Chapter 3
"No, Hagrid."
Remus could only hear one side of the conversation.
"Yes, Hagrid."
He silenced the boiling kettle with a flick of his wand.
"Yes, Hagrid."
Feeling some degree of annoyance, he quenched the fire and made his way to the smallest tent, inside which sat Harry.
"Feel hungry yet, Harry?"
"No," Harry said, his nose scrunched up cutely as he tried to read the Wizards and Witches of Wisselden.
"Are you sure?" Remus asked.
"Yes," Harry answered with as much certainty as a four year old could possess.
"Okay then."
"Wait!"
Remus smiled.
"Umm... Maybe I'm feeling a little bit hungry?"
"Sure."
Remus made his way back to the fire, hoping that Sirius' conversation would have ended, so he could finally get all the news in a coherent manner.
"No, Hagrid."
Or not.
Shaking his head, he conjured a bowl and served some of the soup he had prepared, and made his way back to Harry's tent.
Harry eagerly snatched the bowl and started sipping it as fast as he could. Remus' smile widened. So much had happened in the last two years.
He still remembered, when Harry had walked for the first time. Fortunately he had purchased one of those expensive Omniculars for this very purpose. While Sirius hardly ever denied him any purchase (it was his money after all), Remus still knew that they didn't have too much, especially as Sirius had publicly denied taking charge of the Potter Vaults, claiming them to be for Harry alone, when he was finally old enough to use it responsibly. While it had earned much goodwill in the eyes of the public, and had also somewhat crushed the rumours spreading that he just wanted Harry's custody because of the wealth, it did leave them with only enough money to sustain themselves for 2-3 years if none of them earned.
Which was a scary thought, especially when they had the custody of little Harry.
So, after much consideration, they had chosen this job, which took them far away from Wizarding Britain.
Some ancient ruins had been found near the Ganges plains in India, and a call for qualified Ward-breakers had been sent. They had leapt upon the opportunity.
They did know of the dangers of having a small kid near such a volatile and dangerous place. The risk was still small, however, when compared to the situation back at home.
They received no less than 7 anonymous death threats everyday. Some of them came with poisons or explosions attached. They could not trust Harry to not accidentally open one of those letters.
Even if they somehow avoided those letters, there were always pardoned Death Eaters waiting for any chance they got, to get vengeance for their fallen master.
No, they would much rather risk the wild, than stay in the 'civilised' Britain.
Remus focused again on Harry. He still couldn't believe how fast he had grown. His growth wasn't abnormal, in fact he was slower to speak than most kids his age, but Remus still couldn't keep up with Harry, sometimes.
Just a week or two ago, he had asked him, "What's magic?"
Remus had had no answer.
Sirius hadn't had an answer either.
Harry had chortled before opening one of his story books and pointing to a sentence that said 'magic is fun'.
Sirius had officially deigned Harry a Marauder.
Remus smiled widely, perhaps they would make a prankster out of little Harry yet.
He finished his thoughts just as Harry slurped the last of the soup before keeping the bowl aside and giving a little burp.
"Want more?" Remus asked.
"No, I'm good. Thank you." Remus nodded, Harry was starting to mind his manners. "When will we go back?" Harry asked. Remus knew that he missed some of his toys, but they had had to travel light, by necessity. They would be required to move with the barest of warning, and it was best if the bags only held essentials.
"Just another week or so," Remus said, patting Harry on his head. "What did you read today?"
"Um..." Harry tried to remember the book he had been staring at for an hour now.
"Don't worry Harry, that book is rather boring, even for the boring old me," Remus laughed. "Perhaps next time you'll ask me before trying to read the book?"
Harry nodded sadly before propping the book back on the small bed table.
Remus gently lifted his head. "What's got you down now?"
"You told me that... dad used to live in Godric's Hallow, right?"
"Yes?" Remus asked, wondering where this was going.
"Well, I asked Siri where that was, and he showed me Godric's Hallow on a map, inside a village called Wisselden," he smiled sadly, "I was trying to see if the book had more stories about him."
Remus hugged him, preventing Harry from seeing his pained expression. "We'll tell you lots of stories, Harry, but it's time to sleep now."
Harry nodded into his shoulder, "Okay."
Remus finally pulled away before dimming the lights in the tent. He watched Harry pull the sheets over himself as he slowly drifted off. Nodding resolutely, he finally exited the tent and made his way to the camp fire and saw Sirius idly watching the flames flowing and flicking into the air.
"So... how's Hagrid."
Sirius gave a sad chuckle. "Same as ever. I don't think he can change, Moony. I'm half convinced that he's immortal." He shook his head.
"Did they catch Pettigrew yet?" Remus asked after his own chuckles died, the moment getting serious.
"No," Sirius stared into the fire again. "They don't know how to track him at all. And frankly, I don't blame them. How could you track a rat animagus? For all we know, he's living as Slughorn's pet inside Hogwarts itself." He conjured a log and threw it into the fire. "Of course, 'Melia is doing all she can, but even Crouch continues his obstructions."
"Yeah," Remus agreed. "He's had it out for you since you resigned from the DMLE."
"He's as bigoted as the other Purebloods," Sirius muttered, "just on the opposite side of things. He has been dead useful, don't get me wrong, we wouldn't have half the Death Eaters in Azkaban if he hadn't been ruthless. But still..."
Remus just nodded. A long silence reflected across the woods around them.
"Look at us, Moony," Sirius frowned, "bitching about the world like a couple of gramps. When did we get so old, old friend?" He smiled ruefully.
Remus chuckled sadly. "The thing you most hated, back in Hogwarts."
"Snivellous?" Sirius scrunched his nose.
"No," Remus shook his head, "responsibility."
Sirius' bark of laughter was all that he had been hoping for.
"Harry..." Remus trailed off, instantly getting the undivided attention of Sirius, "He misses them, Padfoot."
Sirius waved his hand, "As he should, Moony. They were amazing people."
"It's not just that, today... I saw him reading a rather heavy and droll book. You know why?" As Sirius shook his head he continued, "Because he hoped that the book had some story about his dad. He was rather sad when he didn't find anything. I think it's high time we stop dodging around the issue, eh, Padfoot?"
Sirius gave a low whine. "I just didn't want him to be sad. I... I guess, he needs to know, right?"
"Yes Padfoot, he does." Remus nodded resolutely.
"I... it still hurts, Moony. Why did they have to go and die on us? Why did Pettigrew have to betray us? We could have all been a huge family, ya know?"
"Trust me, Padfoot, I've asked myself that question more than enough times. But he needs to know."
Sirius nodded sadly. Then he perked up. "I'll be the one to tell him about the Great Hufflepuff Panty Raid."
"No, he's much too young for that," Remus shook his head, "though... perhaps in a few years?"
"Yes yes of course... We'll even have to give him The Talk, won't we? Oh god... I'll have to make charts, I suppose. Lots and lots of charts. Perhaps a few illusions as well, right? Lily always asked me to make charts, she'll be happy with that, won't she?"
"Breathe, Padfoot," Remus laughed, "We still have a long ways to go before that, though I think Harry would appreciate the stories about our first year or two."
"That he will, most of our pranks were harmless back then..." he smiled guiltily, "and Snivellous used to stay out of our way."
"Yeah." Remus agreed.
Another long silence engaged between them, though this one was rather ore comfortable, each of the duo drifting in and out their thoughts and half-baked plans.
"I just want to do it right," Sirius admitted into the silence.
"I know," Remus smiled, "And trust me, you will."
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"Harry, wake up!" Remus gently nudged the cocoon of bedsheets containing his ward. "We'll be leaving soon!"
Harry wiggled out of the opposite end of the cocoon than Remus had been expecting, and groaned loudly. "So soon?"
Remus adjusted himself. "Yes. Today we will be working for longer, they have apparently found a new hidden section in the ruins."
"Um..." Harry looked scared at being left out for so long.
"Don't worry," he chuckled, "You'll be staying with the Patils till we get back. Dress up, quickly, we'll be meeting them in about an hour."
Excited at meeting new people Harry sprang out of bed and ran towards the bathroom. Remus laughed at his antics. Harry had been rather sheltered back in Britain, they couldn't trust the Death Eaters to not strike them as Harry played in the garden or something. No, he had had to remain indoors by necessity. He had all the toys he could need, but both Remus and Sirius knew that he needed friends his age if he were to grow up and develop social skills. This was yet another reason for their decision for going with this excavation.
Before long Harry was back, his hair drenched from the shower. He ran a hand through his hair. "Can we go now? Please?"
Remus nodded, his eyes tearing up a bit. That running of his hand over his hair was so distinctly James... He shook his head and forced a smile. "Sure we can go now if you want."
"Is the squirt ready, Moony?" came Sirius' voice from outside the tent.
"Yes I am!" Harry shouted. Then after a moment shouted again, "I'm not a squirt!"
"Keep telling that to yourself, kid." Sirius smirked as he entered the tent. He looked over Harry and nodded approvingly. "Do you think we should be worried about marriage contracts yet?" he asked turning towards Remus.
"I won't... discount the possibility," Remus allowed. "Let's just go, he might just decide to apparate away if we tarry much longer."
"I won't put it past him, too. Ready Harry?"
"Yup!" Harry was grinning.
"Let's go, then. Grab my hand."
He held Harry on one hand, Remus on the other, and apparated away.
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"Remember your manners Harry," Remus stated sternly as they waited for the Patils to open the door.
"I will. Promise."
"Uhuh," Sirius said.
Harry sighed. "Fine. Marauder's promise."
"Good." The door opened. "Hello, Mrs Patil!"
"Aaiye... uh... welcome!" she stumbled over her words. "Sorry, myself... bad in English." She blushed.
Sirius turned up his charm. "No need to worry, mohtarma," her eyes widened, "I'm sure Harry would love you all the same. Right Harry?"
"Uh... Hello?" Harry asked shyly hiding behind Remus' legs. It seemed that his confidence had only lasted till the door opened.
"Hello Harry," Mrs Patil said kindly. "Come, meet Padma and Parvati."
"Go on," Remus waved his hand, looking at Harry, "enjoy, but don't make a mess."
Still rather reluctantly Harry shuffled towards the door. Bolstered by Mrs Patil's kind smile he finally gathered his confidence. "Thank you for taking me, Mrs Patil."
"Call me Aunty, Harry," she smiled. "Go," she pointed towards the girls' bedroom.
Harry nodded and scurried away.
Remus watched him go, smiling fondly. "When can we meet Arnab?" he directed towards Mrs Patil.
"He... here when you... come in evening." She blushed again. "Sorry."
"No worries." Sirius waved her apology away. "We should apologize about not knowing the local language. Do remember that we are just a Patronus away. Call us for anything at all." He started fidgeting.
Remus recognized the signs of indecision in his friend, and truth be told, it was rather hard for him to let Harry out of his sight for so long. But it needed to happen. He squared his shoulders. "Sirius, I think it's time to leave. Thank you again, Mrs Patil." He nodded towards the woman.
She nodded in return. "No worry."
Sirius still looked longingly towards the bedroom door before he too nodded resolutely. "Let's go Remus."
And before either of them could convince themselves that this was not a good idea after all, they turned and walked to a nearby shade beneath a tree, and apparated away.
Mrs Patil smiled widely before turning and closing the door behind her. 'Atithi Devo Bhava' or 'Guest is God' was the way of their life, and Harry would be treated much the same.
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"Hello," Harry spoke up as he entered the room. "I'm Harry."
He spotted two girls, twins, he guessed, one playing with some legos while the other was lounging on the bed with a story book in hand.
They looked up. "Hey! I'm Parvati, she's Padma." The lego sister spoke up, and pointed towards the book twin, who nodded. "So... You're from England?" Padma asked.
"Yeah," Harry agreed, still standing by the door, unsure about how to proceed. Parvati pulled him towards the bed and sat him down, and the sisters sat opposite him in identical positions.
"So what's it like?" Padma asked again.
"Good, I suppose. I'm not allowed to go outside," he shrugged, "so I know very little about the rest of England."
"Oh," Parvati frowned. "Why not?"
"Some very bad people want to take me." The sisters' eyes widened. "I dunno why. They killed my parents too."
"Oh..." Parvati hugged him. "I'm so sorry," she cried out.
"Don't worry," Harry found that he rather liked the hugs. "My Uncles take care of me. They tell so many fun stories too!"
Padma's bad mood evaporated at the hint of a good story. "Please tell!"
"Sure." Harry grinned.
He was interrupted in the middle of his story by Mrs Patil bringing all of them glasses of cold Sherbet and some snacks. He nodded in thanks and took a sip. It tasted refreshing.
His story ended, and he was somehow roped into a game of House with the girls. One of them became the baby daughter as the other two became the parents, and they all laughed as Harry started reading the newspaper upside down.
He liked this, Harry decided. Siri would have to bring him here again.
When Mr Arnab Patil arrived, Harry was busy making a fortress using his assigned legos while the twins made their own. The one which survived a drop from some height would win. Arnab slowly opened the door to not accidentally make some noise, and watched them play for a while, the look of intense concentration on their faces was priceless. Perhaps he needed to bring out the pensieve for the Mrs, he admitted. He smiled before shutting the door again.
The doorbell rang. He looked at his watch and smirked. On the very minute.
He strode towards the door and opened it to find two very agitated wizards.
"Welcome, Lord Black, Mr Lupin." He greeted the pair, internally laughing at their fidgeting. "Please, come inside. Ananya!" he called for his wife, "See that the tea is boiling for four, will you!"
"No need," Remus shifted from one foot to another, "we just wanted to relieve you of Harry." He smiled nervously.
Arnab was biting his tongue to stop his laughter. "Oh he's fine, don't worry. My wife tells me that he has been the perfect gentleman throughout. And he's rather enjoying himself at the moment. Let's talk for a while, yes? It'll give them time to complete the little game they're playing."
Both of them gave sighs of relief. Sirius nodded his head. "Sure. Lead the way, Mr Patil."
"So, how long will you be staying in India?"
"Not sure, actually. We could be gone by the next week, or we could end up staying for a month or two. Depends on the ruins." He shrugged.
Arnab gave a nod. He had been expecting this but didn't want to make false assumptions. "Harry of course has a standing invitation. We would be happy to have him whenever he wants and I expect the girls to echo my feelings."
"Yes," Mrs Patil spoke up as she entered the room, tray in hand. "Harry is good boy. Behave well. Can come when he wants." She said as she laid the tea set expertly on the table. "Sugar?" she asked, and dropped Sugar cubes as needed. When they all had tea in hand she spoke up again, "Girls like him. They... happy playing with him."
"Hear that, Remus?" Sirius chuckled. "He's got James in him alright."
They talked for a while, topics drifting up and down in importance as the plates started getting empty. Suddenly Sirius heard a loud crash followed by a screamed "No!" and the joint female cry of "Yes!"
With a laugh Sirius stood up, Remus quickly following suit. They found Harry pouting over scattered pieces from his castle while glaring at the two other castles that Padma and Parvati had made. Sirius reached out and ruffled Harry's hair, who was sitting face away from the door and hadn't noticed him. Harry jumped forward and rolled on the ground, looking around wildly till his eyes settled on Sirius. "Siri!" He jumped into Sirius' arms and started laughing.
"Had fun?" Sirius asked.
"Yeah!" Harry nodded enthusiastically.
"And did you behave?" came a stern voice from behind Sirius.
Harry gulped and nodded. "Yes, Remus."
"Good." Remus pulled Harry into a hug.
"Won't you introduce us to the pretty young ladies over there?" Sirius asked in a teasing voice which went right over Harry's head.
"Yeah sure! She's Padma, and she's Parvati," Harry pointed them out correctly. "Umm, girls, meet my awesome uncles Sirius and Remus."
"Nice to meet such beautiful girls," Sirius shook their hands while Remus just nodded in greeting.
Turning to Harry, Remus said, "It's time to go, Harry. Say your goodbyes."
Harry's good mood evaporated instantly. "But... but... just a few minutes more, Remus!" His eyes teared up.
Remus just sighed. "No Harry, we waited for you to finish your game before interrupting, and it's almost time for dinner. Come on now."
"You won't be having dinner? I had expected you to stay... the missus would be very disappointed." Arnab spoke up from behind them.
Remus turned and hesitantly said, "But... He is not in the habit of eating outside his house..."
"Oh come on Remus, let him enjoy the dinner here. I'm sure that Mr Arnab here would be delighted to hear more about the life back in Britain..."
"Yes, most definitely." Arnab beamed. "Shall we head over to the dinner table?"
Remus looked indecisive for a moment before finally nodding his assent. Harry whooped loudly, "Thanks Remus!" and went back to chatting with the twins.
The dinner started.
And Mrs Patil's stern voice quenched the excited chattering between the kids.
Suitably impressed, Remus decided that he would have to learn that stern tone, especially if the spawn turned out to be anything like the father.
"So yes..." Remus turned off his internal musings to listen as Sirius finished his explanation, "The Wizarding Britain is a cess-pit of class divides and prejudiced thinking. I'm of a half mind to shift to America permanently. Their English is atrocious but at least they are much more open about anti-racism."
"We had decided to send our daughters to Hogwarts, it's quite prestigious after all," Mr Arnab admitted as Mrs Patil nodded along, "but hearing all this... I think I might just follow you to Salem."
The children were having their own discussion at the end of the table. "So you've never heard of Airball?" Padma asked Harry, who nodded. "It's very famous around India, and even in some parts of Thailand and China. And it's very exciting!"
"Yes! My favourite team is Mumbai Madness, but Kinetic Kolkata is the best team right now," Parvati spoke when Padma finished. "The world cup starts in around a month. Do you think you'll stay here till then?" her voice suddenly turned nervous towards the end.
Harry thought before shaking his head. "Don't think so. I'll try to stay," he added quickly when he saw them getting upset.
"Yes, please try. It would be very nice to have you with us," Parvati smiled shyly.
Harry returned the smile.
The dinner soon ended. Harry didn't hesitate when he hugged the girls and waved a goodbye. Over-all, Remus considered it a job well done.
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"So... did you enjoy it?" Remus asked, once they
"Yes!" Harry beamed. "Can I go tomorrow?"
"No." Harry's face fell. "But you can go day after tomorrow." Harry's eyes lit up and he hugged him.
"Thank you Remus."
"Yes yes you're welcome." Sirius said from the other side of the bed. "Now sleep, you can tell us all about your stay tomorrow."
Harry sighed and nodded. He was tired after a day full of fun, so it didn't take long before he started snoring.
Sirius smiled, kissed his forehead lightly, murmured a good night, and left the tent. Remus soon followed him after his own murmured good night.
"We'll get through this, won't we Moony?"
"We will," Remus patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, Padfoot. We will."
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AN: Longest chapter I've ever written, yay! Been a long time, this chapter was fighting tooth and nail, but I finally wrote it up. Thank you, reviewers for your support.
ThunderSphinx: consider it some creative liberty on my part.
Stay home, folks, Stay safe!