A/N:

Hello everyone. I probably wont be posting again till late Sunday or early Monday. I'm going out of town for a few days. However, I'll probably be able to write quite a bit while I'm gone. So, expect a few updates when I get back.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Flooing into the ministry atrium, Sable, Hadrian, Lucius, and Narcissa made a beeline for the elevators and then straight to Madam Bones' office. Politely knocking, Sable and company waited but a moment for Madam Bones herself to open the door.

Seeing who was waiting outside her office, Madam Bones quickly ushered the group inside. "Lord Dunmar, Lord and Lady Malfoy, how can I help you today?"

Waiting to speak till everyone was seated, Sable replied, "We've come to bring some disturbing news to your attention, Madam Bones. It's of the utmost importance that news of what we are about to speak of only reaches the ears of those who can be trusted to help while keeping quiet, such is the sensitive nature of our business with you today."

Throwing up the strongest privacy wards she knew of, Madam Bones nodded her head. "I understand. Now what news have you for me?"

Reaching into his cloak pocket to retrieve a piece of parchment and set it in front of Madam Bones, Sable spoke, "We have two bits of information for you and they both tie together. First, this is a copy of an inheritance test that was done on my son," he said while gesturing to Hadrian, "earlier at Gringotts today. The part that's important to this conversation is the 'godparents through a blood ritual' section."

Scanning the paper, Madam Bones' eyes widened slightly upon reading Hadrian's birth name.

Before she could ask, Sable spoke, "Yes, Hadrian was born Harry Potter. That's part of the second reason we're here to speak to you today. If you'll continue down to the section I was telling you about, we can finish here quicker, if you don't mind. It's been a long day for all of us."

Nodding, Madam Bones continued to read until she came to the part that listed,

Godparents through blood ritual:

Sirius Orion Black

Her eyes widened when she realized the implications of what she was reading. "Sirius Black is innocent?"

"Yes. The blood ritual that was used to tie Sirius to Hadrian was Olde Magick. There's absolutely no conceivable way Sirius could have betrayed Hadrian's—then Harry—location to anyone who meant him harm. It wouldn't have been physically possible. Magic herself would have stopped it from happening."

"Which means an innocent man has been imprisoned in Azkaban for five years." Madam Bones whispered, horrified.

With a pained face, Sable said, "That's exactly what it means."

Sighing, Madam Bones said, "I'll see to it that Sirius is released. You have my word. Now onto this second piece of news you have for me."

"Thank you," Sable said, his voice thick with emotion. Clearing his throat, he began by saying. "Now, as you know, Hadrian here was originally Harry Potter. I went to visit him earlier today around lunch time as I hadn't seen him since he was a baby. The conditions I found him living in were horrifying. By his own account, he was forced to cook, clean, weed the garden, and more. He was barely fed or given enough to drink. And according to Hadrian, the muggles he was living with never called him by name. Only ever 'Freak' or 'Boy.' I had Lady Malfoy run a diagnostic scan on Hadrian after I had gotten him back to my manor, with his permission of course, and what we found sickened us." Here Narcissa handed Madam Bones a copy of the diagnostic scan she had run on Hadrian earlier. "Severe malnourishment, multiple illnesses that his magic was forced to heal on its own. To be completely honest, while I was horrified to learn what had happened to him under the muggle's care, I was surprised it wasn't worse. The muggles he was living with were Lily Potter nee Evans muggle sister and her husband, notorious for hating all things magical and showing their hate through violence."

After reading the results of the diagnostic scan, Madam Bones' face seemed to have aged years. Hearing what Sable had to say though, made her face take on an angry pallor. Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, she then turned to Hadrian and spoke, "I know it must be hard to speak about what you went through, but I need you to confirm what these muggles did to you so I can punish them for their actions. You see, child abuse of any kind is one of the worse crimes you can commit in the wizarding world."

Nodding, Hadrian took a deep breath before he spoke, "Everything Dad said is true. I lived in the cupboard under the stairs, did all the work around the house and was barely given anything to eat or drink. Sometimes I was locked in the cupboard for days on end if I did anything they deemed 'freakish', which I now know was when I performed accidental magic."

Seeing his son on the verge of tears, Sable pulled Hadrian onto his lap and ran a soothing hand through his silky locks. "Hush little snake, it's alright. You'll never have to go back to the Dursleys again. I promise."

Nodding his head in understanding, Hadrian slowly calmed down. "Thank you, Dad."

"Anytime, little snake. Anytime," Sable replied.

Madam Bones and the Malfoys watched this scene between father and son with small smiles on their faces. They were all in awe about the calming effect Sable had on Hadrian when they had only truly known each other for less than a day.

'Something to ask Sable about later,' Lucius mused to himself. 'I'm sure he has a theory by now.'

Madam Bones cleared her throat to catch the attention of the room's occupants. Once everyone was once again focused on her, she spoke, "I'll have these Dursleys brought up on charges if it's the last thing I do. If I could have their full names?"

"Vernon Dursley and Petunia Dursley nee Evans," Sable replied.

"Right. If that's all, I believe we're done here for today. I'll get to work right away on freeing Sirius and getting a trial for the muggles."

Sable stood up to shake Madam Bones' hand. "Thank you, Madam Bones, for all your help. We truly appreciate it."

Taking his hand in a firm grip, she replied, "Please, call me Amelia. That goes for all four of you. And it's my pleasure to bring justice to those who need it. Have a good day."

"You too, Amelia. You too."

Returning to Dunmar Manor, the group of four were met by Severus in the floo room as he was taking a break from brewing the nutrient potions. After handing their packages off to one of the House elves to be taken to Hadrian's room, the group decided it was time for dinner. Sable called Milly and asked for food for five to be served in the kitchen.

After they finished eating, the five people adjourned to the sitting room. Sable had just finished filling Severus in on everything that happened in Diagon Alley and the Ministry and introducing him to Kallisto, when Lucius asked him a question.

"I was wondering, Sable, if you perhaps had a theory as to why you and Hadrian are so drawn to each other when you've only really known each other for one day. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just odd, is all."

Thinking for a moment, Sable said, "Actually, I do. To see if it's correct, however, would require me to cast a spell on Hadrian. I could do it now if that is ok with you, little snake."

Nodding, Hadrian told his father that he too wanted to know the reason he felt so drawn to Sable, so he consented to the use of the spell.

"Alright." Sable cast the spell on Hadrian. After a moment, Hadrian's scar glowed green. "Oh," Sable gasped. "I was right."

Curious, Lucius asked, "What were you right about, exactly?"

"Well," Sable began, "If I remember correctly, Marvolo explained to you three what he did to obtain immortality, yes?" Getting three nods in return, he continued, "For Hadrian's sake, I'll start at the beginning. To obtain immortality, Marvolo created what is called a horcrux. A horcrux is an object that houses a piece of your soul and anchors your spirit to this world. Somehow, it seems, the night when his body was destroyed, Marvolo made you a horcrux. This is the reason Hadrian and I feel so drawn to each other. As Marvolo's soulmate, I feel a connection to his horcrux in you, Hadrian. And you must feel the connection between the piece of his soul in you and I."

"That's—" Severus started, "I didn't know it was possible to create a living horcrux."

"Neither did I," Sable said. "But that was what that spell was for. It shows if something is a horcrux or not. There's no mistaking that Hadrian is Marvolo's horcrux. Unfortunately, there's no way to know how this happened till Marvolo returns."

"Speaking of Marvolo's return," Narcissa began, "isn't it about time you start trying to return him to a body? I mean, I know he made you promise not to do anything to draw attention to your movements till you're powerful enough to protect yourself from those who would harm you for helping him. However, I believe that time has come, don't you?"

Sighing, Sable replied, "You're right. I just don't know where to start. Marvolo never really told me what the best way to bring him back to a body would be and there's so many options. Of which, not all would give us the desired result."

Severus spoke up, "What if you contacted the Flamels? They were good friends of Marvolo's, weren't they? I'm sure they would help, if asked."

Sable blinked, "That's a brilliant idea! I can't believe I didn't think of it. Well, what matters is that this could work. I'll contact them tomorrow. For now, I believe it's time to retire for the night."

So, saying their goodbyes for the night, the Malfoys went back to their manor and Severus headed to his room in Dunmar Manor.

Sable escorted Hadrian to his room down the hall from his own. Opening the door, Hadrian found the room was done in dark greens and earthy tones. A large, four poster bed stood along one wall, with a black comforter with silver accents and emerald green sheets. A fireplace took up one wall with the same green wingback chairs placed in front of it as in Sable's study. A large, oak desk stood to one side of the bed.

Walking over to the bed, Hadrian let Kallisto slither off his arm and curl up on one of the many pillows. She hissed out her contentment, then laid still.

"So, what do you think of your room?" Sable asked.

Hadrian ran to his father and enveloped him in a hug. "I love it! Thank you, Dad. You've given me so much in just a few hours. I'm so glad you came to find me at the Dursleys. Today has been the best day of my life, so far."

Lifting Hadrian off the floor and placing his legs around his hips, Sable held his son close to his body. "You're very welcome, little snake. I'm so sorry I couldn't come find you earlier, no matter how much I wanted to."

Replying, Hadrian said, "It's alright Dad. What matters is that you came for me and I never have to go back to the Dursleys. You can't blame yourself for how they treated me, it was out of your control. I'm just happy I'll get to be with you, Lucius, Aunt Cissa, and Sev from now on."

Clutching Hadrian a bit tighter, Sable replied, "I'm so happy to have you with me, little snake. I promise I'll be there for you whenever you need me. All you have to do is call for me and I'll come."

"I know, Dad. I know."

Placing Hadrian in his bed, Sable bid his son goodnight and, with a quick 'nox', Hadrian was left to drift into the realm of Morpheus.