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, information and now, commissions/free one-shot giveaways, 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!
Artur and Alina would get their wish thanks to, in no small part, McMacson. If it hadn't been for the man, it was more than likely that Urban would have kept them as far removed from actual practical duties as possible. He had seen what the conflict had done to those who were their ages or near enough, and sure, while they were of an appropriate age for Hogwarts and they would likely start as soon as the school was reopened and the country safe, it didn't make him feel any less nervous in regards to their wellbeing.
That was also the reason he had relented; their well-being. If they weren't given the chance to work with the Aurors, that would deprive them of learning practical defensive means. If somebody should ever attack — whilst he wasn't near them — and they were unable to defend themselves, that would ultimately fall on his shoulders for depriving them of classes and chances to learn from those who had experience in such matters.
Thus, with the decision made and the morning announcing the arrival of a new day, Urban invited his two children into his personal office. They would be given uniforms as was befitting of an intern or the newly made youth group, and whilst they would never see outside of the Auror office, they would be trained as if they were true Aurors regardless. It was McMacson's hope that they and the others in the youth group would return upon the completion of their Hogwarts education, already familiar with the tasks, training and structure for an easier path.
Peverell supported it too, as did that Gaunt girl he was seeing, the one that was actively advising the new Minister before the election would take place. McMacson was a candidate, surprisingly enough, and one that had Urban's full support for what it was worth. There were others too, but the time was far enough away that no real campaigning had happened thus far. Safety was the priority of all, a safety that Urban, Peverell and McMacson were responsible for should the country ever become safe again for those who lived within her borders.
"Papa," Alina said, breaking the silence that had fallen on the room as she moved slightly closer to him, the rustling of her uniform ultimately doing more than her voice to shake him from his thoughts. "We are ready and the uniforms should be right. Uncle Mac helped make sure they were."
"When will we train with the others? Soon? It would be great if we could start today, before that big mission you and Uncle Mac were talking about happens. I'd like to go with you too, papa, we both would, but we know you won't let us," Artur didn't seem to hold a grudge after his last sentence was out and that was something Urban was very thankful for.
He recognised that letting them train and prepare to defend themselves was one batter, but actively sending them out to fight was something completely different altogether. It seemed as if the two teens recognised that too, even if neither wanted to fully accept his final decision on the matter. Regardless, they were as mature now as they had ever been since coming into his care and not for the first time he felt slightly unworthy of having them call him 'papa' when it hadn't even been his idea in the first place. It was something that had sort of just happened without him having any real say in the matter… not that he had complained. Truthfully, he was very much looking forward to having more children, ones that he could see from birth to adulthood and beyond.
"We'll have you go to the afternoon classes with the other new Aurors. It's a good place for the two of you to start and learn the basics — you'll be around a few others of your age and the rest that are less than five or so years older than you. It's better than having you train with the old men such as myself and far better than those that work with Peverell," Urban snorted and shook his head, a small fond smile on his face. "Please, Artur, Alina, if Peverell or those two personal Sergeants of his ever offer you a class, politely decline. They run everything very fast-paced and a lot of the spells they use are done live for the benefit of the class. It's beyond either of you right now, but we'll change that within the year."
"Promise?" Alina asked with her arms folded and a small pout on her face; Urban knew why, everybody wanted to train under the guy that had felled Grindelwald, especially two children that had suffered as a direct result of the man's sheer evil.
Urban made them lean forward in their seats when he didn't immediately answer. He could see an argument begin to brew on Alina's face as that silence lingered, but finally and before she could say anything, he smiled at the two. "I'll have him come and meet you, and offer a few pointers. He's a good lad, I'm sure if you're both nice he won't mind spending time with you — remember, no mentioning my cards or talking bad about my jacket."
Neither Artur nor Alina were fond of that aged, comfortable, beautiful leather jacket of his. He couldn't for the life of him understand why either, it was something that he loved dearly and something that McMacson assured him looked very cool. His friend wouldn't lie to him either, for if he did, the Polish Hammer nickname would finally be revealed; his tracking and explosives weren't the only two aces he had hidden under his sleeves. Urban was always more than willing to throw down the Muggle way if it were required.
"Thanks, Papa!" Echoed the voices of Artur and Alina before they took off, leaving his office and likely going to seek out McMacson or another person to speak with.
Urban would hand it to the two teens. They may be young and inexperienced, but where that inexperience shined through, so too did their willingness to learn and their thirst for knowledge. Before too long and half a decade at the most, the two would very likely become some of the finest Aurors the British Magical Government had ever seen.
"Well?" Urban asked the two teens as they strolled into his office after their first afternoon class with the Aurors. "How did everything go? It can't have been too bad if I hadn't heard anything."
"Uncle Mac's tips helped us very much, yours did too, papa," Alina said with a smile that was nearly bursting off of her face as she flopped down into one of his more comfortable chairs with a heavy sigh leaving her. She seemed tired and Artur did too, but that didn't seem to get in the way of their incredibly proud, happy emotions.
Artur did the same as his sister, that being to fall loudly and heavily into a comfortable chair before he made to speak, his head resting on the right arm of the couch in a rather impressive showing of flexibility — he could make a good undercover Auror with that alone, for so many jobs therein required the Auror to fit into unfamiliar or unreasonably small spaces.
"We were the top two of the first class, the instructor Adriel said so. He wants to see how we do for the next month and if it goes as well as it did today, he would seek your permission to move us up one class so that we can be nearer to those of our skill level," Artur's eyes turned sharp as he, in tandem with his sister, looked at Urban. "Would you be fine with that? It is more than you agreed to, we know, but it would be a feat for the both of us."
Mac definitely taught them that word, he always goes on about records and feats. I'll have a talk with him before he imprints the hunt for glory onto my children. I don't want them doing anything half as reckless as him. Still, I suppose it wouldn't be a horrible idea, having them learn in a class that reflects where they should be… I suppose this is why parents are always so hesitant in investigations. This feeling of letting them down or risking their happiness for safety is exhausting.
"It's fine, but I'll have words with the instructor beforehand. I'd like to make sure you'll be safe… that's right, your ranks — I'll speak with Mac and Peverell to see what they decided, but I hope before too much longer we'll have some sort of way to organise all of you just like the regular Aurors," Urban nodded a few times to himself and then he smiled as he looked between the two kids. "We've had all sorts of celebratory dinners and such recently, but I think one more won't hurt us, now will it? What would you both want for dinner this evening?"
Artur responded immediately before Alina could say anything. "Whatever we want?"
"We would have to be reasonable. Do you remember how much we ate last week? That won't be good for us if we do that all the time," Alina gave a tentative look at Urban and when she looked away, she licked her lips. "Could we get ice cream? The Muggles talked about it all the time and I would like to have it — Artur and I both would like it."
Urban snorted. "Ice cream goes very good with something. Cake. We'll stop by a Muggle shop and get both, and if you want, we could go Muggle for the meal too. It's safe now that all the Muggles have finished their fighting and safer still if you're both with me in the event that any of his followers remain."
"Thank you, papa!" Artur said with a genuine smile and sigh as he slumped further into the back of the chair.
Alina rose from her seat, dashed around his desk and threw her arms around him, ever the more affectionate and emotional of the two. "Thank you, papa. We love you. You've done so much for us, it is hard to put in to English or even Polish, but we love you."
Hearing those words from Alina and having them be echoed shortly thereafter by Artur… the feelings rushing through him were indescribable. There would never come a time when that specific point in his life could be thought back on with anything short of pure euphoria. He would never let them down. Never.
Artur, Alina and Urban walked along the streets of London in the clothing typical of British Muggles for the first time since the three had been together. It was a surreal experience on account of so many factors, but one that felt as if it solidified them as a family. Ice cream and cake had already been purchased, they were on the way to one of the three restaurants they had ordered from now, and then they would be brought back to Urban's home by a house-elf.
They — the kids — had wanted to see the way the Muggles lived and whilst Urban was quite familiar with it by now, they weren't, and so he figured he would amuse them.
"Could we go and see a movie in the theatre sometimes, papa?" Alina asked as she pointed at the aforementioned building, Artur nodding all the while.
He nodded and shrugged. "I don't see why we couldn't — not tonight though, you both have work in the afternoon tomorrow and this ice cream won't last very long at all."
Alina smiled at him and Artur let out a small cheer at the positive answer. It seemed like this wouldn't be the only time they would end up going Muggle, now Urban only had to hope they wouldn't want to see something boring that turned them away from future films… perhaps a horror or fantasy, although the Muggle idea of the latter was rather bland.