Chapter Text
Remus Lupin had a secret.
This was, strictly speaking, nothing new. He had had many secrets throughout his short life. But unlike being a werewolf, which often led to ostracism or unemployment, this secret had the potential to send him to prison for the rest of his life.
Hidden underneath the floor of his unassuming muggle flat was a panic room of sorts that he had created in the last stages of the war. It was about the size of a large closet, but it was stocked with emergency food and was so heavily warded that even Dumbledore might have trouble getting in. Which, at the moment, he was counting on. Inside that protected cupboard sat a grieving Sirius Black and little Harry, who they were definitely not supposed to have.
Anxiety about his two stowaways ate at Remus throughout his shift at the muggle cafe. Would they still be there when he returned? Or would Dumbledore and the aurors have already taken Harry and arrested Sirius for kidnapping and-? He shook his head to stop that last unwanted thought. No one knows they're here, he reminded himself. The wards will protect them until I get back, and then we can work out a more permanent arrangement.
Despite an inner mantra of “they're safe. They're fine,” Remus was nearly in tears by the time he clocked out. He forced himself to walk home at his usual pace to prevent suspicion. The five minute walk felt like an eternity. There was no sign, however, that anyone had forced entry to his flat. He raced to the bedroom and opened the door to his safe room.
A big black dog lay curled around a sleeping one year old with messy black hair and brown skin. It looked up at Remus with an unreadable expression. Remus breathed a sigh of relief.
“Hey Pads,” he breathed. The dog wagged his tail once in greeting and then put his head back down on his paws. At that moment, one of Remus's magical alarms went off and the doorbell rang. The dog's fur stood on end, but he couldn't move for fear of waking Harry.
“Stay here, I'll deal with this,” Remus said. He closed the door on them and straightened up. “Coming!” he called toward whomever was at the door.
Remus took a deep breath and tried to look casual as he opened the door to reveal Minerva McGonagall standing on the welcome mat.
“Professor?” He blinked.
“May I come in, Mr. Lupin? Even now that the war is over I think it unwise to linger in doorways.
“Of, of course. Tea?”
“Please.”
He led the way into his tiny kitchen and put on the kettle. McGonagall sat in unreadable silence while he made the tea. He wished there was a way to update Sirius without letting on.
“Are you aware,” McGonagall began as she accepted a mug from Remus (milk, no sugar) “that Sirius Black is on the run?”
Remus did his best to look shocked.
“Surely you, of all people, know he was James and Lily's secret keeper?” The names cut Remus like a serrated knife. McGonagall herself looked slightly shaken. How should he proceed? With the truth, or at least an old version of it.
“I wasn't told. They thought I was the spy, you see.” He put his head in his hands, as much to hide his face as to give in to grief for a moment. “Oh gods, it was him wasn't it?”
“Indeed. Black told his master where… where the Potters lived. Last night, after he who must not be named fell, Black returned to their house. Hagrid saw him when he went to collect the boy, but he didn't realize what Black had done so he let him go. After Albus and I delivered the boy to his relatives, where we thought he would be safe, Black stole him from the doorstep.” Her voice wavered dangerously.
“Why are you telling me this?” He kept his face in his hands, unsure whether his expression might give him away otherwise.
“In case Black tries to use your old friendship to seek help. You haven't seen him, have you?”
“I've been at work all day. I'd only just gotten home when you arrived.” He lifted his head and took a steadying gulp of tea. He must've looked pretty miserable because she put her hand on his shoulder.
“We will catch him, don't worry Lupin.”
“I don't doubt you, Professor.”
McGonagall stood. “Thank you for the tea. I must be getting back. One more thing before I go. I see your flat is well warded, but you can never be too careful.”
“I'll be sure to shore up my defenses,” he promised. She turned to go and something occurred to him. “Oh, Professor. Have you checked with Peter? They trusted him more than me, at... at the end.”
“I'll look into it,” she said.
As soon as she was gone, he returned to Sirius and Harry. Sirius was still in dog form, but Harry stared up at Remus with green eyes that reminded him so much of Lily's.
“Sorry about this Harry, but Pads and I need to talk,” Remus said as he lifted the boy into his arms. Harry whimpered until he found a comfy position in Remus's arms. Remus carried him to the small, somewhat squashy couch where they were joined by a human-shaped Sirius.
“How much of that did you hear?”
“Pretty well all of it. They think... they think I… that I murdered-” Sirius's voice broke and he leant on Remus to cry. Unfortunately, this set off Harry, who wailed so loudly that Remus was glad for the silencing charms on the thin walls. He rocked Harry and let the two of them cry it out while squashing down his own tears. Someone had to hold it together while they figured out their next move. It was strange to have such close contact to Sirius. They had drifted apart over the last six months or so as James and Lily went into hiding.
After a few minutes it was quiet again. Harry drifted off to sleep, having tired himself out.
“Sorry about that,” Sirius wiped his eyes.
“S'okay Pads. You needed it.”
“What are we going to do?”
“Well you two can't stay in a glorified cupboard forever. I guess we'll have to find somewhere else to go. There's an abandoned cottage where I've been going for my transformations that wouldn't take much work to fix up.”
“You can't just up and quit your job though, it'll look suspicious.”
“I can apparate to work every day.”
“What if someone comes looking for you here?”
“I'll figure something out. Besides, it won't be forever. Either they'll decide I'm not in league with you or they'll catch Peter and then your name will be cleared.”
“I guess it's our best shot. Let's get started.” Sirius jumped up from the couch and tottered. It looked to Remus as though he was on the verge of fainting.
“When was the last time you ate?” Sirius looked guilty. “Take Harry and sit down. I'll go make us some dinner and then we can get started.”
There wasn't much in the fridge, and Remus wasn't the best cook, so he set about heating a can of tomato soup and preparing grilled cheese sandwiches. It gave him time to clear his head, at least. He hoped they were doing what James and Lily would've wanted.
They tried transfiguring the coffee table into a high chair for Harry, but he cried as soon as he was set down so they took turns feeding him in their laps while the other ate. Remus was exhausted, but he agreed to start work on the cottage as soon as they finished their somewhat disappointing meal.