Disclaimer: Um... The Harry Potter Universe isn't mine.
"OLD DREAMS"
"Your old enough to drive now Harry, like a muggle I mean."
Harry Potter was comfortably sitting in one of the few chairs filling the living room of Remus Lupin's house (to which he had only recently moved back into) when this somewhat strange conversation began.
"Yea, but I've my broom. Why would I ever need to drive a car or something?" Harry snuggled into the cushy armchair he had inhabited.
"Well," Remus paused thoughtfully, "If you ever wanted to go into the muggle world and not have to walk around all day, you might want to be able to drive. Course, soon you could just apparate whenever you needed... or wanted. But, that can sometimes become a nuisance; and if a muggle saw you suddenly vanish or appear that could cause problems..."
"What are you getting at Remus?"
"I guess the best way to do this is to show you. Come on."
Harry was now utterly confused as to where this was going but he followed Remus none-the-less. Remus led him through the house and straight on through the back door. He finally came to a stop a short distance from the house at a small shed, a place Harry had failed to notice before.
Remus waved off a few spells that had been keeping the old and seemingly falling apart shed locked and shut tight. Taking hold of one of the rusted lion shaped handles he gave a powerful tug and upon opening the door proceeded inside.
Harry took one last glance at the roof with it's missing shingles, the slight tilt of the walls and upon hoping the somewhat forgotten shed had been constructed with a load of magic (and that Remus hadn't mistakenly taken any off when unlocking it) he too stepped over the threshold.
As with many wizarding dwellings and contraptions the tiny grungy looking outward appearance was an abomination to what was truly reviled inside. Harry looked around the large room in wonder. Though a fairly large part of dust had accumulated, many wonders could still be made out. There were large plush couches and armchairs that curved around an elegant fireplace. Portraits, many of which were of trees, were scattered around the walls. An old broomstick was mounted to a beautifully carved mahogany holder that was embedded onto the far wall. A glint of gold could be seen under a layer of dust on a shelf close to it. Many more picture frames were crowded upon the mantle of the fireplace. And there was a lavish red rug lying from the wall to a fair way past the couches. The gold embroidery throughout it made it sparkle slightly in the dim light. Only the small dark stain spots trailing on the rug showed any indication of someone having used the room before, well from what Harry could distinguish at least.
Remus took no notice these surroundings and had continued on to another part of the room. Harry watched the forms of people waving from the mantle as he passed. The low light however made it too hard to make out who they were. He hurried after Remus, finally stopping at what was a muggle garage like space in the far corner. Some shelved were lined with muggle tools while others held more dust, a few more photos, a bag with only the letters 'ZO' visible on the side, and by the looks of it tons of candy wrappers were littered in between everything else. There were a few other objects that Harry wasn't too sure of but they were quickly forgotten as the thing that had caught Harry's full attention was the large lumpy something in the middle of the space. This something, at the moment, was getting an attempt at being dust free by Remus. A seemingly red velvet covering lye beneath the grayish substance... Achoo! The dust however, apparently won the battle over Remus' cleaning attempts as he began a sneezing fit, leaving Harry without the full view of the cover.
"Sorry about that Harry," Remus rubbed his nose, "I never was a big fan of dust, I guess that's what I get for not taking better care of this place over the years."
Harry who was still absorbed into wondering what the lumpy something could be didn't quite pay attention to what his former professor had just spoken and therefore didn't respond in any way.
Remus gave Harry a small knowing grin at his curious face (that too when unnoticed by the sixteen year old) and instead of trying to gain back his attention by speaking he took the folds of cloth into his hands and upon giving it a swift tug, he gave Harry the knowledge of what the now shiny and lumpy something was.
A magnificent Motorcycle graced Harry's vision (as Remus swallowed another enormous amount of dust.) The large machine held a powerful sort of beauty. Harry's large green eyes shone at the sight of it as confusing flicker of recognition passed over him. The Gold lettering on the side only made Harry's eyes shine even more brightly.
Harry moved forward and let his hand trail dangerously close to the golden etched words The Marauders which stood sparkling against the dark surface of the bike. The names of Moony Padfoot and Prongs were etched in smaller writing beneath it. Where the name wormtail Harry assumed had once been, there now sat amazingly realistic golden sketches of a wolf, a dog, and a stag. A full moon shone above the group name along with a few scattered clouds.
"He was working on it after Azkaban, felt it needed an improvement around that area," Remus indicated to where Harry's hand hovered, "'Course, he was always trying to make improvements on the blasted thing. I still remember how mad he made Lily when he dripped grease onto her carpet." He gave Harry a small grin, "She soon gave him his own piece to work on." Sure enough, under the wheels of the gigantic bike lay a rug quite similar to the large one that covered most of the room. This one however held what looked more like black puddles, much larger than those Harry had first noticed on the larger rug.
"She even gave him a working station. She couldn't stand how much noise he made when sorting through his old cardboard box for another tool. I think, however, he just did that to annoy her." He grinned, "He could have easily made a working station himself, but at the time he thoroughly enjoyed the lack of organization he had."
Harry stared at the black wonder in front of him. He took in as much as he could from what Remus was saying but at the same time it was all very overwhelming.
"Sirius wanted to give it to you, he was going to teach you how to ride it." Remus moved closer to Harry taking in the sight of both the teen and the bike. "It's yours now Harry. As he had wanted you to have it."
Harry's shaking hand finally came into contact with the golden name and as he stroked the glossy dark covering he turned his brightly coloured gaze towards Remus.
"Can you teach me to ride it?"
Remus took a full look at Harry. He still possessed his unruly black hair, he usually held his skinny form in determination but at the moment he wavered slightly as if unsure of the response. His bright green eyes were somewhat afraid yet still radiated unbearable hope. In one last step Remus had reached Harry's side. He wrapped one arm around the young boy and the latter responded almost immediately.
Harry gripped Remus' cloak tightly as his eyes finally gave into the water creeping up on them. The emotion he had been feeling all summer finally caught up to him. Remus, in response, held him tighter.
"Not nearly as well as Sirius could have... but I'll teach you everything you'll need to know, Harry, everything and more."
"OLD DREAMS"
"Your old enough to drive now Harry, like a muggle I mean."
Harry Potter was comfortably sitting in one of the few chairs filling the living room of Remus Lupin's house (to which he had only recently moved back into) when this somewhat strange conversation began.
"Yea, but I've my broom. Why would I ever need to drive a car or something?" Harry snuggled into the cushy armchair he had inhabited.
"Well," Remus paused thoughtfully, "If you ever wanted to go into the muggle world and not have to walk around all day, you might want to be able to drive. Course, soon you could just apparate whenever you needed... or wanted. But, that can sometimes become a nuisance; and if a muggle saw you suddenly vanish or appear that could cause problems..."
"What are you getting at Remus?"
"I guess the best way to do this is to show you. Come on."
Harry was now utterly confused as to where this was going but he followed Remus none-the-less. Remus led him through the house and straight on through the back door. He finally came to a stop a short distance from the house at a small shed, a place Harry had failed to notice before.
Remus waved off a few spells that had been keeping the old and seemingly falling apart shed locked and shut tight. Taking hold of one of the rusted lion shaped handles he gave a powerful tug and upon opening the door proceeded inside.
Harry took one last glance at the roof with it's missing shingles, the slight tilt of the walls and upon hoping the somewhat forgotten shed had been constructed with a load of magic (and that Remus hadn't mistakenly taken any off when unlocking it) he too stepped over the threshold.
As with many wizarding dwellings and contraptions the tiny grungy looking outward appearance was an abomination to what was truly reviled inside. Harry looked around the large room in wonder. Though a fairly large part of dust had accumulated, many wonders could still be made out. There were large plush couches and armchairs that curved around an elegant fireplace. Portraits, many of which were of trees, were scattered around the walls. An old broomstick was mounted to a beautifully carved mahogany holder that was embedded onto the far wall. A glint of gold could be seen under a layer of dust on a shelf close to it. Many more picture frames were crowded upon the mantle of the fireplace. And there was a lavish red rug lying from the wall to a fair way past the couches. The gold embroidery throughout it made it sparkle slightly in the dim light. Only the small dark stain spots trailing on the rug showed any indication of someone having used the room before, well from what Harry could distinguish at least.
Remus took no notice these surroundings and had continued on to another part of the room. Harry watched the forms of people waving from the mantle as he passed. The low light however made it too hard to make out who they were. He hurried after Remus, finally stopping at what was a muggle garage like space in the far corner. Some shelved were lined with muggle tools while others held more dust, a few more photos, a bag with only the letters 'ZO' visible on the side, and by the looks of it tons of candy wrappers were littered in between everything else. There were a few other objects that Harry wasn't too sure of but they were quickly forgotten as the thing that had caught Harry's full attention was the large lumpy something in the middle of the space. This something, at the moment, was getting an attempt at being dust free by Remus. A seemingly red velvet covering lye beneath the grayish substance... Achoo! The dust however, apparently won the battle over Remus' cleaning attempts as he began a sneezing fit, leaving Harry without the full view of the cover.
"Sorry about that Harry," Remus rubbed his nose, "I never was a big fan of dust, I guess that's what I get for not taking better care of this place over the years."
Harry who was still absorbed into wondering what the lumpy something could be didn't quite pay attention to what his former professor had just spoken and therefore didn't respond in any way.
Remus gave Harry a small knowing grin at his curious face (that too when unnoticed by the sixteen year old) and instead of trying to gain back his attention by speaking he took the folds of cloth into his hands and upon giving it a swift tug, he gave Harry the knowledge of what the now shiny and lumpy something was.
A magnificent Motorcycle graced Harry's vision (as Remus swallowed another enormous amount of dust.) The large machine held a powerful sort of beauty. Harry's large green eyes shone at the sight of it as confusing flicker of recognition passed over him. The Gold lettering on the side only made Harry's eyes shine even more brightly.
Harry moved forward and let his hand trail dangerously close to the golden etched words The Marauders which stood sparkling against the dark surface of the bike. The names of Moony Padfoot and Prongs were etched in smaller writing beneath it. Where the name wormtail Harry assumed had once been, there now sat amazingly realistic golden sketches of a wolf, a dog, and a stag. A full moon shone above the group name along with a few scattered clouds.
"He was working on it after Azkaban, felt it needed an improvement around that area," Remus indicated to where Harry's hand hovered, "'Course, he was always trying to make improvements on the blasted thing. I still remember how mad he made Lily when he dripped grease onto her carpet." He gave Harry a small grin, "She soon gave him his own piece to work on." Sure enough, under the wheels of the gigantic bike lay a rug quite similar to the large one that covered most of the room. This one however held what looked more like black puddles, much larger than those Harry had first noticed on the larger rug.
"She even gave him a working station. She couldn't stand how much noise he made when sorting through his old cardboard box for another tool. I think, however, he just did that to annoy her." He grinned, "He could have easily made a working station himself, but at the time he thoroughly enjoyed the lack of organization he had."
Harry stared at the black wonder in front of him. He took in as much as he could from what Remus was saying but at the same time it was all very overwhelming.
"Sirius wanted to give it to you, he was going to teach you how to ride it." Remus moved closer to Harry taking in the sight of both the teen and the bike. "It's yours now Harry. As he had wanted you to have it."
Harry's shaking hand finally came into contact with the golden name and as he stroked the glossy dark covering he turned his brightly coloured gaze towards Remus.
"Can you teach me to ride it?"
Remus took a full look at Harry. He still possessed his unruly black hair, he usually held his skinny form in determination but at the moment he wavered slightly as if unsure of the response. His bright green eyes were somewhat afraid yet still radiated unbearable hope. In one last step Remus had reached Harry's side. He wrapped one arm around the young boy and the latter responded almost immediately.
Harry gripped Remus' cloak tightly as his eyes finally gave into the water creeping up on them. The emotion he had been feeling all summer finally caught up to him. Remus, in response, held him tighter.
"Not nearly as well as Sirius could have... but I'll teach you everything you'll need to know, Harry, everything and more."