Nora Cadwallader (safekeep) wrote in disorderic, @ 2018-06-14 19:56:00 |
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"Carrot, no," Nora said as the puffskein nudged her nose in against something under the sofa. "I'm not going to be able to rescue you if you—Carrot!" She waddled across the room. Ten more days. She had ten more days, if the puffling was as prompt as his father. She could manage ten more days. What she could not do was bend over and rescue their puffskein if she got herself stuck again. She nudged at the ball of orange with her foot. The cuff of her overalls, splattered with the soft yellow paint that now otherwise mostly occupied the walls of the expectant nursery, caught against the puffskein's fur and pulled her gently away, despite Carrot's look of betrayal. Suddenly, Nora gripped the back of the sofa. She had to concentrate to breathe, all that practice coming in handy, as a wave of discomfort ran through her abdomen. It passed after a few moments, but Carrot still whined in concern. "I'm okay," she assured the puffskein. And then she felt the rush of liquid. So much for ten days. "RHYS?" Rhys dashed into the room momentarily, as fast as he could manage. He’d been on edge for weeks, ready and waiting for this moment to happen. Even so, his eyes were wide with worry. “Nora? Nora? Are you okay?” he said, just as he stumbled into the room. He rushed to her side. “Oh Merlin. We need to get you to the hospital. I thought we had ten days?” Nora gave him a pained smile. "You say that as if—" She blew out a couple of slow, practiced breaths, then let out a laugh. "As if you haven't been ready every day for the last month." She gripped his arm a little too tightly. "I guess he's just eager." Rhys smiled, though it was a bit strained. “He’s a go-getter just like his mum,” he said, giving her quick peck on the forehead. “I’ll fetch your bag and we’ll go.” A soft Welsh lullaby filled the room as Nora stirred from her nap. Beside her, Rhys rocked his chair gently, crooning to the little blue-blanketed bundle in his arms. Nora watched them, smiling sleepily. The bundle (their son!) mewled appreciatively at his father. He was so tiny. "How's he doing?" she asked. Rhys looked up at the sound of her voice, clearly enraptured by the tiny bundle of joy in his arms. “He’s perfect. Absolutely perfect. Just like you,” he cooed, just a little bit choked up. “How are you feeling, love?” "Hmm, like a human just came out of my body," Nora joked. "But he's worth it." “You look beautiful,” Rhys said, using the side of her bed to stand and plant an affectionate smooch on her cheek. Slowly, carefully, he moved their boy from being cradled against his chest into his mother’s arms. The baby burbled contentedly, looking up at Nora with big, curious eyes. Nora took him, touching a finger to his nose affectionately. "Welcome to the world, Rafael." “Your mum and I have a surprise for you,” Rhys said, lifting Rafael up off the floor and setting him down on the couch between them. Pea and Carrot hopped up onto the cushion to join them, looking hopeful that said surprise involved snacks. The curly-haired moppet looked back and forth between his parents. "Are we going onna trip?" he asked. "No, we're not going on a trip right now," Nora said. She looked over at Rhys with a smile. "This is a surprise about our family. It's going to get bigger." Rafael’s eyes went wide. “Are we getting a dragon?” Rhys chuckled and gave the boy’s hair an affectionate ruffle. “No, even better!” Rafael thought for a moment—what could be better than a dragon? “Two dragons?” he asked finally. “How about a little brother or sister?” Nora said. Rafael looked decidedly unimpressed. Rhys was undeterred. “Don't you think it'd be fun to be a big brother? You can have someone to play with, someone to teach things. Ask your mum—isn't it fun being Baz’s big sis?” Nora nodded enthusiastically. "I was so excited when your uncle Baz was born," she said. "I got to help my mum and dad get ready, and he was so little. And you get to be a big brother!" Rafa's face skewed like he was thinking hard about something. "Okay," he decided. "Can I please play with Pea and Carrot now?" Rhys managed to avoid looking too deflated. “Of course,” he said, though he'd been hoping for a bit more of a reaction than that. Rafa scampered off to play with the puffskeins, and Rhys turned to Nora and sighed. “You don't think Dafydd was that unimpressed, do you?” She moved on the couch to rest against him and watch their little son. "I think if you didn't come out of the womb playing Beethoven's Ninth, Dafydd was unimpressed," she teased gently. "Wait until we let him tell Uncle Baz. Then he'll get excited, I bet." Rhys leaned his head against hers and gave her hand a squeeze. “Baz’s excitement is pretty contagious.” "Yeah, he's alright, I guess," Nora laughed. On the floor, Rafa laughed, too, as Carrot licked his nose. "At least we put off the 'where does the baby come from?' question a little bit longer?" "Rafa, hold onto my hand, please," Nora said. "There are a lot of people here today." They were nearly to their seats, and Rafael, decked head to toe in his beloved Catapults green, was far too keen to run off and get lost in the crowd. Little Elisa, comfortably ensconced in Rhys's chest carrying pouch, smiled brightly orange Cannons hat. "Here we are," Nora said a few moments later, with one last glance at the tickets as they found their seats. "The match is starting soon!" Rhys gingerly made his way down the aisle, leaning on his cane but well-practiced at not jostling his precious cargo. Elisa babbled brightly and blew some enthusiastic spit bubbles as he carefully took his seat next to his Nora. He laced his fingers with hers and winked. “Seems like we’ve come full circle, haven’t we?” he said cheerily. It seemed like only yesterday that they’d run into one another at one fateful Catapults vs Cannons game. “What does full circle mean?” Rafa piped up, crawling out of his own seat and into his mum’s lap almost immediately. “Well, you remember how your dad and I went to school together?” Nora asked, adjusting her son so his knees weren’t digging into her quite so much. “We didn’t see each other for a few years after that. But then we met again at a Quidditch match just like this one!” “We were lucky,” Rhys continued happily, sneaking a peck on Nora’s cheek. “I’ve never been so happy that someone lost a game.” Rafa wrinkled his nose, confused. “What? Why would you be happy that someone lost?” "Your dad and I made a bet at the match," Nora said. "Whoever's team lost the match had to take the other person out on a date. And the Cannons lost, so I had to take him out to dinner!" "Eww," the boy said. His nose remained wrinkled. "Wait. You went on a date because you lost? Mum, that's silly." "Well, maybe," Nora conceded, "But sometimes, winning isn't everything." “I dunno, I think we all won, personally,” Rhys said, wrapping an arm around them both and tugging them into a hug. “The Cannons’ loss is our gain!” The orange-decked witch in front of them turned to glare. Nora bit her lip to swallow a laugh until the Cannons fan turned back around in a humph. After a playful glance at Rhys, Nora adjusted Rafael in her lap one more time. “Okay, now remember. We have to pay close attention at Quidditch games because sometimes the balls come right up into the stands…” “RAFAEL GAWAIN SNELL CADWALLADER, STOP CHASING THE PUFFSKEINS!” “That's it, just move your fingers like so. Perfect! Elisa sweetie, you're a natural!” Triumphant and with tears of pride forming at the corners of his eyes, Rhys sat back on the floor as his daughter expertly strummed her tiny, Hufflepuff yellow ukulele. “Mummy mummy! Look! I'm doing it!” the little girl squealed, eager to show her mum what she had learned. "Good job!" Nora exclaimed with some applause. "Will you play me a song?" Elisa nodded, strumming at seemingly random intervals. After every few notes, she bowed theatrically and then went right back to playing. "I think we've got a little performer on our hands," Nora said, nudging Rhys with her shoulder. “That was beautiful,” Rhys sniffled. “You’re going to be playing the symphony in no time. Uncle Dafydd will be jealous.” Elisa tilted her curly-haired head curiously. “What’s a sym… si—symphony?” "It's a lot of people getting together to play the same song together but on different instruments," Nora explained. "It sounds really nice with everyone playing together like that." "I wanna play symphony," Elisa decided, running off with her ukelele in hand to find her brother in the next room. "Rafa! I want to play symphony. Will you please play symphony with me?" she said, practicing asking nicely like they had been talking about. Once their daughter had scampered off, Rhys turned to Nora and smiled. “Just like me and Davey,” he said delightedly. “She’ll be playing your favourite Mermen tunes in no time.” "She definitely gets it all from your side," Nora said. "I'm glad she didn't inherit the Snell lack of musical sense." “At least she inherited the Snells’ quality of being absolutely adorable,” Rhys said, taking the opportunity to attack her with a playful tickle. "She got that from both—ahh!" She squirmed away on instinct, laughing as she fought back and going for his most vulnerable spots. Rhys let out an uncharacteristically girlish squeal of laughter as she caught him and he attempted to defend himself. “You’re sneaky too! With your sneaky, tiny Snell hands!” he teased, rolling over onto the carpet. Nora moved to follow, taking advantage of her momentary height advantage. She leaned down to kiss him (and distract him) before sneakily renewing her tickle attack. As she laughed, she didn't notice the kids come back into the room until Elisa's loud "What are you doing?" interrupted them. "They're making another brother or sister," Rafa informed his little sister matter-of-factly. Nora froze, but for her widening eyes. Rhys began to turn bright red. “We’re uh, we’re just playing,” he said quickly, still lying on the floor. Nora, though, put a little distance between them and put on a bright, awkward smile for the kids. "Just having fun!" she said, a little hurriedly as her mind ran through where that might have come from. "Are you two still going to play symphony?" “Pea and Carrot like when you sing to them. I think you should both sing to them,” Rhys suggested hurriedly. Elisa agreed readily enough, grabbing her brother's hand and taking him out of the room again. Nora looked at her husband, eyes still wide and a hand across her mouth. Rhys looked to her, his own eyes wide. “I don’t know where he got that?” he whispered. "I don't know!" Nora whispered back. "Maybe one of his friends? I think Dylan's parents are expecting … maybe they were talking? 'When two people love each other very very much…" A laugh escaped her, and she covered her mouth again. He gave her a mischievous grin. “Well, I do love you very very much…” he teased. She leaned over again and a smile turned into another kiss. Then she shifted and lay down on the ground beside him with a sigh. "We're going to have to have a Talk, aren't we." He reached over and took her hand reassuringly. “I guess it was bound to happen eventually,” he sighed. She squeezed his hand, but soon enough, yelling started in the next room. "Rafa took my 'kelele!" "No I didn't!" Nora sighed again and hauled herself to her feet, then offered a hand to help Rhys up. "Kids are exhausting." "What books did you need, again?" Nora asked as they entered Flourish and Blotts. She knew the answer, but Rafael was off to Hogwarts in less than a month, and she needed to make sure he knew, too. "Um," he said, trying to list them off by memory. "A History of Magic, A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration, Standard Book of Spells: Grade 1..." Elisa, meanwhile, tugged at Rhys sleeve, dragging him toward a shelf full of school books that she’d need soon enough—where had the time gone? “I want them too! I can start learning early! Maybe I’ll become an Animagus by the time you come home for Christmas, Rafa!” she said eagerly, grabbing a copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration and holding it out triumphantly. Rafa took the book out of his sister's hand and added it to his collection, eliciting a pout from the girl. "You can't even have a wand yet," he said, not harshly. But when he saw the look on his little sister's face, he could see he'd hurt her feelings anyway, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Tell you what. How about you wait a little bit and we can become Animagi at the same time, together?" This seemed to cheer her up slightly. “Do you promise?” she asked. "I promise," he said, offering a handshake. She shook it with enthusiasm, and he nodded. "Do you think you can help me find 1001 Magical Herbs and Fungi?" As the kids went off to locate the next book, Nora wove her arm through Rhys's. "Maybe it's time for me to give the Animagus run another try. What do you think?" Rhys smiled, his eyes lighting up with excitement. “I think that would be amazing. Imagine all of the new adventures we could have.” Her eyes twinkled. "What if I'm a whale, though?" “Then I’ll perch on your head,” Rhys said, without missing a beat. "Just promise you won't eat me if I'm a fish." He gave her a kiss. “I promise I’ll go vegetarian if you’re a fish.” "Ugh, you guys know you're in public, right?" Rafa reappeared just in time to ask with a sneer only an eleven-year-old could manage. Rhys, ever the embarrassing dad, gave Nora several more kisses in quick succession. “Are we? I didn’t. My mind must be going in my old age.” Another kiss. "Ew, daaaaaaad, stop it! People can see you!" The top of Rafael's ears turned red as he glanced around the bookshop at a crowd of people who were paying the Cadwalladers absolutely no mind. Nora gave Rhys one more playful kiss, then planted a kiss on her son's forehead (which he quickly wiped away in annoyance) and gave in. "Okay, kid. Let's get you those books and what do you think, Ollivander's next?" “What wand do you think you’ll get?” Rhys chimed in, placing a hand on his son’s shoulder and gently steering him toward the checkout. "Probably wood!" Elisa piped up, helpfully. Rafa just sighed. His family was so embarrassing. "Aaaand the verdict is …" Nora tapped her fingers on the breakfast table in a drumroll before opening Elisa's owl. She held out for a dramatic moment before flipping open the letter and scanning the page. "Hufflepuff! Just like her brother." Rhys applauded gleefully despite the fact that Nora was now the kitchen’s only other occupant. “I knew it! We definitely raised those kids right! Now, we just need to get her onto the Quidditch team…” "She'll get herself onto the team, just you wait. Continue the Cadwallader family tradition." Nora took a sip of her morning coffee, and a calming quiet fell over the room. No one was running around looking for their shoes, or practicing piano, or eating a hurried piece of toast because they slept in too late. It was peaceful. "This is weird," Nora said, finally. Rhys set down his mug with a sigh, glad she’d said exactly what he’d been thinking. “I know, right? When was the last time we had… well, this?” "2018, maybe?" Nora said, sipping her tea again. "Give or take a weekend trip for them to some grandparents or the other. Do you think this is the way our parents felt when we went to school? Maybe they were throwing parties. Or taking naps." “Maybe they made out like teenagers,” Rhys said, wiggling his eyebrows. Nora snorted into her tea. She put the cup down on the table rather than risk spilling any tea if she laughed again. "That's a lot hotter when you're not talking about our parents," she said slyly. “Please ignore the fact that I just said that in reference to our parents. Let’s start over,” Rhys cleared his throat, then continued, “Hey, we’ve got the whole house to ourselves now—wanna make out?” "Rhys Cadwallader, I thought you'd never ask." Autumn's evening storms were often Nora's favourites, but tonight, she only felt nervous as she watched the clouds gather. They promised lightning, which promised a big step forward in the magical process. And though they'd been through it together years earlier, in the opposite roles, she was still apprehensive. "What if it doesn't work?" “It’ll work,” Rhys assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You’ve always accomplished everything you put your mind to, and you’ll accomplish this too.” There was a low rumbling from the clouds above, as though chiming in in agreement. "I was so nervous about it, when you were doing it," Nora said. She laughed, but it was strained. "I probably tried not to let you see that, but I really was." Rhys remained confident. “Well, I turned out pretty cute if I do say so myself. You’re going to be at least ten times as cute, I can feel it in my bones.” "You say that now, but I might be one of those little hairless cats," Nora said, almost smiling. "Or a snail." The rain picked up, and the wind snapped tree branches against the window. Nora jumped, then laughed again, a strained, nervous relief. "Well! I guess I'm already through with the leaf, right? The worst part's sort of over? Assuming whatever triggers mine to actually work is … you know, less traumatic than your one was." Rhys wrinkled his nose. “It'll definitely be better than mine. Who knows? Maybe yours will just work outright. You'll be a badass hairless snailcat in no time at all.” He gave her hair a playful ruffle. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against him, letting his calming presence soothe her apprehension. A few moments later, the sky outside lit up with a violent burst, and the clap of thunder followed close behind. "I guess it's about time," she said. She closed up her raincoat and held the potion bottle for one last inspection before opening the door to head out into the rain. "Bottom's up." Ignoring the rain, Rhys followed suit, turning into a helpful, waterproof puffin and flapping alongside her, both as moral support and just in case she needed his help. He did an encouraging loop de loop as he waited for something to happen. "Amato Animo Animato Animagus." Nora tipped back the potion. Rain splashed against her face, but she finished the bottle, then squeezed her eyes shut tight. What had happened next, all those years ago with Rhys? Was she— She felt her body contort, shrinking down to something small and fur-covered, then something larger and reptilian, then larger still and possibly feline, but it all happened so quickly she could barely register any of it, and when she suddenly felt herself again, she was lying in a puddle of mud out in the field, blinking upwards at a circling puffin. Rhys immediately landed and turned back into his regular self, sitting in the mud beside her. “Nora? Nora, are you alright? How do you feel?” A few deep breaths later, her answer was simple: "Soaked." Rhys chuckled gently and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Come on, let’s get you back inside before you catch a cold.” "It's puffins," one fisherman said as he put down the binoculars. "Bit late in the season for puffins, innit?" another asked, shielding his eyes to watch the pair of birds swoop down over the water. The pair landed in the water then seemed almost to splash each other with their wings before taking off again. They looked more synchronized than any pair of birds he'd ever seen before. "I don't know what to tell you, mate. It's definitely puffins." |