Meeting the babies -- December Holiday 1998

This was the first Christmas with the twins and the first Christmas after the Dark Lord was gone.  Mum and Dad were rather worried about me going to see Pansy, but I needed to meet my niece and nephew.  Being a younger student, I had been escorted out of the castle during the Battle of Hogwarts.  We got extra time for the holiday because the castle needed to be rebuilt in some areas... and since everything happened mid-December, it made sense just to keep us all home.

We would return like normal in January after the new year dawned and things would start to get... better?  Mum and Dad were acting odd the entire time I was home and they seemed not to want me to leave the house or something.  I got to the flat where Draco, Pansy, Juniper, and the twins were.  Mum stayed with me, however nervous she was, because I was only thirteen.  She was not going to let me be here by myself until someone answered the door.  I knocked and waited, knowing that things would be completely different now that my sister was a mother to two babies!

Pansy was nursing Keegan at the moment and Dorian had gotten down for his after lunch nap, so I went to the door.  I smiled at Mrs. Parkinson and Linnea.  "Hey there," I said as Linnea gave me a hug.  I shook Mrs. Parkinson's hand -- I still always called her that even though she was my mother-in-law.  "I'll bring her home at the end of the weekend."  I watched as Pansy's mother left.  I had kept a hand on my sister-in-law's shoulder as her mother was leaving. 

I looked at her and smiled a genuine smile.  "Pansy is nursing Keegan, I know she won't mind if you pop your head into the twins' room to say hello, though," I assured Linnea.

I heard Draco at the door and smiled; my sister must have arrived.  My mother, I knew, would not stay long.  Keegan seemed to be finishing nursing, so I moved her so I could start burping her after covering myself up so I could at least be presentable.  I heard excited footsteps and a knock on the door almost faster than I had moved to position my baby girl. 

"Come in," I said softly as Dorian was sleeping after his feeding.  I grinned at my baby sister.  "Linnea!"  I gave my sister a bit of an awkward hug as I had my newborn in my arms.  I was still a little tender after having given birth, but at least my family was safe.  That was all I could ask for after everything that happened in December.  "Happy Christmas."

Linnea rushed towards the other room and I bade farewell to Mrs. Parkinson.  I was relieved she did not stay.  I heard the girls talking quietly.  I started to make some lunch as I was sure they would be back there for a bit so I had time to actually make something for us all to eat.

I gave Pansy a big hug -- without smashing my niece, of course.  I looked at my sister.  "How are the babies doing?" I asked, knowing that they were so little and I was so worried about them with everything that had happened in the last month or so.

"They're doing well," I said to her, smiling.  "They aren't sleeping through the night, though, so if you get woken up while you're here at one in the morning, I don't want to hear complainnig.  You agreed to stay here."  I winked at her, knowing that my baby sister would not care at all.

I laughed and shrugged.  "Maybe I could take care of them so you and Draco can sleep through the night unlike the twins," I suggested, knowing that I wanted to help.  I just was not entirely sure if Pansy would let me.

I smiled at Linnea.  "That would be wonderful," I said to her, "but I'd have to make sure you knew the routine beforehand.  Since you're here for a little while, you could wake up with me one night and I could teach you.  I'm sure Draco would be fine with that.  June helps out quite a lot, too."  I knew that my children had the best aunties in the world.

I nodded eagerly at my sister. "Oh, of course June is on top of everything, too," I said, smiling. "I'm just glad that I can help." I would love to have my time with the twins. "I can't believe I couldn't be with you from the very beginning,t hough." I had to give her a hard time about her lying to me in the very beginning.