Chapter 1
Draco Abraxas Malfoy, son to Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Malfoy nee Black. He was born as a product of two ancient pureblood lines. That’s what he was told all of his life.
It was the summer after his third year when Draco found out the truth. For as long as he could remember, his father had always been cold and distant towards him. It was always his mother who showered him with love and affection. When his father went into rants about pureblood supremacy and mutterings about half breeds and mudbloods, she would take him aside and whisper how blood status was unimportant and say it’s what in your heart that’s important, dragon. She would urge him to treat all creatures with respect and to never go to bed angry.
His mother would take him on trips out of the country and indulge him in any sweets he wanted. She would always tell him how proud she was of him and do her best to protect him from his fathers ire. She was clingy and paranoid at times, but he figured that every good mother was like that with their children.
Now looking back Draco could see the signs. His mother's paranoia, his father always distancing himself from him and the constant punishments and pressure to do better than all the half-bloods and muggleborns in his class. He was not their son, not a Malfoy, not a pureblood.
-
It had started when his parents had brought him home from Kings Cross. HIs father was barely able to keep the rage on his face hidden, mumbling about Harry Potter and Peter Pettigrew. As soon as they made it into the safety of the Manor, his father turned towards him and struck him across the face with his cane.
The force of the blow startled Draco and he barely managed to stay on his feet. His father never struck him when his mother was in the room. His mother instantly held her wand out in front of his father.
"I told you to not harm my son anymore!"
Immediately, Lucius paused but his face grew angrier.
"You have no right to dictate my actions in my own home. This is my home and he lives in it"
The arguing continued and Draco stood to the side listening with his back straight, head up, but his eyes were glued to the floor. He desperately wanted to leave but he knew that trying to make an escape before he was dismissed would do more harm than good.
"WHY DO YOU EVEN CARE FOR HIM NARCISSA? HE'S NOT OUR SON, HE'S ONLY A PATHETIC HALF-BLOOD THAT!-"
Realizing what he was saying, Lucius snapped his head towards the brat he had to put up with for years. Draco stared at both his parents(?) with wide eyes.
"What do you mean?"
His father glared at him, lips curled in the infamous Malfoy sneer.
"You're not my son, you're not even a pureblood. Having to be around your tainted blood has always sickened me! If it weren't for Narcissa and our Lord, I would have never taken you from your mudblood mother and especially that blood traitor father of yours!"
Instantaneously rage coursed through Draco. All the years he had to suffer at the hands of his "father", the responsibility and weight of trying to be the perfect Malfoy heir weighing heavily on him. All the nights crying himself to sleep asking himself why he was never good enough.
“Why take me then? Who are my parents? Are they looking for me?”
His mother looked over at him, and tried to get close, but she stopped when he flinched away from her.
"Darling none of that, your father didn't mean any of that he was just angry. Please come to Mother," Narcissa pleaded, her arms reaching towards Draco.
Draco panicked, he didn't want to be near the woman who not only stole him from his real mother, but then lied to him for years. No matter how good she was to him, it was no excuse. Draco ran to his room where the elves had dropped his trunk off. He opened it, piling as much of his clothes and possessions in there as he could, being sure to grab photos and the stuffed dragon he kept hidden under the floorboards in his room. He grabbed his wand and thought of a safe place until he heard a pop and felt the uncomfortable pull of apparition. He found himself outside of Hogwarts and began walking. Unconsciously, he ended up in front of the headmaster's office. He listed every candy he could think of until the doors slid open and he walked into the office to find the old man looking at him with concern before everything turned black.
-
The next time Draco woke up, he was in the infirmary in Hogwarts, Headmaster Dumbledore sat in the chair right next to the bed.
"Hello Mr. Malfoy, that was quite a scare you gave us there."
Draco tried hard not to flinch at the use of his previous name, but he knew the headmaster noticed it. He was not a Malfoy.
"Headmaster, can you please refrain from calling me that?"
The old man looked at him with confusion but nodded without questioning Draco and for that he was grateful. Sighing, Draco stared at his lap. He realized he would need Dumbledore's help with this matter. Draco explained to Dumbledore what he heard about not being the Malfoy's son by blood and about the fact that he was a kidnapped half-blood child. Much to his horror he broke down in front of the headmaster. He was pulled from his thoughts when he felt a comforting weight on his back. Draco turned his head towards the headmaster, who gave Draco a sad look.
After a few minutes of silence, Draco finally spoke.
"Headmaster, please, can I stay with you?"
Dumbledore's eyes widened for a second before he nodded his head at the boy, he wouldn’t make the mistake of turning away a child in need again. Regardless of house or last name.
"My dear boy," Albus started, "I would be happy to offer you sanctuary at Hogwarts. That is what she is for, she watches over all her children."
Draco felt like he couldn’t say anything. All he had to offer the Headmaster was a strained smile. Dumbledore sat next to Draco’s bed a little while longer, watching over him as he drifted off to sleep once again. There was a sinking feeling in his chest as he thought of who the child could be.
-
It had been a week since Dumbledore offered Draco sanctuary, he had been staying in Slytherin dorms in his room. He noticed that without anyone there the dorms felt incredibly empty and gloomy. Not even his Uncle Severus was there, but he was a bit glad he hadn't come into contact with his godfather yet. He was scared the man would have known that he was kidnapped and would still send him back to the Manor.
He spent his days in the library, flying on the quidditch pitch, practicing and perfecting his spells and sharing dinner most nights with Headmaster Dumbledore. With all the time he had to himself, Draco was left to wonder about his birth parents. What did they look like? What kind of people were they? Were they still alive and looking for him? Did he have siblings or was he their first child?
Only when asking himself these questions did Draco realize something; since he is not a Malfoy, he should not look like one. Even the face he wore was a lie, but it made sense that Lucius and Narcissa would go to great lengths to conceal his true identity. Draco always felt uncomfortable in his own skin, he just didn’t realize it was because of a strong glamour and a false identity. Draco started to research ways to reverse the damage the Malfoys caused. In his time in the school library, he could not find anything that could be helpful to removing the spells on his person; the only good thing that came from his time in the library was a close relation with Madam Pince. If he didn’t find anything by the end of the summer, he would ask Headmaster Dumbledore.
-
A month had passed and it was nearing the middle of July, before Draco was called into the Headmaster's office. When he entered the office he was greeted by the sight of not only Dumbledore, but also Kingsley Shacklebolt, a high-ranking auror. Draco instantly backed away slowly, thinking the head auror was here to return him to the Malfoys. Seeing his panicked look, Dumbledore offered a gentle smile.
"There is no reason for you to fear dear Draco, Kingsley is not here for you, I asked him to join us in a discussion."
"Dumbledore we can't tell-"
"Now Kingsley, Draco is under sanctuary here at Hogwarts, and he is my ward. There is no reason why he cannot be aware."
Draco looked between the men, confused as to what was going on.
"Draco, as you know there have been murmurings of Tom Riddle rising."
"Sir, who is Tom Riddle?"
"That is the name of the man who is known as Lord Voldemort."
Both Dumbledore and Shacklebolt noticed the minute flinch the blonde boy made when the name was spoken, but neither commented on it. Draco then nodded his head.
"Yes sir."
Suddenly Draco was hauled out of the seat by his collar with Auror Shacklebolt glaring at him.
"I don't know why Dumbledore would trust the spawn of a death eater but I could never trust a Malfoy!"
"Auror Shacklebolt! That is enough!"
Both Draco and Auror Shacklebolt turned towards the Headmaster.
"Kingsley, let go of the boy."
The auror roughly let go of the blonde, who fell to the ground. He slowly rose from the ground dusting himself off and quietly sat back on the chair. Though Draco was scared he would not give the auror the satisfaction of seeing his fear.
"Draco, during the first war, a secret organization, resistance, was created. It was called The Order of the Phoenix. With the prophecy foretelling of Voldemort's return, it has started back up. Our mission is to protect the wizarding world and the people from Tom Riddle.”
Draco stood there in shock, a secret organization that was born during the first war, and the headmaster just let him know of it.
"Why tell me this?" asked the blonde. The Headmaster sighed and looked at Draco.
"Draco, the reason why I am letting you know is that you were placed in the inner circle of Lord Voldemort for a purpose, a purpose I, myself, am not aware of. There was a reason you were taken. You are a part of this war as much as Mr. Potter is and any of the rest of the members are. Once we figure out where you came from we will be able to determine what that reason was."
Auror Shacklebolt turned to both Draco and the Headmaster in confusion.
Draco looked towards the ground, he had never considered that. He only thought that it was because his mo-Narcissa had wanted a child after her baby had died. Was he in place to be used by the Dark Lord? Draco didn't necessarily want to know the answer to that.
"I understand your distrust, Auror Shacklebolt but I have done nothing to earn your ire besides bearing the name of a man you do not hold in high regard. It is a shame you would try and penalize me for that, I was always told you were one of the fair ones but I am disappointed to see they were wrong. Headmaster Dumbledore has given me sanctuary and has trusted me with this secret and I will honor it and him. I swear on my magic I will not betray him. So mote it be."
Shacklebolt looked a bit cowed after Draco’s speech but he didn’t comment. If the twinkling in Dumbledore’s eyes were anything to go by, one would say he was proud.
-
Another week had passed and it was nearing the end of July before the headmaster informed him that he was being moved to a new location.
Draco met Dumbledore in his office with his trunk. When he gets there Draco is handed a slip of paper and told to read and memorize the address written on it. As soon as he is done remembering the address on the paper, it disintegrates, and Dumbledore grabs his shoulder pulling them along in a side apparition. When they land, Draco finds himself in a dark looking house, it looks old and as if it had been years since anyone lived in it. While Draco was looking around, Sirius Black walked into the room. Draco could tell the man did not want him there. Sirius Black stared at Draco for a little while longer before moving his gaze towards the headmaster. Draco zoned out of the conversation the two were having and took his time taking the house in. Sirius called for a house elf by the name of Kreacher to take him to a room.
When Draco was settled into his room for the rest of the summer, he thought about the next step to not only removing the charm on his person, but finding his real parents, hoping they were still alive. He called the house elf, Kreacher, and asked to be directed to the library. Draco avoided Black and any member of the Order who frequented the house, except the Headmaster and that's only because the man would seek him out upon visits. Draco settled himself into reading books from the Black library, trying to find some information on how to reverse the spells the Malfoys placed on him.
Draco didn't think it would be a problem for him to avoid the Order until a few days into his stay, he was summoned to go downstairs. He was directed to the dining room by the elf, Kreacher. He became nervous when he realized it was not only Dumbledore waiting for him but also Black, Shacklebolt, Moody, and to his surprise, Professor Lupin.
Dumbledore indicated for him to have a seat, which he did.
"What the hell are you planning, you little snake?!" snarled Black, sounding more animal than man.
"Sirius! Leave him alone!" Mr. Lupin growled out.
"No, Moony! What is his purpose here? Shouldn't he be at home with mommy and daddy?!"
The closer Black got to Draco, the further he would lean back in his seat in order to put as much distance between him and the prison escapee as he could. But the man still advanced on him, growling, reminding Draco of a feral dog. Draco did the only thing he could think of and ran. Blocking the shouts of his name, he ran to the room he was staying in on the second floor, locking and warding the door. Draco stayed in the room for three days, he didn't bother with eating or bathing. He was determined to find a spell that would remove the glamors and immediately leave this place. He would leave and search for anything regarding his birth parents.
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a knock on his door, Draco was immediately on edge, wand already in hand before going to open the door. He opened it to reveal Professor Lupin and Draco allowed himself to relax a little but he still kept his wand drawn as he let the man into the room.
The man smiled a bit and said. "Sorry for barging in, but I've been told by Kreacher that you haven't been eating."
Draco remained silent, not looking him in the eye causing the older man to sigh.
"I can understand it is probably scary for you to be here with people like us. I'm really sorry about Sirius' behavior, but he trusts no one that comes from a known dark family, even his own. That's still not an excuse for how he has approached you but that is what I can offer you in explanation."
"You don't have to apologize for him, Professor Lupin-"
"I'm not exactly your professor anymore, Mr. Malfoy, you can call me Remus."
"I still don't see why that is sir, you were the most competent DADA teacher we’ve had since we started school."
The sandy haired man gave a strained smile, a little surprised at the compliment and moved further into the room, shutting the door behind him.
"It became known that I am a werewolf, and I didn’t feel comfortable remaining at the school. I wouldn’t want the children’s education to get waylaid because of their fear of those with lycanthropy."
Draco's head immediately snapped to look at the man. He would never have suspected Lupin of being a werewolf, the man was completely docile and soft spoken and not anything like the beasts that sometimes visited the Manor to speak to Lucius. Normally, he would do anything to get away from the wolf, but Remus was different. He felt safe with him. Draco looks at the professor and sees the shame and fear on his scarred face and feels bad that the thoughts of running away from him ever went through his head.
"I'm not a Malfoy."
Remus could not help but stare at the boy, puzzled.
"Pardon?"
"I found out at the end of term that I'm not really a Malfoy, or a pureblood. The man that I thought was my father told me I was just a child that he stole and the only reason he didn't kill me was because of Narcissa and the dark Lord."
Remus remained quiet, still in shock.
"Why did you tell me this Draco?"
"The same reason you told me you are a werewolf, it's a sign of trust, isn’t it? But I’d prefer if that bit of information stayed between you and me"
-
It was two days later when Lupin found Draco in the Black library, surrounded by many books.
"Does all this time in the library have to do with what you told me?"
"Yes, I realized that not even my face is my own. I know the Malfoys must have used a strong blood glamor on me, but the question is how to remove it. So far I cannot find anything, but I cannot give up." he said looking up at the older man.
"Are you sure the Malfoys didn't blood adopt you?" asked Lupin.
Draco manages to hold in a snort that would certainly be considered undignified, "Lucius would never blood adopt a non-pureblood child. Mother maybe but not Lucius."
If Remus noticed Draco calling Narcissa mother, he made no move to comment on it. Draco then looked away from the werewolf and picked up another book. He sighed and rested his head on the wood of the table.
"I’ve been looking for something to revert me to how I’m supposed to look. I know it's foolish to think that as soon as I find the spell to reverse my appearance I will be able to find the family I was stolen from.”
Draco was surprised to feel a hand on his shoulder, though he hated feeling pitied, Draco relaxed into the touch.
“I’m sorry you were lied to, I can't imagine what you're going through but I’m here for you if you need to talk. You're making yourself sick, staying in here surrounded by books all the time and barely coming out to eat or sleep. You’re not taking care of yourself and it is dangerous. You won’t be able to find your parents if you keep going on like this”
Draco smirked at the professor, “That is very Slytherin of you, Professor”
Lupin chuckled, beginning to speak before he was interrupted by yelling heard from downstairs.
“What the bloody hell do you mean Malfoy is here?” shouted someone who suspiciously sounded like Ron Weasley.
“Ronald Billius Weasley, watch your language” yelled the Weasley matriarch.
“Mrs. Weasley, he can't be trusted. Have you forgotten who his father is?”
Another voice, Draco recognized as Potter and for some reason that hurt a little more than the others.
The boy turned back to his book, refusing to look at the werewolf. He didn't want Lupin to see the hurt in his eyes, and try to comfort him with empty platitudes. Lupin frowned when the blonde turned away from him, Remus felt himself growing upset with Ron and Harry. He had been trying for days to get the blonde to come down and join the rest for meals or at least get Draco to go other places than his room and the library.
Remus doesn't know why, but he became protective of the boy and Draco smelled of a familiar scent that he had trouble placing but it enacted protective instincts within him. His scent brought forth feelings in him similar to those he felt when he was around Harry. When Sirius was set to attack Draco, Remus felt his hackles rise and had to physically stop himself from attacking Padfoot. It had scared him and he was still confused why Moony was fighting to come to the surface when Draco was around. Remus could do nothing but sigh, he rubbed the boy's shoulder one more time before leaving the room. He headed downstairs and he narrowed his eyes when the arguing was still continuing. Ron and Harry were both arguing with Molly and Dumbledore, and Padfoot was doing nothing to help the situation.
“Enough! That is enough! Sirius, you should be ashamed of yourself. Imagine if James turned you away because of your parents,” the werewolf shouted.
This caused the whole room to instantly become quiet. Everyone was surprised to see the normally calm werewolf raise his voice, especially to defend a boy whose father was very much against all things creature.
“Draco asked me for sanctuary and has sworn on his magic to not reveal anything of the Order nor its whereabouts. He is to stay with us until I have a location safe enough for him, Draco is staying. I am very disappointed in all of you that you would try and turn a child away in the face of your prejudice. If these are the types of attitudes you wish to employ, I will earnestly reconsider who I want fighting with the Order. I won’t hear another word about this. Understood?” Albus said.
The children looked unhappy, but eventually everyone nodded their heads starting with Harry. It's not as if Malfoy ever did anything to him and his friends. In fact, Harry had never really spoken to the blonde, but ever since he’s entered the wizarding world he has heard nothing but bad things about the Malfoys and Slytherins. The blonde stayed away from him and his friends. Even when Harry and Draco were in the same room, the blonde just ignored his existence.
Draco never said a word to Harry and kept his head out of drama and rivalries that flooded the halls of Hogwarts. He was in Slytherin and second in the class overall after Hermione. He never taunted the Gryffindors, nor did he engage in verbal arguments with any of his housemates when they got into it with the Gryffindors. Harry had only seen Crabbe and Goyle surround the blonde, and they only ever seemed to be acting as bodyguards. Harry was snapped out of his thoughts when Hermione spoke.
“I know his father doesn’t seem like a good person, but Draco hasn't done anything to anybody. If he went to Dumbledore for help, then we should respect the Headmaster's decision. After all, Malfoy did take a vow and he’s smart enough to understand the consequences of breaking it.”
Ron and the rest of the group looked as if they wanted to argue but a hard look from Molly dissuaded them from speaking up. After dinner was served, everyone was so busy eating that few failed to notice Remus going upstairs with a tray of food, except for Harry, Hermione, and Sirius. Sirius rolled his eyes as both students just traded looks with one another. None of them noticed the aging headmaster as he also made his way up the stairs.
When Remus didn’t see Draco in his room he headed over to the library, expecting to find the blonde boy researching but when he opened the door, he was greeted by the sight of Draco slumped over a pile of books. He smiled at the sight until he noticed blood coating one of the books. Remus’ heart skipped a beat and he ran over to the boy. Turning Draco over, Remus noticed the blood was coming from a barely visible white scar on the boy's forehead.
“Draco! Draco! Oh no, Albus!” called the man to the Headmaster behind him.
Immediately the headmaster was right next to Remus, Harry and everyone else, having heard the commotion, followed behind. The old wizard grabbed the blonde's face and looked into the boy's mind.
“It's Lucius, he's trying to locate Draco.” A curse from Sirius could be heard before Dumbledore continued.
“Draco is preventing him from finding this location, but it's tearing at the bind the Malfoys put on him. Since the house is under fidelius and Draco is under an unbreakable vow, he could kill himself if we don’t get Lucius out of his head and these binds off of his person.”
Dumbledore was able to put Draco to sleep, expelling Lucius from his head. Remus, Molly, and surprisingly Harry remained at Draco’s bedside, watching over the smaller boy while Dumbledore worked on healing his forehead. The boy looked very pale and fragile laying in the bed, it made Remus sick with worry. Ron, Ginny, Hermione, and the rest of the Weasleys were downstairs, not wanting to crowd the room. Suddenly, fast footsteps were heard and Sirius came rushing in the room where Draco was resting, eyes wide. The man looked at the boy lying on the bed in confusion and mistrust.
“Why is Malfoy not on the Black family tapestry?” asked the man.
Remus and Dumbledore did not answer, both knowing the reason why. It was Harry and Molly Weasley who were confused.
“You mean the dear was struck from the family line?” Molly asked.
Black shook his head.
“No, it seems he was never on the tree, not under Narcissa. In fact, the only child under Narcissa is one that died at childbirth.”
It was Dumbledore who answered.
“That is because Draco is not a Malfoy, Sirius. He is not Lucius’ and Narcissa’s child. He claimed he was stolen. Young Draco found out about this from Lucius, and he apparated away and asked for sanctuary. Before he came here, he has been staying at Hogwarts. A lovely young man, very smart. He has been trying to find clues regarding his birth parents and to remove the spells the Malfoys placed on him, especially the one that altered his appearance.”
When Dumbledore finished speaking, everyone in the room remained silent, feeling sad for the sleeping boy.
It was Molly who spoke. “Poor dear, to be raised to hate who you are, how despicable! Albus, tell me, did Malfoys treat the boy ill? How was he able to apparate at such a young age?”
“Draco did not say such, but running diagnostic spells on him when he first arrived revealed that the Cruciatus had been used on him more than once.I believe the power of his apparition was due to his highly charged emotional state, but he is very powerful in his own right. Many charms on the boy's person are quite strong, I believe that only the goblins will have the power to remove them.”
Lupin nodded, he had figured the same, “Are you going to take him to Gringotts then?”
“Yes, Goblin magic is a lot more powerful than our own and should be able to reverse the effects of the charms placed on the boy. We must hurry though. There may be some advanced tracking spells that I have not yet detected.”
As this was said, Remus lifted the boy into his arms and he couldn’t help but feel worried about how light he was. Remus rushed through the floo not focused on everyone following behind. They made it through to Gringotts and quickly asked for a private room. Dumbledore disillusioned Draco and spoke to a teller who looked at the blurry shape in Remus’ arms before ushering everyone into a room in the back. A goblin who introduced himself as Griphook motioned for Remus to lay Draco down on the cot in the room. The boy was getting paler by the minute and everyone looked on in worry. The goblin came up to Draco’s side with a potion that he poured down the boy's throat.
"There are too many people in the room. Young mister Malfoy needs to extract the spells and binds from his body, and it will not be pretty nor painless."
"Please, let me stay!" Remus begged, unable to let go of Draco's hand as he began to groan and thrash around. Griphook nodded his agreement, as everyone filed out. It took three hours before Draco stopped moaning in pain and tapered off into a restless sleep.
Remus had drifted off in the seat next to the boy while he waited for the process to finish. When he felt the grip on his hand go lax and the pained groans die down he opened his eyes and looked at Draco in surprise before calling for Sirius. Sirius rushed into the room looking at Remus. Remus just turned away trying to hold back his tears.
“It’s Cypress, Siri,” he gripped Draco Cypress’ hand tighter, “I thought he was dead.”
Minutes later, Sirius came back outside, his eyes were red and nose running as if he had just been crying. He went to Harry ignoring the stares of Dumbledore, Hermione and the Weasleys.
"Harry, there is something you need to know. We never meant to keep this from you for this long but at the time it still hurt and-" His godfather ranted before Harry stopped him.
"Sirius? What is it?" Harry asked not liking the way Sirius was pacing back and forth.
"Harry, you were born with a younger twin brother."
Harry's eyes went wide in disbelief as he gasped. The other children in the room gasped as well, not having known about the younger Potter brother. Dumbledore and Molly stayed silent, they had known that the Potters gave birth to two sons.
"What?"
"You were-are a twin. His name was Cypress Lyle Potter. Lily wanted to carry on the tradition of flower naming. When you both were a year old, James took Cypress for a walk, Lily stayed at home with you as you were sick from teething and Cypress always had trouble falling asleep and walks usually helped. Lily was worried because she did not want them out for long, so when James took too long coming back she asked Remus and I to search for them. We went to the park they usually walked in and we found James passed out from blood loss from a cut in his side and Cypress was missing. We didn’t know what happened until James woke up and told us that he had been attacked by three death eaters. All that was left of Cypress was his bloody blanket, and we figured he was dead. We searched everywhere but we couldn’t locate him. James and Lily were never the same after that, but James was worse. The guilt almost ate him alive, he never believed Cypress was gone though. The next month all three of you went into hiding and you know the rest."
"Sirius, why are you telling me this now?" Harry angrily asked.
"Harry, my boy…" Dumbledore started but for once he was at a loss.
"Cypress is alive, Harry." Sirius cut in.
"What do you mean- Is Draco my brother?" Harry said as he tried to rush into the room. Sirius grabbed him, holding him back.
“You have to be careful not to wake him. The process was very taxing on him and he’s resting.”
Harry nodded before darting into the room followed by Sirius where he was greeted with the sight of a boy laying next to Remus that looked exactly like the pictures of his mother that he had seen. His once platinum blonde hair was now a dark red and his face had a little more color and light freckles covered his upper cheeks. If it weren’t for the clear resemblance to Harry and his parents, one might mistake him for a Weasley with darker coloring.
“When will he wake up?”
Remus tightened his grip on Cypress, “He should be waking up soon”
As Remus spoke, Cypress groaned and gripped onto his hand tightly. He opened his eyes slowly to reveal the same hazel color that was James Potter's eyes. Remus’ breath caught at the sight.
“Remus?”
Remus gripped his hand tighter, conjuring a mirror. He held it up to the boy's face, “You look just like Lily and James?”
“Were those my parents' names?”
Remus nodded, “You were born 31 July, 1980, younger twin brother to Harry Potter,” Cypress gasped, “Your name is Cypress Lyle Potter. Right after your first birthday, James had taken you for a walk to calm you down so you could go to sleep when he was attacked by deatheaters. I was named your godfather along with Sirius and Alice Longbottom and Minnie, your godmothers.”
Cypress didn’t say anything when Remus was done talking. Sirius walked closer to the bed where Cypress was staying but stopped abruptly when the boy cringed away from him.
“Cypress? What’s wrong?” Sirius asked.
“I don’t want to talk to you,” he says, voice wobbly as he looks at Sirius, eyes moving over to where Harry is standing in the corner, “Either of you. You were ready to turn me away and attack me even when we were supposed to be blood related and in case you forgot, I’m still a Slytherin and I was raised by the Malfoys. Something both of you seem to hate and I’ve been encompassed in that hatred even though I’ve done nothing to either one of you. Get out.”
Harry and Sirius look struck but knew better than to say anything as they shuffle out of the door. As soon as they left, Cypress launched himself into Remus’ lap, arms wrapping around his neck as he bursts into tears. He was having trouble holding them back, but he didn’t want the others to see him cry.
“Did they look for me?”
Remus’ arms tighten around Cypress, “Of course they did Cy, they searched everywhere but all that was left was your bloody blanket and we had to assume that you were dead. Your parents, James especially, were never the same after you disappeared. I think the only reason they kept going was because they had Harry to worry about. They would be ecstatic that you’re here, alive. Slytherin or not.”
Cypress nodded into the crook of his neck. It brought him some comfort knowing they looked for him, even if the hole in his heart grew a bit bigger knowing his parents were dead and he would never get the chance to meet them.
“Was I too harsh with them, Remmy?” his voice thick with tears taking on a childish tilt to it.
“I think you’re going through a lot of emotions right now and it’s okay to lash out a bit. I don’t blame you for being upset with Sirius, he was being a right tit.”
“And Harry?”
Remus sighed, holding Cypress a bit tighter, “I can understand your frustration, but you and he are the only family you have left. Besides your Aunt Petunia, and from what Harry has told me, she doesn’t want to be associated with anything magic related. He might be feeling emotions as big as yours.”
Cy nodded into Remus’ neck, thumb creeping up near his mouth. It was a comforting habit to suck on his thumb, one Lucius never managed to beat out of him. The feel of Cy’s tears on Remus’ neck broke his heart, but as he looked down at the boy who cried himself to sleep in his arms sucking on his thumb, he vowed to do everything he could to protect him.