Chapter Text
“Remus, please, i know this is hard. You just lost your family but so did he. That family that Dumbledore wants to leave him with is horrid, he has no one else." McGonagall pleaded and Remus had never before seen her so upset, so emotional. He hadn't seen her much since he graduated from Hogwarts but she hadn't changed a lot, her hair was slightly greyer and the crow's feet around her eyes had deepened.
"Professor... I wouldn't be able to provide for him. Do you know how hard it is to find a job that will hire someone like me? Most people don't take kindly to werewolves!"
"How do I explain to a little child why I disappear once a month around the same time or god forbid he finds out and tries to do something stupid like James and-" Remus shakes his head "What if he gets hurt? What if I hurt him? Minnie, I couldn't live with myself."
Professor McGonagall gives him a pitiful look but continues "Remus, they hate magic, they hated Lily and James. Those people are vile and they wouldn't care for him at all. I think that boy deserves someone that loves him and if you are anything like the boy I watched grow up I know you will do anything to care for him. I'll help you.” she pleads
“My house has a basement that I turned into a flat after my husband passed, I'm currently renting it but I don't need the money, Hogwarts pays me well and I only rent it so that it doesn't stay empty. You and Harry could live there and you could find work on a muggle computer to pay for food and clothes, I couldn't ask you to pay rent" The professor gave Remus a small smile, and Remus gave her a half-hearted smile in return.
"I don't know about this, I'm not exactly the type of person a little boy should be looking up to. I can barely take care of myself, much less a little boy that is depending on me, what if I mess up and he hates me?"
McGonagall frowns "Remus, he's going to love you. All he needs is someone that cares for him, as long as he knows you care about him not much can go wrong and I'll be there whenever I can." she reprimanded.
"Harry might help you get your life together. Children have a wonderful way of making people want to be better."
Remus was uncertain and afraid but the professor was right, Harry needed someone and he was the only one left. Fuck that never stopped feeling wrong, out of all his friends, he was the one left alive.
"I'll do it."
Taking care of Harry would be hard but every day Remus would get reminded of just how much he cared for the young boy and he'd keep going.
Harry was the sweetest child he had ever met, not that Remus had really met that many, they usually kept to themselves.
Just Moony and Harry. And sometimes aunt Minne who Harry had taken a liking to very quickly.
Harry went to daycare, mainly so that he could actually meet other kids around his age because really Remus hadn't much else to do but spend time with Harry, he mostly worked at night, doing a little freelance writing, proofreading and online tutoring, it paid well enough especially since Minerva still wouldn't let Remus pay rent.
"Book!" Harry exclaimed loudly, Remus smiled and picked up a book and showed Harry "how about this one?" Harry shook his head "hm not that one... How about I tell you a story without a book?" Harry's eyes widened in excitement and nodded.
"Well once upon a time there was a little boy named Mooney who was just starting school. He was lonely and nervous but on the train to school, he met some friends, their names were Prongs, Wormtail and..... Padfoot." Remus’ expression faltered.
He finished the story and gave the boy a kiss on the head as he left the room.
Not long after Harry had fallen asleep a knock came at the door. Remus frowned and put down the book he had been reading to see who it was.
As he opened the door he was surprised to see professor Mcgonagall, her hair was messy, her glasses sat somewhat crocked at the bridge of her nose and a worried expression painted her face.
“Minerva? Is something wrong?” Remus asked becoming somewhat worried himself as he stepped aside to let her in.
They sat down in the small living area as Minerva fixed her glasses and took a deep breath. “Peter Pettigrew is alive” she said and suddenly Remus’ world crumbled apart.