"Hari, dear, please be careful up there," called Minerva at the adventurous 6 year old currently climbing far too high up a tree in the garden, surely giving Minerva several new grey hairs. She was standing in the back door leading to the kitchen of their Caithness house, watching carefully while still talking to Remus sitting on the patio seat with a book. "He really is like James sometimes, isn't he?" she said, turning to Remus.

He looked up from his book and over at Hari swinging from one of the branches, giggling to himself. Remus snorted, marking the page in his book and putting it on the table. "Almost certainly. Hopefully he doesn't get his rule breaking habit as well,” Remus replied, still watching Hari over in the tree.

"I certainly hope not. You and your friends gave me enough grey hairs, as it is!" Minerva exclaimed, lifting Remus' book and swatting his arm playfully. "He's certainly looking to be getting his love of riding a broom as well, I might add. He hasn't stopped pestering me about it for weeks."

"Like father like son," Remus replied casually, getting up from his seat and following Minerva into the kitchen where she poured them each a glass of lemonade. "I don't know how you manage to take care of him, Minerva. You're doing an impeccable job," Remus commented, leaning one hand on the table. Minerva was glancing out the window into the garden as Hari clambered out of the tree.

"I couldn't just leave him at the Dursley's for good. I couldn't live with myself," she replied simply, taking a sip of her drink. "He's certainly boisterous, but he keeps me on my toes and I really do adore him."

Remus walked over to stand next to her and look out the window as well. He bumped his shoulder lightly into hers. "It would mean a lot to James and Lily, you know. Having you to take care of Hari like he's your own. You didn't have to do it and yet you did." He cleared his throat awkwardly, eyes burning and he turned away from Minerva. He shouldn't be so choked up over this.

"Really, it's worth it. I wouldn't ask for anything more," she replied, eyeing him from the side and moving back outside. Hari was now crouching on the ground, poking a snail in the dirty with a twig. "How was the last full moon? It was last week, wasn't it?" she asked, turning away from Hari once again.

Remus took a sip of his lemonade while he came up with a reply. "It… wasn't the worst I've had. They're never very pleasant, but I managed," Remus replied slowly, settling back in his chair. Their conversation ended as Hari, learly bored of climbing trees and harassing snails, jogged over to join them at the table. "Hello, Hari. Did you enjoy the tree?" Remus asked conversationally, giving Hari a one armed hug.

Hari nodded. "Yeah! Did you see how high I got?" he asked excitedly. "Minnie, can I please have some lemonade as well?" Minerva rolled her eyes but nodded, going back inside to get Hari his own drink. Hari sat down in the seat across from Remus, drumming his fingers on the table. "Did you see how high I got, Rem?" Hari asked again.

"I did indeed. Be careful, though. You don't want to scare Minnie, do you?" he joked, winking. "Did you enjoy your birthday last week? I'm sorry I had to miss it."

Minerva returned with a glass of lemonade, which she placed in front of Hari. "Thank you, Minnie!" he chimed, picking the glass up with both hands. "It was really fun! Thank you for the Chocolate Frog and the Quidditch poster! Minnie let me put it on my wall!" Remus laughed, telling Hari it was no trouble at all.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for dinner, Remus? You look far too thin," Minerva was saying a couple hours later after Remus denied her offer of another glass of Firewhiskey while they were sitting in the living room.

"I'm very sure, Minerva. Thank you for the offer." He waved his hand, moving towards the front door. Minerva gave him a stern look, still holding onto the half finished bottle of Ogden's. Sensing she wouldn't take no for an answer, Remus let his shoulders drop with a sigh. "Alright, I'll stay for dinner." Hari, who had been watching this whole exchange from where he had been sitting reading a book on the floor, jumped up at the prospect of having dinner with Remus.

"Come. It won't take long."

"I can help. I know how to cook," Remus offered as they walked into the kitchen. Hari hopped onto the stool Minerva got him so that he could help her in the kitchen, leaning his elbows on the counter and watching the two adults talking. "It's the least I can do."

"Nonsense, Remus. I can cook perfectly well on my own," Minerva insisted. "Hari, why don't you show Remus the poster on the wall while I cook?"

"Okay!" Hari jumped off the stool and grabbed Remus' hand, pulling him towards the stairs leading up to his bedroom. Hari's bedroom was small yet comfortable with a bed, a closet and a small desk and chair. He had a window looking out into the back garden, covered with small curtains in a thick maroon which matched his bedspread. On the wall behind his bed, Hari had stuck up a poster depicting the current Seeker of the Montrose Magpies who flew around the poster trying to catch a snitch. He also had a few photos of his parents, a photo with Remus and a few with Minerva and Hagrid and even a photo of Hogwarts castle.

"It certainly fits in perfectly with the room, Hari," Remus commented as they stepped inside the room. Hari picked up a book from the floor and put it on top of the desk, mentally reminding himself to put it back on the bookshelf downstairs later. "Is it permanently attached?" Remus asked, stepping closer to inspect the poster.

Hari shook his head, hopping onto his bed and bouncing slightly on his knees. "No, I wanted to bring it to Hogwarts as well," Hari explained. He crawled over to the wall and carefully pulled the photo of him and Remus off the wall, showing it to the latter. The photo was taken when Remus came to visit during Christmas break last year, taken in the back garden. There was snow covering the trees and the ground behind them as Hari laughed from where he was sitting on Remus' back, arms wrapped around his neck while they both grinned at the camera. "I like to have this in my room at Hogwarts as well," Hari said as Remus smiled at the photo. The Hari in the photo waved at him, still grinning widely.

"It's a good photo," Remus commented, handing it back to Hari so he could replace it on the wall with some spellotape from his desk. "I like the one of you and Minerva there, too. When was that taken?" Remus asked, gesturing to one of the photos where Hari was holding Minerva's hand while they stood in a cobblestone street somewhere.

"That's Godric's Hollow. We went with Hagrid during Easter break," Hari replied, missing the way Remus' smile fell from his face at the mention of Godric's Hollow. He had only returned to that village on 2 other occasions since James and Lily died, finding it too painful to return otherwise. Hari pointed to another photo of him and Minerva. "I think that one was just in Hogwarts or something. I can't remember." He pointed to the photo of his parents. "Hagrid said that was after they got married. I think that one's my favourite."

Remus nodded, blinking back tears and sitting down beside Hari. Sometimes it became almost unbearable to think about. Hari, clearly having noticed something was wrong, froze mid-sentence where he had been talking about Hagrid. He sat down next to Remus, warm against his side. Remus stilled at the feeling. "I'm okay, Hari," he muttered, not even convincing himself as his voice cracked on Hari's name.

"D'you want a hug?" Hari asked, peering up at Remus. He was far too intuitive for his age, Remus thought. Whether he got it from Lily or from living with Minerva, he didn't know.

"Okay."

Hari immediately wrapped both of his arms around Remus, shuffling until he was sitting sideways on his lap and tucked his face into Remus' neck. Holding in a small sob, Remus hugged Hari back, allowing him to tuck his head under his chin. He was a comforting weight, small and warm in his embrace. "I love you, Uncle Remus," Hari whispered into his shoulder and this time, Remus couldn't hold in the cry, tightening his hold around Hari.

"I love you, too, Hari."

He could feel Hari smiling against him and suddenly the door opened slowly to reveal Minerva. She looked at Remus' teary, bloodshot eyes and Hari tucked under his chin and smiled knowingly, walking out of the room silently to let them have their moment.

A few minutes later, Remus followed Hari back downstairs for dinner, feeling a bit better. Hari talked endlessly during dinner, telling them both about his book about a magical garden between bites. Remus and Minerva laughed at his stories and asked him questions during his pauses, sharing looks every so often when Hari reminded them of either James or Lily. Eventually, when Hari yawned several times during dessert, Minerva left Remus alone while she went to put Hari up to bed.

When she returned a few minutes later, he was carrying a bottle of elf-made wine and conjured up a pair of glasses, gesturing towards the living room. They sat down around the coffee table, Minerva in her usual armchair and Remus on the couch and she poured them both a glass. They sat in comfortable quiet for a few minutes, occasionally sipping at their wine or glancing out the window at the noises outside. Remus was almost halfway through his first glass, watching a squirrel sitting on the window ledge outside, when Minerva broke the silence.

"Was it the photos on Hari's wall?" she asked, putting her glass on the coffee table and sitting upright, reading his expressions closely. Remus adjusted in his seat, filling the silence with another sip of wine.

Finally, Remus bobbed his head up and down. "It was the photo in Godric's Hollow," he replied.

"Ah, I remember that photo. Hagrid suggested the idea to me at last minute," said Minerva, "I did not take him to see the house, but we put some flowers on the headstone and he sat talking to them for a bit while Hagrid and I walked through the other rows."

"It sounds like a nice visit."

Minerva nodded, finishing the last of her wine and pouring more into both glasses. "It was. I think Hari liked it," she replied, "Have you been since, well. Since it happened?" She eyed Remus over the rim of the glass.

"Only twice. I went to the funeral, of course." He fiddled with the handle of his glass, avoiding eye contact with his former teacher. "I went shortly after Hari came to live here, actually. I felt as though I should tell them about him living with you, now, instead of the Dursleys." He laughed humorlessly, bitterly, downing the entire glass of wine and putting it on the table. "It sounds stupid saying it aloud."

"Of course it doesn't," Minerva remarked, her sharp tone making him look up at her. She was fixing him with a knowing, sympathetic smile. "I actually went to visit them around then, too. I stopped by to say hello to Bathilda Bagshot and told the headstone…" Minerva took a deep breath, pausing. Remus could not think of a time where she looked more upset, not since the funeral. "I promised I would take good care of Hari."

Remus huffed a laugh. "So we're both sentimental about the Potters, then?"

Minerva pulled a handkerchief out of the inside pocket of her robes and dabbed her eyes with it. "Yes, I believe we are," she replied, offering the handkerchief to Remus. "The four of you might have been quite the handful when I taught you, but it was impossible not to be fond of you. James drove me up the walls almost daily, of course, but he was a good student and an even better person."

"I'm sorry for all the trouble we must have caused, though."

Minerva waved her hand dismissively and scoffed. "Nonsense, Remus. I—Like I said, I adored all four of you."

Remus wiped another tear off his cheek using the pad of his thumb. He sniffled. "I think we all regarded you extremely highly. I know I do and you were James' favourite teacher," he replied softly, sniffing again. "I remember we all teased him when he wanted you to be the first to know they had Hari. He was adamant."

"I did not know about that."

"Oh, yes. He told you about finally getting with Lily before he even told me and–and the others," Remus laughed, shaking his head at the memory. "He came into the dormitory telling us about how you congratulated him and Sirius–Sirius fell out of bed as a result."

"I remember him coming to tell me. He burst into my office while I was marking essays and almost shouted 'She said yes! Lily said yes!' I had never seen him so excited than before then, not even when Gryffindor won the Quidditch cup again."

Remus sighed. He was conflicted talking about James. On the one hand, he loved talking about his friend, remembering the best parts about him and their friendship in a way that was closest to bringing him back. But on the other hand, he couldn't think about James without thinking of Sirius, leaving him bitter and heartbroken at the memory of his betrayal. As the clock on the wall chimed to signal it was midnight, Remus startled out of his thoughts, surprised to find his cheeks very wet and Minerva blowing her nose with the returned handkerchief.

"I should be going. It's late." Remus got up from his seat, brushing off his ill-fitting old trousers and Summoning his overcoat from the hall. He wiped the tears off his cheek and cleared his throat. "Thank you for having me, Minerva. It was lovely to see you and Hari."

Minerva bent down to pick up the flower pot full of Floo powder and handed it silently over to him. "It was no trouble, Remus. You must visit again soon," she insisted. Remus gave her a tight lipped smile and grabbed a handful of powder. "Hari has to visit the Dursleys next week, so I'd suggest you come after that so he has something to look forward to."

Remus nodded, leaned up to kiss Minerva on the cheek and said, "Thanks again. I'll write to you." He turned to the fireplace, tossed the powder onto the flames which burst up vibrant green and stated his address. With one last wave goodbye, he stepped inside the flames and disappeared a split second later, leaving Minerva alone once again, holding the pot to her chest.

She made her way up to bed shortly after, wiping her eyes on her handkerchief.

¤¤¤

A week and a half later, Minerva woke up with a start. She sat up abruptly in bed, looking around in the darkness for whatever had woken her up so suddenly. She reached for her glasses and nearly poked herself in the eye when she heard a distant shout. Eyes bulging, she threw her blankets off herself and hurried out of bed, moving across the small hallway towards where she could hear crying coming from Hari's room.

She opened the door with her hand on her wand, heart racing in her chest as she adjusted to the darkness. Hari, apparently still asleep, was thrashing around in his bed, calling out in his sleep. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to break it! I'm sorry!" Hari pleaded in his sleep. Minerva turned the light in her wand on and sat down at the foot of the bed. As Hari continued to cry out in his sleep, she gently woke up him up by shaking his shoulder slightly. Hari shot up as soon as she touched him, looking around wildly, chest heaving up and down. "M-Minnie?" he whispered anxiously into the darkness.

"I'm right here, Hari," she whispered, holding up her glowing wand. She could see Hari's wide eyed, terrified face in the beam of her wand and carefully reached out to brush a few of his curls out of his face. "Did you have a nightmare?" she asked, though she already knew the answer.

Hari nodded, pulling his knees up to his chest. "I-I broke a plate at the Dursleys' house and Uncle V-Vernon yelled at me for hours," Hari whispered. Minerva tightened the grip on her wand. "I d-dreamed I was b-b-back there, but this time Uncle Vernon was a snake." His bottom lip trembled and he hugged his knees tighter. "Can you turn into a cat?" Hari asked.

"Would you like me to?" Hari nodded. "If you like." Minerva shut her eyes and transformed easily into her Animagus form. Hari shuffled over to give her more room and Minerva walked across the bed and curled up beside Hari. Hari pressed his face into her soft fur and she bumped her pale pink nose against his forehead, tail flicking back and forth.

"Good night, Minnie," Hari whispered, burrowing under the covers and stroking her head. Minerva replied by licking his forehead a few times, making him giggle quietly.

Minerva listened closely for the sign that Hari had fallen back asleep, waiting for his breathing to slow to a steady pace and his heart rate to slow. Once she knew Hari was fast asleep, she curled up tighter, tucking herself half under the covers to get warm and covered her face with her paw. As an owl hooted softly overhead and the wind whistled in the distance, Minerva drifted off to sleep as well, Hari's breath warm as it fanned over her ears.