Chapter 2 - Insistence

"—and the barrier wouldn't let me onto the platform, because Dobby thought I'd get myself killed if I want to Hogwarts, so Ron and I had to take his dad's flying car—"

"You arrived at Hogwarts in a flying car?" Sirius howled with laughter.

"Oh, I heard about this one," Tonks said. "Legendary."

"Harry, how is it you've never told me this story before?"

"I don't know!" Harry laughed along, though there was a small part of him that felt a little sad that they'd never had the time to sit and tell each other stories before. He supposed it didn't matter—they were catching up now.

"Your grandfather would have killed us if your father and I had ever pulled a stunt like that."

"Yeah, Ron got a howler from his mom." Harry felt almost thankful that he hadn't had anyone to send him one.

"I think that would have been the least of it, for us." Sirius shook his head, still grinning. "Your grandfather was a good man, but he was strict."

Harry slid himself to the edge of his seat, eager for more stories. Until this summer, he hadn't realized that his grandparents had all but adopted Sirius for a period of time, taking care of both Sirius and James as though they were brothers. Sirius didn't like to talk about what things had been like with his biological family, but from what Harry could gather, it had been a lot worse than living with the Dursleys. And from what Harry could tell, also, his grandfather had been just as welcoming and caring to Sirius as Remus and Sirius had been Harry—if a bit more strict. Talking with Sirius helped Harry to feel connected to more than just his parents; he felt connected to his whole extended family. "Yeah, but that didn't stop you, did it?"

"Do you even know him?" Tonks asked.

"Of course it didn't stop us!" Sirius cried. "I tell you about our midnight trip to Hogsmeade the summer before our seventh year?"

"About a million times," Tonks muttered.

"Yeah," Harry said, though he almost wished he'd said no. He wouldn't have minded hearing that story again.

"How about the prank we played on Peeves?"

"You played a prank on him? Isn't it usually the other way around?"

The fireplace roared to life just then, and Remus stepped into the living room. He looked a bit stressed, though Harry wasn't sure if it was a new stress or just the same stress he always seemed to wear.

"Hey, Remus!" Harry glanced down at the table, where they'd set up a new game of Exploding Snap and then almost forgotten about actually playing. "You want in?"

Remus paused for a short while, and Harry was sure he was going to say no, but then he came to sit with them. "Sure. Deal me in."

The game felt different with Remus there. It was still fun, and they still laughed, but Harry didn't quite feel comfortable telling stories about his various rule breaking stunts. He knew Remus wouldn't get upset with him or scold him for something he'd done years ago, but having him there reminded him of the fact that maybe it wasn't as funny a story as Sirius had thought it was. They'd been seen by several muggles, they'd endangered themselves by driving a vehicle they didn't know how to drive—and into the Whomping Willow, too. And aside from all that, it really wouldn't have been difficult to contact the school to make alternate arrangements. It wasn't as if missing the train meant you were expelled from school and couldn't attend. They might have missed the welcome feast, but they ended up missing it anyway as punishment. And then there had been the detentions, and McGonagall's disappointment . . .

Had Remus been Harry's guardian then, he was sure he would have been in a world of trouble even outside of what the school had done. And worst of all, Remus would have been disappointed. Harry wondered if Ron's parents' disappointment affected Ron in the same way. Harry guessed that was something parents were supposed to do—make you think twice about doing stupid things that might cost you your life. Though apparently it hadn't had much affect on Sirius or his father.

Maybe Harry wasn't quite as much like them as he thought. He wasn't sure how to feel about that.

After the game, Harry went to his room to get changed for bed, but Remus met him on the way there. "A word, Harry?"

Harry worried for a moment that he might have done something wrong, but he forced himself to calm down. Old habits were hard to break; some days, part of him was still convinced he had to earn his keep at Grimmauld Place. "Yes, Remus?"

"Harry, Professor Dumbledore has requested your help with something," he said.

Harry blinked a couple of times. Dumbledore had been fairly distant with him for much of the previous school year. "With what?"

"He's looking to hire a new professor at Hogwarts—"

"For Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

Remus raised his eyebrows, but didn't comment on Harry interrupting. "For potions," Remus said.

"But . . ." Harry shook his head. It was too good to be true. "Is Snape leaving?"

"No. He'll be taking the position as professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"What? But . . . no, that's even worse!"

"Harry, it'll be alright—"

"Like hell it will!"

"Language. And do we need to talk about interrupting?"

"Sorry," Harry muttered. There was nothing Remus could do about Dumbledore's hiring decisions; there was probably nothing Harry could do, either, but if he was going to get upset with anyone, it should be Dumbledore, not Remus.

"As I was saying," Remus continued, "Professor Dumbledore needs your help. He's coming to pick you up in the morning."

"I'm sorry, but . . . I don't understand. How can I help him?"

"He'll let you know exactly what he needs from you." Remus looked him right in the eyes. "And if he doesn't, Harry, you have every right to tell him you want no part in it."

Harry's eyes widened. "Really?"

"He has no right to push you into anything you're not comfortable with, especially if he doesn't explain himself first."

Harry frowned. That didn't sound right at all; no one had ever said that to him. After all, he was always required to follow school rules with no say in them.

Remus sighed. "It's one thing when a teacher or parent tells a child to do something like . . . their homework, or a chore. This is different. He's asking for a favor. You are allowed to ask what it's for."

Harry nodded slowly. "Uh, Remus, when we're done . . ."

"He'll bring you back here. We're having an Order meeting after dinner."

"Oh." Harry didn't know how to ask whether he'd be allowed to attend the meeting; the summer before, it had been difficult to convince the adults that he was ready to listen in on their plans. If the Weasleys were coming by, though, they might be able to rig something up to eavesdrop . . .

"So I want you to keep an eye on the time, and make sure he brings you back by five. I want you to have a chance to get cleaned up before dinner, so you're ready for the meeting."

Harry smiled, but the smile quickly turned into a grin. "Thanks, Remus," he said.

"If this is your fight, you have the right to know what's going on. But Harry?"

"Yes?"

"I expect your complete and total honesty in return. I know about your adventures in your early years of school, and all of the rule breaking."

"But they all turned out well! And we only broke the rules because we didn't have an option. No one would believe us if we told them what was really happening."

Remus gave him a sad look. "I'm very sorry for whatever made you feel that way, Harry, but rest assured it is not the case anymore. I expect you to ask for help when you need it. Rest assured, you will be believed."

Feelings of safety and security mixed with a bit of embarrassment. "Thanks," Harry said.

"Get some sleep." Remus smiled. "Good night, son."

Harry nodded. "Good night, Remus."