“Da, what’s the matter?” Harry asked.

Severus pushed Harry back so he could look at the child in his arms.

“What’s the matter?” Severus looked from Albus to Remus back to the small child in front of him. “What’s the matter?” Severus’ voice was getting louder as he talked. “There is no excuse for you being treated like that.”

“But I was a burden to them,” Harry said, wanting his da to understand. “They were a perfect family before I was left on their door step.”

Remus tried to break through the binding spell that was around him. There was so much he wanted to do. He wanted to hold the child. He wanted to kill his so-called relatives. He wanted to maul whoever was stupid enough to leave a child on the steps.

“Severus,” Remus called out, quietly.

Severus gave a small growl at his brother for interrupting him talking with his fledgling.

“Severus, please,” Remus pleaded.

Severus knew what Remus was asking, but he just couldn’t release his boy. His child needed him. Harry needed to know that he wasn’t in trouble. That he was loved.

“Severus, I won’t go anywhere,” Remus said. “The wolf needs his cub.”

Severus looked at his brother, slowly moving his arms away from Harry.

“Harry,” Severus said, quietly. “Go to your Uncle Remus.”

Harry looked sad.

“I won’t go anywhere,” Severus reassured. “I’ll be right here. But Remus is your family now. And he wants to see you.”

Still with his arms around Severus’ neck, Harry turned and looked at Remus. A small smile ghosted over Harry’s lips and he saw a calming look in the man sitting across from them. Looking back at his da, Harry nodded and tried to slide off Severus’ lap. Try being the operative word. When Harry tried to push himself back, he felt his da’s arms tighten around him. Harry gave a small giggle before turning back to his da, tightening his arms around his neck one more time, and kissing him on the cheek.

When Harry tried to move again, this time Severus let him go. Harry walked over and stood in front of Remus. Remus looked at his dad, pleading. Albus smirked, waving his hand allowing Remus to move his arms.

Remus felt his control come back. He quickly picked up Harry, wrapping the child in his arms the same way Harry was sitting with Severus. Remus put his head down into the child’s hair and took a deep breath. The child’s scent flooded in the werewolf’s nose. Remus wanted to feel everything about this child. Harry was now a part of his pack and he will defend this child just like he would his brother.

Remus lifted his head. “Harry, look at me.”

Harry looked up at Remus and saw something he didn’t see when they walked up the stairs together.

Harry tilted his head. He reached up and softly touched the scratches on the man’s face.

“I thought your eyes were brown,” Harry said, quietly.

Remus looked at Albus then to Severus. Severus nodded and Remus looked back at Harry.

“Usually they are brown,” Remus said. “But when Moony comes out, they turn amber.”

“Moony?” Harry asked. “Who’s Moony?”

This time it was Remus who was worried that Harry would reject him, like before when Harry thought Severus rejected Harry.

Taking a deep breath. “I’m not normal.”

“Okay,” Harry said slowly. “You look normal to me.”

Remus chuckled softly.

“I guess you have a bit of your grandfather in you,” Remus mused. “What I mean is I have an affliction.”

“What? Like me and da?” Harry asked.

“Yes and no,” Remus said.

“Oh, for Merlin’s sake,” Severus chided. “Just spit it out.”

Harry turned to his da and then back to Remus. He looked into his eyes and saw a kind soul in them. Harry knew that whatever Remus was going to tell him, it wouldn’t hurt him.

“Whatever you’re going to say,” Harry said. “It’s not like you’ll be a freak like me.”

Harry said that to ease the tension and calm him down, but it had the opposite reaction. Remus’ hold on him got tighter, and Harry could hear his da in his head.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Harry said quickly. “I seem to always mess things up.”

Harry lowered his head and leaned forward. He felt strong arms wrapping around him. It was different from his da, but they made him feel safe as well.

“You didn’t mess anything up,” Remus said, rubbing circles on the small child’s back. “You have to understand something about your da and me; we don’t like that someone made you think you were a freak. You are not a freak. I know it will take you a while before you will believe us, but we will keep on telling you until you do believe it. What you hear are our true selves coming out.”

“True selves?” Harry asked, lifting his head.

“My true self is…I’m a werewolf,” Remus sighed. “You’re a vampire like your da. And I’m a werewolf.”

Harry looked at the man in front of him and then turned back to his da. Harry thought about what he just heard. He was a vampire. He never knew what he was. But thinking about it, it made sense. Deep down he thought he would be scared, but he wasn’t.

And a werewolf. He thought about all he ever heard of a werewolf, when he listened to the television when Aunt Petunia and Dudley would watch horror movies. The mark on their hands. That silver bullets could kill them. And they change into a large wolf on a full moon.

All the men looked at Harry. They could tell the child was in deep thought.

“What are you thinking about, fledgling?” Severus asked.

Harry twisted his body until he was sitting sideways on Remus’ lap with the man’s help. Harry grabbed Remus’ hands and looked at both, turning them over.

“What are you looking for?” Remus asked.

“The mark.” Harry said, looking at Remus’ other hand.

“Mark?” Remus asked. “What mark?”

“Well, werewolves are supposed to have marks of the werewolf on their hands,” Harry said, looking up at Remus.

Albus snickered, putting his hand over his mouth. Severus rolled his eyes. Remus looked puzzled.

“Did I miss something?” Remus asked.

“There is an old muggle movie that said werewolves have a mark on their hands,” Severus said, rolling his eyes. “Harry, do I look like a vampire?”

Harry looked up at his da and thought for a moment. Then answered, “Well, yeah. You have the long back cape and everything.” Severus raised an eyebrow.

Albus laughed out loud at that. “Is everyone feeling a little better?”

“Oh, stop laughing, old man,” Severus snarled. Everyone in the room knew that there wasn’t any heat behind Severus’ comment.

“Don’t be like that, little brother,” Remus said, trying to keep his own chuckle down. His arms wrapped around the small child on his lap and kissing the top of his head.

“Go to your da,” Remus whispered in Harry’s ear.

Harry smiled up at Remus when he was let go. Harry climbed down. When he turned to face his da he saw that Severus had his hands opened for Harry to be welcomed to him. Harry all but ran into Severus’ arms. Severus kissed the child’s temple as he pulled the child to his chest.

Once Albus sobered from his laughing fit, he looked at Severus.

“Harry’s tired,” Albus said. “Let him sleep.”

Severus could hear the command within the words. Because Harry was his fledgling Severus could calm Harry down and soothe his surroundings to make Harry sleep. After a quarter of an hour, Harry was sleeping peacefully in Severus’ arms.

Albus got up and fire-called Poppy. Poppy walked through the floo and walked to the two men sitting down.

“Albus has informed me that I’m to watch over Harry for you,” Poppy said.

“Yes, please,” Severus said. “He should stay asleep until we return.”

“I’ll take him,” Poppy reached down and retrieved Harry. Casting a feather-weight charm on the boy, she cradled the child in her arms. Harry’s head lolled in her arms. He did not stir.

Poppy walked out of Albus chambers.

___000___000___000___000

When Poppy disappeared from the chambers, Remus and Severus looked at each other, and they both stood at the same time, walking towards the door. There was only one thing on their mind: deal with those vile people. When they got to the door, Severus noticed that he couldn’t open it. They turned back to see that Albus was still sitting in his chair. His wand in his hand.

“I know you are ready to go,” Albus said. “And I am not stopping you. But I need you two to promise that you won’t kill them. They have to stay alive.”

“They hurt Harry,” Remus said.

“They must pay,” Severus said.

“And they will,” Albus said. “I meant it when I said we will go together. But I need your word that when we leave, they are still alive.”

Remus and Severus looked at each other. It was like they were having a silent conversation.

“I--,” Severus started.

“Don’t you dare lie to me,” Albus said. “I mean it.”

“Fine,” Remus sighed. “They stay alive.”

“Great,” Albus said, standing up. “Let’s go.”

___000___000___000___000

The three wizards were walking down Privet Drive. It was still quiet on the street like it was when Severus first walked down the way. Not to raise suspicion on them, they put a disillusion charm over themselves. Once they arrived at No. 4, the charm came off and Albus knocked on the door.

“Where’s the boy?” a male’s voice was heard on the other side of the door.

“He should be out back,” came a response. Severus recognized that voice. It was Lily’s sister.

Albus knocked again.

A large man opened the door. Remus looked at the man and saw he was the width of the door. The man seemed to not have a neck. His mustache was so long that it covered his mouth. His complexion was a dark red almost purple.

“What do you want?” Vernon snarled.

“A word,” Albus said, calmly.

Vernon looked at the three men standing on his stoop. Looking at their clothes, Vernon knew that they weren’t regular people. They were like the freak.

“What are you freaks doing at my door?” Vernon yelled.

Albus raised his arms holding his sons back so they wouldn’t attack the man. Vernon had the good sense to pale a little, seeing the looks of the two younger men’s faces.

“I think this conversation would be best said within closed doors,” Albus said. His voice didn’t sound stained since he was holding a werewolf and a vampire back. “Will you allow us in?”

“Who’s at the door, Vernon?” Petunia called out, walking closer to the door. When she saw the men, she knew exactly who they were. “You,” she snarled. “What are you doing here? Get out!”

Severus stopped trying to push past his father, lowering Albus’ arm. He walked up to Vernon and Petunia. “Move.” His voice was quiet, but powerful.

Vernon’s color paled some more. Petunia gulped and stepped back.

Severus walked in not looking to see if his brother and father would follow. Stepping into the main hallway, Severus saw the small door under the stairs. “I stay in the cupboard under the stairs.” Harry’s voice sounded in his head. Severus walked over to the door.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Vernon screeched, getting his voice back.

Severus didn’t pay any attention to them has he knelt and opened the door. Not only was the space smaller than his potion stores, in the far corner were Harry’s trunk and cage for his owl. Not seeing the owl made Severus wonder where the animal was.

Albus and Remus walked into the living room. Petunia and Vernon following them, complaining the entire way. Severus never moved as he took in the so-called room his fledgling was living in. He reached in, turning on the light bulb that hung from under the steps. The light wasn’t bright by any means, but it illuminated the small space enough so Severus could see. There was a small shelf in the corner where there were broken toys stacked neatly on it. There was a small pallet on the floor that was Harry’s make-shift bed. A small blue blanket was the only cover the child had. In the far-side wall, there were cleaning material; glass cleaner, furniture polish, duster rags, and a small broom with a dustbin.

Severus took a deep breath. His instincts were to go into that room and rip those vile people’s throats out and watch them bleed on the floor. But he promised his dad that he would not kill them. Severus took a deeper breath. He had to calm the rage down. He closed his eyes and occluded his mind of what he was looking at. Taking out his wand, he shrunk down Harry’s trunk and bird cage and put it in his pocket. He then gathered up the small toys and the blanket shrinking it and putting it in his other pocket. Standing up and closing the door, Severus took another breath and then turned towards the living room.

“Would you not offer your guest some tea?” Albus asked as he sat down in the chair.

“How dare you?” Petunia squealed. “You are not our guest. Why should I serve you? You bombarded your way into my house.”

“Such rudeness,” Albus said, waving his wand, making a tea service appear in the living room.

“I will not have that freakishness in my house,” Vernon roared.

“If you use that word again,” Remus said, quietly, speaking for the first time. “I will not be responsible for what I do.”

Vernon gulped.

“Remus,” Albus said. “We’ve talked about this.”

“They’re still alive,” Remus said.

“How long they stay that way is up to them,” Severus said, walking into the living room.

Severus walked over and stood next to his brother.

“Where is his owl?” Severus said.

Remus and Albus looked up at Severus and then back at the Dursleys.

“I have no idea where that ruddy bird is,” Vernon said with a snarl in his voice.

“The cage was in the cupboard,” Severus said. “Where is Harry’s owl?”

Petunia could hear the tension in Severus’ voice. Growing up, she never like the boy that followed Lily around. He was a weird boy. Secluded. Dirty looking. Someone that wasn’t worth their time. But when Petunia learned that they were magical, that was all everyone talked about. He was even invited to dinner a few times. She always hated Severus. She blamed him for taking her sister away from her.

“The freak let him go when he came back from that school,” Petunia said.

Remus stepped forward. “I thought I said, I don’t want to hear that word from you.”

“Remus,” Albus said in a warning tone.

Not listening, Remus walked over and grabbed Petunia by her collar and stood her up, picking her up until they were face to face. Her feet were a few inches from the floor. Albus stood up and rushed over to his son, putting his hand on Remus’ arm.

“Let her go,” Albus said.

“Unhand my wife,” Vernon yelled, pulling on Remus’ arm.

Remus wasn’t listening. “I will not say it again. I do not want to hear that word again. You made my cub believe that he was a freak. He is not a freak.”

Petunia’s color paled until she was bone white. She looked like she would faint right then.

“Put her down, Remus.”

“Let her go!”

Severus walked over to the group of people, stood behind his brother and whispered in his ear. “There is more she has to learn. Let her down, Moony.”

Severus’ voice broke through the rage Remus was feeling and he slowly lowered the woman down to the floor but did not let her go.

Albus saw that Moony calmed down some. He reached up and framed his son’s face, making Remus to look at him.

“Calm down, son,” Albus said. “I know you want them to pay, and they will. But we have to get more information out of them. Alright.”

“I understand,” Remus said, letting Petunia go. Looking back over at the woman, “Don’t say that word again. Because I will not let them stop me.”

Vernon wrapped his arm around his wife. He was keeping her standing.

Petunia didn’t believe that they would actually become physical. She though they were just trying to be intimidating. When she saw the man, Remus, walking towards her, she didn’t have time to react before she was picked up, and the only thing she could see was those amber eyes. In that split second, she believed that he was going to kill her. Now, she was scared.

“Now,” Severus said, calmly. “If I hear differently about the owl, I’ll be back. Do we understand each other?”

Petunia didn’t say anything. She just nodded.

“Splendid,” Albus said, clapping his hands. “Now, the next thing I would like to understand is the state of his clothes. Harry is a small child. Why does his clothes look like a small breeze could make them fall off his small frame?”

“The fr--,” Vernon started, but was stopped by Petunia elbowing him in his side. He looked over at her, and she shook her head. “The boy,” Vernon corrected. “Has taken enough money from my Dudley. He should be happy that he got clothes at all.”

Severus looked at the man standing across from him. He tilted his head wondering if this muggle had a death wish.

“You have a death wish,” Remus said.  

Severus smirked. It was amazing how they thought alike.

“Speaking of his small frame,” Severus said, losing the smirk. “Why does he look a meal away from being starved?”

“He will not take food out of my Dudley’s mouth.”

“You really do have a death wish,” Remus said.

The front door opened.

“Mum,” a voice came from the hallway. “I’m hungry. Did the freak make dinner?”

Petunia paled more, looking at the doorway of the living room.

There they saw a rotund boy that looked like a miniature of the male Dursley.

“Harry was taking food away from that,” Severus said, pointing at the boy.

Severus pulled out his wand. When Dudley saw the small stick in the man in black’s hand, he quickly put his hands behind him in an attempt to hide his enormous behind. Severus raised an eyebrow at the action.

“You know,” Severus said. “If I keep hearing these answers that you give, I’m just want to kill you. I can’t keep my dark half at bay anymore. So,” Severus waved his wand in the air, “Everything you’ve done to Harry will be done to you. You’ve had the child for twelve years. I’m feeling generous so I’ll only have you suffer twice as long as you had my child. I don’t want to think about you anymore. Harry’s life will be a positive experience from now on.”

Severus twisted around and apparated out of the house.

Remus looked at the shock people and pulled out his wand. “You said that Harry was taking food away from your son. Well, from now on, you will not be able to eat any more than what you fed my cub. You will still be hungry, but you won’t be able to eat.”

Just like Severus, Remus disappeared.

Albus stood back up. “You know, Petunia, if you didn’t want Harry all you had to do was let me know. You knew how to contact me. I would have found somewhere else to take him and you wouldn’t have to worry about taking anything from you precious son. Now, because of what you allowed, you have cursed your family. I hope you’re proud of yourself.”

Albus waved his hands taking away the blood wards that surrounded the house. “Good day.”

Albus disappeared.

TBC