AN: I hate this, and I'm really sorry, but this chapter is super short. I'm back from my trip but I just haven't had the time that I would like to be able to write. So this is really just some fluff I guess. I hope you like it anyway and I'll get the next chapter up ASAP. Like, with any luck, on Wednesday. And it should be pretty long considering everything I have planned to go in it. Thanks for staying with me, you guys!

Chapter 31

"Don't you think you're being a bit hard on him?" Remus asked as he picked up his cup of coffee and then took a sip.

"No." Snape replied drily from behind his paper. "He was caught out of bounds. Again."

Remus nodded. "Yes, alright, but it's not as if he were looking to get into trouble. He was trying to help Ron find his rat."

"All the way up on the third floor?" Snape turned the corner of his paper down in order to glare at Remus, who stared back, unfazed.

"It's a bit of a stretch, I'll admit," he said when Snape had turned his attention back to The Prophet, "but I don't think he meant any harm."

Snape sighed and put down his paper before leaning back in his chair. "What are you even doing here?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Remus glanced around as if the answer should be obvious. "I'm having breakfast with you, of course. What does it look like?"

Snape tapped the table and their remaining food disappeared.

"All done," he said with a smirk.

Now Remus narrowed his eyes at the other man and tapped the table himself. His coffee reappeared in front of him, causing Snape to glare down at the offending cup.

"That's not supposed to work for you."

Remus just smiled and replied, "Jenka likes me just as much as she likes you. Now, stop changing the subject-"

"I'm not," Snape interrupted. "Why have you decided to grace my humble rooms with your presence this morning? And I really hope that it wasn't just to try and talk me out of grounding Harry. He knows the rules and it's none of your business anyway."

"It's not my business, but I'm going to try anyway." Remus said matter of factly. "I need you to let this one go, Sev."

"Don't call me that." Snape quickly spat, though Remus merely rolled his eyes at him.

"I'll just get right to it then," he continued, as if he hadn't been interrupted. "We want to have a family dinner. Mum and I, I mean. We haven't had one in a while-"

"Three years."

Lupin sighed. "Just let me get it out, will you?" He paused and they both stared at one another for a long moment but when Snape made no further comment, Remus went on. "Three years. Yes, I know. But we want to have one with all five of us now. Mum and dad, me and you and Harry."

"Why?" Snape asked, "And what does it have to do with how I deal with him after last night?"

"Because I want to get to know him!" Remus was quickly loosing his patience and took a deep breath to calm himself before he said anything else. "Look, I just want the chance to talk to him and get to know him for who he is. Not just my student, but as someone who is part of this family. He was already a part of mine once, before, well before everything happened, but that was a long time ago. A lifetime ago. And I can't do that if he's sulking because you've grounded him for something as simple as being out of bounds."

"He knows the rules," Snape said simply, crossing his arms over his chest.

Remus pushed his chair back from the table and stood up, crossing the kitchen quickly to put some space between himself and his brother.

"Of course he does," he said finally. "Just like I knew them, and you, too. Have you forgotten what it's like to go to school where your parents teach?! It's exhausting, Severus. You have to constantly be aware of what you're doing and how you're behaving because if you get into trouble, it won't just be a detention of a letter home to parents who will have all but forgotten about it by the holidays."

Snape sat quietly, listening to Remus' words, but only half hearing them. He had been caught off guard by the term he had used, "parents".

"It's not the same thing," he said.

"What's not the same about it?" Remus asked, moving closer to the table, but not taking his seat.

"I'm not his parent," Snape looked away and therefore missed the look of surprise that crossed Remus' face.

"You're the closest thing he's got." He replied simply. Sitting down, he picked up his cup and drained the last of his coffee before tapping the table and watching as it disappeared. "Have you heard anything else about the interviews?"

Snape shook his head. "I'm sure they're intending to just surprise us by showing up one day. I almost wish they would just get it over with. I hate waiting on something like this."

"I'm sure it will all work out. We've both been through this."

"Yes, well, I have a feeling it'll go a bit more like mine then it will yours. Your interviews were easy. Mine were," He paused as he took a deep breath, "hard."

Remus nodded. He hadn't been around for Snape's interviews, but he had heard about them and knew how close he had come to being put in a group home. He opened his mouth to say something, anything that would bring at least a bit of comfort to the other man, but as he did so, they heard a small thud, followed by a door shutting.

"In the kitchen, Harry," Snape called out, knowing it could only be the teenager.

A few seconds later, Harry walked into the kitchen looking nervous as he stood just inside the doorway with the ends of his shirt tale twisting in his hands. Snape looked over to Remus who was staring back at him and sighed.

"Do stop pouting, Harry. Surely a single detention isn't that bad."

Harry looked up then. "But I thought-" He cut himself off as he stared at the two men.

Snape inclined his head towards Remus. "You can thank him, and be aware, that this is the one and only time that he will be able to get you out of trouble. Understood?"

Harry grinned. "Yes." He looked over to Remus who winked at him. Harry came to sit with them at the table and Remus turned back around in his seat, catching Snape's eyes as he did so. "That goes for you, too. Stay out of it."

Remus held his hands up in surrender before glancing at Harry. "Have you had breakfast yet?"

Harry shook his head and Snape tapped the table, causing a plate of eggs and sausages with toast to appear in front of him alongside a glass of juice and his nutrient potion.

"Eat it all," Snape ordered as he picked his paper up and disappeared behind it once more. "You know how I feel about you skipping meals."

Harry rolled his eyes but began to eat quickly, content to sit quietly with the two older men. The mood in the room seemed a bit odd and Harry found himself wondering what they had been talking about before he had interrupted. After he had told Ron and Hermione about what he had heard the night before, the three of them had stayed up really late talking about it. They wondered what had happened to Lupin's parents and why they had been keeping it a secret that they were both adopted. But all of their talking eventually died away as they realized that they had way more questions than answers and Harry hoped that he would learn more about them today. Though with the way both men were pointedly ignoring one another, he wasn't so sure that now was the best time to start asking questions.

"So, what are your plans today, Harry?" Remus' own question brought him out of his thoughts and he looked up from his plate to see the man staring at him.

"Oh, I dunno. Just hanging out with Ron and Hermione I guess."

"Ignoring your homework, I'm sure," Snape added from behind his paper, causing Harry to scowl at him.

"No, it's all done actually." Harry shot back.

"Be sure to give Ms. Granger my thanks," said Snape sarcastically.

Before Harry could reply to that, Remus spoke again, "What about quidditch? You've got your first match coming up."

Harry nodded glumly. "Yeah, against Slytherin, and I still haven't got a broom to replace my Nimbus." He looked hopefully over to Snape who simply turned the page of the paper without comment. "The match isn't even a week away, Snape. If I don't get a new broom soon-"

"Harry, we are not having this conversation again." Snape banished the paper, finally accepting that he wasn't going to be able to read it in peace, and looked at Harry. "The money in that vault was left to you for your future. Not so that you can spend it all on nonsense."

"It's not nonsense, though, Snape. It's a broom. And it's not like I'm asking for a Firebolt or anything, just another Nimbus would be fine."

"Harry," Snape said tiredly as he pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.

"You're just afraid that we'll beat Slytherin," Harry mumbled, now staring at his plate instead of eating. "My dad would have understood."

Before Snape could even form a reply to that, Harry remembered suddenly that Remus was still in the room and he looked up at him quickly. "Tell him, Professor," he pleaded. "Tell him that my dad would have understood me needing a new broom."

Thoroughly surprised at being put on the spot, Remus floundered over his words.

"I… Well, I don't-"

"That's enough," Snape said sternly and Harry sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "We're through discussing this today, Harry. We've all just had a really long night and we're all tired. I'm not about to argue with you over this and I promise, we can talk about it later, but the fact of the matter is, whether he would or wouldn't understand your desire to have a new broom is not the issue. The issue is that at least for now, the answer is no, you are not using the money from your vault to buy a new broom."

Harry let out a frustrated breath and turned away from him, though he didn't argue anymore. Snape glanced at Remus who remained quiet, but watched their interaction with interest.

Snape reached over and tapped the table next to Harry's plate. Just two quick taps of his finger in the same way he would have done in class to get Harry's attention. He watched as Harry sighed and looked back up at him, waiting for Snape to speak.

"Don't put Remus in the middle of things," he said quietly, yet sternly. "It's not fair to him."

Harry raised his head to look at Remus who was smiling softly at him.

"Sorry," he said quickly, "I didn't mean it like that."

Remus nodded, his smile growing. "It's alright. And if I'm being perfectly honest, your dad was rubbish at managing money, so he would have said yes to a new broom, but your mum would have overruled him." He shrugged then, "Sorry."

Harry snorted, "That figures."

After that, the conversation between the three of them flowed more easily. Though Snape was as usual, more quiet and reserved than anyone else, Remus had a way of making Harry feel comfortable and he was actually really easy to talk to. He asked mostly about Harry and his friends and what sorts of things that he was interested in, aside from quidditch of course. Remus talked very little about himself, and anytime the conversation turned to him, Harry noticed that he changed the subject without giving much of anything away. They all talked together for the next hour and in that time, the only things that Harry learned about the older man was that he had been Gobstone's Captain while at Hogwarts, he'd had a number of different jobs afterwards that allowed him to travel over much of Europe and had never even considered teaching until this past Summer.

Eventually, Harry used his key to bring back the door to his dormitory and left the two older men alone in the kitchen. When they were sure he was gone, Snape turned to Remus.

"So she wants to have dinner?"

Remus nodded. "Yes. How does next Saturday sound? At the house?"

"I suppose I have nothing better to do."