Dear Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Neville,
Hi, I know it's been a little bit since we all last saw each other but I need a favor. Would you all meet me at the Leaky Cauldron at 6pm on Saturday? I wouldn't ask if this wasn't urgent, but it's kind of important. Things with my family have gone downhill and I really need your help. I didn't know who else to turn to other than you. You've all been my closest and best friends. Please?
Thanks a bunch.
Your Friend,
Matt Santini
Matthew Santini tapped the letter and whispered 'Geminio' duplicating it six times over. He quickly paid the man behind the owl post office in Diagon Alley and stepped out into the bright afternoon sun. The weather was oddly warm for late October and Matt ran a hand through his brown hair, noting he would need to grow it longer for the coming winter. He was quick to skirt back to the Leaky Cauldron and make his way out of the bar and through the streets of London.
It had been five years since the end of the Second Wizarding War. He felt a little annoyed that he could count the number of times he had seen his friends since that fateful day in May of 1998, on almost one hand. Matt had chosen not to return for his seventh year like Hermione had. Part of him wished he had now, as he walked back to St. Mungo's. He had taken his lunch break a little early to go to Diagon Alley. He knew he would stay late for work anyway.
St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries was all too glad to hire a war hero for their research division. Matt liked the work well, brewing potions and attempting to find short cuts and develop new remedies. He was even sure he was close to a breakthrough with the potion he was working on. He just needed some more time.
"Afternoon Matthew!" called the blonde and plump Welcome Witch from behind her desk.
"Hey Nikki." Matt called back to her as he headed up the stairs to the third floor. Originally the third floor had been simply referred to as the PP Department, short for Potions and Poisons. However, after the Battle of Hogwarts and the death of Remus Lupin, a known werewolf who fought defending the Wizarding World against Lord Voldemort, the third floor became known as the Remus Lupin Ward.
As the evening wore on, Matt began to receive replies. Six different owls came knocking on his laboratory window. One clearly from the Ministry of Magic which held Hermione's reply, one from Hogwarts which was Neville's confirmation, a distinct Snowy Owl which was Harry's. While no other owl would replace Hedwig, Harry would not buy any other species of owl after the war. There was a very unusual bat that came with Luna's answer, a very excited and zooming Pigwidgeon which held Ron's response, and finally Ginny's came with an elegant Screech Owl.
They had all agreed to meet. Hermione was more than happy to attend, as she had weekends off, and was only rereading a set of legal texts. She assured Matt that they were very boring. Harry was between cases at the Auror's office and would not need to be anywhere on assignment. Neville, while busy as an understudy for Professor Sprout who was set to retire at the end of the school year, was more than happy to slip away for a few hours on a weekend. Ron was like Harry, also between assignments at the Auror office. Given they were partners, it made sense. Luna was out of town but would be back by the weekend and said she would be delighted to meet with everyone again. Ginny replied she was in the middle of Quidditch practice as the season was set to start in less than a month's time, but she could make the trip for his sake.
Matt breathed a sigh of relief at seeing his friend's responses. It made him feel slightly better about his whole situation. When he finally had time to vanish his failed potions and bottle the samples he felt were good, giving the cauldrons a quick scrub down, and turning out the lights, it was nearly dark.
"Evening Nikki!" Matt called to the Welcome Witch.
"Evening Matthew!" she replied as she pulled on her coat and picked up her purse.
"See you Monday." He said with a wave, and she grinned back.
"Bright and early! Enjoy your weekend!" the pair of them walked to the front of the lobby and turned on the spot with a crack and Disapparated.
Matt appeared a moment later, after feeling like he had been sucked though an inner tube, on the doorstep of his flat. He could have walked there yes, but he was desperate to get home. He made sure no one else was in the hall and tapped his wand on the doorknob silently unlocking it. Quickly, he slipped inside and tapped the knob again to lock the door behind him. Matt kept intentionally quiet when he was in the apartment building. He made no noise of keys when entering and exiting his flat, so the neighbors may have become suspicious if they were in the hall.
He kicked off his shoes and stretched, going to his refrigerator and opened it. Cold takeout was all he had at the moment. At some point, Matt knew he would need to go grocery shopping, preferably in Diagon Alley, but the No-Maj's did have some useful foodstuff that made living on one's own easier. Sighing, he took out the leftovers and put them into a pan to reheat. While the stove turned itself on, and his utensils reheated his food with a flick of his wand, he went to change.
Matt returned to the kitchen just a few moments later, in infinitely more comfortable clothing than his work clothes and took the now hot leftovers off the stove and over to his small table. It was almost overflowing with random No-Maj junk mail and some snacks he could not be bothered to put into a cupboard. He looked down at the floor and sighed heavily.
It was odd, but he suddenly missed having Crookshanks around. Hermione's cat would always nuzzle his ankles and his calf whenever he was sitting at table while they were at Hogwarts. No one else at Hogwarts other than Hermione got the same treatment. Yes, Crookshanks would hop into Harry's lap occasionally, but it was not as often as the orange furball wound up in Matt's. His flat was oddly quiet; he could hear the buzz and muffled voices of one of his neighbor's TV's but that was all. He felt very alone in the seemingly cavernous apartment. A part of him missed Grimmauld Place, although he knew Harry was staying there when he was on assignment or needed to get away from The Burrow, but Matt would not ask Harry to stay there.
After a silent meal, Matt took a quick shower and decided to turn in early. His bed felt cold and unwelcoming to him. Usually, he joked with his co-workers that his most meaningful relationship was with his pillow, but tonight even that seemed distant. With a flick of his wand the lights in the room went out and he slipped the wand under his pillow before forcing his eyes shut and to fall asleep. Although he had been at the flat for almost a month now, he found the missing presence of his mother and her assistant to be weighing, and he felt like he had been cast out from his own world. Eventually, behind closed eyes, and with a window wordlessly opened to let in noise from the street below, Matt found sleep.
At 5:30pm the following evening, Matt arrived at the Leaky Cauldron. Tom the barman, who had been the landlord of the bar for many years, had finally retired the year before and sold the establishment to Hannah Abbott. Matt was genuinely surprised Hannah wanted to own a bar. However, she was adept at Herbology like Neville was, so it was not entirely surprising that she took up the bar business, growing her own ingredients for her recipes.
"Matt, what brings you here?" Hannah asked as Matt walked up to the bar.
"Hey Hannah. I'm meeting with Harry and the others." Matt replied.
"Oh, really? You didn't invite me!" Hannah grinned. "Up to your old tricks, are you?"
"No, nothing like that. Besides, that was Harry always getting into trouble. I was just along for the ride."
"Sure, you were." Hannah rolled her eyes and drew her wand. The normally square tables reorganized themselves and a large round one took up the middle of the room. "Should be enough for all of you."
"You do know I don't mind if you join us." Matt said as he waved his own wand to pull up chairs.
"No, no, you have your little fun. I've got to cook and run the bar." Hannah said playfully. Matt could tell by her demeanor that she was just joking around and that she was not offended by the fact that he had not invited her as well. Truthfully, Matt would have invited the entirety of Dumbledore's Army if he thought it would help. Ultimately, he decided his closest friends were the best option.
Shortly after Hannah had enlisted Matt's help in bringing out plates and silverware for everyone, the door opened. Harry Potter strode into the bar, hand in hand with his wife Ginny. Matt beamed at the couple, having only been married for three years, they still looked like newlyweds.
"Harry! Gin!" Matt exclaimed and rushed to greet them. He and Harry clasped hands and bumped shoulders in a bro hug, while Ginny gave Matt a proper hug.
"It's good to see you, mate." Harry said as Matt led them to the table.
"It's good to see you both as well!" Matt replied as Harry and Ginny sat. Before Matt could join them, Ron walked into the bar. Matt quickly greeted him in the same manner as Harry and Ron looked torn as to where to sit. Eventually he decided on the side of Harry that was unoccupied. Matt observed that Ron was still somewhat protective of his little sister despite her exceptional magical talent.
Luna was next to arrive and stood on her tiptoes to give Matt a gentle hug before settling in next to Ginny. The fireplace flared to life with emerald flames as Neville stepped out and dusted himself off. Grinning he pulled Matt into a one-armed hug before pecking Luna on the lips and sitting down beside her. A small part of Matt was disappointed, Hermione was late, and he feared that perhaps she had forgotten and was not going to make it after all. He sat beside Ron as Hannah brought over an assortment of drinks for the table. Butterbeers, Ogden's Old Firewhisky, Gilly Water, even Pumpkin Juice.
As the group was all exchanging pleasantries the door opened, and Matt turned for a moment to see who had come in. His stomach leapt as Hermione walked in, beaming at him and the others. Immediately Matt stood up and walked over to her.
"Sorry I'm late!" Hermione apologized.
"Never! A witch or wizard is never late, nor are they early. She or he arrives precisely when they mean to." Matt paraphrased a popular quote from a novel he was sure she had read. Hermione grinned up at him, a light blush on her cheeks.
"Thank you." She said and the two of them sat down, Hermione between Matt and Ron. She happily waved at the others as she took her seat, and Matt took a deep breath.
"I want to thank you all for coming. I know it's been a minute since I got together with any of you, I've been busy with work and stuff." Matt began, knowing it was a weak excuse. Travel was easy, Ginny and Luna were frequently on the road but easy enough to get a hold of, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all at the Ministry, while Matt was at St. Mungo's. There was little reason they all could not have gotten together in Hogsmeade while Neville was teaching.
"Of course! Your letter sounded urgent." Hermione said looking worried.
"Yeah, what's this all about?" Ron asked as Hannah took orders for food. After she had everyone's order she disappeared behind the bar and eventually out of sight entirely.
"You mentioned your family's gotten worse." Luna observed.
"Surely, it can't be that bad? Your mum's still at the Ministry, right?" Neville asked. Matt nodded confirmation. Harry pointedly said nothing. Matt knew what that had meant. There were rumors circulating already.
"Matt? It's us. What is it?" Harry finally said.
Matt took a breath and steadied himself.
"My mom has threatened to disown me unless I get married by the end of the year."
There was a collective gasp at the table. Harry, Ron, and Hermione all knew that Matt's relationship with his mother was strained at best. They often fought, especially after Matt's grandfather had passed some years before. She had been adamant about Matt pursuing a career in the Ministry, preferably one in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Matt instead wanted to follow in his grandfather's footsteps and chose a career in potion making.
"That's horrible! What will you do?" Ginny asked.
Matt shrugged and sighed again.
"Ideally, I would need to get married…but the thing is…" he paused, obviously struggling. "You guys know I've never been good at…well dating…" there was collective wince at the table. There were nods of affirmation. Hermione looked slightly pained and sadden at Matt. "I was hoping…maybe you guys could help me find someone?" he asked gently.
There were a lot of looks exchanged between everyone at the table. He was not sure if any of his friends knew how to help. Ginny and Harry were already together, as were Luna and Neville. Ron and Hermione had been together for a while, but both mutually agreed to call it quits after a particularly nasty round of bickering turned into a full-blown, days-long fight.
At that same moment, Cho Chang walked into the bar and was shocked to see so many of her fellow former Dumbledore's Army members together. She quietly slipped by the group and approached the bar. Hannah came out from the depths of the kitchen and immediately pulled out a bottle of liquor from below the bar. She leaned over to give Cho a quick kiss on the lips before pouring her a glass.
"Well, that explains a lot." Ginny said none too quietly. Harry turned slightly red from embarrassment, but Matt was sure Cho never heard her.
"You're not asking much, are you?" Ron quipped. "That's only like two months! Who'd be crazy enough to marry you in two months' time?"
"I was hoping you guys would have an answer to that…" Matt replied glumly. There was a lot of mumbling as Hannah brought out their food.
"What happens if she does disown you?" Luna wondered as they ate.
"Yeah, what, you just lose access to the family right? That's not so bad. You said it yourself, you're not close to your mum's side anyway." Ginny pointed out.
"I wish it were just that." Matt said darkly.
"How bad?" Neville queried.
"Well…I'm only allowed to be here, in this country, because of my connection to my mother. If she disowns me as her child, the Ministry won't even think about renewing my visa. I'll be deported back to the States instantly." Matt began.
"That's not good…" Hermione said, worry laced in her voice. Matt shook his head.
"But you're from America, you can still come back to visit, right?" Ginny asked.
"I…can't say…" Matt said and looked at the table before taking another deep breath. "The thing is…it takes six months to move a vault internationally. Yes, I do have my grandfather's familial vault and money to draw from. However, if I'm deported, I can't start the process ahead of time. So, I can't start it here in enough time to have access to it over there."
"That's not good." Harry said and leaned forward.
"No. So I would have to wait six months before I would have a vault. Now, yes, I could get a job in that time frame. I would have to. The issue is I would have no place to stay."
"Why is that?" Luna asked.
"Well, after my dad died, grandpa sold everything he owned Stateside and moved into my mom's apartment here with her and me. And if I'm disowned by her side of the family, there's no one to take me in. I don't have any contacts beyond her family in the U.S."
"That's a bit of an issue." Ron observed.
"It gets worse." Matt continued. "They're insanely strict about the statue of secrecy in the States. They routinely sweep homeless encampments for stray witches and wizards. Homeless camps are easy for magical people to blend into. There's rampant alcohol and drug abuse, so anything weird is written off by the No-Maj's as a hallucination from drink or otherwise. So, M.A.C.U.S.A. sends its people through the camps on the regular to grab any errant homeless witches or wizards blending into No-Maj society."
"Wh-what happens then?" Hermione asked, her eyes wide.
"They're executed." Matt replied bluntly. Ginny dropped her glass of butterbeer, shattering it on the floor.
"No!" Hermione and the others all looked terrified.
"I'm afraid so. There is no homeless wizarding population in America. It's seen as better to kill a few for the safety of the many, than risk exposure." Matt was frowning deeply.
"H-how often do the conduct these searches?" Ginny finally croaked out.
"About once a month." Matt said.
"I-if you were deported…" Hermione began.
"I would have to evade capture for six months with no income. It would be impossible. If I had income, I would have to only do it for about a month or two, which could happen but would still be very difficult. I would have to stay in the same area and hope that wherever I was working, I was not running into any M.A.C.U.S.A. officials."
"Matt…" Hermione reached over to take his hand. He blushed red.
"I know…it's bad. What's worse is that now the idea is in my mom's head, she's a landmine. If something goes wrong, she could just pull the plug early and there would be nothing I could do about it." Matt felt Hermione's grip tighten in a reassuring squeeze as he finished his statement.
"We'll, we'll figure this out. I promise." Hermione said.
"Thanks." Matt replied.
After a few more rounds of drinks and some light dessert the group was standing to leave.
"Oh, by the way, mum said to invite you all around in two weeks for Sunday dinner, yeah?" Ron said as they were preparing to leave. There were nods of consent all around. "She even said your dad Luna, and your grandmother Neville, if they want." Ron looked apologetic at Matt. "I don't think it'd be a good idea for your mum though, even though mine won't say no."
"I'll let my mom's invitation conveniently slip my mind." Matt said with a smile. He waved goodbye to the others and was first out of the door of the pub.