Father and son – chapter 4
"Who knows about this?" Harry asked Remus as he helped pack things into Remus' new room.
"I'll ask Albus. I'd assume that either Ginny doesn't know or that she's a very good actor."
"That's cruel." Harry said forcefully, thinking of the distraught girl. "How far is he going to take this – I mean what's next? My funeral?!"
"Har-Alex. This is to keep you alive. This charade won't go on for long. I give it less than two months before this all comes out. Someone will slip up somewhere. Until then, you need to focus on learning all you can about occlumency."
"What about all of my friends. How can you expect them to do this?"
"Harry this wasn't my idea. I was asleep you know. I think they'll be very upset, and then angry with you when it all comes out."
"Why can't Ginny know? I trust her. She wouldn't let it slip."
"If I am supposed to be a friend of Ron and Hermione's before 'Harry Potter' died. She'd know me!"
Remus looked at Harry thoughtfully. "Good point. Perhaps she does know...I have to say she deserves an award for the acting....Still, I don't want you to say ANYTHING to anyone about this until I find out who does and doesn't know."
That evening there was an order meeting. Harry was told to go and sit with Ron, Hermione and Ginny. Hermione was reading a book and Ginny was staring out of the window, when Harry entered the room.
"Hi." Hermione said in a quiet voice. "How are you?"
"I'm alright. Are you...."
Hermione nodded, but said loudly, as though there were spies with ears pressed to the door. "I'm just so upset."
"Me too." Ginny said in a weepy voice, winking at Harry.
Harry grinned broadly.
"Chess?" He asked the young redhead "Uh you know – take your mind off it and all?"
"Ok. I'll get the board." Ginny said as Ron entered the room
Harry settled into a lazy evening with his friends. They played chess quietly, sitting cross legged on the floor. When it was Ron and Ginny's turn Harry sat back against the wall. He was awoken by Mr Weasley lifting him into the air.
"Huh?" Harry groaned quietly
"I'm taking you to your room – you must still be weak, you fell asleep about 3 hours ago on the floor."
Harry fell asleep again the second his head touched the pillow.
The next morning he awoke, washed and dressed and was about to walk down to the kitchens for breakfast, when Snape and Dumbledore entered the room without knocking, almost running right into Harry.
"Ah. Good to see you're up Mr Lupin; all of the other teenagers are still asleep!" Albus said jovially "We've managed to get everyone else out of the house, so we can conceal that scar"
"Lie down" Snape said, pointing at the bed.
Harry nervously made his way over to the bed and lay down while Snape fiddled about in his bag.
"How does this work?" Harry asked the headmaster
"It is similar to a muggle tattoo."
Harry nodded.
Snape straightened and leaned over Harry, setting several chemicals on the bedside table.
"First I have to prepare your head. Close your eyes – if I spill this it could blind you."
Harry squeezed his eyes shut. Someone placed a covering over his eyes.
"It's in case of spillages" The headmaster said.
Harry felt something very cold being brushed over his scar.
"We now wait for 3 minutes for this preparation to work. It temporarily changes the structure of your skin so the disguising potion will work." Snape said, and stepped away.
Harry lay there feeling quite vulnerable with these men standing over him when he couldn't see. "Actually Severus, there is something that I need to ask you."
"Oh?" Snape responded
"We will need you to make double doses of wolfsbane potion each full moon."
"He's a-"
"An unfortunate side effect of the cure to his illness."
"Why should I bother – he's Lupin's son, and with Lupin under the influence of the potion he'll be able to control the golden boy easily – after all he is the leader of the 'pack'"
Harry felt his forehead begin to burn. He moved his hand to clutch it, but felt his hands pinned down by a strong person.
"Just make it Severus. This petty grudge is really wearing thin. "
"Ow!" Harry groaned as the burning intensified.
"It's alright Alexander; it'll stop in a minute." Dumbledore said softly.
Was it not for the covering that had moulded itself perfectly ho Harry's eyes he would have had tears streaming down his face.
The person held on tighter as Harry reflexively began to try and touch his head again.
The seconds slipped by, Harry tried to concentrate on breathing – in, out, in, out, in out.
"The skin is ready now." Snape commented, and with what felt to Harry like a very thin paint brush Severus began to paint a thick gooey substance onto Harry's forehead.
When he was done, the burning immediately subsided. Eventually the hands removed themselves from Harry's arms. Harry felt the strange blindfold being taken off, it looked like plastic. Dumbledore returned Harry's glasses. And then a mirror. Harry saw a layer of flesh coloured potion dried onto his face.
"Peel the potion off and the skin should be as it was – but minus any visible sign of a scar."
Harry peeled the layer off – it felt like a layer of rubber. It was painless, and came off in one.
Harry again looked into the mirror, and for the first time in 15 years a person with an unblemished forehead stared back at him. Harry raised his hand and felt it, he could still feel a slight difference in the texture of his skin where the scar should be – but it was invisible. He looked up as Snape swept out of the room.
Dumbledore sat at the end of the bed. "I'm sorry about the pain."
Harry grunted "I'm used to it."
"I have set aside some time for a short occlumency lesson now."
Harry sighed.
"The first lesson is in how to clear your mind – I won't be using magic on you until you are able to defend yourself."
Relief shot through Harry's brain. "When we start school next month, we will begin that." Albus continued
"How do I clear my mind?"
"You think of something that holds no emotion to you or that makes you feel at peace."
"Is there a special place that you use to relax or to think?"
"The windowsill in Gryffindor tower." Harry stayed up many nights staring blankly out of the window when he couldn't sleep.
"Alright. Every night before bed I want you to close your eyes and picture yourself there. Do it now."
Harry complied. "Tell me everything you can see, smell hear and feel."
Harry told his headmaster of the sounds of the portraits snoring, Trevor croaking, wind rustling through the trees, the cold air against his face everything.
"Do you feel calm now?"
"Yes." Harry said, lost in the place
"It will get easier as the weeks go on. Ask you father if you want to talk to me or to practice again like this. That is the feeling you need to recreate whenever you feel like your mind is under attack. I will leave you here to practice. Come downstairs when you're ready and I'll cook breakfast!"
Harry looked at Albus in surprise
The headmaster sighed happily. "I used to make fantastic omelettes. Of course it has been many years since I cooked anything...."
Harry shook his head as the headmaster left his room, and tried to focus.
Gaptosignifypassingoftime.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.
The weeks slipped by at Grimmauld place. Harry spent many days alone with Remus, looking at old photos and talking. Harry had grown to know the mild mannered man very well. He supposed this was the advantage of being in hiding.
Remus was a quiet man, but a complex one. He had a keen interest in care of magical creatures. He often bought injured magical creatures, such as tanks of Grindilow, boggarts, etc (nothing too dangerous) into the house and set them free when they were recovered.
He was deeply kind. He always displayed great interest at Harry's quidditch talks, and was happy to teach Harry more about defence against the dark arts, punctuated with stories of his own encounters. Harry could also see why a group such as the marauders had appealed to him. He had a wicked sense of humour. Quite subtle, but clever.
It was in the last week of the holidays that Harry was sitting in the study writing an essay for that for his NEWT lessons (He had scraped sufficient grades to become an auror) Remus was preparing lesson plans. Hermione had returned home a week or two ago and Ron and Ginny were out with Bill somewhere.
Harry scribbled something out of his essay, and Remus looked up.
"Something wrong?"
"Vampires – do they sleep or don't they? I can't work it out." Harry said in irritation.
"They can, but don't have to. There's a better book in my bag that you can use."
Harry was thrilled that Remus was going back to school with him. He had been worried that Remus would get loads of complaint letters, but he had pointed out that the public would rather have a werewolf teacher that Dumbledore trusted than a stranger that might be working for Voldemort.
Harry gave a great yawn as he opened the book and found the right chapter.
"I'm so tired!" Harry moaned
"It's the full moon tomorrow, remember. You are more tired because your body is having to work harder to tame the wolf."
"Oh." Harry said miserably.
"I'll be there with you. Don't worry." Remus said.
Harry smiled at the man and continued with his essay. He had been enjoying being Alexander so far. Nobody had stared at him or written anything nasty about him. However tomorrow night would be the drawback. Harry shuddered, looking at Remus's grey hair and pale complexion. Catching his eye, Remus put his pen down and smiled kindly again. If this was the price to pay for having a parent, it was worth it.
Coming up.....the full moon, reactions upon Harry's return to Hogwarts, quidditch tryouts