The silence was broken, as a large barn owl swooped in through an open window. It almost collided with one of the bed posts, but dropped a letter it had been carrying in its beak on the bed beside Travis, then turned and flew out the window it came through. Travis grinned mischievously, tore open the envelope, and began to read the contained letter in a pompous voice: "Dear Mr. Fisher, The ministry has detected your use of several transfiguration charms, the last one being at one-forty-six this afternoon, in a Muggle-inhabited area in the presence of a Muggle. You are once again reminded that this is a breach of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, and Section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlocks' Statute of Secrecy. You are warned that, should we receive another indicator of you casting magic today, a two-hundred Galleon fine shall be levied against you. Further breeches may result in a visit from the Auror office… blah blah blah…"
"Just a warning this time," Harry grinned, the stress of the past few hours slowly receding.
"Yeah, just a warning," said Travis, fishing his pack of cigarettes out of his jeans pocket. He took one out, lit it, then proceeded to incinerate the letter. "Me, I don't really give a shit. They have no business telling me what I can and can't do in my own home. Bartlett gets away with it, so why can't I?"
"But Travis, I hope you are careful when you're out in public, and so on," said Sirius.
"Yeah, I use discretion. Only people I think I can trust, and so on. So for John and his family, I'm showing a lot of trust."
"I don't think we had much choice a couple of days ago."
"Well, we could have just obliviated him and that would have been it, now, right?" Travis pointed out, "I thought there was more going on, and I wanted an explanation. Harry, think about it. Had we just obliviated him, we wouldn't have known."
"Not to mention…" Harry gestured at his godfather.
"Really need to get rid of the magic detector," Travis muttered, "Three of us here and so on… they WILL nail me with a fine if we do anymore magic here today." He resumed setting up his computer equipment on the large desk, and placed the pensieve on the shelf above it. "Harry, feel free to use my pensieve if you need to." Harry only gave a slight nod.

Just then, there were footsteps in the stairwell, and Lisa appeared. "Getting settled in boys?"
"Just about, mom."
"Dinner will be out in about an hour."
"Tempus," said Travis, holding his wand level. '4:51' wafted from the tip.
"Will you get a warning for that?"
"Never have to this point," answered Travis, flicking his wrist. His wand vanished.
"Where does it go?" asked John, watching Travis' wrist motion.
"To a holster on my arm. It's got a concealment charm on it. I wear it twenty-four-seven," Travis explained, "It was one of the first things I bought Harry when we met. Sticking his wand in his back pocket… just not safe. Good way to blow your ass cheek off."
"So says Mad-eye Moody," Harry laughed, sitting up. Lisa sighed, and disappeared back down the stairwell. "Constant vigilance!" he snickered, "Coming from a man who spent nine months held prisoner in his own trunk!"
"Harry, anyone can get caught off guard," said Travis, "Jesus, we all get complacent sometimes."
"That's just the thing, though," said Harry, "Why is it that we as the kids have to do the adults' work?!" He put air quotes around 'adults', which made Travis smile momentarily. 'Harry's learning,' he thought to himself. "We should be out chasing girls-or guys, whatever, playing Quidditch, getting into mischief, and so on, not racking our brains trying to figure out how to do away with some monster bent on destroying the world! Or watching my back, hoping that when I turn around it's a friend, and not Malfoy and his cronies with their wands brandished at me."
"Or turning to find a terminator brandishing a weapon… yeah I know exactly what it's like," said John, "We've moved too many times to count. If mom gets… just a hair of a suspicion it's not safe, she's like, 'half hour, one bag… I'll make pancakes'."
"I'll make sure mom doesn't make pancakes for breakfast," said Travis.
"You just get used to it after a while… but having a normal life? Not for the Connors."
"Nor the Potters," said Harry.
"We have many ways of keeping you and your mum safe, John," said Sirius, "If it ever becomes an issue."
"Order headquarters," said Harry. Sirius nodded. "Dumbledore's the secret keeper, I should imagine." Harry knew, but could not confirm, as there were people in the room that did not know the secret of Grimmauld Place.
"What… what's so special about that?"
"The Fidelius charm. It's a powerful charm that can hide something to everyone except those who know the secret," Sirius explained.
"Is it difficult to do?"
"It's an advanced charm, and yes, quite."
"Sirius… who might be able to help us cast one?"
"Bill Weasley should, as can Dumbledore, off the top of my head."
"We'll look it up in the wizard library. It'll have to wait 'till Monday, though," said Travis. He had finally set everything up, and was able to turn the computer on. He also retrieved his lap top from his backpack, and set it on the desk, turning it on.
"Your machine… it's-" John began.
"Pretty much state of the art," said Travis, "Remember how I set up the bank account when we were in your world?" John nodded. "I've got something like that here, so I can get just about anything if I need it, magic or Muggle." He pulled the small clip out of his jacket that he had tossed on the bed, and plugged it into one of the ports. "It lives, excellent," he declared, as the end of it lit up, casting a soft blue glow. "No way the Muggle internet connects that quickly."
"You mean it's magical?"
"Yeah. Well, I mean, it connects with the Muggle internet, but we have our own pipeline, too. Ministry of Magic stopped using paper for inter-office communication a couple of years ago."
"You know," said Harry, "They're gonna have a tough sell, convincing me to go back to England."
"But Harry, you must," said Sirius, "You can't abandon them to Voldemort-"
"I didn't say that. I plan on dealing with him sooner rather than later. And I'll do whatever it takes. If I have to surrender pieces of my soul to do it, tough shit." Travis only nodded with Harry's declaration. "No sense in holding back… I mean, Death Eaters aren't gonna play nice, so why should we?"
"What I was thinking exactly. I mean, the Ministry's going on about unforgivables, the dark arts, and all that rubbish… How can I combat something if I know nothing about it?"
"The dark arts?" questioned John.
"Bad shit. VERY bad shit, some of it. Curses that turn someone inside out, literally, for example," explained Travis, "If someone's caught even studying such things, commonly they end up labelled a dark wizard and so on."
"Then I guess I may be considered a dark wizard," said Harry, "Because like I said, I will do what it takes."
"Dumbledore won't like that, Harry."
"Oh, FUCK Dumbledore. It was partly his fault you were killed here, for Christ's sake." Sirius only nodded in understanding, although slightly taken aback by Harry's vocal outburst. This was not the Harry Potter he remembered. "I'll get you into the library at Grimmauld Place. There's likely a few items for you to look over."
"What about your family vault?"
"If I could get in there I would. Being a wanted criminal and all…" Sirius reminded.
"That's one of the things we're gonna solve sooner rather than later."
"Operation Information?" Travis guessed.
"Among other things."
"What sort of information?" questioned Sirius.
"The first thing is to bust Wizarding Britain's shining image of Wormtail, and paint him as the bloody traitor he is. Maybe that will force Fudge to give you a trial."

The foursome finally headed back to the house for dinner. They found the table on the back deck had actually been set for dinner, and Lisa stepped out to meet them. "We're gonna have dinner outside, I decided. Go wash up, boys."
"Yeah, mom. C'mon, I'll show you where the bathroom is…"

"Harry. I really think it's time you let your friends and so on know you're all right. It HAS been a couple of weeks, and I really don't think you're being fair to those who care about you," Lisa scolded. Harry only nodded. "I know. That's something I'm gonna fix shortly."
"How long have you been missing?" questioned Sarah.
"Since the end of June."
"If you were my son, I'd be worried sick."
"Well, at least John's lucky. He has you. And Travis… Lisa… me, I only have relative that see me as nothing more than a freak," Harry pointed out, darkly.
"Harry, that's not true anymore," Sirius pointed out, as he filled his plate. The food looked amazing, with a mixture of potato and pasta salads, barbecue steak, and ribs. Cameron seemed to be analyzing the various items laid out on the table, as though intrigued by the variety.
"I know, Sirius… it's just… you know how Dumbledore keeps telling me I have to go back to the Dursleys… even though they hate my guts. 'Blood protection', he keeps proclaiming."
"Blood protection?" Travis snorted, "Okay, that sounds like a load of horse shit. Blood magic, maybe, but… protection based on someone's blood?"
"It's a sort of ancient magic," said Sirius, "Something that tends not to be used very often."
"I guess," said Travis, still not entirely convinced.
"Is there a way to find out for certain," questioned Harry, "If there truly is blood protection…"
"It sounds like you're questioning everything, Harry."
"I am. Dumbledore said he cares for me. But has he ever asked me what I might want? How I might feel about having to save the world?" John gave his mother a pointed look with that comment. "I mean, I know what I have to do. But is it right to go at it unprepared? That's all I want, is for people to be HONEST with me, nothing less. Pass the potato salad, please."
"They haven't taught you anything?" questioned Derek, as he passed the bowl of potato salad.
"Well, no, I wouldn't say that-I mean, I've learned a lot at Hogwarts. Just not enough. Dumbledore should have been preparing me from day one, not keeping secrets from me. I should have known about the prophecy from the beginning, not living under false pretences. Only now, when he was forced to tell me!" Harry said, sounding frustrated.
"How far do you want to go, Harry? What kind of changes do you want to make?" questioned Sirius.
"Enough that my kids or my friends' kids won't have to worry about another dark lord looming in the background."
"Sounds like this 'Dumbledore' is an enemy," said Sarah, as she too filled her plate.
"I-I don't know right now. Like I said before, he DOES care, but he's kept too many secrets. Secrets get people killed."
"Thing is, Harry, Voldemort is a fully grown, experienced wizard, as are the ass-hats who follow him. We're just kids," Travis reminded.
"I know that! The thing is, it's up to me alone to kill him."
"Dude, just because some prophecy says you have to do it… it doesn't say you have to go it alone," said John. Travis nodded in agreement, saying, "Exactly. Harry, you put too much of this on your own shoulders… God, what you've told me, you have a bunch of people that want to help you-ignore whatever the 'adults' in your life might say think or do."
"Yes, and like I said before, it's time you let them know where you are, if you were my son-Sarah put it quite well, I believe."
"Tomorrow. It's too late to be making floo calls to England, mom. They're five hours ahead of us, remember?"
"I do need to retrieve my owl anyway," said Harry.
"And what would you require an owl for?" questioned Cameron. She had remained silent up to this point, choosing to observe the individuals that would clearly be a part of John's life for the foreseeable future.
"It's how we communicate back in England," supplied Harry, "Letters and so on."
"Anything official here is still sent by owl post," said Travis, "But less formal stuff goes through e-mail. The internet thing's really taking off, and so it goes in the wizard community too." He thought for a moment. "We're gonna be around a lot of magical places… I guess the next thing is, if Cameron's gonna come with us… she's gonna have to be shielded."
"Shielded?" questioned the cyborg.
"Yeah. See, there's a charm I can cast on electronic devices so they're not fucked up in a magically saturated environment. I mean, I'm surprised you're not having issues as it is… God, the amount of magic I've cast here and all."
"No!" both Sarah and Derek declared.
"Absolutely not," said Sarah, "John, she almost killed us less than a week ago!"
"It will only make it so she can function in our environment… it won't add any protection against a magical attack, if that's what you're thinking. The A/K curse would still do away with a machine quite effectively," said Travis.
"A/K curse?" Cameron inquired.
"An unforgivable. It kills instantly, or… if it hits an object, it blows up spectacularly."
"My parents were killed that way," said Harry, darkly, "No more talk about that stuff."

Silence fell across the table, as each fell into their own thoughts. John was in a quandary of his own, with regards to Cameron. Part of him still saw her as a friend. Yet, the incident of only a few days prior still sat heavily on his mind. She DID try to kill him, reverting back to her default programming. What was to prevent that from happening again?

On the other hand, if they did not shield her from the 'magical saturation', as Travis had described, there might be a stronger chance of something going wrong. Six of one, a half-dozen of the other. "No," he said quietly.
"No about what?"
"No, don't shield Cameron," John said. Travis only nodded in understanding. "The bright side," he noted, "No killer can-opener coming up into the loft in the middle of the night."
"No, well, no one gets in or out of the barn at night anyway… I'll lock the place magically… I mean, after Bartlett showed up one night…"
"Right. That's why you don't stay here that much," Harry guessed.
"Yeah, about the size of it. I mean, there are other reasons, but… to keep mom safe… maybe dad too, but… mostly for mom's safety."
"Sounds like you really need a Fidelius charm," said Sirius.
"If we could, yeah."
"Maybe I'll send Bill a letter tomorrow," said Harry, "We'll have to visit the post office-or, then again. Dobby?" he called, to no one in particular.

It took a moment, but as Harry hoped, the excitable house elf appeared only a few feet away, his eyes growing as large as saucers when he saw for his own eyes who had summoned him. "The great Harry Potter is alive!" he exclaimed.
"Yes, Dobby. I'm fine."
"Harry's Wheezy and Miss Hermy are at the secret place, worried sick they are!"
"I'm sure they are, Dobby. Can I get you to do me a favour and deliver a letter?"
"Dobby would be honoured to help the great Harry Potter!"
"Great. Are you needed right now? I haven't written it just yet."
"No! No students at Hogwarts, summer vacation it is."
"Okay, great," said Harry, noticing the strange look Cameron was giving the elf. "Oh. Dobby. My new friends, Travis, his mum Lisa, John and his mum, Sarah, his uncle Derek, and his friend Cameron. Guys, this is Dobby. We've been friends since my second year at Hogwarts."

It took at least half a minute for Harry to calm the excitable house elf down, having forgotten his reaction in similar instances before. All in all, it was rather comical, the way Dobby went on about 'the great Harry Potter and his friends'. Harry quickly finished his dinner, then returned to the room to fetch some parchment, a quill and ink.
"Harry, you know we do have pens, right?" said Travis, watching as he opened the ink. "That's a pain in the ass."
"Used to it, I guess."
"Here." Travis passed him a pen. Harry only grinned, and recapped the ink.
"I don't know if you will be allowed to use those at Hogwarts, Harry," noted Sirius.
"Why not? A pen is a pen, ain't it?" questioned John.
"The professors at Hogwarts want students to use quill and ink to 'maximize retention'," answered Harry. That got a snort from Travis. "What crap. Man, you guys REALLY are out of touch with modern times. Fuck, at least a quarter of the students at Nipigon have laptops."
"That's your magical school, I take it," John guessed.
"Yeah. Northwest of Thunder Bay. It's a huge lake that was formed by a meteor strike. The school's on an island in the middle."

Harry quickly wrote a brief note for Bill, folded it, and passed it to Dobby. "This is for Bill Weasley, okay-wait. I need it back a moment." Dobby handed the note back to Harry. "Travis. Could you make a Portkey?"
"For here?"
"Yeah." Travis took the note, gestured with his wand, saying, "Portus."
"I wondered how you managed to get a Portkey, Harry," said Sirius, as Harry added to the note, then passed it back to Dobby. "Don't give it to him 'till the morning, okay?" The elf nodded enthusiastically, then popped away.
"Harry, why don't you hire him?" suggested Sirius, "You two get along so well…"
"Hermione would have kittens! She'd be in full S.P.E.W. mode, I'd never hear the end of it."
"What's spew or whatever?" questioned Derek.
"Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare," said Harry, dryly.
"Society for… oh God," Travis groaned, "Hermione come up with that?" Harry nodded. "Good luck with that."
"Her intentions are good, but…"
"Jesus, I mean, house elves have been around for CENTURIES… I know not everyone treats them well, but, fuck, she really has to do her research."
"And what does a house elf do?" questioned Cameron.
"They normally do all the cooking, cleaning, and so on… general upkeep of the home," answered Sirius, "A wealthy family may have a number of them. We had a few, although now it is just Kreacher, whom most of you have met… At least I assume as much."
"I freed Dobby from the Malfoys at the end of my second year. He's been right helpful on a few occasions since."
"As in Lucius Malfoy?"
"Yeah, one in the same."
"I think I saw him once in Baldwin Alley a couple years ago," said Travis, "Fucking pompous shit."
"He's a Death Eater," said Harry, darkly, "Hopefully now enjoying the company of the Dementors in Azkaban."

When Bill Weasley awoke early the following morning at Grimmauld Place, he was greeted by an excited house elf. "Dobby. What are you doing here?"
"The great Harry Potter sent me, he did!"
"He did, did he?" questioned Bill, quickly getting up, "Is he well? Where is he?" Questions asked as both a friend and an Order member.
"Harry Potter gave me a letter to give you," answered Dobby, holding out the parchment. Bill accepted it, and began to read:
Bill,
I am putting much trust in you, knowing you are a member of the Order. What you do will determine whether I can continue to trust you.
My new friends and I have a concern about safety and security (I know Dumbledore would say the same thing). What we need, is someone who can cast a Fidelius charm. Your name came up, and so I'm asking if a) you can do so, and b) would you be willing to help us?
I have great reasons for fleeing England. There are some things you and the rest of my close friends need to know, before you go passing judgement on my actions. If you're interested in hearing, this note will act as a Portkey to bring you to my present location. Coming alone will prove I can trust you. Bring ANYONE or TELL anyone about this, I promise no one will hear from me again.
Harry Potter

Bill had to read the letter several times, to be absolutely certain he was reading it correctly. This sounded like a very DIFFERENT Harry Potter than he remembered talking to. So, just HOW different?

The Order really needed to know of this, but yet, at the same time, it was truly a trust issue. 'No,' he thought, 'For now, just see him and find out what's going on. It's best to try and convince him to tell people on his own.'
"How did he look, Dobby?"
"He looked very well, mister wheezy! Was eating supper when he called, he was!"
"Okay. Dobby, can you do me a favour, and return there? Help out and so on, keep an eye on him."
"Dobby will not spy on Harry Potter!" the elf answered, turning angry.
"No, no, that's not what I mean," said Bill, "Just help him and his friends out. You know trouble is sure to follow him. Let him know I will activate the Portkey later this morning." Dobby nodded, his anger quickly subsiding, and popped away. Bill, meanwhile, continued to think about Harry, and the strange letter he had just received, as he got dressed. He would need to be at Gringotts in an hour, having accepted a desk job so he could be more active in the Order.

Albus had eluded to the fact Harry had been very upset when he had left his office the morning of the incidents in the Department of Mysteries. He refused to fill in all the details about WHAT had made Harry upset, though. So there lay the question: what had upset Harry so much that he would just abandon his friends, and flee the country? It had all but been determined he had done exactly that. Bill knew if he played his cards correctly, he would get answers.

Harry had slept solid through the night, thanks to another dreamless sleep draught from Travis. He woke, finding the early morning sun blazing through the window. Looking to the other beds, he found them deserted. He lay there, but flicked his wrist, producing his wand. "Tempus." '8:49' flickered in red at the end of it. He flicked his wrist again, stowing it away, then slowly sat up.

Leaving the shop, he saw at once everyone was again gathered on the back deck, including an extra person with red hair tied back in a pony-tail: Bill.
"He lives!" Travis teased, as Harry pulled up a seat.
"Rather simple breakfast this morning," said Lisa, "With it being so warm."
"Fine with me," said Harry, helping himself to the juice, and the cereal respectively, "Thanks again for the potion last night, Travis, slept like the dead." He looked over at Bill, sitting opposite him. "When'd you get here?"
"Just after lunch. When I got here, your new friends told me the bare minimum, and all but threatened me not to wake you… I've been to Gringotts in Toronto, and I'll be staying in your part of the world for the next while."
"As long as you don't report any of this back to the Order."
"Harry. What's going on?" Bill questioned, pointedly, "You've driven mum half spare, she's worried sick. Never mind my brothers and sister, and Miss Granger."
"I'll leave it to you to let them know I'm all right. I'll be inviting Ron and Hermione over soon enough anyway." Harry took a deep breath. "The dragon shit that happened at the end of the school year overwhelmed me. If I stayed, I KNOW for a FACT they would be booking me a room beside Gilderoy Lockhart at St. Mungos."
"That's pretty dark, Harry."
"The worst of it is, half the things that have happened to me, I don't know if it was by accident."
"That's a pretty harsh accusation."
"No but I think I can back it up. Why is it that every time something big happens at Hogwarts, Dumbledore is absent? Like in first year, with the Philosopher's Stone? Or in second year, with the Chamber of Secrets? Or third year, with the time-turner? He actually ENCOURAGED Hermione to use it! A hundred Dementors! I could have been bloody killed! Fourth year. How could he NOT know professor Moody WASN'T professor Moody? For the whole bloody year, a Death Eater posed as a teacher-one of Dumbledore's most trusted friends! And last year… when I needed him most, he shut me out. He stayed away from me like I was a FUCKING disease!" The dishes on the table started rattling, as Harry's temper flared. Travis reached out and put a hand on Harry's shoulder in support.
"Fuck, I'd think he's trying to get someone killed," said John.
"No shit," Travis agreed.
"And in the instance of Sirius, he HAS."
"Speaking of whom," said Bill, "How in GOD'S name have you managed to bring him back?"
"Something to do with this," said Harry, producing the smoky globe from his satchel. "I guess no one's explained who they are and how they got here."
"Not in detail. Names, and such, but nothing further."
"Yes, well, we do have good reason," said Sarah, as she then took a sip of her coffee.
"We know you're a wizard, but not much more," said Derek, "Gotta be careful, no matter where we are."
"Wise," Bill agreed. Harry also nodded, saying, "Bill's family has all but adopted me… and knowing Molly, she would have, if not for Dumbledore… by the way, where is Sirius anyway?"
"Still in the shower, Harry," answered Lisa.
"Right." Just then, Dobby appeared, and began plucking used dishes off the table. "I see he's moved in as well."
"I asked him to," said Bill, "I know how you two get along and so on." Harry grinned, noting, "Lisa, you might not get your kitchen back anytime soon."
"And why would that be," questioned Cameron.
"Remember what Sirius said yesterday," Travis answered, plucking an apple from the basket at the centre of the table. Dobby quickly collected his empty bowl.
"Right. Back to your friends," said Bill, bringing them back to the topic at hand.
"This thing…" Harry gestured to the globe, "I found it not long after I left Hogwarts… it was in the pocket of my jumper. It's funny, you know. John was in it somehow… something like a movie. Sometimes I would see his mum, or other people as well, but John was always there. Merlin, there were a few times running around London when I was so alone… and this globe… it kept me company."
"I don't know whether I should be flattered, or creeped out by that," said John.
"Hey, we DID save your ass," Travis pointed out.
"What did you do when you left Hogwarts?" questioned Bill.
"I drew out a hundred thousand pounds equivalent from my vault, obtained fake I.D., and bought a plane ticket to Toronto. Originally, I planned to disappear completely from the wizard world."
"Then he met me," said Travis, darkly. "Fuck, had I not ran into him, he would have been… let's not go there. The street's not the place for someone without street smarts. They would've eaten him alive. So we've been here for the most part, although we did stay downtown for a few days when dad was here."
"Snitch and Bludger, I take it," Bill guessed. Travis nodded. "It's nice, and although the staff are a little goofy sometimes, it's pretty reasonable."
"Oh, you mean Stan," said Bill, giving a smile of his own. "He's a bit of fun once you get to know him."
"What-you guys…"
"Yeah, we've been out before. I take it your new friends know about…" Harry nodded, saying, "I just showed Travis and John yesterday in a pensieve. Cedric was plaguing my memory yesterday, so I showed them-it's still… like it happened yesterday. If only…"
"Harry. Don't do that to yourself, man. There's nothing you could've done," said Travis, "You've said it yourself, they're much more experienced wizards than we are."
"That's just the point, though. Like I said, how could Dumbledore NOT have known about Barty Crouch Jr. posing as professor Moody?! One of the things I've decided… I will NEVER trust Albus Dumbledore again. He might be for the light, and 'the greater good', but does that mean he has to sacrifice my trust, and quite possibly my life?!" The dishes on the table again started rattling for a few moments.
"I gather you extend that to the entire Order?"
"For now, yes. I'll exclude people when they prove I can trust them."
"I can understand that," said Bill, "What made you assume you could trust me? You do know I'm a member of the Order."
"You've had to deal with secrets yourself, working for Gringotts and all. Not to mention, without your help, we will be-"
"Vulnerable," Bill finished. Harry nodded. Just then, Sirius appeared in the doorway.
"'morning, pup."
"Hi."
"I trust you got lots of sleep."
"More than usual, for a change. Thanks for NOT waking me up. I don't get a lot of good sleep… although Voldemort's not been sending me any disturbing images as of late."
"How would he be doing that?" questioned Cameron.
"Through this…" Harry brushed the hair off his forehead to again reveal his scar. "It's a direct link to Voldemort. All last year he sent me disturbing images…"
"Yes, one of which saved our father's life."
"So does that mean… Mr. Weasley owes you a life debt, Harry?" John questioned.
"I… I guess he does… not that I would ever call for it… what they've done for me as a family… it's far more than that, I think," Harry answered, "Point being, one of those images or whatever… it got someone killed, and my friends seriously hurt."
"Have you been getting anything from Voldemort at all?"
"Are you asking that as a friend, or an Order member?"
"As a friend."
"No. Nothing since the Department of Mysteries."
"Dumbledore will need to know that, Harry. I won't be telling him, as I leave that to you."
"Oh, I will be speaking to him. He won't like what I'll have to say, though."
"Sirius. Dumbledore needs to know you're back among the living-"
"No he doesn't," Harry snapped, "To be locked up at Grimmauld Place… and you KNOW that's what he'll do… he might as well just turn himself in to the ministry right here and now, in that case!"
"Why is Mr. Black a fugitive?" inquired Cameron. That resulted in an abbreviated account of the events on October 31, 1981.

"So this Peter Pettigrew is still at large?" assumed Derek.
"Yes, very much at large, and very much a Death Eater. One of the inner circle, we believe," said Bill.
"If I had known, I would have let Sirius and Remus kill him. That's one killing that would have been for the greater good. Instead I wanted to be noble… you know, do the right thing… so goes the famous line, no good deed goes unpunished. Useless rat, a year later… helps resurrect Voldemort."
"Hindsight is twenty-twenty, Harry. No use in beating yourself up over it," said Sirius, "You still haven't explained what happened last year."
"And you still haven't explained how he's come back from the dead," said Bill.

It neared lunch time before Harry finished his explanation, with Travis' help where applicable, as well as that of John, Sarah, Derek, and Sirius.
"This Umbridge woman. Did you report it?" questioned Sirius.
"No. Trust me. She's on the revenge list, as is Fudge. Any suggestions for a future minister of magic?"
"You," Travis smirked.
"Err, NO. I hate attention, and that would be the worst."
"Madam Bones. She's always been fair, I think," said Bill.
"I was thinking your dad," said Harry, "He cares so much… just the kind of person that's needed there… he's not power hungry, or carrying his own agenda."
"Thing is, you also need someone in there that's gonna be able to help you make the changes you want. The system you guys have over there… it's not working anymore," Travis pointed out, "By the looks of it, too many people that make the decisions… they're stuck in the old ways. Only interested in themselves, and how far they can go pushing their own agendas."
"And you would be spot on with that assessment, Mr. Fisher," said Bill, "The ministry has done nothing but encourage divisions between races. It continues to push through the pure-blood agenda, completely ignoring the fact we need half-bloods and Muggle-born witches and wizards. Really, our society will eventually collapse without them."
"There are few pure-blooded witches and wizards over here," said Travis, "Most, probably eighty percent, are half-bloods or less."
"It's a problem with most European wizard societies," said Bill, "They're so strongly influenced by English matters."
"I guess the next question is where we fit in," said Derek.
"We find out if we exist here," said Sarah.
"We can make sure you're protected."
"Wait," said John, "That 'predestination paradox' theory. What would happen if we killed our…"
"JOHN! Are you crazy?" his mother was incensed.
"No, he's not," answered Travis, "Logically, if we remove both of you-not necessarily kill, but by all accounts, hide them magically, perhaps… it could prevent the predestination paradox."
"Even though you may be dealing with a dark wizard creating the time machine in the first place," Sirius pointed out, "If wizards are involved, they may anticipate this. Miss Connor… when you and Mr. Reese battled the machine from the future… was anything strange going on?" Sarah gave him an evil look. "No. Other than the fact there was a machine from the future trying to kill us? No, nothing strange…"
"Mom, think hard. You know what these things are like…"
"She may not if the wizards were careful… you know, obliviation…" Travis pointed out.
"That's easy enough to verify," said Bill, drawing his wand. "You trust me?" Sarah nodded. Bill began casting several diagnostic and detection charms on her. He only nodded at the end, saying, "Nothing I can detect."
"Even if they were powerful wizards?" questioned Derek.
"I'm a curse-breaker, Mr. Reese. I've worked unravelling three thousand year old curses that could make death actually look appealing. So there's not too many things out there I can't figure out."
"Oh."
"So you know how to cast the Fidelius charm," said Harry. Bill nodded, saying, "Yes. As you have guessed, it is a fairly complex charm to cast."
"Can you do it for us?"
"Here?"
"Actually," said Lisa, "Not here. The cottage would be a better place, I think."
"Dad's there," Travis reminded.
"I'm sure he'll want to be elsewhere once we show up," Lisa pointed out. Travis smirked. "Mom, sometimes, I really wonder…"

By mid-afternoon, they were ready to go to the cottage via Portkey. Travis had packed his computer, and any other items he felt he would need. There were some things already up at the cottage, but, just like any family that owned a cottage, the first trip up meant carting many items. Magic, of course, made things much easier.
"So Travis. Will the ministry send the owls to your cottage instead?" questioned John, as they left the barn.
"Nope. They don't know about the cottage. I mean, if they did, the bastards would put a magic detector up there."
"So if you do magic downtown, for example, you won't get in trouble?"
"Nope. If I set off a detector somewhere, I'll get someone ELSE in trouble, but not me."
"All set, boys?" questioned Lisa.
"Got everything I need. Hope dad doesn't mind us borrowing the tractor." He gestured to the now stuffed cargo pockets on his pants.
"You still haven't shown me that," said Harry.
"Dad's pride and joy. Can't leave him with anything to do, right? Besides, I have some lumber to cut up."
"Can't you do that with magic?" questioned Derek.
"No, at least not in a precision manner. We've got a miniature sawmill… and we run the tractor to drive it. Anyway, let's go." He had already grabbed a chunk of wood from a nearby wood pile. "Portus," he said, gesturing to it with his wand. "Everyone get a finger on it." He waited for everyone to get a finger on it, then commanded, "ACTIVATE!"

Travis' father was by no means impressed by the group of people that suddenly appeared on the beach in front of the cottage. "Travis!" he hissed, "What the fuck are YOU doing here?"
"It's our cottage too, dad."
"You've been up here for two weeks, Phil. I think your son and I are more than entitled to enjoy it too."
"You little fucker," Philip snarled, "Storming up here-" he suddenly found a wand thrust into his face. "Piss off," Harry hissed, "Or you'll find out EXACTLY why a Muggle should fear a wizard!" A wave of fear crossed the man's face, and his crotch suddenly got slightly dark.
"Dude, I think you made him piss himself," said John.
"Sorry about that," said Harry, gesturing with his wand, "Scourgify." The dark spot vanished. "Now piss off."
"Harry, he'll take the boat."
"You got a car or something here?" asked Derek. Philip nodded.
"At Windermere," supplied Lisa, "Travis, why don't you take your father over."
"I'll come along. Apparate, I would assume," said Bill. Travis nodded. They both grabbed onto opposite arms, and they disapparated with a noisy CRACK.
"Harry… you scare me sometimes," said John, shaking his head.

Less than a minute later, Bill and Travis returned with a much softer pop. Travis had a goofy grin on his face, and Bill was smiling somewhat.
"What? Spill," said Harry.
"Nope. Afraid that's, ahem… in the vault, Harry," said Travis, his face turning VERY red.
"Right. Okay. I will need to know what the property boundaries are," said Bill.
"Of course, yeah. Harry, could you start re-enlarging this stuff?" Travis looked up at the sky for a moment, then started pulling the various items out of his pockets. "Um, not this one." He put the miniaturized tractor back in his pocket. "Everything else… just resize it… if mom knows where it goes…"
"We can help too," said John.
"Cool." Travis quickly emptied the rest of his pockets, then he and Bill started off, Bill putting a hand on the younger wizard's shoulder.
"Err… right," Harry grinned.
"What am I missing here," questioned Derek.
"You're straight, you wouldn't understand," Harry answered, still smiling. Derek thought for a moment, then rolled his eyes as it dawned on him.
"Oh well… at least he won't be trying to climb into bed with ME anymore."
"He fancies you?" questioned Sirius.
"Yeah, definitely."
"And you turned him down? Harry, you're mental."
"Oh god, you're not, too?" Derek again rolled his eyes. Sirius only grinned, and answered, "No, I prefer the ladies. I just want my godson to be happy, that's all. So if he goes for a sweet guy somewhere, so be it." He gave a quick glance at John, while Harry began casting re-enlargement charms on the numerous items Travis had stowed in the pockets of his pants. Derek only shook his head, and began moving some of the items off to the side, or into their proper place if Lisa knew.

The cottage itself was quite nice, with three floors, including the cellar. The upper floor contained the bedrooms, one of the rooms being more like a dormitory. The four other rooms were private.

The main floor was completely open, save for the bathroom, which quartered off an area for the kitchen. One end of the room contained a large fireplace, and a number of comfortable, overstuffed leather chairs. Sirius knew at once when he stepped inside, a lot of magic had been cast. The residual effects of it still hung heavy in the air. It almost had character, the feeling of warmth, and a little fun-the personality of the caster, of course.

The opposite side of the room was set up as a dining area, with a large table, and eight chairs.
"Lisa… you guys have many guests over?" Sirius gestured at the large table. Lisa was just putting the kettle on.
"My brother Ian and his kids come over sometimes. Their youngest, Lucy… she's already doing stuff my son was doing at her age. She's only five, and she's summoning toys to her like it's no one's business. Drives her older brothers crazy, so says Ian."
"Harry was almost able to do that when he was little… used to drive Lily and James mental sometimes. He wanted his bottle once, so bad…" Sirius smiled at the memory, "He just willed it to him. Lily had barely finished with the warming charm, but he wanted it 'NOW'." Lisa only smiled. "I know what that's like… unfortunately, I couldn't just use a warming charm as I see my son do so much-had to do it the old fashioned way… pot of water, warm it very carefully… Travis almost burned himself several times-"
"Summoned his bottle?"
"Yeah. Sounds like he and Harry have something in common."
"Mrs. Fisher-Lisa, Harry has more than a few things in common with your son." Sirius thought for a moment. "What does your brother think of Lucy's ability?"
"Oh, he knows very well what it is. Travis made sure of that. He was a bit weary of it in the beginning. After Travis explained a few things, he's much more accepting… he's always got the camcorder out, recording her activities."
"He is being careful who he shows that sort of thing to, I hope."
"Oh yes, Travis warned about that too. My son can be a little rebellious, but he's also quite responsible."
"Good. Wouldn't want your ministry here paying them a visit and so on. Now what's the story on your husband?"
"Oh, such crap!" said Lisa, sounding exasperated, "I don't know what to do about that man. He loves me to death, and just… I don't believe he actually hates Travis. But some of the things he says to him… I can see it hurts him so badly. He's so blinded by his faith-don't get me wrong, I'm a faithful Catholic and so forth. Still, no parent should ever carry that kind of hate toward their children. It's him that's unnatural." She took the kettle off the stove. "Tea?"
"Please." Lisa prepared two cups, and they then took a seat at the table.
"It doesn't sound very healthy for any of you."
"He gets so bent out of shape at the slightest mention of Travis' abilities. Thing is, I still love him deeply."
"You need to look after your son, too. I caught the implications yesterday. Travis lives on the street sometimes." Lisa nodded, "When Phil is home during the summer, Travis disappears. Oh, he'll phone me, or use the floo if he thinks he can get away with it, but… no, he won't stay at home with his father there."
"It's always been that way-his hate, I mean?"
"Oh yes," answered Lisa, "Right from the start. There was a point he actually wanted to call in a priest and have an exorcism performed, believing our son was possessed."
"What rubbish! Your son's magic is one of the most natural things in the world. Your husband's hate for his gift, on the other hand…"
"Oh, you're preaching to the choir there, Mr. Black, I know all too well that fact."
"Then what are you doing with him? For all of your sakes, you need to get it sorted."

"This is quite a large piece of property you have," said Bill, as they hiked along the perimeter.
"It's been in dad's family a long time," answered Travis, "They got it back at the turn of the century. He's been approached so many times by many different people, practically begging him to sell. Most places up here, you can just about spit on the neighbour's cottage. Me, it's like, what's the point? People rush up here from Toronto or wherever, sitting in traffic, only to sit in traffic up here. That's why we live in Penetanguishene. It's a relatively small place and so on. But the cottage is nice… we have a nice small beach, a dock for the boat, and well, it's so nice up here on the lake."
"Yeah, I can see that. You've got enough room to fly a broom up here."
"Oh trust me, I do."
"What sort of broom do you fly?"
"Well, my old broom's a Nimbus fifteen-hundred. But with our excursion into John's world… both Harry and I bought Firebolt Three's," said Travis, grinning foolishly. He brushed the tuft of hair out of his face.
"Your hair… it's cool," said Bill, reaching over, and tugging on it gently. Travis had shaved his hair off on the sides and back, leaving just a small tuft of it in the centre, that easily hung down in his face. At present, it was a charcoal shade, not quite as dark as Harry's.
"You like?"
"Yeah, very much." Travis only grinned, and produced his wand, muttering a spell. The colour changed to a bright pink. "This one drives my mom nuts, the absolutely hates it. 'course, she hates how I've got my hair right now. The guys I hang out with downtown, on the other hand, think it's hot."
"I'm sure they do," Bill laughed, "You go to school like that?"
"When I showed up last year, professor Logan all but forced me to change it… so I ended up like this…" he again muttered a spell, and his hair completely changed, somewhat resembling that of John's. It was darker, and more stringy. "Actually, this is what my hair's supposed to look like."
"Looks like you like glamour charms."
"Yeah, hell, if I have it, I use it, quite liberally." He again gestured with his wand, and changed his hair back. "I like my hair this way right now, though."
"Well, so do I," Bill smirked. That got another goofy grin from Travis. He knew Bill was making a pass at him, and he was easily catching it. Oh yes, he definitely liked what he was seeing in the eldest Weasley boy, and they had known each other for only a matter of hours.

They at last arrived at the beach again, the cottage easily being a hundred yards away. "We'll have to take the boat out… is it possible to set a point in the water?"
"Yes, we can do that."
"I'd like to have a little bit of the lake as well, right?"
"Sure. Let's apparate back." Travis reached for Bill's arm, but Bill grabbed his hand with a smirk, and they disapparated with a slight pop. They appeared just in front of the cottage, and Travis quickly led him to the boat, tied up to the dock.
"You guys almost done?" Harry called.
"Just setting the last two anchor points," said Bill, as they climbed in. Travis quickly untied the lines, and made gestures with his wand. The boat started moving of its own accord.
"Hope he's using notice-me-not charms," Harry muttered, and turned back to help move more items into the cottage.
"Looks like quite the project they've got going on over there." Bill gestured to the construction site on the opposite side of the lake. He had noticed it when they had apparated there to get rid of Travis' father.
"Sad, actually," said Travis, "The place was famous-hopefully still will be, when they rebuild it. The place burned to the ground in February. Windermere House. It was there since 1870. You'll probably see a steamboat going sometime today as well… the Segwun… She's famous up here, too-all right, this should be good." Travis gestured again with his wand, and the boat stopped. Bill made several gestures with his own wand, Travis watching closely, subtly mimicking the movements with his own.

Finally, they returned to shore, after marking the final corner of the property.
"All right. Who do you want as the secret keeper?"
"Me, of course," said Travis.
"Might be best to move everyone off the property," said Bill, "The charm will eject everyone who does not know the secret… namely everyone except for Travis."
"Just to the edge of the property," Harry guessed. Bill nodded.
"Where's my mom?"
"Inside, talking to Sirius, I think. I think they like each other," said Harry, with a smirk. He went back inside, returning moments later with Sirius and Lisa. Everyone then gathered, and with three persons competent in Apparating, everyone was taken to the edge of the property.
"Ready, Travis?"
"Let's do it," he answered. Bill again drew his wand, and poked at the now magical boundary he had drawn with Travis' guidance, and began uttering a lengthy incantation, ending with 'Fidelius, Travis Fisher'. The boundary suddenly glowed an intense golden shade, then vanished, as did the property, so it seemed. They were suddenly looking at the side of the next cottage over, as though the Fisher property didn't exist.
"Jesus Christ!" Derek swore, shocked, then looked perplexed, and confused. "What just happened?"
"We…"
"They don't remember where it is," Travis grinned.
"You have to write out the secret and share it with those you want to know."
"Right."
"Here." Harry passed Travis a piece of parchment, and Travis pulled out a pen. He scribbled out, 'The Fisher cottage may be found across from Windermere House, on Lake Rosseau'. He then passed it to Harry, who then showed it to the rest of the group.
"Unbelievable. A mile of property completely hidden." Derek was still having trouble wrapping his head around the concept.
"Invisible, and undetectable. No stupid letters from the ministry," Travis grinned.
"So is that Christmas come early, then?" John smirked.
"Oh yes, very much so. Well, they DO have Christmas in July, and it IS July…"