A/N - Just to clarify some things from last chapter. Hermione was approximately 29 weeks along. This chapter is close to 33-34 weeks. Her technical due date is April 23. You do the math ;) Someone asked in a review about having sex during pregnancy and another mentioned it causing labor. I have experience with both instances, I have two children. Yes, you can have sex during pregnancy, it is actually encouraged in most cases. The closer a woman is to term (36 weeks or more) the more likely that sex may cause her to go into labor. But it doesn't guarantee it. There has to be certain things already happening in the woman's body for it to cause labor. Not only does an orgasm cause slight contractions in the uterus, but there is a chemical reaction of the sperm with the thinned cervix. If you are over due, sex can jumpstart labor. But I think Hermione is still early enough that that is not a concern… only the possibility of something blowing up from her magic. ;) I hope that helps.
Chapter 29
I stand in the doorway and look at our masterpiece; the freshly painted blue and green bedroom of my little brothers. Harry and I did it all by hand. Muggle - you know we can't use magic, 'cause of Mum and the babies. My heart jumps at the thought of my brothers almost being here. I can't wait. I want to play with them and help Mum feed them and cuddle them.
I remember when Candace was born; Mum would set me on her lap with Candi in my arms. I remember playing with her red hair as she sucked on her bottle. Mum did that whole breast-feeding thing, but she would make a bottle sometimes so I could feed her. I don't know how she's going to do it with the twins.
I feel Harry's hand on my shoulder and I look up at him. "It looks good doesn't it?" I nod happily back. "You think your Mum will like it?"
"Definitely!" I answer. Mum doesn't know that Harry and I have been doing this for the last week while she naps. She's been so tired lately. She gets out of breath walking up the stairs and she really doesn't like to move all that much. I know I wouldn't want to move if I had to carry around two babies in my belly. I know its getting close. Its now the beginning of March and Mum said that the babies are due in the middle of April, give or take a month. I guess twins like to come on their own schedule.
I look back at my stepdad and then back into the room. I think Jacob and Joshua will love it. That's what I've named them. Mum and Harry were taking too long to decide so I just started calling them Jake and Josh. I'm not sure if Mum really likes it, but I couldn't keep calling them 'Twin 1' and 'Twin 2.' They needed names. Mum says that she didn't name me until I was born. They had ideas, but when she saw me, she said I was definitely an 'Arthur.' She said that they got Candace's name from when the nurse cleaned her up and handed her to Mum, she said she smelled like cotton candy. I don't know what cotton candy is, but Mum says it tastes like sugar quills and I love sugar quills.
"When do we want to show her?" Harry asks me. I want her to come up right now and see it. It's perfect as it is.
"How about now?" I suggest.
"Right now?
"Yep, right now."
Harry starts to push me out of the doorway to go get Mum and Candi who are asleep in Mum's bed at the moment. Before he pushes me completely out of the room, I remember something I forgot. I turn around and rush past Harry back into the room. I open the top drawer of the chest and pull out the two t-shirts I got the twins for Christmas. I lay the shirts over the edge of their cribs. Perfect. Absolutely perfect.
Harry smiles at me as I start back out of the room. "Let's go get your Mum."
Down the hall, I open the door to Mum and Harry's room. I see Mum lying on her side with Candi wrapped around her belly. I almost didn't want to wake them up. Almost. I quietly walk to Mum's side of the bed and poke her shoulder lightly. "Mum?" She groans at me. "Mum, you need to wake up."
She turns over and opens her eyes to me. "What is it Arthur?"
"Harry and I want to show you something. C'mon…" I pull her arm to urge her out of bed. I catch her give Harry a glance and he just shrugs his shoulders. After struggling with her sheets and trying not to wake up Candace, she finally gets out of bed.
Harry wraps his arm around Mum's waist as we walk her down the hall. "Where are we going?" she asks.
"Patience, love." Mum looks at Harry. I know that look; that's the 'tell me or I'll kill you' look. Harry just chuckles. I wish I could get away with that. Whenever she gives me that look, I can't help but spill my guts.
We finally come to the door directly across the hall from Candi's room. Mum looks at the two of us strangely. "Open it," I say.
Her hand turns the knob nervously, but when the door opens she gasps. It's like she's in a daze. She walks into the room with glossy eyes and her mouth hanging wide open. She walks around and looks at everything without saying a word. C'mon, say something, jump up and down, do something!
When I can't take her silence any more, I ask, "Well, do you like it?"
She then turns to me and Harry. She's crying. Why is she crying? Does she hate it? What did we do wrong? Did we forget something? Before I can ask her anything out loud, she wraps us both into a hug.
"W-Wh-When d-did you d-do this?" I have never heard my mum stutter before, I wonder if the babies have messed her up that much.
Harry smiles at her and tells her that we had been working on it everyday while she napped. She hugs us again before looking at the room again. I followed her around and told her what all we did. Harry had enchanted the dragon mobiles above the cribs to turn when the babies are in their beds. I painted the bottom of the walls while Harry painted the tops. We built the cribs ourselves. I told her everything I could think of.
Mum was almost speechless. I don't think my Mum could ever be totally speechless, so she was almost speechless. Every few minutes she would come and hug either Harry or I and thank us. I love seeing my Mum happy. I guess the tears she was crying earlier were because she loved it. I knew she would. I never had a doubt.
I heard Candace call for Mum from the bedroom and I went to go get her for Mum. I walked my baby sister to the babies' room. She ran straight to the cribs and looked inside.
"Mummy, where are they?" Oh, she thinks that they were born. She expected them to be in their cribs. Mum turns around and Candace sees Mum's still round belly. "Oh, they're still in there," she says bitterly as she points at Mum's stomach.
Mum starts to kneel down in front of Candace, but Harry stops her. He picks Candi up and brings her up so they could talk to her eye to eye. "Candi, baby. They'll be here soon. They come when they're ready." Mum says softly.
"But I want them now! I want Linus and Leo to come out now!" Remind me never to make my little sister mad. She has a temper…
Harry rubs her back comfortingly, "Candace, the boys will be here when they decide to come. It could be tomorrow, it could be next week, or it could even be next month. We just have to wait until then, all right?"
She nods at Harry, but her bottom lip is sticking out. She pushes off of Harry and stomps out of the room. I go after her and leave Mum and Harry in the room alone. I find my sister lying on her bed, pulling her baby doll's hair.
"Candi?"
"Hi, Artie." I sit on the bed beside her and rub over her hair. She likes it when I do that.
"What's wrong?"
"I want to play with the babies."
"I know, so do I."
"When are they gonna be here?"
"You heard Harry. They'll be here soon. Then we can play with them."
"I'm gonna have a tea party with sammiches for them."
I shake my head at her. Three-year-olds. "Candi, they won't be able to eat them yet."
"Why not?"
"They'll be too little."
"Why?"
ARRGGGHHH! Why does she have to be like Mum and want to know everything? "They just are. Do you remember the pictures in the album of me holding you?" She nods. "They be that little or even littler."
Her face falls and that bottom lips sticks out again. "Candi, I felt the same way when Mum was going to have you. I wanted to play quidditch with you, but I couldn't. But what I did get to do was almost as fun. I got to hold you and feed you. I got to roll around on the floor with you and make you laugh. I liked making you laugh." I smile at her before I stick my tongue out and cross my eyes. She laughs. That's what I was going for.
"Are you all right now?" I ask her.
"Yeah."
"Lets go down and play some exploding snap before dinner?" She nods and follows me out the door and down the stairs. Candi runs to get the cards and Harry pulls me aside on the couch.
"Is everything all right?"
I nod, "Big Brother saves the day."
"Yes, he does. Do you think you'll be able to handle all three of them, Big Brother?"
I stand up and puff my chest out like Superman, you know that Muggle cartoon bloke with blue and red tights? I puff out my chest a bit more and say in the deepest voice I can, "Of course, sir. Big Brother can do anything."
Harry laughs at me. I can't help but laugh too. Suddenly I am being attacked by his fingers on my sides. I can't catch my breath, but I can't help but feel happy. I can picture me, Harry, Jake and Josh all on the floor tickling each other and laughing loudly. I can't wait.