I do not own…
Chapter Forty-Three: Protecting Family
"This is a picture of when my parents met."
Dawn showed Vanessa a photo of a twenty year old Sirius Black wrapping an arm around Dawns mother, Emilia NightShade.
Vanessa had her Niffler, Nigel, get Hermiones' Time-Turner from her sleep and the two girls had gone back in time to save BuckBeak. It was a bit weird seeing themselves but they were able to get the job done without being seen. Vanessa had even sent Orion to get a friend she knew that could help them. After that hurried towards where they had a good view of the Whomping Willow saw themselves going down the hole. Dumbledore, Fudge and the other two Ministry members had passed back. Then Lupin came and stopped the Whomping Willow by using his wand to get a stick pressing the secret knot on the tree trunk. He went in and then a drunk Hagrid came passing by and went to the castle before Snape arrived. So the girls knew that now all they could do is wait.
"Dad was visiting the U.S and met mom Nevada as she was taking pictures of the outlands. They stayed a whole week together but...he had to go back to London. They both asked each other to stay but could leave their home. Mom could leave her family. And Dad had a war to fight here. She knew that he didn't want her to get involved." Dawn said "When she found out that she was pregnant with me she wasn't sure how to tell him. She told me about him when I was eight. Told me that he was in prison for a crime she knew he couldn't have commented on. When we moved to London she told me that we had to keep him a secret as she was worried that the Ministry here would think I'll end up like him."
"I'm sorry that you had to go through that. I can't blame your mom for that. Even I have my doubts about them." Vanessa said "Did you two get a chance to talk yet?"
"A bit." Dawn said with a small smile. "He said that when he's free he wants to be part of my life."
"That's great, Dawn." Vanessa smiled
The moment passed when they saw Harry and the others coming out of the Whomping Willow and the full moon appeared. Lupin transformed into a werewolf and Peter knocked Ron out and got away while Sirius was trying to keep Lupin's wolf form calm. Werewolf Lupin ended up throwing Sirius away and was gonna attack Harry, Hermione, Dawn and Hunter. Out of nowhere Cerberus' small dog form appeared and tackled down Werewolf Lupin. Then Sirius in his dog form joined in the fight but had Lupin chase after him and away from the teens. Cerberus was gonna continue on fighting but Hunter had ordered him to sniff out and find Peter. The loyal companion did what he was told while the other three ran to help Sirius.
Vanessa and Dawn followed their past selves and saw that Werewolf Lupin was gone and now Sirius, Harry, Hermione, Dawn and Hunter were being attacked by the Dementors. The princess witch quickly did her Patronus charm and saved her cousin, boyfriend and friends. After saving them from the Dementors they went into the forest where they were supposed to meet a friend of Vanessas'. Waiting for them was Pandora, Tinker Bell and Dyami: Son of Pocahontas and John Rolfe. Dyami was 21 and he worked with both normal animals and magical animals at his family wildlife preserve in Auradon. He knew to show respect to the creature and bowed to the Hippogriff without breaking contact. When BuckBeak bowed back the girls knew the hippogriff trusted him. Dyami hopped on the hippogriffs' back and took off with Pandora and Tinker Bell flying by his side. Once they were gone the two witches headed back to the castle.
The next day everyone was able to leave the hospital wing around noon. Hermione never knew that her Time-Turner was missing as Vanessa was able to place it back on her that night. With the sweltering heat and the end of the exams meant that everyone was staying outside or had gone to another Hogsmeade visit. Hunter, Vanessa and Dawn had left Harry and his friends and did their own thing. They were able to find their group of friends on the other side of the lake and they informed them of what happened. Then Axel, Marius, Mal and Maggie told them that Snape had blabbed to everyone in Slytherin that Lupin was a Werewolf.
"What?" Vanessa, Dawn and Hunter said quickly.
"Yeah, he told us all this morning." Mal said in a sad tone. "So now everyone in the school knows."
"Let's not forget...all those snotty brats are gonna nark to their parents." Maggie scoffed before letting out an evil smirk. "I sent an acne curse on those Parkinson sisters when I saw them giggling about that. They won't be getting rid of them for a while."
"Placed the slug-vomiting curse on Crabb and Goyal for the same reason." Axel smirked
"I'm gonna see how he's doing." Vanessa said
Hunter, Evie, Mal, Jay and Carlos had followed her lead as they were worried for their old professor. On their way to his office they spotted Harry inside as well.
"I saw you all coming." Lupin said with a smile.
He had pointed to the parchment he had been poring over. Vanessa recognized it as the Marauder's Map.
"We heard what happened." Vanessa said
"Hagrid told me that you resigned. It's not true, is it?" Harry asked
"I'm afraid it is." Lupin said. He started opening his desk drawers and taking out the contents.
"Why?" Vanessa asked "The Ministry of Magic don't think you were helping Sirius, do they?"
Lupin crossed to the door and closed it behind them.
"No. Professor Dumbledore managed to convince Fudge that I was trying to save your lives." He sighed "That was the final straw for Severus. I think the loss of the Order of Merlin hit him hard. So he-er-accidentally let slip that I am a werewolf this morning at breakfast."
"You're not leaving just because of that!" Evie said
Lupin smiled wryly.
"This time tomorrow, the owls will start arriving from parents… They will not want a werewolf teaching their children, Evie. And after last night, I see their point. I could have bitten any of you… That must never happen again."
"You're the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had!" Harry said "Don't go!"
Lupin shook his head and didn't speak. He carried on emptying his drawer. Then, while Harry and the others were trying to think of a good argument to make him stay, Lupin looked at Vanessa and Harry and said, "From what the headmaster told me this morning, that you two saved a lot of lives last night. If I'm proud of anything, it's how much you've all learned."
He threw his last few books into his case, closed the desk drawers, and turned to look at Harry.
"Here...I brought this from the Shrieking Shack night." He said, handing Harry back the Invisibility Cloak. "And…" He hesitated, then held out the Marauder's Map to Vanessa. "I am no longer your teacher, so I don't feel guilty about giving you this back as well. It's no use to me, an dI darsay you and your friends will find uses for it."
Vanessa took the map and grinned.
"I thought you said that Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs would've wanted to lure us out of school...you said they'd have thought it was funny."
"And so we would have." Lupin said, now reaching down to close his case. "I have no hesitation in saying that James would have been bouncing in joy that his own niece had found all the secret passages out of the castle. Your mother never approved of it as she was all about following the rules. That's why he would have been proud but do try and share its secrets with his son too."
Vanessa nodded at his words before there was a knock on the door. She quickly stuffed the map in her pocket and Harry did the same with his cloak.
It was Professor Dumbledore. He didn't look surprised to see Harry there.
"Your carriage is at the gates, Remus." He said
"Thank you, Headmaster." Lupin said
Lupin picked up his old suitcase and the empty grindylow tank.
"Well...good-bye, Harry, Vnaessa, Evie, Mal, Jay, Hunter, Carlos." He smiled. "It has been a real pleasure teaching all of you. I feel sure we'll meet again sometime. Headmaster, there is no need to see me to the gates, I can manage…"
The teens knew that Lupin wanted to leave as quickly as possible.
"Good-bye, then, Remus." Dumbledore said soberly.
Lupin shifted the grindylow tank slightly so that he and Dumbledore could shake hands. Then, with a final nod to them with a swift smile, Lupin left the office.
Vanessa and her friends understood Lupins' choice but Harry was still gloomy about it. She was gonna talk to him but Dumbledore had volunteered to do it instead.
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It wasn't until tomorrow's Daily Prophet that Hogwarts knew the truth of what had happened the night that. The whole front page talked about Sirius and Vlad cases being reopened and that Pettigrew is alive and being questioned. Though Harry, Vanessa and Hunter widened in fear when they heard that Baba Yaga had killed the two Aurors' and the four Dementors that were transporting her and escaped. In the prophet it even talked about the strange disappearance of Buckbeak. This furiated Draco as he believed that Hagrid had found a way of smuggling the hippogriff to safety. He couldn't believe that he and his father had been outwitted by a gamekeeper. Vanessa and Dawn looked at each and smirked at his dismay.
The exam results came out on the last day of term for the first to fourth. Harry, Ron and Hermione had passed every subject. Though Harry was surprised that he didn't fail Potion, he was sure that Dumbledore stopped Snape from failing him on purpose. Dawn wondered if Snape was gonna treat her coldly too as he knew they were related to Sirius. But Hunter informed her not to worry as he had slipped a "Forget Memory" potion on the professor.
"Now that was very Slytherin of you." Jay said in approval. "Maleficent would've been proud."
"Hey, I protect my family." Hunter shrugged "And no one messes with my family."
"I know that's right." Jay said before they bumped fist.
Then the fifth years O. grades had finally came, along with the sixth and seventh years N.E.W.T.s. Percy had his top-grades in N.E.W.T.s and everyone else was able to pass with great grades. Vanessa was a bit nervous about hers but once she saw she did her best not to jump up and down. She and Hunter had the top grade in their year as they had all O's.
Thanks to Gryffindor House's spectacular performance in the Quidditch Cup, they had won the House Cup for the third year in a row. This meant that the end of term feast took place amid decorations of scarlet and gold, and that the Gryffindor table was the noisiest of the lot, as everybody celebrated.
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It wasn't long when the end of the school year was over and everyone had packed up and headed the Hogwarts Express. During the ride back to King Cross station Rain had noticed an owl flying near their window.
"Look, everyone. I think that owl is trying to get in."
Vanessa and the others saw a white and golden barn owl near the window. Hunter quickly opened the door and the owl flew in and dropped three letters on Vanessa's lap before landing on Dawns' lap. The princess witch looked through the letters.
"Dawn. Hunter. They're from Sirius." She smiled.
She handed their letters to them and they all started reading them. They were about how his trail was going but couldn't give any details. Thanks to Lupins and Dumbledores as witnesses and to represent him and Vlad, everything was going smoothly. He had informed Vanessa that he was the one that gave Harry the Firebolt and her the necklace for Christmas. He knew that she had a love for magical creatures and wanted to get her an Abraxan foal but didn't know how her muggel adopted parents would feel about that.
With Dawn's letter, he told her about the trails as well but also told her how much he loves her. Since he had missed fifteen years of birthdays had gifted her the barn owl that had sent as her mother told him that Dawn didn't have a familiar.
With Hunter's letter, it was the same writing about his trail but since they didn't have time to talk like he had with Dawn he explained that he was his uncle. That Constance, his sister, was the eldest in the family and that in the past he always looked up to her and loved her dearly. But when he left the family because he didn't follow their beliefs about pureblood, they had drifted apart. At the time he had no idea that she had married Voldemort until Dumbledore told him. Sirius told Hunter that since Constance was the eldest child she had a lot of pressure to uphold the family name. Which meant marrying a pureblood, and every Death Eater back then, believed Voldemort was. He believed her marriage was out of honor to please their parents and fear as this would be a death sentence for her on both sides. Sirius had to beg Dumbledore not to tell anyone about their marriage to protect her and his nephews. Turns out that she was able to sneak a letter to him and Andominda that she was gonna try to and run for it with her sons when there was an opening. Voldemort must have known she would do this and separated the boys as he believed she would never abandon one of her children. Sirius didn't know but he believed that Constance knew Hunter was the favorite and his magic was more powerful than Lucas she had to save him from his father. He told Hunter that he knew that he had anger towards his mother because of what Baba Yaga pulled but to know that his mother loved dearly and tried to protect him. In the envelope there was a ring with a crest on it. Sirius explained that the ring had belonged to the House of Black for centuries. It was always given to the eldest child. Dumbledore was able to pull some favors and had gone to the family vault to retrieve it. Sirius knew that Constance would want him to have it. He didn't want Hunter to follow the family way but to make better choices that his grandparents and ancestors didn't and to promise him that he would never change who he is and follow his own way. Hunter couldn't help but smile at this and put on the ring.
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Two weeks have passed and Hunter was called to the Ministry. Lucius Malfoy actually made a complaint in telling Fudge that Hunter was their long lost cousin and wanted to take full custody of him. This led for Hades to go with him and had brought along the documents of the adoption papers. He also brought along a caged lizard Maleficent as the Minister called for her as well.
"Did we really have to bring, Mom, along?" Hunter said
They were sitting down, waiting for their case to start, and Hunter was just looking at the glass box Maleficent was in.
"Idiot Minister thought it was necessary. Don't worry she won't be able to get out." Hades said while reading the Daily Prophet.
"What if they asked to transform her back so they could talk to her?" Hunter asked
Hades chuckled before turning a page.
"Then they are in a rude awakening. She'll be vicious towards them for wanting to take you away." He said
Their names were called and they entered the room where Lucius and his wife were waiting.
"Mr. Hades, where is your wife?" Fudge asked
Hunter held up the glass cage and his mother hissed at them.
"She was turned into a lizard two years ago." Hades smirked "You're free to transform her back to veritably abuse you all be my guest. You all remember how Maleficent can be."
Fudge gulped as looked at the lizard that glared daggers at him. He just whipped his forehead with his pocket-hanky and just sat down. The trail was so boring that Hunter barely listened and texted Vanessa on his phone. He couldn't believe he was missing her birthday for this.
V- 'How is it going?'
H- 'Boring. Lucius is trying to make it look like they kidnapped me.'
V- '😒 Oh merlin. How's your dad handling this?'
H- 'Doing his best not to laugh and trying to fry them at the same time? How's the party?'
V- 'Same boring balls. I'm just looking forward to the sleepover they agreed with.'
H- 'I guess I can't come to that?'
V- 'Sorry, still no boys allowed. You won't like it. Everything is gonna be girly."
H- 'Got it. Hopefully this is over so I can give you your gift.'
He continued texting while still listening to everyone. When he saw that it looked like Mafloy was gonna win Hunter put his phone away and chimed in. He wasn't gonna stay with people that would try and get him to join the dark side. He already had his mom for that. Hunter pointed out that he wanted to stay with his adopted parents and that he was gonna turn 17 in a few months so what was the point in trying to uproot him from his home. Hades even said that if Lucius wants a custody battle for a soon to be legal adult he didn't mind fighting. If Lucius thought he could buy this out he had another thing coming because as God he had enough money by three countries. In the long run Mafloy ended up losing the case and Hunter was able to make it before the cake was cut. So now they had two things to celebrate about.
When the ball ended almost all the guests had left. All that was left were Vanessa's female friends from both Auradon and the wizardry world. Harry and Ron were surprised that both Hermione and Ginny were invited to it.
"Why are you two invited?" Ron asked
"Because they are girls, we are in the same house so that makes house sisters and I invited them." Vanessa said "You guys are welcome to join." She turned and looked at the other girls with an evil grin. "We could always use them to place make-up on, do their hair and place dresses on them like dolls. Right girls."
"Yeah." They said
"Do yourself a favor boys and run." Hunter whispered
They took his advice and headed to Harry's room. The girls couldn't help but laugh at their retreat. Hunter shook his head and kissed his girlfriend's cheek before putting his jacket on.
"Have fun, love and Happy Birthday." He said
"Thank you, babe." Vanessa said
When night came the girls had a lot of fun as the first activity they did was doing each others' hair and make-overs. Evie even showed Hermione a few tips on how to tame her bushing hair and style it in a few ways. For once Hermione didn't mind doing this. Then they played a few games before watching some rom-con, syfy and horror movies with popcorn and ice cream. Ron and Harry had decided to do some eavesdropping on their party and got caught. So Vanessa and the girls did as they had threatened and started placing makeup on them, braiding their hairs and dolling them up. To make it worse for the boys the girls took pictures. So far it was a great birthday.
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A/N there will be lemon in the next chapter.