Harry awoke with his head pounding. Was it his head? Or was it the rain pelting down on the windows? Windows? Harry felt a strange feeling that he could not quite understand, was it comfort? Yes, that's what it is, comfort and warmth.

Slowly he came more into his senses and flashes of memory from the following day flowed past his tightly closed eyes. He feared that if he opened them, that the soft fabric he held in his fist and the mattress below him would be nothing more than a dream. Until all at once the final memory of the night before fell into place. The fight with those losers and then Lupin pulling him from the fight just before harry had a chance to break the guy's jaw. Then...then Harry turned his back and...pain in the back of his head...then, then now, he remembered.

Harry's eyes snapped open and he bolted upright in bed. He was in a small room, that he could make out without his glasses, which he found lying next to him on a small shelf next to his bed along with a glass of water that he drank half of. Now he could make out a small vent across from his bed that lay dead and black with out a fire in it. Other than the odd shabby piece of furniture, it was bare. Nothing on the stained green walls, no decorations, nothing.

Low rolling thunder drew Harry's attention to the window. Harry swung his legs over the side of the bed, despite being fully clothed he still felt a chilly longing to just curl up under the warm blankets and sleep again, but curiosity to see what new world he was in now was greater. He crept slowly to the window pulling back the thin yellowing curtains. Rain fell from silver clouds over head obscuring his view as it beat the.

Harry quietly looked for a latch to unlock the window, there wasn't one so he just pulled it up. It jammed half way up so he pulled harder until in gave way. It seemed to Harry that they were in the country or in the middle of no where as he could see a field off to one side but directly behind the house was a stand of trees, some were already begging to colour orange and red. A wind blew and the silver undersides of the leaves danced into view, Harry looked down to see small vines climbing up and around his window. Deep red roses grew on the vine, the roses seemed to glow deep red against the grey world or rain, almost like no other colour excited. He watched as a water droplet made its way down a rose petal, like liquid glass. He watched it until it fell, shattering on the leaf below it.

It was almost music, this chorus of his thoughts and the rain, a slow tempo of mournful, dark, tunes. He stood staring out at the rain, still as anything until a low knock on the door broke the spell of harry's song. The door creaked slowly open and a faint light spilled into the dimness of Harry's confinement.

"Oh Harry! Your awake, I didn't think you'd be up yet." Lupin looked relieved and grinned. Harry felt like Lupin wanted him to say something.

"Oh." Lame. Why did he have to feel so awkward? Lupin seemed satisfied with this, or he just didn't notice Harry's answer.

"How are you feeling? Does your head hurt?" more questions.

"Fine, Im fine."

"You sure? What about some breakfast, come down and I'll show you around." He held the door open for Harry, leaving him without any choice so he stepped out into the hall. It like his room, was small and shabby. There were a couple small shelves that may once have held books but now only candles. The fire light caused shadows to dance across Lupin's reassuring face.

"This is the main hall, my room's the door at the end, and this is the way to the kitchen and siting room. There's a door from the kitchen that leads to the basement, not much down there though." he lead Harry through a doorway into a small kitchen, where Harry was surprised to see a small girl siting at the kitchen table sipping an orange juice.

"This is my niece, Lucie, she came to me about a month ago when my sister died while working in Africa and as my parents past away a few years ago and the father is unreachable, I get her. She's seven." he said with a sad smile looking down at her. She was blushing brightly as Harry looked down at her.

"Hello." Harry tried, shy himself now.

"Hi." she whispered back concentrating on her eggs and bacon.

"Harry why don't you sit and I'll get you something to eat." he pulled a chair out for him and started his own eggs, leaving Harry with no chance to argue so he sat down in the offered chair, ringing his hands nervously. The resulting silence felt awkward to Harry with no way to distract himself from questions like when is he going to ask what Happened? And why did he run away? Questions he knew he would need time to think of an answer that Lupin could understand.

"So Harry," Lupin's voice startled him, "How do you like you eggs?" Harry sighed with relief.

"Um, whatever. It doesn't really matter." he said quickly. He was wished he was out in the rain, away from every one. He had gotten used to being alone, without anyone to expect anything from him.

A plate was being pushed towards him, so he silently picked up his fork and began to pick slowly at his eggs, bacon and toast. All through his breakfast Lupin shot Harry amused looks until Harry couldn't take it any more and asked,

"What?" he didn't get an answer for a moment while Lupin looked him up and down, chuckling.

"Well Professor McGonagal told me that she banded you from wearing muggle clothing over the school year, she said you can't go around dressing like you do because your Harry Potter and is expected to dress respectfully. But, I didn't expect that. I thought she was just over reacting."

Harry stared at him, vexed that he would attack him like that, and he still couldn't figure out why he was grinning at him like that so he just stared frozen, not knowing what to expect.

"Don't worry, Im not saying anything against your clothing, it just you remind me of me. Well me, your father and Sirius that is." Harry stayed quiet, but interested. "We went through our early eighties rock n' roll stage, leather jackets, ripped jeans, muggle skateboard shoes in various bright colours. We even tried cigarettes once, it was a disaster. Sirius nearly choked on his and ended up in the hospital wing with a burnt throat." he chuckled.

"The second he tried inhaling, he coughed sucking in the cigarette, he was the only one of us that actually tried one, we laughed at him for months about it. Have you ever tried smoking?"

Harry shook his head.

"Well that doesn't tell me much, because even if you do, Im sure you wouldn't tell me anyway."

After breakfast Harry was aloud to escape back into his temporary bedroom with the excuse of having a bad headache. The rain still hadn't let up but the sun poked through a small break in the clouds. The warm rays filled into Harry's room, pushing past the rain soaked windows and into his room. Harry saw little bits of black fur on the bed cover. He stood quickly stepping away from the bed in realisation. Sirius himself had slept on this bed the last time he was at Lupin's. He didn't know why he felt so disturbed but he did.

The small bit of sun faded leaving Harry alone in the dullness and thunder and disturbing thoughts of death.

A/N:So did you miss me? God damn parents! Ok so maybe it was my fault I was grounded but still! A whole month! That's fucking insane, oh well I had things to occupy my self with in the last month, like, I learned to juggle and I got the hat of my dreams! Hmm...and I moved. Im at my new house now, just moved in Tuesday. (I hope the people who move into my old house like the message I left on my wall...hehe)

I have decided to give the one hundredth reviewer a cookie, so I present a cookie to the wonderful Squiddie03! now let us all applaud and chant "speech, speech, speech!"

Nikki