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Draco spent the whole afternoon with Dumbledore and only saw Neville again at dinner. He was waiting for him in front of the entrance to the Great Hall.

"How did it go?" he asked as soon as he spotted Draco.

Draco was relieved to notice that Neville did not seem at all mad at him for all the lying and the confessions he had made.

"Pretty good," he smiled. "I'm totally exhausted, though. Had to work through several of my memories with him. Quite the draining experience, but I feel a lot better now." It was not over, though. They had only managed a small fraction of all the memories he possessed. He would have to meet Dumbledore several more times to cover the gist of things and then probably some in more detail.

Neville smiled too. "That's good. Is he going to do something about… You-Know-Who?" he whispered.

Draco just shrugged his shoulders. "He didn't really tell me what he's thinking or planning. He just listened to everything I had to say, and I showed him a few memories-"

"Draco!"

Both boys spun around to see a smiling Daphne approaching them. To Draco's immense surprise, she hugged him. He thought back on how the Golden Trio had become friends after the troll had attacked them in their first year. He overheard one of them saying that one couldn't survive a life and death situation and not become friends. Now he knew what they had meant. His worries, that the whole affair with Sirius would damage his relationships had been unfounded. If they hadn't all been friends before, they definitely were now.

"I was so worried about you, when you didn't show up for lunch," Daphne said. She turned to Neville and smiled, "Hi, Neville." But then she turned back to face Draco and her smile dropped. "Where have you been? You left me completely alone with all the questions people had!"

"I'm sorry. Dumbledore wanted to speak to me." When would the lies ever stop, he asked himself and avoided looking in Neville's direction. "What did you tell them?"

"Not much. But Weasley told the whole school how Sirius is innocent and how we were all attacked by Pettigrew and that we had to fight a serial killer, Dementors and the beasts of the forest, all at once. Not sure if people believe him, though."

Draco snorted. Typical. That boy had always had the tendency to exaggerate his stories in a way that no one would believe him. At least none of the Slytherins and Ravenclaws. His housemates probably enjoyed the story and believed every word their heroes told them.

He scratched his head. What did he want people to know? Or the Slytherins, for that matter.

"Can't you just tell them the truth?" Neville asked.

Daphne and Draco looked at each other and Draco frowned.

"That we helped Potter fight a supporter of You-Know-Who?" Daphne asked tentatively. "Not sure how that'll come across."

Neville looked at her, furrowing his eyebrows. "No. But you could say that you were attacked by a serial killer and then fought the guy who was responsible for His downfall."

Daphne stared at him, mouth agape. "Wow. We might make a Slytherin of you yet." She looked quite amused. "That might work. What do you think, Draco?"

Draco thought this over. It was an answer that wasn't too revealing. They weren't defying Voldemort but they also weren't supporting him with this answer and everyone could read into it whatever they wanted. "I like it," he finally said.

They made their way into the Great Hall and Draco was greeted enthusiastically at the Slytherin table.

"Draco!" Crabbe yelled, happily. "You are back. And alive!"

Draco smiled. "Was that ever in doubt?"

"Rumors," Pansy shrugged. "Where have you been?"

"Infirmary, headmaster,…" he shrugged his shoulders. He looked at the staff table. Dumbledore was twinkling in his direction and Snape was watching him, too. He didn't look wary or mad, but he was still watching him.

They ate in silence until Pansy couldn't keep it in anymore and practically exploded. "What happened? You have to tell us. I am pretty sure that half of the crap Weasley is rambling about never happened."

Draco looked at her, amused. "How would I know what he's been talking about?"

Pansy glared at him.

"Okay, okay," he looked at Daphne, who nodded her head. "After the prank I pulled on Gryffindor-"

"That was genius," laughed Theodore Nott and the others nodded in agreement.

"Was about time someone got back at those blasted twins. Pranked me five times already, this year," Crabbe grumbled.

"Well, I was with McGonagall and Snape," Draco continued, aware that the whole table was listening to his tale, and probably everyone else who sat close enough to listen, "when Lupin came in and told them that Daphne and Astoria were attacked by Black in the Forbidden Forest." That much was true, at least. "So I went there to help them." Well, he was helping them. "There we figured out, that it wasn't Black who had worked for the Dark Lord, but Pettigrew, who is still alive."

"How did he do that?" Pansy asked.

"Illegal Animagus," answered Daphne. "The rat of the Weasel."

"Wait-" Pansy interrupted again, "he had a grown man in his room all the time? In his bed and in his pants and… and wait- there was a serial killer in our classroom the whole time?"

"Apparently. It's pretty weird if you think of it like that," Draco mused.

"Pretty damn weird if you ask me," said Nott.

"Why didn't he attack sooner," Pansy asked.

"I don't think he really supported any side of the war," Daphne said, "he's a coward who helped whoever he thought would win and he would have changed his allegiance again if things had looked differently. And he hid because neither side wants him. He betrayed Dumbledore, but he is also the reason why He was defeated…"

Draco nodded his head in agreement.

"How did you get into the middle of this?" asked Millicent, looking at Daphne.

"Uhm-" Daphne hesitated for a second. "Astoria and I were close when Black confronted Pettigrew. Maybe he thought he could use us as hostages or that we would help him or something."

She was a good liar. Draco had to remember that.

"I don't know how the Gryffindorks found out about this, but somehow they always seem to get mixed up in that kind of stuff, so it isn't really that surprising," rambled Draco, "but they, us and the professors ended up in the Forbidden Forest, together with Black and Pettigrew."

"Oh, it was terrible," whined Daphne. "Pettigrew attacked Astoria. She was bleeding everywhere and I thought she would- I really-" she let out a sob and Pansy rubbed her back.

"It's okay," Pansy hushed her. "She is fine now."

They all had become quite fond of Astoria, so they looked rather shocked.

"Snape saved her," Draco continued. "She wouldn't have made it without him," he whispered quietly.

They all went silent for a while.

"What happened then?" asked Goyle.

"The dementors started to attack us, too. It was really a rather hopeless situation. Dumbledore saved the day, getting rid of the Dementors. But Pettigrew got away and the Aurors got Black."

"Are they gonna kiss him?" asked Crabbe excitedly.

"I think," Draco said, "being a Black and all, he might get a trial."

That seemed to satisfy their curiosity, for the time being. Draco got to finish his meal in comfortable silence. When he got to his room later, he fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.

TBC

A bit of a filler, I know. I spent all day at university (and it is a Saturday so it was especially depressing) and then had to work all night and only had little time to write.

If anyone has any ideas or suggestions how the story could go on, I am open for suggestions.

Have a great weekend, everyone.