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[Wendall Layton]

As the year was becoming to come to an end, Wendall had the chance to look back at the events that had passed he and his wife, and he was often flushed with gratitude when he pondered it. After Mary Lou had finished her time at Hogwarts, the pair had married at Leda and Mervyn's wedding, and while Monty had done his best as a guardian to pre warn them both that it may not have been the best move for such a new young couple, they'd gone ahead with it anyways. In many ways, Monty had been a father figure to them both. For Wendall who had never known his father, had met Monty almost a decade ago, and quickly discovered through Olive that they were indeed a relation to one another. Not just this however, as Monty had looked over him and Mary Lou during their time at school and had come to their support on many occasions. Wendall sometimes joked that Mary Lou married him to be closer to Monty, give he had been her favourite professor, but deep down he knew that they both had had a strong connection to him, which only grew the older they got.

This past May however, things in the Layton family and grown even further, and Mary Lou had given birth to their daughter just a few days prior to Wendall's twentieth birthday. Given that the pair were still trying to get their lives together even before their latest addition, it had taken them a little time before beginning to meet other family members. Wendall and Mary Lou however had been most keen for Monty to come by, given that for him there would be an extra tribute; a way to show him how much he meant to them. Wendall had done his best to clean the house ready for visitors, although given their situation and the former Hufflepuff's natural ability to create a mess, the place was still somewhat disheveled. The smell of freshly baked bread was a smart move on his wife's part, for it was also setting the scene that the new family were much more organized than they actually felt.

 

[Monty Pendleton]

Monty still couldn't quite believe Wendall and Mary Lou were parents. They were still babies themselves, at least in his eyes, though he suspected he would feel the same way in another twenty years. For he had known them since they were eleven, and no matter what age he was lucky enough to witness them reach, they would always be youngsters compared to him.

He arrived at the house with a hamper full of gifts: potions that had been a godsend for Saveli and Reuben; food stuffs that would keep for those occasions when they were too tired to go out; extra supplies for the new-born. He had also made it clear that if they needed a hand with anything, he was only a phone call away. Wendall may have been a distant relative, biologically speaking, but he was some of the closest family Monty had.

With the hamper tucked under his arm, he knocked at the door.

 

[Wendall Layton]

Wendall was trying to take a breather in the kitchen before Monty arrived, carefully balancing the 4 month old in his arms, when the door alerted them to the presence of a guest, kindly letting them know that someone was outside. Wendall had planned to welcome Monty into their home before plunging a child at him, however he had no time now to put his daughter elsewhere, and instead crossed the small country house to the front door.

"Monty!" Wendall's sleepy eyes lit up and he smiled widely as he saw a man that was so much more than just their former professor. "I would have hugged you but, um.." his eyes shot down to the infant who was just now staring at Monty, fixated on something he had or was wearing? Wendall couldn't pin point it. His daughters blonde curls were very small and faint, but it was obvious that she was going to take after Mary Lou in her looks. "Do you want to come in?" Wendall wasn't used to playing host, usually there was someone much older and wiser that would invite guests round, and Wendall wasn't used to the idea that he was actually an adult in the house now. Wendall led Monty into a sitting area, feeling a bit awkward and hoping that Mary Lou would be along soon. Wendall never had been the best at leading a conversation.

 

[Monty Pendleton]

"Ho! Hello," said Monty. It was worse than he thought. Wendall looked like a lost toddler clutching onto his teddy for dear life. Monty hastily put the hamper on a table and followed him through the house, keeping a close eye on the infant who, at any moment, looked as if she might be about to slip out of Wendall's arm. "Thank you. How are you both? I, er, brought a few things for you all. I wasn't sure what you already had..."

Mercifully, when they reached the living room, Wendall stopped moving. Goodness - he made Monty anxious when he was only a hazard to himself. Poor Mary Lou; she had her work cut out for her, supervising two children at the same time.

The baby was still gazing at Monty intently. Pleading for help, possibly. "Oh, she looks just like Mary Lou." he said. "Can I?"

Godmods approved

 

[Mary Lou Layton]

If Mary Lou was being entirely honest with herself, she’d never really thought about what it would be like to be raising a child of her own, with someone she loved, in her own home.

Taking over the farm had been so daunting, but she and Wendell had easily slipped into the role of not only caretakers, but of parents as well, and she had not been at all surprised to find her beloved husband rather well-suited for the role he now played. He was attentive to their daughter in all the ways her own parents never were, and though she had secretly wondered if she would ever be good enough for him or for their daughter, his affectionate nature had lead her to understanding how daft she’d been at the thought. Being a wife and mother might not have meant much to some people, but it was everything that Mary Lou had ever wanted. There was a time, long ago, when she’d wanted nothing more but to be the complete opposite of her parents, and she’d been willing to deny herself everything to achieve it. Things had changed for her once she’d met Wendell though, and he’d quickly become someone she wanted to be with completely.

Once she head Monty’s voice, Mary Lou poured the tea into mugs and placed them on a tray, she picked it up and headed out into the living room where she heard them head to. ”Hello, Men of my life, I’ve made tea, shall I pour?” there were a couple of reasons for Monty’s invite out to see them today, one was for introductions to their daughter, but the other, well, that would be a bit of a surprise for him she expected, she hoped he would be happy.

Mary Lou leaned up to give Wendell a soft kiss before pressing her forehead to the babies. She still smelled so sweet, that new baby smell still lingering. ”Please, you’re welcome to hold her, be sure to support her head, she has a tendency to throw herself around a little.” To make things easier, Mary Lou placed the tray on the table, she moved over to Wendell and scooped the baby out of her husbands arms. Walking over to Monty, she carefully slipped the sleepy, yet someone wide awake, baby into his arms.

​

”Professor Monty, I would love for you to meet… our daughter. We named her after one of the most important people in our lives. Mary Lou smiled at Wendell, ”Monty, meet Monty, your namesake.”

 

[Wendall Layton]

Wendall liked to think he'd grown up a bit since meeting Monty. He'd blossomed into a man and now he had a family of his own. Having never had a father himself, Wendall truly saw Monty as such a figure and if he could be proud of him, well then that would be an achievement he was grateful for. As he turned to Monty, it was clear that he was keen that Wendall relieve himself of his handling duties, and the former Hufflepuff was more than pleased to oblige. It was important to him that Monty got on with their daughter, and vice versa, as there was an extra special reason they had wanted Monty to meet them in person while their daughter was new born.

"I'll do it," he smiled softly to Mary Lou as she joined them in the living room with tea. He was about to have his hands free again after all. He returned the kiss from his wife, watching her facial features light up as she nuzzled their offspring. Wendall moved his arm and let his wife take her from him. "If you hold her just here," he motioned where Monty could hold, "that would be best." he smiled up at his former professor before taking a step back to join Mary Lou.

As Mary Lou was formally introducing Montana to Monty, Wendall was watching for how Monty would take such news. Wendall had been keen to tell him ever since they'd decided on their daughters name, but he was glad now to have waited until they were all together to announce it properly. He wrapped one arm around Mary Lou, kissing her temple to remind her that he was proud of her. "Montana Rose, suits her doesn't it?" he added, watching as they met one another for the first time.

 

[Monty Pendleton]

Mary Lou. She was as much of a Layton as Wendall himself. At first, Monty had worried he ought to have dissuaded the pair from marrying so impulsively, and even a year later he felt he had been irresponsible. But it seemed the lapse in judgement on his part had revealed an excellent judgement on theirs; they were still clearly as devoted to each other now as they had been on the night of the wedding. Monty could see it in the way they looked at one another like a morning sunrise. If it had faded, he would have called it infatuation. Now he knew it was love.

"Thank you," he said, as Mary Lou set down a tray of tea and Wendall offered to pour. "It's so nice to see you. I was thrilled to get your invite. Can I help?" Monty was an apologetic guest at the best of times, let alone when his hosts were new parents. But he let them carry on, admiring how calm and comfortable they appeared to be. Even Wendall knew what he was doing, really, and Monty was sure that with Mary Lou's encouragement, he would continue to gain confidence in himself. He had the most valuable part down already: caring. He would be a wonderful father.

With the greatest of care, Monty took the infant into his arms. "Don't worry, I've held a few babies," he said. Still, out of respect he heeded Wendall's advice. Now that he held the child, he saw that she resembled her father, too. Perhaps it was the eyes. Yes, she had Wendall's eyes.

Monty looked up. No. They had named the baby after him? Had he understood Mary Lou correctly? Montana Rose. Monty. There had been a time in the professor's life when he thought he would never mean anything to anybody; and though he knew this to no longer be true, his heart was entirely unprepared for Wendall and Mary Lou's expression of admiration. He blinked back the tears, then let himself shed them. Honoured. He was honoured. And he would never forget it.

 

[Mary Lou Layton]

Mary Lou had not had someone in her life she thought she could count on for a long time. After being practically abandoned by her family, she needed some kind of stability and now she had that and there was no real other way she could put it than to think that Wendall, and to some extent others, was exactly show she had needed when she had needed him. It was strange to think now that he had been one of the first people in the school she had met, and after many moment spent with her face down in the grass, once, literally, she knew that she could rely on and count on him in more ways than she had ever been able to count on anyone before in her entire life.

Profession Monty had been someone to whom she had immediately taken a liking to, and not telling him this very important thing had been torture. She wrote him often, after all, despite him not really living terribly far, all things considered. Still, saving this for an extra special occasion had been important and they certainly hadn't been blabbing to others about just exactly what her name was either. Mary Lou had desperately wanted for Monty to be the first to hear it and it was important to her that he understand, ultimately, what it meant. She was sure he would, even if he wasn't entirely convinced he deserved such an honour.

As he started to tear up, Mary Lou panicked for a moment before she realised that it was probably just that he felt so touched by the gift. Well, she was hoping that was what was happening anyway. She didn’t like to think that they might have some how offended him though she was doubtful as to the cause of it all. He was simply the kind of person who didn’t often seem to think that he mattered to people, and Mary Lou knew what that felt like, because she had been like that for a long time until he had showed her differently and that had allowed her to be more open to the idea of someone like Wendell wanting to love someone like her.

Not everyone would understand the choices she had made from this point onwards, but it hardly seemed to matter anymore, because she just wanted to know that everyone she cared for was feeling exactly as she wanted them to feel - as though she was always going to be right there for them - because that was the truth of it. Some people wanted to focus on their careers, or on themselves, but Mary Lou was not truly happy unless she was feeling like someone needed her. And not just because they knew that was what she wanted, but to feel trusted and respected and for people to know that she would always open her home to them, and to those they loved, because she cared little for society, and only cared about the love of those she truly felt were part of her tiny little corner of New Zealand.

Anything beyond that, well, it hardly mattered to her.

“We hope that you can understand why we took so long to tell you this. We wanted to make sure we could properly entertain you and, well, then we found out some more happy news,” she said, stepping back over to Wendell and clutching his hand in hers before moving it to place his hand softly over her stomach. “You’re the first person we are telling about this, so if you tell anyone, we’ll know it came from you, Professor Monty,” she teased, looking down at her stomach in awe.

To be a mother, not just once, but twice, was a gift she never thought to receive.​