Author's Note: Thanks to my amazing team. :)
Written for...
Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition. Team/Position: Holyhead Harpies, Seeker Task: Write a story based on Matilda.
Guardianship
1,072
"Are you alright, Harry?"
The small boy hastily dried his tears on his oversized sleeve, and it broke Remus' heart to see those green eyes so sad.
"I-I'm fine, sir," the child mumbled pitifully. Remus knelt down beside him. It was a tight squeeze - the janitor's closet wasn't like the spacious broom cupboards at Hogwarts.
"Harry, I can help if you'll tell me what's wrong." When the boy said nothing, Remus resorted to his back-up plan that never failed to work with his students. "Would you like some chocolate?"
The boy's eyes lit up and Remus quickly broke off a corner from his own candy bar.
"What's troubling you?"
Harry shrugged and Remus worried that he wouldn't tell him anything after all that. "Dudley doesn't like me," he said quietly.
"Your cousin?" There was a tiny nod of confirmation. Remus frowned. "I'm sure that's not true."
"He yells at me, and tries to hit me a lot. But I'm fast. I can outrun him most of the time."
Remus took a few deep breaths. He suspected things weren't perfect at the Dursleys, had gone through all the trouble of inserting himself into Harry's school to be able to check on him, but he had hoped he was only being paranoid.
"What about your aunt and uncle?" he asked hopefully. "Do they treat you well."
Harry wouldn't meet his eyes, and Remus guessed what the answer would be.
"Why do you think Dudley doesn't like you?"
"Sometimes … I do things without meaning to."
"Like what?"
"I once made a pie explode in his face. But it was an accident! He said I was stupid."
"And your aunt and uncle don't like it when you do these things either?"
Harry shook his head. "I get in trouble." He grabbed onto Remus' arm. "You can't tell anyone I told you. I'm not supposed to tell."
"I won't, Harry, I promise. Now, finish your chocolate and go on to class or you'll be late."
:-:
"He's miserable, Albus."
"Remus, please-"
"I know you trust the Dursleys, but he's being bullied because he has magic."
Albus frowned, staring at Remus over the top of his half-moon glasses. "There's nothing that I can do."
"There's always another way - you told me that the day we met. You said that no matter how bleak and hopeless things seemed, there was always a way to make things better. For me, that was coming to Hogwarts. For Harry … why can't I take him?"
"He needs to remain with his aunt. She has Lily's blood; she can keep him safe."
Remus scowled, pacing the headmaster's office. "He needs people who can properly care for him."
"The best I can do is send a letter to-"
"A letter?! What's that going to fix? His cousin hits him!"
"Give me a solution. I can't remove him from their home, and Lily has no other living relatives."
"I'll … think of something."
:-:
It would be anotheranothing two months before Remus came up with a plausible plan of action. He kept a closer eye on his pseudo-godson since the day in the janitor's closet, and tried to intervene in the bullying when he could.
He'd all but given up hope of finding a way to truly help the boy when a solution presented itself in the morning paper. A house for sale with a basement apartment.
Remus went to the open house the same day, making sure it fit his criteria. He put down an offer without a second thought. It would take up most of the money his parents' had left him, but it was well worth it if it meant saving Harry.
The hardest part came next: trying to convince the Dursleys of his plan.
He wasn't sure Albus would agree to what he was planning, so he didn't even bother telling him about it. This was something that needed to be done, and Remus wasn't above using force if necessary - not if it meant Harry's life. He was sure Lily could forgive him for threatening her sister in this one instance.
He chose to approach them on a Monday. He called in sick to work and drove straight to 4 Privet Drive when he knew Vernon and the boys would be out of the house for the day.
He hadn't laid eyes on Petunia in close to eight years, since Lily and James' wedding, but she hadn't changed at all. It only took her a moment to recognize him, it seemed, by the way she whipped her head left and right to see if the neighbors had noticed him.
"Petunia. Can we talk?"
"What are you doing here?" she hissed.
"I'd like to come in."
She conceded quickly, suspecting it was the only way to get him off her doorstep. They stood awkwardly in the foyer, waiting for the other to speak.
"Well?" she said impatiently. "What is it?"
"I want to discuss Harry's well-being."
"The boy is being looked after."
"He thinks he's a freak because of the way your family treats him."
Petunia let out a hollow laugh. "He thinks right."
"Be very careful, Petunia. You can say what you will about me, but I won't have you speaking ill of that child," he growled. "I've become tired of watching your son bully him. He comes to school in clothes too big for him and cries in closets. It needs to end."
"Then take him! I didn't want him to begin with."
"I can't take him from you. Dumbledore has explained this, correct?" Petunia said nothing. "I have a solution that I think will benefit us both. I can take Harry off your hands, and you won't have to deal with him again."
"I'm listening."
"I've bought a house. It's in a nice neighbourhood not far from here. Three bedrooms, big garden, decent distance from the school … and it has a large basement big enough for Harry and I to live in."
"You can't be serious."
"There's a separate entrance. You'll never see us."
"Vernon won't agree to it."
Remus shook his head, casually pulling out his wand. "It's either the house, or I move in here."
Petunia eyed the wand fearfully, then stared at Remus for a long moment, probably trying to determine if he would harm her or not. "I'll talk to Vernon this evening."
He calmly stowed the wand away once more. "That's all I ask."