"Black. How gracious of you to finally deign to join us," Snape commented, contempt lacing his tone.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at Snape. His younger self would've leapt at the opportunity to get into a fight with the snivelling git. But not anymore. He refused to be baited into petty arguments and fights.

"You're welcome," he said simply, turning away just in time to catch the other man's face turn red with indignation.

Sirius hadn't been expecting the Malfoys. In fact he hadn't been sure what to expect in the first place. He regarded the couple in front of him.

Other than a few fine lines on her face, Narcissa was exactly the same. Pale, beautiful and cold to the average outsider. But he knew better than that.

There was a time when they had been close, almost like siblings, yet it was so long ago he might as well as have been referring to another lifetime.

Sirius had always held only contempt for Lucius Malfoy and time hadn't altered that. He didn't miss his famous cane resting on the desk complete with its silver serpent handle embedded with two emeralds for eyes.

Sirius hated that blasted thing. It had belonged to his father Orion Black once and to Phineas Black long before that. Seeing it in Lucius' possession bothered him more than he cared to admit. Ideally that cane should've belonged to...

Not now, Black.

"So what's this about?" He asked again, this time to Mcgonagall.

"Earlier this morning, Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy were involved in an altercation. The boys are yet to disclose the full details of the events that transpired."

"He broke my bloody nose!"

"To be fair, his nose turned bloody only after I broke it."

Do. Not. Laugh. Don't you dare.

His innocent godson's words were hardly more than a mumble, clearly not intended for anyone's ears and yet Sirius's animagus abilities captured them perfectly.

With tremendous effort, Sirius suppressed a grin and raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the lad, indicating that he'd heard exactly what had been said.

Harry's cheeks turned pink, and he had the good grace to appear at least a little ashamed. He gave Sirius a little shrug.

"And his actions shall be dealt with accordingly, Mr. Malfoy. But first I would like to understand why such an incident occurred. Mr. Pot—"

"Why? What does it matter?"

It would seem that Lucius Malfoy had reached the end of his patience. Pushing back from his chair, he stood and pointed an accusing finger at Harry.

"This boy attacked my son! He is a clear threat to his fellow students!"

Threat?

Sirius smirked involuntarily at the blond man's theatrics. Once a pretentious prick...

"It's plain as day that the Potter boy is an entitled, privileged wretch!"

Sirius' expression lost all traces of amusement.

"Narcissa," the temperature in the room dipped dangerously from the lethal ice in his tone. "Rein in your husband lest he should say something he may come to... dearly regret."

It was a thinly veiled threat and definitely not an empty one.

"Do not threaten my husband," Narcissa snapped, her composure slipping.

"I don't make threats. Only promises. And you should know better than most that I'm a man of my word."

Lucius opened his mouth, clearly outraged but Sirius wasn't quite finished.

"Unless of course he'd like to be reminded about what happened the last time another Malfoy forgot his place. If memory serves, things had gotten quite... messy."

Lucius blanched; fear, anger and humiliation nearly overwhelming him as he recalled that terrible day and he failed to hold back a shiver.

"How dar—"

Narcissa held up a finger and Lucius fell silent.

The cousins stared at each other, the tension between them damn near tangible.

Narcissa barely recognised her cousin anymore. When she looked at him, she saw someone completely different from the boy she remembered.

Someone who shouldn't be trifled with.

She looked up at her husband. "Sit down, Lucius."

It was hilarious how the man's face went from an angry pink to a mortified red. "I will not be—"

"Sit. Down."

Still seething but not foolish enough to make any more of a scene, Lucius returned to his seat.

Mcgonagall looked between the three adults. "As I was saying, we would all like to know exactly what transpired this morning. Mr. Potter, please start from the beginning and explain your actions. We are all aware of the conclusion," she directed the last sentence at Lucius.


Draco Malfoy didn't like how things were looking for him at the moment.

Only a few minutes ago, he'd been certain about how the meeting would go. Lucius would demand that Potter be severely reprimanded for his actions and hopefully, the other boy would spend the term in detention with no prospect of securing the house cup.

But then Black had actually shown up.

He didn't know anything about Potter's guardian other than that he was his mother's first cousin. According to Draco's father, the man was nothing more than a weak, unworthy remnant of a brilliant legacy.

Now that his father had been silenced, Draco's confidence faltered for the first time... ever. Everyone was looking at him and while he normally had no trouble with all the attention he received, he was determined to avoid one person in particular.

Sirius Black was nothing like he had pictured.

Draco would never be so bold as to call his father a liar. Perhaps misinformed or mistaken were more appropriate.

That summer, ever since Black had been acquitted, Lucius had been quite vocal in expressing his disappointment on the matter.

Draco had heard more about Black in that summer alone than he ever had in his entire life. His father had spent a good deal of time condemning the apparently undeserving Lord of the House of Black.

A drunk

A whoremonger and lay about

The blood traitor who abandoned his family

An idle-minded fool

An utter disgrace to respectable society

Draco was genuinely having a hard time associating those descriptions with the man sitting before him. There was absolutely nothing idle, foolish or unworthy about Sirius Orion Black.

Mildly terrifying perhaps.

More importantly, nobody had ever spoken to his father the way Black just had. As though the formidable Lucius Malfoy was no more than a passing inconvenience.

There was definitely an ugly history connecting their families. Something bad enough to actually scare his father.

A powerful man who just so happened to be Potter's new guardian.

How brilliant. As if the famous Harry Potter didn't have enough to gloat about.

"We came to the grounds for practice, but the Slytherin team was already there."

"By my leave."

"Yes, thank you for that crucial input, Severus."

Minerva Mcgonagall deserved a raise. And a drink.

"Flint said they had to train their new seeker. Malfoy. That's when we saw that the entire team had the new Nimbus 2001 series. It was a gift, they said, from Malfoy's father."

It didn't take long for everyone in the room to put the details together.

"It was a gift!" Draco hated the way his voice came out. Small and desperate. "It was Granger who couldn't keep her mouth shut! You should've stayed out of it, Potter."

Harry snapped. He'd heard enough.

"Oh sod off! She only said that because you made fun of Ron and his family! And don't pretend like you didn't say much worse to her after that. You think its fine to say whatever the blazes you like, and no one will dare stand up to you because you're Draco Malfoy!"

"Har—"

"You know what, Malfoy? I'm not even a little sorry I punched you in the face."

"Mr. Pott—"

"Words have consequences!"

"Oh for Merlin's sake, enough with the theatrics, Potter!"

There was a voice in the back of his head telling Draco to shut up. Under different circumstances, he might've listened.

"You're just pissed because I called you what you are! All of you!"

"You shouldn't have called Ron a pauper. Your lackeys rub it in his face every day as it is."

Draco suppressed a mean snigger. He only did it most of the times because the embarrassment on Weasley's face was hilarious. Besides, he'd heard his father belittle Arthur Weasley enough times to understand that it was no big deal.

"You sure as hell shouldn't have called me an orphan! I know what I am. I don't need a daily reminder from you of all people."

In that moment, only two people noticed the way Sirius' expression went slack.

Draco would admit that he shouldn't have said that. But the anger and humiliation had still been raw at the time and so he had wanted someone else to feel worse.

And so he had done the one thing which seemed to come naturally to him: be a prick.

"And you know damn well you should not have called Hermione a filthy mudblood!"

The word reverberated across the room, loud and ugly.

"That is what they're called! The whole lot of them—they're a filthy bunch who don't belong here!"

"Enough, Draco."

The command was absolute and pulled both boys out of their heated argument, towards the person who'd uttered the words.

Narcissa's expression was inscrutable and yet, in that moment, all Draco felt was betrayal.

How could his mother tell him to stop? What had he even done in the first place that was so horribly wrong?

"Me?" He was unsuccessful in masking his disbelief. "What did I even say that was so terrible?"

Draco looked towards Lucius. "It's all you've ever told me, Father. It's what you taught me."

Lucius stiffened at the implication in Draco's words. When he spoke, his voice trembled.

"You heard your mother. You've said enough!" There was a sharp urgency in his tone that Draco didn't understand.

"But... you said..."

"Quiet!"

In all his twelve years, for as long as he could remember, his father had taught him to stay away from muggles and mudbloods, how they were an abomination— lesser beings to be treated as such.

It was one of the first lessons he'd received.

So why, why did he turn his back on Draco now?

A burning heat surged behind his eyes as he looked around the room.

Mcgonagall's disapproval was apparent in her stance while Snape steadfastly stared at the floor. There was a strange pain in his mother's eyes.

As for Potter? There was no triumph on the other boy's face. Only a kind of pity that was somehow worse than his anger.

Black regarded him, his posture careless enough but with shrewd, calculating eyes that seemed to see right through his facade and Draco felt an odd sense of shame.

Which was ridiculous because he hadn't done anything wrong! So why the bloody hell couldn't he get rid of that irritating, prickly feeling?

"Why?"

The question caught him off guard, a blessed distraction from the tears that were threatening to fall.

"What?" He frowned at Black.

"Why is it you feel that they don't belong here? Setting aside what your father has taught you," Black eyed Lucius with outright disgust. "Why do you think muggleborns shouldn't be allowed at Hogwarts?"

No one dared to utter a word. Nobody came to Draco's aid.

"Well because... because they're weak. They know nothing about magic."

Draco's defence sounded weak to his own ears.

"That's why they come here to learn. Just like the rest of you. And if I'm not wrong, some of them turn out to be particularly brilliant, like Hermione Granger. Surely, surely there are other reasons you feel so strongly about this?"

"I—"

"Think carefully before you speak." The words were laced with a hint of warning that he would do well to heed.

Draco racked his brain, trying to find a way to justify his beliefs.

Magic was rare and precious, a gift intended solely for the select few. Affluent pureblooded families had worked hard for centuries to ensure it remained that way.

Their way was better. It always had been. Magic belonged to them. It wasn't meant for outsiders.

Muggles and mudbloods didn't belong.

Right?

And yet when he had looked to his father—the person who'd instilled these beliefs in him— to defend those very values, Lucius had done nothing.

On the contrary, he had tried to silence Draco.

Why?

"I don't know."

His words were hollow, tinged with hurt and answered more than one question. Draco didn't look at his father again.

Mcgonagall's precise tone cut through the thick silence in the room.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy, if you would both please step outside for a moment. Professor Snape and I would like to discuss a few things with your parents."

Draco didn't need to be told twice. Just before the boys could leave, the professor's voice turned stern. "For your sakes, I request you both to kindly refrain from engaging in any further misbehaviour."

Pointedly avoiding each other, the boys walked out of the office.


"Malfoy," Mcgonagall regarded Lucius the way one would a dung beetle crushed under an expensive shoe. "I will say this once and if you happen to possess a modicum of common sense and self-respect, heed my words well."

She didn't give Lucius a chance to retort.

"Your opinion, though obsolete and appalling is your own and you would be wise to ensure it remains that way. It's not my business. What goes on in this school however very much is."

"Hogwarts is and always will be a place of learning for worthy, deserving students, irrespective of their lineage or parentage. Bigotry will not be tolerated here. Is that understood?"

The blond man nodded curtly.

She glowered at him for a beat longer before turning to Narcissa and Sirius.

"Both students involved in the altercation shall face the appropriate consequences. While Mr. Potter's actions are in no way acceptable, Mr. Malfoy was not innocent either."

"Although," Snape cut in, "Potter was the one who displayed a penchant for violence. I believe, in my opinion, Potter deserves a more severe punishment."

Severus Snape: the flag bearer of impartiality.

Sirius scoffed. "Violence? Harry was defending himself and his friends."

"Black. I shouldn't have expected anything better. Of course you would support the boy's actions, coddling him at every step. No wonder Potter is insufferably spoilt."

Sirius clenched his jaw, eyes darkening imperceptibly.

Severus Snape would pay his dues if he continued down his current path. Just not that day.

Instead, he continued like Snape had never spoken.

"Speaking of friends, how is Benny Rowle? Is he still a man of few words?" Sirius inclined his head towards Lucius an eyebrow arched in expectation.

Malfoy flinched at the abrupt, jarring reminder and true, undisguised terror washed over his face. Even Snape clamped his mouth shut. After all, he was one of the people who'd been present that day.

17th February 1975.

Nearly two hundred people, students and professors alike had witnessed the horror unfold right before their eyes. Not a single one of them would ever forget that day.

What happened to Benjamin Rowle was probably one of the most chilling incidents to have tainted the halls of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Some would argue that the boy had deserved every bit of it. But then, even more believed his punishment had perhaps been too harsh... grotesque even.

And yet as he leaned back in his chair, Sirius was the picture of curious insouciance.

"There's no need to dredge up the past, Sirius," Mcgonagall retorted sharply. She hesitated. "What happened to Mr. Rowle was a terrible... accident."

"Of course."

She stared at Sirius; her expression indiscernible.

"Let us focus on the matter at hand. As I was saying, both students shall face the consequences of their actions. Mr. Potter is not a violent boy by disposition and Mr. Malfoy shall do well to mind his language hereafter."

"They're children who made mistakes. I trust that is agreeable to you. Professor Snape, would you care to add anything?"

"As you see fit, Minerva," Snape ground out. He wasn't foolish enough to believe he could go up against Minerva Mcgonagall.

"Excellent."

Harry and Draco were called back inside, and everybody was relieved to note that the lads hadn't strangled each other and were still in one piece... relatively.

"Mr. Potter, I don't think I need to tell you that Hogwarts does not condone the use of physical force against fellow students. See you keep that in mind."

"As for you, Mr. Malfoy, your words today were reprehensible. As I have already told your father, prejudice has no place here. You will do well choose your words wisely."

"I expect you to issue a formal apology to Miss Granger along with your word that this is the last time such an incident will ever occur."

She levelled him with a severe look before addressing both of them. "I trust there is no room for any doubt?"

"Yes, Professor."

"Twenty points from Gryffindor and Slytherin, each. In addition to that you will serve detention thrice a week for the next fortnight. Together."

The boys' faces fell almost comically on hearing the last word.

"Mr. Filch will be monitoring these sessions and will give us updates about the same. I expect you to get along and be civil towards one another."

Two pairs of shoulders sagged in matching disappointment. Just when it couldn't get worse.

"Any such future transgressions, and I can assure you, there shall be no more leniency whatsoever. Are we clear?"

The boys nodded.

"Am I to understand that you shall conduct yourselves accordingly hereafter?"

"Yes, Professor."

"Very well then. That is all."


That's Part II.

Some more drama is underway in the next part, let me know what you get about this one.

How do you think the boys will fare in their detention?