Author's notes:
Standard disclaimer: It all belongs to JKR. Except where I might use some song lyrics which I will call out at the time and give proper credit. Thank you JKR for letting us play with your toys.
Sadly, a split chapter
HARRY POTTER AND THE MUGGLE'S DAUGHTER
Fragile Illusions
Part I
HPHPHP
A month after leaving the tender care of his aunt and uncle Harry's life was more wonderful than he could ever have dreamed. He'd learned many things since that day.
His parents and their friends had been fighters in a war against an evil dark wizard named Lord Voldemort. He'd learned most wizards and witches were so frightened of him they called him, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. That didn't make much sense to Harry. But then he'd learned about things like Taboos; which were complicated spells that could be put on a person's name so that when someone said the name it would lead people right to them. He supposed if he knew saying the name Voldemort would bring the evil wizard right into his living room, even if the house was warded and hidden behind other enchantments, he wouldn't use the name. But he certainly wouldn't call him something stupid like He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, he'd call him something like Moldywart or Voldewart or something else equally insulting.
He'd learned about things like the Fidelius Charm; an enchantment so powerful it could hide a home right in plain sight. The barn, three cottages and a good portion of the field behind the main house were all under the Charm. Remus was the Secret Keeper for it and unless he told it to you, you could be looking right at it from less than a foot away and not only would it be impossible for you to enter, you wouldn't be able to even see it!
As powerful as the Charm was he'd learned it wasn't infallible. A friend of his parents named Peter Pettigrew had been made the Secret Keeper of his parents' home in Godric's Hallow. When Peter had betrayed his parents and told Voldemort where to find them, the dark wizard had walked right past the charm and killed Harry's father in his own parlour. Voldemort had tried to kill both his mum and him next, but his mum had performed a charm. One she had created herself! She called it the Heart's Shield. She had sacrificed her magic to create an impenetrable shield around him that would reflect Voldemort's killing curse back at him.
The sacrifice of her magic had made her less than even the least magical Squib, or Muggle. A Squib was a non-magical child born to magical parents. A Muggle was just a normal human, like his aunt, uncle or cousin. Whatever, by sacrificing her magic to protect him, his mum had essentially become immune to being affected by pretty much any magic at all. He wasn't really sure just how much he understood about it, but the Killing Curse Voldemort had struck his mum with had only appeared to kill her. What actually happened was she had been put into a coma. For seven long years she had lain unmoving in her bed with Remus tending her. She had woken only a few weeks before Remus had come and brought him to the Briar Patch.
To be certain, not everything was perfect. Kaa remained unimpressed with Remus. The feeling was most definitely mutual. Simper, his mother's house elf, also did not approve of his familiar. Also, despite the initial euphoria of having his wildest dreams realized, Harry found it difficult to trust his new situation. Sudden or unexpected movement by Remus, Simper or his mum still caused him to duck and flinch.
His mum absolutely hated that she had to either tell or ask him before touching him. In that respect even she struggled with Kaa. She was jealous of the fact that her son had greater trust with a venomous serpent than he did for his mother. Kaa had overheard her saying as much to Remus and brought that news back to him. Harry didn't know what he could do about the situation. Logically he understood why his mum was upset, but Kaa had been in his life longer than his mother. Before Remus came for him, other than dreams, the only human hands Harry could remember touching him had brought pain. Kaa had never struck him. It was Kaa, not his mother that had stopped his pain and healed him after he'd been whipped. Yes, it was getting better, but it was still Kaa, and not his mum, that he trusted implicitly. And he knew that truth caused his mum to cry herself to sleep every night he'd been there since his first.
"You ssshould go to her," Kaa said from where she lay coiled on his chest.
"I'm not two," Harry answered.
"Ssshe isss your mother. Your bond with her ssshould only be lesss than that of your mate."
"What about you?"
"My place isss my place. I know it."
"I don't see you running to your mum."
Kaa uncoiled and slid up his chest so she was looking him in the eyes. "Do not mock me, My Harry. I do not find it amusssing. Nor isss it becoming of your intelligence."
"I'm happy here."
"Ssshe needsss you. Asss much asss you need her. Even if you will not admit it."
"I'm fine."
"You are frightened."
"I'm not scared."
"No?"
"No."
"Then prove it."
"Prove what?"
"That you are not frightened."
"I am."
"Ssshe isss crying." Harry scowled. "Much like you did many nightsss while I watched over you." Harry turned away from her. "For ssso many nightsss you longed to be given what you hold and you will not ssshare it with her?" Harry refused to look at her. "I begin to quessstion my decisssion to bond with you." Harry snapped his head back to her. "Be who I know you to be."
"I'm not two. I don't need to go running to my mummy like my bloody cousin every time something goes bump in the night."
"Bravery isss not to be unafraid. It isss to be afraid but do ssso anyway. It isss not alone that you will win the battlesss you will face, my Harry. It isss with myssself and many othersss at your ssside that life isss won. Ssshe will make you ssstronger." Kaa seemed to hang her head when Harry didn't respond or make any move to do what she wanted him to. "If you will not go for yourssself, then go for her!"
"Fine!" Harry scooped her from his chest and rolled from his bed. He looped Kaa across his shoulders and quickly exited his room. He crossed the hall but paused outside his mum's door. He could hear her whimpering through it.
"Go," Kaa hissed.
Harry turned the handle and cracked the door open. "Mum?" he called softly.
"Help me, James." Harry frowned. "He's coming. Oh God, he's coming." Harry pushed the door open a bit further. A shaft of moonlight fell from the window across the room to his mum's bed. He could see her head rolling back and forth as her legs and arms thrashed about. "Remus, please help me. Please. Please! HARRY!" she shouted and bolted up in the bed. Her eyes landed on him. "Please tell me I'm awake," she whispered.
Harry nodded slightly. "You are."
She swallowed. "Did I wake you?"
Harry shook his head. "No."
They continued to watch each other. "Is there something you need?"
"I…"
Seeming to read his mind and uncannily say what he needed her to, she said, "I can't promise I won't die again, Harry."
"Ssshe would be lying if ssshe did," Kaa said.
"Can…" Harry started.
Again she took the burden of asking away from him and turned it on herself to give him what he needed. "Will you let me hold you?" she asked.
Harry nodded shakily. "I–I'd like – like that."
She pulled the covers back. "Come on then." Harry started to her but then detoured to the radiator. He reached up, pulled Kaa from his shoulders set her in front of it. "Bring her, Harry."
Harry shook his head while he stroked Kaa's. "She prefers to be by the radiator." Kaa quickly coiled herself in place and settled down.
"But she's always on your bed when I look in on you."
Harry stood. "My bed is closer to the radiator," he answered. "She actually doesn't really like being on the bed because I move about and sometimes end up kicking her."
"Oh… Should we move your bed?"
"Yes."
"She says yes."
"First thing tomorrow then, alright?" Harry nodded. "Why didn't you say something?"
"Because."
"Never be afraid to ask me anything, Harry."
"Alright."
She patted the bed. "Please?" Harry quickly crossed the room and climbed in. She pulled the covers up and spooned behind him. "Thank you, Harry." She kissed the back of his head and settled in.
"Mum?"
"Yes?"
"I'm scared."
She kissed him again. "I know."
HPHPHP
Lily Potter'd had her son back for six weeks when she learned the true meaning of the word, Rage. She had just opened the door of her room when Harry, clad only in socks and jeans had darted from the toilet to his room. At first an uncontrollable smirk had lit her face. Her son, it turned out, was exceedingly modest. Or at least that is what she had thought. But then, as he'd slipped into his room, she had seen his back. Before she had even considered what she was doing she had crossed the hall and thrown his door open with enough force that it smashed the wall and left a hole from the handle.
Harry whirled around, half in the process of pulling his jumper on. "MUM!" She started towards him. "Mum?" he asked. He backed away from her as she stalked across the room, sliding along the edge of his bureau to escape her. He turned away as her hand came up. "I'M SORRY! WHATEVER I DID I'M SORRY!" Just as Kaa slithered up Harry's leg, around his waist to his shoulders and positioned herself dangerously between them Lily stopped dead. Harry kept moving away from her curling in on himself as he compressed into a ball on the floor. "PLEASE DON'T HIT ME!" She stood over her cowering son with his discarded jumper in a pile beside him, a deadly snake between them, staring at the scars across his back and
RAGED.
Nothing. Nothing in her life prepared her for the absolute fury boiling in her veins. Her body shook. Her vision became nothing but a sea of blood and her heart pounded with the force of thunder. In the blink of an eye she had catalogued every torture known to man to visit upon her victim and conceived a thousand more that had never been thought of. And then she would kill them, ten thousand times over; each more viciously painful than the last.
Somewhere within the blood roaring in her ears she became aware of Remus, behind her, his hands gripping her arms tightly while he shook her and hissed harshly in her ear for her to snap out of it. Inside of a second everything crashing around her seemed to be sucked away into a black hole, leaving nothing but the pitiful whimper of, "Please don't hate me. Please don't hate me," coming from her son over and over. She shrugged out of Remus' grasp and knelt down.
Kaa rose to meet her. Parselmouth or not, the warning was perfectly clear and Lily held her hands up. "Please," she soothed. "I swear I'm not going to hurt him." Kaa continued to hold her eyes. "I know what it looked like. But I'm not angry with him. I'm angry at what's been done to him." Kaa subsided slightly. "Please, let me help him," Lily pleaded. Kaa slipped down to the floor where she coiled at Harry's side; allowing her to reach him but perfectly placed to strike if needed.
Ever so carefully Lily reached for Harry. "Harry," she whispered.
"Please don't hate me. Please don't hate me."
"Shushshushshush," Lily soothed. He flinched when her hands touched him.
"Please, please, please," he whimpered.
"Shushshushshush." Cautiously, exactly as she would have to shield him from the blows Vernon Dursley had rained down on him, she wrapped herself protectively around him. "I love you. I love you. I love you," she whispered. She kissed the back of his head softly. "I love you. I love you. I love you." She kissed him again and repeated her mantra. Again and again for near an hour she worked to bring him out of his trance, only stopping when his chant had long since ended.
"Why?" he choked.
"I love you. I love you. I love you."
"Why did they hate me?"
"I love you. I love you. I love you."
"Why didn't I let Kaa kill them?"
"You're better. You're better. You're better." He fell silent and she softly continued to whisper, "I love you," between kisses to the back of his head. Eventually, Kaa slithered around and coiled around his wrist. She rested her head on his hand and every so often would flick her tongue against his skin.
"I wanted to die," Harry whispered. Lily's only reply was to press another soft kiss to his head. "It hurt so bad," he eventually added. Again Lily did nothing but continue to hold him. She and Remus knew things hadn't been good for him at her sister's house, but he'd refused to talk about them and they tried not to press to hard yet. "He used a leather belt." Lily's tears slid down her cheeks as he haltingly told the story. "He'd hit me before, but not like that… The cuts wouldn't heal… I think he soaked the belt in weed killer. Kaa found me. She could smell the blood." He shifted so he could stroke a finger along Kaa's head. Much like any dog or cat would when it was scratched in the right spot, the serpent seemed to lean into his finger. "She said she could heal me… I let her because I didn't care anymore."
"What didn't you care about anymore?" Lily asked gently.
"If I lived."
Lily choked back a sob and tightened her hold on him. She knew her sister hated her, but in her worst nightmares she would never have thought she could treat her son so badly he would wish he were dead. "How did Kaa heal you?"
Harry shifted, obviously trying to sit up so she let him go. Moving to sit cross-legged in front of him. He raised his arm, bringing Kaa face to face with him. The snake's tongue flicked against his nose before he bumped noses with her.
His gaze then moved to her, their emerald eyes locking as he moved his arm and brought Kaa eye to eye with her. She took a slow breath as the serpent stared into her eyes from inches away. This was the first time since that first day she had been this close to the creature and she knew her son was testing her somehow.
"She bit me," Harry said.
Lily couldn't stop the small shudder that coursed through her. Tested indeed. They'd taken a few steps since he'd come to her in the middle of the night two weeks ago, but he was still very guarded. He covered it with intelligence, a shell of seeming disinterest and a sharper tongue than she'd ever have imagined an eight-year-old child could possess. But she knew what was underneath. If he were ever truly going to trust her he needed to know the lengths she would go to earn that trust.
A mother was supposed to be willing to give her life for her child. His father had. She would have. She had given her magic to save him. But those were just words, stories to a child who didn't remember life before the misery of her sister's house. He had no experience or example to show him his life was worth more to her than her own.
"Bit you?" she whispered.
"She bonded with me. Her venom fought the poison and helped heal me."
"D–does she wish to bond with me?" Kaa moved closer still and her tongue flicked against her nose before she actually bumped her nose against hers.
Harry pulled his arm away. "No."
Lily let out a slow breath. "No?"
Harry gave her a small smile. "She has to bite you to bond with you and she can only be bonded with one person at a time. It would be very bad if she bit you."
"How bad?"
"She told me our bonding makes her venom stronger; so she's better able to protect me." He transferred Kaa to his lap and held his arm out again. "She bit me once when she bonded to me. She bit me again the second time he whipped me."
Lily stared at the four puncture wounds on his arm. "And her venom helps you?"
"Yes."
Lily frowned. "Your bond with her makes her venom stronger?"
"Yes."
"Was the affect it had on you stronger the second time she bit you?"
"I healed a lot faster the second time, but she bit me right away after he did it. The first time the poison had been in my system for two weeks already."
Lily glanced at Remus, who had quietly been observing since the very beginning. "Do you think?"
"That it builds in his system?"
"Yes."
He shrugged. "Most likely. Question is, where does it cross from being a good thing to being too much of a good thing." Kaa raised her head and started hissing. Lily and Remus waited patiently while the snake and Harry exchanged questions and answers.
Harry focused on her when they were finished. "She say's her venom does build in my system, kind of like a vaccine. But that she can't just keep biting and biting me. She says only when there is need or when a full year has passed between bites."
"When was the last time she bit you?" Lily asked.
"This spring, when school got out."
"So unless you somehow end up poisoned again she shouldn't bite you again till next spring?" Harry nodded. "What if you're poisoned three times between now and then, can she bite you each time?"
"Yesss."
"She say's yes."
Lily nodded slowly. "You're not thinking of deliberately trying to build the immunity, are you?" Remus asked.
Harry and Lily snapped their heads to him while Kaa picked hers up and hissed warningly. "No!" Lily said. Kaa slowly subsided again. "I just want to understand as much as I can about how she can help him. I've never heard of anything like this before… No, I take that back. I've heard of it with a phoenix, but never with a serpent."
"A phoenix?" Harry asked. "They're real?"
"Yes they are," Remus answered. "And they bond with a person much the same way you're saying Kaa bonded with you."
"They first injure, but then use their tears to heal their Bond-mate," Lily said.
"What is this phoenix?" Kaa asked.
"She wants to know what a phoenix is," Harry translated.
"Pretty much exactly what you think it is, if you've heard of them already," Lily said.
"Like a bird that when it gets old and dies it bursts into flame and is reborn from the ashes?"
"Exactly."
"I don't like birds," Kaa said. "Just their eggs."
"Well?" Lily asked when Harry didn't translate for them.
"Oh, she says she doesn't like birds; just their eggs." Lily and Remus stared at him. "What?"
"Just," she began, exchanging a glance with Remus.
"Just what?"
"Well, sorcerer's use owls to send post to each other," Lily said.
Harry blinked a number of times. "Post?"
Lily nodded. "Yes."
"Weird," Harry said. He focused on Kaa. "No biting of owls or phoenixes."
"I sssupossse next you will tell me I can no longer bite ratsss," she retorted.
"No, you can always bite rats."
"Well?" Lily asked.
"I told her she can't bite owls or phoenixes but that she can bite all the rats she likes." He considered them for a second. "What other creatures are real?"
Seeing as it looked like they would be there for some time Remus grabbed a chair and settled in. "Like what, Harry?"
He shrugged. "How about dragons?"
"There are a number of species of dragons," Lily said. "Though I've never actually seen one."
"I have," Remus said. "You want to talk about a frightening creature."
"And they really breathe fire?" Harry asked, his eyes wide with wonder.
"Yep. Perhaps we could make a visit to the preserve some day."
"Really?" Harry breathed. "That would be amazing. What else?" he demanded.
"Chimeras," Lily offered.
"And sphinxes," Remus said.
"Whoa… What about like vampires or – or werewolves?"
"Erm," Lily hedged.
"They're real?" Harry blurted, not picking up on her sudden nervousness. "You're havin' a laugh."
"No, I'm not, Harry."
"Have you – have you met one?" he whispered.
"Erm," Lily managed. She turned pleading eyes on Remus. It was his secret, but to say no would be to lie to Harry and the trust between the three of them was very fragile yet."
"You're in the same room as one, Harry," Remus answered.
Lily sagged. "Thank you," she mouthed, reaching for his hand.
"I – I am?" Harry asked. Remus nodded. Lily was certain she could see the gears turning as Harry stared at him before darting his eyes to Kaa and back to Remus and then back to Kaa. He asked her a question, which she answered with a short hiss of her own. Harry turned back to Remus. "Is that what she meant when she talked about something living in your blood?"
"I'm a werewolf, Harry," Remus said. "I was bitten when I was very young."
Harry darted his eyes to her, and Lily gave him a small smile. "It's all part of the very long story we've be telling you."
Harry shook his head. "This is insane."
Remus chuckled. "Says the boy who speaks Snake." Harry stared at him for a moment before snorting. Kaa picked her head up and hissed another question.
Harry frowned slightly before turning to them again. "She says before she was hatched she was spoken to of a legend. A serpent to rule all serpents; it could live for hundreds, even thousands of years and grow as much as a hundred feet in length. Its venom is more dangerous than that of any other serpent and it can kill with just its eyes."
Lily exchanged another look with Remus. "It sounds like she's asking about a basilisk, Harry," Remus said.
"They're real?"
"Yes."
"And they really grow that big?"
"They can."
"And they can kill just by looking at you?"
"As I understand you have to look them in the eyes… But there hasn't been report of a living one being found for hundreds of years. Perhaps even longer. And it's against the law to breed them."
Harry glanced at Kaa. "I'm pretty sure even I'd be frightened of a snake like that," he said. Kaa hissed back at him.
"What did she say?" Lily asked.
"That if I ever hear tell of one I should run as far away as it's possible to run."
"It wouldn't listen to you?" Remus asked.
Again Kaa hissed and Harry translated. "She says it is an abomination, created for evil and is Evil. Only Evil can control it. Only Evil will it obey."
Lily slipped out of her room and crossed the hall. She stopped at the door and knocked softly. "Come in." Remus called. She pushed the door open, slipped in the room and closed it behind her. The two old friends just looked at each other. Snapping out of it he grabbed a chair and turned it for her.
"Thanks," she said taking the offered seat.
He sat down on his bed. "You really shouldn't be moving around so much without your walker.
"It's ten steps," she brushed him off.
"It's ten steps on top of an already trying day. Is your goal to end up leaving him again?" She glowered at him and he couldn't hold her gaze. "Sorry."
"I forgive you."
"Thanks." They sat in silence for a few seconds before he scrubbed at his face. "Merlin, Lily, you about gave me a heart attack just sitting there with that snake in your face."
"That snake probably saved my son's life."
"I know. I'm just… You know you can't go after them, right?"
"Oh, I'm going after them alright, Remus. And you're going to help me every step of the way."
"Lily," he protested.
"Shush," she hissed. "Not so loud."
Remus waved his wand and cast a privacy charm. She continued to look at him, daring him to say tell her, no. Revenge Lily Evans Potter style was something he'd only been on the receiving end of once. And all he'd done was help James get a look in the 5th year girls' dormitory. He eventually shuddered. Very bad things were soon going to befall Petunia and her family, very bad indeed. "Is that why you came to talk to me tonight?"
She shook her head. "No."
Remus let out a slow breath. "Alright then, what's up?"
"Harry is going to start his training tomorrow."
"Are you sure about that?"
"He's a target in a war we both know isn't over. He will be trained to defend himself to the best of your capabilities and mine."
Remus nodded slowly. "Well, we have both yours and James' wands. Neither of which have the Trace any longer. Better yet, we don't have to take him to actually get his wand which would tip Albus off to the fact that someone in the magical world has found him."
"How was he?"
"Very concerned. He asked me to help look for him."
"After he warned you to stay away from him to begin with he wants you to help find him?"
Remus shrugged. "I don't know, Lils. Albus has always played things close to the vest. He's never given away anything he didn't have to."
"Can we trust him?"
Remus shrugged again. "I think we can trust he want's Voldemort defeated. Beyond that, his biggest concern has always been for the 'Greater Good'."
"And the bloody damn prophecy says Harry is the weapon he needs."
"Correct."
"So we need him, but we can't trust he has Harry's best interest at heart. Brilliant."
"Which means we need to stay hidden, keep Harry out from under his fingers when he's not in school—"
Should we send him to school?" Lily interrupted. "Can't he learn more from us?"
"He needs to be with kids his own age, Lils. I would never have become the man I am without you, James and Sirius. Even Peter played his part."
"No. You're right," she conceded.
"So tomorrow we see which wand works best for him?"
"Agreed."
"What about physical training?"
"Like?"
"How about some martial arts classes?" Remus suggested. Lily considered. "He's afraid of being hit," Remus went on. "Perhaps if he knows he can defend himself physically, it will help him overcome that. Plus it will give him a chance to make a friend or two outside of us."
Lily nodded. "That sounds like a good idea, actually."
Remus smirked. "Well I'm not a genius or anything, but occasionally I've an idea or two." Lily swatted at him. Remus caught her hand. "How much are you going to tell him, Lils?"
Lily took a deep breath and slowly blew it out. "Everything," she answered. "Slow but sure, everything."
"Are you sure that's wise?"
"You've seen how he is, Remus. He's already run away from one home. He's only going to become more able to take care of himself. If he can't trust us he'll be out of here faster than you can say stupefy."
"And he's got Kaa."
"And he's got Kaa," Lily agreed.
"That thing terrifies me."
"Well she is difficult to get used to."
Remus quirked an eye at her. "Understatement of the year, that."
Lily chuckled. "Perhaps. I'm simply grateful someone was there when he needed them."
"Speaking of, we need to get Sirius out of prison."
"Sirius is safer in prison," Lily said darkly.
"Lils," Remus said.
"I know. I'm just warning you, be prepared to stop me killing him when we do get him out."
"The question is, how?"
"Simple, find Peter."
"Even once we find him we're going to need a patron. Fudge isn't going to like admitting the Ministry made a mistake. Even with the little rat doped up on veritaserum, singing his guilt, he'll fight it."
"Let's find Peter. Then we'll deal with the ministry."
"And how, exactly, do we find Peter?"
"You find out when the next Hogsmeade weekend is and go see if you can spot this kid you found."
"He's too young, Lils, only a second year."
"You're alumni, go watch a quidditch match or two and see if you can't find him there."
Remus nodded slowly. "Alright then."
"Be careful," Lily said, "if Peter really is posing as this kid's pet he might be carrying him around. He could spook and do a runner if he sees you. He could easily smell you as well."
"I will."
They sat in silence for a few minutes before she spoke again. "Help me back?"
"Sure." Remus stood and offered his hand to her. She took it and he pulled her up. "Good?"
She held his arm. "It's been a day," she agreed.
"Nice and easy," he said leading her along.
Once in the hall she pushed him towards Harry's room. "I want to check on him."
"Alright." He led her to Harry's door and she cracked it open. The light from the hall spilled across the floor, illuminating Kaa, coiled in front of the radiator. The snake raised its head.
"I'm just checking on him, Kaa," Lily said softly. The snake settled down again and she pushed the door open a bit more so she could peak around and see Harry in his bed. His eyes were open. "Sorry," she said. "I just wanted to see you." He pulled his covers down and scooted back in the bed. "You want me to sit with you?" He nodded. Lily turned back to Remus and kissed his cheek. "Thank you." She let him go and covered the few steps to the bed where she climbed in. "Roll over," she said, pushing on his shoulder. He quickly complied and she spooned behind
"Night," Remus said, pulling the door closed.
Lily settled in and kissed the back of Harry's head. "I love you," she whispered.
Harry found her hand and wove his fingers into hers. "Night mum."
"Night, Love." He didn't answer and she thought he was intent on going to sleep when he asked.
"Mum?"
"Yes?"
"Whatever you do to them, don't get taken away from me."
Lily stiffened. "How did you—"
"Kaa," he said.
Lily pushed herself up and gently rolled him to his back. "Was she spying on Remus and I?"
"Yes."
"What else did she hear?"
"She said Remus waved his wand and she couldn't hear anything after that."
Lily took a calming breath. Here was another test. It would probably be one of a number of incidents where he would gradually press her, seeing how far he could push before she would strike him. Little did he know, she never would. She propped herself up on an elbow and gently rolled him so they could see each other. "Harry, Remus and I will trust you and we will tell you the truth. But there are some things you need to understand you are too young to hear yet, alright?"
"Are you in love with Remus?"
She cocked her head back. "Remus is a very close and very special friend. He's like my brother, Harry."
"Alright."
"No more spying. That goes for you as well, Kaa."
"Alright," he agreed.
Lily leaned down and kissed his forehead before rolling him to his side and lying down behind him again. "You're a tricky little, bugger, aren't you?" she asked.
Harry snickered and scooted back into her. "Is he really a werewolf?" he whispered.
"Yes. Now go to sleep. We'll talk more tomorrow."
"Promise you won't get taken away from me?"
"Promise. Now sleep."
"Alright."
HPHPHP
Remus took a steadying breath before he knocked on the door. He was expected, but that didn't change the significance of the conversation he was about to have. The door opened and he once again was presented with the visage of Bellatrix Lestrange (formerly Black). "Hello, Remus," Andromeda Tonks greeted him. Her resemblance to her older sister was uncanny and first hand experience with Bellatrix had once, and always would, provoke a fight or flight response.
Remus pushed aside his initial response, wondering how she managed to remain unjaded by peoples' reactions. "Hello Andromeda," he said.
"Come in, come in." She opened the door for him.
"Thank you for agreeing to see me," Remus said. He shrugged out of his cloak and she took it from him.
"Nonsense," she answered. "We were comrades in arms at one time, were we not?"
"Indeed," Remus said. "Still, it is Christmas in another week and I expect you're quite busy getting ready for it."
"Tosh," she brushed him off. "Nymphadora won't be home for another three days. I tell you, getting ready for the holiday without a teenager driving you batty is a snap."
Remus chuckled and followed her into the sitting room where tea was set. "What year is she?"
Andromeda poured for them both before settling back in her chair. "She's in her fifth now; a Hufflepuff. Made prefect even."
"Good on her," Remus said. He sipped at his tea and a bit of an uncomfortable silence settled on them.
"Must be some very interesting news that we're already at a loss for conversation," she observed.
Remus took another sip before setting his cup down. "I'd like to offer you my wand," he said. "A show of good faith on my part."
Andromeda nodded. "Go ahead." Remus triggered the release for his wrist holster, flipped the wand and offered it to her. "On the table will be sufficient," she said. He leaned forward, setting it as close to her and as far from himself as he could. "Thank you."
He nodded slightly. "And now perhaps you could do the same and ask Ted to join us?"
"How did you…" she gasped.
"There's a reason I was the suspected spy in the Order," he answered. She frowned, trying to piece it together. "Werewolf," he offered.
Her eyes widened. "I rather wondered why Dumbledore thought it was you… Join us Ted," she called.
The door to the kitchen opened and Ted Tonks entered the parlour. He crossed, pulling up a chair to join them at the setting. "It never did set with me that you were the spy," he said. "Course none of us would ever have suspected Sirius either. Even Andi missed it."
Remus gave them a painful smile. "Yes, well that's part of the reason why I'm here." The other two just waited for him to continue. "You were our gatekeeper, Andromeda. You're one of the most accomplished witches in the UK related to the Mind Magics. On our side only Albus matched you and he did so only through brute strength. I'd like you to examine me now for any sense of deceit."
She exchanged a look with her husband. "Why?"
"Because I'd like you both to come with me to meet someone. You won't do that unless you trust me."
"Meet someone?"
"Yes."
"And if we decide not to?"
Remus shrugged. "Then I pick up my wand and go home."
"Just like that?" Ted asked.
"Just like that," Remus agreed.
"And you're not worried we might tell someone of this conversation?"
"Frankly, yes. But even if I tried, the chances of successfully Obliviating Andromeda are not good. I'd be lucky to manage even a partial block and she'd fight through it soon enough." He closed his eyes and turned away from Andromeda. "That's enough."
"You've improved," she said.
"Thank you, but we both know you tweaked my shields on purpose."
"Yes, but it was much subtler a tweaking than you've needed in the past to know I was looking."
"Did I pass?"
"You're hiding things; potentially dangerous things. But I sense no desire to bring harm to Ted or myself."
"Anything else?"
"You have great anticipation regarding something but even greater dread surrounds it. It's as if you daren't hope."
Remus nodded slightly. "I see I have more work to do."
"I would be willing to help you," Andromeda offered. "Provided your revelations do not turn out to be the opposite of my suppositions."
"Does that mean you'll come with me?"
"Now?"
"Well, it is all rather important, takes a bit to assimilate and is somewhat time sensitive."
"And should we come with you but decide we don't want to be a part of what you're asking?"
Remus took a deep breath. "Well, that's the rub."
"The rub?"
"If you want to come with, I'll need you to make a Sorcerer's vow not to reveal what you learn before we leave."
"You ask a lot," Andromeda said.
"I'm offering a lot," Remus said. "And I'll defend it to my dying breath."
"You always were loyal," Andromeda observed.
Remus smiled painfully. "If a few others had felt that, there would be no need of me being here now."
"One more question," she said.
"Albus?" Remus asked. She nodded. "There is no arguing Albus' skill or accomplishments. His leadership, I'm no longer certain of and therefore can't place my trust in him at this time."
Andromeda and Ted exchanged looks before she turned back to Remus. She picked up his wand and handed it to him. "Will you accept us as binders for each other's vow?"
Remus took his wand and sent it away to the wrist holster. "I will."
"Then, as this looks to be rather long evening, I suggest we get on with things."
Remus stood and grasped her wrist with his right hand while she did the same. "You won't regret this, Andromeda, thank you."
"Actually," she said, "I'm fairly certain I will; just, as yet, not in a manner I can even imagine."
Remus gave a small nod. "Perhaps."
HPHPHP
Remus slipped onto the Hogwarts' Express, bound for London, King's Cross station from Hogsmeade. It was the beginning of the Christmas break and the students would soon be arriving from the school for the trip home for the holiday. Once again he found himself wishing Lily still had the ability to practice magic. He was certain her Avoidance and Notice-Me-Not charms would have prevented any chance of the students remembering him at all.
At least he could be certain if he were noticed, his hair would be remembered as grey and thinning. His scent also had been altered. Just as easily as the wolf could detect the rat, the opposite held true. No, on those counts he was safe. Lily might have lost her ability to perform magic, but she could still brew most potions. And with his help there were even fewer that eluded her. Couple all that with the Muggle contacts he was wearing, making his eyes appear a dull grey, he should be entirely beneath notice.
Really, the students weren't the greatest worry. They were used to the random adult on the train. It was an eight-hour ride after all. And you couldn't expect near a thousand children to behave all the time, so the ministry always placed an observer or two on the train to restore order if things got out of hand to the point the school Prefects and Heads couldn't manage it. But the other adults on the train, like the trolley lady, conductor, baggage-car man or whichever professor had drawn the short straw and wound up with prefect-car duty for the trip, they could present a problem.
Pushing those thoughts aside he selected one of the single seats in the coupling area between cars near the middle of the train. It was a calculated location. The prefect-car, where the most threatening adult on the train would be was at the front. He or she wouldn't leave there unless necessary. He figured the biggest troublemakers would naturally drift to the back, as far from their professor as they could get. The best students would likely sit closer to the front. The middle of the train would be where the average students were, the ones least likely to notice him while he went about his business. But most important, was the window that gave him a clear view of the platform. He'd be able to see the student's arriving and hopefully identify his target without any trouble at all. Pulling today's copy of the Daily Prophet from his pocket he pretended to read. It'd been a year and a half since he'd run into the young red-haired boy in Diagon Alley. The extent to which he could have changed during that time was not insignificant. Let's just hope he hasn't suffered some accident at school to change his hair, Remus thought darkly.
It wasn't long before the carriages from the school began arriving and he perked up as the students began disembarking. He could hardly believe his luck when a tall lanky redhead, carrying a small cage spilled out of the very first carriage to arrive. The boy pushed his glasses up while he waited for his friends to exit the carriage. Three more young men disembarked and hurriedly made their way to the train. They selected the carriage in front of him and quickly boarded. In short order he could hear them settling in and he peered around the corner to get a look. The compartment they'd selected was about half way up the car. Going with his gut, Remus casually rose and wandered their way. He reached the compartment just as the door opened again.
"Come on, let's find the trolley lady before all the Drooble's is gone," a brown haired boy said. Before he could blink the four boys spilled out of the compartment, with two going towards the front and two towards the back in search of sweets. It took him a moment to recover at the unexpected stroke of luck. Two seconds later he had cast a Confundus Charm into the compartment. Another two seconds and he'd stunned and removed the rat from its carrier. "Homenum Revelio," he intoned, waving his wand over the rat. A blue glow enveloped the sickly looking creature, confirming it was indeed an Animagus. A quick examination of its paws revealed the right front was missing a toe. "Hello again, Peter," Remus said malevolently and disapparated on the spot.
Remus reappeared again in the cellar of one of the little cottages not covered by the Fidelius at the Briar Patch. He dumped the rat on the floor and cast the Animagus reversal spell on it. In seconds, where a rat had been, Peter Pettigrew now lay. Remus waved his wand again and the special Animagus control chains were shackled around Peter's ankles. A summoning charm brought him a wand, which he snapped in two before lighting on fire. Another stunning spell and he was satisfied. He quickly climbed out of the newly constructed oubliette, banished the ladder, closed the grate over the opening and set it with locking charms. He then activated the magic dampening, anti-portkey and anti-apparation wards before hurrying to the main house.
"Remus!" Lily gasped when he came in the back door to the kitchen. "What are you doing back already?"
He collapsed in an empty chair. "I got him, Lils."
Silence hung in the kitchen at his words. "You were right?" Andromeda whispered.
Remus nodded. "I was right."
Her eyes glistened and she turned into her husband's arms. "I knew it couldn't have been, Sirius," she gasped. She took a few minutes to compose herself before turning back to Remus and Lily. "Thank you. Thank you both."
"We haven't done anything yet," Lily said.
Andromeda shook her head. "You're wrong. I know he isn't free yet. But no matter what happens, I'll always know Sirius was innocent. And for that alone I can't thank you enough."
Lily reached across the table and placed her hand on Andromeda's. "You're welcome, Andromeda."
"Andi," she corrected. "Please, call me Andi."
Lily smiled. "You're welcome, Andi."
Ted gave his wife's shoulder a squeeze. "Amelia's not expecting to hear anything for close to eight hours yet. How about I go tell her we're ahead of schedule?" She nodded.
"Thank you, Ted," Remus said.
"No. Thank you, for the peace of mind you've given to my wife."
Remus nodded. "I'm glad I could help."
"Back soon," Ted said and with a quick turn and sharp crack he was gone.
HPHPHP
Author's notes: As mentioned, a split chapter.