Beautiful Boy (Gawain, Bill/Tonks, others, G)
For the Everything Old Is New Again Challenge...my one piece of genfic.
Title: Beautiful Boy
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Bill/Tonks, Molly, Arthur, Bastet the Serval and, of course Gawain Edward Weasley, age 3
Fanfick 100 Prompt: 028. Children
Word Count: 3975
Rating: G
Summary: A day in the life of Gawain Edward Weasley, age 3
Author's Notes: Set about 5 years after "Survivors". Definitely reeking of cuteness. What's really scary is that when I see Gawain in my mind, he resembles Shippo from Inuyasha way too much (although he's not a kitsune at all...) Much thanks to elfflame who helped me flesh this out and make it even more ridiculous. :)
Gawain Edward Weasley is three years old. He lives in a big ivy covered house in a village called Hogs Meat with his Mummy and his Daddy and a jungle cat named Basket. Mummy is a Roarer who works for the Ministry of Magic and Daddy works at the big bank, Gringotts. Gawain isn’t quite sure what a Roarer does although Daddy tells him she’s a Dark Wizard catcher which is good because that means Gawain never has to worry about them coming to his house.
Gawain has red hair and blue eyes just like his Daddy. He wears his hair long in a ponytail just like Daddy too. He wants to have an earring like his Daddy but Mummy says he’s too little, maybe when he’s older. When Gawain asks how much older, Mummy tells him Daddy wasn’t allowed to do it until he was twenty-four. Twenty-four is a lot older than than three so twenty-four is a very long way away.
Everyone in Daddy’s family has red hair. The only ones who don’t are Auntie Herminny, Uncle Harry and Mummy. Auntie Herminny’s hair is brown, Uncle Harry’s hair is black and Mummy’s is pink but sometimes yellow or blue or black or purple or red. Gawain loves that his Mummy is a Morph which means she can change herself whenever she wants. She makes funny faces for him all the time, with special noses and ears which make him laugh. His favourite face is an elfant face.
Mummy’s name is Tonks although Daddy calls her “Dora” or “Love” and Daddy’s name is Bill but Mummy calls him “Pillock” or “Head Boy”. Sometimes they call Gawain "Gav". Gawain likes his own name very much but he has to remind people that it’s pronounced “Gow-in”. Uncle Fred and Uncle George are always calling him “Guh-wayne” and he has to explain to them over and over that they’re wrong. That always makes them laugh. He knows his full name is Gawain Edward Weasley because that’s what Mummy calls him whenever he’s done something very naughty and she shouts things like “Gawain Edward Weasley, how many times have I told you not to pull the cat’s tail?” or “Gawain Edward Weasley, you know you’re not supposed to touch Daddy’s wand without permission.” Gawain likes it better when she’s not shouting at him, then she makes her special faces and calls him her little love or her beautiful boy and they cuddle. That’s ever so much nicer than be shouted at. Daddy told him that he was named for Sir Gawain who was one of King Arthur's bravest and most honourable knights. His middle name is for his Grandpa Ted whose real name is "Edward" too.
Gawain has two sets of grandparents. There’s Nanny Dromeda and Grandpa Ted who are Mummy’s parents and they live in London. Gawain likes visiting them - sometimes they go for dinner and then shopping in Diagon Alley where Uncle Fred and Uncle George have their shop. Gawain likes going there and seeing all the interesting things. His favourite shops are Quality Quidditch Supplies, the Magical Menagerie and, of course, Uncle Fred and George's. Sometimes he gets to spend the evening with Nanny Dromeda and Grandpa Ted while Mummy and Daddy are busy or have a special night. When he does, Grandpa Ted takes him round to the pub to meet his friends and they let him play darts and skittles and drink butter beer. Grandpa Ted tells all his friends proudly “This is our Nimfedora’s boy” and Gawain laughs because Grandpa Ted always calls Mummy “Nimfedora” and she always gets mad but she can’t get mad when she’s not there. Grandpa Ted's friends are all nice and ask him to count and say the alphabet and all the colours. They think he's a very clever boy and that makes Grandpa Ted very happy. Nanny Dromeda is very pretty and she loves to read stories to Gawain and make him special foods. She lets him stay up late and eat ice cream. Her house is always very neat and clean but she doesn’t mind if Gawain makes it a little messy. Gawain once asked what her name meant and Daddy said a Dromeda was a camel that they used in Egypt where he used to live. Mummy hit him and called him a pillock but Daddy just kept laughing.
Daddy’s parents are Granny Molly and Grandpa Arthur. They live in a big house in the country called the Burrow. Gawain loves it there because they have chickens and gnomes and a big back garden to run about in. Sometimes he stays over and sleeps in Uncle Percy’s old room. He could sleep in Uncle Ron’s old room at the top of the house but it’s too scary right now. The Ghoul in the Attic makes too much noise and even though Daddy’s told him he doesn’t hurt anyone, Gawain doesn’t quite believe him.
Granny Molly makes him all sorts of sweets whenever he comes to visit which is very nice but Grandpa Arthur is the most fun of all. He takes Gawain into his shed and shows him all his interesting things like batteries and plugs and spanners and toasters. Grandpa Arthur loves Muggle things and tries to explain them to Gawain but he doesn’t really understand. He just likes the lights and the sparks and especially when things blow up.
Most of his uncles and aunties come to visit the Burrow too. Uncle Charlie isn’t there very often because he lives in Roomania with the dragons. Uncle Charlie gave Gawain his most favourite toy when he was born -- a stuffed dragon named Wendell. Gawain takes Wendell everywhere with him. Uncle Charlie is loads of fun because he takes Gawain flying on his broom and tells him stories about dragons and Quidditch. When he is older, he is going to visit Uncle Charlie on the dragon preserve and see real dragons.
Uncle Percy is Gawain’s least favourite uncle. He is very nice but he tells long stories that Gawain doesn’t really understand about his work at the Ministry. He also tells Gawain about Hogwarts which is where he will go when he is eleven, just like everyone else in the family. Gawain knows he will be a brave Gryffindor someday just like Mummy and Daddy and all his aunts and uncles. Uncle Percy talks alot about being a Prefect and a Head Boy when he was at school but he doesn't make it sound like very much fun. Gawain knows Daddy was Head Boy once and that he, Uncle Charlie, Uncle Ron and Auntie Herminny were all Prefects. Uncle Percy tells him about all the books he will have to read and all the things he will have to do in order to be like Daddy and Gawain worries that maybe he won't be clever enough or work hard enough to do it. Mummy says it doesn't matter a bit if he doesn't grow up to be like Uncle Percy and Gawain is very happy to hear that.
Uncle Fred and Uncle George are great fun (except when they don’t remember his name). They are twins and sometimes Gawain has trouble telling them apart but he never says so. They always bring him toys and jokes from their shop in London which is an exciting place to visit. Sometimes Mummy or Granny Molly shout at them and say he’s too little to play with the toys they give him but Daddy always says it’s okay. They also teach him naughty words when no one else is around and promise to teach him magic before he goes away to school. He hopes they do.
Uncle Ron is fun too. He’s very tall like Daddy and Grandpa Arthur. Uncle Ron is married to Auntie Herminny who always gives him books whenever she sees him. Some of them are Wizarding books but some of them are Muggle storybooks too. Aunt Herminny is Muggleborn like Grandpa Ted which means she has a Muggle Mummy and Daddy. Gawain’s Mummy and Daddy read to him every night. He loves to hear about Peter Pan, the bear named Winnie the Pooh and his friend Christopher Robin, and Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane, and the Lamb and their adventures with the Psammead. They are all very exciting. Uncle Ron told him all about the Chuddley Cannons and playing Quidditch and sometimes his adventures with Uncle Harry and Auntie Herminny when they were at school. Uncle Ron is a Roarer like Mummy and sometimes they argue about cases until Granny Molly tells them not to bring their work home with them. Uncle Ron has promised to take him to a real Quidditch match when he’s a little bigger although Mummy says that if he goes to see the Cannons play, it’s not a real Quidditch match at all.
Gawain also adores his Auntie Ginny. She also takes him for broom rides out in the back garden and they fly very very fast. She is not married to Uncle Harry but everyone says they will be some day. Uncle Harry is very famous and travels around the world. When he comes home, Auntie Ginny usually spends all her time kissing him which Gawain thinks is silly. He likes Uncle Harry who is funny and tells him stories about the foreign wizards he’s met and sometimes brings him presents from faraway but Gawain would like him more if he didn’t kiss Auntie Ginny so much. Mostly because there are more interesting things to do than kissing.
Sometimes Gawain goes to a nursery during the day while Mummy and Daddy are at their jobs. There he plays with his friends Frankie Longbottom, Arjuna and Anand Rahman, and Evie Pellerin and some other children. Other days, he stays at Granny Molly and Grandpa Arthur’s house and helps Granny Molly in the kitchen or Grandpa Arthur in his shed and plays with the chickens and the gnomes. Sometimes he gets to visit Mummy at work on the second floor of the Ministry. He likes the fountain in the courtyard and riding up and down on the lift. He sometimes gets to visit Daddy at work too which is nice because everyone there loves to see him. They give him sweets and kisses and tell him what a handsome boy he is, especially the pretty ladies there. Once a very pretty French lady with silver-blonde hair saw him and told him what a nice boy he was but then Daddy showed up and the lady started to cry and ran away. Gawain thought he’d done something to make her cry and was sad but Daddy said it was fine. Gawain told Mummy about it when they got home and she got cross with Daddy who laughed and told her she had no reason to be jealous. Then there was a lot of kissing and Gawain got to spend the night at the Burrow.
Gawain’s favourite toys (besides Wendell, of course) are his knights and cars. Uncle Ron loves to play knights with him - sometimes he charms them to make them fight or ride across the floor. Basket usually tries to pounce on them when they do which always ruins the game so Gawain likes it better when they play at Granny Molly’s house. He has a set of Muggle cars which Grandpa Ted gave him. Gawain loves cars and even though they aren’t magic, he can push them with his hand and make them go “vroom” all the same.
Basket is Daddy's cat but she's not really a cat. Daddy says she's a serval who was born in a jungle. He says her name is the same as the Jipshun Goddess of Love because Mummy gave her to him as a present when they got married. Mummy says she's a she-beast from Hell and is sorry she ever brought her home. Gawain's not sure why though he thinks Basket is a silly name for a Goddess. Basket's usually a good kitty, except when she tries to steal Gawain's toys or leaves dead things on the front steps for Mummy and Daddy to Vanish. Then he doesn't like her very much at all.
One day, Mummy came home from work and she looked very unhappy. Daddy stopped playing cars with Gawain and asked her what was wrong. “Twins,” was all she said and then she ran up to the bedroom. Gawain thought she was crying and wanted to make her feel better. Whenever he feels bad, Mummy kisses him and tells him she loves him and that makes it all better. He wants to go to her now but Daddy tells him to stay downstairs with his cars and Wendell and Basket.
Mummy shouts at Daddy when he goes up to talk to her which makes Gawain sad too. Mummy must not feel well if she’s shouting at Daddy. Usually when she shouts, Daddy kisses her and tickles her and she calls him a pillock and then she kisses him back. But today, that’s not happening. Gawain hugs Wendell and tells him he hopes his Mummy is all right.
Daddy comes downstairs in a little while holding Gawain’s bag and tells him he’s going to visit Granny Molly and Grandpa Arthur tonight. When Gawain asks why, he says it’s because Mummy’s not feeling well and she needs a rest. Gawain asks to say goodbye to her but Daddy says it would be better if he didn’t - but not to worry, Mummy would be okay soon. That doesn’t make him feel better.
Daddy scoops Gawain and Wendell up in his big strong arms and they take the Floo to the Burrow. Granny looks surprised when they show up at her house but she’s happy to see them anyway.
“Bill, whatever is wrong?” she asks Daddy.
“Tonks isn’t feeling very well,” he says although Gawain thinks maybe he’s being naughty and not telling the truth. “Can you watch him tonight?”
“Of course,” says Granny. “We always love having our Gawain here as a guest, don’t we, Arthur?”
Grandpa comes over and musses Gawain’s hair. “He’s our favourite.”
“Be a good boy for your grandparents, Gawain,” Daddy tells him, giving him a great big hug and a kiss. “I’ll see you tomorrow, I promise.”
Gawain nods but he wants to cry. What if Mummy is sick? Or angry? Maybe she found out that he pulled Basket’s tail again for stealing Sir Bedivere and chewing off his head. Or that he broke Daddy’s Gringotts coffee mug and didn’t tell anyone. He thinks maybe Mummy’s upset by Uncle Fred and Uncle George because she said “twins” and they’re the only twins he knows except for Arjuna and Anand but he can’t think of anything they would do to make her upset. But Uncle Fred and Uncle George could do lots of things wrong.
“Don’t cry, love,” Daddy says giving him another hug. “Mum just needs a rest. Why don’t you make her a card tonight to tell her how much you love her? With pictures?” He knows how much Gawain loves to draw and paint. His pictures are all over the house and Mummy says he’s a ‘budding artist’.
He nods again, trying to be a brave Gryffindor. “Okay.”
Daddy goes to the Floo with Grandpa Arthur while Granny Molly tells him she’s made a beef stew for supper and that there’s rhubarb crumble for pudding. Daddy and Grandpa talk in low voices before Daddy leaves which makes Gawain think there is really something wrong with his Mummy after all.
He doesn’t sleep very well that night even with Granny Molly’s rhubarb crumble and Grandpa Arthur’s story about the time Uncle Harry and Uncle Ron stole a flying car (which is one of his favourites). He cries because he misses Daddy and Mummy. Usually he likes it here but Mummy didn’t even say goodbye. Poor Wendell gets very damp (which is not something dragons like) but he is such a good friend that he doesn’t complain. In the end, Granny and Grandpa let him sleep with them in their big bed. It’s not as nice as sleeping with Mummy and Daddy but at least he doesn’t feel so alone.
The next morning is better. Granny makes him pancakes and bacon for breakfast and then Grandpa shows him a collection of fuses and a little wireless that runs on batteries that Uncle Harry gave him last Christmas so they can hear Muggle music and chat shows for a while. Sometime before lunch, he hears the familiar “pop” of Apparation and there’s his Daddy in his cloak. And he’s smiling.
Gawain goes running and Daddy scoops him up in his arms and hugs him very tightly and says “There you are, little man. Were you a good boy for Granny and Grandpa?”
Gawain can’t answer because he’s crying and clinging to Daddy so Granny tells him instead. “He was as good as gold, Bill. As always. Now, how’s Nimfedora?”
Daddy laughs and gives Granny a kiss and a big hug too which makes Gawain feel a little better. “Everything’s sorted, Mum. We’re fine. Well,” and he laughs again. “more than fine.”
“Well, why didn’t she come with you?” asks Granny in the tone of voice that Gawain knows means she knows you’ve told a fib or done something naughty. “He’s been dead distraught over this whole mess, whatever it is.”
“Ah.” Daddy seems to find this very funny because he laughs even more. “Mum, she couldn’t come. I’ll explain it all later but everything’s good. I promise.” Daddy turns to Gawain and rubs his nose against his. “Were you upset, Gav? Mummy didn’t mean to worry you, I promise.”
Gawain sniffles and nods his head against the crook of Daddy’s neck.
“Mummy’s fine. We just needed to sort some things out. She’s waiting for you at home - she missed you something awful.”
“She did?” That makes Gawain feel even better.
“Why do you think she sent me to fetch you right away? That’s the first thing she asked me for as soon as we woke up.”
Granny Molly makes a funny noise which Gawain doesn’t understand but he sees Daddy is turning red.
“Go on then, get him home to his mum,” Granny says. “I’ll pack his case and send it to you later.”
“WENDELL!” Gawain cries, realising he’s left his best friend sleeping in the middle of Granny and Grandpa’s bed.
“Oh, right,” Grandpa Arthur says. “Let me get him straight away. We don’t want a dragon in the house without our Gawain to keep him tame!”
So Grandpa Arthur fetches Wendell and then just as they’re about to leave, Gawain realises he’s forgotten the picture he’s made for Mummy so Granny Molly goes to find it. Then he and Daddy and Wendell all go back to the house through the Floo. When they get there, Gawain sees Mummy sitting on the sofa. She looks much happier than she did yesterday. “Mummy!”
She gets up and lets him throw himself into her arms. “Oh, darling! My darling darling boy!”
“I missed you, Mummy. I made you a picture at Granny’s and everything!”
“You did? Well, can I see it?”
Shyly, Gawain gets the picture from Daddy and gives it to her. It’s Mummy and Daddy and Gawain and Basket and Wendell all playing outside in the sunshine.
“Darling, it’s beautiful!” Mummy says and then covers his face with kisses. Even though Gawain thinks kissing is silly, he likes it when Mummy kisses him and it makes him feel much better. “We’ll hang this up in the kitchen so everyone can see what a brilliant artist you are, yeah?” Then Mummy kisses him again and says “I’m so sorry about yesterday, love. I was very upset about some things but it wasn’t your fault. Will you forgive me?”
Gawain nods and gives his mummy a big hug. “Uh huh.”
“Oh, good. I was so afraid you were going to be cross with me.” Mummy looks sad when she says that so he knows she’s telling the truth. “I’ve got some news to tell you,” she says going back onto the couch and letting him settle in her lap. Daddy comes over and sits next to her, putting an arm around her shoulders. “It’s really good news. But it’s also a secret. Can you keep a secret for me?”
He nods gravely, knowing that keeping secrets is important.
“Oh, good. Well, you’re going to be a big brother soon.”
“I am?”
Daddy musses up his hair and grins. “You certainly are. You’re going to have two little sisters.”
Gawain looks surprised. “Where are they?”
Mummy laughs and hugs him. “Right now they’re inside of Mummy’s tummy but in about six months, they’ll be here. I know you’re going to be the best big brother in the world - just like your Dad is to Uncle Charlie, Uncle Percy, Uncle George, Uncle Fred, Uncle Ron and Auntie Ginny.”
That makes Gawain feel special because he wants to be just like his Daddy. He pats Mummy’s tummy, wondering if his little sisters can see him. Mummy and Daddy explained that babies grow in their mummy’s tum even though Uncle George and Uncle Fred said they grew in the cabbage patch behind the Burrow.
“Mummy’s got to be very careful - she’s on special assignment from the Ministry and has to pretend to be a Muggle until the babies come so she’s going to need your help,” Daddy tells him. “She won’t be able to do any magic at all. Do you think you can help her pretend to be a Muggle?”
Gawain thinks that sounds very exciting. “Can we drive a car?” He thinks of the story Grandpa Arthur told him this morning about the flying car. Flying in a car would be fun.
Mummy and Daddy laugh. “No, sweetheart, no cars,” Mummy says. “But we’re going to have to make food without magic and walk to the shops and do things by hand. It’s not going to be easy.”
“Does Daddy have to be a Muggle too?” He looks at his Daddy. He would miss it if Daddy couldn’t make his cars fly or clean up the kitchen after supper or all the other nice things that Daddy does.
“No. Daddy’s a lucky bas-erm, person and he can do all the magic he wants,” Mummy explains. “But he won’t be here all the time to do it for us because he’s got to work. So it’ll just be me and you.”
“I’m a Gryffindor, brave and true!” Gawain proclaims. “I can do it!”
For some reason, this makes Mummy cry and she hugs him and kisses him and tells him he’s her bright brave boy and that she couldn’t live without him. Daddy hugs him too and tells him he’s a true Weasley through and through which makes him feel even happier.
And they sit on the sofa and cuddle and Mummy promises he can help pick out names for the new babies and Daddy tells him all about the Secret Society of Big Brothers and Gawain thinks that having little sisters won’t be all bad although he’d rather have a little brother to play with the way Daddy had Uncle Charlie. But little sisters aren’t so bad because Auntie Ginny was one once upon a time and he thinks she’s pretty cool even if she is a girl. He thinks about all the interesting things he’ll have to tell Grandpa Arthur about being a Muggle with Mummy and that’s good too. And he decides that he likes being all snuggled up with his Mummy and Daddy and Wendell in front of the fire, even if Basket keeps trying to join them, because it's the nicest place in the world to be.
Title: Beautiful Boy
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Bill/Tonks, Molly, Arthur, Bastet the Serval and, of course Gawain Edward Weasley, age 3
Fanfick 100 Prompt: 028. Children
Word Count: 3975
Rating: G
Summary: A day in the life of Gawain Edward Weasley, age 3
Author's Notes: Set about 5 years after "Survivors". Definitely reeking of cuteness. What's really scary is that when I see Gawain in my mind, he resembles Shippo from Inuyasha way too much (although he's not a kitsune at all...) Much thanks to elfflame who helped me flesh this out and make it even more ridiculous. :)
Gawain Edward Weasley is three years old. He lives in a big ivy covered house in a village called Hogs Meat with his Mummy and his Daddy and a jungle cat named Basket. Mummy is a Roarer who works for the Ministry of Magic and Daddy works at the big bank, Gringotts. Gawain isn’t quite sure what a Roarer does although Daddy tells him she’s a Dark Wizard catcher which is good because that means Gawain never has to worry about them coming to his house.
Gawain has red hair and blue eyes just like his Daddy. He wears his hair long in a ponytail just like Daddy too. He wants to have an earring like his Daddy but Mummy says he’s too little, maybe when he’s older. When Gawain asks how much older, Mummy tells him Daddy wasn’t allowed to do it until he was twenty-four. Twenty-four is a lot older than than three so twenty-four is a very long way away.
Everyone in Daddy’s family has red hair. The only ones who don’t are Auntie Herminny, Uncle Harry and Mummy. Auntie Herminny’s hair is brown, Uncle Harry’s hair is black and Mummy’s is pink but sometimes yellow or blue or black or purple or red. Gawain loves that his Mummy is a Morph which means she can change herself whenever she wants. She makes funny faces for him all the time, with special noses and ears which make him laugh. His favourite face is an elfant face.
Mummy’s name is Tonks although Daddy calls her “Dora” or “Love” and Daddy’s name is Bill but Mummy calls him “Pillock” or “Head Boy”. Sometimes they call Gawain "Gav". Gawain likes his own name very much but he has to remind people that it’s pronounced “Gow-in”. Uncle Fred and Uncle George are always calling him “Guh-wayne” and he has to explain to them over and over that they’re wrong. That always makes them laugh. He knows his full name is Gawain Edward Weasley because that’s what Mummy calls him whenever he’s done something very naughty and she shouts things like “Gawain Edward Weasley, how many times have I told you not to pull the cat’s tail?” or “Gawain Edward Weasley, you know you’re not supposed to touch Daddy’s wand without permission.” Gawain likes it better when she’s not shouting at him, then she makes her special faces and calls him her little love or her beautiful boy and they cuddle. That’s ever so much nicer than be shouted at. Daddy told him that he was named for Sir Gawain who was one of King Arthur's bravest and most honourable knights. His middle name is for his Grandpa Ted whose real name is "Edward" too.
Gawain has two sets of grandparents. There’s Nanny Dromeda and Grandpa Ted who are Mummy’s parents and they live in London. Gawain likes visiting them - sometimes they go for dinner and then shopping in Diagon Alley where Uncle Fred and Uncle George have their shop. Gawain likes going there and seeing all the interesting things. His favourite shops are Quality Quidditch Supplies, the Magical Menagerie and, of course, Uncle Fred and George's. Sometimes he gets to spend the evening with Nanny Dromeda and Grandpa Ted while Mummy and Daddy are busy or have a special night. When he does, Grandpa Ted takes him round to the pub to meet his friends and they let him play darts and skittles and drink butter beer. Grandpa Ted tells all his friends proudly “This is our Nimfedora’s boy” and Gawain laughs because Grandpa Ted always calls Mummy “Nimfedora” and she always gets mad but she can’t get mad when she’s not there. Grandpa Ted's friends are all nice and ask him to count and say the alphabet and all the colours. They think he's a very clever boy and that makes Grandpa Ted very happy. Nanny Dromeda is very pretty and she loves to read stories to Gawain and make him special foods. She lets him stay up late and eat ice cream. Her house is always very neat and clean but she doesn’t mind if Gawain makes it a little messy. Gawain once asked what her name meant and Daddy said a Dromeda was a camel that they used in Egypt where he used to live. Mummy hit him and called him a pillock but Daddy just kept laughing.
Daddy’s parents are Granny Molly and Grandpa Arthur. They live in a big house in the country called the Burrow. Gawain loves it there because they have chickens and gnomes and a big back garden to run about in. Sometimes he stays over and sleeps in Uncle Percy’s old room. He could sleep in Uncle Ron’s old room at the top of the house but it’s too scary right now. The Ghoul in the Attic makes too much noise and even though Daddy’s told him he doesn’t hurt anyone, Gawain doesn’t quite believe him.
Granny Molly makes him all sorts of sweets whenever he comes to visit which is very nice but Grandpa Arthur is the most fun of all. He takes Gawain into his shed and shows him all his interesting things like batteries and plugs and spanners and toasters. Grandpa Arthur loves Muggle things and tries to explain them to Gawain but he doesn’t really understand. He just likes the lights and the sparks and especially when things blow up.
Most of his uncles and aunties come to visit the Burrow too. Uncle Charlie isn’t there very often because he lives in Roomania with the dragons. Uncle Charlie gave Gawain his most favourite toy when he was born -- a stuffed dragon named Wendell. Gawain takes Wendell everywhere with him. Uncle Charlie is loads of fun because he takes Gawain flying on his broom and tells him stories about dragons and Quidditch. When he is older, he is going to visit Uncle Charlie on the dragon preserve and see real dragons.
Uncle Percy is Gawain’s least favourite uncle. He is very nice but he tells long stories that Gawain doesn’t really understand about his work at the Ministry. He also tells Gawain about Hogwarts which is where he will go when he is eleven, just like everyone else in the family. Gawain knows he will be a brave Gryffindor someday just like Mummy and Daddy and all his aunts and uncles. Uncle Percy talks alot about being a Prefect and a Head Boy when he was at school but he doesn't make it sound like very much fun. Gawain knows Daddy was Head Boy once and that he, Uncle Charlie, Uncle Ron and Auntie Herminny were all Prefects. Uncle Percy tells him about all the books he will have to read and all the things he will have to do in order to be like Daddy and Gawain worries that maybe he won't be clever enough or work hard enough to do it. Mummy says it doesn't matter a bit if he doesn't grow up to be like Uncle Percy and Gawain is very happy to hear that.
Uncle Fred and Uncle George are great fun (except when they don’t remember his name). They are twins and sometimes Gawain has trouble telling them apart but he never says so. They always bring him toys and jokes from their shop in London which is an exciting place to visit. Sometimes Mummy or Granny Molly shout at them and say he’s too little to play with the toys they give him but Daddy always says it’s okay. They also teach him naughty words when no one else is around and promise to teach him magic before he goes away to school. He hopes they do.
Uncle Ron is fun too. He’s very tall like Daddy and Grandpa Arthur. Uncle Ron is married to Auntie Herminny who always gives him books whenever she sees him. Some of them are Wizarding books but some of them are Muggle storybooks too. Aunt Herminny is Muggleborn like Grandpa Ted which means she has a Muggle Mummy and Daddy. Gawain’s Mummy and Daddy read to him every night. He loves to hear about Peter Pan, the bear named Winnie the Pooh and his friend Christopher Robin, and Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane, and the Lamb and their adventures with the Psammead. They are all very exciting. Uncle Ron told him all about the Chuddley Cannons and playing Quidditch and sometimes his adventures with Uncle Harry and Auntie Herminny when they were at school. Uncle Ron is a Roarer like Mummy and sometimes they argue about cases until Granny Molly tells them not to bring their work home with them. Uncle Ron has promised to take him to a real Quidditch match when he’s a little bigger although Mummy says that if he goes to see the Cannons play, it’s not a real Quidditch match at all.
Gawain also adores his Auntie Ginny. She also takes him for broom rides out in the back garden and they fly very very fast. She is not married to Uncle Harry but everyone says they will be some day. Uncle Harry is very famous and travels around the world. When he comes home, Auntie Ginny usually spends all her time kissing him which Gawain thinks is silly. He likes Uncle Harry who is funny and tells him stories about the foreign wizards he’s met and sometimes brings him presents from faraway but Gawain would like him more if he didn’t kiss Auntie Ginny so much. Mostly because there are more interesting things to do than kissing.
Sometimes Gawain goes to a nursery during the day while Mummy and Daddy are at their jobs. There he plays with his friends Frankie Longbottom, Arjuna and Anand Rahman, and Evie Pellerin and some other children. Other days, he stays at Granny Molly and Grandpa Arthur’s house and helps Granny Molly in the kitchen or Grandpa Arthur in his shed and plays with the chickens and the gnomes. Sometimes he gets to visit Mummy at work on the second floor of the Ministry. He likes the fountain in the courtyard and riding up and down on the lift. He sometimes gets to visit Daddy at work too which is nice because everyone there loves to see him. They give him sweets and kisses and tell him what a handsome boy he is, especially the pretty ladies there. Once a very pretty French lady with silver-blonde hair saw him and told him what a nice boy he was but then Daddy showed up and the lady started to cry and ran away. Gawain thought he’d done something to make her cry and was sad but Daddy said it was fine. Gawain told Mummy about it when they got home and she got cross with Daddy who laughed and told her she had no reason to be jealous. Then there was a lot of kissing and Gawain got to spend the night at the Burrow.
Gawain’s favourite toys (besides Wendell, of course) are his knights and cars. Uncle Ron loves to play knights with him - sometimes he charms them to make them fight or ride across the floor. Basket usually tries to pounce on them when they do which always ruins the game so Gawain likes it better when they play at Granny Molly’s house. He has a set of Muggle cars which Grandpa Ted gave him. Gawain loves cars and even though they aren’t magic, he can push them with his hand and make them go “vroom” all the same.
Basket is Daddy's cat but she's not really a cat. Daddy says she's a serval who was born in a jungle. He says her name is the same as the Jipshun Goddess of Love because Mummy gave her to him as a present when they got married. Mummy says she's a she-beast from Hell and is sorry she ever brought her home. Gawain's not sure why though he thinks Basket is a silly name for a Goddess. Basket's usually a good kitty, except when she tries to steal Gawain's toys or leaves dead things on the front steps for Mummy and Daddy to Vanish. Then he doesn't like her very much at all.
One day, Mummy came home from work and she looked very unhappy. Daddy stopped playing cars with Gawain and asked her what was wrong. “Twins,” was all she said and then she ran up to the bedroom. Gawain thought she was crying and wanted to make her feel better. Whenever he feels bad, Mummy kisses him and tells him she loves him and that makes it all better. He wants to go to her now but Daddy tells him to stay downstairs with his cars and Wendell and Basket.
Mummy shouts at Daddy when he goes up to talk to her which makes Gawain sad too. Mummy must not feel well if she’s shouting at Daddy. Usually when she shouts, Daddy kisses her and tickles her and she calls him a pillock and then she kisses him back. But today, that’s not happening. Gawain hugs Wendell and tells him he hopes his Mummy is all right.
Daddy comes downstairs in a little while holding Gawain’s bag and tells him he’s going to visit Granny Molly and Grandpa Arthur tonight. When Gawain asks why, he says it’s because Mummy’s not feeling well and she needs a rest. Gawain asks to say goodbye to her but Daddy says it would be better if he didn’t - but not to worry, Mummy would be okay soon. That doesn’t make him feel better.
Daddy scoops Gawain and Wendell up in his big strong arms and they take the Floo to the Burrow. Granny looks surprised when they show up at her house but she’s happy to see them anyway.
“Bill, whatever is wrong?” she asks Daddy.
“Tonks isn’t feeling very well,” he says although Gawain thinks maybe he’s being naughty and not telling the truth. “Can you watch him tonight?”
“Of course,” says Granny. “We always love having our Gawain here as a guest, don’t we, Arthur?”
Grandpa comes over and musses Gawain’s hair. “He’s our favourite.”
“Be a good boy for your grandparents, Gawain,” Daddy tells him, giving him a great big hug and a kiss. “I’ll see you tomorrow, I promise.”
Gawain nods but he wants to cry. What if Mummy is sick? Or angry? Maybe she found out that he pulled Basket’s tail again for stealing Sir Bedivere and chewing off his head. Or that he broke Daddy’s Gringotts coffee mug and didn’t tell anyone. He thinks maybe Mummy’s upset by Uncle Fred and Uncle George because she said “twins” and they’re the only twins he knows except for Arjuna and Anand but he can’t think of anything they would do to make her upset. But Uncle Fred and Uncle George could do lots of things wrong.
“Don’t cry, love,” Daddy says giving him another hug. “Mum just needs a rest. Why don’t you make her a card tonight to tell her how much you love her? With pictures?” He knows how much Gawain loves to draw and paint. His pictures are all over the house and Mummy says he’s a ‘budding artist’.
He nods again, trying to be a brave Gryffindor. “Okay.”
Daddy goes to the Floo with Grandpa Arthur while Granny Molly tells him she’s made a beef stew for supper and that there’s rhubarb crumble for pudding. Daddy and Grandpa talk in low voices before Daddy leaves which makes Gawain think there is really something wrong with his Mummy after all.
He doesn’t sleep very well that night even with Granny Molly’s rhubarb crumble and Grandpa Arthur’s story about the time Uncle Harry and Uncle Ron stole a flying car (which is one of his favourites). He cries because he misses Daddy and Mummy. Usually he likes it here but Mummy didn’t even say goodbye. Poor Wendell gets very damp (which is not something dragons like) but he is such a good friend that he doesn’t complain. In the end, Granny and Grandpa let him sleep with them in their big bed. It’s not as nice as sleeping with Mummy and Daddy but at least he doesn’t feel so alone.
The next morning is better. Granny makes him pancakes and bacon for breakfast and then Grandpa shows him a collection of fuses and a little wireless that runs on batteries that Uncle Harry gave him last Christmas so they can hear Muggle music and chat shows for a while. Sometime before lunch, he hears the familiar “pop” of Apparation and there’s his Daddy in his cloak. And he’s smiling.
Gawain goes running and Daddy scoops him up in his arms and hugs him very tightly and says “There you are, little man. Were you a good boy for Granny and Grandpa?”
Gawain can’t answer because he’s crying and clinging to Daddy so Granny tells him instead. “He was as good as gold, Bill. As always. Now, how’s Nimfedora?”
Daddy laughs and gives Granny a kiss and a big hug too which makes Gawain feel a little better. “Everything’s sorted, Mum. We’re fine. Well,” and he laughs again. “more than fine.”
“Well, why didn’t she come with you?” asks Granny in the tone of voice that Gawain knows means she knows you’ve told a fib or done something naughty. “He’s been dead distraught over this whole mess, whatever it is.”
“Ah.” Daddy seems to find this very funny because he laughs even more. “Mum, she couldn’t come. I’ll explain it all later but everything’s good. I promise.” Daddy turns to Gawain and rubs his nose against his. “Were you upset, Gav? Mummy didn’t mean to worry you, I promise.”
Gawain sniffles and nods his head against the crook of Daddy’s neck.
“Mummy’s fine. We just needed to sort some things out. She’s waiting for you at home - she missed you something awful.”
“She did?” That makes Gawain feel even better.
“Why do you think she sent me to fetch you right away? That’s the first thing she asked me for as soon as we woke up.”
Granny Molly makes a funny noise which Gawain doesn’t understand but he sees Daddy is turning red.
“Go on then, get him home to his mum,” Granny says. “I’ll pack his case and send it to you later.”
“WENDELL!” Gawain cries, realising he’s left his best friend sleeping in the middle of Granny and Grandpa’s bed.
“Oh, right,” Grandpa Arthur says. “Let me get him straight away. We don’t want a dragon in the house without our Gawain to keep him tame!”
So Grandpa Arthur fetches Wendell and then just as they’re about to leave, Gawain realises he’s forgotten the picture he’s made for Mummy so Granny Molly goes to find it. Then he and Daddy and Wendell all go back to the house through the Floo. When they get there, Gawain sees Mummy sitting on the sofa. She looks much happier than she did yesterday. “Mummy!”
She gets up and lets him throw himself into her arms. “Oh, darling! My darling darling boy!”
“I missed you, Mummy. I made you a picture at Granny’s and everything!”
“You did? Well, can I see it?”
Shyly, Gawain gets the picture from Daddy and gives it to her. It’s Mummy and Daddy and Gawain and Basket and Wendell all playing outside in the sunshine.
“Darling, it’s beautiful!” Mummy says and then covers his face with kisses. Even though Gawain thinks kissing is silly, he likes it when Mummy kisses him and it makes him feel much better. “We’ll hang this up in the kitchen so everyone can see what a brilliant artist you are, yeah?” Then Mummy kisses him again and says “I’m so sorry about yesterday, love. I was very upset about some things but it wasn’t your fault. Will you forgive me?”
Gawain nods and gives his mummy a big hug. “Uh huh.”
“Oh, good. I was so afraid you were going to be cross with me.” Mummy looks sad when she says that so he knows she’s telling the truth. “I’ve got some news to tell you,” she says going back onto the couch and letting him settle in her lap. Daddy comes over and sits next to her, putting an arm around her shoulders. “It’s really good news. But it’s also a secret. Can you keep a secret for me?”
He nods gravely, knowing that keeping secrets is important.
“Oh, good. Well, you’re going to be a big brother soon.”
“I am?”
Daddy musses up his hair and grins. “You certainly are. You’re going to have two little sisters.”
Gawain looks surprised. “Where are they?”
Mummy laughs and hugs him. “Right now they’re inside of Mummy’s tummy but in about six months, they’ll be here. I know you’re going to be the best big brother in the world - just like your Dad is to Uncle Charlie, Uncle Percy, Uncle George, Uncle Fred, Uncle Ron and Auntie Ginny.”
That makes Gawain feel special because he wants to be just like his Daddy. He pats Mummy’s tummy, wondering if his little sisters can see him. Mummy and Daddy explained that babies grow in their mummy’s tum even though Uncle George and Uncle Fred said they grew in the cabbage patch behind the Burrow.
“Mummy’s got to be very careful - she’s on special assignment from the Ministry and has to pretend to be a Muggle until the babies come so she’s going to need your help,” Daddy tells him. “She won’t be able to do any magic at all. Do you think you can help her pretend to be a Muggle?”
Gawain thinks that sounds very exciting. “Can we drive a car?” He thinks of the story Grandpa Arthur told him this morning about the flying car. Flying in a car would be fun.
Mummy and Daddy laugh. “No, sweetheart, no cars,” Mummy says. “But we’re going to have to make food without magic and walk to the shops and do things by hand. It’s not going to be easy.”
“Does Daddy have to be a Muggle too?” He looks at his Daddy. He would miss it if Daddy couldn’t make his cars fly or clean up the kitchen after supper or all the other nice things that Daddy does.
“No. Daddy’s a lucky bas-erm, person and he can do all the magic he wants,” Mummy explains. “But he won’t be here all the time to do it for us because he’s got to work. So it’ll just be me and you.”
“I’m a Gryffindor, brave and true!” Gawain proclaims. “I can do it!”
For some reason, this makes Mummy cry and she hugs him and kisses him and tells him he’s her bright brave boy and that she couldn’t live without him. Daddy hugs him too and tells him he’s a true Weasley through and through which makes him feel even happier.
And they sit on the sofa and cuddle and Mummy promises he can help pick out names for the new babies and Daddy tells him all about the Secret Society of Big Brothers and Gawain thinks that having little sisters won’t be all bad although he’d rather have a little brother to play with the way Daddy had Uncle Charlie. But little sisters aren’t so bad because Auntie Ginny was one once upon a time and he thinks she’s pretty cool even if she is a girl. He thinks about all the interesting things he’ll have to tell Grandpa Arthur about being a Muggle with Mummy and that’s good too. And he decides that he likes being all snuggled up with his Mummy and Daddy and Wendell in front of the fire, even if Basket keeps trying to join them, because it's the nicest place in the world to be.