Scarlett Express

Quick steps moved through Ferngale. Scorpius looked at Harry as he prepared the house for Marcus, since Sarah and her family were coming by. He smiled softly at his Angel as tears hit the floor. His dad was still at Blackbird and Harry was reacting to the separation. "He should be here soon," he said.

Harry looked up and smiled at Scorpius. "Thank you, little sprout," he said. He wiped the tears away. They had noticed since telling Scorpius and Teddy about what had happened that the boys were quite capable of helping him for a short while at least. He got up and clutched Scorpius shoulder. "Thank you," he said.

Tatiana had managed to convince him not to apologise. "Your emotions are valid, don't apologise for them. That isn't healthy for either you or your family," she had told him.

Harry couldn't say nothing, though, so instead he would thank whoever helped him break away from the pain. "Almost done and food is on the way," he said. He made sure Marcus would be able to move through the rooms he would need to head to and the bathroom had the adaptations needed for him.

"They are here," Scorpius hissed.

"I'll be right there," Harry hissed back. He stirred the pot of chilli before heading towards the door. "Hi Sarah," he said. "Wendy. Marcus. Welcome to Ferngale Den. I hope you will feel welcome in our home and safe under our wards," he said with a bow. "I'm sorry this has taken so long. We have been strangely busy the past year."

"It is fine, dear," Wendy said. "You have been taking Sarah and she is happy. That is what really matters." She looked around. "This is a beautiful home."

"It is Andy's," Harry said. "We live further north."

Marcus watched Harry as he spoke. Oh, he understood what this invitation was about. He was no fool, and that greeting was telling enough. They were planing on showing her magic. He hoped they knew what they were doing. He saw the tension in Harry's shoulders. It worried him. Why was he so tense?

"Blackbird is so beautiful," Sarah said. "There is a whole wall full of stars." She smiled at her parents.

Marcus smiled at his daughter. At least Sarah was excited. He knew they were showing her magic, and he couldn't say he disliked it. It let her grow up knowing things instead of entering the magical world blind. It was good for her.

Draco arrived and walked into the living room to join them. This was the first time he and Marcus were in the same room. "Flint," he said.

"It is Hook now," Marcus said.

Draco bowed his head. "My apologies," he said. He rubbed his fingers through Harry's hair and Harry relaxed against him. "Better now?" he asked softly.

Harry smiled at him. "Yes, my Prince," he mumbled. He held his hand out and Gienah appeared next to him and landed on his wrist. He took a scroll from her. "Thank you, girl," he said. He opened the scroll and read through it. "Good. They have everything ready for a few more wards around Hogwarts." He summoned his patronus and sent it off to let Filius know when he would be showing up.

Wendy was staring at him. "What is going on?" she asked. She felt like she had dropped into an alternate reality. The bird. The silver wolf. What was going on? She looked at Marcus, who just looked defeated? No, that wasn't quite right. Worried, maybe? Worried about what?

Harry rose. "Let me take you on a bit of a trip, Wendy," he said. "It might feel like you are in Neverland, but trust me, I was never scared of growing up."

Wendy rose and took his hand, and the world around them changed until she was standing in a completely different house. Photos on the wall were moving, and paintings held life in a way she couldn't describe.

"Marcus. Draco and I are magical," Harry said. "So is Sarah. Our world is held slightly separate from yours. We hide because magic is not the perfect fix, and we know our powers are too much for some. Marcus hasn't told you any of this because it is against the Law. I have reached out to gain approval for this reveal for Sarah's sake. You would have learnt this the summer after her eleventh birthday otherwise. We feel like it is more fair to tell you earlier."

Gienah appeared once more and settled on her perch in the living room.

"Master Hydrus, will master need room for guest?" Lyra asked.

"No, thank you, Lyra," Harry said.

"What?"

"Lyra here is a house-elf, she helps us with the housework," Harry said.

"She is a servant?" Wendy asked. She studied the strange creature as she headed back out of the room.

"In a way. The magical connection and contract means we provide a safe home for her and everything she needs. To repay us, she helps out. How that is handled is different depending on the home, but we see Lyra as a part of the family," Harry said. "I know this is confusing. I was eleven when a giant of a man showed up and told me I was a wizard. It was exhilarating and confusing all at once. We are showing you this now so you can form your own questions and return to us with them. We are happy enough to provide answers."

"Mark wasn't allowed to tell me?" Wendy asked. "What would have happened if he did?"

"Possibly nothing," Harry said. "Though, you did run the risk that our government would have interfered to take your memories away. You weren't supposed to know. Draco and I did some legal vaults to get permission to tell you based on the fact that we can prove your daughter is magical, and you therefore have a right to know."

Wendy felt overwhelmed already, but she wanted proof. "How do I know for certain that isn't just some elaborate prank?" she asked.

"There is a shopping district I can bring you to," Harry said. "Also, I would hope you know me well enough to know I would not do this as a joke. Your daughter has magic and needs education to learn how to control, that magic. Your husband is magical. He was hurt because he was associated with the bad guys in a war that took place a little over ten years ago. I can tell you more, or we can get you books on all of this. There are groups for parents of magical children you could get in contact with. Tell me how much help you want and we will provide."

"And if I say I want nothing to do with it?" Wendy asked.

"Then give us permission to deal with it for you," Harry said. He handed her a folder. "This won't take Sarah away from you. It will just let Draco and I deal with the magical side of things for you." He was making this offer since Marcus would be unable to move around in a place like Hogwarts with his wheelchair. He grabbed her and brought her back to Ferngale. "I know it is a lot. There really is no good way to tell someone. We just didn't want there to be this big secret between you any longer. Sarah will have Scorpius in her year and Teddy will be there already. We can help prepare her so she knows a bit more than a nomag raised student normally would."

"Think about it and get back to us," Draco said. He had been speaking to Marcus while Harry and Wendy were away. He had made sure Marcus understood that he could speak now. That it was probably better if he was truthful at this point.

Wendy sat down next to Marcus. Her head was swimming and she looked at him. Did she even know him?

"I would assume that Marcus has told you the truth to the best of his abilities, just omitting magic," Harry said softly. "That is how Draco and I deal with things in the non-magical world when we can. Don't automatically assume he has been lying. He was not allowed to speak to you. Draco and I have far more power than Marcus does so we could get permission. He wouldn't have been able to."

Wendy nodded slowly. "I guess I just need time," she whispered.

"Take as much as you need," Harry said. "We threw you in the deep end."

Wendy laughed nervously. "Yeah, I don't think there is a good way to do this," she said. "At least… at least I know you care for our Sarah." She watched the Blacks as they settled down for dinner. Her thoughts whirled as she watched the couple. They didn't use that much magic until it came to cleaning up. It was as if they were mostly adapted to do things manually. "Could magic fix, Marcus?" she asked.

"No," Harry said. "I could set him up with a healer who might be able to fix a few things and make his life a little easier, but healing him entirely is probably a no-go."

"But you could…?"

"The Healers at St Mungos won't see me," Marcus said.

"I wasn't going to send you there," Harry said. "My Clan mother is a Healer. I would set you up with her team."

"Clan mother?" Marcus aid.

"Harry was trained by the Nation," Draco said. "He is a Master of his craft." He thought Wendy was taking this pretty well, all things considered. At least, she seemed to still be very protective of Sarah.

"Goblins," Marcus said. "They would help?" He found that unbelievable.

Harry shrugged. "If I ask, then sure," he said. He knew Glint wouldn't mind much. She might even find the experience educational. He leaned against Draco, seeking comfort from him.

When the Hook family headed out the door, Harry couldn't help thinking that it was good the children had at least been happy. He wasn't sure Wendy or Marcus quite knew what to do with themselves for now.

"How did it go?" Andromeda asked.

"About as well as can be expected," Harry said.

Andromeda smiled at him. "There really is no good way," she said. "Hopefully it will work out."

Harry nodded as he reached out and ran his fingers through Scorpius hair. "I'm thinking we might want to offer Sarah a way to understand hissing," he said calmly.

Scorpius looked up at him and smiled. "Really, that is great. She would love that," he hissed.

Harry chuckled. "I'll think about it," he said. It really was quite horrible, the way they had dragged Wendy into this, though. Oh, well… too late to fix that now. They would face the rest head on and hope she wouldn't hate poor Marcus. Better now than in a few years with a stranger.

Wendy sat down on the bed and sighed. She rubbed her fingers through her hair before reaching out to grab the folder. It had so much more than just the acceptance papers in it. Texts about laws and regulations as well as statistics. If all of this was true, then she was glad Harry and Draco had chosen to tell her early. She just needed a way to check if it was true.

"Wendy?"

Wendy turned around. She sighed. "Was Harry right?" she asked. "Did you only lie about obvious magic?"

Marcus nodded. "I have tried my best to tell you things as they were," he said. "My father was murdered. I never specified how. Magical people attacked me… I… I used all my magic to protect Sarah, so I couldn't fight them."

"Harry and Draco?"

"Draco has probably seen similar things as me. We have similar backgrounds. Harry… Harry was on the other side of things, but he would never act the way all those arses do. He is too caring for that. I was worried at first of course, but no… Harry and Draco are not dangers to us. They care for Sarah, and their protection will mean a lot for her future."

"So it is an unwise move to anger them?" Sarah said.

"Sure, that doesn't mean you have to agree with them, though," Marcus said. "If Harry can get along with Draco and Draco's father, even more so. He can handle that people disagree with him. He… he saved us all from tyrant when he was just seventeen. Some say he sacrificed his own life to end the war."

"Tell me," Wendy said.

Marcus nodded and sighed. He hoped their relationship would survive this.

…

It was summer finally and Harry was sitting outside in a local jungle gym type park for older children. Wendy was sitting next to him while Teddy and Scorpius as well as a dozen or so of their friends were climbing around having fun.

"Teddy received his first letter. He has offered you a copy so you know what to look out for in the future if you would like it," Harry said.

Wendy took the letter and looked through it. "All of this is so strange," she said.

"Draco is busy with some potions and Andy has a week full of meetings. If you would like, we could go get Teddy's things so you get to see what it is like," Harry said. He smiled at her surprised expression before he made sure Carina was doing okay in her sling.

"That sounds interesting," Wendy said. "I would like that." She looked down at the letter and shook her head as she read the book titles. "This is just surreal," she said.

"We can have a bit of a sleep-over and I can show you some of the spells in those books," Harry said.

"Can…?" Wendy looked uncertain.

"I can bring Marcus," Harry said. "Blackbird won't be a problem since it adapts to how many of us there are and our needs."

Wendy nodded. "I would really like to see some things," she said.

Harry smiled at her. "Good, then we have that decided. Tomorrow?" he asked.

"Absolutely," Wendy said.

…

Harry drove his car up to the Hook resident and stopped there so they could bring Wendy and Sarah along to Diagon Alley. He headed up to the door and rang the bell. He raised an eyebrow in a perfect Malfoy arch as one of the neighbours grumbled.

Wendy smiled as she opened the door. "Great, you are here," she said. "I am nervous, but this is a good learning experience, right?"

Harry smiled as he helped Sarah into her seat. "Yes, it is," he said. He looked back at Wendy as he opened the door for her. "Mrs Hook," he said.

"Lord Black, such a gentleman," Wendy said. She sat down, and he closed the door behind her before moving around the car.

Wendy spoke to the children as they drove towards London proper. They parked the car and headed down a street the Black boys knew well enough. Wendy raised an eyebrow as they entered the Leaky Cauldron.

Harry waved at Hannah. He loved what she had done with the place. No longer dark and dreary, it still had some of that darker charm that made the Inn what it was. People whispered and Wendy moved closer to Harry, who was unbothered by what he couldn't hear around him. He tapped their way into the alley and walked through. "Teddy, you lead the way," he said.

Teddy smiled. "I'm on it, dad," he said. He wanted to do things in the same order Harry had when he first arrived in Diagon Alley, so they went for the clothing store first.

Madam Malkin was happy to see them again. "Oh, has it been so long already?" she asked. She smiled at Teddy. "Time to head for Hogwarts, young man?" she asked happily.

Teddy smiled brightly at her. "Yes, it is time," he said. "I will need Hogwarts robes as well as new pants and shirts if you please. Varying colours, and it can all be sent to our home." He bowed his head to her as she laughed.

"The perfect little gentleman, I see," Madam Malkin said. "Fabulous."

Wendy watched as Teddy was fitted with robes and magic moved all around them. She had been sceptical of course, but this… this was all real. As insane as it all was, this was real. She looked down at Sarah. Three more years and it would be her turn. She looked over at Scorpius. At least she would be going with a friend.

The trunk was its own experience and Wendy realised that a lot of things needed to be bought way ahead of time or there would be issues.

"Don't worry," Harry said as he clutched her shoulder. "We will help."

"What are all of these prices?" Wendy asked, and Harry pressed a conversion table into her hand so she would understand. She converted the prices and nodded slowly. It wasn't insane at least, Still, it would cost a fair deal. They should start saving up now for Sarah's things so they would have enough. Some stores were simpler than others. Quills and parchment didn't seem all that magical, just strange.

Potions ingredients was a different hurdle all together. Wendy had to leave the store when she realised there were jars of hearts. She waited outside while Harry took care of the children.

"Scorpius and Sarah. You may have one book each," Harry said as they entered the bookshop. Wendy sat down and watched the children as Teddy went to pick his books up.

A woman walked up to Harry and grabbed him by the shoulder. "Are they all yours?" Hermione asked as their eyes met. "Did you finally realise that Malfoy was no good for you and ditch him?"

"I married him in fact," Harry said calmly. "And two out of three are mine. One of them is also Draco's."

"Who is she?" Scorpius hissed.

"She was a friend of mine," Harry hissed back.

Hermione took a step back. "You… you are just…" She shook her head, realising what he had said and seeing the proof with her own eyes as she looked at Scorpius. "So you are still involved with the snake?" She seemed quite disgusted by that.

"Draco is my husband," Harry said. "I thought you would be glad I saw past prejudice to the person underneath. That was always more your thing."

"He's twisted you," Hermione said. She wanted her friend back, but that was obviously not going to happen. Not with the way he acted.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "I really don't see how, Hermione," he said.

"Getting all chummy with your pureblood friends," Hermione sneered.

Wendy rose slowly and walked up to Harry. "Harry, I believe your boys and Sarah are ready to head out now," she said as he looked down at her.

Harry smiled at her. "Thank you, Wendy," he said. "I'll pay for them, then we can go get Teddy's wand."

Wendy looked at Hermione. "I don't know what you have against Draco, ma'am, but he is a good man," she said. "He doesn't treat people different no matter who they are. Both Harry and Draco have been godsends to me and my little Sarah, despite me not having any magic."

Hermione's eyes widened for a moment. So she truly had been replaced. It hurt to know that Harry would turn to so many other people before her. It wasn't fair. She had only tried to help.

Harry sighed as Hermione stormed out. He was not going to waste energy on that connection. She had obviously decided to hate his husband just to have someone to blame. What happened to Hermione? He paused. Maybe she never did manage to mend things with her parents? It would be a shame if that was the case, but he hadn't asked her to take their memories away. "Let's go to Ollivander's," he said. Hermione wasn't his problem and he would not waste time worrying about her.

The store was dark. Teddy moved in slowly. He was excited. "Well, now who do we have here?" Mr Ollivander said as he appeared from the shadows.

"Therion Black," Teddy said.

Ollivander looked up and Harry and his eyes widened. "Oh, my," he said. "Now… I should have guessed. A shame I didn't see it."

"Maybe it was for the best," Harry said. "This is the first of mine to come through here."

Ollivander smiled at Teddy and then at the other children, both too young for wands yet, but both would… Oh, the little blonde would need a different focus until he got older. It was good to know it was needed. "Well then. Let's see if we can't find you a wand, Heir Black," he said. He turned around as a tape measurer moved over, Teddy adding his measurements. "Right or left handed?" he asked.

"Right handed," Teddy answered.

Ollivander moved over the wands slowly. He went through boxes for a while before holding out a pale wand. "Beech and Unicorn hair," he said.

Teddy reached in and took the wand. He smiled as warmth spread through his fingers. He swept the wand and sparks rained from the tip gently. He smiled up at Harry. "That's cool," he said.

Harry smiled back at him. "We would like a holster as well," he said. "So we don't put our wand where it does not belong."

He paid for the wand and holster. "Let's go get some ice cream before heading out again," he said. He bowed to Ollivander before heading out.

The children talked and laughed merrily as they settled down to enjoy their ice cream, while Wendy nursed a cup of coffee and Harry watched the people passing by. He wasn't tense necessarily, but he was alert.

"Can we go to see Uncle Ron?" Teddy asked.

Harry sighed. "Fine," he said. "Only one item each and nothing alive." he sighed as they walked over to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

Ron waved over, but he had customers, so he couldn't chat with them directly.

Wendy looked around. This store more than any other before it was so obviously magical that she couldn't help but smile. She hugged Sarah as her daughter returned to her. "It is a lot, huh?" she asked.

Sarah nodded. "It is cool though," she said.

"Come on, let's head home," Harry said. "We still need to bring everyone to Blackbird."

When Draco finally made his way out of his lab that evening, the living room was full of laughter and talking voices. He raised an eyebrow as he saw the Hook family mingling with his own. Harry was doing magic to show Wendy the first year spells, and everyone seemed quite happy. He slipped down next to Harry and hugged him. He knew Harry was a bit nervous about Teddy leaving, but he also knew Harry would never stop Teddy from going.

It was only a few weeks to go.

…

Teddy smiled at Harry as he placed his trunk in place. "Thank you, father," he said. He hugged Harry and climbed up on the seat. He was heading to Hogwarts.

"Gienah will hear you if you need her," Harry said.

Teddy nodded. He waved at Andromeda, Scorpius and Draco with little Carina out on the platform. Harry headed out to join them and they waved at him. He leaned back as his family left. He was nervous, but it was a good nervous. He was off on his own adventure. It was his turn to wander the halls of Hogwarts.

"Hey, I'm Jonathan Boot. What is your name?" Teddy looked up from his scrapbook. "Therion Black. Nice to meet you."

"Black… like Lord Black?"

"The Lords Black. Hydrus is my father," Teddy said.

"Yeah?" Jonathan sat down. "Is it true he is really Harry Potter?"

Teddy rolled his eyes. "His birth name is more or less irrelevant these days," he said. "He's done more to protect this world than most. Isn't that good enough? To me, he is just my father."

Jonathan chuckled. "I guess," he said. "What house do you think you will be sorted into?"

"Father was in Gryffindor. Grandmother and Draco were Slytherins. My mum was a Hufflepuff," Teddy said. "So you know. I'll end up where I end up. It isn't like it really matters." He looked outside. It felt good knowing that no matter what his family didn't care about what House he was sorted into. They would stand behind him and help him no matter what. He felt the train start to move and smiled.

They were finally going.

He was on his way.