Disclaimer: See first chapter…
A/N: Timeline issues: HP- using the timeline where Harry was born in 1980. Remus happened upon Hogwarts in 1993. The war took place in Harry's seventh year, 1997. PR-Billy was born in 1977. He left for Aquitar in 1995, as an eighteen year old. Therefore, he received his powers in 1992, as a fifteen year old. Also, let's just pretend Billy's mum died when he was a kid of two, okay? Any other blips in continuity, tell me. Also, mucho thanks to my wonderful, amazing, inspirational beta Danny aka Cobalt-blue. He has helped me SO much with this fic, he deserves co-authoring status. Lol. Read his stuff. It'll make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Rating: PG-13
Brother Wolf by biggerstaffbunch
*~*~*
South London, England, a hidden alley off of Oxford Street
The Lighted Wand Inn
Tuesday morning
2000
The Lighted Wand was an inn popular with witches and wizards who frequented the shopping strips on Oxford Street, south London. Conveniently, the alley the inn sat on was hidden off of the busy shopping strip. Oftentimes, magical folk went to the inn to rest up and have a good chat with the owner, Samuel. Billy had been told about this place because it was quite near Lindersville. That way, it would be easy to meet Remus, who was staying at the Lindersquare Inn, and take the train from the nearby Northern Line to Camden. This was where Remus had stopped telling Billy of the plans he had made for the two of them, and had set a secret smile on his face.
Billy's room at the inn was small and quaint with sky blue walls and mahogany wood furniture. A king-size bed sat in the middle of the room, with a nightstand to the right, and a large mirror in front of the bed. A small wardrobe lent to the cramped quarters. On the nightstand were Billy's alarm clock from home and his cell phone, the only traces of Muggle technology there. At the foot of his bed lay his of suitcases and boxes of chemical supplies. It was a homey room- in an odd, cramped and clinical way.
He awoke to a typical English morning in the light, feather-downed bed the day after his meeting with Remus. The light rain pitter-pattered against the windowsill, the gray sky darkening by the minute. Billy struggled to keep his eyes open as the WWN blared loud and obnoxiously next to his musty-sheeted hotel bed.
The radio sang incessantly, a wizarding band that was apparently very popular judging from the amount of times they had been played in twenty-four-hours. Billy moaned into his pillow. Reaching out a hand blindly, he felt his hand crash into the small, old, black radio that Remus had lent him. The tinny voice immediately ceased to be, and Billy smiled dreamily.
Back to sleep, he decided. Since coming back from Aquitar, Billy's sleep habits had changed dramatically. It was funny; he could remember when he used to stay up at the Command Center, fueled only by coffee and a new discovery of some sort, until the early hours after midnight. Then, after he procured an early graduation, the time he spent in the Command Center lengthened to dawn till, well, the next dawn. Now, though, after the five years he had spent on Aquitar, his years of lost slumber seemed to be catching up to him. He craved sleep. Billy honestly believed he could zonk out anywhere, which was troubling. I'll have to contact Cestro about that, he thought absently, as soon as I force myself to wake up.
The cell-phone next to his bed encouraged Billy to do just that. After the second blaring ring, Billy shook his head and propped himself up on his stomach, lolling his head onto his shoulder as he breathed a "Hello?" into the phone.
"Billy? That you, son?" William Cranston Sr.'s voice came zipping through the receiver.
"Dad!?" Billy rolled his eyes and rubbed the sleep out of them tiredly. He always sounded like a fool upon waking. "What's wrong? Is something wrong?"
"No son, I just wanted to check up on you and see how that meeting went. What time is it over there? Did I wake you? It's only 10 P.M here...Monday night," he added helpfully.
"Oh. Don't worry, it's about 6 A.M, Tuesday morning, here. A good time to get up because I have to meet Mr. Lupin this morning." A bell went off in Billy's head. "Dad, that reminds me. I meant to ask you. How did you end up in contact with Remus?" Billy yawned and sat up in the bed, clutching the phone yet stretching languidly. "From what I learned from him, wizards are not well-tied with things such as phones and email." And Remus isn't exactly part of The Friendly Network of Wizards and Witches.
"Oh!" His father sounded startled that Billy was asking. "Well, you know that your mom went to Hogwarts. Before she met me, that is. It was a magic school…for witches and wizards."
"Yes, Dad." Billy prodded gently, pulling the covers tangled between his legs back and swinging his feet down to the floor. Talking about his wife was not easy for his father, Billy knew that, especially when it was about her "old life." William had made it no secret that however misguided he may be in his speculations, he felt that magic was the cause of the disease that had killed his Becky.
Billy slipped on the pair of slippers lying at the side of his bed, and reaching over the nightstand, he grabbed the standard hotel robe draped across the turned-off lamp. Lately, he was uncommonly cold, and he pulled his robe on tight against his boxer-clad body as he waited for his father to continue.
"Anyways," William said after a moment of quiet, "When Rebecca finally told me about all that…magic…we both decided to settle down in California. They were just emerging from dark times when you were born, Bill. There was a villain- a lot like the monsters you fought as a Power Ranger- that was still around the time you arrived. The wizarding world was still chaos."
Billy felt an odd tingle- how strange it must've been for a young couple on the run from a villain that was fated to be soon dead, a ghost from the past. And then he felt the cool vial secured around his neck, and he thought perhaps he understood a little better in his heart of hearts. Death was really never too far behind anyone, not enough for sufficient comfort anyways.
Billy listened to his father's voice as he walked across the carpet floor and over to his dresser mirror. Staring at his reflection, Billy heard, "California seemed like a place we could escape. Have a new life- without anything weird in our lives."
Billy scowled at his scraggly reflection in his dresser mirror, momentarily distracted by this interesting news. "That's right. You even said she never thought about what would happen if I were magic."
"We didn't think that was a worry, Billy. We buried her old life so well, we were sure nothing supernatural would touch you."
Billy nodded to himself and reached for a comb in his small duffel bag. Running it through his hair, he said resignedly, "And I wasn't magic. I was a…a…" Billy struggled with the word. He remembered his father telling him this, long ago…
"Squib." Williams's voice was soft. "I know I seemed as if I hated Rebecca's old life when I first told you of it, and probably seem like that even now. But I only wish she'd been alive to see you as a Ranger…Billy, she'd have been so proud of you, regardless of the oddity involved in it."
Billy felt his shoulders tense up and he placed the comb down on the dresser. He hated discussing his days as a ranger with his father. It was something private, almost sacred to him, and the only thing that had made Billy give up his secret in the first place was the fact that he was leaving the planet. His father, admirably, had taken things very well. Billy suspected that perhaps he had even known, deep down. Still, it was hard to shake off the feeling that William Cranston, Sr., would like nothing more than to erase Billy's "oddity" from history. He ran his fingers through his hair thoughtfully.
"I'm sure she would've, Dad."
"So," William said- his voice abruptly loud, "I recently found a box your mom had saved. It was full of her old Hogwarts things, and Billy-"he whistled, "-I knew it wasn't normal."
Billy yelped and furiously rubbed his temple, where a knot had snarled. "Not normal?"
"Yup. The Hogwarts school listing was in it." William paused for drama and Billy gave a small smile into the mirror.
Shuffling to the bathroom, Billy leaned in the doorway and flicked on the light. Intense white light flooded the small loo.
"The scroll was a listing of major wizarding schools in the world. Turns out there was a school, Mirus University of Magickal Learning, in east L.A. Guess it was a sensible place to put it; the word 'odd' isn't in the L.A vocabulary."
Billy laughed, the first time in a while. Absent-minded and a bit prejudiced to all things magic he may be, but William Cranston was an affectionate, sweet father who had a dry wit that Billy had inherited. "I'm sure. Let me guess." Billy placed his palms flat on the marble sink and leaned in, scrutinizing his smooth, unlined face. "You went to this university and…?"
"I talked to the headmaster. A Virginia Potter…she was British, though, I could tell. Five years with Becky, I know how to recognize a British accent, no matter how well it's hidden. Anyway, she heard me out and looked up Rebecca's name in the international registry. Apparently, they keep a record as long as your arm concerning her whereabouts. They've been tracking us all these years." Williams's voice was soft and Billy felt a surge of love for a man who would put aside his hatred of all things magic for the purpose of helping his son.
"She gave me the name of Sirius Black, an associate in Liverpool. I mailed him and he gave me the address of Remus."
"Which you then gave to me." Billy's voice was soft. "Wow. I never realized the networking in the wizarding world was so efficient!" He bit his lip and leaned in closer to the mirror, distracted. The cut that had been on his chin last night was gone. Rubbing his chin gently with his free hand, Billy cocked his head. Interesting.
"It is. It really is. In any case, how are things up there? Have you learned things yet? Gotten a job?" Billy heard the unspoken question: Decided what the hell you're doing there and when you'll come back?
"Well, Dad, no. I haven't received a vocation yet, but Remus thinks he has something lined up for me. As for learning things- I only just arrived a week ago. I've been telling Remus everything about myself for the whole time." Billy gave an ironic laugh, unfastening his eyes from the mirror and reaching up to take off the small blue toothbrush and tube of Colgate sitting on the shelf above it.
"Everything?" William asked mildly.
"Yes."
"You are dying, Billy…you must drink from the Eternal Falls once again."
"I've drunk from them a thousand times already!"
"They will rejuvenate you, make you whole, Billy. You cannot afford to slip back into the limbo the age difference has thrown your body into. You must drink from the Falls to live."
"For how long?"
"Forever."
Okay, so maybe Billy hadn't revealed everything.
He had to keep some things to himself, perhaps to keep it real in his heart.
Tingles suddenly erupted in Billy's arms, spreading like fire up his neck and down his spine. Billy felt a shudder wrack his legs, and he braced himself against the sink as his knees buckled. Not now, he whispered inside his soul, Why me?
"I'll talk to you later, Dad," Billy said frantically. "I-I have to go."
"Hang in there, Billy." William said, unaware of his son's difficulties. "It's a new life, a new world out there. Keep your chin up."
"Yes."
With a click, Billy placed the "end" button down on the phone heavily. He took a shuddering breath and fingered the chain around his neck. With trembling fingers, he slipped the necklace off and took the complimentary hotel cup from the sink. The spasms had subsided enough for Billy to straighten shakily.
Sitting down on the toilet seat, Billy unscrewed the vial and slipped the sliver of round, purple-green rock from the glass. He held it up to the light and squinted at the small chips and scratches. Taking a breath, Billy turned on the water in the sink and placed the cup beneath it. Holding the sliver of rock against the spigot firmly, Billy waited as the clear water turned a liquid gold, and then glowed a soft green. The exquisite water lapped gently against the sides of the cup, and Billy smiled lopsidedly as he turned the water off, lay the cup down, and screwed the rock quickly back into the vial. His fingers were trembling and already his vision clouding. It had been twenty-four hours since his last drink.
Tilting his head back and tipping the green liquid down his throat, Billy drank from the Elixir of Life.
*~*~*
Angel Grove, California
1222 Foxchase St
Monday night
2000
Thump! Thump! Thump!
William Cranston, Sr., awoke with a terrific jolt from, the bangs against his hard, wooden front door reverberating in his head. The large, warm and darkened living room he slept in was suddenly awake with life, pictures shaking on the walls and the fire in the fireplace snapping angrily. Shaking his head of the cobwebs from sleep, William sat up on the leather couch he sat on.
"Mr. Cranston!" There was a muffled voice coming from outside the Cranston house, and William swiftly threw his legs over the couch and clutched his robe closer to his body. Reaching over the couch arm, he flicked on the lamp and padded hesitantly to the door. Clicking on the porch light, he peeked out of the lace curtains (a touch Rebecca had left behind and he had kept) and saw a surprising sight.
Turning open the lock on his door, William shook his head again and swung the door open. Standing on his stoop, light bathing them, were a group of young adults. The male in the front raised his hand to knock again, his eyes darting behind him, gasping as his fist sliced through empty air. The youth turned his gaze to the front, meeting Wiliam's firmly.
"Jason?!"
William had to check the calendar on his watch to make sure this was the year 2000, because seeing the seven youths on his porch was déjà vu in the highest form. It was as if his son's entire high school life was partying on his porch!
There was Jason Scott, tall and burly, with dark eyes, a kind smile, and neatly cut thick, brown hair. Flanking him, one on each side, were Trini Kwan and Kimberly Hart. Trini was slim and tall, and pretty, with her delicate features, expressive chocolate eyes and ebony hair. She was the one to hold Jason back and give him a gentle warning look. Kimberly, on contrast, seemed small in stature, but her smile was wide and her amber eyes dancing with unrestrained humor. Her light brown hair curled against her shoulders as she shoved a hand forward for William to shake it.
William took the proffered hand dazedly, shaking his head again. His voice spilled out finally. "What are you kids doing here?!"
Jason exchanged a look with Trini and blinked guiltily. Dressed casually with a leather jacket thrown casually over a red tee-shirt and khaki pants, he gave a small smile and ignored the question. "Hi, Mr. Cranston. Can, um, we come in?"
William just gaped at him for a second before wordlessly moving back so the procession could filter in. All in a line, he thought, bewildered. Wow. Every friend my son has ever had. William resisted the urge to point and count as the kids just kept on coming.
Tommy Oliver, lanky and unassuming, with long brown hair and wearing white. Then, Aisha Campbell, a girl whose face William had often associated solely with the belly laughs coming from Billy's room whenever they had a project together. Her long black hair was braided back and she wore a simple yellow dress and tugged along Billy's other sometime-lab partner, Rocky DeSantos. He looked tan and happy as he strolled in, a light blue sports jacket slung across his shoulder.
It gave William a jolt to see Rocky in Billy's color, but he just hid a smile as Zack Taylor, a sharp contrast in black, bounced in with his arm slipped around an icily beautiful blonde with blue eyes. Kat. William assumed from Billy's descriptions. Katherine Hillard had been a good friend of Billy's just before he left Aquitar, and William was glad to finally really see her, in all her silver-blonde hair against porcelain skin and blue eyes glory.
Bringing up the rear was Adam Park, a quiet Asian boy with curly black hair and serene brown eyes, hand in hand with a friendly looking girl with chocolaty skin and wearing a yellow dress. Tanya, I think. She was the yellow ranger who was with the green ranger.
William couldn't help but smile as he noted that all of the Rangers still wore their colors, even at the age of 23.
Shutting the door, William turned and followed his son's friends into his living room. Smiling again, he noticed how Jason strode purposefully at the lead, pacing already in a corner of the room. Billy was right when he said Jason was a natural leader.
"Mr. Cranston," Jason said abruptly, when William had comfortably perched atop his armchair, "You're probably wondering why we're here."
William just raised an eyebrow in response; he liked to let his facial expressions do the talking. No, really, the expression seemed to sneer.
There was utter, uncomfortable silence for a moment before Rocky cleared his throat and laughed, "Geez, Mr. Cranston, looking at you, it's as if Billy were right here, shaking his finger at us whenever we did something bad!"
It was true; looking at Billy was a lot like looking into a mirror for William. Though Billy had inherited his wide smile and intelligence from Rebecca, William had passed on his strong features and round, blue eyes. William's own dirty blonde hair was starting to gray, but Billy's had a habit of lightening a shade brighter every year. The two men both had slim figures, lonely natures, and sarcastic wit.
"I am his father," William reminded the kids. The ten young adults exchanged looks and nodded from their various spots around the room. William felt a tug; they all looked so desperately uncomfortable that he had to give in. "What do you kids want?" he asked kindly.
Kim was the one to sigh a breath of relief. "Well, Mr. Cranston, we'd like to know where Billy is." She seemed to throw a warning glance at Jason, who shut his mouth in a tight, impatient line.
William was stunned. In the year that Billy had spent back on Earth, not one of his old friends had made an effort to contact him. Now they just waltz back into the Cranston house at 11 pm and attempt to find out where my son is?
"Why now?" he asked, bewildered. "After all this time?"
Kim blushed and looked down at her hands. This time, it was Jason who spoke. "Mr, Cranston," he said carefully, "Billy never told us that he had returned from…Paris." Jason looked to all the others for a moment and Tommy broke in.
"Yeah, Paris. His, um, senior gift to himself."
Zack jumped in. "We were all very surprised to learn that he's back. From Paris."
William noticed wryly that Billy had neglected to inform his friends that he had told him about their secret. Paris, indeed, if Paris were another planet!
"We're his friends, Mr. C," said Aisha earnestly. Of course we'd want to see him. If you could just tell us where he is…"
Adam, Tanya, and Katherine remained silent, though they nodded in agreement.
"Well, you can't see him." The note of desperation in the kids' voices was a bit suspicious to him, and William wondered what was so important that all the rangers would arrive at his house at 11 PM and demand to see his son.
Jason looked vexed. "Why?"
It was Trini who answered as William spluttered. "Because he's not here," she said quietly. "Isn't that right, Mr. Cranston? Billy isn't here."
"That's right." William said softly, not looking at any of them.
"Well, where is he?" Jason was fighting to retain his composure, and William could see that. He shook his head. If all his observations about Billy and his friend were correct, then perhaps it would be best to just tell him where Billy was. Maybe they could convince his son to come home and ditch the magic that seemed to so suddenly fascinate him. But maybe not, especially because of, or even in spite of the "relationship" between Jason and Billy and the rest of the rangers.
"England."
This remark was met by loud declaration of surprise and indignation, not least of all an oath by Jason. "England?! What the hell is he doing there?!"
William raised an eyebrow again as he waited for the kids to stop talking.
"He's finding himself, to paraphrase his own words. And he's not coming home until he has. Believe me, I tried to make him stay."
Jason opened his mouth to protest, and William shook his head.
"Listen, Jason, you've always been a friend of my son's, so that's the only reason I'm telling you anything at all. You all waltz right into my home on a Monday evening, disturbing an old man from his sleep, and demanding answers about my son's whereabouts. No small talk, no at least pretending there isn't obviously some hidden agenda. Why should I tell you all anything? Billy has been home from Aquitar for a year. Where were you all a year back? And why the sudden interest in him?"
William folded his arms and reclined back in his seat, strangely satisfied and invigorated at the stunned gazes all ten adults gave him. The secret was out.
"Mr. C?" Tommy said tentatively after a moment.
"Tommy? Or should I say, Zeo Ranger Number Five?"
Tommy cringed and fell silent.
"Okay, Mr. Cranston." Jason's voice once again cut through the silence and he took the lead. "So Billy told you about our secret. We're sorry for not assuming he would do that, especially since he is your son, and you're his father and you have the right to know. I understand that it is a shock, seeing us all here, but please know that this is a dire situation and Billy is needed. We couldn't have known he wasn't here, especially since Billy has made no attempt to contact us in the time he was gone. That is probably why it seems we've abandoned him." Jason's eyes softened. "We haven't, though. We all miss him."
William stood, watching them for a moment, weighing something in his mind. Then, sighing, he nodded. "I know you kids miss him. But you don't know what he's been through. Hell, I don't know all he's been through. He's not the type to open up, you know."
Jason gave a curt nod, but William could see the worry behind his eyes.
"He felt abandoned, kids. And personally, I find it very annoying that you'd turn the blame of your lack of communication over to Billy."
This time, all the Rangers opened their mouths in protest, but William sliced the air with his open palm and gestured to them to wait. He folded his arms and strode to the east end of the room, stepping over Zack and Trini, who were sitting side by side on the floor, with mirrored looks of apprehension. Stooping over his old desk, William turned on the desk-lamp and slid open the single drawer. Rifling through the mounds of papers crammed in it, William shook his head. The nerve of those kids. Saying Billy had never written! William made a noise of satisfaction as his hands closed around a bundle of tightly bound envelopes. He straightened and shut the drawer.
Steeping back over Trini and Zack's legs, William made his way over to his armchair. He waited a good minute before waving the envelopes in the air and throwing them to Jason.
"Read," he commanded.
Jason complied, untying the string binding them together and slipping the first envelope out of the bundle. He scanned the address and his eyes widened. Jason gasped as he opened the folded paper inside, reading the writing quickly. After a moment, he asked in a strained voice, "Are all these letters…"
"Yes. They're all from him. One every week at first, then every month, then once a year. They were all addressed to you, but strangely, ended up on my doorstep." William shot an accusatory glare at Jason. "Read them if you don't-"
"I believe you." Jason looked down at the letters and scanned the addresses feebly. "Mr. Cranston…how can I find Billy?"
"We. How do we find Billy?" Trini shot Jason a sympathetic look. "You said England, but...do you have an address?"
William shook his head. "I have a phone number for his hotel room, but as soon as he hears from you kids, he'll hang up. I have a better idea. Here's the address where I went to contact an old friend of my wife." He took a piece of paper from the nightstand next to him and scribbled the address for Mirus University onto it. Once you get that contact, it shouldn't be hard to find the man Billy is working with." He sighed. "Kids…I should warn you, this school…it isn't normal. In fact, it's magic."
There was silence.
"Magic?" Kat's voice broke through the silence, and her eyes were impossibly wide. "You mean, like witches and wizards magic? Sorcery?"
Mr. Cranston nodded and the kids turned to each other, nervous and questioning looks in their eyes.
"I don't care," Jason said fiercely from his spot near the door. "We're going to England to find Billy."
The others all nodded in agreement, and they began to stand.
But first-" Jason leaned forward and took the proffered paper, "-we're going to L.A. I need a chat with this Virginia Potter."
*~*~*
Next chapter: Virgina Potter meets the Rangers and Remus finally tells Billy what went on after the Great War. Oh, and Billy starts his job!