I know, I know. It's been six months. I'm really sorry. I did update my profile to say that the next update will be in June, though, and to be fair it is still June! I've been abroad for the last six months, and travel and fanfic don't really seem to go together for me, but better late than never, right?

So just to quickly refresh your memories, last we left off Sirius was captured by the Death Eaters; Remus ran off to save him; Harry, Ron and Hermione were arguing with Minerva about the counter-spell; and Draco Malfoy discovered Sirius was being held at the Manor and had just informed them about it.

Malfoy leaned against the back wall of the Manor library, breathed deeply and tried to calm down his rapidly pounding heart.

The Imperius curse. That must be it. He could only have been under Imperio because otherwise how could he possibly be here, at one of the places he both loved and loathed the most, risking his life to save Potter's godfather?

You're a foolish, godforsaken idiot, Malfoy.

He stared at the shelves of Dark Magic in front of him, the titles of the books blurring into each other and shook his head, burying his face in his hands.

A foolish, godforsaken idiot with a crush.

He sank to the ground with a muffled groan. As if his life hadn't already been a series of bad luck and unfortunate circumstances, he had to go and fall for Harry bloody Potter who had an incurable saviour complex.

One that's rubbed off on me, apparently.

Straightening up slightly, Malfoy gave himself a mental shake. He couldn't let Potter be the center of his life – again. The obsession had been bad enough at Hogwarts. His life had finally started to take a good turn, he had gotten the job at St. Mungo's and soared to the top of his studies as a Healer.

Before you got wind of the Death Eaters' plan and had to run for your life, idiot. That's not Potter's fault.

Malfoy clenched his robes in his fists and told his conscience to shut up.

Gazing blankly in front of him, a word caught his eye and he focused sharply. He found the word, emblazoned on the spine of the book directly in front of him, and then read the entire title. His heart started pounding again as his eyes scanned the three words on the spine, hardly daring to believe it.

It could change everything.

His hand reached forwards, then he paused.

He had found Sirius Black. He had let Potter know. His duty was done. What happened next was not his problem. The smart choice, Malfoy knew, was to leave the library of the Manor immediately, Apparate to another country, leave his past and all reminders of it behind and start a new life.

There was no obligation to help.

He repeated the sentence to himself a few times, to make sure his brain had fully understood it and the implications it carried. Then he sighed. His decision had been made a while ago, ever since he'd stepped foot inside the Black residence, and he knew he wouldn't turn back. He had fought on the wrong side of the war last time, but he had learned from his mistakes.

Whipping out his wand, he silently cast several spells on the book in front of him to make sure there was no danger. Years of associating with Death Eaters had taught him that Dark books hid Dark spells.

Once he was sure the book was touchable, he slid it off the shelf, shrank it, and tucked it in the pocket of his robes. A noise outside the library door caught his attention and he hurriedly Disillusioned himself, then crept towards the back of the library where he knew there was an alternate passage out of the house.

As Draco Malfoy slipped out of the library and headed towards the door on his tiptoes, he damned a certain bespectacled, green-eyed, dark-haired wizard to hell. And felt a little better.

###

"This is a really stupid plan."

"Shh!"

"Harry—"

"Hermione!"

Hermione, almost chewing off her bottom lip, bit back what she was going to say with difficulty and adjusted her position a little so she was more comfortable. She was on her knees, head ducked low behind a grassy ledge. On her right, Harry was crouched behind the same hedge. Ron was to her left, his face pale under the moonlight. All three of them were just covered by the Invisibility Cloak. Directly in front of them was Malfoy Manor.

The plan in question had undergone several variations in the past hour, but they always returned back to the essential gist of it: which, as far as Hermione was concerned, consisted of waiting outside Malfoy Manor until they saw an opening to sneak into the house without drawing the attention of any of the house's occupants.

It was what her mother would have termed a plan of 'certainly very poor quality'.

"We shouldn't use magic yet, we'll put them on alert too soon," Harry hissed out of the corner of his mouth, apparently unable to keep silent despite his own ministrations.

"I can't think of a single scenario where this ends well, Harry."

"Always looking on the negative—"

"Shhhh!"

Ron's shush carried such a tone of urgency that both Harry and Hermione immediately stopped talking and turned to him. He was pointing to the side of the house, eyes wide. When Harry followed the direction of Ron's finger, he caught sight of a stooped figure, carefully edging around the Manor's elaborately designed garden and towards the side door that they could now see was partially hidden by a large tree.

"There! Let's go in through there," Harry whispered. "Told you this would work, 'Mione," he added, not without a hint of triumph.

As he and Ron started creeping towards the direction of the figure, though, Hermione grabbed hold of the collars on both their shirts and yanked them back, unapologetically digging her nails in. "You idiots," she whispered. "That's Remus."

They both froze.

"Are you sure?" Harry hissed.

Hermione looked back at the figure, though she didn't really need to. She'd recognized him straight away. "I'm positive," she whispered.

Harry turned back to stare at Remus, who was now right next to the side door and had gone completely still. "Murdering maggots," he muttered. "What the hell is he doing?"

"Same thing we are," Hermione murmured, her tone half exasperated, half anxious.

Harry turned to catch Ron's amused glance. "Murdering maggots?" the redhead mouthed.

Harry glowered. "We're in a garden," he snapped. "It made me think of maggots."

"Whatever you say, mate."

"Harry!" Hermione poked him in the back sharply as he took in a deep breath to retort. "He's going in!"

They went quiet, watching Remus pull something from his pocket, jiggle the lock on the door. To their surprise, it swung open. Remus cast one last glance around before disappearing inside, the door clicking shut behind him.

Ron appeared stunned. "He…picked the lock," he said. "And it opened…"

Hermione sighed. "I've told you before, Ronald," she said wearily. "The disadvantage of sleeping in Muggle Studies is that you miss out on handy tricks. There's probably ten different charms and spells on that door that will reject you if you throw a spell at it, not to mention alert everyone inside, however it doesn't prevent someone from entering in the most basic way – the Muggle way."

"That's insane," Ron said weakly.

"Why is he here?" Harry murmured.

Hermione shot him a scathing look. "Why do you think?"

Harry flushed. "But—how does he know Sirius's here? He was gone by the time Malfoy sent me the message."

"You don't know that."

"You saw that he wasn't there—"

"No, I meant about Malfoy. You don't know it was him who sent you the message."

Harry stared. "He was the one who gave us the Galleon, 'Mione."

"Exactly, and for all you know, he could be working with the Death Eaters and just trying to lure us here through Sirius."

"Don't be ridiculous, that's crazy—"

"Is it?" She pinned him with a look and he faltered as memories of their Fifth Year flashed through his mind. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. Hermione gave a curt nod before turning her attention back to the plan at hand. "Alright, we have to be extremely careful. Remember what Minerva said – at least one of us should stay out here to send for help if needed."

It had practically taken the will of Merlin himself in order to convince Minerva McGonagall to let them handle the situation themselves, and she had finally conceded, but not without a list of stringent requirements and restrictions that she had made them promise to obey. Ron, looking part resigned and part relieved, volunteered to stay behind.

Unexpectedly, Hermione vetoed this idea. "I think Harry should stay outside," she said.

Two astonished faces turned towards her. Anticipating Harry's objections, she hissed, "For all we know you could be their intended target with this scheme, in which case they may even have wards specifically set up to detect your presence in the house. We can't take the chance of getting discovered before we find out where Sirius is."

"We know where he is," Harry mumbled, somehow managing to make his whisper carry the tone of sulky petulance.

"It's a Victorian manor house, Harry, it's gigantic and Sirius could be anywhere."

Failing at one tactic, Harry tried another.

"If the Death Eaters are concocting a plan to bring themselves back to life they wouldn't do it just for the sole purpose of killing me alone. Why would they just focus on me?"

"Oh, I don't know, it might have something to do with the fact that you killed their master less than a year ago," Hermione snipped, voice heavy with sarcasm.

Unwilling to back down, Harry opened his mouth to retort but was cut short by Ron's words: "It's Malfoy!"

Harry and Hermione fell into silence as they followed the direction of Ron's gaze. There, indeed, was the silhouette of a tall, blond, entirely Malfoy-shaped figure slipping through a doorway at the side of the house that had been previously concealed from the outside.

The three of them watched as Malfoy cast a quick glance around, then headed directly towards the spot that they were hidden.

"Merlin, he's seen us!" Ron hissed, panic creeping into his voice.

"That's not possible, we're invisible," Hermione whispered. "There must be a way out around here or something. Shh, nobody move."

As Malfoy got closer, Harry caught a glimpse of the narrow face underneath the blond fringe. It was creased with worry. He had never seen Malfoy look so unguarded before, and he blinked in surprise as his heart leaped unexpectedly at the sight of it.

He knew with incredible certainty that the worry on Malfoy's face was for his sake.

Hermione must have sensed what he was about to do. But even as he heard her urgently murmured, "Harry, don't you dare…" he was already lifting his corner of the Cloak and standing, ignoring the muffled curses of his friends below him.

He couldn't quite help the grin that lighted his face. "Hey, Malfoy."

The Slytherin's reaction alone, thought Harry, was worth the earful he was going to get from Hermione later. Malfoy practically jumped out of his skin, looking for the entire world like a terrified ferret. His eyes widened and he paled fractionally, then with a speed that reminded Harry they had both been Seekers at Hogwarts, Malfoy leapt behind the bush Harry had been hiding, grabbed Harry's arm roughly and yanked them both down in one smooth motion.

"Are you nuts, Potter?"

Harry could have given an eloquent statement of denial to the question if it wasn't for the fact that Malfoy's hand, still grasped tightly around his arm, seemed to have vanished his use of speech. As it was, he only heard himself mumble something along the lines of, "Er…"

"You could have gotten us both killed, jumping up in the middle of shrubbery like that! It's a wonder none of the Death Eaters saw you."

The heat from Malfoy's touch was playing tricks with Harry's mind. He tried to string together a sentence, any sentence, but the best he could come up with was, "Um." He felt himself start to sweat and a flush start to spread across his cheeks.

Malfoy peered closely at him, which didn't help. "Potter, are you alright?"

Harry prayed for a saviour. It came in the form of Hermione's irritatingly amused tone which he found not at all helpful.

"Would you two either kiss or stop staring into each other's eyes?" She said tartly, lifting the Cloak just enough for both her and Ron to be visible. Ron's face was a scandalized picture.

Malfoy let out an oath and leapt about five feet away from Harry, a tinge of pink coloring his pale skin. As his brain gratefully resumed functioning, Harry carefully set aside the Slytherin's reaction for analyzing later. Right now he had more pressing issues.

"I should have known Golden Boy wouldn't have come without his two sidekicks," Malfoy said with an all-too-familiar sneer.

To his own surprise, Harry did not feel offended, as he would have been a year ago at Hogwarts. Instead, he only felt amused.

"That name probably suits you better with that blond flop you call hair," he retorted.

Malfoy immediately raised a hand and ran slender fingers self-consciously through his hair, making Harry's stomach do back flips. "What's wrong with my hair?" He said defensively.

Delighted at Malfoy's reaction, Harry opened his mouth only to be cut across by a furious Hermione.

"Excuse me, Harry, but we're in the middle of a dangerous zone of Death Eaters, trying to rescue your back-from-the-dead godfather, at the same time also trying to prevent your godfather's love of his life, who was also our previous DADA professor, and a werewolf, from doing anything stupid. Should we come up with a plan or do you want to keep on debating the qualities of Malfoy's hair until we're all caught?"

Harry contemplated telling her that he would actually rather do the latter, then frowned inwardly. I've got some major issues, he thought weakly.

Malfoy, however, had focused on what Hermione said. "Hold on – what's this about Lupin?"

"We saw him sneak into the Manor just a while ago through a side door and we were just about to follow him, then you showed up."

Malfoy was frowning. "Which door?"

Motioning him closer, Hermione pointed out the barely concealed door they had seen Remus slip through some minutes ago. Malfoy cursed.

"That door leads right into the study."

"So?"

"So, that means I heard him. He walked past the door that connects the study to the library, where I was hiding. The study door is across from the staircase that leads down to the dungeons where Black is. It means that if he takes one step out of the study he'll walk straight into a couple of Death Eaters."

Ron was gazing at Malfoy suspiciously. "How do you know where Sirius is?"

"Because, Weasley, I just risked my neck to check. I had to disguise myself as the poor lad under the Imperius spell to get in." He blinked. "Didn't you get my message from the Galleon? I assumed that was why you knew to come here."

Harry shot Hermione a smug I-told-you-so look which she pointedly ignored.

Ron's eyes had narrowed even further as he leaned forward and pinned Malfoy with a determined look. "But why would you do that?"

Malfoy opened his mouth, then shut it again. A look of mild panic came into his eyes.

Hermione surprisingly came to his rescue. "That doesn't matter right now, Ronald," she said. "In case you missed the salient point Malfoy was trying to express, Remus needs our help. I suggest we split up. Ron and I will help Remus fight the Death Eaters while Harry, you and Malfoy find Sirius and get him out as quickly as possible."

"Hang on, maybe another one of us should go with Harry—" Ron began in a loud whisper.

"It's fine," Harry said quickly. "I trust Malfoy." He paused, then added, with emphasis, "I mean, Draco."

The look that Malfoy shot him was undecipherable.

Ron looked like he still wanted to protest, so Hermione nudged him hard in the ribs. "I think you two should take the Cloak as well. We'll distract the Death Eaters – if Remus hasn't already done that – and you can sneak in without attracting attention."

Harry nodded. "Well, shall we?"

They turned towards the Manor, which looked dark and imposing framed against the pallid moonlight. Hermione pulled the rest of the Cloak off Ron and herself and handed it to Harry. "Let's go."

###

Remus felt adrenaline coursing through him as he ducked another flash of green light, allowing it to fly harmlessly above his head. He knew he should be feeling like a complete idiot for not doing the most basic spells to check if there had been any waiting Death Eaters on the other side of the door, but urgency had clouded his brain and he'd swung the door open without a second thought. About three spells came at him at once and it was only thanks to his finely honed reflexes that he'd blocked them in time.

When he looked up, he'd found himself face to face with Bellatrix Lestrange, Antonin Dolohov and Walden Macnair.

It was a formidable group. The three were standing in front of a stairway that lead downwards, to what Remus assumed were the Manor dungeons. There could only be one reason why there was so much protection around one staircase.

Sirius was there.

Redoubling his efforts, Remus sent out a series of stunners. Bellatrix waved the one headed in her direction away easily, almost like swatting a fly, and flung a Crucio his way. Even as he ducked he heard one of his other spells hit its target and a body fall to the floor.

"Remus!" Hearing footsteps, Remus turned to see Ron and Hermione burst through the study door. It took them a second to take in the situation before Hermione sent a hex flying towards Macnair, who deflected with a snarl. Remus had just enough time to wonder where Harry was before a spell from Bellatrix sent him hurriedly sprawling on the ground to avoid it.

Now dueling Bellatrix alone, Remus tried to edge his way around to the staircase. He winced as Bellatrix's high-pitched voice cut across to him.

"Survived the war then, werewolf?"

Deflecting a spell more forcefully than he intended, Remus snapped back, "Jealous?"

Bellatrix cackled with laughter. "Don't I look alive to you, werewolf? Perhaps this will convince you." Remus twisted to narrowly avoid the blue jet of light that exploded part of the wall behind him. He didn't respond, focusing on moving towards the staircase.

"I suppose you're here to save my dear cousin?" Bellatrix trilled, waving her wand in a complex series of spirals. "Old friends must stick together, eh? I always found it adorable that you boys were so close. Pettigrew used to tell me stories, you know." She sent the curse, which Remus blocked and countered with blasting hex.

Bellatrix turned it away easily. "Oh, yes," she continued, sending a silent incarcerous that he just managed to avoid. "Lots of stories. Not only stories, in fact. There were one or two… secrets, too, shall we say?"

A numb feeling was growing in Remus's stomach. "Sectumsempra!" He shouted.

Bellatrix danced aside with glee. "When he first told me, I thought it was far too good to be true! My cousin, shacking up with a werewolf? Could it be true?"

Her words seemed to hit him harder than any hex would have. Remus's hand clenched around his wand, his throat constricted.

Bellatrix looked delighted at the effect she had produced. She continued, her voice still sickeningly oversweet, a manic gleam in her eyes. "I suppose it fits, doesn't it? Both rejects of the world you were born in. Almost made for each other, really."

Remus found his voice. "Petrificus Totalus!"

She deflected, whirling around. When she turned back, her face had changed. A snarl twisted her lips and her eyes burned with a hatred that sent chills running through Remus. "You're filthy, werewolf," she hissed, advancing towards him as her wand slashed the air, sending curse after curse and forcing Remus to charm a shield around himself. "You and Black. You're filthy, disgusting, vulgar—"

In the end, it was irony that saved him. Dimly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Peter Pettigrew run up the stairs that led to the dungeons. "Black's escaped," he gasped, "Greyback's dead. Potter…Malfoy's boy… they're—"

He got no further as a jet of red light consumed him from behind and he fell without another word.

His words had only distracted Bellatrix for a second, but it was enough for Remus. He dropped his shield and raised his wand: "Avada Kedavra!"

The surprise would be frozen on her face forever and for the second time in her life, Bellatrix Lestrange was dead.

There was silence. Remus looked around to see that Macnair had also been successfully stunned and Ron and Hermione were standing by the body. They were both looking at him. Hermione was chewing on her lip.

Into the silence, footsteps resounded up the stairs. He turned to see Harry, Malfoy and finally Sirius emerge.

A collective sigh of relief seemed to echo around them. Remus took two steps forward before he felt his shaking legs give out, but Sirius had already reached him. He felt solid arms wrap around his body and he gripped Sirius hard, buried his face in Sirius's shoulder. "You scared the hell out of me, Padfoot," he mumbled.

"I know," he heard Sirius murmur in return. "I'm an idiot. I'm sorry."

Remus held on. He didn't know, didn't want to think about what would happen now, after this, where it would go from here. All he knew was that if he let go, he would fall.

I know quite a few people saw Drarry coming, and here they are just peeking out of their shell. I just can't help myself sometimes.

So there's one very long chapter to follow this (might be split into two, I'll see how it goes), then an epilogue, then we're done! I can finally, at this stage, say I know how the rest of this story will go. Remus and Sirius got nudged to the side a bit here because of Draco and Harry, but if you're suffering Wolfstar withdrawal don't worry, there is plenty in the next chapter (hint: smut, of the explicit kind, is incoming!). Thanks to all you lovely readers who've stuck with me so far. I've learned my lesson and I can make no promises for the next update except to say I am determined to complete this fic within the year (I know… that's not saying much of anything, really). Reviews will most certainly help me get to that finish line faster though, and I am now shamelessly asking for it. I REALLY want to finish this soon!