Thanks to Conangse, for reviewing, and to Joy, for improving my fic.

Chapter Five: A matter of trust

Two months had passed since Connor had first set foot in Hogwarts and he had become quite fond of the place. At first he hadn't liked it at all, with the magic stuff and all. Besides, back then he had wanted to go back to Pylea and resume his old life with Daniel and Justine.

However, now that he knew that magic wasn't that bad (and that Daniel was no longer alive), he thought that the castle was a great place. It was enormous, so there was always something new to see and investigate; there were ghosts that remembered the times when all the stories Daniel taught him had taken place; and there were loads of food, always a silver lining. On the other hand, the grounds and hills reminded him of Pylea, and he could play with Fang, watch Hagrid while he did his chores, or play chess with Professor Snape (even though Connor wasn't very good at it yet). And, of course, there were the students.

Connor enjoyed watching them chatting and laughing from afar. He had never seen so many people of that age, and he was curious about them, what they talked about and why they laughed so much. He wished he could get closer and watch them more carefully, maybe when they were flying those broomsticks, but he had been told not to and he obeyed, even though he didn't like it.

In spite of all the measures taken, some pupils had started to get curious about the five-year-old boy who stayed at Hogwarts. He was far too young to attend classes, and they weren't aware of any teacher who had a child. Some of them started to ask questions and to make up rumors, until Dumbledore decided to put it an end and announced that Connor was one of his friends' son. That stopped all the interest in Connor, even though a few students still tried to talk to him and Nymphadora Tonks, for instance, used to wave a hand at him when she saw him. He always waved back, wondering whether she had improved at Potions-making. He didn't dare to ask her, but as he saw her with her broomstick he guessed she had.

In short, Connor was having quite a pleasant time at Hogwarts. The nightmares had almost stopped, and he was so busy most of the time that he didn't miss Daniel and Justine or the company of someone of his own age at all. However, the castle wasn't the appropriate place to raise a child his age, and he needed more than the school could provide him, so even though it pained him to do so, Professor Dumbledore sent an owl to the United States. A couple of days after that, Professor McGonagall called Connor and told him he was expected in the Headmaster's office.

Connor had been very busy helping Hagrid to fix a fence and he didn't welcome the interruption, but something in McGonagall's voice told him it was important so he said goodbye to Hagrid with a little frown on his face. Usually when people talked to Connor in that tone of voice, it was because something bad was going to happen, and he sensed this time wouldn't be different. He wasn't wrong.

When he entered Dumbledore's office, he found it was pretty crowded. Apart from the Headmaster, Professors Flitwick, McGonagall and Snape were there, and also three people Connor thought he wouldn't see ever again: Wesley, Fred and Gunn. He froze at the doorstep. What were they doing there? He shot a quizzical look at Snape, who gave a tiny shrug. This wasn't good.

'Connor, please, take a seat.' He did as he was told but the frown deepened. Everyone was staring at him, and he didn't like to be stared at.

'So, Connor, how have you been?' Wesley asked, trying his best to sound relaxed and failing miserably. The boy looked at him, expressionless, and replied with a short 'Fine'. Fred and Gunn exchanged desperate looks. Obviously, Connor wasn't glad to see them again. How were they going to tell him they wanted to take him back to the States? He didn't even want to look at them. It wasn't necessary to say nothing, though, as Connor realised that by himself.

'You've come to take me back, haven't you?' His voice was still flat, but at least he was talking to them and not trying to attack them, which was always a plus.

'Yes, Connor,' Fred answered, happy that it was going to be so easy. 'We have come to take you home, in LA, now that you…'

'I don't want to.'

'…can control your…What?' Fred blurted out, taken aback. Wesley and Gunn, however, had already seen that coming.

'Why not, Connor?' Wesley asked politely. The boy stared at him, while he thought of the answer. There were a large number of reasons, but he decided to voice the most important one.

'I like it here.'

Wesley was beginning to look a little desperate himself and Professor Dumbledore decided to intervene.

'Connor, your presence here was supposed to be just temporary, you see. Hogwarts is not a place for raising children.'

'But it's a school!'

'Yes, but it's a secondary school, meant for children above eleven years old,' he patiently explained. 'Besides, teachers here are too busy to take care of you properly, and you need to go to school with kids your age. You can't do that here.'

Everything Professor Dumbledore was saying sounded very reasonable to Connor. The problem was that Connor didn't want to be reasonable right now.

'I don't want to go back,' he hissed. 'I don't want to go back with them!'

Fred, Gunn and Wesley jumped in their seats as if they had been slapped. Connor might have accepted magic, but he clearly hadn't accepted them. Wesley felt a pang of guilt. Had they treated him so badly?

Of course not, but he still associates you with the loss of Holtz. He needs some time.

Wesley was willing to give him some time, but Connor was the one who wasn't willing to give anyone time. His frown was so deep that it was almost worrying, and his eyes were flashing with anger, which was never a good sign. Seeing this, Professor McGonagall hurried to suggest that Connor might need to get out of the office for a little while, and before anyone could complain she had taken the child's hand and exited the room.

'I'm afraid Professor McGonagall is right and we all need to calm ourselves down before deciding anything,' Dumbledore said, and an alarm sounded in Fred's head. Decide? There was nothing to decide. Connor was going back with them, wasn't he? 'Filius, why don't you take our guests to your office and offer them a cup of tea?'

The tiny teacher nodded and asked the group to follow him. Reluctantly, they did so, leaving Snape and the Headmaster alone.

The Potions Master had a very interesting expression on his face. For someone who didn't know him well, it could have seemed he was indifferent at what was going on. But his eyes told otherwise. And as soon as the door closed and their visitors couldn't hear them, he voiced his opinion out loud.

'Albus, you can't let these people take him away,' he snapped. Dumbledore found it a little amusing that the man who had refused to take care of Connor merely two months ago was the same one who didn't want to let the boy go. However, his amusement soon faded and he sighed. He didn't want to admit it, but Snape might have been right. Clearly Connor didn't want to go anywhere with them.

'They're the closest thing to a family he has. They were his father's best friends.'

'And his father was a vampire who killed thousands! Albus, you can't be serious!'

'Angel had changed a lot since he had been cursed, Severus. He wasn't evil anymore.'

Snape snorted. Yeah, sure. And he was going to meet a Heliopath any time soon.

'Anyway, we don't have another option. Connor has nowhere else to go. Unless you want to send him to an orphanage.' Snape repressed a shudder. No, sending a child like Connor to one of those places was a really bad idea. 'And we can't send him to a foster home. Honestly, no foster family would accept him, as they prefer younger and trouble-free children, and even if they did, we can't take the chance that he might end up with an awful family. Connor has gone through a lot already.'

There was too much truth in this to ignore, but Snape still didn't like the idea of Connor living with those Muggles. They'd never understand him at all! And they didn't appear to be that reliable, either.

'There must be another option, Albus. Connor doesn't even want to go with them, and they don't look like they have the slightest idea of raising children. And their lifestyle…They'd put Connor in great danger if they took him.'

'Connor is already in great danger…but yes, I'm afraid you might be right. It doesn't seem a good idea let them take him. However, we don't have another option. Unless…'

Snape eyed Dumbledore's expression, impatient.

'Unless what?'

Dumbledore stared at the younger man quizzically. It was the first time he saw Snape so concerned about someone else. He seemed to have grown quite fond of the child in spite of himself. Maybe…

'Unless one of us could take care of him.'

Snape considered it, but he still had his doubts.

'Like who?'

'Well, it could be Madam Pomfrey, she knows how to handle children…'

The younger teacher shook his head.

'Connor doesn't like her that much. Besides, she's too busy.'

'True. What about Filius?'

Snape repressed a sneer.

'Connor thinks he's boring. He wouldn't respect him.'

'Right. And Minerva and I…well, we are both too old.' Snape, this time, at least had the decency not to say anything. 'So the only option left is you.'

Dumbledore's words took a moment to sink in. He didn't have to wait long for Snape´s reaction.

'What! Me? Are you talking seriously? I can't take care of a child!'

Dumbledore remained calm.

'Why not, Severus? You seem to be doing quite well so far, as you're the only one who Connor trusts. I think he wouldn't mind living with you.'

Yeah, but what about me? I do mind!

'But, but…I'm too busy! With the classes, and everything! I don't have time for a child!'

Dumbledore decided this would require more patience than he'd first thought.

'Arrangements can be made. We can modify your schedule, so you'd only have to come to school in the mornings, and in the afternoons you could return to your house in Hogsmeade. I think it is big enough for two people.'

Snape realised his mouth had fallen open and he closed it. He couldn't believe it. Dumbledore wanted him to take care of a five-year-old kid! Had he gone mad?

'Headmaster, with all due respect, I am not…I'm not the type of person who can raise a child. I don't have the patience and I'm not fond of children at all…'

'No, it's true you aren't fond of children. But Connor isn't an average kid, is he?'

Had Dumbledore read his mind? Well, it was possible. Not reading his mind (only Muggles talked like that) but using Legilmenccy on him. He shook his head. Right now, it didn't matter.

'But I don't now how to raise a child, Headmaster,' he protested. Dumbledore seemed unaffected.

'None of us does, Severus, until we try it.'

Well, why don't you try it?

In that moment, a knock was heard. It was Professor McGonagall, still holding Connor's hand. The boy looked much calmer now.

'Well, I think it's time to make a decision,' Dumbledore said. 'I'll send a message to Filius for Mr. Wyndam-Pryce, Mr. Gunn and Miss Burkle join us.'

And so he did, before Snape could protest again.

The Burrow was a pandemonium. The Healer who had treated Ron and Ginny had strongly advised Mrs. Weasley to take both children away so they'd be able to make a full recovery. The Healer said it was because the children needed a change of scenery, but Mrs. Weasley suspected that the Healer wanted the children to be away from all the noise of the house.

So Mrs. Weasley had gone to her cousin's cottage at the coast with her two youngest kids, and had left her family on their own. Well, not exactly on their own, as Mr. Weasley's aunt had agreed to stay a couple of weeks and take care of the children. But Elvira Weasley was an old lady, and even though she loved the boys she didn't know how to handle them very well. With Percy she didn't have any trouble as he was a peaceful sort of kid, but the twins were another story.

So when things really seemed to be getting out of control, Mr. Weasley thought that his sons needed some kind of distraction and decided they'd resume their lessons, which had been interrupted when their younger siblings had got sick. However, he was too busy to do so and Aunt Elvira had her hands full, so he decided to hire someone.

And that was why Remus Lupin was there, to teach the three boys until their mother came back. It wasn't exactly a well-paid job but by that moment Remus was desperate enough to accept anything, whether it was good or not. And the kids weren't that bad. Soon he found out the way to keep Fred and George more or less calm, and Percy was always anxious to learn new things, so it wasn't a hard task.

This was the third time he'd gone to The Burrow, and now that the children knew him things were much easier. At least they didn't try to play tricks on him anymore. Remus grinned. The twins reminded him so much of…well, it didn't matter.

He proceeded to correct Percy's composition, while his brothers were busy doing a few simple math problems. In that moment, something caught his attention. On his left, lying on a pile of dusty books, there was a gray rat. A rat that looked too familiar.

Noticing his interest, Percy hurried to explain:

'That's my rat, Scabbers. I found it three years ago, poor thing. It was hurt and one of its fingers was missing. Now it's asleep…well, actually, most of the time it's asleep. Unless it's eating. Scabbers loves coffee toffees.'

It took Remus a moment to digest all the information. He blinked. It was impossible. He was dead, there were witnesses and all. This was just some common rat that Percy had adopted, nothing else.

Not altogether reassured, he kept correcting Percy's composition, but all the time his mind was thinking of an old friend who used to be very lazy and loved coffee toffees.

There was a tense atmosphere in Dumbledore's office. Everyone was expectant, wondering what was going to happen next. Connor was staring at his knees, looking like someone who was going to be executed. Wesley felt guiltier than ever.

'Well,' Dumbledore said calmly, 'I think there is a decision to be made. And I believe – and I'm sure you all will agree – that Connor is the one who has to make it.'

There were some stunned looks, but no one dared to contradict him and Wesley gave a tiny nod. Connor, on the other hand, looked up, his eyes shinning with hope.

'Can I? Can I decide where to stay?'

'Yes, Connor, you can.' Dumbledore noticed the boy's eagerness and repressed a smile, but he didn't want to place on his young shoulders such a heavy burden so he added: 'However, I want to remind you that this arrangement doesn't have to last forever, in case you regret your decision. Is that clear? '

The boy nodded, but now he looked a little uncertain. He shot a nervous glance at his father's friends and then looked back to Dumbledore. Then, he said something so lowly that no one heard him.

'I beg your pardon, Connor? I'm afraid I haven't heard you.' The Headmaster smiled at him benevolently and this time he spoke louder.

'No one is going to be angry with me if I don't…if I don't choose what they want?'

'Of course not, Connor. You're free to decide whatever you think is good for you.' This time it wasn't Dumbledore, but Wesley, who smiled at him. Connor suddenly felt grateful towards him, and for a moment he hesitated. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad living with them, after all. They were nice people, even though he disagreed with them on many counts. But then he remembered the green guy, the two times he had been nearly killed by demons, LA's smog and the way that people talked there. He didn't like it. They spoke funny. And in LA the hills were too far away and they were covered with buildings, and there weren't green fields, just small and ruined parks. No, he didn't like it there.

'I can choose to stay with whoever I want?'

Dumbledore nodded and Connor's gaze fell on every occupant of the room, one by a time. After a few minutes of silence, the child said the words that would seal his fate:

'I prefer to stay with Professor Snape.'

And the Potions Master had to suppress a groan.

'Visitor.'

Sirius Black straightened his head. He tried to stand up, but his knees wouldn't support him. A visitor? Who the hell would visit him? No one had came to see him in three years, no one wanted to know what he had to say. He was very aware of that after all the people he'd trusted had turned their backs on him. Not that he could blame them, all evidence was against him, however…however he wished that someone, anyone, would have listened to his story at least once. No one had.

It took him a moment to recognize the person who was standing in front of him. There were many lines around his eyes and gray streaks in his hair that hadn't been there three years ago, and he was thin, too thin. But the worst were his eyes, so hollow and…old. No, this couldn't be…

'Is…is it you, Moony?'

Remus Lupin didn't answer. His gaze wandered around the walls and bars surrounding them, then fell on his former classmate and friend.

'Sirius'. His voice was flat and emotionless, but he saw something in his eyes that scared him. And after three years in Azkaban he wasn't an easy one to freak out. What Remus said next, however, just stunned him.

'So, would you tell me again that mad story about Peter being the traitor? I think I need to hear it one more time. I promise that this time I won't leave until you are finished.'

He didn't know what had made his friend change his mind, but he wasn't going to waste this chance to tell the truth. So he cleared his throat and words came out from his mouth, forming a tale of friendship, betrayal and death…the tale of their lives.