Harry stared back at Lupin with a look of interest and curiosity. The man looked familiar to Harry and Harry felt comfortable around him. He didn't make him nervous like Uncle Vernon did. Looking up at him, he had a feeling that he had known this man really well before. Though he couldn't remember clearly, he could remember his face and...
"Moony?" Harry guessed. He wasn't sure where that came from but its what his mind associated this man's face with. This brought a wide smile to the man's face and a couple tears poured down his cheeks.
"Yes, that's right? Do you remember anything else?" Lupin asked. Harry shook his head and frowned.
"That's alright; how are you feeling?" Lupin asked, eyeing the bandage and shuddered when he thought about just how much that one injury was going to change both of their lives. Lupin shuddered once again when he realized he was going to have to tell Harry just what this bite meant and what it would do to him.
"My arm stings a little bit and I'm a little bit sleepy," Harry muttered with a yawn. Lupin smiled at the young boy; he was quite impressed with how well Harry was handling the situation.
"Get some sleep and I'll talk to Madam Pomfrey about when I can take you home," Lupin said as the child began to doze off. As nervous as he was to take responsibility for a child, he could easily assure himself that he'd be a far better caregiver than the Dursleys.
The next morning, Madam Pomfrey declared Harry healthy enough to go home and made Lupin promise to keep in touch. Harry was still sleeping when Lupin apparated them back to his house; he set Harry gently onto the couch and went to take a shower while Harry was still asleep. Lupin still couldn't believe he was now in charge of a child; he was responsible for the health and well-being of a child.
As Lupin started to dry off and get dressed, the smell of bacon hit his nose and his stomach growled. He took a second to savour the smell before it dawned on him that the only other occupant in the house was a four-year-old! Lupin gasped, threw on a pair of pants and dashed downstairs to the kitchen and sure enough there was Harry, standing over a frying pan of bacon.
"Harry, what are you doing?" Lupin asked, trying not to scare the boy but he looked nervous enough.
"It's not burnt, sir," Harry said, as though Lupin had just accused him of wrongfully burning the bacon. "I'm sorry it wasn't ready sooner... I slept in." Harry nodded to the clock to indicate the time.
Lupin wasn't sure how to process this. Did Harry think Lupin expected him to cook? Harry shuddered to think about why a four-year-old though it was his responsibility to cook.
"Harry, you don't have to cook. Actually, I'd rather you didn't because you could get hurt?" Lupin said, taking the pan from the child who seemed confused.
"How will I earn my food?" Harry asked, causing Lupin to freeze for a second. Earn his food?!
"You don't have to do anything to earn your food. It's my job to provide food, shelter, and clothes for you while you are living here. At four years old, it is your job to be a kid," Lupin explained, causing Harry to give him a confused expression.
"But who will do the dishes? The laundry? Clean the floor? Put the clothes away?" Harry asked.
The only thing that stopped Lupin from going and killing the Dursley's right then, was the fact that if he got sent to Azkaban, he couldn't guarantee where Harry would wind up.
"I have a house elf who takes care of that. I do not expect anything from you that I would not ask of any other four-year-old, okay Harry?" Lupin said bending down to the child's level. Harry looked thoughtful for a second before nodding.
Once Lupin and Harry ate, Lupin decided to show Harry his bedroom. He had no idea what Dumbledore had put together for the child and wasn't sure whether he should be nervous or not. Harry followed stiffly behind Lupin, as though expecting to be ordered about. Once they got upstairs, Lupin found a door with Harry's name on it. Lupin opened the door and to his relief, the room didn't look bad.
The walls were blue and there was a large bed in the middle of the room. The room was polluted with magical stuffed animals that could do different things from have full conversations to helping a child get bathed and dressed.
There was a child's broomstick that was designed to never go higher than two feet off the ground leaning against the closet. Lupin knew he'd have to teach Harry how to use that and the idea was exciting.
On the dresser, there was a child's training wand and a training cauldron. There were even posters that would get after children to brush their teeth, comb their hair and make their bed and praise them for doing so without reminding.
Harry stared around the room, his face was neutral, as though this was just any other room.
"Who's room is this?" Harry asked curiously.
Lupin smiled and crouched in from of Harry.
"This is your room, Harry."
Harry's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. A room just for Harry! There were toys, a dresser full of clothes and pictures.
"I get my own room!" Harry gasped. "And my very own bed! Are you sure, Mr. Moony?"
Lupin frowned for a second. Getting surprised about having his own room was one thing but to be surprised about a bed was too much and for the second time that day, Lupin had to refrain from going to see the Dursleys.
"Yes, Harry; it's all yours," Lupin said smiling at just how happy Harry was to get a room to himself and his own bed. "And please, just call me Moony."
Next chapter, Lupin tells Harry about werewolves...