"Hello, Draco."
"Pleased to see you here, Professor. Will you walk me in?" Draco asked casually. He looked as if he'd been standing outside the building for a while. He had the stub of a cigarette in his hand and his eyes were almost closed.
'Why is the boy so exhausted?' asked Remus to himself silently.
"I suppose you could come with me, seeing as I'm stopping by," Lupin answered, smiling.
"Fine, then."
Lupin produced a key from his pocket and fit it into the keyhole. "After you, Mr. Malfoy."
Draco stopped mid-step and turned on his heel, his eyes flashed dangerous black, "Please don't call me that."
"What?" asked Lupin, perplexed and a little frightened.
"Mr. Malfoy is my father. I prefer Draco, or Mr. Black." He answered evenly, still giving no explanation for this very unusual request.
Lupin did not require an explanation to say "Of course, I presume your mother's maiden name is Black?"
"Yes," Draco replied, leading the way up the stairs and stopping short at intervals to be pointed in the right direction by Lupin. "Here we are, Professor, my humble abode." Draco muttered Alohamora under his breath and opened the door. Lupin chose to take no note of this comment and followed suit as Draco entered.
"Harry! Hermione! Ginny! Ron! Neville!" Lupin called out from the miniature entrance hall. Ginny and Hermione left their bedrooms to greet him amiably.
"Ginny, I'm sure you've met Draco. He was a slytherin, the year above you," Lupin introduced, filling in the odd silence that had momentarily descended.
Ginny awkwardly stuck out her hand to be shaken by Draco. "Pleased to meet you. I believe I've seen you at school."
"Plesure's mine, Ms. Weasly, Ms. Granger," Draco replied, extending his hand to an unintroduced Hermione without a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Lupin was immensely impressed.
"Come sit down, Mr. Malfoy, Professor Lupin. I'll make tea and we have pound cake somewhere… I think, " Ginny moved quickly into the kitchen. Lupin could tell that this was her new haven, where she felt most comfortable. She was taking to playing housewife, if only until she repossessed her bearings and sharp wit. She returned to her guests. "No pound cake, just tea then. Everybody wants tea? Good. So, Mr. Malfoy, what are you up to since school?" Ginny had been speaking rapidly, without leaving room for interruptions and now both she and Hermione looked at Draco expectantly.
"Please don't call me that." Once again, Draco's eyes flashed black, but stayed that way for much longer. It was a bit nerve wracking. Remus made a mental note to look into why that was happening.
"Excuse me?" Hermione asked, "Have we offended you in some way? Are you not the very Draco Malfoy from my year in school. I believe I had potions with you first through sixth year. Correct?"
"I am not the very same. I have changed my name since sixth year at school. As a legal adult, I am now Draco M. Black. If you must call me by my last name it would be Mr. Black."
"Are you not fond of the memories the name MALFOY evokes? Would you prefer to forget the past? So would I! We can't!" Harry had come out of the bedroom to find his best friend, mentor, girlfriend, and archenemy in his kitchen. His eyes were opened and the effect was frightening.
"Not fond of it, no, I'm not. Would you be pleased if we called you…Dursley? They are your adoptive parents," Draco countered, "You're family. They did raise you."
"How do YOU know about the Dursleys! They didn't raise me! I don't follow their ways and I'm proud of it! It's not a parallel. The situations are completely different! The Dursley name has also never been used as a threat!" Harry bellowed. He had obviously foregone any façade calm upon seeing Draco in the apartment.
"Ehhem," Lupin cleared his throat in such a very Umbridge –like manner that they all silenced and turned to face him, "Before you get any nastier in the presence of a teacher, the reason Mr. Black – "
"Please don't call Draco that," Harry interjected.
"He can call me anything he fucking wants!" shouted Draco, "except Malfoy, that is," he mumbled.
"The only Mr. Black I ever knew was Sirius and I would prefer to not get acquainted with another Black so soon. Do you mind?"
"I get it," replied Draco, calm once more, "but I don't have a surname in that case."
"Hem, hem," started Lupin again, " The reason Draco dropped by today was so I could introduce him thoroughly. He will be staying here with all of you for the time being. " Seeing all the wide open mouths, and the objections they contained, Lupin continued hurriedly, "No questions, no complaints. Draco will sleep in the extra bed in Neville's room. Clothes have been brought and transported there for his convenience. I trust him completely and I expect you to trust him and treat him as one of you. Good day."
With that, not unlike Dumbledore, Lupin flicked his wand towards Neville's room, turned on his heel, and vanished with the swish of a cloak.