Chapter Sixteen
Saturday finally arrived and James was pacing the floor of his flat in a panic, Mia and Pandora were trying to calm him down with little to no avail. Remus was just as nervous, what if Harry chose not to have him in his life.
It was around 2 pm that the four packed off towards the Fireside Tavern, Conor and Murphy didn't know what to except when it came to being in a Magical Alley. Mia and James could feel their apprehension about going to the Magical Alley, they knew exactly what that was like. Their first time was filled with apprehension and worry as well but for a different reason, they were going as a young witch and wizard not muggles like Murphy and Conor were.
When a muggle first steps into the Alley with their child, they are nervous for both of them; will their child blend in someday or will they still feel like an outsider like they did. That's exactly what Mia's parents did when they went with Professor McGonagall to buy Mia's supplies for the first time and stepped through the wall behind a dingy Pub.
Shaking her head of the thoughts of her parents, after all today was about James and herself. Today was all about reuniting James with the last remaining link to his parents and hoping that Remus would accept the new looks of Mia and James. From what Mia had seen in pictures, he looked more and more like his father each day; she just hoped he didn't freak out thinking he was staring at a ghost.
She wanted the twins to meet her favorite Professor, even though he tried to eat her not that she could blame him, after they were a bit distracted with Peter Pettigrew, so they didn't see the full moon until the last minute. Then Mia and James got busy trying to save James's godfather from being Kissed by the dementors that stupid Minister had placed on school grounds to begin with, they tried to tell everyone that Sirius was innocent, but Snape had to out his overly large nose and his two knuts into it by saying that they were hit with confundus charm by Black and didn't know what they were saying.
It was 2:45 by the time James and Mia along with the MacManus twins arrived at the Fireside Tavern, the twins were liking what they were seeing so far. It reminded them of the old towns of Yore in Ireland, the kind that made you feel as if you stepped out of time portal. Mia just told them this was just part of the experience, there was a more modern part of the Alley as well; that part sold muggle items mixed with magic, such telly's, washing machines and even automobiles charmed to hold more passengers without looking suspicious.
There were a lot of Alley's explore and too little time, Mia and James promised to bring them back to explore more at a later date. Now they just had to run errands and meet up with Remus so they could explain why they felt the need to leave and what their lives had been like so far. James had so much to tell him about how he loves working at the Meat Packing Plant, going to school, and meeting up with Murphy and Conor for a pint or two after school.
How Mia had grown into herself and how she was in a relationship that was way better than the so called one she had with Viktor or even the nonexistent one she had with Ron. Remus was also wondering if Harry could forgive him for not being there when he needed him the most, after all he let Dumbledore convince him that Harry was safe and happy living with aunt, how meeting him at such a young age would just confuse the boy. How when the time was right Dumbledore would arrange a visit between the two of them, little did he realize that Dumbledore was setting up his pawns in certain order in order to knock them down when he was done with them or replaced them with new ones until they were needed again. Just like he with Sirius and himself, he made Remus indebted to the headmaster because he brought him to Hogwarts and made sure he somewhere safe to change so he couldn't hurt his newfound friends.
Then just have those friends became a Animagus just so he wouldn't be alone anymore during the night of the full moon; then he lost them one by one each for a different reason. James and Lilly died so young, Sirius thrown into Prison without a trial and Pettigrew, Pettigrew he thought was dead for long turned out to be the real traitor of the group. After everything they did to include him, he still went and turned his back on his pack, his family.
Leaving Remus to go through his changes alone once again and was taking a toll on his body he was no longer a young man in his teens or twenty's that could handle transformation. Dora did her best to support him after his changes but there is only so much the young Metamorphmagus could do, he needed his pack, and his pack was long gone.
Shaking those thoughts out of his head, he started his trek through the Alley and made his way to Fireside Tavern. He was a bit early but then again it was just in his nature to be early for things, it stemmed back to his Hogwarts days, back when the Murader's would get up early to implement whatever prank they had set for day against the Slytherins. As he arrived, he scanned the room for a scrawny young man with clothes a bit big for him, instead he was face to face with his best friends doppelganger.
There sat a young man who looked so much like his father it was like he was sitting there instead of Harry, of course he wasn't alone. No Harry was smart to bring Mia but who were the other two, they didn't look like Wizards, maybe they were half-bloods or even muggleborns because no self-respecting pureblood would look like that. They would look more polished around the edges and not like they worked for a daily basis; these guys looked like they did hard labor during the day.
Mia was the first noticed Remus standing dumbstruck, she no longer had bushy hair and she grew into herself as well. "Remus, its good to see you again please sit because we have a lot to discuss and a short window to do it in. First of all, we changed our names, nothing to drastic but something simple like Harry to James, Hermione to Mia, Neville to Frank, and Luna to Pandora; we live and work in the muggle world. James works for a Meat Packing Plant with Frank, Pandora is a day care worker on her way to becoming a teacher, and not only work for a Pub but I am dating muggle.
"Frank is newly engaged to a second-generation Squib who has a famous grandmother, he is currently in New York getting to know her family. Pandora is in her element working at the day care center, the children just eat up her stories. We have a lot to tell you; first of all, we are sorry for such short note telling you run. We would have said more but were afraid Dumbledore might discover the letter and try to interfere with my plans.
"I say my plans because its exactly what it was, mine. With the help of a book, I found late one night in Sirius's library after the Purge, in it there was a Potion that aged you up. It took me a year and half to decide if I was going to use it or not; it wasn't until the Muggleborn registration, and the fact Malfoy threatened me that I chose to use it. Turns out I wasn't the only one to want to leave, James overheard Ron and Ginny talking about his inheritance and how much they were to gain once James was defeated by the Dark Lord.
"Frank needed to leave because he was the Spare, the one to take on the Dark Lord should something befall James. After all they were both being lead to the slaughterhouse by the nose, sweet Pandora turns out to be a partial seer and it was her visions that led her to leave. So, we each took the Potion and made our way to Muggle Boston; from there we made our own way. We four are no longer the Pawns Dumbledore made us into, we have a future of our very own. Now the two gentlemen sitting with us are our friends the MacManus's Conor and Murphy, I currently dating Murphy; Murphy and I will leave you to get reacquainted." Mia said as she stood to hug Remus goodbye.
"Mia is right, I am sorry for the note I sent you, but I was worried that Dumbledore would try and use you to make me stay. To be honest, I was afraid that if he did, I would go along with it. After all you're the last remaining link to my parents and Sirius, the last remaining true Murader; now tell me how your getting along with Tonks and her family." James said.
Remus didn't know where to begin exactly so he started at the beginning, he told James how he and Tonks were married and excepting their second child, a girl named Lillian Hope. When James heard the name Lillian, he knew she was being named for his mother and he was happy about it. How they lived on one of the lesser known Potter properties just outside of Boston, and how Teddy inherited his mum's ability. He talked about he hadn't from anyone back home until he saw that ad about the lost ones, and it had to be about James, Mia, Frank, and Pandora.
He told James that he was so proud of him for doing so much in his life and for leaving when he did, after all Remus didn't want to see him or Frank dead. How he will honor James's wishes to never contact him again if he so chooses but hopes they can still be in contact outside in the Muggle World.
Conor stayed quiet this whole time letting the two of them reconnect, he paid attention to their surroundings in case someone was paying them a little more attention than they should be. But so far, they were being left to themselves, which was a good thing. He may know how to fight; he just wasn't sure he could take on a bunch of Wizards on his own without Magic. Somebody had to be on high alert due to a crackpot Wizard trying to find them, just to have them die fighting a war they had no business in.
While James and Remus were talking Murphy was learning more and more about the World she gave up and still didn't want to go back to for no reason. After all she had everything, she wanted in the Muggle world, a wonderful boyfriend, a great job and interesting friends like Rocco; in the wizarding world what did she have, nothing but a Wizard trying to sell her off to the highest bidder and trying destroy her spirit. Her spirit is what makes her who she was, why anyone would want to break it was unimaginable to understand but of course he wasn't an English Wizard, so he didn't understand.
To be honest he didn't want to be a Wizard with all those secrets to keep from people that he cared about, hell he wouldn't have met Mia if he had been a Wizard. He was to have met Mia and her friends or should he say family because that's what they were, one big dysfunctional family. The entire time they were in Wizarding Boston he could feel the ring burning a whole in his pocket, the night couldn't get there fast enough.
Mia could tell Murphy was nervous, but she thought it was because he was out of his element and not because he had a surprise up his sleeve, a surprise that was going to change the dynamics of their relationship. She did her best to reassure him that things were going to be just fine, "This will be all over soon and then we can get back to our world, James needed this. He needed to let the last known link to his parents know he was okay and safe, he needed to know that he made the right decision to leave like he did." Mia said as she took Murphy's hand and squeezed it.
While James as talking to Remus, Frank received a letter back from his Gran;
Dearest Frank,
I was in shock when I first read your letter, to be honest I wasn't expecting to hear from you. I can't say I am happy that your living in the Muggle world or that your marrying a second-generation squib, but I will honestly keep an open mind about such things. I can tell you that I am proud of you and the fact that you wish to try to get better help for your parents, after giving it some thought over the past few days, I will agree to bring them to America to try anything. I have the right to be nervous about the procedures, the healers here are optimistic about their recovery; I have wasted so many options here that I am willing to try just about anything to bring you parents back to sanity.
I am also impressed by how much you have grown by what you haven't written, I was a bit upset about you leaving at first but then I realized that I coddle you but in a good way. I failed to realize that you were not an extension of your father but your own person, then to find out what Dumbledore had planned changed my mind about certain things. Like I said I will with hold judgement about your intended until I meet her and her family, maybe I will come to like her like I did your mother Alice. I didn't think she was good enough for your father but then I came to realize that she honestly loved him and not for his inheritance.
I will have your parents transferred to the hospital in Wizarding New York, then I will meet your intended and her family. Once I am satisfied with the level care I hope they will receive I will return home so that Dumbledore doesn't try to get information from your Great-Uncle Algie, we all know that man can't keep a secret to save his life. That is why I have not told him of your correspondence, I am afraid he would run straight to Dumbledore which in turn would lead him straight to yours and James's doorstep. I am sure your father would be glad that you honor him by using his name. Once I arrive in New York, I will send you a not telling you which hospital ward that they placed them in.
Sincerely,
Augusta Longbottom