Black Summer Home

The morning after in the countryside, there is a small manor with sloping grounds filled with blooming flowers and a stretch of woods encircling the back and sides of the manor. There is an open area behind the manor with a quidditch pitch to practice quidditch or simply fly on brooms. The area has been further expanded to accommodate the younger Black children and permit them to safely play in the playground area.

 The playground area is filled with a dozen children (who are carefully overseen by a nanny house elf). The largest group of children are the nine dark-haired children of Thurman and his brother, Harmon Black, ranging from a recently turned eleven-year-old to the youngest child who is nearly three years old. Then there are two more children, both redheads, the children of Arthur and Molly Weasley, Bill and Charlie Weasley.

Then there are two more dark-haired children, neither brother nor sister rather cousins. Marcellus Black who is the great-grandson of Marius Black. And naturally little Dora Tonks, the daughter of Ted and Andromeda Tonks. The little metamorphmagus hair is black at the moment trying to match the hair color of the majority of her cousins along with the matching gray eyes of the Black family.

Whilst the children safely play, the Black family adults are within the manor conversing or away on other pressing business such as Thurman Black and his brother, Harmon Black. The two brothers had immediately quit their former places of employment after learning of their employment at Hogwarts (with a much higher salary offered than their previous positions). Since quitting their jobs, they have been working hard to complete the required courses and exams to be certified as a children's physical education coaches. They had enough knowledge on the subject but needed the proper training to ensure the safety of all the students that would be in their care come September.

With their older children on summer break and their husbands away, Betrys and Tuliana Black were quite full of despair until their husband's cousin, Walburga offered the use of the nanny-elf to watch over the children during the day for the duration of the summer. The two women most emphatically accepted the offer. With their morning and afternoons free of their children, the two women caught up on household chores and even had spare time to themselves to enjoy lunch at a café or stop by the salon to have their hair done.

Inside the manor in a sunny parlor sit several witches in the parlor. Walburga Black is regal with her dark hair in a loose coil. She wears a thin muslin dress to combat the heat. There is a violet sash at her waist in a signal of mourning for those who had been lost during the past year and out of respect for those lost at Hogsmeade.

Walburga turns to stare at her elegant niece, Narcissa (Malfoy) whose golden hair is firmly pulled back out of the reach of the tiny hands of her daughter, Aurora Black. The blue eyes of Narcissa are filled with pure love as she watches her daughter roll on her stomach on the floor. At barely 7 months old, little Aurora could scoot and rock back and forth on her little limbs. The baby squawked unhappily trying to crawl forward but failed miserably to do so.

 "Oh you," Narcissa cooed to her child earning fond expressions from everyone. "Come here," she carefully gathered her daughter in her arms and placed a tend kiss on the soft fuzzy pale white, blonde head.

"A nap it is," Narcissa smiled as she carefully set her daughter, Aurora in the white, elegant bassinet which is enchanted to rock itself. She casts a quieting spell on the bassinet to ensure her child's nap is not disturbed.

Neatly tucked in the bassinet, Aurora begins to suck on her thumb. Tired from her excursions, Aurora's pale blue eyes begin to flutter. All too quickly the infant is peacefully sound asleep.

Content Narcissa paused to check the cream-colored bassinet next to that of her daughter's. She peers inside spotting the small infant inside. Wrapped up cozily in a pink blanket, her niece, Delphini was still pink having recently been born. Despite it all, Narcissa can tell the child will be a beauty just like Andromeda and Bellatrix.

Absolutely tiny in comparison to Aurora, Delphini has tiny, thick eyelashes just like a porcelain doll. The infant has fuzzy hair that appears to be silverish at the moment. It is too soon to tell if the child will have the dark eyes of her father or the gray eyes of the Blacks.

With a tiny smile, Narcissa sits back glancing over at her tired older sister, Andromeda. A beauty much like Bellatrix, but much gentler and far less wild than their eldest sister had been. Andromeda had inherited the lighter brown hair of the Rosier family from their mother. "You should rest, Andromeda, you are still recovering from birth," she sincerely suggested. "I will watch over Delphini."

"I-," Andromeda suppressed a yawn, "I am fine really," she weakly lied trying to waive off her younger sister's concerns despite having just given birth during the night before.

"How indecorous," Walburga murmured under her breath with no real sting. She understood the exhaustion felt after giving birth for she also had birthed two sons. Never again she swore to her husband! Two was more than enough!

"Nonsense, you should be resting as it is! I only allowed this sort of nonsense to your nerves, Andromeda," a firm voice steadfastly ordered. It was their mother, Druella (Moody nee Black) a gracefully blond-haired beauty, who was wearing a splendid ivory muslin gown that was tight over her swelling belly. 

"Mother," Andromeda protested with a faint flush of embarrassment. "I am not a child!"

"Of course not," Druella sniffed and stared down her nose at her daughter. "You were much more obedient back then."

Andromeda's mouth twitches unhappily as she turns to share a pointed glance with her younger sister, Narcissa. Narcissa coolly takes a sip of her iced tea refusing to meet the gaze of her sister. Her sister knew better than to rile their mother. Most especially now that her mother is expecting again.

Narcissa pursed her lips at the thought. She never imagined their mother was still capable of giving birth at her age. Yet here their mother was pregnant with their younger half-brother! Ironically, her husband, dear Lucius words had been right. A jest at the time, but apparently the fourth time is the charm.

"I have given birth to three daughters," Druella pointedly said her blue-eyes glaring daggers at her middle child. "And I am expecting a fourth now. I have more than sufficient confidence and ample experience to say that your body needs rest, Andromeda. Now, off you go to bed!"

"Yes, mother," Andromeda in a churlish tone huffed under her breath. Whenever her mother spoke to her in such a manner, she always felt very much like a naughty child who had misbehaved.

Wincing slightly as she rose to her feet, Andromeda is helped along by her mother, who has a large belly of her own. Then again, her mother is due in November. Their half-brother is roughly five months old. A startling fact to consider since her daughter, Delphini would be older than her younger half-sibling.

It was not as if Druella did not notice that Narcissa and Andromeda were having a difficult time accepting here pregnancy. Her daughters couldn't exactly protest against their mother's happiness and could only quietly complain in their hearts. Druella was a relatively young widow and could easily remarry (which she had). She could only hope that her daughters would in time come to accept the fact.