Another Disclaimer: Nope, in case you're wondering, I still don't own Harry Potter, and never will!
Chapter Nine: Homecoming
Lily sighed and put the book she was reading down on the small mahogany table in the cozy confines of the Library at Potter Manor. She normally loved reading and re-reading Tales of Beadle the Bard, ever since James had introduced her to it in Seventh Year, but today, she just couldn't get into it. Her mind drifted more than once to the pitiable state of her sister, and where she could possibly be. The Auror Office had been busy day and night trying to track down the whereabouts of Petunia Dursley, but to no avail. Where could Petunia possible be, that magic could not trace her? Then a thought entered Lily's mind not for the first time. What if Petunia had killed herself?
The house was uncommonly quiet, as the children were all at school. But suddenly, Lily heard the flames erupting in the fireplace and jumped up, her wand at ready. But it was only James, his hair more messed up than usual, and a tired expression on his face. But his eyes had an excited look on his face, and as soon as his feet touched the Library carpet, he bounded across the room in three long strides and swept Lily up in a big hug.
"I've found her—we've found her!" James exclaimed, swinging Lily around in happy circles while she laughed.
"Wh—what?" Lily finally managed to say, "James, what are you talking about?" She dared not hope what was running through her mind, lest she should be disappointed.
"Petunia—you're sister; Lills, we traced her!" James exclaimed again, laughing. "It was Shacklebolt who did it. We couldn't have done it without him!"
But Lily hadn't heard anything past, "we traced her" and joy was running through her veins, sending a warm feeling into her body as butter beer often did on a cold day.
"How?" she finally managed to whisper.
"These past two months, we were only searching Britain, but never had we thought to run a scan through another country! Shacklebolt, you know Kingsley Shacklebolt, two years our junior? He recently switched to the Auror Office from the International Magical Relations department. Anyway, when our search was proving futile, Sirius recommended Shacklebolt, who was becoming quite efficient in his job though he was only amongst us for the past year. Shacklebolt suggested we search in other countries, as Petunia could have easily gone there as well. Sirius and I were ready to bash our heads against the wall. How could we have forgotten to do something so crucial?" Here, James took a breath.
"Well?" Lily prompted, excitement written all over her face.
"Well, we did a scan on all the countries, but nothing came up, until we reached the United States. Lillikins," said James, using Lily's hated nickname, "You sister is currently residing in New York."
"New York," whispered Lily, "Tuney always wanted to go to New York; her childhood friend Dana Thomas moved there after getting married."
"Kingsley Shacklebolt's definitely getting a promotion; he's really a very efficient worker. I'm certainly going to consider him as a replacement for my position if I ever become Head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement," said James, calming down now that he had said everything he needed to.
"What are we going to do now?" asked Lily, weak from all the worry and anxiety she had gone through the past two months, but also glowing from peace of mind.
"We can apparate right now and bring her back from the confines of New York," said James lightly.
"Yes, but can we apparate to another country?" asked Lily, furrowing her brow. Now that she knew Petunia's location, she did not want to waste a minute in bringing her back.
"Course we can, if either of us can concentrate on the exact spot of our destination, but one problem. I've never been to New York, so I don't know any exact spots," James said.
"I went to New York once with my family during the summer in 3rd year. I remember Central Park very well," replied Lily.
"Is it a very crowded place? It wouldn't be good if someone spotted us apparating," stated James.
"Er…yes," said Lily, nodding her head, "It's a very popular spot for people to hang out."
"No problem," said James, "We'll just take the invisibility cloak."
Five minutes later, after James had retrieved his invisibility cloak from the office and draped it around his and Lily's forms, Lily held his hand as she focused clearly on Central Park as she remembered it. In a few seconds, she felt the familiar tugging feeling of apparition, and sensed her feet leaving the ground. In another few seconds, both she and James disappeared from the Library at Potter Manor in England.
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Lily and James came down hard on the cement ground, their bodies becoming sore but otherwise fine. Standing up gingerly and making sure no one else was around, James slipped the cloak off of themselves and tucked it into his pocket.
"I guess apparating to another country is a tad harder than apparating locally," he said, helping Lily to her feet.
"You don't say?" Lily asked sarcastically. Then, casting the direction spell (precul indicium!) secretly, lest the muggles should see, she said, "She's really far away. My wand's not responding that well to the spell. I think it might be too far to walk."
"Well then, we'll just have to use this," James said, pulling out a tiny beetle sized broomstick from his pocket. After making sure no one was watching, he reverted it back to its original size and said, "You point the way, and I'll guide this."
"I hate broomsticks," Lily muttered, but getting on nonetheless behind James. After casting an invisibility charm on the broomstick, off they went, Lily holding on tight to James and clenching her teeth in fright. They travelled far and smoothly through the hot afternoon air, taking right turns and left terns as per Lily's wand. Finally, Lily said, "Slow down, I think we might be nearing the area."
James slowed the speed of the broomstick as they entered an old apartment complex with paint peeling off the buildings, and the distinct smell of garbage in the air. Wrinkling her nose slightly, Lily said, "That one," pointing towards the dingiest apartment building of all. Indeed, Lily's wand had started glowing and vibrating furiously, indicating that they had reached their destination. Getting off the broom with relief, Lily said, "I wonder how we should approach her and convince her to come back."
"I'm sure you'll think of something," James said kindly. Lily smiled at him and put her wand back into her robes. "Oh no, I just thought of something," she said, slapping a head to her forehead.
"What?" James asked anxiously, "What's wrong?"
"We're in robes," she said.
"So?" James asked. "Oh…we're going into an apartment full of muggles, aren't we? Ah well, too late to change."
"I suppose," Lily said, not wasting another second and marching into the apartment building, with James right behind her. In the bare stained lobby, where there was one small desk for the receptionist/secretary and three chairs in the far corner of the room, a young woman no older than 18 sat behind the desk, talking loudly into her cell phone and glancing at her manicured nails every five seconds. She had on a tiny pink tank top, a very short blue skirt, tons of make-up, and blood red lipstick on.
"Yea? Uh-huh? You don't say! I can't believe the nerve of that b----!"
"Excuse me," said Lily politely, approaching the desk. The girl glanced at her disdainfully before holding up a finger to tell her to wait. Lily sighed impatiently and started tapping her foot.
"I am so going to tell her off one day! Yea, I know, and now I have to work in this totally broken-down smelly apartment from morning to night, just to pay for my dorm! Isn't that like, so unfair? .God! Ashley, I have to go right now! This totally hot guy just walked in! Bye!"
Lily turned around to see who the "hot guy" was, but no one other than her own husband was in the lobby, and she realized that this girl was talking about James! Her eyebrows narrowed and she turned back to the girl grimly.
"I need you to ring up Petunia Dursley," she said curtly. The girl, whose name was Tanya as Lily read the paper nameplate, looked at Lily sourly and asked, "Who're you?"
"Her sister," Lily replied, and then smugly, "And my husband and I have to see her."
Tanya looked even sourer when she realized that the "hot guy" had a wife, and said, "What are your names?"
"Lily and James Potter," Lily replied promptly. Sighing in annoyance, Tanya pressed a button on a weird looking machine and snapped into the speaker, "Mrs. Dursley, a Lily and James Potter are here to see you!"
"Take the elevator to the fourth floor!" she barked at them, and Lily was only too happy to oblige. Before James left for the elevators, Tanya winked at him, and he quickened his step.
"Are all muggle girls like this?" he asked Lily awkwardly, once they were in an elevator. Lily giggled, now that they were far away from Tanya and on their way to finally see Petunia.
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Petunia paced back and forth restlessly and jumped when the shrill doorbell sounded throughout the small cramped flat. The message from Tanya had been so unexpected! How had Lily found her? And in this precise building too? Well, no duh, it was probably magic. There was nothing magic could not do, and now she had to convince Lily to go back and leave her alone.
Taking as much time as possible, Petunia finally opened the door, to reveal the relieved faces of her little sister and brother-in-law.
"Tuney!" Lily squealed as if she was a little girl again, hugging Petunia tightly. "How could you disappear on me like that? Didn't you know how terribly frightened I was? About what might have happened to you? And what about Dudley and Diana? Do you know the worry you put them through?"
"Lills, you should probably give your sister some breathing space," James advised. "And continue your chatter inside?"
"Fine," Lily said, making her way into the bare flat and settling down on a moth-worn couch. Petunia closed the door behind her and said, "There's nothing to talk about. I am not going back."
"What are you talking about?" asked Lily a little angrily now. "You already established a life in England. You can't just walk out of your children's life like this, out of my life, especially when we have so many years to catch up on? Think sensibly Petunia; you have friends there, family, how can you just leave everything and settle here, in this out of the way place?"
"Yeah, friends who are back-stabbers," Petunia replied darkly, "I can very well do without them, thank you."
"Not everyone's like Yvonne, Tuney," Lily whispered comfortingly, placing an arm around Petunia's shoulders. James looked on uncomfortably, and realizing that this was a time for his wife and sister-in-law to be alone, said, "I'll go make some coffee," and went into the kitchen. After he left the room, Lily turned to Petunia.
"You must come back with us Tuney," Lily whispered, a tear sliding down her cheek, "We promise, we'll get Duncan and Delilah back."
"I like my life here," said Petunia curtly, not quite meeting Lily's eyes as she said this. "Everyone's friendly, and I'm away from anything that might remind me of my old life."
"But you have no one here you could call your own!" Lily protested, "If you come back with us, we'll make sure that Bastard pays for what he did to you!"
"I don't care about him anymore!" Petunia replied darkly, "I just want to escape it all, don't you understand? I want to start another life in a completely different place." Petunia sat down primly on the hard wooden chair across from Lily "You wasted your time coming here, Lily, because I am not going back, and nothing you say will convince me."
"What about Duncan and Delilah?" Lily asked softly, "Are you just going to let them live the rest of their lives with—with that woman who calls herself their mother?"
"She is their mother," replied Petunia solemnly, "As Vernon 'oh so nicely' told me."
"No," said Lily fiercely, "You're their mother, Petunia. You may not have given birth to them, but you brought up those poor darlings from their infancy, as if they were your children! Imagine the state those poor children are in: confused, scared, and unhappy!"
"What can I do about that?" Petunia burst out helplessly, "I am not their mother by blood; how in the world can I get them back?"
"We'll get them back, as I've said many times already," Lily said kindly, "Now stop fussing and come back."
"I can't—oh, I can't!" Petunia broke down crying. Lily felt tears prick her eyes as well, and had a sudden urge to hunt down Vernon Dursley before giving him a slow and painful death. How could he put her sister through so much?
"You can stay with us, where everyone will love you," Lily murmured. "You can rebuild a new life for yourself, without that bastard in it. James and I will work as hard as we can and get Duncan and Delilah back, if that's what you want."
"I do," said Petunia mournfully. "They're not my children by blood, but…I love them as if they were. I brought them up. But—how would I get them back legally?"
"We'll do it, I promise," said Lily; then with a mischievous smile, "If nothing else works, we'll confound the jury and the judge, alright?"
Petunia smiled a little at this. "I don't know…I don't want to impose. You already have six children living with you."
"Oh hosh-posh!" Lily said, standing up, "You won't impose at all, but—if you really feel that way, we can find you a good job and get you a comfortable home not far away from us, but until then, you'll stay with us!"
"I guess," said Petunia slowly, "But I still think I should just stay here, and—"
"No buts!" Lily protested, pulling Petunia to her feet. "Now—let's have you packed up." With a flick of her wand, Lily had all of Petunia's clothing and the few belongings she had brought with her packed into her two suitcases. With another flick of her wand, the suitcases turned beetle sized and Lily handed them to Petunia. "Put these into your pocket."
"James dear, how about that coffee now?" Lily called out, walking into the kitchen. Petunia followed her somewhat uncertainly.
The kitchen was filled with the delicious aroma of coffee and cinnamon rolls, and Lily and Petunia breathed in the delectable smell.
"Where'd you get those?" asked Lily, pointing at the cinnamon rolls. James smiled sheepishly and said, "Well, uh—I"
"James, what did you do?" asked Lily, hands on her hips.
"Well—I—uh, kind of…levitated them out of the bakery across the streets," James finished, biting his lip. Lily's eyes narrowed. "You stole them?"
"No, of course not!" James protested, looking offended. "I of course levitated some muggle money back; though the clerk did look very confused and surprised when he found cash on his counter."
Petunia could not hold her smile while Lily shook her head exasperatedly, getting ready to give James a big lecture. "What if someone had seen the rolls and money flying in the air?" she asked him.
"They wouldn't have," said James.
"How are you so sure?" Lily asked, her eyes narrowed.
"Trust me," he replied confidently.
"How did you two arrive here?" Petunia asked, interrupting their conversation.
"Long story," said Lily, "Now come one, let's quickly finish these so that we can leave."
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That evening, Lily used floo powder to apparate to Albus Dumbledore's office. He looked quite surprised to see her at Hogwarts, but was pleased nonetheless.
"Albus, I found you the perfect candidate for Muggle Studies professor," Lily stated.
"That's good news indeed," replied Dumbledore after Lily had seated herself in his office. "The Ministry has been sending me a number of owls telling me that I must find a professor in one week, or else they would have to choose. I myself am not particularly fond of the Ministry's choices for professors, but the stand-in MS professor is getting impatient to leave. May I inquire as to the identity of this person?"
"My sister, Petunia Dursley," replied Lily.
"Ah, so you have found her, I presume?" asked Professor Dumbledore.
"Yes," said Lily with a grin, "Just this afternoon. Mr. Shacklebolt in James's office did actually."
"That's good news indeed; I'm happy for you," said Dumbledore, "But Lily, I am sorry to say that I cannot accept a muggle at Hogwarts. For one thing, she will not be able to find or see Hogwarts, and for the other, she won't know any magic, which is quite necessary here, as you know."
"I know, but can't you tweak the rules a little for Petunia, please? One doesn't need to know magic to be a Muggle Studies Professor," Lily pleaded.
"It is completely out of my control Lily. I cannot do something the ministry deems wrong, as you very well know. Cornelius Fudge is just looking for a reason to get me out of Hogwarts, and I cannot let that happen. If he finds out I'm going to hire a muggle for a professor, he won't hesitate," replied Dumbledore with a sympathetic look on his face.
Lily sighed and stood up. "I understand. Well, I should be going; the children are waiting for me to read them a bed time story."
"Well, maybe we can adjust the rules a little," Dumbledore called out as Lily neared the fireplace, "Though, I must say it is a high risk."
Lily turned around with a grin, but then stopped. "But I don't want you to risk your position. I'd rather you as a Headmaster than Petunia as a MS professor."
"I'm touched," Dumbledore said with a smile, "But, I'm sure with a little promise of secrecy from the staff and a tweaking of the rules, we can pull this off."
"Thank you, Albus," said Lily sincerely.
"You are very welcome," said Dumbledore, "However, some things will have to be changed. You sister will have to undergo an appearance alteration, and her last name will also have to be changed, so that she can pose as a relative of your husband's. No one must know she is muggle, except a select number of staff members I will personally tell."
"Sure," agreed Lily, "What shall her new name be? And I'll personally see to the appearance change."
"Is not James's mother's maiden name Birmingham? How about Victoria Birmingham?" suggested Dumbledore. Lily looked at him as if he was crazy.
"Petunia—a Victoria?" she asked, aghast?
Dumbledore chuckled. "You know your sister more than I, so you choose the name."
"Hmm…how about Jane Birmingham?" said Lily. Dumbledore nodded.
"It's only a name; I have no problem with that. Now—" said Dumbledore, and with a flick of his wand, another wand materialized on his desk. "—This shall be 'Professor Birmingham's' wand, but it is not a real one. At the most, it will shoot sparks whenever she waves it to 'show' others her 'magical' abilities'. And this—" Dumbledore opened his desk and took out a thick book with a roll of parchment, "—is what she'll need to know by next Monday. Wish her good luck for me, and tell her I expect her here on Sunday evening to adjust to her living quarters."
"Thank you Albus," said Lily, before gathering the items and flooing out of his office.
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A peek into the next chapter…
"I would like to introduce Professor Jane Birmingham, the new Muggle Studies Professor. Please welcome her by giving a round of applause," said Professor Dumbledore.
"Mum, I'm so glad you're okay," whispered Dudley, giving his mother a big hug.
"You've got to be the youngest seeker in a century!" Ron proclaimed, his eyes wide with wonder as he stared at Harry.
"Mr. Potter! Mr. Malfoy! Detention this evening, 5:00; meet me promptly at my office," Professor McGonagall said, looking annoyed at the two
A.N. (I hope you liked this chapter; I tried to put a bit of humor into it, but let me know if my humor sucks and if I should just stick to being serious! Also, tell me if I'm dragging the story and it's becoming boring, and if you would like to see Harry and Dudley's first year over quick so that I can move on. Any advice is completely welcome! Please please please review!!!! And thanks a bunch for allllll the kind reviews I got in my previous chapter!! They really do make my day; I'm not lying! )