Albus watched as his adopted son left the Infirmary. He couldn’t believe what he had just listened to. Never would he have imagined the level of disregard for another human being within this school. 

Hogwarts was a school of inclusion. No one was ever to feel that they didn’t belong. Everyone was supposed to feel like this was their home. There would be no judging of people. That’s what Albus had hoped he achieved. That was his reasoning for admitting Remus Lupin into the school. 

Albus looked at the now-closed doors of the Infirmary, thinking about Severus and everything that man has been through. All that Albus believed about Severus was just the tip of the iceberg of what his son had been through. Albus believed that taking Severus from his abusive father would help the child. But all Albus accomplished was removing Severus from one abusive situation but not the other.

“Professor Dumbledore,” Sirius said.

“Shut up, Black,” Albus roared, turning on Sirius. “Do you not understand the ramifications of your actions? Do you not understand what your “boredom” and “pranks” caused? Why did you pick Severus Snape? What could he have possibly done to deserve your ire?”

Sirius looked at the different emotions he received from the people in the room. Disappointment from McGonagall and Pomfrey. Disgust and anger from Dumbledore. Were those pranks really so bad? Maybe some of them went a little bit too far, but nothing warranted what he was receiving now. It wasn’t like Snape didn’t get them back. Snape wasn’t innocent in this whole matter.  As he recalled, there were several times he and Lily got one over on him and James. 

“James liked Lily,” Sirius replied. “She was always spending time with that—”

“It might be best for you if you didn’t finish that statement,” Minerva chimed in. “You seem unaware of how close to death you are right now.”

That statement surprised Sirius. He had never felt like his safety was threatened while he was at Hogwarts. The castle was always like a second home to him. The Potters’ house was the first, never his family’s house. 

“So,” Albus said, removing Sirius from his thoughts, “the only issue you had with Severus was that he was friends with Ms. Evans. Ignoring the fact that they could have been friends before even coming to Hogwarts, that they were the only people each other knew, starting a new chapter in their lives.”  

“I believed you told me Severus was always following Lily around,” Minerva added. “Am I right?”

Sirius didn’t reply. He just looked from Albus to Minerva. 

“And I equated that line of thinking to how close you and James Potter were,” Minerva continued. She looked at her former student, expecting an answer. “Yes?”

Sirius nodded. 

“Don’t get quiet now,” Albus roared again. “You had no problem touting your hatred towards Severus. Be the man you ought to be and speak up.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Now,” Albus said more calmly. “In the half-hour, we’ve learned that you’ve participated in a great many crimes. Several, had they come out when they happened, would have landed you in Azkaban.”

Sirius looked shocked at the Headmaster’s assessment. 

“You seem surprised by that,” Albus said, sitting down at the foot of Sirius’ cot. “Becoming an unregistered Animagus, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, sexual harassment, stalking, just to name a few.”

Hearing the Headmaster's conclusions on what he could have been charged seemed so farfetched. He understood him being unregistered. And maybe attempted murder with the incident involving Remus. But sexual harassment and stalking? Conspiracy? That can’t be true. 

“Now,” Albus continued, paying no mind to Sirius’s inner thoughts, though Black’s expression clearly read, “this is what’s going to happen. You will leave this school.”

“What?!” Sirius cried out. “You said you would see to a trial.”

Albus raised his hand, halting Sirius from continuing. “And I will keep my promise. But you will not reside here in the same building as my son and Harry.”

“I’m Harry’s Godfather,” Sirius pleaded.

“But he’s with Severus,” Albus said. “And that’s where he will stay. If you are to have any connection with young Harry, it will be on Severus’ terms. It will be Severus’ decision. In other words, you’ll have to go through Severus to see Harry.” 

Sirius could not believe what he was hearing. This wasn’t fair. Why should that greasy git get to keep Harry?

“I believe your family home at Grimmauld Place is vacant,” Albus said. “I will….”

“No,” Sirius screamed. “I will not go back to that house.”

“It’s there or Azkaban until your new trial,” Albus said coolly. “You will not stay here. Once dear Poppy deems you well enough, you will be leaving. Plus, I can’t have you around when school resumes.” Albus stood from the bed and turned to leave. “That is where you will stay.”

“You can’t make me stay there,” Sirius grumbled. 

Albus turned and looked at Sirius. He looked like a petulant child throwing a tantrum. 

“Understand this,” Albus said, getting close to Sirius till they were nose-to-nose. “You may be out of Azkaban, but you are not in any way a free man. Your release was conditional. And I, alone, hold that condition. You would do well to remember that. And if I see you or the dog anywhere near here or around Harry, going back to Azkaban will the the least of your worries. You are already on thin ice. It would be in your best interest not to anger me further.”

Albus walked out of the Infirmary. The room was quiet. After a moment, Sirius spoke up.

“His son?” Sirius whispered.

“I’m sorry?” Poppy said.

“Snivellous is the Headmaster’s son?” Sirius mumbled to himself and then asked, his voice louder. “When did that happen?”

“Not that it's any of your business,” Minerva quipped. “But, Albus had always tried to keep Severus in his sights. He looked after him. It became official in his sixth year. But Albus always tried to get Severus to open up to him. And now, we know why Severus never did.”

Sirius could hear the accusing tone in the voice of his former Head of House. Sirius sighed. They were taking those things out of proportion. They were just pranks. So what, they had a little fun. Nothing happened. But in the end, he basically lost Harry again. That thought hurt Sirius the most.

_0_0_0

Molly stepped out of the floo to a quiet home. Arthur was sitting on the sofa reading the Daily Prophet. When she stepped from the hearth, he stood and went to her. 

“Where is everyone?” Molly asked, shrugging out of her robes.

“Bill scored tickets to a Quidditch game,” Arthur said, helping Molly. “They left an hour ago.”

“Wonderful,” Molly said distractedly as she walked towards the kitchen. She figured her children would be nice and hungry when they got home.

Arthur watched as his lovely wife moved about the kitchen. He could tell she was holding something back. She told him that she was going to visit, wanting to check up on Severus and Harry, but something had to have happened for her to be this upset.

Arthur stood in the kitchen doorway and watched Molly move around the kitchen. He knew she was holding in her emotions. He didn’t like it when she did that. It was bad enough when her brothers were killed, and she kept that hurt in.   

“How’s Harry?”

Molly froze from what she was doing and tried to take a deep breath. She tried to keep her shoulders from trembling. But when she turned and looked at her husband, tears pooled in her eyes.

Arthur didn’t speak as he walked over to his wife and wrapped his arms around her. 

After a moment of silence in the kitchen, Arthur asked, “What happened?”

Molly didn’t say anything. She just shook her head.

“Come on,” Arthur pleaded. “Talk to me. What happened? How’s Harry?”

Molly stepped away from Arthur’s embrace and started pacing. Her once sadness changed to anger and fury. She couldn’t fathom who or what could have scared Harry so badly that he saw no choice but to run.

“Fang is the reason Harry’s alive,” Molly abruptly said. His temperature dropped drastically, and they had to keep Harry wrapped in Hagrid’s coat for the first two days.”

After pacing the length of the kitchen a few more times, Molly returned to her food prep. “I need to finish this before the children get home,” she said.

Arthur watched as his Molly worked about the kitchen. One thing he learned about his wife was that when she was, her mood could be revealed by what and how much she cooked. With the abundance of food Molly was gathering, she was both angry and upset. 

_0_0_0

It’d been two days since Severus’ confession in the Infirmary. Albus successfully transferred Sirius to Grimmauld Place with little resistance from Black. He received Remus Lupin’s reply to come to Hogwarts to teach. 

Albus wanted to give Severus space during those two days. Not that he wasn’t keeping an eye on his son. Tami did well in letting him know what was happening and how Harry was progressing. Tami informed him that Harry was able to speak more clearly. And that Fang finally left Severus’ chambers. Albus couldn’t help the small chuckle escape thinking how Severus reacted to the dog. 

Albus knew he needed to make it up to Severus for everything the boy went through during his time at Hogwarts. 

What hurt Albus’ heart more was that he knew Severus wouldn’t accept it. Severus would try and bury it. Albus was not going to let that happen, so he sent for him.

Severus stepped through the floo, bringing Albus from his thoughts. His eyes twinkled as he watched his son walk towards his desk. 

“Ah, Severus,” Albus said. “How is young Harry doing?”

“Better,” Severus said, sitting down. “I just dropped him off at Hagrid’s. He’s out playing with that behemoth, as if he hadn’t had enough of that dog already.”  

Albus chuckled. “I’m glad he’s out and about.” 

Severus continued, “He’s calmed down more around magic. I’m trying not to overwhelm him, but with classes starting back soon, he needs to be able to leave my side.”

Albus nodded, agreeing with Severus’ assessment.

“You wanted something?” Severus asked, changing the subject.

“Yes,” Albus said. “Several things that needed to be discussed.”

“Listen, Albus,” Severus started. The last thing he wanted to talk about was what happened in the Infirmary. “About what I said in the Infirmary…”

“I’m glad I know the whole story,” Albus cut in. “It answered a lot of questions I’ve had. It also told me how strong you are; I’m proud of you. So, to the point. Some things need to be said and settled.”

Severus looked puzzled but didn’t reply. 

“Firstly, I want to apologize—”

“Albus, I said—”

Albus raised his hand, halting Severus’ outburst. “Let me finish.”

Severus sat back. 

“My apology is for having you perform Legilimens on Sirius Black. Had I known the whole story in regards to the two of you, I would have never had him in this castle.”

Severus didn’t respond. Actually, for the first time, he didn’t know what to say. Rarely had he ever been apologized to so sincerely.

“Secondly,” Albus continued, “my apology is because of my ignorance and blindness to what you tried to tell me.”

“Albus, please stop.” Severus did not want to talk about this. Honestly, he wanted to forget the entire thing. Bringing all that up brought too many horrible memories.

“Sirius Black is no longer within these walls,” Albus said. “And as long as you are here, he will never set foot at Hogwarts unless you invite him.”

Severus didn’t know how to take that information. Usually, his interests or concerns were never taken into consideration. Rarely did things go in his favor. 

Albus continued, bringing Severus from his thoughts. 

“Next, I dismissed Quinirus Quirrell. He’s been expelled from the castle. That being said, I sent for a new Professor to finish the school term. I want you to understand I would have talked to you about this sooner, but it took a backseat to the urgency concerning Harry’s health.”

“I wrote to this person after the Quidditch practice incident. I didn’t receive a reply. Again, after Harry’s unfortunate detention in the Forest, and again, no reply.”

“Do you actually have someone coming?” Severus questioned. 

Albus smirked at his son but continued. “I do, but I wanted to give you a timeline of when the correspondence started. And by the look on your face, you believed I didn’t believe you. I would usually come back with something along the lines of “I’ve always believed you.” But in light of what’s happened, I have no right to say that.”   

“Albus.”

“Anywhoo,” Albus pushed on. “When you learned Quirrell was the catalyst for what happened with Harry and Neville Longbottom, I insisted. He finally agreed and is on his way here.”

“Who is it?” Severus asked. 

“Remus Lupin.” Albus waited for Severus’ reaction. None came.

Severus had no reaction to learning who would be coming to the school. He could tell Albus was waiting for his response, so Severus said, “Lupin may have spent his time with Potter and Black but rarely participated. Besides, I’m no longer that scrawny little boy.”

“No, you're not,” Albus agreed. “But I don’t want to make the same mistakes again. If Remus being here will be an issue…”

“As long as he takes the Wolfsbane,” Severus cut in, “I have no problems with him.”

Albus smiled at his son. 

“Will you allow Harry to speak with him?” Albus asked after a moment of silence between the two wizards.

“It’s not like I could stop him,” Severus said. “He’s going to be the boy’s teacher. There will be absolutely no way Lupin’ll stay away from Harry. He will see a miniature James Potter walk into the room.”

“You’ll start on the potion?” Albus asked. 

“I’ve been,” Severus said, standing up. “Are we done?”

“Remus should be here any day now,” Albus said, trying to hide his surprise at Severus’ reaction. “Will you let him see Harry now?” 

Standing in front of the hearth, Severus turned to face his adopted father, “No, Harry can see him when the other children do. Don’t fight me on this.”

Albus raised his hands in a placating manner as Severus left through the floo.

_0_0_0

Severus walked out of his floo and was greeted by the door to his chambers opening and his godson walking inside. He was about to greet the child when someone else walked behind him.

“Why is that thing here?” Severus asked, referring to the overly large dog standing behind Harry.

Harry smiled at his Godfather as he raised his hand, petting the side of Fang’s massive head. 

“He wanted to follow me back,” Harry said, grinning. He turned and faced Fang. “Thanks, Fang. I’ll see you later.” Fang turned and left Severus’ chambers. Harry closed the door behind the dog. 

Severus walked over to his godson to help the child pull off his outer robes. Because Harry’s temperature was so low, he had to wear a tremendous amount of warm clothing to keep the chills away.

“Did you have fun while you were at Hagrid’s?” Severus asked as he disrobed Harry.

“Yeah,” Harry said, shrugging out of his winter robes. “I played with Fang for a bit, but Hagrid wouldn’t let me stay outside too long. And he brought me in so I could have some tea.” 

Once Harry was free of everything, he sat down at the table. It was time for lunch. Severus followed him. Severus knocked on the table, having two plates appear. A plate of a sandwich and crisps for Harry and Shepherd's pie for Severus. He placed two phials beside Harry before sitting down.

Still getting used to magic, Harry gave a slight jump but just smiled at the food. They began eating in silence. 

“Professor,” Harry said. 

“Yes, Harry.”

“When classes start again, will I be able to still come down here?” 

“It is encouraged that children stay with their Houses. To build communities and friendships. It can’t be every day, but I don’t think a couple of days would do harm. Ask your Head of House for permission. Understand?”

“Thanks, Professor,” Harry said, grinning. “Can we ask Professor McGonagall now?”

“I don’t see why not,” Severus said. Since Quirrell was now gone from the castle, he had no qualms about Harry walking the corridors. “You may go after you finish your lunch.”

Harry’s face dropped. He didn’t want to go alone. What if Uncle Vernon showed back up? Harry was a little scared when he walked back from Hagrid’s, but Fang was with him. The thought of going up to Professor McGonagall’s office alone made him feel sick. 

Severus looked at Harry and saw the child’s greyish pallor. He didn’t know where this was coming from. Harry was just ecstatic that he was allowed a few days in his chambers during school. Now, he looked like he would sick up his lunch. Severus got up from his seat, rushing to Harry’s side. He knelt beside the child to get his attention. 

“Harry,” Severus said softly. “What’s wrong? Talk to me.”

“Don’t want to go alone,” Harry whispered. “He’ll come back.”

“Who?” Severus asked. “Who would come back?”

Harry twisted in his chair and wrapped his arms around Severus’ neck, whimpering, “I don’t want to go alone. He’ll come back. He’ll come back.”

Severus didn’t know what Harry was talking about. Deep down, he suspected that whoever this “he” was was the reason Harry ran from the castle. 

“Okay, okay,” Severus soothed, rubbing Harry’s back. “We’ll go together. I promise no one will hurt you.” 

_0_0_0

Remus stood at the gates leading towards the castle. It’d been a long time since he stepped foot on Hogwarts grounds. He was excited and scared—it wasn’t like when he first came. He was afraid of himself. He didn’t know how he would be during the full moon. Would he hurt someone? Would he be able to stay if someone found out? Would anyone be his friend? Those things plagued Remus when he rode that boat starting his first year. 

Now, he wasn’t worried about the same things. He knew how to deal with his changes. He had a few more phials of the Wolfsbane to last him. And it didn’t matter where he was; Snape always managed to find him. When his biggest fear of hurting someone was realized in his sixth year, gratefulness couldn’t equate to how he felt when he learned who was supplying his potions. And even though they didn’t talk to each other in person, the potions never stopped. He’d always wondered what happened to Snape. But he never questioned the man. Remus felt that even though Snape provided the potions for him, he had no right to question the man about his life after what he and the others put him through. He may not have participated much, but he didn’t stop James and Sirius either. And after the incident in the Shack, Remus kept his distance from Sirius and James. Becoming Head Boy the next year, it wasn’t hard not to be around them. But he did become closer to Lily.

Hearing a few children laughing in the distance distracted Remus and caused him to start his final trek towards the castle.

_0_0_0

After Severus got Harry to calm down enough to finish eating, the two of them made their way to Minerva’s office. Harry, though not overly clinging, walked next to Severus. 

Severus figured this might be the best time to ask about what happened a couple of days ago. 

“Harry, your reluctance to see Professor McGonagall alone, does it have something to do with you rushing out of the castle before?”

Severus almost tripped from how fast Harry came to his side. He had to hold on to the child’s shoulders to keep himself upright. He knew he let this linger for too long. If Harry were going to come out of this and be able to navigate the castle, the child would have to overcome his innate fear. 

Severus got on his knees in front of the boy. Harry was already wrapping his fingers in his robe. Releasing the child’s fingers, Severus said, “Harry, I need you to tell me what happened. What scared you?”

“He came,” Harry whined. “He said he was taking me back and putting me in that closet.”

“Who came?” Severus asked.

Harry sucked in his bottom lip and started gnawing on it. Severus carefully removed the abused lip and asked the question again. 

“Who?”

“Uncle Vernon,” Harry whispered. 

Not a name Severus expected to hear. There was no way Harry’s relatives could come to the school. Something must be going on. Whatever Quirrell did to Harry made the child believe his relatives came. 

“Harry, I want you to listen to me,” Severus said. “It is impossible for your relatives to be here. Muggles cannot see the castle. One of the many protections of Hogwarts. I don’t know what happened that made you believe your uncle was here, but I will find out.”

Harry wanted to believe his safety when he said Uncle Vernon wasn’t really here. And he knew his safety would protect him. 

Harry wrapped his arms around Severus’ neck. 

“Alright, spider monkey,” Severus said, patting Harry’s bottom. “Let’s go talk with Professor McGonagall.” He stood up, and the two continued their trek. 

They reached the top of the staircase that led to the dungeons by the Great Hall when the front doors opened. 

“You little Freak,” a voice roared from the front entrance.

Severus flicked his wrist, causing his wand to fall into his hand. 

A shriek came from Harry as he plastered himself to the side of Severus, gripping the man’s robes and hiding his face. 

At first, Severus was puzzled by what he saw, but before he could react, another voice rang out.

“Riddukulus!” 

Uncle Vernon began to shimmer and then change into a puff of smoke before vanishing away.

A man with sandy-brown hair and three jagged scars on one side of his face now stood where the rotund man once was. 

TBC