Disclaimer: While anything you recognize may belong to JK Rowling, I take credit for Professor Potato Head.

Truths

By Neurotica

Ten

Three pairs of feet slammed onto the floor of Albus Dumbledore's office. The Headmaster looked up just in time to see Sirius catch a small boy—that could only be Harry; he looks exactly like James, he thought with a smile—before he fell face first onto the wooden floor.

Harry looked up at Sirius and asked in a small, almost fearful voice, "What was that?"

Sirius grinned as he set Harry back on his feet. "That, Harry, was magic!"

Harry dropped Sirius' gaze and looked to his shoes. "No such thing as magic..." he muttered.

Remus knelt down beside him with a small frown. "Sure there is, Harry," he said. "Who told you there was no such thing as magic?"

Harry shifted his feet and mumbled something that could have only been "Uncle Vernon."

Remus looked up at Sirius, who had closed his eyes tightly, trying to control his raging temper, and back to Harry.

"Well, Uncle Vernon was very wrong," Remus said matter-of-factly. "There is such a thing as magic, Harry. And I will prove it to you."

Remus retrieved his wand from his back pocket and picked up a book from a nearby bookshelf—it was a Muggle book entitled How to Do Magic. On the cover was a black top hat with a fluffy white bunny rabbit with his head sticking out of the top.

"May I?" he asked Dumbledore. Dumbledore gestured for him to proceed—his eyes were twinkling again. Remus tapped the book twice with his wand, muttered a few words Harry couldn't hear, and the book immediately sprouted legs and began to tap dance in front of the fireplace.

Harry's jaw dropped. "Wow," he whispered. "How'd you do that?"

Remus grinned, winking in Sirius' direction. "Magic," he said simply.

"When you are older, Harry," Dumbledore spoke from his desk, "you will be make books dance as well."

Harry looked away from the book that was now doing a square dance, and up to the old man. His mouth snapped shut.

"Harry, I'd like you to meet Albus Dumbledore. He used to be our Headmaster," Sirius said. "Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," he added with a smile.

Harry looked at his shoes—his dirty and torn and holy shoes—and muttered, "Hello," ignoring Sirius' explanation of where they were.

The three wizards exchanged a glance—Dumbledore's a bit confused, Sirius and Remus' livid. Dumbledore gestured for the new arrivals to take a seat. Sirius sat first, then Remus (after stopping the charmed book in the middle of a one-object tango), leaving Harry to sit in the middle. The five-year-old sat quietly, looking not at the magnificent office that captivated fully grown men but at his shoes once more. He began playing with a hole in his jeans.

Dumbledore offered the customary tea and lemon drop before sitting himself. Harry accepted both, though was visibly surprised by the treatment he had been receiving. These people—people he'd just met (had he met them before?)—were being so nice to him. His Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia would never give him his own cup of tea, let alone any type of sweets...

Dumbledore looked at Sirius and Remus. The two wizards were watching Harry sip his tea with interest. "There were no problems, I presume," he said, bringing them back to the present.

Sirius snorted quietly, still looking at Harry, but Remus answered. "Other than the fact that those Muggles treated him like a slave, forced him to sleep in a cupboard under the stairs, and threw around insults freely... No. No problems at all, sir."

Dumbledore caught the anger and sarcasm that one rarely heard from Remus Lupin. The twinkle in his eyes had disappeared, and his white eyebrows were raised as he looked at Harry as well. "I see," was the only response. They would save this discussion for another time.

"Are you enjoying your lemon drop, Harry?" Dumbledore asked kindly. Harry nodded shyly, not looking at anybody. "I have always enjoyed indulging myself with Muggle candies. Some say it borders on an obsession." Dumbledore gave a pointed look to Sirius and Remus. Both men had to try hard not to smile.

"What's a Muggle?" Harry asked in a small voice, looking hesitantly at Dumbledore. He'd always been told never to ask questions; people wouldn't answer a freak like him.

But Dumbledore smiled. "A Muggle, Harry, is somebody who is not magic," he said.

"So I'm a Muggle." Harry said, not as a question, but as a firm statement.

Dumbledore frowned deeply. "No, Harry, you are not a Muggle," he said. At Harry's look of puzzlement, he added, "You are a wizard."

Harry's face would have amused Sirius and Remus, had it not been for the fact that Harry should have known all of this a long time ago. What else didn't he know?

"What?" Harry asked in a low whisper.

Dumbledore smiled once more. "Yes, you are in fact a wizard. So are Sirius and Remus. Your mother and father were two of the best witches and wizards to walk through Hogwarts' doors (I'm sure Sirius and Remus will tell you all about them if you ask)." Sirius and Remus nodded to Harry. "And when you are old enough, you too will be able to learn here."

"Really?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore's smile widened at Harry's eager—still shy—face. "Yes, really," he said. "Now, is there anything you'd like to ask us, Harry?"

Harry shrunk back into his chair, eyeing the three men around him with slight interest. There was only one thing he wanted to ask. In a very child-like voice, he said, "Why did you take me away?"

"Like we told you before, Harry," Sirius said patiently, "we knew your parents; they were our best friends. And when you were born, they named me your godfather." At Harry's confused look, he added, "Do you know what a godfather is?" Harry shook his head. Sirius looked at Harry's other side to Remus—how do you explain to a five-year-old the role of a godfather?

Remus picked up the mental hint Sirius was sending. "A godfather, Harry, is a person who takes care of a child if his parents cannot," he said easily. "Sirius is your godfather, so he came to take you and take care of you. Do you understand?"

Harry nodded slowly, and Sirius gave Remus a small thankful smile.

Dumbledore spoke again. "Well, I am sure the three of you have a lot of catching up to do, and you wouldn't want to spend a glorious afternoon such as this with an old man such as myself." Sirius and Remus grinned at their former Headmaster, and stood. Harry followed their example. Dumbledore picked up an old paperweight, tapped it with his wand, and muttered "Portus," and handed the portkey to Sirius.

"The three of you are welcome at Hogwarts anytime. Harry, it was a pleasure meeting you again," he said with a smile to the small boy.

Harry smiled. "You too, sir," he said quietly.

Dumbledore chuckled at his politeness.

"Okay, Harry, put your hand on the paperweight," Sirius said. Harry obeyed, and ten seconds later felt a tug at his navel.

Sirius' feet crashed into the carpet of Remus' living room and he instinctively reached out to catch Harry before he fell. Remus sat on the sofa with a content sigh. "Ah, home sweet home," he said. Sirius grinned. "Take a seat, Harry. Make yourself comfortable."

Harry sat hesitantly in an old armchair near the fireplace. Sirius sat across from him on the floor. A long silence passed between them, during which Sirius studied Harry intently for the hundredth time that day.

The child was very thin—though that might have had more to do with the baggy clothes he was dressed in. Sirius made a mental note to take Harry to Diagon Alley some time soon. His black, untidy hair was unmistakably James', right down to the tuft that stuck up in the back. He looked exactly like James, now that Sirius thought about it; even the round-rimmed glasses were the same, though Harry's were held together by tape at the bridge. Those eyes, though, those were Lily's. They were the focal point on Harry's pale face; the place to look for all emotions—anger, sadness, fear, happiness. Currently, Harry's eyes housed a mixture of confusion and slight fear.

Sirius knew this had to be happening insanely quickly for the child. Everything that had happened in just a few short hours was almost certainly making Harry's head spin. He was very shy as well—something Lily and James had never been. From living with those Muggles, Sirius thought angrily.

He remembered when Harry was just a baby as if it was yesterday. Harry would laugh at every little thing; his eyes would shine when he smiled. He would speak in his made-up baby language nonstop, at all hours. No, this was not the same Harry Sirius had known before. Sirius would have to change that.

Remus broke Sirius thoughts. "I don't know about the two of you, but I am starving. Are you hungry, Harry?"

Harry nodded slightly, not looking at Remus. Remus walked to him, stretched out his hand to Harry, and led him to the kitchen. Sirius followed. Remus pulled out a chair at the head of the table, picked Harry up, and sat him down gently. Harry's small body did not allow him to see over the table.

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Well, we can't have that, now can we?" He took his wand from his back pocket and pointed it at Harry's chair. Harry recoiled. "It's okay, Harry, this won't hurt you one bit," Remus said quickly. Once it seemed Harry had calmed a bit, Remus muttered a few words, causing blue sparks to fly from the tip of his wand. Instantly, Harry's chair rose a few feet, making it possible for Harry to see more than the underside of the table.

"Much better," Remus said with a satisfied smile.

Sirius chuckled and sat next to Harry. "Show off," he muttered.

Remus lightly smacked the back of Sirius' head as he crossed the room to the refrigerator. "So what are we in the mood for, gentlemen?" he asked.

Sirius looked to Harry. "What would you like to eat, Harry?"

Harry, still bewildered by his chair rising into the air, shrugged shyly.

Remus walked back to the table and sat on the other side of Harry. "Well, we could have sandwiches, or we could have pasta, or we could have pizza... Whatever you'd like, Harry."

Harry muttered something incoherent.

"What was that, Harry?" Remus asked gently.

"C-could we h-have c-cereal?" Harry stuttered quietly.

Sirius and Remus grinned widely. "Absolutely, Harry!" Sirius said rather enthusiastically.

Harry gave them a small smile as the two wizards gathered bowls, spoons, milk, and cereal.

The three ate mostly in silence; all of them were wrapped up in their own thoughts. As Sirius finished his brunch, he glanced around the small table at Harry, then at Remus.

I could definitely get used to this, he thought happily.

Once everyone had finished their cereal, Remus decided it was time to give Harry the grand tour of the small cottage. They finished in a matter of minutes; there were only four other rooms Harry had yet to see: the bathroom, Remus' bedroom, a guest room that had been converted into Sirius' bedroom, and Remus' small office—now Harry's bedroom.

During the past week, while Dumbledore and Moody placed the wards and charms around the place, Sirius and Remus busied themselves in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, buying things a five-year-old was sure to need.

"And this, Harry, is your room..." Sirius said.

The tour ended in front of an oak door with a red sign that read Harry's Room in gold lettering. Sirius couldn't help but grin as he opened the door to the room.

The room was simply amazing. There was a definite Gryffindor/Quidditch theme that Sirius had absolutely insisted upon. A large bed sat against a far wall next to an equally large window. The bed's blankets, sheets, and pillows were a mixture of red with gold. The walls surrounding the room were deep crimson with golden trimming, and covered with posters of Quidditch teams from around Europe. In the opposite corner to the bed was a large wooden toy chest filled with every sort of toys—wizard and Muggle—that a child could want. At the wall closest to the door was a small bookcase—filled by Remus—and a small desk that held coloring books and crayons.

Remus and Sirius looked down expectantly, waiting for Harry's reaction. "What do you think, Harry?" Remus asked eagerly.

Harry looked up at the two wizards with big green eyes. "This is all mine?" he whispered in awe.

Sirius nodded. "It's all yours, Harry. Go on, have a look around." He gave Harry a small nudge inside the room.

Harry looked around the room with wonderment only a child could produce. His eyes fell upon the posters on the walls; the players were throwing a quaffle around back and forth. The Chudley Cannon's Chaser dropped it several times, but grinned at Harry nonetheless. Harry's jaw dropped. He turned to look at Sirius and Remus, standing in the door frame with large smiles on their faces, and pointed at the poster. "They're moving!" he exclaimed in confusion and excitement.

Sirius laughed. "Of course they're moving! Do you expect them to just sit around all day?"

Harry continued to stare at the posters, enthralled by the very idea of a moving picture.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with Harry and Sirius discovering the treasures in the toy chest together. Remus sat at the desk, amused at the fact that a twenty-six-year-old man could find so much enjoyment out of Mr. Potato Head.

Well, it is Sirius we're talking about here, Remus thought with a smirk.

Remus was pleased to see that both Sirius and Harry were having so much fun together. The deadened look in Sirius' eyes was replaced with pure joy when he made Harry smile or laugh just a little bit. And Harry, though still very shy and reluctant, was opening up a tad more as the day turned into night.

At this rate, Remus thought, things will be back to the way they should be in no time.

But as Remus continued to watch the pair together, his smile turned into a sad frown at the thought of what was missing from the equation. Lily and James should have been there, laughing and playing with Harry. Sirius should not have missed five years of his godson's life. Everything was wrong; they should have all been in Godric's Hollow, listening to Lily berate James and Sirius for teaching Harry how to set off a dungbomb.

It all came back to Wormtail. He'd been the one to ruin all these lives—sending Lily and James to their deaths, orphaning Harry, sending Sirius to Azkaban. Wormtail was the reason Sirius had that deadened look in his eyes. And Remus vowed, once more, to find the rat and make him pay for all the pain he had caused.

"Remus, check this out! It's Snivellus!"

Remus was jolted from his thoughts by Sirius' cheerful voice and barking laugh. He looked over to where the two were sitting on the floor. Sirius was holding up a Mr. Potato Head that had obviously been tampered with by a wand. Sure enough, the toy had grown long greasy hair, a hooked nose, and a pale potato face.

Remus shook his head and laughed. "Careful, Sirius," he said with a grin, "wouldn't want to get Misuse of Muggle Artifacts out here."

Sirius laughed as Harry asked, "Who's Snivellus?"

Sirius grinned once more. "Just a greasy-haired git. No one you need to worry about, Harry." He ruffled Harry's hair, making it even messier, and stood. "Come on, boys! It's dinnertime! I'm in the mood for pizza. How about you, Harry?" he said, looking around at Harry and Remus.

Harry smiled and nodded enthusiastically. Sirius cried, "Race you!" and took off to the kitchen. Harry followed quickly. Remus laughed softly, and took the route to the kitchen at a much slower pace.

Once in the kitchen, Remus spotted Sirius in a corner with Harry, tickling the poor child unmercifully. Harry rolled around on the linoleum floor laughing madly.

Yes, I could definitely get used to this, the werewolf thought smiling. He joined the two, trying to "save" Harry from Sirius.

After dinner, Sirius and Remus aided Harry in a bath. It wasn't as hard as the two men had expected; all Harry needed was a tub full of bubbles to remain happy.

The two adults waited for Harry to play, wash, and dry himself, and gave him a new pair of pajamas—ones that actually fit him—and took him to bed. Here, Sirius read Harry a story about a Muggle boy and a dragon, turned on a nightlight, and left the room—Harry had fallen asleep halfway through the story. Sirius left the door slightly ajar, just in case he needed them.

Sirius wandered through the house, looking for Remus, and finally found him in a small room in the basement (the main part was left for Remus to transform once a month). The subject of Sirius' search was huddled over a large box.

"What are you looking at, Moony?" Sirius asked, sitting next to his friend.

Remus smiled slightly. "This is the box of things I was able to save from Godric's Hollow."

Sirius smiled sadly and looked inside the box. A large quantity of letters on parchment and Muggle paper, and pictures of various occasions, dating back to their first year of Hogwarts, was inside. An old, dusty mirror was in the bottom of the box.

"God, I didn't know he still had this…" Sirius said quietly, examining the mirror fondly. It was one of the mirrors that James and Sirius used when they were in separate detentions.

"Yeah," Remus said smiling. "Hey, look at these. I forgot I had them..." he trailed off. He was holding two stuffed animals: a brown wolf and a black dog. The Marauders bought them for Harry when he was born.

Sirius smiled at first, but it faded into a frown. "What about the stag?" he questioned quietly.

Remus sighed heavily. "It was... destroyed... in the fire..."

Sirius closed his eyes tightly, willing the tears that were building up to go away. The stag had been Harry's favorite of the stuffed animals. He was never without it; he cried if he wasn't in reaching distance of it.

After a minute of composing himself, Sirius opened his eyes, looked at Remus, and smiled softly. "Well, we'll just have to get him another one, then, eh?"

Remus smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I guess we will."

"He's amazing, isn't he? Harry, I mean. Such a great kid..."

"Yeah, he really is. Just think of what he's going to be like once he reaches Hogwarts."

Sirius laughed. "Just like James, I imagine. Smart, talented, and just a little cocky."

Remus snorted. "James was more than 'just a little cocky' back in those days, Padfoot," he said, smiling.

Sirius smiled back. "True enough. But Harry's got a lot of Lily in him, too; it balances James out. So he can't be too big-headed."

Remus nodded and stood, still holding the two stuffed animals. "Well, come on then. We need to get some sleep.

Merlin only knows how early a five-year-old gets up in the morning."

Sirius laughed and allowed Remus to help him off the floor. The two friends made their way to their own bedrooms. But not before looking in on Harry. Remus and Sirius crept quietly to his bed, and laid the wolf and dog on either side of sleeping child.

Harry hadn't noticed a thing; he was sleeping contently in his new, warm bed, a small smile on his face as he slept.

"I wonder what he's dreaming about..." Remus thought aloud.

"Dunno, but I hope he's happy," Sirius replied.

"Me too," Remus said. "Well, good night, Padfoot."

"'Night, Moony."

Harry explored the deep forest in confusion; he had no idea how he had gotten there, but continued on in the direction he was headed.

As he walked, the only sounds were of his feet on crunching the leaves, he noticed a bright white light to the left of him. Turning in that direction, Harry discovered the light was illuminated from a white stag. It was surrounded by a tan-colored—slightly gray—wolf and a large black dog.

The three chased each other and played as if they had been the best of friends. It was an odd combination, a stag playing with a wolf and dog, but Harry watched them in interest as they rolled around in the leaves.

Something about them had seemed familiar to Harry, though he wasn't sure what, exactly.

Whatever it was, Harry enjoyed it. He liked watching these three particular animals playing together. Harry couldn't remember the last time he'd been this happy; it certainly wasn't with his aunt and uncle. The familiarity of the three animals gave him a sense of joy and hope. And he wasn't about to waste this moment; Harry sat down on a tree stump and watched them for what seemed like hours.

His smile grew as the night wore on. Harry didn't know what this feeling was, but he could definitely get used to it...