A/N: I do not own Harry Potter or any character thereof. Only the story line is mine so please don't sue! I don't own anything!

Chapter 43

Harry had been back at Privet Drive for almost two weeks when he heard his uncle making plans for his Aunt Marge to visit. He groaned. He despised Marge and her dogs. All his memories of that woman were horrid.

"You will be on your best behavior boy," spat out Vernon Dursley.

"Yes Uncle Vernon," said Harry as he finished up the evening dishes.

"Go to your room and keep quiet. Our Dudder's and his friends are going to watch a movie."

"Yes Aunt Petunia."

Harry sat down on the cot once he was locked inside of his prison (as he had come to call it) and pulled out his journal. He had managed to sneak it, his transfiguration book, and a Quidditch magazine out of his trunk (which his Uncle had locked in the cupboard the second he had walked through the door) a couple of days prior. His uncle had been too busy showing off his new car to notice.

July 12th, 1993

I miss my friends already. They've both written to me once. They are both going on vacation. I wonder what it's like to go on vacation. When I get old enough, I'm going to see the world. I think that it would be awesome.

I was an idiot to think that Ron and Hermione would stop being my friends if they found out that the hat wanted to place me in Slytherin.

Harry smiled at the memory. He had told two of his best friends on the train ride home. (Neville had sat with some Hufflepuff friends that he had made from Herbology.)

"Really mate? Well at least you came to the good house. It probably only wanted you to go to Slytherin since you can speak to snakes," Ron had exclaimed around a mouthful of chocolate frogs.

Hermione had adopted a thoughtful expression after she had hit Harry upside his head. "Honestly Harry, we're not going to stop being your friends because the hat wanted to put you somewhere else."

She had then pulled out a piece of parchment while muttering something about magical artifacts. He had just grinned at her and entered into a game of exploding snap with Ron.

Aunt Marge is coming for a visit. The last time she came for a visit I spent 7 hours up a tree because her dog chased me there.

I wish I could stay in the wizarding world. I hate it here. Nothing I do makes the Dursley's proud of me.

I was right when I told Professor Dumbledore that they would be disappointed that I wasn't eaten by the snake.

They were.

I told them on the chance that they would be proud of what I had done. Instead Uncle Vernon lectured me on my abnormality and keeping quiet about it. I wonder why I even bothered telling them.

I know the Headmaster said that I'm safe here because of the wards but what about from my own family?

-Harry

Harry put his journal back under the loose floorboard and pulled out his transfiguration things.

McGonagall had assigned a nasty essay on Transfiguration of body parts and its limitations.

Harry began to read while keeping an ear open incase the Dursley's came upstairs. He had to do better this year. Since there had been no final exams, Harry had barely passed Transfiguration with an acceptable.

Albus was enjoying a good book when he heard the woosh of the Floo network being activated. He walked into the next room and saw the Minister of Magic's head in the fire place. However, before he could speak, Fudge blurted, "He's gone Albus!"

Albus looked at Fudge's head. "Who's gone Cornelius?"

"Sirius Black! The Dementors told the guards who told me!"

Albus strode swiftly to the fireplace. "Move aside. I'll come through and you can explain it to me."

As soon as the Minister's head disappeared, Albus stepped into the fireplace.

Severus had just returned to Hogwarts. He had spent two weeks in France at a Potions Conference. As he was unpacking, there was a knock at his door.

"Enter!"

Albus entered the room. "How was the conference?"

"It was fine, just like all the others I attend. The usual idiots were there trying to invent new concoctions and only one or two had new ideas that showed substance."

Albus nodded. He was not looking forward to what he was about to tell Severus. He silently erected a shield around himself.

"When you're finished unpacking, I would like a word with you."

Severus nodded. The headmaster usually liked to pry him for details and he normally obliged by making sarcastic comments on the other brewers' intellect - or lack thereof.

Twenty minutes later they were both sitting in Severus' library, drinking tea.

Albus just dived right in before Severus found out himself by picking up one of the back copies of the Daily Prophet.

"Did you follow the news while you were away?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"No. You know that we tend to seclude ourselves while there. Why?"

Albus sighed. There was no easy way to put this.

"Three nights ago, Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban."

The cup in Severus' hand shattered.

"What?"

"They don't know how he did it but the ministry is currently searching everywhere for him."

There was a gleam in Severus' eyes that Albus didn't care for very much.

"I hope that I'm the one to find him," he muttered darkly.

"Severus!"

Severus startled, as if just now remembering that he wasn't alone.

"Is Potter under surveillance?"

Albus nodded. "His aunt's house will protect him. You, however, are bleeding."

Severus looked down. His hand was indeed bleeding.

As he cleaned the glass out of the cut, Albus said, "Severus, promise me you won't go looking for him."

Severus glared. "I'll do no such thing. He is the reason that Lily is dead. You can't expect me to sit idly by."

"I can and I do."

"Then you are a fool," he hissed while murmuring a healing charm over the cut.

"Maybe I am but I'm not leaving your rooms until I get your word you won't go searching for him." The look in Albus' eyes held no room for argument.

Severus just sneered. He knew that the Headmaster would hound his steps until he agreed. "Fine. I won't go searching for Black."

Albus eyed him warily then excused himself to give the man some time to process what he said.

A couple days later found Harry carefully wrapping the shirt pieces that he had cut up around his legs and arms where he was bleeding.

He had been outside working in the garden when Dudley and his gang decided to play with the "freak". They had pushed him into the rose bushes (which had very sharp thorns) and had been kicking him repeatedly when a patrol car passed by and saw what was happening.

The cop had rounded up the boys and then helped Harry to the door. His Aunt looked horrified to open the door and see a cop standing there. Just think of what the neighbor's would say!

"Ma'am, I'm afraid he might need some medical attention."

"Nonsense officer. He's fine." She rounded on Harry and gave him a look that said he wouldn't see food for 2 weeks if she had her say. "You, boy, get upstairs and clean up and don't get blood on anything!" That said, she shut the door in the cop's face after swearing up and down that her Duddikin's wouldn't hurt a fly and that he must have been mistaken in what he had seen.

Albus looked at the man across the desk from him. Remus Lupin was wearing an old tweed suit while drinking some tea. He hadn't seen the man for three years but during that time they had kept in touch by owl.

"I about had a heart attack when I read that Sirius had managed to escape Azkaban."

"Has he tried to contact you?"

Lupin's eyes narrowed. "No. I doubt he would since he showed everyone his true colors. He knows that I'd most likely kill him."

Albus nodded. "Did you have any major plans this upcoming year?"

"Nothing that couldn't be re-arranged. Why? Did you need something?"

"How would you like to come teach Defense Against the Dark Arts here? You would be able to see Harry again."

Remus let out a small gasp. He hadn't seen Harry since he had been a baby.

After he had been placed at the Dursley's, Remus had taken the Headmaster's advice and let him grow up away from anything in the wizarding world - though he did raise a fuss over the fact that Harry was going to stay with Petunia.

It would help him keep away from all of the insanity, not to mention the fact that the remaining Death Eater's wouldn't be able to find the boy - and Merlin knows that they had stalked Remus' own steps for months.

"What about the small children that I teach?" he asked. Remus had spent the last 5 years teaching pre-Hogwart's age children - most of whom wouldn't attend Hogwarts due to them not having enough of a power level or for other various reasons.

"Isn't there anyone else who can cover for you?" Albus watched a myriad of emotions go through Remus' eyes.

"Hmm. I supposed I could ask a friend to take over but what about my condition? They'll be 2 days every month that I won't be able to teach."

"I can talk to Severus about brewing your potion for you. As for your needing to miss class, I'll make sure that they are covered."

Remus pondered the situation. In the end it was the pull of seeing Harry again that made him say yes.

"Excellent! As soon as you find proper defense books, let me know so I can send out the booklists."

"I'll head to Flourish and Blotts now to see what they have."

They talked for another few minutes before Remus left.

Albus' smile then turned into a grimace. The next step was to inform Severus of this. He would have to remember to erect a shield again.

It wasn't going to be pretty. In fact, he expected some form of blood shed to occur.

"You did what?"

"He can help keep an eye on Harry."

"Albus, he's a werewolf!"

"And with you brewing the Wolfsbane Potion for him, he'll be perfectly fine."

"He will help Black get into the castle!"

"I don't believe that Severus. Black betrayed his friendship as well. Remus can help us watch Harry," the Headmaster reiterated.

"Albus, please reconsider."

Albus sighed. "Put aside whatever differences you had when you were a boy. People change as they grow older. He isn't the same person that once tormented you."

Severus scoffed. "I'll brew the potion for him but he needs to take it exactly as I say."

Albus smiled. "Thank you my boy." He watched Severus storm out of his office then realized that had been easier than it should have been.

The Headmaster's eyes narrowed in contemplation.

Towards the end of July, Albus finally had his chat with Myrtle.

"May I come in Myrtle?"

"Sure. Everyone else does."

"Who all has come to see you?"

Myrtle peered at the Headmaster as she pushed up her glasses.

"They won't get into trouble. I'm just curious."

"Well, Harry came to see me. His two friends were also in here. They brewed a potion in that stall." She pointed to a stall at the far end of the bathroom. "Once that teacher was with Harry."

"Myrtle, why did you not tell anyone that the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets was here all along?"

"I didn't know. Harry asked me how I died, and I told him and he figured it out. I offered to share my stall with him should he die," she added as an after thought.

Albus thought she sounded awful cheerful.

"Thank you Myrtle."

The Headmaster then turned his attention to the sink Harry had said it was. He eventually located the one that didn't work but nothing he did to it would open it.

After 30 minutes, he gave up and returned to his office.

Deep within Gringotts', a scroll still sat waiting to be found.

A/N: I imagine I'm going to get some comments on the cop scene about how the cop should have investigated or would have investigated and how it would have been wrong to leave in that situation where Harry was obviously not being taken good care of by his aunts comments but the cop is just chalking it up to boys will be boys. It being a mostly good neighborhood, this would be an anomaly (more or less) so the cop decides to let it go, assuming that if the boy needs medical attention then his aunt will take him to get it.