Hiii, sorry it's been a long time since I've updated this story. I just moved and all. Here's more! The usual disclaimers that characters HP fans recognize from the books and movies are not mine; they belong to JK Rowling; thanks, dear JK for bringing the wonderful Harry to us, not to mention his great friends! Enjoy, all Harry fans!


All Incredible Odds

By: CNJ

PG-13

3: New Additions

Harry:

"Hello...welcome..." I told the girls softly as they shyly looked around, then clung to each other. Janice and I smiled at them, hoping that would take away the edge of their apparent nervousness. Both were rather small for their ages. Eva had black hair much to my surprise and she was slightly chubby like her biological dad. I couldn't say that either one of them resembled Dudley, except for Margo's light brown hair, which was almost as light as Dudley's. I'd never met their natural mum, Ellen, so I couldn't say if they'd inherited any features from her.

Not surprisingly, they appeared wary, looking around with large blue eyes. Haunted eyes. I fought down a catch in my throat at their guarded demeanors. Janice and I took care not to overwhelm them with either over-enthusiastic welcome fanfare or any guest just yet. They needed time to get used to their new surroundings, the new people in their lives.

For most of the afternoon, Janice and I helped them unpack their bags and showed them their rooms. The girls took it in, quietly regarding us solemnly, then looking around the rooms. Later on Janice and I ordered out Indian food.

Margo ate cautiously and slowly while Eva ate rapidly. "This is better than what other mum and dad gave us," Eva told us.

"I'm glad to hear that," Janice poured more pumpkin juice.

"Are you magic people?" Eva asked.

"You could say that," I nodded.

"Dad never likes magic people," Eva went on. "But I saw a few in a store and they aren't bad, so I don't know why Dad never liked them." Margo was looking at her sister with wide fearful eyes.

"Oh, she didn't mean that," Margo said softly, so softly we had to strain to hear her. "Please don't lock us in the cupboard...dad used to lock us in the cupboard for talking about magic." That made me swallow.

Janice looked over at me, then told the girls, "No one is going to put you in a cupboard here. You're safe here. And yes, you can talk about magic here."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, how are my nieces?" Trevor asked later on that night over the mobile.

"Better than they were in their old home, I can tell you," I told him, leaning back in my chair and going over barrister briefs. Janice and I were on three months parental leave from our jobs, but we still did some work at home.

"It's kind of odd..." Trevor went on. "I never thought of Dudley as even a half-brother and it isn't just because we never met...but I'm starting to think of Eva and Margo as my nieces."

"Yeah..." I cleared my throat, wondering if I should tell Trevor about the cupboard.

"So...any hints about what their previous home was like for them?" Trevor asked softly.

"I gather that it wasn't very good," I told my cousin. "One of them was afraid we had a cupboard to lock them in."

"Gads..." Trevor gasped. "Isn't that what your uncle used to do to you?"

"Yes." I never could lie to Trevor.

"That's what Dudley must have learned from his dad," Trever went on. "I get the feeling it could bring back memories for you...hey, if you ever get overwhelmed, come find me."

"Thanks..." I said softly. Trevor's funny, clownish, dramatic, and loud, but he has one of the kindest hearts I've ever known. Trevor and I talked about other things, including Trevor's latest script and trends in films.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back in Surrey...

Dudley:

Ellen's parents peered at us. "So you've been unemployed for three months?" Ellen's mum asked me.

"Almost," I told her, already bored with her parents' grilling. All we asked them is to move in with them until we got back on our feet. They let us back in two nights ago, but now they were putting us through a huge inquisition.

"And so social services haven't told you when you'd get your kids back?" Ellen's dad poured more coffee for all of us.

"No," Ellen shook her head.

"Have you pursued the matter further?" Ellen's mum sipped her coffee.

"No..." Ellen told her.

"Why?"

"I doubt we can afford this with my husband being out of work," Ellen snapped. "It isn't our fault some social worked decided we were lousy parents and took our kids away! I come back from shopping one afternoon, the kids are gone and there're two social workers telling me that they'd pinned us on some kind of abuse charges and the kids were in foster care."

"Oh, bloody hell..." Ellen's dad blew out his breath. "Just what you two need...child abuse accusations."

"It isn't our fault," I told them, my already short patience snapping. "We tried to discipline the girls; they aren't easy kids."

"All right, all right, let me call around..." Ellen's dad muttered.

"Isn't the barrister supposed to take care of that?" I demanded.

"To hear you plead not guilty of abuse, yes," Ellen's dad snapped. "But not to get the kids back so easily. You'll need a separate hearing for that." With that, he got up and headed to his study, leaving Ellen and me fuming.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back in the magical world...

Harry:

The screams awakened both Janice and me and we ran down the hall to the girls' rooms. Margo. She was thrashing about and screaming. Janice turned on the lamp and I held her gently in my arms. She thrashed about a bit more, then came awake. The wild, dazed look in her eyes faded and she focused on us.

"It's all right, love..." I whispered. "You're here...you're here...no one can hurt you here..." I rocked her gently while Janice stroked here. Margo began to cry into my shoulder. We sat like that for several minutes...I really don't know how many minutes. I was aware of Eva slowly coming in, her small face apprehensive.

"Your sister will be all right; she had a nightmare..." I could hear Janice tell her. We sat like that a while longer. I don't know whether it was five minutes or a half hour, but the next thing I knew, I'd drifted off and the sun was shining in the window and Margo was in my arms asleep. I slowly got up from the floor and put her back to bed. Looking at the clock, it was still early, around seven, so I headed back to bed after checking on Eva in the adjacent room. Janice stirred, then drifted back off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bit by bit, we settled into a routine. It was rather chaotic at first, especially since neither Janice or I are very structured people. Several times, social workers dropped in on us to see how we were faring. At one social workers' recommendation and after Janice and I scouted about the schools of Hogston, we found a good one for both magic and muggle students. It was halfway between our home and the village of Hogsmeade.

...so you girls will be going to the same school as Evan and Geneveve," I told Margo and Eva once we'd started back from looking through the school and getting the girls acclimated to their new environment.

They were beginning to trust us. I could tell by the way Margo held my hand and Eva held Janice's. Eva is rather reserved, but verbal while Margo is quieter, but less structured. I wondered if she might be artistic or have musical talent. It was too early to tell, however.

I was becoming attached to the girls myself and tried not to think of the upcoming hearing in early November. Janice and I would have to go the court and Dudley and his wife would be there. It was late August, so I pushed the thought out of my mind and got ready for the picnic Janice and I were hosting this afternoon. The kids would meet my friends and their kids.

The picnic went fairly well. Eva and Geneveve especially hit it off since they were the same age.

"So, Eva and Margo are going to Hogston Primary?" Ron asked me as he almost inhaled his chips.

"Yes." I nodded. "So your kids start on the first?"

"Yeah..." Ron brushed back his thick red hair. "Anne starts kindergarten this year. Andrew's always telling her, soon you'll be five. She of course thinks it's this week, when it's still over two months away." I nodded, grinning. Kids have a rather imperfect sense of time. "Are you thinking of adopting?"

"Yes...the hearing's in early November," I pushed my glasses up my nose and tried not to shudder.

"If they saw the proof of abuse, they'd clear them for adoption easily," Ron told me.

"It's Dudley, you know," I blurted out.

"Dudley...?" Ron nearly choked on his butterbeer. Once he stopped coughing, he asked, "You mean, that cousin who pounded you all the time as a kid that you had to live with for over ten years?"

"That's the one."

"I wonder what business he had having kids in the first place..." Ron muttered.

"Probably didn't know what end is up," I added. "Janice and I are so glad to have them now. Oh, Ron, we love them." I could feel my brows tighten in worry.

"You'll be sure to get them," Ron reassured me as we watched Ginny, Hermione, Neville, and Janice stand around the table eating and talking.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

School started. The next two months flew by and then the hearing was here. It was held in a muggle court. Seeing Dudley after all these years brought out a bizarre mix of feelings. Sadness over a lost possible relationship...pity for Dudley, since I knew he is not a happy person...pain over memories of his cruelty, both to me and to others. We did not speak to each other that day. We sat silently across the courtroom as our respective barristers spoke. Once in a while, Janice would hold my hand in reassurance.

It was good that our friends were in the back, especially since Dudley's barrister described me as abnormal and disturbed...words that my late aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon used on me. The barrister then went on and on about parental rights. At one point, when barrister appeared to be done, Dudley stood and bellowed, "You also forgot to add in that my wife can be a full-time mother in a way that...those can't!" The court broke into an amalgam of mutters and restless shifting.

"Order..." Judge Brennan called. I could see Dudley's barrister shaking his head at Dudley. Once my barrister stood to testify, she called several social workers as well as a couple of our friends. Another witness was Aunt Marge. She described how she'd seen Dudley bully others all his life, including me. It brought tears to my eyes several times and I tried not to blink. Blinking when I'm close to tears, I've discovered, just makes the tears spill over. I concentrated on staring ahead at the judge and plaque behind her until my side of the testimony was over.

"Thank you," Janice and I told our barrister as we left the courtroom.

"You're quite welcome," our barrister smiled at us. "Just one more interview and the decision will be made by late November...I think we'll make it." We hoped.



More coming! Will Eva and Margo stay with Harry and Janice and officially become their daughters? What new challenges will all of them face, especially when tragedy strikes one of Harry's dearest friends? More soon!