“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.