Outtakes.

Remus chuckled as he followed Mina up the stairs at a much slower pace, stopping in at Sirius’s room and knocking, “Siri? You still awake?”

Sirius opened the door and let him inside, “Yeah, I figured you’d want to talk. Have a seat.” Remus walked in and sat on the desk chair, Sirius lying back down on the bed, “So, what did Mr. Muggle Lordling have to say once the rest of us were out of earshot?”

Remus laughed, “He went into protective older brother mode, just like you thought.”

Sirius barked with laughter, “Told you so! It takes one to know one.”

Remus nodded, “Yeah, I told him how I’d become a werewolf in the first place, and a little bit about the boys. He wants to meet them, even if only through the mirror. I didn’t mention that they’d be moving here.”

Sirius sat up, “You’ll need to get in touch with Mother Potter as soon as you can. Don’t wait until tomorrow night and your regular call, this is important.”

Remus nodded and pulled a silver square the size of a matchbox from his pocket, setting the tip of his wand to it and saying, “Engorgio! Mother.” The mirror expanded to full size and the glass started flickering, as if tuning into a fuzzy television channel.

A blond woman with mismatched blue and grey eyes and a slightly green tone to her skin answered, “Remus? Why are you calling so late? It must be gone midnight in England.”

Her voice was smooth and cultured, and Sirius recognized it instantly, “Mother Potter? Is that really you?” His voice cracked, he was so close to tears.

She blinked, “Sirius Orion Black the Third??! Explain this instant, young man!”

Remus sat on the bed next to Sirius so they both could look in the mirror, “Several things have occurred today, Mother Potter, and Siri said I shouldn’t wait until tomorrow to tell you.”

Mother Potter nodded, “Very well. I presume this is linked to the girl you told me about two nights ago. Minako, you said her name was?”

Remus nodded, “Yes, my new daughter, she’ll be fifteen in October. I Blood Adopted her yesterday, we went to the bank and she did a genealogy test. Mother Potter, she’s the daughter of a Malfoy Squib! I did it for her protection.”

Mother Potter narrowed her eyes at him, “Remus John Lupin, you did make sure to get her consent first? Was the ritual undertaken of her own free will?!”

Remus nodded hastily, “Yes, of course! I would never do something like that without the consent of the other person, I’m not like Dumbledore!”

Sirius looked back and forth between the mirror and Remus, “I’m missing something. Tell me later, finish with what you were saying.”

Remus continued, “Well, during the Adoption, at which Lord Ragnok himself officiated, my werewolf blood interacted with her Venus heritage and activated a dormant Veela gene.”

Mother Potter’s eyes widened, “A Veela? You really can’t get away from unusual creature inheritances, Remus, can you.” She chuckled, waving a hand at Sirius when he went to interrupt, “We’ll explain soon, I promise Sirius. Continue, Remus.”

Remus nodded, “Lord Ragnok was very surprised also, but then when he found out she’s the reincarnation of the Princess of the Planet Venus he grinned. Apparently the Goblin Nation and the Centaur Herds signed a Blood Oath of Fealty to the First Moon Kingdom, and have been waiting all this time for them to return. Bill Weasley has been assigned to be the Goblin Ambassador, when all of the Moon Kingdom Court returns.”

Sirius butted in, “Yeah, the kids were having a conversation while we suffered through another boring Phoenix meeting and Remus and I caught the tail end of it. Apparently we,” he gestured at himself and Remus, “are descendants of some of the first shapeshifters, children of gods and their mortal lovers. According to Artemis, Mina’s cat friend, I’m descended from either Anubis, Fenrir, or both. So’s Remus. It’s also why he was able to have children in the first place, it would appear that being a demigod means you have hermaphroditic plumbing.” Remus blushed as Sirius continued, “I wasn’t supposed to be a Grim, but the Animagus Transformation overwrote the canid I was born to be. Artemis said Harry tastes of scales, like some sort of snake.”

Mother Potter smiled delightedly, “It would appear that his blood runs true, then.”

Remus interjected, “Do you think he’s a Naga, Mother Potter? When we told him about you and the Quads, he got so angry he started throwing lightning bolts from his fingertips.” At her gasp, he continued, “Oh yes, and Jisky is expecting you back as soon as you can make it. Operation Homecoming is a go.”

Sirius looked at her curiously, “What do you mean, Mother Potter, that his blood runs true?”

Mother Potter smiled again, “Through my mother we are descended from Salazar Slytherin, who was a Naga from Asia Minor, and he in turn came from one of the Lords of the Scales. I haven’t figured out which one yet, perhaps your friends Artemis and young Miss Granger could help me. Almost all of the Slytherins who inherited the Glóssa-fidioú have been snakeshifters of some sort.” She grinned, “And to have lightning as well, the gods truly smile on our house. When I was at Beauxbatons I was automatically pre-Sorted into Matagot by virtue of my Seer skills, but I was also a good candidate for two of the other Elements, Fire and Water. I’m pretty sure Monty was a Child of Seshat or possibly Wadjet, which explains why Harry’s siblings are what they are. You’ll see when we come over. If James hadn’t gone through the Animagus Ritual, I think he would have been one of the large cats.”

Sirius blinked at this information, “Uh, what’s Glóssa-fidioú? And who are Seshat and Wadjet?”

Remus chuckled, “Seshat and Wadjet are two of the goddesses of Ancient Egypt. Seshat’s animal form was a leopard, but she was the daughter of an ibis and a falcon. Wadjet was an amalgamation of lion, bear, falcon, and I believe crocodile.”

Mother Potter chuckled, “And Glóssa-fidioú is the Language of Serpents, it’s only outsiders who refer to it as that ridiculous and frankly offensive name of Parseltongue.”

Sirius nodded, then froze, “So you’re saying he didn’t get it from the Horcrux that was embedded in his forehead?”

Mother Potter narrowed her eyes, “From the what?” A loud crack of thunder was heard in the background through the mirror.

Remus hurriedly interrupted, “This morning at breakfast, Harry tells us his scar hurts. It has most of his life, apparently. Anyway, he says we need to check out Little Hangleton, and holds his hand to his forehead. Bill asks if he can take a look, assuming like the rest of us that it’s a curse scar. Nope, it is, in fact, a Horcrux, made when Vold-“ at her glare which could peel paint he swiftly changed his words, “Well, when T-tom killed Lily. It’s part of Tom’s soul, or was. Bill didn’t know how to do anything except destroy the infestation. He was shaky, and angry, and had to go tell Lord Ragnok right after lunch. And then at the after-tea discussion the teens had someone brought up the fact that this house gives them the creeps.”

Sirius nodded, “Artemis said he and Crookshanks had ‘spooky fur reactions’ from the glass-fronted cabinet in one of the drawing rooms. After Harry’s lightning storm died down Remus summoned Jisky, and Harry Bound two house elves who had no masters to House Potter. Then Jisky ordered me to summon Kreacher. Kreacher, upon hearing that Reggie’s boys were coming back to England burst into tears and told us how he’d died.” Sirius gulped and carried on, noticing that Remus was turning stony, “He was a spy, remember? One that not even Dumbledore or Snape or Pettigrew or Tom suspected. Anyway, Reggie found out about yet another Horcrux Tom had made and went after it, with only Kreacher as backup. His last order to Kreacher was to destroy the bloody locket, but Kreacher couldn’t do it. He tried everything, until this afternoon. Bill was in the room, he sent it Lord Ragnok for destruction.”

Mother Potter interrupted, “Wait, locket? You mean to tell me that Tommy turned our mother’s family heirloom into a vessel for a fragment of his soul??!” Steam started curling from her nose as she started shouting, “What bloody fool notion possessed him to use that as a container? He could have used one of our notebooks from Wool’s! He could have used his school trunk! He could have used his own Merlin-damned wand!!!” She was hissing with rage by the time she finished speaking.

Remus cut in, “Uh, Mother Potter, you’re smoking again. And neither of us speak Glóssa-fidioú. Please calm down.”

Mother Potter took a deep breath, the steam vanishing, though her faintly-green skin took on a silvery-blue hue, and a scale pattern developed all over her face, “Mother’s locket. Incredible. But those damned spells Albus put on Wool’s the day he stole me away made sure that Tommy looked to no one but himself. He didn’t even remember Nessie, I tracked her down in the Seventies and checked.”

Sirius looked blank, “What spells? Wait, Albus Dumbledore? He kidnapped you?”

Mother Potter nodded, “Whisked me away an hour after we’d been introduced, cast several strong spells over the property, and took me to his brother Aberforth. Uncle Abe’s a good egg, he didn’t know anything about it. And because of the nature of the spells Albus had created, no one could look into it for a very long time. His first spell was to set Tommy's wardrobe on fire, then his second was an Imperio on me and Tommy, then when we were standing on the pavement outside he did one that locked away all memory of me, and a second that made it hurt to think about those memories. And the next day he tried to cast an Obliviate on me, but it didn’t work. My body may have been under his control until the moment of the Blood Adoption, but my mind has always been free. The oath I swore while in the Ritual circle made Professor Hicks raise an eyebrow, I managed to give myself a little wiggle room.”

Mother Potter laughed grimly, the scales receding finally, “I said something to the effect of ‘I swear until the fulness of time,’ and later I was paired with Ivy as one of my wand woods. Master Acajor assured me that if I ever undertook an oath under duress, the wand and Mother Magic herself would help me break free. And it certainly did. When I caught dragonpox just after you kids graduated, I knew this was my chance. The dragonpox actually burned away the False Adoption, reverting me to my true face.”

Sirius looked stricken, “And Father Potter, did he know?”

Mother Potter smiled sadly, “Monty knew some of it. I couldn’t tell him everything, of course, my tongue was bound by those spells Albus had cast when I was eleven, but he knew enough. He even helped change the tea I drank after a True Dream. Of course he would, the Potters have been renowned for centuries as Potions Masters. He was so excited to hear that Jamie had children on the way, he would have doted on all three of them. Five, if you count Remus’s boys, which I do.”

Sirius whispered, “So he actually--?”

Mother Potter nodded, “That’s right, he actually did succumb to dragonpox. It’s only to be expected, after all, since he was several decades my senior. Ah, well, we had some good years together. If only I could have saved Lily too!” A tear of blue flame spilled from her eye and ran down her cheek.

“That’s right, Jisky and Remus said James survived.” Sirius looked shocked, “How? Can I talk to him? Where is he now? Will he be coming back with you?”

Mother Potter laughed wanly and held up a hand, “Easy with the questions, Siri. Yes, Jamie is alive, but no, you can’t speak with him. He’s in a coma right now. Near as I and the Healers at St. Elfrida’s can figure out, Family Magic backfired. You know how your parents always used corporeal punishment instead of their wands to mete out their twisted form of justice?” At Sirius’s wincing nod, she continued, “Well, it’s because Family Magic always knows. Like recognizes like and... simply refuses to work. So when Tommy arrived at Godric’s Hollow and cast his first Avada at poor Jamie, he didn’t stop to check whether or not Jamie was still alive before continuing up the stairs. It had never failed before, after all, why should it do so now, when perceived victory was within his grasp? But Jamie wasn’t killed. When I arrived on the scene after you and Rubeus left, I found him in a coma. Admittedly, it was and is deep enough for someone less skilled would have declared him dead.”

“And Lily?” Sirius ground out.

Mother Potter shook her head, “No, sadly Lily couldn’t be saved. Jamie will be beside himself when he finally wakes up. You remember the matching lilies on the backs of their wand hands? Their soulmarks. I have my suspicions that Jamie will have another one, but his heart won’t accept them immediately.”

Remus spoke up once more, as if from far away, “My Patronus has changed, Mother Potter, it’s no longer Reggie’s kestrel.”

Mother Potter blinked rapidly, “No longer? Then you’ve met your second soulmate! Remus, that’s wonderful. Fourteen years is quite long enough for you to mourn Reggie.” At his move to respond, she raised a finger, “Ah, ah, ah, Mother Knows Best. Remember? I’ve Seen it.”

Remus rejoinered dully, “But I don’t want another soulmate. I don’t even know who they are.”

Mother Potter looked thoughtful, “Your Patronus would only have changed if you’ve met this person, touched their skin.”

Remus shook his head fiercely, “Not Hermione, I refuse. She’s my cousin. Gringotts genealogy test turned up that she’s descended from Da’s great-aunt.”

Mother Potter shook her head, chuckling, “No, no, Mother Magic wouldn’t pair you with a relative, no matter how close or distant the relation, let alone someone who has yet to pass even their N.E.W.T.s. It’s cloudy, but I See that you two will be very happy. What does your Patronus look like now?”

Seeing that Remus was sulking, Sirius answered for him, “Harry and Bill say it’s like a fennec fox, but larger, with ears like butterfly wings.”

Mother Potter nodded, “A fox of any sort means this person is a prankster, probably descended from one of the trickster gods. Or possibly Inari, the Japanese intersex deity of foxes and rice.” At a movement off-mirror, she nodded, "The Quads want you to know they're already packed and ready to come. Mel's got another of her headaches, this is the third day she hasn't gotten out of bed."

Remus looked at the mirror, "Tell her to sleep with Strikey tonight, and I'll see them tomorrow for our regularly scheduled call. Or should we cancel it and just have you move back Sunday?"

Sirius butted in, "Is a day's notice enough time for all of you to come back? Wouldn't next week be better? Are you coming by Portkey? Floo Network? Muggle means?"

Remus snickered at Sirius as Mother Potter simply smiled, "We've been waiting to return ever since Albus summoned Remus to teach two years ago. If it weren't for Mel's headache, we'd have been on the next plane from KCI the same night Harry was removed from Petunia's. Henrike Archon, the principal of Songsmith, has known from the beginning that I may need to leave abruptly. She has always kept a substitute on retainer for the classes I teach, just in case. The boys will be sad to leave Songsmith, but they're also excited to be coming home."

Sirius wrinkled his nose, "Why is it I can remember Gwy and Artie but not Jamie's kids? It feels like walking through treacle when I try to think about them."

Mother Potter looked pensive, "I believe it's because of Aggie, and Mel's headaches are related. The night Tommy went to Godric's Hollow, a troupe of his lieutenants attacked Remus's flat. Aggie held them off long enough for him to take the Quads through the Floo to the only other address it was linked to, the House of Medusa located in Glastonbury. After they were safely away, Aggie used her own spilled blood to enact a ritual to power an Erasing Identity jinx. Well, jinx isn't quite the correct term. This magic Obliviated all knowledge of a certain subject until keywords were spoken, which had been agreed on long before. As you are the nearest blood relation to Gwydion Rhys and Gareth Arthell, other than their fathers of course, you were exempted from the ritual, though you were subject to a Langlock if you attempted to speak of them to anyone else. Harry being so young, we didn't know if he would recall the Quads at all. It was risky, no one's performed that ritual for hundreds of years, not since the Burning Times, because it always resulted in the death of the caster. It was the last resort, in case James and Lily were endangered."

Remus continued in the silence, "The five of us stayed in Glastonbury for over a year while the Medusans created 'legal' identification for us. Gringotts was involved, don't ask me how. But on Imbolc of 1983 Hester Smith, our handler, came to us and said we were cleared to emigrate. They passed us along from Floo to Floo until we reached Salem, Massachusetts, whereupon Hester helped us get on a Muggle airplane flight to Kansas City, Missouri. From there we took a car to the Kansas Prairie Songsmith Acadame, located somewhere in the cornfields of Nebraska. Magistra Archon had been apprised of our arrival, and hired me immediately as the History teacher."

"You say that like I know what these words mean, Rem. Other than the Medusans at Glastonbury, I know nothing." Sirius chuckled, "And I didn't know they helped wizards as well."

Mother Potter nodded, "Oh, yes, they have since the Fourth Century. They helped me escape St. Mungo's when I was there 'under observation' for dragonpox in '79, and helped me again when I came back that Samhain of '81. We were able to smuggle Jamie out of England all the way to Songsmith, Henrike's office is one of the few Medusan Floo connections in the Midwest. Most of the others in the Americas are inside Gringotts branches. Jamie's currently at St. Elfrida's, the Wizarding Hospital in Kansas City."

Sirius looked at her in awe, "Mother Potter, you should write a book about your adventures. How will you collect James from St. Elfrida's? Will he stay at St. Mungo's when you get here, or will the elves at Potter Manor take care of him?"

Mother Potter smiled at him, "Jamie will be staying at the Manor, of course. And I'll summon the elves to transport him, I don't fancy another Floo trip with a coma patient, and it's next to impossible to take him with us on the plane under such short notice."

"Mother Potter, " Remus suddenly interjected, "going back to the Obliviate bit. Mina and I were in the kitchen earlier speaking with Molly, and she seemed a little fuzzy. We mentioned the bars on Harry's room at the Dursleys, and it felt like we were reminding her of something she'd forgotten. How do you forget yelling at your youngest three sons about flying a car halfway across the country? How do you forget sending a Howler to their school after the very youngest son flew that same car to Hogwarts from London? It just doesn't make sense, unless someone did it on purpose."

"That's not all, Mother Potter," Sirius said, before the startled woman had a chance to respond, "the kids say that Mina gave a prophecy. Rem, you've still got it in your pocket, right?"

Remus nodded and pulled the Diagnostic Scrolls from his pocket, enlarging them with a simple tap of his wand, "Yeah, I guess being Princess of Venus helped her inner Veela sidestep the normal rules or something. Hermione seems to have asked the twins to cast some diagnostic spells on her and Mina, she wanted to know if our magic was different from the reincarnation magic." He unfurled the scrolls, "It's fascinating stuff, you'll want to take a look at them when you get here. Anyway, here's the prophecy, 'Two from one, wrest cruelly apart. Three from two, leaving the youngest alone. The Children of the Serpent shall be reunited, and hearts shall heal in the shadow of the castle. Beware the old bee, for he is not what he seems, and look in the musical field for the twinned Heirs.' The Weasley twins reckon that it's talking about you and Tom, Mel and El, and Gwy and Artie. They were very angry to hear that someone had separated a set of magical twins, and they don't even know your whole story."

Mother Potter's eyes had been growing wider and wider as Remus spoke, "A Prophecy? Oh, dear, you do have your hands full, Remus. And shadow of the castle, I'm guessing that means Hogwarts? I never attended it myself, but I've visited it enough times over the years. And that last sentence..." Her voice trailed off, then she looked at them with eyes narrowed, "I knew something was dodgy with Albus when he came back from his duel. He'd been a rather hands-off off parent before, and I spent most of my school holidays with Uncle Abe, but after October of '43 it was almost as if he became too attentive. Like he was watching every move I made."

Sirus nodded, "The kids (well, Hermione, mostly) reckon that it wasn't Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore who won, it was Gellert Grindelwald, and he used his Mastery in Transfiguration to Glamour himself so completely no one thought to check. Not even the goblins. Artemis says he tastes like winter on a mountaintop, lemon from those candies he always carries, very old parchment, and fire and feathers. Well, that last bit is most definitely Fawkes. But I wonder why Fawkes would stay with Grindelwald disguised as Dumbledore, unless he was forced to?"

Mother Potter shrugged, "It's possible to Bind a creature to do your bidding, though extremely difficult when dealing with dragons and phoenixes. I would need to take a good long look at Fawkes, I haven't seen the old dear since Monty and I attended your graduation. I'll also want another chat with the Sorting Hat, see if he's noticed anything unusual."

Sirius blinked, "You've had a conversation with the Sorting Hat? I didn't even know that was possible."

Mother Potter laughed, "Surely you spoke with him when you were Sorted, Sirius."

Sirius looked uncomfortable as Remus chuckled next to him, "Well, sort of. It wanted to put me in Slytherin, like all the rest of my family, but I'd met Jamie and Rem and" here he scowled, "Peter on the train and we'd made a pact that we'd all go into the same house."

Remus grinned, "I was supposed to be a Ravenclaw, but I told it the same thing, that I wanted to be with my new friends."

Mother Potter chuckled, "He's quite chatty, I promise. Albus and Uncle Abe arranged a little Sorting Ceremony for me with Headmaster Dippett and some of the other professors who were at the castle that day. Old Marshall Ogg, the Groundskeeper, said my Hatstall took the better part of an hour. Of course, none of them knew that the Hat and I were discussing my Forced Adoption and some Wizarding history. Apparently the last set of magical twins who were separated began the Burning Times. I did some covert research, and Remus, you'll know the name Martin Luther, yes?" 

At Remus's nod, she continued, "Well, apparently someone did a very old, very Darke ritual to remove a child's magic and turn them into a Squib. I have no idea who performed the ritual, but the baby was left on the doorstep of a church. I can't even find any records of the ritual itself, only mentions of it, and I've read books that are older than Hogwarts herself. I'm not even sure who his magical parents were, but I have a hunch it was someone from the Sacred 28."

Remus and Sirius exchanged glances before Sirius asked, "You think it was a Black, don't you. What's the year this Martin Luther was said to be born, Mother Potter?"

Mother Potter blinked, "He was Christened, blessed, November 11, 1483. I'm suspicious because that's only a day after his announced birthday. Most Catholic christenings happen at three to six months of age. Why?"

Sirius grimaced, "That sounds about right. There's a burn on the Black Family Tapestry next to one of my ancestors, a Cygnus Orion Black, born June 6, 1483. And I think I know the ritual you're talking about, too. I vaguely recall eavesdropping on a conversation between my former parents the summer before Fifth Year. Walburga said it was a shame they couldn't use the Magicus Deletus on me, but it can only be performed on certain Fifth occasions. As I'd already passed my fifteenth birthday, as well as the fifth month after it, they would have to wait for my twentieth birthday. I'll see if I can find it in the library here, if you want to take a look at it. I do know they also mentioned that the only other time Family Magic can harm a blood relative is when you're removing them from the family."

Remus growled, "Was your cousin Andromeda Cursed when they cast her out?" His amber eyes were glowing faintly.

Sirius looked at him curiously, "I don't remember, she graduated before I started at Hogwarts. I only remember Walburga burning her off the tapestry."

Mother Potter looked puzzled, "Why Walburga and not Orion? Or her father Cygnus?"

Sirius looked confused, "I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. Grandfather Arcturus was still alive, and in his right mind, so technically he's the one who should have been in charge of all the disownings. I don't even remember why he didn't live here, when this is the Black Ancestral Home. Walburga died in '85, and my grandfathers in '90 and '91. But no one human's set foot in this house since Walburga, until I came here a few months ago. Kreacher's gone mad, taking orders from Walburga's portrait."

Remus shot him a look, "Siri, Kreacher went mad before that. When Reggie ordered him to help Tom, Kreacher drank that potion and came back all funny." He looked pleadingly at Mother Potter through the mirror, "Remember, he was a deep-cover spy?"

Mother Potter suddenly asked, "Sirius, tell, me, how is Olivia doing?"

Sirius looked at the mirror blankly, "Mother Potter, and I mean this with all due respect, but who the fuck in Merlin's name is Olivia?"

Remus blinked, "I don't remember an Olivia either, Mother Potter." He clutched his head like Harry had at breakfast, "Oh, ouch, were we Obliviated as well?"

Mother Potter frowned, "Oh dear, it must be part of the ritual Aggie performed. Olivia is one of Mel's godmothers, and Peter was her godfather." She bit her lip, looking concerned and much younger than she actually was, "I shouldn't reveal any more, not until I've had a chance to look all of you over in person. Let's just say there are many things that were hidden that Samhain, and in due time all will be exposed again." She sighed heavily, "If you two don't recall Olivia, I'll have to check Minerva, Filius, Pomona, Poppy, Severus, and at least half a dozen others as well. We had better come back sooner than the 13th, then, so I can do my scans as soon as possible."

Two young men's voices came through the mirror, "Gran, d'you-"

"-mean we're-"

"-going home-"

"-tomorrow? Why-"

"-so early? Thought-"

"-we weren't-"

"-flying out until-"

"-next week."

Sirius rolled his eyes and whispered to Remus, "I can't wait to see your boys meet the Weasley twins. Molly'll go spare!" He snickered.

Mother Potter looked away from the mirror and nodded, "Yes, some new things have come up and we'll need to go earlier. I know it's late, but could one of you run over to Magistra Archon's office? Tell her Operation Homecoming is in emergency mode." There were sounds of footsteps hurrying away and a door slamming, "Artie, go make sure El is ready."

The remaining young man protested, "You know he's not gonna like it. He hates that carrier."

Mother Potter sighed, "I know, but it's the only way all five of us can move together safely. Uncle Jamie's going by another route, could you also please send a note to Matron Hunter at St. Elfrida's and tell her to get him ready? Their ride will be there soon." She looked through the mirror at Remus, "Remus, would you call Jisky? I've never summoned an elf from so far away." The other young man sounded as if he was retreating while she spoke.

Remus nodded, "Jisky, could you come here please?"

Jisky appeared in the center of Sirius's bedroom with a crack, "What can Jisky be doing for Master Moony?"

Remus gestured to the mirror, where Mother Potter smiled gently, "Hello, old friend. I've missed you. Do you think you could come to me and collect Jamie and his nurse? Some things have come to light and we're needing to move home tomorrow. Well, tonight for you people in England."

Jisky vanished from Sirius's room with a crack, appearing next to Mother Potter with another crack five seconds later, their unflappability broken as they hugged her and started crying, "Oh, Mistress Ariana, Jisky be missing you terribly! Jisky be honored to see you again!"

Mother Potter stroked Jisky's head and shoulders soothingly, "There, there, Jisky, all is well. I'm sorry I had to trick you, but it was necessary for England to believe I died of the dragonpox." She smiled at Remus and Sirius through the mirror, "I should let you two get some rest, I See that you'll have your hands full in the morning." The mirror went blank as she set it down.

Remus and Sirius looked at each other and then burst out laughing, "Well, if Mother Potter says go to bed, we should go. See you in the morning, Rem." Sirius hugged Remus tightly, "Thank you for everything, Jamie's gonna go spare when he wakes up, though."

Remus hugged him back just as tight, "I've missed my brothers, can't wait to have all of us back together. Hopefully Mother Potter can help Frank and Alice too." He let go and walked out of Sirius's room, "See you in the morning, Siri." He walked down the hall and up the stairs, entering his own room and lying down with a smile on his face. He drifted off to sleep and dreamt of a healthy werewolf frolicking in the full moon's light with a fennec fox who had the ears of a Papillion, a large white wolf, a jackal with fur as black as midnight, a small blue-furred wolfcub, and tiny violet foxcub, while above them a kestrel wheeled through the sky and screeched in happiness.