sirius.
First, he has to find Moony.
He would explain everything and then they would get Harry.
Moony, ever predictable Moony, is hiding away in one of their old haunts.
After hexing him and tying him to a chair, he hears him out.
And Merlin bless Moony.
He believes him.
But to the great detriment of his cause Harry is gone.
Turns out, Harry has been missing for over a year.
Dumbledore gave a story, something about recovering from trauma in a "safe place".
Like Hogwarts is not the safest place in Wizarding Britain.
That he would be receiving private tutoring until he was ready to return to Hogwarts.
And no, he did not know how long that would take.
Something is off about the whole thing.
It feels forced.
He does not believe him.
Neither does Moony.
.
Moony is a teacher!
At Hogwarts!
It is a dream come true and he is so proud.
Alongside that wonderfulness, at Hogwarts, he is near Dumbledore and the library.
Merlin knows this is the first time in his life he has been excited by the prospect of dusty old books.
.
A red haired kid had their map.
As a teacher, all Moony had to do was promise detention and it was his.
Now, they know.
Wormtail is in the castle.
Wormtail is hiding out in the Gryffindor tower.
The coward is sullying the lion's den.
.
The kid who had the map, has a pet rat.
He does not understand why no one has said anything.
It is not a pet students were permitted to have.
Plus, it is gross.
.
The rat is Wormtail.
He could tell from first sniff.
The stench of a traitor.
.
It is surprisingly easy to get a hold of the rat.
Moony confronts the kid about an unsanctioned pet.
The kid glumly hands it over and Moony brings it into his office.
An animungus reveale later and a quivering, disgusting, rat of a man stands snivelling before them.
Moony takes him to Dumbledore.
.
Amelia Bones is good, for a ministry worker.
She calls for a trial and Wormtail was force-fed Veritaserum.
Wormtail is found guilty and sentenced the Kiss.
Sirius is cleared and he did not even have to surrender to receive a verdict.
.
Moony is laid-off. Rather, he leaves voluntarily, as voluntarily as one could leave given the circumstances.
That bastard Snivellous let it slip he was a werewolf. Let it slip like it was not completely intentional.
He knows Moony is upset but he has always been much better at hiding his emotions.
Sirius tells him he should have bitten the sod when he had the chance.
Moony laughs.
.
Harry is still missing.
And they are no closer to finding him then when they began.
.
He finally convinces Moony to move into the Black family home with the promise that they would gut the place as soon as physically possible.
They strip everything but the library and the potions lab.
They even send away that nasty elf.
.
Over the next year they scour the Black library for tracking spells, rituals, potions, anything.
Anything they can possibly use to locate Harry.
If he is even –
They tried and failed over and over and over and –
.
Voldemort has returned.
The three words no one ever wanted to hear.
Anyone worth their salt knew it was inevitable, but everyone is surprised.
Apparently he used a ritual requiring mass sacrifice.
And numerous Light supporters from the last war had gone missing.
He attacked at the end of the Triwizard Tournament being held at Hogwarts this year.
A competitor was killed.
New and old supporters take to the streets.
It is a massacre.
.
A new head of the Department of Magical Creature Control is appointed.
The rights of beings are stripped, leaving them with less than nothing.
Jobs are taken, beings are imprisoned, and werewolves are no longer allowed to linger in public spaces.
More creatures flock to the Dark Lord.
.
The Order of the Phoenix is reinstated and he has been coerced in allowing them use of the Black family home as headquarters.
As time passes the members become fewer and fewer and those admitted become younger and younger.
No one wanting to admit the truth.
.
In light of the intensity of the war, the Minister of Magic declares a state of martial law and issues decree after decree.
One of many criminalizes anyone from suspected Dark families no matter which side hey worked towards
Neither he nor Moony can afford to leave the house in light hours.
They spend their days either in the library or planning for war.
They spend their nights fighting.
.
They give up hope of finding James' son.
And the war continues to escalate.
.
Dumbledore is dead and Hogwarts has fallen.
A Death Eater becomes headmaster and, those able, flee.
Those who cannot are subjected to unknown horrors.
The day can be marked as the day the war was lost.
.
The Wizards and Witches alike lost hope that Harry Potter would appear and save them all.
.
The Ministry falls soon after.
The Minister in action was appointed during wartime after the previous Minister Fudge took his own life.
Without so much as a warning, Voldemort himself storms the Ministry of Magic and down, down, down it fell.
Any lingering hope is obliverated.
.
It would be an understatement to say that Britain does not change after the Dark Lord's victory.
Not all is bad.
Werewolves can be gainfully employed and innocent Dark families walk the streets.
Muggles are still largely ignored.
But their world is filled with death.
Innocents are hexed and cursed in the streets and it is no longer safe to travel to once populated areas now overrun by violence and Darkness.
No one can go in or out.
Many of the old families bribe the new officials and fleee the country.
Everyone else is trapped.
.
The rebellion stays active, quiet as it is.
They communicate through mirrors and two-way journals.
New is broadcast over underground radio stations.
They raid abandoned manors and Death Eater outposts in the dead of night.
They re-home children whose families were taken and heal those without access to potions.
Slowly, slowly, they rebuild their lives.
.
Dark and Light no longer exist in their world.
In this new world, one had to embrace all aspects of magic.
The segregation has ended but there is no peace.
They do their best to adapt.
.
Several years pass before they rekindle their search for Harry.
With only the knowledge that he lives, that he somehow survived the purges.
They also know they have no desire to bring him into a world of evil.
He is probably happy wherever he is, oblivious to the downfall of Wizarding Britain.
Then, one day, with a ritual that would have once been deemed Dark, they find him.
They find Harry.
.
xanxus.
He has not had time to do damn near anything since he was released from his prison.
First he had to reinstate his command over Varia.
Then, he was immediately sent to Japan – of all places – to test whether or not some brat was good enough to take over the main Family.
And he still has not had time to process anything.
Not even the fact that the men he considered family are gone.
So, when he finally gets a moment of peace, he grabs it by the handlebars and makes the most of what he is given
.
At this point in his life, not many things can surprise him.
This does not mean that they won't still piss him off.
.
He is nude with a tumbler of whiskey in his hand.
No one is dying and everything is calm.
It is fucking great to be able to just breath.
It is about noon and the sun warmed a pattern onto the down comforter.
In all honestly, Xanxus knows he should be in his office, but he also knows Lussaria to be fully capable of holding down the compound for an hour or four.
But, no good things are meant to last as two men appear at the foot of his bed.
Quite literally.
They just appeared with a loud crack.
He takes a sip of his whisky appearing disarmingly unfazed.
The men look more surprised than he and they are the ones who appeared out of thin air.
"Harry?"
Squalo stirs beside him and Xanxus knows he is trusting him to deal with the interlopers.
"Oh fuck no."
.
The men introduce themselves as Sirius Black and Remus Lupin.
He wants them to fuck off to wherever hole they crawled out of.
It had been over 10 years since he cast off their world, cast of magic.
"Maybe he should leave…" is the response to his questioning their appearance.
Squalo pushes himself up to sit against the headboard with the confidence of a man who knows he is exactly where he is supposed to be.
"He has more right to be here than you. Again, why are you here?"
The man called Sirius stepped forward, "We were friends of your parents. I am, well was, your godfather, Harry. I mean, you're a grown man you obviously don't need a godfather now..."
"Spit it out, trash."
"I just wanted to apologize for not being there when you were growing up."
"You said you were supposed to be his godfather? Where were the hell were you?" It is a nice feeling, Squalo being angry for him and not at him.
"It's complicated… I was accused of murder and sent to prison without a trial. When I escaped I went to find you but you were already gone," Xanxus wonders the last time he saw a man he wasn't about to kill look so defeated.
"And you? Where were you?"
"I'm a werewolf," Remus pauses as if he were expecting backlash, "it was illegal for anyone infected to be around children without the guardian's consent. It was impossible for me to see you without breaking the law."
He finishes the last of his glass before setting it on the side table. "If that's all, I suggest you leave. Unless, you want to try to take me back with you."
Both men looked equally appalled, that at what is unknown. "We'll leave," Remus' voice is low and almost disappointed.
"Cou-could we come back?" Sirius asks quietly.
He took another sip and wonders if he is experiences a lingering form of attachment.
"Only if you use the damn door, trash."
.
sirius.
He –
Well, he does not really know how to react.
They found him.
They found Harry.
But he is, Merlin, he is nothing like he expected.
When they apparated to his location, they did not take into account he might be accompanied.
The nudity was also unexpected.
Granted, he is a grown man and it was likely remiss to appear at his exact location.
They probably should have also had a plan before they departed.
But they got so caught up in the excitement, it was so long since anything remotely good happened.
So, Harry is not exactly what they expected.
Or anything like they expected.
He is gruff and drinks top-shelf whiskey.
And he is terribly, terribly scarred.
When he saw the state of his once-godson's body he thought he would faint or vomit or maybe both.
He obviously is not as free from violence as they hoped.
They could not even inquire into what happened, he didn't know them and they didn't know him.
So, he steeled his nerves and spoke his mind.
He apologized.
When Moony revealed he was a werewolf and Harry didn't react, he couldn't have described the relief that overcame him if he wanted to.
Harry is obviously not a smiling do-gooder, but he obviously has people that cared for him that he cared for in turn.
The man in his bed was proof of that.
Despite having to rework his mental image of Harry, he would count the trip successful.
He said his piece and while it would have been disheartening, he would have understood if Harry didn't want them to come back – no one wanted strangers barging into their private lives.
But he hadn't forced them away.
He said they could return.
.
xanxus.
He sat frowning at the space the men had appeared and disappeared from.
Why now?
What took them so long to find him?
For years he watched his back waiting to be snatched off the streets.
Why did they come to him now of all times?
He honestly, just wanted a moment of uninterrupted quiet.
And, obviously, that was too much to ask for.
"It's been over a decade. Why now?"
Xanxus shrugs.
"Hell if I know."
.
Mere minutes after the intruders departed there is a knock on the door and the two year old illusionist enters.
Viper joined them only weeks before the coup and has – for some reason – stayed with them through everything.
No one has any idea where they came from but they are loyal and that is really all that matters.
"The wards have been breached."
Squalo blinks and he scoffs.
Of course the illusionist was a magic user.
Figures.
"The situation has been dealt with."
His mist guardian nods, "Will they be returning?"
"Most likely."
.
Five minutes.
He just wanted five minutes.
He scowls and Squalo pats him on the back mockingly.
.
sirius.
Okay, so maybe creating an international portkey was a terrible idea.
Especially with the practice is so heavily monitored.
As it is, Molly Weasley is furious.
"Of all the foolish, inconsiderate, irresponsible things you could have done!"
"Molly, listen-" Moony tries to placate the usually matronly woman.
"No! You listen, Mr. Lupin. Your recklessness could have jeopardized everyone's safety!"
"But we-"
"But you nothing, Remus. You didn't –" Before Molly could finish he cut in,
"We found Harry."
She whirls around to face her features morphing from anger to shock.
Her tone, however, does not change.
"What?!"
He raises his hands in submission,
"We found Harry," he repeats.
"Where?"
"Italy."
"You have to tell the Order!"
"But Molly, he's different…" Moony responds hesitantly.
Molly narrowed her eye. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"You have to understand, he's not a child anymore. He's a grown man who's built a life for himself."
.
Inevitably, the news is revealed during the next meeting.
Harry had become a bit of a taboo subject over the years and when Molly brings him up the room is shocked silent.
"Where has he been?" Hermione is the first to break.
"Italy, apparently."
Whispers break out amongst the small crowd.
"How did you find him?" Kingsely asks.
"I didn't, they did," Molly turns and glares at him and Moony.
"How is he?!"
"Did you see him?!"
"Can we see him?!"
"Is he coming here?!"
Moony returns the glare ten-fold and Molly actually flinches.
"Harry is grown man with his own life. It' best that we leave him be."
"He could end the war!" someone cries out.
The room freezes over and the Order is abruptly silenced.
"The war is over," Sirius growls, "we lost. Voldemort won."
Molly covers a gasp with her hand.
"It's about time we accepted it.
"Harry has his own life now and he owes us nothing!
"His presence wouldn't change anything!"
Sirius storms from the room leaving an argument in his wake.
.
Moony comes and finds him in the gardens after the meeting's conclusion.
Apparently, no one listened to him or reason.
Big surprise that is.
A majority want Harry to return and support their efforts.
They truly believe he would change the tide of the war.
The tide of a war that ended years ago.
Most were too naïve even after years of conflict.
And even though Light and Dark no longer held weight, they did not – or perhaps could not – accept that the Dark prevailed.
Honestly, it is pathetic.
"He wouldn't fight for us, would he?" he asks gazing up at the crescent moon longingly.
Moony shakes his head and sits beside him, "Why would he? This isn't his world. It probably never was."
"Dumbledore was mistaken."
"He was a great but flawed man but he sincerely believed in the Greater Good."
"…they are going to try to bring him here. Aren't they?"
Moony sighs, "They will."
"And there's nothing we can do about it, is there?"