AN: Revised. Hopefully by the end of next week, all revision will be completed.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Kindness of Strangers

REMUS

Sirius woke up in the middle of the night and carefully hopped off the bed, trying his best not to disturb Harry. He needed to work on gaining the trust of that cat. The last thing he needed was for the cat to give him away. Thankfully though, they'd gotten off to a good start, unlike the cat and the rat. That would be beneficial to him. He just had to make sure the cat knew that he was a friend and was after the rat as well.

Remus Lupin knocked on the large double doors that led to the Head Master's office, apprehension filling him. He hesitated when permission was given for him to enter, finally entering after Dumbledore had called for him to come in for the second time. He took a seat across from the wizened wizard, a large mahogany desk filling the space in between them. He wasn't yet sure if he was doing the right thing in coming to the Headmaster, but he thought it wise to at least alert the man that he was on edge about Harry's companion.

"Is there something I could help you with Remus?" twinkling blue eyes looked up over half moon spectacles at the young man. He was interested to know what had prompted this visit from the new teacher.

Taking a deep breath, the werewolf steeled his nerves as he took a seat. "I wanted to speak with you about Harry's pet." He fidgeted slightly in his chair, but tried to keep his slight movements restricted so as not to alert the man to just how nervous he truly was. James was dead and Remus wasn't quite ready to tarnish his friend's image by betraying their secret. They had been lucky to keep it a secret from Dumbledore while they were still at school. To admit to it now, would not only taint James' memory, but his own reputation for allowing them to do it without a word to any of the teachers.

"Alright," he smiled, leaning back in his chair comfortably, interlacing his fingers upon his desk. He wasn't sure what about Snuffles should bother the man so, but he hoped to find out. He hadn't personally been that close to the animal, and as such, he could not say much about him except that he did appear to be trained and obedient. He had after all passed the Deputy Headmistress' test.

"Why is the dog here? I don't quite understand. I thought only owls, cats, and toads were allowed," Remus carefully added the last to his question, hoping to distract the man a bit from what he really wanted to say. He wanted Albus to say that he already knew the dog was Sirius Black and that his friend was truly innocent. That, however, was unlikely to ever happen.

The Headmaster was silent for several moments, trying to figure out just why his newest teacher was so concerned with the slight bend in the rules. "As you know, Harry left the protection the Dursley's home offered him over the summer holidays. He did not believe he was entirely safe on his own, and so he picked up Snuffles at a local pound. He owled me, asking for permission to bring Snuffles along with him to school. I am aware that his friend Mr. Weasley has been bringing his pet rat with him. I did not see it fit to decline Harry's request under the circumstances, even though dogs are not on the list of pets allowed. If I were to deny Harry I would also be required to send home the rat as well. Seeing as how the Dursleys will not take care of Snuffles, I have agreed to allow him to stay provided that he behaves himself. Is that sufficient enough? If it becomes a problem, I will instruct Hagrid to look after the animal for Harry."

"Yes, sir, but, what if Snuffles is truly dangerous to Harry?" Remus asked almost hesitantly. He owed it to James to make sure nothing happened to his son. He often wondered if he should have played a bigger part in young Harry's life. James would have liked that, but for some reason he hadn't, but maybe he should have. He didn't even have a good excuse for not seeing Harry. He should have.

Dumbledore chuckled softly, immediately dismissing the idea. "Now, now Remus. I know it's still hard for you to accept James and Lily's deaths, but I assure you, Harry will not be going anywhere anytime soon while he remains at this school. He deserves more credit than he is usually given," the wizard paused when a large barn owl swooped through the open window and perched on the edge of the desk holding out its leg where an almost regal looking parchment was attached. He quickly divested the bird of its burden, scanned its contents and scrawled a quick reply. He fed the Ministry owl a small treat as he attached the smaller parchment and sent her off.

Putting down the letter, Dumbledore returned to the conversation, picking up where he had left off, "the boy has done well given the right tools. Snuffles has been with him for almost three weeks, the majority of the time, they have been alone. The dog is obviously an intelligent creature. If he had wanted to hurt Harry, he would have done so. Now, I have no reason to believe that Snuffles will be of any danger. Unless you have any reason to doubt Snuffles' integrity, may I consider this discussion complete? It seems I am needed at the Ministry. I do apologize for the need to cut this meeting short," the Headmaster apologized, although he didn't sound entirely all that apologetic in Remus' opinion. The man didn't even seem to deem that the situation was worthy of his attention, a fact that irritated the wolf in him. At the very least, the man should have offered to look into the matter further. Albus had, however, given him something to think about.

"No, I was just worried for Harry's sake, Professor," Lupin murmured softly, seeing himself out, shutting the door quietly behind him. He closed his eyes leaning against the shut door once he retreated back to his own quarters. Dumbledore had mentioned something interesting, something about Harry's friend. His friend Ron had a rat with him. If he remembered correctly he had seen the boy and his family in the Daily Prophet over the holidays. Come to think of it, he had seen the rat on the boy's shoulder, but he hadn't given it a second thought. Perhaps it was time to do so. If he also remembered correctly, News of Sirius' escape had occurred shortly after that picture appeared in the paper.

"Okay, books away, wands out. Today will be a practical lesson," Remus smiled around at all the students. He almost laughed at the shocked expressions most of them had. He'd heard about the two previous 'teachers' this particular class had experienced before him. Neither had been very adept at teaching, nor had they made it a hands-on class like it should be. He felt that the only way to protect one's self from the Dark Arts was to have a first hand experience with it. It wasn't enough to simply know what to do. One had to be capable of performing the defense strategies when the occasion came up. Knowing what to do and doing it were two very different things. Harry and those close to him especially needed to be able to perform under real situations. If they couldn't, there was a very real chance that they would not survive the war.

As far as the students were concerned, the lesson went surprisingly well. They had had fun as well as learned something. The students filed out of the room chatting amongst each other about the day's lesson. No one could say that they'd ever had a better DADA class. The only one that could compare to it was their first class the year before with Professor Lockhart when he let loose the Cornish Pixies to terrorize the class. That must have been similar to what Professor Lupin had been talking about. Lockhart had seemed to know what to do, but he hadn't been able to actually get it to work.

Harry had been the only one unable to attempt facing the boggart. He wasn't sure why he had not been allowed to try, but felt that it had something to do with fainting on the train. Perhaps the teacher thought him unfit to face he greatest fear. Though to be honest, he really didn't want to see another dementor for as long as he lived. Once was more than enough.

"Harry, will you stay after please?" Remus called over the heads of his students to the boy in question. It was better to get this confrontation out of the way as soon as possible.

"Yes, Professor," Harry answered, stopping near the last desk and placing his bag upon it. Sirius obediently remained by his side, looking apprehensively up at his godson. This couldn't be anything good. It had to be about him.

Remus waited until the door had shut behind the last student before addressing Harry. "Would it be possible to leave Snuffles in the hall or send him on with Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley while we chat?" he asked politely, keeping one eye on the dog's reaction as he did so.

Harry glanced down at the dog beside him, wondering if he should keep his godfather with him or do what the Professor wished. Snuffles stood up, wagging his tail cheerfully as he nudged Harry's hand with his nose trying to convey that everything should be alright without him. The young wizard seemed to understand and held the classroom door open for him, telling him to go catch up with Ron and Hermione and head back to Gryffindor tower with them. He'd be along shortly.

"I suppose so. He should be alright for a few minutes. This won't take long will it, Professor?" his gaze returned to the Professor, curious green gaze covering his nerves. He knew this would be about his godfather, but he wondered just how the teacher came to suspect that his dog was not actually what he seemed.

"No, no. Won't take long at all, Harry," Remus smiled trying to set the boy at ease as he motioned for him to sit down while simultaneously casting a silencing charm on the room to ensure that no one but himself or Harry would be able to overhear their conversation. "How are you feeling? No lasting effects from the train ride I hope," he continued as the boy took the seat as well as a bit of chocolate that was offered. He nibbled on his own piece as he waited for the boy to respond.

"Oh, uh, no. I'm fine. But why did the dementors affect me like that? No one else fainted or anything," Harry looked down at his hands, avoiding the man's eyes. He felt like such a fool, weak. Malfoy had been using every chance he got to simulate his fainting spell. No one knew how it had felt for him, to hear the woman's screaming, to see the blinding green light, and to finally hear the high pitched laughter. When a dementor came near him, he heard his mother's death replayed in his mind.

"It's because of your past. Anyone who's been through what you have would have the same reaction, Harry. Anyone. Most students in this school have never had to face anything other than minor disappointments or detached trauma. You've witnessed great trauma first hand. Most don't. I doubt there are any your age who have seen worse than you have. It's a natural reaction for someone with a background like yours. Nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about," Remus murmured gently perching on the edge of a nearby desk.

"Oh... all right, but that isn't what you really wanted to talk to me about though was it?" Harry took a bite of the chocolate bar, watching the professor carefully.

Remus fidgeted a little, adverting his eyes from the piercing green stare so like Lily's had been. "No. No, it wasn't, Harry. I wanted to talk to you about Sirius Black." Lupin watched Harry nod as if he had expected as much. "You were staying with the Dursleys when he broke out. How did you learn of his escape?"

"It was on the Muggle news. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were watching it. I happened to catch it," he shrugged taking another bite of the treat, looking around the class room as if it fascinated him the way his new professor had arranged it. It wasn't a lie, but this conversation was only going to go downhill from there.

The professor nodded, accepting the answer, although he was quite aware that much had been left out of it. "Alright, but what gave you the idea that he was after you. I do not believe the news would have given out that kind of information," Lupin reasoned, gesturing with his hand as he leant forward, his interest piquing. Harry was intelligent, he knew that. Any son of James and Lily had to be. Anyone who could have consciously defeated Voldemort twice already had to be, although, he supposed that it was truly three times if he included the time when he was just an infant.

Harry offered another shrug, indicating that he really hadn't been quite positive, but had wanted to be safe all the same. "I guess I just assumed. If he had been a normal Muggle escapee, they would have said where he escaped from and which direction he was heading. Not to mention where they thought he was going. With everything that's been happening to me, along with seeing the man's picture in a photo album I have, I put two and two together. Dumbledore didn't deny it when I wrote to him, so..." his voice trailed off as he finished his explanation. He was thankful that he had decided to glance at the photo album after meeting Sirius, just to see if there were any pictures that had included him in it.

Lupin sighed, finishing off the last bit of his chocolate. He had been hoping that Harry would tell him the truth, since he knew that couldn't have been it. "Harry, what do you know about Sirius?" he tried asking, wondering if it would give him any different information that his other questions had.

"Not much. Why don't you call him Black like everyone else does?" Harry tilted his head to the side in curiosity. Did the professor know him? Perhaps he could turn the conversation around for a while and delay the inevitable.

A sigh could be heard once more coming from the teacher as he recognized the diversion tactic. This was going to be longer than he thought if Harry kept trying to dodge answers. However, Harry's careful wording had led him to the answer he had dreaded. The dog had to be Sirius if Harry was omitting so much information, and very carefully walking around what he was trying to get at. Somehow the man had gained the boy's trust in the time that they were together. That could very well prove to be a hopeful sign, or more than likely an unfortunate obstacle to work with. "He was a friend of mine from school, now please answer the question." He did not want to talk about what had happened. He had thought once that he could trust Sirius, but that trust had been badly misplaced. Or at least, everything seemed to point to that conclusion.

"So that means you knew my dad! Sirius was at my father's wedding. It looked like he was the best man. You're Remus!" Harry slapped both hands over his mouth in panic. He hadn't meant to say that. He really hadn't. The professor hadn't given his first name yet, so as of yet he wasn't supposed to know it. The man had to be Remus, the werewolf that inspired them to become animagi! No wonder why Sirius tried to avoid the teacher in close proximity. That complicated things a bit, and now he'd just seriously screwed up. He had been doing so well, too.

"Harry, where did you hear my first name?" Remus asked slowly, suspiciously. Inwardly, the man cheered, finally finding an obvious opening towards getting Harry to admit verbally to the dog's identity.

Harry brought his hands down again as he relaxed. There were many ways he could have found out. Teachers tended to refer to others by their first name so he could have overheard it in the halls. "Hermione," he blushed a bit as if he were pretending to be embarrassed about his friend's obsession for information. "She likes knowing those things. She's practically memorized Hogwarts: A History," Harry explained, as if a little pained an embarrassed to admit to knowing such a bookworm.

The giddiness he had felt at the earlier admission died down with the rather reasonable explanation. It hadn't taken him long to see for himself just how studious the girl was. Not to mention Severus' less than fond nickname for her that he had overhead. "The insufferable know-it-all," as the Potions Master had called her when he had been asked about the golden trio. Remus leaned forward onto his elbows on the desk after taking a more comfortable position behind it. This was going to be longer than he thought. He closed his eyes as a sigh escaped him. He regretted not getting a better look at Harry's pet on the train. It had been dark and when he had been able to catch sight of it, the beast had been largely hidden from his view by Harry's body leaning over it. He hadn't been able to get as close a look at the mutt as he would have liked. If Harry had a reasonable answer for everything, maybe he really was just being paranoid.

He had seen the two at dinner the night before, but the distance between them along with the fact that it had been rather crowded hindered his inspection of the canine. Yet still, somehow he had just known it was Sirius. He had known! He wasn't one to believe in coincidences which meant that the dog's true form was that of a wizard his own age. Maybe he had been wrong about his friend though. Dumbledore had said that the animal had been alone with Harry for weeks. If Sirius were really out to kill Harry, he would have had the perfect opportunity over the break. Dumbledore hadn't even been able to find the pair. If that were true then it would only have been too easy to dispose of Harry and remain hiding himself. If he remembered correctly, Grimmauld could not be plotted...

He shook his head sadly, dismayed by his wishful thinking. Sirius had to be just waiting for the right moment. Perhaps he was working to gain the boy's trust and then lead him to Voldemort. Black was no longer who he remembered. He had to stop forgetting that. Black had killed Peter, their friend. Sure he was slightly annoying at times and they wished he weren't around as often as he had been, but that didn't mean that Remus had wanted him to die. What had happened to the Marauders? The future had looked so bright while they had been in school, even with the threat of the Dark Lord hanging over the wizarding world's heads. "Why are you hiding Sirius?" he asked softly, looking up at the boy.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Professor," Harry forced his voice to sound confident, even though he truly didn't feel it. He was pleased when his voice came out even and strong.

"I think you do. Now, if you would be kind enough to tell me why," Remus pressed, refusing to back down just because the boy was not being cooperative.

"Professor, I don't know what you're talking about," Harry reiterated, managing to make his voice sound truly quizzical as if he honestly had no idea why the teacher thought he might be protecting the escaped convict.

"Harry, just tell me why you're protecting him. What has he told you?" he leaned forward again slightly, not once taking his eyes of the green ones that stared straight back at him. "I won't let you leave this room until you tell me. If I must, I will ask Severus for one of his truth serums. I believe that he would love to have the pleasure of questioning you himself and I doubt that he will be as receptive to your answers." Obviously being genial was not going to work, and though he was loathed to do it, it seemed that threats were necessary.

The two sat in silence for long moments as Harry thought over his options. He sighed, looking down at his hands slightly for a moment or two before looking up again. He had precious few options, and the one least likely to wind up putting his godfather back in prison was to confess to this man. They had been friends once, and perhaps he could use that to gain the professor's trust once more. "That he's innocent," Harry murmured, staring intently at his professor. He wanted to fidget, to look around the room, to look somewhere other than at the man across from him. Doing so, however, would imply that he was lying and he couldn't remember being more sure of anything in his life. He wanted Professor Lupin to know that.

The teacher's face looked slightly crestfallen at the admonition. In truth, he had hoped that Harry would hold out and prove him wrong, that his pet was not the murderer in disguise. He couldn't bare to face Sirius knowing what he had done, remembering all they had been through when they had been young. "You do realize that he isn't, don't you?" Lupin said quietly, his tone holding just as much conviction as Harry's had held, though a deep weariness had entered his tone.

Emerald eyes blazed with passion as his desire to protect his godfather surged within him. "But he is! Professor, you can't send him back to Azkaban! You can't!" Harry leaned forward earnestly, as if his conviction alone would be enough to sway the professor into believing him.

Lupin sighed, shaking his head sadly. That was something he couldn't promise Harry. Sirius was guilty and it was his job to see to it that Sirius returned to where he belonged. Harry's feelings for the man could not be allowed to play into the mix. "Harry, he's dangerous. I understand that he somehow fooled you into believing him, but whatever he's told you it isn't true. He's using you to stay out of Azkaban and to help Voldemort return to power," he explained patiently.

"He is not," Harry ground out, his fists clenched at his sides. He wanted to storm out, to stop hearing his professor's words, but if he left, Lupin would tell Dumbledore and send Sirius back to the dementors. His only chance to clear his god father's name was to convince this man of his innocence. If he couldn't, there was no hope that he would be able to convince anyone. "He was a friend of yours. Do you honestly think he was capable of doing that to his best friend? He's not who you think he is. He's not Peter," Harry spat the name out, hoping that just bringing up the traitors name in such a way would arouse questions in the man.

The professor blinked at hearing such venom used to speak Peter's name. He could not recal anyone ever using such a tone when speaking of his old friend. Most spoke his name with such pity, but never anger. "What does Peter have to do with anything? He's dead because he thought he could take Sirius on. He should have known better." Remus closed his eyes, forcing the painful memories to stay back behind the confines of his mind.

"More like hiding in terror because Sirius is around again," Harry muttered bitterly, slumping back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest. He was pleased that at least he had distracted the teacher from immediately sending Sirius back to Azkaban.

"What?" Amber eyes immediately snapped open as Remus looked up sharply at the boy. Was he saying that Peter was alive? Could it truly be possible that Sirius had not killed him?

Harry's confidence tone once more returned as it became apparent that he finally had the teacher actually listening to him instead of actively trying to make him believe that Sirius was guilty. "Peter's here. I've seen him, and I believe Sirius is innocent," he stated confidently, his back straightening, his chin rising defiantly.

He hadn't given the rat much thought before, but could it really be what Harry was implying? Could that have been the reason Sirius broke out? And not to go after Harry? It would be more logical than Sirius betraying James and Lily. "Ron's rat, am I right?" he questioned, frantically trying to put all the pieces together in his mind.

"Yes, Sirius saw him in the Daily Prophet. Fudge gave it to him," he answered quickly, nodding his head emphatically as a smile began to tug at his lips. It was obvious that he had finally broken through the broken record of "Sirius is guilty" that the professor had been playing since the conversation had turned from dementors to his godfather.

Remus sighed, losing himself in thought for a few moments. He looked up what seemed like a lifetime later to Harry, "I'd like you to bring Snuffles to the Room of Requirement tomorrow night after the evening meal. Snuffles will know where it is. I'd like to speak with both of you. I'm not saying I believe you, yet, and I'm not saying that I won't have the headmaster send him back to Azkaban. I won't make any promises. However, I will wait to do anything until I have the chance to speak with him. Be there. You may return to your common room now."

TBC…