DISCLAIMER- I don't own the creations of JK Rowling

Chapter 8- Uncle and Aunt

The morning after Hagrid left, the Dursleys and Harry drove back to the house. Things seemed to have changed a little between Harry and his relatives after the odd incident, that too for the better. When they came back, the house was clean too, with not a single letter or anything odd visible.

Vernon promised Harry a birthday gift - a pair of running shoes, Petunia did not object. Maybe it was much, much less than what Dudley got in his own birthday, but for Harry it was a gift nonetheless.

When Dudley asked about the tour to South Africa, Vernon sneered "Who will pay for it, eh? What you can see in South Africa can be seen in London zoo also. Will take you all on a weekend, so shut up."

The next morning, Harry had just finished breakfast. He would go to the library and try to look up books on a few topics. Petunia had told him to look up on the Nazis and the KKK if he wished, said that the wizard who killed his parents and his followers followed almost the same goals.

He himself aimed to look up books on witch-burnings in the medieval times, so that he would understand what those people did and maybe still do if they exist in secret - the real history and not children's books. He had a busy day ahead, so was just going to his room when he spotted something.

When they were driving back yesterday, Petunia had asked "Vernon, if they try again?"

Vernon had answered "You need not worry. After what you said, the boy will not go to that place, right Harry?" and his nephew had nodded silently in reply but the boy's habit changed since then.

Harry suddenly developed the tendency to glance at the stretch of the street visible from the windows, as if a wizard or witch would be coming, looking for him. He could identify them by their odd dressing habits. His anger had calmed down, so a few questions were forming in his mind too, mostly regarding the "headmaster" but he did not know where to look for answers and was feeling helpless.

He just glanced from the open window, hoping to see something odd and something was happening, though it was not unusual- yet. He continued looking at what he spotted.

A man was walking down the street, the person did not live in this place. He was glancing at the numbers on the houses. He stood for a few seconds in front of Mrs. Figg's house which had all doors and windows locked along with no cats visible today, then turned back. He spotted the number on the Dursleys house and walked straight to the door and rang the bell.

Petunia herself walked to the door and opened it. Vernon came out from the bathroom in the middle of a shave and stared too. The man smiled at Petunia and spoke "Good morning, Mrs. Dursley I assume? I am R.J Lupin and would like to talk to your nephew Harry. Oh, there he is."

Harry looked at the man with careful eyes. Lupin was tall and pale, with amber eyes, brown hair and a thin moustache. He was wearing a shabby brown trouser and a grey full-sleeve shirt. As soon as he spotted Harry inside the house, he smiled brightly at the boy, who retained a blank look.

Petunia was pale but spoke in a calm voice "You are from my sister's community, I assume? The boy you want to meet is a minor and you cannot talk to him in absence of a guardian and as I am busy at the moment, you have to wait." but before she could say anything else, Vernon strode over and laid a hand on his wife's shoulder, signaling her to stop while he himself spoke.

Meanwhile, Dudley had looked at Lupin, opened his eyes wide in terror and then ran out of the room as fast as his legs could carry him. Harry felt amused at this, but was too tense at the moment.

"Petunia dear, step back. You sir, you can talk to the boy in the living room, but he does not have much time, he will go somewhere. So, can you be quick about it?" his voice sounded amused somehow.

Lupin raised his eyebrows and said "You need not worry about your nephew, he knows me. So, can I come in and talk to him? It's important. I need to talk to both of you too."

Things happened too fast. Vernon asked Lupin to wait a moment, almost dragged Harry to the living room, made him sit on a sofa and whispered fast "One pound if you send this man away" then shouted "You can come in sir, this way" and almost ran out through another door.

Lupin entered through the door seconds later and sat down opposite Harry, smiling at him. Harry spoke first in a cold voice "You said that you know me, but I cannot remember where I have met you, sir."

Lupin smiled "Because you were too small then. I was a friend of your father and was classmate of your mother too. Your mother tried to make you call me "Uncle Moony" but at best, you could say Unca Moo. Have grown a lot since I last saw you and cannot tell you how happy I am now to see you."

Harry felt himself go a little soft, but felt cautious "You yourself said I was too small to remember, so is there any other proof, Mr. Lupin or Uncle Moony? School teaches children not to trust strangers."

Lupin stared at Harry for a moment and said "Oh, I should have known you attend a muggle school. I have brought a small gift for you; you can treat it as a proof. I should have brought a big birthday gift for you I know, but did not know what you would like, so thought about meeting you first. Happy birthday Harry, though I am one day late. Sorry about that."

Harry raised his eyebrows and said "You know of my birthday then?"

"Of course I know. You are the son of my friend James and also Lily; I loved you since you were a little baby and I owe you ten years of birthday gifts, so thought of starting with a small one you may like. I do not know whether you have seen any photos of your parents, have you?"

When Harry shook his head, Lupin took out a picture from his pocket and passed it to Harry. "Your parents had photos of their wedding; I have this photo- shot with their closest friends. You keep this, I made a copy and brought it only for you, Prongslet. Oh that was your nickname given by us."

Harry looked at the photo, it showed seven people. At the centre of it was a young man with raven hair, sideburns and spectacles, with hazel eyes- wearing a suit. On the right side of him, three men were standing in a row wearing formal dresses- a very handsome young man with long raven hair, a brown haired man who was a younger version of Lupin and a short rotund man with grey hair, watery eyes, a pointed nose and two prominent front teeth.

Clutching the left arm of the man was a woman in bridal gown and a crown of flowers adorning her head. She was a very pretty woman with long red hair and green eyes, smiling brightly at the camera. Standing at her left side was a woman with a round face and shoulder length black hair and another beautiful blond woman with round, grey eyes- all smiling with happiness.

First reaction was a mixture of happiness and surprise for Harry. He spoke in an even tone "It's moving!"

"It's a magic photo, Harry- it's supposed to move and change. You know about your parents I assume?"

Harry blinked his eyes, forced his eyes away from the photo and said in a voice of steel "Where are the others now? Where were you all these years, Uncle Moony?" he was almost screaming by the end.

Lupin looked at Harry with a hurt look in his eyes, but spoke calmly "I know you would be angry, but you should know the full truth. Did your relatives tell you what happened to your parents?"

Harry formed an answer in his head, it was not a lie. "I know that a bad wizard killed my parents, then tried to kill me but failed. I am famous among wizards for this scar on my forehead."

"That's true, but not the answer. You may not know about Albus Dumbledore, but.."

Harry interrupted "I know. He is the headmaster of the school my parents studied in, right?"

"Yes, but he also holds other important positions in British wizard society. You know of this bad wizard, but we were really in midst of a war. After the death of your parents, Albus Dumbledore said that he had placed you somewhere safe. I and Pandora Lovegood, the blond woman in this photograph were the only ones who could contact you, we both asked Dumbledore but he refused to tell us. Nobody else in this photo was in a condition to see you by the end of the war."

Dumbledore! Harry again felt a mixture of rage and curiosity, but kept a blank face and let Lupin talk.

"Plus, Albus pointed out to me that I am not very suitable to take care of you- I am not well-off and suffer from a disease. Pandora too had her newborn daughter to take care of. After that, I got a job in North America and left Britain. I asked Albus every year, he assured me you are well. About Pandora, I heard she died in an accident three years ago. I came back a year ago and hoped to meet you on your eleventh birthday with your Hogwarts letter and even take you to buy your school things. He just contacted me yesterday and gave me your address, said you have received the letter; I should go and explain it to you and your relatives. I am really glad that he fulfilled my wish and I could meet you."

Harry sat dumbfounded. He found himself liking this man, but could he really trust Lupin enough to tell the man about what happened two days ago? Thankfully, Vernon and Petunia entered just then.

Vernon spoke first "I assume that you have come to talk about that school letter, sir? I am sorry to say that I am not interested to send him to that place. He himself is not keen to attend too, I may add" the last words had a tone of satisfaction attached to them, Harry noted. Petunia was nodding silently.

Lupin merely raised his eyebrows "So, both of you don't know why Harry has to attend the school compulsorily? Nobody told you the reason? Mrs. Dursley, you must have known, your sister attended there. I just hoped to simply explain to Harry and take him to buy his things."

Vernon had a red face with a vein throbbing in his neck but when he looked at his wife, he found a confused face, she was just shaking her head. He pulled his wife by the arm and sat down opposite Lupin, growling "All right, let's hear what you have to say, but be short about it. Not much time."

Lupin closed his eyes, took a deep breath and then began. "Firstly, Harry is a magical child. If he does not learn to control and use his magic after eleven, it will be dangerous for himself and everyone around him. He can prove dangerous to you and cause accidents to both living and non-living things."

Petunia replied "But he is not magical. He did not do anything freaky like my sister or that horrible boy."

"It's because a bind was placed on his core. As a child, he could do a lot of raw magic as I remember. It can cause trouble for adults. If he was living with you with his core free, he could have caused trouble and could prove dangerous if he had strong emotions. But that is possible only till the eleventh year, after that- well I said what would happen. You need not worry because underage children are not allowed to use magic at home for safety- you should know that, Mrs. Dursley. Maybe both of you understand the reason now?"

Vernon, still very red, asked "How much do I have to pay for his uh, studies then for all the years?"

"Not a single penny. His parents have left money for that. Once he begins school on September 1st this year, then he will come back to your place only for the summer holidays, two months each year. Once he reaches seventeen and thus comes of age, I may say it is during the middle of the summer holidays before his final year, he can leave on his own, to never return. That's a total of eleven months only."

Vernon's face changed colour faster than traffic lights. He suddenly had a huge smile plastered on his face and then almost barked at his wife "Petunia, where are our manners? Serve our guest something, what would you like sir- tea, beer or spirit? You boy, get dressed, you have to accompany this person."

Petunia looked skeptical and frowned "But, the headmaster said in the letter that the followers of that wizard are still there. They are not schoolchildren, but surely their children study there?" she looked at Harry and said in a strange voice "I don't wish him any harm; he is my sister's son."

"You need not worry, they don't have the foolish courage to harm your nephew with the leader gone. His address is and will be kept secret too, very few people will know. You all will be safe, rest assured."

Vernon was still smiling brightly when he spoke "I assume that he needs to buy his school things somewhere in London. I don't know where, but if you can tell the exact place, maybe I can drop the two of you there. It will save you the trouble of bus or train and even the Underground."

To Harry's surprise, Petunia and not Lupin replied "Of course, you can drop them there dear. The place is through a secret pub door near Leadenhall Market, frea.. I mean they can see the door without any help. She had to go to the place to buy her things, I went twice with her and our parents. If you drop them there Vernon, it is nice. Mr. Lupin, would you like some tea and biscuits?"

Vernon interrupted "But, don't they have to go to a bank to draw the money? Mr. Lupin?"

Petunia replied again "Don't worry Vernon. Their own bank is on the same street, right Mr. Lupin? Run by those nasty little creatures? See, I remember after all these years. Harry, get dressed fast. All right, I am going to the kitchen to make some tea for our guest."

Lupin said "Thank you both for your co-operation. Can I use the bathroom a little?"

When he entered the bathroom, nobody else would see him draw out a wooden stick and point it at the window, with a silvery streak of light shooting off somewhere.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Fifteen minutes later, Harry was seated in the backseat of Vernon's car, speeding away towards London. Lupin seemed to have a list of the necessary things with him. He wanted to talk to Lupin, but he did not know about what and the man was seated beside Vernon in the front seat, he had to show Vernon the proper place in the vast, bustling city as he remembered London.

Vernon was really in a good mood that morning, humming to himself. Lupin sat quietly at first, but soon found himself drawn into a conversation with Harry's cheerful uncle.

"So, where is that school of yours situated? Does he have to arrange his transport?"

"It is beside a lake in northern Scotland. There is transport arranged for the purpose, don't worry."

"Boarding school, right? How many days do the summer holidays last then?"

"For the months of July and August. Of course there are the winter holidays and the Ostara, those holidays are much shorter. If you miss the boy, he can come home during those holidays too but the school accommodates students if their guardians insist. What do you wish?"

"No, no, we must not look into our narrow wishes. After all, isn't it better for the boy to spend the maximum possible time amongst his own kind?" the last three words almost bored into Harry.

Lupin nodded quietly, but Vernon continued "Are there no other schools in the world further off that would take him? Maybe he will get a better education there, eh?"

"No other school in the world teaches in British English, he would have problems in following classes or interacting with his peers. Why would he not study in his home country?"

Vernon nodded and frowned, focusing on the road. After sometime, he spoke again "Hey, you can meet him during the summer. Take him on some sightseeing or introduce him to your family, huh?"

"That's a good suggestion, I will try that. However, as I am unmarried and live alone, no luck on family."

After that, Lupin agreed to Vernon's proposal that he himself would buy Harry a pair of running shoes, Lupin requested for the Dursley's phone number "in case of any emergency" and the journey was quiet afterwards. Vernon navigated through the streets of London, dropped the two of them where Lupin indicated and then drove away without a word towards the tower where his office was.

Harry was beside Lupin on the footpath and asked "Where is the secret door, Lupin uncle?" he was feeling nervous and curious at the same time. However, Lupin stayed standing and was surveying the crowds, as if looking for someone. He suddenly smiled at someone coming towards them, Harry followed his gaze too to see whom it was and had a feeling of déjà vu.

A woman was walking towards them through the crowds, eyes set on them. Lupin waved at the woman and she smiled and waved back in return. Harry had a strong feeling that he had seen this woman somewhere before, though he could not place where or when.

She was a very tall and good-looking woman, with pale skin and brown hair tied back in a ponytail. She was wearing an odd flowing dress. When she reached them, she spoke "Hey, isn't it Remus Lupin? Nice to see you after all these years. Hey, who is this young man with you? Is it.." her voice trailed off.

Lupin nodded "Yes, Mrs. Tonks. He is the son of James and Lily. Harry, this is Andromeda Tonks and she is actually an aunt of yours. Your grandmother Dorea and she, both are from the same ancient house."

Harry looked up at Andromeda and tried to greet her, but Andromeda simply wrapped her arms around him, wrapping him in a motherly hug. It suddenly felt very safe and comforting. She let go of Harry a few moments later and patted his cheek. They both smiled at each other, Harry feeling rather odd but good.

Lupin broke the silence "Harry, we have to buy your things. Maybe we can have our lunch together if you wish, but we have to get going. Tonks, you came for shopping?"

Harry asked the earlier question "So, where is that secret door? You are coming too, aunt?"

Lupin replied "Not now. I will teach you to use a form of magic transport, the floo network. Just opposite to the pub is a floo station, we have to go to a hospital named Gringotts for your health check-up. Maybe we can meet your aunt to have lunch together. Both of us have a lot to talk to you Harry."

Next chapter- Harry will meet his parents.