"How long do you plan to leave them in there?" Remus asked as he and Severus sat in the hall outside the Room of Requirement.

Severus looked at his watch. "Another hour ought to do."

"You sure this is going to work?"

"If it doesn't I don't know what I'll do. Maybe I'll send him to Beauxbatons or Drumstrang."

"Do you want to send him away?"

"Of course not, Remus," he said, sending the other man a dark look. "I don't want to send my son away, but between their constant fighting and his attitude of late…"

Remus sighed. "He has gotten a bit out of control. He's probably just testing you, Severus. Children tend to do that."

"I hope Harry doesn't decide to do that as well. I'm not sure that I can handle two of them testing me."

"Harry's been very quiet lately. Is everything alright?"

Severus leaned his head back against the wall. "He showed up in my quarters last Friday to spend the weekend. I gave them both an open invitation to come, but neither one has really used it. Friday night he was quite content to just lay on the couch with his kitten."

"Did he say what was wrong? That's not like him."

"It seems that Miss Granger has been spending quite a bit of time with Mr. Devereaux helping him prepare for his O.W.L.s and young Mr. Weasley has become jealous of the fact that Harry is on the Gryffindor Quidditch team or some other nonsense and has not been speaking to Harry. And with Draco forced to spend all his time with Miss Kelly, I believe that Harry is feeling lonely."

"What did you say to him?"

"I reminded him that Mr. Wood was graduating at the end of the term and Mr. Weasley could try out for the Quidditch team next year. I also sat with him until I sent him to bed, even though there were many other things that needed to be done."

"I'm sure he appreciates it Severus."

Severus nodded and checked his watch again.

"That was a very interesting present you gave Sirius. He told me about it, but I didn't believe it until I saw the bird for myself this past weekend."

"It was a Slytherin's revenge," Severus replied.

"It was also worthy of a Marauder. Well done, my friend."

Severus nodded. "Thank you. How does he like his gift?"

"He found it quite amusing at first, but the bird is really starting to annoy him now."

"Good. That was the point."

Remus was quiet for a moment. "He's not doing well?"

"Azkaban?"

"That's a big part of it. He's always been like this to a degree, but James and I could handle him. Now…well, even I can't stop him. But I think it's more than that. There's just something I can't put my finger on."

"Just keep an eye on him. One more stunt and I won't let him see the boys again. I have to protect them."

Remus nodded. "I hate to see that happen, but I do understand."

--

"Are you ever going to tell me about this person I look like? I mean, you keeping punching me, so I think you owe it to me. Is it that Liam guy you mentioned?" Draco asked Rae, his head still resting on her lap. He was comfortable and she didn't realize that she was running her fingers through his hair. It felt rather nice and he wasn't about to stop her.

She sighed deeply and took several minutes before answering. "He was my best friend and you look a lot like him. Yes, his name is Liam." She fell silent again, "Would you like to see a picture?"

"You carry it with you?" he asked.

Rae held her right hand in front of him as if holding a small photograph. Touching the fingers of her left hand to her right palm, she then touched her fingers to her forehead, whispering something he couldn't quite make out but that sounded suspiciously like an incantation. She touched her palm again and an image appeared there.

He looked closely at the image of Rae several years ago on the back of a boy who at first glance looked like he had at the age of ten. "You're right. The resemblance is…amazing." The image on her hand flickered and then disappeared. "That's a brilliant charm. Where did you learn wandless magic? They don't even teach that here."

"It's a charm that I'm not even supposed to know. They use it in the American Magical Law Enforcement. Its charm that allows you to show a memory, almost like a pensieve, but it appears as a Muggle photograph. Comes in real handy when they are out questioning people after an incident."

"What's the incantation?"

"Ostendo memoria. I got one of Cap's junior officers to teach me and my godfather doesn't know."

"Do you know any more wandless magic?"

She shrugged. "I know some. It comes a bit easier to me than wanded magic. Halle says it's because of my being a Weather Witch."

"Who is Halle?"

"Cap's wife. They adopted me when I was eight."

They sat in silence for a few moments before Draco spoke again. "So why do you hate him so much?"

She sighed. "I don't really hate him. Not really." She hesitated before continuing. "I lived with his family until Cap adopted me, but we stayed close after that. We were out in his yard one day when we were about ten and got into an argument about something. It was the first time I ever truly lost my temper…and my control of my magic. I guess you could call it Accidental Magic. A storm came up suddenly and lightening struck his parents' house. It caught fire and his mother and sisters almost didn't make it out. They were hurt, but not seriously. Liam and his family are Muggles.

"Things are different in America. We blend into the Muggle world rather than having our own areas like Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade. And because of the whole Salem fiasco, Muggles there are no too accepting of magic. Oh, they believe that there are some things that can't be explained, but not in magic.

"Liam…" she sighed. "Liam somehow put the pieces together and figured out that I was a witch. He made a scene in the hospital and Children's Services was called. Thanks to Liam I nearly got taken away from Cap. He would have lost Beau and the little ones too."

At some point during her monologue Draco had taken her free hand. He wasn't exactly sure what had possessed him to do it, but it had seemed like the right thing to do. "I think I would have been pretty pissed off too. What did your godfather do?"

"He used a dozen or so memory charms and altered the paperwork. With Liam and his family, he removed all memory of me. I wasn't too happy about it at the time, but when he explained things to me later I understood he reasoning. I still didn't like it, but I understood."

"Did you ever see him again?"

"No. We went to different schools, so I didn't even get to see him there." She sighed deeply. "Listen, Draco, I really am sorry for hitting you that day in Diagon Alley. It's all my fault we're stuck in here."

"It's not entirely your fault…Rae," he said, using her name for the first time. "I'm partly to blame too. I made the choice to trip you on the stairs that night. You didn't force me into it."

"Truce?" she asked, looking down into grey eyes that mirrored her own.

"Truce."

--

In the waiting room outside the mental healing ward of St. Mungo's Hospital Remus Lupin sat waiting impatiently for news of his old friend. He had gotten permission for Harry, who was now curled up asleep next to him, to spend the weekend with him at Grimmauld Place. Harry and Sirius had both needed cheering up and it had seemed like a good idea at the time.

For some time now Remus had suspected that his friend suffered from what Muggles called PTSD or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. What he had seen when he and Harry had arrived at the Black family home confirmed his fears and after two hours of arguing he had finally convinced Sirius to come to St. Mungo's to see a Mind Healer.

When they had stepped through the Floo they found Sirius conjuring a Patronus and sending it after…the curtains. Thinking back on it, Remus had to admit those dark curtains did resemble a Dementor's Cloak. Apparently the breeze blowing through the open window and ruffling the curtains had reminded Sirius of his time in Azkaban and sent him into a flashback.

Sighing deeply, Remus pulled a small mirror from his pocket. Severus had given it to him some months ago when he had started teaching the boys the Patronus charm. "Severus Snape," he whispered so as not to wake up Harry.

Moments later the Potions Master's face appeared in the mirror. "Remus? Is something wrong with Harry?"

"No. Harry's fine. He's sleeping right now. It's Sirius…"

"What has Black done now?" Severus asked with a sigh.

"I've brought him to St. Mungo's…to see a Mind Healer. He had a flashback and was dueling with a curtain that looked a bit like a Dementor." Remus glanced over at Harry. "Severus, would you mind being here when I talk to the Mind Healer. It's not going to be good news."

Severus considered it for a moment before nodding. "I'll be there in a few minutes."

--

Half an hour later the two men sat in the office of the Mind Healer. Harry had been sent back to Hogwarts just moments before. "What can you tell us, Healer Fawcett?" Remus asked.

The middle-aged woman straightened her notes. "We see this rather often in those who have spent long amounts of time in Azkaban or sometimes in our young Aurors after a particularly bad case. We also saw quite a bit of it after the last war. In cases such as this all we've found that the best option is to sedate the patient and put them on our long term ward."

"No," Remus said fiercely. "That's not what Sirius needs. No offense ma'am, but I've known him a lot longer than you have. He'd rather be dead than kept that way."

Healer Fawcett stared at the man for a moment. "Tell me…what do you know of his childhood?"

The werewolf sighed deeply. "His parents favored his younger brother from the beginning. They were typical wealthy pure-blood parents…rarely home, left the boys in the care of nannies and house elves. I gathered that they were on the abusive side when they were home, but he never really said for sure. He left home when he was sixteen and his parents disowned him."

"There is another option," the Healer told them. "It's only been done a couple times before because we only use that form of treatment if the patient is in full cooperation."

"What is it?" Severus asked, pinching the bridge of his nose. He was starting to get a headache.

She looked at them both before answering. "De-aging."

"De-aging? You can't honestly mean to..."

"I most certainly do, Professor Snape. It would give him a second chance at childhood, hopefully a better one, and he won't remember his time in Azkaban."

"Who would you suggest to raise him?" Remus asked.

"Does he have any family left?"

Remus shook his head. "His parents and brother have been dead for years. Narcissa didn't even fight to try and keep Draco. Bellatrix is in prison. Andromeda might take him, but their daughter has been out of Hogwarts for a couple years and I'm not sure they would want to take in a young child. That's what he would be right?"

She nodded. "Yes. He'd be six years old if we went with this option."

"He and Andromeda were never really close. Other than her we're the closest thing he has to a family."

"Why can't you take him?" the Healer asked.

Remus sighed, glancing over at Severus before answering. "I'm a werewolf, ma'am. The Ministry would never allow me to take him."

"What about you, Professor Snape?"

"I just adopted thirteen-year-old twin boys this past summer…" Severus replied, really not liking the direction this conversation was going.

"Who, from what I saw between Harry and Mr. Black, are already quite close."

Remus looked over at his friend with a sly look. "Wasn't it just a couple months ago you were expressing a wish to de-age Sirius yourself?"

"He had just bought my boys pets without asking me first!" Severus snapped at the werewolf. "Between that, the Firebolt and taking the up on that blasted contraption of his, I wanted to de-age him and give him a darn good spanking!"

"Now would be your chance."

"Absolutely not, Lupin."

"It could be your chance to…what was it you said…'mend his mischievous ways'…"

"Don't even think about it."

"Slytherin's revenge, Severus…"

"Oh alright! But you watch it or I just might de-age you as well!"

Remus just laughed before turning back to the Healer. "Alright. Problem solved. Now what do we have to do?"

She smiled. "Now you have to get Mr. Black to agree."

--

The next morning Severus brought both Harry and Draco to St. Mungo's. He had decided to include the boys in this conversation because Sirius was still their godfather and if they went through with it, he would become their little brother.

Severus had his doubts, though he would never mention them to anyone. It wasn't that he didn't think he was up for the job of raising the de-aged Sirius. No, he could handle that. He'd been practically raising Draco for years. His doubts were whether he could look past the fact that this had been his school nemesis. There was a lot of bad blood between the two of them and they had been able to set a lot of that aside for the boys. But this…this was much different.

"The Healer wouldn't tell me anything," Sirius said. "Told me that you would tell me everything." Harry settled on the bed next to Sirius while Draco stood next to the chair where Remus sat, half-leaning against the man. Severus stood on the opposite side of the bed with his arms crossed.

Remus and Severus exchanged a glance before Remus answered. "Healer Fawcett said that flashbacks like you had the other night will only get worse and that there are really only two options. Sedation or de-aging."

"What?!" Sirius demanded, nearly coming off the bed. "Moony! There is no way in hell that I'll ever agree to either one of those! I know what happens when they keep patients sedated. I'll end up on the long term ward with Frank and Alice! No! I won't do it!"

Remus leaned forward. "Alright, Siri…we won't let them sedate you."

"I won't let them de-age me either! My childhood was bad enough; I won't go through a second one like that! I won't do it, Moony! Besides, who would they put me with?" He stared at his friend and when the werewolf didn't answer, he jumped off the bed, knocking Harry off the other side. "NO! No way in hell!"

Severus lunged forward and caught Harry before he hit the floor. He put the young teen on his feet and kept his arms around the boy. "I'm the only one in the 'old crowd' that can take you, Black…Sirius. And you know that Albus would only let you go to a member of the 'old crowd'."

Sirius turned to glare at the Potions Master. "I said that I wasn't going to be de-aged!"

He looked down at his sons and sighed before meeting Sirius' eyes again. "If you don't seek some type of treatment, then I can't let you see the boys anymore."

Harry turned to look up at his adopted father, his eyes wide in silent protest. Draco, on the other hand, voiced his concern. "Uncle Sev! You can't do that!"

"Yes, Draco, as your father I can."

"You're not my father!" the boy yelled without stopping to consider his words.

Remus pinched his leg. "That's enough, pup," he said in his 'Alpha' voice. They stared at each other for a moment before Draco let out a low whimper and stepped back to the man's side, his head down.

Sirius looked at the Potions Master. "You are the last person I'd want to have as a father."

"He's a great father, Sirius," Harry told his godfather.

"He hits you," Sirius replied. "You and he both admitted it."

"He spanks us sometimes," Harry said.

"But only when we deserve it," Draco added, stepping away from Remus and jumping up to sit on the bed next to Sirius. "Like last term when we snuck out of the castle to go to the Shrieking Shack during the full moon. But that was the worst he's ever given us…and it was no where near as bad as I used to get from Lucius."

"Or what I got from the Dursleys," Harry told him.

Sirius looked from one godson to the other. "What did they do to you?"

"Lucius used to beat me with that cane of his. The last time he beat me until I passed out," Draco told him. "When Uncle Sev and I went and got Harry from the Dursleys he had been locked in his bedroom…with five padlocks on the door! They were feeding him through a hole in the door and someone had taken a belt to him. Before he got his Hogwarts letter, they made Harry sleep in a cupboard under the stairs."

Sirius sank onto the bed, putting his head into his hands.

"Uncle Sev's not like that," Harry said from where he was still standing in front of Severus, the Potions Master's hands resting on his shoulders. "Yeah he spanks us some times and it does hurt, but never more than a couple minutes."

Severus gave the boy's shoulders a gentle squeeze. "My father was a monster when he was drunk, which was most of the time. I was terrified of him," he told his old school enemy. "I always envied the relationship that Potter had with his father and I've tried to work toward having that type of relationship with my sons. When I spank them, it is supposed to startle and sting a bit, but I'm not trying to hurt them. It does, however, let them know that I am very disappointed in their behavior."

"And knowing that he's disappointed in us is almost worse than the spanking," Harry said. "He's done a lot for us." He glanced up at his adopted father. "He's a good father, Sirius. Even Dad told me so…in a dream."

"Thank you, Harry," Severus told him.

Sirius raked his fingers through his hair. He hated to admit it, but Severus had taken good care of the boys. Anyone looking at them could see it. He didn't want any kind of treatment...he didn't think he even needed it. But he didn't want to lose the boys either.

Draco nudged him. "If you let them de-age you, then you'll get to be our brother Siri. You'll have a family again…and we can reinstate the Marauders."

"You will not," Severus told him firmly.

The blond smirked and turned back to his godfather. "It won't be so bad. You'll have a family again. Harry and I will get a little brother to help us drive Uncle Sev crazy. Moony too."

"I don't know that I can trust him, Draco." Sirius replied. "He's…I…I did a lot of things to him when we were at Hogwarts. Things…things I'm not really proud of. If I do this he'll…he'll finally be able to get back at me and he'll take advantage…"

"Uncle Sev's not like that," Harry said, moving over to join his brother and godfather on the bed. "He had a lot of reasons to want to get back at Dad too, but he hasn't tried to take it out on us yet. The times he's spanked us has been with good reason…sneaking our brooms after they'd been taken and flying them in a Muggle neighborhood, flying the Weasleys' car from London after Ron and I missed the Express, Draco setting that snake on me during dueling club. He wouldn't take advantage of you like that."

Sirius took a deep shuddering breath. "I…I just need time to think about it. Can I have some time?"

Remus nodded. "We won't do anything unless you consent to it. But if we're going to do this the best time would be next Friday. It's the start of Easter break so it will give you all time to adjust to the new situation before classes start up again."

"Just…come to Grimmauld then and I'll make my decision."

AN: What do you think? You can blame this plot bunny on my advisors/betas. They talked me into it.