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While the others were celebrating Draco's handling of the Weasley-situation, Draco was worried. The red-hair-incident hadn't happened the first time around.

What had he changed? What else would be different? He did not feel like he had done anything extraordinary that would alter the time line, but how was he supposed to know what was important and what wasn't? He barely even remembered his third year, only the bigger events, like Sirius Black braking into Hogwarts or the Dementor prank pulled on Potter.

Barely back in their common room, their prefects rushed in, their faces pale and sweaty, and told everyone to go back to the Great Hall.

"Do we really have to?" Millicent groaned.

"Now," was the only response she got.

The younger years started to move first. Soon everyone was on their way back.

Draco walked with Crabbe and Goyle. Pansy and Daphne hurried through the crowd to catch up with them.

"What do you think is going on?" Daphne asked the group.

"Something horrible, probably," Pansy theorized.

"Well," Draco said, aware of the most probably cause of their sudden forced departure, "I hope you guys will take good care of me."

"Why?" asked Crabbe.

"Because," he let his hand wander through his long, red hair, "as one of Potter's best friends, Sirius Black might want to kill me, too."

He kept on walking, leaving his baffled friends behind. It was a bit morbid, joking about an alleged mass murderer killing him, but Draco didn't much care.

In the Great Hall they caught up with him again.

"What do you mean?" whispered Pansy frantically. "You don't mean- You don't mean to say he's here, do you?" she laughed hysterically.

Draco didn't answer, just motioned his head towards Dumbledore, as once all the students were in the hall and all the doors were closed, he started to explain. Although explain might have been an exaggeration. "The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle. I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge."

He then proceeded to conjure sleeping bags.

"Seriously?" Pansy screeched. "We are supposed to sleep here? On the floor? And he doesn't even offer an explanation? Why do they need to search the castle?"

"I reckon Draco is right: Black is in the castle. Why else would they act like this?" Daphne offered.

"But he was a follower of Him…" Goyle whispered, "He wouldn't hurt any Slytherins, right?"

Draco looked at Goyle for a second. "He spent what - 12 years? - in Azkaban. I've heard that half the prisoners lose their minds after staying there for only a week. There is no telling what he would or wouldn't do."

"Everyone into their sleeping bags!" The head boy yelled over the excited chatter of the students. "Come on, now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!"

Somehow, Draco was glad this had happened. It meant he hadn't changed things too much. It meant things might still happen the way he remembered them.

Draco could see that his friends were scared. They were 13 and knew that a mass murderer was in their home, of course they were scared. He knew that none of them would be sleeping very well that night.

"How did he get in?" Daphne whispered. "I thought Hogwarts was supposed to be safe."

"Maybe he apparated in?" Goyle reckoned.

"No," Pansy answered. "No one can apparate inside or outside of Hogwarts."

"Maybe he came in disguise. Polyjuice or something," theorized Daphne. "Or he might have just flown in on a broom."

"Maybe," Draco muttered, but he doubted it. He looked at his hair. It was starting to lose its color. Another 30 minutes and he was sure he would be a proper Malfoy again.

"Can't we just give him Potter? That's what he wants, right?" Crabbe suggested.

"Crabbe," Daphne said indignantly.

"What? It's true. I can't be the only one to think like that," he defended himself.

"The lights are going out now!" shouted the head boy. "I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!"

The candles all went out at once. But the quiet chattering went on for a very long time.

The following week the school talked about nothing else. What - or who - was Sirius Black after? How did he get out of Azkaban? How did he get into Hogwarts? What was he going to do now? Where was he hiding?

With every conversation Draco listened to, the theories got wilder and wilder. He once heard a second year Ravenclaw tell everyone how Sirius Black was a ghost and had come through the walls. A Hufflepuff told everyone how he was a vampire. And someone told him Black could turn into a flowering shrub.

If it hadn't been so serious, Draco would have found it funny. Granted, he had an advantage over everyone else – he knew no one would die. At least not this year.

"How is life in Gryffindor tower?" he asked Neville, when he met him in the library on Friday. It was the day Snape had taught Defense. Draco could remember that day clearly and was again relieved that things were still happening the way he remembered them.

Neville looked miserable. "They replaced the Fat Lady with this lunatic, Sir Cadogan – you know, that guy who bothers you on the way to Divination?"

Draco nodded. He knew the guy although he wasn't taking Divination. He already knew more about the future than Divination could ever teach him.

"He changes passwords twice a day! How is anyone supposed to remember that?" Neville complained.

"I'm sure he is just worried about your safety," Draco offered, but found the thought of that crazy knight as a guardian highly amusing. And Neville forgot the password all the time anyway so not much had actually changed.

"And he always challenges me to a duel," Neville continued his rant.

"Have you ever dueled him?" Draco asked, amused.

"Well, no. He is only a painting. You can't duel a painting, can you?"

Draco just shrugged. "Why don't you just organize someone else to guard the entrance?"

"No one wants to... after what happened to the Fat Lady," Neville sighed.

That stopped his rambling, for now. Draco took a deep breath. The following weeks were not going to be easy.

TBC

A.N.

Grin like the Cheshire Cat Thanks for the review :) I love the Weasley twins and I'm sure we'll see more of them in the future :) After all, Draco still has to avenge himself ;)