In the Midst of the Night

In the Midst of the Night

Chapter 12 - Stolen Shadows

To Sirius it seemed that Remus was being oddly moody. Said werewolf plopped himself onto the couch and ignored the painful protests of the springs. "Well...he said yes..." Sirius murmured hesitantly. "Er - is - is that a bad thing?"

Remus looked up with an uncharacteristic scowl upon his face. "Of course not, don't be silly," he snapped, and Sirius blinked at him in incredulity.

"Right..."

He sighed and looked up at his fugitive of his friend. "I'm glad they believed us," he said after a moment. It turned out that when Remus ambled into the headmaster's office with Padfoot, the wizened wizard had been speaking with Minerva McGonagall who had just seen the Daily Prophet picture upon which a picture of Harry Potter stood following the familiar figure of Severus Snape.

Sirius grinned. "Yeah - it's not like McGonagall didn't have her wand trained upon me during our entire meeting..."

"Well - she believed us in the end."

The other man rolled his eyes. "At the very end. It seemed as if she wouldn't." There was a long pause and Remus turned to his friend in question. "Was it so easy to believe that I had done it, Moony?" wondered Sirius softly and when he looked up, his obsidian black eyes were clouded and filmed over with unshed tears.

Remus looked at his fellow Marauder with something akin to guilt, but it was overpowered with remorse. "For those of us with little faith, Padfoot," he whispered, averting his gaze to the sunset outside.

He turned to look down at his tightly clasped hands and chewed on his lip a moment before saying, "I'm not going to try to lessen my shame by saying that I fought like the devil with the guards at Azkaban with posters of protest against your arrest. I -," he looked up, his face a mask of anguish, "there's nothing for me to say except that I'm sorry for ever believing you'd do such a thing. I just - I wonder now what you would have thought of me...back then. If you'd seen how I'd taken it..."

"First James, Lily and Harry...then, then Peter and - and me," Sirius said in a quiet voice. "There's nothing to be sorry for."

"Of course there is!" Remus stood up abruptly and faced the window, leaning his hands on the windowsill, his eyes clouded with tears that refused to fall and pain that refused to fade. "I never knew you were a Secret Keeper for them, Sirius - but I thought I had an idea. Later, forgive me, I started to believe that you were the traitor and when - when Albus told me what happened...I thought -," he cut himself off and turned to look straight into his friend's eyes. "I thought how could you do it? It was only after that when I wondered how any of it could be happening. How you could ever give up your best friends when you were someone I looked up to most my whole life - when trust and loyalty were what made you who you are. But wondering why you did it was eating me from inside and it just wouldn't go away. When they said that you killed Peter and those other people on the street...my doubt about your innocence wouldn't go away. I couldn't put it away anymore and I began to believe it with everything in me."

Sirius stood up and reached out to touch his friend's shoulder but Remus jerked angrily away, running a hand through his brown hair. "You don't have to be -"

"Don't say that there's nothing to be sorry for! Ever since you turned up here, I - I wondered why I ever believed something so - so - so god damned stupid! After every thing you've done for me too! Sirius, I started to hate you!" The tears that had begun to well in his eyes spilled over and Remus furiously wiped them away with a ragged sleeve of his robe. "I blamed everything on you. I - I said it was your fault that the Potters were murdered. Your fault that Harry's body could never be found for a proper burial. Your bloody fault that bloody Peter was dead! After a while, I started believing that everything wrong in my life was your fault just because it was convenient." He spat the last word out as if it repulsed him to say it.

"Moony, don't be guilty for all of that! Everyone thought the same thing! I was stuck in bloody Azkaban for Merlin's sakes! What were you supposed to think?" exclaimed Sirius in skepticism.

Remus was smiling a heart breaking smile as he ignored the further fall of scorching hot tears. "You don't get it, do you? I blamed you! I blamed you because it was easy to! It was easy when everyone else hated you too! But it was stupid, don't you see? I just knew you weren't a murderer! I knew it couldn't have been you! Everyone hated you for what you did and so did I, but they didn't know you like I did. They never got to know you as well as I did to know that you could never have killed anyone. God damn it, Sirius! I never said anything different than what people wanted to believe because I was afraid of saying differently...I - I didn't want to be different anymore and I didn't say a word! It was so easy to be like everyone else for once and I did it at your expense! It's my bloody fault that you were in bloody Azkaban!"

Sirius stepped forward and punched Remus so hard that the werewolf could have sworn that his jaw sublaxated. "Sh*t," Sirius swore, rubbing his sore fist, and then he turned and walked into the kitchen leaving Remus watching after him with wide eyes and a swollen jaw.

~*~

Thaddeus Nott proudly looked down at the boy lying so peacefully asleep upon the new bed. He was a sucker for the child and smiled as he watched his son slumber, his tiny chest rising and falling with every breath. It was a miracle he had a child at all. He and his wife had wished so hard, but never had had any luck - their little boy would always be a miracle to them.

He shifted at the edge of the bed and brushed a lock of brown hair from the boy's face with an adoring smile. The child stirred and Thaddeus quickly pulled his hand back, standing up. "Th - Dad?" wondered the boy rather tentatively. Hearing the title, Thaddeus nodded with his heart gushing with emotion, coming closer again. The boy's face brightened into a groggy yet utterly happy smile, his chocolate brown eyes peering into bright blue ones. The child didn't have red hair of blue eyes like his father or blonde hair and hazel colored eyes like his mother. "What're you doing?"

"Just watching you," whispered the elder man tenderly, smoothing down the boy's hair. The child dropped his gaze in unease and Thaddeus, alarmed, tried to catch the boy's gaze once more. "S-son? What's wrong? Are you all right? Is something the matter?"

The youth looked up quickly, his eyes scrutinize his father's and all he saw was sincere concern and worry. A smile broke through the boy's troubled expression and he hugged Thaddeus tightly. "Nothing's wrong - nothing at all," he softly. "Everything's perfect."

Thaddeus looked up to see Maura, his wife, standing in the doorway with a light smile upon her face. He pulled away slightly to beckon her over and they all sat down around the small yet comfortable bed - no longer tired, just wishing for one another's company.

Everything was perfect.

~*~

Jonas ran his hands through his hair and looked around the room, trying to think if he had left anything behind. The band on his left wrist got hot and began burning his skin. "All right!" he exclaimed angrily and swung his rucksack over his shoulder. He turned and made his way towards the door, but stopped abruptly when he saw the solitary piece of canvas hanging there.

It was an abstract painting, one that didn't move - it was like the muggle ones he had seen in an art museum once. It was a rudimentary piece, but he had first painted it when he was nine years old. It consisted only of dark colors: grays, blacks, blues, purples... At that time, he had been in a dark mood after just coming home from his first real deed with Papa and Derrick. Everyone had been smiling at the time, all except Jonas. He had holed himself up in his room and only let Lori come in. She had sat as quietly for a two year old as was possible and watched him paint. Lori had loved watching him paint...she had loved to watch her brother do what he loved most, even at a young age.

She was his inspiration...

But Jonas didn't paint anymore. His inspiration had died long ago and she wasn't coming back.

He had thought that he was over her death already, but the tears prickling painfully behind his eyes told otherwise. The band on his arm burned again and he glared at its dark runes.

It was blood red - dyed that color from his very own veins.

When the heat became too unbearable, Jonas tore his eyes away from the dark painting and pulled the door open, nearly wrenching it from its hinges. He tried to get his mind away from the past, but as he walked down the shadowy alleyways of Knockturn Alley, the painting wouldn't leave his mind.

He kept seeing the identical two faces staring at one another. In the sapphire blue eye, he had drawn a miniature black flame and the black eye was blank. The faces were disfigured and roughly shaped as angular and square. They were surrounded with swirls of grays and purples that bled into each other and the figure of a woman was almost discernible. When Derrick had died, she had disappeared altogether, and Jonas had never been able to understand why. He had drawn this painting as a muggle would, not bringing it to life with the difficult spells he had learned not too long before this piece had been done. Later in the years, however, when Jonas couldn't understand why he couldn't remember what he had done in certain lapses in his memory, her figure had become clearer and clearer. Jonas didn't wonder why Mistress Death was painted so vividly in his painting today. He knew why.

Although...he found rather it curious that he hadn't even drawn her in the picture.

Soon, he stood in the familiar alley in which he had brewed the last seeing crystal. It had the essence of a boy he was told to bump into in a tavern several days ago and last night, he could almost have sworn he felt what the boy was feeling. He had had a dream, but he didn't have the crystal himself to see what it was that happened in the dreadful nightmare. Evan Rosier and his blasted associates had it. What they wanted from the child, Jonas was never told, but he had a feeling he knew. It was no wonder who he was working for - his father had been a devout follower of the Dark Lord those awful years so long ago and he had forced his sons to devote themselves to the same cause.

The Bane family was renown for producing the world's most adept Necromancers. Right and wrong were of no consequence to them, but when Rigel Bane had become the patriarch he had led the whole of the family into darkness. At first, it was just doing what Mistress Death ordered him to...but later on, he took his orders from the Dark Lord. Jonas knew Mistress Death wasn't fond of Voldemort, but she couldn't complain with what he was accomplishing.

"It took you long enough," said a voice, breaking Jonas' train of thought. The young man turned around to face Evan Rosier who was accompanied by a man Jonas knew from only a couple of meetings. "I'm sure you know Lucius Malfoy..."

"Indeed," replied Jonas coldly. He felt the familiar constricting of his chest and the wrench of pain inside. His eyes were clouding over with red and black seeped in at the edges of his vision.

Derrick was anxious to meet Lucius Malfoy again.

Jonas tried with all his might to shove the half of his self away and after a few moments of struggling, barley managed it. Angelic laughter rang in his ears, but he succeeded in muffling the sounds. Though Derrick had left, there was a searing pain eating at Jonas from inside and it did not leave this time, but throbbed continuously. He was weakening and one day, his fear would come true - Derrick would overtake him completely.

When his vision cleared, Malfoy was looking at him with a cold smirk and Evan the smile that was always present upon his face. "I've heard many things about you, Mr. Bane," said Lucius in a cold drawl and Jonas chose not to respond. "Now, we've many plans for you today. Another seeing crystal is needed and -"

"No," said Jonas, his hands fisting at his sides.

Lucius looked at him, a perfect eyebrow raised in mild curiosity. Evan stepped forward. "You don't know what you're saying, Jonas my dear boy. Listen to your betters," he said gently, his smile wide and slightly mocking.

"No, I'm finished with you. My father may have been loyal to the devil of a man you call Master, but I'm a slave to no one," Jonas told them in an icy tone. The wind began to pick up and he heard the familiar voices of the shadows nearby.

"You will serve us," Lucius told him, an undertone of amusement bellying his words. "You have no choice in the matter, I'm afraid."

Evan looked around in wonder as the voices of the shadows grew louder, dimmed only by the sudden howling of the wind. "Jonas, you must stop this at once. You don't want to hurt yourself."

The anger so near the surface in the young man fought to break free, but he quelled it, speaking to the shadows and specters around him silently. His obsidian black eyes were swirling with fury and he didn't even notice the sudden heat on his wrist that emitted slightly from the band.

Lucius raised his wand languorously and his eyes flashed suddenly when Evan was thrown against the wall. There was a scream nearby and Jonas saw only a mist of black rushing to envelop the still body of Evan Rosier. "Mr. Bane, you will cease this despicable behavior at once," said the man before letting loose the words that would tame any dark creature.

A flash of crimson light, deep as the color of blood, shot towards Jonas and the band upon his wrist glowed bright red. The dark runes danced upon the object as if it were alive and sent spears of pain searing through Jonas' whole body. It was worse than the torture curse itself for this particular curse was used to dispel dark creatures from the mortal world and when it was combined with that specific brand, the result was the pain of a soul or a spirit being extracted forcefully from the body, but it didn't actually separate the two.

Jonas fell in a heap upon the ground, gasping and screaming in sheer agony. The anger that built upon itself with ever passing second broke through the surface and a wave of power emanated from the young Necromancer's body as a new spirit emerged from where it was held captive. The pain died away and he slowly floated to a standing position, his sapphire blue eyes dark with uncontrollable fury and impregnable power.

Lucius looked at the new man Jonas Bane had become. "Derrick Bane, I presume?"

~*~

"Dreams, Harry?" wondered Severus softly, pulling away from the embrace. The boy sniffed and wouldn't look at him as he picked up the quilt he had dropped. "What happened in your dream?"

For a long moment, Severus didn't think that the child would answer. Then he looked up, his green eyes wide and tear filled. "I - I saw you at your meeting." At the elder man's barely concealed surprise, Harry said quickly, "I didn't mean to! But - but it just happened!"

"I thought you only saw the Dark Lord?" said the potions master in curiosity.

"I thought I did too, but the scary man wasn't in this one." He stopped and looked at Draco who nodded as if giving his consent and Severus believed that the other boy had already heard the contents of the dream. "You were there and - and Draco's father was hurting you with his - his wooden stick and it hurt so bad and I wanted to stop it," whispered Harry, his tears spilling down his youthful face. He sniffed and Severus absently wiped away his tears and nodded, urging the boy to continue. "You were hurting lots and I was so scared but I couldn't do anything - I'm sorry. I can't ever do anything and I can't close my eyes. I had to watch...He said - he said that he wanted to make sure that you - you knew where your lollyties -"

"Loyalties?"

"Yes," nodded Harry, "loll - lollyties lie because you were spending too much time with Mr. Double-Door." It seemed as if Draco's mispronunciations were rubbing off on Harry. "And - and then Draco woke me up."

Draco was scuffing a bare foot across the wooden floor. "He was screaming something awful," said the child quietly. "Mr. Double-Door had to give him medicine because it hurt so much, 'tever it was."

Albus stood up. "Before we speak of this any further, Severus, I would feel much better if you drank your...medicine," he said with a small smile.

Severus complied with a barely concealed expression of distaste as the foul flavor of the potion ran down his throat. It was a special brew that the potions master had created to dispel the effects of the torture curse that was so commonly used among the Death Eaters. That done, he looked down at the two boys who refused to meet his eyes. "Go on up to your rooms. You need a lot of rest," he told them.

They scurried out of the room without any protest and Severus watched them go before turning to look at the headmaster.

Albus Dumbledore shook his head and sighed softly. "So the Death Eaters have convened again."

~*~

Remus didn't move from his spot upon the ground. He still held his throbbing jaw, but the pain was nothing compared to that which burned inside him. The flames of guilt that licked so mercilessly at his heart would not go away. He had selfishly thought that, by confessing his deepest darkest secret to the very person he had wronged, the burden of unbearable guilt would slowly ease away...but he was mistaken. The agony that he had felt all those years while his best friend had been locked away in the darkest place on earth was no competition to the pain he felt now.

After finally be reunited with a friend that had stuck by him during all their years together, he had finally driven Sirius away. Deep down inside, Remus knew that it had had to happen some time - he was just thankful that he happened so late in his life. If they all had left him when he was the lost boy during his first years at Hogwarts, he would have cracked for sure. They had created a new Remus Lupin, a stronger and more confident one, and he hoped with all his might that he could survive now. His betrayal of one of the boys who had taken him under his wing would be another dark curse that would rival his lycanthropy.

Just then, Sirius came strolling out of the kitchen holding a glass of water and a slab of cold meat. "Put that on your jaw," he said softly. He looked sheepishly at Remus. "I honestly didn't mean to hit you so hard...you were just so bloody hysterical and it was the only thing I could think to do. Well...no, that's a lie. I could have slapped you, but I figured that would be too girlish and I have a reputation to uphold."

Remus merely looked at his friend in unconcealed shock. Sirius sighed and pressed the meat against his friend's face and the werewolf dazedly held it.

"Don't look at me like that! It's rather disconcerting," he told his friend admonishingly. "Look, I'm not angry with you. I - I'm relieved, really..."

"Relieved?" exclaimed Remus. His eyes were wide and puffy from crying, and Sirius would have laughed if he didn't think that his Marauder friend would fall back into hysterics. "How the bloody hell can you be relieved when I've just told you that I'm the bloody reason you were in Azkaban all this time?!"

"Oh...it's easy really. Rather hard to explain to tell you the truth - but I really am relieved. Moony, it wasn't your fault I was in Azkaban, you git. If you had done anything, they would have thrown you in the cell next to mine, no questions asked. They didn't give me a bloody trial - would anything you said have changed their minds?" asked Sirius. He handed over the glass of water, but Remus was still staring at him in astonishment. Sirius shrugged and drank the water himself.

"But -"

"Remus, shut up already. You've said your piece and I don't give a bloody damn. You're not guilty of anything." At the other man's lost and anguished expression, Sirius's face softened and he spoke more gently. "Look, I stick with what I said earlier - it is not your fault. You have nothing to be sorry for. If you want the blame placed on someone, put it on Peter Pettigrew - he's the traitor after all."

Remus looked up at his friend as if he was just seeing the man for the first time. And then he dropped the slab of meat and hugged Sirius as if he would never let go.

~*~

Derrick Bane nodded, his infamous angelic smile dancing upon his lips. Lucius Malfoy nodded towards the fallen figure of Evan Rosier whose form was blurred by the shadows that preyed upon him. "Would you mind telling your friends to leave Rosier alone?"

The Necromancer's expression was indifferent to the fate befallen to his contact, Evan, and he looked arrogantly at the wizard before him. "It's too late. My brother killed him - Jonas gets carried away sometimes. Take me for instance - I'm dead." He laughed and it sounded like silver bells ringing beautifully in the distance.

Lucius glanced down at Evan and watched in mild curiosity as the shadows began to disperse. The man was left looking as if he were still alive, but the shadows had done much the same thing as Dementors did with their kisses. However, as the victim's soul was slowly devoured by shadows and specters, for they usually clustered together, they knew what was happening. Their soul wasn't preyed upon all at once, but torn and shredded in the process causing excruciating pain that usually resulted in death.

"Very well," said Lucius, "we still have plans today - with or without Evan." He muttered a spell and the man's body was incinerated, leaving only ashes behind.

~*~

That evening, Harry and Draco were yet again outside playing Quidditch. They flew around the pitch, both competing to see who could catch the snitch first in the midst of the slight drizzle. It was one of those days when the sun was bright and shining down upon them while clouds hovered nearby releasing droplets of rain at the same time.

Draco saw his friend on the opposite end of the pitch and dove for the snitch. Harry, seeing the other boy racing towards a flash of gold glinting in the sunlight, soared towards it as well, but slowed down when he saw that he had no chance of catching it at the distance he was away from it. Draco caught it and smiled as he pulled up.

"Again?" wondered the blonde headed boy. Harry nodded and grinned.

They let it go and that's when Baruch motioned for them to get ready for dinner. Harry met Draco upon the ground. "Shouldn't we get the snitch first?" he asked.

Draco shrugged. "It's all right. We'll just get it later."

The young Potter boy frowned, but followed the other child into the manor nevertheless. They both showered and walked down to the living room where they saw the potions professor speaking with someone, but there was a boy about their age seated upon the couch next to a woman.

Harry's eyes widened as he ran towards them yelling with excitement and delight, "Aden!"

~*~

The large black dog barked in protest, but Remus would hear no complaints. "Now, Sirius, if you're to act as my dog, you must wear a collar. No buts. Our story wouldn't be credible if you had no collar. It's the law that all pets must have collars and nametags. Look, I even got you a bone shaped nametag!" He fastened the collar tight and laughed at the disgruntled expression upon the dog's face - if dogs could even have disgruntled expressions.

Remus laughed and stood up, looking around for his wallet. He spotted it on the table and placed it into his robe pocket. "Look, if you're a good little doggie, I'll buy you a bone," he said with another laugh and Padfoot nipped at his hand.

Just then, the door burst open and a stream of men and women dressed in dark cloaks surrounded Remus and Padfoot, their wands trained upon the werewolf. Sirius began growling and the werewolf placated him by placing a hand between the large dog's ears.

"Hello..." he began and jumped backwards when two wizards moved forward. They restrained him, one on either side, holding his arms tightly making an escape near impossible. Nevertheless, Remus struggled, trying to pull his arms from their grasp. "What are you doing? Let go of me! You have no right -," but he stopped speaking when Sirius growled and barked and jumped to attack the aurors. One witch was about to yell a curse when Remus yelled, "No! Please, don't! S-Snuffles, just - just sit. I'm all right."

Sirius' teeth were bared, but he let go of the auror's robe with a deep growl and moved next to Remus whom was placed firmly upon a chair. The werewolf's arms were strapped to the armchair and he looked wildly around, wondering just what in Merlin's name was going on.

One auror stepped forward. He was a brutal looking man, powerfully built and a towering 6'2. His auburn colored hair was long and tied in a simple ponytail at the nape of his neck. Around his sparkling brown eyes were crow's feet which spoke of laughter and a happy life whereas his hands were calloused and rough which told of a life of labor.

"Mr. Lupin, my name is Ramon Sorenson and I am the Chief Auror of this division." The dog's ears perked up and he inched closer to Remus who patted his head absently. Sorenson motioned for one witch to bring forth a vial. "Do you agree to submit to questioning under Veritaserum? If not, a hearing will be held this afternoon -"

"I - I suppose I'll take it," said Remus softly, looking everywhere except at Sirius. He wished that his friend didn't have to see him so defenseless like this. However, it was a comfort, if only a small one, that Padfoot was there within reach. He wondered if the questioning was about Harry Potter's whereabouts, whom the media and he assumed the Ministry, knew nothing about. They seemed to always conclude that dark creatures living in society were the cause of disappearances or dark deeds. "What is this about, exactly?" he inquired, but he didn't receive an answer. The two aurors moved to hold his arms down and one of them forced his mouth open, and the bitter of taste of the Veritaserum coldly touched his tongue. He felt strangely numb after a few seconds and wasn't quite sure if he was still petting Padfoot's head. His thoughts, earlier running in a disarray in his mind, were silent now as he stared straight ahead, unable to wonder what in Merlin's name was going on.

"Mr. Lupin," said a woman. "We're going to ask you a few standard questions before the real questioning begins."

Remus vaguely thought he nodded, but he wasn't sure.

"What is your name?"

The words, "Remus J. Lupin," automatically popped from his mouth. Questions like "How old are you?" and "What day is it?" were asked and he answered them without any problem. He wondered if it was normal when he began trembling in his seat and getting hot and cold flashes. When the witch asked, "What is your relation to Sirius Black," however, Remus stiffened.

"He's my best friend," he replied and could have sworn he heard a bark nearby. His eyes were beginning to blacken at the edges and he felt like throwing up. Breathing suddenly seemed like work as he began gasping for breaths.

"Where is he?" wondered the witch, and he didn't see her cast a worried glance towards Sorenson.

Remus tried blinking away the black and red dots dancing in his vision. "He - he -," but he cut himself off when he vomited right onto the witch's robes.

His eyes rolled backwards as the room spun wildly and he heard the words, "Bloody hell, he's allergic to the blasted potion," before he fell into the comforting black abyss of unconsciousness.

~*~

"A visit, you say?" wondered Derrick as he looked across the table. Lucius Malfoy nodded. "Hmm...and I can use shadows and specters?"

"Indeed. It is imperative that this traitor be disposed of immediately. Having you do it would be even better. There will be no way to trace you."

"Oh...I wouldn't be too sure about that. But no one really knows that I - or rather Jonas, is still alive. Rather a hermit, my brother is, isn't he?" said the young Necromancer with a laugh that, though beautiful and seemingly innocent, was metallic with cruelty. Lucius eyed the new man before him and almost wished that the other brother was in his company instead. "I won't be here for long - Jonas is coming around now. But when you activate the bond, I'll come back and will get rid of the traitor for you. Just make sure you bring me back," Derrick told Malfoy, an undertone of warning in his voice.

Lucius merely raised a brow. "Of course," he replied, almost in a humored tone.

This man was nearly the opposite from his brother Jonas Bane. When they had first met, it had been a surprise, for Jonas tried his very best to control his temper. However, when he had tried to escape from Lucius and the Death Eaters the first time, he had been cornered and the anger that had grown inside the boy after so long broke free and Derrick's spirit had emerged, complying with their wishes. When Derrick faded away and Jonas broke through the surface once again, the band had been fastened around the man's wrist and magically, his soul.

Every time Lucius came to these back alley meetings, he almost always spoke with Derrick before he left. It turned out that Jonas had a particular aversion to Lucius and his fury at the blonde headed man made it easier for his brother to take control.

Derrick was beginning to surface more often and Lucius was beginning to wonder if that was such a good idea. This certain Necromancer simply radiated power - even with the band in place. The after effects of the curse set upon Jonas never remained with Derrick and the pain seemed to melt off the young man. Upon his face was an expression of innocence, but past it, Lucius was trained enough to see the deceit, cruelty and ruthlessness. Behind the mask of perfection was a man that was not afraid to be reckless - a man unafraid of pain. In the swirling depths of sapphire blue, Malfoy could see the same desire for power as he himself had, and, truth be told, it sent a shiver of foreboding down the man's back.

Soon, the duo was standing up to leave. Then they headed towards the home of the traitor.

~*~

Thaddeus looked across the table at his son with a soft smile. He turned to glance at Maura and the boy looked at both of them in turn with curiosity. "What is it?" wondered the child.

"Well, Aden, you said that you didn't have a birthday..." The boy called Adennodded. "Er - well, you see, we - er - that is, Maura and I -," but his wife interrupted, unable to keep silent as he stammered.

"Aden, honey, we want you to have a birthday. Since...since it's been a week since we - we've adopted you...er - well, you see -"

Thaddeus broke in and the words, "What do you think of having your birthday today?" escaped his lips as if he couldn't hold them in any longer.

Aden's eyes became wide and bright as he looked up at his adoptive parents, a smile creeping onto his face. "I'd love it!" he exclaimed and jumped over the table to hug Thaddeus and then he crawled back off and ran over to hug Maura. The two adults were laughing and Aden could have sworn he saw his new mother wipe away tears.

He didn't think he could have had better parents if he had imagined them. After Harry had left with the scary man in the funny looking black clothes, he had left soon after with the Notts. At first he had been frightened in their company, but their wish to make him as comfortable as possible was heartening and he began to really like them. They didn't spoil him with ice cream before dinner, but they allowed him all they could give him. He even had his own room with a comfortable bed and had bought him toys with what money they had. They weren't the richest people in the world, but got by and Aden couldn't care less about money while he was with the Notts.

His life had gone sky rocketing upwards in the days he spent with them and the only thing that he could want more was to see his best friend again. He wouldn't mention it just yet, however, for he wasn't quite sure what the boundaries were at the moment.

Christ! But a birthday? He hadn't even mentioned one before; it was them who asked him...now they were going to make him one! Heavens above...could his life get any better? Maura was a wonderful cook and Thaddeus would help sometimes. It was always funny to watch Th - Dad trying to steal a bit of food while she cooked. Mau - Mum didn't get angry, only tried to pretend that she was before laughing and telling Dad to scat.

Dad...Mum...Adensmiled as he finished his breakfast. And now a birthday...

He tried to push away the guilt that arose in him when he thought back to his days at the orphanage. Harry had been sent away with a very scary man and Adenhad not been able to stop the man from taking his best friend away. Adenfelt like an older brother for his friend because Harry was smaller than he was and more afraid of grown ups than he. Now he wondered how his friend was getting along while Aden was having the most magnificent time...

"How about us going shopping?" wondered Maura. Aden looked up from his breakfast and another real smile played across his face as he nodded enthusiastically. Thaddeus laughed and he met his wife's eyes over the top of his son's head, a confirmation within their depths. Maura nodded almost imperceptibly. Their smiles broadened, but Adenhadn't seen the exchange for he was eating quite vigorously. It was strange, eating as much as he wanted - and the food was spectacularly wonderful!

When he was finished, he was sent upstairs to his room to get ready while his new mum and dad did the dishes. "I can do them," Aden said, bringing his plate towards the sink, but Thaddeus took it from his hands with a grin and a shake of his head.

"No, no, old boy, not on your birthday you aren't!" he exclaimed and Adenlaughed.

"Does this mean I'm eight now?" wondered the boy, his eyes wide.

Maura smiled and hugged him tightly. "Yes, it does, love. Now go on upstairs. We have to dress up differently for this particular place. I've set out your new clothes for the occasion."

Then with a last smile towards his parents, he dashed towards his room. He had never been shopping before and it sounded fun. On his bed were perfectly fitting jeans and a T-shirt and a strange dress like coat. He put it on with a frown and looked down at himself. It was kind of fun wearing it - like a costume. When he was finished, he rushed downstairs and saw Maura and Thaddeus already dressed. They wore the strange dresses like his and he said in wonder, "What are these for?"

"They're called robes," said Thaddeus, his voice uneasy. "Er - well, you'll see when we get there." He glanced at his wife who smiled encouragingly, and then they got into their car. They had decided to tell Aden of their original roots when they arrived at Hogsmeade. They were sure that their son didn't know about wizards and witches, but had been searching for a child for so long.

When Albus Dumbledore contacted them, for they had asked him for help, he had told them to go to St. Mary's Orphanage for it turned out that there was more than one child with magical affinities. The headmaster had told them that one of them was already going to be taken from the orphanage some days later, but the other child had no one lined up for adoption. They had visited the dreadful place and had immediately signed all papers that would allow them to adopt the boy simply called Aden, age: approximately seven years. They met him briefly for a moment, but were immediately rushed out of the orphanage by Mr. McKinnon whom, Thaddeus and Maura assumed with something akin to horror, didn't wish for them to get to know the boy lest they change their minds about adopting little Aden. Had he asked, they would have assured him most passionately that they loved the boy upon their first meeting and wouldn't change their minds for anything.

When they had first met him, he had been reluctant to be in their presence and answered their questions like he would get in trouble with more words spoken than necessary. They had been horrified to see the faintest purplish mark upon the boy's right temple and when they had inquired about it, he had looked terrified and ran out of the room. That was their first and last meeting before they would take him home.

...

Aden was silent on the way home and Thaddeus looked at Maura who looked near tears. "Er - Aden, how would you like an ice cream? There's a parlor in the city that Maura and I love..."

He looked up in surprise. "I'm allowed to have ice cream?" he exclaimed, and immediately shut his mouth. Thaddeus could have sworn he heard his teeth clash together with a 'snap'.

His wife had turned around in her seat with wide eyes looking at him in horror. "Of course you can have ice cream! It's not healthy for boy's your age to do without ice cream!" she exclaimed and Thaddeus laughed. Aden's little face had brightened with a tentative smile and Maura went on saying, "Isn't that right, Thaddeus?"

"Indeed, my love," he had replied solemnly and he cherished the first laugh he had heard his 'son' make. It was like heavenly bells ringing and he knew that he would never wish for anything more than hearing that sound again. He looked at Aden in the rearview mirror of the car as Maura continued on her tirade.

"Since you asked that awful question, my dear Thaddeus and I will have to stuff you with as much ice cream as we possibly can!" she declared and nodded as if to make it final. "What do you say to that, my boy?"

Aden looked at her in surprise, then laughed. "I'd say that it's wonderful," he said with a bright grin. He rather glowed at her when she said 'my boy'. Perhaps these people weren't that bad...

Thaddeus could have sworn he saw traces of mischief twinkling within the depths of the child's eyes that were oddly similar to Maura's own. They soon parked before the ice cream parlor. Thaddeus had taken one of Aden's small hands in his own larger one and he squeezed it in reassurance. The man felt the boy's gaze upon him and he looked down with a grin. One played across the child's own face and Thaddeus felt his heart become lighter.

That first day in one another's company had been the most wonderful in Thaddeus' entire life, one he knew he would never ever forget...

...

Soon after that, Thaddeus inquired whether Aden would like to call him 'Dad' and Maura 'Mum'. The boy's eyes had brightened and a smile had appeared upon his face making Thaddeus' heart jumped. "I'd love it! - Dad," replied the boy with a grin, and the elder man couldn't help but hug the child. Aden's laughter had sung in his ears making yet another day one to remember in Thaddeus Nott's mind.

It was a few days later now and Adenlooked at his new parents with adoration shining in his eyes, reflecting their own. Thaddeus wondered what the boy would think if he ever knew about his past...

Maura knew about it, but they had met some few years afterwards and she had told him that she loved him and not his past. She had been horrified, yes, but Maura was a woman who would not let certain things keep her away from what she wanted - and what she wanted was to be with Thaddeus Nott. They had gotten married and Thaddeus had broken off all ties with the Death Eaters he had associated with in his youth. Having been happily married for two years, they wanted kids but found that Maura was unable to bear any children. After many long nights of deliberation, they decided that they would adopt a child.

He cut off his thoughts when they arrived near Diagon Alley. His eyes met Maura's and she nodded, Adenwas looking out the window in curiosity. "Aden?" said Maura softly. He turned to look at her with an excited smile. "There's something we have to tell you, sweetheart," she told him, and then she looked at her husband.

"You see, son," began Thaddeus, "there's a whole different world out there..."

...

Later that day, Aden sat in the backseat with a variation of different toys and a wooden stick he had learned was called a wand - he could even make it spark with his very own 'magic'! It had been the best day of his life and now they were going to drive home right after his new dad spoke with one of his old friends.

They soon arrived before a house that seemed to be too big for a house. It looked like three had been stuck together to make this humongous building. He ogled at it in awe and Thaddeus had laughed, messing his hair fondly. Adengrinned and held his dad's and his mom's hands. The trio walked into the house and was greeted by the most peculiar looking fellow that the boy had ever seen.

"Good evening," said the green person.

Thaddeus smiled somewhat nervously. "Er, hello, Baruch - I doubt you remember me...I'm -," but the elf had smiled and Aden could have sworn that the eyes that were now blue had been purple before.

"Thaddeus Nott," the creature called Baruch said. "Welcome, please come in. I shall inform Master Severus Snape of your arrival." He bowed and disappeared without a warning. Adenjumped and looked around.

Maura laughed. "He's an elf, isn't he Thaddeus?" The man nodded, and Adenfelt his father's hand was sweaty and cold.

"Are you all right?" wondered the boy, tugging on the hand.

Thaddeus looked down and smiled reassuringly. "Of course...I - I just haven't seen Severus in quite a while is all..."

The potions professor himself soon walked down the staircase to greet them. His eyes held something akin to surprise, but his expression was blank. "Thaddeus," he greeted with a slight nod.

Adenstared at him in shock. "You're the scary man!" he exclaimed and Severus' eyes strayed towards the boy whom he saw looked familiar. "You're the one who was at the orphanage! And you took Harry away!" The boy looked around wildly as if his friend was hiding somewhere. "Where is he? If you've done anything to him -," but he was cut off when Thaddeus placed a consoling hand on his shoulder.

It was a rare display of anger and anxiety that the man had never seen in Adenbefore. "Calm down, Aden, it's all right," he said softly. Then he looked up at Severus whose eyebrows were raised in what seemed like amusement, curiosity, and even more surprise.

"Mr. Potter is outside on the Quidditch pitch. I'm sure he will be in shortly." He paused. "He is in good health as well so you shouldn't worry." He walked towards the living room. "Thaddeus, this way," he said and walked into the room. They all sat around upon the couch. "I suppose you want to talk about the meeting?"

Thaddeus took a deep breath and exhaled as if trying to calm his nerves. "Yes...I - I thought I should tell one of you in person and you - you are the person I'm most comfortable with telling. I - I know you're not -," but he stopped when Severus held up a hand.

"Thank you, that will do," said the man. "I quite understand your absence. The others...I'm not quite sure what the others have to say." He glanced at Maura and Adenas if just noticing their presence.

"They're all right," said Thaddeus. "I hold complete trust in my family." Adensmiled and Maura touched her husband's shoulder comfortingly.

Just then, Adenheard a familiar voice shout with a mixture of delight and excitement, "Aden!" He turned with a bright grin and saw Harry dashing towards him. They met with a hug and laughter. "What're you doing here?" exclaimed Harry, his green eyes bright.

"I'm with my new family! Look, he's my dad. His name's Thaddeus Nott and there's me Mum! Her name's Maura," said Aden in a gush, pointing at his new parents. Harry grinned. Adensuddenly sobered, eyeing Severus warily. "Is he all right?"

Harry looked at the older man with a bright smile, and then nodded at his friend with a laugh. Adensmiled at how happy his best friend was. Harry looked around and spotted Draco scowling at the doorway, holding his broom and Harry's borrowed one. He gestured for his new friend to come over and Draco did so, dragging his feet. "Look, Aden, this is my friend Draco Malfoy! He's 'magic'."

Draco rolled his eyes. "You are too, Harry," he said.

Aden's eyes widened. "Wow! So am I! Thad - I mean, Dad and Mum said I am too! Wow! This is wicked!"

Thaddeus and Maura were laughing while Severus watched the children's exchange with eyes twinkling with something akin to humor.

That was when alarms began sounding loudly throughout the whole manor, alerting Severus of dark trespassers, and the doors burst open with a ferocious gust of wind.

~*~

Author's Notes: Hurray! An extra long chapter! It's actually seventeen pages! Yay! Anyway...thanks for all the encouragement you all have been giving me in your reviews!

Do you all like the Bane brothers? I feel bad for Jonas...Derrick is interesting to write though. Is it confusing? What do you think about Adencoming back? I, personally, really like Thaddeus and Maura...Is the interaction between Sirius and Remus credible and real? I wasn't quite sure how to write that part...

Things have begun to pick up pace. I hope you like it so far!

Lol, sorry about the cliff hanger...Hahaha! I was going to put the next bit in this chapter but...I decided to torture you all a bit. Tell me what you think in a review and I'll try to write quickly! I've plotted what's going to happen in the next chapter already :o) hurray! I hope it'll be a quick update!