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Author: jadzialove Story: The Art of Healing Rating: Teens Setting: Pre-HBP Status: Completed Reviews: 17 Words: 47,842
Disclaimer – I do not own nor would I presume to lay claim to anything in any way associated with the wonderful world of Harry Potter. It's all Jo's. Apart from an attempt to give Harry the advocate he sorely lacks, this story is also comprised of theories, speculations and a whole lot of wishful thinking. I hope you enjoy. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Harry awoke the next morning from a fitful sleep. He wasn't free of the nightmares but he felt a tiny sense of triumph that he hadn't woken up screaming as he had the night before. Having nightmares was almost second nature and they were mostly the same. Lately though as skillful as he was at avoiding thoughts of Sirius during the day, at night he often visited the veil room while he slept. Worst, though, were the ones that starred Bellatrix Lestrange cutting down various people he cared about while telling Harry that it was his fault. Nobody was safe and those were the dreams that woke him up screaming.Unfortunately the relief he'd felt after speaking with Remus Lupin the day before had slowly leaked away during the night. He was no longer numb (a step in the right direction) but the numbness seemed to have given way to what he could only assume was grief. An overwhelming sadness had settled in and he vaguely wondered if perhaps a Dementor had slipped into the house unnoticed. That was easier to accept than the root of the sadness, which he was still not thinking about. Noon came and went finding Harry still in bed, blurrily staring at the ceiling. He put on his glasses to check the alarm clock and realized that Moony would be there in an hour. He decided that it would be quite thoughtful of him to shower and he wondered humorlessly if Remus' condition gave him a keener sense of smell. If it were true then he probably owed him an apology for yesterday. Maybe he'd ask him. He planned on asking a lot of questions. He'd come to a decision last night: if Remus Lupin was really coming to talk to him on a regular basis as he'd joked he was, then Harry was going to get some answers. He wanted answers to questions that had plagued him for years and answers to questions that the latest set of horrific revelations had spawned. He couldn't possibly get past any of this if he didn't get some answers. A hint of his old anger was weaving itself into the blanket of sadness. He stopped to analyze it and decided it was entirely his own – there was no snake coiling inside of him this time. He returned to his room after successfully chipping off the layer of filth he'd been living with for nearly a week. He reckoned he probably shouldn't skip the showering and general hygiene any more since he did actually feel a bit better for it. Hedwig swooped in through the open window and Harry's stomach did that nervous flip-flopping again. She had Ginny's response for him but before he could open it he heard the bell on the front door. He hadn't expected Profess…Moony to be so conventional. With a pang of regret he put the letter down, finished pulling on Dudley's hand-me-downs and made a hasty retreat out of the room. Hoping to beat his aunt to the door he meant to take the stairs two at a time but came to an abrupt halt when he heard the conversation taking place in the foyer down below him. Aunt Petunia hissed, "I know you. You're one of his friends aren't you?" "If you mean James Potter, then yes, I am one of his friends," Remus responded mildly. "My name is Remus Lupin. We've met before if you'll recall, Petunia; at your parents house before Lily and James' wedding. It's a shame you couldn't attend – it was very nice as far as weddings go. I was also at Kings Cross last week when Harry came home from school." Harry cringed; reminding his aunt of that welcoming committee was not a good idea. He braced for the fallout and wasn't disappointed. He heard the front door close with a loud thunk and assumed his Aunt had pulled Moony inside away from the prying eyes of the neighbors before laying into him. "You… you…" his aunt spluttered. "How dare you freaks try to dictate to us how to handle our business. You don't know anything about my family." She was hissing again and Harry wondered idly if Voldemort's snake had abandoned him to somehow take over his aunt. He couldn't see either of them but he knew from experience that she'd built up a pretty good rant and would not stop until she'd had her say. "My sister and her unnaturalness! No good has come of it! That maniac would never have known of my parents if it weren't for her! Do you know what it's like to come home to find people you love lifelessly staring, a look of sheer terror frozen on their poor faces? Do you?" Remus responded, "Yes, actually I do." But she continued as if he had not spoken. Harry felt he probably should interrupt and rescue Lupin but Aunt Petunia's tirade was as mesmerizing as it was informative so he held his ground. "Then, she goes the same way, leaving us burdened with the boy! In a fit of sentimentality I agreed to the old man's terms and have regretted it everyday since. We thought we could stamp out the unnaturalness but it's been nothing but trouble. What people must think of us! Turning his teacher's hair blue, flying up to the primary school roof, setting great, vicious snakes on my poor baby! Filthy owls flying in here day and night, a gigantic man threatening my family and giving poor Duddykins a pig's tail, a passel of red-headed people blowing up my electric fire and making Dudley choke on his own tongue as it grew ten feet in length! Dementors tried to steal my son's soul – his soul – for merely walking with the boy! And that's not even half of it. "I'll not have it! I will not have you interfering in my family business. That boy walks around here everyday with her eyes and his face and ridiculous hair, reminding me of the mistake I made. I will treat him as I see fit." "Petunia, surely you can see that the fault of this does not lie with Harry. He's just as much a victim of this as you are, more so, really. Why must you take it out on him?" She sounded tired but no less spiteful. "I told you that I will not tolerate your interference. I will stand by my obligation because in doing so the protection for the boy extends to my family. I owe him nothing more than that." There it was. Finally exposed. Harry thought it didn't hurt nearly as much as it should have. Being used, he was getting used to it. Dumbledore had... Nope, not thinking about him either. "I'm sorry you feel that way, Petunia. I can't imagine what Lily would think of your despicable treatment of her son and I cannot do a thing about the abuse and neglect of the past. I can, however, remind you that there are people who love Harry and care very much about his well-being. People who can do something about it if it's found out he's being mistreated again." Remus delivered this sentiment in a low, even voice that held a steely note Harry had heard from him only once before. Aunt Petunia was unmoved as far as Harry could tell. "You may wait for the boy in the garden." With that she dismissed him and his "Thank you". Harry had wanted answers and he'd certainly gotten an earful. He'd heard worse from his aunt and uncle both and suffered too many losses at the hand of Voldemort for this new information to be crippling. It did go a long way toward understanding, though. Voldemort or his lackeys had killed her parents, Harry's grandparents, and she blamed Harry's Mum for it. Understanding this did not in anyway justify or excuse the lifetime of abuse and neglect he'd suffered, but it certainly explained why she loathed him so. He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard her shout, "Boy! Get down here now! Someone of your kind is waiting in the back garden for you." She continued as he made his way down the stairs though she wouldn't look him in the eye. "If you plan on making this a habit you will arrange a time to meet him back there like you did yesterday. I will not have him standing on my doorstep and ringing the bell like a normal person nor will I have him traipsing through my house. Do you understand me?" "Yes Aunt Petunia. Thank you." Harry didn't know why he threw that last bit in there – thank you for what, for the information? Thank you for being insulting and coldhearted? Or, thank you for the abuse all these years? He certainly wasn't going to apologize for her suffering because of Voldemort. But knowing the futility of such things did not stop him from wishing he could make her see they had so much in common. He'd found out last summer that she had much more knowledge of the Wizarding world than she let on. He let himself wonder for a moment how different his early years would have been if she had accepted his magic as natural. Accepted him. Her own experience would have been much better as well. Pushing the useless 'what-ifs' away, he walked out through the kitchen to the back garden. "Alright Moony?" He found Remus sitting in the same garden chair from yesterday with his shoulders sagging. Despite the warm feeling it had given him to hear Moony coming to his defense, Harry couldn't quite contain a little nasty part of him that was glad someone else had experienced one of his relatives first hand. "Hullo Harry. I guess you heard all of that?" "Yeah, I did. It's no big deal though. I mean some of it was new but the theme and the uh, delivery were familiar enough. Thanks for saying that to her anyway." "I so wish things had been different for you." "It's okay really. And I was already going to ask you a bunch of questions so, saved you from answering those, eh?" Harry tried to smile encouragingly to Lupin who seemed a bit out of sorts from the whole experience. Not wanting to add to the stress but still wanting to make his intentions clear he continued. "I think it's time to clear some things up. I'm really sick and tired of being kept in the dark about stuff that affects me, yeah?" Harry managed to look both pleading and determined when he said this. Remus responded enthusiastically. "I couldn't agree more Harry and I'll do my best to fill you in on everything I possibly can. I may not be able to answer all of your questions but I'll certainly try to find out the answers if I don't know them. I had planned on discussing some business with you today but I think after that display by your aunt I'll save it for tomorrow. Why don't you have a seat we'll talk about some of the questions you have?" That Moony would readily agree to his request had not occurred to him. He was so shocked that he couldn't think of a logical place to start. Sensing this, Remus said, "Why don't I give you some news I think you'll be interested in?" Harry nodded gratefully. "Well, this bit of news is quite fresh as it all came down this morning and concerns one Dolores Umbridge. Remember her?" "Toady looking woman…super-human ability to inflict pain and suffering? Yeah, I remember her." Harry said bitterly. "Ms. Umbridge has not been seen nor heard from since she disappeared from the Hospital wing at Hogwarts. It seems that our friend Dolores is in some serious trouble and is wanted by the authorities. I can tell by your dropping jaw that this surprises you." Harry blinked. "Bloody well right it does. She did whatever the hell she wanted to us for months! I thought for sure she'd get away with it." "Well she almost did. Fudge insisted that the decision to install her in the school was a matter of national security. Laugh, go ahead but he was completely serious and had no intention of even so much as dismissing her let alone prosecution, until Amelia Bones received two very disturbing owls, one from Mrs. Longbottom and one from Serena Jordan. "It seems Neville, while explaining his part in the happenings at the end of term, informed his grandmother that Ms. Umbridge had not only confessed to setting the Dementors on you last summer she also attempted to use an Unforgivable curse on a student when she could not coerce the Potions Master to administer Veritaserum. Very serious charges all three, but Neville is considered to be a reliable witness. Only this morning his story was backed up by several other students present at the time. And Serena Jordan, whom you would know as Lee Jordan's mother, was most distressed to find scars across the back of her son's hand. And even more so when the quill used to inflict these scars was discovered in the DADA office and found to be a very illegal Dark Object." Harry unconsciously rubbed the web of silvery scars on the back of his hand. Remus shot him a questioning look as he asked, "You as well?" Harry gave a reluctant nod in response then, still slightly in shock at this turn of events, asked, "Moony you don't suppose she's a Death Eater do you?" Remus considered carefully before he answered, "I don't think that she's a Death Eater though she has some suspiciously similar qualities. I think she's just the worst kind of hypocrite and her power trip at Hogwarts drove her to do some pretty unthinkable things in the name of the Ministry. A government that is more concerned about its own self-preservation than the people it is supposed to be serving is very much a failure. Which is why Fudge is in pretty hot water himself these days: denying Voldemort's return, publicly maligning you and Dumbledore, then the fiasco with Umbridge. Add in the fact that his number one supporter and financial backer, for lack of a better term, is a high ranking Death Eater now enjoying the view from Azkaban. There's talk of corruption and a vote of No Confidence." "That's good, right?" Harry prompted. "I mean he's pretty useless." Remus slowly shook his head. "It's good and bad in a way. People are finally seeing his true colors, however there's a bit of better the devil you know than the one you don't. See Harry, we know Fudge and we are fairly confident that he's not secretly in league with Voldemort. He's not nearly clever enough and too full of his own self-importance to successfully pull that off. A vote of No Confidence would require someone to directly challenge the Minister's position through the Wizengamot. Unless we're certain this person is Order friendly, we run the risk of unknowingly voting in a new Minister who's at cross purposes with the Order. I'm not saying anyone not in the Order is a Death Eater; just that it would be best if we knew for certain we could trust the person who opposes Fudge. "They are throwing around Amelia Bones' name, though, and should that work out to be true it would be very good for us. Her position as Head of M.L.E. keeps her from being an Order member however she's lost several close family members at the hand of Death Eaters. She's sympathetic to the cause and rather fond of Dumbledore. I don't envy her the job though. The Ministry is in utter chaos right now. I'm afraid things aren't looking good for Percy Weasley either. He was in trouble with that Barty Crouch business but Fudge made it all go away when he took him on. With the Minister in trouble too, it all looks a bit shady and now this is the second time there's trouble associated with person to whom Percy reports directly." Harry couldn't find it in himself to worry about Percy's fate except to hope it wouldn't hurt the other Weasleys anymore than he already has. His head was swimming with the murkiness of politics. He shook it to clear it and latched onto a question that suddenly occurred to him. "Does this mean that all those bloody decrees and rubbish Umbridge put in place have been chucked out?" he asked eagerly, daring to hope that would include his lifetime Quidditch ban. "Yes, indeed. When Dumbledore met with the Board of Governors yesterday the Minister had already officially removed her from Hogwarts. They unanimously overturned each and every Decree instituted by Umbridge and formally rejected the authority of the Ministry over the school, just in case Fudge would get it in his mind to try it again." Moony smiled then looked questioningly at Harry's hesitation. "What is it?" "Do you reckon my Quidditch ban is done as well?" Remus nodded. "I don't think she ever really had the authority to ban you from the sport for a lifetime even though she was able to keep you from playing during the school term." "So I can play?" Harry asked hopefully. "I daresay Professor McGonagall would be quite beside herself if you didn't." For the first time, in what felt like decades, Harry smiled a full genuine smile. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Harry sat at his desk looking out the window at the few brave stars daring to peek through the thick cloud cover, reflecting on the day and the revelations presented to him. It had been an emotional roller coaster ride, not that he'd ever been on a roller coaster. With the exception of rage and perhaps joy, he was fairly certain he'd experienced every emotion known to man today. Weighty sadness, nervous anticipation, astonishment on more than one count, confusion, guilt, grief, elation – he'd felt them all today. He and Moony had spent a long time talking this afternoon. Harry had asked him which students had testified against Umbridge, wondering if Ginny had been one. He'd been astonished when Moony had answered, "A boy named Warrington, I think, and two Slytherin girls whose names escape me at the moment." "But, they were a part of Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad! Why would they testify against her?" Remus had shrugged his shoulders. "Could be their parents wanted to separate them as much as possible from Umbridge. This way they appear to be doing the right thing, makes them look good and removes them from the cloud of accusations surrounding her. It's a very Slytherin thing to do, really." Harry, still skeptical about the level of justice that might be handed to Dolores Umbridge, had also asked him, "Do you reckon the charges against her will stick? She really didn't complete the Cruciatus Curse – Hermione interrupted her before she could fully say the words." Remus shrugged. "That remains to be seen. However, Ms. Umbridge's intentions were clear to everyone in the room, Harry and so was the fact the she would have accomplished it if Hermione hadn't shouted at that moment. Ron and Ginny both wanted to testify but it was decided that since these other students were in Umbridge's good graces, the testimony would be more compelling." Harry had blushed at the mention of Ginny. Remus had not missed the opportunity to point it out. "Harry, that's the second time in as many days that you've blushed at the mention of Ginny Weasley. Anything you'd like to talk about?" Harry had silently cursed his betraying complexion as Remus' question had only served to deepen the glowing red of his face. "I, um—bugger," he spluttered, flushed and slightly embarrassed about his language. "Sorry. I've been kind of loose with the swearing today." Remus had nearly beamed at him. "Don't worry about it. Did you want to talk about Ginny?" Harry had thought that Moony was quite enjoying the reaction he'd got by merely saying her name but was also grateful that he'd cared enough to ask. "There's not much to tell." Remus had smiled kindly. "You fancy her then? Must be a Potter thing." "I guess I do but as far as I know she's seeing another bloke. Anyway my life is kind of, er, complicated isn't it? She's probably better off with him." Harry had felt dejected at the thought. Then he'd looked sharply at Remus and asked, "What did you mean 'a Potter thing'?" "Ginny, your Mum, your Grandmum. Lovely ginger locks, each and every one." Then something Harry hadn't quite recognized flickered briefly across Remus' face before the same somewhat sad smile settled on it again. "I'll offer you this bit of advice. Don't give up without a fight if she's worth it. And I daresay she is. As much as I'd like to shield you from them, you have some dark days ahead of you. You must grab every bit of joy you can, believe me. Some of the most beautiful memories are just moments in time but enough of them and you'll have something to fight for, something to live for." He'd left Harry with much to think about. Of all the things that had transpired this day, though, nothing compared to – nor prepared him for – the highs and the lows he'd experienced while reading Ginny's letter. Dear Harry, You'll be glad to know that you passed the bollocks test with flying colors! I was glad to get such an honest response. I'm also glad that you're talking with Professor Lupin. I expect it'll be as good for him as it is for you. Since you were so forthcoming, I have a confession of my own to make. When I read your letter the first time I was quite confused by your asking how Dean was doing. I'd completely forgotten about that comment I made on the train! I only did that because of Ron. I don't know why he has to get all big brother on me now but I don't appreciate it. I wanted to pick someone Ron's never had a bad word to say about. Neville was sitting right there and after the way Seamus had treated you most of the year he was out. Dean seemed the most believable. I just wanted to wind him up a bit to see what objections he could possibly come up with. Dean has no idea his name is being abused in such a way. I suppose Ron means well but, honestly, he can be such a prat sometimes! Harry's heart soared at the words. She's not seeing Dean! She's not seeing Dean, not even writing to him! Speaking of the prat, I have no news on the Hermione front. Ron's still acting mental but the twins, bless them, came for lunch today and spent the afternoon taking the mickey out of him for what happened at the station. Highly entertaining! Oh! That's right, you don't know about that, you'd already left. So, we were standing there at Kings cross, yeah? You were walking away with Muggles scurrying after you. The rest of the group sort of just stood and watched you leave. Ron and Hermione were standing there together and Ron draped his arm around Hermione's shoulders and Hermione wrapped her arm around Ron's back, you know by his waist, like it was just perfectly natural for them to do that. They just stood there leaning into each other like that for a minute then they turned to each other, and then jumped apart like someone had thrown a repelling charm between them! It was hilarious. That's also why I don't know if they'd already talked at that point but didn't want anyone to know or if they're still dancing around the issue. Ron won't talk to me about it. I laugh but (and don't you dare tell Ron I said this – need I remind you of the Bat Bogey?) I think it's lovely. I think they're lovely and a perfect balance for each other. Enough of things that make me wistful, how about things that make me furious? I know I've been keeping the tone light but I wanted to tell you about something I think will be useful. I was supremely disgusted with my performance at the D.O.M. I insisted on coming along then was almost immediately hobbled! I was useless and I'm sorry for that. I was talking to Bill about it and he offered to teach me some Muggle defense moves he says can help someone as small as I am to defend or even best someone twice my size. It also helps with your reflexes. You know to get out of the way quicker. I curse my short legs! Ron got all of my height. By the time I came 'round there was none left. In fact I think Ron got Charlie's and the twins' height too. If he doesn't stop growing soon Mum'll have to raise the ceilings and doorways to accommodate him. Anyway this Muggle defense sounds brilliant and I thought you might like to learn it too? I mean, I don't know if you're thinking of starting up the D.A. again next year but if you do it would be a good thing to pass on to the others, yeah? Harry felt nauseous. He had not let himself think about the Department of Mysteries because the events were so tied into Sirius. It now slapped him in the face. God, Harry thought. I led my friends into a Death Eater trap- they could have died. Ginny could have died. Why can't I control myself? How could I have done something so stupid? There was more to the letter and he continued to read it as the guilt stabbed at his heart. I want you to pay very careful attention to this next bit. I know that I opened a can of worms by mentioning the events at the end of term. I also know that right now you are blaming yourself for what happened so I am asking you to remember, as I do, that it was my own decision to go with you. You did not force me to go and actually made an effort to stop us all from coming along. I would do it again in a heartbeat even knowing what happened. I cared about Sirius too. I know he didn't mean to me what he meant to you but I refused to stand by if I could help you or him. I won't tolerate you beating yourself up about something that was entirely my own choice. Do you understand me? I'm sorry, this letter is a bit darker than I intended, but I need for you to understand that I, that is, we care about you very much. I want you to not only understand but also believe that you are not alone. Truly yours, Ginny She'd signed it Truly yours, which made Harry's heart flutter in a not uncomfortable way. Truly yours was truly his? He read the letter over and over until it was nearly memorized. Each time experiencing a different set of conflicting emotions but each time also became easier to contemplate what she'd said about what happened. Each time, it became easier to see the situation from outside of himself and he eventually found hope that he could possibly forgive himself for the horrendous mistake he'd made. He carefully composed a response to Ginny. The words he used were simple, ordinary and not at all sensational, but as he wrote them he'd hoped to somehow convey what he was feeling for her without actually saying it. He was also worried that Ginny was anxiously thinking he might be angry with her for bringing up the D.O.M. Chewing on his bottom lip, he called Hedwig to him and attached the letter to her leg. "Hedwig, take this as quick as you can and wait for a response. I hope she writes back right away. I don't know if I can wait until tomorrow." Hedwig seemed to understand his urgency. Harry swore that had she possessed them, she'd have arched an eyebrow at him. She seemed to be contemplating something and Harry found it odd to watch the thought process of a bird, even such an intelligent one. It appeared she'd come to a decision. With what seemed to be a brief nod, she rubbed the crown of her head against Harry's cheek and then did something so extraordinary, so unexpected that Harry nearly fainted. With a quiet "pop" Hedwig had Disapparated. Once the shock of it wore off, Harry jumped up and went to his trunk, wishing it wasn't so late or he'd call Hermione on the phone to find out if she'd ever heard of an owl being able to do such a thing. He frantically dug around and found his copy of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" and his "Monster Book of Monsters". The latter mostly provided information on large, dangerous creatures and he found, to his disappointment, that Mr. Scamander had also neglected to make any mention whatsoever of Post Owls. The only bird Harry had ever seen do anything like that was Fawkes, but he was a Phoenix. Not knowing where else to look he sank back down in the chair at his desk. He was worried. Had she done this before? What if she didn't end up where she should be? What if she splinched herself? What if she never came back? Hedwig suddenly appeared before him with a distinct 'pop'. "Hedwig! Thank Merlin you're okay." He stroked her head in relief. "You've been holding out on me, girl. Did Fawkes teach you to do that?" Her answer was a light nip on his hand as she stuck out her leg. Ginny's note simply read, Harry! Hedwig just Apparated here! That's fantastic!! Once he felt properly reassured by Hedwig that this did not hurt her in any way and that she did not mind doing this for them, Harry responded to Ginny. This set up a volley of conversation. They talked about everything and nothing at all. Harry mentioned the Umbridge business and Ginny related a funny story about her that made Harry wish he'd known her thoughts before. It would have been much easier to deal with Umbridge if he'd had that image in his head. The exchange lasted into the wee hours and contained a steadily escalating, flirty banter between them. Lying in bed, trying to calm his racing heart, Harry's mind was alight with possibilities. He thought again of the last exchange between them before calling it a night. Feeling bold Harry had finally asked, Ginny, Do you suppose this would be considered by some to be "furiously owling"? Using Ginny's own words to describe Ron and Hermione's frenzied correspondence was inspired. She has to get my meaning! Harry thought. Her response sent him over the moon. Yes, I would like very much to consider this "furiously owling". Sweet dreams Harry. I know I'll be having some. Good night! Harry smiled into his pillow before finally drifting off to sleep. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Remus Lupin watched as the amber liquid in his glass caught the candlelight flickering from the table next to his armchair. He hated this house as much as Sirius had. More so now that Padfoot was not here to bear it with him. He'd lost his last best friend – his brother – after only just finding him again. He'd immediately felt the old intense need to run, to be somewhere, anywhere else completely unfamiliar. The same need he'd felt after James and Lily; the same need he'd felt after his ill-fated stint as a Hogwarts Professor, the need to just be gone. To run away from the pain he felt and the pain he'd inflicted. He'd felt it until he'd spent the afternoon with Harry. When the old Goblin had contacted him about Sirius' will he'd been stunned. He didn't want or need his money and what had Sirius been thinking naming him Harry's guardian? Granted, the title was barely legal and entailed mostly the ability to represent Harry in wizarding business transactions and signing notes of permission for Hogwarts but it was more responsibility for a single human not himself than he'd ever had bestowed upon him before. He'd intended to tell Harry about it in the loosest of terms, promise to keep in touch and be on his way. He wasn't anything to Harry, really. Sirius had been the godfather; the perpetual teenager, if not father figure, at least brother to Harry. No, Harry didn't need him nor would he or anyone else miss him. Never mind that the lovely and vivacious Nymphadora Tonks had been quite blatant about her interest in him. What could she possibly see in a tired out old werewolf with no prospects? She must be looking for a thrill; bedding a dark creature or some such rubbish. He had nothing to offer her. He'd never had anything to offer anyone. That had all changed when first, he'd been on the receiving end of Petunia Dursley's rage and then, upon seeing Harry's familiarity and easy acceptance of his aunt's complete disregard of him as a human, much less a child with basic needs. Not even Harry's grief-stricken, emotional outburst of the day before had produced this recognition of need. The boy truly had no one to count on, no one that was just for him to rely upon or seek guidance from. He was extraordinary in so many ways and it was impossible that it was a result of this upbringing. Harry had somehow managed to retain what James and Lily had given him despite their long absence in his life and the terrible treatment during his childhood. Remus had decided at Harry's quickly muttered 'It's no big deal,' that he was going to be that person that Harry could depend upon. He'd let him down at least twice now. What a fool he'd been to think that Harry had been better off with his relatives! The very little he thought he had to offer Harry would be riches compared to what he'd been handed by the Dursleys. And all the kid had asked for was answers; at that point Remus would have handed him the world on a plate if it had been his to give. If that moment hadn't cemented it for him, the conversation he'd just had with Dumbledore would have. He was aghast at the information he'd received about the prophecy and even more so when Dumbledore had confessed his cloudy judgment regarding Harry's knowledge of it and the reasons behind it. He and Dumbledore had discussed past, present and future for several hours. Remus could do nothing but admire the old man's candor. It only served to steel his resolve to make a difference in Harry's life. He'd go to him every day if he had to. He had promises to keep. Promises he made to himself, promises he'd silently made to Harry and some promises he'd made to Sirius last summer. He intended to see them through. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ A/N ~ Although the use of it is entirely different, I borrowed the idea of Hedwig's Apparation ability from St. Margarets' wonderful H/G story "Red Is The Heart", which can be found on The Sugar Quill and on Phoenix Song. If you are an H/G shipper, or even if you're not, I highly recommend that story and even more so, the Wallpaper Series that precedes it. Thanks again to Musings. You are truly awesome!
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