Chapter Nine A

Snape watched as the vial was placed on the exact table where Harry Potter used to sit. "You wouldn't." He couldn't believe someone was very willing to drink any of his personally made potions that weren't tampered with for any reason.

"I'm very serious. I'll give you until dinner for an answer." Discreetly, Osiris began to drop the barriers around them. "Just remember. I'm a War Mage and of demon blood. It'll need to be the whole vial to take effect but only for a few moments."

Snape gaped at the Mage, who tipped his head and then fled. Pale fingers grasped the vial, eyeing its contents, murmuring, "Mr. Potter, what little brain cells did you lose in wanting to take a full vial of undiluted veritaserum?"

Then again Snape did see the advantages. He could learn the secrets to items he had been wondering, especially the breaking in his office during Potter's second and fourth year.

Walking away from a bewildered Snape was interesting but Osiris wasn't too sure if his play of using truth serum would work. He only had to wait. And waiting wouldn't be fun.

"War Mage."

Osiris froze at the sound of his godfather's lover's voice. "Uh, Remus, hello."

"Isis is taking over classes. Sirius and I wish to talk. Now."

Unwilling to anger a werewolf or an agitated animagus, Osiris simply settled for following the tawny eyed male. Silently the two males followed various hallways to a portrait of four young men.

Osiris blinked at the familiar features. "Remus?"

The tawny eyed male smiled sadly, "This was us before Peter betrayed us, before your parents died, before Sirius was in prison, and before I was left alone." Turning to the laughing joyful group, "Red lilies."

"Red lilies?"

"For your mum and for her notorious temper matched by the red hair."

Osiris laughed at his godfather, who met them at the portrait opening. "I see."

After settling in with conjured tea and sandwiches, the long overdue talk began. "Harry."

Once again Osiris had already discreetly cast protective spells to safeguard their conversation. "Go ahead, Sirius."

"Why didn't you send word! You could have told us you were fine, safe at least. You put us through all that for nothing! You're my godson, Harry! You've helped me in many ways!"

"I'm sorry but I wasn't allowed to contact anyone. The council didn't want to chance their world being invaded by wizards. They would have had to destroy their world and start again somewhere else."

"What about after that? You can trust us with the truth."

Osiris felt guilty for being distrustful but he couldn't chance it. "I couldn't chance it. I didn't want anyone to overhear or to torture you for the secret. As long as it was a secret, Voldemort didn't stand a chance to predict us."

"I would have done anything to prevent that! Even with my life! But you never trusted us!"

"I do trust you! I just didn't trust them! I wasn't going to hold out either. Unless someone had called me out about Harry Potter, you all would have known after Voldemort's demise."

Remus blinked, "You mean if we would have said that you looked a lot like Harry Potter, you would have told us?"

Osiris nodded causing Sirius to jump with joy. "So I was right! I told you he looked like my godson and YOU didn't believe me!"

"I didn't want to ruin your hopes, Sirius. What if it wasn't him?"

"But it was!"

"Stop whining!"

"And I thought Hermione and Ron were bad." Both older wizards stared open mouthed at the Mage. Neither could believe Osiris had dared to compare them to children. And not just any children but two members of the infamous Gryffindor Golden Trio, who spent two years badgering every professor for trouble.