Hi everyone back with another update, the first few chapters will be used to help develop the characters and their characteristics, through snippets of dialogue and events in their past. The plot will then move quicker after I feel an reasonable base has been set up. The story will continue in a third person format with most of the emphasis being on Harry and Sirius however on occasion an section maybe devoted to Daphne or Malfoys feelings and thoughts. Please review and enjoy!
Disclaimer: I neither own the Harry Potter universe nor the characters they all belong to JK Rowling
Harry found himself at the back of the train in a compartment surrounded by his closest friends, Nott had placed himself near the door, the boy was easily amused, Harry imagined he was likely perving on any girl that looked even slightly hot outside in the corridor.
Whereas Daphne had placed herself alongside Harry as she always did. They were waiting for their final member of the group, a boy whose surname should command respect from others and yet the boy in question was an all too emotional and caring being in Harry's opinion for him to command any sort of authority.
Malfoy walked through the door in an poised manner, with an element of grace that had been certainly founded in his pureblood upbringing. The boy was slender, and tall the same height as Harry yet his presence was lacking.
That's not to say Malfoy lacked any attention, he still got it in spades, but these were mainly from either ditzy girls or mindless followers, that associated Draco with his father.
Harry had no problem with Malfoy however, he was relatively quick witted and intelligent, he was one of the small minority that Harry actually trusted.
"Malfoy! finally come to join us have you" Smirked Nott.
"Were you missing me Nott? you just have to tell me and I will come running to shield you from your loneliness"
"Malfoy if you continue to speak like that people are going to start thinking your bent mate," laughed Nott.
"How is your family Malfoy?"
"As good as they can be, not much else to report other than father has maybe stepped up one further rung up the ladder in the dark lords hierarchy"
"You know Malfoy, only his follows call him the dark lord" growled Daphne
"Daphne leave Malfoy alone we both know he certainly isn't capable of following his father into that line of work, nor does he want to"
Harry early on in his Hogwarts days had been very cautious around Draco Malfoy, mainly from the standpoint his name related to a dark family whom were often closely associated with Voldemort and his followers. Yet by second year Harry had assessed him as no threat.
His point of view was shared by his pseudo aunt McGonagall whom had informed Harry that she believed the boy was very different to his father.
This should have been obvious from the get go really, when Harry looked back at it now, since while Harry viewed Malfoy in a more menial manner than anything, Malfoy had ripped apart generations of history by choosing to take seat in Ravenclaw as opposed to Slytherin. Something which Harry doubted even crossed Lucius Malfoy's mind, just from sheer fear alone, that said Lucius probably was not intelligent enough to have that choice in the first place assumed Harry.
"Sorry Greengrass I didn't realise I signed up to be psychoanalysed the moment I walked into the compartment, but to give you peace and mind, my mother and father have referred to him like that all summer, it catches on eventually"
"No need to get testy Malfoy, you will be fine as long as you don't catch on to anything else they advocate"
"And let's say hypothetically I do Greengrass what are you going to do about it?" Harry Smirked at Malfoys challenging manner, something which was rarely seen, especially toward Daphne.
"Oh you're being gallant today aren't you Malfoy, but as for what I would do, if you were to endanger myself or Harry I think I would probably kill you" deadpanned Daphne.
"Well isn't this a jolly conversation, I do love the chitchat that happens at school, I always said it was a world away from my fathers continual death eater meetings at home…..not" joked Nott.
Harry smiled at his closest friends ways, Daphne had many a time asked him how they had become friends what with their quite separate personalities yet they somehow worked, Harry realised it was probably because he sometimes needed a slight rest bite from the war.
"Believe it or not, Nott Hogwarts is not immune from the war, nothing is immune for that matter, half of Slytherin is being lined up to be pawns for Voldemort, don't be an idiot and think attending school changes things"
"Well it seems Daphne's summer was a fun one, she's practically glowing with happiness" joked Nott again showing no sign of being phased by Daphne comment.
"Hey I can be fun and happy at the appropriate times Nott!"
Before the two could get into any sort of bickering Harry decided to excuse himself, he had sat through many an argument between the two headstrong individuals, and he had no desire to sit through another.
"I'm going to find the trolley, Malfoy please don't let Daphne rip his head off while I'm gone"
"Can I let Nott rip her head off?" Smirked Malfoy,
"I highly doubt that opportunity will ever arise but if so no you can't"
Harry wandered to the front of the train, most would give him a wary look, most being the younger years or at least the Gryffindors. He knew he wasn't the most popular lad in school, mostly because he tried to keep himself to himself but he still had no clue as to why the lions frowned upon him quite so much.
He was brought out of his thoughts when he stumbled into a bushy haired girl. A girl Harry instantly recognised as Hermione Granger, while they had gone through many barbs in the past, there was a mutual respect between the two.
Harry wasn't ignorant enough to just assume the girl was a teachers pet, he believed her knowledge ran further than the textbook. Yet she still failed sometimes to grasp pureblood traditions.
"Granger"
"Potter" answered the bookworm in a tight lipped fashion.
"I assume you're on perfect duty?"
"No actually it is the Hufflepuffs turn on the rota this year, in fact I am free to do what I want"
"Oh I see, I imagine you're going to find Boot or Patil?" Raised Harry who had observed over his years at school whom her closest friends were.
"No actually I was looking for Draco"
"Draco? As in Draco Malfoy?" Repeated Harry whom was taken by surprise.
"Yes that very one, the one that resides in the same house as I"
"Any reason why you want to find Malfoy?" Asked a curious Harry whom had never seen the two interact further than the occasional greeting.
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that Potter"
"So you're shacking up with him is that what it is about?" Smirked Harry, which caused the bookworm to redden completely.
"No, no no, I just need to pass on an important message" Harry through the powers of intuition suddenly realised what the message was likely to be about.
"So you're a part of the Order now are you?" The question stopped Hermione in her tracks, Harry immediately realised that wasn't exactly something you asked out loud.
He saw that Hermione was starting to panic so he pushed her into an empty compartment to let her breathe, after she calmed down, he initiated the conversation again,
"Look Granger, I'm not being funny but you have to react in a much more composed manner than that in the future, anybody could ask you that, can you imagine if one of Voldemort's sympathisers had asked you that, you would be dead right now…., ok?"
Hermione just nodded, Harry could see that she was annoyed with herself, "anyway what message are you giving to Malfoy?"
"Potter how do I know you're part of the Order, you could be neutral in all this, I should only give information to as few as possible, the least bystanders there are the better."
Harry smirked at the comment, firstly the bystanders bit must have been a word to word cut out of a mad eye Moody quote, while the very matter of Hermione questioning his standing was funny to say the least.
"Granger, first of all if I would assume you know my personal history so doubting my side would be ill advised or in better words foolish, Second I've lived with the Order my whole life and finally you're getting better at this order business already" he smiled warmly at Granger trying to instil some confidence in the Ravenclaw.
"That's all very good Potter but I still can't tell you my message, now could you point me in the direction of Draco, I need to do this by the end of the journey, those orders are from the top" replied Granger who had seemingly calmed herself down.
"Well I can tell you where he is but it won't get you very far, since he is currently holed up in a compartment with one Daphne Greengrass,...you're familiar with her right?" Smiled Harry.
Of course Harry knew she was, the animosity between the two had started since first year with both competing for top spot in class, it had heated over by fourth year when afull on duel had occurred, leaving both witches worse for wear but Daphne had been the clear victor.
"Marvellous" groaned Granger,
"I will of course help you Granger since it is Order business, but I would like to know at least a small summary of what such a message consists of. Dumbledore is a manipulative man whom actions once in a while can be questioned I like to keep an eye on him if I can. Now could you assist me slightly in such an endeavour please"
"Fine! Draco is in the fold to obtain the title of heir to the Noble and Ancient house of Black. Professor Dumbledore was merely asking of what he intends to do with such a position,"
The revelation made by Hermione was certainly a surprise, he had received no word of this deed taking place not from the Order nor Malfoy himself.
"Thank you for enlightening me Granger, follow me" the two walked briskly back down the aisle in silence, with Harry processing the new information he had just received.
"You didn't know of Malfoy claiming the Black heir did you?" Remarked Hermione quietly. Usually Harry would have been more calculating in response, but at the current time he didn't care,
"No I did not,...unfortunately Granger you will realise that despite working for the same ultimate goal, that being Voldemort's demise, we're not all on the same side" and with that Harry opened the compartment door to his comrades.
"What is she doing here Harry?" Asked Daphne calmly.
"Now is that anyway to greet our fellow classmate Greengrass" butted in Nott.
"Granger wishes to speak to…" Harry paused for emphasis and then stared at the blonde haired boy, "to Draco" spoke Harry emphasising the use of his first name.
To which Malfoys reaction was a picture thought Harry as the boy looked thoroughly alarmed, he got up silently and walked out the door with Granger.
"Draco?" Questioned Daphne.
"Yeah it seems the two of them know each of reasonably well" shrugged Harry. He would be patient, he decided he would ask Malfoy about the Black House at a more opportune time, right now he needed a bit of relief.
"So Daphne since I haven't seen you all summer what exactly did you get up to? Did you visit France like you said you were going to?"
"Is the great Harry Potter actually paying some interest to my personal life, wow I should be flattered" Responded Daphne mockingly.
"Was I not supposed to ask?" Inquired a confused Harry.
"You're unbelievable Harry really you are, once you have figured out your own question, then come and look for me" dismissed Daphne whom then made her way for the door.
"What's wrong with her, what I said really wasn't that wrong was it?" Asked an even more puzzled Harry toward Nott.
"No idea mate, I always think Greengrass is barmy, you probably should ask somebody else, wait! actually it might be hormones now I think about it"
"Hormones?" Questioned Harry sceptically.
"Hey don't ask me I was only trying to help, Merlin I can't say anything to you three without you biting my head off"
"Yeah because you're a prat" Chuckled Harry.
"Yeah at least this prat doesn't have to apologise to Queeny." Smirked Nott
"You know she doesn't like being called that"
"Congratulations mate at least you know something about Greengrass" teased Nott. In fact Harry really knew a lot about Daphne, more so than anybody else apart from maybe her sister. They were in fact particularly close, it was a bond unlike anything else he had in his life, he reckoned that it could be mainly attributed to watching alongside Daphne her best friend Tracy Davis being ripped apart by a couple of death eaters in fourth year, least to say that moment had changed Harry and Daphne's friendship in more ways than one.
At that moment Malfoy walked back in looking slightly more relaxed then when he had left, Harry wondered what the entirety of the message consisted of.
"So Malfoy you shagging our resident bookworm now?"
"And if I were" muttered Malfoy as he went to sit back down
Harry just raised his eyebrows to such a response, he wasn't too interested if the remark was true in fact he was more bothered with Draco's remarkably different attitude that had been present since the start of the train ride, when compared to the end of the last school year. That Draco Malfoy would be suppressing a blush while moaning at Nott for being a dick.
"Woah so Malfoy's got some game huh? We've finally made a man out of you now haven't we, good on you Malfoy"
"Stop being a dick Nott, you haven't shagged a girl once while our time at school you have no leg to stand on when advising or discussing girls neither does Potter for that matter" argued Malfoy.
"Alright mate just settle down, I was only joking no need to have a hissy fit, and I thought Malfoys came with a certain decorum"
"Doesn't that apply to Notts too?"
The offhand reply was met by silence which stretched on for some time, Harry didn't mind the quiet in fact sometimes he preferred it, but watching his friend he knew he wanted to add something, sure enough Nott couldn't help himself,
"So you're shagging her?"
"Oh yeah along with ten other girls, stop being a dick Nott, I hardly know of Granger what makes you think I'm shagging her?"
"Why does she call you Draco" pressed Harry.
"She's a Muggleborn"
"Granger always refers to me as Potter"
"Yeah well maybe she just prefers me, as Nott so happily pointed out before I'm quite the catch unlike yourself Potter " smiled Malfoy. Harry had no desire to pushback on Malfoys comments, clearly his friend had gained some new found confidence over the summer, and was clearly now testing the waters to how far he could push it.
Nott being loyal to Harry but a fault immediately stuck up for Harry, "Malfoy, what girl is going to even try to get close to Harry when he is encircled by Queeny all the time"
Before Malfoy could answer back Harry decided to jump in, "will you two shut up, I have no desire to hear you witter on about something so trivial, I'd prefer it Nott, Malfoy if you could update me on anything you've overheard your dads planning for the following couple of weeks"
Sirius while despondent for the first couple of days after his initial meeting with Harry, was determined to find out more about his godsons life not to mention understand the political climate in magical Britain currently, so that in the future he had a better degree of chance to protect Harry.
He began by deciding to visit his grandfather, which was something that Sirius decided with some distain, simply put the man terrified him, he was the epitome of an old Black, powerful, regal and couldn't anymore unpredictable, Sirius seriously wasn't looking forward to the visit.
He organised to meet him at a Manor House in Hampshire, surprisingly he didn't recognise it from his childhood, he assumed that the Black household must still be doing well with regard to money, for the continued purchases of large stately homes.
The greeting was decidedly not friendly, a house elf took him to the drawing room of the house where he met a old and weathered man, that somewhat resembled Arcturus Black. It was at that point Sirius realised just how long sixteen years really was.
Before he was sent to Azkaban, the man in front of him would strike fear into Sirius from just his dominant statue. Something which could not be said for Arcturus now.
"Sit the fuck down boy!" Commanded Arcturus.
Yet while his grandfathers body was deteriorating, his seemingly authoritarian attitude certainly hadn't receded, which likely meant that the remaining minutes of his visit were likely to be uncomfortable at best.
"I hope you realise how much shame you have assigned to our family with your fuck up sixteen years ago!"
"But I didn't murder them" pleaded Sirius.
"What the fuck do you take me for boy, of course I know you didn't murder them, you spent way too much time attached to that damn Potter boys hip for you to suddenly betray him"
"So why em why em did you not get me out? you have the power do so, or at least demand a trial!" Shouted Sirius now upset from his grandfathers actions.
"Careful how you speak boy, respect is still very much a important practice in this family, as for your question, I believed you deserved everything you got, for being a tool and getting yourself into such a position"
"But I.."
"No my lad you buggered it up, I knew James Potter would be detrimental to your development as a wizard"
"James Potter was a great wizard!" Shouted an indignant Sirius.
"Again boy respect, James Potter was indeed a great wizard yet he could still be detrimental to your growth as a good wizard could he not?"
"Erm what?" Muttered Sirius unsure where his grandfather was going with this conversation.
"You're a Black Sirius, while you tried to distance yourself from it during your school days, you're at the end of the day a Black. And all Blacks have great potential something which even you surprisingly have, your animagus ability is proof of that"
"H.h how do you know about that?"
"I just do, that is actually something beneficial that came out of your friendship with James Potter."
"I still don't understand"
"Of course you don't, James Potter helped you move away from the Black family, which while I understand did not follow your ideals, it could still very much help you achieve a higher level of skill and usefulness to your ultimate cause."
"I wouldn't be able to follow my beliefs if I had stayed in this god forsaken family"
"Again wrong, tell me Sirius who do you think is the most important member of the Order currently?"
"Well Dumbledore of course"
"The old bat has sat in that bloody school for the last sixteen years he is merely a delegator boy, he no longer has the strength like me to do anything other than walk to the toilet with regular occurrence I must add. Indeed the most useful member is Severus Snape"
"Snivellus"
"Sirius that man has contributed more to this war than you could ever achieve, especially if you continue to act so brazenly."
"Grandfather, I've been in a cell for the last sixteen years and while I may not of helped in the war effort, I certainly won't take your piss poor attempts to undermine my ability to heart. I don't care about this ruddy war I'm here for Harry and that is it"
"Finally some sign of life, I wondered if it still existed in you lad that's the first time this evening you have actually challenged me directly, but again your notions are misguided, how Sirius are you planning to protect Harry Potter from the evil out there without resources, without any knowledge of the last sixteen years and most of all without the Black family on your side"
"What are you getting at Grandfather?"
"The war is not just a series of battles from time to time nor is it simply a series of raids. No it is a war of attrition, there are fronts everywhere from the courts debating laws, businesses competing, and most of all the control of fear."
"So having my family on my side will help me with these things"
"Simply said Yes"
"Grandfather I don't want to sound rude but, there are no Blacks left apart from you and I, which means really just you since I'm still in Azkaban, how can the Black family be so helpful."
"So Bellatrix Lestrange nee Black and Narcissa Malfoy nee Black don't exist do they not?"
"They're no longer Blacks."
"I'm afraid you're wrong, in fact I have allowed Draco to succeed me as head of the Black house if you're to reject my proposal"
"What are you proposing?"
"Simply assisting in overthrowing the Voldemort sympathisers, but rather than rejoining the Order, I suggest we begin to look to recruit followers of our own, those that you can trust but also bring benefits in helping achieve our aim"
"Why would I?"
"Well your in no position to rejoin the Order, plus from as far as I see it this is the best method in protecting Harry"
"What are you getting from this?"
"The end of that pathetic man that calls himself one of us, he condemns purebloods reputation not just in this country but further afield, but also with the increased followers comes with it increased power to my house. So as I see it we both profit from such an arrangement"
"Where should I start exactly" Asked Sirius, really he had no idea, James Potter was the brains behind most operations if that be a childish prank or a raid.
"So you're accepting my proposal?"
"Yes, I have no other choice at the moment"
"Well as I said earlier Sirius, spies are usually the most useful individuals in an organisation such as the order, I recommend recruiting a spy in each camp and work from there."
"Grandfather I'am happy to follow up on this arrangement but I would like to be near Harry, may I purchase a flat in Hogsmeade?"
"You have six million galleons to spend Sirius, I hope I do not have to molly coddle you over each purchase, if you think it will be beneficial at the very least for giving you some peace of mind then do as you wish."
"Good"
"Oh and Sirius if I so much as smell my money being used for strippers or anything of that ilk I will personally pull off your index fingers excruciatingly slowly do you understand?"
Harry had left Nott and Malfoy after their deep conversation regarding their fathers in the aim to make things right with Daphne. He searched the train for the last hour in attempt to find Daphne and apologise, yet he failed to locate her, the closest he got was bumping into the perky Astoria Greengrass, that only went about teasing Harry.
He finally caught up with her at the welcoming feast as always, they had to listen to Dumbledore rattle on about unity and not let fear take hold of you. Harry had to catch himself from rolling his eyes, the man to be frank was distant from the whole war. While Albus was old, and weaker than before, it was still incredibly obvious that he still could command great power if needed. With this situation, in mind it seemingly allowed Dumbledore to be immune from the war when he so desired, nobody in their right mind would challenge him. Harry found it all quite hypocritical when the man preached for an others to be proactive mission.
When the long speech ended the pupils dug into their food, no longer was the food served as an buffet where individuals picked from a wide selection at the table instead they all received an meal of their choosing on a separate plate.
The decision inevitably led to uproar among some of the school population, mainly those that thought with their stomach as opposed to their heads, Weasley, Goyle and Crabbe, the notable voices leading the opposition.
Of course they had failed to either realise or notice the loss of Alice Runcorn among their ranks during lessons. Harry was privy to information often hidden away by the ministry, he realised their were some advantages to being the chosen one after all, he had been informed by McGonagall, that Alice had been heavily poisoned, supposedly her liver had been slowly destroyed over a period of a month, killing the girl slowly.
The incident was relatively hushed up, the investigation into her death had deemed that a section of the chicken leg must have been poisoned while out on the dinner table. The switch to individual meals had taken placed as a direst result while the entrance to the kitchens had been sealed off indefinitely with only the elves able to breach the wards.
"So are you going to talk to me or are you just going to ignore me through the whole of tea" whispered Harry into Daphne's ear.
"Well that depends Harry have you realised what you did wrong" whispered Daphne back.
"Ok I'm sorry I hadn't paid particularly much attention to you while in the carriage but you should know I have a lot on my mind"
"You should be sharing that with me Harry, I want to know what's going on too, don't forget that I'am just as much apart of this war as you!"
"You're going to kill Voldy when he comes around eh?" Teased Harry unable to stop some sarcasm from slipping through.
"Well I will if you won't" Smirked Daphne, not flinching at his snide comment.
"Marry me?" Joked Harry.
"I don't think so Harry, you have too many issues I'm not sure you're worth the effort, I mean have you looked at yourself"
"Sorry to split up the lovers talk, but whispering in front of your peers is considered exceptionally rude, if you're talking about my handsome looks I will be more than happy to hear it out loud"
"In your dreams Nott"
"You're almost certainly in my dreams Greengrass, Nice dreams at that" winked Nott.
"You flatter me Nott, I always wonder why your crudeness never attracts more women"
"I honestly believe I'am on the same page as you Greengrass, it is a mystery."
"Did I miss anything on the train while I was gone?"
"No except for your sister's unbelievably witty humour"
"What did she do?"
"Oh just asked me about how my harem is in the south of France, and whether I prefer the brunettes or blondes, she also asked if I could reserve her a spot for when she finishes school"
Astoria was of course referring to an article posted by the prophet questioning where Harry goes each summer, of course Skeeter had the audacity to suggest an harem in France.
"So which one did you pick Harry?" Teased Daphne.
"Look out Harry, Greengrass is on the prowl."
"I said I favoured the red heads" replied Harry continuing the teasing conversation.
"Anything else of note? did you get to the bottom of our friend 'Draco's' talk with Granger" Harry just looked at Daphne for a brief moment conveying through his eyes that they would talk about it later without Nott in their presence.
"Hey! I've seen that look before, why can't you just say it in front of me!"
"What you don't know Nott can't hurt you or me" summed up Harry
"Meaning?"
"No offence Nott but you're a loud mouth, you struggle to keep things quiet, and since this revolves around a person we spend a large amount of time with, you would almost certainly spill, does that answer your question" smiled Daphne.
"It's not too important though is it?" Questioned Nott with an element of seriousness, because despite his larger than life character, Nott still resembled a worthy piece in the war against Voldemort.
"It's unlikely at the moment to result in any significant change in the war, don't worry mate"
"Ok good and Malfoy isn't in trouble right because while I often give him a hard time, I would miss our very own Ravenclaw"
"Are you concerned about him Nott? Because If you keep that up people might think your bent" addressed Daphne using Nott's words against him.
"Why are you around so much again, it used to be just Harry and I for the first few years" Harry instinctively kicked Nott under the table, the boy usually didn't think before talking, anybody of any sense would know that Daphne started talking to Harry's friends more after the death of Tracy.
"You're an arse Theodore Nott" muttered Daphne.
So Sirius has been given an objective to start a group himself, that will revolve around helping the Black household, while Malfoy is seemingly acting different to his friends. Please leave a review if you can, they're always helpful