Disclaimer- I own Maerian, William, and Lydia Potter, Ryan Harris/Richard
Hart Alfred Carter along with the plot. The rest belong to JK Rowling
unless I've missed someone. This is my first fic (actually I have another
alias on this site-try and guess who). R&R!
Love,
Lilly
A soft knock sounded at the door causing a very tired looking Professor Dumbledore to turn his head. "Come in," he wearily responded. The heavy, stone door swung open with incredible ease revealing a comically exuberant man in the frame.
"Hello Professor, do you remember me?" He was short with only a thin spray of ivory colored hair on his head. His nose was bulbous and took up most of his face, left vacant because of thin lips and tiny eyes. No, Professor Dumbledore did not remember this man, nor did he have time to guess.
"I'm afraid my memory is not serving me. Would you please introduce yourself sir." Professor Dumbledore waved distractedly at a chair in front of his desk. The man grinned widely and took the seat offered to him.
"I didn't think you would," Professor Dumbledore noted the slight British accent hidden behind the Louisiana overtones. "My name is Alfred Carter. I've lived in the United States for the past twenty years. Before that, however, I attended Hogwarts." Professor Dumbledore nodded very slightly.
"Yes, well, Mr. Carter, would you be so kind as to tell me your business returning," receiving a slightly hurt look from Mr. Carter he hastened to say: "I'm sorry that I sound a bit rude. It's just that I've been under some recent stress. If you haven't heard, we're in the beginning stages of a war." Dumbledore tried to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. It seemed to work as Mr. Carter's face brightened.
"I have heard; indecently, that is what I'm here to speak with you about. I have some news that might make these dark times a little easier to bare."
"Pray continue Mr. Carter."
"Please call me Alfred Professor."
"Pray continue Alfred."
"A brief period ago I had the pleasure of bumping into a Ms. Maerian Potter," he paused, seeing if Dumbledore knew of Ms. Maerian Potter. With no response he continued. "Obviously you do not know of Ms. Potter. She was on a quest to find her family roots. Apparently, after the death of her care taker, Richard Hart, and her recent coming of age, she received family artifacts and documents that sparked her fancy. Is any of this ringing a bell?" Alfred glanced at Dumbledore who shook his head lightly. Alfred continued happily. "She had figured out the names of parents and their origins. The only problem was, she didn't know exactly how or when they died. Her parents' names were William and Lydia Potter." The names seemed to be the "crème de la crème" of his speech as he raised his eyes expectantly at the aged professor.
It took a moment before realization dawned on Dumbledore's face. Alfred grinned. "Yes, it came as quite a shock to me as well. How could William and Lydia Potter, parents of James Potter, have a child without anyone else's knowledge. I proved a very valuable asset to Ms. Maerian for I could fill in the missing pieces of her story. In return for my kindness, she filled in the missing pieces in my understanding. You see Professor, the Potters had Maerian in hiding. In fact, the whole pregnancy occurred in hiding. Do you remember the strange circumstances of their death?"
"Yes, it was odd because it looked as if they'd come out in the open on their own accord." Dumbledore answered quickly, wanting to know the rest of Maerian Potter's story.
"Exactly. They did indeed come out of hiding voluntarily. They came out to hand their little baby to an old family friend, known earlier as Ryan Harris, the famous arrour who worked side by side with William Potter. Shortly after Ryan/Richard's departure, Death Eaters overtook the Potters." Alfred finished with a satisfied look on his face. He clasped his hands over his stomach and looked at Dumbledore anxiously.
"So where is Ms. Potter now?"
"Why she's in London of course. She's moving into a flat there as we speak. When she found out that her only living relative lived in England along with her family roots, she wasted no time in Salem."
"So how did life with "Richard Hart" go for her? Did she tell you anything?"
"She said she had a regular, happy life. Richard was an incredible father and there was a house maid, I believe her name was Edna Illis, that took care of her. She went to Salem Academy for her education and excelled. She was head of her class all through."
"Yes, I do believe that Vivienne Napery, that's the Headmistress at SWA, did tell me something. It was along the lines of the two Potters. How strange," by then Dumbledore was talking to himself much more than to Alfred. "Anyway, she's here to see Harry then?"
"She wants him to move in with her actually but, yes, I think for the moment she'd settle for seeing him."
"Moving into London you say?"
"Yes."
"I'd like very much to meet her. Will you take me to her?" Alfred grinned and nodded. Dumbledore transfigured his robes into a simple suit. His wand morphed into a rickety, old cane with which Dumbledore tried his best to look decrepit. His beard and hair shortened to a manageable length and changed to a younger color. "I'm ready, let's be off Alfred." The two walked through the grounds before apparating to London. Alfred allowed his Hotel room as an apparation point and the two went on from there. They took the Underground to Notting Hill where a big, white, moving truck stood in front of a tall, bright, purple apartment building. "This is a Wizarding Establishment I presume?" Dumbledore asked with his eyebrows cocked.
"It's obvious you do not know anything of Maerian. She told me that with the recent predicament of England and Voldemort, it would be very stupid to halt training." The two men walked toward the apartment complex and Alfred grinned and waved at a young woman. She looked nothing like her brother or father. She was short and petit with long, wavy brunette curls. Her eyes were brown and almond shaped magnified by the black framed glasses that adorned her face. Her nose was small and her lips were plump. Dumbledore was reminded of a young Lydia Potter, then Lydia DeBo(te.
"Is that her?" Dumbledore asked, realizing that his question was stupid only after he had said it. Alfred nodded.
"Yep, come on, I'll introduce you though I think she probably already knows you." They walked toward Maerian who jogged down the steps to meet them.
"Hello Alfred, I see you've brought Professor Dumbledore with you." Dumbledore noted that she had inherited the famous Potter smile despite her otherwise French exterior.
"Yes, he asked to see you right off," Alfred replied genially. Maerian smiled in response and shook Dumbledore's hand.
"Please, come in. It's a mess right now but the couch is in there and I only get in the mover's way." Her accent was very, very un British, displaying her United States origins like a trophy. The three-some walked into the apartment which was on the second floor. It was very spacious with a large bay window showcasing Maerian's view of the main street which was bustling with activity. "I'm just pumped that you decided to come!" she exclaimed, offering Alfred and Dumbledore seats on the couch while she took the armchair. She was dressed in a green T-shirt and jeans that only made her look younger than her petite frame already did.
"Well, I'm just, chuffed to come myself," Dumbledore smiled warmly. "Welcome to London m'dear. I was very surprised to hear about another Potter."
"So was I; I was sure that I was the last one and was just off-the- wall when I heard about Harry. It's been hard since Richard died. Mamma Illis died a while ago too so I didn't know what to do with myself."
"So how exactly did you find the information on your family?"
"Oh, well, when my parents gave me to Richard they also handed over some family documents as well as a small family fortune." The last comment was made very flippantly. "They were to be given to me when I graduated from school. Richard decided to withhold them for a bit longer but he died so I got them anyway."
"How old are you exactly?"
"Twenty two. It's taken me forever to track down family records. I didn't get the actual inheritance until I was nineteen. I took a little time to grieve for Richard's death till I actually started my full-fledged search. I don't know why, but I was in New Orleans and met up with Albert."
"I see. Why did it take so long to find the information. You had their names and both William and Lydia were fairly well known."
"That's the thing about which I'm still mystified. There were dead ends at every turn it seemed. The thing about which I really need to talk to you is Harry. What are the chances of him living here with me?"
"Why would a twenty-two-year-old want to live with her sixteen-year- old nephew?" Dumbledore questioned.
"There are two reasons actually. The first and most obvious is that I want to be close to my only, living family. The second, and more obscure, is that I feel that I could protect him in a way his Aunt and Uncle can't. I can't explain it completely but it's the way I feel and I'm usually not wrong about these things."
"Maerian's a seer," Alfred explained. Dumbledore closed is eyes slowly.
"It would do a world of good for Harry. Have you heard about the recent death of his godfather?" Maerian nodded. "And you could protect him, what with the blood connection and your seeming prowess in magic and defense. I think it would be good all around that is, if Harry is willing to move in. Do you have any birth certificate; I just need to make sure you're really who you say you are." Maerian nodded excitedly and ran into a back room, coming out a moment later with an envelope in her hands.
Dumbledore examined it closely, performing many spells on it without the knowledge of Maerian or Alfred. When he was done he was smiling. "You may not know this but I was a very dear friend of your Great Grandfather, Edward Potter. It's nice to know we've got another Potter in this world." Maerian smiled and embraced him ardently.
"It's nice to know people who know my past."
Meanwhile in Surrey
"HARRY, GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!" came Aunt Petunia's shrill demand. Harry had been doing his homework in relative peace (and gloom) before her interruption. He rolled his eyes but got up just the same. He wasn't in the mood for a confrontation. He drug himself down to the kitchen and waited expectantly before the bug-like woman. "Did you pull the weeds in the flower beds yesterday?" Harry nodded mutely. Obviously, Mad Eye's warning at the train station didn't prohibit Aunt Petunia from ordering him about. Dudley stepped into the room, leaning his huge frame against the door post. He never missed the show. "You think you did do you?" Aunt Petunia's glare was as piercing as a razor.
"Yes ma'm," was Harry's low reply.
"Well what do you call this?" Aunt Petunia extended the most miniscule weed that Harry had ever seen. It was almost lost in her bony hand.
"Sorry, it must have gotten lost amongst the dirt yesterday," Harry replied, sarcasm dripping from his every syllable. Her eyes narrowed even further.
"You are a sorry excuse for a gardener too I suppose. Are you really good at absolutely nothing?" Harry knew it as a rhetorical question so he stayed silent, watching her. He wanted to inform her that he was neither trained as a gardener nor interested in being a gardener but he knew that those types of responses tended not to go over terribly well with Aunt Petunia. "Go out and check them again. I swear, if there's even one more weed I'll have your head." Harry nodded glumly and slunk out to the front yard. It was going to be a long summer, that was for sure. The only good thing was that with all the manual labor he was doing, he had very little time to think about Sirius.
Back in Notting Hill
"So, when can we head over there?" Maerian asked Dumbledore.
"I guess now is as good a time as ever," was Dumbledore's reply. "We'll have to head over there the muggle way though."
"But of course," Maerian responded cordially. "I'll call the taxi company," she disappeared into the kitchen, coming out a minute later with a cell phone in her hand. She called the taxi company and told them to come to the park that was a bit away from the apartment complex. "We should walk over there in about ten minutes, it'll take longer then that for the cab to get here." Dumbledore and Alfred nodded and sat down on the couch.
"So, how is the Unites States anyway? It's been a good ten or twenty years since I've been over there," Dumbledore grinned.
"Oh, it's fine. Salem is about as it always is. There are numerous similarities between New York City and London. In general, the US seems very uninterested with the Second Rise. I didn't hear about it till I made plans to come over here," Maerian answered. Dumbledore nodded gravely.
"Yes, I'm afraid word of our cause does not spread quickly. Our own Minister of Magic," he said this with only a semblance of a sneer. "Only accepted it at the end of last term." Maerian looked down at her lap, unsure of what to say. They sat in silence till Maerian stood up.
"We should walk over to the park now." She lead the two men to the park. They waited on a bench for only a few minutes before the black taxi rolled up next to them. Dumbledore gave the address and they were off.
Back in Surrey
Harry bent over the blasted flower garden, looking for a second weed to add to his tiny, miniscule collection. Each tiny weed took an hour to find but he was sure that Aunt Petunia's sharp eye would catch it if it were there. He wiped the sweat off his brow and stretched the kinks in his back before going back into his work. "There you are you little bugger," he whispered hoarsely at the poor weed that he yanked from it's hole. "You were a bloody hard to find little weed." He lay it gently on the paper towel with the other.
To his displeasure, Dudley joined him out on the lawn. "Do you want a drink of water Harry?" he asked in such a sincere voice that Harry actually believed him.
"Yeah, thanks Dudley," he said, turning around and reaching his hand up to the glass in his cousin's fat hand. Dudley pulled it away in disgust.
"Then you better hurry up and finish," he broke down in laughter at his own joke, leaving Harry to glare at will. Swallowing all the terrible things he wanted to say and do to the fat whale, he turned back to his work. Before he could pull the third weed from the flower garden, however, a taxi drove up. Thinking it was a client of Uncle Vernon, he didn't turn around. He didn't even give it a second thought before a shadow was cast across the begonias. He turned and saw Professor Dumbledore or a man that looked surprisingly like Professor Dumbledore.
"P-Professor?" he asked, his dry voice cracking. He even managed to choke back his rage at the old man.
"Yes Harry, we have something which needs discussing so would you please lead us inside." He gestured at a man and a woman behind him. Harry got up mutely and lead them into the house. He didn't know what was going on nor was he on particularly good terms with the aged professor at the moment. Aunt Petunia walked from the kitchen with a glare on her face and a diatribe on her tongue; but her face quickly changed to fear at the sight of the three other people.
"W-what are they doing here? W-who are they?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"This is Professor Dumbledore; you've met him before. As for the other two, your guess is as good as mine," Harry answered honestly.
"Y-you let them in here?" Aunt Petunia's eyes flashed with anger.
"Excuse me Mrs. Dursley," Dumbledore cut in. "We need to discuss some things that involve Harry. I'm glad you're here as it concerns your family as well. Please, if you will, let's go into the lounge." Aunt Petunia only nodded. Her fear stood out like a sore thumb. The small group relocated to the living room and took seats on couches and chairs. Dumbledore cleared his throat. "I've come here because a person we didn't think existed has come out of the woodwork," he glanced meaningfully at Maerian.
"What has this woman got to do with me?" Harry asked, his voice was stony.
"Well, Harry, she has everything to do with you. She is your last paternal relative. Maerian Potter is your aunt." Harry was stunned. He fell back into the armchair and looked blankly at the wall.
"I-I know this must come as a shock to you Harry," Maerian started. "It came as a shock to me; but, well, if you don't have any objection, I'd like you to come live with me."
"How exactly are you my aunt?" he asked, glancing up at her. Both felt a jolt of electricity shoot through them at the power of their glances.
"Well, your family wasn't the only that went into hiding. Your grandparents, William and Lydia Potter, my parents, went into hiding as well. I was born in secrecy. Even my mother's pregnancy occurred underground. Well, when things began to get rough and Voldemort came closer to them, they decided to hand me off to a family friend, Ryan Harris. He took on the alias of Richard Hart. Unfortunately, after a successful delivery, they were caught by Death Eaters and killed. No one knew about me and that's the way Richard wanted it. He took me to the United States and that's where I've been living for my whole life up until now."
"Up until now?" Harry questioned.
"I've just recently moved to London." Harry looked skeptically at Dumbledore.
"She's telling the truth Harry. I am one hundred percent sure." Harry looked back to Maerian.
"Why do you want me to live with you?"
"Richard's died and I don't have any family. You're my last living relative Harry. That's something I need. Besides, I can train you. That's what you need the most, training." All eyes were on Harry. What would he choose?
Love,
Lilly
A soft knock sounded at the door causing a very tired looking Professor Dumbledore to turn his head. "Come in," he wearily responded. The heavy, stone door swung open with incredible ease revealing a comically exuberant man in the frame.
"Hello Professor, do you remember me?" He was short with only a thin spray of ivory colored hair on his head. His nose was bulbous and took up most of his face, left vacant because of thin lips and tiny eyes. No, Professor Dumbledore did not remember this man, nor did he have time to guess.
"I'm afraid my memory is not serving me. Would you please introduce yourself sir." Professor Dumbledore waved distractedly at a chair in front of his desk. The man grinned widely and took the seat offered to him.
"I didn't think you would," Professor Dumbledore noted the slight British accent hidden behind the Louisiana overtones. "My name is Alfred Carter. I've lived in the United States for the past twenty years. Before that, however, I attended Hogwarts." Professor Dumbledore nodded very slightly.
"Yes, well, Mr. Carter, would you be so kind as to tell me your business returning," receiving a slightly hurt look from Mr. Carter he hastened to say: "I'm sorry that I sound a bit rude. It's just that I've been under some recent stress. If you haven't heard, we're in the beginning stages of a war." Dumbledore tried to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. It seemed to work as Mr. Carter's face brightened.
"I have heard; indecently, that is what I'm here to speak with you about. I have some news that might make these dark times a little easier to bare."
"Pray continue Mr. Carter."
"Please call me Alfred Professor."
"Pray continue Alfred."
"A brief period ago I had the pleasure of bumping into a Ms. Maerian Potter," he paused, seeing if Dumbledore knew of Ms. Maerian Potter. With no response he continued. "Obviously you do not know of Ms. Potter. She was on a quest to find her family roots. Apparently, after the death of her care taker, Richard Hart, and her recent coming of age, she received family artifacts and documents that sparked her fancy. Is any of this ringing a bell?" Alfred glanced at Dumbledore who shook his head lightly. Alfred continued happily. "She had figured out the names of parents and their origins. The only problem was, she didn't know exactly how or when they died. Her parents' names were William and Lydia Potter." The names seemed to be the "crème de la crème" of his speech as he raised his eyes expectantly at the aged professor.
It took a moment before realization dawned on Dumbledore's face. Alfred grinned. "Yes, it came as quite a shock to me as well. How could William and Lydia Potter, parents of James Potter, have a child without anyone else's knowledge. I proved a very valuable asset to Ms. Maerian for I could fill in the missing pieces of her story. In return for my kindness, she filled in the missing pieces in my understanding. You see Professor, the Potters had Maerian in hiding. In fact, the whole pregnancy occurred in hiding. Do you remember the strange circumstances of their death?"
"Yes, it was odd because it looked as if they'd come out in the open on their own accord." Dumbledore answered quickly, wanting to know the rest of Maerian Potter's story.
"Exactly. They did indeed come out of hiding voluntarily. They came out to hand their little baby to an old family friend, known earlier as Ryan Harris, the famous arrour who worked side by side with William Potter. Shortly after Ryan/Richard's departure, Death Eaters overtook the Potters." Alfred finished with a satisfied look on his face. He clasped his hands over his stomach and looked at Dumbledore anxiously.
"So where is Ms. Potter now?"
"Why she's in London of course. She's moving into a flat there as we speak. When she found out that her only living relative lived in England along with her family roots, she wasted no time in Salem."
"So how did life with "Richard Hart" go for her? Did she tell you anything?"
"She said she had a regular, happy life. Richard was an incredible father and there was a house maid, I believe her name was Edna Illis, that took care of her. She went to Salem Academy for her education and excelled. She was head of her class all through."
"Yes, I do believe that Vivienne Napery, that's the Headmistress at SWA, did tell me something. It was along the lines of the two Potters. How strange," by then Dumbledore was talking to himself much more than to Alfred. "Anyway, she's here to see Harry then?"
"She wants him to move in with her actually but, yes, I think for the moment she'd settle for seeing him."
"Moving into London you say?"
"Yes."
"I'd like very much to meet her. Will you take me to her?" Alfred grinned and nodded. Dumbledore transfigured his robes into a simple suit. His wand morphed into a rickety, old cane with which Dumbledore tried his best to look decrepit. His beard and hair shortened to a manageable length and changed to a younger color. "I'm ready, let's be off Alfred." The two walked through the grounds before apparating to London. Alfred allowed his Hotel room as an apparation point and the two went on from there. They took the Underground to Notting Hill where a big, white, moving truck stood in front of a tall, bright, purple apartment building. "This is a Wizarding Establishment I presume?" Dumbledore asked with his eyebrows cocked.
"It's obvious you do not know anything of Maerian. She told me that with the recent predicament of England and Voldemort, it would be very stupid to halt training." The two men walked toward the apartment complex and Alfred grinned and waved at a young woman. She looked nothing like her brother or father. She was short and petit with long, wavy brunette curls. Her eyes were brown and almond shaped magnified by the black framed glasses that adorned her face. Her nose was small and her lips were plump. Dumbledore was reminded of a young Lydia Potter, then Lydia DeBo(te.
"Is that her?" Dumbledore asked, realizing that his question was stupid only after he had said it. Alfred nodded.
"Yep, come on, I'll introduce you though I think she probably already knows you." They walked toward Maerian who jogged down the steps to meet them.
"Hello Alfred, I see you've brought Professor Dumbledore with you." Dumbledore noted that she had inherited the famous Potter smile despite her otherwise French exterior.
"Yes, he asked to see you right off," Alfred replied genially. Maerian smiled in response and shook Dumbledore's hand.
"Please, come in. It's a mess right now but the couch is in there and I only get in the mover's way." Her accent was very, very un British, displaying her United States origins like a trophy. The three-some walked into the apartment which was on the second floor. It was very spacious with a large bay window showcasing Maerian's view of the main street which was bustling with activity. "I'm just pumped that you decided to come!" she exclaimed, offering Alfred and Dumbledore seats on the couch while she took the armchair. She was dressed in a green T-shirt and jeans that only made her look younger than her petite frame already did.
"Well, I'm just, chuffed to come myself," Dumbledore smiled warmly. "Welcome to London m'dear. I was very surprised to hear about another Potter."
"So was I; I was sure that I was the last one and was just off-the- wall when I heard about Harry. It's been hard since Richard died. Mamma Illis died a while ago too so I didn't know what to do with myself."
"So how exactly did you find the information on your family?"
"Oh, well, when my parents gave me to Richard they also handed over some family documents as well as a small family fortune." The last comment was made very flippantly. "They were to be given to me when I graduated from school. Richard decided to withhold them for a bit longer but he died so I got them anyway."
"How old are you exactly?"
"Twenty two. It's taken me forever to track down family records. I didn't get the actual inheritance until I was nineteen. I took a little time to grieve for Richard's death till I actually started my full-fledged search. I don't know why, but I was in New Orleans and met up with Albert."
"I see. Why did it take so long to find the information. You had their names and both William and Lydia were fairly well known."
"That's the thing about which I'm still mystified. There were dead ends at every turn it seemed. The thing about which I really need to talk to you is Harry. What are the chances of him living here with me?"
"Why would a twenty-two-year-old want to live with her sixteen-year- old nephew?" Dumbledore questioned.
"There are two reasons actually. The first and most obvious is that I want to be close to my only, living family. The second, and more obscure, is that I feel that I could protect him in a way his Aunt and Uncle can't. I can't explain it completely but it's the way I feel and I'm usually not wrong about these things."
"Maerian's a seer," Alfred explained. Dumbledore closed is eyes slowly.
"It would do a world of good for Harry. Have you heard about the recent death of his godfather?" Maerian nodded. "And you could protect him, what with the blood connection and your seeming prowess in magic and defense. I think it would be good all around that is, if Harry is willing to move in. Do you have any birth certificate; I just need to make sure you're really who you say you are." Maerian nodded excitedly and ran into a back room, coming out a moment later with an envelope in her hands.
Dumbledore examined it closely, performing many spells on it without the knowledge of Maerian or Alfred. When he was done he was smiling. "You may not know this but I was a very dear friend of your Great Grandfather, Edward Potter. It's nice to know we've got another Potter in this world." Maerian smiled and embraced him ardently.
"It's nice to know people who know my past."
Meanwhile in Surrey
"HARRY, GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!" came Aunt Petunia's shrill demand. Harry had been doing his homework in relative peace (and gloom) before her interruption. He rolled his eyes but got up just the same. He wasn't in the mood for a confrontation. He drug himself down to the kitchen and waited expectantly before the bug-like woman. "Did you pull the weeds in the flower beds yesterday?" Harry nodded mutely. Obviously, Mad Eye's warning at the train station didn't prohibit Aunt Petunia from ordering him about. Dudley stepped into the room, leaning his huge frame against the door post. He never missed the show. "You think you did do you?" Aunt Petunia's glare was as piercing as a razor.
"Yes ma'm," was Harry's low reply.
"Well what do you call this?" Aunt Petunia extended the most miniscule weed that Harry had ever seen. It was almost lost in her bony hand.
"Sorry, it must have gotten lost amongst the dirt yesterday," Harry replied, sarcasm dripping from his every syllable. Her eyes narrowed even further.
"You are a sorry excuse for a gardener too I suppose. Are you really good at absolutely nothing?" Harry knew it as a rhetorical question so he stayed silent, watching her. He wanted to inform her that he was neither trained as a gardener nor interested in being a gardener but he knew that those types of responses tended not to go over terribly well with Aunt Petunia. "Go out and check them again. I swear, if there's even one more weed I'll have your head." Harry nodded glumly and slunk out to the front yard. It was going to be a long summer, that was for sure. The only good thing was that with all the manual labor he was doing, he had very little time to think about Sirius.
Back in Notting Hill
"So, when can we head over there?" Maerian asked Dumbledore.
"I guess now is as good a time as ever," was Dumbledore's reply. "We'll have to head over there the muggle way though."
"But of course," Maerian responded cordially. "I'll call the taxi company," she disappeared into the kitchen, coming out a minute later with a cell phone in her hand. She called the taxi company and told them to come to the park that was a bit away from the apartment complex. "We should walk over there in about ten minutes, it'll take longer then that for the cab to get here." Dumbledore and Alfred nodded and sat down on the couch.
"So, how is the Unites States anyway? It's been a good ten or twenty years since I've been over there," Dumbledore grinned.
"Oh, it's fine. Salem is about as it always is. There are numerous similarities between New York City and London. In general, the US seems very uninterested with the Second Rise. I didn't hear about it till I made plans to come over here," Maerian answered. Dumbledore nodded gravely.
"Yes, I'm afraid word of our cause does not spread quickly. Our own Minister of Magic," he said this with only a semblance of a sneer. "Only accepted it at the end of last term." Maerian looked down at her lap, unsure of what to say. They sat in silence till Maerian stood up.
"We should walk over to the park now." She lead the two men to the park. They waited on a bench for only a few minutes before the black taxi rolled up next to them. Dumbledore gave the address and they were off.
Back in Surrey
Harry bent over the blasted flower garden, looking for a second weed to add to his tiny, miniscule collection. Each tiny weed took an hour to find but he was sure that Aunt Petunia's sharp eye would catch it if it were there. He wiped the sweat off his brow and stretched the kinks in his back before going back into his work. "There you are you little bugger," he whispered hoarsely at the poor weed that he yanked from it's hole. "You were a bloody hard to find little weed." He lay it gently on the paper towel with the other.
To his displeasure, Dudley joined him out on the lawn. "Do you want a drink of water Harry?" he asked in such a sincere voice that Harry actually believed him.
"Yeah, thanks Dudley," he said, turning around and reaching his hand up to the glass in his cousin's fat hand. Dudley pulled it away in disgust.
"Then you better hurry up and finish," he broke down in laughter at his own joke, leaving Harry to glare at will. Swallowing all the terrible things he wanted to say and do to the fat whale, he turned back to his work. Before he could pull the third weed from the flower garden, however, a taxi drove up. Thinking it was a client of Uncle Vernon, he didn't turn around. He didn't even give it a second thought before a shadow was cast across the begonias. He turned and saw Professor Dumbledore or a man that looked surprisingly like Professor Dumbledore.
"P-Professor?" he asked, his dry voice cracking. He even managed to choke back his rage at the old man.
"Yes Harry, we have something which needs discussing so would you please lead us inside." He gestured at a man and a woman behind him. Harry got up mutely and lead them into the house. He didn't know what was going on nor was he on particularly good terms with the aged professor at the moment. Aunt Petunia walked from the kitchen with a glare on her face and a diatribe on her tongue; but her face quickly changed to fear at the sight of the three other people.
"W-what are they doing here? W-who are they?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"This is Professor Dumbledore; you've met him before. As for the other two, your guess is as good as mine," Harry answered honestly.
"Y-you let them in here?" Aunt Petunia's eyes flashed with anger.
"Excuse me Mrs. Dursley," Dumbledore cut in. "We need to discuss some things that involve Harry. I'm glad you're here as it concerns your family as well. Please, if you will, let's go into the lounge." Aunt Petunia only nodded. Her fear stood out like a sore thumb. The small group relocated to the living room and took seats on couches and chairs. Dumbledore cleared his throat. "I've come here because a person we didn't think existed has come out of the woodwork," he glanced meaningfully at Maerian.
"What has this woman got to do with me?" Harry asked, his voice was stony.
"Well, Harry, she has everything to do with you. She is your last paternal relative. Maerian Potter is your aunt." Harry was stunned. He fell back into the armchair and looked blankly at the wall.
"I-I know this must come as a shock to you Harry," Maerian started. "It came as a shock to me; but, well, if you don't have any objection, I'd like you to come live with me."
"How exactly are you my aunt?" he asked, glancing up at her. Both felt a jolt of electricity shoot through them at the power of their glances.
"Well, your family wasn't the only that went into hiding. Your grandparents, William and Lydia Potter, my parents, went into hiding as well. I was born in secrecy. Even my mother's pregnancy occurred underground. Well, when things began to get rough and Voldemort came closer to them, they decided to hand me off to a family friend, Ryan Harris. He took on the alias of Richard Hart. Unfortunately, after a successful delivery, they were caught by Death Eaters and killed. No one knew about me and that's the way Richard wanted it. He took me to the United States and that's where I've been living for my whole life up until now."
"Up until now?" Harry questioned.
"I've just recently moved to London." Harry looked skeptically at Dumbledore.
"She's telling the truth Harry. I am one hundred percent sure." Harry looked back to Maerian.
"Why do you want me to live with you?"
"Richard's died and I don't have any family. You're my last living relative Harry. That's something I need. Besides, I can train you. That's what you need the most, training." All eyes were on Harry. What would he choose?