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Ellie was content laying in bed the rest of the day when a little cry rang out from the room next door. Groaning, she moved to get up, but Lyall stopped her. “I’ll get her. You relax. Rem is bound to be running in here soon anyway.”
“If Artemis needs to eat then I have to get up.”
“And I will wake you up then, Starlight.” Lyall leaned down to peck her lips and she rolled over to watch him go. He grabbed his robe and offered her a smile as he eased out the door. She didn’t know when she fell back asleep or how long she’d been asleep when a little hand began poking her in the face.
“Mama?” She heard her son’s voice, but prayed that if she faked being asleep then maybe he’d leave her be for a bit longer. “Mama, I heard your breathing change. I know you’re awake.”
Damn werewolf senses her baby was already getting used to. Ellie popped one eye open to see Remus laying on Lyall’s pillow staring at her. “Good morning, crup.”
“Morning, Mama!” He grinned and leaned over to wrap his arms around her neck. Ellie laughed as she sat up, taking her son with her. “Mama! It’s Christmas!”
“It is.” She leaned over to blow a raspberry on his cheek causing the four year old to laugh. “But right now, Daddy is taking care of Artemis so we have to wait a bit before presents, okay?”
“Okay!” Remus just clung to her neck as Ellie rose from the bed. When she looked up at the door, Lyall was there rocking their three month old with a smile on his face.
“Did she-“
“I gave her formula. Like Walt said too. You can’t keep trying to force it, love.” He kissed her forehead and Ellie let out a sigh.
“I know, I’m sorry, I just-“
“You aren’t a failure as a mother, Starlight.” He tilted her chin up to look into each other’s eyes. “I know that’s your fear, but life works in mysterious ways. Breastfeeding isn’t the end all be all of motherhood.” She just nodded and pecked his lips. “Now why don’t we head down to see what Santa brought.”
“Yeah!” Remus let out from his spot in her arms and Ellie smiled. The four year old wriggled out of her arms and took off down the hall while she and Lyall smiled after him. Gently, she took Artemis from her husband so he could go after Remus in mock pursuit.
“Come back here, young man! I haven’t even gotten my hug this morning!”
Ellie laughed a little before gazing down at the baby in her arms. “Your father and brother are quite silly, kneazle.” Artemis just stared up at her as they headed downstairs. Once she turned into the living room, Ellie let out a sound of surprise. There were more presents than she remembered buying with Lyall. She cut a glance to her husband who was placing things in front of their four year old while also starting a pile for the baby she held. “What’s this?”
“Santa thought I was extra good this year, Mama!” The joy written on Remus’s face was what kept her from commenting loudly. He had been extra good. He was taking the new normal in stride and didn’t complain. How, she didn’t know. But her baby boy was strong, stronger than she and Lyall had been for a while.
Lyall dropped another present in front of their son before kissing his head. “Because you have been, Rem. You’ve been so good.” He looked up at her and shyly approached. “I know we said nothing big. Especially after your parents were going overboard with Hanukkah and Christmas for him, but-“
“But?” Her arched eyebrow seemed to make him nervous as he bit his lip.
“But I failed you all. I wasn’t here for almost two months-“
“Because I told you I needed space.”
“Yes, but it’s my fault everything happened.” She reached up to cup his cheek and stop him, but Lyall shook his head. He turned to kiss her palm. “I know we’ve talked about this. I know we’ve talked it out with Adam, but I just, I’m going to blame myself. And I wanted to do something even if it’s as minuscule as going overboard for Christmas to make it up to him and you.”
Ellie just leaned up to kiss him. After everything this year, she was just happy he was home. Those weeks that she kicked him out as she grappled with being pregnant and her son being a werewolf had been awful. And when Joe had finally called her on her shit, made her realize that Lyall didn’t put Remus in harm’s way intentionally, that he didn’t know Greyback would do what he did, she’d gone to find him. He was luckily hiding in New York, trying to be close. When she’d shown up at his hotel room, visibly pregnant and begging him to come home Lyall had just fallen to his knees to beg forgiveness. They’d been going to see her mind healer, Adam, to help work through everything. And it had been going well. But Lyall was still feeling guilty. Which made the entire situation for Christmas make sense.
When she pulled back, he stared at her in confusion. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” He pecked her lips before lifting Artemis up. “What do you think, ‘Mis? Is Christmas going to be grand this year?” The baby just cooed at her father while Ellie stepped around him, kissing Remus’s head while moving to sit on the couch. Lyall quickly sat in his favorite armchair because they both could tell Remus was chomping at the bit to open his presents. “Alright, Rem, you’re good to go.”
It was a frenzy then. Remus called out loud thank yous after each gift even if the tag said from Santa. When he opened the last gift, she’d gotten him, he looked up at her in confusion. “Mama?”
“That’s my old stuffed niffler, baby.” Her son crawled into her lap and held up the little creature. “Nan and Grandad gave him to me when I was Artemis’s age. And he’s always helped keep me calm when I’m stressed, I thought he’d be a good friend to you.”
Remus looked up at her in awe before hugging Franklin close to his chest. “What’s his name?”
“Franklin. And he gives the best hugs.” Ellie pressed a kiss to his head as Lyall called Remus over. They’d been working their way through Artemis’s presents together holding up the various things for the other to see. But now he was directing their son to a small box sitting under the tree.
“Yes, that one. Perfect, can you take it to Mummy, please?” Remus toddled over to drop the box in her lap before rushing back to Lyall’s side. Ellie watched her husband lift him up so his arms were full of both of their children. She held up the box in confusion. “I know you said no presents. But we never follow that rule. So just open it, Starlight.”
Rolling her eyes, she gently untied the bow on the box and lifted the little white lid. Inside sat a necklace. There were four pendants on the chain. Three thunderbirds and a horned serpent. “Oh Lyall.” She felt little tears well up in her eyes as she looked at him. He was grinning from ear to ear.
“You like it then?”
“I love it. But three thunderbird-“
“Like these two won’t follow in your footsteps.”
She smiled before standing up. Carefully removing the necklace from the box, Ellie held it out to him to claspe around her neck. That’s when she noticed it wasn’t gold or silver. “White gold?”
“So it’s safe if Remus touches it.” They’d learned the hard way her beloved chain carrying his class ring and her engagement rings was pure silver when Remus had hissed in pain while she carried him one morning. The chain now sat on her dresser until they could figure out a solution. One Lyall seemed to have found. He was maneuvering carefully to clasp the while Remus and Artemis remained in his arms. After it was latched, Lyall leaned over to kiss her neck and she leaned back against his legs for a moment. Turning she carefully took Artemis back before looking to Remus.
“Is it time for Daddy to open his gift from you, Rem?” Their son smiled brightly before racing to the tree to find the present. Ellie looked at Lyall, cupping his cheek for a minute before leaning over to whisper, “He picked it out himself so please remember that.”
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Lyall stared at his wife in confusion as she took Artemis to sit on the couch and Remus came back with a present wrapped in Ravenclaw blue. He smiled at his son as he took the present and lifted Remus into his lap. He let his son tear into the paper before lifting the lid of the box and peeling back the tissue paper to discover a tie. A black tie with little grey wolves on it. Lyall could only stare for a minute before glancing at Eleanor, who was pleading with him to keep it together. Finally Remus started talking when it became clear Lyall couldn’t find his voice.
“Get it because Mama calls you Wolf Boy? And now I’m a Wolf Boy too!” Remus lifted the tie to show a smaller one that was clearly meant for a child. Lyall felt the tears prick in his eyes because his son would eventually grow to understand the pain being a werewolf would put him in. Remus would probably grow to hate to hate him for the role he played in the whole mess. And- “Daddy, do you like it?”
He just looked down and saw the look of devastation in Remus’s eyes and Lyall knew then and there that would have to change. “I love it, Rem.”
“You do?”
“Absolutely. It’s my favorite tie.” Lyall picked the tie up and moved to knot it around his neck. Remus was giggling at the sight of his father wearing a nightshirt with a tie. And that giggle made it all worth it, Lyall decided. He wouldn’t keep punishing himself. Or at least he would try not to. Because Remus was still here, his light was still shining brightly in the world. And he would need Lyall and Eleanor to offer him as much love and support as possible as he got older in order for him to remain happy. Lyall berating himself wouldn’t help Remus. So that Christmas morning he bowed to be a better father and husband. To be more present and to love his children and his wife as much as humanly possible. To be the man they needed him to be.
“Daddy?” He looked down at Remus holding up his own tie and Lyall smiled. Carefully he tied it around his son’s neck before the four year old looked at his mother. “Mama, look! Daddy and I match!”
Eleanor was grinning at them. “My Wolf Boys.”
Lyall slyly reached for Artemis’s final present and lifted his son into his arms as he crossed the room to the couch. He placed the present he’d had Remus help him pick out the day Artemis was born into Eleanor’s hand. Gently his wife opened the box to see the matching moon and star bracelets he’d gotten for her and their daughter. She looked up at him in surprise, but Lyall could only grin at her. “My Starlights.”
She kissed him then and Lyall let out a noise of delight. It wasn’t a chaste kiss, it was a kiss. One that made sure he knew how much she loved him at the moment. “Gross.” Remus let out so they pulled away. Eleanor leaned over to kiss Remus’s cheek, who accepted before wiping it away.
“Now, Remy, that hurts Mummy’s feelings.” Remus immediately looked at his mother and leaned over to kiss Eleanor. This time he kissed her quickly on the lips though and Eleanor was fighting a smile as their son pulled away. Before she could comment though there was a knock at the front door and Remus was scrambling down. “Remus John, don’t-“
“Nan! Grandad!” Sure enough when Lyall opened the door, there stood Newt and Tina Scamander. They gave him shy smiles, but Lyall just ushered them in. Newt was immediately being pulled by Remus toward the pile of presents on the floor while Tina went to take Artemis from Eleanor. It was wholesome. He knew they were the first stop on Newt and Tina’s rounds to their children’s homes that day, but seeing his wife and children interacting with his mother and father-in-law on Christmas morning just made Lyall feel a bit more whole as he joined them.
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“We never finished opening presents this morning, Wolf Boy.” Ellie whispered to Lyall as he eased his way back downstairs. He hummed in understanding before moving to the tree. Quietly so as to not wake their now slumbering children, he set their presents into two piles on the coffee table in front of the couch. There weren’t many. About four for each of them. But they both knew this year’s gifts would be more thoughtful than they had been in a long while. Her new necklace was proof enough of that. “You go first.”
Lyall rolled his eyes as he reached for the largest of the presents and slowly opened it to reveal the new briefcase she’d seen last month. He ran his fingers over the engraved initials before turning to her. “You-“
“For when you get your head out of your ass and take over for my father.” Lyall just glanced at her. “You really think Pops didn’t mention it to me that the new headmaster was asking him about who might be a good replacement when Dad steps down in the next few years, who could start learning now? And when he said you the headmaster immediately said you’d already turned him down?”
He blushed as he turned back to the present. “He asked in the middle of our separation. I’ve been focused on our family, love. Teaching is the last thing-“
“Teaching is something you were born to do, Ly.” She reached over to cup his face. “Trust me.”
“I’ll think about it.” Lyall whispered as he kissed her palm. “And we’ll discuss it again. Just for now I want to focus on you and Remus and Artemis. Alright?”
“Alright.” She smiled at him. He smiled back and Ellie couldn’t help but think he looked more handsome than he ever had. Maybe it was them falling back in love after everything, maybe it was the way the lights on the tree illuminated his face, or maybe it was just he had gotten more handsome. She didn’t know and she didn’t really care as she leaned over to kiss him.
They sat there with their lips locked for several minutes before he pulled back. “You should open your presents, love.” Sighing she moved away to open the top one. As she pulled back the paper, Ellie saw a framed photo of the day they’d brought Artemis home. She held their daughter in her arms and smiled down at her before looking at the camera. Lyall was holding a wriggling Remus, who was more content looking at his little sister than the camera. Her husband was trying to smile while also keeping Remus from poking the baby. Meanwhile the little niffler they’d named after Teddy was sitting at her feet expectantly as he gazed up at his humans. The little beast had been strangely absent today, but Ellie had seen him slink under Remus’s door when she’d come back down from putting Artemis to bed. So he was around, probably just knew better than to come for any of the shinies downstairs. “I thought you could put it in your new office.”
Ellie looked over at him with a smile. She placed another kiss on his lips. “Perfect. Thank you, honey.” They smiled at each other before Lyall reached for the next present. “That is from Artemis.”
He grinned at her as he opened the small box and pulled out a coffee mug. It had each of their names on it in age order with their birthdates. She’d gotten him when Remus was born as well. He’d loved it so she wanted to update it. “Thank you, love.”
“Thank ‘Mis.”
“Mm, I will in a bit.” Lyall leaned over to kiss her again after he set the mug on the table. Ellie just grinned as he pushed her backwards to lay on the couch. Their lips didn’t break as he laid between her legs and she wrapped her arms around his neck. She let out a little moan of delight when he pulled back to kiss down her neck. “Shhh, we’ll wake the kids.”
“Well, I’m sorry if that feels amazing.”
Lyall laughed a bit as he moved to look at her. “Merlin, I love you.”
“I love you too.” Just as she was about to close the distance between them, little footsteps sounded on the stairs. They pulled apart quickly and Ellie looked over the back of the couch to see Remus looking at them guiltily. “Mmm, Papa, I think a little crup is out of bed.”
Lyall immediately played along as he went to pluck Remus off the bottom step. “I have to say, Mama, you seem to be right.” Their son was quietly giggling in delight before reaching out for her. Ellie smiled and took him as Lyall acted like he’d drop him over the back of the couch.
“What are you doing up, Remy?”
“I didn’t see you open my present.”
Ellie smiled a bit as she ran her fingers through his messy curls he’d inherited from her father. “Well then you’re in luck. Daddy and I were opening our presents.” Remus grinned wildly at her so she kissed his nose before nodding at her pile. “Want to hand me the next one?”
“Save yours for last, crup. I think it’ll be Mummy’s favorite.” Lyall wrapped an arm around her as their son reached for one of her biggest boxes. “Oh you’ll love this one. It’s from kneazle and crup.” She smiled at his use of their children’s nicknames. She was thankful her siblings weren’t upset that she and Lyall had adopted their creature nicknames for Remus and Artemis. In fact Ollie and Estelle saw it as a badge of honor. Estelle actually was the one to call Artemis ‘kneazle’ first. She’d just said Artemis looked like a kneazle when Ellie had pressed. “Love?”
Lyall’s voice snapped Ellie into action as she unwrapped the large box. As she worked her way into it, it became clear whatever was inside was clothing and when Ellie pulled the lid off and saw the most beautiful blue coat, she pulled Lyall into another deep kiss. Between Artemis losing her lunch on it, Remus bleeding on it after a moon, and snagging it one too many times while chasing some rogue wizards, she’d finally had to give up her old coat that looked like her father’s. It had been a bittersweet day and Lyall had tried to dissuade her from it, but it was too far gone. She’d been forced to use the standard issue Auror coat the last two months. It had been painful for her. But now here was an almost perfect replica of her coat. There were a few minor detail differences such as the buttons having little creatures that looked like nifflers, crups, kneazles, and a demiguise, Lyall’s favorite, carved into them. It was also just a slightly richer shade of blue. “Thank you.”
“It’s from the kids.” He whispered in her ear so Ellie leaned down to kiss Remus. Her son met her in a slobbery 4 year old kiss causing her to smile.
“Thank you, my love.” She murmured as he giggled up at her.
“You like it, Mama?”
Ellie reached out to smooth those wayward wavy curls again. “I adore it, crup.” Remus just grinned before moving to Lyall’s pile to hand him another present. This one was from both of the kids, a spell book he’d had his eye on, but refused to buy. Then it was her turn again. A gift from Lyall and their children. A new copy of Journey to the Center of the Earth . She smiled at him as Remus bounced over to help him with his final gift. Lyall leaned over to kiss her cheek before turning back to their son. As she watched them, she was hit with just how good of a father he was. Yes they’d had a bumpy road this year and sometimes she was still understandably angry with him, but when you saw him with their children there was little doubt that Lyall loved them. That he would protect them at all costs. She’d never understand how Greyback had gotten around Lyall’s wards. They were impenetrable even to her.
Her husband letting out an amused laugh snapped her back to reality. Ellie watched with a happy smile as he pulled out the suit jacket she’d found the week before. “Tweed? You hate my tweed.”
Smiling, she leaned over to run a hand along the jacket. “Mmm, I hate your multi design in one tweed. I thought this one would make you look dapper. Do you like it?”
“I love it, thank you, Starlight.” He tilted her chin up to peck her lips. When he pulled away, Ellie saw his large smile. “You really want me to be a professor.”
“The hot professor.”
“Why?”
“My dad was always considered the attractive professor when I was at school. Or Aunt Lals. And I mean you’ve seen Ilvermorny’s options.”
Lyall laughed and nodded. “Your father or your aunt really were the only options.”
“Exactly, so I never had a crush on the hot Professor for obvious reasons. But to be married to the new one? Then damn. I’ve won.”
He laughed and shook his head at her, kissing her again. Remus didn’t seem to appreciate his parents’ tender moment because soon her son was insistently placing a flat object in her lap. The last present. She pulled away from his father while Lyall lifted Remus up into his lap. “I hope you like it, Mama. I picked it out all on my own!”
“He really did.” Lyall whispered as Ellie set to work to unwrap the gift. She knew it was a record the moment Remus handed it to her, but she was very pleasantly surprised to see Frank Sinatra staring up at her. It was one of his albums released in the late 50s they’d never gotten around to getting. Ellie smiled brightly as she looked at her son.
“Thank you, my love.”
Remus grinned brightly before hitting his father. “Daddy! Put it on so I can dance with Mama!”
“Mmmm, I think it’s well past your bedtime, crup.”
She rolled her eyes while handing him the record. Lifting Remus out of Lyall’s lap, Ellie watched her husband’s amused expression grow as she moved to the recently clear space of their living room. “It’s Christmas. He’s fine.”
“When he’s cranky in the morning, he-“
“Can crawl into our bed and sleep with us until Artemis inevitably wakes us up.” Ellie cocked an eyebrow causing Lyall to laugh as he moved to put the record on. She turned her gaze to her son, who wriggled down so he was standing in front of her. Laughing, Ellie maneuvered to let him lead as the sounds of the new record filled the air. Remus started yawning as the first song came to a close. He retreated to lay on the couch and watch them while Lyall took her hand and pulled her close. “You hate dancing.” She murmured while resting her forehead to his.
“But you love dancing.” He whispered as the sounds of “Everybody Loves Somebody” filled their living room. “And I love you. So therefore, I love dancing.”
“Mmm, that makes about as much sense as the Bing Crosby argument of 1950.”
He smiled brightly at her. “I know.” Then he began to hum along. Morrigan only knew how long they stayed like that, slowly swaying in their living room while they waited for their baby to wake up for her feeding time and Remus fell asleep on the couch, their niffler curling up beside him. It was so domestic. If you’d told Ellie twenty years ago this would be her life, she would have laughed at you. If you’d told her nine months ago right after she’d kicked Lyall out, that they’d be dancing like this come Christmas, she’d have screamed at you. But life had a funny way of working out. And as her husband held her, singing along to one of her favorite artists while her children slept and were happy and healthy, Ellie couldn’t be more grateful that this was her life.
“Merry Christmas, Wolf Boy.”
“Merry Christmas, Starlight.”