A/N
Disclaimer: I know some people aren't going to like this chapter. But I want everyone to understand that this is my version for Remus and I can honestly say I'm happy with it. Please remember this is AU and fanfiction.
Warning: this chapter contains spanking (you have been warned numerous times by now)
Lupin sat with his hands clasped over his knees for what felt like an eternity, but in actuality was only a matter of a few minutes, the clock ticking loudly in the provided him with his only company.
The man knew what he was taking on when he agreed to look after the child but in his mind, he had always hoped that he would never be in such a position. A foolish hope at best as children will be children and Harry was James' son after all.
Remus knew without a shadow of a doubt that Harry's knack for trouble came from that of his father and he also knew that if himself and his friends had gotten caught doing even half of the things they did during their school years, they would have ended up spending half of their lives in detention; not to mention when their parents found out.
Leaning back slightly in his beloved arm chair, the man flicked his wand and lit the fire that was in front of him as the slight chill of winter had been whipping around the castle in the past few days.
Remus's thoughts quickly turned to his ward who was likely sitting in his room, dreading his fate. He knew the rules he had set down for the child when Harry arrived and he had, of course, been serious about them, but now the time had come for the unfortunate job of enforcing said rules, Remus could feel his stomach tighten with anxiety.
Yet, in the same breath, the man knew what needed to be done, and he knew his teenager was testing the water, whether subconsciously or not. Lupin only wished it didn't have to fall to him to enforce.
Feeling a small sense of nostalgia, the man remembered back to his days as a student at Hogwarts; more specifically, keeping an eye on his friends at Hogwarts. Effectively acting as their second parent, avoiding them getting into serious trouble for the most part. It was who Remus was a rule sickler and firm in his beliefs; something that came in handy when looking after a child as troublesome as Harry.
Remus knew what needed to be done.
Taking the deepest of breaths, the man stood from his spot in the armchair; Harry had been waiting long enough.
Harry brushed the few tears that had fallen away quickly as he heard the man's footsteps approach his door. The tiny snitches were swarming around his stomach creating a feeling of nausea that he despised.
He heard the man knock lightly twice, for whatever reason Harry wasn't sure. It was only them in the small quarters, but the teen rationalised that it was the thought that counted.
The door creaked open as Harry saw the man display a look of disappointment, yet sadness as his eyebrows furrowed deeper. The child observed Lupin from his position on his side, laying to face the door. Remus pulled out the desk chair from underneath, and placed it in front of the bed that Harry was laying.
The child's eyes were red and puffy but no more so than a few moments previous in the living room; yet it was still clear that he had been crying.
"Could you sit up for me please." Lupin's voice was firm and unwavering as he clasped his hands in front of his lap, elbows resting on either knee.
Harry pushed himself up as he reached for his glasses that had been discarded to his bedside table, placing them back onto his face.
He eyed the man's face carefully but found it, for the most part, unreadable. It felt like the biggest punch in the gut to know the man was disappointed, let alone put him in this position with so much to discuss.
"Do you understand why I am so disappointed in your behaviour these past few weeks?" Remus asked, hoping the teen would display some kind of remorse or even offer a sincere apology.
Harry nodded as he felt his throat tighten slightly. He wasn't sure what was worse, the man shouting or having him be disappointed. After all Remus had done for him, especially at such short notice of taking him in.
"A verbal answer please." Lupin replied with a trace of sterness in his voice that he wasn't sure he himself even recognised to be his own.
"Yeah - I know why." the teen spoke, eyes downcast into his lap as he pulled his legs up. The snitches were still swarming around in his stomach unrelentlessly.
"Then you will also understand that I can't just let this go with a simple grounding, correct?"
The man had Harry's full attention now as his eyes darted up to meet his guardian's. If Harry was honest with himself, he was sure of what his fate would have been before he even got caught. It wasn't a shock but more of an unwelcome realisation.
"But I never meant for any of this to happen Remus!" Harry protested quietly as he began chewing on the inside of his cheek. "You've got to believe me."
"I believe that you did not set out with the intent to disappoint me -" the man paused to think carefully over his words. He could tell by his teens face he was close to crying and Remus was sure his heart would break if that were to happen. "I do however know, you knew you were breaking my rules, and school rules not to mention, by leaving the castle, unattended with a killer on the loose. "
Harry noted a change in the man's tone as he blinked harshly at it.
"I am also incredibly upset that I cannot trust you to tell me the truth when I ask, nor can I trust that you will not go through my possessions during full moons."
Of course Remus wouldn't forget about that.
There was no excuse that could give that would excuse any of this. He knew it as well. So much had gone wrong for him, so quickly. The lying, sneaking out, stealing as Remus liked to refer to it; Harry couldn't believe he had let it all stack up to so much.
He was already as good as sentenced. "I just got so fed up of all the rules and restrictions - I know it's not an excuse but it's the truth." a small tear escaped as the child rushed to brush it away.
"I understand that Harry, really I do." Remus felt his frown relax slightly, leaning back on his chair. "But, as you said, it is not an excuse. I remember quite clearly offering to take you to Hogsmeade tomorrow as an alternative. I'm doing everything in my power to keep you safe but this continuous gambling of your safety is making my job exceedingly more difficult." the man paused, "I need to regain your attention, not to mention repairing the trust between us that has been broken."
"You have my attention, I swear. I won't do any of that stuff again." the teen responded with a heavy sniff as water welled up in his eyes.
"I'm afraid I don't Harry; you and I both know that." Remus gestured for the child to come and stand in front of his legs on the armless chair.
Harry finally allowed the flood gates to open as he firmly shook his head at the man's non-verbal request.
Remus felt his heart tug slightly at the sight of the child; it wasn't a sight he was used to and also one that he despised. Especially as he was likely the cause of such tears. Standing up, the man tucked the chair back underneath the desk and took a seat on the bed; a position that felt much more natural.
"Let's talk about this some more." the man spoke as he allowed Harry to shuffle up so that the child's head leant on his shoulder. "What could you have done differently these past few weeks to have avoided the trouble you are in now?"
"Not gone to Hogsmeade - and, told you about the map?" Harry sniffed.
Remus nodded, despite the high chance that the child could not see, "I think the main problem here was a shift in trust and quite the disregard for your own safety. - did I not make it clear enough, the threat Sirius Black poses to you - to everyone?"
"You did." a soft reply came. Harry swallowed harshly as he felt his heart rate quicken at the mention of the man's name. He had forgotten Remus did not know that Harry had found out the man's true relationship to him.
In many ways Remus was lying to him, just as Harry had lied. Although even he relationalsied that the lies were for very different reasons.
"Then why Harry?" Remus asked in an exasperated tone, "why risk going to Hogsmeade for a few sweets? Do you have any idea how worried I was when I couldn't find you in the library? I had multiple teaching staff out looking for you. "
Harry was completely over arguing about it all as the tears began to flow steadily once more; all he wanted was to be forgiven and move on, "I'm sorry Remus."
"I know cub." the man responded as he was sure it was the complete wrong thing to say. "But I need to make sure of that." the man motioned for the child to stand.
"Remus - please." Harry responded between tears at such a motion, rubbing them away with his sleeve.
"Come on Harry, let's get this over with." By now, the man's tone was tired as he attempted to conceal the utter mess that was swirling around his head. "I warned you of the consequences, this shouldn't be a surprise."
Harry scooted back so that his back rested on the headboard, just out of reach from his guardian. "I could be grounded." Harry mumbled at a feeble attempt to delay the inevitable but to his surprise the man's response was not an instant refusal.
Remus considered the child's words carefully. He was correct, he could be grounded, yet that hadn't worked in the past to deter the behaviour. In the same breath however, there was nothing Lupin wanted more in the world than to not have to punish the teen. "Maybe a choice?"
Harry snapped his head up in surprise for the second time that day as he bore into his guardians every word.
"Either you can be grounded for the next week in these quarters and forgo the Halloween feast and Quidditch match or, you can go over my knee and spend the rest of the weekend down here with me."
Harry's heart sunk as he instantly knew his answer. "I can't miss the Quidditch game, they need me."
"Then you choose the second choice?" Remus replied as he too felt his heart sink slightly. But the severity had to meet the crime.
"Why can't I just be grounded for a week and that's it?"
"Because I've done that before Harry and you still ventured to Hogsmeade a meer three days later, albeit this time with your wand."
"I'm too old to be punished like that." Harry replied as a very last gasp attempt as his tears stopped. He was quickly running out of time and options.
"I am certain that you are not. I am also sure that your parents would have handled this just the way I am going to, as their parents would have also." Remus shifted his position on the bed, deciding against sitting on the chair once more. "Come on, stand up please, let's get this over and done with." Lupin asked softly as his nerve began to feel ever fainter.
Harry stayed put for a second longer; only reluctantly moving to stand when Remus raised his eyebrows at the teens lack of compliance.
"Glasses," Remus held his hand out to take. Harry slipped them off as his hands began to tremble ever so slightly. The stuffliness in his nose was becoming ever more uncomfortable with the length of time that had passed since the beginning of his tears. As much as the child wanted to be forgiven, he couldn't help the tinge of anxiety that flowed through his veins at the apprehension.
Remus took the child's hand as he attempted to tip him over his knees. Harry dug his heels into the floor, refusing to allow himself to be guided.
Lupin could see there was something else the teen wanted to say.
"What is it Cub?"
Harry debated telling the man all he knew about Sirius Black but the overriding emotion the small teen was feeling was anxiety, "I'm nervous." he admitted quietly as though it was shameful.
Remus figuratively kicked himself as he realised it was likely the child had never been punished in such a way. "It will hurt - quite a bit, but I will only use my hand. We can work through this together, okay?"
Lupin spoke in such a way that Harry felt everything would be alright. He was as good as cornered and the only way the conflict in between them was going to end, would be to accept the consequences. Despite how much Harry hated it.
The teen nodded at the man's words and felt the final remaining defiance vanish, finally allowing himself to be guided over the man's knees. In an attempt to steady himself, he reached to place his arms on the floor.
Lupin looked at the new position they found themselves in, conscious to not have the child waiting in apprehension, he tightened his left arm around the child's middle and rolling up his right arms sleeve, he raised his right hand in the air, bringing it down forcefully but not too harshly on the teen's jean clad backside.
Harry shut his eyes tightly at the first swat as more followed in swift succession, taken a back slightly at how much it could sting. He had lost count by the six swat as he focused on the sting as well as his nose that felt like he had been flipped underwater.
Remus continued to lay down swats with less force than he was sure the child had expected. The man intended to go by Harry's reaction as to when the child had had enough.
Around thirty seconds later Harry let out his first audible sign of discomfort as he hissed a swat on his sit spot. His legs began to kick slightly at each impact.
"I'm sorry, Remus - please!" Harry whined as the man did not relent.
"I know you are Cub, but I need to know that this time you will follow the rules I give." The man punctuated with a number of swats, "Sirius Black is not a threat to be taken lightly, it's time you got that into your head."
"I know," Harry choked leaving his words hanging in the air.
Remus adjusted the child so that his hips were higher, focusing on the teens' sit spots to fully get the message across.
"Pleaseeee - stop !" Harry whined; his nose now completely blocked from his tears. His hand pushed on the mans leg lightly.
Lupin lay slower but slighter harder swats as he neared the child's limit, "I need you to promise me that the lying, sneaking around and risking your safety will end here."
"Yes! I swear!" Harry cried, nearing ever closer the sobs.
"As will the attitude and stealing, understand?"
"I promise." Harry let out weekly, as all his mind concentrated on was the sting in his behind.
"I hope so Harry because I will not hesitate to repeat this if you find yourself in the same position."
Remus lay down four more until he heard the first cleansing sob release from the small teen; in that moment, he knew the child had had enough.
"It's over, you are forgiven." Lupin offered softly as he released the child's waist from the grip of his left arm, offering light but warming taps to his back. "Merlin Cub, I hated doing that."
The man's tone was one of sadness with a hint of relief as the dreaded task was finally over with. Harry continued to sob deeply despite his punishment being over and released from the man's hold.
"Come on," Remus offered softly as he lifted the teens small frame to a standing position, wrapping his arms around his waist to hug him; hoping Harry would return the offering and wrap his arms around the man's neck.
When this did not come; Remus felt what could only be described as fear. He had been too hard on the boy. He was sure Harry didn't want to even look at him.
"Harry?" Remus asked, leaving the question unspoken, as he unwrapped his arms from Harry's middle.
The teen continued to cry, deeply as he knelt on his bed and lay onto his stomach, turning his head away from the man's gaze.
Lupin felt the tears in his own eyes at the teens actions. "What is it Cub?" The man silently hoped the teen was sulking; a perfectly normal reaction for a child his age to have.
Harry took a deep breath in an attempt to steady his voice, he had to tell the man. He only prayed it didn't get him into more trouble but in the same breath he knew the man was done.
"I know about -" Harry paused mid sentence as he struggled through his tears.
"You can tell me Harry; whatever it is, I promise you are not in danger of further consequences."
Remus was unsure if it was even the worry of being in more trouble or whether it was something else that was stopping the child but the man knew he needed to reassure his completely inconsolable teenager.
"I know about Sirius Black," Harry admitted as he sat up with a wince; his hair sticking out of all directions, "that he was my godfather and you knew him - I saw the photo, and heard you talking to Dumbledore."
Lupin felt himself release a breath of relief that he didn't know he was holding. He could deal with the conflict that might have come with funding out about Sirius but he just knew it would kill him inside of Harry thought he had been too harsh on him despite him not believing it himself.
Of course the child had known; there was photos in his desk drawer, not to mention the fact that the child was at Hogsmeade the same day he had gone with Dumbledore.
"Come here you foolish child," Remus replied with a light hearted chuckle despite not exactly feeling happy in that moment.
This time Harry moved over on his knees and allowed himself to be hugged in a sideways motion by the man; Harry returned the hug, as Remus placed a light kiss and then his chin on top of the teens head. Thankfully the child's tears had subsided quite dramatically by now; yet Remus's shoulder was still serving as quite the handkerchief.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Remus asked as neither moved from their position.
"I couldn't tell you how I found out." Harry mumbled through his breath that although still slightly shaky was returning back to normal.
The man silently nodded as a reply. Of course.
Harry was the first to release the hug as Lupin followed soon after. Resting on the side of his hip, Harry lent his head on the man's shoulder, a similar position to previously that day.
This time it was Harry's turn to ask the questions, "why didn't you tell me about him? That he knew my parents and you?"
"It's complicated; but most of the reason was that I didn't want that to be a reason for you to go looking for him. Once you knew of our relationship, it would have given you a motive."
"Oh," Harry replied lightly, before sniffing. "I wouldn't do that though, you'd have to be pretty stupid to think that would be okay."
"Well - I would also say that someone would have to be pretty foolish to go to Hogsmeade without their wand or lie about their whereabouts to an adult." Remus let the unspoken words sink in, as Harry realised the man had a point.
He knew how unpredictable he could be at times; therefore he found it hard to blame the man for not telling him.
"I wish you'd just told me."
"But can you see why I didn't?" Lupin replied as Harry lifted his head from the man's shoulder, to sitting up straight rather than on his hip, reaching for his glasses and placing them back on. If the man noticed the small wince from the child, he did not comment on it.
"Yeah; I guess."
"I could tell you a bit about your father, myself, Peter and Sirius if you want, tomorrow?"
"I'd like that," Harry replied as he attempted to sniff, but with little success.
"Let me get you something for your eyes and nose, I'm sure it's well past blocked from all those tears."
Harry felt his face blush slightly at the remainder of his crying. It wasn't something he should be embarrassed about but his ego was certainly tarnished slightly at the events of the day.
"I'll be right back."
Harry watched as the man exited the room, leaving him alone for a few minutes; enough to reflect on the absolute shambles that the day had turned out to be.
The teen remembered the mans words about staying down here for the remainder of the weekend and Harry couldn't honestly say he was too upset about it; it allowed him time to think of something to say to Ron and Hermione about what his Guardian had said, or more importantly, done.
Remus was back swiftly, a few tissues and a couple of vials in hand that looked less than pleasant. Taking a seat next to the child on his bed
"This one," Lupin held out a vial of green contents up, "helps to unblock your nose, you just have to put a few drops in a tissue and hold it under. A muggle remedy actually."
Harry crossed his legs under each other as he was still unable to hold back the slight wince. He took the vial that Remus held and placed a couple of drops as instructed. Holding it under his nose, the teen instantly felt the relief of his blocked airways becoming free again.
"And this will stop your eyes feeling so puffy and itchy." Remus passed the vial containing a purple looking mixture to the teen who swallowed the contents quickly. Once again, feeling the instant release in his eyes that were no longer feeling like they were going to burn off his face.
"My father gave both vials to me when I found myself in your position; many times in my youth. I found them to be very helpful actually."
"Yeah, they helped a lot, thanks." Harry mumbled in thought, "did you get in trouble a lot when you were younger then?"
Remus looked at the child amused. He had no idea of the trouble his father had gotten him into. A lot of them seeming like a story for another day. After all, he didn't need any of them giving his child any ideas.
"Did I?" He chuckled. "Let's say I spent many a weekend in detention with Professor McGonagall, or Minnie as your father liked to call her."
Harry smirked slightly at the new revelation that they called his head of house 'Minnie'.
"But there was definitely times where we got into some pretty big trouble and got sent home to our parents. Your father - and Sirius," the name came out with a hint of sadness, "more than myself or Peter."
It suddenly dawned very abruptly on Harry that the man no longer that any of his school friends left to contact; it was a thought however that made him too sad to dwell on for too long. "I'm sure you miss it sometimes,"
"Of course. But we had some lovely memories too. One of which was making that beloved map that found its way to your possession." Lupin raised his eyebrows as a mock scolding; the lightest it could be.
Harry blushed lightly again at the remainder. "You made that?"
"I can't take all the credit but, yes; for the most part I helped in its creation. We spent so much time exploring the castle and grounds to get it perfect; probably too much at times"
"So you left the castle too sometimes?"
Remus could see where this was heading; the child was foolish if he thought for a moment Remus was going to fall for it. "Ah, we did but more often than not we were caught for it and sent to Professor McGonagall or sent home. Neither ended favorably for us." Remus answered in a lighthearted warning tone.
"Hmmm" Harry mumbled back.
A period of silence fell between the pair. A first for quite the matter of minutes since they had returned from the quidditch pitch.
"Is your cloak still in the passageway too?"
"Yeah."
"I'll send Nipa to retrieve it, along with the map."
"Can't we go and get it later?" Harry asked curiously. In truth, he knew what the man's response would be. Restriction.
"I believe a certain someone is on restriction for the rest of the weekend." The man replied as he shifted slightly on the teens bed, a movement that was clear he was going to stand up again soon.
Lupin eyed the clock that sat in his child's bedside table as he noted it was nearing dinner time.
"How about you jump in the shower, or a bath even, while I get some dinner cooked for us?"
"But I don't need a sh -"
Remus cut the teen off by holding his finger up to his mouth. "Take a look at your hair and then come and tell me you don't need a shower," the man chuckled quietly, "go on."
With a light tap on the top of his arm, Harry moved towards the bathroom across the hallway as Remus tapped his wand, causing a fresh pair of pyjama bottoms to appear on top of the linen basket in there.
Harry smiled softly at the gesture; it was his favourite tartan pyjamas that had a warm fluff on the inside, something that he had happened to mention to the man a few times previous.
The teen closed the door and locked it for no other reason other than habit, as he turned the hot water on and began to undress. The large mirror off to the side of the sink served as a good way of Harry assessing the damage to his backside.
He felt almost insulted when he realised the skin was only now a slight shade of pink. Much lighter than Harry knew it had felt at the time. Certainly not enough to warrant all of his tears like a tiny first year he thought to himself.
Jumping in the shower, the teen was quick shampooing his hair along with dropping the bar of soap by accident causing a light cuss word to slip out; earning a light scolding from Remus for.
The kitchen was only on the other side of the wall, of course the man had heard him…
Harry made his appearance into the kitchen around fifteen minutes later. Whatever took the teen so long, Remus was not quite sure.
"How's the damage?" Remus joked, feeling a tinge of regret as wasn't sure whether his teen would even be in a mood for a joke. He was sure the child had been taken down a few pegs today which wasn't something easy to take for a thirteen year old.
"Awful, it looks horrendous." Harry replied sarcastically.
Remus smirked at him; for the first time in a while, the man knew he had his Harry back despite the downcast look he was still possessing.
Dinner was a quiet affair, Harry was ever so slightly quieter than he usually was while eating but nothing that alarmed Remus too much.
Harry still felt a little cautious around the man; for whatever reason he felt that there was something left unresolved.
Harry offered to wash up their plates which Remus gratefully declined as he sorted it with a flick of his wand as they moved to the living room, adjacent to the kitchen. A mug of hot chocolate in both of their hands. Remus reluctantly put some whipped cream and marshmallows on Harry's.
Harry took a seat on the sofa, Lupin in his armchair. As he picked up his book about the patronus charm that he had been reading, hoping it might contain some tips on helping his teen master the spell.
"Remus?" Harry asked softly.
"Hmm?" The man responded as he finished his sentence in the book before meeting his child's eye.
"I really am sorry about today; you know that, right?"
The man placed his book down on the table next to his mug which stood up top of its coaster.
"Yes, of course. What makes you think I don't?" Remus asked curiously.
"I - I don't know really. I just feel like… like there's something wrong still."
The man nodded in understanding. "You've been honest in telling me everything that has gone wrong these past few weeks, yes?"
"Yeah; I told you everything." And that was the utmost truth. Harry couldn't think of a single other thing that he hadn't told the man about.
"Then we are in each other's good books. I can't think of any other reason Cub."
"Did you really mean it when you said you didn't trust me?" Harry mumbled as he picked at his thumb. He knew he was in no danger for letting any tears fall this time, he was sure he'd done enough crying that day for an entire month.
"Oh Harry, c'mere." Remus replied as he held his arms open. He had hugged the child more times today than he was sure he ever had but he couldn't find himself caring too much.
Harry accepted as he moved over to the chair and sat in the arm, leaning into the man's chest.
"I hope you can understand that, with all that's happened just lately, it's very hard for me to trust you, at the moment. But that's certainly not to say that that trust cannot be repaired. I'm more than certain that it can."
Harry nodded.
"But to do so, I want - no, need, you to swear to me that the lying about your whereabouts, stealing my personal items and placing your safety at risk ends today. That would be the absolute best thing you can do in order to gain my trust back, okay?"
"Uh-huh." Harry answered the man lightly.
"Then for now that's all we can do. We will work through this together like I said earlier but for now mister, you and I are going to spend some quality time together before I let you go back to the dorm on Monday."
"Yay," Harry replied in a sarcastic yet evidently jokey tone. He moved from the arm of the chair to the sofa once more as he took a sip of his hot chocolate that the man had made for him.
"I also received a delightful letter from Professor McGonagall while you were showering. She'd like to see you before classes on Monday morning."
Harry let out a noise that could only be described as a whine. "Could you just…" he let the rest speak for itself.
"And spare you the delights of Minnies wrath? Absolutely not." Remus smirked at the child, "mind you, don't let her hear me calling her that; she'll be most displeased."
"I'll try and not let it slip." Harry responded cheekily,
"See to it that you don't." Remus warned warmly as he picked up his patronus charm book again. "Why don't you bring some of your homework out here and work on while I read. That way you can ask me if you need any help."
"Sure," the teen replied as padded down the hall, retrieving his backpack that contained the resources needed.
Retaking his seat on the sofa, Harry began flicking through his transfiguration essay that he had already completed half of. The teen knew if he was in the common room, Hermione would have been helping himself and Ron with such an essay but for whatever reason, Harry decided it felt nice to complete something on his own for once.
Not all the time; but just this once.
The two worked silently with the occasional flick of a page or scribble of a quill for over an hour or so. Harry stole the occasional glance at his guardian whose expression, where previously displayed that of sadness and disappointment, had returned much more neutral and warm. Something Harry found himself grateful for.
The clock ticked on until there was a quiet chime as the hand hit the o'clock. Nine o'clock; the usual time Harry would be sitting down in the common room to start last minute homework.
"I think it's time for you to start getting ready for bed." Remus spoke after clearing his throat that had become slightly clogged from the lack of speech.
Harry glanced at the clock and back to his guardian. Surely not this early, especially not on a Saturday night?
"I'm aware of the time Harry," Remus responded with a touch of amusement at his child's expression. "It will not kill you to get a couple hours of extra sleep."
"Suppose," Harry answered, folding over the tip of the page in the book that he was reading to make sure he could pick it up in the morning. He left the book and parchment on the small coffee table centred in the living room before standing up and padding down the corridor; Remus following a step behind his strides.
Harry wasted no time cleaning his teeth and washing his face as his guardian stood watch, leaning on his right side in the doorway. Wiping the excess water on his face with the hand towel, Harry turned his attention to his bedroom, walking in and pulling back his covers as he slipped under the duvet, wiggling his toes until they reached the end.
Lupin flicked his wand, causing the small light positioned next to his bed to light with a warm yellow glow, just enough to partially light up the room. He tucked the covers around Harry, before lightly ruffling the boy's hair. He knew the child was likely embarrassed by such actions but with all the tension from the day, the man wanted to show the child just how much he was loved. Words were one thing, actions spoke volumes.
"Goodnight Cub." The man spoke quietly.
"Night," came the reply as the teen shifted to lay on his left arm, facing the man. "Love you."
"I love you too," Remus replied, smiling warmly at the teen. Flicking the light off with a tap of his wand, he walked towards the doorway, illuminated by the fire that continued to burn in the living room, albeit weakly by now.
"See you in the morning,"
The man had a scheduled meeting with Dumbledore that evening; originally planned to be in the headmasters office but with the events of the day, Remus had suggested that their quarters would be more appropriate. He could keep a much closer eye on Harry who was sound asleep in his room, evident by his even breathing.
The evening addition of the Daily Prophet had come in around twenty minutes ago, the headline on the front page made Lupin's hairs stand on edge.
Sirius Black had been spotted in Hogsmeade just before sunset; it was clear that the prisoner was edging closer to the school, and more importantly, Harry,
The discarded newspaper lay on top of the folded invisibility cloak and map that Nipa had retrieved from the passageway, an hour or so before.
Remus had decided to keep both the cloak and the map in his office which, from now, on was going to be out of bounds for his young teenager; something he intended to tell Harry in the morning, but for now he would let the child get some much needed sleep.
The man had taken a seat at the dining table that was placed in the middle of the small kitchen, a glass of firewhisky in hand in an attempt to take the edge off from his anxieties.
Lupin wasn't a big alcoholic drinker; he much preferred the warm side to drinks but today he saw an undeniable excuse to devour some of firewhisky that had been in his possession, longer than he cared to admit.
Picking up the map and softly mumbling the words to open it, Remus took a quick glance around; his eye first catching on their quarters and the little dot labelled 'Harry Potter' that he knew was fast asleep in his bed.
His eyes then scanned around, noting Dumbledore pacing in his office; their meeting wasn't to start for another few minutes, the floo only took a matter of seconds.
The man turned his attention to the Gryffindor common room, with the clock ticking just past midnight, he was not surprised to see the common room still with a few stragglers left; Hermione was sat somewhere near the centre with Ginny Weasley, the Twins seemed to join them.
Remus noted that he couldn't see Harry's redhead best friend Ron in the common room or the dorm and felt a small tinge of worry when he realised it was likely the teen had snuck out. Usually harmless fun, until the man remembered the threat of Sirius Black and began to see if he could see the child.
It didn't take long before the man noticed the tiny dot labelled 'Ron' moving quickly down near Hagrids Hut, chasing after a second dot that the man could only catch the first letter of 'P' before it disappeared off the edge of the map. It seemed Ron had stood there for a moment before making his way to Hagrids who moved from his bedroom to living quarters.
A wise idea Remus thought to himself. Clearly the red head had some consideration for the potential danger he was in as he thought to inform an adult that he was out of bounds; despite the lack of help Hagrids could be at times. The man wished Harry would take a leaf out of Ron's book.
Watching the pairs dots as they head back to the castle, Remus closed the map with the words 'Mischief Managed' and placed it, as well as the cloak, in a small cupboard, situated just behind the office door.
Locking it with a simple locking charm, the man heard the floo roar to life as he walked out from the office and muttered a silencing charm on his teenager's door.
The boy was asleep but Remus didn't want to take any chances or tempt the him.
"Good evening Albus,"
"Remus," Dumbledore nodded politely as he looked around the small quarters, standing almost awkwardly just in front of the fireplace.
"Take a seat, can I get you a drink or something to eat?" Remus asked politely.
"Some ginger nut biscuits would do perfectly." The Headmaster replied as he took a seat on the sofa. "Is Harry -"
"In bed; he's had a few hours extra sleep tonight, it was well needed." Remus answered while balancing the two plates of biscuits, one of ginger and the other chocolate, over to the living room.
"Ah - of course." Dumbledore replied. "I suppose after his little trip today he found himself most tired."
"Yes, you could say that." Remus replied in a tired tone. "Hopefully this will be the last of his little outings for now."
"I trust you were not too hard on him?"
"I believe not; besides I have already heard from Minerva, asking me to send the child to her before lessons on Monday. I'm sure Harry will look forward to that."
The man paused to take a seat in his armchair, Dumbledore had sat to his right on the sofa; his sky blue robes draping from either side.
"One thing I struggle to recover from is the fact that Black was spotted there this evening, after everything we, as a school, have done to protect the grounds. For all we know he could have been there the same time as Harry was."
"Well, we can all be thankful that he did not at least infiltrate the wards; I would have been alerted if he had done so. The school is still the safest place for Harry to be. I have not doubt about it."
"I do wonder that sometimes, if I am to be honest." Remus admitted. "I just wish the child would understand the danger he's in and follow the blasted rules." His tone was firm but not angry; far from it.
"He is James's son, my boy. There is no doubt about that." Dumbledore chuckled lightly, always one to see the humour in situations. "Have you managed to help Harry with the Patronus charm?"
"He's been close, many times now, but still not quite a full patronus. It has thankfully been a while now since he last felt the effects of the Dementors. Hopefully it stays that way even though I fear it won't with the quidditch match coming up."
"It would certainly be most hopeful if Harry could master the spell before then. Even though the dementors do seem more in control than at the start of the term."
"I will see to it that we timetable some more lessons before the match next week. I am confident he will master it soon."
This time it was Dumbledore's turn to nod.
"Regardless, I asked for this meeting today to discuss a few things; mostly surrounding Sirius Black." Remus announced, ignoring the small drop in his stomach at the mention of the man's name. "I think it is important for yourself and potentially the ministry to know that, in our sixth year, James, Peter and Sirius all successfully managed to turn into animagus's. Sirius's form was a large black dog."
"I know of that information already, my boy." Dumbledore answered, the twinkle glistening in his eye.
"You do?" Remus replied, unable to withhold the shock that entered his tone.
"There is very little that goes on in this school that I am unaware of Remus. I have known since the man broke out of prison, however I am unsure whether this is information that should be passed onto the ministry or not."
"What is your reasoning?"
"Sirius would have been an unregistered animagus, illegal in both the ministry and especially Azkaban. I fear that if the ministry were to find out about this information, they would sentence Sirius to the dementors kiss immediately. Mostly due to the fear that they would have nowhere to imprison him. Something I am sure neither of us would want at all." Dumbledore shifted his position in the sofa ever so slightly.
"The dementors, Remus, are merely here for show; to make it seem like the ministry is doing something to help. It is Sirius's animagus form that enabled him to escape from Azkaban the first time; dementors cannot detect animals. It is the wards and charms that are protecting the school, hence why I have fought the dementors placement many times."
Remus eyed the headmaster carefully. The man had a way of sounding as if he made complete sense but absolutely no sense at the same time. Choosing not to comment about his feelings surroundings the dementors kiss, he changed the focus ever so slightly.
"Then it is absolutely imperative that the secret passageways out of the school are blocked off immediately. If the dementors are not able to detect the man then we certainly need added precautions."
Remus wanted to curse Dumbledore on the spot for not doing so sooner; did the man have a death wish on his child?
"Certainly. The passageways are currently protected by the wards and charms outside the castle but there is no harm in adding the same protections to the entrances and exits. I will ensure you however still have access to the Shrieking Shack for full moons."
Remus thanked the man before standing and picking up the small plate that was now absent of the three ginger nuts that once occupied it. With a flick of his wand, the plate flew into the sink and washed themselves up. The man returned to his seat.
"One final thing," Dumbledore started, "the ministry have requested a meeting with yourself and Harry to discuss his progress. I fear someone tipped them off about Harry's trip to Hogsmeade as Cornelius sounded rather smug during our floo call."
Remus sighed as he ran his fingers down his face. It seemed Harry's misbehaviour was yet another black mark next to the mans name, the first being that he was a werewolf; an outcast of society.
"When would be an appropriate time?"
"Tomorrow afternoon would be adequate, despite how much I would rather it not be necessary at all."
"I will let the ministry know, you may use my office as I have some business outside of the castle tomorrow afternoon if that would be of any help to yourself?"
"Yes; that would be fine." Remus replied as the small clock in the living room chimed one o'clock in the morning. Tiredness was beginning to take over the mans eyes.
"Then I shall see you both briefly tomorrow." Dumbledore smiled warmly as he stood from his position. "Tell Harry I was here won't you." The man winked.
"Of course." The man held his arm out to the fireplace.
The headmaster stepped in the floo and took a handful of the green powder, "Farewell Remus."
"Goodnight Albus."