Disclaimer: I don't own anything except any original characters, such as Kat and Nick. So don't sue me.

Lives Repaired

By ravus85

Beta-ed by Mina, Rai and Kaitlin

Meetings

As the sun shone down upon Hogwarts' grounds a young man with robes of the deepest red stalked towards the castle at a rapid pace. His robes blew out dramatically behind him in the wind, revealing a fitted black shirt and trousers, while boots made of dragon hide completed the outfit. The man's shoulder-length black hair was swirled around his face in a ragged mess, while red highlights were visible glinting in the sun. His long strides combined with the wind whirling his coat around, created an imposing figure.

Awaiting this stranger was a strict-looking witch with her hair pulled back in a 'no-nonsense' manner. Her tartan robes swayed in the wind as she watched the young man walking towards her. Even at this distance she could discern the vivid scar reaching from his temple to chin, easily identifying him as Hogwarts' newly appointed Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor.

"Mr. Jameson, I hope all has been well since I saw you last," called Professor Minerva McGonagall, Hogwarts' Transfiguration Professor, as the young man reached the castle steps.

"Yes, thank you," replied the new Professor, giving her a calculated glance as he watched the strict woman closely.

"That's good to hear Mr. Jameson," she said as Evan Jameson finally reached her. "I believe that the staff meeting will begin soon, so we had better leave now if we don't wish to be late."

"Lead the way."

"I'm sure it won't be long before you feel right at home within these walls," commented Minerva as she began to thread her way through the castle towards the staff room.

"No, I'm sure it won't be long," muttered Evan as he followed his old Transfiguration Professor. After all, Harry Potter had never been a stranger to Hogwarts, despite the current secrets he kept hidden as the unknown Evan Jameson.

Looking around the halls of his old school brought back memories of happier days. They passed by many of the classrooms he had once studied in, where he had learned magic just like his fellow wizards and witches. It had been ten years since he had set foot in this castle, and though he would never have to return. How time and circumstances can change a person, he mused.

"Mr. Jameson," said Minerva as she gestured towards a door, startling him from his thoughts.

Inside the staff room there sat a wide variety of witches and wizards most of whom looked vaguely familiar to Evan. At the centre table sat a diminutive wizard that could be none other than his old Charms Professor Flitwick, while beside him sat a bushy haired witch who surveyed him with kind brown eyes.

Evan blinked quickly, startled, as he gazed upon one of his best friends from their school days, Hermione Granger. She hadn't changed too much since he had last seen her at seventeen, but she looked more refined and mature. Her clothes were neat and tidy; while even her bushy hair looked slightly more controllable than normal. It was her eyes that Evan noticed the most though as they hadn't changed in the slightest. Their warm depths had always calmed him when angry or hurt, making Hermione one of the best friends he could have ever found.

Opposite Hermione sat a giant of a man that Evan could only remember with a smile. Rubeus Hagrid had introduced him to the wizarding world, and the two had become fast friends. He remembered the looks the Dursleys' faces had held when he first appeared, and even now his good friend looked the same as ever. His grizzled hair and wild eyes welcomed Evan to Hogwarts like nothing else could.

Next to Hagrid sat a slightly over-weight man with a flop of sandy-brown hair, who looked vaguely familiar to Evan, but it took a moment before he realised, with shock, that it was Neville Longbottom. He had certainly changed over the years. However, beside him on the round table sat a man Evan could never forget. With the ever-present long white beard, coupled with twinkling blue eyes and half moon glasses, Albus Dumbledore was hard to miss.

"Ah Evan, I'm pleased to see that you made it. I was starting to worry that you had gotten yourself lost in the halls," called the headmaster as Evan entered the room behind Minerva.

"No, I was fine, thank you," he replied, smiling frostily at the headmaster.

The elderly gentleman merely nodded serenely, infuriating Evan to no end.

Evan merely gave his tight smile again in reply, walking across the room to an empty seat at the table.

On his way across the room he also noticed the other Hogwarts Professors. Many he didn't know or had only seen briefly throughout his time at Hogwarts. However, he did notice someone who he hadn't seen from the door. There, encased in the shadows of a tall wing chair sat the one and only Severus Snape. Now, here was a man that Evan was not particularly keen to meet, but he had decided to be civil if the same courtesy was afforded by the other man.

As he sat down, Albus officially began the meeting.

"Now as I'm sure you are all aware, we have a new member of our staff, Mr. Evan Jameson, who will be replacing Professor Hopple after that unfortunate incident in the Forbidden Forest. I would ask that you all join with me in welcoming Mr. Jameson to his new position."

There were nods from around the room, and a few quick hellos, before Professor Dumbledore continued.

"Now I understand that your son, Mr. Jameson, will be staying with you during the school year." At Evan's nod he proceeded. "Although I have no problem personally with your son being at Hogwarts, it is up to the staff as a whole to decide on the matter."

Again Evan just nodded as he received curious looks from around the room. As expected, it was Snape that spoke up first.

"What about the boy's mother? Surely, he could live with her while you are teaching." Despite the slight disdain in the man's voice he brought up a valid point, that many of the other professors were nodding their agreement to.

"She died," replied Evan in a tightly controlled voice. "About six months ago now, and I can't leave my son in Canada with his grandparents."

"Canada," questioned the ever-curious Hermione. "But you don't have a Canadian accent."

"I was born in Britain. I moved to Canada just before I got married." Once again, Evan replied in a very monotone voice and he inspected his fingers. His wife's death was still a very sore subject for him to discuss. He had always thought their love to be unbreakable, only to lose everything in a muggle car accident.

"Nick, my son Nicholas, needs somewhere to live, and I'd prefer if he were close by. I had considered getting a house in Hogsmede, but it would certainly be easier if he were to stay with me here," continued Evan after a moment.

"Well, I say we vote on this matter now to get it out of the way," said the Headmaster authoritatively to the rest of the staff. "All those in favour of young Nicholas' presence at Hogwarts please raise your hand."

To Evan's surprise all the hands in the room went up. Even Snape it seemed was feeling considerate for Evan's position.

"Thank you," then Albus turned to Evan. "I'm sure we can provide rooms suitable for the pair of you."

The smile the Headmaster graced him with annoyed Evan to no end, but he remained polite, despite his past greivances with the old man. "Thank you sir. It's much appreciated."

"On to other matters then," continued Albus with another benign smile.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Evan gave a sigh as the door clicked shut behind him and he surveyed his new set of rooms. His gaze wandered over the rose wood-paneling and blue walls before settling on the comfy, dark blue couches in front of a wide stone fireplace. Dropping into the seat directly in front of the hearth Evan closed his eyes with a tired sigh.

"Why did I ever think this would be a good idea?" he mused allowed.

Reaching into the breast pocket of his trench coat, Evan extracted a dog-eared photograph of a woman with shoulder-length curly blond hair and kind blue-grey eyes. She sat still in the muggle photograph as Evan gently traced his thumb over her smiling mouth. She had always been fascinated with muggle technology.

"This is going to be a nightmare Emily," he told the photograph, a small smile on his lips. "But I swore to you I'd come back. I keep my promises Em; you know I always keep my promises."

Then with a quick kiss to his wife's picture, Evan stood up and replaced the photo in his pocket.

Looking around the room once more, he noticed a small kitchenette, with table and chairs, tucked away in one corner, and three doors leading of the main room. Quickly glancing in the lone door on the right hand side of the room, Evan recognized a study.

In the centre of the room stood an immense oak desk. Although not as large as the Headmaster's, it was certainly bigger than any desk he'd ever owned before. Neatly stacked on top of it sat a pile of blank parchment and writing materials, along with a desk top calendar with school events noted on it. Half the walls of the room sported practically empty bookshelves, while a bench ran around the rest of the room, bar one corner. This corner was oddly set out with a much smaller desk and chair, a small bookshelf sitting on top of it. This was obviously set up for Nick's use while in the castle.

Putting a hand into his pocket, Evan drew out a small box which he set on his desk and with a wave of his hand enlarged it. Rummaging through the box Evan quickly came across a gold-framed photo.

This one was a wizarding picture of Evan and his wife, Emily, while their son Nicholas sat atop his father's shoulders. Everyone was smiling and laughing as they waved up from the picture. Smiling, Evan carefully placed it on his desk before leaving the room to see the rest of the suite.

Evan walked across the main room and tried one of the other doors. Inside was a single bed with your expected wardrobe and drawers. Figuring that this was to be Nick's room, Evan extracted another cube from one of his various pockets, enlarged it and deposited it on the bed before returning to the main room and opening the last door.

Looking down upon the room's double bed, Evan felt a pang of regret that he would no longer be sharing a bed with Emily.

Resolutely turning from the bed, he quickly investigated the room's en-suite, noticing that a door from the bathroom also led to Nick's room, which he had not seen before.

With a sigh he extracted the last set of boxes from his pockets and dropped them at the foot of the bed. Collapsing onto the bed Evan stared up at the dark maroon ceiling. He had noticed that wooden walls were made of the same rose wood throughout the rest of the suite, but here the maroon ceiling and rugs suggested that the last occupant had been a Gryffindor.

Smiling at the thought, Evan decided to leave the decoration as it was. He figured the only room he would change would be Nick's, depending on what his son wanted his room to look like.

Laying an arm across his face, Evan let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding and began to relax. Revelling in the warm and comforting mattress and duvet beneath him, Evan decided that unpacking could wait until morning.

Closing his eyes in exhaustion Evan thought that his first day back at Hogwarts certainly could have been worse, but at least most of the staff welcomed him to the faculty despite his shadowed past. With that though Evan let his body succumb to its exhaustion and drifted off to sleep.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

The next morning Evan headed to the Leaky Cauldron in London to fetch Nicholas and bring him back to Hogwarts. Leaving the castle before breakfast in the Great Hall had begun, Evan met no one as he left the grounds and apparated to London as soon as he was clear of the castle's wards.

Technically, Evan could have apparated through the wards, but he figured that the longer he remained disguised, the better. In the mean time, he would just have to watch himself in case he slipped up.

Reaching the Leaky Cauldron he went up the steep staircase to the rooms-for-rent above. Knocking on the door to number twelve he waited a moment before a female voice beckoned him in.

The room he entered consisted only of a bed, desk, wardrobe and set of drawers, but it was all that a customer needed for a short term stay.

Standing in front of the mirror was a young woman in her mid-twenties. She had curly blonde hair that ran in her family, along with crystal blue eyes and a wide smile. Wearing a rather elegant set of robes that extenuated her curves, Katherine Anderson would have caught the eye of any man except Evan. Then again, it wasn't exactly considered proper to date your sister-in-law.

"How are you doing, Kat?" questioned Evan as he closed the door behind him. "I hope Nick wasn't any trouble."

"Of course not," exclaimed Katherine in a jovial manner as she came forward to hug her sister's husband. "But I think it should be me asking how you are coping. Emily's passing came as a shock to all of us, most of all you." Feeling Evan flinch at the mention of Emily's name, Katherine held him at arms length to see with her own eyes how well he was coping.

"You look thinner than when I saw you last," her critical eye scanning his slim frame. "Have you been eating okay since you left?"

"I'm fine Kat," replied Evan diverting his eyes from her intense blue orbs and retracting from her touch. "Um… where's Nick? I didn't see him downstairs."

Noticing the obvious subject change Katherine let him off this time, making a mental note to talk to him again soon.

"He's probably still in bed Evan," she admonished. "It is only 8 o'clock after all."

"Oh right," replied Evan in an absent manner as he opened the door once more. "He's still in room eleven, right?" he queried, looking of his shoulder at Katherine to see her nod. "Thanks, I'll see you downstairs soon then."

With that, he closed the door and headed to his son's room leaving a flustered woman behind.

Evan knocked on the door of room number eleven, before turning the doorknob and peering inside the dark room. The curtains were still closed over the high windows, the noises of a busy muggle London creeping in from an open window, along with a pleasant cool summer breeze.

On the bed, encased within tangled sheets was a body shaped lump. The only feature visible was a mop of unruly blonde hair that poked above the sheets.

Walking across the room towards the lump, Evan couldn't help but smile as he watched the even rise and fall of his son's chest. He leant down, placing a hand on what he discerned was his son's shoulder beneath the sheets and shook it slightly.

An indecipherable noise came from the lump, before it shifted slightly, and pale fingers poked out from beneath the covers to pull the sheets down a little way.

Bright green eyes peered through the dark, squinting slightly from the lack of light, before Nick recognized his father.

"Dad? S'that you?" he asked, his voice still heavy from sleep.

"Yeah, it's me son," whispered Evan as he brushed a strand of blonde hair away from his son's face. "It's time to get up."

Groaning slightly, Nick pulled the sheets back up over his face before answering. "Can't I sleep for a little bit longer?" came the muffled response.

Smiling, Evan tugged down the covers to expose his son's face once more. "No luck for you today kiddo. You need to get up now if you want to have breakfast and have one last quick look at Diagon Alley before we head up to Hogwarts."

"But Dad," whined Nick in response. "I haven't seen anywhere near enough of the shops since we got here. Can't we stay just a little longer?" Nick pouted, his face scrunching up, causing Evan to laugh out loud.

"Sorry Nick, not today. We need to get to Hogwarts early so I can show you around before the opening feast tonight. You do want to see the castle, don't you?" he coaxed as he stood up and gathered some clothes for Nick to wear.

"Can't the castle wait?" pleaded Nick, a hopeful look on his face. "You could show me around tomorrow."

"I have my first day of classes tomorrow Nick. Besides, we can come back to Diagon Alley anytime this year. I promise to bring you back here before Halloween."

"Halloween, but Dad that's AGES away. Please can we stay? Please, please, please."

"No," replied Evan resolutely, throwing the clothes at Nick before heading for the door. "If you aren't downstairs in fifteen minutes we won't be coming back 'til Christmas. Now get dressed or you won't see any of the shops today either."

Grumbling, Nick dragged himself out of the warm cocoon he had created before heading for the bathroom as his father left the room and descended to the common room below.

HPHPHPHPHP

Nicholas felt the pressure of the wards as he crossed the boundaries into Hogwarts. After a quick breakfast and a dash through Flourish and Blotts, Nick had spent most of his morning staring at the last broomstick in Quality Quidditch Supplies before being bundled back to the Leaky Cauldron to pack. After flooing to the Three Broomsticks, a pub in the small wizarding village of Hogsmede, which sat just beyond Hogwarts' wards, Evan had decided to have lunch there as they had been too late to have lunch at Hogwarts itself.

Extracting himself from his musings, Nick looked up at the castle his father had told him so much about since their arrival in England. The high castle walls, complete with turrets and even battlements, awed the seven year old Nicholas, as he walked up the path towards Hogwarts' main entrance.

Smiling down at his aghast son, Evan remembered his own awed reaction when he first saw Hogwarts. The very size of the place still impressed Evan despite the many years he had spent within the castle walls.

"Man, look at this place Dad! It's amazing!" exclaimed Nick as they walked up the stone steps to the front doors. "I can't wait 'til I'm old enough to come here, it will be soooo cool."

"I'm glad you like it Nick. Hopefully we'll be here for a while seeing as you like it so much."

"That'd be awesome Dad."

Evan placed a hand on his son's shoulder as they passed the Great Hall and ascended the main staircase heading towards Evan's rooms.

Opening the door to the place both father and son would be calling home over the next year, Nick was quick to ask which was his room. Pointing out the door, Evan explained that he could redecorate for his son if he wanted to.

Nick grinned at his dad, before racing to his room. Noticing the box on the bed he started extracting various items, placing them around the room and trying to decide what colour he wanted in his new room.

Evan headed over to the kitchenette to boil some water for tea before going over to his son's room and leaning against the doorframe.

"So, what do you think?" he asked, startling Nick from his musings.

"It's bigger than my old room," he said with a smile. "But I think I'd prefer a British racing green to this weird blue colour."

"As you wish," replied Evan with a chuckle, as he extracted his wand, from habit, and waved it over the room.

In a matter of seconds the ceiling, carpet, rugs and bedspread all changed to various shades of green, while the wooden panelled walls darkened to oak.

"Better?" asked Evan, raising an eyebrow in question.

"Yeah," was all Nick said, awed at his new room.

Evan was about to say something when a knock sounded at the door. Turning his head as if he could discern who their visitor was by simply looking at the door, Evan shrugged and left Nick to unpack.

Evan opened the door to the bushy haired Hermione, complete with what looked like a plate of homemade cookies.

"Hi, I came to see you earlier but you weren't here, so I had hoped you would be by now," said Hermione. "I thought you and your son might appreciate some homemade cooking," she continued, holding out the plate.

"Thank you," Evan replied hesitantly. He wasn't quite sure how to act around his one time friend anymore. "I'm sure Nick will certainly enjoy them along with me. Do come in, Mrs. Weasley, can I get you anything to drink?"

Smiling slightly as the door was opened widely, Hermione expressed her want for a cup of tea before Evan called Nick in from his bedroom.

Seeing the strange woman in his new living room, Nick was shy at first, but when she smiled down at hhe became a little less nervous.

"It's nice to meet you ma'am."

"Oh, it's just Hermione, both of you. No need to be formal here."

"I understand that you're married Hermione," probed Evan as he poured tea for the pair of them.

"Ah yes, my husband Ron. He's an Auror at the Ministry of Magic," replied Hermione. "He did always dream of becoming an Auror."

"I hear it's a tough job. Long hours as well," commented Evan before turning to Nick and asking if he wanted something to drink.

"No thanks Dad, I was wondering if I could finish unpacking," he replied, still uneasy around strangers. He never knew what to say.

"Sure, but don't be too long we still have our tour around the castle before dinner."

"Tour?" asked Hermione from the seat that she had taken on the couch, their previous conversation forgotten.

"Ah yes," replied Evan, as he handed her a cup of steaming tea. Nick had already retreated to his room and closed the door. "Neither of us is exactly familiar with the many corridors and staircases throughout the castle. We were going to go exploring and try and find our way back. Of course, if it would disturb anyone then…"

"No, not at all," explained the new Mrs. Weasley. "I just though you might be in need of a guide," she said. "I'd be happy to show you around the castle before the feast tonight."

Evan stared at Hermione for a moment, before shaking himself. Of course Hermione would present the logical option. "That would be wonderful! If you don't mind, of course."

"It's fine. I'd be glad to help you out. Plus it would give me some time to get to know my new colleague a little better."

Evan just nodded in agreement as he bit into one of Hermione's chocolate cookies. "These are good," he said, indicating the cookie.

"Thanks," replied Hermione, suddenly a bit nervous. "It took a while before I got the hang of them. They're so easy to burn."

"No, they're great. You must be a good cook," he said with a smile.

"Not really. I mean I can cook basic things, but it never has been my forte," she replied, smiling at Evan sitting across from her.

"My wife was never what you would call a fancy cook either," Evan reminisced. "She was determined to always leave me to do the tricky bits."

Looking at Evan, Hermione noticed he had lost himself in memories. Perhaps it was time to take a tour then.

"How about we take this tour now, Evan? The earlier we start, the more we can see." She watched in curiosity, as Evan seemed to snap out of whatever memory, his eyes sad as they came to rest on Hermione once more.

"That sounds like a good idea," he replied. "Let me just fetch Nick."

HPHPHPHPHP

After Hermione had learnt to steer clear of the topic of Evan's wife, Emily, the three of them enjoyed the afternoon traipsing around the castle, exploring all the nooks and crannies as Nick tried to come to grips with the size of Hogwarts.

Evan now sat at the head table in the Great Hall, between Nick and Severus Snape. Hermione sat on Nick's other side, and was talking animatedly with the boy about muggles.

Although Snape had said hello to Evan as he sat down, their conversation had never got any further, as the other man pointedly ignored him.

This left Evan looking around the Great Hall, inspecting every detail as if trying to discern if anything had changed since his seventh year.

Then, all of a sudden the doors to the hall were thrown wide open and a sea of students rumbled into the Great Hall. There were a few whispers from around the room, a couple of students pointing at Evan and Nick, wondering who they were.

However, their talking was short lived as Professor McGonagall entered through the doors, the first years trailing obediently behind.

The sorting itself didn't take very long, but by the time WHITE, Ethel had been sorted into Hufflepuff Evan was longing for something to eat.

Once Minerva had taken the hat and stool out the way, Dumbledore rose from his seat at the head table, and all chattering around the hall ceased.

"Before our minds are befuddled by the excellent food I would like to announce a few start of term notices. Firstly, I would like you all to welcome your new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Jameson, and his son Nicholas."

There was a smattering of applause, before it quieted down and Dumbledore continued. "I would also ask you to note that the Forbidden Forest is exactly that, forbidden, and our caretaker Mr Filch has asked me to remind you that in addition to the use of magic in the hallways, all Weasley Wizarding Wheezes products are prohibited. Thank you."

With that, the tables filled with an enormous array of food and the students all burst out in loud conversation as they filled their plates.

Evan slowly filled his plate with an assortment of the delicious food as he watched the happy students before him. Sitting there, under the inky black night that had descended upon Hogwarts, the noise of children surrounding him, Evan felt content for the first time since his wife had passed away.

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Next Chap: First Day

A/N: Thankyou to my reviewers it's much appreciated. I decided to post this earlier than planned as I was impatient to get another chapter out. Chap two might be a while, because although I have written the plan nothing else has been put on paper. Please be patient as I will hopefully update in a week or so depending on work, and life in general.