Oh, Merlin

2.0

Morgan smiled as she boarded the Hogwarts Express. The train had just started to roll, as they filed to the back of the cart, Hermione looking through each door for an empty compartment. Morgan just spent her last few days of her holidays with Harry and her mother, Y/N, at the Leaky Cauldron. It was a surprisingly good time, Harry and her running through all the magical stores but constantly going back into Quality Quidditch Supplies to check out the firebolt, while her mother caught up with some old friends. The rest of the group had joined them on the last day, everyone gathering for a family dinner before getting into some Ministry cars and getting to platform 9 and 3 quarters. Now Ron and Harry followed Hermione into one of the rooms, Morgan walking through last. Her eyes instantly lit up as she saw the man sleeping in the corner of the room, covered in old, shabby robes, the other girl reading his name from a case overhead.

"I know him." The words left her mouth before she could think them through, quickly gathering her things and sitting on the seat next to him.

"You do?" Ron glanced at her in surprise, slowly sitting on the seat opposite the grown man.

Morgan's smile only widened, "yeah. He's my uncle."

Harry and Hermione took one more glance at him, before also sitting down. "Why's he in the student's carts?"

She shrugged at this, turning her attention to Hermione. "I don't know, I thought he'd go to sit with my mum."

A brief silence fell over the cart, three of the four students quickly glancing at the out of place man. Morgan, uncomfortable from the looks, decided to step in. "Anyway, you had something to tell us Harry?"

Apart from the whole dementors situation, Y/N quiet enjoyed her journey to Hogwarts. She was filled with excitement as she thought about seeing her brother once again but was disappointed that he didn't come and sit with her on the train. However, he came to visit on the holidays, as he usually did, and even allowed her to convince him to take the job as professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts. She liked to think he took the job as he wanted to teach the students, but she had a gut feeling that it was because of something else.

Or more like someone else.

Sirius Black had escaped Azkaban, the most secure prison in the world and they both knew he'd be coming to Hogwarts. So it was more likely that Remus had come back to the school of witchcraft and wizardry to protect not only her, but Harry.

The second the train came to a stop, Y/N jumped from her seat and out the door. She easily spotted Remus, his head bobbing above all the rest. Instead of calling his name, she made her way through the crowd and tapped his back. He turned around, his eyes wide with confusion before he spotted her. Immediately he leaned down, wrapping his arms around her much smaller frame. She followed suit, standing on the tips of her toes to make it easier for him.

"Merlin, I missed you." She muttered, voice muffled as she shoved her face into the crook of his neck.

They pulled away and jumped into conversation, the older Lupin filling her in about Harry fainting. Y/N felt the usual tug of motherly care, itching to find the boy and wrap him in a hug. During the last two years she formed a bond with her daughters three best friends. It was almost like she took over from their parents (or horrible, bland, boring, muggle guardians) and wanted nothing more than to protect and support them. She even sent an owl to Mr and Mrs Weasley, informing them of their children's wellbeing and a letter to Mr and Mrs Granger doing the same. She didn't bother with Mr and Mrs Dursley, knowing that they didn't care. She desperately wished things were different, wished that James and Lily never died, or that if they did, then she could've taken the baby boy under her wing.

Y/N knew about the danger Harry was now in and she was deeply glad that Remus was there. She wanted to find Harry, warn him about Black and tell him the complete and utter truth. But she couldn't.

So, she settled for keeping her eyes on him. Because if she did tell him the ugly truth, there was a chance that he'd never trust her again.