A/N: People have wondered why Sirius returned Harry. All will be revealed later.

Chapter 4

Introductions

The sound of soft voices brought Harry out of his slumber. Opening his eyes, Harry was instantly blinded by brightness and had to close them again. He rolled over on his side and was shocked to find that he didn't feel any pain. Something wasn't right. Harry remembered his punishment. He remembered the pain. He remembered Midnight.

Harry's eyes opened again as he quickly sat up. Everything was a blur but he didn't care. Midnight was his dog no matter what anyone said. He needed to find Midnight and make sure the dog was all right.

Easier said than done. Harry was about to jump out of bed when those present in the room became aware of Harry's consciousness. He was still a little disoriented and not being able to see properly didn't help matters. Hands grabbed his upper arms, preventing him from leaving his bed while several others were saying words that didn't make any sense. It was as if they were speaking a completely different language to him.

Despite how illogical it appeared Harry kept fighting to break free of the strong hands holding him down until his body went limp and all of his will to fight left him. He suddenly felt exhausted but knew he couldn't fall asleep. He still needed to find Midnight.

"Harry?" a familiar voice called out through the haze of Harry's mind. It took the confused boy a long moment to figure out that it was Professor Dumbledore talking to him. "Harry, you need to stay calm. Do you understand?"

Slowly, Harry nodded as he tried to focus on the white blur that was Professor Dumbledore. He had so many questions but couldn't seem to gather enough strength to voice them. He wanted to know where they were but didn't really care as long as he was away from Privet Drive. He wanted to ask what had happened but had the strange feeling that he really didn't want to know.

There was, however, one thing Harry desperately wanted to know and could voice. "Where's Midnight?" he asked in a raspy voice.

A gently hand rested on the boy's forehead. "Who's Midnight, Harry?" Dumbledore asked softly but there was a definite edginess to the man's voice. It was almost like the old man feared whatever Harry's answer may be.

"My dog," Harry said nervously. He really didn't like where this was going. What if something had happened to Midnight, his one friend that he could tell anything? "Please…he was only trying to protect me from Uncle Vernon. D—did something happen to him?"

There was a brief silence which only increased Harry's anxiety. "Harry, we didn't take you away from your Aunt and Uncle," Dumbledore said carefully. "We will get to that later but first I was hoping you could explain why you needed a dog to protect you from your uncle."

Harry instantly looked away. How was he supposed to tell Dumbledore that he couldn't even stand up to his own Uncle when he had faced Voldemort multiple times? What if Dumbledore and everyone else agreed with the man who had declared Harry as nothing more than a worthless freak?

"Remus, Arthur, you may release him," Dumbledore said softly then handed over Harry's glasses and waited as the boy put them on. "Harry, please understand that we are not here to judge you. Despite what your uncle may have told you it is not right for an adult to strike a child. What I don't understand is why you never said anything to anyone."

Feeling ashamed more than anything else, Harry rolled over on his left side and pulled his knees to his chest. He buried his face into his knees and prayed that the three men would take the hint. He didn't want to talk about his uncle right now. He wanted to know if Midnight was all right. That was all that mattered right now.

"Dumbledore, if you don't mind, I would like a word with Harry," Lupin said softly. "There's plenty of time to question him when he's feeling a little stronger."

"Of course Remus," Professor Dumbledore said pleasantly. "I trust you will inform us on when that time arrives?"

Lupin nodded then took a seat at Harry's bedside as Dumbledore left followed by Mr. Weasley. It was then that Harry finally looked around and realized where he was: the hospital wing at Hogwarts. Harry was somewhat relieved and somewhat uneasy at this. He was glad that he wouldn't have people trying to seek in to the 'the-boy-who-lived' but why was he here instead of a regular hospital?

Remembering that he wasn't alone, Harry instantly grew nervous. Cautiously looking at his visitor, Harry noticed that the man called Remus was wearing an extremely shabby set of wizard's robes that had beenpatched in several places. He looked ill and exhausted but his face was certainly friendly. Though quite young, his light brown hair was flecked with gray.

"All right," Lupin said breaking the uncomfortable silence. "I'm not sure if you remember out meeting a few days ago. Your fever was quite high. My name is Remus Lupin. I'm the new Defense Against the Darks Arts teacher." Lupin cleared his throat. "I also knew your parents."

Harry stared at Lupin, his eyes begging for more information as he sat up. "You knew my parents?" he asked. The look of hope on his face could make even Professor Severus Snape crumble.

Lupin let out a laugh. "Quite well," he answered then turned serious. "I was friends with your father since our first year here. I also knew you when you were a baby. I realize I probably have no right but I was hoping you would let me get to know you again. I want to be your friend, Harry, if that's possible."

Harry was certainly shocked to say the least. He had never really had someone say they wanted to know him and not the-boy-who-lived. "Er—okay," he said uncertainly. "You'll tell me about my parents, right?"

"Of course," Lupin said with a smile. "We can trade off asking questions of you like and if I ask something you don't feel comfortable answering just tell me along with when you need a break. You were very ill and with your other injuries you need to take it slow for the next few days."

It sounded too good to be true. "You mean you're not going to force me to talk about my uncle?" Harry asked skeptically.

"Not if you don't want to," Lupin said sincerely. "This is not an interrogation. I believe many questions people currently have can be answered if we know more of who you are. I'll even start, all right?"

Harry nodded hesitantly, unsure of how act around a man who seemed so open and sincere. It suddenly hit Harry that this was his chance to really know the people his parents had been. You are the friends you keep.

"As I said my name is Remus," Lupin started off. "I'm the new Defense teacher here which really isn't saying much considering who you've had the past two years." Harry let out a small laugh at this. "Yes, I know about Quirrell and Lockhart. If you want I can show you what I have planned for the school year and let you make up your mind about my teaching abilities later. Now, where was I? Oh yes, I'm embarrassed to admit that I have a slight chocolate addiction, especially at my age. Speaking of chocolate, how about something to eat?"

The change in topic caught Harry completely off guard. It even took Harry a moment to register what the man had even said. Uncertain of how to answer, Harry just shrugged his shoulders and avoided Lupin's gaze even though he couldn't remember the last time he had eaten something substantial like normal teenagers.

"Harry, you're allowed to be hungry, you know," Lupin said carefully. "I just remembered that you hadn't eaten anything for a while and thought you might be hungry. I know I would be."

Slowly looking up at Lupin, Harry didn't see any sign of anger. Concern, yes, but no anger whatsoever and was certainly relieved. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. "Maybe I'm a little hungry," Harry said nervously then quickly added, "but I can wait. It's not really that important—"

"Nonsense," Lupin said offhandedly. He snapped his fingers and turned to the house elf that appeared with a pop. "Mindy, could we perhaps get some breakfast? Something simple is fine."

"Yes, Professor, sir," Mindy said then vanished with a pop. A few seconds later she reappeared with two trays full of food. Apparently she didn't understand what simple meant or chose to ignore it.

Harry bit his lower lip to keep himself from making any comment that could possibly offend Professor Lupin so found it best to remain silent. He knew there was no possible way he could even eat half of what was on the tray that floated over to him. He hadn't eaten that much…well, ever.

"Thank you Mindy," Lupin said kindly. "That'll be all for now." Mindy bowed then vanished again. "Eat as much as you comfortably can, Harry," Lupin added, noticing Harry's nervousness. "House elves always seem to give us more than we could possibly eat."

They both ate in silence. Well, Harry tried to eat but found himself full after eating a few pieces of toast. Sipping on his pumpkin juice, Harry tried to think of something to say to break the silence but couldn't think of anything to say.

Professor Lupin was certainly attempting to be friendly; more than any adult Harry could remember knowing as a matter of fact. There was, however, a problem with this. Uncle Vernon's words continuously echoed in Harry's head. What if Professor Lupin believed Harry was a freak? What if Professor Lupin had something against Parselmouths? What if he was disappointed?

"Harry?" Lupin asked gently. "Is something wrong?"

Pulled out of his thoughts, Harry looked at Lupin nervously. He really didn't know how to ask someone if they were biased. "Um—well—I was just wondering—um—do you think a person is dark if they have an ability that's considered dark?" he asked softly.

Lupin stared at Harry with a raised eyebrow. "That's an interesting question and a difficult one," he said thoughtfully. "Many people do discriminate out of fear. I don't agree with the general public. Yes, we all have darkness inside us but there's also goodness that can overpower the dark. I think I can understand more than anyone never to judge a book by its cover. May I inquire to why you asked such a question?"

Harry looked away apprehensively. Professor Lupin had given him the right answer but that didn't mean Harry was ready to trust the man with everything. "Well, you told me about yourself so I figured I needed to do the same," Harry said softly, still avoiding Lupin's gaze. "It's just that…I mean…"

Lupin put his tray down and moved so he was sitting at the foot of Harry's bed. "How about we start from the beginning and go from there?" he proposed. "Whatever you feel comfortable with."

With a nod, Harry gave Lupin an overview of what he had been through. He gave a very brief outline of his life before Hogwarts (omitting anything that could anger the man). He continued into his first year (again omitting the majority of the hardships he endured). Then, he concluded with his second year which included confessing that he could speak to snakes.

Biting his lower lip, Harry braved a glance at the friend of his parents and was surprised to see sympathy on the man's face, not rejection. He was unable to take Professor Lupin's gaze for long and had to look away. He really didn't like anyone feeling sorry for him.

"Harry, I don't believe for a second that you could possibly be dark," Professor Lupin said gently. "I take it your classmates didn't take this revelation well."

Harry shook his head. "They thought I was the heir of Slytherin sending a basilisk on muggle-borns and petrifying them," he said softly. "It's not like I can control it. I just see a snake and it all sounds like English to me."

"So as long as you don't use it to hurt someone you have nothing to worry about," Lupin concluded. "It seems like you're having a hard time dealing with how you feel about this. How do you feel about being able to talk to snakes?"

Harry let out a sigh as his shoulders slumped forward. "I hate it," he admitted. "I hate that there's a part of Voldemort in me. Why can't I just be normal? It's not like I asked to be a freak."

Lupin moved a little closer to Harry, his body suddenly tense. "Who ever said you were a freak?" he asked protectively.

Realizing he had said too much, Harry instantly paled and covered his mouth. This was why he didn't want to tell anyone about what happened at Privet Drive. He didn't want to make anyone angry. Mentally cursing himself, Harry tried to quickly think of a believable lie so the matter would be dropped.

"Harry, I'm not mad at you," Lupin said softly. "I just don't understand why someone would even say something like that. You are not a freak. I give you my word as a wizard and friend to your parents."

Harry finally looked at Professor Lupin with unshed tears in his eyes. It sounded too good to be true. For as long as he could remember Harry wanted nothing more than to be normal and here there was finally someone telling him what he so desperately needed to hear.

Once again Lupin moved closer to Harry but was still far enough away for the boy to be comfortable. "I can understand if you don't want to talk about it but as much as you don't want to admit it their treatment towards you has affected who you are," he said gently. "No one wants to pressure you but if it was as bad as we think then we want to do everything in our power to make sure you never have to go back there."

Professor Lupin's declaration caught Harry off guard at first but endless questions, questions he had asked himself every time the conditions were bad, entered his mind and kept him levelheaded. "But where would I go?" he asked. "I have no other family and everyone else has lives of their own."

"I'm sure we can work something out," Lupin said encouragingly. "No one deserves that sort of life. I don't care who they are."

Harry didn't want to get his hopes up but he couldn't help it. The mere thought of never returning to the Dursleys and their hatred was one of the few wishes he had. There was only one problem with the situation. "But what about Midnight?" Harry asked uncertainly. "He must be so hungry and lost."

Lupin smiled, apparently amused by the boy's attachment to an animal. "How long have you had a dog?" he asked.

"Er—about a week," Harry answered. "I found him trying to sleep in the bushes in the backyard. He wasn't like most dogs I've met. He was nice to me." Seeing Professor Lupin's shocked face, Harry looked away, suddenly feeling ashamed of blindly trusting a strange animal so quickly. "He protected me," he added in a soft voice.

"So this dog is a stray," Lupin said distantly. "What does he look like, Harry? Does he look like a grim?"

Harry looked Professor Lupin, obviously confused. "What's a grim?" he asked. It was times like these when Harry hated being so ignorant of the wizarding world but it wasn't like he had anyone to teach him.

Lupin bit his lower lip as he suddenly looked nervous. Harry really didn't like that look. He didn't understand what the big deal was. Midnight would never hurt him, Harry just knew it.

"Is Midnight, as you call him, a very large black dog with blue eyes?" Professor Lupin asked cautiously.

Harry let out a disappointed sigh. He should have known having a companion like Midnight had been too good to last. "Oh, is he yours?" he asked as his gaze fell. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take him away from you. He was just the only company I had that didn't hate me. "

Lupin winced at the comment, learning more about Harry's home life than even the boy realized. "He never did anything to you?" he asked gently. "He never hurt you in anyway?"

Harry shook his head. "He just listened," he said softly. "I—I was frustrated. I didn't like having to work all hours of the day while the Dursleys did nothing. Midnight felt familiar like from a forgotten memory or something like that. I don't know any other way to explain it. He's my friend."

"Which was what you desperately needed," Lupin said in an understanding tone. "I'm not reprimanding you Harry. I'm just curious. Most people would consider an overly large dog like that a friend. How did you manage to keep a dog like that without your aunt and uncle finding out?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "It wasn't hard," he said nonchalantly. "The Dursleys were gone all day leaving me home alone. Midnight stayed outside until after they went to bed then I snuck him into my room. Since I had to make breakfast every morning, I let him out before the Dursleys were awake."

Professor Lupin smiled as he stood up. "Very clever," he said. "You should probably get some rest. We can talk more later, including a few stories about your parents. I'll talk to Dumbledore about Midnight, all right?"

Harry couldn't help but smile. He had to admit it felt good to have someone treating him with some sort of parental affection. Mrs. Weasley was great but she was Ron's mother. She had enough on her plate already to worry about an orphan boy. "Promise?" Harry asked hopefully.

Lupin gave Harry's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "I promise," he said.

Suddenly feeling tired, Harry laid down and turned on his side to be comfortable as Professor Lupin tucked him in. Being tucked in by a near stranger should have felt weird but not to Harry. He already felt closer to Professor Lupin than to nearly every adult he knew. There was just something about the man that Harry felt he could relate to.

Closing his eyes, Harry felt Lupin gently take off his glasses and brushed a few stray bangs out of the boy's eyes. The simple touch felt familiar but Harry couldn't remember from where. Feeling too relaxed to worry about it, Harry allowed himself to slowly drift off into a peaceful sleep.

The moment Remus Lupin noticed Harry was indeed asleep, he rushed out of the hospital wing to Dumbledore's office. Harry had told him enough to know that the life of Harry Potter wasn't what everyone perceived. He certainly wasn't pampered and adored. He was a lonely and confused boy who needed someone to love him for who he was.

After quickly muttering the password, Remus continued up the stairs and entered Professor Dumbledore's office to see the Headmaster had company. Minerva McGonagall was sitting next to a distraught Molly Weasley while Arthur Weasley was softly conversing with Dumbledore. Remus didn't like this scene at all.

"Headmaster, has something happened?" Lupin asked curiously.

Dumbledore turned his attention to the young teacher. "Remus, please come in," he said pleasantly. "We were just discussing arrangements for Harry. Perhaps you could add your input. I trust the two of you had an interesting conversation."

Lupin nodded. "You have no idea," he said as he sat down aside McGonagall. "It's disconcerting to meet a boy who's changed so drastically. The baby Harry I remember was a loved and happy boy. This Harry is anything but. Were you aware of the verbal and emotional abuse the Dursleys had inflicted on him?"

"Abuse?" Professor McGonagall asked in alarm as she sat up straight. "What are you talking about, Remus?"

Looking at each of the adults, Remus realized that none of them had any idea of Harry Potter's actual life. "Well I can't say I'm not surprised," he said matter-of-factly. "We were just talking and Harry let a few things slip. Apparently, Vernon Dursley has instilled on Harry that he's nothing more than a freak. He was afraid to admit that he's a Parselmouth because of the reaction he received from his classmates last year. The boy has no self confidence what-so-ever. He believes that he's a burden to everyone. I assume that is partially the reason why he has never said anything about the abuse."

Dumbledore sat down behind his desk, the twinkle absent from his eyes. Arthur Weasley sat down beside his wife and took her hand. Molly Weasley was clearly in tears but it was McGonagall who surprised Remus. The woman was staring at Dumbledore with a fury in her eyes that the young man had never seen before. It was almost scary.

"What else did Harry reveal?" Dumbledore asked gravely.

Returning his gaze to the old man, Remus could see regret and sadness in the man's eyes. He blames himself for this. "Harry was very reluctant to say anything about the Dursleys or anything else that could possibly anger me," he said truthfully. "I believe Dursley took his anger out on Harry making him believe that all adults will do the same. Actually, Harry only seemed to be at ease when we talked about Midnight."

"Ah, yes his mysterious dog," Dumbledore said clearly intrigued. "As far as I know the Dursleys never allowed pets. It has been quite difficult for them to accept Hedwig."

"The Dursleys didn't know about it," said Remus. "Midnight is a stray Harry found about a week ago. It seems that Harry was desperate to have someone 'who didn't hate him'. Harry needed nothing more than someone or something that would listen to him and treat him normally. Right now, I believe sending Harry to a family, even one like the Weasleys—no offense, would do more harm than good. Despite your efforts, Harry is not family and he knows it. He has spent his life as a third wheel thanks to the Dursleys. He needs time to become comfortable with who he is and learn that he has the right to be loved like a normal child."

"But he is loved," Molly Weasley protested. "Our family loves him like our own. He needs us now especially with Black on the loose."

"Harry needs those who care about them, Molly," Dumbledore said calmly. "However, Harry is unaware of what has transpired. He wasn't even aware that he had been kidnapped. Harry doesn't even know who Sirius Black is and what he's done."

"You do realize Harry will have to be told," Remus said with a raised eyebrow. "He needs to know…everything about Black. We can't afford to have Harry finding out through other means. We have to earn Harry's trust by being completely honest with him."

"No!" Mrs. Weasley cried out. "He's just a boy! If he were to find out—"

"He will be angry, true," Remus said, fighting hard to remain calm. "He has a right to be but if we gain his trust and teach him that there are people here he can turn to then he won't try to face Black alone. Isn't that what we want?"

"I agree," Arthur Weasley said earning a glare from his wife. "Sorry Molly but we can't simply allow Harry to show up September 1st with all of his classmates knowing more of what has occurred than he does. I know the Malfoy boy won't hesitate to torment Harry about it. I know Ron won't be able to keep his mouth shut."

"Interesting perspectives," Professor Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "You do have a point, Arthur. Although I would have preferred for Harry not to know about Black there is little we can do about it now. He will have to be told. The question is by whom?"

Remus knew by Dumbledore's tone who would be the one to break the news. He also knew that this was going to be the hardest thing that person would probably ever have to do.