Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

A/N: There are lots of stories where Sirius, members of the Black family, or even muggles rescue Harry from his relatives. But I have found none where Lupin rescues him. I understand the reason this is unlikely of course. He is too close to Dumbledore and as a werewolf without money, he would find it difficult to raise a child. But I think he would attempt it if he finds out that the Durseys are abusing Harry and Dumbledore insists on keeping him there.

Chapter 1: First Impressions

Harry Potter was a strange boy. Strange things always happened around him. He had started school the previous week. On the night before his first day at school, his aunt had cut his hair very short, because she didn't like how messy it looked. The next morning it had grown back to look the way it always looked.

Then there was school. Harry's aunt, uncle and cousin hated him. He had hoped he would have some respite from his cousin while he was at school. But that was not the case. His cousin was in the same class as him. And even worse, Dudley had a gang whose favourite game was Harry hunting. Harry had been caught once. He still had bruises.

The next time when they had been chasing him, he was scared. And the strangest thing had happened. He had disappeared and reappeared on the roof. He had been locked in his cupboard for the rest of the week after that.

But right now locked in the cupboard under the stairs, he was not thinking about the strange things. He was hoping once again that someone would come and take him away. He knew nobody would come. His parents had been drunks and got themselves killed in a car crash. That was why he was living with his relatives who hated him. But he wished once again that he had some distant relative who would come to take him away from his relatives' home.

Remus Lupin was working as a deliveryman. It didn't pay well and it was a job in the muggle world. But it wasn't a bad job. He couldn't get a job in the wizarding world anymore. He couldn't work at the full moon, and eventually his employers would get suspicious. He could never keep a job for more than a few months. Now that he had worked for so many people and been absent for so many full moons, almost everyone had heard the rumors. Nobody would hire him in the wizarding world.

He looked at the address on the last package for the day. The name of the small town sounded familiar. Like he had heard it before. But he had been going round in circles for an hour. He had a good sense of direction if he said so himself. And he simply couldn't understand why he kept getting lost. He looked for the address, while trying to remember. After an hour and a half of searching he finally found it and as he dropped the parcel at the right address on Magnolia Crescent, he saw a sign saying Privet Drive. Of course, he remembered. Lily's sister lived there.

The thought brought a wave of pain. Lily and James Potter his best friends were dead. And his other best friend had killed them. He refused to even think the name. But Harry might be here he realized. He had tried to see the little boy when James and Lily had died and Sirius, no Black was sent to Azkaban. But Dumbledore had told him Harry would be safer if nobody knew where he lived. But he knew that Dumbledore had sent the little boy to live with Lily's muggle relatives, whose own son was the same age.

He had to agree with Dumbledore, of course. Harry was safer in the muggle world.

He looked at the sign again. He had promised Dumbledore that he wouldn't look for Harry. It wouldn't do to draw attention to him after all. He was safe not just because of the wards Dumbledore had put on the house, but also because nobody knew where he was or who he lived with.

But he was so close. His best friend's son, his cub lived just around the corner. He could just wait till he got a glimpse of Harry. He couldn't go into the house, of course. Dumbledore had told him the wards would not let him in because werewolves were dark creatures.

He walked down Privet Drive and wondered idly what Harry might be doing. He might not even be at home. If fact, he was probably playing with his friends at the park. He had passed a park on the way here. If Harry wasn't at home he would check there next.

He stopped across the street from Number 4 Privet Drive. There was a small boy with messy black hair working in the garden. He looked up and Remus saw that he was really Harry Potter. And he looked so much like James. Before he could consider his actions, he waved to the boy.

Harry seemed to be surprised at first. But he waved back. Remus beckoned him to come to him. Harry came across the street and he was immediately worried. The little boy had a bruise on his right cheek and a burn on his left hand. But he was James' son with Lily's eyes. Why was Harry working in the garden with a burned hand. And he was wearing someone else's old clothes. But that might be because they were going to get dirty. That was not important. Harry was hurt.

When Harry stopped in front of him, he already had his wand in his hand. But he couldn't just start casting spells. Harry hadn't even recognized him.

"Hello Harry. I'm Remus Lupin. I went to school with your parents," Remus said with a smile.

"Hello Mr. Lupin," Harry replied shyly.

"I'm going to heal your hand, ok?" he asked.

Harry looked at him curiously. Didn't he know about magic? It was possible, he lived with muggles, Remus thought.

"I can do magic, Harry," he explained. "Let me show you."

"But magic isn't real," Harry objected.

"Let me show you," Remus repeated holding out his hand.

Harry gave him his injured hand. Remus pointed his wand at it and performed the complex movement for the healing charm. He had been the best student in his class. And as a werewolf he had a lot of practice with healing spells.

Harry was examining his healed hand with amazement. "You can really do magic!" He looked back at his hand. "Can you teach me how to do that?"

"Maybe when you're older. It's a difficult spell," Remus replied. Harry's face fell immediately. "But there are lots of spells which are easier. You'll be learning them very soon."

"Really? Can you teach me?" Harry asked again.

"Why don't you try a spell?" he said, giving his wand to Harry.

Harry took the wand and he adjusted his grip on it. "Ok. Now say Lumos," Remus said.

"Lumos." And the wand immediately lit up. "Wow!" Harry said, "I can do magic!"

After extinguishing his wand and taking it back, Remus asked, "Harry, how did you get burned? And why were you working in the garden when you were hurt?"

Remus Lupin was furious. He had never wanted to hurt anyone as much as he wanted to hurt those horrible muggles. Not hurting them before leaving Privet Drive was the most difficult thing he had done in his life.

But he had recognized that attacking muggles would not help Harry. He needed to make sure Harry got away from them first. He had done what he thought would help Harry the most. He had apparated outside Hogwarts, and rushed to the headmaster's office. He would tell Dumbledore what Harry had told him and Dumbledore would move Harry to a good wizarding family. Then the Dursleys would be tried before the Wizengamot and get a nice long stay in Azkaban. Dumbledore would take care of everything.

"Remus," Dumbledore called. He had not even reached the castle yet. Was the man actually omniscient?

"Albus, I just saw Harry," he said in a rush. He ignored the headmaster's disapproving expression. His story was more important. "His relatives are hurting him. They make him do all the housework and he was burnt while cooking, but they didn't even treat his hand. They were making him work in the garden even with a burned hand…"

"Remus, surely you have misunderstood the situation. Children always complain about doing chores. And his family must not have realized he had injured his hand. You are worrying without reason."

Remus stared at the headmaster. He realized he had been rambling. But how could Dumbledore say that he had misunderstood? Harry's relatives were the worst kind of people. People who hurt innocent children. They were no better than Death Eaters and they deserved the same punishment. Why didn't Dumbledore see that?

His thoughts must have shown on his face, because Dumbledore said, "I will however investigate and take measures to ensure young Harry's safety."

Remus was relieved. Yes that was the right thing to do. If they were going to be sent to Azkaban, an investigation was necessary. He was not needed to deal with Harry's so called family.

"Thank you headmaster. That is all I ask," Remus said, before taking his leave.

The next day was the full moon and Remus was keen to get to his heavily warded cabin, where he would be away from people he could harm.

Two days after the full moon, Remus was finally recovered enough to return to civilization. He had not gone home in favor of Diagon Alley. He wanted to know who Harry was living with and when the Dursleys would be tried before the Wizengamot. He planned to attend the trial.

But he was disappointed. There was no news in the Daily Prophet. It was time to go back to work.

As he made deliveries that day, he couldn't get Harry out of his mind. He would insist on meeting his new family, he decided. It was almost a month to the next full moon. It would be perfectly safe.

It made sense that the Daily Prophet hadn't reported who Harry lived with now. It would be safer that way. But he had to make sure he was happy with them. He deserved to know. He had found out his relatives were mistreating him after all. Even Dumbledore didn't know until Remus had told him.

He had decided, he would speak to Dumbledore and find out where Harry was after work.

Remus Lupin was waiting outside the Hogwarts staff room. He had spent the last three hours at the school. It was late, but he was determined to meet Dumbledore before he left. Minerva had hinted that Dumbledore was busy and he should leave. But Remus had told her he would wait no matter how long it took. He might have been less polite than he should have been but he didn't care. Harry's safety was at stake.

"Lupin, what are you doing here? Shouldn't the wards have stopped you from getting into the school?" It was Snape.

"Good evening Snape," Remus said through gritted teeth. He had no patience for him right now. Was Dumbledore avoiding him?

"In any case, I can escort you outside myself. As a Professor of Hogwarts, it's my responsibility to keep the students safe," Snape said with a smug expression.

"I'm waiting for Dumbledore," Remus replied, refusing to take the bait.

"Dumbledore has better things to do than talk to dark creatures," Snape spat at him.

"What might that be? Employing more Death Eaters?" Remus asked, finally losing his patience.

"How dare you!" Snape roared, drawing his wand. Remus hurried to draw his own.

"Hello Remus, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Dumbledore asked walking down the corridor towards him and Snape.

Remus lowered his wand and greeted Dumbledore. "I was hoping to ask what has been done about the problem we spoke about three days ago," he said.

Dumbledore gave him a piercing stare, and said, "Shall we go to my office?"

Once the door to Dumbledore's office had been shut, Remus started asking his questions, "Where is Harry? When can I speak to him? What's going to happen to the Dursleys?"

"Remus, Harry is with his family. I have spoken to them and they will take better care of Harry in the future," Dumbledore said in a placating tone.

"Have you really gone senile?" Remus asked. Then he blushed, and apologized.

"I understand you are upset. It's fine my boy. You need not worry yourself. Everything has been taken care of," Dumbledore said.

"What do you mean? They didn't care that Harry had been burnt for the whole day! And they lock him in a cupboard! Surely that is a crime. Harry can't live with them. Any wizarding family would take him in." Remus wondered if he was still in his cabin having an absurd dream. It was impossible that Dumbledore wanted Harry to continue living with those people.

"Harry can't be sent to live with a wizarding family. The fame would go to his head. He needs to live in the muggle world, so that he can have a normal childhood."

"You don't know what will happen if he lives with a wizarding family. And he isn't having a normal childhood. His family treats him worse than a house elf," Remus said obviously frustrated. What was wrong with Dumbledore?

"I have spoken with Petunia. Harry will be treated better now," Dumbledore said in his infuriatingly calm voice.

Remus was fighting to keep his temper under control. He should have made sure he was near those sorry excuses for humans at the full moon. Then they wouldn't be having this argument. He tried to keep his voice even as he said, "You can't just take her word! If Harry must live in the muggle world, at least send him to live somewhere else." He thought he was being very reasonable. Why was Dumbledore refusing to understand?

Dumbledore closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "Remus, Harry has to live with Petunia. When Lily died to save Harry from Voldermort, she gave Harry powerful protection. He will be safe as long as he lives with his mother's blood. He needs to stay where he is."

So that was why Dumbledore was so determined to keep Harry with those people. A lot of Death Eaters had escaped Azkaban. And even worse, Dumbledore thought You-Know-Who wasn't dead.

"I hope you understand Remus. Harry is safe there," Dumbledore said.

Remus knew he would get nowhere with any more arguments. Dumbledore was sure he was doing the right thing. He nodded and left.

He was still deep in thought as he walked out of the school and aparated home.

He paced the kitchen as he thought about the problem. Dumbledore thought that Harry was safe. And he was probably safe from Death Eaters and Voldermort. But his relatives were definitely hurting him. He needed to do something. But what?

Remus paced and considered his options for the rest of the night. He knew that you couldn't have everything. You had to decide what was important. He would have to talk to Harry before he did anything. Even if he was only six, it was his life. He deserved to make his own decisions.

The next morning, Remus drove his delivery van to the little town Harry lived in. He had transfigured his delivery uniform into casual clothes, so that he wouldn't attract too much attention.

He was waiting near the local primary school that he hoped Harry would be attending.

Half an hour later he saw Harry walking towards the school. He called to Harry, "Can I speak to you for a minute Harry?"

Harry immediately rushed to him with a smile. "Mr. Lupin!" he exclaimed.

"Would you like to take a trip with me today?" he asked, "We can make sure the teacher doesn't miss you."

"You really want me to come with you?" he asked.

"Of course. Let's go."

They were in the delivery van and Remus had driven them out of town. They had played an amusing game of guessing what was in the parcels for a while. Remus had parked the van near the side of the road, and put a dozen security spells on it. He then disillusioned Harry and made him promise he wouldn't leave the van for any reason.

When Harry agreed, he delivered all the parcels by apparition. When he was back after the last delivery, he was carrying lunch for him and Harry.

While they ate, he asked Harry what had changed since the last time they met.

"I sleep in Dudley's second bed room now. And Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia are more angry than usual. Nothing else changed," Harry replied between bites.

Remus was getting angry again. Dumbledore had said Harry would be safe. Leaving him alone without a wand in a house full of people who hated him was definitely not safe. But he had to make sure. "Do you still cook food and do the gardening?" he asked.

"Yes and I also do laundry and wash the dishes. And I have to wash the car on weekends," Harry said. Then he resumed eating as if it was normal for a six year old boy to do all that work.

"Will you come and live with me for some time Harry?" he asked.

Harry froze and he wondered if he had said something wrong. "Can I really? When can we leave?" he asked.

Surely it was not normal for a child to want to leave his home with a stranger, he thought. That just proved that the Dursleys were the worst kind of people. "We've already left," he said with a smile. "Although I need to go back and cast some spells to make sure that your aunt and uncle won't miss you."

"Do we have to? They won't even notice I'm not there," Harry said. That was definitely not normal. Remus clamped down on his temper again. He couldn't afford to scare Harry now. Also now was a good time to explain some other things.

"Before we go, I have something important to tell you. I'm a werewolf." Harry merely looked back at him. So he explained, "I turn into a wolf on the night of the full moon. And I can be dangerous." He didn't know what else to say. He really didn't want to scare Harry.

"Do I have to be a werewolf to go with you?" Harry finally asked.

"NO!" he shouted, and Harry started. Harry! He didn't even want to think about it. "I mean that its dangerous for you to be near me at the full moon. So you'll have to be alone at home. But I'll make sure you are safe."

"Ok. We're still leaving?" Harry asked worriedly.

"Yes. We're still leaving. But I had to warn you first." He smiled and Harry smiled back. He realized that he was taking advantage of the situation. Harry didn't know anything about the wizarding world, so he hadn't even blinked when Remus had told him he would be living with a werewolf. And after being treated like a house elf, he was offering Harry a home where he would actually be treated like a person. But he really couldn't see what else he could do. He couldn't leave Harry where Dumbledore had put him. And he couldn't do anything to stop Dumbledore legally.

"Mr. Lupin, what's wrong?" Harry asked.

"Nothing is wrong Harry. But I need to tell you a story."

Harry nodded, and he started, "Your parents were my best friends at school. When we finished school, we decided to fight against an evil wizard. He thought people whose parents couldn't do magic shouldn't learn magic. But we believed that no matter who your family is, all witches and wizards should be allowed to learn magic."

Harry was listening with rapt attention. He continued, "Your parents were very brave, and they stopped the evil wizard from doing many bad things. That made him angry. And he attacked them. He broke into their home and killed them, but he couldn't kill you. When he tried to kill you, he lost his power somehow. And you are famous in the wizarding world because of it."

"I'm famous?" Harry asked confused.

"For ending the war with the evil wizard," Remus replied.

"But I didn't do anything. I don't even remember…" Harry was getting upset.

"Harry please don't worry about it. It doesn't matter."

He had started driving back to Harry's school. After a long silence he had decided to tell Harry what Dumbledore had said.

"Harry, the headmaster of the school I went to, Dumbledore, is a great wizard. He was the leader of the group who opposed the evil wizard … Voldermort."

"Voldermort?" Harry asked confused by the unusual name.

"Yes that's the name he took, when he started gaining power. Everyone was so afraid of him that nobody uses his name. He is called You Know Who.

"The day he attacked your family, he lost his powers. But Dumbledore thinks he didn't die. And because your mother died to save you, she gave you some kind of protection. Dumbledore thinks you will be safe from this wizard and his followers if you live with your aunt because she is related to your mother by blood."

"I don't care. I don't want to go back," Harry objected.

Remus smiled to reassure him. "You don't have to. I'm going to do everything I can. But you need to know that you won't be as safe with me."

"But you can do magic. Aunt Petunia thinks magic isn't real," Harry said.

"Your aunt knows magic is real. Her sister was a witch and went to Hogwarts," Remus said. "The magic school," he added at Harry's confused look.

While Harry considered his words, they were back in Little Whinning. He parked the van and put the security spells on it again. Harry promised to stay in the van without being asked this time. "You learn quickly," he said with a smile.

Then he apparated to the school and modified Harry's teacher's memory and the attendance records. Then he apparated back.

He found out from Harry that his uncle drove to work and would be back in half an hour. He waited in the car for the right time, then walked to No. 4 Privet Drive. He didn't want to apparate in case the someone else came to investigate the sound.

He had already cast a disillusionment charm on himself. He didn't have to wait long before Vernon Dursley arrived home from work. He parked the car and got out. When his back was turned, Remus threw a rock into the car's window.

He waited on the other side of the street as Vernon looked around for the person who had thrown the rock. He started complaining about some boy who was always causing trouble. Remus smiled as he crossed the street. He was outside the wards.

"Imperio," he said pointing his wand at Vernon Dursley. The feeling of absolute power over someone was like nothing he had felt before. He relished the feeling for a second. This man had made Harry's life hell for five years. And now Remus Lupin held his life in the palm of his hand.

But he wouldn't do anything that would attract attention just yet. He would wait till his argument with Dumbledore faded from everyone's mind. He gave Harry's uncle his first command, "Bring your wife here."

Harry's uncle didn't even show surprise at the disembodied voice. He turned and went into the house. A few minutes later, he walked back holding his wife's arm.

Petunia was confused and worried. "Why are we outside Vernon? What's going on?"

"Imperio," Remus said pointing his wand at her. "Both of you listen. You will tell anyone who asks that Harry is ill and has to stay in bed. You will not try to find out where he is. If anyone asks about me or Harry, you will not tell them anything. You will act normally and not allow your neighbors to become suspicious."

He sent them back to the house, and walked back to the van. Harry was getting restless, so he started driving back to return the van. Harry thought being invisible was cool and he promised to teach him the spell later. The disillusionment charm was difficult but it would be very useful if Harry got into trouble.

Harry stayed quiet while Remus returned the van and the signed receipts for the deliveries. Then he walked into a deserted alley with Harry and disapprated to his parents' cottage.

Once they were home, he made Harry visible again. Harry thought it was a great adventure and wanted to do it again the next day.

After Harry had eaten dinner and gone to sleep in the spare bedroom, Remus sat in the kitchen with a glass of firewhiskey. He had been staring at the amber liquid for the last half an hour. He had kidnapped Harry Potter from under Dumbedore's nose. And he had put Harry's aunt and uncle under the Imperious curse. If anyone found out about either of those things his life would not be worth living.

But he had resuced his friend's son from an unhappy childhood and that was something to be proud of.

A/N: This is my first story, so please let me know what you think. Is anyone upset that Lupin used an Unforgivable curse on Harry's muggle relatives? Does anyone think it is out of character? Would oblivating them be enough to avoid drawing attention to Harry's absence? Was there a better solution that I have missed? Let me know in a review!

In the next chapter: Harry lives a normal life with Lupin. But that would be too boring. So they will also steal from Dumbledore and kill the boy-who-lived. It should be up before the end of the week.