After a lapse of silence, Rowan changes the subject. "And with the child, what will you do with him now?"
"I will blood adopt him as my own," Georgine truthfully replied.
Rowan blinks in surprise and slowly nods her head. "The child's very blood will change and become a part of you."
"Yes," Georgine murmured carefully glancing at her great-niece noting her reaction. "Does it bother you that your mother's child will become my own?"
"No," Rowan shook her head. "Perchance if we had an existing relationship, but beyond having only been once in each other's presence, we have never interacted before. It is better this way for both parties."
Rowan sighs, "And it will be easier for Severus to accept a cousin rather than a younger brother. I fear otherwise he will come to resent and hate that child even if the child did nothing wrong except for its continual existence." She paused and rubbed the back of her neck with one hand. "Eileen has always been a source of turmoil for Severus. He both hates and loves her, and I cannot fault him for his emotions."
The two of them gaze at the deeply sleeping child until Rowan says, "Will you rename him?"
"Yes, Rodrigo Prince."
"Rodrigo? Isn't that a bit je ne sais quoi?"
"I do not wish to completely erase the child's identity and Rodrigo also means Roderic."
"I see," Rowan muttered, before rising from her seat. "I will take my leave now and let the two of you rest." She only pauses to remove the silencing charm from the slumbering child.
Georgine watches her great-niece depart, before calling to Rowan at the door. "Thank you," she softly said with Rowan only pausing to glance back at her to nod, before departing from Georgine's chambers.
Glancing down at her soon to be child, Georgine's face softens with an unbelievable tenderness. She is not alone for long, when the door abruptly opens. It is she luck, she had her wand out or the door would have slammed hard enough into the wall to cause it to shake. She frowns at seeing the cold, stern face of her brother.
"Quiet," Georgine icily warned her brother, before rising from place and moving to a gorgeous red and gold embroidered divan.
Reginald marches into her chamber and sits down across from his sister. His dark eyes flicker to the small bundle on the bed. His expression darkens even more dangerously. "What is the meaning of this, Georgine?"
"The child is mine," Georgine defiantly lifted her head. "His name will be Rodrigo Prince and he will be my blood adopted son."
"He is no blood of ours," Reginald frigidly declared. "My daughter Eileen Prince is long dead, and I have no further grandchildren except for Rowan and Severus Prince."
"I will not argue otherwise, brother," Georgine earnestly declared. "This will be my son, Rodrigo, who I birthed in secret, and who I will now present to the world."
Reginald loudly tapped his fingers against his chair, before glancing at the child again. His gaze lingered on the slumbering child. The furrow in his brow deepens in thought. He could not fully deny the child nor could he deny his younger sister's wish. Her womb and child had died that day because of him. He could never make amends, but he could at least grant his sister's dearest wish.
After a lapse of silence, Reginald finally relented. "Very well, I will acknowledge the child as my nephew, Rodrigo Prince, but you will be the one to discuss the matter with Rowan and Severus."
"Of course," Georgine murmured obediently in relief.
"Do not regret this, Georgine," Reginald taciturnly said. "The child may forget Eileen and Roderic Filch for a time, but all lost things eventually return to their original place. And there will come a day when he will surely remember them. Can you confidently say that when that day comes that he will not grow to hate you or us?"
"When that day comes, I will steadfastly face that day head on," Georgine confidently declared. "I fear not for I will only tell him the truth of the events that transpired. And far more importantly, Rodrigo will have Rowan and Severus to speak truthfully about their mother, Eileen both the good and the bad."
"Very well, Georgine," Reginald grumbled, "present the child."
Georgine swiftly rises and carries the deeply slumbering child. Completely exhausted, the child does not so much as stir when she lifts him from the bed. Cradling the child in her arms, she carefully walks back to her older brother.
"I, Reginald Prince call upon the Keeper of Prince Manor," Reginald loudly said, before conjuring a silver blade from mid-air. Slicing his hand open, he says again, "I call upon the Caretaker of Secrets." With a firm hand, he slices a deep gash into his hand. Crimson droplets begin to drip down from his clenched fist. "Thrice, I call upon the Cavalier of the Prince Household."
An icy breeze begins to blow causing the temperature in the room to plummet. The candles burst into blue flames causing Georgine to shiver. The blood that drips from her brother's hand does not soak the carpet, but rather disappears before hitting the ground. It is through an invisible creature hungrily devoured the crimson droplets.
Heavy footsteps echo through the chamber, before a glistening ghostly body emerges. A terrible, cold, and most awful presence enters the chambers to gaze down at them. The child in Georgine's arms, begins to frown and fidget even in the depths of his slumber sensing the inhuman presence. Georgine hurriedly tries to soothe the child rocking the child back and forth in her arms.
The once terrible existing wound around the entirety of the neck of Sir Prince Knight is gone except for a thin line in a circular fashion. "The Head of the Prince family has called, and I have answered, what is wanted?"
"The gift of life was robbed from my sister's womb," Reginald loudly stated. "There lays a child, blood of my blood of the one who forsook us. This child now an orphan lacks a mother and here before us is a mother without a child. Let these two halves be joined forevermore."
"Blood has been spilt. Blood has been paid. Blood ties be forged anew," Sir Prince Knight proclaimed causing the blue white candles to flicker. A heavy, ancient presence of magic filled the chamber.
Sir Prince Knight gestures to Georgine to step forth. She carefully steps form with the squirming slumbering child in her Unable to summon a knife, Georgine mercilessly raises her hand and bites into her hand. Biting hard enough, blood wells up between her teeth, before spilling down her chin and onto head of the slumbering child.
Georgine raises the bleeding bite mark to the ghost. "Blood of my blood, I tie this child to me. Let our blood bond and forge between mother and child. I declare this day, this child as my own, Rodrigo Prince from this day for!"
"From the mouth of mortals to the ears of the Spirits," Sir Knight cried as glittering chains began to form between Georgine and the whimpering child. "The mother and child are bound from this day forth, Georgine Prince and her son, Rodrigo Prince. So, mote be!"
A thunder rings through the chamber and the lights vanish plummeting them into darkness. One by one the candles flicker anew slowly turning red, orange flames again. The room grows brighter and brighter to reveal the pearly white ghostly form of Sir Prince Knight. The body of Sir Prince Knight removes the head from the slicked neck.
The awful presence of Sir Prince Knight is gone. Instead the handsome ghost smiles at Georgine. "You have my sincere congratulations, Georgine," he warmly said. "I shall immediately inform Dawn to prepare a small feast. There is much too celebrate!" Without waiting for any approval from Reginald, the ghost departs through the wall leaving a bit of ectoplasmic residue.
"Episkey," Reginald cast a wandless spell on Georgine's bleeding hand. "I will leave you two alone," he gruffly rasped, before turning away to depart.
"Thank you, brother," Georgine quietly called out to her brother's back. She watches him go with bright genuine gratitude in her eyes at her brother's sacrifice. She knew that it could not have been an easy decision for him. Yet despite everything he was willing to grant her deepest of desires, a child.
Feeling abruptly fatigued, Georgine retreats to her bed with her child. Gently setting her son down, she peeks at the tranquil face of her son. Rodrigo now resembles her a great deal due to the blood adoption. His cheeks are sharp like her own and his nose is long and straight. His hair is still dark, and his skin is still the same shade of pale. Yet unlike Rowan and Severus, he is stouter taking after his father, Roderic Filch. Rodrigo would likely grow to be tall, but he would never be as slender as Rowan and Severus. Rather he will likely have broad shoulders, and a thicker muscular build.
Cuddling with her child, Georgine falls sound asleep with a small smile on her face. It was the soundest sleep she had ever gotten. But also, the best Christmas gift she had ever received.