Wow! Thank you to all those that are following, favouriting and especially reviewing! I am blown away by the response! Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Thank you to my wonderful beta BattlemageABK who is amazing, all mistakes are my own.

JK Rowling owns Harry Potter I just play :)

The Odd Things

Chapter Two

Kingsley apparated directly into the apparition zone outside of the monumental Gringotts at Diagon Alley. He would be early for his meeting with Snigrot, but the Goblin would appreciate that. He was quickly shown into the luxurious meeting room upon entering, the room at odds to the humans that he usually dealt with and their chosen meeting spaces.

After taking advantage of the tea service left for him – wishing fervently that it was firewhiskey instead – he waited. It wasn't long before Snigrot strode into the meeting room, a battered wizard that Kingsley hadn't seen for eight years on his heels.

"You have good news to impart Master Shacklebot?" The Goblin asked in a harsh guttural tone before Kingsley could do more than glance at the downtrodden Remus Lupin.

"It seems I shall have custody of both children; Harry and Hermione," Kingsley inclined his head at the Goblin, appreciating, not for the first time, the Goblin Nations disdain for formalities. A welcome change from the pencil pushers that he dealt with in both the magical and muggle worlds.

"One of the possibilities you have been planning for. Congratulations. As such…" Snigrot clicked his gnarled fingers with exceptionally long nails and three bulky files appeared in front of Kingsley. "These are the properties available to you and the children through the Ancient and Nobel Houses of Black, Potter and Shacklebolt. You will, of course, need permission from Lord Shacklebolt to use any of the Shacklebolt properties and Mr. Lupin's consent to use one of the Potter's. The Black properties… well Ms. Black's presence should be enough along with you being her legal magical guardian and Ms. Black's proxy for the House of Black, you should at least be able to access them and determine their suitability."

"Thank you Snigrot. What of the Travers property for Hermione?" Kingsley asked frowning as he heard it hadn't been included, he knew for a fact that Eulalia had written at least one property into her will for Hermione as well as all her gold going to the child.

"Ah, well of course that would be an option, however it was in Ms. Travers will to be granted to Ms. Black on her coming of age. We could petition the remaining Travers members to change the terms. Perhaps if you find nothing else suitable?"

"Yes. Well, I will read through these and make you aware of my decision then." He gave a small brief nod to let the Goblin know he had been dismissed.

As the Goblin left Kingsley looked across the large table at Lupin. The years had not been kind to the wizard. He looked old beyond his years with grey hair streaking his sandy coloured locks and lines of stress ravaging his face along with deep new scars. His robes were patched in places telling the story of being mended by magic so often that the charm would no longer take. He was too thin for a man of his stature and his finger nails were broken leading credence to the theory he hadn't been getting a nutritionally beneficial diet.

All in all, down to the light that had dimmed in his dull brown eyes Remus Lupin looked every inch a man that had nothing and no hope that he'd ever regain anything again. He was beaten down and broken by life.

Kingsley sighed. It could have easily been him sitting in Lupin's place. If he hadn't had work to throw himself into after that Halloween...

Harry and Hermione were going to need a support system, that much Kingsley had worked out in the three short days he'd been preparing for this eventuality – damn Dumbledore to hell – they would need more than just him in their lives. He'd need help raising the two children, especially when he went back to work in a few short weeks. Lupin was very obviously in need of employment, Kingsley needed a tutor and babysitter… There were major, major issues with his tentative plan. But… Kingsley was aware that if things had been different Harry would be going home with the other wizard, not him. So, he would man up. For Harry. And so, would Lupin.

"How are they?" Lupin asked after a moment of awkward silence.

"In the hour I was with them? They seem like polite kids, probably a bit too polite. They're joined at the hip, almost like twins. They're too thin, too short and not as well cared for as any of us were led to believe. Despite that they're amazing, quite quick and intelligent. They look like grown-up versions of how they did when they were babies. Harry looks just like James and Hermione looks the spitting image of her dad." He noticed Lupin's flinch at that, perhaps the younger wizard wouldn't be able to cope with his proposal. He couldn't stem the surge of hope that thought brought.

"I would like to… If you're comfortable that is… When they've settled… I would like to meet them?" Lupin was quiet, his eyes fixed on the polished wooden table obviously not holding out much hope. Kingsley found himself sighing once more.

"I was thinking of more than that Lupin." The wizard's eyes snapped up in surprise focusing intently on Kingsley. "I'm going to need some help with them and someone who knows all of their history. Especially when I go back to work. And they're going to need a tutor. Of course, there would be a wage and if we can find somewhere suitable, a room for when I have to do nights."

"You would trust me?"

"With Harry and Hermione? Yes. But Lupin, I'll not have you bad mouthing Eulalia. Hermione never got the chance to meet her and she's not here to-"

"I get it." Lupin raised his hands in a placating gesture. "I wouldn't do that Kingsley, it wouldn't be right, despite whatever I may have thought and said in the past, Eulalia was Hermione's mother and I won't dishonour either of them in anyway. What about my…"

"Condition?" Kingsley suggested wry. "We'll work around it." In truth his Lycanthropy would be the least of the concerns Kingsley had about the shabby wizard.

"Let's have a look at what we've got to work with, shall we? We can discuss the rest later, let's just find those kids somewhere to live." Kingsley suggested, gesturing to the files in front of him. He didn't have long to set up a house for him, his new kids and the pet werewolf. Merlin help him, he hoped he was doing the right thing. Doing what Eulalia would want him to.

~0~0~

Kingsley wiped the gathered sweat from his bald head, even when using magic moving was hard work. Lupin and Kingsley had managed to narrow down the available houses to five. Grimmauld Place and Ebony Manor from the Blacks portfolio. Harpily Heather Home and Potter Manor from the Potters. From the houses available from his own family holdings only Largeous Cottage was deemed appropriate.

Grimmauld Place had been… dangerous for want of a better word. He wouldn't have housed a Kneazle there let alone two children. As soon as the two wizards had stepped through the doorway, doxies were flying out at them from a pair of mouldy looking curtains, a ghoul came stumbling down the stairs looking murderous and growling was emitting from a closed door nearby. So yes, Grimmauld Place was out.

Similarly, Ebony Manor, despite its vast gardens and huge floor space, was out. It had obviously been left to rot for a few generations. Kingsley suspected that nothing short of demolition would make the space habitable. That or sending in the Gringotts cursebreakers and a magical pest control team, probably cheaper to demolish and rebuild though, Kingsley thought.

Largeous Cottage was beautiful but there was a Fwooper in the attic, a Chizpurfle in the living room and a Kelpie in the pond. On speaking with his father, Lord Shacklebolt, Kingsley had agreed to write to Jacob Scamander to see if he could help relocate the Fwooper and the Chizpurfle but to leave the Kelpie where it resided. However, that made the Cottage unsuitable for children. Or at least with more of a risk than the new guardian was willing to take.

Next there had been Potter Manor, which, Lupin had been unable to enter, there were just too many memories attached to his old friends' home for the Werewolf. It was a shame as it had been perfect, and Kingsley had been tempted to take the property regardless. Only thinking of the two children that would soon depend on him and would need all the support he could muster made him stop and go view the final house. Kingsley though was resolute, if the last place was no good then Werewolf be damned, Harry and Hermione would be calling Potter Manor home.

Harpily Heather Home was situated on the outskirts of the small wizarding town of Homestead in Dorset. That alone made the place desirable. Homestead was very well respected with many notable wizards living there including but not limited to; Nicolas Flamel, Newt and Tine Scamander and Damocels Belby. It was a community that Kingsley could see two young, bright children thriving in.

The house was a beautiful, vast, red brick building with two wings and from the outside at least it looked to be three stories. The grounds were modest but certainly big enough for two young children and a playmate or five if either Kingsley or Lupin could arrange playdates. Once again Kingsley wished for primary schools similar to the muggle world and the magical world in India.

Inside the house was as large as the outside made it appear and covered in a thick layer of dust, though fortunately the wards surrounding the house had seemed to keep away any magical pests.

There were many rooms downstairs, some of them with obvious uses; a study, kitchen and library, others Kingsley had no idea the function of.

There was a spacious basement that had obviously once upon a time been a potions lab, though judging by the broken equipment littering the benches and the grime that had built up it hadn't been used for generations.

On the top two floors there were ample bedrooms, a sitting room or two and more than enough bathrooms for all the residents to have at least two each. One such bathroom even rivalled the prefect's bathroom at Hogwarts. Kingsley grinned as he imagined the look on Harry and Hermione's faces when they saw the pool sized bath.

Lupin quickly agreed with Kingsley that Harpily Heather Home would be the perfect place to raise Hermione and Harry.

So here Kingsley was, almost twenty-four hours later. The rooms had been cleaned, there was food in the cupboards – mostly due to Kinsley's house elf Rappley – and between Kingsley, Lupin and Rappley they were starting to move furniture, some of which had been salvaged from the large attic, decorating rooms as much as possible and trying to make the house a warm, inviting home once more.

~0~0~

Kingsley was in a bit of a state, not that anyone would be able to tell by looking at him of course, he exuded confidence, poise and strength as was normal for him. Inside though he was more nervous than he could remember being, undeniably excited as well obviously. Today was the day he was picking up Hermione and Harry, they'd be coming home with him.

He was certain that he had no idea what he was doing, that he wasn't a parent and had to play one for the next ten years or so at least. He was convinced that those years would be extremely difficult and challenging for all of them, he was hoping though that somehow, they'd all muddle through and have a lot of fun. Growing together as they should be. Still, he wasn't sure how to make that happen and that bothered him. He had plan after plan, contingencies and fall backs, however Harry and Hermione would not care about that, they'd have their own ideas and their own plans that may run against Kinglsey's and somehow, they'd have to muddle through.

They would as well, muddle through that is, Kingsley would make certain of it. He'd made promises after all, to himself, Harry, Hermione, Eulalia, Lily, James, most only in his head but they counted and, in his head, or not he had every intention of keeping them. He would raise these two children as if they were his by blood. He would love them, care for them and help them flourish. He would.

And suddenly, cutting through his inner ramblings, there they were, waiting for him with small battered back packs that held all their belongings. Surely that wasn't enough clothes and shoes? Let alone anything personal they may have such as a cuddly toy or a favoured blanket. He comforted himself slightly with the fact that they'd soon have more than enough clothing, more than enough toys and books.

Kingsley couldn't stop himself from quirking his lips slightly up at Hermione and Harry who were both grinning back at him, he noticed a slight hesitation in Hermione and both children were obviously edgy. This was to be expected though, he thought. Going to live with a virtual stranger would be enough to make anyone apprehensive.

"All ready to go then?" Kingsley asked them.

"Yes Kingsley." They replied in chorus. He'd briefly researched twin bonds and magical twins, he'd certainly have to do more reading on the subject, but what he had read so far had alleviated most of his concerns. Though as the consummate Ravenclaw he wasn't taking everything he read at face value.

"Let's get going then." He said leading them past the stern looking woman and a few curious children who all waved at Harry and Hermione with different levels of happiness and jealousy spread plainly across their young faces. The stern woman still didn't manage to crack a smile.

"Have you eaten anything yet?" Kingsley asked the pair, it was still early – barely nine am – and part of his plan for today was sitting the children down with a sugary drink along with something warm and comforting to eat.

"Nope, we were too excited to eat," Harry replied.

Kingsley thought he heard Hermione mutter 'and too scared' under her breath but couldn't be entirely sure. Not that he'd blame her. He'd leave it, for now anyway.

"How about we get something to eat then before we get going home?" Kingsley suggested, making sure that it was a question, something, they could say no to.

"Sure." Hermione and Harry replied together, though Hermione tacked a "thank you" on the end. Eulalia would have been proud. Well, after she'd have kicked Dumbledore's arse then Kinglsey's, she would have been proud anyway, he thought wryly.

Sitting in a nice café in the heart of York, not too far from the 'care home' he had collected them from, Kingsley told Harry and Hermione they could choose anything they wanted off of the menu, he was slightly concerned when he had to nudge Hermione into a hot chocolate when all she had asked for was a glass of water. Tap water at that.

Casting a quick privacy charm under the table while nobody was looking Kingsley began the conversation that would further change the childrens' lives forever. "There is something we need to talk about before we go on the next leg of our journey," he started, his voice light, he hoped.

He was aware that he wasn't a particularly affectionate man and that perhaps he'd have to overcome some of his stoic, remote tendencies now that he was the guardian of two young children.

Harry looked up from a slice of treacle tart and his face became serious, he sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. Meanwhile Hermione's face completely closed off, her shoulders tensed, the air around the young girl seemed to suggest that she'd been waiting for something bad to happen and believed this to be it.

"Have you ever done anything unexplainable? Either of you? Made things happen when you were scared or sad?" Kingsley asked them as kindly as possible not at all sure despite going over his plan repeatedly that he was handling this the right way.

The children seemed to tense further and leaned closer to each other before grasping hands. Harry gave a terse nod.

"That is because, Harry you're a wizard, and Hermione, you are a witch. Just like your parents were magical, so are you and so am I," Kingsley explained.

Both children seemed to think about this for a moment before Hermione spoke.

"You're sure about this?" She asked, her voice soft and lilting, though missing the childlike wonder it should have held. She was much too… grown up for Kinglsey's liking. He was thankful that now he could give her and Harry the carefree childhood they deserved. "You're sure that what we can do is magic?"

"I'm a hundred percent sure. You were both speaking with those snakes at the zoo and you were both doing accidental magic when… when you were babies." Kingsley managed to stutter out. He wouldn't get into the rest, not today.

"Wow!" Harry declared with an awed smile, his emerald eyes sparkling.

"That's amazing." Hermione agreed, her own eyes glittering, and Kingsley felt that punch to the gut once more.

They spent the next half an hour talking about magic, magical animals – are dragons real? – wands, school – we'll really be able to go? – shopping and their new home. Rappley and Lupin were briefly touched upon though both Hermione and Harry looked worried about them, so Kingsley quickly changed the subject to their new rooms.

After that all of them were eager to get to their new home and explore.

~0~0~

With a bang the purple triple decker knight bus seemed to appear in the bright mid-morning spring sun outside the gates of the beautiful red stone building. Two of its passengers feeling quite nauseous as they disembarked after their first trip on the magical bus.

"I didn't like that." Hermione whispered to Kingsley as he followed her and Harry off the bus. Harry nodded his agreement still with a bit of a green tinge to his skin.

"No one enjoys their first time," Kingsley said. He was quite proud that neither of them had parted with their earlier meals. Most children did at least the first time on the bus.

"Wow!" Harry gasped as they turned to look through the large black iron gates at their new home.

"Wow." Hermione echoed him, seemingly unable to top that word.

"Are we really-" Harry started asking.

"- going to live- " Hermione continued the sentence which both children finished together. "here?"

"Yes. This is Harpily Heather Home, come on, you can have the tour and see your new rooms. If you'd like to?" Kingsley quickly remembered to make it a choice, an option.

"Yeah!" Hermione said bouncing ever so slightly. It was the most excited he'd seen her yet and it warmed him from the inside.

"Cool! Let's go!" Harry exclaimed rushing to the gates as though the house was nothing more than a mirage and it would vanish at any moment.

The tour took a while and Kingsley was pleasantly surprised at how excited Hermione and Harry were about the large library. Asking in an almost reverent hush if they could read the books and if any were about magic. He'd promised them they could read to their hearts content if they didn't touch the books on the higher shelves until after he'd rearranged them. He had a few Auror booking in the collection after all and he didn't need either of them having nightmares after seeing pictures of Inferi or bodies of curse victims.

~0~

The time passed quickly with Kingsley, Harry, Hermione, Rappley and now Lupin settling into a routine that seemed to work for them. Kingsley had gone back to work a fortnight ago and was finding it harder to concentrate than normal, though he confessed, if only to himself, that he was finding work somewhat of a break from the rigors of parenting.

Not that Harry and Hermione were hard work of course, almost completely the opposite, they were excellently behaved. Perhaps too much so, there were certain aspects of their behaviour that gave Kingsley cause for concern. Their slight flinching when there were raised hands or voices. The almost phobic actions around confined spaces they had. Their unwavering politeness. It was concerning but he was hoping that by giving them a steady home and the family life they'd obviously been lacking previously that he could help them get past their issues.

"Constant vigilance!" A walking stick was banged onto Kingsley's desk along with the bellowed words jarring Kingsley violently out of his worrying.

"Hello Moody," Kingsley replied going for his normal unflappability despite his heart pounding in his chest, he assumed by the frown on the scarred Auror looking down on him that he'd been successful. Inwardly though he cursed. He was extremely good at his job, he had to be as the alternative was a highly shortened life span, it wasn't like him to let Moody get one up on him like that. Not after the first month or so of training by the older man. He needed to try harder at leaving his home life back at home where it belonged.

"Not like you to be wool gathering Shacklebolt," Moody said, stepping fully into Kinglsey's cramped cubicle and helping himself to the visitor's seat opposite the rather small desk. "Get your head back in the job, we need to talk about the Hilstone case." The aging Auror barked before he took a swig from his hip flask, that Kingsley knew damn well didn't contain pumpkin juice, and smacked his lips together in apparent appreciation.

Kingsley sighed, the Hilstone case was what they believed to have been a burglary gone awry, however nothing about the case had been easy. From the victims blaming the aurors and refusing to let them search for any magical signatures, Kingsley was thinking that it might have been an attempt at staging a robbery and taking the insurance money, and were it not for the fact that one of the victims had somehow ended up dead it would have been passed over to a team from Magical Law Enforcement Patrol.

They spent five minutes bemoaning the case before they were interrupted by a large brilliant white ethereal wolf appearing on top of Kingsley's desk. "You need to come home. Now." The wolf said in Lupin's voice, however the voice had a strangled quality to it, as though the owner was panicking.

Kingsley leapt straight to his feet, his heart hammering in his chest, his wand grasped firmly in hand as he ran to the auror office floo. He vaguely heard the clunking of Moody's wooden leg as the older man limped after him, the prosthetic leg barely slowing the infamous man down.

In a whoosh of green flame and a face full of ash Kingsley was rushing out of the fireplace at home. Quickly Kingsley took stock, nothing was out of place, it was quiet, the ward alarms weren't detecting a breach. Kingsley pushed thoughts of the kids already at St Mungo's out of his mind and focused once more, he cast a homenum revelio, noticing absently that it lit up Mad-Eye behind him. Three bright balls of light shone from the library where Lupin should have been doing his tutoring. Kingsley silenced his feet then took off at a run.

Lupin must have smelt him or sensed him as he opened both doors to the library and with a pale face and open mouth ushered Kingsley inside. With a glance behind him at Moody, he cautiously entered the large room.

Kingsley's first emotion at seeing the kids playing was relief, full blown relief that he'd never known before. He felt weak with it, his heart stuttering a bit as the air forced from his lungs. They were fine. Hermione and Harry were fine. He sat down hard on a chair, needing the stability of the rigid wood. When Kingsley had passed relief though he felt the blood drain out of his face and his heart beat heavily in his chest, as though it was pumping pure dread through him. He just about registered Mad-Eye and Lupin sitting down either side of him. Harry and Hermione had barely glanced at the adults, too deep into their games.

"It must be an incendio and an aguamenti, right?" Kingsley said after a few minutes, his typically strong even voice coming across as uneven in his shock.

"It's… possible." Lupin said, but the werewolf didn't sound convinced.

The three adults watched the two children intently. They were playing stuffed animals that Kingsley's parents – Belphoebe and Darius Shacklebolt – had brought for them just last week.

Hermione was playing with her Phoenix, that she had named Embers. The toys wings and tail were enchanted so that they moved, giving the appearance of flight. Currently, it was perched on Hermione's arm and she was chatting to it as though it was alive. It was on fire. Bright blue and red flames licked the toy and danced down Hermione's bare arm, apparently not hurting the girl at all.

Harry, meanwhile, was playing with his stuffed Thunderbird, Frink, also a gift from Belphoebe and Darius, who insisted they be called Nanna and Pops, much to the childrens' delight. Frinks' wings moved as well and he was also enchanted to let out a screech every now and then while being played with, something Kingsley was determined to get his parents back for one day. The toy however was not enchanted to make a thunderstorm, complete with water and tiny sparks of lightening. Harry was making the bird fly over some books, muttering about a village and a drought. The 'rain' the boy was creating was stopping just short of hitting the books and ruining them.

"I'll take a Vow not to tell a soul who doesn't know." Moody growled out very gruffly after another minute or two. "Lupin should as well. I'll be back Saturday morning to teach 'um defence, the muggle way and hiding and tracking. They should learn all they can cause, boy, if this gets out…"

"I know." Kingsley murmured with a heavy heart.

"There hasn't been anyone capable of controlling the elements since the Founders," Lupin whispered, his words barely loud enough to be heard.

"We can't let this get out." Kingsley said firmly.

"You can't stop 'em practicing Shacklebolt, it does funny things to you, bottling magic up. Just need to teach them Constant Vigilance," Moody said.

~0~0~

September the second that year brought the Prophet just as the family were sitting down to breakfast, Rappley joining them as usual now.

"Two more were sorted into Emrys." Kingsley told Lupin as he read through the paper, eating his pancakes as he did. "Got re-sorted into Gryffindor oddly enough."

"How many is that now?" Lupin asked after he finished a mouthful of toast.

"Three Gryffindor's, one Ravenclaw and two Hufflepuff's," Kingsley replied. "Six, and two of them are seventh years."

"And it's still not open?" Lupin asked.

"Nope, highest it's been in hundreds of years too. Still won't say who the students are, guess for their security."

"I think that it was a prank by the founders." Lupin said with a grin.

Kingsley snorted softly. "You would."

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