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“Okay, Rem, now.”
Lyall heard Eleanor’s words, but they didn’t register until there was a weight on his chest. A weight that caused him to lose his breath and jerk awake. At the end of the bed, Eleanor was holding in laughter while Remus grinned up at him as he yelled, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!”
Smiling at his four year old, Lyall pressed a kiss to Remus’s head. Carefully he maneuvered to sit up, Remus remaining curled up in his lap. Despite the moon only being two days away, his son was still in good spirits and that made Lyall breathe a little easier. “Thank you, Rem.” He whispered in response to the boy’s birthday wishes before he turned to his wife. That was when he noticed she had Artemis perched on her hip. The five month old reached for him and his wife moved to hand their daughter off. Smiling, Lyall booped his daughter’s nose. “Good morning, Mis.”
“Happy Birthday, Wolf Boy,” Eleanor whispered as she tilted his head up for a second. Her smile was brilliant and Lyall felt himself falling in love all over again as she leaned down and stole a kiss. “Rem and Mis have something for you downstairs.”
He nodded, pressing his lips to her one more time before Eleanor was grabbing Remus, tickling his sides and causing the boy to laugh. “Mama! Stop!”
“Ahhh, but I need my Valentine to pay attention to me, Remy.” That’s all it took for Remus to twist in her arms and hug her. Lyall grinned as he rose and followed them out of the bedroom. Artemis babbled quietly as they walked, her hands playing with his sleep shirt.
Without a thought, Lyall pressed a kiss to Mis’s head while turning the corner and stepping down the hall toward the dining room. As he came to a stop in front of the table, he saw just what Eleanor meant by the kids had something for him. On the table were several drawings that were clearly Remus’s doing, a sheet of paper that had handprints and footprints with Artemis’s name labeled on them. Then there was a small stack of pancakes with candles sticking out that Eleanor was waving her hand at to light.
The spell worked and the candles were flickering with fire. Remus pointed and said, “Daddy! Make a wish!”
“We have to sing first, Remus,” Eleanor whispered in amusement. Lyall gave her a look that said you really don’t. But his Starlight ignored him. “ Happy birthday to you .”
Immediately Remus joined in, letting Lyall pick him up so he had a child in each arm. “ Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Daddy! Happy birthday to you.”
“And many more.” Eleanor whispered the last part before she nodded to the pancakes. “You’ll get a more obnoxious rendition from everyone tonight, but for now. Make a wish, Ly.”
The problem Lyall always found with birthday wishes was after he turned 17, he had everything he could want. Once he’d met Eleanor Ruth Scamander, he knew he didn’t need a birthday wish anymore. Because his wish to meet someone that understood him had finally come true. And now their family, these two children that he loved more than anything in the world, the life they’d built, what more could he wish for?
Eleanor was wrapping her arms around him from behind, careful to not knock of the delicate balance he’d reached while holding their children. “Come on, Wolf Boy. Surely you’ve got something you want.”
Closing his eyes, Lyall decided to go with a secret he held in his heart for a bit longer, one that some day he’d share with her, but for now, it was a birthday wish. And then he squeezed Remus so the boy could help him blow out the candles. When his eyes opened, Remus was grinning at him, the flames gone from the wicks. “What’d you wish for, Daddy?”
“Well he can’t tell us that, Rem!” Eleanor cried as she scooped Artemis into her arms, moving to bring the rest of their family’s breakfast to the table while Lyall sank into his chair, Remus sitting in his lap. “Birthday wishes have to stay a secret or they won’t come true!”
“But Mama!”
“No buts, little man,” Eleanor grinned, leaning over to kiss Remus’s nose before she settled Artemis in her high chair and sat across from Lyall. Lyall could only watch his wife with love as she propped her elbows on the table in a move that he knew would drive her mother up a wall. Her hands folded together and she rested her chin on her fingers as she continued, “Now, I think we need to tell our favorite Daddy stories while he eats his birthday breakfast. Don’t you, Rem?”
“Yeah!”
“I’ll go first.”
“Starlight,” Lyall cocked a brow at her, trying to prepare himself for whatever crazy tale she spun for their children.
Only Eleanor had a gleam in her eye, one that had Remus bouncing with excitement and Artemis gurgling a happy noise. “My favorite story of your father starts a long time ago in a little bookshop on Sayre Avenue.”
“Ahh, this is my favorite story,” Remus said happily as he settled back against Lyall’s chest.
Chuckling lightly, Lyall asked, “Why, crup?”
“It’s when you and Mama fell in love, Daddy. It’s magic!”
“It is magic, Rem. Don’t you think, Ly?”
When he met her eyes, Lyall was transported back to that day. The oppressive heat of August in New York bearing down on him as he tried to find the books he needed. He’d promised his aunt he’d only be a few minutes. Until he’d gotten turned around in Boot’s. Only for him to stumble across her. Eleanor climbing shelves to get their astronomy book. He’d never seen anyone think that way. Most people would have risked using accidental magic or would have gone to get an employee. But not his Starlight. He remembered startling her, remembered her annoyed huff after she’d fallen. And he remembered those brown eyes, the flecks of gold that shone in them. Then to find out who she was, how he’d already felt like he knew her based only on the stories Joe had shared.
But she was so much more.
So Lyall settled back in his chair and smiled at her, nodding his head as she began their love story. Occasionally, he’d add an event or a thought from his perspective, it earned him the most beautiful smile while Remus seemed to buzz with excitement. All he could really think though, was that he was the luckiest man in the world and this birthday may be his best birthday yet.
*****************************************************
Ellie smiled when Lyall slipped into their bedroom. “Did your Valentine give you a run for your money?”
“I swear Artemis didn’t care that it is my birthday. She just did not want to go back to sleep.” The laugh that escaped her made Lyall glare before he leaned down and stole a kiss. Then he was moving to their bathroom, grabbing his pajamas as he went. “I have to leave earlier tomorrow morning. Tell Ollie I’m sorry I won’t be able to celebrate his birthday with everyone tomorrow evening?”
“He knows, but I will.” Ellie sat up on their bed, watching him through the bathroom door in amusement. “You know. I do have a present for you, Mr. Lupin.”
Lyall’s head popped around the corner, a crooked grin on his face. “My children and you are present enough, Mrs. Lupin.”
“Ah, yes, we are, we are delights aren’t we?” Her husband stepped out of the bathroom, his sleep plants low on his hips while his shirt was draped over his shoulder with a smirk on his face. “I’m taking that as a yes, BUT,” Ellie singsonged, reaching for her nightstand drawer. “Happy Birthday and Valentine’s Day anyway, Wolf Boy.”
“Thank you, love,” he whispered, pressing another kiss to her lips as he sat across from her and took the present. Ellie watched with bated breath as he slipped the ribbon off the small box. Then he was peeling back the wrapping paper and lifted the lid. When he saw what was inside, he met her eyes, wide with shock and little tears appeared there. “Is this-”
“No,” she whispered, shaking her head as he pulled the watch out of the box. “No, your grandmother and I both tried to get our hands on the original, but we couldn’t. But Carolyn helped me with getting a watchmaker to make a replica. I’m sorry.”
“You got me a replica of my late grandfather’s watch, the watch that my father destroyed when he disowned me, and you’re sorry?” Lyall whispered as he tilted her chin up so their eyes met. His eyes glistened with tears while his genuine smile shone on his face. “I love it. Thank you, Elle.” She leaned in, stealing a kiss before he pulled back and reached toward his own nightstand. He pulled out a little jewelry box and placed in her hands. “I know you hate to celebrate. Since-”
“It’s your birthday and that’s what we should focus on,” she whispered.
“Well, this is how I want to celebrate my birthday, Starlight. So Happy Valentine’s Day.” Carefully flipping the box open, Ellie let out a gasp. Sitting in the middle was a perfect replica of her engagement ring. She’d had to place the old family heirloom as well as the other engagement ring Lyall had bought when he’d decided to propose in a jewelry box on her dresser when the silver had burned Remus one morning when she’d been carrying him downstairs. She was fine only wearing her wedding ring and carrying his class ring in addition to the new white gold charm necklace he’d gifted her at Christmas. But she had missed that sapphire ring. It had been a constant in her life since she’d been born and it had been her mother’s. Now it felt wrong to not wear it. “The metal is white gold again. I know you don’t want to risk hurting Rem, but I also know how much that ring means. And while our son is the most important thing, I thought if I could find someone to replicate the ring, I wanted to.”
“Rem has been asking why I haven’t been wearing it,” Ellie whispered as she slipped the ring out of the box and reached for the chain around her neck. Lyall unhooked it with ease, helping her place the ring on the chain beside the bronze Ravenclaw one. When their eyes met again, Ellie knew tears were filling her eyes. “It’s so dumb, to be this emotional about something so small. All I want is our children to be healthy and loved and to thrive. All I want is you to be healthy and loved and thrive. If that means not wearing a ring, then so be it, but-”
“It’s okay to be happy that we could replace the ring, Elle.” He wiped at the tears on her cheeks. “Remus knows we love him, hell you have been trying to find ways to be with him or as close to him for the moons. Love, you are the best mother in the world to our little boy and our little girl. And I think Rem will be excited to see the ring on your necklace in the morning. He’ll be even happier he can touch it. And who knows, maybe one day, we’ll pass it on to him to use for an engagement ring. And it’s important that he’s able to if he wants to. This ring isn’t just a symbol of our love, but of our legacy. I want you to have this memory of your parents and grandparents’ love stories when you see the ring, but I also would be thrilled to pass it on to our own children and grandchildren if they’d like one day. And we just can’t do that if it’s silver.”
Nodding, Ellie felt herself smile brightly, leaning forward to kiss him. He’d taken the bite the hardest. He was still constantly blaming himself and trying to make it all up to Remus as much as he could. And no matter what Ellie told him, she knew Lyall would hate part of himself for the rest of his life. So it was up to her to remind him that he was a good father and husband. Especially when he picked out her Valentine’s Day present with their son’s health and future in mind.
As they sat there for a moment, Ellie let herself be wrapped up in the love in the air, whispering, “Happy Birthday and Valentine’s Day, Lyall Lupin. I love you.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Eleanor Scamander. I love you too.”