Claire and Harry sat facing each other at a small table in the Room of Requirement, upon a suggestion made by McGonagall. Claire had told her nephew her story- Her entire story, through tears. She started with Remus and her dating in school, the threats that came from the Death Eaters after his mother and father had married, the promise that James and Sirius had made to her father, the wedding to Sirius, all of it. She sat, waiting for her brother's only son to say something, anything.

"I'm so sorry." Harry said after a few long, quiet moments.

"Don't tell Ellie, please." She said, looking up from the table to meet Harry's eyes.

"That seems like a big line to cross." Harry nodded. "I won't. Or that Professor Lupin is... I won't tell that either." Harry finished after a small hesitation.

"Thank you." Claire said, giving her nephew a small, sad smile.

"I'm still a bit confused, though. If Black was so willing to do all of these things to keep your family safe, just because he was so close with the family- What changed? Why would he do this?" Emotions broke out of the young wizard's words, and Claire could hear his anger and sadness mixing.

"I never figured that out." She replied in a hushed voice, almost a whisper. "I replayed everything over and over and over. I felt like maybe it was me. Jealousy, anger? I don't know. I did exactly like I was told. I left everything I loved and was a good little pureblood bride for sale, like so many others. I lost every heirloom my parents ever gave me to Walburga Black when he demanded the divorce. The Black family left me homeless, pregnant. Scared for my life and Ellie's. Then Remus came back... and we didn't get back together right away, but we did put him on Chantelle's birth certificate just to keep up the appearance of what Sirius had said, plus it took the label of the House of Black off of her- Now that this mess has happened, I am even more glad we did." She shivered at the thought of what her daughter would have to go through if anyone at the school knew.

Harry snorted once more, his voice still cold and angry. "I just want to know why."

"I do too. Because even if he hated me, and I know he did in the end, He loved James and Lily. Loved them- I will never doubt that fact." Claire shook her head. "Harry, darling, I am so sorry. I cannot tell you how often we have petitioned the Ministry to let you come live with us. But between the fact that we are dual citizens in France, and that your Uncle is a werewolf, they would not budge. Plus, Dumbledore insists you're safer with the muggle side of Lily's family. I can't really understand that, because the most efficient way to fight magic is with magic, but here we are." She sighed.

"That sounds about par for the course in my life, actually." Harry snorted, looking his aunt over.

"Potter luck." She nodded, and after a moment the two of them began to laugh. Hard, full laughs, almost bitterly so.

"Nice to know it isn't just me." Harry said finally, wiping a tear from his eyes where he'd laughed so hard. "One thing I'm not completely clear on, though..."

"Hmm?" Claire ask, her face returning to her normal, serious expression.

"Why would he want to kill me?" Harry ask simply. "You said you're sure he loved my parents..."

"I'd say he'd want us all, honestly, but I'm not sure. The Black Family has a madness to them, I couldn't tell you why they've done some of the things they have. It's a long history of it." Claire explained. "Another good reason to keep Chantelle as far from them as I can. I had no clue what Walburga would've done to her if she'd had the chance."

Harry nodded and sat silent for a long time, studying his aunt. His eyes moved over her face, and Claire watched him for a bit, letting him think- Then she finally spoke.

"Let's hear it." She said, smiling slightly.

"Well- It's just- All my life I've been told how much I look like my father. With the Dursley's it was not a compliment, but they said it. People here mean it nicely- Anyway, I just... You look like him." Harry said. "Ellie too."

"We look like my mother. James too." Claire agreed, nodding. "Good, strong genes." She laughed.

"I er-" Harry stammered, "I don't really know what to say. I thought I was alone."

"I'm sorry you've had to be." Claire sighed. "But now, if you want..."

"Yes, please!" Harry said, cutting her off.

"I don't know that the Ministry will grant us full custody, so you may have to go there for part of your summer breaks, but as much as we can, you are so welcome in our home. You've always been, of course..."

"I know." Harry interrupted.

"So- Do you have any questions?" Claire said, feeling the weight of awkward air falling around them. The shock of meeting one another was wearing off, and conversation growing stagnate.

"A few. For Professor Lupin." Harry clarified, and Claire felt a pang of offense, but she smiled and nodded.

"Of course. I'll go get him." She confirmed, and rose from her seat, straightening her skirt and heading to the door. She had almost made it out of the room when she felt the young wizard's hand lightly touch her shoulder. She turned around and the young boy hugged to her tight, and she wrapped her arms around him and held him close, the same way she did her own children when they were upset or hurt.

"I'm glad we finally got to meet." Harry said after a time, letting her go.

"Me too." She smiled. "I'll go fetch your uncle for you." She said, and left Harry alone to the room.

Remus felt a bit apprehensive coming into the room, yet he greeted Harry with his customary warm smile as he came in, which Harry returned with a halfhearted, closed mouth one of his own. He sat down where Claire had been, opposite the younger wizard, and cleared his throat.

"Claire said you wanted to talk to me." He said, leaning a bit forward, ready to be drilled for information.

"I have a few questions, that's all." Harry said with a shrug. "I was hoping I could get the other side, the more 'Sirius Black' inclusive side of the story. You were friends for a long time before, right?" Harry ask, but kept talking, "I was just looking to see if I could figure it all out. Where it went wrong."

"If you could do that, we'd all be very interested to know, son." Remus said, a bit more sarcastically than he meant to be. "What do you want to know?"

"When did you all meet?" Harry said, leaning back into his chair, preparing for a long discussion.

"I met James on the train, actually." Remus replied quickly. "Sirius too. Peter we met in the dorms after sorting."

"Peter?" Harry questioned.

"Pettigrew. He was our friend as well, Sirius killed him." Remus replied honestly. "I was asleep on the train, in a car all by myself. I had never had a friend before, and was scared of the other children. I was very nervous about school in general, actually. I was bitten when I was just four, you see. So my father made me stay away from anyone who might find out who I was. Dumbledore himself came to convince him I should be educated... I digress. Anyway, I had curled myself into a ball in one of the seats and fell asleep, the full moon having been just two nights before school started. I didn't handle them nearly as well as a child as I do now."

"Sorry..." Harry muttered, looking pained at the thought, and Remus smiled again.

"So anyway, I had boarded the train very early, and was one of the first ones on. I didn't even know anyone else was there until your dad flipped me over and was right in my face, going 'Oi. You alive, mate?' Very loudly." Remus laughed. "In his defense, I was quite pale, and thin, looked a fright."

"And Sirius was there?" Harry ask.

"He was who suggested to James I might be dead. Turns out we were halfway to school before either of them decided to see if I was breathing. I'm a heavy sleeper." He laughed, and Harry did as well.

"I noticed, also on the train..." Harry reminded him.

"It was a very familiar situation, I tell you that much..." Remus said, shaking his head. "Anyway, the end of second year your father, along with Sirius and Peter confessed they had figured out what they called my 'furry little problem', which made it sound like I was the proud owner of a badly behaved rabbit rather than being a monster... I asked them if they were going to go to the school board and have me expelled, and your father asked me why they'd do that... I said 'because I'm a monster' and he looked me in the eyes and said 'Remus, you're twelve years old and you sort your sock drawer by color. You're no monster.' It was probably the hardest I had ever laughed in my life to that date. It was then I knew I had friends I could trust..."

"Or so you thought?" Harry added. Remus sighed and nodded.

"Right." He agreed. "Or so I thought. There were signs all along, I guess, when I look back. Once, when he was trying to get back at Snape for something he had done, Sirius told him to meet James, Sirius and Peter on the evening before the full moon. I very, very nearly killed him that night. James, your dad, he stopped me. He stepped between us and drove me back..."

"What?" Harry questioned, pale. "How?"

"Oh! Right. Your father, we called him Prongs. I was Moony. Sirius was Padfoot, Peter was Wormtail. We called our little group the 'Marauders'. Thought we were really something. They learned to be animagi forth year to help me with my transformations." Remus stopped and ran a hand through his hair attempting to put together his thoughts. "I'm so sorry, Harry. I'm trying to make sense, but I keep forgetting to tell you things, or forgetting details. Some of them I wish I could forget..."

Harry's eyes widened. The map! He thought, but did not want to give away he had it and risk it being taken. "I understand there is a lot." Harry nodded.

There was silence for a long while. Harry seemed to be trying to think about all he had just learned. "So you were saying there were other signs?" Harry finally broke the silence.

"I- Well, your aunt would kill me for telling you this..." Remus scratched at the back of his neck. "When-" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "When your parents got married, your grandfather started receiving threats at the estate. So, in his... advanced age..." Remus winced at his own wording, "He ask me to break up with your Aunt Claire, because he planned her an arranged marriage with a pureblood boy. He even had your father make an unbreakable vow to make it happen, which he did die before that happened. Anyway, I wanted to protect her, so I did as he ask, but I have regretted it every single day." Remus covered his faced with his hands.

"She was married to someone else?" Harry gasped.

"For a little while. It never should have never happened. She begged me to go..." He trailed on, and Harry politely cleared his throat. "Sorry. Anyway."

"Who to?" Harry ask.

"I think you know." Remus said quietly.

"Is- Is that Elle's... I'm sorry. That might be prying..." Harry looked down, embarrassed.

"Sirius Black is Chantelle's biological father. And yes, she knows. But please, Harry. Claire doesn't know that Chantelle and I talked about it. Listen... Harry. Our pasts are complicated things. Alright, I know... There is so much, and so much was bad. Sirius- He ruined our lives. All of them. He- He did so many things that just..."

"I get it." Harry nodded.

"I am so sorry Harry. I mean, you find out you have living family and we have all these issues..." He chuckled.

"Trust me, I'd much rather have you all than Mum's family..." Harry wrinkled his nose.

"Petunia always has been such a dear, dear girl..." Remus rolled his eyes, and both wizards laughed.

"Can I meet my other cousins? And Elle too? In this context, I mean." Harry ask. Remus laughed again.

"Of course. I'll see what we can set up." He said, as he walked Harry back to the door. Harry hugged his uncle tightly.

"Thank you." Harry said before waving as he left. Remus signed and smiled as he headed back up into his family's quarters to talk to Claire and the boys about Harry's request.

Okay, that was ten months ago, so I am so sorry. Thank you for reading!