LINER NOTES:

As you will notice until I update the old chapter, I changed my format (the text was too close together for me, at least, to read). It looks pretty weird as a document, but maybe it will space normally on here this time . . . ?

A/U WARNING: As I stated in the last chapter, this features a slightly A/U ending to Order of the Phoenix, which you will see in flashback form in this chapter. I admit to "stealing" some of the text from the book directly preceding this incident. So as to not take credit for anything not mine, I will state that all of the flashback minus Harry and Remus' conversation can be found on the last page of the American hardback of Phoenix, and was used by me only to give some context to the conversation I created.

DISCLAIMER: Still in that fluffy blue bathrobe, still got short strawberry blonde hair, and still no professional manicure job. Nope, they're not mine. If they were, Harry and Remus would live happily ever after in a world like this every single day. Oh, yes – and "The Face on the Milk Carton," a movie from which I took an idea for this, doesn't belong to me either. (Well . . . technically I guess it does since I recorded it off TV, but . . . oh, I'm going to shut up now.)

ARCHIVING: See Ch. 1 please.

RATING: PG/K+ for this chapter, but this will be going up to PG-13/T very quickly.

REVIEWERS: A huge thank you to evilredshyguy and Sharivari! I love reviews, they are my bread and wine : ) As to Karen: I love ya girl! See you in Algebra . . .

DEDICATION: The fic is dedicated to Eleonora1 and ImmortalFlick, but this chapter also has a KUDOS and a "te quiero" to my best friend, Alicia, who unknowingly helped me write the part about Harry's box.

Monday brought several new changes for Harry. First of all, Aunt Petunia had handed him a new shirt and pants – new! – and told him to get dressed. He didn't have to cook. And for the first time he could ever remember, the Dursleys were being something close to civil. It was unnerving. Harry hoped they wouldn't treat Remus too badly – he knew all too well what Remus' clothes and car (if he even had one) were likely to make the Dursleys think. 'If they would only focus on the person instead of the picture,' Harry thought, 'they'd be so much happier.' He sat up straight, riveted, on his bed (he'd retired to his room, tired of watching Aunt Petunia grinding her teeth and Uncle Vernon pacing from the living room through the dining room and kitchen and back again), waiting for the sign –

"BOY!"

Harry sighed and stood up. From the sound of his own hailing, Remus had most likely received a less-than-warm welcome. He was stunned when he finally made it down the stairs and into the living room. Remus was sitting on the sofa with Percy Weasley and a cup of tea, Remus wearing clothes that looked almost as new as the jeans and polo shirt Harry was wearing. Harry wasn't sure what to do with himself and so finally, after gaping for what he was sure was a rude amount of time, he shambled over to the sofa and hugged Remus awkwardly. "Erm –" He needn't have worried. Remus hugged him back warmly, managing somehow to set his tea on a coaster before he did so. "It's good to see you again, Harry. I –" Remus stood up – "I thought so. You grew." He suddenly pouted mischievously. "You do realize in another year you're going to be taller than me." Harry shook his head and grinned. It was good to know that he could at least be taller than Remus and the Creevey brothers, if nobody else. "Erm – oh, Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, this is Remus Lupin – he's, well, he's . . . " Harry trailed off. He wasn't entirely sure what he should be calling Remus now.

"So, Potter . . . give us a shout if you need us. If we don't hear from you for three days in a row, we'll send someone along . . . ."

Aunt Petunia whimpered piteously. It could not have been plainer that she was thinking of what the neighbors would say if they caught sight of these people marching up the garden path.

"'Bye, then, Potter," said Moody, grasping Harry's shoulder for a moment with a gnarled hand.

"Keep in touch, Harry – could I? For just a moment?" Lupin requested of the Dursleys, and then steered Harry around the edge of a column.

"Harry, listen – I know now might not be the best time to bring this up, but I thought maybe –" Lupin suddenly looked awkward. "Harry, after Sirius got out of Azkaban - after wemet up again, that is -he told me he wanted me to take you if anything ever happened to him. I thought if you wanted me to try and get Dumbledore to agree – I could get the papers, these things work differently in the Wizarding world and it wouldn't be that hard – I could become your legal guardian if we could talk Dumbledore into it, what would you think . . . ?"

Harry's eyes grew wide. "Are you serious? When can I come? Can we go now? Where do you live? How long -" Lupin cut him off with a raised hand.

"I'd have to talk to Dumbledore first, Harry, and you know how stubborn he is. But your . . . family . . . doesn't look like it's made of the kind of people I'd care to spend my holiday with."

"That sounds about right."

"So all we have to do is convince Dumbledore –"

"That you'd be better off with me. I'll do my best, Harry, if you want me to try and talk him into it."

"Definitely!"

"Keep in touch, then, Harry, and I'll see what I can do."

Harry had indeed 'kept in touch' with the soft-spoken man who was soon to be his legal guardian (according to Percy), so that right now he was rewarded with Percy explaining to the Dursleys the basics of a transfer of guardianship and their rights and responsibilities in the matter. He was thrilled when Aunt Petunia signed her name and then told him to "wait here." Since Harry had nothing else to do until Percy and Remus had finished their tea, he waited – and soon Aunt Petunia returned from a sojourn into the attic with a box about twice the size of a shoe box, perhaps a bit bigger. "This is yours, boy."

Harry lifted off the lid hesitantly, and felt tears prickle in his eyes. The box contained a handful of photographs from his childhood – a baby book – two small spoons – a pair of shoes – two small photograph albums, which upon opening he discovered had belonged to his parents – a pair of wedding rings – and his acceptance letter from Hogwarts.

"She . . . Lily . . . she would have turned in her grave if she'd thought for an instant I didn't keep something for you, boy. I'd no desire to have her haunting me for the rest of my life." Harry looked up, eyes still burning, and nodded in thanks, trying to find his voice. "I . . . thank you, Aunt Petunia."

Aunt Petunia nodded, and seeing that Percy and Remus were finished, nodded once in a prompt. "Well, go along, then."

Harry followed Remus out to the car (his trunk was in the back, and Hedwig plus cage were in the back seat) and slipped in next to Hedwig, buckling his seat belt in excited anticipation. He still held the old box on his lap.