At around four that afternoon, Rhonda busied herself in the kitchen by stirring some homemade pasta sauce when she heard the phone ring from the opposite side of the room. She hurried over to pick up the receiver, ensuring she kept at least one eye on the spaghetti. It was moments like these that she was grateful for the cordless phone they had just gotten earlier that year.

"Hello?" she answered in a polite tone. "This is Rhonda speaking; may I help you?"

She wasn't fully prepared for the response she got on the other end – an unfamiliar Southern-tinged drawl from a young girl, perhaps around Harry's age, she figured. "Um, hi there, Miss Rhonda," the girl replied, somewhat nervously. "My name is Tallulah Slater. I'd like to speak with Harry for a spell if that's okay with you."

Rhonda couldn't help but smile. "Well hello there, Tallulah. I take it you're one of Harry's classmates at his new school?"

"I am, ma'am," confirmed Tallulah. "We're in the same house and year, actually. Same with Othniel." She twirled her phone cord around her finger. "Anyway, I was wonderin', is this a good time? I know this is a long distance call and everything so I promise not to hog up ya'll's phone line all night."

Rhonda took a quick glance at the oven clock. "I'm cooking dinner – it won't be too much longer until it's ready – but I suppose a twenty-minute call won't hurt anything." She couldn't help but chuckle. "Truth be told, I would have expected another one of his classmates to call… what was her name again… Annabelle? Alexandra?"

Tallulah giggled so hard she nearly started hiccoughing. "You mean Anastasia. She's staying at the castle for Thanksgiving – she's a member of our house's Quiz Bowl team and wanted to prepare for the next competition, which is in a couple of weeks, actually. If the Horned Serpents win the Quiz Bowl cup, she gets to go to Scotland to compete internationally in the spring!"

"Ah yes… Anastasia, that's right," chuckled Rhonda. "Yes, I remember her from Boston earlier this year. Very sweet young lady. At any rate, I'll go and fetch Harry. He's probably with Othniel upstairs. It'll just be a moment…"

"Thank you, ma'am," replied Tallulah.

Rhonda muted the receiver, and made her way upstairs to locate Harry. She rapped on Harry's bedroom door, which was immediately followed by a frustrated groan. "Aaaugh!"

Harry opened the door a few seconds later, and noticed the rather puzzled expression on his aunt's face. "What was that about?" she asked, referring to the disappointed-sounding growl she heard.

"Oh, that?" replied Harry. He looked over his shoulder. "I was giving Othniel some pointers for Super Mario Land on my Gameboy. I don't think he's played video games before…"

Rhonda nodded. "I see. Anyway, one of your schoolmates is on the phone… Tamara or Tilly or some-such…"

Harry perked up. "Oh, you mean Tallulah? I was wondering when she was going to call…"

"Yes, that's it. The phone is off the hook on the counter next to the refrigerator," said Rhonda. "Now try not to talk each other's ears off… it's long distance; besides, dinner isn't all that far away from being ready."

"All right, Aunt Rhonda," Harry replied with a nod as the boys darted downstairs to the kitchen with reckless abandon. They were in such a hurry that they nearly tumbled over each other in the middle of the staircase.

When Harry picked up the phone, the first thing he heard was a series of high-pitched giggles. "Erm, hello? What's so funny?"

"Hey there Harry," replied Tallulah, unable to control her laughter. "Goodness gracious, even I could hear you two yahoos coming down those steps. Y'all are louder than a band of feral pigs!"

"Y-you heard that?" Harry said, rather stunned that Tallulah could hear the commotion. "I s'pose we were in such a rush that all common sense went out the window…" He cleared his throat. "So, how are you doing? I take it you got back home yesterday?"

"I got back home at around one yesterday morning," confirmed Tallulah. "The train ride was pert'near fourteen hours long, then the ride home from the train station was about an hour." She groaned. "I feel plumb sorry for you boys – the ride to Seattle's well over twice as long!"

"Closer to three times," said Harry. "Not to mention the car ride to Surrey's a good three hours from Seattle, so I'm sure you could practically hear the sigh of relief when we finally got to our townhouse."

Tallulah giggled. "I'll bet. So, how's Nova? Did she cry like a baby when she met her parents?"

Harry was unable to control his own laughter. "Hahaha, yeah. She wasn't the only one crying though… Uncle Roger and Aunt Rhonda did some boo-hooing themselves."

Tallulah let out a rather exasperated-sounding sigh. "Can you blame them? They haven't seen each other in years, Harry. You'd be bawling like a baby if you saw your birth parents again, too…"

"I guess you're right… and I do miss them," Harry murmured. "I barely remember them… I'd love to have just five minutes with them to tell them how much I love and miss them… and to hear them tell me how proud they are…"

"I know you would," replied Tallulah in an equally-soft drawl. "Look, Harry… I will never claim to have known your parents, but I know in my heart of hearts that just because they can't be there for you physically, doesn't mean that they aren't there for you spiritually. They're very proud of you; they always will be."

"Thanks, 'Lu," Harry said, his lips curved upwards into a wistful smile. "I promised my aunt that I wouldn't tie up the line forever, so I'll have to wrap it up in a minute. Would you like to say hello to Othniel really quick before we let you go?"

"Same here," admitted Tallulah. "It was nice catching up for a few, Harry." She snickered to herself. "Go on, put the goober through."

Harry covered the phone speaker with one of his hands. "Hey Othniel? Tallulah's about to get off the phone, so if you want to talk for a minute or two, now's your chance." He handed the receiver to Othniel, whose face flushed deep pink. Harry smiled and shook his head at how nervously Othniel answered the phone.

As soon as Othniel got off the phone, the boys heard a sharp rapping sound at the front door. Harry's face lit up with sheer joy when he saw the familiar faces of his godfather and Defense professor.

"Pup!" barked Sirius, who bear-hugged Harry almost instantly.

"It's so good to see you, Padfoot," replied Harry as he lost himself in his godfather's embrace. "I've missed you… have I got some stories!"

Sirius let out a rather devilish chuckle. "I'll bet you do, Pup. I can't wait to hear them."

Remus then extended his hand toward Harry, who eagerly accepted. "Your handshake's gotten a little better since the beginning of term, Harry."

"Thanks, Remus," replied Harry with an abashed grin. "Why don't you two make yourselves at home? Aunt Rhonda's in the kitchen making dinner, which isn't all that far from being ready. Uncle Roger's in his study, doing Merlin-knows-what, and Nova's been in the guest room, resting for a good chunk of the day." He gave both men a slightly-worried glance. "I don't think she's been sleeping all that well lately… do either of you have a sleeping potion she can take tonight?"

Sirius and Remus briefly looked at each other, then back at Harry. Sirius shook his head 'no' remorsefully, while Remus looked upward in thought. "I don't think I have any on my person, but Sirius says Vancouver has a wizarding district not far from his pad."

"It's not as extensive as Diagon Alley, or even Nessel Road, but I'm sure we can find a sleeping potion for her there… or at the very least, purchase the ingredients to concoct one," added Sirius. "If she's willing to wait a day or so, I think we can help her out there."

"She may need to use no-maj medication this evening, like melatonin," suggested Remus. "It's not as potent as a sleeping draught, but it should help some."

Sirius clapped a hand on Remus' shoulder. "Hahaha. I see you're getting accustomed to North American wizarding slang, Moony."

"It's… been growing on me," admitted Remus with a shrug. "There are some mild cultural differences between Hogwarts and Ilvermorny, but the kids at both schools have the same desire to make friends, sneak out past curfew, and pull pranks." He winked at Harry. "Ilvermorny has become a home away from home, so to speak."

Harry led the former Marauders into the living room, and assured them that Roger would be joining them momentarily. He then went to the kitchen to look for Rhonda, promptly telling her that Sirius and Remus were waiting in the living room. She smiled at Harry. "Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes. In the meantime, why don't you go fetch your uncle?"

Dinner was beginning to wind down about an hour later. Harry nodded toward Othniel, acknowledging his improved table manners. "Too bad Tallulah wasn't here," he told his friend softly. "You've come a long way in the past few weeks."

Othniel just grinned at Harry. "You haven't seen anything yet, dude." He cleared his throat before addressing Rhonda. "Erm, d'you need a hand with the dishes or anything, Miz Woodward?"

Rhonda smiled at Othniel. "That's very sweet of you to offer, Othniel. Why don't you gather all the silverware, dishes, and plates, and set them next to the sink? Some of them will need to be hand-washed, and some can go in the dishwasher – I'll handle that. And maybe you could wipe down the table when you're done?" She turned toward Harry. "And could you be a dear and vacuum the dining room for me? And in about a half hour, we could all meet up in the living room and go through those photo albums?"

Harry nodded. "That's fine, Aunt Rhonda."

Harry gently elbowed Othniel in the ribs as they got up from their seats. "Tallulah wouldn't believe this if she saw it with her own eyes, man."

"She might not believe you two gits, but she'd definitely take my word," piped in a snarky contralto. Harry and Othniel spun around to see Nova covering a grin with her hand. "Keep that up, Beckett, and you could make Miss Slater a very happy witch someday."

BUUUUUUURRRP!

Othniel's cheeks turned a bright scarlet. "'Scuse me."

Nova rolled her eyes. "Or maybe not." She sighed. "Speaking about embarrassing oneself, I'll be going upstairs to fetch my photo album. See you two Neanderthals later."

Harry shook his head at Othniel, his face rife with disapproval. Othniel could only shrug in response. "Well, I s'pose we better tackle the dining room. Shouldn't take too long between the two of us…" He began stacking dishes and silverware, while Harry went to look for the vacuum cleaner. When the boys had finished tidying up the dining room, they plopped themselves down in the living room.

Roger, Sirius, and Remus were conversing amongst themselves – the three men momentarily looked several years younger, laughing as they reminisced about their Hogwarts days. It was evident to Harry that getting together like this did them some good – though there were a few quieter moments whenever James or Lily were brought up.

"When the girls have gone upstairs to bed, Pup, we'd like for you to stay here a little while longer," Sirius said.

Harry nodded. "That's fine… I remember Uncle Roger promising me that the three of you have some sort of story for me."

"That's right, Hare," confirmed Roger. He gestured toward Othniel. "Now Othniel, when the ladies retire for the evening, I'll need you to head up to Harry's room… this story is going to be rather personal in nature. I hope you understand."

"Okeydokey," replied Othniel.

Right on cue, Nova entered the living room, photo album in hand. She plopped herself in the middle of a three-seat couch. She batted her eyes at Roger. "Come, sit next to me, Daddy."

"Very well, princess," Roger chuckled as he got up, then seated himself on Nova's right. "Now, your mum should be nearly finished by now, I'd imagine…"

They didn't have long to wait. Rhonda tried to apologize for being late as she sat on Nova's other side, but everyone assured her that she was fine, and that she hadn't missed anything important. Like Nova, she had a photo album in her hands, but it was somewhat smaller and less ornate than Nova's.

"Oh, before we start, I suppose I should make a formal introduction," Sirius offered. He approached Nova and held out his hand. "Sirius Black. Your father and got our kicks in at Hogwarts quite a few years ago, as did your Defense professor, Remus." He winked at the child. "You've got your mum's eyes, and your father's chin."

"It's a pleasure, sir," Nova giggled as she took his hand. "My grandparents would get into a tizzy if they knew you were here… but Harry's told me wonderful things about you."

Sirius shook his head and laughed. "Yes… suffice to say, Cotton and Giacintha Woodward aren't exactly my biggest fans. In fact, your grandfather and my old man were friends back in the day; they played Wizard's Whist on occasion with some of the other stuck-up pureblooded patriarchs…"

"But didn't your father technically marry a halfblood?" Remus asked Roger. "I mean, that wasn't as blasphemous as marrying a Muggle-born, but I'd imagine it have raised some eyebrows."

Roger bowed his head. "It's true, my mother had a Muggle-born ancestor so she's officially a half-blood, but the Cherrywines were a well-to-do family that still looked down on Muggle-borns; not to mention they did go to lengths to conceal their not completely-pure lineage. That being said, some pureblood families aren't necessarily opposed to having one of their younger children marrying an influential half-blood whose views on Muggles and Muggle-borns aligned with their own. Of course, Uncle Jethro - my father's eldest brother - was obligated to marry an unquestionably-pureblooded witch. Aunt Camille of the Greengrass family." He turned toward his daughter and smiled. "I'm sorry for stealing your moment, Nova love. We'd be delighted to see those wonderful pictures of yours."

Nova cracked open her brown photo album, and proudly showed everyone in the room the many moving photos of the many events of her childhood. The very first pictures were her babbling as a baby, followed by her taking her very first steps. Then there were the photos of her as a four or five-year old girl in ballet slippers, and photos of her at about seven doing a tap dancing solo and practicing on the piano. Then there was the picture of her getting fitted for her uniforms at Madam Forbush's, and then Nova in her formal robes as she was set to depart for Ilvermorny for the very first time. The last few pages were ones Harry and Othniel couldn't help but smile at – pictures of Nova on her broom during quidditch practice, and what appeared to be a group photo of Horned Serpent girls from last year.

Harry looked at the last photo with keen interest. There was a familiar-looking girl with shoulder-length wavy russet hair and glasses. He cleared his throat. "Was that Ana last year?" he asked Nova, pointing at the girl in the photo.

Nova simply giggled. "Your powers of observation do you credit, Harry." She hummed to herself. "She was a cute little firstie, wasn't she?"

"Oh, so you know Anastasia?" Sirius asked Nova. "I remember her from Nessel Road this past summer. Very nice girl."

Nova smiled and nodded. "She's crazy-smart, too. She made the Horned Serpent Quiz Bowl team as a starter. That's practically unheard of, as far as second-year students go. There's a very good chance she'll get to go to Hogwarts in the spring to compete." She tilted her head. "Oh, by the way, Daddy. You mentioned the Greengrass family a few minutes ago, right? Ana has a pen pal from Hogwarts named Daphne Greengrass. I think she's a firstie there."

Sirius threw his head back and laughed. "I'll bet Ana was in for a rude awakening when she got a reply... that is, if she got a reply. The House of Greengrass doesn't actually condone dark magic, but they're quite possibly the snootiest house in Wizarding Britain..."

Nova giggled as she shook her head. "Not at all... I've caught a glimpse of one of the letters Daphne sent Ana. She seems very sweet and down-to-earth. She asked lots of innocent questions - she was genuinely curious of Ana's non-magical upbringing. Nothing like a typical haughty Slytherin heiress, because she's not..."

"What do you mean?" asked Sirius, his lip twisting in confusion.

"I saw her photo... her uniform clearly shows she got sorted in Gryffindor," replied Nova with a bright smile. "She's a very cute girl, too."

Sirius chuckled. "Well, I'll be. A Greengrass in Gryffindor. That's nearly as far-fetched as a Black in Gryffindor!"

"Well, all things considered, you've turned out all right," chimed in Roger. "Oh, and Rhonda, darling? I'm guessing the kiddos would like to see how we looked when we were younger. These photos aren't enchanted, so don't be alarmed if they look a little different than the ones in Nova's album."

Rhonda then opened her photo album. It appeared to be even older than Nova's – it was plain black and had a thin layer of dust on it – and as Roger alluded, hers only had simple, still photographs. Even the most recent photographs were a decade old, so there was a distinct graininess to them; not to mention, the colors weren't very vibrant. Most of them were from when she and Roger were dating, but some of them included group shots of the old Hogwarts crew, and others were wedding photos.

When they had finished going through all the photos, Rhonda took a look at the grandfather clock – it was nearly nine in the evening. She let out a yawn, and politely excused herself to her bedroom. When Rhonda was no longer within earshot, Nova approached Remus and Sirius. "Do either of you have a sleeping potion I could take tonight? Harry says that you might be able to help me – it's been a dreadful week for me."

"You'll need to take some of that Muggle melatonin tonight," sighed Remus. He then grinned at Nova. "That said, Sirius says that there's a wizarding district in the Vancouver area. We should be able to have one for you by this time tomorrow if you still need one."

Nova's face brightened. "That'd be wonderful. Thank you." She gave Sirius and Remus quick hugs, and gave her father a little peck on the cheek before excusing herself for the evening.

Othniel then sighed. "I s'pose that's my cue. I'll see you upstairs in a few, Harry."

Harry nodded. "See you in a few."