Harry was confused, but he expected that confusion would probably accompany him for quite some time. He knew that he was in the year 1959, and it was summer, but this was a completely strange family! Why was he here?
He had been dropped right here as soon as he left the DP's office. As he watched the family gather for dinner he noticed that it consisted of the parents and four children. He learned that the father's name was Richard, the mother's was Venetia, and he even learned the names of the children one by one:
There was Richard Jr., who talked about starting his seventh year at Hogwarts, Samantha, who celebrated her fifteenth birthday, Roxanne, who was to start her fourth year and Julia as a second year was the baby of the family. It was mentioned that they had to leave for Hogwarts just days before their youngest sibling was expected. Richard was this year's head boy, a Hufflepuff, Samantha had followed her mother into Ravenclaw, Roxanne and Julia were both Gryffindors like their father. Harry overheard that this was the last evening before they were taking the Hogwarts Express back to school.
They were not happy. On the platform the next morning they all chided their mother gently.
"How unfair! We wanted to see the baby, mum!" Samantha said.
"Well, I can't force it out before it's time, love, you know that it's the baby who says when it wants to join us. It won't be long and I promise that you'll be allowed to come home over the weekend to meet it, alright?"
"I don't suppose we can get anything better than that, Mum, so - yes, it's alright. Love you!"
"I love you, too, Sam, have a good term! I'll miss you all, as usual."
All four children back at Hogwarts gave Venetia a few days to recover from the stressful summer months and get ready for the birth. The little boy made it easy for his Mum and came smoothly and quickly. Richard was happy about his second son. Harry had to watch the birth and all, but when he heard the name of the newly born child much became clear for him: the baby was Remus Lupin! Richard held Remus on his arm and beamed at his wife. Then he teased her:
"It's about time that the contents of testosterone in this household rises a bit! You ladies are keeping us much too downtrodden!"
"What about Sam's boyfriend, eh? He was around for most of the break; I was already beginning to wonder if he had been chucked out at home."
Richard chuckled and replied:
"Nick doesn't really count. He's all nice and everything, but he's completely under Sam's thumb! I saw his mother at the Ministry a couple of times, she was fairly glad that she got some news about her son from me! He must have been missed there after all."
"Well, both of his parents are working full time and he's an only child, so it might have been very good that he spent a lot of time here, at least he was under someone's supervision" Venetia remarked.
Richard nodded and blew a little kiss on baby Remus' forehead.
"You've just got yourself in deep trouble, little one! You were born into some hell of a family! There are three teenage girls and they'll all smother you with their love, believe me! Not to speak of your Mum and myself."
Now that Harry knew who this baby was he began to understand. What a wonderful family, he thought. He liked them all, the parents with their bantering, which they seemed to have passed down to their children and the children, who seemed to be confident, intelligent and hard working. He wondered what had happened to all of them in his former life, because he didn't think that six people could have simply been torn from Remus! Remus had never ever mentioned them. Of course, he was a very private person and Harry had never even had the chance to have deeper conversations with the Marauder, at least not about Remus' own history, but he had always sensed great sadness in him. Maybe there was a great tragedy in his past? It was hard to put together a past he didn't know. All Harry could do was hope that it wouldn't be repeated.
Richard was hard to be separated from his newest baby. It was even harder for him to return to his work at the Ministry after his leave. The first weekend after Remus was born he went to get his older children from Hogwarts. As expected the girls were completely taken with the baby. Remus got cuddled and pampered day in and day out. Fortunately he was a very calm child. He hardly ever cried, took most things in stride and just looked at everyone in the family with his huge brown eyes. Eyes, which were mostly brown with some dark green flecks inside. He was the perfect mixture between his parents who both had light brown hair, Venetia's with a touch of blond inside. She had green eyes, her husband had dark brown eyes, and Remus' were something in between.
About six weeks after Remus' birth Harry was pulled towards another family. This time he recognised the place immediately: he was at Grimmauld Place and he watched how Sirius was born. As soon as the baby had been cut from the umbilical cord he was taken out of the room and bathed and presented to his father. Mr. Orion Black picked up the naked baby and brought it into a room full of people, where he presented the heir of the Black family:
"Dear family, may I present to you my firstborn, the heir of the Black family, named after many great men this family has brought forth and myself, Sirius Orion."
Baby Sirius cried loud, most probably because he was freezing, Harry thought.
But before Sirius could catch a cold he was returned to the waiting wet nurse. She took him fairly gently and brought him up to his baby room, where he would be left in her care until he was old enough to join the family table. Harry spent a few hours in the house and noticed that an hour after his presentation Sirius was visited by his Uncle, whom Harry surmised would be the infamous Uncle Alphard. The man tenderly looked at the baby and Harry could almost hear his thoughts as he pledged his love for the little boy.
While Sirius was kept completely alone Baby Remus grew into a delightful little boy who charmed his parents and siblings alike. He was everyone's favourite and it was hard to say who spoiled him more, his parents or his siblings. But overall Remus remained to be a quiet child who loved to hear stories and who read quite fluently at the age of three and started writing at the age of four. His first magic showed when he was barely two and everyone in the family recognised he would be a brilliant kid. Harry spent time between the two households and watched in delight whenever he was with the Lupins and in disgust whenever he had to see what Sirius went through as a child. He kept thinking that much of Sirius' childhood was even worse than his own, because Sirius wasn't only abused in words, but very often in beatings, too.
Now that Harry had seen two children from birth he expected to see his parents at some point. In the meantime he had learned to work with his existence. He simply floated in the rooms and once he had noticed that he could consciously move from one place to another he switched between the Lupin and Black families. He kept a frequent look at every calendar he could see and every clock he could find. In late November he was pulled to yet another family, which he recognised soon as the Pettigrew family. Peter! He had to hold onto himself not to cry out as he saw the traitor being born and welcomed by a good family. He switched back to Remus' family almost immediately as this was the place he really felt at peace.
He soon learned that whenever something took place that was really significant to his life he would be pulled to the location where it happened. He bore witness to the first interactions Sirius had with his family, which were not nice for the most part. He was being groomed from the start to become the member of an old aristocratic family and the value of pure blood was hammered into him but he seemed quite resistant to their teachings from the start, which often earned him a beating. Only thanks to his Uncle Alphard's constant support he was able to withstand and stick to the common sense with which he had been born.
Harry was then drawn to the Muggle world, where on December 15th his Mum was brought to this world. She was welcomed by her parents, Marie Rose and Frederick Evans and her sister, Petunia, who was four years old at that time. Harry especially observed Petunia closely and tried to find out if she was jealous of her sister from the start or whether that had started only after she learned that her little sister was a witch.
Finally, in March, Harry was drawn to a large manor house, where, in her bedroom Dorea Potter Black gave birth to her son James. Harry heard some of the discussions in the course of the evening and learned that Dorea had had three still-births and had lost a child before. When the midwitch informed her that little James was in perfect health she was relieved beyond belief. She received the loving hugs from her husband, Charlus, who was just as happy as his wife. After all the misfortune they had had he was over the moon about his little boy and hoped that there would be more of his kind in future. Harry already knew that it would not happen, but thought that who knew, maybe it would – after all this was supposed to be an altered world. In any case it was nice to meet his grandparents, who seemed to be very good people. He knew very little about them. The most he knew was from Sirius, who had loved them deeply. Dorea was his great-aunt and he had great respect for her.
Naturally, Harry spent much of his time with the two children who would be his parents some time in the future. He found that both of them had good childhoods with the exception of the niggling jealousy Petunia developed towards her younger sister. Harry could easily see where this jealousy came from: while Petunia was a nice girl, well-mannered, but boring, her little sister was the sunshine wherever they went. Her brilliant red hair, the very special and screamingly green colour of her eyes and her sparkling character pulled people in and most people never gave Petunia a second glance once they had met the charismatic little witch. Lily was friends with everyone who met her. A few occasions were burnt in Harry's memory later on:
When Lily was four her father announced that he had invited his boss and his wife to dinner. Marie Rose immediately planned her dinner carefully and on the day prepared the dining room with her two daughters. While Petunia made lovely place cards Marie Rose taught Lily how to lay the table. Both girls received equal praise for their help. Rose then proceeded to make the dinner where the girls were still of some help. And then the guests arrived. Petunia and Lily were presented as usual. And, as usual, Petunia was pleasant and was greeted pleasantly. Lily was brilliant and was greeted brilliantly.
That's where Harry understood the roots of Petunia's jealousy and knew why she felt the need to categorise Lily as a freak. Lily had a brilliant character and made use of it. Lily worked to reach a goal, but she was brilliant enough that she reached her goals without too much of an effort. At the same time Petunia was not very brilliant and worked twice as hard to reach only half the goals Lily achieved. Was it any wonder she qualified Lily's magic as the very thing that made the two girls so different? Whatever Lily did, achieved, received, Petunia related it with her magic, whether it really was in relation to her magic or not. Petunia was unable to see what was Lily and what was her magic. Harry concluded that whatever would have happened he stood no chance as soon as he was delivered to this aunt he was treated the same as she had treated his mother.
Lily had a friend from a few streets away, where a less fortunate neighbourhood sat, which was the eyesore of the place, but the friend, Harry soon recognised a small Severus Snape, went to pre-school with her and they played together. He was a bit of a loner, even then, but he still let Lily know some of the things that happened to him at home. She consoled him often, and when she was eight he told her what made her really special; he told her about her magic. Lily kept it to herself and only months later the family moved away from the place after her father had changed his job and was promoted. The new place pleased Petunia and Lily liked it, too.
When Remus was four a tragic event changed his life dramatically. His parents took him for a camping trip to the Italian Alps over Easter while the older children were at Hogwarts or working. Young Richard had become an Auror and was on duty over the holidays, Samantha was out on a vacation with her latest boyfriend, Roxanne and Julia were still at Hogwarts.
It happened in the last night, when little Remus somehow managed to leave the protected campground and snuck out to take a little walk in the nearby forest. Half the campers on the campground joined his parents in the search for him as soon as they noticed his absence. They all froze, when they saw Remus being attacked by a wolf. Two of the wizards who were in the group quickly cast a spell to kill the wolf, but Remus had already been mauled. The dead wolf shifted back to a human and in that moment everyone present knew that Remus had been bitten by a werewolf.
So there's something that didn't change, thought Harry and felt his heart reaching out to the little boy, who bore this affliction with so much grace into adulthood and through all the tribulations in his life.
The little boy survived, but the whole world around him seemed to have changed. A beast raged inside of him, causing him to become a mixture between a human being and an animal. He quickly noticed that his senses were sharpened. He would often cry out at noises, which were much louder to his ears than to anyone else's. He had to adjust to olfactory senses ten times stronger than those of a human. His eyes changed subtly, anyone who looked into them closer could notice them turning to a much lighter brown, with a golden undertone.
There were of course legal consequences. Remus had to be registered as a werewolf. He had to be brought into the Registry at regular intervals and he was taught what it meant to be a werewolf. It took him only about a month to realise that everyone he met and knew about his condition treated him with distrust and sometimes open hostility. He cried a lot in those weeks and when he transformed for the first time it was the most traumatic experience in his life after the bite. Up until the bite there had been nothing but love and sunshine in his life. After the bite he felt like he had been dropped into a dark hole.
And Harry saw what he went through. He could hardly watch how the wolf in Remus came out and nearly tore himself to pieces.
But everyone in his family continued loving him; if possible they all became more protective of the little werewolf. He was their 'cub' and they wouldn't let him be miserable when he couldn't go to a regular school. Venetia taught him at home and whatever she taught him he sucked up.
And both parents decided that their beloved child needed siblings closer to his own age. Two years after Remus' bite they had another son, whom they named Rupert. Remus was happy to have a little brother to pamper. He turned out to be a very protective older brother and watched out for Rupert as well as he could.
"Mum, Rupert's awake," he'd call, "Can I take him out of the cradle?"
He was allowed to do many little things with the baby and it helped him over the distress of having to stay at home most of the time.
Rupert was almost two when another baby arrived. It was yet another son who was named Rowland. Venetia smiled when she looked at the baby and asked Richard:
"Well, are you happy now? The males win out in this household - at least in terms of head count!"
Richard only laughed. He loved his daughters deeply, but he had a lot of fun with his little sons. He was quite glad that in the meantime all four of his older children were standing on their own feet. He himself had done quite well at the Ministry and fortunately the fact that he had a lycanthropic son had not hindered his career there. He was now the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and earned a very good salary.
Remus grew up. He was a curious child who read an awful lot and his favourite outings were to the nearest Muggle library to get more books. He had a fairly well sized library of his own already, mostly magical, but he loved to read everything he could lay his eyes on. This pleased Venetia who took good care of Remus. She was there in the mornings after his transformations to free him from his cellar prison as soon as the moon had set. She healed him and learned everything there was to know about werewolves in the course of the first few years her son was one. She had found a lot of tricks to heal what wounds remained after the moon set. She learned that most of his wounds would heal within an hour after moonset, but the worst ones needed to be healed magically. Remus looked frail and his growth had been held up because of his transformations. They proved simply too much for him to grow regularly. But he was never ill. Apart from the transformations he was as healthy as any boy could be. And he was a very crafty little one. There was quite a lot of mischief in him, which was usually poured over his big sisters.
While Sam took that in stride, Roxanne and Julia paid Remus back in pranks. Remus adored them, because they wouldn't treat him like an invalid.
"Bet you anything, he'll be in Gryffindor!" Julia said one Sunday morning at the breakfast the family liked to share when Remus was nine.
There was abrupt silence around the table. Julia looked up, saw the sad expression on her parents' faces and asked:
"Did I say something wrong?"
Remus looked down on his plate stoically, saying nothing, but Julia detected a few tears on his cheeks.
"What?" she asked again and stroked Remus' cheek.
"Remus won't be able to go to Hogwarts..." Richard finally said in a small voice.
"What? Why not? He's a magical child! Just because he's a werewolf? Is that the reason?"
Venetia nodded sadly.
"We've inquired carefully with the Registry and the school governors. The Registry sees no reason why he should not go, the school governors don't really see one either, especially with his spotless record, but when we asked Dippet we were practically thrown out of his office," Richard explained, "and it's Dippet who decides."
"Oh no! I'm so sorry, Remus! I didn't know that! I can't believe that anyone can be so mean to you. You're only a child!"
"We've tried to reason, that he can be detained during the full moons, but he belongs to the sort of people who are more than prejudiced. If it were for him he'd not even let Muggle-born children into the school and he barely tolerates half-bloods," Venetia said.
Her voice sounded pressed. She was still seething from the conversation they had with the headmaster. She had told him what she thought of him in the end and that was not nice.
Their inquiries at Beauxbatons had been just as fruitless. No school wanted to take a werewolf, no matter how spotless his record was. Remus had fallen into a depression upon learning that he was not allowed to go to any magical school. He would be allowed training at home but it was nowhere near the kind of education his parents wished for him to have.
Then he turned eleven and barely two months after his birthday Armando Dippet died suddenly of old age. The school governors and the Wizengamot appointed Deputy Headmaster Albus Dumbledore to be Dippet's successor. Dumbledore found a replacement for his Transfigurations classes in an old friend and former student, Minerva McGonagall. Minerva also took on the Deputy Headmistress' job and the head of Gryffindor, both of which Albus vacated as well.
One of his first tasks was taking out the Hogwarts Book of Names, where the enchanted quill noted all births of magical children and looking for children who were supposed to start their Hogwarts education the next year, because he knew that there was at least one who had not received a letter yet. He had tried to reason with Dippet on Remus' behalf, but his superior would have none of it. Albus sighed and had Minerva prepare the letter to the boy.
"But Albus! The boy is a werewolf!" she said.
"And so?"
"It's not that I would deny the child an education, but think of the other children! Think of the parents of the other children! I'm sure that many parents would take their children out of the school if they knew that we admitted such a creature."
"That is why we will keep it a secret. - Minerva, I already have an idea of how to keep the castle, the children and the staff safe when Remus Lupin has to transform. I plan to meet the young man personally before I give him the letter. I've met his parents before, they're wonderful people and I know they have been extremely distressed by the fact that Armando did not want to accept their son to school. Besides, they had talked to the Registry and the School Governors before and neither institution was opposing the idea. It was really only Dippet. If Remus is anything like his four older siblings he'll be a very good student, Minerva."
"Oh. Alright. If you have ideas about that, then I'm fine with it, Albus. What house were his older siblings? Have they left already, I don't know of any student by the name of Lupin..."
"Yes, they are considerably older. There is a twelve year gap between Remus and his older sister. The oldest son was a Hufflepuff, one daughter was in Ravenclaw and the two younger daughters were Gryffindors. And there are two more boys after Remus."
Minerva smiled.
"Anything possible then."
"Definitely anything. If you would hand me the boy's letter when you are done with it, then I will talk to Richard Lupin first before giving it to Remus."
"Certainly, Albus! Richard Lupin as in the head of the DMLE?"
"Precisely."
"Ah. I'll have the letter ready for you in a few minutes…"
In the afternoon of a cold grey winter day Albus Dumbledore left his office, an admittance letter for Remus Lupin in his pocket, to have a short conversation with Richard Lupin. He was welcomed at the Department by Richard's secretary who told him, that the Head of the Department was not available.
"I can wait for a while, Rhiannon. Do I remember you as a Hufflepuff student who left Hogwarts, let me see, if I remember this right... 1958, is that right?"
"That's right, Professor. - I will see, what I can do, but Mr. Lupin is in a team meeting at the moment. It could take another hour or so."
"Then be so kind and ask him to give me ten minutes only. It is about his son Remus."
"Okay."
The secretary got up after asking Albus to take a seat. She went to the conference room and interrupted the meeting to ask Richard back to her office.
"It's Professor Dumbledore, sir, he says it's about your son Remus and would only take about ten minutes."
Richard's ears perked up and he said:
"We'll take a break and continue in fifteen minutes. I'll be right back!"
He followed Rhiannon back to her office and greeted Dumbledore. Being a member of the Wizengamot he knew that Dumbledore had taken over as the new Headmaster of Hogwarts.
"Professor! How nice to see you again!" he said and shook hands with Dumbledore.
"Richard! Surely you have left Hogwarts long enough by now to call me Albus!"
"Fine, Albus, I'll do that gladly. Rhiannon said you wanted to see me because of Remus?"
Richard showed Albus to his office and offered him a seat. Albus pulled the letter out of his pocket, before he sat down and replied:
"Do you think your son would like to receive this letter? I had tried to argue with Dippet about accepting Remus to Hogwarts, but he would have nothing of it."
Richard sighed.
"We tried everything, Albus, but he wouldn't budge. Remus has accepted not to go to Hogwarts, but he's still very depressed about it. He's a very talented boy and I'm quite sure he'd make a good student. He has a solid mind in that little head of his and loves to learn. And I have the suspicion that there is quite a lot of magical power inside of him as well."
"I am quite sure he will take the chance then. So, if you would like to warn your wife I would like to pay her and young Remus a visit."
"Now?"
"Now."
"Good. Let me give her a fire call then."
That done, Albus apparated to the Lupins' house directly from the Ministry. He knocked on the door, which was opened after a moment by a little boy who looked barely older than eight to Albus.
"Hello!" the boy said.
"Good afternoon, young master. My name is Albus Dumbledore and I'd like to have a word with your mother. Would you call her?"
"Please come in! I'll call her right away."
The boy opened the door wider and let Dumbledore in.
'Very polite child,' Albus thought and wondered if that was Remus or possibly one of his younger brothers.
Venetia turned up immediately and welcomed him, leading him to the family room.
"It's such a cold day, would you join us for tea, Professor?"
"Thank you, Venetia, I would not turn down a cup! And please, call me Albus."
"I'll be right back with the tea, Albus!"
Venetia went to the kitchen, put a tray with biscuits and five cups together and added a pot of tea. Then she went back to the family room and called for Remus, Rupert and Rowland.
"Remus, come inside here for tea, please!"
The boy came back into the family room, his two little brothers in tow, looking a bit shy and sat down on an armchair next to his mother. He looked at the visitor out of the corner of his eyes.
"No need to be shy, Remus, this is Professor Albus Dumbledore. Albus, this is Remus."
"I am pleased to meet you, young Mr. Lupin. I have come to see you."
"Are you the same Professor Dumbledore who was my siblings' Transfigurations teacher?" Remus asked with interest and added: "Sir?"
Dumbledore smiled and confirmed that.
"That is precisely who I am."
"Oh," was all Remus could reply.
He took the cup from his mother who added a chocolate biscuit and then his face wasn't seen for a while. He looked down on his cup and nibbled on the biscuit.
"Hogwarts is a bit of a sad subject in front of Remus. You probably know why, Albus."
"Yes, I do know why. But never give up hope, Remus, because as I said, I came to see you. Look, what I have for you here! It might be the remedy to your heartache."
Remus looked up, just in time to see the Professor pull a letter from his robes, which he handed over to the boy. Venetia caught his cup in time before it shattered on the floor and placed it on the table. Remus stared at the letter, then he looked up to Dumbledore and asked, just to make sure:
"Is that letter really for me?"
"Yes, as far as I know it has your name on the envelope. You should open it, Remus."
Remus stared at the envelope for a moment longer. Mr. R.J. Lupin, Cub's Den, Halford House, Wales. His name, his address, even the nickname of his room. He smiled, but it quickly vanished as he opened the letter with trembling hands. Both adults watched him, his mother with baited breath. He carefully put the envelope on the table and unfolded the letter. Then he began to read. His face brightened immediately and by the time he turned to the second sheet he was beaming.
"Is that really true?" he whispered.
"Yes, Remus, that is really true. I can see that this means a lot to you?"
Remus nodded.
"Now, I take it that you would like to come to Hogwarts, would you not?"
Another nod. Eager this time.
"Very well. Then we will have to think of something to keep you and your fellow students as well as the staff safe on the nights of the full moon. I am sure I will come up with something that will serve all concerned parties."
Remus finally looked up again and asked shakily:
"Will the others know that I'm a werewolf?"
"No. Only the staff will know and whoever you want to entrust with your secret. All else will not know."
Remus sighed, relieved.
After a nice conversation with Venetia Dumbledore took his leave. He returned to Hogwarts and called Poppy Pomfrey, the school's nurse to his office and explained her about Remus and what she would have to do for the boy once he started his schooling the next year.
"I suggest you contact Venetia Lupin and learn what she does for her son. I hear there is quite a lot he needs after a transformation. It would be nice if you met them before he comes to school."
"Oh, that poor child! Yes, I'll owl her and then we'll go from there."
The first owl was followed by a meeting of the two ladies. One of her daughters watched over the three boys so Venetia could go to Hogwarts and talk with Poppy. The two ladies found common grounds immediately and a friendship was formed almost on the spot. Poppy promised to come and meet Remus after the next full moon night.
Remus was in seventh heaven of happiness. Dumbledore had noticed right away that getting a chance for an education meant the world to him. The boy had glowed of happiness when he got the letter. When he was shown what had been planned for his transformations he accepted everything with only a few small questions and then he couldn't wait to go to Hogwarts.
Harry was drawn to find Sirius, who was in line for his Hogwarts letter as well. He watched as the primly dressed boy sat studying in the library at Grimmauld Place, something he wouldn't have believed from his Godfather's usual exuberant character, but here he sat, demurely, as he did every day studying with his specially assigned tutor and alongside his younger brother Regulus. Harry had been back and forth with all Marauders and Lily over the years and he knew that the prim look Sirius presented hid much of what his parents did to him. He wasn't always this docile; usually he did what he pleased. But whenever his mother caught him she punished him most severely.
In spite of the different treatment his brother got from his parents Sirius liked Regulus, who was only a year younger than himself. They were often left to themselves and played together. Those were the occasions when Uncle Alphard made his appearances, and he gave them what their parents didn't, affection and an idea of love. As he didn't 'tell' but 'showed' them they took it from him and believed his example much more than their parents, even Regulus who otherwise didn't oppose his parents nearly as much as Sirius did. Sirius didn't hold it against his brother. He couldn't wait for his Hogwarts letter to arrive and when it came Sirius started to think of the freedom he'd have at the school. He secretly plotted to go anywhere but Slytherin, just to be free of his parents' influence. He'd studied the school's bylaws and rules intensively, so he knew what he could expect if he was able to avoid Slytherin House.
His mother had to take him to Diagon Alley to get his wand. The family's preferred magical tailor was called to the house to fit his robes. Sirius was glad that it wasn't trimmed in green even though his mother had commanded it. The rest of the equipment was bought by the house-elves.
Harry moved to his mother's place to see how she reacted to the confirmation of her special abilities. When the letter came to her it was in the Muggle post and was swiftly followed by a visit from Professor McGonagall, who informed the family what it meant to have a magical child.
"I always knew you were a freak! You did all you did with that unnaturalness! That's why no one ever liked me once they knew you! I hate you!" screamed Petunia before she ran from the room, leaving perplexed parents, an embarrassed Professor and a much less concerned sister behind.
Marie Rose got up and excused herself.
"Please, keep telling my husband what you need to say, I would not want to hold you up longer than necessary, Professor. I'll go and talk with my older daughter."
Minerva nodded and started to explain to Lily and her father what that letter was all about. Lily looked up to her father and admitted:
"I knew – but I never did believe what Severus said, Dad… he said he was one himself, but he didn't want to prove it. So I kept thinking he was just telling me nonsense and that's why I never told you or Mum."
"That's alright, Lily. It doesn't matter now, does it? Question is: do you want to pursue that education?"
"I think so – it seems pretty special to me! What would happen if I said no, Professor?"
"You would be obliviated, which means that all of the things you already know about your magic would be removed from your memory and your magic would be bound. But to be honest the only two cases I've had who did that willingly didn't live to adulthood! Magic is an incredibly strong force and my personal experience is that it's strongest in those born to families with no magic at all! You are bound to be much more powerful than many purebloods who have weakened their own physique and their magic by marrying too close relatives. Inbreeding is the certain path to weakening the magic in a family. I never recommend declining the invitation after having seen those two children struggle. Out of personal interest I kept tabs on them and it was horrible to witness. But it was their parents' decision. I do, however, recommend letting the children decide themselves."
Frederick Evans was shocked. He did feel a bit pressured, but he certainly didn't want to lose his beloved little girl before she was an adult! Lily had always been headstrong and she usually had good sense, so he replied:
"Yes, I think that's the sensible thing to do. I don't want to lose you, Lily; I really couldn't hold that over your head…"
"I'll do it, Dad! I can still do some subjects for O-levels, what do you think, Professor? I wanted to study at the university one day, so I would like to achieve something equivalent to your education in the ordinary school…"
Minerva was impressed by the quick-mindedness of this girl. Lily sounded very mature for her age. She explained the classes Lily would be taught at Hogwarts and told her that she would have to study the Muggle subjects on her own, though she could offer some assistance with her English and history courses. Frederick said:
"If you're serious about doing the course on your own you can always go to a summer school course to assist you."
"I'll see how it goes, dad. So, what's to do now for us?"
"Shopping, little miss! You'll need to be shown the magical shopping district in London and you can also attend a more general orientation seminar there. It will be held at Diagon Alley in the second half of August next year and I'll send you an invitation, which will help you to get into the Alley on your own. Now, there are important things I need to tell you – there is a reason why you have never before heard of the magical community in this country. There is the so-called Statute of Secrecy, which has been agreed on by the magical and Muggle communities in 1692, followed by the installation of the Ministry of Magic in 1700. The Ministry governs all aspects of our lives, from police to finance, and its largest department right after the police, which we call the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is still the department concerned with maintaining that statute. If you wish to get more information I have here a list of publications you might want to peruse for your personal interest. I do recommend to have a look around the bookshop when you visit the Alley for the first time and take home what informational publications you wish and maybe to subscribe to at least one magical newspaper. There are several for you to choose from and you can get information about them at the bookshop. You might also wish to read up on wizarding customs and traditions. Finally, I have to tell you that you have to keep all such publications out of the view of your non-magical visitors. You may, of course, inform your nearest family, i.e. the grand-parents of your child and your immediate siblings if you wish to do that, but it is in your responsibility to maintain that they do not talk about it to third parties. We usually recommend telling your friends and family that your daughter is at a prestigious school for the gifted somewhere in Scotland. Hogwarts, by the way, is actually situated in Scotland. The castle sits on a cliff above the Loch Achray, north of Glasgow."
Harry followed Professor McGonagall's explanations with rapt interest. He naturally compared this visit with Hagrid's gruff explanations of the barest minimum and an added 'I'm not really the right person to tell you this…' and thought that he had been cheated out of most of the information he needed for an informed decision on almost every step of his life since discovering he was a wizard.
While Harry followed the different receptions of the Hogwarts letters amongst the Marauders and Lily he also read over the shoulders of the wizards what the newspaper reported of the Death Eater activities throughout the time he was still non-existent as a person. The first time he found the term 'Death Eaters' mentioned was around 1967, when someone mentioned them in an article about a horrible attack on the house of a Muggle-born wizard and his family. The wizard had done quite well for himself and enjoyed new wealth from a good business. Harry thought that he must have been a thorn in the eye of one of the upper echelons of the Death Eater society, maybe he treaded in the territory of one of the less successful ones, so they naturally got him out of the way first. It was mentioned that they branded the wife, who was a pure-blooded witch, as a 'blood traitor' who needed to be punished for lowering herself to marrying a Mudblood.
Harry knew that from then on he'd read more and more articles about these attacks. The terms 'Death Eater' and 'blood traitor' quickly vanished from the papers again though; obviously even the Daily Prophet reporters were too frightened to use them anymore. He did read the name Voldemort once or twice before it was replaced with the ominous You-Know-Who. He wondered if he would be able to influence his parents while they were growing up, so far he had never even tried, but that thought was nixed in his head by his death preventer quite strictly. Not only he couldn't, he was forbidden to do anything, he was to be a strict observer.
'Okay, okay, but I'm afraid that…"
'No need to be afraid, young man, remember that I told you that Fate herself has taken possession of Dumbledore's head? He'll have a completely different mind-set this time around!'
'Oh! Completely went out of my head, sorry!'
'It doesn't matter, young Harry, it's already been a few years, anyone who had to pick up this mass of information as a spirit is allowed to forget the odd thing.'
It was the first time that Harry was contacted by his DP. He wasn't too unhappy about it, for over ten years he had no one to talk to, only himself. He didn't even know if he would be able to form words earlier than he would have in his past life. After all, he hadn't used his vocal cords and his mouth for many years.
On the other hand he now was aware that he had already 'floated' around for many years and had never noticed how quick that time had passed. He just took a deep breath and thought that he didn't really mind. In truth time seemed to pass him by as if he lived in fast motion. He took in individual events but never really thought of the time that passed. Very soon he found himself watching his Dad at eleven years of age jumping up and down with the Hogwarts letter in his hands.
"It's there, it's there, it's finally there, Mum, Dad! I've got my Hogwarts letter!" James screamed at the top of his lungs, running around the big manor house excitedly. Even the two house-elves laughed and danced with him as he passed through the kitchen. He showed them the letter, too! Everyone had of course known that this letter would reach James on his eleventh birthday, but like most other magical children in magical households it was still something special to receive the letter.
All of the children had now received their letters, but Harry was moved most by the way Remus had reacted. This child had everything a child could want, but he had been humbled through his horrible affliction and was always well-mannered and modest. His obvious reverence of that letter and what it meant to him was clearly visible. He had also been touched when he saw how Peter took hold of his letter. The boy held it up and wondered aloud if he really did have any magical ability at all! He had been regarded as a near squib. He obviously scratched together just enough magical power to receive a Hogwarts letter, but Harry wondered if he wasn't much stronger than he believed to be.
He loved to see the excitement in the children when they finally went shopping for their school materials, especially Lily, who was almost dancing through the Leaky Cauldron. Minerva had sent her invitation to the orientation as promised and Marie Rose showed the letter to the barkeeper Tom, who smiled brightly at the excited young witch.
"Yes, I will let you through to the Alley, just walk down the main alley to the first split to the left, it's the third entrance on the right hand side of that street. You'll be welcomed there, Mrs Evans."
"Thank you very much. This is all so foreign to me…"
"Not for a long time, I assure you. Just let your daughter tell you all about her life here and you'll stay tuned."
"Thank you very much…"
"Tom – just Tom. Here we are. This looks very shabby, but we do have the odd Muggle passing through here who isn't aware of our world and they will soon leave if they find themselves in this horrid little backyard."
"I can see your reason."
"Now watch me, little Miss, next time you can do this with your own wand. Though if you've forgotten how just tell one of us at the bar, we'll be happy to help you."
Mother and daughter stood with open mouths as the Alley was opened to them. They smiled at Tom and thanked him kindly. He reminded them to the way to the orientation and they set off, seeing more than one other family on their way there.
Harry observed the orientation closely, because he was curious as to how this was panned out. He found that as usual there were loads of things the wizards never understood properly about the Muggles, but overall it gave the future Hogwarts students and their parents a good overview over the magical government, the shopping areas, Hogwarts as a school in general, the subjects taught at Hogwarts, the legal consequences and many other aspects. Harry had never learned (except for the hard way in some cases) about any of those things. He had always assumed that Hermione knew due to her excessive reading, but now he understood that she had the benefit of this seminar, where she already heard the basics of what she later read up.
Not only did the lecturers, in this case one member of the Wizarding Education Authority, one member of the legal department at the DMLE from the Ministry, and Minerva as well as one of the school governors from Hogwarts, pass essential and diverse information verbally, but they also handed parchment lists of extra reading material, which would help integrating the newly minted witches and wizards into the magical world. The consequences should a child not wish to go to Hogwarts were also shown. It was understandable that out of this batch of parents none wanted to have anyone play with their minds!
After the official orientation was over the different Ministry and Hogwarts representatives split the families amongst them to take them on the shopping trip to be able to spread a bit wider across the alley after they were all shown the procedures at Gringotts. Harry naturally followed his mum, who was bouncing on her feet of excitement. Her parents had gladly signed her up for school. Harry could clearly see that his grandparents really seemed to dote on their lovely, bright daughter and in a way he could understand Petunia resenting her sister to the point she did. He still thought that this didn't give her the right to treat himself as she had done.
The rest of the day was filled with all the shopping and by the time they got home, Lily could hardly stand upright anymore. Harry watched sadly how Petunia sneered and put down all the things that had been bought to equip her younger sister. Lily was too tired to protest; she simply put her new school trunk in her room with all her new belongings inside and went straight to bed. Petunia on the other hand soon joined her parents at dinner and asked grumpily:
"And just how much did you spend on her this time?"
"Petunia! We bought what was on her list of supplies and a few extra books. That was all. How about I take you shopping next weekend?" her mother said.
"Without Lily?"
"Only you, sweetie."
"Okay."
Harry closed is eyes - or he would have, if he'd had a body. He thought his aunt was already a penny-pincher when she was 15! In later years she'd never spent a penny too much unless the result of the spending could be seen by the neighbours and other visitors and of course she never saved on all the stuff she bought for Dudley. Harry often thought he'd never have begrudged Dudley all his gifts as strongly if she hadn't taken every opportunity to tell him that freaks didn't get any presents and never deserved any. How would little Harry have been able to understand what he'd done to deny him every attention, love or little gift?
He didn't want to think back, but forward. He wondered where he would see things start diverging from the original path and whether at all he would be able to even recognise them. He mused about what his DP had said about Fate setting herself inside Dumbledore's brain to influence his actions. That should be fun, he thought!