Dudley!?

Fuck.

“That’s-that’s not…” Lee looks up to see Madam Bones staring at the magic string in disbelief. 

Fuckity, fuck fuck fuck.

“Harry?” she breaths, eyes unmoving from the apparent impossibility in front of her.

Harry looks up from where he had been beaming at their new connection.

“This means I can stay with Lee, right?” he asks, giddy.

“Harry,” she starts again, her eyes finally moving from the string to him as she kneels in front of him. “Who takes care of you? Gives you hugs, holds your hand, reads you stories, tucks you into bed-“

“I can read my own books! Lee taught me! And I give him hugs and stuff too!” Harry answers.

“He… taught you to read?”

“And write! And about words and things and-and-“ 

“And what Harry?” she asks gently

Oh no. 

Even with everything Lee has taught him, he is only six, he could blurt anything out from their magic lessons to their potions to their trips to places they should not have access to.

“And he gave me all his toys, and his bed, and anything I want! He says he doesn’t want it, but I think he’s lying so that I’ll take it, but it makes him happy when I do, so I take them anyway.”

Aw Harry! Lee can’t help himself, he rushes forward to pull Harry into his arms and spin him around, making him giggle.

“I love you Harry,” he says once they’ve stopped.

“I love you too!” Harry beams, squeezing him tight.

They stay that way for a minute, before Madam Bones speaks, “I am sorry to have to interrupt, but we still need to talk about where you’ll be staying.”

Harry pulls back and whirls to demand, “what? But I thought I could stay with Lee now?!”

“You have to stay with Lee now, he is your magical guardian, magic will not let you be taken from him unless one of you agrees. So magically, yes, Lee is your guardian, but legally you cannot stay with the Dursleys, and Lee has to, unless they are proven to be unfit as parents,” she explains.

“They are bad parents!” Harry tries.

“Do you have proof?” she asks sadly.

Harry clenches his fists and frowns, before turning to Lee, complete trust in his eyes that he’ll figure it all out. And… Lee doesn’t want to go to Sirius, most of his freedom to do what he has to will be taken from him. As shitty as the Dursleys are, he can do whatever he wants here, but… he looks down at Harry’s wide trusting eyes, and remembers the same look being given to him in a cupboard under the stairs only a few years ago.

Harry is why he’s doing this.

He may not be his brother or his son, but Harry is his, and Lee will follow and protect him always.

He clenches his jaw, straightens his back, and looks forward, eyes determined. He sees Harry grin from the corner of his eye, and squeezes his hand once before letting go, opening the door and marching down the stairs.

‘Anything for Harry,’ he thinks as he walks down the hall, head held high, Harry and Madam Bones right behind him.

‘Anything for Harry,’ he thinks as he enters the living room to Sirius sitting on a couch looking unbothered by Vernons glare and Pertunias disgusted look from the couch across from him.

‘Anything for Harry,’ he thinks as he stops before his ‘parents’, raising his hands and making lights dance around them like fairies.

‘Anything for Harry,’ he thinks as Pertunia flinches away from him in disgust.

‘Anything for Harry,’ he thinks calmly as Vernon raises his fist to strike.

&&&

“Lee?!”

Harry.

“Lee?! Please!”

Harry’s upset. He forces his heavy eyes open, only to squeeze them shut again at the sharp pain in his temple.

“Lee!”

He tries again, managing it this time, only to see a crying Harry kneeling on the ground next to him.

“Harry,” there’s an argument going on somewhere around them. “I’m okay.”

Harry sniffles, lying next to Lee to wrap his arms around him and place his head on his chest.

“That freak infected him!” he hears Pertunia screech.

He closes his eyes tight, trying to block out the pain, the yelling, everything. Everything but Harry. He wraps his arm around him, pulling him impossibly closer as they just… lie there. Holding onto each other tightly.

“Harry?” Sirius’s voice is the first thing that breaks through to them.

Harry pulls back a little, just enough to blink up at the man, Lee opening his eyes too to see Madam Bones kneeling by his side.

“Lee? Can you hear me?” she asks, brows furrowed in concern.

“Mhm.”

“Okay, can you follow my finger with your eyes?”

He does so, wincing a little in pain when he looks too far left. Next she places her hand in his. “And squeeze.” 

Again he complies. She nods to herself, gently pushing back his hair to take a look at the injury.

“Good, can you tell me your cousins name?”

“George?”

“What?”

What? George is his-Wait, shit-

“Harry! He’s, right, Harry’s my cousin, we never really… call each other that? I mean, we’re not really, like, cousins?” he tries, trying to keep his mind in this life.

“Oh? What is he to you then?” she asks next, amusement overtaking concern.

“Apparently my son,” he can’t help but mutter.

“What?” Sirius says, startled.

Harry grins, pressing his face back into his side to hide his giggles and ignoring Sirius’s confusion.

“I’m too young to be a father,” Lee sighs.