The Contract

Chapter 69

"Good morning, my love," Antonio said lovingly, kissing his wife as he entered their smaller more intimate dining room, they used every day. They had a bigger one for their dinner parties they hosted all too frequently. Breakfast was already spread out on the round table. "Good morning son! Where's Helen?" she was normally up by this.

"Good morning, dad!" Tony chirped, smiling at his dad, half his big tooth showing through, the gap, Antonio found adorable. Tony and Hannah took after their mother in completion and hair colour, while Helen took after him, and was fair but dark haired. Chomping on a piece of sausage, taking care to have 'manners' as his mum had put it.

"She'll be up soon enough; she's reaching that age where she wants to sleep in more often." Helena said fondly, "I can't believe she'll be heading to Hogwarts soon." She was going to miss having both of them around, perhaps they could try for another child, but they'd always said they'd be content with three - should they succeed in having that many - she'd talk to Antonio.

"I know," Antonio murmured, they grew up so fast, he thought staring at his son, who would actually be first to go to Hogwarts then Helen. "Have my parcels arrived, dear?" he had paid extra for them to be sent out immediately, he'd be extremely displeased if they hadn't come.

"May?" Helena called out, wrapping her bathrobe around her tighter, the heating had not yet fully bloomed. Her son and daughter were also in their pyjamas but her husband was already fully dressed for the day. He had business to attend, he would have to go to the office today, since the wizengamot sessions had made him unable to go to the office for a while. He'd had the House-elves pop in for any work that had went there for him but that was it.

"Yes, My Lady?" the attired House-elf appeared, staring at her Mistress, waiting patiently for any orders.

"Has any mail arrived?" Helena asked, well aware that they were never rudely interrupted in bed, unless the owl was expressly delivered as urgent. Which happened more often than she wished, but her husbands career made it so. Anything that had arrived in the night or early morning, would have been set aside to come with the morning mail. Which was, as always, checked by the House-elves for curses, hexes or anything unpleasant before they received it.

"Yes, My Lady, five parcels have arrived, would you like them now?" May asked, or do they want to wait until the rest of the mail was ready?

"Has the post arrived this morning?" Helena queried, glancing at the time, it should have, but sometimes the post was delayed for numerous reasons.

"Yes, My Lady, it's being checked first," May informed her Mistress, smiling at the antics of Tony, who was subtly feeding his breakfast to the dogs.

"Then just bring it together, it can wait," Helena stated, "Right, Antonio? You don't have to rush off without breakfast?"

"I'm having breakfast," Antonio confirmed, smiling beatifically at his wife, he tried as often as he could to have at least two meals with his family every day. Primarily breakfast and dinner, but sometimes he just couldn't get away, in fact both of them sometimes, couldn't get away from their duties. "How are you fairing with the duties?" not having to explain further, his wife would know he was referring to her taking over his duties on the wizengamot as he tended to the Potter seat. "Tony stop feeding your breakfast to the dogs, they've already eaten." Without glancing his son's way, almost laughing at the shocked look on his face.

Helena glanced at their son, an exasperated look on her face before she started to her own breakfast. "I'm actually enjoying it, I never thought I would...my parents didn't exactly train me in duties of being a Lady of the Wizengamot." They were traditionalists, she was so grateful though, that she'd married someone far more open minded. She'd loved her parents, don't get her wrong, but she sorts of wished she'd been a little more prepared for the world on a whole and not just seen as a walking talking baby maker.