"Harry!" Andromeda said as she opened the door, a gurgling baby Teddy on her hip. He squealed in delight at the sight of a new person and Andromeda looked at him fondly. "Come in, come in." And she stood back to allow Harry to walk into the house. Harry remembered the house from the last time he had been there after flying through the sky on Hagrid's motorcycle sidecar.
Teddy's small hand reached out to Harry as he followed Andromeda into the house and he whined at not being allowed to touch this new, interesting person. Teddy had obviously forgotten he had already met Harry.
Andromeda sat on her sofa balancing a squirming Teddy on her lap and gestured for Harry to sit down too.
"He's grown loads." Harry marvelled laughing at the four-month old's attempts to climb off his grandmother's lap. His hair was currently a vivid purple shade; last time Harry had seen him it had been blue.
"Here." said Andromeda, giving in and passing Teddy to his Godfather. Harry was still very unsure about babies and held Teddy awkwardly but the baby looked gleeful at being sat with him.
"Thanks for coming round today Harry, I know how busy you are at the moment with helping Kingsley rebuild the ministry and all." She said sympathetically. Surely the young boy deserved some kind of break after everything he'd been through that year. But she knew that Harry wouldn't have been happy unless he was helping.
"It's no problem." Harry said, becoming more used to baby Teddy and relaxing slightly.
"It's just I wanted to give you something... Of Remus'." Harry stiffened and Teddy looked up at him clearly noticing the change in atmosphere in the room. "He left it in my care with the instruction to give it to you if he himself didn't survive the war." Her voice cracked slightly at the memory. Baby Teddy picked up on the mood and started to cry himself; maybe he knew they were talking about his father.
Harry looked at him uncertainly and jiggled him up and down a few times in an attempt to cheer him up. Teddy stopped crying, gave an adorable little yawn and snuggled himself into Harry's chest closing his eyes.
"I'll go and fetch it." Andromeda smiled fondly at her grandson and his Godfather sat together and left the room.
Harry looked down at the sleeping baby. He still couldn't believe he was Teddy's Godfather. The baby was so lovable and Harry felt proud that Remus and Tonks had trusted him with such an honour but Teddy would always be a slight reminder of his parents' deaths. Teddy stirred in his sleep and Harry vowed there and then to keep him safe.
Andromeda returned holding a wooden canister. "You take Teddy." Harry said gently passing the baby over to his grandmother trying not to wake him. She held him close to her and gestured for Harry to take the canister. "What is it?" he asked her looking confused.
"They're memories. Some of Remus' memories. I don't know what they're of but he definitely wanted you to see them." Harry wondered what memories Remus had wanted him to see so much.
"How can I look at them? I don't have a pensieve." Harry asked.
"I suggest you contact Minerva and ask to use the one that's in the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts." Andromeda replied looking happy that she had been able to pass on Remus' gift.
Harry thanked her and quietly said goodbye to Teddy as he was still asleep in his grandmother's arms. He stirred peacefully and Andromeda gently stood up with him to see Harry out.
"Thankyou." Harry said to her in the doorway. He knew how hard it must be to raise Teddy when he was so similar to how Tonks had been at that age.
And that was how Harry came to find himself in Grimmauld Place holding the heavy, stone pensieve and the wooden canister. He hadn't told Ron or Hermione or Ginny that he was going there or why. He wanted to keep it private, at least for the moment.
He carefully emptied the contents of the canister into the mysterious, stone bowl and watched it swirl into an unknown consistency somewhere between fog and water. Taking a deep breath and wandering what he was about to find, Harry plunged his head into the pensieve and felt himself falling before landing instantly.
Harry looked around for some clue to where and when he was and instantly recognised his surroundings as being King's Cross Station (why did he always seem to find himself here?) specifically Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Remus must be here somewhere as it was his memory and sure enough Harry spotted him at the end of the platform. But it wasn't Remus as Harry had ever known him. He was an excited, nervous eleven year old waiting to board the Hogwart's Express for the first time. At least Harry guessed this by the look of anticipation on his young face. A man Harry assumed to be his father was carrying his trunk onto a compartment in the train while eleven year old Remus was hugged and talked to by his mother.
A whistle blew and Remus' mother hurried him onto the train as Harry got closer and heard her remind him to write as soon as he got there. Remus nodded and waved excitedly as the train began to move but an expression of fear had clouded his features.
Before Harry knew it, he found himself stood on the train next to a still waving Remus. Obviously because Remus had no more memory of being on the platform.
He picked up his large trunk and uncertainly made his way down the crowded train looking for an empty compartment to sit in. Harry followed and he found himself peering into the compartments too sharing Remus' disappointment when they were all full. Remus was getting more and more anxious about where he was going to sit and suddenly Harry noticed relief grace his features. He followed his eyeline to where two people were exiting their compartment therefore presumably leaving a free one for Remus. It wasn't until the two people turned towards him that Harry realised who it was.
"Come on Severus, let's find another compartment." The red haired girl stalked stubbornly down the corridor walking right through Harry and making him shudder. It was weird enough when that happened in the pensieve normally but when it was Harry's own mother it was a bit disconcerting.
He quickly moved out of the way of the black haired, hook nosed boy who followed her watching Lily retreat. She had pretty, thick wavy red hair that bounced behind her as she walked. Then Harry realised what the memories were of: they must be Harry's parents from when Remus knew them.
Excitement growing in his stomach, Harry turned back to where Remus stood, his hand halfway to the door handle of the compartment Lily and Snape had just left.
He was gazing in to find that the compartment wasn't, as he had first hoped, empty but contained four boys all of whom were in first year too. (Harry knew this because none of them were wearing house robes)
Harry gleefully recognised his own father and Sirius, sat with two other boys Harry didn't know. "Haha, 'Snivellus', nice one!" and James high-fived Sirius, the pair laughing together. Remus made to carry on down the train in search of an empty compartment when James looked up and spotted him. He made his way to the door and slid it open sharply.
"Can we help you?" he asked, not in an excluding way but with genuine interest.
"Well, I was just wondering if you'd mind me sitting here. Everywhere else is full." He replied nervously looking as if he expected the answer to be an immediate no.
"Sure! Come on in." James said enthusiastically as if he owned the compartment. Remus looked surprised at the boy's friendliness given that Harry knew he had just witnessed James laughing at Snape with Sirius.
He sat down nervously and Harry settled next to him in his unreal form to listen to his eleven year old father talking.
"I'm James Potter." He said extending his hand towards Remus who took it uncertainly and shook it gratefully. "And this is-" he gestured to Sirius then stopped realising he didn't yet know the boy's name.
"Sirius. Black." He said the last part in a small voice as if hoping no one would hear. Harry guessed he didn't want to admit he was from the family he was so ashamed of but none of the boys seemed to notice, and if they did they didn't say anything.
"This is Sirius." James continued without bothering to introduce the other two boys.
"Remus Lupin." Remus replied nodding at the boys.
"Which house are you heading for?" Sirius asked him.
"Well my Dad was a Gryffindor so I supposed that would be quite good. But I'm not too bothered." James gave him a pressing look and Remus looked apologetic. "Though I wouldn't much like to be a Slytherin to be honest." He added and James laughed loudly high fiving him just like he'd done to Sirius moments before. Harry noticed Remus' expression lift and realised how relieved the boy must have been to find a person who seemed to like him (although at this point James had no idea about Remus' condition).
"I'm going to be captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team." James said proudly, addressing the entire compartment.
"What, in your first year?" Sirius asked disbelievingly, smirking. James looked at him.
"Obviously not. Stupid no-broomstick rule's in the way. But probably by my second year." He added laughing and Remus joined in.
The scene shifted and Harry found himself on the edge of the lake, a fleet of little boats waiting and the giant form of Hagrid shouting his familiar line: "Firs' years this way! Firs' years over 'ere!". A small crowd of nervous first years stood at his feet huddled together. Hagrid directed them into the boats and Harry followed Remus, James and Sirius.
"Two to a boat!" Hagrid called and the three new friends looked at each other worriedly as if they had miscounted and there were only two of them. They were ushered along by Hagrid who nudged James and Sirius towards one boat and Remus into one with a random girl from the crowd of first years thronging to get into the boats.
Harry quickly hopped into the boat next to Remus and looked up to, once again, see himself face-to-face with his mother. She smiled at Remus and squealed as the boats all suddenly began to move forward.
To Harry's slight disappointment, Lily didn't talk to Remus as the two of them stared in awe at the castle coming into view but he was content with just watching his mother. Her strikingly familiar eyes shone with wonder as she gazed up at Hogwarts for the first time and Harry wished there was some way he could make himself known to her, for her to feel her son's presence.
The setting changed once more to a moment not long after where the first years were gathered at the front of the great hall facing the students. Harry noticed Lily was still stood next to Remus who had managed to reunite himself with James and Sirius. Snape had also managed to manoeuvre himself to be on Lily's other side.
Harry watched the sorting take place for the second time as he had seen it once before in Snape's memory. This time, he elected to look around at the other students looking for any familiar faces. He found one surprisingly quickly in a round-faced girl sat at the Gryffindor table looking to be about second year and talking to Lily who had recently become a Gryffindor herself. He had no doubt that this must be Neville's mother, Alice.
Watching his parents interact for the very first time was nothing like what Harry had pictured it might be like. He knew of course that the two hadn't seen eye to eye at first but hadn't realised it had started so early on.
"So who here is any good at Quidditch?" James asked the group of new Gryffindors at large. There was a mumbled reply from some who obviously seemed a bit intimidated by this overly confident boy.
"I'm alright at Quidditch." Said a second year girl who had obviously overheard James. He turned to her and snorted.
"But you're a girl." He pointed out." So you don't count." Harry laughed at the thought of how Ginny would have reacted to this statement.
"What's that supposed to mean?" an angry voice retorted and Harry turned half expecting to see Ginny herself somehow in the memory to reprimand James Potter. But it was Lily.
Her green eyes flashed as she addressed James and several of the girls listening nodded in agreement.
James' expression softened and he looked straight into Lily's eyes.
"I simply meant that girls are more suited to watching a game of Quidditch rather than taking part. Us boys can be your heroic Quidditch players while you concentrate on looking pretty and supporting us." He gave her a charming look and Harry noticed the girls who had been previously nodding along with Lily, softening and giggling to one another.
Hoping sincerely that his mother wasn't going to accept that rubbish, Harry looked to see her reaction.
"That is the biggest load of-" but she was cut off by Dumbledore standing to start the feast so she settled for glaring at James across the table while Sirius just laughed.
Fog swirled around and Harry found himself stood back in Grimmauld Place smiling. He felt incredibly grateful of Remus for allowing him to see these memories even if it did hurt just a little bit seeing all those innocent, smiling faces of people he loved who were no longer alive.
Deciding to save the other memories for another day, Harry placed the pensieve in an empty cupboard after scooping Remus' memories back into the canister. He also decided to tell Ron, Hermione and Ginny about what Remus had left him. If not only because he wanted to see what Ginny's actual reaction would be to James' early notions of girls playing Quidditch...