Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

Sirius, in his Animagus form, sniffed around the grounds. It felt good to be back at Hogwarts, even in dog form. It felt amazing to be free from Azkaban. That was a horrible place and if it wasn't for the fact he had known he was innocent, he would have gone insane like the other prisoners. He just needed to prove his innocence. But first, he needed to find his godson. He hadn't believed it when he read the papers the guards had left out. Harry Potter is actually Harry Snape! Sirius gave a snort and shook his head. Only an idiot would believe that. He didn't know what game Albus was playing by going along with the lie, but he would not have James's name tarnished. James was Harry's father and anyone who said differently would have to deal with him. But before he could get custody of Harry, he had to find Pettigrew. That traitorous rat had framed him and was hiding somewhere. And Sirius was sure he was hiding where he could hear what was going on with Voldemort's whereabouts. Which meant he would hang around a family connected to the ministry. Sirius would find him and the rat would pay for betraying James and Lily.

He knew he needed to get stronger and he wanted to see Harry and make sure his pup was okay. Make sure Snivellus wasn't hurting him. Snivellus, he thought bitterly. He should be in Azkaban, he was a death eater! And what was Albus thinking about hiring him to be a professor? Merlin, those poor kids!

Sirius perked up when he came across Hagrid's hut. He remembered Hagrid fondly and knew with his love for animals, he would take pity on a straggly, underfed dog.

"Well, wha' have we here?" Hagrid smiled as a black dog appeared in front of his hut. Fang wagged his tail at the newcomer.

Sirius gave a whine.

"Yeh sure are thin," Hagrid said sympathetically. "Poor wee thing. Homeless, are yeh?"

Sirius sat down, making sure he looked extra pitiful.

"Well, we'll fatten yeh up," Hagrid said cheerfully. "Fang will enjoy havin' a friend. An' students are always visiting, so yeh will have lots of attention."

Sirius wagged his tail. Hopefully, he would see his godson soon.

HP

"Please? Pretty please? Pleasssse?"

Severus wanted to cover his ears. The whining was setting his teeth on edge. "Harry, do I need to put a silencing spell on you?" He groaned.

"Come on, please? Hagrid is an adult."

"Barely," Severus muttered as he tried to focus back on the potion's journal he was reading. In his opinion, Hagrid was an overgrown child.

"I just want to visit him, with Ron and Hermione." Harry looked pleadingly at his dad. "Can't you take us to visit him?"

Severus sighed. Harry had been pretty good following the new restrictions, he had to admit. "All right." He said finally. "But not for long. I am not leaving you with alone with Hagrid and I do not want to stay there all day."

"Thank you, dad!" Harry beamed.

HP

"Hi, Hagrid!" Harry called out as soon as he saw Hagrid.

"Arry'!" Hagrid said happily as Harry, Hermione, and Ron followed by a reluctant Snape walked down his pathway. "How are things?"

"Good. We wanted to visit you!" Harry grinned as he looked around. "Where is Fang?" He liked the large yet timid dog.

"He's playing with my new dog."

"You got a new dog?" Harry asked excitedly.

"He's a stray, poor thing. I washed him and aim to fatten him up." Hagrid said. "Jus' have ter think of a name for him."

"We can help!" Ron said eagerly. He'd always wanted a dog but his parents said it was too much work.

"Hi, Professor Snape," Hagrid said, nodding to Severus.

"Hagrid," Severus said politely. "The children wanted to visit."

"Of course! Anytime." Hagrid said jovially.

Fang appeared with a black dog who made a beeline for Harry. He knocked Harry over in his enthusiasm, frantically licking his face while his tail wagged happily.

Harry giggled. "It's nice to meet you too!"

"Harry, are you all right?" Severus asked, looking at the dog in distaste. "Did that creature hurt you?"

"No. He's just friendly!" Harry said, sitting up and hugging the dog. Ron and Hermione stepped closer to pet him.

"He's cute," Hermione said as she scratched behind one of his ears. "How about Shadow for a name?" She suggested.

"Tornado? He's got a lot of energy." Ron piped up.

"How about nuisance?" Severus suggested.

The dog turned and bared his teeth at him. In return, Severus narrowed his eyes at him. He wasn't sure he liked this dog.

"When does the new professor arrive?" Hagrid asked.

"Tomorrow," Severus said, his tone showing he wasn't pleased about it.

"A new professor? For Defence? Oh, I hope he is good." Hermione said.

"Yeah, someone who isn't a vessel for you-know-who," Ron snickered. He ducked when Hermione went to hit him. "I was kidding!"

"So who is the new professor?" Harry asked, amused at his friend's antics.

"A former student. He went to school with your father." Hagrid spoke up.

"Remus Lupin." Severus scowled.

The dog's ears perked up.

"Do you not like him?" Harry asked tentatively.

Severus glanced at him and forced himself to relax. "I haven't seen him since I was a student. He was in a different house than I was."

"Which one?" Hermione asked.

"Gryffindor."

"Oh, that's why you don't like him," Ron said.

Severus rolled his eyes. "Yes, most Gryffindors do annoy me." He stared at Ron, whose eyes widened in alarm. "Except for a select few, of course." He amended.

"Like mom and me." Harry beamed. "Hey!" He protested when the dog began growling. "What's wrong with you?"

"He still needs a name," Hermione remarked.

The dog sneezed.

Hagrid chuckled. "I think the soap I used to wash him was too strong."

"We could call him sneezy," Ron suggested with a chuckle.

The dog sneezed again.

"Or snuffly." Hermione giggled.

"Come here, Snuffles," Harry said, surprised when the dog came. "Aw, he's so smart." He cooed. "Right, Dad?"

"Yes, he's a smart mutt," Severus said snidely. "Let's head back to the castle. You can visit again some other time."

Harry sighed and gave snuffles a pat on the head. "Okay."

Sirius watched them go, resisting the urge to chase after them and attack Snivellus. How dare that man act like he was Harry's father? And Harry even called him dad! It was mental! Also, Harry looked different than he had thought he would. He had expected him to look like James but he didn't. His hair was darker, no glasses...for some reason, he had expected to see a mini James. But it didn't matter, Harry was still his godson and he would rescue him from Snivellus if it was the last thing he did.

HP

Remus Lupin walked down the corridor, nostalgia filling him as he remembered his school days. There were good times, laughing and joking with his best friends. How could everything have gone so wrong for all of them? James and Peter were dead, Sirius in Azkaban, and as for himself, he had been hiding away from the world. He'd never even checked on Harry and he should have. The Headmaster had told him about Harry's horrible relatives and the guilt was eating at him. He could have reached out, he could have done something. He had babysat Harry as a baby and it didn't matter to him who Harry's biological father was. He had seen James with him, he knew his friend had loved him. And Lily had been beyond besotted with her child. Finding out Severus was Harry's father had been a shock but it didn't change anything. Remus still cared for Harry. And now with Sirius and Bellatrix on the loose, he wanted to help protect him. Sirius, his heart clenched. He still couldn't believe Sirius had turned on them. He had hated the dark arts so fiercely in school! It didn't make sense but maybe he would never know why. He perked up seeing Harry and Severus turning the corner.

"Lupin," Severus said stiffly.

"Hello, Severus," Remus said, smiling at Harry. "And hello, Harry."

"Are you the new Defence Professor?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Remus said with a kind smile. "It's so nice to see you again."

"Again?" Harry asked in surprise.

"I was friends with your pare – I mean, your mother and James," Remus said. "I saw you many times as a baby. I even babysat you a couple of times."

"Really?" Harry asked with interest.

"Oh, yes. You were a good baby." Remus chuckled at the embarrassed flush on Harry's face. "You didn't like to eat string beans if I recall." He teased.

Harry grinned. "I still don't." He laughed.

"Well, as touching as this moment is," Severus spoke up, glaring at Lupin. "We need to return to our quarters." He was resentful that Lupin had memories of his son as a baby while Severus never got to have any.

"I'll see you in class," Harry said brightly as he was led away by his father.

HP

Remus went to his new quarters, freezing when he saw a familiar dog sitting in front of his door.

"Padfoot," Remus whispered, his hand immediately going to his wand.

The dog whined and pawed at the door.

"You think I'm going to let you into my quarters?" Remus asked in disbelief.

The dog began scratching at his door.

"Stop that, you'll scuff it all up," Remus said in exasperation. After a moment's hesitation, he opened the door and let his old friend inside. He knew he should alert Dumbledore but he wanted to hear what Sirius had to say. He shut and locked his door before turning to face the dog, his wand out, and pointed at him. He wasn't taking any chances.

The dog blurred into Sirius. "Hey, Moony." He said with a small smile.

Remus stared at his former friend, he looked so thin and tired. "Why are you here?"

"A couple of reasons." Sirius wandered around the sitting room. He sat on the sofa, making himself comfortable. "I want to prove my innocence but I need time to get stronger first. Also, I wanted to see Harry and make sure Snivellus hasn't hurt him. And then I heard you would be here, and I wanted to see you."

"Your innocence," Remus repeated. "Sirius, you betrayed Lily and James! You killed twelve muggles and Peter!" He snapped.

Sirius leaned forward. "I would never betray James and Lily! I blame myself for their deaths but not in the way you and everyone else think. I wasn't their secret keeper."

"Yes, you were."

"No. I brought up the idea that I was too obvious as the secret keeper. So we decided to let people believe it and make the secret keeper someone no one would expect. Peter." Sirius said sadly.

Remus sucked in his breath. "You're lying." He said, hearing the uncertainty in his voice.

"I'm not. It seemed like such a great plan." Sirius's eyes shadowed over. "I had no idea Peter had joined up with Voldemort. When I went to see James and Lily and found them dead... I knew Peter had turned on us. I went after him, I was so angry. So full of grief. But I didn't kill anyone. Peter faked his death, Moony. He's alive somewhere. My guess is he is hiding out as a rat somewhere."

"Interesting story," Remus said carefully. "Why wouldn't you or James have told me?" He narrowed his eyes. "Unless you thought you couldn't trust me."

Sirius shook his head. "It wasn't that. We just figured the less who knew, the better. We didn't even tell Albus." He looked pleadingly at his friend. "You have to believe me."

"I don't know," Remus said quietly. He wanted to and it made some sense but... "Why would Peter join Voldemort?"

"Because he is a coward?" Sirius scowled. "I don't know. I don't know when he turned against us. I just know he did. So much for friendship." He added bitterly.

"I can't keep your presence here a secret," Remus said with a sigh.

"If you turn me in, I'll get the dementor kiss," Sirius said. "I'm innocent, Moony. You know I would never have done anything to hurt James and Lily. James was my brother in everything but blood."

Remus's face softened. "It never made sense to me, that you would join up with Voldemort."

"I would never. But Pettigrew did. He betrayed James and Lily and then framed me." Sirius said bitterly.

Remus hesitated.

"Give me some Veritaserum, then," Sirius said exasperatedly. "I just want to clear my name and get custody of Harry."

"Sirius, perhaps you don't know but Severus is Harry's father," Remus told him.

"Sure he is." Sirius scoffed.

"He is," Remus told him gently. "Lily left behind a journal and it's all in there. Plus a paternity test was done for Fudge. Severus is his father."

"No," Sirius said stubbornly.

Remus sighed and decided to change the subject. "How are we going to find Pettigrew?"

"He would stay close to someone who works at the ministry."

"That could be anyone," Remus said in frustration.

"So you believe me?" Sirius asked hopefully.

Remus looked at him and nodded. "Yes. It never made sense, you betraying James and Lily. I mean, I can't believe Peter did but you and James were like brothers. Even his parents treated you like you were their son. I know how much you loved them, there is just no way."

Sirius stood and gave Remus a hug. "Thank you, Moony."

"Anytime, Padfoot," Remus said with a laugh. "But until we can clear your name, you'll have to stay hidden as a dog."

"Actually, Harry and his friends named me Snuffles," Sirius smirked.

"What? When?"

"I went to Hagrid, I knew he would take in a stray. I needed meals and a place to rest." Sirius explained. "Harry and his friends came by for a visit earlier today. He's a sweet kid."

"He is."

"Snivellus was there," Sirius scowled. "Pretending to be his father."

Remus sighed. "He is Harry's father. I told you, Lily left behind a journal saying so. And Poppy performed a paternity test." He saw the stubborn denial on Sirius's face and shook his head. His friends would have to accept the truth. Eventually. For now, he changed the subject. "I guess I'll have to adopt you from Hagrid."

Sirius grinned. "I'll be good. I won't chew up your slippers or anything."

Remus smirked. "Just stay off my furniture. I don't want fleas and dog hair everywhere."

"Hey!" Sirius protested with a laugh.

TBC: