Disclaimer: I am not J. K. Rowling. I do not own Harry Potter.
Note: For those who've been waiting for the initial posting of this chapter, my apologies for the delay in the delivery of such a short installment; much of it was already written, but unfortunately my health has not been good of late. For the same reason, there may be further delays in cross-posting the last full chapter of the existing pre-written material. As a reminder, this story is taking place in an alternate universe, where James Potter betrothed Harry to Daphne Greengrass, and where (amongst other divergences from canon) Remus Lupin is Harry's godfather.
Further Note: This chapter consists of a couple of exchanges letters (by owl) between Harry Potter and his godfather, Remus Lupin, taking place in April and May, 1987. This story is rated 'T'.
(Letter dated: Monday, 27th April, 1987)
Dear Mr. Lupin,
My aunt doesn't like you very much, because of something you did years and years ago, but she says I should write to you to ask you for your help on a matter of good manners. Is it good manners to invite a seven year old girl who is a Greengrass for a ride on a steam train for my birthday? My aunt has some books on 'etiquette' and has read them and read them but she cannot decide whether it is good manners or not.
Yours Faithfully,
Harry Potter.
(Letter dated: Friday, 8th May, 1987)
Dear Harry,
Thank you very much for your letter, and may I congratulate you on your quillmanship. You have a remarkably good hand for a boy of your age.
You ask a very unusual question, made more so by the fact that you seem to me to refer in it to Daphne Greengrass to whom – whether you are aware of it or not – you are in fact, by arrangement between her father and yours, betrothed. As far as I can determine, since you are the age that you are, you are fully entitled to invite her to anything taking place on your birthday, and whatever you chose would only be bad manners for you doing it if she or her family were obliged to pay anything for it. In fact it would be bad manners on their part for Daphne to decline for any reasons other than those of ill health or a serious family crisis.
(Note, however, that it might well look like bad manners on your part, and may have financial implications, in terms of loss of future prospective dowry, for you NOT to invite her to join you in any kind of activity. You may not understand what this means, but one or the other of your guardians should, and be able to explain it to you, if you require.)
I regret that your aunt still recalls me with such disfavour, although I do not blame her for it.
Hoping that this letter, in despite of its source, assists you and your aunt.
Yours Truly,
Remus Lupin.
(Letter dated: Tuesday 12th May, 1987)
Dear Mr. Lupin,
Thank you for your letter. My aunt makes me practise my writing every night, and my uncle helps me with spelling when I write a letter. He is trying to teach me how to use a dictionary, but it is a hard thing to learn.
My uncle is sorry to bother you, but he wants to know if it's possible to get a copy of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy by owl from anywhere? We went to Diagon Alley at Easter, but we didn't know to get one then, and Uncle Vernon doesn't know when we will be able to arrange to go again. Somebody told him that we must have a guard if we go again.
Yours Faithfully,
Harry Potter.
(Letter dated: Tuesday 19th May, 1987)
Dear Harry,
The International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy is a rather long document, and I do not believe that a copy could be conveniently sent by owl to anyone without the use of magic at both ends of the delivery. I am afraid that your uncle may have to go to Diagon Alley, or get a witch or wizard to fetch a copy for him. However, since it is also a very complicated document, your uncle might in any case find it useful to obtain a special book which, besides providing the text, discusses the statute in detail, including mentioning examples of how courts and governments have said that it applies at different times and in different countries. There are a number of such books, by different authors; I append a list below, of some of the commonly available ones which might be found on sale in Diagon Alley.
Being able to use a dictionary is a very useful skill, and I encourage you to work hard at mastering it. It may seem very difficult to you, and you may have days when you do not seem to make any progress at all, but keep on trying. See how close that you can get to my record – I was able to use a dictionary with no trouble by the time that I was seven.
My best wishes to you and your aunt and uncle.
Yours Truly,
Remus Lupin.
Author Notes:
So, a handful of letters, indicating how Harry and Remus' correspondence kicks off in this universe. Beyond this update I assume that letters continue to go back and forth (by owl) but they will not be featured unless particularly pertinent to events. Remus' ability to respond immediately to letters from Harry is in some cases constrained by Remus' need to carry out research and/or by periods of the full-moon rendering him too ill to do much.
Harry has, of course, been more than acquainted by now with some of those books on calligraphy from Diagon Alley...
Harry's aunt is trying to turn a blind eye to the supernatural aspects of the 'Wizarding World' by concentrating really hard on matters of proper behaviour/tradition/etiquette. She's telling herself (at the moment) that the Greengrasses and Harry on his father's side are 'just' members of really old and 'aristocratic' families...
I assume that the (fresh out of Hogwarts) versions of James/Sirius/Remus/Peter in this universe weren't the sort of people likely to naturally endear themselves to Petunia, even before the whole Lily-(and James)-being-killed-by-Voldemort business.
Harry Potter wiki (at the time of the posting of this chapter) has no specific information on the full length of the canon International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. It does, however, indicate that 'Clause 73' (regarding the concealment, care, and control of magical beasts, beings and spirits) was added in 1750, and in the couple of centuries or so between then and the time of Harry Potter, it seems to me that it will have only got longer and longer. I assume that by the 1980's, it must be quite a hefty (and complex) document.
Remus Lupin being able to use a dictionary by the age of seven is nothing I have canon information on, but it seems to me probably 'in character'. Canon Remus was infected with lycanthropy before the age of five, after which his parents (according to the wikia) forbade him contact with other children – as a consequence of which, from an early age, I see him as having (at least for the purposes of this story) spent a lot of time on his own, reading...
Remus Lupin doesn't like to proffer his own services as a possible guard (or even to 'fetch' things), since that seems to him something much too 'forward' at this stage in his acquaintance with Harry and the Dursleys. If/when Vernon contacts Albus to try and arrange a further excursion to Diagon Alley, Remus will be raised as a possible guard/guide, though.
I didn't consider it necessary for the sake of the narrative at this point to research and compose the list of texts which Remus Lupin will have included with the letter dated 19th May, 1987.
The next chapter is due to focus on events around Dudley's seventh birthday.