Remus Lupin discovers there are things far more devestating than Lycanthropy.
All seemed peaceful at number twelve, Grimmauld Place. Kreacher was surprisingly absent, and with him went the mutterings that he brought following him around the house. Another notable absentee was the screams of Mrs Black. Remus Lupin, Severus Snape and Nymphadora Tonks had arrived at Headquarters for Christmas eve.
"Getting to know your friends." Dumbledore had said, when asked why he arrange such a gathering that would put Snape and in the same house as Harry Potter. As usual, the arrival more halfblood, and, in the case of Lupin, half breed, had sent Mrs Black into a torrent of protest.
"Ah!" Tonks yelled. "Always forget that." she said, picking herself up off the floor, after knocking over the umbrella stand. Remus Lupin, thought that was rather funny.
"Nymphadora, you're a natural klutz." he said, extending a hand to pull her up off the floor.
Being called Nymphadora, and klutz in the same sentence, didn't help Tonks's sense of self control; her hair turned a vicious red and her heart shaped face was the colour of raspberry jam. Lupin righted the stand, when he straightened up, he saw Tonks's face, glaring in all it's Metamorphmagical glory. He noticed her hand was dangerously close to her wand, so he decided to take action.
"Sorry Tonks." Lupin mumbled. Before Tonks could reply, she was swept aside by the movement of Severus Snape, his robes trailing behind as he knocked the portrait of Mrs Black. She immediately started screeching at the top of her voice.
"MUDBLOODS, WEREWOLVES, FLITH!"
Tonks drew her wand. Lupin ran over to try to pull the curtains back over her portrait.
"SILENCIO!" Tonks shouted, jabbing Mrs Black in the eye with her wand. Mrs Black doubled her efforts.
"SCUM! TRAITIORS TO THE DARK LORD!"
"Shut up!" Lupin said, and with an enormus effort he yanked the curtains over her portrait. Alas, the momentum that he used also made him stumble over Tonks's feet to the floor, pulling Tonks with him. Tonks landed right on top of him.
"Well, Remus, who's the klutz now?" Tonks asked, an expression of disapproval masking the sly grin that threated to break out on her face.
"Sorry Tonks." Lupin mumbled, a dull pink beginning to flush his scarred cheeks.
Lupin tried to push Tonks off of him; she seemed to have other ideas.
"Now Remus. This is a golden opportunity for me. Besides, I rather like it, don't you." Tonks wiggled her eyebrows.
Lupin turned a shade of red to rival Voldemorts iris'. "Tonks! You're sending the wrong message to children!" Lupin exclaimed.
"No children here, Remy." Tonks said. Lupin heard a foot being placed on the old green carpet right above his head. He looked up, and saw the too people he would least like to see being called Remy when on the floor with a cute clumsly auror atop him; Sirius Black and Severus Snape.
To Lupin's great surpise, Snape refrained from making any snide comments; he swept from the hall without a backwards glance. Sirius also didn't seem bother about the event. After Tonks alighted off Lupin, Black pulled him into a crushing hug. "I'll give you hell for that, Moony." Sirius whispered.
"Are you sure you can handle us, Sirius?" Tonks asked. Sirus used his free hand to pull her close to him as well.
"Of course Tonks. The more the merrier!" Nothing seemed to able to dampen his spirits.
To Lupin's great amazement, nothing of note happened until after dinner, when the Order of the Phoenix were engaged to converstation with some of the Weasleys or Hermione Granger. Lupin then asked Sirius about the whereabouts of Harry Potter, which changed the course of this whole fic.
"He's upstairs asleep." Sirius said.
"He's been having nightmares, the poor dear." Mrs Weasley said, distracting herself from Bill's hair.
A door open. There stood Harry Potter, self proclaimed massive danger to all near him. His green eyes swept over the scene. They registered information to his awakening brain. Sirius was at the head of the table, with Mrs Weasley to his left. Next to her was Bill, Fleur and Mr Weasley, Ginny, Snape and Alastor Moody. At the other side sat Albus Dumbledore. Moving clockwise, Harry's eyes revealed Ron, George, Mundungus, Fred, Hermoine, Tonks and Charlie. At last, to the right of Sirius, Harry found who he was looking for: Remus Lupin. Harry made a beeline straight towards him.
Remus saw that Harry looked slightly upset. "Hi Harry." Remus said, trying to cheer the Boy-Who-Has-Too-Much-On-His-Shoulders up. It seemed to work, for Harry smiled, and closed the distance between the two of them. What happened next caused the whole room to fall silent. Fred and George stopped talking Mundungus out of his latest collection of ill obtained goods, Ron stopped eating, Moody and Dumbledore stopped their low-key conversation. Tonks stopped entertaining Ginny, Charlie stopped telling Mr. Weasley the Romanian dragons, Fleur stopped fondling Bill's hair, and Snape stopped trying to ignore Hermione's chatter about House-Elf rights - he could ignore it completely now.
For Harry had pulled Lupins chair out, and promptly swept him up, and was holding Remus like a baby.
"My Precious!" Harry said in a hoarse whisper, reminding readers irresistably of Gollum. Lupin's face was one of absolute horror. Harry seemed to mistake this for sadness. "I know darling, it's okay." Harry said, and placed Remus on his shoulder. "What's going on?" Snape demanded of Dumbledore in a carrying whisper. Dumbledore merely sat agape; something he had not done since Aberforth had annonuced that he prefered Grumble the Grubby Goat over the Tale of the Three Brothers.
"It's obvious what is happening. Harry is trapped in different realities." Ron said. Hermione looked as though she was hit by a stunner. "Whether they are real or not; it could be past or future. It was probably caused by the many nightmares Harry suffers due to his unnatural connection with the Dark Lord. What surprises me though," Ron continued, frowning at Mr Weasley, "is how Harry's mental state can affect his ability as a bespectacled, weedy lad to pick up grown men."
"Its because the Author took leave of his senses when he was born." Ginny said, as though that was obvious enough. Anymore scholarly conversation was ended. Harry was leaving the kitchen, taking an astounded Remus with him.
Harry carried Remus down to Lupin's room, where he laid Remus on the bed and turned away. Turning back, Harry scowled. His face brightened as he swept his fingers through the air, causing wooded slats to appear all around Lupin's bed. Harry then busied himself looking through Lupins bag, muttering things like "Too small."
"Too formal." "Too dirty." After about a minute of this, Harry turned back to Lupin. "I'm sure Andromeda said she packed your nightsack." Harry muttered, scratching his head. "Oh well, that'll have to do for now." Harry gestured at the clothes Remus was wearing whilst tucking him in. (Suffocating). "Goodnight Teddy." And Harry kissed Remus on the forehead, and tiptoed out the door.
The shock subsiding, Remus leapt over his Transfigured bedrails, and set off after Harry down the dark corridors of the Noble and most Ancient house of Black. (Tonjours Pur). He caught up with him in the kitchen, as Severus Snape, on the orders of Albus Dumbledore yelled "Legilimens!"
As the black eyes bored into the green ones, a terrific bang knocked Harry over. Behind him was a large archway, inscribed on it were the words: Verus vof vadum animadverto.