Harry set down his quill on the parchment filled part-way with his small
scrawl going on about some goblin rebellion that was suppose to have had
astronomical effects for the goblins including certain freedoms granted to
them they'd never had before and the permission to set up colonies- away
from Muggle eyes of course- throughout Britain and other European
countries. But Harry couldn't concentrate. He'd received a letter earlier
that day from Lupin- asking Harry to get his Aunt and Uncle to consent to
letting Harry go and visit down the street to Mrs. Figg's house. Harry was
perplexed at why Lupin would ask such a thing, as that.
"Unless of course," thought Harry excitedly, "Mrs. Figg's first name was Arabella." Despite his drowsiness at that time and the suffocating pressure he'd been under, Harry was careful to take in everything of what Dumbledore had said at the end of his last term at Hogwarts. To pass the time at Privet Drive- Harry had taken long periods of time to think about the actions Dumbledore was taking in preventing Voldemort from regaining power. He ran everything he could remember through his head- trying to find connections. Just that day it hit Harry. For a long time he wondered about who Arabella Figg was and now he had a lead.
Of course, when Harry had asked his Aunt and Uncle whether or not he could go over there they immediately objected and tried to shoo him back into his bedroom- but Harry wanted to go. He stood his ground and waved the letter under their noses- explaining to them carefully that Lupin was a werewolf and that he was more than likely just down the street- waiting for his reply. However, Harry seemed to forget to add that there wasn't a full moon any time for a while (as he'd just finished his astronomy homework before the letter arrived) and that it was daylight.
Uncle Vernon was red-faced and Aunt Petunia was pale and clammy, but they agreed to let him go and told him quite clearly they would not give him dinner. That was well enough, thought Harry. Dudley's diet was still taking effect at the Dursley's household from the previous summer and Harry was sure that if indeed Mrs. Figg was a witch and a friend of Lupin's she'd give him a little something.
And so Harry went back up into his bedroom and wrote straightaway to Lupin- telling him it was fine. The Dursley's didn't care. "But I'm sure they do," mused Harry on second thought. In any case, he sent the letter within minutes Hedgwig returned carrying another letter. As Harry untied the parchment from his snowy owl he knew now for certain that Lupin was just down the street. There was no way for it to get there that fast. Harry opened the letter and read it excitedly.
"Good Harry. That's good. I will be by at three o'clock to pick you up from your Aunt and Uncle's house. It will be quick- very quick. I'll apparate in and we'll take a portkey back to Arabella's. I'll explain later.
Lupin"
Harry was a bit stunned. Why all the secrecy? Had something happened? Was he supposed to be in danger and not to be seen? His excitement had gone now- like water through fingers it seeped out of him as he read and reread the letter. Surely something must have happened. This had never happened before. The last time careful measures had been taken to ensure Harry's safety and his not being seen by strangers- Sirius Black had, supposedly, been after him. Could it be that now Voldemort was after him? After only three weeks of his rebirth- was it possible that Voldemort was already on Harry's trail- already tracking him down and getting close to his goal?
Just as the letter had said, Lupin arrived at three o'clock and looked considerably flustered and anxious- tired. Harry had been sitting on his bed polishing his thunderbolt to try and get the time to turn faster in his now nervous waiting. As Lupin materialized in front of Harry he was a bit stunned at first but recovered quickly.
"Lupin- you look terrible! Is something wrong?" Harry had set his Thunderbolt beside himself and was climbing off his bed as he spoke. As he did so, he hit the polishing kit and it fell with a clatter onto the floor. Lupin literally jumped into the air and started looking suspiciously around the room- his eyes wide and alert. He didn't seem to have noticed Harry or his query.
But he calmed down a little bit after a few moments. He took a few deep breaths and stood straight up- looking suddenly less tired and stressed- younger. Harry could hardly remember ever seeing him as a teacher that way. Evenstill, Harry could see dark circles under his eyes and gray patches in his hair he wasn't due for until a few more years passed on down the road.
Suddenly, Lupin averted his gaze from about the room to Harry. His face brightened considerably. "You're okay."
Harry blinked. "Yes, of course." Harry was getting impatient. He knew something was wrong now and he wanted to now. But before he could ask any more questions, Lupin held a scarf out to Harry.
"Here, take a hold of some of this. You know how a portkey works, don't you?" Harry nodded. "Good. Good, good." Harry felt that Lupin's mind was somewhere else- that he was a bit out of it. In any case, he stepped forward and took a hold of the scarf. Lupin consulted a watch on his wrist- one that hadn't been there before while he was teaching- and said airly. "Four, three, two, one."
Harry felt it again- the jolt by his naval and the funny rushing feeling that made his lunch churn in his stomach. But it was more natural this time- more familiar. It didn't startle him so much this time. All to soon- Harry found himself in an all new surrounding. His empty walls and bland furniture had melted away and now he was standing in a living room of semi- old-fashioned furniture and decorations. There were some chairs Harry remembered and the old albums full of photographs of Mrs. Figg's cats sitting on the table next to the fireplace. Harry could hear voices in the next room that seemed to be two women chattering over preparing tear and one he recognized as Mrs. Weasleys and the other he faintly remembered to be Mrs. Figgs. But he wasn't so interested in what they were saying. In front of the hearth sat two men conversing in low whispers and both he could pick out as easily as his own. One was the oily hiss of his least favorite professor, Severus Snape. And the other was the annoyed undertone of his godfather- Sirius Black.
As Harry and Lupin came into the room, the conversation Sirius and Severus were having suddenly came to a halt and they both gazed at him but with differing impressions in their eyes. Sirius looked relieved to see Harry but Severus was livid with shock and anger. He strode forward- looking more mad and angry than Harry had ever seen him. He pointed an accusing finger at Lupin and shouted, "How dare you! Dumbledore will hear of this!"
Harry took a look back at Lupin and as he did so he heard a bit of rattling from the kitchen. The conversation Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Figg had been having was cut short and they'd both apparently been surprised. There was a moment of stunned shock in the whole house when both women came into view- looking angry and upset. Mrs. Weasley glared at Snape. "Tell Dumbledore!" she cried exasperatedly. "Do try and think about what you're saying! Do you realize how things have been lately? Has you head been down in another one of your cauldrons again? It's not necessary to tell him. He doesn't need to have to care. He trusts us- remember Snape?"
Mrs. Figg looked almost as angry as Mrs. Weasley. "Exactly!" she said promptly. "He wouldn't have left Harry to us if he didn't trust our judgment. We all agreed to bring him here. It's still-" she paused, looking around at all the stone faced adults and seemed to think better of what she was saying. "Anyway- it's better hear than at the Dursleys. They wouldn't like it."
Harry was left in bewilderment for a long while as the adults looked at one another and seemed to Harry to be doing some kind of mind reading within each other. At long last they came to a silent agreement and voices started up again. Mrs. Figg and Weasley had gone back into the kitchen and Sirius was now sitting next to Harry on a couch by the fireplace talking with him. Snape had slipped away to the upstairs and Lupin was thumbing through a book Harry couldn't read the title of. It's black leather cover though, was torn and old and he supposed the letters might have even peeled off.
"Harry- how are you?" asked Sirius carefully- watching Harry with a hawkish gaze. His face was still pale but his eyes were brightening from when Harry had first met Sirirus at the end of the third year. "The road to recovery," thought Harry. "Isn't an easy one."
"I'm fine," said Harry flatly, but Sirius wasn't buying. "Really."
"Even after," Sirius looked nervous. "Last term?"
"I'll be fine. I just want to know what's going on."
Sirius let out a long, deep breath and flickered his gaze to the kitchen doorway and did some quick thinking. "Come on, Harry. Up to my room. I'll explain everything so far up there."
"Unless of course," thought Harry excitedly, "Mrs. Figg's first name was Arabella." Despite his drowsiness at that time and the suffocating pressure he'd been under, Harry was careful to take in everything of what Dumbledore had said at the end of his last term at Hogwarts. To pass the time at Privet Drive- Harry had taken long periods of time to think about the actions Dumbledore was taking in preventing Voldemort from regaining power. He ran everything he could remember through his head- trying to find connections. Just that day it hit Harry. For a long time he wondered about who Arabella Figg was and now he had a lead.
Of course, when Harry had asked his Aunt and Uncle whether or not he could go over there they immediately objected and tried to shoo him back into his bedroom- but Harry wanted to go. He stood his ground and waved the letter under their noses- explaining to them carefully that Lupin was a werewolf and that he was more than likely just down the street- waiting for his reply. However, Harry seemed to forget to add that there wasn't a full moon any time for a while (as he'd just finished his astronomy homework before the letter arrived) and that it was daylight.
Uncle Vernon was red-faced and Aunt Petunia was pale and clammy, but they agreed to let him go and told him quite clearly they would not give him dinner. That was well enough, thought Harry. Dudley's diet was still taking effect at the Dursley's household from the previous summer and Harry was sure that if indeed Mrs. Figg was a witch and a friend of Lupin's she'd give him a little something.
And so Harry went back up into his bedroom and wrote straightaway to Lupin- telling him it was fine. The Dursley's didn't care. "But I'm sure they do," mused Harry on second thought. In any case, he sent the letter within minutes Hedgwig returned carrying another letter. As Harry untied the parchment from his snowy owl he knew now for certain that Lupin was just down the street. There was no way for it to get there that fast. Harry opened the letter and read it excitedly.
"Good Harry. That's good. I will be by at three o'clock to pick you up from your Aunt and Uncle's house. It will be quick- very quick. I'll apparate in and we'll take a portkey back to Arabella's. I'll explain later.
Lupin"
Harry was a bit stunned. Why all the secrecy? Had something happened? Was he supposed to be in danger and not to be seen? His excitement had gone now- like water through fingers it seeped out of him as he read and reread the letter. Surely something must have happened. This had never happened before. The last time careful measures had been taken to ensure Harry's safety and his not being seen by strangers- Sirius Black had, supposedly, been after him. Could it be that now Voldemort was after him? After only three weeks of his rebirth- was it possible that Voldemort was already on Harry's trail- already tracking him down and getting close to his goal?
Just as the letter had said, Lupin arrived at three o'clock and looked considerably flustered and anxious- tired. Harry had been sitting on his bed polishing his thunderbolt to try and get the time to turn faster in his now nervous waiting. As Lupin materialized in front of Harry he was a bit stunned at first but recovered quickly.
"Lupin- you look terrible! Is something wrong?" Harry had set his Thunderbolt beside himself and was climbing off his bed as he spoke. As he did so, he hit the polishing kit and it fell with a clatter onto the floor. Lupin literally jumped into the air and started looking suspiciously around the room- his eyes wide and alert. He didn't seem to have noticed Harry or his query.
But he calmed down a little bit after a few moments. He took a few deep breaths and stood straight up- looking suddenly less tired and stressed- younger. Harry could hardly remember ever seeing him as a teacher that way. Evenstill, Harry could see dark circles under his eyes and gray patches in his hair he wasn't due for until a few more years passed on down the road.
Suddenly, Lupin averted his gaze from about the room to Harry. His face brightened considerably. "You're okay."
Harry blinked. "Yes, of course." Harry was getting impatient. He knew something was wrong now and he wanted to now. But before he could ask any more questions, Lupin held a scarf out to Harry.
"Here, take a hold of some of this. You know how a portkey works, don't you?" Harry nodded. "Good. Good, good." Harry felt that Lupin's mind was somewhere else- that he was a bit out of it. In any case, he stepped forward and took a hold of the scarf. Lupin consulted a watch on his wrist- one that hadn't been there before while he was teaching- and said airly. "Four, three, two, one."
Harry felt it again- the jolt by his naval and the funny rushing feeling that made his lunch churn in his stomach. But it was more natural this time- more familiar. It didn't startle him so much this time. All to soon- Harry found himself in an all new surrounding. His empty walls and bland furniture had melted away and now he was standing in a living room of semi- old-fashioned furniture and decorations. There were some chairs Harry remembered and the old albums full of photographs of Mrs. Figg's cats sitting on the table next to the fireplace. Harry could hear voices in the next room that seemed to be two women chattering over preparing tear and one he recognized as Mrs. Weasleys and the other he faintly remembered to be Mrs. Figgs. But he wasn't so interested in what they were saying. In front of the hearth sat two men conversing in low whispers and both he could pick out as easily as his own. One was the oily hiss of his least favorite professor, Severus Snape. And the other was the annoyed undertone of his godfather- Sirius Black.
As Harry and Lupin came into the room, the conversation Sirius and Severus were having suddenly came to a halt and they both gazed at him but with differing impressions in their eyes. Sirius looked relieved to see Harry but Severus was livid with shock and anger. He strode forward- looking more mad and angry than Harry had ever seen him. He pointed an accusing finger at Lupin and shouted, "How dare you! Dumbledore will hear of this!"
Harry took a look back at Lupin and as he did so he heard a bit of rattling from the kitchen. The conversation Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Figg had been having was cut short and they'd both apparently been surprised. There was a moment of stunned shock in the whole house when both women came into view- looking angry and upset. Mrs. Weasley glared at Snape. "Tell Dumbledore!" she cried exasperatedly. "Do try and think about what you're saying! Do you realize how things have been lately? Has you head been down in another one of your cauldrons again? It's not necessary to tell him. He doesn't need to have to care. He trusts us- remember Snape?"
Mrs. Figg looked almost as angry as Mrs. Weasley. "Exactly!" she said promptly. "He wouldn't have left Harry to us if he didn't trust our judgment. We all agreed to bring him here. It's still-" she paused, looking around at all the stone faced adults and seemed to think better of what she was saying. "Anyway- it's better hear than at the Dursleys. They wouldn't like it."
Harry was left in bewilderment for a long while as the adults looked at one another and seemed to Harry to be doing some kind of mind reading within each other. At long last they came to a silent agreement and voices started up again. Mrs. Figg and Weasley had gone back into the kitchen and Sirius was now sitting next to Harry on a couch by the fireplace talking with him. Snape had slipped away to the upstairs and Lupin was thumbing through a book Harry couldn't read the title of. It's black leather cover though, was torn and old and he supposed the letters might have even peeled off.
"Harry- how are you?" asked Sirius carefully- watching Harry with a hawkish gaze. His face was still pale but his eyes were brightening from when Harry had first met Sirirus at the end of the third year. "The road to recovery," thought Harry. "Isn't an easy one."
"I'm fine," said Harry flatly, but Sirius wasn't buying. "Really."
"Even after," Sirius looked nervous. "Last term?"
"I'll be fine. I just want to know what's going on."
Sirius let out a long, deep breath and flickered his gaze to the kitchen doorway and did some quick thinking. "Come on, Harry. Up to my room. I'll explain everything so far up there."