History's Footnote

By the time Remus arrived at number four, Privet Drive, Harry’s aunt was already blown up like a balloon. It had absolutely nothing to do with him. 

At Rowan’s insistence, he’d taken a car instead of apparating, in order to not cause a scene in the muggle neighbourhood. Rowan had also hoped it would give Remus precious time to process the news, but Remus had chosen to use it to drive as fast as he could, and as angrily as he could.

He was still angry when he got out of the car, and stomped up to the front door. At the same exact moment, an even angrier Harry was storming out of it.

“Professor, what are you -?”

He was interrupted by a series of expletives being issued from the mouth of a rather displeased looking man with a large moustache. 

“COME BACK HERE AND PUT MY SISTER BACK TO NORMAL! SHE WAS RIGHT ABOUT YOUR BITCH MOTHER YOU KNOW!”

“Is this your uncle?” Remus asked.

“Yes.” Said Harry.

“Is it true you’ve just cursed his sister?”

“Well.. yeah, it is.” 

“Did she deserve it?”

Harry looked up, surprised. “Yes.” He replied.

“Good.” Said Remus and gestured towards his slightly beaten up old car. “Get in, let’s go.”

They were both silent for a long time on their drive home. Remus realised too late that it would have been good to think a little bit on his way. He was seeing shadows of Sirius at every corner, and it turned his veins to ice. 

“Professor…?”

The voice made him jump.

“Are… are you angry with me?”

Remus glanced at the boy, and noticed he was shrunk against the back of the car, as if trying to take up as little room as possible. It was Harry he had to focus on now; Harry he had to protect. Remus eased up on the gas a little. 

“Harry, are you hungry? There’s a service station coming up.”

“Er…”

“Where do you want to go?”

“Pizza Hut?”

Harry might have been confused by this change of tone, but he wasn't going to pass on an opportunity to eat properly.

Remus nodded and swerved off the road without indicating. It made the muggles behind him furious, but the car had a cushioning spell on it, so they hadn’t been in any real danger.

After they ordered, Remus lent in towards Harry. They were drawing a lot of stares with their faces full of scars, but they’d each had a lifetime of looks and it barely registered any more. He sighed, it was time to explain some things.

“I am not angry with you Harry. I am angry that you were left in that ridiculous excuse for a home for 12 years, and that nobody stopped it from happening. I will always fight to improve muggle-wizarding relations, and I’m sorry if I have done harm to those tonight. But for that man to say those things about Lily without knowing - without empathy , or…”

Remus’s speech started to fall apart, crushed under his emotion. He noticed that Harry looked scared, so he took a deep breath, and changed his tact slightly. There would be plenty of scary days ahead, for now - Harry was with him, and that was all he could do.

“... let’s just say, I can see now why Hagrid gave Dudley a tail.”

Harry grinned, and the tension was broken. 

“I once trapped him in a zoo exhibit, before I knew I had magic,” Harry admitted.

“You’d have made James very proud.”

*

When they arrived back at the Unicorn, Rowan was stood outside with Tarun Squires, looking very anxious. 

“I suppose you didn’t get my owl then?”

Right on cue, a small and battered owl landed on Remus’s shoulder. It seemed a few things were beginning to catch up with them. 

“Brilliant, thanks Jupiter.” The owl hooted balefully, and flew inside for refreshments.

“Well, you’re about to find out anyway… Dumbledore is here, and so is the Minister of Magic. I think the two of you are in a spot of trouble.”

*

Remus and Harry didn’t get back to Remus’s flat until past midnight. Back at the bookshop, Fudge had taken Harry into one room, and left Dumbledore with Remus, Rowan and Tarun. Tarun was used to his bookshop being frequented by all sorts, but the Minister of Magic was a new one for him. Remus noticed he’d hastily thrown a blanket over their leaflet section; a lot of what they were campaigning for was currently illegal, technically. After about half an hour, they were both finally released.

“So, are you expelled?” Asked Remus.

“No… not even a caution. It was weird, because I actually did it this time, not like the time with Dobby. What about you, will Dumbledore let me stay?” 

Harry seemed relatively unperturbed by being in trouble with the Minister of Magic. Remus reflected, not for the first time, how uniquely peculiar Harry’s interaction with the wizarding world had been. 

“Yes.” Remus didn’t mention how angry Dumbledore had been, or that he still wished Harry to return to the Dursley’s next Summer. He had a whole year to fight that battle.

“This Sirius guy… Sirius Black?” Harry ventured. “Should I be worried?”

Remus stiffened. The hairs on his arm lifted and he fought back bitter bile from the back of his throat. That name, issued so casually from Harry’s mouth, sat at odds with reality. Remus didn’t know how to begin to answer this one. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. He breathed in, trying to play the character of Professor Lupin instead.

“Yes, Harry. We should all be worried. Black… he’s a very bad wizard.”

“But I don’t understand - how did he escape?”

There was one thing Remus knew about Black that the Ministry and even Dumbledore didn’t. But revealing it would mean revealing his own secrets to the Ministry, and he knew it would mean losing Harry. So, guiltily, he kept it to himself.

“It’s late, Harry… let me show you to your room.”

The moment Remus returned from Hogwarts, he’d begun preparing the flat for Harry to move in, determined that he’d find a way sooner or later. He’d spent most of his salary on an enlargement charm for the flat. He’d created a second room next to his own. It wasn’t much, and he was worried that Harry would still think his place was small. When he joined The Unicorns, a few of them had placed their homes under Fidelius charms, thanks to Kitty Squires, who was extremely talented at casting that particular charm. The idea was to help keep out prying Ministry of Magic eyes from unregistered werewolves, but Remus had never been more grateful for it than now.

“It’s brilliant, Remus. Thank you!” Harry looked round his room, wide eyed. Remus had decorated the extra room with a Gryffindor scarf, a handful of books, and a framed photo of Harry’s parents on the bedside table. It wasn’t much, but he’d wanted the boy to be able to make it his own.

As Harry dropped his suitcase onto the bed, there was a tapping at the window. 

“Hedwig!”

“That’s a smart bird you’ve got there, Harry.” Said Remus.

“Is it - is it ok if she stays in my room?” Said Harry. “She’ll be quiet, I promise!”

“Harry…” Remus looked at him, and his professor’s mask slipped instantly. “It’s fine. I don’t care if she’s loud. You’re allowed to take up space here. This is your home too now.”

*

Throughout the Summer, the two of them settled into sharing the space together. Remus discovered Harry’s love of jam on toast for breakfast, and made it for him every morning. He helped Harry with his homework, and while he was unable to buy Harry any books, he could at least give him access to the entirety of The Unicorn’s works. Tarun and Kitty were always happy to let Unicorn members treat their shop like a library. They instantly took to Harry, and were constantly bringing him cups of tea and making sure he was comfortable. They were thrilled to find out that he had a muggle-born friend, and inundated him with questions about Hogwarts.

They had to wear muggle clothes when they went out, because they were in a muggle part of town. Most of Harry’s clothes were several sizes too big for him. The Dursleys had never bought him anything new, and he’d been relying on hand-me-downs from his cousin. Remus couldn’t buy him new clothes, but a lifetime of experiencing near-poverty meant he was pretty good at sewing and alteration charms. In the evenings, they sat together, fixing up Harry’s clothes. 

They’re still shy, and both feel a little like they are somehow disappointing to the other, but they work on it. 

Remus discovered that Harry was a kind boy, who put his friends before everything else, and he had a strong sense of justice. It exploded out of him sometimes, unsteady on its feet, and Remus wondered if he'd been viewed this way himself, as a child. Harry always looked directly at him when he spoke, without glancing at his scars the way everyone else seemed to constantly. There were few people left in Remus’s life who did that. 

Remus kept waiting for Harry to bring up Black, but if anything was bothering the boy, it seemed to revolve more around the fact that he couldn’t go to Hogsmeade than anything else. Remus was not legally his guardian, so he wasn’t allowed to give permission. He was half tempted to tell Harry about the secret passage he’d discovered when he was about Harry’s age… but he remembered himself and held back.

Rowan came round a lot, in the beginning. He dropped off food parcels, and kept looking round the place like he didn’t trust Remus to keep it clean. 

“What - I don’t strike you as the fatherly type?” Remus asked.

Rowan jumped at being caught out. 

“No” he replied, then lowered his voice. “It’s just that I have seen you exist on nothing but cigarettes and baked beans for weeks.”

In response, Remus lobbed an apple at his head. It was true he’d been taking better care of himself recently, although he still never ate much. It was easier to cook and clean and shop when there was something more at stake than, well, himself. 

Still, Rowan pressed a large chocolate bar into his hands. 

“Here, eat it. It’ll help.”

Remus rolled his eyes and pushed the chocolate into a pocket of his robes, where it lay forgotten for some weeks. 

At night, Remus dreams frequently of Sirius Black. He wakes up, coated in sweat. He should be feeling angry, but he feels the longing more keenly, and hates himself for it.