AN: Another chapter already?! Of course! Everyone seemed to like the last chapter so much that I was really inspired to get this one written quickly! Enjoy! And please, if you don't mind, leave a review and let me know what you think!

Chapter 49

Peeves had indeed gone straight to Dumbledore to inform him that two of his professors had just been in a fight. The poltergeist seemed only too pleased to deliver the news, and he would have happily followed along after Albus and Minerva if Albus hadn't sent him away with strict orders to tell no one else what had happened. Visibly deflated, Peeves zoomed away to cause mischief elsewhere.

When they arrived through the floo into Remus's parlor, they found Severus and Remus both sitting in the kitchen at the table. Harry and Draco had both perched themselves onto the counter and Filch was hovering uncertainly near the door.

Both brothers looked up and then quickly away from the stern expressions that their parents wore.

"Good evening, Argus," Albus said with a calm that he didn't feel. "Thank you for staying, but I think under the circumstances, the boys' detention can be considered served, don't you?"

Filch stammered for a moment, probably at the injustice of Harry and Draco getting out of a well-deserved detention, but then he simply nodded. "Of course, Headmaster. I'll be on my way then."

"Have a good night, Argus." Albus smiled pleasantly and ushered him to the door with a hand on his shoulder. "And I'm sure you know that I would appreciate it if you kept what happened here from getting out. We certainly don't need the entire school to know that teachers were fighting amongst themselves."

"Oh. Oh! Yes, yes, of course, Headmaster. You have my word!"

Albus smiled, though he wasn't quite sure that he believed him. "Thank you, Argus."

When Filch left the room, Albus turned around and his expression turned stony.

"Of all the ridiculous, appalling behavior!"

Neither Harry nor Draco had ever witnessed the Headmaster so angry and they both exchanged a look before shrinking back in their respective spots on the countertop.

"What could you have possibly been thinking?! Fighting! With each other no less!"

"Albus," Minerva said quietly, placing her hand on her husband's arm, "perhaps you should take a moment to calm down. Let's hear them out."

This was surprising only because Minerva was normally the one who would need a moment to calm down when they were younger. Albus was by far the more tolerant and understanding parent. But fighting, especially fighting each other, was one thing that Albus Dumbledore would not tolerate.

Behind her, she heard Harry scoff and turned to face him. "Harry."

"What is there to hear out?" he asked as he hopped down from the counter and pointed at Severus. "I thought fighting didn't solve anything, Dad? That's what you told me and Draco yesterday before you gave us detention for it! I guess the rules are different for adults."

Severus looked up at Harry and when he saw how upset Harry was, he sighed. "It doesn't. And the rules aren't different because we're adults."

Draco shook his head and said sourly, "Yeah, well, I bet no one's going to give you detention."

Beside Severus, Remus groaned and dropped his head into his hand, before realizing how badly that hurt on his already bruised face and sitting up straight once more.

"Maybe we should take this to my quarters," Severus offered. "That way the children don't have to be here and I can get potions from my lab."

This had the immediate effect of angering both teenagers in the room.

"We're not children!" exclaimed Draco.

"You can't just send us away!" added Harry who crossed his arms over his chest and glared at his father. "I think we should get to hear what happens. We're the ones who found you fighting in the first place!"

"Harry—"

"I think they're right," Albus interrupted Severus before he could say anything else. "We'll move this to your quarters, Severus so that your mother can clean and heal your wounds. But I don't think it would be fair to send the boys away."

Knowing that arguing would get him nowhere, Severus stood up and moved into the parlor to use the floo. Remus followed after him, with Harry and Draco going through next. Albus and Minerva came through a few moments later and Severus had the distinct impression that they had taken the time to have a quick chat before joining them.

"Sit down," Minerva ordered as she pointed to the couch and then walked past everyone towards Severus's personal lab.

"Do you want me to—"

"I can find them just fine on my own, thank you," she said over her shoulder as she continued down the hallway.

Severus and Remus both sat on opposite sides of the couch while Dumbledore conjured a couple more chairs out of thin air for the boys to sit on. He sat in Severus's armchair and remained quiet. He seemed to be considering exactly what he wanted to say to them.

Remus, who until now had been content to sit back quietly, spoke in a low voice to Severus. "You just can't let things go, can you? You can't accept an apology and be done with it."

"You started this!"

"Quiet!"

They turned away from each other and Remus sniffed hard, dislodging some of the clotted blood in his nose and causing him to cough violently. Angrily, he swiped a hand under it and winced. "And you broke my nose," he hissed.

"Remus—"

"Why are you being so petulant?! You hit me first! You're worse than the boys!"

Before either of them could say anything else, (including said boys who hardly wanted to be called "petulant") Minerva came back into the parlor, her arms laden with potions and salves.

"One would think," she said mildly as she placed everything down onto the coffee table, "that you two would think twice about arguing with each other, considering the circumstances that we are currently in."

"Remus hasn't had enough chocolate today and it's making him moody."

"Severus, that is quite enough!" she said as she sat down between them. She pointed her finger first at him and then at Remus. She narrowed her eyes as she spoke more sternly than they had heard her speak to either of them in years. "I don't know what all of this is about, but I will not put up with it anymore. First, we are going to take care of both of your wounds from this ridiculous fight, and then we are going to have a long conversation about what has been going on here tonight. And I don't want to hear another snide comment or accusation from either of you! Is that understood?!"

Severus inclined his head while Remus offered a quiet, "Yes, Mum," before they both turned their gazes to their laps, neither being willing to test her anymore.

"Now," she said as she started opening jars and vials, "are either of you hurt badly enough that we need Poppy?"

"No!" they replied quickly.

Minerva nodded and turned first to Remus to address his broken nose, which he allowed her to mend with only a slight wince.

When she was done with them both— it really had looked worse than it was— Minerva moved to sit in the other armchair beside Albus, who cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention.

"Alright," he said sternly, "I want an explanation for what happened tonight." When neither Severus nor Remus seemed inclined to answer, he chose for them. "Severus."

Severus sighed. "I came to confront Remus about what we had talked about earlier. We started arguing and things got out of hand." He glanced over at Remus who was staring resolutely down and away from them. "He threw the first punch but I suppose I antagonized him a bit. And I could have walked away, especially considering… er, the timing," he finished quietly with a look toward the boys.

"I see," Albus replied. "Remus?"

Remus looked up and shook his head, "I don't have anything to add except that I could have walked away as well. I let my temper get the better of me and I'm sorry."

Albus nodded. "When will the two of you ever learn? How many times have we had this exact same discussion in one form or another? I could almost understand it when you were younger. Both of you had gone through so much and your lives had been upended, especially right after the adoptions. Naturally, there were to be a few arguments and fights at home over one thing or another when you were both getting used to each other, as well as a couple of rather unremarkable duels at school. Those were expected given how much you didn't like each other beforehand and considering the circumstances. But you're both in your thirties now!"

Both men flinched at Albus's tone, and while Severus only blushed at the harsh reprimand, Remus seemed to shrink a bit further into the couch.

Albus sighed. When he spoke again, his tone was much softer. "When will you realize that you are brothers and nothing that either of you could do will change that?"

"We do realize that," spoke Remus.

"You've got a fine way of proving it," said Minerva sternly. "And in front of children, no less! What sort of example does that set for Harry and Draco?! How can you tell them not to fight if you're doing that very thing?"

"It's not as if we invited them, Mum. How were we supposed to know that they would be there?"

"Severus Tobias Snape, you are a professor in a school filled with children. The thought should have at the very least crossed your mind that someone would see! What if it had been someone aside from the boys? What if it had been one of the younger children who wouldn't have had any idea what to do?"

"Mum, don't you think you're making a bigger deal out of this than what it is? We are brothers, and brothers fight sometimes." Remus's attempt to aid their defense only served to cause Severus to groan, while Minerva turned narrowed eyes towards him.

"Remus John Lupin, the fact that you can sit there and say that after I just spent twenty minutes patching you both up, not including mending your broken nose, truly astounds me! I think I have every right to make a big deal out of this. Now, I understand fully that you've been feeling ill and that there are times where you can not always control your emotions as well as you would like, but to allow your temper to get so out of hand that you would physically strike out at your brother is simply unacceptable! You have dealt with this for far too long for you to still be so easily pushed into a fight."

Severus and Remus, both now feeling thoroughly reprimanded, said nothing else as they waited to hear what their parents had left to say.

Albus, as if only just remembering that Harry and Draco were there, turned to them and asked, "Do either of you have anything you would like to add?"

"Oh, er…" Harry glanced at Draco, clearly not expecting to have been asked. "No, I think you covered everything."

"I don't!" Draco exclaimed, earning him the attention of everyone in the room. He pointed between himself and Harry. "Harry and I still had to do detention with Filch!"

"Mr. Filch," Albus said mildly. "Though I suspect that he does raise a good point."

"What?" Severus sat up straight.

"No, he doesn't," Remus added.

Albus turned to Minerva and they seemed to have a silent conversation for a few moments before Minerva nodded. "I'm sure I can think of several things around the house that need tending to."

"Splendid!" Albus said, clapping his hands together in front of him as he smiled. "I think this coming Saturday will be a good day for it. Remus?"

Remus sighed but gave a short nod. "It'll be fine," he grumbled.

If anyone wondered why Albus asked Remus if it would be okay with him, they didn't ask.

"I'll make a list of chores they can do," Minerva said. "Merlin knows the upstairs windows could use a good scrub, the gutters need to be cleaned out, and of course the fence around the backyard still needs to be fixed."

Only a little while later, Albus, Minerva, and Remus returned to their rooms, and only Harry and Draco remained with Severus in his quarters.

"Listen," Severus said as he pointed to the couch, indicating that they should both take a seat. "I want you both to know that I'm sorry about tonight. It wasn't my intention to get into a fight with Remus, but I should have tried harder not to let it happen. I don't believe in 'do as I say, not as I do,' and I hope you'll both forgive me."

Harry shrugged. "It's alright, Dad."

"Yeah," Draco agreed, "and I didn't think they would actually give you a detention."

Severus laughed. "I'm going to choose to think of it as us helping them out."

"Ha!" Harry grinned. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"Oh, sure, and don't worry, Uncle Sev. We won't tell anyone that you still get into trouble with your Mum and Dad."

"Watch it," Severus teased. "Now you know what to expect when you're both my age."

That stopped their laughing quickly as both boys turned to look at each other, wondering if he meant what he'd said.

"Alright, I think it's past time for you both to be in bed. Draco, would you like to stay the night? I'm sure Harry wouldn't mind if I transfigured his bed into two smaller ones."

"No, thanks," Draco replied. "I'll just see you tomorrow, Harry."

"'Night, Draco."

As Harry turned towards his room, Draco let himself out of the parlor door and immediately ran into someone.

He looked up to see that it was Marcus Flint, the seventh-year Slytherin Quidditch Captain. "Oi, watch where you're going, traitor!"

Draco glared but he didn't respond. He just grit his teeth and attempted to walk past the older boy.

Marcus let him get ahead a few feet before he grabbed hold of the back of Draco's robes, yanking him backward and pushing him roughly against the stone wall of the dungeon.

"Wait till your father hears about this," he hissed. He was leaning down into Draco's personal space. His mouth— and his bad breath— were right in Draco's face as he spoke. "What will he think when I tell him that despite all his warnings, you're still hanging around filth like Snape and the Potter brat?"

"I don't care," Draco ground out, trying not to breathe too much. He gasped as Marcus pulled him back a few inches only to shove him again, this time forcing his head to bounce off the wall. He fumbled as he tried to reach for his wand. But every hex he could think of running through his mind was useless if he could get ahold of it.

Marcus reached down and grabbed Draco's hand to stop him, then noticed the signet ring he wore. With a gleeful grin, he held his upper arm against Draco's neck in order to keep him pinned to the wall while snatching the ring off with his free hand. "You don't deserve to wear this."

"Don't!" Draco wheezed as he tried with all his might to get free. But the more he struggled, the tighter Marcus's arm held against him.

Suddenly, Marcus let him go and Draco fell to the ground, coughing and trying to catch a breath. Marcus turned away from him and threw the ring as far as he could down the hallway. Draco couldn't see where it had landed and he cursed himself for not already knowing the summoning spell.

"See you later, Malfoy," Marcus spat as he walked away, leaving Draco still sitting in the hallway.

Several minutes later, Draco was still searching the hallway for his ring by wand light. He was angry, both at Marcus for throwing it and at himself for caring so much about it.

When another pass around the length of the corridor didn't lead to him finding it, he kicked the stone wall and exclaimed, "Damn!"

The door on the other side of the hallway opened and Severus stepped out.

"Draco?" he asked, confusion coating his voice. "What are you doing here? I thought I told you to go to bed."

"I lost my ring," Draco answered sullenly.

"Where did you have it last?" Severus closed the door behind him and walked over to Draco.

"On my finger, where else?"

"Draco."

He sighed. "Sorry."

Severus lit his own wand and held it out in front of him, but as he did so, he noticed a red mark on Draco's neck.

"What happened to you?" he asked, pointing to the mark where Marcus had held him against the wall.

"Nothing," Draco said, turning away from him.

"That doesn't look like 'nothing.' Did something happen after you left?"

"No! Nothing happened except that I've lost my ring!"

Severus pointed his wand down the hallway and said, "Accio ring."

A second later it flew through the air and into Severus's outstretched hand from where it had rolled under a suit of armor.

"Thanks," Draco said quietly as Severus handed it to him.

"Did one of the older students do something? Did someone take your ring? You can tell me, Draco."

"I've got to get to the Common Room. It's almost curfew."

"Draco—"

"See you later, Uncle Sev," Draco murmured before hurrying down the hall, leaving a stunned Snape behind him.

"He's in there!" The man repeated the mantra over and over again as he walked barefoot through the forest. His clothes were tattered and the rain that was managing to get all the way down through the thick foliage of the trees only served to make him colder and wetter. The smell of wet dog hung around him but he paid it no mind.

The only thing he could think of, the only thing that kept him going, was knowing that he was up there in that castle. Sleeping in the same room he'd slept in as a student. Not in that bed though. No, he was somewhere else. He knew he was after him now and he was taking great measures not to be found.

He was so close. So unbearably close!

He stepped on a broken branch but hardly noticed that it had punctured the bottom of his foot and that he was now bleeding.

It didn't matter.

He shifted and curled up next to the trunk of a tree, just at the edge of the forest.

The cat was back now. Walking over to him and rubbing against him. He paid him no attention as he stared up at Gryffindor Tower.

He was so close!

It wouldn't be long now. He couldn't hide forever. He would find him and make him pay for everything he had taken from him. He'd pay for the twelve years that he had spent in that wretched place.

He went to sleep, thinking of all the ways he would make him pay.