Chapter 20

He was sitting on the sofa with Hermione staring at the television. Normally her presence soothed him, but not this morning, nor was he distracted by the- usually fascinating- telly. It had been twenty-four hours since his parents had sent him to the Grangers. He'd spent the night in their guest room, which he normally wouldn't have minded, he liked Hermione's parents and they had a comfortable home, but he was worried about what was going on in his own home.

An elf had popped in around lunch time the day before to assure them that all was well but he wouldn't tell them any more than that. His mother had stopped by after Hermione's parents got home from work, talked to them privately for a few minutes and then left in a flurry of cheek kisses, again refusing to tell them anything specific. The Grangers had taken them to see a film in a blatant attempt to distract them. When they arrived back at their house his parents had sent an owl informing him that he should stay the night and that they would be in touch in the morning.

So, there they sat, the Grangers had already gone to work and he was growing more uneasy with each passing minute.

"It's fine, Draco, they'll be here soon," Hermione tried to reassure him for the umpteenth time.

"How would you feel if it was your parents?" he snapped.

She whipped her head around and he saw the hurt flash across her face, she didn't even try to hide it. "I love your parents Draco, you don't think I'm worried too? But I also trust them, if they say they've got everything under control then they have."

"I know, I'm sorry," he murmured.

She reached over and grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers. He laid his head on the back of the sofa and they sat like that until Evie popped in.

"Young Master, Young Mistress," she greeted cheerfully. The elves- Evie in particular- had begun addressing Hermione in that manner with increasing frequency, but she either hadn't noticed or wasn't bothered by it and he wasn't quite ready to discuss it with her yet. "Mistress sent me to bring you home."

Draco leapt off the couch pulling Hermione along with him and held his other hand out for Evie's. She took it and then looked to him for permission; he nodded and they disapparated, landing in his parents private sitting room, the one right off of their bedroom. His parents were seated, apparently awaiting their arrival, but as soon as they appeared his mother was up, greeting them with hugs and kisses.

They soon settled in and Draco glowered at his parents. "Couldn't you have at least let us know what was going on?"

His father looked at his mother. "I told you he was too immature for this Narcissa."
"What?" he asked, affronted.

His father looked at him pointedly. "You are not a child who has been denied a toy Draco. Your mother and I have spent the past day making plans that have life altering implications. If you do not even have the patience to wait overnight to be informed of them, then I do not see how you have the fortitude to be included in them."

Draco knew a reprimand when he heard one and he deflated. "I apologize, Father, Mother. I was just worried. It's my fault that Black is here."

His mother, who had been looking as stern as he'd ever seen her visibly gentled. "It's not your fault, dear, you were just being kind. None of us spotted what he really was. And in the end there was no harm done."

"So, is he at the Ministry, or has he been kissed?" He asked, trying not to wince, and Hermione squeezed his hand in empathy. After their brief experiences with dementors neither of them would wish the punishment of being kissed on anybody, and they'd become fond of Shadow.

"Neither, actually," answered his father. "He is still here. Have the two of you had breakfast? We have quite a story to tell you."

Draco looked at Hermione who was just staring at his father with her mouth open. "We've already eaten," she squeaked in obvious shock.

"Alright, then" his father began, "make yourselves comfortable, this is going to take awhile."

An hour later Draco sat back against the sofa cushions. Only then did he realize that he'd been on the edge of his seat as they told them Black's tale, and then of the plans they'd been formulating since the day Hermione had informed them that the Dark Lord wasn't dead. He was shocked, and frightened, and a little overwhelmed at the trust his parents were putting in them by sharing this; Lord Black as well.

"So, would you be willing to come to the Ministry with us to speak to Minister Fudge, Draco?" His father asked.

He looked up and met his eyes and he realized that this was a very real question. If he said 'no' his parents wouldn't hold it against him, they would simply alter their plans. He didn't want to say 'no.'

"Of course Father, I'm happy to help."

His father just nodded at him in acknowledgement.

"One more thing we wanted to talk to you about before we leave," said his mother, "though this mainly involves Hermione."

"Draco can stay," she responded immediately.

His mother smiled indulgently at her. Draco rolled his eyes, sometimes she was so transparent.

"Okay then," his mother continued. "Once Sirius is cleared he'll be able to take his place as Head of House Black, which will make him a very influential and powerful individual in our society."

Draco and Hermione nodded in tandem.

"He's fond of you Hermione, he appreciates your kindness to him when you thought he was just a stray, and he is especially grateful for all of the stories you told him about his godson. He's also pleased that you and Mr. Potter are so close. So, he's offered to do something for you that I only wish we were able to do."

"What's that?"

"He'd like to offer you the protection of House Black. I've already spoken to your parents about what that would entail and they are interested in the idea, but it's not something that they will agree to without your permission."

Draco gasped and Hermione turned to face him.

"I know what that means, in theory, but from Draco's reaction I think it might be a bigger deal than I had assumed," she said without looking away from him.

Draco glanced to his mother for permission to explain and she gave him a nod. " The Black's are one of the oldest and most formidable Houses, you know that, but I'm not sure you really understand what it means. For him to offer protection to a muggleborn...he would be making a major statement. You would be virtually untouchable. It wouldn't actually change your blood status, but the repercussions for hurting you would be as severe as if you were actually the child of an Ancient and Noble House."

Hermione looked at him searchingly for a moment and then he felt her magic brush against his. "I'll do it," she said turning back to face his parents.

"Excellent," his mother clapped her hands together, "now, Draco, go change, our appointment at the Ministry is in thirty minutes."

He nodded and climbed off the sofa, pulling Hermione with him again. She understood him well enough that he was certain she wouldn't fight him. She always seemed to know when he wanted to talk to her privately and his parents had yet to object to them being alone in his rooms. He walked swiftly but then he realized that she was practically jogging to keep up so he slowed his pace. She released his hand and wrapped her arms around his waist and they continued on like that, pressed against each other.

"You're relieved by Lord Black's offer?" It was more of a statement than a question and he knew she would have been able to feel the way his magic had relaxed as they'd discussed the possibility.

They stopped inside the door to his suite and he turned to her to give her a brief but fierce kiss. "Of course I am, especially now."

"Why especially now?"

"Because this feels like the start of something, my parents and Lord Black making an alliance. They didn't say it in so many words but they're preparing for war, and when that comes it's only going to get more and more dangerous for you. If we can't offer you protection I'm just glad my mother's House can. If we'd had Lord Black on side earlier this year we might have been able to avoid the dementors entirely, or at the very least you and Potter both could have complained to him after the train incident. His opinion along side my father's would be very hard to refute."

"But nobody can know they're working together!"

Draco shrugged. "That doesn't mean they can't agree on issues for the protection of the children in their care."

"That's true," she mused, "I do so hope this works out, for Harry as well as myself."

He just nodded, even he could concede that Potter deserved better than his muggle relatives and if he could move in with his godfather, perhaps Hermione would stop worrying so much about him. She had enough on her plate. He gathered a set of dress robes and went into his bathroom to change. Hermione waited for him and when he was finished they made their way down to the floo room.

"You'll tell me everything when you get back, won't you," she whispered anxiously.

He chuckled. "Of course, but I don't think I'll be allowed to take notes so you'll have to be happy with what I remember."

She elbowed him in the ribs.

His parents were waiting for him near the Manor's main floo along with another person. Even if Draco hadn't known who he was, it would have been obvious that Sirius was a Black. His mother had inherited her looks from her mother, but most Blacks were tall, with strong aristocratic features, and had ebony hair and gray eyes just like the man in front of them. He had cleaned up, his hair and beard had been trimmed, and his filthy prison robes replaced by expensive, well tailored ones that probably belonged to Lucius. But the biggest difference were his eyes, they no longer held that manic gleam that had been so frightening to behold even with just the brief glimpse Draco had gotten the day before.

He bowed slightly to the man. "Lord Black, it's an honor to make your acquaintance."

Hermione curtsied. "Yes Lord Black, an honor."

He regarded them seriously for a minute and then he threw his head back and exploded into raucous laughter. "Oh my mother must be rolling in her grave. Please never address me so formally again. It's Sirius, or Padfoot if you prefer. Hell, I'm not even opposed to Shadow," he smirked at them, and now those grey eyes were twinkling. And then he gave them a slight bow. "Especially as I owe the both of you a debt. I'll be forever grateful to you for caring for an old mutt."

"It was nothing," Hermione demurred.

Draco remained silent but gave the man a courteous nod.

"Alright," his mother interrupted, "we need to get going. Hermione are you going to stay here or go home?"

"I think I'll stay and wait for you."

His mother just nodded and took his father's arm so that he could help her into the floo. Draco would have objected to Hermione staying- technically innocent or not Sirius had just spent twelve years in Azkaban- but according to his parents he was under so many vows he'd drop dead before he could even fully consider harming one of them. And it would be good for her to get to know her future benefactor.

"See you later," he murmured, squeezing her hand before letting it go and moving to follow his parents through the floo.

"Good luck!" she called after him.

He emerged in the grand atrium of the Ministry and looked around curiously. He'd been there a handful of times on short errands with his father, but he'd never seen it decorated for Yule before. The cheery decorations were an odd contrast to the usual stark interior; it really didn't suit. Sure enough when he looked at his mother she was wrinkling her nose in distaste, his father chuckling at her reaction.

After they brushed themselves off they started to make their way towards their meeting, Draco trailing slightly behind his parents. He followed them to a lift and then to the Minister's office. The outer chamber was grandiose to the point of tackiness, but now his mother had her game face on, and he saw not a hint of her earlier disapproval of the decor. He quickly schooled his own features.

They were shown in to see the Minister with little delay. He recognized the man, of course, but he was distracted by the woman who was standing next to his desk. She was the most unattractive person he'd ever seen. She actually managed to resemble Longbottom's ever-escaping toad, but she was dressed entirely in pink. Several different shades of it, in fact, and Draco could only wonder where she'd found pink shoes, and was that a kitten broach?

"Minister, I'd like you to meet my wife, Narcissa, and our son Draco."

Draco pulled himself out of his musings to properly greet the Minister.

"It's good to see you as always," the man responded, "may I present my Senior Undersecretary, Dolores Umbridge.'

Draco suppressed a grimace as he watched his father take the woman's hand and place a kiss on her knuckles - she simpered in return. He hoped his mother made him bathe thoroughly before she let him anywhere near her again.

"I'm sure Madam Umbridge is very discreet, but as it is a delicate family matter that we wished to discuss with you today we were hoping to speak with you in private," his father said.

The Minister preened and excused the woman so quickly that it almost gave Draco whiplash and then seated himself behind his desk. They sat in front of it, his mother between the two of them.

"Cornelius," his father began, slipping into informality seamlessly. Draco marveled at how easily his Father had finagled this from business meeting to private tete-a-tete in a matter of moments. "Have you had the opportunity to look into the matter I spoke to you about yesterday?"

The man nodded vigorously. "Of course, I was disturbed at the very idea that the Scion of an Ancient and Noble House could have been sent to Azkaban without a trial. I was certain there must be some mistake, but I looked into it immediately to be sure. And I was absolutely appalled to find out it was true!" Then he hastened to add, "But he did confess Lucius."

"I have reason to believe that confession to be false."

The man actually began to wring his hands. "You do realize the scandal this would create? Digging up this history? Our world has done it's best to put this ugly part of our past behind us."

"What if I told you that I had a way to not only prove Lord Black innocent of all of the crimes of which he's been accused, but to catch the real perpetrator? You're right, this was an ugly period in our history, but it was not your Ministry that wrongfully imprisoned Lord Black, but it could be the one that rights this wrong."

Fudge huffed. "But how do you know this? Where are you getting your information?"

"Why from Lord Black himself," his father said casually.

The man went completely bug-eyed and all the color drained from his face. "Are you telling me you've been in contact with a wanted criminal?!"

His mother cleared her throat delicately and sat forward in her chair. "Minister, I'm not sure if you're aware but Sirius Black is my cousin."

She immediately had Fudge's attention. "Of course, Lady Malfoy, I'm well acquainted with your esteemed genealogy."

She dipped her head graciously. "Unfortunately, House Black, once proud and respected has fallen on hard times. It's line is close to extinction, save of course, for Draco here. And then there was that nasty business with my eldest sister, which I still find impossible to talk about," she dabbed at her eyes delicately with a handkerchief. "And all this time I have been helpless to do anything about it. When my cousin wrote to me I couldn't help but be curious. You see, he and I have never really been friends. As children we often quarreled and we only grew further apart as we became adults. So, I knew that if he was reaching out to me for assistance he must be in dire straits. The story he told was extraordinary and I just knew, Minister, for the sake of the reputation of my family, that I had to investigate. Surely you understand, don't you?"

His mother's voice was soft and breathy and he barely recognized it. But what really bothered him was the way the Minister was looking at her with such blatant appreciation in his eyes. Draco almost wanted to jump across the desk and hit him, he didn't know how his father was resisting.

"Of course, Lady Malfoy. Your husband is correct, this should be handled as a delicate family matter, I hadn't considered that," he said, practically tripping all over himself to assure her. " And please, call me Cornelius," he smiled rather sickeningly at her.

"Narcissa then, Cornelius." She smiled at him and though there was no warmth in it he beamed in return.

"Would it be too much to ask for me to see this letter?"

"Oh, of course! I would certainly not just expect you to simply take my word for it!" She cried, and actually put a hand over her heart as she spoke.

He sputtered. "Well of course I trust your word Narcissa, I suppose I would just like to see what Lord Black has to say for himself, in his own words."

She dipped her head in acknowledgement and removed the fabricated letter from her small bag. When his parents had shown it to them earlier he'd been impressed by the depth of planning that had gone into this charade, and had understood why they'd been so busy that they'd left him at the Granger's over night. But now he was beginning to see that his parents were actually enacting a dance they'd been perfecting for years. He felt both superfluous and utterly impressed. She handed it to the Minister and sat back quietly to let him read it.

It took several minutes, his eyes growing larger and larger as he read. He finally put it down on his desk and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as if he was in pain. "Does he have any proof? This story is not completely implausible, but it is, as you say, extraordinary."

"Of course, Cornelius, we would never have come to you and put you in this position, asking so much, unless we had significant proof," interjected his father and it was as if his mother had passed him back the baton.

The Minister swiveled his head back around to look at Lucius and swallowed thickly. Draco would have bet his inheritance that the man had nearly forgotten Lucius was there in favor of leering at his wife.

"Given Lord Black's claim that he is Harry Potter's oath bound Godfather I put an enquiry in with the goblins," he continued, "If he had committed the crimes of which he is accused against the Potters he would have broken oath with them, which would have rendered his magic incapable of claiming his title and our Draco would be in line to inherit when he came of age. The goblins informed me that Black is still the rightful heir."

"Well that does clear him of the crimes against the Potters," the Minister mused, "but what of the others? This claim that Peter Pettigrew has been hiding out in Hogwarts is rather outlandish, isn't it?"

"Draco?" His mother prompted quietly.

"Weasley," he began suddenly, "that is, the youngest Weasley son, Ronald, has a pet rat. He's well known for it as he carries it everywhere and because rodents aren't generally allowed as pets. And I've heard that the rat belonged to his older brother, Percy, before him. That would be quite a long lifespan if he was just a common rat," he explained, holding the Minister's gaze and trying to make it sound like he was simply relaying the weather.

"Is our son's word sufficient corroboration, or do you require further convincing?" Asked his father smoothly, but his tone was an obvious dare for the Minister to disagree.

"No, no, of course that is sufficient, I'm just not sure how to proceed from here," he wiped his suddenly sweaty brow.

"Is something stopping you from exploring a reliable tip that there is a dangerous criminal hiding inside of Hogwarts, Cornelius? It is the Ministry's duty to protect our children, after all. And even if the tip is false nobody could blame you for your caution. Simply travel to the school with a team of aurors and have Dumbledore summon this boy and his pet. I would be happy to accompany you, in my role as Head of Governors."

Fudge blinked at him for several long moments before remembering himself. "But isn't Hogwarts out on Christmas holidays. I assume that accounts for young Draco's presence."

"Weasley stayed in the castle," Draco explained.

The Minister gave him an odd look.

"He's best friends with Harry Potter, everybody always knows their business," he clarified, it was the truth even if he had actually gotten an information from somebody much closer to the source.

Fudge seemed to accept this immediately, and then he started to look alarmed. "Best friends with Harry Potter you say! If this story is true then the-boy-who-live has been…" he trailed off and pressed a hand to his chest. "We should do as you suggest Lucius, as soon as possible. But Dumbledore won't like it."

His father shrugged slightly. "He has no reason to deny you."

Fudge sat up straighter in his chair and puffed up his chest. "You're right Lucius. He doesn't have any reason to deny me. Are you free to accompany me now? I think it would be unwise to delay."

"I have cleared my day," his father confirmed, "whenever you are ready."

The Minister suddenly stood up from his desk. Draco got the distinct impression he was acting before his courage could fail him. He gathered his cloak and that ridiculous hat he always wore and the four of them exited his office together.

"Narcissa," the Minister said, stopping in his outer office, "may I offer you an escort downstairs to a floo?"

"Oh I do appreciate the thought, Cornelius, but I have Draco, we'll be fine on our own."

He then made a big show of bowing and kissing her knuckles. Draco looked at his father who was watching the display with an amused quirk of his lips, he met Draco's eyes and so quickly Draco almost thought he imagined it, rolled his eyes.

"Young Draco," the Minister finally turned to him, "thank you for your assistance."

"It was my honor, sir," he responded.

The Minister just nodded. His father clapped him on the shoulder after gently kissing his mother's cheek- a level of affection he rarely saw them display in public- and then he strode, the much shorter Minister scurrying beside him, in the direction of the DMLE to find a team of aurors.

His mother looped her arm through his. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes Mother." They began to walk and he turned his head so that he could see her face, "I did not like the way he looked at you."

She sighed. "It was rather unsavoury, but we used it to our advantage. He only saw a woman whose beauty he admired, it never occurred to him that I might be more powerful than I appear, that I was capable of manipulating him."

"You knew he was going to react like that?" Draco confirmed.

"Your father is a very thorough man, so yes, he understood the effect that my presence would most likely have on him."

Draco bristled.

"We use the tools we have at our disposal, my love," she patted his arm.

"I can't believe Father let you do that," he said, feeling suddenly indignant.

She immediately brought them to a halt. "Your father and I are a team, it was not his decision to make. We discussed many strategies, this was the easiest and it contained the least amount of risk for us all. It is not always pretty, but we'll do what needs to be done. I wish that was a lesson you did not have to learn, but things are only going to get more serious from here, and I think you know that."

He swallowed nervously as he looked into his mother's piercing blue eyes, because he saw something there; he had been correct when he spoke to Hermione earlier. Things had changed today, but not just in regards to preparing for war. His relationship with his parents had altered at a fundamental level; they'd included him like a peer instead of treating him like a child.

"I understand, Mother." He was determined not to let them down.

"You did well Draco," she said and then she tugged on his arm to encourage him to start walking again and they continued on to the floo.

When they arrived back at the Manor they found Hermione and Sirius in the solarium. The moment they walked through the door she relaxed and then jumped up to greet them.

"What happened!" she exclaimed.

"Well, we can tell you the whole story while we have some tea. But for now, suffice it to say that Lucius has accompanied the Minister to Hogwarts."

Hermione and Sirius both breathed a sigh of relief. They then settled in and had tea, discussed the days activities and plans for the rest of the holidays. Sirius remained mainly silent and Draco couldn't help but notice how anxious he seemed. About two hours after they returned home an owl arrived with a note for his mother written in his father's distinctive scrawl. It was a short thing, only three words: He's in custody.

Knowing what he had been through and what was on the line, Draco was only slightly uncomfortable when, for the first time in his life, he witnessed a grown man weep.

Author's note: Thank you all for continuing to support this story, I'm continually amazed. So many of you left me your thoughts on the last chapter and I so appreciated them all, I love being able to see what you're thinking when you read. So, I'll just say it again, thank you! And a special thanks to Weestarmeggie for beta reading!