September 20, 2016
"'We'll be at Hogwarts in ten minutes', said Professor Lupin. 'Are you alright, Harry?'
Harry didn't ask how Professor Lupin knew his name."
-PoA pg 86
No longer pretending to sleep, Remus was able to observe Harry in the dim light of the Hogwarts Express.
He looked so much like James that, when he'd first seen him enter the compartment, Remus had been sure that he was dreaming. Tall and lean with a mop of black scruffy hair atop his head, the resemblance that Harry bore to his father was uncanny. The only difference that Remus took note of, besides the famous lightning bolt scar, were a pair of bright green eyes hidden underneath a pair of much-too-large glasses. His mother, Lily, had the exact same eyes. He spoke like Lily, careful and articulate, and had all of James's more subtle nuances. And, rumor had it, he had his mother's brain and his father's skills for quiddich, recklessness, and trouble-making.
Remus had not seen Harry since he was an infant. He knew the boy did not remember him. He felt a lump rise in his throat and turned away. The war had aged him beyond his mere 34 years, and the loss of his best friends had rendered him tired and apathetic. But seeing Harry, he was overwhelmed with memories of his and James's school days.
He and James had been the best of friends. And Sirius too.
Sirius. His stomach churned. He spent far too much time dwelling on the last days before the death of three of his closest friends and the imprisonment of the fourth. It had been twelve years. He was tired. His heart hurt and he yearned to go back to the days that they had spent at Hogwarts, carefree and happy.
But now, sitting on the train, watching the life that James and Lily had created together, the life that they had died to protect, Remus's spirits lifted a little. He was shaken from the encounter with the dementor, just moments before, but he was alive and he looked happy. He hoped that Harry remained unaware of Sirius's intentions. Mostly, he hoped that Harry remained unaware of his relationship, even to this day, to the murderer. No matter what, Remus promised himself, he would do everything in his power to make sure that no harm came to his best friend's son.