Disclaimer: I don't own the wonderful people, terms, things and animals that connect to Hogwarts. I just own my plot here.
A/N: A super huge thanks to my beta, awesome beyond belief, Miles333.
Summary: 1 AU Sirius and Lupin ended up with baby Harry that night and ran. Years later, they're found and forced to go to Hogwarts. As they try to adjust to the wizarding world again, they must prove their innocence and keep Harry alive… No slash.
Thanks to: 10th Weasley, H.L.K. Masters, RedRangerBelt, Miles333, and Cinnamon Selkie for the phenomenal reviews and I can't even begin to say how happy I am with all the feedback. :D
So sorry for the terribly long delay and I have a list of excuses…lol Anyway, hopefully this makes it up.
Chapter Seven
"So, where's O-Sirius?" Harry asked, changing the subject since he knew he wasn't going to get anywhere else with his uncle about Severus Snape. When Lupin wasn't in the mood to talk, he didn't budge, much like Sirius in that way.
The older man shrugged as he stood up, tiredly rubbing his neck with one a hand. "No idea, and that's what's got me worried. Last I heard he was going to talk with the Headmaster. But…" He glanced at his watch, frowning. "It shouldn't have taken this long." A brief glimpse of worry flashed across his face.
"I'm sure he'll be here soon," Harry offered, knowing how worried Lupin was. The men had always shared an extremely strong bond, and having lived with them most his life he knew that one could easily flip out if the other one lost contact for a while.
Lupin breathed a long sigh, as if attempting to convince himself that Harry was. He stood up. "Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you're right."
Harry then followed Lupin's example, standing up. "When will I get to meet the Headmaster, anyway?" He hoped he sounded as positive about it as his words were meant to be. He was actually far from optimistic about being a student at the school, and meeting the Headmaster would really confirm that that he was going to. He felt more along the lines of being terrified to pieces, but he needed to put on a brave face for Lupin.
Remus gave the smallest of smiles. "Soon, I'm sure."
Harry shifted his weight between feet, thinking. "How about this? You take me to our new rooms and if Uncle Sirius isn't back by then, we'll look for him."
On impulse, Remus gave Harry a quick hug, his mood instantly brightening. "Sounds nice." It was odd, Lupin with his usually clear head, being so much muddled without Sirius.
"Come on, let's get out of here," Harry announced, motioning for Lupin to take the lead. Remus squeezed Harry on the shoulder, giving him a fond smile. Dropping his hand, he strode the remaining feet to the door. With a sharp twist of his wrist, the door clicked and opened.
For a panicked moment, Harry felt his muscles tense. The next moment seemed like the longest in history. He forgot how to breathe, fighting against rising panic. He didn't think he could do this. Everything…everything that happened to him in the last few hours. He couldn't do this. Even though he knew magic existed now…when he walked through that door, he would truly be admitting that magic was real.
Then the teen caught sight of Lupin's face and saw his godfather's smile. He instantly felt calmer, his head clearer. He could do this. Lupin was here. They would find Sirius and everything would be okay. Or…close to it, anyway.
His legs then relaxed and he found himself moving to Lupin's side. While his other adopted uncle was the protector, the one that when Harry was younger checked out the bed for monsters, the one who had taught Harry to fight, drilled in the lesson of: Paranoia is better than being dead, so trust your gut.
Lupin, on the other hand, had been the comforter, the one that would hold a young Harry after he had a bad dream, the one who made him Catnip tea for his insomnia and the one who stayed up until Harry managed to get to sleep again.
Offering a meek smile in return, Harry nodded his head, a motion for Lupin to start walking before trailing behind him.
The door swung closed with a muted thud.
xxx
Sirius had just decided that he was lost, that maybe it hadn't been such a great idea to look for the kitchens when he hadn't actually been inside this place for quite some time. Just as this thought occurred to him, Snape appeared, out of seemingly nowhere, black robes fluttering. Batman, Sirius decided to himself about the former Slytherin, not for the first time either, thinning his eyes at Snape.
"What now?" he demanded, sharply, not in the mood for the head of the Slytherin House. He was starving and exhausted and both of those combined made him easily annoyed. And it was Snape he was talking to, so that didn't exactly help his mood.
Snape pressed his lips together in a thin line, obviously debating if whatever he was going to say was worth suffering Sirius's sharp tongue. "Harry asked me about Voldemort."
"Oh, Merlin," he groaned, pressing a hand on his forehead. "What did you tell him, Severus?"
"I told him that Voldemort is cruel and merciless, and that he loves to watch people suffer." He paused, drawing the suspense out for Sirius. "But, that's all. I think he'll need to hear the rest from you and Lupin."
Sirius breathed a sigh of relief. "I can't believe I'm going to say this, but thanks, Sev. I owe you one."
He hated to admit it, but he did owe the former Slytherin now and what was he thinking, calling Snape by that nickname he had gone by as a kid? Bloody slip of the tongue. Snape nodded silently, expression blank, dark eyes not betraying any of his emotions, before turning away.
Before he got far, the Half-Blood paused, and then turned back around to face the Black heir, like he had remembered an afterthought
"Harry's a good kid, Sirius. You did a…good job raising him. And you were right."
"About what?" Sirius asked, suspiciously, raising his eyebrows. This he had to hear.
"Harry is nothing like James." And with those last words, the Potions Master was gone, sweeping away in his black robes, and down the hallway. Sirius watched the former Slytherin go, confused. What had that been about?
He shook his head, pushing the strange encounter out of his mind for the moment. He would talk to Lupin about it later. That was all he could do at the time.
But he couldn't help wondering, why in Merlin's name did Snape say what he had, about them doing a good job raising Harry and that he was nothing like James since last time he checked the other man had hated him, Remus, and James, and couldn't have cared less about Harry…was there more going on here than he knew?
xxx
Fifty-three minutes.
The time laid heavily on Lupin's mind.
He wasn't going to pry. He wasn't going to use their bond to check in on him. Sirius would tell him he was overreacting, and he wasn't in the mood for him to tell him that…even if he was probably true.
"Fairies?"
Harry's question drew Lupin out of his brooding, and he shook his head. Focus. "Yeah."
They were lying on Lupin's new bed, and Harry was asking him about creatures. Think Merlin he hadn't thought of werewolves as of yet. Lupin wasn't ready to answer that one.
"Bigfoot?"
Lupin silently sighed, shaking his head again. "Not here. America is filled with them, though."
"Vampires?"
He tensed but answered, keeping his eyes firmly on the ceiling. "Yep."
Harry said something like "cool" or something but Remus's mind had wandered. Merlin. Where was Sirius? And the werewolf question was coming and…Merlin. He had never been this high-strung before. Not ever.
Everything was catching up and his nerves were strung tight.
"Pixies?"
Lupin blinked, and it took him a second to zero on what Harry said. Pixies. Yeah.
"Uh-huh. About annoying as a drunk Sirius."
Harry chortled and Remus couldn't help but smile a little. It was like a chain reaction. Harry was just the kind of kid that when he was happy, the whole room was. Or maybe it was that fact that Remus was his godfather and thought of Harry as a son and was happy when Harry was.
"Harpies?"
"Nope."
"Mermaids?"
"Ugly as sin." Lupin paused. "Or ugly as Sirius was in fifth year after a 'little' transforming 'incident' which he totally deserved." Harry had a pretty good guess that whatever Sirius had obviously done, he deserved what he had gotten.
"Oi! Who ya calling ugly, mutt?" Both Remus and Harry startled at the unexpected words. Sirius was leaning in the doorframe, looking tired but rather amused.
"Wow, Sirius. Name-calling. That's low," Remus teased, his spirits brightening as he saw his best friend. Harry noted this and couldn't help wonder if their bond ran deeper then he knew. Not like romantically or anything like that but…they were almost closer than brothers.
Sirius didn't bother to reply, just rolled his eyes and ambled into Lupin's bedroom, smirking. "I won't bother to reply to that." Remus caught Sirius's eyes and then, Sirius's voice echoed through his head.
'I'll tell you later.'
Remus nodded his understanding.
"Now, blokes, let's celebrate a birthday," Sirius announced cheerfully, and Remus knew probably not any other could see that it was façade…that Sirius was scared and confused and troubled inside and in a second, even those emotions were gone and Remus was on the outside. It worried him the way that Sirius could switch back and forth…from vulnerable to cheerful in a matter of seconds.
Something was really wrong.
xxx
Journal,
Feels just like yesterday.
Honestly. And it's been thirteen years. Merlin. I feel so old. Pushing thirty-two now. Middle aged, I guess. Never thought I would make it this far…much less to say twenty.
I wonder what he's doing now. I wish I didn't have to leave things the way I did when I left. He's probably never forgiven me and I don't blame him. I wonder if the old man ever told him the truth. About what M. and I did. Probably not. Would be too dangerous.
I'm thinking about…Merlin. Best not to write it here. I have enough problems and I can barely think of what would happen if someone outside of M. found this.
Anyway, M. is telling me to hurry up. Better go before she gets annoyed. Thank Merlin you're just a book and you haven't see her angry.
Signing out,
ABR
With that, the man closed the faded brown book and stood up.
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