Home is where you can go back.
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Warning and all the disclamations is in prologue.
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AN: Thank you Metzy78 for beta the chapter.
Please drop a line; I'm really appreciated for your thought and comment.
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Chapter 1: Two Goldilocks and the one Bear
Teddy Lupin clutched James's hand. He was starting to feel very uneasy and a little scared about their surroundings as the crowd of people started getting thinner the further they walked.
Teddy concentrated on making sure he didn't let his fears show on his face as he didn't want James to know that they were lost. Teddy could not understand how one minute the giant wheel he remembered from television, with all the kids riding around in seeing all over the city, was in their sights one minute and lost the next.
Teddy did not want to turn back as that meant admitting to James that they were in fact not getting any closer to the wheel. He remembered one of James's recent tantrums, and was quite sure he did not want to start up those screams again without an adult around to save him. 'James is such a baby anyhow' he thought.
Aunt Ginny told him to take care of James since he was older and therefore he had to be responsible. He did not want to disappoint her as she might tell Uncle Harry. Uncle Harry was like a father to him and he didn't want to do anything to disappoint him. He wanted to be brave and strong just like his uncle Harry, and make him proud. Teddy continued to reason with himself and decided he had to be brave and take James to the giant wheel like he promised, because his grandma always told him, 'a good man keeps his promises above all else'.
Teddy's amber eyes drifted down to little James to see how is he doing. The younger boy was skipping happily along at his side, quietly singing a nursery song to himself. Teddy could not help but squeeze on James's hand a little tighter, this time not out of fear but love.
The boy looked almost a carbon copy of his brave Uncle Harry, with only his eyes showing that he took after Aunt Ginny at all. He had heard everyone talk fondly about how much James's eyes made him look like Uncle Harry's dad. They had the same bright smiles as when Uncles Harry told Teddy how much he looked like his own dad, Remus. It felt good to have someone, as important as Uncle Harry was, to tell him how loved he was, and how his own Dad would look after him from heaven the same was as Uncle Harry's dad looked after uncle Harry.
It feels like an hour later when the two little boys came to a weary stop. James started to cry a little because he was hungry, and much to Teddy's relief told him that the giant wheel could wait and he wanted to go back to Aunt Ginny get some food. They turned around and began their return journey, but they seemed to have made quite a few wrong turns because it didn't look familiar.
While Teddy was trying to remember if they had passed here before, James suddenly stopped crying and pulled Teddy toward a deserted building.
"No, James we can't go in there, it's dark." The little boy however had other ideas and dropped Teddy's hand before running inside. James disappeared inside the door which was swinging almost ominously back and forth in the autumn gales.
Teddy had no choice but to follow behind and finally caught up with the boy inside what looked to have been an office in the now abandoned warehouse. James had his hand in a bag full of crisps, and was noisily stuffing them into his mouth like there is no tomorrow. Teddy felt his own stomach grumble and joined James, not thinking about where the chips had come from or who they belonged to.
The chips finished, they soon found all sorts of other foods hidden under the table, and inside a nearby cabinet, and continued to eat their fill.
Suddenly, they heard footsteps and creaking from the wooden stairs leading up to the office. They huddled into the cabinet and pulled the door closed, trying to keep quiet as the sound got closer and closer, until the door finally swung open.
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Tom was still cold when he returned home from his hiding place. His eyes widened when he noticed he couldn't see the packet of potato crisps he had left out this morning. Tom was very careful with his meagre possessions, and had worked out that while a lost sock was annoying, lost food left out where the rats or other pests could get it could spell disaster. For that reason he was always careful where he kept his food and he knew that he would not have accidently misplaced it. He quickly scanned around the room and confirmed that the other doors and windows were still closed and that none of the old mice holes had been unblocked. That confirmed, he finally saw the empty packed on the ground. He had not lost them, it wasn't a stray mouse or dog, and someone had come in here and eaten his chips. His hands clutched into fists, as the horrible feeling sank into his gut. He quickly ran around the room to his hidely-holes and found that his worst fears were true. The intruder, and all of his food were gone. He began to growl when he realised that there would be nothing to hold off the hunger and cold tonight, nor tomorrow.
"Where are you...you mongrels?" he fumed.
James wrapped his arm around Teddy's, as his small body quivered, and tears began to form in his eyes. The rage from the unknown person grew stronger and stronger almost as if thunder strummed through the room.
Tom heard a sniffing sound and dashed to the cabinet, "Who's in there?" As he swung the doors open, a small boy sprang out, forcefully knocking him down before escaping out the door. In an instant, a scream, a bang and then silence.
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Severus rushed into the building and froze in horror as his heart stopped watched in slow motion as James tripped and began falling from the stairs which had given way beneath him. Severus felt his instinct start to kick in as the muscles coiled to spring forward towards the little boy. Just as his body started the movement, he was stunned by the crack of an apparition as someone suddenly appeared in the spot mid air beneath James cushioning the little body with his own as the unknown rescuer slammed into the ground.
For the second time that day Severus was frozen in shock. 'Not even someone with the damned luck and Auror honed skill of Potter could have made that catch'.
Severus snapped into action as his well worn reactions, created in the cauldrons of 2 wars and sharpened by his days as a spy, drove him towards the little boy. He quickly ran his keen eyes over the boy who seemed to have no visible injuries from the fall, but was obviously still shaken from it. He looked back down at the mysterious saviour to see a second small child, who looked not much older than James himself. The second boy groaned in obvious pain, almost appearing to still have the outline of James from where he had impacted.
"Are you injured?" he put James down and turned to start checking the unknown boy for injuries.
"James!"
Severus was unsurprised to see Harry had arrived and dropped down beside them enfolding his son in his arms.
Severus turned back to the injured boy, leaving Harry to deals with James and Teddy, who seems to be calling for his godfather from the doorway above. When the boy did not respond, he took out his wand and began scanning for damage. He was relieved to find the boy was only slightly bruised with no internal bleedings. 'The boy must have used accidental magic to save James'. Severus sneered to himself as he ended the scans, 'another infernal Gryffindor no doubt. Why am I always surrounded by them'?
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Harry held James in one arm while he wrapped Teddy in the other. He wanted to reach down and bundle Teddy up into his arms as well, but Teddy had grown alot over the last year and promptly informed Uncle Harry that he was far too old for such things. He was so glad that both boys were alright, and was listening to James telling him about the giant wheel and how Teddy had promised he would take him there for a ride.
James was a little muddled in some of the story, and got a few things mixed up, but then again he was only six. Harry had been able to piece together the rough story from James and had to stop him a few times to give a pat and a handful of soothing words to Teddy who could only manage the occasional murmured "sorry" amongst a few stray tears.
'It looks like James inherited my luck of getting into trouble and then back out of it.' Harry sighed 'I'm sure this adventure and will only be one of many to come.' With James and Teddy finally calmed down a bit, he turned his attention back to the mystery boy who had apparently saved his son from death or at least horrific injuries.
Harry remembered vaguely that he could not find the boys, on the initial casting of his spell. Something had been blocking the spell and in a panic, his mind had leapt to Severus. Ginny had meanwhile caught up with him and been scathing at the idea suggesting that Hermonie would be better to help since she was not only one of the smartest witches of their age, but was a Muggleborn witch who could surely help them far better in this Muggle area. Harry had stiffly reminded her that Hermonie was out of the country today before hurrying off to search for the boys. Just before he left he instructed her to contact theirs and Teddy's families to let them know what had happened.
Harry was not sure why, but a small amount of calm had washed over him when he saw Severus arrive. It was that familiar warm feeling that somehow everything would be fine. Now looking back at it, he wondered why the tall dark pale man would have that affect on him? He left off wondering further on the surprising feeling, and went back to when they had both found the building.
A strange sought of feeling similar to a notice-me-not charm, seemed to surround it. Not waiting to delay further, they had both entered the building and split up to begin the search, neither sparing another thought at the obviously strong but subtle magic.
He was jolted from his ponderings as James's voice cut into his mind,
"Oh! It's him, Dad!" James pointed at the other boy and gave that familiar look as if to say 'it was his fault not mines', "He scared me and I ran out the door and fell!"
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Tom awoke to the feeling of being watched. His eyes snapped open, blue instantly meeting piercing onyx, almost as if they were trying to look through into his very soul. The next things he noticed was the smooth stick the man pointed at him, his questioning gaze seemed to reach the man hovering above him.
"It is a wand. It helps to focus magic. If would seem that You have just used magic to save that boy", the man said in a paced and neutral tone. Tom nodded and his eyes widen as he remembered what have taken placed a few minutes ago.
When the thief had pushed past him flying towards the door, he had instantly started the chase like a predator. It had taken only a few moments of anger before he recognised that the intruder was only a little boy younger than himself. Tom knew the danger of the stairs, and was opening his mouth to yell a warning as he heard the sickly crack of the wood splitting in two. He dove forward desperately reaching for the boy even as he knew deep down it was too late.
Tom saw the terrified brown eyes of the screaming boy as he fell faster and faster towards the ground. Time almost ground to a halt as Tom say the moment when the eyes of the falling boy grew wide and his pupils expanded as the wild and almost animal instinct hit that noone would save him. In that moment Tom remembered the terror and pain from his own short life, and he recognised that he himself had experienced that same feeling time and time again. Noone will save me. With that thought he suddenly felt a connection to the other boy. Tom felt an overwhelming urge wash over him to be there to catch the boy and save him from the sadness and pain as no one had done for him.
In the next instant he felt his world narrow painfully, then his fingers grasping onto a small body, and finally the impact as he hit the ground before he was swallowed in pain and darkness.
Tom slowly opened his eyes to be met in the piercing gaze of onyx. He blinked a few times then notices the stick the man was holding. The man with inky hair matching eyes seemed to study him for a moment before a careful practiced mask settles over his features. He spoke in a practiced emotionless tone, answering the question on Tom's lips.
Tom listened to the measured words before responding, "I've one of them," he slowly nodded towards the stick, "It called a wand huh?" The corner of Toms lip corner turned up a little. He knew immediately this man was different from the others in the world in the same way he was different to the other children in the orphanage. They were the same.
Tom did not see the raise of an eyebrow as he turned instead towards the high pitched slightly whining voice. It was the ungrateful brat he had saved.
"Oh! It's him, Dad! He scared me and I ran out the door and fell!"
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TBC………………
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