All Mine

Chapter 1: How it Starts…

Remus Lupin gave the password to the stone gargoyle with a sense of dread in the pit of his stomach. Ever since he left school all those years ago, he had only ever been inside the magnificent office of Albus Dumbledore to receive dire news. The last time this happened, three years ago, he learned of the deaths/ betrayals of his closest friends. And now…

"If you are finished standing in front of my door, Mr. Lupin, I'm afraid the subject at hand is of dire importance."

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit… was the only thought running through his mind. They crossed to the grand desk and took their respective seats. Dumbledore leaned back, exhaled deeply, and finally seemed to look his age.

"I'm afraid that I have made a terrible mistake, and I need your help." Remus could only nod. "It seems that I announced a false statement three years ago this November. A false statement which involves you, I'm afraid. Recent evidence has come to light that proves a Mr. Sirius Black innocent of all charges."

Nothing. That was all that seemed to be running through Remus's mind at the completion of this admission- nothing at all. How could Sirius be innocent? I mean… He was sentenced almost three years ago…

He voiced this thought. "You see, Mr. Lupin- Remus- I held a rather large secret from the world. The night the Potter's were attacked, James fell, and then Lily, and then poor baby Harry was cursed. Of course, you already know all of this… what you didn't already know was that when James fell, he didn't exactly die."

The nothingness was replaced by a dull buzzing sensation in his ears. "He was in a coma, Remus, and labeled as death imminent. The healers told me there was no chance of recovery, and so I asked that he simply be pronounced dead. Yesterday evening, he woke up and informed me that they switched secret keepers at the last minute to mister Pettigrew. The ministry has been alerted and is now searching for him. Sirius has been freed, and his innocence is being announced in the Evening Prophet as we speak."

"But James… James is… alive? But… I mean…" Dumbledore cut him off prematurely. "Yes, and he is currently making himself presentable in my chambers. Now, I would very much appreciate it if the two of you would go to Surrey and collect young Harry. It is my assumption that the sooner he is around you two and James, the better."

Remus could only nod.

Remus and Sirius drove down the expressway in Sirius's old four door Sedan, both not sure what to say to the other. Every time one tried to say something, things would get awkward, and the subject, whatever it happened to be, would drop. It just felt weird.

"What was the address, again?" asked Sirius from behind the wheel. "4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging." Silence again. 10 minutes later, they were in front of the Dursley residence. "Why are we driving, again?"

Remus sighed. "Because, Harry'll never have portkeyed or apparated before. He's about to have the shock of his life- we can at least make him as comfortable as possible."

Silence again. "Here it is." The two parked the old BMW, got out, and walked to the door. Sirius was about to ring the bell, but paused when he heard shouting. While the words were indistinguishable, the resounding smack that followed seemed to linger in the air for ages. Remus pushed open the door without knocking, and the two rushed through the narrow entrance hall into the living room. These actions went completely unnoticed by Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley Dursley.

"Are you deaf, boy? I said GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY WAY!" they looked between the large man and the small bundle of clothes he seemed to be kicking for only a moment- until they realized that the mop of black hair emerging from the pile actually belonged on top of the head of a small child.

Sirius pulled Vernon off, while Remus whipped out his wand and pointed it threateningly at the remainder of the household. His voice was shaking with rage. "Another move and I swear…" instead of finishing his sentence, Remus diverted his attention to the reason they were there in the first place. Harry wasn't moving.

It was Sirius who continued. "We're taking Harry away, and he's never ever coming back. However, I can guarantee you that the two of us and our little friend will be back very soon. By the way… your oaf of a son seems to have shit his pants. You may want to take care of that." He gingerly picked up his godson, and walked out the door.

Harry had been sleeping on the backseat of the old car for thirty minutes with his head in Sirius's lap.

"I think he needs a healer," spoke Remus from the driver's seat. His eyes kept darting in between the road and the rear-view mirror.

"When we get back to the hallow, we'll fire call Pomfrey." Not another word was spoken until they pulled up in front of Potter Manor.

"This is going to take an extensive healing period," explained the anal-compulsive healer. However, as she was explaining the condition of her tiny ward to these two, she seemed somehow warm and comforting.

Remus asked the question that was on the tips of both of their tongues. "What's wrong with him?"

She sighed. "Several of his ribs are either broken or bruised. He has numerous facial fractures- many seem to be quite old. He has about 79 stitches in his face alone. His startling behavior when he awoke- he had nothing short of a nervous breakdown when he realized he was naked with someone in the room- caused me to speculate on is mental health. Years of neglect and abuse warrants me to diagnose him as mentally and emotionally unstable. His testicles are bruised and scared, leading me to believe he has been repeatedly fondled/ molested. There are abrasions on his buttocks, bruises on his hips, and tearing of the rectum and the anus. In other words, a very large man with a great amount of access to Harry has been raping him for quite some time. Your best bet would probably be the uncle. This list just barely scratches the surface."

Remus had sat down and was staring at the floor; Sirius had been pacing the parlor the entire time. The later looked up the staircase- the shortest path to his godson. He wanted to see him. "When can I see him?"

She speculated. "If you go in there, make sure he is fully dressed. If he even thinks that you somehow saw him naked, the resulting mental damage could be devastating. If you are in the room when he wakes up, do not be touching him. Do not push him to talk, let him set the pace. He does, however, need to discuss all of this- preferably with a specialist. I'll leave you with a few recommendations. The medication he will need is on the bedside table. There are directions for each- make sure that he bathes before you use the internal salves. It would probably be easiest to put him under the influence of dreamless sleep before that particular application. He'll be extremely shy, so don't let that surprise you.

"And before I forget- he also suffers from night terrors, or chronic nightmares. Dreamless sleep will not ease their pain, and they will more than likely continue at least until his late teens. They may cease for one night, if only because his subconscious feels completely safe.

"I already dressed him in a pair of pajamas that were in the ward. I suggest you get him some new clothes very soon. Make sure he feels loved and safe at all times. Emotional outbursts are to be expected. I think that's about all. I'll be back in two weeks to check on his stitches. If any complications arise, you know where to find me."

And with that, she walked to the fireplace and flooed to Hogwarts.

"So, what now?" asked a lost- looking Remus. "I mean, I guess you should just stay with him, right? I'll talk to James, and tomorrow, we'll get him some new clothes." He also flooed away, leaving Sirius alone with his thoughts. It was almost an hour before he could summon up enough courage to turn twards the staircase.