"How queer - where do they come from?"

"No one knows, it seems likely wizards some long time ago created them. They're all magically bound to the service of one wizarding family or another - or to my school -"

"They sound so convenient."

"They are, I have no idea how people get by without them."

"They make their wives and children do everything or hire servants."

"Well. You won't have to do any work and it'd be hard to hire servants without running into Statute problems."

She grins at him.

He beams back at her. "Is there any risk Catherine's birth father'd look for her -"

"Lord, no - well, not as I knew him, I suppose he could grow up very suddenly or maybe he's very fond of five year olds and means to come begging to be in her life when she's past toddlerhood?"

"We don't have to let him if you don't mean to, just want to know if we should expect it." Squeeze. "Some people do grow up very suddenly but not most of them, at least not with wizards."

"I don't think he deserves to ever learn her name," says Rebecca firmly.

"Then he won't."

She leans on him.

He sings to Catherine.

Awwwwwwwwww. Catherine doesn't seem to pay much attention but Rebecca beams at him.

Kiss?

Kiss!

"If we don't work out it would mean a great deal to me to find an arrangement so I could still see the children frequently."

"Catherine, or if we don't work out farther down the line than -? Catholics don't believe in divorce, if you're actually that behind on religious politics, it was a whole thing."

"I was thinking farther down the line than that. Wizards don't do divorce either but if you wanted to leave I would hardly stop you -"

"I don't really see myself running away from being actually married."

"Okay." Squeeze. And he goes back to singing.

Snuggle.

And eventually he (but not she) can see their estate in the distance. He waits until they get closer, then - "see that hill over there? You want to - look closely and imagine it's not a hill, it's a valley with a stone wall covered with vine and white stone buildings within -"

"Imagine it's a -?" She squints.