Author's Note: A little teaser...the flashforward scene with Draco and James, where they're talking about something mysterious, is a HUGE scene...#32, can't wait to get there.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. Thanks


CHAPTER 28: THE LATEST CHALLENGE

When Draco awoke the next morning it was to a massive headache and blinding light. He could hear shuffling in the background but couldn't yet bring himself to open his eyes. His entire body ached as though he'd been forced to dig through tight holes the entire night. And the hard smell of liquor in the room was making him sick again.

He wasn't sure how long it took but he eventually got his eyes open and managed to lift his head only a little, so that he could see what was going on in the room. And what a bloody mess it was...

Feathers...everywhere...decks of cards upon rolls of galleons piled on the floor...empty bottles tipped over on bedside tables and half naked people covered in feathers sleeping literally on top of lamps...

Draco shut his eyes and then opened them again and summoned the strength to lift himself up off of Sirius's bed, where he'd apparently passed out at some point last night. Sirius on the other hand, was on the window ledge in the corner, moaning as he held his head in his hands and rolled around. The curtains above him were half torn and falling. Someone was vomiting loudly in the adjacent dormitory bathroom. A few other people were slowly getting up, also groaning at their headaches or dusting feathers off of themselves. It seemed that several pillows in the room had exploded last night, among other things.

Frank and Kevin were passed out on James's bed, but James was nowhere to be found. Charles got up and shook them awake and they jumped to their feet.

"Gotta pack," Frank muttered, hurrying out of the room with his friends.

More and more people started to leave, or rather, stumbled their way out of the room, tripping and falling over empty bottles and piles of cards and holding their heads so as not to pass out again.

The bathroom door opened and Remus came out, looking very green. His hair was ruffled messy and his eyes bulging red.

"You okay?" Draco mumbled from the bed, not even trying to lift his head this time.

Remus nodded, holding his stomach and taking deep breaths. Then, his eyes landed on Peter, who was sitting in his own bed, and his mouth dropped. Startled, Draco looked at Peter as well. His mouth also dropped.

If he'd thought Remus looked green seconds ago, Peter's hair was actually green.

Remus hurried over to his friend's side and began to examine the hair, while Peter kept repeating "get it off, get it off, get it off!"

Sirius flew off the window ledge then and slammed the bathroom door shut after himself. Seconds later, the sounds of vomiting filled the room. Draco fell back against the pillow and sighed deeply.

"What the fuck happened last night?" he muttered, placing a hand on his burning forehead.

"What didn't happen?" Remus answered with his back to him, still examining Peter's hair. "It looks to be paint, not hair dye."

"I don't even remember doing it!" Peter cried. "Get it off, Moony, please! My parents will k-kill me if I show up today l-looking like this!"

"Where's James?" Draco mumbled, turning in the bed and glancing around the room. There were three more people sleeping on the floor—two girls and a guy—but they too were starting to wake up now.

It seemed that at some point last night, the party had travelled from the common room up to the marauders' dormitory. Why was he even surprised?

Sirius came out of the bathroom and threw a glass of water down his own back. He then collapsed on the nearest bed (Remus's) and spotted some girl's sparkling high heels lying on it. He took one look at them, and then, realizing that Peter's hair was green, he fell back laughing.

"It's not funny, Sirius," Peter kept saying. "Please guys, get it off!"

"Yeah Sirius, you should see your own face," Remus was now saying. "You too, Draco."

Sirius stopped laughing and sat up again.

"Wait what?" said Draco, finally registering what Remus had said. He too, sat up. And for the first time that morning, he saw Sirius's face. And his shock mirrored on his own face. The two of them then flew into the bathroom together and gasped. It appeared that at some point during the party last night, they'd thought it wise to paint their faces. Completely. Half of their faces were painted red and the other half blue. Not an inch was left unpainted. The whites of their eyes had never been whiter as they stared at their reflections and touched the dried paint on their cheeks.

"Fucking hell," Sirius muttered, touching his cheek again. When the paint wouldn't come off, he shifted around in his pockets (no doubt for his wand) and then hurried back out of the room.

"Where's my..." he said, and then fell back on the nearest bed and groaned again. Draco slowly stepped out of the bathroom.

"Here, gimme that," James said, finally having appeared in the dormitory, fully clothed and looking well. He grabbed Remus's wand and pointed it at Peter. "Finite incantatum."

The green from his hair vanished instantly and the boy breathed a sigh of relief and fell back on his own bed.

It looked like James's face had also been painted because there was still a small line of blue at the side of his cheek which he'd apparently missed while getting off the paint.

"You guys look ridiculous," Remus declared, sitting back on another bed.

"Speak for yourself," Sirius moaned without looking at him.

The last girl finally got to her feet, gasped at the sight of the boys, grabbed her shirt which she used to cover her bra now, and hurried out of the room, squealing her embarrassment. Sirius frowned and turned to Remus.

"Was she with you last night or with me?"

"I think every girl was with you last night, Padfoot," Remus responded.

Sirius nodded simply and glanced up at James. "You missed a spot there, mate."

He stroked his own cheek to indicate what he was talking about but James simply pulled out his wand and cleaned the rest of his face off without even making some snide remark.

"Hey, wanna do me too?" Sirius said.

James sighed and waved his wand over him. He then hesitated and waved it over Draco too. Both their faces cleared up instantly and Draco suddenly felt loads better about having one less thing to do.

"We'd better pack, train's leaving soon," James announced, turning away from them and heading into the bathroom.

"Hey James, you mind—"

The door slammed without an answer.

Sirius turned to Draco, confused. "What'd I do? Hey, do you remember what I did last night?"

"Mate, I don't remember what I did last night," Draco said quietly.

"Granted," said Sirius, turning to Peter. "How's that hair doin'?"

"Oh it's actually back to—"

"Oh man!" Sirius cried, ignoring Peter. He threw his head into his hands and groaned. "Aw, fuck this headache!"

"Calm down, Sirius," Remus moaned. "If you keep yelling like this, you'll give all of us a headache."

"Hey, if I go down, I take everybody with me, you know that," Sirius told him, still holding his head. "Dammit..."

Remus stood up and sidestepped several empty bottles on the floor on his way to Sirius. He helped his friend sit up and put his arm around him.

"There, there, you'll be fine," he said. "This'll serve as a reminder for you that drinking and Sirius do not mix."

Looking down, Sirius nodded his head.

"And what was that about how a party ought to loosen us all up?" Remus now said, repeating Sirius's words from the night before. "You guys are crazy, you know that? You actually went crazy last night."

"Hey," Draco said, sitting back down on the bed, "If I recall, at one point you stripped down to your boxers and scarf and started reciting poems all over the bloody common room." Remus's eyes went round and Sirius let out a bark-like laugh.

"Don't go pointing fingers, Moony," Draco concluded, and Remus was silent for the rest of the morning.

James came out of the bathroom after ten minutes and began waving his wand loosely around the room, piling empty bottles together in one corner, restoring feathers to pillows and stacking cards in neat piles on the made beds. Draco and the others helped, but Sirius had to run to the bathroom several more times so he was no use. By ten o'clock, they were in serious danger of missing the train back to King's Cross and could already hear the Gryffindors downstairs, so they hurriedly and carelessly started shoving their things into their trunks and tossing stuff at each other and yelling commands. James seemed to be the fastest of the five and was already headed downstairs by ten thirty.

Seeing the common room after the party was even worse than their own dormitory. The young Gryffindors were gasping their remarks as the older ones waved their wands and repaired the broken furniture and scattered bottles. There were feathers everywhere too, which Draco took care of with his own wand. Remus and Peter got the handprints of paint off the walls and ceiling (and the protesting portraits) and James took care of the couches, which looked like they'd undergone the torture curse.

Sirius finally came down from the dormitory with what looked like a headband tied around his forehead and he had sunglasses on. He was wearing pajama pants, snow boots, and a sweater with a scarf around his neck. With a bag over his shoulder, he managed to make it down the stairs, whilst his trunk floated behind him.

"Train leaves in twenty minutes, people!" Henry shouted, earning himself a couple of yells of protest. Everyone there seemed hungover and any noise at all was unwelcome at this point.

The younger Gryffindors did not shut up about how awful the common room looked and kept ranting to the older ones even as people started climbing out of the portrait hole and did that walk of shame down the corridor out of Gryffindor Tower. Portraits on the ceilings also gave yells of shock and some even laughed. Sirius, by the looks of it, was the only one dressed for the occasion.

"You could at least disguise like the rest of us and pretend you're not hungover," Remus told him as they reached the crowded Entrance Hall where students were saying goodbye left and right.

"Yeah, yeah," was Sirius's only response.

They stopped in the Entrance Hall and said goodbye to their passing classmates who in turn wished them happy holidays. Standing near the entrance to the Great Hall however, was Dumbledore, with his hands behind his back and a curious expression on his face. He too, said farewell to many students and wished them a safe trip and happy holidays. Draco didn't need to think about it twice. Without a word to the marauders, who were talking to Frank and his friends now, he crossed the Entrance Hall to where Dumbledore was standing. At the sight of him, Dumbledore smiled warmly.

"Had a long night, did we?"

"I've been invited to stay at the Black family house for the holidays and the letter pretty much said I had no choice and that they're expecting me so I'm going there now," Draco blurted out really, really fast.

Dumbledore's expression did not change.

"I know you thought I was gonna stay here," Draco added momentarily, "I-I thought so too, honestly. But I only just got the letter yesterday."

"I know," Dumbledore said, quietly.

"And frankly I'm terrified to go but I...wait, you know?"

Dumbledore's smile widened slightly. "Yes Draco, I know."

Draco stared at him. Of course he knew.

"S-so you're not m-mad?" he asked slowly.

Dumbledore let out a laugh. "Why, of course not! Why would I be mad?" He put an arm around Draco's shoulder and started to lead him into the empty Great Hall, away from the noise of the Entrance Hall. Looking over his shoulder, he then turned to Draco and placed both hands on his shoulders.

"You have a cover story to keep up with here—you are supposed to be a Black."

"I know."

"And knowing Orion and Walburga, it only makes sense for them to request that you join them in their home this holiday season."

Draco frowned. He had no idea what to expect of this trip or how to act when he met them.

"I have but the utmost faith in you, Draco," Dumbledore added more quietly. "You will do just fine."

"But I—"

"And remember," he leaned down to level with Draco, "Help will always be given to you if you just ask for it."

Draco stared at him. Maybe he was still drunk from last night, but that made absolutely zero sense to him. Nevertheless, he nodded. Dumbledore straightened up.

"I do hope you have a Happy Christmas, Draco. And let the holidays take your mind off of everything you've dealt with for the last four months."

"I will," Draco promised. "Have a good holiday, professor."

When he rejoined the marauders in the now slightly less crowded Entrance Hall, he found them apparently arguing over something. James had his back to them and was watching the doors through which students were now exiting with their things.

"Listen," Sirius was saying, standing at the bottom of the stairs. "Everything will be fine, you've gotta relax, Remus."

"It's not a bloody joke," Remus argued.

"Yes, I know that," Sirius said, irritably. "Listen, stick around, will you? I've gotta run to the hospital wing before we go."

"What—no! There's no time!" Remus cried.

"No, I need to though," Sirius went on. "You don't understand..."

"No, Sirius," James suddenly said, his voice bold. Sirius frowned at his friend, confused, but James only glared at him and added, very seriously, "We're going straight to Hogsmeade. Now."

The rest of the boys stopped walking too and stared at each other, not sure what to say. James had never bossed any one of them like that before—at least not since Draco had arrived. But Sirius, whose eyes never left James, cleared his throat.

"You can go to Hogsmeade," he said, in a tone of voice that told everyone he wasn't going to let even James tell him what to do. "I'm going to the hospital wing."

Remus started to protest but Sirius wasn't listening and was already on his way. Draco rolled his eyes and told Remus he'd go with him. He then hurried after Sirius while the others followed James. Just before disappearing from the Entrance Hall, Draco glanced backward and saw James still watching him and Remus saying, "Why can't you just talk to me?"

"Hey wait up," Draco called, catching up to Sirius who was walking rapidly away.

"Sorry I stormed back there," Sirius said. "It's just sometimes, he pisses me off—especially when he won't bloody tell us what's got him all hot and bothered."

"Yeah," Draco said, following him as they turned a corner and climbed up steps. "Um, what do you need the hospital wing for?"

Sirius glanced at him in his dark shades. "I need a few 'encouragements' for the train ride."

"But you don't seriously think you'll still be hungover by the time we reach King's Cross, do you?" Draco said.

Sirius glanced at him again. "Who said anything about being hungover?"

They finally reached the hospital wing and Sirius pushed open the doors, catching Madame Pomfrey in the middle of making the beds by waving her wand. At the sight of him, she sighed and turned away.

"Not this time, Mr. Black," were her only words before she hid herself in her office.

"Oh come on!" Sirius cried, hurrying after her. She slammed the door in his face and he hissed slightly at the pain it brought to his head. Several moments later, he was knocking softly on her door and pleading—begging—for her to come out and relieve the pain.

"You do this nearly every time, Black!" she called from within her office.

"You don't know what it's like back home!" Sirius cried. "Please!"

Draco stood back, watching, with his hands in his pockets and his own bags at his side. Remus was right. They were gonna be late now.

"Uh Sirius," he tried but Sirius didn't hear him at all and only continued his pursuit of Madame Pomfrey.

Finally, something seemed to convince her because she opened her door and looked at him with disapproval.

"Pretty please?" he said to her, both hands brought together.

"You're despicable," Madame Pomfrey declared, handing him three small liquid vials. "Take three drops a night—three only."

"Yes ma'am," Sirius squealed, shoving the vials into his pockets.

"And this is for the journey," Madame Pomfrey added, handing him an even smaller vial full of crimson red potion. "Don't make me regret this, Black."

"I won't," he said, kissing her on the cheek before hurrying back to Draco and grabbing his bags.

"Happy Christmas!" he called over his shoulder as the two sped out of the hospital wing and down the corridor, tuning out the nurse's yells of protest.

"What..." Draco tried but there was no time. The clock was ticking and the train was starting.

When they reached Hogsmeade Station, the third whistle had already blown and the last door was closing. They'd only just managed to squeeze through the doors with their bags and things when the train started to move.

"Fucking made it," Sirius breathed, dropping his bags to the floor and holding his knees.

Draco was gasping too. They had run all the way there without stopping.

"What did Dumbledore say to you back there?" Sirius gasped without looking at him.

"Oh he just...wanted to...say...Happy Christmas..." Draco breathed.

Sirius nodded.

Once they were finally calm and collected, the train was well and moving; and as Draco peeked through one of the windows, he spotted Hogwarts growing smaller and smaller in the distance. Following Sirius down the train now and peeking into every passing compartment, the realization suddenly hit Draco that this was the first time he was leaving Hogwarts territory in this timeline. If it weren't for him still being partly drunk, he'd surely have a panic attack right about now. What on earth was going to happen when they reached King's Cross and the effects of last night wore off entirely?

It took them just over ten minutes before they finally spotted the marauders' compartment. Peter and Remus looked mighty relieved when Sirius pushed open the compartment door and shoved himself in with Draco, but James only turned his head slightly in their direction and didn't even look them in the eyes.

"Can't believe you guys made it, we were really starting to think you wouldn't," Remus kept saying as he helped the boys put their bags away.

"What'd we miss?" Sirius sighed, falling back on one of the seats and resting his head against the back.

"Hagrid says Happy Christmas," Peter said. "He saw us off."

"Yeah and a load of other people too," Remus said.

Something suddenly hit the window, making the boys all jump (except for James). He got to his feet at once and pushed the window open, letting that sarcastic brown owl of his in. Ignoring the other boys, James sat the owl down in his lap and untied the letter attached to it.

"Thanks Harry," he muttered, unfolding the letter and beginning to silently read it as though nothing had happened.

Draco glanced at Remus who shook his head at him with a shrug and continued to watch James. When James was finally through reading, he put the letter away and rested his head against the window, letting his eyes shut.

"Perhaps a nap ought to lighten you up," Remus told him, but that too, was ignored.

"Alright," Draco said, sitting up. "Should we do this now or...?"

"Yeah, the sooner the better," Remus said, pulling out a notepad and a pen. "I'll go first." The boys waited. Sirius crossed his legs in his seat and his head fell back again, sunglasses still on and headband still tied on his forehead.

"Let's see," Remus said, beginning to write, "I remember Frank and the guys shoving us into the common room..."

"...where the party was already in full swing," Draco chimed in.

Remus nodded and jotted it down. "I remember there being a drinks table."

"Yeah and they made us all drink to get the party really started," Peter said.

"I remember taking three drinks, that's all," Remus said, still writing.

"I remember you reciting those poems half naked," Draco said, pointing at Remus who blushed fervently and said, "Um...there was music..."

Draco laughed. Beside him, Sirius moaned again and held a hand up.

"Not so loud, mate," he whispered.

Draco smirked and glanced at James across from him. The boy hadn't moved a muscle and his owl was now snoozing beside him too.

"Lots of people were kissing," Peter added now. He gasped and looked at Sirius. "You!"

"Yeah," said Remus, smirking and writing it down. "Sirius snogged plenty of girls, that's a given."

Sirius only shrugged, his eyes closed beneath the shades. Apparently, it wasn't anything he hadn't heard or done before.

"Did you...?" said Remus, suddenly looking up at Sirius. "I mean...well I saw you go into that broomstick closet with Jane Hitherton..."

Sirius suddenly grinned. "Yeah...we did."

"Alright Sirius!" cried Peter, offering to high five him, but Sirius only shushed him and held his head again.

"Quiet, please," he hissed.

The boys sniggered stupidly.

"You...sh-shagged her..." Draco finally said, so as to set things straight.

"Shagged her senseless," said Sirius, simply. "Hey, it's Christmas. The holiday season is about...giving."

Remus let out a laugh which brought Sirius's head down to his knees again and forced several groans out of him. Again, Draco's eyes fell on James who was still as a rock with his eyes forced shut and his head leaning against the window.

"When did we manage to get our faces painted?" Draco wondered out loud, turning to Remus and the others. "I only remember passing out on the couch downstairs and then waking up on your bed, Sirius. I have no idea how I got there or when I managed to paint my face."

"Your face was painted for you," James said aloud without moving or opening his eyes. Everyone turned to look at him. He turned his head slightly and met Draco's eyes. "After you passed out upstairs, the party moved there too and Frank painted all of our faces. You were asleep so they gathered around you."

"I...don't remember getting upstairs though," Draco mumbled, but James didn't say another word.

Apparently fed up, just like the rest of them, Remus sat up. "James, I am gonna ask you one more time. What is the matter?"

It was a full minute before James turned his head to find all four boys watching him, waiting.

"Nothing," he answered bitterly.

"That's not good enough, mate," Sirius said, lifting his head slightly. Draco bit back a smirk. He couldn't take him seriously with those shades on and the headband around his forehead...not to mention the pajama pants with little broomsticks on them. But Sirius had a bold look on his face now as he watched James. "Tell us the truth."

James glanced at Remus and Peter, and then stood up. "I'll be back."

The boys started to protest but James had already gone from the compartment before any of them could stop him.

"Damn," Sirius said, tilting his head back again.

"Whatever this is, it's something big," Peter said.

"I don't think I've seen him like this since..." said Remus, his voice trailing off.

"H-he'll come around though soon, won't he?" said Peter.

"I'm not sure," Draco answered quietly.

"Just leave him alone for now," Sirius said, sitting back again. "He'll come to us when he's ready. If he doesn't wanna talk, that's his problem."

Draco frowned at these words, surprised to hear Sirius saying them of all people. But Sirius didn't give it another thought. In fact, he pulled out the single red vial that Madame Pomfrey had given him and gulfed down half of it in three seconds. After that, it didn't take long before his head was resting on the window too. Remus smiled at Draco and put his notepad away. He then pulled out a deck of cards and turned to face Peter. Draco took the seat James had occupied before, turned to the window and leaned against it, figuring that now would be a great time to think about what Grimmauld Place would be like.

He awoke just past noon, having fallen asleep against the window. James, by the looks of it, was back in the compartment and hidden behind a book called Quidditch: A Mind Game and a Battle. He was sitting where Draco had before. Sirius had taken his glasses off finally and was now counting coins on the seat next to him. And Remus was flipping through the Prophet, looking thoroughly pleased.

"Where's Peter?" Draco mumbled, slowly straightening up in his seat.

"Hey, you're awake!" said Remus, looking up from the paper. "He's in the washroom—how was your nap?"

"Fine, except now I feel more tired than before."

"Hah," said Sirius, still counting his gold.

Remus smirked and then turned the paper in his hands so that Draco could see. There, right on the cover of that day's Prophet, was a moving photograph of himself standing with Frank, Slughorn and Lukesse Grant.

"I-I made the cover?" Draco mumbled, leaning towards the paper and narrowing his eyes at it.

"It's a great read too if you wanna check it out later," Remus promised, flipping it back to him again.

Something told Draco that that was Remus being sarcastic.

"Fuck," Sirius said, having finished counting.

"What, you're short?" Remus said without looking up.

"Yeah, by a couple hundred," Sirius responded, shaking his head. "I lost most of it to that slimy git Charles last night."

"Gambling?" Draco mumbled.

"Mm," said Sirius, his eyes on the coins in front of him.

"I-I told you it was a bad idea, Padfoot," Peter said, "Last night, do you remember?"

"Yeah Wormy but when I'm drunk I don't care what's a good or bad idea. I just go for what I want." Sirius looked up, pausing. "Like Jane Hitherton."

Draco smirked.

He was only grateful that he hadn't been as wildly drunk as Sirius last night. Passing out so quickly had to be the smartest thing he'd done in a long time. Apart from the painted face, there wasn't that much damage to repair the morning after. Well, except for the fact that it was already past noon and James still wasn't talking to any of them. Remus was right. This was something big.

An old gentleman pushing a food trolley passed by their compartment just then and the boys each suddenly jumped to their feet and started placing their orders. Draco and James were the only exceptions. They met each other's eyes for a very brief second and then James flipped the page of his book dramatically and went on reading (or pretending to, anyway).

Sirius, Remus and Peter each took turns offering Draco some of the stuff they'd bought, but Draco refused each offer. He honestly wasn't hungry. The way that James kept staring at him pretty much guaranteed that he'd never eat again. It got so bad that he felt like a breakdown was surfacing and had to actually excuse himself and step out of the compartment for a bit. Lucky for him, Sirius felt the same.

"Man, I couldn't handle another second in there," he explained when Draco gave him a questioning look as they walked down the corridor. "The tension in that compartment? Screw that. I'm still too drunk to care."

"Hah, for sure," Draco agreed, taking careful breaths to try and calm himself down.

It was crazy. The tiniest little things set him off instantly. He couldn't even recall if this had started in this timeline or in his own. He continued to walk, glancing at every window he passed, where students were laughing and exchanging stories and eating lunch and planning holiday things. Draco looked over his shoulder.

"What was that back there with you and Pomfrey?"

"Oh that," said Sirius. "It's nothing really."

They stopped at the end of the corridor and leaned up against the door, standing side by side with hands in their pockets.

"Basically she's been hooking me up with stressless potion since like...forever..." Sirius mumbled.

Draco frowned. "What for?"

"For when it's time to visit my demented family every holiday season," Sirius said, glancing sideways at him.

Draco mouthed an 'oh' and looked ahead where several students were wandering between compartments or chasing after that old gentleman with the trolley.

"The three vials she gave me help me sleep and keep collected and calm."

"And the red one?"

"It's a hangover cure," Sirius said, grinning at Draco.

Draco thought about this for a minute, looking ahead at two third year Hufflepuffs who were now buying cauldron cakes from that older gentleman. He then glanced back at Sirius.

"You...you're m-medicated?"

"Not so much," Sirius shrugged. "It's no big deal—she's a nurse. It's like...supervised. And it's not like I'm addicted to anything, I've got it under control and Dumbledore knows."

"H-he does?" Draco looked at Sirius incredulously and Sirius nodded.

"Yeah man, there's...there's been plenty incidences over the years and Dumbledore agreed with Pomfrey that stressless potion would help me keep concentrated on more important things like school or whatever."

Draco nodded along, surprised to be hearing this at all. Dumbledore hadn't said anything about this. Not even once.

Suddenly it dawned upon Draco how much there was that he didn't know...how the marauders and everyone else he knew now—Severus, Regulus, everyone—had spent five whole years at Hogwarts without his presence and a lot went down in that time. A lot.

And it was a question as to whether he'd ever know everything.

Sirius suddenly pulled out a crumpled piece of paper that was in the pocket of the sweater he was wearing now, and handed it to Draco. Draco flattened it out as best as he could and frowned as he read,

To Black resident (fill name here),

Walburga and Orion have met with several family members and have taken a group vote, deciding that Draco black, the recently discovered descendant currently under the care of Albus Dumbledore, is to be brought to Grimmauld Place for the two week holiday from school, effective immediately. The Black sons Sirius and Regulus are to accompany him on the train to King's Cross where they will be picked up and brought to the manor together. Draco Black is to stay at the manor for the duration of the holidays and will be escorted back to the train to Hogwarts at the end of the two weeks.

Sincerely,

The House of Black

Draco looked up at Sirius.

"This sounds..."

"...like it was written by an idiot?" said Sirius, nodding. "Yep, that's 'cause it was." Draco frowned again. "The house elf...they make him do all their dirty work and he actually enjoys doing it. I'm tellin' you, he's a creep. You'll see for yourself. Anyway, he's a bit of an idiot too. I guess it didn't click for him that the part 'fill name here', means he has to fill the name." Draco laughed. "I suppose Regulus got the same letter."

"Mine was a bit different," Draco admitted, pulling his out, but Sirius shoved it away and leaned back against the wall, now pulling his sunglasses back on.

"I don't need that rubbish, it's nothing I haven't seen before."

Draco frowned again. It was actually written differently than the boys' were... formally, yes, but not so demandingly. Still though, it made him terrified to his very core. He could only imagine what Orion and Walburga Black must be like, given what Bellatrix was like, but even he was smart enough to know that whatever he imagined, it was probably a hundred times worse.

When they finally returned to the compartment, James was pretending to be asleep again in the corner so the boys silently agreed not to touch him and instead talked about Slughorn's Christmas party. Draco finally read the article, where it detailed carefully that Lukesse Grant was hard at work in plotting some legendary plot for a new story to be co-written with Dumbledore's prodigal son. Frank was not even mentioned in the article once, even though his smiling self was waving at Draco every six seconds now.

The closer they got to King's Cross, the more quiet Sirius got to the point where he wasn't saying anything at all, much like James. He, at least, had a valid reason, whereas James was just being arrogantly unfair and rude. But Draco supposed Sirius was right. He would tell the boys when he was ready, so until then all they could do is wait and stay out of his way.

But soon—sooner than Draco'd hoped—King's Cross could be seen through a distance in the window. And his stomach started to feel weird. And then, the train was coming to a stop. And his head was starting to pound even more. And then, students in the other compartments started making noise as they grabbed their things and squeezed through the corridors and out of the train. The marauders all looked at each other.

"Well, I hope you guys have a happy Christmas!" Peter said.

"Yeah, me too," Remus said, smiling at each of them.

His eyes then landed on James and he lost his smile. The other boys also looked at him. James looked away from them and then took a deep breath and looked back.

"Yeah," he said, avoiding their eyes, "Same goes for me. Have a good break." He stood up and grabbed his things from above the seats. "See you in two weeks." He left.

The others stared after him for a long time. Then, Remus jumped, making Draco's heart practically stop.

"We've gotta go!"

Sirius groaned and helped Draco get the rest of their stuff down. Then, one by one, they exited the compartment and walked down the corridor to the nearest exit and stepped off of the train. Draco's hands were now getting sweaty slightly.

The crowd of parents on the station platform wasn't nearly as big as it always was on the first day of school, but it was still a crowd. And many of them, strangely enough, were looking at him. It often escaped his notice that he was supposedly famous and all because of Dumbledore, so he still found himself a little startled at all the prying eyes. He turned his back on them to face Sirius.

"Regulus agreed to meet us here," he announced.

Sirius nodded and looked around, his sunglasses now back on.

Peter nudged Remus in the elbow and Draco overheard him say, "Won't Sirius get in trouble for wearing that when he gets home?"

"Mind your own business, Wormy, he'll deal with it," Remus responded before he spotted his folks from a distance and waved at them. He then turned to the others.

"Well, make sure you lot write!" he hugged them each in turn and then took his things and hurried away. Draco couldn't see who he went to meet because the platform was still fairly crowded.

He tried to calm himself down again, expecting at any moment to be approached by two scary looking people. But wherever he looked, he couldn't find such people. Instead, he spotted Regulus, approaching them with his own bags and a neutral expression. When he reached them, he set his bags down and stared.

"Wow, you guys look like hell," he observed, looking from Draco to Sirius and then looking Sirius up and down. "Nice outfit."

"Good to see you too, brother," Sirius responded without looking at him. He was too busy glaring at all the people on the platform who couldn't stop watching them. "Great, we're a freak show now. Let's get out of here."

"Oh, there are my parents!" Wormtail said, waving at a pair of strangers not too far from them. He too, hugged each of the boys and then hurried off.

Draco sighed and looked at Regulus.

"So...what do we do now?"

"I saw Savannah and Alistair earlier," Regulus informed Sirius, who only nodded again, his eyes elsewhere. Regulus's eyes travelled down to Sirius's pajama pants with the little broomstick patterns and he raised his eyebrows.

"Who're they?" Draco said, picking up his things and starting to follow Regulus who was now leading them through the crowd.

"Our butlers," Sirius answered behind him. "Yo Reg, go this way. I wanna avoid all these eyes, I think some of them might start asking Draco for his autograph."

Regulus turned instantly around and changed their route. Cameras were now beginning to flash in the distance. Oh this was just great. Draco could only imagine what the headlines would be tomorrow. After sixteen years, the prodigal son returns.

"What about your parents?" he asked now.

He still kept expecting them to pop out of nowhere and demand to know his secrets.

Sirius laughed, as though the answer were obvious. "They're never at the station."

"We're always escorted by people who work for them," Regulus added. "Or actually, for the family."

"Ah," said Draco, following them through the twists and turns until they finally reached the gateway and crossed together.

"They're there," Regulus announced, pointing across the muggle street at a man and a woman who were standing side by side near a long black muggle car, waiting. Sirius dropped his things at his side and pulled a piece of candy out, now popping it into his mouth and chewing as the boys waited for the light to turn green so they could cross.

"You look awful," Regulus told his brother.

"Yeah," Sirius said without looking at him.

"No seriously," Regulus said. Sirius turned his head. "They won't approve."

"And do I look like I care?"

There was silence.

"You should," Regulus muttered, but Draco doubted Sirius had heard. He was standing in the middle of the two brothers and feeling more awkward than he'd felt back in that compartment with James.

"Sirius," Regulus tried again. "You don't want to do this. Not today."

Sirius sighed, and several moments later, he pulled out Madame Pomfrey's red potion and gulfed the rest of it down. Then, he pulled his headband off and fixed his hair quickly before straightening up and shoving it all back into his bag. Finally, he pulled out his wand, looking around quickly, and casually flicked it so that his pants slowly and coolly faded into a grey, then black colour, shadowing over the little broomstick patterns. Satisfied, he put away his wand and straightened up.

"I'm keeping the shades on though," Sirius muttered, again not audibly enough that Regulus would hear him.

The light finally turned green and the three picked their things up and walked across the street. They stopped in front of the man and the woman by the car, and Regulus stepped forward.

"Good to see you again," he said, handing his bags to the man who was apparently called Alistair.

"Master Regulus," he said, nodding at the boy once. He threw his things into the car and then turned to Sirius who handed him his things without a word and turned away from him, ignoring the "Master Sirius" that he heard back. Draco was next. He walked up to the man slowly and let him take his bags from him. The man eyed him for a moment before bowing to him as well.

"Welcome, Master Draco."

It was an odd sensation, being called that by a grown wizard. He was pretty sure the only time he'd ever heard that in his life was from Dobby, but even then, he was so young.

"Come on," Sirius grumbled, pulling Draco away from Alistair towards the opened car door by which the woman called Savannah was now standing with her hands behind her back and facing onward.

"Good afternoon, masters," she acknowledged.

They each stepped into the car and took their seats, Draco once again in the middle. Savannah closed the door after them and moments later, they were moving. Draco looked around. It was a very long car, indeed. He'd never been in one like it before. Actually, he'd only been in muggle cars maybe a handful of times in his life. It was a rarity. But this car...had an actual lounge inside. They weren't sitting on regular car seats; they were sitting on a frigging couch!

"This..." Draco said, his hands on the cushions next to him as he felt the nice, leathery material, "...isn't your typical muggle car, is it?"

"It's called a limousine," Sirius answered in a monotonous voice, looking bored out of his mind as he rested his forehead in his hand.

"They're more luxurious than regular cars," Regulus explained. "The Blacks take pride in their ability to afford such luxuries."

"Hmm," said Draco, not knowing what else to say. It was kind of fun, riding this way, though he didn't dare admit this out loud...at least not with Sirius sitting next to him.

For most of the car ride, which wasn't too long, they sat in silence, each observing the windows or just sitting quietly. Draco watched the muggles on the streets and wondered about how different their fashion was from his own timeline. Having been stuck at Hogwarts ever since his arrival, he hadn't exactly had the opportunity to go and explore what the rest of the world looked like in 1976.

As they car started to make more turns into secluded, residential areas, and Draco guessed that they might be getting closer to their destination, Regulus turned in his seat to face him.

"Hey Draco, listen," he began, looking all serious, "When we get there, just...be your absolute professional self, okay?"

"Huh?"

It wasn't Draco who'd said it, but Sirius. He was looking at Regulus as though he'd just said something entirely offensive to him.

"I mean, try to be formal," Regulus said, rolling his eyes. "Be as polite and as proper as you possibly can, even though they probably won't hold you to Black standards since you haven't been raised a Black. But because you're a Black by blood, they won't care about that."

"What do you bloody suggest he do then, kiss their arses?" Sirius said.

"Look I'm tryin' to help him, okay?" Regulus snapped back.

"How, by making him worship them like you do?"

"Hey, it works for me."

"Okay you know what—"

"I got it, I got it!" Draco cried out. The boys fell silent. "I'll be pretty much quiet, at least for the first day." He looked round at Regulus. "Being quiet always works." Then at Sirius. "You can't say anything that'll get you into trouble."

"Ha, they won't let you be quiet, they'll be interrogating you senseless," Sirius muttered, disgust written all over his voice. When Draco stared at him, he added, "Listen, don't worry about it. I won't leave you alone for a second so they can't manipulate you into their ways."

"Oh their ways, huh?" said Regulus, but he was thoroughly ignored by Sirius who simply went on.

"And you'll be sleeping in my room for the break so we'll probably spend most of the time in there anyway."

The car suddenly pulled up to the end of the street and came to a stop. Alistair and Savannah opened the doors and the boys got out. Draco meant to fetch his things but Sirius stopped him, and seconds later, he saw that Alistair was taking care of the bags for them, while Savannah was already leading them up to the gate surrounding the rows of houses. It was safe to say that Draco was now thoroughly confused. Malfoy Manor was a grand mansion located on its own estate, not surrounded by any other properties or people—especially muggles. Draco had only but expected the same from the Blacks, if not more extravagant. But now, here, they seemed to be standing on a simple muggle street with simple muggle houses. Savannah did a quick check up and down the street before flicking her wand. Suddenly, a large, shiny looking black door emerged out of nowhere between house numbers eleven and thirteen, followed swiftly by long walls and arch-shaped windows. It was as though an extra house had inflated, pushing those on either side out of its way.

"What..." Draco said, standing in between Regulus and Sirius again (it seemed safe to keep them away from each other).

"We Blacks believe in keeping secluded," Regulus explained. "What better way than to hide by the muggles, just under their noses?"

Draco followed them up the stone steps, glancing at the muggles in the houses on either side. They were completely immune to the fact that their homes had just been shoved aside to make room for a secret house. Draco's eyes fell on the newly materialize door again. Its black paint was shining new, as though freshly painted. There was no keyhole or letterbox. The silver door knocker on the front was in the form of a twisted serpent. Yep, this was a pureblood house alright.

Regulus entered first and Draco followed, stepping over the threshold and into the almost total darkness of the hall. He looked over his shoulder and saw Sirius just behind him, followed by Savannah and Alistair, both of whom were closing the door now. Draco turned back to the front and followed Regulus through the narrow, dimly lit hallway. The wallpaper and the threadbare carpet below matched, both gloomy greys with detailed patterns. A chandelier and candelabra nearby were shaped like serpents and seemed to also be watching Draco as he passed. It was only when they were about halfway through the hallway that Draco realized the vast amount of portraits on the walls, all staring at him too with interest. It startled him—he'd never seen portraits so silent and unwilling to offer any remarks. And walking among them now, he felt as though he was on his way to some initiation ceremony that they were a part of.

The boys stopped at the end of the hallway next to a large umbrella stand that looked as though it had been made from a severed troll's leg. Regulus peeked his head into a room on the right and then another on the left. Finally, he turned to face the others.

"Where are our parents?" he asked over Draco's shoulder.

Savannah and Alistair moved past him with the trunks and started up the dark staircase. Sirius grunted and followed behind Draco who was following Sirius.

"Your parents are not home yet," Alistair declared as they passed a row of shrunken heads mounted on plaques on the wall.

Draco jumped slightly at the sound of pots and pans banging in the room on the left, which he now guessed to be the kitchen. But he never got a glimpse of who was making the ruckus inside because Regulus and the butlers were moving up the staircase and he knew it was best to follow than to stick around and wander. Even though they'd clearly stated that the Black parents weren't home yet, Draco was very anxious to make a first impression.

"They have instructed that you unpack your things and meet in the Dining Room at six o'clock for the welcome feast," Savannah was now saying.

"Did they say where they went?" Regulus asked, moving further up the staircase and disappearing at the top of the landing with the two butlers.

Draco would have sped up, were it not for his curiosity in those shrunken heads on the walls. A closer look showed him that the heads belonged to house-elves. All of them had the same, rather snout-like nose. Draco smiled to himself. He hadn't seen anything close to this since the summer of his fourth year, when he, Crabbe and Goyle had walked into Borgin's shop in Knockturn Alley to browse for some things for his room.

"Come on," Sirius urged behind him.

Draco snapped out of his daze and hurried up the stairs, with Sirius at his heels. He glanced up at the crystal chandeliers above him as he walked, finally reaching the landing at the top and looking around at all the closed doors with different names on silver plaques.

"Here," Sirius said, moving past Draco and taking the lead. They walked to the door at the very end, and one glance at the silver plaque told Draco that it was Sirius's bedroom.

Sirius shut the door behind them and threw his bags onto the large bed at the end of the fairly spacious room. Draco let his bags fall to his sides and looked around, his mouth slightly open. The bed had a carved headboard with some strange circular squiggly hairy thing hanging above the pillows. There was a tall window on the other side with long velvet curtains. Candle chandeliers hung in two corners of the ceiling. The walls of the entire room were completely covered with pictures—so many pictures—that it was barely possible to even see the wallpaper beneath them. Draco slowly walked towards one of the walls, examining the pictures plastered to them. Sirius had so many pictures of random things. Pictures of places Draco had never been to. Pictures of strange looking vehicles that Draco'd only seen muggles ride. Pictures of pretty muggle girls in bikinis. There were Gryffindor banners and colours all over the spacious room. Even the bedspread and blanket things were red.

"So..." Sirius said, standing in the middle of the room with his hands in his pockets, biting his lip. "What do you think?"

Draco stopped before a photograph that was on the wall just next to a dresser. It was the four marauders, maybe at 12 or 13, sitting on the Entrance Hall steps, all of them with their elbows on their knees. James and Sirius were in the middle and Remus and Peter on either side of them. None of them were smiling when the flash of the camera went off, but a few seconds prior to it, James elbowed Sirius about something funny and the other two boys smiled at them. Draco turned to look at present-day Sirius.

"When was this?"

"First year," Sirius answered without even checking what Draco was examining.

Draco raised his eyebrows and looked back at the photograph. "Really?"

"We knew back then that we'd be friends for life so we figured a picture was in order," Sirius went on, now sitting on his bed and taking his scarf off. "I have more pictures somewhere."

Draco nodded, turning to examine the next wall, where more of those weird muggle cars were plastered.

"What's with the obsession?" he asked, eyeing the fancy looking wheels and what looked like genuine black leather.

"They're called motorcycles," Sirius said from his bed, his glasses now off. "Muggle rock stars are known for riding them."

Draco spun round to look at him. "You'd like to own one someday?"

Sirius shrugged, looking down at his lap. Draco looked back at the pictures and bit his own lip. "They look pretty cool I guess."

"It's just somethin' stupid," he heard Sirius mutter, but he was now preoccupied with something even more interesting. His finger had run one of the posters he'd been examining and he suddenly noticed that none of them—not a single one—were taped to the walls. He tried to pull one off but it remained stuck, as if painted into the wallpaper itself. Draco turned to give Sirius a questioning look. Sirius shrugged again.

"You can never be too careful."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning you never know just who's gonna wander into your room when you're not there."

Draco turned back around and narrowed his eyes at what he could see of the wallpaper between some of the photographs. It looked to be a dull grey with bits of green peeking out from various corners. Draco understood completely now. Sirius had gone to such drastic measures as putting a permanent sticking charm on his posters so that his family wouldn't have even the chance to make him into something he clearly was not. Draco looked round at his friend again.

"This is the only place here that's really mine," Sirius explained softly. "I'm not giving that up easily."

"But couldn't they just..." said Draco, turning awkwardly around the room, "I mean, if they're the bosses and you're...well..."

"This house is bound by ancient magic that's traditional more than anything else," Sirius said, leaning back slightly on the bed and looking around his own room with somewhat of pride. "Before I was born, this room belonged to another Sirius Black...someone who I never met...someone who's long since dead." He paused, turning his head to look at Draco again. "As long as I'm alive, this room belongs to me and no one can ever kick me out of it or claim it theirs. Even if I committed the most treacherous of crimes against my family, I would still be entitled to everything I inherit when they go because it's bound by traditional magic and ancient laws." He sat up now, looking at his lap again. "So if what you're really asking is why they haven't locked me up in the dungeon or something by now, seeing as how I'm such a disappointment, then the answer is, they'd love to." He looked up at Draco again. "Believe me, they would. But they can't."

Draco's eyes fell upon some of the books Sirius had piled on his dresser and his table. The titles were very him. Some were about Quidditch, others were about how to defend yourself from the dark arts. There were muggle books about learning how to drive. There were collage books full of tattoo designs. There were even some books on finance and how to be smart about investing. Draco looked back at his friend and offered a smile.

"What?" said Sirius, puzzled.

"This room is incredible," said Draco.

Sirius smiled back.

They spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking their things. At around half past four, there was a soft knock to the door. Sirius flicked his wand once without even looking at it and Regulus walked in.

"I keep forgetting that you're, you know, of age and stuff," he mumbled, doing a sort of double take when he spotted the picture of the blonde bikini model on the right of Sirius's bed. Regulus pointed at it and turned to his brother. "Newest addition?"

"She's a new face in New York," Sirius said, shrugging.

"New York?" said Draco and Regulus together.

Sirius sighed. "It's this place way out in America. It's pretty incredible actually." He paused in the middle of folding a shirt. "I'll be heading out there someday."

"Sirius wants to travel the entire world in this lifetime," Regulus told Draco quietly.

"And why not?" Sirius snapped, turning back. "I'm a wizard after all. Our lifetimes are much longer than muggles'."

"Sure," said Regulus, rolling his eyes and glancing at a Gryffindor banner before looking at Draco. "Our cooks want to know if there is anything you're not allowed to eat."

Draco glanced at Sirius before answering, "Um...no, I think I'm good."

"They're preparing a feast for tonight," Regulus explained. "It's a pretty big deal actually."

"Yeah I can imagine," Draco said. "Is there, uh, anything I should expect beforehand?"

Regulus thought for a minute. "Our parents always sit on opposite ends. Sirius and I sit side by side and you'll probably sit across from us because that's where the guest usually sits." He paused. "Unless it's a party, in which case they lengthen the table and then everyone sits everywhere, except our parents. They still sit on opposite sides."

"A-and the dinner conversation?" said Draco.

Regulus shrugged. "Nah, there's no way of telling how it'll go, even for me. My best guess is that they'll be asking you a lot of questions. It's only natural, you know." Draco nodded. "They might even ask you stuff about Dumbledore."

"Like...like what?" said Draco, snapping his head up to look at Sirius and then at Regulus, a worried look on his face. He hadn't even thought that this would be a possibility.

"Well, you've gotta admit it's very odd that you've been raised by him just like that," Regulus said, slowly. "Don't worry about it, man. It'll all be fine! I mean, I'm sure—"

"GET OUT."

Draco and Regulus both spun around just in time to see Sirius storming at the door with both his hands clenched into fists. Regulus had left the door open, and at the edge of it, now stood the cleanest, best dressed elf that Draco had ever seen. He stared at it with wide shock as Sirius approached the animal.

"Get the fuck out," he told it, his teeth clenched.

"Kreacher has been ordered by Mistress Walburga to notify the Black boys that she and Master Orion are back," the elf said, its eyes closed, its head raised, and both its hands behind its back.

Draco stared at the thing, not understanding. There was no filthy rag or cloth covering the elf's body. It looked like an elf alright—its fleshy nose was large and rather snoutlike, and its ears were pointed and eyes round and large—but it was dressed more like a small person. Draco could have sworn that if it wasn't for his perfect memory and the fact that Regulus had once told him they owned a house elf named Kreacher, he would have mistaken him for a goblin right now. The elf was wearing a perfectly-tailored black suit with a gray tie around its neck and white collars at its elbows. Its shoes were black and perfectly polished, and though its face was ugly, it was inexplicably clean.

The elf opened its eyes and looked at Draco. Draco stepped back once. The elf eyed him for several long seconds and then, without warning, bowed down before him.

"Kreacher welcomes the new master to the Black Family Home," it muttered, its nose hitting the floor as it bowed.

"Get out..." Sirius repeated, "...before I beat you out."

"Sirius, don't," Regulus said, but Sirius ignored him and continued to glare at the elf.

"Last chance, Kreacher."

The elf gave Sirius the dirtiest look anyone's ever given anyone before, and then turned on its heel and stepped away from the room. Draco stared after it, still unable to say anything. Sirius sighed and turned back around.

"Sorry about that," he said to Draco. "He usually knows to keep out but every once in a while, it escapes his mind and I have to refresh his memory."

"You give yourself unnecessary stress, Sirius," Regulus declared simply. "Kreacher doesn't bring anyone any harm."

"Yeah?" said Sirius. "Keep him in your room then."

He turned away from him and resumed his post at unfolding his clothes. Regulus sighed, shook his head at Draco and left. Draco, still unable to say anything, stared at the place where Kreacher the elf had stood.

"Something wrong?" Sirius said, noticing Draco's silence.

Draco continued to stare at it. That thing...whatever that was that had just been in the room moments ago…was nothing like any house elf Draco'd ever seen. It was certainly unlike Dobby, and even that alone messed Draco's mind up so much, because both families were well respected purebloods, so it didn't make any sense. Draco himself used to abuse Dobby just for the fun of it, but here, Kreacher was dressed respectably and adored by Regulus, who was one of his masters. Here, Sirius was the one doing the abusing...out of all people.

"Draco," Sirius said now, trying to get his attention.

Draco looked at him and Sirius raised his eyebrows.

"How come the elf's got clothes?" he managed to say, throat feeling very tight.

Sirius looked away. "My parents' idea."

"But...wouldn't that make him..." said Draco, slowly sitting back down on the bed.

Sirius shook his head. "They instructed some of our other servants to make and provide the clothes for him and they gave them the message that he was permitted to, or rather required, to wear them at all times as part of his job uniform." Sirius looked at Draco. "So he never actually got clothes from any of his masters. They were passed to him by people who work for his masters."

"Ah," said Draco, looking back at the door. "Nice loophole then."

"Yeah," Sirius muttered. "We the Blacks have to be served by servants who are also considered royalty." He scoffed and tossed one of his shirts onto his dresser. "What a tragedy it would be if our slaves looked like slaves."

Draco said nothing but continued to unpack until he was done, all the while thinking silently about what the marauders would say to him if he ever got around to telling them that there was this elf whose name was Dobby who Draco used to adore ordering around and abusing just as Sirius abused Kreacher. Maybe they'd understand. After all, Sirius was no saint here either. And besides, that's what the elves were for anyway. Anyone who thought otherwise was an idiot.

At ten minutes to six, Sirius told Draco to put his best clothes on. He thought for a minute and then thanked Merlin seven times that he'd thought to pack one of the nice looking dress robes that Dumbledore had supplied him with. He pulled that on and combed through his hair while Sirius dressed in nice looking clothes as well. Draco could've sworn they were headed for another Slug party and he felt unnatural wearing this here. He'd never been forced to dress well at home growing up. It had always been a choice.

"Okay," Sirius said, patting Draco once on the back. "Let's go."

Draco glanced at the watch on Sirius's table. 5:58. He took a deep breath. He could do this. He'd been face to face with Lord Voldemort. He'd already faced the worst. And this wasn't going to be any scarier than that had been.

They met Regulus at the landing, who was also dressed for the occasion, and headed down the stairs together, with Regulus taking the lead of course. They turned at the bottom of the stairs and filed into a large dining room with a long table at the center and tall chairs surrounding it. Sirius prompted Draco to sit in a specific spot and he did so immediately, neverminding the fact that he couldn't remember the last time he'd been this nervous about something. Sirius and Regulus sat side by side across from him, just as Regulus had said they would. The other seats were empty and the three of them just sat there, listening to the ticking of a clock somewhere and staring at their empty plates and goblets and silvery china already set perfectly at the table. Draco eyed the plates carefully. Each bore something that looked like a crest and the words Toujours Pur. Draco didn't bother asking about either at this moment. The sound of a door opening made his heart stop and his head snapped up. Regulus and Sirius both got to their feet, their heads kept down. Draco brought himself to his feet too and mirrored their actions, not knowing what to expect and afraid to look at the two people who had now appeared at the doors through which the boys had first entered. Footsteps neared and the two people took their places at either side of the table. The boys all sat down. The only sound in the room was that of the clock chiming six o'clock throughout the grand house.


"It is pronounced like Draco, is that correct?" said Walburga, who looked to be a much older version than Bellatrix from the original timeline. Her hair was also a bunch of black curls flowing down her shoulders, but her face was scary and stricter looking than that of McGonagall's.

"Yes ma'am," Draco said, clearing his throat.

"Will you be having wine tonight, Draco?" Orion asked from the other side. Draco chanced a glance at him. The man had long dark hair like Sirius and Regulus which told Draco that it was a family tradition for the boys. His face too, was quite scary looking and his fingers were crossed on the table in front of him. His head was raised as he eyed Draco with his black eyes and perplexing expression.

"N-no sir," Draco responded, looking back at the plate before him.

The moment that the Black parents had taken their seats at the table, colourful food appeared at every inch from every corner, filling plates and bowls and goblets. But even now, Draco was finding it immensely difficult to lift his fork and take a single bite. He wasn't even sure which fork to begin with—there were at least eight different ones lined up on the side of his plate, ascending in size.

"How have you found your stay at Hogwarts thus far?" Orion asked without addressing Draco personally.

Draco looked up to find him watching him intently. He took a deep breath.

"Fine, thank you."

Orion tilted his head at him now, examining Draco from head to toe. Neither of the Black parents reminded Draco of his own parents one bit. They were different. Pureblood, yes. Strict, definitely. And they knew their place oh so well. But sitting here in their presence, Draco felt as though he was dining with the very two people who'd created the idea of pureblood. He was so afraid to say the wrong thing that his hands were slightly shaking.

"You do not know much of us?" Orion now said.

Draco glanced at Sirius briefly before answering, "No sir, I do not."

"Well then we shall inform you," Walburga chimed in. Draco turned to look at her and she offered a cold smile. "Better you hear it from the honest ones than from the liars, don't you think?"

An awkward moment of silence ensued, during which Draco glanced at Sirius again, wishing he could get him out of this pressure.

"Yes ma'am, I do," Draco said instead.

Walburga set down her knife and fork and leaned back in her chair. "This house belongs to any person of Black blood. Any one at all." She paused and Draco nodded his head slowly. "There are eight bedrooms on every floor—you will get a tour once you are more acquainted." Draco nodded again. "Some bedrooms in the house belong to specific people. Some are there for temporary guests." She tilted her head at him and Draco shifted in his seat uncomfortably. He felt like they were both examining him like a fresh piece of meat. "The servants that we have employed here are bound by magic to do anything any one of us requests."

"It is impossible for them to deny a request made by someone of true Black blood," Orion added, now pulling out of his chair and getting to his feet. "Kreacher!"

"My niece Bellatrix has told me so much about you, Draco," Walburga continued as if she hadn't been interrupted.

Draco glanced at Sirius now, who looked to be slightly nervous.

"But she didn't mention just how little you resemble any of us," Walburga finished.

Draco's eyes shot back to her and his heart quickened significantly. Kreacher the house elf stepped into the room in his ridiculous tailored suit and bowed low before Orion.

"Master Orion has requested Kreacher's presence," it said in its repulsive voice.

Orion flipped his long black cloak to the side as he turned to look at Draco.

"Allow us to demonstrate," he said before turning back to the elf. He cleared his throat. "Bow down to me again, Kreacher."

The elf mirrored his actions from before and did not straighten back up until Orion told him to. Pleased, Orion turned to Walburga.

"I'd like more wine, Kreacher," she said from her seat.

Kreacher snapped his fingers and seconds later, Walburga had a goblet full of crimson red wine in her long fingers. She sipped it once and smiled at Regulus, who turned in his seat to look at Kreacher.

"I'm cold, Kreacher."

The elf snapped its fingers again and the fireplace in the corner came to life at once, warming up the large room and making Draco feel slightly better. But now, all three Blacks were looking at Sirius and Draco finally understood what was coming up. He could hear his heart beating in his ears now for how loud it was and his fingers were frozen on the table, unable to hold any cutlery.

"Sirius," Orion said, trying to get his son's attention.

Sirius, whose eyes had been on Draco, now turned to look at his father.

"Demonstrate for Draco," Orion instructed.

Sirius glared at his father and then looked down at the house elf.

"Kill yourself, Kreacher."

It happened very quickly. The elf had flown towards one of the silvery knives on the table but Orion's wand was out in seconds and he was yelling Finite Incantatum at the same time that Walburga yelled Petrificus Totalus. The elf froze at once, falling over on its back to the carpeted floor. Regulus's hands had flown to his mouth to stop himself screaming and Walburga's bloodshot eyes were glaring at her eldest son. Draco, who hadn't understood what had just happened, had his mouth open and was still frozen in his seat.

"Sorry mummy," said Sirius, with every bit of sarcasm he could muster, his eyes on his plate, "But I refuse to be a part of this sick little game wherein you try to prove that Draco is of Black blood." The adults exchanged a look and Regulus turned in his seat to stare at his brother. Sirius looked up at his father. "He is a member of the family—he doesn't need to boss around the elf to prove that to you!"

"Albus Dumbledore giving this boy our name does not prove anything," Walburga stated. She and Orion both turned to look at Draco again expectedly.

Orion waved his wand again and brought Kreacher to his feet, unfrozen and well. The elf met Draco's eyes and silence ensued upon the room. Draco looked at Sirius worriedly and then at the elf. He should've known that the first thing they would do is put him to the test to prove his identity. Hell, Dumbledore should have known this and Dumbledore should have prepared him for this. Draco shut his eyes, hoping—wishing—he could make himself disappear forever and never look back. When he opened his eyes he found all family members watching him expectedly. His eyes fell upon Kreacher again.

"Leave," he found himself saying.

All eyes turned back to Kreacher, as though this was some legendary experiment that would be in the papers tomorrow. The elf hesitated for a brief second, bowed low before Draco and then turned on its heel and exited the room, closing the door behind him. Orion turned back to Draco.

"Welcome to the family," he said, his head tilting again and a curious smile crossing his face, "Draco Black."


"What the bloody hell was that?!" Regulus shouted when they were back in Sirius's room after dinner. "Do you realize what you could have done?!"

"I just got mad," Sirius said, sitting back on his bed. "It's not that—"

"It's a huge deal," Regulus shot back at him. "It is not even about the fact that that house elf is gonna be mine and that you nearly killed him. Your actions back there reflected badly on Draco too, not just you!"

"Wait how?" Draco said, but he was ignored by the two brothers.

"I am not gonna sit here and let those two sadists back there turn him into something he's not," Sirius declared. "I don't care if you've given in to it—I won't let him to."

"Guys..."

"It may have escaped your notice, brother," said Regulus, his voice now calmer as he approached Sirius, ignoring Draco in the corner, "But that's not your decision to make."

"Yeah?" said Sirius, getting to his feet. "We'll see about that."

Regulus turned his back on Sirius and his eyes fell on Draco. "Come on, I'll escort you to your room."

"Um no," said Sirius, hopping off his bed and approaching the two boys. "He is staying here."

"You heard what they said," Regulus told him. "He is to stay in the room that they have provided for him."

"That room is an entire floor below us," said Sirius angrily. "It's on their fucking floor!"

"Hey, I didn't make the rules."

"Yeah well you're sure as hell being cooperative!"

"GUYS, STOP!" Draco suddenly shouted, having finally found his voice after that abysmal dinner back there.

The two boys looked at him.

"I..." said Draco, unable to make out the words, "I'll s-stay here tonight, okay? Just...please, stop."

Sirius turned back to his brother and Regulus gave him a dark look before muttering "Goodnight, Draco," and exiting the room. Sirius waved his wand over the closed door several times before turning to look back at Draco, who was leaning against his dresser with his eyes on the hardwood floors.

"You know, uh," said Sirius, stepping away from the door, "Remus told me not to feed you too many tales of my experiences growing up here so that you wouldn't have a biased opinion of this family."

"When did he tell you that?"

"A few days ago."

Draco nodded, his eyes back on the floors.

He had seriously dodged an enormous bullet back there with the elf. He didn't understand how it could be that the elf would obey him. True, he technically was of Black blood but...not fully, no. He was more half a Black. But then again, his mother had never taken the time to explain family history to him before. If he hadn't even known that she'd had another sister, an older sister than Bellatrix, who knew what else she'd hidden from him?

"Look," said Sirius, stepping towards him again, "I know it was weird back there. I just...It took me a long time to accept what happened to Regulus and how deep he got in. I don't want to see that happen to you. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if it did."

"Well I can think for myself so you needn't worry," Draco mumbled. "They...they didn't ask me many questions tonight."

"They will tomorrow, trust me," Sirius mumbled. He paused. "You know I thought Regulus could think for himself too." Draco looked up at him. "But I was very wrong."

Draco looked away, thought for a minute, and then turned back to his friend.

"What happened back there with the elf?"

Sirius frowned.

"I still don't understand," Draco added. "It happened so quickly, I..."

"The elf was going to kill himself with the knife, just like I'd instructed him to," Sirius explained. "What our parents said about power in the family was true. Any Black can order Kreacher around, but only they, the ones with the highest power, can overpower any request made by any other Black." He paused. "It's not the first time I've done that, you know."

"You really wanted to kill the elf?"

"Nah," said Sirius, turning back to his bed and collapsing on it. "I just wanted to show them up—they never let it happen anyway."

Draco nodded slowly. He then put his face in his hands and breathed deeply for several long minutes. When he looked back up, he found Sirius sitting on his bed, staring at him.

"Believe me," he said now, "Them inviting you here for these two weeks…it's as big a shock to me as it is to you. And if I had my way, I wouldn't have let you come here and be exposed to this so soon."

Draco looked away and his eyes fell on the large window with the drawn curtains. To think, that his biggest worry earlier that day had been why James was acting so weird…

He looked back at Sirius.

"I'm tired," he said.

"Let's go to sleep then," said Sirius, hopping off the bed and getting his pajamas out. "Tomorrow's gonna be too long a fucking day."

Draco's eyes fell on that squiggly circular hairy thing above Sirius's pillows again and Sirius followed his silent gaze.

"Oh, that...it's called a dream catcher. I got it from some muggle long ago. It's supposed to catch bad dreams and, well...let's just say that when I'm here, I need all the help I can get."

Sirius unfolded some more clothes and continued to shift around the room, grabbing things and moving them places.

"Hey, uh, Sirius?" said Draco, still not moving from his spot by the dresser. Sirius turned to look at him. "Do you mind if I...grab a bit of that...stressless potion...for tonight?"


Next chapter will be a special, late in honouring Easter.

Expect loads of drama.

As for the perspective? Stay tuned...