AN: Thanks to all my lovely followers for your reviews and well wishes! Sorry this update took so long – had a period of house-hunting/job-interviewing, as well as writing, so lots going on!

This chapter turned out to be an absolute beast to write; it's really a turning point in Harry's life, and having Remus involved would obviously alter how the situation played out and how things would be explained to him, but I like to think certain events were meant to happen too. There were a few different ways I imagined this scenario – and a few different versions I tried – but what follows here seemed the most organic for this story.

(This chapter is a bit of a slower burner, so if it's action you're looking for, chapter eight will be for you :P )

Disclaimer: Some content has been adapted from chapters four and five of The Philosopher's Stone. Anything you do not recognise from JK's work belongs to me.

Chapter Seven

All of It

Still Monday, July 30th, 1991

For a moment, they all stared at the giant, whose width filled the entire doorway and cast an immense shadow across the room. Then, with a yelp, Dudley ran and hid behind the sofa, while Uncle Vernon waved the rifle in what he probably assumed to be a threatening manner.

"I warn you sir, I –"

But he never got to finish, as he was interrupted by a voice that piped up from somewhere behind the giant.

"Coo-ee!"

Harry almost burst into laughter when Remus's head popped up over the giant's shoulder and then vanished again, as though he had to jump to see over the top of it. Uncle Vernon made a strange, squeaking sound and then cleared his throat loudly.

"LUPIN! What are you –"

Remus's head appeared again and then vanished.

"Could I come in, Hagrid?" his voice asked the giant, who turned to smile down at him, black eyes crinkling at the corners.

"Of course, Remus – beg yer pardon," he replied, manoeuvring to allow Harry's godfather to squeeze past him.

"Well, isn't this nice and cosy?" Remus said, looking around the dank room. His eyes fell on a particularly sizeable growth of mould on the ceiling. "You visit here often? It certainly is an escape from the rest of the world."

"What are you doing here, Lupin?" Uncle Vernon snarled, although he continued to keep his gaze on the giant man.

Remus completely ignored his question, as the answer was obvious to everyone. Instead, he glanced at the gun.

"Vernon, you might want to put that away before you hurt yourself."

This time, Uncle Vernon made an impressive variety of choking sounds, his face turning the colour of an overripe tomato, while Remus glanced over at Harry, his eyes full of concern.

"You alright, kid?" he asked, and Harry nodded, unable to stop grinning. Until a powerful gust of wind almost blew them all off their feet.

Steadying himself, Remus turned to his companion. "Would you mind fixing the door, Hagrid?"

But the bigger man was already taking care of it; Harry watched as he lifted the door as easily as if it had been made of foam-board and jammed it back in its place with a snap.

"Excellent."

Remus clapped his hands together. "Now! Harry, I'd like to introduce Rubeus Hagrid, an old friend of mine."

Harry reached up to accept the giant's handshake. "Hello." The man's hand was so large; Harry's fingers could barely reach the edge of his palm.

Hagrid smiled down at him. "Las' time I saw you, you was only a wee baby, Harry. You look a lot like yer dad, you know."

"Yeah, I know."

"Except yer eyes – they're yer mother, Lily's."

Harry nodded; he'd heard this from Remus and Hope several times growing up. The giant's smile widened, but his eyes held a hint of sadness. Harry wondered if Hagrid had known his parents, but now didn't really seem like the time to ask. Not with the Dursleys glowering at them all from the corner.

"Now, Petunia, Vernon," Remus said, "I gather you've been having trouble receiving your post?" He reached into the inside pocket of his coat, drawing out a thick, yellowish envelope. "So, I was asked to personally deliver this."

Harry cocked his head to stare at the envelope, and could just make out the address:

Mr and Mrs Vernon Dursley
The Bedroom
Hut-on-the-Rock
The Sea

"NO!"

Uncle Vernon held the rifle on Remus, his eyes bulging. "Don't you dare –"

In one swift move, Hagrid tugged the gun from his grip, wound the barrel into a knot and tossed it into a corner of the room, where it landed with a clang. Uncle Vernon squeaked, Dudley wailed and Remus turned to gaze at the bigger man, seemingly quite impressed.

"Have you been working out, Hagrid?"

"Aye, was helpin' Professor Kettleburn round up the thestral herd last week to weigh 'em. Strong buggers, they are."

Remus nodded knowingly, before turning back to the rest of them.

"Well, now that we're all unarmed, perhaps it would be a good idea to sit down and talk about all this in a sensible fashion."

All what, exactly? Harry thought. How Uncle Vernon had lost his mind? He would rather Remus just took him away now and not make any of them spend one more moment in this place.

"No, we won't," Uncle Vernon snarled, for once on the same wavelength as Harry. "We don't want anything to do with your lot. You – you tell them to stop sending letters –"

"Well, if you had responded in a prompt fashion, they would have stopped," Remus replied.

"– and tell them none of us will be going to that – that place –"

"I'm sorry, but you weren't invited Vernon."

"– and the boy won't be going either!"

"You mean Harry? He will be going."

"I forbid it!"

In three strides, Remus was face-to-face with Uncle Vernon. Or almost; Remus had to bend his neck to look down into the other man's face.

"You are in no position to make any such command, Vernon," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "You removed my godson from his home without informing me, in direct violation of what we agreed eight years ago. You do it again, and I promise you will regret it."

His tone was so matter-of-fact that Uncle Vernon actually flinched and backed up several steps. Remus straightened up to his full height, as though daring the other man to challenge him further, and slapped the yellow letter onto Vernon's chest.

"It's time Harry had the truth. All of it."

Harry felt his heart beat a little faster, as Remus indicated that he should take a seat on the broken sofa. Dudley scurried away as they approached, running to hide behind his mother, and Remus sat down beside Harry. Hagrid remained standing, and from the look he was giving the Dursleys, he was doing so largely for the purposes of intimidation.

Eagerly, Harry waited. For what exactly he wasn't sure, but he knew there was something he needed to know. He'd felt it for years – every time Remus opened his mouth to speak and then changed his mind; every time a stranger in the street knew Harry's name; every time his dreams seemed a little too real. There was a missing piece in his life and the time had come for him to discover it.

However, Remus seemed to be struggling to find the words he wanted to use, which made the knot in Harry's stomach tighten a little more. He gave Remus an encouraging smile, which his godfather returned, before taking a deep breath.

"There's so much to tell you, kid. I'm not really sure where to start."

"Start at the beginning, right? That's what you always tell me to do."

Remus's smile widened a little. "Very true." He glanced up at the ceiling in thought for a moment. "Well, I suppose where it really begins is with a secret. One that many people in this world don't know."

Was this spy talk? Harry sat on his hands to stop himself fidgeting.

"Your parents and I – and Hagrid here – we…well, we grew up differently to a lot of people."

Remus paused, fiddling with the ring on his index finger. It was a dull, bronze colour, with thin tendrils of metal forming an impossible maze of Celtic knots. Harry had never seen his godfather without it.

"What I mean to say is…" Remus continued, "We have gifts that many others don't."

Harry nodded to show he was listening, even though he was confused.

"Gifts that you also share."

At this, Harry frowned, thinking hard. After a moment, he said, "I'm not sure what you mean, Remus. I can't think of any special gifts I have. And what does this have to do with all those letters that keep arriving?"

Remus opened his mouth, just as Hagrid leaned in and said:

"Yer a wizard, Harry."

Harry stared while Remus threw his hands up in the air. "Really, Hagrid? I was going to tell him!"

"Well, yeh were doin' it awfully slow, Remus," Hagrid grumbled.

"I was building up to it," Remus shot back.

Before Hagrid could say anything else, Harry waved his hands in front of them. "Oy, sorry to interrupt, but have you both lost your marbles? Wizards aren't real!"

When they merely blinked at him, he rolled his eyes. "Is this some sort of birthday prank, Remus? Because it's a bit weirder than your usual, to be honest."

Remus shook his head, smiling a little. "It's not a prank, Harry."

Perhaps 'wizard' was a code word for something? He really hoped this was a spy thing and Remus hadn't gotten himself involved in some kind of cult. He eyed Hagrid with new suspicion.

"When you say wizard, you mean…"

"Pointy hats, magic wands, that sorta thing," Hagrid supplied, looking at Remus. "Blimey, yeh really told him nothing, did yeh?"

Remus arched an eyebrow. "I spent the entire journey here explaining that to you."

"Yeah, but I didn't think yeh were serious, like."

Remus ignored him and turned back to Harry. "Do you remember, all those times when something happened that you couldn't explain? The time you wound up on the roof of the school, or when your hair grew back overnight, or when I told you that you couldn't have chocolate biscuits for breakfast and they just appeared on your plate?"

Harry nodded. He could hear his pulse hammering in his ears, louder than the roar of the ocean outside. Remus couldn't possibly mean –

"You made all those things happen, kid."

"No, I didn't," Harry said, quickly, "I swear I –"

Remus laid a hand on his shoulder. "You didn't mean to, of course; you had no idea you could do it. But it was all you."

Harry simply stared at him. Forget the cult – Remus must have lost his mind, or taken some kind of hallucinogenic drug. Maybe he should convince Uncle Vernon to bring him to a hospital…

Speaking of which, why hadn't the Dursleys begun laughing or jeering or screaming for a policeman by now? He glanced up at his aunt and uncle to see them staring silently back. They looked a little frightened, but not completely surprised.

Which could only mean…they believed him?

No, that was ridiculous – Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia didn't believe in anything that could possibly be classified as abnormal, and wizards definitely fell into that category.

Perhaps they knew Remus was cracking up – that had to be it! Of course they wouldn't want to help him, they had never liked him. Well, Harry had to do something; he couldn't let his godfather be carried off to some nut-house!

He looked back at Remus, who was waiting patiently for him to respond in some way, and took a deep breath.

"But, Remus" he said gently, trying to reason with his godfather in whatever mental state he was in. "That isn't possible."

"Why not?" Remus replied, as though Harry had simply pointed out that they couldn't visit the arcade.

"Well, 'cos wizards, they aren't real."

"That's news to me," Remus said, "seeing as I am one."

He clicked his fingers and a blue flame appeared in the gap between his thumb and forefinger. Harry nearly fell off the sofa, and had reached for his blanket on the floor to beat it out before he noticed that the fire didn't appear to be hurting Remus at all. It was simply dancing over his skin.

Harry almost forgot to breathe. "How are you doing that?" he gasped.

Remus grinned. "Magic."

Slowly, he uncurled the rest of his fingers, and Harry watched, entranced, as the flame spread into his palm. Cupping it, Remus threw the flame into the fireplace, where it flashed, bursting into a blaze that heated the entire room within seconds.

Harry stared into the fire, feeling as though his whole world had exploded along with it. Either he was going crazy too, or…

"All this time…You've been a – a wizard, all this time?"

"All this time, kid. And so have you."

"But – but – but why didn't you tell me?"

Remus's smile faded a little. "Now that is a good story, but rather a long one. How about we get back on dry land before I begin it?"

"No," said another voice.

Aunt Petunia had stepped forward, her eyes over-bright as she clutched her cardigan around her thin frame. She seemed to be shivering, despite the heat that was now filling the room.

"Petunia." Remus got to his feet, facing her.

"If you take him to that place, he'll – he'll be…"

"He already is. I thought that you, of all people, would understand that you can't change that. It's who he is – who he has always been."

Aunt Petunia's cheeks coloured, but she raised her chin defiantly.

"I understand that you want him to be a freak, just like his parents were. Just like you are."

Remus's jaw tightened, as Harry's dropped. He leapt to his feet.

"You knew?" he said, but in that moment it all made sense. Why the Dursleys always panicked – really, genuinely, panicked – whenever anything even slightly unexplainable happened around him. Why Uncle Vernon flinched whenever Remus stood too close, and always seemed a little wary of him. Why they never spoke about Harry's parents.

They had known the whole time, while Harry had been left completely in the dark. He felt an awful churning in his stomach. Why had Remus only lied to him?

"Of course we knew!" Aunt Petunia shrilled. "How could we not know what you'd turn into with my dratted sister being what she was. She came home every holiday from that blasted Hogwarts place, turning rats into teacups, talking about potions and spells and bringing weirdo friends like him over all the time."

She gave Remus an ugly look at this and he glared straight back.

"I was the only one who saw what she really was – a freak. And then she met that Potter at that – that school, and when you were born I knew. Knew you'd be just as strange and – and – and abnormal. And then she went and got herself blown up, along with that useless husband of hers, and we got landed with you!"

Harry felt as though he had been punched in the stomach. "Blown up? You told me my parents died in a car crash!"

"CAR CRASH!"

Remus whirled around to face his larger companion, who seemed to be swelling with indignation.

"Hagrid –"

"Yeh told me the lad knew nothin' about magic. But his parents –"

"This isn't the time, Hagrid."

"It's an outrage, Remus! The Potters died heroes, and you didn't tell him –"

"ENOUGH!"

Hagrid fell silent, but his beard was twitching wildly, as though he were muttering into it. Harry also stayed quiet for a moment; he had never heard Remus raise his voice before. His godfather's cheeks were flushed and he seemed to be battling a temper.

For a few seconds, Remus closed his eyes, before turning to face Harry, his expression pained. "It's the explanation your aunt and uncle gave you when you were very small, before I…before I came back."

He broke off, running a hand through his hair. "When I found out, I couldn't tell you something different. Not when you were so young, it would have hurt you too much…" He trailed off, his eyes bright.

"But, if they didn't die in a car accident," Harry whispered, "what happened to them?"

Remus sighed and reached out to gently grip his shoulders. "They were murdered, Harry."

Murdered.

The word just hung in the air and Harry started to feel as though he were in a dream. None of this could really be happening, could it? How could he have gone from Harry Potter: tragic orphan, to Harry Potter: son of murdered wizards?

But somehow, it all felt more real than his entire life so far.

He had so many questions he wanted to ask – what had happened, who had killed them and why – but the look on Remus's face stopped him. This was clearly not something he wanted to discuss in front of the Dursleys. Glancing at Aunt Petunia, Harry lowered his voice.

"Will you tell me later?"

Remus's expression softened. "Yes, I will. I promise."

Relief and sadness coursed through Harry and he nodded, swallowing the lump that had lodged itself in his throat. Remus silently tugged him forward into a hug, wrapping his arms firmly around him and pressing a kiss to the top of his head. Harry clutched him back, willing himself not to cry.

"Excuse me?!"

Blinking rapidly as Remus released him, Harry looked up to see Uncle Vernon standing, hands on hips, eyes bulging out of his purple face.

"Sorry to break up the sad, weirdo family moment, but he's still not going to that bloody school!"

Remus muttered something under his breath that sounded a lot like "Merlin's sodding knickers!" But out loud, he only said: "Vernon, honestly, not this again."

Uncle Vernon ignored him, looking directly at Harry. "Now listen here and listen good, boy. There is something a little strange about you, there's no ignoring that. We knew that it would have been better to stamp it out of you, and if we could have kept you away from him, we probably would have succeeded." He threw Remus a dirty look. "But you'll be going to Stonewall High and you can forget all about magic and wizards."

"The boy will be going to Hogwarts," Hagrid growled, "You think a great Muggle like yerself is going to stop him?"

"And just what'll we tell the neighbours?" Uncle Vernon shrieked, "That some crackpot old fool is teaching him MAGIC TRICKS?"

It seemed this was one step too far – Hagrid's entire frame expanded with rage, and he whirled his umbrella over his head. Harry wondered if he was going to spear Uncle Vernon with it.

"NEVER – INSULT – ALBUS – DUMBLEDORE – IN – FRONT – OF – ME!" Hagrid bellowed.

He brought down the umbrella in a sweeping motion, but Remus grabbed for it before it finished its descent and wrestled it out of Hagrid's grip. The pointed tip emitted a few violet sparks, but nothing happened.

"Don't make me arrest you, Hagrid," Remus hissed. Harry felt more than a tad disappointed. Hagrid seemed to feel the same and had to settle for giving the Dursleys such a ferocious glare that they ran for the bedroom, slamming the door behind them.

"Well, I guess we should make a move then," Remus said.

At that moment, a large wave crashed against the side of the house and the windows rattled in their panes as the wind forced its way through them.

"Or…perhaps we should stay put until the morning." He didn't look any more thrilled at the prospect than Harry was, but looking at the waves that climbed higher up the window with each swell, staying here with Remus and his hairy friend didn't seem too bad a prospect.

"Tea?"

Remus reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and drew out a long, wooden stick and a handful of tiny items that Harry couldn't make out. However, when Remus tapped them lightly with the stick, they rapidly expanded until he was holding a kettle, a tin of teabags, a half loaf of bread and several mugs. Another tap and the kettle started boiling of its own accord.

"Think I've got a packet o' sausages somewhere in here," Hagrid said, riffling through his coat pockets. "Oh, and this!"

He extracted the sausages and a slightly squashed cardboard box tied with thick, white thread from deep inside his overcoat and handed the latter to Harry.

"I know Remus already made yeh a cake –"

"Well, Kingsley made it," Remus said, noting Harry's disbelieving look. "I didn't want to give the kid food poisoning on his birthday."

"– but it's not every day a young fella turns eleven, so I thought yeh should have two."

Inside the box was a large, sticky chocolate cake, with 'Happy Birthday Harry' written across it in bright green icing. Harry felt another lump rise in his throat and just about managed to mumble a thank you. Hagrid grinned and clapped him on the shoulder – which nearly knocked Harry over – and sat down, the sofa creaking under him.

For a moment, Harry watched him as he began to cook the sausages and bread over the fire.

"So, er, who exactly are you, Hagrid?" The two men chuckled.

"Sorry Harry," Hagrid replied, "I didn't really introduce meself properly. I'm the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."

"And you're a wizard too, are you?" Harry said.

"Er, well, I never fully qualified," the giant said, shifting a little uneasily in his seat. Harry noticed his eyes dart to the large, pink umbrella that was propped up against the sofa. Remus seemed to notice this too, but made no comment.

"You have to qualify as a wizard?"

Remus nodded. "That's what you'll learn at Hogwarts – how to control your magic and use it properly."

"So, you're sending me to wizard school?" Harry said, taking a seat beside Hagrid. "I should've known it wasn't just a posh finishing school."

Remus burst out laughing. "Sorry to disappoint you, kid! Hogwarts is only the finest wizarding school in Europe."

"In the world, I'd wager," Hagrid added.

Harry smiled, accepting a sausage and slice of toast from the giant. He still couldn't believe this was real; so much so that he'd spent the last ten minutes repeatedly pinching his arm. It was definitely going to leave a bruise.

He also desperately wanted to know the truth about his parents, but 'why were my mum and dad murdered?' didn't really seem like the type of thing to ask over a sausage sandwich. Instead, he asked:

"So, what is it that you actually do, Remus? As a job, I mean. I assume it's something magical?"

Remus chuckled. "I knew that was going to come up." He poured them all a steaming mug of tea. "I'm an Auror – a dark wizard catcher."

"What's a dark wizard?"

"A wizard, or witch, who has chosen to use their powers to harm other people." He paused to add milk to their tea, which he retrieved from a tiny bottle in his pocket. "You see, magic is so powerful that you can do either wonderful or terrible things with it. It's my job to find and stop those who choose the latter."

"So, you are a detective, only a, er, wizard one?"

Remus looked thoughtful as he munched on his toast. "I guess so. It's not really regular law enforcement; another department deals with everyday crimes. We get the, well, stranger ones, I suppose. Dealing with the criminals who can't stop – or who won't."

Harry put down his second sandwich, suddenly feeling less hungry. He had to know.

"Is that what happened to my parents? They were killed by a dark wizard?"

Remus looked startled by the question, but nodded. Taking a deep breath, he set his mug down on the floor and eased himself down beside it, facing Harry.

"When I was about your age, a wizard calling himself Lord Voldemort began to recruit followers."

Hagrid winced, and Remus paused until the larger man gestured for him to continue.

"Voldemort, he was a dark wizard?" Harry asked.

"Yes, one of the worst our world has ever seen. He'd been gathering followers for some time, but when your parents and I were at Hogwarts he became much more powerful and much, much worse. It was a very dark time, Harry. Voldemort wanted power, absolute power, and those who opposed him often disappeared, or died."

He ran a hand through his hair, his face suddenly drawn and pale, the flames illuminating the silvery strands in his brown hair.

"When we left school, many of us moved into jobs where we could help to fight against him."

"Like Orours? Sorry, Aurors?" Harry asked.

Remus nodded. "Some of us, yes. In f act, your father and I trained as Aurors together, at the Ministry of Magic. He was very talented, your dad."

Harry felt a surge of pride. Remus had always said his dad was a very brave and loyal friend, but knowing that he had fought to protect other people made it seem more real.

"And what about my mum?"

"Your mum was one of the cleverest and most compassionate people I ever knew." Remus grinned. "But then again, she was my best friend, so I have to say that. Otherwise her ghost would come back to sing 70s pop classics at me every day."

"Fabulous girl – terrible voice," Hagrid said with a grimace. Harry laughed.

"She wasn't an Auror," Remus continued, "but she was brilliant. Your mum and dad were part of the resistance and were formidable assets for our side. So, naturally, they became targets for Voldemort and his followers – Death Eaters, they were called."

Despite the heat from the fire smouldering in the grate next to them, Harry felt a chill begin to spread from his very core. Remus seemed to feel the same, as he paused to wave a hand at the fireplace, causing the flames to climb higher again. He seemed transfixed by the orange glow, staring into the flames when he spoke again.

"We fought against them, of course, but their numbers were growing and ours…well, ours were not. The world was becoming more dangerous; no-one knew who to trust or what was going to happen next. You were born at the height of all of this, and your parents knew they would only be able to protect you for so long, so they made a plan." Tearing his eyes away from the fire, he looked at Harry. "When you were a year old, they went into hiding, but once Voldemort had decided he wanted someone, he would find them. On Halloween night, he came to your home. And…"

He seemed unable to finish, so Harry did it for him.

"And he killed my parents."

"Yes."

They fell into silence for a long moment, the only sounds in the room being the crackling of the flames and the occasional hitching of Remus's breath.

"What happened to him – Voldemort?" Harry asked, quietly, "Was he caught?"

Remus's eyes flickered to Hagrid's and back again. "He was defeated, soon after that. Most people believe that he died."

Harry was left with the distinct impression that Remus had omitted something from the story. And from the look Hagrid was giving his godfather, he was right.

"Did he?" Harry asked.

Hagrid gave a loud snort. "That's the official story. Codswallop, in my opinion. Doubt he had enough human left in him to die."

"Well, he disappeared, regardless," Remus said. "His body was destroyed. On the very unlikely chance that his soul still exists somewhere, it can't do anything without a body to go along with it. He's either dead, or as good as."

"What happened to all his followers?"

"A lot of them are in prison, or dead. Others claimed they had been brainwashed or magically controlled by Voldemort, and that once he vanished they went back to normal."

"But you don't believe them?"

Remus paused for a moment. He seemed to be thinking very carefully.

"I believe some of them. It is true that Voldemort magically controlled some people, particularly those who were in a position of power or influence in our world. But given the number of people claiming he personally jinxed them…well, it simply is not likely – or even possible – that he could have done so. He was far more likely to control people using threats or torture –"

Remus cut himself off and gave Harry a small smile. "Anyway, I doubt we'll ever know the whole truth about who was under his command, and who was acting of their own volition."

The thought made Harry feel cold again. Why would anybody willingly follow someone who went around murdering people? Someone who would do anything to gain power, even if it meant hurting other people?

He looked back at Remus, to find him gazing down at his pocket watch, a smile curling his lips.

"It's time, Hagrid."

Hagrid delved into his pockets again, this time extracting a yellow envelope that was slightly thicker but of the same stock as the one that had been sent to the Dursleys. Only this time, Hagrid held it out to Harry.

"For me? What is it?"

"Yer acceptance letter to Hogwarts, o' course," Hagrid said, as if this should have been obvious.

Harry opened it and plucked out two pieces of paper. The first was a letter, from someone named Minerva McGonagall, while the second was a list of school books and supplies he was sure were not on the syllabus for Stonewall High.

Harry looked up again, a new wave of questions on the tip of his tongue, to find Remus was watching him, his eyes shining with tears as he smiled more widely than Harry had ever seen.

"Happy Birthday, kid," he whispered.

(-)(-)(-)

The next morning, they found a cosy pub on the mainland and ordered three massive breakfasts, before retreating to a corner away from the rest of the clientele. Hagrid received some strange looks, but he either didn't notice or chose to ignore them, as he sat across three chairs.

Harry was surprisingly ravenous, tucking into his Full Irish with gusto, although a new question popped into his mind every ten seconds.

"Are there a lot of wizards and witches in the world?"

"Oh yes," Remus said. "Millions of us, I expect, along with a whole range of magical creatures."

"What sort of creatures?"

"Hippogriffs, unicorns, dragons –"

Harry dropped his knife, which landed on his fried tomato and sprayed red juice all over the tablecloth. "Dragons really exist? How do normal people, I mean, er, Muggles, not see them?"

"Takes a lotta work to keep 'em hidden," Hagrid said. "Beautiful creatures, they are, but dangerous. Dragon tamers have a hard time of it, I'd wager. I'd like a dragon though…" Wistfully, he turned to Remus. "Young Charlie Weasley's gone inta that line 'o work, hasn't he?"

Remus nodded. "Yes, Arthur told me he's gone to study in Romania. He'll do well; he's always been very good with magical creatures."

Hagrid nodded his agreement and took a huge bite of his breakfast. "I heard young Nymphadora Tonks has joined yer ranks," he said, through a mouthful of bacon.

Remus fumbled with his knife, catching it before it fell into his lap. "Yes, she has."

"Who's Nymphy – er, what's her name?" Harry asked.

"Nymphadora, she's one of our newest recruits into the Auror force."

"Bright young thing," Hagrid said, "Did quite a few detentions wi' me over the years."

"Oh?" Remus said, now very interested in his toast.

"Not as many as Remus, though," Hagrid said, winking at Harry.

Harry's mouth fell open. "You were in detention?"

"Every now and then," Remus said, with a shrug.

"Oh, more than tha'," Hagrid said, "Although James was in there more often than yeh."

Remus snorted. "I think he just liked being caught – then people would recognise his handiwork."

After a few minutes, Hagrid excused himself to use the bathroom. Harry fidgeted with his napkin for a moment, before blurting out:

"Why did you never tell me before? About any of this wizard stuff? I mean, my aunt and uncle knew…"

He tried not to sound too hurt, but he must have failed in the attempt, as Remus reached over to take one of his hands in his own.

"It was nothing to do with you, Harry. Believe me, I wanted to tell you every day, but it wouldn't have been fair. For one, it would have made living with your aunt and uncle even harder – knowing that you didn't really belong with them, knowing that this other world existed. And for another…well, that's to do with what happened the night your parents died."

"What do you mean?"

For a long moment, Remus chewed his lip, like he had to admit something he desperately didn't want to. Finally, he tossed his napkin onto the table and leaned in.

"Okay," he said, "You see, Harry, what happened that night is not exactly clear –"

Before he could continue, a woman with olive skin and thick, dark hair strode up to their table and poked Remus in the back of the head.

"Sorry to interrupt, boys."

Remus looked up in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

The woman crossed her arms, her leather jacket squeaking as she did so. "Oh, charming. Would you like me to enter again, give you another chance at a proper greeting?"

With an amused sigh, Remus stood up from his seat and bowed to her. "My apologies, madam. Harry, this is my partner from work, Edelia Proudfoot."

Proudfoot reached out and shook Harry's hand with a surprisingly firm grip and flashed him a grin, revealing a set of very large, very white, teeth.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Harry. Lupin here never shuts up about you."

Harry glanced at Remus, whose cheeks had gone a little pink, but managed a semi-nonchalant shrug anyway. "Nothing wrong with being a proud godfather."

"Sure, it's not annoying at all. Anyway, Harry, would you mind if I borrowed your old man for a minute?"

"Er, yeah, no problem."

Proudfoot winked at him and gestured for Remus to follow her outside. Once the door had closed behind them, Harry edged his chair backwards and cracked the window open very slightly. He could just make out their voices in the back alley.

"I replied to your note early this morning," Remus was saying.

"Yeah, I know," Proudfoot replied, "I even showed it to him to prove he could trust me, but he won't budge – says he'll only give the information to you."

"Did he give you any indication of what it's about?"

"None whatsoever. All he said was, "there's something big happening, but I'll only talk to Lupin, 'cos he isn't out to get me like the rest of you lot!" And then he stuck his tongue out at Scrimgeour, who nearly popped an artery. It was pretty funny."

Remus gave a huff of amusement. "Does Scrimgeour know you're here?"

"He sent me, after a fashion. Think he thought he could break the kid by threatening him, but the lad actually seemed to enjoy it. When I left they were sitting there, glaring and flaring their nostrils at each other. Like we don't have enough pissing contests in that department already."

"No indeed."

"Anyway, will you come? It shouldn't take very long. I am really sorry to have to do this, today of all days – if we were still allowed to beat information out of people, I wouldn't have bothered you."

"I don't believe we were ever allowed to do that, Proudfoot."

"Yes, yes, that is the official line. So, will you?"

Remus made a vague sound of assent, although it sounded more than a little displeased. "I'll meet you at the office in twenty."

"Okay. Say goodbye to Harry for me."

There was a loud, cracking sound, and then the tip-tap of a single pair of footsteps coming back inside. Harry quickly dragged his chair back to its previous spot and pretended to sip his, now very cold, tea.

"Everything okay?" he said, as Remus took a seat across from him again, looking more than a little irritated.

"Sort of. I'm sorry Harry, but I have to go into the office for an hour – something's come up. Hagrid can take you shopping without me, if you like, and I'll catch up with you as soon as I can." He frowned at the empty chair beside him. "Speaking of, where is Hagrid?"

At that moment, Hagrid arrived back at the table, looking thoroughly disgruntled.

"What happened to you?" Remus said, "You've been gone twenty minutes."

"Bloody Muggle toilet stalls," Hagrid muttered. "Got wedged in one, and the two waiters insisted on takin' bloody pictures before they helped me out."

(-)(-)(-)

It was two hours before Remus finally returned, just as Harry and Hagrid were leaving Eeylops Owl Emporium. It had been a very odd experience, shopping at Diagon Alley; various people had stopped to shake Harry's hand, while others had openly gawked at his forehead for no reason. He knew his lightning bolt scar was unusual, but these people could perform magic – surely a scar wasn't that interesting to them! He had tried to ask Hagrid if he knew what was going on, but the giant just told him he should ask Remus and muttered into his beard again.

"Well, how are you getting on?" Remus asked when he arrived, stroking the snowy owl's feathers through the cage. She hooted happily at him.

"Good," Hagrid said, glancing at Harry's list, "Think we've got almost everythin'."

"Everything?" Remus looked crestfallen. "You must have been very efficient."

"I still have to get a wand," Harry said quickly, and although Remus's lips twitched up a little, he still looked fairly miserable.

"If yeh don't mind, I'll meet ye after," Hagrid said. "Have to see a man abou' a big dog. Besides," he added, fixing Remus with a meaningful stare, "I'm sure yeh have lots to talk about."

If Remus knew what Hagrid meant, he didn't show it, and simply nudged Harry forward down the street.

"So, tell me where you went."

Harry told him all about the pale boy he had met in Madam Malkin's, the bizarre sights and smells of the Apothecary, and their visit to Gringotts.

"What d'you reckon was in the package Hagrid took from the vault?" Harry asked, breathlessly.

"I have no idea, kid," Remus said. "But if Hagrid didn't tell you then I'm sure it must be something private."

Harry wanted to ask more questions, to speculate on what could be in the parcel, but he didn't want to gossip.

"How was your thing at work?" he asked instead.

"Fine, just took longer than expected. I am sorry about that. Scrimgeour likes to be very thorough."

"No worries. Who's Scrimgeour?"

"Deputy Head of the Auror Squad. Great wizard, but not so good at remembering that people have lives outside of work."

Harry glanced down at his owl and tried to sound as nonchalant as possible. "Did you get what you needed?"

"What do you mean?"

"I just assumed you needed to get information from someone – or, er, something."

Remus held the door to Ollivander's open. "Eavesdropping, were you?"

"Er, no of course not, I…"

He trailed off. Remus was watching him with an amused, but utterly disbelieving, expression. Cheeks hot, Harry clutched the owl cage to his chest and walked into the narrow shop. In sharp contrast to the searing sunlight outside, Ollivander's was dark and dusty and full of shadows.

"Ah, Auror Lupin," a soft voice said. "Ten and a quarter inches wasn't it? Cypress and unicorn hair core. Fairly pliable, if I remember correctly."

"You do indeed. Harry, this is Mr Ollivander; the finest wandmaker in Britain." Remus said.

A thin, old man had moved forward from behind the shelves. He was rather unremarkable looking, aside from a pair of large, pale eyes that seemed to shine, even in the gloom. Harry was oddly reminded of the moon.

"Ah yes, I thought I would be seeing you soon, Harry Potter." Harry immediately noticed Ollivander's eyes move to his forehead. "It seems as if it were only yesterday that your mother and father were in here, buying their own first wands."

"I'm sure that was entertaining," Remus said. "James claimed he went through fifty wands before he found the right one."

"It was only twenty-two, as I recall," Mr Ollivander said. Harry wondered if he was joking.

The wandmaker moved towards one of the many shelves, running his pale fingers over the boxes.

"It was your own father, Lyall, who was one of my most difficult customers. It took sixty-seven attempts before a wand chose him – nine and a half inches with a dragon heartstring core." Ollivander plucked out a box and turned his pale eyes to Remus. "I was very sorry to hear about his passing."

Remus was no longer smiling, but gave the other man a polite nod. Lyall Lupin had died when Remus was a teenager and that was all that Harry knew on the subject. Neither Remus nor Hope ever mentioned how or when exactly he had died. He wondered if Ollivander knew –

Harry looked up and jumped. The wandmaker was now standing in front of him, holding out a tape measure. "Well, young Mr Potter – which is your wand arm?"

(-)(-)(-)

Returning to Remus's house laden down with parcels, Harry knew he should be exhausted, but his mind was buzzing. It had taken half an hour at Ollivander's before Harry had found the right wand, and then things took a strange turn. Ollivander became very thoughtful, mentioning something about another wand, one which had a feather from the same phoenix, and his eyes had travelled to Harry's forehead once more. But before he could ask what Ollivander meant, Remus had paid for the wand and ushered him quickly from the shop. Whatever the wandmaker had been about to reveal, Remus did not want him to.

"Hot chocolate?" Remus asked, as they entered the kitchen.

"Please."

For a few minutes, Harry watched him potter about the kitchen; heating up the milk, adding chunks of proper chocolate to the saucepan, whipping a bowl of cream. Of course, the whisk was whipping the cream of its own accord, and Harry watched it, wondering if he would ever stop being fascinated by magic.

It was only when Remus sat down across from him, sliding a bowl-sized mug across the table that Harry said: "You told Uncle Vernon you were going to tell me the truth – all of it."

Remus sighed. "I did. Some parts are just more difficult to tell than others."

"You did promise me."

"I know. And I meant it, I just…"

Remus clasped his mug between his hands, his long fingers meeting in the middle. "I told you that Voldemort was defeated."

"Yeah, you said his body was destroyed and he vanished. What does that have to do with the night my parents died?"

"Everything." Remus raised his eyes to Harry's. "Because he was destroyed by you."

Harry stared back. "Y'what?"

"Voldemort tried to cast the same curse on you that he used to kill your parents, but it didn't work. It rebounded, and destroyed him instead. That's why he disappeared."

"But…how? I mean, does that happen a lot?"

Remus shook his head. "No. No other person has ever survived that curse, at least not in recorded history. But you did; the only mark the curse left on you was your scar."

Which explained all the people in Diagon Alley.

Remus leaned forward, taking Harry's hand. "Nobody knows why you survived. It was a mystery then and it remains so now. You defeated Voldemort when you were barely a year old and we don't know how you did it. And because of that, you're a legend, Harry. Every single person in our world knows your name."

"You mean I'm…famous." Harry felt ridiculous even saying the word. How could he – scrawny, knobbly-kneed Harry Potter be famous for something he didn't even remember?

Remus smiled gently. "Yes, you are. People have written hundreds of articles, essays and books about you. They've spent years forming opinions – how you survived, how powerful you are, what you'll grow up to be. Against all odds, you survived something that no-else ever did. You are 'The Boy Who Lived'.

That's part of the reason why I never told you the truth. I wanted to give you a chance to figure out who you are, before the world tried to make your mind up for you. Being the focus of the media, it's exhausting, and sometimes you start to believe what they say about you. You start to make it your own reality. I just wanted to protect you from that, for a little while at least."

He sounded as though he had had experience with this, which reminded Harry of something else he had noticed.

"All those people in Diagon Alley…"

"Yeah, I'm afraid the staring might be something you have to get used to," Remus said. "If it really bothers you, I can buy you some nice hats?"

"They were staring at you too."

As they had walked back to The Leaky Cauldron, Harry had noticed a lot of people whispering and pointing at Remus. Some had even turned and walked in the opposite direction when they saw him coming.

Remus shrugged. "Some Aurors become recognisable if they are involved in high-profile cases."

"So, are you famous too?"

Remus chuckled. "Not in the same way you are, Harry. The articles written about me aren't always complimentary."

"Why not? You put away dark wizards, isn't that a good thing?"

"You make a lot of enemies in this line of work, and some of them wind up being reporters. Anyway, I think we had better get to bed." Remus grinned. "I've heard a rumour that my mother plans to wake you up by letting off fireworks in your room, so you'd better sleep while you can."

"Is Hope a witch too?"

"Oh, in more ways than one." Remus said, gathering up their mugs. "Goodnight kid."

"Night." Harry paused in the doorway. "Hey, Remus?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for looking out for me."

The worried expression Remus had been wearing all evening faded away, and for some reason he looked relieved.

"You're welcome, Harry."

Harry was halfway down the corridor before another question struck him.

"Did you ever meet him? Voldemort, I mean."

Remus continued washing their mugs without a word, so Harry wasn't sure if he had even heard him. It was only when he was climbing the stairs to bed that he heard Remus quietly say:

"Yes, I did."

(-)(-)(-)

As he got into his pyjamas, Harry's wasn't sure how to feel. This time yesterday he had been 'Harry Potter, orphan with a cool yet secretive godfather'.

Now he was 'Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, an apparently famous wizard'? He thought he should feel different – powerful or confident, or at the very least, that he had reached some rite of passage into adulthood. But when he looked in the mirror on his wardrobe door, the same pale, skinny, messy-haired kid was staring back at him. He didn't feel like someone you should write books about, and he certainly didn't think that he would get any rest tonight.

And yet, the second his head touched his pillow, he fell fast asleep.

On the other side of the wall, his godfather lay wide awake.

AN: Whew, bit of a long one there! The next two chapters will have action, Remus v Tonks, and a whole load of Weasleys! So stay tuned and please read/review/follow/fave IrishCailin16, over and out!