AN: Sorry for the lack of updating lately, but I have finals coming up next week. These teachers are insane. I've also been busy with a couple of other thiings, but mainly finals.

Chapter 3: Friends Reunited

Remus and Harry, with Arsenic under his shirt, climbed down the stairs. They then emerged into a room with an information booth. Being underground, torches were located on the walls, providing light to all. Embossed into the wall, the words 'The Sonoran Underground' were shown, followed by an embossed snake. Remus took Harry past the information booth and to the other hallway.

As the place was underground, the torches were their only light source. It was creepy to Harry, but it couldn't be that bad. Besides, Remus was with him. Nothing bad was going to happen with Remus. Besides, he had Arsenic. Arsenic would poison somebody, if he wanted to.

After Harry and Remus got their supplies, they entered the information booth area. Harry bought a new watch. potion refills, and a few other things. Remus, unfortunately, wouldn't show him what he got. He said it was secret Order business.Remus entered a door that Harry didn't notice before. They then lined up to use the floo, and it was now their turn.

"Now, Harry. We are going to my place first to take care of Hedwig. It's at 24 Wolf Ave." said Remus.

"24 Wolf Ave," said Harry, after throwing the emerald powder into the flames. The emerald flames scorched up, and Harry entered the flames. He ended up face down on the floor. Remus then emerged standing up, and helped Harry up.

"Welcome to my hideaway, Harry. You can stay here if you want, but I understand if you would rather stay somewhere else," replied Remus. Harry looked around. The place wasn't in good condition. Various slash and bite marks were all over the wooden furniture, and Harry assumed it was from full moons. With him here, they would probably need to build a seperate transformation room, until he learned Animagi.

Remus then led Harry outside, and Harry looked at the woods in awe. They were huge, and so full of life. Birds were chirping everywhere, and squirrels were eating nuts. Remus then led Harry deep into the woods, following the dirt path ahead of them. After an hour of walking, they finally came upon a clearing. The only thing that stood out was a grave near the left part of the clearing. An owl standing on one leg was on the top of the stone. Harry approached it, and read the text.

Here Lies Shadow the owl

Loyal familiar of James Potter

1971-1976

May you rest in peace.
-Prongs, Moony, Wormtail, and Padfoot

"Bye Shadow," whispered Harry. even though he never knew Shadow or James, he still felt like it was his duty to say good-bye to him. He then noticed that Wormtail signed it. That surprised him after what Remus said about Wormtail hating Shadow.

Harry and Remus then set to work digging Hedwig's grave near Shadow's. Three hours later, they stood, admiring their hole. They then decided to hold a ceremony of some kind, like James did to Shadow. Remus opened up his backpack, and took out an owl coffin he bought in The Sonoran Underground, a cloth, and Hedwig's body.

Harry took Hedwig's body, and started wrapping it in the cloth. Tears then poured down his face. She was such a good owl. He then remembered what Arsenic said. Death is not the end, as they still live in you. He then put her wrapped up body in the coffin. Then, remembering muggle shows, he reached into his pocket, took out Hedwig's favorite toy mouse, and put it in the coffin with her. Why did this have to happen? The two of them then hoisted the coffin into thbe hole, and buried it.

"We are here to say a few words to Hedwig," began Remus. "I don't know her as well as Harry, but she was loyal to him until the end. If it wasn't for her, Harry wouldn't be here. She was such a smart familiar. She always managed to deliver her letters, even to the HQ. She was always there when Harry needed her. Thank you, Hedwig. Now, Harry, it's your turn. Just say some words."

Harry stepped up to the buried hole. "Thank you for everything, Hedwig. You were my only companion back at The Dursleys.You were the only one there who didn't look at me in disgust and fear. You were always my friend and companion. You were very smart, always trying to get me to move on. Then...you sacrificed yourself for me. You didn't have to do that, Hedwig. It would of probably been easier if you didn't but you did. I thank you for that, but that was so brave of you. You are a true Gryffindor, even if you're an owl. Say hi to mom, dad, Sirius, and Shadow for me, though, will you, Hedwig?"

Harry finished the last couple of sentences in tears. This was just so hard for him. He and Remus then made a headstone for Hedwig's grave. It had a figure of an owl spreading out her wings, and the following was carved out:

Here lies Hedwig, the snowy owl.

Loyal familiar of Harry J. Potter.

Valiantly sacrificed her life for Harry

1990-1996

Rest in Peace, and say hi to all our loved ones up there.

Harry and Moony

Harry and Remus stared at the two graves, said their good byes, and headed back to Remus' place. It was getting dark and they had to sleep for now. Tomorrow, they were planning to buy Harry some new clothes. The day after that was the next Order Meeting that Remus had to attend.

The next morning, Harry followed Remus to the living room. Today, they were planning to buy Harry new clothes that actually fit him, along with things for the house. Remus and Harry were preparing for the trip when a floo call interrupted them.

"I better go see who that is, Harry," replied Remus, heading toward the fireplace. "Oh, hello Headmaster."

"Remus, I am no longer your headmaster. You know by now to call me Albus. Either way, we have an emergency at our hands. Harry is missing,' explained Dumbledore.

"No, he's not. I have him here with me," replied Remus. "I can go get him if you want."

"Remus! You know perfectly well that Harry has to remain at Privet Drive. I know Sirius died, and you're the closest thing he has left, but it's vital that he stays with his relatives. He's protected there."

"Protected! Protected! How can you call him protected with those...people!" yelled Remus at Albus. He was very angry that Harry was almost killed. He would of been, too, if Hedwig wasn't so loyal to him.

"I already told you this before, Remus. There is blood protection on that house. As long as Harry stays with his relatives, Voldemort or his followers will be unable to harm him. By removing him from the house, you are endangering him." replied Albus, trying to get Remus to understand. By the look on Remus' face, however, Albus continued. "I know that Harry doesn't like his relatives, but all children go through that, especially during their teen years. He'll be safe there, Remus."

"Albus! Are you insane? You call Harry safe there, but, Albus, He was almost killed yesterday! How can you call that safe!" yelled out Remus.

"So, Voldemort has found a way to get through my protections? In that case, I shall have to find a way to strengthen the existing protections," replied Albus. Remus flinched at the name.

"Don't say the name! You-Know-Who wasn't the one to almost kill him yesterday, Albus. In fact, as far as I know, there is nothing wrong with the wards. If you want to know, he was almost killed yesterday by a muggle. A certain muggle by the name of Vernon Dursley," replied Remus.

"What!" exclaimed Albus. "Are you sure? How do you know it wasn't a Death Eater under Polyjuice or something?"

"It's a possibility, but I somehow doubt it. We might have to investigate. Anyway, I was heading to the Underground to purchase those Order supplies when I spotted Harry tied to the ground in the desert. Vernon was holding a gun and shot. I ran up, but knew I would be too late. Hedwig, however, took the blow of the bullet, and sacrificed herself for him. Vernon then reloaded his gun, and aimed again, but I managed to stun him before he pulled the trigger," replied Remus.

"I understand. I wasn't aware that they would do something like this. Very well, Remus. Harry can stay with you, and we can put the Dursley's on trial for this. In the meantime, I want to have an Order Meeting Tonight. Bring Harry with you," replied Dumbledore. "I have something for him. I shall inform the others and set-up a trial."

After that conversation, Remus filled Harry in about what just happened. Harry was surprised about the trial, but it did make sense. There were always trials for murder and attempted murder. Vernon did both. He murdered Hedwig, and attempted murder on him. True, he was aiming for him. However, if someone tries to kill subject A, and accidentally kills subject B, then they're guilty for the murder of subject B.

Later in the day, Harry and Remus set out to the villiage. As well as clothes, they also wanted to buy electronics, as the ones in there were very outdated. First, however, they had to stop to eat lunch. After the chat with dumbledore, and the following chat, lunchtime approached. They stopped at a nearby luncheon and ordered sandwiches.

"Remus! It's been ages," said a woman that approached their table. She faced Remus. Remus, startled, then turned toward her. He was shocked. "And who is this little guy? He looks a lot like your friend, what was his name, James?"

"That's right, Teala. It was James. This is his son, Harry. As unbelievable as it sounds, Lily and James married." Teala looked shocked at that bit of info. "Harry, meet Teala. She's one of my friends that lives here as well. It's been a while though, Teala," replied Remus. "And where's Daniel?"

"Daniel is at the counter complaining. He's convinced that the ham in the sandwiches are poisoned, and they did it unpurpose in some kind of mass world-domination plot. He hasn't changed one single bit," said Teala.

"Yeah. That's Daniel all right," replied Remus, checking his sandwich. He was relieved to see it was roast beef, and not ham. "He always comes up with these insane theories that don't even have a speck of evidence. It's hard to believe that he still does that."

"Yeah. I know. Anyway, nice to meet you, Harry. So, Remus, what happened to your infamous marauder group during the years?" questioned Teala. Remus then sighed. The story was complicated, and he would have to leave out details. After all, Teala and Daniel were muggles.

"It's a long story, Teala. I think it would be best to tell after Daniel gets back from complaining. That way, he can hear it too. By the way, what happened to your trio, Amy, and Laura?" asked Remus.

Twenty minutes later, Daniel came back holding a steak sandwich. "Well, Teala, the cashier thought I was mentally insane, and got the manager out. After that, I realize that it's impossible to stop them by peaceful means. We must inform the world of the poisoned ham in this place. As for...Remus! Long time, no see, Wolfy. Have the full moons been cooperating for you?"

"The usual. The transformations are painful, like always. The good news, though, is that I didn't bite anyone," replied Remus sarcastically. Harry was shocked. How did Daniel know that Remus was a werewolf? Besides, Remus was hinting to him that they were muggles, muggles that think werewolves don't exist. Besides, even if they were wizards, wizards just don't mention those things in public.

"Harry, don't worry about what Daniel said," said Teala, noticing his shock, but wrongly interpreting it. "Remus isn't a werewolf. Remus just likes playing along with Daniel's theories. You see, Daniel here comes up with loads of insane theories, most of them involving mystical creatures and magic. You know, the stuff in fantasy stories. You've just seen his poisoned ham one earlier, but that one had nothing to do with magic. Just remember that those things are not true."

"Teala! But my theories make sense! That's why I call them theories. You can't call them theories until you have a substantial amount of evidence. They're not laws, which need even more, but they have some. Remus is a werewolf. He's never been around on a full moon night... As for Mr. Smith, he is a vampire. He owns a coffin. Then he has that mysterious back door in his classroom, and even stores blood in his desk drawer... And there is a phoenix living in this neighborhood. You can hear its lovely phoenix song at times...Then..." began Daniel, but he was interrupted once more.

"Daniel, do you actually mean to tell me that you actually paid attention in Chemistry? You didn't spend all of Chemistry trying to pinpoint Mr. Smith as a vampire? Wow, I'm impressed with you. However, Remus isn't a werewolf, Mr. Smith isn't a vampire, and there isn't a phoenix in this neighborhood." Teala hesitated for a second. "Werewolves, Vampires, and Phoenixes don't exist, Daniel. There are logical explanations for all of them," said Teala.

"And I've heard them a million times before, but go repeat them again if you wish," replied Daniel. " We are just wasting time with it, though."

"I think I will. That class started at 7:45. Anybody would be tired during it, including Remus, As for the full moon absences, you're so convinced he's a werewolf that the only absences of his you realize are the full moon ones. There's plenty of full moons when he's probably been around, but your brain never registered. As for Mr. Smith, that coffin is part of his antique collection in his house. We went there to clean there once. As for the mysterious door, it leads to the materials for the labs. As for the blood, that's needed for certain labs.He's just a Chemistry teacher we had when we were ten. As for the phoenix..." but Remus interrupted.

"Teala, Daniel. I really don't think you should get into this, especially with Harry here. Did you realize that he's so in shock that he hasn't said a word yet?" said Remus. Teala and Daniel stared.

"Is that kid, Harry, then?" asled Daniel. " Nice to meet you, Harry. You must be the son of...Lily and James. They came over here sometimes during the summer. They were both very great people, Harry, but in different ways." Harry wasn't too surprised that Daniel figured out his parentage. He did look just like his dad, and had mom's eyes.

"Either way, Harry and I were heading on a shopping trip for clothes, and electronics. Do you guys want to come with us? After that, we can talk about events and avoid Daniel's poisoned ham sandwiches," said Remus. Remus, too, thought Daniel wasn't serious, but he always liked to play along with him. Besides, he sometimes had the creepy feeling that there was more to it.

Their first stop was a clothes shop, where Harry finally got rid of Dudley's old clothes. The trip there was very uneventful. Or, more accurately, it would of been uneventful if Teala and Daniel weren't present.

"Daniel, I'm bored," said Teala. She finished picking out a nice dress, and handed it over to Daniel. Daniel sighed and put it in the cart.

"In that case, go and find something to do. Just leave me out of it, okay Teala?" replied Daniel.

"Fine. I'll just find somebody else, then," replied Teala. She looked around until she spotted a circular clothing rack in the ladies section. She then remembered a quote she heard once, walked toward the rack, pushed aside the shirts, and hid under it. This was going to be good.

Meanwhile, Daniel, Remus, and Harry were looking around for clothes for Harry. It wasn't that hard, but there were so many to choose from.

"How about this one, Harry?" asked Remus. It was a white shirt with a stag on it.

"Not that! Anything but that!" yelled out Daniel.

"You mean the shirt?" said Remus.

"Yes, I mean the shirt. No, I actually mean the lady over there that's trying to kidnap that boy," replied Daniel.

"What!" exclaimed Remus and turned around. Not surprisingly, they saw a lady with a little boy. However, there was no sign that he was being kidnapped.

Let's stop him!" yelled out Daniel. He then ran after the lady. Remus and Harry followed yelling out for Daniel to come back over here. The lady panicked and ran into the woman's area of the shop.

"Hand over that kid you stole!" yelled Daniel. Remus and Harry expected the lady to look confused. She did.

"What are you talking about," she yelled back, panicked. The lady then bent down to a random clothing rack, and pulled aside the shirts, continuing her shopping.

"Pick me! Pick me! Pick me!" yelled out Teala as she jumped out of the clothing rack that the lady was sorting through. She landed on the lady, pinning her to the ground.

"What is going on here?" asked the lady, staring at the crazy girl.

"Simple. I'm a shirt. I want you to pick me, instead of some other unimportant shirt on that rack. I'm a very great shirt, and I wouldn't mind being bought by you. So please, do a poor shirt a favor and pick me. You won't regret it," replied Teala.

"You're a person, a lady. You are not a shirt," said the lady. Apparently, she lacked a sense of humor.

"Yes, I am a shirt. I have two sleeves, and am made of fabric. I am a shirt, and I'm even your size. I'll fit you perfectly. Please, take me home with you," replied Teala.

"Teala!" yelled out Daniel. "Good going. You pinned the kidnapper!"

"Kidnapper?" asked Teala. "But she's just a customer with a little boy. Daniel, you're watching way too many movies.'

The store manager came out, and convined a reluctant Daniel to let his customer go. They were then lectured about disturbing the store and customers, and were kicked out. The manager was at least nice enough to let them check out first. Harry figured he just wanted their money.

After that excitment, they decided to skip the other stores, and hit them later. They did have a lot of catching up to do, however. They headed to Daniel's home, and started to catch up with the times.

"So what happened to Amy and Laura, Teala?" questioned Remus. He remembered the summers when Teala would sometimes bring Amy and Laura over to her house to meet everyone. They even got to meet the other marauders a couple of times.

"Amy ended up getting married to Ryan. They now have an eleven-year-old girl named Andrea. As for Laura, she died," replied Teala, sadness creeping up about Laura. "Now what about Sirius, Peter, and James?"

"First off, how did Laura die?" asked Remus. "She was my friend, even if I didn't know her that well." Remus thought it strange that Teala seemed to want to avoid that subject.

"She was poisoned one day," replied Teala. "Now tell me about your story, Remus," asked Teala. Remus sighed. He knew he wasn't going to get a better answer out of her.

"It's a long story, Teala. I could probably even write a whole novel on it. To make it brief, however, James and Lily had Harry, and were murdered. Sirius was framed for their murder, but Peter was actually responsible for it. That's what happened," finished up Remus.

Harry, Remus, Teala, and Daniel then spent the rest of the night talking about things, and getting to know Harry. Harry was starting to like those two, even if they were very insane.

Next Chapter:

The Order Meeting