Wow…I didn't know I could be that mean! Re-reading it, that is a monstrous cliffhanger. Hehe…but no worries! Here's the next chapter!

QrYx: Update more often? Wow…that's a new one…I have people telling me I'm updating too fast! Hehe…but you were reviewer 125!! *bells ring, confetti is thrown* You get the grand prize! This chapter is yours! And I will include your item somehow *looks over at the Weasley twins* oh yes, this could be interesting.

Voydag: Too fast, too slow? Hehe, I'm a mixed up pup. What will Sirius say?

FireSenshi: Thanks! Here's another!

Liz: As I said, my cliffhangers are notorious.

Charlie YuY: A PINK TUTU?!?! You want me to put Severus Snape in a pink tutu? Thankfully, you were not the 125th reviewer…I would have definitely been lynched for that one.

Lei Dumbledore: Thanks, I fixed the mistake…I really need to re-read the books…think I'll start that tonight. Cheers!

Lady Lightning: I'm going as fast as I can!!

Little Suzi: The mistake was that Care of Magical Creatures can't be taken until your third year. Mistake on my part…haven't read the books in a while. But I'm remedying that tonight!

EMiGMA: I just don't want the romance to overtake the plot. Sometimes even a little is too much. And remember, this is the first time either has dated (really dated…Yule Ball doesn't count). They'll probably get more serious as this goes along.

Phoenix Flight: I hate cliffies too…but I love writing. The necklace was completely spontaneous, but totally useful and interesting. I love it too.

Legolas of Lothlorien: Ok, can I say I absolutely love your penname? Legolas is my fave fantasy character next to Severus Snape! I have the figures from both movies! Oh, right…reviews…glad you like it!

Alecatq: Hope you did well on mid-terms…I hate tests. Yes, another Lockhart, if not by name, then by "blood." There's some funny ironic moments in this chapter.

Thanks for all the reviews! I am going to avoid the obvious Sirius/serious joke when naming this chapter. I've already done a double entendre with his last name (see title). With that I give you the next chapter!

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Harry drew the curtains around his bed, but then decided that wasn't enough privacy. Not wanting to draw unwanted attention to himself, he took his broom (as they had Quidditch practice this evening) and the letter to the prefects' bathroom. He locked the door and sat in the far corner, so he would have time to shove the letter in his pocket if anyone came in.

He carefully opened the letter, hands shaking slightly. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then opened them and began reading.

Harry,

This letter is to inform you that I will not be seeing you for a while. I have things I need to sort out away from everything. Please don't attempt to contact me, as I will just return your owl unanswered. I still don't understand why you're choosing him over me, but I can hope that one day, you'll see you are wrong. He's not the man you think he is, Harry, and I don't know how to make you see this. Maybe the old psychology books were right; maybe you just have to burn your hand to realize you shouldn't touch a hot oven. If you absolutely need to contact me, perhaps when you see your mistake, then have Remus owl me. He knows where I am.

Love, Snuffles

Harry folded the letter back up, completely stunned. What came next he was not expecting. A wave of curses and obscenities streamed through his head, and Harry realized Snape had heard every word. He up and bolted down to the Headmaster office, intending to floo right into Snape's chambers, but he realized Snape would still be in his classroom. He slowed his pace and walked to the dungeon, telling anyone who asked that he was going to see Professor Snape to schedule a detention. He got to the potions classroom, but heard nothing. Harry leaned in to hear anything, but total silence was all he got. That was not good. He opened the door quickly, squeezed in, and shut it behind him. The scene before him shocked him more than anything ever had before. Desks were overturned, glass blanketed the floor, and a sticky green substance was eating a hole in the wall.

Harry ran over to the closet and grabbed the nearest thing to a counter-acid he could find and dragon hide gloves. He threw the gloves on and rubbed the thick, white paste on the area, and the corrosive substance was neutralized. Harry then realized he needed to find Snape fast. He looked around, hoping to even find the man unconscious, but no such luck. Then a thought struck him: tell Remus, he knows where I am. Sighing, he walked briskly to the Defense classroom, and entered, expecting to see the werewolf pinned to the wall by an irate potions master. Covial looked up from grading and smiled at Harry.

"Well, well, Mr. Potter! Couldn't stay away from me for so long could you?" Harry turned and bolted, wondering where Snape could be. He decided the Headmaster was the best option and gave the gargoyle the password. It leapt aside and Harry bounded up the stairs.

"Come in, Harry." He opened the door and found Snape asleep on the couch. "He's a bit overexerted from his little, er, episode. He'll be fine." Harry looked up at the old wizard.

"How did you know?"

"Oh, I was visiting Severus to see how things were going with you two, and I found him rampaging around his room. Had to stun him to get him up here. What on earth made him so mad?" Harry looked at the floor, then pulled the letter out his pocket and handed it to the Headmaster. He perused it, and the flash of anger that had been present that night returned. He calmly walked over to the fire, throwing powder in and called out for Covial. His face appeared, and stepped through moments later on the Headmaster's orders.

"Harry, I think it best if Remus knows." Covial looked astonished at being referred to by his former moniker. Harry inhaled, then sighed heavily. That is when Covial noticed the form lying on the couch, unconscious.

"Albus?" he gestured toward the prone figure.

"Shh, Remus…he's exhausted." The werewolf's eyes flickered back to the boy.

"Does this have something to do with why you came abruptly into my classroom and bolted out again?" Harry nodded, sitting on the couch just next to Snape. This in and of itself shocked Remus, his surprise evident on Covial's face. Dumbledore muttered a small spell, and his features shifted back into Lupin's.

"Professor—"

"Remus."

"Remus, you might want to sit down for this." He looked back to the Headmaster. "Sir, could Hermione and Ron come, too? It's been really difficult not telling them, and I think they deserve to know."

"Harry, you realize them knowing could put them, you, and Severus in danger?"

Remus cleared his throat, "Albus, they should know…if it's this big. I mean, you remember how hard it was for me to keep my condition from James and Sirius. I wouldn't wish that on anyone." Albus narrowed his eyes in thought, then sighed.

"Very well," he threw powder in the fire again and told Minerva to instruct Hermione and Ron to his office. The three sat in an uncomfortable silence waiting for them to arrive. They came in, looking rather sheepish, but brightened when they noticed Remus and Harry.

"Professor Lupin! I didn't know you were back!" Hermione smiled.

"Please tell us you're here to take over Defense Against the Dark Arts," Ron pleaded. Harry hid smirk, and Remus shook his head.

"Sorry, Ron, and please, call me Remus, or Moony." Harry flinched involuntarily, but it went unnoticed. "Now, Harry, what is this about." Harry took off his useless glasses and rubbed his eyes. He set them on the table and looked around, seeing everyone clearly. Ron choked on his words as he saw Snape lying on the couch next to Harry, but Hermione elbowed him and he merely sat down silently. Dumbledore motioned for Harry to begin, sitting down behind his desk.

"Some information came to light over the summer that affected both me and Professor Snape."

"What could that possibly be?" Remus barked.

"Uh, things about my parents."

"What exactly are you talking about?"

"Remus, let him get started before you pelt him with questions." It wasn't a request from the Headmaster, and Lupin sat back, waiting.

Harry smiled weakly at the Headmaster and continued. "It seems that my mother was not a muggle-born like we all thought. She was born into a pureblood wizarding family, the oldest of twins. But as her father didn't want a female as the oldest, she was given to an orphanage, where she was adopted by the Muggles that were her parents. She was reunited on the Hogwarts Express with her brother and his friends." He looked over at Remus, who had suddenly figured it out.

"Black…she's Padfoot's sister?"

"Yes, but she had also made friends with another boy," at this he looked at the still-unconscious form, "but her brother and his friends didn't like it much." He stared pointedly at Remus, who had the good grace to look a little ashamed. "Anyway—"

"Oh good gods…" Remus whispered finally, "It can't be…" Harry looked back over, and the werewolf was paler than Snape as he put the puzzle together in his head.

"My mother and Professor Snape were friends in school, and dated from their fourth year on. After graduation, they were married." He waited for the inevitable onslaught of gasps and questions, but it never came. He looked over to the other couch, and saw that Hermione had her hand over Ron's mouth, whose face was pale, and was looking sadly at him, urging him to continue. He flashed a thankful smile at her and continued.

"The only problem was that Sirius didn't like it, and convince James to claim his unspoken love for Lily, thus giving Sirius the chance to fulfill a blood-right of wizarding families. If within a month of the marriage, someone claims their love, a blood member can annul the union. Which is exactly what Sirius did, casting Snape aside."

Remus sat up a little straighter. "I always wondered what had happened."

"Huh?"

"One day, Lily just blew up at Sirius. Unleashed anything she could think of besides the Unforgivables on him. As I recall, she even threatened the Unforgivables. It was very unlike her, that's why I remember it so well."

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"Well, I didn't really know the whole story, for obvious reasons. I was over at James' house I guess just after he'd professed his love and Sirius annulled the marriage. I didn't know what had happened, but Lily just exploded. I've never seen anyone use that much raw magic before; I was actually afraid. Sirius was bed-ridden for two months after that, on a liquid diet, and every time he tried to talk, he ended up vomiting."

"When Mum had me, she told Sirius that I wasn't James' and he flipped. He was the only other one who knew other than Mum; not even James knew."

"You mean he knew and he never told you?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, and when he found out that I knew, through a message orb sent by Mum, he came here. He was not happy." A snort from his left drew their attention away from the story.

"That is an extreme understatement, Mr. Potter." Harry smirked and watched as Snape tried to sit up painfully, but failed. He offered his hand, and Snape grabbed it, using both his and Harry's strength to pull into a sitting position. Dumbledore floated a cup of tea over to him, which he accepted thankfully.

"Yeah, well he exploded irrationally, and left. I wrote him a letter, and he just wrote back." Dumbledore handed the letter to Remus, who looked at it and narrowed his eyes.

"I was wondering why he seemed so recluse. He even refused an invitation to dinner; not normal Padfoot behavior. Why is he so against you, Severus?" Said man grunted and nodded to Harry, who sighed.

"Well, before Mum and Professor Snape were separated, Sirius followed him to a meeting with Malfoy. I won't go into details, but really, he interfered where he shouldn't have with incomplete information. He was just so blinded by hatred that he couldn't see clearly. So he made some rash decisions. And I've tried talking to him, obviously, but he doesn't seem to be listening." He finished by tucking the letter into his pocket. Snape was impressed at how the boy had told the entire story while leaving private information undisclosed. Hermione had taken her hand away from Ron's mouth, and the redhead was merely staring between Snape and Harry.

~I think he's going to explode~

~Mr. Weasley may be rash, but I don't think he's that daft~ True to Snape's word, Ron closed his eyes and took several deep, calming breaths. Harry leaned forward nearer his friend.

"Ron?" he ventured. Ron opened his eyes, no anger present.

"How long have you known?" It wasn't an accusing question, merely curious.

"A little over two months," Harry answered.

"So you knew at your birthday. That's why Professor Snape was present." Hermione rattled, intrigued. "And when you went to see the Headmaster, you really went down to the dungeons!"

~Figure that out all on her own, did she?~

~Professor!~ A chuckle was his only response as he nodded to Hermione.

"What did you get?" Ron asked. Harry chuckled and looked at Snape, who nodded. He pulled out the stone from under his shirt, and Hermione stared. "What is it?" Ron asked.

"It allows Professor Snape and I to talk to each other in our heads." Hermione's eyes got wide, but for once, Ron beat her to it.

"So that's why you space out every now and then. I haven't seen you do that too much lately."

"I've gotten better. Before, it was hard to talk to him and concentrate on what I was doing. It's getting easier now."

"So, you two can talk behind our backs right in front of us?"

"Careful Weasley. I will not tolerate any insinuations on your part," he hissed. Ron gulped and looked away from the glare, focusing back on Harry.

"As interesting as all this is," Dumbledore said from his desk, "I suggest we focus on what to do about Sirius Black." Harry cleared his throat.

"Well, it seems I'm the only one with that problem, and I don't think I should worry too much about it. I mean, he's being childish and irrational. Why should we encourage him? I say let him be for a few weeks, and see if he comes around. If not, I'll talk to him." Dumbledore smiled.

"Well, it seems you have certainly matured over the summer. Does this mean no foolish stunts to try and talk to him face-to-face?" He looked at Harry, then at Remus.

"No, sir. I have enough to worry about as is."

"Very well. You are all dismissed." The three Gryffindors rose and walked out.

~See you later, Professor~

~See you at dinner. Don't practice too hard~ Harry laughed, causing Hermione and Ron to look at him.

"That is really disturbing you know!" Ron exclaimed.

"Forget it. Come on, I need to talk to our captain before practice."

"When are tryouts Harry?"

"Uh, next week, I think. Why, you thinking of trying out?"

"Me? No, but I need to tell Ginny. She'd make a great Keeper." They entered the common room to find a group of older students gathered in the corner. They caught Lee Jordan's eye and he flashed a grin, beckoning them over. They shoved their way to the front and saw Fred and George in the middle of the circle, holding a small figurine and reading a book.

"What's going on here?" Harry asked. Neville leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"The twins found a book in the library on voodoo. They wanted to try it out." Harry paled as he realized that George was holding a small replica of Snape. He rolled his eyes and walked away before he witnessed anything incriminating (or that his father would pick up on). He changed into his Quidditch robes, stopped by the prefects' bathroom to grab his broom, and walked out to the Quidditch field. He approached the twins, who had forlorn looks on their faces.

"What happened? Did it work?" Fred looked up at the star Seeker.

"Nah, Hermione stopped us. What's with her anyway?" Harry smiled, thanking her silently, but shrugged on the outside.

"I'll never understand girls," George said. Practice lasted till dinner, and the entire team rejoiced as they saw the XS. Katie had gotten a Firebolt for her birthday, and Fred swept her up in a hug, crushing her as she landed.

"That was great! We're unbeatable!" Harry laughed, but sobered when he realized that next year, the team needed two new Chasers and two new Beaters. Which meant he was going to be captain. They showered and paraded into the Great Hall, and Harry threw a triumphant smirk at Malfoy, who was scowling at him for his showy entrance.

~Is all this really necessary?~

~Yes~ Harry sat down next to Hermione and dug into the banquet, listening to the first years chatter about their classes. Once done with dinner, he said goodnight to Snape and trekked up with the first years to the dormitory. On their way out the Great Hall, Harry noticed Ginny nodding to someone on the other side of the room, and turned his head in the direction of the Slytherin table. Better not be Malfoy, he thought idly. Harry nearly stumbled as he saw Blaise Zabini nod back. He smiled as he did his homework, thinking of all the chaos this could cause. He had one thought after he turned out the light, just before he drifted off.

Ron is going to have a cow.

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NOTICE: In your review, name one object (anything you like) and the 150th reviewer will have the next chapter (after the review) dedicated to them personally, and I will include the item somehow (promise it won't be hokey…unless it's something totally off the wall). If it ever gets that high, I will also do that with 175th reviewer, 200th, etc…so review away people!