Freedom without
As Remus ushered the students into his classroom, he tried his very best to not make it too obvious that he was gazing over at Harry. His heart broke a little when he saw the once happy and cheerful baby boy he knew was now meek and afraid.
Everyone took a seat in the class and Remus closed the door before looking over everyone in the class, eye drifting to Harry who was sat alone in the back corner of the classroom.
He looks just like James.. the brunette thought solemnly but his eyes, they might be the same colour as Lily's but he doesn't have the same light and happiness in them...
He let out a sigh before starting, "Hello everyone, I'm Mr Lupin and I'll be your teacher for the foreseeable!" he said happily, stealing a few more quick glances of the black haired boy. Remus couldn't help but notice the dark purple bruises peaking out from under his shirt collar and the ones that ever so slightly peered out from his mop of black hair.
His stomach sank.
He'd tried to keep it together for the rest of class, trying his absolute hardest not to let his voice waver, despite the fact his stomach lurched at the thought of what could've happened to the small boy. Eventually, he dismissed everyone for lunch time. Seen as Remus had lunch duty, he took the time to make small talk with the other teachers whilst watching Harry from the corner of his eye.
"So, Lupin, what did you do in university?"
"Oh, I studied history. Always found it interesting, even as a boy." he lied, already having practiced this answer if the question came up.
The other teachers began to talk amongst themselves before Remus interrupted within their brief moment of silent. He couldn't hold it in anymore, the feeling was eating him alive, not knowing Harry for all these years. He'd have to at least attempt to make up for lost time.
"So have any of you ever taught Harry Potter before?" he said casually.
"Harry Potter? Oh- yes! Wonderful, wonderful boy, very intelligent too, yes. Is a shame though..." one said.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, apparently, his parents both died in a car crash when the boy was only one, devastating really. Father had been a drunk, apparently off his face on drug and was completely sloshed." another gossiped.
"Ooou, yes! I heard he had a blood alcohol level of 0.3%! Killed himself and his wife on impact!" the other chimed back in with a gasp.
Remus clenched his fists, nails digging into palms trying his best not to retaliate, hearing his dear friends' names being tarnished like this. Lily and James Potter died heroes but the muggles would know nothing but their stupid rumours.
"Are you sure that's true?" Remus added, casually.
"Well, no, not completely." one teacher frowned, "But I mean, I heard it from the boy's uncle, Vernon. And i thought, well what sicko would make up such a horrible story about this little boy's dead parents? Figured it must be true!"
I'll tell you what sickos would make up such a story... he snapped internally.
"You have to feel bad for the boy though, bless 'im. Nothing but nice that kid, yet 'is uncle treats 'im like, ... well, shit.." added a third.
"How so?" Remus made futile attempts to regain composure.
"Never pays attention to 'im does 'e? 'Arry was in ma class last year, parents evening rolled round, couldn't help but gush about the kid, I couldn't! Very mature for 'is age I say!" Remus felt himself smile at this, he was definitely Lily's son, "Well I was tellin' Mr Dursley 'ow good 'Arry 'ad bin, but all 'e did was scowl at 'im. Even clipped the poor lad round the back of the 'ead when they walked away... Though, I 'eard 'is son, Dudley, is quite the yob. Always beatin' on other students, mainly 'Arry, actually! Dursley probably didn't like the fact that 'Arry was outshinin' Dudley."
Remus frowned in response, shoulders obtaining more tension than ever.
Before he mustered up a response the other supervisors began to call the children back to class. Some raced back into the school as others dragged their feet, dreading the next lesson.
Harry was limping, Remus noticed from the corner of his eye.
A very subtle limp, but most certainly apparent. He dawdled behind the rest of his classmates who were basically already inside, ready to make a start to the afternoon.
As they both finally reached the class, Remus decided he'd try to talk to Harry at the end of the day, maybe not mention the limp, as to not scare him away (Remus knew how much courage it took to stand up against your abusers, Sirius had taught him that much). He just wanted a friendly interaction with the boy, he'd have to get to know him one way or another- since both him and Sirius had plans of saving him from the Dursleys. Though, for now, the two had no idea what exactly they were even saving him from.
***
By the end of the day, Harry had decided he liked Mr Lupin. Maybe not trusted him just yet, but definitely liked him. He was a silly sort of teacher, let you play games and talk to friends in class (not that he'd had any friends to talk to).
At first he admits he was slightly intimidated by his new teacher's rough features, especially the scars that wound around his neck and stretched across his face.
Maybe Mr Lupin got in a car crash like mummy and daddy did... Harry had thought, after he saw the scars that brushed across Lupin's hands.
(But he shook his head at the thought, he didn't like to think about his parents, not like he could remember much about them anyway, but he was sure anywhere was better than the Dursleys).
Harry had liked all his other teachers, they'd only ever had nice things to say about him, but something about Lupin made him feel safe... It was weird, he almost felt as though he'd met his teacher before. But that couldn't be the case.
He was the last one in his class to collect his things from the coat wrack (he waited for everyone else to go first so he could avoid getting shoved, trying not irritate any of his newer wounds). As he began to put on his oversized, ragged coat and put his stuff back into his tattered backpack, Lupin began to stalk towards him, his long strides carrying his quickly across the classroom.
"Hello, Harry was it?" the teacher smiled.
He gave a timid nod, averting his emerald green eyes to the discoloured wooden floor boards.
"I just wanted to say, you did some impressive work in lessons today! I'll be lucky to have someone of your intelligence in my class." he chuckled heartily.
"-nks.." he murmured bashfully, twisting his hands around behind his back.
Lupin gave a slight "hm" of acknowledgment. Harry drew his eyes back to the tall man, tilting his head up.
"Harry I've... I've noticed that you don't spend much time with the other kids. Is there anything you'd like to tell me? You can trust me you know.."
Trust wasn't something that came easy for Harry. He was sure his parents trusted the Dursleys to take care of him, and not abuse him for something he couldn't control.
He'd decided to respond with a shrug, but Lupin frowned and Harry was filled with guilt.
"The other kids don't like me... Think I'm weird." he said, in a volume that was ever so slightly above a whisper.
"Why's that?" Lupin pressed.
Another shrug, "I dunno.. Dudley tells them so.."
"Well, Harry, I think being weird is more normal than not being weird..." he presented a warm grin that revealed his teeth that were crooked, to some degree.
He didn't know what to say, but what Mr Lupin had said made Harry smile faintly: he hadn't smiled in a long time, he wasn't sure if he ever had.
"I'm weird too, so it can't be so bad, can it?" the teacher said, crouching down to get eye level with Harry.
"That's not true... you're super cool.." the small boy said, embarrassed.
Lupin began to laugh, eyes creasing in the corner as he did so. "Well, as much as I appreciate it, I really am far from it.." he said in between chuckles, "Now then, what do you say we get you on your way home? I'm sure your family is waiting for you." he trailed off as he saw Harry's face drop and his eyebrows knit closely together.
The boy shuffled out of the class, limp still apparent, with Lupin following behind. He could feel his eyes bore holes into the back of his head.
Anxiously, he pulled the sleeves of his jumper over his hands, twisting the fabric around as they approached Uncle Vernon.
The seconded Vernon spotted him, Harry's posture immediately tensed and he flinched as Vernon roughly latched his brawny hand onto the ravenette's gaunt wrist, which was already covered in deep purple bruises. This was something that didn't go unnoticed to Mr Lupin.
"Where have you been?" Vernon spat, "Nevermind, hurry up now."
I wish I could stay at school all day... Harry thought as he was dragged away from school, Lupin's frown blurring more from distance (and as he began to switch his mind off in an attempt to block everything else out).
***
Remus apparated back to his shared flat with Sirius in quite a mood. He couldn't believed someone could treat a child in such a way.
Sirius sauntered out the kitchen, hearing his boyfriend return and sigh loudly upon collapsing onto the sofa.
"Alright, Moony? How's your first day as...." he trailed off after seeing the aggravated look upon the brunette's rough face.
"You should've seen him, Sirius..." he muttered, head in hands, "Bet every inch of him is bruised... he looks worse off than I do after a full moon. Limping and all sorts."
Taking long strides, Sirius made his way towards him and perched on the coffee table so he could be face-to-face with Remus. Though he did not respond, just listening to him as the brunette recounted the events of the day.
"He looks just like James." both of them smiled at this and said in chorus; "but he has Lily's eyes."
Remus, continued "Sharp as a whip too, just like the both of them! It's just..." he paused to release an exasperated sigh. "It's a real shame, you know? His eyes really are Lily's, but they have no life to them, no... no fucking happiness. Nothing. It hurts so much. They had so much love for him, Pads, but Voldemort has to fucking ruin everything." his eyes pricked with tears.
Sirius cupped the other's cheeks, wiping away the tears, gently, with his thumbs.
"You know what that Vernon has been saying about Prongs?"
The long haired ravenette shook his head.
"Been calling him a drunk."
He jumped back at this, rage instantly arising within him, "What?!"
"Imagine what Harry thinks, hearing that of his dad. I couldn't believe it. They said James had been drunk driving, killed himself and Lily on impact."
Sirius was getting riled up too, now. "I'm going to fucking kill that Dursley, son of a bitch."
"I think we'd all be better off if you did, to be honest." Remus scoffed.
They both sat in silence for a bit; processing what to say next.
"He's really not the same cheerful baby we aboth knew.." Remus whispered, "He looks so- so hollow, Padfoot. We need to get him out of there."
Sirius nodded, affirmatively. "I can try getting a bit closer to the house, peer in and see what they're actually doing to that poor boy. And, maybe I could start interacting with him? As Padfoot- of course."
"I'll try to build trust between us, I don't think he completely has yet." Remus said as he remembered the constant tense body language from Harry as he cowered away from him, the moment he'd seen him. "We have to help him."