Chapter 3:
Remus's breath hitched in his throat, this poor miserable little child was his godson. What was he doing so far from Privet Drive? Surely he wasn't planning on walking home, it was miles. He watched as his godson limped over to the rusty swings and after a couple of failed attempts finally managed to sit on one.
Remus smiled as his godson's face lightened as he swung. Meanwhile Harry was letting himself unwind, the chores, the shouting, the beatings, it was all worth it just for these few minutes soaring in the sky. When he sat on the swing he felt as if he was free, as if he was flying away from the Dursley's and all the school teachers and children. He felt invincible.
The ten minutes he allowed himself on the swing passed too quickly for his liking. He never sat on the swing for more than that length of time for fear that if he did the novelty would wear off. The swing was the only thing Harry had to look forward too and he didn't want to ruin that. After his routine ten minutes Harry normally sat on a bench and just day dreamed for as long as he dared, he savoured the Dursley-free time that he was granted.
Ever since the Dursleys had started making him walk home from school Harry had been coming to the park. The Dursleys just thought that it took him a few hours to get home having never walked the route themselves. In actual fact it only took Harry an hour to walk home not that he was going to share this particular piece of information with his relatives. This way he was guaranteed at least an hour of complete relaxation.
Harry turned to go towards his normal bench when he found that it was already occupied by a rather tired looking man who, Harry was scared to note, seemed to be staring at him. Harry quickly turned around to find another bench but there seemed to be someone sitting at every single one of them.
Sighing he walked towards his normal bench and sat on the ground, a safe distance away.
Remus's heart flew into his mouth, this was his chance to finally meet his godson. He frowned slightly as he realised that Harry was sitting on the ground rather than asking to share someone else's bench but he shrugged it off, it wasn't uncommon to be shy, was it?
"You'll get all muddy on the floor" He called.
Harry jumped to his feet quickly, the man that had been staring at him was talking to him.
"You can come and share this bench" Remus offered kindly.
Harry walked nervously over to the bench, no one had ever offered to share anything with him before.
"I-I-I didn't want to disturb you, sir" Harry said apologetically.
Remus blinked in surprise, Harry was so, so, so unnaturally polite. He obviously didn't feel comfortable around him, Remus was soon going to rectify that.
He couldn't help the glimmer in his eye as Harry perched on the very edge of the bench. All he had to do now was to get him to talk to him.
"What's you name then?" He asked.
Harry glanced up at him nervously and then shook his head, he wasn't used to denying am adult anything they asked for in case they hit him but the Dursleys would do more than hit him if he told a stranger his name.
Remus sighed, he guessed Harry had been taught at school not to give out his name to strangers. If he wouldn't tell him his name then he almost certainly wouldn't tell where he lived but Remus felt it was worth a try anyway. He had to pretend as if he didn't know Harry so that he didn't scare him. If he was seven and a stranger started talking to him and knew his name, age and where he lived Remus would be terrified and he suspected Harry would be no different. In fact from what Remus had seen Harry had a very shy disposition so he would probably take it even worse.
"Do you live around here then?" Remus asked.
Harry just looked at him helplessly, he knew he wasn't allowed to tell anyone anything about himself but there was something about this man that made Harry want to trust him, in fact he seemed sort of familiar…
"Shall I tell you where I live?" Remus suggested.
Harry shrugged, why would this person bother telling him anything? The Dursleys never had.
"I am staying on Privet Drive with my friend Arabella Figg" Remus said quietly.
It was his last attempt to get Harry talking, Harry needed to think that he had something in common with him and living on the same street seemed like a good start.
Harry stiffened immediately and looked up at his new acquaintance with wide eyes.
"You live on Privet Drive?" He asked in horror.
Remus nodded, searching Harry's face worriedly.
"Please don't tell them I was here" Harry begged. "Please! I will do anything, I will… do all your house work, I will… let you hit me. Just please don't tell the Dursleys or Mrs Figg that I was here"
Remus stared at his godson in shock, why was Harry so worried about him telling anyone he had seen him here? Had he been skiving from school? Was he doing something he wasn't allowed to do?
"Why do you not want me to tell them?" Remus asked.
Harry seemed to forget that Remus was a stranger in light of this new crisis.
"They will be so mad! Just please please don't tell them" Harry pleaded.
"Why would they be mad?" Remus's brow furrowed.
"Because I am supposed to do house work the second I get home and they think it just takes me a long while to walk home but really I stop off here and they will be so mad if you tell them, please don't"
"Why would I want you to do house work or hit you?" Remus's mind strayed back to Harry's first outburst.
Harry froze, had he really said that? He was in for it if the Dursleys found out. That was two rules he had broken in the last five minutes. He just shrugged, it was the safest option.
Remus was still reeling, Harry's outburst had scared him. Why would Harry presume Remus would want to hit him? It was something Remus needed to give a lot of thought to.
"Why do you not want Mrs Figg to be told?" Remus asked at last.
"She might tell the Dursleys" Harry said simply. "You won't tell, will you?"
"I won't" Remus promised. "Do you really walk all the way to Privet Drive from here?"
Harry nodded silently. Remus wanted to press him further but restrained, it wouldn't do any good to push him too far.
"So you must be Harry" Remus said pretending he only knew Harry's name because Harry had just admitted that he lived with the Dursleys. "The little boy who lives with Vernon, Petunia and… Dudley"
Harry nodded reluctantly. Silence fell between the two.
"So, how old are you Harry?" Remus asked in an attempt to break the uncomfortable silence.
Harry couldn't afford to give away any more information, the Dursleys were going to lock him up for a week already if they ever found out what Harry had told a stranger. He needed to get this man off his back and the only way Harry knew to do that was to be rude.
"It's not fair that adults ask that but preach that it is rude to ask" Harry complained.
Remus had to admit, he was shocked. One minute the child was being unnaturally polite and the next he was being rude. It was not something Remus would accept when Harry came to live with him but for now he let it pass, his need to talk to his godson bypassed his natural teacher instinct. Besides he had to admit, his godson had a point.
"Good point" Remus said warmly "I am twenty-seven. So how old are you?"
It was Harry's turn to be shocked, the man was not mad at him for being rude, he had just complimented Harry and he had told Harry his age. The least Harry could do was confide his own age, he had already told the stranger everything else after all. One more bit of information wouldn't hurt.
"I'm seven" He whispered.
Remus felt slightly choked when he saw that Harry apparently trusted him enough to share another piece of information with him. The shock on Harry's face when he had told him his own age had been nice as well, obviously as adult telling him things was new to him. Harry seemed to have warmed up to him now though and was talking without needing to be prompted.
They didn't talk about anything real life, choosing instead to talk about the park, swings, flowers, how pretty the sky looked and the dog which was currently being walked around the park. Remus was just beginning to get nicely acquainted with his godson when the church clock chimed. Harry looked up at the clock wide-eyed. It was seven o clock. Neither of them had heard the clock until that moment though Remus supposed it must have chimed on each hour.
"I have to go!" Harry jumped off the bench so quickly that he nearly fell over and would have had Remus not have steadied him. "The Dursleys will be back!"
Before Remus had a chance to reply, Harry had taken off, running as fast as he could. He got as far as the swings and suddenly stopped and turned around hesitantly.
"Thank you for letting me share your bench" He shouted.
Remus smiled at his godson's politeness and raised a hand to wave.
He watched sorrowfully as his little godson disappeared into the trees.