Chapter Text
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Remus Lupin had no idea what to expect.
He had gotten a letter from the bank from the small and cheap flat he was living in now, summoning him that very evening and he knew better than to ignore it, so he went over to see what it was about. So he had gone and had learned that someone in America wanted to meet him and make a deal that could be beneficial for both sides, but he had to go now. No discussing it with anyone and since he didn't have much choice, he had agreed.
One international portkey later, he was now sitting and waiting in one of the many offices of the Gringotts back in New York and waited for whoever wanted to make a deal. The goblin with him refused to tell him who exactly wanted to meet him, saying it was client confidentiality. He eventually heard the door opening and a voice greeting him. "Hello, Lupin." He began to look up as he thought that voice sounded a lot like..... Lily?!
He fell off the chair in utter shock at seeing her and tried to pull his wand but the goblin sitting at the other side of the desk summoned it before he could do anything. "No violence on Gringrotts grounds." He stated as he put the wand down next to him. Remus briefly looked at his wand, before looking back at the woman who looked so much like a dead one he'd once known and who was clearly trying not to laugh as she apologised for scaring him and his mouth opened and closed a few times. He probably looked like a fish but he couldn't find it in himself to care and the woman smiled at him.
"Ask me any question Lily Evans would know." She said and he thought for a minute, before asking when he friendship with Severus ended and why. "After the defense O.W.L in fifth year after he called me a mudblood because I came to his aid, but times be honest, our friendship had been on the brink of collapse anyway with Snape being friends with Death Eaters and seeing nothing wrong with what they were doing to first generation witches and wizards" She replied.
Seeing his confused look, she grinned. "It's what they call muggleborn here.' She explained and he hummed, before sagging down on the chair at realising that yes, this was Lily. "Also, Severus had this unrequited crush on me and it honestly became rather annoying and pathetic how many times I told him I saw him as a friend and he simply didn't listen. I don't think our friendship would have survived fifth year evergreen without James." She said to give him time.
He huffed as he could easily imagine that, before asking her how she was here. "How much do you know about the Greek gods?" She asked him and he frowned as he thought about it, remembering learning about them in his private studies and said how they used to rule Europe long ago before vanishing. "Not vanishing. Moving. To live here in America. When I came here with my father and sister, I met one of them and nine months later, Harry was born." She said and he stared at her. It all sounded crazy, but he was currently talking to someone he thought dead for years, so maybe... not so crazy.
"Are you saying that Harry is half-god?! That his father is a god?!" He asked and Lily made a face as she nodded, making him rub his face. "Okay, putting that aside for a minute, how are you here?" He asked, trying to keep calm and freak about everything later in private. She told him everything, about the prophecy, about making Peter the secret-keeper, promising to help him get Sirius free and about Hades saving her life when Riddle attacked their cottage
"I know this sounds crazy, but I need someone to keep an eye on things in England until Harry is old enough to go to Hogwarts.... but without Dumbledore knowing." She said and he asked why him. "You're a werewolf, which means you're under notice and you fought for the order, which means Dumbledore won't suspect you." She said as she held out a roll of parchment that contained the amount of money she'd give him every month if he agreed.
He tried to protest he couldn't accept it, but she wouldn't hear it. "It comes straight out of the inheritance James left behind and I'll put in a monthly supply of wolfsbane potion if you agree to help and not say a word to Dumbledore about it." She stated and he straightened up as that definitely sounded very tempting. He did ask why she was so insistent on their old headmaster not knowing. "I saw your face when I told you Peter was fur secret-keeper. You thought it was Sirius, didn't you?" She asked and he nodded as he had been utterly stunned. Ask these years, he had thought Sirius was the traitor only to find out if was Peter
"Dumbledore knew... and he didn't say a word because it would disrupt whatever kinds of plans he has for my son once he gets to Hogwarts." She explained in a solemn tone. And just like that, practically all of Remus Lupin's faith and trust in Dumbledore shattered as he sagged into his chair. All this time, his best friend was stuck in Azkaban while Dumbledore knew he was innocent and that all because he could be in the way of his plans of an innocent eight year old.
Even as crazy as Lily's story about gods and demigods sounded, he could sense that she was completely genuine about this and again, she had literally come back to life after all these years. They may not have interacted a lot during school, but he knew her well enough to know she wouldn't just make up such a weird story just to convince him to turn against Dumbledore and he looked at her. "What do you need me to do?" He asked and she smiled.
She explained she needed up-to-date information about everything going on in Wizarding England and especially what the dark and light sides were doing now that Riddle was gone. "Voldemort. Tom Riddle is his real name so use that whenever people flinch at hearing the name." She explained at seeing the confused look on his face and he let out a small sound of understanding as he quickly resolved to do just that, commenting on how Dumbledore would probably get a heart attack if he heard people use that name since he always encouraged people to say "Voldemort." "Probably to get a lot of witches and wizards out of the way." Lily agreed.
"I mean, think about it. Riddle had put a spell on his name so that whenever someone said it, he would know it was being said and sent his followers there and Dumbledore actually encouraged people to say it? He was literally trying to get as many people into danger or even killed like Fabian and Gideon so that he could look like the hero." She said and he slowly nodded as he had been wondering about that, but it unfortunately did make a lot of sense.
"What is he planning?" He asked and Lily admitted she didn't know, but that Harry's father had given her one final warning to not trust the headmaster and despite him having been just a one-night stand and very full of himself from what she told Remus about him, she was going to trust him on this. "I once heard him mutter the words "more powerful than anyone," but I thought he was talking about Riddle." Remus then commented and Lily silently took this in.
"Do you think that he wants to be more powerful than anyone? That him encouraging the braver and more powerful people to say Riddle's name was him getting rid of any competition?" She asked and he replied that while he didn't like it, the things he had learned today did make it very likely. The goblin then piped up and said that Dumbledore could have stopped Grindelwald years before he actually did, but that he didn't as if he was waiting for something. "So not only did he draw out the war with Grindelwald, he did the same with Riddle. He's the obligation wizard Riddle ever feared, but he never arrived to fight at our side. He always kept himself to the background." Lily muttered.
She remembered narrowly escaping death while facing Riddle three times before even getting pregnant with Harry and Dumbledore just patted her on the head and told her she did great while he could have come to her aid. "We really have been blind." Remus growled, his eyes briefly glowing amber as more and more things started to pile up, painting a very unflattering picture of their former headmaster and now, he was even more willing to help Lily.
He knew no one would believe him as a werewolf with barely a galleon to his name, so he would keep quiet and give Lily information about what was going on for the next few years until it was time for Harry to go to Hogwarts. "Why not send him to the school here in America? Ilvermorny, right?" He asked and she sighed as she sighed as she suddenly looked ten years older as she briefly looked at her hands and he knew he was in for some huge news.
"I would have loved nothing more than to send him there and keep him closer, but Hades didn't just let me go without a cost last year. In exchange for me being allowed back and be with Harry again, he has to track down and help him destroy these items called horcruxes that contain pieces of Riddle's soul. You see, Riddle has pissed off both Hades and Thanatos and since there is a prophecy about Harry being destined full defeat Riddle anyway, Hades decided to kill two birds with one stone. He did remove one piece of Riddle's soul that was in Harry's scar, so he definitely was not wrong about them existing." She explained and he paled.
She explained a bit more about the situation and he listened carefully as he promised not to say anything to anyone about this and she smiled. "Thanks Remus. I always knew you were the most sane of the Marauders back at school." She said as she gave him a vial of her memories. "Give this to Amelia bones if you want Sirius free. If you go to Rufus Scrimineour or even the minster, it will "disappear" and Sirius will stay stuck." She said and he nodded in understanding
"What about Peter?" He asked and she immediately wished him good luck trying to find him and he made a face as he knew she was right. They agreed to stay in contact and he used another portkey to get home, immediately getting himself a bottle of firewhiskey and emptying at least half of it over the course of the night. Back in America, Lily took a deep breath after thanking the goblins and going home again. Stepping outside, she smiled at the sun.
"Our son might be a bit safer now." She said, before leaving