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“Urgh,” Rodolphus groaned into the cushion for the third time in the past five minutes. Ted simply rolled his eyes at how easily frustrated Rodolphus could get. Twirling his wand in his hand, Ted glanced at the clock on the wall, and inwardly groaned when he saw the time. “Should we just start without him?” Rodolphus asked Ted, disturbing the man out of his thoughts. Ted leaned back in his chair for a moment and let out a big sigh. “Y’know Lucius said to wait for him, right?”
“And he also said he was just going to be five more minutes. It’s been fifteen,” Rodolphus snarked, mocking your father’s voice. Standing up, Rodolphus stretched his arms before he walked towards the window. “It’s not like we don’t know what we’re doing…” Ted mumbled, more to himself than Rodolphus but that didn’t stop Rodolphus from grinning. “Excellent,” he clapped his hands before walking out of the room with Ted close behind, slightly regretting this decision. What were your uncles doing? It was simply really; they were setting up the fireworks for the evening’s events. Lucius wanted them done in a specific way; in a specific colour order, timed to a specific beat — one suitable for a waltz. Rodolphus just rolled his eyes as he listened to Lucius list his demands.
“And the flowers need to be peonies. Narcissa likes peonies. The brighter, the better. Throw in a few roses as well, but in shades of white and blue. They highlight her eyes…” he rambled, all the while Ted sat there trying not to snort at the sight of Lucius dazing off into a daydream.
As both your uncles stepped out into the garden, they frowned at first when they realised the fireworks weren’t even sorted yet. However, as they got closer to the piles, they looked in your direction when they heard a faint sound of giggles and smiled when they saw you. There you were sitting at your garden table, surrounded by your stuffed toys having a tea-party. Even though you had plenty of family to spend time with, you did enjoy the occasional moment of being by yourself with your toys. The silence was peaceful and welcoming; perfect for what you needed every now and then. Placing your teapot down, you brought your hands to your dainty little tea-cup, and raised it to your lips, all the while keeping your pinkie upwards, just like your Nana Ella had taught you. Sipping on the pretend tea, you sighed as you spoke to your teddy. “Absolutely divine,” you commented using a “lady” voice as you called it, when really it was just how you heard your grandmother Druella speak to her society friends when she took you to her luncheons. “What’s up, cupcake?”
Looking up at your uncles, you shielded your eyes with your hands from the sun and smiled at them. “I’m having a tea-party,” you pointed to the teapot on the centre of the table. “Wanna join me?” you asked your uncles. You were supposed to be inside, helping your aunts but when you saw your cousin, Nymphadora you ended up getting a little too excited, and derailed their progress instead. You scowled at them as they ushered you to go play outside. You waited for Dora to come and join you, but huffed loudly when you saw her stay behind. Rodolphus hesitated at first, since all he wanted to do was set up the fireworks but was worried for your safety. He thought about getting you back inside, but there must have been a good reason for even Bellatrix to send you outdoors. Ted, on the other hand, found himself wanting to join instead. He had experienced enough fireworks to last a lifetime. Ever since Dora had grown into a teenager, she didn’t really spend as much time with her father than she did her mother. Pulling out a chair, your Uncle Ted sat down with a smile, almost as big as yours. Eyeing the pretend cakes and pastries, Ted waved his wand over them, transfiguring them into real ones instead. You giggled at his enthusiasm and rushed to hug him. Rodolphus found himself no longer interested in the fireworks. It was safe to say he was instantly jealous. “On second thought,” he started. “I’ll join too.”
You smiled as you carefully poured the real tea into their cups before sitting in your chair to enjoy a cupcake or two. You spent the majority of the tea-party asking your Uncle Ted all about the Muggle world, since you had never actually been but from the stories Dora would tell you, it sounded phenomenal. “Will you take me some time?” you asked him, looking up at him with sparkly eyes full of hope. Ted hesitated a response before replying with a soft, “we’ll see”. Even though Narcissa was fond of him, Lucius wasn’t. Well, to be fair, Lucius wasn’t fond of you being with anyone but him. You were his little girl after all.
Time flew by when your aunts and cousin entered the gardens. Andromeda chuckled when she saw Ted gently clink his cup with yours, whilst Bellatrix almost wheezed at the sight of her husband in a small chair with a feathery boa draped around his neck. Dora didn’t need any invitation as she made her way over to where you sat, feeling bad for not joining in your game. “Can I join?” She asked you. Turning around in your seat, with your hands on the head of the chair you eagerly nodded. Smiling, your cousin joined in with delight on her face when she saw the food was actually real.
Catching his wife’s eye, Rodolphus quickly discarded the boa before rushing past her. “Oh, no you don’t!” Bellatrix teased as she chased after him, leaving Andromeda and Ted alone. “I think Y/N likes you,” she smiled. “You think so?” Ted asked, as he turned around to see you and Dora sharing a croissant. “She’s a good kid. I’ve never had a niece before,” Ted mumbled, more to himself than his wife.
“Being an uncle suits you,” she smiled at him.