As It Should Have Been

A new start

When Remus arrived at the apparition point, Harry started to cry. It hit Remus like a brick. Harry would have never experienced apparition before. He stroked Harry's unruly black hair that was so much like James' and tried to calm him down.

"I'm sorry Harry. I'm so sorry." He mumbled into his hair. He desperately tried to think about what used to calm Harry down, even if this was 2 years ago. In addition to the crying, the toddler was starting to get heavy in his arms. Shifting his weight, Remus felt his wand in his breast pocket press against the boy.

Harry seemed to feel it too, because within seconds, his crying seized. He turned his curly head to the coat and reached his hand, the one not still clutching the lion, as if wanting to explore. He wrapped his little hand around the wand.

"Wait!" Remus said, louder than he intended.

Harry shrank back, looking down. "Sowwy" he said, his voice just above a whisper, the r's not completely intelligible from a w yet.

"No, no Harry. Everything is alright. You just need to be careful with that."

Harry nodded, still shy.

'God I'm fucking this up already, Remus told himself.'

Then he noticed, that he was still outside the garden gate.

"Look! This is where we live!" he said, trying to shed the nerves from his words.

Harry nodded once again. Remus was regretting ever raising his voice.

He carried him into through the gate into the garden.

Just then, Mary came out of the door. She looked excitedly towards Harry and almost ran down the gravel path, before seeming to remember that a stranger running towards a toddler with a wide grin could appear frightening to said toddler.

"Hi Harry! I'm your auntie Mary!"

Harry, like the times before, just nodded, then hid his face.

Mary looked at Remus then, a worried expression on her face. Remus closed his eyes and gave her a slight nod of confirmation. Harry was understandably shy and neither of them had put that into the calculations.

There were a few second of silence before Mary clapped her hands "Well, I prepared a bit of a picnic, outside. Seeing as its unusually sunny!" She pointed her wand to the entrance of the cottage and out came flying an orange blanket, an array of dishes with sandwiches and a pitcher with hot chocolate.

Harry looked up then, following the blanket with wide eyes. Remus smiled then "Does that look cool?" He asked.

Harry nodded with more vigor then the previous times.

"Go and follow it!" Remus said and placed him down. Harry looked at the blanket, then at Remus. When the latter nodded encouragingly, Harry turned and ran after the blanket, following it to the cherry tree, whose leaves had started to reach its vibrant October orange.

Mary turned to him then "He doesn't seem to speak much, does he?"

Remus kept his eyes on the little boy, who was now slightly jumping to reach the blanket that was still floating in the air.

"Not currently, no. But I can see moments where he wants to. Mary, you should've seen the state the Durselys kept him in. Barely even one bag of things, wearing old things from his cousin, whilst Dudley was wearing a Cashmere sweater. Cashmere, Mary. On a toddler! Oh! And his room! They keep him locked in a fucking cupboard!"

Mary looked at Harry then. "But now he's here, Remus. This wont be happening anymore! So pull your fine arse together and make sure he will never ever feel the way he felt with those filthy muggles! Dumbledore is coming with the teachers in a bit to assist with protection charms, so you just need to show how great of an uncle you are, got it?!"