~OOooOO~
Harry was ecstatic to find that Charlie was the new Care of Magical Creatures professor. It meant that their contact didn't have to be limited to once a week. Charlie took to eating all his meals at the Gryffindor table with Harry and his brothers and sister. They all became closer than they had been before, even Percy. He was in his final year at Hogwarts and had been named Head Boy. The unfortunate thing about this appointment was that it had made him an insufferable git. For a brief time. Just until the first time Charlie and the twins joined ranks to pull a prank on him. After that, he seemed to become more human, eventually enjoying just being around his siblings. After over a year, he finally included Harry amongst his siblings.
Draco Malfoy had decided to try a little harder to be nice to Harry. His godfather seemed to think that it was better for him to be friends with Potter than to be enemies. He hadn't told his father, he didn't think Lucius would approve.
Severus had explained to Draco why Harry had refused his hand in First Year. When he looked back on it, Draco could see why it had happened. He thought about his actions of the last two years and realized that Harry had barely spoken to him, even after Draco had insulted his parentage or where he was now living. He looked at Severus and asked the one question that Severus had hoped he wouldn't.
"Why did Potter go to live with the Weasleys?"
Severus sighed and had his godson sit down. "Potter's relatives moved away from their house sometime during your first year. They never came to pick him up after the Express arrived at King's Cross Station."
A frown crossed Draco's face. "Didn't anyone try to find them? Why would they move away?" He looked up at Severus as a thought occurred to him. "They abandoned him?"
"Yes. They abandoned him. They left some things belonging to his mother in the house, but otherwise, the house was empty. We don't know where they went, or why." Severus chose his words carefully. "They were not the nicest of people, Draco. Their treatment of Potter was questionable, at best, and abusive, at worst. This is why he was blood adopted by the Weasleys. Hopefully, being where he is obviously cared about will help erase his memories of his treatment at the hands of his relatives."
"They BEAT him?" Draco was horrified. Even at his worst, his own father had never beaten him. And he had been a Death Eater. "Why would they do that? What about what we were told about him being loved and pampered? That all of his wishes were catered to?"
"Lies. All of the stories were lies. Judging from some of the things that Potter has told Professor Weasley and his friends, within my hearing of course, his relatives treated him worse than a house elf. I would hazard a guess that, by the time of your first year at Hogwarts, Potter's cooking skills were on par with a fairly decent chef."
Draco sat in stunned silence. This went against everything that he had ever been told by his parents, everything he had ever read about The Boy Who Lived. He needed time to re-think things. "May I be excused, Uncle Severus? I-I need to...think...about things now."
Severus nodded and let the boy leave. He hoped that telling Draco this would help the relationship between Harry and Draco.
~OOooOO~
Severus skirted the edge of the Quidditch pitch. He was headed into the Forbidden Forest. He picked his way through the underbrush, until he arrived at the same small clearing as before. He made the clicking sounds in his throat again and waited.
The small white wolf once again appeared. The wolf morphed into the man once more. The two men embraced and shared a short, but thorough kiss.
"How goes it with Draco?"
"Much better. I explained the circumstances of Potter's upbringing and treatment at the hands of his relatives." Severus fairly spat the word. He had seen far too much of that treatment himself to ever look on abuse objectively. "He is currently re-thinking his attitude toward Potter. I hope that our plans for the two to become friends will bear fruit. I hesitate to think of what could happen to Draco if he continues on the path he has been on. How have things been on your end, Love?"
"Not good Severus, not good. Crabbe and Goyle are amongst the stupidest people I have ever had the misfortune to be around. They will do whatever is requested of them, without question. Are their sons the same?"
"Unfortunately, yes. Blind followers, just like their fathers. I hope that, with this new information, Draco will begin to distance himself from them. Associating with them will only bring Draco down to their level." Severus placed his hand on the man's shoulder. "I wish you could be here, Love. I don't like to think of you placing yourself in harm's way again."
The long-haired man sighed. "I wish I could be with you, as well. My wife grows impatient with me, as I refuse to share her bed. I believe that she has taken a lover from the Death Eater ranks. Either McNair or Rookwood. I have yet to figure out which one." The disgust in his voice was plain to hear. "They are welcome to her."
"Patience, Love. We will win this. Then we can be together." The slightly shorter man moved into his lover's arms and laid his head on Severus' shoulder.
"Why now? Why couldn't he have been gone completely? I did not want to raise our child in the midst of another war. It is bad enough that your sister and blood-brother were killed by him for trying to protect their son, but for our child and theirs to be caught up in the second coming of that murderer?" Severus closed his arms more tightly around his love and held him while he cried.
"I know, Love. This is not what I had wished for them, or for any child, but especially not them." Severus raised the man's head. "A bit of information that you must keep to yourself...Harry and his soul mate have progressed to the second stage of their bond. I believe that they are able to communicate through the bond, as well. We must keep a close watch on Dumbledore now. I believe that he has found out that, once their bond is consummated, they will be able to share magic."
"No! He will use them and then throw them away, the same as he did us. We were forced to take the Dark Mark, and when we had fulfilled our usefulness, he cast us aside. We cannot allow him to do this to Potter and Weasley. Is there a way to warn Charles Weasley of Dumbledore's machinations?"
"Not yet. Their bond is still too new, and Potter is too young for Dumbledore to use him in that way. If I know Charlie, he will not allow the bond to be consummated until Potter is at least 16 years old. That is the age of consent, and I don't think that Charlie will try to complete that portion of the bond until then."
"I hope not. We can only be thankful that Dumbledore never found out about our bond. It is bad enough that he used us how he did. Think of how much worse it would have been, had he known that we are soul mates."
"Yes. We were wise to keep that to ourselves. I think that, had he known, we would now be dead, just like the Potters." Severus sighed. "It's at times like this that I miss Lily and James. They could keep us grounded. Any luck on finding Pettigrew?"
"No. But I know he's alive. Black did not kill him."
"Is Black innocent?"
"Yes. I am working on finding the evidence needed to exonerate him. His abilities, along with those of his wolf, would be very useful in winning this mess."
"Keep trying, Love. It has to be there, somewhere. I would dearly love to tell the wolf that his mate is innocent, but if I have no proof, I can't. I don't want to get his hopes up."
"Has he spoken to you about Black yet?"
"Not yet. I think he will soon. He knows that I am also a spy. He knew it the first time around."
"You..."
The sounds of footsteps crashing through the undergrowth stopped their conversation. Severus placed a quick kiss on his lover's lips and disappeared into the forest. The long-haired man silently morphed back into his wolf form and ran back into the trees. Bushes parted to reveal Remus Lupin, his eyes glowing gold as he smelled the scent of another wolf. And...he raised his nose and inhaled...Severus.