TITLE: Homeless
AUTHOR: Allocin
SUMMARY: The Dursleys abandon young Harry, and it's all hands on deck to find him again. Little do they know, life for him just took another wild turn.
RATING: PG
CATEGORIES: Drama/General
CHARACTERS: Harry, Remus, ensemble.
TIMELIME: Pre-PS/SS (c.1987)
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter and all related merchandise. I make no profit from this. Don't sue. Also, I mean no offence to anyone, especially Carnies – I know you're not all dishonest.

Chapter 1

Remus rubbed at his tired eyes and slumped lower in the seat, rocking gently to and fro with the movement of the stagecoach. Every muscle in his body throbbed and creaked with aching pain; the night before last had been a full moon and, despite the basic healing charms he had cast, he still felt like a walking bruise. He watched distractedly as the Forbidden Forest rolled passed him, the Whomping Willow, the Hogwarts lake. So many memories were on these grounds, of his three closest friends and their mad antics, but he blocked them off; they were all painful to him now.

Under the early morning sun, Hogwarts shone with an otherworldly beauty. Remus left the questionable comfort of the stagecoach, and took a moment to stand and stare unabashedly at the castle. He hadn't seen it in years, and Hogwarts had been like a home to him as a child. With a small, tired sigh, he straightened his travel-stained cloak and stepped through the open doors.

It being the summer holidays, the corridors were silent. His footsteps echoed all around him as he made his way to the Headmaster's office. Even after so long, he could have reached his destination if he was deaf and blind, so often had he been there. Remus noticed on his journey that the school really hadn't changed since he had attended as a boy. There were the same portraits, the same suits of armour, the same statues, all a flash from the past and yet present beneath his fingertips. He smiled sadly and moved on, approaching the stone gargoyle that guarded the Headmaster's office. He had been summoned for a reason, therefore there was no time for nostalgia.

"Fizzing Whizbees." The statue leapt aside, revealing the familiar moving staircase, which Remus stepped onto. Anxiousness knotted his stomach as he rose higher and higher in the tower, bathed in a golden glow of warm sunlight. The solid door looked strangely intimidating, and he felt like a naughty child sent to be told off, even though he knew rationally that he hadn't actually done anything. He raised his hand to knock.

"Come in, Remus," Dumbledore said. Remus shook his head in amusement; he never had managed to work out how the Headmaster always knew who it was. He pushed the door open and moved to the only available seat. Hagrid and Snape were there already, and Remus was thankful he could only sit next to the half-giant, who smiled warmly at him.

"What took you so long, Lupin?" Snape sneered, predictably. Lupin smiled apologetically at the Headmaster.

"I'm sorry for being late, Dumbledore. The floo was very busy," he said. Dumbledore returned the smile. He rummaged in his drawer, and pulled out a bowl of sweets.

"Lemon drop, anyone?" he asked pleasantly. No one took up his offer, making the twinkle in Dumbledore's eye shine even brighter. Upon turning to them after putting the sweets away, however, his expression had dimmed. "I have some bad news," he stated gravely. Remus thought the Headmaster cast a particularly concerned look in his direction, but dismissed the notion. Unconsciously, he braced himself though. The nervous twisting of his gut assured him what he was about to hear would not be to his liking.

Fawkes rested on Dumbledore's shoulder in a glory found only after his Burning Day. "Tea?" the Headmaster asked politely. All but Snape said yes. He sat grumpily in his chair with folded arms and a heavy scowl on his face. Dumbledore chuckled. "Ah," he said, "I do believe Severus suspects why I brought you here." Impossibly, Snape's expression and mood grew darker still. Hagrid shifted uncomfortably.

"Those Potters will never cease to plague me," Snape growled. Remus' jaw snapped audibly shut, teeth grinding against each other. He was spread mightily thin these days, and was not the patient, kind man of previous years. Snape silently heeded the warning and kept quiet. Hagrid had slopped his tea and was trying to dab it up while staring at Dumbledore.

"Little baby 'arry?" What about 'im?" he asked curiously. Having spent the last few days in the Forbidden Forest where news couldn't reach him he had missed the recent Daily Prophet reports on the Boy-Who-Lived's sudden and upsetting disappearance, which condemned the Ministry more than Dumbledore.

"Harry Potter has gone missing."

Remus felt winded. Images of the tiny baby boy he had cooed over flashed through his mind's eye, laughing and joyful. Harry had been such a happy infant. He had been devastated when the Ministry refused his appeal to adopt Harry, and even more so when Dumbledore had agreed with them. When Remus learnt that Harry was going to live with Lily's despicable sister, he had never felt more helpless. Though Dumbledore had convinced him that it was the best place for Harry, at the back of his mind Remus had always had a sliver of doubt. Now his fears were becoming reality.

"He won't be little anymore, Hagrid. But that's beside the point. What does this have to do with us, Headmaster?" Snape snapped.

Dumbledore continued, "Ministry officials noticed the wards fading last week, though his guardians claim he ran away a month ago. This means that Harry has been missing for thirty days; he could be anywhere, with anyone." Remus swirled the dregs of his tea; he hadn't taken Divination as a student, but his travels had taught him a bit of the subject. What he saw in his teacup slightly terrified him.

"Is Black still in Azkaban?" he asked suddenly with a suspiciously thick voice. Dumbledore's face became very taught, cold eyes blazing with anger for the briefest second.

"Yes," he answered sharply, only softening at the dark look on his former pupil's face.

"Why?"

"I see no point in discussing that murderer! If he hasn't escaped then he has nothing to do with the subject," Snape interrupted harshly, voice simply dripping with loathing. Remus nodded even as Dumbledore frowned disapprovingly. There was a moment's contemplative silence, during which Hagrid sniffed repeatedly.

"Undoubtedly you realise," Dumbledore quietly spoke, "that finding Mr. Potter is of tremendous importance. He is alone and vulnerable, and neither he nor we have time to wait for the Ministry to perform their duties to him."

"Why don't you just cast a tracking spell?" Snape asked. Dumbledore sighed deeply.

"It would be too easy for a follower of Voldemort -" Hagrid winced "- to do the same. A Find-Me-Not charm was cast on the boy and time-locked to end a week before his eleventh birthday. We have no choice but to hunt him down the old-fashioned way." Snape nodded, feeling rather stupid for not thinking of that before. Of course Dumbledore would hide the boy away from Death Eaters. There were still plenty about who were itching to avenge their Master's fall.

"Now Hagrid," the Headmaster said, full attention suddenly on the half-giant, "I need you to speak to the creatures. Ask them if they've seen anything suspicious." Hagrid nodded readily.

Dumbledore turned to Remus, asking a silent question: are you ready for this? Remus took a deep breath, preparing himself for any task he was to be set. A small smile played on Dumbledore's lips as he spoke again. "You search the Muggle world, as you know it better than I. See if there have been any sightings." Remus bowed his head in acquiescence, then watched with a spark of his mischievous self as Snape was fixed with the all-knowing stare. The potions master, for his part, looked like he had been force-fed live snakes that were now writhing in his gut. Remus almost felt sorry for him; almost.

"I cannot force you to do anything, Severus, and ask only as a favour to me that I will repay at a later date," said Dumbledore. Snape's lip curled back rather like a dog's. Remus smiled into his cup, despite himself. Closing his eyes, Snape nodded with the air of someone accepting a suicide mission. "Thank you, Severus. Please could you ask your underworld contacts to see if there have been any disturbances in that quadrant?"

Dumbledore stopped, and looked at each in turn. "I understand," he said quietly, "that I am putting a mess in your hands that belongs to myself and the Ministry. I am greatly appreciative and if there is anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to ask." The room was silent as those words were absorbed, interrupted shortly by an encouraging trill from Fawkes. Remus stood first.

"Best get to looking," he murmured wearily. The years hadn't been kind to him, but determination shone readily through his features. Hagrid and Snape rose too. With courteous nods to the Headmaster they filed after each other down the stairs. Snape and Remus left without a word to each other. They had been given their missions, and neither was in the mood to force pleasantries on one another. Hagrid watched them go with a heavy heart before making his way back to the Forbidden Forest.