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Here is a rather eagerly awaited chapter

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Chapter Six

Remember Me

He knew he heard the knock on the door but it sounded like he had been hearing it under water. It sounded so far away. He felt the gentle squeeze of his old headmaster's hand on his shoulder and somewhere registered that the door had opened. It wasn't until he saw the vaguely familiar face of Petunia Dursley that he was shaken from his nervous reverie…He needed to get that checked, he had been spacing out quite often as of late. He was sure that he couldn't do that with the hyper, into everything child that Harry was.

Melanie held out her hand, it went ignored. "Mrs. Dursley, how wonderful to meet you I am-"

"You are here to pick up the boy." Petunia interrupted, hurrying them in.

He could have been kind and said she was getting them out of the cold, but that was a lie, he knew how she felt about Lily and James, he knew she was trying to hide them from sight.

"I am here to get Harry." Sirius spoke up, none too kindly.

"He is down for a nap, come with me you can get him up." She said briskly.

Sirius glanced at Dumbledore who nodded and gave him a gentle push to follow her. She led him to a cupboard under the stairs and opened the door.

"Oh, are we gathering his things first?" Sirius asked, confused.

"No, you are gathering him. He has no things, he only came with the blanket he has on him." She said, sneering into the cupboard.

Sirius stepped forward and was appalled at the sight that met his eyes. In the small space of the cupboard was a rickety wooden playpen, inside, with only the blanket Sirius had wrapped him in the night that he had found him in the house, was Harry. He was sitting in the corner sucking on his thumb, something Sirius had never seen him do. He turned to face Petunia.

"You keep him in a playpen in the closet? He is a one year old baby!" he said outraged.

He looked back at Melanie and Dumbledore, glaring at Dumbledore.

"He is a freak and I won't have him bothering my son or his things. He doesn't stay in there the entire day. I don't see how it matters as he won't be here ever again. Just take him now. And do not come back." She spat.

Sirius felt his blood boil.

"Sirius, take Harry." Melanie said in a whisper quiet voice.

He bit his tongue and reached into the pen, Harry visibly flinched and gripped the blanket. Sirius pulled his hands back and held the rails, bending a bit so he was peering at him through the bars…this felt reminiscent of his first two weeks after the attack oddly enough.

"Come on little bit, surely you remember me? It's me, uncle Siri. You know me." He said soothingly.

The dark headed baby just looked up at him, fear evident in his striking green eyes.

"He-He's scared of me." Sirius stammered. He couldn't understand it. Harry was never scared, never, and especially not of him.

"He will be fine." Petunia said, pushing past him and jerking Harry from his corner, leaving the blanket lying in the floor of the pen. She thrust him towards Sirius who took him instantly.

Normally Harry would have sat comfortably on Sirius' hip, or wrapped his arms around his neck to be cuddled against him, but right now he was rigid in his Godfather's arms. He was like holding a board, a silent, shaking board. Sirius looked into the face of the boy that so reminded him of James, he saw the tears spill from Lily's emerald eyes and felt his own sting in response. Gipping the toddler tightly he bent and grabbed Lily's blanket and turned towards the door. He only stopped for a moment to turn back towards Petunia.

"For your sake, you had better hope I never lay eyes on you again." He said, rage lacing his voice.

"I think we ought to leave." Melanie said giving Sirius' back a push, forcing him from the house.

He walked forward, struggling to wrap the blanket around the scared toddler, he needed to shield him from the bitter winter wind, that much he remembered from his lessons with Lily. He looked around himself and saw the five aurors, all dressed as muggles, two pushing what appeared to be a pram down the walk, One sitting on a bench, and two talking at the street corner. He recognized them all. He assumed it was Moody's idea to send aurors that he knew Sirius would trust. They made their way to an alleyway when they stopped. Harry was still fairly stiff in his arms but he had relaxed some, making it easier to hold him.

"Alright Sirius, Albus, this is where you two go on. I will see you in a few weeks, Remus is going to bring me in to check on Harry, it is protocol after all just to see that he is settling in alright." Melanie said kindly.

Sirius nodded as he tried to adjust Harry for apparition.

"All right little bit, are you ready? Do you remember how to go vroom?" he asked, remembering how he and James would apparate with Harry all over the house simply to see the stunned look on his face, or the exasperated one on Lily's.

Harry just looked at him stoic, no response at all. Sirius sighed heavily, what had they done to his hyper, happy godson in a little over a month's time? He looked at Dumbledore.

"Let's take him home, he may respond better there." The old wizard said gently.

Sirius scowled, had they not sent Harry here in the first place, this wouldn't be an issue at all. Even right after the attack Harry had clung to Sirius, he had craved the closeness, now he seemed scared of it.

"Sirius, let's take him home."

Sirius nodded and looked down at the jet black hair. "Right, home. Hold on tight Harry, we are going home."

0o0o0o0o

They arrived about a half mile out from the house, it was the closest you could apparate to it. Dumbledore walked close beside him, both of them walking in silence, only the crunching of the dead leaves beneath their feet. As they walked he felt Harry's head swivel around, trying to see what was around him. The first response at all, other than fear, that Sirius had him show.

"Look Harry, this is your new home. You are going to live here with me now. When it warms up we are going to take walks out here, and play at the river bed. You will love it, I know it. And you have toys inside. Just for you." Sirius rambled, trying to get through somehow. If Harry knew any word at all it was toys.

When they reached the property edge Dumbledore stopped.

"I am going to leave you here Sirius. I have some unfinished business back in Surry and I think that you and Harry would do better to settle in together without me as company. I know you will do fine. He will get better. Give him time. It takes time to heal any wound, just time and love. And you have plenty of both."

Sirius' eyes narrowed but in effort to keep Harry calm he just nodded and walked onto their property. He could feel the safety net of the wards press upon him. It was secure, he knew it. Harry tensed slightly at the feel of the magic, it almost made your skin tingle for a minute, but he would get used to it in seconds.

"You feel that? That means you are safe now. No one will ever hurt you again." Sirius said as they walked into the house.

He sat him down on the hardwood floor in the sitting room, Harry stood on his bare feet, looking around himself. Sirius unwrapped the blanket from his little body as Remus came through from upstairs.

"I didn't hear you get here!" he said, rushing over. Again Harry jerked back at the movement. Remus stopped and looked down at the normally exuberant toddler and then at Sirius. "What is he wearing? And what happened to him?"

"Well I think it is safe to say that the Dursley's happened to him and he appears to be in a romper- thing- well it is clothing that is for sure but it is about four sizes too big." Sirius growled.

Remus' eyes pulled together slightly before kneeling in front of the child that he knew so well.

"Hey squirt. I have missed you." He said softly. Harry didn't move, he only looked at Remus warily and then back up to Sirius.

Sirius sat down, crosslegged on the floor to Harry's side. "Come on Harry. You know us. You see us all the time. Uncle Siri and Uncle Remmy, I know you remember." Harry sat down too but made no other inclination that he knew either of the men he was with. "Look you know him, remember, Moo Moo, that's Moo Moo remember?" Sirius tried again, using the name that Harry had bestowed upon Remus when he tried to teach him to say Mooney.

"Thanks for that." Remus drawled. "Make me sound like a cow." He muttered. Sirius laughed in response, to which Harry looked up quickly, his eyes wide. "Harry remember, Siri goes woof woof? Sirius, I know, go Padfoot." Remus demanded.

"What?" Sirius said, flustered.

"You play with him as Padfoot all the time, he will remember it. He loves it when you and James go animagus. His first word was woof woof for Merlin's sake."

"But-But-I don't think I can do that." Sirius stammered, thinking of all the times he had transformed with James.

"For Harry you can. Come on Sirius, just transform."

Shaking off the tremors and the memories that plagued him, Sirius shimmered down into the hulking black dog. Harry's eyes were round as saucers. Sirius stood and shook, wagging his tail as he did so. He yelped playfully and bounced in front of Harry.

"See Harry, woof woof. Do you remember? I know you do." Remus urged, reaching out a hand and patting the silky black head of the dog.

Harry took a timid step forward and gripped the fur at Padfoot's neck. Sirius, excited, licked the rosy cheek of his godson. Harry scrunched his nose, making Remus burst into laughter. Harry dropped his hand in surprise and Sirius shifted back.

He smiled brightly, "See you know me. Uncle Siri, you are safe little boy, I promise, no one will ever take you away or hurt you again." Sirius said as he scooped Harry into his arms. It may have been his imagination but he didn't stiffen or flinch this time around. He just sat very still, his arms crossed in front of him. "What do you say we go up to your room and get some clothes that fit you and put you in the bath?"

Harry, of course, just looked at him like he was crazy but Remus nodded in agreement and walked ahead of him, pushing open the door to Harry's room. Sirius followed him in and sat Harry up on the changing station and began to strip him of the overly large clothing. He frowned at the yellowed nappy that was pinned around his waist.

"How many nappies have you changed?" He asked, as Remus searched through the drawers for an appropriate outfit.

"Maybe three, only when I watched him for them when he was a few months old. I made a point to hand him off when he needed changing." Remus shrugged.

Sirius sighed. "How is it that I am the one with more experience in this arena?" he asked Harry, who just looked at him and plopped his thumb back into his mouth.

"When did he start that?" Remus asked, eyebrows raised.

"Not before the attack, I saw him just a week before, he wasn't doing it then. Come to think of it he didn't do it that night either. Alright Harry, now you may remember, I am not the greatest at getting these things on tight, no judgments alright?"

"Why don't you get him in the bath and then worry about a clean nappy?"

"See Harry this is why we keep him around, he is a genius." Sirius said as he lifted the, now naked, little boy back into his arms and carried him to the bathroom.

0o0o0o0o

I know that Harry didn't make all that mess, he is barely moving." Remus said, astonished at the amount of water and bath toys on the floor.

"I don't know what happened. I was never allowed to give him a bath. Well at least not after that time he and I flooded the bathroom."

"I can see why." Remus said, not withholding the laugh as Sirius handed him the wet child. "Are you ready to get dressed squirt? Come on, we will let Uncle Sirius clean up his mess."

"That means you get to do the nappy!" Sirius called out.

"Yeah, but the new one is clean, I have no problem touching a clean one." Remus called back with a chuckle as Sirius grumbled.

Sirius found them downstairs with Harry sitting in the wooden highchair at the table. "What does he like to eat?" Remus asked, looking in the cupboard, having heard Sirius come up behind them. He hadn't spent near as much time with the child as Sirius had, with having a muggle job and running covert missions for the order he had been gone a lot over the last several months.

"Chocolate biscuits." Sirius replied with certainty.

"He can't have chocolate biscuits for lunch." Remus said, shaking his head.

"Er…Lily gives him all sorts of stuff. I know he eats fish and chips." He said with a shrug as he sat down beside of Harry.

"You like fish, don't you? You steal mine when I eat with you."

It didn't take Remus long to make the fish and chips using magic and he placed the platters on the table before pulling out a small serving for Harry and setting a cooling charm to it. Sirius tore it into pieces and sat it on the tray of the high chair.

"There you go little bit. Somehow you look smaller than you did last I saw you." He said with a frown. Harry looked down at the food on his tray but made no move to touch it. "How do we make him eat?"

"I don't think we do." Remus said watching the boy look at the food.

"We can't let him starve."

"I am sure that this is a huge adjustment, I mean, first James and Lily and then he got sent to those muggles, he is really confused. I am sure that the attack alone was scary enough for a baby to bother him. He will eat when he is hungry."

"Look at him, I know he is smaller than he used to be, that is the same size clothes as he was before and they are big on him." Sirius argued. "Let's just give him chocolate biscuits, he will eat those. I know it."

Remus shook his head, "We can't let him live off chocolate biscuits and if we give them to him now then he will never eat normal food again."

"He is going to starve to death." Sirius said morosely.

"Just eat your lunch, if he sees you eat maybe he will eat too." Remus said with a sigh.

The rest of that day passed in much the same manner. Harry never ate. Though he did hold the spill proof child's cup, and by the end of the afternoon all of the milk was gone, though Remus, nor Sirius, could recall seeing him drink from it. He remained silent the entire day, and spent most of it sitting on the sofa or floor with one uncle or the other trying to entice him with toys to no avail. At one point Sirius, frustrated, even offered his wand, in the seconds before Remus noticed and put a stop to it, it didn't work anyways.

That evening Sirius was putting a clean nappy on him and zipping him into his new footed pyjamas. He smiled at the dinosaurs that patterned the green fleece material.

"You know Christmas will be here in just a fortnight, I don't know what in the world to get you, I think we already bought you half of diagon alley by now. Do you think you are ready for a regulation quidditch pitch? No? Well I am sure I will think of something."

He lifted Harry into his arms, as the evening wore on, though Harry remained quite impassive he had allowed both Sirius and Remus to lift him and hold him as he had before. He even sat in their laps in turn, once they had given up on the toy bribery, and watched the telly, or at least stared at it. It was some progress at least. Harry was looking around the room as Sirius threw the soiled nappy into to bin and turned to carry him out when his eyes grew round and to Sirius' utter shock he began to cry in earnest.

"What-I don't-Shhhhh." He said bouncing him in his arms as he had done time and time again.

Harry continued to cry. Remus came through the door, looking alarmed. "What happened?"

"I don't know, he hasn't made a sound all day, he just, started screaming." Sirius said, panicked, Harry seemed to be trying to climb over his shoulder.

Remus looked intently at him, and quickly saw what he was after, he grabbed the lion off the toddler bed and brought it to Harry who pulled it into his arms instantly, his cries quieted and Sirius started to breathe again.

"Was that it? You just wanted Godric? Well you could have told me that." Sirius said gently as he sat down in the rocker with Harry and the lion folded into his lap.

"Look at what he is doing." Remus said quietly, gesturing at Harry.

Sirius glanced down, the still well worn tail of the refurbished plush toy was being worried between Harry's fingers, while his left thumb was back in place in his mouth.

"He remembered him." Remus said with a smile.

"He remembers us too I think." Sirius said, nuzzling his face into Harry's hair, it was hard to fathom how much he had missed him. "He is just scared is all. You remember us don't you? What if I tell you a goodnight story, one about Uncle Mooney and the time that he knocked Marleen McKinnon down the great hall steps when he asked her out in sixth year?"

"I hardly think that is an appropriate bedtime story." Remus huffed and rolled his eyes.

Sirius laughed quietly, "Alright, so your uncle was really really bad with girls…."