Chapter 8

The door opened and a man entered, wearing an extremely shabby set of wizard's robes. He looked ill and exhausted. Though quite young, his light brown hair was flecked with grey. (*from POA)

Harry remembered that the full moon was just 3 days before. 'He must be very tired', he thought as he jumped off the chair. Remus looked at him and stopped in his steps just inside the door. He looked at Harry disbelievingly, as if trying to make sure it really was him, matching his features with the baby he had seen five years ago. All the memories he had tried to supress, because they were too painful because he didn't know if he would ever get to see Harry again, came back as a wave. He was elated at the sight of the child and sorrowful at the thought that he would never see James and Lily again.

Remus was brought out of his musings by Harry's voice as he smiled at him shyly and said, "Hello Uncle Remus" softly and blushed.

Remus beamed and quickly covered the distance between himself and Harry and knelt down in front of him and replied, "Hello Harry, how are you?" and opened his arms as if to hug him but hesitated, 'would Harry want to hug him?'.

Harry moved forward and wrapped his arms around his neck, he wasn't used to physical contact but he knew this was a man he could trust and who genuinely cared about him from what his parents had told him and from his own dreams, and said, "I'm good, how are you?"

"Now that I have met you, good", Remus replied, holding Harry to his chest tightly, "Do you remember me?".

"Maybe not consciously, but sub-consciously he does", a smiling voice, thick with emotion, said. Remus tensed; did he hear correctly? The voice he had only heard in his dreams and hallucinations since that fateful night, the voice of his best friend, one who was like his brother.

He was too afraid to turn to his left, afraid that it will be a hallucination like he used to have for several months after their death yet again. He took a deep breath and turned sharply, if only to prove to himself that it is not real but instead of an empty space, he saw a portrait with two of his best friends smiling at him with moist eyes. His eyes went wide and he was glad that he had been kneeling, his knees would have certainly buckled under him if he had been standing.

He rubbed his eyes to clear them and opened them thinking that portrait will be gone but no, it was still there. He looked towards Harry to see if could see it, too. The child smiled at him and nodded; he knew what it felt like to get back someone you thought you never could.

Remus got up slowly and touched it gently as if it would vanish as soon as he did; when it didn't, he whispered, "Ja…James Li..Lily, is it…is it really you?"

They found themselves incapable of saying anything and just nodded. Remus sucked in a sharp breath and tears started falling from his eyes, "How…I…I'm so sorry. I couldn't do anything to protect you. I…I never thought Sirius could do something like that. I…we trusted hi…

"Remus, Sirius didn't betray us", James finally found his voice and said, not able to bear to see his one best friend believing the other of being a traitor.

"But he was the secret keeper, Voldemort couldn't have known without him telling…", Remus stated but was interrupted by Lily, "No, he wasn't the secret keeper".

"What? But? Then who was?"

"Peter", she informed him.

Looking at the baffled expression on his friend's face, James elaborated, "We changed the secret-keeper at the last moment, Sirius himself suggested it. We thought everyone will go after him while actual keeper will be safe and no one will be the wiser, but that rat! He turned on us, we believed him to be our friend Moony". He looked at his friend with a pained expression.

Remus was shocked and had to hold onto the table for support. Peter! Who used to follow them around the school, whom they used to avenge for the pranks people, mostly Slytherins, used to play on him! He betrayed James and Lily, led him and everyone to believe that Sirius was the traitor and caused his arrest. He never betrayed them! But…

"But Sirius did kill Peter and the 12 muggles", he said, feeling his spirits fall again.

"Moony", Remus looked up, hearing the nickname his friends had given him after years, "I know Sirius was as brash as they came and I cannot deny that he could have killed Peter but can you really believe that he killed other innocent people, twelve of them?", James asked him.

"No", Remus sighed "I couldn't believe it, I have spent the last five years trying to convince myself that he did; but some part of me that knows him, not as a criminal, but as a friend, our best friend can never believe that he did".

"Then you saw one of those beliefs being proven correct, Moony", said James, "after this will reading, we will be able to prove Sirius innocent of betraying us, then we will be able to get him a trial again, IF he was given a first one that is, he would have been proven innocent if he had, we will see the truth for ourselves then; until then, hold onto the belief".

Remus nodded, Steelgrip, who had moved away and was examining the swords to give them a little privacy, came back and conjured two chairs. Remus and Harry sat down and the older wizard put his arm around Harry's shoulder absentmindedly. Harry found this gesture uncommon and endearing and looked at his parents faces and smiled, yes, he was happy. They saw their son and felt a warm fluttering in their stomachs, he was finally getting what he deserved and they would make sure none of this was snatched from him again.

Just then the door opened and the two turned to see two people walk in, a tall, black-haired witch in deep blue robes and a stern face; and a tall man with greasy black hair, a hooked nose a sallow skin. Both looked like strict people who should not be crossed but they were clearly affected by the summon to the will reading, as it was clear by their faces.

/hp/

This chapter is short but I thought it seemed complete where it ended, also, I really wanted to post today because it's HOLI! So HAPPY HOLI to all my Indian friends and to the others too. May this year bring success and good health to everyone, may the ongoing pandemic end, and once again Holi ki boht boht shubhkamnaye sb ko 3 I love you all 😊

Clive54- Thank you for the wonderful review, glad that someone understands. True, it pisses me off too. You know there are actually some people who stop writing because of this. You stay safe n take care too. 😊

Ruk- Thank you so much 3

Guest- Thank you! 😊