For disclaimer and author notes please see chapter 1. Additional AN: thanks for catching my canon-error on the cabinet. If I find some way to fix it I will, but if not, well, precisely where Hobby found it is not really important to any future plot involving the cabinet in this fic, as long as we accept that he found it somewhere.
1989-07-28 10:00 UTC, Kithurst Close
It had been a few months since the last two known horcruxes were destroyed, and plans had been made for how to deal with the one in Harry's head (summary: don't deal with it in any way!) while making sure Voldemort would not gain power.
Meanwhile, Harry was almost 9, and it was high time he started making friends among his future schoolmates, thought Hobby.
Harry had, of course, met Neville at various times over the past couple of years, but it was always when he had accompanied Sirius on some visit, or if Neville had been accompanying Madam Longbottom, which wasn't quite the same as having a party or some thing focused on the kids.
Plus, he had an ulterior motive... Luna!
"So you think we should throw a big party for Harry", said Sirius. Harry was currently over at Hermione's - the summer holidays were well under way and they were alternating living at each other's place, as usual.
"Yes. And I think we should invite a few of the people he would be at Hogwarts with".
"Of course, that goes without saying! We'll invite Neville and Susan", said Sirius. He looked somewhat doubtful though.
"Just three kids? That won't be a party! We need at least a few more to liven things up, at least allow the kids to mix", said Hobby.
"Clearly you want someone else involved. Why don't you stop playing games and just say who you want invited?"
"Padma and Parvati Patil, Luna Lovegood, Daphne Greengrass".
"Greengrass? Are you sure?"
"Yes; as far as I remember they were neutral. Daphne definitely was not prejudiced - I often saw her and Hermione deeply engaged in discussing some finer points of runes or arithmancy or whatever".
"OK. What about the Weasleys?"
"Fred and George are fine. Ron and Ginny only if someone can be assigned to them in some fashion. Sort of shadow them and monitor their behaviour".
"What?", said Sirius. "Why the heck is that needed for small children?"
Hobby sighed. He'd been hoping to get through this entire timeline without having Harry (and especially Hermione) make any meaningful contact with Ron. Limit it to whatever she must have at Hogwarts, the same as any other student, but no more.
"Ron... gets insanely jealous. He has everything I used to wish for - parents and family. Yet he could only see my wealth and fame, not realising the high price I had paid".
"Oh come on, Arthur is such a nice guy, how could his children be like that?"
"No idea. Call him if you like but be prepared to monitor them. Not that I expect anything specific will happen, but just as an observation".
Sirius wasn't totally convinced, but he decided to let it go for now. Still... "Luna Lovegood? Did you know her well? And isn't this becoming terribly one-sided? Harry and Neville will be the only boys".
"Well, if we invited the 4 youngest Weasleys that would even things out a little. Fred and George are fun, and they will shortly discover your map, if they have not already found it, and then they will worship you two!"
"The Marauders' Map? Do you know where it is?"
"Sure. I even used it last year when looking for Emily. But I put it back where I found it - I don't want to deprive Fred and George!", laughed Hobby.
"OK; we'll invite all four of them"", said Sirius. "But you haven't explained about Luna".
"She definitely needs to be invited. We need to meet her mum - I have to make sure she does not die, which happens some time in April next year if I recall. Luna is a very sweet child and does not deserve all the consequences of being left with one semi-crackpot of a parent", he said.
1989-07-29 and 1989-07-30
Sirius had spent the next two days visiting the households of the kids they had decided on, inviting the children, with one adult to accompany, if they wished, to his muggle residence.
Reactions were varied, though none declined, though he was unable to reach the Patils - they had apparently gone out of the country on holiday.
"I would be happy to send Neville, Sirius, but I am afraid I will be unable to accompany him due to other commitments. Will you be able to transport him? Do you have a floo? I don't see any other way for him to visit, really". Despite the familiarity borne out of the last few years, there was still a distinct air of snootiness! Sirius did not dare to suggest the Knight Bus.
So he had scrambled to get a temporary floo connection most urgently. That woman was scary, and he thanked God every day she had been with Madam Marchbanks when Minerva had accompanied him to ask for the use of her pensieve.
Fortunately, he had enough power and influence to make the floo connection happen quickly and without fuss.
Unfortunately, he had not discussed this with, or even informed, Hobby. And Hobby did not think of transport for the kids - he certainly would not be providing it, and he just assumed some would use muggle means, and the others would use the Knight Bus.
"My sister has often spoken of you, Lord Black. It seems you, or someone you know very well, is primarily responsible for her becoming the minister? Anyway, yes we would be delighted to send Susan. Susan's mother is reasonably familiar with muggle London, since she runs a real estate firm, so do not worry about transport. It will be good for Susan to spend time in the muggle world; thank you for thinking of us!"
"Really? You live in a muggle house, in a muggle neighbourhood? Interesting... Look I'll be frank. I have no prejudice against muggles, since a lot of my business interests involve them, and I often visit the financial district, but with the reputation your house has, I never expected its lord to live in muggle London. I bet your mother is turning in her grave", laughed Cyrus Greengrass. "I will take a day off and himself accompany Daphne!"
Sirius thought there was politics involved. He had mentioned that Neville and Susan were invited, but not that neither Madam Bones nor Madam Longbottom would be accompanying.
"That would be wonderful, Lord Greengrass. You could floo in too, if you like. I had a temporary connection setup because that's the only viable transport for some of my guests, such as Neville. His grandmother is unable to attend, and she would not consider sending him by any other mode".
It was amusing to see Cyrus visibly get less excited. He hoped this was only because he was - as his reputation said - a very cunning businessman, and nothing more. Hobby had said they were neutral but he was not completely convinced.
"Would the hobgoblins also be attending, Lord Black? Are you planning a comeback tour?"
"Shush, Xeno, dear! Don't mind him Lord Black. We would be honored to accept your invitation, and I will accompany Luna. In fact, there is something I wish to speak to you about, so would you mind if we arrived an hour earlier, if it would not discommode you too much?"
But try as he might, she would not tell him what it was. When he mentioned this to Nick and Penny, they had a gleam in their eyes, and they changed their plans.
"I know we said we don't want to attend, in order to keep our privacy, and I think that is still necessary, especially if the Weasley's are attending. But we will be there for the duration of Pandora's visit, and we will leave quietly before the others arrive, in order to maintain our secrecy. We'll use your study, just in case one of the others arrives a bit earlier than expected".
What the hell is going on, thought Sirius. Remus had no idea either, but worse, neither did Hobby.
"Really? I had heard you were living in a muggle locality and house, Lord Black, but I thought it was just a rumour! This is fascinating. May I visit? In my job I have to know so much about muggles, but I could always use more first hand knowledge! For example, I don't know what a rubber duck is used for? Do you have any rubber ducks at home?"
Sirius wasn't sure which would be worse. Hobby's description of Molly Weasley's overbearing nature made her an equally unattractive choice to accompany her kids, while Arthur seemed ready to dismantle their TV or something if left alone. Perhaps he'd need three watchers to monitor the Weasleys, not just two.
1989-07-31 15:00 UTC, Kithurst Close
Pandora Lovegood flooed into Sirius Black's muggle home precisely at 3pm, with her daughter following a few seconds later.
Kreacher was waiting in the floo room. Temporary connections apparently could not have passwords set - though they could be turned off and on as needed. It was thus Kreacher's job to ensure that no one, other than the select list of invitees would be able to make it past the room in which the floo had been hooked up, if there were indeed any brave enough to trespass on Lord Black's property.
He bowed to her - she was after a pureblood from a long line of purebloods, and, despite recent events, old habits die hard - and said "Welcome, Mrs Lovegood! Please follow me".
He quickly took them to the Sirius's study, bowed them in, and went back to his station at the floo.
"Welcome to my house, Mrs Lovegood", said Sirius. "Please have a seat. And let me first introduce my friends here. This is my very old friend Remus Lupin, this is the Phantom, of whom you must have read - both I and my godson owe him a lot, as you probably know - and this is my godson Harry, and his best friend and our neighbour Hermione".
Pandora smiled at all of them in turn, pausing briefly when she came to the Phantom. "Thank you, Lord Black!", she said. "And this is my daughter Luna", she said, turning a very warm smile at the child.
"Hello Luna! Would you like to go with Harry and Hermione and maybe watch some TV or play some games until the other children arrive?", said Sirius.
Harry would have loved to stay in this room - clearly something was going on - but he was equally sure no amount of pouting would make that happen. In any case, Hobby had told him and Hermione that Luna was a very nice girl and would be a very good friend in the future. She and Neville were probably the most important people for them to be friends with.
"Hi Luna, let's go and watch some TV", said Harry. He waited for her to give her mother a brief hug, then all three children left.
"We have to wait for a couple of my friends to join us", said Sirius.
He proceeded to make himself a bit more comfortable, then suddenly realised the tension in the room had risen a little. Pandora was looking at the Phantom in a very meaningful way. Once she was sure he was sufficiently uncomfortable, she gave him a beatific smile, and said, "it's very nice to meet you Hobby Potter!"
While Remus and Sirius were picking up their jaws from the floor, Hobby had gone pale from the shock.
Nick and Penny chose that moment to enter the study. Hobby looked at them with a desperate look in his eyes. "She knows... how...?"
Nick did not seem to be fazed in any way; he just laughed pleasantly.
Penny moved to Pandora and gave her a hug. "It is so very nice to see you again my dear", she said. "How's Xeno? It's been years since you've come by. Is Luna here? She must have grown so much since we last saw her!"
She turned to Hobby. "Don't worry about Pandora, Hobby. She can keep a secret, as you will soon see. By the way, she is my god-daughter. Well one of my many god-daughters over the centuries I guess! And she is a true seer, so don't be surprised if she knows more than you think she should!"
The Phantom turned back to Hobby - he was more comfortable in this form, the other one was more a "fighting form" - and looked at Pandora. He had calmed down somewhat from Penny's assurances, and really, if someone was a seer - well what could you do about it?
He decided there was no point getting upset. And then, this was Luna's mother - Luna, whom he trusted with his life, and loved like a brother. Luna's father was not trustworthy - at least not under pressure - but he was sure many of Luna's qualities had come from her mother. Even the physical resemblance was remarkable, including the radish earrings.
"I was going to ask if the Nargles told you?", he said, with a smile.
Pandora threw her head back and laughed out loud. "Oh I can see you spent quite some time with my Luna", she said. "Someday you must tell me the whole story".
"But not now" - a half statement, half question from Nick.
"Not now, Nick. We have more urgent things to discuss".
Hobby shifted uncomfortably. He clearly had something to say. Pandora looked at him expectantly, and with the same smile on her lips that he had often seen Luna give him over the last few years of his past life - gentle encouragement, with a hint of humour.
"I suppose it is true, then, that a seer cannot see anything that affects her own self?"
"Yes it is. Are you going to tell me when I will die?" With a question like that, you might expect her smile to drop, or at least change a little, but no - it was still the same.
"As far as I can recall, April next year".
That seemed to shake her a bit. "Hmm, interesting. I wonder...", she paused, gazing into the middle distance calmly. Then she visibly refocused.
"Never mind, I am quite sure that will not happen this time", she said, with a smile. "Let's talk about the horcrux in Harry's scar".
Sirius, who had just gotten up to bring in some tea and snacks (kept ready in the kitchen, with a warming charm), suddenly dropped, like a sack of potatoes, back into his chair. Two shocks within five to ten minutes were too much to take.
"That doesn't sound like a seer thing", said Penny shrewdly.
Pandora did not reply directly. Instead, she seemed to segue into something else.
"How many of you know what I do for a living?"
Since Sirius and Remus hardly knew her at all, this was not something they could even answer. At Hogwarts, she was at least a few years older than them, and they had not known her, leave alone kept track of her after she left.
Penny gave them a hint. Looking directly at Sirius and Remus, she said "if someone appears to have a job, but you don't know what it is, and they're clearly very intelligent, it's a safe bet they're an unspeakable".
"Think about that for a minute or two gentleman, and consider if someone you knew from your school days may have gone on to become an unspeakable too", said Pandora, with a grin.
For a change, Sirius got it first. And to be honest, Remus was often away on missions for Dumbledore during those days so he may not have got it.
"Lily?"
"We're not supposed to talk about our work, but I left the department when Luna's arrival was imminent, and I think I won't be revealing any great secrets today. The fact is, a couple of years after I joined, we got a new recruit who was brilliant with charms. We quickly grew to be good friends - none of you knew, not even James, due to the department's policies".
"Lily", she continued, "confided in me when Dumbledore came to them with the news that a prophecy existed which would make Voldemort target little Harry. She was essentially saying goodbye."
She took a sip of her tea.
"But I wasn't going to let her go that easily. We'd already reinvented those wonderful mirrors you boys had used in school, moving the charms into our earrings, and we knew these were immune to magical protections like the Fidelius. I mean, she couldn't still speak the name of the place she was in, but anything else could be said."
"We spent a lot of time discussing her options. It was I who sent her - via you, Sirius, though you did not know it, a book that had the charm she eventually used to protect Harry."
Sirius stared at her. "That book she had me pickup at an obscure bookshop in the far north corner of the alley?"
Pandora nodded.
"There was a very nice, friendly, woman behind the counter; very pleasant and friendly. Who was she?"
Pandora just smiled. "I'll tell you this: that shop did not exist the day before you went there, and it disappeared ten minutes after you left".
She had to openly laugh at Sirius's expression as she said this. "Anyway, we knew one possible side effect of that charm - under certain conditions - was that it would leave a cursed scar behind, which would contain a horcrux. We weren't too worried about Voldemort returning using that horcrux, because we had very good reasons to believe he'd already made some, so it's not as if this horcrux, if prevented, would have caused his permanent death anyway".
"So what did you do?"
"I promised to start research on removing horcruxes from a live receptacle".
"How far along are you?"
"Almost done. It's very slow going - lots of theory the first few years. Very complicated arithmantic equations. Double check, triple check, everything. Then do it again just in case. And only then move to the next stage. Plus I had nothing to test my theories on. Sure I could buy some horcruxes in Egypt but they're not in living hosts."
"So... how long?", asked Remus this time.
"About eight months more and I'll have proved it in the lab, and would be ready to meet Harry to start the next stage".
She looked meaningfully at Hobby, then turned to Sirius.
"I was planning to visit you and ask for permission to take some initial measurements so I could fine tune my equations. It wouldn't hurt Harry in any way of course", she added quickly.
Hobby didn't get why she was looking at him.
Nick and Penny evidently did, and were growing visibly angry.
Sirius and Remus were looking as confused as Hobby was.
Penny moved close to Hobby, while Nick went and sat next to Sirius, holding him in a brotherly fashion.
Pandora went to Remus and took his hands in hers. "You would not have found him, Remus. You did not. You got close - too close for someone's comfort - so you were obliviated. He took away all of your muggle life, all your success in your work, all your friends forgot about you, and you about them. You were left penniless and jobless, with only the occasional oddjob here and there to keep you going, until Harry's third year".
Hobby was crying. He had long suspected this was the case, seeing how successful Remus was here, and comparing it to what he saw of Remus in his past life, but to hear it confirmed from a seer...
Penny turned to Nick. "Dear, I know we never killed anyone. Can we please make one exception?" She wasn't even joking. Her voice was raspy and angsty - her six centuries of life had not immunised her to whatever was happening.
"Will someone please tell us what is going on?", said Sirius.
But by now Hobby had got it. His anger was a sight to behold. The atmosphere in the room grew heavy and oppressive, and everyone could feel the power of this elf-wizard, and that something had made him enormously angry.
Penny hugged him tight. "Calm down, Hobby, calm down honey. We will get him, I swear. But right now, you're going to make the kids really scared if you don't control yourself and you end up shorting out the electronics here. They may even be hurt if the TV explodes or something!"
That calmed Hobby down faster than anything else could have. He took a few deep breaths, then looked at Remus.
"Think about it Remus. He prevented you from reaching me, taking some pretty drastic measures, screwing you over in multiple ways. That was just for being able to contact me. Now think about what Pandora just said about when she would be ready to run some preliminary tests on Harry. Eight months from now. April next year, give or take".
"And what did he just say happened in April next year?", asked Pandora.