Z.R. Stein

Lily Potter and the Escape to Remnant – A RWBY/Harry Potter Crossover crossover AU fic.

I do not own the characters of RWBY or Harry Potter in any way, shape, or form.

Look who's back in a timely fashion! NOT THIS GUY! *dodges shoe* I am so sorry. Life has been…*sigh* life's been rough. But, I am back, for however long that lasts!

The promised timeskip chapter. I know you some of you guys have become a bit impatient, as the plot hasn't really gone anywhere. Well, rest assured, I have big things in store for Lily and co. I just needed to get them settled into their new home. Now I can actually start doing shit with them after this chapter. Things are gonna be heating up.

Next chapter will resume three years after last chapter, this will cover the interim years. I also want to notify you guys that I will have a Q & A section in chapter 11, so send in your questions. I'll try to answer as many as I can.

Anyways, let's get punchin'!

It's not like something is going to happen because I believe in it. Sometimes you end up worse off because you believed in something too much. There are times it's tough to believe in something. —Eureka

. . .

Ten Months after arrival

Remus Lupin stood beside Tukson as he hoisted up a sign, other Faunus gathered around with their own boards. It was just past midday, with nary a breeze to ruffle the leaves of a nearby oak tree, and Remus was feeling a bit parched; nevertheless, he continued chanting with the rest of his fellows.

"Vote for Gauri Bachchan! Say no to Winchester! Gauri for Vale Council!"

The group of protesters had been marching in front of the Council building for several hours, waving the standard of their chosen candidate. Upon every sign was the image of a smiling, dark skinned woman with stark white hair; underneath the picture were various inscriptions, most commonly reading 'Faunus for Gauri'.

His arms burning, Remus caught the eye of another demonstrator and gestured to his sign. The young Faunus (Remus guessed some kind of bear type, given the ears) smiled and accepted Remus' burden.

"Thanks, I need a bit of a sit down. Hot day today."

"No probs, man. I got your back. There's waters by the cooler in the shade over there. Say no to Winchester!"

Remus moved to the back of the group and leaned against a railing, grateful for some rest and the shade that the old oaks provided. Today was the first day of the Vale Council elections, and the local White Fang chapter had thrown their support behind Bachchan in a major way. Despite the fact that the woman was of Mistrali origins, she had lived in Vale for nearly twenty years, and thus could run for a Council seat. As an independant, her chances of winning were lower than if she had aligned with either of Vale's reigning platforms, but she, and the White Fang, were hoping that with the Faunus bloc behind her, she would have the votes to win a seat. At least then, Remus thought, all this protesting would mean something.

"Remus, catch!"

Remus twitched, trying to catch the object flying at him and utterly failing as it smacked him in the forehead. Groaning, he directed a heated glare at Tukson, who was rumbling with laughter.

"Keep yourself hydrated, Remus. We're going to be out here for at least four more hours."

Remus groaned again, though for a different reason this time.

"Think we actually have a shot at this?"

Tukson shrugged, the jovial look on his face lessening somewhat.

"You mean getting Gauri on the Council? I'd say we have a decent shot. She's a retired Huntress, so her public image is overwhelmingly positive. Put that together with our backing, and the fact that she knows her way around a negotiating table, and she's a damn fine candidate. Course...then there's Winchester."

Tukson gestured vaguely, and Remus nodded in resignation. He didn't need to elaborate any further.

"Reminds me of back home. Money and power always found a way to beat out good intentions."

Tukson shrugged.

"Yeah, well...we keep trying until things are better."

The wolf Faunus looked at the assembled crowd, a small smile adorning his face.

"Mmm...indeed...we do, don't we."

Remus unscrewed the cap of the water bottle and took a swig as the two of them lapsed into silence for a few moments. Then, Remus cracked his neck, scratched behind one of his ears, and stood up.

"Right, well, better get on with it then."

Tukson clapped him on the back.

"That's the spirit! Gauri for Vale Council!"

. . .

Twelve Months after arrival

Lily smoothed out the shirt she was wearing, turning this way and that, before sighing in disgust.

"I look frumpy."

Behind her, Clover groaned and patted her on the shoulders.

"Lily, deary, we've been over this. You do not look frumpy. You're beautiful, and lovely, and you are going to go on this date! It will be good for you!"

Looking back at the mirror, Lily frowned.

"I still can't believe you talked him into asking me."

"Qrow is not that bad, honestly. You talk about him like he's a—"

"A womanizing alcoholic with a rampant disregard for propriety or his own personal hygiene?" Lily finished in a deadpan tone of voice.

Clover huffed, raised her finger, then lowered it.

"You do have a point…"

Lily rolled her eyes and responded "We can't all be you and be lucky enough to find a diamond in the rough like Remus."

Clover blushed slightly.

"...ahem. True, my uh...boyfriend? It feels so strange to say that again; my boyfriend is very sweet. But Qrow is too! He's charming, and handsome, and a Huntsman, and I know for a fact that he likes you! You just need to break past the outer asshole and get to the crunchy inner sweet meat."

"That sounds wrong on so many levels."

"Doesn't change what I'm saying."

Lily groaned, massaging her temples.

"Urgh! Alright! I agreed to go with him, you don't have to hound me anymore. I just...can't see how things are going to work out between us."

Clover looked at Lily with empathetic brown eyes.

"Is this about James?"

Lily rolled her shoulders in a non commitive sort of way.

"Partially? It's been over a year, but...well, you know well enough how it feels. I think the larger part is that I can't help but see Qrow without comparing him to James."

"Too much similar or too much different?" Clover asked.

"I don't know. Both, maybe."

Clover nodded, her hand on her chin.

"Well, if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. You'll have tried something, gone out of your comfort zone, and that's what's important; I do need to keep you from becoming a hermit."

Lily narrowed her eyes.

"You take that back!"

"Nope! It's true, if you could stay in your lab every day you would!"

"Get back here! Ugh, when I get my hands on you, rabbit!"

"Says the frumpy one?"

"I KNEW IT, I DO LOOK FRUMPY!"

. . .

Qrow stared deep into Lily's eyes as the sun set, shops in Vale just beginning to turn on their outdoor lights. Church bells sounded as somewhere, someone was getting married.

It was not the two of them.

"Well...no offense, but this was bloody horrible, Qrow."

Qrow winced as he recalled the evening the two of them had just had. While it hadn't been the worst date that he had ever been on...it certainly deserved to be in the top three...bottom three? Though that wasn't through any conscious effort on either of their parts. Rather, it had simply been painfully awkward for them to interact with each other without anyone else in the mix to break the tension; well, that and a few accidents that he attributed to his 'Branwen luck'. Hopefully Lily wouldn't hold it against him.

"Yeah, well...sorry."

Lily waved it away.

"Not your fault, Qrow. At least now I can get Clover off my back about going out with someone, at least for the next few months."

Qrow nodded; he'd been getting similar treatment from Sirius, though whether his apprentice was being genuinely supportive or just being his usual irreverent self was another matter entirely.

"So...wanna go get drunk and forget this ever happened?"

"Oum yes. You're buying."

. . .

Twenty Months after arrival

Harry and Ruby stared at each other with gimlet eyes, threat pouring from every pore as they stalked their prey. Neither would budge to allow the other predator access to the last bountiful morsel, yet neither was willing to make the first move. Fingers twitched as the tension increased, the very air thrumming with suppressed energy.

One room over, Taiyang and Remus watched with amusement as the pair of two year olds circled around the table.

Looking up from her show, Yang noticed her father and her father's Faunus friend suppressing grins as they looked into the dining area.

"Are they doing the thing again?"

"Yeah" said Tai.

"Ten Lien says Harry gets it this time." replied Remus.

"Oh, I am so in on that action, man. Come on Ruby, daddy wants him some monaaay~"

Back in the kitchen, Harry ignored the sweatdrop that threatened to trail into his eye; one finger twitch too far from Ruby and he lunged, sweet sweet victory in his grasp—

"HAH!" screamed Ruby, and in a blur of motion, the last cookie was snatched up from the table. The toddler cackled maniacally as she ran away, the cookie held over her head.

"It's mine! My own! MY PRECIOUS!"

Harry ran after her, his babyish features scrunched up in righteous indignation.

"Come on, at least give me half! Pleeaaaase!?"

"No, I won it fair and square! This cookie ain't big enough for the two of us! HahahaHAHA"

As the two barrelled around the Xiao Long-Rose residence in reckless abandon, Remus turned to Tai with a sour look on his face. He removed his wallet and slowly slid out a single card of Lien.

"I swear she's faster than any two year old has a right to be…"

Tai shrugged good naturedly and patted him on the shoulder in condolence.

"Don't I know it. Summer and I think she'll probably have some sort of speed Semblance when she grows up. Kid's got moves. But that's neither here nor there." Tai flexed his hand in front of Remus' face. "Pay up, wolfy. That's my Lien you're holding."

Rolling her eyes at the two adults, Yang turned her attention back to her show. The Last Aurabender was on and she didn't want to miss anything.

. . .

Two Years after arrival

Clover stabbed a ravioli and gestured with it to Remus, clearly annoyed.

"And then! And then Schnee had the nerve to call our qualifications into question! That no good, stuck up, half witted—"

Remus halted the building tirade by laying his hands on top of Clover's.

"Believe me, I understand. But you were approved, so something must have happened?"

Clover nodded.

"Ironwood, surprisingly. As the new kid on the block, I didn't think he'd stick up for two unknown researchers from Vale, but he did. He voted Schnee down, thank Oum. So, we're finally out of bureaucratic limbo, even with the Mistril council opposing us on principle. As of today, Lily's Grimm repellant is officially approved by three of the four Kingdoms and is ready to be produced. Here's to success and shoving it in that asshole's face."

Clover stabbed another ravioli and chewed it with particularly vindictive pleasure. Remus grinned fondly and settled back into his chair.

"That's good news. How do you think this is going to change things?"

Clover shrugged, pursing her lips.

"Lily and I had a number of long talks with Ozpin and the teachers at Beacon about the Grimm Repellant. Lily's method isn't really scientifically viable for mass production, and Lily doesn't know of any shortcuts that aren't...suspicious in nature." Clover stressed the word, leaving unspoken the implied 'magical'. "Still, despite that, if a few labs start churning the repellant out, there should be a steady enough supply for all active duty Huntsmen and Huntresses to have a can. It'll be expensive, but the ability to ward away Grimm for several days is worth it."

Remus nodded in agreement. While he didn't speak with Lily as much these days (most of his time being spent working for Tukson or attending various White Fang events, along with occasional dates with Clover), he knew enough about her pet project to extrapolate. The Grimm repellant was composed of a can of aerosolized Dust that had been altered to both deter and harm Grimm who came into contact with it. The Dust could be used as a form of Grimm pepper spray for a last resort, though the main use would be to create a "sort of temporary, conceptual electrified fence when you spray it on the ground" in Lily's own words. It wasn't a physical obstacle, so a Grimm sufficiently enraged would chance charging through, but that action would dull the monsters senses and slow its reflexes, making it weaker and much easier to kill. Smarter Grimm would simply wait outside the bounds of the repellant or move around it, unless the Huntsman sprayed it on themselves; preliminary testing had revealed that most Grimm would follow such an individual, but not attack. Though all of the scientists had agreed that spraying oneself with the repellant wasn't a good long term idea as it did present a significant health risk.

Still, despite it not being quite what Lily had wanted, the Grimm Repellant was expected to sell hugely well among Huntsmen and Huntresses, as well as other groups like the Atlesian military and the White Fang. The ability to partially seal off areas that would otherwise be considered indefensible was a huge boon, and the Vale Council had jumped at the chance to toot their own horn that their scientist was the one to come up with such a technology, instead of Atlas. Though, Remus supposed, Lily did have a rather unfair advantage, being a witch and all.

Clover took a sip from her champagne glass and resumed speaking.

"The best part is that with a product successfully out of limbo, Lily can get all of her other stuff processed that much more quickly. I know for a fact that she's going to be meeting with Ozpin to approve tests for other custom aerosols, like the Concealment Dust."

Remus nodded, spinning the fork around in his hand idly.

"It seems that things are looking up for the two of you. I'm glad that Lily has a good friend like you by her side."

Clover smiled brightly.

"True. But don't forget, I'm by your side too, Remus."

Remus raised an eyebrow before smirking.

"And I'm by yours, Bun-bun."

Clover's smile turned into a blush.

"That's such an embarrassing nickname. Couldn't you have picked something a little bit more...dignified?"

"It suits how adorable you look all the time."

Clover's blush deepened. She reached for her fork and stabbed the last ravioli, trying to regain her footing. Upon trying to her chew it, her eyes shot open and she spat the ravioli out in shock. Something hard tinked on her plate.

"What the hell is that?"

Sifting through the half chewed ravioli, Clover withdrew a moderately slimy golden ring. She looked up at Remus, thunderstruck.

Remus laughed awkwardly, not meeting Clover's eyes.

"It was Sirius' idea to put it in the ravioli. He thought it was romantic. Or maybe he just wanted to mess with you...so...umm." Remus tensed, suddenly moving down on one knee, eyes still avoiding Clover's face. "Clover Scarlatina...would you be willing to marry a man like me?"

Still looking away, Remus waited several moments as he waited for her response. Finally, he felt a finger tip his chin upwards.

"Not a man like you, no. You though...I'd be willing to take that step."

Remus blinked in momentary shock before a blinding grin grew on his face.

"YES!"

. . .

Thirty Months after arrival

Lily smiled as one of her two remaining Earthly friends walked forward, arm in arm with her closest Remnantian friend as melodic music filled the air. The two of them strode into a clearing in the center of the guests' seating, and turned towards each other as friends and family looked on.

It occurred to Lily that in attending this wedding, she had now witnessed three very different wedding ceremonies for three very different cultures. While British Muggle Weddings typically took place either in Anglican churches or at an 'Approved Premises' like an old castle or a hotel, and British Wizarding weddings were almost always held at the husband's ancestral household, Valish weddings tended to happen in the huge, open air pavilions that worshippers of Oum used to congregate in. People sat in chairs, or beanbags, or even on the bare flagstones; this was no place for decorum, but for joy.

Remus grasped Clover's hands and smiled at her, drinking in his fiance's features for a long moment. At this moment, he considered himself to be the luckiest fool in the world. In any world.

The clearing of a throat caught Remus' attention, and he dropped Velvet's hands. To the side, Tukson smiled back at the happy couple, and he hefted the sword on his shoulder.

"Ready to get on with it, wolfy? We don't have all day."

A ripple of laughter spread through the assembled, and Remus nodded, a slight dusting of red on his cheeks.

Tukson nodded back and swung the sword down until its tip was buried in the ground.

"Remus Lupin. Clover Scarlatina. Today, you stand before us, separated. Two souls united by love. Two souls who stand before the eyes of Oum. Two souls who have come together with the intent to become one. What say you?"

Remus fixed his eyes on Clover and said "Aye."

Clover smiled back at him and responded "Aye."

Tukson looked between the two of them and said "A hand for the sword and a hand for the heart."

Remus and Clover reached out one hand to touch the sword between them and reached out with the other to clasp their partner's hand.

Tukson smiled and turned slowly, surveying the assemblage.

"If anyone among us has any objections to this union, speak now, or forever may you be silent."

No one spoke up, and Tukson continued. He laid his own hands over theirs, the three of them grasping the sword together. Briefly, Tukson glowed, an auburn corona of Aura flaring around him. In response, Clover flared maroon, while Remus gained a dun coloured corona. Tukson removed his hands and his Aura subsided, but Remus and Clover remained connected, striations of their partner's colour flickering in each of their Auras, the two mixing together in concert.

"Then, let your souls become one. Now and forever, for there is no futility, even in death. You may now kiss."

Lily and the surrounding guests burst into applause as Remus and Clover became, officially, husband and wife.

. . .

After the ceremony concluded, the celebration began. Tables were brought out and assembled, food and drink laid out, and guests mingled freely. Soon, music was blaring as guests formed an informal dance floor area, attendants pairing off or staying in large groups to dance.

Lily leaned against one of the columns of the pavilion, glass in hand. She smiled as Clover approached her and raised her drink.

"Congratulations are in order for the blushing bride. I can't think of a cuter bun-bun for it to happen to."

Clover buried her head in her hands and moaned.

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

Lily grinned fiercely.

"Nope! Come on, let's dance. Show your boss some moves, bun-bun."

Sirius laughed as he watched Lily drag Clover onto the dance floor.

"You'd better watch it Moony, or Lily's gonna steal your wife away from you."

Remus snorted, furiously scratching one of his ears.

"Somehow, I doubt that. Neither of them are the type to do something like that. Unlike a certain other someone I could name."

Sirius clutched at his chest.

"Do you mean little old me? Egad, your words do me great injustice."

"I could've been talking about Qrow."

Sirius rolled his eyes good naturedly, and picked up a champagne glass.

"All jokes aside...it's good to see you like this, Remus. I always wanted you to find someone to settle down and be happy with...I know James felt the same way."

Remus' lips twisted upwards as he too picked up a glass, staring into its amber depths.

"To the Marauders?"

"To the Marauders."

Their glasses clinked together and they drank, a momentary calm lapsing over them in the heart of the festivities. Then, Sirius set his glass down, straightened his tie, and set out with a determined look in his eye.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Remus, I have a date to make."

Remus raised an eyebrow slightly then shrugged.

"Far be it from me to stop a friend of mine. Who did you have your eye on?"

Sirius grinned dervishly and jerked his head towards a certain blonde haired Academy professor.

Remus' eyebrow hiked higher.

"Goodwitch? You do realize you're going to get shot down harder than that one time you attempted to ask out Madam Hooch."

Thirty Two Months after arrival

On an island to the north of Vale, a murder of Nevermores gathered. Their unblinking eyes stared down at the corpses of Beowolves and fellow Nevermores that littered the ground, black smoke rising off of their unnatural bodies. One of the Nevermore idly picked at a Beowolf corpse, opening up large holes in its disintegrating form.

Several hundred meters away, a man watched the Nevermores from the safety of an overhang. His hair was greying and dishevelled, and a manic gleam was present in his sole remaining natural eye; the other eye glowed with an artificial red light.

"Test batch number fourteen, Serum A267. Control has been excellent, all basic commands have been met and acted upon. Subjects designated NVM one through nine have all survived the process with minimal signs of mental deterioration. Subjects ten through fifteen have succumbed to savagery and were torn apart by drone fire. Beowolf control group were all eradicated as well, need to capture more of those. Pity, such potential. Serum A267 is showing much promise."

Jules Merlot scribbled with a stylus as he took down notes on his Scroll. His motions grew increasingly erratic as he kept writing.

"Twenty years Ozpin! Twenty years since you shut me down and threw me out! I tried to show you at the time, that they could be used, to create a better tomorrow. But they weren't ready, no, not yet. My children still needed time, and now, they have had time, and they are so close! So close to perfection! From monsters, I will create soldiers! From chaos, I will bring order! The false faces of the kingdom will be torn off, humanity rallied behind their former enemies as we set out to reclaim Remnant, together!"

Merlot giggled to himself, overtook with emotion, before he shook himself violently.

"Must stay focused. Not ready yet. But so close. So close."

The moon slowly rose over the island of the Grimm and the madman who sought to change them into weapons against their own kind.

I know some of you are going to hate the fragmentary nature of this chapter. I'm not sure how I feel about it either, but if I ever want to get to the good stuff (which is coming, I promise), I can't spend forever dallying around, building relationships and such.

On the subject of Sirius flirting with Hooch; according to the wiki, Hooch is supposedly almost as old as Dumbledore; yet for the life of me, I cannot see it given her being played by a woman in her fifties in the first Harry Potter film. So either Madam Hooch is somewhat inhuman, or the wiki is just plain wrong.

On the subject of the wedding; yeah, it's rushed. But I did try to not make it a standard Western church wedding. I integrated Aura into the process in as natural a manner as I could. Side note on that, the ceremony doesn't actually fully unlock a person's Aura if it is locked. It takes the energy from the person swearing the couple in and uses that to mix each person's Aura before it disperses. This is mostly symbolic, though it does form a VERY minor empathic bond. Sorry, no magical telepathy, partners just get a vague sense when their partner is in danger.

Anyways...tell me whatcha think. Until next time. Hopefully it won't be six months until then *hahaha*dead