Author's Note:

I am immensely glad that I am keeping you guys guessing on the whole Moody situation. This pleases me! I have ideas, my lovelies, but I am holding them close to the vest! I do think Hagrid would be a bit jealous about the Animagus ability, but mostly I thought, who would appreciate baby animals more? I like Kreacher and I feel like he is an under-appreciated elf. We need to give him some more appreciation. To midnitewanderer, thank you! This is how I picture Sirius in my head and I am so glad that anyone can appreciate the way that I've written him in the same way and thanks but honestly, this is just written for fun. As to the SPEW business, it will be different as Hermione is more informed this time around and she will not be working to trick the elves into freedom as I always thought that was terrible. She just wants to do good in the world.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the little section with the Imperius Curse that belongs to the wonderful JKR!

I have been going back and forth on whether or not to give the Animagi their own nicknames. I still haven't found any that I'm in love with enough to choose, but I did come up with one for Harry that I love. I hope you guys like it.

Reviews and Comments: To Leaf Ranger: Nope, she can't be saved. At least not yet. Hermione is just angry at the injustice of it all. She will take a calming breath and get herself on track. Thank you! To Guest: Thank you! To Guest: Thank you! To coloredwords: I did love the frenemy song! Who doesn't love Phineas and Ferb lol? Yes, well, Sirius and Lexy were very different in the Beginning Series and here, Sirius has solely been focused on Harry and the thought of commitment has scared him. I love Harry and Zee together as well. Thank you! To alix33: Yes, I think the sugar quills did help Harry stay away in class. Fang is such a wuss. Thank you! I agree, Zee would definitely have kicked Walburga's ass! To scrappy8: Thank you! To Moony The Sheep: Thank you! I think arguments should be believable or why are people arguing about it? As to the classes, I have a Bachelor's degree in Education so I guess I just used my experience. Yes, Sirius and Zee are finally moving in together! Thank you! To Steelcode: It was nice that Harry and Neville had each other after that class. Fang really is a coward LOL. Draco will get the curse put him on his as well, yes. Thank you!

To Saz J: Zee is half moving in, LOL. Yes. And just because you were in public doesn't mean you couldn't have shouted in joy with your fist in the air. I wouldn't have judged. Thank you! To speedsONEandONLY: Thanks for thinking the classes sound interesting. As to Moody, we shall see. Hagrid was definitely so happy to see those baby animals at his feet. Harry definitely thinks Zee will help Hermione get on the right path. Harry will find out soon! But I think we can all agree, he's going to be happy! To cha-chris: The Horcrux in Hogwarts won't be found any time soon, but yes, they are starting to look for it. Thank you! To OneDocToHealThemAll: Thank you! To midnitewanderer: I'm sorry for making you cry, but I'm happy they are happy tears! I love that you usually hate OCs but that you love Zee so much! Thank you again for your kind words about how I write Sirius. I'm sorry I've made you cry so much, but I consider it a complete honour. And ha, yes, those pesky copywriter laws. If only fanfiction could count as real indeed! Thank you!

To Wolf's scream: Hagrid definitely finds Animagus fascinating. Zee is a good person to steer Hermione towards, Harry knows what he's doing. Thank you! To purplevictory: Thank you! To HGRHfan35: Zee is the best and Sirius is very lucky to have found her. As to Moody, we shall see. Thank you! To Cf: Yes, Zee is finally moving in! Thank you! To Guest: Thank you! Yes, I can't believe I'm almost at 1million words. I never imagined it would be this long. Thank you! To Guest: I do plan on keeping it going, thank you! To xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: Thank you! To HinnyMe: Thank you! I'm glad you've been waiting for this moment! As to Peter, right now, he will stay where he is. To Jmcglynn522: Yes, they are moving in together! Thank you! This is true, if Barty was Mad-Eye, he wouldn't have been able to get into Number Twelve. Ha, Fudge as a dickless wonder made me laugh. Thank you! To krelofwerewolf: Thank you! Sirius and Zee do fit so well together! Yes, thank you! The Harry and Ron scene was great and I love them teasing each other and being such great friends! Ron will definitely keep teasing him about being short.

Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!

Thank you to Steel for letting me pick his brain!

My posting schedule: Once a week and sometimes on weekends.

As always, 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!

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-NINE:

The One Where Snape Apologizes

And Harry Thinks the World Ended

Harry was humming to himself as he made his way down to Remus' Hogwarts suite. His father had asked him to pop by after dinner that night and he had been intrigued as to why. He was halfway there when he ran into Sophie Roper. She smiled coyly at him.

"Hi, Harry," she said, flipping her curly brown hair behind her shoulder. "How was your summer?"

"It was pretty great. Yours?"

"Good," she said, moving towards him. She tapped her fingers on his chest. "I think about that night a lot, you know, after Gryffindor won the Cup."

He swallowed, carefully. He did know and he still couldn't quite believe that she had used her hand on him or that he had let her. "Yeah, I remember."

She smiled, her eyes on his lips. "It was fun."

Harry nodded, feeling a bit strange. "Yeah, yeah it was. Um, Sophie, that was just a one time thing, I mean, you and me, we aren't…" he let out a slow breath. "I met someone over the summer."

Sophie smiled at him. "I'm happy for you. And I know that it was just a good snogging session along with me getting the chance to wrap my hand around something… big." She winked at him and he felt his cheeks heat. "So, if you ever wanted to have a second one, I wouldn't protest," she said, her hand trailing down his chest, over his abs and he grabbed her hand before it went lower. "You were… fun."

He blushed. "Er, thanks. I think I'm good for right now."

Sophie grinned. "Okay. See you around, Harry."

He watched her go, watching the lovely sway of her hips in the skirt that she was wearing. She was definitely beautiful and the thought that he could just grab her and snog her was very alluring, but he remembered what Hermione had told him. Sophie Roper did snog everybody. He shook the thoughts from his head and continued down to Remus' suite and he let himself inside.

The last person that he had expected to see sitting there was Snape.

"Er, hi, Professor," he said, his mouth agape in surprise.

Snape merely pursed his lips at him. "Potter."

Remus came out of the small kitchen with a tea tray and smiled at his son. "Hi, Harry, have a seat. Professor Snape just stopped by for a small chat."

"I can come back another time, Lupin," Snape said making to stand.

Remus shook his head. "No, it's fine. Anything that you have to say to me you can say in front of Harry, anyway."

Harry was pleased with this as he took a seat, his eyes on Snape in curiosity. He hadn't spoken to him outside of Potions class and he wondered why he would be bothered to stop by and see Remus.

Snape looked uncomfortable for a moment before he masked it. "Lupin, I wanted to apologize for my part in your arrest last term. I didn't intentionally mean for your secret to be let out to the world as much as it may have seemed like I did. It was just that the Aurors were heading out after Black and Potter and you were… I thought that they needed to know that you were out there."

Remus nodded. "I know and I don't blame you for it."

"What?" Harry exclaimed. "Uncle Rem, he's the reason that you got arrested!"

Remus held up his hand to silence his son. "No, Harry, he's not. Severus, we both know that I have been lucky to have kept this secret as long as I have. You were right to inform the Aurors that there was a werewolf loose on the grounds. If Dora hadn't come out and found me, I very well may have hurt someone. I am grateful to you for knowing that they needed to be warned. The last thing that I would ever want to do is hurt someone."

Snape nodded. "Well, nevertheless, I'm glad to see that you've come out of it relatively unscathed."

Harry snorted. "Relatively unscathed? He went to fucking Azkaban!"

"Harry," Remus said, sternly. "That language is not appropriate when talking to a professor." Harry flushed as Remus continued. "Yes, I did go to Azkaban, where I was lucky enough to only serve thirty days of what could have been a sentence of up to a decade. Sirius, Dumbledore, and Nymphadora were all fined for harbouring my identity. I was granted permission to come back here and to teach, but I am a registered werewolf now, which means that I can expect periodic check-ups by the Werewolf Registry Department to make sure that I am not doing anything unbecoming of a professor and too much like a werewolf while I'm here. It is also noted in my favour that I am no longer living here in the castle, which makes me less of a threat to the student body."

"You aren't a threat at all," Snape said, quietly. "If I truly thought otherwise I wouldn't have signed that petition that Weasley thrusted upon me last year."

Remus smiled. "I admit, seeing your name there did surprise me. Thank you for that, Severus."

Snape nodded. "I know that the Ministry supplies you with the Wolfsbane Potion now, but if you need anything from me, don't hesitate to ask."

He nodded at Harry before standing up and heading out of the room.

Harry only stared at the door as it closed behind him. "He's been Imperiused."

Remus chuckled. "No, Harry, he hasn't. Snape is many things, but he's not stupid. He made the right choice last year in telling the Aurors my secret. Considering the consequences that wrought, I can see why he would feel guilty. Sometimes we need to make amends anyway that we can."

"So, what, are you two friends now?"

Remus shook his head. "Hardly and I doubt that we ever will be, but let's just say that we've become mutual acquaintances. We tolerate each other and might even be considered friendly co-workers. He even signed that petition for me to come back, which I must say was a surprise."

Harry's horrified face only made him grin.

"Listen, I asked you here tonight because I want you to make me a list of the spells that you've been learning from Misha. We're going to spend some time once a week, going over them together so that I can see how you're progressing on them."

Harry smiled. "Papa's sent me a few since Georgia, but nothing has worked as well as that double shield charm."

"That's all right, anything you learn is still important, but we're still going to go over them; add them to our list of what you've learnt. Defence Club starts up again formerly in two weeks and we'll be working on different spells and charms there."

"Okay, I'll be ready."

Remus smiled at him. "How are you doing without Quidditch?"

Harry rolled his shoulders. "It blows, Uncle Moony! I don't understand why it had to be cancelled just because of the tournament!"

"Well, it's a lot of responsibility upcoming for the teachers as well as the champions and the students too, who will be cheering on their schools. I know it doesn't seem like it now, but it will be. You've been out on your broom anyway, I noticed."

He nodded, scratching his chin. "Yeah. Flying is a nice break from school work and I kind of miss Wood's exercise regimen. Fred and George were teasing me, but they've both been joining me on the pitch as they miss it too. Sometimes it's just nice to practice and whatnot."

"And good for you to keep it up. Your muscle strength is just as important as your magical strength, don't forget that."

He nodded, grinning. "I know. I kind of like running around the pitch and up and down the stadium steps before going out on the broom, it's oddly calming and it helps me think and blow off some energy. Uncle Rem, are you really still being watched by the Ministry?"

"I am," Remus admitted. "I probably will be for the rest of my life. I am a known dangerous creature, Harry. It's for the best."

"That's not fair! You didn't even do anything wrong!"

Remus shrugged. "The law is the law. Now, go on, back to your dorm and do whatever it was that you were up to tonight, I'm going to head home. I want to try to get some sleep before the moon tomorrow night."

"Can I stay with you tomorrow night? I'm really good as my Animagus now, Uncle Moony."

Remus hesitated. "Harry, you're still only a puppy."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I stayed with you as I am now and you didn't hurt me. Please, Uncle Rem! I want to be there with you and Uncle Siri — please, please!"

Remus stared at him for a long moment and then he shook his head. "It's a school night, Harry. Maybe over the Christmas holiday, when you've grown more into your animal, all right?"

Harry sighed, trying not to look so disappointed. "I guess."

Remus tugged Harry into his arms, kissing his forehead. "I'm honoured that you want to come hang out with me, but school is more important. I don't need you to be as tired as me on Monday morning. I'm not saying no. I'm just saying not this time. I want you to get bigger first. Now go on, have fun with your friends."

Harry nodded as his father released him from his arms. "Say hi to Tonks for me."

"I will," he said with a smile. "Goodnight, Harry. I'll see you on Monday morning."

Harry hugged him goodbye and made his way back to Gryffindor Tower. He was just outside of the portrait hole when his mirror vibrated and he tugged it out, moving down into one of the empty rooms down the hall as he answered it.

"Hi, Uncle Sirius."

Sirius grinned at him from the mirror. "Hey, how's school?"

"Fine," Harry told him, taking a seat on one of the desks. "What's going on?"

"Can't a concerned father just check in on his boy?" When Harry rolled his eyes, he grinned. "Um, actually, there was something that I wanted to discuss with you. You have a minute?" When Harry nodded, Sirius blew his hair out of his eyes and let out a slow breath. "I kind of asked Zee to move in."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise. "You did?"

Sirius nodded. "And I think she agreed, kind of, that is. We've decided to just try it out, you know? She's moving some of her stuff over, but keeping her place for now and well, we'll see. But this is a temporary thing, Harry, and we won't make a final decision concerning it without first talking to you and seeing how you feel about it."

Harry stared at him. "Are you mad?"

Sirius bit his lip. "Damn, maybe this is a bad idea, maybe I should have spoken to you first about it, maybe I should —"

"— No!" Harry interrupted him. "Of course I want her to live with us! Are you daft? I don't want it to be temporary!"

Zee moved into the mirror, her eyes wide. "Harry, do you really mean that?"

Sirius made a show of trying to push her away and she ignored him.

"Yeah, I really mean that," he said. "I think this is great!"

Zee pulled the mirror from Sirius' grasp. "Harry, I'm not quite ready to give up my own place yet. I think I'm going to keep it for when my family comes to visit, but Sirius and I will be living here at Black Cottage and well, I guess we'll see where we go from there."

Harry beamed at her. "That's brilliant! I told Sirius that you should move in with us at the beginning of the summer. I like having you there and so does he."

"I can speak for myself, thanks," Sirius said from the background, tugging the mirror back from his girlfriend. "And you, you're supposed to be on my side here — not telling my girlfriend my secrets."

Harry rolled his eyes. "This is great, Uncle Siri, really."

Sirius smiled at him. "Good. I'm glad that you think so. Anything else new on the horizon over there?"

"Snape was just nice to Uncle Rem and it was strange. He just apologized for being the one to get him arrested and Uncle Rem just accepted it!"

Sirius frowned. "The git apologized?" At Harry's nod, he looked pensive. "Well, that's something to think about anyway. Everything else okay?"

"Yeah, same old otherwise," Harry said.

Sirius smiled at him. "All right, well, I'll let you go then. You have a good night and if you need anything, you know how to find Zee and I."

Harry grinned widely. "Yeah, I do. Goodnight, Uncle Siri, goodnight Zee."

"Goodnight," they both chorused before the mirror went blank and Harry found himself staring down at his own reflection. He put the mirror back into his pocket and grinned.

Zee was moving in and he couldn't stop smiling.

~ ASC ~

Ginny was excited.

She had been waiting to be able to join the Defence Club since Harry had first told her about it last year and now she was finally old enough to participate. There were two sign up sheets this year. One for third years looking to join, which she eagerly signed her name to as well as Colin's to the list, the other for anyone fourth year and above who were interested this year and hadn't been involved last year.

Ginny, Colin, and Luna all hurried into the Duelling Room the following Wednesday night eagerly. Remus was standing up at the front, setting up dummies around the room. He smiled kindly at them when they came in.

"Good evening, all," he said with a smile. "As most of you know, last year Professor McGonagall and I started up this little Defence Club. There are two categories to the club: The third and fourth years who will work together as well as the fifth through seventh years. In each category, I have broken down each student in terms of a level: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. Today I will be testing each of you to see which level you will fall under. Do not be discouraged if I place you in the Beginner Level as you can always move up. This is a place for you to learn how to defend yourself and others and everyone learns at their own pace. I want each of you to succeed no matter what level you may fall under. Now, let's get started."

Forty minutes later, the thirty-two third year students who had shown up were all tested and Remus was making the list. He smiled as he read the names aloud. Only three of them had been moved to the Advanced Class: Ginny, Luna, and a Hufflepuff named Edith Carlyle.

"Ginny?" Remus called out after he had dismissed the students. "May I have a word?"

Colin and Luna said that they would wait for her as she moved over to where Remus was at the front of the duelling room.

"Yes, Professor?"

Remus smiled at her. "You were extraordinary tonight, quite a powerful witch."

She blushed under his praise. "Thank you, Professor."

"Did Harry teach you everything that he learned last year?" he asked, his amber eyes twinkling in amusement.

She grinned. "No. We never made it the Patronus. I really wanted to join this club last year."

"That's nice to hear. You will be an asset to the Advanced class that's for sure. In the meantime, I have heard rumours about some infamous Bat Bogey Hex that the Weasley Boys all greatly fear from their little sister."

Ginny grinned, turned and pointed at the dummy, sending her Bat Bogey Hex right at it. The stuffing exploded out of the dummy's nose, turning it into large bats that burst from the dummy's nostrils and Remus winced sympathetically.

"Marvellous!"

She smiled at him. "I know how to take care of myself, Professor."

"You know, that doesn't surprise me," he said with a smile. "I look forward to seeing you in my Advanced Class and Ginny?" When she looked up at him, he grinned. "Keep up the great work."

She beamed at him as she hurried out to meet her friends. She couldn't wait to get started.

~ ASC ~

Sunday afternoon, Harry couldn't stop thinking about the full moon and how much he wanted the chance to run around with Remus and Sirius now that he could turn into a Tamaskan. He said as much to Ron when they were flying out on the pitch and Ron grinned at him.

"On a scale of one to ten, how pissed do you think your dads would be if you snuck out of school and went to join them?"

Harry hesitated, thinking it over in his head as they landed in front of Hermione who was reading in the stands. "I guess it depended on how I snuck out of the school. Uncle Rem is going to be in the cellar at his house. Sometimes with the potion, he and Uncle Siri go into the woods, as his cottage is pretty isolated. It makes Uncle Remus nervous though, even with the potion. He says that Uncle Sirius isn't strong enough to keep him under control by himself if something were to happen. When they were in school, my dad was a stag and between the two of them their animals were big enough that they could rein him in if necessary, but Uncle Siri isn't strong enough to do that on his own."

"But if he has you now…" Ron said with a grin.

Harry grinned back at him as Hermione merely pursed her lips. "What?"

"Harry, Professor Lupin specifically told you no, and said that he would let you be there over Christmas. By then, your Animagus form will be a lot bigger and you'll be able to keep up with them."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Come on, Hermione, this is one of the main reasons why I wanted to become an Animagus in the first place! During July's moon I was still too small and in Georgia so, I couldn't have even if I wanted to be, and in August, I was still getting a handle on my form, but now, I'm almost twelve kilograms!"

"Eleven," Ron coughed, earning a hard glare from Harry.

Hermione merely shrugged. "I'm just saying, Harry, that maybe Professor Lupin is making a valid point. You're still only a puppy and you can get hurt."

"He's not going to hurt me!"

"I didn't say that he was going to hurt you. I said that you might get hurt playing with them. Sirius is a fully grown dog and Professor Lupin… I'm just saying that maybe they know what they're talking about."

Harry only glowered at her. "I'm going."

Ron grinned. "How are you going to sneak out of the castle?"

Harry bit his lip and grinned at his friend. "The Floo in Uncle Moony's suite is connected directly to his cottage. You'll cover for me?"

"Of course," Ron said with a grin as Hermione glared at him. "'Mione, you're not going to turn him in, are you?"

"Oh, of course not," she said in a huff. "Besides, I won't have to — his fathers will kill him for me."

Harry only grinned at her. "Nah."

~ ASC ~

Harry had checked his Astronomy notes twice that September evening to make sure that he had the correct time of the moon rising. At quarter to eight, he used his Invisibility Cloak to sneak down into Remus' suite, telling the password to the portrait, and tossing his cloak on the sofa. He hurried over to the fireplace and tossed some Floo powder into the flames, rubbing his hands together nervously.

"Here goes nothing," he murmured before he stepped into the flames and called out, "Lupin Cottage."

He stepped out of the grate and blanched at the sight of Tonks sitting on the chesterfield cross-legged with a cup of tea in her hands. He had forgotten that she would be there as well.

"Wotcher, Harry."

"Er… hi, Tonks."

She merely raised an eyebrow at him. "Aren't you supposed to be at school?"

"Er, no… Uncle Moony knows that I'm coming here tonight."

Tonks merely tilted her head in amusement. "Oh really? Funny, 'cause I swear he told me that you asked him to be here tonight and that he specifically told you no, but maybe over the holiday."

"Um, he did, but then… he changed his mind," Harry told her.

Tonks sipped her tea, staring at him suspiciously before she grinned and then tilted her head towards the cellar. "Moon hasn't risen yet."

Harry grinned at her and hurried forward to hug her tightly. "Thank you!"

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "What are big sisters for," she told him as he hugged her. "I know that this is part of the reason that you wanted to become an Animagus in the first place. And he's a stubborn arse and we both know that he's not going to hurt you."

"I think he knows that. He was just worried that I'm not big enough in my form yet."

"Let's see you, then," she said as Harry grinned and changed into his puppy. He yipped, attempting to hop up onto the couch, but to no avail.

Tonks laughed and scratched him behind the ears, leaning down to kiss the top of his head. "You really are the cutest little pup. We need a name for you. Still against Padpup, eh?"

He yipped again in his tiny puppy bark and she giggled, lifting him up into her lap.

"Yeah, I agree, it's not really you. What about…" she turned his chin in her hands and smiled. "Look at this, you have a tiny black lightning bolt over your left eye, fascinating… Bolt."

Harry simply rolled over off of her lap onto the couch.

Tonks rubbed his belly and grinned. "No, don't like Bolt? How about… Scout, it's another word for Seeker." He gave a happy puppy bark and she grinned rubbing him behind the ears again. "Scout, I like that." She glanced out the window as the moon rose and Harry's ears perked up at the sound of the howl from the cellar. Tonks picked him up from the couch, laughing when he licked her face. She carried him to the door of the cellar and carefully unlocked it. "Go on, Scout. Have fun."

Harry yipped as she locked the cellar door behind him and he carefully ran down the stairs, slipping on the second step from the bottom with his too-large paws and flipped arse over tea-kettle all the way down, landing on his bum.

Padfoot immediately sat up and growled. The wolf stared at him menacingly as Harry climbed to his feet. He yipped and ran towards the wolf, running behind his legs and cowering away from Padfoot, who was staring him down with those familiar grey eyes that told Harry he was definitely in trouble.

The wolf bent his head, picking Puppy Harry up by the scruff of his neck and dropping him onto the floor in front of him. He sniffed him, suspiciously, and then turned to growl at Padfoot when he made an attempt to pick him up. Padfoot backed off. Puppy Harry jumped back up to his feet and then jumped in surprise when Remus' long tongue swiped across the top of his head, one large paw holding him in place as he licked him. Puppy Harry whined and covered his eyes with his paw, letting out a tiny yip as he was thoroughly cleaned off by the wolf.

Padfoot let out a loud gruff of a bark and Puppy Harry attempted to bark back, but his tiny puppy bark was minuscule in comparison. The wolf merely raised his head, nudging Harry to stand before he tossed his regal head back and howled.

Puppy Harry jumped up in excitement, tossing his own head back and letting out a tiny squeaky howl that sounded nothing like Remus. The wolf seemed to be laughing at him, nudging him forward and howling a second time. He tried again, his tiny howl echoing in the room. Padfoot howled as well and Puppy Harry howled along with them.

It was only a few minutes before the door to the cellar opened and Tonks carefully came down the stairs slowly. "You boys going to howl all night?"

The wolf wrapped his large paws around the puppy, tugging him into his embrace and licking him again.

Tonks smiled. "Papa Wolf found his pup," she said. "You boys behave down here and Rem, don't eat the puppy. You and Sirius can kill him in the morning."

Padfoot growled at her and Remus turned to growl at Padfoot, snuggling Harry into his side. Padfoot whimpered and bent his head, submitting to the wolf. Harry managed to scramble himself loose, yipping happily as he ran around the wolf and the dog; playing and tugging on their tails and ears in typical puppy fashion.

By the time he finally tired himself out, he let out a big puppy yawn, and the wolf stretched, tapping his paw on the ground. Harry hurried over to lie next to him, snuggling into the soft fur of the wolf's belly. Padfoot lay down next to them, his tongue sneaking out to lick Puppy Harry and Harry was internally grinning before he finally drifted off to sleep.

He woke in the morning, his face snuggled under Remus' arm, his father's hands scratching him behind the ears. He yipped at him, licking his face and Remus only stared at him.

"I thought that I told you no, little Prongs."

"He came in through the Floo, did you want me to turn him away?" Tonks asked from her seat on the stairs. She was holding a cup of tea out to her mate and Remus sighed as he climbed to his feet, accepting the cup of tea from her and kissing her. She passed him his pyjama pants which he slid on before turning to where Puppy Harry was now snuggled against a still sleeping Padfoot. "Do you think it's possible to ground him while he's still at school?"

Puppy Harry whined at that and Remus smiled. "Just because you're adorable doesn't mean that you're not in trouble. Upstairs, Harry. Now."

Harry transformed back into himself, pouting. "Uncle Rem, I just wanted to —"

"— Now, Harry," he interrupted, pointing to the stairs.

Harry bowed his head in defeat as he climbed up the steps and took a seat in the kitchen. Remus came up behind him, pulling a jumper over his head before he placed both of his hands on Harry's shoulders, bent down and kissed his cheek before he knelt next to his son.

"I love you very much. You are my son, my nephew, my pup, in every way that counts," he said. "And I love that you want to be with me during the full moon, I do. It means so much to me, Harry. But, first and foremost I care about you and your education and I cannot have you out with me all night and not get the sleep that you need."

"But I did sleep!" Harry exclaimed.

Remus sighed and kissed Harry's forehead. "Not the point, I'm trying to make, Harry. I'll make you a deal. Every time the moon falls on a weekend, you can stay with me. I'll teach you how to howl properly and we'll play in the woods. Padfoot can teach you how to run and jump. But, during the week or on a school night, you being with me is off limits. School comes first and with that comes getting the proper rest of a good night's sleep tucked away in your own bed. Understood?"

"Yes, Uncle Remus," he said dutifully, looking down at his hands.

Sirius stepped into the kitchen, his brow furrowed. "So, what do you think, Moony, a month's detention?"

"What? No way!" Harry protested.

Sirius merely raised an eyebrow as he ticked off the offences on his finger. "You snuck out of school without permission; you stayed out all night when Uncle Remus specifically told you no. I can't ground you so having Moony give you detention seems fair."

"You did way worse than this when you were at school! You snuck into London to go to concerts!" Harry exclaimed.

"Do what I say, not what I do," Sirius said with a smirk making Harry scowl at him.

Tonks smiled, leaning against the doorjamb of the kitchen. "It's my fault. I'm the one who encouraged Harry to come over here last night. He wrote to me and told me that Remus had said no. I knew how much he wanted to be here; how much he had been working on his Animagus just to stay with his fathers during the moon so, I told him to take the Floo from Remus' suite here, and that I would let him into the cellar after Remus had transformed."

"Nymphadora!" Remus exclaimed, glowering at her. "You can't just go against what Sirius and I tell him! We're his fathers and we have rules!"

She shrugged. "Big sisters have to help their brothers when they ask and Scout over there, he's your pup, and he should be with you blokes when he wants to be."

Sirius sighed and dropped a kiss to the top of Harry's head. "I love you, you little twerp."

Harry tilted his head back to look up at Sirius. "Please don't make Uncle Moony give me detention!"

Remus sighed and dragged his hand over his face. "I won't give you a detention if you promise me, weekend moons only?"

Harry sighed and nodded. "I promise."

Remus grinned. "Good." He glanced up at the clock. "You have an hour until you have to be in Transfiguration so, I suggest that you get a move on. If you're late for Minerva's class, I won't be supplying you with a note explaining why."

Harry grinned at them and hugged his fathers tightly. "Thank you!"

"Get out of here," Sirius said, kissing his forehead.

Harry grinned at them and smiled at Tonks, mouthing 'thanks' before he hurried into the living room and stepped into the fireplace. It had been completely worth it, he thought with a grin. Being a puppy with his fathers during the moon was the best feeling in the world and he couldn't wait until he was bigger so that he could really play with them.

Even if it was only on the weekends.

~ ASC ~

September turned into October and before they knew it, a notice went up announcing the arrival of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students on the day before All Hallow's Eve. Everyone was interested in meeting the new arrivals and seeing how the judge was going to be picking the names for the tournament. Fred and George were still both determined to sign up and get their names in, even though they weren't turning seventeen until April. Harry and Ron had spoken more about the possibility late into the night, thoughts of eternal glory in their minds and then laughing about how ridiculous it was.

Defence Club was getting interesting this year. Remus had asked his Advanced Class to work on dodging and deflecting as per usual, but now they were learning how to battle two opponents at the same time. Harry used his double shield charm and managed to fight off two opponents pretty successfully until he came up against Ginny and she hexed him with a hex strong enough to break his shield and send him flying backwards into the mats provided, earning her a bright smile from Remus and twenty points for Gryffindor.

Moody had shown up during the third week of lessons and lectured the Defence Club once more on the Unforgivable Curses, explaining how he was going to try to teach them to fight off the Imperius Curse. Draco was put under first and under Moody's orders jumped onto the desk, rolled under it, and stood on his head. During the third attempt, he fought it off, surprising Moody who praised him for almost a minute, but Draco soon fell back under the curse and Moody told him that he had to work harder if he was going to successfully fight it.

Hermione went second and she skipped around the classroom and did a cartwheel. Theo began to tap dance; neither of them were able to fight it off. Harry was called up to the front next. After watching his friends embarrass themselves, he felt nervous about the prospect, but Moody kept insisting that it was all about your strength of will, a battle of wills really, and how it didn't matter how strong of a wizard or witch you were because it was about the power of the mind.

Harry stepped up to the front and watched as Moody pointed his wand at him and muttered, "Imperio!"

It was the most wonderful feeling. Harry felt a floating sensation as every thought and worry in his head was wiped gently away, leaving nothing but a vague, untraceable happiness. He stood there feeling immensely relaxed, only dimly aware of everyone watching him.

And then he heard Moody's voice, echoing in some distant chamber of his empty brain: Jump onto the desk… jump onto the desk…

Harry bent his knees obediently, preparing to spring.

Jump onto the desk…

Why, though? Another voice had awoken in the back of his brain. Stupid thing to do, really, said the voice.

Jump onto the desk….

No, I don't think I will, thanks, said the other voice, a little more firmly… no, I don't really want to.

Jump! NOW!

The next thing Harry felt was considerable pain. He had both jumped and tried to prevent himself from jumping — the result being that he'd smashed headlong into the desk knocking it over, and, by the feeling in his legs, fractured both of his kneecaps.

"Now, that's more like it!" Moody growled and suddenly, Harry felt the empty, echoing feeling in his head disappear. He remembered exactly what was happening, and the pain in his knees seemed to double. "Look at that, you lot… Potter fought! He fought it, and he damn near beat it! We'll try that again, Potter, see if you can do better than Mr Malfoy here and the rest of you, pay attention — watch his eyes, that's where you see it — very good, Potter, very good indeed! They'll have trouble controlling you!"

By the end of the Defence Club, he could completely throw it off and Moody was beaming at him. Remus was equally as impressed and told Harry that it was a good thing for him to be able to fight it. He had been the only student able to completely throw it off in the class, but only half of them had been tested, the rest would be tested in the following meeting. Malfoy had been a close second, but still managed to be controlled ninety percent of the time so Moody wanted to test him again in the next meeting to see if he had what it takes to beat it. The rest of the class would be tested next time as well.

Ginny was nervous about it and said as much to Harry when they left. "What if I can't fight it off? What if someone takes control of me again like with the diary?"

Harry put his arm around her shoulders before she escalated into a full blown panic attack. "That won't happen, Gin." She still looked scared so he tugged her back into the duelling room. "Auror Moody, can you test Ginny now?"

Moody raised an eyebrow. "Defence Club has ended for the day, Potter. I'll test her next week with the rest of the class."

Remus was watching Ginny wring her hands together nervously and he nodded. "But of course if she wants to try it now, we'll let her, won't we, Mad-Eye?"

Moody rolled his eyes, but the look Remus gave him made him sigh and he pointed his wand at Ginny. Harry watched in fascination as all of the worry seemed to disappear from her warm brown eyes. Moody ordered her to jump on the desk and she started too, but Harry could see it in her eyes that she was questioning why. Unlike him, she did start to jump, but instead of stopping, she simply sat on the ground and Moody's eyes widened.

"Impressive, Weasley. Up, let's try it again."

When they left twenty minutes later, Ginny was beaming. "I did it!"

"I knew that you would," he told her honestly. "You're a powerful witch, Ginny."

She hugged him tight and smiled. "Thank you! I was overthinking it in my head and thinking that if someone could curse me with it, then I could be under someone's control again, and it scared me."

"No one is going to make you do anything that you don't want to do, Ginny," Harry told her, holding her arms tightly. "You're the strongest girl that I know."

She smiled at him. "Thanks, Harry."

She hugged him tightly and he pressed his cheek against her soft hair. "Hey, did I tell you that Zee moved in?"

Ginny's face lit up, moving out his arms to grin up at him. "Really? That's great!"

She looped her arm through his as they headed back to Gryffindor Tower and he filled her in on the good news as she smiled up at him.

~ ASC ~

Theo's hand was shaking as he read the letter from his father at breakfast one morning in October. It was the first time that Thaddeus Nott had communicated with him since that night at the World Cup, when his father had shown up with those Muggle women. He stood in the entrance hall, the letter clutched tightly in his hands as he contemplated what to do about it.

Theo,

You will be fifteen on Friday. I have signed you out of school for the weekend so that you may celebrate properly.

I will be there to pick you up at twelve sharp on Friday afternoon.

Thaddeus Nott

The hand on his shoulder made him jump and he smiled at Draco. "Hey."

"Didn't mean to scare you. Is that from Uncle Thad?"

Theo nodded. "You were right. He's signed me out of Friday afternoon classes."

"Go to Snape."

Theo closed his eyes. "If I do this, Draco, my father is going to be furious."

"Fuck him! This is the first time that you've even heard from him since that night in the woods. You don't have to go if you don't want to." He stared at his friend for a moment. "Do you want me to come and talk to Snape with you?"

He shook his head. "No, I… I can do this."

Draco nodded and squeezed his friend's shoulder in reassurance. "I'll let Snape know that you need to talk to him. Go down to his office and wait."

Theo only nodded as he watched his friend head back into the Great Hall. He let out a slow breath before he headed down the stairs towards the dungeons. He only waited five minutes before he saw Snape's billowing black robes come around the corner. He merely raised an eyebrow at him before unlocking his door and ushering him inside.

"Have a seat, Mr Nott," he said, closing the door behind him. "Mr Malfoy tells me that you have something urgent to discuss."

Theo was ashamed to see his hands tremble as he passed the note to Snape as he sat down.

Snape took a seat behind his desk and read the letter quickly before looking up. "I'm already aware of this. Your father has to get my permission to sign you out if you are under the age of sixteen. He has orders to return you to the castle by dinner on Sunday evening."

"I don't want to go, Sir."

Snape watched him for a moment. "You will be fifteen on Friday, Mr Nott, your father has control over what you can and cannot do. If he wants to sign you out of this school, he has every right to do so, despite your wants."

"Professor… please don't let my father take me out of the castle this weekend."

Snape's eyes narrowed. "Mr Nott, he is your father, I am merely your Head of House. I have no control over him wanting to remove you from the school for any reason."

Theo nodded, his face pale as he stood up. "Oh, okay."

"Sit down, Theo," Snape said with a hiss.

Theo did as he was told, staring down at his hands.

"What aren't you telling me?" Theo didn't answer and Snape let out an impatient sigh. "I can do nothing for you if you don't tell me the truth. Why don't you want to go home for your birthday?"

"Do — do you know what… Madame Sweetling's is?" he asked, the last words coming out in a whisper.

Snape's nostrils flared. "The Parisian Brothel, yes, I am aware." He stared at Theo for a long moment. "Are you telling me that your father plans to take you there this weekend?"

Theo nodded. "Yes."

"It is illegal for anyone under the age of sixteen to be inside of that brothel."

"Yes."

Snape stared at him. "Your father has brought you there before?"

"Yes, Sir."

"How many times?"

Theo swallowed carefully. "Four. He… says that I-I have to go, Sir."

Snape stood up and began to pace in front of his desk with his hands behind his back as his black robes billowed behind him in a bat-like fashion. He didn't speak for the longest time and then he turned to look at Theo. "It will be handled. Get to class."

"But my father —"

"— I will take care of it," Snape said, sharply. "Get to class."

Theo nodded and jumped to his feet. "Thank you, Sir."

Snape watched him leave before he tossed a handful of Floo powder into the fire and called for Dumbledore. The Headmaster stepped into his office a moment later, dusting himself off.

"What can I do for you, Severus?"

"As the Head of Slytherin House, I have the power to deny parental rights when it comes to removing their children from school, do I not?"

"To some extent," Dumbledore said, carefully. "We are the guardians of their children; to teach them and to advise them on their parents' behest. But we are not their parents and if the parents wish to remove the students from the school for any reason, we cannot stop them if they are younger than sixteen."

Snape scowled. "What if the student doesn't want to go?"

Dumbledore frowned. "Depending on the age of the student, we can argue that they are old enough to make their own decisions."

"Fourth year, but turning fifteen," Snape said quickly.

"Sixteen, we can argue consent, Severus, but a fourth year? They are still very much a minor, and their parents have control over their choices, Severus. Which student are you concerned about?"

Snape put his arms behind his back as he spoke. "I have a student who claims his father wishes to sign him out of school to bring him to a Parisian brothel and he very much does not want to go. His father has taken him there, four times previously, each time against his will. He has asked me to intercede on his behalf."

Dumbledore's eyes flashed in anger. "That is an entirely different scenario all together, Severus. That qualifies as sexual abuse and possibly rape. Have the student see Madam Pomfrey for a full check up immediately and do what you need to do. I will support you however you see fit. Who is the student?"

"Theodore Nott."

Dumbledore's eyes darkened. "His father was an old chum of yours, was he not?"

Snape glowered at him. "I was never chums with Thaddeus Nott; he's nearly forty years my senior, but I will talk to the old man. I won't let Theo go with him if he doesn't want to. Theolonius Nott was once my friend, but Thad killed him a long time. Theo reminds me of him sometimes and I can say with glaring clarity, that he's nothing like Thaddeus. We both know that Thaddeus Nott was one of the troublemakers at the World Cup in August."

"We don't know that for sure, Severus," Dumbledore said, carefully.

Snape merely raised an eyebrow. "Don't we?"

Dumbledore stared at him for a long moment. "You know that Igor is arriving in two weeks. I need you to keep an eye on him."

"Why should I? He knows that I was sent to spy on you for the Dark Lord and I know that he betrayed his fellow Death Eaters. He should know to stay as far away from me as possible."

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean that you should need to. Keep an eye on him, Severus. I want to know that he is behaving himself while he is a guest at our school. We have enough going on with the tournament and paying homage to a former Death Eater is not something that I have the time or the inclination for."

"But I do?" Snape said in annoyance.

"Yes," Dumbledore said. "I want weekly reports upon his arrival. And let me know what happens with Nott. I expect Theo to be taken care of in the hospital wing no later than tomorrow night."

Snape watched the Headmaster step back into the fire and he scowled. Sometimes he felt like Dumbledore expected too much from him and sometimes he knew that he could never do enough good in his life to make up for all of the bad. He turned back to his desk and grabbed a fresh sheet of parchment.

He had a letter to write to Thaddeus Nott.

~ ASC ~

Sirius made his way into Hogwarts that afternoon dressed in black leather trousers with a white button-down shirt untucked and loose at the colour under his official purple Wizengamot robes, left open as he headed up to Dumbledore's office. He had been surprised when he had received the summons from the Headmaster and curious as to what Dumbledore needed to talk to him about. The fact that Dumbledore had asked him to come in his Wizengamot robes had intrigued him even more.

He merely raised an eyebrow when he stepped into the office and saw Snape was there along with Dumbledore.

"Well, this is unexpected," he said, dryly.

Snape merely looked venomous. "I can assure you, Black, this was not my idea."

Dumbledore held his hands up in surrender. "You two can get along well enough to handle this. Sirius, I called you here today because you're not only a member of the Wizengamot, but also sit on the Hogwarts Board of Governors and you know the student we are here to discuss."

Sirius took a seat where Dumbledore gestured. "All right, you have my attention."

Snape scowled. "I have a student in my house who's father wishes to take him out of school for the weekend for his birthday. However, said student has informed me that he does not want to go as his father will be bringing him to a Parisian brothel where he has taken him before. We had the matron give him a full physical yesterday and he is in perfect health and there are no signs of physical abuse on his part, but Albus and I both agree that forcing your son to go to a brothel against his wishes counts as sexual abuse."

Sirius' eyes flared. "I agree with that. Unfortunately, it's a tradition among the elite purebloods. Do you actually have the authority to stop him from taking his son from the school?"

Snape hesitated. "That's the grey area that we're dealing with. I wrote to the parent in question and claimed that I was denying the trip home and he was not pleased. He said that he is still coming at noon today to take his son."

Sirius glanced up at the clock which read ten in the morning and frowned. "And you're just telling me this now?"

"I've only known since Wednesday," Snape explained. "I spoke to Dumbledore immediately to try to find a solution and upon getting the parent's response back today, I realized that I still don't have one."

Sirius nodded, looking thoughtful. "How old is he?"

"He turned fifteen today."

Sirius nodded. "Hogwarts deems third years responsible enough to go into the village of Hogsmeade alone and unchaperoned by adults. Fourth years are given more freedom and allowed to visit Hogsmeade on weekends with permission from their Head of House, whether it is a formal visit or not, which means that by fourteen, we are trusting these students to make their own decisions, are we not?"

"Yes," Dumbledore said. "But the courts still deem the age of fifteen as a minor so, parents get the final say in all of their decisions until they are sixteen. Sixteen there can be an argument for consent."

"Yes, I understand that," Sirius said carefully. "Can I ask who the student is?"

"Theodore Nott," Snape said, quietly. "And I tell you this only because Dumbledore assures me that you can help."

Sirius' eyes flashed. "Theodore Nott. That boy is terrified of his father, I saw that first hand after the incident at the World Cup. The fact that he came to you at all is an amazing feat."

Snape only nodded. "I'm well aware of that and it was actually Draco Malfoy who insisted that his friend speak with me on the subject."

"I don't know enough about his situation, but what I do know is that the boy seems to avoid his home quite a bit. He spent last Christmas with the Malfoys and bounced around this summer from the Zabini estate in Italy to the Weasleys to the Malfoys."

"The Weasleys?" Snape said in surprise.

"Seems he's made friends with Ginny according to my son."

Snape looked surprised by this, but didn't say anything.

Sirius looked thoughtful for a moment. "I think that we can scare him into thinking we can do more than we can. Is anyone opposed to this?"

Dumbledore smiled. "No. I will let you take the lead, Sirius. Shall we go down to greet Lord Norfolk?"

Sirius simply grinned and clapped his hands together. "Let me just make a call first. I know exactly who can put an end to this problem."

~ ASC ~

Theo smiled at Ginny when she came over to him in his seat at the Slytherin table during lunch and hugged him tightly.

"Happy Birthday!"

He grinned at her. "Thanks. How did you know?"

She merely rolled her eyes. "I have my ways." She reached behind her and pulled out an average sized box wrapped in brown paper and tied with a string. "For you."

Theo smiled. "You didn't have to get me anything."

Ginny scoffed at this. "After that beautiful quilt from Italy that you sent me for my birthday, there was no way that I was ignoring yours. Open it!"

Theo grinned and eagerly untied the string, his eyes widening when he pulled out the softly wrapped bars. "Did you make this?"

Ginny smiled brightly. "Mum and I. You were so amazed that we did all of our own canning, baking, and cooking so, we thought that we would make you some homemade soaps and shampoos. That one in your hand is shampoo. It's made primarily of avocado and coco butter, but it has some extracts of rosemary and lavender and some oils. Plus it smells divine. It will make your hair softer and fresh. The soap is that bright orange one. It's made from lemons and orange peels with a bit of coconut oil and lime. It's refreshing and smells like citrus and moisturizes as well as cleans. The last one in there in the jar is that ocean salt spread that you kept using of mine. I made you your own batch for your face to keep you looking so pretty."

He grinned and wrapped his arms around her. "This is the most thoughtful gift that anyone has ever given me! Thank you!"

Ginny hugged him back. "You're welcome. I hope that you like them. If the scent isn't something that you prefer, Mum and I can change it. We just tried to choose things that seemed to fit you."

"This is amazing! I can't wait to go take a shower," he admitted, making her laugh.

"Good."

He closed the box back up and glanced at the clock. "Listen, I have to go meet my father, he wants to take me home for my birthday so, you better get lost. If he sees me with you, he'll be furious."

Ginny's brow furrowed. "I'm not afraid of your father. If you want me to stay with you, I will."

Theo smiled gratefully at her. "I appreciate that more than you know, but trust me. This is for your own safety."

She stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. "All right, if that's what you want. I'm here if you need me."

"Thanks, chick."

He watched her go, feeling a little stronger. He made his way over to where Draco and Blaise were sitting. He smiled at Draco and passed him the box.

"Can you put that in the dorm? I don't want my father to see it."

Draco nodded. "Snape can't do anything? Actually?"

Theo shrugged in defeat. "Maybe I can convince the girls to send that bloke in again. He was nice."

"Not the point, Theo," Draco said, angrily. "You don't want to go there and you don't want to be forced to have sex with some stranger!" he demanded, his voice lowering to a furious whisper.

"My father doesn't care what I want, Draco. I'll see you on Sunday."

He stepped out into the entrance hall and was surprised to see Snape there with Dumbledore and Sirius Black. He shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked over to them.

"Professor Snape, Professor Dumbledore, Lord Black," he said, politely.

Sirius stared at him. "Mr Nott, Professor Snape has informed us that you do not wish to go home with your father this weekend, is that true?"

Theo shrugged, looking over his shoulder to make sure that Thaddeus Nott had not suddenly arrived. "That's true."

Sirius nodded. "Well, then you can stay at school if that's what you prefer."

Theo's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait — really?"

They all turned when the front doors opened and the stooped figure of Lord Thaddeus Nott, Marquess of Norfolk, stepped into the entrance hall. His dark hair was streaked in grey and his pot belly not well hidden beneath his robes. He nodded towards his son.

"Ah, Theodore, ready to go then?"

"Theo will not be going with you this weekend, Lord Norfolk," Sirius said, his eyes on the older man.

Theo watched as Dumbledore set up a privacy charm around them, blocking their conversation from any curious bystanders.

Nott looked surprised by this. "Yes, he will be. He is my son and I have signed him out of the school for the weekend."

"Technically, you have yet to sign him out, Thaddeus," Dumbledore said with a small smile. "With the TriWizard Tournament starting up next week, we think that it's important for Theo to stay at the school and to work on his education."

"He would like to stay and celebrate with his friends," Snape added, oily. "He has asked for permission to stay in the school."

Nott snorted. "I am his father and I make all choices on what my son does with his time."

"He's fifteen years old, Lord Norfolk, he knows his own mind," Sirius demanded. "He does not want to go with you."

"I am his father and I will take him bodily from this school if you do not get out of my way!"

Theo winced.

Snape sneered. "You would have to go through all us to get to him. Is it worth it?"

Nott looked taken aback by this. He rounded on his son, who was standing behind Snape looking flabbergasted by this turn of events. "Theodore Thaddeus Nott, you get over here right now!"

"I don't want to go with you," Theo said, sternly, feeling his own bravery come to head at the thought that these three men were willing to stand up for him.

The doors opened again and Sirius grinned smartly as his secret weapon stepped into the hall.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen!"

Theo smiled brightly at her and as she marched around Snape towards him and engulfed him a warm hug. "Hi, Auntie Cissa."

Narcissa kissed his forehead. "Happy Birthday, Theo!"

"Cissa, what are you doing here?" Nott demanded. "I am trying to take Theo home for his birthday and these imbeciles think that they can stop me!"

"True, they do not have the authority to do so… but I do."

Nott merely raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"I am his godmother and in fact his de facto guardian signed over by you after Aster died. In fact, since Theo spends almost every waking moment not at Hogwarts under my protection, Lucius and I are his legal guardians even more so than you."

Nott stared at her, his eyes wide. "I am his bloody father and if I want to take him from this school at any given moment, I have the right to do so! I am trying to make him into a man!"

"By forcing him to go to a brothel," Sirius sneered. "Real man-like, is that the only way a dungheap like you can get it up, have to pay someone to tickle the pickle? Your son doesn't want to go and you cannot make him. If you take him from this school, I will have the DMLE here in a snap to arrest you for child abuse and Lady Wiltshire will claim full custody of her godson."

"Severus! You are his Head of House, tell him that he has to come with me!" Nott exclaimed, his voice rising in anger now.

Snape simply sneered at him. "I am his Head of House and if Theo doesn't want to go with you, I will not make him. My job is to work in his best interests, not yours."

"Theodore, you tell them that you want to come home with me!"

"No," Theo said, sternly, smiling as Narcissa kept a warm arm around his waist. "I am home. Leave, Father."

Nott scoffed. "You've become a snivelling little shit, haven't you? Guess that's my fault, left you alone with this bitch too much. I should have listened to Brax when he warned me that she would turn you soft. Don't come crying to me the next time you need something. I expect you home for the Christmas holiday."

"He will be staying with our family for Christmas, Thad, but you are welcome to join us for the festivities," Narcissa said, smoothly.

Nott looked furious, but he turned on his heel and stormed out of the hall without another word to his son.

Theo was staring wide-eyed, still not entirely sure what had just happened. "You — he — I — thank you!"

Narcissa kissed his forehead. "Happy Birthday, Darling. You celebrate it however you'd like."

He hugged her back, smiling before he turned to the room. "Thank you. He'll be furious for a while, but he'll forget about it in a week or two."

Sirius nodded. "If he gives you any more trouble, you tell Professor Snape or Cissa. It will be taken care of."

"And you know our home is always open to you, Theo," Narcissa said kindly.

"I know," he said, smiling gratefully at her.

"As is Molly's and if you'd like, mine. You need not go back with your father if you'd prefer," Sirius said, kindly. "We will gladly find a place for you."

"Thank you," Theo said honestly, touched by Sirius' words. "But I'm okay."

They nodded and said their goodbyes before they headed off and as Theo watched them leave he felt like it was one of the best birthdays that he had ever had in his whole life.