I don't own Harry Potter

Chapter Five — Professor Snape and Tonks

Things at the Lupin apartment were very relaxed. Harry was allowed to do whatever he wanted. He decided to test his new owl, Hedwig. He sent a letter to Hermione not knowing if she would get it. Surprisingly he got a reply only a few hours later. He soon realized that he wasn't completely cut off from everyone.

The first night Harry spent with Remus; he gave Remus quite a scare. He knew that Harry would be traumatized and troubled but he never knew that Harry would have severe nightmares, even after the one he had that afternoon. It was the screaming that first warned Remus that Harry was in distress. He tried to wake him but he was pulled too far into the nightmare. All Remus could think of was to hold him until he relaxed. He was calmed down and woke up to Remus' worried face. Harry was extremely reluctant to tell him the dream so Remus had him write out a dream journal to help him express himself. He knew that it wasn't healthy to hide his emotions. Remus also slept in Harry's room to help him through the nightmares.

Harry noticed that some things about Remus Lupin that were very weird. One was that he couldn't cook to save his life. Everything was either undercooked or brunt beyond recognition. He begged to allowed to cook because one of the chores he actually like doing. After several meals of cold cereal, he agreed as long as Harry didn't over work himself since he was still sick. When Harry prepared his first meal, Remus didn't regret his decision. Harry turned out to be a fantastic cook.

Another thing weird was Remus' obsession with chocolate. It seemed like whenever Harry was distressed he would give him a piece of chocolate. At first, Harry didn't mind but after a while, he got sick of the sweet taste of chocolate in his mouth. One day Harry was rummaging the apartment for a snack and found six large boxes of Honeydukes Finest Chocolate. This didn't bother Harry at first thinking he just went overboard when he was preparing to bring him home. That was before he saw Remus' shopping list. On it was listed several different types of chocolate. Harry began to worry. When he was alone one afternoon, Harry did a complete search of the apartment for anything out of the normal. He went into his room and found several packages of chocolate. He knew he had to talk to Remus about it but he refused to say anything about it and was close to snapping at Harry. He decided to drop it... at least for a little while.

Finally, he noticed that Remus looked very ill. He knew that people got sick. What worried him was his refusal to go get it checked out. He told Harry that he was fine and that he had a potion that would make him feel better on the way. Harry just wasn't sure if he agreed with Remus of the person chosen to brew to potion. Harry had heard of stories that his dad, Remus, and their friends used to prank this particular man quite often. He was just concerned that the man trusted to make the potion was the same person they had pranked and tormented for seven years. He reassured Harry that the man took too much pride in his potions to purposely ruin it. This comforted Harry but only a little. Harry had the displeasure of meeting the man when he dropped off the potion.

"Lupin, I never thought you would be one to open a daycare center. Never would have believed that any parents would trust you with a kid."

"Severus, close your mouth and take a close look at the kid. Even someone as dense as you should know who that is."

"Ah, yes, so this is an orphanage. When did you get permission to take him in? Surely, the Ministry hadn't allowed someone like you raise a child, especially that child. Potter, do be prepared for my class. I do not condone laziness or stupidity. If you do anything against the rules, I will make sure punishment is severe. I hope you pray that you are not in Slytherin."

"My, my, you have a temper. Professor, I am not lazy. When I start something I always make sure that I complete it to the best of my ability. I will never be a Slytherin and if I am put into your House, I would take the first train home. And I don't appreciate being threatened in my own home. I hope that your hatred toward four certain pranksters don't prevent you from teaching me and any of my friends that I may make, including Muggle-borns."

"You should teach that brat of yours some manners. He was way out of line. I have never seen such a display of disrespect."

"No, Snape, you were out of line. He's right; you did threaten him without cause. I think it was you who was being disrespectful. Now, give me the potion and get your greasy self out of my home; I just washed the carpets. I will return the goblet when Harry goes to Hogwarts. Good-bye Severus." He left through the fireplace with one last sneer toward Harry.

"You want to know something. That man is nothing more than a greasy git. How he became a teacher is beyond me."

"Cub, I am proud that you stood up for yourself. But you really have to be careful with what you say around him. I really thought that Albus would have told most of the staff that you were with me." He drank the potion and made a face. "Harry, I have to go somewhere for awhile, you think you'll alright by yourself." The panic in his voice was very obvious.

"Remus, what's wrong? I never seen you like this before. Are we in danger? Please, tell me the truth. You haven't lied to me before so don't start now."

"I don't know if something is wrong. But whatever you do, do not leave the apartment and don't let anyone in. Keep your wand on you." He left through the Floo and Harry had on idea where he went. To put it mildly Harry was freaked out.

Hours later Remus came home to find Harry sleeping on the couch. He ran his hand through his hair to wake him. Harry stiffened but relaxed when he saw Remus. Though he was smiling, he could feel the worry that Remus felt.

"You can't tell me what's wrong can you? I understand that sometimes secrets must be kept. We all know that I have my own secrets, such as what I'm dreaming about each night. I will tell one day but for now, I'm not ready. I can feel the worry around you."

"You are right I can't tell you. There is nothing you can do about it anyways. Let me put you to bed; you have a long day tomorrow. I can guarantee that Tonks will keep you very busy."

The next morning Harry and Remus were woken up by the sound of someone tripping and breaking glass. "Morning, Tonks." A muffled reply came from the living room. Harry got out of bed and followed Remus cautiously out of the bedroom. The girl's appearance was the last thing he expected. She had purple hair and was dressed like a Muggle. She was tall and thin and had the prettiest ice blue eyes Harry had ever seen. "Tonks, you know the rules. Just to warn you Harry has been on a pranks rampage. Sometimes its not safe for you to enter a room after he's been in it."

"I'll keep that in mind. Don't worry Remmy; I have babysat for kids younger than Harry. We will be fine." Her smile could make anyone relax or in Remus' case melt. He ruffled Harry's hair said bye and left. Harry began to make breakfast.

"So, young Potter, what do you have planned to do today. I know it must be boring to stay in all the time, especially with Remmy."

"No, Remus is teaching me so much. I really love hearing stories of some of their old pranks. I may have to try some of them when I get to school. But I really enjoy reading for about an hour after eating. I have a feeling that if I don't have my potion books memorized I will be in a lot of trouble with Snivellus."

"I totally understand. Since you look like your father, he must hate you. If you need any help, I can give it to you. I was actually pretty good in Potions."

"I'm almost done. I have a photographic memory so I only have to read a book once before memorizing it. I was always at the top of my class in my Muggle school. We can talk later. I want to know more about you."

Harry tried to read his book but found that it was distracting when Tonks changed her appearance every few seconds. He knew that she was trying to tempt him to ask the questions that she was dying to answer. He sighed and closed his book.

"You know that is very irritating. Fine, I'll ask you. Can you tell me how you morph? It is very wicked."

"Metamorphmagi are born naturally. It takes a lot of training and concentration to morph. The first time I did it on willingly I ended up making by hair an untraditional color. I liked it better than my black hair so I kept it."

"I never told anyone this but when I was very young my Aunt Petunia gave me this really bad haircut where she left only my bangs. The next morning my hair was as unruly and as long as it was before she cut it. I never explored why my hair grew back. It comes down to two explanations: one is accidental magic like when I jumped onto the school kitchens; long story. Or I could be a Metamorphmagus like you."

"Harry, you might have a point. I found out when I accidentally got rid of my freckles. Since you might've done it with your hair that should be easiest. Close your eyes and concentrate on your hair. When you see it within your mind, think of it as somethin else. Imagine yourself straight hair and let it happen. Don't just think you have straight hair but believe it and see it in your mind." Tonks was smiling when he opened his eyes. She carefully handed him a small mirror. What he saw caused him to nearly drop the mirror. His hair was no longer unruly but flat and almost limp looking.

"How do I turn back to normal? This just doesn't feel or look natural.

"Just stop concentrating on your hair being flat."

"Now, I have one more thing to set me apart from the crowd. I know I'm not a freak like my 'family' have been telling me. I know that I am different. I don't want to feel this way but I do. Sometimes I want nothing more than to be another face in the crowd. Is it to much to ask to be normal? I don't even have a family like a normal person. I know that being with Remus is going to be temporary, because nothing stays the same for too long. No one even knows that I am here do they?"

"No, it's okay that you want to be normal. But the truth is you are not like the other kids your age. I'm not normal either, nor is Remus. I mean how much chocolate can one-person handle?"

"I know what you mean. I searched the apartment and found no less than ten boxes. Do you know why he is so obsessed with it?"

"I don't know for sure but I think it his dad made him believe that it is a cure for pain or stress. He had a hard life after his parents died. He uses chocolate as a crutch. Before you, he hadn't allowed himself to feel for years. When he sees you, his smiles are real. I think you changed that because with you he needs to feel again. He eyes are no longer blank and lifeless. If it weren't for you, Remus wouldn't allow himself to be happy.

"What do you mean? Remus never told me he was unhappy. He tells me everything. Before Remus, I felt worthless. I felt like no one loved me. Now I know that's not true, now I know that I have a large population of people who adore me for being a savior. I can't explain how it feels knowing that for the past ten years someone actually wanted me. Did you know that the Dursleys' never hid that they hated me? They told the neighbors that I was a delinquent and they encouraged the Dursleys' harsh treatment towards me. Of course they had no idea what really was going on."

"Why didn't you tell anyone? Someone would have helped you. You must have known that your uncle was wrong to treat you that way."

"I don't know. I thought that I could handle the punishments. I figured that if I told things would only get worse. In a way, I was right. It wasn't until after I told Remus did things get out of control. No one cared before, so I kept it to myself. I do regret it at times."

Tonks wasn't expecting Harry to talk like that. She wasn't even sure if Remus knew what was going through Harry's head. She knew that the boy had a hard life with his relatives but she never thought it was that bad. She never thought that she would hear that people encourage that kind of treatment toward a child. Even a delinquent deserved better treatment than what Harry just told her. She allowed Harry to go back to his book so she could absorb what she learned. She needed to figure out how much she should tell Dumbledore.