Lupin's tales

Far away in a small cell on a misty island, a man sat hunched against a wall, his forehead pressed to his knees as he slowly rocked back and forth. The memories that were constantly haunting him swirled in his mind.

"It's the best bluff, James. Voldemort will never think of coming after Peter…"

James, lying dead, his glasses slightly askew and his hazel eyes wide open, but never seeing.

Lily in front of the crib, collapsed in a heap on the floor.

And Harry… not in his crib, nowhere in sight.

He had heard that Harry still lived; it was thought that Harry was the reason for Voldemort's downfall. Harry… his godson. He had sworn that he would protect Harry if anything happened to James and instead he was stuck here, with no means of escape.

His friends had abandoned him; Remus, Dumbledore, none of them believed in his innocence. And Wormtail… he felt a blinding hatred at the thought of the rat, the reason he was stuck here, the reason James was dead.

The only thing that kept him sane in a place where madness was rampant upon entering was that he was innocent. He was innocent and Harry needed him. He had to get out of here, for Harry.

"… So it turned out Black was a spy for Voldemort. The night Voldemort's powers were destroyed, he murdered twelve muggles and one wizard."

"And he was one of your friends?" Harry breathed incredulously.

Lupin gave a bitter smile. "We never suspected him for a minute."

Harry was silent, contemplating all that Lupin had told him. He had taken the news of Lupin's lycanthropy quite well.

"So what?" he had asked indignantly, "It doesn't matter if you turn into a wolf once a month."

Lupin hadn't told him about Sirius's betrayal. That would have been too much for a child to handle.

Just then, Severus entered the room, greeting Lupin with a stiff nod.

"Harry, I have to go out for a while. You can either entertain Lupin here, or, as I'd prefer, you can go out somewhere," he said.

"You're going to meet Mr. Malfoy, Sev?" Harry asked. Harry wasn't allowed to go to meet with Mr. Malfoy, so that was the only time Sev went alone.

"Yes," Severus replied, glaring at Lupin as if daring him to comment.

Lupin's calm exterior did not change. "Very well, Severus. I can take Harry for lunch somewhere."

"Where will you take him?" Severus asked sharply.

"Hogsmeade, perhaps. Or Diagon Alley if you prefer."

Harry's eyes widened with hope but Severus quickly burst his bubble. "Obviously neither. Harry cannot be seen in any wizarding dwelling. Those are the Headmaster's orders."

Harry turned away. It wasn't fair. Severus always spoke about safety but what did it matter? He went out with his aunt all the time and she was only a Muggle. Why was Severus so mean?

"Harry," Severus said sternly, catching his expression.

Harry started out of his mutinous thoughts and sighed in defeat. "Okay, sir," he said quietly, "I'll go get ready."

Severus sighed. Harry never called him sir unless he was being punished. Damn Lupin. He should have known that the boy couldn't go out in public.

Lupin cleared his throat from behind. "Severus, Dumbledore never explained to me the circumstances of Harry being here. I assumed this was simply a safe house in which Harry could meet me, but you and he know each other so well…"

"That's because I'm Harry's guardian, Lupin," Severus said shortly, "He stays with me here from time to time."

Lupin looked puzzled. "But why? You hated James."

"Harry had two parents," Severus replied quietly.

Lupin contemplated silently for a while, understanding. "Severus I'm sure you don't want to hear this, but I truly am sorry for what happened between us at school. I've regretted not stopping James and Sirius for years after that day – "

"Save your breath, Lupin," Severus spat, "I don't want your pathetic apologies."

Before Lupin could say anything else, Harry bounded in. "I'm ready!" he said brightly, stopping abruptly as he saw the glare Sev was giving Lupin.

Deciding he needed to diffuse the tension, he quickly asked, "Aren't you going to use Polyjuice, Remus?"

"No," Lupin answered looking confused.

Harry looked at Sev as if for confirmation. "It's alright, Harry. He doesn't need it," Sev said in a clipped tone.

"Oh," was all Harry could think to say. "Can we go now?" he asked turning to Lupin.

Lupin nodded. "Goodbye, Severus."

Harry bit his lip. Sev was obviously upset about something and he hated to just go away like this. He ran to Sev and gave him a quick hug around his waist before bolting out the door after Remus.

Severus stood frozen to the spot for five minutes before he realized that he should get going. On principle, he and Harry rarely hugged, other than on birthdays and Christmas. Severus was not exactly the hugging type as it was. Shaking his head, he walked out the door and apparated to Malfoy Manor.

"Severus," a sneering Lucius Malfoy greeted him warmly, "How nice of you to come."

"Of course, Lucius. Who am I to refuse an invitation from such a benevolent host?" Severus answered smoothly. They both knew he had no choice in the matter.

Lucius led him into one of the drawing rooms. "Will you have anything to drink, Severus, or abstinence as usual?" he drawled.

"Abstinence as always, Lucius. How is young Draco these days?"

Lucius's eyes brightened at the mention of his son. "He's doing very well. Narcissa has been teaching his French and he is learning to conduct himself as a true Malfoy," Lucius said brightly.

"If he is anything like his father, he will go far I'm sure," Severus murmured.

"Indeed. So what news of Hogwarts, Severus?"

Harry skipped along happily beside Lupin as he licked an ice cream. After two meetings, he had decided that he really liked Lupin. Lupin didn't mind questions either.

"Remus," he began, "How come Severus doesn't like you or my father?"

Lupin sighed. "We never got along well at school, Harry. A lot of our pranks were played on Severus and James and Severus disliked each other to an extreme. Though of course he was friends with your mother," he said.

"Oh."

"Harry, we were schoolboys then. That time is past and we all understand we have to put it behind us, even Severus. I don't think he hates me that much really. He probably just prefers to be grumpy and brooding." Lupin said with a small smile, displaying his uncanny knack to know what Harry was thinking.

Harry smiled in return, satisfied for the time being.

When they reached the Manor, Severus had still not returned. "Do you want me to wait with you, Harry?" Lupin asked.

"That's okay, Remus," Harry answered, "I'll be fine here with Tinky."

"Does Severus leave often?"

"No, he only leaves to meet with Mr. Malfoy, either at his other house or at the Malfoys'. Mr. Malfoy isn't supposed to know I stay here, you see," Harry told him matter of factly.

"I see," Lupin said. A chat with Albus was definitely in order. "Before I leave, I have something to give you, Harry," he said. He took out a stack of photos from his pocket and handed it to Harry. "Professor Dumbledore said you might like these."

Harry stared at the photos speechless. They were all photos of a group of grinning boys. The Marauders. "Thank you, Remus," he breathed, unsure how to express his gratitude.

Lupin seemed to understand and smiled. "Black is in there in some places. I'm sorry but I couldn't find enough pictures without him. Just ignore it if you can. And that was my other friend, Peter Pettigrew. He died a hero's death."

Harry looked at the smaller brown haired boy with small watery eyes. "How did he die?" he asked.

"Killed by one of Voldemort's supporters," Lupin said shortly. "I must be going now Harry."

"Goodbye, Remus," Harry said detaching his eyes from the pictures. "Will you come again?"

"Whenever I have time, Harry. And Severus' permission of course," he added with a dry smile before walking out the door and apparating away.

Harry was sitting, still leafing through the pictures when Severus returned. He looked tired but smiled when he saw Harry. "Good evening, Harry."

"Sev! You're back! Look what Remus gave me!" he said excitedly.

Severus walked over to where Harry was sitting. "They're pictures of Dad and his friends," Harry informed him.

Severus picked up one photo. It showed a Sirius Black roaring with laughter while James Potter looked up at his mess of a hair where a fat brown rat sat. He smirked. It was about time some creatire misttok Potter's hair for a nest. Potter's hair was always a mess, much like Harry's, except Harry didn't mess it up on purpose.

Harry was looking at him carefully. "Very nice, Harry," he said, "If you want, we can put them up in an album so you can take it when you do back to the Dursleys' next week.

Harry made a face."Do I have to?"

Severus sighed. "Unfortunately, yes. But don't worry. I'll be picking you up every weekend and if I can't I'll ask Lupin to."

Severus was being very generous, Harry thought smirking. "Promise?"

"Yes, you little Slytherin," Severus said, ruffling the boy's hair, "Now, why don't you put them away and get washed up for dinner."

"Okay," Harry said bouncing up from his chair. "You know," he mused thoughtfully at the doorway, "the Marauders's pranks sounded like a lot of fun. Maybe I should try my hand at it when I get to Hogwarts." With that he quickly darted out the door, snickering at the horrified look on Severus's face.

A/N: Okay, I'll be the first to admit it. This was kind of a boring chapter, which is probably why I procrastinated on it. But the bait it set...

Next up: Severus goes back to school and is met with an unexpected surprise