A man with light chestnut hair, which despite his young age, had began to speckle with gray and sparkling light blue eyes peered through the bedroom door at the raven haired boy sleeping peacefully under a worn red comforter. The boys face was smushed against his pillow; he groaned, mumbling something about a thong before rolling onto his back.
The man watching saw this as a moment to strike—he slid through the door carrying the heavy cauldron, a smile playing across the man's lips. Standing above the bed, he slowly raised the cauldron over the sleeping boy. The man held his breath and quickly tipped it, allowing the contents to cascade down onto the boy.
The boy jumped up with a scream, knocking down the man as he jumped away from his sopping bed.
"What the hell?" the boy hollered, shaking the liquid from his hair and wiping his eyes. He fumbled to the nightstand at the side of his bed and put on his glasses.
"Remus?" he asked incredulously, "That was you?"
The man laughed heartily. "When I was your age, I dumped much worse things on your father and Sirius."
The two heard a rushing of feet against the hardwood floors as several Weasleys and Hermione burst in, brandishing their wands. Aunt Petunia stood a few steps behind them.
"What was that scream?" Mrs. Weasley asked, examining the werewolf and the soaking wet boy.
"It was nothing Molly," said Remus from the hardwood floor, a stupid grin spread across his lips. "Harry was just a bit surprised by my methods of waking him."
"Remus, your smiling. I haven't seen that in awhile." Molly said. Her defensive stance quickly softened into her normal motherly state.
"Yes, yes I'm smiling now shoo! Me and Harry have to plot mischief… erm activities for today." Remus said from his spot on the floor.
Mrs. Weasley eyed the man, who still remained on the floor. "What exactly are you planning?"
"I was just going to take him to Diagon Alley to get his school supplies." He smiled sweetly at Molly, knowing she would believe him.
"I was going to head to Diagon Alley tomorrow to pick up school supplies for Ron and Ginny. If you make a list, I would be glad to pick up anything Harry needed," Molly offered.
"No, no Molly," blurted Remus. "Wouldn't want you to throw out your back carrying all of those extra books. Plus, Harry really needs to go and get measured for school robes. It's best he was there to do that."
"Remus! I have had up to five kids enrolled in Hogwarts at a time. I think an extra set of books wouldn't bog me down to much. If you'd like, I can easily take Harry's measurements here instead of making him go out," Molly argued.
Remus quickly racked his brain for an excuse to get Harry out of the house. "I promised Harry I would take him out for ice cream! He was deprived of sweets when he was with the Dursleys and I thought it would be a nice treat… to reward his hard work and getting such high grades on his O.W.L.S. It would also be a nice retreat after… You know… Sirius." Remus lowered his head slightly as he mentioned the name.
Molly's eagerness dissipated. She smiled softly back at Remus. "I'll go make you two a quick breakfast while you make your plans."
Mrs. Weasley shut the door, leaving Harry drenched and Remus smirking on the floor.
"We aren't really going to Diagon Alley, are we?" asked Harry.
"We will, eventually. I have to give you your birthday present first."
"But you already gave me a present," Harry said, a bit confused.
"Did you really think that I would just give you a lousy book on hexes and curses for your sixteenth birthday?" Remus' eyes lit up as he talked. He obviously had something special planned.
"Well I just assumed…" Harry muttered.
"Now get dressed in something comfortable and meet me downstairs. We'll get something to eat and apperate out. Just make sure you don't mention detours from Diagon Alley to anyone."
They apparated into a clearing in a small wooded area. A smile spread across Remus' face. "Nothing's changed," he said, heading towards the wooded area.
Harry looked around him taking in the scenery. It wasn't anything spectacular but Remus seemed excited. He began to follow Remus into the wooded area. "Remus, where are we?" he asked.
"You'll see in a moment." The grin hadn't left the Werewolf's face. He led them down an overgrown path that looked as though it hadn't been used in years.
Soon the path broke, leading them out of the woods. Harry found himself standing in a well-kept yard, lined by the woods they had just exited. In the distance, a large mansion stood. Harry stood a moment taking in the scene behind him Remus announced, "Welcome to the Potter Residence of Godric's Hollow."
Harry spun quickly to face Remus. "Potter Residence? I thought that was destroyed when Voldemort killed my parents?"
The excited glint in Remus' eyes dimmed with the mention of the death of two of his best friends. "Your parents lived in Godric's Hollow, but not here. This is where your father grew up, but he and Lily decided to raise you elsewhere." A sad smile spread across his face as he remembered his friend.
"James was so afraid he would lose you here. He of course knew all the mansion's secrets, he spent hours exploring as a child and as the Maurders we also spent hours finding places to hide and, well do things you'll never be permitted to do. But James was so afraid he'd somehow lose you in this place. He had wanted to start his family in a cozy spot with no secrets. James had kept so many secrets from his parents; they loved him, but at times were rather naive as to what their son was actually up to. He wanted that to be different with you, so they moved into a nice sized cottage on the other side of Godric's Hollow. That's where Voldemort attacked."
Harry solemnly nodded taking in the new information. No one had bothered to tell him anything of his intimate past. No one cared about much more than the fact he was the 'Boy Who Lived'. They hadn't cared that his family died the night he survived. They didn't care that he knew nothing of who he really was.
"So why are we here?" Harry asked, a bit curious that after all these years someone would share something like this with him.
"There's this place that we use to always come to. I wanted to take you there," Remus said as they walked along the forest's edge towards a small shed Harry hadn't noticed before.
"During the summers, we would disappear out here. Sometimes even during the school year. Some weekends we would risk disappearing for the day and fly out here on brooms. It was risky, but we were young and stupid. Even after we left Hogwarts, we would come out here to get away; it was just our little hiding place."
Remus stopped at the shed and reached for the doorknob. The knob let out an obnoxious chuckle when he tried to open it. "Dammit," Remus muttered. "Forgot we put a password on this." He tapped the door with his wand and said firmly, "Mr. Moony requests permission to enter."
"Mr. Moony is granted permission to enter," the door said, swinging open.
Remus grabbed the opened door and partially closed it. He tapped his wand against it again. "Mr. Moony gives Harry Potter full entry to the Marauder Hideaway upon identification. He is also permitted to give temporary admittance to no more than two friends at a time as long as he doesn't skip class to come here."
Opening the door again, Remus stepped into the shed. Harry remained standing outside, his eyes wide with shock. An arm reached out and grabbed Harry by the collar of his shirt and pulled him in. The door swung shut behind him.
With a muttered luminos, the entire shed lit up. It was much bigger than it had looked from the outside, sporting several couches and remnants of the teenagers who use to sneak away to it. The wooden walls were covered with provocative photos of witches sitting scantly clad on broomsticks, waving and winking to anyone who passed. There were several empty fire whiskey and butterbeer bottles laying about. They had to have been twenty years old.
"It's the same as I remember it," Remus said looking around. "Harry, welcome to the Marauder Hideaway. This is where the Marauders went when they needed to escape life. It's now yours to use."
"Like Dumbledore would let his precious weapon leave school grounds unattended," Harry's voice rose, visibly angry. He quickly caught himself and his voice softened to almost a whisper. "I'm sorry. I appreciate it, but it's not worth it. I'm Dumbledore's prisoner."
"Harry, we're working on Dumbledore. He wants to protect you, but I don't think he really knows how to do that." Remus sighed.
He wasn't to sure how to approach the entire topic with Harry. Everything had been so conflict ridden since the Order reformed over a year ago. In the past there was order; everyone agreed with what had to be done. This time there was something that created quite a lot of conflict. That something was Harry. In the past, the members had had to do whatever necessary to defeat Voldemort. When the prophecy was made, the Order knew it was important to protect Harry and Neville. It soon became obvious that Voldemort was after the Potter family, and the Order swore to protect them. That oath stayed in place until Voldemort's fall. Even after his fall, Harry remained under the protection of Dumbledore, but something changed: Harry grew older. Harry had reached a point in life where it was time to take hold of his own destiny; he couldn't keep letting people control his life. Thus there were conflicts within the Order of the Phoenix.
The Order was divided in halves--those who would permit Harry to join, and those who wanted Harry kept in the dark. In the end, Dumbledore had the most influence upon the Order, and Harry was left in the dark. The headmaster did lay down a promise to those who wished for Harry to join the order: he would slip Harry the information he needed. Obviously, Dumbledore told Harry nothing. It became apparent that the only useful information Harry knew was given to him the past summer when Sirius sat him down for a talk. Harry also knew tidbits from eavesdropping and from the Occlumency classes, but that was broken up and barely viable. He had no source of true information.
The summer after Harry's fifth year, more members pushed to give Harry information. Remus held the same idea he always held: tell Harry enough to stay safe. He didn't need to know about the gruesome aspects, but let him know the dangers that he faced. Remus never wanted Harry to join the Order of the Phoenix and Sirius stood by him in that decision. No sixteen year old could handle some of the things Order members faced. Many had difficulties handling some of the things themselves.
"I doubt anything would make me less than some weapon in this war. That's what he thinks I am. Muggle armies have big guns and tanks that they use against enemies. Wizards don't. They have Harry Fucking Potter." There was venom in Harry's voice as he spit out the last words.
Remus fell back in his chair, taken aback. He couldn't imagine all Harry was going through. No one suspected that the boy felt he was no more than a tool in the war. "Harry," he said softly, reaching out and setting his hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'm sorry you feel like that; I should have realized. I haven't been around lately, I've been moping and ignoring others."
The guilt for Sirius' death came rushing back to Harry. "You have a right to mope and be unhappy. You lost Sirius. Losing Sirius is enough to not even bother talking to me. If it weren't for me, Sirius wouldn't be dead."
"Harry," Remus said harshly. "When Sirius entered the Ministry of Magic, he knew he was taking the risk of being killed. We all knew that. It was just a risk we had to take. It was our duty to keep you and your classmates safe."
"That's what Tonks said. She told me that all Order members pledged to keep me safe," Harry growled. "Why me? Why couldn't it have been Neville, or someone else who could actually handle this!"
"Harry, I don't think anyone could handle this. I know I couldn't." Remus moved to the couch Harry was seated. "No one envies you, Harry, but I wish I could take away the burden."
"But you can't. I'm just alone in all of this." Harry grumbled, his anger slowly lifting.
"Your not alone; we are trying to help. Trying to ease things for you, but we just don't know what to do." Remus patted Harry's shoulder "If you need anything just ask."
Harry stared at the floor. "I've tried asking on occasion, but what am I told? 'No, Harry, it's too dangerous.' Do you think I enjoy being a prisoner in all of this?"
"Haven't you noticed Dumbledore's been trying to help you out? Trying to give you freedom?" Remus asked. "There was the shopping trip with Tonks and then the birthday party Tonks threw you." He paused. "Actually, I think a lot of that stuff has to do with Tonks. She has been adamant about getting you away from the Dursley's and out like a somewhat normal teenager. She really has guts, approaching Dumbledore when many of us assumed he was set in his ways."
Harry raised his eyes from the floor, unsure of what to say. Remus was right, but it still couldn't change everything that happened. It couldn't make up for it, either.
Remus broke the silence. "I think I have convinced Dumbledore to let you come here on occasion. And if I haven't, you can just show up anyways."
Harry's eyes widened with shock. "You mean you want me to run off? Put Dumbledore's little weapon in danger?"
"Harry, you need to be a teenager. If you are held back and kept imprisoned, you're going to end up like Sirius: breaking out and doing something stupid. I think Dumbledore is finally realizing that," Remus said, slumping back onto the couch. "It's not like I'll be putting you into too much danger anyways. There are several charms and things I'll teach you once your back at Hogwarts. After that, your free to come here when you need. Just no drinking and flying or anything really stupid like that."
Harry nodded recognizing the similarities between his situation and Sirius': both of them were Dumbledore's prisoners. Hopefully, the headmaster was learning from his mistakes. Suddenly, Harry froze as Remus' words registered in his head.
"Teach me when I am back at Hogwarts? What will you be doing there? You'll have the chance to teach me charms?"
Remus hesitated, searching for the right thing to say. "There has been talk of me helping out around Hogwarts a bit this year. Nothing official, though."
"Teaching?" Harry asked, raising his eyebrow.
"No, just helping." Remus said carefully. "Nothing is confirmed yet."
Harry looked at the man suspiciously, not knowing whether to believe him. "Well, it would be nice to see you around more…" he trailed off.
The two grew silent again. Harry began to look around the shed, his eyes scanning over everything. He was rather intrigued by the idea of escaping here. He was even more interested in the fact his father used to come to this spot. It was just another piece of his unknown past. Next to him sat Remus, fidgeting like a hyper three-year-old.
"Harry, now for your birthday present," the man said, fumbling with something in his pocket.
"What about the book? Access to Marauder Hideaway ?" Harry asked, surprised Remus had more for him.
Remus nodded and pulled something out of his pocket and setting the object delicately on his palm, he showed it to Harry. "This was your father's. He gave it to me for safe keeping years ago. When it was made evident that Voldemort was after your family, he was afraid he would lose his life. He gave things to those he trusted to give to you as you grew older."
Taking the ring gingerly in between his fingers, Harry inspected it. It was a beautifully cut ruby set in golden band. "Ohhh…" Harry breathed unable to form words. "I never expected to ever get something like this." Harry slipped on the ring and found that it fit perfectly.
"Harry, it's really not from me…" Remus' voice was filled with emotion. "I was just the keeper. Kind of like Dumbledore held onto your invisibility cloak. It's really from James."
"But you kept it safe for me. Thank you," Harry said.
"It's the least I could have done for James. He would be so proud of you, Harry. You have grown up to be an exceptional young man." Remus ruffled the boys hair. "He would be very proud."
"Thank you, Remus," Harry said again looking at the older man before pulling him into a hug.
Remus patted the boy's back and noticed something glint from around the boy's neck. "Harry, you never seemed like the necklace type."
"Oh, its just something I got from Luna. It's a bit odd really, but there's something about it that makes me want to wear it." Harry said, explaining the necklace around his neck.
The werewolf told the vile into his hand carefully running his fingers over it. "I would wear this when possible Harry. There's a lot of magic in it. Luna gave you something truly special."
Harry remained silent as he fingered the necklace. He carefully stuck it back in his shirt. Remus rose from the couch and dusted off his pants. "We better get to Diagon Alley and pick up your supplies and robes. Molly will throw a fit that we've been out too long."
"I don't need robes, though I picked those up when I went out with Tonks," Harry said, grinning
"Oh," Remus paled. "Maybe she'll forget we had to pick up robes."
"It's Mrs. Weasley. She doesn't forget anything." Harry said smirking at Remus. "Your gonna be in trouble…"
"I'll find some excuse, but we should also hurry so you can save Hermione from your cousin." A wide grin spread across Remus' face.
"What did Dudley do to her?" Harry asked, growing defensive. "If he even touched her I'll hex him so hard Uncle Vernon will feel it!"
"Nothing like that Harry, nothing at all," Remus said, chuckling at Harry's readiness to protect his friend. "He just came down to the table this morning, saw her sitting there, squeaked in surprise, and spent most of breakfast staring at her, drooling. I think it might be a good weight loss technique for him."
Harry shook his head, trying to stifle his laughter. "We better hurry. Poor Hermione."
----------------------------
Authors Note:
I am sooooo sorry for not getting this out sooner. I have had this HUGE mental block that hasn't been pleasant at all. Things got rough especially when it came to this chapter. I was having so many issues writing a slightly angsty Harry. I just don't feel like I have any talent with that.
If anyone feels like talking fanfic or anything fun like that with me you can PM me on AIM at CasiListen or Yahoo on AngelofMusicc. I love talking fanfic. One of the girls who really pushed me to write this story and keep it up. She also helped me out so much moved a bit ago and hasn't had a lot of internet access. Since that my mind tends to get to mush and I can't figure out where I want to take things.
On an end note thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed. It's just mind boggling that people actually like my story. It took a lot of convincing from my friend I mentioned above to actually post this story. Special thanks to Merry my beta.
--casi
The man watching saw this as a moment to strike—he slid through the door carrying the heavy cauldron, a smile playing across the man's lips. Standing above the bed, he slowly raised the cauldron over the sleeping boy. The man held his breath and quickly tipped it, allowing the contents to cascade down onto the boy.
The boy jumped up with a scream, knocking down the man as he jumped away from his sopping bed.
"What the hell?" the boy hollered, shaking the liquid from his hair and wiping his eyes. He fumbled to the nightstand at the side of his bed and put on his glasses.
"Remus?" he asked incredulously, "That was you?"
The man laughed heartily. "When I was your age, I dumped much worse things on your father and Sirius."
The two heard a rushing of feet against the hardwood floors as several Weasleys and Hermione burst in, brandishing their wands. Aunt Petunia stood a few steps behind them.
"What was that scream?" Mrs. Weasley asked, examining the werewolf and the soaking wet boy.
"It was nothing Molly," said Remus from the hardwood floor, a stupid grin spread across his lips. "Harry was just a bit surprised by my methods of waking him."
"Remus, your smiling. I haven't seen that in awhile." Molly said. Her defensive stance quickly softened into her normal motherly state.
"Yes, yes I'm smiling now shoo! Me and Harry have to plot mischief… erm activities for today." Remus said from his spot on the floor.
Mrs. Weasley eyed the man, who still remained on the floor. "What exactly are you planning?"
"I was just going to take him to Diagon Alley to get his school supplies." He smiled sweetly at Molly, knowing she would believe him.
"I was going to head to Diagon Alley tomorrow to pick up school supplies for Ron and Ginny. If you make a list, I would be glad to pick up anything Harry needed," Molly offered.
"No, no Molly," blurted Remus. "Wouldn't want you to throw out your back carrying all of those extra books. Plus, Harry really needs to go and get measured for school robes. It's best he was there to do that."
"Remus! I have had up to five kids enrolled in Hogwarts at a time. I think an extra set of books wouldn't bog me down to much. If you'd like, I can easily take Harry's measurements here instead of making him go out," Molly argued.
Remus quickly racked his brain for an excuse to get Harry out of the house. "I promised Harry I would take him out for ice cream! He was deprived of sweets when he was with the Dursleys and I thought it would be a nice treat… to reward his hard work and getting such high grades on his O.W.L.S. It would also be a nice retreat after… You know… Sirius." Remus lowered his head slightly as he mentioned the name.
Molly's eagerness dissipated. She smiled softly back at Remus. "I'll go make you two a quick breakfast while you make your plans."
Mrs. Weasley shut the door, leaving Harry drenched and Remus smirking on the floor.
"We aren't really going to Diagon Alley, are we?" asked Harry.
"We will, eventually. I have to give you your birthday present first."
"But you already gave me a present," Harry said, a bit confused.
"Did you really think that I would just give you a lousy book on hexes and curses for your sixteenth birthday?" Remus' eyes lit up as he talked. He obviously had something special planned.
"Well I just assumed…" Harry muttered.
"Now get dressed in something comfortable and meet me downstairs. We'll get something to eat and apperate out. Just make sure you don't mention detours from Diagon Alley to anyone."
They apparated into a clearing in a small wooded area. A smile spread across Remus' face. "Nothing's changed," he said, heading towards the wooded area.
Harry looked around him taking in the scenery. It wasn't anything spectacular but Remus seemed excited. He began to follow Remus into the wooded area. "Remus, where are we?" he asked.
"You'll see in a moment." The grin hadn't left the Werewolf's face. He led them down an overgrown path that looked as though it hadn't been used in years.
Soon the path broke, leading them out of the woods. Harry found himself standing in a well-kept yard, lined by the woods they had just exited. In the distance, a large mansion stood. Harry stood a moment taking in the scene behind him Remus announced, "Welcome to the Potter Residence of Godric's Hollow."
Harry spun quickly to face Remus. "Potter Residence? I thought that was destroyed when Voldemort killed my parents?"
The excited glint in Remus' eyes dimmed with the mention of the death of two of his best friends. "Your parents lived in Godric's Hollow, but not here. This is where your father grew up, but he and Lily decided to raise you elsewhere." A sad smile spread across his face as he remembered his friend.
"James was so afraid he would lose you here. He of course knew all the mansion's secrets, he spent hours exploring as a child and as the Maurders we also spent hours finding places to hide and, well do things you'll never be permitted to do. But James was so afraid he'd somehow lose you in this place. He had wanted to start his family in a cozy spot with no secrets. James had kept so many secrets from his parents; they loved him, but at times were rather naive as to what their son was actually up to. He wanted that to be different with you, so they moved into a nice sized cottage on the other side of Godric's Hollow. That's where Voldemort attacked."
Harry solemnly nodded taking in the new information. No one had bothered to tell him anything of his intimate past. No one cared about much more than the fact he was the 'Boy Who Lived'. They hadn't cared that his family died the night he survived. They didn't care that he knew nothing of who he really was.
"So why are we here?" Harry asked, a bit curious that after all these years someone would share something like this with him.
"There's this place that we use to always come to. I wanted to take you there," Remus said as they walked along the forest's edge towards a small shed Harry hadn't noticed before.
"During the summers, we would disappear out here. Sometimes even during the school year. Some weekends we would risk disappearing for the day and fly out here on brooms. It was risky, but we were young and stupid. Even after we left Hogwarts, we would come out here to get away; it was just our little hiding place."
Remus stopped at the shed and reached for the doorknob. The knob let out an obnoxious chuckle when he tried to open it. "Dammit," Remus muttered. "Forgot we put a password on this." He tapped the door with his wand and said firmly, "Mr. Moony requests permission to enter."
"Mr. Moony is granted permission to enter," the door said, swinging open.
Remus grabbed the opened door and partially closed it. He tapped his wand against it again. "Mr. Moony gives Harry Potter full entry to the Marauder Hideaway upon identification. He is also permitted to give temporary admittance to no more than two friends at a time as long as he doesn't skip class to come here."
Opening the door again, Remus stepped into the shed. Harry remained standing outside, his eyes wide with shock. An arm reached out and grabbed Harry by the collar of his shirt and pulled him in. The door swung shut behind him.
With a muttered luminos, the entire shed lit up. It was much bigger than it had looked from the outside, sporting several couches and remnants of the teenagers who use to sneak away to it. The wooden walls were covered with provocative photos of witches sitting scantly clad on broomsticks, waving and winking to anyone who passed. There were several empty fire whiskey and butterbeer bottles laying about. They had to have been twenty years old.
"It's the same as I remember it," Remus said looking around. "Harry, welcome to the Marauder Hideaway. This is where the Marauders went when they needed to escape life. It's now yours to use."
"Like Dumbledore would let his precious weapon leave school grounds unattended," Harry's voice rose, visibly angry. He quickly caught himself and his voice softened to almost a whisper. "I'm sorry. I appreciate it, but it's not worth it. I'm Dumbledore's prisoner."
"Harry, we're working on Dumbledore. He wants to protect you, but I don't think he really knows how to do that." Remus sighed.
He wasn't to sure how to approach the entire topic with Harry. Everything had been so conflict ridden since the Order reformed over a year ago. In the past there was order; everyone agreed with what had to be done. This time there was something that created quite a lot of conflict. That something was Harry. In the past, the members had had to do whatever necessary to defeat Voldemort. When the prophecy was made, the Order knew it was important to protect Harry and Neville. It soon became obvious that Voldemort was after the Potter family, and the Order swore to protect them. That oath stayed in place until Voldemort's fall. Even after his fall, Harry remained under the protection of Dumbledore, but something changed: Harry grew older. Harry had reached a point in life where it was time to take hold of his own destiny; he couldn't keep letting people control his life. Thus there were conflicts within the Order of the Phoenix.
The Order was divided in halves--those who would permit Harry to join, and those who wanted Harry kept in the dark. In the end, Dumbledore had the most influence upon the Order, and Harry was left in the dark. The headmaster did lay down a promise to those who wished for Harry to join the order: he would slip Harry the information he needed. Obviously, Dumbledore told Harry nothing. It became apparent that the only useful information Harry knew was given to him the past summer when Sirius sat him down for a talk. Harry also knew tidbits from eavesdropping and from the Occlumency classes, but that was broken up and barely viable. He had no source of true information.
The summer after Harry's fifth year, more members pushed to give Harry information. Remus held the same idea he always held: tell Harry enough to stay safe. He didn't need to know about the gruesome aspects, but let him know the dangers that he faced. Remus never wanted Harry to join the Order of the Phoenix and Sirius stood by him in that decision. No sixteen year old could handle some of the things Order members faced. Many had difficulties handling some of the things themselves.
"I doubt anything would make me less than some weapon in this war. That's what he thinks I am. Muggle armies have big guns and tanks that they use against enemies. Wizards don't. They have Harry Fucking Potter." There was venom in Harry's voice as he spit out the last words.
Remus fell back in his chair, taken aback. He couldn't imagine all Harry was going through. No one suspected that the boy felt he was no more than a tool in the war. "Harry," he said softly, reaching out and setting his hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'm sorry you feel like that; I should have realized. I haven't been around lately, I've been moping and ignoring others."
The guilt for Sirius' death came rushing back to Harry. "You have a right to mope and be unhappy. You lost Sirius. Losing Sirius is enough to not even bother talking to me. If it weren't for me, Sirius wouldn't be dead."
"Harry," Remus said harshly. "When Sirius entered the Ministry of Magic, he knew he was taking the risk of being killed. We all knew that. It was just a risk we had to take. It was our duty to keep you and your classmates safe."
"That's what Tonks said. She told me that all Order members pledged to keep me safe," Harry growled. "Why me? Why couldn't it have been Neville, or someone else who could actually handle this!"
"Harry, I don't think anyone could handle this. I know I couldn't." Remus moved to the couch Harry was seated. "No one envies you, Harry, but I wish I could take away the burden."
"But you can't. I'm just alone in all of this." Harry grumbled, his anger slowly lifting.
"Your not alone; we are trying to help. Trying to ease things for you, but we just don't know what to do." Remus patted Harry's shoulder "If you need anything just ask."
Harry stared at the floor. "I've tried asking on occasion, but what am I told? 'No, Harry, it's too dangerous.' Do you think I enjoy being a prisoner in all of this?"
"Haven't you noticed Dumbledore's been trying to help you out? Trying to give you freedom?" Remus asked. "There was the shopping trip with Tonks and then the birthday party Tonks threw you." He paused. "Actually, I think a lot of that stuff has to do with Tonks. She has been adamant about getting you away from the Dursley's and out like a somewhat normal teenager. She really has guts, approaching Dumbledore when many of us assumed he was set in his ways."
Harry raised his eyes from the floor, unsure of what to say. Remus was right, but it still couldn't change everything that happened. It couldn't make up for it, either.
Remus broke the silence. "I think I have convinced Dumbledore to let you come here on occasion. And if I haven't, you can just show up anyways."
Harry's eyes widened with shock. "You mean you want me to run off? Put Dumbledore's little weapon in danger?"
"Harry, you need to be a teenager. If you are held back and kept imprisoned, you're going to end up like Sirius: breaking out and doing something stupid. I think Dumbledore is finally realizing that," Remus said, slumping back onto the couch. "It's not like I'll be putting you into too much danger anyways. There are several charms and things I'll teach you once your back at Hogwarts. After that, your free to come here when you need. Just no drinking and flying or anything really stupid like that."
Harry nodded recognizing the similarities between his situation and Sirius': both of them were Dumbledore's prisoners. Hopefully, the headmaster was learning from his mistakes. Suddenly, Harry froze as Remus' words registered in his head.
"Teach me when I am back at Hogwarts? What will you be doing there? You'll have the chance to teach me charms?"
Remus hesitated, searching for the right thing to say. "There has been talk of me helping out around Hogwarts a bit this year. Nothing official, though."
"Teaching?" Harry asked, raising his eyebrow.
"No, just helping." Remus said carefully. "Nothing is confirmed yet."
Harry looked at the man suspiciously, not knowing whether to believe him. "Well, it would be nice to see you around more…" he trailed off.
The two grew silent again. Harry began to look around the shed, his eyes scanning over everything. He was rather intrigued by the idea of escaping here. He was even more interested in the fact his father used to come to this spot. It was just another piece of his unknown past. Next to him sat Remus, fidgeting like a hyper three-year-old.
"Harry, now for your birthday present," the man said, fumbling with something in his pocket.
"What about the book? Access to Marauder Hideaway ?" Harry asked, surprised Remus had more for him.
Remus nodded and pulled something out of his pocket and setting the object delicately on his palm, he showed it to Harry. "This was your father's. He gave it to me for safe keeping years ago. When it was made evident that Voldemort was after your family, he was afraid he would lose his life. He gave things to those he trusted to give to you as you grew older."
Taking the ring gingerly in between his fingers, Harry inspected it. It was a beautifully cut ruby set in golden band. "Ohhh…" Harry breathed unable to form words. "I never expected to ever get something like this." Harry slipped on the ring and found that it fit perfectly.
"Harry, it's really not from me…" Remus' voice was filled with emotion. "I was just the keeper. Kind of like Dumbledore held onto your invisibility cloak. It's really from James."
"But you kept it safe for me. Thank you," Harry said.
"It's the least I could have done for James. He would be so proud of you, Harry. You have grown up to be an exceptional young man." Remus ruffled the boys hair. "He would be very proud."
"Thank you, Remus," Harry said again looking at the older man before pulling him into a hug.
Remus patted the boy's back and noticed something glint from around the boy's neck. "Harry, you never seemed like the necklace type."
"Oh, its just something I got from Luna. It's a bit odd really, but there's something about it that makes me want to wear it." Harry said, explaining the necklace around his neck.
The werewolf told the vile into his hand carefully running his fingers over it. "I would wear this when possible Harry. There's a lot of magic in it. Luna gave you something truly special."
Harry remained silent as he fingered the necklace. He carefully stuck it back in his shirt. Remus rose from the couch and dusted off his pants. "We better get to Diagon Alley and pick up your supplies and robes. Molly will throw a fit that we've been out too long."
"I don't need robes, though I picked those up when I went out with Tonks," Harry said, grinning
"Oh," Remus paled. "Maybe she'll forget we had to pick up robes."
"It's Mrs. Weasley. She doesn't forget anything." Harry said smirking at Remus. "Your gonna be in trouble…"
"I'll find some excuse, but we should also hurry so you can save Hermione from your cousin." A wide grin spread across Remus' face.
"What did Dudley do to her?" Harry asked, growing defensive. "If he even touched her I'll hex him so hard Uncle Vernon will feel it!"
"Nothing like that Harry, nothing at all," Remus said, chuckling at Harry's readiness to protect his friend. "He just came down to the table this morning, saw her sitting there, squeaked in surprise, and spent most of breakfast staring at her, drooling. I think it might be a good weight loss technique for him."
Harry shook his head, trying to stifle his laughter. "We better hurry. Poor Hermione."
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Authors Note:
I am sooooo sorry for not getting this out sooner. I have had this HUGE mental block that hasn't been pleasant at all. Things got rough especially when it came to this chapter. I was having so many issues writing a slightly angsty Harry. I just don't feel like I have any talent with that.
If anyone feels like talking fanfic or anything fun like that with me you can PM me on AIM at CasiListen or Yahoo on AngelofMusicc. I love talking fanfic. One of the girls who really pushed me to write this story and keep it up. She also helped me out so much moved a bit ago and hasn't had a lot of internet access. Since that my mind tends to get to mush and I can't figure out where I want to take things.
On an end note thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed. It's just mind boggling that people actually like my story. It took a lot of convincing from my friend I mentioned above to actually post this story. Special thanks to Merry my beta.
--casi