Apologies for the technical difficulties! Here's the story!

Prologue

Dawn broke through the skies bringing the close to a night that seemed like it would never end. It was an end though. A clear separation in the lives of the people sat around the gloomy kitchen table at Grimmauld Place, after this day they would all file their lives into before and after. Today was the beginning of after and they were aching for the time before.

No one spoke. The room was filled with domestic sounds of a kettle whistling, a tap dripping and a disgruntled house elf snoring in his den. No one could bring themselves to speak, because what would they say? Nothing. Because when something so bad happens that it rips your world into two, there is nothing you can say. Nothing can make it better.

One by one people left the table until there were only three still sitting. Sirius was hunched at the head, his eyes were stained with red streaks and he was clutching a butterbeer bottle as tightly as he could without it shattering. His hands shook so violently whenever he let go that he kept holding on, he couldn't fall apart, he needed to focus.

A chair scraped against the stone floor and Sirius's weary head shot up. "Where are you going?"

"To bed." Harry replied tersely.

"You're not going anywhere." Sirius snapped. Guilt overwhelmed him, he swallowed and said in a much calmer voice, "please, Harry sit back down."

Harry stared straight at his godfather for a few more long moments before gradually sinking back into his uncomfortable chair. His grief hadn't progressed to Sirius's level yet, Harry felt numb, he was experiencing the odd sensation of falling in slow motion, knowing the impact of hitting the ground was imminent but unable to feel the fear of the pain. Somewhere in the back of Harry's brain he knew the pain was coming, but not yet, right now the shock was too raw. He wished Sirius would let him go to bed. He wanted more than anything to lie down and be alone and it was better being here, in an unfamiliar house, if he was home it'd be too full of - . No, Harry told himself firmly, he would not think about it yet.

"Why are you keeping us here?" The third voice drawled.

Harry and Sirius both turned their attention the pale boy with the blond hair.

An emotion stirred in the pit of Harry's stomach- anger. He hated Draco Malfoy with a burning rage, he wanted to hurt him, to kick and punch every part of him that he could reach. Everything that happened had been his fault. He had killed - . No, Harry told himself again, he needed to keep hating Draco Malfoy, and he couldn't do that if he thought about it and fell apart.

"I'm keeping you here until you draw a truce." Sirius said quietly. He surveyed the boy he supposed was his cousin, trying to find anything he recognised or could connect to. He needed to find a place in his life for this boy, he promised Cissy and after everything that had happened tonight, he owed her more than ever. "You don't have to like each other." Sirius continued grimly. "But from now on you're on the same side. We're all fighting the same battle and to do that we need to trust each other."

Harry and Draco glared at each other, there was nothing but contempt between them.

"I'm not expecting you to become best friends overnight," Sirius snapped. "But you need to become allies now, tonight can't have been for nothing." His voice broke slightly on the last word, he had perhaps minutes left of keeping up appearances before he would start to crumble. "We're all living under one roof, if you can't keep the peace then you may as well pick up your wands and kill us all now."

Both boys looked to Sirius, expecting to see some hint of irony or exaggeration but they didn't. His face was a mask of seriousness and his eyes already looked dead.

"Shake." He commanded.

Harry and Draco turned their attention back to each other, Harry's hands loosened out of their fists but he was unable to raise his arm, Draco was having the same inner battle. But after a minute, slowly and shakily, Draco's hand outstretched over the table that separated them. Harry looked Draco hard in the eye, the ball was in his court now.