Chapter 2

It took two trips to haul the boxes to his room.  The trunk was very heavy.  Harry opened one of the cardboard boxes to find it crammed with letters.  He carefully pulled one out.  There was no stamp on it.  The handwriting looked young and unused to writing with a quill.  He pulled out the letter.

Dear Mum, Dad, and Petunia,

            Hello from Gryffindor tower!  It's late and I'm tired but I just had to write so I'll make it quick.  I'm a Gryffindor.  It is a school house.  There are three others, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin.    Gryffindors Rule!   Everyone is sorted into one of the four houses.  It's kind of scary but once my house was announced all the others in that house cheered for me.  Then there was this feast.  The table was laid out with golden…real gold plates and all of a sudden the food appeared on the table. And everything was delicious.   The Castle is huge and the staircases move!

            Mary (a girl in my dorm) said I could use her owl to send a letter.  I guess that's something you will have to get used to, owls coming and going.  Maybe I should get a post owl.  Lots of kids have pets.   

            I better send this off and put out the candle. I'll write more later.

Love ya all

Lily

Harry reread the letter many times.  His mom's first owl post letter from Hogwarts, it was like being there with his mother, at Hogwarts for the first time.  A lump came to his throat but Harry eagerly grabbed the next letter.

Dear Dad, Mum, and Petunia,

            I had my first day of classes.  The hard part is finding the rooms.  Things move around in the castle.  And the people in pictures move into each other frames so it's kind of confusing.

            My favorite class is Charms, taught by a dear little wizard, Professor Flitwick.  Also I liked Transfiguration but there was a couple of boys I have to admit are way ahead of everybody.  The one is really cute. Sirius Black.   It's too bad the pair are a couple of  (as granddad would say)  "Puffed up pop'n jay."  I don't mind them being smarter than me but they don't have to show off all the time. 

            Other classes are Potions, Herbology, Astronomy, Defense Against the Dark Arts and History of Magic, which is taught by a ghost!

The box seemingly contained all the letters his mother had written while she was a student at Hogwarts.  From the innocent writings of a muggle-born first year astounded by Hogwarts to the graceful script of a confident young witch.

Setting the letters aside Harry looked into the other box.  He gasped.  Photos!  Picture after picture of his mother and Aunt Petunia as a children.  An older couple, they must be his grandparents.  Harry thought.  Yes, he remembered them from the Mirror of Erised.  

A thick envelope made of parchment caught his eye.  Harry pulled it out of the box and opened it.  He gasped.  The top picture showed his mother sitting on his father's lap, kissing and Aunt Petunia sitting on Sirius's.  And they were kissing.  The next one showed his mother on his father's lap again and Aunt Petunia on Remus Lupin's lap…again being heartily kissed.  He stared part in disbelief and part in disgust.  He shook his head and went to the next picture.  Aunt Petunia was still on Lupin's lap but now his mom was sitting in Sirius's lap.  And he was kissing her!  He didn't know if he could take much more of this.  He cautiously looked at the next picture and burst out laughing.  The photo's subjects hadn't changed but Sirius was finding very hard to kiss anyone because his lips seemed to have been sewed shut.  The magical picture Sirius shook his fist at an unseen picture taker.  Lupin, Petunia and his mom were laughing so hard they were crying.

Aunt Petunia had known Sirius and Lupin.  Harry had to let that soak in.  Lupin and Sirius had never mention knowing Aunt Petunia. But then, Harry thought, the number of times he had actually talked to either of them about his parents could be counted on one hand.  He sighed.  He wished he could talk to Lupin.  Just to talk about… things. The joy of having so many of his mother's thing seemed to have vanished.  Harry turned to the small trunk, hoping to find something that would take his mind off things.  But it was locked.  He turned to find his wand but had to stop himself short.  He couldn't use magic outside of school.

Hedwig hooted softly from her cage.  Harry rose and went over to stroke his snowy owl.  She nibbled his fingers and hooted again then stared meaningfully at him.  "I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask," He mulled.  He gave her a final pat and rummaged around for parchment, ink and a quill. 

 Dear Professor Lupin,

            I recently had a talk with my aunt and she gave me some things that had belonged to my mum.  I don't know if you could visit to discuss them.  You could come at night and no one would be the wiser.  There are some very disturbing pictures I think only you can explain. 

Yours truly,

Harry

A sly smile spread across Harry's face.  That should rouse his interest.  In a short time he was watching Hedwig fly off a letter attached to her leg then turned back to the boxes. He went back to sit on his bed and spent the rest of the day reading through the letters his mother had wrote. 

His Uncle bellowed for him to come down and eat dinner was the first time he had looked up from his reading and he was only half way through.  His muscle protested as he unfolded his legs.  Slowly he went down to dinner, feeling like he was walking from the magical world of his mother's to a murky muggle version. 

For the first time this summer Harry felt really hungry. More important, he felt like eating.  And he ate as much as his aunt could push in front of him.  Even Dudley had stopped shoveling in food to watch Harry eat.  If nothing else, Aunt Petunia was a good cook, Harry thought as he savored the last bite of steak.

 After dinner Harry helped clear the table.  He didn't mind really. He had done it often enough.  At least this time he didn't have to wash them.  "This is the last," He told his aunt as he set a stack of plates on the counter.  She nodded but didn't answer.   In a moment of weakness Harry started to ask if she wanted him to dry or something but the doorbell interrupted. 

Uncle Vernon footsteps thumped down the hall and Harry could hear him grumbling about late callers.  His uncle opened the front door and an even toned voice spoke but Harry couldn't hear what was being said.  His uncle's voice was tense and curt.  Both Harry and his aunt had frozen to listen to see who the caller might be.  They didn't have long to wait.

"Boy!  Get Out here! Now!"  Barked Uncle Vernon. Harry hurried into the front hall.  Standing in the doorway was Remus Lupin.  He looked strange in muggle clothes that were in better shape than the wizard robes Harry had last seen him wear.