Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Nope, not me.
A/N: Well, I'm back! And thank you soooooooo much for the reviews! Reviews make Issy happy!
One reviewer (Cerulane, I believe) asked if she could translate the story into French. Go for it! Just make sure my name stays with it.
Something major about Reggie is revealed in this chapter…
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Harry looked up at him, wide-eyed. "A - a birthday party?"
Remus smiled. "What else?"
He began to tap his wand on people's heads, lifting the Disillusionment charms. People began to melt into view, no longer human chameleons.
"Wotcher, Harry!" Tonks said cheerfully, pushing a large gift wrapped in bright yellow paper into his hands.
"Happy birthday, Harry," Fred Weasley said with a wink, handing him a gift Remus knew would either explode or implode in Harry's face.
"I promise it's not illegal," Mundungus Fletcher muttered as he put a suspiciously cauldron-shaped package at Harry's feet.
Remus had never seen Harry look so happy. Poor boy, he thought suddenly. he has been treated worse than any of us ever understood. James and Lily would turn over in their graves if they knew what was happening to their boy.
Aemilia was the last person to give Harry a gift. "I realise you don't know me very well, Harry," she said to him, "but I do have something for you."
Harry smiled. He hadn't stopped smiling, really. "Really?"
Aemilia pulled a package out from her robes and enlarged it. "I was at school with your mum and dad," she told him, "as well as a certain Mr. Lupin -" she shot a mischievous glance in Remus's direction, "- and your mum and I were pretty good friends." She handed the package to Harry. "This was her diary from her seventh year. She left it to me, but I really think you should have it."
There was a mixture of happiness and sadness in Harry's eyes. "Wow… this really means a lot to me, Miss Fudge."
Aemilia wrinkled her nose. "Call me Aemilia. Fudge is a stupid last name."
Harry grinned. "Yeah, it is pretty stupid."
Aemilia laughed. "Anyway, if you can't call ol' Uncle Remus's old girlfriend by her first name, I don't know who you can."
Harry's eyes widened. "You were Professor Lupin's girlfriend?"
"Harry," Remus called over his shoulder, "call me Remus, would you? Lupin is a stupid last name."
Remus, Aemilia and Harry all laughed.
*
Remus left Aemilia and Harry sitting side by side, Aemilia doubtlessly regaling Harry with tales of the Marauders' exploits at school. He wondered if he should regret telling her some of them, but brushed it off.
"Professor?" he said to Dumbledore.
"Yes, Remus?" Dumbledore replied. He was wearing vivid purple robes decorated with shooting stars and a violent fuchsia hat. Lucky this place has been made Unplottable for the day, Remus thought, or the neighbours really would have something to say.
"I was wondering…"
"If you could tell Harry about Sirius?"
Remus nodded. "Yes. I think he has a right to know."
Dumbledore sighed. "Harry had a right to know many things which I did not see fit to tell him until last year." He paused for a moment, looking contemplative. "Yes, I think you might tell him. I think we owe him that much."
Remus's face broke into a grin. "Thankyou, Professor."
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Just make sure you tell him not to get his hopes up too high."
"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"
*
"Um, hi Uncle Vernon," Harry said weakly from where he sat beside Aemilia.
Vernon's face was so round and purple it looked like a giant grape. "BOY!"
Remus folded his arms on his chest. "I believe you will find, Dursley," he said from between his teeth, "that none of this was Harry's fault at all."
"WHOSE RUDDY FAULT IS IT, THEN, IF IT'S NOT HIS!?"
If we get lucky, Remus thought, he just might explode.
"Mine."
Aemilia stood up and marched over to Vernon. They were so close together their noses were practically touching.
"This boy," she hissed, "has never had a birthday party in his life. I don't believe you've bothered to remember his birthday for several years."
"He should be grateful he's got a place to live AT ALL!" Vernon roared.
"Protego," Aemilia said calmly, and Vernon's spit ricocheted back into his face. He spluttered indignantly.
Harry looked uncertain. "Er… Professor Dumbledore? Don't you think it would be better if you all -"
"- left?" Dumbledore smiled. "Oh no, Harry, I don't think that. I don't think that at all."
"This party was my idea," Aemilia told Vernon, "and I will bear full responsibility. And you - well, you can fly to Mars on a thestral for all I care."
Vernon's face, if possible, turned even more purple. "I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW -"
"Vernon!" Petunia hissed from inside. "The neighbours can hear you!"
"They can't see or hear us," Aemilia told him cheerfully. "Little charm we put on the place for the day. But you… you'll be getting some very strange enquiries, I think. Isn't talking to yourself the first sign of madness?"
Vernon's eye twitched. "I'll find some way to make you pay!" he hissed, before marching back inside to raucous cheering from the magical folk gathered outside.
Remus, after a few moments, went and tapped Harry on the arm. "Harry," he said under his breath, "I need to talk to you."
*
Harry followed Remus a little way away from the rest of the party. "What is it, Professor Lupin?"
"Remus, Harry," Remus corrected him.
"Remus, then." Harry's face clouded over. "Nothing bad has happened, has it?"
Remus smiled. "No. Quite the opposite, really."
Harry's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Really?"
"Before I do, Harry," Remus said, "Dumbledore said to warn you not to get your hopes up."
Harry nodded. "All right."
"You remember…" Remus gulped. How was he going to phrase this. "…the Department of Mysteries?"
Harry suddenly became very interested in his hands. "Yeah."
"You remember the veil?"
"Like I'm going to forget, Prof - Remus."
"Well," Remus said slowly, "we have reason to believe that Sirius is still alive behind the veil."
There was a moment of silence as Harry sat, stunned. "Still - alive?"
Remus smiled warmly. "That's what I said."
"But - but I thought it was the wizard version of the death penalty, or something like that!"
"Why would we need a death penalty?" Remus asked. "We have Azkaban, and you have to agree that Azkaban is worse than death." He sighed. "No… the veil is the result of Unspeakables playing with death. Sirius told us that he thinks it's a collapse of part of the wall of the Void."
He expected Harry to ask something like 'What is the Void?' but Harry had clearly caught the important part in his sentence. "Sirius told you?"
Remus grinned. "I talked to him."
"You talked to him?" Harry's face was white with a mixture of shock and excitement. "Can I? Let's go!"
"No, Harry," Remus said gently. "Not today, anyway."
Harry was still grinning. "Professor Snape will be angry!"
"Why?" Remus asked.
"Well… he hates Sirius, doesn't he? It would absolutely kill him to see his worst enemy back from the dead." There was a thought in Harry's eyes. "Professor - I mean, Remus - why does Snape hate Sirius so much?"
"Well," Remus said carefully, "you've heard the story -"
"- about the trick and the Whomping Willow and stuff, but…" Harry looked as if he were tyring to find the right words, "- there's something more. Isn't there?"
Remus sighed. "Yes, Harry. Yes, there is." He took a deep breath. "When we were all in our seventh year - me and Sirius and Snape and your mum and dad, that is - there was this girl in sixth year."
"What was her name?"
"Regina," Remus replied. "Anyway, Snape was already all bitter and twisted - and Merlin only knows that he hated your dad even more than he already had before, not only because of the life debt, but because James was happy. He had Lily."
Harry looked aghast. "Snape wanted to go out with my mum?"
"No, no!" Remus laughed. "Anyway, I had Aemilia, and your dad had your mum, and all seemed right - until Sirius decided he wanted a girlfriend too."
"And he chose this - Regina girl?" Harry asked.
"Yes he did," Remus replied. "Regina was a beautiful girl, Harry. She had long brown hair, but when the sun caught it, it would bring out these glorious hints of gold. She was terribly clever, too. And wherever she went… she'd exude this sort of - well, I guess you'd call it serenity."
Remus could see the wheels turning over in Harry's mind. "But Snape -"
"For the longest time, Regina and Snape would fight in the hallways and argue, and that sort of thing," Remus answered. "She was brilliant at Potions, you see, and Snape was jealous. But in our seventh year… well, it became evident that he liked Regina, and liked her a lot more than a friend."
"And that's the reason!" Harry breathed. "They both liked the same girl!"
Remus nodded. "Yes, they did." He smiled, remembering. "I beat Snape up when I found out he was after Regina."
Harry looked perplexed. "Shouldn't… Sirius have done that?"
"Oh, I'm sure he did too," Remus replied. "But you've got to understand, Harry… I loved that girl more than life itself."
Now Harry looked really confused. "But Professor… what about Aemilia?"
Remus laughed. "I'm forgetting you don't know, Harry."
"Know what?"
Remus looked at him piercingly with his grey-green eyes. "Regina," he said slowly, "was my sister."
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Next chapter… what has happened to Sirius?
