Disclaimer: I do not own any characters created by J.K. Rowling.

A/N: I know everyone is super curious as to how Sirius is alive. I promise this will be answered, but it is a huge plot point for later on in the story, so I cannot answer anything about that right now.

Chapter Thirty-Five

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Draco swallowed thickly as Auror Buxley secured their safe passage across. The weather was especially bleak and dreary, a fairly perpetual state considering where they were. Auror Buxley must have tried to catch his attention, but Draco was a bundled of highly strung nerves at that point and had tried to block out all external stimulation to try and keep himself upright.

A hand landed on his shoulder made him flinch back into a solid chest. Looking up, he swallowed thickly as Remus gave him a tight-lipped smile of reassurance. He could do this; he had been through worse over the last couple of years. He could certainly handle this.

"Mr. Malfoy I need you to come over here," Auror Buxley said, beckoning Draco over to the attendant's desk where he was waiting.

With a gentle nudge from Remus, Draco crossed over to the desk. He swallowed as Buxley performed numerous spells to showcase that he was, indeed, not a dangerous person and that he had various restrictions on his magic -restrictions that glowed like green spiderwebs interlocking around him. It made his stomach twist. He resisted the urge to heave. Buxley waved his wand, erasing the green lines of the restrictions from sight, before holding out his hand. With a suppressed sigh, Draco slid his wrist into the Auror's. With a wave of his wand, a silver circle wrapped around both Draco's wrist and Buxley's.

A security measure.

Remus needed no such restriction or safety measure. Remus could be trusted. That being said, Draco had spied the older man getting searched when they had first entered the Ministry and was presented with a stamped silver dog-tag that had been hastily tucked down the inside of his shirt. It saddened Draco to see his friend treated in such a way. The thought that Remus Lupin was now his friend was considerably warming to think about. It made him feel less hollow as he awkwardly stepped down into the boat that bobbed recklessly on the choppy waters.

The boat rode across the waves, vaguely reminiscent to the journey across the lake during Draco's first year at Hogwarts.

As they swayed from side-to-side, Draco tried to shake the cobwebs from his mind. They'd gotten up far too early to be healthy. Before the crack of dawn, really. Even Teddy had remained asleep as Remus had crept downstairs and made them some coffee and toast. Draco's mouth felt dry and when he tried to eat, it turned to sawdust in his mouth. He did have three cups of coffee, though, that wasn't helping how cramped his insides now felt. He was beyond nervous, perspiring in the cold, salty air.

When they finally docked on the island, Buxley stepped out first and helped drag Draco up onto the short pier with a grunt before reaching down to pull Remus up. Turning to both men, Buxley fixed them with a stern look. "Now, despite the Dementor's having not returned to guard Azkaban, this is still a harrowing place. The Auror's here are on duty to keep you both protected against any malevolent intentions the prisoners may exhibit. However, all prisoners have had their wands taken away and have had dampeners put on their magic. They are relatively harmless, though there will be myself and another auror stationed in the room at all times."

Draco nodded to show that he was listening.

"Now, if at any time, you wish to leave, just give me a signal or say so outright and I shall remove you from the room, understood? It is my job to make sure you are kept safe and do not break your probation."

"I … I understand, sir," Draco murmured.

"As do I," Remus inclined his head.

"Good. Follow me, it's rather a steep incline to the entrance." Turning on his heel, Buxley began the march up the rough path cut into the side of the cliff.

It was rather steep, and Draco became winded within a matter of moments. Remus helped to nudge him upwards, and Draco was reminded, yet again, of how strong the older man truly was after all he'd been through. It reminded him of someone else who had been in this ghastly place.

"Remus?"

"Yes?"

"Was there a reason you offered to bring me here today before Sirius could offer?" he asked, the howling of the wind almost drowning him out.

"I was worried!" Remus called bask. "Sirius, like the rest of us, has not had the easiest life since he broke out of here. I was worried in case it was a trigger for him, after the horrors he had to endure for twelve years."

The idea of it was enough to make Draco double over and vomit onto the black rocks over the side of the path. The salty air rushed into his eyes and up his nose, making his mouth water even more. He spat it out, choking on the sudden dryness of his throat. He loathed the idea of his father being in prison, but at least it was like a generic prison now. What Sirius went through –

He vomited again.

A rough hand clapped him on the back. "That's it, Draco, bring it all up. You've not even eaten much today. I have some chocolate if you want?"

The thought made Draco queasy. Grunting, he shook his head. "No, no I -I'm fine. I'll be okay."

Remus waited patiently until Draco was feeling well enough to stand up straight. Linking an arm around the teenager's waist, Remus helped him shakily make his way up the rest of the stone pathway. Auror Buxley watched their ascent from the narrow walkway that wrapped around the base of the prison. He gave them a once over before gesturing for them to walk inside ahead of him.

They came immediately to a tall wrought iron gate that had numerous locks and chains woven through it. There were two aurors there standing guard. They cast their wands over all three of them, verifying that they were not armed of dangerous and made a note of the silver cuff around Buxley and Draco's wrists. Remus even flashed them his dog-tags and was told to surrender his wand to Auror Buxley for the remainder of their visit. He obeyed with only a moment hesitation, his amber eyes darkening in anger. Only Draco seemed to notice.

The gates were unlocked and Buxley led the way inside.

Despite the lack of dementors Draco felt a chill pervade deep into his bones and gripped his stomach until he hunched in on himself, feeling worn and weary. Almost as though it took all of his magical core strength just to keep him upright. Remus' arm found its way back around his waist and he was grateful for the older man's support. By the time they had made their way through the labyrinth of halls into the belly of the prison, Draco felt his reserves depleting rapidly. Maybe this was a bad idea after all?

Passageway after passageway had a narrow door cut into the stonework, a small window with bars on it letting the prisoners peak into their cold Hell beyond. There was the constant sound of distant screaming and laughing, probably of those who had been here long since the first wizarding war and were nothing more than a bag of withering bones and insane. It sent shivers running down his spine.

"Here we are," Auror Buxley said, his voice like a hot poker through the austere atmosphere that had fallen around Draco's ears like ice. "Would you like Mr. Lupin to accompany you inside?"

Draco looked at the door, a rather normal looking door by all accounts, before biting his lip and bowing his head. "It -it might be best if I go alone. You don't want to hear my Father's purist nonsense anyway," he offered a wan smile up at the man beside him.

Remus frowning, his mouth turning down at the corners as he rested a warm, comforting hand on Draco's shoulder. "I have handled your father many a time, Draco. Don't feel the urge to protect me. I came here to support you. I can stay out here, if you wish, but know that I will be beside you in a heartbeat if you need me to be."

Draco felt his resolve shudder so violently he almost let it break. He fought the urge to throw his arms around Remus. That unwavering support was something he had been missing for a very long time. "Thank you, Remus, but I think I should do this alone."

"Very well," Remus stepped back with a smile. "I'll be here when you're done."

Draco nodded. Drawing in a deep breath, he squared his shoulders and looked up at the door. "Okay," he said to Auror Buxley. "I'm ready. Let's get this over with."

~0~

Harry stretched his arms over his head and sighed happily as the sun beamed down at him. He had been working in the garden for a good two hours by this point and it hadn't even reached midday yet. The heat was definitely climbing to new heights and he was thriving in the brilliance of it all. He admitted to his godfather that he was feeling a little stir crazy. Other than their occasional voyages into muggle London, St. Mungo's or even to the Burrow now, Harry hadn't been leaving the house that much.

Sirius felt guilt and, over breakfast, had asked what would help Harry not feel so cooped up all the time. "We can always go out, just the three of us? I'm sure Teddy could use a little more sunshine and fresh air, after all."

Harry did have an idea of something he wanted to do. A little project that, for once, didn't have much to do with magic. In fact, it was something that had cropped to mind since having visited Privet Drive. "I actually was wondering if you could help me with a little gardening project," he hedged.

"Oh!" Sirius' eyes went wide. He hadn't been expecting that. "Sure thing, pup, what did you have in mind?"

Harry felt his cheeks grow pink. "I wanted to make some little plant boxes, a few of them actually, so that I could start growing um … potions ingredients for Draco."

Sirius' surprise morphed into a knowing smirk. "That's rather endearing of you. What brought that on?"

"Well, he mentioned a few times over the last couple of weeks that he was so tired of having to rely on you or Remus to order ingredients for him, especially rare ones, because a lot of apothecary's have blacklisted his name. So, I just … I just thought we might be able to grow some of those here so that he would be able to be a bit more independent."

"I see. And how do you plan on getting the seedlings and cuts of these ingredients so you can plant them and start growing them?"

Harry shrugged. "I'll use my name. About the only thing all this fame is good for, I guess."

Sirius chuckled. "That reminds me, this weekend we will have to do another Polyjuice run. The reporters seem to be getting a little restless. However, someone will definitely slip that you are ordering potions ingredients. Pair that up with a sighting of you in Diagon Alley, it should keep them sated for a while."

Harry finished his breakfast, dusting the crumbs off his face. Teddy reached out and swatted at Harry's cheek, making the young teen chuckle, before scooping Teddy out of his highchair and into his lap. Teddy's hair immediately flashed bright blue. Harry dropped a kiss onto the little boy's head before turning to Sirius. "Do you think you and Remus will ever get married?"

Sirius choked a little on his tea. "Why do we need to get married?"

Harry shrugged, "Parents tend to be married, right? Especially in the wizarding world."

"Well, Remus was married."

"Yeah, but Tonks is … well …" he coughed awkwardly, all too aware that Teddy was bouncing merrily on his knee.

Leaning across the table, Sirius cupped Harry's face in his palm. "I think … Remus' wounds are still too raw at the moment, Harry. Maybe one day in the future we will consider it, but for now I have everything I need with the people that I love. A piece of paper and a ring is so … Oh, Harry, after the last two decades, it is so inconsequential it doesn't even bear mentioning."

Harry gave his godfather a small smile. It was true, no piece of paper or a ring was going to change the sheer overflowing love that his godfather had for Remus. It was evident in his eyes every time he looked at the taller man or helped bandage his fresh cuts after a full moon -a rarity now that Remus had unlimited access to Wolfsbane -or when Remus fell asleep on the sofa cuddling his son, and Sirius would take Teddy to his cot and settle him down, before coming back to carry Remus up to bed. Harry could remember sneaking a glance with Draco across the sofa, both of them biting back smiles.

Harry hoped that he could find a love like that, one day.

He definitely hoped he aged as well as his godfather did. Despite all he had been through, Sirius was only just starting to grey a little at his temples, and now that he was enjoying life a little more, laughter lines were beginning to appear around the corners of his mouth and around his eyes. It was hard to believe he was going to be forty in November. He was still in good shape if his appearance in muggle clothing was anything to go by.

Harry felt himself freeze. Why was he thinking such things?

He nearly dropped Teddy when Sirius placed a hand on his shoulder. The man simple laughed and ruffled both boys' hair. "Come on, everyone get ready! We are going to a muggle hardware shop."

Harry pulled a face. "Can't we just transfigure a bunch of stuff?"

"We can, naturally, but the main foundations need to be done in a specific way. All other things can be done by magic, but don't start shying away from the hard stuff, either."

Harry rolled his eyes and dragged himself to his feet. "F-i-i-i-ne," he groaned. "But you're going to help me, right?"

"Of course, I know a lot of spells that will help regulate the temperatures and monitor the lunar cycle for some of your ingredients. Don't worry, we're going to make this a thing of beauty."

"I won't bother with a shower then," Harry shrugged carelessly. "No point, if I'm gonna get all dirty and sweaty anyway."

Sirius snorted. "Like you need any excuse not to shower. I expect you to have a bath tonight, young man!"

"Siriu-u-u-u-us!" Harry whined, hanging off the balustrade. "Baths are so girly!"

"Then explain to me, why no other man in this house has a problem with it?"

Harry snickered. "Because you're all the girls in the relationship?"

"Harry!" Sirius barked with laughter. "What does that make Remus and I?"

Harry shrugged. "Lesbians I guess."

Sirius laughed loudly as he picked Teddy up and make his way out of the kitchen. He gently swatted Harry upside the head before giving the teen a push to make his way up the stairs. "Enough jabber from you, shorty. Get dressed in any worn out clothes and brush your teeth. I want to leave within half an hour."

Harry blew a loud raspberry, smirking when Teddy mimicked him, before ducking into his room and opening his wardrobe. Now that he was old enough, Teddy had been moved back into the main bedroom in a cot, although Harry truly didn't mind having the child in the same room as him. Teddy was a fairly easy baby. Then again, his teeth were starting to come in, so maybe he wouldn't be any easy baby for much longer.

Grabbing a pair of worn-out jeans and a washed-out Henley, Harry tied a hoodie around his waist just in case before ducking across the hall to use the bathroom. He did his best to tame his hair a little, but it was a useless venture and he abandoned it after ten minutes. Once his teeth were brushed, he drifted down along to the Master bedroom. Leaning on the doorframe, he watched as Teddy gabbled from the bed, saying the odd word here or there that he was picking up.

Much to everyone's amusement, Teddy's first official word had been 'PADDY!' followed shortly by 'Stop it!'

Sirius had a few ties on the bed that Teddy was happily knotting into a big ball in his lap, his face furrowed with concentration. Sirius was dressed in an old pair of paint-splattered jeans and was dragging a faded red t-shirt down over his stomach. He wound his dark wavy hair into a tight knot at the back of his head before hoisting Teddy into his arms. He grinned when he saw Harry, ready and waiting, in the doorway.

"Alright, let's head on out. I want to get started as soon as possible."

~0~

The room he was led into was tight and airless, much like the rest of the prison. The light was harsh, cutting and white, yet it did nothing to alleviate the austere gloom that emanated from the grey bricks. Draco looked up, seeing the walls seemingly disappear into a dark nothingness. Was there even a ceiling up there? Surely there had to be. It was just bewitched, like the ceiling in the Great Hall at Hogwarts.

The sound of a door closing brought his attention back to earth.

The clinking of metal against stone was cutting and sent chills racing down his spine. He smelled him before he saw him, and yet the impact of seeing his father in such a ghastly state was enough to make him gasp. The man was so thin. That was the first thing that came to Draco's mind as he watched his father shuffle forward, the chains on his ankles restricting him, towards the table. The Auror's escorting him pressed him down into the chair before retreating to the two corners of the room directly opposite Lucius.

Draco swallowed thickly. Not that he was here he didn't know what to say.

All he could think about was how sallow his father's skin was, how lank and dull his long, white-blonde hair looked, and how his entire visage looked filthy and rumpled, much like his prison uniform. He didn't look as though he had washed at all since he was incarcerated. The thought turned Draco's stomach.

"H-How are you, father?" he found himself asking.

Dull grey eyes looked vaguely into Draco's direction, before falling into the space between them. Lucius seemed vacant, almost unresponsive. He had only been in Azkaban for a year. Even without the dementor's was this place so harrowing that it reduced even the most sophisticated of wizards to a husk?

Draco didn't know what to say, or how talking at all was going to make anything better. All he knew was that he wanted so desperately to fill the silence. It had been such a long time since he had spoken to his father face-to-face, that he had the overwhelming urge to simply prattle. It was most unbecoming of a Malfoy to do so, but he found he was unable to resist.

"You … You may not know this, but I'm staying at the old Black family house. With Mother's cousin. You remember Sirius, don't you father? Of course, you do, you never really approved of him or his ways. I think you preferred his younger brother, since he ticked all the boxes for what a perfect pureblood slytherin should be." Draco sighed, casting his eye at the two Auror's stationed behind his father. He felt awkward wanting to talk so openly where anyone could hear him.

"I've gone back to school as well. McGonagall let me come back. I still have the restrictions on my magic, so it's all theory stuff really. I've only started to practice basic spells since Christmas. I have my exams in a few weeks, so I hope I'm prepared enough. I've had all this time to study, after all, so it should be good for something." He tried to force a smile, but so far Lucius had yet to even acknowledge him. "Pro-Professor Slughorn has even said that there might be hope for me to train for a potions mastery with him, if I do well on my exams. I … I can put my skillset to good use. I've had lots of practice. Sirius was kind enough to help build my own potions lab in the basement. It's amazing, father. It almost rivals the one at the manor."

Was that a flinch? Lucius' eyes seemed to harden behind the curtain of his lank, blonde hair.

Draco licked his lips, suddenly determined to get a reaction out of his father no matter what.

"I even played Quidditch last month, for the first time in ages. The Weasley's let me join in with them. It was the first time I've been on a broom in a couple of years, so I was definitely a little rusty. They didn't let me win, either. I think I lost two games, even just as the seeker."

That was definitely a flinch!

"They took me to a muggle beach. I cannot believe I'd never been to the seaside before. Or walked in sand and gotten it stuck everywhere. It really is ghastly stuff; I don't know how muggles manage to do it. Still, building sandcastles was oddly satisfying and splashing around in the sea was great! Honestly father, purebloods need to get the sticks our of their arses and just go to the fucking beach one in a while. It might loosen everybody up."

He could practically hear Lucius grinding his teeth together.

"I've been learning to cook as well. All the muggle way. And washing the dishes. Sirius likes to do a lot of things the muggle way. He said it was a good thing too otherwise I would have felt even more punished. He really didn't like me at first. Mother must have twisted his arm something fierce to get him to agree to be my guardian after the trial."

Drawing in a breath, Draco stalled himself. The man before him, though getting wound tighter and tighter but Draco's incessant prattling, was a worn down, defeated man. Draco felt as though he was rubbing salt into the wounds just by being here, but then Lucius could have refused the visit. Draco honestly had no idea whether his father even wanted to see him in the first place. Perhaps this visit had been a courtesy, to show Draco how truly horrid his current life was and that he should not want to return to repeat the endeavour.

Yet, when it came down to it, this man was still his father.

Despite all the insanity he had put them through, he was still his father.

Clenching his fists on the table and grinding his teeth together, Draco ground out, "Why did you do it father?"

The entire room seemed to hold its breath.

"Why did you insist on putting your family in such danger, time and again, when you knew how disloyal the Dark Lord was to his followers?" his voice quaked a little as the anger bubbled up inside him. "You put us directly in his path, painted targets on our backs and just prayed he wouldn't turn on us next. He killed Severus, father. His most loyal supporter turned out to be the double-agent."

He let out a bitter laugh.

"His right hand man, and he was killed and tossed aside. An evening meal for that pet snake of his. He killed my godfather in cold blood, purely because he was a paranoid old fool and Severus had stopped being useful. Who's to say he wouldn't have killed you that night, too?"

Fuck, was he crying? Merlin's balls! He did not need the fucking auror's to witness him having emotions like a human being. He sneered and cuffed uselessly before his red eyes started to leak.

Clearing his throat, Draco sat up straighter and adopted the haughty expression he was renowned for at school. He looked across the table at the man who had upheld the family honour until the last moment, who had answered to no one for all those years and controlled all he set his eye upon. Now he was in prison, paying for his crimes.

"What kind of example are you setting for me? I'm your son. I idolised you. All those years of hatred and discrimination and fear -what has it taught me? Because in these last nine months, father, I have tried to unlearn most of what has been ingrained into me. It has been Hell, and it's not going to happen in the blink of an eye, but I am trying. I want to be better, I need to be better, because if I don't change now, I fear that I will end up in your stead. Then what will become of us?"

Finally, Lucius looked up. It was slow, a movement that seemed to strain all his muscles at once and profess just how agonising it was. Lucius' voice was dry and crackly as he spoke, as though he hadn't drunk in a long time. "The Malfoy line will live on through you. You must build it up to the heights we were at before."

Draco scrunched up his nose in distaste. "There is no need for us to be back on top, father. I want us to be better than what we were before. I want to make an honest living in a field I am good at. Two wars later, something needs to change. We cannot keep being on the dark side anymore. It's too exhausting being petrified all the time."

Lucius let out a quiet scoff. It made Draco's skeleton feel brittle, as though one word from his father could break his down to dust.

"I may have been the weak link in the chain that bound is to the Dark Lord," he rasped, his cold eyes cutting straight through Draco's soul. "But you, son, are the link that snapped and broke it entirely."

Draco was struck dumb. "Do … Is that what you truly believe father?"

Lucius held his gaze for a moment, before averting it to the other side of the room. It was a tell, something his father usually did when he was caught out with being dishonest. It was a weak balm at best and didn't shake the sharpness of his words. When his father had nothing more to say, Draco decided it was time for him to leave. He had done all that he could for now. Maybe after he had some qualifications under his belt and was able to venture outside more, he would come back.

Clearing his throat, he nodded to Auror Buxley.

He stood up and followed the Auror to the door that led back outside to the main body of the prison. As he was about to step out of the door, Draco turned towards his father. A chill ripped through him as his eyes locked on Lucius'. The man had been watching him leave with … was that pity? Regret? He couldn't tell.

"Father … I need to … you should know … I-I'm gay."

.

Draco had scarpered from the room as quickly as he could. Remus could barely get to his feet quick enough as Auror Buxley and Draco hurried out towards the main entrance so they could head back to the boat. Draco was bone white, tense and trembling as he slumped down into the boat and held himself rigidly. The waves were less choppy now and a warm sun was started to pierce through the clouds. Draco barely registered it, feeling cold and jittery and sick all over.

The warm weight of Remus sitting beside him made him shiver and lean closer into the heat. Sniffing, he frowned as Remus held up a piece of chocolate. "Eat this, you'll feel better," he advised. "Even though the dementor's are no longer there that places seems to suck the soul right out of you."

Draco gingerly took the piece of chocolate and nibbled on it. He loathed to admit that the rich cocoa immediately soothed the nausea he'd felt and the tension in his muscles loosed just a little bit. Remus hugged him around the shoulders and Draco didn't even try to resist it. He leaned into the tall man's embrace, nibbling at his chocolate -the good kind, Remus assured him -and let the gently rocking of the waves against the boat lull him into a peaceful state of mind.

At the back of his mind, he worried about what would happen to all that information he bad spewed in the visiting room. Perhaps he should have been a little more mindful about what he spoke about. Oh well, it was too late now.

He would worry about it tomorrow.

~0~

Harry sat back on his haunches with a grunt. He was sweaty, his shirt sticking to him as he cuffed some dirt from his face. He suspected he'd only made it worse, but he was too hot and bothered to care. He had been at it for the better part of the afternoon after they'd come back from Homebase and B&Q. Sirius had gotten a little giddy at all the muggle appliances used to build things. Harry had to bashfully ask one of the shop assistants to help him find what he was looking for. They must have seemed an odd pair, a teenager wanting to build oddly specific flowerbeds as well as his somewhat hyperactive godfather asking all manner of questions about wood density, why there were so many screws and their limited variety of seeds. All the while, Sirius had Teddy grasped by the hand. Before they'd left Grimmauld place, Sirius had to put a stasis charm on Teddy's hair so that it would stay its current share of strawberry blonde.

Harry loathed to admit it, but there was something fairly therapeutic about working with his hands. He had always been a practical learner, even during primary school when all the odd bouts of accidental magic had really kicked in. However, as he saw the sanded wooden boxes and small tin of varnish and sealant, he couldn't help but beam with pride. Sirius had helped with the sanding of the wood, having managed to find an old sanding machine in his shed. It was amazing the things you could find in there. It was almost like Mary Poppins' bag.

Now that the boxes were assembled all Harry had to do was varnish and seal the wood. They would probably dry completely before evening fell. After helping Harry construct the bases, Sirius had left him to his own devices. He went to tinker with his bike that was propped up beside his shed. Teddy was on a squishie playmat in between their work areas, happily rolling around on the cushions set out and playing with his toys. Every so often he would cry out "RAWR!" before dissolving into giggles.

Prying the lid off the tin of varnish, Harry glanced over to where Sirius was wiping oil off his hands with a rag. "Hey Dad!" he called out, his stomach twisting pleasantly at the word. Sirius looked up, eyebrows raised. "Um … I was wondering … you've mentioned having run away a few times. I just … I wanted to ask you about it."

Sirius set the rag down on the motorbike and then crossed over to Teddy's playmat. He settled down and Harry obligingly joined them both. Sirius smiled softly, "What would you like to know about it?"

Harry shrugged a shoulder. "Just … I don't know. Why did you do it, I guess? I hear snippets and remember vaguely that you ran away and you and dad were such pranksters at school. Then there's this weird gap where -almost like he changed his personality enough to make mum like him? I … it's jarring."

"The sass queen?" Sirius snorted. "Yes, pup, even Remus. Anyway, all the drama happened that year between your mum and Severus and your dad, we'd all managed to finally become Animagi and, despite the tunnel prank I pulled on old Snivellus, I'd like to think we left fifth year on a high. However, I came back here for the summer. In a word, it was cruel. I sauntered around like I owned the place and my brother begged me to just keep my head down. But there were murmurings, whispered conversations I overheard in the dead of night. About my family throwing their lot in with the Dark Lord. It turned my stomach."

Harry watched as the colour seemed to drain from his godfather's face. He reached out and locked their hands together, squeezing Sirius' hand tightly, grounding him to this beautiful may day.

"They'd idolised the bastard from the get-go, but they wanted more power. I decided enough was enough. I threw a tantrum, slinging all the hexes I could at them, slung a bag over my shoulder and took the knight bus to the Potters'. My only regret is that I left Regulus behind. That the last thing I saw from across the street was his face pressed up against the window, real fear and anguish on his face."

He let out a shuddering sigh. Harry squeezed his hand again, relieved when Sirius squeezed back.

"If it wasn't for my Uncle Alphard, I'd never even have had an inheritance or anything to my name." He gave a bitter laugh, "Fleamont and Euphemia -your grandparents -were so kind to me. They moved me into their spare room, helped me get new robes and textbooks for my sixth year. That summer, your dad actually seemed to mature. He realised he had to set an example. It was one thing pranking everyone at home, and sure we had fun over the summer, but not at anyone else's expense. He was suddenly a brother and we became family. That carried through into sixth year. That gradual change was what eventually endeared him to your mother."

Harry gave a smile, imaging how much of an adjustment it would be to have your best friend suddenly living with you full-time. Perhaps if he had lived with Ron full-time, not just a week or two over the summers, he would have actually been treated like family and not a house-guest. He would have been made to do the dishes and help clean the house as well as de-gnome the garden. It would have brought them closer, though, even if they bickered a lot.

"What about your brother?" Harry frowned. "What happened to him? You just left him there?"

Sirius let out a sigh, as though the burden was crushing something inside him. "I tried to be there for him as much as I could. No one else knew this, except James and Sirius, but Regulus did actually try to talk to me at the beginning of sixth year."

"Oh? What did he say?"

"I don't know," Sirius murmured. "I was too afraid it would get back to my parents that he was going behind their backs and talking to me. So, I ignored him. I -I turned my back on my own brother. He probably thought I'd replaced him with James, and that nothing he could do would ever make me love him. Oh, Harry, I was so proud. So proud of my baby brother; he excelled at school, he was in the Slug Club, naturally, and he was the Team Captain of slytherin and he just … he was brilliant. Then, at the age of sixteen, he got the Dark Mark."

Harry felt his blood run cold. Sixteen? Wasn't that the same age as …? His gaze drifted back to the wooden boxes he had constructed to grow potions ingredients. He felt queasy all of a sudden.

"I can't help but think if I had shown him proper support, he might have come with me. I got my own place. We could have been proper brothers then." A weary sigh, "Oh, but he was always too soft against Mummy and Daddy."

Harry leaned over and hugged Sirius tightly. "Is that one of the reasons you agreed to taking Draco in after his trial?" Harry frowned as he leaned back. "Because he reminded you of Regulus?"

Sirius looked up into his godson's eyes and gave a small shrug, "Maybe on a subconscious level. He needed saving from his foolish mistakes. For once, I wasn't going to walk away from a cry for help."

"I think you've been doing a marvellous job of it, too."

Both Sirius and Harry jumped at Remus' voice. The man was too silent for his own good sometimes. Sirius gave him a somewhat sad smile. Remus bent over so press a kiss to Sirius' mouth, before ruffling Harry's hair and sitting down on the mat. Teddy's hair flashed bubblegum pink as he toddled over to his dad and grasp him around the neck in a giddy hug.

"Those boxes are looking really good Harry," Remus praised. "Did you do all of that by hand?"

"Yes!" Harry beamed, grateful for the shift in topic. "Sirius and I went to a couple of shops today. It was … a fun experience."

Remus snorted, "Rather you than me, kid. I had enough of that growing up."

Harry leaned back on his hands and watched as Remus coaxed Sirius to lean his head on his shoulder, his fingers threading through the dark wavy hair. Sirius let his eyes fall closed and allowed his troubled mind to be eased with some light petting. Teddy was amusing himself by running back and forth on the mat, showing his dad all the different toys that had been bought for him over the months.

Suddenly, Harry frowned. They were one person short.

"Hey Remus, where's Draco?" his eyes widened. "You didn't leave him in Azkaban, did you?!"

Sirius let out a laugh. Remus rolled his eyes and shook his head. "No, of course not. He's indoors, probably in his room. He had … a rough time of it today. I'd give him some time to rest before you go in."

Harry took the warning with as much grace as possible. Feeling suddenly restless, he got up and went to varnish his wooden boxes.

.

True to his word, Harry kept himself to himself for the rest of the afternoon. After his boxes were fully varnished and sealed, he left them to dry and went to have a shower. As he was scrubbing himself down, his mind wound back to the way Sirius looked in muggle clothing whenever he was playing with his motorcycle, and then he blushed when he remembered that the two men had had sex in that bike shed -probably on that very bike!

He'd had to turn the cold water on full blast to crush any chance of him getting excited.

True to his word, Harry kept himself to himself for the rest of the afternoon. After his boxes were fully varnished and sealed, he left them to dry and went to have a shower. As he was scrubbing himself down, his mind wound back to the way Sirius looked in muggle clothing whenever he was playing with his motorcycle, and then he blushed when he remembered that the two men had had sex in that bike shed -probably on that very bike!

He'd had to turn the cold water on full blast to crush any chance of him getting excited.

Stepping out of the shower, he tried to comb his wet hair flat, dried himself down and dressed in fresh, clean clothes. As he was putting in his eye drops and waited for them to do their magic, he wondered what sex was like. He had zero clue about sex with girls and could remember not even realising when girls would flirt with him. Would sex with guys be better? He had a dick, so the anatomy was probably easier to understand? But what about … penetration?

His cheeks went red. He shook the thoughts away, mentally chanting, 'no! no! no!' before scooping his dirty clothes into his arms and running back to his bedroom.

.

Later that evening, after they'd all eaten, Teddy had been put to bed and Remus and Sirius were cuddled up in the lounge watching a movie, Harry went wondering down to the cellar. Draco was in there, making some final adjustments to his current potions that he wanted to show Slughorn. He knocked lightly on the door, so as not to make Draco jump.

"Hey," he said softly, stepping down into the cellar.

"Hello," Draco replied, barely glancing up.

Harry stuffed his hands into his pockets. He waited until Draco had labelled the last of his phials before asking, "Do you need any help cleaning up?"

Draco cocked an eyebrow at him without smiling. "Sure, if you don't mind. Just help me clear up the ingredients I didn't use."

Harry nodded and started to get to work. He had done this so many times now, it was almost second nature. He had learned exactly how Draco wanted things stored, bottled and labelled, so he had very little trouble in doing it so that the blonde teen didn't feel the need to harass Harry or watch over his shoulder to make sure he was doing it right. He trusted Harry; it was a small thing, being trusted to clean up, but it was something and it was his.

Still, evening doing something a hundred times over, didn't mean there wasn't room for error once in a while.

"Shit! I think I got something on my face!"

Draco turned to him with a blank expression. Upon seeing Harry's face, he tutted and rolled his eyes. "Honestly, you really are hopeless sometimes, Harry," he said, exasperated. Grabbing a rag from the desk, he gently gripped Harry's chin in his hand. "Hold still, it's just a little Salamander blood."

Harry pulled a face but held still.

He was suddenly all too aware of his breathing, of how Draco was so close he could feel the heat of his breath on his chin, see the fine darker hairs of his eyebrows and eyelashes. The soft touch of Draco's thumb smoothing over the rough trail of the rag. How silvery grey eyes locked onto his own and he felt it impossible to breathe. Suddenly, the air between them was charged and heavy, and Harry felt his heart begin to thud harder in his chest. Draco was so much taller than him he practically had to crane his neck just to have Draco touch him –

Down the hall, the grandfather clocked chimed the hour.

Clearing his throat, Harry stepped back. "I'd best hurry and put these away. I feel knackered, I don't want to drop anything else."

"You can go and rest if you're exhausted," Draco offered.

"No, it won't take me long."

As soon as he was done, Harry awkwardly said 'goodnight' before hurrying up to his bedroom. It wasn't especially late, but his legs had started to protest a little and, frankly, he needed to sleep and rest his muddled mind. Sleep, however, did not come easy for him and when it finally did, it replayed the moment in the potion's lab over and over, making Harry's breathing come in short, erratic bursts. He awoke in the early hours of the morning, hard as wood and aching desperately. Not knowing what else to do, he clumsily grabbed for his dick and experimented with stroking himself. He shivered at the new sensation, gasping when he squeezed a little at his head and picking up his pace.

"Oh, Merlin!" he gasped out, wincing in case he was too loud. He stroked again and felt his stomach flip. "Oh wow …"

He didn't last long, probably around five minutes, but when he came he had to muffle his moans into a pillow, the echo of Draco's hand cupping his face still tingling on his skin.

Flopping back onto his pillows, feeling uncomfortably sticky and embarrassed, Harry used his t-shirt to clean himself up before tossing it over the edge of the bed. It was really too warm to be wearing a shirt to bed anyway. Staring up at the canopy of his bed, Harry's mind wondered down the hall to Draco's room.

Had Draco touched himself at all since he'd come to stay with them?

Did he ever think about Harry -or anyone -in that way?

Was Draco even a virgin? No, Harry doubted that. Draco was gorgeous, how could anyone resist him?

'Fuck!' he closed his eyes with a groan. 'I just thought of Draco Fucking Malfoy as GORGEOUS!'

Well, there was no denying it now. Harry Potter had a crush on Draco Malfoy. He was sure the Four Horseman were going to come knocking on his door any minute now.

A/N: Please leave some lovely reviews! I hope you liked the update! Feel free to ask some questions, I will answer them at the start of the next chapter in a note.

B x