Chapter Text
May 4, 2012
It was a beautiful spring day in New York City.
Teddy was off at his third year at Hogwarts, while Sirius and Remus were lazing about in Central Park since Remus had the week off from his job.
Sirius rolled over onto his back, nosing his way under Remus' arm and licking his jaw.
"Oi, Pads," Remus said, pushing his nose away. "Quit slobbering. You're interrupting my game. If you're bored, you can go have a run. I saw a cute border collie earlier when we arrived. Maybe he's still around."
He'd seen the border collie as well, but he was more interested in bothering Remus. Buying him an iPad for Christmas had clearly been a mistake. Sirius had bought it for him so that he could read books and access the internet, which was all the rage with the American witches and wizards. Instead, Remus had accidentally discovered Muggle computer games and was now addicted to something called Angry Birds.
He snuffled loudly and whined, but Remus showed no signs of being impressed. The bastard. Sirius sighed and ambled over to the corner of their makeshift picnic blanket. He supposed he could change back, but he was feeling particularly reticent today. He wasn't in the mood for conversation, but he still wanted attention. Not that he was needy, but a scratch behind the ears—or ten—wouldn't go amiss.
It wasn't as if he begrudged Remus his toys, and certainly not today. They'd only returned yesterday from the memorial, and this was a difficult week for all of them. It was hard to believe it had been fourteen years already. Despite the sombre occasion, it had been good to see Teddy and Harry again, plus Ginny and the kids, and Andromeda as well. Harry's children were growing up so fast it wouldn't be much longer before they headed off to Hogwarts themselves. They popped home often enough, wizard travel being far simpler and quicker than the clunky aeroplanes the Muggles used, and of course Harry came to visit them when he was able. It had been a difficult decision to move away once Teddy started school, but after everything they'd been through, Sirius knew it had been the right decision.
He settled down, resting his chin on his paws, and looked out at the pond, basking in the sun.
Sirius loved New York City. It was just similar enough to London to feel familiar without any of the negative associations he had from growing up there, and the best part was that nobody knew who they were. In a city of eight million Muggles and a wizarding population of nearly 150,000, they were practically invisible.
American wizards were also similar enough to their European counterparts, but without the strict traditionalism he was used to. There were any number of Muggle-free wizarding villages all over the map, and Muggles were forever wandering into them, having taken a wrong turning off a highway, but American wizards had integrated Muggle technology into their lives and were more than happy to reprogram their talking maps and phones, and send them off with only the most cursory of memory charms required.
They'd considered buying a small house in a more rural wizarding area, but they still owned the old gatehouse back in Devon, and the moment they'd set foot in Manhattan, he knew he wanted to live here. Not that he was old, certainly not by wizarding standards, but the city invigorated him and made him feel young again. They'd promptly purchased a brownstone in Chelsea—because what better way to spend his mother's money after finally selling the doxy trap on Grimmauld Place to some moneyed nutter who paid nearly three times its market value—and were taking their time in renovating it, ignoring those pesky Muggle ordinances when they were inconvenient.
There were five wizarding shopping districts in Manhattan. The original one, founded in the early-1700s and located on Broadway just south of Wall Street, was currently known as Sentiment Alley, its original name considered too ridiculous to repeat in polite company. Appearance-wise, it wasn't all that dissimilar to Diagon, with the exception of the Starbucks Coffee shop that even had free wifi.
An entrepreneurial Muggle-born wizard had decided to open up a franchise, but since his shop was located within the unplottable alley, the corporate headquarters had apparently forgotten it existed. Taking full advantage, all five districts, plus those in L.A. and Chicago, sported a Starbucks now—Remus worked part time at the shop in Fraction Alley in the West Village—and rumour had it the owner retired to Tahiti last year at the ripe old age of 34.
Sirius was convinced that any number of the Starbucks Coffee shops around Muggle Manhattan were also owned by this wizard or his partners. They seemed to spring up out of nowhere; one day there was a dry cleaners or a greengrocer, and the next day—poof!—the green, twin-tailed siren was staring down at him with her beatific smile. (They thought she was a mermaid. Silly Muggles.) There were days as he walked past one of the shops when he was sure he heard her singing, luring unsuspecting customers in by the hundreds.
But perhaps the best thing about New York City was that his mother would have hated it with every fibre of her being. That made him love it even more. Sometimes it was the petty things in life that really made him happy.
"Hey, Padfoot. I'm feeling a bit peckish. Do you want a hot dog?" Remus asked, setting aside his iPad.
Sirius barked three times, wagging his tail.
"Yes, fine, I'll get you three. And some water. Stay here and keep an eye on our things."
Sirius had a sudden urge to grab the tablet and bury it in the deepest hole he could dig, but then he wouldn't be able to play Plants vs. Zombies all day while Remus was off at work. Perhaps that wasn't such a brilliant idea after all. He sat up on his haunches and yawned, long tongue snaking out.
Should think about getting a job of some sort myself, he thought, watching Remus climb the stairs to the vendor's carts near the park entrance. It wasn't that they needed the money, but a life of leisure could be mind-numbingly dull at times. Maybe just a day or two a week.
Remus returned a few minutes later with their food and set down a plate, performing a furtive Cutting Charm on Sirius' hot dogs. "So you don't choke," Remus added, patting him on the head, and then taking out Padfoot's water dish and pouring a bottle of Poland Spring into it. Sirius licked his hand and proceeded to devour the hot dogs while Remus snorted at him.
"You never change," Remus said, shaking his head.
Sirius licked his chops and gazed at Remus, tilting his head to the side. Why mess with perfection? he thought. He was drinking from his bowl when Remus suddenly grabbed him by his ruff.
"Hey, Pads, can you see that?" He was pointing up in the sky toward the south.
Sirius looked up but he couldn't see anything in particular. Then he noticed a strange swirling cloud in the sky, opening like an eye and getting larger. Moments later, debris came raining out of the swirl, tiny black dots that fell to earth, and a figure riding on a flame flying up to meet it.
"It's that nutter with the rocket suit," he said, or tried to say, because all that came out were a series of short, sharp barks.
"I see him, Pads," Remus said, tightening his grip on Sirius' back as several things exploded in the sky. "What do you think it is?"
Even if he had been able to answer, he had no idea what he'd say. All around them people were standing up and staring, pointing, and, of course, taking photos with their mobiles, which appeared to be the universal Muggle response to everything. Too many people. He turned his head, looking for a good place to change back, and felt Remus' hand squeeze even tighter.
The dark specks were getting closer, and suddenly everything was chaos as beams of light shot from the nearest one and the roof of a building exploded a dozen blocks away. People were screaming, shouting, crying, and running every which way. Of course, they still had their mobiles out, filming as they ran.
"Change," Remus shouted unnecessarily at him, brandishing his wand. Remus ran to help a family nearby, the mother practically in tears as she tried to gather her two small children, while Sirius bolted for the trees. Not that anyone would be watching him just then, but best to be safe.
He ducked behind a thick oak and shifted back into human form, pulling his own wand from his pocket and running back to join Remus.
"Just leave it," Remus was saying to the woman, holding her young son in his arms as she arranged her infant in a sling on her chest and looked helplessly at her belongings scattered on the blanket. "Go, quickly, to the underground. The subway," he amended. "Forget about your things. There's no time."
Sirius smiled at the young boy who looked like he was about to cry. "Hey there, big guy. Your mum's going to need your help. Think you can walk her and your little brother to the subway?" he asked, pointing.
The boy nodded. "It's all right. I'll walk them out," Remus said, ruffling the boy's hair. "Dylan, is it? Don't worry, everything's going to be just fine. I promise." He turned to Sirius. "You keep a lookout. I don't know what those things are, but—"
"I got it, Moony," he said, handing the woman her purse. "Hurry back."
"Get to the subway," he heard Remus calling out to the other stragglers. "Oh, for—would you put away the mobile and move," he said as something flew overhead and concrete exploded across the street.
Sirius grinned, his eyes tracking the flying machine, and he wished he had his motorcycle. "Amateurs," he shouted as it zoomed past and up into the air, out of range. He could hear explosions off in the distance and see random bursts of light between the buildings, and every once in a while a stray flying sled would zip overhead. It seemed as if the brunt of the attack was taking place further off to the south and east. Small mercies, he thought as Remus returned, panting a bit.
"Wotcher, Moony. You get them off okay?"
Remus nodded and took a deep breath, bending over with his hands on his thighs. "Muggles are infuriating. Bloody camera phones. They'd be all too happy to film their own deaths, this lot."
One of the tall buildings just to the south came under fire, and they watched helplessly as the building facade crumbled and people screamed.
"Should we go help?" Sirius asked.
Remus looked pained as he shook his head. "I don't know, Pads. We'd be sitting ducks out there. The policemen are out there trying to keep order and get people into the subway. The horses are going mad. Plus, any one of those buildings could come down any minute. We can't use our wands with all those people around."
"But the city's being attacked!"
"The American Ministry won't care. You know that. They don't have even a secret arrangement with the Muggle government here like we do back home."
Overhead they heard the loud whine of a jet engine, quickly followed by the staccato sound of gunfire.
"Military?"
Remus nodded. "Probably their Air Force. About t—"
"Incoming!" Sirius shouted as a trio of sleds flew by. He pointed his wand and narrowed his eyes. "Reducto!" One of the sleds exploded, followed quickly by a second as Remus got off his own shot.
"Take that, ya bastards!" Sirius shouted. The other one circled around, shooting beams of light that hissed when they hit the water, but he held his ground and fired another curse. The sled cart-wheeled in mid-air and dropped like a stone into the pond.
"Ha! This is fun! It's like one of your computer games, Moony, only better!"
"Um, Sirius?" Remus said slowly, and Sirius turned around at the odd tone in his voice. He looked up to see what Remus was watching and saw a massive flying metal snake weaving its way toward the city below.
"Slytherin's balls!"
**
"They blew up my iPad."
"Well, in fairness, Moony, you blew up their flying sleds. Blew up a few alien lizard things as well. I'd say you got the better end of the bargain."
"They blew up my iPad! I loved my iPad!"
"You do realise you sound just like Teddy."
Remus glared at Sirius. "You're not seriously going to lecture me about maturity, are you?"
Sirius laughed and slung his arm around Remus' shoulder. "You might have a small point. But it's not quite the tragedy you're making it out to be. I'll buy you another one."
"Is that your solution to everything? And mind, I'm quite capable of buying one myself." Remus sighed. "Damn it. I only needed to get three stars on two more levels to unlock all the golden eggs!" he said, shaking his head sadly, unwilling to let go of the charred remains of his favourite Muggle gadget. "I wonder if ..."
Sirius snorted. Even a hundred Reparos wouldn't put it back together again. Shabby Muggle craftsmanship.
He glanced across Fifth Avenue and nudged Remus. "Huh, will you look at that?" Sure enough, the giant glass Apple sign was still miraculously in one piece, and there were people walking down the still-lit stairs at the entrance. "I think the Apple store is open. Muggles are clearly insane. Bugger the Aliens, I need an iPhone!" He snorted again and tousled Remus' hair. "Looks like my solution will have to do, you big baby."
Remus narrowed his eyes at him.
"Stop that. Besides, I know for a fact you had fun today, whether your so-called maturity will let you admit it or not. C'mon. I could do with a coffee, too. I'm sure there's a Starbucks nearby."
~*~