A/N - All right, here is the last chapter. I've always thought that Dumbledore was manipulative and didn't always do what was in each individual person's best interests, but I have to warn you that I made him a bit more calculating and devious than canon in this chapter. It's not how I usually characterize him when I write him, but for this story, it fit. Another note at the end.

Chapter 10

Keeping Harry

12 July 1994

Remus took a deep breath and willed himself to remain calm. He had no doubt that this would be a fight and he wasn't going to let his emotions lead him to say or do something he would regret. He had his suspicions about the glamour on Harry as well, but it wouldn't do to let them be known before he had gotten all the information he needed.

"Before we continue, I have another question," Remus said. "Do you know what happened to James and Lily's things from the house in Godric's Hollow?"

"There was not much to save, but what there was that seemed to have some value was put into the Potter vault," Dumbledore said.

"By whom?" Sirius said suspiciously.

"Myself," Dumbledore replied. "The goblins gave me special access since Harry's guardians were not magical." Sirius continued to look at Dumbledore in suspicion, but Remus ignored it.

"What about Lily's school trunk?" Remus asked.

"It has been some time, but I seem to remember putting both of their trunks into the vault," Dumbledore replied. "They had been stored in the cellar and as such, escaped most of the damage." Remus nodded. "May I ask why you would like to know?"

"Lily left all of her notes on the glamour charm she put on Harry in her trunk," Remus said. "We can't understand why the glamour would still be active so long after Lily's death." Dumbledore nodded knowingly.

"Mrs. Potter was an extraordinary witch," Dumbledore said and Remus did not fail to notice the subtle dig using Lily's married name.

"Agreed," Remus replied. "However, it is still very odd that a charm like a glamour would last for more than twelve years, which is why I would like to examine her notes on the charm."

"May I ask why you have not yet removed it?" the headmaster asked.

"I don't think that Harry is ready for that yet," Remus said simply. "When he requests it, I will do so." The three sat in silence for a few minutes.

"You know Remus, this news will rock our world," Dumbledore finally said.

"I realize that, yes," Remus replied.

"Are you prepared to face the fallout?" Dumbledore continued.

"I would do anything for my son," Remus said.

"That may be, but will Harry be able to face it?" Dumbledore mused, almost to himself.

"Sirius and I will help him," Remus assured the headmaster. Dumbledore's eyes flicked to Sirius.

"How do you intend to do that given Sirius' current status?" Dumbledore asked.

"Every family needs a pet," Remus said with a smirk. Dumbledore chuckled a bit.

"We are back to our original problem, I am afraid," he said.

"The Ministry," Sirius ventured.

"Quite," Dumbledore agreed.

"Surely, with your endorsement, there wouldn't be a problem," Sirius stated.

"Unfortunately, I am unsure if I am prepared to give it," Dumbledore said calmly. Both Remus and Sirius were dumbstruck. "I will allow Harry to remain with you while I ponder this."

"Allow?" Remus growled, losing his composure for the first time that morning. "With all due respect Albus, you are not Harry's guardian and Petunia seemed to have no problem with me removing him from her care this morning. He is my son, not yours."

"And you are a werewolf, Remus, Sirius a convicted felon," Dumbledore replied. "I need to determine what is best for everyone involved, including the wizarding world at large."

"Do not take too long, Albus," Remus said as he stood. "Or there just may be nothing for you to decide about." Sirius had risen as well and the two men stared at their former headmaster.

"Is that a threat?" Dumbledore asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No Albus, that is a promise," Remus said, then turned on his heel and left the office, followed closely by Sirius, who changed to Padfoot the moment they left Albus' office. They collected Harry from the kitchens and made their way back to the Shrieking Shack in silence. Once inside, Remus turned to Harry and gathered him into his arms.

"Hold on tight," he said and he felt Harry grip him around the waist as he turned into nothingness.

They arrived just outside the wards of the cottage and Remus led Harry inside. The night before he and Sirius had magically added a third bedroom with an en suite loo for Harry. They had left it mainly undecorated to allow the boy to choose what he liked. They had furnished it with a large four-poster, a wardrobe and a desk, however.

"Whoa," Harry said his smile wide as he took in his new room.

"You can decorate it however you want," Remus said. "We'll go to muggle London tomorrow if you like and pick a few things up."

"Really?" Harry asked excitedly. Remus ruffled his hair.

"Of course," he said. "Would you like me to help you unpack?"

"Erm, Remus," Harry said, biting his lower lip. Sirius glanced at the two of them.

"I'll just leave you to it," he said. "Fix something up for dinner."

"What is it Harry?" Remus asked in concern once Sirius had left.

"Am I really going to get to stay here with you?" he asked looking worried. Remus moved forward and put his hands on Harry's shoulders.

"Harry, I promise you that we will be together," Remus said. "It may not be here, we may need to go somewhere else if Professor Dumbledore chooses to be difficult. But you are my son and I will not let you go back to the Dursely's. I swear it." Harry nodded, but still looked worried.

"Is there something else?" Remus asked. Harry shook his head. Remus sighed and led him over to the bed where they sat down side by side. "Harry I want you to know that you can tell me anything. I know that you're probably not used to being able to count on adults, but there's nothing you can say to me that will upset me or make me stop loving you." Harry picked at a stray thread on the blanket on the bed.

"It's just, I'm not sure, that is," Harry stopped and huffed in frustration. "I don't really know what to call you. I mean I know you're my dad but I've thought for so long that James was my dad that it's just kind of, I don't know, weird."

"Remus or Moony is perfectly fine, Harry," Remus said. "I know this will take some getting used to."

"You're sure you won't be, you know, upset?" he asked.

"Of course not," Remus said. "I've completely changed everything that you thought you knew in one day. I have no expectations." Harry nodded.

"Now, how about unpacking?" Remus asked. He pulled Harry's trunk from his pocket and enlarged it again. Harry opened the lid and began taking his school books out of it. Remus took the stack and arranged it on Harry's desk.

"It will be nice to be able to do my summer homework before I get on the Express back to school or at the Burrow," Harry said as he pulled his robes and uniforms from his trunk.

"What do you mean?" Remus asked.

"Oh, well Uncle Vernon would always take my trunk and wand when I got home and lock it up until I went back to school," Harry said with a shrug. Remus just gaped at him.

"You mean to say you weren't allowed to even read your books?" Remus demanded.

"Erm, no?" Harry said as a question. Remus forced himself to remain calm.

"I am so sorry Harry that we didn't get you out of there sooner," Remus said.

"It's okay Remus, you didn't know," Harry replied. He dug around in his trunk and pulled out a few odds and ends.

"Where are the rest of your clothes Harry?" Remus asked.

"This is all," he said indicating his school robes and uniforms and the clothes he was wearing which were much too large for him. "I mean I had some other stuff at the Dursley's but I left it there. It was even bigger than these." He indicated the clothes he was wearing. "Dudley's cast-offs." Remus stared at him for a moment and then gathered the boy into a hug.

"Merlin Harry, I am so sorry," he said, kissing the top of Harry's head. "We'll get you clothes when we get things for your room."

"You don't have to," Harry protested. "I can just wear my school shirt and trousers."

"Nonsense," Remus admonished. "It's summer, you need summer things, not to mention those trainers have seen much better days."

"We can go to my Gringott's vault," Harry said, then colored a bit. "I mean, erm, I know that you're not exactly working right now."

"And my job at Hogwarts provided me with free room and board, so besides the occasional chocolate bar, I've got plenty left over," Remus assured him.

"Occasional?" a new voice said. Remus and Harry turned to see Sirius standing in the doorway. "The day you only have an 'occasional chocolate bar' is the day Hagrid decides dragons are actually dangerous." Harry snickered. "And money is no problem Harry. The Black family vault has more than you could spend in five lifetimes." Remus gave him a sharp look which Sirius ignored. "Dinner's ready by the way." Harry finished taking the last of his things out of his trunk and then the three went back to the kitchen for dinner.

That night, after Harry was in bed, Remus and Sirius sat on the couch sipping glasses of wine.

"We've got to get things in order," Remus said. "Do you have a passport?"

"Moony, I don't even know what that is," Sirius said in exasperation. Remus explained what a passport was for.

"We're travelling the muggle way?" Sirius asked.

"If it comes to that yes," Remus said. "We'll be less likely to be caught that way." Remus got up and whistled for Hedwig, the owl having arrived while they were eating dinner. "Can you take a message for me girl?" The owl nipped his ear in agreement and Remus wrote a quick note, attaching it to the owl's leg.

"Who are you writing to?" Sirius asked.

"Dung," Remus replied, sending Hedwig off. "He won't bat an eye that you're here and if he can't do the passports himself, he'll surely know someone who can. Harry will need one too, but mine is still good." Once Hedwig had flown off, Remus turned back to Sirius.

"About what you said before, about your vault," Remus began.

"Moony, don't even start," Sirius said tiredly.

"I am perfectly capable of providing for my own son," Remus said tightly.

"Who also happens to be my godson, or did you forget that part?" Sirius asked. "Which means, in effect, that he is my heir, at least for the time being. " The two men glared at each other for a few moments before Sirius' look softened.

"Look Moony, I know how you feel about what you think is charity," Sirius said and Remus stiffened at his words. "But this is about family. Besides if we have to go on the run, we're going to need a substantial amount of cash until we can find jobs. This would burn my parents to no end, me spending the family fortune on the child of a muggle-born and a werewolf." Remus snorted. "Let me torture them in the afterlife Moony, please?" Remus couldn't help but laugh and Sirius grinned.

"All right fine, when you put it that way," Remus said.

13 July 1994

The next day Remus and Harry did their shopping in muggle London and then went to Gringott's and retrieved the trunks from the Potter vault. Harry hadn't realized there was another vault besides the one that he used for school and Remus had explained that many pureblood families set up separate 'spending money' vaults for their children that were separate from the family vault. Although in this case, Dumbledore had probably set up Harry's.

They then met with Mundungus at the Leaky Cauldron and Remus explained what he needed, as well as about Sirius. Dung assured him he could get the proper documents and the three had then flooed to the cottage. Sirius and Mundungus had quite the reunion, the two of them having been drinking partners quite often during the last war.

"I'll need pictures Remus and I don't think you want them looking the way that they do," Dung said. Sirius held a hand out for Remus' wand and put a glamour on himself, changing his hair to short brown and his eyes to blue. Remus looked to Harry.

"Harry, I don't want to force you to do anything that you don't want to do, but it might be better if I took the glamour off you and we took a picture of what you really look like," Remus said. "You don't have to look if you don't want to." Harry looked a bit nervous and Remus couldn't blame him. "I'd put another glamour on you but I don't know how it would react with your mother's spell."

"Can you," Harry paused, looking guiltily at Remus. "Can you put it back, after?"

"I can," Remus assured him. "I'll just need to find the notes in your mother's trunk." Harry nodded then and Remus muttered the counter spell that Lily had left him.

Seeing his boy for the first time as he actually was supposed to look, nearly brought Remus to his knees. No one that saw Harry like this would doubt that he was Remus' son.

"Bloody hell," Sirius whispered under his breath. Harry looked nervously between all three adults in the room who had all been rendered speechless by his new appearance, although Dung still managed to raise the camera and snap a picture.

"What?" Harry finally asked. "Do I look like a troll or something?"

"Oh Harry," Remus said, tears coming to his eyes. He stepped forward and cupped his son's chin in his hand. "No, son, you don't look like a troll. Quite the contrary, if I do say so myself."

"I want to see," Harry said suddenly.

"Are you sure?" Remus asked. "You don't have to."

"I know, but I want to," Harry insisted.

"All right," Remus replied, walking with Harry to the loo. Harry closed his eyes when they crossed the threshold, then opened them and looked in the mirror. He gasped and then stared for what seemed like forever. Just as Remus was about to say something, Harry turned and ran into his room, slamming the door behind him. Remus sighed, shoulders slumping.

"What happened?" Sirius asked when Remus returned to the kitchen.

"It was too soon," Remus said. "We shouldn't have forced him."

"You didn't force him to do anything Remus," Sirius said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. Dung cleared his throat nervously.

"I got what I need," he said. "I'll just be off then, let you know as soon as they're done."

"Thanks Dung," Sirius said. Mundungus nodded and flooed back to the Leaky Cauldron.

"I'd better look up that spell," Remus said, opening Lily's trunk. "I'm sure Harry wants to get back to looking like himself."

"He does look like himself," Sirius said quietly.

"Just help me look through these things Padfoot," Remus said tiredly. They began to sift through the piles of books and parchments in the trunk. "This could be it," he said after a few minutes. He pulled out a muggle notebook.

"What makes you think that's it?" Sirius asked, holding a stack of parchment in his hand.

"Because James would have never looked in it," Remus said. He flipped open the cover and looked at the notes inside. "This is it," he said nodding. The spell was intricate, but not terribly so. Flipping through the pages of notes, Remus found the final incantation and wand movements. He ran through the movements silently in the air until he had them down.

"There is no way this spell lasted beyond Lily's death," Remus said. "Or at least not long after."

"Obviously it did Remus," Sirius said in exasperation. "You saw what the kid looked like."

"Sirius, I'm telling you, there is not enough power behind this spell," Remus replied. Sirius looked over the pages of notes, his brow furrowing.

"So what then?" Sirius asked.

"I don't know, but I've got a bad feeling about this," Remus said. "I'm going to talk to Harry." Remus took the notebook with him, although he had already memorized the wand movements and the incantation. He knocked lightly on Harry's door and opened it a crack when there was no answer. Harry was lying on his bed with his back to the door and at first Remus thought he was asleep.

"Harry," he said quietly and Harry turned slightly. Remus forced himself not to react to the boy's new appearance. "May I come in?"

"Yeah," Harry said. Remus approached the bed and saw that Harry had a photo album open on his bed. The picture was of Lily, James and baby Harry, when Harry was about six months old.

"I remember that one," Remus said with a smile. "It was just after Christmas and James had taken you outside in the snow. You were mesmerized by the snowflakes. Where did you get the album?"

"Hagrid gave it to me, first year," Harry said. He flipped another page and there was a picture of Harry on his first birthday, sitting in his high chair digging into his cake. Remus chuckled and sat down on the edge of Harry's bed.

"I've found the charm," Remus said, holding up the notebook. "Would you like me to change you back?" Harry shrugged. "It's up to you Harry; whatever you want is fine with me."

"Fine, do It," Harry said.

"You'll need to sit up," Remus said and Harry did, turning to face Remus. Remus waved his wand and spoke the incantation. Harry's features seemed to go fuzzy and then he looked like Harry Potter once again. Harry looked down at the bed, picking at the blanket.

"This is so messed up," he said.

"What is?" Remus asked, although he already knew the answer.

"This whole thing," Harry said. "You and my mum, me being your son, me being lied to my whole life." He slumped back against the headboard, his arms crossed in front of him.

"Harry, I'm sorry," Remus said again. "If I'd know, I," but Harry interrupted him.

"Would you?" Harry demanded. "Would you really have come and gotten me?"

"Of course, how can you ask me that?" Remus asked.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because you dumped my mum because you thought it was too dangerous to be with her," Harry snapped. Remus looked down. Harry had trapped him with his own words.

"Harry, I don't know how to convince you but I swear to you that if I'd known, I would have come," Remus said.

"It's easy for you to say that now, but you don't know what you really would have done," Harry said, his voice rising. "Why me? Why did Voldemort come after me? Maybe if you'd stuck by my mum he wouldn't have. Maybe she would still be alive and maybe I wouldn't have this." He pulled up his fringe and jabbed at his scar.

"That's not necessarily true," Remus said. "I don't know why Voldemort came after you, but it could have just have easily happened if your mother and I had been together."

"You don't know that!" Harry shouted. "My mum might still be here! My dad might still be here!" Remus flinched when Harry called James his dad, but didn't say anything. "I wouldn't have had to go to the Dursley's! Why didn't she just tell you? She should have told you! I hate her!" Harry was screaming now and he picked up the notebook Remus had left on the bed and threw it across the room. Then he threw the photo album. "I hate her!" Remus grabbed Harry's arm, but the boy shook him off. "Get away from me, just get away!"

Harry's face was bright red, his breath coming in heaving pants. Remus tried to take hold of him again, but Harry pushed against his chest.

"Don't touch me, just get out!" Harry yelled. "I hate you! I hate both of you!" Harry flung himself face down on his bed.

"Harry," Remus said, his voice trembling. Harry raised his head and looked at Remus.

"Get out!" he bellowed. Remus opened the door and saw Sirius standing outside looking stricken. Remus glanced back at the boy on the bed.

"I'm sorry Harry," he whispered and then pulled the door shut behind him.

"Bloody hell Moony what happened?" Sirius asked. Remus looked at his friend, his eyes full of anguish. He slowly pushed past Sirius and stepped in his own room. Just before he closed the door, he met Sirius' eye and spoke.

"The other shoe dropped."

Remus wasn't sure how long he lay on his bed contemplating the ceiling. But when Sirius finally knocked on his door, the day had started to darken.

"Come in Sirius," Remus called.

"We've gotten an owl from Dung," Sirius said as he stepped into the room. "The passports will be ready in the morning. He wants you to meet him at the Leaky at 10." Remus nodded. Sirius stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans and leaned against the desk.

"I spoke to Harry," Sirius said and Remus' eyes flicked towards him.

"How is he?" Remus asked. Sirius sighed and scrubbed a hand down his face.

"He's not doing very well," Sirius admitted. Remus couldn't help the breath that hitched in his chest.

"This was the last thing I wanted to happen," he nearly whispered. "We should have left well enough alone."

"And left him there with that hag and that worthless pile of blubber?" Sirius demanded. "No way in hell, Moony. You did the right thing."

"Did I Padfoot?" Remus asked, sitting up and facing his friend. "Did I really? Harry hates me and I've made him hate his mother as well."

"He doesn't hate you Remus," Sirius said and Remus snorted. "Remember how excited he was to come with us?"

"Sure because he hated the Dursley's and saw us as a way out," Remus said. "Then reality hit. And now I've made him hate Lily." Remus shook his head and stood, walking to the window and looking out into the forest.

"So you and Lily made a mistake," Sirius said. "You can't punish yourself for it the rest of your life."

"That's just the thing Padfoot," Remus said. "Every time someone says that we made a mistake or talks about betraying James or I apologize, it must make Harry feel like no one really wanted him."

"How can you say that?" Sirius asked incredulously. "James worshipped the ground that boy crawled on and Lily came pretty damn close. I know you weren't around as much near the end, but you loved him too."

"But he doesn't remember any of that," Remus pointed out. "All he's got are stories and a few pictures. And now he finds out that what he's thought all this time isn't even true. He's got a father that can't get a job and a godfather who can't show his face in public. What can we possibly offer him Padfoot?"

"Love, Moony," Sirius said simply. "We're a damn sight better than that aunt and uncle of his, that's for sure. And I told you before, you don't have to worry about working. I've got plenty, not to mention the Potter vault."

"No," Remus said instantly. "No, I will not take a penny from James' vault. Harry can have it when he comes of age, but I won't use any of it to provide for him. It wouldn't be right."

"James would want you to have it," Sirius said.

"Are you listening to yourself Padfoot?" Remus snapped. "I slept with his wife. I don't think he would want me to have anything."

"She wasn't his wife then," Sirius said lamely.

"You're splitting hairs," Remus said with a sigh. "Has Harry eaten?"

"I took him a tray at lunch time," Sirius said. "I don't know if he's eaten it or not."

"Do you mind making dinner again while I talk to him?" Remus asked.

"Not a problem Moony," Sirius said. Remus sighed and left his room and went to Harry's. He knocked lightly.

"Harry, may I come in?" he called through the door. There was no response. "Harry?" Remus called again. He leaned his forehead against the door and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, Harry. I know that I keep saying that but the truth is I don't know what else to say. I know this entire situation is a huge mess and that you've been completely overwhelmed by it all, but I want you to know that no matter what," Remus paused and pulled in a breath. "I love you Harry. I want you to stay here with me but if it's going to be too uncomfortable for you, I can leave and you can stay here with Sirius. Or I could call the Weasley's, I'm sure that Molly would love to have you if you'd rather go there. I just, I want you to be happy Harry. It's all I'll ever want for you." Remus stopped again and ran his fingers lightly over the door. "Just please Harry, please tell me what you want and I'll do it."

When there was still no response, Remus sighed and turned to go back to his room. He had only gotten about three steps from the door when he heard a soft click. He turned around to find his son standing in the open doorway, looking out at him.

"Do you really want to send me to the Weasley's?" Harry asked.

"No Harry, I don't want to send you anywhere," Remus replied. "I want to keep you here with me forever. But if you want to go somewhere else, I'll understand and," before Remus could finish what he had been about to say, Harry had run towards him and Remus instantly dropped to one knee and gathered the child to him. Harry buried his face in Remus' neck.

"No one's ever wanted me before," he whispered.

"Yes, son, yes they have," Remus managed to get out through the tears that were now running down his cheeks. "You were so very wanted, right from the start. Your mum and James, they loved you so much. And Sirius and I did too. You were the light Harry, the light in all that darkness that was going on around us. Don't ever think that no one wanted you. You were the reason we all kept going." He clung to his boy and Harry to him in the darkening hallway of the cottage. Remus could feel Harry's tears that were wetting his neck and soaking his robes, but he didn't care to move. Eventually, Remus felt a hand on his shoulder and glanced up to see Sirius standing behind them. Harry reached up a hand and Sirius grasped it with his free one and the three of them stood, the beginning of a family that none of them could have imagined just weeks ago, but a family all the same. And no one, Remus thought fiercely, no one was going to take his family away from him. Not ever again.

14 July 1994

Remus checked the inside pocket of his robes once again, just to be sure that the passports were still there. He'd picked them up from Dung this morning and they looked perfect. An owl from Dumbledore had arrived shortly after Remus returned and the three of them were on their way back up to the school once again.

After Harry had gone to bed the night before, Remus had told Sirius all about the boy's outburst. Sirius had then proceeded to tell Remus about the prophecy and the reasons for Voldemort coming after Harry in the first place.

"So it probably would have still happened if Lily had told everyone Harry was mine," Remus said with a sigh.

"Yeah, I'd say trying to turn the werewolves to the light would have been defying him," Sirius agreed. They had both decided to wait to tell Harry about it until things were more settled between the three of them, although they had every intention of doing so.

Harry had been quiet this morning, but not angry as he had been the day before. Remus knew that it was going to take more time for Harry to get used the entire situation, but Remus was willing to give Harry as much time as he needed. Having Sirius with them helped. He was like a buffer between the two and he truly was Harry's godfather, as Remus knew he would have made the same choice had he been acknowledged as Harry's father from the start. Remus was a bit concerned about Sirius staying in one place given the fact that he was a fugitive, but Sirius insisted that very few people knew the cottage even existed and most of them were dead. They could always move if need be. Sirius' family had more than a few properties and all of them were warded to the hilt, quite a few known only to the Black's.

Remus had spent most of the night studying Lily's spell and while he hoped to Merlin he was wrong, he had a strong suspicion as to how the glamour had lasted such a long time. He hadn't told Sirius his suspicions yet, but he knew one thing, the animagus was not going to be happy about it, not by any stretch of the imagination.

Sirius had given Remus access to his vault with a magically enhanced letter to the goblins. Remus had withdrawn an almost obscene amount of cash that morning before he'd met with Mundungus and it hadn't even come close to putting a dent in what remained. Sirius was right. They'd never spend it all in five lifetimes. But, they were ready to flee if need be, although Remus sincerely hoped it wouldn't come to that.

They planned to drop Harry off in the kitchens with Dobby on their way up, although Sirius was a little wary about this.

"Why can't we just bring him with us and put a muffliato around him?" Sirius had asked that morning. "You know as well as I that Hogwarts house elves are beholden to the Headmaster. What if Dumbledore orders Dobby to keep Harry in the castle?"

"I don't think it will come to that, but if it does, Dobby is a free elf, don't forget," Remus had said. "You offer to hire him and tell him he can take care of Harry and I think his allegiance will change very quickly. He adores Harry after all."

"I hope you're right Moony," Sirius had replied with a shake of his head.

They were now riding up the stairs to Dumbledore's office after having left Harry in the kitchens. Dobby had readily agreed to come and work for them once he found out that he would be helping take care of Harry. Dobby had wanted to tell Dumbledore right away, but Remus had been able to convince him to wait until they were ready to leave. Remus avoided telling Sirius, 'I told you so.'

Remus' heart was pounding as the stairs crept closer to the headmaster's office. He wasn't sure he was going to like what the headmaster had to say, but then again, Dumbledore probably wasn't going to like what Remus had to say either.

"Good afternoon gentlemen," Dumbledore said as he ushered the two inside. "Thank you for coming so quickly." The two settled in chairs in front of his desk. "I want to ensure the two of you that I have thought about this very carefully and I am afraid that I cannot make the recommendation that Harry live with Remus at this time." Remus grabbed Sirius' arm to forestall his protest.

"This is a very delicate matter which must be handled with the utmost of care, for both Harry and our world at large," Dumbledore continued. "The fame that Harry holds is in part due to the actions of James and Lily on that fateful night and to besmirch Lily's memory in such a way would not bode well for young Harry. I am also worried for Harry's state of mind. The boy has spent nearly fourteen years knowing who his parents were, not to mention consistently being told how much he resembles James. I fear that if things change too much that Harry will fall into a depression. In fact, I find I must broach the topic of possibly wiping the last few days from his memory."

"Please tell me you're joking," Sirius said, his mouth hanging open.

"Alas Sirius, I am not," Dumbledore said heavily. "I fear that the shock of this announcement may affect Harry in ways we cannot even imagine at this point. Surely the two of you do not want the boy to suffer needlessly."

"You mean the way he has been suffering all these years at the Dursely's?" Remus asked, his voice remarkably calm for as angry as he was. How dare Albus propose to obliviate his son! Dumbledore sighed.

"I will admit that Petunia did not take to Harry as I hoped that she would, but they have kept him sheltered, fed and clothed all these years," the old wizard said.

"Sheltered? Fed? Clothed?" Sirius sneered. "Well I suppose if you consider sleeping in a cupboard for ten years, barely given enough food to keep moving every day and wearing clothes twenty sizes too large for him, then yes, Petunia did a smashing job. What about love, Albus? What about compassion or understanding? For fuck's sake, what about simple kindness? Because I can assure you that Harry got none of these things from his so-called relatives."

"Sirius, I realize that you are upset," Dumbledore began, but Sirius cut him off.

"Upset doesn't even begin to cover it, old man," Sirius spat.

"Sirius, please," Remus said, putting a hand on his friend's arm. He turned back to the headmaster. "I spent last night looking over Lily's charm. As you know a normal glamour charm can last for a few days until it starts to fade and Lily was looking for something she didn't have to recast over and over. She did a wonderful job and the spell is intricate, however it is not so intricate or powerful that it would have lasted all these years. Harry should have returned to his normal appearance hours after her death, a day at most."

"I appreciate the fact that you are a very intelligent man Remus," Dumbledore replied. "But in this case you are obviously wrong as young Harry is still under the glamour."

"Yes, that was my initial thought as well, I'll admit," Remus said. "However, the more I thought about it, the more I began to wonder. You did say that you went through the wreckage of the house and salvaged what you could, did you not?" Dumbledore nodded. "And you also personally took James and Lily's trunks and put them in their vault along with some other more valuable items?"

"That is correct," the headmaster replied.

"Did you happen to look through the trunks, Albus?" Remus asked. He could see Sirius looking at him from the corner of his eye and Remus knew that his friend was starting to figure out what Remus was doing.

"Of course," Dumbledore answered. "I inspected everything that went into the Potter vault that day. Is there a point to this line of questioning?"

"Yes, actually there is," Remus said. "The only way the glamour that Lily placed on Harry could still be in place would be if someone else renewed it after her death. Someone who had access to the charm and Harry only hours after James and Lily were killed. As far as I know that would be Hagrid and you, Albus. And since we all know that Hagrid isn't capable of performing such a spell, given the current accessibility of his wand, that leaves you. Harry was here at Hogwarts for nearly an entire day before you left him on the Dursley's front step, wasn't he?" Sirius looked from Remus to Dumbledore and nearly jumped over the desk.

"You son of a bitch!" he roared.

"Sirius!" Remus shouted, grabbing his friend around the waist and shoving him back into his chair. "This isn't helping!"

"But he," Sirius spluttered.

"I know!" Remus said. "Please, just let me handle this." Sirius glowered at him, but remained in his seat.

"That is a delightful story Remus," Dumbledore said. "However, you have no proof."

"You're right, I don't," Remus replied. "Yet." Dumbledore quirked an eyebrow.

"Did you know that when the dementors come near Harry, he remembers James and Lily being killed?" Remus asked and he saw Dumbledore twitch just slightly. "Yes, it shocked me too when I found out last year. Who would have ever imagined that a child could have lucid memories from such a young age? It intrigued me so much that I started researching it and much to my surprise, found that a wizard in Sweden, a skilled legilimens, has done extensive research in childhood memories. It is a long process, but not an overly difficult one for someone who has the skill. I am sure that someone of this wizard's caliber would be more than happy to work with someone as famous as Harry. I have no doubt that he would be able to find Harry's memories from the day that he spent here." Remus let his last statement hang in the air as the room went silent, not even the portraits making a sound.

"I am sure that such an experimental method would not be recognized by the courts," Dumbledore said.

"Perhaps not," Remus agreed. "That is why we've made secondary arrangements." Dumbledore looked at Remus quizzically.

"Britain is not the only country with a magical population," Remus said simply.

"You would take Harry and run, would you?" Dumbledore asked and Remus was a bit gratified to see a trace of fear in the man's eyes.

"I don't want to," Remus admitted. "His friends are here and I know how much he loves Hogwarts. Not to mention the prophecy." Remus took in the slight widening of the headmaster's eyes. "That's right, James and Lily told Sirius about the prophecy when they asked him to be their secret keeper and he told me about it last night. So I know how important you feel Harry is. If you force my hand, I will do what needs to be done to keep my son with me and safe." Remus settled back in his chair and folded his hands in his lap. He glanced at Sirius and saw the large grin that covered his face. Remus longed to mirror it, but he dared not, not yet anyway. Dumbledore contemplated the two of them for a few moments before smiling and sitting back in his chair.

"I must admit Remus, I did not think you had that in you," the headmaster said. "Very Slytherin if I do say so myself." Remus inclined his head in acknowledgement. "However, I do have my Slytherin tendencies as well." Before he could continue Remus spoke up again.

"Before you say anything Albus, there was just one other thing," Remus said. "We spoke to Dobby on our way up here and Sirius hired him. He will be leaving Hogwarts with us today." Remus saw the flash of anger in the old wizard's eyes for a split second before he masked his features.

"Very well," Dumbledore said. "It seems you have left me with no choice. I shall contact the Ministry and let you know about the time of the hearing."

"Thank you Albus," Remus said as he stood. "Let's go Sirius."

"Just a minute Moony," Sirius said. He turned back to the headmaster. "I've always known you were manipulative Albus and that you cared more about the greater good than the individual, but I never thought you'd go this far. You kept Remus from his son for twelve years and knowing what I do now, I don't doubt that you didn't fight all that hard to keep me out of Azkaban. You sentenced Harry to a horrible childhood because it was no childhood at all. I don't think I will be able to trust you ever again and worse, you have lost my respect." With that Sirius turned on his heel and left the office. Remus stared at the man that he used to revere above any other, the man that had made it possible for him to come to school and he felt nothing but disappointment.

"I will always be grateful for everything you did to allow me to attend school here, but I have to echo Sirius' statement. You've disappointed me Albus and worse, you hurt an innocent boy in the process. That is something I don't think I can ever forgive you for." Remus turned and followed his friend from the office, neither of them noticing the remorseful look or the brightness in the man's eyes.

The two reached the kitchens and went inside, their eyes instantly finding Harry at a table which was covered in food. Sirius chuckled as the two approached.

"Well?" Harry asked, looking back and forth between his father and his godfather.

"Let's go home, son," Remus said with a smile.

"Really?" Harry said, his face lighting up.

"Really," Sirius assured him. Harry jumped up and hugged Sirius and then Remus. Harry looked up at his father, his arms still around his waist.

"And I get to stay? For good?" Harry asked.

"Forever," Remus said kissing the top of the boy's head when he hugged him again. Remus looked up and silently thanked Lily for giving him such a gift. Sirius clapped him on the back and ruffled Harry's hair and the three of them left Hogwarts with Dobby to begin their new life together.

A/N2 - So, I never intended to take this story any further than this point. In fact, when I first started writing, Harry wasn't going to come into it much at all. It was going to focus almost solely on Remus and Lily. But, as per usual, the story took on a life of its own and here we are. As of now, I don't have any plans for a sequel, but I won't say never as who knows when a plot bunny will make itself known. I want to thank everyone who has read and especially those that have reviewed! I hope that you all enjoyed it and feel free to check out my other stories! :)