Disclaimer: read an earlier chapter.
Author's note: Quite frankly, I'm too lazy to write about every year in detail, so I'll just write occasional visits until Harry's eleventh birthday.
A little bit of language, but nothing too bad.
Chapter Three
"Pafooh?" a childish voice shouted. Sirius smiled and knelt down, opening his arms. Harry ran into them, grinning like the Cheshire cat. Sirius stood up, Harry still in his arms.
Chris turned to the queen, who had been watching silently. "I suppose introductions are in order?" She beckoned Sirius over. "Your majesty, this is Sirius Black, Harry's godfather. Sirius, this is Queen Aleena, Harry's foster-mum."
"Your Majesty," Sirius aknowledged.
"Please, no need to be formal. Call me Aleena. You're welcome to stay until Harry goes to Hogwarts."
"Thank you."
Neither noticed that Chris was displaying her own version of the Cheshire cat's grin. A grin which widened when Sonia shuffled in, covered from head to toe in a paste of flour and water. Sonia shot Chris a withering look, and Chris tried to stop smiling, but failed miserably. Her mouth kept twitching still, the amusement lingering in her eyes.
~*~
The next time Chris visited Harry was his second birthday, when she brought him a visitor. She showed up on the doorstep of one Remus Lupin, where she knocked and waited. After a moment, the door opened and a man poked his head out. Chris barely registered the light brown hair rather like her own, complete with the telltale flecks of grey which signified a werewolf, as she said, "Remus Lupin?"
"Yes?"
"My name is Christina Atola. I'm here to speak with you about Harry Potter."
"Why? Isn't he dead?"
"No, and that's why I'm here. May I come in?" Lupin nodded and gestured for Chris to come inside. As she entered, Chris saw the old, rather broken furniture, but ignored it and looked and Lupin, who gestured toward the kitchen. She followed him to the table, where they sat down.
"First of all, I think I'd better explain what happened in October. You are aware of time-guardians?" At Lupin's nod, she continued. "I'm the current one. I went to Godric's Hollow after Mr. and Mrs. Potter died, and fetched Harry. It was either that, or let him be taken to the Dursleys." She scowled. "I took him to be fostered by a friend of mine, where he's been since then. Anyway, you know his birthday is tomorrow?" Lupin nodded. "I was wondering if you'd like to go see him?"
"I certainly would!"
Chris nodded. "There are some things you'd need to know beforehand. I didn't send Harry anywhere on Earth: he's on another planet. The natives are anthropomorphic," Lupin nodded him understanding, "and the government is a monarchy. The current ruler is Queen Aleena, Harry's foster-mum. Harry has three foster-siblings. The other thing you need to know is that Sirius Black didn't betray the Potters."
Lupin looked as if he was going to protest. Chris held up a hand, saying, "Hear me out. The Potters switched Secret Keepers without telling anyone. Peter Pettigrew was their Secret Keeper. They thought no-one would even suspect they's use such a weak person for such a task. Pettigrew went straight to Voldemort. The rest you know. Right now, Sirius is with Harry, giving him the chance he never got in other dimensions - the chance to have a godfather. As I told Sirius earlier, Harry doesn't know he's a fosterling, and I'd like to keep it that way 'till he's sevenish. And I'm sure he'd _love_ to have an uncle in his life," she finished, smiling at Lupin.
"But I'm..." Lupin started. Chris sighed.
"I know all about your lycantrophy, and I don't care. Neither will anyone else when they've met you. If someone makes a scene, they're a right git. Now come on, you might want to pack whatever you want to take with you."
It only took ten minutes for Lupin to pack up his belongings, which proved Chris's suspicions of how hard it was for him to find work. She led him outside, where the Guardian picked them up. They appeared on Gateway, which was still as barren as ever. Ruins dotted the landscape, the remnants of an ancient city. Lupin looked around, while Chris turned to the stone structure.
"Guardian, I'd like to take Remus here to Mobius."
"Many such journeys are possible," the Guardian of Forever boomed. "Let me be your gateway."
"Same place as always, just in time for Harry's second birthday."
A time portal opened in the centre of the Guardian, with a view of the outside of the palace. "Come on," she said to Lupin, then stepped through the Guardian. Lupin hesitated for a moment, then followed her.
((For a moment I debated cutting the chapter here, but I reckon you've waited long enough for an update...))
On the other side of the portal, Chris glanced aroundat the people in the street. Most of them were used to seeing her coming for visits, but there were always a few distrustful looks. The only reason those people tolerated her presence was the fact that she was obviously friends with the royal family.
When Remus came through, Chris led him up the palace steps and through the door. The guards nodded to her, but watched Remus until he was out of sight.
About ten steps into the palace, Chris was tackled by an energetic toddler. "Auntie!" he screamed. Chris winced.
"Harry-kins, don't shout. It hurts me, you know that."
"Sowwy..."
Chris smiled and said, "Harry, look who came to see you!" She gestured to Remus.
"Uncle Moony!"
For the first time in a long time, Remus smiled as he in turn was tackled by Harry.
Chris watched for a while, until she noticed Aleena and Sirius approaching. "Morning," she greeted them. She then introduced Remus and Aleena to each other, after which Sirius and Remus disappeared off to get reaquinted, Harry hanging onto Remus's leg.
Once the men (boys?) were far enough away, Chris turned to Aleena and said, "Remus is a werewolf. He's completely harmless most of the month, but during the full moon, it's not safe to be in the same room with him. Because he's a werewolf, he can't get a job anywhere. I don't understand why people are so cruel: he's one of the nicest people on Earth..."
"Why does he have to live on Earth? I'm sure he could get both a good home and a job here on Mobius." Aleena said.
Chris brightened visibly. "Good idea! He'd even be close enough to visit Harry and vice versa."
Later that day, Chris disappeared for a while. When she returned, she was holding a box wrapped in colourful paper and tied to a card with the number two on it. The box then disappeared as well and didn't reappear until the next day at Harry's birthday party. Harry tore open the package to find a soft toy. Chris explained it was a snowy owl. When questioned about it, she smiled enigmatically and refused to explain further.
For the next few years, Chris was only able to make occasional visits, but the one that really stuck in her mind was the day after Harry's seventh birthday.
Harry walked into the family room to find his mum, aunt, Sirius and Remus sitting on sofas, obviously waiting for him.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Harry, come sit down," his aunt said. He did, and his aunt continued. "It's about time we told you something."
His mum spoke up. "I'm not your real mum. Your aunt brought you to me when you were a year old, after your parents died."
Sirius put his own tuppence in. "A bad man called Voldemort killed your mum and dad when you were a baby."
Then Uncle Moony said, "You dad, Sirius and I were best friends at school. We called ourselves the Marauders." He smiled, obviously remembering.
Harry turned to Aleena. "Can I still call you mum?" he asked. Aleena smiled widely.
"Yes, you can."
Sirius spoke up. "Want to hear about your dad ?"
Harry grinned like the Cheshire cat. "Yes."
Chris gave both Sirius and Remus a sharp look. She had earlier told them not to tell Harry anything about magic until his Hogwarts letter arrived.
Remus nodded, and all three males exited, Sirius talking animatedly.
If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, review. Or you could see if I'm online at MSN Messenger. My name there is the same as on FF.net. My dad finally let me download the program onto my computer.
Author's note: Quite frankly, I'm too lazy to write about every year in detail, so I'll just write occasional visits until Harry's eleventh birthday.
A little bit of language, but nothing too bad.
Chapter Three
"Pafooh?" a childish voice shouted. Sirius smiled and knelt down, opening his arms. Harry ran into them, grinning like the Cheshire cat. Sirius stood up, Harry still in his arms.
Chris turned to the queen, who had been watching silently. "I suppose introductions are in order?" She beckoned Sirius over. "Your majesty, this is Sirius Black, Harry's godfather. Sirius, this is Queen Aleena, Harry's foster-mum."
"Your Majesty," Sirius aknowledged.
"Please, no need to be formal. Call me Aleena. You're welcome to stay until Harry goes to Hogwarts."
"Thank you."
Neither noticed that Chris was displaying her own version of the Cheshire cat's grin. A grin which widened when Sonia shuffled in, covered from head to toe in a paste of flour and water. Sonia shot Chris a withering look, and Chris tried to stop smiling, but failed miserably. Her mouth kept twitching still, the amusement lingering in her eyes.
~*~
The next time Chris visited Harry was his second birthday, when she brought him a visitor. She showed up on the doorstep of one Remus Lupin, where she knocked and waited. After a moment, the door opened and a man poked his head out. Chris barely registered the light brown hair rather like her own, complete with the telltale flecks of grey which signified a werewolf, as she said, "Remus Lupin?"
"Yes?"
"My name is Christina Atola. I'm here to speak with you about Harry Potter."
"Why? Isn't he dead?"
"No, and that's why I'm here. May I come in?" Lupin nodded and gestured for Chris to come inside. As she entered, Chris saw the old, rather broken furniture, but ignored it and looked and Lupin, who gestured toward the kitchen. She followed him to the table, where they sat down.
"First of all, I think I'd better explain what happened in October. You are aware of time-guardians?" At Lupin's nod, she continued. "I'm the current one. I went to Godric's Hollow after Mr. and Mrs. Potter died, and fetched Harry. It was either that, or let him be taken to the Dursleys." She scowled. "I took him to be fostered by a friend of mine, where he's been since then. Anyway, you know his birthday is tomorrow?" Lupin nodded. "I was wondering if you'd like to go see him?"
"I certainly would!"
Chris nodded. "There are some things you'd need to know beforehand. I didn't send Harry anywhere on Earth: he's on another planet. The natives are anthropomorphic," Lupin nodded him understanding, "and the government is a monarchy. The current ruler is Queen Aleena, Harry's foster-mum. Harry has three foster-siblings. The other thing you need to know is that Sirius Black didn't betray the Potters."
Lupin looked as if he was going to protest. Chris held up a hand, saying, "Hear me out. The Potters switched Secret Keepers without telling anyone. Peter Pettigrew was their Secret Keeper. They thought no-one would even suspect they's use such a weak person for such a task. Pettigrew went straight to Voldemort. The rest you know. Right now, Sirius is with Harry, giving him the chance he never got in other dimensions - the chance to have a godfather. As I told Sirius earlier, Harry doesn't know he's a fosterling, and I'd like to keep it that way 'till he's sevenish. And I'm sure he'd _love_ to have an uncle in his life," she finished, smiling at Lupin.
"But I'm..." Lupin started. Chris sighed.
"I know all about your lycantrophy, and I don't care. Neither will anyone else when they've met you. If someone makes a scene, they're a right git. Now come on, you might want to pack whatever you want to take with you."
It only took ten minutes for Lupin to pack up his belongings, which proved Chris's suspicions of how hard it was for him to find work. She led him outside, where the Guardian picked them up. They appeared on Gateway, which was still as barren as ever. Ruins dotted the landscape, the remnants of an ancient city. Lupin looked around, while Chris turned to the stone structure.
"Guardian, I'd like to take Remus here to Mobius."
"Many such journeys are possible," the Guardian of Forever boomed. "Let me be your gateway."
"Same place as always, just in time for Harry's second birthday."
A time portal opened in the centre of the Guardian, with a view of the outside of the palace. "Come on," she said to Lupin, then stepped through the Guardian. Lupin hesitated for a moment, then followed her.
((For a moment I debated cutting the chapter here, but I reckon you've waited long enough for an update...))
On the other side of the portal, Chris glanced aroundat the people in the street. Most of them were used to seeing her coming for visits, but there were always a few distrustful looks. The only reason those people tolerated her presence was the fact that she was obviously friends with the royal family.
When Remus came through, Chris led him up the palace steps and through the door. The guards nodded to her, but watched Remus until he was out of sight.
About ten steps into the palace, Chris was tackled by an energetic toddler. "Auntie!" he screamed. Chris winced.
"Harry-kins, don't shout. It hurts me, you know that."
"Sowwy..."
Chris smiled and said, "Harry, look who came to see you!" She gestured to Remus.
"Uncle Moony!"
For the first time in a long time, Remus smiled as he in turn was tackled by Harry.
Chris watched for a while, until she noticed Aleena and Sirius approaching. "Morning," she greeted them. She then introduced Remus and Aleena to each other, after which Sirius and Remus disappeared off to get reaquinted, Harry hanging onto Remus's leg.
Once the men (boys?) were far enough away, Chris turned to Aleena and said, "Remus is a werewolf. He's completely harmless most of the month, but during the full moon, it's not safe to be in the same room with him. Because he's a werewolf, he can't get a job anywhere. I don't understand why people are so cruel: he's one of the nicest people on Earth..."
"Why does he have to live on Earth? I'm sure he could get both a good home and a job here on Mobius." Aleena said.
Chris brightened visibly. "Good idea! He'd even be close enough to visit Harry and vice versa."
Later that day, Chris disappeared for a while. When she returned, she was holding a box wrapped in colourful paper and tied to a card with the number two on it. The box then disappeared as well and didn't reappear until the next day at Harry's birthday party. Harry tore open the package to find a soft toy. Chris explained it was a snowy owl. When questioned about it, she smiled enigmatically and refused to explain further.
For the next few years, Chris was only able to make occasional visits, but the one that really stuck in her mind was the day after Harry's seventh birthday.
Harry walked into the family room to find his mum, aunt, Sirius and Remus sitting on sofas, obviously waiting for him.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Harry, come sit down," his aunt said. He did, and his aunt continued. "It's about time we told you something."
His mum spoke up. "I'm not your real mum. Your aunt brought you to me when you were a year old, after your parents died."
Sirius put his own tuppence in. "A bad man called Voldemort killed your mum and dad when you were a baby."
Then Uncle Moony said, "You dad, Sirius and I were best friends at school. We called ourselves the Marauders." He smiled, obviously remembering.
Harry turned to Aleena. "Can I still call you mum?" he asked. Aleena smiled widely.
"Yes, you can."
Sirius spoke up. "Want to hear about your dad ?"
Harry grinned like the Cheshire cat. "Yes."
Chris gave both Sirius and Remus a sharp look. She had earlier told them not to tell Harry anything about magic until his Hogwarts letter arrived.
Remus nodded, and all three males exited, Sirius talking animatedly.
If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, review. Or you could see if I'm online at MSN Messenger. My name there is the same as on FF.net. My dad finally let me download the program onto my computer.