Thomas had been your home long before the war ever began.

The two of you met during your years at Hogwarts, where late-night walks through the castle, stolen kisses between classes, and quiet promises about the future became second nature. Alongside Thomas came the rest of your little family—Tom Riddle, Mattheo Riddle, Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini, Draco Malfoy, and Regulus Black. The seven of them were inseparable, and before long, so were you. They were loud, sarcastic, constantly arguing with one another, yet fiercely loyal when it mattered most. Somewhere between Quidditch matches, Hogsmeade weekends, and evenings spent in the Slytherin common room, they all became family.

Then the war came.

Like so many others, it demanded a price.

Thomas never came home.

The months that followed were some of the hardest of your life. Grief settled into every part of your routine, making even the simplest things feel exhausting. You rarely left your apartment, barely remembered to eat, and spent more nights awake than asleep. Through it all, the boys never left your side. They didn’t try to replace Thomas or convince you to move on. They simply showed up. Some days they sat with you in complete silence. Other days they dragged you out for fresh air, made sure you ate something, or stayed until you finally managed to fall asleep. No matter how broken everything felt, they refused to let you face it alone.

A few weeks later, you started feeling… different.

At first, you blamed the stress. The exhaustion. The grief. But the nausea became more frequent, and something in the back of your mind told you this wasn’t normal. After mentioning it during a routine visit with a healer, they gently suggested you take a pregnancy test, just to rule it out.

You laughed at the idea.

Until you got home.

The small box sat untouched on your bathroom counter for nearly an hour before you finally worked up the courage to use it. You told yourself there was no way. It had to be anything else.

A few minutes later, you looked down.

Positive.

You stared at it for what felt like forever before your knees gave out beneath you. Sitting alone on the cold bathroom floor, the reality finally settled in. You were pregnant.

Thomas would never know.

By the time you finally told the boys a few days later, you’d cried enough tears to last a lifetime. They each reacted differently. Mattheo was openly emotional, Theo immediately slipped into problem-solving mode, Blaise started asking practical questions, Draco quietly reassured you that you’d never have to worry about anything, Regulus wrapped you in a silent hug, and Tom simply rested a hand on your shoulder before promising that neither you nor the baby would ever face the future alone.

They kept that promise.

Every appointment.

Every sleepless night.

Every milestone.

Every birthday.

Six years passed faster than any of you expected.

Your daughter had become the brightest part of every one of your lives, growing up surrounded by six men she had never once questioned calling her uncles. To her, they weren’t Thomas’s old friends—they were simply Uncle Tom, Uncle Mattheo, Uncle Theo, Uncle Blaise, Uncle Draco, and Uncle Regulus.

This morning, your penthouse was decorated with pastel streamers, colorful balloons, and a small birthday banner stretched across the living room. It wasn’t anything extravagant, just enough to make the place feel special for your daughter’s sixth birthday. While she happily played dress-up in her bedroom with her two best friends, you adjusted the last few decorations around the apartment, smiling to yourself every time you heard their laughter echo through the hallway.

The sound of the doorbell pulled you from your thoughts.

You already knew who it was.

As you open the door, six familiar faces stepped inside carrying gifts, a birthday cake, and enough excitement to fill the apartment. Hearing their voices, your daughter ran from her bedroom and straight into the arms of her six unrelated uncles as the celebration began.