A/N: Thank you guys for being patient with me. Thank you for babyvfan for the support, and to Fanofbellaandedward for proof-reading this for me!

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

Chapter One

~ July~

Draco fidgeted on the hard wooden bench as Kingsley Shacklebolt took the parchment from a member of the jury. He swallowed thickly, sweat steaming on his skin. He hadn't slept in weeks. He hadn't been allowed to get a haircut. His fingernails were chipped and rough whenever he clenched his hands into fists.

Shacklebolt unfolded the parchment.

Draco closed his eyes, his heart hammering in his ears.

Beside him, his mother clasped her hand over his own. Her grip was cold and tight, hardly the comfort he longed for in that moment. He drew in a wet breath. Was he shaking? Or was it his mother? He couldn't tell.

"The jury have voted unanimously, and recognises that one Draco Lucius Malfoy was integrated into the ranks of the Death Eaters and bears their mark on his forearm. However, considering he was not of legal age at the time of initiation the Ministry of Magic has deemed him a victim of grotesque abuse and mutilation."

Yes, he was definitely shaking.

"As Minister of Magic, I am certifying that Draco Malfoy is the victim of abuse; physically, mentally and emotionally. The psychological trauma he has suffered at the hands of Voldemort himself, have made fully grown men, break. Through this young man's sheer will to fight to protect himself and his family, I am declaring that he not be committed to Azkaban for being complicit in any crimes relating to Death Eater activity."

There were heated murmurs starting up in the crowd of reporters and civilians present at the trial. Draco was grateful that the auror's had a protective barrier erected between himself and the angry mob on the other side of the courtroom.

His mother squeezed his hand. Her nails dug into his flesh.

"However, for the next twelve months he will be placed into the protective custody of a relative at a secure location where he will be on house arrest."

More angry voices.

Draco frowned up at Shacklebolt. What was he talking about?

"As a personal request to me, should he wish to return to study, he shall be allowed to do so with a series of auror's placed in the school to help protect him at all times."

"Who gives him the right?! Harry Potter wouldn't stand for this after what he's done!" a rowdy man called from the crowd of fuming witches and wizards. Draco wished he could press himself further into the wooden bench.

"I have here a letter from one, Harry Potter," Shacklebolt declared, freeing a letter from the folds of his bright purple robes. Opening it up he called, "It reads;

'Draco Malfoy is a brave wizard. Despite what people may say, he has been through more than any one person should suffer through. He did what he had to do to survive. He has done things he will never be proud of and will have to live with for the rest of his life.

As I have done.

However, I also know and have been shown that he is a remarkably talented and smart wizard. He deserves to regain what was stolen from him. Not everyone gets that chance, many people have died fighting for that chance, but we are in a free world now. I did not fight for frightened people to be condemned. I did not fight for innocent people to be tossed in prison to rot away.

I fought for us all to have a second chance. A chance for a better life, not hiding in fear.

See that Draco Malfoy gets the protection he requires wherever he chooses to go. However, if he does show any signs of derailing from this new lease on life, I leave it in the hands of Kingsley Shacklebolt to deal with the matter as he sees fit.

Sincerely,

Harry. J. Potter'."

The room fell silent.

Draco was terrified. He felt sick to his stomach. Potter had written such a sincere and raw letter in aid of his freedom? Was this a dream? He didn't dare to look up from his lap. He was too scared to look up and see that it was all some toxic, trauma-induced dream.

"It is hereby the consensus of the jury that Draco Malfoy shall be released into the protective custody of his relative, Sirius Black."

Draco's head shot up. His cousin? He hadn't known that he was going to be released into someone else's custody. He wanted to remain with his mother. She needed his support. Father had already been sentenced to Azkaban, there was no way around that. There would be a chance for parole and leniency in a few years time, however too much was happening for his brain to process.

The manor and their assets had been seized, and their accounts frozen, to help 'repay' some of the damage done by the Malfoy name. All their heirlooms were being auctioned off. It made him feel sick seeing all the empty spaces around his home. Shacklebolt had insisted that they would keep the property itself, but everything in it was free game. Draco had literally been watching his inheritance drip away.

"As for Narcissa Black Malfoy; the jury have decreed that she will be exiled from Great Britain for fifteen years with the chance to appeal our decision in seven."

He gripped his mother's hand.

A tear dripped down her cheek as she straightened up beside him. That'd be the only weakness she showed, he knew that. Her lips were pursed and her back was ramrod straight. "It'll be okay, my dragon," she murmured softly, her lips barely moving as she spoke.

He shook his head, barely daring to believe her, to believe the jury's decision. None of it made sense. A part of him almost wanted to crawl into a filthy hovel of a cell and rot on the cold, stone floor. He deserved it, didn't he?

The gavel came down.

The sentencing was final.

Draco still couldn't breathe.

.

.

In the adjoining room, Draco let himself collapse into a hardback chair, his insides numbed from the experience. Narcissa glided into the chair adjacent to him and folded her hands on the tabletop. Under her façade she was as drained as Draco; she wore no make-up and her hair was frazzled at the ends, but that was as far as she would allow the public to see her distress.

Kingsley and their lawyer join them.

"That went as well as could be expected," he stated, seating himself opposite the Malfoy's. "I will ensure that you have a team of four auror's accompany you back to the manor so that you can pack your essentials."

"We're to leave tonight?" Narcissa asked, her brow furrowing ever so slightly.

"You have a port-key awaiting for you for 8AM tomorrow morning," Kingsley stated. "Your son, however, will need to be escorted to his cousin's house this evening. It'll make the process easier and we can finalise the papers now."

Narcissa let out a long breath through her nose. "Very well. Has my cousin consented to allowing my son to stay with him?"

"We contacted Mr. Black prior to the sentencing. His owl arrived with his, albeit, reluctant agreement to the situation on the condition that your son obeys his rules and 'pull his weight' as quoted by your cousin's letter."

Draco was aware of them talking about him, but he felt disengaged from his body. It was as though this situation didn't apply to him, like it was happening to someone else. The one thing that kept going around in his head was that Potter had written a letter on his behalf. He had to wonder as to the jury's leniency regarding his own mother's trial. She was a known Death Eater and had been complicit in some low-level crimes, of what people knew at least. Yet she hadn't even heard the word Azkaban at her trial. She wouldn't tell him why.

"Is the letter real?" he found himself asking. It was as though his mouth worked on its own, his raspy voice cutting through the conversation being had by the other adults.

"I bet your pardon Mr. Malfoy?" Kingsley frowned.

"The letter. From Potter. Is it real?"

The minister took a moment before taking the letter from his pocket and sliding it across the table to the youngest Malfoy. Taking the letter in his hands, Draco unfolded the parchment and read it, feeling disgusted with himself for even knowing Potter's handwriting. It seemed legitimate.

"Did you check this for contamination?" he asked stoically. Shacklebolt nodded. "Okay," he murmured. What else did he have to say at this point? Folding the letter back up, he slid it back towards the minister and recoiled into his chair.

He had been sentenced as had his mother. Now they just needed to wait to be escorted back to their desolate manor and individually pack whatever they had left to take with them. They would be parting ways. His stomach dropped through the floor. He would be without his mother. She'd always been a calming constant in his life and now she would be thousands of miles away, in France.

The auror's came.

They were practically frog-marched towards the floo-network, a large path being cut through the cluster of civilians. Narcissa strode through with all her remaining dignity, her cold charm radiating outwards to show that she could not be broken. Draco knew he looked worse for wear. He had not inherited his mother's cool radiance as much as he liked to believe so. No, he was a coward as much as his father had been towards the end of the war.

His mother stepped through the floo with two auror's on either side of her. Draco watched the flames engulf her. It made him feel sick. As soon as the fire died down, it was his turn. He was extremely aware that the two men either side of him were armed, whereas his own wand was still being detained. Stepping over the grate, Draco caught one last sight of the angry crowd before the green flames leapt up and swallowed him with a sharp tug on his navel.

He only stumbled a little on the other side. Usually there was a hearthrug to soften the impact on his feet -but that had been sold-off a few weeks ago. Straightening up he brushed some soot from his jacket sleeve. Narcissa turned to the auror's and pursed her lips.

"I take it we shall have two chaperones each?" she asked icily.

The auror's nodded.

"Very well. You two follow me to my rooms, you two can accompany my son. It shouldn't take us more than a few hours to pack."

"With all due respect, Mrs. Malfoy," one of the auror's said, bitterly. "It doesn't take that long to pack."

"With all due respect, Mr. Ackley, but the ministry has confiscated my wand. Meaning everything must be done manually. Forgive me for being prudish, but I don't much like the idea of any of you lot going through my clothes."

Her tone was frosty and cut through the air like a shard of ice.

No one argued with her.

With that being said, Narcissa cast one last look at her son before turning on her heel and leaving the entrance hall towards the staircase. Draco watched her go, feeling lost already. At the very least he needed to focus and do something practical. So, he cleared his throat and followed his mother's lead, and beckoned for the auror's to follow him up the grand staircase towards his bedchamber.

The two auror's were stationed by the main door as Draco dug a couple of large trunks from under his bed. They were a little old and the buckles were battered, but he was sure they could be replaced. Preservation charms only lasted so long. From his walk-in wardrobe and drawers he managed to dig out what little attire he had left. It was quite limited to what he was used to. Some of his finer robes had been sold off. It crushed his insides to know that the money was being spent to aid the charities and damage done by the war, most of it hadn't been done by him or his family. Sadly, that was the law.

Manually taking his clothes off of their hangers and folding them himself was beyond arduous. He used to have so much free time, he realised. No wonder his father loathed muggles, even from the simple fact that they had to do everything by hand. How did anyone live like this? He ground his teeth together, biting back the request for the auror's to charm his belongings to fold themselves. That would be weakness.

His clothes managed to just fit into the first trunk, which left the second one freed up for his remaining toiletries, books and other assorted items that he'd managed to hold onto.

Glancing around his room, at all the empty spaces, he felt his heart shatter. Hidden at the bottom of one of his trunks was the small stuffed dragon he'd had since he was little. It was the one childhood possession his mother had allowed him to keep. He couldn't leave that behind. Not that it had any monetary value of course, but it had such sentimental value to Draco himself that he couldn't dare leave it behind.

"Is that everything?" Auror Pembrooke asked.

Draco sighed quietly and nodded. "Yes. That's it."

Back down in the entrance hall of the manor, Narcissa was already awaiting her son and his bodyguards. Her trunks were stationed beside her, looking as full as his own felt. There was a longing in her eyes that was meant only for him and he felt the ache of loneliness spread through his chest. He gave her a smile that barely reached his eyes. She inclined her head towards the door. One of her auror's -was is Ackley? -must be activating the portkey that would take us to Sirius Black's house.

Dread solidified in Draco's stomach.

"The portkey is ready," came Ackley's voice from just outside the large, oak doors.

In silence, they filed out of the manor for what would most likely be the last time for a good few years to come. Draco wanted to run back up to his bed and hide under the covers like he'd done when he was small, but he shook the urge away. The portkey was a battered old purse, frayed threads unravelling where once beads would have been sewn into the silk fabric. It was awkward to pinch at the small purse.

With another sickening tug on his insides, the portkey activated.

~0~

Stepping through the gated off area, Draco stiffened as the tip of a wand pressed into his lower back, urging him forward quickly. Through numerous illuminated windows Draco could see muggles sitting and laughing at some flickering thing mounted on their walls, or doing something that looked like -was that washing or cooking? Either way it involved a lot of handiwork. The sky was barely darkening overhead and despite the twenty minute walk from Kings Cross Station, Draco knew that he wouldn't fall asleep, even when the chance came to do so.

"Is this it?" he asked.

"Yes," Narcissa murmured, reaching into the inner pocket of her robes. She withdrew a sheet of parchment and tapped her wand to the page. "Revelio," she whispered. Black ink appeared over the parchment. Holding the page over to her son she said, "Read it. Out loud and clearly."

Gingerly taking the parchment from his mother, Draco mouthed the words three times before glancing up at the houses. Licking his lips he spoke; "Number Twelve Grimmauld Place."

The grating of brick-on-brick filled the night air. Belongings rattled aggressively in the neighbouring buildings of number eleven and number thirteen, however the muggles appeared unperturbed. It was fascinating to watch as an entirely new building pushed its way through, with concrete steps popping up and embedding themselves into the street below.

A door appeared, the number '12' gleaming in the lamplight.

As a unit, they moved towards the concrete steps. Narcissa escorted her son up to the front door. The wood was glossy black, the sole knocker in the shape of a silver serpent chasing its own tail. There was no key-holes or anything else to indicate it could be opened other than by magic. Narcissa pressed the doorbell, hearing it clang out throughout the house within.

It took a little while before someone answered.

Draco didn't remember anything about Sirius Black other than the few mugshots that the Daily Prophet had printed when he'd first escaped from Azkaban. There had once been a tiny photo during his own trials following the war, however his name had been cleared with a fair trial and he'd skilfully avoided the press from that moment on. Whatever Draco had remembered of his cousin, the real thing was something far more grand and strange at the same time. He stood six foot two and had the trade-mark mass of dark brown -almost black -curls sitting on his shoulders with a neatly groomed moustache and beard. He was dressed in a pair of pressed pants and had a pinstriped shirt on, the collar undone and his sleeves rolled up past his elbows.

He took them all in, his grey eyes flicking from face-to-face before acknowledging the auror's stationed on the last step. "Narcissa," he inclined his head. "Draco."

"Sirius," she replied. "I take it you received Kingsley's letter."

"I did."

"I apologise for having to disrupt your life in this manner."

"If it had been up to me I'd have flat-out refused. However," he cast a side-ways look at Draco, "I know that one or two friends of mine would have something to say about any negligence on my part."

"It's greatly appreciated," Narcissa said sincerely, emotion finally ebbing into her voice. From her robes she withdrew an envelope with Sirius' name printed on the front. "This probably contains information on how to protect Draco and yourself from reporters and other counter-measures."

Sirius accepted the letter without a word. He slipped it into his pocket. Glancing down he noted Draco's two large trunks and frowned. "Is that all you have with you?"

Bristling, Draco ground his teeth. "Yes."

Sirius nodded thoughtfully. "That's a shame."

Draco barely had a moment to think of a response before his mother turned towards him and enveloped him in her arms. He may have grown taller than her, but the way she gathered him against her chest always had him feeling tiny and eager to cling to her robes. He inhaled her deeply, drinking in the scent of her french perfume and praying the smell clung to him for as long as possible.

"I love you, my dragon," she murmured into his ear.

"I love you too, mother," he said. He squeezed her tightly, not caring about decorum in that moment. His eyes felt hot but he refused to cry twice in one day. With a kiss to his cheek, Narcissa withdrew from the embrace, her own eyes sparkling in the lamplight.

"I'll write to you as soon as I'm settled in," she promised.

"Thank you," he managed to say.

He watched as Narcissa retreated down the concrete steps. She and the four auror's stepped down onto the pavement, the wards humming as they stepped through. Draco felt the vague disturbance in the air but otherwise was unaffected by it. Once he was added to the wards -if he was added -it'd be different. Draco watched as they moved back through into the gated off park across the street. In the blink of an eye, they were gone.

Sirius turned to his cousin and folded his arms across his chest. "I suppose you'd better come in. It's not safe for you to be out and about right now." He stepped aside and let Draco drag his own trunks in through the open door.

The hallway was pleasantly cool compared to the muggy air outside.

Setting his trunks just inside the door, Draco watched as Sirius flicked his wand to lock the door with a few wordless charms. Turning to his cousin, Sirius furrowed his brow. This was a most unwelcome arrangement. He hadn't even had time to send an owl to Remus to let him know about this current predicament. Not that it was an issue on the other man's part; Remus would have been sensible enough about it.

"Okay, let's get you settled in."

Draco nodded mutely, grasping the handles of his trunks again. He followed Sirius up the stairs to the first floor landing. The door they stopped at, had an ornate 'R' in silver attached at eye-level. Inside, the decor was expected; two-tone grey striped wallpaper lined the tall walls, the bedframe was made of dark wood and intricately carved, with matching bookcases and a dresser opposite the bed. A fireplace stood proudly off to the left side and there was a floor-to-ceiling window beside the dresser, letting in a lot of light.

"This can be your room if you like," Sirius stated. "It's been used recently but everything has been cleaned and freshened up for you."

"Thanks," Draco swallowed thickly.

"If you're feeling hungry, I can have some food ready for you in about half an hour."

Draco stiffened as hunger stabbed through his insides. He didn't have the energy to eat. "I don't know if I can."

Sirius inclined his head. "It's been a long day. A long few weeks. Come downstairs, I'll have Kreacher sort something out for you."

"Kreacher?"

"My house-elf."

"Oh ..." Draco trailed off. They had been forced to free their remaining house-elves by order of the ministry. The ones who wanted to work were auctioned off to other families, some even going to Hogwarts. He hadn't bonded with any of them though, not really. None since second year when he'd had Dobby and sent him to...

"Where's Potter?" he asked.

Sirius frowned, "What?"

"Potter? Harry Potter? He lives here, doesn't he?"

"He does."

Draco waited for more of an answer, or some vague explanation as to why Potter hadn't made an appearance yet, but his cousin was hardly forthcoming. He supposed he couldn't blame him, not after his history with the bespectacled git. Any idiot would know not to let them in the same room together, but sharing a house? For the unforeseen future? How the fuck was that going to go?

"Get unpacked," Sirius' voice cut through his thoughts. "Downstairs in twenty minutes."

"Yes sir," Draco murmured automatically, and cringed. Fuck ... where had that come from?

Thankfully, Sirius didn't comment on it. The frown on his face said it all. He gave Draco a tight-lipped half-smile before leaving the room. His footsteps retreated down the staircase.

For the first time in weeks Draco let out a long sigh, feeling his entire body deflate. He was still incredibly tense and his mind was a mess but at least he had somewhere to unwind later on that night. Feeling stiff, scratchy and exhausted, Draco opted to change out of his courtroom suit. The scent of his mother's perfume still clung to the collar of his jacket. It brought tears to his eyes. Brushing them aside, he changed into a more casual outfit, lying the suit out across the foot of his bed and hugged his arms around his chest.

So this was it? His new home?

It left a bitter taste in his mouth.

With a sigh, he turned away from the room, manually shut off the light, and made his way downstairs for whatever Kreacher was cooking. Maybe food would calm his nerves. He could hope so, at least.

A/N: So I hope there was enough information in this chapter in regards to Draco, Sirius and Narcissa post-war. If not, please write any questions in the review and I will answer them as best I can!

Bee x