Chapter 11: Telling Harry
"So, how did the meeting with Dumbledore go?" Harry asked during lunch. Both Remus and Sirius froze, exchanging a meaningful look.
"Oh...fine," Sirius lied, looking away from his godson's face.
"Really?" Harry asked doubtfully. "Did Dumbledore ask Ron to spy on me? Does he actually think I'll grow up to be the next Voldemort?"
Remus and Sirius were looking down at the table, unsure of what to say.
"Hello, Sirius? What happened?" Harry asked again. He wanted a straight answer. If Sirius was talking in circles, it was never a good sign.
"Dumbledore told us that...that you have to go back next summer," Remus said, feeling his heart break at the look on Harry's face.
"Back? To the Dursleys?" Harry asked, hoping he was mistaken, but Sirius nodded slightly.
Harry couldn't believe it. Dumbledore really didn't care. Harry refused to show how hurt he was, so he maintained a blank expression.
"I've had enough," he said finally. "I'm going upstairs."
And he left.
"We need to do something," Sirius ranted. "That manipulative bastard can't stop me from adopting my own godson, can he?"
Sirius was furious about how much suffering Dumbledore had put Harry through.
"I tell you what I am going to do," Sirius declared. "I'm going to go upstairs to make sure Harry is okay and then...and then I'm going to march right over to the Ministry and demand that they let me adopt Harry."
"No, you are not," Remus said calmly. "You're too angry and I'm pretty certain you'll hurt the Minister if I let you go."
"Fine! You go talk to Harry, and I'll talk to the Minister," Sirius said, adamant on going to the Ministry of Magic.
"There's no way I can convince you otherwise?" Remus asked, knowing the answer already.
"You know it, Moony, my friend," Sirius said, with his infamous grin plastered on his face.
"Okay. I'll talk to Harry." Remus smiled a little, picturing the Minister's reaction to Sirius's anger. However, he would rather go and apologize to Harry at the moment.
"And don't forget, Harry has James's habit of 'reading' while upset," Sirius informed Remus.
"Okay. Bye, Padfoot."
Remus took a deep breath and went upstairs to Harry's room.
"Harry?" he said, knocking on the door and waiting a few moments.
"Please leave me alone, Remus." Harry's voices sounded from the door and Remus could hear the slight break in his voice.
"Can I come in?" Remus asked. When he received no answer, he opened the door. Harry was facing away.
"I thought I told you to leave me alone." Harry wouldn't turn around.
"Yeah, I wasn't listening to that." Remus chuckled a little.
Several minutes passed. Finally, Harry added, "Everyone only pretended to care because they felt sorry for me."
"They are horrible people to do that and don't even deserve to look at you," Remus said.
"I don't want to go back to the Dursleys," Harry said quickly, brushing a few tears away from his face.
"You won't. Sirius and I will not let that manipulative man take you away from us again," Remus told him, sitting on the bed.
"It's your word against Dumbledore's," Harry said, still refusing to look at Remus. "No one will even believe me. The Dursleys were right."
"Right about what?" Remus frowned.
"Nobody really cares about me and they're only pretending because I'm an orphan." Harry recited the words his uncle had said before he left.
"Harry, that isn't true." Remus didn't get a chance to say anything more, because that was when they heard Sirius shouting from downstairs.
"HARRY! MOONY! COME DOWN HERE, NOW! I HAVE NEWS!"