Disclaimer: Still don't own.

So...today is the day Quirrell was born. I'm not sure if I should wish him a happy birthday or not.

Chapter 6

Once the door closed behind Harry Remus shot up from his seat and started pacing. He was furious, with the Dursleys for treating Harry in such a way and with Dumbledore for placing him with those people.

But mostly he was furious with himself. Not once did he personally check on Harry. Instead he would ask Dumbledore and was always told the same things. Harry's doing well. He's polite and respectful to others. He's always roughhousing with the other children. Remus snorted. Roughhousing his arse. Harry was being bullied by the other boys and no one even noticed.

"As nice as it is to watch you build up steam for when you, for lack of a better phrase, tear Albus a new one, I believe we should start now. Merlin only knows what's going through the poor boys head right now with all the growling you're doing."

Remus stopped mid-step (and growl) and turned to the door Harry was behind. He cast several silencing and anti-eavesdropping charms all the while cursing himself for not thinking of it sooner. He then turned to glare at his colleagues, though it was mostly aimed at Dumbledore. "I find myself wondering where to start. We've read only two chapters thus far and I have yet to see the so-called 'happy and normal childhood' you swore to me Harry was having. So, do either of you have a suggestion on where to start? Or should we just begin chronologically?"

Dumbledore sighed. This evening was going to be much longer than he had anticipated. He could already feel the beginnings of a migraine forming, one that he fully deserved. He truly had no idea how bad things were for Harry. He had placed Arabella nearby in hopes of her getting close to the Dursleys and in turn Harry. Unfortunately she wasn't able to endear herself to Petunia, but did manage to get the position of babysitter for Harry on occasion. It was just enough to see that he was growing into a polite and quiet young man.

McGonagall felt that she was just as guilty as Dumbledore was. She had allowed him to leave Harry there without much of a protest. But she was a Gryffindor through and through, and as such she was willing to own up to her mistakes. Starting with the first. "I believe we should start in order."

"Alright then. Do tell me just what extenuating circumstances make it alright to leave a toddler on a doorstep." Remus bit out.

"In order to understand my decision to leave Harry on the doorstep it is imperative to know why I decided to place him with the Dursleys in the first place." Receiving a short nod Dumbledore began his story.

"I'm sure you remember what things were like when Voldemort fell that night. After the initial celebrations chaos and confusion reigned. The Ministry and Order were rounding up anyone suspected of being a Death Eater. His followers were both scared and furious. They had lost the protection of their Master. Many created cover stories and began laying down their defense of being under the Imperious Curse. Others were fleeing the country. Some attempted to avenge him and even tried to find him. But with no clear leader in place they were not as effective."

The room's occupants shuddered. They may not have been very effective but they had managed to do plenty of damage.

"You see, when James and Lily died I foresaw all of this happening. The joy, the chaos, the need for revenge. As the only survivor that night Harry had become a target in more ways than one. Not only would the Death Eaters be after him, but so would wizards who wanted a piece of his fame. When I placed him with the Dursleys my priority was to keep him safe and alive.

"Once things calmed down it was impossible to move Harry. In their Will the Potters had left primary custody of their son to Sirius Black. In case Black predeceased them or was unavailable custody was to go to you, Remus, and then Peter. But as Black turned out to be a Death Eater and had killed Peter you were the only option left. Sadly, the Ministry would never allow a werewolf, a so-called Dark Creature, to gain custody of a child that wasn't his."

Remus flinched at the reminder of what he was and his place in society. He knew the Headmaster hadn't said it to be hurtful, but it did still hurt. Especially now that he knew it kept Harry from growing up in a loving environment. He was however, incredibly touched that James and Lily had included him in their Will and had trusted him with Harry's welfare despite what he was.

Dumbledore sent Remus a sympathetic look. "I know you would have made a wonderful guardian to Harry, and Harry would have grown up safe and happy and most importantly loved. Unfortunately, I feared that if I brought this to the Ministry that they themselves would try and place Harry. I couldn't risk him being given to someone who did not have his best interest at heart or someone who had bought their way out of Azkaban."

That was, unfortunately, understandable. The Ministry was never the most noble of places. It was more than likely that they would have sold Harry off to the highest bidder, regardless of who they were.

"There is also the fact that at the time I did not, and still do not, believe Voldemort to be gone forever. He will come back, sooner rather than later I believe, and when he does he will not rest until Harry is dead. Should he return to full power even my most complex and powerful protective spells and charms wouldn't stand up to him.

But I do know where Voldemort is weak. And with that in mind I made my decision. Harry would be protected by an ancient magic which Voldemort knows and despises and therefore underestimates. When Lily died to save Harry she left a lingering protection on him, one that flows through his veins to this day. I put my trust in his mother's blood.

I delivered Harry to her sister, her only remaining relative. By taking Harry in she sealed the charm I placed on him. Lily's sacrifice made the bond of blood the strongest shield I could give Harry. The letter I left Harry with that night explains all this to Petunia. She is well aware that allowing him houseroom may have kept him alive these last twelve years."

A heavy silence filled the room. It was a lot to take in between the knowledge of the blood wards and Voldemort's imminent return. He gave them a moment to digest all this before finishing what he had to say.

"This brings us to why I left Harry on the doorstep. I knew enough about Petunia to know that had a witch or wizard, myself in particular, come to deliver Harry to her she would have rejected him on sight and broken the charm before anything could be explained. It was a risk I was not willing to take.

"So I placed Harry on the doorstep with a letter. I knew she would take the child into her home to read the letter. I had hoped that by the time she finished reading it she would have been convinced to keep him. He is, after all, her last link to Lily. I was sure that given time Petunia would come to love Harry as though he was hers."

"Well that obviously didn't happen," Remus all but snarled. "All these years you've been telling me he was having such a happy childhood. And now I find out that you were lying to me. Why didn't you keep a closer eye on what was happening to him? Or did you see it and just ignore it rather than admit you made a mistake?"

"I am not so arrogant as to deny any blame in this. I had unknowingly made a grave mistake that night, and a young boy has paid the price for it. But you must believe me, I truly had no idea what was going on in that house. Arabella was to keep an eye on anything suspicious in the neighborhood. She had tried her best to get close to the Dursely's, but all she could manage was the occasional babysitting job. And they didn't start until Harry was five.

"From what she had told me I suspected that he may not be completely happy, but I never thought Petunia would stoop so low, or to allow her husband to. Harry was family. Family is supposed to love one another, not behave in such an appalling way."

Remus heard the tiredness in Dumbledore's voice. When he looked up at him he was surprised to see a tear trickling down the old man's face and into his beard. He had always looked up to Dumbledore because the man opened up doors for him that had previously been closed.

Ever since he was a child he thought Dumbledore could do no wrong. At some point along the way he seemed to have forgotten that Dumbledore was human too. That he made mistakes just like any other man. And like any other he had to live with the consequences. At that moment Remus realized that he couldn't stay mad at the man any longer.

"I can understand why you placed him with them that way. And even that you had no way of knowing what was happening." Remus started off softly, letting Dumbledore know he was mostly forgiven, but finished with a glare to make sure his point got across. "I trust that Harry will be removed from their loving care straight away."

"Of course he will. I cannot allow any student under my care to return to such conditions. The only problem I see would be finding a suitable candidate for guardianship. The Ministry is bound to find out eventually and may try to challenge the change. We would need to find someone who has influence and won't be intimidated by them. But this is not the time for such a discussion. I believe there were other things you wished to discuss before bringing Harry into the conversation."

"Before that I believe I owe an apology as well," McGonagall interrupted. She had remained quiet so that the two men could say what they needed to, but now it was her turn. "I believe I am at just as much fault as Albus. I had not liked those Muggles and yet I did nothing but give a token protest at Harry's placement there. And over the years I did nothing to ascertain that they had changed."

Remus smiled softly at her. He and his friends always had a soft spot for the stern witch. "I appreciate the two of you admitting to having some fault in this. But I think its Harry you should be apologizing to, not me. I find myself at fault here as well and will be trying my best to make it up to him."

"I believe we will be as well," some of the tiredness had left Dumbledore's voice. He was already making a list of suitable guardians for Harry, and at the top of the list was one Remus John Lupin. He just needed a way to get around that pesky werewolf registration for it to work. And Harry's approval of course.

"Good. Now, why doesn't Harry know anything about the Potters and his place in the Wizarding World?" Remus asked bluntly.

"Ah, that is a slightly more complicated question. At first the reason was because Harry was far too young to understand the intricacies of it all. As he grew I began to look for his family tomes. Many of the old families kept their tomes in either their family manor or vault. As the manor has been sealed for a great many years I went to Gringotts.

"While the goblins have no love for wizards in general, they do respect me more than most others and informed me of a few things. Firstly being that my access to the Potter vaults was limited, which is something that I was already aware of. As such I am not allowed into his family vault, nor am I aware of what is actually in there.

"They also informed me that several people do have access to the Potter family vault as long as they follow the stipulations required. It was at this point that the client confidentiality came in. The account manager couldn't give me any names, but did say that if the right person asked the right questions they would be allowed in.

"The second reason for not informing is a bit more selfish. I just couldn't find it in myself to add to the burden that being the 'Boy-Who-Lived' had given him."

Remus sighed. He couldn't fault the man for that. "I know Harry doesn't get full access until he's of age, but do you think the account manager would tell him who does?"

Dumbledore thought about it carefully before replying. "It's possible. We won't know for sure until we try and that would have to wait until summer."

Remus nodded in agreement, he figured that much. "James had a rather big mouth and was extremely proud of his family history." He rolled his eyes fondly at the memory. James had spent quite a few nights telling them all stories that he had heard from his father. He even told them what he was expected to do once he became the Head of the House of Potter. He hesitated before added "If Harry is agreeable to it I could tell him what I know."

"I think he would like that very much Remus." McGonagall said gently. She had spent the last two months trying to persuade him to speak with Harry. Having taught them both she saw that they both had several similarities. One of which was the fact that they tended to keep people at a distance. This would only benefit the two of them.

The professors sat in silence again, none of them wanting to broach the next topic. "How bad —" Remus' voice cracked. Clearing his throat he started again. "How badly do you think they hurt him?"

"All we are capable of at this point is conjecture and that will get us nowhere. What we have read is bad enough and I can only imagine that it went further. How much further I cannot tell. We will not know for sure unless Harry opens up to one of us." Dumbledore sighed heavily. Getting Harry to open up would be an arduous journey. "Either way I believe a visit to Madame Pomfrey will be required. A full examination should catch any lingering health problems and allow us to work out a healing schedule."

"The amount of neglect we've read about indicates a misuse of funds." Remus nodded, he had expected as much from the amount of gifts the Dursley boy was given. "When I had left Harry with the Dursleys I informed Gringotts and we worked out a monthly stipend to cover the cost of raising Harry. I will have to speak with them again to put a stop to future payments and see if we will be able to get anything returned."

"How much were they being given Albus?"

"Roughly 500 Galleons a year." McGonagall's eyes widened. That was a lot of money. And they didn't even spend a small portion of it on Harry!

"Are they still receiving money while Harry's here?" Remus couldn't believe that these people would be so low as to steal money from Harry. Then again perhaps they didn't know it came from Harry. If they had they may have tried to get more.

"No. The goblins argued that as his tuition is being paid through the family vault and all his needs are being taken care of by Hogwarts that his relatives are not entitled to additional funds. They do however receive them during the summer months."

"At least there's that," the werewolf muttered. He stood up and looked at his fellow professors. "It's getting rather late and I should speak with Harry now. Is there anything we missed that I should bring up with him?"

"His school work," McGonagall supplied. "His work is slightly above average, but I feel as if he's holding himself back. It's possible that it could be related to living with those people."

"I've noticed that too. I think we can discuss that with him together." With that he walked to the door that Harry was behind.

Harry spent what felt like an eternity alone in the room. At first he stayed near the door trying to make out what they were saying. He heard growling and then McGonagall was saying something and then silence. Figuring they probably silenced the door so he wouldn't listen in he stepped further into the room.

The room was rather bare compared to the other one he just left. There was only one window in the room and another door. The large bed had a small night table on either side. The bedclothes were a dark grey, accented with a deep red. The only other piece of furniture in the room was a large wardrobe. Feeling that it would be considered rude to look through it he turned his attention to the other door in the room.

The door led to a decent sized bathroom, which had a door leading to the sitting room. Quickly, but silently, he made his way to the door. Of course that was silenced too. Letting out a frustrated sigh he walked back into the bedroom.

By the time Lupin walked in Harry had made himself comfortable on the bed. His legs were hanging off the side of the bed and he was laying back staring at the ceiling. He slowly sat up as his professor walked further into the room. He watched the man for any indication of what they were going to talk about.

Remus sat on the bed, far enough away that Harry wouldn't feel crowded, but close enough to offer support should Harry need it.

"You know I went to school with your parents. We were all Gryffindors together, same year even." He spoke, watching Harry from the corner of his eye. If he wanted Harry to trust him he needed to be honest with him first. "I was good friends with the two of them. Your father more so than your mother."

Harry was listening to Lupin speak with rapt attention. Many people had told him how wonderful his parents were, but he doubted that many of them had actually met his parents. And now here this man was telling him that he had actually been friends with the two of them. A part of him wanted to scoff at this. If this man had really been friends with his parents where was he all his life? Another part though saw a glimmer of hope. Here was his chance to learn more about the people who gave their lives to keep him safe.

Remus saw the conflicting emotions in Harry's eyes and continued his story. "James was a bit of a prat and full of himself," Harry's eyes widened at that. Snape was always saying the same thing. The only difference was that Snape's voice was always filled with hatred while Lupin's was filled with an affection that could only be found between close friends.

Remus continued on, lost in his thoughts of James and Lily, "but he was one of the best friends a person could have. He'd do anything for the people he cared about. Lily on the other hand was something else. She was the kindest woman I've ever met. She didn't care about who you were or what House you belonged to. The only thing that mattered to her was what kind of person you were. But she wasn't without flaws. She had a quick-temper and I can honestly say it was quite frightening."

Harry smiled; it was nice knowing that his parents were real and not perfect like everyone tries to make them out to be. "It took James several years to win Lily over. He didn't make the best first impression on her and he never did anything to really correct it. She eventually gave him a chance though. They got married less than a year after we left Hogwarts and you were born a year later." Remus let out a weary sigh. "I'm sorry."

"What for?" Harry blurted out. He had no idea where his Professor was going with this, but the apology was unexpected.

Remus looked over at Harry. "For never checking up on you personally. James and Lily were as good as family to me. And so were you. I should have done more to make sure that you were safe. I did check in with Dumbledore throughout the years though. I even sent letters and small gifts —"

"I never got anything," Harry interrupted.

"I assumed as much when you didn't acknowledge knowing me when we first met," Remus said wryly. "Which means either Petunia threw them out or they never reached you and ended up with your fanmail."

"F-fanmail?" Harry stuttered. Oh gods no. He was not Lockhart. He didn't want fanmail.

Remus smirked at Harry's horror filled expression. He definitely took more after his mother in that area. "You don't have to worry about it. It's probably locked away somewhere until you decide what to do with it. They need to be checked for curses and what-not, but most of it is probably harmless. But we are getting off topic.

"When your parents died I tried to gain custody of you, but was denied." He had petitioned the Ministry barely a week after the attack. He hadn't known about the provision in the will. Even if he had he doubted it would have helped much. "I knew that was likely to happen, but when I tried for visitation I was told that if I did they would toss me in Azkaban for a few nights. So I had to settle for just letters and leave it up to you to decide whether you wanted to see me or not."

"Why didn't they allow you visitation? I don't see anything wrong with letting one of my parents friends visit me."

"That wasn't the problem. I'm sure had any of their other friends tried to visit they would have been allowed. I was a special case." He hesitated for a brief second, "You see Harry I'm a werewolf. And as such I'm not allowed the same rights as other people. Most people consider me dangerous and wouldn't want me near children. Dumbledore is taking a big risk by allowing me to teach."

Remus waited for the rejection. While he was used to it by now he knew it would hurt coming from Harry.

"That's just stupid. I don't know a lot about them, but what I do know is that they're only dangerous during the full moon." Harry furrowed his brow in thought, "At least that's what I read around all the pureblood bigotry in those books in the Restricted Section. Do people really believe that stuff?"

Remus chuckled in relief. Harry didn't care, everyone else didn't matter. "When it's all they have to read they do. You'll be hard-pressed to find more than a handful of positive books on werewolves. But you are essentially correct. We are only dangerous on the full moon, but with the proper precautions we can lower the risk of hurting someone. I hate to ask you this but can you not tell anyone?"

"Of course I won't. You're actually a decent Defense Professor. I'd be stupid to get rid of the only one who is actually teaching us something useful." That and he could actually get stories about his parents from Lupin. He wouldn't risk that for anything.

"Thank-you. Now onto the actual reason we need to talk." Harry cringed. He had forgotten about that. "According to Dumbledore the reason he placed you with the Dursley's was because of an ancient magic your mother evoked the night she died. It enabled him to build blood wards around the house which would keep you safe from Voldemort and his followers."

"That makes sense. They couldn't have been too happy that I survived while he lost most of his powers." Harry sighed. He'd be stuck there no matter what now that he knew the reason why.

"Exactly. The only thing is no one knew how badly the Dursley's were treating you. From what we read it's been decided that you need to be removed from their care. The only problem is we don't know where to place you. You of course get final say, but we still need to find an acceptable family." Harry nodded, glad that he wouldn't just be thrown at some random family.

"As for the Dursley's you are going to have to talk to someone about what they did." Remus saw Harry stiffen up. "You don't have to do it now. And it doesn't have to be to me. I understand that it involves a lot of trust to speak with someone about this. So when you're ready find someone you're comfortable with to talk to about it."

Once Harry relaxed Remus began talking again. "There are also some things you need to know about the Potter family. James told me a lot about his family. It's too late to go into all that now but perhaps we can set aside some time during the year to talk about it."

"I'd like that," Harry smiled genuinely at Lupin. This man was offering him something that he really wanted, to know his family. He even trusted him with his secret. Maybe he could return some of that trust and see how things go.

"It wasn't too bad you know. They didn't hit me a lot. They were afraid someone would notice. It was mostly when Uncle Vernon got really mad. Most of the time they would just lock me in my cupboard and not let me eat. But I was able to sneak food. Usually they just gave me a list of things to do to keep me out of the way." Harry trailed off.

Remus listened as Harry spoke of his abuse. He was furious about it, but hid it well. Especially since Harry seemed to be trying to downplay it. "I hope you understand that they were wrong to treat you like that. And I will make sure they are never able to hurt you again."

"It took me a while to realize it, but I know what they did wasn't right" Harry admitted reluctantly.

"As long as you know. Now I'm afraid we need to speak with Dumbledore and McGonagall before you can return to your dorm." And so Harry followed the werewolf out the door.

They walked into the sitting to find the Headmaster and his Deputy hunched over a piece of paper and whispering furiously. Remus shut the door sharply to get their attention. McGonagall turned around a bit guiltily and a piece of parchment disappeared up Dumbledore's sleeve.

Remus raised an eyebrow at them as he ushered Harry to the empty couch. "So Harry, one of the things we wanted to discuss with you was your schoolwork."

"My schoolwork?" Harry questioned dumbly. What was wrong with that?

"Yes Mr. Potter, your schoolwork." McGonagall said briskly. "After what we read one can't help but wonder if you're trying your best. Did the Dursley's in any way effect your grades in Muggle primary?"

"Er — maybe," Harry half-said, half-asked. "They didn't like it very much when I got better grades then Dudley. It wasn't like there was much of a chance of that anyway. I spent so much time working around the house that I didn't have much time to do assignments or revise. Things were just easier when I didn't do so great so I stuck with it."

"And now?" Remus prompted.

"Well, they don't care about my grades or anything that happens while I'm here. And since I can do my homework my grades are better than before I came here." He scrunched his face in thought. "At least I think they are. It's hard to tell because the subjects are different."

"That's understandable. Have you been revising? Actually, do you know how to revise?" Seeing the indignant look on Harry's face Remus clarified. "What I mean to say is everyone learns differently. Some people learn better by listening or reading and writing, or from visuals. Some even prefer hands-on learning. What works for one person might not work for another."

"Oh. Hermione usually has us going through our notes and books when we have an exam coming."

"And that's what works for her. You should try and find the one that works for you." Harry nodded in understanding. He didn't really like sitting around and reading his books over and over again. Maybe trying something else would help.

"I believe there is one matter left to discuss before you can head back to the Tower Harry. At some point during the week I would like you to visit Madam Pomfrey. This is non-negotiable." Dumbledore said before Harry could argue. "I will speak with her tomorrow about this. I would like for you to get a full exam." Harry nodded glumly. "Excellent now it's time for you to head back to your dorms. Here, take this," he held out a scroll, "it's a note should you be stopped on your way back."

Harry took the note, exchanged good nights and left the room.

Once Harry left Dumbledore turned to Remus. "Did he say anything to you?"

Remus sighed. "Nothing we haven't already been able to infer. He told me as little as possible and I didn't press for details. To be honest I'm surprised he even said that much."

"Despite everything he's been through Harry is very trusting, but not foolishly so. He wouldn't have trusted you with that unless you gave him reason too." Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling as if he knew just what Remus did to gain Harry's trust. "Unless there is more for us to speak about then I believe we can call it a night."

"There is one thing. It's more of a curiosity really," McGonagall said. "How did the password change to the Slytherin Common Room without anyone realizing it?"

"Ah, I'm glad you asked that Minerva. It would appear that Salazar Slytherin had left behind more than a hidden Chamber. He also made sure that he, and by extension his descendants, would always have access to the rooms. All that appears to be needed is his own rare ability."

"Do you mean to tell me that Mr. Potter changed the password and you did nothing to punish him?" Minerva glared at him and then Remus, who failed to cover up a laugh.

"I said nothing of the sort Minerva. All I know is that a Parselmouth changed it. Harry may be one, but there could be another who has chosen to keep it hidden. You know how people react to anything they consider dark," Dumbledore placated her.

"Since we're on the subject, how is Harry a Parselmouth? I thought it was something that ran in the family," Remus had nearly forgotten about that.

"I believe it was a byproduct of Voldemort's attack on Harry. When his powers broke I believe some stayed behind and latched onto the only living being in the room."

With that the professors went their separate ways for the rest of the evening, all thinking about the green-eyed boy who held a place in each of their hearts.

Part of Dumbledore's speech regarding Harry living with Petunia was taken from OotP.