The Unforseen: Confessions of a Marauder Queen

by Mauradingknight

Jack finds out that the legend of the Marauders hasn't changed....and that there is more ancient magic at work. HIATUS

1. Jack Potter

Confessions of A Marauder Queen:

General Disclaimer: Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling, so the only things that I owe Jack, her children, and this story plot, which is inspired by Living With Danger (but is not associated with that in any way, shape or form. My initial ideas sparked from the fanfiction.)

Prologue:

My name is Jack… Jack Potter actually. I was James Potter's twin sister, before my death. I have a past that is dark and mysterious, one that is full of danger, just the way I like it. But that is not the point, the point is that I must take you back many years, to a time when everything hung on the balance of one decision, when everything and everyone depended on me, though nobody ever knew it at the time. So, this is my story. You may be wondering, why am I not known in other places, at other times. The truth will be reviled, so sit back and listen to my tale.

Chapter One: The Darkest Time

It was a rather dark and stormy night, especially for the end of July. Fitting though, thought a woman, the nine-month anniversary of everything going to hell is a dark and stormy night, and on Harry's birthday too. I wish I could hold him in his arms and tell him everything's gonna be okay. I wish Sirius were standing right beside me. Most of all I wish you were here James. I need your help with this one. She glanced up at the waning moon as she took a swig of alcohol. She sighed with relief. She was going to visit Moony, but she needed to get nice and sloshed first. She didn't want to remember this night. It was good that it wasn't full. Then he could talk to her and she didn't have to try and transform. The entire British community thinks that my true love betrayed my twin brother and my sister-in-law to the most feared wizard of modern times, and the press doesn't know when to leave someone to their grieving. God they're all idiots who won't listen to the truth. Maybe if I tell my story to the Quibbler… Mr. Lovegood's pretty open to things. She thought to earlier that day when hordes of reporters all but attacked her as she left the Ministry after her meeting with Fudge. He didn't believe her. He thought she was lying or confounded. She took another swig from the bottle she carried as she walked up a twisting path to a small cottage a few miles outside of Devon. She pounded her fist on the door.

"Moooeee! Open up! You know I was comin'. Come on Moooee!" she hollered. She didn't care who heard her. She was depressed and drunk and she wanted to talk to Moony about something sad and horribly depressing. She just wanted to wallow in sadness tonight, on Harry's birthday. He should have been with her, happily continuing life, but instead he was being raised as a muggle with his Aunt and Uncle. She fumed at the thought of Petunia Evans, who she had met only once, she prayed that what she thought would happen to him was just her very vivid imagination. She prayed that she was wrong and Harry was happy where he was. Yes, the subject of Harry was a nice depressing topic. She longed to hold him in her arms for a very long time and just cry over the deaths of his parents. She was his godmother, goddamnit, and Dumbledore refused her custody. It made her so angry.

Remus Lupin opened the door and did not seem surprised to see the woman. "Jack, I guess it would be better for everyone if you came in and got wasted in a place you won't hurt anyone." He took her arm and led her gently inside. She's completely sloshed, He thought to himself

That's not why I came here Moony." Jack said, shaking her head and stumbled a little. "Something's been buggin' me lately." Moony led her to a frayed couch and sat her down. She took another swig of alcohol. "Doesn't make sense y'know? Padfoot was always so busy with wedding plan n' the Order n' his Auror responsibilities, and on top of all that he came to all my games. Why would he betray us? He spent a whole lota time with us after sixth year, the summer that… that… they died. And why did they hafta die anyway, why did they go and leave me to take care of everything. It all went to hell and it's all my fault. N' James didn't even tell me 'bout them switchin', like I'm not capable of handling a secret. And … aw Moony he's gone." Jack began to sob and finished off the bottle of Firewhiskey before sending it crashing to the floor.

Moony wrapped his arms around her and hugged her as he spoke softly to her. "I know. I know it hurts." He said, "things will get better, I promise you that much. We're going to figure that out. I'll call Dumbledore tomorrow and we'll figure out where to go from there.

Jack stiffened and then giggled. "God I'm an idiot for coming here I should go." She stood up to leave.

"No!" shouted Remus as he pulled her down hard. I have to keep her here. At least for the night, until Dumbledore can come over and talk her into seeking some help. I've never actually seen her this bad before. "I mean, I rarely get any company these days and you might as well stay here." He smiled awkwardly, hoping that Jack was drunk enough to simply accept the reason and go on with her usual drunken moping.

She did. Jack shrugged and walked back towards him, rather wobbly, but at a steady pace. However, she hadn't gone five paces before she collapsed on the floor. Remus sighed and carried her over to the couch. I can't believe this is happened to her, and so unnoticed by half the wizarding world. I bet reporters mobbed her some time today. They don't understand that today's such a delicate day for her. She would be depressed because she can't see Harry and also unhappy because she doesn't play Quiddich anymore. She's supposed to be married by now, be raising kids right next to James and Lily, but … he stopped thinking. He didn't want to think about that tonight. He conjured some blankets for her and went into his bedroom and went to bed. Maybe things will get better tomorrow. Tomorrow always looks easier on the day of, we just have to take this one day at a time.

He went to his room and stretched on his bed, not really tired. He thought of better days, before the world had gone to hell.

-- Flashback

Remus was walking down the hallway towards the library. James and Sirius were off pranking Snape or something, Peter was visiting his sick mother, and Lily was working in the Hogwarts common room. Remus had always felt kind of sorry for Peter. James and Sirius were best friends, James was Lily's boyfriend and Sirius had Jack, though nobody knew it at that time. Jack and Remus had always hit it off since they were both bookworms, though a major difference is that Jack didn't get along with animals. She said that she just didn't like them, but James said that as a kid she had had a few bad experiences with animals and had never gone back to them since.

The other major difference between Jack and the Mauraders is that Jack actually got along with Snape. It might have been because Jack got along with everyone and was never judgmental, but she and a couple Slytherins were the only ones who got along with Severus. James said it was because she just wasn't a very judgmental person. Sirius said he was grateful for this fact because Jack gave them thousands of second chances over the years, when they had lost a lot of points for their house or if they forgot to include her on a prank, she always forgave them.

Of course, she was the one who thought up and created the Marauder's map. She had presented James with it at the beginning of their sixth year as a birthday present. None of the others were quite sure how she had exactly managed it, but all she had said was that it was fairly simple to make more.

Remus smiled at the sight of Jack as he entered the library. Her face was inches from the text, intensely reading whatever subject she was studying that day. Remus frowned. N.E.W.T.s were coming up. Jack looked tired. Bags were under her eyes and her short hair was tinged with gray from lack of care, her hazel eyes seemed near tears.

Remus sat down across from her and pulled out his transfiguration text and notes. They sat like that for hours. Students came and went from the library, most students cared to study in their dorms. After a few hours Lily came in dragging Sirius and James, insisting that they both study. James and Lily set to work, quietly working next to one another, talking in whispers. Sirius, always the two-year-old, pouted until Jack sighed, slide her things over next to Sirius, plopped in the seat next to him and whispered something in his ear. His eyes widened and then he grabbed his books from inside his bag and started to study.

Lily, James, and Remus stared at Sirius. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. He was studying and quietly too.

"Are you serious?" choked out Lily.

Sirius smirked and opened his mouth.

"If you make that joke," Jack said, not looking up from studying, "the deal's off." Sirius looked like she had asked him to never prank again. "Don't give me that look." Jack said. "You can say it later, when we're alone, but right now I want to study."

"Alright," was all Sirius would say. After about another hour, Jack and Sirius stood up and asked the group if they wanted to grab a snack. They all did so they headed down to the kitchens.

After the elves served them tea and biscuit, the group sat down at a hard-scrubbed wood table. Sirius and Jack shared a look, then Sirius stuck out his lower lip, "you promised." He whined.

"Do you want to do the honors?" Sirius jumped around in his seat with excitement. "You're four." Snorted Jack.

"But isn't that why you love me?" grinned Sirius.

James choked on his biscuit. "What?" he managed to rasp out while Lily hammered him on his back. She smiled.

"I wondered why Sirius hadn't had a new girlfriend all year." Lily said quietly.

Remus made the connection and smiled. James was so shocked he couldn't seem to speak.

James gazed at Jack. "You…and him?" he asked weakly. Jack nodded. "This…is…amazing!" James finally got out.

Jack shook her head, smiling. "I knew that was how you'd react, but did Sirius believe me, no." Sirius kissed her ear and she swatted him playfully. Remus recognized the emotion that he hadn't been able to pinpoint since she had first come back to Hogwarts.

End Flashback --

Things did get better the next day. Jack woke up with a large hangover, but she actually managed to eat a decent amount of food without crying over how much she missed Sirius's cooking and was able to brush her hair and look decent when Dumbledore came by. As predicted, he came by in the early morning and spent several hours talking to Jack. He exited the living room where Jack had spent the night with a small smile on his face.

"She's better today than she was six months ago."

Remus was shocked at this, "Better? How is this better?"

Dumbledore's smile faded slightly. "She was bad off right after James's death, and the fact that her parents had been killed nearly two years before and she was denied custody of Harry or marrying Sirius. She spent three months at Hogwarts and barely moved. She has simply been grieving the loss of her entire world. Her parents, brother and sister, nephew and future husband had all disappeared within months of each other. She's gotten over her parents deaths, but this is harder."

"Why was that?"

Dumbledore actually had a tear fall down his cheek, something Remus had never seen happen before. "You knew about James and Jack's connection?"

Remus nodded. "They liked using it to prank different people."

"It wasn't the only thing they had in common. James and Jack could feel each other. They knew where each person was at all times, what they were doing, feeling and seeing. Imagine half of you are killed and the rest of it is forced to continue on. It kills most who have the connection."

Moony nodded and promised to tell Dumbledore if anything changed, but he hated doing it to her friend. She was an independent soul who needed to figure things out for her, even if it meant crashing head-on into a brick wall. I'm sorry Jack, I wish I could let you figure this out on you own, but I'm scared this will kill you. I can't have the last of my friend die.

Remus spent the next few hours figuring out what he and Jack were going to do. Both of them had lost so much over the years. He didn't understand how they were going to survive these next few days. He knew that many would say to him periodically that time healed all things, but with each passing day, he saw more and more things that he wished James, Lily, and Sirius were there to see. He wished he could have his friends back, James always knew how to deal with Jack. They had a special link, and knew what was wrong.

Remus remembered at the beginning of their seventh year Jack was extremely depressed and wouldn't talk at all, to anybody. Several members of the staff and many of the students were concerned when Jack didn't fly the first Quiddich game of the season. Not because they wanted to win, but because Jack lived and breathed Quiddich, and something was very wrong. Sirius and James wouldn't talk about it, but spent many hours the first few months of school quietly talking with Jack. It finally came out that Jack had walked in on her parents' bodies when she got home from school. There hadn't been a Dark Mark, but it was clear who had done it. It was odd to Remus. James and Jack had changed so drastically after that summer. James was no longer the big-headed Quiddich star who pranked Severus Snape every chance he had, and Jack was no longer the talkative popular girl of the school who everybody cheered on as she captured the snitch. Even Sirius had changed. Remus figured as a reflection of those months it was probably mainly because of how much he cared about Jack.

Lily Evans was shocked at the change.

-- Flashback

Lily Evans ran into James and Jack on the train. "Nice summer, Potter?"

"It was alright, Lily." This shocked Lily primarily because both Jack and James's eyes were rimmed with red and the fact that Potter had actually referred to her by her first name. But the next thing was what shocked her most. "How was yours?"

How was yours? Those three little words shocked Lily so much she couldn't answer the question. "Is there something wrong? Are you two okay?" Lily's voice and eyes reflected genuine concern.

"Nothing that we want to discuss, thank you for asking though." James said in a defeated voice. "I'm Head Boy, but I have help Jack get settled. Tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it." He said, indicating her Head Girl badge.

"Rounds tonight."

"See you there."

Jack burst into tears and James quietly led her to an empty compartment, while Sirius quietly told Remus and Peter that the three of them would see them at the feast.

--

A month later Lily started going out with James, hardly believing that it was actually happening. And within a month of them leaving school they had gotten married. Jack took a little longer to come around, but she and Sirius had gotten engaged three months before James and Lily were killed and Sirius carted off to Azkaban. They were supposed to have been married in mid-November.

-- End Flashback

In the next room, Jack was barely uttering what almost seemed like a prayer at first glance. She was gazing up towards the heavens, fingering the ring on the third finger of her left hand, and said to nobody in particular. "Please. I need James back." Unbeknownst to both parties, a flash of light pulsed outside the cottage, depositing a man on the doorstep.

--

The man looked around him after he had gotten up. He knew who he was, what was going on, where he was, when it was, and how this had happened. The founders had told him everything before he left. He smiled to himself, before she had died his mother had been famous for telling him and Jack, "When something is beginning to happen, always remember your who, what, where, when, why, and how."

James nodded and knocked on the door. He hoped Mooney was home. He recognized this as Mooney's house, or at least the house he lived in before he and Lily had died.

--

Remus came to the door thinking I've been so popular these past few days. He opened the door. Then he promptly turned chalk white and dropped the mug of tea he had been holding.

James raised his eyebrows at Moony and smiled, "Still jumpy, eh Remus?" he engulfed Remus in a hug and said, "I'm sorry I ever suspected you. I'm sorry I lied to you."

"What? How is this possible?" whispered Remus.

"I'm alive," James shrugged.

"But – but you died." Remus said shakily, raising his wand.

Remus couldn't seem to find to words, but Jack chose that exact moment to come to see who was at the door. "JAAAAAAMMEEESSS!" she squealed, "God damn! The bloody spell worked, didn't it, the bloody spell worked!" Remus was even more shocked by Jack's reaction. She went from depressed back to her normal self in less then sixty seconds. Jack's eyes were suddenly filled with life and happiness, not the sadness and dread they had expressed the night before.

James smiled, "Language woman! I'm glad to you haven't changed too much since I've been gone."

They stared at each other for a few seconds. Can you hear this? Asked Jack.

No I can't hear this. I can't hear my twin sister using the connection that we've had since birth. Of course I can hear this you idiot!

Sorry, I was just making sure, you were… dead you know.

I know, I was dead, but apparently the spell was enough reason for the founders to send me back. I mean, they saw how close we are and how you'd probably die without me, and then they said something vague about you needing to do something and some role in the prophesy that you have to fulfill. Just to be on the safe side we should ask the security questions. What's your animagus form?

Jack pulled a face, what animagus form? James punched her in the shoulder. Alright, alright, I'm a Canadian goose. What was Harry's first word?

Duck. He pointed to you and cried 'duck.' James smiled and Jack hugged him again.

"He checks out." She told Remus. "It's really him."

Remus didn't look convinced. "Show me Prongs." The elegant stag that Remus had spent so many full moons with appeared before him. His werewolf sense was already picking up his sent. It seemed different though -- harder in a sense. His voice shook when he spoke next. "But you died. You and Lily died protecting Harry. I buried you with Jack right by my side."

Jack and James shared a look. They seemed to be fighting over who would tell Remus a big secret. James won and Jack sighed. "What Dumbledore was saying an hour ago isn't entirely correct." She said.

"It's more as if it were…. incomplete" James finished.

Jack cut in again, speaking in her usual rapid speech. "It's actually rather complicated. There's a certain spell in our old family books that we suspected might work and now we know it does. It's a one time use thing, but if a twin knows the other is facing mortal peril, he or she can cast the spell on the twin in question and be able to call them back to the land of the living."

Remus was confused. "Say that again, slower."

Jack took a deep breath. "There's this old spell in one of my books that can connect a soul to another, but they must be blood bound naturally first. All twins are blood bound naturally at birth, so basically all it means is that if you attach one soul to another, they must be twins. Usually it only works for identical twins, but somehow it worked and now James is bound to me."

James looked rather uncomfortable, and then he spoke. "I'm sorry Remus, but I lied to the you. We switched secret keepers."

"So Peter is…oh my god. But there's no way to prove it." Exclaimed Remus. "And Sirius… good God, James, do you know what this does?"

Jack looked like she could kill. "I told you." she thundered, "I told you, and Dumbledore, and Fudge. They switched keepers and it was Peter, not Sirius who betrayed them. But would anybody listen to me? No, they were too wrapped up in their own grief to see the logic in what I had to say. Why would Sirius, who's practically like a brother to my twin and my future husband be a Death Eater?"

"It was the only logical option then." Cried Remus.

"You know what I did at Hogwarts for three months, Remus? I was trying to convince Dumbledore of the truth and that I should get custody of Harry because I was his godmother, but did he listen to a word I said? No, of course not, because Harry James Potter is safe with his magic-hating muggle aunt who thinks our kind are… is subnormal."

"He sent him WHERE? Asked James angrily.

"The Dursleys, he sent him to Lily's sister." Jack said tersely.

"Duck, please tell me you're joking."

Had it been a less serious moment, Jack would have hit him upside the head for using Harry's special name for her. How can it be a serious moment, a part of her thought, he isn't here. She groaned at her inner joke and James and Remus looked over at her.

"I made a Sirius joke." She giggled.

--

"What are we gonna do?" asked James. The group had moved back into the living room. James was sprawled on the couch.

"Rescue Sirius." Called Jack. "I want him back if nobody will listen to me. And we might as well take Harry back since his Dad is back."

James and Remus groaned and they all laughed fore several minutes. "So… tonight is the night that I defy a wizard's logic, tomorrow's the day that we rock the world. Are we ready for it?"

James smiled, "I think it's more appropriate to say… is the world ready for us?"

Since it was only early afternoon, Jack and Remus had plenty of time to go into Diagon Ally and get a hefty amount of wizard gold changed into British pounds (Gringotts goblins gave them a beautiful exchange rate). The majority of the Potter fortune, minus the money left in Harry's vault and the vault where James and Jack kept all the cool heirlooms and antiques, would be transferred to the American Qunat Wizarding Bank. This way they had a substantial source of money, even if none of them could find a job.

While taking the trip, Remus and Jack chatted about old times, when there wasn't a war going on and they didn't have to be grown ups and fight in it. They had been happy, simply pranking everyone and enjoying a good game of Quiddich once a month with weekly practices. Their sixth year, they probably had the best line up of anyone: James was a chaser and the Captain, Gideon and Fabian Prewett were the other two chasers. Sirius and a kid named William Thomas were the two beaters, the Keeper was Marlene McKinnon, and Jack was the team's Seeker.

They returned to Jack's house an hour and a half later rather winded from the crowds that they had to fight off. It seemed that every time Jack made a public appearance, reporters seemed to show up.

"I told you," she shouted over the dull roar of the reporters. "I'm not giving any interviews. I don't like reporters and I HEX THOSE WHO GET IN MY WAY." The reporters shut up and moved aside to make a path for Remus and Jack. Remus chuckled under his breath. It seemed that things were already returning to normal in his life.

After returning home. Jack, James, and Remus proceeded to clean up the house and pack the bag that they were taking to America. The papers had been falsified of course, made to look like they all had dual citizenships and were returning home after growing up in England.

Jack grinned and shook her head. "James, I wrote a letter to Kingsley Shacklebolt, it's on the upstairs mantle. Why don't you and Remus write a letter to Dumbledore to hint at everything that's happened, minus James coming back, subtly? Then pack you things at Moonie's and I'll meet you at the Wales mansion."

"Agreed." Said James, "I'll see you around 10?"

"I'd expect me sooner than that. I can fly pretty fast." She transformed silently and beautifully in the blink of an eye and suddenly was a Canadian goose. She flew out an open window and smiled to herself as she felt down drafts and up drafts control her level. This was a feeling that she would never forget again. She had hope that this was going to work out. Everything was going to be okay. No matter what happened now, she knew that she was doing something that she was willing to die for. Her love for James, Harry, Sirius, and even Remus seemed to burst out of her. As she flew towards Azkaban, away from London, she remembered the dead. Marlene and Lily, her schoolmates; Gideon and
Fabian Prewett, she and James had connected with those two immediately. The Longbottoms were insane, and her life had completely changed within 18 months.

She thought of her parents. She doubted there was much of an afterlife, but she almost hoped that there was one and her mum and dad were watching her right now and saw how hard she was willing to fight for the people she loved. She thought about other things. It occurred to her that she'd probably never play for England again, but Quiddich was something she was willing to give up. She was only 22, but she wanted to do other things with her life. She love History of Magic and had plans to teach at Hogwarts, but she knew now that that was impossible to pull off. It was too risky to connect her to Sirius, and a few drops of Veritaserum in the right place would be all she needed to tell everyone everything. She thought about Sirius and how much she loved him. He was the most amazing person she had ever known. Coming from a pureblood family he was selfless and loving. He was a risk taker but at the same time he was able to hold back in a dangerous situation. He always fought. Always. But Sirius couldn't fight right now, so now she would fight for him.

Her thoughts moved on to all those who had died or come close to it in the war. Alice, Lily, Marlene, and Emily were all roommates of hers when she had gone to Hogwarts and now she was the only one truly alive. Sure Alice was still breathing, but the Healers said that she'd never be herself again. She passed trees, rivers, lakes, and the occasional house. She finally saw the familiar speck in the distance as she recognized Azkaban prison. She beat her wings twice as fast as she noticed a setting sun. It must be about eight. I can get Sirius out of here by 8:45 at the latest, then take him somewhere private to help him clear his head, then head back to James and Remus. She passed the shore of the prison. She landed just inside the prison door passed the Dementors. She shivered as she passed them and then walked (waddled) down to the high security cells. She looked in and saw Sirius huddled in a corner.

Mate. She said in that universal animal language. Mate, wake up.

Sirius looked up in a mixture of surprise and disbelief. Come mate, come with me.

Sirius changed to his dog form. My mate is not real. I betrayed my mate and her brother.

Your mate loves you and understands you are innocent.

Sirius took a step back in shock. Then Jack indicated she wanted him to follow her and with a little coaxing, he did. He whined slightly as he passes the Dementors, but as soon as they were clear, he continued to follow Jack.

Let's go for a swim. She said.

Sirius looked at her like she was crazy, but then got in the water with her. They swan together for a long while. The sun had completely set when Jack looked back and saw that Azkaban was a speck on the horizon.

She drew closer to him and laid a wing around him. With a pop they were in a field under a tree. Sirius shook all the water out of his fur. Both of them transformed back into their human forms simultaneously.

"I'm hallucinating. It took six months and I've finally cracked." Muttered Sirius. Jack rushed over to him and kissed Sirius deeply and passionately. They stayed that way for a long time.

When they finally broke apart, Sirius shook his head. "Now I know this is a dream, that's one of the first things I missed about you." Jack smacked him across the cheek. It immediately turned red and Sirius put a hand up to his cheek. "Ow! What the hell was that bloody for? It hurt! Wait a minute… that hurt and dreams never hurt, especially when you're soulless." He stopped and looked at Jack for a moment. Her black hair had the sun streaks it had from her being outside playing Quiddich all day; her skin was tan and rough as it always, but her eyes were rimmed with red and deep circle under her eyes, her eyes, there was pain in her hazel eyes, pain beyond any pain imaginable. They lacked the shine that they had when she laughed or smiled. Back in the early days of Hogwarts she was always smiling. She and James always made each other laugh. A tear fell down her cheek and Sirius wiped it away from her cheek. They kissed again passionately, at a loss for words. Then again, when two people who truly love each other are reunited, there isn't much to say anyway.

"I thought I lost you." she whispered when they broke apart, "I thought you'd never be by my side again and everything was gone. We have hope now." She smiled in a simple sad way. "Everyone thought that I was lying when I said you were innocent, I was pegged as insane. But now we have the true Mauraders back together, ready to fight the world.

"What do you mean? How can there be hope after James is dead and Harry is where nobody can find him."

"I know where Harry is because Dumbledore told me yesterday with the promise that I wouldn't take him, so that's solved, and James isn't dead."

Sirius's mouth dropped about six stories. "How can you say that James isn't dead? I saw his body."

"Do you remember the spell I did two weeks before they died?"

Sirius nodded, "vaguely, didn't you and James say it was impossible that it would work you weren't really identical twins, which is what the spell was designed for."

"In a one in a million chance, it worked." she said with a smile. God Sirius had missed her smile. It seemed to light up his entire world.

"You mean… James is alive?" Sirius breathed.

Jack nodded. "But, remember that there's a downside to the spell… if James is killed, I'll die." She stayed silent for a moment, letting the weight of what she had to say take affect.

"Crap." Was all Sirius could say. "We'll just have to make sure James doesn't die then won't we.

"I love you Sirius Orion Black." She said as she wrapped her arms around him.

"I love you Jack Ophelia Potter." He said. "Soon to be Black." He added with a smile.

"The first thing we do when we get to America."

"Are we leaving soon?" asked Sirius.

Jack nodded. "James got the tickets today. Amazing thing that magic, we've falsified all of our muggle papers that are in order to go and work in America. We are to be the Whites, Jo and Thomas White." Sirius snorted. "James is Jake Evans, and Remus is John Smith. Sirius started laughing. "Glad to see that the Azkaban guards didn't have that much of an effect on you. Let's go home. We'll be leaving tomorrow and we should probably spend the tonight catching you and James up to date.

Are you there? Came a familiar voice in her head. She had missed it so much. Jack, did you get Sirius out okay?

We're headed your way James. Better change into stag form, it'll be easier to convince him.

Is he okay?

I think he's a little weak, but he's going to be fine. I don't think he believed me when I told him you were alive. Who would? Point noted and taken. Tell Mooney to start one of those instant dinners I have in the pantry. Instant dinners?

Jack smiled. Yeah, it's a new invention. You point your wand at it and tell it how many are coming to dinner and it'll make you anything. Spaghetti, Meatloaf, Chicken. It makes it pretty decent too, at least whatever it is doesn't burn like it does when I make it.

Why do you have these things?

Because Mom's good cooking genes were both lost when she got pregnant with us. Neither of us can do much more than place warming charms on things, oh, and like all men you can make pancakes.

Sirius looked at her oddly. "Are we going to go or something?"

She broke off her connection. "Sorry, out of practice with multi-tasking. I was talking to James."

She grabbed his arm before he could respond and apparated both of them out of the glade.

They appeared back in the red and gold drawing room. The next moment pandemonium broke out.

Sirius took one glance at James and lost his balance. "JAMES?"

"What, did you think I was lying?" asked Jack.

Sirius got up. "No, I just… I thought you were humoring me. James is that really you?" James transformed back into his human form. "You can't mimic animagi forms." He whispered.

Remus called to them from the kitchen and the three grown men embraced in an awkward three-way hug. They all heard the click of a camera.

Sirius groaned. "Must you?" he asked.

Jack shrugged. "All the pictures I have of us have Peter in them. I've thrown out the ones where he won't go away, though the one where Sirius started beating him up with his Beater bat was tremendously funny. I've kept it by my bed for ages."

The three of them sat down to dinner, which was steak. James tried to make Sirius laugh by eating as Prongs, but all it earned him were rolls being thrown at him. Sirius transformed into dog form and began to catch the rolls mid-flight. The group dissolved in laughter and tears for the first time in over a year.

Jack woke up and smiled to herself the next morning. Last night she did the impossible; today all of them were going to destroy every hope of the known wizarding world, at least in Britain. Today they were going to take Harry from his Aunt and Uncle's and disappear off of the face of the wizarding world. Nobody would know where they went and they wouldn't return until Harry was old enough to begin Hogwarts. Jack got up and changed into new clothes. Then waved her wand. The entire contents of the bathroom, closet and shelving units that were in her bedroom all flew into a suitcase at the foot of her bed. All of Sirius's things went in as well, since most of his stuff was given to Jack when he was arrested. The sheets off the bed were packed to, as were the pillows, which left Sirius alone on a bare underwear. She smiled. This is perfect. She charmed some pants and a shirt on, woke him up and told him that it was morning and unless he wanted another instant meal like they had last night, he'd better go down and get cooking. He immediately leapt up and went downstairs. Fifteen minutes later the packing had been finished and the single dufflebag they were taking was on the counter. Sirius was scrambling eggs and frying bacon when Remus and James and Jack walked in. Sirius turned around with the eggs and bacon on two large platters. All of them bit their lips when they caught sight of his tee shirt.

Sirius looked down and read the words "my woman wears the pants of our relationship" and shot Jack a look. "You know, usually when you're trying to comfort a person after they've finished a tough chapter of their life, you don't prank them."

Jack frowned, "oh really, what about the first day of classes our seventh year."

Sirius blushed, "I don't know what you're talking about." He said as casually as possible,"

Jack raised a single eyebrow. "Oh really? You see, as I remember, you and a certain twin of mine decided that I needed to be cheered up and so you decided you charm my hair blue while I was in the shower."

"What?" said Sirius. "It's as good a time as any, and besides, you look hot when you're washing your hair."

James clapped his hands and shouted, "to much information, Sirius. That's my sister, in case you've forgotten."

Remus smiled. "I always wondered about this. All I remember is a blue-haired Jack rushing into a fairly full Great Hall straight in the middle of breakfast and yelling at the top of her voice, "JAMES LAERTES POTTER, YOU COME HERE AND SET MY HAIR RIGHT."

All of them dissolved into laughter and tears.

Sirius got up, vanished the dirty dishes, and added the final touches to the kitchen to make it look long deserted. The next step was highly dangerous, especially at seven in the morning right after Sirius Black has supposedly escaped from Azkaban prison. It would take a half day to raise security and such, so what they had to do, they had to do it quickly.

They apparated a block away from the place that Dumbledore had told her was holding Harry. Technically, I'm not breaking my promise to Dumbledore. I'm not taking him, you are, and rightfully so.

Still, I hate having to go behind Albus's back.

That would be an interesting conversation. "Hi Headmaster, just to let you know, Sirius Black is innocent, Peter Pettigrew was my brother's secret keeper and the way I can prove this is the fact that he's alive due to this half-dark spell that we were fooling around with one day because we were bored. So it brought him back from the dead and everything's fine and dandy right now.

Point taken…

They arrived at Number Four at the exact time that a fat man with no neck was driving away in a company car. Jack and James went up to the door and knocked, since they were the only two who had actually met Petunia Dursley.

The door opened to a blonde bony woman holding a blonde boy screaming for candy. "What ever you're selling, I won't buy it." She started to close the door but James put his foot in the door. Petunia peered at them and realized who she was looking at. "But you died. You and my sister died, the old man wrote a letter saying so when he left that brat of yours on our doorstep."

"Where is he?" growled Jack.

Petunia looked at her in fear. "Cupboard under the stairs." She said rather quickly.

"Why is he there?" asked James authoritatively as Jack strode over to the cupboard.

"Because he has to learn his place, his unnatural, freakish place that isn't around the normal families like ours."

There was a crunching noise and both James and Petunia looked over. Jack had put her fist through the wall. She picked up a small bundle. "You call this putting him in his place." Petunia flinched. Jack handed Harry (for it was Harry) over to James, and to his horror he could see bruises all over his fragile body. Jack pulled her wand. "You know in the wizarding world, in our word," Petunia flinched again, "it is the general consensus of the population that the darkest and most foul places in hell are reserved for Death Eaters who have ravaged our friends and family for many years. But that is too good for the likes of you who thinks that anything different is unnatural and for that reason, you would hit a two year old. Did you even remember that his birthday was yesterday, or that his mother, your flesh and blood, died to save him?"

James looked heartbrokenly at his unconscious son and looked up and his sister-in-law with tears in his eyes. "Lily would have never done this," was all he managed to say. Then James, Jack, and Harry left, soon to be joined by Remus and Sirius, who were shocked by the bruises on Harry. Jack concealed them, knowing that if she didn't they would draw unwanted attention to their group when they got to the airport. After that, the five of them apparated to the parking structure of the airport to check in and board the plane headed for America. Security was fairly lax that time of day and as it was mid-week, nobody seemed to be going anywhere or doing anything of much importance. They boarded the plane without trouble (both Sirius and Jack were concealed to ward off suspicion).

Midway through the plane trip, Harry woke up to find himself surrounded by people he thought had gone far away and had never come back. "Duck!" He cried, when he woke up in the arms of Jack. Several people around her murmured an affectionate sigh. When James returned from the bathroom he immediately brightened up and squirmed towards his father. "Dada." He murmured.

Jack smiled, handing him over. "He's you in looks, but he's totally me in character."

James laughed, "Jo, we're twins, how can you say that he's me in looks, that just means he looks like both of us."

Sirius leaned over from his seat next to Jack. "I think what Jo means is that you were always the heartbreaker of the school, you hardly had to do anything and you had girls fawning all over you, while Jack did absolutely nothing because she didn't care about her looks and nobody asked her out."

Jack snorted. "So Gideon asking me out every other week our sixth year doesn't count?"

Sirius smiled, "course not love, you were taken then, which makes boys pay attention to you. I believe I did quite a bit of influencing your reputation."

Jack had to laugh. "Don't you know that about thirty girls were willing to pay me to figure out how to get a playboy like you to settle down with one girl for an entire month?"

While the four friends were laughing, chaos was breaking out in Britain. Amelia Bones, Secondary Chief of Magical Law Enforcement, was sitting at her desk, hardly believing, what Kingsley Shacklebolt was telling her. Sirius Black, Sirius Black, had done the unthinkable and broken out of Azkaban prison. What was more amazing was that it seemed that he had done it on his own, without any outside help. The Daily Prophet had already caught word and was now rushing Special Edition papers to the printers informing the entire wizarding world that the most feared Death Eater in the country was on the loose.

Mother's hurried their children inside, straining their eyes to make sure that Sirius Black was not behind the next bush or tree. They prayed that their children would be kept safe from such a monster. The press was having a field day. Sirius Black had done what so many seemed to think was impossible: he escaped from Azkaban Prison and disappeared. Some thought he had family in France, others said that he knew Igor Karoff and was off to teach in Bulgaria, a couple said that he had run off with his girlfriend, though nobody seemed to remember her name.

Over 100 miles away, Amelia Santino, the Keeper for the English Quiddich team looked toward his captain and one of the team's beaters, Mary Wilkes. "Have you seen Potter yet? She said that she'd be here early."

Wilkes frowned. "No I haven't. Let me check if she sent an owl." She disappeared into a small office and came out a moment later. "Yeah, she did." She said, handing her the letter.

Amelia opened the letter in a hurry, hoping it wasn't what she thought it was.

Dear Amelia,

Over the few months that I have gotten to know you, I can say truthfully that you are one of the most caring people that are left in this world. Therefore, I am sending you this letter; letting you know that I am going to probably kill myself by the time you get this. My lover is a murderer, my brother is dead, and my world is in shambles. Quiddich has lost its luster and right now I just want to die. I have no chance of being happy anymore, so in parting, I want to give you the snitch charm that my mother gave me before my first Quiddich game. I know you have a four year old who already loves the game. Please give it to him and when he's old enough, tell him my story. I loved the world that I lived in and that world slipped away and I simply let it. Teach your son to never let anyone take away what you find necessary in your life, teach him to be a gentleman, like my friend Remus Lupin was. I will be far from your gasp by the time this reaches you, so remember me well.

Yours,

Jacqueline Ophelia Potter P.S. I promised you that one day I'd tell you my true full name. Are you happy now?

Amelia closed the letter as a tear rolled down her cheek. She reached into the envelope and retrieved the silver snitch pendent set with green emeralds. Jack had always worn this pendent, to remember her long-dead parents. She thought of her son Victor, and her husband Max. Her world was so filled with love and energy from the two of them. She could already tell that he was going to be a fine seeker when he grew up.

"Is everything alright?" asked Mary.

Amelia shook her head, her voice quavering. "Jack's dead." Mary was lost for words.

Albus Dumbledore could not have been more shocked.

He had just returned from Number 4 Private Drive to find the wards gone and Harry missing. He had talked to Petunia who had said, "that unnatural brat was taken away by his unnatural father and aunt. Good thing too. Dudders had his birthday a few days ago and we needed the broom closet for all of his other things.

It was early evening by the time the Whites and the Evans exited the airport in Los Angeles. The baggage claim belt fascinated Sirius, who now went by Thomas, and Sirius and James played on it until the Airport security stopped them. Jack thanked the officer and gave Sirius a slap upside his head. They grabbed their bags, and rented a small car. Harry sat in James's lap and as soon as Muggles were out of sight they conjured a car seat for him. Remus drove, since his mother was a muggle and had taught him how to drive.

It was very scary for Remus, however, being used to English roads, having to be driving on the opposite side of the street. Jack sat in the navigator's seat and directed him to her pen pal's house. He had cut himself off from the magical world a few years ago, married a muggle, and had two kids, both were nonmagical.

They pulled up in front of the Craftsman house. "Wait here," said Jack, "He knows me and isn't very open to other wizards and witches." The four nodded, Harry had done it in his sleep, nodding off. She exited the car, checked the time on the car clock, 7:21, and walked up the stone steps. She knocked politely on the door.

It opened. A young boy with jet-black hair answered it. "Ca' I 'elp 'ou?" the five year old asked.

"Donnie," called a man's voice, "don't answer the door without our permission." The man opened the door wider. His mouth opened in shocked.

"Hey Alan. I need to talk to you about something."

Alan pushed Don back inside, "Sweetie," he called, "take care of the kids for me, an old friend's at the door."

"Okay!" came a female voice. Alan closed the door behind him. "How did you get here?" he asked after a long pause.

She gestured towards the car, "Remus can drive…sort of."

Alan looked over Jack's shoulder. "Hi…" he said awkwardly.

Jack turned around. Jams, Remus, Sirius, and Harry were standing there. "Aw come on! You." she said to Sirius, "need to be glamour any time that you go out." Sirius looked guilty at her. Alan looked confused.

"Isn't that…" he started to say.

"Sirius Black, framed man." She kissed him quickly. "James Potter, dead man." She indicated her twin. "And Remus Lupin, good man, last but not least."

Alan's eyebrows rose further. "Do you want to explain all this?"

"Yeah… it's a long story, do you have a place to sit down?"

"Inside…inside."

"Wow…" breathed Alan after the story had been told. "That's, um, that sounds a lot like the thousands of stories that I've heard of your adventures over the years. You can add cheating death and breaking a man out of the most famous wizard's prison in the world on your resume."

"We need your help, actually." Jack said testily.

"You need a place to stay." Allen concluded, nodding. "I know a couple places that you can stay, like the Ravenclaw house."

Jack gasped, "I didn't know you had an ancestral home here."

Alan nodded, "It's a couple blocks away. Margaret thought it was too big, but I'm sure you guys are planning on having kids, and I'm sure it'll be just right for you guys."

"Sounds good. So what have you been doing?" asked Jack.

"I married Margaret and had Don and Charlie, and we moved here and that's that."

"I'm confused though," said James, "why is the house called the Ravenclaw house?"

Alan and Jack shared a look. "Alan went to school in Salem," she said. "He had a parent who went to Hogwarts." She shrugged.

"So… why are you living like Muggles?" asked Sirius.

"Because," Jack started to say, before Alan cut in.

"It's okay Jack," he patted her arm and directed his conversation to James, Sirius, and Remus. Harry had fallen asleep in James's arms thirty minutes ago. "My life has been… affected by the war in England. I was the only one of my family who survived it. I was angry and I left that world behind."

"And Ravenclaw House comes from…?" Sirius asked.

"The Eppes line is the last line of Ravenclaw." Sirius, Remus, and James drew in breath.

Alan gave them directions to the ancestral home and went back inside.

Jack sighed. James looked at baby Harry and bounced him on his knee. "So, what's going to happen now?" he asked.

"Now we live our lives," said Jack, "and wait for Harry to get older. We raise him as anybody would raise their children."