Exactly two months had passed. Sixty days since Viktor and Colette Gaunt had come into the world, and Aurelian could sum up his first two months as a father in a single word: chaos. A true test of endurance.
If Aurelian thought that mastering magic, infiltrating military bases, or confronting wizards from the shadows was exhausting, all of that paled in comparison to the titanic task of raising Viktor and Colette. The babies consumed all their time and energy. They cried and cried over almost everything. They cried if the light coming through the window was too bright, if a toy made a strange noise or was out of their reach, if they were hungry, if they weren't hungry, if no one was watching them, if Hestia or Flora moved too fast, or if Stinky showed up in the room. Over absolutely everything.
And the big problem lay in their connection. Always, without fail, whenever Viktor started crying, Colette would follow suit like a deafening echo. And vice versa—if Colette decided it was the perfect time to throw a tantrum, Viktor would also burst into tears to keep his sister company, turning the room into a living hell.
Even with all that—with the deep dark circles under their eyes from not being able to sleep through the night, with hardly any free time for their research or their projects—the three of them were infinitely happy.
They loved watching them sleep; it was a sight that melted their hearts. Despite the commotion, they looked extremely cute when they were calm, breathing gently under their blankets. Hestia and Flora would often spend hours sitting next to the cribs, smiling from ear to ear as they caressed the chubby little faces with immense tenderness. When they did this, the babies would clumsily wave their little hands to try to push them away, as if they were bothered by the attempt to wake them—which only provoked more laughter and cuddles from their mothers.
As for parenting, Hestia and Flora were… quite particular as mothers. They had a very clear vision of how their children should look. Flora dressed Viktor almost exclusively in elegant shades of green and black, instilling in him Slytherin pride from the cradle. Hestia, on the other hand, refused to allow anything other than pastel pink and white lace for her princess Colette, adorning her like a porcelain doll.
On that particular day, the tranquility was shattered.
At three in the morning, a very loud cry woke Aurelian and the twins. Aurelian let out a muffled groan, but before he could bury his head under the pillow, he felt two pairs of hands mercilessly pushing him out of bed.
His charming wives shoved him off the huge bed.
"It's your turn this time, Aurelian. We did it yesterday," murmured Hestia, half-asleep, as she turned over to bury herself up to her ears under the comforter.
"Yeah… you go, Ve," whispered Flora with a huge yawn, hugging her sister and disappearing under the sheets.
Aurelian, barefoot on the cold carpet, rubbed his eyes wearily, muttering curses under his breath. He shuffled toward the corner of the room where the green and silver cribs stood. Viktor and Colette were crying and kicking hard, their little faces red with frustration at having been woken up.
"I'm coming, I'm coming…" Aurelian whispered to them, keeping his voice low so as not to wake his wives.
He lifted them with the utmost care, one in each arm, cradling their little heads against his shoulders.
"What do you want now, my little tyrants?" he asked in a whisper, rocking them gently.
The babies calmed down a little as they felt the warmth and firmness of their father's arms, but their whimpering didn't stop entirely. And if Aurelian stopped moving them or walking for even a single second, their crying threatened to escalate again to dangerously high levels.
Aurelian kissed their heads and stroked their cheeks with his thumbs, taking in the scent of his babies.
"Maybe they want to go out to the garden and get some fresh air… yes… that'll do," he whispered to himself, resigned to not sleeping for the rest of the night.
He slipped out of the room as quietly as possible and walked through the long, silent hallways of the mansion, passing the portraits Salazar used to stroll through the mansion, until he reached the back door leading to the garden. The night air in England was comforting.
He walked to the center of the manicured lawn and let himself fall heavily onto the grass, damp with dew. He lay on his back and placed his children across his chest, positioning his arms so they wouldn't fall off.
He looked up. That night, the sky was completely clear, and the stars could be seen with dazzling clarity, like diamonds scattered across a black cloak.
The babies stopped crying entirely. With their eyes wide open, they stared intently at their father's face and the glow of the night sky.
Aurelian let out a weary laugh, stroking the fine strands of hair that were already beginning to sprout from their little heads.
"You two are the most beautiful things in this whole damn world," he told them in a very soft voice.
Under the starlight, Viktor, mustering all the strength of a two-month-old baby, tried clumsily to crawl across Aurelian's chest to get down onto the grass. Colette, for her part, slid up as best she could and, with her damp little hands, reached her father's face, touching his nose and cheeks while smiling at him toothlessly and babbling happily.
Aurelian closed his eyes for a moment, letting his daughter squish his nose, savoring that brief moment of peace. Being this calm, breathing in the cold air alongside his children, was worth every sleepless night he'd endured.
He pulled them closer to him, holding them tight so the three of them could gaze at the vast starry sky.
"Look at that," Aurelian whispered to them, pointing to the constellations with his hand. "All of that up there are the stars—distant planets and immense galaxies. They're worlds completely different from ours, patiently waiting to be discovered… and conquered. One day, all of that will be yours."
He spoke about outer space, about the ships he wanted to build, and about the future he envisioned for House Gaunt. His soft, steady voice, combined with the cold of the night, had the perfect soporific effect.
When he looked down a couple of minutes later, he noticed that Viktor and Colette had fallen fast asleep on his chest.
Aurelian smiled. He lifted them, being careful not to wake them, stood up, and went back inside the mansion. He walked to their room, gently placed them in their respective cribs, tucked them in, and gave them one last goodnight kiss on their foreheads.
Being a father was strange, exhausting, and completely irrational. But as he climbed back into bed, with Hestia hugging him from behind and Flora from the front, Aurelian Gaunt knew with certainty that he wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
The next morning, sunlight filtered through the bedroom curtains. Aurelian woke up with a yawn, still feeling quite tired. With his eyes half-closed, he ran his hands over the soft sheets, searching for the familiar warmth at his sides, but found only the empty mattress. There was no sign of his wives.
As he sat up and rubbed his face to stretch, he spotted them. Hestia and Flora were sitting together on the sofa across the room, nursing the babies with a calmness that stood in stark contrast to the chaos of the early morning.
Flora looked up when she sensed him move, and with a radiant smile, she winked at him.
"Good morning, my love. How did you sleep after your nighttime walk?"
Aurelian let out a little laugh, got out of bed, and walked over to them. He leaned over the back of the sofa and kissed Flora.
"I slept pretty well, all things considered."
Hestia, sitting right next to her sister, gently tugged at his shirt sleeve.
"Hey, I want a good-morning kiss, too," Hestia protested, feigning indignation.
Aurelian smiled, leaned down, and kissed her tenderly on the lips. As they parted, he looked down at the babies, who were completely absorbed in their breakfast.
"I see the little ones really woke up very hungry today," Aurelian remarked, running a finger over his son's little head.
Flora nodded, looking at Viktor adoringly.
"Oh, yes. My little one is a real insatiable glutton. He inherited a dragon's voracious appetite."
Hestia, on the other hand, looked at her little girl with pride.
"Colette is much calmer and more refined in that regard. She knows how to control herself like a true lady."
Just then, Colette finished eating. Hestia elegantly smoothed out her clothes, hoisted the little girl onto her shoulder, and began massaging her back with gentle pats to help her pass gas. With Viktor, there was no need for that. As soon as the boy let go of his mother's breast, he opened his little mouth and let out a loud burp.
Flora hugged her baby tightly, amused by her son's lack of manners, and began tickling his tummy. Viktor laughed happily, raising his chubby little hands toward his mother's face.
Hearing her brother laugh, Colette lifted her little head from Hestia's shoulder, let out a very soft whimper to get her attention, and when she saw her father standing behind the sofa, she raised her hands toward him, opening and closing her little fists.
Hestia smiled and lifted the little girl into her arms, turning toward her husband.
"I think someone wants to be with her daddy already," Hestia said, offering the baby to him.
Aurelian didn't hesitate for a second. His smile widened.
"And I want to be with my beautiful little princess, too," he whispered.
He lifted her into his arms, holding her close to his chest, and began showering her face with soft kisses. Colette wriggled and kicked happily in her dad's arms, letting out little squeals of joy.
Suddenly, a pop announced Stinky's arrival. The house elf bowed.
"Good morning, masters!" Stinky greeted them. "Stinky has come to report that the little masters' clothes are already washed and ready in the dressing room."
Hestia and Flora thanked the elf with a nod. And before disappearing, Stinky turned toward Aurelian, tugging on one of his bat ears.
"And Master Aurelian has mail. Stinky left a very colorful letter for him on his desk in the main office."
Aurelian nodded and, with one last kiss on Colette's nose, returned the little girl to Hestia's arms. The twins got up from the sofa, ready to head to the adjoining room to bathe, perfume, and dress the babies in their respective colors.
Taking advantage of the moment of solitude, Aurelian walked through the mansion's hallways toward his office to see what the letter was all about.
As he opened the doors, he let out a sigh. His office was still crammed with documents, mountains of boxes, and various scattered objects that he still needed to examine thoroughly following his foray into Area 51. But with Viktor and Colette taking up the vast majority of his time, the investigation had become a ridiculously slow process.
He walked over to his desk, dodging a pile of folders. There lay an envelope in a shade of orange so garish it almost hurt his eyes.
Aurelian frowned, intrigued but suspecting the worst. He broke the wax seal with his fingernail and opened the envelope flap.
BOOM!
The magic activated from inside the letter, and a powerful burst of sparkling confetti, silver glitter, and tiny paper stars exploded right in his face.
Aurelian closed his eyes, spitting out a piece of purple paper that had gotten into his mouth, while the confetti rained down on his impeccable hair and fell onto the secret U.S. government documents.
He blinked, brushing the glitter off his eyelashes with deep annoyance, and pulled the parchment out from inside.
The letter, written in overly ornate handwriting that changed color with every word, was from the Weasley twins.
"Your Majesty! Oh, Great Savior of the Wizarding World and now, Father of the Year!
We heard the incredible news. Congratulations on the birth of the Gaunt heirs! We sincerely hope the little ones are strong and healthy.
We're sending you this little festive gift to brighten up your boring office. When you have a spare moment between saving the world and changing diapers, you're formally invited to have a butterbeer or a Firewhiskey with us. We'll buy the first round!
Your loyal and mischievous subjects,
Gred and Forge."
Aurelian read the letter, and despite his irritation at the mess on his desk, he couldn't help but let out a short chuckle.
He brushed the confetti off his shoulders and walked out of the office, closing the door behind him. Upon returning to the hallway leading to the main rooms, he came face-to-face with his wives, who were already on their way back carrying the freshly dressed babies.
When they saw him, silence reigned for a second.
Aurelian was covered in sparkling stars and multicolored confetti in his hair and on his clothes.
Hestia and Flora looked at him, exchanged glances, and burst into loud laughter that echoed throughout the hallway.
Viktor and Colette, in their mothers' arms, raised their little hands and stared at him, their eyes wide at how bright and colorful their dad looked.
Aurelian sighed, shook his head, and crossed his arms, flashing a smile as he brushed a paper star off his forehead.
He would definitely—and preferably soon—return the joke to the Weasley twins with interest.
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