The Visit
By Minx
Feedback: review here or email me at miraminx@yahoo.com
Pairing: SB/RL
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Harry visits Sirius and Remus the summer before his sixth year at Hogwarts. Harry POV. Fits into the same trajectory as the rest of my SB/RL stories, and takes place after "Train in Vain" and before "Till Break of Day".
Disclaimer: JK Rowling, rich and powerful. Minx, flat broke and busted. You do the math.
Archive: SBRL; ff.net; Azkaban's Lair; others please ask first.
Notes: My thanks to Roche, who sees both the big picture and the little details and helps me put them all together.
Also: there will be NO sex in this one. So don't ask for it.
The Visit 1/5
"I don't know. I just think it's weird that his house isn't on the Floo network." Ron was watching Harry pack his trunk. They were in Ron's room at the Burrow, where Harry had been visiting for the past week. He'd arrived the day before his birthday.
Harry shrugged. He knew the reason, but couldn't tell Ron; it would be far too dangerous to let him know that Sirius Black was living in Remus Lupin's house, not just visiting there from time to time. Lupin had disconnected his fireplace from the network 'for security', as Sirius had written to Harry when they were arranging the details of Harry's visit. "It's no big deal. I'll just take that Muggle train." He locked his trunk.
"Um… Will Snuffles have a chance to visit too?" It was as if Ron had been reading his mind.
Harry paused. "Probably." He sat down on his trunk.
"Okay. Good. Tell him I said hi." Ron was picking at the bedspread. "I just wish you'd stay here," he said quietly. "At least a bit longer."
Harry looked at him. "But Hermione's coming. I thought-- oh." He grinned suddenly. "Getting nervous?"
Ron threw a pillow at him. "No!" He blushed fiercely. "I just-- you know, it'd be easier with you around."
"Ron, she likes you. It'll be fine." He grinned again. "Besides, without me in the way, you can get her alone."
Ron groaned. "Yeah, if I can pry her away from Ginny."
There was a knock on the door, and Mrs Weasley put her head in. "Oh good, you're all set." She paused. "Do take care, Harry." She was clearly worried about Harry going off to spend the last three weeks of the summer holidays with a werewolf, despite his and Ron's reassurances and the letter from Dumbledore.
"I'll be fine, Mrs Weasley. Professor Lupin said he'd tell me stories about my parents." That was a lie, but it was a good reason to give for his visit, since no one else was supposed to know where Sirius was.
She sighed. "All right. I suppose it has to be better than returning to those dreadful Muggles. But owl us if you need anything, or if you want to come back."
"Thanks, I will." He hefted his trunk and Hedwig's cage; he'd already sent her on ahead. She wasn't fond of train travel.
Bill had gone out earlier and rung for a taxi. He met Harry at the front door and helped him carry his trunk down to the corner when the taxi arrived. Mr Weasley had to be dissuaded from interrogating the cab driver about the workings of the internal combustion engine. Clearly the fiasco with the flying car had only been the tip of the iceberg. Harry twisted around and waved to the Weasleys from the back window. Ginny stayed, waving forlornly, after all the others had gone back into the house. Harry sighed and faced forward again.
The journey to King's Cross and the train ride were uneventful. He'd have to thank Hermione for explaining to him how to change wizard money into Muggle money at Gringott's, since his pocketful of cash allowed him to eat an astounding variety of snacks.
At length the train arrived at the town where Lupin had said they'd meet. Harry hauled his trunk out of the luggage rack and heaved it on to the platform, then looked around. He didn't see Lupin or Sirius. Dragging his trunk behind him, he went into the waiting room. They weren't there, either. He sat down and waited. After a while he pulled out a Muggle magazine he'd bought before getting on the train and read about pop stars he'd never heard of.
Forty minutes later the door to the waiting room opened. Harry looked up as he had every time it had opened and saw Lupin. He looked different, somehow.
"Harry. Sorry to keep you waiting. I was unexpectedly held up." Lupin shook his hand. "This all you have?" Without waiting for a response, he picked up Harry's trunk easily. "Ready?"
Carrying the owl cage, Harry followed him out to the almost deserted car park. Lupin led him over to a motorcycle. Harry looked at his trunk, at the bike, and at Lupin. "Um…"
A glint of humor in the strange dark-yellow eyes. Then Lupin muttered something, and Harry's trunk shrank to a pocket-sized cube in Lupin's hand.
"Cool!" Harry glanced around nervously; no one was watching them.
"Yes, isn't it?" Lupin handed him a helmet. "Get on behind me, and hold on, no matter what." Lupin shrank the owl cage too, fastened his own helmet on, and straddled the bike. They took off. Lupin shouted back, "We're actually quite a way from the house. We'll be there in an hour or so, depending."
The ride was outrageously fun, Harry decided. And that was before Lupin suddenly turned off the main road onto a farm track. Before the bike began rising up from the ground and they were flying through the air.
"Cool!" Harry shouted again. He heard Lupin laugh.
"Yes, I was hoping we'd be able to do this."
It was strange to have someone else flying him about. He felt a bit off-balance and squeezed his thighs around the bike as if it were his broom. Then he tentatively put his hands on Lupin's shoulders, and looked down at the vista unfolding below them. Entranced, he barely noticed when they began descending, and only registered what was happening when they were riding on the ground once more, going up a drive to a medium-sized house.
The motorcycle shut off, and Harry dismounted carefully. He felt a little shaky. He took off his helmet and grinned at Lupin. "That was brilliant!"
But Lupin wasn't looking at him; he was staring past Harry. Harry turned around and saw Sirius standing at the open door of the house, looking back. Harry opened his mouth and shut it again when he realized that Sirius was looking at Lupin, not at him. Then Lupin gave him a little push, and Harry ran up the drive and into Sirius' welcoming hug.
"How was your birthday?" Sirius stepped back and inspected him. "You've grown."
"Yes, another inch and a half. That's it." He sighed. "Ron grew three inches."
"Hm. I'd say you've got a few more in you. You might be as tall as Remus." Sirius was gazing over Harry's shoulder.
"Sirius." Lupin's husky voice. There was a moment of silence. "Well, shall we go in and hear about Harry's adventures?"
"Yes, but--"
Harry was standing between the two men now. Lupin shook his head quickly. "Later." He glanced at Harry. "I've been away for a few weeks, so Sirius and I have some things to discuss. Nothing for you to worry about."
Harry nodded. They went into the house and Lupin showed him his room and restored his trunk to full size. Hedwig was already there and nipped his finger affectionately. Harry unpacked and decided to look around the house. Upstairs there was another bedroom, a study, and a bathroom. He ran down the stairs into the spacious living room and caught voices coming from the kitchen.
"--bad was it?" That was Sirius.
"Bad." A clattering noise. "Where'd you put that roasting pan?"
"Moony, tell me."
Harry suddenly realized he was eavesdropping. He walked heavily through the living room and entered the kitchen. Lupin was chopping vegetables. Sirius, seated at the table, smiled at him. "Remus cooks and you and I wash up, does that sound fair?"
Judging from the delicious smells emanating from the stove, it would be more than fair. Harry nodded vigorously.
"Good. Now have a seat and tell us about your birthday. How'd you celebrate the momentous occasion of turning sixteen?"
In the time it took Harry to describe his visit with the Weasleys and the lavish birthday party they'd thrown him, Lupin produced a roast chicken, sautéed asparagus, boiled new potatoes with butter, and a salad. Sirius fell upon the meal as if he hadn't eaten in weeks.
"God, Moony, I missed this." Sirius served himself some more potatoes. Perhaps he hadn't actually eaten in weeks. "I mean, that's not all I missed, but--" He glanced at Harry. "More of anything?"
"Oh, no thanks." Harry was saving room for the crumble he could smell. "This is really good, Mr Lupin."
Lupin smiled briefly. "You can call me Remus. We're not at Hogwarts any longer." He muttered something that sounded like, "Thank Merlin," but Harry thought he couldn't have heard right.
"Oh. Um, okay. Remus," he tried out. "Thanks. And, um, thanks for letting me stay here."
"It's a pleasure." Lupin got up and served the apple crumble. "Ice cream with this?"
"Yes!" Harry and Sirius said in unison.
TBC
