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Draco was glad to be back at Hogwarts where he did not need to worry about anyone accidentally stumbling upon an escaped prisoner and alleged serial killer in his room. He had enjoyed spending the holidays with his parents and he had had fun having Sirius around, but he also felt like he always had to be on guard and if he weren't he would end up in Azkaban. Being back at school he thought he might finally be able to relax somewhat. But he soon realized that this semester would not be any less exhausting than the last.

Right in his second week back at school, the Slytherin Quidditch team had its second match. Slytherin versus Ravenclaw. Draco really started to hate the Dementors. They did not attack again, but he was quite certain they were responsible for the terrible weather this year. And playing in the rain was just not fun. And it was dangerous, too. But he didn't complain, as Slytherin won their second game as well.

Soon after that, they had another Hogsmeade weekend. Draco and everyone else who knew about Sirius decided to skip Hogsmeade and use the chance to hold one last meeting to discuss their plan to free Sirius.

On his way back from the meeting, Draco and Daphne heard Snape talking to someone. Fearing another unpleasant encounter, they decided to split up and take another route back to their dorm. He walked by a statue of a one-eyed witch, when suddenly Harry Potter was standing in front of him.

"What the-" he stared at Harry with an open mouth. Was this a secret passage by the statue?

Harry didn't know what to say either. His face was sweaty, and his hands were covered in mud.

"Snape's just around the corner, you know?" Draco finally offered and saw Harry gulp.

He should leave. And he should leave fast because Potter had obviously done something against the rules and if Snape found them here, together, he would probably draw the wrong conclusions.

He was just about to leave, but Potter's panic-stricken face told him, that it was already too late. He turned around and saw a smug looking Severus Snape. That couldn't be good.

"And what would you two be doing here?" Snape asked, looking between the two. "An odd place to meet."

"We're not - meeting here," Harry said, "we just – met here."

"Eloquent as always," Draco frowned. This was the end. "But what he's saying is true. I just ran into him here five seconds ago."

"Indeed?" said Snape. "You two have a habit of turning up in unexpected places, and you are very rarely there for no good reason… Come with me, both of you."

While they walked, Draco noticed Potter wiping his hands clean using his robes and looking apologetic at Malfoy.

"What did you do?" Draco mouthed.

Harry couldn't talk with Snape listening. But the look on his face told Draco that they were in a world of trouble. He hadn't even done anything this time. The universe was clearly working against him.

"Sit," Snape ordered, which they did. Snape himself remained standing. "Mr. Goyle and Mr. Crabbe have just been to see me with a strange story."

Harry didn't say anything.

"They told me that they were up by the Shrieking Shack when they ran into Weasley – apparently alone."

Draco frowned. Where was Snape going with this?

But still, Harry didn't speak.

"They stated that they were talking to Weasley, when a large amount of mud was thrown at them. How do you think that could have happened?"

Harry tried to look mildly surprised but if he wasn't able to fool Draco he sure wasn't fooling Snape either.

"I don't know, Professor."

Snape looked at Draco. "I honestly haven't even been in Hogsmeade today." He hoped Snape believed him but as things stood lately, he probably didn't believe anything he said anymore.

"They then saw an extraordinary apparition. Can you imagine what it might have been?"

"No," Harry said.

"It was your head, Potter. Floating in midair."

Draco's jaw almost hit the table. What? He remembered this. He was there, but not this time. The first time this happened. He sincerely hoped Snape didn't notice the recognition on his face.

There was a long silence.

"Maybe they'd better go to Madam Pomfrey," said Harry. "If they are seeing things like-"

Draco couldn't help himself, he snorted.

"What would your head have been doing in Hogsmeade, Potter?" said Snape softly. "Your head is not allowed in Hogsmeade. No part of your body has permission to be in Hogsmeade."

"I know that," said Harry, "it sounds like they are having hallucin-"

"They are not having hallucinations," snarled Snape, and he bent down, a hand on each arm of Harry's chair, so that their faces were a foot apart. "If your head was in Hogsmeade, so was the rest of you."

"I've been up in Gryffindor Tower," tried Harry.

"I have been in the dungeons," added Draco. "I haven't even seen Potter all day!"

"Can anyone confirm that?"

Sirius – was Draco's first thought. He took a few deep breaths. Occluding. He was so screwed.

Harry didn't say anything, either. Snape's thin mouth curled into a horrible smile.

"So," Snape said, straightening up. "Everyone from the Minister of Magic downward has been trying to keep famous Harry Potter safe from Sirius Black. But famous Harry Potter is a law unto himself. Let the ordinary people worry about his safety! Famous Harry Potter goes where he wants to, with no thought for the consequences."

Draco had to agree. Had Sirius really been a serial killer after Potter, it would have been easy to kill him. But he could also see that he was trying to provoke Harry into a confession. He had no proof – yet.

Snape then went on to insult Harry's father, which soon escalated.

"SHUT UP!" Harry jumped up.

Anger management issues, Draco thought amused. It would be funny to watch if he hadn't been in as much trouble as Harry was.

"What did you say to me, Potter?"

Draco sincerely hoped Harry would shut up himself.

"I told you to shut up about my dad!" he now yelled. "I know the truth all right? He saved your life! Dumbledore told me! You wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for my dad!"

What? This was news to Draco.

"And did the headmaster tell you the circumstances in which your father saved my life?" Snape whispered. "Or did he consider the details too unpleasant for precious Potter's delicate ears?"

Harry obviously didn't know what happened. Draco could see that as clear as day.

"I would hate for you to run away with a false idea of your father, Potter," Snape continued. "Have you been imagining some act of glorious heroism? Then let me correct you – your saintly father and his friends played a highly amusing joke on me that would have resulted in my death if your father hadn't got cold feet at the last moment. There was nothing brave about what he did. He was saving his own skin as much as mine. Had their joke succeeded, he would have been expelled from Hogwarts."

Draco gulped. Hadn't Snape mentioned something about Sirius dark disposition over Christmas? Had he tried to kill his godfather?

"Turn out your pockets!" he spat, for the first time in a while addressing them both again.

Harry didn't move and Draco frantically thought about what he had in his pockets. Two old newspaper articles – the one about the Weasley's with the rat on the picture and one about the escape of Sirius Black – and the time turner. Why had he picked today of all days to carry that thing around? Not that the newspaper articles were any less condemning.

"Turn out your pockets, or we go straight to the headmaster!"

Draco's heart was hammering in his chest. He grabbed the newspaper articles and pulled them out of his pockets, leaving the time turner in it, hoping that Snape wouldn't want him to pull his pockets out.

"What is this?" Snape sounded livid. If that didn't look like evidence that he was helping Black and trying to get Potter killed, Draco didn't know what would.

He felt Harry staring at him, but Draco decided to stare on the desk in front of him, not looking either man in the eyes. Snape probably thought he was luring Potter out of the castle and into the hands of Black. And Potter's thoughts were probably not all too different.

"After everything that happened recently I decided to do some research… just out of curiosity," Draco knew it was a mute attempt, neither of them believed him.

"Are you… are you helping him?" Potter finally asked.

"Your pockets, Potter," Snape said, probably needing time to digest all of this himself.

Harry slowly pulled out a bag of Zonko's tricks and a piece of parchment.

Snape picked up the Zonko's bag.

"Ron gave them to me," said Harry.

"Indeed? And you've been carrying them around ever since? How very touching… and what is this?"

"Spare bit of parchment," Harry shrugged.

"Surely you don't need such a very old piece of parchment? Why don't I just – throw this away?"

Snape moved toward his fireplace.

"No!" Harry yelled before he could stop himself.

Draco had to admit, this was nicely played by Snape. He just hoped this, whatever it was, would lead to less and not more trouble for them.

"So! Is this another treasured gift from Mr. Weasley? Or is it – something else? A letter, perhaps, written in invisible ink? Or instructions to get into Hogsmeade without passing the dementors?"

Harry blinked which Snape obviously took as a yes. Draco really hoped this had nothing to do with Sirius. Maybe it would distract Snape from him.

"Did you give this to him?" he barked at Draco.

He was only able to shake his head.

"He didn't," Harry admitted.

"Reveal your secret!" Snape pointed his wand at the map, but nothing happened. "Show yourself!"

Words appeared on the smooth surface of the map.

"Mr. Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business."

Moony? Wasn't that the nickname Sirius had used for Lupin. And if Draco knew of the nicknames, there was no way Snape, who had spent years around the four pranksters and knew of Lupin's secret, had never heard them. He glanced up at Snape. He could read by the look on his face that Snape had indeed heard Sirius and his friends use these nicknames.

Snape stared at Draco. And Draco knew that Snape knew that he knew. Damn.

"Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Moony, and would like to add that Professor Snape is an ugly git."

Draco felt like he would faint any second.

"Mr. Padfoot would like to register his astonishment that an idiot like that ever became a professor."

Draco closed his eyes in horror. Why couldn't Sirius just be a normal guy? Why did he have to do stuff like that?

"Mr. Wormtail bids, Professor Snape good day, and advises him to wash his hair, the slimeball."

Draco was glad he was sitting, he was trembling, shaking all over. Snape probably thought Draco gave the plan how to get to Hogsmeade to Harry to lure him into a dangerous situation.

"After dinner," Snape hissed through gritted teeth, looking at both of them, "you, both of you, will meet me in the headmaster's office. Have I made myself clear?" he sounded dangerous.

"Yes," they both whispered.

They quietly left the office. Draco could hear Snape throwing Floo powder into the fireplace and calling "Lupin!" but then the door behind them closed.

Oh, how everything had gone south. What the hell was he supposed to do now? And meeting Dumbledore? He would surely get expelled. Or worse.

"Malfoy-" Potter began, but Draco interrupted him.

"If I was working with him I surely wouldn't have saved your life during the Quidditch match, don't you think?"

He hurried away, before Potter could say anymore.

It had to happen tonight. If they didn't catch the rat tonight, everything would be over. They would expel him, find Sirius and give him the Dementor's kiss. And Draco would end up in Azkaban.

Of course, he still had the time turner. Before he ended up in Azkaban he would use it to reset the timeline and go back to the way things were. But that would mean that Sirius would die again. Either way, tonight would be the night that would decide the destiny of Sirius Black.

TBC

A.N.: This is not at all how I planned things chapter to go. I just wanted the scene from the book so Lupin would have the map. And I wanted Draco there because it is his pov and without him we wouldn't have seen it. So he needed to be there. But once he was there it was clear that he would need to show what's in his pockets, too. And once I got there, I knew Draco wouldn't get out of this and I knew that Lupin would not be able to deescalate the situation anymore. Especially if Snape really thinks Draco is one step away from killing Harry.

This was actually really exciting to write. I got really scared for Draco. I'm really excited to see where this will lead Draco. I have a few ideas where this story is going but this chapter has shown me, that sometimes a story has a life of its own and even the author isn't in complete control of it. I had actually planned to have the Shrieking Shack scene with the big reveal happen a few chapters ago. It would have been quite similar to the books too. But the Christmas chapters, Sirius being there, him using Polyjuice… it all happened while writing and wasn't previously planned so we'll see where the next chapters lead us.