Family
By danu40k
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
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Xander was on a deer trail, his staff in hand, and his pack on his back. He wore linen pants of a dyed blue and a linen tunic with a leather belt and bronze belt buckle around his waist. His mid back length hair, braided to keep it out of his tanned face. He had a beard and mustache mainly because it was damn hard to shave without a mirror. It was also a sign of manhood to several of the tribes he had traded with.
Up ahead was an opening in the woods, perhaps a large clearing. If so, he would have to be careful, tribes used clearings sometimes to trap people; to rob and kill them.
In the clearing he saw two men and a boy. One of the men had black shoulder length hair, while the other had short brownish hair. The boy had long black hair tied at the nape of the neck.
Xander carefully entered the clearing; raising a hand in peace.
“Xander! You made it!” Shouted the boy.
It took Xander several seconds to place the name. When he did he looked at the boy running towards him in a new light.
“Harry!” Xander dropped his gear and ran towards the boy. Meeting him as they drew closer. Xander’s memories of that time long ago when he had entered the woods coming to the fore.
After a long hug, they each started to check each out, making sure the other was ok.
Sirius and Remus came up and gave them both a hug, with Sirius turning it into a group hug.
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“So, let me get this straight, you don’t remember your time in the woods?” Xander was looking at Harry.
They were back home, sitting in the study. They each had a Butterbeer and were snacking from a tray the House-Elves had brought.
“I remember coming to a fountain in the center of a clearing. There was a boy playing the panpipes sitting on the side of the fountain. After that, nothing until I found my way back to the clearing by the castle.” Harry told them again.
Xander had told them a censored version of his own tale and had, at first, thought that Harry was doing the same. Problem was; if Harry had gone through the endless battle that was Lavondyss, he would have been more changed by it. Instead he was the same Harry he had been before the woods.
Xander would have to share his findings with the other two adults later after Harry went to bed.
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One of the good things that had come about due to the trip was that Harry no longer needed the potions. Or help around the Manor. He had even had shot up to five feet four inches tall. A respectable growth of four inches.
Xander had summoned the healer the day after they had returned from the woods, and had been told that Harry was thoroughly healed.
No one was more excited than Harry. And while Sirius was happy for him, he still groused about having to take his potions.
They were coming out of seeing the movie Speed, with Sirius bouncing up and down as much as Harry.
While it wasn’t the first movie Sirius had gone to see , that one had been Star Wars with Lilly and James, it was one of only a few.
<Flashback>
The day had been a good one for all parties concerned.
Sirius had offered to glamour Harry for their trip to Diagon, only for the group to decide against it. With Harry’s long hair and the slow disappearance of his scar, there would be no need. The same with Xander. The trip through the woods had changed him physically as well as mentally. One of the things he planned for the day was to get a shave and a haircut. Sirius though would need a glamour. Anyone seeing him about with a thirteen year old would know that said thirteen year old was the famous Harry Potter no matter what he looked like.
They had portkeyed to the bank and after getting some money, had gone down to the wand shop Hallie had shown Xander.
Mingua’s was even more of a specialty wand shop than Olivander’s. For, while they both sold wands, Mingua’s was custom made, while Olivander’s were off the rack so to speak.
They had spent over an hour in the shop, just picking out the components, and wood: 10 inches, one thousand year old Sequoia wrapped together with Holly. Gold lines along where they wrapped together, with a sequoia handle. Phoenix and thunderbird pin feathers wrapped together for the core and onyx tipped to aid in focusing his power through the wand.
After which, Mingua told then to come back the next day.
From there, they headed to the optician to have Harry’s eyes checked; finding that he no longer needed glasses
After that, they headed into the Mundane World, or the Muggle world as the others called it, and went clothing shopping for both Harry and Sirius as well as to get haircuts for the three of them.
Both Xander and Sirius settled for Van Dyke trims on their beards and all three of them had decided to keep their longer hair with only getting a trim to cut off the bad ends.
They had also been able to talk Remus into getting a trim.
From there they had headed to the mall. Finding not only the clothes they needed, but a movie house inside the mall. Xander saw that they were playing Speed and dragged everyone with him to see it.
<End Flashback>
Now they were headed back home.
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After breakfast the following week, Xander had Harry got dressed and meet him in the floo entranceway.
Xander and Sirius waited for him in front of the fireplace. Remus was nowhere to be seen.
Soon the fireplace roared to life and a figure tumbled out of it. His hair, though sooty, was red and he had freckles all over his nose. He stood about the same height as Harry.
“Ron!” Harry called out while bring Ron in for a hug. “What are you doing here?” Harry stood back and began to help Ron brush the soot off of him.
“Your cousin’s been talking with mum. We were going to go to Egypt this summer to visit Bill, but Fudge has halted all vacations till things settle down. So your cousin and Remus have talked her into letting me stay with you for the rest of the summer.” Ron told Harry.
Harry looked over at Xander, who nodded. “Fudge is having a problem staying in office right now due to his involvement with Sirius being illegally imprisoned. Right now he wants to control as much as he can in the hopes of staying in office.” Xander told the two of them.
Just then the fireplace roared again and Remus came out with Ron’s trunk.
“Blinken!” Xander called out. A House-Elf popped up. Take this trunk to the room next to Harry’s. You’ll be in charge of it.” The House-Elf nodded and popped itself and the trunk out of the room. “Harry why don’t you show Ron around. There is a spare broom on his bed. Go ahead and head out back and fly around. After all you’ll need the exercise with what we have planned for you.” Xander shooed them off.
Xander then turned to Remus, “Well?” He asked.
“The Aurors arrested Crouch. They found his son Imperioused in the house. His son had been a convicted Death Eater and sentenced to Azkaban where he was supposed to have died. Unfortunately he managed to escape so the Ministry is on high alert. Arthur told me that the Minister is going to announce the arrest today so that he can milk it for all its worth. From what Arthur has gathered he is planning on blaming all the government ills on the previous administration.” Remus told them.
“Figures.” Stated Sirius. He then looked at his watch. “Damn I’m going to be late. Let me know what happens later. I’ll try to grab the evening edition before I come home.” With that Sirius flooed out to his Mind Healer appointment. After which he was going to meet up with the Goblins to discuss plans that the group had come up with.
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Dinner was a boisterous affair with Ron at the table. He was going on and on about the broom he had been using, The Screaming Eagle - Keeper 1.
“Well it’s a good thing you’re getting used to it then since you’ll be using it a lot next week.” Said Xander with Sirius and Remus grinning at the duo.
At their questioning looks Xander passed down a packet to each of them. “I need those filled out by tomorrow so I can finalize your stay.”
They both opened their packets to discover Quidditch Camp information. “We leave Saturday and spend the night in the nearby town. Want to give you a chance to get over jet lag. We’ll drop you two off Sunday and come back to get you the following Saturday. After that we have plans for Harry’s birthday.”
Xander told them at their shocked expressions.
“You mean we’re really going to Quidditch Camp?” stuttered Ron looking as though his birthday and Christmas had come all at once. Harry was the same.
“Yup.” Xander said with a grin. “Ron, I want you to take the broom you used today, Harry will be taking his Seeker broom since it‘s from the same company. They are a gift from a broom company in the States. They want us to invest in their company. Their a small start up company with few investors. If they can sign us up they will get some major selling done since we will be using whichever company we sign with to buy new brooms for both Hogwarts, and Gryffindor. So I want your honest opinion on it alright?” They both nodded.
“Good. Finish up and head to the library. I promised Mrs. Weasley that you would have a good chunk of your homework done before we left.” Xander finished.
Remus took pity on them and offered his help.
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End Chapter Six
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