Hey everyone,
Just wanted to let you know a few things. First off, this chapter was written in October. I had to or else it wouldn't let me finish Destiny's Saying, it was that distracting. Two, I decided to mix things up. We had a Ministry chapter, now we're doing a Potter Place chapter and next chapter we'll be going back to the Ministry.
Mixing is fun,
Venquine1990
PS. This chapter is not going to be Muggle friendly. You have been warned.
Chapter 34
Please Stop Fighting Me
13th of August 1995
Main Bedroom, Potter Place
Sirius' POV
As I take Hermione, Belle, Sora, Riku, Harry and Lea to my room, do I whisper and mutter instructions to the Potter House Elves to move certain books from the study in the rooms I share with James to the lounge room and to color code bookmark them in order of importance for Hermione to learn and read.
I then look back at those following me and notice how Harry is trying to catch Hermione's eye with a look that obviously begs her to just listen to what I have to say and do as I tell her. Yet the girl seems to be in the belief that Harry has betrayed her by siding with me and is ignoring the pleading eyes my son sends her way.
At this I want to shake my head and I then lead them into the study, glad to have spotted two comfortable reading chairs in the lounge room and that there are plenty of chairs for all of us to sit in. I move to one of them and see Lea taking Harry on his lap and Riku doing the same with Sora as the kids all sit down themselves.
I then turn to the girl who seems to think herself the best of the best and I decide to do something I didn't think I would do until after I got a good chance to talk with Albus and perhaps the Minister. At this I sigh and say: "Hermione, I'm not going to lie to you here. When I am done talking, you are going to hate me."
At this the girl actually sends me a look that silently asks: "And you think I don't already?" Making me want to glare at her, but due to what I am about to tell her, do I ignore this sign of teenage rebellion and Harry asks: "Why would she hate you, dad?" And I answer: "Because I am going to prove her that the Muggle world – isn't better.
It's worse.""That's impossible." The girl snaps, but I glare at her and say: "No, it's not. It's the honest truth and what is also true is that there are more Muggles out there that are like the Dursleys than there are Muggles like your parents, Hermione. And how do I know that for sure? The journey I took in your fourth year summer."
The girl looks confused and conflicted as I say: "Buckbeak isn't a large distance flyer. Hagrid never trained him to be one. Therefore I had to make several stops both on my way out of England and back to it after Harry send me his letter. I made stops in Belgium, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal and finally in the United States.
And because of the World Cup coming up, did Fudge manage to have the International Wizarding World hunting for me after my escape, so I had to keep to the Muggle as much as I could. And there I got proven what I just told you, Hermione. That Muggles are a lot more dangerous than Magicals ever could hope to be."
The girl now has a look of disbelieving doubt on her face as I say: "I made six stops on the way to my hiding place and six stops back. That is 12 stops in total. No, I am not saying that because I think anyone of you are stupid. I'm saying that, because only three of those stops – I was actually NOT in any danger I felt like fleeing from.
The other nine times were divided. Five times I was in danger, but managed to flee the danger unnoticed. Four times I was in danger, but if I had tried to flee them, my life would probably have been forfeit. Why? Four words, Hermione. Modern day witch hunts." And this silences the five teens in front of me.
I nod at them and say: "Yeah, those still happen. Muggles find a wizard somewhere, capture and shackle them and then force them to dig their own graves before shooting them. I had to watch this happen four times and managed to escape having to do so another five times. But in one of those four times – I had to participate.
I wanted to refuse, but another wizard who was standing near me told me that doing so would lead to me being found out myself. And guess what, Hermione, I had to participate in urinating on a dead body. And to make matters even worse, the body was of a fourteen year old boy wizard – on the third of August last year."
And other than Belle, does everyone instantly realize the severity of this situation and seconds later Harry rushes out of his seat and jumps into my lap, wrapping his whole body around me and trying to offer me comfort and reassurance. And I happily accept, wrapping my own arms around my son and blessing him being here with me.
Like this we stay seated for a while, Sora drawing strength and comfort from Riku and Lea and Belle moving over to where Hermione is rooted to her seat. And while the girl is obviously being a rebel, does she still send Lea a grateful smile as he lies his hand on her shoulder in comfort. I then regain myself and say:
"Hermione, that happened in DC. It happened in the same city as where the Muggle President lives. It happened in one of the few states where the MACUSA is at its strongest. And the same can be said for the other eight times. Six of them happened in the capitals of Belgium, France and Spain. Two on my journey from, two on my journey back.
And the only thing currently separating France and Belgium from England is the canal, which has become pointless because of the many different ways that Muggles travel all across the world. The only thing, I found out, protecting Magical England from this is two sets of spells and that Pureblood arrogance you curse so much.
Because Purebloods are arrogant, the amount of witches and wizards traveling to magical spots across London the Muggle way is a lot smaller than you think. And because there are Notice-Me-Not spells on Charring Cross Road and the London Station that get stronger the closer a witch gets to the magical spot, we are protected.
But with how much and how fast Muggle technology keeps growing and developing, do I know those spells will one day become useless. And that scares me. That is why I am so adamant on teaching Harry what it means to be an Heir to House Potter, what it means to Sora to be an Heir to House Black. It can keep them safe.
I know that, before the Millennium Change, Diagon Alley, Platform 9 & ¾, St. Mungos and the Ministry need to move out of London. That before the Change, Muggle contact security needs to tighten up. That before the Change, Muggleborns need to be offered more to fully accept and embrace the side of them that is magical.
And when I look at you and how you are, instead, adamant on changing us to be more like Muggles, it scares me to death. Why? Because on my way out of Belgium, I saw a Muggle bastard dig up a witch they had just shot and have his way with her – before getting on a boat that took him and several of his comrades here to England.
And I'm not naïve enough to think that other countries haven't done the same. Those Muggles are in England, they are looking for us and that arrogance and those spells are the only things protecting us. So excuse me if I consider the Muggle world an unknown and scary place that has things I don't know about that can get my kids KILLED!"
I scream in the end, tears falling down my face the same way they did when I told James about all this and while I sincerely wish he was here again, do I feel Harry pushing my face in his shoulder, allowing me to cry on him instead. And while I love how caring my little boy is, do I cry to let my fear be shown to those around me.
The others all keep silent, Belle out of respect, Sora, Lea and Riku out of concern and Hermione out of shock and when I have regained myself, do I turn to Hermione and say: "And that is why I am being this adamant on teaching them the ways of the Pureblood. Because if they can act around Malfoy, they can act around Muggles.
As for why James and I go against you so much when we read of your actions, you're undermining important parts of his education and endangering him with your need to rebel. It's currently not just those dangerous Muggles and Voldemort that are enemies to Harry, at least not in the book. The Ministry counts too.
And your plan to have Harry lead something like a secret DADA club would put him in the line of sight of the Ministry – who as shown by Umbridge aren't above hurting him – even more than he already is. It wasn't the club that was the problem, Hermione, it was the person you wanted to choose to lead the club.
Harry proved in the book that he has trouble acting. That to me makes me worried about what will happen if he runs across either Malfoy or the wrong Muggle. So I try to prevent that. That is why I am this adamant on all this. And why I have a single request for you." The girl looks at me and with pleading eyes, do I whisper:
"Please, stop fighting me." The girl looks startled at this and I say: "You want Harry safe just as much as I do. You just don't see the same threats that I have and you don't take them seriously enough. You and I want the same thing, Hermione, I just know a little more about that than you do. So please just accept that. Please protect my sons."
And the girl looks at me for a long time, shocked and awed at what I have to say before she timidly asks: "What – what do I – what do I need to – to do?" And the weight of fearing that she would still rebel, that she would yell and curse and accuse me of lying falls off my shoulders, making me smile at her with tears in my eyes.
"There – heh – there are books in the lounge. They are color coded with the level of importance for you to learn. I'm pretty sure the darker the blue bookmark, the more important it is for you to learn this. Read them and – if you feel like it – write some essays on how you can use what you've learned to help me, to help Harry.
Just – leave his education to me and James, okay?" And while I know that the girl takes education very seriously, do I feel relieved beyond anything that she nods in acceptance before she and Belle leave the room. And this time, she acknowledges the tearful, yet grateful smile Harry sends her with a friendly one of her own.
I then lean back in my own chair, feeling all of the stress, concern and fear leave me as the door closes behind the two and hear Harry ask: "Why did you never tell anyone about this?" But I mutter: "I did. I told James last night and Bill when the Weasleys first came to London. I even set up a little plan with him when Sora returned."
This intrigues the others and I say: "You three really were a heaven's blessing, you know that? And not just because you're my son, Sora." The boy looks startled and I say: "There is one other who has an inkling on what I'm on about. Alastor. I asked him to keep his eye out on those that live in the same street as well as their guests."
Here I shudder and mutter: "The bastard from Belgium? His brother lives four doors down from London, on the corner of the street. It's why I started demanding that Order members just Apparate onto the front porch instead of walking in. And yes, the Advanced Guard and Ministry for Magic chapters had me greatly worried."
At this Harry hugs me yet again and I say: "Back to what I was saying before. When you and the others first came here, Sora. I considered that a blessing straight out of heaven. You telling me that you had the ability to move to other worlds felt like I finally had a way to fight the fear I had been festering for over a year.
I won't lie to you. Ever since I returned to England, I did so to make sure you could be old and wise enough to travel with me without your underage status getting in the way. But at the same time, I had no idea where to take you with me, because I had seen evidence that practically everywhere in the world was a dangerous place."
"And then you found sanctuary in the knowledge that our worlds – our homeworlds – were safe." Lea says and I nod as I say: "Which is why I contacted Bill. He send a report of my tale to the Goblins and enacted a clause in their rules that has allowed me to start draining the Potter and Black vaults of all that I want with me.
The Goblins might not be happy, but they are a survivor race, so they understand where I'm coming from. I also have Alastor set up a team that will cleanse London of anything I find valuable and important enough to take with me. And I've been studying the spell and rune work that allowed for Potter Place to change into a cottage."
I then grip Harry a little tighter and look Sora and Riku straight in the eye as I say: "Once we have read the books, fixed the issues within them, defeated Voldemort and the timelines have synced out again – the Potters, the Black and anyone they consider worthy of joining them – are leaving for the worlds you all came from."
This shocks the group around me and I sigh as I say: "The Wizarding world is our home, I won't deny that, but it's a dying home. The Muggles are vastly outnumbering us, our security measures will fail sooner or later and Voldemort and Grindelwald have decreased our numbers too destructively for us to truly recover from it in time.
Because of this, we can only do one thing – and both James, Alastor and Bill agree with me on this. We need to compromise the old – the traditions that make the Wizarding World the Wizarding World – with the new – a place that doesn't have an exceptional number of threats that outnumber us a good dozen to one if not more."
This makes both my kids and the others share concerned glances and I say: "Do I like leaving my home, country and world behind? No. Do I know I will endanger the one thing most important to me if I don't? Yes. Am I willing to take that risk? Not even if it means returning Lily back to life or anyone else Voldemort killed."
And while I have my arms crossed, does Riku say: "There is a high chance that you will attract the Heartless with those emotions." At which I shrug and say: "We still have three years before we can even move. In that time, you can reassure me by proving you can keep yourselves safe." At which the teen nods and Harry asks:
"What do we need to learn, dad?" And while his concern for me is very clear in sounding through his voice, do I also hear his determination to do as I just said and I give the boy a thankful and proud hug before I say: "The House Elves color coded your books as well. Sora, yours have a grey bookmark, Harry, yours have a red one."
At this the two boys nod and Sora asks: "Are the darker ones the same as with Hermione?" And I nod before the two boys head for the shelves, Harry easily picking out one that has such a dark bookmark it's almost purple in color, yet Sora actually needing Riku's help to get a book that has a black bookmark inside it.
The two boys then each dive into their respective books and when they are on the marked page, do I quickly say: "Remember, you might not agree with everything you read, but it will keep you safe." And the two nod before Lea and Riku each join their respective partners and the four of them get lost in the written texts.
I then get up and say: "I'll be right back." But only Lea nods as the others are too deeply engrossed in their texts, yet at the door, does Harry mumble: "Stay safe." Making me smile at him, even if I only plan to stay at Potter Place and talk with Albus. I then close the door, smiling at the sight of Hermione and Belle reading and head out.
And once away from the Master Bedroom, do I call on another House Elf and ask it to send Albus to the office Charlus often used when meeting with officials and I head there myself, knowing that there is one last person who needs to hear this story, who needs to know of my plans for when the timelines are synced once more.
The man himself enters the office a few minutes after I have made myself comfortable in it and while I am not all too pleased with the fact that he walks in without knocking, do I decide to leave this little sign of disrespect go in the need of getting my goals accomplished. And so I motion him to sit, yet do so wordlessly.
The man sits down and asks: "How did the teaching go?" And I answer: "All of them are reading from books that can benefit them the best depending on their roles in this world or what they are like." The man nods and I say: "Albus, remember that conversation I wanted to have with you? The one we kept postponing due to other obligations?"
The man nods and asks: "Is this it?" And I nod before I say: "Voldemort isn't our biggest threat." The man looks confused and I say: "After I fled England and found out that Fudge used the World Cup to make my capture a necessity for the International Auror Force, did I decide to keep to the Muggle world where and when I could.
And in there, I found evidence that my mother wasn't as paranoid and demented as I always thought she was. Now, I don't agree with her beliefs or her methods, don't ever believe that I would, I just got evidence shown to me that makes me know Muggles aren't what you and Arthur believe them to be like, not even close."
The man looks concerned and I look away as I say: "I won't lie to you, Albus. Muggles like that monster Vernon? I saw a lot of those on my journey. I even know of one – whose brother lives at the end of the street away from London. And Albus, that Muggle is actually more of a Dirtbag than Dursley was described to be."
"Surely you don't believe that." Albus says, but I glare at him and say: "I do, because I saw that Muggle join a Modern Day Witch Hunt – yes Albus, those still happen – saw him capture a family of which only the mother was actually magical, saw him force them to dig their own graves, shoot them and then desecrate them.
Albus, I managed to flee from this scene before that last bit happened, but Beaky was tired and it took me some time to convince him to leave. And as we flew over, did I see that same bastard dig up the witch, have his way with her and then gather his comrades and take a boat here, to England, where he visited his brother.
And that method of acting, capturing witches and wizards, shackling them, forcing them to dig their own graves and shooting them, is happening all over the world, Albus. I saw it happen in Belgium, France, Spain and America. Only in Portugal and in Germany did it not happen. Only in Portugal and Germany was I safe.
But those Muggles, they're moving to England. One of them, I know is still in England. Alastor checked it for me. Albus, I know you're not going to like hearing this, but I can't be the dreamer that you are. I need to be a realist. My family and I will help you where we can with Voldemort, but once the timelines sync – we're gone."
The man looks shocked and I say: "I'm sorry, Albus, but if the books have proven me anything, it's that the danger I feared my son in from Muggles like the bastard that I saw sail to England is closer to my home than I would like. I can fight Voldemort and win, but I can't do the same with Muggles, they outnumber us too much.
I can't stay here, Albus, and I can't live with the idea of leaving my family behind for my own safety. My sons already know that I plan to seek sanctuary in their worlds, Bill has already activated the clause to start clearing the Potter and Black family vaults of their valuables and I've already started studying Potter Place's rune work.
I know how to make it so that Potter Place becomes the size of a briefcase and that the cottage that was destroyed takes its place for all of Muggles and Magicals to see and I will do that once the timelines are synced up once more. It won't happen for another three years, but I felt that you had to know of what I have planned."
At this the man sighs and asks: "And there is nothing I can do or say to change your mind? To have you stay here where your family, Harry's and James' family have lived for so long?" To which I answer: "No Albus, the survival of what I have left of my family comes before everything." And the man nods before he asks:
"Does Arthur know?" To which I shrug and say: "I doubt Bill kept this a secret from him after the twins and Harry became official." At which the man nods and mutters: "So much magical power –." Yet before he can go on, do I say: "Send to a place where they can assure that they survive, where they can prosper and have a future."
The man looks at me and I raise my eyebrow at him as I ask: "Take a look at how Sora, Riku and Lea turned out. Do you disagree with me that they aren't everything a father could hope they would grow out to be? Does that not prove the brilliance of their worlds?" And the man looks contemplative before he smiles at me.
I nod at him and say: "It may not be Magical England, but magic stays magic, Albus. Regardless of where it grows up or where it bases its future. And if one is sure that magic can prosper better in one place than another, then going there is a must." At this the man nods and asks: "Is there any other reason you are telling me this?"
To which I shrug and say: "To let you know of my plans, to see if you would be willing to help with any spellwork we might come across in the future and to ask you – as someone who does like to be a dreamer like yourself – if you can't find a spell in the Hogwarts wards that functions the same as the suitcase ward I found."
The man looks shocked and I say: "I don't like damning so many lives to a potential extinction by Muggles, Albus, but I know there isn't enough time to convince everyone that such a move is crucial, not with both Voldemort on the loose and the fact that not everyone – with their evil ways – deserves such a chance.
But Hogwarts is special to me and if there is a way I can take it with me, even if it's just a copy of the original castle or something, that would make me feel a lot better. I do plan to extend this plan for the Potters, Blacks and Weasleys to the Potter Alliance as well as anyone else who is friends of Harry or willing to listen, but –."
And while the man is indeed a dreamer and not really a realist, does he still nod and say: "But there is only so much you can do before you lose sight of your original goal. To keep your son safe and your family prosperous." And I nod at him as he says: "Well, we do have the next three years to do what we can and must –."
And with that does the man stand up, smiling at me before he leaves. And I smile back, knowing that the man didn't need to say what I wanted to hear. Because while he may have a lot of changes to contend with and have a war to worry about, the man will definitely use the next three years to find that spell. That smile was a promise.
And a damn good one too.
So, I'm going to be honest. I am not entirely sure who I want to take with me when the move happens. I certainly don't plan to change this into a copy of the Light Series that I Give Zero Fox and I are writing, so it won't be the ENTIRETY of Wizarding England, but the group I have planned – isn't small either.
At the current moment that group extends to the Weasleys, Harry, Sirius, James, the Longbottoms, the Quidditch team (including Oliver), some members of the Potter alliance, Lee Jordan, Hermione and her parents and the Lovegoods. I might consider dorm mates of Harry, the twins and Ginny, but that feels like I'm cutting it.
Yes, Collin and his brother deserve to be saved, but as you can see from my Destiny's Saying story, I sometimes completely forget about him. And just now I forgot to mention Tonks and her family, even though they will definitely be on the list. And there are even Order members I forgot to mention that will come along.
Well, you get the picture,
Venquine1990
PS. Next chapter: The trials of the Dursleys, Fig and Pommel. Nice way to end the year, am I right?
