Bear's Beauties: Existential Crisis 49 (Patreon)

[center]<<Kara Zor-El>>[/center]

I’d heard what happened during the battle, so it didn’t surprise me when Rhonda approached me, even while everyone else was celebrating. I put an arm around the girl’s shoulder, guiding her to the library where it was quiet. Once there, I just pulled her into a hug, letting the younger girl break down, sobbing into my shoulder. I rubbed a hand into her back, whispering comforting sounds in her ear, until she ran out of tears.

“It’s scary, isn’t it?” I asked rhetorically. “The realization that if you don’t take constant care you could break something, or someone. That if you lose control for even a moment someone could die. My cousin was lucky, his powers came to him slowly, over time. He had time to acclimate to it. From what you’ve said about your magic, you have it better than both of us.”

Rhonda looked up at me, confusion clear in her red eyes, and I continued, “For my cousin and I, we have to keep track of how much strength we use because our strength doesn’t shut off. We simply have a much larger scale of how much strength we can apply at any given time. For you, if you aren’t actively using your magic, you can’t have the kind of accident you’re afraid of. When you are using your magic, that sort of control comes with practice. Practice that we can give you. It will be hard, but considering how you developed an entirely new branch of magic on your own, I don’t think you will find that enough to dissuade you.”

“But…” she began, and I cut her off with a soft kiss.

“Think of it this way,” I told her. “How often did you use your full strength in your everyday life? Before you discovered how to enhance it with your magic.”

Rhonda blinked, her gaze going distant as she thought about it. Until she murmured, to herself, “I can’t remember…”

“It’s the same thing,” I reassured her, placing a kiss on her forehead. “Do you feel better?”

She nodded, before asking, “Can we just stay here?”

“Of course, sweetie.”

[center]<<Arthur Weasley>>[/center]

“Mr. Weasley, can I talk to you?” the young man that Rhonda’s coven had fallen for asked as the party raged.

“Of course, and please, call me Arthur,” I agreed as we moved to a quieter corner.

Bear sighed, running his hands through his hair, before visibly steeling himself and asking, “Why was facing the possibility of death in the battle less terrifying than the thought of being a father?”

I gave him a fond smile, it seemed he’d finally been told, “Because you already love them, and want to be the best you can be for them. It’s a good sign.”

Bear blinked, looking up at me with a note of surprise, before relaxing in relief. I held back a chuckle, Hyacinth and Luna were awfully young to be mothers, but the sheer joy in Hyacinth’s expression when she’d talked about being a mother… I couldn’t think of a time when I’d ever seen her so happy. The fact that Bear was coming to me for advice spoke well for him.

“It won’t be for a few years,” I began, recalling some of the advice that my own father had given me so long ago. “But something to keep in mind: when they first start coming to you and asking for something, remember to check if they’d already asked their mother. If it looks like they’re lying, ask if she’d say the same thing. You’re a team, it is your job to protect and teach them.”

“Any other advice?” Bear asked, patting his pockets until he pulled out a small notebook.

“Don’t ever forget to tell your children that you are proud of them. Hearing that from a father is just as meaningful as hearing that you love them. It doesn’t necessarily make sense, but is just as special for a child to know that their father sees potential and greatness in them,” I told him, putting a hand on his shoulder. He looked up, meeting my gaze, and I couldn’t help but see a bit of my own children in him. Smiling warmly, I squeezed his shoulder and told him, “You’re going to be a good father, Bear. But more importantly, I can tell that you are going to be an amazing dad.”

Bear swallowed, and in that instant I knew. He wasn’t coming to me just because he knew how many children Molly and I’d had. He didn’t have anyone else to go to, here or in his own world. Giving him a wide, proud smile, I pulled him into a hug, embracing him and pouring all the love and pride I could into it. It was something that I could feel he hadn’t had in far too long. My mind involuntarily went back to the last time I’d had with my father, shortly before Bill was born. I’d even had a similar conversation with him as this one with Bear.

We pulled apart, and I clapped Bear’s shoulder, giving him a smile. Movement in the corner of my eye made me turn, to see Bill and Fleur. I felt a bit of nervous tension along my spine. How do you tell your son that you will always be proud of him, regardless of who he loves? The thought that he felt the need to pretend with Fleur around Molly and I… it hurt more than words could describe.

“Bear, may we have a word with you?” Bill asked, glancing between him and I. His eyes narrowed, and he half jokingly asked, “Dad, did you just threaten Bear if he didn’t bring Rhonda back by nightfall?”

That brought amused snorts from both Bear and I, and some of the tension bled away. Bear got his amusement under control first and answered, “No, I just went to him for parenting advice.”

“Considering you have three children on the way, it is a good thing you did,” I told him.

Bear blinks, turning to look back at me, “Three?”

Oh, oh dear. I glanced around the room, seeing Molly speaking to Hyacinth, before explaining, “She came to Molly and I for advice, do give my apologies to Miss Wilbourne for spoiling the surprise.”

“Lisa’s pregnant?” Bear asked, stupefied.

“Wonderful, you broke him before we could speak to him,” Bill joked with a shake of his head as Fleur guided the still dazed Bear away. I chuckled, thinking back to the advice I’d given Bear and the difficulties that Molly and I had in telling Bill we knew.

“Bill,” I said, getting his attention. I took a breath and told him, “I want you to know, no matter what, I am proud of you, and your mother and I will always love you.”

His eyes widened, and he looked choked up. So I did what I’d done for Bear and pulled him into a hug. A hug that he returned, squeezing tightly as he asked, his voice thick with emotion, “How long?”

“Since you graduated Hogwarts,” I answered. “We understand why you didn’t tell us, but you’re our son. How could we not love you?”

Bill’s grip tightened, and he gasped, that one sound carrying more emotion and meaning than any number of words would ever convey. I met Molly’s gaze over Bill’s shoulder, and she asked with her face if we were alright. I gave her a smile, one that conveyed that yes, we were both alright. More than alright.

[center]<<Hyacinth Potter>>[/center]

“I’m going to miss you,” I said as I gave Mrs. Weasley a hug. We’d be leaving for the next world in a few days, and as excited as I was at the thought of seeing things I’d never have imagined, I was going to miss my pseudo-adopted family.

“And we’ll miss you, dear,” Mrs. Weasley said as she returned the hug. “Do take care of each other, will you? I know the four of you are more powerful than we are, but a mother worries. You’ll soon see for yourself.”

I smiled into the hug, “Thank you for everything. Not just recommending the Healer, but…well, everything.”

“How could I not?” she asked tenderly.

I took a breath, and forced myself to say what I’d been thinking for a while now, “I’ll always miss what I didn’t get to have with my parents, but you’re my Mum and Dad just as much as they are. And I really wish you could come and watch your granddaughter grow up.”

She didn’t say anything, the way her hug tightened said it all. The hug broke soon after, and we were joined by Hermoine and Luna. I was in that kind of mood, so I pulled my coven sisters into a group hug. I just felt… light. Free. Like a weight I hadn’t known was there had vanished. I hadn’t imagined that Voldemort being gone would make such a huge difference, but it had. More than I’d have ever considered possible.

“Before you ladies leave,” Mrs. Weasley said, getting all three witches’ attention. “There’s something I want you to have. It’ll have to wait until I go back to the Burrow, but it will show you how to be a true witch, rather than simply a woman who uses magic.”

I blinked in confusion, from what Hagrid told me before my First Year, wasn’t that specifically what a witch was? Seeing the confusion on my and Hermione’s faces, she smiled and continued, “I’ve already taught the four of you the various social, cultural, emotional, and sexual aspects of being a witch. But there’s a number of rituals that are passed down from mother to daughter and have been since before recorded history. It’s older than Wizarding Britain, older than Rome, even older than Egypt. Rituals that call upon things as true and natural as the act of breathing. When Rhonda sent her first letter home and talked about the two of you, I knew I’d be passing those rituals onto you as well. So I prepared and wrote them down for the day you’d be ready for them.”

My throat grew tight, and I tried to swallow down the lump that had formed in it. Stubborn thing refused to move, so it was Hermione who said what was on my mind, “Mrs. Weasley… thank you. For everything.”

[center]<<Bear Sandosen>>[/center]

Lisa was pregnant. It had to be the night I did the ritual with the Coven, that was the only time we’d had sex and I didn’t have my fertility turned off. I was going to be a father three times over. Lisa was carrying my child.

“Bill, is everything alright?” Fleur’s voice snapped me out of the spiral my mind had been going in, and I turned to see the shaky form of Bill walking into the room. Despite how uneven his walk was, he had a huge grin on his face.

“They knew,” he whispered. “They knew, and didn’t disown me.”

Who knew wh- oh!

“I am so happy to hear that,” Fleur said with a smile as she gave Bill a hug. Before pulling back and looking mildly concerned, “It doesn’t change what we were going to ask, does it?”

Bill shook his head, his grin still plastered on his face, “No, we’d need to ask someone anyway, and who better to ask?”

“Ask me what?” I hesitantly asked. Then, to lighten the mood, jokingly said, “With the way things have been I’m guessing you’re asking me to impregnate Fleur.”

“Oui,” Fleur said with a smile and a nod.

“Wait, what?” I asked in surprise. “Seriously?”

“We’re going to need to have children at some point, even with Mum and Dad apparently having known about me since I graduated Hogwarts,” Bill answered before continuing. “Even with potions to help, I just can’t do the job myself, we tried a few months back. So we need to ask someone else to provide the seed.”

“So… is this a sort of thing where I fill a turkey baster and you wait until you’re ovulating?” I asked, feeling just a little weirded out.

Fleur laughed, the sound tinkling through the air like little bells, as Bill answered, “Not exactly. There are potions to induce ovulation, ones to improve virility, and others to all but guarantee a pregnancy. Think of it as a celebratory night of sex, if it helps.”

As weird as the thought of specifically impregnating a woman just to leave was, I’d have to be either gay or dead to refuse the offer in front of me. So with that thought in mind, there was only one thing I could say, “When do you want to do this?”