"I'll admit, I was more than a little surprised when I received your invitation," Sirius told his cousin as the house elf poured them both some tea. Narcissa merely smiled at him slightly.

"I actually have been wanting to talk to you. I owe you an apology for the way I've acted all these years." He definitely wasn't expecting that. Sirius was taken aback by the genuineness in her words. While he'd been getting along fairly well with his cousin, never in a million years had he expected her to accept her mistakes. She sounded so humble and that was so completely unlike Narcissa.

"I'm truly sorry for everything, Sirius. I won't make any excuses for my behaviour. All I can say is that it was unacceptable." She paused and took a deep breath. It was only then that Sirius realised how hard this was for her. He decided to hear her out without any mocking. "I was wrong. Only recently did I realise that."

Sirius could read people well enough to see that Narcissa had just meant every word she'd said. "I'm sure we can put the past behind us." She nodded at him with a small smile. "Thank you."

"Anything else?" He asked, setting his teacup down. Her expression morphed into one of concern. "I couldn't help but notice the changes in Draco's behaviour over the past month." She sighed before adding: "Particularly after Lucius' arrest."

"Meaning?"

"It's a good change, Sirius. I am a little surprised about this. Draco seems a lot more relaxed and I dare say... happier without Lucius around. I can't help but wonder why. I understand that Lucius was demanding and even more than a little harsh at times, but he cared deeply for his son."

Sirius knew exactly why Draco was much more relaxed. It had everything to do with Lucius but he couldn't tell her that. It wasn't his secret to share. "Sirius, I know my Draco very well. If there's something truly bothering him, he'll will still do his best to put on a strong front. He will not talk about it. Lucius taught him from the very beginning to remain stoic at all times. It bothers me far more than I let on. He's still a child and I worry about him."

Sirius could see where this conversation was headed. Narcissa wasn't a stupid person. She was finally starting to put together the pieces. Maybe she was just realising that her husband hadn't been all that honest with her. At least not about their son. Truth was, Lucius Malfoy had been more of a bully than a father to his son.

"This rather sudden but positive change in his behaviour has got me thinking, Sirius. Was Draco afraid of Lucius? If so, then why? Did he ever talk to you about Lucius?"

As far as Narcissa was aware, Draco had been nothing but an obedient and respectful son. But, there had never been much warmth between father and son. They had hardly even talked much. If at all they did, Lucius would call Draco into the study and talk to him. She had forgotten the last time her son had received any sort of encouragement from his father.

It was something that had always bothered her. She had dismissed it after much thought since Lucius had never been the affectionate sort. But, as much as she was glad that Draco was doing better, it troubled her quite a bit to see that her son wasn't even a little upset by his father's absence.

"Narcissa, I won't deny that Draco has mentioned a few things to me as well as Regulus. As much as I agree that you deserve to know, I promised the lad that I wouldn't betray his trust. I'm sorry but I can't tell you. What I can tell you that he's genuinely happier and getting along splendidly with everyone."

She remained silent for a whole minute before speaking again. "You always were loyal, weren't you? I suppose there's no point in me asking any further questions. I will have to talk to Draco about it." Sirius was glad that she hadn't pushed for answers.

"Give him time, Cissy. Like you said, he's still just a child. I won't give you the details, but all I can say is that he's healing. He will talk to you about everything when he's ready. Real soon."

"I only hope so, Sirius. All these years, Lucius insisted that Draco should be brought up the way he himself had grown up. Only now am I starting to realise that it was a big mistake on my part to let him have his way." She had much to discuss with her son. Slowly but surely, her anger towards her husband grew.

What could Lucius have done to her boy? Why would Draco rather talk to two people he only just knew instead of his own mother? While it was majorly Lucius' fault, she was also to blame. Narcissa needed to make things right with her son.

"He looks up to both of you, you know? Thank you for whatever you said to him."

"You're welcome. And don't worry, things will be just fine with Draco."

She believed him. Narcissa knew that her son was strong. She was also about to find out that Draco had a knack for trouble. Especially when a certain raven haired boy was involved.

"I can't believe they're letting us study all this!" Harry complained as he looked at his new textbooks at Flourish and Blotts. "I know, mate. They look scary." Ron agreed. "You're overreacting, both of you. I went through the fifth year textbooks last year and they are twice as thick." Hermione said, like it was obvious.

"Whatever 'Mione," Ron mumbled. "Who is that?" Hermione asked, subtly pointing to a blonde haired woman Sirius was talking to. "That's Draco's mum, Narcissa Malfoy," Harry replied. "Malfoy? She looks alright. No fangs, claws or anything abnormal," Ron commented.

"Ronald!" Hermione smacked his arm, none too gently. "We've all been over this. We ran into Malfoy the other day, at Harry's house. He was nothing but a perfect gentleman. He even apologised." Hermione scolded the redhead. "To you, not me," the boy replied, rubbing his arm. "Well that's because you were being horrible to him. You really need to get along, mate." Harry insisted. He didn't think he'd survive the whole year if Ron and Draco were always at loggerheads.

"Look, whether you like it or not, Draco's now my friend too. I really want you both to get along. Can't you at least try?" Harry asked; sounding exasperated. There was a tense silence for several seconds before Ron sighed resignedly. "Fine," he dragged the word out. "I'll try. Not because I want to befriend Malfoy or anything but because you two are so insistent. You two are my friends not him. I'm doing this for you, not him." Harry could work with that. "Thanks. That's all I'm asking."

As if on cue, they spotted Draco behind one of the shelves, going through a thick book. "There he is." Ron kept his protests to a minimum as they approached the other boy. The blonde hadn't noticed them and was engrossed in whatever he was reading.

Harry banged him on the back, nearly knocking the book out his hands. Draco was not amused. "What the bloody hell is wro— Harry? Should've known."

Draco then saw Hermione and a less than enthusiastic Ron as well. "Weasley, Granger," he briefly raised his eyebrows in greeting. Hermione gave him a smile while Ron nodded curtly.

"What are you reading?" Hermione asked, trying to get a look at the book's title. "It's some muggle classic. I didn't know this store sold muggle works. It's by this bloke called Charles Dickens. Great Expectations." He replied, glancing up from the book only once or so. "You like muggle books?" Hermione couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice. Draco rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I only recently started reading them. I read my first one at Harry's a few days ago. Muggle authors are pretty decent actually. They're..."

Soon, both Draco and Hermione were engaged in a conversation, leaving Harry and Ron. "Pair of nutters, I tell you," said Harry, fondly shaking his head at the duo. "Never thought Malfoy belonged to the smart lot," Ron admitted grudgingly. "Yeah. On the bright side, there'll be two people to help us 'less scholarly folk' this year." Harry pointed out.

"Yeah, maybe."

After they were done at Flourish and Blotts, the Weasleys had to leave. Harry was bored. The other three decided to hang around in Diagon Alley, look at a couple of shops and stuff. Once the parents had given their consent, Harry innocently held out his hand to Sirius. He'd spent his allowance recently and was currently broke.

When the man only raised an eyebrow at him, Harry looked at his father, conjuring his best puppy-eyes. "Please?" Sirius rolled his eyes but smiled indulgently at the boy and took out a good handful of galleons from his pocket and gave it to Harry. "Happy, you little mongrel?"

"Absolutely." Harry prepared himself for a small talk on safety rules and he wasn't disappointed. "One hour, alright? You are to stay firmly within Diagon Alley and not wander off anywhere else. Once you're done, you and your friends will come and meet us right here, okay? No trouble at all, understood?"

Harry didn't miss the underlying sternness in the man's voice. He get his face redden slightly at the warning. While there was no denying that Sirius was a cool Dad, Harry knew the man well enough to take his words seriously. "Yes, Dad," he replied. "Alright, go on. Have fun you three," said Sirius. The kids needed no further encouragement.

The trio first went to the Quidditch store, much to Hermione's dismay. There, Harry and Draco spent an easy ten minutes fawning over the newest racing broom in the market: The Firebolt. "Just look at it. It's so beautiful, flawless," Harry whispered, clearly awed. "I know. I've never seen anything like it," Draco agreed, equally impressed.

After much difficulty, they tore themselves away from the broom. Harry bought a few magazines from the store and once they were done, they stepped out.

"I can't believe you both can spend so much time gawking at some broom," Hermione shook her head at the boys as they made their way around.

"Granger, it's not just some broom. That's the Firebolt, love. It demands respect." Draco replied, rolling his eyes at her ignorance. "Yeah, Hermione. It's a crime to disregard someth—"

"What's he doing here?" Harry followed Draco's gaze and noticed the man he'd asked about. The blonde was staring at two men quite close to them, who were walking straight ahead, towards the alleyway that led to Knockturn Alley.

Draco's eyes were fixated on the shorter of the two. He was a mean-looking bloke, averagely clothed. His hair was matted and tied into a shabby ponytail at the back of his neck. "Who's that?" Harry asked.

"That's the fellow who'd come home last week. His name's Borgin. He owns this antique shop in Knockturn Alley along with the man next to him, Burke. They sell all sorts of dark and dangerous objects," Draco explained. He was more concerned about their conversation. He'd picked up one word at least three times so far: Malfoy. They were talking about his father.

"So?"

"Borgin came home last week with some parcel. He said it was something he'd been safeguarding for my father but couldn't do so anymore. Said it was too dangerous," Draco said, already following the men discreetly. "My mother turned him away though." They were talking about him and he wanted to know what.

Harry automatically followed, only to be yanked backward by Hermione. "Where do you think you're both going? That's Knockturn Alley! We're not supposed to go there," Hermione chided the other two.

"Those two blokes are talking about me, Granger," Draco said, not stopping. "Do forgive my curiosity." He quickened his pace and was off. "Harry, we can't go in there. If we don't get back in time, our parents will be worried, especially Sirius."

Harry looked at his watch, his mind conflicted. "I'll just go and convince him to come back. Knockturn Alley isn't a safe place. Particularly if a person is alone." Harry replied. "Could you please go back and cover for us? We'll be back real soon." Harry didn't wait for a reply but took off in Draco's direction.

Hermione sighed dejectedly. "Those two idiots," she mumbled. She could do nothing but hope that they didn't get into any trouble.

Harry caught up with Draco in less than a minute. "What are you doing here!" The blonde whispered harshly the moment he noticed Harry. "We're not supposed to be here, Draco," Harry said. "If my Dad finds out, we're both in for it."

"Of course I bloody know that! Sirius scares me either way. But, I need to know why this Borgin bloke is talking about me. There was a reason he came home. That parcel must've been important because he never delivers anything to the door."

"Besides, it's not like we're in danger or anything. We'll stay right outside his shop and listen in," Draco continued. Harry contemplated Draco's words. He said they weren't endangered. He'd promised Sirius at the very beginning of this summer that he'd stay away from anything dangerous.

So he wasn't breaking any rules... right? He followed Draco further into Knockturn Alley.

Borgin and Burke was a musty old shop located in one of the small lanes of the Alley. The doors and windows were coated with a thick layer of dust from the outside. While Draco gave a disgusted sigh and lightly cleaned a small spot on the window, Harry's mind was worrying.

"Borgin's alright, Harry. I've come here with my father loads of times and he hasn't done anything bad. Just buys and sells stuff. Besides, we're invisible to them."

"What? How?" Harry whispered. "It's a spell Sirius taught me last week. It works like your invisibility cloak. It's tiring but I can hold it for a while longer." Harry was impressed but he would never admit that. They both peered inside the dusty window.

The two men were talking in hushed tones, near one of the counters, very close to the boys. A boy, no older than seventeen sat at a small table on the far end of the shop, writing something.

"I'm telling you, she wouldn't take it back. The Malfoy woman wanted nothing to do with any of her husband's shit. I tried to give it back. She told me to take it and clear off. Threatened to call the aurors, she did." Borgin was talking to his partner, Burke.

Harry was surprised by how clearly they could hear. Then he realised that Draco had more than one spell going. "You brought it back? The aurors were here last month, you fool. We are lucky they didn't find it. I told you doing business with that bastard Malfoy would do no good."

"Of course I didn't bring it back! I sold it off. Don't matter to whom. It's gone, Cal. So you pull your shit together! The aurors can't do anything to us!"

"What more about them Malfoys? What about them?" Asked Burke, unconvinced by his partner's assurances. Borgin opened his mouth but quickly closed it and abruptly turned to the figure in the corner. "Don't want that little nuisance listening to anything." He then raised his voice loudly. "You doing your work, boy? Or do you need some correction like the last time?"

"No, sir, Mr. Borgin, sir," the boy replied, looking afraid. "I'm just doing my work." Seemingly satisfied, Borgin turned back to the other man. "So as I was saying, they want nothing to do with us. Want to pretend like they were never dark."

Harry could see that Draco was tiring from running two spells together. His brows were pulled together into a frown and beads of perspiration had gathered on his forehead. His nose started bleeding from the pressure.

"Why did you go to that house anyway? It's best to stay away from them!" Burke hissed. "Malfoy owed me money. Nine hundred galleons. Couldn't let that go."

Just then, something terrible happened.

Five seconds was all it took. The cloaking spell came down since Draco couldn't take the strain anymore. Burke noticed them immediately.

"Hey! There's someone out there!" For a middle-aged man, he was surprisingly fast. Before Draco could get the spell back on, Burke had both of them by the collar.

Roughly, they were hauled inside. "Mr. Malfoy?" Borgin's voice sounded shocked. His shock turned to anger in less than ten seconds. "What are you doing here, laddie? You know better than to be snooping around other people's business!"

"Who's this with you?" Burke turned to Harry. "What's your name, boy?" Harry thanked his hair for being long enough to cover his scar. "What's it to you?"

"Don't get smart, boy. Little urchins like you need a good hiding to put you in place." Burke snarled, shaking Harry by his collar. "How much did you two hear?" Borgin questioned, looking afraid as well as angry. "Nothing. We were just messing around," Draco replied.

The blonde appeared exhausted. His nose had stopped bleeding but he didn't look any better. "Bullshit!" Burke snapped. "Little liars you are."

"What did you hear?" Borgin was getting anxious but Harry didn't know exactly why. "Leave these two to me. I'll have them talking in no time." Burke smiled and it was a cruel, twisted one.

At that moment, Harry realised he didn't care how much trouble they got into. He just wanted Sirius to come and get them. He may have sounded like a sodding five year old; but he didn't care.

If Burke was as cruel as he looked, they were definitely goners. He hoped Hermione would be smart enough and tell the man.

Hermione Granger was getting worried. Harry and Draco were supposed to have returned ten minutes ago. She didn't want to rat her friends out but she was equally concerned about their safety. They could be in trouble, or worse.

"Hermione dear, are you ready to leave?" She heard her mother call and sighed. "Just a minute, mum," she replied. She approached Sirius who was standing a little away, looking worried. Draco's mother was there as well. "Sirius, Mrs. Malfoy," she began, feeling like the worst friend in the world. "There's something you need to know."

Sirius listened to the girl, his worry and anger increasing with her every word. He forced it away and nodded reassuringly at Hermione. "Don't worry, I'll find those two. You go on home."

Once Hermione was gone, Sirius and Narcissa followed the road to Knockturn Alley. The blonde woman had to really move quickly in order to keep up with Sirius. "Those two boys. I swear, I'm going to kill them. Running off like that! The nerve of them!"

"This one isn't looking too good, Cal," Borgin said, pointing to Draco. And he was right. The magic had clearly worn him out. He looked like he'd faint any minute.

"We should probably just let the kids go. They're kids! Who's going to listen to them anyway?" Borgin said. "There's no point in keeping 'em here."

Burke turned to Harry and Draco. "We don't want trouble. So, just to make sure we're all safe and happy, I'm going to wipe your minds and then, you little pests are free to go."

Draco staggered on his feet, nearly losing balance.

Just when Harry thought things had taken a turn for the worse, the door swung open and Sirius walked in, accompanied by Narcissa. His eyes landed on Harry and Draco and relief flooded his face.

"Draco, darling are you alright?" Narcissa's panicked tone broke the momentary silence. Sirius wanted to know what was going on with those men but one look at Draco changed his mind. He'd be back later.

The other two men didn't dare say a word. They were much more focused on getting out of Sirius' sight and making themselves as invisible as possible. "Don't bother hiding. I'll be back soon," he said, not even looking at them.

"Right, let's get out of here." Sirius was in a mood as dark as his name.

Harry exchanged glances with Draco. Both of them agreed on one thing: we're dead.

That's your update. Now, don't hesitate to click that review button. More light will be shed on this mysterious package in the next chapter. Keep reading!