Chapter Three: The List Evaluated

When Draco woke up, he immediately sensed the man sitting in the room with him. Draco honestly didn't know how, but he could just tell, and he let his instincts take over. He pulled a knife out of his belt- the knife, the one from the initiation, that he'd kept in case they'd found him- and sat up, holding the knife out in front of him, preparing to slit the throat of whoever had invaded his room while he slept.

"My, my, Lucius taught you well." As Draco's eyes focused, he realized that the intruder was an old man, probably in his seventies or eighties, sitting on an uncomfortable-looking chair next to the bed. He had a neatly trimmed white beard and white hair that fell down to his shoulders, and a wrinkled face that was turned up in an amused smile. In general, he appeared to be a kind-looking old man, but his eyes made Draco realize instantly that this was a false assumption. His eyes were a piercing blue, and though his face was smiling, it was clear that the man was scanning Draco and determining if he really was a threat.

Draco cleared his throat, keeping the knife (which, he noted, had spots of dried blood on it) pointed firmly at the man's throat. "Who the fuck are you, and how did you get in my room?" He felt a little guilty about the cursing, he'd been taught not to curse, but that was something from his mother, not his training, and so he rarely followed that particular guideline. He didn't like this man. He didn't like how his face hid his true emotions. This man was dangerous, probably one of the most dangerous men Draco had ever met in his life- and he'd met dozens of dangerous men.

The old man tutted, and his smile widened, even as his eyes grew colder and more calculating. "My name is Albus Dumbledore. I'm sure Sirius told you that I would likely see you today?" He laced his fingers together, and raised an eyebrow in a very passive-aggressive fashion.

This was Dumbledore? This was the man that Sirius trusted more than any other person at Hogwarts, more, it sounded, than one of his best friends? This old man who wore an admittedly convincing mask of deceit, this old man who stunk of danger and lies? Draco liked him even less than he had before, but he decided to lower the knife. It wouldn't do to kill someone that Sirius cleared liked. "Yes. He didn't mention that you'd be watching me sleep." He snapped, feeling unusually standoff-ish. He was feeling much less hopeless about what was destined to become of him today, and more like his usual, sarcastic self. And his usual self had no patience for old men with a face that didn't match their eyes.

Dumbledore chuckled cheerfully. His eyes flashed with annoyance. "Well, it was only for a few minutes. You woke almost as soon as I sat down. As I said- Lucius taught you very well if you can sense a stranger entering a room while you are fast asleep." His voice was less cheerful now, and was revealing a bit more of the calculating nature that Draco had sensed earlier.

"I don't want to talk about Father." He bit out, forcing away the beginnings of tears stinging his eyes. And he didn't. He was feeling a bit better, and if he thought of his father, he'd inevitably think of how the knife felt in his hands as it slid into his father's flesh, the tiny cough and the blood on his lips, the shock and betrayal in his eyes as he slid to the floor- he gritted his teeth and shoved the thoughts away.

"I see." Dumbledore looked like he had deduced something from this simple sentence, and judging from the glint in his eye, he liked what he'd found. Whether that fact- that this man liked what he'd seen in Draco's eyes- was a good thing for Draco himself, he had no idea. He still hadn't decided if he could trust this man at all. "I guess we shall get down to business, then. Sirius has told me everything that you told him last night concerning the- ehem- initiation, and your escape, and while I understand why you may have chosen this town, I must inquire this- why do you wish to attend Hogwarts, when you could easily find a simple job somewhere in town, and live with Sirius?"

Draco paused, and glanced untrustingly at the man out of the corner of his eye. Why should he tell this man anything about him? A little voice answered him. Because he's the only one that can give you what will make you happy at last. He winced, and began to speak. "From the age of seven, I have had no fun, no smiles, no happiness in my life. I- I was supposed to be Riddle's perfect servant, and possibly even be trained to take his place after his death. I'm the perfect human weapon- dead shot, excellent fighter, good at reading people, great at diplomacy- but deep down I knew that there was more to me than that. So… so I ran away, in the hopes that I can be who I really am, and be happy." He hesitated for a moment more, and then finished. "It is my belief that Hogwarts can give me that happiness. It is my second chance."

Even as Draco watched, the hardness and suspicion in Dumbledore's eyes melted away into sympathy and affection. While seeing this made the knot in his heart loosen a bit, it didn't make him like the man any more than he had moments ago. "I'm sure that Mr. Potter will be thrilled to see you in his dorm today, then." The man paused, and Draco felt the X-ray-like feeling of being examined by the head of Hogwarts. "I believe that it is time for you to receive your second chance, Mr. Malfoy."

Maybe this man wasn't quite as bad as he'd thought.

Maybe he could be trusted.

It was several hours later before Draco was actually allowed to go up to Hogwarts. Apparently, he needed to get books and supplies for the school year, as well as some more clothes. He was alright with that bit- he didn't want to see the collar of that damned white shirt ever again- but the buying of schoolbooks was a whole new experience for him. After all, he'd been 'homeschooled' for his entire life; he'd never had to purchase school supplies, they'd always been given to him. He'd never been in a classroom with other people before; he'd always been alone. Hell, he could count the times he'd spoken with a person his age on one hand.

In all, he was terrified of what might happen, and he hoped dearly that Harry would be nearby. He could use some moral support, a friendly face amongst all that was unfamilar and painfully different.

These thoughts consumed Draco during his shopping trip, so he spoke very little to Sirius. Eventually, the man had to actually stop the boy in his tracks in order to get his attention. "Hey. I was asking if you wanted to get lunch. It's been a long time since breakfast, you know? I'm fucking starving."

"Oh." Draco noted the empty, aching feeling in his stomach, and nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good. You know some place good?"

Sirius smirked, and nodded toward a run-down, dirty-looking pub. "Oh, yeah. Hog's Head. Best place in town, even if it's not the cleanest." Seeing the apprehensive look on his cousin's face, Sirius rolled his eyes. "Come on, Aberforth's not going to kill you or anything. He couldn't hurt a fly."

The moment Draco walked in and saw the grey-bearded man with piercing, oddly familar blue eyes, he knew that this man could most definitely hurt a fly, and that he could probably come up with a list of half a dozen ways to hurt the poor insect. He shuddered involuntarily as the blue eyes fixed on him, seeming to scan his very soul. In that moment, he knew who the man was. "Sirius… is this 'Aberforth' bloke Dumbledore's brother, or something?"

Sirius looked extremely impressed. "Fuck. Not many know that, and even fewer figure it out like five bloody seconds after laying eyes on them. Dumbledore was right- they did teach you well."

Draco winced at the words, but at the same time, pleasure that he'd been right filled his stomach. He said nothing as they walked over to the bar and sat down. As it was only lunchtime, the pub was practically empty, and those who were there looked like they rarely left. The barman, Aberforth Dumbledore, set down the glass he was cleaning out with a spectacularly filthy rag and looked apprehensively at Draco. "Who's the blonde blighter?" He said to Sirius.

Sirius rolled his eyes, and leaned forward comfortably. "My cousin. He's alright, Ab. No need to worry about him. I'll have my usual- get one for him, too."

"I'm Hyperion Black." Draco said helpfully. Sirius raised an eyebrow at the alias, but said nothing. "I'm a distant cousin." That part was true, at least.

Aberforth shrugged. "Honestly, mate, I don't give a flying fuck what your name is, as long as you're not a crazy murderer or some shit. Do you want a soda, or water, or what?" He added impatiently, holding up the soda and then pointing to where the water faucet was. Draco pointed to the soda, partially because he'd never had it before, partially because the water that dripped from the faucet looked strangely orange in color, and partially to shut the man up. Ab's words (crazy murderer, crazy murderer) echoed in his head, and the guilt was threatening to overwhelm him again.

Draco popped the tab on the can after a few seconds' confusion, and then took a sip, not entirely sure what to expect. A violent onslaught of bubbles was not it. He resisted the urge to spit it out, and forced the drink down his throat. He grimaced. "Christ, that's terrible. Who the fuck thought bubbles in a drink was a good idea?"

Sirius let out his signature bark-like laugh, and slapped his cousin on the back. "See, this is why you're my favorite. Who else would question the carbonation in a can of soda?" Draco wasn't sure if he should consider that a compliment or not.

Once their food arrived, two plates of delicious-looking fish and chips that you'd never find looking anywhere near as good in London, Sirius dove in, munching the chips as though there were no tomorrow. After a moment's hesitation, Draco too began to eat, savoring the greasy taste- he rarely had such foods back in London. It was excellent. He grinned. "Now, this," he said, eyes closed in bliss. "This was an excellent idea."

Aberforth let out an amused chuckle, despite himself. Sirius smirked, and shoved a large portion of piping fish into his mouth. "Great minds think alike, good cousin." His voice was twisted and mangled with his mouth full of fish.

Draco raised an eyebrow. "While I agree with the statement of my own intelligence, I'm not so sure if the statement of your intelligence is as accurate."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Sounded a bit like Lucius there, you did."

"Ugh." Draco said with a shudder. "I'll try to refrain."

"Good idea." Sirius said, all hints of humor gone.

After they finished up lunch, the two of them bid Aberforth farewell. The old grey-bearded man tried not to smile as the two bid him goodbye, but as they left the Hog's Head, Draco decided that he prefered Ab to his brother.

Once shopping was complete, Sirius dropped Draco off at the entrance to Hogwarts. Hogwarts turned out to be inside a great bloody Scottish castle, a truly beautiful building. The goodbye was a little awkward, but none-the-less heartfelt. The disgraced Black turned to his younger cousin, an awkward smile on his face. "You know, if, uh- if it doesn't work out- at Hogwarts, I mean- you're always welcome at my house. Snuffles and I'd be glad to have you."

Draco smiled a little. It had been a long time since someone had actually wanted him around- in fact, it might be the first time. "Well, I'd hope so." He joked, his genuine smile slipping into a crooked smirk. "We both know the two of us are the best in our family."

Sirius laughed, and ruffled the blonde hair affectionately. "You're a good man, Draco Malfoy. Don't you forget that."

Draco flushed, a little embarrassed by the warm words. He didn't quite agree with that statement, but he wasn't about to regect the compliment. If he was a good man in Sirius's eyes, that was all he could ask for. He'd known him for less than a day, but already Draco wanted to be like his cousin. "So are you, Sirius Black."

Sirius snorted. "You don't know the half of what I've done. But that's a story for another day. Make sure you visit me on breaks- maybe even weekends, if you can get permission. You got that? And don't forget that even if the school ends up turning on you for some reason, I know who you really are, and I'll stand by you."

Tears sprung unbidden in his eyes. No one had ever been so honest and loyal to him. He wasn't really sure how to react. "I'll, uh-" He stopped again, and forced the tears out of his eyes as thoroughly as he could. "I'll come as often as I can. And I'll bring Harry, if he wants to come."

"You do that. And any other friends you make, too."

Draco snorted. "I doubt I'll make any other friends."

Sirius smiled gently. "They'd be fools not to be friends with you."

Before Draco could reply to that, they were interrupted by the voice of a brusque Scottish woman in her late fifties or early sixties, with long grey hair pulled back in a tight bun, and wearing a non-revealing emerald green dress that nearly touched the ground. Despite the dress, it was clear that she was not a woman to be messed with. Her grey eyes were hard with discipline, though not unkind. Draco liked her immediately.

"Sirius, if you'd stop dragging on the goodbyes, I'd like to take Mr. Black up to the castle. He's late as it is, and his roommates are anxious for him to arrive." Her voice oozed no-nonsense, but the fondness she held for Sirius was clear even through her cold tone.

Sirius full-on grinned. "Sorry, Minnie, but I had to make sure he'd visit me. It gets lonely with only Snuffles for company, you know?"

'Minnie' scowled, real annoyance in her eyes now. "I do wish you'd show some respect for your former teacher, Mr. Black. I just recently let you call me Minerva- would you like to be stripped of that acheivement?" One dark eyebrow raised threateningly, and the broad grin on the black-haired man's face flickered for a moment involuntarily.

"No, ma'am." His voice was slightly quieter.

Draco was trying not to giggle at the scene before him. He never thought he'd see the day when Sirius Black cowered before a woman as old as Minerva- though she was a full two inches taller than him, which certainly helped in the intimidation factor. "I thought not." She said in a smug voice. "Now, come along, boy." She said sharply to Draco, who jumped in surprise and grabbed his trunk. "I must give you your time table before showing you to your room."

"Bye." Draco said as he was led off, looking over his shoulder for a moment before turning back to watch as the magnificent castle grew larger.

He heard Sirius shout a response, but the words were lost in the wind.

Hogwarts University was founded over five hundred years ago, Minerva McGonagall (for that's who she was) explained on their walk through the maze of stone passages to her office. Its four founders were all nobles with an interest in education who donoted enormous sums of money to get the school up and running. Thanks to this, the school had four 'houses' so the students could have teams amongst itself for its football team (the sport was practically required to watch, it was so popular) and other competitive clubs or groups.

'Houses' were decided through a personality test, and each had a different name from one of the four founders. They did not decide roommates, however- in fact, roommates were decided months before the 'Sorting Test' that occurred the first full day of class. McGonagall herself was head of Gryffindor house, and very proud of it.

Eventually they made their way to her office, where Minerva printed off a times table for him and gave him a map. "It's easy to get lost in this place, so we give a map to all students. All the same, the first week of classes no one is punished for tardiness. After that, however, you will be punished- unless you can prove that it was not your fault. Is that understood?"

Draco nodded numbly. McGonagall nodded, clearly pleased. Suddenly, however, her face softened. She leaned forward, and her eyes were positively gentle. "I thought I'd let you know, Mr. Malfoy, that I know who you are and how you came to be at this school. And I'd like to tell you that I don't give a damn."

Draco blinked surprised at the aging woman's passionate words. She straightened, and she looked both powerful and graceful. "You are a student, and every student deserves the same chance to succeed and be happy as the next. So, I wish you the best of luck in reaching your goal." Her eyes hardened again, and she got to her feet. "Now, come, Mr. Black. Your roommates are waiting for you."

His room was in the top of a tower, at the top of a very high spiral staircase that Draco sensed he'd quickly grow to despise. "Christ, this is high up." He muttered under his breath, his legs aching and his lungs burning. He was in good shape, but that didn't make the climb any less difficult. How Professor McGonagall could make the climb without panting was beyond him.

"Wait until you see the Astronomy tower." She said wryly.

Draco blinked. "We have an Astronomy class?"

She chuckled. "You do. On such short notice we couldn't ask your preference for classes, so we simply put you in all the General Education classes. You can add other courses in later years."

Draco didn't say anything, but he was thrilled. He'd always loved the stars- he was named after some of them, after all. Back in London, there had been very few visible stars, with the smog and what-not, but occasionally Riddle would allow he and his family to visit their other manor-house out in the country, and from there it seemed he could see every star in the sky. Stars were calming to him, they helped him forget the terrible things in his life, and he was happy to have an excuse to watch them.

They passed a series of landings, each leading to what he assumed to be a set of rooms. Once they reached the very top of the tower, he was faced with four heavy wooden doors. "The left two are men's dorms, the right women's." McGonagall explained. "Those two women's rooms are the only two on this side of the castle. Why they designated them on this side is beyond me. The far left door, number one, is yours."

Draco approached the door with some trepidation, and opened it. He was faced with a bright little room, cheerfully decorated with bright paintings, a large window in the bck of the room. Three four poster beds were arranged in an awkward configuration about the room. It was clear that one of them had been hastily brought up, judging by how it didn't quite allign with the other two. Sitting on the bed on the left of the room was a young man about Draco's age with bright red hair and hundreds of freckles. He was quite thin, and appeared to be fairly tall and gangly. His eyes were shockingly blue, and overall he seemed a likeable fellow.

"Hullo." Said the boy, a little awkwardly. "I'm Ron. Ron Weasley. Are you, err, Hyperico, was it?"

"Hyperion." Draco corrected, equally awkwardly. "Hyperion Black. I usually go by Draco, though- it's my middle name." The lie burned his throat, but it sounded truthful. Professor McGonagall was giving him a piercing look, which only added to his feeling of discomfort. "Err, if you're my only roommate, then why are there three-"

Ron laughed. "I'm not your only roommate, mate. Harry's down in the toilet, but he'll be up in a second."

Draco's heart gave a great leap of hope. "Harry? Not… Not Harry Potter, is it? Black hair, glasses?"

Ron blinked, looking a little surprised that this stranger knew who he was talking about. "Yeah, as a matter of fact. How do you know him?" He sounded a bit suspicious now. "You from the same town, or something? Because he didn't mention any friends from his hometown, and-"

Draco interrupted him. "We met on the train here, and talked a while. He seems like a good bloke."

"He is." Ron said with a nod of his head, looking a bit more relaxed.

They were interrupted as Harry came up from the bathroom. It was Harry Potter, the boy who had quite possibly become Draco's first-ever friend. His face lit up as soon as he saw his friend. "Draco! I knew I was getting another roommate, but I didn't think- out of all the rooms in the castle- this is great!"

He came over to the blonde boy and hugged him tightly. Draco wasn't sure how to react to this. He'd gotten very few hugs in his lifetime, and most of those were from his mother. For a moment, he panicked, unsure what to do, trying to decide whether or not he was okay with the situation, before he finally allowed himself to gingerly hug back, hoping it wasn't to soft or too hard or too weird.

Harry released him after a while, and stepped back, looking a little amused. "Not much of a hugger, huh?"

Draco felt his cheeks burn bright red, and suddenly he was stammering. "No… My family's n-not a very, er, affectionate family, uh, well, weren't a very affectionate family, uh-" He sounded like a bumbling idiot, how was this going to give him friends? He felt the first beginnings of tears in the corners of his eyes, but he banished them away.

From the bed, Ron snorted. "We don't bloody care whether or not you like to be hugged, Black. If we're gonna be honest, I don't really enjoy hugs either. It's all good here, understood?" Draco felt a rush of respect for Ron, and decided that they would probably be good friends. The thought made his heart lighter.

"Yeah, seriously, mate." Harry said with a grin, light reflecting off his glasses. "If you're ever uncomfortable with something, just say so, we don't bite."

"Well, not usually." Said Ron cheerfully, leaning back on the bed in order to make himself more comfortable. "Sometimes I just can't control myself, you know?"

The three of them were suddenly all laughing. It felt strange to Draco- to laugh with friends was something he'd never experienced before, but it felt right. Like something dark in his chest was loosening. He felt like he was becoming more who he could have- should have- been.

They were interrupted by the no-nonsense voice of Professor McGonagall. "Just as a reminder, remember that classes start tomorrow, and that we do not tolerate mischief-makers. Rule-breakers will be punished. I better not hear of any trouble with the three of you, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." They chorused meekly, all laughter extinguished at once.

"Good." Minerva McGonagall said fiercely, before turning on the spot and traipsing back toward the spiral staircase. She was most definitely not a woman to cross, Draco decided. He wanted to keep on her good side.

As soon as she fell from view, Harry shut the door and collapsed on his own bed. Ron spoke from his own, now sitting up once more. "I dunno about you two, but she terrifies me."

"Agreed." Said Harry with a slight smile.

"Definitely." Draco said. "But I trust her."

Harry looked at Draco, seeming to be a little startled by something he said. "Of course she can be trusted! Why wouldn't she?"

Draco hesitated, trying to think of how to describe his distrust of almost everyone he met, and how that distrust had been with him for as long as he could remember, without actually mentioning his true past. "I don't trust very many people." He finally said. "I don't know why. All my life, instead of people, I've seen threats." Part of this was due to his training, but even before that he would scream whenever he saw a stranger. "So anyone who I trust immediately… well, they're pretty special."

"Do you trust us?" Harry asked, gesturing to himself and Ron. He looked nervous, like he was afraid of rejection, and Draco realized that the black haired boy was just as sensitive as himself.

So, he looked Harry straight in the eye. "Yes." He said. And it was true. He couldn't help but trust Harry and Ron. He felt that they were destined to be friends, and for him, that meant they must be trustworthy. "I can already tell that I can trust you two with my life."

"With your life? Bit dark, isn't it?" Ron said, looking a little confused.

Draco hesitated. "There's a reason I was late for the start of term." He said, knowing that he'd have to tell Ron his lies sooner or later. The redhead looked even more confused, so he continued. "Two nights ago, my parents were murdered right in front of me as we had tea. I had to run for my life… I chose here." He hated lying. He hated that the lies were already starting to become natural on his lips. He hated it.

"Your parents are-"

"Dead, yes." His voice cracked involuntarily. Suddenly all he could see was the knife in his hand as it plunged into his father's stomach, the look of stunned betrayal in his father's eyes, the pain in them as he collapsed to the ground… The ground seemed to swim for a moment. Draco sat down heavily on the open bed, trying to let his vertigo fade so he could stand again. "Sorry." He said quietly. He closed his eyes tightly, the images swimming in his vision even more, and he could see all the people who fell to his knife, see the confusion and the shock, see the blood pooling on the ground, the blood on his shoes, the blood on his shirt, the blood everywhere. He opened his eyes and looked at his hands. They were clean… somehow. He should see blood on them. He was a murderer, after all.

"-okay, mate?" It was Ron, who had apparently gotten up and was sitting on the floor in front of him, trying to call him back to reality.

"What?" Draco said involuntarily, his vision still swimming and his voice embarassingly shaky.

Ron was looking at him with an expression of worry, not pity, and when he noticed the other boy's eyes focusing, he smiled in relief. "There. It'll be okay, Hyp. You've got two new friends who are willing to help you through it, if you'll let us."

Though he was relieved by the words coming from the redhead's mouth, one thing really stuck out to him. "Hyp?"

Ron's ears turned slightly red. "Well, your name is Hyperion, and I thought I'd-"

"I like it." Draco said. And he did. Falling further away from his true name would give him a bit more security, and make this second chance more separate from his real life. No, his old life. This was his real life now.

Harry and Ron both grinned widely. It was easy to see they liked the idea of a nickname more personal to the three of them, instead of the more widely used 'Draco'. "Well, then, Hyp, it's nice to meet you." Ron said cheerfully, sticking out his hand for the blonde boy to shake.

"Nice to meet you too, Ron." Draco said.

A few moments later they were interrupted by a knock at the door. The three exchanged confused glances, before Harry opened the door, revealing a thin, sickly looking man with several long scars across his face. "Hello, boys." He said, smiling thinly. He looked exhausted. "I'm Professor Lupin, and I'm the teacher supervising this tower. I'm required to tell you that if you need anything, you come to me before the Headmaster. But honestly, if you just want to chat, I make a mean cup of tea."

Remus Lupin, Draco thought. The last person on Sirius' list. He trusted him immediately. "Dr- well, Hyperion Draco Black, sir. I'm a distant cousin of Sirius'. He told me you were one of the people he trusted with his life. I can already see why." He held out his hand for the professor to shake.

The tired-looking man shook, suddenly looking intrigued. "A cousin, you say? One he gets along with? That's unheard of. I'll need to get to know you, Mr. Black." He smiled, and suddenly he looked much younger.

"Are you ill or something?" Ron asked curiously.

Harry winced and smacked the boy upside the head, but Lupin only chuckled. "It's alright. My health has… never been the best. My parents took me to Africa when I was a boy, and I caught tuberculosis. I nearly died, and… my lungs have never been the same. I have asthma too, you see, so the climb up can get difficult."

Draco looked curiously at the ran diagonally across his face, and seemed to come from an animal. "What are the scars from?"

Lupin hesitated before speaking. "Believe it or not, a bear. But that's a story for another time. You three can come and visist me whenever you like. What are your names, again?"

"Hyperion Black."

"Ron Weasley."

"Harry Potter."

Lupin froze. "Harry Potter?" He said in a very strange voice. "Son of Lily and James Potter?"

Harry frowned deeply, surprised that this teacher knew him. "Yeah, but how do you know-"

"I was good friends with your parents in school." Lupin explained, a glint of happiness in his eye. "Sirius too, as a matter of fact. Actually, unless I'm quite mistaken, Sirius Black is your godfather. He lives down in Hogsmeade. You should visit him sometime, get to know him. He'd do almost anything for James's son."

Draco felt his jaw drop. Sirius was Harry's godfather?!

"Now," the professor said, straightening, "I must drop into the other three rooms on this floor, and then I can head down. Remember that offer of tea." And then Remus Lupin left the room, leaving the three boys quite speechless.

Hey, guys, Author here!

SSOOOOO sorry about the long wait for this chapter, but I was gone from home for a solid month, and then I simply had next-to-nothing in the 'inspiration' department.

Anyway, I'm getting back into the feel of this story, so hopefully chapters will come slightly more regularly.

I love you all! Please review!

Love

Trellya