RP: Skip Town
Who: ZJ & Dora What: Visiting When: October 18th Where: Dora's flat Warnings: Talk of trying for babies
It had been just over a week since Zahara and Hyperion had decided that they wanted to try for children. It had been right after Dora left with the twins that day that the couple had gone about removing her charms, and officially trying for their own family. In the week that followed she had been busy at work, getting swamped under new Halloween orders, and trying to get a jump on Christmas preparations. It would be here before she knew it, she knew her mother intended to decorate the shops just after Halloween. She wanted to be prepared so that she didn't still have Halloween slime on the shelves while her mother was putting up holly and bows.
One thing she was missing however were the twins. She typically had time to help Hyperion watch them when he had the day off, but she had worked through the weekend this past weekend. It was why she had asked Dora if she could come by after work Wednesday. Hyperion would still be at work, since Zahara had actually taken off from work early that day. She arrived at the flat across the hall from her own just after one, a bag in one hand that held lunch she had picked up from the Leaky, in the other was a small bag that held just a few pieces of what she had come to figure out was Dora's favorite candy. She had even tossed in a few of the Halloween candies.
"It's just me!" Zahara called out after knocking, not knowing if Dora was busy with the twins. She was hoping that knowing it was her, Dora would know she could take her time, or just call her to come in.
With a few exceptions, Dora pretty much always welcomed the help of those close to her. ZJ counted since she and Hyperion were serious and just down the hall, and though her closest friendships outside of blood and bond family were with Luna and Nora, she was trying to forge deeper bonds with the woman she suspected would be her sister-in-law within the next year. Probably sooner, knowing her Gryffindor brother.
Plus she just plain liked Z, and however fast she felt the two were going, she also knew Hyperion wasn't completely stupid even on the days she called him a blockhead. Her own judgment felt reasonably steady around the woman.
She wanted her children to have a large and loving family, so she welcomed those people in even on the days she didn't want to people. Today though she was good with it. The twins were having supervised blanket time and Charlie was cavorting with them in some complicated kitten game that seemed to stimulate all three of them, and Dora had a warded table in front of the couch and her charms paraphernalia there since she'd known ZJ was coming by and she couldn't hear the door well in her work room.
Most of the stuff she'd been showing in whenever she could was basic charms sold at the shop that were finally running low after her feverish activity to get then done this summer. That, and Halloween gamlours.
"Come on in, the wards know you," she called, having left the door unlocked. She knew she should possibly be a better hostess but she also didn't think her neighbor would mind.
Zahara grinned when she heard Dora tell her to just come in. She slipped inside the flat, grinning as she shut the door behind her. "Hey! How are my favorite littles?" She asked as she went about walking in, and towards the kitchen. She set the bags down on the counter, only able to slip out of her jacket then. "I stopped by the Leaky to grab us lunch, I hope you haven't ate just yet." She unpacked the bag from the Leaky, setting all of the boxes out along the counter in front of her. She wasn't going to mention the candy, instead that small bag was set farther back on the counter for Dora to discover later.
It was then that she came back to Dora, sliding out of her jacket. "How are you?" She would have apologized for just making herself at home in Dora's flat, but she rather thought they were past that. She had come by so many times to pick up Charlie from her, before Dora had just decided to keep the little guy. She rather enjoyed spending time with her, it was just an added bonus that she got to spend time with the two littles that would someday be her niece and nephew. Something she was certain everyone already knew, yet she never called herself Aunt Zee.
Dora wasn't offended in the least. Z and Peri were over often enough that it was natural and it was hard to be too formal with babies involved. And the babies always came first and again it didn't hurt her Feelings. It seemed natural.
"Oh, do mothers actually eat?" Dora asked in a darkly wry tone. "I figured we were supposed to waste away ad we nursed." She smirked faintly at Z, relatively confident at this point that she wouldn't take offense to her primary sense of humor. "I haven't eaten. I fed them and have them entertained and starred working instead."
Her appetite could be sketchy anyway. Even now.
Around her she had a few things floating in the air. She wielded two wands, a fine thin one that was one she'd had for a while with plenty of swishiness, and another that Ewan had given her this summer. They paired wrll for this kind of work. Most people assumed she only wielded two when she dueled sometimes but it actually wasn't uncommon with upper level charms work for her, anyway.
"I'm all right. Glad that these two are having a good day so far, and yay your Zeezee is here," she said to the babies. With her children she was far more open than she was in public with almost any one else. Of course they were too young to know the words but they reacted to her cheerful, bright tone with waving arms and legs and some noises.
"I've heard a rumor that they do." Zahara teased as she set the food down on an empty space of table next to Dora. She had the urge to ask the other woman to make sure that she ate once she and Hyperion conceived, talking about the fact they were trying however seemed a bad idea. She was nervous about it all still, she hadn't told a soul that they were trying. It was something she knew that most of their families wouldn't understand, there would be talk of them moving far too fast. They both didn't see why they had to wait, they knew what they wanted, and they were going for it. She didn't know if she could have that conversation with Dora just then, not realizing that the charms mistress likely already could tell she had taken her charms off.
Zahara took up a spot on the couch next to Dora, if only so that she could see the twins better from where she sat. She grinned as the littles waved those little limbs, laughing softly. "Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week." She teased, watching the kitten playing with the twins. "He really has become their pet, hasn't he?" She asked curiously, while she dug her fork into the take away box. "Here I thought that he had a thing for you, always sneaking over. Silly little bugger." She didn't miss those days, being mortified that the kitten had snuck over to be a nuisance again. She was just thrilled it had all turned out for the best.
"Hmmm, someone took me off the memo list then," Dora joked dryly. Her sense of humor still, despite everything, tended toward dark and even morbid and still wasn't always socially acceptable, but it helped that the people she was around a ot didn't flinch away from it too badly.
She finished the bits and bobbles she was doing to the pieces in front of her, and set both wands down, the pieces floating down on their own, and brushed her hands back through her dark, sleek hair. Then she looked at Z, full on, for the first time. She tended to be rather focused when casting, but she was really good, able to carry on conversations and such except during some of the more complicated stuff. This wasn't especially so, so talking had been easy enough.
For her, anyway. She didn't recommend a student try it.
"He is, I think. I mean, he hasn't tried to kill them, hasn't even but barely scratched them or anything and not on purpose. They can't do much yet, but they are intrigued." she reached for her take away box, curling her legs up under her skirts and facing her neighbor companionably as she started to eat. "I'd kind of hoped... I've never had a familiar. But this works too, and they'll have someone to grow up with." And fight over, probably. She chewed thoughtfully, trying not to dwell on the fact that they already had a familiar and their mother never had. She stared idly in Z's direction, something niggling at her but not coming immediately to her mind.
Zahara laughed softly, "I'll be sure to talk to my people. Clearly the beatings need to increase until moral improves." Zahara gave a wistful little sigh then, smirking as she turned to look at the other woman. She was a little startled to see that her attention was on her, which made her laugh as she was mid bite of her food. She almost dropped it, but a hand came up to cover her mouth before it fell out of her mouth. She smiled at the other woman, a bright cheerful thing, before swallowing what she had been chewing on. "Sorry, I thought you were still casting." She admitted with a soft laugh, "I didn't want to distract you."
"That's really cute, I didn't find Nancy until I was going to school." She admitted as she watched the kitten again, while she continued to munch on her chips. "You've never had a familiar?" She sounded more curious than anything, "I'm sure you'll find one. They say it happens whenever, I've heard of witches and wizards finding theirs when they were well into their seventies." She gave a soft laugh, "I promise I'll likely have loads more animals around, so you're bound to have one attach to you. I just hope no more kittens..." Though she could totally see a puppy maybe, those would adorable. She wondered if it would help with her puppy fever, though there was no space in their flat for one currently.
"I never had siblings... I like to think of Quin as one?" She didn't know why she was sharing, she just felt that she could share this with Dora. They would be sister-in-laws at some point, that was as close as she was going to get to a real sibling. "I always wanted them though, someone to grow up with." She would have adored a pet too, though she had enjoyed growing up with her father's wacky candy ideas.
"Wouldn't do it out here if it were going to be too distracting," she said. "The stuff that does more than gently poof if I mess up is only for the work rooms." Which were warded, the one at the shop to a higher degree than the armoire. Hyperion would probably be either proud or appalled by how hard it would be to break them. Plus the bigger the spell work, the more apt she was to strip herself of her spells.
"Nope, and I've known a few people who have had several, so I'm just not sure at this point," she said, eating her food with only part of her attention. "Ha, well. At least it wil give me an opportunity. I suppose it isn't like I need another thing to take care of right now, them and Charlie are quite a handful altogether. Though you got Nancy fixed, right?" She would be getting Charlie done as soon as he was old enough.
"Well, I can guarantee having sibs isn't all roses and rainbows," she said dryly. As the second of what had once been five, she knew what she was talking about. "Though Quin and you seem to act like sisters, really, so you do sort of have one." She knew there was a cousin tie in there somewhere. "I know she's very fond of you."
"I didn't even think of that." Zahara admitted with a flush, there were still so many things she had to learn before she and Hyperion actually had a child. Though she supposed that was likely something that she might not have to worry about as often, she didn't do heavy duty charm work like Dora did. She didn't ever have that worry about things doing more than just making a little poof, there weren't explosions. Her father however... Well, she was already planning to keep him supervised around any grandchildren that Hyperion and she might give him.
A soft laugh slipped from her when Dora asked about Nancy, "Not yet. I'm taking her and the kitten we kept at the same time. They go next week." There was no rush as far as she was concerned, though she knew Nancy might go find herself a new boyfriend if given half a chance. What did help however was the fact that there were two of them watching over her now, both Hyperion and Zahara. They could police the sneaky little thing easier, though she knew that Nancy would be happier when she was fixed and able to get out into the world again.
"I don't know, I'd like to have sibling fights. I think that's because I've not had any." She nodded her head a bit, "I do sort of have one in Quin. She's the closest that I'll ever get." Though sometimes she worried that Quin got tired with Zahara, only because she knew that Quin worried about her. She was just the mothering type, she always reminded herself of that. She still hated that she made the woman worry. She was still figuring out how she could share her excitement with Quin that they were trying for children, she didn't want to worry her more.
"Not many people do unless you do a fair amount of spell craft or upper level charms work," Dora said with an easy shrug. "Spell creation or high power spells can be volatile. That's why my rooms are always well warded against things happening." That and she was paranoid as fuck, but that was a given, really.
"Sounds like a plan. I'm going to have him fixed as soon as I can and am able to fit it in with every othr appointment." Her lips quirked faintly. Of course babies often had a lot of appointments; hers just had a few more than usua, given their early appearances.
"Oh, they can be bad, so you probably wouldn't enjoy it," she said. "But I wouldn't give any of them up." Her voice softened ever so slightly. Even now, after so long, she still couldn't help thinking about Perseus. His loss would always haunt her and always be a scar on her heart. Her eyes found McKay on the floor, and she moved to pick him up, more for her comfort than his; Perseus' little namesake.
"Cousins can be about as close," she said as if she hadn't just had a quiet, introspective moment. "Elroy is a dear friend, and he's my cousin on my dad's side. Your cousin Quin seems very sweet and very sisterly towards you. I can tell from talking to her that you mean a lot to her."
Hazel eyes glanced at the walls, she hadn't really thought much about it until just then. She was likely seated inside one of the safest places in London, that was definitely comforting. "If you'd like, I can see if they have an extra opening and take everyone at once?" She knew it likely would be a whole ordeal for Dora, finding time when someone would be able to watch the twins, or taking them both with her. She couldn't imagine it being an easy task, she wanted to help out. "I'm sure you've got your hands full, it wouldn't hurt to see." She didn't know why she was trying to point out all the reasons that Dora should agree, she was trying far too hard to help out.
A soft giggle left Zahara, she shook her head, trying to hide the smile with her hands. "I'm glad to hear it. I'm sure they would be too." She was teasing, she had a feeling all of the Montgomery children weren't letting go now that they were all reconnected again. Zahara was enjoying living across the hall from Dora, she knew that Hyperion did as well. While it could easily make for some awkward hallway run ins, Zahara enjoyed being able to pop over to see the twins, and Dora. Especially with their friendship blossoming.
"We'll see how she feels after the next show I talk her into." She was teasing, she knew that Quin did in fact enjoy getting up on stage. It was all just a matter of getting the woman up on stage, and everything always went so smoothly. She wondered just how worried Quin would get if she knew that Zahara and Hyperion were trying for children, an evil little smirk curled her lips then, and she had to tip her head to hide it by letting her dark locks fall into her face. It was mean, but she found it amusing when Quin worried about her like that, especially when it was something Zahara knew she wanted. She was ready for this with Hyperion, he was her future.
"Now that would be helpful," she said with a nod. "That way at least we could juggle cats and kids together, or at least cats if I can find a sitter who isn't you all." Though she had trust issues with anyone who wasn't her family or close friends. It might not be founded paranoia but it was definitely a thing.
One reason, of seeral, that she hadn't pulled the metaphorical trigger on taking Hyperion and his house yet. She liked living near Hyperion and ZJ, and nearer her sister. With the bairns, apparating wasn't just simple right now, so the fact she could just dash across the hall was a blessing. Plus it meant she got to see them in passing, at least, almost every day, and she found she really enjoyed that.
"Oh, I'm sure she'll be fine. She seems mostly okay once you geth er up on stage. It doesn't detract, anyway." Dora enjoyed watching them even if she couldn't sing worth anything herself. Didn't stop her from humming to the babies, for they found her voice reassuring, but with her hearing damage especially, she couldn't hold a tune to save her life.
Something kept niggling at her and she reached over idly to poke ZJ, rather gently really. "Something different about you today," she said, cocking her head. She let out a gentle wash of magic as she poked her again, what amounted to a vague wandless diagnostic. Wandless would never get you anything terribly specific, but Dora worked with charms so much it wasn't the info so much as what she felt from it that mattered most.
"I can definitely help with the cats," And she hoped that maybe someday she would be able to help with the children more. If she and Hyperion were able to conceive within the next year, their children would be close enough in age that she thought it was something that was totally possible. Taking turns picking up the children from school, or from their children's Quidditch practices, so many options. She was hopeful, though she knew their families would be surprised when they shared the news. "Well, cat in this instance." She admitted a moment later, "I'll call the vet in the morning and add him to our list. I'm sure it'll be no problem."
Zahara had relaxed, relief flooding her to know that Quin didn't look outwardly as uncomfortable as she knew her cousin likely was. That moment of relief was gone a moment later however when Dora started to poke her gently, and said there was something different. "Just lightened my hair." Was the excuse she gave as Dora was poking her again, and she felt that prickling of magic moving over her. She had a feeling it wasn't on purpose, it was a natural reaction when curious, and growing up with magic all around. She knew however that Dora might realize there was something missing. She had to just hope that whatever Dora had done was just something to check for a flu bug, she didn't even think of the fact that Dora worked with charms the most and would be more interested in what she was feeling come back, or in this lack of what would come back.
"I've just been working too much lately, I keep coming off as sick. Pop thought I was sick earlier this week." She was babbling at Dora, doing anything to keep her neighbor from worrying too much. She knew if Dora poked her too much, she would spill her own beans. She was excited about the fact they were trying for children, she wanted to share the excitement with their families, though she knew most of their family would think they were crazy. It was something that they felt they didn't need to share with everyone until they had news to share, at least for now.
She shook her head mutely, head still tilted in a bird-like manner as she gently poked. It didn't draw up a visual display like some charms would. She was more... touch and taste in how she perceived things. Filius, she knew, tended to hear things associated with his chosen craft, but given her hidden disability, that would never be for her.
"You're trying to distract me," Dora said, voice faintly amused. It obviously wasn't working. Then it occurred to her that it wasn't something she was finding, it was something she wasn't finding. "Your charms aren't all on," she said, head tilting the other way. "Did you know?"
After all, her charms being stripped was the reason she'd gotten pregnant with the twins. If it had happened and ZJ didn't know, she would be very remiss in not mentioning it to her.
Squirming away wasn't going to do any good, but each little poke had her laughing as she wiggled. "I am trying to distract you." She wouldn't lie to Dora, definitely not when Dora had just called her out on it. Then her next question had caused her to flash her neighbor a very nervous smile. Her head bobbed in a nod, "He helped me take them off." That simple, yet it explained it so much. It had been a while since that day Dora had warned Zahara about going too fast, Dora had been able to be around the couple, and get to see them in a far more intimate way than the rest of their friends and their siblings did. She was their neighbor, she got to see them coming and going, and likely hear a few things through the walls from time to time. Zahara just hoped the other woman understood that for them, this wasn't too fast.
Her heart was hammering in her chest, and she was certain her cheeks had flushed. "We're not really telling anyone though." She didn't look away from Dora, while she was nervous to be sharing this with her soon-to-be sister-in-law, she was confident that this was the right thing. It was what they wanted, and they weren't rushing it. She wasn't doing anything different, she had just taken off her charm. If it happened, it happened, they weren't rushing to have it happen right that second. "I hope that you wouldn't mind not telling the others?" Meaning Persephone, Quin, and the gang. She wanted to do that in her own time.
Dora caught on quick. She did frown faintly, but she wasn't jumping on her or anything. It was a thoughtful look. She had stopped doing more than the occasional tease because she did know now how serious they were about each other, no matter how hellishly fast they'd gotten there. She did have genuine concerns, and they were valid, but she wasn't going to just keep harping on them. She'd said her piece, to both of them, before.
Though now did merit maybe a small thing, born of more recent experience -- literally.
"You know children change everything," she said softly, and her eyes moved briefly over to her children. Her expression was tender, but when she looked back she was serious. "It isn't that I don't think you all know what you're doing. But it changes everything. I don't regret my children and never will, Zee, but I do wish I'd had the chance to wait and have more of the romance first, again."
Though the couple babysat for her regularly enough, she didn't think either of them quite grasped the profound changes children could bring -- especially to a relationship. Like she said, she didn't regret them at all. But her relationship with Ewan had undergone a bunch of very quick and difficult changes and she didn't always know where she stood with the man she loved. They hadn't gotten to reknow each other that well before they'd found out about her pregnancy. Her own foibles and problems still popped up unexpectedly.
"But no, I won't tell anyone. It's your all's business," she said. "Though don't be surprised if my mother notices. She's dead observant."
Zahara noticed the slight frown, which had her biting at her lower lip nervously. She knew it was early, she knew that there was nothing she could say to sway people into seeing their way of thinking. That was a revelation she had hit her over head one night while talking with Quin, getting ready for their open mic night. She knew the only thing they could do to get the people they loved most to see their side, was to just keep showing them in everything they did. It was why she didn't try to protest, explain all the reasons that she knew this was right for Hyperion and herself.
Instead she nodded her head, "How long after you two reconnected did you conceive?" She wasn't judging, she was just curious about it all. They had been trying for somewhere around a week already, though something in her gut told her that she wasn't going to end up pregnant for a while. It was something they were both okay with, they were enjoying being together, and spending time with each other until they got the chance to finally start their little family. They had their house already in the works, it would be finished and ready for them by the spring. "We've thought about this, a lot. We aren't jumping in blind." She was hoping to reassure Dora that they did know what they were doing. He was 32, and she was to be 28 soon, even with their longer lifespans they were still adults.
"Thank you." Though her eyes grew far too large as Dora mentioned their mother, "Holy Helga, I didn't even think of that." She may have even paled a little. While dinner had gone well, she had a feeling that his mother wasn't as excited for grand babies as Zahara's mother was. She knew if she shared the information with her mother, she would have been thrilled for her. It was that pressure that had kept her from telling her parents however, she didn't want to add any unneeded stress. "Thankfully I only see her when Hyperion is around, so he can field all of that." She said with a wave of her hand, laughing softly at herself. "I think she might think my brain is made of taffy." She confided, giving Dora a sheepish smile. "I had to sit in front of her, with my eight billion kittens trying to spill all over the room, and talk about how I want to be a musician. That's the worst thing you can say to someone's parent when you're dating them, that's like saying I want to go be homeless." It was hard to break into the music scene, especially the wizarding music scene. She had still not really talked about that dinner, let alone confiding that fear. Yet, she felt utterly comfortable in sharing this big secret with Dora.
Dora snorted softly. "You know the twins were completely unplanned, right?" she said quietly, and her keen gaze rested on them, soft and loving. She wouldn't and would never call them mistakes. But they had been the farthest thing from planned. "I'm honestly rather certain I conceived them the day we reconnected. There was, as far as I could tell, the smallest gap between when I know the mediwizard had to have stripped my charms from me and my monthly reapplication of them. Because it wasn't a charm failure, I assure you. They have a nasty habit of messing with my personal charms down at St Mungos when I'm there for a DMLE appointment."
The fingers of her left hand, the arm that bore the mark that was currently covered, curled into a fist briefly at the mere thought. Her Death Eater status would follow her all the days of her life, and she knew it.
"Hyperion, think seriously about something," she said with a faint eyeroll. Oh, she wasn't making fun, exactly, but it wasn't his best known trait either. It was a very sisterly and very her thing to say. "I know you had to have." She just didn't think they really understood. But then they'd probably have a much easier time of it than she and Ewan had. Were having.
"Don't let her scare you too much. She respects it if you stand up to her, usually," she said. "If she's not cornered you yet to threaten you, she must think well enough of you. She's not terribly shy. So it sounds like it really went rather well, honestly."
Zahara nodded her head, she knew the twins hadn't been planned. She was fairly certain they had talked about all of this before, though she couldn't be certain. "I would think your charms know better than to fail on you, you're the best there is." Her words were stated as facts, because everyone Zahara knew, knew that Dora was hands down the best. It was why she had bought her own charm from Dora, the one that Hyperion had helped her remove. It had been such an exciting moment for them, removing the charm and making love after. She wondered if it would matter that watching the twins for Dora had been what had pushed the couple over, she doubted it would matter much in the situation.
"We aren't going into this lightly. We're just done waiting to start our lives together, truly." Starting their own little family was step one, though she was certain there were some that thought marriage needed to be that first step. She smiled wider though at the advice about their mother, "I hope you're right. It did go very well, she didn't make it obvious that she definitely disapproved of the musician thing." She was just teasing but there was some truth to her words, she had seen the look enough times over the years to know the look.
After a moment, Zahara bit her lower and reached a hand out to take Dora's. "Thank you." She squeezed the other woman's hand gently, before sitting up straight again. She was thanking her for not lecturing, for not getting mad with the pair of them, and for keeping their secret. She knew she likely already had thanked her for a lot of those things, but she felt it was needed again. She really enjoyed her friendship with Dora, she was always afraid that something about her relationship with Hyperion might ruin her friendship with Dora. Honestly, she had thought this might. She knew how Dora wanted them to wait, but they knew in their hearts that this was what they wanted. They were done waiting.
She chuckled softly, warmed by the compliment. She didn't think Zahara said it just to butter her up. Dora worked very hard to be in the upper echelon of the charms masters and mistresses. Even if she wasn't well liked, her skills were respected, and these days that was all she asked.
Dora's lips pressed together slightly but didn't flatten too much. She had qualms about it, she did. But at least in their case... she'd seen them up close, day in and out. She might not approve, per se, but she knew that they at least thought they knew what they were getting into. She wondered if she should let them have the twins for a full 48 hours without a break... and knew she couldn't because she'd miss them too much, even if she sometimes craved a long, uninterrupted break. "I know. I can't say I don't think you two know yourselves. I just think maybe you're getting in the deep end too quickly, but I respect that you've given it a lot of thought and it's not just a whim." Not outright approval, but not outright disapproval either. Just statement.
She wondered if she should remind ZJ that Eugenia was a Slytherin from a Slytherin family and knew how to hide such things. But if her mother hadn't blatantly disapproved, she at least liked Zahara all right, she suspected, though Hyperion always had been the favorite, even growing up.
"Just don't rush too much and miss all the good parts, all right?" she said softly, squeezing ZJ's hand back. She liked the woman a lot. Appreciated the time and company she'd given her, when she was cooped up in this flat. Unsolicited help and support. It meant a lot to her. She just... didn't want them to miss the good parts. The parts she wished she could go back and do again after reuniting with Ewan, that they had missed out on because of her pregnancy. She loved him deeply, dearly. But more time would have been good.
That was... Well, that was honestly the best that Zahara could hope for from anyone. Hearing it from Dora gave Zahara added excitement about it all. She knew it would likely still be a while before the pair conceived, but there was something exciting knowing that Dora knew as well.
"We aren't." Zahara admitted with a smile, "I'm not doing anything... Additional to up our chances. I haven't been taking those prenatals, and I'm not clocking just when I'm ovulating. We're just letting the universe take control." She couldn't remember if she had mentioned it already, and while she knew she didn't need to explain herself, she wanted to share with Dora. She was enjoying being able to talk to the other woman about it all, even if she knew it likely made Dora a little uneasy.
Zahara was worried though, she was getting the impression that things weren't completely okay with Dora and Ewan. It wasn't something that Zahara could poke at, at least not without overstepping her bounds. She also didn't think mentioning it to Hyperion, Perse, or any of her siblings was really a good idea. She would just try to pay attention, especially when the couple was around, and be there should Dora ever need an ear to bend. "Speaking of the good parts, you should let us babysit them overnight sometime. You and Ewan go out, pretend that you don't have responsibilities, and be reckless for a night. If you can afford it, a trip could be fun too. I hear there are some amazing bed and breakfasts not too far out, so that if you decided you couldn't be away from the twins at 2am, you'd be close enough to just apparate home."
Dora listened and nodded. She couldn't help her discomfort. Or her worry. It was a part of her. And as she'd said it didn't mean she would get pregnant right away.
It wasn't that things weren't good. It was just that they'd had to skip some things that, deep down, Dora would have been more comfortable with. She liked plans. She would have liked to work through some of her issues with him while not pregnant or also juggling a baby. She would have loved the chance to help him with his anxiety. Now, like many couples with babies, it was hard to find the time.
"I appreciate the offer. Hopefully I'll take you up on it at some point," she said, and there was gratitude in her voice.