A/N: I told you this'd be fast!
Chapter Five
Remus Lupin held his elbows tucked close to his body as he spun around and around, waiting to land in the Dursley's fireplace. All the while, panicked thoughts kept running through his mind.
'Merlin, what if something has happened to Harry? What if he's hurt? What if Voldemort has taken him? What would Padfoot say? What would PRONGS say???'
At last, Lupin felt himself slowing down, and he quickly stopped himself by putting his hands on the inside of the fireplace. It was a good thing, too, for if he hadn't, he would have run into a wall.
A wall?
Cursing, Lupin vaguely remembered Arthur Weasley saying something about the Dursleys having a blocked off fireplace with a plug. Sighing, he pulled out his wand and aimed a curse at the wall. It blew apart, and Lupin rushed through the hole, wand drawn.
Lupin was met by a masked Death Eater, wand held ready to attack. But before Lupin could fire a curse at the man, he held up his hand and shouted "Stop!" Lupin didn't lower his wand, but waited as the man removed his mask.
Severus Snape.
Lupin sighed in relief. "I never thought I'd say this, but thank the Lord it's you, Snape." His smile faltered, however, when he saw the look on the Potions Master's face. He was pale as death, and seemed to be in shock. "Severus, are you alright?" he asked, taking a step towards the other man. Snape backed up several steps, into the hallway.
"I tried. I didn't know...What was I to do? I didn't realize he'd...as stupid as his father - why didn't he use it? He had more than enough time..." Snape said disjointedly. He was staring at something on the floor beside him; Remus looked down and saw a giant scorched crater on the floor. He paled.
"Severus, what on earth is that?" whispered Lupin. Snape looked up at him, a pleading look in his eyes.
"I tried, Lupin, there was nothing I could do-"
Remus took several rushed steps towards Snape, and, panicking, asked, "What is it?"
Snape took a deep breath. He looked at the man he had hated since his childhood with sympathetic eyes. Lupin's blood ran cold. Snape whispered the one word that, after sixteen years of pain, brought Remus' world crashing down around him.
"Potter."
Snape watched as the werewolf became unhinged. He was screaming as though someone was ripping his heart out. He proceeded to destroy everything in the sitting room; Severus made no attempt to stop him. He realized how much pain this man had gone though, and thought he'd never liked him, he did feel compassion. He watched Lupin rip the sofa apart. He threw furniture at the windows. He smashed all photographs off the walls with his bare hands. Blood trickled from his hands, where glass had embedded itself into his skin from smashing picture frames.
As Lupin smashed the last porcelain figure, he seemed to become devoid of emotion. He walked past Severus into the hallway, not seeming to notice the Death Eater. He sat down in front of the charred spot, assumed the fetal position, and started to howl. Not the sad howl of a human, but the broken howl of a beast that had been wounded too many times. Tears poured down his face, and he hid in his knees, rocking back and forth. After a few minutes, he'd stopped rocking and howling, and sat crying, staring blankly ahead of him.
His reverie was broken by a noise coming from the cupboard next to him. He nudged the door open and was met with a pair of big brown eyes. Hedwig the owl let out a mournful hoot. Lupin removed her cage from the cupboard and opened the door of it. The owl flew out of the cage, and landed in the center of the scorch mark. Lupin's heart ached as he watched the faithful pet bend forward and release a single tear onto the ground, letting out another miserable hoot. She then hopped slowly back towards the cage, flew in, and pulled the door shut with her beak. As though letting out a sigh, she leaned her head against the side of the cage and stared at the spot on the ground.
Lupin set the cage on the ground, and turned to look into the cupboard. Everything Harry owned was in there; his trunk and Firebolt were beneath the pitiful mattress, and some quills and parchment were spread out on the shelves above the head of the bed.
"They found him in there," whispered Snape, now standing next to Lupin. He pointed at the cupboard. Anger flared within Lupin as he realized why Ron hadn't received any letters from Harry; why all his gifts had been sent back; why Hermione hadn't been able to talk to him on the telephone. The Dursleys had, once again, locked the boy into the cupboard under the stairs.
Lupin let out a primal growl and turned to Snape. "Where?" he asked furiously. "Where are those filthy muggles?"
Snape lowered his gaze and pointed to the front door. "They're outside. Voldemort killed them." The anger within Lupin was quickly extinguished, and replaced with pity. Nobody, not even those pathetic muggles, deserved to die at the hands of Voldemort.
"That's how they got in, then," Lupin said quietly, turning to face Snape. The Death Eater nodded.
"The Dark Mark is hovering over the house; Ministry authorities will be here any moment. We must gather up the boy's things and apparate back."
Lupin nodded sullenly, and started to gather up Harry's things with his wand. Once he was certain everything but the Firebolt and Hedwig's cage was loaded into the trunk, he and Snape disapparated.
As anyone who has read "Hogwarts: A History" would know, it is impossible to apparate or disapparate on the grounds of Hogwarts. Therefore, Snape and Lupin apparated in Hogsmeade, about a mile away from the gates of Hogwarts. The walk back to the castle was long and silent. Lupin was grateful for the silence, though; it wasn't an awkward or uncomfortable silence, like he normally experienced around the Potions Master. No, it was more an understanding, respectful silence. As they walked, a scene from nearly sixteen years ago kept running through Remus' head. A scene that desperately made him wish he could vanish into thin air.
"We've come to a decision," said James proudly, leading his wife and their barely one-week-old son into their sitting room. Lupin, Sirius, and Peter Pettigrew were gathered around, smiling at the sight of the child. It was really scary how much he looked like James...
"You're finally going to start acting your age?" asked Sirius hopefully. Lupin stepped on his foot.
"Ouch! I was only kidding, Moony. I assume you mean you've come to a decision on who is to be godfather?" Lily nodded.
"It took hours of careful planning," she said, eyeing the three men before her. "We had to think of who would be the most suitable, and would be able to take the best care of Harry."
"And after all that," James stated, sitting next to his wife, "We picked the most incompetent of the three of you."
Sirius whooped for joy, jumped up, and pulled James into a bone crushing bear hug. He quickly released him, however, after he heard several pops and cracks. "Wow, James, I never thought...I mean, wow! I thought you'd choose Moony!"
"Yeah, so did I," Lupin pouted. James laughed and sat between Peter and Remus.
"Now, now, it's not like Harry could have three godfathers, is it? Besides, Lily and I would like to consider you unofficial godfathers to Harry. We know you'll both try just as hard as Padfoot ever would, should anything happen to us." He leaned in closer to the two, hoping Sirius couldn't hear him. "And, if anything does happen to us, keep a VERY close eye on Padfoot, ok?"
Remus and Peter laughed and nodded. "We'll protect him with our lives," Peter said, smiling warmly at baby Harry.
"Yeah, you think Sirius would be able to keep us away from him? Not bloody likely!" Lupin said firmly, sitting next to Lily and taking the small boy in his arms. Harry stared up at him with big green eyes, and smiled.
And in the end, his efforts had been futile. At least Sirius had been able to protect Harry; he really did protect the boy with his life.
'And I left him to die with those muggles,' Remus thought miserably. He let out a mournful cry and let the tears flow once more. Snape turned to him and gave him another sympathetic look.
"I am truly sorry," he whispered, cautiously placing his arm on the other man's shoulder. Lupin gave Snape a miserable smile.
"I know."
Chapter Five
Remus Lupin held his elbows tucked close to his body as he spun around and around, waiting to land in the Dursley's fireplace. All the while, panicked thoughts kept running through his mind.
'Merlin, what if something has happened to Harry? What if he's hurt? What if Voldemort has taken him? What would Padfoot say? What would PRONGS say???'
At last, Lupin felt himself slowing down, and he quickly stopped himself by putting his hands on the inside of the fireplace. It was a good thing, too, for if he hadn't, he would have run into a wall.
A wall?
Cursing, Lupin vaguely remembered Arthur Weasley saying something about the Dursleys having a blocked off fireplace with a plug. Sighing, he pulled out his wand and aimed a curse at the wall. It blew apart, and Lupin rushed through the hole, wand drawn.
Lupin was met by a masked Death Eater, wand held ready to attack. But before Lupin could fire a curse at the man, he held up his hand and shouted "Stop!" Lupin didn't lower his wand, but waited as the man removed his mask.
Severus Snape.
Lupin sighed in relief. "I never thought I'd say this, but thank the Lord it's you, Snape." His smile faltered, however, when he saw the look on the Potions Master's face. He was pale as death, and seemed to be in shock. "Severus, are you alright?" he asked, taking a step towards the other man. Snape backed up several steps, into the hallway.
"I tried. I didn't know...What was I to do? I didn't realize he'd...as stupid as his father - why didn't he use it? He had more than enough time..." Snape said disjointedly. He was staring at something on the floor beside him; Remus looked down and saw a giant scorched crater on the floor. He paled.
"Severus, what on earth is that?" whispered Lupin. Snape looked up at him, a pleading look in his eyes.
"I tried, Lupin, there was nothing I could do-"
Remus took several rushed steps towards Snape, and, panicking, asked, "What is it?"
Snape took a deep breath. He looked at the man he had hated since his childhood with sympathetic eyes. Lupin's blood ran cold. Snape whispered the one word that, after sixteen years of pain, brought Remus' world crashing down around him.
"Potter."
Snape watched as the werewolf became unhinged. He was screaming as though someone was ripping his heart out. He proceeded to destroy everything in the sitting room; Severus made no attempt to stop him. He realized how much pain this man had gone though, and thought he'd never liked him, he did feel compassion. He watched Lupin rip the sofa apart. He threw furniture at the windows. He smashed all photographs off the walls with his bare hands. Blood trickled from his hands, where glass had embedded itself into his skin from smashing picture frames.
As Lupin smashed the last porcelain figure, he seemed to become devoid of emotion. He walked past Severus into the hallway, not seeming to notice the Death Eater. He sat down in front of the charred spot, assumed the fetal position, and started to howl. Not the sad howl of a human, but the broken howl of a beast that had been wounded too many times. Tears poured down his face, and he hid in his knees, rocking back and forth. After a few minutes, he'd stopped rocking and howling, and sat crying, staring blankly ahead of him.
His reverie was broken by a noise coming from the cupboard next to him. He nudged the door open and was met with a pair of big brown eyes. Hedwig the owl let out a mournful hoot. Lupin removed her cage from the cupboard and opened the door of it. The owl flew out of the cage, and landed in the center of the scorch mark. Lupin's heart ached as he watched the faithful pet bend forward and release a single tear onto the ground, letting out another miserable hoot. She then hopped slowly back towards the cage, flew in, and pulled the door shut with her beak. As though letting out a sigh, she leaned her head against the side of the cage and stared at the spot on the ground.
Lupin set the cage on the ground, and turned to look into the cupboard. Everything Harry owned was in there; his trunk and Firebolt were beneath the pitiful mattress, and some quills and parchment were spread out on the shelves above the head of the bed.
"They found him in there," whispered Snape, now standing next to Lupin. He pointed at the cupboard. Anger flared within Lupin as he realized why Ron hadn't received any letters from Harry; why all his gifts had been sent back; why Hermione hadn't been able to talk to him on the telephone. The Dursleys had, once again, locked the boy into the cupboard under the stairs.
Lupin let out a primal growl and turned to Snape. "Where?" he asked furiously. "Where are those filthy muggles?"
Snape lowered his gaze and pointed to the front door. "They're outside. Voldemort killed them." The anger within Lupin was quickly extinguished, and replaced with pity. Nobody, not even those pathetic muggles, deserved to die at the hands of Voldemort.
"That's how they got in, then," Lupin said quietly, turning to face Snape. The Death Eater nodded.
"The Dark Mark is hovering over the house; Ministry authorities will be here any moment. We must gather up the boy's things and apparate back."
Lupin nodded sullenly, and started to gather up Harry's things with his wand. Once he was certain everything but the Firebolt and Hedwig's cage was loaded into the trunk, he and Snape disapparated.
As anyone who has read "Hogwarts: A History" would know, it is impossible to apparate or disapparate on the grounds of Hogwarts. Therefore, Snape and Lupin apparated in Hogsmeade, about a mile away from the gates of Hogwarts. The walk back to the castle was long and silent. Lupin was grateful for the silence, though; it wasn't an awkward or uncomfortable silence, like he normally experienced around the Potions Master. No, it was more an understanding, respectful silence. As they walked, a scene from nearly sixteen years ago kept running through Remus' head. A scene that desperately made him wish he could vanish into thin air.
"We've come to a decision," said James proudly, leading his wife and their barely one-week-old son into their sitting room. Lupin, Sirius, and Peter Pettigrew were gathered around, smiling at the sight of the child. It was really scary how much he looked like James...
"You're finally going to start acting your age?" asked Sirius hopefully. Lupin stepped on his foot.
"Ouch! I was only kidding, Moony. I assume you mean you've come to a decision on who is to be godfather?" Lily nodded.
"It took hours of careful planning," she said, eyeing the three men before her. "We had to think of who would be the most suitable, and would be able to take the best care of Harry."
"And after all that," James stated, sitting next to his wife, "We picked the most incompetent of the three of you."
Sirius whooped for joy, jumped up, and pulled James into a bone crushing bear hug. He quickly released him, however, after he heard several pops and cracks. "Wow, James, I never thought...I mean, wow! I thought you'd choose Moony!"
"Yeah, so did I," Lupin pouted. James laughed and sat between Peter and Remus.
"Now, now, it's not like Harry could have three godfathers, is it? Besides, Lily and I would like to consider you unofficial godfathers to Harry. We know you'll both try just as hard as Padfoot ever would, should anything happen to us." He leaned in closer to the two, hoping Sirius couldn't hear him. "And, if anything does happen to us, keep a VERY close eye on Padfoot, ok?"
Remus and Peter laughed and nodded. "We'll protect him with our lives," Peter said, smiling warmly at baby Harry.
"Yeah, you think Sirius would be able to keep us away from him? Not bloody likely!" Lupin said firmly, sitting next to Lily and taking the small boy in his arms. Harry stared up at him with big green eyes, and smiled.
And in the end, his efforts had been futile. At least Sirius had been able to protect Harry; he really did protect the boy with his life.
'And I left him to die with those muggles,' Remus thought miserably. He let out a mournful cry and let the tears flow once more. Snape turned to him and gave him another sympathetic look.
"I am truly sorry," he whispered, cautiously placing his arm on the other man's shoulder. Lupin gave Snape a miserable smile.
"I know."