"That's really up to you, Harry." Remus answered. "Dumbledore did have a reason for originally wanting you to be here for two weeks. That is the amount of time it would take for the protections around this house to be recharged so that they can last another year. You will have somewhere safe to go if you leave now, but the Dursley's will be unprotected. We know how awful they've been to you, so Sirius and I both think the decision on what to do should be left to you."
"And what about Dumbledore?" Harry asked.
"For the moment, his attention is on other things and by the time he does realize what's going on we will hold the advantage over the situation. Don't worry about him right now."
"Ok." Harry said with a nod. "So if I leave now, how long will the wards last?"
"Those kind of things are hard to predict." Remus answered. "But, if I had to guess I would say a week, maybe two if they're lucky."
"But if I stay another week, they'll last the entire year." Harry replied with a small frown on his face. To Remus Harry appeared deep in thought, even to the point of standing up and pacing about the living room. "They're awful people, Moony. Truly dreadful. But I don't want their blood on my hands. I'll stay another week here, as long as you can promise me that when the week is up I'll be able to leave."
"You will be." Remus assured him. "Dumbledore won't have they authority to keep you here any longer."
"Good." Harry said. "And he better have a damn good excuse for what he's done the next time I see him, because the way he is acting is unforgivable."
"Sadly, this is not out of the ordinary for Dumbledore." Remus explained. "He's been leading the fight against dark lords for over fifty years and thinks he knows better than anyone else what to do. He's not a bad man, Harry, and he does mean well. But he is likely to do things that will confuse and anger his allies. I doubt anyone really knows what he's thinking and why he does the things he does."
"How is he going to react when he realizes what's going on?"
"I honestly don't know." Remus replied. "He will probably try to convince you to come back here, but legally he won't be able to force you to. Now I guess I better go. I was only able to come because Mundungus Fletcher is supposed to be watching you right now but I know for a fact he is slobbering drunk somewhere in Hogsmeade. Someone will be here to pick you up when the two weeks are done."
"Thanks Moony, I appreciate your help." Harry said sincerely. "Tell Sirius I'll see him in a week."
"No problem, Harry. Do try and take care of yourself." Remus said as he rose out of his chair and walked towards the door. Once he had reached the door he paused and turned back to look at Harry again. "What are you going to tell your family?"
"To run. Maybe they'll even listen." Harry answered with a shrug. Remus nodded and walked out the door. Harry watched him walk down the sidewalk until he turned the corner and stepped out of view. When he was gone Harry went back inside to listen to more reports on the radio and think about what he had learned.
Harry wasn't sure what to do about Dumbledore when he did eventually free himself of the Dursley's. Dumbledore's decision to try and force him to stay with his relatives the entire summer had caught him off guard, even despite his uncertainty on how much to trust the old Headmaster. Harry simply could not understand why a week ago Dumbledore would ask his permission for Snape to view his memories and then go behind his back to trap him at the Dursleys a day later. What had changed? He wasn't sure and from what Remus had told him no one really did. Once again Dumbledore was withholding information from everyone, perhaps even those who needed it most.
He was relieved to know that Sirius and Remus were both trying to solve his problem, even if he wasn't there to help them. He knew he would need their help in the coming days, especially when it came to finding and destroying Voldemort's Horcruxes. That thought brought the responsibilities of his summer back to the forefront of his mind. In the lazy days of the last week it was easy to forget that the rest of the summer holidays would be filled with things he had to do. He doubted the Dursley's would ever realize what he had sacrificed for their benefit.
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