Summary: Post-GOF story. Thrown out by the Dursleys, Harry takes the Knight Bus to Frittleton...
Disclaimer: These characters belong to JK Rowling. Quotes from her books are used without permission.
Author's Notes: Thank you to everyone who reviewed part 2. After the little unpleasantness with the Dark Mark and the Dursleys, Harry is now aboard the Knight Bus, hoping to get to Lupin's house...
* * * * *
No Easy Goodbyes - Part 3
BANG!
The Knight Bus made one final leap and landed in a narrow country lane. A hedge jumped out of the way as Ernie slammed on the brakes and the bus skidded to a halt.
"'Ere we are then, 'Arry - Frittleton," said Stan cheerfully, getting out of his chair to help Harry with the trunk and the birdcage. "Cor - proper remote, innit? On'y about six 'ouses in the place. Know where yer going, do yer?"
"Er - yes, thanks," said Harry, not wanting to get into complicated explanations. He climbed down the step to join his luggage in the lane. Blackie jumped down after him. "'Bye, Stan. 'Bye, Ernie." He waved, and they waved back as Stan closed the door. Harry saw Ernie grasp the wheel and press his foot on the accelerator, and a moment later there was another deafening BANG! and the brightly-lit bus was gone, as if it had never been there. Harry was alone.
With the lights from the bus gone, it seemed very dark indeed in the lane. There were no street lights here as there were in Privet Drive; only the tall black hedges and the lane stretching away in both directions. When Harry took a step, he fell over Blackie in the darkness, and there was an indignant yowl.
"Sorry, Blackie. This is ridiculous," Harry muttered, rubbing his shin, and pulled his wand from his pocket. Another rule about to be broken, he mused. "Lumos!"
The light from his wand didn't reach far, but it helped him to see a little way ahead. Harry performed another quick charm to make his trunk weightless, put the cage on top of it, and steered it ahead of him as he walked. Blackie walked with him, sometimes just ahead, sometimes just behind, and sometimes twisting round Harry's legs, which made it very difficult for him not to fall over the cat again.
It seemed very quiet here, after Stan's incessant chatter on the bus. He had been thrilled to see Harry again, and had wanted to know all the details about the Triwizard Tournament Harry had won the previous term. Harry had told him enough details about the first two tasks to keep him happy, but had not said anything about the third task. He did not want to talk about the maze, or Cedric, or Voldemort, or any of the events of that day, at the moment. He spent too much time relieving those events in his dreams, to want to discuss them when he was awake. So it was a relief for Harry to be alone in the night again, with no one pelting him with questions, and the only sound that of his own feet plodding along the lane. Blackie's feet were silent.
Harry wondered if Hedwig had reached Dumbledore yet, and what Dumbledore would think of his actions. Then he wondered where Gatehouse Cottage was, and how long it would take him to find it. Stan had probably been right when he had said that Frittleton was tiny. Harry had been walking for ten minutes before he found the first house; a small cottage set back from the side of the lane. In the light from his wand, Harry could see it had a tidy little garden and a wrought-iron gate. On the gate was a sign which read "Wayside Cottage". Harry wondered whether the inhabitants were wizarding folk or Muggles. The curtains in the windows were drawn, however, and there was no sign of anyone awake. Blackie gave the cottage one glance, and continued to stalk down the lane. Harry followed.
The lane was twisting and turning, and gradually sloping downhill. Harry wondered if it was his imagination that the black sky above the distant blacker moors was turning just a shade greyer - not dawn yet, but a sign that dawn would be coming eventually. As he thought this, the clouds must have parted, because the same crescent of silver moon he had seen over Privet Drive earlier sailed out from the blackness into view, throwing a faint glimmer of light over the lane.
Harry was just starting to get worried that the rest of Frittleton had disappeared, or he was going the wrong way, when he noticed a break in the tangled hedges a little way ahead of him. As he got nearer, he saw that it marked an overgrown five-barred gate leading off the lane. The gate was broken, hanging off its hinges in a way that suggested it was little used; but hidden in the brambles and undergrowth on either side of the gate there were two stout stone pillars. On the top of each pillar - Harry raised his glowing wand and pulled leaves aside to have a closer look - was a carved stone owl, rather weatherbeaten now, and looking very old. And - Harry pulled aside more leaves - carved into the pillar itself were some letters, very difficult to make out...
"Bl....something...dale....H...se," Harry read. "That last bit must be 'House'." Peering beyond the gate, he could make out a twisting, smaller lane or driveway which disappeared into many trees; and, just as the trees began, Harry could see the dark bulk of a building, with chimneys dark against the sky. It looked like a lodge, the kind of small house which would be at the entrance to an estate, where a larger house would be further up the drive.
A lodge? Or...a gatehouse? It was worth a look, and Blackie had already slunk through a gap in the rotting five-barred gate and was waiting for him on the other side. Harry pushed the gate, and it keeled drunkenly over on one hinge, leaving a gap big enough for him to steer his luggage through. He walked cautiously up the narrow driveway, following the black cat. As he got nearer to the small house, Harry could see an iron garden gate, with a metal arch over the top of it, and a lamp burning on the top of the arch. The house seemed to be occupied, anyway, although there were no sounds coming from it as Harry approached. Reaching the garden gate, he did not need to use his wand, but could read the name on the gate clearly by the light of the lamp above.
"Gatehouse Cottage."
Harry's spirits lifted. Even if Lupin - or Sirius - was going to be furious with him for coming unannounced, at least he had found the right house, and he was pretty confident they would not throw him straight back out on to the streets. He was probably going to wake them up rather early, but it couldn't be helped. Harry let his trunk sink to the ground, pocketed his wand and reached out a hand to open the garden gate, Blackie twisting around his legs again. It was then that he heard a sudden noise - the quiet crunch of a stealthy foot on a path - and he whipped round, but not quickly enough -
"STUPEFY!"
Harry fell, stunned, and knew no more for some time, as the night around him was replaced by the deeper blackness of unconsciousness...
* * * * *
"Harry? Can you hear me?"
"Oh, just let me do it, Remus - Enervate!"
"Harry? You should be all right now - can you open your eyes?"
Slowly, reluctantly, Harry forced his eyes to open a crack, feeling his head throbbing slightly. Someone was leaning over him...Harry opened his eyes a bit wider and saw a concerned face looking down at him - the rather lined, but kind face of his ex-Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher, Remus Lupin.
"Professor Lupin," he croaked, now becoming aware that he was lying on some sort of sofa, which smelt rather musty. "I found you, then. Is Sirius here?"
"Yes, he is," said the voice of his guardian in his left ear, sounding rather grim. "But Sirius would very much like to know what YOU are doing here, Harry. You're supposed to be in Surrey with your uncle and aunt. What's happened?"
Harry twisted his head round, and saw Sirius, tall, thin and dark, standing next to the sofa, his arms folded and his dark eyes glinting. Harry felt a qualm at Sirius's expression.
"Um - I told Dumbledore I was coming," he said quickly, trying to sound reassuring. He went to sit up, and felt his head throb. "Ow!"
"Careful, Harry," said Lupin, handing him a glass of water. Harry saw that they were in a small, rather shabby sitting-room, lit by several flickering lamps. Besides the sofa, there were two faded but comfortable-looking armchairs, a desk covered in papers, and bookshelves all round the walls filled with a jumble of fascinating-looking books. "You'll probably have a bit of a headache for a while," Lupin told him.
"What happened just now?" Harry asked, sitting up more carefully. "I was opening the garden gate, and - "
"Ah - hem - "
Harry heard a nervous cough from behind him, and turned. A short, elderly wizard, wearing very battered old robes, was standing by a door. He had a pointed nose, a short, grey goatee beard and a rather shifty-looking expression. He appeared to be nursing one hand. "Ah - yes, sorry about that, Harry. Was on guard duty, you know, just checkin' the place over, makin' sure no suspicious characters about, you know. Heard you comin', just went for the old wand a bit too quick - "
"He means he Stunned you," said Sirius dryly. "Still, if you will creep up to the house in the middle of the night - "
"This is Mundungus Fletcher, Harry," Lupin intervened quickly. "He's staying with me too, for a while. We've had a lot to talk about."
"I've heard of you," Harry said, to Mundungus Fletcher. "The Weasleys have mentioned you, and Dumbledore too."
Fletcher looked gratified. "Really, Dumbledore, eh? Well, sorry again, Harry, obviously if I'd known it was you - bit jumpy, you know, with all that's been happenin' - and then that dashed cat - " He had a blood-stained handkerchief wrapped around his hand, Harry noticed. "After I'd Stunned you, animal jumped on me, scratched me hand - "
"Yes - is that animal something to do with you, Harry?" Sirius asked, pointing at the black cat, which was sitting on the back of an armchair looking very disgruntled. "After it maimed Mundungus, it wouldn't let me or Lupin get near it."
"Blackie!" Harry called softly to the cat, and he was rather gratified when the cat looked at him, jumped lightly down from the armchair, sprang on to the sofa and then on to his lap, where it settled itself down, and started purring audibly.
Lupin looked rather amused. "You seem to have acquired a new friend, Harry."
Sirius sat down in an armchair opposite Harry and looked at him intently. "Never mind that - what I want to know is, what's happened and why are you here? Is something wrong at your uncle and aunt's house?"
"You could say that," Harry told him. He wasn't fooled. Sirius was trying to look severe, but Harry could tell that he was actually quite glad to see him. "I was in bed, and I was thinking about what Professor Dumbledore said - after the Triwizard Tournament - when he sent you to see Professor Lupin - "
Sirius, Lupin and Fletcher listened, as Harry described what had happened that night. He told them how he had gone to Mrs. Figg's house, found it deserted, found Lupin's address and then seen the arrival of the Death Eaters. When he described how the Death Eaters had sent the Dark Mark up over Mrs. Figg's house and killed her other cat, Harry saw Sirius and Lupin exchange looks of consternation. Harry continued, telling them how he had been caught returning to the house by Uncle Vernon, and then thrown out by the Dursleys.
"I told them I hadn't put the Dark Mark there, but they didn't believe me. So I thought I'd better come here and tell you, because Mrs. Figg ought to know about it. But I sent Hedwig to Dumbledore, telling him I was coming here. Then I caught the Knight Bus - and found you."
Harry stopped talking, and stroked Blackie's head, not looking at Sirius or Lupin. He was hoping very hard that they would let him stay here with them for a while, not pack him off to Dumbledore or somewhere else for safe keeping.
"Those flamin' Death Eaters - what'll Arabella say about this?" Mundungus Fletcher said, sounding exasperated. "An' still Fudge makes out nothin's happenin' - "
"Hmm," he heard Lupin say. "Well, I'm sure we'll hear from Professor Dumbledore as soon as he gets your owl, Harry, but I think I'll send him a message myself too. In the meantime - "
Harry looked up hopefully.
" - it's getting light outside, but some of us haven't had much sleep. Mundungus, you've been up most of the night - you'd better go to bed. Sirius, if you don't mind keeping a watch out for owls - or anything else which might appear - I'll get a bed ready for Harry."
Blackie refused to be disentangled from Harry's lap, so he carried the cat with him when he got up to follow Lupin. They went through the door into a tiny hall, in which there was a coatstand which held a jumble of cloaks. Harry glimpsed a small, old-fashioned kitchen through another door - it reminded him a little of the Weasleys' kitchen. Lupin led him from the hall and up a narrow staircase to a landing, covered in carpet so faded it was impossible to tell what the pattern had been. Several doors led off the landing, but Lupin reached up a long arm and pulled a handle, opening a trap-door in the low ceiling. Harry watched as Lupin pulled down a wooden ladder and made it secure. "Up you go, Harry."
Harry had to persuade the cat to take its claws out of his clothes before he could climb the ladder. Blackie finally condescended to be put down on the floor, and then, to Harry's surprise, the cat jumped on to the lowest rung of the ladder and shot up it ahead of him. Harry followed, and found himself in an attic bedroom, with a low, sloping ceiling which meant he had to duck his head in places. At the far end of the room was a small square window, through which a little grey dawn light was seeping, but it was too dim to light up the room.
"Lumos!" Lupin had followed Harry up the wooden ladder. In the light from Lupin's wand, Harry saw that on one side of the room was a bed, covered in a blanket made from different coloured knitted squares sewn together. There was a long wooden chest against the other wall, and a stack of large boxes which looked as though they were full of junk, but not much else. A rug had been laid on the bare wooden floorboards. Dust covered everything, and Harry got the impression that this attic had not been used for some time.
"Hmm, it's a bit of a mess, I'm afraid," Lupin said apologetically, and cast a few energetic cleaning charms which dispersed most of the dust from the bed and floor, though it made both Harry and Lupin cough in the process. "We can clean up properly later."
"It's fine," said Harry, encouraged by these words, which suggested Harry might be staying for more than one night.
"We used to use this room as a place to hang out sometimes, when we were on holiday from Hogwarts," Lupin said, looking at the mess of boxes. "I don't know what's up here, exactly, but a lot of our stuff must still be here."
"Did you live here before, then?" asked Harry, very interested.
"Yes - my parents moved here while I was in my third year at Hogwarts," Lupin said. He hesitated, as if about to say more, then seemed to change his mind, and closed his mouth. "Get some sleep, Harry. We'll talk later."
When Lupin had gone back down the stairs, Harry flopped down on the bed, suddenly aware that he was very tired after his night's journey. He lay back on the knitted blanket, not bothering to pull back the bedclothes, and looked across the room at the little square window and the dark bulk of the wooden chest. Blackie landed on his chest with a thump and a mew, and Harry put out a hand absently to stroke the cat. "Well, we're here," he said aloud. There were still a lot of unanswered questions buzzing around his brain, but drowsiness was slowing down his thoughts, and within a few minutes Harry and the cat were both fast asleep.
* * * * *
Harry was awoken by a blaze of daylight hitting his closed eyelids, and the smell of frying bacon. He opened his eyes, and then screwed them up at the brightness shining through the square window. It took him a few seconds to remember where he was. "Lupin's house!" he said out loud, and sat up eagerly. There was a thud and an indignant mew as Blackie fell off the bed.
"Sorry!" Harry swung his feet on to the floor and hurried over to look out of the rather dirty window. He could see the tiny front garden beneath him, and the gate where Mundungus Fletcher had surprised him last night. Beyond that he could see the path that disappeared into the trees, but he could also see, far above and beyond them, the rolling moors in the distance. Tiny sheep were dotting the hillsides, but there were no signs of any other houses - at least, not in that direction. It really was a remote area, Harry realised.
He turned, on hearing a scuttling sound, and realised it was the sound of Blackie's paws on the wooden floor as the cat hurried down the ladder in search of breakfast. "Good idea," Harry said, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He discovered a small bathroom just off the landing and splashed cold water on his face until he felt more awake.
"That you, Harry?" he heard Sirius call up the stairs. "Want some breakfast?"
"Yes, please!" Harry answered cheerfully, as he ran downstairs and arrived in the kitchen. Breakfast was already in progress. Sirius was standing beside the stove, turning some bacon in a frying pan. Lupin was nowhere in sight, but two people were seated at the wooden table. One was Mundungus Fletcher, his mouth full of toast and a large mug of tea at his elbow. The other -
"Mrs. Figg!" Harry exclaimed, and the elderly lady smiled at him.
"Good morning, dear boy. You've grown taller since I last saw you."
It seemed so strange to see her there, Harry thought. He was so used to thinking of Mrs. Figg in association with Little Whinging and the Dursleys, that seeing her in the same room as Sirius Black felt very peculiar. Harry turned to find Sirius holding a plate of bacon, mushrooms and toast out to him, and discovered that he was suddenly ravenously hungry. He sat down at the table. Blackie promptly jumped on to his knee and began to eye Harry's bacon with interest.
"Here, Blackie," said Mrs. Figg, holding out a scrap of bacon to the cat. Blackie eyed her coldly, before turning back to Harry and fixing a yellow-eyed stare on his plate again.
Mrs. Figg looked surprised, then laughed. "I think Blackie's chosen a new owner," she said ruefully. "I suppose life with an old lady like me can't be that exciting for her."
"Her?" Harry asked in surprise, swallowing a mouthful of mushrooms and toast. "Is it a girl cat, then?" It had never occurred to him to wonder whether Blackie was male or female.
"Certainly. And you seem to be the object of her affections."
Harry remembered something, and looked uncomfortably across the table at Mrs. Figg. "Did - did they tell you what happened when I went to your house, Mrs. Figg?" he asked worriedly.
Mrs. Figg sighed. "Yes. I suppose I should be thankful neither you or I were found there, dear boy, but...poor Silky." Harry realised she was talking about the cat who had been killed.
"Unfortunately, Voldemort and his henchmen aren't likely to stop at killing cats," Sirius said brusquely, as he sat down next to Harry.
Mundungus Fletcher flinched at the mention of Voldemort's name. "This is only the beginnin'," he said. "I remember last time - " He broke off, as Lupin opened the back door and came into the kitchen.
"'Morning, Harry," he said, sounding quite cheerful. "I've heard from Professor Dumbledore - there's a note for you too." He held out the note to Harry, who took it with some trepidation.
"Where's Hedwig?"
"Having a sleep. Don't worry, she's fine - she seems to have taken a fancy to the roof of my shed as a perch," Lupin said, with a smile.
Harry opened Dumbledore's note.
"Dear Harry,
Thank you for letting me know about the events of last night. In the circumstances, it is probably better if you do not return to your uncle and aunt until next summer. Professor Lupin has kindly offered to let you stay with him for a few weeks, and I think you will be safe there for the moment. I shall be in contact with you again if there is any further news, or if I think you are in danger.
Albus Dumbledore."
Harry couldn't stop a grin spreading over his face as he refolded the note. "He says I can stay!" he said happily, before a thought struck him, and he looked at Lupin anxiously. "Professor - you don't mind, do you? I don't want to be a bother - "
"It's quite all right, Harry," Lupin said, his tired face creasing in a smile. "We could do with some younger company to liven the place up. And - I think you can stop calling me Professor now. After all, if you call Sirius by his first name, you might just as well say Remus too."
"All right - Remus," said Harry. It felt rather strange using his ex-teacher's first name, but he supposed he would get used to it. He passed Blackie a piece of bacon. "I think I'll write to Ron and Hermione after breakfast," he said, "and tell them where I am."
End of Part 3.
A/N: I was going to make this part longer, but decided to cut it off here in favour of getting SOMETHING posted!
I'm sorry if it seems there is a lot of lead-in to this story and not enough action; however, having planned out the whole story it is going to be longer and more complicated than I first thought. Really, I'm just trying to lull you into a false sense of security before VERY BAD things happen!
In Part 4 - Harry has his 15th birthday, Hedwig meets Blackie, other characters reappear, and we find out the history of the Lupins at Gatehouse Cottage.
Disclaimer: These characters belong to JK Rowling. Quotes from her books are used without permission.
Author's Notes: Thank you to everyone who reviewed part 2. After the little unpleasantness with the Dark Mark and the Dursleys, Harry is now aboard the Knight Bus, hoping to get to Lupin's house...
* * * * *
No Easy Goodbyes - Part 3
BANG!
The Knight Bus made one final leap and landed in a narrow country lane. A hedge jumped out of the way as Ernie slammed on the brakes and the bus skidded to a halt.
"'Ere we are then, 'Arry - Frittleton," said Stan cheerfully, getting out of his chair to help Harry with the trunk and the birdcage. "Cor - proper remote, innit? On'y about six 'ouses in the place. Know where yer going, do yer?"
"Er - yes, thanks," said Harry, not wanting to get into complicated explanations. He climbed down the step to join his luggage in the lane. Blackie jumped down after him. "'Bye, Stan. 'Bye, Ernie." He waved, and they waved back as Stan closed the door. Harry saw Ernie grasp the wheel and press his foot on the accelerator, and a moment later there was another deafening BANG! and the brightly-lit bus was gone, as if it had never been there. Harry was alone.
With the lights from the bus gone, it seemed very dark indeed in the lane. There were no street lights here as there were in Privet Drive; only the tall black hedges and the lane stretching away in both directions. When Harry took a step, he fell over Blackie in the darkness, and there was an indignant yowl.
"Sorry, Blackie. This is ridiculous," Harry muttered, rubbing his shin, and pulled his wand from his pocket. Another rule about to be broken, he mused. "Lumos!"
The light from his wand didn't reach far, but it helped him to see a little way ahead. Harry performed another quick charm to make his trunk weightless, put the cage on top of it, and steered it ahead of him as he walked. Blackie walked with him, sometimes just ahead, sometimes just behind, and sometimes twisting round Harry's legs, which made it very difficult for him not to fall over the cat again.
It seemed very quiet here, after Stan's incessant chatter on the bus. He had been thrilled to see Harry again, and had wanted to know all the details about the Triwizard Tournament Harry had won the previous term. Harry had told him enough details about the first two tasks to keep him happy, but had not said anything about the third task. He did not want to talk about the maze, or Cedric, or Voldemort, or any of the events of that day, at the moment. He spent too much time relieving those events in his dreams, to want to discuss them when he was awake. So it was a relief for Harry to be alone in the night again, with no one pelting him with questions, and the only sound that of his own feet plodding along the lane. Blackie's feet were silent.
Harry wondered if Hedwig had reached Dumbledore yet, and what Dumbledore would think of his actions. Then he wondered where Gatehouse Cottage was, and how long it would take him to find it. Stan had probably been right when he had said that Frittleton was tiny. Harry had been walking for ten minutes before he found the first house; a small cottage set back from the side of the lane. In the light from his wand, Harry could see it had a tidy little garden and a wrought-iron gate. On the gate was a sign which read "Wayside Cottage". Harry wondered whether the inhabitants were wizarding folk or Muggles. The curtains in the windows were drawn, however, and there was no sign of anyone awake. Blackie gave the cottage one glance, and continued to stalk down the lane. Harry followed.
The lane was twisting and turning, and gradually sloping downhill. Harry wondered if it was his imagination that the black sky above the distant blacker moors was turning just a shade greyer - not dawn yet, but a sign that dawn would be coming eventually. As he thought this, the clouds must have parted, because the same crescent of silver moon he had seen over Privet Drive earlier sailed out from the blackness into view, throwing a faint glimmer of light over the lane.
Harry was just starting to get worried that the rest of Frittleton had disappeared, or he was going the wrong way, when he noticed a break in the tangled hedges a little way ahead of him. As he got nearer, he saw that it marked an overgrown five-barred gate leading off the lane. The gate was broken, hanging off its hinges in a way that suggested it was little used; but hidden in the brambles and undergrowth on either side of the gate there were two stout stone pillars. On the top of each pillar - Harry raised his glowing wand and pulled leaves aside to have a closer look - was a carved stone owl, rather weatherbeaten now, and looking very old. And - Harry pulled aside more leaves - carved into the pillar itself were some letters, very difficult to make out...
"Bl....something...dale....H...se," Harry read. "That last bit must be 'House'." Peering beyond the gate, he could make out a twisting, smaller lane or driveway which disappeared into many trees; and, just as the trees began, Harry could see the dark bulk of a building, with chimneys dark against the sky. It looked like a lodge, the kind of small house which would be at the entrance to an estate, where a larger house would be further up the drive.
A lodge? Or...a gatehouse? It was worth a look, and Blackie had already slunk through a gap in the rotting five-barred gate and was waiting for him on the other side. Harry pushed the gate, and it keeled drunkenly over on one hinge, leaving a gap big enough for him to steer his luggage through. He walked cautiously up the narrow driveway, following the black cat. As he got nearer to the small house, Harry could see an iron garden gate, with a metal arch over the top of it, and a lamp burning on the top of the arch. The house seemed to be occupied, anyway, although there were no sounds coming from it as Harry approached. Reaching the garden gate, he did not need to use his wand, but could read the name on the gate clearly by the light of the lamp above.
"Gatehouse Cottage."
Harry's spirits lifted. Even if Lupin - or Sirius - was going to be furious with him for coming unannounced, at least he had found the right house, and he was pretty confident they would not throw him straight back out on to the streets. He was probably going to wake them up rather early, but it couldn't be helped. Harry let his trunk sink to the ground, pocketed his wand and reached out a hand to open the garden gate, Blackie twisting around his legs again. It was then that he heard a sudden noise - the quiet crunch of a stealthy foot on a path - and he whipped round, but not quickly enough -
"STUPEFY!"
Harry fell, stunned, and knew no more for some time, as the night around him was replaced by the deeper blackness of unconsciousness...
* * * * *
"Harry? Can you hear me?"
"Oh, just let me do it, Remus - Enervate!"
"Harry? You should be all right now - can you open your eyes?"
Slowly, reluctantly, Harry forced his eyes to open a crack, feeling his head throbbing slightly. Someone was leaning over him...Harry opened his eyes a bit wider and saw a concerned face looking down at him - the rather lined, but kind face of his ex-Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher, Remus Lupin.
"Professor Lupin," he croaked, now becoming aware that he was lying on some sort of sofa, which smelt rather musty. "I found you, then. Is Sirius here?"
"Yes, he is," said the voice of his guardian in his left ear, sounding rather grim. "But Sirius would very much like to know what YOU are doing here, Harry. You're supposed to be in Surrey with your uncle and aunt. What's happened?"
Harry twisted his head round, and saw Sirius, tall, thin and dark, standing next to the sofa, his arms folded and his dark eyes glinting. Harry felt a qualm at Sirius's expression.
"Um - I told Dumbledore I was coming," he said quickly, trying to sound reassuring. He went to sit up, and felt his head throb. "Ow!"
"Careful, Harry," said Lupin, handing him a glass of water. Harry saw that they were in a small, rather shabby sitting-room, lit by several flickering lamps. Besides the sofa, there were two faded but comfortable-looking armchairs, a desk covered in papers, and bookshelves all round the walls filled with a jumble of fascinating-looking books. "You'll probably have a bit of a headache for a while," Lupin told him.
"What happened just now?" Harry asked, sitting up more carefully. "I was opening the garden gate, and - "
"Ah - hem - "
Harry heard a nervous cough from behind him, and turned. A short, elderly wizard, wearing very battered old robes, was standing by a door. He had a pointed nose, a short, grey goatee beard and a rather shifty-looking expression. He appeared to be nursing one hand. "Ah - yes, sorry about that, Harry. Was on guard duty, you know, just checkin' the place over, makin' sure no suspicious characters about, you know. Heard you comin', just went for the old wand a bit too quick - "
"He means he Stunned you," said Sirius dryly. "Still, if you will creep up to the house in the middle of the night - "
"This is Mundungus Fletcher, Harry," Lupin intervened quickly. "He's staying with me too, for a while. We've had a lot to talk about."
"I've heard of you," Harry said, to Mundungus Fletcher. "The Weasleys have mentioned you, and Dumbledore too."
Fletcher looked gratified. "Really, Dumbledore, eh? Well, sorry again, Harry, obviously if I'd known it was you - bit jumpy, you know, with all that's been happenin' - and then that dashed cat - " He had a blood-stained handkerchief wrapped around his hand, Harry noticed. "After I'd Stunned you, animal jumped on me, scratched me hand - "
"Yes - is that animal something to do with you, Harry?" Sirius asked, pointing at the black cat, which was sitting on the back of an armchair looking very disgruntled. "After it maimed Mundungus, it wouldn't let me or Lupin get near it."
"Blackie!" Harry called softly to the cat, and he was rather gratified when the cat looked at him, jumped lightly down from the armchair, sprang on to the sofa and then on to his lap, where it settled itself down, and started purring audibly.
Lupin looked rather amused. "You seem to have acquired a new friend, Harry."
Sirius sat down in an armchair opposite Harry and looked at him intently. "Never mind that - what I want to know is, what's happened and why are you here? Is something wrong at your uncle and aunt's house?"
"You could say that," Harry told him. He wasn't fooled. Sirius was trying to look severe, but Harry could tell that he was actually quite glad to see him. "I was in bed, and I was thinking about what Professor Dumbledore said - after the Triwizard Tournament - when he sent you to see Professor Lupin - "
Sirius, Lupin and Fletcher listened, as Harry described what had happened that night. He told them how he had gone to Mrs. Figg's house, found it deserted, found Lupin's address and then seen the arrival of the Death Eaters. When he described how the Death Eaters had sent the Dark Mark up over Mrs. Figg's house and killed her other cat, Harry saw Sirius and Lupin exchange looks of consternation. Harry continued, telling them how he had been caught returning to the house by Uncle Vernon, and then thrown out by the Dursleys.
"I told them I hadn't put the Dark Mark there, but they didn't believe me. So I thought I'd better come here and tell you, because Mrs. Figg ought to know about it. But I sent Hedwig to Dumbledore, telling him I was coming here. Then I caught the Knight Bus - and found you."
Harry stopped talking, and stroked Blackie's head, not looking at Sirius or Lupin. He was hoping very hard that they would let him stay here with them for a while, not pack him off to Dumbledore or somewhere else for safe keeping.
"Those flamin' Death Eaters - what'll Arabella say about this?" Mundungus Fletcher said, sounding exasperated. "An' still Fudge makes out nothin's happenin' - "
"Hmm," he heard Lupin say. "Well, I'm sure we'll hear from Professor Dumbledore as soon as he gets your owl, Harry, but I think I'll send him a message myself too. In the meantime - "
Harry looked up hopefully.
" - it's getting light outside, but some of us haven't had much sleep. Mundungus, you've been up most of the night - you'd better go to bed. Sirius, if you don't mind keeping a watch out for owls - or anything else which might appear - I'll get a bed ready for Harry."
Blackie refused to be disentangled from Harry's lap, so he carried the cat with him when he got up to follow Lupin. They went through the door into a tiny hall, in which there was a coatstand which held a jumble of cloaks. Harry glimpsed a small, old-fashioned kitchen through another door - it reminded him a little of the Weasleys' kitchen. Lupin led him from the hall and up a narrow staircase to a landing, covered in carpet so faded it was impossible to tell what the pattern had been. Several doors led off the landing, but Lupin reached up a long arm and pulled a handle, opening a trap-door in the low ceiling. Harry watched as Lupin pulled down a wooden ladder and made it secure. "Up you go, Harry."
Harry had to persuade the cat to take its claws out of his clothes before he could climb the ladder. Blackie finally condescended to be put down on the floor, and then, to Harry's surprise, the cat jumped on to the lowest rung of the ladder and shot up it ahead of him. Harry followed, and found himself in an attic bedroom, with a low, sloping ceiling which meant he had to duck his head in places. At the far end of the room was a small square window, through which a little grey dawn light was seeping, but it was too dim to light up the room.
"Lumos!" Lupin had followed Harry up the wooden ladder. In the light from Lupin's wand, Harry saw that on one side of the room was a bed, covered in a blanket made from different coloured knitted squares sewn together. There was a long wooden chest against the other wall, and a stack of large boxes which looked as though they were full of junk, but not much else. A rug had been laid on the bare wooden floorboards. Dust covered everything, and Harry got the impression that this attic had not been used for some time.
"Hmm, it's a bit of a mess, I'm afraid," Lupin said apologetically, and cast a few energetic cleaning charms which dispersed most of the dust from the bed and floor, though it made both Harry and Lupin cough in the process. "We can clean up properly later."
"It's fine," said Harry, encouraged by these words, which suggested Harry might be staying for more than one night.
"We used to use this room as a place to hang out sometimes, when we were on holiday from Hogwarts," Lupin said, looking at the mess of boxes. "I don't know what's up here, exactly, but a lot of our stuff must still be here."
"Did you live here before, then?" asked Harry, very interested.
"Yes - my parents moved here while I was in my third year at Hogwarts," Lupin said. He hesitated, as if about to say more, then seemed to change his mind, and closed his mouth. "Get some sleep, Harry. We'll talk later."
When Lupin had gone back down the stairs, Harry flopped down on the bed, suddenly aware that he was very tired after his night's journey. He lay back on the knitted blanket, not bothering to pull back the bedclothes, and looked across the room at the little square window and the dark bulk of the wooden chest. Blackie landed on his chest with a thump and a mew, and Harry put out a hand absently to stroke the cat. "Well, we're here," he said aloud. There were still a lot of unanswered questions buzzing around his brain, but drowsiness was slowing down his thoughts, and within a few minutes Harry and the cat were both fast asleep.
* * * * *
Harry was awoken by a blaze of daylight hitting his closed eyelids, and the smell of frying bacon. He opened his eyes, and then screwed them up at the brightness shining through the square window. It took him a few seconds to remember where he was. "Lupin's house!" he said out loud, and sat up eagerly. There was a thud and an indignant mew as Blackie fell off the bed.
"Sorry!" Harry swung his feet on to the floor and hurried over to look out of the rather dirty window. He could see the tiny front garden beneath him, and the gate where Mundungus Fletcher had surprised him last night. Beyond that he could see the path that disappeared into the trees, but he could also see, far above and beyond them, the rolling moors in the distance. Tiny sheep were dotting the hillsides, but there were no signs of any other houses - at least, not in that direction. It really was a remote area, Harry realised.
He turned, on hearing a scuttling sound, and realised it was the sound of Blackie's paws on the wooden floor as the cat hurried down the ladder in search of breakfast. "Good idea," Harry said, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He discovered a small bathroom just off the landing and splashed cold water on his face until he felt more awake.
"That you, Harry?" he heard Sirius call up the stairs. "Want some breakfast?"
"Yes, please!" Harry answered cheerfully, as he ran downstairs and arrived in the kitchen. Breakfast was already in progress. Sirius was standing beside the stove, turning some bacon in a frying pan. Lupin was nowhere in sight, but two people were seated at the wooden table. One was Mundungus Fletcher, his mouth full of toast and a large mug of tea at his elbow. The other -
"Mrs. Figg!" Harry exclaimed, and the elderly lady smiled at him.
"Good morning, dear boy. You've grown taller since I last saw you."
It seemed so strange to see her there, Harry thought. He was so used to thinking of Mrs. Figg in association with Little Whinging and the Dursleys, that seeing her in the same room as Sirius Black felt very peculiar. Harry turned to find Sirius holding a plate of bacon, mushrooms and toast out to him, and discovered that he was suddenly ravenously hungry. He sat down at the table. Blackie promptly jumped on to his knee and began to eye Harry's bacon with interest.
"Here, Blackie," said Mrs. Figg, holding out a scrap of bacon to the cat. Blackie eyed her coldly, before turning back to Harry and fixing a yellow-eyed stare on his plate again.
Mrs. Figg looked surprised, then laughed. "I think Blackie's chosen a new owner," she said ruefully. "I suppose life with an old lady like me can't be that exciting for her."
"Her?" Harry asked in surprise, swallowing a mouthful of mushrooms and toast. "Is it a girl cat, then?" It had never occurred to him to wonder whether Blackie was male or female.
"Certainly. And you seem to be the object of her affections."
Harry remembered something, and looked uncomfortably across the table at Mrs. Figg. "Did - did they tell you what happened when I went to your house, Mrs. Figg?" he asked worriedly.
Mrs. Figg sighed. "Yes. I suppose I should be thankful neither you or I were found there, dear boy, but...poor Silky." Harry realised she was talking about the cat who had been killed.
"Unfortunately, Voldemort and his henchmen aren't likely to stop at killing cats," Sirius said brusquely, as he sat down next to Harry.
Mundungus Fletcher flinched at the mention of Voldemort's name. "This is only the beginnin'," he said. "I remember last time - " He broke off, as Lupin opened the back door and came into the kitchen.
"'Morning, Harry," he said, sounding quite cheerful. "I've heard from Professor Dumbledore - there's a note for you too." He held out the note to Harry, who took it with some trepidation.
"Where's Hedwig?"
"Having a sleep. Don't worry, she's fine - she seems to have taken a fancy to the roof of my shed as a perch," Lupin said, with a smile.
Harry opened Dumbledore's note.
"Dear Harry,
Thank you for letting me know about the events of last night. In the circumstances, it is probably better if you do not return to your uncle and aunt until next summer. Professor Lupin has kindly offered to let you stay with him for a few weeks, and I think you will be safe there for the moment. I shall be in contact with you again if there is any further news, or if I think you are in danger.
Albus Dumbledore."
Harry couldn't stop a grin spreading over his face as he refolded the note. "He says I can stay!" he said happily, before a thought struck him, and he looked at Lupin anxiously. "Professor - you don't mind, do you? I don't want to be a bother - "
"It's quite all right, Harry," Lupin said, his tired face creasing in a smile. "We could do with some younger company to liven the place up. And - I think you can stop calling me Professor now. After all, if you call Sirius by his first name, you might just as well say Remus too."
"All right - Remus," said Harry. It felt rather strange using his ex-teacher's first name, but he supposed he would get used to it. He passed Blackie a piece of bacon. "I think I'll write to Ron and Hermione after breakfast," he said, "and tell them where I am."
End of Part 3.
A/N: I was going to make this part longer, but decided to cut it off here in favour of getting SOMETHING posted!
I'm sorry if it seems there is a lot of lead-in to this story and not enough action; however, having planned out the whole story it is going to be longer and more complicated than I first thought. Really, I'm just trying to lull you into a false sense of security before VERY BAD things happen!
In Part 4 - Harry has his 15th birthday, Hedwig meets Blackie, other characters reappear, and we find out the history of the Lupins at Gatehouse Cottage.