The New Marauder

Three

Billy holds his chin in his hand as he stares at the lit fireplace, contemplating how this could have happened. He knew the threat in Britain was significant, but seeing it firsthand from the Daily Prophet's Charlies brother had sent made him grateful that he and his family were blessed enough to live under the strict laws of the MACUSA.
"So the major concern is that the child is powerful, and even though Charlie is his uncle and legal guardian, the MACUSA harbors apprehensions about leaving such a powerful child in the care of someone who is not able to reverse any damning charms or spells," Saranna breaks the silence.
"He is my nephew!" Charlie exclaims in a broken voice. "I can't send him back."
Theo lets out a sigh. "Charlie, we wouldn't be sending him back; think of it as more of placing him somewhere—"
"He deserves to be with me; I am the only family he has here."
"Trust me, I want that for you. However, the question at hand here is, will the group of you," Saranna points to the oldest of the elders, "help in raising this child."
"What are you expecting us to do?" Billy asks, looking at the boy now covered in Sue's homemade chicken pot pie, laughing like a kid his age should.
"He is showing magic, and despite what his father says, I don't believe it is just accidental," Theo grumbles, narrowing his eyes at the boy.
"You're just still upset at the fridge incident," Charlie mutters, trying not to laugh.
Ever since the elders have known the strict captain, this would be the first time they have ever seen her smile. "Whether you are right or not, Charlie, there is truth to his words. Orion, he of magic, needs to be watched by those who are trained."
"The child will go to school here on the reservation until he gets accepted into Hogwarts," Billy's voice cuts through the conversation. "Seeing as he is learning how to use magic without a wand, I also request that when you are at work and on weekends, he comes to stay with Sarah and me or Harry and Sue."
"Are you sure?" Charlie looks to the group of friends.
"He is your family, Charlie; that makes him our family too," Sue says, comforting his worries.
"As you said, he deserves to stay with you. And look at it this way; he will be surrounded by those who can better help and train him properly," Harry shrugs.
"Not to mention all the new friends he will make," Sarah smiles reassuringly. "Think of how close him and Jacob will be, possibly Sam too."
"The point is, the boy will be cared for and loved. He will be surrounded by friends that can keep up with him and teach him the American ways, not those silly Brit ways."
"We could have him transferred over to Ilvermorny," Theo suggests, looking to his captain.
"No. He has been down for that school ever since he was born," she shakes her head. "We will watch and see how the situation in Britain is handled by the Ministry over there. If by the time he turns ten it hasn't been resolved, then we can revisit the topic," she quickly rushes out, seeing the panic on Charlie's face.
"So we have a plan?" Theo asks the elders.
The elders quickly exchange glances before Billy nods his head. "We do."
"Good." Theo claps his hands, standing to his feet. "Now all we have to do is let the office know—"
"You're not going to tell them who Orion is, are you?" Charlie asked, thinking of his brother's letter. "If anyone finds out, he could be in danger, and everything Sirius and Albus have done will be for nothing."
Saranna thinks to herself for a moment before shaking her head. "I will try to be as vague as possible in my report. But if they need more information, then I will be obligated to tell my chief the truth."
"I think in this situation, we should hold his true parentage close to the vest," Theo interjects harshly.
"Theo," Saranna warns, knowing he is close to insubordination just by voicing his opinion.
"Think of the repercussions if his name gets out, Captain," he almost shouts. "The New York Ghost will have a field day just because of who he is, and you-know-who's followers will descend on the US by the thousands."
"We have policies in place to—"
"The policies in place are there to protect the International Statute of Secrecy, not an innocent two-year-old," Billy says, cutting her off.
"What would you have me do?" Saranna asks, running her hand through her hair.
Theo gives Charlie a look before moving his eye to the elder chief. "First, we re-class Charlie Swan as a Squib. Second, we tell them a part of the story. We report that a young wizard was placed in the care of his estranged uncle, and that the magical community around the uncle has taken charge of keeping a watch on the young wizard."
Both Charlie and Billy nod their heads in agreement. "It could work."
"What if the Chief presses for more information?" Saranna asks. "We can't lie."
"If he presses for more information, then we tell them that due to the nature of the boy coming into Charlie's care, we cannot speak more on the matter," Theo answers, looking to the two men for agreement. "If worst comes to worst, I will volunteer to check in with the boy once or twice a week to monitor his control and make sure no laws are being broken."
"The Chief will see right through that," Saranna argues. "If they somehow figure out who he is later down the line, and they will, then they will take your badge for being too close to this. They will say your mind was blind—"
"I promise you I am sound of mind, Captain."
Charlie's head snaps from Billy to the Captain. "What do you mean he's too close to this?"
"You want to tell them?" Saranna asks her young charge.
Nervousness gathers in his chest as Theo's eyes bounce from his Captain to Charlie and back again before settling in on Charlie Swan and letting out a sigh. "My full name is Theodore Abraham Potter the third."
"Potter," Billy murmurs under his breath, glancing at the newspaper article showing Joanna Potter in her Quidditch uniform with a big missing headline overtop of it.
Unfortunately, his actions did not go unnoticed by his police officer best friend as he followed his eyes. "Your—"
"Very distant cousin. Yes," Theo nodded. "If they were to find out that Orion and I are related even though our families have been separated for hundreds of years, it won't matter. The Ministry would revoke your status as a Squib, remove all your memories of him before taking Orion out of your care. No matter if it's what his father wanted."
"How can they do that?" Charlie growls.
"After what happened to us years ago, they would do anything, no matter the cost, to keep wizardkind a secret from the no-majes," Saranna says grimly.
"Then we lie," Harry says, standing up and crossing his arms over his chest. "The Quileute tribe will take full responsibility for the boy if his magic gets too out of hand."
"We can place No-Maj repellent charms over Charlie's house and keep a watch over his neighbors," Quil offers his suggestions.
"Charlie will not go through this alone," Sarah voices out firmly. "All you two need to do is reassure your boss or whoever that Orion will be watched over and cared for."
Saranna shakes her head nervously, feeling the stress of what they're asking her to do. "It's not that easy."
"But we can make it that easy," Theo assures her. "If everyone here can stick to the plan, then there is no reason for this to go wrong."
"What if they want to send someone else to do weekly check-ups?" Saranna fires back.
"Why can't you do them?" Charlie asks her. "If Theo coming here is a big risk, why can't you be the one to come and visit?"
Saranna takes a breath to calm her nerves, as soon as she's about to answer, a piece of parchment appears in the air in front of her, giving off a resounding crack. Lifting her trembling hand, she reaches out and plucks it from the air. After reading the note, she passes it off to him; for a brief moment, she and Theo lock eyes, holding a silent conversation the rest in the room are not privy to until Saranna turns back to them.
"We have been summoned," she explains. "Charlie Swan, until further notice, you and Orion Black must remain on the Quileute Reservation."
"Really, she means until one of us returns," Theo smiles uneasily.
"What about my job? I can't just not go in," Charlie exclaimed, causing Sue to jump a bit.
Theo lets out a breath and turns to him. "We are going to talk to the Chief and see what can be done to make sure Orion will be able to remain in your care. So if you want to keep your nephew, then you need to listen to us. Stay on the reservation just until one of us two returns."
"Fine," Charlie huffed out, turning to Billy. "You got a tent?"
Instead of waiting for Billy to answer, Saranna takes pity on the police officer and waves her wand, conjuring the one she bought off a friend two years ago when her and Theo were staking out the Canadian border. "Use this; it's not much, and you will have to buy the essentials for Orion, but it will do." She hands it over to him. "Have one of them erect it for you," she instructs before turning to Theo. "We need to go," she says before their bodies turn into a swirl and another loud crack fills the small living room, leaving Charlie in a state of confusion.
"Where did they—"
"Harry, Billy, take Charlie outside to set up that," Sue points to the tent on the table. "While I clean up this cutie," Sue says, getting up from the couch and walks over to Orion, who is sitting in the old high chair, splashing gravy all over the place.
"Let's go, Charlie; you heard the woman," Harry laughs at the look on Charlie's face and leads them out back.
"I think we have Rachel's old crib in the shed," Billy says, wheeling his chair through the soft grass. "You can use that until they come back or he grows out of it."
Charlie lifts up the small bag, looking it over skeptically. "I don't think the crib will fit."
While Harry moves to the shed, Billy holds his hand out to Charlie. "Trust me, it will," he assures the police officer.
Charlie goes to hand it over but stops when he sees his best friend pull out a thin wooden stick from his coat pocket and gives it a wave in the direction of the tent.
"You know in a way, I'm happy not to hold this secret in anymore," Billy says as Charlie watches the tent assemble itself in fascination.
"How often did you use magic around me, and I never noticed?" Charlie asks as Harry exits the shed holding a crib that has seen better days.
"Not much," Billy shrugs. "Mostly when we fish."
The look of shock that crosses Charlie's face makes not only Billy laugh but Harry too. "You mean?"
"Yep," Billy has popping the p. "I'm not that good of a fisherman, but with a little help, I'm decent."
"I'll be damned," Charlie mutters, looking at the now erect tent. "How will that fit?" He asks, eyeing the small one-person cloth tent that's held up by three small poles.
"Magic," Harry replies, wiggling his eyebrows before pushing the crib under the flap as if he would push it through a front door. Charlie raises an eyebrow as he watches one of his best friends bend down and follow the crib inside.
"Come on, help me out; I want to see what it looks like," Billy says with an air of excitement.
Letting out a nervous sigh, Charlie moves behind his best friend and starts to move forward. "If you get stuck, I will laugh," Charlie warns as Billy picks up the flap. As he pushes him past the threshold, Charlie hears Billy let out a deep whistle. "Damn, Charlie. This is nice." Following Harry's lead, Charlie bends down and follows his friends.
A warm air flows through him as he stands up straight, while his eyes grow big full of surprise. "What the," Charlie whispers in wonder. Out of everything he was expecting, the two-bedroom apartment he just walked into was not it. With a hammering heart, Charlie steps further into the tent, still stuck in a daze.
"Two bedrooms, kitchen, and living room with a nice full bath. How much do Aurors get paid nowadays?" Billy asks in astonishment.
"Not as much as you think," Harry answers walking out of the small second bedroom. "I think this is a hand-me-down," he finishes pointing at the wood stove in the back of the living room.
"Still comfy though," Billy replies patting the couch. "Come on in and sit down, Charlie. Now that they aren't here, we can talk more freely."
"Why couldn't you before?" Charlie asks, taking a seat.
"There are a lot of answers to that question alone," Harry huffs taking a seat in the recliner. "But the ones we can answer we will."