Dealing with the Past

(Remus' Perspective)

I knew Lily couldn't be here, seeing as she died when Voldemort attacked this very house. I pointed my wand at this person and said, "Who are you?"

This woman sat down, "I'm Lily Potter. If you'll relax Remus, I'll try to explain." It was then I noticed that a boy was asleep on the couch. As I looked closer, I realized it was Harry. "If I was really a Death Eater, do you really think I would go through an elaborate setup, just to trick you?" She had a point I realized.

Sitting in a chair I replied, "I suppose not. Can you explain what happened?"

'Lily' settled back in her chair. "I'm not completely sure myself. I became aware of my surroundings awhile ago. A man had saved me and restored me to health. It took three years to get back on my feet, but I did it. Once back on my feet, I returned to retrieve my son. Thank you by the way."

I was surprised, "What do you mean?"

"You tried to get Harry from my awful sister. Even if you weren't successful, you tried."

No one except the adoption department knew about that. The minister wasn't allowed to know about attempted adoptions and everyone in that department swore a secrecy oath. "How do you know that?"

She sighed, "The person who helped me told me. He has ways to get around most wards."

"Are you going to tell me who it was?"

She shook her head, "I'm not entirely sure myself, but your reaction certainly helps his argument."

I sighed, "So you do you know that Sirius has been locked up? He murdered Peter and thirteen muggles."

"I heard. I'm not sure about Sirius killing Peter, he could have faked it. Turn into the rat he is and disappear."

That sealed it for me, no one knew Peter could turn into a rat. "It's good to have you back Lily."

She seemed surprised, "You're just know starting to believe me? Well I can't really blame you." She took a deep breath, "I need your help. I can't go outside and shop for the things we need. The house elves can take care of the food and utility needs, but," she gestured to Harry, "He needs some much better clothes."

I actually studied the boy. He was rather skinny, wearing an oversized shirt and baggy pants. "I see what you mean. How are we going to keep anyone in the wizarding world from noticing his scar, it's famous."

Lily nodded, "I have an idea. It will require him to be awake for it to work though." We sat and talk about the current politics of the wizard world, Lily got angry when she heard how hard it was for me to get a job. After ten or so minutes, Harry finally woke up.

(Harry's perspective)

I could hear people talking around me, that is the first thing I noticed. The second was that whoever it was, wasn't shouting for me to get up. I had a dream, a wonderful lady had come and rescued me from my relatives. She had taken me to a wonderful place and told me she loved me. I just slowly opened my eyes, not really wanting to leave the wonderful dream behind for cold reality.

Once they were open enough for me to see, I saw that I wasn't in the cupboard. Keeping my eyes barely open, I looked around me. A man and woman sat not for off. Something in my mind recognized the woman, she was the one who rescued me, but there was something else. I knew her from somewhere, she meant a lot to me.

Deciding to see if I could get some answers, I started to stretch, bringing the attention of the adults. "Hello Harry, how are you?" the woman asked.

I sat up, "Good thank you." The man seemed to be trying to decide what to do.

The woman said, "Well Harry, I believe you might want to know what's going on?" I nodded. "Well you see," she faltered. I could tell she was unsure how to go on. As I studied her face, a part of me was trying to remember something. A word, "Lily." The effect on the woman, Lily, was like lightning. She had tears in her eyes. There was something I was missing, some name I couldn't get off the tip of my tongue.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the man quietly leave. Returning my gaze to Lily, she walked over to me and gave me a tight hug. As I looked up at her, a single thought struck me, mom. I knew now what was missing. "Mom?" I couldn't believe it, she was actually here, "Why did you leave me?"

Mom had tears in her eyes, "I'm so sorry. I could be there, it was beyond my ability to control." I hugged her back, though it felt a little odd. "I understand," I really didn't, but she was here now. My greatest desire had come true.

We sat there for a long while. I started to fall asleep, for the first time not with a sense of longing in my heart. Mom just held me, like Aunt Petunia held Dudley when he was sad. I had dreamed of this my entire life at the Dursleys. "You'll be here when I wake up?" She nodded, "Yes I will."

I woke up later exactly as I fell asleep. Mom had fallen asleep. Mom, that felt odd, nice but odd. I guess my movement woke her up. "You ok Harry?" I nodded. "How about some breakfast?" Again I nodded. She clapped her hands and a little, something appeared out of nowhere with a soft crack.

"Yes Madam?"

"We would like some breakfast Falinth." The creature bowed and disappeared. Mom must have seen my surprise because she said, "That was Falinth, he is a House Elf."

"How did he do that?" She chuckled, "He used his magic." "Magic's real?" I had been told magic wasn't, "Wow."

She smiled. Soon Falinth returned with a feast. I felt my eyes grow large at the size of it. "We're going to eat all that?" I wasn't sure if I could, and Aunt Petunia always told me not to waste the food given.

Mom shook her head, "Only as much as you can eat. I wouldn't want you to get sick because you ate to much." I nodded and we began eating. At first, I ate very little, about what Aunt Petunia gave me. When Mom seemed surprised at it, she asked, "You're full?"

I shrugged my shoulders, I really didn't feel comfortable telling her no. She nodded and finished up soon after. She stood and held out her hand, "Would you like me to show you your room?" My own room? She was giving me a room? I nodded slightly, it probably be one of the smaller rooms.

I followed her upstairs and down a hall. "You'll have to forgive its state. I haven't been able to replace the crib with a bed yet." Opening the door, she led me in. I felt my jaw drop, this room was huge! It could easily fit the Dursleys living room in it. This one room was for me?

I walked around the room, amazed at all the toys there were. Stuffed animals seemed to be the main type, but I didn't care. I turned to mom, who seemed to be waiting for my judgement. "All of this is for me?" She nodded. "Thank you, thank you very much," I ran over and hugged her. This seemed to be what she was waiting on because she let out the breath she had been holding. "I'm glad you like it," she said, "We'll get the crib replaced before the end of the day."

As we were walking out she said, "Harry, there's someone I'd like you to meet." We returned to the downstairs sitting room, the man from before was there. "Harry, this is Remus Lupin, he is a friend of your father and I." I held out my hand, "Pleasure to meet you mister Lupin."

"Please call me Remus." Remus took my hand and shook it. Mom gestured to sit down, which he did. I looked at mom for a quick second. She must have caught it because she said, "Yes Harry?"

"Can I, can I sit in your lap?" I felt a little foolish. Why would she want me to sit on her lap when she had guests. I was surprised when she said, "Yes." If I had been paying attention, I might have noticed the look of surprise on their faces.

Once I sat down and we were both comfortable, mom said, "Harry, Remus is here to take you shopping. I admit that I would prefer to take you, but I need to make sure the things protecting this place are still intact and replace one of them."

Looking at mom, she said, "Now then, how about we get you some new clothes?"

New clothes, new. I must have spoken, even though I wasn't aware. Mom said, "Yes new." Turning to Remus she said, "Try to keep a low profile. Diagon Alley would be the best place to take him." Handing him a key she continued, "This will let you withdraw from the family account. Feel free to get yourself something as well. In fact, I insist you get at least four new robes as well." Remus nodded.

As Remus held out his hand he said, "Shall we go?"

Looking at mom I said, "You'll be here when I get back?" She nodded, a smile on her lips. Turning to Remus, I nodded. He pulled out a bit of rope and said, "Once you grab on, it will activate in three seconds." I took a hold as Remus counted down.

I felt a tug at my navel and a whirling sensation. When we stopped, I fell down on my rear. Remus chuckled and helped me up. "Put this on," Remus said handing me a baseball cap, "It'll help keep a low profile.

As Remus and I made our way down the street, I couldn't get over the sights I saw. People walked around in robes, caldrons of various makes and models were being sold, there was even a broom shop selling brooms.

We made our way to a building of white marble. As we entered, Remus pointed out a plaque that read:

Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed
For those who take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn.
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there.

"It's madness to even think about robing this place," Remus said with a smile. We made our way towards one of the tellers, a 'Goblin' according to Remus, and presented the key mom had given Remus.

The goblin inspected the key minutely before saying, "What business will you be conducting on behalf of Mrs. Potter?"

Remus straightened, "A withdrawal. Nothing else."

The Goblin nodded, "Griphook will take you down." A wonderful cart ride later, we were in front of two large doors. Griphook took the key and opened the door.

In front of me were piles of gold pieces, stacks of what I thought was Silver coins, and pieces of bronze. Remus took the bag provided and quickly began filling it with a large amount of gold. I noticed several bolts of cloth, suits of armor, and what looked like paintings. Remus cleared his throat, turning back I realized we needed to go.

The ride back up was just as fun as the first, it was like the rides Dudley was always talking about. Once we came back out into the light of day, Remus said, "Let's get some ice cream, what do you say?"

Once I nodded, we sat off to an ice cream parlor right on the street. Few people were out, everyone carried on as if it was nothing to see people in pointed hats who talked about the latest spells they had tried. We quickly finished up our ice cream and entered a shop called, Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions.

One of the ladies came up and asked, "How may I help you?"

Remus said, "My nephew needs some better clothes. Some robes for him and me. Could you also recommend a place to acquire some muggle style clothing?"

The woman nodded, "Yes I believe that Merlintel's would be the best given his size." She quickly escorted us into the changing room to have our sizes taken. Once done, she informed us they would be ready in a couple of hours.

We made our way down the street, I was particularly interested in Eeylops Owl Emporium with all the different types of owls. We quickly found what we were looking for: Merlintel's Muggle Clothing Store.

As we entered, I noticed several styles that Dudley wore on a day to day basis. As we went looking at different clothes, I noticed some had instructions on how to wear them. When I pointed this out to Remus, he laughed and said, "Most wizards don't have very much experience with Muggles. Some have no clue as to which end goes where."

A clerk came over and asked how were we finding things. He seemed kind of curious as to why I was wearing cap, but said nothing. Remus explained what was needed, while the clerk paid close attention to what was said.

"Well, the advantage of our services is that most wizards have no clue about muggle fashion. I can tell you have more than some." He looked at me, "I trust you won't break your uncle's pocket. If you'll follow me, we'll get your sizes and then you can pick the styles you want."

We spent a couple of minutes getting an accurate size, when Remus asked why there were so many different measurements, the clerk replied, "unlike robes, muggle clothing has various areas that different sizes matter."

We went through several different types of clothing, I was amazed at the variety there was. The clerk explained that they also included styles for other countries and cultures. I picked several nice clothes as well as some loose fitting ones. The clerk quickly spelled them to size and told the total amount. Once we paid Remus said we had awhile until my robes were finished.

When I asked why it was so quicker to get the muggle clothes than robes, he explained, "Most wizards prefer robes. Only people who have business with muggles need to get muggle clothing."

We walked back up the alley by the owl emporium again. Remus, who most likely saw my interest, asked if I would like to go in. I quickly agreed, and Remus said if I found one I wanted, he'd get it as a late birthday present. We walked around the darkened room that held several Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy owls. I walked past several, noon of which caught my attention, till I found the one I was looking for. Why I was looking for this particular one was not something I thought about, I just knew she was the right one for me.

She was a beautiful snowy owl. I knew that she was intelligent, more of an instinct than actual knowledge. I distantly heard Remus asked the clerk how much but stopped listening. The owl looked at me, as if judging my worth. I guess she found me to her liking, because she hopped on my shoulder and started nibbling on my hair. We got a cage and several owl treats for her and left.

Once we arrived back at Madam Malkin's, we picked up our robes and made our way back to the area we arrived at. Pulling out the rope again, I grabbed a hold and felt the tug of it activating.

We landed off to the side of the main hall. I quickly made my way to find mom. She came in from outside saying, "That was quick."

I showed her the owl Remus had gotten me. She said she was impressed, and that I should let her out to spread her wings. Remus followed at a slower pace. Mom told me to go and put up my new clothing while she and Remus talked.

My new owl, I didn't know what to call her yet, followed me upstairs to my room. My room, that felt good. I noticed that the crib had been replaced with a large bed. Smiling to myself, I placed all my new clothing in the wardrobe. Pulling on a new set of clothing, I realized I didn't know what to do with my old or dirty clothing. Placing them aside, I went to my new owl and said, "So what should I call you?" I started saying names, only to be shot down by her. After about an hour, I ran out of ideas. "You didn't like any of them," she bobbed her head, "Fine, looks like I need to find a book of names to try."

Heading back downstairs, after opening the window to let her come and go, I found mom and Remus in the sitting room. Mom was so pleased that I had 'normal' clothing, as robes wouldn't be worn by the kids I went to school with. Mom sat me down and said, "Harry honey, while I was outside, I found a stray dog. Now, I've checked and found he's clean of any disease. Do you think we can provide a good home for him?" Right as she finished, a large black dog came walking in. He was thin, but seemed friendly.

The dog walked up to me and sniffed my hand. Finding me to his liking, he licked my face.

"What do we call him," I asked.

"He seems to respond to Padfoot," Remus answered. Padfoot, that name felt familiar but I didn't know where. I played with Padfoot for awhile until supper time. Mom told me to wash up, as Remus and I went to clean our hands from playing with Padfoot. Supper was an enjoyable event.

Towards the end, I said, "Mom, is there any books that list names? The owl Remus got me doesn't like any that I came up with."

"You can read already," Remus said surprised, "That's quite a feat."

"I learned to read the books Aunt Petunia read to Dudley. I also learned to read labels." I caught the look on mom's face, "Did I do something wrong," I asked in a small voice.

She blinked a couple of times, "No honey, you did nothing wrong."

After that brief interval, supper continued. Remus offered to show me the library, which I eagerly accepted. Before I left, I noticed mom and Padfoot looking at each other as if they understood each other.

(Evening Prophet Headline)

SIRIUS BLACK ESCAPES FROM AZKABAN! AUTHORITIES SUSPECT OUTSIDE HELP!

Authorities have just confirmed that Sirius Black, who murdered thirteen muggles and Peter Pettigrew, has just escaped from Azkaban. Sources say that it appeared that Black had an outside accomplice who was able to overpower several guards and Dementors at once. No word yet on the possible identity of the assailant, or how they were able to overpower ten guards and twenty Dementors so quickly. Black's whereabouts are unknown.

The Minister released this statement: "We are unsure as to why Black was freed, but we will ensure that he is found in a timely manner. We have called in all available resources to find this dangerous criminal."

We can only hope that the Auror forces can identify the accomplice and how they accomplished their feat.

A/n: Thanks to skichik for being my beta. Thanks to everyone who Reviewed. To answer some questions:

Harry is 4 years old.

The Dursleys were not physically abusive, the exception being Dudley.