Broken
By Neurotica
Two
The man Mrs. Figg introduced to Harry as Norris sat in Arabella's kitchen, his head in his hands. He hadn't seen Harry since the child was just over a year old, and the circumstances were far from what anyone would call normal.
"Here, Remus, have some tea; it'll calm your nerves," Arabella said, setting a flowered ceramic cup before the young man.
Remus Lupin lowered his shaking hands from his face and picked up the cup. "He's just so... not Harry," he muttered sadly before taking a sip of the bland tea. While Arabella had her back turned, Remus reached into his pocket and pulled out his wand. He pointed it into his tea and muttered something—sugar and honey shot from the tip of the wand, the contents of the cup stirring automatically.
"It's like I told you before, Remus, the boy's been made to think he's worthless," Arabella said, sitting across from the troubled wizard. "And you best be careful what you say around him; there's a reason Dumbledore asked you not to come here."
"I barely said a word to him!" Remus said defensively. "And I'm well aware of Dumbledore's wishes," he added slightly bitterly.
"It's for everybody's good," Arabella said firmly.
"Things have changed, Arabella, and Dumbledore knows that. I just wish he wasn't always so damned sure of himself," Remus said. Arabella muttered something inaudible as she stood and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Remus to brood over his tea.
He'd arrived at Arabella's home two nights previous after receiving a letter from his former Headmaster. To say the very least, Remus had been shocked by the news. He never thought it at all possible for something like this to happen; it had never been done before.
So after reading that letter, he'd packed a couple overnight bags that had definitely seen better days and Apparated to Arabella's home in Little Whinging. Regardless of how Dumbledore felt, Remus needed to be close now. It wasn't that he didn't trust the Headmaster to keep Harry safe, but Remus could sleep better knowing for a fact that the five-year-old hadn't been brought any harm.
"Remus," Arabella called from her living room. "You might want to see this."
Remus drank the last of his tea quickly, stood, and went to the next room. On Arabella's television was a face he hadn't seen in years. It was a face he'd come to despise. The man on the television screen had a sunken, gaunt face with dead, hollow grey eyes. His black hair hung just past his shoulders, and was matted and dirty. The picture of the man on the television stood still, but Remus was sure that if it hadn't been charmed that way, the man would be laughing about the crimes he'd committed five years ago.
"My god, he looks horrible," Arabella whispered.
Remus didn't reply, but he did agree. He'd known that face for fifteen years. He'd seen that face full of laughter and mischief, anger and grief. That face had belonged to a man who had once been one of Remus' best friends—his brother. After his betrayal, however, Remus had only hoped he would rot for what he'd done to Lily, James, Peter, and Harry. Remus held no sympathy for Sirius Black, and hoped he would show up on Privet Drive during Remus' stay. Remus wouldn't mind taking out a little frustration and anger on his former friend.
The doorbell rang and Remus snapped out of his daze. The newscaster had gone from discussing a dangerous escaped convict to dancing penguins at the London Zoo. Arabella had gone to answer the door, and Remus found himself in much need of a strong drink and a chair—he'd have to settle for the chair at the moment.
"Ah, Remus, wonderful to see you again, my boy," said a familiar voice from behind Remus.
Remus turned and smiled sheepishly at the sparkling blue eyes of Albus Dumbledore. "Hello, sir," he said, standing and shaking hands with the Headmaster. "How are you?"
"Just fine, Remus, just fine," Dumbledore said, sitting in Arabella's armchair—the cat beneath him barely missed being squashed.
To avoid thinking about Sirius Black for the moment, Remus wondered how it was possible for a wizard over a century old to arrive in a Muggle neighborhood wearing bright purple robes and not be seen. Did he use Muggle repellent charms on his clothes? Or did he just disguise himself with concealment charms? Probably the latter...
"Would you care for some tea, Dumbledore?" Arabella asked, shoving her cats away from the Headmaster—for some reason, they wouldn't go anywhere near Remus...
"That would be lovely. Thank you, Arabella," Dumbledore responded kindly. Once Arabella left the room, Dumbledore turned to Remus. The younger wizard turned away, knowing what was coming. "I should have known you would come here after receiving my letter, Remus," he said quietly. "You didn't have to come."
"I wanted to come, sir. I would prefer to be here rather than sitting at home not knowing," Remus said.
"You would have been kept informed." That was Dumbledore's way of nicely saying "you should have stayed out of it."
Remus sighed and looked behind him to the kitchen where Arabella was preparing tea. "Sir, no offense, but just having Arabella here won't be enough if Black decides to find Harry. He's proved before that he doesn't care about innocent Muggles or his best friends, and I think you need somebody else here for additional security."
"This wouldn't have anything to do with our discussion two years ago, would it, Remus?" Dumbledore asked quietly.
Remus winced. "No, sir, it wouldn't. I understood your reasoning behind that." Even though I don't agree with it, he added in his mind. "Somebody who knows Black should be here."
Dumbledore studied Remus for a long moment before speaking again. "I believe you are correct, Remus," he said. Remus raised an eyebrow. It couldn't be that easy, could it? "As long as you are willing to stay relatively undercover, I see no reason you should not be permitted to stay on Privet Drive for the time being."
Remus nodded and gave the Headmaster a small smile. "Thank you, Professor," he said quietly. Inwardly, he couldn't remember being happier. Sure, his former best friend who just happened to be a mad mass murderer was on the loose, but he was closer to Harry than he'd been in years.
Arabella returned with a tray of tea and week old chocolate cake that neither wizard was so rude as to refuse. Dumbledore explained the Ministry's plan to recapture Black. Minister Fudge had set his best Aurors, including Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, to the case of tracking down the escapee.
"How did he escape, though?" Arabella asked. Remus choked slightly on his tea, receiving an odd look from the old woman. Dumbledore either hadn't noticed or was ignoring the reaction for the time being.
"We are not yet sure, Arabella," Dumbledore said. "We only know that Black was in his cell when he was brought his dinner, and the next morning he was not."
After a casserole cooked by Arabella, Dumbledore took his leave—he needed to speak with the Minister of Magic. Arabella led Remus up the stairs to his bedroom. She had insisted upon his first visit two nights previous that he stay with her rather than going to a motel in town that he couldn't afford. (Well, she hadn't put it that way, but Remus understood her meaning.)
Just down the street from Harry's relatives, a small house was opening for rent. Dumbledore offered to fund the home for a few months until Remus could find steady work in the area. He hadn't been able to hold a job for almost a year. That was one of the many downsides to being a werewolf.
Again, Arabella pointed out where the spare towels and blankets were should Remus need a shower or get cold through the night. He thanked her profusely for allowing him to stay another night and watched her close the door.
Remus then went to the large window and pulled aside the curtain to look out upon the neighborhood. It was quite peaceful, this neighborhood, a little too peaceful to be truthful. Of course, Remus' own home in the forests of Kent was much more secluded and quiet than this place. But the neighborhoods of Privet Drive and Wisteria Walk had a strange, uneasy peace about them. One would expect to hear a dog barking or children playing in the streets, but there was nothing.
Did these neighborhoods know of the secrets that had been forced upon them almost five years ago? Did they know that Number Four, Privet Drive housed the savior of the wizarding world? Did they know that a psychotic murderer could be on his way there at that very moment?