AN: Happy weekend, my lovely readers! This will probably be my last update for the next few weeks as I'm working towards a submission deadline for original fiction – wish me luck! Hoping you are all having a fabulous 2017 so far :)

PS: RT shippers, this chappie will be a rough one…

Disclaimer: Still not J.K. Rowling – I am but a humble enthusiast of her work!

Chapter Six

Opposition

The floor felt like a sheet of ice. He knew, because he was lying on it.

It was near dawn, it had to be.

He pushed himself up on one elbow, only to collapse onto his chest again. He had never felt so weak in all his life – unless one counted the night his father had died, which he generally didn't. That was more of a nightmare than real life.

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, he rolled onto his side. Even now, the dust was still clearing, billowing about in clouds so thick he could barely see his hand in front of his face. Had anyone survived? He knew McNamara had fallen; he had seen the light leave her eyes as Rodolphus's curse caught her full in the chest. He felt an ache in his chest that he knew was his heart, but struggled to repress it. He would mourn his friend later. Right now he needed to find Gladshaw, if he was still alive. He needed to get to him before they did.

He struggled to listen, but for a moment there was nothing more than the thud-thud-thud of his own heart, drowning out everything else. Then – there it was! Breathing, shallow and hitching; Gladshaw's asthma must have been playing up again. He had to be nearby, somewhere.

Reaching out, his fingers grasped blindly in the dirt, until finally they grazed something warm and distinctly human, and felt a groan in response.

"Kid…" the older man wheezed, "you should…"

Gladshaw trailed off for a moment and then muttered something unintelligible, before lapsing into an exhausted silence.

If only he could get closer, he might be able to apparate them both out of there. Or splinch them both in the process, but at least they would escape. He reached his hand out farther.

Suddenly, a shadow emerged from the dust and an unyielding pressure flattened his arm to the ground. He gritted his teeth against the pain as he felt the bones in his wrist move out of place.

"Just where do you think you're going?" she said, her voice soft and full of laughter as she cast the spell that turned his skin to fire.

Remus woke with a jolt, his hand already gripping his wand. He tried to move, but panic had flattened him on his back, rendering him immobile.

Location and situation! Moody's voice said, in his head. Learn your location and situation – NOW!

Okay, okay, deduction number 1: he was lying on something soft and warm, not hard and frozen, so he was no longer on a floor. Deduction number 2: his wrist didn't hurt; in fact, no part of him did. So, he probably wasn't being tortured.

He turned his head to the right, recognising the dark green curtains and the smell of cedar in the air, and the pressure in his lungs began to lift as he came to a relieving conclusion.

He was in his bed. He was safe at home.

He allowed himself to take a few deep breaths before sitting up slowly, staring into the shadows. Nothing stared back. The room was dark and still, a few threads of early morning sunlight wheedling their way through a narrow slit in the curtains. The only breathing besides his own was slow and even, coming from the dark-haired woman lying beside him, still soundly encased in slumber. Remus sighed, running a hand down his face.

It had been a memory, nothing more. Bellatrix was in Azkaban with what remained of her comrades and Remus was still alive. His hand trembled, just a little, as he slid his wand back under his pillow.

Over the years, the dreams had become less frequent, but when they did surface, they were no less real to him than the reality itself had been. With Nymphadora Tonks's appointment to the Auror Squad, however, they had begun to increase in number until they were almost every night. If this kept up, he would have to start taking the Potion for Dreamless Sleep again.

Faye sighed in her sleep, snuggling deeper into the covers beside him. He watched her quietly for a few minutes as his heart rate began to slow again. Although it had only been six months since she had asked him out (something which never failed to make him feel a tad smug), he was sure he was falling hard for her. Faye was intelligent, witty, beautiful, and seemed to genuinely care about him. And although he hadn't told her his darkest secret yet, he hoped that soon…maybe soon. He knew she wouldn't be afraid of him, but could she accept the knowledge of what he was? It was a lot to ask, but if anyone could handle it, it would be her. If anyone could accept him, it would be her.

Slipping quietly out of bed, Remus padded down the corridor and shut himself in the bathroom, whispering a spell to open the hidden cabinet below the sink. Dozens of potion vials were lined up neatly, separated by their strength and frequency of use. Kingsley had set up the system – being the obsessive organiser that he was – and even though he no longer lived there, Remus couldn't bring himself to change it.

"Hmm, which one to choose?" Remus muttered to himself as he perused the collection of potions.

The full moon was only one night past and he still felt as though he'd been hit by a Muggle car. Kingsley's potions were the only remedies that helped. He plucked out a large vial of Strengthening Solution and another of Magical Muscle Mender and knocked them both back, wincing a little at the taste of the latter. He knew potion-making was an exact science – for seven years, Severus Snape had informed him of that each time Remus's cauldron bubbled over or emitted strange odours during class. But why couldn't they be designed to at least taste a little better?

"I've heard talk of this new potion called Wolfsbane," Kingsley had informed him as they ate Chinese takeaway together on Friday, "made by this German bloke. Apparently, it allows the drinker to retain their human mind during the transformation. I'm going to track down the paper he wrote about it."

To Remus, it sounded too good to be true. A potion which would allow him to retain his sanity rather than descend into the madness that accompanied the physical transformation? It seemed more likely that Dolores Umbridge – Senior Undersecretary and all-round bigot – would publicly declare her love of vampires and offer them her body as a sacrifice.

Oh, if only.

Still, Kingsley had been so excited by this Wolfsbane discovery that Remus couldn't bear to tell him it was probably a hoax. That nothing could change his condition.

Remus would always be a werewolf.

Oddly, he was reminded of Nymphadora Tonks. Strange that they had that in common – both shapeshifters who could become completely unrecognisable from who they truly were. In a different world, that might have endeared her to him, but…

He sighed, closing the bathroom cabinet again. As much as he had wanted to believe she could be different, her little stunt in the forest had proven her just as volatile as the traitor Sirius Black. He had been keeping a close eye on her all week, and her drive and determination had really impressed him. She was sharp, never needing to be told anything twice and picking up new spells in the blink of an eye. And, of course, her skill at morphing was nothing short of outstanding.

Still, even with her talent and dedication, what if she too was akin to an Erumpent horn – primed to explode with the slightest spark? What if the same madness lay within her as it had in Bellatrix, only she just didn't know it yet? He shivered; that was a terrifying thought.

Returning to his room, he softly shut the door before sliding back into bed. He felt his heart speed up again, just a little, as Faye rolled over, blinking and stretching out her long legs with a sigh. "What time is it?"

"A little after six," Remus said, letting his eyes rove over her body, which had slipped free of the sheets.

Faye smirked, running a hand down his chest. "Good. Then I guess we have a little time…" Her hand slipped lower.

Thank Merlin for Kingsley's potions.

(-)(-)(-)

An hour and a half later, they exited the Floo into the already bustling Ministry atrium. A trio of goblins walked past them, discussing the latest interest rates at Gringotts, and were almost bowled over by a group of reporters and photographers in pursuit of the portly Minister, who was singing his own praises about something or other.

"I'll see you later in the week, then, after you've had your talk with Harry?" Faye said quietly, slipping her hands into his.

Remus nodded. "I'd like for you to meet him, finally."

Faye grinned. "I'd like that too." She rose up on her toes to kiss him and he leaned in, savouring the feel of her soft lips against his. And then she was gone, hips swaying as she moved towards the elevators on the opposite side of the atrium. With a final look, Remus turned and made his way up the staircase instead to Level Two, whistling cheerfully.

Alana raised a plucked eyebrow as he entered the department. "Having a good morning already, Lupin?"

Remus adopted a thoughtful expression. "You know what, Alana, it hasn't been too bad. And happy birthday, by the way."

The secretary looked startled. "How did you know?"

"It's the same day as it was last year." He extracted a small parcel from his pocket and placed it on top of a stack of notes on her desk. "Special birthday fudge. Try not to eat it all in one go – there's so much sugar in it, you might actually rot your teeth as you eat it."

Alana stared at the parcel for a long moment and then looked up at him, her usual aloofness momentarily cast aside. "Thank you, Lupin. Really."

He smiled at her and continued down the corridor, nodding to a few of his colleagues as he passed them.

The next few days would be interesting, to say the least. He hadn't a clue how Harry would react to the truth of who he was – who they both were, really. And for Harry, being a wizard was only the least of it – although he was fairly certain that his godson would be pleased about that particular news. But the rest of it… Coming to terms with his powers would be challenging enough, but having to consciously be The Boy Who Lived, forevermore?

Remus had wanted to tell Harry the truth years ago, but Dumbledore's belief that the boy would be happier living an ordinary childhood had convinced him otherwise. And maybe a Muggle upbringing had been good for him, taught him not to rely on magic or fame for his own happiness.

But now, faced with the enormity of it all, he wasn't so sure. It would be a lot for Harry to take in. The kid was strong, but nobody should ever have to deal with so much, and especially not at such a young age.

With a nod to Dawlish as he passed him, Remus ducked into his office to quickly check his inbox, delighting in how empty it was. A fresh note sat on top of the small pile of parchments, and he smiled as he recognised the handwriting.

Dear Remus,

I don't know if you remember my mentioning Muggle schrew-drovers the last time we spoke, but I've seen one! And quite by chance, might I add, while Perkins and I were on assignment last Wednesday. However, to thoroughly explain, you'll have to allow me to indulge in a bit of backstory.

See, a group of final year Hogwarts students thought it would be amusing to enchant a Muggle bowling ball and use it as a bludger during a particularly rough game of Quidditch. Needless to say, several teeth were lost and two Muggles saw the ball in flight when it decided to do a victory lap of a nearby park. I'm surprised The Prophet didn't have a field day with the story!

Anyway, before the Obliviators arrived, one of the Muggles – a very helpful and inquisitive fellow – thought the ball was being controlled by some sort of hidden device and wanted to investigate the inside of it. He told me he kept a "toolbox" in his car (what on earth is contained in one of those?) and returned with a schrew-drover a moment later.

What a unique idea, to create an implement that one can use to open and close things that have hidden compartments! We truly underestimate Muggles too often! Unfortunately, the Obliviators arrived before he could show me how to use it, but I did get to personally examine it for several minutes. I've included a sketch below which Perkins agrees is quite accurate, although he doesn't seem as intrigued by the implement as myself.

Oh, before I forget, Molly and Ginny are both impatient to have you over for lunch again soon – would next Sunday suit? If so, do please extend the invitation to Kingsley and Faye as well; we would be delighted to see you all! I have it on good authority that Molly's famous gooseberry crumble will be making an appearance.

Best wishes,

Arthur

PS: I've just had it from Perkin's sister that a "toolbox" contains all sorts of different schrew-drovers, among other things. Genius!

Remus's smile spread into a grin at the incredibly detailed (and labelled) sketch at the bottom of the parchment, before carefully tucking the letter inside his robes. After the war, when his own colleagues had been too bitter to help him fight his way out from his depression, Arthur Weasley had been a genuine and caring friend, although they had only met once before. He and his wife, Molly, had helped Remus get his life back on track, to become healthier and happier, and given him a safe place he could turn to when he felt lost. Over the years, their bond had developed into an almost familial relationship, and Remus was a constant guest at The Burrow – and often a bad influence on the mischievous Weasley twins.

Their youngest son, Ron, would be starting at Hogwarts this September, too. Perhaps it would be a good idea to introduce Harry to him, so he would know at least one person before the start of school? Besides, the two might hit it off. Yes, Sunday lunch sounded like a brilliant idea.

Remus strolled down the corridor towards the meeting room, trying to remember the particular brand of wine he had brought over at Easter that Molly had loved so much.

"What are you doing here?" Kingsley called out, and Remus turned to see his friend emerge from his own office, tucking a thick scroll under his arm. "Aren't you collecting Harry?"

"Heading over after the meeting," Remus replied, stepping back to allow Savage to pass him. "Have to present the latest developments in the Heaney case."

"Proudfoot could have done that, surely?" Kingsley said quietly, as they walked along. "That's one of the upsides to having a partner, after all."

Remus laughed and glanced behind him, before muttering, "True, but Scrimgeour was very insistent that I do it."

"Ah."

Since their disagreement over Kit, Scrimgeour seemed to think it necessary that Remus remember his rank, and had not missed an opportunity to gently remind him of it. Remus had accepted the extra work and shortened deadlines without complaint – whinging would only extend the flogging period, and Scrimgeour would likely find someone else in need of reprimand soon. It never failed to irk the Deputy Head that Moody loved a good argument with the Senior Aurors and didn't admonish them for backtalk, as long as they did their jobs properly. The preservation of office etiquette was not high on Moody's list of priorities.

In the meeting room, all of the seats were taken, which was not surprising - Moody only ever allowed about ten chairs, despite there being almost sixty Aurors in the squad. Remus and Kingsley squeezed past Proudfoot and Rickburn, who were having a whispered disagreement over a recent Quidditch game, and stood at the back. These meetings could be the very best spectator sport.

As they waited for the meeting to begin, Remus felt a familiar, prickling sensation creep up his spine; someone's eyes were on him and were not moving. Given the size of the room, it didn't take him long to spot his watcher.

Nymphadora Tonks stood to the right of him, just behind Proudfoot. The second he glanced at her, she quickly looked away, shoving her hands into her pockets in what she probably thought was a nonchalant gesture.

Why was she constantly watching him? He had accepted her into the programme and given her a chance – what more did she want from him? He wasn't the one who had attempted to coat her face in acrid mould and then not even had the decency to come up with an interesting excuse as to why.

He deliberately stared at her for a minute or so, but although her cheeks coloured slightly, her eyes remained fixed on the back of Rickburn's head. Clenching his jaw a little, Remus turned to look at Moody, who was calling the meeting to order in his usual way.

"SHUT IT!"

The new recruits dotted about the room jumped, still unused to the Head Auror's unique charm.

"Alright you lot, no pissing about today – we've a lot to get through."

Of course, within ten minutes an argument had broken out between Savage and Higgins over which of them had lead a recent successful mission in Cornwall. As with all good arguments, this quickly devolved into a heated exchange of bizarrely nonsensical insults, such as "saggy-balled wand-snapper" and "cock-eyed elf-breeder".

"I do love these meetings," Remus whispered as the two Aurors resorted to flinging office stationary at one another. Kingsley chuckled, sidestepping to avoid a flying ink bottle.

There was a brisk knock on the door just as Savage was being restrained – after catching Higgins in the face with a coffee mug – and Adrien, one of the office secretaries, poked his ginger head around the door.

"Sorry for interrupting, Auror Moo – "

"Yeah, what is it?" Moody growled.

That book on 'proper English manners' Remus had (only half-jokingly) bought Moody for his birthday was clearly going to waste. As he made a mental note to fix the thing to his boss's desk with a Sticking Charm, Adrien turned his gaze to Remus. "There's a Floo call for you, Auror Lupin."

"Oh?" He frowned. "It's not my mother is it?"

"Great goblin balls!" Moody said, crassly. "She's not back in the country, is she?" His magical eye spun round to glare at Adrien, as though it would be his fault if she was.

"Yes," Remus replied, before impishly adding, "Would you like me to set you two up?"

The room erupted into sniggers, which hastily turned into hacking coughs as Moody's human eye looked ready to pop out. Remus caught Nymphadora Tonks's eye, and was surprised to find her grinning at him.

"Er, no," Adrien said, clearly uncomfortable, "It's someone named Arabella? She says it's urgent, sir."

Remus felt his entire body go cold, and without a conscious thought he shoved his way through half a dozen of his colleagues and was sprinting for the Floo chamber at the end of the corridor.

Arabella Figg's head was floating in one of the fireplaces, her face emerald green and troubled.

"Arabella," Remus said, dropping to his knees. "What's wrong?"

"I don't want to alarm you, Remus. Harry's alright, I think."

Remus was vaguely aware of Kingsley entering the room and closing the door behind him. "Then why – "

"I think Vernon Dursley has had a bit of a mental breakdown."

That, he had not been expecting. "Er, I know Vernon is a bit of a, well, shall we say peculiar person –"

"That's putting it mildly," Kingsley muttered. He was no fan of Vernon Dursley.

" – but what makes you think he's, er, missing a few more gobstones than usual?"

"Well, yesterday morning, he bundled the whole family into the car and sped off. I thought maybe they had just gone on an over-night trip or something, but, well, they took Harry with them. And they haven't been back since."

Remus felt his pulse begin to pound in his veins, but forced himself to remain calm and to think. Despite all his bravado, Vernon wouldn't actually do anything to hurt Harry, and there were several possible explanations for this behaviour.

For one, Vernon had a sister, Marge, who could have taken ill. Vernon wouldn't have wanted to leave Harry alone at home for fear he would blow the house up, or something, and so had taken him along. However, Vernon wouldn't have wanted Harry at a family event, and probably would have contacted Remus to come and take him for the weekend.

A second – and far less likely – possibility was that the Dursleys had decided on an impromptu holiday to the beach, or something. But they were not exactly known for their spontaneity, and again, they would have contacted Remus to take his godson…

And then it hit him.

"Oh no."

"What?" Kingsley and Arabella said, in unison.

"I told Minerva McGonagall to hold off on sending Harry's Hogwarts letter to him until his actual birthday, so I could be with him when he opened it. But, I forgot that it's customary for the school to let the family know the letter is on its way if there's any hold up, so they don't worry…"

Except, in this case, it had had the exact opposite effect. Remus wanted to slap himself.

"So, Vernon was told that Harry's letter was on the way and lost the plot." Kingsley let out a low whistle. "That man is all kinds of Muggle."

"You have no idea," Arabella remarked.

"Thank you for calling me, Arabella," Remus said. "I'll track them down."

The older woman smiled. "No problem at all, Remus. I wish I could be more help."

"You've done plenty." He smiled back at her. "And I think I know exactly what to do from here."

They said their goodbyes, and Remus got to his feet, running a hand through his hair. "I have to hand it to Vernon, he does try his best."

Kingsley crossed his arms. "After all these years, how are they still trying to fight Harry's heritage? How are they still afraid of it?"

"Vernon's afraid of anything out of the ordinary; always has been. Petunia, though…" Remus suspected some other motivation on Petunia's part and he felt his temper rise a little.

"You want some backup?" Kingsley said, drawing himself up to his full height and cracking his knuckles. Remus was tempted to take him up on the offer; although Vernon and Kingsley had only met a handful of times, the moustached man was nearly more scared of him than he was of Remus.

However, a sudden thought struck, and he grinned. "No offence, King, but I think I'm going to need a bigger man than you for this particular mission."

Kingsley looked momentarily affronted, before comprehension brightened his eyes and he grinned back.

"Tell Hagrid 'hello' from me."

Tonks had looked forward to the Monday staff meetings, assuming they would be full of captivating reports on current investigations, and lively deliberations over Ministry procedure and ethics. Now, after sitting - or rather, standing - through her second one, she wasn't sure anything of consequence had actually been discussed.

Rickburn had given the most boring presentation on a double murder that she could ever had imagined possible, most of which focused on the type of footwear the victims had been wearing at the time (combat boots). Savage and Higgins had gotten into a spectacularly egotistical argument and were both thrown out of the meeting, and Scrimgeour spent a good fifteen minutes lecturing them all on proper behaviour and the reputation of the department.

The only moment of actual intrigue had been Lupin running from the room to answer a Floo call, closely followed by Kingsley Shacklebolt. The latter returned fifteen minutes later, whispered something to Moody, and the meeting continued. Lupin never reappeared.

Finally, they were dismissed and Tonks all but ran for the door, desperate for a breath of fresh air and to avoid any more suggestive glances from Adam Atterby, one of the Junior Aurors.

She still had half an hour until her first class. The others had gone for coffee, but she had declined their offer to join, hoping to get in a bit of wand practice. There was a particular wrist movement that she had been practicing for Extreme Spellwork but she couldn't quite get it right. It was a sort of double-time flick, but she always wound up –

"Excuse me?"

Tonks paused en-route to her cubicle to see a willowy, dark-haired woman dressed in sky blue robes, looking at her. Her full lips and high cheekbones made Tonks feel quite plain indeed, despite the lime-green hair she had decided on that morning. The woman was nothing short of beautiful.

"I'm looking for Remus Lupin, do you know where he is?"

"Er, well he's not in the department at the moment. I actually think he might have left the Ministry." She wasn't sure how much information she was meant to divulge to a stranger. Then again, she might not be a stranger at all; she might have been the head of another department, for all Tonks knew. She offered the woman a polite smile. "Some sort of personal issue, I think."

The woman's forehead crinkled, but before she could say anything else, Savage appeared. After giving Tonks the usual once-over, he turned to the woman beside her.

"'Allo Faye, looking gorgeous as usual." Puffing out his chest, he leaned towards her. "You know, if you ever want a real man to show you a good time, you only have to ask."

The woman's lips curved slightly, but there was a distinct touch of malice in her expression when she said, "Thank you Everett. And if you ever find such a man, do let me know."

Savage's smirk soured a little and he swaggered on down the row towards his office.

"Would you like me to give Auror Lupin a message from you?" Tonks asked. If this Faye woman needed Lupin for something important, she wanted to be sure the message got to him. Plus, it might give her the opportunity to speak to him outside of class, and maybe she could try to explain the mould incident…

The woman smiled, more genuinely this time. "Thank you for the offer, but I think I can manage to track him down." Giving Tonks a courteous nod, she swept past, leaving a distinct floral scent in her wake that Tonks couldn't quite place.

"That's Faye Harred, Lupin's girlfriend."

Tonks turned around to see Alana, the fudge-loving secretary, behind her, dropping a scroll in each cubicle's inbox along the row.

"His girlfriend?"

"Yeah. As in, a female he sleeps with but isn't married to?"

Tonks narrowed her eyes but Alana only grinned. The secretary wasn't much older than herself, and the two of them had chatted in the tearoom a few times.

"Don't you have a spell to do that for you?" Tonks said, watching the other woman as she continued to manually deliver the scrolls.

"I do, but I like going for a little walk every now and then - keeps my arse from getting too saggy. Plus, your friend Grayson was trying to chat me up and I didn't want to get in trouble for punching him in his unmentionables."

Tonks felt a surge of affection towards the secretary and walked alongside her as she moved down the row. "So, what's the deal with Lupin's girlfriend? Does she work here?"

"She's an Obliviator, one of the best in the country. Ministry paid big galleons to get her here – she could have worked anywhere she wanted to."

That made sense; Lupin was one of the best Aurors in the country, so it seemed fitting that he had a gifted girlfriend to match him. For some reason, the thought made Tonks feel strangely self-conscious.

"Bit of an odd couple, if you ask me," Alana remarked.

Tonks thought that a little harsh – Lupin might not match his girlfriend in terms of beauty, but he wasn't bad looking. Not that she had noticed.

"How so?" she asked, hoping that wasn't Alana's reasoning.

"Well, for one, Lupin isn't interested in status or recognition, whereas she most definitely is."

"I'm sure it's somewhat on his mind," Tonks said. "After all, he was the youngest Auror to be promoted to a senior rank in more than two centuries."

Alana raised an eyebrow. "I'm fairly certain that wasn't his intention at the time."

Tonks shrugged. "Who knows." To her, it didn't seem likely that someone who was talented and worked hard would not expect some sort of acknowledgement or appreciation of his or her actions. Being promoted that young had hardly happened to Lupin by accident.

After a moment, she realised Alana had made no further comment, and looked up to find the secretary watching her with a funny half-smile.

"What?" Tonks said.

"Nothing." Alana dropped another scroll into Auror Nithercott's inbox. "Bet you didn't know Lupin has an Order of Merlin."

This time, Tonks stopped in her tracks. "He what?" she whispered.

The secretary nodded, turning to look at her. "That's what the 'O.M.' on his office door means. First Class and everything. Keeps it hidden at the bottom of his desk drawer."

Tonks had just assumed 'O.M.' were the initials of the last person to reside in that office. "What did he get it for?"

Alana shrugged. "Beats me; it was before my time. All I know is he was part of some covert operation after the war." She dropped another scroll into Bodkin's inbox. "But was the only one of them to come back in one piece. And apparently he didn't even want the award; tried to give it back and refused to let them hold a ceremony for him."

Tonks was stunned. "Why in Merlin's name would he do that? It's a huge honour – not to mention, you get thousands of galleons with it!"

"You'd have to ask him." Alana turned as Scrimgeour called her from a nearby office and nodded at him before briefly turning back to Tonks. "But maybe wait until you actually know the man before you do."

And with that she trotted away, her high heels clicking loudly as she left an uncomfortable Nymphadora Tonks behind her.

Harry was miserable.

After much driving around – while Aunt Petunia pleaded with him to just turn around and go home – Uncle Vernon had finally stopped off at the gloomiest of hotels, where they all spent the night. Every time Harry had tried to creep downstairs to use the phone, Uncle Vernon had appeared from the next bedroom like a jack-in-the-box, barking at him to go back to bed.

The next morning, the hotel manager came to their breakfast table, looking extremely perturbed as he addressed the Dursleys.

"'Scuse me, but are you two aunt and uncle to a Mr H. Potter? Only, I've got at least an 'undred of these at the front desk..."

She waved a yellow envelope and stared as Harry and Dudley made a simultaneous lunge for the letter, only to be yanked backwards by Uncle Vernon.

They were then bundled back into the car again, and Uncle Vernon's behaviour became even stranger – he kept pulling the car over at remote locations, examining their surroundings, and then driving off again.

Lunchtime came and went, and Harry was thoroughly depressed.

"Remus will be looking for me by now," he told the Dursleys. "He'll be worried."

Uncle Vernon's eyes swung to the clock on the dashboard and bulged out of his head a little, but he made no reply.

"The boy is right, dear," Aunt Petunia said, quietly. "It might be better to just go home."

Uncle Vernon muttered incoherently into his moustache but offered her no proper answer.

Harry stared out the window. The weather was worsening as they travelled further north, and rain was now coming down in relentless sheets. Would his godfather call the police? Or would he hire a bunch of fellow spies to help him track the Dursleys down. With the erratic way Uncle Vernon had been driving, it could take days to follow their trail.

So much for his amazing birthday week. His eyes were burning and he began to blink rapidly, unwilling to show any emotion in front of his family.

Just what was in those letters?

(-)(-)(-)

Hours later, they finally stopped for the night.

Uncle Vernon had acquired a mysterious package and commandeered a boat, which brought them out to a dilapidated old house perched on a rock, way out at sea. As they moved further away from dry land, Harry felt as though his heart was sinking to the bottom of the ocean. England's top spies wouldn't find them out here.

The Dursleys went to bed early – for want of anything else to do – but Harry lay awake on the cold floor, finally allowing a few tears to escape.

He knew Remus would be panicking at this stage. Would he be angry with Harry for not trying harder to contact him? If it hadn't been so stormy outside, he might have attempted to row the tiny boat back to land on his own and walk to the nearest house or hotel.

CRASH!

The waves battered against the rock, flinging stones and debris against the side of the house. A powerful gust of wind hit the wall nearest to Harry, rattling the windows and filling the room with freezing air. He shivered, pulling an old blanket more tightly around himself and cocked his head to look at Dudley's watch.

10:30pm.

If he had been with Remus, they probably would be counting down to midnight – Harry's birthday. Kingsley and Hope would be there too, and there would likely be a feast, featuring every one of Harry's favourite foods. Once midnight struck, the adults would sing 'Happy Birthday' to him, over and over until Harry was red in the face from laughing.

Then, Hope would insist on "cracking open the bubbly" (accompanied by some sparkling juice for Harry) and everyone would toast to the birthday boy, and then to each other, and finally call for speeches that would become more and more ridiculous as the night wore on.

And Harry would eventually climb into bed, unable to stop grinning, as he knew the next day they would have planned something even more spectacular.

That was his real family.

A few more tears made their way down his cheeks and he couldn't bring himself to wipe them away. He had never felt so miserable.

CRASH! BOOM!

The house shook again, but it seemed different, this time. There was also an odd crunching sound, as though something large was moving on the gravelly path outside. Perhaps it was more sea debris, or a boulder had come loose?

BOOM!

Harry sat up, staring at the door. The noise was definitely coming from just outside it, which made no sense, as the waves had just been hammering the other side of the rock.

It was then that Harry noticed the unmistakeable shadow underneath the doorway and his heart started to hammer against his ribcage.

Someone was outside.

BOOM!

And they desperately wanted to come in.

BOOM!

Uncle Vernon came thundering out of the next room, holding a rifle.

"Who's there?" he shouted, his voice quavering. "Leave now – I'm armed and I-I-I have excellent aim!"

Harry seriously doubted that his uncle had ever used a water pistol, let alone a real gun.

CRASH!

The door was slammed so hard from the outside that it ripped from its hinges and fell to the floor with a loud bang.

Harry and the Dursleys stared in astonishment at the giant standing in the doorway, his black eyes gleaming.

AN: Whoa, a lot happened in this chapter – some questions answered and a lot more thrown in! And there's so much more to come, so do stay tuned and thanks for reading :)

Oh, and reviewers get to be tracked down by an Auror of their own choosing ;)