The Devil's Son

A surprise visit

It had been too long in this dark hovel. This scruffy, small apartment was as miserable as he was. He'd lost everything that night. His mate, his best friend's, his family. It was only recently that he'd come out of his hazy autopilot life to realise something. He wasn't the only one that had lost that night. Harry. His godson, James and Lily's child. The child that used to use him as a climbing frame, squealing at his uncle Mooney. He still blamed himself for what happened that night, for not being there to protect them all. To not be able to fight for Sirius. But at least he could be there for Harry? Perhaps they could heal each other.

It took a while for Remus to figure out where Harry had been put. No one had any idea where Dumbledore had put him, and the werewolf began to wonder why no one questioned it. He knew it was no use asking Albus, he wouldn't answer any questions anyone asked. There weren't many options though, with Sirius in prison and the Longbottoms becoming permanent residents of St Mungo's. It took a while, but eventually he decided to go to the only place he could think of. He hoped Dumbledore hadn't put Harry with those awful muggles, but he didn't have any other leads. On the day of Harry's eighth birthday, he packed a small bag, locking the door of his apartment behind him with a subtle wave of his wand

Remus knocked on the door, shuffling nervously as he waited . A deep bellowing could be heard from inside, before a tall skinny women with a sour expression opened the door. Petunia hardly looked like Lily anymore. He'd rarely seen Lil's with anything but a smile on her face. The pinched look was quickly replaced with outrage; apparantely Petty remembered him from the wedding. "What are you doing here? Get out, we don't need your kind around here!" He sighed, she really hadn't changed. He peaked his head around her looking inside. "I came to visit Harry, where is he?" A small child waddled out of the living room, short and round, and already struggling to walk. It reminded him of Petunias husband, and he realised this must be Dudley, not Harry. He turned back to the woman to see her face slack and drained of colour, as if she'd seen a ghost. "He's not here," she said faintly, before turning to close the door. He shoved the foot in the door frame, fury flooding his face. "What do you mean? Where is he then? Didn't Albus bring him here?" She turned back to him, and Remus was surprised to see tears in her eyes. "He showed up on the doorstep one night, with a note saying Lily and James were dead. So we looked after him until..." A dark, worried feeling began to fill Remus, despair rising in the pit of his stomach. "Until what?"

Dumbledore sat at his office desk, happily sucking on a lemon drop. Yet another wonderful school year had ended, with another heading this way. The head of houses, Minerva, Filius, Pomona and Severus were sat across from him, updating on the preparations being made for the new first years. It was the same thing they did every year, fairly standard, which why they were even more surprised when the door slammed open, Remus Lupin storming in with Hagrid quickly following behind him. "Remus how lovely to-" He was cut off by the clearly furious werewolf, who slammed his hand on the desk and ignoring the glare from Severus. "Shut up! I can't believe you'd just leave Harry on the doorstep of muggles! And moreover, not check on him!" This drew the attention of his co-workers, and Dumbledore looked around worried. "Why Remus, I've simply no idea what you mean. Harry is perfectly safe with his family, I don't see why there would be any reason to disturb him."

At this, Severus jumped up. He hated the wolf with a passion, but he had sworn to protect Potter, as much as it pained him. "You left him with Petunia?" Back when he and Lily had been growing up together, he remembered Petty's cruel disposition towards all things magical. He doubted Potter was quite the spoilt prince Dumbledore had claimed he was. The hatred he'd slowly built up for the child over the years dissipated immediately. "Lupin, what's going on?" The messy patch-work man turned towards him, and Severus could see just how terrible he looked. He had more scars than usual, and dark bags hung low under his eyes, which held a tint of desperation. Severus somehow doubted it was from the full moon, which had been a full week ago. "It was Harry's birthday yesterday. I wanted to visit him, to tell him about his father and godfather, to be close to him again. Of course Albus here didn't tell anyone where he was, but I figured he might be with the only family he has left, as awful an idea as it is." He nodded, sitting down again and waiting for the man to continue. Pomona took his hand and guided him to her seat before handing him the cup of tea Minerva had poured out. "Petunia answered the door. Harry wasn't there."

The words caught in his throat and he couldn't speak. All those in the room leant forward, waiting for more. "She said Harry disappeared three years ago. They just woke up one day and he was gone." Apparently the police had searched days and days for the child to no end. There was no evidence anyone had taken the child, and no evidence that Harry had somehow left. The windows and doors had been locked, now way in or out. He had simply disappeared. They'd scoured the surrounding neighborhood, put up posters throughout Surrey. To no avail. A year later Harry was officially reported as missing, presumed dead, and the case was closed. No follow ups. No word.

Minerva despaired. She'd told Albus, she'd told him they were the worst sort for muggles, that Harry wouldn't be truly cared for there. She should have followed her gut, should have insisted. "Perhaps it was a burst of accidental magic? He could be anywhere!" They all turned to look at the headmaster, waiting to see what he would do.

Albus glanced around nervously at the men and women looking at him expectantly. This was awful, Harry was missing! And Albus was starting to suspect Tom's death wasn't as simple as it seemed. They needed Harry now more than ever, to fulfill the prophecy. But this did not make Albus look good. "Well yes of course, this is terrible news indeed. I shall have Hagrid, Severus and Alastor look for him at once!" Apparantely that wasn't going to fly, as the youth would say. "Albus! This is a missing child! A magical child! We have to alert the aurors." Of course Minerva had something to say. She never had approved of his decision to leave the boy with his relatives. Claimed they weren't loving. It didn't matter, the blood wards would keep him safe. At least they were supposed to! He knew from looking at the others that this could not be swept under the rug, and he sighed heavily. "Very well. Filius, if you wouldn't mind arranging a meeting with Shacklebolt? We'll sort this immediately."

As Remus walked out of the office, a hand at his shoulder stopped him. "I'm assuming you're going to look for the boy?" It was Severus, to his surprise, and he stopped walking, the two old enemies watching each other in the silent, empty hallway. "Of course I am. I have to." Severus nodded, looking at the floor for a second frowning. "As do I. I could of course do so on my own, but I believe working together may be beneficial." Remus was shocked, why on earth would Snape want to help? Then again, the man had always cared for Lily. Perhaps that extended to Harry? The man was skilled, and he was desperate. After thinking it over, he nodded, and the two unlikely allies agreed to meet at the Hogshead tomorrow morning, before departing.