Chapter Two: Family at Hogsmeade

After several hours of boring, miserable train ride during which Draco Malfoy continued to struggle with his guilt, there was only one other person in his car. At some point he'd gone to the bathroom and washed his face, getting rid of as much blood as he could, so the boy wasn't looking at him as though he were some evil, insane psychopath, like most people had for the majority of the ride.

At some point, Draco looked over and realized that the boy had sat down next to him. He was thin, and fairly tall, with messy black hair and bright green eyes. His bangs, which were very long, completely covered his forehead. Around his eyes he wore a slightly too-small pair of wire-rimmed glasses. His clothes were a bit too big for him, and showed a fair amount of wear and tear.

"Hello." Said the boy, a little nervously. He seemed to be about Draco's age.

Draco smiled back, unsure if it was reaching his eyes or not. He never really smiled anymore. "Hello."

The black-haired boy held out his hand. "Harry Potter. You going to Hogwarts too?"

"Hyperion Black." Draco said, thinking to himself how odd the name felt on his lips. On impulse, continued. "But you can call me Draco. It's my middle name." He said by means of explanation. "Hyperion sounds just a little too stuck up. Not that 'Draco' is much better."He took the boy's hand and shook it firmly.

Harry chuckled a little, and pushed his glasses up onto his nose, even though they hadn't slipped. It was almost like a nervous tic, an unconscious habit. "I don't think that Hyperion is too bad. It's more interesting than 'Harry,' at least. Do you know how common a boring name like Harry Potter is? It's terrible. I'd prefer Hyperion any day, stuck up or no."

Draco decided that he quite liked this boy. He was friendly, and genuine, and he had a feeling that he would be a very loyal friend. "So, you said you're going to Hogwarts? That's the university in Hogsmeade, right?"

"Yeah." Harry said, sitting back in his seat and allowing himself to get comfortable. "Judging from your answer, I'd guess you're not. So what're you doing in a middle-of-nowhere town like Hogsmeade, if you're not going to Hogwarts? Do you have family there, or something?"

Draco laughed a little, and shook his head sadly. "Not that I know of. I'm… just trying to escape London. If I stayed there any longer…" He shuddered at the thought of what Riddle would command his Followers to do if they ever found him again.

Harry frowned. "Okay, so what happened? Judging from what clothes you're wearing, you're no stranger to money, and judging from the blood on your shirt collar, you're trying to escape someone in London, not just the city itself. So please- spill. I'd like to make sure there's not a psychopath in here with me, thank you very much."

His respect for the boy next to him grew exponentially. Clearly, Harry Potter, who ever he was, was no idiot. He decided that he'd have to tell him something. The only problem was that he couldn't tell the truth, even though he desperately wanted to. He longed to get this storm of guilt and fear off his chest, but if he told, Harry could turn on him, or the truth could put him in danger if he was ever found. No, he couldn't risk it. He'd have to lie.

"My family is- was- pretty well off. My father was a banker, and my mother inherited a lot of money after her parents died." This was true. His grandparents had died when he was three, leaving the Malfoys with an even more enormous amount of money than before. "I was raised being told that I was destined to follow my father's footsteps." This was also true, though his implication that he was supposed to follow his father in banking was not the case. "Not long ago, though, I learned the truth about my father's business." This was also true, to a point. He'd learned that he was going to have to kill someone. "He'd been supporting these… shady organizations, these groups that went around, dealing weapons and killing people who disagreed with them. And apparently… he owed one of these groups a lot of money."

And here came the lies. They felt like poison in his throat, Draco had been taught never to lie, but he had to tell them. "My father had denied them their money, because his business was beginning to fail. And so they showed up, and they threatened him. We were having tea. We… we tried to reason with them, telling them that they would get their money in time." He hated lying so, so much. "They killed my father right next to me. That's where this came from." He pointed to the spots of blood on his collar. In honesty, he wasn't sure who the blood belonged to. That simple fact made him feel sick inside. "Then they killed my mother. I was told to run away, or they would kil me too. I chose Hogsmeade, because it was about as far from London as I could get by train. I just… I don't want to die." By the end, his voice was very small, and he felt very young and scared. It was true. He really, really, didn't want to die.

For a while, the two young men stayed silent, and it was clear that Harry wasn't quite sure what to say. He shoved his glasses further up his nose again, though they were still no further down than when he'd last pushed them up. His face looked suddenly nervous, and he looked down at his hands. "My parents are dead, too."

Instantly, guilt at his lies came and flooded his heart. He turned away for a moment, letting the pain engulf him for a single moment before turning back. "Jesus Christ. Really? I'm sorry."

"Nah, it's okay. I was only one when it happened. I don't remember them, not really. Everything I know was told to me by my aunt and uncle. They're not too fond of me- they were thrilled when I told them I'd been accepted at this far-away private university, and even more so when I told them I'd gotten a scholarship, so the cost was reduced." Harry was rambling, his hands pulling at a loose string in his shirt as he spoke. Draco felt a stab of pity for the boy, then shoved it away. The last thing he needed was pity- pity never helped anyone, least of all the person who was being pitied.

Draco hesitated before speaking. "What is it that you know?"

"They were murdered. Somehow, they'd offended this psychopath or something, and he burst into our house on Halloween and killed them both. My dad tried to fight him with his bare hands— it was horrible. My mother died protecting me." He paused, and something flashed behind his eyes. In that moment, Draco knew that Harry Potter remembered more than he let on. He remembered that night on Halloween what must have been seventeen years ago. He remembered his mother being murdered. "And then someone came- I don't know who, or how many, but something made him leave. But… not before he gave me this."

Slowly, with a shaking hand, Harry lifted his bangs, revealing a small scar on his forehead in the shape of lightning. "Why would he give that to you, if he didn't kill you?" Draco asked, trying to keep the curiosity out of his voice.

Harry grimaced. "I don't know, but my personal opinion is that it's a promise that one day he'll find me, come back, and finish the job." To his surprise, the black-haired boy shurgged, and let his bangs fall. "But until that happens, I'm going to live like he won't. No point living my life in fear over something I don't know for sure, right?"

Draco smiled, but this time he knew for certain that it didn't affect his eyes. "Right." He said, and he turned to look out the window.

About half an hour later, during which the two boys had sat in silence, digesting the stories they had shared with the other, the train slowed to a halt, and a automated message sounded. "This is the final stop. Please gather your luggage and make your way off the train. Thank you."

Harry jumped to his feet, his face filled with excitement. "C'mon, Draco!" He threw out the name casually, as if they'd known each other for years. Draco felt a swell of affection for the other boy. He had mentioned his name once, and mentioned his preferred 'nickname' only once, and yet Harry had remembered, and had clearly decided they were friends. Draco had never had a friend before.

He followed the young man down to where the luggage was held, and watched as he pulled out a truly enormous trunk. Harry turned around, noticed Draco had no trunk or luggage of any kind, and frowned. "What about your- oh, right. Sorry." He winced, and looked suddenly guilty.

"No, it's fine." Draco insisted. "I'll be fine. I've got a little money, I should be able to get along well enough until I get a job. You don't need to worry about me." Deep down, he wanted someone to worry about him. He wanted someone to care, he wanted a friend, and he wanted Harry to be that friend.

Harry stood there, looking incredibly conflicted. He opened his mouth to speak, and Draco felt hope rise in the pit of his stomach— when they were interrupted by a booming voice.

"'Ello? Anyone in there? Got instructions from Dumbledore ter take a Mr. 'Arry Potter up ter Hogwarts." The voice was loud and gruff, and clearly unrefined. Glancing at each other apprehensively, the two boys darted out of the train, and came face-to-face with an enormous man, nearly seven feet tall and very bulky. Most of the features of his face were hidden by his enormous bushy beard, but his brightly shining eyes were clear. Once he laid eyes on the two, he grinned. "Ah, 'ello! Yeh must be 'Arry– yeh look just like yer father, but yeh have yer mother's eyes." Then the man's eyes shifted to Draco, and he winced. "But who're you? Yer not on my list."

"My name's Hyperion Black. I'm not here to attend Hogwarts, not unless you'll take me. I just need someplace to stay, and a place to work… please." Tears prickled in his eyes, but Draco tried to ignore them. He never cried, let alone in front of a stranger who looked like he could rip someone limb from limb without a second thought.

The hard eyes softened. "Yeh've got nowhere ter go? Well, Dumbledore's never been one ter let kids stay out in the cold. Come with me and 'Arry to Hogwarts. I'll see to it yeh get in." He straightened his shabby, filthy suit, and held out his hand for Harry's trunk. "Come on, yeh two. It'll be dark soon." He pulled out a flashlight from his suit pocket, and glaced at the two boys with a smile. "Don't worry. It'll all be fine."

Draco wished that he could believe that.

"M'name's Rubeus Hagrid, and I'm the caretaker of the grounds at 'Ogwarts. You can call me Hagrid, though. Everyone does." The man seemed to be cheerful, and the type that took pleasure in the simple facts of life. Despite this, it was clear that Rubeus Hagrid was no fool. Draco was sure he could hold his own in a test of wits.

Harry glanced between Hagrid and Draco, looking nervous. "And you're sure that this Dumbledore bloke won't… I dunno, send him back to London, or anything?" He pulled on the loose string in his shirt again, and then tried to flatten his hair (Draco wasn't even sure why he attempted, it simply popped back up again). Why did he care so much about a boy covered in blood who lied about everything in his past, and one who he hardly knew? It made absolutely no sense.

"'Course I'm sure!" Hagrid said, sounding almost offended by the thought. "Dumbledore's the best man I know, he'd never send a potential student in need back ter someplace where they've got trouble." He hesitated. "'Sides, that's what he did with me. Not a lick o' money, not a family ter go back to. Should'a thrown me out, but he let me stay. I owe him a lot, Dumbledore."

For a little while, the trio walked in silence. Eventually, the big man stopped in his tracks. "Yeh said yer name's Black? Wouldn't happen to be a relation of Sirius Black, would yeh?"

Draco's blood ran cold. He'd never met the 'Black Sheep' of the Black family, but he'd heard plenty of the stories. Apparently, he'd ended up in prison at some point, but for doing what he wasn't sure. All he knew was that he abosultely hated everyone in his family, and had done all sorts of terrible things to prove it. Should he tell Hagrid the truth, or let yet another lie bind him?

"Actually, yes. He's a distant cousin of mine." Finally, the truth. "I've never met him though." He hated his family too, really.

Hagrid's face brightened. "Well, then! I can leave yeh at his house here, and then I can go talk ter Dumble-"

"Wait." Draco said, his eyes wide. "He's here? I'd heard that he was in prison!"

The giant man snorted, and shifted the flashlight to his other hand. It was quite dark, and so it was difficult to see the grounds, but he could tell that they were very well kept. "Nah, he got out a couple'o years ago. Some new evidence surfaced, and- well, not my place to say, really. Yeh can ask 'im yerself. He lives just over here."

Draco and Harry followed, a little nervous. Harry leaned over and whispered, "Are you sure about this?" to Draco with wide eyes.

All Draco could do was force himself to smile, showing his teeth in a way he rarely did. "Oh, yeah. My mum told me stories about him all the time. He'll be fine." Deep down, he was thinking about how all he wanted was to not be horribly murdered by a man who he'd been constantly informed was extrememly unstable. So, despite his reassuring smile, the silent 'I hope' in his w0rds was enough to make Harry push his glasses violently up his nose.

The house of Sirius Black was small, and a little run-down, but it was cozy. There was an attempt at a flower garden, though the flowers seemed to be a bit neglected. Despite himself, Draco found that he really liked the place. Hagrid knocked heavily on the door. A moment later, the frantic barking of a large dog sounded, and then they heard the scuttling of paws on hard flooring, and then angry shouting from a man with a hoarse voice. After that, the door opened, revealing a thin, pale man with shoulder-length black hair, the beginnings of a beard, and dark eyes.

"Hagrid? What the fuck are you doing here in the middle of the night?" Sirius growled, looking tired and thoroughly unamused. Suddenly, an enormous black dog burst out of the house, jumping all over the three of them and licking them happily. Sirius' face twisted into one of annoyance. "Damnit, Snuffles, I said no!" The dog slunk back, whining sadly. "Well?"

At that moment, he noticed the two boys standing behind the groundskeeper. His eyes fell on Harry first. They widened. "Is that-"

"Yea, that's Harry. But that's not why I'm here." Hagrid growled, grabbing Draco by the shoulder and dragging him forward. "This boy here says he's a cousin of yers. Er- what's yer name again?"

Draco stared pleadingly at Sirius, begging him not to react. "Hyperion Black. Hyperion Draco Black. But I go by Draco." The man's eyes narrowed, but then, seeing the desperation in his eyes, relaxed them, and let a convincing (though almost certainly faked) smile cross his face.

"Oh, of course! Draco!" He grabbed him from Hagrid, and ruffled his hair. Draco tried not to grimace. "No wonder I didn't recognize you, last time I even got a picture of you in the mail you were a little kid! I'm assuming you want me to keep him overnight?" He added, glancing up at Hagrid for confirmation. The big man simply nodded. "Alright then. Come on in, Mr. Black."

Draco turned to Harry, who looked much calmer now that it appeared his new friend would be alright. "See you soon?"

"Yeah." Said Harry, his body relaxing further. "Yeah. See you."

The two Blacks watched as the student and the caretaker walked away, before heading inside the house. As soon as the door shut, the smile on Sirius' face vanished, replaced with a suspicious snarl. He backed the blonde boy into a wall, and glared down on him. "You better tell me right now why the fuck Lucius Malfoy's precious son is in my house, or I promise, I will kill you and make it look like an accident."

Draco shrunk in on himself, fear filling his chest. "I'm not here to spy or hurt you, or anything, I promise! I didn't even know you lived here. I just needed to escape London, escape him, and this is about as far away from London as you can get."

The hostility in his eyes faded a bit, and he backed up a little, giving him room to breathe. "Escape? What could Tom Riddle's perfect servant have possibly done to warrant a flee to the opposite end of the country?" He sat down on a comfortable-looking armchair, and pointed to the couch across from him. "Well? Sit down."

He did so, despite the uncomfortable feeling that he was being interrogated. Once he had gotten comfortable, Sirius cast a piercing stare over him, and finally spoke. "Last I'd heard, the completion of your initiation was to take place on the night before your bithday- yesterday, to be exact. So, tell me; what did you do that made you run for your life?"

Draco winced at the harsh wording, and then began. "When I got there, they started by branding me with the Final Mark." He raised his sleeve, revealing the swollen red skin around the rapidly darkening Mark. "So even though I didn't go through with the ceremony, I am scarred forever."

"You didn't do it?" Black said in surprise.

"What?"

He sighed in annoyance, and the black dog, Snuffles, shoved his face under his master's hand. "You didn't kill the poor bloke of some minority that just happened to be wandering about? After the way you were raised?"

He shook his head firmly, and a lump grew in his throat. "No. I couldn't kill her. The moment I saw her, I knew I wouldn't be able to. So I- I just stood there, staring, and she just cried and cried… And then my father came up, since he saw I couldn't do it. He said to just get it over with, and then we could go home and celebrate my birthday…" He paused, feeling the tears burn in his eyes. "And then I stabbed him."

"You what?!" Siruis said, getting to his feet in shock. "Christ above, boy, I'm impressed! I'd never have guessed a Malfoy would have had the balls." He nodded in approval.

But Draco simply shook his head. "That's not all."

"No?" He raised an eyebrow.

"No. Aunt Bellatrix shot at me,-"

"Surprise, surpise." Sirius growled.

He continued. "-and then I panicked. I tried to run, but of course they tried to stop me. My reaction was to fight my way out of the circle, run to the nearest train station, and get as far away from London as I could. If I go back, there's no way L- Riddle won't find me, and kill me. After all, I've wounded- maybe killed- dozens of his most loyal followers."

Black let out a bark of dog-like laughter. "Dozens? I must say, Malfoy, I'm a little impressed. Not only did you go against orders, but you went completely beserk, and proceeded to cause enough damage that some of the bastard's plans will probably be set back!" He paused, and stared at the boy. "You are officially my favorite family member."

Draco snorted. "I'm not so sure if that's a compliment."'

Sirius laughed again. "You're really a lot more like Narcissa than Lucius, aren't you? Well, then, it's rather unfortunate that you so much like that ferretty coward." He got to his feet and headed for the kitchen, Snuffles the dog at his heels. "You want some tea? You could probably use a good pick-me-up."

Relief flooded the boy. Tea. Yes, that would help. When he was a little boy, and he was still learning the rules of the Followers, his mother would make him tea to help him relax. He never once had to ask her- she always knew, and she always knew what kind of tea to make. "Yes, please." He said, and he realized he was already more relaxed and happier.

Sirius noticed and smiled. "Narcissa took good care of you, didn't she?" Draco didn't say anything, simply stared at his hands. "When we were young, she'd make me tea after I got into another fight with my parents. She was over all the time, she and Reggy were real close, but once the shouting quieted she'd come down and make me tea. She was always one of my favorites as a kid." His face darkened. "Until she fell in love with him. No offfense." He added awkwardly.

Draco simply shrugged. The comment about his father bothered him, but he was letting his mind be more occupied with the thoughts of his mother and Sirius as children, comforting each other. He knew that she made the tea as a way to soothe herself almost more so than a way to soothe the person for whom the tea was made. Whether Sirius knew this or not, Draco had no clue. "She hated that my father made me join." He said suddenly. "She hated it. So whenever she saw I was stressed out, she'd make me some tea. We wouldn't talk or anything, we'd just sit and drink our tea. I… I miss her. Do you think she hates me now, for what I've done?"

Sirius blinked, in surprise, and turned away, filling the kettle and placing it on the stove with a small klunk. He clicked the oven on, and moved back to where his young cousin was sitting, his face full of worry. "Hates you? No, I don't. But she's probably angry as hell."

Draco stared. "You're terrible at comforting people."

"You didn't ask me to comfort you." He said with a shrug, leaning back in his armchair, looking perfectly calm and comfortable. At his feet, Snuffles was curled up. He appeared to be falling asleep. "You asked me if your mother hates you. I told you what I thought."

Draco bit his lip. "I just don't see how 'angry as hell' doesn't mean she hates me."

Sirius shrugged. "From what you've told me, it sounds like Cissy is a pretty good mother. And from my experience, good mothers could never hate their children. They'll get very angry for a time, but deep down, there's still love. She doesn't hate you, I'm sure of it." He said, looking as though they were talking about something as inconsequential as the weather. "But, like I said, she's almost certainly epically pissed off at you for stabbing her husband and attacking her friends. You satisfied?"

The blonde boy nodded, his eyes filled with a shade less anxiety than before. "Yeah." He hesitated, and watched as Sirius got to his feet to grab the kettle and pour the now-boiling water into their teacups, teabags already at the bottom. "Why'd you go to prison?"

The man paused, kettle in hand. He paused for a painfully long moment, and then continued pouring the water. When he was finished, he shoved the cup harshly toward the boy, and stared at his own angrily. "You know about that, huh?"

Draco winced at the harsh tone of his voice. It was very similar to the tone Sirius had had when he'd first entered the house. He held the cup in his hands, letting the tea steep. "I grew up hearing about the Black Sheep of the Black Family, and how he disgraced everyone by not joining the Followers and ending up in prison. No one ever told me how you got in, or that you ever got out."

"Well, I'm not going to tell you either. Prison was… the worst thing I've ever experienced in my life, especially since I was falsely accused." He shuddered, and took a sip of his tea. Sirius grimaced, and set it back down. "I grabbed the shitty tea. Sorry. You don't have to drink it if you can't stand it."

Draco took a sip, found that the tea was, indeed, terrible, and set his own cup on the table. He digested what Black had said, staring at the tea cup thoughtfully. He'd been falsely accused… but of what, and how long was he in before his release? Draco had no idea, but he didn't want to upset the man further by continuing to pester him with questions. Instead, he decided, he'd apologize. "Sorry." He said abruptly.

"What?"

"I'm sorry for upsetting you. I didn't realize it was such a sore subject." He wished for tea once more, but this time some adequate-tasting tea, especially if it was like the kind his mother always gave him. He didn't know what it was called, but nothing calmed him down faster. He wished that his mother was here. He wished that he hadn't attacked his father, or anyone else. He wished that he'd never been taken into the Followers.

Sirius Black stared at him, and it seemed as though the gruff, foul-mouthed man could see right through him, and see all his wishes and his insecurities. His dark eyes softened. "You didn't know. It's alright." As suddenly as the softness appeared, it vanished. He cleared his throat. "I'd expect that Dumbledore will want to meet with you tomorrow morning and discuss your admission into Hogwarts. I'd suggest telling him the truth."

"What?" Draco said, the blood draining from his face. "No! How do I know he won't turn on me, or-"

"Calm down." Sirius said with a sigh. "Out of anyone at Hogwarts, the one man you can be sure to trust is Dumbledore. He will do anything to protect a student in trouble, especially if he knows the truth about them. Besides, you could never lie to that man."

Draco shook his head. "I still don't know—"

Sirius threw up his hands in exhasperation. "Okay. How about this- I'll tell you everyone that I'd trust to save my life if need be. Those people you won't need to worry about finding out, because they won't care. Yes?"

"Yes." He conceded, mainly to appease his cousin.

Sirius nodded approvingly, and leaned back. "So. Dumbledore, number one, I'd trust him with anything, and I do. After that… Minerva McGonagall. She's a litte intimidating at first, but once you get on her good side she treats you as though you're her own children. She teaches Chemistry up at the school- insanely difficult. After that, Hagrid. He's a little simple-minded, but he's got a good heart. And then, of course, I'd have to say Remus Lupin. He's one of my best friends, and he just got a job teaching Language up at Hogwarts."

Draco wasn't entirely sure if he could trust Sirius' opinion, but he figured that he'd be able to scope these people out for himself soon enough. If he couldn't trust them, he'd know very quickly. He'd been taught to read people in his training, and he was excellent at it. "Thanks." He said. Even if he decided not to trust these people after all, he appreciated that Sirius cared enough about his peace of mind to give him a list in the first place.

"You're welcome." Sirius said, reacing down to pet Snuffles. "I'd get to bed, if I were you. Could be a really long day tomorrow, and you've had a hell of a time today."

Draco nodded, and stood up. "Really," he insisted, "thanks. I… I don't really deserve all you've done for me tonight. I'm in your debt."

Sirius frowned, and stood up. Snuffles whined in disappointment, and got up. "Draco Lucius Malfoy, you might not think so, but you are a good man, and you deserve all the good in the world. And, as my new favorite family member, you don't owe me a thing except an occasional visit." He was smiling, actually smiling at him, and he ruffled the boy's hair. However, this time it was with genuine affection. "And if you decide to bring your friends along, they're perfecly welcome. Now get off to sleep. You can have my bed."

And so Draco found himself sleeping in Sirius Black's bed, his mind at ease, and his body relaxed. He almost felt happy. As he drifted off, he found himself thinking that maybe, just maybe, he'd be able to find a new life here after all.

Hey, guys, Author here!

Here's your next chapter! This one's a bit longer, which is good.

Honestly, I was surprised when Sirius turned up. He wasn't in my original plan, but he just showed up, and one doesn't turn away Sirius Black. Sorry for his foul mouth, but let's be honest, Sirius would swear a lot in this universe. Especially knowing what I know. (wink)

Let me know what you think! I love to hear from you!

Love,

Trellya 3