Disclaimer: J.K Rowling owns everyone in this story 

except of Morrigan Snape and Cassiopeia Black.



Pairing: SS/SB

Rating: PG-13. Warning: implied incest



Summary: When Dumbledore asked Black and Snape to 

shake hands in GoF, I thought, they are behaving like two 

little boys, and Dumbledore like their impatient father. 

Plotbunnies sprang out of the wilderness...





Family Ties, Chapter Five: The Good Son

By Ratwoman

ratwoman02@yahoo.de



'With one auspicious, and one dropping eye'



These lines from William Shakespeare described best the 

mood Albus was in at the moment. On the one hand he 

felt joy and immense relief - Lord Voldemort was defeated, 

the bleak shadow of his threat was lifted from the 

wizarding world. But at what price: James and Lily Potter 

were dead; they had been Sirius' best friends. Yet their 

boy lived. 



Also, he was not yet over the death of his beloved 

Morrigan; she had died only two months ago when she, 

Cassie and Alastor had cornered a group of Death Eaters. 

Cassie was devastated.



But the days of darkness were over; they could all lie back 

now and lick their wounds. 



So Albus thought when he was drinking a butterbeer in the 

Three Broomsticks together with Minerva and Hagrid after 

they had delivered the boy who lived to his relatives. Albus 

hoped that giving Harry Potter to the Dursleys would prove 

to be a wise decision. 



"Albus," a familiar voice behind him said. "I hoped that I 

would find you here."



"Alastor," Albus turned around. The Auror looked very 

serious. "What is up?"



Alastor Moody gestured him to go away to a quiet corner. 

Dumbledore followed him with a feeling of unease. Each 

of his family had played an important part in fighting the 

darkness, what if one of them got hurt by revengeful, 

desperate Death Eaters?



"I thought it is best if you hear it from me, Albus," Alastor said. "
One of your sons has turned out to be a Death 

Eater."



"Severus worked as a spy for me." Albus said, relieved 

that it was only that. "He was not really one of them."



Alastor looked surprised for a moment. "I am not talking 

about Severus Snape." 



What? No, that couldn't be! "Sirius? But you know Sirius, 

he would never..."



"He was the traitor." Alastor Moody interrupted. "He just 

got arrested after... after he murdered Peter Pettigrew and 

twelve Muggles." 



"No," Albus said in denial. How could he have lost both his 

sons to the dark side? How had he failed them both? 



*



Albus Dumbledore stood on deck of the ship that was 

bringing him and Cassie to Azkaban, where they would 

visit their sons. Both Sirius and Severus were in custody 

awaiting their trials. Albus was confident that his testimony 

would clear Severus's name, but for his other son... he did 

not want to believe that Sirius was guilty, but so much 

spoke for it. Until very recently he had always considered 

Sirius as his good son, the one who would never cross the 

line to the other side. 



Cassie stepped to Albus, hugging him from behind, as the 

bleak island with the grey castle came closer and closer. 



"It looks so depressing." Cassie whispered. 



His spirits sunk the closer they got to Azkaban. A single 

Dementor awaited them at the port, but his presence was 

almost too much to bear. Dumbledore showed him their 

permission to visit the prisoners, wondering how a 

creature that had no eyes could read it. 



The Dementor silently led them along the small and stony 

path towards the prison. Arm in arm, Albus and Cassie 

followed him with as big a gap as possible, yet they felt 

more and more disconsolate and forlorn the closer they 

got to the grey walls. 



It got even worse inside; Dumbledore had the feeling that 

he would suffocate. Everything seemed hopeless. 



The prisoners in custody awaiting their trial were, other 

than the convicted criminals, confined together in a big round
 room. Knowing that they were not all on their own 

exposed to the Dementors gave their relatives the illusion 

that these possibly innocent wizards were not as cruelly 

treated. 



Letting his gaze travel over the wizards awaiting the trial, 

Albus thought that even convicted murderers did not 

deserve that kind of fate. Huddled up figures, some of 

them talking incessantly to themselves, some just 

staring apathetically into thin air, were scattered on the 

floor. But where were his sons? 



"There!" Cassie whispered and pointed towards two of the 

figures. Severus and Sirius were sitting near a wall, 

clinging to each other like they had done as little children 

when they were frightened by a blizzard.



Cassie let out a small cry and run over to their sons, 

crouching down and hugging both. 



"Mom?" Sirius said in a small voice. 



Dumbledore quickly walked over to them and crouched 

down, too. 



"Are you ok?" he asked superfluously. Both his sons 

looked at him as if he had made a particularly bad joke. 



"Severus," Albus said, "your trial will be next Monday." 

Severus just stared at him blankly. "I'm sure my testimony 

will get you out of here." 



Sirius's trial was not yet scheduled, Albus hoped it would 

not take too long until then.



"Sirius," Cassie said in a shaking voice. "Did you kill all 

those people?" 



"No," was all he said. 



Cassie let out a relieved breath. "Then you also did not kill 

James and Lily."



To Albus' horror, Sirius made a sound that was a strange  

mixture of laughter and crying. "I did." he giggled.



Cassie paled.



"He does not know what he's saying." Albus said to 

comfort both Cassie and himself.



*



Severus trial had been short. After Severus had been 

questioned and Albus had given evidence, the jury 

decided to let all charges against him fall. 



Cassie did not care any longer about people linking up 

their names and drawing conclusions and showed her 

relief about the acquittal by running over to Severus and 

hugging him. It was the first time in months that Albus saw 

him smiling.



Albus left the auditors ranks as the courtyard emptied and, 

too, congratulated Severus. 



"I can't tell you how glad I am, Severus," Albus said with 

relief. A part of the sorrows of the past weeks were lifted 

from his shoulders. - But what about his other son?



As if reading his thoughts, Cassie asked: "Did they already 

announce Sirius's trial?"



"Wait a moment, I'll ask Crouch." Albus said and walked 

over to the prosecutor. 



"Excuse me, can you tell me for what day Sirius Black's 

trial is scheduled?" he asked politely.



Bartemius Crouch looked up indifferently. "The facts were 

so clear that Sirius Black has been convicted without a 

trial."



What? "You must be joking!" Dumbledore said icily. 

"You cannot convict a man without a trial!"



"Why not?" Bartemius Crouch said. "Why waste our time 

with filth like that when we've got hundreds of trials to get 

done?"



White anger raced through Dumbledore's blood. No one 

called his son filth! "How dare you!" he shouted. "What 

kind of justice is that?" 



Alarmed by his shouting, Cassie and Severus walked 

over. "Albus, what is up?" Cassie asked in a slightly 

panicked voice. 



"They won't give Sirius a chance to defend himself!" Albus 

answered. 



Cassie stared at Bartemius Crouch in rage and horror. 

"You can't..." she hissed.



"Listen, Ms Black," Mr Crouch interrupted, "I know it's hard 

for you as a parent to believe that your own son is a traitor 

and murderer, but the evidence is quite clear. We don't 

have the time to put even those on trial whose guilt is 

already proven." 



"And who decides which are the ones that don't even 

deserve a trial?" Severus threw in, "You, Mr Crouch?" 



Mr Crouch looked condescendingly at Severus Snape. 

"Who asked YOU of your opinion?" 



Albus saw anger and hurt in Severus' eyes. Even though 

he had been acquitted, there would always be the stigma 

on him of having been a Death Eater. 



"But everyone has the right for a fair trial!" Cassie called 

desperately. 



"I'm sorry, Ms Black, it is decided." Mr Crouch said and 

was about to turn around and walk away, when Cassie 

grabbed him at the collar and hit him once with her fist in 

the face. And a second and a third time.



"Cassie!" Albus shouted while he and Severus pulled a 

struggling Cassiopeia back. "That won't solve anything!"



Mr Crouch, having stumbled back and almost fallen, had a 

split lip and a bleeding nose. "I will forget that incident, Ms 

Black, as you are obviously driven temporarily mad by the

grief about your son's crimes." he said coldly and stalked 

away.  



Cassiopeia dissolved into tears.



*



They had planned to go to a pub and celebrate Severus' 

acquittal after the trial, but since it had coincided with the 

news of Sirius' sentence they were not in the mood to 

party. Instead they sat in the pub drinking and mourning. 

Cassie was already more than tipsy.



"I know he is innocent," Cassie mumbled, "Sirius would 

never do something like that."



"I don't know," Severus spoke for the first time on that 

evening. "He tried to kill me five years ago; why should he 

not be a murderer if he wanted to kill his own brother."



"He did not want to kill you!" Cassie callled indignantly. 

"He was just thoughtless."



Severus looked as if he wanted to answer something but 

thought better to keep it.



"Tell him, Albus!" Cassie demanded, "Tell him that Sirius is 

a good boy!"



But Albus was not sure anymore; it was true that all 

evidence was speaking against Sirius. Did he really know 

his son? Did he really know any of his sons? 



"I wish Morrigan was here!" Cassie whined. "She was 

always the strongest of us! One could always rely on her."



Cassie glanced at Severus: "You really have her eyes, you 

know?" Albus could see that Severus was pained by her 

words and by seeing the condition she was in. "So dark, 

so deep..." Cassie's voice trailed off as she sunk under the 

table and started snoring. It hurt Albus to see her like that. 



"Let us bring her home." he said.   



*



Being an Auror and a strong woman, Albus Dumbledore 

estimated Cassiopeia to get along with her grief fairly well 

and concentrated on his own pain. How wrong his 

estimation was he realised when she was found a week 

later with slashed wrists. The loss of Morrigan and of 

her son had been too much for her. 







To Be Continued in

Family Ties Chapter Six: Brotherly Love