To Welcome You Home

Chapter 13

Weeks passed after the 'rescue mission' and everything began to run smoothly in the Black residence.

Every morning, Sirius and Remus would work together to make breakfast, usually resulting in Harry tossing it and making it himself.

Draco would stumble into the kitchen last, yawning, his hair messy.

"Let's go get you both some muggle clothes." Remus says one morning, making Harry and Draco look up. "It's kind of weird seeing you both just walk around in pajamas all day.. We're going to need to go shopping for clothes eventually."

Harry shrugs, spooning eggs into his mouth. "Sure. We can go."

Remus grinned. "Good, because you didn't have much of choice."

Next thing they knew, Harry and Draco were in a muggle clothes shop, accompanied by Remus and Sirius, looking around at the many clothes to choose from.

Harry wandered off by himself after a while, looking through the t-shirts, reading the silly sayings on them, bumping into someone.

"S-Sorry.." Harry mumbled, embarrassed that he wasn't looking where he was going.

He looked over to see a tall, horse-faced woman with a very long neck, accompanied by a large man that quite resembled a whale with a broom-moustache and a large beefy neck (if there even was a neck under there..), and a kid about his age that reminded him of a pig with a wig.

"Harry?" The woman says, and Harry looks to her with confusion.

"Uh.. Yes?" Harry says, wondering why she was talking to him, or how she knew him to begin with.

He knew he was famous in the wizarding world, but why would this random muggle woman know him?

The large man also looked confused, and asks his wife something, whom shrugs in response.

Suddenly Remus and Sirius appear on both sides of Harry, each putting a hand on his shoulders protectively.

"Petunia." Remus says darkly, and Harry is even more confused than before.

"You know her?" He asks, and Sirius scowls, "In a sense."

'Petunia' is looking from Remus to Sirius, confused. "What are you doing with Harry?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Remus snaps, and Harry shrinks down. "Did... Did I do something..?"

"No, Harry, you didn't do anything wrong." Sirius consoles.

"Who is she?"

This made everyone turn to him, confused.

"What?"

Sirius and Remus look to each other. "You don't recognize her..?" Harry shook his head.

"Those bastards.." Remus mumbles, running a hand through his hair.

"What?" Petunia asks.

"They said they'd give it back to him once he was out.. Dammit..."

"Give what back?" The large man asks, getting a little agitated.

"His memory."

Petunia glances to Harry, who's just as confused as she is.

"Memory?"

Remus nods. "When Harry was in St. Mungos - our kind of hospital - he was... Resentful. They had to restrain him and.. Lots of other things. In order to keep him from freaking out any time anyone came near him, they decided removing his memories of before Hogwarts, and that last summer would be best, but they insisted they'd return them once he was discharged.."

Everyone looked surprised, even Sirius.

Harry was the first to speak. "So.. Why did they need to remove my memories..?"

"Well, they-" Sirius began, but Remus cut in, "Perhaps it's for the better, Sirius."

"For the better?" The fat man asks, and Remus resists the urge to punch him then and there.

"So he won't have any bad memories plaguing him.. Yes, it will mean he won't have had a childhood to his knowledge, but.. I feel that's for the better."

Sirius nods in agreement.

Harry looked around in confusion as Draco comes up beside him, glaring up at the Dursley's.

"Do you have everything you want?" Lupin asks, and Harry nods, holding up a couple pairs of pants and shirts.

"Oh come on, that's practically nothing!" Draco says, dragging him off to find more clothes to get.

Lupin turns back to the family, his gaze stern.

"Harry... Is he..."

"Okay?" Remus finishes, and Petunia nods. Remus glares. "Far from it, and you have yourselves to thank for that." He snaps, taking Sirius's hand and pulling him away.

"Where'd those two run off to?" Remus asks, mostly to himself, looking around the store for any sign of blonde and black heads bobbing around through the clothes racks.

"There!" Sirius points towards the dressing rooms, and Remus looks over just in time to see the two enter a dressing room together.

Remus sighs, sitting down on a bench and rubbing his temples. Sirius sits beside him, rubbing his back gently and leaning his head on his shoulder. "It'll be okay Moony.." Sirius says, Remus smiling a bit at the familiar nickname. "I know it will.. But that doesn't make me worry any less.."

"Try this one on." Draco suggests, holding up a light grey suit, a navy green tie accompanying it.

Harry looked at him skeptically.

"Those are Slytherin colours.."

Draco rolled his eyes and shoved the suit to him. "I swear, Potter, you'd think petty house quarrels would be over by now." Harry chuckles, taking the suit and looking at it. "Why these colours though?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Well, if you must know, these shades of grey and green will make your eyes pop."

"That sounds dangerous." Harry sniggered, and Draco smacked him on the shoulder. "For Merlin's sake, just put it on."

"I swear, do you even know how to tie a tie?" Harry blushed and shook his head as Draco walked over to him, straightening the tie before tying it. He smiles, straightening it and kissing Harry on the forehead. "Perfect."

"Me or the tie?" Harry jokes, earning another smack to the shoulder. "Just shut up and go show them. I'm sure they're waiting."

Harry sighs. He looks down, suddenly lost in thought.

"Harry?"

"I'm just... Worried.. Is all.."

Draco watches him sadly, pulling him into a tight hug. "Just know.. I'll never ever let you go.."

There was a long line of silence, and Draco pulled away to look at Harry, but gasped.

Tears ran down Harry's face, his face and ears ever so slightly red as he hiccuped, and Draco immediately pulled him back into a hug, whispering soothing words to him.

Just close your eyes, the sun is going down.
You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now.
Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound..

Harry continued to sob, his knees buckling and the both of them landed on the floor as Harry to clung to Draco for dear life, crying and muttering things..

Please don't leave me...

I don't want to be alone...

"You're not alone anymore Harry.. I promise.."