Regulus walks into his banquet set for his birthday which starts in a few minutes. He’s always been early every day of his life, never late, and definitely never this late. He was supposed to arrive an hour ago. He might have gotten side tracked by his kids and husband’s special lunch they made for him. His mother still disapproves of James, but she can’t do anything as it’s his inheritance as his brother never wanted it in the first place and was disowned years ago.
Regulus had even just found out he was pregnant a week ago and still hasn’t told his parents. Orion doesn’t approve of Regulus and still calls him Regina. He hates that name and the person he was during that time. He’d rather be tortured by Walburga than be called Regina by Orion.
James stayed home for the banquet this year because Rose and Leo don’t need to be exposed to his parents. Regulus is pretty sure his parents don’t know about his kids in the first place because he never told them about any of his pregnancies and he probably won’t with this one either.
“Regina,” Orion says as he walks into the ballroom. Regulus grits his jaw and smiles at his father.
“Father,” he nods at Orion before walking farther in the ballroom, passing Walburga with a smile and surprisingly, she smiles back not sinisterly. It’s genuine and Regulus’ steps falter when he realizes. He continues walking, though, not letting her see.
He passes by Bellatrix and her three kids, Tom, Matheo, and Aliana. She looks pregnant as well. She smiles sweetly at Regulus before bending down and helping Aliana with something. Last is Narcissa with her twins with Lucius across the room getting drunk. Draco and Lila are the same age as Bellatrix’s twins, Matheo and Aliana along with Lily’s twins, Harry and Lillian.
Regulus stops next to Narcissa after grabbing a glass of champagne from a tray nearby. “Regulus,” Narcissa acknowledges, sipping her own glass of champagne. “Having fun?”
“Oh, so much fun.” Regulus jokes, rolling his eyes.
Narcissa chuckles. “Family gatherings, am I right?”
Regulus chuckles. “Yeah. Gatherings.”
Narcissa smiles for a while, watching her twins play across the room with Bellatrix's kids. “How’s James? I haven’t seen him since I graduated.”
“Good. He’s at home with the kids. We don’t want to expose them to…this.” Regulus looks to the entrance where guests are piling in for his party. “He made a special lunch for me.” Regulus smiles, so utterly in love.
Narcissa hums. “So, that’s why you were late. I thought you were making another child.” Narcissa looks over at him and smiles.
“Already did that a month ago.” Regulus says casually.
Narcissa chokes on her champagne and coughs, drawing attention to them. “You’re pregnant?” Regulus nods, still looking at all the people coming in who he doesn’t even recognize. “You shouldn’t be drinking.” Narcissa insists, trying to take away his glass, but Regulus holds it out of her reach.
“It’s not toxic to a baby this early. At least one glass.” He takes another sip. “Why do you think I haven’t been chugging it?”
“You’ve done your research?”
“James did when we first started trying. He wanted to make me a special dinner one night and didn’t know what could kill the baby if I was pregnant.” Regulus chuckles remembering back a few years. “I freaked out when he handed me a glass of champagne. I said, ‘that could kill the baby!’ I didn’t though. I wasn’t even pregnant when that dinner happened. I had a miscarriage after that, though.” Regulus looks down to his shoes. “It wasn’t the alcohol, though.” He says, looking back up to see Narcissa’s face. She’s looking at him like he deserves everything in the whole universe. “Don’t look at me like that. You know I hate that.”
“I’m sorry.” Narcissa says, looking back to the twins. “I didn’t know you went through that.”
“You were pregnant with the twins, Cissa. You didn’t need me telling you bad news. No one even knew, anyway. Lily was even pregnant with her twins and Bella. James and I didn’t want sympathy. We weren’t far along when it happened but it still hurt.”
Narcissa nods. “I understand. If you remember correctly, Lucius wanted to take the twins from me when I was in my second trimester. He thought I didn’t deserve any kids.” She chuckles. “And now look, my parents don’t know I moved out of the Malfoy manor and in with Alice and her kids with the twins.” Narcissa looks over at Regulus and smiles. “I think if Lucius tells them, his ego would be hurt.”
They both chuckle and watch as the twins barrel into Andromeda when she walks in with Nymphadora and Nina. She tries every year and never succeeds in coming in. Maybe this year is different. And Regulus’s theory is proved true when Sirius walks in beside Andromeda in a suit. All he does is give a death glare to anyone who tries to stop them and they walk right past. Even Walburga and Orion don’t try. Sirius grabs a glass off a tray and walks right up to Regulus, stopping beside him while Andromeda stops beside Narcissa and Dora and Nina race off to their cousins while Bellatrix walks up and stands beside Andromeda.
“So, who do you think will talk to us first?” Sirius asks, looking at his cousins and brother-cousin through the side of his eye.
“Mom.” Bellatrix says, looking over at her sisters and cousins.
“Yeah.” Andromeda agrees.
Narcissa nods as well as Regulus. “It usually is.” Regulus says.
“So,” Sirius starts. “How’s it going? The, you know.”
“You can say it, Siri.”
“The pregnancy.”
“Fine actually.”
Bellatrix and Andromeda stare agape at the two. “You’re-”
“When-”
“How-” Regulus lifts his eyebrows at Andromeda. “Well, I know how.”
“A month ago.” Regulus answers. “Found out last week.”
“What are you naming them?” Bellatrix asks. “Personally, I’m going with Mandy. Mandy Lestrange.”
“We discussed it and we chose Fleamont for a boy - after James’s dad - and Euphemia for a girl - after his mom.”
Bellatrix smiles at him. “I would’ve gone with-”
“Mandy, we know.” Andromeda remarks, rolling her eyes.
“No. I would’ve gone with exactly that.” Regulus smiles at his oldest cousin. “Happy birthday, Reggie.”
Regulus nods at her, smiling at the nickname. “Now, Reg, what would you say about Sirius for a boy?”
Regulus rolls his eyes at his brother. “No. Fleamont is fine.”
“Okay, how about Siri?”