Finding a Way Home (Khaat, and other Lupin family members if desired)

Garulia laughed. "Don't worry, I don't like the cold much. He is quirky-" he started when the man himself walked up. "Heya Michael. She didn't even tell ME I was coming, so don't feel too left out. The place is kinda big, but I like big places. I've still got some icicles, but I'll be fine. It's the people that are gonna get to me. I lived alone for a long time, my friend, with not much company. So this is going to take some getting used to.

"Anyway, now it's time for breakfast!!" Happily, Garulia ran to the dining room and began to dig in on everything he could get. "Pancakes, muffins, and...saaaausage," he said to himself as he shoved the items onto a plate.

Khaat laughed, glad Gar felt at home enough to dig in to the breakfast buffet to his heart's content. "You know, Michael," Khaat said as Gar dashed out of the room to go to the dining hall. "He's right. He isn't used to an operation like this."

"Who the hell is, except perhaps your father?" Michael frowned. "Forget it. Gar is a strong young man. He'll deal. Let's go to breakfast. Then I'll help him get around."

"Make sure he sees it all, Michael. Everything."

"You have nothing to hide except from your enemies who are auctioning those kids. But I get it. You want him to know exactly what he's getting into. You don't want him to have any illusions about that. I'll give him the grand tour, but can we wait til it gets a couple degrees warmer, please?"

"Sure," she said. He reached his hand out to her and she took it and went with him to the dining room. She got herself a bowl of fruit salad and one of Angus's scones and a cup of french roast and took a seat across from Gar, and Michael took a place beside him.

Garulia ate, and, noticing Michael, began to slow down enough to talk. "So what's up?" Over the past few months, he'd simply lived as he had for ages- that is to say, in his nice, warm, magically-enlarged tent. Absentmindedly, he pulled one of his smaller staffs out to twirl between the fingers of one hand. "Besides the fact that, you know, we're in the mountains."

Smiling at his own joke, he took a big swig of orange juice, a drink he hadn't had since he was little. Wow, I haven't thought about my past in...well, years, he thought to himself. But it really doesn't matter. My past and future both seem to be entwined with the Lupins now, which is okay by me.

"Whats up? Hm,.." Michael said. "Well, Khaat's triplets are crawling. And Abbey and Dakota are up and walking and starting to talk. And Brian is training up a large squad of aurors."

"He and Daddy think that they'll be needed either to battle Grindlewald out of power so we can honestly go home. Or to use as bodyguards for the kids so that none of the small children come to harm if the rest of us have to go to war. I'm sure they'll need every hand we can get. So--you feel brave enough to take on Brian or Daddy in the dueling arena downstairs?"

"Let the lad get his way around first," Michael said. "Give him a day or so. In the basement is a full, state of the arts gym, a large pool, a whirlpool tub, an infirmary, a recreation room with billiards and a snack bar and some other games, a 2 lane bowling alley that Robert just opened, and a full sized dueling arena. You might want to check that out. I read in the local wizarding paper that we're supposed to get another stinking snowstorm tonight. By where we are, we could well be snowed in. So you need to get the lay of things so that you dont get bored....Although..." he began, thinking.

"Don't you dare, Michael. He's about to offer you one of his enchanted footstool puppies," Khaat laughed. "Otto has had a second litter of puppies because Daddy wont' tell Michael how to stop the footstools from reproducing. Its my father's way of getting a laugh out of Michael."

"Its not funny," Michael said.

"No, of course not," Khaat laughed, glad to see him in a bit of a pickle every so often.

"That's fantastic!" He said as he listened about the children, with a smile on his face. Then Garulia listened intently for a moment. "Wait, how many people does Grindy have, and how many do we have, exactly?" At the mention of a dueling arena, his eyes got big and a smile played across his face. Then the smiled drooped. "Not today, Khaat. I'm exhausted. Been climbing trees and gathering apples all day, not to mention the bear I had to scare off because I accidentally walked to close to her cub. And when I say 'scared off,' what I mean is 'ran like the hounds of hell were after me.'" He smiled again. "Either way, I need a day of rest, then I wouldn't mind a small match, though I doubt I'd be much of a match."

"Gellert Grindelwald appears to have lied to most of England and made them think that he's a saint," Michael said. "He's also said that Khaat and Robert are the highest level of criminal on English soil. He's put them on the top of our most wanted list, and half of our world are out looking for wherever the Lupins have buggered off to. So, no one is quite sure how many will align with him when war does break out. And he's not leaving the Ministry or the school without a fight, I dont' think."

"What we're trying to avoid is another battle at the school like we had last spring. We do not want the chance of any students being hurt or killed. Not if we can help it," Khaat said. "But by all we can gather, Grindelwald thinks all life is expendable. So he doesn't give a jot if there are innocent children involve or not. But that is part of why we're training you. If you need to defend yourself, we want your skills to be something they do not expect. And they seem to think that the only way a wizard gets trained is with a school diploma. I want you to be one of the folks they grossly underestimate," she grinned at him.

"Wait a minute..." Garulia thought back to what he'd heard about with Voldemort. "This guys a cheap knock off!" he said with a small chuckle. "That's ridiculous! Though, he does sound slightly more insane... Ah well." When she mentioned him being underestimated, his smile grew, and his lion side showed a little bit. "Oh believe me, they will. Too many people have done it before. What do you think that got them?" He was remembering things he hadn't thought about in ages. His fighting the Death Eaters, Matt kidnapping him... He'd survived so many things by sheer dumb luck, and being able to hop through the air like Tarzan without a vine. "Well, it tended to get them a pillar on their heads, but that tended to be luck since everything was falling apart from the spells...But that's a story for another time. Is it time for me to get that map?"

"Ah yes!" Khaat said. She motioned to a staff member and asked for them to get a map for Gar. They got one at once and handed it to her. She passed it on to him. "The grounds are outlined on it, as well as a very detailed floor plan of all the buildings on the property. You'll find its very helpful."

"Except here," MIchael said, pointing to a small shed behind the barn. "You might want to stay away from that. We found a wounded mountain lion yesterday. Kate is working with her and her mate and her cub so that we dont have to turn her out into muggle territory to be killed. But if she's going to be here she can't kill here either. We're negotiating with them, believe it or not, to supply them with what they need so that they have a safe home--so long as they don't kill on the grounds. But..a wounded mother mountain lion is nothing to fiddle with. We put them there in that small shed to keep them warm from the winter weather while she recovers. If you want to see her, you're welcome to, but please go with Khaat's mother when she goes out to change the bandages or to feed them."

"Thank you for remembering to tell him about that. My mother speaks to animals and specializes in magical creatures, Gar. And so far she says they at least seem to want to be somewhat cooperative. " She looked at the map again. "Your quarters are here. You'll find your room has a bedroom, a bathroom, and its own sitting room. That wing of the house and that floor are reserved for quarters for family members." She pointed out where her room was with Brian, where Robert and Kate's room was, the nursery and the attached playroom and, basically, who was in which room.

"Oh, and one more thing. At some point, you'll need to meet Kieran and Fiona--Brian's older brother and sister. They run this place when we're not here," Khaat said.

Garulia took the map and looked it over quickly. "Maybe. But even I wouldn't visit her alone, even if I was changed at the time. Though I might go with your mother. I've never met her, I don't think. Have I?" He looked inquiringly at Khaat. Then back at the map to look at the barn. "What all do you keep in the barn, exactly? And what kind of games are down in the basement? Because there are some that I could actually build. Like the kinds where you have to get the ball to the bottom? It wouldn't be as good as the ones in arcades, but it would be more of a challenge." He smiled. "Oh, and how's the use of technology around here? It's not as bad as, I dunno, Hogwarts is it? Because I have some game systems we could set up too, and with magic powering them, lack of electricity wouldn't matter."

"There aren't a lot of those kinds of games downstairs," Khaat said. "More of thigns like pool tables, a fooseball table card tables for cards and limitless board games. A music system, ...and.." she whispered to them. "Daddy has a very secret home theater down there that he has only shown to a few of us." Then she said. "Muggle technology is alright if its magically adapted. There is a large workshop in the ground floor of the office building. You'll find all sorts of building materials there. Or in the warehouse building. That's over here. The great big building on the other side of the office building. Help yourself. Angus will help you any time if you need help getting in. Gar," she said, kissing his forehead. "You are, in every way that matters, my son. This is your home. You're as welcome here as Brian or me or any other of my family. I want you to make yourself at home. Oh...there is my mother now." She pointed to her mother, coming in with Abbey toddling on her mother's left and Dakota toddling on her mother's right. Her mother had each 20 month old little girl. And following them were three staff members, each one bringing one of Khaat's triplets--the two boys were identical, and then there was the little girl.

"There are the triplets," Khaat said. "Robert Remus, Michael Brian, and Julia Katherine. Its nice having staff here to keep five babies from having food fights at the table. I'd like you to get to know them. They are...well, basically...your brothers and sisters. That's how I think of them anyway."




ooc: btw, if you want an idea about what kieran and fiona looks like, i always thought if i actually made them i would use tim matheson and gabriell anwar for their pbs. hee hee hee