The Search Is Over

Chapter 145

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.