As always, feedback is loved (and helps me write faster...hint, hint...).

Chapter Four

Shacklebolt pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill. He muttered a few words and the quill jumped to attention, an ink blot beginning to spread on the paper. "Aurors present: Kingsley Shacklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks, interviewing," he looked up at Harry here, "Mr Nobody, 3:30 p.m. 20 June, 2000."

Auror Tonks pulled out a chair between Harry and Shacklebolt. "So, Mr Nobody, you said you've travelled quite a bit, even though you speak…well, somewhat like an Englishman. Where are you from originally?"

Oh, they were going to have to be far cleverer than that to get some decent answers out of him. They may have been nice, but Harry was intent on keeping as much information to himself as long as possible. Of course, the game would be over once Dumbledore arrived and pushed his heavy fringe aside to reveal the covered up scar that was the bloody bane of his existence, but until that time he would remain Mr Nobody from nowhere.

"If I'm nobody, how can I come from anywhere?" Harry asked.

Tonks leaned forward in her chair. "Well, if I remember my classics correctly, the first Mr Nobody was originally from Ithaca, and had a real name behind the alias. So I can therefore figure that with this Mr Nobody a name and history lurks somewhere beyond those sunglasses of his. Wanna give us a clue?"

"Not particularly."

Shacklebolt slammed his fist on the metal table, sending them all back a few inches in surprise. "Look, kid, we're never going to get anywhere with this if you don't tell us who you are. The sooner we can get this done the sooner you can be on your way leading your life."

Harry snorted in disbelief. Even if he confessed everything he'd still be stuck there a lot longer than he would have liked due to the sheer nature of what he'd done. He might as well have a little fun until that time. "I'm sorry, I just can't tell you that. Next question, please."

Shacklebolt's eye twitched dangerously.

It wasn't the rain pattering on the window that woke Sirius up that morning. Rather, it was the insistent poking at his cheeks that did it. He opened bleary eyes to see a grinning Harry kneeling over him and his fingers pressed into his face. "You're awake!"

"Barely," Sirius groaned. He looked at the clock, which read 9:15 a.m. Not a totally unreasonable hour, at least Harry had given him that long.

"Good. Breakfast has been ready forever, let's go eat." Sirius bit back the wince. He could never eat right after he'd woken up, and Azkaban had done even more damage to his appetite. But who was he to deny Harry his godfather's presence? He could at least nurse a tea.

They had been staying in a guest house on the outskirts of the family property. Remus said it was because that's where all guests stayed, but Sirius got the feeling that they were stuck all the way out there was because he still didn't trust Sirius not to harm his family. Not that Sirius would be stupid enough to harm a family that had more than one person in their midst that could easily hex him into tiny little bits… He bundled Harry up warmly and they walked the few minutes to the main house. A simple breakfast of pastries and fruit was set out on the kitchen table, with a steaming pot of coffee waiting for them on the stove. Someone with a good deal of foresight had set a kettle to boiling also, with a few tea bags on the counter as well.

As Harry busied himself with a sugar covered and immensely flaky and messy pastry, Sirius could hear Remus talking in a different room. He drifted closer to the arched doorway and peeked around the corner. Remus was speaking a rapid stream of Italian, a pained look on his face and his hand constantly running through his hair. Finally he lapsed back into English. "No…No, Lucia, it's done, I'm sorry…yeah, it's for the best…don't worry about the jumper. I won't be back to pick it up. Just give it to the Church or something. Yes…Arrivederci, Lucia." He hung up the phone and collapsed in the chair, both hands pulling at his hair now. After a few minutes of this, Sirius decided to announce his presence.

"Hey. I'm making up some tea, would you like some?"

Remus stood up with a sigh. "No, the tea here is shite. Just stick to the coffee, you'll be better off for it."

"I haven't had coffee in years. It'll probably wreck my stomach and I'll be in agony all day."

"Better than gruel, though."

"True." Sirius prepared himself a cup of the sub-standard tea as Remus poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down next to Harry.

"What are you doing, Harry?" Remus asked him, smiling as the boy held up his book.

"Reading! Um, kind of. I can't understand these words, but the pictures are nice." A glance at the cover showed that the book was in Italian, but the brightly coloured pictures were universal.

"Well, if you'd like, I can read it to you in English later on."

"That'd be great."

"Good." Remus then turned back to Sirius, who was bent low over his cup of tea and inhaling the fragrant steam. "Sirius, I was thinking about where we could head next."

"You've got an idea?" This was good news to hear, as Sirius had come to admit that he hadn't planned as far in advance as he would have liked where they would travel next.

Remus pulled a few papers over from the other side of the table. One of them was a map, and he spread it between the two of them. "Here. Santiago, Spain. I've already got a lengthy trip planned there starting in a couple of months courtesy of a wizard affiliated seminary in Rome—"

Sirius raised his eyebrow at that one. "You planning on joining the priesthood? Giving up glamour for a life of celibacy?"

Remus didn't even spare him a glance. "You've got to be Catholic to do that. In any case, I've been contracted to do some research for them in Santiago. There's an apartment set up there already, plus living expenses. The way I'm thinking I can pass you off as my pet during travelling, and Harry could be my sister's kid. It'll be a tough stretch to manage the three of us on a small budget, but I think we can make it. From there we'll have a little more time to plan our next move, and figure out just how we're going to take care of Harry."

"Sounds like a plan," Sirius nodded. "Does Harry have enough similar features to pass for your sister's son?"

"Rosie's got black hair, just like my mum. That should be enough if anyone comes across us who hasn't seen Rosie in a while." He looked over at Harry, who was squinting at the picture book. "We may have to do something about his eyes, though."

It was in April, two months after they had arrived in Santiago, that Albus Dumbledore requested an audience with Remus. "I can only imagine what it's about," he said to Sirius over dinner. "It's extremely rare that the headmaster of Hogwarts pays personal visits to his former students."

"Yeah, but you weren't the average student for more than one reason. You're also a member of the Order, don't forget that," Sirius replied.

"Yes…" he said distractedly.

"You…you're not going to say anything about Harry and I, will you?" Sirius worried his lower lip with his teeth.

Remus looked up at him, then over to Harry who was occupying himself with a chicken leg. He didn't know quite what to say.

As per his instructions, Dumbledore met him at a little wine bar near to the Cathedral. The old man was sitting at an outdoor table, blending in fairly well with the muggles around them, his long snowy beard the only thing that looked a little out of place. It was one of those rare sunny days in early spring, and many people were taking advantage of it. The mass of the Cathedral of St. James loomed over the plaza, casting its gaze over the people gathering below.

"Ah, Remus," Dumbledore greeted him as he sat down at the table. "You're looking well. Would you like some wine? This is a particularly superb Rioja."

"Yes, thank you," Remus said. "How have you been, Headmaster?"

"Rather well, thank you. It's getting to be a busy time of year at Hogwarts, O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s are coming up soon as I'm sure you remember."

Remus nodded. "The seventh years must be going mental by now."

"To put it mildly. And yourself, Remus? How has your research project been going?" Albus asked.

"So far it's been incredibly interesting. It's fascinating to see how muggle symbolism is used in the wizarding world as part of their defences."

"Good, good." Albus sighed and smoothed down his beard. "Alas, I wish this was for purely social reasons. Have you heard about Sirius Black's death?"

"Yes. Good riddance, really." Remus shrugged. "We hadn't been getting along all that well before hand, and after he went to Azkaban…the world is better off without him." It was an opinion he was starting to revise in recent days, especially after seeing Sirius interact with Harry, but there was no way he was going to let Dumbledore know that.

"I'm sure you're not the only one out there to hold that belief," Albus said. "As much as it pains me to say it, having Voldemort's second in command out of the way is a relief to me in case the time comes for him to return."

Remus tilted his head just a little in question. "Do you think that Voldemort isn't gone for good?"

"As much as I wish for Voldemort to be fully destroyed and to never show his countenance on this plane of existence ever again, I do believe that we should be on our guard, because I think that there is a strong chance that he will try again."

Remus convulsively gulped at his wine. This was not what anyone wanted to hear, especially when one was aiding and abetting an escaped criminal who was once believed to be working for said Dark Lord. "What, um…what does this mean for Harry?" He watched carefully as Dumbledore's face, a mask of controlled emotions, twitched and slipped just slightly, but didn't crumble totally.

"Harry will be safe. His mother's protection on him will keep him safe from the likes of Voldemort and any rogue Death Eaters still out there. His aunt and uncle are taking fine care of him." As much as Remus subtly questioned him, nothing more was said about Harry.

"Well? What did he say?" Sirius asked as soon as Remus walked back in the door.

He shrugged. "Just the usual hi, how are you, did you hear that Sirius Black died when he tried to escape from Azkaban, and oh, yes, Harry's aunt and uncle are taking fine care of him."

Sirius gaped. "You've got to be kidding me."

Remus laughed humourlessly. "I wish I was."

"So, either Dumbledore doesn't know that Harry's missing yet, or is keeping his disappearance away from the likes of the public."

"Neither of which are good options. This is going to become extremely messy."

TBC...