Chapter 5 Meetings

Hydrus came earlier the next day, this time he had eaten at home. Tippy had made some awesome Scotch eggs. He knocked and waited until James opened the door.

"Hydrus," was the cheery greeting, "Come in." He was still wearing his sleeping pants and a white T-shirt.

"James, it's good to see you," the immortal said, slapping the man on the back.

"And you," James replied, returning the good natured slap and leading the older man to the living room. "You know, you are basically part of the family, you don't have to knock on the door," he added.

"Give me a little more time to get comfortable enough for that," Hydrus said, not quite to where he could just walk into the house.

"Alright, but the offer is open," the still sleepy man said and then watched his wife and son play on the floor.

Lily, who was also dressed in warm nightwear, was tending Harry, who was trying to walk. She glanced up and smiled then turned back to her infant son.

Harry was standing by the sofa, holding it with his little hands and looking at the coffee table like he was determined to get there on his own. He reached over with his tiny arms and took two steps and fell on his bum.

Lily clapped and picked up her little man and gave him a big hug. "Oh, what a big boy you are," she cooed and gave him a raspberry on the tummy, making him giggle. She then put him down by the sofa and the whole scene repeated itself, with the men watching, proud smiles on their faces.

Soon enough Harry grew tired of the game and said, "'all" crawling to his playpen.

Lily laughed and put him inside. He squealed and got his color ball and the adults settled into their seats.

"Lily, I wanted to apologize for raising my voice yesterday. I know how Remus reacts and I shouldn't have let it get to me," Hydrus said, looking at the redhead. "I was just caught completely off guard about the Headmaster thinking I'm Dark." And that thought still bugged him.

"No, it really wasn't your fault," Lily waved it away. "Remus was out of line. He should have never insinuated that you're a Dark Wizard, no matter what Albus thinks. Not after everything you've done for us." She was still plenty miffed at the werewolf.

"Well, it's the vow…" the immortal started, only to be stopped by James.

"We, Sirius and I, took the same vow and you don't see us arguing with you," James said thoughtfully.

"The mind is a tricky thing. You guys are so thankful for me saving you that it will take a lot to make you turn on me. Remus, on the other hand, has morals that haven't been placated. While he is thankful that you are alive, he's fighting his own nature of non-violence to make sense of what's happening around him," Hydrus tried once more to explain the werewolf's actions, not wanting there to be discord between friends.

"Still, he should keep his opinions to himself," Lily huffed, not one bit mollified.

"I'll try and do the same. So, tell me, James, how do you like Mortal Kombat?" the time traveler asked as he noted the game on the telly.

"Wicked," James answered with a gleam in his eyes. "Lily says she's going to find a school that teaches that stuff. Is it true there are people who can kill with a pinky?"

"Well, maybe not with a pinky, but, yes, they can take you down in a second. I took some classes in my last timeline and I have to tell you that it helps with relaxation like nothing else," Hydrus answered, thinking it would do the Marauders good to learn these arts. He chastised himself for never thinking about it when he was raising Harry. But then again, there wasn't the tension then that there was now, well, not after the first week and some therapy. Maybe it would calm Remus down.

"So what did you do yesterday?" Lily asked the older man, hoping he didn't spend all day moping over the argument.

"Plausible deniability," was the succinct answer as Hydrus grabbed a controller and started a new game.

"Right," Lily said with a nod. "I'm going to London to find those schools. You guys don't get too caught up in your game. Pay attention to Harry." And with that she went to get dressed.

The other two men showed up and once more apologies were given and waved away. The men settled in for a day of gaming and reading, while, of course, tending to Harry.

Lily went to London and found the schools she was looking for and made appointments for the men in her life, except Hydrus. She went back to the cottage and told the men their class time and gave them the brochures that explained what they'd be learning and showed how to dress.

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This set the pace for the next week, Hydrus would come to the house, the men would play games or read, Lily would try and get Harry to walk or do research. And every afternoon the immortal would leave, train and try to capture Death Eaters. He made sure to brew the cure and handed it to Remus to give to the Order, trying to placate the other man into thinking he wasn't a Dark Wizard.

After a week of this, classes started for the Marauders and Hydrus had to fight harder to set his traps. It seemed they finally caught on and were sending werewolves, who could sniff him out, making the time traveler resort to violence with silver bullets and martial arts, but not mortally wound. He got Greyback, with a hole in the head; there was no way he was letting that animal live. He never told the others what he was doing. Soon enough the Death Eaters stopped appearing and the Dork Lord went into hiding. Now he was going to have to figure out where they were.

A few more arguments were had, but nothing too serious. Sirius heard from his grandfather and had a meeting with him next week. Another Order meeting was scheduled the following day. Marius called and talked to Hydrus, he was willing to hear him out and set up an appointment.

The next week was going to be busy.

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It was Monday afternoon and Sirius had had the meeting with his grandfather that morning. Everyone was waiting at the Potter house to see what the results were.

Hydrus and James were playing Halo: Reach. Remus was still researching time travel and Lily was tending to Harry. All in all it was a nice happy family scene. Then Sirius walked through the door, with sagging shoulders and a disgruntled look on his face. He went to the only empty chair and flopped down and ran a hand down his weary face.

"What happened?" James asked, putting down the controller and looking at his downtrodden friend.

"Well, it started out okay," Sirius sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. "We were just talking and having tea, but then I said something, I don't remember what but it must have pissed the old man off, because it turned into a massive fight. Grandfather may be old, but he is still a powerful wizard. We argued with each other for a good hour. He kept going on and on about family. I tried to tell him that I'd do everything I could to get the family back together, but there was no way I was going to make up with my mother. It went from bad to worse, before it got better," the younger Black said, still moping in his chair.

"So, he didn't make you the Head?" Hydrus asked, a bit despondent. They really needed that to get the last two horcruxes.

"Oh well, yes, but no. I have to pass some tests first," Sirius said, again running his hand down his face. "Like you told me, he wants the family Grey and it's up to me to change the minds of the aunts, uncles and cousins, before I can take over the headship. That's going to take some doing, since they are all old and set in their ways or Death Eaters. Or like Andromeda and booted out of the family." His shoulders slumped with the heaviness of such a task.

"Hmmm," the immortal said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "Well you don't have to worry about the Death Eaters and there is Nymphadora, who is a Metamorphmagus. You can use that to change your Uncle Cygnus' point of view, since he thinks only pure-bloods have that talent. That is what changed his mind last time. Then it might snowball from there."

Remus got that look in his eyes about the Death Eaters not being a problem, but he withheld his opinion.

"Yeah, that might work," the younger Black said thoughtfully. "Hey, do you mind if I set up the orphanage?" he asked with a hopeful glint in his eyes. "I'll get my Aunt Callidora to help and we'll make sure it's arranged just the way you had it last time. I'll even do my best to hire the same people and elves." He bounced in his chair at his brilliance.

"I have no issue with that, I'll even help fund it," Hydrus said with a smile. Barkley's had been a great stepping stone for change in the attitude against squibs and he would be ecstatic to see it up and running again.

"Great," Sirius said, clapping his hands and thinking of everything the time traveller told him about how his alternate-self had brought the Black family up from Dark to Grey. "I think I'm going to need to look at some of your memories."

"You can do that, get with me tomorrow at my place and we'll go over them," the older man said.

"One of the reasons it didn't go as planned today was because I got too cocky and all but demanded the headship," the younger Black confessed as he hung his head in shame. It had been up to him to get those soul anchors and he let his pride get in the way.

"It's okay, Sirius," Lily said, reaching over and patting his hands. "Not everything can go smoothly, the timeline has changed too much."

"Yeah, but, still, I should've known better than to mouth off to Grandfather," Padfoot sighed.

"Okay, enough depressing shite, let's blow up some bad guys," James said, only to be hit on the head by Lily.

"Watch your mouth," she snapped and hit him again. "I swear if Harry picks up your cussing, you'll be sleeping on the couch for a month."

"Ow, fine, I'll try and stop," James said, warding off the blows she was raining on his head.

"She's right," Hydrus chuckled as he looked at Harry, who was still playing with his ball, "it's about this time Harry started echoing those around him. He has quite a vocabulary for someone his age." He sent a proud smile to his younger self when he heard the word, 'ed'.

James just huffed and picked up the controller, determined to beat the older man. So they went back to what they had been doing, Sirius joining the gamers and the afternoon passed peacefully, though every now and then, Padfoot would get a faraway look in his eyes like he was planning something. Late afternoon came and the Marauders went to their classes and Hydrus pulled out a DVD player and some movies.

"Sorry I didn't give you these last week, I was too busy thinking about how the Marauders would enjoy the games. Anyway, I have every kind of movie; kiddie, girlie, action, history and so on. So you should be entertained for a while," he explained as he set up a rack stand and started adding DVD disks.

"Do you have Breakfast at Tiffany's?" the redhead asked eagerly. It was her favorite movie growing up. There was something about Audrey Hepburn that just made her coo.

"Why, yes, yes I do," he smirked and pulled said movie out.

"You are the best time traveler ever," Lily said and gave him a big hug and kiss on the cheek. She was now more determined than ever to find her immortal not-son a girlfriend that wouldn't die on him. She had already written to the Flamels and was waiting for an answer. It had been a tricky letter to write, since she couldn't tell what she wanted upfront. She finally settled on the fact that she knew an immortal that was seeking companionship and could they help. She only hoped her owl got through, they were a very reclusive couple.

"Here, let me show you how this works," Hydrus said, kneeling down and demonstrating the buttons. "Remember this is futuristic, so if anyone asks, you tell them it's a prototype that isn't on the market yet. I've got a smaller telly and DVD player I can set up in your room," he added with a smirk.

"Speaking of which, and I know I said it could wait, but what are you going to do about your inventions?" Lily said with excitement in her voice. She had so many ideas and she wanted to run them by him.

"I have a few thoughts, but you look like you're about to burst, so tell me what you're thinking," Hydrus said with an easygoing smile. She was a very smart witch after all.

"Well, I was thinking about your suggestion of opening a mall. We can buy out the stores in Diagon Alley with the promise of shop space for the owners. We'll get a solicitor to write up a contract," she waved that part off as easy. "Then knock them down and build a mall or we can build it somewhere else. Then, maybe, we can get Mrs. Lovegood and Mr. Weasley to open their own stores. This way they can both make money out of their tinkering," she said, all but bouncing in her chair.

"That's not a bad idea. I'll get with Mr. Jasper soon and see what he thinks. I'm not sure if Pandora or Arthur have anything sellable, but it wouldn't hurt to ask. I was thinking of starting a company called Black Entertainment and getting the movie industry started soon," he added to her plans. They talked a bit more about it while Breakfast at Tiffany's was playing in the background.

Harry was playing with one of his new toys. It was a stuffed bunny that would tell you the body part you were squeezing, so if he grabbed the leg the toy would giggle and say 'leg'. Right now, he was chewing on the ear and the bunny was snickering and saying 'ear' every five seconds. Lily kept glaring at the noisy toy and then would turn that glare to Hydrus, who would just shrug and smile.

The Marauders came home just in time for a dinner of spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread. They were all worn out and grumbling about their aches. Well, not Remus, he was smiling indulgently at his friends. He knew their classes were much more strenuous than his.

Lily held no sympathy for them. "I told you, you'd be sore. Quit your bellyaching and go wash up for dinner."

So they went and did as they were told and then went to the dining area and sat. Lily and Hydrus put the meal on the table and Hydrus looked at the younger men and smiled. "So how are you enjoying the classes?" he smirked as he cut up some meatballs for Harry.

"I have muscles aching in places I didn't even know I had muscles," Sirius whinged as he scooped up some noodles.

"I actually feel good. Tai chi is very relaxing, but I do have to admit that the stretching is new to me too," Remus answered, reaching for the garlic bread.

"Buck up, guys, it gets worse before it gets better," the immortal said with a big grin, causing the other men to groan.

"This dinner is lovely, Lily. Thank you for making it," James said, taking another mouthful of meatballs.

"Hydrus made it, so thank him," Lily responded, making her husband almost choke as he did a double-take to the older man.

"You made this?" Sirius asked wide-eyed as he too took another bite and then rolled his eyes in pleasure.

"I will have you know, I am a very good cook," Hydrus sniffed and put his nose in the air, before breaking down and laughing. He never could pull off a Malfoy for long.

"Well yeah, but you're a guy!" Padfoot protested.

"I've been cooking since I was six."

"Oh, right, I forgot about that, sorry," the dogman said sheepishly.

Hydrus waved it away and they returned to their meal. Sirius volunteered to clean the sauce covered toddler and put him to bed. Twenty minutes later a sopping wet man came down the stairs and gave everyone a look that said 'don't ask'.

Lily just laughed, waved her wand and dried him off. They all sat and watched a documentary on advanced warfare. The wizards were shocked at the damage non-magicals would soon be able to do, it was one thing to hear about and another to see it in action. This made James and Sirius more determined to get the Ministry up to date on muggles so those weapons were never turned against wizards. That and those cameras Hydrus warned them about.

The next day went much like the last until the night when there was the Order meeting.

"Do you want me to Floo Albus and ask if it is okay to bring you along, since he wants to meet you?" Sirius asked, turning to the older man.

"No, not at this time," Hydrus declined, bouncing a tired Harry on his hip. "I have to talk to Marius first and I'm not meeting him until the middle of the week."

"What do you want me to tell him if he asks about you?" the younger Black inquired, tickling the toddler under the chin, making him giggle, then break out with a huge yawn.

Harry put his head on his uncle's shoulder and closed his little eyes.

"Well, you could tell the truth and say that I'm busy right now and will meet him sometime next week. Remus has the potion, so that should placate him for now." Hydrus turned his attention to his younger self, using his other hand to try and pet down that perpetual messy hair.

"Right, that'll do," was the reply.

"Hydrus, can you add some wards around the Order Headquarters?" James asked, just now remembering.

"I'll talk to Dumbledore when I meet him," Hydrus said absentmindedly as hugged the almost asleep toddler to him.

"Right," James said with a fond smile as he looked at the two, very happy that he was alive to see them together.

The Marauders got their stuff gathered and went to Headquarters. Much the same group of people was gathered around the table. Tea and chocolate biscuits were set out and everyone was chatting. The Headmaster was once again running late. When he did appear he went to the head of the table and called order.

"It appears that the vigilante, or group, has once again rendered a blow to the Death Eaters," Albus said, when everyone settled down.

"What do you mean?" Moody asked, you could hear the pride in his voice that someone was doing something. "Do you mean there are less of You Know Who's minions running about? Because, I'm thinking that that's a good thing," he said gruffly, looking at his cup like someone had poisoned it and drinking from his hip flask.

"Alas, that is exactly what I am saying, however, whether it is bodes well for us or not is still undetermined," the Headmaster said, stroking his beard in heavy thought. The newspapers were riddled with reports of missing persons, and the Minister was on him to find the culprit.

"Has this person attacked an Order member?" James asked, hiding his knowing grin.

"No, no, he is sticking to only Voldemort's Death Eaters," Albus said, waving a wrinkled hand and ignoring the flinches. Though, he did wonder why the Marauders were glaring at him, well, James and Sirius.

"Do you know for a fact that this person, or people, is killing the Death Eaters?" Dedalus asked, leaning forward in his chair.

"I do not know for sure, however, how else could so many predominate people disappear if not by the hand of a murderer?" the Leader of the Light said sadly. Life was very precious to him, it always distressed him to hear of others cut down before they could repent. Though he was not afraid of death, he felt that everyone should be given a second chance to redeem themselves before going on the next great adventure.

"Albus, you can't go around accusing people of murder when you don't know the facts," argued Frank, who had a niggling feeling that he knew who the person was.

"Very true, thank you, Frank, for reminding an old man to see the good in the unknown," the Headmaster said, the twinkle coming back to his eyes. "Now, James, Frank, I must once again implore you to get your Secret Keepers to impart to us where your residences are," he softly ordered, turning his almost demanding eyes to James.

"My reasons are the same, Professor, I will keep my secret to my friends only," the messy-haired man huffed. He looked around the table at the other members; some waved it away, while others protested that the Headmaster was within his rights to know. Albus got order again and turned his questioning gaze to Frank.

"I, too, will not be telling," Frank said, folding his arms over his chest.

"How will we know if you are in good health if we do not know where your abode is?" the Headmaster tried to reason. "There could be an attack and we, the Order, would not be able to render assistance." This reasoning made many of the Order nod in agreement.

"As long as my Keeper doesn't tell, there will be no attacks," James maintained, which caused his supporters to agree. "I, for one, trust this person with my life and the lives of my family."

"Will you not at least tell us who he or she is?" He had a feeling that he knew, it wasn't hard to puzzle out.

"No," was the succinct answer.

"Frank?"

"It's for their protection that I can't tell you, Albus," the sandy-haired man answered, not even glancing at James.

"Very well, I see you will not be persuaded," Albus sighed and regarded them with his grandfatherly disappointed look. "Sirius, have you asked your cousin to meet with me? I would very much like to hear his side of the attack that was perpetrated on the Longbottoms. I was very disheartened to hear there were casualties." It was this attack that made him question the morals of the unknown cousin and what he had done to get the Potters to trust him so.

"He's a bit busy right now and said that he would be happy to meet with you sometime next week," Sirius said, not looking in the old man's eyes.

"Speaking of Sirius' cousin, I have those potions for the Order," Remus stated, hoping the topic would change.

"I suppose that will have to do. Thank you, Remus, Sirius. Now, do any of you still have someone to tail?" He looked at the Order members as they all shook their heads.

"No," Marlene said, "They have all seemed to have disappeared. But you knew that, it was the first thing you said." She was confused at the question.

"I only know of most, I was hoping there were still some of them lurking about. Alas, that does not seem to be the case. It does make me wonder what this vigilante is up too," Albus said, once more stroking his beard.

"Is there anything else we, as the Order, can be doing? I have to tell ya, it doesn't sit right with me that we are doing nothing to stop the attacks," Fabian said forcefully. He was a man of action and this spying on Death Eaters wasn't cutting it and now that they had all disappeared, he felt useless. This was not what he signed up for.

"We don't know when those attacks are going to happen," argued Dorcas, always a staunch supporter of Dumbledore.

"We have to do something, people are dying," Gideon said, much like his twin. They had had a close call less than a week ago, but since the minions they fought were not from the inner circle they got away, but not without doing some damage in return. Bugger Albus and his non-violent ways, if their lives were in jeopardy he was going to give as good as he got.

"Until we get a spy within the ranks of Voldemort's troops, our hands are tied," Albus said in placating voice.

"Why don't you ask Snivellus?" Sirius said jokily, making James glare at him and Remus raise an eyebrow. The rest of the Order gave him a questioning look; they didn't know who this Snivellus was, well, most of them.

"Why do you say that, Sirius? Do you think he will do such a thing?" the Headmaster perked up, his eyes going full force.

"Don't know, but I have a feeling that he isn't happy being a Death Muncher," Padfoot shrugged, sending an apologetic look to Prongs.

"Do you, by any chance, know where young Severus lives?" that trice-damned twinkle still shining in his eyes at the thought of recruiting a spy.

"Nope."

"I will have to find him myself," Albus said with a small grin that was mostly hidden by his beard. To have a spy in the ranks would be a big bonus to the Order. He knew that Severus was an unhappy and bitter young man. It would be easy to convince him to join them.

"That's if you can offer him something the Dork Lord can't," scoffed James, remembering full well the greasy git turning down Lily.

Many at the table chuckled and snorted at the new moniker. Albus's grin got wider and he said, "As amusing as that title is I must insist you call him Voldemort."

"I will not!" James shouted. He slammed his fist on the table making the cups and saucers rattle. "I don't know why you insist on trying to get us killed." Many of the Order started shouting in defense of the Headmaster. Albus got them to calm down and James continued, "You know just as well as we do that there is a taboo on that name. If I call him anything it will be Tom."

"How do you know that name?" the Headmaster asked as his face went stony and the rest of the members went silent. It was very rare that their leader got that look and it never boded well.

"A little research will go a long way. One only has to look at who disappeared a while back and then put the pieces together," James lied straight-faced.

"Be that as it may, that is information that I would rather not be known," Dumbledore stated in a commanding voice, reminding everyone just how powerful he was by the aura he was letting off. If people knew that Tom was Voldemort, then they would know that he knew the man and it would come back and bite him. No, it was better that that information was kept a secret.

"I don't understand what it would possibly hurt for people to know that his true name is Tom Riddle," James said with a tilt of his head, completely confused at that… request.

"There are things you do not understand that should be left in the dark for the time being," Albus said, making the rest of the Order start arguing with him and amongst themselves. The meeting fell apart from there and soon enough everyone was told to go home until cooler heads prevailed.

The Marauders left grumbling to each other, well, James and Sirius were, Remus kept quiet. They made to the end of the wards and Apparated to the Potter home. James threw himself on the sofa and put an arm around Lily. "There are times I want to strangle that old man with his beard," he complained.

"What happened?" Lily asked, snuggling into her angry husband.

"He got upset that I knew the Dork Lord's real name. I have no idea why he wants to keep that a secret, he was as vague as always. Sirius, why did you have to bring up Snivellus?" he asked as he turned his ire to his friend.

"Hey, don't get mad at me, I was only joking," Padfoot defended himself as he held up his hands in protest. "How was I supposed to know he'd take me serious? He never has before."

"Sorry, sorry, I'm just worried that Snape will tell him about Lily's visit. She did offer to remove the Mark, remember? If Albus finds out about that, he's going to want to know how and try to offer the Death Eaters a way out. Many will take it just so they won't be prosecuted for their crimes. And since that crystal is in parseltongue he might jump to conclusions," James explained, hugging his wife tight, thinking that this was information that never needed to see the light of day.

"Shite."

"I still do not understand what you two have against the Headmaster," Remus said softly, from his chair.

"You heard what he said about the supposed vigilante. If he thinks someone taking out Death Eaters is Dark then what do you think he'll think about someone who is a parselmouth?" James argued. He was getting more and more concerned about Albus' state of mind. The things Hydrus had told them were starting to make more sense.

The immortal said the Headmaster was a good man, but his judgement was off. The old man was more worried about keeping his secrets than the lives of people around him, unless they needed to be reformed. James just hoped this war was over soon, because Dumbledore would be a great help in the political arena—maybe. Still, it wouldn't do to make the powerful man an enemy.

"He can be reasoned with. The Headmaster just sees the good in everyone," the werewolf said, once more taking up the old man's defense.

"I know, but I'm going to worry about it until it comes to pass," the messy-haired man said, looking fondly at his beloved.

Remus, seeing the look, sighed and nodded. James had every right to fret about his family. The two dogmen decided they had had a long enough day and went home.

"Hydrus said it was the vow," Lily said, patting her husband on the chest. "I think you shouldn't be so hard on Remus."

"I know," James said, kissing the top of her head. "Sometimes his devil's advocate attitude is grating. We do have a right to our own opinion, but so does he, I guess. I just never thought we'd disagree so much." While Remus had always been the passive one, this loyalty to Dumbledore was irritating.

"Give him a break and agree that there are things you can't talk to each other about for the time being. When this war is over and the Order disbands everything will revert to normal," the redhead suggested. "I don't want to see you lose anyone over such petty arguments. We've already lost one friend, let's try to keep the few we have," she said in a sad voice.

"I'll try," he said and then got a wicked glint in his eyes, "Let's do something to keep our mind off everyone and everything." If it was up to him, they would never speak of Wormtail again.

"And just what are you suggesting, James Charles Potter?" she asked, folding her arms in mock sternness.

"Well, we could put in a movie," he said, tapping his chin. "Or we could play tag." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, seeing her trying to hide her smile. "Or we could go upstairs and sleep." She smacked him on the chest. "Or we could read a book."

"Why don't we go upstairs and see who can stay awake the longest?" she suggested slyly. "Hydrus gave me some movies that should only be viewed in the bedroom." She waggled her eyebrows at him.

"Lily, you little minx."

She just laughed and ran up the stairs, James hot on her tail. It was the wee hours of the morning when they finally retired, but neither one was complaining.

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Hydrus stayed home the next day and waited for Sirius to come and view the memories. He wasn't under a Fidelius since he wasn't hiding Harry, though his house was protected with some pretty nasty wards, which he tuned Padfoot into. He went about his normal routine and was eating a breakfast of blueberry crepes, when the wards alerted him that Sirius was there.

He got up and answered the door. "Hello, Sirius and welcome to my home."

"This is a big house you've got for just one bloke," Sirius said as he took off his coat and hung it on the coat rack.

"I like this house, it's the same one I raised Harry in," the time traveler stated. There were a lot of happy memories, as well as sad ones associated with this building.

"Right, is that breakfast I smell?" the younger Black asked, making his way to the kitchen, letting his nose lead him.

"Please, help yourself," Hydrus chuckled and followed. They ate and talked of mundane things and then retired to the living room.

Hydrus pulled out a pensieve and added every memory of his interactions with the Black family. Sirius put his finger in the bowl and was sucked in. The immortal just read his book-reader while the man viewed them.

A few hours later Sirius came out and said, "Wow, we did make a lot of good changes." He was impressed at what he saw. He was a lot more hopeful now that he could convert his family. It seemed all he had to do was give them something conniving to do and they would take up the banner.

"Yeah, I'm hoping to do much the same this time, but so many things are different," Hydrus said thoughtfully.

The two men sat in silence for a minute, each going over what they could do to make that future a reality in this timeline. Then Sirius got a sheepish look and confessed, "We might have a small problem." The older man cut him a glare and raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Well," the younger started, "I might have brought up Snivellus' name last night at the meeting. Now Dumbledore is going to try and find him and see if he will spy on Tom. James is worried that he'll spill about Lily's visit."

Hydrus sighed and shook his head. "Shite."

"Yeah, that's what I said and James agrees," Padfoot stated with a nod then got a remorseful look. "I was only joking, I swear. I didn't think the old man would take me seriously."

"It's alright, we'll figure it out."

They talked a little while more and then Sirius left.

Hydrus thought about what to do with Snape. He came to a conclusion. Gathering up his things he went to Spinner's End and used his blast gun to destroy the wards, not caring that Snape would know he was there. When Severus came out the door, Hydrus stunned him and turned him into a rock. He wasn't going to try and talk sense into the man.

He went home and put the rock on a chair and reverted him. He made sure Snape was still out cold then removed the Dark Mark and put one of the watches on him, adding a charm to make it so Snape could not remove it. He sat and watched the Potions Master change into the lighter-haired version of himself and then turned him back into a rock and put him in his pocketspace. When the war was over he'd drop the vile man into another country, change his memories and walk away, but there was no way he was going to let Dumbledore install the now ex-Death Eater in Hogwarts.

He spent the rest of the day researching and meditating on what to do next. Voldemort knew he was around and a threat. He had to wonder if the… man would seek him out now and leave the children of the prophecy alone.

Hphphp

The next morning, James and Lily were sitting on the sofa, trying to get Harry to watch the colorful educational cartoon film. He was more interested in the stuffed bunny.

"I'm going to kill Hydrus for giving him that toy. I like the color ball, it doesn't giggle, but this thing is annoying," James said exasperated, glaring at the tittering bunny.

"One of the benefits of being an uncle, give the child something loud and watch the parents get annoyed," Lily said with a smile, patting her husband on the arm. Hydrus warned them about telling Harry that he was him, making sure they always referred to the immortal as Uncle.

"It's still not right," huffed James as he fought the need to hex the stuffed animal into smithereens. Harry loved the damn thing.

There was a knock on the door and James got up to let Hydrus in. He glared at the older man and said, "I'm going to kill you, just thought you'd like to know."

The immortal got a confused look until he heard the sniggering and the word 'foot'. He then smirked at his father and shrugged. "It's educational," was all he said as he went into the living room and picked up Harry.

James just plopped onto the sofa and pouted, watching the cartoon with mild interest.

Hydrus took his chair and smiled at the adults, Harry on his lap, who was still chewing on the foot of the bunny. The time traveler took out his wand and said, "Lower volume." He tapped the animal and the giggling turned into a whisper, making Harry look at his bunny and start shaking it.

"I really hate you," James spat.

"What? I did what you wanted and stopped the noise," was the innocent answer.

"That damn thing woke me up every time Harry rolled over in his sleep and if I tried to take it out of the cot, he'd start crying," the messy-haired man complained.

Hydrus just chuckled at the miffed man. "I can't stay long, but I wanted to tell you that Snape has been taken care of. Before you ask, no he's not dead, but I'm not telling you any more than that." He held up his hands to ward off questions.

James sighed in relief, while Lily looked worried.

"Anyway, I have to go and meet someone," the older man said as he got off his chair and handed Harry to Lily. "I'll be back after the meeting and let you know how it went." He gave Lily a hug and looked at her as if to say 'don't worry about him', he shook James's hand and kissed Harry's forehead and left.

"Lily, stop worrying. Hydrus said he's not dead," her husband offered as he sidled up to her and put an arm around her shoulders.

Lily, still holding a wiggly Harry, leaned into him and sighed. "You're right, I should trust him." And she really did, with her family and friends, but he was a bit of a loose cannon when it came to Death Eaters.

"It'll be alright. What do you say to you try and beat me at Mortal Kombat? Then we'll have a lovely picnic in the back garden. It'll be too cold soon so we might as well enjoy one of the last sunny days of the season," He said, giving her a warm smile.

"James," she reprimanded, smacking his chest, "you know I don't like those games, but the rest sounds divine."

He just chuckled and lifted Harry and the three Potters spent the day as family.

Hphphp

Meanwhile, Hydrus met Marius in the same park as the last time. He spotted the man and went up to him. "Marius? Hello, I'm Hydrus Black," he introduced himself with a friendly smile as he held out his hand.

Marius cautiously took the hand and gave it a manly shake then nodded his head, "Thank you for not wearing robes," causing Hydrus to chuckle and then sobered when Marius glared at him.

"Not a problem," the immortal said with a casual shrug of his shoulder. "I don't like them anyway. I was raised by non-magicals. Let's walk," he suggested, waving his hand down the path.

"Tell me who you are and why you're claiming that Patrick is your father," the other man demanded as they started down the path. He put his gloved hands in the pocket of his coat, silently cursing the wizard for wanting to meet in such a cold environment.

So Hydrus told him his story, well, most of it. He let him know that he was a time traveler, about the blood adoption and the need to use the Black name. He explained that Marius could help him a lot in getting what he needed for his cover story. He told him that he had taken care of most of the bad elements of the Black family and that they'd never bother anyone again. He then told of Sirius' mission to reform the family and open an orphanage for squib children. They talked for about an hour and then settled on a bench while Marius took in the information.

"So that bitch Bellatrix is gone?" Marius asked, rubbing his chin.

"Oh yeah, she was one of the first I got rid of when I came back," Hydrus said with a malicious glint in his green eyes. "Do you want her? You can put her on display in your living room," he asked as the idea suddenly came to him.

"What if she converts back? I'm a squib and couldn't hold up against that sadistic witch," the other man said, doubt about the man's sanity floated across his mind.

"Do you know how to use a gun? Because wizards don't have a shield for that. Besides, once I transfigure something, or in this case someone, it stays that way," he waved it off negligently.

"Just like a fucking wizard, always so goddamn sure of themselves," Marius spat with a look of distaste.

"No, that's not really how I meant it, sorry to give you that impression. What I meant was that I have a special wand that, if it does the transfiguring then they truly stay changed," Hydrus said quickly, not wanting to get on the man's bad side. "I could put it in an unbreakable glass case and if she does revert then she'll die. Honestly, I'm just offering you the woman who most likely killed your family." he said sincerely.

"Let me think about it. I might lose sleep if I had that woman in my house, rock or no. Now, back to your dilemma," Marius said, returning to the original topic.

"Right, well I can make it worth your while, if that's what you want. I know you are a good man, I remember all the help you gave me from before. But, I want to keep you out of others' radars. So I can offer you wards for your home and business," the immortal said, trying to placate the grumpy man.

"I know that this will be thumbing my nose at the Blacks and the wards would be most welcome, but I would want the full set; the kind that protects my house from anything and anyone. I also want that alarm system you yacked about. I'll help with the orphanage, but that's it. So once you set the wards, unless I call you, you stay the hell away from me," the other man said in a threatening manner. He really didn't like wizards.

"Not a problem," Hydrus held up his hands. He would miss the cantankerous old man, but he knew it was how Marius was, even in the last timeline the man had little to do with them. If it hadn't been for Harry, Marius would have had less time for the adult wizards. "If any wizard asks you just stick with the story that I came to you and you threw me out. We can even set the scene so if they read your mind, then just think only of that memory and that's all they'll see."

"I know how to protect my mind from the likes of you," Marius sneered. He had read every book on meditation and organizing one's mind the minute he got old enough. He could fool someone long enough to get them away from him.

"Right, let's get you sorted," Hydrus said, getting up from the bench a bit disappointed that Marius wasn't as forthcoming as he had been before. He was wondering how the old man could protect his mind when he never could keep wizards from Grace's, but Marius didn't look or act like he was willing to share.

So the two men did as they had discussed and then Hydrus went to the Potters. He didn't knock this time, just went in and flopped into his chair. He told them what happened and said only Padfoot can contact him and only about getting squibs off the street. Maybe they'd try again later, when Marius had time to cool off.

The rest of the day was spent in family time until dinner, when Remus and Sirius came. They all ate a wonderful roast beef and potatoes and chatted about nonessential things. After washing Harry and putting him to bed, Hydrus excused himself and went home.

Now the only things he had to worry about were the horcruxes, Tom and Dumbledore. Well, at least until the war was over, then he'd have to worry about reshaping Britain's Wizarding World or maybe he'd take a vacation. Who knew?