you should see me in a crown

Exploring and Learning

Harry cracked his neck and looked at Remus. He had asked Harry what he wanted to see first and Harry was trying his hardest to decide. "I don't even know what's in the house," he shrugged.

Remus laughed. "Maybe the sitting room? Or the bedrooms? the library? the potion lab? the-"

"I get it!" Harry laughed, grabbing Remus and attempting to put his hand over his godfather's mouth. "Let's start with the... potions lab." He probably wouldn't use it but it would be nice to see it. Maybe offering Snape free use of the potions lab would help convince him?

Remus smiled and began to lead Harry down the stairs and through a hallway. "I believe the stairs are here," he stopped in front of a door. Remus opened the door and smiled at Harry when it revealed he was right. "I only ever went down here a few times, your grandfather was a good potioneer but your father didn't take after him," Remus shook his head fondly at some memory. "Lily though, she was the only person in our year who could out-brew Severus."

"Really?" Harry asked, almost tripping when he suddenly reached the bottom on the stairs.

Remus caught him with a chuckle, "careful." He smiled, "But yes," he paused to open another door and stepped into the potion lab. "Lily was... incredible. And she loved this place."

Harry could see why a brewer would love this place. There was a large cauldron already placed in the centre of the room with a table beside to cut ingredients. The walls were lined with shelves filled with jars of potion ingredients. Harry spotted a jar of alihotsy and another filled with eel eyes soaking in green water. He grimaced. Remus let out an agreeing huff, "I know, I find it gross too."

Harry nodded, "let's go somewhere else. How about the sitting room?" Remus nodded and led Harry out of the basement up onto the ground floor.

The sitting room was quite large, but like the rest of the house, not so large that it felt excessive. There was a fireplace against one of the walls with three couches surrounding it. "That looks very comfortable," he said wistfully.

"It's been a few years since anyone has sat in them but I don't think they'd have changed much," Remus said, running a hand along the back of one of the couches. "Soft enough that you can sleep on them."

"How many times did you?" Harry asked. "Fall asleep on them?"

"So many," Remus laughed. "Your father would make us all play these old wizarding games with him, you see," he shifted his weight as he began to explain. "By the end of the night only Sirius and James would still be playing, Peter would find some excuse to sneak off and sleep but I never had the courage so I would just fall asleep on Sirius right here on the couch."

Harry laughed, trying his hardest to imagine his father and Sirius sitting on the couch playing games while Remus slept on Sirius' shoulder. "I'd always wake up in bed, Effie would let us sleep for hours..." his godfather's voice was distant and faded as he remembered the past.

"Where did you sleep?" Harry asked.

"Second floor bedroom," Remus said, shaking his head to come back to himself. "I'll show you." Remus waved his hand to signal Harry to follow him. He led Harry up the stairs and to the other side of the floor to the study. Remus waved for Harry to open the door and enter the room first.

It was a bedroom. Larger than even Petunia and Vernon's room at Number 4. With a huge double bed taking up the centre of the room, it's sheets a dark red. Dark wood picture frames, some empty, some with paintings of the countryside, filled the red wallpapered walls. "Lots of red," Harry said.

"Most of the house is," Remus chuckled. "Proud history in Gryffindor, and the Potter colours are red, black and white."

"Really?" Harry asked. Red, black and white. He should probably remember that. "Do you know how long my family has been in Gryffindor?"