Harry Potter and the Icemaidens

Beckery Hill . . .

"REMUS!"

Remus blinked, and then he jolted, crying out in shock as a dark-haired typhoon nearly bowled him down. "Hey!" he gasped before his lips were covered in another's. His eyes went wide for a second before recognition dawned on his face. "Nancy?!"

Nancy Snagge grinned as she pulled away from him. "Who did you think it was?!"

It took a moment for the visiting werewolf to take in the presence of the forcibly-retired Auror, and then he chuckled before embracing her. "Oh, it's so good to see you again!" he declared as he held her close, and then he blinked. "Steve?!"

"Hey, Remus!" Steven Burke said as he came up. "Long time, no see! How are you?!"

"Quite fine!" Remus stated as he shook the offered hand, and then he gaped on seeing the other four members of Nancy's pack of werewolves walk up to him. He was quick to recognise them all, accepting hugs and kisses from Catharine Kiddell and Wendy Mulpepper, and then firmly shaking the hands of Ian Flume and Leonard Potage. "Damn! It's good to see all of you! When did you all come here, anyway?!"

"Well, I was brought here by Glaston sometime before James and Lily died," Nancy said as the werewolves moved to sit at the table they had been occupying in the village community hall, Remus joining them. "I gathered the others just after Riddle bought it thanks to Harry and Lily was brought here to be watched over while she was carrying Rose."

Remus nodded. He had been apparated right into the village by Napaeae Runcorn, directed to walk to the community hall and absorb what he saw as he headed there before charging up the hill to the Reevetor to find Harry and his mysterious sister. The ten minute walk had been quite illuminating to the young werewolf. Before he could ask anything, a voice then called out, "Can I get you something, sir?"

He looked up . . . and then blinked in shock on staring at the lovely woman standing there in a waitress' dress. While she appeared human at first glance, one look at the sides of her head -- and the curled ram's horns sticking out of her hair -- quickly told him this lady wasn't human. Her ears were also different: Like a sheep's, they were long, furry and pointed. "Um . . . y-yes?" he sputtered out before shaking his head. "Oh, Merlin! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to stare at you like that! A butterbeer, please. You do take magical currency here, do you?"

"Galleons or pounds. We're quite flexible here," the waitress said. "And please, Mister Lupin, don't apologise. I would suspect almost all wizards in this land -- even lunar canine therianthropes like you -- would not be familiar with my kind."

Remus perked. "'Therianthrope?' I've never heard that word before."

"It's a word Sir Glaston first came up with to describe those such as myself when he and Master Ryuuji first visited my world back in the summer of 1936."

Silence.

"Your WORLD?!" Remus exclaimed.

"That's right," Nancy said. "You ever read the story about Ryuuji Hirosaki?"

"The Traveller?" Remus asked, and then he nodded. "Who hasn't? He's a wizard from a parallel dimension Earth who came to our dimension to study magic at Hogwarts. It actually struck the people in our dimension as quite odd since he reported that there was a Hogwarts in his dimension, but he wanted to come here instead. He did the full seven-year course, broke the records of number of OWLs and number of NEWTs passed. With marks of Outstanding and above, in fact! During the summers, he also travelled to other dimensions to learn more magic from many sources." He then paused as something came to him. "Wait a minute! You mean . . .?"

"In Master Ryuuji's home dimension, there's a pocket dimension connected to his Earth where a world known as the Mundus Magicus is located," the waitress helpfully cut in. "That is the same in this dimension, too. I'm from there. Master Ryuuji and Sir Glaston came to our world in the summer of 1936 -- your time -- and made contact with many of the Tribes living there, mine included." She offered her hand, which he warmly took in his own. "My name's Elaine Buckshire. I'm very pleased to meet you, Mister Lupin. Nancy and her friends have told me so much about you."

"The pleasure is mine, Ms. Buckshire," Remus stated as he gave her hand a friendly squeeze. "Tell me, what do your kind call yourselves?"

"Well, as a Tribe, we call ourselves the Cornu. Sir Glaston coined the term 'ovisian therianthropes' since we appear to have the attributes of animals here you call 'sheep,'" Elaine replied. "Let me go get your butterbeer."

He nodded his thanks as she head off, his eyes staring appreciatively at her swaying derriere under the skirt she wore. Nancy quickly noted this, and then she smacked him in the back of the head. "Eyes in, Moony!"

"Ah . . .!" Remus yelped, and then he shook his head. "That was a surprise."

"It was the same to me when I first came here, too," Steven noted. "I thought we here on Earth had quite the menagerie of magical creatures. It's nothing compared to Elaine's homeworld. Everyone there is like her. Look over there."

Remus noted where he was nodding, and then he glanced over. At a nearby table were several semi-humanoid beings looking like a mix of North American grizzly bears and very muscular near-giants like Rubeus Hagrid. All of them were dressed in clothing that would have not been out of place in ancient Rome. "What are they?!"

"The Goms," Wendy replied as she sipped her butterbeer. "They're known properly as 'ursan therianthropes.' Race of warriors who could give the goblins a run for their money. They come here from their homeland on the Mundus Magicus to trade raw metals for finished goblin steel. It's quite the lively exchange, so I've heard."

Remus blinked, and then took a moment to look around the room. Atop there being a couple of giants -- thus explaining how big the doors and main hall were in this place, not to mention the presence of rather LARGE tables (with stairs for normal-sized people so they could walk up to it and serve drinks) and chairs -- there were a considerable number of near-humanoids like Elaine as well as semi-humanoids like the Gom warriors Wendy had just described to him. As Elaine came back from the bar with a bottle of butterbeer, he then asked, "How did they get here?"

Elaine had heard the question. "Through the Garden of the Galaxy, of course," she said as she placed the bottle on the table. "Two sickles, please."

Remus put out a galleon and was given the 15 sickles' change for the butterbeer. "What is the Garden of the Galaxy, Ms. Buckshire?" he then asked.

"It's the stone patio with the ring of trilithons east of the Reevetor," Elaine answered. "It's an inter-dimensional gateway between your world and mine -- as well as to other dimensions (thought it's not been used that way since Elder Ryuuji went home in 1939) -- connecting the Reevewick with my home city, Ariadne."

"Tell him about Ariadne, Elaine," Leonard urged, grinning. He knew Remus had been quite the scholar at Hogwarts and would be interested in hearing this.

"It's the Magical Academic City for our world," Elaine explained. "Think of Hogwarts at the scale of London and you'll have the right idea of how many people go there." She then smirked on seeing Remus' jaw drop and his eyes swirl as he began to conceptualise that in his mind. "I'm a graduate of the general magical studies program and I'm working on my thesis for interspecies relations; that's why I'm here."

Remus blinked. "Working as a waitress?"

"Why not?" Elaine stated, a look of excitement crossing her face. "This is the only place where contact between my world and yours is permitted. Even if the contacts are quite limited, it's such an education witnessing all the things that happen in your society." She then blushed. "Excuse me. I have to get back to work."

Remus watched her go, again gazing briefly at her swaying buttocks before shaking his head and turning back to his companions. All of them were gazing at him with knowing leers on their faces. "She was flirting with him," Nancy noted.

"Oh, definitely," Ian said, nodding.

"Is it mating season for the Cornu?" Catharine wondered.

Remus' cheeks instantly reddened on hearing THAT question, and then he perked on hearing a muted but energetic cheer from the front door. Turning to look, he then felt his jaw drop to the floor on seeing what looked like Lily Potter's very own twin sister walk into the room accompanied by Napaeae, both accompanying a four year-old version of Lily with glasses . . . and a black haired boy with a scar and glasses over green eyes. "Oh, Merlin . . .!" he breathed out. "It's true . . . "

The other werewolves around the table grinned as he got up and walked over. Napaeae was the first to sense him approach, and then she nudged Lilian. The transformed elf looked over, and then she grinned. "Remus!"

He ignored her -- quickly sensing what she really was -- as he moved to kneel before Harry, gazing intently into his eyes. That made Harry wince as he backed away from this strange man with the messy brown hair, unshaven face and the haunted look in his dark orbs. Before Remus could sputter an apology, Rose immediately imposed herself between them, giving him a glare that -- despite her just being four -- was enough to make Remus wince; it was THAT similar to what an angry Lily Potter often looked like. "S-s-sorry . . . " he finally sputtered out before gazing hopefully at Lilian.

The elf was quick to step in. "Rose, Harry, this is your Uncle Remus. He was one of your parents' closest friends at Hogwarts." She then gazed on Harry. "When you were a baby, one of the first words you said was 'Moony.' That's his nickname."

Harry blinked, and then he blushed before walking around Rose to stiffly embrace Remus. The werewolf felt tears of sheer joy in his eyes, and then he gently returned that embrace. A minute later, Rose added her own hug as a cheer burst out from the crowd around them. Hearing that, Remus looked around to see many of the crowd on their feet clapping and whooping, and then he laughed . . .

* * *

Little Whinging . . .

"Whoever invented this ward was a bloody genius."

Nodding in appreciation of what he had been able to sense when he had apparated at the edge of town before simply walking past the ward line, Severus Snape took a deep breath. Glancing down at himself, he nodded in self-admiration at his decision to visit Madam Malkin's in Diagon Alley to get a properly made two-piece business suit in black with a white shirt and green-and-silver tie (Slytherin colours, of course!) -- unlike most people in the wizarding world, Darlene Malkin was quite up-to-date on the fashions of muggle society -- before he visited the Dursleys. Feeling his hair tied in a stubby ponytail at the back of his head, he adjusted the tinted sunglasses over his eyes, and then looked at the street markers at the corner where he stood after a five minute walk from the edge of the ward. Several discrete tests with his wand showed that no magic whatsoever could be performed here, but there were no adversarial effects on himself, which was a relief. Before he could determine what to do next, he perked on hearing a voice call out, "Excuse me, young man! Are you lost?"

He turned, and then smiled as an elderly lady came up to him, carrying two plastic bags full of food. "Yes, ma'am, I am. I'm looking for Privet Drive."

She smiled, pointing down the street to the potions master's right. "This is Daffodil Street. You walk to the first street on the right. That's Privet Drive."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Stay safe."

Severus nodded as he headed down the street. Seem to be quite friendly people here, he mused to himself as he took the chance to absorb his surroundings. He tried not to frown too much on what he was taking in. It was all so damned same! Nothing at all like the charming menagerie of building designs one could find in Diagon Alley or in Hogsmeade. While he did understand Petunia Dursley's manic obsession with having a normal life given how she had ultimately reacted to her sister's magical abilities, he didn't realise it would have led her to a place like this. What the devil will Harry be like when he finally comes to Hogwarts? the potions master then wondered.

Reaching the end of Privet Drive, he turned down the street and began scanning the numbers on the houses. Number Four was the second townhouse to his left. Noting that, he headed over, pausing on sensing the wispy remnants of the blood wards that had been erected here five years before. Feeling that, Severus' skin paled even further. "Dear Merlin! He IS gone . . .!" he whispered before marching straight over . . .

. . . just as the door opened, revealing a smiling Petunia Dursley. "Severus Snape!" she called out in delight before walking over to embrace him. "Oh, it's been so long! Come in! Come in!" she beckoned as she waved the slack-jawed Severus into the living room, closing the door behind her. As soon as that was done, she relaxed before staring with concern at him. "Are you hurt?" she asked.

He stared at her, cursing now that he didn't have anything that could overcome the ward surrounding Little Whinging so he could scan her mind and find out what the devil was going on, and then he sighed. "I'm fine," he said as he removed his glasses and stared intently into his host's eyes as he tried Legilimency. He was quick to sense nothing from the person before him. "The ward around this town doesn't affect me personally; it just blocks me from using my wand or anything else."

A breath of relief escaped her. "Thank God for that. I could have guessed your people would have leapt into a blind panic once the wards went up and Harry left, but I didn't want to see any of your people hurt or killed because of it." She then scowled. "Unless they were the monsters who allied themselves with Riddle, of course."

He blinked. "Where's Harry?"

"Safe," she replied before holding up her hand. "I can't say anything more to you, Severus. I can guess how concerned Dumbledore must be, but believe me when I tell you this: This is a much better solution than what he came up with given what Lily did when Riddle went to Godric's Hollow to murder Harry." She then nodded towards the kitchen, lightly smiling. "I've got some tea on. Would you like some?"

A nod. "Please."

Tea was soon served, and then Petunia drew out a folded piece of paper from her skirt to hand it to him. "Before you start asking questions, read that."

Severus took the paper and unfolded it. Gazing at the list there, he blinked before his mind clicked in on the specific combination of curses and charms that were at the top of the list, and then his jaw dropped. Looking at his host, he scowled on seeing the flash of both shame and anger in her own eyes. "Who did this to you?"

"James Potter," she replied.

Silence.

"Oh, Merlin . . .!" he hissed. "That idiot!"

"Agreed," she mused, nodding. "It surprised me that he did this to us, then never later realised what your laws concerning what might have happened (if Riddle killed him and Lily) when it came to Harry." A sigh. "Given what happened to Vernon and I, I don't think Lily knew a thing. If she did, perhaps . . . "

"She would have warned James or Albus to remove whatever it was that was forcing this on both of you," he finished as he placed the paper down. "Are you alright?"

"We are," Petunia assured him. "The doctor who came to us yesterday to remove those charms -- she's trained in your medicine as well as ours -- gave us a . . . flushing draft, I believe she called it? . . . to get rid of any lingering effects once the lamp was destroyed." A tired sigh as she wiped her eyes. "This was the first morning in years that I woke up and never felt any resentment towards Lily. Or Harry for that matter. As for James, though . . . " She scowled before sipping her tea.

"As I was the victim of many of his pranks in school, I don't blame you for feeling that way," Severus assured her. He then took a deep sigh. "Where's Harry?"

"I can't tell you that."

He blinked, and then reached over. "Just let me do this . . . " He tensed on sensing a magical field around Petunia, one that had the same consistency as the ward that now protected Little Whinging as a whole. "Oh, Merlin!" he breathed out.

Petunia blinked. "You can sense it?"

"Yes, I can. My magical senses are not affected by this even if I can't use my wand or my wandless magic. It's a very powerful ward that's shielding the town. Did they tell you what might happen if you try to break this oath of secrecy?"

"There will be no effect on myself," she stated. "I'm more in control over myself than you might believe, Severus. What I can say is this: The protection on me -- and Vernon, Dudley and Arabella Figg are affected by this, by the way -- will trigger if you try to force yourself on us even if any of us are outside Little Whinging. Once the protection triggers, you'll be facing an attack by the people who control them." She stared at him. "I know about Romney Marsh, Severus. Arabella's parents were killed there; she told me that. It's the very same thing."

He took that in, and then he nodded. He remembered Hercules and Morganna Figg. They had been as passionate in serving Voldemort as the Lestranges and the Carrows. "Very powerful people, they are," he mused before sipping his tea.

"They are that. But you can tell Dumbledore that they're good people, dedicated to protecting the peace, order and good government of Britain. ALL parts of Britain, not just the magical or the normal parts separately." She then smiled. "And Harry is safe, under the same type of protection. But he won't be cut off from your society. By the time he gets his Hogwarts invite, he won't be such a stranger to your ways."

Severus took that in, and then he nodded. He then perked on hearing the door open. "I'm home!" Vernon called out as he came to the kitchen, and then he stopped on seeing the dapper-dressed man seated at the kitchen table. "Who's this?"

Petunia smiled. "He's a childhood friend from Spinner's End in Accrington, Vernon," she said as Severus stood up. "He was also Lily's schoolmate at Hogwarts."

Vernon perked, and then he grinned. "You must be Severus Snape, then! Vernon Dursley," he said as he held out his hand, which Severus took in his own. "You didn't have any problems getting to us, did you? I know how powerful that ward is."

"Pleased to meet you, Vernon," Severus said. "I apparated to the edge of town and walked in. Other than I can't use my wand or wandless magic, I'm not affected at all." He indicated the sheet on the table beside his tea cup. "Petunia showed me this list when she invited me in. If you have a copy of it, I can take it up to Hogwarts and show Albus this. While he might think it better that Harry remains with you until he goes to Hogwarts, he'll understand your reticence once he sees that."

Vernon nodded as he took his seat, Petunia standing to serve tea. "Much that part of me would like to have allowed Harry to remain here, the last five years . . . " He took a deep breath. "I've never liked the concept of magic, Severus. I'm a working man. Always was raised to appreciate a good day's hard work for a good day's pay. All this wand-waving you people do . . . " He shook his head. "It's just too lazy in my eyes. I know you people have this gift, but still . . . "

Severus chuckled. "Be assured, Vernon, I do appreciate that attitude," he said before sipping his tea. "I always give a speech at the start of the first-year class in Potions; that's what I teach at Hogwarts." He paused, and then declared, "You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making. As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering caldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses. I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death . . . " He then winked at his hosts, an icy smile crossing his face. "If you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

"Oh, God!" Petunia breathed out, patting her heart. "I would never be able to take a class like that and that STILL sent shivers up my spine!"

"Really have to lean down on the kids, eh?" Vernon noted with a smirk.

"Unfortunately, yes," Severus replied. "Potions is our version of what you call 'chemistry.' Surely you understand the need for discipline when dealing with various chemicals. You run a drill factory as I recall. Clearly you must do things to ensure the safety of your workers around the equipment, correct?"

"Of course," Vernon affirmed. "Equipment safety is a very important thing."

"The same with potion-making."

A laugh. "I guess there are many similarities between us," Vernon stated before he reached into his shirt and pulled out two folded sheets of paper. "While I was at the office today, I typed this out. I understand you have newspapers in your world."

Severus nodded. "Yes. The Daily Prophet is the main one." He then closed his eyes. "The early edition already has gone out with news of Harry vanishing."

"Is it bad?" Petunia asked.

"People are asking questions, which is always a good thing," Severus answered. "An informed public can make informed decisions about what to do with their lives. I'm not sure how many others will think of approaching you as I did: Apparating to a place just outside the ward and walking in. Albus actually asked me to mail a letter to you asking what was going on. Since I was raised in Accrington, I do remember a lot of things about muggle society. Others can think up the same thing."

Vernon hummed. "Including people who fought for Riddle?"

Severus took a moment to consider that, and then he shook his head. "I doubt it. There were many among the Death Eaters who were half-bloods, with immediate first- or second-generation Muggle parentage. The Dark Lord himself is a half-blood, as I'm sure you're now well aware of. But no muggleborns. That would NEVER be tolerated."

"So they'd prefer to fly in on brooms or teleport in, right?" Petunia asked.

"Yes. In that regard, I believe you'll be safe. Do the people that set up the ward around town keep constant watch on events here?"

"They do," Vernon said. "And from what I could sense of those who came here yesterday, they're very dedicated at their mission. Even swore life-oaths on it. I understand those are considered quite sacred amongst your kind."

Severus' dark eyes widened. "I see. Well, that will definitely reassure Albus. If you were a Death Eater, you normally were forced to swear service to the Dark Lord. There is one of the differences between the Dark Lord and Albus Dumbledore. He might sometimes believe he knows best -- almost to the point where he would refuse to take even good advice, I admit -- but Albus doesn't force you to do things at wandpoint."

A nod. "A good point," Vernon noted before handing the note over. "This is an explanation of what's happened to us over the last few years when we were under what James forced on us and how it affected Harry. It's a public apology to your people, of course, for what we did to Harry even if James ultimately instigated this. Hopefully, the majority of your people will understand what happened and why, then appreciate Harry when he starts interacting with your world full-time in a few years."

Severus took it, opening it to read what was there. A moment later, he nodded. "You might have made a good Gryffindor, Vernon." On seeing the confused look on his hosts' faces, the potions master explained what that meant. He then said, "Harry is a great hero in our society given what happened the night the Dark Lord fell. And with that list Petunia just gave me, even the most jaded of us would realise what happened and why. I'm sure you'll be left alone from now on, though you might get a visit from Albus in the future pleading with you to take Harry back."

"Then tell him this, Severus," Petunia stated. "It's not us anymore that Dumbledore will have to plead to when it comes to Harry. It's someone else. And in some ways, they are far less compromising than what we could have been."

Severus gazed at her, and then he nodded. "I'll tell him that."

* * *

Beckery Hill . . .

"My God! This is so beautiful . . . "

"What does it all mean, Uncle Moony?"

Remus blinked, and then he chuckled. "To be honest with you, Harry, I can't tell you," he admitted with an embarrassed smile before he turned to gaze on the runes carved into one of the trilithons surrounding the Garden of the Galaxy. "I was never good at runes; that's what these markings are called." He pointed them out. "They're special marks wizards many years ago came up with to make their magic work better. And if they were invented by Ryuuji Hirosaki, they'd be based on Japanese runes, not Western ones." He then gazed on the Potter siblings. "Do you know him?"

Rose nodded. Along with her and Harry, one of the elves that served them -- Modesty, Remus remembered the raven-haired woman's name -- was present, standing close by as the werewolf examined the runes of the Garden. "He was Grandpa Glaston's best friend when they went to Hogwarts, Uncle Moony," she replied. "He came from an Earth that not only had wizards and witches, but also had metahumans, paranormals, contact with aliens -- they have their own Mundus Magicus, too! -- and lots of other things!"

"You mean like in Star Trek?" Harry asked.

Rose nodded. "Uh-huh! And Grand-uncle Ryuuji even travelled to other Earths in different dimensions during the summers he was here to learn even more."

"That probably explains these runes," Remus then noted.

Harry blinked, and then he breathed out, "I'd like to do that."

"Do what, cub?"

"Go to other places. Like where Miss Elaine comes from."

Remus turned to Modesty. "Modesty, do the people of the Mundus Magicus allow us to go visit them on their planet?" he asked.

A shake of the head. "Such must be approved first by the Magical Shire Reeve of Somerset, Master Remus. Even if Mistress Rose is magically seen as the Shire Reeve of the county, she has not been formally acknowledged as such by Her Majesty."

"When will that happen?"

"By the decrees first set in by King William III and Queen Mary II when the post was first created, it is when Mistress Rose passes her OWLs."

A nod. "Well, Harry, that's still some years away. The year you finally graduate from Hogwarts, in fact," Remus stated. "You'll probably need to learn a lot of things when it comes to magic before you could go there. From what I remember of Elder Ryuuji and his stay with us, he didn't visit the Mundus Magicus until the summer between his fourth and fifth year studying at Hogwarts."

"Grand-uncle told Grandpa he'd make his children go on their own Magical Quests when they could," Rose said as Remus walked out from under the trilithon he had been examining. "But according to Grandpa, no one's ever come from Grand-uncle's home."

"Yes, that's true, isn't it?" Remus noted. "Then again, World War Two happened just after Elder Ryuuji left us. He came here and returned home in the same time-frame between our Earths. He might not have survived the war. Especially if he was in Tokyo, Hiroshima or Nagasaki during the times the Yanks bombed those places."

Rose shook his head. "No. Grand-uncle actually sent a letter to Grandpa sometime after the war saying he was alright, but had to work hard on getting things all fixed up." She lowered her eyes. "That was the last time Grandpa heard from him."

"Well, I'm sure other things might have happened." Remus then chuckled. "Who knows. Perhaps Elder Ryuuji's children discovered other dimensions with a Hogwarts in them. No sense letting them miss out on all the fun, don't you think?"

Rose giggled, and then turned as Modesty cleared her throat. "Forgive me for interrupting, Master Remus, but Master Hamilton would like to see both you and Master Harry as quickly as possible so he can determine what needs to be done with you."

Remus perked, and then he nodded. "Well, let's not keep him waiting."

* * *

Doctor/Healer Hamilton Colin St. John was a normal-born native of Hackney, one of the boroughs of London. He graduated from Hogwarts as a Ravenclaw in 1928, the same year as Poppy Pomfrey. Before taking a healer's internship at Saint Mungo's, he went to Oxford and got his medical doctorate, being hooded for that just as World War Two began. He served in the Royal Army Medical Corps as a doctor serving in one of the field hospitals supporting the Eighth Army in North Africa, Sicily and Italy, leaving the war as a major with the Military Cross and being mentioned in dispatches on six separate occasions. Returning full-time to the wizarding world in 1951, he became an accredited healer and one of Saint Mungo's stars. Many people who might have died in the war with Voldemort were saved by this very man, which made him all the more valuable to the Ministry. In the latter part of the 1970s, he had been attacked several times by Death Eaters, only to have them beaten back by very determined Aurors. But shortly before that famous Hallowe'en night in 1981, Hamilton surprised his co-workers by declaring he was going into private practice and then he disappeared from the wizarding world altogether. It would later be assumed that the Death Eaters had finally got him.

Remus now knew the truth. Hamilton had been befriended by Glaston Tore when the latter became the Magical Shire Reeve of Somerset in 1939, just after Ryuuji Hirosaki went home. Given the chance, he actually became the second person from Earth -- after Glaston; as a visitor from another dimension's Earth, Ryuuji didn't count -- to visit the Mundus Magicus in known memory, studying his craft at a medical school in Ariadne between 1946 and 1950, being exposed to things that not even the most adventurous wizards Remus knew of ever encountered. His friendship with Glaston Tore remained solid right to the day Glaston enticed him to leave Saint Mungo's and apply his skill to a growing population from the Mundus Magicus that was taking residence at Beckery Hill. He had been there when Lily Potter had been brought to the Reevetor by Napaeae's elf Tommy and helped keep her healthy until Rose was born. The healer was Rose's godfather, though he had left her being raised to the elves while he administered to everyone in the Reevewick.

"You've taken the common variant of Wolfsbane before, haven't you?"

"Yes," Remus stated as Hamilton's fingers flew over the glowing pentagram that was hovering before the werewolf's face. "But it's so expensive to purchase . . . "

A snort escaped the doctor/healer. "Good God! The normals have the N.H.S. to help those less in need! Pharmaceuticals available for free for those who don't have a job or a basic charge for those who do, one that won't put someone on the bloody street! Why can't those doofers in the Ministry finally wake up and do the same thing?!" Before Remus could answer, Hamilton said, "Because the stupid, arrogant mudbrains that run the Ministry can't stand the idea of shelling out coin for those who are not as 'pure' as they are! Selfish twits!" he spat out, shaking his head.

"Is that why you ultimately quit Saint Mungo's, Doctor?" Remus asked, grinning on seeing the older man use the "mudbrain" insult he first heard earlier in the day at the Runcorn home by Napaeae's daughter Achelois.

"Oh, yes," the older man breathed out. "I treated young Nancy after that monster Greyback got finished with her. Knew some good stuff I learned in Ariadne that could have helped eased the transformations. But would the hospital purchase the supplies I needed? Oh, NO! Of course not! Not for werewolves!" He snorted before his "business" face came back. "You're a very sturdy man, Remus. The transformations you've undergone without the Wolfsbane haven't permanently damaged you. I'll prescribe you a daily ration of healing potions for the next couple of weeks to firm up your immunity systems before you have to worry about the next moon."

"How are the ingredients paid for?" Remus asked.

Hamilton waved it off. "Don't worry about it. The Reevewick charges an import/export tax on all goods that move through the Garden of the Galaxy between the Mundus Magicus and the Mundus Vetus. That's their name for Earth, by the way," he added on seeing Remus' confused look. "That atop the taxes paid to the Reevewick by all those who live here is channelled into paying for health care costs. Besides, half the ingredients I use in my version of the Wolfsbane potion are imported from the Mundus Magicus; grown in laboratories in Ariadne and other places. I get a discount from it and make sure that those other healers working alongside the other Magical Shire Reeves across the country don't have to pay more than necessary."

"Are there other weres -- excuse me, lunar canine therianthropes -- that currently live in the various reevewicks?" Remus then asked.

A chuckle. "Drop the 'canine' part of it. At least you're trying to learn the language we use," Hamilton stated, nodding. "Yes, there are small groups in other places. Matter of fact, the daughter-in-law of an old classmate of mine from Hackney, Jason Boot -- the girl's name is Michelle -- is a lunar feline therianthrope. In layman's terms, a weretiger." Hamilton then hummed as he recalled something else. "Jason's grandson Terry will be going to school with Harry, I think."

Remus' jaw dropped. "A WERETIGER?! They don't exist outside east Asia!"

"Her parents -- Michelle's a normal, by the way -- were missionaries in India when she was born. She was bitten around the same time at her age as you were." A chuckle. "Matter of fact, Ian married Michelle because she saved his life."

If the werewolf's jaw wasn't any lower, it would be on the floor. "Really?"

"Oh, yes. You see, Ian was a fence-sitter when it came to the fight between Riddle and Dumbledore. Riddle sent Greyback and a dozen or so of his pack to force Ian to come over and take his mark; he was apprenticing as an Unspeakable at that time and Riddle definitely wanted more information from the Department of Mysteries than what Augustus Rookwood was providing. Michelle was entertaining some of her friends from India nearby -- all lunar feline therianthropes, of course -- and they stumbled onto Greyback and his people attacking Ian. Full moon attack, of course, and both sides were doped up on potions that allowed them to keep control over themselves even when they were transformed." A shrug. "Well, if it was one feline against a baker's dozen canines, it might have been pretty dicey. With a baker's dozen both ways . . . " A wicked smile crossed his face. "Greyback was the only one who got away with his hide intact. And Ian swore a life debt to Michelle right then and there."

"I should say so," Remus stated, nodding in understanding. One had to be as bigoted as any of the Lestranges to NOT see what the doctor just described to him as a situation worthy of a magical Life Debt. "Is Ian aware of people like Sir Glaston?"

"He's friends with Hogan Roper, the Shire Reeve for London itself," Hamilton replied. "He's sworn the oath to the Queen, of course; Hogan did that for him to protect Michelle, Terry and Ian's parents. A healer Hogan knows in Diagon Alley supplies the potions -- it's not too different from Wolfsbane -- Michelle needs to control her transformations. He's the personal doctor to the Patil family, I think." A sigh. "Ian still works as an Unspeakable for the Department of Mysteries. I don't think he knows everything about what people like Glaston do, but he would have had to be a smart man to become an Unspeakable, so he probably suspects some things. His oath to the Queen, of course, doesn't come into conflict with his oath as an Unspeakable." A shrug. "Besides, all the Shire Reeves have been appointed by the Crown and the Ministry and all its departments are ultimately answerable to the Crown even if most of the people that work there don't realise it. What's the problem?"

"Some people might not like the idea of magicals with such power outside of Ministry control," Remus reminded him. "And thus, free of being bribed."

"Well, from what I've heard, they're going to get a very sharp object lesson about that tomorrow morning," Hamilton stated as he gave his patient a knowing look.

Remus returned that look, and then he nodded, remembering what just happened to Helena Gibbon not a couple hours before. At that moment, the door to the private office opened, revealing a pretty nurse -- another house elf, Remus could sense -- in a modern uniform. "Master Hamilton, the scan of Master Harry is complete."

"Thank you, Florence," Hamilton said. "Well, let's go see what's wrong with your friend's son, shall we?" he mused as he dispersed the scanning pentagram.

Both men walked into an examination room, where Harry was now seated on a bed, a pentagram in front of him and glowing, several energy rings rotating around his head and sending tender probes into his skin. Seeing that, Remus could only whistle in awe as he took a seat nearby beside Rose. Truly the magic of Elaine Buckshire's homeworld was quite different than what he was used to, though it clearly worked here.

"How are you feeling now, Harry?" Hamilton asked.

"Pretty okay, Uncle," Harry replied. "Bessie made a good breakfast for me."

"Well, that's good," the doctor stated as he scanned the readout on the pentagram. "Other than a little touch of malnutrition -- that's easily corrected -- the only major problem I see with you is the remnants of that Killing Curse strike on your forehead over your right eye. Something really strange is going on in there."

"Is it dangerous?" Remus asked.

"I can't say. Even in our part of the world, no one's ever encountered anyone who's survived a Killing Curse head on." The doctor hummed as he drew his wand and made a motion with it over the scar. "Yes . . . this is definitely quite unique to my experience," he mused before leaning back and humming. "Still, it doesn't seem to be doing much either physically or magically to Harry." He turned to stare intently at his young patient. "Harry, I'm going to monitor it regularly from now on; since you're back in a magically intensive area full-time, it might act differently than what it did when you were in Little Whinging. Did anything ever happen to the scar -- any pain or anything like that -- while you were with your relatives?"

A shake of the head. "No, sir."

Hamilton then nodded. "Alright. Florence?"

The nurse perked. "Yes, Master?"

The doctor quickly made some notes on a prescription pad. "This is for Remus," he said after ripping it off and handing it to her, and then he wrote another prescription. "And this is for Harry," he then said as he handed that to her. "Get them prepared right away so they can have them before leaving."

A nod. "I'll make them right away, Master."

With a pop!, she was gone. "Is it safe for her to do that?" Remus asked.

Hamilton smirked. "Remus, they have potential that is barely touched by mainstream wizarding society. Too many people have kept them too bloody ignorant of what they can do, even if they still must serve a master. It's not my fault that most people simply refuse to see them as anything more than handy domestic servants!"

The werewolf hummed. "Good point."

* * *

To be continued . . .