Saving Their Lives

“How do we get to this subdivision that Harry spoke of?” Sirius asked as they left the bank.

Lilly smiled. “If we apparate to Muggle London, we can then take a taxi.” She turned and looked at her husband. “James, do you remember that park that we took Harry to a couple of weeks ago?”

James nodded. “The one with the huge fountain that he wanted to wade in?”

She grinned. “Yes. You take Sirius and apparate there, and then I will take Arthur. That way they can’t get lost. Arthur and I can apparate from here if you give him your invisibility cloak nobody will be the wiser. It isn’t unusual for you and Sirius to disappear together so if anyone sees you they won’t think anything of it.”

James nodded. “You can be very sneaky when you want to be, Lilly Potter,” he said kissing her lightly.

“Its my Slytherin side showing,” she grinned. This was an ongoing joke between them.

James pulled his invisibility cloak from his winter cloak pocket and handed it to Arthur. “You’re a bit tall, so you might have to duck for a moment. Walk over towards the restrooms and put it on. When you’re ready come and grab Lilly’s arm and she will apparate you to the chosen spot.”

Arthur took the offered cloak and quickly walked away. He looked all around him to make sure that nobody was watching and quickly threw it over his shoulders. He hunched over a bit to make sure that his feet weren’t showing and then returned to the Potters. He grabbed hold of Lilly’s arm indicating that he was ready.

“Well darling,” she said loudly with a huge smile. “I am off to visit with my sister. I shall see you at home this evening,” she said kissing her husband.

James lightly kissed her back, making sure not to get to close and nudge Arthur. “I might be late,” he loudly returned. “Sirius and I have a job for the Ministry tonight.”

Lilly nodded. “Then I won’t hurry home. Love you!” she said and then disappeared.

James and Sirius waited a moment and then Sirius said, “Won’t it look strange if you grab onto me for a side-along apparation?”

James nodded. “Yeah, but it can’t b be helped. You don’t know where we’re going.”

“How about we separating apparate to my apartment and then go from there. That way if anyone sees us here, they won’t be suspicious.”

“This cloak and dagger bit is going to get old soon,” James mumbled, but gave his consent. “Let’s go then,” he said disappearing.

Sirius quickly looked around and then disappeared as well. He didn’t notice Dumbledore standing alone in the corner watching their action.

He walked up to the counter and asked, “May I speak with Mr. Grafhook?”

A moment later the Goblin appeared. “Mr. Dumbledore, how may I help you?” he asked.

“Perhaps we can retire to a private room?” he suggested.

Grafhook sighed. He knew what the Wizard wanted. “As you wish,” he said leading him to his office.

“You just had Mr. And Mrs. Potter in here along with Sirius Black and Arthur Weasley. Can I ask the nature of their visit?”

“You know that any transaction that occur in our establishment are held in the strictest of confidence,” he admonished the older wizard.

“Yes, but I also know of the matter of a missing Goblin made necklace that you have been trying to retrieve. What if I told you that I now hold it on my very person and could be persuaded to give it to you as a gift. A mutual exchange of one item for information?” he shrewdly asked.

Grafhook was stunned as he watched the cagey wizard pull the Amulet of Islomardre out of his pocket. He had searched years for this sacred family heirloom. His eyes betrayed his greed and he reached his hand out to stroke the object.

“Do we have an understanding, Mr. Grafhook?” Dumbledore asked.

Grafhook debated with himself for a moment and shook his head. “I can not. As much as that amulet means to me, I gave my word, and a Goblins word is sacred.”

Dumbledore sat back in his chair shocked. He had thought that bribery would work. Everyone in the Wizarding world knew that the Goblin had been searching for his ancestor’s amulet for years and here it was before him and he turned it down. “I see,” he said.

“Is there anything else today, Sir?” the Goblin asked calmly, through strained force of will.

Dumbledore stood. “If you should change your mind…” he said.

“I won’t,” the Goblin assured him.

Dumbledore nodded and left the room. That had not gone as he had suspected, and he was no closer to finding out what the Potter’s were up to. He decided to pay a visit to Molly Weasley and see what she would reveal.

Lilly and Arthur arrived at the park several minutes before James and Sirius did. Arthur checked to make sure nobody was around and then quickly removed the cloak. He folded it and handed it to Lilly. “There you are,” he said with a smile.

“Thank you for all that you are doing, Arthur,” she said reaching out and giving him a quick hug. “You don’t know what it means to me to know that if I can’t be there, that Harry will be loved.”

“He’s an adorable baby, and I know he’ll make a wonderful man. Don’t you worry, Lilly,” he smiled. “We’ll just make sure that you and James stay safe and are around to raise him yourself.”

“I hope that this place that Harry said to go to is nice. I don’t want to raise him in the London ghetto,” she said with a shudder. She had grown up in a typical Muggle middle class neighborhood and would be content to raise her son in the same way.

“I’m sure it will be,” he said encouragingly. Just then a pop sounded and James and Sirius arrived.

“Shall we find a taxi, then?” Lilly asked cheerfully.

A few moments later they hailed a taxi and James said, “Rosewood Court, please.”

The driver nodded and then looked at the strange costumes that the four of them were wearing. “Are you going to a costume party?” he asked. After all, Halloween was only two days away.

Lilly giggled and James was affronted. Sirius answered before James could reply. “However did you guess?” he asked sarcastically.

The driver laughed pleasantly. “It is that time of year,” he said. “Not many occupied houses on Rosewood yet. Mostly the homes are just being built,” he said.

“We are thinking of making a purchase and though that we would check it out before we went on to our party.”

“Nice neighborhood. A little bit out of my budget though,” the cabbie said with a sigh.

Lilly smiled in relief. “We have friends who live there who have recommended it to us.”

About fifteen minutes later they arrived at the front of a newly built subdivision with a large brick and bronze sign that said, “Heather Glen Estates”. The front of the subdivision was gated and Lilly and James thought it was a nice visual effect, but it wouldn’t keep magical folks out. The yards were all neatly manicured and most of the houses sat empty with for sale signs in their yards.

They slowly drove down the street and looked around. “Look, James!” Lilly exclaimed.

He turned and looked and saw a wooden sign hanging from the front porch of a white two-story house proclaiming it to be the “Granger’s”. Both houses on either side were already occupied, but the house directly across the street still had a for sale sign in the driveway. A Muggle woman was talking to a couple on the front steps.

“Stop here,” James said. The four of them immediately got out of the car and quickly approached the house. “Are you the owner?” James demanded.

“I am the listing agent. Are you interested in viewing the home?” she asked. The couple smiled and nodded at the foursome and walked back out onto the street to a parked car in front.

“Yes, we are very much interested. Can you show it to us now?” Lilly asked.

“The couple that just left are considering making an offer on this home,” she said.

“If we like the house, we would like to take immediately possession of it,” James said.

“Do you have your financing in order then?” the agent asked. She hated it when young couples came without being prepared.

“We have a cashiers check from our bank,” James said, hoping she would know what this was.

The estate agent perked up. “For a down payment?” she asked.

Lilly shook her head. “No, for the full amount.”

“This way, this way,” she said quickly ushering the strangely dressed group through the door.

Lilly smiled when they entered the spacious living room. It was three times the size of their cottages living area and she liked the large fireplace that was featured on the far wall. It had a huge decorative mantle and red bricks surrounding it. The front windows faced the Grangers home across the street and were covered in lacy white curtains. The carpets were medium beige and there was thick white trim covering all the windows and baseboards.

“This home has four bedrooms and three baths, it is approximately 2400 square feet. The back yard is completely fenced in with a cedar privacy fence. The kitchen is furnished with all the latest appliances, such as a large side-by-side fridge, a dishwasher and stove. The laundry room is attached to the garage and is already installed with a washer and dryer,” the agent rattled off.

Lilly smiled, thinking that it didn’t matter about all the Muggle appliances. They would probably continue to use their wands for most things. They followed the agent through the house as she continued to point out this detail and that detail. They went up the stairs and looked into each room. Lilly was pleased that the master bedroom looked out into back yard. She liked the idea of looking down into her own private area.

“What do you think, love?” James asked pulling her to him from behind.

“I love it,” she said sincerely. It was not like the magical homes that she was used to, but in a way it reminded her of her childhood home, only a little bigger.

“We’ll take it,” James said with a grin.

Arthur was stunned. They hadn’t even asked what the asking price of the house was. He wondered what it would be like to have enough money to be able to purchase a home without having to worry about its cost.

Sirius slapped James on the back. “A Muggle now,” he laughed.

“Sirius!” James hissed looking at the estate agent.

“If you would like to follow me back downstairs we can fill out the papers to submit your offer,” she said, shocked. Did they really have the all the money?

“How much?” James asked whisking the check from his cloak pocket.

The agent named an amount and James asked for a quill. “What?” she asked.

“A pen, he means,” Lilly said with a smile. “He has been practicing calligraphy and sometimes forgets to ask for a pen,” she said.

The agent nodded her head absently and handed the pen to the smiling man. “Here you are,” she said watching as he filled in the blanks on the check.

James signed his name on the small piece of paper and handed it to the agent. She looked at it and said, “I’ll just need to verify the funds before we can proceed with the closing,” she said.

“We would like to immediately move in,” James stressed.

“Yes, yes, just let me make a quick call.” She pulled her cell phone from her pocket and turned her back on the four-some. She walked through the house finding a quiet spot to speak. A few minutes later she returned with a large grin on her face.

“Well, Mr. And Mrs. Potter looks like you now own this home. It will take a few days to transfer all of the paperwork into your name, but you are free to move in at your convenience.”

James and Lilly hugged each other and Arthur and Sirius congratulated them. They all knew what it meant to get the small family hidden as soon as possible. “Now we just need some furniture!” Lilly quipped.

“Here are your keys, and congratulations. If you give me a call at the end of the week, I should have everything transferred and ready for you,” the agent said with a smile. She held out her hand and shook both James and Lilly’s hands and then turned to Sirius and Arthur. “If you two are in the market for a new home, we have many more to choose from.”

Arthur flushed and Sirius grinned. “I’m not looking, but how about you mate?” he asked slapping Arthur on the back. “Do you suppose Molly would like to move?”

“Thank you, but no.” Molly would never leave the Burrow. She loved their small crooked house.

“Well, if you change your mind,” she said walking towards the door. This was the quickest sale that she had ever made and she planned to take her husband out for dinner and celebrate.

Lilly spun around the room and giggled. “What do you think?” she asked her husband.

He pulled her into his arms and smiled. “As long as you are happy, then so am I,” he said kissing her on the lips.

“Hey, mate, we’re still here!” Sirius yelled from across the room.

“Bugger off,” James muttered and continued kissing his giggling wife.

Lilly pulled away. “Arthur, how do we do the fidelius charm here? Won’t it be strange to the Muggles to have the house disappear? And won’t that defeat the purpose of getting closer to the Grangers?”

Arthur thought for a moment. “We could do the charm, and then tell all of the neighbors the address. That way the home would appear to them.”

“That would be a bit weird,” Lilly said.

“Not really. I could stand outside and tell anyone who already lives here how my friends moved into 212 Rosewood Court. This would give them the address.”

Sirius laughed. “There is an easier way. You can do a modified version of the spell. Anyone who resides within a one-block radius would be able to see the home, but they wouldn’t know anything about it or its occupants unless Arthur told them. He would have to still give out the address to anyone else.”

“Is that really possible?” Lilly asked. She wasn’t that familiar with the fidelius charm and all of its components.

Arthur nodded. “I had forgotten that it could be altered that way. I suppose that is the best way. In order to disappear among the Muggles, you can’t completely hide from them,” he said. “I would like to meet the Granger family,” he smiled. He remembered that Harry said that his son, Ron, would fall in love with the Granger daughter. It would be nice to see her.

“I can’t wait to meet them as well, but we should get the spell cast right away.”

“We need to leave the house so that I can do the spell.” They all followed Arthur into the back yard where he would have privacy. He didn’t want a Muggle to inadvertently see him with a wand. He pointed his wand at the house and said an incantation and then the house disappeared to Sirius, James and Lilly. Arthur flicked his wand and a paper appeared in the hands of the three of them. They all read the address and the house reappeared at the same time that the paper disappeared in their hand. “It’s done,” he said smiling.

“Arthur, can you bring Harry?” Lilly asked.

Arthur smiled. “I’ll go get him for you,” he said.

Sirius and James walked around the large back yard and grinned. “You could be a real Muggle and BBQ out here,” Sirius joked.

“What’s a BBQ?” James asked.

Lilly giggled. “It’s a Muggle tradition. You buy a BBQ, which is a thing that cooks meat with hot coals and you BBQ your meat,” she said.

“What’s the point?” James asked, not really understanding.

“I don’t really know,” Sirius said. “I read about it in a Muggle magazine one day at the train station.”

“The meat tastes delicious,” Lilly said remembering the tradition from her childhood.

“Hmm,” James said non-commitally.

“Shall we go and introduce ourselves to the Grangers?” Lilly asked.

“Let’s wait for Harry. That way we would have more of an excuse to go over there. Perhaps we should change our wardrobe as well?” James suggested.

Lilly grinned. She had several Muggle outfits that she liked, but very rarely wore. “I can’t wait to wear jeans again,” she sighed. With a flick of her wand she was completely changed from head to toe.

“Lilly!” James exclaimed. “You look like a Muggle!” he said appalled. She was wearing a pair of snug jeans and a pink sweater with a white blouse underneath. She wore a pair of sneakers and socks with a little pom-pom that stuck out the back. She had on a lightweight jacket that she left unzipped.

She laughed. “Isn’t that the point?”

He frowned as he watched Sirius modify his wardrobe as well. He looked like an American tourist on his way to a tropical island, wearing a bright tropical shirt with a pair of khaki shorts and a straw hat and high top sneakers. “Aren’t you guys going a little far with this?” he demanded.

Lilly laughed loudly at Sirius’ choice of dress. “You are a bit over the top, Siri,” she said. “Let me help you,” she said pointing her wand at him. She removed his straw hat, replacing it with a baseball cap, replaced his shorts with khaki pants and toned down the colors in his shirt. “There, that’s better. Now you, my love,” she said.

“Not so fast!” James exclaimed. “I can dress myself, thank you very much!” He changed his clothes to a pair of black slacks, a turtleneck gray sweater and a pair of black dress shoes. He held in his hand a leather jacket.

“Nice!” Lilly smiled appreciatively.

“You look like a bloody fool!” Sirius laughed.

“Ignore him, love, you look great!”

A moment later Arthur reappeared with a screaming Harry. “Dumbledore was walking down the lane when I got home. I grabbed Harry and apparated with him before he could see us. I’ve got to get back though,” he said frantically handing a howling baby to Lilly.

“Does he stop by often?” James asked.

“No, this is the first time,” Arthur said.

“I wonder if he is suspicious?” he asked.

“I’ll come back this evening and let you know. See you later!” he said apparating again.

The three of them looked at each other in fright wondering what was going on.

A/N:
One more chapter in the past and into the future we go! We need to meet the grangers and see what dumbledore is up to! please please please reivew!