A/N: I was extremely apprehensive about this chapter, so much that I wrote two different versions of it. This was the first one I wrote, and I want feedback from you guys. If you think it's too tacky then please tell me so. If you guys don't like this; I'll delete this option and put up the other one. Please tell me what you think!

We walked downstairs to find them in the kitchen. Mad Eye was giving an update on his watch of the latest Death Eater mission. Mrs. Weasley and Minerva had come as well. Lupin noticed Potter first and steered him by his shoulders to a seat at the table between Mrs. Weasley and Mad Eye. A look at Potter's ashen face caused Mad Eye to stop mid-sentence and push his cup of tea in front of Potter.

"What'd the snake find, Harry?" Granger questioned softly.

"A room in the basement like Kreacher told you." He started quietly.

Weasley quickly interrupted him, "You look too shaken up for that to be it mate. What else did it find?"

Potter glanced quickly at me before staring back down at the snake around his arm. Minerva followed his glance to me and questioned me with a look. I shrugged to indicate I was as clueless as she. She looked back to Potter with the same expectant gaze everyone wore.

He gulped a deep breath of air in, "The snake said he saw a black dog that looked malnourished. The dog was chained to the wall by the neck and its four paws tied together. He said an elf popped into the room from nowhere and the dog snarled and tried biting the elf. The elf kept teasing the dog and then the snake says the dog morphed into a man. That's when he came back up here. I think the snake saw Sirius and Kreacher; who else could it be? How are we going to get down there, and who chained him to the wall in the first place?"

Everyone sat in a stunned silence and I leaned against the wall, staring at Potter in disbelief. Lupin cleared his throat as he wiped at his eyes.

"Summon Kreacher, Harry." Lupin's voice cracked and he wiped at his eyes again.

"Kreacher!" Potter said loudly into the air.

The elf popped into the kitchen with an ugly smile on his face, "Kreacher's half blood master called?"

"Where the bloody hell is Sirius you horrible little-" Granger erupted as Weasley held her back.

"Filthy mudblood is not talking to Kreacher. Kreacher will ignore the filth." The elf mumbled while turning his back to Granger with his eyes still on Potter.

"Tell me why Sirius is chained to the wall in that room; who chained him to it; and how to get him out." Potter growled his words as he stood, his eyes glinting dangerously.

Kreacher bowed low, "The disgrace is chained to the wall so he can't escape. Kreacher is to watch the filth as Mistress Lestrange said. Kreacher is not to tell Master Potter how to get him out."

"Kreacher will tell Master Potter or Kreacher is going to be torn apart!" cried Granger as Weasley tightened his hold on her arms.

Kreacher placed his hands over his ears, "The filth will not speak to Kreacher. Kreacher does not hear the filth."

Minerva rose to her feet with her wand drawn at Kreacher, "Tell the boy how to free Mr. Black or else."

Kreacher lowered his hands and crossed them over his chest. A haughty look appeared on his wrinkled face, "Master Potter cannot remove the filth. Only Kreacher and Mistress Lestrange can."

Potter smiled, "Then Kreacher will remove Mr. Black himself. Kreacher cannot go anywhere else before or after unchaining Sirius. Kreacher will bring Sirius into this room and stand beside him. Kreacher cannot alert Lestrange in any manner."

Kreacher bowed low to the floor muttering, "Yes filthy half blood master," before popping from the room.

The room stayed quiet, everyone glancing at the other. Granger had taken her seat again, muttering to Ron about renaming something dubbed spew to exclude Kreacher. Potter's gaze met mine again and he swallowed hard before standing and crossing the room to the wall I was leaning against. Minerva's gaze followed him like a hawk. She glanced sharply at me, her mouth a tight line. I raised an eyebrow to her and she turned her head to engage Mad Eye and Mrs. Weasley in conversation.

Potter stood close and leaned his side against the wall, "I can't believe he's really alive and he's been in this house all this time. It doesn't seem real." He gazed up at me, "You're going to try to get along with him right? I don't know if I can stand being around you two if you're going to act like cavemen at the sight of the other."

I growled, "If he can act civilized I certainly can."

He rolled his eyes and turned his gaze to the table, "Lupin and him are lovers aren't they?"

I followed his gaze to Lupin's form. He was staring at his hands with tears streaming down his face. I turned back to Potter, "Probably, they were never public about it if they were. Black always attracted girls in school, but he never kept one long. Is it going to bother you terribly if they are?"

He turned back to me with a smirk, "Yeah, I'm very much against same sex couples. Blokes just aren't meant to be with blokes." He rolled his eyes for emphasis.

I smirked as well, "As long as you don't try to rope me into planning a wedding for them; I don't care what they do to each other."

His mouth twitched as though he were holding back a laugh, but it washed away as Kreacher and Black popped into the room. Lupin flew to Black's side as did Minerva. They helped him to a chair and Lupin sat beside him. Harry moved at once to sit on the other side of him and I remained against the wall. Minerva sat a glass of water down in front of him and Black gulped it down as quickly as he could.

Kreacher tried to shift his way out of the room but Granger and Weasley rounded on him with their wands in his face.

"Let the little bastard go," Black barked out without looking at Kreacher, "He's already told Bellatrix about the Order meeting here regularly. And about you, Snivellus, being captured and spilling forth crap about how Dumbledore asked you to kill him."

I seethed and took a step forward, but Minerva placed a hand on my chest and shoved me back into the wall.

"Don't, Severus," she said firmly.

Instead I tried to strangle him mentally, my glare focused on the side of his face. He gulped down another glass of water Mrs. Weasley set in front of him. He panted hard before glancing around the room at everyone. His gaze settled on Granger and Weasley who still had Kreacher trapped.

"I said let him go. He's of no use to this house. Let Lestrange have the pleasure of his company," he glared at the elf and the elf glared back.

"Kreacher will gladly leave and go with Mistress Lestrange. Mistress Lestrange does not allow filth to traipse through her house. Kreacher will be glad to get away from filthy mudbloods and blood traitors. Kreacher will be most happy to leave the filth that disgraced the Black name!" and so he did with a slight pop.

Black laughed and downed another glass of water, "The Order is no longer safe here. Anything said or done within these past few months have been watched by that little bastard. There is also an order for the killing of Snivellus the second someone sees him out of this house." His eyes met mine and he shook his head, "Should have stayed with your fellow Death Eaters, you're not going to be able to slither your way out of death this time. Your little cover has been blown, and the Dark Lord is most unpleased."

I snarled and moved to raise my wand but Minerva plucked it easily from my hand. I turned on her, my teeth gritted, "Minerva, give me my wand. I wish to curse Black back into oblivion."

Her mouth drew into a tight line again before a bony finger came into my face, "Severus, you and Sirius need to grow up. You're acting worse than you did in school and you're grown men!" She turned to Black and waggled her finger, "Both of you should be ashamed of your behavior." She handed my wand back but the stern look on her face caused me to hold in my temper.

Black shrugged and swallowed more water before turning to Lupin, "Nice of you to look for me, Remus. Glad to know you missed me."

Lupin's eyes widened before his fist met the side of Black's face. My appreciation for Lupin grew magnificently. He stood quickly and pointed a finger in Black's shocked face. "You are a right git! I thought you were dead, Sirius! How was I supposed to even assume I'd find you again? I'd lost you once, thought you were a bloody murderer, and had given up on you. You came back that time and then in the Department of Mysteries I thought I'd lost you again. Yet here you sit, and instead of being happy to see me, you tell me I should have been looking for you. You try to say I didn't miss you when most of my nights were sleepless! You have no right to-"

He was cut off as Black grabbed his face roughly and kissed him. Lupin's hands tangled in the filth of hair and his eyes shut tightly. Potter moved away from the two quickly and glanced at me with an arrogant smirk on his face. Everyone except Minerva's mouth had dropped in shock, in fact, Minerva looked quite happy about the situation. I resolved to question her later.

Potter edged closer to me and I turned my head to stare at him. He grinned up at me and motioned with his head to the door. He turned and walked out of it, and after I made sure everyone was looking the other way, I followed. A glimpse of tennis shoe on the stairs let me know to follow him upstairs as I reached the top stair he grabbed my arm and pulled me into my room.