Chapter Text
It was the week before Harry's 3rd birthday when Remus found him. With a quietly whispered charm or two, the werewolf had broken into the Dursley's home. He didn't actually expect to find Harry, just maybe something of Lily's, anything to lead him to the truth of that night, to the reason for his best friends’ deaths, to the reason for Sirius’ betrayal, to the reason for Harry's disappearance from the Wizarding World.
But when he saw his pup, huddled in a cold, bloodied broom closet, shivering, so cold, so in pain, so bloody and bruised and all the things a child shouldn’t be- Remus didn't care about any of that. He had his pup back, and those who had taken him away and hurt him would have hell to pay.
He had used some- not illegal, even cast on muggles, but perhaps immoral- spells to force information out of the throats of the Dursley's. He collected Lily's chest of possessions, legal documents, and the possessions of the two young boys the Dursley's called their son and “freak" respectively. No person as deplorable as they deserved to care for a child. Taking Dudley and Harry- god, why was Harry so thin?- in his arms, Remus Lupin left #2 Private Drive.
He floo-called Poppy, the only healer trained witch he knew. He knew he wouldn’t be allowed to keep the two boys- and could very well be thrown in Azkaban for his actions- but until they were taken away from him, he was going to be the father they deserved.
Poppy and Severus arrived.
Before Remus could start, Poppy interrupted. “He’s got more experience with this than I do, and there’s no way in hell he’ll hurt Lily’s son.” Remus wasn’t sure whether this was meant as reassurance for him or a threat to Severus. Severus altogether didn’t seem pleased to be there.
“Please,” Remus begged quietly, “Help him.”
The healers got to work.
The bigger boy- Dudley, the homesewn tag on his shirt proclaimed- was initially very upset and cried and screamed until Remus gave him a bit of chocolate and showed him a spell to turn his shoes into a beautiful bright red. Then, all he wanted Remus to do was show him more and more and more and more magic. Remus obliged, but as the hours ticked on Remus became more exhausted, the night grew ever darker, and Dudley became more agitated. Finally, Remus gave him a small few sips of a dreamless sleep potion and let the toddler pass out on his lap.
Harry was still not okay. It had been 3 hours since the healers had arrived at his cramped, isolated little cottage, and even still, Remus heard quiet spells and quieter swears coming from the room. But Remus wouldn’t go to sleep until he was sure the boy was alright.
Or at least that’s what he thought. Unfortunately for him, Poppy could be very forceful in the spells she used.
When he woke up, it was light out. Poppy sipped at some tea as she watched Dudley run around the room. Severus was fast asleep on a chair, Harry cradled in his arms. Harry looked better now. Still too thin, but the bruises were lighter, the scars more faded, and the broken arm was back in its proper place. Remus himself was lying on the couch, a blanket laid carefully over him.
“Good morning Madame Pomf- I mean, Poppy.”
“It’s been a few years since your schooling ended, I would have thought you’d have gotten enough over your fear of me to refer to me by my first name.” She joked lightheartedly, though Remus could sense just how tired she was.
Remus stretched, dragging himself off the couch. “I’ll make breakfast. Anything you’d like?”
Dudley piped up. “Food! Milk and pa-cake!”
Remus knelt down. “That sounds like an excellent idea, Dudley. American style okay?”
“What is those?”
“Do you like them big and fluffy or small and thin?”
“I want big!”
Remus laughed. “Okay, we’ll make them American style. Poppy, do you have a preference? Does Sn- Severus?”
Poppy smiled. “American pancakes sound lovely. I’m sure Severus wouldn’t mind. Or little Harry.”
Little Harry. There was a pang in Remus's chest. If only little Harry wasn't so little. Remus couldn't be named the boy's Godfather, not as a werewolf, but it was still his responsibility to James and Lily to take care of him.
“I'll start on the pancakes then.”
They were delicious. Despite his limited ingredients- werewolf laws restricted him from having most jobs in the magical world, prejudice turning him away from the rest, and it was hard keeping a job in the muggle world having no degree of any kind and his 'medical problem'- the pancakes were decadent, making the most of every single addition.
Remus cut Dudley's pancake, and the young boy tore into it with gusto, pausing only to take large gulps of the milk Remus had put into a transfigured wood figurine turned sippy cup. Poppy took a few bites of her own pancake. Remus could tell she wanted to ask him something- probably about what the hell he did to end up with the savior of the wizarding world and his muggle cousin.
Severus stirred in the corner, evidently waking up from his sleep. Remus sat quietly, not touching his food. He could be thrown in Azkaban for what he did, that much was certain. Maybe his actions saved Harry from abuse at the hands of his aunt and uncle, but there was no guarantee that where he’d go next would be any better. He shouldn't have called Poppy, he should have laid low and healed Harry himself and-
“Mr. Lupin,” Severus drawled, “Perhaps you can pause your crisis for a moment and answer a question for me.”
Oh. Right. Remus turned to face Severus, nodding shakily.
“Who the hell caused these injuries?”
Remus blinked. Then blinked again.
“I found him living with Vernon and Petunia Dursley. This other boy is their son, Dudley.”
“Petunia… Dursley? As in, Petunia Evans?”
“Yes. Lily’s sister.”
Remus had seen Severus mad many times in their youth. But nothing could have prepared him for just how red-faced and vicious the potions-master could be.
“Who the fuck left Harry Potter with Petunia Evans?”
Poppy hissed, “Don’t say those kinds of things around children!” But as she drew back, her mouth tightened into a frightening sort of line. Remus wasn’t sure if that was directed at Severus or the thought of the Dursley’s.
Severus still looked red, but he took a large gulp of air. Through clenched teeth, he apologized for his outburst. Remus was even more curious, and even more frightened.
“Albus said that he was safe, but…” Remus took a drink of his coffee, staring down into the cup. “I don’t know if he actually thought that or if he was lying to keep us from looking into the Dursleys. And I have no idea whether he was the one that put him there or not.”
“Well, the bas- ” Poppy shot Severus a look. “The old man has allowed far too much damage in far too little time.”
“There’s something we can agree on for once, Severus.”
“Indeed.”
Little Harry was finally stirring awake in Severus’ arms. Severus looked- a little confused but oddly pleased at the development. Remus and Poppy were happy too. The toddler rubbed his eyes, yawning.
“Good morning, Harry,” Severus whispered, practically beaming. Remus was there in an instant, cooing as much as the Potions Master.
Harry reached out his hand, grasping Severus’ shirt as if he was surprised it was real.
“Hi, Harry,” Mumbled Remus softly, “I'm your uncle Remus. I was a friend of your mom and dad.”
“Uncle Remus?” The toddler turned towards the werewolf. “Are you going to hurt me?”
All three of the adults in the room froze. “N-no, of course not, Harry. I will never hurt you.”
Harry looked confused. Hopeful, but hopelessly confused. That was not a good sign.
Remus and Severus exchanged very nervous glances with each other, and Severus cradled little Harry closer to him. “Do you remember me?” He asked, softly, softer than Remus had ever heard him speak.
Harry’s contemplative, melancholy facial features shifted into a big grin.
“Sev! You made the bad feelings go away!”
“Well, it wasn’t just me. Your... Uncle Remus helped too. And Poppy, do you remember her?”
“The nice lady? Yes, I remember her! Where is she?”
“I’m here, Harry,” She said, striding up to the seat. Dudley, in the background, continued to gurgle down his milk in the way only a toddler could. “How are you this morning? Do you feel better?”
“Very better!”
“That’s good.” Poppy smiled down at him. “Are you hungry? We have pancakes and milk for breakfast.”
“Pancakes? Oh, I can make good pancakes! Aunt Petu-nia made sure I knew to cook them perfectly, else she would start yelling and Uncle Vernon would get mad too.”
“Well,” Poppy continued, still smiling that same smile though Remus and Severus could feel the tension suddenly increase tenfold, “You don’t have to make pancakes ever again. Uncle Remus made them today.”
“Oh. What do I get for breakfast?”
“P-pancakes, Harry, you get to eat as good as the rest of us,” Remus choked out, and Severus put a hand on the man’s shoulder. Funny, that the man he’d once tormented would now be the only thing keeping him from completely falling apart himself.
“Come on, then, let’s sit at the table.” Poppy softly directed, holding out a hand that the toddler gladly took.
“I’ve- oh my god, Snape, I’ve failed him,”
“Shh, shh. You haven’t failed him. You’ve saved him.”
“But I-”
“No. I may not like you, Lupin, but I know that, at least now, you’ve done the right thing. You didn’t know any more than the rest of us that he could have been in such… deplorable conditions.”
“I should have killed the Dursleys,” Remus mumbled quietly.
"And if you had, you'd be in Azkaban on two accounts of murder, and set back the werewolf rights movement by 50 years." Severus sighed, standing from the chair. "Come on, let's eat."
They ate. Harry seemed perplexed by the fact that he could even eat. Dudley, on the other hand, seemed to have no qualms about taking what he wanted and screaming when he didn't get it- something quickly rectified by Poppy's sharp tongue and Remus' ability to distract the child with something new before he got too upset. Severus clung to every word poor Harry said, even making a few jokes and telling a story to encourage the child. Remus was fascinated by this development.
Harry seemed to loosen up a little bit as breakfast went on.
Good. Good.
Remus could say, for the first time in almost 2 years, he was happy.
It even looked like Severus was, too.
"When is my mommy coming back?" Demanded Dudley.
Oh.
Oh fuck, Remus just kidnapped two kids. He didn't know how to raise two kids!
Before Remus could have another panic attack, Severus stepped in.
"Mr. Dursley, your cousin Harry is very hurt because of your mommy and daddy, and if they come back, you might be very hurt too."
"But… my mommy and daddy would never hurt me!"
"But they hurt Harry. You can see, on his face."
He still had a deep, dark purple bruise around his left eye, and Remus' heart broke once more.
"Is hurting Harry bad?"
"Very bad."
"Well…” Dudley seemed unsure, uncomfortable, and on the edge of tears again.
"Me, and Uncle Remus, and Aunt Poppy all promise to be very good people, okay?"
"Uncle Remus even makes good pancakes!" Piped up little Harry
"Yeah!" Dudley cheered, "I like Uncle Remus' pancakes!"
As the children happily talked about the pancakes, Remus Poppy and Severus put up a spell to hide their own conversation from prying ears.
"Severus," Poppy started, "I am wholly impressed with your talent with children."
The man muttered something rude, but the way he kept glancing at Harry and Dudley meant he didn't mean it.
"And Remus," Poppy again spoke, "What you did was incredibly rash and stupid, and if anyone finds out what happened you could easily be thrown in Azkaban."
Remus winced.
"Yet, still, you did the right thing. Thank you."
His cheeks turned a little pink. "Well, I was just… I was doing it for selfish reasons, you know.”
“If your idea of being selfish is saving and protecting lives, I think you can be as selfish as you like.”
Severus stiffened at this a bit, as if Poppy’s words hit too close to home for comfort.
“So,” Remus started, still a bit pink, “What are we supposed to do with Harry and Dudley?”
“I, for one, cannot believe Lily would ever leave her son in the hands of her sister .” Severus drawled. “I don’t see how she would make that mistake after everything that woman- if you could call her that- did to her.”
“She was very forgiving but- I don’t think so, either. Even with Sirius in Azkaban and the Longbottoms in St. Mungo’s, they must have had other plans. Lily always had a hundred different backup plans, even if James was never good at that.”
“And you know this all, how ?”
Remus snorted. “You know, you weren’t her only friend. We used to stay up late in the Gryffindor common room, her and I, and drink hot chocolate, study, cheer each other up. She always got nasty letters from Petunia, you know? At least for the first few years, before she stopped sending them altogether. And my parents, well, they could never really live with the shame that having a werewolf child brought them. So instead we had each other, some nights. Not, uh, romantically!” He added quickly, flushing brightly once more. “But I always considered her, if not my sister, then someone close to it.”
“I thought she hated the Marauders.”
“Oh, she did.” Remus laughed. “But, mostly, she just hated our pranking. And James’ attempts to seduce her, at least before he actually grew up and treated her with real respect. She and Peter never really got along, now that I think of it, but Lily, Sirius, and I were all friends throughout school, at least when Sirius wasn’t being a pompous prick.”
“So, you and she were friends.” Severus- teased? Was that a thing, now, that happened between them? That happened at all where Sirius was concerned?
“Well, you’d be surprised, Sirius had his moments of being more than a pompous prick. Not very often, but sometimes.” Remus was wistful, remembering the good old days- and then, Sirius’ betrayal hit him like a freight train once more, and those happy feelings were gone.
“The point still stands,” Poppy coughed, “That we must find somewhere for Harry and Dudley to stay.”
“Should we- check the will? I was a little surprised to have never heard about a reading, honestly,” He coughed. “Not that I- not that I wanted, or needed, any of their charity after their death- they gave me too much in life, honestly, but, James was always talking about how he’d force that stupid house on me after he died if I wouldn’t take it while he lived.”
“I think making a stop by Gringotts is, indeed, the next order of business.” Poppy nodded. “If there’s no one else named, though…”
“I’ll take them in.” Severus said at once, seemingly as surprised by his own words as Remus was. “I mean, I expect all of us that were close to Lily and- James, we should all work together to raise them, but if they need a legal guardian, since I know Remus can’t take the job…” He trailed off.
“You’re… aware that this may mean having to give up your position at Hogwarts?”
“I’m.. aware. Though, I was hoping to hire on Lupin here as a sort of… nanny. If it came to that, of course.”
Remus thought the whole situation was absurd. That he’d be sitting here, joking, being friendly with Severus of all people, and that, now, he was proposing to… raise two children with him? This was revealing far more about a side of the man than Remus never thought might be possible.
Poppy took off the silencing charm around them, just as Harry and Dudley seemed to be finishing up their breakfast and conversation.
“I’ll go floo-call Minerva and Filius, see what they think of the whole… situation, and then I think we should be off as soon as possible to Diagon Alley. For Gringotts and…” She glanced over Harry’s tattered clothes. “Perhaps some shopping.”
Remus and Severus were left alone with the two boys.
“Harry,” Remus asked softly, “What’s your favorite color?”
“Oh!” Harry beamed. It was so amazing that a kid that had gone through so much at so little could still be so excitable. “I like all colors. But I always have bad dreams a’bout green. Hmm… I guess I like blue the best!”
“What… sort of bad dreams do you have about green, Harry?” Severus prodded, gently.
“Umm… there’s a bright green light, and then a nice lady with red hair screams and falls, and then it ends.”
That sounded a lot like he was having memories of the Killing curse. This was- worrisome. Definitely something to be brought up with Poppy. Severus provided a quick distraction in the form of talking about the four Hogwarts Houses, as Remus contemplated just how much these two kids needed to see a mind healer.
Poppy returned, just as Severus was finishing up his explanation of Hufflepuff- accompanied by Hogwarts’ famous transfiguration and charms professors.
“They, uh, wanted to meet Harry and Dudley.” Poppy said, a lopsided smile on her face.
“Good morning!” Said a cheery Filius, bounding up to Harry and Dudley.
“Nice to meet you.” Greeted a shy Harry, and “Hullo!” a more boisterous Dudley.
“I am,” The man said with an overexaggerated bow, “Filius Flitwick, and this is my colleague Professor Minerva McGonagall!”
The woman smiled, genuinely, but Remus suspected she was already formulating an angry speech in a half of her mind not preoccupied with cooing over Harry and Dudley.
“I hear,” She started, a teasing lilt to her accented speech, “That we’re all going to go shopping together. And I hear if the two of you are behaved there might be some toys afterward.”
Dudley grinned from ear to ear, but Harry frowned. “Miss, ’m not allowed to get toys.”
“Yeah,” Dudley said, “I’m the only one who gets toys. And Harry’s not allowed to play with ‘em!”
Severus cleared his throat, and Remus silently thanked him for taking over in this situation.
“Harry, it’s okay. You’re allowed to have toys now. It was a bad thing that you weren’t allowed to have toys.”
“It was a bad thing Harry couldn’t have toys?” Dudley asked.
“Very bad,” Affirmed Remus.
Harry still didn’t seem convinced, but the pitiful looks Dudley was giving him now implied maybe something was at least getting through to the other boy. These two definitely needed to see a mind healer. A muggle therapist, too.
“We’ll be going through the Floo. Do either of you know what that is?” Poppy asked.
They shook their heads.
“Well, it’s connected to the fireplace. You’ll each hold one of our hands, and we’ll walk into the fireplace, okay? It’ll feel a little funny, but it won’t hurt, I promise.”
They both seemed unsure, but regardless Dudley grabbed onto Poppy’s hand and Harry grabbed Severus’.
Poppy stepped through first, and the sudden roar of the fire startled Harry.
“Shh,” Mumbled Severus under his breath, “I know it looks scary but Ms. Pomfrey and Dudley are okay,”
Instinct took over Remus, who stood at the other side of Harry and grabbed his hand. “We’ll both go with you, okay?"
Harry nodded, and the three stepped into the fireplace- cramped as it was with two grown men and a toddler in it.
Severus threw the floo powder down, and the three reappeared in Diagon Alley.
Remus noted Harry's bright smile as he took in the sights and sounds of Diagon Alley. It wasn't too busy, considering the early hour, but the colorful displays seemed to captivate Harry all the same.
"Harry," Severus said, "We'll have plenty of time to look around later. We have to do one thing first, alright?"
Harry nodded, and quickly followed in step behind Severus, Remus trailing behind them. Quickly they caught up to Poppy and Dudley. Minerva and Filius met them at Gringotts, and the group wandered in.
Dudley pointed at some of the Goblins, but Minerva quickly stopped him with a "It's rude to point, they're doing their job."
"But they look weird!"
"We look weird to them, too."
Dudley nodded sagely, then did his best to not stare too much. It wasn't working.
Remus noted the- giggles? of nearby Goblin tellers, and the faint sounds of Gobbledygook whispers. Filius, he noted, seemed to perk up at some of these overheard conversations, but whatever the professor was overhearing he did not share with the rest of the group, only smiling to himself.
As they approached the front desk, Harry accidentally stumbled into a goblin rushing along with various cleaning supplies. The goblin fell, scattering his supplies.
"I'm so sorry," Said a young Harry, scrambling to pick up the various dropped things.
The goblin regarded this behavior oddly, but appreciatively, taking the items. "Thank you," He mumbled, in accented English.
"No, it was my fault, y’ don’t have to say sorry, sir."
The goblin considered him further.
"What is your name, Klin ?"
"My name is Harry. What does Klin mean? It's a very pretty word."
"It is… a goblin word. It is hard to explain, I am sorry,"
"Oh. That's okay. What should I call you, sir? Do you need any more help with your cleaning stuff?"
"Just… Ran is fine. And, no, thank you though Klin ."
"A'right. Have a good day Ran !"
Harry waved goodbye to the goblin, who bowed shortly in return, and the group continued on to the far desk. Filius was lost deep in thought.
They stood in front of the till and waited politely for the teller to look up from his writing. Dudley and Severus looked impatient, but Harry implored that they “wait for the nice man to finish.”. Remus thought he saw a genuine smile on the teller's face at that, though he wasn't exactly an expert on Goblin body language.
Finally, the teller looked up.
“How can I help you all?”
Severus spoke up first.
“Severus Snape. I have been informed of a possible mistake in the enactment of a will.”
He grimaced.
“Whose will?”
“James and Lily Potter’s. This is their son, Harry.”
“I’ll need to do a blood test, as you may imagine.”
Severus frowned, lowering himself to the ground to face Harry.
“Harry,” He said, softer than Remus had ever heard him speak, even to Lily, “Is it okay if the… nice man pricks your finger? It will hurt a little bit, but it will help make sure you don’t have to go to your bad aunt and uncle again.”
“O-okay.” The small boy looked unsure, tears welling in his eyes, but he bravely stepped forward. “How much does it hurt, sir?”
The teller softened his own voice, an incredibly surprising and jarring act for a goblin. “Not much at all.”
He perked up. “Okay… Sounds good.”
The teller led them into another room, where a small stone altar lay on the ground. Off a nearby bench, the goblin picked up a small, ornate dagger.
“Do you wand-holders have anything to prevent the pain? Our magic only lends to ending it.”
Poppy nodded, casting a quick spell on Harry.
The goblin nodded and motioned for the boy to come near.
“Close your eyes, and hold out your hand,” He said softly, and though Remus could sense the fear coming off of him he still did as commanded.
The goblin cleanly cut a small area in between the boy’s thumb and pointer finger, several small drops of blood falling into the altar. Quickly as it happened, the goblin licked his own thumb and dragged it along the cut, healing it instantly.
“Can I open my eyes?”
“Yes, of course, Klin. ”
He opened his eyes, smiling a bit. “A goblin who said I should call him Ran called me the same thing. I like it. What should I call you?”
“Well… you can call me Ragnok .”
“Okay, Ragnok !”
“Now, to see…” Ragnok turned away, running his thumb across some runes on the altar.
“Yes, this is Harry Potter, as you say. Come with me.”
They stepped out of the room, back into the open bank, and he barked in order in Gobbledygook and a young-looking goblin from behind another desk ran into a room.
“Now, as you are esteemed guests, you may wait in this room.” He led them into yet another room, a posh, well-furnished sitting room. He frowned as he looked around the room, and barked another order in Gobbledygook, but this time Filius spoke up with his own Gobbledygook.
The two had a short conversation, which ended in Filius grinning and a slight smile on Ragnok’s face. Remus puzzles over this, while Poppy, Minerva, and Filius set up a game with Harry and Dudley. Severus stares uncomfortably at the wall.