The Introduction of Sirius Black:
Remus couldn't believe what happened the yesterday. A million questions and doubts raced through his mind.
How did they find the map? How long did they have the map? Did they really see Peter Pettigrew and if so what did that mean? Why was Peter hiding from the wizarding world? What did that mean for Sirius? Could he be innocent? If so, what did that mean for his family? Sirius was Ariadne's father and Harry's godfather. He was only their guardian, Sirius could take them away from him. No, he wasn't going to think about that right now and wouldn't until he knew for sure what was going on.
Remus watched the map for most of the night, when he finally saw Peter Pettigrew's dot using the route from Humpback Witch into Hogwarts.
Remus ran down the hall watching to see exactly where Peter was going and what would be the best way to catch him. Peter never knew what hit him. He ran around the corner and all he heard was,
"Stupify."
Peter awoke sitting in Dumbledore's office in no longer a rat looking at Dumbledore, Remus, and Snape. Peter searched his mind trying to figure out a way around his being in the castle and not being dead. He decided his best bet was to not say a word.
"Severus, did you bring the Veritaserum?" Dumbledore asked softly.
Peter moved back on the couch. His feet were on the couch and was shaking in fear. He didn't want to take potion. They would know the truth and no one would be there to protect him. What would happen to him? Azkaban was the least of his worries, he knew Remus and Sirius would kill him for what he'd done.
Remus walked over to his former friend and held him down while Snape forced the potion down Peter's throat.
"Are you Peter Pettigrew?" Dumbledore asked.
"Yes."
"Were you the secret keeper for the Potters?"
"Yes."
"Did intend to betray the Potters before they made you their secret keeper?"
"Yes."
"Did you kill the muggles?"
"Yes."
Remus let go and sat in the chair behind him dumbstruck. How could he not have believed Sirius? How could he not have believed Mary? He was wrong about everything. He jumped out of the chair making a decision; he was going to kill Peter right here and now. Damn the consequences. To his utter amazement it wasn't Dumbledore who stopped him.
"Now while I understand you want to kill this thing, you have two menaces to raise. While the thought of raising the monstrous duo would make most sane people beg to be sent to Azkaban, I believe you love the brats. The mutt is another person you need to consider in your equation, without this thing, the mutt will have no chance of gaining his freedom," Snape sneered not moving his wand off of Pettigrew.
Remus looked at Snape and to his surprise Snape was worried about what Remus would do to Peter Pettigrew, because of how that would affect Harry, Ariadne, and even Sirius. Remus sat back down at Snape's words. His focus shouldn't be on revenge. Look where that got Sirius.
Dumbledore called the Dementors into the castle and had them escort Peter Pettigrew out of the castle. Dumbledore insisted on a trail and that Sirius Black was to be cleared of all charges.
Two days later, Remus knew he had to talk to Harry and Ariadne. The Daily Profit was going to run an article about Sirius Black's innocence. He learned a few months ago that he needed to be upfront with the two children. The only reason he had waiting so long was he was afraid they would try and find Sirius.
"What's going on?" Harry asked.
"No idea, he never calls us out of class. Did you do something?"
"No, I was thinking you did."
"Not this time," Ariadne said with a smile.
"Miracles happen every once in a while," Harry teased.
They knocked on Remus's office doors and saw him sitting there, looking worried and strangely happy at the same time.
"Hi," they said sitting on the couch.
"Good morning. I'm sorry to pull you out of classes, but there is something we need to talk about," Remus said.
"What?" Harry said tension in his voice. It had only been a few days since his spanking and he wasn't inclined to receive another one anytime soon or ever again.
"Harry, you're not in trouble," Remus said and looked at his niece, "Neither are you."
"So what's going on?" Harry asked.
"It's about Sirius Black," Remus said.
"What about him?" Ariadne said not trying to keep the hatred out of her voice.
"Ariadne, you…"
"Uncle Remus, I don't have to do…"
Remus held up his hand, not wanting her to finish her sentence and said harshly,
"You will listen and not interrupt. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, sir," they both said.
"You were right about Peter Pettigrew. I tracked him down using the map," Remus said and was interrupted by Harry,
"Was he a ghost?"
"No, he is an Animagus," Remus answered.
"You already knew he was one and you didn't tell us that was a possibility?" Ariadne asked.
"Yes, but at the time I didn't think it was important. I assumed you both were looking for another adventure and decided that Peter would be a great excuse," Remus admitted, feeling guilty.
"We don't go looking for trouble, it usually finds us," Harry said.
"I hardly agree with that statement, but that's neither here nor there. Once I found him, I took him to Dumbledore's office and under the effects of Veritaserum, he confessed that he was the secret keeper and Sirius Black was innocent."
Harry and Ariadne looked at each other. What did all of this mean?
"Where is Sirius Black?" Harry asked, knowing Ariadne would want to know but saw she didn't have the strength to ask.
"I don't know. We're looking for him. Sirius doesn't know about Peter being found, nor does he know that he has been deemed innocent. I expect that he's still hiding in Hogsmeade," Remus said.
"So he came to Hogwarts for Pettigrew?" Harry asked.
"Yes, Pettigrew was hiding as Ron's rat. That way he could be aware if Voldemort came back into power," Remus said.
"What happens next?" Ariadne asked.
"I don't know. We need to find Sirius first."
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Harry asked.
"No, we should find him soon enough and I don't want you to go looking for him. You will not like the consequences of that decision," Remus promised. "Any more questions?"
"No, sir," they both said.
"Go on back to class," Remus said.
Harry and Ariadne walked out of the office in utter shock.
"I'm not sitting around waiting and I don't care about the consequences," Ariadne said.
"I figured as much," Harry said smiling.
"Ron and Hermione could help," Ariadne said.
"They're in potions," Harry said.
The two of them walked down to the dungeons, both thinking of a way to find Sirius Black.
"Ah, I see Mr. Potter and Miss Lupin decided to grace us with their presence. We do appreciate that you feel we are worthy of that honor," Snape said sardonically.
Harry and Ariadne faces turned red as they walked over to their table. Ron and Hermione looked at the two with worried expressions on their faces.
"Why did Lupin want to see you?" Ron asked.
"It was about Sirius Black," Harry said.
"Mr. Potter, you were already late and now you feel you can interrupt my class. Twenty points from Gryffindor and you will have detention with me tonight," Snape said.
"Sorry Professor, but I have other plans tonight," Harry said before he could stop himself. He wasn't in the mood for Snape and he wasn't serving detention. He was going out to find Sirius.
Hermione gasped at Harry's response. Ron put his head down hoping to avoid the explosion he knew was coming from Snape. Ariadne actually laughed, not helping the situation one bit.
Snape was livid and every child in the room knew it.
"Class dismissed. Potter and Lupin you will stay," Snape said his voice dripping with malice.
Snapes tone brought both Harry and Ariadne into the present, fear creeping up their spines as they watched the protection of their classmates disappear.
"STAND IN THE CORNER," Snape demanded.
For ten minutes, no one said a word. Snape didn't trust himself at the moment. Finally, Snape was able to talk without hexing the children into oblivion, so he called them out of the corner.
"How dare you speak to me that way, Potter," Snape said the anger in his voice almost palpable.
"Sorry, I spoke before I thought about it," Harry said looking at his trainers.
"Indeed," Snape said and turned his attention to Ariadne, "What did you find funny about the situation?"
"It just seemed funny," Ariadne said shrugging.
"What part, the blatant disrespect or the situation in general?"
Ariadne decided to treat the question as if it were rhetorical and didn't answer until she felt Snape looming menacingly above her.
"I would rather not say," Ariadne said still not looking up.
"YOU DON'T HAVE A CHOICE?" Snape bellowed.
"Both."
"Indeed. You will both have detention every night for the rest of the month. I will also discuss your behavior with your guardian. The only reason I am being lenient is I know you learned about the mutt today," Snape said.
"The mutt?" Ariadne asked.
"THE MUTT. It's another name for a dog; you know a creature with four legs and hair. They tend to bark and at times bite. I didn't realize you were so lacking in vocabulary, I thought your utter lack of knowledge was only limited to potions," Snape sneered.
"Blimey Snape, I didn't know your vocabulary was so extensive. I thought you knowledge focused only around potions," Harry said his temper getting the best of him for the second time in a matter of minutes.
"I don't know Harry, I think you're giving him too much credit," Ariadne laughed
Snape did not find the two of them funny at all. He stormed over to them and delivered five extremely hard swats to their backsides. Both yelped with each swat.
"LEAVE, before I give you the spanking you are asking for and deserve. I suggest you change your attitude before you detention. If not I will change it for you," Snape promised pushing them both towards the door.
Ariadne and Harry decided to go to the Gryffindor Common Room. How much more trouble could they get in, really? Ron and Hermione were sitting there looking anxious as they walked in.
"Harry, what were you thinking?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know really," Harry said trying hard no to rub his bum.
"We need your help," Ariadne said deciding to stop Hermione's chastisement, before it began.
Harry told the story about Sirius Black and before it was done, Ron looked like he was going to vomit.
"I let that rat sleep in the same bed with me. I gave him food off my plate. All the time he was waiting for You-Know-Who," Ron said shaking his head.
"You didn't know," Harry reassured his best mate.
"I'm going to kill him," Ron said.
"He's in Azkaban, so unless you fancy a trip and a nice chat with the Dementors, I wouldn't bother," Ariadne said smiling.
"Where do you think Sirius is hiding?" Ron asked ignoring Ariadne all together.
"Hogsmeade," Harry and Ariadne said together.
"How are we going to get to Hogsmeade without getting caught?" Hermione asked.
"Distract Remus and get a lookout," Harry said.
"How are we supposed to do that?" Ron asked.
"We kinda need the twins and Ginny," Ariadne said.
"You're the only one who can get George and Fred to do something, but I don't want Ginny involved," Ron said.
"Involved in what?" Ginny asked hearing her name.
"To play look out, so we can sneak into Hogsmeade," Harry said and repeated the story of Sirius Black.
"I'll do it," Ginny said smiling.
"Are the twins in their room?" Ariadne asked.
"Yes, but I really don't think this is a good idea," Hermione said.
Ariadne didn't listen to what Hermione had to say.
"Come in," Fred said at the knock.
"Ariadne," George said happily.
"I don't have time to explain, but I need your help."
"Of course," they said together.
"I need you to cause a disturbance in Uncle Remus's classroom tonight."
"Are you looking for a prank or bedlam?" Fred asked.
"Bedlam, I need him to be distracted for a few hours," Ariadne said. Remus was going to kill her when this was over. Sitting was going to be a distant memory by the time he was finished walloping her.
"You got it," George said picking up something on the bed.
"We've wanted to try this for awhile," Fred admitted.
"Thanks. Is there another way to Hogsmeade?" Ariadne asked.
"The Whomping Willow, but I wouldn't try it," George said.
"Ok, we'll use the Humpback Witch," Ariadne said praying no one would catch the twins.
"Good luck, with whatever you are doing," Fred said smiling.
"Thanks, I think we're going to need it."
Fred and George walked out of the room and heading toward Remus's office on the second floor.
Ginny followed Ariadne, Harry, Ron and Hermione to the Humpbacked Witch.
"Good luck," Ginny said.
As Ariadne, Harry, Ron, and Hermione went into the passageway they heard an explosion.
"Guess, Fred and George had ignited their part of the plan," Harry said with a hint of concern in his voice.
"Do you think they did anything dangerous?" Hermione asked, receiving incredulous looks from her three companions.
"It's Fred and George," Ron said rolling his eyes.
"Right, of course they did," Hermione said.
The four walked the rest of the way in silence. They were all trying to figure out how to find an innocent mass murder that the entire ministry had been looking for all year.
"I think he is staying in the caves," Ron suggested.
"Maybe the Shrieking Shack," Ariadne suggested.
"Should we split up and look at both places?" Harry asked.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Ariadne said.
"Why not?" Harry asked.
"He might get frightened and do something he would regret," Ariadne said.
"You really think he'll be threatened by two third years?" Harry asked annoyed.
"Who knows, he's a man on the run," Ariadne said.
"You're right," Harry said.
"Caves or shack?" Hermione asked.
"Caves, I guess," Harry said making a decision.
The four walked out of town and towards the caves that were up in the hills. The walk took almost an hour.
"You know we're going to get caught once we get back," Hermione pointed out.
"We know. You can go back," Ariadne snapped earning a glare from both Ron and Harry.
"What's that?" Ron said looking at a form in the distance.
Fear attacked the four teenagers. Could it be Sirius Black? Maybe it was Dumbledore or someone from the castle. Harry hoped it wasn't a Dementor. Ariadne hoped it wasn't Remus. Ron and Hermione hoped it was only a shadow. The figure came closer and Ariadne realized it was the black dog who had been hanging around campus all year. He looked even skinner and sicker than the last time she saw him.
"Hi, boy. I thought I told you to eat something," Ariadne said only to be met by an angry growl.
Sirius Black was enraged. What were his daughter and Harry doing out of the castle at this time of night, walking up the street without a care in the world? The four of them needed their hides tanned for this foolishness, but the only thing he could do was growl and push them back towards the castle.
"What's wrong?" Ariadne asked as the dog started herding them back towards the castle.
"Look dog, I don't know what your problem is, but I have no problem hexing you," Harry said angrily.
"No Harry, he's just hungry," Ariadne said and pulled out a biscuit she had stolen. She was carrying a biscuit everyday just in case she saw the dog in her travels. She handed the dog the biscuit, hoping it wouldn't bite her. She did not hear the popping sound in front of her.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione didn't miss it. Remus Lupin was standing before the four children looking murderous.
"WHAT THE DEVIL ARE YOU FOUR DOING IN HOGSMEAD AFTER CURFEW. DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS? HARRY AND ARIADNE YOU AREN'T EVEN ALLOWED HERE," Remus yelled until he finally noticed the dog, "Hi Sirius."
The four children looked at Remus as if he'd gone completely mental. Sirius Black was worried that his old friend was going to kill him or send him back to Azkaban, but the tone in his voice didn't seem to say that. His anger seemed to be focused solely on the teenagers. In fact the minute Remus saw him he stopped his tirade and acknowledged his presence.
"Sirius Black?" Hermione said being the first one to recover from the shock of Remus standing before them and saying the dog was Sirius.
"We found Peter and know you're innocent," Remus said ignoring the four children for the moment.
Harry and Ariadne were happy about this lack of attention. Both knew Remus wasn't opposed to dealing with their misdeeds right on the street. They both felt whatever he gave them here would be only an appetizer of what was to come the moment they arrived in their quarters.
Sirius couldn't believe his ears. Was Remus joking? Could he just be saying that to get Sirius into his human form? No, that wasn't Moony's style. Sirius took a moment and turned into his human form. His robs were in tatters and he was emaciated. It was hard to not feel sorry for him.
"Moony, it's great to see you," Sirius said with a rough voice that hadn't been used in a long, long time.
"Padfoot, how can you ever forgive me?" Remus said.
"There's nothing to forgive. I was the fool who ran into danger without thinking of the consequences," Sirius said.
The two men hugged forgetting the four children gaping at them for the moment. Harry and Ariadne couldn't believe their eyes or ears. Did they really just call themselves Padfoot and Moony? It was on the tip of their tongues to say something, but they didn't want Remus's attention quite yet.
"What are you doing at Hogwarts?" Sirius asked smiling.
"I'm a Professor there. Why don't you come back with us to the castle? I'm sure you could use a hot meal and I want Poppy to take a look at you."
"Come on, Moony you know I hate the hospital wing," Sirius said almost whining.
"He sounds like you," Hermione whispered to Ariadne unfortunately catching the attention of the two men.
"Plus, four children have a lot to answer for," Remus said ominously.
"Uncle Remus…"
"I don't want to hear it," Remus snapped.
"Will you at least let us introduce ourselves?" Ariadne asked angrily.
"Watch your tone, you are in enough trouble," Remus said.
"Sorry," Ariadne mumbled.
"I take it from the attitude, you're my daughter," Sirius teased, making everyone including Ariadne laugh.
"They changed my name, so I'm Ariadne Lupin. This is Harry Potter, Ron Weasly, and Hermione Granger," Ariadne said pointing to each of her friends.
"Nice to meet you," Sirius said wanting to hug both Ariadne and Harry. He just didn't know how they would react. What do you say to your teenage daughter and godson after not being a part of their lives for the past twelve years? He knew they didn't even remember him. To his surprise Ariadne walked over and hugged him tight. Harry followed suit.
Remus, Ron, and Hermione watched the exchange smiling.
"We need to get back to the castle. I don't like your color Sirius," Remus said.
The six of them walked back to the castle, Sirius asking them questions about their classes and lives. Finally, something dawned on Ariadne.
"You already knew who I was," Ariadne accused.
"Yes," Sirius said simply.
"You listened to me that night and kept me warm."
"Yes. It was great to see you and I wanted to talk to you then, but I couldn't."
"I guess that was our first father/daughter talk, at least you couldn't yell at me for going outside after curfew without a coat," Ariadne teased.
"Defiantly my daughter, you have too much cheek for your own good," Sirius said smiling.
When they were finally at the castle Remus told the four of them to go to bed. Ron and Hermione left without argument, but Harry and Ariadne were a different story.
"No,"Harry and Ariadne said together.
"Would you like an incentive? You both have one hell of a spanking coming in the morning already," Remus warned.
"That doesn't matter. We're not leaving Sirius," Harry said.
"You can see him tomorrow," Remus said softly.
"No, I want to know he's ok," Ariadne said with conviction.
"I want you both to listen to Moony," Sirius said seriously.
"Thank you Padfoot," Remus said in shock.
"So you really are Moony and Padfoot," Ariadne said.
"From the map," Harry finished.
"Yes," Remus said.
"Oh, so you know they have the map?" Sirius accused.
"I promise you, I have confiscated it," Remus said.
"Good," Sirius said.
"Great, now I have two adults telling me what to do and watching my every move. I won't get away with anything," Ariadne whined. Making the two men laugh.
"Bed, now. We will deal with your disobedience tomorrow," Remus promised.
"You know if it wasn't for our disobedience, he would still be out in the cold," Ariadne said. At this point she didn't know what to call Sirius. Does she call him father, dad, or Sirius?
"Go to bed," Remus demanded, sending the two of them towards his quarters with a hard swat to their backsides.
For over an hour Poppy fussed over Sirius. She poked and prodded determining he was dehydrated, malnourished, had pneumonia, and suffering the effects of being in the presence of Dementors to long. He would have a lengthy recovery.
Sirius hated the news. He wasn't one to just sit around and do nothing. He had twelve years to make up with his daughter, godson, and best friend. His thoughts were interrupted as Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape walked into the hospital wing.
"Sirius, my boy, how are you?" Dumbledore asked.
"He's very ill headmaster. Severus I need you to brew some potions to help him recover," Poppy said.
"Give me a list and I will," Snape said. He really didn't want to help the man he despised for most of his life, but he didn't have a choice. First he was a Potion Master and it was an obligation, second Dumbledore would expect it, and in a distant third, the brats' needs had to be considered.
"I'm fine, Poppy," Sirius argued starting to sit up.
"Dehydration, malnourishment, pneumonia, and the effects of the Dementors isn't nothing young man," Poppy said angrily pushing him back down, "you will stay in that bed, Sirius Black or I will put a sticking charm on you."
Sirius looked at the other adults in the room pleading silently.
"No my boy, I agree totally with Poppy," Dumbledore said.
"Yes, sir," Sirius said feeling like a thirteen year old boy, not the adult he actually was.
"So, I hear the children found you," Dumbledore said his eyes twinkling. "I guess two hundred points to Gryffindor should cover it."
"Headmaster, I must disagree. You are rewarding those children for disobedience yet again," Snape said.
"I agree with Severus," Remus said.
"I hate to admit it, but I do too," Sirius said.
"It is my prerogative as Headmaster," Dumbledore said his eyes still twinkling, "I am too happy to see Sirius, so I have to reward them."
"Just made my job ten times harder," Remus mumbled ruefully.
"You'll bring them around," Dumbledore said confidently.
Harry and Ariadne woke up the next morning, still in shock from the night before and a little worried about what Remus was going to do.
"Sit," Remus said pointing to the couch.
"Hi. How's Sirius?" Harry asked.
"Very sick," Remus admitted.
"So we needed to find him," Ariadne said.
"We would have found him sooner or later," Remus said.
"But he's sick and needed to be found right away," Harry said.
"It doesn't excuse your behavior," Remus said.
"Why not? We weren't hurt and we saved someone's life," Ariadne said.
"It still doesn't excuse your behavior. Professor Snape told me what happened in potions," Remus said and heard the two children groan. Finding Sirius wasn't going to excuse that and they knew it. "You used Fred, George, and Ginny. You realize they all have detention for a month, because of your little plan. Ron and Hermione will enjoy two months worth of detentions. Of course your punishment will include that and more."
"Remus, we just wanted to find Sirius," Harry tried.
"So, disrespecting Professor Snape was just a bonus?"
"Well, yeah," Ariadne said smiling. Remus grabbed her off the couch and delivered three hard swats. Ariadne rubbed her bum and sat back down before Remus got in anymore.
Harry glared at her. Why couldn't she keep her mouth shut? They were in enough trouble as it was. She didn't need to make Remus angrier with her cheek.
"I'm sorry," Ariadne mumbled.
"Not as sorry as you are going to be," Remus promised.
"Remus, please. We just wanted to help," Harry said.
"You are thirteen and it was not your place to help," Remus said harshly.
"You wouldn't have found him Uncle Remus. He only showed himself to us because we were kids, plus Harry and I are special to him. I would bet a week's worth of spankings, that he would say the same thing," Ariadne said confidently.
Harry gaped at her. His bottom was protesting even thinking about that. Remus had a strong hand and his paddle was even worse.
"Even if that was true, you still shouldn't have done it," Remus said. He knew she was right. Sirius had said as much last night after Dumbledore and Snape had left.
"So, we get a spanking because we did the right thing?" Ariadne asked.
"The outcome doesn't excuse the behavior," Remus said.
"Why not?" Harry asked.
"It was dangerous," Remus said.
"Your excuse all year was that Sirius Black was after us. When we left the castle that was no longer true," Harry said.
Remus was getting nowhere with this conversation.
"Harry, go..."
"Uncle Remus I think, Sirius should decide what our punishment should be," Ariadne said hoping to stop the dreaded punishment Remus was about to deliver.
Remus thought about it for about five minutes and watched the children squirm as they waited for his decision.
"Only about your trip to Hogsmeade, I am allowing Professor Snape to deal with your disrespect," Remus finally said.
The children groaned again. The both had a feeling how Snape was going to deal with their disrespect. They hoped Sirius would agree them and not Remus. Facing Snape was going to be hard enough without having a sore bum.
"If Sirius doesn't punish us, I think Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny shouldn't get punished either," Harry said.
"Agreed," Remus said.
The three walked up to the hospital room. Sirius was sleeping soundly.
"Don't wake him up," Poppy said. "Severus gave him a dreamless sleeping draft a few hours ago."
"Can we stay here?" Ariadne pleaded.
"You have classes," Remus said simply.
"But Remus," Harry whined.
"Fine, but not a word and you will use this time to study," Remus said handing the children each a chair and sitting next to them. He conjured their textbooks.
Sirius slept for another two hours before waking up. He was surprised to see the three people he cared most about in the world sitting next to him. He thought for sure last night was just a dream.
"Good morning, how are you feeling?" Remus asked.
"Better. How long have you been waiting?" Sirius asked as he stretched.
"A couple of hours," Remus admitted.
Sirius smiled at the two children who looked a little apprehensive this morning. He wondered what Remus had done to them this morning. They weren't wiggling, so Remus didn't spank them as he promised last night.
"Good morning Harry, Ariadne," Sirius said.
"Good morning," they both returned not meeting his eyes.
"How are we this morning?" Sirius asked.
"Ok," they both said.
"What's going on Moony?" Sirius asked.
"Oh, they chose to let you pick their punishment and are worried about. You know sitting in dread isn't fun," Remus said smiling.
"I remember all to well how that feels because you don't know what to expect. Am I going to demand a spanking, yell, ground you, or all of the above? What did my behavior as a dog tell you about how I felt about the situation?" Sirius asked.
"That you weren't happy," Ariadne admitted.
"You're right. I'm not happy that you snuck out of the castle, had your friends set off a series of explosions in Remus's classroom, or that you came after me without knowing how I would react."
"So we were supposed to just leave you out there?" Harry asked.
"Yes," Sirius said honestly.
Last night he heard all about the adventures of his daughter and godson. He was not happy about it and he knew James wouldn't be either. On the other hand he didn't want his relationship with them to start out of a sour note. Remus was going to kill him but he said,
"I'm going to forgive you this one time, but I promise if you ever put yourselves in danger again, I will spank you the moment Moony is finished and I'll use a hairbrush. Between the two of us, you won't want to sit down for at least a week."
They both ran over and gave him a hug. Remus glared, but understood why Sirius did it. In fact he was glad, he didn't want to punish them for this either.
"Why aren't you in class?" Sirius asked.
"We wanted to see you," Harry said smiling.
"We have a lot of questions," Ariadne added.
"Excuse me. I will leave the three of you alone. I have a class to teach. Harry and Ariadne, you are still grounded but you can stay here until Poppy feels Sirius needs more rest. I don't want to hear that you argued with Poppy when she does. Do you understand?" Remus said.
"Yes, sir," they both said.
"Questions, huh? I admit, I'm not looking forward to this," Sirius said.
"It won't be too bad," Ariadne teased.
"Right, so get on with it," Sirius said.
"First one is simple. What do we call you?" Harry asked knowing this was bugging Ariadne.
"It's up to you. Whatever makes you feel comfortable," Sirius said.
"I'll call you Sirius," Harry said.
"I don't want to hurt your feelings, but I don't think I'm ready to call you Dad yet. So I'll go with Sirius too," Ariadne decided.
"Sounds good," Sirius said smiling. He understood why his daughter would say that.
"Question two is a lot harder. Why did you choose Pettigrew to be our secret keeper?" Harry asked.
"Your Dad and I determined that no one would suspect him. I actually convinced your Dad," Sirius said.
"Why did you go after Pettigrew?" Ariadne asked.
"I wanted to avenge my best mate's death," Sirius said dreading the next few questions he knew were coming.
"Why didn't you just turn him in?" Harry asked.
"I was impulsive and angry," Sirius said.
"The impulsive part sounds like some else I know," Harry teased. He knew Ariadne didn't like Sirius's answers and wanted to stop her from acting impulsively. Ariadne punched him hard for the joke and effort.
"As I see," Sirius teased as well.
"I didn't get much sleep so I guess that will do for now," Ariadne said not wanting to yell and scream about how stupid Sirius was or how he made mum die sooner. She knew that was what Harry was trying to prevent. Harry had heard the rants for the last few months.
"Ariadne, I'm sorry about your mom," Sirius said.
"Me too," Ariadne said walking out.
"It wasn't your fault and she knows that," Harry said.
"Harry, do you forgive me?" Sirius pleaded.
"There is nothing to forgive. You didn't kill them or set them up. You did what you thought was best. Ariadne will come around, she doesn't stay angry for very long. It's not in her nature because she doesn't take anything too seriously."
"How did you become friends, knowing who she was and what people thought I did?" Sirius asked.
"We were friends before I found out. In fact she's more like a sister than a friend, so once I did, nothing changed."
"When did you find out?"
"Right before Christmas."
"So she didn't know for all of those years?"
"No, Remus refused to tell her who her father was because her mum didn't want her to know."
"How did you find out?"
"We snuck into Hogsmeade…"
"I guess I made the wrong decision this morning. It seems you two sneak into Hogsmeade a lot."
"She only did once and I did twice. The first time, we got off because of what we learned. Ariadne actually hexed Snape that day. It was great," Harry smiled at the memory.
"She hexed a teacher and Moony let her get away with it?"
"Well in her defense she was really upset, learning that her father was a mass murderer and all," Harry said hoping he wouldn't hurt Sirius's feelings.
"I guess that's a good enough excuse. So, you went twice, what happened the second time?" Sirius said smiling.
"I was caught the second time and Remus made sure I felt his displeasure," Harry said rubbing his bum.
It took everything for Sirius not to laugh at Harry. He reminded him so much of James. He hoped Harry was right and Ariadne would come around. He would do everything in his power to ensure that.
Harry spent another two hours with Sirius, before he went looking for Ariadne. He had to admit he was a little angry with her right now. He understood why she was upset, but running away from a problem doesn't make it go away.
Ariadne felt like a coward, she should have confronted Sirius with her feelings. She knew Harry was going to be angry with her, but she didn't care. She was not going to disrespect her father the first time they really talked. Blimey, Remus would be proud.
Harry walked into their quarters and glared at his friend before sitting next to her on the couch.
"I don't want to hear it, Harry," Ariadne said.
"I don't care. He's your father and you should have heard him out. Do you know what I would give to talk to my father for even a minute?"
"I'm sorry Harry, but I'm too mad and hurt about his choices. All he had to do was wait, but he didn't care enough about me or mum to do that. He just thought about revenge. What am I supposed to say about that? You should be mad too; you wouldn't have had to live with those muggles if it wasn't for his choice."
"Ariadne, you can't change the past. You should focus on the future."
"Harry, I just need a little time. Please, let me do this my way."
"I will, because I know you don't tend to hold a grudge."
"I'm sorry I punched you," Ariadne said pushing him slightly.
"Sure you are," Harry said pushing her back smiling.
Remus showed up in the hospital wing after classes, thinking Harry and Ariadne were there. Sirius was looking at the ceiling, thinking about how to get his daughter to forgive him. He understood why she was angry and he just hoped she would forgive him someday.
"Padfoot, are you feeling better this evening?"
"It's nice to have a full belly," Sirius joked.
"Where are Harry and Ariadne?"
"Back in your room," Sirius said trying not to sound too disappointed.
"Ariadne, give you some problems? If she was disrespectful…"
"No Remus, she left before she could tell me how she actually felt. Harry stayed for awhile and we had a great chat. He seemed a tad angry with Ariadne for leaving. I hope they don't have a row."
"They rarely fight, so don't worry about that."
"How do I make it up to them?"
"Sirius, how can I ever make it up to you? Mary was convinced you were innocent and I didn't believe her for a minute. We should have demanded at trial, but we didn't. It's as much my fault as yours for your time in Azkaban," Remus said.
"Moony, you know that isn't true. I would have believed the same thing if I thought you were James and Lily's secret keeper. I'm sorry we didn't choose you."
"Padfoot, a werewolf is not a safe choice especially before the Wolfsbane Potion. I also understand why you didn't tell Mary and me. Mary would have hexed you into next week. I would have felt sorry for myself because you didn't choose me. We all were foolish in our youth," Remus said.
"I want to thank you for taking care of Ariadne and Harry. From what I see you have done a great job," Sirius said.
"Thank you. They are good kids and most of the time it's easy."
"And sometimes you just want to run and hide," Sirius teased.
"Yesterday was one of those days. Before they destroyed my classroom and ran off to Hogsmeade, I was visited by Severus. They refused to accept a detention and insulted him. The three of them have a history. I don't think he's ever forgiven us," Remus said.
"You know the first time, I saw Ariadne she was complaining about Snape. Did you really give him permission to spank her?"
"Yes, your daughter has a wicked tongue," Remus said in his defense.
"I don't doubt it," Sirius said smiling.
"If you're not happy with my decision, I can change it," Remus conceded.
"No you know them better than I do. If you think it's right, I'm not going to undermine you."
"Good because, Severus is going to punish them for their disrespect yesterday," Remus said.
"He better not be too hard on them or he'll have to answer to me," Sirius said.
"Don't worry, Severus has dealt with your daughter more than once and she came out alive."
"How often is she over someone's knee?"
"More times than you would think would be necessary. She loves to pull pranks and speaks without thinking. According to her rules are just a suggestion. Harry has a better track record, only because he hasn't lived with me for very long. He tends to enjoy dangerous situations and drags his friends with him. Does that sound like someone else we knew?"
"James and I bet Harry takes all of the blame when they get caught," Sirius said.
"Exactly, now Ariadne doesn't let him get away with it. She tells him to deflate his ego and that her, Ron, and Hermione are capable of making a decision without him," Remus said smiling.
"How do I get her to talk to me?" Sirius asked.
"Force it."
"Moony, I don't know."
"I do and I promise she will be down here after supper to talk to you. I could use a sticking charm, it tends to help the situation," Remus teased.
"I don't know if I am looking forward to this conversation," Sirius said.
"Don't worry, her bark is much worse than her bite," Remus teased again.
"Ha ha, so not funny," Sirius said.
A/N: Please Review, so I know that I am staying true to the characters. I'm making Sirius more of a parent than in the books because I don't think he would treat his daughter like a friend and so his relationship with Harry would change as well. Don't worry Sirius will not be too serious.
I will try to get something up next weekend. I am driving to San Diego tomorrow to finish setting up the school. I'll be in Los Angeles, Tues, Wed, and Thurs for a meeting on our main campus and back to San Diego on Friday for a meeting with my staff. I get to home for the weekend. I can't wait until the final move to San Diego on Sept 17th. No promises on the update. Even though I tend to read or write for an hour or two every day.