Mr Potter,
Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Remus Lupin, and I was a friend of your parents. I apologise if this letter is a bit rambling, but they meant a great deal to me. As did you, at one time. In many ways, you still do, despite the fact you have no idea who I am. This is not your fault in any way. It is the fault of several people, but principally myself, and Voldemort. In a world where the latter did not exist, you would have grown up surrounded by your parents, siblings (James always wanted a big family) and friends. As to my failings, we shall reach them in due course.
I actually met your father during my very first trip on the Hogwarts Express. He helped me to load my trunk, and spent the hours between King's Cross and Hogsmeade regaling me about two things: the magnificence of the Wigtown Wanderers; and the brilliant ideas he had for practical jokes. He remained convinced of both for the rest of his life. I was incredibly fortunate to be sorted into Gryffindor, which meant I shared a dormitory with your father for seven years. He was a kind-hearted, brave, brilliant and funny man. Even today, I still think that the best thing I ever did was bump into James Potter on platform 9 and ¾.
In the other Gryffindor dormitory, there was a girl that we referred to only as "Evans" for the first few years. To tell the truth, she considered us childish, immature, and silly. Your father most of all. She wasn't wrong. However, as we eventually grew up, we discovered that Lily Evans was a fiercely loyal, incredibly intelligent and witty young woman. She had an inescapable sense of fairness, and the passion to fight for her beliefs. I think every boy in Gryffindor fell a little bit in love with her, but your father was head over heels before the end of his fifth year. Thanks to the fact that James had, despite all evidence in the years prior, matured, Lily started to fall in love with him too.
They were a perfect match as Head Boy and Head Girl, and later, a perfect match as man and wife. I was honoured to be an usher at their wedding, and keep several photographs of that happy event on display in my little home to this day. When you came along, you were their pride and joy. They loved you with all their hearts, and would have done anything to protect you. That their resolve was tested still brings tears to my eyes. I spent quite a bit of time with your parents after you had been born, and cherished every minute I spent with Baby Harry. It is my eternal shame that I have not seen you for ten years. I would dearly like to make amends, but understand if you cannot forgive me. I'm not sure either of your parents would.
In the attack on your home, I lost two of my greatest friends. The next day, I lost the remaining two in another attack. Those two tragedies were the last acts of the war against Voldemort, and the witches and wizards of Britain marked them by celebrating. I found no such joy, and cut all contact with the wizarding world for several years. The only thing I did before this was to ask about you. Professor Dumbledore assured me that you were safe, and well protected, living with your mother's family. However, they had made it a condition of their fostering that you would have absolutely no contact with the wizarding world until you arrived at Hogwarts.
If presented with those conditions, your mother would have shouted at the Headmaster that such a thing was preposterous. When she'd calmed down, she'd have organised a plan of action, researching reasons why you needed contact with magical folk, and debating and reasoning until she swayed the professor. Your father would have agreed to the terms, then immediately worked out a way to cheat the system. To my shame, I did neither. Having lost all my childhood friends in less than 24 hours, I agreed to the loss of you too. You had been a nephew to me for fifteen months, and in my grief, I gave up on the last thing holding me to the magical world.
However, earlier this year, I received a letter from Rubeus Hagrid. I am glad you have found a friend in him: he's a good man. He said he was looking for photographs of Lily and James. I was able to provide him with copies of many such photographs, and when I found out what they were for, also sent him some which included a little baby boy with jet black hair and bright green eyes. Sadly, I can never bring your parents back, however much I wish. However, I do hope that you find some solace in the photographs. Hagrid's letter suggested you know very little about your parents. This makes me feel my shame even more. You deserve to know them, and know about them. They deserve to be remembered. It is ten years later than it should be, but I would be happy to help fill in some of the gaps for you.
I don't know whether you can forgive me for leaving you with no link to the world of your parents for a decade. Lily would probably have set fire to this letter several paragraphs ago; James would be planning on sending back a cursed letter. I shall understand if I receive no reply, but hold out hope that you can look past my mistakes.
Yours faithfully,
Remus Lupin
A/N - I have issues with Remus. I really like him as a character, but he drops the ball more than once. I can't imagine anybody but Lupin being the source of many of Hagrid's photos, so he knows Harry is back in the world, and desperate to know more about his parents. Why didn't he get in touch? Well, in this chapter, I imagine that he did, but assumed Harry couldn't forgive him. I've tried to capture the idea that Remus doesn't believe he deserves a second chance, and is setting himself up for disappointment. Also, just how devastating must it be to have three of your best friends die in less than a day, all because of the actions of a fourth. I'm not excusing his disappearance, but that must have destroyed his world.