Azkaban was a cold, dark and desolate place. The only sound that one could hear was painful cries of anguish, fear and sometimes hysterical laughter. The approaching chill that the dementors brought with them was the only sign the prisoners received before they were engulfed by the cold and seemingly never ending darkness. Helpless wails carried thorough the walls every now and then.

Sometimes, one of the prisoners would lose it completely and start banging their heads against the cell, screaming hopelessly. An auror would drag them away and bring that person back to their cell a few hours later. That poor prisoner had been successfully subdued, if only temporarily.

One of Azkaban's newer residents, Lucius Malfoy drew his knees to his chest and clutched himself tightly. The chill that surrounded the entire area was never ending. It never stopped. The dementors came by his cell every few days and all he could do was pray that they'd go away soon. He'd scream and beg for them to leave. But, they seemed to enjoy tormenting him.

He didn't remember much of his first day here. A pair of aurors had escorted him to his cell. On the way, he'd passed several known faces: Rabastan Lestrange, Amycus Carrow, Barty Crouch Jr. and even his wife's sister: Bellatrix Lestrange. That woman was completely insane. He'd seen her licking the floor and bars of her cell. All of his former associates were nothing more than flesh and bones. Pale flesh clung to their bones, their faces were gaunt with haunted eyes.

The first few days had been horrible. He wasn't sure how long he'd been in here. It felt like years. But, it was probably just weeks. Azkaban had reduced him to nothing more than a whimpering mess. He cried, sometimes he would scream, but he was mostly silent. He wondered how Black had survived in this place for a whole decade.

He was innocent. You're not.

As he thought about the other prisoners, he wondered if he'd also turn insane like them. As far as he could remember, Bella had always been a crazy bitch. Sometimes, a small strip of sunlight would dimly illuminate his cell. He'd rush towards it and try and take in as much warmth as possible.

He heard his cell door being opened and cautiously lifted his head. "Nice to see you, Malfoy. How's it going?" He ignored the taunts from the Auror, refusing to acknowledge him. Phillip McNally— the auror who patrolled this particular floor— stepped inside, accompanied by another auror. "Looking absolutely peachy, mate." His overtly cheerful nature made Malfoy want to hurl. He was probably the only bloke who could smile in Azkaban.

Unable to bear their voices anymore, he glowered at them. "What do you want?" He snapped. "He's new here, isn't he? Hasn't gone crazy... yet." The other man spoke. "Yeah. Give him a couple of months. Come on, mate. You're in for a real treat today." The two aurors approached him and smirked. "Were taking a little field trip today."

Field trip? As in out of Azkaban? "W-What?" How was that possible? Had Narcissa pulled some strings?

"Don't start looking too happy, Malfoy. The boss has some questions for you." He didn't have time to ask anything else. The two men grabbed an arm each and roughly yanked him into a standing position.

Boss? Why did Scrimgeour want to see him? "Scrimgeour? Why?"

"Not Scrimgeour, you dolt! Keep up with the times! That old man retired recently. A new Head was selected. Come along now! Scrimgeour was an old softie. He didn't push much. But this guy is headstrong, brilliant but downright terrifying when he's mad. Wouldn't want to piss him off."

Headstrong and terrifying. Only one name popped into Malfoy's mind.

Sirius opened the door to the room that currently held prisoner number 4658, also known as Lucius Malfoy. He hoped that this interrogation would prove to be useful. McNally had brought him to the headquarters that morning. Regulus had decided against accompanying him since the younger Black was furious with Malfoy.

Both the brothers now knew exactly what kind of a father Lucius had been. But, his baby brother had somewhat bonded with Draco in the last few weeks and had grown rather protective of him. Regulus hadn't been as successful at reining in his anger towards Malfoy Sr.

He found Malfoy sitting at the small table, his posture hunched. When Malfoy looked up, Sirius caught the fear that flitted over his face. "So you're the new boss?" His voice came out all hoarse and cracked. This was just a shell of the man he had seen last month. "Yes."

A month in Azkaban had drastically changed his appearance. His hair was matted and thoroughly dishevelled, streaks of grey had appeared in it, his eyes were red-rimmed and the unkempt beard gave him a very haggard sort of look.

"What more do you want from me? I'm rotting away! Isn't that enough for you?" Although Malfoy's words were supposed to be forceful, they sounded weak and pathetic. "This isn't about me, Malfoy. It's something that you forgot to tell us," Sirius replied without missing a beat. He could see the dazed look in the man's eyes and figured that the veritaserum should have kicked in by now.

He sat down on the opposite side and scrutinised him. "Mr. Borgin told me something very interesting. He spoke about a locket. He specifically mentioned your name, saying that it was you who had given it to him. Did you give it to him?"

There was some internal conflict before Malfoy answered. "Yes." He was trying to fight the potion, it was blatantly unsuccessful. "Was the locket truly yours?" There was a flicker of indecision on his face before his eyes glazed over and he submitted completely to the influence of the truth serum. "No."

"Who's was it?"

"The Dark Lord." Sirius' eyes widened fractionally at the revelation. Now he definitely needed more answers.

"Why did he give it to you?"

"For safekeeping. He didn't want to take any risks. He said that he would be most displeased with me, should anything happen to that locket."

Sirius raised an eyebrow at that. The seemingly plain locket was far more precious than he had thought. "Why was it so important to him?"

"I do not know. He didn't tell me and it was not my place to question his Lordship."

Sirius mentally scoffed when he heard the man. All death eaters felt the same way. "What do you know about this locket, Malfoy?"

There was a brief lapse of silence, as though the prisoner was trying to recollect. "It's very old. It belonged to someone extremely important. The locket was passed down over the centuries, from generation to generation. It belonged to the Dark Lord before he entrusted it to me."

"Well, if it was so important, why did you get rid of it?"

"When the Dark Lord was vanquished, most of the death eaters were either arrested or in hiding. I didn't want to live like that. When the aurors began raiding houses, I knew that I had to save myself. So, I took the locket to Borgin and paid him to safeguard it."

"I see. When this locket was in your possession, how exactly did you protect it?"

"I kept it in my office. I knew that Narcissa never came in there and my son was a mere baby at that time. I knew it would be safe in there."

"Borgin told me that this locket emanated a strong negative energy, something extremely dark. Is that right?"

"Yes." Malfoy's voice sounded cracked and hoarse. "Do you know why?" Sirius demanded. This interrogation was proving to be rather fruitful. He had a suspicion about the first owner of this increasingly mysterious locket.

"No." Sirius sighed frustratedly. Another dead end. Malfoy's eyes slowly started to lose that hazy, faraway look. The veritaserum was slowly wearing off. Another ten minutes tops. It didn't matter though. He had already got what was needed. "Do you have anymore questions, Black? Or can I return to my home?

"Feel free." Sirius gestured for the guards to take him back to Azkaban. Malfoy was just out of the door when he stopped and turned around. "How's Draco?" The question wasn't one of concern. There was a fire behind it. Sirius deduced that this was due to the fact that he had absolutely no control over the lad now. "Better and better, I assure you."

"He's under your command now, is he?" Sirius shook his head in reply. "On the contrary, Malfoy, he's under my protection. Regulus' too."

The man snarled, clearly pissed that his son had gained the favour of the one man he hated and feared the most. "He'll disappoint you. That's what he always does."

"I beg to differ. He's a brilliant boy. You were just too stupid to see that." Malfoy sneered in response. "Take him away." Sirius watched with mild satisfaction as the guards hauled him out of the room. He deserved every bit of Azkaban's miseries.

While Sirius and Regulus were at work, two boys were doing a bit of their own work at Black Manor. Harry dusted the cobwebs while Draco scrubbed the floor. The house had several rooms and that only meant more work for two disobedient lads.

"I can't believe my mother even suggested this! This isn't like her at all. If I didn't know better, I'd say that she wanted me out of the house." Draco groaned, working on a particularly grimy spot. "Well I'm glad she did. I would've been completely miserable by myself. But now, we can be miserable together!" Harry wasn't in a bad mood at all. In fact, he was unexpectedly cheery for a boy who was grounded.

"Shut up, Potter!"

"Hey, I'm just being honest. The only reason I'm even being punished is because I went along with you." Draco rolled his eyes and ignored the comment. Although he'd deny it vehemently, he was definitely starting to appreciate the other boy's friendship. There were still some instances where he was tempted to shake some sense into Harry for being annoying, but that was alright.

He was more than shocked when his mother had told him that he'd be helping Harry out with some work. This was just so unlike her! If Blaise saw him now, he'd laugh himself silly. Draco would never be allowed to forget it.

"Hurry up and finish your scrubbing. Then we can go downstairs and ask Remus to show us some mercy. He's a real softie."

"Am I now? Well, then I suppose you can forget about any sort of reprieve whatsoever." Harry mentally banged his head against the wall. "Remus, I'm sure you can be merciful towards two hungry and tired children such as ourselves. We've worked hard and long," Harry began with a dramatic wave of his hand.

Remus took one look at the duo and relented. He'd met Lucius Malfoy's son for the first time that day. He'd expected nothing more than an utter snob but was pleasantly surprised. The boy was slightly proud but otherwise well behaved. "Sirius is right you know. You really are a drama queen. Ten more minutes and you boys can come downstairs. Okay?" He suppressed a grin when Harry all but broke into a happy dance.

Once Remus had left, Draco turned to face Harry. "Potter, how the bloody hell can you be so happy? Your never ending optimism is annoying. I've dealt with my mother's jitters all morning and now I need to put up with Mr. Sunshine. Honestly, this is a cruel world."

"Why is your mum all jittery in the first place?" Harry was unbothered by Draco's words.

"She's meeting her sister Andromeda after nearly two decades. They were quite close as children. But, as they grew older, the sisters drifted apart due to... difference of opinion. Apparently, she was banished for committing some sort of unspeakable crime. I don't know about that. She cut all ties from the Blacks and went away. She dishonoured her family. At least, that's what my father told me a few years ago. Not sure how true his words are."

"Well, I've only met Mrs. Tonks twice but she's an awfully nice person. My dad told me about her. She didn't do anything wrong. Your mum needn't be nervous. I'm sure it'll all be great between them."

"Yeah. I hope so."

Turns out Harry was right.

It was nearly four o'clock by the time Draco flooed home. Sirius and Regulus hadn't returned so he hadn't been able to ask them about Borgin's parcel.

He stepped out of the fireplace and saw his mother sitting and talking with another woman. She was actually laughing. It was a genuine, pleasant laugh. Something he had not heard in a really long time. The other dark haired woman was definitely Narcissa's sister. She bore that striking family resemblance. She was probably a year or two older than his mother.

"Darling, you're right on time. There's someone I'd like you to meet. This is my sister and your aunt Andromeda." His mother looked happy and he could tell that she'd cried a little as well.

Tearful reunions indeed.

Draco was right. His mother had wanted him out of the house. He knew that she hated showing any sort of weakness whatsoever, especially in front of him.

"It's lovely to meet you dear." Andromeda smiled kindly at him and Draco nodded back with a small, somewhat forced smile. "Likewise." Condescension was something he'd worn like a second skin all these years. He could do that easily. He was rather inexperienced when it came to politeness and courtesy towards your mother's long lost sister.

So, for the next hour or so, Draco was made to endure their conversation and answered a few questions, all the while hoping that he was back at Black Manor, scrubbing the floors! He'd never thought that his mother was such a chatterbox!

Thankfully, Draco was saved from further torture when Regulus arrived. He'd never been so grateful for someone's arrival.

Regulus chatted a bit with the two sisters before he stood up. "Come on, Draco. You need to tell me all about your exploits and other valiant household tasks that you've braved through." The blonde immediately turned red before he followed Regulus out.

"So, how was your first day? Is that a cobweb in your hair?" Regulus smirked at him. "Hilarious."

"What did you find out about that parcel?" Draco asked once he'd gotten over his embarrassment. Regulus' smile faded almost comically at the question. "Well, uh...Sirius spoke with your father today."

"He did?" Draco's voice turned guarded but he couldn't mask his surprise. "What did my— he say?" The boy was surprised when he didn't feel that familiar feeling of resentment every time he thought about Lucius. "Nothing much. Sirius gave me the details once he had finished. The package contained a locket. Lucius was just keeping it safe for someone."

"You-know-who." Regulus seemed to hesitate before he nodded. "Did he"—spit it out—" say anything about me?" Damn him and his hopeful tone. He was supposed to dislike that man and to a particular extent, maybe he did. But, Lucius was after all his father.

"He did."

"What did he have to say?"

A flash of anger and then it was gone. Regulus expression returned to normal. "Nothing worth mentioning." That told Draco everything. "I see."

"Hey, none of that now. Whatever he said, it was nothing more than a load of hogwash. Don't let it get your spirits down. Harry gave a brief description of his day. Now, I want you to tell me about your tales of valour. Did you cower before the cobwebs and dust or did you pick up the broom and fight?"

Draco rolled his eyes at the teasing. "I'm not doing this." He quickened his pace only for Regulus to pull him back by the arm. "Oh yes you are. You're not getting out of this one, lad. Now, on with it!"

Regulus' grin was contagious. Draco soon found himself grinning as well

He was doing a lot of that these days. Smiling. Laughing. Living.

Sirius massaged his temples and nursed his brandy. Another unsuccessful day. The entire team of aurors had been extremely fruitless in their search for the man who'd bought the locket from Borgin.

He looked at Harry who was sitting next to him. The boy was thoroughly engrossed in some Quidditch magazine. He looked up when he "You sure I don't get to drink that?" Harry inquired, pointing to the brandy.

"Darn sure, Harry James." Sirius rolled his eyes when Harry gave an exaggerated groan. "So what did you and Remus talk about today? It's been a while since you saw him."

"Not much." Sirius smirked to himself before taking another sip. So Remus hadn't told his pup about his new job. Well, Harry would be in for a pleasant surprise once he returned to Hogwarts.

"Oh so he didn't tell you about it?" He kept his tone as casual as possible. "Tell me about what? Tell me about what, Dad?"

Sirius got up and pretended to yawn. "It's been a long day, kiddo. I'm heading upstairs. I think you should do the same."

"Dad!"

Still grinning, Sirius hit the bed. He felt better. New day tomorrow. He'd continue his search for that damn locket the next day.

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