FIC: Déguiser -- 08 -- PG13
Title: Déguiser
Author: batsutousai
Beta: magickmaker17
Rating: PG-13 for now
Pairings: Intended - HP/LV, Possible - HP/DM, Possible - NL/HG, SB/RL
Warnings: AU, an attempt to not copy the book, bloody OOC-ness
Summary: When Albus Dumbledore leaves Harry Potter on the doorstep of the Dursleys, the last thing he expected was for an unknown relative to disappear with the boy for ten years. Enter Thomas Potter, a man who intends to change the past, the present, and the future.
Disclaim Her: It's in the first chapter.
A/N: Following on what some people said to do for chapter six, the letters are only really for important things that happen. Assume they're writing weekly - or biweekly when things get busy or there's nothing to write about - and we'll just go from there. Uhm, Thomas and Lucius both attend all the Gryffindor and/or Slytherin Quidditch matches, FYI. The Grangers don't always come - it's harder to get Muggles into Hogwarts because of the charms on the building - Narcissa and Remus come sometimes and Sirius only comes for the Gryffindor matches.
I've never been to France and I don't speak a word of French. I do, however, have this lovely travel book about France and a small phrase book with some French in it. And an online translator. (Translations are at the end.)
On that note, my travel book has nothing about the place I picked to be Thomas' hometown and I didn't feel like searching the web for a site about the place that's not in French, so I'm making it up. Deal with it.
-~/\~-
Chapter Eight - The Second Year
-~\/~-
'Uncle Thomas,
'It's strange being back at Hogwarts after a whole summer at home, but I'm getting used to it again.
'Lockhart's as much an idiot as you said he was. First day he gave us this quiz all about himself, so I took a page out of Draco's book and wrote down horrible things in my answers. He turned red and gave me two days of detention, but it was worth it. Then he set some pixies on us. And fled. So Hermione, Nev and I took care of them - everyone else fled with the git - and Hermione STILL fancies him. Help?
'Did you know that Lucius was planning to BUY Draco's way onto the Slytherin team? So now they've all got really good brooms and we're gonna get CRUSHED next game. (Draco DID say I'd probably beat him as Seeker, though. He's too humble for his own good.) I was going to write Lucius and tell him where to stick it, but Hermione stopped me. So, since you're my wicked cool uncle, you're gonna tell Lucius off for me. Right?
'Cheers!
'Harry'
-~/^\~-
'Harry,
'No, sorry, I won't tell Lucius off. I don't think I have to, if you know what I mean - your godfool and I are too nice to you. Kick Slytherin bum for us, would you?
'While I really shouldn't tell you this, I feel that I must inform you that if you haven't scared Lockhart out of Hogwarts by the end of the year, I'm sending you to Petunia's house for the summer. Which would really suck for you, since John and Elizabeth are trying to set up a vacation to France for this summer...
'I did mention to Lucius that you called Draco humble. He went red. It clashed a bit with his green robes, and I told him so. Pity Sirius forgot his camera.
'Love,
'Thomas'
-~/^\~-
'Thomas,
'You suck.
'Draco'
-~/^\~-
'Okay, you're the coolest uncle ever. Truly. You should have seen Wood's face when I presented the brooms to him. And, really, you didn't need to get me a new broom too. My Nimbus Two Thousand is doing just fine. I dunno, maybe I'll give it to Ron Weasley. I know he really likes Quidditch and the twins did mention that their summer practises were going to be pathetic if he's still using an old Cleansweep and they've got Nimbuses. Maybe then I won't have to worry about a repeat of last year, either. I mean, I'd give it to Hermione or Nev, but neither of them likes flying... What do you think?
'Not THEM! Anywhere but the Dursleys!! I'd rather you sent me to be tortured by...I dunno! By the twins! Anywhere but Aunt Petunia's house.
'Also, France? Really? Can we see the house you grew up in? Please?
'Harry'
-~/^\~-
'Draco,
'Why, thank you.
'Thomas'
-~/^\~-
'Harry,
'The getting you a new broom idea was your godfool's. He seemed to think that you needed a broom that was just as good as - if not better than - the rest of your teams'. But, yes, go ahead and give your old Nimbus to Mr Weasley. I would rather see you getting along with your dorm mates, than spending the next six years avoiding them because of some stupid fight in first year.
'I don't know about seeing my old house - I sold it after my mother died. Maybe we'll drop by the neighbourhood. Maybe.
'Love,
'Thomas'
-~/^\~-
'You know that ghost I told you about? Nearly Headless Nick? He asked me if I would go to his Deathday Party. It's on Hallowe'en. It would mean missing the Hallowe'en feast, but he helped me out of a tight spot with Filch today and I'd feel bad not going. He's so down and stuff 'cause he's NEARLY Headless instead of ACTUALLY Headless.
'Quidditch practise generally sucks. Even though we've got the new brooms, Wood's still being a stick in the mud about the whole mess. We had practise in the RAIN today. Help?
'Harry'
-~/^\~-
'Harry,
'If you go to the party, make sure you either bring some food with you or drop by the Great Hall before or after the party to get something to eat. Ghosts don't eat, so it's unlikely they'll have any food there for you. As for actually attending? Do what you think is best. It will probably be an interesting experience at the very least.
'Flying in crazy weather is good for you - builds character.
'Love,
'Thomas'
-~/^\~-
'Thanks for the hint about the food. All they had was rotten stuff. Something about being able to taste it? Ew.
'Hermione talked us into going in the end. She said it was all very educational. Nev and I think she's nuts. Draco kept laughing at us. Prat.
'I really hate you sometimes. "Builds character" my foot.
'Harry'
-~/^\~-
'Lockhart has started a DUELLING CLUB. Can you believe it? Hermione talked us into going, since she STILL thinks he's the best thing ever. Snape is being his helper - more like his executioner, if you ask me. I can't believe I was actually rooting for SNAPE. Ugh.
'Anyway, Snape tried to pair us all up with people we didn't like. I got Theodore Nott. Nev says his dad was a Death Eater, just like Lucius. Nott wasn't TOO bad, at any rate. Hermione got Millicent Bulstrode - who ended up wrestling her instead of duelling her - and Nev got Seamus. Clearly, Snape doesn't trust Nev against any of his Slytherins. Or he's just being nice to him. At any rate, Draco ended up with Ron - those two STILL hate each other, even though Fred and George like Draco well enough - and Snape ended up calling them up for a demonstration. Lockhart tried to teach Ron a Shield Charm - poor Ron - and Snape had Draco shoot a snake at him. Which Lockhart attempted to banish and just made it angry instead. And Nev was the closest to where it landed, so it went for him, but I stopped it. And now the rest of Gryffindor House is avoiding me like the plague. Except Fred and George, who think the whole thing's a laugh and keep calling me "Little Slytherin".
'What should I do?
'Harry'
-~/^\~-
'Harry,
'Ah... Well, then. Hm. Well, I assume that if you come home for break and let everyone forget about it, it'll blow over. Or you can just ignore them all. Or...ah... You know, I don't know. Hang out with the Slytherins, maybe? Prank the Gryffindors with a bunch of snakes? Set some free in Snape's office? I'm sure the last one would have them all loving you again.
'Sorry I can't be more helpful.
'Love,
'Thomas'
-~/^\~-
Christmas break happened much like the year previous. Thomas, Sirius, Remus, Augusta, the Malfoys and the Grangers all met their children at the platform, then had a cheerful dinner at the Malfoy Manor. After Thomas got off work on Christmas Eve, his household and the Grangers all left for Leland Manor, where they had a nice dinner and then went to bed.
Christmas morning found Harry crawling into Thomas' bed at five o'clock in the morning and snuggling up against a grumbling Thomas. "Yeah, yeah," Harry said, "One more hour. I got Remus to lock Sirius in his room."
Thomas snickered, kissed Harry's forehead, and went back to sleep until six, when Remus finally let Sirius out of his room and the man came slamming into Thomas' room with a scowl. Everyone hurried downstairs and opened their presents, then had breakfast. When the Malfoys and the Longbottoms came by that night for dinner, they found all the students laughing at Sirius, who was turned into his Animagus form and bright purple, courtesy of a smirking Thomas.
The rest of the holiday went by with laughter and general mayhem with a number of pranks played by the students and adults alike on one another. By the time the third rolled around, Harry had completely forgotten about the rumours that had been started at Hogwarts, and if he remembered them before he said good-bye to his family and the families of his friends, he didn't say anything.
All-in-all, Thomas thought as he, the Malfoys, the Grangers, Augusta, Remus and Sirius went out for some ice cream, the holiday had been everything he'd hoped for.
-~/^\~-
'I hate Valentine's Day. Just so we're clear. And I REALLY hate Lockhart.
'And I'm not telling you why, 'cause I know better.
'Harry'
-~/^\~-
'Harry has a girlfriend! I think it's the little Weasley girl. You should never let him live it down.
'Draco'
-~/^\~-
'Harry,
'What's this I hear about you and Miss Weasley?
'Love,
'Thomas'
-~/^\~-
'Who told you? I'll kill 'em!
'And there's nothing going on between Ginny and me. I don't even KNOW her.'
-~/^\~-
'Harry,
'I'll never tell the name of my informant.
'Love,
'Thomas'
-~/^\~-
'I have some trouble. We're supposed to pick our classes for next year and I'm not sure what to take. Nev's got all sorts of suggestions from everyone in his family and Hermione's decided to just take the whole lot. Our choices are Muggle Studies, Divination, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures. Help?
'Harry'
-~/^\~-
'Harry,
'Ah, yes. Remus did mention this might be coming up. I asked about it just to see and Remus took Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes. Sirius took Care of Magical Creatures and Muggle Studies. Lucius took Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. Narcissa took Ancient Runes and Divination. Augusta told me not to pry.
'I, personally, find myself leaning towards Muggle Studies and Ancient Runes, but that's just me. Keep in mind that you grew up in the Muggle world and have a werewolf as an honourary godfather. Muggle Studies might not be your best choice, but it could be a nice throw-away class. Care of Magical Creatures could be good or bad, from what I've heard, depending on the professor, and Lucius seems to think they'll be needing a new one next year. Narcissa says that unless you've got a history of the Sight, it's not worth it to take Divination, and the Potters don't have that gift in their history. Ancient Runes is supposed to help you better understand spells and Runes are often used to set spells like wards into place. It also makes a nice code, I'm sure. Arithmancy is very much math based, though you seemed to enjoy math when you were going to a Muggle school, so you might enjoy it.
'Other than that, I can't offer much help. Good luck.
'Love,
'Thomas'
-~/^\~-
'Gee, thanks. Well, I've decided to take Muggle Studies, Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. If Arithmancy or Ancient Runes is simply too hard, I'll drop one. If neither of them is too bad, I might drop Muggle Studies instead. We'll see.
'Harry'
-~/^\~-
'Ha! Got rid of Lockhart! Now you can't send me to Aunt Petunia's.
'It was beautiful. I got the twins and Draco to help me conjure a bunch of snakes of all sizes and told them to chase Lockhart off the grounds, then disappear into the Forest. So they did. We saw him running towards the gates, screaming his head off earlier, while we were sitting out by the lake. Dumbledore, of course, called me to his office to ask if I had anything to do with it, but I refused to meet his eyes and told him no. And since there weren't any witnesses to our deed, no one could rat us out. And Draco, Fred and George kept their mouths shut. Hermione wasn't very approving later, but even she was laughing when we saw him running away.
'So now I'm kinda the unofficial hero of all the male students and even some of the girls. And I keep getting bonus points for no obvious reason from the professors. Even SNAPE gave me ten points!
'And, yes, I know. Ego.
'Harry'
-~/^\~-
"Thomas?"
Thomas glanced up from his paper at where Remus was standing in the living room doorway. In the large armchair on the other side of the fireplace from Thomas' seat was Sirius, who was reading a comic book. "What is it, Remus?"
Remus bit his lip and stepped into the room fully, then held out a piece of parchment to Thomas. "Just... Here."
Thomas took the parchment and opened it to find a letter;
'Dear Mr Remus Lupin,
'I find myself once again without a Defence Against the Dark Arts professor for this coming year. Since the Wolfsbane Potion was completed this year, I find you to be an excellent option for the post. No one but the staff need know about your condition and I think a job would do you well.
'Please consider my offer.
'Sincerely,
'Albus Dumbledore
'Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry'
Thomas glanced up at Remus calmly. "I'm sure Harry would be ecstatic to have you teach at Hogwarts next year, Remus."
Remus sighed. "Thomas, I work for you now. I like my job."
Thomas smiled, understanding the problem. "Remus, I don't mind if you teach at Hogwarts. In fact, I rather think it would do you some good. And you can keep an eye on Harry."
Remus smiled at that. "I suppose."
"Hey!" Sirius suddenly said. "What about me? I worked as an Auror for a while. Why didn't Dumbledore write to me?!"
"Probably because you're too immature," Thomas replied dryly.
"What Thomas said," Remus agreed.
Sirius stared at the two, open-mouthed.
Thomas sighed. "Sirius, why don't you write a letter to Dumbledore asking if you and Remus could team-teach? It'll get you out of my hair, and the Headmaster won't have to worry about trying to find someone to cover for Remus every full moon."
"Why didn't I think of that?" Remus murmured as Sirius scrambled out of his seat and to the old desk in the corner of the room which had various forms of writing implements and things to write on.
"Moony! Help me write this letter!" Sirius called, looking panicked.
Snickering, Thomas returned to his paper while Remus walked over to help Sirius.
-~/^\~-
After picking their children up at the platform on the nineteenth of June, the four families split up to go home for dinner and catching up. On the twenty-sixth, the Potters - minus their two snakes - the Grangers and Sirius met at the airport to fly to Paris, where they would spend a week. They'd rent a car in Paris and drive up to Mont-St-Michel, which Elizabeth wanted to see, and spend five days there, then drive back to Paris, where they'd catch a flight down to Lyon on the tenth, where they'd spend a week touring before taking the TGV up to Le Creusot and spending a day there. Much to Thomas' irritation, the Grangers and Sirius had plotted together and found out where he'd grown up, so they'd decided to rent a car in Le Creusot and drive up to Saint-Léger-sous-Beuvray. After a night or two in Saint-Léger-sous-Beuvray, they would drive up to Dijon and spend a few days there, then ride the TGV back up to Paris before flying back to London on the twenty-fifth of July.
Thomas had invited Remus, but the full moon fell in the middle of their week in Lyon, so he'd decided to not come. The Malfoys had also been invited, but Lucius said it would be too much trouble for him to visit France - something about a cousin who was high up in the French Ministry and hated Lucius. Augusta also turned down the offer to visit France with them, on account of her having too many plans during the summer that she couldn't cancel. Sylvin and Kaz had to remain at home because Thomas didn't want to chance customs throwing a fit because they had two poisonous snakes with them.
So it was that the group of six found themselves in France with much to do and next to no time to do it in. After their first day spent chasing the two kids around Paris - Sirius wasn't helping when he distracted Thomas, Elizabeth and John so the two could sneak off - Thomas said that Harry and Hermione were allowed to leave the main group only if they had another adult with them and, yes, Sirius counted as an adult. The rest of their time in Paris was actually rather relaxing and Thomas, John and Elizabeth often found themselves able to enjoy a quiet museum while Sirius played baby-sitter elsewhere.
For their car trip up to Normandy, they rented a Renault Espace and with a few discreet and slightly illegal magical additions, the vehicle comfortably fit all six of them and had more than enough room for their luggage. Another spell later and the three adults in the front couldn't hear the three in the back any longer, though those in the back could still hear them. Thomas happily took over the map - he was the only one fluent in French - and directed them out to Mont-St-Michel while Elizabeth and John switched driving part-way through. They checked into their hotel and then went in search of some food, then went back for sleep.
After forcing the kids and Sirius to go on a tour through the Abbey and spend lunch with their guardians, the adults let the kids run towards the beach with warnings of what time they needed to be back at. The rest of their visit was spent with the adults touring the various attractions and shops while Harry, Hermione and Sirius spent a couple of days at the beach and even more time inside the city with francs burning a hole in their pockets. Hermione, ever the booklover, had wisely bought a French phrase book before they left England and so she, Harry and Sirius were able to mostly get around without Thomas translating for them when they ran across someone who didn't speak English.
They drove back to Paris on the ninth and spent the rest of the day napping in their hotel rooms - the Grangers shared a room while Thomas had bought two rooms at each of the hotels they stayed at, one for him and the other for Sirius, and told Harry he could sleep in whichever he wanted that night. They caught their quick flight down to Lyon the next morning and checked into their hotel on the other side before letting the kids loose.
The afternoon of the sixteenth found Thomas, Elizabeth and John herding their two charges and Sirius - who could almost count as a charge himself - to the TGV station in Lyon, where they caught a northbound train up to Le Creusot and rented a car at the station to drive into town. They spent the night in Le Creusot, then the Grangers handed the car over to Thomas and, grumbling, he drove them to Saint-Léger-sous-Beuvray.
On Thomas' suggestion, they'd rented some rooms at a small chambre d'hôte that sat across from the small church in the town square. After collecting in their rooms, Thomas announced that he was going to the cemetery and hurried off across the square. Hermione and Harry hurried after him once they'd ordered Sirius to stay put.
They found Thomas in front of a small headstone - probably the only one in English in the entire cemetery. He conjured some flowers and set them on the ground in front of the stone and sighed. Harry and Hermione stepped up on either side of him and each child took one of his hands. The headstone read:
Lisa Sophia Leland
17 May 1910 - 20 December 1973
Dreadful Daughter
Amazing Mother
Best Friend
May she find in death what she couldn't in life.
Hermione bit her lip, then asked, "What couldn't she find in life?"
Thomas sighed again. "A number of things. Peace from my grandparents, love from the man who sent her away, the right to exist, even." He smiled sadly. "My mother was an interesting woman. When she fell ill with the flu I was in America. I got back in time to watch her die. She told me, right before she died, that she wanted to be buried here - as far away from the people who wanted nothing to do with her as she could get without going to the moon." He laughed, eyes glistening with tears. "My grandmother was still alive, so I invited her to come to the funeral and she sent me back a letter with some undiluted bubotuber pus in it. Said she wanted nothing to do with her daughter or me and I may be the family heir, but I was no grandson of hers." He shook his head. "Bitch."
Harry let go of Thomas' hand and hugged his uncle instead. "Well I don't care. You're still my favourite uncle and I wouldn't trade you for the world."
Thomas wrapped his now free arm around Harry and kissed the top of the boy's head. "Thank you, Harry."
"What Harry said," Hermione agreed. "I'd be lost without your help, Thomas. We all would, I think."
"Yeah," Harry added. "Sirius would probably still be in jail and I would have grown up with Aunt Petunia and Draco would have gotten his head taken off by a troll."
"I would have gotten hurt in Knockturn Alley," Hermione supplied.
"Forget Knockturn, you'd still be sobbing in the bathroom!" Harry shot back with a smile.
Thomas laughed. "Alright, brats. Let's go find out what trouble Sirius has gotten up to."
Laughing, the two kids led Thomas out of the cemetery and out into the square. About halfway across, a voice called out, "Thomas Leland? Es-ce que c'est toi?"
Thomas turned and blinked at where a young woman with shoulder-length blonde hair stood in a doorway. "Oui."
The woman ran across the street and stopped in front of Thomas with a large smile on her face. "Je ne m'attendais pas à te voir ici!"
Thomas shrugged. "Mes amis m'ont traîné avec eux."
"Ces amis? Ils semblent trop jeunes pour t'entraîner n'importe où," the woman commented, looking amused.
Thomas snorted. "Non. C'est mon neveu et son amie. Ce sont ses parents qui ont organisé ce voyage."
Harry finally ran out of patience and tugged on Thomas' arm. "Uncle Thomas! In English!"
Thomas laughed. "I'm sorry, Harry, Hermione. This is Velda Leicester. She lived down the road from us." He turned back to Velda. "Voici mon neveu, Harry et son amie, Hermione Granger."
Velda offered her hand to shake with the two children. "Et is my pleasure," she managed in English.
"Ours too," Harry said with a smile.
Velda glanced up at Thomas questioningly. "Tu ne lui avez jamais appris le français?"
"Non. Nous vivons en Angleterre."
"Uncle Thomas..." Harry complained.
Velda laughed. "Je suis désolée, Petit Harry." Thomas started laughing and Velda winked. "Je suis heureuse de vous avoir revu, Thomas." She left with a wave.
"What did she say?!" Harry demanded.
Thomas ruffled Harry's hair. "We should head back."
Harry batted his uncle's hands away and fixed his hair. "Tell me!"
Thomas laughed and walked across the street back to the chambre d'hôte they were staying at, Harry and Hermione following him with a frown and a smile.
When they got into the Grangers' room, Sirius took one look at Harry and said, "Alright. What happened?"
"Uncle Thomas won't tell me what his friend said!" Harry replied angrily.
Sirius blinked. "Thomas has friends?"
Thomas and the three Grangers all laughed while Harry stared at Sirius like he'd lost his mind.
Sirius snickered and looked at Thomas. "Alright, French-boy. What did your friend say?"
Thomas walked over to Sirius and whispered into his ear, "She said, 'I'm sorry, little Harry'."
Sirius started laughing. "And he has no idea what it means?"
"Nope!" Thomas grinned.
"Oh, that's precious! Say it in French?"
"Je suis désolée, Petit Harry."
Sirius made a face. " 'Petit Harry'?" he said.
"Oui."
Sirius smirked at Harry. "I love it."
"Not fair! Tell me what it means!" Harry complained, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Nope. It's far more entertaining to tease you," Sirius informed his godson.
Thomas rolled his eyes. "Harry, you could always start calling Sirius a 'trou du cul'."
"What's it mean?" Harry asked curiously. Sirius also looked curious.
:Arsehole,: Thomas cheerfully replied in Parseltongue.
Harry looked amused. "Trou du cul. Bit of a mouthful, though."
"What's it mean?" Sirius asked, looking between the two Potters worriedly.
Thomas started whistling while Harry just grinned.
"It means 'little Harry'!" Sirius said. "Now tell me what the 't' phrase means!"
Harry grimaced. " 'Little Harry'? Uncle Thomas!"
Thomas laughed. "It's so fitting."
"It is not!"
"Actually, I think it's rather cute," Hermione said thoughtfully, earning her an appalled look from Harry. "How do you say it again, Thomas?"
"Petit Harry," Thomas replied, grinning.
"I hate you," Harry told him with an annoyed look, then turned his back on the room. "Sirius and Hermione too!"
Sirius, Hermione, Elizabeth and John all laughed while Thomas just rolled his eyes.
-~/^\~-
They spent an extra day in Saint-Léger-sous-Beuvray so Thomas could show them where he grew up. The building was a small house that looked to be just the right size for a single mother and her son. Harry commented that the house looked a little like their home back in England and Thomas admitted that he'd bought the house back in England because it reminded him of where he grew up.
Since they were there, Elizabeth talked them all into going to the church Sunday morning, even though none of them attended church back in England. Sirius tried to talk his way out of going by saying he was Pagan, but Thomas commented, "So was my mother and so am I, but we both went to church every other month or so. In a community this small, the church isn't so much about religion, though that's a large part of it, but about spending time with your neighbours. It's not like there's anything else to do in town while church is in session."
So they went to the church in the best clothing they'd all brought and all of them sat through a boring service which only Thomas understood. Afterwards, the group found themselves swamped by townspeople who wanted to greet Thomas. He shooed his friends and nephew away, then stayed to talk with the people he grew up with.
They drove out of town when they woke up on the nineteenth, Thomas once again in the driver's seat. Sirius, Harry and Hermione dozed in the back while John and Elizabeth quietly talked to each other. With only the road he'd travelled before as company, Thomas found himself remembering his mother, something he hadn't really done since she died. One of the first things that came to mind was how they would often sit in the car Thomas had bought for them when he turned twenty-two and take this same drive to Dijon to pick up some potion ingredients or a new spell book. His mother had never cared to learn how to drive, but Thomas had wanted to, so she'd bought him lessons and let him drive her around when he wanted.
Thomas sighed. Some memories were better left forgotten. No matter how much he'd loved her or how close they'd been, he would always remember how her face twisted whenever the Potters were mentioned. Thomas knew that, no matter how much his mother had loved him, she'd always hoped to use him against his father. He'd always been her weapon against the man who'd spurned her. There were many things he'd never tell Harry about his mother. There were hate-filled letters traded between Thomas Potter - Thomas' father - and Lisa Leland that Thomas had burned after his mother's death. Some family secrets were best left buried.
-~/^\~-
The group spent five days in Dijon. Thomas never mentioned the small magical community in the city, though he would occasionally see a witch or wizard dodging in and out of sight. While in Paris the group had visited some magical shops, but Thomas thought it best his companions not visit with the magical population of Dijon. Dijon housed a large population of Dark witches and wizards and most of their shops catered to those leanings, rather than to the Lighter fare. If there were a magical guide book, Thomas was certain that it would warn against ever visiting Dijon unless you intended to deal in the Dark Arts.
When they caught the TGV, Thomas quietly breathed a sighed of relief. If he hadn't been travelling with Harry, perhaps visiting Dijon wouldn't have been quite so nerve-racking.
After they got into Paris, they found some place quick to eat, then got a few rooms at one of the hotels near the TGV station. A night's rest and a quick ride on the TGV had them at the airport in plenty of time to grab a few bites to eat before their flight back to London.
Honestly, Thomas considered with a grimace, he'd feel much better once they were back on English soil.
-~/^\~-
Harry had another quiet birthday with just Thomas, Sirius and Remus, then shared a big party with Neville at Malfoy Manor on the first of August.
The following Saturday found the pile of families in Diagon Alley, shopping for school supplies for the students and the two professors both. When Harry and his friends had found out during the party that Sirius and Remus would be team teaching Defence that year, there was much cause for celebration and Lucius had congratulated Thomas on a job well done in getting rid of his mutts. Lucius ended up with champagne 'accidentally' spilled on his head - courtesy of Sirius Black - and promptly returned the favour. That round of toasts had quickly become a food-throwing and drink-dumping contest, which the house-elves were more than happy to clean up.
The yearly school supply shopping trip went fine, if you didn't count the three reporters that followed the group like flies until Lucius finally lost his temper and threatened to sue the lot of them if they wouldn't stop trying to get a picture of the children. After that, the one reporter that persisted in following them was much more discreet. But, then again, Thomas and Sirius were also rather discreet in pranking the man and his camera until he went away.
The only particularly interesting part of their trip was when they stopped by the pet shop so Hermione could buy herself a present. She took one look at a cat with a squashed face and started cooing at it, only to have Sylvin throw a perfect fit. After asking both Harry and Thomas to get the snake to let her have the cat, she finally gave in and bought a proud great grey owl that she promptly named Talbot. When asked why she picked that name, she said, "The meaning," which required a trip to a bookstore to learn that it could mean either 'messenger of destruction' or 'bloodhound', depending on the book they found. Everyone had a laugh over that one, and Talbot seemed to like his new name all the more.
After their Diagon Alley trip, the summer seemed to fly by for the students and their guardians. Harry especially looked gloomier and gloomier as September first drew closer. Finally, on the thirty-first, when Thomas tucked Harry into bed that night, the man asked, "Harry, child, what has you so upset?"
Harry twisted his fingers in his sheets and said, "I'm going to Hogwarts tomorrow and Sirius and Remus are coming with me."
Thomas nodded. "That's very true, but why does it distress you so?"
"Because you'll be all alone here," Harry said, eyes glittering wetly.
Thomas sighed and pressed a kiss to Harry's forehead. "Harry, my child, you know I won't be alone. I have Kaz to annoy me all the time and the Grangers and Malfoys are always checking in on me. Given, usually they're checking to make sure I haven't killed Sirius yet..."
Harry shrugged. "It's not the same."
Thomas shook his head. "It's the same as when you left for first year, Harry, except now I have Lucius and Narcissa and Kaz and Augusta around as well. I'll be no lonelier this year than I have been for the past two, and that's simply missing your daily smile. Strangely, I've found myself missing that already; it seems to have disappeared this past week. Any chance I'll see it before you leave tomorrow?"
Harry bit his lip and leaned forward to hug his uncle. "I'm sorry."
Thomas hugged Harry back and closed his eyes. "Harry, never be sorry for worrying about others. That is what makes you, you and it's one of your greatest virtues. But, child, I wish that you wouldn't worry so much about others that you stop thinking about yourself." Thomas drew back and offered Harry a sad smile. "When you do that, you remind me of myself."
Harry managed a smile at that. "I'll try."
Thomas nodded. "That's all I ask. For now, bed! You have a long and exciting day tomorrow."
Harry nodded and lay back against his pillow. "Good night, Uncle Thomas."
"Good night, Petit Harry."
"Prat," Harry called after Thomas as the man closed the door.
Chuckling, Thomas returned to his own room to sleep.
-~/^\~-
Thomas, Sirius, Remus and Harry all arrived as early as they could so they could find a nice, quiet compartment in the back that the two professors could set themselves up in. Thomas managed to get Harry to leave his things in the compartment right next to Remus and Sirius' so the children could call on their new professors if they needed anything. Then Thomas and Harry wandered out into the actual station to get some breakfast for all four of them, since they'd decided to simply come to the station instead of stopping to make breakfast. Egg sandwiches made everyone happy and Thomas sent a yawning Harry into his compartment to take a nap while he stood out on the platform with Sirius and Remus, quietly talking about the year to come.
At ten o'clock, the Malfoys, Grangers and Longbottoms came in by Apparation or the barrier, depending. Sirius and Remus helped the three children get their things to their compartment and woke Harry so he could say good-bye. Four children and two professors returned to where their families stood. Good-byes were traded and Harry managed a smile when he gave Thomas a hug.
After the children returned to the train, Remus offered his assurances that he'd keep them out of trouble and safe while Sirius cheerfully said he'd make sure the children got in as much trouble as they could. A green Sirius ended up being led back onto the train by Remus, who was shaking his head hopelessly. Behind the retreating professors, their friends laughed at them while Thomas rolled his eyes. Really, one would think Sirius would eventually learn.
Waving at the four laughing children in one of the windows, the pile of adults Apparated to Diagon Alley for ice cream and a general good time with people that even Lucius was beginning to refer to as friends.
-
-
A/N: Hmmm... Bit corny. Oh well. Far too much of this chapter was written during the time that I'm usually sleeping.
Sorry about any mistakes with the French. If you catch a mistake, feel free to let me know in a review and I'll fix it right away. Like I said in the beginning, I don't speak a word of French, so everything that's in here is from an online translator or my tiny phrase book.
French - English Translations:
chambre d'hôte - bed and breakfast
Es-ce que c'est toi? - Is that you?
Oui - Yes
Je ne m'attendais pas à te voir ici! - What a surprise to see you here!
Mes amis m'ont traîné avec eux. - My friends dragged me with them.
Ces amis? - These friends?
Ils semblent trop jeunes pour t'entraîner n'importe où. - They seem too young to drag you anywhere.
Non. C'est mon neveu et son amie. - No. This is my nephew and his friend.
Ce sont ses parents qui ont organisé ce voyage. - It was her parents that set up this trip.
Voici mon neveu, Harry et son amie, Hermione Granger. - This is my nephew, Harry, and his friend, Hermione Granger.
Tu ne lui avez jamais appris le français? - You didn't teach him French?
Non. Nous vivons en Angleterre. - No. We live in England.
Je suis désolée, Petit Harry. - I'm sorry, little Harry.
Je suis heureuse de vous avoir revu, Thomas. - It was nice seeing you again, Thomas.
Trou du cul. - asshole/arsehole
Cheers and hopes for many reviews,
~Bats
(P.S. - Chapter nine is proving difficult and I'm not allowed on my computer for the rest of the week since I have to pack to return to my college and there's little chance I'll have time to work on nine after I get to campus, since I'll be running around like a chicken with my head cut off getting my books, learning how to help the incoming freshmen with their computers and then HELPING the buggers when they come on the 23rd.
So! Pretty much no chance for chapter nine to show up on the 21st. Better chance for it on the 28th, but don't actually expect it until the 4th. Got it?
Alternately, If I take long enough and feel like being nice, I might post it on a non-Tuesday. The more reviews, the more I'll consider this. XD)
(P.P.S. - A million thanks to Doudoulina at HPF, Ghosthic Satane at FFN, The Dreamer Mong at FFN, Trunks-01 at FFN, Amarine Nightshade at FFN, Raskanii at FFN and atalante3134 at LJ for French corrections!)
Chapter One /\ Chapter Nine
Author: batsutousai
Beta: magickmaker17
Rating: PG-13 for now
Pairings: Intended - HP/LV, Possible - HP/DM, Possible - NL/HG, SB/RL
Warnings: AU, an attempt to not copy the book, bloody OOC-ness
Summary: When Albus Dumbledore leaves Harry Potter on the doorstep of the Dursleys, the last thing he expected was for an unknown relative to disappear with the boy for ten years. Enter Thomas Potter, a man who intends to change the past, the present, and the future.
Disclaim Her: It's in the first chapter.
A/N: Following on what some people said to do for chapter six, the letters are only really for important things that happen. Assume they're writing weekly - or biweekly when things get busy or there's nothing to write about - and we'll just go from there. Uhm, Thomas and Lucius both attend all the Gryffindor and/or Slytherin Quidditch matches, FYI. The Grangers don't always come - it's harder to get Muggles into Hogwarts because of the charms on the building - Narcissa and Remus come sometimes and Sirius only comes for the Gryffindor matches.
I've never been to France and I don't speak a word of French. I do, however, have this lovely travel book about France and a small phrase book with some French in it. And an online translator. (Translations are at the end.)
On that note, my travel book has nothing about the place I picked to be Thomas' hometown and I didn't feel like searching the web for a site about the place that's not in French, so I'm making it up. Deal with it.
-~/\~-
Chapter Eight - The Second Year
-~\/~-
'Uncle Thomas,
'It's strange being back at Hogwarts after a whole summer at home, but I'm getting used to it again.
'Lockhart's as much an idiot as you said he was. First day he gave us this quiz all about himself, so I took a page out of Draco's book and wrote down horrible things in my answers. He turned red and gave me two days of detention, but it was worth it. Then he set some pixies on us. And fled. So Hermione, Nev and I took care of them - everyone else fled with the git - and Hermione STILL fancies him. Help?
'Did you know that Lucius was planning to BUY Draco's way onto the Slytherin team? So now they've all got really good brooms and we're gonna get CRUSHED next game. (Draco DID say I'd probably beat him as Seeker, though. He's too humble for his own good.) I was going to write Lucius and tell him where to stick it, but Hermione stopped me. So, since you're my wicked cool uncle, you're gonna tell Lucius off for me. Right?
'Cheers!
'Harry'
-~/^\~-
'Harry,
'No, sorry, I won't tell Lucius off. I don't think I have to, if you know what I mean - your godfool and I are too nice to you. Kick Slytherin bum for us, would you?
'While I really shouldn't tell you this, I feel that I must inform you that if you haven't scared Lockhart out of Hogwarts by the end of the year, I'm sending you to Petunia's house for the summer. Which would really suck for you, since John and Elizabeth are trying to set up a vacation to France for this summer...
'I did mention to Lucius that you called Draco humble. He went red. It clashed a bit with his green robes, and I told him so. Pity Sirius forgot his camera.
'Love,
'Thomas'
-~/^\~-
'Thomas,
'You suck.
'Draco'
-~/^\~-
'Okay, you're the coolest uncle ever. Truly. You should have seen Wood's face when I presented the brooms to him. And, really, you didn't need to get me a new broom too. My Nimbus Two Thousand is doing just fine. I dunno, maybe I'll give it to Ron Weasley. I know he really likes Quidditch and the twins did mention that their summer practises were going to be pathetic if he's still using an old Cleansweep and they've got Nimbuses. Maybe then I won't have to worry about a repeat of last year, either. I mean, I'd give it to Hermione or Nev, but neither of them likes flying... What do you think?
'Not THEM! Anywhere but the Dursleys!! I'd rather you sent me to be tortured by...I dunno! By the twins! Anywhere but Aunt Petunia's house.
'Also, France? Really? Can we see the house you grew up in? Please?
'Harry'
-~/^\~-
'Draco,
'Why, thank you.
'Thomas'
-~/^\~-
'Harry,
'The getting you a new broom idea was your godfool's. He seemed to think that you needed a broom that was just as good as - if not better than - the rest of your teams'. But, yes, go ahead and give your old Nimbus to Mr Weasley. I would rather see you getting along with your dorm mates, than spending the next six years avoiding them because of some stupid fight in first year.
'I don't know about seeing my old house - I sold it after my mother died. Maybe we'll drop by the neighbourhood. Maybe.
'Love,
'Thomas'
-~/^\~-
'You know that ghost I told you about? Nearly Headless Nick? He asked me if I would go to his Deathday Party. It's on Hallowe'en. It would mean missing the Hallowe'en feast, but he helped me out of a tight spot with Filch today and I'd feel bad not going. He's so down and stuff 'cause he's NEARLY Headless instead of ACTUALLY Headless.
'Quidditch practise generally sucks. Even though we've got the new brooms, Wood's still being a stick in the mud about the whole mess. We had practise in the RAIN today. Help?
'Harry'
-~/^\~-
'Harry,
'If you go to the party, make sure you either bring some food with you or drop by the Great Hall before or after the party to get something to eat. Ghosts don't eat, so it's unlikely they'll have any food there for you. As for actually attending? Do what you think is best. It will probably be an interesting experience at the very least.
'Flying in crazy weather is good for you - builds character.
'Love,
'Thomas'
-~/^\~-
'Thanks for the hint about the food. All they had was rotten stuff. Something about being able to taste it? Ew.
'Hermione talked us into going in the end. She said it was all very educational. Nev and I think she's nuts. Draco kept laughing at us. Prat.
'I really hate you sometimes. "Builds character" my foot.
'Harry'
-~/^\~-
'Lockhart has started a DUELLING CLUB. Can you believe it? Hermione talked us into going, since she STILL thinks he's the best thing ever. Snape is being his helper - more like his executioner, if you ask me. I can't believe I was actually rooting for SNAPE. Ugh.
'Anyway, Snape tried to pair us all up with people we didn't like. I got Theodore Nott. Nev says his dad was a Death Eater, just like Lucius. Nott wasn't TOO bad, at any rate. Hermione got Millicent Bulstrode - who ended up wrestling her instead of duelling her - and Nev got Seamus. Clearly, Snape doesn't trust Nev against any of his Slytherins. Or he's just being nice to him. At any rate, Draco ended up with Ron - those two STILL hate each other, even though Fred and George like Draco well enough - and Snape ended up calling them up for a demonstration. Lockhart tried to teach Ron a Shield Charm - poor Ron - and Snape had Draco shoot a snake at him. Which Lockhart attempted to banish and just made it angry instead. And Nev was the closest to where it landed, so it went for him, but I stopped it. And now the rest of Gryffindor House is avoiding me like the plague. Except Fred and George, who think the whole thing's a laugh and keep calling me "Little Slytherin".
'What should I do?
'Harry'
-~/^\~-
'Harry,
'Ah... Well, then. Hm. Well, I assume that if you come home for break and let everyone forget about it, it'll blow over. Or you can just ignore them all. Or...ah... You know, I don't know. Hang out with the Slytherins, maybe? Prank the Gryffindors with a bunch of snakes? Set some free in Snape's office? I'm sure the last one would have them all loving you again.
'Sorry I can't be more helpful.
'Love,
'Thomas'
-~/^\~-
Christmas break happened much like the year previous. Thomas, Sirius, Remus, Augusta, the Malfoys and the Grangers all met their children at the platform, then had a cheerful dinner at the Malfoy Manor. After Thomas got off work on Christmas Eve, his household and the Grangers all left for Leland Manor, where they had a nice dinner and then went to bed.
Christmas morning found Harry crawling into Thomas' bed at five o'clock in the morning and snuggling up against a grumbling Thomas. "Yeah, yeah," Harry said, "One more hour. I got Remus to lock Sirius in his room."
Thomas snickered, kissed Harry's forehead, and went back to sleep until six, when Remus finally let Sirius out of his room and the man came slamming into Thomas' room with a scowl. Everyone hurried downstairs and opened their presents, then had breakfast. When the Malfoys and the Longbottoms came by that night for dinner, they found all the students laughing at Sirius, who was turned into his Animagus form and bright purple, courtesy of a smirking Thomas.
The rest of the holiday went by with laughter and general mayhem with a number of pranks played by the students and adults alike on one another. By the time the third rolled around, Harry had completely forgotten about the rumours that had been started at Hogwarts, and if he remembered them before he said good-bye to his family and the families of his friends, he didn't say anything.
All-in-all, Thomas thought as he, the Malfoys, the Grangers, Augusta, Remus and Sirius went out for some ice cream, the holiday had been everything he'd hoped for.
-~/^\~-
'I hate Valentine's Day. Just so we're clear. And I REALLY hate Lockhart.
'And I'm not telling you why, 'cause I know better.
'Harry'
-~/^\~-
'Harry has a girlfriend! I think it's the little Weasley girl. You should never let him live it down.
'Draco'
-~/^\~-
'Harry,
'What's this I hear about you and Miss Weasley?
'Love,
'Thomas'
-~/^\~-
'Who told you? I'll kill 'em!
'And there's nothing going on between Ginny and me. I don't even KNOW her.'
-~/^\~-
'Harry,
'I'll never tell the name of my informant.
'Love,
'Thomas'
-~/^\~-
'I have some trouble. We're supposed to pick our classes for next year and I'm not sure what to take. Nev's got all sorts of suggestions from everyone in his family and Hermione's decided to just take the whole lot. Our choices are Muggle Studies, Divination, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures. Help?
'Harry'
-~/^\~-
'Harry,
'Ah, yes. Remus did mention this might be coming up. I asked about it just to see and Remus took Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes. Sirius took Care of Magical Creatures and Muggle Studies. Lucius took Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. Narcissa took Ancient Runes and Divination. Augusta told me not to pry.
'I, personally, find myself leaning towards Muggle Studies and Ancient Runes, but that's just me. Keep in mind that you grew up in the Muggle world and have a werewolf as an honourary godfather. Muggle Studies might not be your best choice, but it could be a nice throw-away class. Care of Magical Creatures could be good or bad, from what I've heard, depending on the professor, and Lucius seems to think they'll be needing a new one next year. Narcissa says that unless you've got a history of the Sight, it's not worth it to take Divination, and the Potters don't have that gift in their history. Ancient Runes is supposed to help you better understand spells and Runes are often used to set spells like wards into place. It also makes a nice code, I'm sure. Arithmancy is very much math based, though you seemed to enjoy math when you were going to a Muggle school, so you might enjoy it.
'Other than that, I can't offer much help. Good luck.
'Love,
'Thomas'
-~/^\~-
'Gee, thanks. Well, I've decided to take Muggle Studies, Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. If Arithmancy or Ancient Runes is simply too hard, I'll drop one. If neither of them is too bad, I might drop Muggle Studies instead. We'll see.
'Harry'
-~/^\~-
'Ha! Got rid of Lockhart! Now you can't send me to Aunt Petunia's.
'It was beautiful. I got the twins and Draco to help me conjure a bunch of snakes of all sizes and told them to chase Lockhart off the grounds, then disappear into the Forest. So they did. We saw him running towards the gates, screaming his head off earlier, while we were sitting out by the lake. Dumbledore, of course, called me to his office to ask if I had anything to do with it, but I refused to meet his eyes and told him no. And since there weren't any witnesses to our deed, no one could rat us out. And Draco, Fred and George kept their mouths shut. Hermione wasn't very approving later, but even she was laughing when we saw him running away.
'So now I'm kinda the unofficial hero of all the male students and even some of the girls. And I keep getting bonus points for no obvious reason from the professors. Even SNAPE gave me ten points!
'And, yes, I know. Ego.
'Harry'
-~/^\~-
"Thomas?"
Thomas glanced up from his paper at where Remus was standing in the living room doorway. In the large armchair on the other side of the fireplace from Thomas' seat was Sirius, who was reading a comic book. "What is it, Remus?"
Remus bit his lip and stepped into the room fully, then held out a piece of parchment to Thomas. "Just... Here."
Thomas took the parchment and opened it to find a letter;
'Dear Mr Remus Lupin,
'I find myself once again without a Defence Against the Dark Arts professor for this coming year. Since the Wolfsbane Potion was completed this year, I find you to be an excellent option for the post. No one but the staff need know about your condition and I think a job would do you well.
'Please consider my offer.
'Sincerely,
'Albus Dumbledore
'Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry'
Thomas glanced up at Remus calmly. "I'm sure Harry would be ecstatic to have you teach at Hogwarts next year, Remus."
Remus sighed. "Thomas, I work for you now. I like my job."
Thomas smiled, understanding the problem. "Remus, I don't mind if you teach at Hogwarts. In fact, I rather think it would do you some good. And you can keep an eye on Harry."
Remus smiled at that. "I suppose."
"Hey!" Sirius suddenly said. "What about me? I worked as an Auror for a while. Why didn't Dumbledore write to me?!"
"Probably because you're too immature," Thomas replied dryly.
"What Thomas said," Remus agreed.
Sirius stared at the two, open-mouthed.
Thomas sighed. "Sirius, why don't you write a letter to Dumbledore asking if you and Remus could team-teach? It'll get you out of my hair, and the Headmaster won't have to worry about trying to find someone to cover for Remus every full moon."
"Why didn't I think of that?" Remus murmured as Sirius scrambled out of his seat and to the old desk in the corner of the room which had various forms of writing implements and things to write on.
"Moony! Help me write this letter!" Sirius called, looking panicked.
Snickering, Thomas returned to his paper while Remus walked over to help Sirius.
-~/^\~-
After picking their children up at the platform on the nineteenth of June, the four families split up to go home for dinner and catching up. On the twenty-sixth, the Potters - minus their two snakes - the Grangers and Sirius met at the airport to fly to Paris, where they would spend a week. They'd rent a car in Paris and drive up to Mont-St-Michel, which Elizabeth wanted to see, and spend five days there, then drive back to Paris, where they'd catch a flight down to Lyon on the tenth, where they'd spend a week touring before taking the TGV up to Le Creusot and spending a day there. Much to Thomas' irritation, the Grangers and Sirius had plotted together and found out where he'd grown up, so they'd decided to rent a car in Le Creusot and drive up to Saint-Léger-sous-Beuvray. After a night or two in Saint-Léger-sous-Beuvray, they would drive up to Dijon and spend a few days there, then ride the TGV back up to Paris before flying back to London on the twenty-fifth of July.
Thomas had invited Remus, but the full moon fell in the middle of their week in Lyon, so he'd decided to not come. The Malfoys had also been invited, but Lucius said it would be too much trouble for him to visit France - something about a cousin who was high up in the French Ministry and hated Lucius. Augusta also turned down the offer to visit France with them, on account of her having too many plans during the summer that she couldn't cancel. Sylvin and Kaz had to remain at home because Thomas didn't want to chance customs throwing a fit because they had two poisonous snakes with them.
So it was that the group of six found themselves in France with much to do and next to no time to do it in. After their first day spent chasing the two kids around Paris - Sirius wasn't helping when he distracted Thomas, Elizabeth and John so the two could sneak off - Thomas said that Harry and Hermione were allowed to leave the main group only if they had another adult with them and, yes, Sirius counted as an adult. The rest of their time in Paris was actually rather relaxing and Thomas, John and Elizabeth often found themselves able to enjoy a quiet museum while Sirius played baby-sitter elsewhere.
For their car trip up to Normandy, they rented a Renault Espace and with a few discreet and slightly illegal magical additions, the vehicle comfortably fit all six of them and had more than enough room for their luggage. Another spell later and the three adults in the front couldn't hear the three in the back any longer, though those in the back could still hear them. Thomas happily took over the map - he was the only one fluent in French - and directed them out to Mont-St-Michel while Elizabeth and John switched driving part-way through. They checked into their hotel and then went in search of some food, then went back for sleep.
After forcing the kids and Sirius to go on a tour through the Abbey and spend lunch with their guardians, the adults let the kids run towards the beach with warnings of what time they needed to be back at. The rest of their visit was spent with the adults touring the various attractions and shops while Harry, Hermione and Sirius spent a couple of days at the beach and even more time inside the city with francs burning a hole in their pockets. Hermione, ever the booklover, had wisely bought a French phrase book before they left England and so she, Harry and Sirius were able to mostly get around without Thomas translating for them when they ran across someone who didn't speak English.
They drove back to Paris on the ninth and spent the rest of the day napping in their hotel rooms - the Grangers shared a room while Thomas had bought two rooms at each of the hotels they stayed at, one for him and the other for Sirius, and told Harry he could sleep in whichever he wanted that night. They caught their quick flight down to Lyon the next morning and checked into their hotel on the other side before letting the kids loose.
The afternoon of the sixteenth found Thomas, Elizabeth and John herding their two charges and Sirius - who could almost count as a charge himself - to the TGV station in Lyon, where they caught a northbound train up to Le Creusot and rented a car at the station to drive into town. They spent the night in Le Creusot, then the Grangers handed the car over to Thomas and, grumbling, he drove them to Saint-Léger-sous-Beuvray.
On Thomas' suggestion, they'd rented some rooms at a small chambre d'hôte that sat across from the small church in the town square. After collecting in their rooms, Thomas announced that he was going to the cemetery and hurried off across the square. Hermione and Harry hurried after him once they'd ordered Sirius to stay put.
They found Thomas in front of a small headstone - probably the only one in English in the entire cemetery. He conjured some flowers and set them on the ground in front of the stone and sighed. Harry and Hermione stepped up on either side of him and each child took one of his hands. The headstone read:
Lisa Sophia Leland
17 May 1910 - 20 December 1973
Dreadful Daughter
Amazing Mother
Best Friend
May she find in death what she couldn't in life.
Hermione bit her lip, then asked, "What couldn't she find in life?"
Thomas sighed again. "A number of things. Peace from my grandparents, love from the man who sent her away, the right to exist, even." He smiled sadly. "My mother was an interesting woman. When she fell ill with the flu I was in America. I got back in time to watch her die. She told me, right before she died, that she wanted to be buried here - as far away from the people who wanted nothing to do with her as she could get without going to the moon." He laughed, eyes glistening with tears. "My grandmother was still alive, so I invited her to come to the funeral and she sent me back a letter with some undiluted bubotuber pus in it. Said she wanted nothing to do with her daughter or me and I may be the family heir, but I was no grandson of hers." He shook his head. "Bitch."
Harry let go of Thomas' hand and hugged his uncle instead. "Well I don't care. You're still my favourite uncle and I wouldn't trade you for the world."
Thomas wrapped his now free arm around Harry and kissed the top of the boy's head. "Thank you, Harry."
"What Harry said," Hermione agreed. "I'd be lost without your help, Thomas. We all would, I think."
"Yeah," Harry added. "Sirius would probably still be in jail and I would have grown up with Aunt Petunia and Draco would have gotten his head taken off by a troll."
"I would have gotten hurt in Knockturn Alley," Hermione supplied.
"Forget Knockturn, you'd still be sobbing in the bathroom!" Harry shot back with a smile.
Thomas laughed. "Alright, brats. Let's go find out what trouble Sirius has gotten up to."
Laughing, the two kids led Thomas out of the cemetery and out into the square. About halfway across, a voice called out, "Thomas Leland? Es-ce que c'est toi?"
Thomas turned and blinked at where a young woman with shoulder-length blonde hair stood in a doorway. "Oui."
The woman ran across the street and stopped in front of Thomas with a large smile on her face. "Je ne m'attendais pas à te voir ici!"
Thomas shrugged. "Mes amis m'ont traîné avec eux."
"Ces amis? Ils semblent trop jeunes pour t'entraîner n'importe où," the woman commented, looking amused.
Thomas snorted. "Non. C'est mon neveu et son amie. Ce sont ses parents qui ont organisé ce voyage."
Harry finally ran out of patience and tugged on Thomas' arm. "Uncle Thomas! In English!"
Thomas laughed. "I'm sorry, Harry, Hermione. This is Velda Leicester. She lived down the road from us." He turned back to Velda. "Voici mon neveu, Harry et son amie, Hermione Granger."
Velda offered her hand to shake with the two children. "Et is my pleasure," she managed in English.
"Ours too," Harry said with a smile.
Velda glanced up at Thomas questioningly. "Tu ne lui avez jamais appris le français?"
"Non. Nous vivons en Angleterre."
"Uncle Thomas..." Harry complained.
Velda laughed. "Je suis désolée, Petit Harry." Thomas started laughing and Velda winked. "Je suis heureuse de vous avoir revu, Thomas." She left with a wave.
"What did she say?!" Harry demanded.
Thomas ruffled Harry's hair. "We should head back."
Harry batted his uncle's hands away and fixed his hair. "Tell me!"
Thomas laughed and walked across the street back to the chambre d'hôte they were staying at, Harry and Hermione following him with a frown and a smile.
When they got into the Grangers' room, Sirius took one look at Harry and said, "Alright. What happened?"
"Uncle Thomas won't tell me what his friend said!" Harry replied angrily.
Sirius blinked. "Thomas has friends?"
Thomas and the three Grangers all laughed while Harry stared at Sirius like he'd lost his mind.
Sirius snickered and looked at Thomas. "Alright, French-boy. What did your friend say?"
Thomas walked over to Sirius and whispered into his ear, "She said, 'I'm sorry, little Harry'."
Sirius started laughing. "And he has no idea what it means?"
"Nope!" Thomas grinned.
"Oh, that's precious! Say it in French?"
"Je suis désolée, Petit Harry."
Sirius made a face. " 'Petit Harry'?" he said.
"Oui."
Sirius smirked at Harry. "I love it."
"Not fair! Tell me what it means!" Harry complained, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Nope. It's far more entertaining to tease you," Sirius informed his godson.
Thomas rolled his eyes. "Harry, you could always start calling Sirius a 'trou du cul'."
"What's it mean?" Harry asked curiously. Sirius also looked curious.
:Arsehole,: Thomas cheerfully replied in Parseltongue.
Harry looked amused. "Trou du cul. Bit of a mouthful, though."
"What's it mean?" Sirius asked, looking between the two Potters worriedly.
Thomas started whistling while Harry just grinned.
"It means 'little Harry'!" Sirius said. "Now tell me what the 't' phrase means!"
Harry grimaced. " 'Little Harry'? Uncle Thomas!"
Thomas laughed. "It's so fitting."
"It is not!"
"Actually, I think it's rather cute," Hermione said thoughtfully, earning her an appalled look from Harry. "How do you say it again, Thomas?"
"Petit Harry," Thomas replied, grinning.
"I hate you," Harry told him with an annoyed look, then turned his back on the room. "Sirius and Hermione too!"
Sirius, Hermione, Elizabeth and John all laughed while Thomas just rolled his eyes.
-~/^\~-
They spent an extra day in Saint-Léger-sous-Beuvray so Thomas could show them where he grew up. The building was a small house that looked to be just the right size for a single mother and her son. Harry commented that the house looked a little like their home back in England and Thomas admitted that he'd bought the house back in England because it reminded him of where he grew up.
Since they were there, Elizabeth talked them all into going to the church Sunday morning, even though none of them attended church back in England. Sirius tried to talk his way out of going by saying he was Pagan, but Thomas commented, "So was my mother and so am I, but we both went to church every other month or so. In a community this small, the church isn't so much about religion, though that's a large part of it, but about spending time with your neighbours. It's not like there's anything else to do in town while church is in session."
So they went to the church in the best clothing they'd all brought and all of them sat through a boring service which only Thomas understood. Afterwards, the group found themselves swamped by townspeople who wanted to greet Thomas. He shooed his friends and nephew away, then stayed to talk with the people he grew up with.
They drove out of town when they woke up on the nineteenth, Thomas once again in the driver's seat. Sirius, Harry and Hermione dozed in the back while John and Elizabeth quietly talked to each other. With only the road he'd travelled before as company, Thomas found himself remembering his mother, something he hadn't really done since she died. One of the first things that came to mind was how they would often sit in the car Thomas had bought for them when he turned twenty-two and take this same drive to Dijon to pick up some potion ingredients or a new spell book. His mother had never cared to learn how to drive, but Thomas had wanted to, so she'd bought him lessons and let him drive her around when he wanted.
Thomas sighed. Some memories were better left forgotten. No matter how much he'd loved her or how close they'd been, he would always remember how her face twisted whenever the Potters were mentioned. Thomas knew that, no matter how much his mother had loved him, she'd always hoped to use him against his father. He'd always been her weapon against the man who'd spurned her. There were many things he'd never tell Harry about his mother. There were hate-filled letters traded between Thomas Potter - Thomas' father - and Lisa Leland that Thomas had burned after his mother's death. Some family secrets were best left buried.
-~/^\~-
The group spent five days in Dijon. Thomas never mentioned the small magical community in the city, though he would occasionally see a witch or wizard dodging in and out of sight. While in Paris the group had visited some magical shops, but Thomas thought it best his companions not visit with the magical population of Dijon. Dijon housed a large population of Dark witches and wizards and most of their shops catered to those leanings, rather than to the Lighter fare. If there were a magical guide book, Thomas was certain that it would warn against ever visiting Dijon unless you intended to deal in the Dark Arts.
When they caught the TGV, Thomas quietly breathed a sighed of relief. If he hadn't been travelling with Harry, perhaps visiting Dijon wouldn't have been quite so nerve-racking.
After they got into Paris, they found some place quick to eat, then got a few rooms at one of the hotels near the TGV station. A night's rest and a quick ride on the TGV had them at the airport in plenty of time to grab a few bites to eat before their flight back to London.
Honestly, Thomas considered with a grimace, he'd feel much better once they were back on English soil.
-~/^\~-
Harry had another quiet birthday with just Thomas, Sirius and Remus, then shared a big party with Neville at Malfoy Manor on the first of August.
The following Saturday found the pile of families in Diagon Alley, shopping for school supplies for the students and the two professors both. When Harry and his friends had found out during the party that Sirius and Remus would be team teaching Defence that year, there was much cause for celebration and Lucius had congratulated Thomas on a job well done in getting rid of his mutts. Lucius ended up with champagne 'accidentally' spilled on his head - courtesy of Sirius Black - and promptly returned the favour. That round of toasts had quickly become a food-throwing and drink-dumping contest, which the house-elves were more than happy to clean up.
The yearly school supply shopping trip went fine, if you didn't count the three reporters that followed the group like flies until Lucius finally lost his temper and threatened to sue the lot of them if they wouldn't stop trying to get a picture of the children. After that, the one reporter that persisted in following them was much more discreet. But, then again, Thomas and Sirius were also rather discreet in pranking the man and his camera until he went away.
The only particularly interesting part of their trip was when they stopped by the pet shop so Hermione could buy herself a present. She took one look at a cat with a squashed face and started cooing at it, only to have Sylvin throw a perfect fit. After asking both Harry and Thomas to get the snake to let her have the cat, she finally gave in and bought a proud great grey owl that she promptly named Talbot. When asked why she picked that name, she said, "The meaning," which required a trip to a bookstore to learn that it could mean either 'messenger of destruction' or 'bloodhound', depending on the book they found. Everyone had a laugh over that one, and Talbot seemed to like his new name all the more.
After their Diagon Alley trip, the summer seemed to fly by for the students and their guardians. Harry especially looked gloomier and gloomier as September first drew closer. Finally, on the thirty-first, when Thomas tucked Harry into bed that night, the man asked, "Harry, child, what has you so upset?"
Harry twisted his fingers in his sheets and said, "I'm going to Hogwarts tomorrow and Sirius and Remus are coming with me."
Thomas nodded. "That's very true, but why does it distress you so?"
"Because you'll be all alone here," Harry said, eyes glittering wetly.
Thomas sighed and pressed a kiss to Harry's forehead. "Harry, my child, you know I won't be alone. I have Kaz to annoy me all the time and the Grangers and Malfoys are always checking in on me. Given, usually they're checking to make sure I haven't killed Sirius yet..."
Harry shrugged. "It's not the same."
Thomas shook his head. "It's the same as when you left for first year, Harry, except now I have Lucius and Narcissa and Kaz and Augusta around as well. I'll be no lonelier this year than I have been for the past two, and that's simply missing your daily smile. Strangely, I've found myself missing that already; it seems to have disappeared this past week. Any chance I'll see it before you leave tomorrow?"
Harry bit his lip and leaned forward to hug his uncle. "I'm sorry."
Thomas hugged Harry back and closed his eyes. "Harry, never be sorry for worrying about others. That is what makes you, you and it's one of your greatest virtues. But, child, I wish that you wouldn't worry so much about others that you stop thinking about yourself." Thomas drew back and offered Harry a sad smile. "When you do that, you remind me of myself."
Harry managed a smile at that. "I'll try."
Thomas nodded. "That's all I ask. For now, bed! You have a long and exciting day tomorrow."
Harry nodded and lay back against his pillow. "Good night, Uncle Thomas."
"Good night, Petit Harry."
"Prat," Harry called after Thomas as the man closed the door.
Chuckling, Thomas returned to his own room to sleep.
-~/^\~-
Thomas, Sirius, Remus and Harry all arrived as early as they could so they could find a nice, quiet compartment in the back that the two professors could set themselves up in. Thomas managed to get Harry to leave his things in the compartment right next to Remus and Sirius' so the children could call on their new professors if they needed anything. Then Thomas and Harry wandered out into the actual station to get some breakfast for all four of them, since they'd decided to simply come to the station instead of stopping to make breakfast. Egg sandwiches made everyone happy and Thomas sent a yawning Harry into his compartment to take a nap while he stood out on the platform with Sirius and Remus, quietly talking about the year to come.
At ten o'clock, the Malfoys, Grangers and Longbottoms came in by Apparation or the barrier, depending. Sirius and Remus helped the three children get their things to their compartment and woke Harry so he could say good-bye. Four children and two professors returned to where their families stood. Good-byes were traded and Harry managed a smile when he gave Thomas a hug.
After the children returned to the train, Remus offered his assurances that he'd keep them out of trouble and safe while Sirius cheerfully said he'd make sure the children got in as much trouble as they could. A green Sirius ended up being led back onto the train by Remus, who was shaking his head hopelessly. Behind the retreating professors, their friends laughed at them while Thomas rolled his eyes. Really, one would think Sirius would eventually learn.
Waving at the four laughing children in one of the windows, the pile of adults Apparated to Diagon Alley for ice cream and a general good time with people that even Lucius was beginning to refer to as friends.
-
-
A/N: Hmmm... Bit corny. Oh well. Far too much of this chapter was written during the time that I'm usually sleeping.
Sorry about any mistakes with the French. If you catch a mistake, feel free to let me know in a review and I'll fix it right away. Like I said in the beginning, I don't speak a word of French, so everything that's in here is from an online translator or my tiny phrase book.
French - English Translations:
chambre d'hôte - bed and breakfast
Es-ce que c'est toi? - Is that you?
Oui - Yes
Je ne m'attendais pas à te voir ici! - What a surprise to see you here!
Mes amis m'ont traîné avec eux. - My friends dragged me with them.
Ces amis? - These friends?
Ils semblent trop jeunes pour t'entraîner n'importe où. - They seem too young to drag you anywhere.
Non. C'est mon neveu et son amie. - No. This is my nephew and his friend.
Ce sont ses parents qui ont organisé ce voyage. - It was her parents that set up this trip.
Voici mon neveu, Harry et son amie, Hermione Granger. - This is my nephew, Harry, and his friend, Hermione Granger.
Tu ne lui avez jamais appris le français? - You didn't teach him French?
Non. Nous vivons en Angleterre. - No. We live in England.
Je suis désolée, Petit Harry. - I'm sorry, little Harry.
Je suis heureuse de vous avoir revu, Thomas. - It was nice seeing you again, Thomas.
Trou du cul. - asshole/arsehole
Cheers and hopes for many reviews,
~Bats
(P.S. - Chapter nine is proving difficult and I'm not allowed on my computer for the rest of the week since I have to pack to return to my college and there's little chance I'll have time to work on nine after I get to campus, since I'll be running around like a chicken with my head cut off getting my books, learning how to help the incoming freshmen with their computers and then HELPING the buggers when they come on the 23rd.
So! Pretty much no chance for chapter nine to show up on the 21st. Better chance for it on the 28th, but don't actually expect it until the 4th. Got it?
Alternately, If I take long enough and feel like being nice, I might post it on a non-Tuesday. The more reviews, the more I'll consider this. XD)
(P.P.S. - A million thanks to Doudoulina at HPF, Ghosthic Satane at FFN, The Dreamer Mong at FFN, Trunks-01 at FFN, Amarine Nightshade at FFN, Raskanii at FFN and atalante3134 at LJ for French corrections!)
Chapter One /\ Chapter Nine