A/N: Hello dear readers! Thank you as usual for reading my little crossover. I'll keep myself short for once before I'll let you lose on the story: I'm going to be really busy the first four-five month next year, so it might take much more time between the updates from now on. I do not plan on abandoning it however, it will just be a slow going I'm afraid... Just thought you deserved to be warned beforehand.

So, thanks again and on we go!

Chapter five – Get things rolling

The next few weeks passed in a blur of planning, remembering and training. After the funeral Maes had headed down into the basement and started to train mainly on putting on a glamour and perfecting it – along with perfecting the notice-me-not charm and a scent-removing charm. It wouldn't do if that homunculus who had shot him also had a super-nose or something. Better safe than sorry, after all!

He looked into the mirror, observing the result of his finalized glamour.

In a way, he guessed he looked a bit like what Remus would've looked like if he hadn't been a werewolf. It was the same light-brown hair, but the face was scar-free and didn't have that overall sick and worn feeling Moony had so often had. Also the eyes were a soft blue instead of that intense yellow of his friend. All in all, it was a face which was easy enough for him to remember, but modified enough so that if a wizard for some unknown reason would see him they wouldn't recognize him as Moony unless they knew him rather well – which probably wouldn't be that many considering that the werewolf always had kept his distance.

He had also started to remember more and more spells every day, and Dipsy had said that at this rate he would be at NEWT-level at least by Christmas. He had also researched Lily's notes about the two-way-trunks and with a whoop of joy realized she had finished the actual theory and that all that was left to do was to put on the final runes on the last trunk as the first one apparently was already done. Once both were properly engraved it would simply a matter of activating the runes with his magic and a little bit of blood for their build-in wards.

A knocking from behind interrupted him from his musings and he turned around. Knox stood leaning against the door-frame and studied the new face on his friend.

"So, James, is it today that you plan on hitting the streets?"

"Yes. I'm a bit worried though, what if she has changed her routines?"

"Hughes."

"Yeah?"

"You've had Dipsy practically stalk Gracia these last few weeks just to ensure her habits are the same. She'll be there. Do you have your wand on you?"

"Yup, right here in my pocket", Maes replied and patted the outside of his thigh. Knox raised an eyebrow.

"I was under the impression you would keep it in your sleeve."

"That was my initial plan, but since I'm used to keeping my throwing knives there I just kept throwing my wand at whatever I was trying to spell. Swapping place was the easiest way to stop that."

Knox snorted and the two men left the house and while Knox took the car to the morgue, Maes Hughes – currently under disguise and his old name – started to walk in the opposite direction. After a roughly half-an-hour he had passed his family's flat and a few minutes later he saw his wife and daughter walk towards him, a brown paper bag in one of Gracia's arms while the other held Elicia by her hand.

No, they're walking home from the grocery store. Get your grip together! he admonished himself silently. Schooling his features into a neutral mask – it seemed like the old Pure-blood training had stayed with him – he "accidentally" bumped into Gracia, causing her to drop the bag.

"Oh, I am so terribly sorry, Ma'am! Here, let me help you!" he gushed and started to put back the groceries that had fallen out of the bag, inconspicuously sneaking down the book Dipsy had picked up for him.

"Oh that's alright, I'm the one who should apologise and looked were I was going!"

"Nonsense! The fault was all mine", he replied and rose up and held out his had to Gracia. "I'm James Potter. It's nice to meet you miss…"

"Mrs. Gracia Hughes. And this is my daughter Elicia."

"Hughes? Oh, so you're the wife of the late…?" he started but trailed off as he saw tears forming in his darling's eyes.

"I'm sorry", she whimpered. "It's just-"

"No, don't apologise", Maes interrupted softly and gently wiped away the tear that trickled down her cheek. "Don't apologise for missing someone you love."

Gracia gave him a rueful smile. "It's just so hard", she whispered.

"I know it is. And it will take time before it gets easier. Merlin knows I still grieve my wife Lily and it has been a few years since she… passed."

They trailed off into an awkward silence, nether sure of how to continue or how to finish their conversation. Thankfully, Elicia provided the perfect distraction.

"Mommy, my feet hurt", she said as she tugged at her mother's skirt. "Can you carry me?"

Maes saw that Gracia glanced towards him as she opened her mouth to tell their little princess she couldn't carry both her and the groceries and he quickly made a miniatures nod towards Elicia and adjusted the grocery bag he still had in his arms. He noticed her eyes briefly widen at his use of the body language they subconsciously had developed between each other over the years. She shook her head and cleared her throat before she swiftly lifted up Elicia on her hip.

"Of course, sweetie, I hope Mr. Potter won't mind carrying the groceries for us though?"

"Not at all, it would be my pleasure!" he replied with a smile and turned towards his daughter. "Say, have you ever heard the tales of the Marauders?"

Elicia looked at him with big eyes. "No, what is that?"

"Oh, it's a positively magical tale of a stag, a dog, a wolf and a rat that lived in a magical forest far far away…"

As Gracia packed away the groceries her daughter handed her, she thought of the strange man they had encountered. Maybe it was her grief talking and making her imagine things, but his manner was very similar to her late husband's. There was also something else about him that kept nagging her, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was.

"Mommy, can we read this book tonight?" Elicia suddenly asked and held up a book Gracia had never seen before.

"Honey, where did you find this?" she asked confused as she took the book and looked at the title. Tales of Beedle the Bard, it read.

"In the bag", her daughter answered.

Humming slightly Gracia opened it to see if there was a name written inside the cover and was indeed rewarded with writing.

To our beloved son Harry, from your loving parents.

Lily and James

She gasped as she realized what had been nagging on her mind. "I still grieve my wife Lily" James had said. The same name as the person Maes in his dream had told to take Harry and run – both names which were written in the book. And – now when she thought about it – James had been talking about a stag, a wolf, a dog and a rat too, something Maes had frequently dreamt about. Had it only been about the Marauders as James had dubbed them she might have been able to brush it off as a simple story which might have been popular where Maes grew up wherever that was, but with all the details together it couldn't be a coincidence.

"Mommy, is eveythin' okay?" Elicia asked softly and looked up at Gracia with big eyes, snapping her out of her thoughts. She smiled gently at her daughter.

"Yes, sweetie, I'm just thinking. I think James must have accidentally dropped his book in the bag, but I'm sure he won't mind if we borrow it for the night."

After all, she had a very strong feeling she would meet James Potter again soon enough.

And she would make sure he answered her questions.

Maes cast one last look at the house behind him before he walked off. There was no way his wife wouldn't put together the pieces he had supplied her with. But coming clean with her was the easy part, now it was time for a much harder one: Roy.

A/N: Alright folks, that's all for this time and thank you for reading! Now, next update won't be until next year sometime, so I'll just end with this:

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!