Twisted Fascination

Black had seen much better days. He had four large scratch marks down his face and neck, and they looked to have just stopped bleeding. Beyond that, he had several other cuts and bruises visible. His ratty prisoner clothing was also worse off than ever.

Dumbledore stood up from his seat as Black stepped into the office.

I swallowed thickly as I saw the fury in his gray eyes.

The man threw something toward Dumbledore, and the headmaster quickly pulled his wand from his sleeve. As Dumbledore froze the object in midair, Black lunged toward the desk.

I could only watch with wide eyes as Black stabbed the headmaster's desk with a silver dagger that looked as old as the castle.

The old man tensed up as Black leaned over me, his hand still on the dagger's handle.

"Hello, Dumbledore," Black greeted with a look that mind as well had belonged to a feral dog.

The man in question looked at the other man with an even gaze. "Sirius-"

"I'm sure everyone in Hogwarts knows that I'm here by now," Black interrupted, "I didn't bother with stealth this time."

Dumbledore immediately lost the bright twinkle in his blue eyes. "What are you doing here, Sirius?"

"You left James's children with the Dursleys, for one," he said as if it should have been obvious.

"It was for their protection," Dumbledore said right away.

Black gave a single hum that indicated how doubtful he was. "If you were truly worried for their safety, you would have made sure Peter was dead."

"I didn't realize that Peter was here-"

"Liar!" Black snarled, "You would have known the second he came through the wards surrounding Hogwarts!"

"That's not-"

"If I could figure out from Azkaban that Peter was still alive and going to Hogwarts, you damn-well should have been able to figure it out years ago." Black then gave a sneer before saying, "Though I suppose that you've been busy with Snivellous and manipulating what's left of the Potters."

Before Dumbledore could deny the accusations, the fireplace behind Dumbledore burst to life in a green hue.

The Minister of Magic burst into the office through the Floo whilst yelling, "Dumbledore! It's-" Fudge cut himself off upon realizing what he was seeing.

"Ah, perfect timing," Black said with more than a healthy dose of manic glee. "You, Dumbledore, have neglected Colton and could have caused his death several times during his time at the Durlsey residence. Therefore, I, Sirius Black III, am inflicting a Life Debt onto Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore on behalf of Colton Seth Potter. May Lady Magic be witness to this, along with Cornelius Oswald Fudge."

"A Life Debt?!" Fudge exclaimed in surprise before a blinding white light surrounded the four of us.

I squinted my eyes as I saw what appeared to have been white, spider-like webbing linking both Dumbledore and I.

Once the glow faded, Black nodded in approval. "Minister Fudge, I would like you to take a seat."

"A seat?" Fudge asked, looking surprised.

"You may just faint if you don't," Black chirped.

Fudge hesitated before straightening up. "I'll-"

Black suddenly reached down before tossing a rat that looked maimed at the Minister.

Fudge yelped as the bloodied thing hit his suit before dropping to the floor.

He then grabbed my wand from the desk, pointed it at the rat, and muttered something under his breath.

The rat squealed loudly as it writhed around before turning into a man who was sickly-looking, bald, and wearing a suit three sizes too large.

Fudge, being the most ignorant man in all of wizarding history, asked, "Who is-"

Black petrified the man, who fell over right away, and mused, "I wonder what finger this rat is missing…"

Fudge looked at the hands of Pettigrew, paused, and allowed what was happening to really sink in. He then looked up at us all as if not believing the answer he came to from his many mental questions. "Don't tell me this is Peter Pettigrew."

"Dumbledore…" Black said as he looked at the man expectantly.

"I believe it be so, Minister," Dumbledore said stoically.

"I demand an explanation," the Minister said loudly.

"Peter Pettigrew was the Secret Keeper of James and Lily Potter, Minister. Did you not know?" Black asked as if surprised.

"I certainly did not!" Fudge exclaimed, this clearly being news to him.

"Then you must also not know that Dumbledore here cast the Fidelius Charm," Black said as he looked at the headmaster in question.

Fudge couldn't have looked more shocked even if you had slapped him.

"Which means you must also think that I killed those twelve muggles and Pettigrew," Black continued, "I did not, and I'll take Veritaserum to prove it."

Fudge looked so unsteady that I motioned to the seat next to me. He took the seat, looking more astounded than anyone else I had ever seen before.

A long moment of silence passed.

Finally, Fudge looked at me and asked, "This isn't a bad dream, is it?"

"I'm afraid this is reality, sir," I said apologetically.

The door to the office burst open, and McGonagall, along with several Aurors, came rushing into the room.

"Oh, excellent timing!" Black exclaimed eagerly, "I was wondering who would be shackling little Peter up!"

"You're entirely too happy, Black," I criticized.

"Shush, child. The adults are talking," Black demanded.

Before I could smack the man, I noticed that his arm was shaking a bit. I immediately felt concerned for the unregistered animagus. I put my hands up slowly before standing up, and Black allowed me to do so. "You're still bleeding."

"So I am," he said as if he hadn't realized it.

"Sit down, you buffoon," I hissed at the man, "Or so help me Lady Magic, I will make you."

Black quickly sat down in the chair, knowing damn-well that he didn't want to get hexed into oblivion for not following orders.

"Good boy," I approved before looking at Kingsley, who was the one Auror that I knew by name. "Could you get Madam Pomfrey? I don't want this idiot bleeding to death."

The youngest Auror, a girl with pink hair, looked hesitant. "But isn't Black a wanted criminal?"

"Oh, yes," I said as I clasped my hands together. "Minister Fudge?"

"He needs to get a retrial," Fudge said faintly, looking like he desperately wanted a large brandy.

"Oh, but Minister Fudge, I never got a trial," Black said with false innocence.

"Excuse me?" A woman in dark blue robes asked loudly.

"I never got a trial," Black said with as casual of a shrug as possible. "Crouch Sr. just sent me off to Azkaban without one."

"Oh shit," the pink-haired Auror cursed in surprise.

"Tonks," Kingsley scolded in a stern tone.

"Sorry," the young woman apologized, though it was fairly obvious she didn't mean it.

I barely held back a heavy sigh before straightening up. "In any case, I would appreciate it if someone could get Black here some medical attention."

"I'll get Poppy," McGonagall said as she turned heel and headed off.

"Also, could someone please shackle Pettigrew?" I asked as I motioned to the unregistered animagus.

"As in Peter Pettigrew?" Kingsley asked in surprise.

"As in the unregistered animagus that cut off his own finger and blew up a street to escape Sirius Black's wrath? Yes, him," I answered.

The Aurors threw around several glances before Fudge groaned.

"This is a nightmare," Fudge complained.

I barely restrained the urge to roll my eyes as Kingsley stepped cautiously toward Pettigrew before releasing the jinx keeping the unregistered animagus petrified in place.

Immediately, that piece of shit rat started blubbering about mercy and his innocence.

Before Black could do anything irrational, I put my hand on his shoulder and dug my nails into his skin.

The man pursed his lips as he sat back in his seat.

"My wand, Black," I requested as I released his shoulder and held out my hand.

"Oh, right," Black said, handing it back to me without a fuss. He then paused before looking at me with narrowed eyes. "What were you doing before I got here?"

I immediately felt my spirits die before I turned to Dumbledore. "Getting expelled."

"Excuse me?!" Black exclaimed as he stood up. "For what reason?!"

"Sit down before I hex you," I hissed as I pointed my wand at Black, who immediately sat down.

"That old fuck-"

"Watch your language," I demanded, "You're a grown man."

Black huffed at me like an insolent child before turning his glare to Dumbledore. "Why is Colton being expelled?"

"He is not," Dumbledore replied calmly, "Colton assumed that he was being expelled after being caught out of his common room after dark."

Black, immediately knowing that Dumbledore was hiding the truth of what happened from the Ministry, begrudgingly nodded once. "As long as he's not being expelled, I'll be happy."

"Once again, he is not," Dumbledore said calmly.

He stared suspiciously for a long moment before looking back at me. "Go off to bed, you snake."

"I refuse," I said simply before turning and beginning to take my leave.

"Oh, come on! Do me one favor!" Black yelled after me.

"In your dreams, old man," I retorted as I stepped out of the office.

"I am not old!" Black shrieked like some ungodly banshee.

I rolled my eyes as McGonagall and Pomfrey passed me by on the stairway to Dumbledore's office. I immediately headed over to the hospital wing, and I stopped in to see that Harry, Granger, and Weasley were still sleeping and rather oblivious to what was going on. I hesitantly looked around, only to not see Snape. I bit my lower lip for a moment before heading quickly down to his office. I knocked on the door and waited for a long moment.

"Enter."

I held in a sigh of relief as I entered the room.

The man was brewing a potion, and he looked completely normal.

I approached his desk hesitantly. "Sir-"

"I told you not to go see that dog," Snape interrupted right away.

"I understand that I made a grievous error. I will accept expulsion if you see fit, especially considering you've been so badly injured…" I trailed off as I put my wand on his desk before stepping back.

"Who told you?" Snape demanded right away.

"Dumbledore," I answered.

The man scowled deeply as he continued brewing. "I suppose you feel as though you're responsible."

"I know I am," I said. "Had I not stuck my nose in-"

"If you hadn't stuck your nose in where it didn't belong, things could have turned out a lot worse," he interrupted harshly. "Your brother and his friends could have been killed last night."

"You could have been killed last night," I pointed out.

He frowned deeply as he looked up at me. "Potter, I'm an adult-"

"That doesn't make it right," I said, "I should have-"

"You did what you did, and you can't change that," he said in the most gentle tone I had ever heard out of him. "A part of growing up is making mistakes and learning from them. You're not an adult just yet, and you will surely still make many more mistakes before becoming one."

"But-"

He turned his gaze back to the potion he was working on. "I won't hear anything more about it."

I closed my mouth, knowing that I had no more say in the matter.

"Go to breakfast," he demanded.

"Yes, sir," I said as I collected my wand from his desk before turning heel.

"Don't be late for your detention after dinner," he said as if it were an afterthought.

"I won't be," I said honestly as I continued walking. I then left his office, closing the door gently behind me, and headed up to the Great Hall.

The students all seemed abuzz, whispering softly to each other over something or other.

I sat down in my usual spot and grabbed my newspaper to check the stocks.

"Potter, did you hear?" Davis asked eagerly.

"Hear what?" I asked with a furrowed brow.

"Sirius Black broke into Hogwarts this morning," Malfoy explained.

"Oh, that," I said as I turned back to my newspaper, no longer interested. "Yes, he should be getting medical treatment right about now."

There was silence around me for a moment.

"Ah, right," I said as I lowered my newspaper, "I'll explain everything in the common room after breakfast."

"I'll hold you to that," Nott said.

I raised my newspaper once more and made sure my stocks were alright. Then, I folded up my newspaper and actually ate a decent breakfast.

After eating, the Slytherins basically moved as one back to the common room, where they gathered around me and listened to me recount what happened in Dumbledore's office after Black had shown up.

Once done, Davis sighed heavily. "Leave it to Potter to be involved with that."

Several other Slytherins nodded, clearly feeling such a thing was fair to say.

"At least I'm not expelled," I said with a lazy grin.

"Sweet Salazar, are you actually smiling?" Farley asked as she stared at me in surprise. She then turned to Wellington and said with a shit-eating smirk, "You owe me ten Galleons. I knew Potter could smile."

The other prefect scowled deeply. "Take your dirty money." He basically threw the ten golden coins at her.

Farley cackled like an evil bitch as she collected her coins.

I barely held back a sigh of exasperation as I saw a few similar exchanges going on. "I've smiled before."

"She means the non-sadistic kind," Nott clarified.

I paused before biting back a grimace. "I should smile more in public, huh?"

"Why?" Greengrass asked. "You obviously don't trust them, so don't show them."

I paused before feeling that was fair. As I sat back in my seat, I felt that I could use the connections I had in the future to surpass the Dark Lord, even if it was a path that led to hell itself.

The part of the Dark Lord in my head remained silent, but an overall feeling of approval seemed to come to mind.

The rest of the day proceeded as normal, and after dinner, I went to Snape's office.

He was sitting in his office, and he had nothing on his desk save for a few exams from the seventh years. He quickly put his quill down as I entered and set aside the essays to look at me.

I straightened up immediately as I stood before his desk.

"This morning, before Black came bursting into the castle, you were walking through the halls with Dumbledore," Snape said, causing me to nod once. "Was he truly going to expel you before Black interrupted?"

"I believe so," I admitted.

The man frowned deeply before sitting back in his seat. "May I speak with the Dark Lord for a moment?"

I hesitated for a moment before thinking, §Is that alright, sir?§

§I have no reason not to. Just keep your mind protected,§ the Dark Lord replied before taking over in a subtle way. "You summoned, Severus?"

"I've had time to think," the Potions Master said carefully, "I believe that Black will want to serve Colton."

"I have figured that out by now. Your point?" The Dark Lord requested in a bored sort of tone.

"I wish to make sure that man won't be punished for following after Colton instead of you," Snape said, surprising both the soul fragment in my head and myself.

The Dark Lord quickly schooled my expression of surprise, and he looked at Snaps carefully. "I thought you hated Sirius Black."

"I may hate him, but he does genuinely care for the two Potters. I know that he won't wrong either of them any time soon," Snape said.

The Dark Lord considered this for a moment before saying, "So long as he doesn't stray from his current path, I'll have no reason to punish him."

Snape nodded once in acknowledgement, and something akin to relief seemed to flash through across his face for just a split-second.

"Is there anything else you wanted?" The Dark Lord questioned.

"No," the Potions Master answered.

The soul fragment released control over me, and I asked, "Shall I alphabetize your potion ingredients, sir?"

"No," he denied, "I wish to speak with you regarding next year."

"Next year?" I echoed in confusion.

"I'm sure you know this, but Dumbledore will be nothing if not vindictive for what happened in his office," Snape said, and I was a tad bit surprised that he was even warning me.

"Sir, I'm sure I can handle myself," I assured the man.

"You don't know just what Dumbledore will do to keep you in line," Snape warned.

"Sir, he led my mother to basically commit suicide," I said, causing Snape to grimace. "I know that he's not to be trusted by any stretch of the imagination. I'll always be cautious around him, and I'll do my best to give him no reason to question me."

He nodded once in approval.

"If…" I hesitated for a moment before simply deciding to man up. "If I get overwhelmed, may I come to you?"

Snape looked at me in surprise before quickly masking that emotion. "My door is always open, Mr. Potter."

"Thank you, Professor," I said, my words sincere.

The man pulled the exam papers in front of him, and he picked up his quill once more.

"Sir," I said, causing him to hum in acknowledgement. "Have a good night."

"You as well, Mr. Potter," he said in reply.

I nodded once before turning heel and leaving his office behind.

The next day, the Daily Prophet held a large article that said Sirius Black had been captured by Aurors yesterday. The article further went on to say that he'd be getting a proper trial, and it criticized Crouch Sr. heavily for not giving Black one, especially considering he was the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement during the time of the Black's initial capture.

I felt satisfied knowing that Harry's godfather would be out of trouble soon enough, and I decided that I'd buy the man something lavish once he cleared his name, just as a treat, or course.

Lupin, along with my brother and his two friends, showed up to breakfast that morning looking better than they had when I had seen them previously.

I decided that I'd see Lupin after breakfast. I set aside my paper and ate a decent amount of food before heading off to the man's office. I waited outside for a little bit before my godfather showed up.

"Mr. Potter, can I do something for you?" Lupin asked as he stepped into his office and motioned for me to follow after him.

"Colton," I said, causing the man to pause as I passed him by. "You may call me Colton."

Lupin swallowed thickly before closing the door to his office. "I-"

"Are you packing?" I interrupted as I glanced around his office, which held things in various states of organization.

"I am," he confirmed, "I've chosen to resign after…" He trailed off, looking ashamed of his actions.

"I see," I said as I sat down before his desk.

Hesitantly, Lupin sat down across from me. "I'm sure you think I'm running away again-"

"I understand that you spiraled downward after losing what you felt to be your entire life after that Samhain," I interrupted, causing Lupin to cringe. "I've decided to stop being so childish, which means I won't hold it against you. However, Harry may still be upset that you never told him that you were one of our father's best friends."

"I can deal with that," Lupin said softly.

"I'm sure that Black will be happy to lend you a hand should you need it once his trial is over," I stated.

The man nodded quietly.

I remained silent for a moment before saying, "I may be a child, but I'm still mature enough to hear whatever you have to say."

Lupin hesitated for just a split-second before saying, "I'm grateful that you want to forgive me, but I don't think I've earned it."

"You went to help Black with Pettigrew. Even though you endangered the entire school to do so, I'm still happy that you decided to finally step in the right direction," I explained gently, "I forgive you, and I'll continue to do so as long as you continue going down the path that you see fit. If you stumble or get stuck, I want you to reach out. Don't just be complacent and think it's fine that you're being haunted by your past."

Lupin's eyes teared up, and he ducked his head down to wipe at his eyes.

I stood up, feeling that I needed to give the man the privacy he deserved. "You were a good professor. I'm going to be sad to see you go."

The man continued to wipe away his tears as he said, "You were one of my best students."

"Ah, is Granger another best?" I asked with just a hint of annoyance.

"Yes, but I mainly liked teaching Lovegood," Lupin admitted, and I made a mental note to find out who Lovegood was.

"In any case," I said as I straightened up, "I'll see myself out."

He nodded as he finally got his tears under control, at least for the moment. He gave me a smile that seemed much better than any other smile he had shown me in the past year.

I diverted my eyes and left the room behind. As I was heading down to the common room, I saw that many students were headed out to Hogsmeade. I figured I'd be able to kick back and relax in the common room, only to see that none of the third-year Slytherins had left. "Hogsmeade won't visit itself, you realize…"

"Potter, sit down," Zabini demanded.

I narrowed my eyes a bit before doing as commanded.

Nott nodded in approval before pulling a ridiculously thick book from his bag, which he placed down on the table I had chosen to sit at. "Your Christmas present. It's from all of us."

I rolled my eyes before saying, "You're a determined bunch."

"And you're stubborn," Greengrass quipped, "What's your point?"

"I don't have one," I admitted, "It was just an observation." I then looked at the title of the grimoire and raised an eyebrow at the peaking golden letters. "Well, if it's about ritual magic, I can't say I'm too opposed." I accepted the gift, holding it close, before saying sincerely, "Thank you."

"When's your birthday?" Davis asked.

"No," I denied right away. "I don't need those filthy muggles burning a decades-old grimoire just because you couldn't wait to give it to me."

"He means July 31st," Malfoy piped up.

I once again rolled my eyes before saying, "Go away. I'm going to read now."

"Play a round of chess with me first," Nott demanded.

I huffed in annoyance before nevertheless complying. It took a while, but I eventually managed to beat Nott.

Malfoy, who had taken up watching along with the other Slytherins, looked horrified. "You - you can actually beat Nott?"

"Oh, sod off, Malfoy," the boy in question snapped before looking at me critically. "You didn't even show the slightest hint of hesitation once."

"I wasn't hesitant. I don't often make moves that I regret, so why hesitate?" I reasoned.

Nott eyed me carefully before nodding once. "You'll make a great politician one day."

"With the Ministry as it is now, I'm going nowhere near politics," I said honestly, earning a bark of laughter from the boy across from me.

"What? Are you going to leave it to your brother, then?" He joked.

"Don't be ridiculous," I waved off, "Harry has about as much interest in politics as I do quidditch."

"A crime, if I do say so myself," Malfoy commented, earning a few nods from the other Slytherins.

I rolled my eyes before leaning back in my seat. "Can I read now?"

"I want to play against you next," Zabini said as he got up, motioning for Nott to move over.

I bit back a groan before nevertheless playing against and crushing the Italian-born wizard.

"You really don't know any mercy, do you?" Parkinson asked.

"I know mercy," I objected, "I just used all of it up for the day."

"Oh?" Davis asked, eager for any gossip I had to share.

"Don't look at me like that," I demanded, "I'm not spilling my guts just to entertain you for five minutes."

Malfoy looked the most disappointed out of everyone in the room.

I ignored them as I picked up my new grimoire and opened it to read.

The days passed by peacefully, and the day before term ended, Lupin announced his resignation. That was also the day that students received their exam grades back.

I beat Granger in all the classes I bothered taking, so I was satisfied.

For the third year in a row, though this time was mainly due to the Gryffindors winning the Quidditch Cup, those pesky lions won the House Cup. That meant the end of term feast took place amid decorations of scarlet and gold. It also meant those Gryffindors were the noisiest of the houses as they celebrated their victory.

As the Hogwarts Express pulled out of the station the next morning, I sat casually with my usual group of Slytherin companions. I had my nose stuck in my newest book, just as it had been for the past week.

Davis was eagerly ranting about the Quidditch World Cup or something equally as boring.

The other three seemed just as excited about the sports event.

I simply tuned them out as I read for the duration of the ride. Once the train pulled into King's Cross station, I was forced to put my grimoire away. I brought my trunk from the overhead and carried it to the waiting trolley nearby. I then pushed it toward the exit of the platform and was quick to find Vernon waiting nearby.

"Where's your brother?" Vernon barked at me with narrowed eyes.

"He'll be coming soon," I said, "He's probably saying goodbye to his friends."

The man gave a vicious sort of sneer as he looked down at me. "You don't have any friends to say goodbye to?"

"Oh, hello there!"

I nearly jumped from my skin upon hearing Lupin's voice from behind me. I looked at the man with wide eyes as he wore what appeared to be his shabbiest wizarding robes.

"Remus Lupin," the man greeted as he held out his hand to the stunned Vernon. "I'm Colton's godfather."

Vernon immediately turned red in the face, probably with anger.

Lupin suddenly stepped toward Vernon and leaned down, looking at the man with a glare that was good enough to shut Vernon right up. "If you harm a single hair on my godson's head, I'll do much worse to you than what that rabid dog did to Marge."

Vernon paled upon realizing that his life was in legitimate danger.

"One hair," Lupin said sternly before looking down at me rather chipperly. "I'll write frequently, Colton."

"Sure thing," I replied cheerfully.

He nodded once, patting my shoulder in an affectionate manner, before walking off with his suitcase and the empty tank he used for grindylows.

I felt perfectly satisfied upon seeing Vernon's fear.

Harry soon came over, grinning like he had just been provided front seats to the Quidditch World Cup.

"Hey, Harry," I greeted with my own grin, "Let's get going, yeah?"

Harry immediately nodded, falling in line with me as I began to push my trolley along.

Vernon basically scrambled after us, looking around fearfully.

Oh, just wait until he finds out that my godfather's a werewolf, I thought cheerfully, ready to fully terrorize the Dursley family over the summer.