DISCLAIMER: ALL OF THE CHARACTERS AND SCENARIOS BELONG TO JKR AND/OR WARNER BROS.
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"Those stories...so strange, Cecilia."
"I told you she had a twisted mind, eh Lils?" Sirius Black nudged Lily Potter as they watched a line of people shuffle slowly along, those nearer to the bookshop a little more fidgety than those at the back."
"Yes they are, Sirius. Clearly Aberforth hasn't been working me hard enough!"
Sirius Black was about to make a cutting remark, but whatever he had been about to say was lost to a shriek from a small, red-headed girl, chasing after a slightly taller red-headed boy.
"Mum! Ron's got my book!" The girl skidded as the boy doubled back, holding the coveted book out towards her then snatching it back as she reached for it.
"Leave her alone, dear," sighed Molly as the girl snatched something from out of her brother's pocket. "And Ginny, give your brother back his eyepod." Reluctantly Ginny Weasley handed back a small silver box which winked curiously as it was thrust back into the waiting palm of Ron. She held out a demanding hand and the gesture was returned, a thick novel slapped back onto her palm. Ginny stuck out her tongue as Ron turned away from her and grinned at his best friend.
"Look," he said, nudging his friend and pointing to a family halfway along the queue of people and looking at his mother, "isn't that Harry's cousin…? Look Harry, your cousin!" He nudged his friend again and Harry Potter nodded to Ron.
"'right Dud?" said Harry as Dudley Dursley was pushed in his direction by his mother in an attempt at polite conversation between the two. "You waiting for a book?"
"'course I am, seeing as it's named after you. I've become a real celebrity at school."
"How wonderful," said Petunia Dursley, nodding at her sister. "Your Harry, in a book." Ginny nudged Ron this time and whispered something to him, to which Ron whipped round and shushed her loudly.
"Hello, who are all these?" The man beamed about the children who were standing with Ron and his family, nodding to Lily and James politely, "I don't think I've had the pleasure. Vernon Dursley," said Vernon Dursley, holding out a hand. No-one took it for a moment and a frown crossed the man's face before Molly Weasley took it. Seconds later she wished she hadn't as her hand was compressed in Mr. Dursley's tight grip.
"A pleasure, a pleasure. Now, which of you is the author, eh?" He looked around at the adults there. Cecilia held Remus's hand tightly as Lily Potter looked at her and smiled.
"Marvellous!" exclaimed Vernon Dursley. "Anything to get these children out from behind a computer screen, what?" Cecilia nodded and Mr. Dursley snorted in approval before making his way back to his position in line.
It had been over year since Cecilia had been dropped off in Grimmauld Place by Percy Weasley, powerless to do anything but go forward; unable to go back to her old one. Since then she had pieced together a life from what she had found, with Freya and with Remus Lupin. But the memories of her old life had not left her: she had changed everything by going behind the veil, by trying to stop something happening (which she, arguably, had succeeded at) she had also changed other things too. And it had been her, Cecilia, who had changed it, Aberforth had reminded her when she had made her way to his office late one evening when the pressures of teaching had become too much and she had been spouting apparent nonsense about a Dark Lord and Death Eaters. The memories still came back to her from time to time, she had told him and he had encouraged her to write down everything she could remember. On the whole, it had been cathartic and she had shown Remus once she had finished. It was only then that she had had the idea to form it into a story.
"No-one would guess Dudley wasn't his," Cecilia heard Lily whisper to Molly Weasley and she looked past Harry and Ron and back to the Dursleys in line. "Vernon Dursley has brought him up as his own," Lily added. Molly's lips thinned; clearly bringing anyone up as Mr. Dursley's own meant inheriting the stature as well as the nurture.
"How's Sirius been?" asked Molly, frowning a little towards Lily. Cecilia swallowed and pretended she was focusing on the people in line who were shuffling quietly forward trying to control buggies, young children and, in one case, elderly parents. "It's been nearly fifteen years since Regulus's death."
"He's not said much about it," whispered Lily back. Then she caught Cecilia's eye and smiled. Molly Weasley turned and smiled too.
"What are you going to call the baby, Mrs Lupin, when it's born?" asked Molly, blocking the view of the Dursleys as she spoke.
"Cecilia, please, Mrs Weasley…we know yet," she added, squeezing Remus's arm tightly, "we're going to wait and see."
"It was all very sudden I must say, but…once you know, you know, like with my Arthur." She gestured to Mr Weasley, who had been trying to fathom the mysteries of Cecilia's mobile phone for the last three-quarters of an hour. "And why Northumberland? Because that's where you set your school in the book now, wasn't it…Hogwarts, wasn't it called?"
Before Cecilia could answer she heard a warning cry of "watch out" and, to her left, came hurtling a rolled up comic which landed just in front of Mrs Weasley. She spun round furiously as her twin sons stood there, frozen in momentary horror.
"Sorry, Mrs Lupin," called Fred, in a desperate attempt to assuage his mother's wrath. "We just wanted to show you…show everyone…here – " Another rolled up comic came flying through the air courtesy of George and this time Cecilia caught it.
"Hey lads, excellent," she commented, nodding approvingly at each of the pages. The twins grinned at one another and Mrs Weasley's glower turned to nothing as her sons walked past her and stood next to Cecilia.
"Really?" asked Fred, nudging his brother.
"Absolutely," nodded Cecilia, holding the comic that the twins had been working on that year out for one of them to take it.
"You keep it, Mrs Frobisher. Think of it as a gift, a promo copy."
"I spoke to Frank Dabbler about this," continued Cecilia smiling knowingly.
"Your publisher," continued George.
"He said that if I approved of it he might do a short print run to see how it goes." The twins looked at one another, beaming, before returning to where Ron, Harry and Ginny were standing. Moments later there were howls of hysteria as they too read through promotional copies of "Weasleys' Wizarding Woes and Whimsies". Cecilia looked past them and back to the queue. It didn't seem to be getting any shorter, in fact, as many people seemed to be joining as leaving with their brown paper packages.
"And people queuing all night to buy them." Remus shook his head to Cecilia when she caught his eye. "But why give them away?"
"We have the money, Remus. I think people ought to have a chance to read what I've written." I owe both worlds that chance.
"It'll never will catch on though. You're probably better off sticking to the day job, Ce..."
"You missed out on a fantastic opportunity to sell it." A voice behind them made both Mr. and Mrs. Lupin turn. Behind them stood Kay, who smiled at them momentarily. "And personally, I would have gone with a heroine rather than a hero. Harriet Potter. Or something like that."
"And what of these fanciful notions?" A voice which still made Cecilia's bones chill rippled past them. "Blood prejudice indeed...wherever did these thoughts come from, Mrs Lupin? No-one would never have believed that could actually happen, eh Cissy?" A thin woman who Cecilia had met a few times since arriving back and who she recognised from the picture in Draco Malfoy's room attempted a smile. Next to her a witch she did know grinned in a way akin to mania but Cecilia had begun to realise that was just how Bellatrix Black looked.
"Nor me Lucius," replied Bellatrix, "morning, Cissy."
"That we all co-exist, now that is something," added Lucius. "An excellent idea which the Wizengamot could not argue with once Mr. Snape and Miss Penwright had come up with the evidence. Why no-one had thought of comprehensive educational establishments before Miss Penwright, I do not know. You have to give non-wizards the opportunity, that's equality." He beamed around the group as he spoke, nodding slightly to Cecilia.
"Not like bad old days when we were at Hedgewards eh, Cissy?" Bellatrix put her hand on her hip, posing with natural elegance and grace.
"Quite right, Bella. Draco is getting on exceptionally well at Smeltings School." She looked at Harry, who had, with the other young wizards and Freya, rejoined the adults. "I believe your cousin…your nephew," she looked at Lily Potter, "attends that school."
"Does he?" asked Lily. "To be honest, my sister and I don't keep in touch as often as I'd like."
"Isn't this system absolutely marvellous, then?" commented Bellatrix. "That Draco wants to be a minister in the non-wizard government, and he is committed enough to go to a non-wizard school. Had it not been for Joseph Black," she added dramatically.
"Oh there were times," replied Sirius, "our ancestor was close to giving up…probably would have gone right off his head because of – " he broke off, thinking deeply, " – power…Scottish man...what was his name...?"
"Yes, cousin Sirius, Watt." A tall blonde boy who Cecilia had noticed had been speaking to Dudley Dursley was standing next to his parents. Draco Malfoy was nearly as tall as his father and, she noticed, had inherited many of his mother's looks."
"But it all got sorted out in the end," finished Sirius, smiling at his relatives.
"Yes," nodded Lucius, "but I dare say, I can see how things could have gone the other way." He looked at Cecilia. "Yours, I believe?"
"Freya!" exclaimed Cecilia as Lucius swung his left arm forward. Attached to it at the wrist was her god-daughter who grabbed onto his legs. She was much younger than the Freya who she had left behind in her Old Life, being only seven years old here. But Freya she was, both physically and in mischievous personality. When saw Cecilia's disapproving look she let go of Lucius and stood in front of her.
"Sorry, Aunty Celia," she said. Cecilia smiled and she looked at where Sam and his father were playing at the other side of the group and Freya took this as her cue to go over to play.
"What shall we call him?" asked Remus when the newcomers had joined the rest of the Reciprocators.
"Her, Remus," corrected Cecilia. "Elizabeth."
"That was mummy's name," said Freya, who had dashed over to Cecilia and grabbed her hand. Cecilia nodded.
"We have to think about the possibility it could be a boy," said Remus, looking lovingly at his wife.
"Romulus?" Remus laughed and picked up Cecilia's hand, which was still encased in his, kissing the back of it. He shook his head.
"No. Surely not! What do you think you'll give birth to love, a wolf?" Cecilia looked at him sharply before replying.
"I was just thinking of the Roman theme, Remus, Romulus, Caelius…" She waited for Remus to reply. When he didn't she added, "well what then?"
"When it is a boy," he said, "I think…Timothy...Timothy Lupin...you remember, after that mountaineer who had your surname." Cecilia said nothing. Timothy Lupin. It did suit better than Romulus.
"Harry's dead chuffed about the books, Aunty Celia." Freya interrupted her train of thought and she looked down at her young charge.
"I know, Freya sweetheart."
"When I grow up, I'm going to marry him." Freya broke off from Cecilia and bounded her way back to Sam and James Lupin. Her foster parents echanged looks.
"If you don't like it, love," he began but Cecilia shook her head. "Tim..." She kissed her husband on the forehead. "Perfect." A perfect name for a perfect life. Timothy Frobisher would live on.
"Cecilia." Lucius Malfoy was walking back over to them. "I was just wondering, did you ever read a book called "The Authorised Auld Magic?" Cecilia shook her head, the words emblazoned in her mind, however, since her foray behind the veil. "I just wondered. You seem to have a fascination for the tiny details about wizard life. About Tom Riddle and Auld Magic, and about his family history and so on?" Cecilia shook her head again.
"My wife spending so much time at Hedgewards, I think her fertile imagination came to the fore." Remus smiled at Lucius.
"But I'm glad you enjoyed it," Cecilia continued graciously. But Lucius didn't move away.
"It's just a pity the old bugger died before he could read any of this. It's not every day you find you're the baddie in a children's story book."
"I think it's just a coincidence," replied Cecilia. "Because the story is a riddle and Tom is a common boy's name."
"And to think, if things had gone another way he would still be headmaster of Hedgewards rather than Dumbledore, like his mother and father before him. All in the name of progress, or so I'm told." Lucius Malfoy shook his head, an air of sadness in his voice. "But a truly inclusive education system now."
"But it might not have happened." Draco had joined his father, and too, had Dudley and his parents. "That the 1956 uprising as quashed by a vote, by one Albus Dumbledore, meant the Reciprocators were allowed to remain when there was so much against them," he said knowledgeably. The goblin riots, thought Cecilia, glancing down to the left at Gringotts Bank.
"Why is that important?" asked Dudley curiously.
"If we got rid of Reciprocators then, well, someone like Tom Riddle as you have written him, Mrs Lupin, might well have arisen. All it would have taken would have been one man. The Reciprocators have also kept the peace."
"Thank you for the history lesson, son," replied Vernon, beaming proudly at Dudley's friend.
"Thank you for coming," replied Draco. "It's not often I get to show my culture to my friends."
"I think they're scared, Daz," whispered Dudley.
"Well, we wouldn't have missed this, would we Vernon? Not our nephew becoming famous…!" She waved at Harry, who grinned brightly.
"Even if what you say is true Draco," replied his father, "I can't see one person making such an impact, really. I mean, who would have listened to him? Now, Albus Dumbledore, on the other hand, and all that trouble near the Swiss border…"
"All these people," mused Cecilia quietly. "To read my book."
"It's because its free, my dear," said Sirius peering around Remus's shoulder, "but they'll need a big strong trolley to take it away, it must be 10 inches thick. And, why don't you say who you are? CJL is never going to be a memorable name for an author." Cecilia sighed and put on her best, "talking to Sirius," frame of mind.
"I was never liked publicity. I hate the limelight." You know that. Or rather, you knew that.
"And are you, soon-to-be-Dad, happy to stay at home when the baby's born?" Remus nodded and smiled before Cecilia could interject.
"He is, thank you very much," replied Cecilia. "And I'm opting for the quiet life."
"Hedgewards? Quiet?" asked Sirius doubtfully. "Good luck."
The queue seemed to have died down now, just a small queue of people drizzling through the doors to collect their free books.
"I don't care what Uncle Sirius says, I know its good, Aunty," said Freya, gazing up at Cecilia. "It's a dead good story, people'll never believe how good it is."
"But the title sort of lets it down," said Sirius, lifting Freya onto his shoulders. The girl gripped on tightly to his hair and leaned down towards Cecilia a little.
"Yes aunty, why did you give it such a strange title?"
"Harry Potter and the Story that Never Was."
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A/N: That's all, folks!
