From the outside, Moonmoth Hall looked no different than it had when the Runes professor had first visited for the holidays. Its dark brick facade stood impervious to the gusts of wind that whipped Aileen's hair across her face and rattled tree branches on windows. At her knock, Krix opened the door and peered at her from beneath the doorknob, then ushered her into the warmth and light.

Their footsteps echoed down the halls. When Aileen paused in the entryway of the sitting room, the soft ticking of the clock on the wall filled the room. She glanced around, pushing the quiet to the back of her mind as she greeted the host. If she'd thought about it a moment longer, she would have felt the absence of two kittens pouncing on furniture, two pairs of small feet sounding lightly on tile, and two young voices - one that carried while another attempted sophistication beyond her years.

“It’s good to see you,” Aileen sat across from Aisling, crossing her ankles just underneath the couch. “I had not realized how long it had been, until your owl arrived,” she smiled politely, unsure if this was a mere social call.

Though Aileen rarely reached out first, it had taken the owl to make her realize she should have been the one to extend an invitation. Aisling had done a lot for her younger sister. A year or two ago, she might have looked upon Aisling's generosity with suspicion, seeing it as a desperate grab for acceptance into Tarron's side of the family, but even if that were a factor, it didn’t matter anymore to Aileen. Both Tarron and his wife had protected Abby at the opera. That mattered.

Smoothing out the crisp lines of her dress, she took a sip of tea. “Have you been well? Anything new in your life?”

"I know that you're busy, and I would hate to intrude." Aisling smiled and settled back into the couch. "And I am well enough. I expect that Abigail mentioned my  promotion." She took a few small pieces of fruit from one of the trays. She had been attempting to take particular care with her diet now, something that hadn't managed to frustrate too much yet. "I'll admit that spending more time off my feet does sound pleasant. I can't pretend to be growing any younger."

There were no time turners for that. No matter what wishes she might have, what regrets. To think of what might have changed if this happened earlier was merely that, mere thoughts. "And there is something else that is new. I haven't told Abigail yet, but I would rather have you hear of it from me."

Perhaps this was supposed to be easy, joyous, a moment for nothing but celebration. But it had not been, not for her, not for everyone she'd told. There were too many other threads mixed up in all of it, old knotted ones that tugged everything to pieces. She folded her hands in her lap and inhaled slowly.

"She did," Aileen's smile grew slightly. "Congratulations."

Tarron was likely relieved. It made sense to leave the more adventurous aspects of the job to underlings, and Aileen wondered if it were prompted by the head injury Aisling had suffered a few months ago. Yet Aileen found her focus on her age somewhat curious. She had become used to the older professors at Hogwarts with their apparent boundless energy.

Perhaps there was a reason for her focus. News that she hadn't told Abby. News that seemed to weigh on her. News that, to her surprise, she wanted to confide in Aileen.

"Of course," she nodded, keeping her expression open and neutral. Her gaze flicked to Aisling's hands, then back to her face.

"Thank you. I hope it will work out well, and it will mean that I'm at the office more to help Abigail with settling in." Somehow she didn't think that would be too difficult of a prospect, it was hard to imagine many people there disliking the energetic young woman.

Aisling forced herself not to clench her hands, and met Aileen's gaze. "Tarron and I are expecting another child." She reached for her tea and took a sip, the cup wobbled almost enough to spill. "We're hoping to keep it a little quiet for now, at least until we know all is well. It's still too early to tell for some things." Even with her intent to visit a doctor also.

She set her cup down. "I'm not looking forward to the inevitable Howlers, either." A short, sharp laugh.  "Certain I'll be a compelling target for them, at my age." This was not something she wanted dissected publicly, analyzed and argued over, and yet it seemed as if such were unavoidable. At least, unless Tarron retired and they spent the next few years hidden away from everyone.

Pregnant! That was the last thing she'd expected to hear. Aileen's eyebrows shot up, another 'congratulations' on the tip of her tongue. Then she saw the teacup wobble and heard the tense note in Aisling's laughter. If Aisling had been beaming or bursting with news, this would have felt awkward for entirely different reasons - reasons Aileen could handle. Now she could only push back an uncomfortable mixture of surprise and concern.

"No, of course, I certainly won't tell anyone yet," she choose her words with care, setting her teacup and saucer down on the table. It'd be best for Abby not to know right away - she'd be so excited about it that it would be difficult for her to resist bombarding Aisling with baby names and failed knitting projects. Aileen couldn't even think about her mother at the moment.

"I do hope all turns out well." A tiny line appeared between Aileen's brows as she looked at her. "Are you alright?"

Aileen wasn't quite sure whether she was prepared to hear an honest answer, but it almost seemed cruel to ignore her unease. At her age, a child could be dangerous, even with advances in Healing and the long life expectancy of witches. Abby had come along much later than expected, and her mother had been younger than Aisling at the time. Had her mother been afraid? She thought back. Aileen, to her embarrassment now, couldn't remember anything other than her own resentful attitude and teenage angst.

"Thank you. It was quite the surprise, but  I'm glad of it." Aisling managed a smile. Even with all the complexities of this situation, that was something she could say honestly. It was so difficult to balance everything, and so easy to push that which she wanted back, and back again until it seemed pushed out of her life entirely. With this, she would keep a little hope.

She picked up her cup again, with a now-steady hand. "My health is good, at least for my age. And I know that I'll have the best care possible. But there's enough risks, especially early on, to make me worry. If this month goes well it should be easier, afterwards." At least in terms of her health. By that point she might not be able to keep it hidden any longer.

"I still have to tell the girls, though. I don't know what I'll say. Things were difficult when they were born, with the war. It has to be easier now." It would have to be. Some things, well, she wasn't sure she could stand them a second time. "I hope that they won't worry."

Aileen looked relieved that Aisling seemed at least a little excited about the prospect of another child, even with her valid concerns. It took her a moment to recall exactly what she meant when she mentioned the war, and when it clicked, she glanced down, letting out a small breath. Being wrenched away from her children must have been harrowing.

“Much of it, I’m sure, has to do with how you and Tarron approach it,” she attempted to reassure her. “I can’t say I remember what it was like to be twelve.” It was a fuzzy blur of snobbery. “But if you seem enthusiastic and positive, they will likely respond in kind.”

Though it wasn’t like being a mother, teaching had made Aileen understand that most children lacked the maturity to respond with anything better than the attitude she gave them. Her bad days became their bad days. Her good days encouraged them to be thoughtful and share their input.

Letting her tone become lighter, she gestured with her free hand as she picked up the tea cup. “Who knows. A little sister or brother might almost rival their kittens.”

"It's been so long since I was twelve, I cannot say that I remember much of it either." Aisling smiled a little, relaxing further as the conversation went on. "And you're very right, thank you.  I would hate to pass my worries on to them. Sophia already worries herself far too much."

She paused with her cup of tea held just in front of her mouth, watching Aileen. "I'm trying not to send her too many books to distract herself with, but she does enjoy them so much. I think she wants to study everything she can't take yet as well, which might be just a bit more than she can handle." Though Aisling could hope that Sophia would do better with Defense, now.

"And I don't think anything could rival those kittens. Especially for Rowena. It was good to see them so excited. Almost made me wish I'd had a kitten of my own at school." But she'd hardly needed something else to worry about, at that time.

Aileen nodded politely as Aisling mentioned her children, able to imagine Sophia's studiousness and Rowena's enthusiasm. She seemed to be a very attentive mother, and took others like Abby under her wing as well.

"I never had pets growing up, either. Now, curiously, my home is overrun with them." Not that she minded half as much as she complained. Aileen only hoped Abby had her fill of large, furry animals since she'd started walking Maslow around the neighborhood.

"It won't be quiet around here for too long now," Aileen glanced around the room contemplatively. "Has Tarron started fussing over you yet?"

She shot an amused glance back at the doorway, as if her cousin might make an appearance to harrumph at her. Though truly, she wondered how he felt about this.

Aisling nodded, her smile soft and a little distant. Those were Abigail's fault, she expected, though Aileen did not seem too perturbed by them. "At least everything in the house is charmed to keep cat hair off of it, now."

"Has Tarron started fussing over you yet?"

She laughed softly. "A bit, yes. He's glad I'll be out in the field far less, and with the first visit to the healers past there's less cause for worry. He just would like to know everything that we may at this point. Even if it means accompanying me to a doctor." His willingness to do so had been reassuring, in the midst of all of this. And she expected that Aileen could guess at his hopes, with only daughters.

"It will be easier once the first few months are past. At least in some ways, I'm not looking forward to the prospect of bed rest, or even to reduced activity. Though I do have a few books that I have not yet gotten to." Such were the perils of her library. And then there was the writing, which would require more careful consideration. Whatever she might send out could have a certain disruptive weight."

"I'm glad to hear it," Aileen nodded, though she'd expected no less from Tarron. They'd need solidarity in the next few months in case there were any complications. It would at least make it easier to endure the howlers (most of which would likely come from her mother).

"Abby will send you frequent updates about the office, I'm sure," she smiled wryly. "More than you'd ask for."

Now that she understood Aisling was alright and would have support, some mixed feelings began to surface. Aileen couldn’t remember a time when she had longed to be a mother – and she supposed she was lucky in that respect, because she wasn't one. But the absence of the feeling unsettled her; she assumed most women wanted children. Added pressure from family often made things worse.

The slightest hint of this flickered over her face as she took a sip of tea. "It's happy news, though. Congratulations," Aileen smiled. She hadn't said that earlier.

"Oh, I'm certain I'll be grateful for every update. And I'll make sure that my coworkers look out for her, while I'm away."  With Aileen's previous concern regarding the other internship, Aisling had no wish to add to her worries. "Though I do hope she'll be well settled in by that time, it will be a few months."

She leaned forward at that quick flicker of feeling in Aileen's expression, a bit of concern slipping into her own face. "I do hope this won't cause too much trouble for you, I know that the family situation is complex." And knew it all too well, unfortunately. A thought which brought a sense of guilt bubbling up through her thoughts, one that she pushed back down as harshly as she could.

"At least I'll be spared a few objections in the howlers, at least until all the children are in school again." Of course, that meant accusations about how she'd gotten pregnant again just to tie Tarron more tightly to her. To her clinging grasp or whatever phrase Cullodena might choose for that screeching session.

"Abby certainly appreciates your efforts to make her feel welcome. As do I," Aileen told her, letting sincerity color her voice. "She's told me her first week has gone well."

Only time would tell if Abby would continue to be happy there, though this was a good sign.

Aileen paused, the teacup halfway to her mouth as Aisling picked up on a bit of her discomfort. She straightened her stiff shoulders and made more of an effort to keep her expression neutral. As much as she appreciated the woman's concern, it wasn't anything she liked to openly dwell on, and she was too used to judgment from well meaning (and not so well meaning) relatives to risk it.

"Not at all," she said carefully. "It's complex, yes, but it always has been."

The Reids had no grandsons. Trevor was in Azkaban, Simon lived as an outcast werewolf Merlin knew where, and both daughters were unmarried. Everything Aileen did or didn't do only put pressure now on Abby - which she felt keenly.

She managed a slight smile, "When the time comes, I hope you won't take my mother's howling to heart. I imagine she looks at what you have, turns to my father, and says - a happy, well-adjusted family? What's that?" Aileen adopted a touch of her mother's huffy tone. "It must be a conspiracy against us."

Sad, not really humorous at all, but true.

"She's been doing very well so far. It does help having relevant experience, and she has more of that than many of our interns." Most of them didn't have much familiarity with microwaves, for example.

Her hand brushed over the intricate cuff on her other arm as the conversation turned more heavy for a moment, perhaps lost in thought. "I suppose that is the way of families, to some extent. And we have survived the Howlers thus far, and with nothing important broken besides."

Though the ringing in her ears for the first few months of her marriage had been a bit disconcerting. She managed a bit of a bitter laugh, then sighed as she reached for her tea again. "And as difficult it is, I will admit that I prefer it over her ignoring us completely. At least she still has some concern for Tarron." Even if it did seem a concern that could not be reconciled with what he wanted.

“Thank you,” she smiled. “I’m not surprised, but I’m glad to hear it all the same.” It seemed that Abby’s internship with the MA department had paid off – that and her inclination to collect friends with muggle backgrounds.

Aileen nodded, though she had her doubts how much of her mother’s behavior stemmed from concern for Tarron. It seemed she wanted what most extremely traditional purebloods wanted: to maintain the pure family line and the status quo.

“It’s good of you to take it in stride. I’m afraid I lack your patience,” she said after a pause and another sip of tea.

“Of course, if she manages to marry off Abby in the next year or two, it’s possible she’ll forget to regularly berate her relatives.”

Aileen smiled wryly, but her tone sounded as if she questioned the benefit of that.