It was need to know and you need not know.

The autumn laden sunshine rose tentatively up over the skyline from its bedside behind the eastern Snowdon roost, spreading its sunlight across the sky in a gradual process that forced Morpheus’ blanket of inky darkness to retreat to the lower reaches of the earth, speckling stars in different areas, ever waiting for the time it can be drawn out once more to press the mere mortals into their much cherished slumber.

The morning dawned over one of the many Goyle estates that were nestled into the countryside, this one having been settled long ago into the woodland of Wales, maintained so that a member of family could take up residence there should he or she require it. The house was the last to be manned by human staff, the rest long having been taken over by hordes of House Elves. Maintained by wizards and witches from the ages of eighteen to eighty, there was not a Goyle residence in better condition and it was that quality which made it perfect for Penelope’s granddaughter.

Athena Goyle had settled into the company at the cottage with relative ease if one was consider that her arrival had only been a few days before. She had been welcomed at the hearth by the butler, an elderly gentleman by the name of Alfred Periwinkle. He had given her a guided but brief tour of the cottage before taking her out onto the patio and allowing her the pleasure of a lunch made up mainly of fruits and it was there that she could most often be found, curled up in one of the wicker chairs with a book on her knees, absorbed in the narrative, only to be roused for meals and bed.

The morning was bright, dawning in the east and rising high into the steadily brightening blue sky. The light rose over the facade of the house, dipping in through the windows and spreading over every surface within the grand, master bedroom. Laid on her back, the covers strew over her to protect her modesty, Athena Goyle was immersed deep in slumber land. Her hair, set in thick, dark curls was spread across the soft pillows and her lips were a ripe rouge, parted slightly so as to allow her to breathe through her mouth. Her eyelashes were longer than before, curled a little at the ends and licking at her porcelain cheeks. There was something rather angelic about her visage; elegant, yet vulnerable.

The cottage was still, the only sounds coming from the daily rounds the staff were making. However, their thoughts were not with them, having long since disappeared with the fairies. It left them susceptible to mistake and to folly. Each one was anxious, the bonds they had with their mistress long forged and as such they had become incredibly protective; for today they expected a Rookwood, but not any old Rookwood, the one that was the cause of Athena’s pregnancy. What they desperately wanted to avoid was a rift between the pair, something they knew would upset the young woman. But her other half had been left out of the loop and once she’d taken up residence there, by that point he was even more behind which made each of them wonder how his temper would fair with Athena.

It was at a quarter to nine when their worst fears were realised and the young maid dusting the portrait frames in the drawing room was shocked out of her daydream by the viridian blaze of the fireplace.

Kendall was actually excited to be returning for a visit to the woman who was, almost certainly now, to be his wife. Even if he couldn't deal with the fact that he was going to have a wife in time to come, the young man surely didn't find it a hassle to be seeing Athena once again. It had been a couple of weeks of freedom from her, something of which he had expected to enjoy. Yet, here he was, in a strange house, with the sole purpose of seeing the girl that he would supposedly have the misfortuneluxury of seeing everyday, soon, for the rest of his life.

To be fair, Kendall had spent more time on the Manor than was typical of him. Yet, while it might have been the reason to his boredom, the young man had chosen it to be. He had actually had time to read on his own, moving through the various corners and spaces of the massive house and grounds. Summer had been more scorching than easy-warm. This made it difficult to enjoy reading out in the open.

The few times that Kendall made the effort to leave the Manor for some form of merry-making with random ladies, he was left more unsatisfied than he was before. This he blamed Athena, and Eli. The woman had left him skewed, and the man had deprived him of his presence for a much-needed camaraderie for those sort of activities.

It should come as no surprise, then, that the sight of Athena's owl the night before, had perked him up from the unanticipated boredom that had begun to set in. The following morning, the speed at which Kendall leapt out of bed to send the House Elves packing, as he got himself cleaned and changed, almost seemed as if he had been waiting for this day for a long, long time. Yet, when he arrived at stipulated fireplace, the young man had already resumed his breath and his composure. The sight of a very pale maid, in shock, returned the usual smirk of playfulness to the boy's face. It didn't help her that he had, in his mischief, pasted a exaggerated fake moustache just under his nose, with the intention of greeting his woman in typical fashion.

While Kendall had expected yet another massive house, as is the traditional Pureblood penchant for opulence, this one was actually much smaller, but certainly much cosier. Just like his accustomed attitude to House Elves, too, the young man barely paid attention to the human help around the house. Instead, he made for the rooms after a brief scan of the first floor, coming up with no signs of Athena Rookwood. There was a lack of her scent about the place too.

Kendall was much faster than the maid, who could barely keep up with his speed of brashly checking himself into rooms before immediately leaving them upon one look of no Athena. It didn't take long before the door to one opened to the sleeping form of who he was looking for. Pleased, he shut and locked the door with his wand, just before the maid could reach to stop him. Once in, he began to whistle, even as he had his eyes full on the girl. Then, he removed his blazer, before settling himself into the bed next to Athena, turning to his side to face her. So there he was, half-sitting and half laid down, fake moustache firmly pasted, and allowing his eyes to do the caressing over the features of the beautiful girl.

Outfit

The bedroom furnishings were modest yet still bore the extravagance that was expected from Goyles. The bed was made from the finest of mahogany, carved out from the logs themselves at least a century before when the mistress of the household demanded a newer, more impressive place upon which to lay her head while she bore her husband the sons he craved for. The staff that were there at the time trekked through the woodland that surrounded the household and felled dozens of trees until they found the right one. Weeks were then spent chiselling away with great precision the four poster bed that was later dressed with the finest of linens and pressed up against the north wall of the bedroom, adjacent to the windows that provided a great portion of the room’s light.

That same light was illuminating the figure that was strewn across the bed, one arm tucked beneath the plush pillows that were thrown in abundance across the bed, each one fluffier than the last. Her body bore signs of waking but that was not the most interesting aspect of her frame. With the sheets pulled taught around her legs, the fabric drew attention to a rather pronounced part of her body. Her stomach had been at the protrusive stage for a handful of weeks, rounding itself off as her children grew steadily larger within her, developing features and personalities of their own. Really, it was a wonder the young man that had entered so brazenly did not notice; but of course, naturally, he wouldn’t – the silly boy.

Drenched in her dreams, Athena did not realise that there was a presence in the room that was not her own or that of the one of the staff. Yet, as she began to rise from the slumber, she stretched and gave little sounds that were indication of her imminent waking. Throwing her arms over her head, she stretched and rolled onto her back, then onto her side and straight into Kendall’s chest. She lowered her arms back down and threw the topmost one over his body, bringing herself close to him though not consciously realising what she was doing. It was then, though, that she truly seemed to wake up and upon opening her eyes, Athena could not avoid letting out a little scream of surprise before throwing the sheets over her, hiding from the oddity that was beside her.

To think he had sought amusement in the dark eyes of his father's recent muse. It was not the first, but even Kendall was surprised to find that Augustus brought her home, and put her up for more than one night, for that matter. It was fortunate that Rookwood Manor was both massive and usually crowded at certain areas of the house. Cordelia didn't seem to notice the women that came and only stayed for a night, everytime they were invited by his father. Kendall knew, and the series of them brought a fair of entertainment to the boy, as soon as he was old enough to understand what it all meant. Of course he wouldn't betray his father, not that he even thought it mattered to have his mother know the going-ins and coming-outs of his father's guests. He was mummy's boy, but there was a code that had to be observed, himself as the privileged child in the partnership of trust with the Head of Augustus' nuclear family.

Maia Papadoupulous had stayed for a week and more. And given his choice to lodge himself more at the Manor, Kendall had taken it upon himself to indulge in her company, in his father's absence. She was, after all, rather nice to look at. It was a pity he still found it appalling to share his father's toys. There was, however, barely regret now, as Kendall soaked himself in the features and scent of the woman he hated to admit his love to. At that, the young man paused in his train of thought. Did he ever tell her so? He certainly hoped. With that unprecedented worry in mind, he began to lean towards the lightness of being, yet again, as he smirked at the unassuming stirrings of Athena. The boy had to stifle a chuckle when he allowed the girl to draw himself closer to her, himself obviously hardly desiring any resistance against it.

"You don't have to be surprise at the fact that you really, really can't resist me, you know that?" Kendall started, after a mild bout of laughter in reaction to her rude awakening. He leaned his face closer towards where he supposed was Athena's face beneath the covers, and blew a breath of hot air towards it, grinning after he did so, despite the lack of reaction to it. "You should really get used to me by now, as much as it must be difficult to deal with the effect I have over you." Then, not one to shy from using his hands, Kendall reached across to pull the girl by the waist towards him. "You're a prisoner naaaooow," and he locked her with his arms, next to him, actually pleased to be doing so after what he felt to be too long away from his wife-to-be. And with this one fact, he took new pleasure in teasing the girl with. "G'morning, Mrs Rookwood." Premature? Of course. Fun? Truckloads.

The cottage had been quite quiet for the past couple of days. It had been a silence that was not without being punctured at intervals – yet the puncture was not unpleasant. Birds would sing and there would be a clatter of pots and pans as the maids demonstrated once again how terrible they were at carrying anything that wasn’t laundry. But other than the usual sounds of the countryside and the hired help, Athena was left in silence and it was that silence that she adored more than anything. It was in that peace that she could curl up in one of the wicker chairs and read her days away. However, there was to come a time when the silence would be broken and the peace would be irreparably ruptured and that could only be successfully done by one man: Kendall Rookwood.

From underneath the covers, Athena blinked herself into waking, reaching up and rubbing at her eyes in order to press them into a response. She wiggled a few times, a softer version of shaking herself, and it was then that she felt the breath of air through the covers, prompting her to move her head back a little, her eyes narrowing at the spot it had come from, as if fully aware that Kendall was behind there. Athena poked her head up, out of the covers at his words and glared openly at him. Yet, her attempt at looking fierce was somewhat in vain as not a moment after, her mouth opened wide to allow a yawn to pass through it, her eyes drooping down towards closing as returning to sleep became ever more desirable.

“You’re funny lookin’” She told him through her yawn, managing a small smile as she looked at him through sleepy eyes.

When his arms closed around her waist, Athena gave a little squeak and to steady herself she reached out and closed her hand around his upper arm, her other hand coming to grasp at the sheets so as to prevent her modesty from being compromised. Her glare returned but of course hand in hand with yet another yawn and she leaned forward, her hold on his arm softening as she came willingly into his grasp. He was warm – that was her reasoning – and she was rather chilly.

“Mrs Rookwood?” Athena spluttered, looking up at him curiously, suddenly rather more awake than she was before. Athena’s eyebrows lowered, her surprise disappearing as her sleepy brain connected the dots. Pregnant with Rookwood children, it should have occurred to her earlier that they were better off legitimate than they were illegitimate. “Oh.” She murmured, looking up at him hesitantly. “Kendall, I didn’t call you here to wake up to you, though, for your ego’s sake, it’s lovely to see you.” Athena narrowed her eyes at the moustache drawn on his upper lip and she shook her head before licking her thumb and reaching forward to rub it away. “I wanted to tell you something pertaining to our child.” Athena nibbled hesitantly on her bottom lip before looking at him. "You see, he's not exactly alone. He's, um. He's got a brother, actually. We've got twins, Kendall."

The thing about being with Athena RookwoodGoyle was that it was rather rare to have a dull day. There was always something happening around or because of the girl. Kendall had learnt this early, back in the days at Hogwarts, days that now felt like too long ago. He missed them. There was more purpose in school, even if he had always been told that Hogwarts was merely the lame first step to greater things that he was built for in life. Augustus wasn't up to much, allowing his inactivity spill into the son that he had intended to be part of plans greater than he was in. Perhaps the older man was too caught up in himself to realise this at the moment, but his son was idle. He was too idle. Like father, the son has learnt to languish and waste away his days, enjoying the privileges of being a Rookwood male, and really not getting up to much apart from short-term gratifications.

Kendall, on the other hand, would argue with that perspective. He was getting up to a lot, wasn't he? He was producing heirs! Admittedly, of course, he wasn't aware that he had produced the first one. What a way to learn about the second, though. He had expected to find Athena and to languish away with her, in what he thought was merely a holiday house, or really the house to while away the time before the birth of his first son. Kendall stared at the young woman now, baffled. A son, he could deal with. In fact, it would take too much effort to quell the swell in his chest whenever he gave thought of his easy success in producing an heir, unlike the trials his uncles seemed, and his father seems, to face. The pattern looked ready to be set in stone now, though. Two sons?! Two kids looked too mammoth to handle. However, he was Kendall Rookwood. There were people, and House Elves, for that. He breathed easy and focused more on the fact that there were two heirs now. Was he going to continue his flourishing track record?

"I. AM. LEGENDARY!" He had his fist pumped in the air. This time, the mood was more triumphant than the first. After all, if he was going to have a child, why not have another at the same time? Why not have TWO sons?! Kendall grinned, and beamed, with the utmost pride in himself, as if he was the only factor in this brilliant equation. "So ..." He put on a face of serious thought. " ... we've got Kendall II; and now, this ... Kendall III!" The young man almost wiggled as he got carried away. "The births of three Kendall Rookwoods, under twenty years! What a legend." It was almost as if he was narrating. He felt useful now, entertaining the thought of writing to his grandfather, and father, of course, to tell of his gift in producing heirs. He should really be made Head of House now, what with all the others being useless sods who had to bend and break just for the production of one son. Pathetic, the lot, he thought, condescendingly.

"This calls for a celebration. Champagne for breakfast!" But just as he was going to snap his fingers, Kendall paused. " ... Is it just me, or are there no House Elves around this place? What is this place?" He peered around now, as if noticing his surroundings for the first time. Then, he turned dramatically, as if deciding it wasn't worth much of an answer, and leered at Athena. Smirking, he bent and leaned closer to the girl. "G'morning, darlin'." A kiss on her cheek followed, making as if he was gifting her a touch of his prized lips. "Who would have thought, eh?" He chuckled, happiness clearly emanating from his pores. "Who would have pegged me, us, to make sons, right out of Hogwarts?" He shook his head in a manner that clearly signified his disbelief and admiration ... dedicated to himself. "We can do anything, love." He bent for a kiss again.

"Anything." A wink. Clearly, the conversation had, in that turn, strayed to something entirely of a different cattle. After all, somewhere along the minutes of watching the girl, Kendall had noticed what was making him smirk unceasingly at the moment. He ran a hand through his hair, and licked his lips, staring with intent at Athena. Yet, there was a fog of desire in his eyes. With a milli-chuckle, the boy slipped a hand under the covers, groped around, and found his wife-to-be beneath it. "Why, hello." He greeted what he found with a cheeky quality in his voice.