Author's note: Thank you so much for the lovely reviews! I can't tell you how much they mean to me! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 6.

"And what will you be doing?" Vernon Dursley asked, turning to the trembling little boy.

"I'll be out of the way and not getting into any trouble." Harry repeated the line which had been drilled into him all morning. Dudley was having a sleepover and had declared that he didn't want Harry to be there and so Harry was going to be thrown out of the house until the following day after Dudley's friend went home.

He thought it would be quite nice to have a whole day and night away from his relatives, though he wasn't sure where he was going to go. He hoped it wasn't going to be cold that night although that would be better than if it rained.

"So you can clear off after you have washed the dishes," Vernon instructed, before wandering into the lounge to spend another constructive day watching the television.

Harry nodded meekly even though his Uncle had already left. A small smile crept onto his face as he dipped a plate into the scalding hot water. He could go to the park! He was sure he would be able to find some shelter there and he would be able to play on the swings and maybe, if he scouted around under the benches for pennies, he might be able to afford an ice cream like that nice man had got him.

With that thought in his mind the monotonous task of washing the dishes passed far more quickly than it usually did and in less than twenty minutes time he was being pushed out of the door by his Aunt's bony hand.

"And you better stay out of trouble," She hissed.

Harry shivered slightly as he thought about what the consequence of that would be, he wouldn't be stupid enough to get into trouble, although sometimes it was so hard to keep out of it. He had already spoken to a stranger and not only spoken to him but actually told him stuff, the Dursleys would be furious when they found out. But somehow Harry didn't think they would find out, the Remus-man didn't sound like he would tell. In fact he was the very first person that had ever been nice to him, right back as far as he could remember.

He wondered how long the nice man would stay at Mrs. Figg's. He hoped it was a long time, maybe he would live there forever! He daydreamed about meeting up with the nice man and eating ice cream every single day of the week, the Dursleys and school wouldn't seem so bad if he had that to look forward to.

He was so lost in his daydreams that he nearly walked past the entrance of the park. The familiar, graffitied sign just caught his eye before he completely passed it and, with a little smile at his own blindness, he entered his haven.

--

Remus sighed, laying down the magazine that he had been pretending to read for a good couple of hours. His thoughts kept straying to Harry and what he was doing or rather what they were doing to him. Remus couldn't even refer to them as Harry's relatives in his thoughts since he had realised what was going on. How could anyone so cruel be related to sweet, little Harry? Not to mention Lily….

Tears sprang up to his eyes, as they always did whenever his thoughts turned to his late friends. He blinked them back, he couldn't change the past, but he could change the future. The future was Harry and Harry was going to be happy, if it killed him his godson was going to get some joy in his life.

"I'll be back in a few hours," Remus called up the stairs as he strode to the front door and left before the old woman could ask him where he was going.

In truth, Remus didn't know where he was going, he just had to get out.

He wandered down the neat, manicured street with it's perfectly trimmed hedges and it's spotless drive ways all equipped with shiny sports cars and he felt the urge to grab a bin and just empty it all over the street. How dare they sit on their posh, leather couches and drink champagne while on the very same street Harry was curled up, nursing his latest injury. How dare everything be so tidy and orderly when Harry's life was a mess.

He wanted to shout, he wanted to yell, he wanted to scream from the unfairness of it all. Harry deserved better, those people, or rather, monsters, deserved to rot in hell. How he wished he could spend just one hour with them on a full moon, he'd make them feel the pain that Harry had felt.

The angry thoughts swirled around his head, his normally soft amber eyes glittering red. One day he would get even, one day Harry wouldn't have to put up with such treatment, one day soon.

It was then that Remus realised where he was, the whole time the vicious thoughts had been plaguing him he had been walking fast and angrily, and now…here he was. He was outside the park, he hadn't planned it…but he was there.

He didn't know why he had subconsciously come here but he knew he needed it, he could sit here and remember his last meeting with Harry, he could sit there and make a plan so that in future he wouldn't need meetings with Harry because Harry would be with him, and he would never be hurt again.

He strode in the direction of the bench where he and Harry had met, he froze as it came into view. A small figure was curled up on it, a small figure in baggy, worn clothes, a small figure with sticking up jet-black hair, a small figure…who was Harry.

Harry realised who he was at that exact moment, and he shot up instantly, his eyes alight with joy and hope and….disbelief.

"Remus!" Harry exclaimed excitedly.

Remus broke into a smile, Harry was here and not only here but he didn't sound scared of him! If he trusted him already, than maybe Remus could start putting a plan into action sooner than he had thought.

"Harry! If I had known you were going to be here I would have brought your stag," Remus sat down on the bench, fighting the urge to hug the small Potter.

"My stag!" Harry seemed even more excited "have you still got him, safe?"

"Of course, he'll be there for whenever you need him," Remus answered.

"Why are you here?" Harry looked up at the nice man inquisitively, still slightly disbelieving that he could ask questions and not get shouted at even though he had asked lots already and the nice man had answered them all.

Remus wondered how to answer that one, to tell the truth, he didn't even know himself. He wondered if maybe it was fate. "I just needed to get out of the house for a bit," Remus said at last, feeling that it was at least part of the truth.

"I thought I wouldn't see you again," Harry whispered. "I thought…I thought…that maybe you decided you didn't want to be my friend anymore because Aunt Petunia said last night that no one really liked me and the teachers at school and everyone only pretended because they had to and she said everyone pretended and so I thought maybe you-"

"I don't pretend" Remus interrupted, before Harry's disturbing revelation made him cry. "I like you….love you even."

Harry's eyes grew wide, "l-l-love me?"

Remus nodded, wondering if perhaps he had made a mistake and it was too soon.

But Harry threw himself into the man's arms and hugged him hard. "Aunt Petunia says I am unlovable," he whispered.

"Aunt Petunia says a whole load of rubbish," Remus whispered back, fighting the urge to say a word that was a lot less clean but would sum it up a lot better.

"Why do you love me?" Harry asked suddenly, looking up into the man's soft amber eyes.

"I have always loved you, when you were a baby you always used to shout 'Mooey!' whenever you saw me and clap your little hands together."

"Mooey?"

Remus chuckled, "you couldn't pronounce Moony."

Harry smiled and buried his head back into the man's top.

"So, I've said why I am here, what about you?" Remus asked, genuinely curious about how they had both ended up in the park at the same time on a weekend.

"Dudley is having a sleepover," Harry explained mournfully.

"So?" Remus didn't understand what that had to do with Harry being at the park.

"So Aunt Petunia said I had to go away till tomorrow night when Dudley's friend has gone home."

Remus sat up so fast that Harry would have fallen to the floor if Remus hadn't caught him at the last minute. "She is just throwing you out until tomorrow night? What are you supposed to do? You could get hurt or killed or kidnapped or anything! Where are you supposed to sleep?"

Harry stared back at the man fearfully, Remus' eyes were glowing with red specks and he seemed so angry. Harry wondered what he had done that was so bad it had got the nice man so angry.

Remus took a proper look at his godson and saw the scared expression on his face.

"Don't worry, I'm not angry at you. I'm angry at them. How can they leave a seven year old to fend for himself?" He snarled.

Harry gulped making Remus quickly soften his expression and tone. "Come on, Harry, you can come back with me and we will have our own little sleepover at Arabella's where you will be nice and safe. We can play lots of games and maybe even have a midnight feast!"

Harry's face lit up, "like Dudley!" He exclaimed.

Remus smiled back at him, "exactly! And you can play with your stag and we can maybe make some cake and-"

The two were slowly walking through the park gates, chattering happily, Harry's small hand tightly held in Remus' big one. Neither of them knowing that it would be the last time either of them would go to that park.