Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing. Its J.K. Rowling's Magical world. I'm just renting residence...
Chapter Summary: Sirius and Remus have a needed talk with Dumbledore.
A/N: Thank you all for your supportive reviews, they mean a lot to me. And, as promised, they make me post the next chapter! :-)
Chapter 4: Discussing Important Matters
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Sirius and Remus reluctantly left Harry in the hospital wing to trudge up to Dumbledore's office. The aging Headmaster had once again summoned them, and they were once again sitting across from him in his spacious office.
"I hear from Cornelius that the accidental magic reversal squad was sent to Number Four Privet Drive this morning in order to un-petrify a certain Vernon Dursley," Dumbledore said amusedly as he looked at Sirius, who sighed resignedly and sat back in his chair.
"Don't look at me, Albus. I, contrary to what would be the popular belief, laid hand nor wand on those wretched muggles," Sirius stated matter-of-factly. Surprised, Dumbledore's gaze turned to Remus who smiled slightly.
"Well, this is unexpected, but I believe you had good reason did you not, Remus? Truth be told, I would have been very surprised had neither of you done nothing to the Dursley's." Dumbledore stated truthfully.
"Even after you specifically told us not to?" Remus asked, taken aback.
"Well…when have the Marauders ever 'not' gone against what I say?" Dumbledore inquired, eyes sparkling. "I thought it had to be written in your bylaws somewhere." Sirius and Remus couldn't help but grin sheepishly.
"But, enough about that. Let us get on with what I called you here for," Dumbledore continued, still smiling. "I spoke with Cornelius this morning, as you well know by now, and have convinced him the best place for Harry to be at this time is with you two. He was, of course, hesitant to the idea but once he was informed of the truth about how the Dursley's treated young Mr. Potter, and heard Mrs. Figg's account, he quickly agreed," Dumbledore finished.
"Mrs. Figg's account?" Sirius repeated, confusedly.
"Yes, Mrs. Figg is an old friend of mine who happens to be a squib. She lived in the area, so I asked her if she would keep an eye on young Mr. Potter for me, sending me reports from time to time. It was she who informed me of Mr. Potter's mistreatment."
"How would she know?" Remus inquired, genuinely curious.
"The Dursley's would leave Harry with her whenever they went out of the house, and she was able to see his cuts and bruises first hand. She knew, even though the Dursley's lied to cover it up, that Harry was being abused under their care. They hadn't even bought the boy a pair of glasses, even though it was obvious that he was hard of seeing properly. She ended up buying him a muggle store-brand pair herself, and insisted that the Dursley's let him keep them. Which they eventually did, tired of her persisting."
Sirius' knuckles were white from how tightly he had formed his hands into fists, anger flaring in his eyes, never good at hiding his emotions. Remus' amber eyes had flashed once while Dumbledore spoke, but he was much better at keeping himself under control.
"But, Harry is now under your care, and I'm hoping that together you will be able to bring down the wall Harry has undoubtedly built around himself, thanks to the life he has lived. Again, Cornelius has been informed off all this, and also believes the best place for Harry is with the both of you. "
"Even with my lycanthropy…?" Remus asked softly.
"He was worried about that, but I assured him you would be under the influence of the Wolfsbane potion and would in no way or form harm Harry," Dumbledore reassured. Remus smiled gratefully.
"The Dursley's have agreed to freely give the custody of Harry to you both on the condition that they are not harmed by either of you and are not put on trial for the case," Dumbledore stated cautiously, not wanting to arouse an extra bout of anger at this moment in time. Sirius growled slightly but bit his tongue against saying anything.
"Are you…are you saying they aren't going to pay?" Remus asked, unable to control the hint of annoyance that found its way into his tone.
"As of yet, no, they will not pay for their crime. But do not think that they never will," Dumbledore said seriously. "No doubt their punishment will come in due time."
"But…on a different note…" The elderly wizard began going through the many papers that littered his desk. "Here is…" he continued as he still rifled through them. "Ah ha, the wizarding custody papers," he revealed what he had been searching for as he pulled out the official document. Sirius and Remus' solemn expressions changed rapidly.
"All you have to do to finalize all this is to sign right here at the bottom, both of you," Dumbledore confirmed, eyes sparkling once more, as he placed the official paper in front of them. Both men happily signed their names. They were going to give Harry the treatment and love he deserved; the two swore this to themselves.
"He's ours?" Sirius questioned gleefully looking at the paper, all thought of the Dursley's leaving his mind for the time being.
"All yours unless you are proven unfit…which I highly doubt," Dumbledore affirmed, smiling warmly at the both of them. Both men nodded happily.
"As you well know, Harry's parents left him a good deal of money for anything the boy might need…" Dumbledore began but Sirius quickly cut him off.
"We can use my money. I've got plenty more than I need, now that my mother finally snuffed it, and we should save Harry's for when he goes to school," Sirius said surprisingly…serious.
"That is, naturally, your decision. Either way should be fine. The boy could use some new clothes if I do say so myself, though," Dumbledore smiled.
"He'll have plenty…and…and toys, and-" Sirius began excitedly but Remus cut across him.
"Of course, I'll make sure Sirius here doesn't spoil the boy rotten." He proclaimed good-naturedly. Sirius glared playfully at his friend and glomped him on the head.
"I'm sure you'll both work out a balance. Now, all of your stuff has been sent to your new house. It is in a nice little town near London that is not highly populated, and has many trees. It is a Muggle town, as I believe having Harry in a wizarding town at this time could be a danger to him. Many Death Eaters are still at large and are still searching for him, after all," Dumbledore explained. Both men nodded understandingly.
"As we have yet to know what Element or Elements Harry controls, you should not over react if you see anything that is classified as odd, even in magic terms. The last thing we need is for Harry to become scared of his gift," the Headmaster said earnestly. Sirius and Remus shared a serious look.
"We're pretty sure, sir, that one of Harry's Elements is fire," Remus informed.
"Fire…" Dumbledore repeated pensively. "Yes, I can see that…one of the hardest to control, though, for it is controlled mainly by emotions…" He voiced thoughtfully as he rested his chin on his steepled fingers.
"In any case, it must be encouraged. Elemental magic is very draining at such a young age so encourage, but don't push. In time it will become easier and easier for him to do," Dumbledore stated knowledgably. Both nodded again.
"I highly doubt Fire magic is the only thing Harry is capable of. Pay attention to him and his signs, go with his instinct, 'Sensing' is a known power among Elementals," He explained. Again both men could do nothing but nod, trying to take all this new information in, in one sitting.
"There is still a great mystery that surrounds Elementals so be open to anything that might come your way with Harry," Dumbledore finished just as his office door burst open and a panting Madam Pomfrey came in, looking beside herself with worry.
Oh no... Sirius and Remus thought as they jumped up in concern.
"What is it, Poppy?" Dumbledore asked worriedly as he too stood up.
"H-he…he's gone. I-I can't find him anywhere!" she said frantically.
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A/N: -Sigh- A cliffy, I know, they sure are detestable, huh? But it wouldn't be a story if it didn't have any, right? Anyway, I'm going to try and answer a few reviews that stuck out to me as 'needed' to be answered.
1) Yes, Harry is only 3. But he is very mature for his young age due to the life he has had and the standards for which he has had to live up to.
2) Harry's powers will progress as the story moves on and you'll start seeing more of it as he grows. But as of yet he is wary of them and is hesitant to resort to them, that is unless he feels threatened. But with time comes change...
3) Now, I know the Dursley's are very easily hated, trust me, for I loath them. And I know you all most likely wanted them punished, which is something that has yet to happen and by the looks of this chapter (to you) won't happen. -Grins wickedly- No worries though, I have a plan for them…
Well, there you go. I hope that cleared some things up for you for the time being. Please Review! That way Chapter 5 can be out by tomorrow. -Smiles-