Disclaimer: Don't own HP, never have, never will.

A/N: Okay, chose a rather bad time to post the story apparently. No matter though. I have full confidence that someone will stumble upon it. And if not, well, I'm having fun.

The Chosen Eight

Chapter Two

Family Ties

Harry sighed as he entered his room at Sirius's house. When Remus, Mr. Weasley, Moody, and Tonks had shown up at the Dursleys, he couldn't wait to get here. Now that he was here, it was somewhat of a letdown. Not that he didn't enjoy being among those he cared about. It was just that he didn't know what to do with himself. With Hermione being grief-stricken over the death of her parents, he didn't know how to act around her. Ron seemed particularly anxious to be there for her, but Harry didn't know how to help her. He could sympathize with her loss, but his parents had died when he was only a baby. He didn't feel the pain that she was feeling, and he could only imagine at the extent of her loss. Unlike Ron, he didn't know what having parents was like, so he couldn't possibly be able to understand.

Of course, Harry had taken the opportunity of his two best friends preoccupation to grow closer to Sirius and Remus. The two Marauders seemed to intuitively understand him. They had made it clear to him that he could come to them if ever he needed to. This had cause a swell of emotion that he had never felt before. The quiet love and understanding they gave him resembled that of a parent, yet not exactly like one. Whatever the feeling was, he liked it.

Another thing Hermione's grief and Ron's consolation had afforded him with was time alone with Ginny, who he was beginning to feel rather warmly about, in a strictly friendly way, of course. She was so open and easy-going that he felt that he could tell her anything. She quickly extracted any fears and sorrows he had kept hidden from even Ron and Hermione, and allowed him to let them go. She was also fun-loving and extremely mischievous at times. The closer he got to her, the more he realized how much he had missed out on over the years he had known her only as Ron's little sister.

Unfortunately, at the moment, Sirius and Remus were both away on some Order mission or another, and Ginny and Ron had returned to the Burrow for the night with their mother to gather a few odds and ends. That left him, Harry, alone with Hermione. He knew that he had to face her. Knew that he owed her that for all the times she had been there for him. Yet, he was afraid. She had always been a sister to him, and now she was hurting and he couldn't bear that. But he didn't know how to fix it.

Mustering his courage, he walked out of his room and down the hall to Hermione's. Taking a deep breath, he knocked cautiously on the door. A small voice allowed him entrance.

"Harry," Hermione greeted as he walked through the door. "Hi."

"Hi," he replied, grasping desperately at what he should say. "I know I haven't been that great of a friend lately. You've been hurting and I've just stayed away. I'm sorry. It's just that I don't know what to say or do that could possibly help you in anyway. I just wanted to let you know that whatever you need that I am able to do for you, I'll do it."

Hermione just stared at him for a moment before speaking. "You haven't been a bad friend. You've given me some space, which is what I expected from you. But I really appreciate knowing that you're here for me. I know that I am truly lucky. Even though I may have lost my parents, I haven't lost my brother as well."

Harry looked at her in askance. "Brother?"

She smiled faintly. "You, silly."

He smiled crookedly. "And Ron?"

"Ron's complicated."

Harry smiled knowingly at that.

OoooOoooOoooO

Draco shifted nervously as he waited for his guest to arrive. He had had to plan this meeting very carefully. Even then he wasn't sure if his cousin would believe him. What reason did he have? Draco fervently hoped that everything went as planned. His cousin would show up, his mother would not come home early, and he managed to gain an ally that would help him break free of this half-life.

The door opened slowly, revealing a tall, lithe man in his late-thirties, early-forties. The man had black hair and intelligent gray eyes. Despite Draco's unconscious expectations, you would never be able to guess that this man was an escaped convict. He was well groomed and obviously not a crazed lunatic. His movements were calculated, and Draco had no doubt that he had an escape route if this meeting was a trick.

Draco stood up and smiled hesitantly. "Mr. Black, thank you for coming."

OoooOoooOoooO

Sirius listened intently to what this young Malfoy was telling him. He could hardly believe his ears. Narcissa's darling pureblood son wanted out? He could barely keep from laughing at the look on Lucious's face if he ever found out! Not that he didn't understand the poor boy's plight. Of course, Remus would count him a fool if he knew where he was at this very moment, especially if he knew that Sirius was buying everything Draco said. However, he could not help but see the sincerity in Draco's face and the earnest pleading there after he had said his piece.

Sirius smiled softly. "I believe you, Draco. And I will help you. We will keep in touch."

Tbc...

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