Prologue- Remembering
It was the thirtieth of May; nearly a year after the Incident, and a handsome (if too thin) young man was sitting quietly across from the Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He was surrounded by people who considered themselves his good friends and the closest thing he had to family. It wouldn't be until much later into the evening when they would find out that they were very much mistaken.
"We shouldn't have given him the Veritaserum," piped up a girl with bushy hair. "It's a complete invasion of his privacy! I think we should give him more time to open up..." she trailed off sadly.
An older man, who had been sitting with his hands resting in the pockets of his shabby robes up until then, shook his head angrily in disagreement.
"What else were we to do, Hermione?" he cried. "He stopped talking to us, stopped including us in his life...this, I am sorry to say, is the only way to find out why!"
Hermione looked down at her lap, hands clasped tightly. Lupin was right, she knew. But it still felt wrong to her. She glanced at Ron nervously. He sat right next her, trying to provide comfort and support despite his bitter feelings about the whole situation. He cleared his throat suddenly. "Can we please get this over with? I don't want to be here all bloody day, you know!"
Hermione winced and clutched his hand sympathetically.
The Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall, who had been watching them silently, nodded her head curtly in agreement. "Yes, Mr. Weasley. We will begin shortly. Mr. Potter has just been administered the potion, so he is ready to be questioned. Remus," she looked over sadly to the man who had spoken up earlier. "...Would you like to be the one who will ask him...everything?"
Remus nodded tiredly. "Yes, of course, Minerva. If I could just take your seat, please."
The Headmistress mustered what she hoped what was a comforting smile and rose. "Of course, old friend. I'll leave the three of you to it now. Please do call me when you have finished." And with that she glided out of her office, not to be seen for several more hours.
Remus Lupin sighed heavily and lowered himself painfully into her chair. His joints ached from his recent lycanthropic transformation. He glanced around the office, letting old memories wash over him. It felt like it was just yesterday when he was here defending James or Sirius to the Headmaster. And now here he was, about to interrogate his best friend's son. The fond smile that had been playing on his lips disappeared as he began to speak.
"Can you hear me?" he asked softly.
Harry Potter's emerald green eyes flickered in recognition. "Yes," he answered monotonously.
Remus nodded and glanced at Ron and Hermione. "I want you to tell us why you attempted to kill yourself over the summer. Why you started drinking so heavily and why-" he broke off suddenly, barely believing this was Harry he was speaking to. "-why you started doing drugs."
"Where should I start?"
"Whenever you think it all began."
