✧TEA & PIZZA✧

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Rabastan had stayed with her until she fell asleep, and well after that as he needed to watch her slip from consciousness, her erratic breaths turning to soft and even breaths.
Merlin was this mother dragon mode horrifying.

But he couldn't have been prouder, the pent up rage with the addition of seeing Sirius would set anyone off. And now he was simply on his way down to return to Orion.

But instead an Elf told him he was in his daughter's study, and Rabastan took the slight detour back.

The father was overlooking his daughter's desk, both neat and organized with notes. The elder wizard was simply gazing upon the papers and smiling to himself, respect and pride lacing every smirk he gestured down.

Although Mr.Black hadn't looked up, he heard Rabastan come into the room. 

"I hadn't known Cassi was keeping herself from eating..." The master of the house shook his head at the shared disgust at the situation and came closer.

"Not since she has been living here, nor all the times I have taken her out. Course I hadn't known right away ether about her mother's antics, but they became more revealing everyday...I do not want to see the woman near her." Orion looked up to his son in law and let out a firm nod in agreement.

"Sirius appeared at Saint Mungo's." He added, and the father stilled entirely. Now realizing where her rage had steamed from. 

"Under regular terms I wouldn't share this, but they're after Aurora...She was in Diagon Alley with Cissy one afternoon and those Gryffindors were stalking her." It was another heartache to hear, Orion was still holding out hope for Sirius to return...But after hearing this? It didn't click properly.

"What did he want?"
"At first I thought he had done this but I don't think he had...He might've seen the opportunity to take her but—" Rabastan had stopped at the sight of how angry the father was in front of him.

"It wasn't a time I'm proud of Rabastan, and I cannot thank you enough for pulling Cassi out of her rut when he left..." The shift in tone was dripping with guilt at every turn. "...I heard her beg for him to stay, not like he would, not after that night." Rabastan nodded, knowing just a small bit of the argument from Regulus, but it didn't justify the eldest leaving his siblings to deal with their elders alone.

"Regulus said he wouldn't hurt her. Do you think—"

"He wouldn't, not in this sense. Not this dark." So it was a combined agreement with father and son, the consensus was telling but it still had Orion question why they wanted Cassi.

"Her position, her connection...although we were both properly introduce to her heightened abilities...I'm sure they assumed she was weak." Now a true smile grew at the mention of Walburga's torture.

"Now that...Was beautiful." Rabastan couldn't help but chuckle at the sound of hearing that. Suppose he couldn't perform what everyone rightly wished upon the woman too, but he brought his hands down his face and sighed at the entire situation.

"And the babe?" 

"Otto was at the hospital, he couldn't even understand how she acquired the damn thing...But cases of lost babes, lost mothers...Squibs, birth issues. The list goes on and none of it safe." The two were wallowing in the shared concern over Cassiopeia.

"Don't hesitate to owl Rabastan, if you're called to a meeting I'll happily keep her company." That was most likely going to be the plan afterwards, but then the dreaded conclusion came.

"What do I tell my mother and father?" It was an honest question and Orion too looked horrified at the mere thought of either Clarissa or Rodlophous learning of what happened.

"I'll tell them, it's not ideal to keep this under wraps...My wife could do with a bit of collected hatred." A hum followed in persuit, but when Orion had left him alone he hurried along in return to the bedroom.

It was early, barely two in the afternoon. But after a restless night where he received little to no sleep, the comfort of his bed and settled beside his wife was all that he could ask for at a time like this.

He didn't know how long he had fallen asleep for, but the calling of an elf pulled him right out of it.

"Master...Good Master's friends wait for Master." He groaned, but instantly drew back at the noise in fear of it waking up his wife. And goddess did she look peaceful, a soft smile on her face as she absentmindedly rubbed the likes of her stomach.

In a form of protection and grace, either way he was going to have to explain the entire situation to his mates now. And with that he kissed his wife's cheek and the housing of his son before dressing to go downstairs.

Seeing Harper was not on the list.

Amelia and him were on thin ice, and the only reason it hadn't cracked entirely was because of the friendship she has with Aurora to the relationship she has with Avery.

Otherwise it was the combined likes of how he's treated Aurora to what he's involved in that truly sabotaged what could've been a decent friendship.

"Is it true?... Is the baby—" Amelia looked torn, and the somber expressions of his mates were all the same. 

"We're in the dark, she's resting at the moment...If you want to stay with her Amelia, I would appreciate it." At the opportunity to stay with her friend did she kiss her fiancee's cheek before rushing up the steps to find the master bedroom, while Rabastan looked darkly to his mates. 

"Was it Sirius?" Avery asked, and a simple shake of his head was what simmered down the anger.

But it wasn't the order.

"It was her mother."

"WHAT?!" Either of them were quick to share their rage. Their best mate's wife and son faced immense danger over a damn prenatal boost to make sure the child is a son.

"What...What could happen to the boy?"
"Rory's better with the explanation but...It was almost a miscarriage, if Snape hadn't—If he hadn't acted Rory wouldn't be here." It was the cold honest truth, and now it boosted the image of Severus Snape to the three wizards. 

"He's alright though?" 

"For right now, could be issues down the line. With the birth...With him later...I don't—I don't know how she can handle all of this." McNair shook his head.

The poor woman couldn't even drink with everything going, she indeed had the world on her shoulder.

"Is there anything we could do?" McNair offered, and at this point Rabastan was open to any suggestions. "Distracting her would be best, if Harper—"

"It slipped out, it wasn't a raid she knew that." He had been interrupted by Avery's explanation, and truthfully he felt better that there were people in the manor to occupy the biggest question in the room.

It came to a group agreement that Aurora would never be alone in the house, and the following days had been decent. Or at least for him to understand it as, what was damning was when the Lestrange seniors came over in a panic to the situation.

Orion explained it to them.

Clarissa pampered the living daylights out of Aurora, evening going so far as to stay nights to give her someone to reach out to...

Aurora hadn't taken into the account that the Death Eater meetings had been moved to her own manor, meaning that the Dark Lord was stationed here for the short days before moving.
She caught him in the hall actually, a normal bow as she greeted him. Though he recommended that she rest and leave the heavy lifting for the rest of the members.

With the Death Eaters in her home came Cissy joining the hideaway of her cousin's study, Narcissa sat and watched Aurora break down at retelling the story, Mrs.Malfoy had gone straight after the stay to give Aunt Walburga a piece of her mind, the risk had been far too great.

However awful Aurora looked, she felt better than prior. Yet it gave her the ability to listen in a few Death Eater meetings had she moved about the house or heard the gossip.

Severus Snape had been appointed by the Dark Lord (In recommend from Rabastan) To see if there was anything to speed up her recovery but alas it was a time effort.

But it did get that two talking about their fondness of potions, and Rabastan was happy that his wife met a certain distraction. Even if it did deal with the solution to get herself better.

Severus had returned home that following meeting to see all one could need in terms of having a potions lab.

Everything being under Mrs.Lestrange's name meant that Severus didn't need to have the license at the current moment. And it set him forward a few years, minding the fact that he had no substantial funds to get him through the classes.

But currently it was what the rumors were speculating, she had been so damned bored in hearing the men boasting at their antics, they were fairly demanding to try and ignore so she heard more than she planned. Yet a familiar name spewed out, a Muggle-born witch...Marlene McKinnon.

An Order member that she has befriended.

With everything that was going on had there been no chance to write in the book. Being babysat constantly was getting tiring but now?
Now was the chance.

Rory please, please respond. I need to know you're alright. Whatever happened I FELT it happen, that's how I knew you were in the hospital. Remus and James told me I should go to the hospital but once you were treated it went away.

Aurora PLEASE. It wasn't me, I swear to it. I solemnly swear to it.

-I know Sirius, I'm sorry that I doubted you. My heart stopped for eight minutes. I don't know how I'm or my child is alive at the moment. Snape saved me, which is worrying in itself.
He'll be rewarded more than normal.
YOU NEED TO HIDE MARLENE MCKINNON.

She even sent a patronus, but her magic was delicate at the moment and she attempted not to use it all up in one go. It caught someones attention as she watched the words starting to form.

It was Remus.

Good gods am I happy to hear from you Rory, we had to sneak some sleeping draught into his tea to get him to sleep. I've sent Moody and Dumbledore a patronus. How are you feeling?

-Better, I'm worried to ends meet. Not to mention I don't get a moment alone, they've changed the meetings HERE instead. It's the only reason I know now.

They're at your house now?! Rory, please, for the love of everything please try to message in here sooner. Pads can't take much more.

The two continued to talk back and forth until she needed to rest, and for the rest of the month had it turned into this.

April turned to May then June already, and she never wanted to jinx this but she felt tremendously better.

"Why is it that you always come out for Babbitty Rabbitty but not anything else Rommy?" Rabastan had barely entered in the little family room that Aurora had created, and for such times it felt like she was starting to live in here rather than their own bedroom.

"I'll take a stab in the dark and claim it's because he favors them over the mythology stories." Rory gawked at her husband and shook her head.

"He's being stubborn, Cissy came over and he was sleeping."

"And last night he was punting a bludger." She hummed along snuggled further with Loki.

"Something the matter?" Rabastan inhaled for a moment and offered out the necklace, the same one she was required to wear on public outings.

"Are we going somewhere?" 

"Not myself no, Amelia is having a little party with you and alotted friends. Some tea shop, didn't pay attention to the details." The fear settled in as she looked to her husband and then away from his gaze.

"Raba this isn't—" 

"Rory you've been home for close to a month, get some fresh air...I'm sure Rommy would love it and some more attention than Babbitty Rabbitty." She perked her lips and offered her hand for the necklace.

He won the conversation over far too easily.

"There is another thing I wish for you to wear, it's for when you're in trouble. It's connected directly to my mark, even if it's the slightest thing Aurora please." She took it in her free hand, twirling the likes of it around.

He made it beautiful, disguised as a normal piece of jewelry, but confusion wracked her brain.

"How do I call you?" He forgot partly that his wife wasn't used to the dynamics of the mark. It was how he summoned his mates to the hospital. But he explained that it was any amount of magic, though he specified the lower the summon he was going to think worse of the situation.

"Would you like to test it?" Her eyes flared as she realized that it will burn him if she called, and so she shook her head in disagreement.

"Why don't we save it for the emergency, granted I'll be with my flock. What could possibly go wrong?" He warned Harper prior that if Aurora leaves the house that they needed to protect her above all else. That was the price of leaving.

"What time am I set to leave?"
"Two, but if you feel Ill or anything don't you dare be polite through the gossip session. Anything you—"
"Call you, yes yes...Help me?" It was the start of her not being able to not get up on her own. And it defiantly showed.

"Mother had the patio shade finished last week, I figured you'd be outside more."

"Have you seen how far the bathroom is Raba, Merlin that is not a fun waddle over." He groaned, she heard him use the term with his mates. Although it had been a compliment of being an adorable pregnant woman, though she took it in a different direction.

"Shall I have another bathroom built?" 

"Absolutely not, but that elevator is a blessing, good call." He beamed, she fought him the entire length of having it installed and now it was coming into good use as well as earning itself a positive review.

Merlin did his wife look adorable, Cissy was right. The glow was dominating her features, perhaps it was a Black family trait? He couldn't rightly understand how she managed to do so.

The dress she picked fit her tum perfectly, as well as downsized her breasts. Aurora for sure did not miss the pout that loomed over her husband after he came into the room and checked.

"That doesn't work Raba." His puppy eyes surely did most of the time. It was this that it wasn't going to work for him now, her breasts were sore as could be, almost like she got hit with a bludger straight to the chest.

"Are you staying home?" He shook his head.
"Getting fitted for the wedding, how's the dress design?" A grin sparked as she turned around and ignored the question.

"I meant Harper's."
"Her's has been finished for a few weeks now, I swear if you tell Avery that—" He hummed with a grin dominating his features now as well.

"But your's isn't done?"
"Baby's growing, pointless to get everything done now when he could still get a growth spurt." At his mention did the baby settle in a different position, his foot needing to kick and punch in order to get a new feel around.

"Suppose Romulus doesn't like to be talked ill of." 

"The matron witch said it was good that he was moving around, I'll take all the backtalk in the world right about now." A soft smile still urged it's way on either spouse, it was times like these that it felt like a beautiful break from the stress and drama.

The oncoming of an elf was already a telling alert that Aurora's escorts have arrived and he chuckled. "Seems like your birds are here." She smiled brightly to her husband and settled a kiss to ease his stress.

"You enjoy yourself as well, just make sure that you kill any cigar smell when you come home." That was a fatal mistake, Rabastan had kissed her an hour after smoking and Merlin did he feel guilty for trigger her to throw up.

Aurora had been bombarded with comments on her appearance and hands to her stomach, and Rabastan wasn't rightly comfortable with how touchy these witches were.

And by the fake look he spotted on his wife, it was definitely a shared feeling.

The group of three were soon off to the said shop as they were making an entire day out of it. Though by the attention Romulus was getting seemingly screamed that the day would turn into buying more clothes.

As if there wasn't enough in the closet already.

Although it took half an hour or so for Aurora to get comfortable, the company and a very good kettle of tea really brought out a better side of pregnancy.

She felt great, and but the lingering feeling that something was still wrong sunk every once in a while.

A question everyone had been asking was what they wanted to name the baby, but Rabastan and Aurora had made the decision to wait until he's born to share the name. It was their little secret, one of which was downright killing everyone around, especially when Regulus and Rodolphos assumed that they would at least get to know.

Harper's wedding would be in a few weeks, and thank goddess because Aurora was starting to get drastic symptoms. It was one thing for a bathroom, but her cravings were bizarre.

So much so that she had to order American sweets because they were added to the pile, and her lack of self-control was truly coming to the table.

The tea was delicious and the company was inviting, however she was delighted that the manor was empty. Granted Harper and Clem were both under orders to stay with her when Rabastan isn't home, and so she led them into the sitting area as they decided to have the elves make pizza.

It was another American found tradition, granted it was Italian but when was Aurora ever going to hear or try it in the Black household?

Either Ravenclaw were downright excited, and the smell of melted cheese instantly made the pregnant woman's mouth water, gods it felt like she hadn't eaten in a week.

"How's the baby?" 

"Unfortunately he's shy in company, I dunno why. Come on little one, it's your aunties." Harper smiled brightly at the title, and Clem found herself taken back by it...Though neither had properly noticed.

"When is he due again?" 

"September 14th, it seems so far away...And Rabastan's already planning to teach him how to fly." Amelia rolled her eyes. "Does he know it takes the babe about a year to start walking?" 

"He thought it was earlier, I just can't wait until he's here and out." Clementine giggled along, she was far too innocent and kind, both knew the mother to be didn't mean it in a harsh way.

Her pregnancy was anything but normal.

Rabastan's idea of children was far off, he grew up more or less alone at the distance between himself in his brother. Partly why he attached himself to Regulus, it was a chance to be the big brother when Sirius left.

Though Rabastan rightly didn't mind Sirius all that much when they were younger, it was a tolerating act as they knew Aurora would blow up.

But who was she with now?
That always ranked high on Rabastan's list, that their sibling love wasn't enough for her to go run off to the Potters after him.

The ladies had misjudged their own hunger as there was an extra pie left over, and the three were enjoying the outdoors inside the gazebo, that Clem couldn't help but tease her best friend on.

Loki had joined them at the mere mention of food, but this was not the time for begging or snacks. And after a few moments, he rested at Aurora's feet waiting for a gifted treat or a pet.

It was fairly late, perhaps close to seven or eight when Rabastan had walked down to the gazebo and greet his wife's friends.
"I'm sorry I was so late love." She hummed and kissed his cheek once again, the two friends knew that was a cue to leave. But seeing the wine out on the table and his wife sipping along she choked and explained that she took the alcohol out before drinking.

Rabastan even tasted it from her glass and nodded, it was missing that little extra oomph and it defiantly had no kick. "And what do we have here?"
"Pizza, try it...I'm sure you'll like it." He eyed it suspiciously and rose his brow down to his wife.

She picked up the still warmed piece and offered to feed him, and personally he loved when she fed him. So he kept a very telling connection to her eyes as he took a bite from her, granted it wasn't the most romantic thing on the planet to be fed, but seeing him spark up like a child in reaction to what he had just tried.

"Is this one of your concoctions?" 

"No, it's an American—Well I had it in America. The elves had no problem making it, Merlin it was delicious." It was a different side of his wife, talking about food so openly. But it was defiantly a blessing considering she could be fastening again.

"And the broccoli?" 

"You could put anything as toppings, mushrooms, meats...Depends what you prefer." She shrugged, rubbing down on her stomach in pure satisfaction. And if by chance he too added his hand on top of hers now, and she chuckled at the fact that Romulus always made an appearance for her papa.

"I felt that one." 

"Well bless above he comes out to play now." He chuckled, knowing well that she was set to go to bed in just a bit. But she was defiantly humoring him now.

"Mother asked if we needed any help finding a nanny or domestic elf to help with the babe." Aurora stilled, and Romulus retracted his further movements upon hearing this. Or that's what his mummy thought at the very least.

"Why would need a nanny?" 

"To help?... With the baby...?" He carefully trended into this territory and she narrowed her eyes. "You know mother means well Rory."

"That I need someone else to take care of a child? Merlin, no I'm going to bed." She grumbled, so much for a good night. So he groaned into the air and called her back.

"Rory even if we don't use them, wouldn't it be better to have them in case you want a day to work on a new idea and I'm not home?" She closed her eyes, damn him for being right.

"I grew up with Kreacher Raba, that was not ideal...I want to take care of the baby." Why would he have thought otherwise? And it hurt.
Was she just meant to pop out the child and continue off?

"That is not what I'm asking Aurora, you're going to be tired after he's born...Even if all you use the elf for is warming milk or running the bath. Better to have them then struggle to search for later in need." She perked her lips and nodded.

"I'm sorry." He chuckled, rising up to wrap his hands around his little pregnant wife, his head incasing on top of her own as he hummed in delight.

"It's alright kitten, but why don't we get you tucked into bed." She nodded, her eyes already struggling to stay open as he walked beside her the entire way to their bedroom.

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Date Posted: 09-13-19

Time: 3:33

Words: 4104