he Search Is Over,
Chapter 144,
The Children Are Our Future
Some things one had to experience to truly understand. Of course Regulus and Kreacher had seen other people with children, Regulus's own parents included! Still watching others from the side could have never properly told them just how much having children changed the life of the parents. Having children became the life of the parents. Of course there was the occasional night away when the children were left in the charge of other capable and trusted hands, but most of the time parents remained at the side of their children. Good parents that was, and Regulus and Kreacher intended to be good parents even if it did cut huge chunks out of their personal life and alone time.
As vampires they felt they were already somewhat at a disadvantage sleeping during most of the children's waking hours. Generally children enjoyed being awake during the day, and Regulus and Kreacher did not wish to alter the lives of their children in any negative way by making them miss their days just to remain on similar schedules with their parents. Instead they spent as many waking hours with the children as they could. In order to have enough proper bonding time with them, this did mean that the children went to bed a bit later than other children as they grew, at ten in the evening rather than eight.
When Kreacher and Regulus weren't with the children due to being asleep or on the rare times they went out with friends, the twins were in the care of the four elves who now looked after #12 Grimmauld. The elves were paid well for their efforts so Regulus felt confident leaving the children in their capable care.
Once Kreacher had trained them to his satisfaction, Regulus insisted they be freed and paid, a thing to which Kreacher grudgingly agreed. Regulus was vaguely horrified by the fact Kreacher could've enslaved his own people, but the elf was always defensive and short tempered when he raised the subject.
Kreacher seemed to fear that free elves would not be as loyal or do as good a job. Regulus disagreed, but he did understand that many of the elves Kreacher had met hadn't impressed him much. Still he'd chosen his own and seemed to tolerate them well enough. As vampires they could see into the minds of Stormy, Piper, Jazz and Ripper with ease if necessary. This meant that they were certain the elves were trust worthy even if they felt Kreacher and Regulus were extremely odd. If they didn't like Kreacher, it was because of how dominating he was even down to the ways in which they accomplished their household tasks. That was just Kreacher's way and Regulus loved Kreacher with his entire soul. He did understand, though, that sometimes others would not.
Regardless of how the other four elves felt about Regulus and Kreacher, they did seem to care very much for the children, which was what truly mattered. It meant the children were safe in their hands during the hours that the sun kept Kreacher and Regulus indisposed. Of course the children had other influences in their lives as well, for Kreacher and Regulus knew how important socialization was for any children. It was important for their children, in particular, to have normal socialization. Being different from birth, they would encounter more challenges of both a natural and unnatural nature from the world at large. Having a stable foundation of friends as well as adults they could count on was seen by both parents as a must.
Occasionally there were play dates with other children to nurture a balance in the lives of the twins. Griphook still kept company from time to time with Regulus and Kreacher to discuss magical theory, and the goblin had a few young nephews with whom the children played. They also visited with Severus and Mag to play with their daughter, Serpensortia, who was only a bit under a year older as well as Albus and Bera's son Wulfric. Wulfric was five years older so could look after the younger children to a degree.
Of course extended family was just as important for a healthy formative foundation as were friends. The Lestranges visited as often as work permitted. Regulus and Kreacher paid Ariana to study the portraits of the ghosts at Hogwarts as well as speaking to the more learned ghosts including the Gray Lady and the Bloody Baron on ways and methods of grounding a ghost safely to a particular location. They very much wanted Orion and Walburga to be a part of the children's lives as much as the ghosts wished to be. If they could be grounded to portraits, or even bound to the home itself as the Bloody Baron and Gray Lady were bound to Hogwarts that would make things so much easier.
Regulus was fully aware that part of this was selfish. He and Kreacher wanted the parents back. Of course they did. But he did want them about for the children, and because Orion and Walburga wanted to return as well. Neither had found particular piece in their end or in crossing over.
In part this had been due to too many unanswered questions. Even once the questions were answered upon their first meeting with Regulus and Kreacher via Ariana, letting go had not come easily or willingly. Even Ariana had to admit that most spirits were comforted and ready to move on when loose ends were tied up and that Regulus's parents were particularly stubborn.
Perhaps Regulus was their loose end, and he'd considered this more than once. The fact that he'd taken things so hard perhaps hadn't allowed them to let go and move on. Though he was doing significantly better after the healers had seen to removing the green potion, he still had his moments when it came to certain painful issues for which he yet found it difficult to forgive himself.
Perhaps this was because, due to the effects of said potion, he'd learned too well to accept and incorporate wretched feelings regarding various topics into who he was. With children of his own, he'd made a rather good job of moving on as he saw it. If his parents felt the need to move on, he wouldn't stop them, but as they seemed intent on remaining a part of the family, he wouldn't pretend that he didn't still very much want them around as did Kreacher.
The children were certainly enriched by their presence. At first they didn't seem to know that they were ghosts, responding to them as they would anyone else. Ariana allowed Orion and Walburga to visit with the children every few months so they could watch them grow.
It never failed to astound Kreacher and Regulus just how fast they grew! They of course began teaching the children to talk nearly right away though it was several months before those teaching attempts bore any fruit. Dada was the first word of both, then Hi and in Loughness's case Now.
The little boy could be rather demanding and that had started early. Both children were quite smart. The smartest children ever as far as Kreacher and Regulus were concerned, though both knew that likely all parents thought so of their children...well most parents. Some children were surely so daft that even doting parents couldn't believe them the best and brightest.
As the children grew older, it became, at times, more of an inconvenience that Regulus and Kreacher were forced to sleep during the day. Christmas morning, for example, presented an issue. Either the two missed the children opening their gifts or the children had to wait until later in the evening to do so in order for their parents to share the experience.
Of course often Christmas was dark and snowy, rainy or at least cloudy, so in those cases Kreacher and Regulus could rise and participate if rather in a sleepy drugged state which the children found quite annoying. There were other days, though, other events, when the parents missed out on key moments in the lives of their children. It was Severus and Mag who took them along with Serpensortia and Wulfric to a Muggle amusement park and to their first wizarding Autumn carnival. Of course they got all the details from the children when they returned, but it wasn't the same.
Though they were twins, their differences began to show the more they grew. Loughness was the boisterous demanding one if still loving and affectionate in his gruff way. Hydra was more serious, quiet and thoughtful. She was, at times, easier to handle, but in truth the idea of anything happening to either of their children would be enough to drive both Regulus and Kreacher mad. They loved their children with a fierceness only rivaled by their love for one another.
When Ariana was finally confident in what she'd learned from studying the bindings on the ghosts at Hogwarts to attempt grounding Walburga and Orion to #12 Grimmauld Place, the twins were nearly six years old. Regulus and Kreacher sent Loughness and Hydra to visit the Lestranges for the day in case the attempt failed. It would likely be as upsetting for the children as for the ghosts, and what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them.
"The Hogwarts ghosts weren't bound by a necromancer, but rather by their own attachment to the place," Ariana explained.
"The portraits are another thing, but those aren't full ghosts either, so we're not going to bother with that. The binding to their former home itself will give them far more range of motion than to a portrait anyway."
Regulus nodded. That did sound best. He'd hate to think of his parents being bored living trapped in the small space of a single portrait. Such was likely to drive anyone mad after a time.
"I will require an item or two that belonged to each of them," Ariana said.
Kreacher nodded and darted off to the attic where they'd stored all of Orion and Walburga's belongings last year after Loughness had asked to have their room for his own.
"You, Kreacher and the children are quite likely enough to bind them here, but the personal objects won't hurt and we want this to be as strong a binding as possible," she explained to Regulus while they waited for Kreacher to return.
"I just hope it works," Regulus said, suddenly feeling anxious.
"If not, they shan't be harmed, shall they?"
"No, probably not," Ariana said, nipping at her lower lip with her two front teeth.
"Probably not," Regulus asked, concern growing.
Ariana shrugged nervously.
"I've never attempted such before. I can't honestly know! It's what they want though...What all of you want, so it should be worth a try and hopefully worth the risk."
Regulus sighed, nodding.
"Everything has its risks, I suppose, including leaving things as they are. You did say they could be reborn if left on the other side, effectively leaving us forever."
"That's right," Ariana agreed.
Kreacher appeared then, holding a comb, brush and hand mirror set of Walburga's in heavy ornate silver, and a shaving kit of Orion's.
"These were some of their personal favorites, as Kreacher recalls," he said, passing them over to Ariana.
"Perfect," she said, giving him a smile.
"If you could light the white candles that I brought along, I shall begin."
They were in the Library, a favorite room of both Orion and Walburga. Regulus rushed to arrange the tall candles on the reading table, now clear of books and Kreacher lit them with a gesture of a single forefinger. Ariana summoned the two spirits by name as usual, but when they appeared, she drew sigils on their very essence using the flames from two of the candles, one for each. She held a tapering candle in either hand nearly as one may hold a wand.
"Does it hurt," Regulus asked pensively as Ariana touched a candle flame to the chest of each of his parents.
"Not at all," Walburga said.
"The warmth is pleasant."
"It nearly tickles, though," Orion added thoughtfully.
"It is done," Ariana said.
As she spoke, the flames went out, and Orion and Walburga seemed to shine momentarily with an inner light that made them appear nearly solid before they became transparent once more.
"How do you feel," Regulus asked his parents.
Walburga smiled.
"Like we're home again!"
Orion gave a deep joyful laugh.
"And it's so very good to be home!"
"It is so very good to have Master and Mistress home again," Kreacher said, voice cracking as he wiped at his eyes with a sleeve of the black tunic he wore.
For a moment it was almost as if everything were undone, and back to normal again. Almost, but only almost because so very much had changed if in many ways for the better. In this case, change was fine, Regulus decided. This opinion only solidified when his mother spoke.
"Kreacher! Do you not believe it is time to stop calling us Master and Mistress? You do own half of this manor, do you not?"
Before Kreacher could reply the children pounded into the room with the Lestranges trailing apologetically behind.
"We kept them away for as long as we could," Rabastan began.
"Daddies," Loughness bellowed, waving his arms excitedly.
"Rod promised to start helping me body build so I can grow up as big and strong as he is! Hi, Grandmother and Grandfather!"
"Not fair you had the grandparents to visit without us," Hydra accused, her bottom lip beginning to jut.
"It's fine," Walburga assured.
"Because now we're here to stay!"