Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Diseased	By : Ladygreychaton Category: Harry Potter > Threesomes/Moresomes Views: 3561 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Do not own Harry Potter, characters, rights to, any books, movies, songs, poems or references made. Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling, this is just for fun, with no intentions of profit.

Chapter List
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The Shrieking Shack was quiet, save for the laughter of the deranged traitor--- Peter Pettigrew, the rat who had once been his parent's friend. A strange man who chose to hide as a rat, who chose to betray and frame Sirius, to make Harry's life miserable. He had taken away his parent's trust, their safety, he had essentially taken their lives and handed it over to the Dark Lord Voldemort. What sort of man was he?
Yet still, as Sirius and Remus stared at the 'rat' with no small amount of distaste, the man being held prisoner guffawed. Sickly yellow spittle flew from his lips and he seemed to pay no interest to his two former friends, his face twisted with a strange sort of glee.
It was horrific in a way that shook the three young teens. Harry heard Ron whimpering again, whether from his injury or the situation, he couldn't be sure. In the end, it didn't matter. Even the bravest of lions shook in the face of madness, Harry decided.
"What are you laughing at, you sick loon?" Sirius growled out, sounding quite like the large dog he had been. His voice was a bit hoarse, but his eyes seemed to hold enough sanity that the green-eyed boy trusted him over the rat. "You know you're caught!"
Remus leveled his wand straight, his eyes sharp and seems to agree with the statement, showing a united front.
Pettigrew curled into himself, his cackles of delirium seeming to rise and fall like great waves of mania. Finally, when they had settled to a tolerable level, the man that strongly resembled a rodent blinked his beady eyes at Sirius and smiled widely.
"O-oh, Sirius... you don't know! You don't know... I've already won," he crowed, shaking his head.
Remus frowned, and Sirius was growling, but the scholar placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
"What have you won, Peter?" Remus mocked, spitting his name like a curse. "Harry's right, we're going to make this right. You'll face justice for the wrongs you've done, and I hope to Merlin you get the Kiss."
His eyes were hard, something that his students had never witnessed from the generally genial Professor. He'd never even been this harsh to Slytherins when they'd acted up in his class.
"Oh, Moony..." The pock-faced man simpered. "There are some things even you can't know!"
Pettigrew laughed as though he knew the world's greatest secret, shaking a finger at all of them, seemingly unafraid as Sirius began to shake in rage.
Remus, the calmer of the two, nudged Black behind him and decided he would handle it. Whether the rat was bluffing to buy time or he truly had more secrets, Remus would catch him 'by the tail'.
"Then... enlighten me, won't you?" Remus offered, spreading one arm while keeping his wand trained on Peter. "Tell me what I'm so woefully unaware of."
"Should I?" Pettigrew mocked, tapping his chin. "Oh, I don't know, there's nothing in it for me..."
"Why... you lousy cheat! What's the point in taunting us if you weren't going to say?" Harry blew up, his eyes blazing as he stared hard at the horrible man he was coming to see as a monster.
Pettigrew held up a crooked finger with nails much too long. It reminded Harry of the dogs Aunt Marge had, or something worse, yellowed and thick as they were. "And there's my motivation," he cooed happily, his tiny eyes looking at the passionate green-eyed child.
Remus moved his wand warningly at Wormtail in response, causing him to cackle.
"No, no, no need for that! You wanted to know... so I'll tell you a story... a story about your dear, beloved... Boy Who Lived!" His eyes, so tiny in his puckered and pocked face, seemed to fill with a sort of obsessive light.
"It's about Harry?" Remus hesitantly broached the topic. He had to be sure.
"Oh yes, it's all about our dear, beloved Harry Potter. Harry Potter's conception to be precise," Wormtail happily simpered, seemingly in his element now that everyone was focused on him. Even Sirius had paused in his snarling and pacing behind Remus.
"His... conception? What do James and Lily's particulars have to do with---" Remus began, only to be forcibly cut off.
"I'm not talking about that!" Pettigrew spit, his face a mask of fury so intense that Remus nearly stepped back. Slowly, he seemed to come back to himself, panting harshly.
"...I'm talking about things you weren't aware of, I said. Everyone knows about James and Lily, so why would I tell you about that?" Pettigrew sounded incensed that Remus had even bothered to bring it up.
Remus seemed to be re-thinking the entire situation or considering Peter's lost sanity at the very least, for he was now handling the other much more cautiously. Perhaps living as a rat for so long, perhaps it had done something to his brain?
"Alright, I admit that I was wrong. Why don't you tell me what everyone doesn't know, then? I would like to hear that story and be educated," the scholar coached, sounding a bit like a man taming a wild animal.
Wormtail's eyes flicked curiously to glance at Remus for a moment. Searching him briefly, he appeared to have found whatever he was looking in Remus' eyes, for and his disposition changed back to amusement. The unsettling atmosphere drifted down again, and Peter smiled.
"Well! You're in for a treat, you know," Peter offered, leaning back against the creaking, rotted walls of the Shack.
"You four didn't think I realized, but I did. Oh, I did. You see... when precious Lily came into the picture, there wasn't room for poor, pathetic Peter, was there?" His expression was darker, and he snarled a bit mentioning Lily. To Harry, it reminded him of Aunt Petunia, that sort of deep-seated bitterness.
"I knew it would never be the same. James had always wanted her. I knew we'd always break up... someday. Remus... well, you weren't suited to a wife, were you? And Sirius, you're a playboy! Oh boy, that won't happen for you. But James?" His brows furrowed. "From the start, it was the mudblood Lily. Always Lily... I used to wonder if she'd cast a spell on him or used some potion to snare her hooks into him."
Sirius had growled at the mention of 'mudblood', but Remus motioned again, wanting to hear this. Strangely, there was a small stirring behind them from the unconscious Professor Snape.
"I had thought about using potions on James myself, you know?" Pettigrew admitted, sounding wistful now.
Harry tried not to wretch at the thought, imagining a young Peter mooning after his father. A look at Sirius and Remus showed similar expressions. But Peter wasn't finished.
"No, that would have been too suspicious. He'd never glanced my way before then, not... not that way." The rodent of a man seemed morose now, and Harry was unable to feel real sympathy for him. It seemed like a rather pathetic story, considering the outcome. "I couldn't handle the wedding, so I took a trip, if you recall. Disappeared. During my travels, I wandered great distances... I wanted to see the world and forget all about James and his precious flower."
He wrinkled his nose, still obviously bitter about it.
"It was on the 34th day that I wandered through a forbidden territory. It was night, and I didn't have a tent, but I wasn't eager to sleep. At night, I dreamed of him, you see? So I kept going. The forest was dark, and I was scared--- you don't have to taunt me. I know what you called me!" His expression was sharp, angry. He was shouting the last bit, his eyes gleaming.
"But if you'd seen this... you would've been scared, too. I dare say anyone would have..." His voice was a hoarse whisper, his eyes unseeing as he wrapped thin arms tightly around himself. Wormtail shuddering in horror, curling his arms closer around his body and clawing at his old robes in remembered horror.
"What... did you see?" Remus curiously whispered when Peter did not continue.
Beady eyes snapped up and his lips curled into a cruel smile. "A demon, I think. I'm pretty sure that's what it was, at least..."
He took a deep breath, glancing over his shoulder as though he expected to see some horror there.
"It was in an animal, possessing it. What used to be a dog... oozing, blood and worms, maggots. The flesh looked like it would slosh off if you dared touch it. I think the dog was dying or already dead. The fur was dropping off it in clumps as it walked, and I think one of the legs was broken, but it still walked. Without a limp, it walked with purpose! One of its eyes was milky white, completely blind. But the... dog-thing... it spoke to me. I was scared, so frightened. It moved too fast. It appeared in front of me, behind me. Beside me. I couldn't get away."
"What did it say?" Professor Lupin again prompted, looking serious now. Harry was chilled at the description, glancing at a pale Hermione, but stayed silent.
"It... it said that I wasn't the body it wanted. But I would make a good meal unless I could offer something to it." Pettigrew began to laugh and the laugh descended into hysteria, hiccuping and sobbing accompanying. "What was I supposed to have done? I accepted. Just as I accepted the Dark Lord's proposal, I accepted the demon's deal. I made it an offer to give it something else... Someone else..."
Black gasped behind the Defense Professor, but he hushed him with an aborted movement.
"What was the deal, Peter? What did you offer the demon?"
Peter was moaning in distress now, whimpering off and on. "It was all going so well! The demon was supposed to take her... and it did. It went to her one night, I let it in. From an owl that time, but it needed permission to come inside, did you know? They always need permission. I gave it to the creature, I opened the window... Lily screamed, then. It flew into her, a mist, a sort of black cloud forcing itself into her eyes, nose and mouth. She was writhing on the floor, and... it sounded like it hurt. For the first time, I thought, 'Maybe I was wrong...' but then.. it stopped. Lily got up... but it wasn't just her, there. It was Lily and It. They were together. Lily thanked me, said that together, they could save the world. I didn't understand, I didn't understand!"
He was shaking his head back and forth, groaning and chewing his overgrown nails, whimpering nonsense. Occasionally he'd tug on his scraggly hair and murmur something about James or Lily, but it was nonsensical.
"Peter!" Sirius shouted, snapping the other to attention. "What happened to Lily? What happened after the demon?"
Peter seemed to come back to wherever he had 'went' inside himself slowly, blinking glazed eyes without recognition.
"You won't like it. You won't, but I'll tell you," Peter began, sucking in a ragged breath. "Not long after I was back, not long after the demon and Lily joined, they began to work together... Lily began to sneak out. Few knew this, but I knew. The demon was up to something. I followed them a few times, so I have an idea of what they were up to..."
He paused dramatically. "Lily and the demon... were collecting men, wizards, and creatures. They'd visit men that were 'powerful' and then return home before the night was over. Before James woke up. I never found out how many she had seduced..."
Sirius snapped, "How DARE you say that about Lily Potter, she would never cheat on James---!"
Peter cut off the outburst with a mad giggle. "Oh, but she didn't. The demon did! Because not long after that... she became pregnant... and they went into hiding." Sirius was silent once more. "You remember now, don't you? The Dark Lord came after Harry, and James fell. I betrayed you, 'we' found that out tonight..."
Pettigrew laughed as though it all mattered little to him anymore. "But Lily? She took little Harry up the stairs and ran. Why didn't she fight, or run? Why didn't she do something else? She could have gotten away... but she went up the stairs... strange, no?"
Peter's beady eyes were twinkling with a sort of deranged mischief. "The Dark Lord killed her first, and by doing so... she protected Harry. Even Dumbledore admits this. Powerful magic, that. But how many mothers have died for infants in this war? Even in the war against Grindelwald? Too many. So why was little Harry so special?"
His chuckle grew louder as he didn't wait for anyone to answer his rhetorical question. "Because Lily was the demon, now. She was possessed. She and the demon had sacrificed themselves for their spawn. Placed a rune on his forehead! And when the Dark Lord tried to touch him... his very soul was ripped from his body. Do you know why my brothers?"
His smile was full of yellow crooked teeth, jagged and menacing. But he didn't seem like he expected an answer.
"Because Harry isn't human. Harry is the child of a demon, he's what wizards call a Diseased... what creatures call a Cambion. Capable of combining the genetics of multiple 'seed-fathers', capable of draining magic and abilities from wizards. Oh yes, he'll be killed on sight when this gets out!"
Pettigrew began to cackle once more, throwing his head back with obvious delight.
"Th-that's not true!" Harry whispered. He glanced at Hermione, noting she was nodding, but a look in Ron's direction had him scampering closer to Remus. "It... it can't be true!"
"Oh, but it is!" Peter happily informed the Boy Who Lived. "And if I'm not mistaken, at least two of your 'donors' are in this room!"
He seemed beside himself to announce this last fact, the traitor squirming about and snorting with laughter.
"R-Remus?" Harry whispered cautiously, biting his lower lip. Green eyes seemed so uncertain as they looked at the Professor now.
"Harry, I..." Remus began, getting choked up. He wanted to deny it all, but memories seemed to be stirring deep within the dark corners of his mind like black ink in water. What was once clear now stood out harshly, in contrast, the edges defined, waiting. How had he forgotten?!
"You know the spell," Wormtail chortled, his squeals making him sound more pig-like than ever.
Remus nodded.
Sirius shook his head in denial. "It's not possible, why are you even considering listening to that filth, Moony?"
"I'd rather be safe than sorry, Pad," Remus whispered, wetting his lips.
Nudging Sirius closer so that he could hold a wand (most likely Hermione's) on Wormtail, he turned to Harry, himself.
"It's just a quick spell. Based on the paterfamilias branch, it's designed to tell if someone is a parent, direct link, or bloodline related to the person they cast it on. Red is negative, no link, no relation. Green is distant, second cousins and so on. Blue is positive for parents, children. There are various shades, but that's the gist of it."
Harry was glad that Remus was in his element, explaining the spell to him, making him feel like he was at least aware of what was going on. For a moment, it was like they were back in class at Hogwarts, none of this mess, or any the wiser. He nodded nervously.
"A-alright. So... so I just look for a color, right?"
"That's right, Harry. It won't hurt. This is just to clear up Peter's silly story, alright?" His voice was soothing, and Harry smiled.
"When you're ready, Professor," Harry offered, feeling a bit of his Gryffindor courage set in.
With a flick, twirl and crooked jab, a jet of magic was heading towards Harry. The impact initially showed no results, no color. Harry was about to remark that perhaps the spell was incorrectly performed, or faulty when suddenly he felt warm--- and a bright azure blue began to pulse around him, spreading out from his chest.
Harry gasped, holding his breastbone and staring with wide eyes at Remus.
"What... what... but this... but James was my-- You... you're my..." Harry whimpered, biting his lip. His words were all out of sorts, showing his own state. "I'm... Diseased?"
He felt faint. The blue was fading now, but he could recall the distinct way the color had pressed out from him, eagerly.
"You're a Cambion, not Diseased. That's a horrible word for it," Remus corrected in a choked voice, turning towards Pettigrew and aiming his wand at him. His spine straightened, his body shielding Harry's as he moved towards Pettigrew. "It would appear... that your story is correct. Harry is my son, as well. Whether it was just to receive my abilities as a wizarding werewolf or not, he is my true son in my eyes. My pup. And no one will find out about him, you can be sure of that."
Harry was feeling numb again. Professor Lupin was a werewolf? Somehow, this explained a lot about his mysterious illness. Perhaps that was why his... mothers? Did he have two? The demon and Lily both? Whatever it was, perhaps that was why they had wanted him in addition to James. Strangely, he didn't feel frightened at the notion when it came to the scraggly looking scholar. His perception hadn't changed. Perhaps it would when this all sank in, but he doubted it.
The soft murmuring of the incantation interrupted Remus and Harry blinked as Sirius flicked, twirled and jabbed his wand in the semi-familiar motion. The spell settled on him for a moment in silence... waiting for a few heartbeats before the same azure blue spread out from his breastbone, throbbing almost joyfully.
Harry gasped aloud. Somehow, though it was not the first time, it was still just as shocking.
Sirius smiled a sort of lopsided smile. "Well... I guess instead of just being your godfather... I'm your f-father as well." He nodded at Harry. "I loved your mother a lot, I may not have been in love with her... but I love you and I will take care of you. You're a Cambion, but you're Harry Potter first and foremost, son of James and Lily Potter... and you just happen to be our son, too. A true Marauder."
Sirius ran his hands over his somewhat gaunt face before he continued. "I'm not sure what the... the demon side of Lily wanted out of me. The Blacks have a lot of... a lot of things in the bloodline. We'll have to discuss that later. It won't manifest till you start spending time with us, if I recall correctly, so we'll figure it out then. But no matter what, I'm here for you. Just... you."
Harry swallowed hard. Hermione's hand latched onto his, squeezing hard in reassurance. It was the sort of thing he needed at the moment and he nodded.
"But he'll steal our magic!" Ron blurted out, breaking the silence.
"Ron!" Hermione shouted in outrage, whipping her head around to stare in shock at the injured redhead.
"You didn't grow up hearing about the Diseased, Hermione," Ron shushed her patronizingly. "You weren't born in the wizarding world. We grew up hearing bedtime stories about them! They were worse than the boogeyman! Beautiful monsters born with so many abilities, but if they wanted something, they could take it! They could sneak in and take your magic, drain you in your sleep! Mum said it was why you had to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts, and why you had to be a good student. But, no, I never wanted to be too smart, they'd come after me then," he reasoned.
"So I begged off and I laid low. No Diseased was going to get me... and I still managed to find one!" Here he pointed an accusing finger at Harry.
Harry felt cold, listening to his friend call him some sort of fairytale monster.
"Honestly Ronald, when has Harry ever tried to steal anything of yours, let alone drain your magic?!" Hermione ranted.
"Who knows?!" Ron continued. "Maybe I'd be better at school if it weren't for him. Maybe he drained Voldemort. Maybe he's been a Dark Wizard all along! Maybe that's why we always end up nearly dying, Hermione! He's trying to set us up!"
The redhead was turning a strange shade of purple that reminded Harry of Uncle Vernon. Hermione, having enough of his nonsense, took Harry's wand and aimed it at Ron. A quick 'Stupefy' later and the prat was out cold.
"I can't believe he'd react like that," the usually prim witch admitted, handing Harry back his wand without so much as a twitch. "I mean, he's wounded, but to be so-- so racist? That's horrible! This world can be so backward sometimes... Lacking logic, I always said that about wizards."
She seemed so incensed, and yet her response was so... typical of her that Harry had to laugh. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her close, glad to have her on his side. Sirius and Remus smiled fondly off to the side.
"What would I do without you, 'Mione?" Harry murmured into her bushy hair.
His world was breaking, and there she was, championing him as usual. Picking up the pieces and marching forward, without a glance behind her. Hardly just 'books and cleverness'. So much more, if you were to ask him.
Harry had just sighed, releasing his hold on the brightest witch of her age when a spell hit him from behind. He was alarmed at first, thinking that someone was attacking him--- perhaps Ron had woken up. Maybe someone had snuck into the Shack while their back was turned---
Only, for the familiar warmth from the magic to wash over him, spreading into his core. A few seconds passed as usual before the throbbing started and the blinding blue spread outwards. Another... donor?!
Alarmed and shocked, Harry looked behind him for the caster to see Professor Snape, propped against the wall with his black wand out. His eyes were calculating, and he was silent, but he was staring intently at the color of the spell.
"You... y-you and my mom? You... you too, Professor?" Harry whispered. The shock left him feeling a bit cold, knowing how the other felt about James Potter, but he had to ask, had to know. This addition was like pouring a bucket of cold water over his head.
"Contrary to popular belief, Mister Potter, while I loathed your fa--..." Severus paused, considering. "While I loathed James Potter beyond belief, Lily Potter used to be a close personal friend of mine. We had... known each other for a long time." A flicker of emotion crossed his usually impassive face, something strange and sincere other than brief glimpses of anger. "Lily was someone I cared greatly for. Professor Lupin will likely be able to reiterate this, but... your mother was a truly exemplary woman."
The dark man, his coal eyes booring into Harry's as they were, seemed so earnest. The depths of his eyes seemed bottomless. "Is it so impossible to believe that if she came to me, a man in love with such a charming witch, that I would not accept her? I was drawn to her, and at a simple beckon, I was hers. I, too, can be weak."
Professor Snape stood, shaking out his teaching robes from the dust that now coated him from the plaster that had fallen from his earlier crash.
"I cannot promise you more than I have, personally. I loved your mother, and I will continue to do all I can to protect you. Hopefully, we can start over," Snape said, his expression serious.
Harry glanced at Hermione who nodded. There was a sort of silent exchange between the two students as they readily agreed that yes, Snape was a bit unfair, but he was good at protecting the school, and in particular, them. To be honest, there wasn't a wizard that they could trust better than him if you got past his prickly and abrasive attitude. Their experience with the Stone and the Basilisk had led them to believe that he was someone they could depend on when other adults failed. Harry was about to say something when Sirius spoke up.
"You?! Protect him? Come off it, Snivellus. Just because some demon pitied you, doesn't mean you're Harry's father. Harry will be leaving with us!" Sirius barked, his lips curling into something mocking and ugly.
For the first time since he had realized Sirius was innocent, Harry found himself disliking Black. This was cruelly similar to Dudley, that sort of snide attitude.
As usual, Professor Snape's silky voice was cold and low in warning, "I have protected the boy for three years now. His connection to Lily was everything, and now that I find out he's partly mine, I will continue to take care of him. If anything, it finally gives me the strength to transfer the wards over to me... I can remove him from his personal hell. I will save him and be done with this nonsense."
He swept his outer robe closed, folding his arms as he did so in a resolute manner, seemingly considering the matter at an end.
"Why you slimy, Slytherin bastard---" Sirius began, only to be cut off by Remus. The scholar put a hand on Sirius' chest, stepping forward.
"Protecting him? What wards? A personal hell? To be done with what nonsense? What do you know, Snape?" Remus was prodding for answers now, the sharp look on his face showing his interest.
"Protecting him from the Dark Lord and from Dumbledore, of course!" Pettigrew interjected, seemingly deciding to make his presence known and important once more. He hadn't liked their distracted attitudes.
"From... The Dark Lord... but Dumbledore, too?" Remus repeated, glancing at Snape for answers.
Slowly, the Potions Master nodded. "...The Headmaster has been scheming to use the boy for years. He has profited and assessed the boy each year since he entered Hogwarts. Constantly, he's put him in serious mortal peril, and it's only through careful measures through myself and several anonymous sources, that he's managed to stay alive." His eyes slanted to the boy in question. "That and his own sheer dumb luck..."
Harry smiled sheepishly, trying to look apologetic. The news that the Headmaster was testing him, using him for some sort of chess-like death game was not surprising. Somehow, he felt like he'd always known. Hermione had always insisted that 1st years should never have been able to do the traps for the Philosopher's Stone, let alone half the things they'd been through.
"You've protected him," Remus repeated.
Professor Snape nodded.
Hermione decided to chime in at the moment.
"Actually, there are several times where he was the only Professor we could depend on, before you came, that is. McGonagall would try... but she never seemed to believe us. Or if she did, she was incapable of acting on it. Professor Snape? Professor Snape would always try and keep us safe, even if he was cruel," the bushy-haired girl freely admitted. She didn't sugarcoat anything. "He's the one that watched out for us. Yes, he caught us when we were out of bounds, but he found us when we were in danger, he protected us, and he warned others. From counter-curses to stepping outside his comfort zone, he was there. Without him, we'd surely be dead."
Remus rose a single brow as if to ask for elaboration on the topic.
"The Headmaster... kept a rather alarmingly close eye on my person," Snape drawled. "If I showed the boy too much favoritism, if I gave even a whiff of my interest or care... he would have made sure that I was locked away in Azkaban or worse. Albus Dumbledore needed a dark tool, one that would be ready if the Dark Lord rose again. Playing the field, ensuring my loyalties towards Slytherin accompaniment was utmost in his mind. And I can assure you, if I had been careless and showed genuine worry, it would have been a cell in Azkaban. I highly doubt Harry would be here now."
Harry slowly nodded, thinking of all the times Professor Snape had stuck his neck out for him. The dark man was rather stern and with an exterior like a cactus, but not unfeeling. Though thinking it might have been easier to understand his motives if he had been allowed teaching without his attempts at emotional sabotage. The thought alone seemed foreign, rather it seemed odd. Imagining Snape treating Harry like he treated Malfoy popped quickly into his head and shook it free, dislodging the strangeness. No, that would likely never happen.
"What about the wards, his 'personal hell', I believe you called it?" Remus prodded.
Harry winced, wishing this particular bit didn't have to be discussed.
"The Blood Wards that protect Harry's domicile, Mr. Lupin," Professor Snape began. "If I am a blood relative, I can transfer them to myself instead of his blasted muggle relatives. That is the 'hell' I am referring to."
Remus looked confused now, glanced at Harry, but before he could question the boy, Sirius was running his mouth.
"And why wouldn't the Wards be transferred to us? Why's that, Snivellus?" Spat the emaciated man. His jaw was clenched and working hard, looking far too lean.
Snape gave a long sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb. Slowly, he murmured, "Because, Black, you are a wanted criminal. Even if we get your name cleared with Pettigrew as proof, do you think Dumbledore is going to allow Harry to go with you?"
Black opened his mouth, but Snape continued, ignoring him. "Professor Lupin is a werewolf, and while he would be qualified in many areas, the general public will not see it that way. They will not allow the Boy Who Lived to reside in a home with a werewolf. The fear of infection is too great. Were we to reveal the reason for his safety, the Blood Wards, it would make it obvious that Harry was a Cambion and he would become known as a Diseased."
Sirius' mouth snapped shut with a scowl.
Remus continued with a quick glance at his friend. "What do you mean, hell at his relatives? What's wrong with them?"
Professor Snape scoffed. "Dumbledore would have you believe that all was well with those muggles, but even Minerva hates them."
The two men straightened at this piece of information.
"I have always known that Tuney--- Petunia would be a horrible woman when she was grown. You remember her, and her rather fat husband from James and Lily's wedding, I'm sure?"
Remus continued to frown, but Sirius had a look of growing comprehension.
"But... But James said that... that they weren't to have Harry! They hadn't spoken to Lily and James in years! Even the announcement of Harry's birth was met with silence..." Sirius said with something akin to shock.
Remus glanced at Severus curiously. "Why are they so bad that it's 'hell', Severus?"
"Harry's first letter to Hogwarts," The Potions Master began. "Was addressed to the Cupboard Beneath the Stairs. Letter upon letter for days had to be sent because the Dursleys refused to let Harry open a single one."
Growing horror was rising like bile as he spoke. You could see it reflected in Sirius and Remus' faces, the wide eyes and quick swallowing.
"They eventually ran to a small island on a cliff in the middle of the ocean, hoping to escape all the letters and defeat the legal deadline. They were going to send him to a muggle school --- he had no idea what Hogwarts was, who he was, or what had happened. Magic was taboo, James and Lily were said to have died in a car crash from driving under the influence, or so he had been told. He was the spawn of bad blood, dropped off unwanted and unneeded."
Harry swallowed before asking in a small voice. "How... how do you know all this?"
Severus gave him a sideways glance and rolled one shoulder, nearly imperceptively. "I inspected the Dursley residence when you were injured your first year with the Stone --- Madam Pomfrey wrote home to your family only to receive a harshly written note. They were insisting that you had better be well enough to return home with nothing 'nasty and contagious', or you had best pass on."
Remus growled low, a feral sounding noise.
Severus continued as though he had never been interrupted. "On this small island, Hagrid was dispatched-- where he broke down the door. Just in time, he delivered Harry's letter. Informing him of the boy's heritage, he also passed on his love of the great Albus Dumbledore."
A bit of snark was present in his tone, and he seemed to shake his head. "Oh, the Headmaster had planned all this well. He brought Harry to Diagon Alley but kept him carefully under his thumb... I would not be surprised if Weasley himself had been planted, Dumbledore supporters as they family is."
Remus was silent before asking, "I always thought you were bound by oath to Dumbledore after the war, Severus. That's what the old man said kept you out of Azkaban, after all."
Severus gave a truly devious smile and inclined his head. "He couldn't catch me in most of his oaths so he bound me to protect the Chosen One, to protect Harry Potter. He was counting on Harry being under his thumb, so he knew I'd do his bidding as long as it meant Harry was safe."
Remus snickered a bit, but the sound seemed distant as though through a long tunnel.
Harry's heart started to pound in his chest. Severus had nearly gone to Azkaban? He had even made an oath to protect him to keep from going there. Dumbledore was actively against him, behind so much of the terror in his life? Worse so, controlling him like a puppet with strings. What... was going on?
Remus shook his head, wanting to deny it all. "This... this whole thing..." He trailed off, seemingly unable to finish.
Professor Snape snorted, glancing at the corner of the room that housed the rat that was the general cause of their distress.
"Yes," He agreed. "But for now, what are we to do? If we take Pettigrew to Dumbledore, while Black might be cleared, the Headmaster will try and get Black firmly under his thumb. You would be lucky to see Harry on holidays at best--- if he didn't have Black declared incompetent and locked away in St. Mungo's as an infirm."
Black opened his mouth to argue but Snape was swift to cut him off. "You know as well as I do, that anything that gets in his way of the Greater Good might as well be dead, Black. If you rebel, your death will be made out as an accident, should you manage to prove your competence. And what good will you be to Harry then?"
Sirius swallowed whatever harsh comments he'd been about to say, though it looked like it pained him to do so.
"What do you suggest then?" Remus wondered, his keen brown eyes fixed on Wormtail. The man fidgeted. "We can't let him get away, and we can't let Harry go back to how things were..."
His eyes also flickered to Ron, seemingly thoughtful.
"We will have to make some changes. I would imagine we should alter a few memories. The rat will become a rat again, with heavy spells placed on 'it', stowed away in one of our rooms. Sirius will hide until one of us sends for him --- I am sure he can manage that," Severus snarked, looking as benevolent as he could. Sirius stiffened but said nothing. "The wards will be shifted to a hidden safehouse, slowly and over time, something we will prepare. Remus, I think you should meet me there after the end of the year, along with the mutt."
Black growled a bit but seemed to agree overall. It was a sound plan, keeping Pettigrew for the time being, working on safety first. They could help Harry adjust, spend time with him one-on-one and gradually figure out what being a Cambion meant for him. He was still young, after all, only thirteen.
"The three of us will create stronger wards than the Dursleys could ever have imagined--- he'll be safe from Dark Wizards, from Dumbledore, from Death Eaters... and he will be cared for." Harry perked a little at the last bit. "We shall teach him over the summer, and at the end of it, I plan on sending him to a school isolated, away from Hogwarts and the war. Away from Dumbledore and Voldemort, one that caters to creatures..."
Remus sucked in a breath. "You can't mean..." Shaking his head, he sighed. "No, I suppose it would suit him. A cambion would flourish there... of course, it'd also be safest for him."
"Do..." Harry softly spoke up. "Do I get any say at all?"
Sirius smiled a bit brokenly, looking a little like the crookedly handsome man that appeared in the wedding photos of his parents for a moment. "Harry, it's not that you don't get a say. Really, you'll get lots of say on plenty of things. I promise you that! If you don't want to eat broccoli, don't! If you want your room to be green, it's green. We'll argue about bedtimes and underclothes..."
Harry tried to smile, imagining disagreements about normal things with a family. He'd never had the option for things like that. "But... but right now we want to make sure you're safe. Even if Remus, Sni---Snape and I don't all get along, we agree that you need to be safe. So please, a lot has happened tonight. You can rebel, tell me that you'll never wear a silly yellow jumper! But listen when it's about your well-being, alright kid?"
Harry shakily nodded, though his expression remained troubled. It would be an adjustment, for sure. After all, he'd been taking care of himself since he'd been shuffled off to the Dursleys.
Snape and Remus nodded at one another and began casting spells on Pettigrew in quick succession, before he could run or protest, turning the man back into a fat, gray rat.
A lone moldy boot in the room became a cage, turned quickly unbreakable. Layers of folded spells went into this confinement, and layers of interlaced spells went onto the animagus traitor.
Sirius turned to Ron and pressed his wand (the borrowed wand of Hermione's, no doubt) to his temple.
"W-what are you doing?" Harry shouted, horrified.
"Harry, he's going to erase his memories of tonight," Hermoine whispered quietly. She sounded hesitant but seemed rather settled on the decision and made no move to stop Black.
"That's quite right, Hermione, wasn't it? I can see why you're Harry's friend... and a right smart cat you have, too," Sirius said, smiling as he moved to continue the spell, pressing it to Ron's temple and turning the wand 'counter-clockwise' motion. Just a little, not wanting to erase too much, just enough that he'd forget much of what happened after he'd been pulled through the Whomping Willow by the Grim dog.
He had just finished when he heard a gasp and a short pained-filled groan from behind him.
"Remus?!"
Dashing across the room, Sirius knelt by his friend, finding the other had finished with the spells and was now clutching at his chest as though it were aching. Knowing the cause instantly as he stared into amber eyes, Sirius cursed.
"Did you finish the potion? Remus, did you finish taking your potion tonight?"
There was no response other than a snarl as the tawny-haired man dropped to the floor. Severus was holding the cage that housed the rat and staring with something akin to horror at the Defense Professor.
"Get the children, I'll stay with him. Take them back to the castle. We'll follow the plan like normal, just as we discussed... protect Harry," Sirius whispered.
Severus nodded, ushering Hermione out the door and moving to levitate an unconscious Ron out the door and towards the tunnel. But as soon as Harry moved to follow, taking up the rear of their party, Remus howled and bolted up, somehow dodging around Sirius and latching onto the boy.
"Harry!" Both Sirius and Severus cried, alarmed at this unexpected turn of events. His name sounded foreign on Severus' lips, and Harry's clouded brain realized it was the first time he'd called out to him.
Remus was half-turned, most likely not in his right mind and had a hold on someone dearly important to them. More than just to their survival, to them personally. Was that why they both looked scared?
To put it simply, a werewolf was holding Harry hostage, refusing to budge and release him.
"Step aside Sirius, I'll blast Lupin and we'll get Harry free," Severus said a little too calmly, holding his black wand with a steady hand.
Sirius immediately shouted, "No!"
Dropping to all-fours, he transformed to Padfoot, trying to ignore the sounds of bones popping as fur sprouted all over his friend. Remus' clothes were shredded, his body elongated. Muscles popped and twisted, his oval face becoming a pointed canine muzzle. Large clawed paws attached to powerful long legs, stretched out, hindlegs digitigrade. Soon a full-fledged werewolf stood where Lupin had crouched before.
Harry felt strange. Before, he'd been nervous, afraid of the werewolf and the pending transformation. Terrified even. Especially when the partially twisted form of Lupin had caught him around his waist and pinned him in its arms, retreating back into the shack and holding him possessively against its chest and belly. But as soon as the scent of Moony had washed over him, as soon as he had surrounded him... he'd gone limp. Relaxed into a state of bliss and sleepiness that he had never felt before. If he didn't know any better, the boy would have considered it a moment like when cats purred, or when dogs got their bellies rubbed.
When Padfoot came over, growling and trying to nudge at Moony to get him away, Harry was only drowsily aware of him. Consciously, he wanted to bat him away, to tell him he was interrupting. It seemed like an awfully big amount of energy to do so, however, something he wasn't sure he possessed at the moment.
Moony growled, knocking the small (in comparison to the werewolf at least) Grim aside and giving Harry's hair a fond lick, nosing around his ears and neck. Scent-marking him with his jawline and taking in his own pup's scent. The wet nose snuffled all over, intent on memorizing the green-eyed child's individual scent, mixing it with his own.
Harry couldn't resist it anymore, the licks and wet nose too much for him. He let out a sleepy giggle, mumbling, "Quit it, Moony, that tickles..."
Snape, who had set up a barrier at the door between Lupin and Hermione (the unconscious Ron forgotten). Wand out, he went very still, staring in confusion. Padfoot, who was creeping around for a sneak attack in the hopes that Harry could get away, paused. His raised front paw froze, not taking a step. Tickles?
"Black," Severus whispered, directing his attention to the Grim dog.
The werewolf lifted it's head, letting out a warning growl, luminous golden eyes bright. Tawny ears flicked, one back towards the Grim, swiveling and listening, while the other ear rose to attention and faced Severus.
Snape didn't move, focusing his attention on the animagus.
"I believe Mister... Moony... is feeling particularly Paternal. It would not be wise to separate them at this time. As Harry is not feeling unsafe, and indeed seems to be in good health... watch over them. I will return the others to the castle, and then trek back to... keep an eye on things."
Padfoot dipped his head, then sneezed. Whether it was from the dust or in agreement, it was hard to tell.
With that, Snape slowly backed away, carefully being watched by the werewolf and a drowsy Harry that waved half-heartedly. It felt like he hadn't slept in a week, or maybe like being in Trelawney's too-hot, smoke-filled tower. All that incense and heat from the fire always made him sleepy, and Moony certainly was warm. Like a furnace at his back!
Hermione seemed to peek at him from over Snape's shoulder in the tunnel but made no comment.
Padfoot settled on some newspaper nearby, dropping his bony hip down to lay quietly. Moony resumed his grooming, chewing and tugging on Harry's shirt collar. Eventually, Harry reached up to rub the other's face and nose, which lead to the wolf's inspection of his fingers, his wrists, and hands. Nosing about under his sleeves. The addition of the second year scar (from the basilisk fang) seemed to upset him and he began to try and lick the large indent-shaped scar to death, making Harry laugh and nudge him away.
"Alright, alright already! It's not like I can help that it happened, you know!" Harry laughed, rubbing his fingers through the tawny wolf's thick neck fur.
Moony seemed to disagree, but settled after a few more licks and reprimanding nibbles. After further acquainting himself with his pup's scent, the werewolf heaved a great yawn and settled down. Curling up, he tugged Harry closer by his shirt, draping his tail over the boy and hugging him against his chest.
If the boy wizard had been more aware, in a functioning state, he might have teased Remus that he was being used as a human teddy bear by the werewolf. But as it was, he simply curled up into the warm fur and yawned, feeling safe and content. Perhaps even cared for by the beast.
Padfoot watched with amusement and a small form of envy, wishing he could join the two, but knowing that Moony wasn't ready for that yet. Instead, he laid his large head on his paws, eyes soft as he stared at the boy. His boy, the special child who meant so much.
When Severus returned, Moon twitched at the slight noise and scent but sensed no overall danger--- thus allowing his presence. Amused at this, the Potions Master sat in a nearby scratched and beaten up rocking chair, charming it into a moderately more comfortable version and waiting for sunrise. It had been a long, strange night. But it had been worth it.
And so, the three new guardians dozed. Ron was in the hospital wing, blissfully unaware of Harry's new status. And if he complained of a missing rat, Hermione paid him no attention. The rat was, however, carefully squirreled away in the dungeons under the careful lock and key of a certain "greasy" Professor.
Hermione slept in Gryffindor tower, never mentioning how she earned their House twenty points, nor by which Professor. The Criminal Sirius Black would not be apprehended, and there would be no use of the time turner--- though strangely, it did go missing from the box, McGonagall noted.
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[[ So... I've been gradually working on this for a long time, and I have the entire world set up. The other stories haven't been dropped, just stalled. Please be patient! ]]
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