Disclaimer: This is purely a writing exercise borrowing the background and
characters from the Harry Potter series by J.K Rowlings. The only profit I
hope to make is my own personal satisfaction.
***
Summary: Summer after 5th year, Harry enters the adult world. He learns to trust, himself and others, as the war approaches and chaos reigns. (not slash) (hp/?)(hg/rw)
Chapter 3: The Cowardly Wolf and Other Stories
A gray dawn broke over Little Whinging, Surrey. The air was damp and warm, heralding a hot and humid day. It was a normal summer morning in England. Traffic hadn't started yet except for the milk man's van and a couple of other cars. In the early morning quiet, a white shadow ghosted along the tree tops. It was a beautiful white owl returning to her sleeping place after a successful night's hunt. If some one had followed that owl they would have probably been very surprised to see it go through the open window of 4 Privet Drive. But, no one was looking. The only person awake at the moment was watching a werewolf.
Alastor, Mad-Eye Moody focused his magical eye on the solitary figure walking up the street. The eye scanned the bowed head and the hunched shoulders of the werewolf. Satisfied with his scrutiny, Moody's magic eye spun away to a different direction, while the real eye stayed focused on Remus Lupin. He wrapped the invisibility cloak around himself tightly, and with a gentle tread for one with a stump for a leg, he made his way towards Remus. The werewolf looked up in the direction of the footfalls. A slight breeze whispered, 'Moody' to his animal senses. Even without, the olfactory input, Remus had heard the old auror's distinctive foot steps. Moody's scarred face appeared from the folds of the cloak, and with a motion he beckoned Remus to follow him behind one of the nicely trimmed hedges.
After checking his surroundings once again with the wildly swiveling magical eye, the old auror stepped out of his cloak. Alastor Moody had always shared a special connection to the werewolf. The two had a long and shared past. Looking quizzically at Remus, Moody enquired, "So what are you doing here so early? I thought Mundungus was supposed to relieve me in three hours or so."
"Dumbledore sent me. I am to move in with Mrs. Figg for a while. He thinks I need a break from regular duty. I will probably take over most of the 'watching' from now on."
"Hmmph! Well you need a break kid. Truth to be told, I think I am pleased by Albus' decision. It will do you and the boy a world of good to be together for a while." Moody's craggy face was split by a smile.
"Don't know what I can do Moody," replied a morose Remus.
"Don't walk away this time kid. You know what you have to do. It will be good for you both."
Remus nodded.
"Well, I think I will wait out my turn here till I hear word from Albus. You go get settled in."
***
Harry woke with a start. He had overslept, but that wasn't surprising considering the fact that Fawkes had decided to take him via the scenic route on the way back. It had been almost three in the morning before, the adrenaline rush from the flying quieted down enough for Harry to be able to sleep. Harry reached for his glasses with a smile. Fawkes was definitely the most wonderful creature in the world.
By the time he was done with his self assigned morning chores, Harry's good mood had evaporated. Somehow, somewhere, his thoughts always returned to Sirius. He spent the afternoon shut in his room. His staring contest with the wall was finally broken by the sounds of a loud argument between Dudley and Aunt Petunia. Sighing to himself, he picked up the unopened letter from Ginny. It was rather what he expected. People were concerned about him and he really did appreciate their concern. It was just that he didn't have any answers yet. He decided to write to his friends later. He still had to start on his Occlumency first.
Harry was quite puzzled. The book Dumbledore had asked him to read did not so much as mention Occlumency once. It was a book on meditation techniques. That made sense in a way he guessed, but it was very different from what he knew about Occlumency. He tried to do some of the exercises described in the book, but his mind kept wandering off. Frustrated, he decided to give it a rest. Putting Findlay's text aside, he started to go through the other books.
One was a dusty old tome about magical theory. There were a couple of books on Defense against the Dark Arts. There was also a book on wizarding culture and history. The last seemed the most appealing of the lot. Harry had caught a small glimpse of the wizarding culture and history when he was at the Headquarters last summer. However, he really knew next to nothing about it. Making up his mind, he opened up the book and started reading.
It was dinner time before Harry could put the book down. Unlike Hermione, he had never liked History, but thankfully, the book was well written with tons of anecdotes to put things in perspective. Glancing at his alarm clock, Harry decided to join the Dursley's for dinner. As usual, dinner was a rather tense affair. The food was blander than bland, and of course, the company left a lot to be desired. Uncle Vernon was alternating between shooting hateful glances at Harry and protecting his food from Dudley's grasping hands. Finishing up his boiled carrots, Harry excused himself and washed his own dish
The air was still sullen outside. It was going to be an uncomfortable night to sleep. The overcast sky promised rain and relief, but refused to deliver. However, it was still better to be outside than in. Harry was itching to go for a long walk, but he had made a promise. Sitting on the steps he idly wondered about the possible solutions to the issue. Dumbledore could expand the protections, or could he not? Maybe he would let Harry go back to Hogwarts. Clearing his head, Harry decided to try and practice meditation once again. He found a more comfortable and private spot behind the laurel bush. It was a small corner with a thick growth of grass. The landscaping company that took care of the lawn, obviously wasn't too thorough in its mowing. Settling down, he tried to clear his mind. Unfortunately, a cricket started chirping nearby. That was annoying! After about ten minutes of trying to ignore the chirps, Harry gave up. Instead of going back inside, however, he decided to stay in his nice corner for a bit longer. The best thing about the summer was the smells. The warm, humid air carried the scents from the thousands of blooming flowers in the neighborhood. It was rather relaxing. Even the crickets rhythmic chirping was less annoying now that he wasn't trying to concentrate. Thoughts, ideas, and emotions were flickering by in his head, but even their pace was slowing down. For a while, there was nothing, just a silence punctuated by the rhythmic throbbing of his heart. Suddenly with a jerk, Harry jumped up. A genuine smile of wonder crossed his face. Had he been actually meditating? All the signs had been there, and he even felt refreshed. Noticing that the lights were out in the house, he figured he had lost track of time. It was with a smile on his face that Harry Potter made his way back to his room.
***
Remus Lupin was agitated. He had been watching Harry for the last hour or so. He finally had mustered enough courage to step out of his corner when suddenly Harry stood up. He watched as a wondrous smile crossed Harry's face. He watched as Harry crept across the lawn, opened the backdoor and slipped inside. He watched, but did not step forward.
'Yes you are a coward! You ran away after James and Lily died, and you are going to run away again.' It was the voice in his head, his conscience.
The truth or the half-truth hurt. He had run away from England because he was not a fit parent. He was a werewolf with no money, or prospects. He had no other choice. Did he? 'Did you even check once on Harry? You know he doesn't talk, but his home life was quite horrible. Don't you think you could have given him something better than what he got?' He had run away and every cowardly bone in his body was itching for flight again. He hadn't been able to stand in for James, fourteen years ago, and now he was supposed to replace Sirius?
Taking deep breaths, Remus collected himself. He nodded in the general direction of the 'watcher', Tonks, and slowly headed off towards Mrs Figgs smelly house. The walk calmed him down further. Yes, he could see why Harry needed to take walks.
He opened the door to his new temporary residence, and the smell of cabbages and cat litter hit him. Swallowing his gag reflex, he wandered into the kitchen for a cup of tea.
"Did you talk to him?" The gravelly voice caught him by surprise. It wasn't easy to surprise a werewolf, but Moody knew all the tricks.
Remus avoided eye contact and started heating the water.
"What are you afraid of, Kid? Afraid of yourself, eh?" Moody stood up and retrieved the milk from the cooler.
The old craggy auror and the werewolf sat down with their tea across the table from each other.
"How come you were waiting for me? Oh wait! Tonks must have told you about my little walk."
"Yes, the communication charm is working well. However, let's not get distracted here. Why kid? Why are you so afraid?"
Remus slumped forward in his chair. "Harry doesn't deserve a werewolf. I cannot replace his godfather. Dumbledore should be down here taking care of Harry."
"Don't think its all about Harry, kid. You both lost somebody dear, and you both need each other. Take it easy ye hear? Take the boy on his walks. Talk to him. Teach him. Be there, is all. You can do that can't ya? And stop giving me codswallop about being a werewolf! The boy needs a connection to his parents, and you are the last one standing yet. He doesn't need mollycoddlin', just an adult friend, he respects, who is willing to treat him as an equal. That boy's almost a man now. He has seen too much already to live like a child."
Remus nodded. The gruff old man had a heart of gold and some of the best people instincts he had ever encountered. One didn't survive that long as an Auror without being able to judge people. He remembered the uncertain times after his seventh year when he had been turned down for every job. He remembered how Moody, then recently retired, and running a private training academy for Auror School applicants, had decided to take him on as a personal student and as the instructor in physical training. It had worked out well for both of them. Remus owed most of his Defense Against the Dark arts skills to Moody. They had fought side by side in the First War, and grown close as mentor and pupil. Later, after the war, Moody had helped Remus find the job hunting dark creatures in Eastern Europe.
Moody growled as he looked at his watch. "It's late, kid. Get some sleep while you can. I think I will go surprise Tonks."
Remus couldn't help but chuckle. Tonks had been trying all year to make the old auror teach her more about the business. Remus suspected, that Moody was finally starting to like Tonks, if not for her stealth skills, but for her persistence. Unfortunately, Tonks had no clue what she was wishing for. Moody was a very hard task master. Remus murmured to himself, 'Best of luck Tonks.'
***
***
Summary: Summer after 5th year, Harry enters the adult world. He learns to trust, himself and others, as the war approaches and chaos reigns. (not slash) (hp/?)(hg/rw)
Chapter 3: The Cowardly Wolf and Other Stories
A gray dawn broke over Little Whinging, Surrey. The air was damp and warm, heralding a hot and humid day. It was a normal summer morning in England. Traffic hadn't started yet except for the milk man's van and a couple of other cars. In the early morning quiet, a white shadow ghosted along the tree tops. It was a beautiful white owl returning to her sleeping place after a successful night's hunt. If some one had followed that owl they would have probably been very surprised to see it go through the open window of 4 Privet Drive. But, no one was looking. The only person awake at the moment was watching a werewolf.
Alastor, Mad-Eye Moody focused his magical eye on the solitary figure walking up the street. The eye scanned the bowed head and the hunched shoulders of the werewolf. Satisfied with his scrutiny, Moody's magic eye spun away to a different direction, while the real eye stayed focused on Remus Lupin. He wrapped the invisibility cloak around himself tightly, and with a gentle tread for one with a stump for a leg, he made his way towards Remus. The werewolf looked up in the direction of the footfalls. A slight breeze whispered, 'Moody' to his animal senses. Even without, the olfactory input, Remus had heard the old auror's distinctive foot steps. Moody's scarred face appeared from the folds of the cloak, and with a motion he beckoned Remus to follow him behind one of the nicely trimmed hedges.
After checking his surroundings once again with the wildly swiveling magical eye, the old auror stepped out of his cloak. Alastor Moody had always shared a special connection to the werewolf. The two had a long and shared past. Looking quizzically at Remus, Moody enquired, "So what are you doing here so early? I thought Mundungus was supposed to relieve me in three hours or so."
"Dumbledore sent me. I am to move in with Mrs. Figg for a while. He thinks I need a break from regular duty. I will probably take over most of the 'watching' from now on."
"Hmmph! Well you need a break kid. Truth to be told, I think I am pleased by Albus' decision. It will do you and the boy a world of good to be together for a while." Moody's craggy face was split by a smile.
"Don't know what I can do Moody," replied a morose Remus.
"Don't walk away this time kid. You know what you have to do. It will be good for you both."
Remus nodded.
"Well, I think I will wait out my turn here till I hear word from Albus. You go get settled in."
***
Harry woke with a start. He had overslept, but that wasn't surprising considering the fact that Fawkes had decided to take him via the scenic route on the way back. It had been almost three in the morning before, the adrenaline rush from the flying quieted down enough for Harry to be able to sleep. Harry reached for his glasses with a smile. Fawkes was definitely the most wonderful creature in the world.
By the time he was done with his self assigned morning chores, Harry's good mood had evaporated. Somehow, somewhere, his thoughts always returned to Sirius. He spent the afternoon shut in his room. His staring contest with the wall was finally broken by the sounds of a loud argument between Dudley and Aunt Petunia. Sighing to himself, he picked up the unopened letter from Ginny. It was rather what he expected. People were concerned about him and he really did appreciate their concern. It was just that he didn't have any answers yet. He decided to write to his friends later. He still had to start on his Occlumency first.
Harry was quite puzzled. The book Dumbledore had asked him to read did not so much as mention Occlumency once. It was a book on meditation techniques. That made sense in a way he guessed, but it was very different from what he knew about Occlumency. He tried to do some of the exercises described in the book, but his mind kept wandering off. Frustrated, he decided to give it a rest. Putting Findlay's text aside, he started to go through the other books.
One was a dusty old tome about magical theory. There were a couple of books on Defense against the Dark Arts. There was also a book on wizarding culture and history. The last seemed the most appealing of the lot. Harry had caught a small glimpse of the wizarding culture and history when he was at the Headquarters last summer. However, he really knew next to nothing about it. Making up his mind, he opened up the book and started reading.
It was dinner time before Harry could put the book down. Unlike Hermione, he had never liked History, but thankfully, the book was well written with tons of anecdotes to put things in perspective. Glancing at his alarm clock, Harry decided to join the Dursley's for dinner. As usual, dinner was a rather tense affair. The food was blander than bland, and of course, the company left a lot to be desired. Uncle Vernon was alternating between shooting hateful glances at Harry and protecting his food from Dudley's grasping hands. Finishing up his boiled carrots, Harry excused himself and washed his own dish
The air was still sullen outside. It was going to be an uncomfortable night to sleep. The overcast sky promised rain and relief, but refused to deliver. However, it was still better to be outside than in. Harry was itching to go for a long walk, but he had made a promise. Sitting on the steps he idly wondered about the possible solutions to the issue. Dumbledore could expand the protections, or could he not? Maybe he would let Harry go back to Hogwarts. Clearing his head, Harry decided to try and practice meditation once again. He found a more comfortable and private spot behind the laurel bush. It was a small corner with a thick growth of grass. The landscaping company that took care of the lawn, obviously wasn't too thorough in its mowing. Settling down, he tried to clear his mind. Unfortunately, a cricket started chirping nearby. That was annoying! After about ten minutes of trying to ignore the chirps, Harry gave up. Instead of going back inside, however, he decided to stay in his nice corner for a bit longer. The best thing about the summer was the smells. The warm, humid air carried the scents from the thousands of blooming flowers in the neighborhood. It was rather relaxing. Even the crickets rhythmic chirping was less annoying now that he wasn't trying to concentrate. Thoughts, ideas, and emotions were flickering by in his head, but even their pace was slowing down. For a while, there was nothing, just a silence punctuated by the rhythmic throbbing of his heart. Suddenly with a jerk, Harry jumped up. A genuine smile of wonder crossed his face. Had he been actually meditating? All the signs had been there, and he even felt refreshed. Noticing that the lights were out in the house, he figured he had lost track of time. It was with a smile on his face that Harry Potter made his way back to his room.
***
Remus Lupin was agitated. He had been watching Harry for the last hour or so. He finally had mustered enough courage to step out of his corner when suddenly Harry stood up. He watched as a wondrous smile crossed Harry's face. He watched as Harry crept across the lawn, opened the backdoor and slipped inside. He watched, but did not step forward.
'Yes you are a coward! You ran away after James and Lily died, and you are going to run away again.' It was the voice in his head, his conscience.
The truth or the half-truth hurt. He had run away from England because he was not a fit parent. He was a werewolf with no money, or prospects. He had no other choice. Did he? 'Did you even check once on Harry? You know he doesn't talk, but his home life was quite horrible. Don't you think you could have given him something better than what he got?' He had run away and every cowardly bone in his body was itching for flight again. He hadn't been able to stand in for James, fourteen years ago, and now he was supposed to replace Sirius?
Taking deep breaths, Remus collected himself. He nodded in the general direction of the 'watcher', Tonks, and slowly headed off towards Mrs Figgs smelly house. The walk calmed him down further. Yes, he could see why Harry needed to take walks.
He opened the door to his new temporary residence, and the smell of cabbages and cat litter hit him. Swallowing his gag reflex, he wandered into the kitchen for a cup of tea.
"Did you talk to him?" The gravelly voice caught him by surprise. It wasn't easy to surprise a werewolf, but Moody knew all the tricks.
Remus avoided eye contact and started heating the water.
"What are you afraid of, Kid? Afraid of yourself, eh?" Moody stood up and retrieved the milk from the cooler.
The old craggy auror and the werewolf sat down with their tea across the table from each other.
"How come you were waiting for me? Oh wait! Tonks must have told you about my little walk."
"Yes, the communication charm is working well. However, let's not get distracted here. Why kid? Why are you so afraid?"
Remus slumped forward in his chair. "Harry doesn't deserve a werewolf. I cannot replace his godfather. Dumbledore should be down here taking care of Harry."
"Don't think its all about Harry, kid. You both lost somebody dear, and you both need each other. Take it easy ye hear? Take the boy on his walks. Talk to him. Teach him. Be there, is all. You can do that can't ya? And stop giving me codswallop about being a werewolf! The boy needs a connection to his parents, and you are the last one standing yet. He doesn't need mollycoddlin', just an adult friend, he respects, who is willing to treat him as an equal. That boy's almost a man now. He has seen too much already to live like a child."
Remus nodded. The gruff old man had a heart of gold and some of the best people instincts he had ever encountered. One didn't survive that long as an Auror without being able to judge people. He remembered the uncertain times after his seventh year when he had been turned down for every job. He remembered how Moody, then recently retired, and running a private training academy for Auror School applicants, had decided to take him on as a personal student and as the instructor in physical training. It had worked out well for both of them. Remus owed most of his Defense Against the Dark arts skills to Moody. They had fought side by side in the First War, and grown close as mentor and pupil. Later, after the war, Moody had helped Remus find the job hunting dark creatures in Eastern Europe.
Moody growled as he looked at his watch. "It's late, kid. Get some sleep while you can. I think I will go surprise Tonks."
Remus couldn't help but chuckle. Tonks had been trying all year to make the old auror teach her more about the business. Remus suspected, that Moody was finally starting to like Tonks, if not for her stealth skills, but for her persistence. Unfortunately, Tonks had no clue what she was wishing for. Moody was a very hard task master. Remus murmured to himself, 'Best of luck Tonks.'
***