CHAPTER 2

Harry and Tom had been writing to each other at least once a week for the last two months. After some arguing back and forth, the two agreed to meet at the Hard Rock Café in London for dinner on Saturday, December 22nd. Harry arrived early, got a table for them and ordered a drink. He only waited ten minutes.

"What are you drinking?" asked Tom as he sat across the table.

"It's called a Long Island Iced Tea," replied Harry.

"Why would anyone drink cold tea?" he eyed the iced cubes with suspicion.

"It's not cold British tea. It's vodka, gin, rum, and orange liqueur, among other things."

"A cocktail?"

"Here, try it." Harry pushed the drink towards a startled Tom.

"You want me to drink from your glass?"

"You don't have to use the straw. Try it. After dealing with a school full of children, you deserve a drink."

"Alright," Tom replied slowly as he took a sip. He savored the flavors. "Not bad. Though I would rather have a warm drink in the winter."

"Maybe we can go back to yours for a Fire Whiskey later."

Tom didn't know how to respond so he picked up the menu. "How is Rose?"

"She's good. She's always good."

"I cannot imagine raising her."

"Why? A lot of people have children at my age."

"Yes but a lot of people don't have a ten year old child at the age of twenty-seven."

"I suppose."

"How did you come to raise her?" Tom had been extremely curious about that since he met them but anytime he made slight inquiries he was rebuffed. Frankly, he was expecting the same now. Harry's response was stalled by the waiter who took their order. Once he left, Tom looked at Harry and raised an eyebrow.

"You're not my teacher."

"I am aware."

"You have that intense eye thing that makes pupils, and grown men alike, feel rather small. It's impressive."

"Do I make you feel small?"

"Maybe once upon a different lifetime."

"You give the strangest replies."

"Hmmmm." Harry took a big gulp from his drink. "My entire family is gone," he finally whispered.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed..."

"It's alright."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Are you really offering to be a shoulder I can cry on?"

"You're going to cry?" Tom asked, horrified, and this made Harry laugh.

"Oh that was priceless. The look on your face."

"Harry!" He growled.

"Calm down. I wasn't going to cry. Probably." He finally stopped laughing. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes."

"And you won't tell anyone?"

"I haven't told anyone about Rose. Why would I tell anyone about you?"

"True."

"I promise I won't tell anyone."

Harry took a deep breath. His voice took on an empty tone that clenched Tom's cold heart. "I'm an orphan myself. I know what it's like to lose everything and everyone. I found Rose alone. I kept her."

"How?"

"This is going to require a lot of backstory."

"I have time."

Harry nodded. "It was during the winter holidays. A day just like today." He looked away from the table and stared out the window, watching the last minute holiday shoppers rush by. "I was sitting in my usual spot in the library reading about the factors influencing electron transfer between a species in solution and a solid electrode as a potential research topic." He turned to Tom who was confused about what all that meant. Harry smirked at him. "It was for my Chemical Literature Research Project at Uni. Anyway, I was reading, and after a while I heard an exasperated huff from the table over. It had been so quiet before that the noise broke me out of my haze. I looked for the source of the noise and I saw her. She was very pretty. Glaring at a book as if she could burn it to ash with the strength of it." He smiled and took a sip of his drink. "Ever the gentleman, I asked if she needed help. She looked at me in disbelief and in a voice full of sarcasm that would make you proud, asked if I knew anything about physical chemistry." Harry gave a hallowed laugh. "Which I did and told her as much. I got up, moved over to her table, took a glance at what she was reading and proceeded to explain all about the quantum mechanical treatment of the hydrogen atom."

The silence was heavy. The waiter broke it when he appeared with their burgers and fries.

"How long were you together?" It was obvious they were by his tone.

"Two weeks."

Tom nearly choked on his first bite of food. He coughed and had some water to clear the blockage. "Excuse me?"

"We spent two weeks going between the library and then to Emily's shared flat. We said our goodbyes before the term started."

"What, that is, how….?"

"Now, now, Professor, I'm sure you're quite aware of the process of coitus."

Tom glared. "Black!"

Harry's smile dropped. "It's Harry." He sighed. "It was almost a year later the next time I heard from her. I received an urgent message from her on my bleeper."

"On your what?"

Harry ate a couple of fries before continuing. "It's a small portable radio device used to send messages. Nowadays mobile telephones are becoming the rage but then, Motorola Pageboy II was the height of muggle technology. Instant communication at your fingertips."

"Interesting. I haven't spent time in the muggle world since receiving my Hogwarts letter no matter how much my Mother tried."

"They advance rather quickly. Actually, I still have it."

"So you received a message from her on your radio?"

Harry nodded. "I rushed to a call box. She sounded so weak. She was in hospital and wanted to see me. I couldn't say no. I mean, I could have but...I went." He took a bite of his burger, chewed and swallowed. "It was bad. Really bad."

"You don't..."

"Eat your dinner." Tom complied as he didn't know what else to do. "There was a car accident on Halloween. I'll always hate that day. There is a reason people are told not to drink and drive. So many accidents. Sometimes I think muggles advance only to find new ways to kill each other."

"That's why I left and never looked back."

"They tried to save her but there was too much internal bleeding. Muggles have come far, they have their own sort of magic with their science and medicine, but they can't stop death. She had little time left."

"Harry…"

"She was going to die. She wanted to see me. To say goodbye. To apologise."

"What could she possibly be sorry for?"

"She was dying and wanted me to forgive her. That's when she told me about Caelum. That's what she named him. It means star in heaven."

"Your son?" Harry nodded. "How old was he then?"

"Two months old. Tiny little thing he was."

"You were a teenager with a baby, I can't believe it. And Emily? Was she your age?"

"She was barely twenty. She was in her second year at Uni when we met."

"Still very young. How did she manage?"

"She actually tried to get rid of him."

"What?!" Tom hissed.

"Did you know that magical pregnancies are almost impossible to terminate? I didn't."

"Yes. There are restricted potions for extenuating circumstances."

"I learned all about that later."

"So she didn't want the child?"

"I didn't blame her. I basically ruined her career. She was scared."

"But he lived."

"He was born."

"Did she give him up at birth?"

"No. By the time he arrived, she'd overcome her anger towards him. Not me though. She said holding him was life changing. She decided to keep him."

"That's amazing."

"It takes strength of character to raise a child, but also equally to decide you can't. Caelum Black was born on the sunny morning of September 1st 1981. While I was in class, my son was being born." Harry gave a sad smile. "I wish I had been there. But I understand. She wasn't ready to deal with me. She was all alone. I could not imagine. She had kept the pregnancy hidden from her friends and even her parents. I'm proud of how strong she was."

"What of her family once he was born?"

"She had broken down and called them right after the delivery. They were disappointed, of course. Showed up to pick them up after getting over their shock. They alternated taking time off work to help Emily with the baby. It was hard, newborns are not patient you know, but they were a great family."

"I'm glad she had their support. Not many do. My mother raised me alone. My father left us before I was born. It was hard but she loved me. Sometimes I think that's what saved me from being a complete bastard at times; my mother's love."

Harry smiled at him. "I believe you. Though, you do take pleasure in making your students cry."

"They need tougher skin."

"Oh Tom."

They continued eating for a few minutes.

"What happened?"

"They were returning from visiting Emily's grandparents, introducing Caelum to his great-grandparents, when their car was hit by a drunk driver."

"What of her parents?"

"Gone before help arrived."

"And Caelum?"

"My son," here Harry had tears in his eyes that he refused to release, he took a deep breath and blinked them away. He cleared his throat. "He didn't make it. That's why Emily wanted to apologise. I got to hold him though. To say goodbye. She told me he had my eyes. I wish I could have seen them."

"I'm sorry to have made you relive that."

"I remember everyday. I've gotten better. As they say, time heals." They finished their meal in silence.

"How did Rose come about?"

"It was actually by accident. A happy accident."

"Will you tell me, please?"

"Emily's grandparents were at the hospital. Next of kin. I was so lost. So alone. They took me home with them that night."

"That was kind of them."

Harry nodded. "Leaving the hospital we saw fireworks in the sky. I remember them. I hated that people were celebrating when I had lost so much."

"I see why you hate Halloween."

"I couldn't sleep that night. I tossed and turned for hours. I gave up trying so I went for a walk around the neighborhood. That's when I found Rose."

"Really?"

"She was on the front step of a house a few streets over. Left there with the milk bottles. It was a chilly night and I could not fathom how anyone could do that to a child. So I took her."

"You just took her?"

"Yes."

"You didn't knock on the door? Contact the authorities?"

Harry shrugged. "I didn't think of it at the time."

"So you took her?"

"Yes, but I did go back the next day. She had a letter in her blanket which I delivered. Rose's uncle answered the door. Told me he didn't care what I did with the baby."

"Wait. Lily Potter's brother? That uncle?"

"You know him?"

"Long ago. The Evans children, Lily and Rowan, lived near Severus Snape."

"The war hero?"

"Yes. Severus and Lily were two peas in a pod. Even after being sorted in different houses. He and I were in the same year in Slytherin. I was invited to their joint graduation party. Mrs Evans loved Severus like another son. That's when I met Rowan. He was horrible."

"I hope you'll tell Rose about that since Snape didn't survive the war. I don't have any stories about her birth parents either."

"If you would like. So Rowan gave up Rose?"

"Exactly. Emily's grandfather, Maurice, was a semi-retired barrister. It took no time to adopt Rose. In fact, Emily's grandparents took me into their family as well. We forged a bond through loss, the four of us." Then Harry changed the conversation abruptly. "Have you stopped by your house yet?"

The question surprised Tom. "No, I was busy finishing up some things at the school and came directly here."

"That's settled then."

"What is?"

"You're spending the holidays with us."

"Excuse me?"

"You said you hate Riddle Manor."

"I am aware of what I wrote to you."

"There's no reason to stay there when we have plenty of room."

"I don't even know where you live!"

"Come on then." Harry then called over the waiter and paid for their meal. They stepped out of the restaurant and walked for several minutes in silence.

"Where are we going?"

"Apparition point," Harry quietly responded. Then louder, "almost there." He stopped in view of the Wellington Arch.

"Here?"

"Yes, we have to walk through."

"It's full of muggles!"

"It's fine, they won't notice a thing. Trust me."

"If the DMLE shows up, I will not be held responsible." Instead of answering, Harry started walking toward the large stone sculpture and Tom rushed to catch up. Right as they were shadowed by lampposts it felt like they stepped through an invisible barrier. "Wards?"

"Of course."

"I've never used this point."

"It's new. Only opened a couple of months ago."

"I'm sure you had something to do with that."

"Perhaps. You have to agree that it makes no sense to only have Diagon Alley, the Ministry, and Kings Cross as travel points in such a populated city. Now hold on, it's quite the distance."

Tom braced himself to the upcoming disturbance of being squeezed through a needle. The sensation seemed to go on for ages. The next thing he felt was a hand on his arm and opened his eyes. They were in a broom cupboard. "Harry!"

The man laughed. "Come on, let's get out of here before someone arrives on top of us."

They stepped out of the room to a stark white corridor. Tom followed Harry until they reached the end and made a right. The feeling of walking through water was there again. Another ward. The blast of light, heat, and commotion met him before his eyes could take it all in. The sun was high in the sky. He blinked his eyes to adjust quickly. People and cars everywhere. They continued to walk past everyone, completely being ignored. They crossed the large open space, out the front doors and once on the other side of the long street Tom looked back. In giant blue lettering there was a sign. Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juarez.

"Where are we?"

"Bienvenido a la Ciudad de México."

"Mexico!"

"Yes. Haven't you been abroad?"

"I spent a year in Albania studying vampires."

"I guess that counts."

"We're in Mexico?"

"Well, we're at the Mexico City airport. Actually, the city has been trying to make updates to it for years. President Salinas announced a couple of years ago the construction of a new airport in Texcoco but the way things are, that can take ages. Or if at all. It would help alleviate how busy it is here. Come on, my car is right over here." They walked past a large green E sign. "That's the parking symbol here, for 'Estacionamiento'. Long word that one, for the nothing that happens." Harry looked over at Tom. "You would find that funny if you spoke Spanish."

"I'm sure." They walked through rows and rows of vehicles until Harry stopped in front of a gray square ugly thing. "What is that?"

"This, Professor, is a 1981 Volkswagen Rabbit."

"It's hideous."

"Oh shut up. I will have you know that this is one of the best automobiles of the decade. The standard by which all others should be judged."

"It has a hatch."

"Hey! I'm a father, I need the storage space. Plus, it was a gift from Maurice. Now get in. It's a half hour drive to my place."

They got in the car and took off.

"I still can't believe you adopted Rose Potter."

"If it's any consolation. I think it's bonkers as well," Harry replied without taking his eyes off the road.

"How is it no one knows of this? She's famous."

At this, Harry quickly looked over and smirked. "The Black name, even from a squib-line, holds a lot of weight."

"So you are from that family. Are you in contact with them? Did they help you hide Rose?"

"No. I had Emily's grandparents help with Rose, like I said. At least until they passed away a couple of years ago. And sometimes she went to school with me."

"Really?"

"Yes, until she started being homeschooled, Rose split her time between her grandparents and lecture halls. It's one of the reasons she's so ahead."

"How did you deal with it?"

"It was hard, stressful, chaotic, messy, and tiresome to say the least, but she was with me. I didn't want to part with her for too long. We both lost too much that Halloween."

"I cannot believe that you adopted Rose Potter under everyone's noses."

"I didn't see another option at the time. I could not leave her with her relatives, even if they had wanted her. They were foul. What was I supposed to do? Drop her off at the Leaky Cauldron?"

"You were so young."

"I stand by my decision."

"What about after you finished University? Where did you go? Here?"

"We settled here once I was accepted into the Toci Medical School. We all moved. Maurice and his wife Elizabeth were getting on in years so I got a house-elf to help."

"I am still surprised by how much schooling you have done. All that ambition. You would have done well in Slytherin by the sounds of it. Plus all the secrets I know you still have no matter how open you have been."

Harry smiled. "Why, thank you. I'm sure I would have done well in Slytherin too,"

"Why didn't you attend Hogwarts?"

"Maybe the thought of having to be your student was too much for my mind to bear."

"You're only three years younger than I am. I wouldn't have been your teacher. We would have been school mates."

"You're only thirty? You're such a grouch. I figured you were at least sixty-five."

"Fine, don't answer. What about Rose? I know she's advanced but why not send her to Hogwarts anyway?"

"Because she's Rose, not The-Girl-Who-Lived. People will not be expecting her as she is. I do not want to deal with the backlash of having the supposed savior in the wrong house. The masses are fickle. It's better to step out of the light-right, dark-wrong argument altogether."

"Is she not loyal enough for Hufflepuff then?" Tom actually made a joke.

"I think she, like me, has traits of all the houses, actually. Like many things in life, it is our choices that define us. Hufflepuffs value hard work, patience, justice and loyalty. All very important things. But in the tug of war between Light and Dark, they are traits to be fought over. Others would assume that loyalty could be easily gained, notwithstanding the stupidity of people thinking that it is the house of the leftovers. If anything, I would want her to be in Ravenclaw. A studious, quiet, polite student is accepted and not questioned. If she weren't famous of course. The fact that everyone thinks she's been hidden away from the Wizarding World would have allowed her to settle without fanfare if her sorting was attributed to being raised in the Muggle world. No one would question it as long as she was intelligent, showed a love for learning, and could exhibit wisdom and wit on demand. But I don't want that for her. She doesn't want that for herself."

"You have her sorting planned? How do you know so much about it anyway?" Tom asked in incredulity.

"I have my ways. Not that she's going anyway."

"Why? And when did you make such a decision?"

"Rose doesn't like to lie. "

"Do you?"

"No."

"So she wouldn't want to lie about being a fake Gryffindor?"

Harry shrugged. "She's a good kid. She could not stomach having to be surrounded by children spewing their greatness while demeaning others. Which is what would happen in either house because of her fame. And we decided to stay out of the Light-Dark debate when we were still considering her attendance."

"You don't buy into all the school politics?"

"No. School was always an escape for me and it's a joy for Rose. My guardians detested magic and took it out on me. If I wasn't in school, then I was in the boot cupboard or doing chores. I don't want Rose to ever need that escape, but if she does, then it shouldn't have stipulations."

"You slept in a cupboard!"

"Only for ten years."

"How can you defend that?" His voice was hard, angry, deadly.

Harry kept his eyes forward and exhaled slowly. "Yes, they put me in a boot cupboard. They did not want me to infect them with my freakish magic. I was neglected. I survived. I don't hate them. It took a long time to not hate them. I really don't. I've left that in the past. Now, I'm a world away from them. They can't hurt me anymore."

"Your decision to adopt her is making more sense. You didn't want her to go through what you did."

There was a silence for a minute before Harry broke it a tad awkwardly. "Rose will probably talk your ear off."

"Is your daughter aware that I am invited to stay for the duration of the holidays?"

"Yes, she was ecstatic when I made the suggestion. She is a fan of yours, as you well know. Loves all magic in fact. She has no reservations about your stay and trusts my judgement and decisions. Anyway, we're here." Harry turned off the engine and looked over at Tom.

Tom stepped out of the vehicle and looked up and down the street. He noted the address. 46 Calle Arquímedes. It looked like a well to do neighborhood. "What part of the city is this?"

"Polanco. It's posh, I know, but the area is perfect for Rose's education. Now, come on. I'm dying for a cup of tea."

"We just had dinner."

"It's two o'clock here, basically tea time."