A/N: Hope you guys enjoy the chapter, and hopefully, my allusions make sense!
Sirius paces around the small living room, agitated and anxious.
"You're being ridiculous," James says, pinching the bridge of his nose. He's got his glasses dangling precariously in his free hand.
"Am I?" he asks tightly. "Moony fucked off—without leaving any word, mind you—to do merlin knows what for merlin knows who—"
"Dumbledore," James nearly growls. "He's doing a job for Dumbledore."
"Why wouldn't he tell us?" Sirius shoots back. The third in the room, Peter Pettigrew sat in the corner, twisting his hands together.
"Moony doesn't keep secrets from us," Peter says.
"Both of you, shut up!" James yells, lurching to his feet. "Moony is not the traitor! I know it!"
"Prongs," Sirius says softly. "Think about Lils and Harri. Is that a chance you're willing to take?" James breathes hard, eyes going blurry with tears. Angry, he swipes them away, but he slumps defeated. Sirius has dealt a winning blow.
"We're telling Moony," James says acerbically. "As soon as he gets back, we'll tell him and sort all this out. Then you'll see he's not the traitor and the both of you will shut up about traitors."
"Of course, Prongs," Peter says, hurrying over to him. "I'll tell him myself about the switch, even. When is he coming back?"
"November twelfth," James says dejectedly. "Let's get this over with."
Sirius pulls out his wand, waving it in a complicated shape, and suddenly thin, golden lines appear between he and James, binding them together.
"Peter Pettigrew," James says dutifully. "I choose you to guard my deepest secret. Only you may divulge it. Swear it shall be yours to keep."
"I swear it," Peter recites, a note of fear turning his voice squeaky. The line unwinds itself from Sirius's wrist and moves through the air, latching onto Peter. He hisses as it winds up tight.
"We shouldn't tell anyone," Peter says suddenly, watching the gold line fade. "Just the three of us knowing keeps us safe. Not even Dumbledore."
"But we tell Moony as soon as he gets back," James adds. Sirius loops an arm around him, shaking his lightly to cheer him.
"November twelfth," Peter says. A strange smile blooms on his face.
The memory dissolves and Remus jerks away, reeling. He runs his hands through his hair, surprised that it's dry. He knows what happened, but seeing it hurts all the same. He can barely look over at Sirius, anger and shame coursing through him. He should have just told them about the wolves. Then James would've been able to convince Sirius to wait at least.
God, Peter.
How had he missed all the signs? He's grown despondent as the war waged on, took longer and longer with his messages. They'd thought he'd just been scared, thought he'd just been the same, sniveling, cowering little child he was when they first met.
"This is your untampered memory?" Dumbledore asks lightly, reminding Remus of his presence. Sirius nods, and Remus forces himself to look. His expression is drawn, tight with that looks like anger. Remus knows it's guilt.
"You were telling the truth," Dumbledore murmurs, although it sounds like he's talking to himself. Remus sits heavily against the wall. They're in a separate room, having left Harri and the phoenix in the outside chamber.
"It was stupid," Sirius grits out. "We thought that Peter—"
"It's alright, Sirius," Dumbledore says graciously. "Unfortunately, I'll need one more memory from you."
"Which one?" Sirius says wearily. Remus wants to shield him, wants to demand what makes Dumbledore think he needs anymore proof.
"Halloween night," Dumbledore says softly. "Please, I need to make sure—"
"I didn't kill the muggles," Sirius finishes for him, tone acidic. "Fine, but Remus doesn't see this one."
"What?" Remus angrily demands. "I'm coming—"
"No, you're not," Sirius says. "This one… is hard. I…"
"Please, Remus," Dumbledore says. "At the very least, Harri will need some company."
"Just go," Sirius says, sounding utterly defeated. "This one will… this one will prove it."
Scowling, Remus stalks off. He knows what happened in this one, and he knows what Sirius is doing, trying to shield him from both Sirius and Peter's worst moments. He finds Harri with the phoenix, stretched up on her tiptoes to try and pet him.
"Did you ask?" Remus says, startling her a little. Harri jumps, dropping her arm like a naughty child caught.
"The Headmaster was with you," Harri says, sheepish. Remus chuckles.
"I meant the phoenix."
"I did," she says excitedly. "And it bowed to me!"
"Dumbledore's had him for a while," Remus says, coming to stand next to her. "Since I was in school."
"How many years ago was that?" she asks.
"About ten," he says. He thinks about Peter, the small boy he, James, and Sirius had saved from merciless fourth year Slytherins. He thinks about the man who'd smiled at James and Sirius, knowing that his plan to betray his oldest friend was coming to fruition.
"What did you do in that room?" Harri asks, voice dropping.
"We proved it," Remus says, suddenly exhausted. "We proved his innocence to Dumbledore at least."
"Why hasn't Padfoot come out yet?"
"He has to show him one more thing, and then Dumbledore will help us, I believe." Just then, Dumbledore strides out of the room, followed by a particularly angry Sirius.
"Professor?" Remus asks cautiously.
"Forgive me," Dumbledore says simply. "I did not think that… my trust in you, and your bond with James Potter, wasn't enough. I should have fought for you, Sirius. That is one of my greatest regrets."
"Will you help us now?" Sirius asks.
"It will be difficult, I think," Dumbledore says, gesturing for them to sit in front of his desk. Harri scrambles up on Sirius's lap and he clutches her tight, like she grounds him. "The Wizengamet have forbidden a great many things in their court, but with the right Legisparitus—"
"Magical barrister," Sirius translates quietly to Harri.
"Yes, with the right representation, we could get these memories verified, and your wand examined," Dumbledore muses. "I might have the right man for you, but I will have to speak to him."
"So what now, professor?"
"For now, return to where you've been and wait for my owl," Dumbledore says. "I know it's dreadful to wait, but you only have to be patient a little longer."
"You'll be rather busy won't you, professor," Sirius says quietly. "The school year starts tomorrow."
"I will make time for this, Sirius, I swear to you," he says resolutely. "I promise you will be free."
Draco Malfoy wakes to a soft knock on his door. He'd been having a good dream, something about going flying, so when he lifts his head, Dobby recoils back.
"Master Draco, your mother is requesting you for breakfast." He groans, flopping back against the sheets, but Dobby stands at the door, waiting for him to move so he can clean. Still, it fills him with a sense of importance when Dobby calls him "Master Draco" instead of "Young Master". It reminds him he is not a child anymore.
Draco pulls himself out of bed and heads to the bathroom to get ready. As a young man, he does not request help fastening his clothes on, no matter how the buckles trouble. Mother will just have to wait, he thinks, now that he is too big to be put over father's knee.
"Master Draco," Dobby says hesitantly. "Can Dobby assist you?"
"No!" He wrestles a buckle into place and scrutinizes it carefully. Finally! "I'm ready." When he exits the room, it is flawlessly cleaned, but Draco still gives Dobby that look Father has perfected and says, "Clean up around here for once."
Downstairs, mother is sitting at the table with a bowl on untouched porridge in front of her. She's reading the newspaper, and whatever is on it must make her very upset. Her mouth is pinched up, but when she sees Draco, she softens, holding her arms out for him.
Mother holds him surprisingly tight, pressing one kiss too many to his face. He's not a child anymore and he mustn't be coddled. Still, even grown sons must accommodate their mothers. Grandmother is over very often, and father obliges her every whim.
Thankfully, she pulls back and smooths his hair out of his face. Mother presses her thumbs to his cheekbones gently, scrutinizing him carefully, and suddenly, Draco is afraid. Something particularly unpleasant is about to happen.
"Mother," he says, trying to appease whatever it is. "Good morning." This must be the right thing to say because she releases him with one final stoke of his cheek and allows him to take his seat. Thank Merlin father wasn't around to see such a display.
"Draco," Mother starts, taking a careful sip of what must be cold tea. "You must promise to behave today, do you understand?"
"Are we going to have guests? Are Crabbe and Goyle coming over?" he asks, trying not to let his excitement show. He doesn't need playmates, of course, he's too old for that, but associate—like his father has—are always welcome.
"Not today," Mother sighs. A cold feeling slips down Draco's spine and he holds himself very still.
"Are we…" he swallows, trying to master himself. "Are we going to see… her?"
Father finally appears, cutting to the conversation short. He gives his wife a perfunctory kiss and pats Draco's head before he sits.
"Will you come with us, Lucius?" Mother asks nervously. Father doesn't waver, instead snapping open the paper. Sirius Black's face is plastered all over the front and he flinches away. Draco's not scared of the mad man, but he'd be stupid to not be wary of a child stealing freak.
"Lucius!" Mother presses, almost frantic.
"You'll go with Draco," he says finally. "Speak to her about… what we spoke about yesterday."
"I told you I didn't want any part in it!" At this, Father slams down the paper and Draco shrinks in his head, heart racing. Mother holds firm, and to Draco's shock, her eyes well up with tears. "I didn't say anything when you joined, but now that he's gone—"
"Enough, Narcissa!" Mother goes deathly still and Father flounders, coloring slightly. Draco presses himself closer to the chair.
"You presume, because you are my husband that you can tell me what to do—"
"Cissy, of course I wouldn't—"
"Do not call me that and do not interrupt. I will go today, because you are clearly a coward!" With that Mother stalks out of the dining room. Father, still red faced, retreats behind the paper. Draco pushes away his breakfast, suddenly not hungry.
Sirius is exhausted, but he still needs to speak to Remus. When they get back to Grimmauld Place, Remus takes Harri back to the library, for a lesson on history. Sirius hangs around, waiting for him to be finished.
Lunch is quiet and decidedly uncomfortable, and Harri looks between them, sensing the discomfort. After, Harri's sent to go write another essay, and she is particularly unhappy about it. Sour faced, Harri stomps off to go write her essay and before Remus can find some task to occupy himself, Sirius corners him.
"So, what, you're just not going to talk to me?" he asks.
"What's to discuss?" Remus asks. "You didn't want to me to see—"
"You wanted to watch Wormtail blow up thirteen muggles, is that it?" Sirius snarls, suddenly angry. "It wasn't something I wanted to watch ever—"
"Sirius, of course not," Remus says. "You don't have to spare me. That's what I was trying to tell you. You're my best mate, and you're all there is left, I can't—" Suddenly Remus goes pink and silent, glaring down at his feet. "I'm sorry you had to watch that back. That's not something you deserved, now or the first time."
Sirius doesn't quite know what to say to that and he can feel himself getting red-faced too. Remus clears his throat, look at him finally.
"We're mates, yeah," he says, a bit awkward. "You don't have to go it alone. Not for anything, not anymore."
"I was wrong," Sirius blurts out suddenly. "I shouldn't have asked James to switch, not to Peter anyways. I don't know why I didn't trust you, but I'm sorry. It… it's my biggest mistake."
"Sirius," Remus starts. "That autumn… I was scouting other werewolves, trying to convince them not to join you-know-who. I didn't want you or Prongs to know because… I dunno—"
"You don't have to explain it," Sirius promises. "I trust you. I'll always trust you."
A/N: Hopefully it's clear as to who Draco and his mom were supposed to visit! As for the why? We'll get into that later. Let me know what you thought!
