"So this is the young man that is causing everyone is talking about," Jennifer Taylor said when Justin introduced Harry to her. She already had heard of the young wizard, having had a long conversation with Debbie the day before when the older woman told her about Justin's plans to go to England with Harry and Brian to help them defeat Voldemort. Debbie had hoped that Jennifer would have more success in talking Justin out of his plans than the others did.

"Do I even want to know what they've been saying?" Justin asked, looking over at Harry and giving him a reassuring look. He knew the teen was already feeling uncomfortable after the confrontation at Melanie and Lindsay and he hoped that his mother wasn't going to add to Harry's feelings of guilt at causing trouble for Brian and Justin.

"They just told me about Brian's plan to go to England to his old school to help them defeat Voldemort. And that you planned on going with him." Justin waited for his mother to try and convince him that he was making a mistake. He was surprised when, instead, she handed him a photo album. He opened it and gasped when he saw the pictures moved.

"Mom?"

"You remember my friend Michelle and her husband Paul?" Justin had to think hard before he remembered the two people that used to bring him the most interesting treats when they used to visit his family.

"They used to bring me those weird jelly beans that had all those funky flavors."

"Bernie Bott's..."

"Every Flavor Bean," Harry finished. He blushed when both Jennifer and Justin looked at him. "Sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry for, Harry," Jennifer assured him, leading both boys into the living room and sitting them down. She turned her attention back to Justin. "They were wizards. In fact, they had met each other when they were attending Hogwarts. They moved to New York after they had graduated. They had relatives here that wanted them away from Europe because they were afraid of what was going on over there."

"I remember when Michelle used to baby-sit me. She would tell the best stories about dragons and magickal beasts," Justin reminisced. "It was why I was always drawing that kind of stuff when I was a kid. I always thought they had the best stories."

"That because they weren't just make-believe. They were usually real," Harry informed the stunned teen.

"Whatever happened to them anyway?"

"They moved to Brazil, wanting to do work with some of the local tribes down there and we lost contact with each other," Jennifer told them. "But because of them I know all about Voldemort and the evil that he can create."

"Tell me about it." Jennifer looked over at Harry, taking in the young boy's quiet demeanor. She remembered the story that her friends had told her how it was Harry that had stopped Voldemort all those years ago.

"I'm sorry about what happened to you parents, Harry," Jennifer told him, taking him into her arms. There was just something about the young teen that called out to the mother in her. "I only know a little about the wizarding community from Michelle and Paul, but even here what happened between you and Voldemort is known, although probably not as well as it is over in Europe."

"If you know about Voldemort, then you have to understand why I have to go with Brian," Justin said. "I can't let him face whatever he's going to face alone."

"I know, sweetheart," Jennifer assured him. "I know how much you care about Brian and that, no matter what anyone says, that you won't let him go to England alone, especially since I'm guessing you know why he isn't a working wizard." Justin nodded his head.

"His parents took him out of school," he explained. "They didn't want him practicing magic. Probably didn't fit in with their religious beliefs. Mom, you should have seen his face when he was talking about his time at Hogwart's and what happened after he left. Even the friends that he had made there didn't contact him. He was all alone. I can't let him go back to that world by himself. I don't even want to think about what might happen to him."

"Brian's a big boy, Justin, but," Jennifer held up her hand when she saw that Justin was going to interrupt her, "you love him and you want to do everything you can to protect him and I understand that. As much as I wish you wouldn't go, I know you will and I'll support your decision. The only thing I ask is that you be careful and that you'll keep in touch. You're my son and, no matter how old you are or how grown up, I'm always going to worry about you."

"Thanks Mom," Justin gave his mom a quick hug, glad that he hadn't lost her when he chose to leave home instead of giving in to his parents' demands to leave Brian. Even with all of the trouble the couple had gone through over the past two and a half years, there was nothing that he would have done differently. He and Brian loved each other, and even if their relationship wasn't what one that their friends approved of, it worked for them and Justin was happy about that.

"Well, enough of this," Jennifer said, pulling away from her son, discretely wiping the tears that were threatening to fall. She hated that Justin was going to Hogwart's but, as she told him, she would support his decision. "Well, I'm not sure about the two of you, but I'm starving. Would either of you like anything to eat?"

"Thanks Mom," Justin said, realizing that his appetite had returned now that he knew his mother wasn't going to try and get him to stay.

"Harry, what about you? Can I get you something to eat?"

"Yes, please. I'd like that," the brunet boy answered.

"Then come on. I made lasagna the other night and I still have the leftovers."

"Grandma's lasagna?" Jennifer nodded her head. "Excellent. Harry you haven't had anything as good as my grandma's recipe for lasagna. It's the best."

"I can't wait to try it," Harry told him, following Justin and Jennifer into the kitchen. While Jennifer went about heating up the lasagna, Justin and Harry made a small salad for the three of them. All through lunch, both Taylor's made a point of including Harry into their conversation, not wanting him to feel left out. Jennifer asked Harry about his childhood and was disheartened when she heard about how Harry's family, the Dursleys, had treated the orphaned boy. She had heard similar stories of neglect from Justin when he talked about his lover's childhood, except that Harry's neglect had only been in terms of emotional abuse whereas Brian's father had also included physical abuse. It made her understand why Justin wanted to protect Brian as much as he could and she vowed that she would do what she could to make sure that the others in Brian's circle of friends didn't hurt him anymore than they may already have.

Back at the loft, Brian was busy trying to figure out everything that he would need to bring for him and Justin. He looked over at his laptop, wondering if he should even bother bringing the electrical device, knowing that it wouldn't work on the grounds of Hogwarts itself. It was the same reason why he was unsure if he should bring his cell phone, but he hated the idea of him and Justin being so out of touch with everyone. Especially if there was an emergency. He wasn't sure how comfortable his friends would be using the usual forms of communication in the wizarding world. In the end, Brian decided to take both items, knowing that if they needed to, Brian and Justin would go into Hogsmeade, the closest town to Hogwarts, where they would be able to use those things. Justin as Brian began packing everything in the suitcases; he heard the door to the loft opening and wondered who was coming to see him now, knowing that Justin and Harry were still with Jennifer Taylor. He sighed when he saw who his visitor was.

"Mikey, why am I not surprised?" Brian went back to his packing.

"Where's the boy wonder?"

"If you're talking about Justin, he took Harry over to meet Jennifer," Brian explained. "He wanted to see her before we left."

"So you're still intending to actually go through with it?" Michael asked. "You're still going to England?"

"Of course I am. Nothing's changed since I saw you at the munchers'." Brian looked over his suits, deciding to only take three. He wasn't sure what Dumbledore would be having him do at Hogwarts, but he didn't think he would be in need of anything that fancy.

"Brian, I don't think it's a good idea." Brian looked over at his friend, his eyebrow cocked in a silent question. "Ben told me about this guy Voldemort and he doesn't sound like someone you should be messing with. This guy has killed people. People that went up against him and you said it yourself. You aren't a wizard. You haven't practiced magic in a long time. What makes you think that you can protect yourself against this guy?"

"I don't know, Mikey," Brian shouted, his patience at an end. He knew he should have been used to his friends' lack of support towards him, but he just didn't want to deal with it right then. He knew that he needed to keep his focus on what was to be expected of him when he got to London, even though he didn't know what that was going to be. "I don't even know what Dumbledore expects from me. I haven't had any fucking contact with the man since I was seventeen. Until Harry showed, I hadn't heard from anyone with that damn community since my fucking parents pulled me out of school, so I don't have a fucking clue what I'm supposed to do against Voldemort."

"Then why are you going?" Michael yelled back. "What the fuck do you owe them that you're willing to give up everything you've worked for to go running to help this bastard? What the hell do they have on you to make you go?"

"I need to know why," Brian told him. "I want him to tell me why he left me with those assholes who call themselves my parents when he knew what was going on. I told him. I begged him to take me with him back to Hogwarts and he fucking left me. He fucking left me here and there was not one of my so-called friends even bothered to contact me. Didn't bother to tell me what was going on. I was left on my fucking own and I want to know why."

"You weren't alone, Bri," Michael said, his voice going back to a normal volume. "You had me. And ma."

"I know, Mikey," Brian said, shutting his eyes as he sat on an empty space on the bed. Michael walked over to his friend, wrapping his arms around Brian as he waited for Brian to get his emotions under control again.

"Bri?"

"I'm fine," Brian insisted, pulling himself together.

"You know that, no matter what, you'll always have family here," Mikey told the brunet. "That's never going to change."

"I know, and I appreciate that," Brian said. "So does Justin. It's just that, when I was Hogwarts that was the first time I ever felt like I had people that cared about me. There was this one family, the Weasleys that practically took me into their home and made me an adopted member of their home. Their son Bill was my best friend and we did everything together, including getting into a lot of trouble. Dumbledore had us in his office on more than one occasion for pulling some kind of practical joke. His family sent me gifts for Christmas and on my birthday and they welcomed me into their homes when I went there for a vacation. They even told me that they would have no problem taking me into their home if I didn't want to go back to my parents and I really wanted that. Christ, they already had three kids of their own, Bill and his two younger brothers Charley and Percy, who was only a year old, and they still said I could stay with them. Fuck Mrs. Weasley was even pregnant at the time and they wanted me there. When I never heard from them again, no matter how much I tried contacting them, I didn't know what I was going to do. I don't think I ever felt more betrayed than I did then and I want to know why they did it."

"Then I think you should go and I think that it's right that Justin go with you," Michael finally stated. He was still worried about his friend but he would support Brian in his decision. He knew that it was something that Brian had to do for his own piece of mind. "You'll keep in touch, right?"

"Yeah, but it might not be in the usual way," Brian smirked, thinking of the owls that were normally used for delivering letters. "The wizarding community is a bit different."

"So I've been told but as long as I know that you're okay, I'll deal with it."

"Thanks, Mikey." Brian said, glad that his friend was supporting him and wondering what was going to happen when he got to England and was finally able to confront the past that had abandoned him.