Legal Disclaimer: I own my stuff, but not the original source material. That belongs to whoever. Also, the opinions and interpretations I use here may not reflect the same in said whoever that owns the source material. Look, I'm just a poor college librarian. Suing me isn't going to get you anything but tears.

Warning: This work may be offensive to some readers. Feel free to back out if need be. Also, feel free to check the FAQs on my FFN profile before leaving reviews about anything you dislike (including characterization or length).

Author's Note: I had the idea that Remus asked himself "what would Sirius do?" about missing the cub of his pack and he released that "whatever I want and blowing up anything in the way" was a valid answer. As FFN readers may realize by which collection I posted this to, the final destination is a certain small town in California. I just couldn't get to that in this fic.

Submitting Info:
Stacked with: Hogwarts 2.0 (T05); RAVEN (2025); MC4A (Wi-Yr7)
Individual Challenges: Cinematic; Reader; Delilah; Bucket Listing (Y); Rainbow Connection; Hold the Mayo; Outer Limits
Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw
Assignment: Term 05 - Assignment 04
Subject [Task (Prompt)] : Magical Law & Gov [Task#1 (someone using magic whilst underage)]
Other Hogwarts Challenges: Library [Sandry](Found Family); Frenzy [Divergent#5](Reckless); Center [147 - White Rabbit](Pocket Watch); Pokemon [689 - Barbaracle](Navy); Feb House [6 - St. Andrew](Navy);
RAVEN Challenges: A [10](Carrying); Traits [90](Unfriendly); Colors [62](Navy); Items [96](Watch); Settings [99](Yard)
Other MC4A Challenges: Chim [Morwin](Protection; "Shadow" - Livingston; Autistic); Hunt [Wi WD (Druidism)]; Fire [Hat]; Garden [Herbs (Sticky); Nature's Grab Bag (Gardening)]; Hang [Phrase#01](n/a); Swap [Outerwear (Green Canvas Jacket); Tops (Camp T-Shirt); Footwear (Combat Boots); Jewelry (Pocket Watch); Accessory (Braided Leather Belt)]
Representation(s): Desi & Autistic Harry Potter & Remus Lupin; Petunia Dursley; Unlawful Custody Change; Teen Wolf Style Lycanthropy
Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenges: n/a
Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenges: SN (Rail; Intercept); O3 (Oust); SHoE (Oblique); AD (Amphibian); Wings (Brood); Share (Ameliorate; Augur); DP (Yearn)
Space Address (Prompt): WiB 1E (Cards); Vocab 5C (Utter)
Word Count: 1245 words

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The Man Made of Gold
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The man had been lurking for most of the morning already. Harry had been keeping an eye on him while he worked in the front flower beds. The man had lightly tanned skin, like it had been dusted with gold. His tawny hair was scraggy like he hadn't gotten it trimmed in too long. Across his tired face were thin scars that reminded Harry of when Aunt Petunia caught him with her nails.

He was wearing a green canvas jacket over a navy shirt that had the logo of some sort on it in peeling cream. His denim pants had faded to nearly white. But his black combat boots were well-kept even if they weren't new. Occasionally, he would consult an actual pocket watch that was anchored to his braided leather belt by a metal chain.

The man didn't fit into the perfectly normal neighborhood of Privet Drive. No one else seemed to notice the man just standing on the sidewalk. They would just ignore him even as they moved around him to continue on their way. To Harry, that utter disregard just made him stand out even more.

Aunt Petunia kissed Dudley's cheek as the other boy left to meet up with his friends. Dudley told Aunt Petunia that they were meeting for tea, and they might actually have tea eventually. However, Harry knew that Dudley and his friends were actually going around the town doing what they would normally do on the playground at school: beating up anyone smaller than them and generally destroying things.

The man watched as Dudley lumbered down the street and around the corner. Harry almost sighed as he fought a weed out of the soil. He didn't know why he had hoped that the man might have been interested in him and not any of the Dursleys, but he was disappointed anyway.

Predictably, the moment that Dudley was out of sight, the man was marching across the street and up the front walk of Number Four. He gave Harry a lopsided smile before he gave four sharp knocks on the dark front door. Harry buried in his fingers into the mulch surrounding the tea roses beside the small stretch of slate that served as a front porch. He didn't even dare to breathe as they both waited for Aunt Petunia to answer the door.

"Tuna," the man greeted with an extreme amount of cheer when she had. Aunt Petunia looked like she had just bit into a lemon, rind and all. The man's smile grew wider at her expression. It almost reminded Harry of how Ripper would look right before attacking. "How delightful to see you again. Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"No," she snapped. She made as if to close the door. The man caught it easily. His smile was very toothy. Aunt Petunia looked the same way she had when Harry's teacher had asked her why Harry never had a lunch. Her thin lips twisted into a snarl. "Go away, Lupin."

"I am beginning to think you aren't happy to see me, Tuna," Lupin replied. His eyes caught a stray beam of light or something, because they flared like an amber flame. "And it's been so long, too."

"Your kind isn't welcomed here," Aunt Petunia snapped. Lupin's grin only widened at the words.

"Then I'm about to make your day, Tuna. We can discuss it inside over tea like respectable people—" Aunt Petunia looked like she would rather kiss Ripper like Aunt Marge did. "—or we can discuss it right here where all your neighbors can see."

Aunt Petunia opened the door wide enough to allow the man inside.

She didn't bother looking at Harry before slamming the door closed.

For lack of anything else to do, Harry turned his attention back to the few weeds around the tea roses. They didn't really need a lot of work this late in the season. Their blooms had already faded with the last of the sticky summer heat. Most of what he needed to do was weeding and making sure the mulch was evenly distributed again. As fussy as the roses were, Harry still enjoyed the relative peace that came with tending them.

Gardening kept him outside where the neighbors could see him. It kept him from bothering Aunt Petunia too much. It also kept Dudley from bothering him. And it was nice to see how the flowers flourished under his care. The way butterflies flitted around the blooms during the spring and summer made his own heart flutter with a silent hope that the world was better, even if there was people like his relatives in it.

Harry lost track of time as he worked. It was just him, the garden, and the warmth that flowed between them. Like a secret, he made the brambles grow thicker every time he had time to himself while gardening. It helped his favorite flowers to thrive while also using up the sparking pool inside of him. If he didn't use up the pool often enough, it would burst out of him when others could see the results. If others could see, they would tell Aunt Petunia, and Harry would find himself punished. If he was lucky, he would be locked away in his cupboard.

"Your mother used to do that," Lupin said from beside him. Harry startled out of the trance he had been in while working. He blinked at the strange man who was now crouched beside him. He could make out the peeling logo on the navy shirt now. It was three stylized lines that looked like claw marks over an elaborate tree whose roots and branches twisted together to form a circle. Seeing where Harry's gaze had drifted towards, Lupin pulled it out to look at it briefly before releasing it again. "It's from a camp that I used to go to."

"Did you meet my mother there?"

Harry hadn't realized that a smile could be so sad before he had seen the one on Lupin's face.

"I met your parents at school," Lupin explained in a gentle tone. "They were both my friends." Harry felt his breath catch in his throat. So many nights he had wished to hear those words as he laid in the dark of his cupboard. He could hardly believe that this was really happening. "I've been looking for you since they died." Lupin's gaze flicked back to the door where Aunt Petunia was standing glowering. "This was not their plan for you. Would you like to come live with me instead?"

"Can I really?" Harry asked. Lupin nodded while keeping eye contact. His eyes did the weird flash of amber fire again. Harry didn't care. He just launched himself at the man, wrapping his scrawny arms around Lupin's neck. The man laid one hand on the back of Harry's neck while wrapping his other arm around Harry's back. Then he stood up with Harry still in his arms.

"Goodbye, Tuna," Lupin said. Harry's aunt made her most unhappy huff. "May you have the life you deserve."

"Just take the brat and go," Aunt Petunia ordered. "Good riddance to both of you."

Harry watched over Lupin's shoulder as Aunt Petunia closed the door once more. Despite Harry being seven and too old to be carried like a baby, Lupin didn't indicate that he was ever going to let Harry down.

It was the best feeling in the world.