Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter (that magic belongs to J.K. Rowling).

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Hermione had not gone to supper that evening following the Quidditch Match, finally appearing outside the Slytherin Commonroom just before curfew still sopping wet except for her boots. The Gryffindor had asked if Crookshanks could stay the remainder of the weekend down with Isabelle in the Slytherin dorms so that she could check on Harry freely and not have to worry about him going after Scabbers again for a bit. Having become quite fond of the strange animal, Izzy had easily agreed.

The remainder of the weekend proceeded quietly, a mixture of enjoying the cat's company and getting ahead on homework. Jett and Hermione were busy visiting Harry Potter in the Hospital Wing and whenever she spent time with Draco, he simply irked her with his non-stop talk about Quidditch.

Hermione seemed to have momentarily forgotten about her pet at the beginning of the week and Isabelle did not bother to remind her of the orange cat. Crookshanks seemed content enough in the Slytherin dorms, having befriended Millie's own cat and catching plenty of mice. (Plus, he had become accustomed to the routine of settling on Iz's lap at night as she wrote in her journal before bed. How could she willingly give that up?) Every once in a while, however, the Third Year did catch the intelligent animal attempting to sneak out the Commonroom door, as if intent on returning to Gryffindor Tower to terrorize Weasley's rat.

Classes proceeded normally and everything seemed to return to the swing of things. Draco had finally decided his charade was up. Taking off his bandages Monday morning as if he was "miraculously" healed, he utilized his newly found freedom to taunt Potter about his Quidditch fail. This hit its peak during their Potions lesson with the Gryffindors, where Weasley seemed to finally act his House and boldly threw a crocodile heart at Izzy's brother. Though it had been hard to not laugh out loud at Draco's reaction and subsequent falling to the floor, Isabelle was glad to hear Snape take points away from the Gryffindors for the act.

"Will he be back today?" The dark-haired Slytherin asked Jett as they made their way to their first DADA lesson of that week.

"As far as I know. He seemed to be feeling better." The French girl shrugged, almost avoiding the question.

"I hope so." Hermione chimed in quietly, obviously still upset about what had happened during the last class. The group of Third Years reached the classroom doorway. Glancing around the corner to check who she saw, Isabelle smiled at the sight.

"He's there. Come on."

Professor Lupin was standing at the front of the classroom, seemingly organizing papers at his desk. He glanced up and greeted every student as they came in, offering each a small smile. And yet, he certainly seemed to Iz as if he had been seriously ill. There were dark circles under his eyes indicating he had lost a good amount of sleep. Taking her usual seat in the middle front next to Jett and behind Hermione, they waited until the others filed into their spots.

As the tired-looking professor made to begin class, he quickly found his intentions overtaken by the effects of his colleague's actions during the last class. Asking for a quick recap of what they had done, Lupin found himself bombarded by a mix of angry and anxious voices from his Third Years. His smile switching to a frown, the sandy-blond-haired man asked his students,

"Did you tell Professor Snape we had not covered them yet?" He quickly received his answer with the same chorus of unhappy replies, most focused on the homework assignment of two rolls of parchment.

"Not to worry. I'll speak with Professor Snape." Lupin assured, his smile returning. "And you do not need to complete the homework assignment."

"But sir, what if we already did it?" Hermione chimed in after raising her hand. Though she had been thoroughly embarrassed by Snape, she could not let an assignment go by. Izzy waited for the answer as well, having completed hers the evening before. Would all her work have been for naught?

"Extra credit, I suppose. Now, moving on to today's topic… Hinkypunks. No textbooks yet. First, what do you know about these creatures?" Lupin jumped right into class, easily distracting the Third Years with tales of the bog creature and eventually inviting them to examine one at the front of the classroom.

As the bell rang signaling the end of class, Isabelle turned to Jett. "Should we go ask him about tomorrow?" The blond-haired Gryffindor shrugged and both girls packed up with the intention of heading up front.

"Wait a moment, Harry, I'd like a word." Professor Lupin called to Potter as he attempted to escape with the rest of his classmates. Assuming Moony would want to talk to him alone, Iz and Jett waited outside the classroom.

"What does he want with Potter, do you think?" Isabelle asked curiously, unable to dismiss a small, jealous feeling.

"I don't know." Jett replied simply, also staring at the classroom door as if to will it open.

"Is everything alright?" The dark-haired Slytherin leaned closer, trying to figure out why her friend seemed so tense.

"No. Not really. He will barely talk to me." As Izzy was about to chime in, the Gryffindor continued, "And not in class – I mean, you saw, normal. But when I came to visit him this past week. Every time, it was like he was trying to avoid me."

"I doubt that's it. He was ill, he probably just didn't want you to catch it."

"I don't think so." Jett mumbled, clenching her fists impatiently.

"Well…why do you think he is trying to avoid you then? Why wouldn't he want to see you?"

"It's not about seeing me, Iz. He doesn't want me asking questions about what happened on Halloween. About…you know." Jett glanced sideways at her friend before turning back to the door, wondering what was taking so long.

"Oh." Isabelle paused for a moment, not having been thinking about that incident in a few days' time. Having been so focused on her own parentage question and the mystery surrounding that, she had not even thought of how Sirius Black must have been on her best friend's mind since the holiday. "Well, I want to know more, too. Especially if I am truly related to Regulus. Moony must have been in school when he was, if he was best friends with your father. Right?"

"I suppose?" The Gryffindor raised an eyebrow at her friend, not yet seeing the connection.

"Then we'll ask him together. Tomorrow. You deserve to know what actually happened, and I…well, I just want to know. But he can't say no to both of us." Uncharacteristically optimistic, Iz nodded at Jett just as the classroom door opened.

"…a lot to do before the holidays. I chose a very inconvenient time to fall ill." Lupin explained as he motioned the messy-haired Gryffindor out of the classroom. The boy seemed happy and simply walked down the corridor without another word.

"Professor Lupin, can we have a moment? Please?" Izzy stepped forward as soon as Potter was out of the way. Moony glanced between them and sighed, obviously exhausted from the full-day's teaching.

"I'm not sure right now would be best –"

"We just want to ask if tomorrow is still good. Are we meeting for tea?" Jett stated in a much more direct manner, some of her frustration leaking into her tone.

"Of course. Our usual time tomorrow. Was that all?"

"Yes. Thank you, professor." Getting the answer she had hoped for, Iz turned to head back to the Slytherin Commonroom – and to create a list of questions she wanted to know about Sirius Black in hopes that Lupin might actually provide some answers.

~:~

Jett arrived on time to tea that Friday afternoon for the first time all term. Professor Lupin had already put on the pot of tea before the two girls arrived and seemed to be eager for their meeting.

"Did you both have a good week?"

"I think so. We are kind of in the bog of homework at the moment, but I don't mind. It keeps me busy." Izzy answered easily, sitting back in her chair.

"Jett?"

"It's been fine." The Gryffindor had her goals in mind and disliked the pleasantries her godfather was forcing them through. She needed answers.

"Alright."

"And you, professor? Are you feeling better?"

Lupin sighed at this, obviously having been asked a lot but still smiling. "I am, thank you. But I do have to say I am looking forward to resting this weekend – and to catch up on some grading." Isabelle nodded in understanding and both looked towards Jett as if waiting for her sarcasm or such. Instead, they found her sitting there with her arms crossed and unamused.

"Is something the matter, cub?"

"What do you think?"

"Jett…" Iz glanced at her friend, giving her a look. She thought they had discussed this! It would be easier to get him to tell them something if he was buttered up – not on the defensive.

"No, go ahead. You have something on your mind." Lupin said as he magicked the pot over to him to pour them each a cup of tea. Momentarily taking his eyes away from them to focus on the task at hand, the sandy-blond haired man could not help but think to himself how much Jett's expression reminded him of her father's when he had something on his mind.

"Tell me what happened on Halloween. I deserve to know."

"Well…" Moony looked between both girls and sighed, setting his tea cup down. "I do not know much more than what you have surely heard. But – " Holding up his hand to stop Jett's comment, "I will tell you what I can.

"As far as we know, your father was here, in Hogwarts, on Halloween. He attempted to break in to Gryffindor Tower while we were celebrating in the Great Hall. He attacked the Fat Lady when she refused to let him in but escaped before anyone could find him. It is believed that he has fled the Hogwarts grounds."

Both girls sat there in silence for a moment. They had known – or highly suspected – all of that information already, so none of it came as a shock to them.

"How did he get into the castle?" Jett asked seriously, watching her godfather closely.

"We have no idea. There are too many possibilities – too many variables. The Headmaster has conducted a thorough sweep of the castle and the grounds and has instructed the Dementors to guard potential weak areas more closely. We are also patrolling at night – "

"That's not good enough. You must have a theory. How did he get in?" The blond-haired French girl leaned in, her eyes narrowed slightly as if she were suspicious of her godfather.

"I honestly don't know, Jett. My best guess is that he may have come through the Forbidden Forest, though it would be incredibly dangerous. Dumbledore has been in contact with the centaurs who live there and they have agreed to watch for anything suspicious. Does that answer your question?" Lupin challenged back, not appreciating her tone or demeanor.

"Not really. You could be hiding something."

"And what could that be?"

"I don't know. You were his best friend. How could you not know how he might break into Hogwarts? I heard Snape talking to Dumbledore that night and the git suggested /he/ might have gotten help from inside the castle. What do you think about that?"

Jett obviously ready to get into an argument with Moony, Isabelle jumped in hoping to delay the complete shutdown of the conversation. They needed to get more than just suspicions and mere confirmations. "Do you have any information about Azkaban? I honestly do not know very much about the prison. How do you think he might have escaped?"

"Well, it's the most high-security wizarding prison in Britain, to start with. And no one has ever managed to escape it – and the Dementors – except for Sirius Black. I have no idea." Lupin answered honestly, but still watching his goddaughter as she waited impatiently.

"Right. Jett's father. Was he a Death Eater?" Izzy jumped right in, hoping to give her best friend a moment to cool down and desperately wanting to know more about what she had found in the hidden room at Malfoy Manor.

"I, uh, honestly don't know." Lupin replied, obviously caught off-guard by the sudden question. "As far as I know, he was never officially Marked by You-Know-Who. But his...actions…demonstrate he certainly could have been one."

"So if you're a Death Eater, you have a Mark? Where?"

"Your left forearm. Where are all these questions coming from?" Raising his eyebrow at the dark-haired girl in front of him, Moony waited for her response. Jett had tuned back into their conversation, never having heard much about the followers of the Dark Lord and curious to hear anything she could about her potential father.

"I, uh, I had seen it in a few of the news articles I had found." Isabelle shrugged, only answering in a half-truth. "I saw that Sirius also had a brother. Regulus. Do you know anything about him?"

"Not much… I know he was a year younger than us in school. He was sorted into Slytherin, unlike Sirius, and was supposedly an intelligent student. At least from what I can remember Sirius complaining about him… Oh, and I believe he played for the House Quidditch Team. But not much more than that, I'm afraid." Lupin finished, taking a long sip of tea as if contemplating this whole conversation and its purpose. What were these girls up to?

"Fine. Then tell us more about my father." Jett once again challenged Moony, still not having touched her cup of tea. Isabelle leaned back in her chair, letting the Gryffindor take over questioning while she thought of her own next round of inquiries. What else did she want to know?

"Like what?" Lupin responded, hoping to indulge her slightly without bringing up his suppressed feelings. She did not need to know how painful it was to talk about what had happened to all of his best friends – especially what Sirius was now doing. But the wizard hoped some answers might be enough for his goddaughter.

"What was he truly like? At school, I mean, before he was a murderer?"

"Well, he was many things. He was smarter than he would let on – only did the work to just pass, nothing more. He was certainly adept at Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts, I remember. Quick to fight, particularly to defend his friends…or impress a girl." Remus actually smiled at this, remembering one particular attempt in their Sixth Year where Sirius and James had pretended to duel to gain the attention of a certain classmate or other. It had not ended as expected.

"Yes, I've heard from Mother. But he must have been an awful friend to turn out so…evil."

"Not at all." Moony quickly denied before pulling back his emotions. "At least, not most of the time. He could be cruel for sure, as could James, but I would have trusted him with my life, until…"

"Until he betrayed his best friends and murdered thirteen people? Mother said he was always insane, she simply found out too late. Not that I can trust what she says…right?" Lupin now had a distant look on his face, as if he were reliving those last few days with his best friends and once again questioning how events unfolded as they had.

"You've said your mother's lied to you before, Jett. I'm sure your father wasn't always evil." Isabelle chimed in, hoping to reassure her best friend but also noticing Moony's reaction to the retelling.

"But it doesn't matter what we do at school. He did all that after he left Hogwarts." Jett shook her head, letting her fear overrule any underlying compassion or desire to know her father's true nature. Turning back to her godfather, she asked him point-blank: "Do you hate him?"

"That's enough, Jett, at least for the time being. It is not easy for me to talk about him, I've told you that." Lupin said quietly, staring into his cup of half-drunken tea.

"No, answer my last question. Do you hate him? After everything he's done, to you and your best friends and those poor Muggles and all? And now that he's coming to kill me and Harry? You must hate him, don't you?" Jett pushed on, her voice raising slightly, desperate to know, desperate to see if she could really trust him.

There was no immediate response from Moony, who continued to stare at the cup in his hands. Taking that as his answer and adding to her suspicions of the Halloween incident, she shouted, "You don't, do you!"

"Enough, Jett! Enough." Remus yelled back, raising his voice for the first time Isabelle had ever heard it. Uncomfortable between the goddaughter-godfather stare down, the Slytherin was unsure what to do. Had they pushed too far?

"Why won't you answer me?"

"I /have/ answered you, Jett. But I do not need to answer every question you have. And I think I have given more than enough information today. So, enough." Lupin sighed, finishing his cup of tea and setting it down on his desk before wiping his hand in an exhausted manner down his face.

"Fine. Have a good weekend." Jett stood decisively, pushing her own cup towards him on his desk and purposefully spilling some of the now-room-temperature tea. Without waiting, she turned and walked towards the exit in the back of the classroom.

"I'm sorry…" Isabelle attempted to apologize, feeling partially responsible for the conversation getting out of hand. She had not thought of how it might affect Lupin to talk about Sirius Black and his childhood. She had truly no idea what her professor's upbringing had been like, let alone his young adulthood.

Moony simply waved his hand towards the door, essentially dismissing her. Standing slowly, Isabelle followed after Jett with mixed emotions. What had they done? Was she satisfied with the answers they had received? Had it been worth it? Not finding the Gryffindor in the corridor as she exited the DADA classroom, Izzy made her way back to her dormitory plagued by these echoing questions.