Hi everyone! Very long time since I updated this...In the past 3 years I've gotten married, had a baby, bought a house...it's been a whirlwind and writing fanfiction fell to the wayside. Last night I saw some of the comments on this story and figured, why not continue? I've been wanting to stretch my writing muscles again and this seemed to be a good way to do so. No guarantees that this will be a regular updating thing, but I'll probably add a few chapters for the next few weeks at least. Anyway, enjoy!

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Sirius stood on the sidewalk in front of Number 12 Grimmauld Place, fidgeting nervously. Beside him, Severus sighed and shook his head. "We may as well go in, Black. There is no reason to wait outside."

"I know, I know. But I don't know what Andy's going to say. What if she really meant what she said in the letter? What if Remus is wrong?" He turned anxious gray eyes to the Potions master. "And what about Harry? He was so upset that we were leaving him with Frank and Alice. Maybe I should go back."

"You are not going back." Remus grabbed Sirius's shoulders and pushed him towards the house. "Let's go. Inside. We're here, and we may as well find out what's going on."

Sirius took a deep breath. "You're right. Let's go."

The three men walked up to the dreary townhouse. As they climbed the stairs, Sirius took the lead and paused in front of the door. "Here we go."

"Staring at the door is not going to make it open, Padfoot," Remus commented. "Go on. Knock."

Raising a hand, Sirius hesitated for a moment before knocking on the door. It felt like an age, but in reality was only a moment or two, before the door was pulled open, revealing Andromeda. "Good evening, Sirius," she greeted pleasantly. "I see that you received my letter."

"Yes. Remus...explained what it meant." Sirius awkwardly stood in the doorway, shifting from one foot to the other. "I wasn't sure - "

"Of course not. I was hoping that you would understand the true meaning of my letter, but I should have realized you might not." Andromeda gave him a gentle smile. "It is good that at least Mr. Lupin understood my message."

"Black was quite distraught by the basic meaning of the letter." Casting Sirius an annoyed glance, Severus turned to their hostess. "Would I be correct to assume you have been using Grimmauld Place as your headquarters?"

Andromeda inclined her head. "You would be correct. Come in; there are several people I believe you should meet."

Closing the door behind them, the three men followed her to the drawing room. "Wait - all of these people are involved?" Sirius asked, surprised.

Sitting in the drawing room was the most eclectic group of people he'd ever seen. Abraxas Malfoy appeared to be holding court in one of the large armchairs in the corner, his wand-cane grasped in his hand. Beside him sat Augusta Longbottom, her back perfectly straight and ladylike. On the next couch was Amelia Bones, who was tapping her foot impatiently. Finally, beside her, was -

"Regulus?" Sirius gasped. "What are you – you're – aren't you dead?"

The younger Black brother smoothly rose to his feet. "No. Kreacher helped save me after I defied the Dark Lord. I felt it more prudent to remain in hiding instead of risking my life again."

"Once Walburga died, he took over Grimmauld Place and invited us to use it as a meeting place. You aren't the first, second, or even the third Black to figure out that something fishy is going on." Seeing his flabbergasted expression, Andromeda laughed. "Oh, Sirius, did you truly think he was dead?"

"Yes!" he exclaimed, finally regaining his senses. "Father sent me an owl to tell me that Regulus was dead, what was I supposed to think?"

"You were supposed to come here and check the tapestry," came a voice from the doorway.

Sirius whirled around to find Orion Black standing at the door. "What?!"

The corner of Orion's mouth twitched. "Part of the purpose of the owl was to bring you back into the family. Of course, Walburga never knew about the invitation, but I had hoped you would understand the true meaning behind it. Alas, I see I should not have expected so much from you."

"But - " Sirius shook his head, much like his Animagus form. "I don't understand – how do you all know about this?"

"Do you children truly think you are the only ones to determine that Albus Dumbledore has ulterior motives?" Abraxas said silkily, stroking the top of his cane. "We have known of this since the three of you began your schooling at Hogwarts."

Severus's eyes widened just a fraction. "You've known for that long?"

"It was difficult not to, what with Dumbledore's prejudice against Slytherin." Augusta crossed her arms. "That man has never had the interests of the students in mind, only his own. That Order of the Phoenix - "

"Organizing a resistance was a smart move!" Sirius interrupted. "You have to give him that, at least."

Amelia Bones fixed him with an icy glare. "Truly? You think it was a good idea for the headmaster of Hogwarts, who is responsible for the lives of his students, to pick a side in the war and fight?"

Sirius abruptly deflated. "I guess, when you put it that way..."

"Albus Dumbledore is a great man," Andromeda said quietly. "No one is taking away from that. He is powerful, and brilliant, and a good strategist. But the man only focuses on the big picture, as you yourself have seen. His handling of Harry Potter is the best example of that. He doesn't think of his cogs as real people with emotions."

"He also must learn to focus on one thing at a time," Abraxas continued. "His primary job is to educate and keep the students of Hogwarts safe. Not to create a vigilante group to take down a tyrant. I knew Lord Voldemort as a student and joined the ranks of his Death Eaters before I knew of his true goals. Had Albus Dumbledore fulfilled his role as a teacher, guiding and believing in his students, I doubt Tom Riddle would have risen to the heights he has as Lord Voldemort."

Severus's mouth dropped open, and he had to consciously close it. "His name...?"

"Is Tom Riddle, yes. He is a half-blood, just as you are." Seeing Severus's surprised expression, Abraxas smoothly raised one perfect eyebrow. "Did you think I did not know your blood status? I make it a point to know everything about my son's friends."

"Then you know..."

He nodded. "I know of your indiscretions at Tom's side. I also know of the circumstances that led to your decision as well as your actions after the fact. Otherwise, I assure you, you would not be standing here."

"I see." Severus fell silent, mulling over Abraxas's words. "Then you know about Dumbledore's manipulations?"

"Indeed."

Orion sat beside Regulus's vacated seat. "We all know of his manipulations. I regret that I never realized that you were under his manipulations, Sirius. I assure you, had I known, you would never have reached the point of leaving the family."

Sirius just stood there, flabbergasted. Everything he'd ever known was falling apart around him. Yes, he'd discovered Dumbledore's betrayals before, right after Lily and James's deaths, but everything else...everything else was new. People he'd thought were on the side of Voldemort were not, and Regulus...Regulus was alive!

If there was one thing he'd absolutely regretted, it was that he'd never taken the time to make up with his brother. Regulus had been a child and Sirius had been too stubborn to realize it. His brother had needed his guidance, limited though it was. At the end of the day it was Sirius's fault.

"I don't blame you," Regulus said quietly.

Sirius's head shot up. "How - "

"I know the look you get when you start blaming yourself." Regulus gave him a small smile. "It's both our faults. We both should have been more willing to compromise and not make a big deal of things. Dumbledore should not have come between us."

"I blame your mother for that," Orion said heavily. "Walburga was deeply influenced by Dumbledore."

Abraxas shifted to face him. "He manipulated her as well?"

"I do not think so. I believe his emphasis on Slytherin being the house of evil was what set her off." Orion shook his head. "Her parents were the same. I'd hoped, once I married her, that she would prove to have been parroting her parents' beliefs, but it was not to be."

Sirius pressed his fingers to his temples. "Then...everything I have ever known in a lie."

Remus rested a hand on his friend's shoulder. "We knew that from the beginning, Padfoot. Once we started finding out about Dumbledore's schemes, did you really think nothing else was affected?"

"I didn't think about it." He rubbed his temples once more before dropping his hand and looked up at his father. "I...apologize. I should have thought about this before. I should have come here after Regulus's death."

Instead of replying to his son, Orion turned to Severus. "Am I correct in assuming that you tested my son for any potions that could have been controlling him?"

Severus inclined his head. "I did. There were many, much more than is healthy. Had Lupin not caught the discrepancy when he did, I fear your son would never have made it to the year's end."

Now Sirius dropped into an empty armchair. "He would have killed me?"

"Possibly not." Severus shrugged, a gesture that seemed out of place in the room full of Wizarding nobility. "Dumbledore may not have intended to continue dosing you. It could be that he planned to stop dosing you once Harry was fully settled by the Dursleys – "

"Harry Potter was left with a magic-hating Muggle family?" Abraxas exploded. At the surprised glance from Sirius, he continued, "I have no arguments with Muggles who know their place and stay out of Wizardkind's way. But to send the child who defeated the Dark Lord to a family of Muggles who despise magic…there is something more to this than we anticipated."

Sirius just shook his head, speechless. Nothing made sense anymore.

Orion gave his son a sympathetic pat. "I understand that this is probably more than you thought you would hear tonight. It is a lot to take in. But the purpose of bringing you here was to show you that you are not alone. The older generation, even those you thought were your enemy, are here to support you. There is no way three young men can overthrow someone as powerful as Albus Dumbledore on their own as well as revolutionize our educational system."

"You have us, brother." Regulus's gray gaze met Sirius's identical one. "You know, I think, deep down, perhaps I knew something was going on. I couldn't understand why you suddenly hated me. Yes, there were House rivalries, but we were brothers…"

"There is something going on in Hogwarts. House rivalries were never this bad when we were in school." Augusta waited for Abraxas and Orion to agree with her before continuing, "I, for one, would like to get to the bottom of this before my Neville goes to school. The Heir of the Longbottom family will not be allowed in an environment that is unsafe, and so long as Albus Dumbledore has the ability to do what he wishes with the school, it will not be safe."

"Same for my niece Susan," Amelia Bones agreed. "The school is not safe for children."

"Here, here," Andromeda said, raising a glass. The others either nodded or raised their own glass. "I'd prefer not to send Nymphadora, but I don't have a choice there."

Orion's face took on a thoughtful expression. "Perhaps…this can be a good thing."

"How so?" Abraxas asked.

"We have Severus already working at Hogwarts. If he is amenable, he can keep an eye out for any suspicious doings in Hogwarts itself. Have you trained in warding and magic signatures?" Orion directed his question to Severus, who nodded. "Excellent. I'd like you to keep an eye on what magic is flowing through Hogwarts. I suspect there is something there that should not be there."

Andromeda crossed her arms. "And how does that help my daughter?"

"For one, she has a protector, someone to keep an eye on her to ensure Dumbledore does not do something we would…regret. For another, your daughter is a metamorphomagus. She can fit in anywhere, do anything. She can hear things Severus cannot." Seeing that Andromeda was not understanding what he was getting at, Orion elaborated, "Nymphadora will be our other spy, an unknowing one. I would like to hear of any information she writes in her letters regarding House rivalries, detentions, and classes. This would be a way for us to get a finger on the pulse of the students of Hogwarts. Is Dumbledore actively encouraging unfair treatment or merely turning a blind eye towards it? Nymphadora will help us figure it out."

"Fine. Only if this won't lead to her getting hurt."

"It will not." Orion turned to his eldest son. "I hear from Abraxas that you are considering opening a magical primary school?"

Sirius nodded. "Remus and Severus were unaware that children only learn as much as their parents know when they're young, and we decided, together, that something must be done to change that."

"That is a good goal and a good move for you at the moment. Dumbledore will not think you know what he was doing to you and you should be able to fly beneath the radar, as Muggles say." Abraxas flashed a hungry grin. "What you want to do is important. This school will be an excellent way for children to get to know each other before House prejudices set in. It will be a way for them to build connections without being under Dumbledore's influence. It would also encourage Muggleborns to become a part of our world early enough to avoid any prejudice."

"Wait." Remus finally spoke. "I was under the impression that the goal was to purge Muggleborns from our society. Or so we've all been led to believe."

Abraxas snorted. "Yes, because everything Dumbledore has told you is true." Remus ducked his head. "No, child, those of us on the 'Dark' side do not have a problem with Muggleborns, provided they know that they are not here to change the Wizarding world to be more like the Muggle world. There are certainly ways we can improve, but not everything translates to our world. We have our own culture that is not like the Muggles'."

"I see." And he did. The old pureblood families were most worried about losing their identity. Being able to ensure that the new members of Wizarding society understood how things worked from the very beginning would go a long way towards purebloods trusting Muggleborns.

"Is this all you called us here for?" Sirius asked. "To let us know that we're not along and we're on the right track with what to do?"

Orion's eyes twinkled. "Of course not. I also had to bring my wayward son back into the fold. Now, what have you been up to over the last month? I believe I heard a rumor that you kidnapped Harry Potter…"

As Sirius launched into the tale of how they took Harry from the Dursleys and how he, Remus, and Severus went back to punish them, Remus could feel a knot in his chest loosening. It wasn't as hopeless as he'd thought. There were others out there, other people who knew what was going on and believed them. Now they just had to build up the school and expose Dumbledore for who he really was.

Simple, right?