Chapter 8: A Visit from the Wolf
Headmaster Dumbledore was at his office with his Deputy Headmistress when Rubeus Hagrid showed up to inform them Remus Lupin wanted to speak to the Headmaster. After letting Lupin in, Hagrid left. "Welcome back, Remus." Dumbledore greeted him. "What do I owe this visit?"
"I heard that Black escaped." Remus quickly explained.
"That's unfortunately true, Remus." Dumbledore replied with a sad face. "I never expected anyone, even a Black, to escape Azkaban."
"Yes, Headmaster." Remus agreed. "It's even more surprising than Severus Snape raising Harry. Aren't you worried he might have taken it on Harry for everything James did to him? He only took Harry him as payment for the old life debt."
"Remus, Severus has obviously let go of his past grudges." Dumbledore admonished Remus. "He even let the Longbottoms into their lives."
"Headmaster, Severus used to hang a lot with classmates who turned out to be Death Eaters. Doesn't it worry you?" Remus asked.
"Don't worry, Remus." Dumbledore reassured the former student. "I've checked his arms and there's no Dark Mark on them."
"If at least we had the foresight to do the same to Black." Remus grumbled. "Headmaster, I understand Severus wouldn't let me around him after that incident but, why didn't you let me know about Harry's living arrangements? I thought you trusted me."
"I trust you, Remus." Dumbledore quickly said but then hesitated. "I just…"
"What's wrong?" Remus asked upon realizing the Headmaster is hiding something.
"I just didn't know about Harry's living arrangements until I read about them from the Daily Prophet, Remus." Dumbledore sadly confessed.
"Headmaster!" Remus was appalled. "According to the Prophet, Harry was sent to live with Severus back when Bartemius Crouch still headed the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. How come you needed that article to know? I thought you had people watching the Dursleys to check upon him."
Dumbledore then explained everything he previously told Severus. "And you were okay with not knowing how Harry was treated indoors?" Remus was shocked. "Weren't you worried the Dursleys would mistreat him?"
"Remus, I'm certain they care about Harry." Dumbledore calmly replied. "Family is family."
"Of course." Minerva snorted in a way that'd make people think Transfiguration wasn't the only thing she taught Snape. "The Dursleys cared so much about Mr. Potter they sent him to the first bloke asking."
Remus silently nodded at Professor McGonagall's statement.
"Severus was offering to repay a life debt owed to James, Minerva." Dumbledore calmly replied. "That certainly would make them certain Severus would be trusted in spite of any hesitations they might have had towards the idea."
"Well, I suppose we should focus on how to catch Sirius Black." She conceded. "Any ideas on how he might have escaped?"
"Black probably used some dark magic taught by Voldemort, Minerva." Dumbledore suggested.
"I agree, Headmaster." Remus pretended. He (correctly) believed Sirius Black used his Animagus form but, not wanting to admit about the Marauders' secret escapades, decided not to tell about the fact James, Sirius and Peter became Animagi, thus showing he's indeed immature enough to be a Marauder.
"I'd like your help to capture Black, Remus." Dumbledore asked.
"I'll gladly search for him, Sir." Remus volunteered.
"Actually, I'm thinking about having you at Hogwarts to guard Harry." Dumbledore explained.
"Headmaster, you can't be… mean it!" Remus exclaimed while almost using the word that sounded painfully close enough to 'Sirius' to incite the Dog Animagus into making that lame pun. "I'm a werewolf! The parents won't accept it!"
"They don't have to know about your furry little problem, Remus." Dumbledore calmly replied.
"Headmaster, Severus Snape would know and he'd gladly out me to keep me away from him and Harry and I wouldn't even be able to say he's wrong." Remus sadly stated.
"Severus doesn't have to know either, Remus." Dumbledore calmly explained, surprising Remus.
"I assumed you wanted to hire me as this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Headmaster." Remus commented.
"The idea did occur to me, Remus, but I had already signed a contract with Quirinus Quirrell by the time Black escaped." Dumbledore explained. "No, my boy, my idea is of hiring an extra guard. Just don't tell Harry about you or he might tell Severus."
"So, any idea of which House he'll be sorted into?" Remus asked out of mild curiosity.
"Gryffindor, of course." Dumbledore cheerfully replied like it's obvious.
"I don't know, Headmaster." Remus was apprehensive over this. "Severus Snape's raising him. Aren't you worried…?"
"No, Remus." Dumbledore replied. "The Longbottom influence must have negated whatever dark influences Severus had on Harry. The boy even befriended a muggleborn boy he and Neville met while buying school supplies."
"I'm glad to hear that, Sir." Remus replied in relief.
Meanwhile, Sirius Black was trying to use his Animagus form to approach his godson. Unfortunately, his attempt was thwarted by Tommy the House-Elf. "Bad doggy will not harm Master Harry." The elf declared.
Recognizing the elf, Sirius returned to his human form. "Tommy? It's me!"
"Tommy knows Master's betrayers." Tommy bravely replied.
"I didn't betray…" Sirius' pleas of innocence were interrupted when he felt apparating sounds and decided to disapparate before someone arrested him.
"We were so close." Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt groaned.
End chapter.