Until the very End - [Harry Potter xF!Oc]

July-August 2003

"Hi, Tommy!" Mel took the baby from Remus' arms and held him tenderly. "How is my handsome boy?"

"He's a baby, he can't talk," Reggie walked past her grumpily. 

"I know he can't, you garden gnome," she taunted. "Did mum wash your teddy bear without letting you know? What has you all pouty?"

Regulus' cheeks turned red, he checked if Teddy had heard, but the younger boy was playing with Emily and Victoire.

"Stinky," Reggie stuck out his tongue at her.

"I saw that!" Their mother spoke from the kitchen. "Don't be mean to your sister!"

"She started it..." he mumbled. 

"I liked you better when you didn't speak," Mel poked him on the cheek and Regulus swatted her hand away, stomping towards the group of toddlers.

"He can't stand it when others get attention," Remus smirked. "I guess it's in his blood."

"Well, I couldn't hold my tongue when I was his age but I grew out of it," Mel shrugged. "Sometimes being annoying can bring good things. I met Harry thanks to my nosy nature."

"We would've met had you fallen over the fence or not," Harry was holding Bill's third and only son: Louis. The sight stirred something in her that she was quick to put back to sleep. "We were meant to be."

"I hope Reggie isn't meant to be a git forever," Mel joked.

"Can someone help me out?" 

Anne walked into the room with a platter of food, her belly was starting to get in the way. Erick was usually there to help her, however, that day was Erick's turn to monitor the werewolves', so Harry and Mel offered to drive Anne and her girls to the Burrow.

Remus approached and seized the platter, he looked at Anne and smiled. "How are you doing?"

"I'm alright," Anne rubbed her belly tenderly. "We've chosen a name for her, you know..."

"Really?"

"Josephine."

"That's my name!" Joseph exclaimed. "Well, not quite, but you know..."

Anne grinned. "We think it's a very elegant name."

"Thank Merlin you won't name her Emelda, or Erin— I thought you were obsessed with the E's," Fred teased.

"Mum!" Young Emily interrupted their talk. "Leon is being mean!"

"I'm not!"

"He's scaring us!"

"Isn't it true that Dementors look like corpses? That they have no eyes?" He argued.

"Why are you talking about that?" Harry frowned.

"Victoire's afraid of them, but how can she be afraid if she's never seen them?" Regulus replied, he seemed bewildered at the thought. 

"You're mean!" Emily Flint repeated. 

Regulus threw a careless look her way. "You're a baby."

Emily flushed pink. Remus and Harry hid their grins, the little girl was just like her father, including that she was pretty easy to upset.

"Regulus!" Mel reprimanded. "A good boy—"

"Yeah, yeah, good boys aren't mean," Regulus closed his small hands into fists, determined to stand his ground. "Have you ever thought that I don't want to be a good boy?"

Mel had to hide her amusement as she spoke. "You'll become a puppy and run away with Padfoot?"

"Can't be that hard if you did it!" He argued.