Remus Lupin looked at Harry with surprise as he saw Petunia with him,
however he knew this was not the time for questioning them.
'I hope you are both well' he said grimly, and Harry's shoulders
sagged. Lupin could tell that he was remembering Sirius still, and went
to collect Harry in a hug. It was the first time he had ever tried to
comfort another person in this way, but he felt as if Harry needed it,
if only for a short while.
"I've been a lot better? Harry replied as he pulled himself out of Remus' grip. "I miss him so much," Harry said quietly.
"Remember though. He wasn't just your godfather, but also one of my best mates," Remus told Harry, and then looking at Petunia , "and other's lovers."
"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, in curiosity.
"We can discuss that later," Petunia said rather briskly. "Remus, I see you still have that furry little problem," she stated.
"It,s not like I can really get rid of it Petunia," he chuckled as he hugged her. "It,s been a long time since you,ve talked this openly," he said, and at her nod he backed off.
"It feels good to be out on my own now," she told him, and ignored Harry looking in between the two of them, questions in his eyes.
"How do you two know each other?" Harry asked.
"Petunia used to be Sirius' girlfriend at Hogwarts," Remus explained. "He was the consummate ladies man while we were in school. Bet he never let any of that slip to you, now did he?
"I thought you hated magic?" Harry asked his aunt in bafflement.
"I,ll explain everything later" she said, and grabbing Remus by the arm, she dragged him away from Harry.
What was that all about, Harry kept thinking to himself. He just couldn,t figure it out. Aunt Petunia was at Hogwarts? Something in his brain just could not keep the bombshell like revelation straight. My aunt was a witch? Is she still one?
If that was the case, why had she acted cruel towards him for so many years? Was it all because of Vernon,s belief that keeping him so downtrodden would kill him in some strange way? Or was it something even more sinister?
Harry looked out at what was now his place. He had inherited Grimmauld Place from Sirius, since he had passed into the otherworld. As much as he hated being stuck in the place where Sirius had been kept cooped up in, sort of like a prison during the last days of his life, he now knew how much of Sirius remained behind, and how much he missed seeing Sirius.
Even the portraits in which he had been in, which had become few and far between when Mrs. Weasley had decided to clean out the house were now lacking in Siriusness. He seemed to have left the pictures, just as he had left the mortal world behind.
Harry had never felt so lonely in his life, except in three different instances. The first one had happened when he had helped Hagrid get rid of Norbert, and in the process had lost Gryffindor one hundred and fifty points. Another one was after his name had been drawn from the Goblet of Fire during his fourth year, and the last time had been the previous year, when he thought Voldemort had possessed him.
All Harry knew was that with as lonely as he must feel, Remus must feel a hundred times worse. Remus had now lost all the connections to his past. The last Marauder was now dead. At least the Marauders that had not turn coated on everyone were all dead, except for himself, and that weasel Peter.
Harry crept out of the bedroom that he had made for himself, and padded quietly towards the room where he knew Remus was staying, however he stopped as he heard Remus, and a woman talking about him.
Bellatrix Lestrange looked over from her post in the dark lord,s headquarters at her fellow death eaters, and smiled icily at a man she did not trust for anything. Severus Snape, whom the dark lord counted amongst one of his most devout followers just looked at her with a wintery smile. He did not say a word to her. He didn,t have to. His eyes said all there was to say.
His eyes betrayed nothing, as he always kept his secrets deeply buried, so that no one, neither his enemies, nor his allies would know what would be going on in the inner thoughts of Severus Snape. The wintery smile quickly worked back into a still face as he noticed her looking at him with open suspicion in her eyes.
As he shielded his thoughts, Voldemort himself came out of his room and gestured for both of them to kneel before him.
"I admit to being disappointed in you and your minions while trying to retrieve the prophecy," Voldemort said coldly to Bellatrix, "however if you are ready to put the plan into motion, I believe I will forget my disappointment this once.
"Of course, my lord," Bellatrix said calmly, her eyes flicking towards Severus, wondering what his part in the plan might possibly be.
"Fool," Voldemort cackled. "The Dark Lord forgets nothing," he said, as he raised his wand for a curse. "I believe a little dose of pain might serve well so that you never sway your devotion again. Crucio: he said as he pointed his wand at her.
"We can't keep him in the dark about this," a woman was saying, and Harry was surprised to hear it coming from his aunt Petunia.
"You already know what could happen if we told him Petunia," another voice came. "It wasn't the voice of Remus Lupin however. It wasn't even Professor Dumbledore. It was the voice of the person whom he least expected to hear. Not even Uncle Vernon had made his heart race as much as his was now.
"I'm already sure he could handle this," Petunia said defiantly. "You and your family may want to keep acting as if he is still a child, but he has already been through so much.
"And I am grateful for that," the man said. "I already owe him my life, having seen the attack last year, and we owe him our daughter's life as well, but we still can't do anything right now. Dumbledore is right. We have to keep this from him for the time being.
"Arthur, I'm not going to stand here and argue with you, but the longer we keep this from him, the more he will end up resenting us. Is that what you really want?
Severus Snape writhed in pain as wave upon wave of the curse coursed through his body. It was an agony like none other visited upon him through his school days, and the years of being a faitfthful death eater.
Bellatrix drank up his own pain through her eyes, as if she was gaining strength by watching him writhing in agony. The glimmer which was often said to be in Dumbledore's eyes seemed to be in Bellatrix's eyes this night, until all of a sudden the wand hovered over her, and she fell to the floor, and lapped up the pain that was caused because of the curse.
"Now, neither of you shall forget whom your true master is," Voldemort said lazily as he raised his wand. "You two will prepare them.
Harry crept away from the door to Remus' room wondering what they were talking about. Whatever it was, it must be really important, or they wouldn?t be speaking that way towards each other.
As he walked away as quietly as he could, a face peered out at him from the door where he had stood listening. Remus Lupin had guessed that there was indeed someone at the door, and while the rest of the adults had had their heated argument, Remus was at the door waiting to see whomever it was which had been eavesdropping on their meeting. His heart fell when he saw it was Harry whom was walking away from the door.
"He knows something," Remus told the other people in the room, and looked crestfallen.