Thicker Than Water: Year Six

Chapter 6 - Family Vacation

Remus returned, wan and tired, but told Harry he would have to make a small trip in a few days. When he asked if Harry would be interested in a bit of travel, Harry quickly assented. Though he was feeling much better from all of Remus' attention, Dobby's care and good food as well as the comfortable peace of the Manor, he was eager for a change of scenery. Harry asked if they would be traveling on Order business.

"No, it's some personal things I have to attend to," Remus replied wearily from an easy chair, and changed the subject. "How was your sojourn with Tonks?"

Harry's face twisted in discomfort as he recalled what she had said after the picnic. Remus noticed the expression and, greatly concerned, quickly asked if something had happened.

"Well, no," answered Harry sheepishly. "We were just talking about things, and Tonks made a funny comment, about Hermione..."

Harry's blush showed through his dark skin and Remus let out a short bark of laughter. "What, did she mention she was a lesbian?"

Harry nodded, quite embarrassed.

"Sirius found that out the hard way, last Christmas. He managed to catch her under a sprig of mistletoe, and got quite a mouthful for his efforts! She let him know very clearly that she wasn't interested and why," said Remus, smiling.

Shaking his head, Harry mumbled, "I'm sure he left her alone after that!"

"Actually, he didn't. Sirius thought that was quite a turn-on, and pursued her ten-fold after that!" laughed Remus, fully enjoying Harry's shocked look that cried out Too much information!

Bill continued to come by in the afternoons, and kept Harry working hard at occlumency. Harry got to the point where he could effectively keep his mind blocked most of the time, and Bill said that soon they might even be ready to start working on legilimency, too. With his remaining hours, Harry read books that Remus had pointed out to him in the Manor's library. Most of them were on the subjects of his sixth-year courses, though they weren't the set texts; other books gave Harry a good grounding in advanced defensive spells.

Aside from studying, Harry spent many hours outdoors on the extensive grounds of the Manor. Flying was his favourite pastime, but Remus had only enough energy to join him for a couple leisurely mornings of fishing in the low stream by the woods. Remus also pointed out that, since there were no women around, Harry should feel free to use the swimming hole in his birthday suit, whenever he liked. Harry was too embarrassed to swim nude when Remus was around, but he did go out a few times alone in the heat of the afternoons.

One morning shortly after his return, Remus reminded Harry that it was his birthday. In the solitude of the Manor and the lazy summer schedule, Harry had completely lost track of the date. Owls streamed in during the day, bearing gifts from his friends. As the first few arrived in the morning, Hedwig hopped onto Harry's chair and hooted shrilly at him.

"I'll write some notes later, Hedwig, and you can take them for me this evening," he told her.

Remus shook his head. "Your owl is very distinctive, Harry. She would compromise you too much if you kept her busy with your correspondences. When you return to school, you won't be able to keep her."

Harry was upset when he heard that. Hedwig had always seemed a true friend, and had been his greatest consolation during the lonely summer months he spent at the Dursleys. He hated the thought of being parted from her.

"Is there anyone you could trust to take her?" Remus asked.

Harry thought hard, then lit up as he replied, "Yes! Hagrid bought her for me, and he's terrific with animals. If I send him Hedwig, then she'll be at the school Owlery and I'll be able to see her there!"

"I think I should send him Hedwig - he doesn't know you're alive," Remus interrupted. Harry's eyes went round, so he continued. "You know Hagrid isn't a subtle person and he isn't the best person to keep a secret!"

Harry nodded sadly, as Remus told him that the sooner they sent Hedwig to Hogwarts, the better.

That evening, in a sitting room lavishly decorated by Dobby, Harry opened his presents. Mrs. Weasley had sent him a massive cake, beautifully iced. Fred and George sent a book entitled Jokes for the John: Laughing in the Loo, while Ron and Ginny had pooled their money, and sent Harry a practice snitch. Hermione had bought him a book entitled Famous Auror Battles; he flipped through the index, and was surprised to find the Potter name listed.

Remus handed him a small package that turned out to be a leather diary; he could safely write letters to Remus in it, without having to resort to OWL mail. Harry thought guiltily about the cracked mirror at the bottom of his burnt trunk that was to have been his emergency link to Sirius, but refrained from letting his sadness show. Tonks showed up for a slice of cake, and brought Harry a colourful, singing tie to go with his new clothes. Bill had modified a snow-globe so that the entire Weasley family (except Percy) could be seen waving outside a miniature Burrow within the confines of the glass bubble.

All in all, it wasn't a bad birthday. A pang of regret at not having his friends around him filled Harry, who couldn't help remembering the many forgotten birthdays he'd spent at the Dursleys. Thinking of his relatives reminded Harry of his predicament: his life was to be lived under the cloud of the prophecy unless he could kill Voldemort. He flexed his hands and stared at the dark skin that concealed his identity.

Trying to maintain a cheerful façade, Harry thanked Remus and Tonks for their gifts. He excused himself with a headache and, gathering his presents, called it an early night and went upstairs to his room.

*

In a few days, when Remus was looking himself again, he told Harry to pack a bag for a short time away. Harry pointed out that he didn't have a bag, so they rummaged through the Manor closets until they found a serviceable traveling pack.

They started out midmorning, taking the floo to a location called "Carpenter's Den." They came out the fireplace grate - Harry stumbling and coughing, Remus hardly missing a step.

Harry looked around and saw that they were in a cozy but messy workroom that had two battered chairs, a television and a table at one end. The far side of the room had a large workbench strewn with various tools and half-finished projects: a birdhouse and a set of wooden chairs, one of which was on its back. Remus steered him into a corridor that looked like it was part of somebody's home. They walked to a door at the end of the hall, and Remus rapped on it.

After a minute, the door opened and a massive, balding man peered cautiously through. His face remained impassive as he looked over his shoulder before beckoning them to follow. Harry found himself emerging into a small muggle hardware store with a couple of customers browsing in the aisles. As they neared the street door, Remus turned to the man and said, "Thanks, Gerry."

"Anytime," he replied in a thick Irish accent, his face still expressionless. "Guess we'll be seeing you in a couple of days, then?"

Remus nodded. They stepped into the warm July sunshine, and Harry saw that they were on the main street of what appeared to be a relatively small town. Remus pulled him into a tiny bookstore where Harry browsed the titles of the latest muggle best-sellers while his friend made a few purchases. Then they went to a small apothecary; Remus asked him to wait outside while he ran in briefly for a couple of things.

After that, they stopped for an early lunch in a small diner. Harry ate with the healthy appetite of a growing teen, but he noticed that Remus only picked at his food and appeared to be agitated.

When they finished lunch, they set off down the main street and Remus said he hoped Harry wouldn't mind a bit of a walk. Harry was curious about their destination, as they followed a road out of town.

Though the day was beautiful and the scenery picturesque, Remus kept his eyes on the ground ahead of them. He finally began to speak. "Harry, when I told you last week that I have a family, it wasn't all a joke."

"What, you mean there really was a litter of wolf cubs?" Harry blurted out, worried about his older friend's very serious tone.

Remus cracked a grin and his mood lightened. "No, Harry, I mean the flesh and blood human variety. When your parents were killed, I was off doing an apprenticeship with a very brilliant Irish wizard - he taught me a lot of the advanced defensive magic I know, among other things. On the occasions that I stayed with him, I got to know his great-niece who was the same age as me. My mentor was quite old, so I understandably spent a good bit of my free time with her.

"Shortly after his death, we were married. We had a couple of sons, and a normal family life for a while. However, circumstances being what they are... we took precautions every time the moon was full, but one evening I managed to get out of the barn where I was interred and made it across the field to the house. My older son was playing outside, and Sinéal was able to get him indoors, but only just in time. I was out wild and near the house that night."

Harry could see the anguish that distorted Remus' face as he continued his story, "After that incident, we laughed about the close call for a couple of days. Then I settled our family affairs, and was gone long before the next full moon. We both felt it was for the better, and parted amicably."

Remus was lost in his own grievous recollections for a number of minutes, and Harry asked twice what happened to them before he answered. "Nothing happened to them, Harry; in fact, we're going to see them now. Sinéal's still living here, on her family's land, bringing up our sons. She works in town as the librarian at the local school, and I send her whatever money I can. That evil Umbridge woman has made it nearly impossible over the last few years for me to find work in Britain, though."

An uncomfortable silence settled over them and Harry, who had many questions, didn't know if he should ask them or not. Remus himself finally broke the silence. "You're not angry that I haven't mentioned this before, are you Harry?"

Harry shook his head, and asked, "Do you see them often?"

At that point, Remus opened up and began to tell Harry all about his wife and sons: how he tried to come by as often as he could, especially around birthdays and holidays; that his wife Sinéal had a few wizards in her family over the past few generations, but had only trace amounts of magic herself; that their sons - Sean, 11 years old, and Liam, eight - had been tested and both showed signs of strong magic; and that he was now bringing Sean his letter of acceptance at Hogwarts.

Remus' face glowed with affection and pride when he talked about his boys, and Harry could see that he cared about them greatly.

"My older son has become withdrawn around me in the last couple of years, though. Liam doesn't remember my living at home - he was barely three when I left - but Sean remembers and resents me for not being there. His mother has tried to explain things, but he just doesn't understand that I had to go..."

Remus let out a sad sigh. "It would be so much easier for him if Sinéal and I hated each other. I'm hoping to see more of him one-on-one when he's at school this year, work some things out."

They had been walking for about an hour, when Remus pointed out a shortcut across a field. As they walked through the tall grasses, he bent to pick wild flowers, until they had gathered a cheerful bouquet: yellow, white and violet. As they neared a small house at the edge of the field, Harry could sense Remus' agitation returning in force.

They walked around a sizable vegetable garden to the front of a neat, homey cottage perched on a small country road. The path to the road was bordered with flowers, and a large storage shed could be seen peeking out to the left and slightly behind the house. When they reached the door, Remus reached up and knocked with an unsteady hand.

The door opened and Harry saw a slim woman with hazel eyes and shoulder-length wavy brown hair. She let out a small gasp when she saw them, exclaiming, "Oh - Remus!" Her eyes went wide, as she unconsciously brushed back a lock of hair.

Although Remus had said she was a muggle, Harry could feel the magic between them as their gazes locked. After a moment that seemed to last a lifetime, Remus reluctantly tore his eyes away and turned to Harry, saying, "This is my friend, Ha-- um, Leo. We were in the area and thought we'd drop in. Leo, this is my wife, Sinéal."

Harry couldn't help but noticed the passionate way Remus had said my wife. Sinéal was flustered as she made his acquaintance, accepted Remus' bouquet and invited them in. Hearing a burst of loud voices from a back room, she turned with relief to call out, "Boys! Come quick, your father is here!"

A small boy with sandy brown hair - the spitting image of Remus - skidded into the main room. "Dad!" he shouted, launching himself at the older wizard in excitement.

Harry saw that an older boy had moved into the doorway, and stood looking at them. He had his mother's darker brown hair and high cheekbones. "Sean!" Remus said, walking towards him after his younger son had let go. He embraced the boy, who appeared to be upset and didn't return the hug.

Sinéal noticed their mutual discomfort, and said in a falsely bubbly voice, "I just finished clearing our lunch away. I'm sorry you didn't let me know you were coming - I can still prepare something if you're hungry..."

"Thanks, Sinéal, we ate in town before heading over." Remus smiled warmly at her. He reached for his knapsack and pulled out a few books he had picked up for his sons. Liam was ecstatic about the books he received on reptiles, and on the nocturnal creatures of Ireland. Sean silently accepted the chapter book and the photo-history of Irish football teams, tucking them under his arm and watching his father apprehensively.

"Sean, why don't you show Leo to your room, and you can sleep with Liam tonight? You are staying, aren't you?" Sinéal asked quickly, her eyes sparkling at Remus as he nodded shyly.

"For a few days, if that's okay with you. I can bunk out on the sofa..."

Behind the large open front room which encompassed the main living space, kitchen and an eating area, Sean led Harry into a hall that had doors leading to three compact bedrooms, with a bathroom at one end. The first room was Sean's and contained a single bed, a small desk and chair, with a couple dozen books and two small football trophies on the shelves above the desk. Harry put his bag down and, when they returned out front, found Sinéal passing pails and baskets to Remus for a berry-picking excursion she was planning.

They all headed down the country road to an area where wild berries grew. As they worked, Sinéal sang about Lochlannach and his berries, her hair falling around her face as she picked. Harry thought that - though she did not have a magazine-beauty - her vivaciousness made her quite lovely. He could see that Remus was enchanted by her, especially when she caught his eye and threw a private smile his way. Remus was playful with Liam, and continued to include Sean in the conversation until his older son was answering in cautious tones.

That evening, they had a small feast, finishing with berries topped with cream. Harry offered to help clean up, but Sinéal shooed her guest out towards the living space. Liam was saying, "Dad! Do you want to hear how well I can read?"

Remus was glancing at Sean, and apologized to the younger boy. "I'd love to listen, but maybe you can read to me tomorrow? I have something to discuss with Sean first."

Liam looked crest-fallen, so Harry quickly offered to play a game with him. Remus pulled out the Hogwart's acceptance letter, and looked over at Sinéal; she nodded to him, and he took Sean out into the warm night to talk. Sinéal quickly finished washing up the dinner dishes and soon after, Remus and Sean came back in, the boy looking happier than before.

Once the boys had been sent to bed, Remus nervously asked Harry if he could keep an eye on things while he and Sinéal went for a short walk. Harry watched them leave, and realized how much Remus' being a werewolf had impacted on his life. They obviously still adored one another and the separation agreed upon for the safety of the kids was cruel in its necessity.

Harry and Remus ended up staying for a whole week. Sinéal, who worked at a school, had her summers off with the boys. They used her pick-up truck for a couple more distant outings, but for the most part, they filled their time around the house and in the surrounding fields and apple orchard. One day, they walked to check up on Sinéal's parents' home a couple of kilometers up the country road. Her folks were off visiting an aunt, and Sinéal said they would be sorry to have missed seeing Remus. On another day, Remus got the key to a small cabinet at the back of the storage house.

"Your uncle the great wizard left us some of his possessions," he told the boys. "Shall we see if there's anything fun in here?"

They found some very old wizarding robes that looked like period costumes. Remus tried one on and had them all in stitches. An old broomstick - so ancient it made Hogwart's school brooms look sleek - provided the greatest entertainment. Remus showed Sean how to sit on the broomstick and let him try lifting off the ground a few times. He then passed the broom to Harry, whom Remus said was a "cracking flyer".

Harry took off and headed for the treetops. Much to the boys' awe and delight, he tried a couple of loop-the-loops and fancier maneuvers. He landed fairly quickly, though, unable to really show off his talent because the broom was just too old, and didn't respond well to many of his subtler attempts at controlling it.

Over the next few days, Harry spent a lot of time talking to Sean about Hogwarts. He told the boy how he hadn't even known that he was a wizard when he received his letter. Sean asked tentative questions about classes and quidditch. Harry recognized in him the same reserved manner that usually made Remus appear so aloof. Slowly, Sean warmed to Harry and became more animated in conversation, talking about his own love of football. For the first time in his life, Harry got an inkling of what it meant to have a younger brother who turned to him for his opinions or advice

One afternoon, Sinéal made an off-the-cuff suggestion that Remus put some bookshelves up in Liam's room, over his desk. The boys got very excited, and Remus snorted that he really wasn't any good at building things. Sinéal and Liam persisted, until Sinéal said that she could just wait a couple weeks and have her father do it when he returned; at that prompt, Remus finally consented to give the project a go himself. They dragged Remus out to the storage house to get some pine boards they had there, tittering at him.

They returned into the house with the wood and a large toolbox. Sean carried a portable drill, and had an amused smirk on his face. Harry sensed that some private joke was simmering beneath the surface of the request, but he couldn't guess what it was. Remus began to measure the length of the wall, then tried his hand at sawing the plank straight across the line he had marked. The cut was uneven, and the board was longer than the brackets he had nailed up to support it.

As he worked, he grumbled under his breath that he was no carpenter and what exactly did they expect of him... Trying to hammer the board into the bracket, Remus hit his thumb with the hammer and the nail went flying.

At this point, the watching boys were cracking up, and even Sinéal stood in the doorway of the bedroom laughing. Liam shouted, "I knew you couldn't do it! Grandpa said you were always lousy at building!"

"That's it!" hollered Remus. "You've got me beat! You want a show, I'll give you a show!"

He stormed out of the room and returned a moment later, carrying both his and Harry's wands. "Okay, Harry, let's put up some book shelves!"

Harry smiled, realizing that Remus' family had set him up for failure, and were trying to goad him into using magic instead. Remus complied, using a spell to slice a couple of inches off the first board and to cut the next precisely the same length. A magical wand-wave had the nails lined up in the board without the help of a hammer. When the shelves were in place, Harry levitated a stack of books and Remus had them do somersaults around the room before settling neatly onto the shelves.

His family clapping with pleasure, Remus took a couple of exaggerated bows and said, "Let's hear it for the wonderful magical Lupin, and his side-kick, Leo Houdini! Now you can tell your grandpa that your old man's really a construction genius, disguised as a simple wizard!"

Harry looked around at the smiling faces, and realized that he had never seen his old professor and friend so very happy before.

It was the night before their departure, and everyone had been fairly quiet over dinner. Harry offered to clean up in order to give the Lupin family some extra time. They spent a calm evening together, with Remus listening to Liam read his reptile book, then playing a couple games of chess with Sean. When the boys were asleep, Sinéal and Remus once again went out for an evening walk. By the time Harry was ready to turn in, they still hadn't returned.

Harry was up early the next morning. He dressed, packed his bag, and had a quick wash. Going into the main room, Harry noticed the sofa had not been slept on. He turned to the kitchen and - having cooked breakfast for the Dursleys for years - took the initiative of starting to prepare the day's first meal.

When the smell of frying bacon had wafted through the house, Lupin made an appearance, looking as if he hadn't slept much and giving Harry a sad smile. Soon everyone was up, and Harry saw that Sean also looked as if he hadn't slept well and was throwing sullen looks at his dad. Harry had noticed that, while Sean had come around somewhat over the course of the week, he always went silent when he caught his parents showing affection or unconsciously staring at each other.

Sinéal declined breakfast, and sat crumpled in her dressing gown, staring into her coffee. After the rest of them had eaten, Remus announced, "It's time Leo and I head back."

"Do you have to go already?" Liam asked miserably.

Remus walked over and pulled the younger boy close, rumpling his hair affectionately. "I'll be back for a day or two before the end of the summer, and then maybe you can come with Sean to pick up his school supplies."

Remus and Sinéal made eye contact, and she asked, "Are you sure I can't drive you two into town?"

Remus shook his head and replied, "We'll be okay. I think it's best if we just said goodbye here."

She nodded and looked away, her eyes red. Remus hugged both boys, then reached out and held Sinéal closely, briefly. They all said goodbye to Harry, the he and Remus walked out the door.

The morning air was cool as they headed back across the field. After walking in silence for a while, Harry asked, "Why don't you and Sinéal get back together again? You still like each other, and now that you can use the wolfsbane potion, your family isn't really in danger anymore."

"We weren't being too obvious, were we?" Remus muttered under his breath, facetiously. It took a while before he answered the question.

"The potion was new before your third year, and not readily available - it was only thanks to Severus Snape that I was even able to teach at Hogwarts. After that, it was all I could do to find some odd jobs and have money to send back to Sinéal and the kids.

"When they restarted the Order of the Pheonix, Albus began to pay me a monthly stipend from the Order's funds. Imagine the irony - it's thanks to Lord Voldemort that I've had any work at all this past year!" Remus spat out bitterly.

"And now?" Harry persisted.

"Now?" Remus asked sadly. "In case you haven't noticed, the war with Voldemort has finally begun - it's no time to start rebuilding domestic comforts again! We'll be doing extra lessons in defense when you're back at school, and being there occasionally will give me the opportunity to spend time with Sean."

Then his voice got very low and quiet. "We've been apart for so long now... and I couldn't live with myself if I somehow hurt any of them!"

At that, images of the Lupin family playing warmly together during their vacation flashed into Harry's head, and stood in sharp contrast to the ensuing images of his own neglected childhood. What wouldn't he have given in those days - even now, in fact - for loving parents who cared so much about him! He felt a great anger well up inside of him, and yelled silently at Remus, And what you're doing now isn't hurting anyone, huh?

Though he hadn't said it out loud, Remus' head snapped up as though he had been slapped and he looked over at Harry, his eyes wide open in shock. Harry was himself shocked that his unspoken outburst had hit its mark. They looked away from one another, and continued back to the hardware store in silence.