Harry Prewett and the Case of Inadvertent Illegal Time Travel

Chapter Two: In Which there is Tea

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, alerted, and favorited, good to know I'm doing something right! Enjoy!

Harry was led out of the Time Travel Office and through the dark unfamiliar halls of the Department of Mysteries where they took innumerable turns and Harry got very lost until finally they reached what Harry privately dubbed the Room of Doors and went through a door that led to a very bare and uncomfortable looking lounge that sported a lot of black leather furniture, a tea service and a short witch in her thirties with ginger hair coiled in a loose bun at the nape of her neck and thin rectangular glasses perched on her straight nose. She was wearing comfortable looking black robes over a pair of grey pants and a white blouse. There were pearls at her throat and ears and because of her rather full lower lip her otherwise no nonsense expression looked petulant.

"Ah Mrs. Potter, thank you for coming at such short notice," said Mr. Hotchkiss smoothly as he glided into the room.

Harry shoved his hands in his pant pockets and tried to look inconspicuous lingering in the doorway.

"Why am I here Mr. Hotchkiss?" asked Mrs. Potter sounding stern.

"Yes well, there seems to have been a bit of an accident involving time travel, I would like to present to you your long lost nephew, Harry Prewett,"

Mr. Hotchkiss flourished his hands a bit it a theatrical manner that made Harry want to squirm uncomfortably.

Mrs. Potter's bright blue eyes took in Harry's form with the same clinical gaze that Collette had used. Harry gathered his courage and met her gaze straight on, he didn't, after all, want to show weakness in front of this formidable witch.

"He looks like my brother, only handsome," she said noncommittally.

"Yes, yes, that is because of the disguise we engineered for him, you are in any case his closest living relative over the age of twenty five, and I assure you his appearance prior to our modifications was the very image of your late husband and son,"

Mrs. Potter looked him over again this time as if she were trying to gauge his character.

"I am Violet Potter, though I suppose you've already been told that, and I suppose I'm your Aunt," she shrugged holding out one delicate looking hand.

Harry smiled a bit hesitantly.

"I'm Harry, it's, er... nice to meet you,"

"I'm sorry it's under such suspicious circumstances,"

"Well, that's my fault I think," Harry pointed out.

Mrs. Potter smiled slightly.

"An honest boy, excellent, you're about the same age as my son James, you know, I think you'll get on splendidly,"

"Not to be rude or anything but does that mean you'll...er...take me?"

"Of course, you're family! Nothing is more important!" she declared.

"Excellent!" Mr. Hotchkiss interrupted, "Now, Harry here will have to lay low for a few days while we get everything organized but then you may feel free to start integrating him into our time,"

"Yes, you'll need school things, a wand, new clothes, you can borrow some of James' things for now but I can't imagine you'll want to parade about in hand-me-downs,"

Harry didn't bother to tell Mrs. Potter he'd worn hand-me-downs all his life, it seemed a moot point considering the circumstances.

"...and you must call me Aunt Violet of course," she finished nodding decisively as she set down her untouched cup of tea.

"Er...of course," Harry agreed.

"If you will excuse me Mr. Hotchkiss, my nephew must be exhausted from the day's events, we will be headed home now,"

"That's quite alright Mrs. Potter, I understand completely, I will show you out,"

Mr. Hotchkiss led them out to the familiar corridor where Harry had spotted Lucius Malfoy bribing Fudge not even a week ago. He shook his head wonderingly and followed Violet as she strode to the lift and sent them whizzing up towards the Ministry Atrium.

"Er...Aunt Violet," he started.

"Not yet, wait until we're out of the Ministry," she instructed.

Harry did as she asked pointedly ignoring the whispers and stares that followed them, curious to note that for once they weren't whispering and staring at him but at his Aunt. He wondered what she'd done to kick the hornet's nest.

"Almost there, take my arm now Harry. Have you ever Side-Along Apparated before?" she asked in a low voice as he linked an arm through hers and they approached an apparation point.

"Er...no,"

"Alright, just try and clear your mind and whatever you do don't let go," she ordered.

Harry's grip tightened involuntarily and all of a sudden it felt rather like he'd been jammed into a small tube. It was over fairly quickly as they reappeared with a snap like popped gum. Harry staggered away from Violet feeling distinctly odd.

"There's a lad, put your head between your knees if you feel dizzy, it might take a moment," said Violet patting his back soothingly and seeming much more relaxed than she had been a moment before.

Harry looked up and took in his surroundings, they were standing at an unkempt looking apparation point in a small Wizarding village Harry had never been to before.

"Where are we?"

"Hollybrook, not too far from Lionsgate Park," Violet explained, "I hope you don't mind but I wanted to get to know you better and have a decent spot of tea and a little chat,"

"Not at all," Harry shrugged.

It wasn't like he had any choice in the matter.

"Lovely, we'll just pop by the Holly Cafe then,"

The Holly Cafe was a quaint little gingerbread looking house that had been converted into a Cafe by knocking out all the unnecessary walls adding large windows and lots of comfortable mismatched seating.

"Mrs. Potter," greeted the girl behind the counter who could not have been much older than Harry.

She was pretty enough with a sleek brown ponytail and under her black apron she was wearing muggle jeans and a t-shirt.

"Hello Laura, this is my nephew Harry, Harry this is Laura Pennywhistle she's a fifth year Hufflepuff this year,"

"Nice to meet you," Harry said smiling slightly.

"You too, would you like your usual Mrs. Potter?"

"Yes, that would be lovely; will you have tea Harry or something else?"

"Coffee, please, black two sugars," Harry said addressing Laura.

"Coming right up,"

Violet led them to a table in the corner with a view of the patio where an elderly couple were drinking iced teas and watching the ducks in the pond.

"This is a nice place," Harry commented.

"Yes, I've been coming here for ages, my late husband, Jim, and I came here on quite a few dates back when Laura's mother worked here,"

"I'm er...sorry for your loss," Harry said.

"Thank you, that's why I was so eager to get out of the Ministry you see, Jim was a senior Auror and he died there in his office not even a full year ago. The official report is that it was a heart attack but I suspect and his mother agrees with me that it was a kind of contact poison that killed him. The Minister...well, I'll not bore you with the details, suffice to say the bureaucratic vultures trip over themselves to wrench the gory details out of me hoping to get a scandalous tidbit they can lord over their superiours. I have no wish to remain in that place longer than absolutely necessary,"

Harry wasn't quite sure what he could say to this and was glad when Laura arrived with the tea and coffee and he had a chance to gather his thoughts and put his questions in order.

"I have a few questions..."

"Of course, I'm sure you won't mind answering a few of mine as well if you're able,"

"Not at all, first, what's Lionsgate Park?"

Violet started.

"You don't know? Mr. Hotchkiss said you looked...well never mind. Lionsgate Park is the Potter Family Seat, our largest and oldest estate; you should have grown up there..."

"My parents died when I was young, I lived with my muggle relatives," Harry explained.

"Oh, yes, I see...well, Lionsgate is, of course, unplottable and well warded, we have several acres of yard and gardens that my son James uses as a makeshift Quidditch pitch and we have several bonded house-elves to keep up with the maintenance and help out for dinner parties and such. You will be responsible for keeping your own room clean and doing your own laundry. My mother-in-law, your Great-Aunt I suppose, Dorea, likes to cook and she usually cooks when it's just the family,"

"That sounds nice," Harry said.

"It would sound nice until you find out that Dorea is an expert on poisons, mixing them, detecting them, and administering them," said Violet wryly.

"No one has died at the table yet I take it," Harry said.

Violet smiled.

"Not just yet,"

"Alright so what are you going to do with me?"

Violet sighed.

"Well, I know it's short notice but we can probably get everything you need as far as clothes and toiletries and such are concerned tomorrow. I'll no doubt be getting an owl from Albus and Minerva sometime this evening, you were a Gryffindor weren't you...well no matter I deal very well with all the staff, with the trouble James gets into I have to, and we'll be able to sort out your school things and get you a wand immediately,"

"Sounds good, I feel kind of naked without one,"

"Harry, you're not just cut off from your magic you must understand, without a wand you are vulnerable to certain dark forces that have been gaining power," Violet shook her head gravely, "There are dark days ahead, I want to get you protected as quickly as possible,"

Harry sighed inwardly at the same old protect Harry song and dance. He wasn't helpless he could take care of himself. He didn't want to say anything about these familiar frustrations to Violet however as she'd only known him for about an hour and was being good enough to take him in.

"Enough of this dark talk," she said briskly shaking her head, "Now, James and probably at least one of his friends from school are going to be home in a few days and will spend the last three weeks of summer here. Hotchkiss said they would send over the booklet with all of your back story and what-not by tomorrow. I...and I hope you agree, I think it's best to let everyone but Dorea, Charlus, and I believe that story,"

Harry nodded slowly, "Alright,"

"I don't think you should tell us anything about the future either, suffice it to say you're from there and you're a Potter, anything else is too much. I'm a firm believer in people not knowing too much about their own destiny, and quite frankly I have no wish to know which of my children or grandchildren will die in advance,"

"Alright, I think I can manage not to let anything slip," Harry agreed.

"I know it might be difficult for you..."

"It's fine, Aunt Violet, really, I'll manage,"

"Good,"

She took a sip of her tea and Harry gulped down a steadying swallow of coffee as their little corner of the room descended into awkward silence.

"So...what now?" asked Harry after a long moment.

"Well, I suppose we'll just head on up to Lionsgate and introduce you to the family," said Violet smiling.

She set her empty cup back on its saucer and stood purposefully. Harry quickly finished the last of his coffee and watched as Violet handed a few sickles over to Laura and said something to make the younger woman laugh and then motioned for him to follow her.

It was getting late in the day and the summer sun was turning more orange with each hour that passed.

"I hope you don't mind walking,"

"Not at all,"

"Lionsgate has more wards than the Ministry of magic, I'm afraid, anti-apparation, anti-portkey, plus some nastier bits my husband put in. They're very comforting and useful of course, but bloody annoying when we have visitors and house guests. I'll have to key you in at the gate,"

Harry nodded absently glancing around at the picturesque little town of Hollybrook as they strode down a side street and then followed a well kept but seldom used dirt road lined with trees and tall grass. They turned the corner and Harry got his first look at the ancestral seat of the Potters.

Lionsgate was a rather impressive patchwork of styles adding on to what must have once been a small castle, set on the crest of a hill and guarded by to stately looking white marble lions and a ten foot tall wrought iron gate. It was sprawling and rather lopsided but it had a certain combination of elegance and homey charm to it.

He turned to Violet who had been using his open-mouthed staring as an opportunity to flick her wand about and mutter spells under her breath.

"There we are," she said brightly as the lion statues began to shift and yawn.

Harry took a wide eyed step back and fumbled for a wand that wasn't there.

"Now, now, don't be frightened, just let them get a good whiff of you," Violet instructed patting the nearest statue on the head fondly.

Harry stood very still as the lions circled closer and began sniffing him and rubbing against him. The warm marble felt odd as it brushed against his leg but despite his fears of being mauled to death by marble lions, the ultimate irony, the statues merely completed their survey of him, accepted one last fond pat from Violet and then sprang back to their ready positions and stopped moving.

"Those are the ward anchors, ingenious isn't it? There isn't an intruder in the world who wouldn't be wary if he suddenly had two massive lions, stone or not, springing on him,"

"Yeah..." said Harry still wary himself.

"Come on Harry, time to meet the family!"

AN: And there you have it folks, Chapter Two.

Alright, for those of you who are feeling confused Violet is James' Mom (Harry's actual grandmother) but since he is pretending to be her older brother's son (rather than her grandson) he calls her Aunt Violet just like James will be Cousin James instead of Dad. Clearer?

Last chance to have your say on the issue of the current state of the Potter Clan, OCs or no?

For those of you wondering where the action is, don't worry it's coming up either in the next chapter or chapter four!

Pairings and plot points, feel free to review with some of your ideas, the more you pester me the more likely I am to be bent to your whims!

Last but certainly not least, please review! Reviews make me smile, and a smiling me is more likely to update than a frowning me! Seriously I always love hearing from you guys even if it's just to say what the flipping flapjacks is wrong with you woman!

Until next time!