𝙿𝚞𝚖𝚙𝚔𝚒𝚗 𝙿𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 - 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑦 | ✔︎

Chapter 74

Regulus proved to be the sweetest of babies, never fussing or crying when he was with his family. He had been introduced to four of his uncles, all who fussed over him like he was royalty when they met him.

It had been particularly difficult for Natasha to separate Adrian from the baby, as Adrian was completely head over heels for his nephew, buying him a beater's club as a gift the second time he visited.

"He may have the blood of a beater, but he is one month old Adrian!" she cried, hitting him with one of Regulus' teddy bears before taking the bat away from her son's fingers. Fred just chuckled from the corner, before swooping in to take Regulus away for a bath.

Penny was now past her due date, so Natasha had tried to visit as much as possible, glad that Penny and Charlie had temporarily relocated to the Burrow. She always brought Regulus along, teaching Penny everything she had learnt with Regulus, and Penny thanked her immensely, glad for the support in such dark times.

No word had been heard of from Harry, Hermione or Ron these past few months, so many had begun to think of them dead, at least, those who weren't in the know. Natasha worried not for her godbrother, knowing he would complete his task, but she was concerned for his old Hogwarts friends, whose letters got blocked more and more frequently.

Ginny had not been able to leave over the Christmas break, saying she needed to help the younger students at the school, so Natasha had sent along a gift of pumpkin pasties, as well as letters for Minerva and some of her former teachers, telling them the news of Regulus' arrival.

Minerva, being Minerva, had written back with words of congratulations, and had even sent along as small toy plush cat for Reggie, who had clung to it immediately.

As January arrived, so did Penny and Charlie's son, whom they had called Rowan in memory of their beloved school friend. He had Penny's nose and eyes, but the Weasley genes dominated every other part of him, including the freckles dotted across his nose.

Rowan and Regulus were introduced to one another as soon as possible, being cousins and all, and their bond was almost immediate, as they slept beside each other in their mother's arms every night the two families came together.

The only two babies who were now due were Tonks and Remus' child, and Grace and Barnaby's. Remus and Nymphadora had decided to not see the gender until the due date, unlike Grace and Barnaby, who informed their friends by owl that they were expecting a girl at the end of April.

The chill of January passed, bringing on warm sun in February, which was welcomed by all. Regulus was taken down to a small, protected lake with Natasha and Fred, where they took snapshots of their day, hoping to savour the moment forever.

"There'll be a battle Fred, I can just feel it," Natasha whispered quietly, as Reggie slept in her arms. Fred wrapped his arm around her and pulled her in close, resting his other hand on Regulus' head.

"Kingsley's warnings are coming by more and more frequently, he talks only of war now," Fred remarked, his hold strong on his small family. He was scared to admit he was terrified about the prospect of war, scared to think that he could possibly die and leave behind Reggie and Natasha to fend for themselves.

Natasha noticed his change in mood and rubbed his arm, furrowing her eyebrows. "Hey, Freddie, today is a good day. It's warm, Reggie is asleep, and we're all safe for the moment. Think of the present, don't look for the future my love, leave that to the seers."

She lay down on the picnic blanket they had out, making sure Regulus was safely tucked away in her arms, and Fred joined her, kissing both her and his son's head. The sun had begun its descent in the sky, so Fred conjured a light from his wand, ensuring the protection spell over the area they were in was still strong.

Natasha was quick to fall asleep, tired from running around all day with Fred, so he kept watch, pressing his finger to his lips as Regulus began to stir. Regulus looked up at his father with mirrored hazel eyes, dribbling slightly as he played with his feet.

"Careful Reg, we need to make sure your mummy gets all the sleep she can," Fred cooed, picking up Regulus silently and cradling him against his knees. Reggie made no sound, staring past Fred at the trees in the distant, which were now regaining their leaves.

Their home sat just beyond the trees, the homely double-story cottage inspired dwelling surprisingly blending in, even though it was mostly made of white and light brown panelling across its exterior. Reggie's nursery faced the lake, whilst Natasha and Fred's bedroom faced the village below, just enough to see the Potter mansion and Remus and Tonks' cottage on either side.

The sun was quick to disappear, as Fred knew well, so he began to bundle up their things, sending them back to their house. "Darling?" he whispered, gently shaking Natasha. Her eyes fluttered open slowly, and she smiled at the sight of Fred and Regulus before rolling onto her side.

"Yes, my love?" she answered gently, reaching up to hold Regulus' hand. Her hair, which she had passed on to her son, lay lazily around her face, curling around itself.

"The sun has nearly set completely, and Reggie here needs to go to bed," Fred said, standing up before leaning down to help Natasha up. She quickly did, and he pecked her lips twice before handing Regulus over, so that he could pack up the rest of the things they had brought over.

"Ready?" he asked, and Natasha nodded, stepping close to him so that they could apparate back to their home. Usually, they would have just walked, but as soon as night hit, Death Eaters had free range, the shadows their way of hiding if they wanted to make a quick scene before departing into the night.

They were soon inside their cosy home, and Fred went into the kitchen to begin cooking, whilst Natasha went up to the nursery to put Regulus to sleep. Remus and Tonks had gone to Andromeda and Ted's home for the week, so the home was relatively quiet, a relaxing state for the new parents residing in it.

Fred's cooking skills had improved greatly as they had been locked up in their home, impressing both his parents, who had thought he would never cook in his life, and his wife, who adored his cooking. She mostly loved watching him cook, when he stuck his tongue out in thought, or when he cursed and threw his hands up, just as his mother did.

He got to work as Natasha hummed a lullaby to Regulus, whose long eyelashes nearly brushed his cheeks as his small eyes closed. The lullaby had no words, but held a traditional Irish lilt in it, just as her mother used to do. Aurelia's fathers side had a strong Irish line, and the Lilted Lullaby, as she liked to call it, had been in her family for generations, passed down from mother to daughter, or in Aurelia's case, grandmother to granddaughter.

Natasha's voice carried on throughout the house, strangely hypnotising, like it carried her magic with it. She couldn't sing for her life, but the Lilted Lullaby seemed to be the exception, able to be sung only by the Hope women.