Author's Note: I did not abandon this! Hell, I'm not sure people are still reading this lol so this is just for myself. I will say that I had half of this written months ago but I could not find an end of a chapter that seemed fit to end it on. So I had to rework on this. Let me know what you think.

Chapter 62: Broken Image

The teens were thrown into the kitchen fireplace, which was their first surprise. They had never been sent to the fireplace that wasn't the sitting room. The second surprise was that there was a man who sat at the end of the table reading the morning paper.

"Sirius?" Harry croaked out.

The man jumped and looked around; it was not Sirius, but Lupin. The man quickly rushed over to help the pair getting up, pulling Harry to his feet as quickly as possible then delicately placing his niece to the ground.

"Kids! What are you-what's happened, is everything alright?" He was clearly shocked, but immediately reciprocated the hug that Angel gave his way.

"Yeah" Harry answered. "I just wondered - I mean we wondered if we could have a chat with Sirius?"

The vagueness in Harry's tone made Remus turn and look at Angel who merely smiled at the man reassuring him that they were not in danger.

"Right...I'll be right back"

"We only have twenty minutes," Harry muttered. "That's the most Fred and George could promise us," he informed Angel.

"What is it?" said Sirius called out , sweeping his long dark hair out of his eyes, rushing to the pair. "Are you alright? Do you need help?"

"No," Harry shook his head, "itʹs nothing like that... I just wanted to talk... about my dad."

The pair exchanged glances but waited for Harry to continue. And so he did because his time was limited. So he immediately began to narrate the memory he had seen in the Pensieve. When he had finished, Sirius nor Lupin spoke for a moment.

Then Lupin muttered, "I wouldnʹt like you to judge your father on what you saw there,

Harry. He was only fifteen ‐"

"ʹIʹm fifteen!" Harry cried out.

"Look, Harry" Sirius began, "James and Snape hated each other from the moment they set eyes on each other, it was just one of those things, you can understand that, canʹt you?"

Harry nodded. And he did; the moment he had met Draco, something within him told him that he was not a good person. And that rivalry grew only as the blond began to get cockier and cockier.

"I think James was everything Snape wanted to be ‐ he was popular, he was good at Quidditch ‐ good at pretty much everything. And Snape was just this little oddball who was up to his eyes in the Dark Arts, and James ‐ whatever else he may have appeared to you, Harry ‐ always hated the Dark Arts."

"But he had Lily Evan's attention didn't he? Severus did? And James didn't like that" Angel snidely commented.

The tone made both men flinch and Sirius looked a bit put out from that comment. To Angel it was a reminder that no matter how much time had passed neither man liked that she had been raised by the people they loathed.

"Right" Harry cut the tension. "but he just attacked Snape for no good reason, just because ‐ well, just because you said you were bored,"

The accusation was clear and both teenagers judged the pair.

"Iʹm not proud of it," Sirius quickly muttered.

"Look, Harry, what youʹve got to understand is that your father and Sirius were the best in the school at whatever they did ‐ everyone thought they were the height of cool ‐ if they sometimes got a bit carried away ‐"

"Cool?" Angel repeated incredulously. "A bit carried away?"

"If we were sometimes arrogant little berks, you mean," Sirius shrugged.

Lupin smiled.

"He kept messing up his hair," said Harry in a pained voice.

Sirius and Lupin laughed.

"Iʹd forgotten he used to do that," said Sirius affectionately.

"Was he playing with the Snitch?" said Lupin eagerly.

"Yeah," said Harry, watching confused as Sirius and Lupin beamed reminiscently.

"Well... I thought he was a bit of an idiot." Harry added talking about his dad.

"Of course he was a bit of an idiot!" Sirius throwing his hands in the air, "we were all idiots! Well‐ not Moony so much" He said grinning at Remus.

But Lupin shook his head a bit guiltily as Angel was still frowning.

"Did I ever tell you to lay off Snape?" he said. "Did I ever have the guts to tell you I thought you were out of order?"

"Yeah, well," said Sirius, "You made us feel ashamed of ourselves sometimes...

that was something...ʺ

"And," said Harry determined to say everything that was on his mind now he was there, "he kept looking over at the girls by the lake, hoping they were watching him!"

"Oh, well, he always made a fool of himself whenever Lily was around," Sirius chuckled. "He couldnʹt stop himself from showing off whenever he got near her."

"How could she have possibly married him if she hated him so much?" Harry asked.

"Nah, she didnʹt," Sirius chuckled.

"She started going out with him in seventh year," Remus added.

"Once James had deflated his head a bit," Sirius sighed. "Same with your mother Angel."

The three of them looked at Angel who was by no means appeased by all of this. In fact she was angrier. Why would they do that to her uncle for fun? And to think all these years later and they still reminisce as if they talked about a nice trip somewhere. Her bottom lip wobbled as she reigned in her anger. So as she heard her father's comment..

"I guess my mother was stupider than I thought," she snapped.

Sirius looked angry at her tone and stepped away from Harry.

"Now young lady, you will not speak badly about your mother and I will not have it."

"I can't help it! You tell me that it's perfectly okay to let things go when you made his life a living hell? And you blame your age for what you did? Harry wouldn't, and I-I would never do that" her eyes filled with tears. "From someone whose had that happen...there is nothing as soul crushing as being so vulnerable with no one to have your back."

The three men in front of her looked a bit lost at her admission. She hadn't told anyone what Draco had done. But once she admitted what happened, she told them everything; how he allowed his quidditch mates to leer and laugh as he had turned her over as she desperately held her skirt together to have some semblance of dignity.

"So when I say that I relate to him, I do. He had my back then and..And-"

There was crackling in the fireplace. The signal...they had run out of time. With words barely out of her mouth, Harry grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards the fireplace.

"I'm sorry we have to go, she's back" Harry rushed.

He tried to be sensitive to Angel's tears, but there was no time. Some things had been resolved and some wounds had salt thrown in them. And with that he wrapped his arm around Angel as Sirius and Remus looked shaken up from what she had said to them. She swore she saw Sirius try to reach out to her before she was pulled back to Hogwarts.

"Quickly, quickly!" they heard a wheezy voice mutter right outside the office door. "Ah, sheʹs left it open ‐"

Harry dived for the Invisibility Cloak and had just managed to pull it back over the pair when Filch burst into the office. Angel curled herself against her boyfriend as he shushed her and curled towards the wall.

It was all the more frightening as he noticed that Filch looked absolutely delighted as he entered Umbridge's office and looked through some papers.

"Approval for Whipping... Approval for Whipping... I can do it at last... theyʹve had it coming to them for years.."

He pulled out a piece of parchment, kissed it, then shuffled rapidly back out of the door, clutching it to his chest. As soon as the door closed behind him, Harry leapt to his feet pulling her with him and making sure he had their things together.

"You alright?" he whispered softly.

"Yeah" she whispered softly.

"Stay with me"

With that they made sure the invisibility cloak was completely covering the pair and hurried out after Filch making sure he was the only one that was seen leaving. He knew that the chaos was dying down because most of the people were at the entrance hall. But he didn't really care, something kept him from leaving Angel alone, especially after the way they left Sirius' home. Throwing the cloak off the pair he turned to properly look at her. Her eyes were swollen and she looked distracted.

"Want to come with me to my dorm?"

She shook her head.

"No...I want to be alone" she whispered softly.

She was a bit distracted and if she was perfectly honest she wanted to simply get away from everyone. Because while Harry was satisfied with what he heard, she needed to simply get some time to really take in everything that she not only saw but the way her father and uncle reacted to being confronted with their past bullying.

"I don't think that's a wise idea" Harry lifted her chin to make sure they made eye contact; "I'll stay with you if you want me to"

Despite it all though, she smiled softly and kissed him half-heartedly. She adored him still, but she needed a new perspective.

"No love, I'm fine. I just really need to sleep."

When she pulled away, Harry couldn't help but see the walls slowly being built up; her tears slowly dried, her eyes got dim, and her smile seemed painted on. And it pained him. Yet he let her go only because it was clear that there was no use for him to try and reach out to truly make an impact. Walking back to the entrance hall, he managed to see Fred and George and their decision to drop out of school.

…

Walking down the stairs, she couldn't help but feel like she needed to do something to just make this all better. It seemed silly, she knew it, but she needed to find something to redeem her father, her uncle; something that didn't make them so much like Draco. She needed to see one person and one person only: Severus Snape.

There was a slim chance that he was in his office; Angel had heard in passing other students that something was happening in the main hallway but she did not care to find out. All she wanted was to talk to the one person in the whole castle who would understand and give her the honest advice that she desperately needed. So with little determination she had with her shaky emotions, she walked straight to his door..only for it to show he was out of office. She frowned, if he wasn't in his office it meant he would most likely be completely unavailable. Still...she needed to find him.

But if she knew her godfather, which she did, it meant that he would be in the last place any student would volunteer to return to...his classroom. And with that she went further into the dungeon. Another closed door, but with a knock...

A muffled tone from the other side told her she could come in. He was in the midst of potion making , she could tell from the sludge marks on his left hand and the somewhat disinterested expression. Maybe he didn't know he was her, but then again, she wasn't his favorite person since Christmas. Closing the door behind her, she immediately pulled a stool out and waited patiently to be told she could start talking.

Slowly his eyes moved away from the boiling cauldron to take her in. It was in an instant that his expression shifted from disinterested to curious as he took her disheveled appearance. Neither of them spoke, as the last time they had seen each other she had been in tears. Yet as he didn't kick her out, she found herself sitting down and mulling over how she would approach this.

"Uncle Severus" she began unsure where she was even going. "I...I..I wanted to talk to you about something a bit personal."

The uncertainness in her tone made her wince. She was disgusted with her own meekness at the moment. It was unlike her, especially with Severus, and that in itself annoyed her.

"If we must talk, then make yourself busy. Get busy on the mortar and powder that moonstone. And get the rest of the ingredients on my list"

Thankful for being given a task, she rushed over to the ingredients pantry and shifted through the jars trying to find all the necessary ingredients that he was requesting. Putting the jars onto the tray, she walked back and began working on the mortar pressing the stone to make sure they had a proper paste for the ingredient.

And slowly, her heart began to slow down, her hands were no longer shaking, and she found herself busy with her tasks. In fact both worked in sync to get the ingredients prepped before putting them in the cauldron.

….

"So...what is this urgent and very personal question that you have that has you in a tizzy?" Severus asked not bothering to look at her while he asked the question.

She sighed as she moved the powder from the scale and threw it in the cauldron. That was a good question; where exactly would she start? While Severus never dodged her questions, she hadn't ever been so nosy about his own life and his own painful past. How could she approach this?

"I...I wanted to ask why you dislike Harry so much" she started careful with her choice of words.

"Hm...that is what makes you so nervous?" clearly he wasn't buying it from his tone. "If I don't like your boyfriend?"

"No," she got frustrated and her voice shifted. " Can you just answer my first question please?" Please was stressed in her question.

"I do not dislike anyone"

She snorted.

"Fine" he bit out. "I do not like him because he reminds me so much of his pompous father."

She mulled his answer, recognizing that his tone was both annoyed and yet somewhat pained.

"After all these years?"

"His recklessness, his arrogance and his need for attention are so similar to James Potter that he could be a mirror."

"And it reminds you of the way he treated you when you were our age?"

His head spun towards her and he looked at her in an accusatory way. One that was clearly trying to take in just what she exactly meant. Her brown eyes widened as he leaned forward to really study her.

"That brat told you what he saw didn't he?"

She swallowed.

"He was struggling to figure out why his father was such an arse and he...he shared it with me. I didn't know what he was sharing at first though! I would have never invaded your privacy like that without any consent, believe me." she rambled. "I...I wish I never saw that."

"It was humiliating enough to have that brat look into my pensieve, it's worse realizing he's been sharing it around with everyone. I'll kill him the moment I-"

"Uncle please" she placed her hand on his arm to stop him from continuing. "I am the only person who he shared it with. I mean who here knows Legilimency anyway? He was so haunted by the awful behavior of his father that he had to get another perspective and well..."

"Well? What, now you pity me?" his voice was filled with venom.

"Absolutely not" she snapped. "In fact I understand better than anyone how shitty it can be to face bullying by a group of arses who want nothing but to embarrass you." she looked down at his hand and intertwined them with hers. "I'm sorry that we have awful people as our parents. People that hurt you...if you hate Harry, do you hate me?"

He tightened his grip on her hand.

"Absolutely not" his voice was full of conviction. "As much as I care for Draco, he...he is not like you. You have a level of passion and caring that is both disgusting and admirable. Your moral principles lead you despite the pain it can bring and your self-sacrifice is nearly your downfall each time...You remind me so much of -"

"My mother?"

He shook his head, his throat tight.

"Of Lily"

She looked confused.

"Lily?"

"Lily Potter" he whispered softly.

Her eyes softened hearing just how gentle he said her name. She briefly remembered how her mother was friends with both Severus and Lily Potter and her father said that they were inseparable.

"She was special to you wasn't she?" her own voice seemingly softening as well.

His dark eyes turned to look at her and the amount of sadness in his gaze told her more than his words ever could. It was not mourning of a friend; in fact it was the same look that her father had when he talked about her mother. That longing, pain-filled gaze that tugged at the heart.

"Oh" she breathed out.

It was love. He loved her and she hadn't loved him - clearly from her surname. And she found herself feeling her heart clench at the unrequited love between the pair. She reminded herself that her godfather did not marry. In fact her mother...Narcissa had mentioned it so sadly that he had not settled down. And Angel was always curious about that until now when she realized exactly why.

"I'm sorry" she whispered softly.

"Come with me...I want to show you something."

She followed him curious about just what he was going to show her, so much so that they would leave the potion behind. Taking the tunnel behind the main hallways, she opened the door to where the pensieve stood. She said nothing instead waiting for him to tell her what to do. Yet as he signaled her to come closer she looked at him surprised at the trust he was giving her.

"Are you sure?" she whispered softly.

"I want you to see it all..."

The promise of secrecy was a given and with a small nod she dipped into the pensieve to see it all.

Slowly the scene began to play from Severus in the muggle world first realizing Lily was a witch. Slowly their meeting, their friendship blossoming, his infatuation growing. It was then Angel realizing she felt his emotions and she felt her tears beginning to fall at the overwhelming feel of love for her.

She could see that he knew that there was no hope, especially as James Potter began to pursue Lily and despite all of it, she knew Lily would remain at her godfather's side until...until he said those words. She took in a sharp breath realizing the break in their bubble. The heartbreak when he was alone realizing what he had done and seeing Lily grow her relationship with James Potter.

In turn she felt the anger and embarrassment that her father and his friends had caused him. The pain of being pushed away and being forced to seek comfort in the Dark Arts. She understood his pain and so when she pulled back she realized her tears were falling in real life.

And in that moment when she looked at him in the current age and realized that the pain he carried was what aged him. Still, pushing all shame aside, she rushed over and hugged him. She murmured how sorry she was and how she understood. And she meant it. She felt his pain; the isolation that came with being abandoned by his comfort that was Lily Potter. It all made sense.

"Don't hate me" she whispered softly.

"I could never hate you" he murmured.

She knew he would never be able to utter the words 'I love you' to her and she understood. Instead she hugged him tightly and murmured the words back to him. She was grateful that he was open to her and she loved him all the more.

…

Angel stared out on the Wooden bridge taking everything in. Her mind played the memories that her godfather had shown her as she mulled over everything. The love that he had for Lily was a pure one, one for the books and one that could not be replicated again. He had shared his most vulnerable moments and in a way, she understood him more than anyone else in the world did. The way he described Lily Potter (or Evans) made her seem unique. Intelligent, passionate, compassionate and loyal were words he weaved when describing her. And she seemed saintly in the way that she never left him until he pushed her.

Their teary conversation soon became dinner at his office. They chatted over their meal and he confided in her memories of his youth and the turning point for his love of dark arts. She too had a similar affinity however, while she ran away from it, he let it engulf him. Angel in turn shared her run-ins with Bellatrix and her introduction to dark magic and how she did not like the threats sent her way.

"Dark Arts are only dark when not used pragmatically. When emotions trigger the release is when your soul is corrupted."

"Is your soul corrupted Uncle?"

"My soul was gone the moment I heard of Lily's death"

Those words still rang in her head as she stared out into the graying skies. That was a love that she could not imagine. Even in her wildest dreams and as much as she loved Harry she could not imagine the depth that her godfather's love ran. It was more mature than anything she could fathom. But then again, the bond between Lily and Severus was clearly one of a decade if not longer.

The only good thing that came out of this was that she could tell that the conversation between the two of them somewhat healed him. He had admitted that he could not have shared his personal thoughts to Lucius or Narcissa for their stigma on muggleborns. She knew the feeling of hiding personal feelings over someone because they were 'inferior'. Just how many times did she hide her feelings from Pansy, Draco and the others? Only for them to leave her either way.

"You know, I can't help but feel guilty that I feel that way about….Potter" His surname now felt weird when speaking about him.

"Do you really?" Severus' eyes were curious, making him seem younger, and more his age.

She paused and mulled it over.

"Sometimes I do. When a day is particularly hard, or when I feel nostalgic I wish it could be easier" she shrugged. "But then I immediately feel guilty because I feel like...like I've grown"

She smiled at the memory of him chuckling at how she spoke about herself. She felt a breeze hit her face and she smiled somewhat sadly. He told her how brave she was multiple times and how 'foolish' she was for putting herself out there, so boldly. Yet for once there was no bite to his bark. Instead the tone of pride and worry came her way that sounded eerily like Sirius. Sometimes there were moments when she thought they would actually get along if they tried.

She snorted at the thought. No, too much time had passed for them to let their scorn go. Even in their smaller interactions as adults were filled with nothing with scorn. And yet she loved them both.

"I heard you weren't doing so well?"

At first Angel was surprised at someone actually approaching her, but when she realized who it was she relaxed. Turning around she saw the blonde approaching her with a small yet concerned frown.

"Harry went to find you?"

"Well we happened to be at the Great Hall at the same time and he seemed down. I was bound to ask, especially since you've been keeping secrets from me."

The pout was easily heard in the tone and so Angel did not bother to even turn around to confirm. She sighed.

"Luna, I have most certainly not"

"Well then...why didn't you tell me what happened with Draco and his gang? Hm? Why did I have to figure out via gossip from some other people?"

Luna had her there. If she was honest, she was too embarrassed to tell anyone, even Harry. That interaction had spiraled into one that made her take a look at the adults around her and truly see that they were imperfect. There was no one she could emulate and not be disappointed by. And that sucked. And even more so, she felt the responsibility to fix what errors they made. She frowned.

"I was embarrassed Luna...I-I don't want to be a burden to anyone. To you or Neville and especially not Harry. And honestly? I'm just tired of hurting others and hurting myself. I-" her voice choked. "-I just wish things were easier."

She heard some shuffling and felt arms wrapping themselves around her waist holding her tight. If she was in a lighter mood she would have laughed at how freely Luna managed to have interactions.

"Luna-"

"No" Luna interrupted her. "I was waiting for this to happen and honestly I'm so proud of you for keeping it in for so long. But you don't have to stay strong or fix things. Merlin Angel, you're never a burden! I'm here to listen whenever you need it."

Angel did not cry, but she felt her eyes burning. Luna was probably the one person that didn't have any faults, that did not hurt her and let her spill her secrets without any risk of them being shared out. She was too good to her and frankly, she felt more comfortable putting her problems onto her than her boyfriend. Harry had enough to worry about. So she spilled the beans; she told Luna about being cornered, about being completely alone in the dorms. (Luna had been affronted that she had not been told and it had been over two weeks.). She told her vaguely about how she found out that Sirius and Remus weren't as perfect as she thought they were. And how she felt that she too was imperfect and selfish.

"Oh Angel" she murmured softly. "No one is perfect by any means, but you can't let one action in the past ruin your image of them. I mean are you the same girl I met? Absolutely not, and if I hadn't given you a chance I wouldn't have seen how wonderful you are." she squeezed Angel tightly. "You have to forgive them sometimes. Not always because...well some things are unforgivable, but if I remember correctly you were fond of pushing around Colin our second year."

"I was horrible, wasn't I" she murmured. "But I'm not that person anymore you're right."

"I'm always right" Luna smiled against her shoulder. "I think you should hear Sirius out and let them know that you aren't going to just cut them off for what they did over two decades ago"

"Am I being silly?"

"No, absolutely not, but I think that you've been going through a lot and it's weighing heavily on you. But I'm here, and so is Harry and Neville and probably Ron and Hermione too. And I'm always looking out for you, and I'll be on your side even when you're wrong because I know you'll learn and do the right thing eventually."

"And how do you know that?"

"Easy, I knew we were going to be best friends that moment you actually talked to me. The Moon Frogs told me so. And so I waited and watched, always looking out in case you decided to grow and you did. And we're here and those bad influences are gone."

"I'm sorry I made you wait so much." she frowned. "And I'm sorry I didn't notice sooner."

"Don't apologize, just admit that you love me more than Pansy" Luna giggled.

And Angel couldn't help but laugh as well. Because no matter how much she had loved her former best friend, in no way was she as supportive and helpful as Luna Lovegood was. Pansy always came with a price and her loyalty was only towards those that Draco favored. In turn Luna was there in her worst moments, made her cakes when she was under the weather and vouched for her.

"Luna, let's break up with our boyfriends and just get married" she murmured.

"I knew it was me all along"

Both girls laughed. It was clear to them their friendship ran deep and Angel truly appreciated Luna more than ever. All she could do is remember that people change and they were not the same as they were when they were younger. She too had grown exponentially in just a few years and while she felt lonely sometimes, she had to remember she had great people like Luna to fix it.

"I love you Luna" she murmured.

"I love you too Angel." Luna sang. "And if you want to sneak me into your dorms I'm more than happy to sleep there so you don't feel lonely. It's not embarrassing to realize you need people around you."

….

That Night.

Angel stared out smiling as Luna had already dozed off. It seemed that after their conversation at the bridge, her blonde friend was determined to make herself at home in the Slytherin dorms if it meant that Angel would be less lonely. Her godfather had helped by turning a blind eye and giving them a hint as to an entrance that did not require a password for Luna to get to the girl's dormitories. So with a large satchel, Luna had made her temporary stay at Angel's dorm seem real. In turn Angel felt like she could truly smile for the first time today. She really did not deserve Luna Lovegood in her life.

Shuffling through her crate, Angel sighed as she took out the mirror ready to really talk to her father and godfather about what occurred in the past. She knew that they were probably worried about her. So she closed her curtains to give her more privacy so she could properly talk to them.

"Sirius Black"

It only took a moment but he appeared through the mirror looking worried and disheveled. His expression was one of surprise that soon shifted to relief when he realized who had called him.

"Oh thank Merlin you called. I was so worried about you"

"I know, I'm sorry" she murmured softly. "I just wasn't in the right mindset to call just yet."

"Oh Love I don't blame you" he replied. "Remus and I felt like complete gits after you two left. I had no idea that you were going through that with those, those prats. And then you find out we are no better. It's no wonder you were so upset. Honestly Angel, my love I can't even begin to apologize for being so obnoxious about everything. I-"

"Were"

"What?"

"That you were no better, but now you are. I-I realize I can't blame the two of you for what you did as kids and I don't think you're like that now. I-I get that we change, I know I have and when talking to Luna I realize I was being spiteful to the two of you because I didn't want this picture of a perfect parent to be broken again. I-I need to not pin something on you that was before I was even born! No matter what gits you were when young, I know you two are inherently good. So I'm sorry"

"I still am sorry about what you went through and if I could I would take it all back, so you can see me again the way you saw me before. I'm really trying to be a good parent Angel, for you...for Harry. And Remus is too. I don't want for you to really look at me and realize how disappointing I am."

She frowned. It seemed silly but Angel never once thought that he cared what anyone thought, but it was clear that to him, this was making up for what he missed. She smiled softly.

"Dad" she smiled seeing his shoulders relax by one mere word. "I realize you're not perfect, but know that even in your worst day you are a better parent to me than my adoptive parents are. Because you've never tortured people for amusement or put blood before morals."

"I love you so much Angeline" the conviction in his tone made her heart clench. "And I want to do right by you. You remind me so much of me that I want to protect you from everything and I know I can't. So the least I can try to do is make you proud."

"Daddy I am proud of you already and I love you too. You're getting yourself back up on your feet and you're fighting against your demons and just being there to listen and give me advice. That's all I need from you"

"Thank you" he said softly. "Just know we're not perfect, but I'm trying and I'm here whenever you need me."

She smiled. For the rest of the night, he regaled her with stories from his past, admitting his wrongs and highlighting the good around him. He wasn't perfect and neither was she, but they both cared for one another deeply and she would have to remember no one can be put on a pedestal. Especially not those with a past.