Harry knew he should have at least brought his cloak. Instead, he had wanted to walk the halls of Hogwarts unimpaired. Now though, he regrated it. All he wanted was to think, calmly and uninterrupted for a change. Instead, he was running from the pink toad he had only finished detention with an hour ago. His hand was still bleeding, and the running was not helping in the slightest.

Turning the corner towards the staircase on the fourth floor, he felt hands reach out and grab him. Pulling him behind a tapestry, one hand over his mouth, another around his waist. Panicking, he thrashed around trying to loosen the grip.

"Shh Harrikins"
"It's just us" George and then Fred whispered.

Instantly he relaxed, before tensing again as he heard the click clack of the toad drawing closer.

"Mr. Filch, did you find them?" Umbridge asked, a sickly-sweet tone.

"No madam can't of got far though" filch sneered. Mrs Norris wrapping herself around his leg, purring like a chainsaw.

"Well, keep looking. I want those responsible caught and brought to my office immediately" she huffed, they heard her stomp her foot before stomping away. Harry could just imagine a giant pink toad like baby throwing a tantrum and had to control himself before he lost it.

They listened as Filch mumbled about the 'wonderful woman' and what he would do when he found them, again he was restraining himself from laughing. The threats were always the same, chained up in the dungeons, a good whipping etc etc.

Once it was quiet, he turned in the twin's arms and scowled. "What did you do?"

Fred placed a hand over his heart while George dramatically draped himself over Freds shoulder.

"Hear the Gred"
"I did Forge"
"Our little Harrikins"
"Accusing us of doing something"
"the betrayal"
"the audacity"
"the heartache"
"the injustice"

Harry rolled his eyes as the pair stared sobbing dramatically. "Are you done?"

"Oh it's serious harry tonight" Fred raised his brow in question.

"No fun Harrikins" George pouted.

"Well she's obviously angry at something, so what did you do?" he asked again. He got twin Cheshire grins in return.

"Just working out the kinks in our Portable swamps" Fred said, inspecting his nails.

"Yes, think we might have it now" George wrapped his arm around Harry as he shook his head. "Now, why don't you tell your favourite twins what you're doing out of bed so late hmm"

"Just needed to think" He mumbled, looking down at his shoes.

Fred and George shared a look. Something was wrong with their Harrikins.

"Harry, are you alright?" Fred asked gently.

Harry went to nod as he stepped out of Georges hold, but he bumped his hand on a jagged piece of stone and let out a pained cry.

George's Blue eyes narrowed as he looked at Harry's hand. "Show me" he held out his hand and waited.

Sighing, harry held out his hand and watched as George carefully removed the bandage. The words 'I must not tell lies' stark against his pale skin, blood still oozing. For a moment George just stared at it before he growled. "She did this to you?

"George its fine. I can handle it" He tried to reason.

"Like hell you can. Have you told anyone? Do Remus and Sirius know?" Fred took his hand gently while George stood back swearing under his breath. Before he could answer though.

"We're taking you to the hospital wing" George decided.

"What! No, I can't go there" he flinched back.

"Harry, this needs healing" Fred said gently, placing a hand on George's shoulder.

"Then you do it, I trust you more then Madam Pomphrey"

"This needs more then what we can do harry, you need essence of murtlap. We don't have that stuff in our bags" George sighed. he knew harry wouldn't want to go, but he had an idea. He just hoped harry would forgive him. He looked at his brother and gave him a nod. "Sorry Harrikins"

"For wha…" "Stupefy"

Fred caught him as he collapsed. He hooked one arm under his knee's and scooped him up bridal style.

"Sorry Love. Come on, I'll Disillusion you" George sighed as he waved his wand.

"Did we really have to stun him?" Fred asked, shivering at the tingling feeling racing down his body.

"You know as well as I do, he won't go to him. Snapes a basted, but he cares in his own weird way. Now be quiet"

"Feet, George"

"Right, forgot" He pulled his wand again, silencing their feet. "Now we can go"

George stuck his head out, making sure the coast was clear. He stepped out and held the tapestry open for his twin and their precious cargo.

As quickly and carefully as they could, they made the ten-minute walk down to the dungeons. George opened the Potions classroom door and waited. Fred kicked a desk softly to let him know they were there, and he closed the door. He threw up a silencing ward and a locking charm he had found over the summer in the black family library. Turning back around he removed the silencing and disillusionment charms.

"Try not to jostle his hand anymore" George said quietly, making his way to the back of the classroom. He knocked on the door he knew led to the man's personal chamber and waited.

Almost instantly the door swung open. The man sneered as he crossed his arms in front of himself. "Mr. Weasley…Give me one good reason not to give you detention for a month. Out after curfew, really"

"Sorry professor, but we need your help. Harrys hurt" George explained, waving behind himself towards the two.

"Then take him to Madam Pomphrey" He sneered, as he started to close the door.

"NO!" "PLEASE SIR" both teens yelled.

"Sir, he had detention with Umbridge. We found him wondering around afterwards his hand wrapped in a bandage sir" George explained quickly, standing in the doorframe. He may have left out that they were also hiding from her but needs must in times like this.

"And I should care why?"

"Sir, there's words carved into the back of his hand, and it won't stop bleeding" Fred said desperately.

That got the man's attention. He pushed George out of the way and walked over. "Did he pass out?"

"Ah… I stunned him" George muttered.

"Idiot boy. Go to the cupboard near my desk. bring me a bowl, a clean cloth, essence of murtlap, the bottle of dittany, Pain reliever and a blood replenisher. Was this his first detention?" Snape asked, the boy's hand was practically shredded, but the words were clear as day. He quickly summoned his quill, a piece of parchment and his camera. He tapped the camera, and it instantly came to life, taking pictures of the boys ruined hand.

"No, we don't know what happens during them either" Fred said softly as he watched the camera.

"I'm going to have wake him. Try to keep him still"

George quickly found everything he was asked for, turning to see snape waking Harry. He quickly made his was back and started placing everything on the desk.

"Fred? George?" Harry mumbled.

"We got you. Please just do as professor snape tells you" Fred asked.

"What!" Harry's head whipped around and watched as snape set things out in order. Filling a bowl with water before adding 9 drops of something to it.

"Put your hand in here Potter. And leave it there until I say so" the man stared him in the eye before he sighed and stood, tapping the quill with his wand. "How did this happen Mr. Potter"

The quill jumped up and started gliding across the page, Harry watched it as it paused. George poked him in the cheek to get his attention, pointing to snape.

"oh… um… I was writing lines in detention with Professor Umbridge"

"And what was she making you write with?" Snape asked, his back turned.

"I don't know what there called sir"

"Can you describe it?"

"Um it was kinda short and stumpy, not like a regular quill, she calls them her special quills. Black. They don't need ink though, but I know they use my blood" Harry watched as the quill wrote everything they said.

"And how long have you been using this special quill?"

"Since my first detention in September, so about five months. I had a two week break over Christmas"

Harry watched as Snape took a deep breath before he continued "How often are you in detention with madam Umbridge Mr. Potter and how long do they last?"

"Almost weekly, 4 out of 7 days. At first, they only lasted 2 hours but In the last month its pushing 4 hours a night" harry winced, the adrenalin had worn off and now he could feel his hand throbbing. He startled when a hand appeared in front of him.

"Drink this. It should dull the pain, then we will continue" Snape said softly.

He took the vial and pulled the cork. Quickly swallowing the vile thing, not even noticing Snape's eyes narrowing.

"Better?"

"Yes, thank you sir" Harry sighed in relief, the throbbing in his hand disappearing.

"Good. Now, have you told anyone this was happening?" Snape sat down on the stool in front of him. George hovering over the man's shoulder, Harry could see he was trying not lose control. He was the more protective out of the two.

"I tried to tell Professor McGonagall, but she didn't listen and told me to keep my head down. I told the headmaster and he said he would talk to her. But nothing changed. Ron and Hermonie know but there's nothing they can do, their just students" he explained.

"Was this before or after the headmaster fled the school?"

"I told him towards the end of October"

Snape snarled as he stood up, the stool falling backward in his hurry. He tapped the quill again and it fell where it stopped writing. He then picked it up and continued scribbling away, muttering under his breath.

Harry felt arms wrap around him and squeeze. "Why didn't you come to us"

Harry looked over his shoulder and saw Fred, tears slowly falling. He looked back over to George who was furiously pacing the classroom.

"Your students, what could you have done?" He asked.

"Apparently a lot more than the apparent staff" Snape growled. "Harry, I'll be right back. Keep your hand in the bowl"

Harry sat in shock. Not once in his almost five years of being in this school had snape called him harry. He just nodded dumbly at the man.

"Excuse me for a moment" The man stood and walked out of the classroom, his robes billowing behind him.

Before he could register what was happening, George had him up out of Fred's lap and into a bone crushing hug. It was slightly awkward due to his hand still being in the bowl "I'm sorry we didn't help sooner"

Harry just squeezed him as best he could. He felt Fred stand behind him and join the awkward hug. They stood like that for a few minutes until a throat clearing got their attention.

"Mr Potter?" Harry turned to see a woman walking out of the room snape disappeared into. She was closely followed by Kingsley and Tonks. They both looked at him, confusion clear in their eyes. "I'm Amelia Bones, Head of the DMLE, the two with me are Aurors Shacklebolt and Tonks. Now your professor has called us due to some accusations Am I correct?"

Snape made his way over and removed his hand from the bowl, placing it on the cloth next to it.

"Yes Mam" he said quietly. Fred and Georges arms tightening around him.

"Alright. I'm sorry boys, but I need you to let go for the moment. May I call you Harry?" She asked gently, taking a seat in front of him.

"that's fine"

"Alright, now. I need you to tell me what happened. Can you do that?"

"I've already told the professor?" he said.

"I know you have. But I still need to hear it, I'm sorry. Memories can be used as evidence in wizarding world." she explained to him.

"May I heal him first?" Snape asked. "I have taken photos of what his hand looked like before"

"Yes of course" She agreed quickly.

He had Harry pull up his sleeve, brows knitting together as he saw the other scars along his arm. He looked up to find Amelia, Kingsley and Tonks all share the same look.

Snape stayed quiet but harry knew he would need to answer any questions thrown at him. Snape patiently went along and healed his hand, the scar would remain he said, but it was harder to decipher what was there before. the dark magic left behind was removed as much as it could be. But he explained that because of the magic behind it, he would find it impossible to lie now.

Harry sat there for 2 hours going over the details and having his hand healed. What the detentions were, how long they lasted, what they were for. All of it. Kingsley and Tonks gathered up the prepared evidence, while Amelia asked him question after question. Fred and George silent throughout the whole ordeal unless asked something themselves. At the end Amelia asked for him to bring all the memories to the front of his mind, while she placed her wand to his temple. He stilled for a moment until she explained she was only removing the memories to add to the evidence. When they were down, she placed them into a large vial and placed it in the bag on the table.

"Thank you, Harry. what's going to happen now is I'm going to go back to the ministry. I need to file your statements and submit the evidence. Then I will be writing up an arrest warrant for Madam Umbridge. I will return around Breakfast, but if you find yourself in trouble with her before that, come straight to professor snape and he will contact me. Is there anything else you wish for me to know?" she asked pointedly, glancing at his forearm.

Harry shook his head. Its not like anyone had cared before.

"Alright. Have professor Snape contact me if you need me. Go get some rest" she ordered gently.

"Thank you for coming so quickly Amelia" Severus said as he walked them out.

Fred and George quickly wrapped him in their arms again. He felt numb and exhausted. They stood there for a few minutes in the silence before Snape walked back in.

Snape gave them a stiff nod "Well, you better come in"

Harry found himself being led into snapes private quarters. Fred and Geroge gently moving him to the couch in front of the fireplace and seating him between them. George glared into the fire while Fred constantly looked between them, worry clear in his blue eyes.

"Mipsy" Severus called.

"Master snapey bes calling for his Mipsy?" the elf asked as she popped into the room.

"Can you make sure the wards are in place please, come get me if there are any issues"

"Mipsy bes right on it" she said before popping away

Harry snuggled in closer to Fred, the teens fingers gently running through his hair, while George held his hand. Slowly he felt his eyelids became heavy, until finally he drifted off to sleep held safely by the teens beside him.

Severus watched as Harry drifted into sleep. One of the red heads, Fred he thinks, gently running his fingers through the unruly mop, the other holding his hand. They all looked rather comfortable if not for the tense atmosphere. When he was sure the boy was asleep, he turned to the demon twins.

"I know it's late but do you two know why he has scars up his arm?" he asked bluntly. "Is he self-harming?" he knew plenty of teenagers that did, he had personally seen to their mental health plans.

He watched as the two seemed to have a silent conversation. They kept shrugging and nodding to one another before they finally looked his way.

"Sir, what do you know of Harry's home life?" George asked.

Severus arched a brow "I was told he was being raised in a good home. a cousin of his father I believe albus said"

"Well, that's a lie. I don't think his dad had any other family. No, he was put into the care of his mum's sister" Fred said quietly. Severus watched as the teen continued to run his fingers through Harry's hair, seemingly to calm himself.

Then Severus felt himself pale. The words hitting him. His mum's sister "You mean to tell me, Albus placed the boy with tunafish?"

"If you're referring to petunia, then yes. But your name for her is much better. Harry calls her horse-face" Fred chuckled darkly.

"merlin" Severus lent forward, head in his hands as he took deep breaths. "What can you tell me? Has he told you about his time there?"

"He hasn't told us anything about what happens there. But we're not blind. Haven't you ever noticed how short and thin he is whenever he comes back sir? How little he eats for the first few months of the year? He hides food when he thinks no one is watching. He flinches whenever someone shouts, moves quickly or touches him unexpectedly. His ok with some people, but not everyone. Sometimes it causes him to go into a full-blown panic attack. After the revelation of him being a parseltounge and his name coming out of the Goblet last year, he was near catatonic. Fred and I found him in the old charm's classroom the next morning, after the first time. Neville and lee helped us find him after the goblet. It took us six hours to talk him through it. after the third task, it took us two days to talk him down." George stared into the fire, voice monotone like he was retelling it for the hundredth time and not expecting to be believed.

"We noticed the scars on his back after practice his first year. They take up his entire back and down his legs. We went to McGonagall, and she told us not to worry, some kids were more accident prone than others. But in all the time we have known harry, his never once been clumsy. Everything that's happened to him, has been outside influences. Merlin half the school was cursing and jinxing him in his second year and last year, not to mention his 'adventures' every year. The majority of his stays in the hospital wing over the last five years have been because of others" Fred sighed, leaning his head on the back of the couch, staring at the roof.

"Have you two told anyone this? Where were Ms granger and Mr Weasley in all this? Their usually not far from him" Severus asked them, trying to stay as calm as possible. How had he not seen this? He knew abuse. He lived it. He saw it in his snakes every year.

George scoffed "Our brother is nothing but a jealous little shit who thinks the world owes him, all because his 'best friend' is the boy who lived. My bet is he only sticks around because the potters were rich, so he could just sponge off of harry instead of actually doing something. Granger thinks the sun sets and rises with Dumbledore, so follows his every word. If she's not berating him for not doing his homework, she's too busy making sure the stuff he does do, barely passes. She ignores his requests not to touch him and at times hits him. Harry saw Cedric die in possibly one of the most traumatic events in his life, and the first thing she does when he comes out of the hospital wing is question and berate him. Then during the summer, while we were all nestled safely in Grimmauld place, they ignored his owls. Only replying when dumbledore told them to. Why would you send a traumatised child home, and forbid those closest to them from communicating with them? Not safe my ass, Dobby was more than happy to pass letters and packages along" Geroge ranted.

"we told mum after we rescued him before his second year. We pulled bars off his window and when we got inside, his door was locked shut from the outside and had a cat flap installed. There was a can of soup and a mouldy piece of bread on a plate. He couldn't even open the can. We were able to get the door open, but that's after disabling seven deadlocks. His school things were kept under the stairs in a cupboard. We found 'Harry's room' carved into the wall inside. the words boy and freak came before his own and both were crossed out. His trunk was literally sitting on top of a tiny mattress covered in stains. When we told mum, she told us off for being so cruel as to make up lies about Harry's 'family'. We told dad after he got home, and while he looked and sounded angry, nothing ever happened. We ask dumbledore every year if he can come stay with us instead of going back there but every time, he tells us were being dramatic. We tried to talk to Sirius and Remus during the summer, but mum never left us alone long enough, and now we can't even be sure our owls are safe" Fred continued.

Severus watched as the emotions played across George's face. He summoned another calming draught before standing and marching over. "Drink it, his safe here. We will deal with those muggles later"

"Sir?" George asked, his brow raised.

"You mean you believe us?" Fred looked dumbfounded.

"As soon as you said petunia" Severus sighed, his fingers rubbing his forehead. He waved his hand and summoned three tumblers and a bottle of his good scotch.

The twins sighed, relaxing more. Severus handed them a finger each and watched as they tipped it back easily.

"For now, you three will stay here. I have a spare room you may use, but he is not to be woken. He needs sleep, more than anything else right now. I will wake you in time to make your way up to your common room, then the great hall for breakfast. You will remain quiet about this, until Amelia arrives. Is that clear?" He glared at the twins, as they agreed "Will anyone notice your missing?"

"Ronald, Granger and possibly Ginny will most likely be the only ones to really kick up a fuss. Neville and Lee will just assume we got distracted and fell asleep in a classroom" Fred said, as he cast a feather light charm and picked up the sleeping teen.

"Common occurrence I presume" He drawled, escorting them to the room.

"Not as common as you would expect but it does happen from time to time" George fixing the pillows and blanket on the bed, making sure there was space for them all to sleep comfortably. "Thank you, sir, for this" George stood and raised his hand "Dad always said there's more to you then you let people see. I think I'm seeing that for myself"

He sat in his lounge, thoughts racing through his head. He was berating himself, for five years he had made the boys life hell. Yes, it was mostly an act. A need to protect the boy and himself from both of his masters, but the way albus talked about the boy had him thinking he was pampered, treated like a prince. Spoilt. Just like his father. Yet tonight, he saw something completely different. Tonight, he saw vulnerability, confusion as to why someone cared. He was obviously fine with the twins touching him, but he noticed the subtle flinches when either he or Amelia touched him. Placing his head in his hands, he sent up a silent plea "Lily forgive me"

He needed help with this, and he knew who to contact, as much the pair irked him. He stood and walked towards the mantle. He took a deep breath and threw some floo powder in and stepped through.

If he thought the kitchen would be empty, he was clearly wrong. Instead, what he found was Black and Lupin and neither of them had noticed his arrival. Black was on the edge of the table, his head tipped back moaning, his legs wrapped around Lupins hips, hands holding on tight as the wolf thrust hard. The words coming out of the wolfs mouth made him think the gentle, calm hearted, cardigan wearing man was everything but.

They were close and he knew it. so, with a smirk he cleared his throat. "I would suggest you lock down the floo before entertaining, mutt. But alas, I need to speak with you and the wolf… now" Glee surged through him as black let out an unmanly squeak and fell to the floor when lupin pulled out harshly. The wolf quickly pulling up his pants blushing so deeply he resembled a tomato.

"Bit late for house calls snivilous, don't you think" Black sneered. He got up and grabbed his trousers. Unlike the wolf he didn't seem to care about being exposed.

"A situation has arisen, and I need to talk to you both. So please, get dressed" He drawled sarcastically.

"Severus? It's 2 in the morning! Why are you here?" Remus asked, glaring at Sirius as he opened his mouth. He looked Severus in the eye, sniffing. "Why do you smell like harry and the twins?"

"Again, As I said, a situation has come to my attention, and I need to talk to you. Now preferably" he said again, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

"Is harry alright? What did you do to him!" Sirius growled. Dressing quickly.

"Nothing that didn't need to be done, now please may we at least try to be civil and talk. He and those twins of his are in my personal quarters and I do not wish to leave them alone much longer"

Sirius went to say something until Remus elbowed him. "Would you like some tea?"

"We're going to need something stronger. Now I must know, is albus here?" he asked them as he sat.

"No, do we need to call him? Missing your Boyfriend?" Sirius asked sarcastically and quickly got a smack over the head. "Ow, what was that for"

"No his not here Severus, why?" Remus asked, glaring at Sirius.

"I would prefer you didn't. do you mind me putting up some more privacy and monitoring charms, I know the banshee is here and it would be detrimental for our conversation if she were to overhear" He raised his wand in question before Sirius gave him the go ahead.

Once he had the charms up and ready, he pulled the bottle Black placed on the table and poured himself a shot. Pouring out a proper drink for not only himself but the other two he waited.

"What's going on, why are you here so late?" Remus quietly

And so, for forty minutes and many shots, Severus explained what happened that night. He could see the explosion about to happen and spelled a calming draught into the mutt's stomach.

"Now, do either of you know where Harry is living during the summer?"

"With his aunt, why?" Remus asked.

"And neither of you find that suspicious?" he hissed. "Did lily not tell you about her?"

"She never spoke of her family, other than to say she has no contact with them" Remus scowled as he tried to remember.

"What are you suggesting here snivi…OW WHAT THE HELL" Sirius yelled, rubbing his arm.

Remus glared at the man as he pocketed his wand "Grow up, his helping our pup right now. so, keep your mouth shut unless it's to thank him and let me do the talking" the wolf than turned to Severus. "That goes for you to. Honestly, we're adults, it's time we act like it"

"His right, we're here for a reason. His living with Petunia Dursley. Lily's older sister" Severus said gently.

"…Ok. But as I said, lily never spoke of her family" Remus said slowly, confusion in his eyes.

"That woman hated Lily and I because we had magic, she would constantly taunt us then run off crying when we retaliated. Granted I was a right basted even then. The amount of times lily ended up in hospital because of her even before starting here is astounding. She was vicious, she purposefully broke lily's arm because lily made a flower bloom. She told my father, that I was practicing my 'Freakish ways' leading to one of the worst beatings of my life. She spread lies around the town, calling lily a 2-bit whore and me a deranged psychopath. All before we reached 11, Now, what do you think she would do to him"

Remus was at a loss. Sirius looked ready to explode and go destroy the filth that hurt his godson.

"I think it's safe to say he will not be returning to those muggles. Black, when Amelia arrives at breakfast, I'll request a meeting. When its granted, I will inform you. For now, both you and Lupin are to remain here at Grimmauld place" he told them.

"Damn right his not returning. But I doubt the ministry will give me custody even if I'm declared innocent. Do you know who else was named in their wills? I know for a fact they had more than me listed" Sirius said.

"Pads, there hasn't been one" Remus turned to the man, brow raised. "At least not that I know of"

"I know they left wills. They had a target on their backs, they wanted to make sure Harry was taken care of" Severus watched as colour drained from Blacks face, eyes wide "Albus was their witness actually"

The wheels in his head were turning. If they had will's, they should have been read within two months of their passing. The Goblins would have made sure of it.

"Why do I get the feeling something isn't right?" Sirius asked.

"Because you would be correct. None of this is right. Surely Albus doesn't know?" Remus asked.

"Your either naive or extremely optimistic. I know for a fact he would know and chose to ignore it, like he has with many others. You need to remember, I'm a double agent. I see both sides of the coin" and what he had seen, he didn't like.

"And what is that supposed to mean? We know you're a spy, but not who's side your actually on" Sirius huffed.

"Harry's. I will always be on Harry's side. I act the way I do because of who I serve. I am constantly fighting myself over my treatment of him, but I will always, always protect him" He told them firmly.

"But your Dark? Why turn on your master, for a child. His enemy? Why would you turn your back on him?" Sirius barked, standing in his seat.

"Yes, I joined the Dark lord at 17. His manifesto was exactly what I wanted in life. Safety to love who I love whether that be men or woman, Safety to practice my craft freely, safety for those classed as lesser, safety to practice the rituals and rites of the olde ways. He wanted to bring change yes, but nowhere in his manifesto did he say anything about killing muggles and Muggleborn's. The man I met at 17 was completely different to the man he became. Do you know how many died before 1979?" they shook their heads, clearly trying to remember. "11. 11 people died and all of them fired the first spell. The dark lord started in politics, proposing bills for creature rights, earlier education and laws to prevent Squibs from being left in the muggle world. He tried bringing in a new department aimed at and for magical children. It acted much like CPS or Child protective services in the muggle world. He wanted children, magical and creature, to know that they were safe here. That if their home lives were bad, they had a safe place to go, safe people to talk to. He grew up in a orphanage in the middle of London, During the bombings. He was treated cruelly and subjected to countless exorcisms, beatings and starvation to the extreme only to be told at 11 he was a wizard and would then spend years away at a school to learn. He was forced back to that orphanage year after year until he finally escaped after he turned 15. The man he became, I will never follow"

"How do you know all this?" Remus asked. Curiosity clear in his eyes.

"It's in the manifesto. He believed that to know the people around him, he needed them to know him. A half-blood by the name of Tom Riddle, who wanted to change the wizarding world for the better."

Remus sat back in his seat, clearly, he hadn't been expecting that.

"But his dark, like you" Sirius pointed out.

Sighing he put his glass down. "How many light cored Potion masters do you know? Because I can tell you now, the answer is none. Grey, yes. But the best are all dark. Lupin, you yourself are classed as dark. Its why you find darker spells, that much easier. It's not because of your creature status it's because of your core.
Black, just look at your entire family. And before you say you know this; do you actually know what it entails? If anything, you lean towards the greyer side of magic. You find it easy to perform all sides of magic, correct?"

"Well, yes. But that doesn't make me evil" Black pointed his long-tattooed finger at him.

Severus sighed again, fingers rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Dark doesn't mean evil. Light doesn't mean good. It is merely a word to describe the force. If we were talking evil, that would be Black magic. Magic is about intent. You cannot simply label something we still and probably never will understand. Now, we need to get back on topic. If you wish to read the manifesto, I will lend it to you"

"Thank you, Severus. I would like to read it" He gave the man a nod in return "Now, what are we going to do?"

"Well, if what black says is correct, we need to contact the goblins. If wills were made and ignored than they need to be rectified. I will kidnap him if I have to, I will not allow for him to be mistreated any longer. He needs help and he can't get it if we keep sending him back. The consequences could be dire. You, Black, after you have been declared free, will be getting help to. No, it's not a request, 12 years in Azkaban has affected you. As it would anyone. You need mind healing and potions to counter the Dementors effects, something which I should tell you, Albus forbid me from making"

"What! Why would he do that" Remus snarled.

"That, I cannot answer. I will start the process and get them to you, but they take some time to brew. I will contact my account manager and set up an appointment, when that's done, I will let you know. It will be after curfew, and I will bring harry with me. Do not tell the headmaster or anyone of this"

"I… we…" Sirius looked like his world had come crumbling down. Severus couldn't blame him, the man really did care for his godson, but he also knew he missed the family he had once. He had watched how the house affected him, he had seen the tense set in his shoulders and jaw many times. The only time he seemed normal was when harry was there. He also knew the man was loyal to dumbledore, but he hoped that loyalty would be coming to an end. "It's why it hurt so much during fifth year, when she distanced herself isn't it. she was like a sister to you" Sirius said quietly, changing the subject.

Severus sat back in his chair, trying to push those memories aside. They hurt too much. He fucked up and lost the one person he counted as family, his sister in all but blood.

"James and I were assholes to you. And trust me, she didn't let us forget it. cursed us black and blue for months. And I don't think my apologies will make up for what we did to you, but for what it's worth. I am sorry for everything. James was to, and we understood why you ignored our owls but why didn't you reply to her?" Sirius asked, his head tilted to the side.

"What owls?" His eyes wide, they had sent him letters.

"James and I sent owls the summer after fifth year with formal apologies. When his parents found out they went nuts. Made us write to you and when you didn't reply, told us it was what we deserved. You know how stubborn Lily was, but she sent them every week after graduation right up until they went into hiding. At first she was upset that you wouldn't reply, but as time went on she still continued. Even sending you copies of her sonogram pictures when they found out about harry. She was hoping you would come back, that you could be apart of her life again"

"I…I never received them" He sat back in shock. While yes it was true, both Black and Potter calmed down during their last years of school, he had pushed it aside thinking they were just waiting for the right moment to strike. But Lily had tried reaching out? Why hadn't he received those owls?

"That can't be right, Helena always came back empty handed" Remus was confused.

"I swear I never received any letters from any of you" what the hell was happening. "Wait, is that why you still call me that childish name?"

Sirius shrugged "I honestly couldn't care less that you ignored my owls, I meant it when I apologised. But I watched her crumble more and more when Helena returned empty handed every time. It's childish I know, but she was my sister. Like you she took care of me"

"And you didn't think to mention any of that?" Severus asked Remus.

"After the reception I received, no. and it wasn't because of some petty vindictiveness. I truly believed you knew" The wolf raised his hands in surrender at his glare.

"Right. As I said, I will contact my account manager and set up an appointment. For now, I will return and get some sleep. I now only have 2 hours to sleep before the day starts" Severus stood slowly. He needed to get away and think "Thank you, for telling me this."

With that said he left, not bothering with the floo or the two men still in their seats, and instead making his way out the front door and apparated to Hogsmeade.