With the Love of Parents

Chapter 4: First Days

It was several days later that Jenna, having unpacked all their belongings and warded the house (putting in several trap doors and sliding walls with Zack's help- just in case), faced her first day returning to work as a Canadian Auror.

That morning, after dressing herself and the kids, and making a quick breakfast, Jenna ushered the trio out the door. Chattering loudly, the three children were easily loaded into Jenna's truck and then they were off to Arlene's.

"Mom?" Jenna called out 15 minutes later as she and the kids entered the house, not bothering to ring the doorbell.

"I'm in here, love!" Arlene called from the kitchen, the sound of her voice accompanied by several different smells.

Shyly, the 3 children preceded their guardian, still unsure around their new relatives. Arlene greeted the three youngsters with a warm smile, a hug and a kiss, and then plopped them down at the table with heaping plates of baked treats.

"Mm, smells heavenly Mama," Jenna smiled, returning her mother's hug and ignoring the flour hand prints that resulted on her robes, adding, "Thanks so much for doing this, Mom."

"Oh, get on with you child!" Arlene said firmly, flicking her daughter with the dishcloth she'd tucked into her waistband, "Of course I'm happy to watch my grandkids for the day."

At the table, Harry looked up from his discussion with his siblings with surprised wonder on his face. Neither his siblings nor the two adults noticed his distraction as he stared at his new grandmother with something akin to hero-worship.

Only Jenna had ever accepted him so firmly and quickly and he'd firmly decided that Jenna was one of a kind, but this new development had his opinion changing once again. Arlene hardly knew them and yet, here she was, easily and firmly declaring them as her grandchildren.

Harry was pulled from his wondering thoughts moments later, however, when she came to the table to say her goodbyes. She gave each child a hug and a kiss, as well as pilfering a goodie from each of their plates.

"Alright, my babies, I've got to go off to work. Behave for your grandma and listen to what she has to say. No paint fights, no food fights. Don't colour on the walls. I've got my cell on me at all times in case you need me Mom. I don't have a doctor for the kids yet, but if anything goes wrong, the walk-in clinic is just-"

"Get out Jenna!" Arlene demanded with a laugh, "I raised you and your brothers just fine, and I don't need all your advice. I'll call you if I need you, but I highly doubt that will happen- I can handle these three little munchkins just fine."

"Okay, okay!" Jenna laughed, holding her hands up in surrender, "But, don't forget-"

"Go Jennifer Redding, before you're later for work! Shoo!" Arlene laughed, flicking at her daughter with the dishcloth once more.

"Okay, okay!" Jenna repeated, adding, "Are you sure it's okay that I leave my car here and just Apparate to work from here?"

"Get out of here!" Arlene demanded, "Right now!"

Laughing, Jenna blew her mother a kiss before disappearing from the kitchen with a Pop. Laughing herself, Arlene shook her head at her daughter's antics before turning back to the children, her hands on her hips.

"That woman," Arlene muttered, but without any bite, "Acts as if I haven't been around children before!"

The three children grinned at their new grandmother as she launched into a silly, nonsensical tirade. As she talked, she walked around the kitchen, waving her hands about exaggeratedly and stomping about, tossing the children into peals of laughter.

Some time later, her own laughter spent, Arlene turned to the trio again. With a smile on her face, she asked, "How would you three like to help me feed the puppies?"

Eyes wide, Draco asked excitedly, "Could we really?"

Laughing slightly, she answered, "Certainly, baby. And, afterwards, when we let them out into the yard for exercise, I'll let you play with them, 'kay?"

The three children cheered excitedly, scrambling out of their chairs and racing out into the backyard, their laughing new grandmother following behind them. The backyard was large, almost the size of a small country farm field. A medium-sized, barn-shaped building was situated at back of the yard and several, large, long dog runs ran through the yard, the rest open and green. In one spot of the yard was a small play set, one that had been bought and built for Jenna and her brothers and had been maintained over the years. The whole yard was fenced in by a short, wire fence so that none of the dogs could get out and either get lost in the surrounding country or hit by a car on the road, even 'though it was seldom used.

"What kinda dogs do you got?" Hermione asked curiously, eyes wide as the quartet walked to the kennels.

"All kinds," Arlene smiled, "Lots of people only want dogs with certain pedigrees-that's a little bit like blood. But I don't think that matters very much. The best thing about the dogs that I raise is that they're friendly and kind. A lot of the puppies I raise are donated to places that use puppies and dogs to help people."

"How do they do that?" a perplexed Harry wanted to know.

"Well, it depends," Arlene smiled, "Sometimes, if a little boy or girl can't see, a puppy can be trained to see for them. The puppy will lead them around to places and help them across the street, that kind of thing."

"What else?" Draco asked in rapture.

"Well, sometimes, there are people who can't walk, because they were born that way, or because they were in an accident. In that case, some dogs can be trained to get things, like the phone, or open doors for them." Arlene explained, simplifying it as best she could.

"That's so cool!" Harry smiled, having picked up the slang from the teenagers on the plane and liking how it sounded.

Arlene laughed, shaking her head before opening the sliding door and ushering the trio into the well-lit room. Lined up on either side of the small shed-like contraption were 5 large cages. Dogs and puppies filled them all, and they all began to bark excitedly at the sight of Arlene and the children.

The children gave shrieks of delight and laughter and went streaking towards the cages. Tongues snaked out through cages to lick at sticky little hands and eagerly anticipating faces. Shaking her head, Arlene let them play while she, herself, began to prepare what she would need for her day, the typical routine interrupted with the delight of her darling new grandchildren.

XoXoXoXo

Jenna appeared at the entrance to the Canadian Ministry of Magic with a small pop. Much like the atrium in the England Ministry of Magic, the entrance room and lobby of the Canadian MoM was bustling with people and activity.

However, unlike in the British Ministry, the atmosphere here was lighter. People called out to each other halfway across the room, but no one minded the noise. When someone bumped into another, laughter resulted from the encounter, the happy sound filling the room sporadically.

Jenna grinned as she gazed around her. After she'd graduated at Hogwarts, she'd spent every year since then here, in this place. It was only just before Greta died that she'd left, and even then she wasn't sure if it would be permanent. But, since Hermione had no other family alive in England, Jenna had easily made the decision to move back, Harry and Draco and all that came with them only solidifying that decision. She'd been guaranteed her position back here, but, nevertheless, she was still nervous about her first day back.

Despite her nervousness, Jenna's stride was confident as she strode across the small room, exchanging greetings and smiles with several people, some she didn't even know. She reached the small, slightly cramped elevator and slipped easily inside, hitting the button for her own floor. It wasn't long before they reached the 4th floor- The Department of Magical Defense and the Department of Species Relations. With a polite smile to the others on the elevator, she stepped of the elevator.

As she stepped out, she gazed around at the cubicles that lined the walls and filled the room. Their was just as many here as in the England Ministry, but, for some reason, it was not as crowded. With a deep breath, Jenna wiped some imaginary dust off her navy blue Auror robes and strode confidently forward to the office door at the end of the room. Before she could get their however, she was waylaid by a happily shrieking blur of red hair.

A tall, red-headed woman slammed into Jenna with an excited squeal. Her red hair, a bright, fire-engine red, fell down her hair in a tumble of curls, and she had large, brown eyes. Light freckles spotted her pale complexion and button nose. She was Maria Weasley, Jenna's best friend.

"Jenna!" Maria cried happily, wrapping her arms tightly around her friend, "Oh, I'm so glad you're back! You don't know how much I missed you!"

"Mary!" Jenna laughed in her own happiness, hugging her friend back just as tightly, "Girl, it's so good to see you!"

"What's going on out here?" demanded a rough male voice as the office door swung open, revealing a tall, handsome man in the doorway.

A full 6 feet 6 the least, he seemed to tower over Jenna's own frame. Blonde hair was slightly too long, curling around his ears and at the collar of his shirt and deep, green eyes were filled with knowledge and power.

"Greg!" Mary yelled happily, forgetting for the moment that she wasn't supposed to act so familiar with her fiancée and superior at work, "Look who's back!"

Greg's eyes lit up when they saw Jenna and he opened his arms wide, crushing both her and Mary in a bear hug as he greeted his long-time friend. Greg, too, had grown up with Jenna and Greta, but Greg had chosen to attend a Canadian magical school, as had Zack. Jenna had attended Hogwarts simply because she wanted to see what her half brother had been so excited about, and she hadn't been disappointed.

"So," Greg demanded a few minutes later, after a brief catch-up, "Where's the pictures?"

Innocently, Jenna asked, "Whoever said I had pictures?"

"Jennifer Arlene Redding!" Mary yelled, shaking her finger sternly at her friend, "Give us those pictures right now or you'll get it!"

Laughing gaily, Jenna obediently pulled a small photo album out of the purse hanging on her arm. With a grin, she flicked her wand over the small book and enlarged it to normal size before handing it over to her two friends.

Eagerly, the two began to flick through the album, laughing and smiling with delight at the pictures that greeted them. The first picture in the book was of the day she and the kids had had the paint fight. After that was a picture Jenna had taken of the trio sleeping. A picture of Jenna piggybacking Harry, Draco and Hermione clamped onto wither leg, came next, and several more followed.

"Oh, Jenna, they're just so precious!" Mary exclaimed as she gazed adoringly at a picture of the trio, grinning happily up at her from one of the pictures.

"I know," Jenna smiled, "I know."

XoXoXoXo

"Mom, I'm home!" Jenna called out into the, strangely, quiet house. She'd arrived seconds earlier, her arrival announced with the loud pop that accompanied apparition, but no one had yet greeted her.

"We're out here Jenna!" Arlene called out, her voice filled with laughter, coming from out on the back porch.

Shedding her robes and dropping them on a nearby chair, Jenna curiously followed the sounds of laughter out to the backyard. As she reached the screen door, she opened it and leaned in the door way, laughter in her eyes at the sight before her.

The kids were laughing and screeching with delight as they played with several, raucous puppies in the yard. Their mothers lay nearby, panting lightly, one watchful eye kept on their children as they lay absorbing the late afternoon sun. Arlene was seated contentedly on one of the rocking chairs on the large porch, her own eyes just as watchful as the mother-dogs' were.

"Hello Mom," Jenna smiled as she stepped further out onto the porch, "Eventful day?"

"It's been a long time since I've had so much fun." Arlene laughed happily as Jenna dropped on the porch beside the rocker, leaning her head on her mother's knee. "Your little babies sure are some kind of fun!"

Laughing, Jenna grinned, "Tell me about it," before the children finally noticed her arrival. Instantly, they were scrambling up form the pile up in the grass and rushing up the porch stairs.

"Jenna, Jenna, guess what?" Hermione shrieked excitedly, "Gamma let us help feed the puppies!"

"Gamma, huh?" Jenna asked in a low voice for only her mother's ears as the children prattled on, oblivious to her inattention as she shot a smiling, sidelong look at her mother. Arlene grinned, a slight blush on her cheeks, but happiness and pride there too.

"Jenna! You're not listening!" Draco said angrily as he tugged at her shirt.

"Sorry love, I'm a little tired," Jenna apologized instantly, looking down at her son and giving him her full attention now, "Now, what would you like, darling?"

"We wanna know what to call you." Draco said, looking up at her earnestly, "You're like our Mums, but you're not our actual mum, so we don't know what to call you."

Jenna stared down at them, speechless, for several moments. Tears filled her eyes at even the thought of the trio thinking of her 'like their Mums'. The lump in her throat prevented her from saying anything, but Harry answered first anyway.

"Mama Red!" he declared suddenly, with a large grin, "For Redding!"

"Ya!" Hermione yelled happily, "Mama Red!" Draco, too, grinned in agreement.

"That's settled then," Arlene said with a wide grin, brushing surreptitiously at her own eyes as she stood briskly, "I'm Gamma and you're Mama Red. Now, let's get these pups and moms back into their cages and then we'll start dinner!"

Excitedly, and oblivious to the happy turmoil they'd left behind, the trio fled off the porch. Jenna and Arlene shared a quick glance, before tears dripped down their cheeks for a moment. Then, linking arms, they followed their new family.

Later that night, Jenna ushered three yawning, weary children ahead of her into the house, a wry grin on her face. For, alongside them, was the gangly, new 2 year old, canine, member of their family, Cooper.
XoXoXoXo

A/N Hey Hey hey! How is everyone? Yes. I know I'm a pain in the but-but I'm okay with that. I feel really bad about half-abandoning my stories but, I promise, I will try harder to get everything up as soon as I can. No guarantees except that I'll try hard as I can!

Red