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8SimpleSecrets: Thank you for your lovely review and I am so glad you are enjoying! I know the drama I create probably drives everyone mad but I am grateful you enjoy it!

doxy-phobic lycanthrope: I haven't worked out when Dumbledore comes into it! Haha I should work on that

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Sarcastic Spirit: Glad you liked it! This chapter will answer most questions! I think?

ElizabethAnneSoph: Thank you! And, it's Remus, did he ever realise he wasn't a monster?

Dontgiveahoot: You TOTALLY gave an awesome idea for a scene later on! THANK YOU!

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The floo spat the two witches out and they stumbled from the fireplace into an elaborate room lined with books. They were prepared for anything, wands gripped firmly in their hands, prepared to drag Severus back from whatever madness he was involved with. What neither of them expected was to see a boy who could have been James Potter's twin sitting at a desk or the two wands that were pointed directly at them.

"Sirius Black!" Minerva's gasp was horrified. She stared in fury at the man who had ruined so many lives, both wizarding and muggle alike.

"Well, well, I see we have company." Sirius spoke jauntily but his knuckles were white as he attempted to edge between the two witches and his family.

"Do not move!" Poppy shrieked suddenly. "Stupefy!"

"Protego!" Remus effortlessly blocked the spell and stepped in front of Sirius, shielding him. His face, already pale and drawn from the pull of the moon, seemed to grow a little whiter. His wand hand shook a little.

"Remus?" Minerva stared at the man who had once been her favourite student.

"Professor McGonagall. Madame Pomfrey, this is a surprise." The werewolf kept his voice light but he refused to move from the protective stance he had taken. There was no way he would allow harm to either Sirius or Harry.

"Why are you protecting him?" Poppy was furious. "He killed James and Lily!"

Remus flinched.

"No he didn't." Severus stepped from the shadows of the room. "Might I ask how you came here?" He was frowning.

"We followed you. Severus, has Black cast Imperious on you?" Minerva eyed her colleague unhappily. "I thought more of you, conspiring with a murderer!"

"He isn't!" The James Potter look alike shouted as he made to dash around his uncles only to be caught by Sirius and hoisted into his arms. "He isn't a murderer! Tell them, Uncle Remus!"

"Take Harry." Remus spoke swiftly.

"I'm not leaving you here!" Sirius objected sharply. If the two women took Remus back to Hogwarts, to Dumbledore there would only be one fate for the werewolf. The fate that he had never stopped dreading.

"Take Harry." Remus repeated firmly. "Nothing else matters."

"You think we are going to let you leave!" Minerva spoke harshly. "I thought better of you, Remus Lupin! But I see now that Albus was right, you were in conspiracy with him!"

Remus winced at the unspoken accusation that he was nothing more than a dark creature. "Sirius is innocent, Professor." He spoke firmly. "He was not the Potter's secret keeper."

"Oh, Remus." Poppy looked unhappy. "Has he fooled you?"

Severus laughed loudly diverting the attention away from Remus to himself. "You have such faith in a dark creature, Poppy." He sounded bitterly amused. "Would it be such a leap for your precious student to turn traitor? But rest assured, in this case you are both wrong. The werewolf is right, Black is innocent of all charges. He was not Lily's … The Potter's secret Keeper."

Minerva looked uncertainly between the three men who, not so long ago, had all been her students.

"Peter Pettigrew was." Remus spoke quietly, a hint of desperation in his voice. "The switched just before the spell was cast. No one would suspect Peter. No one."

"But … Sure you would have known?" Minerva looked troubled.

A harsh, bitter laugh exploded from Sirius. He stood close behind his friend, Harry pressed protectively between them. "And because Remus was treated with such kindness after that Halloween the truth would have been revealed!"

"Sirius …" Remus spoke in a low tone. "Take Harry out of here, he doesn't need to hear any of this."

"No!" Harry pushed forward and wrapped his arms around Remus' neck. "I'm not going!" He was glaring at the two witches angrily.

Remus, gritting his teeth against the intense burning where Harry leaned against the silver scars, spoke tensely. "You come uninvited into our home. It is only fair you …" His voice faltered and Sirius whispered something to Harry that made the boy hastily pull back. "It is only fair you listen, uninterrupted, to our side of the story."

The silence was heavy, filled with emotions and finally the two women, exchanging long looks nodded slowly.

"Sit." Sirius spoke coolly. "And I would advise you to cast no spells to harm myself, Remus, or Harry because my house is unforgiving."

Sitting on a long settee the two women waited expectantly, watching as Sirius, flicking his wand, slid two comfortable arm chairs towards himself. There was a slightly, barely obvious gesture as he forced Remus into one and set Harry on the ground while he stood, silent, arms folded beside them as if one word from either woman and he would curse them into eternity.

They watched as Harry leaned against Remus right shoulder and the werewolf turned to speak in a low voice to the boy who nodded slightly and scrambled into the chair, pressing as close to his uncle as he could, his bravado seeming to have vanished.

Severus, arms folded, stood watching.

"How did you escape Azkaban?" Minerva spoke impatiently. She didn't have time for this.

Remus and Sirius exchanged long looks.

"I am an animagus." Sirius' voice was edged with impatience. "We all were. James was a stag, Peter was a rat. That is how he escaped, he accused me of … Betraying them, blew the street up, cut off his finger and vanished."

"You never argued it!" Poppy was wary.

"When would I have done that? The only person who I thought might have believed me was locked in a compound where they were doing their best to kill him! And neither of you blinked an eye at that. Yet you claim he was your favourite student." His voice was bitter.

"Don't, Padfoot." Remus spoke in a very quiet voice. He refused to meet the eyes of the women who sat across from him.

"Severus?" Minerva looked warily at the wizard.

"It's the truth."

"How long have you known?"

Severus glanced sharply towards the trio who clung together and his eyes locked with Remus' desperate blue orbs. "Long enough." His voice was calm. "I tested him with veritaserum. Black is innocent." His lips curled. "As much as it pains me to say that, it is the truth."

Minerva placed her wand on her lap. "When did you become an animagus?"

Another look was exchanged between the two friends before Sirius spoke quietly. "We succeeded in fifth year."

"Fifth year!" She stared at him in shock. "Whatever for?"

"They made my transformations easier." Remus spoke calmly. Both women couldn't help but notice the way his arms had remained tightly around Harry through the entire conversation. "Being there meant that the wolf wasn't as angry."

Poppy studied the man who had spent hours under her care. "Did you know that he was not the secret keeper?"

"No." Remus half shrugged. "But it wouldn't have made a difference would it?"

"We … Remus, we were told that you were in allegiance with … With Sirius. Poppy and I never believed it."

Sirius laughed suddenly and the sound grated on the witch's ears. "You never believed it?" He mocked. "Yet you allowed him to rot in a place that is the most inhuman concept I have ever seen! Look at him!"

"Sirius." Remus frowned and shook his head. He refused to allow the animagus to objectify him and turn him into a lesson on what should have been."

"What happened?" Poppy broached the subject abruptly. The entire conversation she had been staring at Remus, her eyes taking in his scarred face and the way Harry's hands were wrapped around Remus' left arm, that arm that never ceased to tremble, her sharp healers eyes noting the weakness that only ruined muscles, nerves and ligaments could cause.

Remus stiffened and it was Sirius who answered. "I think that is a question for later." He seated himself on the arm of Remus' chair and used to werewolf's shoulder to balance himself on. "Do you believe us?"

Minerva and Poppy exchanged long looks before the professor nodded once. "We do." Her voice had softened. "Why didn't you send word to us, Mr. Black?"

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Would you have believed me? 'Dear Professor, I am innocent, Harry and Remus are safe and well, love an alleged mass murderer'."

Minerva frowned slightly and her three former pupils were all amused by her 'detention' face. "You have lived here the entire time since your escape?"

"Yes." Sirius folded his arms. "And before you ask the …" He trailed off as Remus made a faint noise in the back of his throat. His eyes flickered down to Harry and he nodded curtly. "We have one thing we demand." Sirius' voice was authoritative. "You will not reveal our location to anyone."

Poppy glanced at Harry before turning her gaze back to Remus. "You wish to remain hidden? What of Harry's education?"

"Uncle Remus teaches me." Harry spoke suddenly.

"Does he now?" Minerva smiled. "Yes, I imagine he would. But, will you send him to Hogwarts?"

Severus spoke for the first time since the confrontation had begun. "Albus is adamant in his belief that Black is guilty." He shrugged. "I doubt that even veritaserum would convince him."

Poppy shook her head. "He is right. Have you looked for … For Peter?"

"How are we meant to find a rat?" Sirius sounded tired. "He may be a coward but he is not entirely without brains."

"Perhaps the Order …?"

"With all due respect, Professor McGonagall, I highly doubt the Order would welcome either myself or Remus back into their midst."

Minerva sighed. "Well, we have to do something. Harry ought not grow up alone, without children his own age. I have no doubt that he is healthy and happy, but he is so secluded here. It is not healthy for a child."

"She is right you know." Remus ran his finger around the lip of his mug and stared at it moodily.

Sirius frowned. "Who is right about what?"

"Professor McGonagall. She is right; it is not good for Harry to grow up without children his own age around."

"We don't have much of a choice, Moony." Sirius leaned back into his chair but his eyes never left his friend.

"If they could convince Dumbledore that you were innocent … If the Order were to know, surely … The Weasley's have children his age and I am sure there are others now. Surely they would believe Albus?"

"It would mean compromising this house." Sirius frowned. "As it is, the three people who know, it is enough of a security breech."

"But if people believed the truth then you could take Harry to them! He is too young to grow up with only us."

Sirius ran a hand through his messy hair. "You are right, I suppose. But Remus, your identification number, it is traceable, it still wouldn't be safe."

A look of amused disbelief swept onto the werewolf's face. "I would stay here, Padfoot. I doubt that any respectable wizarding family would want to associate with one of the most notorious werewolves in history, aside from Greyback of course."

Sirius leaned forward. "What do you mean?"

"You are a good person, Sirius, but even you cannot hide every newspaper that besmirches my name."

"The papers are wrong." Sirius was on his feet and began to pace.

"Padfoot, sit down. I know that, you know that, but to others it will be easier to forgive someone who is wrongly accused of crimes than to forgive a werewolf who will forever be marked as one." He motioned to his face. "How are people to understand this? To explain it to their children? 'He looks like a monster because he is one'?" Remus shook his head firmly. "It is better, for Harry's sake, that it is you."

"I wish you wouldn't say stupid things like that, Moony." Sirius looked unhappily at his friend. "I do not want Dumbledore told. Not yet. It is bad enough McGonagall and Pomfrey know …"

"He can't stay here forever. He will resent us for it if we do that."

Sirius sighed and collapsed back into his chair. "You are right. Maybe it will be good for him? Feminine influence and all? Not that he needs it with you around; you would make a perfect house husband!" Sirius laughed as a pillow was flung through the air and he caught it with ease.

They were quiet for a long time after that, Remus, eyes closed, could feel the troubled gaze that Sirius was bestowing on him and a small smile traced its way across his face. "I am fine."

"I … I wish I could be there with you."

Remus eyes opened swiftly and he was shaking his head before he had time to speak. "Harry needs you. It's not safe."

"Rubbish. We have so many charms on this house, Harry would be safe!"

"What if he woke up? You weren't there? He knows where I am on full moons!" There was a desperate plea in his voice. "Merlin, Sirius, what if he came in! There is no way you could control me … Not after the wolf smells human blood!" His voice rose with panicked desperation.

"Remus! Remus!" Sirius cross the room with a few quick strides and he bent, gripping the werewolf's shoulders firmly. "Remus! Listen to me! Listen!" He gave the man a slight shake and panicked, terrified eyes lifted to Sirius' face. "Nothing will happen, do you hear me? Nothing will happen to Harry! He will be safe! You will never hurt him, I promise, Remus, you will never hurt him."

"Sirius, I … I …"

Sirius sighed heavily. "I know. Come one." He pulled Remus to his feet. "You need to sleep, paranoid old man." He guided his friend from to room. Resting an arm across the slightly hunched shoulders he spoke lightly as they ascended the stairs.

"This has been an interesting day. The saying curiosity killed the cat must be true."

Remus smiled painfully at Sirius attempted humour. "It didn't kill her." He pointed out.

"Well, the satisfaction that her favourite student wasn't associated with a killer must have brought her back."

Remus laughed very softly. He allowed Sirius to half push him into his room and onto the bed. "Thank you, Padfoot."

Sirius smiled. "Why don't I sleep in here tonight? Moony looks like he needs company?"

A faint hesitation before a brief, grateful nod.

"Good. Change into something comfortable and then I will be in. I want to check on Harry."

The house was quiet that night. Peaceful. The almost full moon shone gently through the window of Remus' room illuminating the three figures that lay, sprawled on the bed. Remus, face ashen as the moon approached was holding Harry tightly, the small boy half sprawled across his uncle, his head pillowed on Remus' should, the werewolf's cheek resting on the messy black hair. Sirius, in his animagus form, lay across Harry's feet, his front paws resting on Remus' leg. It was a picture of innocence, happiness and contentment. It was a picture that said family; it was a picture of love.

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