Disclaimer: All the places and characters encountered in this chapter are the property of our goddess J.K.Rowling. I just borrow them to write this story here. As I'm not making any profit with writing this (I'm only spending all of my spare time at it), please don't sue me. It wouldn't make you any good, I'm just a poor student with too much fantasy

A/N: This is, as always, beta-read by my wonderful betas Luinthoron (*waves*) and Puzzler ("Hi!"). Without them... I don't know how I could ever write this. That's why I'd like to thank them. Thank you! *bows at her betas*
I'd also like to thank all of you who ever reviewed this story. I just love your reviews. That's what keeps me writing. Thank you! *hugs everyone who has reviewed her story. ever* Please review this chapter, too, after you've been reading this, OK? Thanks again

--Altair



Chapter seven: The Dursleys' Bodyguards

Two days after Harry's nightmare the Dursleys had unexpected visitors. Harry was locked up in his room again for screaming in his sleep, which was why he wasn't downstairs as the doorbell rang. He was surprised when someone came and unlocked the door to his bedroom, he wasn't expecting any guests and the Dursleys never let him meet any of their friends. But he was even more surprised as he saw who came in. Even in his wildest dreams he hadn't dreamed of this! He quickly climbed out of his bed and ran to the man in the doorway.
"Professor Lupin!" he exclaimed, running over to his father's friend and greeting him with a hug. "What are you doing here? How is Si... I mean Snuffles? Where is he?"
"Hello to you, too, Harry," Professor Lupin laughed. "It's good to see you again. To be honest, we came because of this dream of yours..."
"WE?! What do you mean by we? Do you mean that Snuffles is here, too? Where is he? I want to see him!" Harry exclaimed.
"My dear boy, would you please calm down now? We should go downstairs, you know? I'm afraid we need to talk to your family. Snuffles is waiting with downstairs, keeping an eye on your family, you know..." Remus grinned. "But I think he will be glad to see you again."
They made their way down the stairs and into the Dursleys' living room. Harry couldn't believe his eyes as they entered the room, the picture that he saw was more than he could take. It had NEVER been harder to hold back his laughter... The Dursleys were all sitting on the sofa, staring at the enourmous black dog which was examining them from the chair across the room. The dog looked to the door as they entered the room, jumped down from his chair and ran over to Harry.
"I told them he's my familiar and I could communicate with him so that he could tell me whether they had behaved themselves while I was up there getting you or not," Remus whispered to Harry who had trouble holding back snorts of laughter.
"Snuffles!" Harry exclaimed, kneeling down and hugging the dog. "I missed you so much!"
The Dursleys, seeing that they were forgotten for a moment, tried to make their exit, but Sirius turned to face them the instant they got out of their seat. Frightened to death, they sat down and didn't even try to make a move afterwards. Remus lead Harry to the chair, asked him to sit down and stood back on the right side of the chair while Sirius, still in his animagus form, sat down on Harry's left. Harry grinned. He had NEVER seen his aunt's family so afraid. He wondered if they knew that Remus was a wizard. He figured they knew because they hadn't said a word since they had entered the room. And Remus had said he told them Sirius was his familiar. Well, that would have proved that they knew. Harry looked at Remus. Now he wondered if the Dursleys knew that he was one of Harry's parents' best friends AND a werewolf. And, his eyes wandered to Sirius, he really wondered what the Dursleys would do if they found out that the black dog here was Black, the wanted murderer AND Harry's godfather. Well, one way to find out. Harry looked up to Remus.
"Professor Lupin?"
The Dursleys looked at the man on Harry's right side, their eyes wide with horror. Uncle Vernon was the first to react.
"Professor?! Are you telling me that this... this FREAK is one of your TEACHERS in that SCHOOL of yours?"
Harry just smiled at him sweetly. "Well, yes, he was. In my third year. But he quit when our potions master accidentally spilled to the students that he was a werewolf... He was also one of my parents' best friends."
The Dursleys, horrified, just stared at the werewolf, Dudley in plainly visible panic. "A... a... werewolf?" he stuttered. Harry was amused to see that the fabric was turning darker where Dudley sat. He had wet his pants. Harry was fighting laughter. Professor Lupin, however, just nodded.
Harry looked at him. "Professor? You must have had a reason for bringing me down here. I just can't believe it's just because you wanted to visit Mum's family..."
Remus looked down at him. "I already told you. It's because of Lord Voldemort and that dream of yours. You know," he went on, turning to face the Dursleys, "that your nephew here has the extraordinary ability to see Lord Voldemort, the darkest wizard for about a century, when he is feeling very angry and murderous. It has to do with the failed spell he cast to kill Harry when the boy was a year old. Harry has informed us that Lord Voldemort's new target is your family. Professor Dumbledore, Hogwarts' headmaster, is convinced that you need protection. That is why we're here. To protect you."
"What do you mean by we?!" Vernon Dursley roared. "Are you telling me that there are more of your kind here and we don't see them?!"
Harry grinned. "Oh, does that mean that you haven't been introduced yet? Oh, I'm sorry. How could I be that impolite? May I present to you my godfather, Sirius Black, wizard, animagus, convinced murderer and one of my parents' best friends..."
Harry watched the Dursleys' faces as Sirius turned himself back to his human form. Uncle Vernon looked ready to kill, but frightened to death all the same. "BLACK!!!" he exclaimed before fainting dead. Harry burst out laughing hysterically. He didn't care anymore what his aunt would say. This was just worth it.

Lord Voldemort was furious. His spy had just informed him that the Dursleys had become personal protection from Dumbledore. He still wasn't going to give up his plan to kill Harry's family. He was stubborn, Arthur knew it. Sometimes it was really hard to make him see that what he wanted to do was impossible to accomplish. Well, this here was difficult, but still not impossible. Dumbledore had sent Remus Lupin to their protection. And Sirius Black. If they would attack on a full moon, there would be only one wizard to protect the targets. Sirius was a powerful wizard, there was co doubt in that, but he couldn't take a whole army of Death Eaters alone.
"My Lord," he said. "We should wait a little more."
"Oh, yes." The Dark Lord seemed to be in thoughts. "I remember. The full moon, if I'm not mistaken. They sent him the werewolf. These idiots!" Lord Voldemort's voice was full of loathing. Arthur laughed. They were so going to die. And if nothing went wrong, Harry Potter was going to die, too. His Master would finally get his revenge!
"But my Lord," Arthur reminded himself and his Lord, "They have Black, too. It's not like they're going to be totally helpless, even if the werewolf is out of the game. You said it yourself, Black is one of the most talented wizards of his year. He could make us trouble..."
Lord Voldemort seemed to be lost in thoughts. He sure remembered Sirius Black. There had been a time when he had hoped to see the man join his Death Eaters. He, Remus Lupin, James Potter and Peter Pettigrew had been known for breaking the rules all over the place in their time at Hogwarts. They also had been more talented wizards than anyone else in their year. He had hoped that they would join him, as he certainly offered more ways and possibilities for breaking the rules as anybody else. But no. They had remained on Dumbledore's side, all except Pettigrew, who had turned out to be just a brainless sidekick of the famous Marauders. Lord Voldemort had thought it very amusing to hear that Sirius Black had spent twelve years in Azkaban for having been 'his right hand man' and for betraying the Potters to him. No-one, not even Dumbledore had known of the Potters' last minute change of mind in the case of their secret-keeper. No-one knew that Peter Pettigrew had been made the Potters' secret-keeper, that Wormtail had been the one to blow up that Muggle-street, that he never died in first place but instead hid at the Weasleys' house as a pet rat and that Sirius Black had been thrown into Azkaban unjustly. Well, Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and that Mudblood girlfriend of theirs... what's-her-name... whatever, she'll be dead soon enough... they knew now. But it wasn't as if it would have been any help for Black. He was still on the run from the Ministry. Lord Voldemort laughed. It was a cruel laugh. The Minister was such an arrogant idiot. But it made it all so much easier for the Dark Lord. The Minister's ignorance had been so helpful he almost considered sending him a thank-you-card.
"Black will cause us no trouble," Lord Voldemort assured his servant. "He cannot fight a whole army of Death Eaters alone. And I think, as a bonus we should send Wormtail with the group we send there. He would surely like to see his old friend from school again..." Lord Voldemort grinned evilly. He surely knew the relationship between the ex-marauders. It would be a priceless sight.

"You what?"
Harry Potter looked at his godfather and Remus with disbelief in his eyes. Both Marauders just grinned.
"As we said," Remus laughed. "We let Dumbledore tell the Ministry that he's sending you two grown up wizards for protection and that they are most likely going to use magic. This means you are going to be able to use some magic here. We're just going to say it was us..."
"But my aunt? And Uncle Vernon? They will turn me in!"
Sirius shook his head, still grinning.
"Oh, no, they will not. They don't even know how to contact the Ministry, neither would they do anything to offend a man who has murdered thirteen people with a single curse."
"Just make sure you stay out of trouble, OK?" Remus smiled.
"I promise," Harry Potter said. This was going to be fun.



A/N: So what do you think? Review and tell me. I haven't got any reviews recently, so would you please review? Pretty please?