A New Life

Harry could not remember a time when their small house had felt so small, or the family had ever been this chaotic. His two kids were running around whining and arguing while Hermione tried to finish their packing. Hermione was also trying to clean and cook at the same time, which was making her cranky and short-tempered with him. Harry didn't really know what to do with himself. After eight years of marriage, he'd learned to just stay out of the way.

“Harry, could please zip up the really big suitcase for me, it won't close!” Hermione hastily asked, while silently casting a spell to make the iron straighten out her dress clothes.

“Did you think of using magic?” Harry raised his eyebrows.

Hermione paused and looked at him shyly. “No, it slipped my mind.” She muttered

“It's because you're so stressed. Baby, why don't you take a break and let me handle everything?” Harry soothed, he went to her and began to massage her shoulders. She moaned in approval and closed her eyes.

“I would—but you would screw everything up and you know it.” She whispered, she turned around to face him, “But that's why I love you; cause you need me.”

“Is that all?” Harry murmured huskily

“No, there's also the fact that you're incredibly sexy, and thoughtful, sweet, charming, and caring…should I go on?”

“No I'm good for now.”

He bent his head and caught his wife in a passionate kiss. After eight years, each time felt like the first. He put his hands on her waist and pushed her against the wall next to the ironing board.

“Harry…” Hermione moaned “Harry really I have so much to do…”

Harry's playful remark that she always has too much to do was cut off. James and Haylie burst through the door huffing and puffing out of breathe.

“Mom, Haylie hid my model dragon and she won't tell me where it is!” James hollered

“Liar! I didn't hide it, mommy, I was just playing a game!”

Hermione sighed and closed her eyes. She was a little too stressed. Seeing this, Harry decided to take control.

“How about another game, sweetheart? Hot or cold?” He suggested. Haylie nodded happily. They walked into the hallway.

“Am I getting warm?”

“No daddy. Ice cold! Ice!”

Harry walked into James' room.

“Still cold! You're gonna get frostbited!”

Harry turned out of James' room and headed for Haylie's, but at the doorframe she yelled “Daddy it's snowing where you are! You're no good at this!”

“I'm trying baby! How about you give me a hint?”

“Okay daddy…it's not upstairs or in any bedrooms!”

Harry walked down the stairs and into their foyer.

“Warmer!” haylie shouted gleefully “you're getting there!”

Harry made to turn into the dining room, but then Haylie said “no daddy wrong way!” so he turned the other direction, which led him to the coat closet. Harry took a step closer to it.

“You're very hot! Boiling hot! Watch out, you'll get burned!”

Harry opened the closet to find the model of a Hungarian horntail that he had gotten in his fourth year from the first task in the triwizard tournament on top of a pile of blankets and winter blazers. James appeared behind him.

“Thanks dad! No thanks to you, Haylie!” he stuck his tongue out at his sister and then bolted to his room to finish packing. Haylie went upstairs, too, to cause some more chaos, Harry figured. He couldn't believe that he and Hermione were allowing them to miss a week of school for this.

There was a knock at the door. Harry opened it and in came Lupin, looking as tired and shabby as usual, which was a comfort for Harry. They exchanged a handshake and Harry led Lupin to sit.

“Is everyone almost ready?” Lupin asked

“Hermione's finishing up and then helping the kids along. Should only be a few more minutes.” Harry replied, taking a seat in his favorite chair.

“You've really done well for yourself, Harry” Lupin said, looking around the house and taking it all in, “I'm proud of you and I'm sure James, Lily, and Sirius would be, too.”

“Thank you”

“Professor It's so good to see you!” Hermione bustled down the stairs, carrying all of the shrunken suitcases. She ran to Lupin and gave him another one of her painful embraces

“I'm not your professor!” Lupin muttered bashfully

“Are you still teaching at Hogwarts?”

“Yes”

“Then you're a professor”

Lupin rolled his eyes, but nodded. Harry went to grab the suitcases and put them in his pocket. Since there were four, it made a little bulge in his pocket, but that was much better than having to carry them all in full size and weight.

“Are you ready? We're going to the Wandering Hotel, you remember it?”

Harry and Hermione nodded. Harry grabbed James' arm and Hermione held Haylie in her arms as they apparated back to London from Chicago, Illinois, United States of America.

After eight years of not being in their home country, the first thing Harry and Hermione saw upon arrival was a dirty brick wall in a dumpster inhabited alley. The smell was literally breathtaking, in the sense that you want to hold your nose or choke to death.

“Welcome home” Harry muttered bitterly to himself.

“Optimist” Hermione called him, smiling at her husband and patting his shoulder.

To the objective outsider, it might have looked weird for one old man, two adults, and two little kids to emerge from a dirty and suspicious alley, but Harry, Hermione, Remus, James and Haylie tried to be inconspicuous as they made their way down the street where the hotel was located.

“Muggle London; never changes” Harry remarked as he witnessed unaware regular people going about their day and hurrying along the streets.

“The city may not have changed overtime, but your friends certainly have” Lupin muttered. Only Hermione heard him and she knit her brows together in confusion.

“Does anybody know we're coming?” she asked

Lupin seemed to hesitate. Maybe waiting to tell the Weasley's wasn't such a good idea after all. At least Tonks would get to say `I told you so' when he got home….if he was still alive.

“Well, you understand that even though you haven't been around for eight years…you're still a daily thing. Offhand comments here, a retelling of a Hogwarts story with you involved, or maybe a fond picture found somewhere throughout the Burrow. You've been around in memory and it's easier for the Weasley's to have that memory thrust upon them instead of preparing for it. You've seen Molly; they all handle pressure better than anxiety” Lupin explained cautiously. He looked to the young adults for their reaction.

“Wow,” Hermione began, truly impressed. “You really thought that out, didn't you? A simple `no, nobody has a clue' would've done.”

“You know professor Lupin, always overcomplicating things” the adults shared a laugh. Lupin sighed; it was almost like old times.

“Mommy!” Haylie tugged on Hermione's sleeve “Where are we?”

“We're in London, sweetie. Daddy and I grew up here”

“There's a lot of muggles.” James commented. “I don't see one single Wizarding place”

Harry smiled at his son and ruffled his messy black hair.

“You have to know where to look, Jamie” he said.

From somewhere near them they heard a buzzing. Lupin seemed embarrassed as he pulled out his wand which was illuminated and vibrating.

“What the hell, Professor?” Harry questioned

“A new ministry thing. Damn, I'm sorry everyone but I need to run in the office. It only does that for an emergency. Do you guys mind?”

“But I wanted to go see Dagon Alley!” James complained.

“It's Diagon Alley, stupid!” Haylie corrected bossily as Lupin replied, “How about I get us some ice cream as soon as we're out of the ministry, okay?”

“Alright!” the kids agreed happily and Lupin smiled before turning serious.

“Harry, Hermione, would you prefer waiting outside or something? I don't think you going into the Ministry is such a good idea with the kids and all—”

“Nonsense” Hermione interrupted. “London was once our home and we're still a part of the magical world. We'll join you. It should be fun to see the changes after eight years.”

Harry nodded along with his wife and took her hand.

“Oh, there are changes alright” Lupin whispered under his breathe.

He held his head high as they walked down a few blocks and crossed a couple streets before standing in front of the employee entrance to the ministry.

“Don't we have to go through the visitor way?” Harry asked

“After your little debacle with Nagini in the lobby…they decided it was useless. If the booth had notified someone of your entrance then help would've arrived faster and it would've saved Ron the scar he still has on his arm.”

“It's still there?”

“Same as always. I trust yours is still there too?” Lupin inquired.

“Of course” Harry answered. In response he lifted his shoulder sleeve where a small black star looked like it had been cut into his skin. Hermione also showed hers. They matched. It was an attempt to save Ron's life after the snake had bite his shoulder with its large poisonous teeth. Had they not done this advanced and dangerous blood magic than he might not be alive to hate them for what happened at graduation.

“You ready?” Harry whispered in Hermione's ear.

“No sense in avoiding it. Wizarding World…he we come!”

Hermione carried Haylie on her hips and Harry had James' hand as they followed Lupin through the glass door of a rundown old clothing Shoppe.

Lupin made his way through the lobby and down a couple hallways. The Potters weren't grabbing as much attention as they had thought. Everyone was busy focusing on work here. Wizards, Goblins, Ghouls, and House Elves all walked around in suits with files and stern looks. Hermione was shocked.

“Look Harry! House Elves! They're wearing clothes and they're working! I bet they get pay and vacation and everything!” she said excitedly. It was contagious, Harry found himself grinning at the way Hermione was acting. She had always said that if she were back in the wizarding world, she would fight for House Elves, but now it seemed as if she wasn't the only one who cared. This was huge to her.

They turned down another hallway and saw the Department of Magical Affairs with Intelligent Magical Creatures. Hermione about cried. Professor Lupin had forgotten to mention this tiny little detail; Most magical creatures had equal rights and were equally represented throughout the Ministry. Lupin himself was a werewolf senator.

“Harry, Hermione…This is our werewolf department…you'll be happy to know that—”

“Remus did I just hear you say `Harry and Hermione'?”

The world seemed to stop and everyone held their breathe. It was Ron Weasley in the flesh. He looked so much different yet a lot like he had at graduation. His red hair was short and spiked and his blue eyes had sunglasses shading them even though he was indoors. He wore khaki pants and a plain white shirt but adorned it with a shark tooth necklace and brown beach sandals. Where the hell had he gotten so tan?

“Ron, now don't get angry. Harry and Hermione are here for Luna's wedding” Remus explained nervously. He smiled cautiously at the young man before him.

“Harry, Hermione…Ron is part of our traveling Department. He studies abroad to decide which creatures are considered intelligent enough for representation in the Magical Council. His last trip was in Aruba.” Remus tried to keep it friendly, but Ron's face was contorted in anger. His ears had turned as red as his hair and his fists were clenched at his sides.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he muttered through clenched teeth.

“We came for Luna.” Hermione whispered. She seemed unable to talk to her ex-lover.

“After what you did? GO BACK TO WHEREVER THE HELL YOU WERE AND LEAVE ME AND MY FAMILY ALONE! LUNA DOESN'T WANT YOU AT HER WEDDING—”Ron began to shout.

“Always a daft git, weren't you Ron?” Hermione retorted with a chuckle. “Luna invited us. And we're going for her, not for you or your family!”

“SHUT THE HELL UP HERMIONE!”

“DON'T TALK TO MY WIFE LIKE THAT!” Harry bellowed. He was getting more and more frustrated by the millisecond. Remus sensing disaster quickly grabbed Haylie from Hermione and took Jamie's hand. He took them farther down the hall away form the commotion and then he returned to the scene. They were gaining attention from the innocent bystanders.

“You're wife? So you fuck a few times while she's dating ME and that's a marriage to you?”

“Ron, you better watch your mouth!” Harry warned.

“Or what? Is the big bad Harry Potter going to kick my arse? Are you going to curse me inside the ministry? Even if you are the “man-who-conquered” I'm a ministry employee and they'll have your arse for attacking me!” Ron taunted.

“You're just pissed that Hermione finally realized how much better off she could be with me! We have a happy family and a good life away from you and all you're pathetic schoolboy drama!” Harry retorted angrily.

“You'll pay for that Potter!” Ron yelled before running and tackling Harry. Ron had buffed up, but Harry wasn't the best quidditch instructor in the state of Illinois for nothing. They rolled around on the ground and Harry got at least one good punch to Ron's eye before ministry officials pulled them away form each other.

Hermione went to distract Haylie and James from the fight and she swore she saw a photography flash go off near the scene. She quickly grabbed the kids and turned the corner hoping that Harry wouldn't suspect her of deserting him.

Back at the fight, Remus was doing all he could to hold Harry back and try not to draw attention. He tried to dismiss the crowd “Nothing to see here. Just leave already!” but they weren't going for it. He grabbed Harry by the upper arm and physically dragged him out of the crowd and down the hallway. He made it down the corner where Hermione was waiting. Immediately Hermione flew into his arms.

“Are you okay?” she asked sadly. Tears in her eyes.

“Better than he is. I can't believe this. After eight years…you'd think he would eventually get over it.” Harry said wistfully.

“Like I said,” Remus began. “You've been a daily thing. So it's been flaunted in front of his face for eight years. He hasn't even had a girlfriend since his Hogwarts graduation. I think he had a thing with Luna…but he's mainly focused his energy on hating the both of you and making a lot of money.”

“What a terrible life to live; Being angry constantly and trying to live happily. Poor Ron.” Hermione muttered sincerely. Harry hugged her to him.

“Dad that was so cool!” James praised him and they all shared a good laugh. For Hermione it was forced. She was anxious to see Ginny. If Ron had been this bad when she had broken up with him before she kissed Harry…imagine what Ginny would be like since Harry was still with her at the time.

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