-1Chapter 9 She's Baaack

Charlet waited until she heard both Severus and Harry close their bedroom doors for the night before she pulled out the ornate gold framed mirror. She admired her reflection before whispering out, "Vespa!

Within moments an image of a plump older lady with a long pointed nose and lavender hair appeared.

"My sweet, I am here," Vespa said as she gazed at her young adopted daughter with jealousy. How must it feel to be so beautiful and young with skin that glowed with the bloom of early life, thought Vespa enviously.

"Vespa I have news. Severus is taking us to Diagon Alley tomorrow. Will you meet me there?"

Vespa smiled, revealing her yellowing teeth, "Yes I will meet you in Knockturn Alley by the tonic shop. The plan is ready to commence. Do you have any news for me?" Vespa ran her tongue along her thin lips in anticipation.

"Yes, it seems that Harry's Godfather is trying to have the adoption over turned," Charlet whispered out as she looked at the door. "The ministry sent Severus papers to that effect."

"Ahh, very good. I might be able to sway the ministry in that direction. How did you find this news out my pet?"

Charlet sneered at the foolish question, "Severus is far too trusting. He left his study door unguarded and I read the papers he received from the ministry. He's too stupid to be in control of such a large fortune."

"Yes my dear, I am quite aware of my nephew's shortcomings."

"I have to go but … I miss you terribly Auntie. Severus is so cruel to me. He made me wash the dishes this evening after supper," Charlet whined.

Vespa gasped, "He will pay my dear. By the time I have finished with him he will wish he were dead."

Charlet put the precious mirror back in her drawer and smiled. She could hardly wait to see her devoted Auntie again. She missed all the lovely gifts and compliments her Auntie offered. It had taken a huge bribe and several tearful nights of begging to get Charlet to agree to the plan. She hated the thought of living with Severus but it would all pay off in he end. Her Auntie assured her that it would be well worth her trouble and time. She would make sure to accomplish her goal.

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The next morning Harry made sure to dress in something other than black. He pulled a blue hoody over a grey t-shirt and ran a comb through his hair. He went downstairs just as Severus was walking out of his study.

"You are set to leave?" Severus asked curtly.

"Yes sir," Harry answered back with the same tone of voice his father used. He didn't know why Severus was still angry at him but hoped it would blow over by the time he saw him again.

"I will come fetch you before lunch on our way to Diagon Alley," Severus explained. "You are not to leave the Headquarters for any reason, is that understood?"

"Yes sir," Harry answered back flatly.

"Fine. Use good judgment at all times. I expect you will be the more mature out of the two of you so you must make wise choices," Severus said. He couldn't help the last dig on the mutt as he knew it was the truth.

Harry just shook his head and rolled his eyes, "Fine, I'll see you later." He made his way to the fireplace and threw a handful of floo powder in before he said something he knew he would get in trouble for. What was Severus' problem anyway? The man acted as if he had a chip on his shoulder towards Sirius but why should he? He hadn't even told him about the un-adoption yet.

Harry felt his stomach flip as he spun through the floo system. He stopped with a jolt in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place. As soon as he walked out of the fireplace he smelled the mouthwatering scent of pancakes and bacon.

Sirius was standing at the stove with a spatula in one hand and a cookbook in the other. As soon as he spotted Harry he dropped both items onto the floor and went to embraced his Godson.

"Good to see you kiddo!"

"I missed you too Sirius. Notice anything different bout me?" Harry took a few steps back.

It took Sirius a minute but he finally said, "Your cane! Your leg is healed. What did Dumbledore say that curse was?"

"Dementors," at the look of horror Sirius wore Harry quickly added, "but they're gone. I'm fine. Hey what's that your cooking?"

Sirius shook his head but turned back towards the pan, "I don't know how good these things will be but I'm working on some pancakes."

Harry looked at his Godfather and smiled. The man seemed so much stronger both physically as well as mentally. "Sirius, you look great! I guess coming back here was good for you."

Sirius looked around the room, "I never thought coming back to this old place would make me so happy but … well here I am!"

They talked for several minutes about the old place and all the curses that had been found. Sirius joked about hiding doxies in Remus' bed.

Harry laughed until he saw black smoke billowing up from the pan. He rushed over and pointed his wand at the burnt pancakes. They disappeared in a flash. He picked up the spatula from the floor and wiped it on his pant leg before saying, "I'm pretty good at making these. Do you mind if I give it a shot?"

"Be my guest," Sirius said and took off his apron then hung it around Harry. Sirius sat on the counter watching his Godson cook. "Remus said the house elves are on strike."

"Yup, I can attest to that fact first hand. I made dinner for everyone last night," Harry remarked without thinking.

"Who is everyone?" Sirius asked with a hint of resentment.

Harry gulped, wishing he had kept his big mouth shut, "Just Severus and Charlet. Remus told you about Charlet right?" He was not about to mention the Malfoy's.

"Yes," Sirius spat out suddenly looking enraged over the fact that his godson had cooked anything for Snape. Actually Remus hadn't said much about the girl but Sirius wasn't really concerned about her and didn't ask any questions. He had no idea the pain the girl's aunt had caused Harry or any of the abuse Harry had suffered through while he had been kidnapped. As a matter of fact he didn't even know about the kidnapping.

Harry flipped over the pancakes then did the same to the browning bacon. He quickly came up with a different topic, "I caught the snitch at the last Quidditch game. Gryffindor is in first place. I think we're going to win the cup this year."

That seemed enough to snap Sirius out of his dark mood. They talked Quidditch and ate their breakfast until all the pancakes were gone. Remus flooed in while Harry was trying out a washing up spell. He didn't mind washing dishes every once in a while but he certainly didn't want to wash them everyday. Who knew how long the house elves would be on strike for?

Remus smiled at the sight of Sirius and Harry with bubbles dripping out of their wands. "Hey Harry, it's good to see you."

"Hi Remus," Harry said. He noticed Remus signal to Sirius to follow him out to the hall. The two marauders walked out into the hallway saying they would be right back. Harry finished up the dishes then walked over to the sideboard.

He noticed a pile of newspapers with his picture on the front cover and rifled through them curiously. Every paper was about him and most mentioned Severus as well.

"I was catching up," came Sirius' voice from behind Harry. "You've been through some horrible stuff."

Harry dropped the paper and turned around, "Yeah, but you can't believe everything you read."

"I wish that were true," Sirius said quietly. "I know you think Snape saved you and all but you don't need him any longer. Your parents made me your Godfather, not him."

Harry could tell that Sirius was raring up for another lecture on how horrible Severus was. He didn't want to hear anything bad about his father so he decided to head off the lecture, "Do you want to know how I survived the battle with Voldemort?"

"Probably not but why don't you tell me anyway," Sirius said sarcastically.

Harry stuffed his hands in his pockets and leaned back against the counter, "This powerful surge of magic spilled forth and my parent's shot out. I saw them both for a split second."

Sirius sat down on the bench with a hard plop, his mouth hanging open with shock.

"I was going to let myself die, follow them back to the other side but then … this warm feeling took hold. My mum made it clear to me that I needed to stay and … that Severus would be here for me." Harry could see his godfather begin to fume. "Sirius you weren't here. He was all I had. I still need you Sirius but he's my father now."

Sirius was shaking with rage, "Your father hated him. You were deceived. That vision was probably just Voldemort playing tricks on your mind. Your so messed up you don't know your head from your arse anymore."

Harry shrugged, this was the second person to accuse him of being crazy. "It wasn't Voldemort playing tricks. I felt her in here." He placed a hand over his heart.

"Then I guess you're crazier than I am. You are still a kid whether you want to admit that or not. Remus has just informed me that the wheels are set in motion. Fudge should sign the paper work today," Sirius said steadfastly.

"What papers?"

"The papers to get that farce of an adoption ended. Whether you like it or not you belong here, with me."

"I won't let that happen," Harry said ardently. "I'll spend as much time as I can with you but I won't be taken away from Severus."

"Shut up Harry before I do something I'll regret," screamed Sirius as he took a threatening step closer.

Harry stood up straighter and glared back at his godfather, "I won't let you intimidate me either. If you hit me again I'll fight back this time. I have to warn you that I've been trained by Aurors."

"Is that so?" Sirius said with a challenging tone. "So now you're supposed to be this big bad Aurorer are you!"

"No, I didn't say that but I fight better than the average sixteen year old."

"I knew that greasy bat would turn you against me! He's wanted revenge on us his whole sorry life and now he has it. He took the only thing he could from me."

"He didn't take me, I'm not an object. I made my own choice in this adoption! I won't let you interfere with this. I'll petition the ministry to have the adoption reinstated. I haven't asked anything from Fudge yet but I will ask him for this, " he turned away from his godfather and paced the room to calm down. "I still need you Sirius."

Sirius just wanted things to be back to the way they used to be. His mind was so strained at the moment that the only thought he clung onto was getting his godson back to the way he used to be. He wanted that impulsive boy who admired him and would do anything he asked, not this strong willful teenager who had the audacity to say he would fight back. He knew what he had to do to fix this problem. He knew of a dark spell from one of the many books his family had on dark magic. He was desperate to get his boy back. Without thinking of the consequences he raised his wand and pointed it at Harry.

"Adulescentia!" Sirius had not used his wand very much since returning from the veil so he was shocked over the power that ripped through his arm. The spell hit Harry square in the chest and threw him back against the wall.

Harry was taken aback that Sirius would actually attack him. He didn't even know what the hex was that his godfather hit him with. His thoughts started to become muddled and he struggled to remain coherent of his surroundings. He felt like he was melting or shrinking and he suddenly couldn't remember where he was.

Sirius watched as his godson literally shrank before his eyes. He started to panic and screamed out for Remus to come quick. He sunk to the floor and scrambled to the corner far away from Harry as his mind began to break.

Harry found himself sitting on the ground in a room he had never seen before. His heart raced with fear. He looked at the extremely large clothes he was wearing and immediately thought he would be in trouble when Uncle Vernon found him wearing his clothes. He tried to stand up but the shoes were so big he had to sit back down and pull them off. His pants wouldn't stay up so he stepped out of those as well. Just as he stood up once more a man raced into the room and froze when he spotted him. Harry knew he was in trouble!

Remus took in the scene before him, Sirius was huddled in a corner clutching onto his wand and there was a little boy looking completely bewildered standing in the middle of the kitchen. There was no doubt in his mind that the boy was Harry with those big green eyes and messy black hair.

"Harry?" Remus asked in a near whisper.

The little boy cocked his head to the side with surprise, "Who are you?"

Remus took a step forward and watched as the boy stepped back. He stopped and knelt down, "You don't remember me?"

Harry shook his head then looked over to Sirius cowering in the corner. His heart fluttered madly.

Remus stayed where he was but called out to Sirius.

Sirius had slipped from reality when he saw what he had done to his godson. He had only meant to turn Harry back to the boy he knew two years ago but somehow the spell had been much stronger than he intended. The thought of causing such harm to his godson sent his mind into distress and he mentally shut down. His world filled with calm as he rocked back and forth on the heels of his feet with his arms wrapped tightly around his knees. He didn't hear his name being called by his best friend nor did he hear the floo swish to life when someone entered the room.

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Severus was not happy. He had spent the better part of the morning on a floo call to Fudge. Fudge informed him that he was getting pressured into sending Harry back to Black. He wouldn't say who was pressuring him into it but Severus had a strong idea that Vespa was up to her old tricks. Black didn't hold any influence with the minister so he knew it wasn't the mutt. The one person who did hold power over the feeble minister was Vespa. Even on the run she still had power in the Wizarding World with all her connections.

Not only was he having to watch her spoiled girl now but he had to deal with the possibility of Vespa being back in the picture. He had no choice but to find her and kill her as soon as possible. As much as he didn't want to become Charlet's long term guardian he didn't want to take any chances of losing his son either. His nightmares were filled with the thought of losing the boy and he knew he would do anything to prevent that from happening.

He had Narcissa take both Draco and Charlet to Diagon Alley and promised to meet them there once he picked up his son from headquarters. The thought of standing face to face with Black turned his stomach. He had to keep a tight rein on his emotions or Harry would be the one to suffer. He vowed to remain calm for his son's sake.

On his way through the living room he spotted Harry's cloak and took it with him. That boy had to learn to take better care of himself. Imagine leaving the house without a cloak in weather like this? He threw floo powder into the fireplace and called out the address.

Severus immediately knew something was not right when he stepped out of the floo at Grimmauld Place. The first person he saw was Black hunkered down on the floor, rocking back and forth. Not a good sign, even for the mangy mutt. He instantly looked around for his son and saw Lupin kneeling before a child.

The child looked up at him with a curious stare before dropping his gaze to the floor. Severus didn't need to be told who the child was. Those emerald green eyes said it all.

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