Thank you to all my awesome reviewers! I am ridiculously behind the word count where I should be but you know, life tends to get in the way! One day I will take the month of November off work and just write… Ha. Last chapter was probably one of my favourites! Especially that last line so I am glad everyone seemed to enjoy it! :D

Ferret Assasin: I am going to try and work out how those nasty compound people and Vernon pay! They will be punished … Eventually!

Lupinesence: Thank you for reviewing EVERY chapter! I really appreciate it!

MSA: How many words are you up to? Each one counts! :D

SarcasticSpirit: I have absolutely no idea how Severus will turn out… Silly man isn't telling me!

I wish I could reply to every review! And Once I have finished I plan to do just that! Until then, know I am extremely grateful to everyone one of you!

This is a bit of a slow chapter … But it will get exciting again soon!

October 1987

"I don't like potions." Harry mumbled as he walked reluctantly towards the front room of the house that had been turned into a school room nearly twelve months previously.

Remus glanced back over his shoulder and hid a smile. "It is important to learn about these things, Harry." He consoled. "And you have to think, by the time you start Hogwarts you will be one of the most advanced students. Besides, Professor Snape doesn't just teach you potions. He has been helpful with teaching you mind control."

Harry pulled a face as he settled into his seat. "Why do I need to learn that?"

"Because, Harry, one day there is a possibility that neither Sirius nor myself will be here and we want to make sure you are as well protected as you can be."

Harry rolled his eyes.

"Stop being stubborn." Remus watched the boy with an amused twinkle clear in his blue eyes.

Harry grinned. "Yes, sir. What am I doing today?"

"Sirius wants to work on some transfiguration with you this afternoon and I think that you need to keep working on your arithmetic."

Harry wrinkled his nose. He hated arithmetic. "Can't I look up a magical creature instead? Or do charms?"

"No. I want you to do these questions." A sheet of parchment floated from Remus' desk to Harry's and the boy looked at it glumly as it settled on the table in front of him.

"You are mean." He mumbled half heartedly. "How long do I have to do it?"

"An hour and a half. Which is how many minutes …?"

"Ninety minutes." Harry grinned. That one was easy.

"Excellent. I will attempt to find you something more exciting for after you finish your sums."

Harry was quiet for a moment before speaking suddenly. "Uncle Moony?"

Remus looked up instantly. "Yes, cub?"

"Why is Professor Snape still mean to you?"

A soft chuckle escaped the werewolf. "Professor Snape isn't good with most people, cub. The fact he addressed your Uncle and I by our last names is a great achievement."

"He still calls me 'Potter'."

Remus sighed. "He does. Unfortunately, Harry, Severus Snape is a law unto himself and he will be extraordinarily stubborn if he believes that he is right. Sometimes even when he knows he is wrong he won't back down."

Harry was frowning. "That's silly."

Remus sighed. "Yes, it is. And if you ever were that silly then Sirius and I would hang you from the rafters in the attic."

Harry laughed. "You are silly, Uncle Moony."

"Am I now?" Remus' lips quirked. "Enough procrastinating. Maths, Harry James Potter."

"Cause the world was founded on arithmetic." Harry mumbled.

Remus ignored the grumblings but his eyes were amused as he watched Harry lift the muggle pencil and begin to laboriously complete the work that Remus had set him. His head was bent and his tongue poked out the side of his mouth. The werewolf let his eyes dwell on his 'nephew' the boy who made a life in seclusion bearable.

"Where does Severus go every Saturday, Minerva?" Poppy Pomfrey sipped at her tea and looked expectantly at the deputy head mistress. "You are probably the closest to him out of all of us."

Minerva sighed. "I'm honestly not sure, Poppy. I have asked him about it, but you know how he is, he just looks at me and stalks off. He is so reclusive; it can't be good for him! Never associating with the other teachers." She shook her head. "It was like this when he was a student; I suppose I had hoped he would change now circumstances are different."

"Did he love Lily Potter?" Poppy's question startled her friend who set her tea cup down with a click.

"Whatever makes you say that?"

"Well, it is drawing closer to Halloween and when they were at school, especially in their early years those two always seemed quite attached."

"It is possible. It was obvious James Potter was infatuated from the first time he saw her." Minerva smiled reminiscently. "But I never even considered that Severus … It makes sense, Poppy. Poor man, he never seems to be able to be happy." She shook her head. "But, those Saturday visits. I am worried, Poppy. He has been badly influenced before …" Minerva frowned.

"Perhaps we ought to follow him? He would be quite angry, of course, but really, that boy needs some mothering and we are the only ones who would do it."

Minerva nodded slowly as she contemplated the idea. "You know, I think you could be right, following him would be the best option." She sighed heavily. "I just hope he can forgive us for it."

Poppy waved her hand airily. "We are two meddling old ladies. He will accept that. Now, Albus … Is he still in charge of the search for Black?"

Minerva leaned back in her chair and nodded. "Stubborn as ever. I do wonder why he hasn't turned up yet, he, Remus and poor little Harry seemed to vanish quite effectively."
"Perhaps Remus was able to save poor young Harry and Black is dead?"

"Why wouldn't Remus bring him to us?" Minerva glanced out the window. "Albus is convinced he went bad … But … You remember how close he and Lily were. And Remus didn't have a bad side to him. Poor lad."

Poppy patted her friend's hand. "Perhaps this coming Halloween will yield us more answers. I do wish we knew … Even just to know that they are alive and safe."

Minerva nodded. That was the only option that could be voiced really. The idea of gentle, quiet Remus Lupin and the tiny, innocent, orphaned Harry Potter being dead, or under threat of death, was too much to bear. They needed to dream that everything was alright.

They were flying again. Chasing one another through the sky, Harry in hot pursuit of his godfather who was holding a quaffle in his hand and laughing as the boy shrieked indignantly at the injustice of stealing the ball. The crisp autumn air painted their cheeks pink and a stranger, if they could see them, would have been forgiven for mistaking them for father and son. Their voices shattered the silence and peals of laughter could be heard amidst shrieks of:

"Give it back, Uncle Sirius! It's not fair! I can't fly as fast! Uncle Padfoot! Give it back!"

Sirius loud, barking like laughter, filled the valley and drew Remus from the house where he had been cooking, ensuring both of the starving males that flew in circles above him had enough food to sustain them in the upcoming moon. Shading his eyes against the afternoon sun, he smiled as he watched the godfather and godson interact. Sirius flew close to Harry, the little boy's fingers grazing his robes, before pulling his broom up sharply and rocketing skywards.

Harry, who had caught sight of his uncle, gave an indignant yelp. "Uncle Remus! He keeps cheating!"

The werewolf laughed. "I do not settle disputes that take place on brooms!" He replied as he moved towards the greenhouse that he and Sirius had erected that spring. The glad building was host to a variety of herbs for both the potions that Sirius made, often when Severus was around to irritate him with his mediocre skills, and for the dishes that Remus was constantly surprising them with. Harry had quickly discovered that cooking with his uncle provided endless amusement and the boy was almost always 'helping' especially when it came to baking and there were bowls to be licked.

There was a bench beside the greenhouse and Remus settled onto it, content to let the argument and laughter above him wash over him with soothing normalcy as his body braced for a full moon that was rapidly approaching.

"Bet he isn't asleep." Harry's whisper was loud.

Sirius, struggling to banish the mirth from his voice, spoke confidently. "Bet he is."

"Nuh uh, he does this during lessons and then I stop writing and he tells me off."

Sirius chuckled. "I've known him forever, he is definitely sleeping."

Harry didn't look convinced as he tipped his head to one side to regard Remus.

"How about we test it? And if he is asleep then you have to be my slave for a month."

Harry giggled. "And me? What happens if I win?"

"Then I will be a slave to you and Uncle Moony for a month."

Harry considered this for a long time before smiling slowly. "Deal." He was trying hard not to laugh and Sirius looked at him suspiciously. "How are you going to check?"

"Like this." Sirius conjured a grass snake and held it above his head. Harry clapped his hand over his mouth, struggling to hold in his laughter.

Sirius held the snake that twisted in his grip and moved it closer to Remus, he was about to drop the snake down the werewolf's robes when a voice stopped him.

"Do not even think about it, Sirius Orion Black." Remus didn't open his eyes and Sirius jumped. He watched as Harry shrieked with laughter and collapsed on the ground beside his broom. Lips twitchinf, Sirius vanished the snake and stood arms folded, glaring at the two miscreants.

"Did you plan this?"

Remus opened his eyes finally and surveyed Sirius with a faint smile. "Would we plan something like this?"

"Yes, you probably would." Sirius grumbled. He reached out a hand and Remus accepted it, allowing the animagus to pull him to his feet. Flinging an arm around Remus' shoulders Sirius sighed long sufferingly. "The things I put up with. So, what is my first duty as your slave?"
"Finish dinner." Remus smiled and took the broom from Harry. "And then serve it to us in the library."

"Can we read?" Harry's eyes widened pleadingly as he ran in circles around the men who walked slowly towards the house, both carrying the brooms that only minutes before had been used to fly. "Please! Please, Uncle Moony!"

Sirius chuckled. "Good luck escaping that one." He took the broom from Remus' hand and stored them in the closet. "How high is the risk of me burning dinner?"

Remus, Harry already tugging at his hand, laughed at his friend. "Non existent. There is a heating charm on stew for tonight and fresh bread; the rest will be kept for the full moon."

"You are a saint, Remus Lupin!" Sirius declared loudly as Harry succeeded in dragging his uncle away. The animagus laughed softly. He adored watched Harry interact with Remus. The werewolf, who, even now was frightened that Harry would believe he was a monster, was never happier than when he was around the boy whose boundless energy was curbed during the days before and after the full moon when things that Sirius didn't even think about seemed to drain and exhaust his friend.

Sirius sighed as he looked around the spotless kitchen. Heating dinner was hardly going to take an hour. He knew that Remus was giving him time alone before the lunar cycle overcame him and Sirius would be forced to take over lessons and spending time with Harry. The animagus shook his head, one day his idiot best friend would get it into his thick skull that no matter how he seemed to think he was a burden he wasn't … That neither he, not their impossibly energetic nephew cared that the moon ruled their lives.

Severus glanced briefly around the room. He was not impressed; it would be full moon tomorrow night, which meant that both Potter's guardians would be in the room as he conducted his lessons. The werewolf was bearable, he would sit in silence the entire lesson, listening but to have Sirius Black, eyes watching his every move, derision in his entire body, it was the one lesson a month that was unbearable. Severus lifted a box of small glass vials. Pain potion, stronger than most people could make, one of the only two reasons that Black allowed him into his house. A sneer touched his lips. He much preferred when the full moon occurred mid week, it meant he didn't have see the pathetic werewolf dramatize his condition.

Another brief glance around the room and Severus stepped into the floo network. He never saw the two women who were disillusioned. Never knew that as soon as he had vanished, before the destination faded from the network two women hurried into it and were spun to a location that neither could have imagined.

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