Disclaimer: (This will only be stated once)

I do not own the world of Harry Potter. Everything rightfully belongs to J.K. Rowling.

Chapter 1: A Personal Order Mission

The sun had just set when three cloaked figures walked up the pathway of Number 4 Privet Drive. The oldest and most experienced one led the group, hobbling warily of his wooden leg. A woman with purple hair worthy of a teenage rock-concert followed next, striding purposefully. However her dignified walk was sorely deflated when she stumbled on a sidewalk crack. The shabby-clothed man behind her caught her before she could make too much a fool of herself. The man in front had not seen the incident or perhaps he was already used to the woman's clumsiness and chose to ignore it. After an awkward moment of swishing cloaks and steadying hands, the shabby man just nodded and gestured her to proceed. In silence they continued on. The crew was dressed in wizarding wear, but smartly chose to do their mission under the shroud of darkness. Had it been daytime, they would have made quite a sight, much to Petunia Dursley's dismay.

At the doorstep, the leader extended his arm. But he did not ring the bell. He knew that the Dursleys were out for the night. Instead he withdrew his wand and growled "alohomora".

As if set in a spring, the door flew open before them. All three of the visitors waved their wands, producing a small light at the end of the tip.

"Tonks, remember don't touch anything on the shelves." The oldest one growled as the trio crossed through the threshold.

The purple haired woman called Tonks rolled her eyes. She knew the drill: mind the mirrors and tea cups; watch wear you place your feet, don't tread on sleeping pets...

"Moody, give her some credit; I think she's earned her place. Besides, she hasn't broken anything yet." The younger one spoke up.

Moody grunted as he looked over his shoulder at the younger wizard. The combined wand-light of the two behind him revealed his face, which was heavily scarred and contained an unnaturally large and electric blue eye. His abnormal left eye spun wildly to inspect the pair of aurors.

"I'll hold you to that, Remus."

Remus nodded and decided to take the lead while Moody and Tonks remained at the bottom of the stairs. The mission was to transport Harry Potter to Number 12 Grimmauld Place, where the teen and his friends would stay for the remainder of the summer. Harry Potter, also known as "The-Boy-Who-Lived" required aurors due to the fact that he was number one on Voldemort's, the darkest wizard of all time, killing list.

Remus took the mission personally and was willing to take the risks. Harry was, after all, the son of his best mate and would be his godson if the wizarding laws allowed it. Remus had taught Harry in Harry's third year at Hogwarts and was drawn in by the boy's kindness and charm. That was when he truly regretted all the lost time they could have spent together. Sirius Black was Harry's true godfather and Harry's parents had wished for both Remus and Sirius to share the role of Godfather, but due to Remus's status, Sirius was chosen legally.

Sirius was keen on coming on the trip with Remus, but the omniscient Dumbledore had stood against the idea, saying it would risk both Sirius and Harry's safety. Sirius Black did not have a good reputation in the wizarding community; in fact he was thought to be a murderer. After some reasoning from Remus, Sirius let the matter drop. Currently, Sirius Black was probably pacing the halls of Grimmauld Place waiting for his godson's arrival. Remus smiled; after the ordeal Harry suffered at the end of his last term, Sirius would only be happy when Harry was in his hands.

As Remus crept up the creaky stairs, his wand held out in front of him, he heard a most unpleasant sound. He paused, waiting for the noise again. After only a brief moment, it came again and Remus's suspicions were confirmed. Someone was retching. After hearing a toilet flush, he walked quickly to the lighted bathroom at the end of the hallway.

"Harry!"

Harry Potter was kneeling in front of the toilet. A sheen of sweat covered his face and his neck, making his onyx colored hair stick to his skin. He was pale and shivering slightly. His glasses were askew and the teen was trying to catch his breath. Despite his state, the boy managed to extract his wand and held it in front of himself.

"Harry, are you alright?" Remus asked, though it was clear he was not.

Harry pushed up his glasses and stared wide-eyed at his former professor, "Professor Lupin? What are you doing here?"

"We've come to take you away."

"We?" Harry asked puzzled.

"Yes Alastor Moody, Tonks, and I are going to take you back to Grimmauld Place, Sirius's house."

"Really?" Harry asked smiling when the realization hit.

The rare happiness on the boy's face made Remus's heart twinge. Remus nodded and helped Harry up and closed the lid on the toilet seat before sitting the teen down on it. He knelt in front of Harry to get a good look at his face.

"How are you feeling, Harry? Be honest."

"I'm better now," Harry said being either defensive or optimistic.

Remus looked at him sternly for a second, which made Harry nervous. Remus didn't want to press Harry too much. He hadn't brought any potions or anything that would help Harry. It wouldn't help if he made Harry even more uncomfortable. So he decided to let the matter rest for now.

Remus softened his gaze and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"I'm going to go pack your trunk but I'll be back in a moment," Remus winked. Harry nodded and Remus patted Harry's cheek, discretely checking him for a fever.

He'll definitely need a fever-reducing potion when we get back to Grimmauld Place.

With a swish of his robes, Remus got to his feet and left the bathroom.

Remus headed straight for the bedroom with two deadbolt locks on the door, assuming it was Harry's. He had heard what the Dursleys were like from Harry's friends and from what little Harry revealed. It was obvious that the Dursleys thought Harry was nothing but a burden. When he unlocked the door, a messy room with a scuffed floor, a broken writing desk and an owl cage confirmed the room was indeed Harry's. Remus bit back a growl as the wolf inside him threatened to surface.

Harry deserves so much more than this. Those bloody muggles.

He let out a breath to focus himself. He had to focus on the present to successfully remove Harry from the oppressing place. For now, that was his number one priority.

When Harry emerged from the bathroom ten minutes later, his trunk was already packed and Remus was waiting at the top of the stairs for him. Remus smiled when Harry appeared and took in the boy's improved appearance. Harry had washed his face and neck to rid the sickly sweat. He had also brushed his teeth and attempted to flatten his untidy hair. Remus smiled, knowing that Harry's hair had yet to be tamed.

"Are you ready Harry?" Remus asked, his eyes bright.

Harry grinned, "Are you kidding? This will be the highlight of my summer. I can't wait to be out of here!"

Remus smiled at Harry's enthusiasm but also inwardly cringed at Harry's ease with leaving the place where Harry should feel at home.

"Harry, you ought to put this on," Remus said handing Harry a thick jacket that he had found in Harry's bedroom.

Harry looked at him puzzled, before acquiescing. "You might get cold on the way." Remus justified. In the summer, nights did get chilly in Surrey, but Remus was thinking more about Harry's fever. After Harry zipped up his jacket, the two descended the stairs.

At the bottom of the stairs, two people came into view. Remus was unsure of how Harry would react to Moody. Moody had been Harry's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts the previous year, but it had later been revealed that an imposter had stolen the identity of the aforementioned professor and had actually pretended to be Moody the entire year. Harry had put significant trust in said professor and it was devastating to hear that the man Harry thought was Moody was actually a fraud. On top of that, the imposter was a servant to Lord Voldemort and was trying to have Harry killed.

Remus waited for Harry to reach the bottom of the staircase to introduce him to the pair of aurors.

"Harry, I'm sure you know Moody?" Remus said carefully; out of the corner of his eye he was measuring the teen's reaction.

Harry nodded awkwardly.

"It's the real Alastor Moody, I checked." Remus assured.

"Did you check to see if he's the real Harry Potter?" Moody asked suddenly.

"What form does your Patronus take, Harry?" Remus asked Harry.

"A stag." Harry said while unconsciously fiddling with the zipper on his jacket.

"Well there you have it!" Remus said to Moody, who merely grunted.

"You really do look like James; you've got the hair and everything!" The witch said which gained Harry's attention.

"Harry, this is Nymphadora Tonks, but she prefers to be called Tonks." Remus said, not missing the sudden grimace that had formed on Tonks face at the mere mention of her first name. She gave a Remus a slight push, feigning anger and Remus laughed, his eyes gleaming. Harry had noticed the exchange.

"Nice to meet you, Tonks. How do you know Professor Lupin?" Harry asked. Remus became serious again. He did not want Harry to think of him as a teacher and he wanted to rectify that before the authoritative barrier could manifest,

"Harry, as I am no longer your teacher, any formality is unnecessary. Please, call me Remus."

"Alright ," Harry agreed and turned back to Tonks, "How do you know Remus?"

"I'm Sirius's cousin." Tonks said. Harry seemed very surprised at that.

Harry nodded and since introductions were ended, Moody suggested that they get ready for departure. Remus levitated Harry's belongings and with a flick of his wand, the trunk and empty cage zoomed through the open front door and into the dark night.

"So how are we getting there?" Harry asked, wondering where Remus sent his things.

"Harry, you remember how you and Ron got to Hogwarts your second year?"

"Mr. Weasley's flying car." Harry stated, not sure where Remus was leading him.

Remus only looked at Harry with and eager smile waiting for the boy to catch on.

"No..." Harry said with a sly smile as the comprehension hit him.

"Yes!" Tonks said enthusiastically.

"Dumbledore did the charm of course, it will be perfectly safe." Remus said.

"Yes, only this time it has a permanent invisibility shield," Harry blushed, remembering how much trouble was caused when the car's invisibility cover failed. "And it has a driver who is perfectly competent with muggle driving and is over-age!" Moody said indicating that he would be driving. Harry wanted to laugh, but thought better of it as Moody's magical eye washed over him. Moody driving a muggle car was something he had to see.

The group drew stepped out of the house and the three adults extracted their wands as wary Order of the Phoenix members should. When they got into the drive way, Remus heard Harry chuckle as he saw the newly restored Ford Anglia from his second year.