Regulus
"She knows everything, my love I'm not sure why you're worrying." Nova's voice rang from the other end of the shack.
"She hasn't talked to me since I was cruel to her." I explained again. I could feel Nova's eye roll.
"She's talked to you." She replied with a huff.
"Not properly!"
"Don't be a dick then, Reg. What do you want me to tell you?" She sighed as she walked in the room, she placed a kiss on my head before continuing and walking into the kitchen. "I've been telling you for years now, think before you speak. You're not very good at it, dear."
"I just don't want her to-" She cut me off with the signature Nova glare that'd only gotten scarier since she'd become a mum before she turned the corner.
"To what? End up like me?" The edge behind her words dared me to say it. Dared me to be stupid enough to defy my wife. Dared me to be wrong.
"No, just, there was so much you went through in school, darling. I don't want that for her." She laughed.
"Reg. At her age, I'd done far worse things than have two boys fight over me. I'm sure she has too, but that's not our business."
"It is our business. We're her parents."
"Was it your parents business what you did when you were sixteen? Do you think I was writing home to mum every scandalous thing I planned up?" She asked as she walked back in the room and sat beside me, handing me a mug of tea.
"Because as I recall, at sixteen you were a runaway, living with your girlfriend's family, pranking people, and nearly failing classes." She sipped her tea and looked at me expectantly. "Or am I mistaken?"
"Nova, you can't possibly be alright with her doing all those things." She shrugged.
"I am. Because she's me," She rubbed her belly. "maybe this one will be you. But that's one is me, with your pale skin and black hair. I quite like her that way. Instead of pushing her away and being cruel to her over mistakes we practically invented, I'm going to continue to encourage her to find herself outside of us." I sighed heavily.
"Look, love," She started again after a beat of silence. "only one of us has been a sixteen year old girl before. I wouldn't wish that shit on my worst enemy. As much as I'd like to know who did what to her hair, or if she's sneaking around with both boys- just to tell her to be safe- she will tell us when she's ready. Ready will never come if you treat her like a problem that needs solved."
"You think someone did that to her hair?" I asked. She nodded.
"I know someone did that to her hair. She got your vanity." I chuckled and lightly pushed her away from me. She laughed and kissed my cheek. She patted my leg and stood up.
"You've never been good with sixteen year old girls, Reg. Why start now?" She said over her shoulder as she left.
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Elenora didn't seem as pissed at me when we picked her up to take her to dinner, even less pissed when I offered her and Enzo flew on their own. She even kissed my cheek. We were making headway. When they landed at our house she tucked herself under Monty's arm. Luna was tucked under his other one.
"Why are we here?" She asked. Nova gave her a look, she nodded. Those two had an innate ability to understand each other without speaking.
"Who called this dinner?" Luna asked quietly.
"Uncle Barty and Uncle Evan." El replied. Luna nodded.
"Right. To tell us about the-"
"Luna! No prophecies!" She cut the older girl off with a smile. Luna giggled. I saw Nova and Pandora in every interaction. The light teasing, but fierce protection from El.
"Where's Blaise?" El asked as we entered the house. Luna shrugged.
"Didn't feel like the right time to introduce him to everyone." Nova looked between them, then up to me.
"She's with Blasie?" I nodded.
"Has been for some while." She shook her head.
"Why did no one tell me that?! I don't have them in class together! Luna tested out of my class the second week in!" I chuckled and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to me, before kissing her head.
"I promise to tell you about students you don't have, if you promise to tell me about students we both have." I told her as I stuck my pinky out with a pointed glance at our daughter. She smiled and laced her pinky with mine.
"Deal." She replied as we walked in our house. Vega jumped on Elenora as soon as she saw her.
"Oh that dog!" Effie grumbled as she wiped up mud. I smiled as she caught my eye.
"Why was I invited to my own house for a dinner?" Nova asked as Evan wrapped her in a hug and kissed her cheek.
"Because our house is too small to host you all." He reminded her. She smiled and patted his arm.
"Nervous?" She asked lowly. He shrugged. She stretched up to kiss his cheek.
"Nova Potter, I would have killed for that in school." He told her. She swatted his arm as they both laughed.
"Stop hitting on my wife." I told him as he pulled me into a hug. He laughed as he pulled me tighter.
"I'm not making a huge mistake, right?" He whispered in my ear. I shook my head.
"I think this is your best decision to date, mate." I patted his arm lightly. Barty came barreling into the room, swiping the girls into a hug in one swoop. They giggled as they hugged their Uncle Barty. He released them and patted Lorenzo on the shoulder with a quick hello before spinning Nova around.
"Beautiful dress." He told her. She rolled her eyes.
"Aren't you a ball of energy today?" She commented as he kissed her cheek. Ev laughed as he pulled Barty to his side. I felt a tug on my arm as I watched the two of them. I looked down to see Elenora tucking herself under my arm. I smiled at her, she returned it.
"What's up, kid?" I asked. She just shrugged.
"We haven't talked much lately." She replied. I nodded.
"I've noticed." I told her. She looked up at me with wide eyes, eyes she got from her mother that were incapable of hiding emotion. I could see the sadness.
"Are you mad at me?" She asked. I shook my head immediately.
"Why would you think that, sunshine?" She shrugged again.
"The last time we really talked you seemed mad." I took a deep breath.
"I was frustrated but more importantly, I was worried about you, darling. I've navigated sixteen, but never being a parent. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have talked to you the way I did." I tried to explain to her.
"I'm fine, dad." She told me. I nodded before smiling down at her.
"I know you are. Are we good, Ele?" She nodded.
"We're always good, dad."
