Harry settled back into a comfy chair at Remus Lupins. He had met Remus at
the train station as promised, and Remus had brought him back to his house,
where he would be living for the summer. But even though Harry was pleased
to be away from the Dursely's, and happy to see Remus, he was undoubtly the
most thrilled about seeing Sirius again. When Harry had walked through the
front door, Sirius was sitting at the kitchen table. Sirius was so happy to
see him that he took two strides across the room and gave Harry a huge hug.
Harry returned the embrace, while Remus looked on, pleased to see that
Sirius and Harry were getting so close. Lupin took Harry's things up to his
room, and when he came back down, Sirius and Harry were settled in the
living room, talking about Hogwarts.
"So you're still enjoying it there?" Sirius asked. "Yeah, even Snape's better now. Ever since Williamson came, he's gone a bit soft," Harry replied, reaching for a chocolate biscuit off the plate that Remus had laid out. Sirius scoffed.
"Well, he would be acting like that with Anya around, wouldn't he?" Sirius turned to look at Remus, who raised his eyes, but nodded in agreement.
"What?" Harry asked puzzled.
"Never mind Harry. But, we got your letter about the O.W.L.S. Well done!" Remus changed the conversation topic, and Harry launched into a detailed account of his exams, Sirius listening intently, and roaring with laughter when he heard that he had helped Harry with his Defence exam.
"See Lupin, I told you we knew the stuff better than her!" Sirius guffawed loudly. It was late before any of the three went to bed, and when Harry finally put his head on the pillow, he couldn't ever remember being so happy about waking up the next morning.
When Harry awoke the next morning, he could smell bacon cooking downstairs, and he was puzzled for a moment, as he couldn't remember Aunt Petunia ever starting breakfast without him helping. But then he remembered where he was, and he broke into a great smile. He pulled on some Muggle clothing and raced downstairs.
"Morning Harry, how'd you sleep?" Remus asked, placing a large plate of bacon and eggs in front of Harry.
"Great thanks!" Harry started on his eggs, and before long he had moved onto the bacon.
"You know Harry, I think if you keep eating this way, you might actually bulk up a bit this summer!" Sirius wandered into the kitchen with an amused look on his face. Harry stopped eating guiltily, and Remus shot Sirius a dirty look
"Eat as much as you want Harry. We know that those Muggles never fed you well, so eat whatever you want!" Lupin reassured Harry. Harry looked relieved, and kept eating his bacon.
"So, what do you want to do today Harry?" Sirius asked after breakfast had finished. Harry got a look of shock on his face, he couldn't remember anyone asking him that before! Harry shrugged, and because the sweater he was wearing was too big for him, the sleeves slid down about 5 inches.
"I think Padfoot, that Harry may need some new clothing. It appears the Muggle's didn't even dress his properly," Remus turned for Sirius's approval. Sirius nodded, and it was decided. "Right then, after you brush your teeth Harry, come down here and we'll go shopping" Sirius said the last bit with a mock look of disgust, and Harry smirked. When he was out of the room, Sirius turned to Lupin.
"So Lupin, shopping huh? We both have very little shopping experience, and you seem to forget that I haven't been found innocent of my charges yet, so there are still Dementors out looking for me!" Sirius was being a little sarcastic, but Remus spoke calmly.
"Harry still has the invisible cloak Sirius, you can use it. And I thought I might ask Anya Williamson to come with us today. She's a woman, she knows things about shopping" Sirius spit out his coffee when he heard the last bit.
"Since when have you started being buddies with Anya Williamson?" Sirius demanded angrily.
"Since I saw her at Hogsmeade when you were visiting Harry. We've kept in touch, and now she's in town for your trial. I just thought it would be easier to have a woman present for clothes shopping" Remus calmly explained himself. Sirius seemed to accept this, but was still acting a little grumpy when Harry came back down.
"Harry, you still have your Invisibility cloak, right?" Harry nodded.
"Well do you think we could borrow it today to keep Sirius covered?" Harry nodded again.
"Sure," he said
"And also, do you mind if I bring another guest shopping with us today?" Remus asked.
"Nope, who?" Harry asked.
"Professor Williamson" Remus answered cautiously, looking at Sirius's face for reaction. Sirius just snorted into his coffee mug, and Harry didn't seem to mind either, although he looked a little puzzled.
"Ok then, we'll meet Anya at the entrance of Harrod' at 10 then," Remus confirmed. As promised Anya meet Remus, Sirius and Harry outside Harrod's at 10 o'clock. "Hello Harry. How've you been?" Anya smiled warmly at him, again amazed at how much he looked like his father.
"Fine thankyou Prof. Williamson" Harry replied politely.
"Oh, when we're not in school you can call me Anya!" she laughed. Sirius snorted under the coat, and Anya turned, puzzled.
"What was that?" she asked Remus.
"Oh, nothing!" Lupin answered, and this time Harry was confused. Why wasn't Remus telling her about Sirius? He was still pondering this when they entered the store. Anya led the way straight to menswear.
"Now Harry, I think you may need some trousers, some new jumpers, a few t- shirts, some button down shirts and maybe some shorts. And I think you may also need some pyjama's, swimmers, and maybe errr...ummm....some new umm....underclothing," Anya wasn't sure how to put that last bit, without embarrassing Harry.
Harry blushed slightly, but shook it off when Anya handed him about 10 shirts in what she assumed was his size.
The walked around for almost an hour, with Anya pulling out many pairs of trouser, shorts and pyjama's. When Harry tried everything on, he found that Anya had picked his size perfectly. When he walked out of the change rooms, he found Anya and Remus laughing at a story Anya had just told, and he felt sorry for Sirius. Harry knew Sirius wasn't too fond of Anya, and it couldn't have been easy for him to listen to his best friend laughing with her.
"These all fit well" he said. Anya stopped laughing and nodded briskly.
"Great, well we'll get them all then! Lupin, why don't you go with Harry to get some..socks!" she smiled and left for the register.
Harry, Sirius and Lupin all knew what she meant by this, and Harry went to find some underwear. They met Anya at one of the registers, where Lupin pulled out his wallet, and looked puzzledly at all the muggle currency. Anya sighed, grabbed the wallet off him and paid the checkout girl the exact amount owed. Harry felt bad about how much it came too and offered to pay Lupin back.
"I won't accept any money from James Potter's son!" Remus smiled at Harry.
"Your father did so much for me, it makes me feel better that I can help his son," Lupin continued. When they walked out of the store, laden with bags, Anya suggested going to lunch. Harry nodded fervently, he was starving. They entered a nearby cafe, and ordered sandwiches and drinks. Anya and Harry did most of the ordering, since Lupin had no idea what most things were, and Sirius couldn't talk. Harry knew Sirius must be hungry, and when he felt something pull at his sleeve, he knew it was Sirius. Harry slipped him a sandwich, and a bottle of orange juice.
"So Prof....Anya, how did you know about muggle currency?" Harry wondered.
"When I was younger, about 3 years out of Hogwarts, I actually travelled a fair bit, and I took up some jobs in muggle society," Anya explained. Sirius made a strangled noise under the coat, and Harry had a coughing fit, trying to cover the noise.
"Are you Ok?" Anya asked concerned. She passed him a bottle of water.
"Fine," Harry wheezed.
After Lunch, Sirius, Remus and Harry left to go back to Lupin's. Anya gave Remus a kiss on the cheek.
"Look after Harry, won't you Remus?" she said quietly in his ear. Remus nodded.
"Right then. Good bye Remus, Harry," she smiled and said softly to the space beside her,
"Would nice to see you be the wrong thing to say Sirius?" and with that, she quickly turned on her heel and headed off down the pavement. The trio of men stared after her. Remus opened and closed his mouth several times and Harry heard Sirius swear under his cloak. They left for Lupin's without talking much, and struggling to hold all their purchases.
"So you're still enjoying it there?" Sirius asked. "Yeah, even Snape's better now. Ever since Williamson came, he's gone a bit soft," Harry replied, reaching for a chocolate biscuit off the plate that Remus had laid out. Sirius scoffed.
"Well, he would be acting like that with Anya around, wouldn't he?" Sirius turned to look at Remus, who raised his eyes, but nodded in agreement.
"What?" Harry asked puzzled.
"Never mind Harry. But, we got your letter about the O.W.L.S. Well done!" Remus changed the conversation topic, and Harry launched into a detailed account of his exams, Sirius listening intently, and roaring with laughter when he heard that he had helped Harry with his Defence exam.
"See Lupin, I told you we knew the stuff better than her!" Sirius guffawed loudly. It was late before any of the three went to bed, and when Harry finally put his head on the pillow, he couldn't ever remember being so happy about waking up the next morning.
When Harry awoke the next morning, he could smell bacon cooking downstairs, and he was puzzled for a moment, as he couldn't remember Aunt Petunia ever starting breakfast without him helping. But then he remembered where he was, and he broke into a great smile. He pulled on some Muggle clothing and raced downstairs.
"Morning Harry, how'd you sleep?" Remus asked, placing a large plate of bacon and eggs in front of Harry.
"Great thanks!" Harry started on his eggs, and before long he had moved onto the bacon.
"You know Harry, I think if you keep eating this way, you might actually bulk up a bit this summer!" Sirius wandered into the kitchen with an amused look on his face. Harry stopped eating guiltily, and Remus shot Sirius a dirty look
"Eat as much as you want Harry. We know that those Muggles never fed you well, so eat whatever you want!" Lupin reassured Harry. Harry looked relieved, and kept eating his bacon.
"So, what do you want to do today Harry?" Sirius asked after breakfast had finished. Harry got a look of shock on his face, he couldn't remember anyone asking him that before! Harry shrugged, and because the sweater he was wearing was too big for him, the sleeves slid down about 5 inches.
"I think Padfoot, that Harry may need some new clothing. It appears the Muggle's didn't even dress his properly," Remus turned for Sirius's approval. Sirius nodded, and it was decided. "Right then, after you brush your teeth Harry, come down here and we'll go shopping" Sirius said the last bit with a mock look of disgust, and Harry smirked. When he was out of the room, Sirius turned to Lupin.
"So Lupin, shopping huh? We both have very little shopping experience, and you seem to forget that I haven't been found innocent of my charges yet, so there are still Dementors out looking for me!" Sirius was being a little sarcastic, but Remus spoke calmly.
"Harry still has the invisible cloak Sirius, you can use it. And I thought I might ask Anya Williamson to come with us today. She's a woman, she knows things about shopping" Sirius spit out his coffee when he heard the last bit.
"Since when have you started being buddies with Anya Williamson?" Sirius demanded angrily.
"Since I saw her at Hogsmeade when you were visiting Harry. We've kept in touch, and now she's in town for your trial. I just thought it would be easier to have a woman present for clothes shopping" Remus calmly explained himself. Sirius seemed to accept this, but was still acting a little grumpy when Harry came back down.
"Harry, you still have your Invisibility cloak, right?" Harry nodded.
"Well do you think we could borrow it today to keep Sirius covered?" Harry nodded again.
"Sure," he said
"And also, do you mind if I bring another guest shopping with us today?" Remus asked.
"Nope, who?" Harry asked.
"Professor Williamson" Remus answered cautiously, looking at Sirius's face for reaction. Sirius just snorted into his coffee mug, and Harry didn't seem to mind either, although he looked a little puzzled.
"Ok then, we'll meet Anya at the entrance of Harrod' at 10 then," Remus confirmed. As promised Anya meet Remus, Sirius and Harry outside Harrod's at 10 o'clock. "Hello Harry. How've you been?" Anya smiled warmly at him, again amazed at how much he looked like his father.
"Fine thankyou Prof. Williamson" Harry replied politely.
"Oh, when we're not in school you can call me Anya!" she laughed. Sirius snorted under the coat, and Anya turned, puzzled.
"What was that?" she asked Remus.
"Oh, nothing!" Lupin answered, and this time Harry was confused. Why wasn't Remus telling her about Sirius? He was still pondering this when they entered the store. Anya led the way straight to menswear.
"Now Harry, I think you may need some trousers, some new jumpers, a few t- shirts, some button down shirts and maybe some shorts. And I think you may also need some pyjama's, swimmers, and maybe errr...ummm....some new umm....underclothing," Anya wasn't sure how to put that last bit, without embarrassing Harry.
Harry blushed slightly, but shook it off when Anya handed him about 10 shirts in what she assumed was his size.
The walked around for almost an hour, with Anya pulling out many pairs of trouser, shorts and pyjama's. When Harry tried everything on, he found that Anya had picked his size perfectly. When he walked out of the change rooms, he found Anya and Remus laughing at a story Anya had just told, and he felt sorry for Sirius. Harry knew Sirius wasn't too fond of Anya, and it couldn't have been easy for him to listen to his best friend laughing with her.
"These all fit well" he said. Anya stopped laughing and nodded briskly.
"Great, well we'll get them all then! Lupin, why don't you go with Harry to get some..socks!" she smiled and left for the register.
Harry, Sirius and Lupin all knew what she meant by this, and Harry went to find some underwear. They met Anya at one of the registers, where Lupin pulled out his wallet, and looked puzzledly at all the muggle currency. Anya sighed, grabbed the wallet off him and paid the checkout girl the exact amount owed. Harry felt bad about how much it came too and offered to pay Lupin back.
"I won't accept any money from James Potter's son!" Remus smiled at Harry.
"Your father did so much for me, it makes me feel better that I can help his son," Lupin continued. When they walked out of the store, laden with bags, Anya suggested going to lunch. Harry nodded fervently, he was starving. They entered a nearby cafe, and ordered sandwiches and drinks. Anya and Harry did most of the ordering, since Lupin had no idea what most things were, and Sirius couldn't talk. Harry knew Sirius must be hungry, and when he felt something pull at his sleeve, he knew it was Sirius. Harry slipped him a sandwich, and a bottle of orange juice.
"So Prof....Anya, how did you know about muggle currency?" Harry wondered.
"When I was younger, about 3 years out of Hogwarts, I actually travelled a fair bit, and I took up some jobs in muggle society," Anya explained. Sirius made a strangled noise under the coat, and Harry had a coughing fit, trying to cover the noise.
"Are you Ok?" Anya asked concerned. She passed him a bottle of water.
"Fine," Harry wheezed.
After Lunch, Sirius, Remus and Harry left to go back to Lupin's. Anya gave Remus a kiss on the cheek.
"Look after Harry, won't you Remus?" she said quietly in his ear. Remus nodded.
"Right then. Good bye Remus, Harry," she smiled and said softly to the space beside her,
"Would nice to see you be the wrong thing to say Sirius?" and with that, she quickly turned on her heel and headed off down the pavement. The trio of men stared after her. Remus opened and closed his mouth several times and Harry heard Sirius swear under his cloak. They left for Lupin's without talking much, and struggling to hold all their purchases.