A/N: I wanted to write a hopeful story about Remus and Harry dealing with the aftermath of OotP, and this is what I ended up with. Hope you enjoy!
Revised 4/11/20.
These Days Matter, Too
It is Arthur Weasley who finally suggests it.
Remus has just finished giving his latest Order report at the Weasley kitchen table, and the children are starting to appear for breakfast, Ginny arguing loudly with one of the twins, and Ron shuffling in behind them, yawning. Arthur leans in slightly and says to Remus, "You should visit Harry, you know."
Remus is saved from an immediate answer when the Weasley family owl arrives at the window, stealing Arthur's attention. While Arthur accepts the Daily Prophet from its beak, Remus reflects on the letter from Harry it had delivered two days before, as they were all sipping their breakfast juice.
It had been incredibly difficult for Remus to listen as Molly had read Harry's words aloud. Recent hurt had risen up in his chest, making him feel dazed. He would be lying if he claimed the prospect of visiting Harry didn't conjure similar painful feelings.
However, the last few weeks for Remus have been nothing but a series of tasks to complete, one after another, and he considers that maybe this is just one more task to add to the list, one more thing he can manage.
"You're absolutely right," Remus hears himself say. "I'll go this week."
It takes a few days for Dumbledore's warning of a visitor to reach Harry, but once Remus is given the all-clear, he Apparates to Surrey.
He gives three raps to the Dursley's front door before it is pulled open by Harry's uncle, who aims an unfriendly, narrow-eyed look at Remus before bellowing over his shoulder, "Boy! Get down here!"
Harry appears almost immediately. "No need to shout," he says coldly. To Remus, he seems distracted, with his gaze in the direction of the kitchen rather than the doorway.
Uncle Vernon's face begins to turn a slight shade of plum, but he takes another glance at Remus on the threshold and appears to decide that a row with his nephew, in this company, is not worth the trouble. "He's leaving with you today?" he says harshly, instead.
Harry looks up sharply, and Remus catches his eye, regretting the hopeful flash he sees. He sighs. "No, I'm just here for a visit, I'm afraid. Harry?"
Harry leans down to tie his trainers and says, "We'll go for a walk. Be back before dinner." Remus isn't sure whether he is speaking more to Remus or his uncle, since he isn't looking at either of them.
"By five," corrects Uncle Vernon. "You're not getting out of cooking dinner, boy."
Harry simply nods, his eyes cast downward on his trainers. Once the laces are tied, he pulls himself up from his crouch and makes a wide berth around his uncle to meet Remus in the doorway.
Together, they walk down the front garden of Number Four.
The conversation begins just as Remus had expected, with Harry asking his carefully accumulated questions about Voldemort, the Order, and his friends. Remus gives him answers he had rehearsed over the past few days, promising him more information once Harry's location is more secure, and miraculously, Harry accepts his words without complaint.
Harry eventually leads them to an empty park, where they find a bench to rest. After a moment, Remus glances over at Harry, who is now hunched over and staring at his hands in his lap.
"How are you doing?" he asks quietly.
Harry lets out an almost silent sigh, shifting uncomfortably, and doesn't speak immediately.
When he finally does, he's so quiet that Remus has to strain to hear. "It's hard," he admits. "I miss my friends."
Remus wants to say, While we're being honest, so do I, but instead, he says, "I'm sorry, Harry," and places a tentative hand on Harry's back. Harry accepts it.
They sit in silence for a long moment, until Remus, perhaps against his better judgment, says, "I'll speak to Dumbledore. See if we can get you moved to the Burrow. If possible."
Harry's expression turns grateful, and Remus knows that he will need to follow through on his promise.
They sit quietly for several more minutes, the only sound a high squeaking from a nearby swing pulled by the wind.
Then, thoroughly surprising Remus, Harry asks, "Will you be there? At the Burrow?"
Remus remembers the days after Halloween in 1981, when all he could manage was getting out of bed on most days and combing his hair and keeping himself fed. Night and day had seemed indistinguishable.
He considers how around that same time, Harry had been taken to live with relatives who clearly never loved him, while Remus had shut himself away. The guilt surrounding that has never left him, and he would be the first to argue that he doesn't think it should.
It could be nothing other than these thoughts that pushes Remus to answer with, "Yes, I think so."
By the middle of July, Harry has moved in with the Weasleys, and Remus is staying in their small bedroom off the sitting room. "For as long as you need," Arthur had said to Remus.
Remus focuses on performing work for the Order, but his evenings are for dinner with the Weasleys, Hermione, and Harry, the honorary Weasley. While it takes some getting used to, he starts to relish the chaotic house, and how each day seems to grow less painful. More enjoyable.
After dinner, when he moves to the Weasley's sitting room with a book, Harry often follows. The boy settles into the chair across from Remus's, and while they mostly sit quietly, on some evenings, Remus shares stories about Lily, James, and Sirius. Harry's rapt attention is a gift, and once Remus starts talking, he finds it difficult to stop. There are few people alive to share these stories with anymore.
Once, Harry falls asleep while listening to Remus, and Remus has to shake his shoulder to wake him up. He jokes fondly with him, and then Harry smiles blearily and says, "Thanks, Remus," before dragging himself up to bed.
Remus wonders what he has done to deserve the boy's gratitude, but decides he is glad to have it all the same.
It's Harry's birthday, and gifts are stacked up next to his dinner plate, which had been full of shepherd's pie but is now only crumbs. The atmosphere in the Weasley kitchen is cheerful, and to Remus's relief, Harry also appears to be in good spirits.
Remus simply observes as Ron jokes with Harry and claps him on the back, causing Harry to retaliate with a playful shove in his friend's direction. Ginny and Hermione are suggesting which gifts Harry should open next. Crookshanks winds around Remus's legs, and he reaches down to give the cat a scratch behind the ears, feeling at peace.
The Order meeting that day had been a long agenda of bad news, but he finds that in this setting, he can't dwell on it too much.
Harry is opening Remus's gift, a new Defense book to keep up with his quickly growing skills. Harry grins as he pulls back the paper, then seeks Remus from across the table, cutting through the lighthearted conversation of the room to thank him.
Remus marvels at how he, Remus, can possibly feel grateful, too, when so many bad things have happened to him during his lifetime.
Or, perhaps, Remus reconsiders a moment later, admiring Harry and his resilience, and maybe even his own, if he's being charitable, it isn't so surprising at all.