Author note: This story is part of the Magical Flashpoint Side Story series. This story comes just after "At the Intersection of Magic and Technology".
Although all original characters belong to me, I do not own Flashpoint, Harry Potter, Narnia, or Merlin.
Greg Parker surveyed the new apartment, relieved to have the whole project of moving done. It had taken longer than he'd thought…in addition to packing up his old place and moving all the boxes to the new unit, he – and the kids – had ended up at the local furniture store when it had – belatedly – dawned on him that the kids had no bedroom furniture. The SRU Sergeant might have fretted over the unexpected costs, but, by then, the promised Toronto magical rep had shown up with an authorization from the magical bank – Gringotts – for Greg to have access to the Calvin family funds on behalf of his new nipotes.
Thus far, Greg was far more impressed by the Toronto magical rep than either the British or Canadian Aurors…the man had patiently walked the new family through the process of enrolling at the Toronto School of Magic, even explaining that the tuition that had originally been paid at Hogwarts – the British school – was transferring with the kids because of the circumstances.
"I usually handle introducing Muggleborns," the rep explained to Greg. "They don't get contacted until they turn eleven, so it's a bit of a leap for their families to get their heads around the idea of magic."
Greg nodded agreement. "I can believe that," the Sergeant replied, drawing a bit of a grin from the other man.
"Anyway, something like this doesn't happen very often, thank Merlin, but when the request came through, I figured someone a little more used to the Muggle world wouldn't go amiss. Now, the kids are good, but there's one more thing to take care of, Mr. Parker."
"And what's that?" Greg kept his mouth shut about the word 'Muggle'. Some things, you just had to deal with and he had enough battles on his plate at the moment.
"Well, Lord Calvin's will and Gringotts set everything up; you don't have access to the estate, per se, but you can access the estate's funds on behalf of the heirs. Their upkeep, tuition – although that's already covered – things of that nature." The wizard sorted through his bag, pulling out several pieces of parchment and an old fashioned ink pen. "I understand, from several Muggleborns, that Muggle pens these days don't write well on parchment, but these older ink pens do…it's the closest I can come to what you're used to writing with. Unfortunately, for this authorization, you are going to have to write on parchment." He tapped the ink pen. "This pen is the modern," Greg's brows rose, "version of the Blood Quill or Contract Quill. Its only legal use is for contracts and I've already registered this Blood Pen's use with Gringotts." The parchment was pushed in front of Greg. "Please read through that and sign it with the Blood Pen."
Greg was careful to read every word; he had a feeling that contracts were strictly enforced in the magical world. Once he'd read through the parchment, he picked up the pen and signed it; hissing as his own name appeared briefly on the back of his hand, then healed over.
The rep's expression was sympathetic as he took the pen and parchment back. "As I said, Blood Quills and Pens are only authorized for use with contracts; anything more is highly illegal." He pulled out a black credit card. "I will need one more drop of blood to activate this card…once activated, you can use this card as you would any other and the bills go to the estate. Unless you misuse the card, any bills will be assumed to be on the children's behalf."
"What about Children's Services?" Greg inquired cautiously.
A brief chuckle. "We don't have them in the magical world, Mr. Parker. Now, do you have any more questions I can answer right now?"
So, now he was moved in, the kids were moved in…and their new bedrooms painted with the help of his team…and the apartment was as ready as it would be for the first night. He turned to the two kids, his eyes sparkling. "Okay, do any last minute unpacking while I call out for a pizza delivery. Don't get used to it, kids, it's just for tonight."
He got two rather subdued head nods as they headed off and suppressed a sigh. As move in day approached, the kids had gotten quieter and quieter, as though their new situation was finally sinking in. They'd lost so much and he couldn't even give them a house…just a rather small apartment.
They ended up with a quiet evening, Greg opting to leave the TV off to give the kids a break from the constant 'tech' of their new world. The kids, both curled up with what looked like school books, seemed to enjoy the silence of the new apartment…silence was one thing that the Wordsworth household hadn't had at all. Not even Greg's phone broke the quiet atmosphere; his team was on call, but so far they hadn't gotten called in, thank God. At ten, Greg shooed the pair off to bed and headed for his own room himself, enjoying the peace and quiet.
A shrill scream broke the nighttime peace; Greg was on his feet in seconds as another scream ripped through the apartment. The Sergeant paused long enough to pull his sweat pants on, then hustled out his door and veered towards the kids' rooms. He burst into Alanna's room, scanning for the threat, then belatedly realized she was still asleep; another scream shattered the air…and his eardrums.
It might have been eight years since he'd had to deal with a child in the house, but his father's instincts were still alive and well; Greg knelt next to Alanna's bed and gently pulled the girl into his arms, stroking her hair and trying to wake her up. The screams died away into whimpers, the girl shifting towards his warmth.
"Easy, Alanna," he whispered, "It's okay, I got you." Not sure what else to do, he kept on talking to her and stroking her hair with his free hand. "We're going to get through this."
"Daddy?"
The cry was so young and plaintive that Greg flinched. "Sorry, sweetheart; it's Uncle Greg," he replied.
The words were all but ignored as Alanna clung to him and sobbed. He hugged her back and cradled her carefully, letting her cry. "I want my Mom," she wept; his heart broke for her.
"I know, I know," he murmured, keeping a light grip on her.
Another scream shattered the tentative peace and Greg resisted the urge to groan. He'd bet his badge that Lance was having basically the same nightmare Alanna was. Instead, he swung Alanna out of bed and onto the floor. "Let's go, sweetheart; your brother needs some attention, too."
Alanna sniffled, but followed her uncle as they went back out the door and down to her brother's room. Lance thrashed, still asleep, but precariously close to the edge of the bed; Uncle Greg lunged and caught him just as he tipped over the side. The shock of contact and falling was enough to jolt Lance out of slumber, then he clung to Uncle Greg just like Alanna had.
After a minute, Uncle Greg hefted Lance back onto his bed and looked back at Alanna, tilting his head to call her over. Alanna trailed over, feeling rather bereft in this strange world without her parents. Without saying anything, Uncle Greg grasped her hand and tugged Lance to his feet before guiding them out Lance's door and down the corridor to the larger bedroom. Inside, they were both boosted onto the large queen-sized bed and Uncle Greg nudged them under the covers before climbing in and settling himself in the middle.
"Okay, I want you two to tell me what happened."
Both teens gave him uncertain looks.
Greg shook his head. "You gave me the overview…now I want the details. Everything you can remember, everything you think happened, everything you felt about what happened. Get it out…doesn't even have to be in order."
Rain fell on the two coffins, both marble and silver, sealed closed by order of the Ministry. The two children clung to each other, hardly paying any attention to the mourners as they stared at the caskets. When the service began, they still didn't react, until the official invoked Dagda and asked for the god's blessing. Then Alanna started to scream and didn't stop until she and Lance were hauled out of the service…the siblings were forced to watch from a distance as strangers memorialized their parents and gave glory to a god neither adult Calvin had ever worshipped.
They stayed with Lord Potter and his family until the funeral; the Potter children as cheerful as the two had been only days before, chattering on about things that no longer mattered. The siblings stayed apart, mute and in shock, unable to participate as their grief slowly mutated into anger and rage.
Lord Potter promised that they would end up with him, that he'd promised their father he'd look after them if anything happened. It meant nothing, nothing, with their parents dead and gone.
"What do you mean, they're going to Toronto?" Lord Potter demanded loudly, his eyes flashing, his stance full of outrage. "They're staying right here in England with me!"
Their account manager actually growled at Lord Potter. "By the terms of the late Lord Calvin's will, Lord Potter, they are not staying here. Lord Calvin's will grants his Canadian cousin full guardianship of his children."
The Malfoys were just as unhappy…and just as loud. "The Lestranges are their closest remaining blood relatives," Lord Malfoy's silky tones observed. "By rights, their claim on the children passes to me as their proxy holder."
There was a pause, Lance suspected their account manager was leering at Lord Malfoy. "Sadly for you, Lord Malfoy, while the Lestranges are, indeed, the closest blood-kin remaining to the young Heirs Calvin, Lord Calvin identified and certified the discovery of a distant cousin through his father's line…as this cousin is directly related through the paternal line, it overrides any claim the Lestranges may make upon the Heirs Calvin." A harrumph. "You may dislike the will all you wish, gentlewizards; it is a certified Gringotts will and we have already made the arrangements." Another pause. "Now, if the children are needed here for their testimony, we can also arrange for that…"
"That will not be necessary," Lord Malfoy announced coldly. "The Auror Department is almost finished with their report, nothing further is needed."
"I still have questions about that night," Lord Potter protested. "Lance and Alanna are the only witnesses left…I need them here for another two weeks at least."
"You may have questions, Lord Potter, but the Head of Magical Law Enforcement is satisfied that the fire was, at its heart, a tragic accident," Lord Malfoy countered. "In light of that, the children staying any longer is hardly appropriate…"
Mindy got them out to St. Mungo's, but, almost immediately, the siblings were forced away from the loyal house-elf by the kindly nurses and Healers. As the pair was checked over, the nurse Flooed the Aurors and alerted them to the attack on Calvin Manor. The Healer wanted to prescribe calming droughts for both children, but they refused, determined to see the night through.
Hours later, the first Auror arrived. Two gazes fixed on him, desperate hope that maybe, just maybe, their parents had survived writ across the teens' faces. He shook his head solemnly, but his voice, and bearing, were haughty and unsympathetic. "Looks like the manor got hit with a freak magical surge…the Lord and Lady are dead…no signs of foul play."
"NO!" Alanna shrieked, as loudly as she could. "We were attacked, they were murdered! We saw the Dark Mark!" The Auror's slap, right across her face, left the young witch reeling in shock and outrage.
Lance roared and leapt for the Auror's throat, actually bowling the man over as he landed right on the Auror; there was a feral light in the boy's eyes as he snarled. Three burly male nurses hauled him off the Auror; Lance literally bit and clawed at them before he was subdued and a calming draught forced down his throat.
Greg listened as they poured the words out, letting Alanna cuddle into him as the hours wore on. Lance was much stiffer, more stand-offish, something Greg didn't understand until the pair related the events at St. Mungo's Hospital. Then he pulled the teen into his arms, refusing to let Lance squirm away. "Easy there, it's okay; not sure I would have reacted any better," Greg soothed. "Must have been really hard, to see your sister assaulted, to see them covering it up right in front of you." Lance's head nodded against his uncle's chest and the dam finally burst. Greg shifted so Alanna could get under his free arm, then he just held both teens as they cried.
"Let it out," he urged softly, "Just let it all out."
By the time they'd cried themselves out, they'd fallen asleep. The SRU Sergeant decided to give thanks that he had the day off tomorrow as he watched his nipotes; silently guarding their sleep.
No one got up early the next morning; Greg had finally dropped off himself at about four AM. When they did wake up, Greg shooed the teens into the bathroom and back to their rooms to get cleaned up and changed into fresh clothes. He himself attacked the coffee as soon as it was made, hoping the caffeine would finish waking him up.
The good news was that the coffee did, indeed, wake him up; the bad news was that, being more awake, he realized the teens had yet to use what they'd both tentatively called 'family magic' since they'd arrived…if he had to bet, they hadn't used it since the fire, either.
So the Sergeant lay in wait for the teens, tapping the side of his coffee cup in thought as they arrived and headed for the cereal. He even waited until they'd settled at the table with their bowls before remarking, casually, "How 'bout we find a magical area close by and you two can show me this 'family magic' of yours."
Both teens froze, going deathly pale as they looked up with 'deer in the headlights' expressions. "I-I, um, haven't learned anything yet," Alanna stammered out.
Greg accepted that, arching a brow at Lance. The boy didn't bother with excuses, he just let his head sink down. "No thanks," he managed, looking sick; he pushed his cereal bowl away.
After a minute or two, Greg backed down, but he kept an eye on the teens for the rest of the day, pondering what he could do if they didn't start using their magic on their own. For now, he'd let it rest, but he couldn't do that forever…it wasn't good for them to ignore and suppress their own talents.
As he plotted and planned how to coax them into using their magic and how to handle any more nightmares, it never occurred to the Sergeant that he was treating them like he would have treated Dean…the man who'd lost his family years earlier was finally a father again, in a role his ex-wife never would have believed him capable of: taking care of two kids just as battered and scarred as he was.
Love was all he really had to offer, but it was enough…more than enough to start healing the wounds both children had suffered. And enough to start healing him, too.
~ Fin
Author note: Just a quick little oneshot in dubious celebration of my first cross-country move to a new job (I hope...have to survive the training first). I hope ya'll enjoyed and if you want to see when/how Greg finally got the kids to use their family magic, please see my Christmas oneshot from 2016 (Christmas Makes Me Cry).