Chapter 20: Where's that were?

For disclaimer and author notes please see chapter 1. Additional AN: city and street names are picked at random from google maps, and may or may not have any connection to reality.

1986-07-31 21:00 UTC, location unknown

Today was a particularly tiring day - the good kind of tiring, full of laughter and fun for the little kid. Mooney had been introduced to Nick and Penny, as well as Hobby. Nick and Penny had had a good laugh at Mooney's plans for "extracting" Harry - once again, the pureblood world's (and Dumbledore was as pure as they come!) ignorance and disregard of the muggle world would have shown itself to be a very powerful weapon.

Sirius and Harry had been practically living at Nick and Penny's place for some time now. Nick and Penny had given them an open invitation to actually move there if they wished. Nick had set up a replica bedroom for Harry so he would feel at home, and there was no shortage of spare rooms for Sirius.

Harry had been overjoyed; all he asked was if Kreacher could be with him if he (Kreacher) wished, and of course that was fine with Nick and Penny. (Sure, Kreacher had spent a lot of time cleaning up Grimmauld for Harry, and if he were human he would have been at least mildly annoyed at all that effort going to waste, but it is not in an elf's nature to feel negatively about excess work, even if it appeared to have gone waste.)

Sirius, while he did not come right out and accept the invitation and actually move, nevertheless spent a lot of time there. He probably spent two nights a week, if that, at Grimmauld, and even then he would come back to Nick and Penny's place well before lunchtime.

And so it was here, rather than at Grimmauld, that Remus found himself sitting back after a pleasant dinner, at the end of a long day, shooting the breeze, as it were. A rare luxury for him, and he said so.

"This is a rare treat for me, being able to relax like this", he said. "My workdays have been very long; success has a price! And then, before you pre-empted me, my search for Harry, and investigating Dursley, had been taking up an inordinate amount of time, and my team was carrying a lot of my load, all without a word of complaint, mind!

Since my priority was that Harry should be happy, once I realised he was away from those horrible people and with you, the urgency disappeared, so I had to pay back my loyal team for the extra load they had been taking. And so I kept putting off the trip to Diagon Alley's post office to send you an owl. I mean, I would have visited, but about the same time as all this happened, I realised I suddenly could not remember where you lived!"

"Aah yes the Fidelius. Sorry about that. Anyway, have you managed to catch up on your work a bit now?"

"Yes, I have. And it's good that I got these four months to do that, so now I can spend a bit more time with you and Harry than I could have if we had met up in March. At least not without feeling even more guilty for the extra load on my team!", he laughed.

Sirius just smiled in acknowledgement. He was happy. Harry was with him, as happy and carefree as a child could be whose parents had been murdered. His other best friend was back, and despite being a werewolf, appeared to be in good shape.

Life was good.

After a tired and sleepy Harry had been sent off to bed, tucked in, and kissed goodnight by Penny, the elf-man decided to broach an important topic.

"Lord Black sir, Mr Mooney sir, I have things to tell you, and my master needs your help, Mr Mooney sir, with something".

Mooney had just barely got used to this elf, but then he was not a pureblood so it wasn't such a big deal to him, so he just nodded for Hobby to continue.

"My master has so far eliminated four bad wizards", said Hobby. Best to stick to the public record; no need to bring Macnair into the story. "Crouch junior and the three Lestranges. He intends to eliminate the most violent and rabid of Voldemort's followers as soon as possible".

He saw the shocked expression on Sirius and Mooney's faces. A somewhat liberated house-elf was unusual enough, one who spoke like a normal person even more so, but most wizards would shy away from saying that name. Even for Sirius, who had by now started thinking of Hobby as a completely different category of being (an elf who thinks and speaks like a wizard - he had no idea how close he was to the truth!), this was a bit much.

Nick decided to cover for Hobby. "Umm, he picked that up from both us and, presumably, his master. None of us are afraid of his name. Anyway it's a made up name, so let's get back to the topic".

Dobby smiled in relief. He had not needed to watch his speech here because he was known to speak proper English, not the house-elf patois, so he had not even been thinking about what he was saying. Anyway, what's done is done, plus this would have happened sooner or later.

"There are two main non-wizard targets that have potential to cause enormous trouble, according to my master. The first is Fenrir Greyback. My master intends to eliminate him cleanly, without any fuss. To be clear, he may not have eliminated Crouch junior and the Lestrange brothers if they had not attacked the Longbottoms; Bellatrix was the only one he had initiated action against".

Mooney could not think of what to say. To get revenge on Greyback had long been a dream of his, but he had pretty much given up on it. Now it seemed like it could be done.

While he was pondering this, Sirius asked, "What's the second target?"

"The dementors, but there is plenty of time for that. We would like to finish this one first. Mr Mooney sir, we need your help finding him. My master does not have any resources that can help with that".

"What will your master do once he is found?"

"Greyback will be quietly eliminated."

"Isn't that a little unfair? Should we not at least get him in a fair fight?"

"Did you get a fair fight when you were six? Please don't spout Dumbledore's idealistic crap, my master is very low on patience for such people", Hobby's eyes flashed brilliant green for a moment, making both the Marauders blink and stare. This was definitely not your normal house-elf; just how much had his elusive master influenced him?

Mooney recovered, and asked, "How will I inform him once he is found?"

"You will simply call for me, I will come. In fact, I may come with you anyway. After that I will deal with how to get that information to my master". Why am I not telling these people also about elves being able to pop people?, wondered Hobby. But for some reason, he felt compelled to keep the "blind spot" a secret still.

"I would not like to have an elf tagging along", said Mooney.

"If you can detect that I am tagging along, Mr Mooney sir, I will gladly leave you alone", smirked Hobby.

"OK; I will find him. I must tell you it may take time; I have allowed all of my relationships to die out, and I don't know any werewolves any more. I'll need to re-establish contact, gain their confidence, and so on."

"Hmm", said Sirius. "This means no one in the wizarding world knows you and I have met up again, right?"

"Yes".

"Then it's best I search for you."

"Oh that's a good idea", said Mooney. "You can find a few weres that way, then we can approach them together a bit later. Starting out asking for Greyback won't help, but asking for me would be harmless enough!"

Sirius had a question. "By the way, how are you managing the full moons?"

"Even a wolfsbane controlled change would have left some scars - why do you think I have none? Would you believe a strong muggle sleeping pill suppresses even the transformation? My guess is that I am so out of it there isn't enough consciousness to change."

This time even Penny and Nick were intrigued. Clearly this was something they had not considered or heard of. Maybe a powerful sleeping spell, or even the stasis charm, might do the same! They would have to research this.

"How did you think of it?", asked Nick.

"Quite by chance actually, and it's a long story, so maybe some other time", said Mooney, sleepily. "Time to go home; I'll see you all soon, if not tomorrow", he said, and left.

1986-08-01 11:00 UTC, the Leaky Cauldron

The next day, Sirius went to the Leaky Cauldron.

"Good morning sir, what can I do for you", said old Tom.

"Hello! My name is Sirius Black, and I would like some information."

"Oh, of course, Lord Black, forgive me for not recognising you - the light here, and my age, I suppose! what can I do for you?", said the man, visibly straightening up a bit. Seems the old Black Magic was still strong, even if it was only ever a psychological - not magical - thing!

"Well, it's no secret who my two best friends in school were, I'm sure. And there's only one of them left alive. I need to find him."

"I don't understand, Lord Black".

"Well, Remus Lupin is a werewolf, you see, and I was hoping you'd know of him, or - if not that - someone else who may in turn be able to lead me to him."

"Aah, I see. Well, sir, no one of that name has been in. But there are a few who pop in from time to time. Two of them have some digs just inside Knockturn, if you would like to go there yourself, or you could come back the day after the next full moon; they always come here for lunch the day after".

"Why is that, may I ask?"

Tom looked a wee bit embarrassed. "Well sir, this isn't something I can afford to do for all of them, nor can I afford it to be publicised, but for the few that I know and have grown to trust, I offer them free meals on the day after the full moon. I wish I could do more, but there's a limit to how much I can spend".

"That is mighty decent of you, Tom. I wish the rest of the magical world were as broad-minded as you!"

"Well sir, I wish all the weres were as gentle as the ones who I help", said Tom sadly.

"As compensation for being cursed with a dark family, I have been blessed with more money than I know what to do with. Could I help you with that, allow more weres to be helped?"

"That is a very generous offer Lord Black, I will gladly accept!", said Tom, brightening up some more.

"I will ask Gringotts to work out the details, maybe open up an account for that. Meanwhile, I will see you the day after the next full moon; I would prefer to meet them here than barge in on their territory, however nice they may be."

Some days later, Sirius met the two weres that Tom had mentioned. Ray Ashfield and Danny Currier both looked so young you could not help feel some sympathy for them; clearly some of the more recent victims, and young enough not to have been hardened by their lot.

The first thing he did was establish that he was on their side.

"Hello, may I speak with you for a few minutes? My name is Sirius Black, by the way".

Danny looked apprehensive, but the polite tone that Sirius used, and what appeared to be a genuine smile, helped. Plus it was Tom who had brought him to their table, and if they couldn't trust Tom, after all these months of his kindness, whom could they trust?

"What can we do for you, Lord Black?"

"Well, I am looking for a friend, whom I have lost contact with due to my being illegally sent to Azkaban all those years ago. His name is Remus Lupin".

The two weres looked blank. The trial and events around Lord Black's exoneration were well publicised, but Remus's name had not come out.

Sirius decided to explain. "Remus was bitten by Greyback when he was six. I know you won't hold that against him; we never did anyway", he grinned.

"Why are you looking for him?"

"Well, he is the only of my two best friends in school who is alive today. I would very much like to get back in touch with him. And then there's my godson Harry to consider - it would be nice to have his 'Unca Mooney' back in his life", said Sirius, with a bit of a sentimental expression on his face.

"The boy-who-lived? Does he know your friend is a werewolf?"

"Well Harry is too young to know what it even means, but his parents certainly knew and had no problem with it, so - when he does find out - why should he?"

That was clearly the right thing to say. The boy-who-lived, and by association his godfather, had a certain cachet in their world, and acceptance from them was something to feel very good about.

"Well, we have not heard of or met him, but we will put the word out. We'll send word to Tom here if we hear some news of him."

"Thank you. Meanwhile I can see that Tom has a good heart, and I offered to help him make sure that his kindness reaches more people. Check with Tom in about a week, and he will tell you how to spread the word about that too".

He waved a cheery goodbye and walked out.

"Hobby, this is going to take a bit longer. The only two I could find so far, are far too innocent to know where Greyback hangs out. We need to move up the chain, so to speak, and find more hardened weres."

"That's alright Lord Black sir, we can afford the time. It's a good thing he is lying low too, so that reduces - though it does not completely eliminate - the urgency."

1986-08-14 09:00 UTC, location unknown

"Good morning, Lord Black sir, can I get you some breakfast", asked Hobby as soon as Sirius came in through the floo. Harry was already at breakfast, having spent last night at his "aunt" Penny and "uncle" Nick's home. (Hobby still got a laugh out of their reaction when he suggested Harry should call them "grandma" and "grandpa" - it was both funny and scary at the same time!)

"No thanks Hobby, I've eaten. Wouldn't say no to a cup of tea though", said Sirius.

"Tea. Earl Gray. Hot. Coming right up Lord Black sir".

Sirius gave him a puzzled look but did not say anything. Well he's a pureblood; he wouldn't have got the reference, thought Hobby. (Actually, Hobby himself did not realise that, in 1986, even muggles would not have got it!)

After they'd settled down, Hobby broached the subject of Harry needing muggle schooling to round out his education. He got another curious look and a question from Sirius.

"Hobby, why is your master getting into this? I thought he was only interested in catching and stopping the bad guys before they did anything more?", he asked.

"It's not just a matter of interest, Lord Black sir. Seer, remember? There are some things that my master knows must happen, and getting Master Harry a well-rounded education is one of them".

"Hmm, I can't argue with that, if at least because Lily would have wanted it that way. She always did say we were too insulated from the bigger world outside ours. So I need to go and find a good muggle school. Your master wouldn't have any thoughts on that would he?"

Hobby grinned. For someone who was not used to an elf grinning, it would look strange, but Sirius had almost stopped thinking of him like an elf most times.

"Yes of course, Lord Black sir, he knows the perfect school. But first, you have to buy, and move into, a certain house in Crawley in London."

"Look Hobby, I'm very grateful to your master for rescuing me from Azkaban, for killing Bella, and I suppose those other three as well, and of course for putting the fear of God into the death-eaters. And I can understand being driven by a seer to some extent, and I do realise those things cannot always be explained.

But there's a limit. I do not think seers see so clearly as to determine a specific house, so something else is going on here. At this point I'm going to insist I have to meet your master and have him explain why he is being so specific."

Hobby looked at him with a little bit of consternation on his face. "Well sir, my master tries not to meet anyone, and even if he does, he obscures his face. There's an old curse on my master. It is said that He who sees the Phantom's face, dies a horrible death". (He almost added "Old jungle saying", under his breath, but stopped himself in time! Anyway, only a muggleborn would have understood the joke - and not all muggleborns either - so he felt safe enough).

"What he can do, Lord Black sir, is to write to you if you prefer that mode. Or you can communicate through me as we have been doing till now - you know my master keeps no secrets from me.

For instance, the answer to your question is that the seer did not, of course, identify the house. It is just that the school is important - he must start his pre-Hogwarts muggle education there. Once that was known, he looked for a house that would satisfy a bunch of requirements: it should be large, it should be off the main streets, enough that children could play without worrying about traffic and so on, and it should have some degree of privacy. He found what he feels would be the perfect place, and he is sure you and Master Harry will like it.

Schools will be starting soon, and this is the perfect time for a young godfather to buy and move into a new home that offers his godson a good primary education", he finished.

"So, let's go, what are we waiting for?"

Well that was easier said than done. Even if Hobby were willing to reveal to them that a house-elf could pop wizards to places, the fact is this was deep in muggle territory and apparating in without checking the area first would be a bit of a risk.

(Hmm, I wonder how the professors do this when they have to visit muggleborns, like Prof McGonagall visited Hermione. Where do they apparate to? How do they know it is safe? It's not as if they're able to blend in with the muggle world!, thought Hobby. Yet another mystery to be solved.)

Eventually they called Remus and asked him to drive up to Grimmauld in a car so they could all go to Crawley. He drove up in a nice rented car, plush insides, but not magical of course. Harry sat in the back, with Hobby, disillusioned, beside him. Sirius rode "shotgun", as the Americans would say.

The drive took a long time - more than an hour actually - making Sirius grumble a little, but not much. He was fascinated by the glimpses of muggle London, as who wouldn't, if they had never seen it before.

The deal went through quickly enough, thanks to Gringotts, and Sirius was soon the proud owner of a large-ish, detached, house on a small but well kept side street called Kithurst Close, populated by upper-middle class people - mostly professionals or people with white-collar businesses, it appeared. Two- or three-storey homes were the norm, as were two- or three-car garages. The street ended on their left, but on their right, their next door neighbours appeared to be a young couple, both dentists, with a daughter about Harry's age.