Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

No pairings. This is the sequel to Shrouded in Shadows.

Chapter 1

"Come on you two! We're leaving soon!" Hermione called up the stairs.

"Coming, mum!" Rose's voice called back.

Hermione looked at Ron. He was lugging a medium sized luggage into the room.

"How long are we staying again?" Ron asked.

"A few weeks," Hermione said. "We're going to America. We might as well tour around while simultaneously visiting Alex. Eric, Ginny, and Mark will be meeting us there."

"Are you sure it's wise to bring the kids along?" Ron asked. "I mean, Alex isn't really the type to interact with children."

"He'll be fine," Hermione said. "Besides, this is also a vacation before the kids go back to school."

"Fair point, Hermione...but are you absolutely sure about this? Alex hasn't replied to the letter you sent him a week ago," Ron said. "And the kids...they don't know anything about him."

"They know he's a family friend. That's all they need to know," Hermione said quietly.

"Know what?"

Ron and Hermione turned to see Rose dragging her luggage down the stairs.

"Nothing, dear," Hermione said, smiling. "Where's your brother?"

"He's coming," Rose said, turning around. "Hugo, hurry up!"

"Coming!" Hugo shouted.

A couple seconds later, Hugo raced down the stairs with his luggage.

"Got everything?" Ron asked.

"Yep!" Rose said.

Hugo nodded, grinning excitedly.

"I can't believe we're going to America! It's going to be so cool!" he exclaimed.

"Why are we going to America again? Surely it isn't just to tour around," Rose said.

"You inherited your mother's brain," Ron said, chuckling.

Hermione smiled slightly and brushed a strand of Rose's hair behind her ear.

"We're going to tour around as well as to visit a close friend," she said.

"Friend?" Hugo asked. "You never said you had a friend that lived in America, mum."

"His name is Lucas Alexander Sanders, but he lets us all call him Alex," Hermione said. "Be polite to him, all right? He isn't...very well acquainted with children."

Ron waved his wand and shrunk all the luggage, putting it in his pocket.

"It's almost the scheduled time," he said, pulling out a boot. "Hold on, everyone."

Hermione, Rose, and Hugo latched onto the boot tightly. One minute later, they felt a tug and a few seconds later, they landed in an empty alleyway. Ron tucked the boot into his jacket.

"We should be near Gringotts," Ron said. "Maybe we should send another letter to Alex, tell him we're here. You know, he never did tell us the university he worked at."

"I'll send a letter tonight and ask him where we can meet up," Hermione said. "For now, we should get going. The others should be at Gringotts already since they left an hour before we did."

The family of four walked through the alleyway towards the familiar large building of Gringotts. It looked slightly different from the Gringotts in England, but still relatively the same. They went into the bank and saw Eric, Ginny, and Mark at one of the tellers, exchanging money. Ginny saw them and waved.

"Hey guys, about time you got here," she said once they got closer.

"We didn't take that long, little sis," Ron said, hugging her.

Ginny pouted, but hugged her brother back.

"I'm not that much younger than you," she grumbled.

"You're still younger," Ron said, laughing slightly.

Ginny glared at him. Eric finished exchanging the money and Ron did the same.

"Mr. Sanders, thank you again for your assistance. This one was a tough one." they overheard a voice suddenly say. "You are truly one of a kind, good sir. Thank you for lifting the curse on this bracelet. I had no idea it was cursed until it sent a dear friend of mine to the infirmary."

"Yes, well, it was a very subtle curse," an all too familiar emotionless voice replied.

"I truly appreciate having this bracelet cleansed of dark magic. Thank you again. Have a good day, Mr. Sanders," the other voice said.

Hermione whirled around in shock. Sure enough, Alex in his disguise was walking side by side to an elderly wizard who was holding a small package in his arms.

"Alex!" Hermione blurted out.

Alex turned, unfazed by her outburst, at least from what everyone else could tell. He had never been the type to show emotion so freely, and he hadn't changed in the past fifteen years. On the other hand, the elderly wizard blinked in surprise from the unexpected outburst before he frowned in confusion.

"Alex? I never knew you had another name, Mr. Sanders," he said.

"It is...my middle name, one used less frequently." Alex replied, disguised brown eyes staring at Hermione indifferently.

Alex turned back to the elderly wizard.

"I must be going. I have other business to attend to. Have a good day, sir," he said.

The elderly wizard bowed his head before leaving. Alex walked towards them.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in his ever present monotone voice.

"I think you should be answering that question yourself, Alex," Eric said. "You lied to us."

Alex hummed.

"I will not ask again. Why are you here in America?" he asked.

The way he said those questions, it seemed more like a demand than a question.

"We're here to visit you, Alex. Didn't you get our letter?" Hermione said. "And why are you here? I thought you were a muggle professor."

"I lied," Alex said in an uncaring tone. "I thought you would know that about me by now."

Alex turned on his heel.

"Come with me," he said without turning back.

They followed Alex out of the bank. The guards nodded at Alex and wished him a good day. Alex nodded back in acknowledgement.

"If you aren't a professor, what is your profession then?" Ron asked.

"I am a Curse Breaker," Alex said. "It is rather easy for me since I acquired the skills due to my experience and...rather unpleasant past."

"Why did you lie to us?" Hermione asked, a tinge of betrayal clear in her tone.

Alex paused and looked at them.

"If you knew I was still meddling with dark magic, you wouldn't have hesitated in coming to America to stop me." he said.

"No, we wouldn't have," Hermione said. "You have your own life now. I'm just upset you didn't tell us. You lied to our faces!"

"That's what I do, Hermione. You've known me long enough to realize that I lie and that I am very good at it. It is what I do and will continue to do. It is part of who I am, after all." Alex said, sighing. "But now that you're here and discovered I've been lying all along, the least I can do is give you a tour around."

Hermione smiled.

"That'd be great," she said.

Alex then saw the three children and frowned.

"Who are they?" he asked.

"Oh! This is Rose and Hugo. They're Ron and I's children," Hermione said.

"And this is Mark, our son," Ginny said, gesturing to Eric and herself.

"...I see," Alex said rather unhappily.

"Don't worry, Alex, we all know you don't have any experience with children," Hermione said, chuckling.

Alex narrowed his eyes.

"So, Alex, do you live nearby?" Eric asked. "I think we'd all love to see your place."

Alex hesitated.

"Perhaps another day," he said after a few seconds. "I have to tidy up the place a little. I haven't had visitors since I moved in."

"Alex, you're really good at magic. You could clean your place up with a flick of your wrist," Ron said.

"Why are you so adamant about seeing where I live? I thought you wanted a tour around this place first." Alex stated coldly, his tone subtly threatening.

"That is a good plan," Ginny said quickly, glaring at her brother to be quiet.

"Ah well, perhaps another day," Hermione agreed. "How about you show us around the alleyway a little since you're offering? There are a few stores I've heard about from...anyways, I just know there are plenty of good stores to look at!"

Alex stared at her. His eyes were narrowed as if he knew what exactly Hermione was going to say, or rather who. He nodded curtly and began walking. They followed Alex as he showed them around the alleyway. They paused at the bookstore.

"I have a couple books to pick up. It'll only a few minutes," Alex said before going in.

"He's being awfully cold," Ron said.

"He's always been like that," Hermione said.

"Mum, that guy is creepy. He shows no emotion," Hugo said.

"Hugo, that's the way he is," Hermione said. "He's been like that his whole life...well, at least since I've known him."

"Why'd he lie about what he does for a living? I thought friends weren't supposed to lie to each other," Mark said.

"Well...that's Alex for you," Ginny said. "You can never tell when he's lying; it's like second nature to him."

"Yeah, but he's not as bad as-

Eric cut himself off. Only Ron, Hermione, and Ginny knew what he was about to say.

"Not as bad as what?" Mark asked, his eyes fixed on his father with a curious innocence.

"Don't worry about it," Ginny said.

Mark frowned.

"Now you guys are keeping secrets," he said. "Secrets are bad though, mum!"

Ginny brushed Mark's hair aside.

"Mark, sometimes secrets are not meant to be revealed. You must understand that," she said. "Some things are better left unsaid because the truth can be...well it can be devastating."

"I don't understand," Mark said.

"You will one day," Eric said.

Alex came back out with a few books in his arms.

"Mister, how do mum and dad know you?" Rose asked, her eyes sparkling eagerly.

"Just call me Alex," Alex said. "I met your parents at Hogwarts."

"What house were you in?!" Mark asked eagerly.

"Slytherin," was the reply.

Mark blinked in surprise.

"But I heard bad people come from Slytherin," he said.

"Marcus Sirius Potter!" Ginny scolded. "That was incredibly rude of you! Apologize now!"

Mark blushed in embarrassment and shame.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"It's true," Alex said quietly. "However...some bad people come from other houses."

"You speak as if you know someone," Hugo said, blinking innocently.

Alex gazed at the young child for a long moment, his dark brown eyes cold and unreadable.

"You could say that," he finally said. "I prefer not to speak of it though."

"O-okay," Hugo said, shifting uncomfortably.

Hermione rested a hand on her son's shoulder.

"What books are those?" she asked, changing the topic.

Alex glanced down at the books in his arms.

"Just some books on Potions," he said.

"But even in school, you were never that interested in Potions from what we could see," Ron said.

"I get whatever books that may have been interesting to..." Alex trailed off.

He looked away.

"It's merely a habit now." he said cordially.

"Ah, sorry," Ron said.

Alex pulled out his wand and flicked it at the books. They shrank down and Alex put them in his pocket.

"I know a good café nearby," he said. "We could go there for a little bit."

"That sounds lovely," Ginny said, smiling. "Come on, Eric, quit looking at the brooms."

Eric mumbled an apology, but not before casting one last longing glance at the broomsticks. They followed Alex down the street to a small cafe. It was nice and homey. Alex ordered some tea and sat down. The others ordered their drinks and snacks before joining Alex.

"Still plain tea?" Ron asked.

Alex grunted in acknowledgement, taking a sip with a stoic face. Ron huffed.

"You haven't changed a bit," he muttered. "Are you still vegan?"

"Yes," Alex said emotionlessly.

"Vegan? Isn't that horrible? Do you have some kind of condition that requires you to be vegan?" Rose asked before shuddering. "Not to eat meat or drink milk or ice cream; I can't imagine that kind of lifestyle."

Eric chuckled.

"Alex doesn't have a condition, Rose," he said.

"What do you mean?" Rose asked. "What else could it be?"

"It is simple, dear. Alex absolutely loathes anything that has meat and dairy in it," Hermione said, chuckling. "You have some of the strangest eating habits ever, Alex."

Alex hummed.

"Not as strange as his," he muttered softly.

"Who?" Hugo asked curiously.

Eric, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny stiffened slightly, looking at Alex. Alex didn't seem fazed by the question. He looked at them.

"It's fine. They can know," Alex said.

Alex looked at the three children.

"I had a brother once; his name was Harry." he said. "He was my younger brother. He had even stranger eating habits than me."

"Like he ate all meat?" Rose asked, eyes sparkling in interest.

Alex chuckled.

"He...had problems when it came to eating," he said.

"Like what?" Mark asked. "It can't be as bad as being vegan."

"It was worse than me," Alex said. "Most times, my brother didn't eat anything and I was forced to shove food down his throat. He mostly just drank tea. When he did eat, he ate bloody steaks."

"Ew!" Rose exclaimed, scrunching her nose up in disgust.

Alex chuckled softly.

"Where's your brother now?" Mark asked, sipping his pumpkin juice.

Alex's eyes darkened.

"Mark, that's not an appropriate question," Eric muttered to his son.

"He's dead," Alex said bluntly.

Eric looked at him in surprise. Mark, Rose, and Hugo looked stricken in shock and disbelief.

"D-dead?" Hugo gasped.

"Yes, dead," Alex said. "He died in the war fifteen years ago, shot by the killing curse in the fight against the Dark Lord."

Eric flinched at that. Only the adults at the table noticed; the children were too focused on Alex. Ginny put a comforting hand over Eric's hand.

"D-do you know who?" Hugo asked nervously.

Alex stared at the three children with cold unreadable eyes. They shifted uncomfortably underneath his piercing gaze.

"It was a random Death Eater." Alex finally said.

"That's so sad," Rose said. "I'm so sorry for your loss, Alex."

"Thank you," Alex said.

Alex looked outside.

"I should be going now," he said. "It is getting quite late."

"You sure?" Ginny asked.

Alex gave a single nod, already standing up.

"When can we come over to your place?" Hermione asked, also standing up.

Alex hesitated.

"Later," he said vaguely. "I'll send a letter."

Hermione nodded. She went over and hugged Alex. Alex stiffened slightly before tentatively hugging her back.

"It's good to see you again, Alex," Hermione said, pulling back.

"How long are you staying?" Alex asked quietly.

"A few weeks," Ron answered. "We're going back sometime in July. The kids still have homework to do."

The three kids groaned. Alex nodded.

"Have fun touring then," he said. "I'll see you later."

Alex walked out of the café; they watched him disappear into the crowd.

"He's weird," Hugo said. "And really emotionless."

"As we told you before, Alex is just that kind of person," Hermione said. "He doesn't trust very easily. It took years for me just to become his friend and even then, he remained aloof."

Ginny sighed.

"Well, we'll spend more time with him later," she said. "But for now..."

She smiled, sending a shiver through Ron and Eric.

"Who's up for shopping?"