OOO
As soon as Sirius came back, Draco was dying to hear how his day went. However, he figured that the telling would probably take several hours and he'd promised his mother that he and Harry would be back before it was completely dark. They stalled the Abraxan and put Tywyll's saddle away just as the sun was setting and made it back to the house. Lucius answered the door, giving them a restrained smile, then reached over and brushed a spate of yellow flowers out of Draco's hair.
"Daisies?" The elder Malfoy inquired, moderately bemused.
"Oh yeah," Draco laughed. "Luna brought those. Must've forgotten to take them out of my hair." He stepped into the foyer, with Harry and Dragon following. "Where's mum?"
"She's in my study. We have to have a talk with you, Draco."
Draco paled and glanced at Harry who gave a little shrug, as if to say he had no clue what it was about.
"Right then – what about Harry?"
"Your guest may retire or spend his time as he sees fit. Although I would like this to be a private conversation Mr. Potter," he said with a look at Harry.
"Sure." Harry nodded. "I'm a bit tired anyway. I'll see you tomorrow then, Draco?"
"Yeah, tomorrow." Draco nodded. "G'night."
"Night," Harry replied as he headed up the stairs.
Draco followed his father to the study, his mind flashing back to the last time he'd entered the room. Surely they wouldn't be repeating that discussion? Especially not with Harry over, he hoped. He still hadn't managed to sort out his emotions and was fairly certain that rehashing the issue would only serve to make everybody upset.
"What's the matter?" He asked nervously, sitting in a chair opposite his mother and petting Dragon to calm himself.
"Draco," Narcissa began, unfolding a newspaper, "we have something of the utmost importance to tell you – or perhaps I should say warn you about – that may well pertain to your guest."
"Harry?" She nodded. "What do you mean?"
"As of today," Lucius said, taking up the conversation as he handed Draco the Daily Prophet with an article about Sirius on top, "a man named Sirius Black has been acquitted of all crimes in connection with the death of the Potters and is supposedly reestablishing himself in our world. Needless to say, this would not concern you save for two relevant facts. First, it has become known that the man is Potter's godfather. And second, he is your mother's cousin."
"We don't want you to fret, Draco," Narcissa assured him. "However, given these two circumstances, Lucius and I consider it rather likely that he might try to approach you should he encounter you two in wizard London – or perhaps even at Hogwarts."
"It goes without saying," Lucius went on, "that Black is precisely the sort you do not wish to be involved with. Since he has been cleared and that bungler Pettigrew charged with his crime, I've no doubt that he's integrated himself with precisely the wrong sort once again. That Dumbledore was present and spoke for him during his acquittal only makes this more obvious."
"You must keep away form him Draco," Narcissa admonished. "And I would suggest that you keep Harry away from him as well. In the event that the Dark Lord should return, no doubt anybody involved with people like Black will be at highest risk. Beyond that, however, he is a disgrace to your family and full of the nonsense you seem to be getting ingrained in your head."
"He's got no sense of self-preservation and no shred of dignity," Lucius added. "Again, we are not sure whether or not he would attempt to come near you. But given the family connection and his undoubted interest in Harry, he might. Be watchful, Draco, and keep your distance if you do encounter him."
"Remember, he has no legal sway over you. You don't have to listen to a thing he says if you don't want to. And if you want your friend Harry to come through life well and safely – well then, the less he associates with people like Black the better." Standing, she went over and kissed Draco on the cheek. "You may go now. We merely wanted to warn you, to make sure you would both be careful."
"Do keep an eye on Harry," Lucius said as he folded the paper back up. "He does not know our world as you do and, desperate for connections, he might resort to Black. Let him know that he does not have to. That he can make better friends, elsewhere, beyond those idiotic Muggles who raised him and that cavalier fool his parents entrusted him to. Your mother is right, though – we have kept you long enough." He pressed a hand to Draco's shoulder and gave him a little smile. "Good night son."
"Good night Mum, Dad," Draco mumbled and made for his bedroom at a brisk clip.
They were going to go absolutely spare if they ever found out.
OOO
The next day, after they side-longed to Grimmauld Place, Sirius informed Harry of the conversation and had a loud laugh at the irony. Draco, however, looked distinctly uncomfortable. Harry pointed this out to Sirius who immediately backed down.
"Sorry," he murmured. "Didn't mean to make light of it like that. It was ironic and all – but I know you're worried about your relationship with your parents."
"You do know they're going to kill me when they find out?" He grumbled.
"Then we'll just see that they never do," Sirius responded cheerfully.
Draco thought this might be a bit too optimistic, but he let the issue drop. "So how was everything? All I got to see was that one short Skeeter article and I know more than enough about her writing that to trust anything she pens."
"Let me get a cup of tea and I'll be happy to tell you both…"
OOO
One day earlier.
Remus had known that Sirius would be coming, but when his friend actually appeared it seemed too good to be true. Sirius greeted him with a hug even more bone-crushing than the one he'd given the werewolf in Dumbledore's office and looked at his old friend as though he were the best sight Sirius had seen in a long while.
"Good to have you back," Remus whispered.
"I'll say!" Sirius grinned as he flopped down on Remu's threadbare couch. "After the hearing today, I'm going to be a free man – no more looking over my shoulder, worried that the dementors or the Aurors might catch up with me."
"Were you ever seriously worried?" Remus asked with a twinkle in his eye as he brought over two cups of tea. "After all, you were all unregistered; it wasn't as though they could track you."
"True enough. And to be honest, I wasn't that worried – perhaps I should have been more so at times. I was very scrupulous about keeping up my appearance until… well, I broke it for a good cause the first time."
"Which was?"
"Draco ran into a boomslang out in the woods that gave him a nasty bite. I had to be in human form to get him back to the manor in time to get treated so I took a risk and decided to trust him. Even then he was a loyal little mite; promised not to tell for the world. I got a bit more careless though. Harry ended up knowing – couldn't just leave him there with no hope!" He shot back at Remus' disapproving look. "And then Draco's friend Theo got drawn into it as well." Sirius sipped the tea. "He's sharp as a drawer of knives, though, that one; probably would have figured it out even if we hadn't told him."
"Theo?" Remus squeezed a bit of lemon into his tea and dropped in a sugar cube. "Who's Theo?"
"There's another kicker – Theodore Nott."
"Nott? Wasn't his father…"
"Yes. But he's not the same at all," Sirius assured his old friend. "In fact, he's not entirely unlike me. Got sorted into Gryffindor along with Harry and ended up getting pitched out of his home at the end of the year when his father found out. He's living with the Weasley's now and while he pretends to be the sensible one, he's every bit the troublemaker that Harry and Draco are." Sirius added some sugar to his own tea and stirred it. "Rather reminds me of somebody else I know."
Remus blushed slightly and laughed. "Well I'm glad to hear that the apple, in his case, falls far from the tree. And Draco got sorted into Hufflepuff?" Sirius nodded. "I must say, I never saw that one coming."
"Neither did he. When the hat sorted him, he slid of the chair and nearly knocked himself out."
"It must have been a shock to his parents too." Remus looked at Sirius over the rim of his mug. "How did they take it?"
"His father seems to hope that loyalty will mean loyalty to that load of pureblood tosh they keep trying to shove down his throat. His mother mostly seems worried about how it will impact his future. I must admit, though, that neither took it out on him or grew angry with him for his sorting."
"Well that's good, isn't it?"
"I suppose." Sirius snorted gruffly. "Doesn't mean that they're not a pair of total gits. Last time they talked to him they tried to guilt him with the family ploy. Said that if he didn't fall in line, he would be putting them all in danger."
"They have a point, Sirius – much as I'm sure you hate to hear me say that."
"I know they do!" He sighed and set aside his mug. "That's what makes it so frustrating. You know, when Draco found me, I thought I was doing the right thing in staying with him. Apart from keeping me safe until I could clear my name and help Harry, I thought I would be doing him a favor, helping to make sure that he got raised with a decent set of values as opposed to what my family foisted on me."
"And you doubt that now?"
"I'm worried it will hurt him," Sirius admitted. "I was never close to my family; but Draco is close to his. And even with my history with them, I have to say that they are affectionate towards him as well."
"Mellowing in your old age?" Remus teased.
Sirius rolled his eyes. "It's only that I've gotten to see a side of Narcissa and even Lucius that I never did before. Behind closed doors, well – silly as it sounds to say this, they're actual people. For all of their faults – and do not mistake me, they have many that I loathe – but for all that, I do believe that they love their son and only want what is best for him." He laughed and took a drink. "I even caught myself feeling sorry for Lucius the other day."
"Perhaps your stay there has been a good thing, then," Remus suggested. "Not only for Draco but for you. It sounds as though you might have learned something during your stay there."
"Oh, I suppose," Sirius sighed. "But don't ever think that I'll admit it in public."
"I never assumed that you would. Apart from these recent developments – nine years is a very long time. So tell me, what were you doing for the better part of a decade? If what you've alluded to is correct, it sounds as though you and Draco have had some rather fantastic adventures. I should love to hear about them if we have the time."
"Well, my hearing isn't for another two hours so I have at least a little while to tell you some of what went on…"
Settling into his worn-out armchair, Remus listened, rapt, to tale after tale about forest hijinx, taming Thestrals, meeting characters such as Ginny and Luna, getting into trouble and causing mischief. Sirius was animated as he told them, simply relating the stories at first then getting more descriptive and adding enthusiastic gestures. It all seemed so enthralling that Remus was tempted to ask Sirius to share a few of the choicer memories with him through a Penseive. Eventually, he timidly brought up the idea and Sirius took to it with great enthusiasm, promising him that he would as soon as he got a wand and a bowl.
Though he was always more guarded with his emotions than Sirius, Remus had to admit that he was nearly as eager to see the memories as Sirius was to share them. While nothing could ever restore the innocence stolen by the war and the years, if he could see an adventure through Sirius' eyes, Remus thought, it might almost be like being with the Marauders again.
Almost.
OOO
By the end of the day, Sirius was in an even better mood than when he'd gone to see Remus. With Dumbledore and Shacklebolt on his side, the hearing had gone off without a hitch. Plus, thanks to a bit of quick back-alley dodging, he'd managed to avoid the bespectacled media hound the Prophet had sent over to interview him about his acquittal; although he suspected she'd have been just as happy to do an article on his arrest and subsequent Dementor kiss.
Following the hearing, he went out shopping with Remus. New clothes were a must, of course, not to mention various magical supplies that he would need to properly live in Grimmauld Place (or at least make it seem as though he were living there). What thrilled him the most, however, was the prospect of finally having a wand again.
He spent over two hours in Ollivander's that day, trying wand after wand, waiting for a connection to happen. When it finally did, with an eleven and a half inch combination of ash and phoenix feather, Sirius grinned like he did the day he'd gotten his first wand. It felt so right to finally be able to do magic with impunity again. He looked over at Remus, who was smiling as well, and his grin grew even broader.
"Come on," he motioned. "Let's get everything dropped off and Grimmauld and then we can catch up on things a little more over dinner."
Remus followed blithely as they Flooed back to Sirius' home. While they unpacked, Sirius cleared his throat and turned towards Remus.
"Look, Remus…" He started unwrapping the new robes.
"Yes?" Over at the table, Remus was organizing the potion supplies.
"I've been meaning to suggest this for a while. As you know, Dumbledore and I kept the information about my Animagus form a secret. With all the danger at the end of last year, and things being what they are with Draco's parents – well, to come to the point, I would like to remain with the boys for the most part while they're in Hogwarts. Not all the time, mind you, but enough that nobody gets suspicious about anything and I can keep an eye on them both."
He walked over to where Remus was sorting and started putting supplies away into cupboards.
"Anyway," he went on, "this place took a lot to get into shape. And it only gathers dust when nobody is here. I know it doesn't hold the fondest memories but… well, to put it bluntly, it's a bit nicer than what you've got. I know things are hard on you because of your condition and all and so, as a friend – would you like to stay here?"
"Be your housekeeper?" Remus looked amused.
"Not like that!" Sirius flushed. "It's only that I hate to see you having so much trouble because of the Ministry's ridiculous laws. And I'm not going to be using this place much for a long while. Even when I do, there's more than enough space here for several people. What do you say?"
"I suppose I ought to argue with you," Remus replied. "Give you a bit about not needing charity and all that. I must admit, though, my current place is a bit of a hovel."
"A bit?" Sirius snorted.
"Well there's no need to be snarky about it!" Remus snapped. "Some of us aren't so lucky."
"But see, that's why…"
"I understand, Sirius. And I accept." He set a hand on Sirius' shoulder. "You are offering as a friend and, as a friend, I am accepting."
"Marvelous," Sirius grinned again. "Wait until I tell the boys! Since it's summer they'll be coming over now and again, if you don't mind."
"Not at all. I should like to get to know them."
"Excellent!" Sirius nearly clapped. "Speaking of the boys, I suppose I ought to get back to them. It's almost sunset and the Malfoys think Draco took me – well, Dragon – with him on his picnic. We'll get you moved in soon, though." He put away the last of the crushed powders and various herbs and turned to Remus. "It's marvelous, isn't it? Almost like the Marauders being together again."
He apparated away and Remus sighed.
"Almost but not quite, Sirius," he murmured to the empty air. "And I can only hope you recognize that…"
OOO
"So we get to meet Moony?" Draco grinned. "Cool! And he'll be living here?"
"That's right," Sirius smiled. "If you don't mind."
"Not at all – I think it's awesome!"
"Does he know a lot about my parents too?" Harry inquired eagerly.
"Oh yes. We've both lots more stories we could tell you about our younger days. But before all that – do you two feel like helping Remus move in? He and I can handle most of it but we could use a hand Flooing a few of the smaller things over."
"No problem," Harry agreed and Draco nodded.
"I'll have a word with Kreacher too," Draco added. "Try to smooth over any ruffled feathers he might have about Remus coming over and staying."
"Just make it clear that no matter what his feelings, the matter is settled," Sirius warned.
"I know, I know. Don't worry, I'll try and soften the blow for him. You two go ahead and get started; I'll try to track down where he's gone."
Siriug ignited the fire and Flooed away with Harry while Draco began wandering the halls, going up and down steps to look for Kreacher. He knew he could have called but he thought it would be a bit more polite if he sought out Kreacher rather than expecting the elf to appear whenever he snapped his fingers.
He finally heard the elf's grumblings, coming from a bedroom on the topmost floor. There was a faded note on the door, signed by a 'Regulus Arcturus Black' whom Draco realized must have been Sirius' brother. The door was locked so Draco knocked. There was a shuffling and then the house elf poked his head out.
"Does master want something?" He asked with only a hint of civility, a favor that he only ever accorded Draco.
"Hi, Kreacher," Draco smiled. "Mind if I come in? We need to talk."
The elf shrugged. "The young master may do as he pleases."
What followed involved a lot of yelling and quite a few epithets on the part of Kreacher, as well as a monumental effort on the part of Draco to remain civil and not snap back. Dealing with Kreacher, as much as he thought the effort needed to be made, frequently drove him to his wit's end. He could scarcely belief that Kreacher and Dobby were of the same species.
The elf moodily resigned himself to the attic and Draco stumbled down the several flights of stairs just in time to see Sirius and Harry entering with Remus, all of them carrying boxes or packages of various sizes.
"How'd he take it?" Harry asked, setting things down on the floor.
"Terribly," Draco replied with a sigh. "But I figured he would. It'll take some time."
"As do all things," Remus added. "Do not worry – I won't be offended by any rudeness he might show. I've dealt with far worse, I'm sure, from fellow wizards."
"And let him know that if he does mouth off to Remus, he'll be getting a swift kick from me," Sirius added.
"Sirius!" Draco gasped.
"I know, I know. Treat him better and all. If he doesn't come around though…"
"You'd better not!" Draco shot back. "Really now. Be the better man," he teased as they all went back through the Floo port to continue moving what they could.
OOO
A/N: So that's how things are progressing. Next time, another picnic, the plot moves ever forward and we might even get to catch a glimpse of Ron (which yes, I know, I promised last chapter – but really, this time). Until then – happy reading.