Harry Potter isn't mine.

Chapter 14 The Aftermath

"Draco?"

Potter's mother led her away, and Draco found himself sitting at Pansy's bed waiting for her to wake up. The only problem was that once she did, Draco was too deep in his own thoughts to notice.

He jumped when she reached out to touch him and forced himself to smile. At least she was okay. That was one thing he could be certain of. His best friend was okay.

"What happened?" she said weakly. "Where's Blaise?"

"I… don't know," Draco admitted. His own cowardice was to blame, no matter how much he told himself that his other best friend needed some space.

Pansy nodded in understanding but was also pulling her covers back. "We'll talk to him. Together?"

Draco sighed. "Together."

Blaise was in the room he shared with Draco, a perfect place to hide from nosey people but a terrible place to hide from his friends. Upon their entrance, he automatically said, "I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay." Draco was willing to leave it at that. Blaise wasn't one to share his feelings, and this was too much for most to bear. Mentally, he vowed to never bring it up, but Blaise's father had played a big part in his parents' deaths. Well, his father's death. Would his friends believe him if he told them?

Before he could wonder this further, Pansy spoke, refusing to let Blaise bury what had just happened. "You're our friend, and we're not letting you go through this alone."

"Go through what?" Blaise said flatly. "He's gone. There's nothing to go through."

"Actually…" Draco glanced at Pansy. He had filled her in as best as he could during their walk to the dungeons. "Potter… may have knocked him out with a rock…"

Blaise's eyes widened slightly, and that was the only bit of emotion he showed. "Oh…" He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "He's probably going to get the Kiss anyway."

"Do you want to see him?" Pansy tried, causing Blaise's emotions to finally bubble to the surface. His face flushed slightly, causing her to flinch at the obvious sign of eruption.

"Why the fuck would I want to see him?" he spat. "I saw him twelve hours ago, and it was a bloody grand time, wasn't it? I think I'm satisfied for the next thirteen years."

"But—"

"SHUT UP, PANSY!" Blaise shouted. "For once in your life, just SHUT UP!"

Pansy's eyes welled up and her bottom lip trembled, but she wouldn't let herself cry. Draco hoped she understood. She couldn't expect him to be all rainbows and sunshine. With balled fists, she turned away slightly. "We-we have a Transfiguration test tomorrow. I'm… I'm sure McGonagall isn't going to cut us any slack."

Blaise glared at her but said nothing as she took one of the textbooks off the bookshelf that Draco and Blaise shared. Draco, yet again, felt torn between the two. Pansy just wanted to help, but Blaise was someone who didn't want help. He just wanted to bury everything.

"Do you want to talk about something else?" Draco tried.

"No."

"Well…"

"OH MY POOR BABY!" Mrs. Zabini, master of hysterics and the last person anyone in the room wanted to see besides Dumbledore himself. In a rather dramatic flourish, she flew into the room, arms held out for Blaise. Behind her, Draco saw Professor Black, who looked rather apologetic. "Did the aurors hurt you? Did they say mean things to you?"

Not Did your father hurt you? Or Did your father say mean things to you? Draco had only met Mrs. Zabini a handful of times, but each of those times ended in a headache. She practically threw herself on her son and nearly knocked him over. Draco looked away when she started smothering his cheeks with kisses.

Finally, she drew herself back to get a good look at Blaise to make sure he's unharmed. She brushed some nonexistent wrinkles off his shirt and started leading him away, babbling a mile a minute. "We'll have all this sorted out in no time. The nerve of Fudge trying to punish your father without a trial! There are two sides to every story—"

"I thought you were off on your honeymoon," Blaise said flatly. He never said anything about his mother getting married…

His mother looked at him like he was crazy. "With your father finally being part of the family again? I already sent the divorce papers to the Ministry!"

"Mr. Brown isn't going to like that." There was the tiniest twinge of fear in Blaise's voice. Draco also noted that she didn't say that Blaise's father was alive, just that he was going to be part of the family.

Mrs. Zabini paused and bit her lip. The hysterical frenzy cooled at the mention of her soon to be ex-husband. All she said was, "Your father has always protected me."

Draco felt helpless as Blaise walked away with his mother. Given last night, he doubted that his father was any different from all his mother's previous partners.

Awkwardly, Professor Black walked into the room after Mrs. Zabini blazed past him. Her wild curls had whacked him in the face. He cleared his throat but didn't get the message when Draco ignored him. "Regulus would like to see you… He's in my office, if you'd like… Wants nothing to do with me."

Draco frowned at Professor Black's awkward smile. Did he really want to live with his brother? Would that mean living with Professor Black as well? Something about Regulus seemed… rather childlike. Still, anything was better than Uncle Ted and Dora. Ignoring his uneasiness, Draco nodded and silently followed.

Regulus smiled upon his entrance, seeming just as nervous. "Draco…"

Professor Black didn't leave and merely raised his eyebrows at Regulus's glare. He might as well have a bowl of popcorn and take up a seat. Draco took a deep breath and exhaled. At least he could always rely on one thing. No matter how bad things got, Professor Black would always find a way to be annoying.

"I…" Draco looked at his feet.

"I meant what I said earlier," Regulus said quietly. "This, uh, woman…"

"You mean shark," Professor Black muttered.

"Solicitor," Regulus hissed, "said that she could help me get a settlement from the Ministry. Enough to get a house and what not… I think by the time summer comes along; everything would be sorted out."

"Really?" Draco couldn't help but sound hopeful. He'd never have to see Dora or Uncle Ted again, never have to hear Aunt Andy insult him, never have to nervously listen to Aunt Bella's babble.

Regulus's smile and sigh of relief was just as hopeful. "Really."

"And until then you can stay with me," Black said, as if he were part of the little family they were desperately trying to create. Neither one of them would look at him, and Draco firmly believed that Professor Black had no idea why. "It'll be nice to have someone to help keep the place clean. About the only thing my ex-wife was good for. Oh Reg, did you know that…"

Both of them looked at each other as Black prattled on… and on and on. They both seemed to be thinking the same thing. Here we go…

His mother made no indication of being surprised that his father was alive. Blaise wondered if she knew all along. He recalled how belligerent she was when Professor Riddle told her that rats weren't on the approved pet list. Hell, she even let Zeus eat at the table. The only time she ever stood up to her husbands was when they tried to hurt Zeus, not when they tried to hurt her or even Blaise himself.

"It'll bring up his spirits to see his family," Mum said dreamily. Her eyes were glassy as they became lost in the fantasy of the fairytale life she probably thought they were going to have. "Hopefully we can get him on house arrest until this mess is sorted out."

Blaise said nothing, and as usual, his mother didn't notice. They walked as she talked about remarrying, finally having another baby, and perhaps buying a summer home for them. She asked for Blaise's opinion, but when there was no response, she just kept talking. When they reached the Astronomy Tower, he stopped, not wanting to go in.

"C'mon now!" Mum tucked her arm in his and practically dragged him towards this entrance. Her voice became firm when she said to the aurors, "I want to see my husband."

A rather portly auror shook his head. "No visitors, madam. You'll have to wait until he arrives at Azkaban."

"Azkaban?" Mum repeated in a way that made Blaise want to shake out of her grasp and find a good closet to hide in. That's how he spent half his childhood. Hiding in closets while Mum was either unhinged and fighting with her husbands or getting pummeled by them. She was always either manic or defeated.

The auror nodded, although his hand was already reaching for his wand. Blaise knew he should reach for his too, in defense for his mother, but… he didn't want to. The auror would just stun Mum, and he wouldn't have to see his father again.

But Mum, for all the cowering he had witnessed growing up, was rather quick with a wand. Blaise couldn't even let out a gasp before Mum managed to stun the auror. The duel with the other guard lasted all of a minute, with Mum dodging a stunnerand slashing his arm before stunning him. This all was done almost silently, and Blaise looked over his shoulder. The aurors below them would come running at a shout. All he had to do was shout.

Mum silently cast a spell that made the barred door melt, probably annihilating any wards they had set up. Blaise swallowed fearfully as Mum dueled the four aurors inside his father's cell. He saw them calling for help but didn't hear anything. She must have cast a Silencing Charm. Blaise just watched in half horror, half awe as they fell one by one.

His father grasped his mother's hands. She gazed into his eyes lovingly, either not noticing or caring that he was taking her wand from her. Without the slightest hesitation, he magically sent her catapulting down the Astronomy Tower's stairs, causing quite the raucous down below. No one but Blaise noticed the skinny rat making a run for it.

And who did they find once the chaos settled down? Blaise, the only one with a wand. They took him into custody immediately without asking questions.

Regulus was practically living in Sirius's office. Since not even a day had passed, he wanted to be seen by as little people as possible. He was still struggling to believe the events of the previous night too. Everything had happened so fast that he feared his freedom would be taken away as quickly as it was restored. He'd imprison himself in Sirius's quarters for the time being. The only problem was that staying in one place for long made him easy to find.

"Well if it isn't Dumbledore's very own Black Widow," Regulus said dryly when Lily Potter entered Sirius's office.

Lily smiled almost sweetly, but there was a glint in her eyes that made him want to run. "You know, when you went to Azkaban, Sirius couldn't believe it. I guess he was right…"

She knew. She had to have known that he was innocent the whole time. Sirius couldn't believe it. Yeah right. Sirius probably knew too. Regulus growled to himself but otherwise didn't respond. She was goading him. "What do you want, Lily?"

Lily narrowed her eyes slightly. "Keep that boy away from my daughter."

From their interactions with each other, Regulus highly doubted that Draco wanted anything to do with Katherine Potter. He clearly didn't like her, but that wasn't the point. "I'm not telling him who to interact with unless the person's dangerous. Is your daughter dangerous?"

He expected insults or threats. The last thing Regulus thought would happen was Lily physically attacking him. Her hair exploded into what looked like flames, but when it shot from her head in fiery tendrils to grab him, it felt like tight, thick ropes that picked him up and slammed him against the wall.

"One night with him and she nearly died!" Lily yelled, sounding almost demonic. Regulus did his best not to scream. "Keep. Him. Away."

"Okay! Okay!" Regulus squeaked, feeling like a bullied little kid again. "I… I'll talk to him. But… it's not like she's been trying to avoid him."

Frowning, Lily let him go. Her hair was still a tangle of dying flames, but his brother didn't miss a beat as he strolled in. "Hey, Lils. I'm just hear for my snacks." Sirius opened a small box on his desk and popped a piece of chocolate in his mouth. "It's been a sucky day. Pete's been knocked out again."

"What?" Regulus breathed. Pettigrew was guarding August. If August had managed to escape… Well, his former friend was all his proof.

Lily, of course, didn't care. Her hair ignited once more. "Clearly, you've been a shitty godfather, Sirius. Letting Kat surround herself with the likes of—"

"Do you think I'm frightened of you, Lily?" Sirius dropped his façade of the blubbering idiot. "I'm not someone who's half dead from Azkaban and without a wand."

Lily smirked. "Don't act like I can't kick your ass into next week, Sirius. All this year—"

"You and James have been putting her through hell," Sirius finished for her. "With the fighting and the pretty much throwing in her face that you two were cheating on each other. She's rebelling because the two of hurt her. You guys were soulmates in her eyes, her heroes. Don't bully my brother because you can't get your head out of your own ass to see that."

Sirius had never stood up for Regulus, ever. His older brother had always made him feel small and insignificant. Regulus felt a mixture of pride and uneasiness as he recalled all the horrible memories of his childhood. He wanted to hold onto that resentment and not believe that Sirius gave two shits about him. But there he was, standing up to one of Dumbledore's most powerful soldiers, for him.

Lily made this weird laughing sound that almost seemed more like a wheeze. "Kat—"

"Is going to be okay, Lily," Sirius said softly. "You have to trust her to make the right decisions."

Lily shook her head but dropped it, for now. His words made her second guess herself. "If you'll excuse me, I have a pig to slaughter."

"If James were here, he'd ask her if she was on her period," Sirius mumbled as soon as Lily was out of earshot. Regulus just stared at him. Back to bumbling idiot mode… "Anyway, Fudge is trying to keep your story out of the papers. Especially with Zabini MIA."

"He escaped?" Regulus half wondered if he should thank Sirius for helping him, for suddenly being on his side. Whether it was right or wrong, he couldn't bring himself to do it. There was too much bad blood between them, and Sirius seemed fully prepared to act like there wasn't.

Sirius nodded grimly. "Riddle reminded him that too many people saw Zabini. That and all of Hogwarts is talking about last night. If Fudge gets the story out first, he can control it. Or so the Great Snake says."

Regulus couldn't help but roll his eyes at Sirius's nickname for Professor Riddle. "So what happens now?"

Sirius shrugged, like all this wasn't a big deal or absolutely terrifying. "We'll take care of it. In the meantime, stop sulking around my office, Reg. I'm sure Draco would like to get to know you better."

"Maybe." The very idea of being out in public, with everyone watching him… Did the dementors leave yet? If they were still around… "Perhaps I'll start with the Common Room."

Draco heard about Blaise. Everyone heard about Blaise. The castle was on lockdown, and his best friend was nowhere in sight. Pansy's nerves made her bite her nails, making Draco think about how disgusted Blaise would be at the sight. He had to be okay. After everything, his best friend had to be okay.

"Maybe Professor Black knows." Pansy was so desperate for information that she was willing to ask the man she probably hated the most.

"H-Hello." Regulus. Draco looked up, hoping that he had some information, but by the way he was warily looking at his fellow Slytherins, it was clear that he was working up the courage to leave Professor Black's office.

No one said a word, and Draco felt all eyes on him. "Hey… so, did you want to sit down?"

Regulus nodded, and Astoria jumped up with a squeak to give him the seat next to Draco. He tried to smile at her, but the poor girl seemed to have no idea how to react. Astoria hovered behind her sister, thinking the fight now ask questions later Daphne would be able to protect her. Regulus sat and seemed to be trying to think of what to say.

"So…" He fiddled with his hands in his lap. "How have the past twelve years been?"

"Swell," Draco said sarcastically before smiling. "The past three have been the best though."

"Even with Sirius as Head of House?" he joked.

"He's a monster!" Pansy couldn't resist saying. At her words, Regulus laughed in a bark-like way that reminded him of Professor Black. However, his approval at Pansy's insult opened the floodgates, and soon all of Slytherin was talking about how wretched Professor Black was.

"I bet he wears curlers!" Millicent Bulstrode hissed.

"Once, he gave me detention for sneezing on him! It was an accident!"

"I asked if he could turn up the heat in the dungeons, and he said I should have picked a different house! Like I picked!"

"If the Great Hall doesn't have the chocolate donuts he loves so much for brekkie, he's in a foul mood all day!"

"Is he going to live with us?" Draco asked nervously. Regulus blinked in surprise. "I-I mean, its okay if he does, but…"

Regulus shook his head. "Not if I have anything to say about it."

Draco grinned as the rest of Slytherin continued to recount their personal horror stories with Professor Black. At least he didn't have that to worry about. He could only imagine what the summer with him could be like. He pictured Professor Black treating him like a maid/therapist or worse, awkwardly trying to be friendly.

"Have you heard anything about my friend Blaise?" Draco also wanted to talk about his mum, but how was he to broach that subject? Oh, by I had a vision showing that my mother's alive, think you could help me go get her?

All the complaints went quiet, but Regulus didn't have much more information than they did. "All Sirius said was that August escaped. Then he left in a hurry, saying that the school's on lockdown because they're trying to find him."

"Only him?" Pansy asked. "Because Blaise and his mother were with him when all this happened."

"Then they must be still in the castle," Daphne reasoned. "Or they'd be looking for them too. Maybe Professor Black went to go fetch Blaise."

"Or visit him in hospital," Millicent said darkly.

"Don't say that!" Astoria whispered.

Dudley shook his head, refusing to believe it too. "His dad wouldn't hurt him. It's his dad. And even if he is bad, Mrs. Zabini wouldn't let anything happen to Blaise, would she?"

"Yeah. She wouldn't." But Regulus didn't sound too convinced, making Draco feel uneasy. All they could do is wait.

"Either way the boy has been through enough." Petunia had taken her brother-in-law's spot as a school governor earlier this school year in an effort to keep her Dudley safe. It was proven to be quite the task. "And his wand showed that he hadn't cast any spells within hours."

"But his mother's wand is gone," Arthur Weasley said slowly, like he clearly thought she was an idiot. "He could have easily—"

"You think a thirteen-year-old boy is capable of taking out six aurors, disintegrating wards, and throwing his mother down a flight of stairs?" Petunia asked, doing her best to sound just as patronizing. "In a matter of minutes? Now, while I believe that a Hogwarts education is this best in the world—"

"Meanwhile your son can barely read." Weasley sneered at her, causing Petunia to purse her lips. Dudley had several learning disabilities, but it was none of his business, especially if he didn't care enough to look into students' files.

"Now, now." Dolores Umbridge smiled sweetly. "We'll just wait for Mrs. Zabini to corroborate. Surely, she'll talk to keep her son out of trouble. If not, a bit of truth serum will do the trick…"

Blaise wasn't talking either, giving them no idea if he was protecting his mother, father, or himself. Neither one of them liked the idea of using truth serum on a child. The aurors were hit with a combination of a stunner and an amnesia hex. Again, nothing a third-year student was capable of.

With a sigh, Petunia tapped her nails on the long table in the teacher's lounge. "What do you think, Professor Riddle?"

Professor Riddle looked like he hadn't slept in days. He probably hadn't. "No matter what happened, the boy needs to be in protective custody. If Mrs. Zabini—"

Weasley snorted. "The woman's so feeble minded that I doubt she ties her shoes without a house elf's help."

There was a tense silence reflecting Professor Riddle's anger, but otherwise, the headmaster didn't acknowledge Weasley's rudeness. "If Mrs. Zabini did this, Blaise obviously can't stay with her. She will need to be watched by aurors at all times and is clearly willing to put him in danger for her first husband. If Blaise is somehow an undiscovered prodigy, Mr. Weasley, he will still need to be watched."

"You're all for ripping children out of their homes, aren't you Tom?" Minerva McGonagall said, speaking for the first time. "However…" She looked grim, not liking to agree with her superior. "This time I do agree with you. The boy needs a proper home. Circe needs psychological help and has for some time."

Arthur Weasley frowned. "So where's he going to go?"

And so, the poor boy became a chess piece.

Lily waltzed into Granger Manor unannounced. Jean Granger was working the night shift at St. Mungo's. Hermione was off at school. The opportunity was perfect.

"William," she said lightly as she knocked softly on his study door. He looked up from his paperwork in surprise. "Is Jean around?"

"Working," he said, sounding regretful. "Do you want me to write a message for her?"

Lily looked at the ground, doing her best to look embarrassed. "No… I just… couldn't sleep. I ended things with Severus, and now I don't have James… I guess I just wanted someone to talk to. I honestly wish I could just go to sleep and forget."

William shifted in his seat uncomfortably. Matters of the heart were not his forte. He was probably wishing Jean was there to comfort her. However, Jean would know that Lily used Severus for information and a bit of bed sport. That was it. "I… I suppose I could get you some Dreamless Sleep. Then, you can talk to Jean in the morning."

Lily smiled appreciatively. "That would be wonderful. Thank you."

They walked to the Granger's private stores. Lily had to do her best not to grab William by his scalp and slam his head into the nearest wall. She trusted him and his wife with her only baby, and they cursed her. He had to pay, and more importantly, she had to get away with it. Kat was making too many enemies and would need her protection and guidance.

William stopped at the door and started fumbling in his pockets for the keys. She had him cornered. "Did you know, Will, that the best way to break a curse is to kill the caster? Especially those that have to do with controlling someone."

He started to turn around and call for someone, but Lily was quicker. James had brute strength and natural charm, but Lily had speed and a knack for picking up on body language cues. She grabbed his wrist and spun him backwards before he could so much as cry out. "Imperio. You are going to write your beautiful daughter and wife a note that says, 'I'm sorry.' Then you'll hang yourself from the stairs above the Entrance Hall."

Lily watched callously for a brief moment as he helplessly went to carry out her instructions. He would never hurt her daughter again.

Narcissa woke up from a deep sleep suddenly able to control her body. What time was it? What year was it? She had to figure out how to get out of here, but first, she'd need to act like nothing had changed. It would be difficult to keep her mind blank. All she could think about was Draco.

Thanks for reviewing myafroatemydog, dannymask, Percy Ross Vulturi Uchiha, and gr8rockstarrox!

Next up, Draco and Kat have an embarrassing moment! Did you miss her this chapter? :P