The Lupin Childe

Cheers for my wonderful Beta: butterfly83

Chapter 6

Remus sat on the couch trying desperately to calm down Harry's cries. He expected the boy to be nervous about finally going to meet the rest of the family but not nearly this much.

"But-but wh-what I-if they d-d-don't like me?!" the boy sobbed and stuttered. "Will-will you s-send me b-b-back to th-th Durs- ley's? I don't- w-want t-t-to go b-b-back! Don't send me b-back M-moony, please! I-I'll be good!"

Remus sighed and again rubbed the tiny boy's thin back to try and have him relax. He had seen this coming, with Harry's history and previous insecurities, and had been ready to deal with it. Just not at this intensity or thirty minutes before their departure. At least he didn't have to worry about causing a scene at the ministry, or even in a muggle airport. He was taking an International Portkey and though those were usually administered at the building of wizarding government, his had been mailed to him from France via his brother. It was times like these that Remus really appreciated his brother's connections, even if it came from destroying the lives of the 'little people' under him.

In thirty minutes the portkey would activate and whisk them away - whether Harry was howling or not - to the atrium in the French Ministry, where they would meet up with Leverett and then proceed to floo to their mother's. However, it would still just be better for everyone if he managed to calm the boy down before then.

"Harry, cub, I would never, never, send you back there. I love you so much and everyone else will to."

"But w-what if th-the-they don't?"

"But they will!" Remus protested. "You have already spoken to Gran and you know she adores you and Mari, Lianna and Levi have told me again and again that they just can't wait to meet you."

"But what if th-they ch-change their minds?"

"They won't I'm sure, but if they do then you will still have me. You will always have me. I adopted you; that means you are my son in all but blood, and my cub, and that I will love you more than anything, no matter what."

With teary eyes Harry finally looked up at him. "Promise?" he pleaded and with a gentle smile Remus confirmed his previous statement.

"I promise."

With a sniffle and tears still pouring down his face Harry laid his head on Remus' shoulder. He stuck his thumb in his mouth and continued to let out several shuddering breaths. Remus continued to pat his back soothingly whispering reassurances under his breath. He stood from the couch with Harry still in his arms and trailed around the room.

They wouldn't be back here for who knows how long and though they could buy anything they needed in France just as easily, it would still be better if they left nothing important behind. Most of Harry's toys and things were staying but some of the items he was more attached to would be coming along. His mother had been adamant about the fact that she and Lianna had set up the perfect room for Harry and that he wouldn't want for anything and while Remus didn't doubt his mother and sisters ability he felt Harry would be more comfortable if he had things that he had grown used to being his. Remus was already sure the child would be spending the first few nights in his room from fear of the new environment.

What seemed most important for the boy to bring however, besides Maurice, was the small and colorful stationary set that Poppy had given him. The child though still having trouble, as any child would, with learning to read and write, was ecstatic. He had promised to write at least every few days to keep Poppy informed and so that she wouldn't get lonely without him. The Medi- witch had hugged the boy close and kissed both cheeks before sending him on his way back to Severus who, as it turned out, had been the one to bring him up for a visit after he had been goaded into watching Harry again for the full moon. Poppy had been away for the first night and he had, after surprisingly little pleading on Remus' part, agreed to, once again, watch the brat- uhh, Harry.

The boy had had just as much fun staying with Severus the second time around. He was slowly but surly worming his way into the mans heart, Remus could tell. And despite Severus' cold and indifferent exterior, there was a slight light in his eyes whenever he looked at Harry and told the boy to 'stop talking so fast and enunciate your words'. Upon arriving home the evening before, Remus had gotten an ear full of how important it was that one enunciated and verbalized everything correctly. He'd smiled indulgently as Harry carefully related to him that 'Mis'sur Sev'rus' had told him that he should also learn proper vocabulary and grammar because he was growing up and didn't want to seem daft. Remus was fairly certain that Harry didn't comprehend half of the conversation (if 'Mis'sur Sev'rus' was anything to go by) but he was getting there and seemed determined.

Harry had also, of course, promised to write to Severus too and draw pictures if the man so wanted it. Severus had given the child a withering look but had not protested. Remus wasn't sure if it was because the man actually wanted pictures or that he knew there would be no reasoning with Harry on the matter and that he would get them anyway. Whatever it was, Remus knew Severus' rooms would be filled to the brim by the time they got back from their little trip; if he didn't throw them away that was.

Checking the time and seeing that they only had a few more minutes left, Remus shifted Harry slightly so that he was balanced in one arm while he pulled out his wand with the other. Harry raised his head from his shoulder slightly to watch curiously. Remus made a point of not using a lot of magic around Harry, the last thing he wanted was for the child to become dependent on the craft. It was useful, sure, but was no way to live your life fully by only relying on spells, there were plenty of things in the world to make up for the absence of magic and Remus wanted him to experience them. It was one of the reasons he disproved of the old families having house elves. He knew the little creatures lived to serve and most loved their lives but they also taught wizards how to be lazy. His mother had thought the same and had point blank refused to buy a house elf though it would make daily life easier.

With a wave of his wand Remus shrunk their various bags. Harry's eyes widened slightly as he watched everything shrink to a size that might have been appropriate for dolls. Stooping over carefully, Remus picked them up one by one and put them in his pocket. Glancing once more to ensure nothing was left behind, he walked over to the fire place and picked up the plush little unicorn toy that was their portkey. He had wondered for a moment whose idea it was to send a toy before deciding it must have been Lianna. Harry had loved it but had been rather put out when he was told that he couldn't play with it just in case it was faulty and activated early.

"Do you remember what I said about portkeys cub?" Remus asked gently as Harry was still looking close to tears. The little boy sniffed and nodded and reached out to grasp one of the unicorns soft legs tightly in his little hand. "Good, now hold on tight, we have about a minute."

They were silent as Remus mentally counted down the seconds. He took hold of part of the toy himself and held Harry tightly. As he felt the familiar tug behind his navel he absently hoped he would be able to stay upright when they landed in France.

-x-

" Harry, are you okay?"

Tentatively, Harry opened his eyes at the sound of Remus' voice, hoping dearly that the world had stopped spinning. It wasn't really scary, traveling by portkey, but it was definitely something he did not want to do often. "I'm fine," he said his soft voice barely rising above the noise in this place. There was a lot of noise and lots of people. Harry looked around curiously. Many people had on those funny dress things Sev'rus liked to wear and which he insisted were called robes and were normal clothing. Many of them ignored him and Remus seeming to be very much in a hurry, but a few noticed them and while some smiled some had such odd reactions like paling, putting their heads down immediately to watch the floor and shuffling along looking panicked and pained. It was weird.

"Oi! Remi!" a voice rose above the others and Harry, in Remus' arms, turned to the sound with his guardian. A tall man stood at the end of the hall with a hand in the air beckoning them closer. Remus smiled and walked toward him.

Harry watched him as they approached. He was taller than Remus by at least a head and had long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail that seemed to go halfway down his back and bright blue eyes were framed with short dark lashes. He was tanned and one of the few people dressed normally in simple black slacks and a white button down shirt that was neatly tucked. He had a kind smile that bordered on a smirk and friendly look about him but the people that walked past him avoided going near him almost completely. Harry knew without being told that this was Leverett.

When they reached him his eyes became softer and he clapped Remus on the back in a familiar manner. " Bonjour mon frère! Ça fait un bail."

Remus smiled and nodded to whatever it was the man said. "It has… about two years I think?"

The man smiled brightly. "That's exactly right, petit frère. I was beginning to think your forgot where we lived." he said, his English a bit accented.

Remus rolled his eyes. "As if maman would let me." Leverett chuckled.

"Very true," he agreed. Then his gaze turned to Harry making the boy shrink back a little. But the man only smiled and didn't make any movement towards him. "Am I to assume that this here is little Évariste?" Again Remus rolled his eyes and Harry cocked his head curiously at the sound of his middle name, the new one anyway.

"His name is Harry, but yes, this is him." Remus own amber eyes looked fondly at him. "Harry, this is my brother, your uncle, Leverett. Say hi."

Harry removed his thumb from his mouth and waved shyly. "Hello,"

Leverett beamed at him and Harry blushed. "Hello Harry! It's so good to finally meet you! You're adorable!"

Harry blushed heavily and hid his face in Remus' shoulder. He heard both men chuckled and Leverett say, "Il est mignon." He didn't know what it meant but Remus hummed his agreement.

"Well then, I suppose we should keep maman waiting, you know how she gets." Harry kept his head down but felt as they started moving. It was strange but he didn't feel anyone brushing past them like they were when they were making their way to Leverett.

"Have many people arrived yet?" Remus asked.

"Non," was the response. "Lianna is there of course but Mari's showing up later tonight. Maman wanted to throw a party, but I convinced her it would probably just overwhelm the kid. Then she insisted on inviting Ronnie, one of her girls is his age I think and she has a son but he's a bit older."

"Ronnie? Veronica? I thought she was in Germany."

"She was, moved back a few months ago though. The marriage didn't work out very well, completely burned-out. He wasn't home enough for her liking and she was home sick, there was a nasty divorce. She got custody of the kids though."

"God, poor Ronnie."

"She's doing pretty well considering. It's her son that's having issues. He's about six or seven, old enough to know what's going on and having a hard time of it"

"Hmm,"

"Yeah, well, here we are. Harry?"

His head lifted at his name and looked at Leverett who was smiling at him again. "Have you ever taken the floo network?" Harry shook his head and eyed the green flames in front of them wearily. Remus had explained it to him but he wasn't too thrilled with stepping into a fire no matter how safe it supposedly was. Leverett looked at him gently. "Then you can go through with your dad. Just hold on tight, okay?" With a nod, and with a warm feeling building at Remus being called his dad, he tightened his arms around Remus' neck to prepared himself. Leveratt smiled pleasantly, something he seemed to do a lot, and gestured for Remus to step into the flames.

Harry couldn't help but flinch as the green flames licked his skin but they didn't burn, just brushed him like a tickle. He wanted to giggle but remembered Remus' warning that one could get lost in a fireplace if they didn't speak clearly so he didn't want to interrupt. Opening his mouth and speaking clearly Remus called out, "Cahors' Cottage!" and they swirled out of sight.

-x-

Harry hadn't been totally prepared for the not so smooth ride that came with floo travel and so when they reached their destination he was clinging to Remus for dear life. Yes, this was much worse than the portkey.

"Remi!" a shriek sounded and Harry shivered as something collided with him and Remus.

The thing, well, person, gave them a tight hug that almost hurt for several moments before Remus said "You know, Lianna, Levi still has to come through the floo."

"Oh! Sorry! Come on out, vite!"

Harry was shifted ever so slightly as Remus stepped out of the fireplace whose flames, Harry felt, had died down. "I'm just so happy to see you! It's been too long brother! Oh gosh, is this Him?" Remus laughed.

"Ly, try to calm down for just a second."

"I am calm!" Another laughed sounded and Harry glanced up just in time to see Leverett step out of the fireplace behind them. The man winked at him and he quickly hid his face once more.

"She's right, she is calm."

"Yes, well, Harry's nervous enough as it is."

"So it is him!"

"Of course it is, what do you think, Remus is just carrying around some random kid? Réfléchis, stupide."

"Tais-toi!"

Harry felt a gentle hand rubbing his back and looked up at Remus. The man smiled down at him. "Don't worry about them, they just like being loud." Harry smiled a little in return and finally took a look around as the other two in the room continued to argue in the foreign language.

The room they were in was brightly lit and furnished with things that looked like they were there for fun. In the corner was a huge entertainment system surrounded by a sofa and several plush chairs. There was also something Harry recognized vaguely as a pool table and several other devices that he couldn't quite identify. The walls were done in a pale green and the carpet was a creamy color. It was very nice.

"Psychopath!"

"Oh, that's original!

Harry looked back over at the two arguing who had slipped into English, a fact that Remus didn't look too happy about. Leverett had an equally unhappy look on his face though for a different reason and the woman he was arguing with was flushed. Though she looked angry there was a twinkle in her eyes that told of the fun she was apparently having.

She was shorter then Remus by a few inches and looked more like him then Leverett. Her hair was the same shade as his, a sandy brown and looked ruffled as it hung around her face like a curtain. It reached her waist where it lightened to a blond color. Her face was much like Remus's, with high cheek bones and reasonably tan with a dusting of freckles over her nose. Her lips were bow-shaped and it looked as if she spent a lot of time pouting. She looked more like a teenager then an adult dressed in a blue tee-shirt that matched her eyes and black jeans.

"I think that's enough," Remus said loudly over their argument. They both cut off instantly, glared at each other and then turned to face Remus who looked pleased. "Thank you. Now, Ly, would you like to meet your nephew?"

"Yes!" the woman exclaimed her expression quickly changing as she lit up with joy. She bounced over towards them and stuck out her hand proudly. Harry took it after a reassuring nod from Remus. "Hello Harry! I'm your auntie Lianna! You can call me Lianna or Ly, or aunt or tatou which is just 'aunt' in French. Has Remi been teaching you French? I bet you're a smart boy! You are too adorable to be stupid like Levi."

"Hey!"

Her head snapped around quickly and she hissed out a "Hush, you!" before turning her bright smile back to Harry. "I'm so happy to have you here! We are going to have so much fun! I'm going to get Maman!" With that last declaration she spun on her heel and practically skipped out of the room.

Harry looked after her silently for a few moments before blinking and setting his thumb in his mouth. This was going to be tiring.

Remus and Leverett exchanged smiles at Harry's dumbfounded look. Yes, Lianna did tend to have that effect on people regardless of age, hers or theirs. He would get use to it.

-x-

Leverett eyed his little brother as he carefully handled his new son. They were close, he could tell and Remus loved the child very much. He would make an excellent father. He had heard about the death of the Potter's and Pettigrew and knew Remus had been devastated, especially when Sirius Black was convicted for aiding in the crime. Levi wasn't sure what Remus thought but he didn't believe a word of it, but it wasn't his place. He had to finish his goal of fixing the French Ministry before taking on another country's. Maybe in a few years.

He hadn't heard the entire story of what had happened to the little green-eyed boy that had stolen his brother's heart, just that he was being mistreated by his blood relatives and Remus had found out and took matters into his own hands. Leverett smirked at the thought. That was his Remi, he knew the young man had it in him. Though he didn't always show it, Remus had undeniable strength and a strong sense of justice. He just didn't usually take it to the extent as the rest of the family. Good for him.

"Remi?"

The sound of his mother's voice drew Leverett's attention to the door, she would absolutely dote on this boy. If Harry thought that Lianna was intense then he defiantly wouldn't know how to act when he met Mama Brie. And the fun wouldn't even really start until Maribell got here.