It was pitch black outside, and it was raining.
The faint music from the radio played into the room and while I stared into the garden, I could hear the sound of the knife against the chopping board.
"Are you worrying again?" George asked and I saw his reflection in the window as he walked up behind me.
He slid his arms around my stomach, his chest pressed to my back.
"You are, aren't you?" He whispered, pressing a kiss to my neck. "Worrying..."
I let out a breath, placing my hands on top of his.
"Thank you for standing up for me today."
He nudged his nose against my jaw before kissing my skin again.
"She shouldn't have spoken to you like that." He whispered. "Don't listen to her. You are an amazing person and I love you."
He let placed more kisses onto my neck until I couldn't help but laugh at the feeling.
It tickled.
George spun me around, taking my hand before he pulled me into the middle of the room.
"What are you doing?" I asked before he spun me around, then pulled me close.
"Dancing with you." He smiled and gestured towards the radio. "Hear that song?"
I looked towards the radio, smiling when I realised... then I looked up at him again, wrapping an arm around his neck.
"We danced to it at our wedding."
George nodded, a wide smile stuck on his face.
"I remember how beautiful you looked walking down the aisle." He said. "You're always beautiful but you looked absolutely magical."
"You were crying." I chuckled, and George scrunched up his nose before leaning down to kiss me, then he stepped back to spin me around again, then pulled me close and placed a hand on my waist.
"Are you feeling any better?"
I shrugged.
"I am." I smiled. "Thanks to you."
"Thanks to me, eh?" He grinned and as the song ended, he dragged me over to the kitchen where the knife had stopped chopping.
I grabbed one of the blueberries that laid in a bowl on the counter, throwing it into my mouth.
"What do you think of the name Freya?" George asked and looked at me while scooping the berries up and putting them in a bowl.
"Freya?" I asked. "For her?"
I gestured towards my stomach, and he nodded which caused me to shake my head.
"No." I said. "Don't like it."
"No?"
"I don't think it fits in with the rest of the names." I said.
"Okay." He nodded. "Do you have any names you like?"
I shook my head.
"Ava?" He asked, and I looked up at him, shrugging. "Would you rather we didn't talk about it?"
I nodded.
"Okay." He said, offering me a soft smile. "We'll wait."
He grabbed a piece of strawberry and brought it up to my lips.
He watched me with a smile as I ate it, then brushed his thumb over my bottom lip.
"Are you ready for tomorrow?" He asked. "I'm sorry I can't come with."
"Nah it's alright." I shrugged. "I'm sure Leah and I will have fun by ourselves."
George smiled.
"You can stop by the shop when you've done all the shopping." He said as I pulled myself up to sit on the counter. "I've got something that I think might cheer Leah up."
"Yeah?"
He nodded and glanced at me with a faint smile before he pushed the bowl closer to me.
"Eat some fruit, darling. I have to go pee." He said, but as he stepped around the kitchen island, Elsie entered the room.
"Hey dad?" She asked but she immediately paused and while George and I quickly looked at her, her eyes widened. "I mean— G-George... I— I didn't mean to say dad. I just talked to dad on the phone so that's why and I— I've forgotten what I wanted to ask so I'm going back to bed."
Elsie turned around and left the room as quickly as she had entered, and George turned slowly to look at me.
"Did she call me dad?" He asked but didn't give me time to answer. "I'm gonna go talk to her — make sure she's okay."
I smiled as he left the kitchen to walk upstairs.
Elsie called him dad, then tried to cover it up.
All George wanted was for her and Leah to see him as a parent. Not necessarily their dad but someone who cared for them like a parent. He had always respected that they wanted Malcolm in their life but he just wanted to be appreciated and I knew that they did appreciate him.
I grabbed the bowl of fruit and walked over to the table to sit down, where I ate the fruit as I stared out of the window.
We were at the end of August, which meant that soon, the kids would go back to Hogwarts and Leah would be starting.
Then at the end of September, Fred would be leaving us to play Quidditch for a living.
I was never prepared for this part of parenthood — having to say goodbye to my children, watch them leave home.
I hated it.
Once George got back downstairs, he was wearing a huge smile on his face. He joined me on the sofa, leaning back.
"You look happy." I said, giving him a slice of pear. "Is she okay?"
"She's embarrassed." He said. "But she's okay. She apologised for calling me dad, and I had to assure her that it was completely okay. She's allowed to call me dad if that's what she's comfortable with."
I stared at him as I listened to him tell me about their conversation.
"Then she opened the discussion about Malcolm." He said and his smile faded away while I raised my eyebrows. "She's tired of him letting her down. She told me that she hates him."
I sighed and closed my eyes, handing him the bowl of fruit.
I ran my hands into my hair before shaking my head.
It was my fault. I continued to give Malcolm chances.
I thought the best thing was for them to have him in their lives. I didn't realise that if I cut him out, they'd still have a fatherly figure... someone who was more capable of the responsibility.
I just wanted them to have a dad.
"Dia." George placed a hand on my thigh and I opened my eyes to look at him.
"I don't know what to do." I told him. "Elsie hates him but Leah loves him. If I keep him in our lives, Elsie will hate me and if I don't, Leah will."
"Leah is eleven years old. She's young. I don't think she quite understands the person he is. You do what you think is best for them."
I sighed and leaned my head on his shoulder.
"What do you think is best?" I asked.
"I think... I think that if Malcolm continues to stay in their lives, they'll get hurt time after time." He said. "They deserve better than that."
