Disclaimer: The plot is mine. I own nothing else.
A/N: Light and fun filler type chapter. Why? Because I wanted to. Don't like it? Too bad. (And my, aren't I feeling confrontational today :p ) Seriously though, I've not been feeling like writing recently (sorry about that) so I figured something fun would get me back in the mood and I just really liked the idea of Evan and Moony teaching Harry to fly. I know it's not really contributing to the overall story but it just seemed too cute an opportunity to pass up. Yay for author's prerogative.
A/N: Also, a BIG thank you to aalens who consented to beta this chapter for me. This is the first time I've had someone do that. So, fingers crossed that I won't have to sneak back to fix as many little mistakes as I usually do.
A/N: Lastly I just wanted to mention that I've finally put up a website. It's something I've been wanting to do for a while now since I'm sure we've all heard the horror stories of FFnet pulling down stories for no apparent reason. This way I figure there'll always be an alternate host for 'Second Life' if the worst does happen.
More interestingly though, the site also hosts some random stuff related to the fic that I've decided to share (e.g. character profiles, a timeline, family trees, etc.) So yeah, check it out if you're interested. It's under the "Other Fic Stuff" section on the site. Just click the 'homepage' link on my profile page.
Chapter 25 – Flying Fun
– Fri, 3/6/1988 –
For Evan, it had been a week long of good press. Thanks to Rita Skeeter 'The Daily Prophet' was now reporting in his favour, assuring all its readers of the boy-who-lived's happiness and safety. The public, being the mindless sheep that they were, promptly quietened down. The hate mail had stopped entirely only to be replaced with letters of support. Thankfully though, even those were petering out. Then of course there was the most fortunate aspect of all this – the Ministry had officially decided against intervening in the Potter boys' lives, meaning Harry was once again safe.
Naturally, everyone at both Potter and Longbottom Manor were quite cheerful about that, although – knowing Malfoy's reputation – they all very much doubted the man would simply give in so easily. Thus it was that despite the recent turn of fortune, they all found themselves in a state of cautious relaxation – waiting and expecting the other shoe to drop but at the same time going happily about their lives, glad that the situation had been dealt with for the time being.
The drama with the media aside, life at the Potter home continued as usual. The average day consisted mostly of meals, lessons, pranks, reminiscing conversations – this one from Remus – and of course sleeping.
This particular day, Evan had joined Harry and Neville for part of their morning lessons since they had been doing Latin and he was still determined to learn it. Once they were done with that topic however, he had bid all three adieu and left the classroom; wandering off aimlessly in the direction of his private quarters.
Entering the room, he wondered what he should do with himself when Hedwig – sitting on her perch – gave a loud hoot and flew over to him, alighting upon his hastily extended arm.
"Hello there girl. How are you?" he murmured.
He raised a hand to pet her and she cooed in delight, leaning further into his palm. Surprised at her overly affectionate behaviour but more than willing to oblige her he continued petting her and whispering endearments in her ear.
"…have to be the most beautiful owl. Yes you are. And by far the most intelligent of course," she hooted in satisfaction, "You are in an attention seeking mood today aren't you. What brought this on?"
As she abruptly silenced, he looked into her eyes to see them staring reproachfully back at him. She gave an accusative hoot and nipped lightly at his fingers in what he recognised as a reprimanding gesture. His brows furrowed, wondering what she was trying to tell him before his eyes suddenly widened with understanding and regret.
"You're absolutely right. I have been neglecting you lately, haven't I girl?" she gave a loud confirming hoot and nipped him again, a little harder this time, "I'm so sorry about that. What say I make it up to you some? I know, how about we go outside? You can have a fly and I'll hang around to keep you company. What do you say?"
From the way she cooed and lightly flapped her wings in eagerness he gathered that she was quite partial to the idea. And so, off they went.
Ten minutes later he was wandering the grounds and gardens fronting Potter Manor whilst Hedwig circled high above his head, swooping down occasionally to be plied with one of the owl treats her wizard had brought along for the walk. Having long since abandoned his shoes, Evan delighted in the feel of the soft grass beneath his feet. He had known the Manor's grounds were nice – having glanced out the front door and various windows a time or two – but he had never given it a close enough inspection to realise just how beautiful they were. Gully really had done a fantastic job and he wished he had taken the time to appreciate it sooner.
Just then Hedwig gave a hoot. Circling him twice to make sure she had his attention she took off, flying around the side of the manor. Curious as to where she was leading him he meandered after her. As he rounded the corner he briefly dropped his gaze from Hedwig and stopped dead in his tracks. Jaw hanging wide he comically rubbed at his eyes as if to confirm that what he was seeing was true.
It seemed it was. They had a quidditch pitch.
Shock quickly becoming replaced with excitement, he broke out into a jog towards the pitch. It wasn't a grand as the one at Hogwarts. There were no stands, the boundaries merely outlined by a line in the dirt devoid of grass which he felt sure that Gully – being just as obsessive as any other house elf – was likely very particular about keeping bare. Still, despite the lack of stands, it was decent sized – probably equally as large as the school pitch – and had the requisite three giant hoops at either end.
Seeing a flash of white at the corner of his vision he instinctively held up his arm, giving Hedwig somewhere to land. Looking at his pet and taking in the decidedly smug expression in her eyes he couldn't help himself and gave a loud laugh.
"Brilliant, Hedwig. You knew this was here all along didn't you girl? You led me right to it."
The snowy owl hooted as if to say 'of course' and he grinned, quickly offering her a handful of owl treats as insufficient thanks.
"So what were you thinking; that we could fly together?" she hooted and bobbed her head, "I'm surprised that in all the time we've been together we've never done that before. I suppose it's because I was always either training or in a game. There's just one problem with your idea. I don't have my broom. Umbridge confiscated it and I never go it back, remember girl?"
She hooted sadly and Evan, not wanting to disappoint her, racked his mind for a solution.
"Oh, I know! Gully!"
'Pop'.
"Yes Master Evan?" the newly appeared elf responded.
"I have a question for you. Actually, before I ask I just want to say that the grounds and gardens look fantastic," he said enthusiastically and the little creature flushed with pride.
"Thankee Master. Gully, he is doing his bestest. How may Gully help Master?"
"Well, I was wondering if there were any old brooms around that I could use."
"Of course Master. Gully will show you to the broom shed."
Following the elf, he was soon led to a small wooden door set into the Manor's outer wall. Gully informed him that the password to the room was 'Gryffindor for the cup'.
"Password? Why on earth do we need a password on the broom shed?"
"Is was being Master's Jamesy's idea sir. He was being very protecting of his koo-ditch things and was wanting for them to be safe. Master Jamesy was wanting to curse the door so anybodies without the password would be turning into pink slugs also, but Master Jacob was not letting him."
"Oh," was all he could think to say, blinking in surprise.
"Gully will be leaving youse be now Master," he said and with a 'pop' he was gone.
Shaking his head, he quickly said the password and entered the room whilst Hedwig – not at all interested in exploring the small, dim looking room – abandoned her human perch and flew off towards the goal rings. Looking around, he spotted what looked like a quidditch balls case in one corner and a stand of beater bats in another. Apart from that, the only other things in the room seemed to be a number of old fashioned brooms hung from pegs around the walls. Seeing that they seemed to be arranged in order from newest to oldest – or at least he assumed so, taking in their designs and relative conditions – he approached the one that looked to be the latest model among the lot.
Pulling it down from its peg he looked it over, reading on the handle in silver lettering that it was a Nimbus 1500. It looked to be a sufficiently decent broom, though from the looks of it he was sure it had nothing on the Nimbus 2000 and even less on his beloved Firebolt. Still, it seemed serviceable enough – far better than the school's worn old Shooting Star models which he remembered first learning to fly on.
Satisfied with his choice, he balanced it over his shoulder and headed back outside, shutting the broom shed door behind him. Too impatient to wait till he reached the field, he merely took a few running steps and jumped into the air, bringing the broom beneath him and shooting off toward the sky.
Exultant at being in the air again, he immediately pitched himself into an intense series of manoeuvres, whooping in delight as he did so. He performed fantastic twists, rolls and dives, pulling up so close to the ground that his toes trailed over the grass.
Finally slowing down a little, he began flying lazy laps around the pitch, weaving in and out of the goal hoops at either end. Feeling something brush past him he looked over in surprise and saw Hedwig. The owl had swooped past him as he weaved through one of the centre hoops, cuffing him with her wing as she did so.
"Oh, it's a competition you want is it?" he called out to her with a wide grin.
The owl circled back and hooted at him snootily as though to say 'as if you could possibly be a challenge' then took off ahead of him, impressing him with a tight barrel roll followed by a loop-the-loop. Harry just smiled wider and hurried after, copying the moves. And so, from there, they both became embroiled in an exiting game of 'follow the leader' – or perhaps more accurately, 'bet you can't do this one'.
Several hours later Gully popped onto the field to pass on Libby's message that the boys' lessons were over and afternoon tea was being served. Quickly storing the broom back away and then saying goodbye to Hedwig, who he was sure would be heading for her perch for a good rest, he hurried back into the manor.
Reaching the parlour he found a yellow, feathered Moony congratulating the boys on a prank well done. Evan shook his head slightly in amused and impressed disbelief. How the man could manage to retain an air of dignity whilst looking like an especially ugly version of Big Bird he honestly didn't know.
Finally noticing his presence – no doubt from the chuckles he was attempting to stifle – the other three welcomed him and invited him to take a seat and join them. Sitting down on the couch beside Remus he took a tea cake off of the platter set out on the coffee table and leaned back to listen to their conversation.
"What you could have done to improve it," Moony advised, "Is pair it with the voice altering potion – the animal sounds one. I'm not sure what species I qualify as but I'm quite sure you have a bird voice of some description."
Both boys nodded eagerly, scribbling the man's words down on their ever present spare parchment. Evan had to stifle a snort at the memory of Aunt Alice's reaction when she'd discovered their pranking notes. She had at first been shocked before theatrically despairing at the fact that Neville couldn't show such studiousness in his more conventional studies.
"So, what have you been up to today?" Remus turned to ask him after he had reverted back to his usual featherless self.
He grinned, "You'll never guess," he said excitedly.
"Well," the man said, tilting his head to the side thoughtfully, "Your rather remind me of your Uncle James at the moment. His hair used to look really messy like that after he went flying. He would have almost that exact same grin too."
His smile widened, "That probably because I just discovered the quidditch pitch," he shrugged and added coyly, "Wouldn't have been right not to try it out now would it?"
"I'm so sure," the werewolf responded dryly with a roll of his eyes.
"You have a quidditch pitch here?" at the question he turned see Neville looking at his age-mate in awe.
"I didn't know. I never saw it before," Harry murmured, sounding just as excited.
"Let's go flying!" Neville said, jumping up.
"I'm afraid it's getting a bit late Neville," Remus interjected, "Your mother should be around soon to pick you up."
"She won't mind Mr Moony, really!"
"Yeah, please Evan, Uncle Moony," Harry pleaded, deciding to try begging, "Puh-lees can we go flying now? I've never even tried it before."
Evan looked to Remus for his reaction since Neville was currently under the man's charge. The werewolf was firm in his response.
"No, I'm afraid not. Alice told me you're supposed to be having dinner at your Grandmother's tonight Neville. I don't think your grandmother or your mother would appreciate you being late," as both boys deflated he added, "But perhaps you might bring your broom on Monday's lesson and you can both go flying. If that's okay with Evan of course."
The older wizard threw the teen and questioning look and he nodded, seeing no reason why that would be a problem. At his easy agreement, both boys broke out into excited cheers.
..ooOOoo..
– Sat, 4/6/1988 –
Remus and Evan were sitting at the dining room table the next morning eating breakfast. Helping himself to a generous serving of bacon Evan looked over the full English breakfast arrayed before them with a critical eye.
"You know," he said thoughtfully, "Given the usual magician's diet, it's a wonder you don't constantly see us dropping dead of cholesterol problems. Well, that or ending up Dudley-sized."
"Dudley-sized?" the werewolf asked, arching one eyebrow in question over the newspaper he was reading.
Evan paused for just a moment before explaining, "Dudley is Harry's muggle cousin."
"He has a weight problem then?"
Evan snorted, "You could say that. He's the biggest seven year old I've ever seen."
"Ah. Well actually, a particularly bright muggle-born witch did a study into that."
"Dudley's weight?" Even asked perturbed and the older man threw him an incredulous look.
"Cholesterol problems in magicians," he said and Evan blushed, his mouth forming a silent 'o' of understanding.
"Er, oops?" he said sheepishly but Moony just chuckled and continued.
"I think her name was something Harrison. Anna or Alanna Harrison perhaps," he shook his head, "She ended up publishing her findings back when I was a seventh year. Apparently there are a number of health problems that a witch's or wizard's innate magic naturally keeps in check - that was one of them. She didn't gain much recognition for her findings of course – most of magical society doesn't even know what cholesterol is, much less care. Still it was a fascinating read."
Evan nodded politely, even though he found the information only slightly interesting. Just then the dining room door opened and in walked Harry.
"Good morning Uncle Moony, Cousin Evan," he greeted in a cheerful yet strangely formal manner, giving each a hug before jumping up into his seat, "Isn't it a wonderful day?"
Remus and Evan raised their heads and their eyes met, each one conveying a message that could be rather accurately translated to something along the lines of 'what's he up to?'.
"Yes, I suppose it's a nice enough day," Moony allowed.
Both watched on as the boy helped himself to some of the food before picking up his knife and fork to eat. Now whilst with any other child this wouldn't seem out of the ordinary, Harry himself was known to eat only using a spoon and fork whenever he could, finding a knife almost impossible to use.
Evan knew why of course; the Dursleys had never been willing to trust them with a knife – unless it was needed to prepare meals; certainly never for plain old eating. He himself had not gotten the knack of using his utensils properly until mid way through his second year at Hogwarts, much to his embarrassment.
Aunt Alice had of course noticed the younger boy's problem and had since been trying to correct it by encouraging him to eat with knife and fork whenever they dined together. Harry however was always reluctant, claiming he was perfectly capable of eating using his fork and spoon method.
And so it was that as Evan sat watching his younger self attempt to meticulously cut up his meal – forehead and nose scrunched up and with his tongue poking out the side in concentration – he couldn't help but wonder just why he was putting in such an effort this morning.
"So, what were you planning on doing today?" he asked the boy.
"I dunno," Harry said in a suspiciously innocent tone, "I'm sure I'll think of something."
Before he could say anything further he heard Remus snort in amusement. Turning to look at the man, he followed his amused gaze to Harry's plate – and laughed aloud himself.
"Harry," Remus said, seemingly surprisingly composed, "It is generally unnecessary to use a knife to cut up mashed potatoes."
Harry it seemed had taken his newfound determination to use a knife quite seriously indeed. He was slicing up everything before eating it and – having reached the potato - had squashed it out flat then used his knife and fork to 'cut' the mash into tiny, grid-like sections.
"Now," the werewolf continued, "How about you tell us what you're really up to this morning?"
Harry turned to look at his uncle with wide unblinking eyes and an overly exaggerated expression of shock.
"I don't know what you mean," he said in a very 'little boy' voice and Evan had to bite back a laugh.
"Harry, normally you're a decent liar but you have to remember not to overdo it," Remus told him in his 'professor voice'.
"Have to remember to write that one down," the boy could be heard to mutter before giving a defeated sigh, "Sorry. I'll try to do better next time."
Seeing Remus give a stern nod in return Evan couldn't help but break down in laughter.
"You do realise you're giggling, don't you?" Moony's voice said, cutting of his hilarity abruptly.
"I was not!" he objected indignantly, "I was- chuckling. And in a very manly fashion! And stop laughing at me Harry."
"Of course," the werewolf agreed with an annoyingly condescending expression, "And was there a reason for your gigg- I'm sorry, 'manly chuckling'?"
"I don't know if I want to tell you now," he sniffed haughtily.
"Just tell us."
"Oh fine. I just found it funny that I'd once jokingly complained to Aunt Alice about Neville 'corrupting' Harry when ironically, I should have been more concerned with the ever responsible Mr Lupin."
"It's always the quiet ones," Harry piped up sounding quite solemn and serious, much to the amusement of his elders.
"Where on earth did you hear that?" Evan asked after gathering his self-control again.
He shrugged, "Read it somewhere."
"Right… well, you still haven't answered Moony's question."
They both watched as the boy shifted unconsciously about in his seat before looking up hesitantly.
"Well I was just thinking," he explained in a falsely blithe tone, "That's it's not really late right now."
Two sets of eyes – one amber and one emerald – stared at the child in confusion.
"Riiight…" Evan drawled, "I suppose that's true what with it being early morning and all."
"Was there any particular reason you feel the need to point that out?" Moony asked and the boy began babbling.
"Well, yesterday you said the reason was because it was too late but since you said it's not too late now I was hoping that maybe," he threw them both his best wide-eyed hopeful look, "Maybe we could go flying today?"
Evan's brows rose high, "That's what all the weirdness has been about this morning?" he asked incredulously.
Harry pouted, "I was trying to be on my bestest behaviour so you'd be more likely to say yes."
The other two wizards shared a glance and the elder one raised an eyebrow as if to say 'well, what do you say?' Evan grinned.
"I think flying sounds like a brilliant idea."
..ooOOoo..
Half an hour later the three of them were outside, rounding the corner of the mansion. Evan looked up at the quidditch pitch as it came into view, an excited grin on his face.
"Wow," he heard the whisper and turned to see Harry's staring up at the hoops in awe, "It looks so much bigger than in the books."
"What say we go grab a broom each then?"
Harry nodded and they headed towards the broom shed, Remus leading the way. As the werewolf gave the password – "Gryffindor for the cup" – he thought to wonder how the man had known where the room was as well as how to get in.
"James invited a few of us over to spend Christmas here back in my fifth year at Hogwarts. Naturally, James and Sirius couldn't possibly spend so long away from their broomsticks."
"They voluntarily went flying in the middle of winter?" he said incredulously before hesitating as he realised it sounded like something he would do also, "Well- I suppose that's not too bad a thing."
A snort, "Speaking from experience are you?" the man's voice was knowing, "Well, Mrs Potter was less than impressed and we all ended up spending the rest of the holidays being constantly dosed up with Pepperup Potions."
Turning the handle the werewolf held the door open for the Potter boys to enter the room. Evan immediately stepped up to one of the walls and took down the Nimbus 1500 he had flown the previous day. Turning he smiled to see Harry staring about the room with a mixture of awe, curiosity and excitement. This was his first time seeing a real flying broom outside of his books after all.
"Which one do I get to use?" he asked eagerly.
The little boy was bounding on the balls of his feet and had his hands clasped tightly together behind his back as though to resist the temptation to simply run over and pull one down immediately.
"Well, I had a look yesterday and they seem to be arranged from newest to oldest-"
"Actually," Moony interrupted, "They're arranged taking into account how long ago they were bought, date of release, condition, quality, visual appeal, wear and tear…" he trailed of at the incredulous looks he was getting and huffed, rolling his eyes, "It was James's own personalised system and to be honest I never quite understood it completely myself."
"Huh," Harry said, looking both thoughtful and perturbed, "My dad was a little bit- weird sometimes, wasn't he?"
"James took his quidditch very seriously," Moony said diplomatically but the twitch of his lips gave his away amusement, "Your best bet is to just assume that the brooms are arranged from best to worst starting from the left here – the best being the one you just took down Evan."
"I thought as much. What do you suppose would be the best broom for Harry to start on?"
"Well, normally I'd say go for an older model – something slower and sturdy – but James always used to tell us that Potters for generations have hade an affinity for flying."
"It's true," Harry nodded and the others looked at him questioningly, "Gwen told me about it when I was telling her about how you said Dad was a animus."
"It's 'Animagus', not animus," Remus corrected with amusement, "But still, what does that have to do with flying."
"She was surprised when I told her he was a stag since most Potters who become one are birds or other flying animals because of we have that flying aff- affa-"
"Affinity," Evan supplied and the boy nodded.
"Yeah, that."
"Huh, I wonder if I'd be a bird then?" the elder Potter mused, rather taken with the idea of being able to fly broomless.
"Thinking of becoming an Animagus yourself, are you?" Remus asked, eyebrow quirked in a way that suggested he was torn between disapproval and intellectual interest at the process.
"It never really occurred to me," he blinked in surprise at the suggestion before giving it thought and smiling slightly, "But you know, now that you mention it…"
A sigh, "If you do then remember to be careful and keep me updated on your progress so I know what you're doing," he said sternly.
Evan had to hide a pleased grin at having that fatherly tone – the one usually reserved for Harry and on occasion Neville – directed at he himself for once. Still, he immediately nodded in response knowing the request was quite reasonable.
"Promise," he said before getting back to the purpose of their presence in the shed, "Anyhow, what were we saying? Oh, 'slow and sturdy brooms' but then you mentioned that Potters are flyers…"
"Right," Remus picked up where we left off, "So we could probably start Harry off on any broom here. Still, just to be on the safe side," the wizard took down two brooms from their pegs, "How about you try this one first and I'll swap over with you if that goes well."
The broom Remus held onto for the time being was the next best after the one Evan himself held, being an earlier model of Nimbus – the 1001. The one the werewolf handed over to Harry however was from a few down the line; an old Cleansweep Four. Still, despite its age it appeared decent enough and had obviously been well looked after. Added to that, if Evan's memory of Ron's many enthusiastic quidditch lectures were correct, this model had been known for its reliability and easy handling. It really did seem the best choice for Harry's first flight.
Leaving the shed the three trudged towards the pitch. Evan and Remus lead the way, brooms slung over their shoulders whilst Harry followed eagerly along behind carrying his delicately in two hands before him. Evan had to smile at that, remembering having treated his first broom in much the same manner. Of course the situation was slightly different, the Cleansweep not really being the boy's own, but the principle still seemed to apply.
"Okay," he finally said, stopping and dropping his broom at his feet with Remus doing the same, "I'm assuming everyone starts learning by calling up their broom?" he looked to the werewolf questioningly and the man nodded.
"So do I put mine on the ground too?" Harry asked and they both nodded, "What now?"
"Stand beside the broom, hold a hand over it and then say 'Up'," he explained and grinned at the awe on his younger self's face as the Nimbus 1500 rose swiftly to slap into his grasp, "Now you try."
After watching Remus call his own broom – Evan noticed it rose slowly, but steadily all the same – Harry gave it a go.
"Don't worry if you don't get it first try," the werewolf quickly warned and Harry nodded before adopting a serious expression.
"Up!"
The little boy's eyes widened with surprise and an excited squeak slipped past his lips as the broom jumped eagerly into his hands on the first try. He sent them both a proud grin.
"What now?"
"You want to do the teaching part?" Evan asked Remus and at the questioning look explained, "Flying has always been sort of- instinctive for me. I could teach this first part but as for the rest of it the best I could say is 'hop on and go for it'."
Moony snorted in amusement at the potential lesson plan and wisely agreed to his young friend's offer. As he began explaining the basics to Harry, Evan took the opportunity to jump on his broom and take flight. Floating lazily several metres above them he watched with a smile the attentive eagerness on his younger self's countenance as he listened eagerly to the elder wizards pointers. It was all really a waste of time of course. He and Harry were the same person after all and he had no doubt that – as it had been for him his first time – as soon as the boy got in the air, everything would come to him naturally. Despite his joking comment before, in this case 'Hop on and go for it' would actually have been a perfectly reasonable teaching method.
Still, he was glad he'd handed the reigns over to the werewolf. Harry seemed to be quite enjoying the lecture, soaking everything up and interrupting frequently with questions. As for Remus he was surprised to note the man had not adopted his 'professor voice' for the occasion. He was instead instructing in a friendly, gentle and encouraging sort of way that struck the young lord as being somewhat avuncular.
Seeing that the lesson had finally progressed to Harry mounting his broom, Evan lazily drifted down towards the duo, not wanting to miss anything.
"Let's see. Huh, your grip is perfect; and on the first go too. Very well done," Moony complimented causing the boy to flush slightly at the praise, "Now, when I say go you're going to…"
"Take off, rise a few feet, wait a couple seconds, then come straight back down," Harry said as though reciting previous instructions and the man smiled and nodded.
"Alright then, ready, set-"
"Wait! Where's Evan? I want him to watch," the boy searched the sky and jumped in surprise at finding his elder self already floating close by.
"Saw you mounting up and came straight over," he explained, "Didn't want to miss your first flight after all."
Harry grinned, "Okay, you can go now Moony."
"Okay, ready, set, go."
The two elder wizards watched with eager smiles as Harry – expression a mixture of concentration and excitement – kicked off from the ground before stopping to hover at six feet or so. Evan saw the enjoyment fill his younger self's face and noticed his eyes darting around. He had the distinct feeling the boy was considering simply taking off and seeing what he could do with the broom. Fortunately common sense – or perhaps fear he would be banned from flying again if he didn't follow instructions – won out and he easily lowered himself back to earth.
"Well?" he asked the other two, a grin covering his face, "Did I do good?"
"You did very well," Remus nodded approvingly, "You rose easily, stopped without problem and came back down just as well. Everything was smooth and surprisingly not shaky at all."
"I'm thinking you may just be a natural as well," Evan commented and Moony nodded agreement, causing the boy to light up.
"Does that mean I can try it Evan's way?" at the questioning looked he expounded, "Hop on and go for it."
Remus looked at him with a raised eyebrow, obviously deferring to his decision as he tended to do when it came to Harry. Evan had only to give the request a moment's consideration before coming to a decision. Whilst for any other child he would err on the side of cautious, he knew for certain that Harry was a natural.
Deciding to get in a bit of fun first, he turned to his ward's begging gaze and gave his best stern expression. He had to bite down on his bottom lip to prevent from betraying his ruse as the boy's countenance became crestfallen. A glance at Moony showed the man's eyes were shining with silent laughter, obviously picking up on his game. Looking back to his pseudo cousin however he could not help but sigh and softened his expression. He really didn't like seeing the boy sad when he could help it.
"Sure. Get on then," he said and bit his lip to prevent from grinning as he watched eyes go wide with first surprise then delight.
Both elder wizards watched as their boy quickly mounted his broom again.
"Is my grip still right Uncle Moony?" he asked and the man looked over his hand placements quickly.
"It's perfect once again. You look ready to go to me."
Both watched as Harry merely stayed were he was. His body was practically vibrating with eagerness but for some reason he remained grounded.
"That means you can go now," Evan prodded but only received rolled eyes in response.
"You have to say it properly," the boy slowly said as though talking to a child, much to his elder self's confusion.
Looking over to Remus who had a hand over his mouth, clearly amused with his student's condescending manner, he raised a questioning eyebrow. The werewolf obviously knew what the comment had meant as he leaned over and whispered into Evan's ear, causing his eyes to widen in understanding.
Deciding to play it up a bit, he quickly stood up straight and dusted imaginary lint from his robes before adopting a stern expression – lips pursed and brows slightly furrowed. He cleared his throat pointedly and began speaking.
"Today we will be learning the pastime that is know as flying," he said and ignored the fact that the other two had broken down into laughter, no doubt because he had decided to imitate Professor McGonagall's voice – accent and higher register both, "You may address me as Professor Potter…etta," he had to concentrate quite a bit to keep straight-faced as Harry went down in a fit of giggles, "Now, are you all mounted and ready for takeoff?"
"Yes Professor Potteretta," Harry chirped with a wide grin as he jumped back to his feet, assuming position.
Evan allowed a small smile in return before becoming stern again and sending a glare at their third.
"Very good Mister Potter. Mister Lupin however seems to be dillydallying," he scolded in his still-high voice, "Well, don't just stand there – mount up boy!"
Rolling his eyes the werewolf quickly obliged and Evan nodded his head in overdone satisfaction.
"Very well, now onto the most important part of the lesson," he said, leaning forwards and noted Harry grinning eagerly, "Hop on and go for it!"
No sooner had uttered the words than Harry shot up into the sky. Remus followed more slowly behind, his gaze fixed on the young boy and – had Evan's attention not been similarly drawn – he would have noticed the werewolf's expression shifting quickly from watchful care to happiness and pride as the young boy quickly showed that he had most definitely inherited the family affinity for flying.
Needless to say, Remus quite willingly swapped brooms over with the boy after that – well, as soon as Harry slowed down enough to accept the offer that is.
..ooOOoo..
Later that day the group trudged back towards the manor. Harry was by this stage half asleep after so much activity and was being carried in by Remus. Still, even drowsy as he was, the wide grin of delight had yet to fade from his features – the boy had absolutely adored flying.
Reaching the broom shed Evan gave the password and entered alone, quickly replacing the three brooms he carried on their assigned hooks. Leaving the room and shutting the door behind him he looked over to see the elder wizard holding a finger over his lips in a hushing gesture.
"He fell asleep," Remus explained softly at his confusion.
Looking down he saw that the man was indeed correct. With a small smile he reached out and gently brushed the younger boy's hair from his face, smile widening as Harry sighed softly and snuggled even further into his Uncle Moony's embrace. Both shared a smile before heading back towards the front of the Manor.
"I don't know if I've properly thanked you for this," Remus said quietly so as not to awaken the boy in his arms.
"This what?" Evan asked, keeping his voice soft also.
"For the job and the home. But mostly for letting me be a part of Harry's life again."
"It's nothing."
"No, it's not 'nothing' – not to me. After everything with Dumbledore I was half afraid I'd never see my cub again."
"Cub?" he asked in confusion and Remus blushed a bit in embarrassment.
"Sorry, that's my wolf talking. Ever since he was born Moony had considered Harry a cub of his pack."
"It must have been very hard for you being separated from him then. Especially so soon after losing Uncle James, Aunt Lily, Sirius and Pettigrew," he paused in consideration, "I'm assuming your instincts had included them as part of your pack as well."
He nodded, "They did. All that was left was Harry and then to be separated from him-" he shuddered, "The transformations after that were some of the worst I have ever been through. The wolf was mourning the loss of Lily and James and then it was angry at the betrayal of Peter. Not to mention the confusion of having thought Sirius the traitor only to find out he hadn't been but he still was gone anyway," he shook his head, "After all that having Dumbledore separate us from Harry sent him over the edge; Moony was almost insane with fury and grief."
There was a moment of silence as they continued walking, rounding the corner of the mansion. Evan looked back to the man walking beside him as a thought occurred to him.
"Has it been better since you've been here? I mean I know Harry's not an Animagus so he can't be right there with you on the full moon, but does it help the wolf to know you're not separated from him anymore?" he asked and Remus turned to him with a soft smile.
"Yes, definitely. The Wolfsbane allows me to keep my human mind of course but even with it the wolf is ever present at the back of my consciousness. Ever since I arrived at the manor there's been a calm to him that I haven't felt in years," he paused and hesitated for a moment and Evan got the distinct feeling he was embarrassed about something before he finally decided to continue, "Actually Moony has even started rebuilding his pack," at the Potter Head's quirked eyebrow he looked away as he explained, "It happened so gradually I didn't notice at first but for a while now my wolf has seen you as part of his pack as well."
At that statement Evan felt himself flush slightly in pleasure. He hadn't realised it until just now but the opinion of this world's Remus had come to mean a lot to him and he was thrilled at the implications of the man's admission.
Looking over he noted that his companion was still silent and had his gaze averted. For a moment he irrationally feared the elder wizard regretted his words and would take them back. Just then however, Remus glanced toward him and in his expression Evan could read hesitation and hope. In a flash of understanding he realised the other man was feeling just as insecure as he was and feared Evan would reject him instead. Considering for a moment how to ease his companion's fears, he smirked before speaking.
"Well, so long as he doesn't see me as a 'cub' too," he said, feigning a snobbish manner, "I'm sixteen years old I'll have you know. Practically a grownup"
Remus merely laughed, understanding that the joking was Evan's way of saying he approved.
"I'm afraid he somewhat does see you as a cub yet," he said and laughed again as the elder Potter boy pouted.
Reaching the front doors of the manor they opened before either could reach for the handle and neither were surprised to see Kell holding them open and bowing them in. Muttering quiet greetings and thanks to the old house-elf they walked past and started heading towards the family quarters upstairs. They walked in silence for a while before Remus returned to his previous topic.
"Moony has even started making connections with Alice and Neville," he mentioned and Evan's eyebrows rose in surprise, "Not as pack though," the werewolf amended, "At least not yet. More like allies and friends of a sort. I think it's the fact that I've been teaching Neville and looking after him so much; my wolf may eventually see him as another cub with time."
Evan nodded, since that made sense even to him.
"What about Alice?" he asked in curiosity and then blinked in surprise as he detected a faint blush spread across the older wizard's cheeks.
"Well, er-" the man faltered before answering, "Moony sees her as an ally and friend, as I said."
That of course didn't explain the blush and he raised a pointed eyebrow, amused to see the normally collected wizard's obvious discomfort. He soon regained control of himself however and spoke again, looking as calm as usual.
"As I was saying earlier out near the pitch, it really does mean a lot to me to be here. I remember when Harry was still a babe we all used to imagine what his life would be like. His first words, first steps. Well, we were all around long enough for that but then there were the other things. Seeing him off on the Hogwarts Express for the first time, taking him to get his first wand-"
"Seeing his first prank," Evan suggested and Remus threw him a grin.
"Yes, James and Sirius were quite eager for that one. Your Aunt Lily though – not so much," he paused, "What I'm trying to get at is- well it's things like today; teaching Harry to fly and seeing his first time on a broom. That's the kind of stuff I thought I was going to miss out on but now I won't. That's what I wanted to thank you for."
He nodded, understanding now exactly why the older man felt the need to thank him.
"You're welcome," he said simply, "We're both glad to have you here."
Reaching the correct hall, Evan walked ahead and opened the door to Harry's room so Remus could walk in easily then hurried ahead to pull down the covers on the bed. The werewolf shifted the boy from his arms carefully onto the bed before they both removed his shoes and pulled up the covers. Harry shifted a little, unconsciously reaching out for Mr Wormy before cuddling the toy to his chest and stilling once again and the other two stood beside the bed watching him with fond smiles.
"Today was somewhat bittersweet actually," Remus said softly.
"How so?"
"I supposed since I always imagined Sirius and James being there as well."
"What about Aunt Lily?" he asked and the other snorted quietly, turning his amused gaze on the younger wizard.
"Your Aunt Lily would have never willingly let Harry near a broom until he was thirty if she had her way. As it was though, she would have wrapped him up in pillows, layered the quidditch pitch floor with cushioning charms, ordered that her baby not be allowed to fly any higher than three feet and then threatened to curse all our ears off if we allowed a single hair on Harry's head to be harmed," he said seriously and Evan laughed lightly, "I'm quite serious actually. She would have done it too. You're Aunt could be quite the force to be reckoned with."
Not wanting to disturb Harry with their laughter the two left the bedroom shutting the door behind them, leaving their boy to sleep in peace.
..ooOOoo..
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