Over the past month, Hestia and Flora had come to an undeniable conclusion: their beloved Aurelian was acting truly strange.
From the very moment they told him the news of the pregnancy under the hot sun next to that giant metal thing, the most feared and respected student at Hogwarts had undergone a radical transformation. His protective instinct had skyrocketed to stratospheric levels. Now he treated them with such extreme care and tenderness that it bordered on the absurd.
He had even sent for Stinky from his mansion in England. The faithful house elf flitted around them day and night, making sure they were perfectly attended to and that they lacked absolutely nothing. Aurelian, for his part, had taken complete control of their diets. He personally oversaw each of their meals, evaluating the nutrients and vitamins with the same seriousness with which he would plan his company's next move.
He literally wouldn't let them do a thing. If they dropped a fork, Aurelian or Stinky would pick it up before they could even blink. If they wanted to open a door, her husband's magic would step in to do it for them.
The twins were fascinated by this whole new avalanche of attention. They thoroughly enjoyed the pampering, the care, and the overflowing affection from her husband. If they wanted kisses, Aurelian would drop whatever he was doing to give them some. If they wanted cuddles, he would sit beside them for hours, stroking their cheeks, massaging their shoulders, and gently resting his hands on their bellies while whispering words of love and promises of a bright future. And if in the middle of the night they had even the slightest craving for something sweet, Aurelian would conjure up a ridiculous variety of the finest desserts from both the magical and Muggle worlds.
However, after six long weeks of this same routine, Hestia and Flora were getting a little—well, very little, to be honest—tired of it. They loved feeling adored and cherished by the man they loved, but frustration was setting in. It bothered them that their brilliant and relentless husband was treating them as if they had suddenly lost the ability to fend for themselves. They were witches, not porcelain dolls on the verge of breaking.
One afternoon, as they were resting in the living room of their luxurious hotel suite, a soft pop announced Stinky's arrival.
The house elf handed them two crystal glasses filled with thick, cold mango juice.
"The ladies and the little heirs will love the fresh fruit juice—I assure you," Stinky told them with a huge smile, before disappearing with another pop to attend to what Aurelian had asked him to do.
Hestia and Flora smiled as they took their respective glasses. They took a sip and walked through the spacious room looking for their husband. They found him on the adjoining terrace, sitting at a round table, completely absorbed in his reading. Aurelian had a furrowed brow and narrowed eyes in a gesture of intense concentration as he read a thick Muggle book titled: The Complete Guide to Being a Good First-Time Father and What Mistakes to Avoid.
The two exchanged a tender glance. They walked over in silence and sat down on either side of him, hugging him at the same time.
Aurelian blinked, snapped out of his deep reading, and felt the warmth of his wives flanking him.
Hestia, sitting to his right, rested her head on his shoulder and whispered softly in his ear.
"It's very sweet of you to worry so much about us, my love, but you really should relax a little. You're going to drive yourself crazy with all that pent-up stress."
Flora, settling in to his left, leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, stroking his arm.
"Get some rest, Aurelian. We're perfectly fine. You're reading too much, and we know full well that you're going to be the best dad in the world, with or without those Muggle books."
Aurelian closed the book, scratched the bridge of his nose, and let out a long, heavy sigh.
"I'm just trying to do what I can…" Aurelian murmured, wrapping an arm around each of their waists. "This whole fatherhood thing is so new to me. I never had a role model; I don't know how a normal father is supposed to act. I just wish with all my heart that my children have the best, that they never lack for anything or suffer for even a single second of their lives."
Hestia and Flora hugged him tighter, pressing themselves against his chest.
"They'll already have the best, because they have you," Flora assured him with conviction. "And the five of us will be very happy together. You'll see."
Aurelian let himself be held, closing his eyes and breathing in the sweet scent of his wives. The mere thought of that future—the five of them together, a true family—dissolved all his fears and filled his heart with peace.
Suddenly, Hestia raised a finger and pressed it firmly against his cheek, forcing him to open his eyes.
"But, Mr. Gaunt, there's one very important thing you mustn't forget," Hestia warned him, feigning severity, though her eyes sparkled with amusement. "The two of us aren't made of glass. We hope you'll continue with all your affection, the massages, and the midnight desserts—of course—but you have to let us do things on our own. We can still walk on our own two feet and open our own doors."
Aurelian burst out laughing, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry, my loves. I think I got a little carried away in the moment."
Flora stood up from the chair, gave him a couple of affectionate pats on the head as if he were a small child, and held out her hand to him.
"You've been an exceptionally good husband this past month and a half. Now, it's our turn to pamper you."
Taking his hands, Hestia and Flora gently pulled him toward the huge bed in the suite. They made him lie down in the center and curled up on either side of him, embracing him with immense tenderness, entwining their legs with his, and letting him finally rest from his self-imposed duties.
Aurelian smiled, feeling the warmth of his wives and the babies growing in their wombs. He raised his hands to slowly caress Hestia and Flora's cheeks, knowing with certainty that he loved his family with all his heart and there was nothing he wouldn't do for them.
Aurelian Gaunt stood in front of a large glass window in his suite on the top floor of the hotel. With his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes were fixed on the iconic, glowing sign in the distance that welcomed visitors to Las Vegas.
They had crossed the country from coast to coast, leaving behind the humidity of Florida to enter the relentless, arid desert of Nevada. Although the room was perfectly cooled with the air conditioning set to maximum, the landscape outside hinted at a dry heat that seemed to distort the air above the ground.
Aurelian had a very specific reason for having diverted his route to this paradise of casinos and lights. He wanted to visit one last place before wrapping up his trip and leaving the United States for good. His target was the military base most heavily guarded and controlled by Muggles: Area 51.
After the fiasco at the Pentagon archives and uncovering the machinations at the White House, he had nothing to lose by venturing into that curious facility. On the contrary, he stood to gain a great deal by doing so. If the U.S. government was truly hiding advanced technology, weaponry, or top-secret information that could threaten his species in the future, it would be buried beneath the scorching sands of Nevada. And with his skills and the Invisibility Cloak, the raid wouldn't take him too long.
With a smile playing on his lips, Aurelian looked away from the desert and turned toward the interior of the room.
All his coldness melted away instantly, replaced by absolute tenderness. Lying on the immense king-size bed, covered only by thin sheets to combat their natural aversion to the climate, Hestia and Flora rested peacefully.
According to his calculations and what they themselves had confirmed, they were exactly three months pregnant. The changes in their beautiful bodies were already beginning to show. Peeking out from beneath the edge of the sheets, Aurelian could make out the small, perfect bulge forming on their bellies. Seeing that subtle curve where their children were growing, his chest swelled with pride. In his eyes, his wives had never looked so damn beautiful and radiant as they did at this moment in their lives.
However, Aurelian's happiness came with a non-negotiable time limit. He was well aware of just how much the girls disliked the extreme heat. The scorching sun and the dryness of Nevada made them irritable and exhausted—a discomfort that was now multiplied as their magical cores worked tirelessly for the developing babies.
For that reason, Aurelian had made a decision. They would only stay in Las Vegas for three days. Not a single minute more.
Three days. That was all the time Hestia and Flora would have to endure the desert climate—more than enough time for him to infiltrate the place, find out exactly what the hell they were hiding in that fantastic, mysterious spot, and then take his beloved family back to the comfort and coolness of their home so they could rest before resuming their journey around the world.
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