I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter 16: Familiarity

The closest that Harry could compare the experience of Apparating to, was looking at a distant spot through a low powered telescope, it was tiny and blurred, then, suddenly, the telescope was converted to a massive, high powered, observatory strength one, and it looked as though you were standing right at that spot. Then, you were there. It was a bit like using a port-key, but without the pull behind his navel. He would have pitched forward right onto his nose if Remus hadn't been holding onto him. Holding himself up may have been an apter term. Harry looked over his shoulder at his former Professor and found his face looking ashen.

"Are you all right, Remus?" He asked in concern.

"Will be in a moment, Harry." The werewolf replied, "It was quite a distance even at the best of conditions."

Harry heard a bang, and Hermione and Moody, then Joseph and Ron appeared. The other two men looked tired, but not nearly as bad as Remus did.

"Are you certain you're all right?" Harry asked again in concern. His professor seemed to be debating something inside his mind, finally he sighed.

"It's just more difficult for me," He said tiredly, "Because of the instability of my makeup." He straightened, looking better, "I'll recover quickly, though." He looked around, seeing the corner of the Shrieking Shack, and the dusty street leading back into Hogsmeade, but there was no sign of Tala and Ginny. Remus suddenly looked gray again, and fear sparked in his eyes, when they heard a voice calling out from the other side of the Shack.

He broke out into a run, the others following close behind, and they all heaved a sigh of relief when they rounded a corner and saw Tala and Ginny standing there, Tala looking easily as ashy as Remus had.

She let out a huge breath and smiled, running to her husband and embracing him tightly. "I was worried," She murmured.

"As was I." He said thickly, "But it looks like we've all gotten here in one piece."

Harry gulped, the manner in which he said this showed that he had thought it a distinct possibility that they might not have. He was dimly aware of Moody and Joseph moving down towards Hosmeade, Moody's wand in hand and Joseph's fist clutching the hilt of his cutlass.

After a last squeeze, Tala pulled back a bit from Remus to look around, "So, this is the place." Her voice was sad. Remus nodded, and looked very eager to leave behind the dilapidated shack and it's tangled lawns, not to mention the memories that the place held.

"We'll just wait for Moody and Joseph to give an all clear, then I'm sure the captain will be wanting to go to the Ministry to file for a new ship, and we will want to go up to the castle." The werewolf said quietly, his own eyes moving warily around. Harry looked in the direction of Hogsmeade in time to see a spray of green sparks shoot up in the air. "All clear." Remus sighed. "We'd better get moving, I don't like being out in the open, even here. They would have known that, even if we didn't escape, there were only a few places we could have gone to. This is one of them." He looked worried as he led them off down the street. "I didn't think they would move so openly so soon, or I would never have..."

"No, professor." Ginny interrupted, "You couldn't have know, but we wouldn't have wanted to miss your wedding, or meeting all of Tala's friends for the world. Don't regret it, sir."

Remus looked at her in surprise and calculation. "You know, you remind me of someone I once knew. She would have said the same thing." His smile was tinged with sadness, and Tala, who was walking holding his arm, squeezed him gently. He refused to elaborate, though, as they moved in between the stores on the main street of Hogsmeade, heading towards the Three Broomsticks.

Moody and Joseph were waiting outside the door, and, as the others joined them, they moved inside.

The interior of the bar was much as he had remembered, Harry thought. But there were two faces there that he had not expected, one of them, half standing with a look of surprise on his face, was Abrose Nomerson, the other, looking at them with what could only be described as heavy-lidded indifference, lounging in his chair with his feet stretched out, was the green haired wizard, Umbers Godfrey.

Harry had wondered where they had gotten to, when they had stopped at the Assembly, the two of them had gotten off and disappeared. When the train moved on, only a few minutes later, they were not on it. No one else had commented on it, so Harry figured that it had been planned.

"Tala, everyone!" Abrose cried, "You're early! Come have a seat," he waved some more chairs to their table. Umbers merely nodded in boredom. They all sat down gingerly, most of them eager to get to the relative safety of Hogwarts grounds, the other, Captain Joseph, eager to get to the Ministry, where, as Remus had assured him, he would be able to procure a new ship.

Remus filled the two men in about recent events, eliciting a cry of shock from Ambrose, and a raised eyebrow from Umbers, which, Harry was coming to believe, was almost a cry of shock as well, coming from the silent, emaciated wizard.

"Was Hogsmeade really the best place?" Abrose asked.

"Yes," Moody said with emphasis, "Here we are only a short walk from Hogwarts, and Dumbledore, last I heard from him, is here for a time."

"I haven't seen him down here," Abrose said thoughtfully. "Have you, Rosmerta?" He smiled at the witch in stilettos, who had just emerged from a storeroom. She grinned back and strutted over, resting her hands on his shoulders.

"I haven't seen him lately," She concurred, "But that's to be expected, what with..." She broke off with a shudder, and Abrose reached up to pat her hand. She smiled wanly, and looked around at them, "Now, I recognize most of you," She changed the subject, "But not you, Miss," She nodded at Tala, "Or you, young sir." This with a sly smile at Joseph.

"Why, Rosmerta! I'm offended you don't remember me!" Joseph exclaimed with a twinkle. "The young man who was always trying to cozy up to you and trying to persuade you to sell me a fire-whisky?!" He took on an innocent look, "But Rosy dear, don't you agree I'm mature enough to be able to handle it?" He made his voice a childish falsetto and, astonishingly, recognition dawned in the Barkeeper's eyes.

"My goodness! Young Joseph Clearwater! You've grown so much I didn't recognize you." Suddenly she shifted her posture and gave him a sultry look, "But I still don't think you're mature enough to handle it." She said in a husky voice.

Joseph looked stunned for an instant, before breaking out into a great howl of laughter. When he could get control of himself, ignoring the astonished looks of his companions, he wiped a tear of mirth from his eye and said, half-regretfully and half in amusement, "I may be able to handle the Fire-Whisky, Rosy, my girl, but I doubt I'd ever be able to handle you."

The adults, sans Umbers, laughed, Ginny and Hermione joining in after a moment. Harry and Ron exchanged glances.

Rosmerta gave a knowing smirk before addressing herself to Tala. "And I know I don't know you?"

"No, I've never been here before," She agreed, "I'm Tala Lupin."

"I didn't know Remus had a sister, or are you his cousin?" Rosmerta said thoughtfully.

"Neither, I'm his wife." Tala said with a tiny smile.

Rosmerta's mouth dropped open. When the school had learned that Remus was a werewolf, the information had naturally trickled down to the town of Hogsmeade. Luckily, Dumbledore had said, he had managed to get the words of the residents that they would keep it to themselves as much as possible.

"Y-you...he...?" She shook herself visibly. "Congratulations." She finally said with a smile. "You're American?" Tala nodded. "Well, you know, I remember Remus from when he was in school, always with James Potter and Sirius Black. The quiet one, but he was always the one with the best punch-lines." She ran a hand over her glistening hair. "Hard to forget." She said ruminatively. "I suppose it doesn't matter, no, it doesn't." She said firmly. "Congratulations again, I'm happy for you both." This was said with a ring of truth.

"Thank you very much, Rosmerta." Lupin said with a smile.

"So," She continued cheerfully, "What can I get for you all?"

"Sorry, Rosmerta," Moody said, "But we need to get going up to the castle." He stood and the others followed suit, even Abrose and Umbers, and they followed him out the door.

"How did it go," Tala asked Umbers and Abrose when they were again standing in the street of Hogsmeade.

"Well, I suppose," Abrose answered, "I got to talk to who I needed to talk to." He nodded at Umbers, "I assume he did too, but he hasn't said two words since we Apparated."

Umbers shrugged and nodded as well, though he held out a hand to make a so-so gesture.

"And now?" The witch prompted.

"I'm signing on as an assistant barkeeper at the Three Broomsticks." Abrose told her and she nodded in approval. "And again, I don't know what Umbers is doing. Tric nicknamed him Mystery with her usual acumen." He chuckled and looked at the greyhound slim wizard.

"Not much for me to do around here." Umbers said shortly in a quiet tenor. There was something familiar about his voice, Harry thought, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Tala nodded thoughtfully. While Abrose looked astounded that Umbers could string so many words together at once.

"Perhaps we could talk to the owners of Honeydukes." Remus said

Umbers looked doubtful, "Wouldn't it look unusual if both they and Rosmerta hired Americans over the summer? No, perhaps it is best if I lay low for a while and scout around." Abrose continued looking astounded.

"Whatever you think best, Umbers. I trust your judgment." Tala told him with a smile.

Umbers nodded without expression, back to his old, taciturn self.

"Well," Moody commented as they left the two wizards behind, moving towards Hogwarts' front gates, "I should be getting to the Order headquarters, we need to make plans, now that Voldemort," Joseph flinched, Moody eyed him, "appears to be moving out into the open." He didn't bother to say good-bye before Disapparating.

"See you, Al." Tala murmured to the place where he had been standing.

"I need to get going, too." Joseph the pirate commented fiercely, "The Ministry owes me a ship." He took his time to say his farewells before he also disappeared.

"He is quite the fellow," Hermione said with a chuckle and a sideways look at Ron. Ron shrugged, but could not entirely hide his displeasure. "I wonder if we'll ever see him again."

"I'm sure we will," Tala told her, "He seemed quite taken with Dresca."

"He seems to fancy any woman he encounters," Ron grumbled. But his comment seemed to please Hermione, Harry noticed, though she turned her head to hide her smile.

He just didn't understand women, he thought, and that was the whole of it. Better to stick to simple things like Quidditch and Defense Against the Dark Arts. This struck a question in his mind as they walked the path up through the wide lawns to the front doors of Hogwarts.

"Remus?" He asked.

"Yes, Harry?"

"Have you heard who is going to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year?" The other students snapped to attention at this question, new teachers, particularly in this subject were of great concern to them.

"Well, I know who it is, an old acquaintance of mine from the continent. I think you will be pleased." He said this with a smile.

This did go a long way to reassuring the younger ones. They figured that if Remus thought they would be pleased, it was a good chance that they would be. They were a little worried, though, when he would provide no additional information. He did, however, assure them that the new teacher was nothing like Umbridge, amusing them when he transformed her surname into a much less flattering one.

They were still chuckling when they reached the doors of the castle, and Remus knocked. A moment later the doors swung open, and there was Dumbledore, standing next to him the barkeeper of the Hogshead.

Harry stared in astonishment. So that was why the bar keep had looked so familiar. Though lacking the long white beard and hair, and the half-moon glasses, the two of them looked a lot alike, almost as if they were... He dug the picture out of his pocket, glancing at it before tucking it away again and addressing the grumpy looking wizard.

"Aberforth?" Harry asked in astonishment.

"Yes, Harry." Dumbledore said with his usual cheerful, twinkling blue eyes. "This is my brother."

"Charmed." Aberforth said shortly, before turning back to his brother, "Owl me if you need anything else, I can't be coming up here very often."

"Of course, and it's always good to see you."

Aberforth grunted and moved past the others, stumping his way down the path back to Hogsmeade.

Dumbledore squinted after him, "He was unusually pleasant today, I wonder if he has a girlfriend." Harry decided he could not possibly be serious, and was given a wink that said Dumbledore knew what he was thinking. Then the old wizard grew serious.

"The first, and by no means the last." He said soberly. "And by quick thinking we managed not to suffer any losses. Unfortunately this means that I will not be able to spend as much time with you as I would like before I have to go help deal with this." He glanced at Harry. "I have it on good information that Voldemort himself was not present at the time of the attack, and it was likely initiated by his followers. I, personally, do not think that he is quite prepared yet for open battles." He sighed, and suddenly looked tired, "Ministry wizards were there shortly, but by the time they arrived, the perpetrators were gone. Doubtless, Cornelius will be summoning me momentarily."

He seemed to regain his energy from some unknown resource. "But until I must respond to him, let's talk about your trip. I assume you're happily married? Marvelous. I rather wish I could have been there, I do enjoy a good wedding. What else happened?"

He led them into the castle, listening with a smile to their tales of adventuring in America.



Please review, they're what keep me going on this fic. I would like to thank all of you for your encouragements, questions and comments. I am afraid that I may not be able to update as frequently as I would like, what with attending my final semester of college, but I will try to keep up with the story. I do know where I am going, and pretty much how I am going to get there, but your comments help me find the better path. Thank you. Kyokki.