Chapter Text
God takes back what He has given.
Harry Potter's desperate cries had overwhelmed the department of mysteries.
"Bring him back!" he let out another agonizing cry.
Remus Lupin's frail arms were wrapped around the body of the young man who had lost all hope. "I can't, Harry," he said in a low shaky voice.
Harry fell to his knees, and the owner of the arms that were wrapped around him leaned over him.
Harry broke down in sobs.
He had lost.
Sirius was his sun.
Harry, on the other hand, is a world in need of his sparkle.
And now his sun had set.
The world he inhabited turned dark.
Remus's calloused, trembling hands wiped away Harry's dried tears, and Harry's sweaty forehead rested against the chest of the man who shared a similar fate.
He heard words whispered to relax him. Remus's hands were stroking his sweaty, raven-black hair.
Harry turned his eyes to Remus's face.
The man, who looked older than he was, noticed his eyes fixed on the spot where Sirius Black had stood just minutes earlier, trying to protect them during the duel.
Both of them had lost the most important person in their lives.
Remus had lost Sirius, the one he couldn't confess his love to.
Harry had lost the only family he had left.
Bellatrix Lestrange's gleeful laughter echoed through the walls.
Gory.
Harry took a shaky breath.
“Nice one James!” Sirius' last word.
Harry felt a thirst for revenge in his frail body.
Remus's arms tightened around Harry's body.
"Let me go!" Harry cried, his breath ragged.
Remus shook his head, "No." He spoke with difficulty.
Harry turned his pleading eyes to Remus's face. "She killed him," he whispered.
Remus felt his jaw clench, and a tear rolled down his cheek. "If you go, you'll join him."
Harry sobbed, burying his face in Remus's chest.
"Bring him back!" Her voice was hoarse and desperate. "Bring my father back!"
Father.
Harry could imagine the glint in Sirius's eyes if he were to call him "father" even once.
Remus clung to him desperately.
He clutched at the treasure of the love buried in his heart.
With his calloused hands, he pulled Harry's sweaty hair away from his face. "We'll be alright."
Would they? Would they will be alright?
Harry's desperate, tear-filled eyes met Remus's eyes filled with regret.
They both knew.
If we were better off, Sirius would still be alive.
***
The Dursleys, as usual, ignored Harry.
Of course, Harry would rather be ignored than abused.
He sat on Dudley's old bed.
He picked up the album that Hagrid had given him when he was just eleven years old.
His beautiful mother.
His handsome and playful father.
His Remus, a bookworm with his usual gentle smile.
His playful and charismatic Sirius.
He didn't even glance at where Peter was standing.
Just as life had treated him, he ignored Peter.
A month had passed since Sirius left.
His friends had written to his numerous times during the first week.
'How are you feeling, Harry?'
'Don't blame yourself.'
The same annoying, so-called comforting words.
The letters stopped after the first week anyway.
The brief inspection was over quickly.
Harry's thoughts drifted to Remus.
Remus always kept his pain inside.
He was always gentle and understanding.
“I hope we’re getting alright, Remus…” Harry whispered softly into the void.
"Kid!" The door was pounded on, then the sound of all the locks that Vernon had carefully installed being opened one by one was heard.
Harry frowned, closed the album, and stood up.
The door opened, revealing Vernon's bloodshot face. "There's a freak who wants to see you!"
Harry raised his eyebrows, walked past Vernon without saying a word, and headed downstairs.
He slowed down
He found Remus kneeling in front of the cupboard under the stairs.
"Remus?" he said in a low voice.
He didn't react for a few seconds. "Did you grow up here?"
Harry averted his gaze.
Silence whispered the answer Remus needed.
"I wish I weren't such a coward," Remus muttered to himself in a low voice.
"I wish... I could have raised you."
Harry felt a pang in his heart when he heard the pain in the man's voice. "The past is in the past."
"Is the past really in the past, Harry?"
Harry had no answer to that.
Remus rose from his crouching position and smiled softly. "Do you want to go get a hamburger?"
"Why hamburgers?" Harry asked immediately, sensing that Remus's answer would be profound.
Remus opened the door for Harry. "James and Sirius liked it."
Harry smiled broadly; he had learned another new piece of information about his family.
"Have you ever eaten a hamburger before?" They started walking down the street.
Harry pressed his lips together and replied, "No."
The restaurant they arrived at was small, not a fancy place. But it mattered to Harry.
"This is really delicious," Harry said softly. He took a small bite of his hamburger, his eyes gleaming at the way the patty paired with the cheddar cheese.
Remus chuckled softly. "Your father loved this hamburger. Sirius usually preferred it to the toys that came with it."
Harry chuckled at Remus's giggle. "You have a beautiful laugh."
Remus reached forward with his clean hand and pushed Harry's hair back. "Thanks to you, prongslet."
The news was playing on the small, obviously old television.
It didn't matter to Remus and Harry; after all, the politics of the wizarding world were very different from Muggle politics.
"The Ministry..." Remus said, looking out the window. "They've reported Sirius' death."
Harry closed his eyes.
"Sometimes I wonder... why does everything I care about slip away from me?" He whispered.
"To wish that someone else could go through what I've been through..." Harry's cheeks flushed. "Would that be selfish?"
Remus silently focused his eyes on Harry's face.
"You're just a boy," he whispered. "And for a boy, you're so kind, so compassionate, so caring... I guess being selfish doesn't make you a bad person."
He reached out and took Harry's hand.
"It makes you human."
Harry smiled broadly.
Remus saw him as a human being.
Not as "the boy who lives," not as "the chosen one."
Just Harry.
A voice was heard on television saying, "As Avengers, our mission is to bring peace."
Harry blinked when he saw Remus tense up.
He stood up and quickly looked around. "Where did that sound come from?!"
While examining the newspaper, the waiter grumbled and called out, "The television is on!"
Remus's gaze quickly shifted to the television.
Harry noticed Remus's skin had turned pale.
He looked at the screen to understand what was happening.
A silence fell between Remus and Harry.
A healthier, older, and hazel-eyed version of Harry appeared on screen.
Harry took a shaky breath.
He looked at the screen again.
The same man was grinning on the screen. He had his arm around the shoulder of a beautiful young woman.
Harry felt everything in his stomach trying to come out of his mouth.
The last thing he remembered was Remus desperately holding Harry, and the waiter calling an ambulance.
End of the first chapter.
I apologize if I've made any grammatical errors; English is not my native language.
Let me explain why I created James Potter as Tony Stark: They are similar in personality: courage, love, sharp wit, intelligence, and flirtatiousness.
Tony was the Muggle version of James for me.
Of course, I know Tony is a genius. And I suspect James isn't as smart as Tony, but I think these kinds of issues can be overlooked in alternate universes.
Your comments are my motivation for writing.
Let's discuss in the comments.
Love you all! 🐦🔥🪄