At lunch time, Harry and Hermione stomped out of Divination, followed by Ron, who glanced back at Trelawney. Her smooth, black hair was in it's usual, loose, low ponytail, her bug eyes were widened behind her thick glasses, and she looked more like a lunatic because of her outfit, a ton of fabric thrown together as mostly shawls and skirts. She looked sincerely confused about how she had angered harry and Hermione.

Hermione didn't bother to lower her voice, as they climbed down the ladder, "Why does Professor Dumbledore even bother keeping her on as a teacher?!"

Harry jumped off the ladder with her, grabbed her shoulder, and gave her a Because of the prophecy. look. Ron felt like a third wheel, as he followed them down the spiral staircase. He tried to think of something to make him apart of the conversation, but his mind was blank. It was kind of like being in pain and then injected with something to take it away. All he could do was observe his surroundings.

Harry added, "Besides she's more of a danger, outside the school. She'd probably be telling every eleven year old she saw that they were going to see the grim."

Hermione pointed out, hotly, "You know she only said that because Parvati and Lavender told her about Natalie turning that boggart into a black dog."

Harry was about to voice his agreement, when Parvati and Lavender pushed past Ron and insisted they were wrong, that Trelawney wasn't making it up and that she really cared about Natalie.

"She doesn't care about her!" Hermione insisted. "Honestly, isn't it about time you realized most of Trelawney's predictions are just her attempting to control people!"

"No, she's not!" Parvati and Lavender insisted.

"Yes, she is!" Harry and Hermione told them.

Harry glanced at Hermione, who gave him a chance to say, "I never saw that grim she told me I was supposed to see, back in our third year. She played on my fears, because of everything that was going on. She's sick. She shouldn't be around us."

"She's trying to help us become seers, like her. Just sometimes the future isn't pleasant. We have to accept that." Lavender stated. Parvati nodded.

"Do you honestly believe that?" Hermione asked them.

Harry added, pityingly, "She has you completely brain washed."

"She doesn't!" Parvati insisted, very annoyed. "She's the only teacher here who's honest with us."

Lavender added, "Which is more than we could say for Firenze! He acted like none of us would be able to see the future-"

"Well, she can't!" Hermione snapped.

Harry and Hermione's argument with Parvati and Lavender carried them down the stairs, as Ron kept glancing back at the others, rapt in attention to it.

The conversation lasted, until they got to the first floor and Hermione begged, "Just drop it, please. I don't want Natalie to hear what we're talking about."

Parvati and Lavender fell back and bumped into Ron, as they did. He assured them it was ok and caught up with Harry and Hermione, as they headed down the marble staircase.

Natalie had just come out of the dungeons, a little nervously, when she spotted Harry and Hermione and smiled, relieved. She joined them, when they were down the steps, and even flashed Ron a small smile, which he nodded at.

"What did you just have?" she asked, a slight shake to her voice.

Hermione was careful to answer, because of the already existent anxiety in Natalie, "Divination. We think it's rubbish."

Natalie nodded and said, gloomily, "Except that one prophecy of hers."

The fate of Neville and Harry's parents flashed through Harry and Hermione's minds, while Ron was surprised that Natalie knew about Trelawney's only known real prophecy.

As they entered the great hall, Hermione glanced over her shoulder, as Trelawney walked in, and asked, "Natalie, are you allowed to sit with us?"

"Yeah," she replied, hopefully. "Professor Dumbledore said I can, since I'm only eleven."

When she turned to Ron and lost her hopeful expression, Ron commented, "Well, I guess it would be pretty weird if one of the other staff members sat with us. They're all a lot older."

Natalie smiled, a little, with Harry and Hermione, as they headed into the great hall, to the Gryffindor table.

Hermione glanced over her shoulder, as Trelawney passed by. She relaxed, only when Trelawney had taken her seat, at the head table and then joined Natalie and Harry's conversation about blocking boggarts.

Lupin and Filch came in, shortly after, and, as Filch headed over to the side, Lupin joined him, "Why don't you sit with us again, at the head table? I think there will be enough room. Severus probably isn't going to come-"

"He isn't." Filch confirmed, as they headed to the table, along the side. "I've been with him the whole morning. Isaac just switched with me."

Lupin felt like a cold, gray liquid slid into his stomach, as he knit his eye brows together, "Is Severus alright?"

Filch eyed him, grimly, "He's never alright, you must have already suspected that," he added more gently, "but you don't have to be so worried." He commented, "It is nice of you though, considering how he treats you."

Lupin looked forward and stuffed his hands in his pockets, "He has his reasons…"

Filch agreed, silently, to himself.

Isaac was sitting on the edge of Snape's bed and watched Snape, who was sitting up, a tray of food placed in his lap, nibble on some kielbasa.

Isaac balled up some of the comforter in his hand and squeezed it, like a stress ball. He admitted, somberly, as Snape pulled the kielbasa away from his lips, after he bit some off, "Neville knows we were friends with Frank and Alice."

Snape looked at him, gravely alarmed. He lowered his eyes and hand to lay the food on his plate, "What did he say?"

"Nothing," Isaac confessed, "but I was talking to him and I let it slip that I knew his name, and when he looked at me, I knew he knew we were friends with Frank and Alice."

Snape didn't doubt Isaac's understanding of what Neville's look meant, he just asked, "How did he know we were friends with Frank and Alice? He could have just as easily thought that I had told you about him." He looked up at Isaac, bitter about something, "Lupin could have-"

"Remus didn't tell him, Severus." Isaac explained. "Professor Sprout did. Neville implied that. And, really, Sev, do you always have to blame Remus-"

Snape asked, in a strained voice caught in the back of his throat, "Do you always have to defend him?"

Isaac gave him an understanding look, "Sev-"

Snape reminded him, desperately, "Isaac, he almost killed you. He was in on it-"

"He wasn't." Isaac insisted as he moved the tray off of Snape onto the night stand. He touched the side of Snape's head and held his shoulder, "Sev, it's been about twenty years. You have to let it go, please, and understand that Remus was not a part of that prank and Sirius, despite how much he hated us, didn't mean for you to get killed or for me to get killed. It's not healthy, the way you hold grudges and stay angry all the time. You shut people out. That's not good either."

"Black wasn't stupid enough, that he could think sending me to Lupin in werewolf form, wouldn't result in me getting killed. And Lupin, Potter, and Pettigrew weren't that thick either. They knew what would happen to me, Isaac."

Isaac gave him an exhausted look, "James saved you."

"He didn't want to get caught for my murder. That's the only reason. He didn't want him and his friends to go to Azkaban."

"Of course he didn't want anyone to go to Azkaban." Isaac agreed, reflectively. "So he would have never let Sirius carry out his prank, if he had been a part of it. He would have figured out, early on, what could happen. James didn't like us, but he wasn't a killer, and he was trying to protect Sirius and Remus, who, yes, was not a part of-"

"He was a part of it, Isaac." Snape insisted, like his life depended on it, as if he were an accused witch or wizard going to be burned at the stake. "The four of them were as thick as thieves. Black wouldn't have risked Lupin's secret being discovered, without him knowing, and he wouldn't have left Potter and Pettigrew out of it. They did everything together."

"Not everything." Isaac shook his head. "James, Sirius, and Pettigrew didn't join the choir, when Remus did-"

"I'm sure they were supportive."

"Did you ever see them, whenever you came to watch me? No. They only listened, when they had too."

"Well, Lupin always seemed more interested in things like being a part of the choir. He was the sensitive one. And you're all still falling for that act and expecting me to be friends or even just friendly with someone who wanted me dead, who could have taken you from me!" Snape paused a moment, like he had swallowed something bitter and felt the after taste. He pointed out, "If you had died that night, our family would have fallen apart much faster than it did, and I would be in Azkaban. I might have been given the dementor's kiss…" Snape looked ready to keel over, vomit, and he trembled. He locked eyes with Isaac, "Voldemort might have gotten Natalie…"

Isaac got off the bed to let Snape up. Snape had gotten up too quickly and Isaac had to hold on to his shoulders, to keep him up. Snape clung to him.

After a moment Snape gave Isaac a fragile look and Isaac pulled him in for a hug. The sound of Snape sobbing exploded in his ear and Isaac kissed him on the cheek.

Isaac holding him was the only thing that kept Snape up. Snape just released all of his emotions and stepped out from behind that wall he put up most of the time. Isaac stroked his hair, soothingly, and kissed him on the cheek a few more times.

After Snape had worn himself out and wiped his eyes dry, he stepped back a little and gave Isaac a small smile, as he eyed his outfit, "Did you wake up this morning and decide you wanted to look the part for being the real life George Knightley?"

Isaac smiled, fondly, relieved to see his brother was able to joke around.

Just then, Filch opened the door. Snape panicked and glared at Filch, briefly, when he didn't see Natalie. She came in after Filch and Isaac spotted Snape give Filch an apologetic look, which Filch nodded, understandingly, at.

Isaac noticed Natalie catch on to their wordless communication and, before she could figure out that it was because Snape didn't think Lupin or even Harry and Hermione was good enough protection for her, had she been left in the great hall, Isaac shared, "Sev just asked me if I was trying to dress like Mr. Knightley."

Natalie asked, jokingly, "You weren't?"

Isaac admitted, "Well, since I can dress like it here…"

Filch, Natalie, and Snape exchanged a smile.

Natalie added, "Well, you're right. I can dress like Mary Lennox, so I did."

Filch told Snape, "You should dress to look like Mr. Darcy."

Snape opened his mouth, but closed it, as it seeped in, how much like Mr. Darcy he was, and nodded. He let slip, "I even have my own Mr. Wickham." and regretted saying it in front of Isaac and Natalie a moment later. He avoided looking at either of them and added, "Although, I don't think Lupin would do what he did. …He always thanked me, when I gave him his potion."

Isaac and Natalie shared a look, where Isaac was ready to let Snape's comment slide, but Natalie felt compelled to say, "Well, you're right. I don't think Professor Lupin would do anything to hurt some girl." Isaac realized, like an anchor had been dropped in him to drag ice down his insides, what she was about to say, "He looked like he was going to throw up, when I told him Brian Kent molested me."

Snape turned to her, alarmed, "What?"

Filch felt like ice was creeping through him.

Natalie took a deep breath and explained to Snape, "Yesterday, I was going to bed and Uncle Isaac was going with Uncle Argus to look over your lesson plans. So Professor Lupin walked up with me. I wasn't even really afraid of him, like with Uncle Argus and Father McKenzie."

"Yes, well, Argus and father McKenzie can be trusted." Snape insisted, distraught.

Natalie insisted, in a tired voice, "So can Professor Lupin. He actually apologized for what happened, fifteen years ago, when he said all those things to Uncle Isaac-"

"He should apologize for almost," he motioned to Isaac and himself, "killing both of us-"

"He did that already."

"No," Snape insisted, "not his claims about how he didn't know. He and his friends were very close knit; they were all in on it-"

"They were not!" she insisted, while she wondered how they could still have to go over this. "Uncle Isaac believes him, I mean…" She had looked away, to think over her next words. She eventually asked, reflectively, "Honestly, Uncle Sev, why would Professor Lupin even have been friends with Uncle Isaac, if he was so close with the other Marauders? You've said it yourself, they hated you, Uncle Isaac-"

Snape remarked, "Well, Lupin and Isaac were both in the choir-"

"So that didn't mean Professor Lupin had to be the best of friends with him, he just had to be nice to him, and, if Professor Lupin could at least manage to be only nice to Uncle Isaac because they were both in choir, then that still means Professor Lupin wasn't as close with James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew as you think he was!"

Natalie took time to breathe, as she looked away from Snape, who stared at her, guiltily.

Snape swept his eyes, sadly, over Isaac and Filch. Then, he forced himself to promise Natalie, "I won't make things harder for Lupin."

As Natalie looked up, to search his face for how truthful he was being, she confessed, "He promised not to tell anyone, who didn't already know, that includes Harry and Hermione. I trust them, but they're already so protective of me."

Snape took this in, stiffly. He was unsure about how he could make himself react to Lupin's promise, so he just nodded.