Hello everyone. I hope all my readers are doing well with all the…craziness currently going on in the world. I finally got the time to sit down (instead of sleeping) to finish the chapter for this month. I managed to make it a little longer than my normal ones which is my current goal going forward.

Just a reminder: You can find me on facebook under the name Snowbeam and I have started a discord server that everyone is welcome to join. Readers and writers alike. The invite code is (c8zrjDCtRa)

Enjoy

"A lesson without pain is meaningless." – Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Chapter 24:
Discovering Another Misfortune

Harry was silent as he sat in the against the soft pillows that had been placed in the bay window that overlooked the grounds of Potter Manor. He read the defense book Snape had given him. While he was sure the Potions Master had only given him the gift to make his parents happy, he was actually enjoying it. He had always enjoyed Defense even with the horrible teachers he'd had the first two years at Hogwarts. Remus had been an awesome teacher but from what he'd seen of the man teaching defense this year, he was still the only decent one they'd had. His mind began to wander as he thought about what the creepy man had done to Draco the night of the Yule Ball at Hogwarts, finding himself wondering if anything had been done. He knew that Lucius hadn't been happy with the fact Dumbledore had attempted to brush it under the rug simply because it had been done to a group of Slytherins.

"Lunch for Master Harry." Izzy stated, popping into the sitting room holding a plate of sandwiches. She tilted her head slightly when he didn't look away from his book, concern written on her face since he never ignored her.

"Master Harry." She stated again, hoping to catch his attention. The small house elf laughed when he jumped, clearly startled if the surprised expression that appeared on his face was any indication. She sat the tray on the small table that was located next to the window bay seat, giving him a kind smile.

"You need eat lunch. Then Professor Wolf needs you in library." She stated before she popped out. Harry figured she had other things she needed to take care of but liked the fact she always cared about him enough to personally make and bring him lunch every day simply to make sure he didn't forget to eat the one meal he was allowed to take alone. He closed the book before grabbing one of the sandwiches. His attention was drawn to movement down on the grounds as he took a bite, smiling as Remus and Tonks walked through the gardens. He could see Sirius running around a little way ahead of them as Padfoot. Since he'd spent Yule morning with his…family, he'd felt an odd sense of ease. It was small and he knew they still had a long way to go but it had felt like something small had finally clicked into place.

"I hope it's okay but your…Izzy let me in through the floo." Draco's voice suddenly stated from the doorway. Harry jerked around, surprised by his brother's arrival. Draco offered his brother a smirk before he walked over to the window, stealing a sandwich from the plate.

"It's fine. You're…welcome to come over whenever you want." Harry muttered. He couldn't help feeling slightly surprised as he realized how comfortable he'd started being with the boy that had been his school rival since starting Hogwarts. If anyone had told him at the end of the previous year that he would be able to stand in the same room as Draco without fighting, he would have thought they were crazy or under some type of spell.

"Not that I mind but was there something you were needing?" Harry questioned after several minutes of awkward silence.

"I came through because I was wanting to talk to you about the upcoming Wizengamot meeting. I doubt father has thought to mention it to you but since you…do hold a Lord title, you have a right to attend." Draco answered, shifting slightly to hide how nervous he felt around his twin. While he knew they'd been working on their relationship since Harry had started spending more time with Daphne which meant he was spending more time with the group of Slytherins, Draco still felt like he had a lot to make up for. Harry frowned as he thought about the meeting. Lucius had mentioned it in passing but he hadn't heard anything else about it since that first time. It wasn't hard to figure that he probably thought he was still too new to his responsibilities to want to attend the meeting. Plus, if he remembered from his lessons with Remus, Dumbledore was the one mostly in charge of the sessions.

"If it will make you feel better, I will get to attend with father so I can start getting more hands-on learning as his heir for the time when I claim the Malfoy title. Several of our…friends will also be in attendance." Draco continued to explain. He couldn't help shifting slightly when Harry remained quiet.

"I don't know. I'll think about it, but I don't know if I'm ready for that yet. I still have a lot to learn about being a lord before I can start voting on things that will affect the wizarding community." Harry finally whispered. He looked down at the book in his lap again, thinking about the fact he also still needed to figure out what he was going to do for the next task. He knew it was supposed to be scheduled shortly after they returned to Hogwarts, and he still hadn't figured out the riddle from the egg. He was thankful that Remus had managed to figure out it was mermish, and he'd held it underwater when he'd taken a bath that night. Draco sat on the soft cushions beside his twin, not missing the miserable look on his face.

"Is there something else bothering you?" he questioned, attempting to comfort him. Harry released a dry laugh, shaking his head.

"My whole life is bothering me. Everything seems like it's such a mess right now. I always take one step forward just to have to take several back." Harry explained, sighing. He leaned back against the pillows, leaning his head against the cool glass of the windows. Draco glanced around at the other books that had been stacked on the floor near Harry's feet, reaching down to pick up the top one.

"Since when do you have in interest in mercreatures?" he questioned. He opened the book, flipping through it for a moment. Several of the pages had pieces of parchment stuffed in them with notes.

"Since the next task for that stupid tournament apparently has something to do with them. I've been reading any books I could find in the Potter Library, but I still have to figure out exactly what the task is going to be." Harry replied. He sat up, reaching for the roll of parchment that he'd written the hint from the gold egg on. Draco took it once he'd placed the book back on top of the pile, unrolling it to read whatever was written.

Come seek us where our voices sound,

We cannot sing above the ground,

We've taken what you'll sorely miss,

An hour long you'll have to look,

And to recover what we took,

But past an hour, the prospect's black,

Too late, it's gone, it won't come back.

He couldn't help frowning as he thought about the words. It was clearly talking about having to search for something important that was taken from each champion and only having an hour to do it. If he remembered correctly, Severus had mentioned in passing once or twice that there was a colony of merfolk in the Black Lake at Hogwarts. Which since the tournament was being hosted by Hogwarts, it would make sense.

"There's a colony of merfolk in the Black Lake so maybe you'll have to swim down there to retrieve whatever it is that is taken? Which if that's the case you'll need to figure out a way to breath underwater and it would need to last for an hour." Draco finally muttered. He glanced at his twin for a moment when he released a dramatic groan, grabbing one of the pillows to shove against his face. Harry felt like an idiot. He'd been attempting to figure out something so simple for nearly a week that Draco had figured out in one glance. If he'd been able to swallow his pride maybe he would have figured it out sooner and would have had had a few extra days to try to come up with a plan. Draco couldn't help the chuckle that escaped, amused by his twin's antics.

"Calm down. Now that you have your answers, why don't we head down to the library and start researching something that could actually help you and come up with some type of plan?" he suggested. Harry managed a nod, standing up. He grabbed the rest of his sandwich, knowing if Izzy discovered he hadn't finished it he would never hear the end of it. Draco followed him through the manor, glancing around in curiosity. Several witches and wizards in the paintings waved at him as they passed, some simply ignored them.

"Have you explored the manor at all?" Draco suddenly questioned, breaking the silence. Harry's steps faltered for a moment, glancing around for a moment.

"Not really? Not inside anyways. I've explored the gardens though." He responded with a shrug. He hadn't really had much want to explore the manor, mostly wanting to keep to himself while he attempted to figure everything out. Draco couldn't help glancing around for a moment, debating on continuing to the library or trying to convince his brother to explore a bit and just act like a normal teenager.

"Well, why don't we? It could be fun and who knows what we'd manage to find in this place." Draco continued, hoping to convince him to have a little fun. He wanted to see the happy, carefree Harry that used to drive him crazy when he saw him with the Weasel and Granger. He wanted to see the Harry that always enjoyed playing on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Not this depressed version that seemed too unsure about everything he did.

"I...guess we can. If Sirius or Remus need me for anything Sirius can send a patronus or one of the house elves. They always seem to know where I am anyways." Harry finally muttered, nodding his head as he decided to follow along with the idea. Draco couldn't help grinning at him, pulling him towards one of the emptier hallways that he was pretty sure led deeper into the manor. There weren't as many portraits as in the main hallway, but the landscape magical paintings never ceased to amaze him.

Harry couldn't help smiling as they explored several of the rooms, finding unused studies and guest bedrooms. One of the doors caught his attention, the door painted a red color similar to the Gryffindor crest on the Hogwarts robes. Draco tilted his head slightly as he watched him walk towards it. He carefully grabbed the handle, turning it. As he peaked inside, he saw the room was covered in Gryffindor things, though covered in a thin layer of dust like no one had been inside in many years. The candles flickered to life as he pushed the door open further, glancing around in curiosity. It was odd to him that even though this room was in the family wing of Potter Manor, as far as he knew it didn't belong to Sirius or Remus. Draco stepped into the room; his nose scrunched up at the sight of some much red.

"This room clearly belonged to a Gryffindor. No one else would dare have this much of such a horrid color for any other reason." He muttered, the distaste clear in his voice. Harry couldn't help the small laugh that escaped, shaking his head. He knew his twin didn't mean anything rude by it, it was a comment that just seemed to come naturally.

"Mind if I take a look around?" Harry questioned, gesturing towards the desk that was pushed against one of the windows on the far side of the room. Draco tilted his head for a moment as he glanced around before offering a shrug.

"I'm going to go explore one of the rooms that's a little less…red." he muttered. Harry smiled as he watched him make his escape before he walked further into the room. He couldn't help glancing around for a moment before walking over to the desk. He reached out to pick up one of the small frames located on the desk. He couldn't help tilting his head at the three people, not recognizing either of the adults though the child looked slightly familiar. He sat it down, moving onto the next one. It was six males, each dressed in Hogwarts uniforms though it looked like two of the students wore Slytherin robes while the other four were Gryffindors. He couldn't help frowning as he studied the picture, attempting to figure out why five of them looked familiar.

"Master James be proud of little Lord." A house elf suddenly stated, catching him off guard. He quickly sat the picture back down, turning around in surprise. It was one of the older elves that had still been residing in Potter Manor when they'd arrived.

"Tipsy not mean to startle little Lord. Tipsy notified someone in Master James room." The elf squeaked, ringing one of her ears in her hands.

"It's fine. I was lost in thought, that's all. I didn't mean to disturb anything in here. I didn't realize it was…James room." Harry muttered. He couldn't help shifting slightly, feeling awkward as the house elf continued to watch him. He glanced back at the photos again, realizing why the child and the group of teenagers had seemed familiar. It was the man he'd thought for 14 years was his father, looking at pictures of him for years from the photo album that he'd received from Hagrid after his first year. He recognized Sirius and Remus standing on either side of James, both wearing grins as the boys pushed each other in the picture. Peter stood back a bit to avoid flailing limbs, but a smile on his face as he watched their antics.

"Tipsy who…are the other two boys in this picture?" Harry questioned, picking it up to show her which one he was referring to. The house elf stepped forward, tilting her head slightly. She frowned slightly, a concerned look crossing her face for a moment as she seemed to struggle to remember.

"I know not little Lord. Perhaps Master Padfoot and Mister Moony know?" she suggested. He only nodded, carefully slipping the frame into the enchanted pocket of his jeans once he'd made sure it was alright for him to take. Harry carefully closed the bedroom door, glancing over his shoulder as Draco stepped out of another room. His twin was flipping through what looked like a photo album.

"Find something that caught your attention?" Harry questioned. Draco frowned as he turned another page.

"I found an old photo album tucked away in a desk in one of the rooms further down the hallway. It was hidden behind some strong concealment charms, so someone clearly didn't want it found." He finally responded. Harry frowned, walking to stand at his side, attempting to look at the photos over his shoulder. It was more pictures of the Marauders from what looked like their time during Hogwarts.

"It looks like more pictures of James, Sirius, Peter and Remus from when they were first or second years. Maybe third. But I'm not sure who the other two are. I found a picture of them together too." He stated, quickly pulling the picture out of his pocket to show Draco. His twin frowned in confusion as he looked closer, his mind working on placing just who the teenagers were.

"I'm not sure about the one on the right is. But the one on the left next to Lupin is Uncle Severus. But why would he be in these photos? I thought he hated James Potter and his group of friends." Draco questioned, glancing at him for a moment. Both boys seemed to share the same thought, taking off through the hallways back in the direction of the library.

Remus jumped in surprise when the door to the library was slammed open. Sirius jerked awake, tumbling to the floor. He lay there dazed for a moment before releasing a groan, sitting up. He glared at his godson and cousin as they stopped at the table Remus had claimed.

"Is there a reason you two ran in here like you were being chased by something?" he questioned; his tone slightly annoyed as he stood up. Harry couldn't help shifting, something he was realizing he seemed to always do when he was nervous or feeling awkward.

"We…were exploring the manor and I found a room that Tipsy said was James. But it…I found something that I don't understand." He muttered. Remus and Sirius both shared a look of confusion, knowing they'd told Harry where James' room had been located in the manor just in case he ever wanted to take a look. The room wasn't as personalized as it had been before he'd moved into the cottage in Godric's Hallow but it still had some of his things that they'd thought Harry would like to see.

"I was also looking into another room a little further down from Harry, and I noticed it was furnished but it didn't really have much personalization to it like it had only been stayed in temporarily. I found this album behind some strong charms and we're both just confused on something." Draco continued. He flipped the album open, settling on a picture that showed the four Marauders, the mystery Slytherin and Severus sitting under one of the trees beside the Black Lake. All six boys were clearly joking around in the picture, smiles on each of their faces.

"Why is Snape in a picture with the Marauders? And who is this other guy? I've never heard either of you mention a fifth member, especially not someone that was a Slytherin." Harry questioned. Remus and Sirius shared a look, clearly confused before turning their attention back to the photo. Draco glanced at his brother for a moment, handing over the album when Remus held out his hand, not waiting for his ex-professor to ask for it.

"That's…my brother, Regulus. But…I don't understand. When was this taken?" Sirius stated, looking over Remus' shoulder as he flipped through the album, looking at the other pictures in the album. Every picture contained all six of them but neither remaining Marauders could remember any of the instances where the pictures would have been taken. Every memory either of them had with Severus they were always fighting, always trading insults.

"Here's the picture I found. It…looks almost like the one you showed me right before we went back to Hogwarts. But Regulus and Snape are both missing from it." Harry added, sitting the framed photo on the table.

"Izzy." Sirius suddenly called. The house elf popped into view, instantly on guard when she noticed the distressed look on both adults' faces. Before he could ask any questions Tipsy popped into the room, standing beside Izzy. She bowed her head, once again ringing one of her ears.

"Tipsy sorry. Tipsy bad elf. Tipsy disobey orders to keep Master James room private. Tipsy so sorry." She wailed, tears dripping down her cheeks. The older elf was clearly distraught about whatever was going on. Izzy glanced between her masters' and her fellow elf, clearly confused.

"Tipsy failed. Tipsy not mean to disobey." She continued, frantically shaking her head. Harry quickly knelt beside her, taking her small hands in his own in an attempt to calm her.

"Tipsy what are you talking about? Disobeyed who? How?" Remus questioned.

"Master Fleamont and Lady Euphemia forbad Tipsy from speaking about Little Master Snape and Regulus. Headmaster said little master Snape and Regulus harmed Master James. But they wouldn't. Tipsy knows they wouldn't." she squeaked. Harry glanced over his shoulder at the two adults confused. They could all easily guess who she meant when she said headmaster but neither of them seemed to know just what she was talking about.

"Think maybe Dumbledore did something when you were all in your third year? That's as far as the pictures of all of you seem to go so if I had to guess that's probably when whatever happened, happened." Draco commented, continuing to flip through the photo album that Remus had abandoned. Sirius balled his hands into fists at his sides, wondering just what Albus would have done, what he had taken from them that he thought would be so horrible to remember.

"You might have a point but…neither of us are strong enough in Legilimency to search for memories that have been locked for nearly…twenty-two years. Any the only ones we know that are I'm not comfortable letting in my head. No matter what the current circumstances are." Sirius stated, crossing his arms. Remus sighed, nodding along with his statement.

"Can't Gringotts do it? They removed the blocks on my magic so why couldn't they do it for you?" Harry questioned. He sat down in the chair once Izzy had taken Tipsy somewhere to attempt to calm her down. Draco looked at his twin confused, tilting his head slightly as he attempted to remember the few conversations he'd managed to overhear between his parents about Harry.

"That's an option but it's also more of a last resort. We don't know what Dumbledore did to our memories and I'd rather try to figure it out ourselves before we ask the goblins since Merlin only knows what all is blocked. I wouldn't put it past the old meddlesome man to do half of what we've discovered so far." Remus finally responded, shaking his head. He knew that James had received his heir ring during the beginning of their 5th year, but he himself hadn't had the protection from a family heirloom and Sirus had never received his heir ring since his mother had been determined Sirius wouldn't inherit the title of Lord Black. There was no telling what Dumbledore did before they learned enough basic magic to protect their minds since that was something he pushed for before they joined his precious order, always claiming Voldemort could discover any plans or secrets. It wouldn't be hard to manipulate six young teenagers, but he couldn't help wondering. He knew Severus was highly trained in Occlumency and Legilimency since he'd was one of Dumbledore's spies, so it didn't make sense that he wouldn't discover something amiss in his memories.

"Maybe we could just go and talk to the goblins? See if maybe they have a witch or wizard on their staff that would be able to help us?" Sirius suddenly suggested, jerking Remus from his thoughts.

"Help us with what? What did you guys do now?" Tonks questioned, walking into the room. She raised an eyebrow at the startled look she was receiving from Harry and Draco. It was surprising to see her other cousin, but she figured he'd probably managed to slip out of Malfoy Manor since she'd seen Lucius at the Ministry.

"We didn't necessarily do anything. However, we might have discovered something else Dumbledore decided to tamper with." Remus explained.

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I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I know I hinted at and introduced a couple new twists. I do want to say this is not a story where Severus Snape is paired with either Remus Lupin or Sirius Black. It is strictly friendship/acquaintances.

Remember to leave me a review on any thoughts, opinions, suggestions or if you spotted something that I missed when I was going through and double checking everything. I always try to respond as soon as I have a moment to. However, a reminder, flames are not needed. I know this type of story is not for everyone. I truly appreciate all my readers for sticking with me as the story has continued and hope to see you again.

Until Next Chapter,

Snowbeam12