A/N: Hello people and thank you so much for your support!
A big thanks to my Betas and Discord Staff - Alec, Fox, Metzger, BaptismByFire and Zevoros!
Special thanks to Discord users: 5Firehawk, Guiding Moonlights, Kovacs, Dr Maou-Senpai, Post Mortem, Denduck, Wumjumba, Ac, R3, Shirokama, TrustTube, Zachary, JDH, Avatar, CJ07, Echoh, Elizabeth Wilbrooke, Jacks_, Kappe, Kryn_Womble, Mr. E, Pat, Plut0, Presno, Shawnjohn120 and Trop C'est Trop for supporting my writing and commissioning works!
Feel free to join my Discord for updates, giveaways (for those who actively chat), early access and information, link on my profile. Without any more rambling from me, I hope you enjoy the story!
(Sorry if you don't like the work!)
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THE KIND REVIEWS. We now get so many that it's impossible to respond to all of them, but each and every one of you taking the time to speak your support mean the world to me. Please, by all means, speak with me in Discord!
"What do you think?" McMacson asked from behind his desk, one hand rubbing near his chin in thought while the other was busy nursing a cup of coffee… with a little bit of an extra kick that the man had added to it. That was purely off the grid, so to say.
"They want the responsibility, but I wouldn't want them in harm's way even if they tell me it's what they want," Urban said with a huff as he fell into the chair opposite of McMacson's desk with a loud thud; he was lucky the thing was so comfortable. "I think it would be fine if we brought them in, I suppose. My condition, or one of the many that I'm sure I'll have, would be that we don't include them in any fighting role. They're young, but maybe we could do a Junior Auror corps or something of that sort. It could be something that teaches them fighting skills, survival skills and other useful things for life without putting them in any serious position — they haven't even started Hogwarts even if they're of age."
McMacson shrugged. "I'm sure we could use the extra hands and it'd give more kids than just yours a taste of the Auror life," he looked at the board on his wall and pointed to one of the notes on it. "We've got more than just them that want to volunteer too and with all of the paperwork we have and all of the desk jobs currently available that are very minute, it could be fairly helpful in their free time… I'll speak with this new acting Minister to see if we could get approval. You know how it can be though, so don't hold your breath for something too official."
"I'm happy with that. The last thing I need is either of them to go off on some self-assigned mission thinking that it helps us. Still, they were affected by the war just as much as I was and if this is how they want to deal with it, well, it's better this than anything stupid or dangerous," Urban said before he rose up from his seat. "Peverell isn't doing too bad a job either, is he?"
"Not in the slightest. I guess it turns out the boy isn't half as stupid as some people thought, least of all with the support base he has — Slughorn's father is very Pro-Peverell, currently, not to mention that little fiance of his seems to wield a sizable pit of political influence all on her own. We'll have to see how his career goes, but I don't think it stops here. Not unless he does something stupid like getting himself killed in the quest for glory," Mac said, grinning when Urban shook his head; that action was far too McMacson, not Peverell.
Urban knew just how crazy his friend could get when the thought of raising himself or his position as well as those close to him was on the line.
"I think he'll manage just fine," Urban said before he nodded to his friend, rolling his eyes when the mad raised his mug of coffee and took a long drawl, one that caused far too much of a wince after a few sips.
I'll never understand how he manages to drink this early in the morning, but I suppose most politicians have a 'healthy' affection for alcohol. Look at the Muggle leader… Churchill, I think his name is. He has helped many of my brothers and sisters, and they say he drinks nearly a bottle a day, but only when he isn't smoking cigar after cigar.
Urban returned home after a short day, one that was made easier thanks to the help of those two new assigned Aurors. He hadn't picked them, Peverell and McMacson hadn't had a say in it either, but the two had been made Auror Sergeants by the power of one of the Minister's advisors — Peverell's fiance. She had made sure both were assigned directly under her husband-to-be too and while each was a veteran of the Battle of Hogwarts, that level of meddling didn't ensure too much confidence in Urban for this current administration.
But, if there was one thing that would always see him relaxed and happy after any weird or bothersome action at work, it was his home life. He had brought dinner from that Indian restaurant his children had mentioned, the man had gone so far as to buy one of every item on the menu for them, and when he burst through the door to his home with a smile on his face… he stopped dead in his tracks.
Alina was on the couch with her brother Artur, McMacson and a witch that was wholly unfamiliar to Urban. He had never seen her before, yet the resemblance she bore to McMacson was striking, to say the least.
"Hey, mate," McMacson said with a wave from the couch and a small, sly smile. "Sorry for dropping in all unannounced and the like, but I had some company come in from out of town—" he pointed to the woman at this point " — and I thought I'd introduce you to her since she can speak a bit of Polish herself. Maybe I found out that you were having Indian too so that definitely doesn't hurt my chances of staying and with those fifteen or so Muggle bags filled with food behind you, I'd wager you lot will need help eating it all, even if you do have to fatten up these two children o'yours."
Alina scoffed. "I will never get fat, Uncle Mac. How will I work with you and papa if I am too large to chase the bad guys?"
Artur nodded in agreement with his sister. "We'll stay fit, like the pictures that papa showed us of you when you met him years ago."
McMacson's feminine company laughed, Urban laughed, the two children looked between them and McMacson himself… he pouted with a hurt expression on his face. "I'm not in good shape anymore?" he asked, looking down at himself and going so far as to squeeze at his stomach in thought.
"You've probably eaten a bit too much in your new office, little cousin," the woman said to him before she patted him placatingly on the cheek. "Don't worry, don't worry, I'm sure there's still more than a few witches who wouldn't be too against giving you a chance. Not when they know how much a Director and a war hero can do for them."
McMacson looked thoroughly saddened at that, but he shook his head and smiled good-naturedly, seemingly over his bout of self-pity within a few seconds. With that done, he moved over to the chair from his former seat alongside the woman and motioned for Urban to come closer. "Come on, Urban," he said to his friend, "Come over and meet my cousin, Colette. Like I said, she studied Polish, so I reckon you and the kids would enjoy another person to speak it with."
That was true. There weren't too many people in the UK, Magical or otherwise, that spoke a good bit of Polish and if McMacson had one in his family, a family that had taken him in those years ago, he knew he'd be speaking with the woman and seeing her far more than just this one time.
As such, he did as his friend asked and took a seat alongside the woman, smiling at her and kissing her hand when she raised it. Artur and Alina wrinkled their noses at the affection, but stayed silent, choosing to shoot each other looks instead.
"It's nice to meet you, Colette," Urban said to the woman before he looked over to McMacson. "How did you come about learning Polish when this cousin of yours can barely speak English sometimes?"
Colette laughed. "Little Maccy struggles with a lot more than English, believe me. When we were younger, he could hardly walk until the age of three, he simply chose to drag himself with his butt on the ground from one spot to the next because it was easier — we've got the pictures hidd—"
"No no," McMacson said suddenly, waving her off and smiling as he summoned over the Indian food. "Why don't you… talk about where you've been and what you'll be doing now that you're here in the UK. That's definitely a lot better, especially if you want to stay with me until you find your own place or a husband…brat."
The last word was barely heard, but Urban had been close enough and a friend of McMacson for long enough that he picked it up; Colette seemed to too, but she let it slide with a narrowing of her eyes before she turned those same beautiful blue specks back on to Urban. "I completed my studies with the Yankees in New York. You would be very surprised by how many people in that horribly large city speak Polish and since my mother was from a small village on the border of Lithuania, it simply made sense that I learn each of the languages. As for being back, my purpose will be assisting the Ministry with any Polish or Lithuanian speakers, however few there are."
Urban smiled and leaned back ever so slightly. "That'll free me up a few hours a week, thank you, Colette," he said to the woman before he motioned to the spread of food that his kids and McMacson — practically his third son by nature — were already getting into. "Why don't you help yourself too? Your family is very nearly my own with all they've done for me."
"Little Maccy wrote to me many a time with you mentioned therein. You would think you're the brother he had always hoped for and never got. Thank you for keeping him company and out of trouble, and thank you again for the tasty dinner that we intruded on with your family," Colette glared at McMacson when she said the word 'intruded' but she smiled just as readily back at Urban as she began making a plate for herself. "They're very nice and well-mannered, cute too. I had quite the extensive conversation with them before you arrived."
Urban very nearly snorted, but instead, he shrugged off his leather jacket and placed it on the arm of the couch beside him. Alina and Artur were good kids, as she said, but sometimes they could exaggerate specific tails or happenings.
"Was I the hero or the villain of those particular stories?" Urban asked with a smile before he shot a grin at each of the two giggling teenagers.
Colette rested a hand on his right forearm, the closer of the two of his. "Most definitely the hero," she said. "You adopted them and helped them when not many in your position would have. My little cousin was smart to gain you as a friend, you're definitely better than the old company he used to keep."
McMacson huffed and folded his arms, nearly dropping his plate in the process. "Fine," he said in a whiny tone of voice. "Why don't you stay with Urban then, Coal? You already like him more than your favourite baby cousin."
The woman snorted and rolled her eyes, not dignifying McMacson with a look, let alone a response. "He's so terribly dramatic sometimes, isn't he?" she asked Urban, smiling whilst she kept her hand on his forearm.
He nodded, not minding the contact or the woman's personality; the latter especially was very amusing, in his opinion. Like most of McMacson's family, she was unique and friendly, very friendly.
I think I'll become fast friends with her.
"Hurry," Artur said to his sister as she started going through the various dishes before them. "More of it!"
Alina agreed, nodding until she pulled out a large container filled with, what he assumed was the thing they had requested he order five portions of; butter chicken.
He looked at Colette, McMacson, and the two kids, and finally, back down at his leather jacket. With all of them together, life was perfect.