"Albus, they're awful! I've seen the way those people treat him. It is not safe for a child to grow up in that environment!" Minerva McGonagall was pacing angrily back and forth in front of Albus Dumbledore's desk, voice echoing around the large room so that the paintings mounted on the wall glared at her as she passed.

"But it is far more dangerous if he stays elsewhere. You know that," Albus replied calmly, "Lily died for Hari and that created a protection that can only be maintained if he stays with his family."

Minerva huffed, stopping to glare at Albus, hands on her hips. "Surely there's another way, Albus! Hari is only four and he sleeps in a cupboard under the staircase! The last time I went to check on them, he looked as though he weighed about the same as my cat form! You can't possibly expect him to be healthy much longer in this condition!"

"Minerva—"

"I'll take him if I have to! I have plenty of space in my house so he wouldn't have to sleep in a bloody cupboard and I have space in my wards here as well!" Minerva exclaimed, pointing a finger directly in Albus' face, cheeks growing slightly pink with her rising anger. "Monthly visits to the Dursley's perhaps, so that he still can maintain your blood ties with them but he can grow up healthy instead of malnourished and abused!"

Albus fixed Minerva with a searching look, taking in her every micro expression, leaving Minerva exposed. She closed off her mind, tutting at his habit of Legilimency whenever it suited him. He sighed, pressing his fingers together on top of his desk, still watching Minerva wandering back and forth in frustration.

Ever since leaving Hari on the step of the Dursley house, she made regular visits to their garden wall to keep an eye on little Hari and watched with growing futility as they ignored and belittled and ostracised the small child. He was a jumpy, easily frightened child that jumped at every sudden noise and was quick to cower at quick movements, making Minerva's fur stand on end from where she watched on the garden wall. Now, after another trip to Privet Drive in which she saw Vernon Dursley shout at Hari to tears for accidentally knocking over a potted plant that didn't even break. As his fist had raised and Hari flinched, that was the final straw that sent Minerva Apparating straight to Hogsmeade and marching up to Albus' office.

"I will consider it, Minerva…" Albus said, breaking Minerva out of her thoughts. She paused, peering over her shoulder at the older man staring at her over his spectacles.

Once she processed his words, Minerva straightened up, turning to face him directly. "Good. Consider it very carefully, Albus because if you want the boy to be even remotely healthy or happy, you have to do something…" And with her final words, Minerva excused herself from his office and made her way back towards her home in the Highlands.

¤¤¤

"... and that is a flutterby bush. It only has flowers once a century," Minerva was explaining almost a month later, walking around the back garden of her Caithness household, tiny four year old Hari held on her hip as she showed him around. Minerva glanced down at her watch. "It's already almost half past noon! Would you like some lunch, Hari?"

The messy haired four year old nodded, face lighting up in excitement. Minerva smiled fondly and carried Hari back towards the house, setting about making them both some lunch. Hari watched in fascination as she made the cutlery and food float about the kitchen, preparing themselves at the simple flick of a wand.

Almost a fortnight after Minerva stormed into Albus' office, she received a letter through Fawkes the phoenix, telling her to come to the castle immediately. There they discussed the complicated aspects that would go into Minerva raising Hari for most of the time, the various wards and enchantments and charms they would need to place on her house in order to ensure Hari's safety when he was no longer at Privet Drive. There was endless paperwork and meetings she had to go through, including an inspection from the Wizarding Childhood Protection Force.

Finally, after almost a month of planning and sleepless nights, Minerva arrived on the doorstep of Privet Drive once again, dressed in plain Muggle clothes, prepared to collect Hari and sign off the last paperwork giving her custody of him. She was in and out of the house in less than fifteen minutes, helping to pick up the box full of everything Hari owned, which was sickeningly empty.

Hari had been understandably wary of Minerva at first, staring up at her with his big green eyes that reminded her fondly of one of her favourite students and tugged at her heartstrings as she realised how neglected the child had been. After shrinking his items down to fit inside her coat pocket and taking the Knight Bus back home, Minerva helped Hari to unpack before showing him around the house.

"Are you a witch?" Hari asked as Minerva magically hovered their plates over to the dining table to eat their lunch. She couldn't help but notice how his voice went quiet on the last word.

"I am," she replied easily, smiling as Hari immediately began eating his sandwich. "And you're a wizard," she added.

Hari stared up at her with wide eyes once again, sandwich lying forgotten on his plate. "Really? I can do magic?" he asked, excitement evident on his face.

"Not yet, but once you get a little older, I should think."

"Cool!" Hari exclaimed, returning to his lunch immediately.

¤¤¤

A few weeks later, Hari's fifth birthday was coming up and Minerva was attempting to contact as many of James and Lily's known school friends to invite them over for dinner. She knew for a fact that Hari would not have had a birthday party since his first one and was adamant that this time he was able to celebrate his birthday surrounded by loving people bearing presents. Of course, she couldn't invite too many people as she knew Hari would be scared of all those strangers, but a handful would do.

In the end, Remus Lupin, Kingsley Amadioha and Rubeus Hagrid came to visit. While Hari was in the living room, playing with the new Hogwarts Express model Minerva got him for his birthday, Minerva answered the door to find Remus was the first to arrive. He looked exhausted, heavy bags under his formerly bright eyes and his clothes were somewhat loose on his thin frame. Minerva let him inside, keeping quiet about his unwell experience as she remembered how recent the full moon had been.

"How is he?" Remus asked in a whisper as he followed Minerva into the kitchen, carrying a small wrapped up present in trembling hands.

"He looks almost exactly like James," she replied, "His hair is just as untidy, mind you." Remus laughed awkwardly, shifting from foot to foot. Minerva opened her mouth to continue or to offer him a cup of tea, but was cut off by another knock at the door. "Excuse me, Remus. I'll go get that."

Remus was glancing around the kitchen, nervously drumming his fingers along the wrapped paper when he heard a door open. He glanced up at the sound and almost dropped the present on the ground as a tiny, miniature James creeped into the room, looking up at him. Remus stared at the small, alarmingly thin child, at a complete loss for words. He was the spitting image of his father with his wavy dark hair and his tawny brown skin, but for the lightning scar on his forehead and Lily's vibrant, piercing green eyes which stared directly at him right now. He had almost forgotten how he had her eyes…

"Remus is just through here, Kingsley…" Minerva was saying, leading the other guest inside. "Oh, I see Hari has come in." Kingsley stopped just inside the doorway, looking down at Hari as the child turned to fix his gaze on the new person. Minerva crouched down in front of Hari, noticing his unease at the two new visitors. "Hari, this is Kingsley. He went to school with your dad." She gestured behind her at Kingsley. "And that's Remus. He was one of your dad's best friends."

Hari nodded understandingly and moved around the kitchen table towards Remus. He froze, clutching the present for dear life. He hadn’t seen Hari in almost 3 years and was far more unprepared to see him again than he thought. "I know you," Hari said simply, blinking up at Remus.

"D-do you?" he asked, tilting his head. Hari couldn't possibly remember him, could he?

Hari nodded. "Minnie showed me your photos with my mum and dad," Hari explained. Remus glanced up at Minerva at Hari's nickname for her. Hari jumped as another knock on the door came. "Are you both wizards, too?" Hari asked, looking back and forth between Kingsley and Remus.

"Yes, we are," Kingsley replied in his deep voice. Hari nodded in understanding.

"Shall we take this to the back garden since it's a nice day?" Minerva suggested, returning to the kitchen doorway.

Everyone made their way through the large double doors leading out into the back garden where a large table materialised immediately. Hagrid appeared around the corner of the house, beaming at those in the garden. Hari's eyes bulged as he took in the massive man standing in front of him, holding a slightly squashed looking cake box in one of his huge hands. As he looked down at Hari, his eyes began to tear up.

"Hello there!" Hagrid greeted, waving cheerfully at Hari despite the tears. Hari ignored the other adults setting up the table with the food and presents. "I'm Hagrid."

"Hello," Hari said, still wide eyed. "I'm Hari Potter." Hagrid laughed weakly. "Are you a wizard?"

Minerva glanced up from the table at Hari's question. "Sorry, Hagrid. Hari's favourite question is to ask everyone he meets if they're a witch or wizard," she explained to a bewildered Hagrid.

He waved his hand dismissively. "No matter, Minerva," he replied heartily, "Aye, I suppose you can call me a wizard."

A little while later, everyone was sitting around the table Minerva conjured up, digging into the large chocolate cake Hagrid had brought or the green and red sheet cake Minerva already had made. Hagrid, sitting in a magically enlarged chair at the head of the table, was already deep into a conversation with Kingsley while Hari insisted on asking Remus a multitude of strange questions.

"Can you make things float like Minnie?"

"Can you fly?"

"What's your favourite colour?"

"What's your favourite food?"

"Can you make things turn into other stuff?"

Remus took Hari's questions in stride, growing more comfortable as the time went by. He had missed seeing Hari grow up, thankful that he could finally see him once again, even if it was still quite painful. The last time Remus had seen him, James and Lily had been alive. How remarkably like his parents Hari looked did nothing to help him forget about this. But as Hari continued to bombard the whole table with questions about magic or mundane childish queries, he found himself laughing with ease once again, cheeks sore from smiling so much again.

As Hari went to bed that night, he was talking almost nonstop. It had been the best birthday he could ever remember. Remus gifted him with a children's book, Beedle the Bard, which he immediately made Remus read him one of the stories; Kingsley got him a large stuffed dragon which roared like a real dragon; and Hagrid gave Hari his very own knitted bobble hat, made in a vibrant green with a yellow and red bobble on the top. Minerva shushed the chattering Hari as she tucked him into bed with his stuffed dragon, promising to read him more of the Beedle the Bard stories the next day.

Hari fell asleep quickly, smiling at the best birthday he had in years.