Black

I am playing chess with Pansy. It was quiet. Pansy's parents were out, had to do some shopping for something. I've sent Artemis with Errol to ensure the poor thing did not have to overexert itself more than it already had to. I even asked Artemis to sent Potter's- no Harry's present to him. Well the present Ron got him. Artemis looked at me with a look that made clear it would be very offended if I'd use Errol for any mailing instead of him. So the house felt empty. The last few days my mother seemed distracted. She looked a bit lost, like something had happened that in no way could be foreseen. But I had no idea whatever that shocking ting could be, as far as I was aware, nothing out of the ordinary was happening. This unfortunately meant that mother was away a lot and we were often stuck with Pansy's mother. I definitely did not like how Pansy would get after being around her mother a lot.

I was getting a bit bored. "Checkmate," I declare.

Pansy then jumps up from her chair and walks to the floo. I sigh. Probably floo-calling Daphne again. The last few days she's been distant to me and has been avidly in contact with Daphne, who seems content to spend hours gossiping with Pansy about everything and everyone. Gossip definitely was not my thing. I walk towards the library and settle down a bit later with a book about Potions. It was quite an uninteresting morning, then I heard a pop downstairs. I put the book away. It is mother, next to her stands Lucius.

I feel strangely uncomfortable. Mother and father look very serious. I want to run away, but they have already seen me. Father walks towards me and clasps me in a tight hug, mother mostly looks tired. Her voice is a bit coarse when she speaks. "Draco dear, we should talk about some stuff. Something unforeseen has happened."

I feel a knot in my stomach.

The first thought crossing through my mind is they're filing for divorce. I feel myself deflate a bit. But when we three are sitting around the table, father gently squeezes mothers shoulders and lazily slungs his arms around her thin shoulders. Mother leans back into father.

Maybe, just maybe, things will get back to normal.

Mother softly strokes my cheeks. "A very dangerous wizard escaped from Azkaban a few days back."

"But mum, no one ever escaped from Azkaban," I feel shocked. Whatever I expected, it was not this. Mother smiles sadly.

Father softly clears his throat. "No one knows how Sirius Black escaped. I asked Fudge. He had no idea," he looks a bit pained, for once his high position at the ministry did not help him. "He did tell me that he'd met him, when he was visiting Azkaban. Just a few days before he escaped. Son, he seemed almost normal. Just asked for the newspaper. Like they were at some tea party." Father looks a bit shaken. "He should have been effected. No one leaves from Azkaban sane. Dementors are.." He looks a bit pale. "Dementors are horrible creatures. Suck all the joy away. For Black to have not been effected.. I don't even know what that means."

I nod slowly, trying to take it all in. It feels weird to see mother and father together again.

Mother then explains. "He was my cousin."

I feel scared. "Do you think he is after us?"

Mother and father look at each other. Father looks reassuringly at me. "We have no reason to think he'll go after one of us," he seems to hesitate for a second, but then continues. "Draco, we still expect you to be careful. I do not want you to get in trouble. Especially not because of what we are now going to tell you, but we think you deserve to know. Fudge told me Black kept murmering He is at Hogwarts in his sleep. We think he is after mister Potter."

Mother scrutinises me. "The thing about my cousin is, Draco, no one expected him to go dark." She looks just as lost as I felt at that moment. "He was a Black, but he got himself in Gryffindor, spoke up against all pureblood ideas, I never knew him different than someone who opposed Voldemort and all his ideas."

"He betrayed the Potters," Father says, "He was James Potters best friend and declared brother, his best man and then his secret keeper. He sold them out to Voldemort, of course, the dark lord fell that night when he could not kill their son. He was caught after having murdered multiple muggles and former friend of him and the Potters: Peter Pettigrew." It is silent for quite some time. The father slightly smiles. "On a lighter note, your friend.."

"Harry?" I immediately ask.

Father nods. "Your friend thought it was a good idea to blow up his aunt and take the night bus, while Black was on the run. Left the ministry in quite a panic. They had no idea where Potter had went, while a mass murderer was after his tail."

I frown. "Is he okay?"

"I believe he is at the Leaky Cauldron till Hogwarts will start," father calmly answers.

I still do not feel entirely relieved. "Does he know?"

Father looks warningly at me. "I don't think mister Potter is aware of the whole story, but we would not want him to do anything rash, wouldn't we Draco? It would be a shame if Potter would manage to get himself killed by a mass murderer. You do realise that even if Black has done the most unforgivable things possible, he is still an extremely dangerous and accomplished wizard. He escaped Azkaban. You'll only make it easy on him if you go after him."

I feel a bit flabbergasted. "He can't not not know. He deserves to know," I rush to say, "Surely Harry is not as stupid as to go after a mass murderer?"

Mother hesitates. "Harry has shown himself brave, but extremely foolish. Surely Potter is not as stupid to go after a basilisk or whatever he did in his first year that almost got him killed?"

Father than adds "If anyone has a reason to charge after Black, it is him. He lost his parents because of him. James entrusted Black with his life, worse he entrusted Black with the life of his wife and child. There is no greater betrayal than that. You can't tell Potter."

Mother then softly strokes my cheek again. "We just want you to be careful. Let's just go home to the manor, if you want we can meet up with Harry, okay dear? You just can't tell him any of this."