg that dangled in the air from where he slightly straddled Elias’ prosthetic leg distracted plenty with the stuffed lion.

Remus sits down in the seat Casey once was in. “You’re going to be a good dad.”

“I can only hope to be.” Elias mutters fussing with Brighton’s light blonde hair that was a shade darker from when Elias first met the toddler.

“You already are.” Elias lifts his eyes to his uncle. Remus nods to Brighton in his arms. “You’re able to multi-task well between school work and a toddler in your arms. Not even your Papa could do that well.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Your papa did his school work during naps, bedtime, when others watched Harry and Ellie. He might’ve graduated and passed his NEWTs on time but he was stressed out big time during those times. Here you are; pregnant, a bit too focus on boyfriend, a toddler too. You’re doing good already.”

Elias smiles softly. “Thank you.”

“How about we do some wand work. Your hand’s probably aching by now, I bet.”

Elias laughs softly. “You know I can do all that on my own. I need help with the written work and studies more than-”

“Elias.” Remus warns him and sets a nearly empty glass cup in front of him. “Pick up your wand. Let me think… Teddy said you’re working on nonverbal spells… Charms or transfiguation?”

“Um… lets do charms, I guess.” Elias shrugs.

“Alright… the water charm then water to wine.”

“You want me to fill the cup with water then make it into wine?”

Remus drums on the table. “Red wine.”

Elias purses his lips staring at the cup. “Never tried red wine before. Alright, I’ll give it a shot.”

Elias picks up his wand and points it at the cup with focus. The tip is right over the edge as the water flows in with ease. The water was the easy part as the cup fills up with a soft tinkling noise.

“Now the wine. Red.”

“I know.” Elias grumbles rolling his eyes and putting his focus on it. Usually witches and wizards are well known for always making wine or tea weak and he had to really concentrate, wanting to prove his uncle he could do it.

Slowly, the clearness of the water starts to turn a faded wash out pink.

Focus… his baby is kicking and he needs to pee soon.

Focus… the wash out pink turns a shade darker.

Focus… Brighton squeals with glee shouting for his daddy.

Footsteps come down the steps and Elias’ eyes twitch over just the slightest getting distracted.

Casey grins at him crookedly, the large and thick monster is book tucked under his arm as he uses the other to flex over his head showing off his bicep and a silver bit of skin between his showing brief-band and jeans to shirt.

Their eyes meet, Casey winks at him teasingly. A wiggle of his eyebrows as he makes it down to the last step and Elias’ eyes go back to the cup — rapidly dropping his wand to the table in shock — where a deep blood red stood in the clear glass cup. Remus stared at it wide-eyed. “Bloody hell.”

He picks up the cup, a dip of his pinky in it and tastes it with a smack of his lips. Clearly it wasn’t enough as he goes far as to take a proper sip straight from the glass before coughing. “That’s strong.”

Elias grimaces. “I got a bit distracted. Sorry.”

“You got distracted?”

His face burned as Casey drops the book loudly on the table and wraps his arms both him and Brighton, head wedged between them both. “Got the right book, love?”

“Yeah.” Elias croaks out with a tiny nod.

“Da-da-da-da!”

“That’s right my Bright light.” Casey coos ruffling Brighton’s hair eliciting a loud squealing yell out of the baby making both Elias and Remus wince at the volume.

“A set of lungs that boy got on him.” Remus mutters as Casey picks up the cup of wine observing it. “What’s this? Blood?”

“Wine. Made it.” Elias informs him. Casey takes a sip, coughing as he goes and spits back into the cup. “I gotta drive. One cup of that and I’m down. But good to know I’ve got a boyfriend who can make me some free good arse wine.”

Elias rolls his eyes. “I’m not making you wine.”

Casey pouts. “Never? Not ever?”

Brighton shouts loudly as Elias adjust him on his lap. He was making grabby hands at something on the table which Elias forces him to lean back and tries to readjust his focus back on the stuffed lion. “Special occasions.”

Casey shrugs. “I’ll take it. How do I open this book again? I’m not familiar with books that growl.”

Elias sighs waving over the book to be passed to him, getting a bit distracted as he shows Casey how to open. “You literally just stroke the spine. Ignore it growling at you. It’s like a dog. All bark, no bite.”

“Clearly you never met a dog.” Casey mumbles as the book opens willingly with a purr of a cat. Elias and Remus share a look, both biting back a smile. “And clearly you never met my Auncle Sirius.”

“I have. Loud. Long hair. Dresses like a woman and man. Older sibling of Aster?”

“Then you haven’t met Padfoot.”

“What?”

“Certain wizards and witches, under certain training can transform into animals.”

Casey stares at the book for a moment taking in Remus’ words. Elias readjusts Brighton again, the toddler getting antsy and starting to throw a fit in his lap as he starts to cry reaching for something on the table.

“No, Brighton. You get nothing on the table.” Elias sternly tells him. “All this belongs to me. I need it. Play with the lion.”

“Eh! Eh! Wa! Wan!” He makes grabby hands over Remus’ wand on the other side of the table.

“Need me to take him?” Casey offers as Elias struggles to make room on his lap between the tantrum toddler and his bump that pushed out from where he was sitting.

“No, I just-”

“Holy shit.”

Casey and Elias stop mid-conversation with Casey’s arms already held outreach to take Brighton as they look over to Remus.

It was simple magic to the wizards eyes. A floating wand. The only thing that was unusual was that it was a floating wand.

Casey looks between Remus to Elias confused. “What?”

“Uncle Remus?” Elias calls out carefully.

Remus shakes his head carefully tapping his wand at the bump causing it to spin mid air. “I’m not doing this. That’s my wand. I’m shite at wandless magic.”

“Well I’m not doing it.” Elias tells him. “And there’s no one else here. Nyx and Rory’s at school. Dad and Papa’s at work. It’s just us. You, me, Cass, and…”

Elias falls quiet as the wand moves forward to him. Not to him but to Brighton. The three of them watch the wand merely float slowly, then be snatched out of the air by greedy toddler hands before it’s being waved violently around with happy squeals.

“I’m confused.” Casey quietly speaks up.

Remus shakes his head licking his lips. “It’d happen eventually. You’d end up having unanswered questions for a long time with him… bloody hell.” Remus cusses out again. “Call it fate. Or- or destiny being here… I guess… a muggle born child with a muggle parent falling into a magical family by finding a partner that isn’t their second parent? Unheard of. At least to me...”

“I’m still confused.”

“I think what Uncle Remus is trying to say is that… um... Cass… you see… Brighton… just showed… a possible... ability of magic?”

“Really?”

“I mean, that wasn’t me or Uncle Remus.”

“That is Brighton?”

Elias nods.

“Cass, has anything unusual every happened around your flat before? Or when it’s just Brighton around? Maybe when he’s expressing a strong amount of emotion like when he’s really happy or excited or like just now, wanting my wand- oh, Elias take my wand from him will you?”

“Um… Oh-!” Casey sits down beside Elias as Elias pries the wand from Brighton’s weirdly strong fingers. As soon as the wand is away, Casey takes him to give Elias a break.

“Once the fuse blew out when he was crying really bad when he was teething. Could that be something? There was no explanation of why, the weather was perfectly nice out and nothing was plugged into that outlet.”

“Could be.” Remus nods. “Magic and electricity doesn’t work well together.”

“Really? But there’s a telly here and…”

“Basic stuff. Around here, this area is a magical area. All the neighbors are mostly pureblood. So things like a cellphone, doesn’t work. It has to be landline phone.”

Realization clears over Casey’s face. “That’s why it took you so long to get a phone in your room.”

Elias nods. “One reason. And if I get a cellphone, it wouldn’t work when I live here. I’d have to be somewhere like… you know, with you and Miss Wanda at your flat.”

“Accidental magic at Brighton’s age is actually common. Floating stuff. Sometimes things might pop or explode, nothing too bad but like glasses. What else… Oh, once, Ellie had a cup of water dump over Sirius’ head… then she dropped the said cup on his head. She was like… how old’s Brighton again?”

Elias snorts a quiet laugh. “Ellie would still do that today if you look at her wrong.”

Remus nods. “True. True… Very true. Though she was probably my favourite Potter to teach to date.”

Elias falls quiet, glaring at his uncle as Casey laughs at his boyfriend.

Elias drops his hands on his bump, gently running over the shape and curve. “I can’t wait till I got a flat stomach again.”

“It might take a while, even after you give birth.”

“Shh.” Elias slaps lazily at Casey. “Don’t ruin my hopes and dreams.”

“I thought that was to become a famous singer?”

“Who knew pregnancy would top that one day?” Elias huffs leaning back in his seat and glancing over to Casey who was trying to distract Brighton. Elias pokes him on the shoulder.

“You okay?”

“Yeah. Not everyday you have to process the fact your kid might be a wizard.”

Elias lets out a tiny hum. “You know… the wizarding law usually is more flexible of letting the whole household know if a child possess magical abilities, right? Regardless if it’s one child and… lets say five adults?”

Casey glances over to Elias. “You saying I can tell my mum?”

A tiny shrug. “Uncle Remus?”

“Abiding by the law, I think you can. But she might not believe you without proper… lets say exposure. But it might be best to try, in case anything starts to… float again under her watch.”

“That’s what I’m here for, right?” Elias offers himself up on silver platter. “Miss Wanda isn’t all… going to burn me and Brighton at a stake, would she?”

Casey laughs softly. “If she tries to, I’m camping out in the yard here with Brighton.”

Elias rolls his eyes, scoots his chair a bit closer to father and son and leans his head on Casey’s shoulder. “Then you might as well put the crib for Brighton in my room to waste.”

Remus lifts an eyebrow at him.“Your dad and papa let him in your room?”

“They know if he’s in the guest room he’ll end up in my room either way, Uncle.” Elias tickles Brighton a bit at the side making him squeal through his fit turning his fusses into giggles. “They lecture us more on safe sex than actively working to keep us separated if he crashed over. It’s an hour and so drive here to and from.”

“And hour and half if traffic’s bad.”

“That.” Elias mumbles closing his eyes. “Don’t move, ‘m take a nap now.”

Casey’s shoulder rumble a bit as he laughs. Elias nuzzles his face in the crook of his neck with a soft sigh and a smile on his face.

Chapter 53: March 27th, 2007

March 27th, 2007

 

Elias pinched his eyebrows tightly together in severe concentration as he leans back in his seat listening to his siblings and Papa sing ‘happy birthday’ terribly in an on purpose off-key tone to his Dad.

Candles were lit on an awfully made cake that Elias had no interest in eating the either underbaked or burned cake made by his siblings and Aster where he had in part in it sitting on the couch all day with his legs up after working the day prior it was his last day before he could take his leave.

His stomach has been cramping and churning nauseously to a bothersome point all day now and it was slowly, progressively, getting worse as he squeezed his eyes trying not to focus on it but the terrible singing ringing out in his ears instead.

He breathes in. And out. In…

The pain slowly subsides and he’s able to relax his body from head to toe again with deep exhale.

Opening his eyes, he finds his fathers and siblings all quietly staring at him, candles blown out and smoke rising from the tips, and and he was feeling uncomfortable under their eyes.

“What?” He snaps at them scowling.

“Okay there, Eli?” Aster questions eyeing him closely.

Elias nods. “I’m fine. Here for dad’s… near-to-fifty birthday-”

“Forty-seven. I got three more years.” James corrects him sounding far too much like his Auncle right about there.

“But I don’t think I’m going to have the cake. Papa manges to fuck it up every year somehow and I'm not feeling the best so… If you don’t mind, can I go upstairs?”

“Uh, yeah, go on. Nothing much’s happening. Just cake. We'll have more cake the next birthday coming up anyway.” Aster easily lets him go.

Elias takes his time going up the stairs leaning back on the railing with his lower back killing him as much as his feet were.

Making it to his bed to fall back on felt like a big milestone as much as it will be to see Brighton take his first steps independently as he groans in relief with his feet dangling off the bed with his knees bent at the edge.

He yanks up his shirt, tucking it under his breasts and feeling how tight his stomach’s become in the last day along with how low his bump had sank closer to his hips in the last week. Something that was driving him insane with the pressure on his tailbone in the last few days whenever he sat on something hard.

“Just about a week from now, Capella. Then you’re getting evicted.” Elias murmurs quietly feels across his skin. “I hope you look like me. You don’t need to look like him. My hair, my eyes… brown hair'd be fine though...”

Elias’ bump tightens up and the pain is back as he squeezes his eyes closed.

“Fuck, this needs to stop…” He murmurs quietly with his hands splayed around his bump feeling how tight it got quickly.

He hears shuffling around his room, but he doesn’t dare to open his eyes until he’s able to relax again with no pain. Elias opens his eyes staring up at the starry ceiling.

“Just about seven minutes in between. That was twenty-three seconds long. I’d recommended giving Casey a call now, tell him to meet us at the birthing center… lets say an hour and fifteen minutes give or take. He can get there earlier or later, whatever you want. Get up, off the bed, Elias. Don't get too comfortable now.”

Elias blinks at the moon and stars before tilting his head over to Aster confused. “What are you on about?”

Aster grabs his bag out of the crib with pink and white bedding. The easiest place to keep it out of his way and set and ready when he needed it.

“What do you think?”

“No. No, no, no. It’s not the seventh yet. It’s not even April.”

“Babies come when they want to. Your daughter’s ready to meet you, Eli.” Aster gently tells him. “How long have you been having pains?”

“What?”

“Pains? Cramps? I can tell you’re tightening up just by looking from over here. I know this is a bit of a personal question but does it hurt, your vagina? Your canal-? I don’t know how to say it-… um, pressure, maybe?”

Elias blinks dumbly at him. Aster sighs, dropping the packed duffle bag on the bag. “You’re having contractions, Elais. That's what those pains are. We already have an hour drive from here, it’s already pretty late and I don't fancy aiding you in giving birth here. I think you’ll be okay for the drive from and to if we leave now. If not then…” Aster pursed his lips in though. “In that fact, I’ll pack some towels in case.”

“What-? Papa!?” Elias pushes himself up with a hand over his bump trying to process everything between his bag on the bed beside him to his Papa moving out of his bedroom quickly with his cane tapping away with his steps to grab some old towels.

“And call Casey for Godric's sake!” Aster hisses at him coming back into the bedroom and grabbing the bag. “Then come down and meet me in the van. I’ll be waiting, don't take too long or the next contraction's gonna hit.”

A tiny nod that was barely seen and he disappears again with his bag and the towels.

Elias grabs the phone in his room and dials in Casey’s number, not thinking to use the ready number on the phone. It wasn’t Casey who answers the phone, but it was second best.

“Miss Wanda, hi, um, is Casey there?”

“No, dearie. He’s at work til ten. Want me to pass a message?”

“Um,” Elias looks at the time on his clock seeing it was half past seven. An hour to drive and it’d be eight. He had no clue how long it takes to have a baby. Long, maybe? Short?

“If it’s possible can you call his work and let him know that I’ve been having contractions? He agreed to to there with me. Papa said to give it about an hour from now where we live so about eight thirty-ish he could meet me?”

“I’ll see what I can do to try and get in touch with him.”

Elias smiles softly. “Thank you.”

“Anytime. Good luck.”

Elias hangs up with a shaky breath.

It didn’t surprise Elias as much as it should to see his dad waiting for him outside his bedroom, clearly to give him some privacy for his phone call. “So, listen,” James begins helping him down the stairs, one step at a time very slowly. “‘Cause it’s my birthday and all-”

Elias lets out a soft laugh, a bit too breathless as he takes a moment leaning on the railing halfway down the stairs. “I’m not naming her after you, Dad.”

James falls quiet for a moment before giving up with a shrug. “Can’t blame me for trying.”

“What would I even name her? It’s a girl, not a boy.”

“Well… Your papa does call me Jamie…”

“No.” Elias laughs heavier. “I already have a name picked out.”

“Yes, yes," He sighs in fast defeat. "I remember now. Rora and Nyx said something about a embroidery blanket? A C.P.?”

Elias nods and they start making they way back down slowly. “Casey made it. Well, he tried to. It’s a bit messy but I love it anyway. Miss Wanda made something similar for Brighton and he wanted her to have one when she was born.”

James smiles affectionally at Elias. Elias has another contraction when he reaches the bottom of the steps. It was weird thinking it was an contraction than just pains as this one comes and goes.

Elias focuses on his breathing. Quietly breathing in and out, tensed up and tight until it passes. James stays with him, letting him squeeze his hand for comfort.

“You’re far more quieter than your Papa. I wish he was like this.” James speaks in compliment helping Elias out of the house.

“Don’t let him hear you say that.”

“Too late.” Aster mutters popping the front door open for Elias from the driver seat side. Elias gets himself in as James warns Aster of the contraction and the timing.

“Why do you have the bloody time the damn thing?” Elias grumbles leaning his head on the door as Aster starts driving into the sunset.

“It helps get an idea when the baby will come.”

“Ahh... So babies do come with a time stamp?”

“After contractions start, sure, lets go with that. You call Casey?”

“His mum answered. He’s still at work. Said she’ll try to call him from there. I told her when we should get to the center so he shouldn’t get off right away. He already has the address so he knows where to go.”

Aster hums quietly.

The drive was fairly quiet.

No music — due to Elias’ annoyance after the first contraction in the van when the radio was playing an upbeat preppy love song.

Aster attempts to drive and time with the clock in the van but it was harder than he anticipated trying to count the seconds in his head when the clock only counted minutes and hours.

“You think he’s here already?” Aster asks as they pull into the dark parking lot claiming a random parking lot a bit too far from the front door to Elias’ complaints which Aster did on purpose to get him to walk some after the long drive.

Elias looks around, a faint, tired smile forms on his face spotting a familiar small grey car a few spots over. He taps the window before popping open the door. “Over there.”

“Go over there. I’ll get the bag.”

Elias climbs out of the van slowly as Aster doesn’t get out, unbelting himself and climbing into the backseat to grab his bag. Elias hobbles over to the car where he sees Casey leaned back in the driver seat sleeping.

Elias leans on the hood and gives it a few loud bangs. Fast and easy, Casey bolts up a bit startled which in any other situation Elias wouldn’t blame him.

Casey doesn’t even fix the seat, climbing out of his car quickly and letting Elias lean on him with a tiny pitiful whine wihtout either of them saying anything to one another in greeting as Aster joins them with a large bag in hand that’s been ready for weeks.

“Ready to go in?” Casey asks brushing some of his blonde hair behind his ear.

“I’m tired. Want to go to sleep. Papa wouldn’ let me.”

“Your contractions wouldn’t let you. I would’ve preferred if you went to sleep. Save up on your energy than bitching to me about me not telling you what I thought it was when I noticed the first time.”

“I’ve been having them all day.” Elias groans into Casey’s chest. He makes a tiny noise of relief feeling Casey’s hands massaging in and deep onto his lower back.

“Oh...yes... That feels good… don’t stop whatever you’re doing Cass.”

Casey laughs softly, rocking them a bit and letting Elias cling onto him for a few minutes but Elias knew that even he couldn’t stay out in the parking lot for long no matter how good Casey’s hands on his back felt.

Getting checked in was fast, with the birthing center already having his information.

“What do you want to do?” Aster asks Elias dropping his bag to the side as they’re assigned a given room. Not the same they looked at the first time but it felt pretty identical. Casey was curiously looking around quietly, eyeing the large bed and bath.

“Preferably,” A midwife comes in with a ball that Aster is well familiar with. She sets it down on the ground ready for Elias to use at any time. “I’d like to have a quick check to see how dilated you are. Contractions all day, you say? Have you been timing them?”

“Hard to time and drive. But it’s been pretty frequent.” Aster answers as Elias kicks off his shoes and kicks them to the side of the room with his bag before peeling off his jean jacket as well.

“Can I just go to sleep?” A tired sigh as he closes his eyes sitting on the bed and leans back on his hands. “Right, forgot, gotta check me. How does that work?”

“Just want to see how dialed you are. Ten centimeters, you’re ready to start pushing for your baby. Before that, we don’t want you to push because it can harm you and the baby.”

“Okay.” He quietly sighs, head tilted up at the ceiling and eyes closed. With how steady and soft his breathing was…

Casey sits on the bed with him and gives Elias a tiny nudge on the leg. “Did you fall asleep on us already, E?”

“Fuck off.” Casey laughs softly. “We gotta get your pants off. And your underwear. I don’t know how they’re gonna want you in as far as positions go.”

Elias groans, arms giving out under him and he lets himself fall back entirely on the bed and kicks his legs up a bit.

“Do you want me to step out, Elias?” Aster asks crossing his arms over his chest with a small amused smile on his face.

“You’re gonna see everything one way or another.” Elias grumbles trying to tug at his joggers and underwear in one go by the waistband weakly. “And it’s nothing Cass hasn’t seen before.”

Casey rubs his nose awkwardly not meeting Aster’s eyes as the midwife laughs softly. “I think that point is obvious. You are having a baby.”

“Oh, it’s not my-”

“We started dating after-”

“You see, Papa met Cass first and introduced us first before-”

The three of them shut up rather fast after that halfway clear stumble through.

“So…” She points at Casey. “Not your baby?”

Casey nods. “But I’m his boyfriend. And here for support and to be yelled at or whatever Elias needs me to be here for.”

The midwife hums curiously. “We don’t have many here who does that.” With that she gives Casey a nod of approval as if he needed it. Elias tugs on Casey’s arm. “Get my pants off, will you?”

Casey laughs softly. “And now he needs me to get his pants off.”

Aster coughs with a fisted hand close to his mouth and a lifted eyebrow as he leans on the wall, just to clear the room that he was till in it and to bug Casey.

“In a very nonsexual way.” Casey hurriedly adds as he gets off the bed and tugs off Elias’ pants and underwear in one go from the thighs, then regripping the fabric at his calves and tugging again to slip the fabirc off at his feet.

“This is it.” Elias mutters half naked covering his face with his arms as Casey folds his pants and underwear and sets it aside. “It’s all I got to show. What I got to do now?”

“You can get on the bed-”

“Praise the lords. Finally.” Elias mutters pathetically scooting up, trying to kick a leg to get him up on it all the way. Aster averts his eyes respectfully as the midwife approaches him, peeling on some gloves.

“Usually I’d at least know the name of the person before I have someone trying to get up all in there. Not that I've done this with that many people... unless I count all the doctors and you, too, now...” Elias mutters moving his legs open and slightly bent as the midwife guides him with a soft laugh.

“Hello, Elias. I’m Evelyn, one of the midwives here tonight and may help deliver your baby. Do you know what your having?”

“A girl.” Elias pinches his eyebrows trying to ignore more of added the sensations going on inside him.

It was a fast and quick check, less invasive than he thought it’d be as Evelyn pulls her hand out and removes her gloves.

“You’re six centimeters along. Very good, over halfway done by now. Do you know if by chance your waters have broken?”

He shrugs unsure.

“I don’t think so?”

“Okay. That’s perfectly fine. Is it just going to be you two here tonight? I can offer to bring in a pull out bed for you,” Her eyes on Aster before focusing back on Elias. “We do want you to move around plenty. Walking, a bit of exercises to open your pelvic up to get the contractions going more. I brought the ball in so you can use it, we have a different shaped ball if you want, a peanut shape if you want to use that one in the bed while you rest. And if you want to use the bath, let me know and I can run it for you. There’s plenty of stuff here you can use if you ask for it.”

“Just want to sleep for now.” Elias mumbles.

“Well you can do that, too. You’ll need some rest anyway before it’s time to push. It might take some time with this being your first baby. Pushing can take a while or be fast, depending on the baby and your body.”

Elias gives out a tiny nod, shifting and trying to get under the covers on the bed provided. It takes him a bit of struggle, but he gets there.

Elias lets out a soft sigh, snuggles up into the pillows. There wasn’t as much pillows as he had in his own bed and he was far from comfortable as he starts tightening up everywhere with another contraction hitting him, He hides under the blankets and gripping the pillows tightly until it passes.

The next contraction hits him faster, longer in time, making him roll and quickly become restless in the bed.

“At this rate sleeping’s going to be impossible.” He groans out load, quiet but loud enough to be heard.

“Rest, not sleep, she said.” Aster mutters that makes Elias groan louder than before. He rolls onto his back glaring at his papa and boyfriend who looked to be ganging up on him by the passing second. “Then what was the point of you guys watching me getting into bed?”

“He told me not to help you, that you needed to move.” Casey points at Aster with a tiny shrug and mouthing a sorry to Elias.

“I don’t think my back hurt this much in the whole pregnancy til now.” Elias complains pushing himself up with a deep frown. He glares at the ball on the floor, then the bath. He looks over to his father for his opinion. “Is a bath any good?”

“The jets might be good for your back.”

A tired sigh. “I guess might as well start running the water. It looks like it’ll take forever to fill.”

Aster nods. “I’ll get Evelyn.”

When Aster takes a step out of the room, Elias makes grabby hands at Casey who smiles softly, easily coming over to the bedside to help him up. “Can you do that thing with your hands on my back?”

“Yes, love.” Casey chuckles softly easing Elias to his feet. “I was looking up some ways on how I could help you, that’s how I learned that. Here, lean on me a little lower… hold on…” Casey guides Elias’ hands onto his shoulders and he takes a step back himself making Elias’ back arch some before swaying them having Eliasa hips opening up and placing his hands on Elias’ lower back of where he could reach, just reaching his hips and deeply pushing his fingers in his spine and muscles making him groan loudly.

Elias didn’t even care that his bum was hanging out fully exposing him where his father could more than certainlly see him. He was sweaty, tired, and in pain as he hears the water starting to run behind him.

“Do you want to get in with him?” Elias hears Evelyn question someone.

“What? Me?” Casey asks, still massaging his back.

“Yes, you. You can if you want. Plenty of fathers do. You would be far from the first. You can keep massaging Elias’ back from in the bath.”

Elias lets out a soft groan, nodding his head in Casey’s chest. “Yes. Please do, Cass.”

“I didn’t bring my swim trunks. I’m not about to go in commando with your Papa watching us.” Casey lowly hisses.

“Don’t care.”

“I care, E.”

“Please.” Elias quietly begs easing himself up to stand straight. He starts to tug off his shirt. “Just leave your underwear on. You don’t live far from here, call your mum or- or Papa can go and pick some extra up for you.”

Casey sighs, eyes looking around the room before he nods. “Alright, but if you end up giving birth in the bath I am not staying in it. I draw the line at that.”

Elias holds up his pinky, that has Casey softly chuckling before lacing his own pinky around the smaller one.

He tugs both their hands over to his face and kisses his thumbnail, then brings Elias’ hand over and kisses the back of his hand before helping Elias remove his shirt and getting undressed himself doing his best to ignore Aster’s eyes on him, just grateful that he has on black briefs than white.

The water was hot and quickly soothing as Elias is helped into it by two people and a step stool when he had to take off his prosthetic leg.

The bath is steep and with his small frame the water ran up to practically his shoulders making him feel like he was taking a swim more than a bath.

When Casey joins him, he slightly straddles him over one leg and rests his head on his chest. Between the jets and his hands on his hips massaging right under his bump, he was able to relax more when the contractions went through him.

Elias didn’t know it at first, but he did manage to fall asleep for a while.

“How long do you think he can sleep for? I don’t fancy becoming all pruney. It’s been three hours now and I’m getting tired myself... I wonder how the water’s still not cold.”

“You’re going to stay in that bath for as long as my son feels comfortable in there on top of you, Lambert. If he can sleep in it, so can you.”

“Papa, don’t threaten Cass.” Elias mumbles rubbing his face on Casey’s chest scrunching his face. The pressure was far more intense than it has been when he was last awake and whatever contraction he was suddenly having was hitting him like a bludger to the face. And the burning was worse than any infection he ever had down there before.

“Joder, el dolor es mucho peor ahora.” He whines trembling, shaking all over as he grips onto Casey’s side under the water.

Aster moves fast, a hand on his upper back that was slightly peeking out of the water. “What was that, Eli?”

“He’s shaking- wait, you don’t know what he said?”

“It was Spanish. I know French and slow spoken Spanish and certain phrases.” He hisses at the boyfriend. “Elias, what are you feeling?”

“Pain. Pressure. Like I'm on bloody fire in my cunt. Like a bloody bludger to the body.”

Aster hisses lowly quickly getting off the chair that had been set by the bath at some point while he was knocked out. “Don’t move him. I’m going to get a midwife. He should’ve been checked awhile ago anyway.”

It wasn’t the same midwife that helped Elias in when he first arrived. It was another woman, older than Evelyn with grey hairs at the root but her age didn’t matter as she seemed to move rather fast and skillful slipping on some gloves and leaning over the tub on the step stool that helped Elias and Casey into the bath.

“It’s nice to finally meet you awake, Elias. I’m Franny and just going to a quick check to see how you’re doing if that’s okay with you. I notice you’re shaking. Did that start when you woke up?”

“Yeah.” He whimpers out. “It feels worse.”

“Worse how? Pressure? Pain? Contractions?”

“Pressure. Like... burning.” He tries to breathe through it pressing his forehead on Casey’s chest, not caring how much he was sinking his nails into his sides. “It’s like a bad- a bad… I don’t know how to explain it.”

“Okay, I’m going to reach down and touch you now. See how far along you are… oh.”

“Oh? What is that ‘oh’ for?” Aster is questioning and slightly pestering the midwife a bit too stressfully as she’s readjusting herself, slipping a bit more into the water down to the shoulders and two arms go in instead of one, Elias can feel how she’s cupping him a bit all over with her whole hand.

He chooses not to focus on it. His mind was busy elsewhere, far too focused on the pain that was too intensed for him making him want to burst out in laughter in all the wrong reasons.

“You’re doing very well, Elias. I’d like you to do something for me.”

“Not much I can or want to do right now.” He mutters rubbing his sweaty face on Casey's chest.

“I know, I know. I like how you got one leg over your boyfriend’s leg, do you think you can open up a bit more? Get the other one over his second leg?”

“Straddle Cass?”

“Yes. Do you think you can do that?”

“I’ve been sleeping who know how long like this. I can hardly feel my thighs. My stub leg is going to be hard to move like this.”

Franny lets out a tiny hum before she nods. “Okay, alright, we got this. We have to work together, I’m going to help you a bit, but you have to help me too, okay? We have to work together. Teamwork, Elias.”

“I guess given I got no choice but to put my trust a complete stranger.”

“That's the idea. Like a trust and fall. I'm going to catch you but you have to fall. Except this time it's you having a baby. I’m going to help you move your leg, but I’m going to need to borrow your hand.”

Elias’ eyebrow furrows, eyes pressed tightly closed in concentration. “My hand?”

“Oh no.” Casey visibly pales as he knocks his head back some. “Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. No, no, no. On top of me?” He squeaks out and goes entirely ignored.

“Yes, you need more space to deliver. You’re a bit on the short side and have small hips, and I need all the hip room you can give me to have a safe delivery so the baby’s shoulder’s won’t get stuck. Legs wide apart as possible but you’re in the bath. I help you move, we can’t have the baby hitting the bottom of the bath and risk hurting either of you. They need to be caught.”

“I thought I need to push for that! Babies don’t just slip out! Do they!?”

“Come on, Elias. Work with me, sweetheart, give me your hand. I’ll show you. It's not as scary as you think it is. It's your body.” Franny finds it in herself to remind him that gives him the mild bit of confidence.

Elias carefully guides a hand between himself and Casey and a gloved hand catches his own, guiding it to where it needs to be. Where he usually can slip some fingers in, easy and simple, was blocked off and he could feel some hair between his attempting stretching skin.

"You feel that, Elias?"

For a startling reason he laughs loudly through the pain into Casey’s chest.

“She’s not bald! I’m not going to have a bald daughter!” There was that victory in his voice was he screams.

Aster laughs with him, as well as the midwife. “Yeah, you feel that?" She asks again. "All that hair? Keep your hand there for me, I’m going to move your leg now. Don't push on her head, just protect it. If she slides out, let her. Catch her.”

“All that body fluid is going to get in the bath! I’m in the bath!”

“You’ve been in the bath for hours, the amniotic fluid has been floating in the water for probably just as long.” Franny rolls her eyes at Casey. “So hush up and help Elias and me. Help me move his leg.”

Aster lets out a small laugh at Casey as he focuses on Elias keeping him upright a bit with all the shifting going on. Aster gently reaching over the tub, a hand on Elias' shoulder and the other brushing the sweat mixed water wet dark blonde hair out of his face as his legs are being moved around, murmuring soft praises to Elias in pure encouragement.

“Wait, wait, wait, wait!” Elias cries as soon as his leg is shifted as he feels his body bearing down with or without himself trying. He’s sliding down a bit on Casey, leaning forward more and arching his back and pushing a second hand into the water himself with the top of his head mostly pushing into Casey’s chest trying to see what he could in the water with his hands feeling around.

He’s quiet with the small pushes he makes. No one speaks, Elias takes charge of his own birth himself in a way that Aster knew he could never do without assistance of some sort.

Elias could feel everything. He was trying to see as much as he could as he pushed.

From the top of the head slipping out as he feels around trying to protect his own body with all the stretching going on as he pushes with soft pants, slow and steady breathing and slowly he feels the slip and glide with his body stretching around his daughter as she's passing through him. A hand carefully on the head where he could feel the face, then supporting the neck.

As soon as the shoulders pop out, his body sags in relief and he’s able to pull his daughter free from the water clinging to her with deep breaths and shaky relieved laughs as he cradles her to his chest and leaned on Casey entirely ignoring him and his paled face.

Franny is quick, helping him with a towel and rubbing his daughter’s back and aiding her to get that first cry out of her and when she does, Elias’ laughs turn into choking half laughing sobs.

“I did it.” He breathes out still trying to steady himself on top of Casey. He was shaking by a lot. He hasn’t even got to look over his newly born daughter with her held in both his arms securely but he leans onto the paled and traumatized looking Casey, pressing his forehead into the crook of his neck with a soft laugh. “I’m sorry, Cass.”

“It’s okay.” There was that tiny pat on the side. “I can’t really hold this on you… I guess…?”

Elias laughs as Capella cries. “You look scared shitless.”

“Not everyday you’re given birth on... I think I'm going to need a shower after this. And a deep scrub... maybe two showers, actually.”

“I’m sorry.” He laughs through it again with a scrunch of his face. “Fuck my pussy hurts like a bitch now. I feel all puffy and stretched out.”

“Dad is going to have a ball over this when I tell him.” Aster announces with a softer laugh of his own. “I mean, who laughs during childbirth? Certainly not me. I was crying and screaming.”

“Usually midwives themselves duing the euphoria high from the birth, they also usually deliver their own babies if they come here, extra midwives like me in this position would just be on the side to keep watch over. Elias did wonderful all on his own without me interfering.” Franny side comments, at some point she had lured out a net and was waving it through the water in the bath cleaning out what could be scooped out. Elias chooses to ignore that minor detail.

“I just did that.” Elias breathes out highly proud of himself. “C-can I get off my knees yet?”

“You can but I’ll need you where the afterbirth can still be delivered, I'll have to check it and make sure you pass it as whole. I’ll drain some of the water but are you able to turn yourself around with your daughter and sit more comfortable in the meantime?”

“I can try.” Elias breathes in deeply easing himself around with a lot of tremors running through his body. This time Casey’s able to help out Elias more than being scared shitless and no one dares to say anything with the stuff in the water as Elias leans onto Casey’s chest with the newborn on his chest.

Quietly, Elias runs his finger across her cheek finally taking in her features. She was far paler than him. A fair amount of brown hair, which he couldn’t blame given the dominate genes from Owen but her eyes were a light shade of brown than any shade of blue which pleased him.

“She’ll be hungry soon.” Franny quietly informs him, still leaning on the rim of the tub waiting for the afterbirth. “Do you plan on breastfeeding by any method or by formula and bottle?”

“I wanted to try breastfeeding… I just don’t know how.”

“Your milk should come in pretty straight away now. We have a lactation doctor who comes during the day but that’ll be a few more hours from now, but I can help you if you want.”

Elias nods quietly. “I tried to do this thing… collecting the colostrum but I didn’t really know how…”

“It’s fine.” Franny gently pushes Aster away to take his place closer to Elias. “So what you’re going to want to do is guide your breast to your daughter’s lips. Let her get that feel, usually they’ll open right up. Then you’ll want to try to make sure she latches on both nipple and the areola.”

Elias looks at her confused. “The nipple and what?”

“The darker skin around the nipple.”

“Oh,” Elias nods looking back to Capella. “Does it matter which breast to start with?”

“No. Whichever may be leaking first, may be best to start with though.”

Elias nods, looking at Capella a little longer before staring to shifting her some. She was still draped in the wet towel that was placed over her by Franny as he does as instructed, teasing her plump pink lips gently to have her mouth open up.

He struggles with it a bit. Trying to support her head carefully then also trying to support her to latch on. “How do you know if she latches on right?”

“It’ll feel like a tiny tug. It might not click right away, but don’t give up it’ll-”

There was that tiny whining noise with her mouth more wider before her mouth started to suck with her tounge working as well, properly latching onto him that has him softly laughing. “There we go, Ella.”

“Her name’s Ella?” Aster questions. “I thought it started with a C?”

“It does. Capella.” Elias answers not looking away from Capella feeding. He feels Casey shift under him, but otherwise not saying anything to break his drawn in moment.

“Capella Elanor Potter.” Elias whispers quietly to the feeding baby.

The placenta is delivered while Elias breastfed Capella. He couldn’t care less, lost in his little world feeling Casey gently finding something to do which was massaging his shoulders.

“Will I be putting you both on Capella’s birth certificate?” Franny questions after the cord is cut and everyone — Elias, Casey, and Capella —is settled on the bed.

To Elias’ delight, he could go home in the morning if he checked out find and healthy, along with Capella.

“What-? Both?”

Franny nods, eyes drifting between him and then over to Casey who was asleep, zonked out on the large bed and snoring softly.

“He’s not…” Elias shakes his head softly. “But he’s not her biological dad.”

“But he’s here, isn’t here?” Franny points out clicking her pen and looking at Elias with a pointed look with the few forms of paper on her lap that Elias wanted to get filled out and over with. “Biological or not, he doesn’t have to be. Think of it like adoption. Surrogacy. I can think of plenty of ways to get on a birth certificate without needing the same blood to be running through the baby’s veins.”

“I didn’t think that you could do that.” Elias tells her, fingers dangling inside the small bassinet provided to put Capella in where she was fed, nappied, dressed, and swaddled in the pink blanket he packed from Casey.

It was still hard for him to process he went from waking up to thinking he’d have to grin and bear through his Dad’s birthday to having his daughter an hour after midnight. Elias was secretly happy that Capella didn’t have to share her birthday was anyone.

“Well, I can put out the final bit of the birth certificate. Have you on it, but wait a little but and you can ask him. If he wants to or not, the option will be here until you’re ready to leave before I put in and file the final documents. How about that?”

Elias nods, quietly the rest of the forms were finished and filled out.

He finds himself pulling the wheeled bassinet as close as possible to the bed before easing himself in and curling up into Casey’s arms with quiet groans of pain.

Over by the wall, Aster was tucked away on a roll out bed dead asleep with his back turned towards himself and Casey.

“Cass… you still awake?” Elias quietly murmurs poking him a bit.

A deep exhale. “A bit. You still okay?”

“I’m fine, sore and achey but fine. Just... got a question for you. It's important.”

“Hmm?”

Elias trails his fingers across Casey’s naked chest, only changing out of his underwear and taking a quick shower before going naked back into his jogger pants he arrived in. He was pleased when Franny offered to wash his briefs while they all rested for the rest of the night.

“How would you feel about putting your name on Capella’s birth certificate?” Elias whipsers to him like it was a deep and dark secret.

A few seconds pass before Casey opens his eyes a bit to look at Elias. “Like… as her father?”

“If you want to.” Elias carefully says. “Like you are on Brighton’s. Just… it’ll be your name… with… mine?”

“But I’m not her-”

“I know. Franny said you don’t have to be to be on her birth certificate and I just thought it wouldn’t hurt to ask you. You’ve been with me through pretty much my whole pregnancy and… I just thought, that’s all… You don’t have to. I won’t push something like this on you.”

Casey leans back some, brushing some of Elias’ hair behind his ear and looking over his face before wrapping his arms over him carefully and pressing a kiss to the crown of his head.

“I’d love to be her dad if you’ll be Brighton’s.”

Elias’ lips curve up into a careful, tired smile, hidden away in Casey’s chest. “Really?”

“Yeah. Why not? I mean, you won’t be as official for Brighton as I am for Ella but-”

“No, no. I… I want to. Maybe one day we can change that. When we’re older.”

“One day soon, I hope, you could adopt him properly.” Casey presses another kiss to his head. “Now lets get some sleep before you need to be up to feed Ella again.”

Elias snuggles in closer to Casey, careful around his tender, soft and empty stomach. “Love you, Cass.”

 A third kiss to the head. “I love you too, E.”

Chapter 54: March 28th, 2007

March 28th, 2007

 

There was a major setback for Elias when it came to the time to leave the birthing center with Capella with Aster and Casey.

The plan was to make a quick stop by at Casey’s flat, pick up Brighton, and they both would follow Aster who was driving with Elias and Capella in the backseat.

Turns out, being a Papa of ten kids isn’t nothing to brag over. Months of nagging Elias and everyone forgot something important for Capella, along with Casey too though he wasn't going to admit that when he had an opportunity to tease Aster.

A car seat.

So Casey is snickering quietly at Aster as he curses in quiet French while belting in the bottom piece of the car seat he had to run out and buy at the very last second — which took two hours to buy because he was picky over what to buy — into the front row of the back seat of the van as Elias gets in a quick feed and checks Capella’s nappy before setting her carefully into the car seat like the most precious being on Earth to him.

Which, she was. Elias couldn’t take his eyes off her.

He made that.

But he was lucky to get some sleep last night between feedings of him getting up every two hours for her, cherishing the time he had her on his chest each time.

“You’re doing it wrong.” Casey points out as Aster shouts, managing to pinch his finger somehow.

“You do it then!” Aster shouts in defeat, moving into the driver seat with a huff.

“Been waiting for you to ask for the last fifteen minutes.” Casey huffs a laugh, climbing into the van and taking over. “Between mine and Mum’s cars, we have one car-seat for Brighton. Doing this is like second nature by now.”

Casey gets the job done in less than five minutes, leaving Aster mutting a few mocking curses in low French. Once that piece was set and strapped in the van, Casey wiggles his fingers over to Elias to be passed Capella. Elias lifts the handle of the car-seat and passes it to Casey who straps Capella in and hops out.

“Your carriage awaits, my good sir.” A dramatic bow and an offered hand that has Elias roll his eyes, but he takes Casey’s hand not turning it down to be aided into the step high van. Elias winces as he sits beside the set car-seat and carefully straps himself in.

“You guys go on ahead. I’ll catch up after I pick up Brighton and pack some stuff up.” Casey informs Aster and Elias before hopping back into the van and stealing a quick kiss from Elias and leaps out a bit too recklessly and closes the sliding door with a slight too loud bang to let Aster head off.

“Does Dad know we’re coming home?” Elias asks watching Capella in her seat as Aster turns onto the main road. He tries to ignore the pain with every bump and turn Aster makes.

“He doesn’t even know you had Ella yet.” Aster hums with a smile on his face. “Haven’t called him yet. I told him I’d call him when you had her. I forgot to last night. Feel asleep too fast.”

“Well, he’ll be in for a surprise.” Elias fixes at the strap on Capella’s chest. “I’m rather happy that Nyx and Rora’s at school right now. It’ll give me and Ella some time to settle in before they crowd us.”

“For an hour or two by the time we get home.”

“Yeah. Brighton still got to meet her. I hope that goes okay with him and her.”

Aster adjusts his mirrors a bit being able to see better into the back. “I think it will. Brighton’s a good little lad, he might not understand everything at first but give him time. All kids are different. You can’t force it on him to click with her right away.”

Elias lets out a tiny affirmative hum, setting his fingers into the car-seat and letting Capella cling onto his pinky with her whole hand.

“You know where I got her name from?”

“I think it’s something music related, right?”

“Well, yeah but… it’s after a star.”

Aster softly laughs. “Fitting for the family.”

“Elanor means sun-star. After you and Dad.”

Aster sighs deeply as they pull up to a stop at a red light. His eyes are looking around the crossroads, leaning forward a bit in his seat and thumbs drumming across the wheel a bit. “You know you didn’t have to name her after us. Or after anyone at all in that fact.”

“Didn’t have to but want to.” Elias corrects his Papa.

“Well thank you, I guess.” Aster murmurs easing onto the gas and making his turn.

Elias hisses at his Papa's driving as he’s leaning into the turn.

The van ride wasn’t fun at all. Elias spent every other second complaining and somehow manage to make an hour ride extend into an hour and forty-five minutes making Aster pull over when Capella wouldn’t stop crying ten minutes away from the manor after a full nappy that was in need of changing.

Elias getting out of the van with Aster’s help, he doesn’t even take the whole car-seat in, unbuckling Capella with gentle hands and picking her up to carry instead which Aster says nothing on as he grabs the duffle bag for Elias from the back.

“She’ll be needing to eat soon.” Elias determines with a hand gently patting his daughter’s bum gently following Aster to the front door of the manor.

“You can do that when we get in. Remember what that lactation person said, you should pump even if you do breastfeed Ella to keep things flowing and increasing supply to feed her as she gets older.”

“I pump two times a day between feeds when I can.” Elias remembers what he was told as the door was unlocked and pushed open.

“James!? You home!?” Aster shouts into the manor that Capella hardly flinches to the noise, sleeping soundlessly in the carrier still, probably far used to all the shouting while growing in Elias.

Aster sets his bag onto the dining table and heads upstairs calling out for James. Elias shrugs off his jean jacket carefully shifting Capella arm to arm, setting it on the table beside the bag and zips open the duffle bag with one arm pulling out a neat three ring tabbed binder that had all the information about his birth and Capella he wanted to review to make sure everything was correct while he fed Capella.

Elias takes the binder with him to the family room and takes a slow seat on the couch on the long side so he could have his legs up — despite giving birth his one leg were still very swollen and was warned it’ll be a few days or possibly even a week or two to fully go down.

He sets the binder on the cushion beside himself and grabs a decorative pillow to prop it under his arm before quietly humming to himself and Capella seeing she was starting to get fussy as he lifts his shirt before picking her up again and guiding her to latch on.

Each feeding he did with her got easier and easier each time as he smiles softly, touching her soft round cheeks admiring her again quietly.

“Elias! You’re home!” Elias hardly turns his head seeing his Dad beaming at him widely looking ready to leap over the back of the couch to get to him. “I thought you’d be a few days.”

“They let me go as long as we both checked out to be healthy as a horse.” Elias easily answers as James round the couch than jumping over it.

It takes James a fast quiet moment as he halts not even halfway to sit on the couch with Elias, eyes darting away trying to be respectful. Looking everywhere but Elias and Capella. “That’s going to take some time getting used to.”

“Yeah,” Elias laughs softly looking back down to Capella. “Looks like I’m not getting ‘em cut off anytime soon.”

“Uh… I don’t know where to look.” James honestly tells him, eyes roaming around the family room than on Elias. “Are- aren’t you suppose to cover up doing that or-?”

“I’m not covering up, Dad.”

“He doesn’t want to and the midwives at the birthing center actually encouraged him not to.” Aster informs James coming down the stairs slower than James. “I just gave Barty, Sirius, and Reg a call. I told them to give you a few hours to settle in before considering stopping by but preferably you wanted visitors to come by tomorrow than today.”

Elias nods, shifting a bit on the couch with a slight noisy groan careful not to pull away from Capella. James slowly settles on the couch, eyes straight and locked on Elias’ head and only his head not daring to look at the baby yet.

“So… uh… are you going to tell me her name yet?”

“Capella.” Elias smiles softly, angling his leg into a P-shape with his stump sticking out straight and fitting Capella around more comfortably as he sets the binder onto his lap on the other side of himself. “Capella Elanor Potter.”

“All star related names. Like a true Black,” Aster nudges James as he sits down beside him with a grin. “Elias was a true champion when he had her. He out did me like you wouldn’t believe it.”

“Really?” James’ eyes sparkled, ready to listen to the story.

“He slept through most of the laboring after we got there. Casey was there, by the way. Right from the start. So, they both got into that large bath and I guess the jets in there just lulled him to sleep between contractions and he was able to stay asleep during. By the time he woke up he was already crowning.”

Elias’ face burned as he opens up the binder.

“The midwife had to move around his leg a moment but it was like something in him just took charge when she asked him to… I don’t know, hold…? Touch…?” Aster glances over to Elias.

“I had to kinda make sure that Ella wouldn’t slip out when she helped moved my stump around. And if she did, I was to catch her.”

“That.” Aster points at Elias. “And you know what? Elias laughed. He laughed when he… I guess he… I mean not even I did that. I didn’t have the balls to reach down there to touch much of anything when I was crowning.”

“Except for the last birth with Aurora and Nyx.”

Aster rolls his eyes at James. “I didn’t want to, believe me. But Elias… James, he delivered Ella all on his own. No help, nothing. All on his own. And he was laughing. His midwife at the time, Franny, she said it's part of some sort of euphoria he was having.”

“I gave birth on top Casey. He wasn’t really fond about that.” Elias snickers. “I promised him before he agreed getting in the bath that I wouldn’t make him stay in the bath if I gave birth but he was trapped under me unable to get out. Had no choice but to stay put.”

“Did he pass out? I wouldn’t blame him. I probably would've.”

“He actually stuck through.” Elias smiles softly watching Capella’s eyes remain close and her small fingers flex and fist up on his chest, creeping up and grabbing the chain around his neck with the two birth stones. “Looked close to passing out, but he got through it. Helped a bit. Bonded with me and Ella. He was… really good. A good supporter and... yeah. All that.”

“Did everything you did for me and more.” Aster sets a hand on James’ thigh, giving James a squeeze then rubs his leg before leaning on him.

Elias flips through the binder, landing onto Capella’s birth certificate. He reads over Casey’s name and signature that was beside his own as her second parent. “Oh, uh… Papa, Dad, there’s something I haven’t told you yet. About Capella.”

“What’s that?”

Elias pulls out the birth certificate and passes it over to them carefully. “Everything looks fine, Eli. Just her…”

“Casey signed as the second father?” James questions lifting his head before Aster could conclude the odd thing out on the certificate.

Elias nods as Aster’s eyes were wide staring at him. “Franny was talking to me when I was filling out the final forms. After you went to bed on the pull out last night. She said he didn’t need to be her biological father to be her father. So I asked him and he said yes so… it’s better than leaving in a blank. It’s more better than… you know… her actual biological father.”

James lifts his hand a bit. “I don’t know who it is, still.”

“Really?” Aster shakes his head tutting at James. “Honestly. Ten months to think about it, can’t it be any more obvious?”

“Does Casey know who it is?”

Quietly Elias nods. “He knows of him. He won’t meet him, however. It’s unlikely. I hope not.”

“Unpredicable but the chances will be around for a long while.” Aster warns. James gives his husband an confused look.

“I know, and I’m taking my chances.” Elias says picking up Capella as she yawns with a tiny squeak as she unlatches him. He lets his shirt fall down as he sets her up into a sitting position with his hand carefully placed under her chin and his hand patting her back to burp her. “Can one of you get the duffle bag on the table? I forgot to grab the burp cloth for her. It's somewhere in it.”

“I’ll get it.” Aster declares getting up with a fast press of a kiss to James’ cheek as he gets up.

James eyes Capella as close as he can get from where he sits. With Elias’ hand under her chin that was pinching her cheeks a bit as he burps her and the small bit of brown hair on her head and her light brown eyes wide open which was a bit uncommon for newborns while being burped. It made James wish he made more pictures of Elisa as a baby, to truly know what feature traits he passed down to his granddaughter.

“Do you think she looks like me?” Elias asks, hand steady on her back.

“Hard to tell right now.” James was honest. “But she’s made cute, I’ll give you that. Could’ve been bald like in that one picture we have of you.”

Elias laughs softly. "That's what I told Papa."

“I think, depending of whoever is the other father… maybe she’s a good mix between you both?”

Elias frowns, but he does nod. “Yeah... I think so too.”

“Will you ever tell me who it is?”

“I don’t know. Would you act like Papa and storm over to their house?”

“I don’t even know who it is. So how can I?” James points out as Aster returns just in time, passing over the burp cloth over the back of the couch as Capella spits up. Elias cleans it away quietly as Aster sits back down.

“What did I miss?”

James shakes his head with a shrug. “Just pointing out that Ella might look like a mix between Elias and whoever the other guy is.”

Aster hums, looking at Ella. “And this whole time I’ve been constantly thinking of Casey.”

Elias laughs softly picking up his daughter to look at her face to face. “I mean… I guess she could pass as his? The hair and button nose…?” He sets her back down on his lap, head constantly supported. “But if you put her and Brighton together, no way.”

“They’d look like siblings.” James easily says. “No brother and sister looks exactly alike unless they’re identical like Aasil, Rigile, and Nico. You should know, you got nine of them. Posie’s blonde for gods sake, then look at the rest of us other than you. Maybe it was meant to be? You’re a blonde, Brighton’s a blonde?”

Elias chews the inside of his cheek. He lets out a deep exhale as he glances up to his dad. “Owen.”

“What?”

“Ella’s biological father, other than me, it’d be Owen.” He quietly informs his Dad.

James starts with a soft laugh. Then he’s shaking his head, pushing up his glasses to sit right on his nose. “That’s impossible. You two would never shut up. Always fighting in every single room. He- he had a girlfriend, for-…”

Elias remains quiet, cuddling up to Capella like a clingy parent. It’ll probably take a long while for him to get used to the idea that he could now see her, not feel her tiny kicks anymore.

That he didn’t have to picture or try to imagine what color her hair would be or worry if her eyes would be the same shade of dark blue as Owen’s.

Without thinking, Elias starts to quietly hum ‘Au clair de la lune’, muttering all the words in French.

“Aster, it can’t be his-… it-”

“James, he got pregnant in July.” Aster eases the news into him.

“I- what if-…” Elias dares to life his eyes to his dad. Careful, quiet, waiting and daring him to say more. “Why didn’t you tell him when you found out?” James settles on asking the safety route.

Elias shakes his head. “He’s in Uni. Got his own life with his girlfriend. He doesn’t need a baby, let alone me and Ella to drag him down.”

“Bullshite. Pete and I would’ve-”

“I don’t want you or Peter or even Papa or Salem getting involved, Dad. Ella's my problem, okay? And... she's not a problem at all.” Elias weakly warns him. “I don’t want him to know. The less people who knows, the better. Okay? We're safer that way.”

James blinks at him. “I’ve been telling Peter and Salem about you on our phone calls. If I knew...”

“That’s fine.” Elias shrugs. “As long as they don’t suspect anything of Ella being, you know... his. As long as they think she's just... some rando's drunkard's child that I slept with on a one night stand or even Casey's entirely. Anything is better than that.”

“Why don’t you want help from Owen? Even if we don’t get involved, you were going to do this as a single parent before you met Casey.”

“Because.” Elias shrugs, not bothering to explain as he leans back on the couch.

“Because…?”

“If I told you, would you get off my back? Not ask anymore? Drop the subject for infinity and let me raise my daughter in peace with Casey as her dad and not him?”

This time, both James and Aster nods.

“Well, firstly, Owen picks. He nags. He… he’s negative. He tries to make everything good about a person’s life into a competition and make it negative. He argues. He fights. Bloody hell, he even cheated on Rachel with me. He may be an ally of the queer community but he is far by ready to join it himself personally. All those traits and more combined, he is not ready to be a dad, and he is far by ready to…” Elias shakily exhales.

“Bottom line, I’m doing it for him as much as for me and for Capella. Simple and easy. I’m not letting Ella anywhere near him and his toxicity and have her think what he does is okay and to be treated like how he treats others like he did with me all the time is the best thing to do in a relationship. Besides... I don't feel safe around him. And I'm not letting him around Ella. He has a terrible temper, and who knows when it could snap. And I refuse to let that happen on her.”

James was first to break the silence between the three of them. “Why didn’t you just say that? Papa and I would’ve understood.”

Elias shrugs half-heartedly. “Cause you guys are all about family and how I should give people chances and… I’m not doing it for me. I’m doing it for Ella, for her safety and frankly so as mine. I fucked up, I shagged Owen two bloody times and I got my… precious daughter in result of it.” Elias curls up into Capella.

“But I wouldn’t change it. I wouldn’t change having her, even if I did try to prevent it with Plan B and shit. Having her, also got me Casey and Brighton in a weird and twisted way and I love all of them, I love Brighton as much as I love Ella. It’s like I got them like… being trans and bullied in the boys’ home got me adopted into this family.”

“That’s one way to put it.” Aster murmurs quietly. “I picked you up and took you right out of that place with Aasil.”

Elias smile softly, Capella grabs onto his pinky as he traces around her hand. “I remember that bit.”

The front door opens loudly and closes quietly, drawing their attention as Casey stumbles in like he owned the place with his own duffle bag and Brighton in his arms. “Sorry I took a bit longer to get here, I had to pack and stop by work.”

“Work?” Elias questions as Casey presses a kiss to his head as he walks by him and drops off his duffle bag at the bottom of the stairs to bring up later before going over to the couch.

“I told mum about the birth certificate,” Casey stars as he sits on the couch beside Elias’ feet with Brighton on his lap. “And she said since if I’m going to stand in as the father and I’ve been working at the same place for the last year and a half, I can file for paid paternity leave and stay here to help you. So I did. But last minute, my boss wasn’t happy at all but…” Casey sets a hand on Elias’ foot and squeezes him gently. “I rather be here with you and and Brighton and Ella. It’s just a bonus, I still get paid.”

“How long?” Aster questions.

“I get two weeks and at least ninety percent of my pay.” Casey smiles a bit awkwardly at the Potters. “And if you don’t mind, um, I packed for me and Brighton to stay and crash here…?”

“As long as you help Elias with Ella when we’re at work, I don’t see why not.” Aster easily caves. “James?”

James’ eyes look between Elias to Casey. “No sex.”

Elias rolls his eyes. “I can’t have sex anyway, Dad. Not until I see my healer again in a few weeks. Besides, I’m far from being in the mood from that.”

“I’m talking to him.” James points at Casey. “I know what it’s like having to wait for someone to heal,” An arm is set over Aster’s shoulders. “Don’t push him. Don’t pressure him. Just cause one hole is out of order doesn’t mean the others are and in other words, they aren’t in order either. I don’t want to hear nothing. I don’t want to see nothing. You’re here to help him and my nieta. ¿Me entienden?”

Elias rolls his eyes, gently rocking Capella with a hand patting her side soothingly.

“Am I understood?” James repeats in English.

Casey blinks a bit stunned but nods. “Yes, sir.”

James smiles softly. “Good lad. I like you, my husband likes you. Elias loves you. For some bizarre reason, all my kids like you, too, as well as the rest of the family. That’s an impossible fest you managed to pull off. Keep up at it.”

That cracks a small and careful smile on Casey’s face as he adjusts Brighton to face Elias. Elias unhooks his prosthetic leg and sets it onto the floor and makes a silent gesture to Casey to let Brighton crawl over to him and Capella.

Casey scoots with every inch Brighton moves.

Brighton settles in between both teens, Capella safely adjusted to sit up a bit, dozed off as Elias holds her up to Brighton.

“This is Capella, Bright.” Casey quietly introduces the two younglings. Elias takes Brighton’s hand, guiding him over and letting him hold touch Capella’s slightly smaller hand. “She’s going to be your little sister. You got to be extra careful with her right now. She's still too little to play with.”

“Eeek!” Brighton’s hand doesn’t hold out on the moment for long, leaning forward and banging onto her chest a bit too hard for liking as Elias winces and catches the toddlers’ hand before he could make a second strike as Capella starts to cry.

It takes one moment from Brighton staring at her confused to join her in confusion wails and tears.

James and Aster snickers at the teens with Aster leaning into James’ side, doing nothing to help them as they work together to calm the young toddler and baby down.

Chapter 55: April 4th, 2007

April 4th, 2007

 

Big changes happened around Elias’ bedroom with him now in the fourth stage of pregnancy. Now with Capella joining the crowd of Casey and Brighton in his bedroom, just in a more permanent situation compared to the boys.

For starters, the crib for Capella wasn’t being used just yet. Instead she was being put into a bassinet far smaller and closer to his bed where he could pick her up and put her back down for nightly feeds faster and easier.

But in order to use the bassinet, Elias had to sacrifice his drums. Taking it down indefinitely and putting it into storage.

Elias loved being the Dada to both Brighton and Capella. A fast and easy adjustment to them all, no longer being called Elias to Brighton in the last week with Casey and the toddler crashing in his room.

But the one thing he could just not adjust to was the fact that he could stay up until five in the morning to feed Capella without sleeping a wink but the second he finally crashes, he’s out like a light that requires an human with physical contact to wake him up.

Not even Brighton’s loud pitchful squealing laughter or cries could wake him up, let alone his own daughter crying.

Elias could feel the tiny tugs on his hair and the rough shifting on his bed telling him that Brighton was somewhere around where he was buried deep under layers of blankets and pillows.

“Mmmh?” Elias rubs his face into the mattress and smearing his drool around, no pillow under his head but all surrounding him and over. He didn’t realize how much he missed sleeping on his stomach until he was able to ease himself back onto his empty flabby stomach without that knowing risk he could hurt his child.

“Morning sleeping beauty.”

Elias lifts his finger flipping the bird and hearing Casey softly laugh at him.

“What time is it?” He mutters into the bed.

“You still got an hour until she might be hungry but you can try feeding her now if you want.”

Elias drops his head back into the bed and mumbles some words that not even he understood into the mattress. It takes him a few minutes to lift his head and tilt it to the side. “Is she even awake?”

“I put her in the crib, swaddled up. Just changed her, a number two.”

“Lifesaver.” Elias kisses the exposed upper thigh of where Casey sat in his tight briefs and a loose tee that he slept in, unlike Elias in baggy boxers and a black sports bra that he found himself investing in.

Elias rolls onto his back head turned and he’s looking at Casey with light, dreamy eyes and a soft smile as the light hits him exactly right from the behind where he opened up Elias’ black-out curtains to Elias’ annoyance. It was one of the few things Elias could put up with to be with Casey as he nuzzles his face into the side of his leg again, pressing another kiss in the area before getting up.

“Don’t tempt me with a good time with our son on the bed.” Casey jokes as Elias sits up rubbing his face.

There was that amused look on his face when Elias moves onto rubbing one eye, the other cracked open and looking at him. “What?”

“You may be adopted, but you sure do live up to the Potter hair.”

“Oh fuck off.” Elias grumbles pulling off the blanket from his lower body, he was still sore and achey in certain areas and still wearing what felt like a matching diaper to his newborn daughter. “You know it looks like this cause you were fucking around with my hair and making the small curls worse. It's suppose to be naturally wavy.”

As Elias sets on his prosthetic leg and stands up, he groans grabbing his small rounded breasts that’s grown in one size up from this time last year. He makes a complaining face to Casey. “My tits bloody hurt.”

“Ahh,” Casey grins at him teasingly as Brighton crawls over taking up the space that Elias was just laying in. “The life and joy of breastfeeding.”

Elias drops his hand with a small smile on his face. “I’m going to use the toilet first. Be right back.”

His bathroom break is fast. Before he knows it, he’s standing on his toes and leaning into the crib stretching with all his might to reach his swaddled daughter and picking her up to bring her to the bed.

Elias grabs his notebook that’s been untouched on his piano for a while as well as the pen that was tucked between pages on the song he was last working on only a single day before he had Capella.

He sets the notebook on the nightstand before moving Brighton over to sit a little bit across from himself and Casey. Elias sits down and grabbing a few pillows to set himself up with Capella.

Brighton stares at him with a cocked head as he starts feeding Capella in time as she starts to get fussy.

“Do you think he understands what I’m doing with Ella?” Elias questions nodding over at Brighton who’s eyes were full of curiosity on him and Capella as Elias picks up his notebook.

“Probably not. He’s been bottle fed his whole life.” Casey answers before putting attention over to Brighton. “Bright, want breakfast?”

Brighton’s light green eyes shift over to Casey with new interest. Then his eyes drift back to Elias and Capella who was feeding well.

Elias shakes his head with a soft smile on his lips. He should’ve known with this routine they’ve been doing the last week with Brighton constantly watching him feed Capella would lead to somewhere. “I’m not breastfeeding Brighton. I draw the line there. He has teeth.”

“He still takes a bottle, still drinks formula.”

“He has teeth.”

“Four teeth. I got more and I’ve put my mouth-”

“He’ll bite me.” Elias hisses. “He can have the stuff I’ve pumped downstairs in the freezer but not- no.”

“Ella’s going to have teeth eventually.” Casey points out.

“Are you asking me to breastfeed Brighton?” Elias whispers to Casey lowly like Brighton wasn't listening to them talk on the bed right in front of them.

“If the shoe fits?”

“If this even appropriate?”

“He’s still a baby.” Casey shrugs. “You’re his Dada. I don’t see nothing wrong with it. You feed Ella. You're feeding her right now.”

“Yeah but…” Elias’ cheeks were flushed pink as he glances over to Brighton. He’s been constantly lecturing to his family who’ve stopped by as well as his siblings not to stare so obvious and judgey when he’s feeding Capella.

He’s done some reading on breastfeeding, that the natural source of milk he was providing was apparently better than the powered stuff (not that he really cared given all his siblings were grown and thriving happily, milk was milk as long as it helped a child thrive and grow), and he knew that breast milk as well as breastfeeding was supported up to two years old of age while Brighton was only shy of less than a month from becoming one.

Elias sighs as he looks down to Capella, adjusts her to be more father to the side as he talks. “If he knows what it is and what I could be offering, then fine I’ll try. But otherwise if I offer it to him and he thinks we’re going downstairs to eat or something, it’s off the table but you can try giving him the extra stuff in the freezer. It’d be a pity if all that stuff went to waste.”

He sucks in a shaky breath as he looks over to Brighton, staring at him with large eyes like he was just waiting on him.

“You want to eat, Brighton?” Jade green eyes drift from Elias to Capella and he crawls over to Elias without hesitation. Sat in front of Elias, he tugs a bit on his own zipped up footsie onesie he had on and looks down the collar before looking at Elias curiously. It had Elias a bit confused so he decided to retrack his question to the toddler.

“You want your baba or… eat from Dada like Ella? Um... Dada's... chest?” Elias shrugs as he looks over to Casey a bit confused. "What do I call it? Breast? Tit? Boob? Nipple?"

Casey snickers as he shrugs too.

There was that squeaky noise from Brighton as he crawls the last bit of distance up to Elias and sitting on his chubby knees in front of him, he’s yanking on Elias’ covering sports bra and trying to look into the bra itself with his light blonde hair rubbing against Elias' collarbone.

“I guess that answers that.” Casey comments watching Elias tug up his sports bra a bit hesitatingly and sending large panicked eyes to Casey that has him laughing softly.

“I’m afraid he’s going to bite off my nipple, Cass. I only got two of these. And they're very sensitive since I started feeding Ella.”

“If he bites just warn him not to.” Casey answers with a shrug as if he’s the one in Elias’ shoes who is sacrificing his own nipples as Brighton cups Elias' breast and picks up quick and copies Capella, putting his mouth onto Elias' nipple with his tounge sticking out slightly.

The teeth were a different sensation from Capella’s as Brighton’s eyes were big and large as he sucks away looking everywhere innocently in his footsie pajamas and Elias couldn’t be any more uncomfortable between having the newborn and toddler hanging off his chest.

He was entirely prepared for Capella but Brighton was so very different and unexpected for him.

“I don’t think I ever imagined this for myself before.” Elias declares with a bubbling awkwardly tensed laugh feeling Brighton’s small hand cupping just around his nipple like he just knew how to get the flow out correctly. Casey laughs with him, getting up and off the bed.

“What-? Cass, don’t leave me here alone. I’m trapped.”

Casey doesn’t actually leave the room, he grabs the silver digital camera that was gifted to Casey from James off on the changing table in the mess of Elias’ room. “I was actually wondering if I could get a picture of this? Memories and all that cause… You know, James? He threatened me to take as many pictures possible.”

“You want to picture me breastfeeding Ella and Brighton together? My hair’s a mess.” Elias awkwardly laughs, far too tensed still as he places a gentle hand on the back of Brighton's lower back not entirely sure if he should touch the boy or not.

Casey laughs softly. “That’s what you’re worried about? Your hair?”

“I mean, my tits are hanging out too and latched on by two tiny milk-starved leeches if you want me to add that in the sentence on the back of the picture?”

Casey smiles and holds up the camera. “Can I?”

Elias rolls his eyes and leans back on the headboard slightly, careful with Capella in one hand and his other hand on the back of Brighton. “Fine. Go ahead. Dad's probably not going to like the picture when it gets developed though, so it's your head.”

No more than three pictures were taken before Casey was setting the camera down and joining him back on the bed eyeing Brighton. Casey lets out a tiny hum of Brighton's name. Brighton was staring right back at Casey, Elias can feel his sucking gaining in intensity with a greedy hand on Elias’ breast with Casey’s looking at him like he was going to steal Elias from him. “Damn, he’s holding you like a little selfish man.”

“I can feel him drinking you know.” Elias mutters. “He started sucking more harder when you looked at him. I don’t think he likes you looking at him.”

Casey rolls his eyes before looking at Elias intead, but the damage was already done with Brighton on his chest feeding with more intense force than Capella. “Well I don’t need to look at my son hanging off your breast to know you got some nice looking tits.”

“Our son and daughter. They're both feeding off me now.” Elias corrects which Casey hums soft with a smile on his face. Elias finds himself easing into the feeling with Brighton on him. He's smiling softly, looking down between both children. “It sucks I’ll have to go back home in a week. I wish you lived closer by.”

“Me too.” Elias agrees.

“One day, when we have enough saved up. We’re going to move in together with the kids and I’m going to make sure Mum finds a place affordable for herself or I can help her a bit with the bills and figure something out with her… Just that day can’t come soon enough.”

“Who knows,” Elias hums quietly looking at Casey curiously. “Maybe we’ll be married first before we live together.”

“We fucked up the cycle big time.”

Elias laughs. His chest bounces heavily to the point Brighton smacks him to still only making him and Casey laugh harder.

“What would go first? Me parenting Brighton or us dating?”

“Brighton, most definitely.” Casey nods solemnly.

Elias looks down at the two kids on his chest and lets out a soft sigh. He moves his hand from Brighton’s back to his head, gently brushing out the blonde hair from his face and tucking it behind his ear before just merely holding his head to his chest and pressing a kiss to the top as he feeds off him.

Elias can’t help but look between Brighton and Capella. He knew how to balance things with Capella feeding, then pumping the other breast and trying to increase flow for as she grows.

The moment felt special to him, as he grows comfortable fast with Brighton.

Having both his kids on his chest, feeding from him.

Elias’ eyes lift and drift over his bedroom to his door where his jean jacket hung on a hook on the back. Carefully he lifts off his hand from Brighton and points over.

“Can you hand me my jacket? The jean one hanging on the door? And grab the thin black sharpie in the top drawer on my desk?”

“Uh, sure? Why?” Casey rolls off the bed, grabbing the sharpie first as he passes the desk first then slips off the worn jean jacket off the hook, carefully passing it to Elias.

Elias bites on the cap, pulling it off the sharpie before finding a random space on the inside of the jacket writing. He spits out the cap onto his shoulder, letting it roll down his arm slowly. “Is today’s the third? It's the third, right?”

“Fourth. What are you doing?”

Elias writes down the date, a tiny note with a message of how he’s feeling regarding to the event and circles the note to keep it together.

“Are you going to answer me?” Casey asks as he one handedly works to cap back on the sharpie.

Elias sighs. “I… When I was young, I had this… thing. ”

“Thing?”

A nod, Elias sets his jacket to the side for the moment being and readjusts Capella and Brighton on his lap. He knew Capella would be done soon, needing to be burped but he had no clue how long Brighton could go on for. Probably could suck him dry if possible.

“It’s something that I only talked to my mind healer about. She said it's something that could've devoloped during my time in the orphanage, the boys' home I was in.”

“Mind healer?”

A sigh, Aster tries to think of the muggle term. “Um… it’s like a person I go to talk to privately?”

“Thearapist?”

“That. I’ve been going to one since I was a kid, when I was adopted. Papa knew I needed it. None of my siblings really go to one. And I haven’t seen my mind healer since I was… eleven…. maybe twelve, officially. But I write in notebooks, after seeing how my Papa had that sort of hobby I wanted to have one myself cause he used it for song writing. I… so, keep little notes of things. Dates, specifically, that mean a lot to me, ever since I was a kid. Have.. I ever talked to you about what it was like before I was adopted?”

“Not really? Just a bit of the during-ish and after.”

Elias nods slowly. “So I was in a girls’ home at first, when I was found. In Spain. It was okay, I think. I don't really know, I was too young to remember much. Then I was two-ish when I started asking things regarding being trans. Like showing signs of being trans, I guess. They never really gave me an evaluation or… that’s what the papers said, in my files when Papa showed me. I learned that when I was three, they reassigned me, gave me a new name and stuck me in a boys’ home and just... made me a boy. I mean, I was happy from what I can think of. Being a boy.”

“That’s good, right? I don’t really know… this stuff.”

“I don’t blame you. Not many truly know this process. Of how a transgender truly would question themselves and think or second guess themselves often...” Elias sighs deeply. “One of the first few things I properly learned in the boys’ home was dates. Time. When it was time to eat. Lights out… I was hardly three years old.” Elias’s eyes drift around the room slowly. “I can’t sleep in the dark.” He whispers quietly. “I still can’t when I'm alone. Not really unless I’m really, really tired where I’m knock out on the spot.”

Casey stays quiet, listening.

“There was a matron there. Um… the boys’ home was the same place Teddy was adopted from, years apart, same woman. I can’t remember her name anymore but I remember the way she treated me. The looks she gave me, the way I tried to… she didn’t care for the kids. Not really, but there was something about me that she certainly didn't like. And, being the only trans child in a group home full of boys of all ages isn’t what I’m sure you’re thinking of right now.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Elias opens his mouth before closing it. He does it a few times trying to build up to speak to Casey.

“It’s harder to talk about than mentally or physically move on from it. I think it helps a lot with me since I started testosterone…”

“Because of the body changes?”

A tiny nod. Elias quickly rubs his eyes, feeling himself tempted to cry. He takes a few deep breaths before resuming, dropping his hand and holding Brighton again.

“At night," Elias' voice cracks as he closes his eyes. He holds onto Capella and Brighton, his body is slightly shaking.

"When the lights go out, I was in this small room. No bigger than what space you’d find in a cupboard under the stairs. Just me, this ripped up teddy bear I put all my hope and prayers into and a bed… lights out… it’s dark… it’s quiet and the matron does her last rounds before she goes to bed on the floor below us… I was never safe during the summer. Not when the older boys came back from school.”

“Did they…?” Casey didn’t finish his sentence as Elias nods softly. “I was three when it started. Two years. It lasted for two whole years before Papa found me… found me worthy enough to get me the fuck out. I-… I don’t remember what I said but I said something right that had him picking me up and taking me out with Aasil in his arms. Aasil was just a baby then. Probably about Brighton’s age then. I try to block a lot out but... I can't. I block out the good stuff, remember the bad...”

“Have you tried asking him?”

“I don’t know if I want to know.” Elias breathes out. “Four year old Elias was broken, Cass. Broken, scared, untrusting… it took me a while to trust Dad and Harry. It was different when it came between my younger siblings who were boys to the older ones such as Harry or Dad.”

“But you trusted Aster?”

Elias nods. “I think cause he told me that he was like me. That… that he was trans, too. It brought me some comforting that there’s someone out in the world like me. Even if I was only going to know Papa for five minutes, maybe ten if I was lucky to keep his attention on me for long at the time. I also trusted the men who didn't live in the same roof as I did. So I was more comfortable with my uncles than my own adopted brother and dad.”

Casey nods deeply. “Thank you for telling me.”

“That’s not all.” Elias swallows thickly. “You know the… the pinky promise thing we do?”

“Yeah?”

“Us, magical people, we have something similar to it. It’s called an unbreakable vow.”

“Sounds serious.”

“It is. Deadly serious.” Elias carefully answers. “I was only three… and they made me do it.”

“You could’ve died?”

“Yeah. You… you make a vow. And if you break it, it kills you. And I vowed to not to reveal them. Their names or… I couldn’t give out any sense of a single clue, small or big of who they were or I’d die. Imagine that. Being forced to do something as extreme as that all cause you touched and molested a three year old trans child who has a vagina with a bloody carrot or a cucumber that they thought was small enough to fit in me thinking if that could fit then they could put in their...” Elias lets out a shaky sob. He’s crying, his tears are slowly dropping onto Brighton’s head. Elias covers the top of the toddler’s head letting the back of his hand get wet instead.

“I… I have notes. Dates. Certain memories… I… the thing with ancient magic, remember I told you only I’m able to control it. See it? I was finally able to remove that vow from me. From my blood — from my veins — but I still can’t find it in me to report those guys who hurt me. Then… um, my ex-girlfriend gave me this jean jacket for Christmas last year. And I was so tired of carrying around these cards with dates. They were piling up and… I found it easier to just write in my jacket instead. Sharpie, so it doesn’t wash away when it needed to be washed. And… I don’t just put down the bad. But the good too. So I don't forget the good, and don't only remember the bad.”

Before Elias could regret it, he passes over his jacket. “Read it. You can read it.”

“I-” Casey shakes his head. “This is personal. I don’t want you to-”

“I won’t die. I want you to read it. I never… I was with my ex girlfriend longer than you right now and I didn’t tell her all the shit I’m dumping on you now because I didn’t trust her as much as I do with you. So... just read it. All the dates are scattered around so nothing’s in order. The earliest date is June, ‘ninety-two. Latest, today. I'll probably keep adding to it until it's filled out then get a new jacket.”

Casey looks at him. “Today?”

Elias sends him a wet smile, brushing out Brighton’s hair as he picks up Capella and tucking himself away into the one side of the sports bra, soon he was going to have to get Brighton off him. He doesn’t even pump this long and successfully get anything out.

“Not everyday a person breastfeed a stepchild. I swear he’s going to suck me dry. He's feeding faster than Ella right now.”

Casey softly laughs. “He’s got a big appetite… at least he’s not biting.”

“Don’t jinx it for me.” Elias softly laughs holding Capella up just a bit over Brighton, still swaddled up and patting down on her back while Casey quietly reads through the different marked dates in his jacket.

“October second two thousand and six; the day I met Brighton and Casey Lambert after Papa set me up for a playdate at age sixteen, ridiculous I know, but there’s something about that guy and his baby that I know will change the inner me for the greater good. I can just feel it.” Casey reads out loud, his eyes drifting up to Elias with a small smile on his lips.

Elias looks away shyly, grabbing the prepared burp cloth that was in need of washing soon on his night stand and cleaning up Capella.

“November fifth, two thousand and six; I’d do anything to kiss Casey again for the first time but to never have him look at me like I’m something wrong. Maybe it’s never them. Maybe it's never anyone else but it’s me… I should just give up on people and focus on me and my baby. It’s us who matters most to me anyway. I’ve sacrifice so much already anyway to give up now. I just got to keep going. If not for me, then for my baby.”

Elias refused to look up at all that time. Focusing on Capella and Brighton who refused to unlatch, now with his green eyes closed and head and body entirely leaning on him. Elias clears up a space on the bed to set Capella down safely to lay on her back.

“December fourth, two thousand and six; The afternoon started like this. I thought I was going to loose my baby. There was blood, not a lot but it was enough. I was scared and shaky and panicked. But Papa was there with me and it had to be enough. I had to be enough. Then I’m being told I’m going to have a daughter and she’s fine and was perfectly healthy as she can be still safe inside me and I’m feeling scared for a whole new reason. A daughter. Then Casey shows up and I thought I honestly could just hide in my room until he left but I didn’t even get through a day before he snuck in like he used to, opening my curtains like he owns my bedroom and tugging at my hair. I thought he was going to tell me how he didn’t mind just using me because I had girl parts as long as things didn’t stay serious between us, us just being friends until he had another relationship bloom but then he meant it. He was serious. About me. And we snogged and I gave him a hand-job where Dad walked in only moments afterwards. I’m just so happy. He cares. Not just for me but for Capella too. I finally have a name for her. It’s been picked out for ages if I was to have a girl but I was never certain. Then he did something foolish as bringing up something like an unbreakable vow but at the same time, it was not. Apparently muggles children do it. It’s harmless and I can’t die from it. A promise made but with our pinkies and without any sort of magic. I think this could be the start of something new. I think he really could be the one for me. Maybe one day I’ll open up to him fully. Shed all my clothes off for him to see, just like he said. One sock at a time.”

Elias wraps his arms around Brighton. “There’s two more with you in it I think, but… those are recent ones.”

Casey lifts his eyebrow and eyes to Elias. “How recent?”

“The one I just wrote in and… Ella’s birth, obviously.”

Casey lets out a tiny hum before deciding to fold his jacket up. “Maybe another day long from now. I like the idea of the jacket, kinda like a diary you can wear.”

“It’s good until I have to get a new one. That one’s almost filled.”

“Then get a new one.” Casey tells him like it’s easy and simple. Elias feels Brighton’s hand on his neck as he stares at him blinking. “Why?”

“Think of it this way. It’s personal and confessional for you. I don’t ever have to read it. You can leave it in your closet, behind the door, I won’t even look at it if you ask me to. But,” His eyes drift down to Brighton and Capella. “I’d like to get a jacket and fill it out with specific dates and memories for Bright and Ella. For when they’re older. Maybe one each? Or four, two each, one from each of us?”

“Like a heirloom gift?”

A tiny shrug. “Whatever you want. I just… Mum didn’t come from a rich family, E. I certainly don’t got anything worthy to leave Brighton. Not like… not like you.”

“Don’t say that.”

“It’s the truth. Look at this place. You live in a mansion.”

“It’s a manor, firstly. And we only live here after my abuela and abuelo gave it to my Papa and Dad. We had an entirely different place before here. And honestly, I don't want anything here. This... this is my dad's stuff. Not mine.”

“Rent of own?”

Elias shrugs.

“Uh…? I don’t know? I was a kid, why would I care?”

“Was it a flat like mine or similar or was it a large house, big yard?”

Elias stays quiet, holding Brighton on his lap and rests a hand on Capella's abdomen and chest. Casey sighs deeply. “I’m not trying to make you feel bad about this, Elias. I’m just saying… You’re a lucky kid. You didn’t have to worry about if the lights weren’t going to work the next day cause your mum couldn’t afford the bill or if you should start picking up extra shifts and invest your whole paycheck or half to make sure you still had a roof over your head or if you'd have enough to save for rent for the next month. That’s how I lived. That’s how I grew up and it’s how my mum taught me as I grew up, it’s how Brighton… maybe he could, maybe he won’t, grow up like that too. I don't want him to grow up like that but... I don't know.”

Elias shakes his head. “Children shouldn’t worry about money or bills.”

“But I did. I was eight and couldn’t shower for a week cause we had no running water because it was a choice between food on the table or a shower and starving. I got my first job when I was fourteen and I've been working ever since, and when I had Brighton, I had half the mind to put him up for open adoption because I didn’t want him to live the life I did. I didn’t…”

“I get it.” Elias quietly cuts him off with his face burning hot feeling foolish and embarrassed. “I get it. Your life wasn’t some peaceful and… worry-free financial life. I’m lucky. I’m lucky to be here. I’m lucky to have new stuff for Ella. I’m lucky to have been adopted. I’m lucky to have gone through all the traumatizing shit I went through to be adopted. I get it, Casey! I get it!”

Elias shakes his head trying to cool his temper as he clenches his jaw tightly.

“I get that we both have entirely different lives. That you had a shitty life your whole life and I’m some spoiled child who was lucky enough to be adopted when I had the chance to for some goddamn bloody reason and to still be here today and to have gone through all the crap when I should be rotting in prison or at the bottom of the fucking sea. Okay? Is that what you wanted to hear? That I’m lucky for some reason and you-… that I’m still lucky for meeting you a-and Brighton and having you both be with me and love me when I don’t deserve it? That I’m far from deserving to be loved because of all the crap I’ve pulled in my life? That I'm riding on pure luck my whole life? That's it, right? Hmm? I'm lucky, you're not. But I sure don't feel lucky and you can't seem to accpet that.”

Casey quietly moves the jean jacket over to piano bench that was tucked as far as it could be under the piano. “I think I’m going to go downstairs for a few minutes. We both need to cool off. You can-… just stay right there. Brighton’s clearly still comfortable where he’s at right now with Ella.”

Elias watches Casey leave his bedroom, not saying a word as the door closes behind him. Elias curls his arms around Brighton, cuddling him and rocking him a bit for his own needed comfort.

He notices Brighton was fiddling around with the birthstone charm necklace that he got for his birthday from Casey. A Novemeber and April birthstone, he’d have to add one from March, an aquamarine stone, and maybe May which Elias knew was an emerald, too, for Casey to make four charms on his chain.

Elias’ eyes drift over to his notebook on the nightstand. The very back of the notebook had stuffed in papers to remind him of the audition he wanted to do last year but couldn’t. But now, between schooling at home and having Capella.

Maybe it was worth looking into again. Even if he does get rejected, he could always do good with feedback and improve and who knows, going on television would do him good with some publicity.

Elias looks back down to Brighton, lips still wrapped around him. Now with Casey out of the room he had started to slow down, lazily sucking on him with his temple resting on his collarbone. “I can’t possibly have anything more to give, Bright. You gave to give me back my tit at some point.”

Brighton tilts his head up a bit to meet Elias' eyes, matching green eyes like his father’s peered up at him as he continues to suck slow. But he shows no motive of latching off, showing just how comfortable he is.

“You going to be a boob-man when you get older? I suppose I can't blame you, I like 'em too. Not too big or small but that perfect middle size, you know? Just a little bigger than mine.” Elias jokes shifting around a bit.

He places his own hand on his chest trying to ease his breast out of Brighton’s mouth. It was far easier to free himself from Capella than Brighton who was putting up a fight, nails digging into his breast to keep him close into his mouth. “Alright, I really do need my nipple back, Brighton.”

Brighton lets out a muffle whine, smacking his hand around to shoo Elias’ hand away. Elias huffs at the toddler. “Really? You can’t stay on me forever. I bet there’s nothing even coming out at this point. Milked me dry at this point. I don't have an endless supply.”

“Remember how Brighton used to use pacifiers?” Casey speaks up making Elias look up. It’s been a few minutes, they both cooled off and hopefully they’ll talk it over soon enough.

“Didn’t you say you took him off a few weeks ago now that he’s getting close to his birthday?”

Casey nods. “And there’s no pacifiers to steal from Ella cause you don’t want her to use them, so… next best thing…” He waves at his chest making Elias’ mouth drop open. “He’s getting a two for one special from the looks of it.”

“And you didn’t think to say anything!? Cass! He’s on my nipple!” Elias freaks out.

He shrugs with a playful smirk on his lips. “That sounds like a you problem. To me, he gets breakfast in bed.”

“He could bite me if I take it away from him! It as in my nipple!”

Casey rubs the back of his neck with a grimace. “Yeah… didn’t think this one through entirely.”

Elias deadpans at him. “You think?”

“I mean… if you… show that you won’t take it away…”

“I can’t have my tit hanging out all day everyday for him, Cass.” Elais rolls his eyes at him.

“No, I mean, just… keep… when you feed Ella, maybe… offering to feed him too?”

Elias pinches the bridge of his nose tightly. “You do realize that you and Bright would have to leave in a week… right?”

“Fuck.” Casey breathes out with two fingers massaging his temple. “He’s going to have the biggest melt down of the planet of meltdowns. I can already feel the headache.”

Elias meets Casey’s eyes and they both last five seconds before they’re laughing together.

Chapter 56: April 27th, 2007

April 27th, 2007

 

Elias could tell that Casey’s mum was a bit uncomfortable as they try to get her settled in the guest room to stay the night in Potter manor.

Handouts. Casey always warned him that she didn’t like it. She was probably looking at this overnight stay as one.

“I could’ve just drove here in the morning for the party.” She tries to argue with Casey (again) as Elias stood a bit awkwardly in the room shifting on his feet as he held his daughter.

“It’s fine mum. The Potters are happy to host you for the night. I know you want to be here to set up and James is baking so you’ll be able to join him.” Casey reassures her with all the possible known facts (again) as Elias flashes her a smile with Capella resting on his chest as Brighton crawled around the room.

The boy was so closed to walking independently it was frustrating to watch sometimes.

At least to Elias as Brighton tugs on his loose jogger pants, yanking himself up to a stand. Elias had seconds to grab and save his pants from falling to the floor and being pantsed in front of Casey's mum as Brighton babbles random half syllable words up at him when Elias looks down at him with a soft smile standing up tall on his two feet.

“And where will you and Brighton be sleeping?”

“Upstairs, mum.” Casey thinly smiles, something that was new for Casey to be sharing his relationship statuses with his mum and what he did with Elias. “With Elias and Ella. There’s another crib for Brighton in Elias’ room for him to sleep safely in there.”

“No pack and play?”

Elias didn't like the way her eyes were judging him. Between Christmas day, then the few rare times he visited Casey's flat and the one time she caught them shagging, it was safe to say he wasn't a hundred percent sure of where he stood with her any longer.

“No. A proper crib with a mattress and some fitted sheet and a stuffed animal.”

“No pacifier?” She tests with her hands on her hips, eyes drifting between Casey and Elias. “I know he’s been sucking on one, with those tantrums he has at home.”

“He’s been sucking on something, alright.” Elias mutters under his breath placing a hand steadily over Capella’s back and head before bending over and swooping up Brighton in a practiced go with a hand under his armpit and setting him on his hip, shifting the hand from his armpit to his leg and bum. Elias flashes both mother and son an innocent smile. “I’ll be in the kitchen.”

Casey sends him panicked eyes as he flashes them both a smile and takes his leave. Elias joins his fathers in the kitchen, one cooking and the other safely not.

“So Casey has been withholding very viable information from Mrs Wanda. Prepare for some possible shouting anytime soon. I still can't tell where I stand with her as my place for dating her son, if I'm good enough for him or not in her eyes.” Elias announces to them setting Capella into the floor play mat for some tummy time and Brighton into the high chair, strapping him in before setting the tray up in front of him so he's ready for dinner soon.

“Uh-oh, how bad is it?” James teases making Elias roll his eyes.

“Brighton’s suppose to be weaned and off from his pacifiers.”

“I haven’t seen him use one while here, can't be from us. You don't use one for Ella either.” Aster shrugs from the breakfast bar. James hums in agreement, nodding as he fixes some pasta on the stove with meatballs.

Elias purses his lips before flattening them, realizing that maybe his fathers hadn’t caught on either. They always respectfully look away whenever he’s breastfeeding that it’s become a habit where if he’s on the couch or tucked in at the dining table alone, they merely walk by with chatter than actively look at him to see who he’s been feeding for the last month.

Elias looks between the two of them. “You two don’t know then?”

“Uh-oh, looks like Casey’s not the only one who might get some shouting at too.” Aster hums with a falling stern parenting look steadily increasing on his face.

“I… uh, thought you both just haven’t said anything.” Elias mutters quietly wincing as he hears Casey’s mother’s voice shouts throughout the manor.

“ELIAS IS DOING WHAT TO BRIGHTON?!”

Aster flinches with Elias. James’ head jolts up with wide eyes behind his glasses looking alarmed as he’s stirring the sauce and Elias wouldn’t be surprised if his siblings come down in minutes to mock him for what they may or may not know. Who knows with them, honestly.

“What did you do?” Aster asks him more sternly.

“Um… It might’ve gotten to the point when I feed Ella… I also feed…” Elias points at the toddler who was screeching and banging his hands loudly on the tray of the high chair.

Aster’s eyebrows jump so high they disappear under his grey and black hair that hung on his forehead. James turns his head, confused and missing out. “Follow up question, what am I missing over there?”

“Elias apparently is breastfeeding Brighton.” Aster announces stunned more than mad.

“Really?” James tries to turn his neck to look at Elias and Brighton before failing and having to look back to the food on the stove. “How does that work?”

“It works like I feed Ella.” Elias scoffs at his dad’s idiocy.

“No- I mean-… he has teeth.”

Elias shrugs sitting down at the breakfast bar next to his Papa. “He hasn’t bitten me. Yet.”

Aster laughs softly at him which he rolls his eyes at and tug the high chair closer to him.

“And why the question about the pacifier thing?”

“Casey and Wanda weaned Brighton off it like, two-ish months ago. And instead, Brighton uses me. And since I’m not with him all the time, primarily at their home, he’s been having these Godric’s awful tantrums with Miss Wanda when Casey’s off at work. Casey said he thinks Brighton’s been trying to get into her shirt to… you know.”

James snorts a short laugh, biting his lip trying to stifle it.

“So... you breastfeed Brighton?” Aster states again, fingers tapping on the counter of the breakfast bar.

“Yep. I thought you and dad knew.”

“We did not.” Aster nods with his answer. “Because if one of us saw that, the other would know. For certain. Um, question. Um, not to sound judgemental but... Why?”

Elias shrugs a bit innocently. “It started out as a joke, I think with at least Casey, maybe? But Brighton seemed very… interested cause I was feeding Ella those two weeks they stayed here when she was born. So I asked Brighton.”

“You just-? You asked Brighton?” James snickers. “He’s not even one yet.”

“Tomorrow.” Elias points at his dad. “Um, Casey offered him breakfast and he looked at me when I was feeding Ella. Bottom line, I asked him if he wanted a bottle or if he wanted Dada’s tit." Elias grimances at himself. He really should change that phrasing.

"He sucked me dry and still didn’t latch off. Took a while to get him off, I was scared shitless he was going to bite me that time and I was going to loose my nipple and… Casey came to a fast conclusion that Brighton was using my nipple as a fast comfort replacement item from his pacifier. But as long as he doesn’t bite, I think I’ll be okay with it.”

“For how long?” Aster tests.

“Well, I mean… I read books about breastfeeding. Turns out it’s encouraged and healthy to breastfeed up to two years old. He’s only turning one.”

“And after?” Aster stresses.

“A boob-man?” James offers up. Elias points at him grinning, laughing. “That’s what I said!”

Wanda comes out of the room speed walking with Casey in hurried steps chasing after her. Her eyes were large as she looks at at Elias, then to his fathers carefully. Casey stood behind her and his face didn’t look good at all, looking like a scold child.

“Did you two know about Elias feeding a child who isn’t his from his... bossoms?”

“We just found out, truthfully. Like five minutes ago.” Aster answers.

“And how do you feel about it? As fathers? Another person feeding your child with their body?”

James’ slower his stirring as Aster’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean by that?”

“Brighton is not Elias’ son.”

“Mum-” Casey tries only to go quiet fast when Wanda’s hand is lifted.

Casey drops his head falling quiet behind her. His cheeks turn pink as she starts to speak again.

“Casey, I let it slide with your name on Capella’s birth certificate. I let it slide again with you coming here so often with Brighton and staying the night without me around. I let it slide with this magic trickery thing you tried showing me with the hovering plates on invisible strings. I understand you’re dating, you’re… in this phase but you cannot be confusing Brighton with this. He’s only getting older. You need to put away and stop with the childish things you are doing here.”

Elias falls quiet with his blood running cold, not speaking up as his eyes flickered from mother to son. Casey doesn't make a sound with his head refusing to lift to meet Elias' eyes as he stares at the flooring.

“Pardon me?” Aster speaks beside me as he slides off the stool beside Elias to stand defensively. “I see nothing wrong with Elias feeding and spending time with Brighton. He’s treating Brighton the same way he’s treating Ella. If anything, he’s being fed as well as this is what you want to see in step-siblings. To make them feel like they’re equals, not divided.”

“And you’d know all about that? With Elias being the only adopted child you have yet having so many biological kids yourself with James? Why adopt him in the first place when you could just have one more?”

Elias coudn’t get her words out of his head. They were ringing loudly.

He truly thought that Wanda did like him for who he was. She seemed so sincerest with him, even if she has been making him a bit confused with how she truly felt. She seemed to even like his gift over Christmas that he put time and thought into.

But he was just a phase for Casey.

He was nothing more but confusing to Brighton, maybe Casey too. Maybe Casey didn’t know what he really liked. What he really wanted.

Clearly Elias wasn't that girl he wanted. That his mother wanted for him, too. Elias has no clue what Casey does speak to his mum, and clearly, he truly doesn't have a clue.

“Maybe you three should go then.” Elias quietly tells her. “If I’m just going to be some phase." He spits at then. "I’m not looking to be temporary in someone’s life. Not me, not my daughter. I can’t have that for her. No thank you.”

Casey steps forward, shaking his head with his eyes large. “Elias-”

“Casey, get your stuff.” Wanda’s already unhooking the tray to the high chair, sliding the chair away from Elias and unbuckling Brighton. Pulling Brighton away from Elias. Elias doesn’t fight her on it, merely sliding out of the stool and picking up his daughter from the play mat on the floor.

A phase. Elias scoffs to himself quietly as he rubs his forehead with his hand moving to the side of his face as he's shaking his head as he looks away from the Lamberts because just looking at Brighton, not Casey, was hurting him by so much.

It was never going to last. It was never going to last.

He was just wasting his time. Just like with Opal. He wanted something like his fathers. He wanted love like theirs. Love like Harry and Teddy’s. Love like his uncles'. Love like everyone in his family other than…

He was just unloveable. That had to be it.

“My stuff’s all upstairs. Brighton’s and mine.” He wasn’t even fighting with her as Casey mumbles softly to his mother.

“Then get my bag from the room. Come back another day to pick up yours and Brighton’s. I’m sure the Potters will pack it for you. All of it. Nothing more, nothing less. Come on. We can still have Brighton’s birthday like we wanted at home.”

Elias doesn’t look over his shoulders. He doesn’t trust himself. He focuses on Capella and moves into the family room quietly where the rest of the complains, insults — he can hear both his dads talking loudly through his buzzing ears as he picks up the television remote and clicks the new television on.

He finds himself left on some cartoons that one of his siblings probably were last watching.

Talking cows, a talking fat pig… Elias sighs leaving it on the channel it was on and unhooks his prosthetic leg before moving to lay across the entire couch, just stretching out. He sinks back on the couch, moving Capella to lay on his chest where she lays out relaxing with ease, cheek on his chest, eyes fluttering closed more than open as she tries to battle the sleep as her eyes finally drift close for the final time.

Softly he runs a hand through her brown hair. Light chestnut brown, nearly the same shade as Owen’s if not lighter.

“I’m sorry you had to hear that, sweetheart.” Elias whispers to her, not knowing if she’s awake or asleep with her soft breathing and closed eyes as she gets comfortable on his chest.

“I promise you that you’ll never be a waste of time, or… just a phase for me. You’re it. You come first over… every man, any woman… any binary prick... People are just awful to me...”

“Elias? Are you okay?” There was that quiet creeping voice of his brother as he looks over at the end of the couch to see both Nyx and Aurora. Looking at them reminds him he’ll be all alone next year when he should be in his seventh year, thriving and guiding them as firsties. He should’ve been prefect too, again.

“I’m fine.” He mutters as they creep closer.

“Why’s Dad and Papa arguing with Casey’s mum outside?”

“Who knows.” He shrugs before patting the spot beside himself, offering up any free cushion on the couch. “Come sit. Dinner’s probably going to be late. And burnt. Might get take outs tonight if we’re lucky.”

“Aren’t we suppose to have Brighton’s birthday party tomorrow?” Aurora asks climbing onto the couch by a bent leg first before tucking up her other leg onto the couch sitting like a pretzel. Nyx sits at the far end by his feet, legs crossed over one another on the couch, similar but different from his twin.

Elias shakes his head, eyes on Capella still. “Not anymore.”

“Why not?”

He shrugs brushing their questions off. “I’m more interested to know why the cows and pigs are talking on this show.” He nods over to the television.

Nyx snickers. “The black and white one is Otis. He’s cool.”

Elias runs gentle fingers across Capella’s back and he lifts an eyebrow at his brother. “A cow’s cool?”

“Pip’s better.” Aurora remarks.

“Which one’s that?”

“The rat.” Nyx points out.

“Hmm. Didn't know a rat's in the show.” Elias hums. “I don’t fancy rats much. Do nothing but bring bad people into my life.”

Aurora looks at him carefully, brushing her hair to the side and out of her face. “Like... Peter?”

“Just another rat to add to the pile.” Elias mumbles quietly.

Her eyes drift over to her twin brother. Nyx is looking at her with matching looks that makes Elias wave at them. “Don’t do that weird twin telepathic thing. Just tell me what you two are thinking.”

“We can’t read each other’s minds.” Aurora huffs rolling her eyes though they both break eye contact and look at him and Capella instead. Elias looks at them both. “Well? You gonna tell me and Ella?”

Nyx sighs deeply, a deep frown is on his face as he stares down at Elias. “We know who’s Ella’s real dad is.”

“I’m her real dad.” Elias keeps it simple and straight.

“Her other real dad.” Aurora butts in. “Papa was writing a letter in the library. He got up to use the bathroom and Nyx saw. It had a picture. A few of them, actually. Of Ella. The letter had her name and all that in it. Like how she was born five pounds on the nose and eighteen and a half inches long... details like that...”

Elias looks between the two of them carefully to explain more.

“It was to the Pettigrews. In particular, Salem. Papa was writing to her. Some stuff about thanking her for keeping ‘it’ a secret.” Nyx uses quotation marks. “And to hope that the few pictures would sufficient for now with Ella’s full name and birthday and brith details, far too graphic, by the way. He also explained you had someone else sign Ella’s birth certificate in place of… well… Owen.”

Elias shifts himself to sit up more, his burning eyes flickering between his little siblings. This was probably his breaking point as his chest tightened painfully.

“When?” He asks them quietly wanting to cry.

“When what?”

“When did he- you find the letter?”

“A few days after you brought Ella home.” Aurora quietly answers.

“Are you mad that we didn't tell you?” Nyx asks.

"Or are you mad that Papa knows and he's telling the Pettigrews?" Aurora changes the question around.

Elias shrugs pathetically, rubbing the back of his hand on his wet cheek as a tear runs down his face. “I don’t know anymore.”

Confusion forms on both siblings faces.

“You don’t know if you’re mad?”

He drops his head back on the couch, face tilted up at the ceiling as he squeezing his eyes tightly closed.

It was too much. The whole evening was getting to be too much and far too overwhelming all at once.

Footsteps were loud as they made way into the family room. He could tell it was his Papa from the cane tapping in time with the steps.

“Elias, I gave that woman a piece of my mind. Dad too. I promise you that you don’t have to talk to her anymore. It’s not her that you want a relationship with anyway. It’s just Casey and Brighton that you want to talk to. She’s not even Brighton’s mum so I don't know why she thinks she can just act-…”

Elias couldn’t get up without fumbling around with his prosthetic leg on and his cruches were long tucked away in the back of his closet, given he took it off so he curls a bit into the side of the back of the couch’s cushions. Careful with Capella, trying to make a small and safe space for just him and his daughter.

“Aurora, Nyx, go see if Dad needs help. Dinner’s mostly burned. We might get pizza.”

“Yay!”

The shift and sunken in spot by his feet doesn’t move.

“Nyx? Go.”

“This is one of your grown up talks with Elias, isn’t it?”

“Go, Nyx.”

“I thought he should know, just to tell you, Papa. Auntie Pandora wrote to me. She told me to tell. She could sense it from her home that you’ve been hiding something. She said to look in the library often. That the seed needed room to grow. Whatever that means. Rory knows more than I do."

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Auntie Pandora knows a lot of things and talk in a lot of… strange ways. There’s a lot of things I’ve could’ve been hiding from everyone. Now go.”

Finally the spot on the couch moves, leaving him and Aster alone. Aster takes a seat in Nyx’s spot with a hand on Elias’ foot. Elias doesn’t hesitate to kick him off. It was a pity his Papa sat far enough away and he was too short to reach, just hardly grazing his thigh with his big toe.

“Elias, talk to me. And sit up. You know you shouldn’t lay like that with Ella on the couch of all places.”

Elias inhales sharply, carefully sits up with Capella on his chest where he held her close tightly and glares at him with red eyes. “How long?”

Aster raises an eyebrow. “How long what?”

“You told them. How. long. have. they. known?”

“Told who what?” Aster scoffs quietly at him. “I’m here trying to make you feel better. Do you want me to send Dad in, instead? You know he'll just be annoying more than comforting, he'll probably end up trying to tickle you into smiling.”

“You told the Pettigrews. You wrote to Salem about Ella. Pictures. Her birthday. Her name.”

In time, James comes stumbling in on the phone. “Yeah, that’s the one small cheese, light in both sauce and cheese, thin crust too. And… Elias, do you want your large third in supreme or are you in the mood for only the chicken?”

“Chicken.” Elias mutters darkly glaring at Aster. James nods and finishes the order. He passes over the phone to Aster, who sets the phone on the coffee table instead of the dock. “Pizza in twenty-ish, you two.”

“Okay.” Aster nods before James departs back into the kitchen with a small and timid smile send to Elias, back to solve the burned food crisis with the two young twins.

Aster smiles crookedly back at hand to Elias. “Of course I did. I’m pretty sure Auncle Sirius and Uncle Remus did too when Peter called. I just thought they’d use with some visual work. A few pictures isn’t the end of the world. It’s what we agreed on. Casey’s the dad of course, so I highly doubt-”

“You told Salem.” Elias repeats lowly. “You told them. I trusted you not to. How long ago did you tell them? Does Owen know?”

Aster’s mouth falls close, eyes looking over Elias carefully.

“I’ve been careful.”

Elias shakes his head with a quiet scoff. “Not careful enough. Aurora and Nyx knows.”

Aster doesn't try to hide it anymore. His eyes drift over to the kitchen momentarily before looking to Elias, shocked and confused.

“They do?”

“You left a bloody letter lying out in the open, Papa. In the library. That clearly stated Owen was the father.” Elias hisses. “If it wasn’t for my leg being off right now I’d be off in my room right about now.”

“I only told Salem.” Aster tries. “Only her and she promised that she wouldn’t tell.”

“Wouldn’t tell or wait for a time that comes right and suit her for her favoritism where her son could swoop in and take Ella from me? Or worse, maybe even blackmail me?”

Aster shakes his head, a hand reaches out to touch Elias’ foot where he kicks him away again. Elias moves, setting Capella carefully on the couch and grabs his prosthetic leg starting to strap himself back into it. “She wouldn’t do that, Elias.”

“You don’t know that. You don't know her and you certainly don't know Owen.” He mutters as the phone left on the coffee table abandoned off the dock starts to ring. Aster rolls his eyes picking it up.

“Perfect bloody timing.” He mutters under his breath answering the phone. “Salem? Look, can you tell Elias that only you- Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down. Say that again, slower this time?” Aster’s eyes widen comedically as he’s staring at Elias who picks up Capella and stands up.

“He’s what? Uni has spring break too like muggle primary school?” Aster speaks out loud. “Peter did what?”

Elias didn’t like the tone Aster was speaking in. And who it was with, as much as he wanted to go upstairs and hide in his room for the rest of the night with his daughter and maybe fiddle on his guitar and watched Capella sleep in her bassinet he also wanted to wait and hear his Papa out.

“Okay.” A thick swallow. “Thanks for calling. Wait- does he know?” A roll of his eyes. “You know. Know the… did you get the letter? The pictures, did you see her-? Yes that. Does he know? No? No. Okay… He’ll only be here in the area for a week then? Okay. Alright.”

Elias watches Aster hang up, the phone is set on his lap.

“Salem, I’m guessing?” Elias sarcastically asks.

“Bad news.” Aster announces.

“Owen knows?” Elias asks, which Aster shakes his head to. “No. But his Uni is out for spring break and he asked Peter to use the manor next door over for the week. Salem only just found out. He left earlier today, she's not sure what time. With Rachel and some other friends and… Well there’s Nicole too.”

Elias stares at Aster horrified. “I’m not here.” He mutters to him turning around.

“Vanish all the baby stuff. Ella doesn’t exist. If he stops over here looking for me, I’m at school. I’m at Hogwarts. I’m anywhere but here. Got it. everyone?”

“But what if-”

“I’m not here.” Elias stresses in a panic. “No. He- he’ll just come over here in the middle of the night and bother me and he’ll see her and he’ll ask questions. He’ll put the time together and- Papa he’s not stupid. I wish he was but he’s not. Lock the doors, don’t let him in. Make sure Nyx and Aurora don’t talk to him. Better yet, don’t answer the door either.”

It was like the world hated Elias as he flinches when the front door was knocked on. “Pizza’s here!”

Elias wasn’t taking the risk as he fleas up the stairs with Capella in his arms. He narrowly turns down the hall, swearing he heard James say Owen’s name. But maybe it was just his mind playing tricks on him and it was the pizza guy.

All he knew for sure was that he wasn’t sticking around to find out.

Chapter 57: April 29th, 2007

April 29th, 2007

 

Brighton turned one and Elias didn’t see him.

He turned one and Elias didn't even come out of his bedroom.

He didn’t even hear from them — he turned one — and Elias spent the whole day shoving every piece of belonging that wasn’t his or Capella’s into garbage bags and used magic to haul them to the front door because he wasn't going to put more effort than necessary into people who were only going to waste his time at the end of the day.

Out of sight, out of mind; he told himself to will himself not to cry as he pretended this whole thing of too many emotions was going to pass sooner than later.

“How is this whole break-up thing going to work if he’s legally the father of Ella? Or is he just that much of a prick not to care, even for her?” Teddy asks when they took a break of his studies to feed Capella — not that he couldn’t multi-task. Teddy just could see it in his eyes that he wasn’t as into his focus as he usually has been.

Elias shrugs. “He hasn’t called in the last two days, and I'm not calling first this time. Clearly he doesn’t care enough for her or me.”

There was that scoff as the blue haired adult picks up his mug of tea. “If Harry did that to me and the girls, poppin’ in when he feels like it… I’d beat his arse black and blue. The mental confusion he’d put on the kids. Merlin's tits.”

“At least Ella’s still too young. She’s hardly a month old. Better out than in.”

“He’s still on her birth certificate. She’ll find out about him when she’s older. The guy you dated and thought was the one but didn't stay enough because he's a bloody coward to his mum.”

“Answers and questions for another day, at least then she wouldn't ask about her biological dad.” Elias merely says rocking Capella with a thin smile as Teddy gets up, mug empty. “Want anything from the kitchen?”

“Um, there’s leftover pizza in the fridge. Chicken, I think maybe one slice left. That and water. I’m fine eating it cold.”

Teddy rolls his eyes at him. “I’m heating it up.”

Teddy moves around in the kitchen talking with Elias.

“You should consider getting nursing bras.”

“I’d rather go without any, personally. But going with a sports bra to put nipple pads in, even for an hour I feel like I start leaking on anything I'm wearing.” Elias explains.

“Mine wasn’t that bad when I was trying to feed Leala and Aria.”

“Didn’t yours dry up after like, a few months or something?”

“That’s very true, which is why I didn't bother trying again with Fawn.” The sound of beeping comes from the microwave. Teddy returns with the plate and cup. Elias drinks the water greedily. He was more thirsty than he realized.

“Want me to fill that back up?” Teddy offers when he sets the cup down.

“Please.” He rasps sucking in a deep breath now going for the warmed up slice of pizza.

“Expecting anyone?” Teddy asks from the kitchen as he bites into the pizza. “I can hear someone coming up to the front door.”

Elias covers his mouth, trying not to get anything dropped onto Capella. “Might be Casey to pick up his stuff. I wouldn’t put it pass him to not call ahead of time. He always forgets his cell when he goes to work.”

The door was knocked on seconds before Teddy yanks open the door. Elias shouldn’t known it wasn’t Casey from the knock alone.

“Uh…? Hey…?”

“Listen man, I saw Elias in his window last night when I was out on a walk and I was wondering if he’d be be able to hang out with me today? Can you get him? Tell him Owen’s in the area?”

Elias ducks his head with Capella still latched to his chest. He knew Owen couldn’t see him with the breakfast bar blocking off behind him from the kitchen to the door and could only hold his breath and pray to all the gods possible that Teddy covers up or lie for him that he couldn’t go out. That Elias wasn’t home. Just… something.

“Uh, No, dude. He’s busy right now.” Teddy speaks sternly. “School work and his studies all that. Try again later.”

“Thought he’d drop out of school and become a street performer by now.” There was that mocking yet curious hum from Owen as Elias squeezes his eyes tightly closed, mouthing silent chants of prayers to have him walk away peacefully. “I heard from dad and mum that he had a baby. Is that true?”

“I think if you heard anything about anyone third-party wise, you should try asking the person directly yourself. Otherwise you don’t know the person as much as you think you do and it's just gossip you're hearing and it might just be lies that's filling your head up.” Teddy straightforwardly snarks. “Now, I think you overstays your time on the Potter's doorstep. Elias has his studies to focus on. Goodbye.”

The door closes with a touch more force than it could’ve closed with. With the silence of only Teddy moving back into the dining room and passing along the full again cup to Elias, he was able to relax a bit.

“Owen’s in town.” Teddy passes the message dryly.

“I heard. I want nothing to do with him. Don't let him in. Ever.”

“Uh-huh.” Teddy sits down on the chair across from him. “He seemed very… demanding on wanting to see you.”

“I don’t. He’s only here for a week. He leaves on May third. Don't ask how I know.”

Teddy shifts in his seat as Elias picks up his pizza, taking another bite out of his lunch. Teddy waits until the pizza’s gone to speak up again, taking the lunch break to prepare for the next lesson, divination. Teddy wonders why the hell Elias even took the class.

“Can I ask you something?” Teddy’s eyes drift up a bit from the random books from the Potter library that were being laid out carefully, along with a crystal ball. His eyes last seconds on Elias before going back to the papers.

“I guess. I can't stop you.” Elias mumbles, settling Capella on the play mat on the floor beside where he sat, right where he could keep a close eye on her.

“Is Owen… Ella’s dad?”

“No comment.”

Elias keeps his face passionless but it was obvious to Teddy.

“So he doesn’t know about her? Or does he?”

“No comment.”

“Elias, this secret must be killing you.”

“It’s not. Not really. What is killing me is the fact that the people I put my trust into proves to me that I shouldn’t have to start with and make me regret trusting them from the very start. And now I know not to trust them ever again with something.” He deadpans at Teddy. “Now can we start my next lesson? I’m tired, Ella’s nap is soon and I’d like to nap with her and not faceplant on the table mid-crystal ball reading.”

Teddy sighs before nodding. He slides over Elias a small journal.

“I’m shit at divination so Professor Trelawney gave me her lesson plans and instructions and I can only hope to pass it on correctly. So, dream interpretation. You sleep, you dream, then when you wake up, write what happens in your dream down. Simple, easy. I think Pa and Uncle Jamie wrote down shit when he took the class your age and still passed so... you're in luck if you forget to put down your dreams. Just make up a good dreamy story.” Teddy slaps the journal before moving on.

“Then…” Teddy picks up a piece of paper, reviewing it himself. A hand smacks the top of the crystal ball. “Crystal ball gazing. Stare at the ball and pray that you see something other than the smoke. See something, write it down. The ball’s on lend so don't take forever on that and don't break it or drop it, please…”

Elias chuckles softly. Teddy’s eyes are still scanning over the paper. “Lastly… Bibliomancy. You open a randomly chosen book to a random page with your eyes closed, tap a random spot of the page, then interpret the page, sentence, or paragraph depending of what you land on and explain how it means to you in the present time and could affect your future — Elias, for fuck sakes — why do you take divination?” Teddy heaves at him making a face at him which Elias snickers, feeling a bit elated with his cousin more than he's felt in the past two days with his brooding.

Elias rolls his eyes sliding over a random book to himself from the table Teddy had picked out. Elias reads the cover. Twilight.

“Isn’t this this that weird popular-depressed vampire-romance book?” Elias mutters out loud, never reading the book himself.

“Dunno. Picked all the books off the shelves randomly. Didn’t even look at the titles.”

Elias hums looking at Teddy, flipping open the book and slapping his finger on the most randomized spot of the page of the two provided.

He frowns, reading the sentence his finger laid on. “Does it have to be the whole page? Paragraph or…?”

Teddy lifts up the paper. “Anything, I guess. You have to interpret the meaning of wherever your finger lands on. I don’t think it really matters.”

“When life offers you a dream so far beyond any of your expectations, it’s not reasonable to grieve when it comes to an end.” He murmurs out loud to Teddy with a soft sigh before picking up his pen and opening his notebook to a fresh piece of paper titling bibliomancy under divination before adding the quote.

“How many times do I have to do the quote thing?”

“A few times. Until the pieces start to come together. That’d what Professor Trelawney wrote down. It can be from the same book, or a different one, but it’s encourage to follow gut feelings.”

Elias closes the book, and he closes his eyes repeating process with the same one.

“What if I’m not a superhero. What if I’m the bad guy?” He speaks out loud to Teddy before writing it down.

The next quote he doesn't bother on reading out loud, just scanning it with his eyes a few times before writing it down.

I know love and lust don’t always keep the same company.

Elias wanted to stop with the same book. Switch to a new one. But there was a calling. One last one. A last quote. A last saying. A last warning.

And so the lion fell in love with the lamb.

He stares at the final sentence a moment too long before slamming the book closed loudly feeling his cheeks flushing with anger. He didn’t need to keep it open to write the final bit down. It was like a bell in his head, ringing nonstop. Consistently and loud and annoying.

“So your conclusion? I'm guessing you don't want to open another book from that pissed off look on your face.”

Elias rubs his forehead with a deep exhale. He reviews all the quotes he had down.

“That I’m a dreamer. That I wish too hard for the impossible. That I get my lines blurred between and I get them confused. I take advantage like a mountain lion hunting babies from it’s dead mother for extra prey and entertainment. I… I… I’m the villain of my own story. I’m the villain who doesn’t deserve anything and yet… somehow…”

And so the lion fell in love with the lamb.

Elias drops his pen on the table and rests his head on his hand, rubbing his face into his palm. Finally he sighs, not picking up his pen to continue off where he was writing.

“A lamb can’t survive with a predator as a mate.”

Casey was a lamb. Soft. Gentle. Loving.

Elias was all teeth and claws. Ready to sink his teeth in something and feast on the first thing that showed him love.

He had problems. He knew he did.

He should probably talk to his Papa about seeing his mind healer again.

“Who says?”

“Nature.” Elias huffs at Teddy rolling his eyes before looking up at his cousin.

“You know… Harry’s patronus is just like Uncle Jamie’s.”

“A stag?”

“Yeah. He doesn't believe anyone though. Cause he can't see it himself, people are always telling him different animals. He doesn't even believe me when I tell him.” Teddy nods with a sad smile. “And mine’s a wolf. Like Da’s, oddly. I don't know if being a werewolf affects our patronuses or not but... you see something intresting about that?”

“A predator and prey.” Elias mutters.

“A predator and prey are only enemies to one another if they make themselves enemies to each other. Make sense? They can live in harmony if, lets say, if the predator finds something else to feed off on. A substitution meal, for example.”

Elias nods slowly. “But either way my love life is shit and I should only focus on Ella for now on.”

“Maybe.” Teddy shrugs. “Or this is a sign to warn you that even no matter how different you are from Casey, which anyone who knows the both of you, and I mean truly know the both of you. Things might just still work out if you both can put your differences aside for once and fight for each other than thinking of other people all the time.”

“I don’t think so. He-… I’m just a phase, Teddy. A waste of time. He’s not going to… stick around. I’m not looking for that kind of thing. Not with Ella around, but then again I was never looking just for hook-ups. I started out with hook-ups with Brett but he's the only one out of everyone that I thought... it's just with him he made me feel so...”

Owen made him so confused. With himself. With others.

Casey brought him love and peace. Brett brought him temporary friendship. Opal brought him... happiness that he was seeking in the darkest of spots in her. Where others couldn't quite see it in her but him. Where he didn't give up on her but others did.

“Can I ask you something else?”

“I guess. You already made it this far without shattering me yet.”

Teddy nods a bit and licks his lips as he leans on the table a bit preparing himself for the question to ask Elias.

“Um… so, did Casey say that or… did his mum say that?”

A tiny shrug.

“Does it matter?”

“Uh, yeah.” Teddy says as if it was obvious leaning off the table with his lips forming a soft smile. “Cause those words came out from his mum’s mouth. Not him.” Teddy shifts in his seat, leaning closer to Elias.

“Elias, you are seventeen. You’re an adult, he’s an adult. You both got kids for Rowena Ravenclaw's sake. You both could legally technically get hitched if you wanted to — well, I think you’d need Uncle Jamie or Uncle Aster to sign off for you in the muggle world but you still could. Bloody hell, you could even get a flat together if you want now before getting married! What’s stopping you?”

Elias’ eyes were light and curious. “We could get married? Now? Really?”

Teddy shrugs his shoulders. “Why not? Uncle Jamie and Uncle Aster were about the same age. That's what I was told.”

Ever so slightly, a smile forms on Elias’ lips and a plot starts to brew in his mind. Sly and calculating.

Teddy could see it in his eyes as Elias yanks over a blank piece of paper to himself and furiously started to write down certain words and music notes.

“Can you help me with something, Teddy?" Elias questions glancing up from his paper for a moment. "I promise I’ll keep you from getting killed.”

Chapter 58: May 1st, 2007

May 1st, 2007

 

“You really want to do this? Have you even talked to him since? I feel like this is a bit... too bold. Even for a Gryffindor.” Teddy lowly questions Elias as they spy on Casey from Teddy's car in the late sunset evening walking out of his flat in Teddy’s car with Brighton in a stroller, probably going to the nearby park.

Just looking at them hidden away in the distance pained Elias more than it should as his guitar was in the back seat with Capella who was tucked away in Fawn's car seat.

“In humiliation of complete rejection or death.” Elias mutters yanking on his belt to put across his chest. “Hurry up. Start the car. Follow them. I think I know where they’re going.”

“Where to?” The car jolts to a start.

“Park. Not far from here. Like, a block or two, has free parking. No problem for you.”

Elias was right. He knew Casey took Brighton to the park last year over spring and summer when he got off work as well as on a nice day out. On the bonus side, his mum wasn’t anywhere around him or Brighton to sway any possible decision.

Elias needed it to be heard from Casey’s mouth and Casey only.

With a deep breath, Elias climbs out of the parked car and moves to the trunk of Teddy’s car to get the stroller for Capella. He sets Capella in first, as well as checks her nappy if it needed any changing before setting his guitar over behind his back on the strap.

“I really I hope I don’t fuck this up.” Elias mutters to Teddy as they walk through the park, keeping a sharp eye out for Casey and Brighton as he feels into his back pocket. “I only just got the final piece of this song together. The music hardly sounds good without feedback and-… maybe we should just turn around and back out before—”

“Elias?”

Elias’ heart was beating out of his chest as he stops. Maybe looking for Casey was worthless. Casey found him first. Casey found him and Capella first.

"Teddy?"

Slowly Elias turns around with the stroller, Teddy flashes a smile and wave. “Hi, Casey.”

There was that softness in Casey’s eyes. Brighton was on his side than in the stroller he was pushing, wiggling around and trying to reach over to Elias with the babbles of his parental ‘Dada’ name. Elias' heart softened as he smiles softly at Brighton before looking to Casey.

“Hello, Cass.” Elias breathes more breathless than Teddy.

“What-? You’re here?”

Elias nods. “Yeah. I… I won’t let you go without a fight. I needed to hear something from you, not from your mum. Not with her around, or my dads... just you.”

That puts a crooked smile on his face as Elias fixes his guitar. “Can I… I have a song, actually. To propose you something.” He winces at his choice of words as he sets the strap right on his shoulder.

There was a flicker of confusion in Casey’s eyes but he nods regardless.

Elias steadies his breathing and pulls out his pick from the diaper bag that was prepared for easy grab.

There were stray people watching. The warm breeze had the trees around them shivering their leaves, flowers surrounded them of all kinds and colors; the sun was starting to dip and set making the park feel... magical.

Elias easily ignores the random people, eyes on his hands as he focuses on the strum of his acoustic guitar as he lifts his gaze to lock eyes with Casey with a soft smile.

“It’s a beautiful night, we’re looking for something dumb to do.” Elias crookedly smiles looking up to Casey. “Hey, baby, I think I wanna marry you. Is it the look in your eyes, or is it this dancing juice? Who cares, baby? I think I wanna marry you.”

Casey’s mouth drops opens slowly in realization. Starting to get the clues of the obvious song. His eyes are locked on Elias and Brighton is wiggling furiously in his tight grasp without freedom. Casey covers his mouth with a hand, and his breathing stutters a bit.

“I’ll go get a ring, let the choir bells sing like, ooh. So what ya wanna do? Let’s just run, man. If we wake up and you wanna break up, that’s cool. No, I won’t blame you, it was fun, dude. Don’t say no, no, no, no, no. Just say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And we’ll go, go, go, go, go. If you’re ready, like I’m ready.”

People were stopping around them as Elias sang.

Elias has been doing this for years.

He was fearless when it came to his music.

No stagefright as he picks his focus and sings to the soft looks Casey was giving him.

“Just say, “I do”. Tell me right now, baby. Tell me right now, baby, baby, oh. It’s a beautiful night, we’re looking for something dumb to do. Hey, baby, I think I wanna marry you. Is it the look in your eyes, or is it this dancing juice? Who cares, baby? I think I wanna marry you.”

The ring wasn’t in a box as Elias presents it to him as he sets his guitar down and drops down to a knee.

The ring was hardly countable as fancy or extravagant. A simple silver band with an engraving of an E into it that Elias thought would mean something special.

And if it could mean more to Casey — Elias paid for it himself. Without his fathers' extra money or help. He was going to do this himself. And he knew doing it this way would mean more to Casey with a cheap ring and some bit of magic done himself than proposing with a soild gold ring and expensive carvings or stones.

“I know you love your mum, and I’d never try to pull you away from her. But I won’t let her do the same for me to you and Brighton. You both mean too much to me to let you go without a fight. I know we’re young, probably very dumb too, but… I’ve never been so sure of anything else in my life before, not until you and Brighton. Casey David Lambert, will you,” Elias glances down slightly to Brighton. He smiles softly and takes Brighton’s hand with his free hand. “Will you and Brighton, take mine and Capella’s hand in marriage? Make us a proper and whole family? A family full of love, compassion, empathy... where we can and will make mistakes and be forgiven for no matter how screwed up they are?”

There was waiting silence.

From Casey. From Elias. Teddy in the background with Capella in the stroller. The crowd that gathered around them waiting in silence for Casey's answer.

Everyone was waiting.

Then first came the nods that were nearly missable from how tiny they were beofre they gain in size and speed. Fast and hard, hitting his chest before the smile and a gasping noise and he's yanking to help Elias up onto his prosthetic leg's foot.

“Yes. Yes, yes, yes!” Casey smushes Brighton between them as he lands a fat kiss onto Elias’ lips. Elias fumbles as he slips on the ring on Casey’s finger mid-kiss, but he manages to get it on the right finger as Casey beams at him, hardly sparing a glance at the cheap silver ring he bought with his own money he worked and saved for from his part time job before going on his leave. A ring that is leaving Elias with pretty much no money in his name once again.

First Brighton. And now Casey.

The things he'd do for them.

He'd do anything for them as he smiles into the kiss.

They pull apart just a bit and Elias hardly pays attention to the crowd around them cheering as he takes Brighton into his arms, giving the toddler a tight hug, pressing his head into his chest and holding him tightly with a kiss to the head, then to each of his chubby cheeks and smelling the lavender powder scent off the boy missing him entirely as much as he misses his daddy.

Casey picks up Capella easy, greeting her more gently than Elias with Brighton and bringing the two over together as they hug and kiss more.

“Teddy’s here. No offense but why?” Casey asks after a few minutes realizing the blue haired guy wasn’t going anywhere.

“I convinced him on something. To do for us. If you’re on board with it. It's a bit dumb though.”

“Depends. I’m not having a threesome no matter how much he can make himself look like Brittney Spears before she shaved her head.”

Elias laughs softly, shaking his head. “No. Ew no! I thought we could go to a courthouse. Get hitched. He’d sign off as Dad. He stole his muggle ID. I have my adoption papers to prove that he's 'my dad'. It won’t be too hard.”

“Us, get married today?”

“I did some research. I’ll be able to adopt Brighton, too. I’ll be his proper Dada. I know we’re a bit young but-”

“That’s an understatement.” Casey agrees though he’s smiling still. “What about living arrangements?”

“I know you want your mum to be somewhere she can afford but… What if you changed jobs? Find something closer to the manor? Moved in with me and Ella? Then we could find your mum somewhere else that she could afford independently.”

“It might take some time but I think we can-”

“Excuse me, lad? Do you have a minute?” Elias and Casey stop mid-conversation, looking over to a guy dressed in a fancy suit with dark brown hair that looked nearly black and dark large boxy shades over his eyes.

“I guess?” Elias mumbles confused.

“I'm curious, did you write that song?”

Elias furrows his eyebrows a bit confused as he nods.

“Yeah.”

“Would you say you play averagely? A reguluar thing? You showed great talent. I'm rather fascinated, and lovely propsal by the way.”

“I mean, I suppose if what you’d say is-”

“He plays a lot.” Casey beams cutting into Elias stumbling. “Knows the piano, the guitar — obviously — some other string instruments at his home. Oh! And the drums! He plays a lot of stuff and writes regularly.”

“Regularly, hmm? Do you think you can play me something else? On the spot, something original.”

Elias’ eyes narrow. “Why? Who are you?”

“Play me a song and I’ll tell you.”

Elias rolls his eyes. “That doesn’t sound dangerous at all.”

“I’m not asking you to get into my car or meet me somewhere private. Right here, right now.”

“Fine,” Elias caves. “Is there a certain genre you’re looking for?”

“Any of your preference that you think you’re good at.”

Elias nods, picking up his guitar that had been set down.

He starts a slow beat.

“I like ‘em brown hair and when he visits back home. I like a kind heart and even stronger backbone. Somewhere between six, one and three. ‘Cause I like ‘em tall but not much taller than me, oh.”

Elias knew the song was a bit less upbeat than the first. But he wanted to show that he could sing and write in different beats and rhythms.

“If the light hits exactly right on your face. And if that song makes me feel a certain kinda way. I say that I’m picky but don’t trust the things I say. I bet all my money I could fall in love with anybody. No, I’m not desperate, I just know I never know how I feel. Until the moment he’s in front of me, so what’s the big deal? You never know what you gon’ get and baby, that’s the appeal. I just can’t help it, oh, I just can’t help it.”

Elias finishes up the song and stares at the stranger.

“So?” Elias hums curiously at the stranger. “What do you think?”

“I think I have a sharp eye when it comes spotting out talent.” He pulls out a card from his breast pocket and passes it to Elias. “Give my office a call some time. I’ll make sure to pass your name. Elias, is it?”

Elias nods a bit stumble as he clicks his tongue with a passing ghost smile and leaves him and Casey alone.

“Who was that?” Teddy questions them both approaching them. Elias looks down to the business card, reading off it.

“Um… I don't know... Simon Cowell?” Elias glances up with a shrug.

Casey lets out a dramatic choking gasp, bright green eyes wide as he held Capella, knowing something that both wizards didn’t.

“You have to call!”

“Who is he?”

“He’s like- a big agency in a recording label! Big time, E. You got to do it. At least check it out. I can’t believe-! Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! How didn’t I recognize him before! He’s on the X-Factor!”

“If he’s so big why was he here?” Elias asks confused, the name of the X-Factor ringing bells in the back of Elias' head in familiarity.

“Maybe he was just hanging around? Celebrities can be normal people too? Right?” Teddy attempts as Casey fan-girls, clinging on Elias’ arm with Brighton trying to tug down Elias’ shirt with no ounce of shame.

“I can call this office thingy tomorrow or whenever.” Elias settles with putting the card into the nappy bag in Capella’s stroller. “I have more better things I want to do today.”

His eyes lock on Casey. “If you want to, that is...?”

“I- I don’t have a ring for you?”

“We can get one on the way, or after, I don't care.”

“I got no money for a ring.” Casey weakly tells. “I- I just got more nappies for Brighton. Bills were paid-”

“I don’t care for a ring, Cass. I just want you and Brighton. And if a piece of paper is the only way to prove to make you and him my family, to show the extents of just how much I love you both, I’ll do it. I already brought money to pay the courthouse however much they ask for. Your ring didn’t cost much either. I- It’s just silver with a tiny fast engraving I put in with a bit of magic.”

Casey looks down at the ring. “It’s not-? It’s not some fancy heirloom or something? Like those rings I see on Aster's fingers?”

“No. If I wanted a heirloom ring I’d have to ask Papa, and asking him means talking to him and… we’re on a rocking boat right now. I don't want to talk to him. That ring, I bought myself and made the little E myself. I know it’s nothing fancy and it’s cheap but I-”

Casey smiles at him, soft and gentle. “That makes it even better now.”

“Really?”

Casey cups his face, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. They pull away, noses bumping into each other and Brighton’s smacking Elias’ chest in loud struggles to get his shirt down, clearly in withdrawals of his breast of the last few days. “Really. But don’t think I don’t owe you a ring.”

Elias leans forward, pressing his lips up against Casey’s once more. A second too long, he feels Brighton smacking his own lips with a bit of tounge on his cheek making him pull away laughing. “You want some kisses from Dada too, Bright?”

“How’d you get here?” Casey asks him as he presses a kiss to Brighton’s cheek in return making the boy clap his hands with an excited ear pitchful squeal.

“Teddy drove me and Ella. Come on. We can stop by your flat and get your car and make it to the courthouse before they close. It’d be faster than trying to transfer one of the car seats into the other and squishing one of us in the backseats.” Elias informs him nuzzling his nose into the toddler’s neck missing the boy too much for liking after thinking so hard he was going to lose him.

Casey grabs Elias’ jaw with two fingers and a thumb, tilting his face away from Brighton and back at him giving him another kiss in front of Brighton's face.

Their kiss lasts as long until Capella started to let out a fussing cry in Casey’s arms. Elias pulls away, kissing Casey's jawline with a soft giggle, before pressing his forehead onto Casey’s for a resting moment.

“Our parents are going to kill us.”

“Probably. But what are they going to do with our kids if they do? Raise 'em without us? Think they'd be any better or turn out greater than us?”

Elias soft laughter rises in volume as he drops his head onto Casey's shoulder, Brighton and Casey joins him.

Notes:

Songs:

Marry You - Bruno Mars

Anybody - BIZZY

Chapter 59: May 2nd, 2007

May 2nd, 2007

 

It was one of those rare mornings where Elias was awake early.

Not cause he wanted to be.

But because he just never went to bed.

Casey was face down, long light brown hair spilling everywhere and his black hair rubber band lost in their bed, possibly forever as Elias admires him quietly while finding himself breastfeeding Capella with Brighton knocked out in a similar position as his Daddy in his crib.

Casey never picked up his stuff, so now Elias’ room was filled with heavy duty trash bags that contained both Brighton and Casey’s stuff that needed to be unpacked, two bags already ripped open to retrieve pajamas and nappies for Brighton when Casey made the choice of not going home last night to his mum.

“Au clair de la Lune. Mon ami Pierrot. Prête-moi ta plume. Pour écrire un mot.” Elias hums in a quiet French, rocking Capella of Au clair de la lune.

“Au clair de la Lune. Pierrot répondit. Je n’ai pas de plume. Je suis dans mon lit-”

Casey shifts beside him making Elias fall quiet. Brighton remains peacefully undisturbed. A left hand reaches out blindly, finding way to Elias’ thigh and squeezing his muscle. A shiny silver ring was on display with a fancy calligraphy E in the middle.

“What time is it?” Casey hums with his eyes closed.

Elias smiles softly at Casey. Sleepy, starting to rise from the dead Casey was a rare sight to behold in front of him. Elias can't help himself as he gently brushes out some hair out of Casey's face.

“Just about six. Nyx and Rora’s going to be banging around soon.” Elias warns him.

“You’re up?”

“Got to be.” A pause as Elias looks around his room, then to his lamp that's been on all night. It was too dark last night for him. His mind was racing, he was excited and yet, even with Casey asleep beside him he just... couldn't sleep. The negatives were outweighting the postives as the night went on and Casey was quietly asleep.

“Never went to sleep.”

“You need to sleep, E... Not good for you.” Casey mumbles into one of the million pillows on the bed, head lifting only to fall back into the sea of pillows. Elias runs his hand through Casey's hair, which probably didn't help Casey's case getting up as he moans softly at the scalp massage.

“Not until tomorrow. I’ll be safe tomorrow with Ella.”

“Hmm?” Casey shifts again, rolling onto his side and rubs his eyes, finally waking himself up. He props up his head and looks at him with heavy lace sleep eyes. It was obvious they had a late night together. Not sex but just... talking. Catching up. Elias wanted to know everything he missed of Brighton's first birthday, including the first steps he took the day after that pained his heart and had him thinking hard. He could've seen it.

“What you on about?”

Elias sighs deeply.

“Since that night, with your mum and all… Owen’s been in town.”

“Owen…? Owen… Owen…” He mutters trying to wake himself up and remember the name. “Remind me who that is again?”

Elias deadpans and looks down to Capella in his arms. “Oh. That Owen. Has he been bothering you?”

“Trying to. Banging on the door, asks for me... two… three, four times a day like he doesn't have a girlfriend or sister to keep him company when I'm around. I don’t answer the door when I’m here alone. The one time he sees me in the window and… it’s game over. He knows I have Ella. He knows I’m not at Hogwarts. That I'm here.”

“He knows about Ella?”

“No, he knows I have Ella.” Elias corrects. “You’re her father, Cass. You’re her daddy, he’s just… some guy who donated some sperm and a cheap-arse orgasm to me. Sex wasn't even that good. Not like with you...”

Casey snorts a laugh, the hand on Elias’ thigh drifts up and over to Capella’s naked foot and holds her foot. Her tiny toes flex widely as he runs his thumb up and down across the bottom.

“Want me to scare him off? I could find a bat or something, knock his head off his body. Maybe borrow your wand, wave it around and throw random spell here and there. He wouldn't know the difference, muggle or wizard.”

“No.” Elias sighs. “Not with the kids here. Papa and Dad don’t even know you and Brighton are in here. I bet they’re thinking you picked up the bags and left yesterday. Not me marrying you and sneaking into my room.”

“Right,” Casey breathes out releasing the infant’s foot and taking Elias’ hand and starting to press a kiss to each knuckle, stopping on the office rubber band makeshift ring. It was a temporary ring until the real thing. “Just so you know, if there wasn’t two kids in this room, I’d totally bone you right now. We should be honeymooning right now.”

Elias scoffs at him, laughing softly as he playfully shoves Casey away from him. “You can’t bone me anyway. Not until I see my healer soon and get an all clear from them. Four to six weeks, Cass. Ella’s only five weeks old.”

Casey flops over to his back with a loud groan. A hand sticks under the blanket that draped just above his hips and he shifts around his hips for a moment before huffing and freeing his hands. “Hate mornings like this.”

“Waking up with a boner?”

Casey glances over to him. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“I understand plenty. You’re hard, throbbing, maybe even leaking into your pants if you can't will it away.” Casey closes his eyes with a furrow on his face. “Keep talking dirty to me and see where it gets you.”

“You want me to talk dirty to you? I can talk dirty. Even with Ella on my nipple.”

“Maybe.” A sigh. “No, please do. So I have something to wank off to in the bathroom.”

“I love watching you change the dirty nappies.” Casey laughs heavily at Elias. “What dirty talk is that?”

“It’s dirty, isn’t it?” Elias jokes. “Then when you wash Brighton’s bottles in the bathroom sink instead of going downstairs to the kitchen. Ugh, a brilliant type of lazy. I wish I could do that when I pump but I have to store the leftover milk in the freezer so it doesn’t go to waste. Then there’s when you give the kids a bath, especially after when Brighton has Dad's pasta. Oh, Brighton's just so dirty-”

“Stop! Stop! White flag! My white flag is raised!” Casey is laughing heavy, rolling over and tucking himself into Elias’ hip and muffling his laughter. Elias hears a soft noisy coo as he looks over to Brighton.

His soft blonde hair was a mess on top of his head as he’s peering over to him and Casey, pushing himself up halfway up with an arched back and blinking tiredly at them before dropping himself back onto his mattress and rubbing his face into the mattress like Elias would if Casey picks on him to wake up early after going to bed late.

“I think someone’s waking up.” Elias nudges Casey. “Go get our son before he has a fit seeing me feed Ella and feels left out.”

Casey lets out a long groan and peels himself out of bed. By the time Casey walks over to the cribs area, Brighton was sitting up and rubbing his eyes furiously to wake up as he’s lifted out.

"You got a bad case of the FOMO, Bright?" Casey asks him as Brighton rests his head still obviously tired on Casey's shoulder, happy to be lifted over to Elias.

Elias is furiously rearranging the new breastfeeding pillow he had for Capella gifted from his Zio Barty and Uncle Evan, now being able to feed her hands free as Brighton is set on the bed and quickly crawls over to Elias taking a seat between his legs and tugging up Elias’ shirt all on his own to latch on by himself.

“He’s going to have to learn that he can’t just do that whenever he feels like it.” Casey comments sitting back on the bed.

“He’s got a lot of things to learn. He's one.” Elias mutters leaning on the headboard of hit bed. “But learning from Capella to breastfeed off me is one of the things, apparently. Might just wean them off together when they’re older.”

“Together? They’re a whole year apart.”

“I know.” Elias shrugs. “Feed Ella until she’s one, wean them off together when Bright’s two. Or try to feed Ella until she’s two then wean off Bright when he’s two and feed him breastmilk of whatever I pump? Cause it feels like it’s a waste of all the milk I got in the freezer. Dad’s considering sneaking that milk into his baking stuff and food to give to Rora and Nyx as well as Papa if it starts to hit too close to expiration date. Shhh. Don’t tell anyone but Dad did try the milk himself, it's a bit sweeter than normal milk, his words not mine. He likes it.” Elias sends Casey a sneaky smile and a wink. 

“You want to breastfeed for a few years straight?”

“I don’t see anything wrong with it.” Elias shrugs. “Unlike like your mum, Dad and Papa were a bit… surprised to hear I was breastfeeding Brighton but they weren’t mad or judgemental or even cruel about it.”

“Really?”

“Nope. In their eyes, I’m treating them both the same. Brighton’s getting fed, he’s being comforted. So where’s the harm in it? And it doesn't bother me and I like it, I... I feel close to them. Both Brighton and Capella.” Elias runs a hand over Brighton's body from where he was hiding under his shirt, picking up his strayed off leg and adjusting him a bit so he could sit more comfortable against his body.

Casey nods. “That’s what I was thinking before Mum started to freak out.”

Elias sighs quietly, running his fingers through Brighton’s hair trying to tame the mess of small loose curls.

“I… What mum said isn’t true, E. I-I want you to know that. You’re not some… phase to me.”

“I hope not. We’re married now. We filled out forms to have me legally adopt Brighton. I didn’t realize how many forms those took.”

“It’ll take a few weeks to process, legalize, but I gave everything they need to know so, I don’t see anything stopping it.”

Elias lets out a soft laugh bubble out of his chest as he holds Brighton with his arm curled around his small frame and hand holding his leg. Brighton was clearly still very sleepy, eyes closed and hardly sucking at all with his head leaning and slumped on Elias.

“It’s funny, cause Papa and Dad had twins but Bright and Ella aren’t. But they’ll both are mine… ours.”

Casey leans closer to Elias, careful to move around Capella and gives him a peck on the lips just as there was a loud shout with banging on a door in the hall, Nyx and Aurora fighting over the bathroom.

“They’ve gotten worse since I've been gone the last few days.” Casey chuckles softly.

“I think Aurora started her period. She’s been worser this week than any other time.”

“But she’s eleven?”

“And?” Elias raises an eyebrow. “When do you think girls get their period?”

“Uh… thirteen? Teenager year?”

“You can start as young as nine, Cass. Believe me, Papa made sure all of us knew. Even the boys in this house.”

“Guess I have some stuff I need to learn.” Casey shrugs, not seeming too grossed out to reject the idea of learning and preparing. “Especially now with Ella. it’s not just Brighton and his tiny boners.”

Elias lets out a startled gasp as he looks at Casey. “What?”

“Yeah. Didn’t you know?” There was that slight tease. “Young boys, toddlers, even babies, can get these erections. They’re a bit painful when I…” Casey sighs. “So when I was a kid, I don’t remember much as toddler but certain things like friction or even exposure of warm or cold air directly on me if I was changing would kinda trigger it. It’s been happening with Brighton a bit from what I’ve noticed. Mum’s said not to bother it for now. Let it go down on it’s own. But, um, so… I mean, a kid obviously hasn’t hit puberty yet. So tugging one out is harder on the body. So to me at least, it’s painful.”

“You tried masturbating as a child?” Elias questions.

“I wouldn’t say masturbating yet… but… more of touching? I didn’t know what masturbating was yet. I didn't know what that was or what sex was until I started learning at school from the other... mum wasn't like... not like your dads. Not giving me as much exposure as you all are raised with.” Casey explains. “I was like eight, nine-ish? I got hard, didn't know exact why I got hard and touching myself a bit felt good until it didn't to a certain point until I truly could... I guess you could say, come? Didn’t you ever touch yourself? Just to kinda get a feel as a child?”

“Um…” Elias furrows his eyebrows in thought before he gently shakes his head. “No. Not with what happened at… Uh maybe after I started having wet dreams. Taking testosterone and all that. So, twelve, to be safe. But maybe even later. But even then I wasn’t like, sticking my hands down my pants every single night. But thanks for the heads up if I change Brighton.”

Casey nods unbothered. “I wished I knew that when I changed Ella’s nappy after she was born.”

“I didn’t know she could have a mini-period!” Elias argues. “I was just as panicked as you were-!”

Elias’ mouth snaps closed when his door is knocked on. “Elias? Are you talking to someone? Is someone in the room with you?”

He sighs rolling his eyes annoyed hearing Aster on the other end. He couldn’t open the door with both children on his lap so he gestures over for Casey towards the door for him to answer it.

“Hi, Aster.” With Casey answering the door with an awkward wave, Aster went in fast displease mode. Eyes narrowed and glaring and his arms crossed over his chest. One look past Casey, Aster’s rolling his eyes and merely walking away without a word spoken.

Quietly, Casey closes the door. “Welp... He’s pissed at me.”

“No. He’s pissed at me.” Elias mutters. “Cause I’m pissed at him.”

“What did he do?”

“He told Salem.” Elias scowls at the name itself.

“Who?”

“Owen’s mum. He told her who’s Ella’s biological father is not even a full day after I told him I was pregnant. Like-… I asked him not to. I deliberately didn’t tell him right away I was pregnant, waiting for their family to leave so they had no chance of finding out. And the first thing he did, drove eight bloody hours to Scotland and told her.”

“He drove to Scotland?”

“That’s not the point. He told-”

“No, I get that.” Casey sits on the edge of the bed in front of Elias. Casey gently touches the bit of stretched scarred skin of Elias’ stump. “But don’t you get it? From his point of view? As a parent? Dad to dad, now?”

Elias remains quiet.

“Elias, did this… Salem, did she tell anyone? Does Owen know himself?”

“No. I guess not.”

“Okay, baby steps. Try to listen. What if, listen to me, wait, come on. Ella was in your shoes and you were in Aster’s? Do you have any close friends? Maybe… imagine they’ve got shitty kids, or Ella mingled with the wrong crowd and made some wrong choices that she’s trying to right up by. How would you feel if you knew the said, kid’s parents on a personal level?”

“Pissed. I’d probably want to give the guy a black eye myself. Maybe… confused too. Probably need a good talking to. But it doesn't matter. He didn't tell Dad right away but he told-”

Casey nods softly. “And now, if Salem didn’t tell Owen. It’s probably hurting her too. Because he’s her kid, right? Maybe when Brighton’s a teen, he’s going to be like Owen. A- a shitty arsehole prick who knocked up someone. And if you were in Salem’s position, told but also is asked not to say anything to him? To me?”

Elias shoulders sag. “The least I’d want is to get minor updates. See how the baby’s doing. Pictures. Names, birthdays… Fine." Elias groans. "I see your point.”

Casey smiles at him. “I think you’re owed an apology. But I also think he’s owed one too.”

Elias nods in defeated agreement. He peels off Capella and passes him over to Casey in silent gesture to burp her, passing over the burp cloth as he adjusts Brighton to straddle his thigh as he hooks up his prosthetic leg, working around him.

Elias manages to stand up steadily, Brighton in his arms, mouth clung to his breast sucking lazily and looking more than half asleep. With the baggy tee shirt he had on, Elias merely covers Brighton under it.

“Can you bring some stuff downstairs to change Brighton? Some spare nappies got to be somewhere in one of those bags.” Elias waves lazily over at the trash bags in the corner of his room.

“And Ella?” Casey checks in on the girl in his hands.

“Um… I changed her like two hours ago. I don’t think she’ll need it yet. But you can always check.”

“Alright. You go on ahead. I’ll be downstairs.” Casey grabs Elias’ wired phone off the nightstand. “I’m going to try to give Mum another ring while I’m up here. Either she’s freaking out by now or she thinks me and Brighton are being really quiet in my room playing hide and seek.”

Elias snickers lowly as he leaves his bedroom, running into his half dead brother moving like a zombie, dressed and sleep messed hair. If Elias got any sleep — even if it was just an hour or two — and had to wake up at this time, he’d probably look the very same.

Nyx rubbed his eyes looking over at Elias tyring to focus on the human shape lump under his shirt. “Did Ella grow like… thrice the size or something overnight?”

“It’s Brighton.” Elias chuckles softly. “Casey’s in my bedroom with Ella.”

“Really?” Nyx suddenly looks a bit more awake as they go down the stairs together. “Are you getting back together?”

“I don’t think we properly broke up.” Elias thinks on it. “Maybe a few day separation? I needed to think about some stuff. You know?”

Nyx lets out a tiny hum before a shrug, hands lifting then dropping. “I don’t know. I never had a boyfriend before.”

“Do you want one? In the future.” Elias questions.

“Would I get pregnant?” Nyx tests already know the answer himself.

“No, unless you take certain potions. Then yes.”

“Would they get pregnant?”

That was a serious ponderment, Elias could tell.

“Only if they’re trans like me and Papa.”

Nyx’s dark blue eyes eyed Elias for a long moment as they reach and stand at the bottom of the stairs. In the end, he shakes his head. “No thanks. Too risky. I don’t want a baby. Or a kid.”

Elias laughs softly. “Ask me that six years ago and I probably say the same thing.”

“Yeah but… I’m good being an uncle. I like being an uncle. I have many siblings to make me an uncle. Cause then I don’t have to be a dad. When I'm done with the kid I can just... give it back.”

“Fair point.”

“Uh-huh.” Nyx nods as they walk to the table. “Kids take time away from learning. And I have a big future planned out for myself.”

“Future job?”

“Guess.”

“Ministry?”

“Warmer.”

Elias pursed his lips. “Auror like Auncle Sirius?”

“No. Do I look like I want to run out and risk my life to arrest someone?”

Elias laughs softly.

“Hmm… How about the Keeper of Hall of Prophecy? That seems fitting for you.”

“Nope. I think that stuff is a load of bullcrap.”

Elias' laughter becomes a tone louder.

They stop in front of the table. Elias pulls out a chair but doesn’t sit down. He sits Brighton down on it, remain standing and Brighton hidden away under his shirt. He could smell the eggs and sasuage his Dad was making. Hopefully it’d be enough to lure Brighton off his chest.

“I give up. Tell me.”

“I want to be an Unspeakable.”

The look in Nyx's eyes were pure excitement as he informs Elias.

Elias’ eyebrows raise. “That’s a really big job, Nyx.”

“I know. Which is why kids would just get in the way. My way.”

“Point taken. You got it all planned out, don’t you.”

“Yes. Don’t have sex, no relationships, be an uncle, be a brother, be an unspeakable.” He lists counting each finger on one hand. “That’s all on one hand. That’s all I need.”

“You hear that dad? Nyx wants to be an unspeakable!” Elias calls out. “My littlest brother got his whole life planned out on one single hand.”

“You know what unspeakables do, Nyx?” James questions as plates clatter. “Are you eating breakfast with us, Elias?”

“Yeah. But make that two and a half extra plates, please.”

James looks over to Elias from where he still stood up for him to see his head, eyebrows furrowed questionable. “Why?”

“Because someone crashed in his bed last night.” Aster mutters bringing in the hair stuff from the mud room and drops them noisily on the table.

“Someone was in your bedroom? With Ella in there? Are you nuts?” James hisses at him from the kitchen.

“I’d never! Not with Ella-” He falls quiet knowing damn well he and Casey did have sex that one time when Brighton was asleep in the room. “Casey’s upstairs with Ella right now. I’ve got Brighton with me right now.”

“Oh.” Aurora tilts her head. “I thought Ella grew or something.”

Elias scoffs at his sister scooping Brighton up and going into the kitchen. He grabs the orange juice from the fridge and sets it onto the counter along with Brighton. He doesn’t miss James’ wandering eyes a bit.

“You really weren’t kidding about him… breastfeeding off you. Pour me a glass too, will you?”

“He’d go all day if I let him. He was on me for like two hours last night.” Elias mutters. “I think he’s more asleep right now than awake and I’m dried out from last night. I swear I am. The only beneficial thing of breastfeeding them both at the same time is that I pump less, waste less, and my tits are more evened out. My left one was so much bigger than my right until Brighton started and he works far better than the pumps.”

“You feed 'em at the same time?” James questions as he grabs two glasses overhead of Brighton carefully with one hand on Brighton’s head ensuring he doesn’t hit his head.

“That’s the deal. He start to do it only if I’m feeding Ella. But by the time I’m done feeding Ella, I can’t overfeed her and he’s sucking me dry on one side for the next few hours and just stays latched on. Sucking.”

“Is this you complaining or…”

Elias pours the two cups worth of juice. “Nah. I like it.” James looks at him a bit concerned making Elias roll his eyes. “Not like that, Dad! You pervert! I… I get to bond with Brighton. And Ella, in a way no one else here can. I like it. It’s my special thing that I can do with them. But I told Cass I’d stop when Brighton’s two unless he stops on his own before then. I’ve got to draw the line somewhere and that age, I think is reasonable. Then I still have a year to go more with Ella.”

“Uh-huh. Aster, mind handing out these plates? They’re ready.”

Elias can feel the glaring stare from his Papa as he bristles by and takes the two plates for his siblings and goes back into the dining room.

“Just to say,” James leans closer to Elias. “It’d be really nice if you and Papa sorta... you know, cleared this funk in the air up.”

“I know. After Nyx and Rora leaves.” Elias mutters under his breath. James nods as Elias passes him his cup and picks up Brighton to put away the juice in the fridge.

With a tiring yawn, Elias doesn’t think when he hears the knock on the front door, moving over to answer it with James on the stove cooking breakfast.

“It’s about time I finally caught you here. On my last day too.” Owen smirks at him placing a hand on the door trim trying to act 'cool' with Elias. Elias wakes up again, fast, staring at him without a word and big eyes mentally unprepared and too brain-fogged with the lack of sleep in his head.

He's holding Brighton close to his chest, still hidden under his shirt.

“That the kid? Looks too old to be a baby.”

“What do you want?” Elias finds it in himself to mutter quietly.

“Leaving in a few hours. I’ve been trying to see you for the whole week. I hope you know I’ve been in the area.”

“Good for you. I’ve been busy.”

“Clearly. Opening your legs and all that shit.”

“What do you want, Owen?” Elias repeats firmly, gripping the door tightly.

“I was just hoping, maybe we could go out for a walk. That dandelion field is starting to grow out." Elias doesn't miss the wiggle of his eyebrows. "Maybe we could go back and have a… repeat of last time? For old time sakes?”

Elias shakes his head. “No. I’m busy today. You can go. I’m sure you can take Rachel with you. I heard she's here too, or is she too busy for you again?” He finds it in himself to pick at Owen as much as he was being picked on himself.

Owen takes a step forward. Elias tries to close the door with a hard slam only catching his steel-toed leather black boot in the closing doorway. He couldn’t do much, not with Brighton in his arms, still on his chest. He didn’t even have his wand on him, foolishly leaving it in his bedroom.

“Please leave the manor, Pettigrew. I’m asking you for the final time before this is you breaking the law and breaking and entering a premises as well should I add threatening not only me but a child — a minor — to the list?”

“Do you need help, Elias?” He feels Casey’s hand on his lower back and fingers curling around his side and he inhales sharply seeing Capella in his arms, legs tucked in curled up and leaning on his chest with a hand under her bum, wearing a short onesie without pants or shorts to complete it that showed the hems of her nappy.

“Now that looks like a baby.” Owen hums eyeing Casey then Capella. “And who are you?”

“I’m none of your business. But you on the other hand are bothering the Potters. So last warning, leave or the proper authorities will be called.”

Elias doesn’t miss how Owen’s eyes were on Capella a second too long before looking over to Elias with slightly softer eyes. “How old is she?”

Elias shakes his head. “She’s not yours, if that’s what you’re thinking. I took the Plan B, remember?”

“Really? That shit can fail sometimes. Then who is-”

“Mine. Can’t you tell?” Casey puffs out his chest defensively. “Her hair? Skin’s a good mix of Elias’ and mine but I think she's got my skin more. She’s got E’s eyes, the brown in 'em. Not the green, if you want to know. Birth certificate’s upstairs too, if you really want to see the bloody proof. Do you? Do you need me to go get it? I promise you, my name’s on it. Not some single parent’s bullshit. But,” Casey leans close in warning to Owen. “It was a close call though. Blood test, too. She’s all mine.”

There was that tight tension in Owen’s jaw before his foot finally kicked back out of the door. “I’m leaving. There’s nothing for me here anyway. Have a fucking happy life with the slut. Wasn’t hard to get in their pants. Clearly you know, given brat number one and two and all that.”

Elias watches Owen take the total of ten steps away from the front door before he’s slamming it closed and locking it for safekeeping. He leans against the door, knocking his head against the window and lets out a shaky sob full of fear with his arms wrapped around Brighton and looks at Casey.

“Why’d you tell him that?”

“He left, didn’t he?”

“He did, but there’s not a blood test-”

“She’s my daughter, Elias. Blood or not. Just like Bright’s yours.” Casey quietly reassures him pressing a kiss to his forehead. Elias lifts a hand, gently caressing a knuckle on her soft cheek. The small touch had her opening her eyes, blinking a bit at Elias.

“Hi, baby girl.” Elias quietly coos at her. “The big bad man is gone. Daddy scared him off. We don’t have to worry about him anymore.”

Her eyelashes weren’t as dark as her hair on the top of her head. If anything it looked mixed between blonde and brown as they fluttered once, twice, before falling closed again making Elias laugh a bit. He feels Casey’s hand on his cheek, probably clearing away some strayed tears.

“Well… um, well... that was Owen.”

“He’s a prick.”

“He can be worse. He can be better.”

“Doesn’t seem like it.”

“He’s easier to shut up in other ways. Believe me, that’s how I got her.” Elias mutters making Casey laugh. “He didn’t last long either, came mid-ride. I had to get off and make myself-”

“And I think the rest of that conversation can be held until it’s just the two of you.” James interrupts them shoving some plates of eggs and sausages in their faces.

Casey takes one of the plates, James sets the other on the counter where Elias carries Brighton over and sets him down again. He tugs up his shirt where he’s quite sure the toddler’s asleep.

“Brighton,” Casey sings poking the toddler’s cheek before pinching it. Brighton whines, and the soft sucking becomes more stronger as Elias rolls his eyes. “You should’ve let me pull out before waking him up. He’s going at it again.”

There was an amused smile on Casey’s lips. “Really?”

“Yes.” Casey snickers and picks up the fork on his plate and stabs some eggs before waving it in Brighton’s hardly opened eyes.

“Want some eggs, Bright? You gotta let go of Dada first.” Casey attempts to negotiates with the toddler. It takes a few minutes of Brighton staring silently with quiet whines but Casey manages to peel him off Elias.

They trade babies and Elias is able to eat his food without anyone on his nipples. Elias waits out for his siblings to get on their school bus before he follows Aster into the mud room with Capella being swayed in his arms.

“Can we talk?” He asks quietly.

“I don’t know. Can we?”

He lets out a quiet sigh watching Aster bend over, on the very top of his toes yanking out wet clothes from the washer. “I’m sorry for my behavior for the last week towards you. I… I took it too far.”

Aster drops the clothes in the plastic bin to be put into the dryer, it falls in with a wet noisy plop.

“You’re sorry?”

Elias nods firmly. “Yes. I’m sorry. I was a bit too immature. The least I could’ve done was heard you out before hiding away in my room and ignoring you every chance I had.”

Aster stares at him a bit too long. “Your dad isn’t hiding under his invisibly cloak with his wand at your head, is he?”

Elias frowns, waves his arms around his body. “Nope. Just you and me in here.” He glances down at his daughter and holds her up a bit. “And Capella, too. Can’t forget her no more. Born and all that.”

His last sentence puts a faint smile on Aster’s face. Quietly, Aster nods with a loud sigh.

“I suppose it’s my turn to apologise then. I’m sorry for telling Salem, then lying to you about it than being honest when I could’ve been.”

Elias nods. “Thank you, Papa.”

Aster’s eyes are soft on Elias and Capella. “Being a dad’s really made you grow up and become far more mature than I ever thought I could imagine you as. You hardly bicker with Nyx and Aurora anymore too.”

“I got no energy for that anymore.” Elias chuckles. “And you can thank Cass for that. This. Us… He helps me more than you can imagine.”

“I know. I picked a good one.”

Elias makes an affronted noise. “I’m the one with him.” He’s careful with his words of choice. He’s married to him. Thanks to Teddy. The rubber-band around his finger securely was that constant reminder.

“Yeah but you wouldn’t met him if it wasn’t for me, was it?” Aster cockily smirks at him folding his arms over his chest. “You’d be here, all mopey and single-parenty, probably facing Owen’s wrath too. If not for him. I wanted to step in with my wand, you can thank your dad for that. Muggle or not, someone needed to put that boy in his spot. He had no place calling you a whore.”

“Slut.” Elias mumbles under his breath.

“That.” Aster grumbles going back to digging out the wet clothes from the washer. “Wait until I get a word out to Salem. She’s finally going to have a proper reason to slap that smirk off his cocky face. I should tell her that he blurted it out that he slept with you just so that it’s known he did cheated on Rachel. Merlin.”

Aster heaves himself up, hands full with wet clothes as he drops them into the plastic bin. He gives one good stern look at Elias before looking at Capella and softening a bit before spotting the band on his finger that he held his daughter on his left hand. “And get that rubber band off your finger. It looks far too tight. I don’t need you losing another body part under my nose for Godric’s sake!”

Elias sighs, knowing now he’ll need to find a new adaption to the band as he tugs off the rubber material and indeed seeing a deep red and turning purple imprint line around his finger.

So maybe his Papa was right about something.

Chapter 60: May 8th, 2007

May 8th, 2007

 

“Can I ask you something, abuelo?” Elias speaks stirring his potion carefully with a baby monitor set safely on the potion ingredient shelf beside where he stood.

Casey had to run out, doing errands and such as well as now looking for a more local job leaving Elias with Brighton and Capella, both napping in his bedroom as he took the two hours to practice brewing potions with Fleamont.

“Sure.”

“Well… I’m sure you know of Uncle Regulus’ potion-”

“I’m well aware of it. I’m not teaching you to brew it, however. That’s a medical grade potion that I’m sure not even your Papa brews himself. I've seen your brewing levels, you're well skilled but not as nearly as advanced as your Papa's or Uncle's.”

Elias rolls his eyes at the interruption.

“That’s not where I was going at.” He huffs at him as he adds the pearl dust, one of the last ingredients to the dangerous potion that he was being taught and closely supervised.

“I was going to ask, out of curiosity…” Elias swallows thickly trying to build up the confidence to ask his grandfather of all people the question. “Muggles, drinking potions… is that effective? At all?”

“I don’t think so, nieto.” There was that soft smile on Fleamont’s lips with a twitch of raised eyebrows. “Does Casey know of the potion to be asking this sort of question himself of… is this you asking?”

Elias shrugs, refusing to meet eyes as he smells deeply of the pearlescent sparkly pink potion.

His eyes drift closed for a moment too long and his head’s dipping down, inching closer to the intoxicating smell…

The cauldron is suddenly covered up with the lid. The smell is reduced by a lot. Faint, but he’s able to control himself as Elias opens his eyes blinking hard with a blushing face. Red and spread across his nose and ears.

“Sorry… I lost myself there for a second.”

“It happens to the best of us.”

Fleamont smiles at his nieto kindly without judgement, his kindness soft and showing in his eyes.

“But not you?” Elias asks curiously noticing how his abuelo seemed unaffected. "You seemed unphased with the potion."

“Years and years of practice. Amortentia isn’t a commonly brewed potion, needed or required. In Hogwarts, they teach but don’t allow students to brew it, which leads to a lot of mis-brewing, dosing, over poisoning, relationships that lack love and that can be heavily impacting on children.”

“But you still teach me to brew it? Why?”

“I do because I find it knowledgeable for students to at least get the idea of symptoms and tell-tale signs of the potion. Example?” Fleamont tests.

“The smell?”

Fleamont nods. “Correct. If your drink or food happens to be laced, even just a single drop in anything, you should still be able to smell it through food and beverage. Not many think or know of that. So once the potion takes affect, they or as well as others brush it off as abnormal obsessive behavior usually. That's how it usually starts out. But all you have to do is pick up the last thing that was indigested and give it a tiny close whiff.”

“Intresting.” Elias looks at his cauldron. “Why does potions affect wizards and witches but not muggles?”

“Well,” Fleamont leans back on the table behind him, opposite from Elias. “The potion you’re asking me of, I personally have no clue if it’d have any effect on a muggle or not. The best person to ask would be your uncle himself. However, certain potions may have and hold an effect. Most, however, don’t. Name one?”

Elias suddenly felt like he was walking into a trick question as he was under the eyes of Fleamont. He stops and thinks on it. Fleamont doesn’t follow by the school books. He goes however he wants to, teaching Elias potions that he knows Elias is ready for and prepares Elias for potions to get him ready for potions for the future. It wasn’t as if Elias had a whole class to work with. It was just him and his abuelo.

His eyes drift down to the potion in front of him. “The amortentia can affect muggles?”

Fleamont nods with an affirmative hum. “It’s not mentioned in the books because you’d be surprised how many wizards and witches would try to take advantage of this source of knowledge.”

“Why, though?”

Fleamont shrugs. “Looks. Personality. To be love. To feel wanted. A cover up. Sex. Elias, the possibilities are endless depending on the selfish reason of the witch or wizard. The difference between drugging a muggle and a magical person is the fact that a muggle is far more of a no one in the wizarding world than a pureblood such as a Black or a Potter. They're clueless and no one would know the symptoms. Thinking that muggle is just... in love.”

“I think I understand it better now.” Elias quietly nods. “I mean, I think I get it. The idea of… t-the love. The want to be loved. Because some people don’t deserve it, but crave it anyway. Even if they know it themselves. Which is selfish alone.”

Fleamont lifts off the table. “Exactly. You’re smart, Elias. Just like your Papa when I taught him. Just in your own way.”

Elias studies his cauldron for a moment. “You know I don’t plan on working in the magic-field, right? That in the future, all of this is going to be worthless to me? I’m meeting a record dealer in a few days, abuelo. I think I got a shot with him.”

“Maybe so. Maybe not.” It was a shrug in the end. “I’ll be back down for another lesson. I got to use the toilet first, air it out some down here. Use the time for a break or something. Don't lift that lid. I'll know if you do.”

Elias hardly gets a reply out before Fleamont is heading up the narrow staircase.

Staring at the lidded cauldron, Elias doesn’t dare to touch it but he leans closer to it, smelling deeply of it’s scents it gave him.

There was some of the baby powdery lavender that he knew came from the calming muggle baby lotion Casey bought for Brighton and Ella to put on after their baths.

Some sort of outdoorsy-citrusy-apple smell. A good mixture of what he’d smell if he went into his fathers’ bedroom. A calming reminder of their presence.

Leaning closer with that last scent. Probably the most strongest and most addicting of all he could smell—

“Whoa. You have your own creepy science laboratory down here and didn’t tell me?” Elias jolts back, hitting the table with the cauldron and tipping it over a bit that has him swearing in all English, Spanish, and French as he rushes to cover the lid and getting a few drops onto the table steading the cauldron.

Now he had to explain to his abuelo over the spill and droplets that was making the room smell even stronger by the second.

“Are you making your own cologne or something? It’s heavy down here.” Casey inhales deeply. “Not that I mind though. You don’t really go overboard with it. It’s always like a natural smell… baby-ish with the lotion and…” Another inhale. “Some spices. I think it’s from your hair stuff, actually… do you even use cologne?”

Elias’ cheeks were a burning red as he looks up to Casey. “I hardly use cologne, Casey. Very rare.”

“Then what’s in the… thingy pot?”

“It’s a cauldron. My abuelo’s in the bathroom right now. Remember he was coming over today to tutor me?”

“Right… right… what does he teach again?”

“Potions.”

“And whatcha brewing?”

“Amortentia.” Casey blinks at him. “Love potion.”

“Ahh… I don’t get it. Is that the-?”

“The smell, yes. It also works in an idea as a drug if indigested.”

“So this place down here is like… a drug lab?”

“What? No! It’s a potions-" Elias shakes his head laughing softly. "It’s like a lab. But for potions.”

“But potions are like drugs, no? You took potions when you were pregnant? Prenatal drugs... potion prenatal drugs... tomato- tomahto?”

“Yes. Like prenatals vitamins. Just potions, stronger for my immune system. Then there was my iron iron supplement potion after the spotting. Everything is like muggle but potion or- you could also call it an elixir.”

Casey nods slow but Elias a knew he didn’t entirely understood. “So there’s potions for everything then? Even people like me? Muggles?”

“No. But we’re trying, I can imagine. My uncle Regulus — Papa’s broody grouchy brother — he’s a potion master himself. Runs a shop in Diagon Alley. You could always ask him. Just... don't pester him?”

“Uh-huh… What’s... Diagon Alley?”

“It’s like this large shopping center for witches and wizards. One big alley. Papa hates it there, I don't know why. He always get antsy there but Dad loves taking us when he can when we were young. I can actually take you to Diagon Alley. I just have to bring you in through from the muggle access point in London.”

“If witches and wizards are suppose to be separate why is there a access point for muggles?”

Elias laughs softly moving over to Elias and placing his hands onto his waist, thumbs gently sneaking under his shirt rubbing a silver bit of skin at dip in Casey's hips.

“For the muggleborns to shop with their parents before they head off to Hogwarts. I like to believe that even muggle parents are curious about the eviorment they're sending their child off into and want to ensure their child is going to be safe regarding the school they go to that they can't ever visit or see themself personally.”

“Hmm-hmm.” Casey closes his eyes, leaning into Elias’ touch fast, nuzzling his face in Elias' neck. “I think that love potion is starting to kick in right about now.”

Elias laughs softly shaking his head and pressing a kiss onto his neck where it was exposed enough from his shirt. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Ridiculously getting hard for you.” He mutters. “Married for a week and I always imagine that getting married there came a bit of the after party — a honeymoon period. Sorry to get my hopes up a bit.”

“There’s two infants in our bedroom, Cass. Sorry to disappoint. More risky than just Brighton when we know he’s asleep, there's four eyes to look out after.”

Casey leans close to his head. “And now?”

“My abuelo could be back any minute.” Elias whispers hastily, though the thought did excite him as he draws back with a wicked smile on his face. Elias reaches down, cupping Casey and getting a big feel of just how big Casey was forming for him.

“I haven’t done this in a while, and I’ve only done this once with a cock. Go easy on your criticism when I’m done. I'm not as experienced as you are.” He murmurs to Casey before dropping to his knees and quickly unfastening the brown belt on Casey’s jeans and tugs both pants and underwear down to the bare minimum to tug Casey more than half hard cock out. Just nearly there to being entirely hard.

Elias licks the whole underside hearing that soft moan before giving it that few final tugs to completion of size. He swirls his tongue a bit past the head before wrapping his mouth around the cock and taking him slow but steady.

Casey pinches his eyebrows together with a hand falling into Elias’ hair. “A little less teeth…” He breathes out shakily. Elias moves to tuck his lips under his teeth, making sure his lips were wet with enough spit as he goes. “Top- top jaw… yeah… like that… fuck.”

Elias’ first though was that giving head to a pussy owner was far easier as he had to learn how to control his breathing the second he had his mouth halfway full. Then there was the stretching of his aching jaw.

There were parts of sex that he didn’t like. Far from it but still was willing to do and be participant with for the sake of Casey as he takes Casey deeper, closer to the root as he bobs his mouth and sucks with a bit of quiet moans and noises around his cock.

He closes his eyes trying to stay in deep concentration, moving a hand at the base with no intention of deep throating as he jerks off what he couldn’t cover with his mouth.

It takes a few minutes, Casey’s moans started to become a bit louder. Elias doesn't pull off to snap at him to be quiet, instead pulling back a bit and licking around the tip, tounging around the slit for a moment to tease Casey before taking him back in his mouth for another long minute.

“Oh, fuck- E- Elias I’m going to-… I’m going to-…”

Elias pulls off, tongue sticking out and mouth wide open as he uses the hand on the base of Casey’s cock to jerk the rest of him into his orgasm opening his eyes and staring up at Casey who had half lidded open eyes looking down at him as he comes on his face.

His salty come gets all over Elias’ face; his mouth, his tongue. Elias licks his lips before sticking his tongue back in his mouth and swallowing what he was able to, finishing Casey off with a long lick at the underside of his cock just to get that teasing spasm out of Casey before dropping his cock entirely, slick and shiney with spit and a bit of precome. “How was it?”

“Good.” Casey answers with a slight crack in his voice. Nodding a bit dreamily leaning back onto the table behind him with his eyes mostly closed, hardly able to look at Elias. “Good.”

Elias adjusts himself, off his knees and onto his butt. “Good.” His voice was raspy as he repeats Casey’s answer. Fuck. He lets out a raspy laugh, massaging his jaw below his ears. “Don’t ever ask me to deep throat you and I’ll think we’ll manage our marriage very good.” He can't help but mock Casey a bit.

“Hmm? Why not?” Casey looks at him confused with fucked out light and bright shining eyes, though he didn’t seem to be pushing Elias on for demands of actually showing that need of being showered of blow jobs. Between the two of them and Brighton and then adding Ella only a month ago, they’ve hardly fucked, let alone did anything else other than kissing and a few heated snogs.

“Eating someone out is so much easier than giving someone a blow-job.” Elias merely answers using the back of his hand to clean what he could on his face, primarily his cheeks. “Once you give me a proper blow-job with a cock, I’ll let you give out pros and cons on which you like going down on more.”

The soft light in Casey’s eyes go dark. “Sometimes I forget you’re bi and had a girlfriend before me.”

Elias smirks at him.

“Bad or good?”

“Both?”

Elias chuckles softly, opening his legs a bit on the floor staring up at Casey who was softening, untucked still. “Did I just unlock a fantasy deep inside your head, Mister Lambert?”

“It’s Lambert-Potter now and you know it.” Casey huffs finally moving to put himself away. “And for your information…Probably.”

Elias lifts an eyebrow with a smirk. “Probably?”

Casey rolls his eyes. “Fine. Yes. Thinking about watching you eating someone out turns me on. Happy?”

“Much. Help me up?”

Casey chuckles taking Elias’ hands and tugging him up to his feet. Elias doesn’t hesitate to kiss Casey making him groan, dodging his head. “You got my spunk all over your face. Clean up first before kissing me, will you?”

“And who’s fault is that for aiming and missing? I should make you lick my face clean for this mess.” Elias tuts at him, grabbing a used cloth and passing to Casey where he cleans up the missed spots with a gentle touch. It wasn't licking him clean, but his actions held something far more intimate with Elias big eyes admiring him softly with the love potion's fumes now getting to his head.

“What? Why are you staring at me like that?” Casey had a soft chuckle to his words.

“Nothing. I just love you. Can’t I stare at my husband for as long as I want without being questioned?”

“We’re going to have to tell everyone eventually. Bright and I can only be here for so long in one go before questions start to be asked. I think your Papa's starting to sense something's up, with us not leaving now.”

Elias hums in affirmative as Casey sets the cloth to the side on the table behind him. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

“Potions can do a lot of things. But their effects on Muggles are dependents. It seems certain ones can affect muggles and others can’t. I don’t know if a certain in particular potion has ever been tested on a muggle before.”

“Are you asking me to risk myself to take a random potion that I have no clue what it is?”

“I’m ninety-five percent sure it won’t harm or kill you.”

“And if it does?”

“More than likely you’d just be allergic to one of it’s ingredients. But I wouldn’t let that happen. I’d prepare ahead of time before you even dare to take it. However, what if I promise I took it first. Showed you everything there is to it then... one day when we got time to ourselves... you could try it?”

“And when you say it like that, ‘got time to ourselves’, may I remind you that we hardly got time to ourselves as it is now…” Casey leans close to Elias, hands placed and gripping tight on Elias’ waist. “Wait- Is it some sort of sex potion?”

Elias grins at him. “A bit. Uncle Regulus created it for Papa.”

“Uh-huh…? That's not weird at all... a brother creating a sex potion for his brother...?”

“It’s suppose to change our genitals. An invention for trans people in particular, but others can use too. Kinks and shit.” Elias is blunt with Casey.

“You mean-?”

“It’d give me a cock. A proper one like yours, even a set of balls, too. I haven’t tried it out before. It’s not safe to be taken with a pregnancy and I have to be seventeen to buy it with my wizard ID.” Casey’s quiet. “And I’m generally curious of how it’d affect you. But you don’t have to take it. I won’t make you. I'm just... throwing it in the air for you to know.”

“And me taking the potion would mean that… I would have a…”

“A pussy. Like me. Tits or not, it’s optional. It’s temporary, just a few hours at most,” Elias leans close, standing on his toes a bit. “But I do miss sucking and biting on a good pair of tits as much as Brighton does on mine in a very sexual way.”

Elias runs his tounge across his teeth, grinning wickedly at Casey.

Elias rocks back on his feet, flat on the concrete ground and out of Casey's face once again and flashing him a far more innocent smile, batting his eyelashes even more innocently.

“Just think on it, no rush. I just wanted you to know about it. But I’m taking the potion, no question about it. So be prepared when that happens. And I’m going to make you choke on my cock. Just like I did on yours minutes ago. ¿Me entiende, señor Lambert-Potter?”

Casey stares blinking cluelessly at him. His light shaded jade green eyes sparkled looking a bit grassy in the oil lamps lit brightly around the solid concrete room as Elias presses a soft kiss to his lips in time hearing Fleamont’s heavy steps coming down.

“Check on the kids, will you? They should be napping until… two. At least for Brighton. I have another lesson to get started with.” Elias whispers to Casey taking a step back with a teasing wink and sending a swat to Casey's rear end.

Abuelo seeing them be in love, he shall be damned.

Elias knew he'd be in more trouble for the spilled potion than smacking Casey in the arse for him to see at the end of the day.

Chapter 61: May 12th, 2007

May 12th, 2007

 

“E…”

“…Eeee-llll-iiiassss…” A poke in his side making him groan into his pillow.

“What?”

“Your sister’s calling you.”

He moans into the pillow, not moving much, he holds up a hand and his phone is set into it. He sets it on his ear, eyes closed and more than half asleep. “What Zura?”

It was never Elianna. She never called. And if she did it was going to be mostly silence on her end, she was going to be a listener than the speaker unless you wanted Pansy to take the phone from her and snap for bothering them at whatever time you called.

“Listen, Eli, I need you to pick up Clem-”

“Can’t.”

She groans loudly on her end.

“It’s not an option right now. Lotta’s moved into Weasley number one-”

“Number four, but keep talking.”

“How do you even know-? You knwo what? Never mind that. I’m stuck out in Russia for another few days because a few estúpida teammates of mine decided to bring illegal substance and getting caught by some muggle police that-”

“Her or you? I bet all mine and Cass' money it came from Zio Barty.”

He hears her scoff at him as well as Casey before it goes a bit quiet for a few extra seconds.

“That’s beside the point-”

“What if I tell dad?”

“Don’t you dare!" She screeches at him. "He’s already heckling me over joining the Holyhead Harpies to support witches rights over wizards and mixed gender teams than taking the offer from Chudley Cannons. We both know they only wanted me cause Dad played for them before-”

“Get to the point, Zura. I was doing something far better than being on the phone with you right now.”

She sighs. “I need you to pick up Clementine and take care of her for a few days until I can get home. No option. No choice. Come on, Elias. How often do I ask you of something?”

“I can’t. You know why you had to take her in the first place.”

“It’s just a few days. That’s all I’m asking. Put- put a repelling charm or something on the crib.”

“Cribs, plural. Don’t forget Brighton.”

“Right. I forgot. For a moment I was thinking you were really going to break up with that Cass bloke with what Dad was telling me over his mum.”

“Nah. Just… His mum is his problem and I’m just going to stay away from her.”

“Sounds like what Papa did with Abuela before you came along and she passed... And the kids?”

Elias sighs pushing himself up on his hands and arching his back. “Alright, fine. I’m busy today but I can pick her up in the evening. Why can’t Luna watch her anymore?”

Azura groans loudly. “Luna started dating this guy… Roof. Rump. Rull. Something Scamander. So she’s just called saying that she’s going on this spur of the moment trip with him out of the country to see some exotic beasts in Africa for the Quibbler.”

“Uh-huh…" Elias' eyebrows pinched. "Quibbler still around? Didn't realize Auntie Pandora and Phil was still on that.”

“Yeah. Yep. I know.”

“You know how Papa feels about Clementine in the manor.” Elias warns her.

“And you know how Papa feels about teenage pregnancies while still in Hogwarts.”

“Touché.” Elias laughs softly. “Good hearing from you Zuzu. Been a while.”

Azura met Capella once before Quidditch took in full time for her. And now her team was expected to reach the Quidditch World Cup in the end of summer if she wins the next two more matches.

“I know, I know.” She hums. “Oh, I should warn you. Um, Papa called Ellie and Ellia called Harry and Harry told Uncle Remus who told Uncle Regulus when he was picking up his potions who I think talked to Mary and Lily who spoke to Luna who I just got off the phone with that I thought I should warn you if you don’t know yet that Papa’s been asking questions about you and Casey.”

Elias’s eyebrows furrowed as he looks over to Casey who had his back turned to him, currently changing Brighton’s nappy.

“What kind of questions? Do you know?”

“No. But he seems a bit pissed.”

“Pissed? On a scale of three to ten?”

“I’m guessing from how widespread the news got… seven…ish? No, that’s being kind. Nine, maybe? You might want Dad around. He might save your life. Or Cass'... maybe both of yous?”

Elias looks over to his clock. It was Thursday, nearing ten in the morning. Both fathers due at work hours ago. It was his one free day of the week without any tutoring so he could go out of the house to London with Casey and the kids with a stroller and finally meet up at the address he was given to over the phone with who he learned was the manager of Simon Cowell.

It was safe to say he had his bag stuffed and ready for anything possible to be discussed. And after that, he planned on bringing Casey to Diagon Alley to show him around and use some of his savings to get one potion for himself to see how him and Casey liked it whenever they had an opportunity to use it.

It was safe to say Elias was very excited on that part.

“When was this questioning thing started?”

“I don’t know. I’m not your owl.” Azura scoffs at him.

Elias groans, flopping his head on the pillow. 

“What did you do?” Azura asks him. “Wait. Are you pregnant again?”

“Fuck that! No!”

Casey looks over his shoulder at Elias at his volume, a small smile on his lips when Elias flips him off. Brighton was only dressed in his nappy, carried off onto the bed. Casey tosses some toys on the bed before collecting Capella out of the bassinet close to Elias’ side of the bed and pulls out a much smaller sized nappy.

Elias covers his mouth and the piece to the phone to shy away from Casey a bit as he gossiped a bit with his older sister. "We haven't even had sex like that yet since Ella. Geez. Straight to the worst thing possible already, Zuzu."

“Then what did you do?” She asks him suspiciously.

“I don’t know. Papa’s always finds something to be mad at something. That’s why we never assume it’s a one to ten thing. It’s a three to ten. Everyone in this house knows that. A Potter-sibling rule when you ask the adverage.” With that statement, Casey snorts a laugh as Elias stresses.

“Well you better figure it out. Cause he’s calling around. Talking to people. Hold on. Are you doing drugs?”

“No! I’m not you!”

“It was weed! I didn’t know how dangerously illegal it is in Russia! Help me! I can't leave until these stupid muggles are entirely obliviated by the ministry wizard-Collegium Magii here and they erase all mine, Gins, and Rath's information off their system. We're all stuck in the same room. I can deal with Gin but not Rath — fuck off, Rath! I'm taking to my little brother! I got a pet that needs lovings and savings and feedings!”

Elias laughs softly at his sister's misery.

“I’ll pick up Clem later tonight with her stuff. Hopefully she’ll distract Papa’s pissy mood off from me for a few days until I can figure out what it is I did that I did do now.”

“Alright. Her food’s in that container you gave me next to the island. Shrink her cat tree-”

“I’m not bringing the bloody tree-”

“But she loves the tree. You know she loves the tree! Oh! Put it in the hall!”

“I'm not putting it in bloody the hall. I do that and she attacks everyone's head like we're balls! You know Papa hates that. I got no room in my room, Azura! I had to take out my drums ages ago! You know they’re my anger management reliever. And the piano’s going to be next-”

“You have your keyboard, E. Don’t be that dramatic.”

“Don’t you start. I’m hoarding two babies and Cass in my room and now Papa's on some piss-spree and it's being targeted on me and I don't know what I did this time.”

“I had Ellie in my room.”

“My room looks like a baby shop threw up all over it! Blue here, pink there. Toys over in the corner. A rattle hit my head the other day and I got leeches on my tits when I'm dead asleep. half the time. Dad’s thinking about putting a mini-freezer in here so he has more room in the freezer in the kitchen for food than my milk!”

A long pause. Elias eyes Brighton as he begins his toy, now crawling up over to him and tugging on his shirt.

“No. Still weird hearing you say that. How’s that breastfeeding journey thing going?”

“Haven’t been a victim of mastitis yet and no one's bitten me so it’s enjoyable.”

“Enjoyable?”

He sighs shaking his head with an eye roll. “Why do people automatically think that way when I say something like that. No, not sexually. The bonding. It’s very-” Elias yanks on Brightons’ hand, tugging it off him warningly. “No. Wait for Ella first, Brighton. You know the rules, suck your thumb or something.”

“Ella goes first?” Azura hums curiously. “Whatever for? A nappy change?”

“Uh, no. Brighton’s greedy when it comes to breastfeeding. You won’t believe how big my tits are now-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa-! Hold up. Rewind! What was that? Did I just hear you wrong or my hotel phone acting up with the extra international charges that I'm making Rath pay? —Shut up with the whining! Don't you know anything about privacy!?”

“You heard it right the first time.”

“You’re breastfeeding your boyfriend’s baby?”

“Err… about that…” Elias points warningly at Brighton. “Brighton is my son.”

That was that humorous laugh from his sister. “Elias, I get it. You’re in love and all that. You love the boy like he’s your son. But isn’t that going a little too far? Just a smidge?”

“Dad and Papa has nothing against it.”

“Really?”

“Yes. They’ve seen me doing it on occasion and never said anything against it. Even Nyx and Rora's seen me do it now.” Casey carries over Capella, passing her over to Elias feet first, careful with her neck and head.

“Tell her. Got to start somewhere.” He whispers during the pass, poking at the small piece of white string loosely tied on his finger. “Besides we should be getting the papers in the mail any day now.”

Elias sighs softly with a tiny nod at the reminder. Brighton’s finalized adoption papers.

“Actually, there is been something I’ve been needing to tell you. As well as that going to the whole family. The whole family besides Teddy, that is. So I need you to be quiet and just… listen for a few seconds, please? I know it's hard for you but... please?”

“Alright. Thirty seconds on the clock starting… now!”

He knew Azura was being dead serious as he takes a deep breath.

“Firstly, I adopted Brighton. Secondly, I’m no longer just a Potter.”

It was fast and as simple as he could state it.

Elias chews on his lip as he sits his daughter up, holding her with the phone tucked between his shoulder and ear as his heart is pounding in his chest while he fiddles with the loose sports bra he had on, removing the slightly damp nursing pads out and moving to let Capella latch on first.

“Pass me that pillow, will you?” He points over to the nursing pillow that manged to get on Casey’s side of the bed and gets Capella situated first before letting Brighton have his go.

“You still there sis? Rath hasn't murdered you yet?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I uh… changed my name a bit?” Elias grimaces at himself for letting that come out as a question.

“Does Papa and Dad know?”

“Not yet. No.”

“Maybe that’s why Papa’s pissed…” She thinks out loud making Elias pause in thought as he looks over to Casey a bit panicked. “The adoption papers, do they come in your name or mine?”

“Both, I think?” Casey shrugs unsure. “We’ll see it when it arrives in the mail. Our second copy of our offical marriage certificate should be in it too.”

Elias’ blood runs cold. “Oh fuck.”

“What. did. you. do?” Azura asks him again, far more serious than playful.

“Casey and I got hitched.”

“Forget the nine. And Dad.” Azura tuts at him, probably shaking her head too. “You’re getting the full blown ten. Ooh, maybe even as far as eleven. Damn. I wish I was at home now. I don’t think I’d ever seen Dad be this mad... I should call Harry and Ellie...”

“No! Don't tell them! Dad?!” Elias squeaks out, now scared for his life.

“If you haven’t been comforted yet, Papa’s been keeping his mouth shut so far. If Dad knows, everyone knows. That's how you know. And you, Elias, you better get Casey’s arse out of the manor when and if Papa talks to you. Putain, j'aimerais être à la maison maintenant.”

“Mierda.” He cusses again, in a different language.

“How did you even get hitched? You’re seventeen. You’d need Papa or Dad to sign off first at least.”

“Um… I suppose it’s not going to help my case with Dad saying that Teddy stole his ID for the day and forged his signature… is it? I promised Teddy his life... I probably shouldn't have done that now that I'm thinking on it.”

Azura laughs loud and hard and mocking. Elias winces, pulling the phone off his ear where it’s hovers between him and Casey. Casey even grimaces at the volume of Azura’s laughter.

“You’re dead meat, Elias! Both of you! Good luck! Don’t forget Clem, Elias! I'll kick your arse if you do!” Azura hangs up leaving them on a dial tone.

Casey glances over to Elias. “Clem?”

“Clementine. My and Azura’s cat who hates everyone but us. We're special, everyone hates us cause of it.”

“I didn’t know you had a cat.”

“Had to give her up when I got pregnant. Apparently it’s ‘hazardous’,” Elias uses quotation marks. “For pregnant people to change cat litters. But I think it was just an excuse for Papa to finally have her out of the manor. She’s old as hell, Papa prays for her to die. She’s got patches of missing orange fur, and she’s skinny as hell but can eat a shit ton of food if you let her but… she’s my first baby. Took her to school and everything.”

“Why didn’t you get her back after you had Ella?”

Elias shakes his head furiously. “No. No, no, no. That’s- that’s dangerous. I wouldn't even let her around Brighton. She claws a lot of people. Bite too. You can look but not touch. She doesn’t usually go around the manor, likes to hide out in my room cause before Azura moved out she shared with Ellie and Clem didn't like Ellie. I’m going to have to put charms over the cribs to keep Brighton and Ella safe and Clementine’ll end up sleeping in the bassinet, no doubt about that but-…” Elias sucks in his bottom lip with a frown the more he starts to think about his old ugly cat.

“But?”

“I haven’t seen her in months. She’s probably pissed at me as much as she misses me... I miss her too.” Elias pouts looking at Casey. “Why couldn’t she fucking just die before I had Ella?”

“Cause dying is better than giving her to a new home?”

“I treat her better than Azura. Azura’s good but she has no sodding time for her. Working all the time. Clementine doesn’t like her roommates. She hides under the bed until she’s fed and she’s probably so touch starved…" Elias felt like crying. "I know she’s just a cat but she’s my cat. Well, she’s half kneazle too which probably explains why she’s still alive and making Papa think she’s going to outlive us all at this point but-”

“How old is she?”

Elias sighs longingly. “Auncle Sirius brought her in after they found her on a mission-site where they had to arrest everyone. They’re not allowed to just leave animals there if there’s no witch or wizard to care for them, so that’s an automatic sent off to a shelter. They brought her to us. Papa hated them and tried to get rid of Clementine before any of us kids could get attached, I named her the second I saw her and that was the end of it. He might hate her but he sucked it up for me and Azura. Azura took her to Hogwarts when she still attended, then I kept her until it was my turn. So… I’m seventeen and I was… if she was already a full grown cat by then… over twenty. Definitely over twenty. Maybe twenty-five?”

Casey chokes on air. “She’s older than us!”

“Yep.” Elias nods. “She’d be older than my abuelo in cat years.”

“How old is your abuelo?”

“Um… dunno. Seventies? Eighties? You don't just go asking people their age, Cass. Certainly abuelos and abuelas, you celebrate their brithday with a little question mark candle on the cake and just... move on without questioning the question mark candle.”

“What!?” Casey shrieks and Elias can feel the physical flinch off both babies. “He doesn’t look that old! Or act that old!”

“How old does he look?”

“Fuckable old!”

Elias pinches his eyebrows together in confusion staring at Casey as he leans back a bit too sudden from Casey feeling far too shocked with that sudden outburst of an exclamation.

Casey snaps his mouth tightly closed for a long second, cheeks blooming a deep shade of red that only appears when he’s fresh out of the shower or recently worked for his orgasm with Elias.

“Forget I said that. You weren’t suppose to hear that.”

Elias blinks three times at Casey. He slowly leans back closer to Casey.

“Have you been eye-fucking my abuelo, Cass?”

Casey drops his face in his hands and lets out a long whine. Elias snickers quietly, checking the time knowing that he can’t let Brighton hang off him for long as the toddler may want in that morning.

He only just passed and got his apparating license but the apparition point still required some walking to the SYCO building.

Slowly Casey peels himself off from his hands, regaining his confidence.

“After we got together,” He starts slowly. “I started… looking at some guys more. Noticing things that I didn’t before. Of what I realized that I’ve been refusing myself, maybe... denying myself. And… um… so maybe there’s a few people in your family that’s quite easy on the eyes-”

“A few?” Elias laughs feeling more amused than angry. He was far more curious now.

“I mean… James and Fleamont look… a lot alike. And then you add Harry to the mix and stack them together and-”

“Whoa, wait a minute. You’ve been looking at my brother?” Elias laughs loudly tossing his head back.

Casey groans, banging his head on the headboard. “I only look. That’s all I do. I promise. I’d never-”

“Hey, hey. No, I trust you, Cass. I look at people too... sometimes. Rarely. I mean, I don’t look at your mum or Brighton like that, and I don’t know anyone else in your family but-”

Casey sneers, shaking his head. “They’re all a bunch of pricks and arseholes. Not worth meeting. Tossed my mum out when she decided to have me. Just… no.”

Elias nods, licks his lips before he holds up his pinky. “How about this. We can look and not touch. Look, but we can’t get jealous over it. And if one of us ask the other, we have to be honest of who we’re looking at or at least describe of whom or what we’re looking at. Hmm? And if we do get jealous — with anyone — we're honest with each other. Open communciation. Anytime, anywhere.”

Casey nods before lacing his pinky with Elias. “I can get behind that. I promise.”

Elias tugs his hand over and kisses his thumb before he ends up kissing the back of Casey’s hand sending him a soft smile. “Does this mean you know what your sexuality is?”

“Um… I love you.” There’s that shaky exhale. “I think… I look at you and my mind thinks and screams man, but, don’t take this the hard way but until we fool around with that potion, I rather not say. What’s in the pants, I don’t want to know and I don't want to care.”

Elias nods slowly. “I can accept that answer. Better than what Owen says to me. That I've got the right holes and tits and if he closes his eyes that he can just-”

Casey makes a grunting noise cutting him off entirely. “He’s a prick, that's what he is. He doesn’t even deserve the time of your day to have you speak his name.”

Elias shrugs, now brushing off the subject entirely. He's checking the time before manhandling Capella up a bit, letting her stay on a bit longer but there was Brighton, bigger and in the way.

“Alright, Bright. You need to get off Dada’s nip. Dada’s got to get dressed. We’re going bye-byes soon.”

There was that familiar noisy whimpering whine of protest.

Ten minutes it wasted with Elias cooing Brighton off him with a quick run downstairs to get a bag of frozen breastmilk heated up and put into a bottle with some dry cereal to the side in a baggie for the toddler.

Elias isn’t too picky with his clothes though knowing in the back of his mind he needed to make a good impression but as well as be and look himself as he pulls them out of his drawers. New jeans that were newly bought in two sizes up because he doesn’t fit his pre-pregnancy jeans size anymore, a baggy shirt to cover up his chest more now that he doesn’t use a binder anymore, too, along with fresh nursing pads and sports bra that gave him some semi-flat padding to his chest.

Elias places Capella in her crib for a moment, changing quickly with Casey staring at him with a small smile on his face without shame.

Dressing Capella in proper clothes to go out had her a bit fussy and acting out but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle as he grabs his bookbag and drops it on the bed checking for everything, as well as pulling out his wand.

“You need that today?”

“Yeah, remember I told you we’re leaving later so we don’t have to take your car and that way you can save up on gas for work and savings. I’m apparating us to London.”

“You’re a-what-now?”

“Apparating. You’ll see. Make sure Brighton has extra packed clothes. Not just the normal amount but a bit more. Apparating can induce vomiting. Pack an extra shirt for youself too. It’ll be your first time. I did ask how it affects babies so Ella should be okay but Brighton and you- just try to aim off of anything and anyone.”

“Um… no promises?”

Elias laughs lightheartedly from Casey’s awkward chuckle double checking all his stuff he had in his bag before pulling out the double stroller he had for Brighton and Capella both to fit in.

Casey was true to his word. No promises were made. If it wasn’t for the sunshade on Capella’s seat that Elias had tugged down before apparating she would’ve faced a warm blanketing vomit from Casey's stomach as they land in London.

Elias vanishes the mess away — thankful for magic and gives Casey a few dry heaving minutes to himself leaning on a brick wall away from Elias and the kids.

They make it to the SYCO building a few minutes early in time for Elias’ scheulue appointment.

And when Elias says he came prepared, regardless of Casey following him with all his willpower of trying to stay quiet while pushing the stroller with a babbling Brighton who played with himself with the few toys he had on the tray connected to his seat and the sleeping Capella, he was focused and deeply in the zone as he spoke and walked a few paces ahead with his possible future boss.

“This is a list of all the instruments I can play,” Elias passes on a sheet of paper first. “Then I’m assuming before you’ll even consider doing any signing you’ll want me to record a demo. One or two songs. I’ve already made time today if you have a sounding booth already opened and prepared for me. Um, and is there anything in particular you’re looking for?”

Simon looked impressed as he reads over the list he was passed over. “You seem to know your stuff kid.”

“Yeah. My papa taught me a lot of most of what I know.” Elias nods with a smile. “I’m very confident in the stuff I can perform and give. I just… got to find someone to give it to first.”

“And you want to make a career from the music industry?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Singing?”

“If not, I’ll take whatever I’ll get. I’m not lying about those instruments. I play them all. I’ve been hellbent on learning whatever I could since I was four years old when I was adopted.”

“I see… and what kind of songs do you write? Genre?”

“What do you expect from me?”

A dark eyebrow raises. “Pardon me?”

“Papa said music producers will take one look at a singer or band and expect certain songs of certain genres to be heard from them. It goes up to their appearance, their background, even their voice, if they can play instruments to what kinds or write songs or just merely sing off what they can buy off other people." Elias lifts his eyebrows with a tiny smirk on his lips. A bold choice of actions. "Am I wrong, sir?”

An impressed yet curt nod was sent his way. “You’re a cocky one. Can’t have that if you want to be in this industry.”

“I know. However you do need someone who has excels in charisma. Someone who can take one look at a random person or stranger and know just how to talk to them. Interviews, fans, possible colliborations, even other celebrities to not creep or weird them off, big or small in fame, everyone's a human who dies all the same at the end of the day.”

“And you think you got it?”

“I have nine siblings, Mr Cowell. That’s nine personalities already I’d have to adapt and work with because just ‘cause they share the same blood doesn’t mean they’re all going to be the very same and exact person. I’m the fourth oldest of ten. Plus you also have to think of their partners as of now plus future, my own two parents who’s in the house, also there’s close family and relatives that stop by often, popping in on their own free will to pest anyone just because they're in the mood to be annoying or sweet. If I’m being frank with you, I’ve been charming people since day one of meeting my family. After all, I'm adopted. Not as a baby, but as a young child.”

There was a purse of his lips, a firm nod. Elias' smirks lifts a bit more as he cocks his head to the side. “Am I impressing you, Mr Cowell?”

Instead of being answers, the list of instruments on the paper is tapped noisy. “If I asked, would you play each and every one of these?”

“Yes. I’m not lying if that’s what you’re insisting of. But I’d like to tune each and every instrument you give me because I’m not trusting a mistake on one of your worker’s behalf to effect my chance of working with you.”

A tiny hum. “And you’re seventeen?”

“Yes, as of November fifth.”

“Those two yours?”

A swirl of his finger to the stroller Casey was pushing.

“Yes.”

“You should know then that the music industry takes a lot of time and effort. Meaning you might be away from your family a bit more than needed. A sacrifice you're willing to make?”

“That’s a big leap, isn’t it?” Elias challenges. “Already putting that much faith in me, Mr Cowell? Don’t worry, I know that I’ll have to spend time away from my family when concerts come, performances and all that. But again, I’m asking you rounding back to that question you asked me: One look at me, what type of genre do you see me singing? What do you expect out of me? What type of music vibes do I give off? Slow? Fast? Upbeat? Romance? I know break-up songs are getting popular. How about the LGBTQ community? Looking for more diversity? Maybe a bit Spanish? French? Italian? I can mix something up.”

A tiny nudge to the side. Elias glances over to Casey. “What?”

“You know Italian?” Casey hisses at him.

“Yes. Now shh.”

“Alright,” Elias focuses back onto Simon Cowell. “I look at you, minus the guy and two babies, just you. What I see is a relaxed kinda a go-getting blonde teenager whose probably into some seventies or eighties music like David Bowie or Queen.”

“But?” Elias tests.

There was that caving nod. “But if I put in your background. If someone was to look you up. They’ll learn you as a teenage dad. And not just that but a trans teenage dad who’s got a boyfriend. And that is where I believe fans would be expecting music at least a bit…” A half-half hand gesture. “Fruity. Rainbow. I don’t know what else you want to throw in there?”

“Bisexual?” Elias hums curiously.

“Sure. Lets go with that.”

Elias nods in thought. “Upbeat or slow?”

“Upbeat, you’re the one that holds the looks and energy for it, no doubt about it for your demo. If we have time, I want a second song, slow. I want to see what you can bring me.”

“So you do have a sounding booth ready and prepped for me?” Elias can't help himself as he looks at Simon a bit mischievously.

“Don’t take it to heart kid.” His eyes roll. “There’s a few around the building. But you’re playing music with one backup player.”

Elias nods. “I can work with that.”

Elias is lead to a sounding booth on the same floor that they were walking around on. He sets his bag aside and pulls out a folder, as he said before, he came very prepared as he pulls out prepared music sheets for drums and guitars (bass and acoustic), which he planned on taking the guitar while he sang.

A few hushed whispers were made between audio engineer that was set to work with Elias and Simon Cowell as Casey was sat on a small loveseat with Brighton in his lap to give him some new wiggle room.

Elias goes into the sound booth and sets up the prepared drum music sheet. “Just follow this and you’ll be fine. I'll let you know when to start.” He informs the muggle middle-aged man who nods, reading over the sheet and twirling the sticks between his fingers skillfully.

Elias sets up two stands, one for the guitar and the other for him to sing and he starts tuning the guitar he was given, doing as promised checking each cord carefully before placing on the headphones that was propped on the mic on one ear, and taps the mic cover twice in his own sort of test.

He gives his blonde hair a bit of a fluff and brushing it out of his face a bit as he hears Simon speak into the mic behind the glass.

“Whenever you’re ready, Mr Potter-Lambert.”

Elias wasn’t in a rush. Picking up the water bottle that was provided in the room and opens it, takes a few sips from it before capping it and setting it down.

Finally he gives his finger a tiny twirl for the drummer to count down into starting.

“Falling in love has always been something I’m good at. I wear my heart on my sleeve and it’s been on quite a few bedroom floors. They’ll say I’m greedy, a little too needy. But is it a crime that I like everybody?”

His lips curve into a small smile, jamming along to himself and keeping track of the ticking in his ear that the headphones provided.

“And if I fall for a girl. The boys will call it a phase. If I fall for a boy. The girls are calling me fake. Double the options. Double the problems. I get what I want and I want both sides. Double attraction. Means double the action. I get what I want and I’m everyone’s type. How could anybody hate a good bi? Bye bye.”

Elias doesn’t look at the glass window. He pretends it’s not there, like he’s not being judged and watched and instead he’s taking up the space in the booth like he owns it with his eyes switching between the two stands holding up his papers of lyrics and music notes.

Elias fixes the headphones to sit right on his head, covering both ears when he looks up to the glass. Casey’s grinning at him with a thumbs up and bouncing Brighton on his lap who’s cuddling a stuffed animal to his chest as Simon leans into a mic pressing a button.

“Do you have stage fight, Elias?”

Elias furrows his eyebrows in confusion with a smile. “No?”

“You didn’t look at anyone once.”

“You met me and gave me your card after I sang not one, but two songs in a public park with a crowd. Bloody hell, I proposed as well? On my knee and all that? Did you miss something there?”

“Then why didn’t you look at anyone?”

“I had to look at the sheets. I don’t got this one memorized at the top of my head. My apologies?”

Simon lifts off the button, there’s he starts talking to the sound engineer for a moment that was mute to Elias, and probably the drummer too. A tensed minute passes before he becomes audible again.

“So this is what we’re going to do. I like the song. I like how you made the space yours, made yourself comfortable in it and took it up because that’s highly wanted on stages. However I want more eye contact. I want know if you’re able to connect with people on stage, to look at them, and I’m not speaking of a small crowd of five or ten. Because I know you can be a big hit for me. But it’s not me you’re singing for, remember?”

Elias wets his lips with a nod, he picks up the water bottle. “I know. What do you need or want me to do?”

Elias drinks the water as he’s talked to.

“I want to run through this one song a few times, make sure everything’s correct and perfected as much as I can get it. Then I’m going to send you home today with some forms. Read through them, get your parents to sign them because you’re still under age, and as soon as I get those forms back, I’ll release the demo and see how much of a hit it brings. In the meanwhile, I want you back here and recording a few more songs for me to pre-approve and get you on a small stage. See how you really are with a large crowd? How’d that sound?”

“Sounds good sir. I’ll be sure to bring the papers back as soon as possible so I can get started.”

He’s grinned at with a large and white smile.

Despite the shark-like grin, Elias knew he was making the right choice feeling the rush of how his blood pumped in his veins.

Notes:

Songs:

Good Bi - Beth McCarthy

Chapter 62: May 12th, 2007

May 12th, 2007

 

Elias could feel his uncle’s eyes on him glaring suspiciously as he ducks between stocked up shelves of his shop picking off a certain potion with Casey staring wide-eyed at every inch that he could stare at.

Elias managed to get a feeding for Capella in-between from the SYCO building when they stopped for lunch at a passing by a random cafe to split a full meal between the teens and toddler.

“Does it ever bother you that I’m not… magic? That I'm muggle?” Casey asks as Elias checks the price of the potion, debating if he should get two so he doesn’t have to face the wrath of his uncle’s eyes any time soon.

Elias glances up for a moment, then he looks over to Casey shaking his head unbothered. “No.”

“Why not? There's plenty of witches and wizards around here to pick from.”

Elias shrugs unbothered. “I don’t really want to be involved in this sort of world. Not like my dads or my siblings or the rest of my family. Besides, seeing you this curious just being in my uncle’s potion shop is a bit amusing.”

Casey suddenly ducks his head. “Shit, your uncle’s here? Which one?”

“Papa’s broody older bother? Haven’t you noticed the glaring coming from behind the counter?” Elias nods over to Regulus. “This is his shop. He ran Slug and Jiggers Apothecary out of business here making them with no other choice but to move to Hogsmeade because he has a hefty discounting service for werewolves who’s in need for the wolfsbane potions. Ingredients for that potion doesn’t run cheap for them, not everyone's kind to werewolves, giving them jobs and all that, even with the rather new discrimination act that they can't be denied a job as long as they take the potions. It's cruel, honestly. One night of a month... Just one... sometimes two, though.” Elias shakes his head in disapproval at that knowledge.

“And you let me come in here while you’re buying that sort of potion?” Casey squeaks. “Does he know what potion that is?”

“Umm… yes? I told you before, he invented it. Besides when I pay, I’ve got to get it laced with a bit of hair.”

“Hair? And you drink it?”

Elias reaches in his bookbag’s front zipper and pulls out a small baggy of blonde hair he got off his brush.

“I buy the potion, then the hair’s added and it’s altered a bit with certain extra ingredients to fit what I want to morph my body parts into that the potion doesn’t possess as of right now and a whole other complex potion shit I don’t understand that Papa tried explaining to me but bottom line, this potion will give me a dick.”

“And your chest?”

“I plan to ask Uncle Regulus if it’d affect breastfeeding because if it does, then my tits are staying as is.” Elias flashes Casey an innocent smile before grabbing a second potion off the shelf and pushing the stroller going up to Regulus who was just waiting for him as Casey stays hiding behind the shelves like he hasn’t been wandering around for the last fifteen minutes freely.

“Just told him that I work here?” He nods over to Casey looking the slightest bit amused through his blank expressions with the tilt of his upper lip.

“And own the place.” Elias sets the potions on the counter with the small bag of hair. “Question.”

“Shoot.” Regulus takes the potions remaining unphased in his working poker-face attire.

“Breastfeeding and flat chest?”

“Not recommended.”

“Another question.”

A tiny hum from Regulus as he takes the hair and turns his back on Elias to the counter behind him to work on the final adjustments, pulling out a few things from under the counter. Elias draws out his sack of coins, counting and sorting them carefully onto the counter.

“Have you ever tested the potion on muggles?”

Elias watches Regulus’ head lifts for a moment then turn to look over his shoulder. “Muggles?”

“You heard me.”

“With this potion?”

“Yes. Amortentia can effect muggles. As well as lacing Polyjuice potions with muggle DNA. A bit of this, a bit of that, call me a curious cat.”

Regulus sighs, shaking his head as he finishes up with the potions. “And I thought your parents were bad. Ever heard of curiosity killed a cat?”

“Every met Clementine?”

Regulus turns, setting the finished products onto the counter and trades it for a few sickles each with Elias. He stares at Elias for a good minute.

“Never tried the potion on a muggle when it went through the testing to get approved. So... I’d say he should get tested for any possible allgeries first to be safe.”

“How can I do that?”

“For starters, you can lure Casey out of hiding and come face me? I don’t know why he’s hiding for. I’ve met him before.”

Elias sighs and looks over at the shelf Casey was peeking over and failing on his hiding. “Cass.”

“Shhh.” Regulus and Elias both roll their eyes at him. “Cass, come on. There’s no point in hiding. I need you over here for something.”

His head peeks outs cautiously. “Why?”

“Just get over here.” Elias snaps in a deep ordering tone, a voice that is used more private than not in enclosed spaces just for the two of them.

There was that slow creep and crawl from him. He makes his way over to the counter and sets a careful hand on the surface. Regulus lifts an eyebrow between the two of them. “Hi… Mister Shacklebolt-Black…”

“Hello, Casey.” Regulus’ lips tilt up just the slightest bit with a smirk as his pale green eyes drift down then up again. He glances over to Elias. “Your Papa’s more daft than I thought.”

Elias holds back a grimace, acting like he doesn’t know was for the best. “What do you mean?”

“Going around and asking questions these past few days to anyone possible when the answer is right in front of his face. Let me ask you both this, engaged or have you already eloped?”

“What?” Elias croaks out. “What makes you think that? I’m- I-” Regulus deadpans at him and nods to the hand on his counter.

Casey’s left hand where the single silver ring of an E sat on. too obvious. Elias sags his shoulders in defeat trying to argue his defense. “What is Papa asking? Azura warned me but-”

“Some big fat envelope came in the muggle mail the other day. He has them, both your names are on them and he’s not pleased with how the names are written out, Mister and Mister Lambert-Potter.”

“Figures.”

Regulus shrugs, arm reaching for something under the counter. “Some advice. If he tries to yell at you, either of you, both him and Potter; remind them of their own marriage. How old they were. How it started. Why it happened. I promise you, it should shut them up fast and quick.”

Elias faintly smiles at his uncle. “Thank you, Uncle Regulus.”

“Anytime. Now, this is going to hurt.”

“What-?”

Casey lets out a short loud scream as a tack is slammed into the back of his hand, hitting right between bones and main blood vessels as both stare at Regulus with large eyes full of betrayal.

“WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?” Casey screeches at him holding his wrist in pain.

Regulus shrugs boredly, pulling out the green tack, some blood stuck on it as it leaves a tiny hole in Casey’s hand. “Elias asked me to see if you’re allergic to anything. There's a blood test I can do. And think of it this way, welcome to the family, Casey.”

Elias facepalms himself. “Tu devais vraiment faire ça, mon oncle?”

Regulus takes the tack with him, passing through the back of his shop and brings out a form. He smears the bit of blood across on a certain a piece before it starts to spread over slowly, revealing any possible allgeries Casey may have to potion ingredients. Regulus keeps his eyes out on all of the ingredients contained in the particular potion, however all on the charts come back negative as he replies in a lazy French to his nephew’s hissing.

“Oui, je l’ai fait. Si ce n’était pas pour l’accueil chaleureux, ce serait pour me venger de mon petit frère qui se retient de te voir, à cause de l’amour qu’il te porte.”

Casey’s eyes drift between the two of them confused. “What are you two talking about?”

“My daughter. She’s starting Hogwarts this September and me and my husband are thinking about getting her a cat. Elias was giving me some ideas of what breeds I should avoid. Orange, ugly, furry, fat. Might get her a black cat. Green eyes too. Green eyes run in the family in my kids and me.”

Elias rolls his eyes as he glances at the paper. “What’s the result?”

“Negative. Casey can take the potion. Or at least try it. Are you buying another one?”

“Not today.” Elias packs away the two potions into the stroller. “Thanks. Bye. Good seeing you, Uncle.”

“Tell your Papa! He’s running all over the place in his free time with that package of yours of whatever’s in it!”

Elias flips him off as they exit the shop. “Where do you want to go in next?”

Casey’s eyes were busy darting all over the place. “Is there a certain place to go?”

“Well, the book shop right there has my Zio Barty in there. I can see him in the window, right about. Chances are Mary or Lily, possibly both are in there too. They have a little boy who’s in the shop often when he’s not in school. We'll probably stop by in there later so I can talk to him about the contracts I got today. Then down the Alley, that bright orange shop is a joke shop, very popular, very crowded.” Elias points at each shop as they slowly walk, wizards and witches and children constantly bumping into them which Elias warned Casey ahead of time to ignore them all.

“It’s been open since… for as long as I can remember. I know the owners, Fred and George. Fred’s marrying Lotta this early August. Full blown wedding and all that on his parent's property. Lotta's Zio Barty and Uncle Evan’s daughter, if you've forgotten, my cousin. Um… there’s Honeyduke’s. A candy shop. It’s probably the most simplest for you to take in other than Florean Fortescue’s Ice-Cream Parlour but then again the flavors there are really… wild.”

“How about the candy shop first then?”

It was an easy agreement. Elias finds himself walking around the relevant quiet shop with Brighton on his hip while Casey took the stroller.

“Lets get you a chocolate frog to chase after, Bright.” Elias holds up Brighton to pick out a box. “Each one has a special card in it, pick one out yourself. Go on.”

Brighton reaches out, hand slaps a box knocking it over. Elias hardly manages to catch it before tossing it into the basket he had hooked on his arm.

“Lets get Dada some…” Elias looks around with a tiny hum. He never had an exact favourite candy. Eating whatever he was given and tasted good. He shrugs, picking up a box of sugar quills. “Some sugar quills.”

“‘uills!” Brighton squeals loudly copying his words.

“You think Daddy’s picked out anything yet or would he need Dada’s help?” Elias bounces Brighton, moving away from the wall just before the toddler could reach out and pull some chocolate wands off of the shelving.

Elias finds Casey right where he left him. Staring at a first wall of sweets with a disturbed look. “Alright there, Cass? I got Brighton a chocolate frog?”

“Is it an actual frog covered in chocolate?” Casey questions him. Elias pulls out the box which was closely examined before he nods passing it back with approval. “Now are these really cockroaches? I can't tell and that scares me.”

“I don't know. Maybe?”

“And the Ice Mice?”

“Um, they’re like mints. Very minty. They make you squeak and your teeth clatter like you’ve got the chills.”

“Maybe I should just get the box of jelly beans I saw in the window.”

Elias hisses. “Those are like, my last thing I’d offer you in this whole shop.”

“Why?”

“When the box says bertie botts every flavour beans. They’re not joking when they got every flavour.”

Casey frowns but wanders over to the front and plucks off a small box and passes it to Elias. “I’m not eating bugs or mice or toads, Elias.”

Elias exhales deeply.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He mutters under his breath walking away, buying the candy. A few sacrificed galleons and they head over to Florean Fortescue’s Ice-Cream Parlour where it was agreed Casey and Elias would get one large cup of two flavors to share with Brighton and do a nappy check and change.

“I got us a normal one and something you haven’t tried before. Vanilla and dragon’s blood. Don’t worry, they both taste good together though.” Elias informs Casey as he joins them at their claimed small table taking Brighton off Casey’s lap where Casey shook his small bean box before looking at him hesitate.

“Did you just say Dragon’s blood?”

“It’s Zio Barty’s favourite.” Elias dips a spoon into the red creamy ice cream and passes it to Brighton to try a bite before Casey could process what he was feeding the boy to panic.

Brighton bites it off the spoon and licks his lips, seeming to like it. “See, Brighton likes it.”

“Is it made from real dragon… blood?”

“I think if it was the shop would close from animal cruelty.” Elias takes his own bite of the red and white ice cream before scooping the red dragon blood and holding it up to Casey.

“Bite.” It wasn’t a question, it was an order. Elias cocks his right eyebrow up in testing warning as his lips curve up into a slight smirk. “And maybe you’ll get a reward for being a good boy, the very same reward just like Brighton.”

Casey lets out a low whine. Much similar to his son when breastfeeding as Elias’ slight smirk turns into a full one. Casey leans forward, hesitatingly opens his mouth and wraps his lips around the spoon and he pulls back with a clean spoon revealed as he swallows with a curious hum.

“Taste like chocolate raspberry.”

“See, that wasn’t so scary was it?” Elias teases.

Casey licks his lips. “And my reward?”

Elias presses a big kiss to Brighton’s cheek making the boy squirm and push him away with an echoing loud laughter in the ice cream parlor. Silently, Elias wiggles his finger to Casey to lean over closer to him from his side of the table.

Casey scoots his chair over, leaning to Elias with puckered up lips and closed where Elias shakes his head with a smile.

Not kissing Casey’s lips; he presses a kiss to his cheek.

"You missed."

“I said the same reward like Brighton.” Elias teases as he pulls away to a pouting Casey.

“I didn’t get a kiss.”

“You got your kiss.”

“But you missed.”

“No, I don’t think I did.”

“Yes you did.”

“I didn’t. Bright, tell Daddy he’s being ridiculous. I kissed him the same spot as you, right?”

“Daddy!” Brighton wiggles his arms out for Casey. Elias passes Brighton over to Casey, taking another bite of mixed ice cream for himself as Casey goes back to the box of beans, opening them and pouring some out onto the table to observe.

“Look like normal jellybeans to me.”

“Read the back of the box.” Elias warns him.

“Flavors… Apple, Banana, Cranberry,” His face falls. “Dog food?”

He looks at him a bit concerned. “Keep going. It gets worse.”

“Earthworm!? Fried egg?! I mean… the grape jelly doesn’t seem bad?”

“Keep going.”

“Honey. Ketchup.” He sticks his tongue out in disgust. “Lobster? What’s Marmalade?”

“Kinda like jam. Preserved fruit. Not too bad.”

“Okay… Orange. Pear- ew. Rotten egg, I take the ew back, I rather the pear… Hmm… steak…? Toffee pudding. Vanilla ice cream. Watermelon. And mystery flavor? I’m concerned now. What’s the mystery flavor?”

Elias shrugs. “Who knows. It's a mystery after all.”

“And people here like this?”

“Been around since the mid-twentieth century so I’m gonna guess with a ‘yes’ cause we’re in the twentieth-first century now.”

“Bloody hell.”

Elias doesn’t know how he misses it but Brighton manages to smack a hand fast onto the table, grabbing a jelly bean which is a major choking hazer as he shoves it into his mouth. “No, no, no! Cass, he’s got one in his mouth!”

Elias was relieved for once in his life of the Bertie Bott’s every flavor jelly beans because of the randomness chance of the taste because Brighton’s face scrunches up with pure disgust before he’s opening his mouth and tongue is stuck out spitting out the wet bean and clawing at his pink tongue.

Elias tuts at him. “Poor boy. Bad bean for his first time. He should stay away from them for the rest of his life now.”

Casey looks between him and Brighton a bit worried. “Is that a saying?”

“Yeah but honestly the beans are a waste of money. Six sickles a box. Should be six knuts.” Elias huffs crossing his arms annoyed.

“Knuts?”

“The coins. That’s the currency here. The wizarding world. Galleons, sickles, knuts. It’s easy. Galleons, gold. Sickles, silver. Knuts, bronze. It’s less of a hassle than paper money but either you carry three coin sacks with you all the time or you’re counting and laying all your coins on the counter whenever you pay and hope to hell the cashier doesn’t steal an extra coin off or someone bypassing you.”

Casey hums quietly leaning back in his seat to keep Brighton away from the table and beans. He picks up one, bold and daring for himself. “I’m learning something new every day when I’m with you.”

He pops in the random blue freckled red bean into his mouth. Elias doesn’t miss the gag as Casey painfully obvious chews into the bean forcing himself to swallow it as Elias enjoys his ice cream. “What flavor was that?”

“Who knows? Give me that,” Casey chokes out with a laugh stealing the spoon from Elias. “I need more of this damn blood. God, that was awful.”

Elias laughs as Casey shovels a mouthful of ice cream into his mouth. A bit dripping out of the mouthful and getting onto the top of Brighton’s hair where he curiously pats the top of his head looking up at Casey with a personally offended look before looking at his hand over to Elias with pinched eyebrows.

Elias offers his hands outreached to the toddlers.

“You want to sit with Dada again, Bright?”

His hands outreach over to Elias. Elias takes him just as Capella starts to cry in the stroller.

Never a dull moment with his family.

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 3 of The Costume Series