#...but then they get swept up in almost exacting revenge by treating their own kids like livestock...

[uncanny-tranny]

The thing I hate most about "parental rights" is how it's used to actually mean "if I lose even one ounce of absolute control over my child, regardless of what they want or what's good for them, my rights are being violated!"

[halothenthehorns]

All in the Family

Chapter 50: Snape's Grudge

Sirius at once lost his feet upon landing and face planted a puddle of foul smelling green sludge. No matter how much he tried to spit it out and wipe his face clean, the mess clung to him. By the time he'd at least cleared it away from his eyes and mouth, he got himself onto all fours and looked around to see what should have been a familiar site.

He was on the very outskirts of Hogsmeade, a place he and his friends frequented far more than the others of Hogwarts and possibly even the villagers themselves. He'd spent more times having adventures in every nook and cranny of this place than even doing homework, if one could believe it. This particular spot, and what it looked down on, meant more to them than words could express. The Shrieking Shack stood in the distance, the measly fence guarding it off, the sheer drop and magic bordering one from going inside through any of the blocked off windows or available door were quite powerful to one who didn't know what they were doing. There was melting snow upon the ground and puddles of mud every few adjacent feet, perfect for a prank to pull or vanish at a moments notice.

His friends were the ones he was having trouble recognizing.

They had not landed near each other at all, but each held the same expression of shock that was quickly growing into something Sirius had no desire to look at. His breaths were coming out in short, sharp little panting gasps, as if he'd broken a rib. He wished the Devil's Snare were strangling him again, or even better, a venomous tentacula. He'd rather be back in a dragon's cave than fight his blurry vision and see what he knew would be there on his real family.

"Sirius, you daft idiot, how is eating mud any solution to this?" Then there was a warm hand thumping him on the back, a kind voice affectionately telling him to stop being stupid, and James' hand hovering in front of his face.

"How the hell are you lot still," words wavered off, Sirius didn't know how any of them could stand to be around him after what they'd just heard. That didn't stop him from clinging to this while he could, taking Prong's hand and only staggering for a few moments before his feet steadied beneath him.

"I don't know what to make of the madness of this future," James brutally told him, expression defensive as he scanned around for the book, but he gave Sirius' hand a reassuring squeeze before dropping it. "I do know it hasn't happened yet though, so would you stop panicking about it every other second please?"

Sirius spat out one last glop of mud and still gave a slight grin. "Yeah, I'll try."

"If you manage it, Moony will owe me three galleons," Peter smirked. "We've a running bet you can't go longer than three days without freaking out over something."

"Define freaking out," Sirius huffed with an exaggerated pout.

"Shouting and your general presence are the commonly accepted terms," Remus shrugged. "He almost won last year actually, until you found out it was Wormtail who ate your Potions homework and our deer friend graciously played partisan and gave me the win."

"Aha!" Said Marauder had wandered off from their babble and managed to spot the book resting in a nearby tree. He scaled it the Muggle way for the onlookers.

"I will never understand those four," Lily muttered, shielding her eyes from the sun and waiting for Potter to fall from the tree any second. Maybe he'd land on his fat head and deflate it a bit. "They really can laugh off anything, even attempted murder on each other."

"The kind of friendship we should all aspire for," Alice shrugged.

Lily flushed slightly in unease, thinking if rolls had been twisted slightly and Sev had ever done anything of this scale to her, she couldn't forgive such a thing. The way he was acting now was inexcusable, and the chapter title Potter declared only promised things weren't going to get much better.

Regulus listened to the school in controlled chaos because of his brother and couldn't decide who he was more impressed with, the Sirius of the future getting in and out of that place undetected after a debauched murder attempt of his best friends kid, or his idiot brother smiling along at the events now. Chest out, hair swept over his shoulder, pride rolling off of him in waves for managing such a stupid move. Would they still be acting like this if that was the end of the story? If Sirius had really killed Potter's kid, would they all go back home and pretend none of it had ever happened?

He wondered, not for the first time, just what their most recent fight had been about. Something equally as bad as nearly getting an innocent killed? How many times would Sirius get away with this before his friends cast him out? Regulus knew, even if Sirius had done all those horrible crimes, at least he'd still forgive his brother. He never did anything without a good reason, and was continuously amazed the three he called his brothers seemed to feel the same. Would his friends do the same if he suddenly told them he was having questions about their future plans?

Frank listened intently to the kids interpretation of why they thought Black hadn't murdered Harry when he had the chance, and didn't take to the idea. If he was mad enough to be breaking into this school at all to exact these plans, surely his way out wasn't on his mind, just the murder itself. So either Sirius wasn't as mad as everyone was saying in this future, or they were still missing something.

He forgot everything else when he heard his poor son was in the most trouble for all this. His indignation at McGonagall's treatment of him grew with his fury, he had half a mind to get up to that castle and tell her off for this the second they got back. As if he was the first child to lose a password or let another student into the dorm, he shouldn't be punished for Black's doings!

When Hagrid's note arrived and they went to visit him, Alice huffed impatiently at those two forgetting about Buckbeak as much as they seemed to everything that wasn't a Firebolt lately. Just because it wasn't their responsibility didn't negate they'd offered to help. She was glad they had Hagrid in their lives all the more when he straightened them out about how they'd been treating Hermione, someone needed to tell them that sooner rather than later.

Hermione threatening to turn around and tell McGonagall about Harry's new found map wasn't garnering much sympathy though.

"What a snobby little brat!" Sirius huffed. "Can you believe this is the same kid who brewed an illegal potion last year."

"She's trying to keep her friend safe," Remus shrugged in some defense. "She's not going about it the right way, but I give her credit for trying." He didn't seem to have convinced any of his friends, but they were also the ones who ran around with a werewolf once a month. Safety wasn't often their first concern.

Alice and Frank were all the more unsympathetic to Harry's wanting to sneak out here again by trying to ditch Neville to do it. It was obvious their son was wanting a friend to be around and Harry was only thinking about what he wanted, couldn't he at least invite Neville along? He wouldn't be like Hermione and go tattling his first chance, of that they were sure.

James at least got some enjoyment of Harry's time through Hogsmeade now, especially his trip inside Zonko's. Then his son ended up here, on this very spot, and he looked around with fondness as he tried to imagine the scene. Him and a red haired kid instead just having a laugh, or him and a son who looked so much like him but with Lily's eyes as he told of the grand adventures and tails of the Marauders. He glanced at Lily and saw she was merely ignoring them, playing with her hair in agitation and clearly wishing he wasn't out there at all. He sighed and wondered what it would take for her to start daydreaming the same.

Then Malfoy arrived, and while his friends began muttering in frustration for that prat ruining their spot by his mere presence, James had the kind of grin that automatically had Lily narrowing her eyes at him once more for whatever nasty prank he was thinking.

She didn't have to wait long as Potter described the following fight with glee, along with Harry's invisible revenge. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and went as far away from them all as she could, beyond words this child kept resembling his father, always trying to solve every argument with underhanded tactics. She only listened with vague interest as Harry went off same as Malfoy for the castle and was still left wondering how Snape and a grudge of his would be involved even as he appeared and dragged Harry off to his office.

He belittle and accused him, but that was nothing unusual. He even brought up the same thing Dumbledore once had in his own light, about Potter supposedly saving his life, but now sharing more it had been some prank gone wrong. Her eyes widened in surprise and then narrowed suspiciously when exactly this had happened. Surely it wasn't the exact same instance Snape had told her about only last month.

It wasn't until Lupin was called in that she got her first hint of what was coming. She knew Snape's suspicions about him and what the Marauders got up to and still laughed at Sev's crazy ideas, but his reaction to the same man now full grown almost made her want to laugh. If this was the grudge being referred to, it really was a bit pathetic he couldn't let an old schoolboy resentment slide for a fellow college. Lupin was acting the same in this future as he did now really, avoiding everyone given the chance, why did Sev care so much?

She wasn't getting an answer as Lupin talked Snape out of any punishment, but then proceeded to berate Harry himself.

Lily watched from afar as the Marauders shifted with further unease as one of their own invoked Potter's name. Seemed she wasn't the only one unhappy with the way their future friends were acting.

Hermione ended the chapter with the gory announcement Buckbeak's death had been sentenced. If only that were the worst thing going on right now.