- ERRANDS -

Diagon Alley was exactly as Harry remembered it. Bustling streets filled with men, women, and children, all trying to reach the next shop on their list. Harry and Rose apparated onto the front steps of Gringotts Bank. He turned to his companion, who was gazing around the alley in a state of recollection. He allowed himself a moment to form a list in his mind. Wands. Books. Potions. Clothes. Quidditch gear. Maybe they could pick up some pets and school supplies while they were here. He voiced this to Rose, whose eyes widened excitedly. "I want a Kneazle again! Maybe a full-blooded one. Cleo was half-blooded,"

"Cleo? I never knew you had a pet Kneazle,"

"I got him in my third year. He had ginger fur...yellow eyes. Hated rats," Rose explained, her eyes darkening slightly at the word 'rats'.

Harry smiled. "Reminds me of Hermione's cat. Crookshanks. Maybe you got its Multiversal counterpart," His smile faded slightly at the reminder of Hermione. He had never gotten a chance to say goodbye. Quickly shaking that thought, he turned back to Rose. "Yes, we can definitely try to get you a Kneazle. But we should start with the more important stuff first. Wands. Books. Clothes. Any important things we might need other than those,"

"Such as..."

"Potions, potion ingredients, Quidditch gear, some of your school supplies, maybe even some ice cream while we're at it,"

"Ice cream..." Rose whispered hungrily. "I haven't had ice cream in so long,"

"Neither have I. But that can wait until we're done with everything else. Firstly," Reaching into his moleskin pouch, Harry removed a small sack. With a few simple charms, he summoned a few thousand galleons into the magically expanded sack, which he then handed to a grateful Rose. "Wands. We're going to need them if we're staying here," With that, Harry moved down the front steps of Gringotts. The two stepped into Ollivander's, which was surprisingly quiet all things considered. Harry had expected the wand-maker to be busy, given it was close to the start of term at Hogwarts.

"Ah. I do not think I've had the pleasure," The voice echoing through the establishment alerted Harry to Mr. Ollivander's presence. He felt Rose's stance shift uneasily behind him. He cast a silent serenity spell behind his back just as Mr. Ollivander stepped out from his back room. His gaze fell on Harry with perplexity, though his expression softened upon seeing Rose. "Do not worry, miss. There is nothing to fear here," Turning back to Harry, the wandsmith motioned to the collection of wands stored on his shelves. "While I am sure there is an explanation as to why I have not had the pleasure before today, I believe you would both like to make this as quick as possible?"

"That would be best, yes," Rose replied from behind Harry.

Mr. Ollivander smiled graciously, standing straighter as he quickly scurried into the backroom. As soon as he left their sight, two magical measuring tapes appeared from thin air, hovering around Harry and Rose. Having experienced this before, Harry and Rose allowed the measuring tapes to take their measurements while Mr. Ollivander called out from the back. "Now. Now. How interesting. This one is...fascinating," He returned to the front room, carrying a wand case. Harry took note of the fact it was shaking violently in his hand. When he finally reached the two, Mr. Ollivander held it up to Harry's nose. The two shared an uncomfortable silence as the shaking continued. "Hmm," was all Mr. Ollivander added before turning to Rose.

Holding the box to her nose, the reaction was much different. The box shook more violently than before, threatening to break free from Mr. Ollivander's grasp. A bright smile overtook his face. "It seems we have found a match,"

"Already?" Rose asked.

"Yes. It seems this wand has chosen you," Mr. Ollivander carefully pulled the lid off of the box to reveal a sleek and smooth wand. It was shaking uncontrollably inside the box. "Eleven inches. Vine wood. Phoenix feather core. It seems eager. Would you like to?" The wand-maker held the box toward Rose, who was watching the wand with recognition and joy. Harry smiled. He assumed that this had been her wand in her universe. Had it sat there for decades just waiting for her to arrive before? How long had it been since Ollivander created it? So many questions, so little interest in answers.

Rose reached out and carefully grabbed the wand. The rounded tip of the wood glowed a bright orange before shooting off multicoloured confetti. A definite success. The want itself was of simple design. As Ollivander had said, it was made of vine wood, phoenix feather, and was eleven inches. The wood itself had been polished extensively, and Harry could make out the design of leaves and vines along the wand's handle. Ollivander's attention once again shifted to Harry, his gaze scrutinizing him. "Now, now. What to do,"

Harry and Rose went through the standard "go to Ollivander's and spend an hour shuffling through wands before finding one that works". Eventually he found a wand that worked for him, and though slightly disappointed that it was not the one he had before, Harry was surprised by its composition. Aspen wood with a Horned Serpent horn for a core. The wand was twelve and three/fourths inches, with a creamy white hue that was complemented by the light brown handle. Both ends of the wand were golden, with intricate golden lining traveling down each side. Harry had also learned that wands with Horned Serpent horns for cores were highly powerful and reacted to Parseltongue.

With that business attended to, the two Potter children spent the next two hours gathering any other supplies they deemed necessary. Eventually, they split up, their interests drawing them toward different shops in the alley. Rose charged herself with buying their books, clothes, and Quidditch gear. That left Harry with the potions, luggage, and pets. The first two were simple enough. He had started with the luggage, where admittedly his inner-Hermione had taken over. Harry had bought two trunks with magically expanded interiors for every single item they acquired. One for books, one for potions, one for potion ingredients, one for Quidditch supplies, one for clothes, and one for their personal use.

Harry spent the next thirty minutes purchasing as many items as he could to fill each of the compartments. When he was done with his half, he shrunk both trunks and placed them inside his moleskin pouch. He now stood in the entrance of the Magical Menagerie. Harry remembered visiting this establishment the summer before their third year, when Hermione had purchased Crookshanks. It looked exactly the same as it had before. There were cages of every kind of pet on display. It was very cramped, noisy and smelled oddly of rotten egg, with every inch of wall covered by cages.

"Welcome!" His eyes darted to the source of the voice, which belonged to a relatively young woman sitting behind the desk. He couldn't tell if this was the same woman who had run the shop before, but he doubted it. She had appeared in her seventies during their visit and this woman looked no older than thirty. "I don't believe I've seen you around here before. New to town?"

"You could say that," Smiling, Harry took a moment to survey the room before turning back to the woman. "My name's Harry. Do you have any half-Kneazle's around? With orange fur and yellow eyes?"

The woman frowned, peering around the room for a moment before shaking her head. "Andrea. And no. Can't say I have a Kneazle with that description. But I do have a couple of full-blooded Kneazle's if you're interested," Seeing he wouldn't refuse, Andrea hopped off of her chair and rounded the desk, motioning to a section of that wall to Harry's left that was filled with caged Kneazles. Harry allowed his eyes to drift over the Kneazle's there, frowning slightly at the disinterest being displayed by each. Why would someone want a cat as a pet? Shaking himself from that thought, his attention turned to one Kneazle in particular. A brown furred Kneazle with yellow eyes that eerily reminded Harry of Crookshanks. Harry turned back to Andrea, who was rambling about one of the orange Kneazles. "Then we have Theodorus here. He's -"

"What about this one?" Harry asked, motioning to the Kneazle he had spotted before.

Andrea smiled. "That one's been here a long time. I doubt you would like her," She then turned back to 'Theodorus'.

"Try me," Harry replied with a grin.

Andrea's stilled. Her face shifted into a matching grin as she reached up to remove the lock on the cage. As soon as the door to the cage opened, Andrea took a step back, as if waiting for the cat to jump from the cage. But the brown Kneazle did no such thing. It merely sat there, watching Harry intently. "Hmm," Andrea hummed. "Interesting. She's usually more aggressive with people. Jumps on people whenever she's given a chance," Harry ignored the fact that she had been willing to let the Kneazle loose on him and the fact Andrea was eyeing him with interest and continued to examine the Kneazle. "Say, what was your name again?" She asked.

"Harry,"

"Harry..."

"Potter," He glanced in her direction, taking note of her seductive smile before turning back to the Kneazle.

"Potter? I didn't know old Fleamont had any other kids. Or wait. Are you another one of Charlus' bast- I mean, kids?"

Harry laughed. "No. I belong to Fleamont. I make no claim to Charlus. James is my brother. My triplet, actually. We have a sister too," He figured he might as well plant the seeds of their story in the world before they started at Hogwarts. It would increase their legitimacy to anyone that questioned it.

"Oh? So that makes you..."

"Sixteen, yes,"

"Oh," Andrea's upbeat attitude came crashing down as her shoulder's slumped slightly. "Unfortunate," Her sultry smile returned, her hand reaching up to caress his bicep. "Perhaps when you turn seventeen, you could come back for a visit. After all, you'll need some more treats for this one," She motioned to the Kneazle. She leaned closer, her lips nearly brushing Harry's ear as she whispered. "And I'll save some special treats just for you,"

Harry's smile never faded as he pulled away from the woman, who casually took a step back. Despite being very interested in her proposal and intrigued by her idea of 'treats', Harry decided to get back to the task at hand. "I'll keep that in mind. Though if you wouldn't mind. How much for the Kneazle?"

Andrea smiled. "Well, normally I'll charge eleven for a Kneazle. But for you, I'll take eight," Harry shook his head, depositing eight galleons into her hand before moving to leave. That was until he spotted what appeared to be a puppy gazing up at him from a cage by the door. It looked a lot like Ron's old Patronus, a Jack Russell terrier, though it had a forked tail. Andrea stepped forward. "A crup. They're like normal dogs, but they have a forked tail. They're very loyal to wizards and are great scavengers. Just don't let them loose in muggle areas, or you'll find yourself in Azkaban. They don't like muggles too much,"

Bending down in front of the dog, Harry couldn't help but remember Sirius. The puppy had black fur with white spots covering its body, especially around its eyes. Its black eyes fell on Harry with a sense of anguish and need that Harry felt he needed to provide. And so there was nothing in him that rejected the idea that came to mind. "How much for the Crup?"

'DO YOUR PART!' Harry scoffed, turning away from the poster of Council Member #3 pointing in his general direction. No one in this Sector did anything but their part. Sector 5 was reserved solely for Gladiators. Sure, some of the Servus or Peritus moved into the sector from time to time to open shops and vendors and other services. But besides those few exceptions, Sector 5 was reserved for the best soldiers in the Grand Armada. The only people more talented than the Gladiators were the Master's. His mind took him back to the explanation he had received from Council Member #7.

There were six groups of people in the Domus Mortis. All comprised of multiversal variants of Harry Potter. All kinds of Harry's of various color, sex, and skill. The lowest class were the Servus, or Servants. They were variants of Harry Potter that were either squibs or very weak. They were often in the grey area between being killed or becoming Codders. Codders were variants that were strong enough to be useful in combat but were too weak to become Gladiator's and were not smart enough to become Peritus. Their destinies were to be killed in the Domus Mortis' bid for supremacy.

The Peritus were variants that were more intelligent than your run-of-the-mill Harry Potter. These Harry's were smart, but were often weaker than others, making them inadequate for becoming a Gladiator or Master. But the Peritus were given enough privileges to put them slightly above the Gladiators. They were in charge of research. Researching weapons. Space travel. Weapons. Unlimited energy. And more weapons. It also helped that some Peritus, such as Andromeda Black, served as advisors for the Council and the Master's.

The Gladiators were the middle ground. Not the best of the best, but certainly not the worst. The Gladiators were the only faction allowed to form their own identities, though this was done with the knowledge that they forever pledged themselves to the cause. Gladiators were stronger than most Harry Potters, and often had a special ability that set them apart from the others. This ability often formed their 'identity'. Others chose their name solely due to chance or circumstance. Harry himself had chosen the name Omen due to his troubled luck and the effect it had on those he loved.

Master's were the best of the best. The fiercest and deadliest warriors in the entire Multiverse. There were only five hundred of them, and that was more than enough to take over any world that dared cross paths with the Domus Mortis. On several instances, one lone Master had been able to conquer a universe by themselves. It was not done often, but it was not unheard of. Gladiator's in Sector 5 did whatever they could to become a Master, though most either died trying or ultimately failed. The Master's had been the first additions to the Domus Mortis after the Council founded it. And all five hundred Masters had been the only Master's for the organization's entire existence. None had ever died and none had ever left. No one would join their ranks. While the Council were feared, the Master's were shrouded in mystery, legend, and curiosity. Unlike the Gladiator's, the Master's had no identity other than their number, wearing the exact same suit of armor. None was distinguishable from the other.

The highest of the classes were the Council. A collection of seven Harry Potter's that had come together at the beginning of time itself. Seven leaders and conquerors that had left their universes and walked the Void beyond the multiverse before coming across one another. The seven council members had formed the Domus Mortis, finding five hundred like-minded variants that were all willing to do what it took to conquer every universe they ever encountered. The Council lived on Sector 2, the Master's on Sector 3, the Peritus on Sector 4, the Gladiator's on Sector 5, the Codders on Sector 6, and the Servus on Sector 7. The only thing above them in Sector 1 was the Reactor Room. The place that gave power and life to everything in the Domus Mortis.

"DO YOUR PART!" Someone far away shouted. Harry shook his head in annoyance.

Harry had left the Magical Menagerie with two pet cages. Roughly thirty minutes later, he stepped out of Knockturn Alley, slightly put off by some of the more...eccentric wizards and witches present there. He quickly made his way to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, where Roseline Evans was waiting for him. She was sitting patiently at one of the outdoor tables, eagerly digging into a cup of what looking like cookie-dough ice cream. "Rose," Harry spoke. The girl's head swung to the right, her eyes falling on his with a level of excitement. Her excitement only grew, however, when she spotted what was in his hands. The girl let out a high-pitched squeal, dropping her ice-cream onto the table as she got to her feet. "Oh my god. You got a dog?!" Rose dropped into a squat, eyeing the crup inside its cage with joy.

"I couldn't resist," Harry said with a shrug. He held up the cage with her Kneazle. "This one is for you,"

Rose eagerly took the cage, holding it close to her face so she could examine the Kneazle inside. The brown-furred, yellow-eyed Kneazle peered anxiously toward Rose, shrinking back slightly in fear. "I think her name's going to be Althea," Rose said. The Kneazle took a step forward, eyeing Rose curiously. Rose glanced toward Harry with a smile. "Our family's always loved flower names,"

Harry nodded solemnly. He remembered all too well. His mother had two sisters. Aunt Petunia and Aunt Dahlia. Lily and Dahlia had become witches in Harry's universe, while Petunia was born without magic. After Lily's death, Aunt Dahlia had been meant to take him in, only for her to be killed by some of Voldemort's loyal followers. This left him with Aunt Petunia, the caregiver of most Harry Potters. Harry often thought about how his life would have been different had Dahlia survived. If his parents had survived.

He shook himself from those thoughts. He had seen and met many Harry Potter's who lived long lives with their parents, Sirius, Remus, and others. Their lives were not his own. Harry turned back to Rose with a smile. "Ready for the Pottery?" Rose's entire mood shifted into one of uneasiness. Harry sighed. Motioning to the table where she had oh-so-carefully dumped her ice cream, Harry and Rose took a seat. "We don't have to rush anything. We can just relax here until you're ready to go,"

"It's not that I'm not ready, it's just..." Rose took a deep breath, something that Harry commended. She was good at controlling her emotions. "We need to be careful, Harry. Albus and Professor McGonagall know the truth about us. The Potters know. Soon, Arcturus Black will know. Who else? Sirius? Lupin? Pettigrew?" Harry frowned. She wasn't wrong. A lot of people already knew about their secret, and they had only been here less than four hours. That list would only grow. "How do we make a future here, Harry? We're not like them,"

"We are,"

"We're not," Rose growled. She drew closer to him, her voice lowering to a whisper. "You have superpowers. You can do things no one else here can, including fly. I can control an aspect of reality most here would kill to control. If those things get out about us, people will -"

"People won't find out," Harry cut her off. "Because we're going to be careful. We're only going to use our 'special abilities' when it directly calls for it. Under no circumstances are we going to use anything but magic," Rose was silent. Harry could tell that she was extremely nervous and wary of their future here. Harry wouldn't lie by telling himself he wasn't wary as well. Things were moving too quickly. In the span of a few hours they had arrived, aligned themselves with Dumbledore and the Potters, gotten themselves back into Hogwarts, and would now be living with the Potters for the foreseeable future. Not to mention their godfather Sirius Black, who was staying with the Potters in this time. He turned back to Rose with a forced smile. "Are you ready?"

"I suppose," she replied with a shrug.

Harry smiled. "Let's get you a fresh cup of ice cream before we head over," Rose's smile returned at the sound of ice cream. Harry tossed her a small pouch of galleons, his eyes following her as she re-entered the ice cream shop. Harry idly waited with the pets and their belongings. He refrained from revealing or discussing the other items he had purchased in Knockturn Alley. He would give them to her when she needed them.

"I forgot ice cream was so good," Rose's voice rang through the living room of Potter Manor as Harry and Rose appeared from the floo. They stopped immediately, their eyes falling on the three individuals present in the room. Fleamont, Euphemia, and James Potter were all situated around the living room coffee table. Fleamont was nursing a glass of firewhiskey, the bottle of which was half empty. Euphemia was rubbing her temples in anxiety. James Potter, who was only sixteen, was pale and sickly. He was nursing his own glass of butterbeer, which had only had a sip taken from it. He was wearing a wrinkly grey shirt and pyjama bottoms, meaning they had just caught him getting out of bed. The boy with jet-black hair and brown eyes did not so much as glance in their direction when Harry and Rose arrived. Fleamont did, however.

"Ah. Good of you to join us," He said flatly. "James. This is them," A moment of silence echoed through the home. James' eyes shifted from his drink to the still form of Harry and Rose. Harry couldn't see any emotion in his eyes, and was beginning to question the validity of their plan. His worries were only slightly subdued when Fleamont continued. "Come. Sit down. We walked him through everything, but it would be best if you could answer any questions that come up,"

Harry and Rose carefully set down their pet cages and trunks before taking a seat on the small love seat situated across from Fleamont and Euphemia's chairs and to James' right. He didn't feel comfortable joining James on the couch, and Fleamont and Euphemia were sitting in the only two chairs in the center arrangement. Rose quietly continued to eat her ice cream, becoming lost in the cookie-dough, while James addressed the two of them. "So. You're alternate versions of my future son,"

"Correct,"

"And you came here on accident,"

"Also correct,"

"And this isn't some cruel joke by Sirius or Remus to get back at me for last summer,"

"Unfortunately not," Harry confirmed.

James carefully reached up to rub the bridge of his nose, scrunching his brow in concentration. "But you can't tell people you're my kids, because...obviously. So instead you'll claim to be my siblings. My twin siblings. Triplet siblings. Taken away due to some sort of prophecy," Harry nodded. James motioned to Rose, who stilled at the attention. "You're going to school with me," He then pointed to Harry. "And you're going to be my Defense professor? Aren't you my age?"

"I'm older than I look. Physically, I'll be seventeen in a couple of months. And I've got a lot of experience. It seemed to convince Dumbledore," Harry replied with a shrug.

"Okay. Okay. But...what about your homes? Can't you go back?"

"No," Rose replied, her voice only a whisper. "Our homes are gone,"

James' face finally showed emotion. A sense of guilt and pity passed over him. "What happened to them?"

"My universe was torched," Rose answered.

Euphemia leaned forward. "Torched?"

"Fiendfyre on a universal scale," Harry supplied. "Consumes an entire universe in a few centuries. Minutes where we came from. Both of our universe were torched. Most are,"

"What kind of horrible place did you come from?" asked Fleamont.

"A place no kind soul should ever dream of seeing," Harry answered. "But that is beside the point. We're here now, and there's no way to get back. So we should make the most of it,"

"I suppose you're right," Fleamont mused.

Silence once again spread through the room as the Potters all questioned what else needed to be said. Harry was curious about how James would continue to react, and it seemed Euphemia was also curious. Rose had returned to her ice cream. Suddenly, James spoke. "Do you play Quidditch?" Everyone's attention was drawn to him. Harry couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the boy, but eventually grinned after James deflated in embarrassment. "What? I'm just curious,"

"We're both Seekers," Rose offered. She was scraping the bottom of her ice cream bowl with her plastic spoon, taking a moment to lick off what was left before handing the bowl to Harry. Without a word, Harry vanished the bowl before Rose continued. "We were both Seekers for our house teams. Harry was accepted his first year. I got in my second,"

It was Fleamont's turn to raise an eyebrow. "First year Seeker?"

Harry shrugged. "I got a bit lucky. A Malfoy pretty much handed me the spot after throwing my friends Remembrall while learning to fly. I caught the ball and McGonagall saw it. She put me on the team and the rest was history,"

"A Malfoy," Fleamont groaned. "The snakes of the political world,"

"Sounds about right," Harry replied.

"So I assume your Malfoy was as bad as Lucius is?" asked James.

"I'd say worse. He was a truly despicable weasel. I was quite pleased when he died," Harry said. Everyone was silent after that. Harry frowned, unsure if he had gone too far with that statement. He decided not to focus on the uncomfortability and move the conversation along. "Well then. Everyone knows the basics. We're not from this universe, we got here a few hours ago, we're now - with permission from Fleamont and Euphemia - part of the Potter family, Rose will continue her education, I have a job as Defence Professor, and I'm going to take an active role in taking down Voldemort,"

"I?" Rose questioned, raising a surprised eyebrow.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Yes. I. Remember the talk we had at the Fortescue's?" Rose's eyebrow lowered, her shoulders sagging slightly. Harry sighed. "I want you to be safe, Rose. I want you to have a normal life. You can't do that if you're running around playing hero,"

"The same can be said for you, young man," said Euphemia.

Harry turned to the woman with a smile. "I can take care of myself,"

"Most children think so," she countered.

"I'm no child," Harry replied. "I would be surprised if Voldemort himself lasted a second against me in a fight,"

"No one's that powerful," James cut in.

"Harry is," Rose defended. "He's more powerful than Voldemort. And Albus. Combined..." The three Potter's raised their eyebrows in surprise, their gaze falling on Harry. "Times five,"

Their incredulous expressions only widened at this statement. Someone five times more powerful than the combined strength of Albus Dumbledore and Voldemort? That was impossible. James voiced as much. Harry refrained from speaking, unsure where this was going. Despite being confident in his abilities, he refused to openly boast about them to others. His statement before had merely been to reassure Euphemia that he would be fine in a fight between Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Rose merely laughed. "Harry is the definition of impossible,"

"Now I need to see you fight Voldemort or Dumbledore," James said, motioning to Harry.

"You might see one of those. The other is unlikely," Harry replied with a shrug.

"I think we should call it a night," Fleamont interjected. He held up his bottle of firewhiskey, which was now empty. "I'm all out of the good stuff, and I need it to comprehend these kinds of conversations. So we'll continue this in the morning. In the meantime, we prepared rooms for the two of you upstairs before explaining everything to James. He'll show them to you,"

Harry quickly got to his feet, reaching out a hand toward Fleamont. "Thank you for allowing us in your home, sir,"

Fleamont eyed the hand in surprise, though he soon smiled. After getting to his feet, he grabbed Harry's hand and shook it. "It's not a problem, son. And please, there's no need for the formalities. You're pretty much our son now. Just like you're our daughter," He said, motioning to Rose. She smiled brightly, though she nervously stepped back. Rose was still very uncomfortable with the situation, something Harry understood would take time to change. Fleamont continued. "And while I know we aren't, feel free to call us Mum and Dad. Of course, if you don't feel comfortable with that, you can call us Flea and Phe. We're all a family now, so we should get used to being around each other,"

Harry's smiled widened. "Alright, Flea," He turned to Euphemia. "Phe. Have a great night,"

"You too, Harry," Euphemia replied with a bright smile. Harry's smile never faded. He would have a fantastic night. After all, he had to do some housekeeping and ensure things were cleaned up properly. Harry turned to James, who was watching the exchange with a frown. Harry's smile slightly diminished. James was used to being an only child. Sirius' stay at the Potter's was recent and short, leaving little room for jealousy. Now, though, James found himself with two new siblings in the span of a couple of hours, ones he would have to live with and interact with on a daily basis. Harry reminded himself to help James adjust to their presence however he could.

"Ok," James spoke. "I guess I'm showing you your rooms," Harry moved toward their pet cages and belongings, but was stopped by James. "Don't worry about it. The house elves will take them to your rooms," Harry nodded. He was familiar with House Elves and how they functioned, as was Rose. Satisfied, Harry followed James up the steps leading to the second floor, with Rose at his side. James took them down the hallway, taking a right at the intersection before coming to a stop in between two doors on opposing walls. He motioned to the door on the right. "This is yours, Rose," He motioned to the door to his left. "This is yours, Harry. Mum and Dad figured you would wanna stay close to each other,"

"That's for the best," Harry nodded.

"Well then..." James clapped his hands together nervously. "I guess I'll see you two at breakfast?"

"Sounds like a plan," Rose agreed. "Which is when?"

"Oh, uh…" James frowned. "9:30? It depends on what Dad's doing. But he took the next few days off for you guys, so it should be earlier. Sirius will be there,"

"9:30 it is then," Harry said.

"Is Sirius not allowed to know about you guys?" James asked suddenly.

Harry shook his head quickly. "Not yet. We'll tell Sirius eventually. As well as Remus and Lily. But until we're ready and feel they're ready for us to tell them, we'd appreciate you keeping the truth to yourself," James deflated slightly, no doubt worried about potentially lying to his best friends and future wife for an extended period of time. Harry reached up and grabbed the young man's shoulder. "Don't worry, James. You won't have to keep it secret long. Just until they get a feel for who we really are. We want them to know the real us before they judge us on our origins,"

James' frown lessened somewhat and his shoulders regained their posture. "I can respect that," he said. He peered between Harry and Rose for a minute before taking a deep breath. "Well, I'm heading to bed. If you need anything, just call out to one of the house elves. Nibbs and Pipkin will help you out. The others are pretty shy,"

Rose nodded. "Thank you,"

James offered the two a farewell before walking down the hallway. He stepped into a bedroom down the hall and disappeared from sight, leaving Harry and Rose alone. Harry and Rose exchanged worried expressions. This would be the first time in days they had separated. Harry placed his hand on her arm, a small smile gracing his features. "Everything's alright. Just get some rest and I'll see you in the morning,"

"Right. Some rest," Rose said.

"Goodnight, Rose,"

The girl launched herself into Harry, burying her head in his chest while wrapping her arms around his waist. Harry couldn't help but chuckle as he wrapped his arms around her. "Goodnight, Harry," He heard her whisper. And in the blink of an eye she had separated herself from him, disappearing into her new bedroom before shutting the door behind her. Harry took a moment to look on, hoping that Rose would be alright in the night by herself. She frequently had night-terrors in her sleep, something Occlumency hadn't been able to fix.

Turning to his own bedroom, Harry opened the door and stepped inside. He took note of the simplicity of it. It was a modestly sized bedroom, having enough room for a four-poster bed, a large work desk in the far left corner, and a wardrobe on the far right corner. A door leading to the balcony of the patio outside his room sat between the two pieces of furniture. A door to the left led to an on-suite bathroom. Other than that, there were a few bookshelves and tables scattered around to hold books and other loose trinkets. There were no pictures or posters on the wall, leading Harry to believe this was a spare bedroom for guests. All the better, he was never a fan of decorating bedrooms.

True to James' word, Harry spotted his belongings on the bed. The cage holding his new pet crup as well as a small briefcase that held his shrunken belongings. He peered down at the black and white crup, its eyes peering up at him without emotion. The pet had clearly been trained well, given it hadn't barked or made a sound in the time Harry had had him. The eyes seemed to call out to Harry, and he could swear the way the light shined off them resembled a rising sun. "I think I'll call you Apollo," Harry spoke.

The crup's eyes widened, its tail beginning to wag from left to right. Harry smiled. "You like that name?" The crup began to pant, its tail smacking the cage as it swung from left to right. "Good boy, Apollo," Harry waved his hand, unlocking the cage with ease. As soon as the door swung open, Apollo jumped from the bed into Harry's arms, taking the opportunity to lick at Harry's face and neck. Harry laughed, carefully setting the excited crup onto the floor. Turning to an empty corner of the room, Harry conjured a doggy-bed and two bowls, one empty and one filled with water. "There you go, buddy,"

Apollo quickly ran to the bowls, licking up the water enthusiastically. With Apollo preoccupied, Harry turned back to his new belongings. He vanished the crup-cage, opening the briefcase to go through what he and Rose had purchased and exchanged. With the wave of his hand, Harry opened the empty wardrobe, watching as the new clothing in the briefcase expanded and floated into the wardrobe. Once all of his clothing was folded or hung properly, Harry magically lifted the books Rose had purchased for him and placed them on the empty bookshelves surrounding the room. With that done, Harry removed the last item inside the magically-expanded interior briefcase. His trunk.

He placed it by the desk, opening it to find seven enlarged compartments. Two for his more important literary pieces, one for his clothes, one for his potions, one for potion ingredients, one for quidditch supplies - including his Firebolt -, and one heavily warded compartment for his more personal belongings. Among these belongings were the items he had previously shrunken down into his pocket, which he had purchased in Knockturn Alley. Removing a tiny bag from his left pocket, he enlarged it and pointed his new aspen wand to the interior and levitated each item into the warded compartment.

After placing Rose's belongings aside, he watched each item fall into the compartment. A silver medallion, a black pendant, a bronze clip, three orbs with black smoke swirling inside, and a worn piece of parchment. Items he had purchased from Borgin and Burkes. Next was a set of gauntlets, a wand holster, a muggle grappling hook, a box of throwing knives, a small cloak clasp, and a tactical belt with runes etched into the side. Purchases from the Umbra Armory. Lastly were; a dragonhide cloak with disillusionment charms providing near invisibility, a pair of worn black boots, a pair of leather gloves, combat trousers, and a detachable hood. All from Cimmerian Cloaks.

Harry made quick work of separating all the items. When he was done, he pulled off his ragged and torn shirt and jeans. He pulled on the orange combat trousers, the black boots, the dragonhide cloak, and the grey leather gloves. With a simple color-changing charm, he shifted the colors to a deep black color, allowing him to blend into the darkness. Once he was covered from neck to toe, he attached the detachable hood to his cloak and pulled it over his head. The obscuring charm took effect, making his face undetectable. To an outsider, his face was merely a shadow reminiscent of black smoke. Harry took a moment to attach the tactical belt to his waist. Once it was secure, he slid the three orbs, the worn parchment, the throwing knives, the medallion, and the pendant into one of the many enlarged-interior pouches lining the belt.

Once he felt confident in his armaments, Harry stepped out onto the balcony of his bedroom. It was roughly eight o'clock, with the sun falling well beneath the tree-line. The sun set loomed over the horizon as Harry took a deep breath. Ten hours. He had ten hours.

Updated: 3/5/2025