How We've Grown

Remus really needed to start seriously thinking about who he was leaving his children with. They were old enough now to become very impressionable. He of course trusted every single Weasley with his own life, as well as theirs - but a certain redheaded set of twins seemed to already be rubbing off on his kids. Even at five years old, they were fully capable of pulling one over on Daddy - and finding it absolutely hilarious to do so. Their new favorite trick? Morphing into one another, back and forth, so he could never tell them apart. Remus understood now why Molly stuck her children in clothing that loudly bore their initials. How else was one supposed to tell the difference?

Redheads weren't part of the plan today - though, Remus wouldn't be all that surprised to find one at Sirius' old place once he got there. There always seemed to be at least one around. But no, the plan had been for Harry, the twins' godfather, to come over and help him watch the kids today. Now that they were capable of walking - and running, and jumping, and skipping madly - it was far easier on Remus to have a partner in crime to watch them with. After waiting nearly half an hour, though, it seemed Harry wasn't coming. Concern settled in the pit of Remus' stomach. He would always worry about Harry, even if they one day managed to completely eradicate the world of anything left to worry about (that was their goal, anyway). So, Remus packed up the twins without much fanfare or struggle - Daddy maybe looked a little scary when he was worried, he was sure that helped - and popped them all over to the first place he thought to check. He had godfathers on the brain, it seemed.

Once inside, with a twin in each hand, Remus called out - for Harry, specifically, but anyone would do. There was a yell from upstairs, and the twins took off up the stairs toward it, Remus close behind. He may have been getting old, but Merlin bless his long legs that still let him take stairs two at a time. He intercepted his kids at the top of the stairs, hand-in-hand again as they followed the sounds of a minor struggle to one of the rooms - in which they found Harry, halfway through a cupboard. He seemed to still be all in one piece, and Remus relaxed into a grin. "Lose your favorite jumper?"

Remus cleared his throat quickly at Harry's impending word choice - but the younger man recovered fantastically, of course. Remus chuckled at his comment, casting a distasteful glance around the walls that did indeed seemed ready to clamp down the moment you had your back turned. "I'm just hoping Sirius threw out that rug in one of the spare rooms that tried to roll me up like a crepe, many moons ago." Remus hadn't spent a lot of time in Grimmauld Place - the Blacks wouldn't have a bloody werewolf under their roof, no sir, his youthful summers were spent almost exclusively with the Potters - but enough to almost be devoured by it, absolutely.

And before that happened to Harry, too, Remus figured he should probably help the man out of his current predicament. "Not a problem. I'm glad to find you in one piece." With a little hesitation, he released the hands of his children. They were small, and fast, and really if someone didn't have a hold on them at all times they could find all sorts of trouble near instantaneously. His first steps after releasing them were back toward the door, which he shut firmly so they would at least find that trouble in a place he could keep them in his line of sight. As Lily James went off to investigate an interesting cobweb in the corner, Remus caught up behind Teddy, who was busy tugging on Harry's wiggling foot. Remus did a quick sweep for Harry's wand, hoping the cabinet hadn't decided to have a little snack before its main meal of man. Remus chuckled at Harry's other request. "Your secret is safe with me. None of us would ever hear the end of that." He adored Hermione just as he was sure the rest of them did...but yes, things like this were best kept to themselves.

Remus stepped around the cupboard, examining it and running his hands along its surface, trying to figure out how exactly he was going to go about doing this. "You don't think it'll try to bite down or anything if I just, sort of, tug you out?" He questioned. It wasn't the most sophisticated of plans...but Remus was just the slightest bit concerned to see what this cupboard would do once he started casting magic at it.

"Oh, surely," Remus chuckled at Harry's comment on the battle between rug and his honor. After a pause, he added somewhat melodramatically, "That or Walburga left it lying in wait for me somewhere." All joking aside, it was completely possible that rug was off hiding somewhere - probable, even. If the vile woman could make sure no one ever pried her precious portraiture from the wall, who knew what other horrors she had permanently installed in these halls before her (very) timely demise.

Remus smiled, taking a moment to appreciate the interaction between his tiny offspring and the boy's godfather. They were all supremely lucky to have Harry in their lives, but Remus really expected no less of the son of Lily and James. Perhaps it was just the dust or being back in this old house in general, but Remus had to step back into action before his eyes grew wet. He went for a smile again, at the obvious relief in Harry's voice that Hermione would never hear of this. "Of course. No promises on these little ones, though. They've already gotten me in trouble more times than I'd like to count." The twins certainly were chatterboxes, now that they could talk. No question where they got that from...

Harry, too, seemed a bit hesitant to be just unceremoniously tugged out of the cabinet. But what else could they do? Might as well give it a go first. "Hopefully, at least," Remus said, grinning when at the same time Harry said something about teeth. "I can't say for sure. I've not met many cabinets that could. But, well...we've seen many things in this house, haven't we?" Grimmauld Place was full of - mostly nasty, occasionally sentimental - surprises. "Let's hope so," Remus commented, as he took hold of Harry. Once he got a good grip and a steady stance, he tried a few test pulls - and his children, of course, hurried to help him, each grabbing a Potter leg. "Ready? Yell if you feel a pinch - or a tooth." With that, Remus gave a real tug.

"Just a bit," Remus concurred, sportive smile hanging in his voice when he spoke. "I'm much more useful when I'm not all gobbled up." Remus shot quick, wide-eyed glances at both of his children, successfully eliciting the giggles he sought. Remus had never really been 'the funny one', but that was the great thing about children - they laughed at almost everything. All one had to do was make a funny face or use a silly word. Remus could always count on his little Lupins, and their laughter put the spring in his heel that got him through the day.

They were so precious to him, he couldn't even get jealous over how much they loved Harry (and quite possibly thought Harry was far funnier than their dad, too). It only made Remus more joyful. And he couldn't blame them really - Harry was better than Dad for playing, because the younger of the two was far better at keeping up with the Twin Terrors than Old Man Lupin. Remus watched their interaction with a broad smile, eyeing Lily James curiously when she started to pipe up with something about 'candy', and shaking his head fondly when Teddy promptly popped his hand over her mouth and told Harry 'not to worry'. Remus wouldn't worry, either. Any secrets kept with Harry probably weren't too incredibly harmful.

There were a lot of bad things that could happen, really, but Remus decided Harry really didn't want an answer to that question, and opted to just tug instead. He heard no real protest, and seemed to be making some real progress (thanks in large part to the smaller Lupins, clearly) - until they got to Harry's shoulders. "That's most of the important bits out, at least," Remus commented, giving the younger man a break for a moment and letting go, waving his children off Harry's legs as well. Harry's very important head was still inside the cupboard, though, and as Remus resumed examining the piece of furniture for an out, Harry made his suggestion. Remus nodded, saying, "Let's try that, then." He took hold of the door to Harry's right, pulling it back to its full extent to give the man some more wiggle room - all to the chorus of plenty of childish giggles, of course.

"Oh, we just couldn't have that," Remus said, mock horror apparent in his very voice (maybe a little of it real) at the thought of a world with even just a little less chocolate in it. A little less of Remus' company, yeah sure okay whatever, but chocolate??? Dear Merlin, no. "You hear that, kids?" Remus needed more giggles, pronto. He made another silly face as he and Thing One and Two pulled on Harry's legs, proclaiming with much drama, "No Daddy, no chocolate!" Many gasp-giggles were had at this outstanding display of theater on Remus' part - to be outshone, of course, by the irresistible-to-toddlers prospect of successfully sharing a secret with Harry. Remus just shook his head fondly at the man's remark to the twins, who were now indeed giggling with success at having kept secrets from Dad.

Remus didn't have time to figure out the secrets of these super secret spies, anyway, because he was joining in the giggle fit himself at Harry's showing off. He thought with a brief pang that this ancient house had probably seen more laughter in the past ten years than it had in the past ten decades put together - and then he smiled, because he'd been a real part of that. Even as the not-as-funny one. Remus was half-distracted by these thoughts as Harry finally came tumbling free, or he would have tried to catch the man. Instead, Harry ended up on the floor, and quickly in a dog pile of tiny Lupins, too. Remus stood watch over them and grinned at Harry. "This savior wouldn't mind a cup of tea," he remarked. "The smaller ones expect, I would presume...what was it now, candy?" He threw in a wink at Harry, keeper of secrets and sweets.

Remus grinned, his tea needs promised to be satiated soon enough, and ushered his children out of the way so Harry could stand up properly. "Oh, come on. You're much too young to be doing all of that, now," he chided with a chuckle, as Harry groaned and popped on the way up. "If you're losing your joints already, I ought to be bedridden by now." It was probably more of a matter of being stuck uncomfortably in a cupboard for who knows how long, rather than age, but still. Remus didn't need any reason to feel any older than he already did; he had two small, identical reasons swarming about his legs right now. At Harry's battle cry back down the steps, Remus happily let the trio charge forth while he took up the leisurely rear.

Once in the kitchen - bless Harry, he'd worked so hard to make this place actually livable - Remus settled his old bones into a chair at the table. He closed the door behind him as he came in, so little Lupins could roam free and out of harm's way. Out of most of it, anyways; Remus was quickly learning not to trust the cabinets, cupboards, and dressers in this place, and he eyed Harry warily as the man scrounged around. He laughed along with the giggles of his tickled child - the other joining in to not feel left out - and contemplated. "I've been preparing for the upcoming term," he announced, not bothering to conceal the excitement in his voice. "I'm very excited to get back to teaching. Dora...well, I'm sure she's let you know all that she's up to." Tonks was an Auror, too, and Remus had no doubts she was a chatty one, considering how many of her friends worked in that department. "What have you been doing? How's dear Ginny?"