Hope you like this Chapter! I'm not entirely sure how things worked in the 80s as far as international travel, but it seems right. Let me know what you think!
Thank you for reading and following.
Lily and Sirius put Harry to bed shortly after Kingsley left. Lily was like a live wire with nerves and was pacing in front of the fireplace. Sirius eventually stepped into her path so she had to come up short and look up at him. She put her hands out to steady herself against him.
"Lily, I think–I think that I should go on my own. Kingsley is right. You could get implicated in this–"
"I don't care about that, Sirius!" Lily said angrily up at him.
"Well, you should. " He looked over her shoulder, considering his words. "If I get caught– If you get tied up in this, Harry won't have anyone. Remus loves him, but he won't take him in. Not with his condition. Is he going to go live with your sister? Would she even consider taking him in? No, Lily. This is not how it's going to work. I'll be back as soon as the coast is clear. We have to think about him." She looked away from him then. "It isn't going to be forever." He was interrupted by the phone ringing and he went to answer it.
"Hello?" He said impatiently.
"Sirius? Mate, I don't know how to tell you this, but you are on the news." Sirius paled a little and looked over at Lily.
"On the news for what, Alan?" Lily turned on the television and flipped until she found a news station. There, clear as day, was his picture, from when he had been arrested and sent to Azkaban. The anchor was saying that he was armed and dangerous and was known to attack the police. He was aware that Alan was talking in his ear, but it took him a moment to register what he was saying.
"The telly said you murdered people a few years back and attacked two policemen and escaped prison. Sirius–is that true?" He was nervously chattering. Probably imagining that he had barely escaped with his life so many times.
"No, it isn't true. I was framed. Look, Alan, listen to me. This is not something that I can explain. Just trust me when I say I never killed anyone. They are blaming me because they don't have the real story. Don't talk to anyone. People might show up at work and start asking about me and just say that we were just desk mates. Don't implicate yourself in this."
"But– so wait, you didn't kill anyone? But the other stuff…. You did that? Escaped prison?" Sirius was looking at the news again. The copper that had pulled him over the other day was talking, saying that he was extremely dangerous.
"Yea. because I was innocent. Look Alan, I have to go…" He hung up the phone as Alan was still talking. He was staring at Lily.
"Apparently, this didn't just simply blow over…" He gave her a wan smile.
"We could just move out of Britain, Sirius. Start over. There is little power the Ministry has over other governing bodies. We could go to France or Germany or America." Sirius looked down at her. She had stepped closer to him and stood at his side. His mind was reeling slightly.
"You would just pick up and move? How is Harry going to get to Hogwarts?"
"He'll go. We have this house. The floo network. Where are we going to go?" She flicked off the television and was staring straight at him. He waivered. He didn't want to uproot her life. This was some shit luck. But she looked determined. So he thought about it. He said nothing for a minute then answered her.
"America, probably. English speaking and far enough away. Their government, MACUSA, is in New York, I believe. It's a big country." He started to think out loud. "You'll need to go to the bank. Clear out my account. Then go to Gringotts." She started to interrupt. "No Lily, you need to make an American account and transfer it all there. They aren't looking for you. We will need money for this."
"And passports. And animal transport papers. 2 dogs and a cat." Sirius looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "The muggles are also looking for you, so you will be a dog until we get where we are going."
The next couple of days were tense. But uneventful. Luckily, most of the neighbors didn't recognize Sirius. Remus had just looked at them with a sad look on his face. The morning they left, he grasped Sirius's arm and hugged hair and gave Lily a kiss on the cheek.
Lily walked into the airport, with a suitcase that had everything from the house in it and a backpack on Harry's back and a cat carrier in her arm. Charlie and Sirius walking next to them. Harry had hold of Sirius's leash, which she had had to force on him, as well as his shots at the veterinarian office. She walked up to the counter and smiled politely at the woman. The woman was taken aback when asked for the next tickets available for America. The woman checked flights.
"There is a plane leaving in an hour with a final destination of Charleston, South Carolina." She looked up at Lily and then to the little boy with glasses, a slightly bemused look on her face. "Vacation?" She asked and Lily nodded.
"We'll take two tickets to South Carolina, then, please." The woman blinked and returned her eyes to the screen.
"Passports and animal transport paperwork?" She asked, expecting her to not have them and blinking in surprise as they were provided. She printed the tickets and handed them to Lily then took her suitcase. "You can keep the cat as a carry on, but the dogs will have to go with luggage." She grimaced at the animals and Sirius snuffed at her and looked imploringly at Lily as a man came over and took the leashes. He looked utterly betrayed as he was tugged away.
Harry was super excited about everything. He asked if Sirius and Charlie were going on the plane too and if the plane was going to go really high and pointed at stuff. Lily found his excitement contagious and answered his questions as best she could. They boarded the plane and Lily sat the carrier at her feet and buckled Harry in. She exhaled as the plane took off and thought of Sirius in the baggage hold.
Sirius and Charlie were taken to a very loud place full of barking dogs. He was shoved into a crate and growled at the man and snapped at his hands as the door was shut. The man cursed at him. Charlie was placed in a kennel near him and then Sirius just sat there and waited. They were loaded into the plane with the rest of the luggage and given a bowl of food. Sirius curled his lip at it and waited some more. The compartment was closed and he transformed back into a man and waved his wand at the crate door and it popped open. He let Charlie out as well and waited for the plane to take off, taking him away from England and everything he had known. He gave Charlie his bowl of food as well and waited some more going to the luggage and grabbing the food Lily had packed. As the plane touched down he begrudgingly climbed back into the carrier and locked the door and turned back into a dog.
They took everything out of the cargo hold and let the dogs go into a small yard to relieve themselves. Sirius just stared at Charlie as he lifted his leg. He had to go too, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Charlie looked back at him, glaring a little and Sirius sneezed in his direction as the man holding his leash encouraged him to "get busy".
"Come on, pup. This is your last chance to go potty!" He had used a baby voice and it grated with Sirius. But he gave it up and relieved himself. They were loaded up onto another plane and Sirius grimaced as it took off. Settling in. He didn't get out of the carrier this time.
For Lily and Harry, this layover was a lot different than it was for Sirius. They exited the plane and had to get through customs. Simple enough, they didn't have anything to declare. However, a plump woman came up to them.
"Ma'am, I'm gonna need you to step this way, please." Lily looked at her apprehensively, but the woman just smiled. "First time traveling out of Britain?" She asked and Lily nodded. "Well, not to worry, I will explain everything." She walked them to a door and opened it and allowed Lily to go through first. The room was huge, she could see other witches and wizards being checked in and having their wands inspected. Lily wondered what was going on as the woman sat behind a desk and pulled out some paperwork and tapped it with her wand.
"Can I have your passport, ma'am?" Lily handed it over.
"Have we done something wrong?" Lily asked her, her mind going to Sirius. The woman let out a full bellied laugh. She had a strange accent that sounded American, but she couldn't begin to place it. She had dark skin and eyes full of humor, her braids ran down to the middle of her back.
"Just have to officially check you in. MACUSA requires all traveling witches and wizards to check in. What brings you to the US?" she asked her, looking up.
"Traveling. We're moving here. To South Carolina."
"Oooh you are going to like it down there! Always warm. Alligators, though, and some other native magical beasts. I suggest you take this pamphlet." She handed something over that she had pulled from her desk drawer. "Dugbogs are known to attack, so keep out of the swamps. Anyway, the reason for immigrating?" Lily cleared her throat. She hadn't prepared anything.
"Have you heard of the man who went by the name Lord Voldemort?" she asked and the woman looked her over. Then at the little boy.
"We've heard of him." She looked closer at Harry and saw the scar on his head. Then she looked down at the passports. "Potter… that name was in the papers a few years back. A boy… but you're them?"
"Yes. We just wanted to get away from it all. Everything is just a reminder." Lily looked at her son who was watching the goings on around him and not paying much attention. The woman tapped the form again and cleared her throat.
"Well, I'm sorry for your loss, ma'am. It says here you have two dogs and a cat. Are any of them magical? Beasts must be declared prior to entrance and deemed safe for entry."
"They are just house pets." She lifted the carrier and Miri looked out and grumbled a little bit. The woman chuckled.
"And the boy, does he have a wand yet? Will he be attending Ilvermorny?" Lily shook her head, wanting to be out of the room more than anything.
"He'll be…going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? While living in the US?" She seemed a little flabbergasted at this, but just shrugged. "Very well, I think we are all set here. Here is your paperwork. There is a magical liaison in Columbia as well as a bank. Everything should be in order here. Here is the address." She handed her a card, which she stashed with the pamphlet from earlier and the large packet of paperwork. "And here is your boarding ticket to Charleston, South Carolina. Have a great trip!" Lily stood up and grabbed Harry's hand, glad to be leaving. She stepped out and got her bearings. Looked at the ticket and made her way to the departure gate. They didn't have to wait long and then they were boarding the plane. Harry had his nose pressed against the glass as they took off, pointing at all the buildings.
This was a much shorter flight. It was bright and hot when they brought Sirius and Charlie's carriers out of the plane and he shook himself as he was let out and brought to Lily. Harry ran to him and embraced him and he licked his face as Charlie came up as well. Lily walked to the toilets and told Harry to go inside to go potty. Sirius went with and waited while making sure the coast was clear. He changed back into a man and sighed, stretching his arms above his head. Harry ran to him and hugged him at the sink, exclaiming about everything he saw out the window of the plane as they left the bathroom.
"How was the journey for you?" Lily asked, apologetically.
"Awful. Let's just go." He put his arm around her shoulders and walked out with her. He smelled the salt air and saw these palm tree looking trees. The sun was beating down hard off the pavement and Sirius removed his jacket, taking the suitcase from Lily. He hailed a cab.
"Hotel, please." Lily said. Harry was staring out the window, nose pressed against the glass as he sat in his mother's lap.
"There are a few hotels that take pets. I'll take you to one." The driver said. He was an older man and was pretty talkative.
"What kind of trees are those, mummy?" he asked her.
"I don't know, love." She replied and looked out at the trees.
"They're palmettos. Pride of the south. Helped us to win the battle of Sullivan's Island back during the revolution." The cab driver was saying. He had a slow drawl and an easy smile. "Canon balls just bounced right off 'em. The first battle won against you Brits. No offense meant, here, mind you. Just the facts. There is a museum over on the island if you are interested in history. Fort Moultrie. Great view of the ocean, too." He smiled genially again into the rear view mirror. Lily smiled back. "Call it the palmetto state for a reason. And watch out for the roaches. Massive critters. They fly. They make their nests in the trees."
"Flying cockroaches?" Sirius asked and Lily shuddered slightly. "Do they get into houses?"
"No, sir! They like it outside, just fine. You and your wife will be perfectly safe. How long you folks in town?" He turned down another street and pulled up to a hotel.
"A while." Was Sirius's answer as they got out of the cab. Lily handed him some money and thanked him for the ride. They got adjoining rooms and Lily collapsed on the bed. Harry jumped up next to her followed by Charlie. Sirius let Miri out of her carrier and she gave a disgruntled meow and jumped up onto the counter. He gave her food and pulled out her litter box. She rubbed against him and then settled herself. Sirius walked back into the main room.
"It's wicked hot out there." Lily sighed.
"I like it here, mummy. Are we going to go see the ocean?" Harry said.
"Sure we are, kid. We can go later. Tomorrow. Let's go take a nap though." He held out his hand and walked Harry to the next room, closing the curtains to the bright sun outside and settled him into bed. Charlie jumped up and laid down with him. Sirius closed the door behind him as he looked over to Lily. He laid down next to her and let out a breath.
"Well, that worked… didn't it? I'm never getting on another plane again." He rolled over to look at her. She turned her head and smiled.
"I'm sorry about that, but it did work. We need to find a house." Sirius moved in closer, his eyes on her lips. He pressed a kiss to them and her hand came up and held his face to hers as she kissed him back. Sirius pulled back as his breath quickened. She looked exhausted. They both were. It had been a long few days.
"Get some sleep, Lils. I'm going to take a shower." He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss as she nodded. When he was finished, he came out to see Lily fast asleep. He laid down next to her and fell asleep, too.
He was jarred awake as Harry came running into the room and jumped on the bed.
"Can we go to the ocean now?" He was bouncing up and down on the bed. Sirius groaned a little. He looked at his watch, he blinked at it until he realized his watch was not in the right time zone. The clock on the bed stand said that it was almost 8pm.
"Not tonight, bud. Let's go get dinner." Lily stretched and got up, grabbing Harry around the waist and spinning him around as he giggled. "How about we go tomorrow? Yea?" he nodded and then ran to put his shoes on. She scraped her hair into a ponytail and wrapped a band around it. Sirius simply just ran a hand through his hair and slipped his boots on. They walked to a restaurant around the corner and sat down and ordered. Harry wanted a burger and chips, which were called fries here. After dinner, they put Harry back to bed and Sirius laid down next to him. Still really tired. Lily gave them each a kiss and then walked back to the other room, leaving the door open between them.
Harry was up before the sun, and so were Lily and Sirius. Lily gave Harry a bath while Sirius walked Charlie. She also took a shower. They hailed a cab, and told him to take them to Sullivan's Island, the place they had heard the day before. Lily wore shorts and a tank top and Harry wore a pair of shorts he could get wet in and a shirt. Sirius wore jeans, because that is what he had, and a t-shirt. The morning was already balmy and the sun shone down bright.
They got sunscreen and slathered it on Harry. Sirius and Lily removed their shoes as their toes hit the sand. Still cool from the morning. Sirius helped Lily to put sunscreen on her shoulders and they sat in the sand as Harry looked for shells. When he got closer to the water, Lily got up and followed him, Sirius stayed behind with Charlie for a moment before he rolled up his jeans to his knees and followed behind them. Lily was splashing Harry with the warm water and giggling with him. She splashed Sirius who ran up to her and grabbed her, walking in deeper.
"Sirius!" She shrieked as the water started to soak both of their clothes, Harry was giggling behind them. He let her go and the water came up to her rib cage. She pushed him back into the water and he lost his balance and fell back into the waves. He came up, spluttering, wiping salt water from his eyes.
"That was rude of you." He started toward her and she started to back up, seeing the look on his face.
"Don't you dare, Sirius. I didn't mean it. I swear!" She giggled as she tried to escape.
"Get her Sirius!" Harry called from the shallows and Lily turned and tried to run through the water. Sirius caught her and fell back into the water, already soaked, so it didn't matter. She scrambled to her feet again and made her way to the shallows where Harry and Charlie were. Sirius followed behind her, laughing. She shoved his shoulder.
"You did it to me first." Harry reached for him.
"Me next, Sirius!" He shouted and he picked him up and brought him deeper and let a wave hit him from behind and he shrieked with laughter. Charlie splashed in and swam over, barking happily. Eventually they all clambered out of the water, Sirius pulled up his sagging jeans and brushed his wet locks out of his eyes. Charlie shook off the water and Lily was wringing out the hem of her top. He reached over and kissed her, tasting the salt on her lips. She stepped back a little, looking over at Harry who was running around with Charlie.
"Sirius–" She started but he just kissed her again, then kissed her nose. She smiled up at him and he slipped his hand into hers, shaking his hair in her direction, the loop in his ear gleaming in the sunlight.
"Do you think he will be ok with this, Sirius?" she asked him as she shrank back from the spray of water from his hair. He gave her a contemplative look before he answered.
"He is young and we are his world. I don't think he is going to have a whole lot of thoughts on it." He looked over at the little boy playing with his dog. The beach was getting more crowded now and he was chafing in his wet jeans. "Want to go get something to eat?" he asked her. She nodded.
"Harry! Come over here darling." He came running over, showing her a clam shell he had found.
"Look!" he exclaimed. "Can we live at the beach, mummy?" Lily swung him up into her arms. He was starting to get too big for this.
"No, love. People don't live on the beach."
"But they do too! See there are houses over there!"
Sirius wrapped his arm around her shoulders and they made their way through the sand. The sun had baked it and the minced their way to the grass to avoid burning the bottoms of their feet. Once they had left the beach, he pulled out his wand and dried them off and slipped his boots back on. Lily helped Harry put his shirt back on and they continued to meander through the neighborhood. Sirius stopped outside a house that had a for sale sign in the front. Lily looked up at him and he shrugged and went to knock on the door. It wasn't on the beach, but it was pretty darn close. A realtor answered the door and smiled at him.
"Hello! Are you here for the open house?" She asked politely, taking in their sandy appearance.
"Here to purchase it, actually." He gave her his best smile. Lily looked at him sharply. But then smiled and joined him on the porch.
"You're British?" She asked, eyeing him a little. "What brings you to South Carolina?" She had what he was starting to realize was a southern American accent.
"Work." Was his simple answer. "How much? For the house, I mean." She blinked as Charlie came running into the house, sniffing everything.
"Sixty five. Are you pre approved?" She asked.
"No, but we can pay." He looked around the house. Hardwood floors and white walls. The window at the sink had a view the just managed to squeeze in a sliver of the ocean. The sea breeze was blowing in off the ocean and fluttering the curtains. "What do we need to move in within the week?" He smiled at the realtor again and she smiled back.
A week later, Harry was running through the house with Charlie as Lily was setting up the living room. He stopped next to her.
"Mummy, is 'Mione gonna come and visit? I miss her." She smiled down sadly at the little boy.
"Maybe. But Remus will be by."
"Am I still going to go to magic school?"
"Of course you are. Come on now, let's get some lunch. Then we can go to the beach." They made their way into the kitchen and Sirius kissed her cheek, which was sun-kissed and rosy, the freckles on her nose vivid against her green eyes. It was going to be a great day.