Chapter 27: Draco No-Name

Draco was having a good day. He really liked having friends. It was nice. He had been afraid that he would miss all the luxury of being a Malfoy, but Potter Manor was much better. He could play whatever he wanted, no one hit him, no one insulted him, he could study, and he was getting used to kisses and hugs. He preferred his mother's, of course. But Mrs. Granger's were also really good. Draco was still a bit untrusting of adult males. Mr. Granger seemed to know this and generally kept his interactions with Draco short and polite. Sirius was a bit warmer. Sometimes he ruffled the boy's hair. He even hugged Draco a couple of times. It was nice. His father would be absolutely appalled at Draco for liking such nonsense.

He felt sorry for Neville. The boy wasn't the type of friend his father would have approved of, but then again, neither was Hermione. Sirius Black had a boyfriend. Draco was still confused about everyone being so nonpulsed about this. When he asked Harry and Hermione a few days ago, they shrugged and said that love was a good thing. He then went to his mom about it.

FLASHBACK

"Drakey, come on in," Narcissa smiled, putting down her cup of tea on her writing desk.

"Mother, I have a question."

"Tell me, dear," she replied encouragingly.

"How come Lord Black doesn't have a Lady Black?"

Narcissa blushed and stammered. "Um, well… I… You see, sweetheart, Sirius doesn't have a wife because he is in love with Remus."

"But how is he to have an heir mother?" Draco blinked rapidly, trying to comprehend.

"Well, dear, I imagine that he may find a way to do so if he wants an heir…" Narcissa hoped Draco's curiosity would be assuaged by this. However, the boy had had the importance of an heir pressed upon him. All important families needed heirs as much as people needed air.

"But mother, how can he not want an heir?"

"Darling, we all have different priorities. Sirius seems to be quite happy as he is…"

"You said 'find a way'… But he cannot find a way with Mr. Lupin, can he?" Draco's eyes widened. Narcissa chuckled and took her son's hands.

"Drakey, you know how you love baby carrots?" Narcissa asked. The boy nodded rapidly. "And how you also love green apples?"

Draco nodded.

"Well, you can have one or the other. The one you choose does not make the other one less of a favorite. It just means that is the one you feel like eating," Narcissa smiled.

Draco blushed and then smiled tentatively. "He likes men and women, but chose Remus."

"Yes, dear," Narcissa pulled her son in for a hug. "Now, don't you worry about Sirius. He's a grown man with a good head on his shoulders. I am sure he will be fine."

"Okay."

END FLASHBACK

Draco was standing in front of his dresser's mirror. Muggle clothes were fun. His mom told him they were a present from Mrs. Granger and Sirius for him being a good boy and doing his chores. Draco was wearing jeans and a short-sleeved t-shirt with a drawing of a lizard. Hermione would later tell them that wasn't a lizard but a dinosaur. That would confuse him a lot. The boy liked how easily he could move. He had wondered before how Harry and Hermione could jump and run and sit anywhere without trouble, but now he knew. Muggle clothes were made to move and not to just look good like robes. The tennis shoes were extremely comfortable. Draco felt like running. No wonder his friends were always rushing off.

Despite all the pain that Lucius Malfoy caused his son. The boy couldn't help but love his father. He wondered about how his dad was doing. Draco knew his father could write and read letters. Since he wouldn't ask his mom for fear of distressing her, he thought he could write to him directly. He went to a corner of the library and asked Neesy for writing supplies. He thought for a while and then began writing. It would take him a while because he was better at reading than writing, but he would persevere.

"Father,

I hope you are well and healthy. Mother and I are okay. Everyone here is kind to us. I have friends, and I am learning new things. I hope you are happy. I wish you weren't in prison so I could see you again. But it is better like this. You would hurt us if you were here… But I still miss you, father.

Love,

Draco"

He sealed the letter with the wax seal given to him by Neesy. The boy didn't think anything of it, but that would be the final nail in the coffin of his relationship with his father. It was the Potter Family Coat of Arms. Lucius felt tempted to burn the letter once he got it, but he decided he would send it back torn to pieces with his gift to the boy. Bloody Sirius Black messing with his business. He had gotten the mutt to pay him handsomely for his signature. Now he would strike back from prison as only he could. Disowning the little brat would show Narcissa he didn't care for them at all. The boy would never recover, and his mother would never be truly happy. It was a perfect plan, the ultimate revenge. Lucius had no way of knowing that half the money he demanded in exchange for his signature was his wife's by right. It would come as a nasty shock.

In Narcissa's room, Sirius was delivering what he thought were only good news. His cousin was looking out of the balcony when he came in. He cleared his throat.

"I have some news for you, cousin… Malfoy signed the divorce papers!" Sirius exclaimed, twirling Narcissa around who laughed in triumph. He was a believer in giving good news first.

"So fast? I thought he would drag it as much as possible," Narcissa asked Sirius.

"Let's just say there are very few things money can't buy. Your ex-husband's signature is not one of those," Sirius winked with a roguish smile.

Narcissa hugged him again. "Oh! Sirius! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Now, since you are looking like a snack, with this new look," Sirius was interrupted by Narcissa's chuckle. "I think this calls for a celebratory dinner in muggle London and a party in the house this weekend!"

Narcissa smiled widely. "I can't believe this!"

"Um, cous-"

"Yeah?" Narcissa asked, her smile faltering at Sirius' expression.

"There's more. Gringotts forwarded a letter for Draco that came with the notification. It has been sealed by the bank and the Ministry..."

"He wouldn't… Draco is his only son! His firstborn!" Narcissa sighed and sat down. "He wouldn't want for his line to die off."

"I'm so sorry, dove. It is already done. Lucius has cast Draco out of the Malfoy family. He wants nothing to do with him. He wrote to Gringotts and renounced the Malfoy last name in Draco's stead. He has officially been disowned as Scion Malfoy. Here is the official letter," Sirius gave her an envelope.

"What?! He can't just take away his last name! Can he?"

"He can. Since Lucius was Draco's main legal guardian, he can and did do that. Now Draco appears in the Wizarding World ledgers as Draco No-House, and he shall be known as Draco No-Name."

Narcissa looked as if she had been struck across the face harshly. Sirius squeezed her hands in support.

"I wrote to Sharptooth. I told him that if Draco agrees, I want to offer him the Black name instead."

"You would do that for us?" Narcissa's jaw went slack and her eyes teared up.

"Cissa, I would do anything for both of you. You are my family. But I will only do it if he wants me to. I think it should be his decision."

Narcissa nodded and took a deep breath. Neesy popped into her room with a tray.

"Ms. Black, valerian root tea for yous with a teaspoon of honeys" Neesy placed a steaming cup in front of her.

"I didn't ask for this, Neesy," Narcissa dabbed her eyes.

"Neesy be knowing. Neesy is thinking Mistress Black needs calmings tea," Neesy smiled demurely. Sirius smiled in gratitude to Neesy.

Narcissa was truly shocked. Was this Neesy finally accepting her as part of the family!? "That is most thoughtful of you, Neesy. It is just what I needed. Thank you."

Neesy bowed and left. Narcissa took out the letters and read the ones she could. The first one was just a notification of her finalized divorce. The second one was an account balance notification from the vault Gringotts opened in her name, thanks to Sirius. She was quite surprised to see the amount of the balance. The last one was addressed to Draco and could only be opened and read by the boy.

Narcissa and Sirius were arguing how to tell this to Draco if at all. Sirius thought the sooner, the better. The boy's mother wanted to wait. Before they could agree on something, there was a knock to the open door. Draco was there looking very much like a muggle.

Draco was growing impatient at the lack of reply from his father. He had sent the letter two days ago. He went to his mother's room to show her his new look. He found Sirius with her. They seemed to be arguing in hushed voices that quietened as soon as he knocked on the open door.

"Mother, Lord Black," Draco bowed his head.

"Come in, son," Narcissa held on to Sirius' arm.

"Cissa, I cannot do this for you. He is your son. If you need me, I will be in the library," Sirius whispered, then he squeezed her hand and moved it away. "Draco, I want you to remember that you will always be a Black."

The boy tilted his head in confusion. However, he felt a deep and impending sense of doom that manifested in chills running down his spine. Sirius left and closed the door behind him. Draco was surprised when his mother took him to her room. She seemed very tense. Narcissa had no idea how the boy would react to the news. Lucius was a bastard. But he was Draco's father at the end of the day.

"Drakey, I have some news," she began. When Draco put on his poker face, she knew he was worried.

"Is it father?" the boy asked, looking down. "Is he okay?"

Narcissa's heart constricted at this. "Yes, I think so. I-I don't even know how to tell you this…"

Draco looked at her questioningly. "What is it?"

"Your father signed the divorce papers. We are no longer married," Narcissa said in as neutral a tone as she could muster.

"Really!?" Draco's face broke in a big smile. "Yay!"

Her boy hugged her tightly, and she began crying. He pulled away. "What is wrong, mother? I thought you would be happy…"

"I am happy he signed, baby. But," her voice cracked. "H-He sent you this."

Draco's eyes widened in horror. He recognized the official seals in his father's letter. How she wished her boy didn't know what it meant. But he did, perfectly. His eyes began to fill with tears, and he took the letter in her hands before she could react. He opened the envelope, and as he turned it to take the letter out, pieces of torn parchment with his handwriting fell out. Narcissa didn't notice, but Draco did. That alone made him feel like he had been cut with a scorching dagger. His mother now felt sorry she had taught him how to read early. His eyes moved through the scroll slowly. Tears fell from his eyes at increasing speed with every word he read. His face transformed into one of such brokenness that Narcissa felt her own heart had shattered with his.

Draco,

It is with great pleasure that I write to you to notify you that you have been cast out of House Malfoy, effective immediately, and permanently. I never wanted to have a weakling of a child like you. You are soft. You are weak. You bring shame to the great Malfoy name. You are just like your mother. Pathetic. She has chosen the wrong side of history, and you will be sullied with her and all those blood traitors and mudbloods.

I had great hopes for you when you were conceived, but you have been an absolute, consummate, disappointment. I really wish you didn't look like me. It is such an annoyance for people to think you and I are related. From now on, you shall be known by everyone as Draco No-Name. That should help you feel a bit of the embarrassment that you have made me feel. You repulse me. I never liked you. I will never love you. Refrain from ever contacting me again. I assure you that any attempt will be burnt when received. I shall endeavor to forget you ever existed.

Do remember that you chose your mother over me. This is the price of that stupid decision. Shall we ever meet again in battle, do not think that I will hesitate to end you. You disgust me.

Lucius Malfoy

Proud Death Eater

Head of the Ancient and Noble House of Malfoy

If there is a sound that a heart makes as it breaks beyond repair, the anguished, pained scream -akin to that or a hurt animal- that Draco let out had to be it. Before his mind registered anything, he was running away as fast as he could. He hated running. That was how upset he was. As he ran out of the house and towards the small forest in the backyard. He wanted to scream, to cry, to break things, to disappear. He crashed into a distracted Father Martin halfway through, the priest was trying to get a painting to talk to him, unsuccessfully. The crash was such that Draco bounced back and fell on his bum. Martin's imposing physique had barely moved a step back. There were angry tear marks down the boy's cheeks. His eyes were hollow, scared, and broken. Martin knew something really bad had happened. He offered his hand to the boy, but Draco scrambled up without a word and kept running towards the forest that was in the backyard. Martin followed him at a distance. For a few moments, he couldn't see the boy, but soon enough, he could hear him. He was crying desperately and hitting something.

"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" The boy was yelling in despair. Sobs escaped him, and as Martin approached, he saw that Draco had been punching a tree with such rage that his knuckles were all bloodied. He alternated the 'I hate yous' with anguished growls of raw pain.

"Draco?"

"Leave me alone!" the kid screamed at Martin. The priest saw greenish sparks coming off the boy. He would persist. If he left, the boy would break his fingers. Martin took a step towards the boy. Draco focused, frowned, and his magic pushed the priest a few meters back. Shaw felt like he had been hit hard in the stomach. He couldn't breathe properly, but he wouldn't leave the boy alone.

"I c-can't leave you alone, Draco," Martin said, trying to catch his breath. Draco came at the man and started hitting him as hard as he could with his little hurt fists. Because of their height difference, most punches fell on the priest's legs and lower stomach. He punched as he yelled at the man.

"Yes, you can, and you will! Everyone will leave me behind now! He hates me, and you will hate me too! He doesn't want to be my father! I am weak! A disgrace! An embarrassment! I have dishonored him and my House! I am a No-Name! He doesn't l-love me!" Draco fell to his knees after the last punch, crying freely. His heart was entirely shattered. Martin swallowed thickly. The boy's punches gave him no pain, but his words… His words had burnt and stung him hard. For a child to have someone say such horrible things to them was too painful to process. The priest had no clue what had happened, but his heart hurt for the boy. No child should feel so unloved by the very person who should be willing to lay down his life to protect them. "Why doesn't he want me?! Why doesn't he love me!?"

With a tenderness that surprised even himself, Martin sat behind the boy and pulled him back into his embrace. Draco was too broken, too scared, too confused, to even tense at this. He had no fight left in his little body. The boy collapsed against the priest. Martin wrapped his arms around the boy, carefully avoiding his injured hands, and caressed his hair lightly. The priest took a deep breath. A disgrace? A dishonor? An embarrassment? What in God's name was a No-Name? This child was absolutely broken, and to make matters worse, the person responsible was his own father.

"What is so wrong with me that he cannot love me!?" Draco began sobbing again and hid his face in Martin's chest. The boy's little body shook as he cried in raw despair. Martin had to take a few calming breaths. His eyes filled with tears. That man deserved the cruelest of fates for doing this to his own flesh and blood. No child should ever feel inadequate for love. "Can I get better, so he loves me? Can I change?"

Martin sighed and kissed the top of the boy's head. "Draco, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. You are a smart, polite, kind boy. Any man would be proud to be your father. Nothing about you needs changing," Martin was interrupted by a muffled reply from the boy. "What was that?"

"M-Mine isn't p-proud. H-How do you k-know all that?" Draco said, immediately hiding his face against the priest's chest once more. "You d-don't know m-me…"

"Precisely! I just met you. Do you want to know what I have learned about you so far? You are smart, kind, caring, loving, respectful, and have impeccable manners. You are protective of your mother. You are patient with Neville. You are a good friend to Harry and Hermione. You are a very good student. Emma tells me you do your chores without complaint, that you and are always willing to help. I would be thrilled to have a son just like you," Martin smiled at the boy who was looking at him incredulously.

Draco sniffed. "But if I am all that… why can't he love me?"

Martin sighed. "Some people just don't have the right heart to love others no matter how deserving those others are of that love," Martin said with a sigh. Draco began crying again in a more calm manner. The priest's words sounded so final. Could it be? That his father's heart would never love him? The boy felt his heart constrict painfully, and he started to rock himself and to suck his thumb. His hands were beginning to hurt now that the adrenaline was dissipating. He felt his heartbeat on his knuckles. He thought the man would let him go in disgust. His father hated it when Draco did that. Martin didn't seem to mind at all. The priest maneuvered so Draco would still be cozy against his chest and took the boy's free injured hand.

"Draco, this right here is proof of what a loving person you are. You may think you have a small heart because you are a little boy. But look at how intensely you feel things. Your heart has an enormous capacity to love. That's why I think it's so difficult for you to understand why people without your special heart can't love…" Draco shrugged at this and winced when Martin carefully removed a splinter from one of his knuckles. The priest continued. "I heard you say you hate your father… I truly don't think you do. I think you are just very hurt that he doesn't love you, and you have decided that hating him is easier because then you get to be angry for as long as you want to because he wronged you… Am I right?"

The boy nodded sadly and angrily wiped away his tears with the back of his hand.

"Do yourself and your mother a favor, son," Martin began.

Draco's eyes looked up questioningly. He liked the way Martin said son. It felt like a loving touch at a distance. When his father said son, it weighed him down.

"Do not hate your father. Not forever. You can hate him now, of course. It is natural. But don't hate him forever… That will only hurt you more. People who hold on to hate can't hold on to love or happiness. Hate is too heavy to allow you to carry something else in your heart. If he doesn't want to be a part of your life, son, that's his loss. He has no idea what a stupid thing he is doing. He will always feel your absence acutely. No matter what. You are not the kind of person that can be forgotten. Neither is your mother. Yes?"

Draco nodded between shaky breaths. "If I hate him, will that make me a b-bad boy?"

"No, son. But I want you to think about something. Do you fear your father?"

Draco nodded, hanging his head in shame; he pouted and hid his face once more. Martin rubbed slow, calming circles on the shaky child's back.

"Someone once wrote that hate is the consequence of fear… that we ought to fear something before we hate it… I think that hate is usually a good cover for things which are harder to sort out. When all that burning hate is gone, son, you will have to deal with what you are truly feeling: pain, abandonment, sadness, emptiness…" Martin sighed. Draco shook in his arms. "I want you to remember that hating someone is like drinking a little poison every day and expecting the person you hate to feel sick because of that. You hurt yourself more than you could ever hurt them. And you would end up hurting your mother too. I am positive that if you ask her what it is that she wants most in the world, she will say that she just wants you to be happy."

Narcissa was behind some nearby trees, having followed her son and crashed into Severus. She hastily explained the situation to the boy's godfather, who decided to join her. They went by a surprised Emma, who was having some coffee in the breakfast nook while Harry and Hermione ate a snack next to her. Narcissa and Severus decided to stay behind some trees. The witch was crumbling at hearing her son. The priest was so good with him and so right. That was indeed, all she wanted. She was crying freely. Severus pulled her to him, offering silent support when her knees began to fail her. But they didn't move or speak because the priest was doing a great job. Severus was a bit envious of the priest's way of talking to Draco.

The boy sighed and took his thumb out of his mouth. "How does one deal with the d-difficult feelings, sir?"

"Step by step, Draco," Martin smiled, looking behind him at the boy's mother and at Mr. Snape, who were waiting to intervene.

"Step by step, and not alone," Severus said calmly, alerting his godson of his presence. Narcissa was next to him, using a scarf to muffle her crying. "You are not alone, son. You have a family who loves you. You never have to deal with anything alone, alright? Your father does not deserve a son like you," Severus pulled the boy up. Draco hugged his godfather's leg and cried some more as his mother knelt behind him and hugged him tightly. After a while, the boy moved and went back to the priest's arms sitting between his legs. Narcissa and Severus were shocked at this. Draco had just met Martin, and yet he seemed so at ease with the man.

"Mummy, do I have to be a No-Name forever?" Draco said, lowering his head with shame.

"I'm sorry, this may be a very um muggle question, but what does that even mean?" Martin asked in confusion.

"In the Wizarding World, if you are cast out by your head of house, you lose your last name and your place in the family tree. Therefore, the bank, the schools, and the government change your empty last name space for No-Name or No-House, so they can differentiate you from other people with the same first name," Severus explained with distaste.

"That is absolutely barbaric!" Martin was outraged. The witch and wizard nodded enthusiastically.

"It is. Draco, it is up to you. Your mother tells me that Sirius is offering you the last name Black if you want it," Severus told the boy. "Think about it. Your mom is now Ms. Black. In other countries, children have their mother's last name as their main one instead of their father's. But again, it is your choice."

The boy seemed thoughtful, then he called for Neesy, and requested for her to bring Lord Black immediately. The man appeared in front of the boy.

"Lord Black," Draco said bowing low. Sirius returned the bow. His cousin's son looked like he had gone to war, come back and barely made it out alive. Sirius' canine sense of smell caught the scent of blood before he actually saw the bloodied hands. The poor child. "Can I please be known as Draco Black, son of Narcissa Black? We don't need his last name. Black is more than enough."

Sirius used his index finger to lift the boy's face and smiled at him. He then took his wand and pointed it at the boy's right hand. Silver sparks came out of the wand. "Well, then… I, Sirius Orion Black, Head of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black hereby proudly reinstate Draco No-Name son of Narcissa Black nee Malfoy to the official family bloodline and tree. He shall henceforth be known as Draco Black, and as such, he is under my protection until his majority, as I have spoken, so mote it be," Sirius raised his right hand, where he wore his signet Lordship ring. Draco kissed it and glowed purple. Then he jumped into Sirius' awaiting arms.

"Thank you, Lord Black!"

"None of that. Your mother is practically my sister now. Call me uncle Sirius," Sirius smiled and twirled the boy around. Once he was back on the ground, his mother proceeded to squeeze him hard. She then turned to Sirius and gave him a bone-crushing hug. She whispered a "Thank you, brother!" In his ear.

Draco saw the mess he made on the priest's shirt. He colored. "I am sorry, sir."

Martin was puzzled about the apology. Watching magic take place would always leave him feeling awestruck. He looked down at his shirt. "Oh, that is quite alright, Draco. Don't worry about it. I was glad to be here for you. If you want to speak again, just come find me. Can someone take care of his knuckles, they could get infected?" he pointed at Draco's hands. "I know a bit of first aid but somehow, I think that you probably have a better solution than I do."

Narcissa smiled in gratitude at the man. She took out her wand and waved it over her son's hands "Episkey!"

The skin instantly knit itself back together and the boy's hands looked like nothing had happened. Martin sighed. "I love magic."

Sirius laughed, "Let's go get ready. I want to take us all out to dinner to celebrate the divorce and Draco's new last name."

They walked back in silence and found Harry and Hermione laughing as they played.

"Mummy, can we go play with the owl?" Hermione asked after putting her plates in the sink.

"Yes, but remember it is still recovering. Be very kind to it," Emma replied checking her watch. Her husband should be coming home in around twenty minutes. Neesy would go pick him up.

"Mrs. Granger… Is something wrong with uncle Sev and Narcissa?" Harry looked worried.

"Well, I'm not sure, but whatever it is, we will be told if we need to know," Emma guessed that Narcissa had been notified of the divorce. Neesy told her that Draco had run out earlier. "Children… if Draco is sad, please try to be there for him."

"Of course," the kids nodded and took off towards the backyard. Emma did the dishes while Neesy cooked. Augusta had left with her grandson after class. Minerva would come the following day to tutor the kids. They were very excited at the prospect.

The children found the owl was in her perch, pecking at her bandages. It was sick and tired of being idle. No one knew the owl's name, but they called her Spotty because of her spotted feathers. It miffed her. She didn't like the name. They would ask the Greengrass girls, but they didn't come out of their room much, and when they did, they spoke amongst themselves.

Harry took the water container, cleaned, and refilled it. Hermione put seeds, beef jerky, and a slice of bacon on the owl's feeder. The bacon seemed to cheer Spotty up. They cleaned the bird's droppings off the perch and petted her for a while. They decided to play hopscotch. Draco came back with his mother, his godfather, Martin, and Sirius. The priest didn't think twice and began playing with the kids. Draco and Narcissa joined them too. Sirius sat down to talk to Severus about his discoveries from the book of alliances so far. They were playing animatedly until Hermione and Harry fell to their knees and held on to the backs of their heads simultaneously, screaming, "Muuuuuuuuuum!" "Emmaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Emma heard her kids and a chill went down her back. She ran as fast as she could towards them. Everyone around them was shocked. Narcissa was doing diagnostic spells but nothing was wrong. Still, the kids seem to be in considerable pain.

"What happened!?"

"Daddy!" "Daniel!" the kids replied in one pained voice.

"What happened to him? Where is he? Where is Neesy?"

"We felt it!" Harry replied. "S-Someone hurt him! We have to help him!"

The words had barely left Hermione's mouth when Neesy popped in and immediately collapsed to the ground. She was covered in dust and blood.

"Neesy, what happened?!" Sirius asked, rushing to the hurt elf.

"Theys be t-taking him," she said with difficulty.

"What!?" "Who!?" "Where!?" "How!?" were the replies that came out after this. Narcissa did several healing spells as everyone asked questions. The elf stopped bleeding and sat up.

"Neesy be goings to the Grangeys new home to pick master Doctor up. Neesy be not finding him there. Neesy be disguising and goings to the churchies…"

"And?!"

"The churchies is being closed, but Neesy is feeling master is scared, so Neesy is going to the side door. There is being two bad men who is hitting master in the back of the head and put a black covers over his head. They is taking hims away into a carsy! Neesy be trying to hide, but Neesy is being scared and gasped, and they is seeing Neesy and-"

The elf began crying. Emma was freaking out. "And what!?"

"They is being throwing funny water at Neesy and hitting Neesy with cross thingies until Neesy is feeling so weak she wouldn'ts be ables to pop away. Neesy be popping here to get help as they be throwing a black ball thingy that Neesy thinks took down the churchies!"

Martin gasped. They threw Holy Water at her? Hit her with crucifixes? Threw a granade at the church? What in God's name was going on? Was anyone else hurt? Guilt started gnawing at him. If something irreversible happened to Daniel he would never forgive himself. His head spun trying to think of the possibilities.

Sirius blanched. "I'll go!"

"I'm coming with you!" Emma said quickly.

"Em," Sirius behan

"It wasn't a question!" Emma yelled angrily. Sirius nodded.

"Accio Emma's handgun!" Severus said, catching the gun and handing it to her. "I'm coming with you too."

"No, you are still weak, Sev, and we'd feel better knowing you are here with them," Narcissa said holding on to Sirius' arm and nodding at Draco. The boy nodded back. The Grangers had earned their loyalty and friendship. Severus nodded with a frown. Emma held on to Sirius' free arm and looked meaningfully at Martin for him to take care of the children. The priest nodded with a scared expression. His hand reached for his rosary which was inside his pocket. Padfoot and the women vanished.

A/N: Thank you for reading! This chapter was quite hard to write. I hope you enjoyed it and that you are safe at home and healthy. -Lux-