Hey everyone,
So I was busy writing for To Read Into The Universe and I suddenly came to a story idea just as Sirius came to a horrifying realization. And shockingly enough, it made me want to write this, even though it actually takes place after the events of the DoM. Yeah, I guess The Unspeakable Exchange Program inspired me to write more stories like this.
Let's do this,

Venquine1990
PS. This preview is pretty old, so the paragraph style is still my old one. Sorry for that.

Preview #24
Potters And Blacks

25th of July 1996
The Burrow, England
Harry's POV

It's been a few weeks since I was taken from Privet Drive, after only a two-week stay, and brought to the Burrow to spend the rest of my summer hols there. So far, things have been going great, even though the older Weasleys definitely constantly remind me of the fact that there is a war going on outside of the boundaries of the Burrow, not by their words, but by how they behave.
Mrs. Weasley is constantly flustered and carries her special clock with her wherever she goes and Bill and his father, Mr. Weasley, constantly come home from work looking somber, proving that something must have happened at either the Ministry or Gringotts, yet neither of them says a word about it, both claiming that they were sworn to silence by their superiors.

Yet something else also bothers me, even if I only noticed it a few times so far. My godfather, Sirius Black, was killed during a fight that broke out between Death Eaters, some of my own friends and members of the Order of the Phoenix last month and his name was mentioned in passing a few times this last week, especially yesterday, a month after his death.
And every time this happened did it seem as if Mrs. Weasley was trying to keep herself from looking at a door that I have to admit to myself I had never noticed until this summer. Last night I had asked Ron about it and he was actually surprised to know it was there. And the fact that someone who lived here all his life didn't know about it made me even more suspicious.
Part of me does feel bad to be suspecting the closest people I now have to a family, at least since Sirius died, but I know that's something that has become part of me ever since I learned that Pettigrew, a close friend of my parents, betrayed them. And the fact that Kreacher played a part in Sirius getting killed is something I know has only amplified that part of me.
And now, while I really don't want to believe it, does a part of me feel like I can further avenge Sirius – finally actually avenge him – if I just find out what's behind that door. Yet I know Mrs. Weasley and I know she knows me. Because of this, do I make sure to just behave normal, act like she and the others do and keep to the chores she tries to set Ron, Hermione and me. After this, do I decide to strike, yet in a way I hope she will not see coming.

"Come on, let's get some homework done." I tell Ron and Hermione right as dinner ends and while Ron looks at me aghast, does Hermione nod in excitement, the fact that she got an Outstanding in all of her OWLs bar DADA naturally giving the brainy girl a bit of a boost, yet I also make sure to turn to Bill and ask: "Bill, would it be too much to ask for your help? In case we run into a problem we can't solve or figure out?"
The older Weasley smiles at me and says: "Not at all, Harry. Your room, Ron's or mine?""I think yours is the best option. Probably the cleanest." All of us laugh at this, yet I am also very glad with the sudden opportunity as Bill's room is actually the second closest to the ground floor, second only to the bedroom shared by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley themselves.
Yet I don't let this show on my face as I just head for the room I now stay in, which had belonged to Fred and George before they moved to a flat above their new store, grab my bookbag and head down for the room of the eldest of the Weasley brothers. And just to make extra sure that I have an alibi, do I just stay with him, Ron and Hermione in his room for a good hour.

"Hey Bill, what's with that room your mum kept looking at the other day? You know, the one she looked at every time Sirius was mentioned?" I ask after an hour and Bill looks up as he asks: "You mean the one off the side of the kitchen? Not sure. It used to be a basement that Charlie and I played hide and seek in, but mum blocked us from it after the war.
She said that it was due to a mental illness she suffered from after it was over. Post-Traumatic something or the other. Said that not knowing where her kids are could make her grow the belief that they had been taken by Death Eaters or something. I guess she's gone back to looking at it, because we just got into this war. Though don't tell mum I mentioned it."
I nod, yet try my hardest to keep my suspicion from showing on my face as Ron says: "Why didn't we ever get told this? I didn't even know that room existed until Harry mentioned it to me yesterday." And while I really hope this won't arouse suspicion, does Bill just smile at Ron and say: "You were too young when we made that decision. You were only one when the war ended."
Yet at this I think: "Yeah, and you were ten and one year away from going to Hogwarts. And Mrs. Weasley, for all of her loving and mothering nature, never cared for Sirius. Could she have –?" And while I wish and beg with all my heart that my suspicions are wrong, do I then hear something that makes me focus back on my homework; Mrs. Weasley's footsteps coming up.

The woman comes in and I want to send a quick look at Ron and Hermione that silently tells them: "Don't mention this, just keep quiet." Yet I don't even need to as the both of them are already bent over their own homework, making me smile in relief that my friends know and understand my needs without me needing to express them in anyway.
For another hour, I keep to my homework, just working through the many essays that the teachers left me at the end of last school year, but then Bill says: "If you want to go look, Harry, I won't mind. To be honest, the fact that she looked at it every time Sirius was mentioned bothers me as well. Though I didn't realize it until you brought it up. I did notice her looking, but not why or when."
I look at the man, feeling bad that I might have made him suspicious of his own mother, but the man smiles and says: "Just satiate that bloody curiosity of yours before you make a mistake. Don't worry, if mum asks, I'll tell her some cover story. I used to do that all the time for Charlie when he had homework he needed to do, but wanted to go out flying."

I smile at the man and look at both of my friends as well, not wanting them to feel left out. "Just let us know once you find out." Ron mutters and Hermione whispers: "It wouldn't do if more than one of us leaves this room, that'll just make her ask questions. No offense, Bill." But the man seems to be suffering from what Dumbledore usually calls temporary deafness.
And so I get out of my seat and sneak down to the bottom floor, making sure to evade all of the steps of the staircase that I know are known to squeak. At the bottom, I lean against the wall, looking around the corner and trying to see if Mrs. Weasley is inside. Yet through the window, I actually see her working in the garden, trying to get the chicken into the hen.
"This is my only chance. I just hope that she hasn't rigged that door somehow. Still, if my suspicions are right, I'll take her straight to Kingsley. Sirius, I beg of you, for the sake of Ron, the twins and the others, give me the evidence that I'm wrong." I think to myself, partially hating the fact that I am using Sirius for this plea, but not caring in light of what I need to do.

I sneak around the corner and sneak around the next, going down a small set of steps that lead to the door I noticed a few days ago and pulling out the pin that the twins gave me all those years ago, after they broke me out of my bedroom at the Dursleys before my second. I stick it into the keyhole and after only a minute of wiggling it, do I actually manage to open the door.
I make sure to only push the door open far enough I can sneak a look inside, yet the inside is nothing but darkness and so I open it further, hoping that the light from outside will allow me to see inside. Yet it doesn't show anything other than the moldy kind of basement, made of dirt and wooden beams that you usually find in a barn or a country home.
This annoys me and I want to walk inside, yet then stop and look down. And only better as I actually spot a trip wire that seems to be connected to the door, having been pulled up as I pushed the door open. I frown at this, hating how it only further proves that the woman has something to hide. And while I silently repeat my plea, do I step over the wire and move in.
Yet then I suddenly turn around, check to make sure that Mrs. Weasley is still outside, and rush for the dining room table, where I pick a candle off as well as a bit of wood that is about to be broken off of the table. I then sneak back in and make sure to close the door, hoping that if Mrs. Weasley sees it closed upon coming back inside, she'll be less inclined to be suspicious.

The darkness on the inside of the basement, now that it's no longer getting any light from the open door, is pretty absolute and feels like a pressure upon my eyelids, so I make sure to feel my way over to one of the beams and use it to light the little bit of wood that I pulled off of the table before lighting the candle. This doesn't create a lot of light, but it does lessen the pressure.
I look around again, walking around the room and making sure to let my hand run across the earthy wall even though I don't see anything. Yet I also keep looking down, wondering if there might be more trip wires or other ways for Mrs. Weasley to know that someone's down here. Yet then suddenly my hand runs into something, even though I don't see anything in front of me.
I stop instantly, wondering why Mrs. Weasley would hide anything down here this much and mutter: "A door that she had her family forget about, trip wires, something hidden under a glamour or disillusion charm. This is looking worse every minute. But if it's really hidden by magic, I can't do anything, not without alerting the Ministry."
I grimace at this, not wanting people like the new Minister or worse Umbridge involved until I am sure that Mrs. Weasley deserves it and so I decide to come back later. Yet before I leave, do I run my hand across the invisible object, only to feel something that horrifies me. As my hand goes up to a point slightly above my own height, does it touch something that feels like skin and hair.

"A person? Mrs. Weasley is – no – she wouldn't." I think, trying with all my might to go against the belief that Mrs. Weasley would hold anyone hostage, but also remembering that the woman lost her brothers to Death Eaters. I falter back and blow out the candle, not wanting to be here anymore now that these thoughts are raging through my mind.
I rush back for the door, but catch myself when I get to it. "The trip wire – Mrs. Weasley. I – as much as I don't want to believe what I saw – or felt – here, I – I can't let her be aware that I'm onto her. I have to calm down." I take deep breaths, trying to focus on Ron and Hermione, who are waiting for me upstairs, as well as Bill – and this last bit helps as I realize something.
"Bill. He's older. He's an adult. If I can get him to come down here, he'll be able to undo the disillusion charm and find out what his mother's hiding." And while I want to think who do I know that's not a good idea as that will just get my anxiety back up. I then focus on the thought that it might be a Death Eater she managed to catch and is holding hostage for the Order.
This thought calms me down and I make sure to only open the door enough to again be able to peak through. To my relief has Mrs. Weasley yet to return from her garden chores and I even see one of the chicken trying to fly past the window, Mrs. Weasley trying to catch it. This amuses me, even with the situation being as dire and confusing as it is and I sneak back out, making sure to step over the wire.

I put the candle back, glad that it didn't burn long enough to leave a mark and then head back up, taking my seat back and just getting back to work for a few minutes. A little while after, Mrs. Weasley again returns to our room, this time with a tray with snacks and treats in her hands and she says: "For my hard workers. You deserve a bit of a break." We all smile at her as she sets it down.
The woman leaves and once I'm sure that she's downstairs, do I turn to Bill and say: "You need to go down there yourself. She's hiding something with a disillusion charm and I can't undo it or it might alert the Ministry. Just be careful, because there's a trip wire that comes up as you open the door. And then – there's this." And I show him what I pulled out in shock, a pair of black and grey hairs.

The eyes of the others widen and I state: "They're not mine. They look like mine, but even the war and Sirius' death hasn't pushed me to going grey yet. I found them on whatever she's hiding down there. It's on the other side of the room, parallel to the door itself. I wish I could say that they belong to Dolochov or Lestrange, but – we both know that those two are still on the loose."
Bill nods and says: "Head downstairs, to the kitchen. I'll be right back. This little alibi has lasted its due." And while I really don't like the tone of his voice, proving that the elder Weasley is now suspecting his mother of having committed a crime or something, is there no disagreeing with his tone of voice either and so Ron, Hermione and I pack up our things and head downstairs.

Mrs. Weasley spots us, yet gets silenced by the look Bill sends her and her eyes widen in horrified fear as she sees him head for the door. "William, you – you know –." The woman tries to object in her usual commanding way, but her voice falters as she sees him opening the door and then taking a large step, proving his awareness of the trip wire that just came up.
I look between his retreating back and the trembling form of his mother and back, hating how my suspicions are causing what could potentially be another rift within this wonderful family. I see how he uses his wand to light his way through the room and heads for where I told him to go and then see the wand light – which is right now all I can see of him – move in an intricate fashion.
The light stays in place for a few minutes before it moves in the same fashion, yet with a few different moves, proving that Bill is casting a different kind of spell. Yet nothing else indicates that the eldest of the Weasleys is doing and the suspension of what – or as I now admit who – he could have found down there grips my throat and makes it harder and harder for me to breath.

"Hey all, I got – why is the basement door open?" A voice asks from behind me, startling me and making Ron and Hermione yelp and scream, proving they grew just as tense with impatience as I was and I turn around, spotting Mr. Weasley looking around confused. But just when Mrs. Weasley says: "Arthur, it's – it's –." Does the voice of her eldest son interrupt her.
"How could you?" It asks and I feel a shiver run down my spine as I have never heard any adult voice sound this cold, distant and furious, not even when Sirius and Snape got into one of their arguments or when Dumbledore was questioning Crouch Junior or when Snape caught me inside his Pensieve. I turn around and my mouth drops at who I see standing beside the eldest of my best friend's family.

Messy black hair that is going grey here and there, a thinned out face that once looked really handsome, a pair of glasses that have obviously been broken some time ago and been fixed only haphazardly or without much effort, crocked knees and a lithe frame that works excellent for the Seeker position at Quidditch, something my father James Potter was well-known for.
Everyone looks at the man, all of our mouths open and our eyes wide, yet Bill draws our attention away. "How could you? James Potter not just proved me his identity, he also told me things only you, Lupin and apparently until recently Sirius knew. And you kept that information from us all, even though it could have freed Sirius and give Harry exactly what he deserves."

This makes me look between the two and dad actually notices me as he had been staring Mrs. Weasley down up until this point. Tears form in his eyes and he rushes for me. I make sure to get out of my chair and happily, with tears streaming down my own eyes, accept his warm embrace, trying to drown myself in the warmth and comfort and love that comes from his form.
The man mumbles and rambles, but I don't pay attention to his words, just storing the tone of his voice to memory as this is the first time I actually hear it from somewhere that isn't my own brain or a magical device. Yet then one sentence does get registered: "I won't let her break us up again, not the way she did when she killed your father."

I pull away, confused and shocked and the man sighs as he says: "That's the information Bill was talking about. Sirius is your father, Harry. I'm your mother. Sirius is a Veela and I'm his mate by destiny. We just pretended that I was in love with Lily, because of Walburga and her crazy ways, not to mention what Voldemort and his men were doing with Muggleborns.
It's the whole reason we kept the switch a secret, because we thought we had proven to ourselves that keeping secrets could help us forward. Though I guess that's also the reason that bastard betrayed us in the first place. He found out we kept our bond a secret, even from him, and grew to resent us over it. And of course this witch over here helped him."

"YOU CAN'T PROVE THAT!" The woman shrieks, shocking me and actually making me want to draw my wand, willing to alert the Ministry of underage magic if it means they'll arrest her alongside me, but dad – or mum – stills my hand and says: "Yes, I do. Your very presence the night Lily was killed proves you're an accomplice of his. You wouldn't have been there if he didn't tell you he had betrayed us."
"And with that I saved your life! You owe me! I –." But then suddenly – to all of our shock, does Ginny's voice sound from the staircase and she screeches: "I, Ginerva Molly Weasley hereby declare that the life debt owed by James Potter is hereby repaid by Harry Potter upon him saving my life in the school year of 1992-1993. So I swear, so mote it be!"

Everyone looks at the girl in shock and Mrs. Weasley whimpers: "Ginny, how – how could you?" But the girl actually has her wand in hand and is aiming it at her mother, which is probably the cause behind the woman's question. "I could ask the same of you, but I don't care. The only thing I care for is to know why you did it. Why you'd kill Sirius." But then mum actually says:
"She didn't. Sirius is alive. I would have already been dead by now if he was dead. Veela get to live one year after the death of their mate, but the mate don't have that same luxury. They only get to live for a week before they pass on and join their partner. Sirius is alive and she's probably holding him somewhere, Petrified just like she did me all those years ago."
The man glares at the silently raging woman and snarls: "I don't know why she'd want to Petrify and then hold us captive or what her plans are, but I don't care either. All I want is my family back. And you're going to give it back to me, Prewett, one way or another." At which I turn to my friends, who both nod at me. And as one do we draw our wands and aim them at the woman.

Careful, Molly.
So yeah, this preview has a bit of To Read Into The Universe in it, but not much, as proven by Ginny siding with Harry instead of her mother and keeping her mother from being able to use the Life Debt to get her way. And no, that's not so that the younger girl can stab them in the back later, that is genuine, I didn't feel like going that route with this story.
Also, no, Sirius is not being held in the same place he was at in The Unspeakable Escape Program. To be honest, his location is the whole reason I ended this preview here. I don't want to write about Molly confessing about his location without thinking up one first myself. And right now I don't really have one. I also don't really know where I want to take this story after this, though it won't become another HP-KH crossover with Sora as Harry's brother, so don't hold your breath.
See ya'll,

Venquine1990