Chapter 26

It was fourth year for the boys, and they were doing amazing in school. Rigel was top of his class, though Draco gave him competition for certain, and was undefeated as seeker so far. Draco had taken over as keeper last year, as Marcus had graduated, and the position finally opened. He had been reserve seeker as well for three years, but he never saw air time, Rigel never missed a game. Though Albus kept an eye on them, they had no reason to believe that it was any more than he did, with the other snakes. Their best friends were the twins, but they were still very close to Neville, who they did their best to boost his confidence. His Gran had no issue with him being friends with snakes, she knew many of their families, and approved. She was old blood as they came, and she thought the boys were a good influence on her grandson.

Though Brax never dated, Rigel was happy when Uncle Moony did. He and Uncle Sev had been dating now for a year, and he hoped they would marry. He and Draco wanted cousins, and they knew there was no chance Sirius would. But it seems they were to gain cousins much sooner.\par Fred was irate when during one of their quidditch practices; a live bludger had been released. "Watch out."

Rigel just narrowly escaped being slammed into; luckily he had the speed of a seeker, or may not have. "Who released that?"

George managed to snag the bludger and started to wrestle it down to the ground. He noticed something. "Come and see this."

Draco landed and he noticed something which had come off. "That looks like a bit of a Gryffindor tie."

Fred smirked. "I will give you three guesses who it likely was, stupid enough to pull this prank."

All of the others on the team, not just Rigel and Draco, answered at the same time. "Ron."

George agreed with his twin. "You know he has spent the better part of two and a half years, trying to get even with Rigel and Draco."

Rigel smirked. "Perhaps he should have spent more time on his studies. He just looks more and more foolish every time he tries."

Draco looked at the piece of tie. "We have ignored it, he makes a fool out of himself without help, but I think we need to act this time."

One of the chasers agreed with him. "He could have injured the entire time, and with our game next week, the little rat needs to pay."

George put the piece of cloth in his robes. "If it was anyone but Ron, one may think he was actually trying for his house to win the game."

Rigel shook his head. "The captain of the team may agree with them. The team went downhill, in captain, since Oliver graduated."

The girls were nice enough; George had dated Alicia for the past six months, even if she was a lion. Like Rigel, Fred was gay, and he had flirted a lot with Oliver. His friends were sure that he wanted to date Oliver, and wouldn't be surprised, if they hooked up in the future. Next year he could leave evenings and weekends, and it would make it possible. The new captain was the seeker, and he seemed to have a lot in common with Ron, he definitely had the stereotypes as well. He would do anything to win, as Oliver hadn't, in the

They changed, and headed into the school, determined to find the little rat and make him pay for this. Ron was jealous, he had tried out for the seeker position twice now for the lions, the only spot to open, and made a fool of himself. His little sister, also a lion, could out fly him.

They spotted Ron and needed some confirmation. They noticed he was drinking, and Rigel used a little spell. "That should help."

Ron was furious when his drink spilled all over him. "What the hell?"

One of the kids sitting next to him. "You spilled it on yourself you twit. Maybe we should get you a bib."

Ron stood up to go the bathroom and he undid his robes. "I didn't do it to myself, someone else did."

Rigel pointed as the kid was leaving. "A tie usually ends in a point doesn't it? Looks like someone's tie got cut off in a quidditch box."

Draco agreed with him. "But if we go to the teachers, you know Albus will get involved. Ron has become his little pet."

Fred agreed with him. "He is becoming a little Percy clone. I held out hope for our sister, even when she was a lion, but she is no better."

Rigel agreed. "The only difference is she seems to be willing to break the rules, when a boy is involved."

The twins groaned, they knew their sister was going to be trouble, with boys. They weren't sure why they called her sister, their family had basically disowned them, when they began school. Their parents barely spoke to them in the summer, Charlie was the only family member, well and Bill when he was home, who cared. Charlie had returned from Romania, he was working here now, and he looked after his brothers.

Fred decided it was his turn, as they went to follow the little brat out of the hall. He waited until he was sure they were alone in the hall, and used one of his new products, to cause his brother to suddenly look and feel like he was covered in the pox.

He was laughing when Percy suddenly appeared behind him. "I will see you are banned from your quidditch game for that."

Fred was happy he was alone, the others had remained behind. "I don't know what you think you saw, but we know you're jealous."

Percy motioned to what Fred realized was an invisibility cloak over his brother's arm. "I saw everything."

Albus appeared moments later with George. "You two will be accompanying me to my office. You have a lot to answer to."

George looked at his older brother. "I always know you were a snitch."

They were being led off to his office, but Fred caught sight of Rigel, and sent a message off to him silently. Rigel knew he had to find Uncle Severus, and seeing the cloak, Uncle Moony as well. Uncle Moony had told him about the Potter cloak, which had gone missing, years ago. Even though he was adopted, it should have been Rigel's. Rigel couldn't claim it now, but his Uncle could.

Draco followed Rigel. "We need to use the book. We don't have time to go down to the dungeons."

Molly and Arthur had been summoned to school. They were not surprised it was about the twins, they had been trouble, since the day they were born. They had been expecting the two of them to be expelled since they had come to school. They hadn't been yet, but they were being threatened with being kicked off the team, and detentions for a month.

Percy and Ron stood proud, it had been a setup from the start, with the balls. They had been encouraged, to find a way to get the twins out of the way, and it had worked. The twins had shamed the family, by being snakes, and it was their pleasure.

Severus appeared with Remus just as they were about to be kicked off the team. "Albus you have no power to do so."

Albus turned to look at him. "I am the headmaster of the school."

Remus reminded the man. "The head of the house is the one who decides punishment."

Minerva was in the room and she agreed. "They are right. And considering the prank was minor, kicking them out of quidditch is extreme."

Albus was surprised, as the woman wanted to win. "They have been caught many times. They need to be punished."

Severus agreed with her. "They will spend the next week in detentions with Hagrid. But they will not miss quidditch."

Ron was upset. "That isn't fair, they gave me the pox, they deserve more."

Minerva looked at him. "You will be having detention with Filch for a week. Your little prank on the pitch is not forgotten."

Molly looked furiously at the twins, she blamed this all on them. She had been so happy when she was pregnant, and when she found out they were boys, right after her twin brothers had been killed. She had been sure they would be like their Uncles, had done F and G, and used her brother's name as middle names, because of it. She was suddenly glad she had not named them for their Uncles out right, they were an embarrassment to the family name. Both her and her husband thought so.

Remus looked over at Albus as he was brooding and had dismissed them. "I think you have something which belongs to me."

Albus saw him eying the cloak. "James left it in my care when he died."

Remus shook his head. "It was in his will, it went to Harry. And if not Harry, to me. I inherited his estates after all."

Albus was reminded, or so he believed, Remus had Sirius and James' estates, not knowing who Rigel was. "Take it then."

Remus took the cloak but he used a spell to remove any tracking spells or such. "I believe the ministry asked for it back long ago."

Albus knew, and he denied having it, back then. "I feared it would fall into the wrong hands. You have it back now."

The kids were led out of the room, the twins relieved they were not expelled, or off the team. Hagrid loved them, and he wouldn't make detention too hard, it was usually fun when he handed it. It was definitely better than Filch, and no one would have allowed Remus or Severus, it would have been called favoritism. And they would still be in the game.

Molly looked at her sons when out of the room. "I am so ashamed to call you family. You are an embarrassment to our name."

Fred looked at his mother. "Just because we're snakes? We have better marks than Ron, and had fewer detentions than him even."

Arthur agreed with his wife. "You are not welcome at home anymore."

Fred stared at him. "We're not even seventeen, we're minors until we're done school, where are we to go?"

Molly went to leave. "We have the right to kick you out at seventeen. You should have thought of it, before you embarrassed us."

George shared a look with his twin. "I guess we have finally done it, pushed them too far."

Remus motioned the boys to follow, including his nephews, knowing the twins needed to talk. He shared a look with Severus, they hadn't told the boys, but they were now engaged. They planned to marry in the summer time, likely here, as it was home to them both. Rigel and Draco were worried about the twins, who were shaken. Their family had always been cold, but not this.

George thought. "Maybe Charlie will let us crash this summer, you know he is usually cool."

Severus surprised even himself when he spoke. "You may come and stay with myself."

Fred's head snapped to look at the man. "You have been great professor, but would you seriously allow us to live with you?"

Severus nodded. "I will expect you to keep up your marks, and be more careful with your pranks."

George nodded. "We will sir."

Severus shared a look with his fiancé, who nodded, he had made the right choice. The twins had been in his house two years before his nephews began, but he had got to know them better, through the boys. He had never exactly expected to raise kids, he loved his nephews, just as nephews. He was reminded the boys were almost done school, not little kids to raise, and he assumed it was not too much to do. Remus thought it may be good practice, the two hoped to have kids, though the odds were against them.

Severus sighed. "I will have Lucius help, and have the ministry name me your foster father until done school. It will make things simpler."

Author's Note: I was going to jump to sixth year, but decided to make a next step. A few people early on said the Blacks should adopt the twins, and I found inspiration in it. Next chapter we will see the start of Brax/Rigel romance, and though the twins will be done school, plenty of them too.