Author's Note:

Thank you to my Beta for not only editing, but for helping me brainstorm — SilverStarwolfe!

Thank you to Steelcode for assisting me in trying to make this idea work coherently. Much appreciated for letting me pick your brain :D

I was on the fence about how to approach this Snape scene because it is something I really wanted to do and something I also thought was too much both morally and ethically if I'm honest, but I think I managed to get it right here with a lot of assistance from Bex and Steel and I think it turned out to just be what Snape needed. So thank you again for your help — it was really appreciated!

Reviews and Comments: To Shamelessnweird: Thank you! I love that you're excited! To Steelcode: Yes, Snape could be more of a git LOL. I'm glad you loved Zee's grandpa, even in that small snippet. Thank you! To ella144: Thank you for saying Hermione's apology showed real courage. Thanks for the advice! To Guardian of the Inheritance: Thank you! To Blocklv55TheBookReader: Thank you for loving ASC and for saying it's one of your favourites! That means a lot. To speedsONEandONLY: Yes, I think it would make them more dangerous, but we never said Snape was smart. He's intelligent, but not very bright at the same time. To PolarWriter95: LMAO! Pad and Dory are coming for your slimy arse — I love that! Thank you! To geekymom: It would be awesome to see Umbitch get bitten by a werewolf and becomes the thing she hates most, wouldn't it? Thank you! To scrappy8: Thank you!

To nesciamema: I'm sure Sirius would love to get Snape fired, but Dumbledore wants him around. Don't worry, he definitely has other plans! To Matt9917: Thank you! To Wolf's scream: Nope, doesn't meant Harry won't keep Ginny well informed of what happens in the duelling club as McGonagall never said he couldn't lol. I liked having Sirius reassure Harry he's his priority and yes, Umbitch is definitely suitably nasty piece of work. Popcorn is recommended lol. Thank you! To rbear1231: Thanks. I will take an 8/10. Again, I don't really think it's cool to tell authors you are skipping over parts their work. It's incredibly rude to say that. Just do it and read the rest. As to Draco letting it slip about Bella and the cup at Gringotts, we'll see. McGonagall is a badass and can totally do what she wants, including having a part-tiger in the castle lol. I do have plans for Umbitch yes. To coloredwords: Yes, that's what I thought. Dean is in complete denial and Seamus is just confused. He needs someone to help him figure things out. Thank you!

To Saz: Thank you! Well, Sirius is gainfully unemployed so he definitely has time LOL. Yes, Lupin will be okay. To AKBookGirl: Thank you for saying this is an amazing story. I'm glad you're enjoying my original characters as much as my take on the ones we knows and love. To oh_sinnerman: Thank you for enjoying ASC so far and yes, fuck Snape and Umbitch indeed! To NinjagirlRebecca: I love the request to kill Umbitch, but sorry, it will not be happening any time soon. Thank you! To Bosma18: Thank you! I know Umbridge is pretty awful. Bellatrix is definitely mentally ill, but I don't plan on redeeming her, sorry. Nor will Harry become morally grey, but I'm glad you're enjoying the story. To Savageness321: Aww, this review made me smile so big! I'm sorry you missed the chapter being post by an hour, but you still get to read it and I love that you're about to cry tears of happiness! Thank you so much!

Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!

My posting schedule: Every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends!

Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!

Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support! Thank you!

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-ONE:

The One With Lily's Ghost

Draco, Blaise, and Theo made their way down to the Quidditch pitch on Saturday afternoon, the cold wind biting into them. Draco grinned when Theo wrapped his arms around both of them as they huddled for warmth.

"Are we making a wager?" Blaise asked, his eyes twinkling. "Potter loses because he's heartbroken?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Please. I heard he dumped Chang — and Potter never loses at Quidditch. Don't even say it, the Dementors didn't count and you know it," he said, making Blaise shut his mouth.

Theo grinned. "I bet Chang follows him around like a lost little puppy the whole match."

Blaise's eyebrow rose in amusement. "You think? In an effort to distract him or just to make finding the Snitch easier?"

"Either or," he said with a smirk. "I heard that she's rather put out that he dumped her. Ten Galleons?"

"Make it twenty, Nott — and let's add that Gryffindor will be up by at least sixty points before Potter takes the Snitch."

"Deal," Theo said.

Draco smirked at them. "That's a Sucker's Bet if I've ever heard one."

Blaise shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. Want to get in on the gold, Draco?" he asked, rubbing his two fingers together.

"No, but you should get that lipstick off of your collar before Davis sees it."

Blaise looked down at his shirt and sighed. "What can I say? The ladies love me."

Theo snorted. "Ladies, plural, being the right term. What do you think Davis is going to do when she finds out that you started snogging Turpin on the side?"

Blaise elbowed his friend, a grin on his face. "A gentleman never tells."

"Good thing you're not a gentleman then," Draco replied.

"Oi!"

Draco grinned. "Seriously, how are you juggling two women? One is enough trouble if you ask me."

"I couldn't agree more, which is exactly why I'm sticking strictly to Stephen."

"Does he know this yet?" Draco asked, grinning at his friend. "Last I heard you still weren't entirely sure of his sexuality."

Theo smirked. "Well, I changed my tune after I sucked him off last night."

"Theo!" Blaise said with a grin. "You naughty bastard! Are you two dating then? Or just fooling around?"

"Fooling around mostly, like you're doing with Turpin."

Blaise shrugged. "You know I like Tracey, she's a lovely girl and smart and fun, but Lisa… I don't even have to ask and she's on her knees and it's… Davis sure as hell doesn't do that."

"Pureblood girls aren't taught to do that," Draco said with snort. "That's something they learn after marriage from their husbands and not before. It's unseemly and can ruin them for marriage later on — or so my grandfather tells me."

Theo rolled his eyes. "I've never understood that double standard. Why are girls expected to remain virgins yet we're brought to brothels when we reach puberty and told to shag incessantly? It's a complete double standard! Much better to stick to men altogether."

"Like Cornfoot?"

Theo grinned at Draco. "I've confused him I think. He's very into girls he tells me, but he was more than pleased with the events of last night, and then proceeded to snog my brains out afterwards."

"How is it that we always end up talking about sex?" Draco asked in annoyance as they took their seats in the Slytherin area of the stands. "There has to be something else we can talk about?"

Blaise snorted. "Draco only asks because he's the only one of us not getting any."

His silver-blue eyes glared menacingly at his friend. "I just think that with what's going on we should be more concerned with other things. Didn't you see the paper this morning? Someone claims that they saw my aunt in Croatia!"

Blaise sobered and put his hand on his friend's arm. "Are you worried that she's going to come back here? I mean, she has to know that returning to England is basically suicide."

"She knows that, but trust me, from what I know about her, that won't stop her if she decides to return."

Theo stared at his friend for a moment. "Any news on why your grandfather is in Croatia yet?"

Draco shook his head. "Nothing that I can make sense of. Neither Mother or Father will answer my questions about it and I only seem to get snippets of information. Grandfather claims that my grandmother is helping a dear friend with her pregnancy, which seems like a lie. If there's a pregnant witch nearby — why would she want Isla Malfoy to help her in lieu of an actual mid-witch or healer? Father says that I shouldn't concern myself with it."

Theo pulled a letter from his coat and carefully unfolded it. "My father sent me this today. I didn't think anything of it as I don't exactly get on with my father, as you know, but now I'm starting to wonder about what exactly is in Croatia."

Draco took the letter from his friend, looking down at his Uncle Thaddeus' neat writing.

Theo,

Things are happening now and you must understand that what will happen is for you and for your future. I will be in Croatia for the next few weeks to help Lord Malfoy deal with a friend of his, Luka Novak. The house elves knows how to contact me.

Thaddeus Nott

Draco looked at his friend. "Novak? Isn't that the name of the Auror from the Balkan Ministry who claims that his wife is missing?"

"Kidnapped actually," Blaise added, his brow furrowing. "He believes that she was kidnapped and if memory serves, I think she's pregnant."

Draco handed the letter back to Theo, his fists clenching at his sides. "Grandfather has her."

"You don't know that, Draco," Theo said carefully, but when his friend's eyes flashed he swallowed. "But I admit, it certainly sounds like he does."

Blaise let out a slow sigh. "Are you going to talk to Potter?"

He only glared at him. Talking to Potter was the logical choice, but ideally what could Potter even do? He didn't know for a fact that his grandparents had kidnapped a pregnant woman, but he had a feeling in his gut that they definitely had something to do with the disappearance of Kata Novak, but he couldn't figure out why. Nor did he have any idea why they would want her in the first place.

"Maybe," he said quietly, his eyes moving to the Quidditch pitch which was now filling up with the players. "But I have to know more first."

Blaise pat his friend's arm gently. "Do you think Lestrange is involved too?"

Draco sighed. "If my grandfather is there then most definitely."

The more he thought about it, the more that he was convinced that nothing good was going to come out of it. He just wished that his parents would stop treating him like a child and then maybe he could actually make sense of everything.

And that thought terrified him as he knew that his parents were trying to protect him and if he was honest with himself, he wasn't sure if he wanted to know what they were trying to protect him from.

~ ASC ~

It was the first Quidditch match for Gryffindor since the holidays and Harry was surprised to wake up feeling a bit nervous. It was also his first Quidditch game on his brand new Firebolt which was going to be amazing, but it was also a match against Cho as Seeker for Ravenclaw. She had been avoiding him for the most part since the breakup and he was more than all right with that. In fact, he was rather glad if he was honest with himself that they weren't together any more, but the thought of playing against her made him feel slightly nervous.

She was still obviously quite angry at him even though it had been just under two weeks. He just wanted to play the game, but he also wanted to show off on his new Firebolt.

He smiled at his friends when they wished him luck and he headed down to the change rooms with his broomstick over his shoulder. Wood was already giving a pep talk about the game, about the new brooms, and about how this was their year and all that jazz. He only listened with half an ear, his mind on the game.

He made his way out into the field, listening to the cheers around him. His eyes found Sirius, Remus, Tonks, and Zee in the stands and he grinned widely, pleased to see the four of them there to watch his game and waving at them before he mounted his broom. On the blow of the whistle, he took off.

The freedom of being atop his broom again was marvellous and it immediately made him forget about his nerves. He followed the Golden Snitch as it took off, losing sight of it quickly and he focused on the game. He could feel Cho's gaze on him and he realized that her mindset for the game was going to be to follow him around. If that's the way she wanted to play it, he thought.

He swerved around some Bludgers, looping and swooping down into the game, having fun as he listened with half an ear to Lee Jordan's commentary. Gryffindor was in the lead, sixty to ten. He turned to fly near the Ravenclaw posts when his path was suddenly blocked by Cho. She simply smirked at him. He dived suddenly, could feel her behind him so he pulled up quickly and did a fast loop, losing her. It was only a few minutes later before she was on his trail again reminding him that she was a fairly decent flyer.

Harry flew around her, flying around aimlessly, eyes searching for the Snitch as Gryffindor scored twice more and then Cho was blocking his path again.

"What are you doing?" he asked her, his eyebrow rising in annoyance.

Cho smiled. "Distracting you."

Harry snorted. "It's not working very well."

She blocked him again when he made to go around her, but then he spotted the Snitch over by Angelina just as he heard Wood bellow out from below him.

"Stop being a gentleman, Potter, and knock her off her broom!"

Harry ignored Wood and instead dove below her, picking up speed and flying towards Angelina with Cho hot on his heels. The Snitch flew over Angelina's head and backtracked towards Cho. She gave him a gleaming smirk of satisfaction as she reached down for it and then she shrieked when he simply barrel rolled beneath her and snatched the Snitch out of the air, almost brushing her fingertips as he grabbed it before she did. She swore at him and he gave her a smug look, Snitch proudly in his hand.

"POTTER HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WIN!"

He flew down to the ground as his team surrounded him in cheers. Wood was grinning like a fool and screaming that the Firebolt was the best broom in the universe and how lucky they all were to be flying on the brand new Nimbus 2001s.

Harry managed to get away from his team and over to the stands to grin at his father. "We won!"

Sirius smirked. "Saw that. Great flying out there, even if you were too much of a gentleman."

Tonks grinned. "Well, she is your girlfriend after all."

"Not anymore," Harry told her with a smile. "We broke up almost two weeks ago. It was for the best."

"Oh, well, I'm sorry anyway," Tonks said, putting an arm over his shoulders. "That was some wicked flying though!"

"I have to agree with Tonks," Zee said with a smile. "You're an incredible flyer and very gifted on a broomstick. You look so happy up there, completely in your element."

He grinned. "Thanks. There's nothing better than the feeling of being on a broomstick."

"Sex," Sirius supplied, making Zee elbow him. "Oh, right, er… nothing better, yeah."

Tonks rolled her eyes. "Great job at getting around Cho. She was clearly trying to distract you and you did great."

"Of course he did, he's a Potter!" Sirius declared.

Harry rolled his eyes.

Zee touched his arm. "I'm sorry that it didn't work out with Cho. Sometimes no matter how much two people may like each other, they just aren't compatible. I know that you have Sirius and Remus to go to for advice, but if you ever need to know the girl answer, I'd be glad to help."

"I'd like that," he told her. "Thanks, Zee."

Zee leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Now, don't you have a big win to celebrate with your team?"

Sirius nodded. "That he does! We have things to do ourselves."

Harry nodded, his expression sobering. "Are you guys heading off then?"

Sirius nodded as Tonks kissed Harry's cheek. "In a bit. We need to have a little chat with someone first and I need to borrow your dad's old cloak."

"Who? Why?"

Sirius grinned and swatted his shoulder. "Never mind you! Bring me the cloak and then go and celebrate! I'll mirror-call you later and fill you in."

Harry looked at his father suspiciously, but only shrugged. He grinned at Zee when she kissed his cheeks and hugged him tightly before he hurried off to his team and friends to celebrate.

Tonks rubbed her hands together, gleefully. "So, tell me, oh Master of Mischief, how exactly are we going to pull this off?"

Sirius grinned, a slight evil glint in his eye. "I want to tear him apart, Tonks. I want him to cry like a little bitch."

"Can't say I blame you, and I think this is definitely going to do it."

"Sirius, whatever you're planning, it's not worth it. Just let it go," Remus said in exasperation.

Tonks merely stood on her toes and kissed him. "You just never mind. Go on back to your office and you can honestly say that you know nothing about what we're planning."

Remus frowned. "He's a git. We know this. Nymphadora, don't let him maim him."

Tonks grinned cheekily up at him. "Maybe he'll have to restrain me!"

Remus rolled his eyes and kissed her softly. "Don't stoop to his level, for me?"

"I love you. Now go away."

Remus snorted at her, but he did what she asked. "Good luck later. If you guys need anything…"

"We'll be fine, Rem. We're meeting Bill and Moody for five," Sirius told him.

Zee only raised her eyebrow. "Remus, I'll walk back up to the castle with you. He won't tell me what they're planning either." Remus sighed as Zee kissed Sirius. "Be careful. I want you back in one piece."

Sirius nodded. "I will be."

Zee and Remus made their way back up to the castle as Tonks turned to Sirius. "You're sure that this is the way that you want to play this? It's truly… cruel."

"I know it is, but I am tired of his petty shit."

"And we don't think that this is stooping to his level?"

Sirius shrugged. "I don't even care. It's about time that he was knocked down a peg or two and if this does it, I'll do it. Now, do we need to go over the plan?"

Tonks shook her head, smiling at him. "No, we don't. I know what I'm doing. You've spent the last few days quizzing me and I have the speech memorized."

Sirius grinned at her. "Good."

~ ASC ~

Harry returned to Gryffindor tower eager to help his team celebrate their win. He laughed when Fred and George hoisted him up onto their shoulders to carry him around in victory. Ron was grinning at him as they dropped him on the sofa in the common room.

"Good game, mate!"

"Thanks. Cho decided her strategy was to follow and distract me."

Ron chuckled. "Wood was right you know, you should have just knocked her off of her broom!"

"Maybe, but I got the Snitch either way!"

Ron plopped down next to him and nodded to where Dean and Parvati were snogging intensely in the corner. "They barely watched the game. Neville kept moving closer to me as they were practically groping him in their attempts to get closer to each other. It was almost sickening."

"I wasn't that bad with Cho, was I?"

Ron shook his head. "Nah. At least you went somewhere private to suck her face off."

Harry nodded. "Tried too. Snogging was nice though."

"Yeah?" Ron asked, his eyes full of interest. "Is it hard?"

"No," Harry told him with a grin. "You just have to get the right angle so that you don't bang noses."

Ron nodded. "Seems like good advice."

Harry smirked at him. "It was fun while it lasted anyway, but I'm glad we're done."

Ron smiled at him. "It will be nice to have you back, mate." He frowned as he glanced around the common room. "Have you seen Hermione?"

Harry shook his head. "No. Wasn't she with you at the match?"

"No, I mean, she was, but then she just disappeared. Have you noticed how often she does that?"

"Disappears?"

Ron nodded. "I don't know. I didn't really notice until you started spending so much time with Cho. It doesn't make any sense and I saw her timetable the other day and she's still taking way too many classes. I mean, you said that she's never missed a Runes class. She's in every single Care of Magical Creatures class with us. I've never not seen her show up to Divination and I heard her speaking with Nott the other day about some Arithmancy project that the two of them are working on together. How is she doing it?"

Harry frowned at that. "I don't know. I mean, she can't be actually attending Arithmancy class because it is at the same time as Divination as that's when I have my spare."

"Well, she never misses Divination either and I sometimes see her studying when you have Runes, but she has that class with you too!"

"That's impossible, Ron."

"I know it! I can't wrap my mind around it, but sometimes I swear that she's in two places at once."

"I think we're cracking," Harry said with a grin. "Plus she's been taking piano lessons with Uncle Remus too. We must be missing something. You know how much Hermione loves to learn; maybe she's just attempting too much, but there's no way that she's in all of those classes at the same time. It's impossible."

Ron nodded. "I agree. I just thought that it was strange. I mean, where does she keep going then?"

"Harry! We have Butterbeer!" George shouted as he and Fred pulled out the stash they had gotten from Hogsmeade.

Harry grinned. "Be right there!" He smiled at Ron. "Should we try to find out the mystery that is Hermione Granger later?"

Ron grinned back. "Definitely."

~ ASC ~

Zee accepted the cup of tea that Remus made for her as she took a seat on the sofa in his suite. "This is a very nice place, Remus. Are you going to be sad to leave it?"

He shrugged, sitting across from her in the armchair. "Yes, and no. It will still be mine, but I am anxious to move back into my own place and for Dora to be there."

Zee smiled at him, sipping her tea. "I think the two of you are perfect together. You compliment each other so well and you're both so clearly in love."

Remus smiled. "She's more than I deserve. I know how lucky I am."

She crossed her legs, resting her teacup on her knee. "Tonks is lucky, too."

He blushed a bit and sipped his tea. "What about you?" At her raised brow, he smiled. "Have you and Sirius discussed moving in together yet?"

Zee bit her lip. "No, we haven't."

"But you've thought about it?"

She shrugged, a small smile on her face. "I'm in love with him. Completely and irrevocably and I can't imagine him not being in my life. But having him in my life also comes with Harry."

"It does. Harry likes you too."

She smiled. "I know. We've been growing closer the last few months and the two of us some spent more time over the holidays and we've been writing letters. I'm… in love with him too, Remus. He's witty and sarcastic. I love cooking with him and hearing him laugh or teasing Sirius and hearing about his friends. He let me comfort him when he had a bad dream and he's just like Sirius, not wanting to burden me with his dreams — like he ever could. He talks to me about girls and he even asked me for advice about his first date which made me feel so honoured as he told me that he hadn't even told Sirius yet. I look into his eyes and I feel like he needs me, but I'm afraid to push too hard."

"Push?"

She shrugged and tucked a curl behind her ear. "He's thirteen, Remus. He just broke up with his first girlfriend. He's a not exactly a little boy who needs a mum and I don't know if I'm ready to be a mum. But I really want the chance to try and that terrifies me."

Remus smiled at her. "Be his friend, Zahira. Be his confidant. Be whatever he needs you to be. No one is really too old for a mum, Sirius can attest to that. Jamie's parents took him in when he was sixteen and Euphemia Potter mothered him and hugged him and kissed him and he was embarrassed, but he absolutely loved it. His own mother never gave him that kind of affection. Harry has never had a female in his life outside of Minerva and Andy. Minerva adores him. She spoils him with gifts and he loves her as an auntie, but she always knew that she was going to become his professor and that relationship would be different because of it. Dora has been the big sister in his life and Andy was always around to help out when he was sick or to bake him a birthday cake, but he's never really had his own mother figure. Sirius and I have tried our best there."

"You've both done an amazing job with him. He's an incredible boy, young man really, and knowing everything that… he has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders and no matter how much the two of you are stressing that it won't be up to him in the end, it will be, Remus. The thought of that… I just want to hold him against my heart and never let go."

Remus nodded at her. "So do I."

Zee smiled. "We spoke about my grandparents and he wants to meet my family and I really want him too. My parents would love him and Merlin knows Mama would love the opportunity to spoil him rotten."

Remus chuckled. "So, what are you waiting for?"

She smirked at him. "I guess I'm worried that it will scare Sirius off a bit. He liked my parents, but I mentioned that my grandparents might be dropping by for a visit in a few weeks and he looked positively panicked and claimed that he was going to be busy."

Remus grinned. "Let Sirius panic and don't worry about it. Harry would be delighted to meet your family. He was disappointed when you weren't there for Christmas this year."

Zee smiled at that. "I was too." She finished her tea as she spoke. "My grandparents from America are coming to stay with me for a week just before my birthday. The portkey arrives on the Sunday before and my parents and other grandparents and cousins will be coming in for the weekend to celebrate me turning the dreaded three oh… I want Harry to meet them. Maybe even before Sirius does, if he's going to continue to be all panicked at the thought."

Remus chuckled. "That sounds like a wonderful plan."

"Do you think he'd want to?"

Remus smiled at her. "Zee, write to him. See what he thinks. But I think he'd be delighted. He missed out on having grandparents in his life and I bet he'd love that opportunity now. And maybe you should tell Sirius to man up too; he's in a committed relationship with you, he needs to stop panicking over meeting your family."

Zee chuckled. "We'll talk about it. But I think I will write to Harry; get a feel as to what he's feeling. I want him to know that he has me in his life too and that I'm always here for him if he needs me."

"I think he's starting to realize that himself," he said with a smile. "He looked pretty damn happy to see you at his match today. But you should definitely write to him. Maybe even tell him about Sirius being a coward. He might help you smarten him up."

She grinned. "Maybe I will."

She hugged him goodbye and hurried out of the castle and into Hogsmeade to Apparate home; thoughts of what to write in her letter already on her mind.

~ ASC ~

By the time that Sirius walked into the dungeons with Tonks by his side under Harry's invisibility cloak, he figured the celebrations in Gryffindor Tower were well under way. It made him feel eerie when he looked over at her so he knew that it was going to throw Snape for a loop.

But first, he needed to have his words with the self-serving git.

He left Tonks in the hall under Harry's invisibility cloak and walked into Snape's office, letting the door fly back and slam against the wall.

Snape merely looked up from his desk as if he was bored. "What do you want, Black?"

Sirius growled at him. "I want you to learn how to be a fucking decent human being! Do you even know what that is?"

Snape merely raised an eyebrow. "I stopped belittling your precious Potter and Longbottom. Now what are you accusing me of?"

"What you said to Remus was uncalled for! It was nothing but belittlement and jealousy. He's a better teacher than you and it goads you that he has the Defence Against the Dark Arts position and that Dumbledore won't give it to you because of your past."

Snape glared at him. "Lupin is a danger to this school."

"No, he's not," Sirius insisted. "You brew him that potion every month so that he will be safe! If I ever hear you've made any snide remarks about him to anyone, student or professor, I will make sure you suffer in ways that you can't even imagine! Lily was once your friend, Snape; you think you'd treat her son and her friend with a little decorum! You gave her up for the bloody dark arts and she knew it! You sold her off as if your friendship never even mattered. You were loyal to the maniac who is responsible for her death. And now you bully her son and his friends!"

"You think I don't suffer for what I've done?" Snape demanded, his eyes storm-filled with emotion. "I loved her! Make no mistake about that! I tried to save her! I asked him to spare her!"

Sirius scoffed at him. "Her, her, her! It wasn't about Lily, Snape! It was never about Lily! Do you really think that she would have understood if she had been spared, but James and Harry killed? Do you think that she would have come to you, a Death Eater, for comfort? You're pathetic!"

The emotion in Snape's eyes vanished as his gaze went perfectly blank. "She would have understood."

"You believe whatever the fuck you want, you gormless tit, but I can promise you, I will not stand for you treating anyone without the respect they deserve."

"You better start showing me some fucking respect, Black!" Snape exclaimed, his eyes furious before he masked it. "One wrong ingredient and your tame little wolf won't be so safe anymore, now will he? I can ruin him in a heartbeat!"

Sirius' hands clenched into fists at his sides. "I can do the same to you, Snivellus."

Snape only nodded, his breathing heavy. "Then we understand each other. Don't come down here again, Black."

Sirius glared at him and stormed out of his office, taking the cloak from Tonks and wrapping it around himself to hide. The sight of Tonks before him calmed him a little. This needed to be done and he hoped that it helped bring Snape down a peg or two or he was going to end up punching the prat.

He whispered the last few charms over her and nodded.

The long auburn red hair hung halfway down her back, front fringe parted to the side. Sirius had transfigured her clothes into flair denim jeans with pink flowers up the leg and a tee shirt with Princess Leia on the front. Sirius had then used a charm to make her translucent and ghost-like in appearance. A cooling charm made the temperature around her cold and helped magnify her ghost-like appearance. It was only supposed to last an hour and he was glad of it as the look of her on top of the ghostly glow gave him the willies.

She was the spitting image.

Tonks took a deep breath before she floated into Snape's office with the help of a hover charm. Snape was standing in front of his desk over a cauldron, his wand out. She used her own wand to slam his door shut, she knew Sirius was standing next to her under the cloak and he took her wand from her to hide it.

Snape looked up at the door slamming and went deathly white.

"L-L-Lily?" Snape gasped, grabbing the desk for support. "How… why... who... when?"

"You!" Tonks exclaimed, her voice coming out in the same sweet voice of Lily Evans Potter due to the voice modifying charm that her and Sirius had used. "How dare you treat Remus like that, Severus? He has never once done anything bad to you! In fact, I was meaner to you than Remus ever was to anyone!"

"L-L-Lily… how?" Snape asked, his knuckles white on the desk and his legs wobbling under his weight.

"Shut up and listen to me, Sev!" Tonks demanded. "I lost everything on Halloween all those years ago and my beautiful son came to this school so full of life and so full of energy and you never even gave him a chance! You saw his physical similarities to James and you scoffed at him! And Remus, he is an amazing professor. He's brilliant at what he does and he doesn't deserve to be mistreated by anyone, let alone you; to goad him into resigning from something that he loves; from where he belongs!"

"Lily — I'm sorry! I… I never meant to tell the Dark Lord, I didn't know it was… I tried to get him to spare you, I swear it!"

"What did you tell your precious Dark Lord, Sev? What are you apologizing for now?" Tonks demanded, her hands on her hips and the furious stance very similar to Lily Evans Potter giving Sirius a turn as he watched from under the cloak.

Snape paled even more, his hands trembling as he came around the desk, reaching for her. The cooling charm that Sirius had used made the air around Tonks chilled as if she truly was a ghost and he shivered, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Lily, I'm sorry… when I told him about… I didn't know that it was about your son. I didn't know that the Dark Lord would believe the prophecy and when I did… I went straight to Dumbledore! I tried to make amends! I became a spy to try to save you!"

Tonks glared at him. Her own anger was bubbling up inside of her now. Had Snape just confessed to being the Death Eater who had overheard the prophecy?

"You sold out Harry!"

"No! I… I turned spy for YOU, Lily! I tried to make amends for YOU! I'm sorry!"

"Sorry doesn't cut it!" Tonks exclaimed angrily, trying to remember her speech as her anger took over at the thought that the man in front of her was the reason why Harry didn't have any parents. "I have watched you belittle and abuse my son! My son, Severus! The most beautiful and charming and sweetest boy! A boy who came to this school looking to learn, to make friends, and you took one look at him and hated him on sight because he looks like James. He is not James Potter!"

"He's Potter's son!"

"And he's mine!" she yelled back. "He has my eyes, Severus, have you not noticed? Did you really hate me so much?"

Snape swallowed slowly, closing his own eyes for a moment. "I've noticed. I never hated you, Lily; not for a second."

"You were my first magical friend," she said, sadly. "You were the one who told me that my blood didn't matter and then you were the one to turn on me for that very same blood. My son has done nothing to warrant your hatred. He is part of me; the best parts of me in fact, and Sirius and Remus have done a marvellous job raising him. Whether you like them or not, they are the only parents that Harry has ever known — because of you — and you will treat them with the respect that you once treated me with."

"Lily…" he whispered. "I never… I didn't want to stop being your friend. I wanted… more… I wanted you and… you never gave me a chance."

Tonks stared at him, her eyes sad. "No, you never gave me the chance because you chose bigotry and the dark arts over your friendship with me. You called me a Mudblood. You pushed me away. My falling in love with James Potter had nothing to do with you, Sev, and everything to do with James being everything that I needed; everything that I wanted. And my son… I died for him and if you truly cared for me, Sev, if you truly want to make amends for what you did — you would treat him right. You would respect him and help him. He's very good at Potions and you refusing to give him his due diligence because of a childhood grievance is pathetic! If you ever loved me, you'll change."

Snape stared at her, his face deathly white and tears in his eyes. "Of course I loved you! You were my best friend and I know I screwed up and I… I wish every day that I could beg for your forgiveness." He fell to his knees before her, tears falling down his cheeks. "You never should have died! The Dark Lord only wanted your son!"

"Do you really think that I would have let Voldemort take my son away from me? That I would have just stood there and allowed him to kill him? To kill my son?"

"No, I — I didn't mean…"

Tonks glared at him. "Beg for my forgiveness, Severus, go on… tell me how sorry you are that I died; that my son survived because of me! Go on! Beg!" she demanded.

Snape was crying now, tears pouring down his cheeks and his lips were trembling. "Lily, Lily, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! For everything! For letting Slytherin define me… for pushing you away for having Muggle parents… for lying to you… for everything!"

Tonks stared at him, her green eyes boring into Snape's. "If you truly are sorry, Severus, if you truly loved me, you will stop treating my son like rubbish. You will help him become a better student and you will treat him with the respect that he deserves."

"I will, I swear it!" he exclaimed, wiping the tears from his eyes. "But it… what do I say to him?"

Tonks glared at him. "You tell him that you were once my friend and that you apologize for treating him the way that you have. You tell him that your childhood feud with Jamie had nothing to do with him and that he hasn't deserved your mistreatment of him. You tell him that he has more than just my eyes and most of all, Sev, most of all, you tell him that I love him and that I am watching over him and how very proud his father and I are of him."

Snape swallowed slowly, nodding. "Lily… you and me…"

"No," she said softly, feeling Sirius' disillusion charm taking effect. "It was always Jamie, Sev, but you were my best friend and I loved you once. Show me that you can earn that forgiveness you crave."

"Lily! Don't go!" he begged, tears streaming down his face.

But the disillusionment charm had taken effect and she was gone. Sirius tugged her under the invisibility cloak with him, his hand shaking as they watched as Snape rocked back and forth on his knees, mopping his tears with the back of his hand. He sniffled, his breath coming out in ragged gasps before he finally stood up. He rubbed the palms of his hands over his face and turned to the door behind his desk that led to his suite, closing the door behind him.

The two of them snuck out of his office and into Hogsmeade before Sirius Apparated both of them to Claremont Square and they moved into Number Twelve. He removed the charms from Tonks, watching as she changed her hair, her eyes, and her body back into her own and removed the charm on her voice. When she was done, she looked at Sirius sadly.

"I've never felt so terrible in my entire life."

Sirius nodded, tears in his own eyes. "It was cruel. I knew it, but once it started… do you think he believed it?"

"Oh, he believed it," Tonks said sadly. "I think you definitely broke him."

"He doesn't even deserve to lay eyes on her again. Him telling Remus that he's not worthy of you or of his job or of his life was irrationally cruel," Sirius said angrily. "And what he was saying to you, about asking him to spare her… do you think he actually asked Voldemort that?"

"Possibly. Did he ever… was he a Death Eater?"

Sirius snorted. "All of his friends turned out to be and I know Lily said he was very interested in the dark arts but… I never thought that he had actually gone over, not really, but yeah he was. Dumbledore told me that years ago when I first found the locket here. He asked Snape to take a look at it, questioned him about it, and about Voldemort."

"He's a Death Eater and Dumbledore lets him teach at the school? How? There's no way!"

Sirius nodded. "I know, but Dumbledore told me that he turned spy for him before Voldemort fell so… and after seeing that, watching him fall apart that way… I can see that if he learned that Voldemort wanted to hurt Lily, he would have tried to do something to prevent it." He slammed his fist on the table. "But to have been the one to have overheard the prophecy… he's the one who fucking told Voldemort!"

Tonks nodded. "And I could see how much that eats at him, Sirius. He didn't know who the prophecy was about when he heard it. If he had, he would not have told Voldemort about it." She sighed. "Maybe it was cruel to pretend to be Lily Potter, but how he treats Harry and what he said to Remus was not okay. Remus is the best man that I know; he's my friend, he's the love of my life, and my mate. If he hurts him — I will make him wish that he had never been born."

Sirius grinned at her. "I'll hold your coat."

She laughed and hugged him. "I hope that he does apologize to both Harry and Remus. I think in the end, he needed to see her and to hear her words even if it wasn't real — he needed it."

"Me too," Sirius said, hugging her back. "You were absolutely brilliant! I had chills watching you… I actually thought for a minute that Lily was standing there myself. All that stuff you added about her wanting and needing Jamie, how do you know all that?"

She smiled. "Remus. He told me all about them. He told me how they fell in love and based on his stories and based on what I know of James from you, I don't think I told Snape anything that wasn't true."

"I agree," Sirius told her. "It was eerie to watch that. For a minute I thought you were Lily. You were incredible and I think we got through to him."

Tonks grinned. "I think we did too."

"Come on — we have to meet Moody and Bill," Sirius said.

Tonks nodded, folding the invisibility cloak and placing it on the table. "We forgot to give Harry back his cloak."

"Kreacher!" The house elf appeared quickly next to him with a loud cracking sound. "Can you return this to Harry at Hogwarts please?"

The elf nodded, accepting the cloak and disappearing again with a loud crack.

"There, done."

Tonks smiled. "Good. Now let's go Horcrux hunting."