Chapter Four- Reactions

Dusting themselves off, Remus Lupin and Sirius Black turned towards the headmaster.

Albus glanced at the newly returned Harry, only to find the chair empty and the tea set missing a cup. Startled he darted his eyes around the still office, into the shadows, the corners that may of hid the boy. Then, as Albus's hand brushed the parchment certificate on his desk where he had placed it, he abandoned his search. Apparently Harry wanted to remain unseen, and the headmaster realized he no reason to deny that.

A small cough drew Dumbledore's head up from gazing at his desk to the two newest arrivals to his office. Placing on a delayed smile of welcome, he looked into the concerned eyes of his former students.

"Hello, my boys," Albus called cheerfully, acting as though nothing was amiss in his behavior.

"... Hello, Albus," Remus answered, somewhat slowly. "Is everything quite alright?" He made a quick glance of the office, then restored his sight upon the headmaster. Something seemed a little off, but he couldn't quite place it.

"Of course, Remus. Why do you ask?" Albus turned an almost indulgent smile on the werewolf and his companion.

For his part, Remus's partner was looking at Dumbledore with his eyebrows raised. While the headmaster was a bit odd at times, alright, most of the time, this was a little stranger than even that. Sirius, too, scanned the office, then turned back to Albus.

Remus shook his head in answer to Dumbledore's question, with a smile that indicated he wasn't sure why. "It's nothing, I'm certain."

"Good, good." Albus then raised one of his own eyebrows. "What do I owe to this most welcome visit?"

Remus and Sirius glanced at one another, then looked back at the headmaster with vaguely disbelieving expressions. Remus was the one to finally answer. "We've come to give you our report to the Order."

"Yeah, you know, about our mission?" Sirius continued. "The one we just got back from? As we always do when we return from them?"

"Ah, yes, of course. Must of slipped my mind." Both younger men's eyes widened slightly. "What did you find in Denmark? Were the wizard Danes responsive to an allegiance?"

Remus drew out a scroll as he tried to respond. "Uh... er, right. Some were. Uh, here." Albus never before forgot anything regarding the Order, especially the members' returns from their missions, and the shock of it was causing the normally articulate werewolf to lose the better part of his vocabulary. Shaking his head a little to clear it from thoughts of the headmaster finally losing what had remained of his wits, he stepped over to the desk and handed Dumbledore the parchment.

"Excellent," Albus said as he took the proffered paper. "I'll set up a meeting so you can report to the Order. I believe a couple others are returning within the next couple days, so we'll have it so everyone can have their say." Both Remus and Sirius nodded, still looking a bit concerned at their old mentor. "Now, as you've returned, I suppose you are enthusiastic to take your positions..." Albus broke off as Sirius exclaimed.

"I know what's odd in here! Nothing's moving!" Remus turned and looked at his old friend. "What? Remus, look! Even the pictures are still."

Remus glanced at the portraits with a startled inhale. "You're right."

"You don't have to sound so incredulous." Sirius muttered half-heartedly.

Remus just glared at him briefly, before directing his sight back on the headmaster. He watched the man glance again into the shadows of the office, then mutter something under his breath. If not for his enhanced sense of hearing from his lycanthropy, he would never have understood it.

"Wonder why he didn't reanimate everything. For that matter, why did he still the things to begin with. And how?"

As Remus tried in vain to fathom what Dumbledore was talking about, Sirius, who hadn't heard, questioned the headmaster. "Albus, what's going on? You've been acting a little, well, strange, and now this. What's happening?"

Albus looked to be about to respond when his gaze sharpened at something beyond the two men. He cocked his head in question, then nodded when he apparently received affirmation. The two Marauders watched the leader of the Order's curious behavior and glanced behind themselves, but seeing nothing, turned back. Both men's brows furrowed in confusion, as Dumbledore's rose in query to the unseen.

Suddenly, Remus stilled and then pivoted straight around, pulling his wand from his robes. Sirius turned himself, a half-step behind his comrade. He, too, drew his wand and pointed it in synchronous with Remus's towards a silhouette in the shadow that manifested itself before them. Then his wand abruptly met the floor as it fell from his slack fingers, when the figure drew out of the darkness and revealed its form to the men. Remus's wand shook, but didn't altogether waver from the young man who stood in front of him. He couldn't drop his wand, he was gripping it too tightly.

"Harry..." Sirius unknowingly echoed Albus's earlier stunned vociferation.

Completely exiting the cloaking shadows, Harry stepped towards his godfather and his once tutor. He halted before them, a beam of light blazing a boundary between him and the stunned men. Dumbledore watched, the widening of his eyes the only sign of his being startled when he saw that not only were Harry's clothes changed to stylish, if nondescript, robes, but that his symbol of aura was concealed. Albus figured it was a Glamour of some kind, though he knew of none capable of covering a design of magic such as that. Though he couldn't see the young wizard's neck, the headmaster supposed that Harry had also secreted his dimension transport symbol. He had apparently been prepared.

As Albus observed the men in his office, Sirius shook his head slightly as though consolidating his awareness with the evidence before his eyes. Unable to fully do so, he turned his gaze to Dumbledore, seeking attestation from a source he trusted more than his own senses at the moment. Albus half-smiled back, with his usual ocular twinkle. Figuring that as a positive response, he looked first at his ostensibly shocked partner, then back at the source of the astonishment.

For his part, Harry's eyes gleamed with what could only be called amusement. Deciding to end their disorientation, he smiled and addressed his godfather.

"Hallo, Sirius. It's me, truly. I, er, well, after we first met," Harry reaffirmed with something only they would know, "you told me that you were my godfather, and then asked me to live with you. You hadn't thought I would want to, and were surprised when I immediately agreed. I think we are the only ones that would have known that. Oh, and then you were the one that explained about certain Death Eaters when you snuck up here in my fourth year and hid in a cave outside of Hogsmeade."

Sirius again shook his head, not negating, but rather still not comprehending everything.

"... Bloody Merlin. How, how is this possible? Harry... You, we thought you where... dead. What, where... Hell, Harry, what's going on?"

Harry ducked his head, a smile playing about his lips at his godfather's quite disorganized rambling. Then, swallowing his chuckle, he once more looked up, gazing into Sirius's eyes.

"It's a long story, Sirius. I'll explain, in a minute. But it's good, great to see you. I've missed you." Harry smiled earnestly at the Animagus. Then he turned to the werewolf who was staring at him very intently, if less stunned, "And Professor Lupin, you too. It's been too long."

"Harry..." Lupin started, then continued after a second, "We've missed you as well. We thought you, well, we did think you had been killed. There was no evidence to refute that." He seemed to be struggling to grasp the truth.

"I know, but I daresay there was no evidence to substantiate that, either. Not as I am here." This was said with a mock sardonic lilt, garnering a startled smile from both of the older men. "Anyway, as to that, I will speak. Perhaps we should sit?"

A glance to Dumbledore, who gestured permission, and Harry made to move to the chair he had earlier vacated. Before he could, Sirius stepped forward quickly, grabbed his forearm and drew him into a sound embrace. Harry returned it, grinning, as then Remus drew forward and placed a hand on his arm. "Welcome back, Harry."

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A/N: If you wish a personal response to a review, include your email. Or email me at Moonpoetess03 at yahoo . com (remove the spaces).

Regards to all my readers. -Zenn