Mister, Missus, Babies, Cats, and Dog.

Soft flakes of snow were tumbling from puffy, ashen skies, falling past the windows of the Hayes rooms buried within the upper stories of the great and ancient castle, itself snuggled into the Scottish countryside. A warm fire crackled, popped, and spat in the hearth. In front of it, curled up on the bricks next to the stack of logs that the groundskeeper had brought up to them, was sat the family dog who had settled in comfortably, especially given the amount of heat that the skinny matriarch, stood on a short stool in front of the bookshelf, was pumping into the living room and adjoining bedrooms. In the hands of the aforementioned young woman was a rope of sparkly tinsel which she was pinning to the top of the bookshelf, letting it bow in the middle between each pin and across that she was beginning to weave some silver tinsel, adding little drop baubles and lights which with a tap of her wand began to glow.

On the rug, two little elves dressed up in their customary green were playing with building blocks that their uncles may or may not have gotten for them, apparently gripped by Christmas fever to such an extent that they were incapable of keeping them from them until the very day. Each block changed colour depending on what the little elf holding it wanted and they were moulding them with their hands, turning some bits into arches and others spires as they worked out, babbling all the while half to each other and half to the tune of the music playing off of the gramophone in the corner, what they were supposed to do with them. A charm had been laid around them to prevent them from moving off of the rug and they appeared wonderfully contented, occasionally looking up from where they were sat to check that their mother was still in the room or to look at the slumbering dog or dozing cats curled up together at their father’s end of the sofa next to the pillow.

All of Millie’s favourite Christmas songs were playing and she was wonderfully content to dig through the boxes of Christmas decorations which she couldn’t really remember them buying though some bits she recognised from the market which she had dragged Keiran to, half-thwarting his romantic plans on that night. Millie, having knelt down to peer into another box, lifted out a precious bauble onto her lap and caught sight of the ring on her left hand, sparkling ostensibly in the bright glow of the fireplace. Holding onto the bauble with her other, Millie lifted her hand into the air and twisted her fingers in the light, watching as the colours rippled through the metal and gem like kaleidoscopic water. Beside it was the thin wedding band which she was determined to keep and wear even when another joined it. She felt her smile grow, a little private flutter of happiness warming through her chest in a way the fireplace just couldn’t and she looked over at the twins who were still cooing at their box.

“Hey, look at this,” she called out to them, getting up onto her penguin sock clad feet and moving between the end table and the arm chair to kneel down on the rug with them. Liam used Millie’s loose t-shirt to pull himself a long whereas his sister merely held out her hands and a freckled arm reached out and curled around the little girl, drawing her in close to her mother as Millie held the little white package between them. With her thumb and forefinger she pinched the brown string bow that tied it up and undid it. Liam leaned in, reaching with his little fist to pull at the paper and Millie guided him, soothing him to be mindful and gentle with it as the bright, sparkling bauble was exposed to them before the fire.

The colours sparkled in their pale eyes, filling their irises with this undeniable light that seemed to make the light they provided themselves. Kelly gave a little cry of surprise and Millie laughed, leaning over to brush her lips against her daughter’s forehead. Millie took her wand out from behind her ear and tapped it on the bauble. Three, four, five, six appeared all at once and tumbled onto the rug before lifting up and donning themselves on the little structure that the Hayes babies had made. Their delight appeared on their faces at once and they picked up their blocks, seemingly having forgotten their mother as they focused back upon the task to which they had devoted themselves. The more Millie looked at it, the more it seemed to be of Hogwarts – a curious thing given that she was certain they had not been outside since the unforgiving winter had begun to buffet against the castle.

“I wonder if your daddy has tree ideas,” Millie mused thoughtfully to herself, looking into the space in the living room which they had cleared a few nights ago when they knew that they needed to do some chores regarding decorating and neither one of them had wanted to go for the alternative which was marking. The desire to do that had passed them by – it was Christmas after all! Millie had spent the morning, having decided to call off her classes given the amount of work her pupils had been doing and devote it to not only amusing the children but to making the rooms feel very much like Christmas. She’d raided the boxes and turned them out to make every inch of space a little piece of Christmas.

There was some definite déjà vu there, she felt. She knew her dad would’ve approved and any other time he would’ve been useful but for the fact that he would’ve been distracted by his grandchildren, eager to help them in their construction. This was the kind of year when children missed their parents. Millie knew that both she and most especially her husband would have a little bit of sadness to deal with there. She could nurse hers well enough now, the pain having been long since reduced to this dull, impersonal ache, but his was different. It made her heart begin to hurt a little in her chest at the thought but instead of worrying after what could be, Millie decided she was going to try and remedy it before any bad memories could take root so she added some more tinsel and had the twins help her put snowflakes on the windows before letting them play. She wanted it perfect. And it would be, too, because they were together.

"You're sure you want to do this?"

Adrienne looked up, her eyes a little wide as the question came at her. She certainly didn't seem very sure. But she nodded nonetheless, her surprisingly straight hair swinging a bit as she did so. The Deputy Headmaster nodded in return, the conversation rapidly becoming silent instead of verbal. That quiet reigned for a moment before the brunette sighed and pushed herself to standing with a bit of effort. The older man just offered a smile as she moved towards the door, but he blinked in surprise as she stopped and glanced back around.

"Don't pretend you didn't miss it," she added, offering a little smirk as he grinned, shaking his head. "Good."

Keiran laughed as she headed out, and gathered up his things so that he could return to his and Millie's rooms. Some of the professors had called off classes for the day, as Millie had, and Keiran supposed that it was probably exciting for the students to be given what was essentially a three-day weekend. Provided, of course, that they had been allotted free time by all of the professors they had class with that day. Still, end of term was looming ever closer, and Keiran's thoughts had been tied up in what on earth he was supposed to give Millie for Christmas. If he wanted to be particularly lame, he could have simply claimed that the ring was his gift to her. But that didn't strike him as right, especially given that she always seemed to know what to get him. She knew him inside out, despite all of his changes, and even if she wasn't quite sure about it.

But he had struggled to just keep her attention long enough to propose again. Of course, it had all worked out in the end, given that his gaze had fallen on a little gazebo all lit for the holidays with lights wrapped around the poles holding up the roof. Keiran had found a stupid grin for her, and taken up her hand and pulled her along so suddenly that she had dropped the book in her hand back onto the booth's table. All in all, he thought it had been rather romantic, even if it was technically not as he had planned it.

The words had come out in a bit of a rush, but for once he hadn't given her some weak version of his feelings. It wasn't like the first time he told her he loved her. It can out just as he wanted it to and just as he meant it to, and for some reason, Millie trusted him enough to say yes. Again.

So, even after everything that had happened, Keiran knew that he had an awful lot of making up left to. Promising to do something wouldn't be enough, he knew. What he really needed to do, he decided as he made his way up to their quarters, was find something perfect for her Christmas gift. An idea had come to mind, and although he wasn't completely sure about it, Keiran had to wonder if it was actually a good idea. Something in his gut suggested that she might actually end up disliking it, which made him hesitate outside of the portrait hole. His thought process for having come up with it made some sense, Keiran thought, so perhaps it wouldn't be so bad after all.

Deciding to think on it again later, he shook his head and offered the password to their door, giving a smile in thanks when it swung open for him. Millie was tending to the babies when he came in, so Keiran set his papers down on the chair closes to the door before approaching and curling his arms around her middle from behind. He dropped a kiss to the spot where her shoulder met her neck, then set his chin on her shoulder. "Hello gorgeous," he offered, his palms sweeping back and forth across Millie's stomach.

"The room is quite festive," he added with a smile, his eyes sweeping around to take in all of the colorful ornaments and things that she had hung up. "Are we setting up the tree tonight?" Keiran asked, trying to push away the memory of his father always requesting a themed tree for the holidays. Instead, he turned his attention to the twins. "Maybe Liam and Kelly want to hang a couple of the unbreakable ones down on the bottom rows. They can each have their own box, eh? Could be our own sort of... Christmas tradition, if you wanted."

In truth, the little witch nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt arms wind around her face. So absorbed had she been in watching the twins as they decorated the façade of their little construction that she hadn’t heard the door swing open. Neither had she heard his footfalls until his warmth was about her and his very essence permeated her senses. Millie leaned back into her husband-cum-fiancé and closed her eyes, bringing on hand across his arm as she turned to steal a kiss from him. Heavy lidded eyes widened a little as she took him in, her gaze feasting upon him as though she’d never before laid proper eyes on the swathe of his forehead or the sparkle of his eyes.

“Hi,” she murmured, smiling into his skin. “You’re happy,” she observed, a light lilt of happiness seeping into her voice. “I could shrink you and put you on the tree and you’d glow,” she laughed a little, bringing up her hand to stroke her fingers across his cheek. “If I wouldn’t miss you, I would do it.” She leaned in, smiling as she kissed him again before looking over once more to their spot of floor which would hopefully have the tree in it as they wanted. She looked around the room, too, and considered that festive didn’t even begin to cover what she’d done to it. She knew she’d have to put a spell on all of the decorations, too, because she’d broken every rule in regards to babies and small pieces of things.

“It looks like Father Christmas came down the chimney and threw up tinsel,” she pointed out, a fair reflection of what she’d done, laughing again as she shook her head. “But at least the twins will have the memory of us going a bit mental about all this. Or me. I guess me. I found things I didn’t even know we had. I get the impression the elves have been leaving me things to put up. I’m surprised Bean slept through it all to be honest,” she looked at the dog in question with a bemused expression but he didn’t even as much as stir, too wrapped up in dreaming about chasing the cats.

“I hope so,” she enthused, returning to the subject of the tree. “We’ll need to go and get it, though. There are some still in Hogsmeade, I asked one of the students, so we could go down there and take the twins and have them as little bundles of anti-cold and I could sit them on the sled – I found it by the way, you’ll never guess where it was – and we could get Bean to drag them back up again.” The idea was set in her mind irrespective of whether it was feesible or not. She already had it in her head that she’d conjure some fake antlers for the dog after waking in him up and perhaps even charm his nose red.

“They really seem to love the sparkle,” Millie continued, looking at their children thoughtfully. “I think that’d be a brilliant tradition.” She kissed him again, lingering in the embrace of their mouths before pulling away and reaching up to tap her index finger to his nose. “Do you want to go now?” She asked, mischief sparking in her eyes, “or would you like something to eat or drink first? I twisted Theo’s hot chocolate recipe out of him this morning and I reckon we should make it tonight.”

Surprising even himself, Keiran laughed openly at her teasing, merely squeezing her to him more tightly. "Am I not meant to be happy? It's nearly break, and we're okay again. And we've got the kids here. I like to think I've been doing a better job of fathering lately," he added almost apologetically as he nuzzled his nose against her neck. "But," he offered more brightly, "I do have news. Excellent news."

Keiran's hold on Millie loosened as he moved himself around to stand next to her instead of behind. But he kept his hands at her waist as he leveled a brilliantly pleased smile before explaining. "I'm going to be teaching again next term. Addie's getting too close to having her baby and she wants to be home with Kaiden." An excited, breathy laugh escaped when he paused to try and gather his senses. He rarely showed his emotions so easily, and it felt strange, though not unpleasant. "Baby, I'm getting my classroom back. My students. My office," he stuck on as an afterthought.

"I know I don't exactly need that office, but I trust that you'll come up with some use for it," he added cheekily, tugging on the fabric at her sides to bring her closer once more.

A bemused expression took up Keiran's features when she joked about the sled, but he hardly minded that he didn't have answers for her suggestion that he guess. "I think they'd love that," he nodded. "Imagine, not a year old and they're already going for a sled ride. Something tells me these two might have a thing for winter, if not for Christmas itself. Though, what kid doesn't, I suppose?" He shrugged, a chuckle rumbling through him at the thought of older versions of Liam and Kelly bounding about in wait for the trip to pick out a tree.

"We can stick cocoa into mugs with lids and bring it with, can't we? We can appease the twins with sips of it while we find the best tree," Keiran suggested, kissing her finger before it fell away. "Best to keep it away from Bean, though," he admitted. It was fairly unlike him, he knew, to even call the dog by its name, but it must have been the holiday spirit that set him to rights. Or that's what he told himself, anyway, as he kissed Millie's forehead and pulled away.

"Hello, babies," he greeted finally, squatting down beside their glowing castle. "Mummy sorted you out, didn't she?" he asked, pointing to the lights one at a time. The forefinger he had directed at the lights was then used to tickle at Kelly's side until he earn a laugh. "Let's get you two bundled up, hey? Missie," he added, glancing up at her again as he lifted the twins up into his arms, "do you want to work on the drinks or the tiny coats?"

“You need to be happy forever,” Millie replied quickly without skipping a beat. “That’s why I want to put you on the tree – so you can always be my happy little love.” She smiled, bringing up a hand to his face as her expression grew fond and she leaned in, snuggling to him and nodding along with his words. “You have been everything,” she murmured, looking up and reopening her eyes, “you are,” she amended her words. “You’re wonderful, I swear to you.”

Millie leaned against her husband and looked up at him expectantly, waiting for him to reveal the news, hoping that it would be something to really make him happy and feel purposeful again. She still felt a little bit guilty that it had been, in part, her doing that had brought them back to Hogwarts. As mock-fulfilling as counselling was, it wasn’t for Keiran, she knew, and it would be long until—

“What?” She exclaimed, breaking her thoughts in two as she took a double take and stared up at him in solemn wonder. “Really?” She bounced excitedly, unable to help herself. Millie took hold of his cheeks spontaneously, pulling him down for a kiss. “I’m so proud of you!” She expressed between feverish kisses. “And what sort of way is that to talk to your fiancée-wife?” She asked, holding her head back as she looked at him, a smirk spreading across her mouth. “How dare you assume I haven’t already gotten a thousand uses for it?”

Millie laughed and looked at their summer babies, wondering how they could have a thing for winter. Looking at them, though, they seemed to be utterly besotted with anything that sparkled and held the promise of Christmas. Perhaps they really were winter babies at heart despite being summer flowers and their parent’s spring bulbs. She found she agreed with Keiran, irrespective of her initial disbelief. The little ones seemed to suit hats, gloves, and scarves, too. No, he was utterly right: winter things through and through.

“That’s a brilliant idea,” Millie agreed, adding, “I’ll put warming charms on them too, just in case. Oh gosh, and Bean,” she bit her lip, looking over at the dog. “I’ll put a spell on his paws to stop him from going near them, eh? See, full of answers today!” She grinned, hopping out of his arms once she’d collected her kiss.

Millie looked at Keiran with a half dubious expression, laughing a little maniacally. “That’s not a question! Tiny zips verses visible hot chocolate making? Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy, eh bubbas?” She waked over and tickled at Liam’s belly. “Daddy is much better at zips than me, isn’t he? I like buttons best. Gah, but even they’re a bug-” she looked at Liam who stared back at her, “bug,” she amended. “They’re a bug.” She grinned. “Okay, drinks!”

Millie hurried away before he had a chance to change his mind, giving a half-yelp of delight as she disappeared into the kitchen, glad to have avoided contending with zips and sniffling little creatures as they declared themselves too hot and began to fuss only to complain of being cold once outside. She didn’t need that. Nope, she’d leave that to Keiran – daddy duty – while she sorted out the drinks.

Once the hot chocolate was brewed and poured into the cups, Millie applied the charms as promised and went in search of a little tin pot. Into that she put some brownies which she and Baldric had made earlier in the week having grown bored one evening. She also got some bottles for the twins and looked at them curiously for a moment before trying to ascertain whether or not it was worthwhile to bring some milk for them. She clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, trying to remember when they’d last been fed, and then decided to fill two up anyway.

Wandering back into the living room, Millie found out her little brown satchel and put their things inside. She took a moment, considering what they needed, then decided to put some wet-wipes inside and went back to get a little yoghurt just in case one of the babies outright rejected the milk which they were now wont to do as they’d discovered yoghurt and appeared to be utterly in love with it. It was a little early for them to do so, granted, but it wasn’t doing them any harm and they were going to set their own pace, it seemed. So, wet-wipes went in and Millie was more or less certain that was it and slung the bag onto her shoulder before grabbing up the lead from the hook by the portrait door.

“Beany-baby,” she called out, whistling absently to the dog who lifted his head. “Here,” Millie hit the lead against her leg and Bean stared at her before seemingly considering that it was worth getting up. He trotted over at his own pace and Millie scratched between his ears before looping the lead onto his collar and reaching up for Bean’s hat and scarf. She was determined to keep him snuggly, too, even with his fur coat. “Look at you, handsome,” she cooed at the dog as she righted his hat. “All ready for the cold.”

Millie grabbed she sled, pulling it out from the coat closet, and turned to Keiran and the babies once she was done, smiling at them.

“Ready to go?” She asked gently.

"Hmm," Keiran hummed at her smirk, one eyebrow lifting suggestively before he angled his head and pressed a kiss to her neck. "All the better, then."

Unfortunately, her laugh reminded him that they had little wigglers to take care of. Keiran didn't find himself complaining, though, once he realized how very pleased Millie was at their planning to go. His eyebrows lifted at her near-curse, but he shook his head and laughed at the correction she made before hopping off to make the cocoa.

Keiran rolled his eyes, then pressed a kiss to Liam's head as he trundled them off into the nursery Millie had felt obligated to cover up to pick them out their coziest winter wear. Kelly decided to squirm about, unfortunately, making for a bit of a game that ended up with Keiran making all manner of promises she probably didn't understand. It wasn't until he gave up on the promises and started on Liam's jacket that she seemed to want to sit still. Apparently, when she saw her brother get praise and cuddles for allowing their daddy to sort him out, Kelly decided she wanted the same treatment.

When both of them had their zippers pulled up and little mittens on their itty bitty fingers, Keiran gathered them up again to bring them back into the living room. They were settled back with their blocks for a time while he pulled on his own coat and wrapped a dark scarf around his neck. His gaze fell to the sled, the corners of his lips pulling up into a brilliant smile as he caught sight of the sled.

"Completely," he nodded, reaching for the sled so Millie could gather up the little ones. "Want me to get the leash?" he offered, holding a hand out so she could pass it over into his palm.

Keiran lifted the sled with one hand, then kicked the portrait hole open so Bean could trot out in front of them. The door was held open for Millie and the twins, and Keiran stopped her for a kiss as the door swung shut. After making their way down to the grounds, Keiran glanced at Millie, wondering vaguely if she was feeling better about being outside. After all, the dog had only come about because she hadn't wanted to go out by herself. Was she going to have some sort of flashback again?

In an attempt to curb that possibility, he decided to try distracting her from what was in front of her. "You heard about the whole Yule Ball thing, right? Wasn't my idea, of course, but it sounds like most of the school will be down there. We'll have most of the school to ourselves, you know," he pointed out, only half teasing. "Unless you're set on getting dressed up and trying to convince me to dance - which, frankly, I'd rather you didn't - I would be willing to wager we can have quite the evening."

Hesitance showed in the features of the Hayes witch as they reached the doors that led out into the entrance courtyard. She took a breath and reached down to grab for where she would have had Bean’s lead looped onto her coat pocket zip. It wasn’t there, though, and Millie whined a little before stuffing her hands into her pockets, turning her head towards Keiran as he began to speak about the Yule Ball. She smiled, her hot breath growing smoky and wispy in the air. She laughed a little as he teased at her and ducked her head into her chest, feeling her cheeks colour a little bit. She drew in closer to him as they moved out into the grounds, though more out of fear she was going to slip up, she told herself, than fear of the Black Lake which they would inevitably arc around as they wandered down into Hogsmeade. The bridge was ruinous still as some sort of crass monument to the dead. It made her stomach turn to even be near it, let alone look.

Millie rolled her shoulder absently, reaching up to rub at it before touching at her jaw, wishing that it wasn’t scarring as it was. The marks where the werewolf had scratched her, gouged her more accurately, ached still and especially loathed the cold. She knew that a lot of it was mental, the marks having been immensely painful while she and Keiran had been at odds, but it wasn’t, at the same time. It still hurt and the ointment that Cael had wanted her to put on it made it sizzle and sear and she hated the sight of it as the ointment burned away the dead skin and bacteria. She’d made scarves her thing as a result. She now had an inordinate amount of them tucked into one of the drawers back in their rooms. Winter also gave her a significant excuse to wear turtlenecks which she enjoyed to its nth degree. Anything to hide the marks.

“I don’t think so,” she murmured gently, holding up so that she could come onto Keiran’s outside so that she was between him and the water and in turn Bean strayed back to her side, reaching up nip at the mitten-clad hand she offered to him. “I don’t think I’d like the dancing anymore. It was fun before,” she bit her lip. “Not before … sort of, when I was a bit younger. Not that I’m old – and neither are you. Just… no, not up for it – even though I’d love to make you.” She laughed a little bit. “I’m more than willing to explore the innuendo, though,” she smirked up at him, “and have a night in.”

“Where should we set up the sled?” Millie asked, looking around, studiously avoiding looking in the direction of the lake itself. “At the gates, maybe, and then go down that way?” She smiled again and reached up to tickle her fingers under Kelly’s chin, watching as she giggled. “Are you going to help me make the cake tomorrow, baby?” She cooed at the little one. “A Christmas cake to take to your nanny’s!”

“I wonder if my mum will put any effort in this year,” Millie mused, glancing up at Keiran. “I don’t care about it for me and I doubt Elliot cares on his own behalf, either, but for the babies,” Millie frowned a little bit. “I wish she wouldn’t treat them with the same contempt she treated us with. I don’t even really want her to be a part of my life or theirs if I’m honest but for their sake, still, I want it.” She shook her head, deciding to focus on something a little more positive. “My granddad wants to come over, though,” she offered, optimistically. “And my nan. Not my mum’s side but my dad’s…” Millie grinned. “They want to drop off gifts and stuff next week maybe – or sooner, I’m not too sure.”

“I have your Christmas present ready, by the way,” Millie mentioned. “It’s kind of … I mean … it’s too big for the day so I was wondering when you wanted it. We’ll have to, uh, go out. I can’t really explain without spoiling it,” she smiled, her cheeks heating up bashfully. “Maybe Christmas Eve?” She offered, considering it for a second. “Have we talked about this - I’ve forgotten? Are we going over your mum’s?”

The gates came up soon enough and Millie shuffled to a stop. She took the sled from Keiran and set it down it the snow, reaching to rub Bean’s head. Looking up from where she’d leaned over to spy the end of the hill. “I reckon we can both get on there with the babies,” she told him mischievously, smiling, gesturing to the sled. “If I sit in front of you, maybe?” She suggested. “Then we’ll be down there nice and quick, eh?”

As much as Keiran wanted to question Millie's uncertainty about being outside, as he had been of the impression that things for his wife had been improving. Apparently, the nagging fear that they weren't had actually been right. But she was laughing, so he decided to hold off on asking her about it, shaking his head at her teasing. It registered that her aversion to dancing could well have been because of their respective injuries, but Keiran didn't want to think about that for more than a few moments, given that he knew his pain would return late that night, even though his treatments from Khaat continually improved his condition.

She seemed unable to so much as glance in the direction of the crash sight of the Hogwarts Express, and as much as Keiran wanted to speak up, he again was thwarted as she kept on, seemingly determined to avoid the possibility of his investigating. "What if we split the time? Christmas at mine this year, New Year's with yours. We could take turns if they prefer. Mum wouldn't mind, you know that. And, for the record, if Lavender does something stupid, or is rude in any way to Liam or Kelly, I don't think I'll be able to keep my mouth shut. Just... fair warning."

He passed her an apologetic look for the assurances that he would be potentially terrible to Millie's mother, turning then to her question about their gifts. "But, um, regarding your other question... I do have yours already, and it's in my office if you want it tonight. I just don't know... I'm not sure if it'll be what you expected. I hope it will, though," he added a bit more brightly, trying to cover up his anxiety so they could enjoy the evening.

Her hesitation was still nagging at him, though, and Keiran supposed that he should probably have checked on her sooner. So when the sled was settled, Keiran sat the twins down and set up a charm so they wouldn't go wandering off into the snow and freeze their little limbs, then sat Bean on the sled as well just to be safe.

Turning to Millie, he sighed gently, and rubbed his hands up and down her arms in a gesture meant to be soothing. "I love you, baby girl. So much. Just... know that when I ask this," Keiran began, lifting his gaze to hers instead of staring down at the snow crunched beneath their shoes. "Are you okay out here? If not, I need to know how to help you. I... I want to help you to be okay. Or, preferably, to feel safe and happy. You shouldn't have to be different inside or outside of that building," he added, gesturing back to the castle. "I don't want you to have to shrink up, not like I used to. I've got you, you know that?"

The blonde witch knew exactly what her mother’s side of the family thought of them. They hadn’t endeavoured to come to the wedding, after all. They wouldn’t play nice – not even and especially not if they had to sit through a dinner with them. Millie knew what they thought of her. Every ounce of her was her father and it came out in a hyperbolic fashion when she was with them. She was the Irish tramp that had come up trumps, in their eyes. She’d never been presentable. God knew since she’d been in her mid-teens she’d rarely been sober and never seen without a packet of cigarettes or someone untoward. She wasn’t their ideal of a granddaughter and certainly not a daughter, either. Her estimation of what she felt they must have thought about Keiran was even more laughable n her mind because she could see it written into the lines on her grandmother’s pinched cheeks. He’d married far, far, far below himself. Throughout whatever dinner they’d have to put themselves through, Elizabeth Brown would take every opportunity to point that out to him. What could Millie say, after all said and done? It wasn’t so wholly untrue.

“I don’t want to see her,” Millie pouted, smiling a little despite herself. “My granddad and my nanny would come and have Christmas with us, no problem. It’d be a bit of a full house with my uncle and stuff but they’d be quite happy to trot off to your mum’s. My mum’s side…” Millie frowned. “Can we merge?” She suggested weakly. “I can live with the argument that’ll ensue if she doesn’t get invited. I don’t think I could sit through spending any time at all with them. I love my mum’s dad. He’s wonderful. He always used to give me money before we’d go because mum and her mother had spent the whole time fussing over Elliot. Dad never used to go so granddad George used to be my ally.” She shook her head. “I can so live without them this year – and every year following this.”

Smiling, she looked up at him and shrugged a shoulder at him. “Isn’t it a bit early?” She complained, playfully. “Okay, well, we can compromise. After we set up the tree and stuff, we could bribe Bendric into uncle duty and I can take you to yours and we can do it that way. How does that sound?” She took a moment and then considered dinner before deciding that what she’d done would go some way as to enable them to have it in some capacity or another. She really needed to make sure they had a portkey going, though. Elijah would authorise it, she decided, so she could soon get it running.

Millie emerged from her thoughts as Keiran’s hands took to her arms. She opened her mouth to reply in kind but the question he presented her with stole her words. She lowered her eyes to the snow. How could she even begin to explain? It was him. More than anything it was him. He wasn’t unnerving her, of course, but what was there: the Lake, the bridge, and the image of the train imprinted so fiercely on her memory. He was there, with her. It meant he was vulnerable. It wasn’t so much the fact that she was outside but that he was and that she knew she wasn’t fast anymore. She wouldn’t be quick on the draw. She couldn’t save him if she had to.

“I’m sorry,” she said in an undertone, hesitant to meet his gaze. “I just … I’m scared I can’t …” she blanched. “You’re out here, Keiran,” she murmured, looking up at him. “And I’m worried someone’s going to hurt you again,” she dropped her gaze, her words coming out all in a rush as shame beat into her cheeks. Millie took a hesitant breath, glancing over at Bean. “And I … don’t … I don’t like it out here anyway. It’s just not safe. The dog helps. He does. It’s just … it’s not … all I can see is that night. It’s all still there and I don’t know what to do about it. I feel like if something did happen I wouldn’t be able to protect you. Or the babies. Or even Bean. I don’t know why I’m like this. Merlin knows I want it to stop but I’m a scaredy-lion. I’m worried for my snakes.” She smiled weakly, looking up at him again. “I know you’re here,” she reached up to brush her mitten-clad hand across his cheek. “I know you’ve got me. What I’m scared about is that I don’t know if I’ve got you. If I get out my wand, I don’t think I’m quick enough or strong enough. I’m scared I don’t have you.” She took a shaky breath, hurt quaking in her voice as she cried, “and I don’t want to be like that.”

"So," Keiran began slowly, attempting to clarify, "you want to do a big group Christmas thing? Or just invite the one side for New Year's? We could always do it early or late if they preferred. How about you ask them, and we'll just do whatever works best for them, hmm? Mum won't mind."

Keiran was listening to her suggestion, truly. But he had been so amused at one of her words that he had to hesitate and ask, "Do you always call them that? I mean, before what happened I wouldn't have thought..." Keiran shook his head and laughed. "Nevermind. Yes, you can pick if we do yours or mine first. That sounds good, right? Early or not, I kind of like our secret gift giving. It was the best part of last Christmas, I think. I hope my gift is less tragic this time, though," he admitted reluctantly, rubbing at his neck and passing her a sheepish expression.

At her attempted explanation, Keiran shook his head, his brow furrowing deeply with confusion. "Millie," he breathed, not completely sure why the word came out. He did his best to keep quiet, though, and to let her finish. He needed to know, to understand. Without that comprehension, he couldn't ever pretend to know how to help her.

"Okay, baby. Okay," Keiran nodded, wrapping her up in a hug and resting his chin atop her head. "The fact that you want to protect me - protect us, "he gestured towards the twins and the dog - just makes me love you all the more. But, Missie," he leaned back to look at her, cradling her cheeks in his hands, "you know that we fixed the wards, right? The grounds are even safer than they were when you were a student here. And it's not like we haven't done everything we can to protect Hogsmeade, too. This school... It's safer than anywhere else. Sure, nobody knows where the new house is, and Mum's place is protected.

"But, I promise you, things are looking up. The Ministry is going to piece itself together, I've got the teaching thing going... Honey, we're happy. I mean... Aren't we?" he asked, drawing back further and sending her a distressed expression. "I don't know how we can be if I can't help you. I desperately want to, Millie. If it's just the grounds here, I would be more than willing to go on walks with Bean and the kids. I just... I didn't realize. Seriously, love. Any time you want to, I'll go. I'm here for you, always."

Keiran sighed, then leaned in to leave a lingering kiss on her forehead. "Think on it, okay? And let's get our babies their first Christmas tree. That'll be good, right?"