Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.

"So…what's so special about this old shop?"

James Potter pulled off the hood of his cloak as he turned to smile at his friends in the early hours of the morning. He quickly shifted to a frown when he noticed it was only two robed men and not the three he had been expecting. "Where's Pete?"

Sirius Black shrugged as he and Remus Lupin came to a stop near James. "He's with his mom again. Thinks she might have Dragon Pox after all."

James sighed and ruffled his already unruly hair. A nervous tick he could never seem to shake from his Hogwarts days. "Shite. That's rotten luck she's been having. I'm sorry to hear it. I was really hoping he'd be able to help us with Wormy today."

"With Lily over halfway through her pregnancy, you really should be spending more time at home as well," Remus stated with a weighted look as he walked over towards the shop door. "I'm with Sirius though. Why do you want to get in some old shop?"

"My…Dad," James said and swallowed the lump in his throat that came with it, "Set the wards on this place when he sealed it up back before I started Hogwarts." He moved to stand by Remus and placed a hand on the door. "It was the only time I was ever inside, but I was thinking this could be a better safe house than the old cottage in the Hollow that Lils and I are using. Grandfather sold the potions business long before I was even born, so no one knows it's Potter property still, and I thought since I'm…Head of the family now I might be able to get past the wards that were added."

He tapped the doorknob with his wand and it flashed a bright mauve but didn't open. "I never took Enchanting during my NEWT years, but I've tried what I knew from Runes and Arithmancy. Everything from identifying spells to blood magic has failed me. A safe house I can't get into won't do me any good, but I thought I should at least give it a full try with help from the best." He smiled at both of his friends and they returned it.

"Wouldn't this be a bit cramped for you two and a kid?" Sirius asked as he twirled his wand idly and gave the outside a look over, "Pretty sure it's just a standard shop front and a small flat from the look of it."

James shrugged, "Better cramped and hidden then known and at risk of a Death Eater raid. Besides, we could always do some minor expansion charms inside if we needed to." Sirius tilted his head to concede the point and began to wave his wand about to begin assessing the building. Remus crouched down and ran his hand along the entrance and James joined him to observe. His friend found the spot he was looking for as a trail of runes suddenly blazed to life all along the door frame.

Remus hummed in thought as he examined them. "This place is definitely well buttoned up. These are some intense preservation and integrity enchantments to say the least. I don't even know what all of the runes are but," he explained as he pointed to one rune near the bottom, "these ones start by requiring a blood connection, so I can see why you tried it. However…" He trailed off and ghosted his fingers along the line of glowing symbols, "I don't think it's your father's blood or…well not as it connects to you. This rune here is used for family, but not in a decedent way. More like a…sibling or perhaps closely related cousin."

"Yeah, I thought that might be the case," James frowned, "In the will reading…Dad left the place and some gold for my long lost uncle. I'd forgotten about it until then and it's what made me think it might make a decent hiding place."

"Possibly extra warding done by Gringotts if it's deeded in a will then. This thing is buttoned up tight. I'm not seeing any gaps in the warding around the windows or roof either," Sirius added as he lowered his wand. "Since when have you had an uncle?"

James stood and said, "Never really. Not in the tangible sense. He's a name and a face on a tapestry in the manor study, but I was once told that he simply vanished while at Hogwarts as a kid."

"Kidnapped?" Remus asked as he stood back up.

"Maybe, but to what end?" James shrugged, "No ransom or anything ever appeared, or so they said. No one ever talked about it really, but I would see my Dad just…staring at the tapestry sadly sometimes. It seems he held out hope he'd show back up one day."

"Could be he wandered out into the forest and got unlucky with one of the creatures there," Sirius suggested as he looked down the thin gap between buildings. "Want me to check out things as Padfoot?"

James shook his head, "No death date on the family tapestry so he's alive, in theory. I haven't gone back to check since, well…long before the funerals and I closed up the manor house." He swallowed another lump in his throat before looking back at Sirius with a nod. "I'd appreciate it, yeah. Not like Prongs could fit, and you've got the best nose outside of Moony. Let me know if you see any gaps Wormy could work with? I might be able to come by with just him later if he's free."

Sirius gave a mock salute and glanced around the empty street before shifting into his dog form and slinking down the thin gap between the buildings with his nose to the ground. Remus turned to look at James and put his hand on the man's shoulder. "How are you holding up?"

James took a deep breath and let it out, "It's hard most days. Really fucking hard. We'd only just told them about Lils' pregnancy two months ago and they were…so excited." He started to tear up and Remus conjured a handkerchief for him which James took but didn't use. "I don't know what slimy snake betrayed their trust to be able to take them out at the manor. Nothing should have been able to hurt them there so it had to be someone they trusted, but I swear I will find out one day." James scowled at the ground before looking at his friend.

"And we'll be right there with you when you do," Remus solemnly vowed and James nodded, his eyes getting misty again and Remus pulled him into a quick hug.

James returned it before he stepped back and let out a shaky breath as he wiped his tears away. "Thanks, Moony. Lils has been great, but she didn't know them like…like you guys did."

"Anytime, Prongs," Remus said and clasped James' shoulder again, "And if you need to take this month's moon off to have time to yourself…I would never hold it against you."

James startled, "What? And miss one of the best nights of the month where we all hang out and help with your furry little problem? Honestly, looking forward to that has been one of the few things keeping me going these past two weeks." He smiled at Remus and while it wasn't a full on grin, it was a genuine one for the first time that morning.

Remus shook his head and softly smiled as he let go of James' shoulder. "I'll never understand you three, but I'll forever be grateful for you all the same."

That brought out a full grin for James before he looked back at the shop and it dimmed as he softly spoke. "I was really hoping you guys might find something I'd missed. Sirius made a good point about goblin wards though, so this might all be pointless. Lils reached out to Professor Flitwick about some obscure charm she's read about to protect the cottage, but I've never put my trust in charm work like she does. Maybe I can have her ask him about goblin wards too."

The large dog slid back out of the gap and Padfoot shifted to Sirius once more. He brushed off some dirt and grass from his robes. "No luck around the base either. There might be a missing board under the back porch, but I couldn't crawl under far enough to check, so it's still worth bringing Pete by."

James hummed thoughtfully and nodded, "Yeah, I'll owl him later tonight about it. Really wish he'd been able to spare the time. I do try to avoid leaving Lily alone as much as I can." He sent a pointed look at Remus before giving both friends a soft smile. "Thanks for coming by to help me give this a look. I know you've both got a lot on your plates right now as well."

Sirius grinned, "What, like I'd pass up coming to help you out? I don't get to see your ugly mug around the office anymore so I gotta get my ego boosts in when I can." He turned to the side and dramatically flipped his shoulder length hair back with a hand flip, making Remus roll his eyes and James grin.

"Pretty sure it's been fit to burst since seventh year when that rumor of you having a threesome with Ellison and Parkinson started circulating," James countered, "So it sounds like my absence is making a sorely needed adjustment in that department."

Sirius sighed with a dopey grin, "Best three weeks of our final year."

"No, I think his ego could stand to be knocked back a few more rungs," Remus remarked with a wry smile and a raised eyebrow at James. "Has he told you about the lady in Magical Transport he's been chatting up? Or trying to at least."

James smirked, "I may have heard a rumor to that effect."

"Hey! I told Lily that in strict confidence," Sirius objected with a pointed finger and a frown, "She said she wouldn't tell you I had come by for advice."

"And she didn't," James shrugged with a grin as he rocked back on his heels, "Lils just said you had been by while I was out. You're the one who told me just now."

"I don't believe you," Sirius scowled and pursed his lips, "You're both like a pair of gossiping old biddies since you went into hiding. Can't tell one anything without the other knowing."

Remus chuckled, "I'm pretty sure that's just a side effect of being married, Padfoot."

Sirius shook his head, "Rotten friends. The pair of you. I'm going to start soliciting for new ones while I hang out with Peter. He listens to my woes like a good friend."

James smirked and bumped Sirius' shoulder with his own, "More like he entertains your delusions more than we do."

They all shared a short laugh and James let out a sigh as he looked between the two men and smiled. "Thanks guys, I needed this."

"Always, mate."

"Anytime, Prongs."

It was strange to see the shop again after so many years.

Remus has honestly forgotten it existed between the war and…well everything that had followed it. A part of him wondered if anything would happen when they went to enter, but this cousin of James' simply pulled out a key and unlocked the place easily before strolling in. Given all the blood protections he'd seen on the door that one time, it unfurled some little bit of doubt he'd been holding on to that this man was who he claimed to be.

The inside was not quite what he'd pictured back then. There were of course some lovely wooden counters and shelves, but they were all sparsely decorated with hats in varying styles and sizes. Harry had run over to one overly large blue top hat and swapped it with his own more fedora-like one before giving a wide grin at Hatter. He said something to Harry in reply, but Remus was rather distracted by the ghost of an 11 year old James' exact smile on his son's face and missed it. It had been completely unexpected that this was how his day would turn out when he'd planned to sneak into the hospital, and he honestly wasn't sure how much longer he could keep going. He needed time to process all the impossible information on top of the drastic shift his life had taken, and unfortunately he also needed more information before he could that.

Thankfully, an elderly man with a shock of white hair came bursting out of the backroom to break him out of his musings before he could spiral.

"A custom -," the man started to exclaim before he saw the two people near him. "Oh Hatty. It's just you and the little hat." The man must be this 'Reggie' that Harry had mentioned, and he quickly deflated his high pitched voice as he continued, "You know I'm beginning to suspect this spot is just as bad, Hatty. There's not been a single customer since I moved in."

"Gotta have that grand opening first, Reggie," Hatter smiled as he gestured at the mostly empty shelves, "S' only been a few days and you'll want the shop bursting to dazzle the lot here."

Reggie hummed thoughtfully, "Yes, I suppose that's true. I've seen the most dreadful hats outside while I've worked, you know. Simply dull little dunce caps paired with some marvelous outerwear I'll give you, but these people truly need my help."

Remus couldn't help the wistful smile that was building as he watched the amusing interaction. Especially when he caught Harry scrunching up his nose in disapproval at the, he supposed, wizarding hats being discussed. It looked very much like the many disapproving ones Lily sent James' way down the Gryffindor table when they'd cause a ruckus.

He sighed and considered retrieving that bottle of Ogden's now rather than wait for tea.

Hatter got the man situated in the back room again, and gestured for Remus to follow him. He briefly noted the very chaotic spread of fabrics, glues, thread, and all manner of materials likely used for hat making tossed about the room as he walked through the space and up the stairs. The second floor was a flat, just as Sirius had speculated once upon a time, and Remus wondered if the preservation wards hadn't been as airtight as he'd thought since there was some ivy creeping along one of the walls near the front windows. The furniture was fairly sparse and the layout was one open floor plan in a loft style with a backdoor that he assumed led to a washroom of some kind.

While he'd been inspecting the place, Hatter had begun making tea and Harry was setting out what appeared to be entirely too many cups and saucers for their small group along the table. "Are we expecting any more company?" he asked and Harry shook his head.

"Nah. Reggie will just want clean cups for each tea," he stated as if this was a perfectly normal thing. Remus supposed it could be just so in Wonderland as he vaguely recalled there being something about a tea party and a-

He turned to face Hatter who was now leaning against the small cooking counter, waiting for the kettle to heat up, and watching him. "The man downstairs…is he…he can't be," Remus asked as his mind raced. Surely it wasn't possible…

"Can't be who?" Hatter asked with a curious look about him as he tilted his head, "Or are you just not a fan of hatters?" He ended with a knowing smile that Remus had seen some variation of on James or Sirius when they were being particularly clever and knew it.

"Right," Remus mumbled to himself as he pulled out a chair and sat down before retrieving his bottle of Ogden's Firewhiskey from his expanded inner pocket. He poured a healthy amount into the teacup before him, took a gulp, and winced at the burn. They had the actual Mad Hatter downstairs. Sure. Why not? Nothing else was going as expected today. "So is he a relation I'm guessing?" Remus asked as he gestured to the hats upon Hatter and Harry's heads.

"Reggie is Hatter's grandfather," Harry smiled and then paused before continuing, "Or maybe his great grandfather? I can't remember, but that means he's also sorta mine too." He smiled happily again and Remus returned it. It warmed him to know that even if Harry had been kept much more hidden than he could have ever guessed, he was at least loved and cared for by family.

The large kettle whistled and Hatter set about distributing it between a few different teapots as he spoke, "Hadn't planned on bringing him by just yet, but the new King saw fit to rid himself of a problem and give it to me." Hatter shrugged slightly as he carried a tray with all the teapots over, "Typical of him really when you get down to it." He distributed the various teapots around the crowded dining table before taking a seat across from Remus.

"And this is the Jack person you mentioned back at Saint Mungos that doesn't like you?" Remus inquired and Hatter nodded as he poured himself a cup. Harry had chosen a seat on the end of the table to his right and was doing the same, though he had to stand on his chair to reach the closest teapot.

"Jack Heart. Newly crowned King of Wonderland and a right pompous arse, but better than his mother," Hatter made a mock toast with his cup and took a sip before tilting his head in consideration, "Though that bar is, admittedly, rather low."

Given what Remus remembered of the former children's story, he supposed that would be true if she was also the same person. "Is that why you left then? Because you and this Jack have a history?" Remus asked as he investigated the tea pot before him and the one to his left before selecting the somewhat nutty scented one to cut his whiskey with over the minty one and gave it a swirl with his magic to stir it.

Hatter watched him intently as he did before replying, "Nah, I left to give Harry a better life and get away from the chaos that they're dealing with now."

"You also left for Alice," Harry added with a knowing smile, "He's been painting flowers for her since they met.

"Alice is…admittedly, a very nice bonus to that decision, yes," Hatter slowly confirmed as he sent a side glance at Harry before looking back at Remus. "But we'd have never had a chance to use the Looking Glass and get here without her falling into my lap as it were, so it's all circular really."

"And now she's mad at you," Harry mentioned as he took a sip of his tea, "Which is silly and you two should make up so you don't mope again."

Hatter frowned and finished off his cup, "I wasn't moping, and that's the plan, Little Potter. Though goddesses know how I'm gonna do it as I already tried before she stormed out."

"That's the woman I saw leaving earlier, right?" Remus clarified and Hatter nodded, "How long have you been together, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Few months and a revolution," Hatter shrugged and poured himself more tea, "Said tea that we've talked about helping your mate being one of the reasons for the much needed revolution, and Alice's ire at me."

Now this was something Remus was very invested in knowing more about. Not that he wasn't interested in knowing just where Wonderland was for his own curiosity, but helping Sirius get better was a much more immediate concern. "I know the other fellow, Robert?" Remus started and Hatter nodded in confirmation so he continued, "said it was classified, but what is it exactly? Some kind of potion? I've gathered it's not this." Remus lifted his own cup for a sip and was surprised by the depth of the blend. He'd have to remember to ask for the shop it was from.

He watched Hatter take a sip of tea as he likely thought about how to respond. The man was so cautious, from what Remus had observed, and he supposed Hatter had every right to be since he'd been charged with Harry's care. Coming to a decision, Hatter began to speak on what this 'tea' - or more properly distinguished as Emotion Tea - was. How the Queen harvested pure emotions from muggles and sold it as a kind of potion, but since the feelings were of human creation, they had none of the forced artificial feelings of something like, a cheering charm or love potion. It was…an incredibly novel idea and Remus could see why they didn't want it to be widely known. The potential for abuse likely bordered on those like the forbidden curses, but had none of the emotional requirements to mean the recipient harm, which frankly made them all the more dangerous.

He could also see why they thought they could be useful to help Sirius though. A much simpler way to regain all the happiness that had been drained from him in the last ten years by helping his brain relearn the feeling without artificial boosters.

Harry interjected then and proudly waxed on about how Hatter had been with the resistance and helping to get the people of Wonderland free from the Queen; which was how they met Alice. That in trying to get her home, they ended up directly aiding in a plot to overthrow the Queen and found Alice's father - Robert - as he'd been kidnapped and forced to make the stuff for years. It all sounded quite fantastical, and he had a feeling some details were being left out, but he had a better idea of what had led them to leaving Wonderland at least.

"So Robert wasn't quite recovered from his…well, what sounds like the Imperious curse to me, and you were left with the task to watch him and administer the Emotion Tea if need be to course correct and you didn't tell Alice. Is that the problem?" Remus clarified and Hatter tilted his head in a so-so motion.

"Bit more than that in the end, but that is what set things off today," Hatter admitted and leaned back in the chair.

"James always said being open and honest when he messed up is what got him out of the dog house with Lily," Remus offered with a shrug as he sipped his now third cup of tea laced with whiskey. He was feeling a bit more relaxed thanks to it and conversations of relationship troubles were much nicer than revolutions, controlling monarchs, and emotion enhancing potions as well. Not that he had much long term relationship experience himself, but he had been privy to a front row seat of the start of James and Lily's relationship and the many woes his good friend experienced.

Hatter gestured dismissively with one hand, "Telling the truth is what made her mad in the first place. Can't see how it will make her un-mad now. Love her though I do, she can be very spur of the moment with her decisions and feelings."

Remus hummed in consideration as he thought back to his final year at Hogwarts, "Did you apologize?"

"Pardon?"

"Did you apologize," Remus repeated, "or did you simply attempt to justify your actions?"

Hatter blinked at him as he ran through the conversation mentally before wincing, "No." There was that family resemblance again and Remus took another sip of his drink to quell the ache it brought and then nodded. That had been a mistake he'd seen James make quite a lot.

"You should start there, but actually know what you're apologizing for and show her you mean it," he suggested.

"And how does one do that?" Hatter asked, looking equal parts tired and frustrated, "I lost me shop, uprooted mine and Harry's life, and fought against the Queen to help her and yet she acts like she can't trust me the moment she learns I kept a little secret to help her get the happy family she wanted."

Remus shrugged, "I have no idea, but if it's anything like what James went through with Lily then talking to find out what she's upset about and apologizing if you did wrong, not justifying it, is the way to go." He tilted his head as he considered adding on a bit of a warning, "It will probably embarrass you too, but I think that's just what happens when you make yourself emotionally vulnerable."

"Not a lot of experience in this yourself either?" Hatter inquired.

"No. The werewolf issue tends to be a rather big deal breaker in relationships," Remus answered rather sardonically, though Hatter looked just as confused by this news as he did upon learning werewolves exist and were discriminated against. It gave him that same pang of longing for his old friends and thinking about when they'd figured it out.

"Sirius and I have been worried so we looked into it and well…are you a werewolf? Is that why you get sick every month?"

"That's such a wicked secret if you are. How fantastic would it be to have a friend who's a fucking werewolf!? That's badass!"

They were saved from further reflection and relationship woes by Reggie finally joining them upstairs.

"Oh Hatty, you've got tea time all prepared. How marvelous!" The man tittered as he approached the table. He pulled a chair at the end to Remus left and tossed his coat tails out dramatically before sitting down. He poured a cup in a rather fanciful and showy manner before taking a sip and sighing in delight. "Excellent, yes, very fresh," Reggie commented before looking about and scowling, "and where are the particulars? I thought you knew how to set a spread."

"Didn't have time to make any Reggie," Hatter replied with a sip of his own drink. "I'll make us a grand cream cake next time though, yeah?"

"Oh, no need, no need," Reggie said as he waved his hand dismissively and walked towards the little kitchenette, "I've always got plenty on hand." He pulled open the frost box and pulled out a tray with a massive pile of cupcakes, scones, and toast all stacked upon each other on many smaller dishes to keep everything separate. Clearly an expansion charm was at work here, though briefly Remus wondered how the large round tray had gotten past the opening as he watched it come out. The stack wobbled precariously and blocked Reggie's view as he started walking back. Remus went to reach for his wand to help but Harry called out first.

"Let me help, Reggie," Harry declared with a smile and held his hands out as he concentrated. Remus raised his eyebrows in shock as he watched Harry wandlessly cast some variation of the Leviosa spell in an attempt to help steady the precarious stack. It was working right up until it didn't as the old hat maker tripped on an errant bit of clothing. The pile sored over Hatter's head and landed with a splat between them as frosting, cake, and various bread crumbs went flying out in an explosion of sweets and plates. The bulk of which now covered himself and Hatter, with Harry only receiving a light smattering and Reggie remaining clear due to his distance.

"Sorry," Harry winced, "I'm still trying to find a good balance to the feel of magic on this side of the glass."

"S' alright, Little Potter," Hatter replied with a smile, "I know you meant well."

Remus blinked rapidly and wiped his face off as he tried to process what he'd just seen. "Harry…do you…do you know wandless magic?"

Harry shrugged, "Well yeah, I mean, we didn't have wands in Wonderland. Hatter and I just got a pair a few months back but it's been hard to adjust to how magic works here." He frowned at his hands, "It feels different and sometimes it's too weak or too strong when I use the spells I know. We've been reading some books, but it's hard to know what we're doing wrong without giving away that we're new here, yeah?"

While Reggie had recovered from his fall and began to make a racket at the kitchenette to replenish the lost food, Remus listened to Hatter explain how magic worked differently in Wonderland and how they'd been trying to catch up to it even existing here as Alice hadn't known about it. Harry was very eager to learn, but they both had unique problems and didn't understand all the technical mechanics of spell casting as laid out in Harry's books. How some spells felt awkward to Hatter as he'd never used his magic with a foci like a wand before.

"Really I should be talking to Carpenter about it I suppose," Hatter sighed as he wiped some of the cake off his clothing, "He's from Wonderland but his daughter was raised on magic here and he might have some suggestions. We've just been caught up in all of this." He gestured to everything around him and Remus nodded understandingly. The man sounded like he'd also been having quite the week, just like himself.

"If I may?" Remus asked as he took his wand out. Hatter tilted his head questioningly and watched as Remus vanished the various food bits from his clothing. Hatter nodded thoughtfully at the demonstration and gestured to his person with a 'if you like'. Remus vanished the food stuff from him and Hatter hummed thoughtfully as he removed his hat to inspect it and ran a hand through his hair as well, causing all the flyaway bits to pop back up. The resemblance to James was amplified without his hat and Remus felt a pang of regret that he'd never get to directly compare the two.

Hatter frowned during his inspection, "Is it meant to leave this tacking feeling?"

"I could cast a stronger version, but since it's on someone else it might take off a few layers of skin to get everything," Remus admitted with a smile.

"Think I'll pass thanks," Hatter replied as he put his hat back on, "Just get cleaned up back at the Inn before supper, but at least I won't look like a fool walking back. You can come along with us for the chat with Carpenter if you like once we get back to New York."

Remus winced as he put his wand away, "I don't know that I'll be able to come right away. There's a lot of legal paperwork when I want to travel internationally."

"Why?" Harry asked as took a bite of one of the few partly intact cakes from the mess on the table.

"Werewolf," Remus sighed as he gestured to himself.

Harry scrunched up his nose in distaste, "So? You're still just a person."

Remus swallowed the last of his tea along with the lump of emotions in his throat. "That's very kind of you to say, Harry."

Harry shrugged like it was no big deal, "It's just the truth as I see it."

Hatter had been tapping his chin in thought and announced, "I'll give the lawyers a chat at the Inn tonight. Maybe they'll have an idea on some ways we can work around it, and if not," Hatter shrugged with a smile, "Then we can cross that ledge when we have to jump it. If you're free, come by our rooms in the morning and we can plot about it."

Author's Note: I wanted to write this scene just so I know what the pair will need to still talk about in the future, but I knew it generally wasn't needed. Then I had the idea to add in the first bit with James after a commenter and I talked about him and I thought that perhaps I should try to show how I envision James Potter when I can since we get so little in the books, and from mostly unreliable narrators.

Also, this is a very gentle reminder that I had decided on the Potter line and how James' parents died back in 2010. I will use the information since then for James' grandfather instead as it fits with my existing plans, but this is an AU and I will do what I like with canon 'facts' to fit my story idea.