"This is bad, very bad." Regulus said as he stared at the scene before him. There were bodies strewn all over the place like broken dolls, some of the furniture was broken and the walls were cracked. Bloody and broken bodies lay around while others had been killed by the killing curse. Eleven bodies, eleven murders. Blood streaked the walls, there were pools of blood on the floor and the entire bar was filled with the smell of death.

"And we have no leads whatsoever?" His brother asked one of the newer Aurors. The man was young, in his early to mid-twenties. It was his first week out of Auror training. Although he was burly and strong-faced, he appeared rather unnerved by the sight before him. All the training in the academy wasn't enough to prepare you for what lay in wait in the real world, unless you were born and raised a Black. In that case, it was a completely different scenario.

"No, sir. Nothing other than this. We took it down before word spread and the locals panicked." He held up a picture and Sirius took it from him and his brows pulled together into a frown as he stared at it. "What is it?" Regulus asked. His brother held out the picture and Regulus almost dropped it when he saw it: someone had cast the Dark mark.

"The Dark Mark clears things up a bit. This is obviously a death eater's job. Probably more than one. Judging by the state if this place, the people who did this were angry. Whatever may be the reason, they were angry. What better way to vent than to slaughter innocent people?" There was a bitter undertone in Sirius' voice. The man sighed and ran a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated.

"Kingsley, get the bodies to the morgue and tell Davies to examine them. He'll have to track the spells and the wand that performed them. That should narrow it down. Also, make sure that the news reporters don't contaminate the crime scene. The last thing I need is that Skeeter woman scouring the place." He told the new Auror. "Yes, sir." Kingsley and two others began to round up the bodies while Sirius analysed the place.

This was an angry, reckless and impulsive killing. The murderer hadn't thought about the consequences that would follow. He/ she/they had been blinded by rage and had acted rashly. "I talked to the owner as well. She was sorely shaken and afraid. She had to leave early so she asked the bartender to close the place when it was closing time. She came here today morning and found the entire place thrashed. The poor lady panicked and fire called the aurors. That's all we have so far." Said Regulus.

"We should be able to find out more once Davies is done with examining the bodies. What I want to know is what angered the person so much that he and to murder a bar full of people in order to pacify himself?" Sirius was far more disturbed than he was letting on. If this was a death eater attack, it definitely called for immediate action. His concern was Harry. "We're going to find the bastard who did this and we'll make sure that no one even thinks of trying something like this again."

A couple of hours later, the wand expert, Davies, had finished his analysis. "It's nothing new, actually. A few cruciatus, some hexes and the killing curse." He told the Aurors. "Anything else?" Sirius enquired. "Yes. It was a one-man job. All the curses were fired from a single wand." Sirius raised an eyebrow, silently asking the obvious question. "Ten and a half inches, unicorn core and birch wood."

Well, the rest of the job was simple. "I'll just write a letter to Garrick, asking him about the wand's owner. That old genius remembers every single wand he's ever sold." Said Sirius. And so that was done.

The auror's seal was enough to inform Ollivander that it was an official request. The old wandmaker's reply came in quickly with just two words in the letter. "Well, who is it?" Regulus asked impatiently when he saw Sirius glaring at the letter.

"Walden Macnair."

Regulus frowned, trying to recollect the details about that name. He had definitely heard it when he'd been a death eater. He remembered Macnair. That bastard had always been grovelling before the Dark Lord, vying for his approval. He had been fiercely loyal, obeying every command unquestioningly. "He was a part of the inner circle."

"I know, Reg. Malfoy spoke about him the other day. He's on our list as well. We've been hunting down so many of them, his turn was also coming. Apparently, he just wants to get caught. Track him down. Once he's in custody, we can get back to locating the others. This one's out to cause trouble. Alert me when you've found his location."

"Yes, sir."

After three days of extensive searching, they were able to locate him. All the Aurors, including Sirius and Regulus had tracked every small lead or clue to get to him.

Although Macnair had rashly murdered all those people, he must've come to his senses later. He had tried his best to keep a low profile. He never seemed to stay at any place for too long and was always gone before the aurors could get to him. All his previous locations were in and around the city which only meant one thing: he still had something to do in here. That was why he hadn't fled the country.

Of all the possible places where he could be, Sirius hadn't expected him to go there. It was the one place that was under constant observation. Either he didn't know, or he didn't care. "He's not getting away this time." As he ordered the others to get ready, one question was ringing in his mind:

What in the world was Macnair doing at Malfoy Manor?

Draco rubbed his eyes and sighed. He hadn't managed to get any sleep at all last night. As usual, his sleep was disturbed and filled with nightmares about the same man. His father just wouldn't leave him alone. He got out of bed and into the bathroom.

Other than the nightmares, his life had sort of improved. He didn't have to spend every moment of his time, trying to seek approval from an undeserving person. He stripped down and got into the tub that had already been filled. He ran his finger down his side where a thin, long white scar marred the pale flesh. Sometimes, if he closed his eyes, he was able to recall the sting from his father's wicked cane. It was the first and last time his father had ever physically 'disciplined' him.

After that day, all punishments were in the form of confinement. He was so relieved to have his father gone. He'd been a fool to not realise the man's evil nature all these years. That's all he ever had been. You're a fool, Draco Malfoy.

With great effort, he forced down the tears that had inadvertently welled up. Crying makes you weak. He closed his eyes till that burning sensation of tears receded. He got dressed and went downstairs, where his mother was sitting at the table, eating breakfast. She smiled when she saw him, although the bags under her eyes made her appear older. "Good morning, Draco. Did you sleep well?" She asked. "Yes, mother." He lied. He didn't need to burden her with his problems. He could deal with them on his own.

Halfway through breakfast, there was an incessant knocking on the front door. "Who on earth is that? Nipsy, get the door. Whoever it is, send them away." Narcissa ordered, too tired to go and receive whoever it was. She was soon jolted out of her state of mind when she heard a crash. She got up and went out, Draco in tow.

Who was it?

Her eyes widened when she saw the man. "Macnair?" The death eater grinned, revealing a row of uneven, yellow teeth. "Morning, Mrs. Malfoy. Yer' house elf said yeh' didn't want tah' see anybody? Won't you welcome an ol' friend?" He smirked at her and she tried to bite down the disgusted sniff that she wore like a second skin. "What are you doing here?" She demanded, keeping her voice even.

"Me? I came tah' visit. Oh and look, that's yer' son I suppose?" She felt an uneasy feeling well up inside her. What did he really want? She glanced sideways at her wand that was lying on the dining table, out of reach. "Yeh' look just like yer' father, boy. Is it jus' the look or are yeh' also a cowardly bastard like him?"

"How dare you!" Narcissa snapped, moving to her wand but it flew into Macnair's waiting hands. "I'm actually here for some unfinished business."

"Nips—"

"Yer' house elf's no good now. Yer' on your own." He spat, his lips curling to form a rather malignant grin. Ignoring her uneasiness, Narcissa drew herself up and stormed to him. "You come in here, attack my house elf and have the audacity to insult my son? Get out." Her hand came down sharply across his face, eliciting a growl from the death eater.

"You little bitch!" He snarled and backhanded her viciously, causing her to fall to the ground. "Get away from my mother!" Draco came to his senses, shaking with barely suppressed rage. He lunged at the man, not caring that the bloke was twice his size and armed with a wand.

As expected, Macnair caught him with one hand and stunned his mother with his wand arm. "Yeh' Malfoys, bloody proud lot you are. Yer' father was a coward. He betrayed the Dark Lord. He's rotting in Azkaban now, ain't he? Look at yeh, same arrogance and cowardice."

"I'm nothing like my father." Draco clenched his teeth and tried to wrench himself free from the grip that Macnair had on his hair. "Oh but yeh' are, boy. Yer' father was a greedy sonuvabitch and betrayed the Dark Lord. And now, yer' going to pay for it."

The relief that he felt when Macnair unhanded him was short lived. A solid blow to the face that threw him to the ground was followed by a swift kick to his stomach. Pain flared up instantly and he cried out. "That's it boy. Yer' weak n' useless."

"I'll kill yer' mother today, but you're coming with me. Yeh' don't deserve a painless death. Loyalty to the Dark Lord is why we exist. Yer' father thought he was above that, didn't he? You Malfoys. I can't get my hands on him now but I'll have my revenge on yeh' instead. I'll break that pride of yours and then I'll break yeh'. But first, let's tend to Mummy dearest."

Draco watched in horror as the deranged man advanced towards his mother's unconscious form. "Before I kill her, I think she deserves to suffer. A few cruciatus curses should do the trick."

Draco didn't know what happened but one minute he was on the floor, in pain and the next minute, his hand shot out. He felt pure, raw magic flow through his veins. Whether it was the adrenaline or fear of what would become of his mother, he didn't know. A powerful force threw Macnair against the wall and he hit his back with a grunt. "Yeh' little shit! You'll regret that, boy." He pointed his wand straight at Draco's face.

"Cru—"

"Expelliarmus!" The wand flew out of his hand and into the hand of one furious Sirius Black. "What do we have here? We were turning the city down, searching for you and here you are, attacking a child. How valiant." The edge in Sirius' voice was unmistakable. The look in his steely grey eyes was deadly enough to rival the basilisk. Macnair was a goner.

There was a flash of fear across the death eater's face but he quickly masked it with a sneer. "Black. Should've known that you'd be trying to interfere in something that ain't yer' problem." He then turned to Regulus, anger evident on his face. "What's the matter Reggie? Serving the Dark Lord wasn't good enough for yeh? So, yeh went running back to big brother." Regulus clenched his fists, reining his temper.

"My, my. You really do have a lot to say, don't you? Let's get back to the auror office. You and I are going to have a nice, long chat." Macnair's eyes widened. "I ain't going nowhere with yeh."

Obviously getting ready to apparate, he was stopped by Sirius' next words. "I wouldn't recommend apparition, Macnair. Not unless you wish to severely splinch yourself. No more running, Macnair. It's time to pay the piper. Now, if you want to avoid further trouble, do yourself a favour and get down on the ground."

When Macnair didn't cooperate, one of the Aurors forced him to the ground and slapped a pair of handcuffs onto his wrist. "Honestly Macnair, the scene at the bar was utterly shoddy. And casting the dark mark? It's impossible to get dumber than that. Not the kind of job one would expect from someone who was a part of Voldemort's inner circle. But then again, you didn't think, did you? Your actions were purely driven by rage, weren't they?"

Macnair didn't answer. "Stubborn one aren't you? We'll get back to this later." Sirius turned to Kingsley. "Take him back and make sure he's comfortable. I'll be there soon." He ordered. Kingsley and the other auror grabbed an arm each and hoisted Macnair off the floor and then they were gone.

Sirius turned his attention to the boy huddled on the floor. He hadn't missed that burst of accidental magic. After the rush of adrenaline had receded, the fear had taken over. He looked shaken, afraid and upset. Nothing like the arrogant brat he had encountered when he'd taught at Hogwarts. Regulus moved to help him up. "It's alright now, come on." He said. "My moth—"

"Your mother is fine. She'll wake up soon." Draco looked at them warily before accepting Regulus' arm. There was a bruise on his cheek and the way he was clutching his side was an indication that he was injured. Sirius elevated Narcissa onto the sofa and turned back to Draco. "What happened in here?" He asked, keeping his voice calm. The boy looked at the two men as though contemplating whether or not to trust them. "We were eating breakfast when this deranged bloke barged in and started talking about some unfinished business." Sirius raised an eyebrow, asking the boy to continue and so, he gave them all the details. "... and then you'll arrived."

Narcissa awoke at that moment. She immediately shot up but relaxed when she saw that Draco was still there. Only then did she notice the two brothers. "Where's Macnair?"

"In custody, waiting. You two are safe now." Said Sirius. "Draco just gave us a gist of whatever had happened. We got here the moment we found his location. I didn't expect him to come here. What did he want with you?" Sirius inquired. "Revenge. He didn't take too well to Lucius telling you everything." Narcissa replied.

"We need to talk, cousin. But first let's tend to those bruises and then we can continue." Said Regulus. They had to discuss that blast of magic by Draco. Had any other person been in Draco's place, they could have passed it off as nothing more than an accidental burst. But, Draco was the son of a Black. This meant that he and inherited the family magic.
"Talk about what? I can promise you that we didn't know he was here. I hav—"

"Relax, Narcissa. No one is accusing you. We just need to discuss something. It has nothing to do with Macnair." Baffled, Narcissa waited it out. Once the injuries had been attended to, Sirius began. "It seems your son has inherited the Black family magic. I was just in time to see him throw Macnair against the wall."

The woman's eyes widened. "But how? Sirius, that isn't possible. I didn't get it. So there's no way that Draco could have inherited it." Sirius shook his head in reply. "It doesn't work that way, Narcissa. In our family, Arcturus inherited it but my father didn't. But, inspite of that, Regulus and I received it. Now Draco may carry the Malfoy name but the blood that runs through his veins is that of a Black as well. He just inherited it as well. That's that."

"What happens to me now?" Draco asked. "Happens to you? Nothing at all. If you're wondering whether you're in trouble for doing magic outside Hogwarts, don't worry about it. You did it to save your mother and that's commendable."

Sirius looked like he wanted to say more but Narcissa stopped him. "Could the two of you please leave?" The question contained no snark, just exhaustion. "It's been a rough start. Thank you, both of you." She really did look tired. "Alright, we'll go. I'll put up some wards around the place before leaving. We wouldn't want another event like this again." Said Sirius. He decided that if his haughty cousin was being civil, the least he could do was return that civility.

The gratefulness in her expression was genuine when he mentioned the wards. Regulus turned to Draco before leaving. "If anything comes up, don't hesitate to fire call, Draco." He said. The boy nodded, surprise briefly crossing his features.

"What now?" Regulus asked, once they were out. "Now, we go and have a nice, pleasant chat with a certain death eater."

Sirius took in Macnair's form that was handcuffed to the wall. There was a bruise on his jaw, a gash across his arm and a sneer on his face. The auror next to him was also sporting a cut on his cheek. He had clearly put up a fight. "Did he say anything?" Sirius asked the auror who had escorted Macnair to his cell. "No, sir. We tried but couldn't get anything out of him."

Well, that didn't matter anymore. Sirius now had the means to extract information. "Yer' lackeys couldn't get anything outta me. Whadya goin' ta do? Torture me? There's nothing yeh' can do that the Dark Lord hasn't already done."

"Is that what you think, Macnair? I'm here to torture you? Why would I waste my time doing that? That would cost both of us time." Sirius replied with a smirk. "I'll offer you two choices. You can tell me everything like your friend Malfoy or I can find out some other way."

"Malfoy was a coward. He ain't no friend. You'll have ta kill me before I betray the Dark Lord." Macnair spat. Sirius rolled his eyes like he'd expected it. He pulled out a syringe filled with veritaserum and jabbed it into the man's arm. "Don't worry, I got a permit for that."

Macnair's eyes became unfocused and Sirius could sense his internal struggle to fight off the potion. When a dazed look came over his face, Sirius knew that the potion had done its job.

"What's your name?"
"Walden Macnair."

"Where were you last Monday night?"
"At Taffer's Bar and grill."

"Were you responsible for the deaths of the people over there that night?"
"Yes."

"Did you do it all alone?" "Yes."

"Why did you kill them?"
"I was angry."

This confirmed his suspicions. He knew that Voldemort had kept his death eaters under close scrutiny. They knew better than to act rashly and displease their master. Something had happened to have caused Macnair to snap like that.

"What made you angry?"
"Me and some others were tracking the Dark Lord. We know he ain't gone, no matter what people say. The mark draws us closer to his location and we thought we were getting closer. Then one day, we suddenly couldn't feel him no more. The mark didn't work."

"What about your teammates?"
"They're hiding. I was pissed off, so one night, when I was at the bar, I attacked them folks who were there."

Sirius knew why Voldemort's location had suddenly disappeared. When they'd destroyed the horcrux in Harry, a part of Voldemort's soul had been destroyed, making him weaker than ever. Since the parts are connected, one piece destroyed affected the others as well. All the pieces were ultimately bound to Voldemort himself. Sirius knew better than to assume that he was gone for good. He was still out there but extremely weak. If Macnair had been searching for his master, it meant that he knew where Voldemort could be.

After asking a few more questions regarding his team, Voldemort's location and his recent activities, Sirius ended the interrogation. "I think that's all. We'll schedule a trial for you after which you can reunite with your death eater friends in Azkaban."

Sirius went back to his office, deciding to floo home. He stopped short when he saw someone standing outside his office. "Draco? What are you doing here?" Draco appeared nervous about something.

"I had to talk to you." Sirius raised a surprised eyebrow before gesturing towards his office. "Does your mother know you're here?" The boy hesitated before replying. "No, sir. She was asleep. But please, I need you to listen to me. It's important."

Once they were inside, he asked Draco his previous question. "Once you left, I went to the library and looked up this Black magic. I read that it's powerful but if you can't control it properly, it will consume you. It can kill you. Is that true?"

"To a certain extent, yes. Black family magic is stronger than the kind of magic performed by wands. That's what I wanted to tell Narcissa today but she was shaken up. You needn't worry about that though. What you did today wasn't too large a force." Said Sirius. "Is there anything else?"

Draco bit his lip. Now for the hard part. He had thought about it all day and arrived at a conclusion. "I want to learn this magic, sir. I was wondering if you would teach me how to control it." There was a good chance that the man would turn him down but he wasn't going to stop trying. The things that he had read in those books were frightening. He wanted to be able to know how to control it. He would get down on his knees and plead if that's what it took to convince the man to teach him. That's right. Draco Malfoy was putting his ego aside.

"Teach you? Draco, this magic is powerful but in the wrong hands, it can be deadly." Said Sirius. "I've taught at Hogwarts for a year and I've seen you. I'm not going to say anything but I think you know what I mean." He continued. Draco felt an odd sense of shame at the man's words. He knew that the Auror had watched him bully students incessantly, flaunt his wealth overtly and just throw his weight around.

All his life, he had tried to life up to his father's expectations but that hadn't ended so well. His father was in prison but the effects of his upbringing were all too evident. The list of people who liked him for who he was as a person was indeed very short. After Lucius had gone to Azkaban, he had genuinely wondered what it would've been like if he had been raised by a normal person.

He and actually tried to be nice for once in his life. He had started to treat the house elf better than he previously had. It wasn't much but it was a start. He'd also tried to give up his staunch belief in blood supremacy. It was harder than he had thought. He still hadn't succeeded in forgoing those teachings but he was making an effort.

"I'm trying. I know you don't believe me, sir but I need you to give me a chance. Please. I swear, I'm trying to forget what he taught me. It's hard alright? I'm not a saint like Potter. I can't always do the right thing and I know that you probably hate me but you have to teach me this magic."

Sirius looked at the boy in front of him. The pride was still there in his eyes but there was also something genuine. Draco really was trying to change his ways despite the saying 'old habits die hard'. He was willing to bet that it would take a few months to completely get rid of every bad thing that Lucius had drilled into his son's head. He made his decision.

"I don't hate you, Draco. Fine, I'll teach you how to control and use it. But, I have certain conditions." He added. Draco nodded eagerly. "Anything."

"First of all, you will give up your prejudices although it is difficult. Secondly, you will not let your ego get in the way of learning. Lastly, I know very well that you and Harry don't like each other; but while you're at my house for these lessons, I expect you to be civil. I'll expect the same from Harry as well. Disregard any one of these terms and the lessons will end immediately. Are we clear?"

Draco had to admit that the conditions sounded pretty fair. He had expected something much more severe. "Yes, sir." He replied. Sirius observed him for a moment before his face softened into a small smile.

"Good, I'll hold you to that. If your mother is alright with it, you can come to Black Manor tomorrow at six in the morning."

Draco finally got what he deserved: a second chance.

For all those who have been waiting for Draco's redemption; it's coming your way. Now he's not going to transform overnight. It'll be a gradual procedure. Like quite a few other characters, Draco deserves a chance. Draco and Harry won't be thick as thieves immediately. They will have their ups and downs but I do plan on creating a lasting friendship between them. It will take time though. More light will be shed on Draco's abilities in the next chapter.