T. K.: I'M BACK, BABY!

Tsuki: Oh, gods, why?!!

T. K.: I don't own HP and several other references to other shows, stories, books,or movies. Shrugs Them's da breaks, ya?

Neko: The fifth book has happened with speculations on the sixth. And Adam and Po's existances were known just never talked about. More secrets kept from Harry. Laughs menacingly Foreshadowing, anyone? Also, the reason Nigellus (SP?) didn't know was that Po was born after Sirius's disowning and Mr. Padfoot chose to keep it that way. (HP) will indicate scene changes.

T. K.: That may or may not be explained later. R&R.JA NE! ENJOY!

(HP)

The day started as it usually did, students and staff woke, breakfast was set out, teachers exchanged greetings, and students horsed around.

"Hey, Moony."

Adam Lupin looked up to see Polaris Black smiling mischievously at him; it was just like any other day at The Unicorn Horn School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the foothills of the Appalachians in Tennessee, better known as UHS to its students and faculty.

"Morning, Padfoot, what's up?"

"Nothing," she said sitting down beside her best friend, "yet."

"What do you mean by 'yet', Po?"

"Adam, my friend, my God-brother, you are far too..." she trailed off looking for the right word.

"Handsome and charming?" he supplied.

"Well, you are that, but I was thinking suspicious. But continuing on, you won't believe what my doggie eyes spied early this beautiful summer morn."

"Is it tall, old, and gray?"

Po's face fell. "How'd you guess?"

"'Cause he just walked in with Duo and they're coming straight for us."

"I don't know what he wants, but he's a bearer of bad news, I can tell you that."

"Mr. Lupin, Miss Black," Headmistress Serena Duello started, "would you come with us to my office?"

"Sure thing, Duo," Po said standing with Adam.

(HP)

"Dad's---" Adam stopped and buried his face in his hands.

Po kept shaking her head, her blue eyes glittering with tears, and muttering, "No, it can't be."

Professor Albus Dumbledore watched the two, they were sitting in separate seats and each trying to cope with their new grief and then looked at each other. Po stood up; Adam mimicked her before crossing the room and taking the hand she offered.

"I know that this is a crushing blow to you, I mean with Sirius Black's death only a year ago, but I need you two to come with me," Dumbledore said.

"Come where?" Adam asked suspiciously.

"Hogwarts, I'd bet," Po said scornfully.

"Yes, Miss Black, Hogwarts."

Po looked over at Duo, who shrugged. "You're Wards of the Ministry," she said and shrugged again, "it's truly up to you, now."

Po looked back at Dumbledore. "We'll let you know."

(HP)

Back in Adam's room, Po was sitting on his couch with Adam's head in her lap, Adam was crying. Their other friends sat around the room on the floor and on the bed.

Maximus Pious stood up, his towering frame loomed in front of the door as a knock came. He opened the door, Dumbledore stood in the hall. Max drew himself up to his full 6'7" and said, "Come back later." Then he closed the door in Dumbledore's face.

Benito Pious, Max's younger brother, smiled at Max. "I'm gonna go stand guard outside, in case he comes back," Benny said.

"Thanks, bro," Max said.

Benny opened the door and disappeared.

Po rocked Adam back and forth, whispering into his hair.

"Clear off for a while, guys," Po said softly, "keep Dumbledore away and I'm expecting a letter from Narci soon, keep an eye out for her owl."

The five people in the room nodded and left Po to comfort Adam, who had broken down at the end of telling them what had happened.

"Moony," Po whispered as she continued to rock him.

"Make it stop, Padfoot," Adam muttered. "Make the pain stop."

"I can't this time, I can't bring him back, Moony, just like I can't bring back Papa Padfoot."

"Does it stop?" he asked.

"No, but it will fade," she answered. It had been a little more than a year since the original Padfoot's death, her own emotions were still raw from it, if it was still that bad for her she couldn't imagine how it felt for Adam. They hadn't known him in person, yet, he'd always been a physical presence. Now, it was compounded with the original Moony's death. Po wondered if Adam had reached his breaking point.

"Can Dumbledore make us go to Hogwarts?" Adam asked, finally having calmed down.

"No, he can't, I still have family, remember? Narcissa and Tonks. If they take me, they take you. They could make us go if one of them does agree to be our guardian. I doubt Tonks would want us. Or Duo may take us, she's your family. He can't do anything unless he goes over Duo's head. Besides, in England another few weeks and we're adults."

"Will Narci make us go?"

"Never, she knows that I would run."

(HP)

Po didn't sleep that night, she instead took up residence in the Library, Max and Benny stayed with Adam. She poured over tomes older than her almost seventeen years, dating all the way back to the founding of UHS and beyond. Magical law apparently hadn't changed too much over the centuries. She read until the late night hours, her lamp sputtering as the fuel ran out, she refilled it and lit several of the torches along the walls, wondering why she didn't do it earlier. She continued to read, her task and goals written out on a piece of parchment that she would occasionally scribble a bit of information on. She stopped and looked at her watch, it was nearing three A.M. She stopped her reading and let her thoughts drift away from her task.

She really wanted to go back to her room and go to bed, but she would go back to Adam's room and stay with him tonight and probably for a long time after. Something rang in her head... her room.

She had always had a room at UHS, she'd never slept in the dormitory even though she had been Sorted, she always had her own room, ever since she could remember. She'd been little more than a year old when her father had gone to Azkaban, she'd lived with Remus in America since then. American laws were different, werewolves weren't as feared as they were in England, they were allowed lives. Remus had known Duo for quite sometime, she was a relation of his late wife and the true guardian of Po who Duo later let Remus adopt. She had agreed to take both Po and Adam in while he recovered from everything that had happened to him in the last few weeks.

Artemis Duello-Lupin's death more that a year before giving birth to Adam, James and Lily's death at the hands of Voldemort, Peter's supposed death at the hands of Sirius Black, Sirius's arrest... and Severus... Remus had had no idea what had happened to Severus Snape, but he had changed. Later, the year after he had taught at Hogwarts, he found out that it had been Lily's death that had turned Snape hate for Sirius into his absolute loathing and the fact that Remus had been so trusting in Sirius that had turned Snape against Remus. Snape, like everyone else, had believed that Sirius had been the Potters' Secret Keeper.

Po shook herself out of her reverie and started on her work again, if she wanted to keep her room she needed to find a way out of Dumbledore's hands. But if she did go to Hogwarts, Harry Potter would be there, as would Snape...

No, she told herself, think of Adam. He couldn't handle being in the middle of a war zone. Then she berated herself, she was coddling him again. He was as old as she and could handle whatever he wanted.

But her promise... could she handle it?

(HP)

Po and Adam refused to leave Adam's room and Dumbledore went back to Hogwarts to wait for their reply. Their friends brought them meals and professors excused them from classes and homework.

"Padfoot," Adam said the next evening as they sat by the window, watching the sunset.

"What?" Po asked softly.

"What if Narci doesn't take us?"

"Then we still have Duo or we remain Wards of the Ministry."

"Answer me truthfully, can Dumbledore make us go to Hogwarts?"

Po sat in silence for a few seconds. "No. Not unless he becomes our guardian."

"Are you sure?" Adam asked.

"Yes, I read up on this last night while you were asleep."

Adam smiled at Po and nodded thoughtfully. "You weren't lying when you said you wouldn't break you word."

"No, I wasn't. I've got your back and I try to keep my promises."

(HP)

Another day had passed and Adam began counting down the days to the next full moon and taking the Wolfsbane Potion that the Potions Master, Professor Mathews, brewed for him and their other friend Adrian Deans. Adam sat on the floor in front of Po while she played with his hair.

"Padfoot, why shouldn't we go to Hogwarts?"

"Werewolf Registration Laws."

"That's it?"

"That's why Uncle Moony brought us here."

"Because of a law?"

"Werewolves have no rights in England, no job opportunities, no chances at a decent education, no futures. That's why we're here."

Adam seemed satisfied then said, "They didn't want us involved in the war, did they?"

"No, I guess they didn't or they would have called us back."

"Why doesn't Duo take you?" Adam asked suddenly.

Po thought about it for a second, she didn't know.

(HP)

The third day, Adam took to another fit of crying after he woke from a nightmare, his head buried into the crook of Po's neck as she rocked him.

"You left me," he said as he calmed down. "I could see you, Dad, and Uncle Padfoot and you kept walking away, ignoring me as called out to you."

"I would never ignore you, Adam," she told him. She saw the real meaning behind his dream, he dreamt she had died, just like Papa Padfoot and Uncle Moony. A knock on the door sounded through the room and she got up to answer it. "Hello?" she said as she opened it to find no one there.

Suddenly, Sarah Scott, who everyone called Scooby, jumped out from behind the corner and hugged Po.

"Padfoot, Keg Blowout Party in the dorm, night of Grad. You and Moony game?"

Po looked over at Adam who smiled impishly. "You bet your ass, Scooby."

"Cool, later!"

(HP)

Five days had past since Dumbledore had told Adam and Po the news of Remus Lupin's death when Max opened the door.

"Narci's letter," he said bringing it in to her.

"Thanks, Post."

"No prob, Padfoot."

Po opened the letter and read it out loud after Max left, "No relative of mine shall remain a Ward of the Ministry. I have started the paperwork on you and Adam. As far as Dumbledore's idea of you going to Hogwarts, forget it, I know you better than that, Polly, you're like your father and once you find some place you like you stay there, plus all your friends."

"How did she know?" Adam asked.

"I'd say Draco owled her, he most likely found out from Snape." She went back to the letter. "With Lucius's death, I am now the Master of the Manor and I shall welcome you both with open arms, as will Draco, who is looking forward to finally meeting you face to face. You shall be safe here, the wards about the house will make sure of it and you and Adam shall be able to run in the garden on full moons without fear. I shall arrange a Portkey to bring you directly into the Manor. Dumbledore may be brilliant, but by the thought of taking you to Hogwarts he is putting you in great danger, the Dark Lord shall be looking for you to join with Potter and by doing that you should sign your own Death Warrants."

"Narci was a Death Eater?" Adam asked, recognizing the term 'Dark Lord' as something only a Death Eater said.

Po shook her head. "No, Lucius was and she didn't find out 'til after they had married." She started reading the letter again, "Finish your year at UHS and inform Professor Duello of your move, but also tell her of the fact that you will remain enrolled in her school. America is a much safer place for you right now. Love, Narci."

(HP)

Po took great delight in writing Dumbledore the next morning and shooting him down as she told him about Narcissa Malfoy's decision. The rest of the day she went around hugging on her friends and even her professors.

"DUO!" Po yelled as she hugged the shorter woman. "We're staying!"

Duo hugged her back, then Adam. "That's great news! I would miss my favorite students."

"We're staying with Narci, my cousin, over the summer and then we'll be back for the school year," Po told her smiling ear to ear. "I wrote Dumbledore and told him."

"I bet you were nice, weren't you?"

Po grinned. "Damn straight."