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 Three: The Shrieking Shack
By Ratwoman
ratwoman02@yahoo.de

Albus Dumbledore was used to a lot of problems with his 
boys; they had spend the last seven years constantly 
trying to get each other into trouble; not just playing tricks 
on one another, also hexing and duelling, even fighting in 
the "Muggle-way". But what James Potter was relating 
now went far beyond school boy pranks and rivalry 
between brothers. 

Dumbledore was listening earnestly, without his usual 
smile. What on earth had got into Sirius?

James was standing right in front of his desk. It was clear 
that he was trivialising what had happened to protect his 
best friend Sirius from being expelled.

Sirius and Severus were standing a few feet behind at the 
opposite corners of the room. Eyeing them, Albus was 
grateful for the charms his wise Morrigan had put onto the 
brothers to prevent anyone from recognising the 
similarities in their outward appearance. Severus's nose 
was larger, and Sirius had the bright blue eyes of Albus, 
furthermore Sirius was more athletic than his brother and 
took more care with his appearance, but both were tall 
and, more importantly, they had the same proud and 
graceful posture. And not to mention the same stubborn 
look on their faces. 

"Thank you, Mr. Potter, you can go now." Albus said when 
James Potter had finished his report. 

Albus stood up and walked around his desk as soon as 
James had left the office. 

"Sirius," Albus said trying to keep his calm, "what on earth 
have you been thinking?" 

Sirius sulkingly avoided his gaze.

"Severus could have DIED, don't you see?" No reply. 
"Besides that, you have promised to never tell anyone 
about Lupin's secret. I thought you can keep a secret, but 
maybe I've put too much trust into you. How many people 
did you already tell that I'm your father?"

Sirius looked at him slightly irritated. "No one!" he said.

"I hope so." Albus said. "It has to be kept for safety 
reasons, just as the other secret, the one you disclosed." 
Couldn't hurt reminding him on that. "Have you for one 
second thought about the consequences, Sirius? What if 
James Potter had not been there to save Sev's life? You 
would have killed your own brother, Sirius!"

"That was never what I wanted!" Sirius replied defensively.

"But that's what could have happened." Albus said 
sharply. "Even more, you would have made your friend 
Remus a murderer. And you know what happens to 
dangerous magical creatures."

Sirius paled. "I didn't want that." he said weakly.  "I thought 
he can defend himself, I just wanted to scare him!"

With a sarcastic sneer Severus threw in: "I guess you also 
did not take into account that I would not even have got a 
penance if I killed a werewolf in self-defence."

"You Bastard, you wouldn't...." Sirius snared. Severus was 
about to interrupt, when Albus called: "Be quiet, both of 
you!"

When his boys had returned to simply glaring, 
Dumbledore asked: "Why did you send him after Lupin 
anyway?"

"I just wanted to scare him." Sirius said. "Give him 
something to think, so that he will stop trying to get us 
expelled."

"You never were one of the bright ones, brother!" Severus 
said sarcastically. "Now you provided a perfect reason for 
getting expelled. As if I couldn't already have got you 
expelled with what you did two days ago!"

"You false hypocrite!" Sirius hissed.

"Wait, is there something I should know?" Albus asked. 
But both his obstinate teenage sons looked away sullenly, 
and blushed guiltily. 

"What is it?" Albus repeated. "Sirius, it can hardly get any 
worse. You can tell me."

Sirius kept his silence, but Albus could see tears glittering 
in his eyes. 

"Severus?" he asked. Severus looked as if he wanted to 
say something but was, for once in his life, out of words. 

Albus sighed in resignation. "If you change your mind, you 
can talk to me any time."  Turning to Severus, he said: 
"I need you to promise that you will never disclose Remus 
Lupin's secret to anyone."

"But,"  Severus looked up protestingly.

"I know Remus Lupin," Albus interrupted, "he is a 
reasonable boy, and he certainly was NOT in with the 
joke. Please, Severus."

"Ok," Severus said in a hesitating voice, "I promise." 

With a sigh Albus turned to Sirius. "I really don't know 
what to do with you, Sirius. I won't expel you so briefly 
before graduation."

"What?" Severus hissed. 

"Severus, expelling him would not solve anything." 
Dumbledore tried to reason. 

Very pale, Severus hissed: "Yeah, HE may do whatever 
he wants. And if he succeeded in killing me you would just 
tell him that that was very naughty of him!"

"Severus, that's not true!" Dumbledore answered, but 
Severus wouldn't listen.

"And what bothers you more now, that Sirius almost killed 
me, or that he almost made that werewolf a candidate for 
the disposal of dangerous creatures?" 

"Severus..." Albus said patiently, "Listen to me..."

"Why should I want to listen to your lies any longer?" 
Severus' expression was both angry and horrified. 

"Lies?" Albus did not know what he meant. 

"You always tell me 'yes, Severus, of course, Severus, 
you are as important to us as he, Severus'," the boy 
laughed hysterically, "but you don't care about me! He 
may do what he wants, he may do whatever he wants TO 
ME! And no matter what he does, he always is the good, 
the right, the perfect one! I don't count!"

Severus turned around and stormed out of Dumbledore's 
office.

"Severus!" Albus called after him, but the boy was gone. 

With a sigh Dumbledore turned around to a rather pale 
Sirius. "I will think about an appropriate punishment for 
you later." he said, feeling very old. "You may go." 

*

Albus had really intended to talk to Severus about it all 
when the boy had calmed down, but Severus avoided all 
year to cross his way. Dumbledore hoped that after 
graduation, when the boys were at home to decide what to 
do with their adult life, Morrigan and Cassie could talk to 
Severus; they knew better how to deal with their sons.

But Severus ran away after graduation and was not seen 
for years. 



TBC