"He hasn't figured it out yet." Snape sighed as he said this to Flitwick.
"Really? I would have expected…"
"No." Snape sighed again. "I think he's trying too hard, that he's just not seeing it."
"Ah, yes, that's a possibility." The charms Professor nodded.
"Alright." Lupin huffed. "What did I miss?" Before Snape and Flitwick could answer, there was a tapping at the student-access door to the office. "Excuse me for a moment." He stood, crossed to the door and opened it. "Miss Grimmley? What can I do for you?"
The third year Gryffindor didn't answer, she just ducked under his arm and entered the office.
"Good afternoon, Professor Snape, Professor Flitwick." She cast a quick glance at the desk and spotted her father's writing. "Oh, good, you got Da's letter."
"Da's letter?" Lupin asked.
"Well, yeah." Titania gestured towards the desk. "Are you coming for yule or not?'
"What?" Lupin asked, seemingly confused.
"Miss Grimmley?" Snape cut in. "It seems Professor Lupin hasn't figured out who your father is, yet."
"Oh, hell Uncle Moony. I thought you were smarter than that." Titania whined.
Severus Snape stepped from a floo-fireplace into a neat reception room. In front of him stood the two other Professors from Hogwarts and an unknown man. Snape studied the unknown man, his eyes tracing the well-defined but not overly broad shoulders, that rose above a lean-lined body and down to the surprisingly bared feet, before returning to the man's face.
He meet the man's eyes and his own widened, they were identical to what he recalled, but far saner than he expected them to be. However, if he hadn't known that this was the same man, there was nothing that would suggest to you that he was… or had ever been… Sirius Black.
"You are not…" Snape began, only to fall silent, he didn't know what to say or how to say it.
"No." Paddy shook his head. "I was, but not anymore."
"Conversion potions?" Snape asked.
Paddy laughed. "Harry was amazing. It was all his idea."
"His idea?" Flitwick prompted.
"Well, yeah." Paddy replied. "I'd been gone less than an hour when he sent me a Patronus." He looked at Lupin. "It was a stag, Harry's Patronus was James' stag."
"I know, I remember." Lupin gave him a watery smile.
"Anyway he sent a Patronus and told me to land the hippogriff, we had a problem. He'd overheard Trelawney arguing with you." He nodded to Snape. "From there, he got a house elf to pop him out of the hospital and we met. It was his idea. The potions, the oaths, the new identity and the time turner. He made sure that I'd done everything and that it would stand up to Gringotts and Dumbledore's scrutiny, before he took his own potion." Lupin made a whining sound. "He said he was ready. That dying for the wizarding world was not an option, but that dying to keep his friends safe, was."
"He really died for us?" Flitwick asked.
"Yeah…" Paddy sighed, he didn't like lying to them, even if it wasn't really a lie, but it wasn't the right time to give an in-depth explanation.
"And the Dark Lord is truly gone?" Snape asked, his tone a little hesitant.
"Yes." Paddy nodded. "I didn't watch how he did it. He said that I had to be out of sight, as the memory was to be sent to the DMLE. But I listened and it was… foul. Ghastly screams and howls. Urgh…" He shuddered. "It gave me nightmares for weeks. Three weeks after arriving, I began to see a mind-healer, I implied that I'd been captured by snakeface's people and the healer never asked for more detail. It took me a year of seeing her before I started to improve."
"And she was the one to tell you about… having a child?" Lupin asked.
"She was pregnant and explained that the child she was carrying wasn't hers, from there the conversation went to surrogates and families and what was involved in becoming a parent." Paddy nodded. "I told her about my childhood, leaving out names and some details."
"Ouch." Lupin grimaced.
"Yeah, initially, it was, but given enough time, I worked passed it." Paddy shrugged. "Having Titania certainly helped."
"She is quite gifted." Flitwick said.
"We did enjoy her… vision… for the twins." Snape added, slyly.
Paddy barked a laugh. "Oh, that was good. She sends me phials of memories each week. Turning the boys green was… inspired. But I do think my favourite was spiking their drinks with the Animagus Identification potion."
"Talking of…? Where is the young lady in question?" Flitwick asked.
"Out the back." Paddy gestured through the house. "They're trying to teach the griffin cub, Helios, to fly. Unfortunately, he hasn't got the hang of it yet. Well, he got flying sorted, but not landing. So far, someone's got to catch him or put a cushioning charm out for him." He chuckled. "He's had some pretty spectacular fails. Feathers everywhere, knocking people or other critters, ass over teakettle. Even went headfirst into the well, once, thankfully he was too big to actually fall into the well, but he couldn't get out without some help."
"Griffin cub?" Flitwick asked.
"Yeah, he's the second of her familiars." Paddy replied. "Apollo was her first."
"She has two familiars?" Snape looked askance. "Are you certain?"
"Dumbledore is. Shacklebolt called him in to do some Intent Scans. Titania's collected a weird selection of critters and… well…? Some of them are… oddities."
"Oddities?" Snape raised a brow, what would the man who had once been Sirius Black, consider an oddity?
"Well, let's see…" Paddy smirked. "There's a hippogriff that likes to preen her hair. Snidgets that move like they're feathered ribbons. An Augurey that likes to bask in the sun. A fwooper that sings Christmas carols, all year round. A pyrehawk that likes to join her in the shower. A jaberknoll that harmonises with the fwooper. A pony-sized Pegasus. The griffin cub. A Seer. A pair of twin pranksters. And a quidditch obsessed wizard, who's terrified of heights."
Flitwick, Snape and Lupin could only blink.
"And all of them want to sleep in her room, with her." Paddy huffed. "I don't know how many times I've had to order the boys back to their own room, only to find them camped on her floor, come morning."
Finally, Lupin seemed to get his shock under control, he just looked at Paddy and shook his head.
"Oh, gods, I have missed you, you irresponsible mutt." Lupin began to laugh. "Only you would get a kid just like you." He stepped forward to hug Paddy, slapping him on the back before he stood back.
"I'll thank you very much, to not say that, my daughter is far more amazing than I ever was." Paddy was insulted.
"And better at potions, too, it seems." Snape added.
"God, I hope so." Paddy sighed. "Do you remember James and I blowing that student lab up?"
"I do." Snape snickered. "The expressions on your faces as you bounced along the hall's ceiling? That was a memory worthy of a Patronus."
Paddy barked a laugh. "Wasn't it just?"
"Miss Titania does quite well, for a Gryffindor." Snape allowed.
"For a Gryffindor, she does brilliantly." Paddy defended his daughter. "Maybe not for a snake or an eagle, but for a lion? Yeah, she's brilliant."
Snape tilted his head. "Agreed."
"Anyway, come on through. No more standing around the floo, like nifflers around a gilded lamppost." Paddy lead the three Professors through the cottage and into a kitchen with large windows looking out over a wide patio and a snow-covered yard. "There they are." He pointed and the four focused their attention on the gaggle of children and animals that flitted about the fenced off yard.
"Oh, my." Flitwick gasped.
"How long has she been flying?" Snape demanded.
"First birthday, I bought a kid's broom." Paddy grinned.
"She looks like she was born with a broom in her hand." Flitwick marvelled.
"Just like Harry." Lupin gave a sad smile.
"I do believe she may be better than he was." Snape said. "She's certainly better than you ever were."
"Yeah, she takes after Reg." Paddy snorted.
"She far better than he was." Snape disagreed.
"You think?"
"Oh, definitely." Snape replied. "I watched him try that manoeuvre for weeks and still not get it right."
"Really? She's been doing that since she was… I dunno… nine? Ten, definitely." Paddy responded. "Who wants a drink? Over here, come and have a seat, no use standing around in a kitchen that we aren't allowed to touch. The elf rules the kitchen, touch things at your peril."
"My kitchen." Dobby appeared beside Paddy with a tray held in his little hands. "Drinks for Master Paddy's guests. Dirigible plum wine for Professor charms. Crazyberry brandy for Professor wolf and Rhubarb wine for Professor potions."
"Nothing for you?"
"No, during the holidays I stick to butterbeer." Paddy replied, gesturing to a bottle on an end table, nearby. "Seeing as this is our yule celebration, I might relax and have a small boomberry brandy, but nothing more than that. I can't risk getting smashed, not with five kids depending on me."
"You have changed." Snape said.
"I grew up." Paddy corrected. "It only took eleven years in Azkaban, three years with a mind healer and that beautiful girl out there. But I did eventually grow up."
"It happens to all of us, sooner or later." Lupin sighed. "Whether we want it to or not."
"I don't regret it." Paddy said. "Titania is worth it. So worth it."
The four sat down in front of the windows, their attention on the sight outside. For the next hour, they chatted, nothing important was said, nothing of consequence. Until Snape turned to Paddy.
"One of your letters mentioned potions ingredients." Snape commented.
"It did?"
"It did." Snape nodded. "If I recall…? You were harvesting almost daily and were thinking of selling the surplus."
"Oh, yeah, that's right." Paddy's confusion cleared as he remembered. "Yeah, even over winter, the ingredients greenhouse is thriving."
"I would be interested in viewing the produce."
"Sure, but after lunch. Dobby's been working his little tail off, making a feast for us." Paddy laughed. "But I doubt there'll be much left over. It's got to feed us, as well as five active teens, three of which are growing boys."
As the three Professors re-entered Hogwarts, they were greeted by a black-robed Dumbledore.
"Good evening, gentlemen." The Headmaster said as they reached the Great Hall. "I hope you had a pleasant outing?"
The three exchanged glances and Snape spoke. "We did. Miss Grimmley's father extented an invitation to join them for a yule celebration."
"Miss Grimmley?" Dumbledore asked.
"Yes. In gratitude for extra-curricular lessons for her and his foster children." Flitwick replied.
"Extra-curricular lessons? Foster children?" Dumbledore looked from Snape to Flitwick and back.
"Yes. Mister Grimmley is now parent to his own daughter, Titania, as well as Miss Lovegood, Mr Jordan and Mr's Fred and George Weasley." Snape said.
"Molly had a bad reaction Harry's dea… to Harry's actions." Lupin paused briefly before he went on. "She's suffering flashbacks to Fabian and Gideon's deaths."
"And because Fred and George look so much like their uncles?" Flitwick began to explain. "Molly can't tolerate them being around. She breaks down in tears and refuses to look at them. Arthur decided that it would be better for the boys… and for Molly… if he found someone to foster them. He spoke to Amos Diggory and Paddy Grimmley was suggested."
Dumbledore's eyes widened as he recalled his visit to the Grimmley home and the warning/challenge that he was given. "Oh, my…" He whispered. "When did this happen?"
"Over the summer." Flitwick answered. "I understand that he'd been giving the lads extra-curricular lessons during the previous summer, as well."
"I see…" Dumbledore closed his eyes as though pained, before another thought occured to him. "Oh, Remus. If you should hear from Sirius, please let him know that his name has been officially cleared, if he should wish to return."
"I have spoken to him recently, well… by spoken, I mean, he's written to me, but… you understand." Lupin grimaced. "He has clearly stated that irrespective of being cleared, he will not be bringing his family back to Scotland for a few more years, if ever."
"I see…" Dumbledore sighed. "If I were to give you a letter for him, would you forward it to him?"
"Only if you leave off any charms." Lupin said. "Sirius is almost militant about his family's safety."
"I shall remember that." Dumbledore nodded, before pausing. "Family?"
"Long story and I don't have his permission to tell you. I can ask for it, but until then…?" Lupin shrugged. "I'm under oath." He didn't say what the oath was or to whom.
"Ah. I will write up a letter, I would appreciate a chance to meet with him." Dumbledore paused again. "On his terms. There's a lot I would like to tell him."
"I can only ask." Lupin warned. "No magics and I'll forward a letter, magic and I'll burn it."
"Agreed." Dumbledore nodded. "If you would excuse me, it seems that I have a letter to write. Good evening."
"Good evening, Headmaster." Snape gave a bow of his head.
"Good evening, Albus." Flitwick said.
"Good evening, Professor." Lupin also dipped his head.
As the Headmaster began to ascend the stairs towards his office, the three Professors headed for the DADA tower.
"I wonder what the Hellions have planned for the rest of the school year?" Snape asked.