A.N.

Thank you for all the lovely reviews. Each and everyone of them made me smile and they really do keep me motivated to keep writing and posting every day.

I am also rather happy with how things are going. I'm trying to do things differently than most time travel fics I have read so far, and I have read a lot. This is also one of the reasons why I chose Draco for this story. There aren't a lot of time travel fan fictions evolving around him (there are tons about Harry, Severus and Hermione). He has also gone through some major developments, which make him interesting to write. He doesn't know everything and isn't perfect, which is also nice. He knows enough to be able to change things but not enough to do it without any problems. And I like when things could have theoretically happened and the thought that the Draco from the play used his time-turner to go back and save Astoria is not too outlandish, I hope.

I also try to not just retell what happened in the books. It is also really important to me, that things aren't just going smoothly. I want the story to stay interesting, exciting and unpredictable for a long time.

I think that Draco has the mind of a grown up but that his body and the hormones and everything also make him a bit of a teenager.

I am trying to improve my writing and right now I am focusing on the "show, not tell" aspect. I want to show the theory behind time travel (I have thought about that a lot and I have worked out a neat theory that makes sense so there shouldn't be any huge logical mistakes in the story regarding that) and tackle the philosophical questions through the way the story progresses and the way the people act and not by explicitly stating them.

But enough about me, as always: Read, enjoy and review :)

The next day was a Monday and Draco was in no mood to go to classes. Was that why Potter had always waited for the last week of school to go on his stupid adventures? Draco just wanted to roll over and bury his head in his pillow. But his first period that day was Potions and he did not want to anger Snape, so he fought his way out of bed.

Breakfast was a quiet affair. That was, until the owls flew in with the morning post, dropping the Daily Prophet in front of many students, Draco included. He shooed the bird away to finish his porridge. The chatter around him increased, but he didn't mind.

"Draco," Pansy elbowed him.

"Wha-?" he asked, his mouth full of porridge.

Pansy motioned her fork towards the paper in front of him. Draco could only see part of the headline:

SIRIUS BLACK C-

To read the rest, he had to unfold the paper. Draco almost choked on his porridge and hastily opened the newspaper.

SIRIUS BLACK CAUGHT, CLAIMS INNOCENCE (24 January 1994)

BY E. LIMUS

Sirius Black, possibly the most infamous prisoner ever to be held in Azkaban fortress, and who escaped 6 months ago, eluding capture although even Muggles were on the lookout, was caught Saturday night at Hogwarts by two Professors. Surprisingly, Black claims to be innocent. A claim, which is supported by several, highly influential, wizards, such as Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and Harry Potter, the boy who lived.

The Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, who has been criticized for how he has handled the situation so far, said that Black, although he believes him to be dangerous, powerful and vindictive, deserves a proper trial. The trial is set for August. In the meantime, Black will be held in a high security holding cell at the ministry.

Draco only skimmed the rest of the article. It summarized what supposedly happened roughly 13 years ago and gave a distorted version of the events at Hogwarts, not mentioning Pettigrew.

All things considered, he was quite happy with the article. It didn't sound like Sirius was innocent and it wasn't completely accurate, but it meant that his parents had succeeded and Sirius would get a trial. And if he, his parents, Dumbledore, Lupin and Potter would testify, there was surely no way they would find him guilty. He succeeded in convincing Snape, who hated Black – how much harder could a bunch of people in the Wizengamot be?

Draco looked over at the Gryffindor table and saw that most people had their heads buried in the paper, too. Neville looked over and he flashed him a smile.

He then looked at the head table. Dumbledore seemed rather happy with himself. Snape looked grim.

Potions was okay. Draco had worked with Crabbe, which had been a stupid idea to begin with, because he almost blew the whole class into tiny bits and pieces. But other than that, it was rather normal.

Draco decided to be pro-active concerning the relationship he had with his godfather and stayed in the classroom after the lesson was over.

"Professor?"

Snape looked at him but Draco couldn't read his expression. "Yes?"

"I just wanted to apologize."

"Whatever for?" Snape asked evenly.

Draco walked closer to the desk Snape was sitting at. "Lying."

Snape nodded his head. "You did what you thought was the right thing to do. However, I do hope that you know that you could have talked to me about this."

"I know," Draco said, dropping his head. "I thought I could deal with this on my own. But I couldn't. And Black said you hated him, so I wasn't sure if you would believe him. I should have told you. I should have asked you for help. I am sorry."

Snape scrutinized him. "He isn't wrong. I do indeed hate him. But this wouldn't have stopped me from helping you."

"Why do you hate him so much?" Draco asked.

Snape's look darkened.

"I am sorry, sir," Draco immediately said. "I shouldn't have asked. It is none of my business."

Snape let his eyes wander through the classroom, not directly looking at Draco. "I assume you have heard what Potter said... I nearly died during my time at school. It was due to a prank," he snorted at the last word, "Black played on me."

"What did he do?" Draco asked, anger creeping into his voice.

"He goaded me into the Shrieking Shack during a full moon," Snape replied coolly.

"Lupin," Draco gasped, realization dawning on him.

"That would be correct," Snape nodded his head.

"But- that's- Why didn't he get expelled?" Draco asked, feeling rightful indignation on his godfather's behalf.

Snape shrugged his shoulders. "It wasn't the only thing he did, but definitely the most relevant for my dislike towards him."

"But that was attempted murder!" Draco felt anger surge through him as his body tensed. "Once I have saved Sirius' ass from the Dementors, I'll give it a solid kick," Draco growled. For a few seconds, Draco was really mad on his godfather's behalf, but his anger was also mingled with confusion. Sirius could be an idiot, but a murderer? But hadn't he wanted to kill Pettigrew, his mind supplied. But then Draco thought about Sirius' impulsive behavior, the time he just appeared in his room over Christmas... his shoulders slumped, as he realized that that was just who Sirius was.

"Sir, I don't think he meant to kill you," Draco carefully began, knowing that defending Sirius might upset his godfather. "He is... just an idiot, he can't help it. A huge, bullheaded, intolerant idiot, but still."

Snape raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I thought, after trying to help him for over a semester, you would be fonder of him."

"Oh, I do like him," most of the time, Draco mentally added, "but he is an idiot. He never thinks anything through. He only thinks short-term, never long-term. And he is very impulsive. Typical Gryffindor, really. Got me in trouble a lot although I'm sure he didn't mean to. It is not that he did not care that I could get into trouble - or even get killed... He just... didn't think about it. It never even crossed his mind that his actions might have consequences. So, although his behavior towards you is inexcusable, and I will give him a piece of my mind once all of this is over, I don't think he actually meant for anything truly bad to happen to you. He probably didn't fully grasp the consequences his actions might have."

Snape considered this for a while.

"You know," Draco continued, "it might seem like a clever assassination attempt to a Slytherin, but a Gryffindor is just not capable to come up with such a cunning plan."

Draco thought he couldn't believe his eyes, when something close to a smile tucked at his godfather's lips. "Perhaps," he said, amused. "What kind of trouble did he get you in?"

"Tons," Draco frowned. "I didn't invite him to stay at my place over Christmas, he was just suddenly there! He never thought about how much trouble I would be in if someone found him. Or that my parents would have killed him - and then me - without a second thought had they found him in my room. And the Polyjuice thing – obviously not my idea, either. I very nearly died of a heart attack when you visited us... And when he just broke into Gryffindor tower... without any kind of plan and a freakin' knife, I thought I would kill him myself."

Snape chuckled. "I can see what you mean."

"Honestly, I think the reason he didn't get sorted into Slytherin wasn't because he wanted to defy his family or any such thing, but because he possesses none of the qualities we value... But he is loyal. And brave. And smart – I mean, he broke out of Azkaban and he became an Animagus, after all. These are not easy things to do. And he didn't do them for selfish reasons either. And he defied his family even though that meant they would throw him out and disown him. He can be a bully and an idiot... and he might need to see a mind healer... but he does have his good qualities as well-"

Snape looked pensive. He then pulled out a piece of parchment and scribbled something on it.

"You should go to your next class, Draco," he handed him the piece of parchment. "Here is a note for Lupin."

"Thanks," Draco smiled, but didn't leave immediately. "I didn't just come here to apologize. I also wanted to thank you. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for respecting my privacy even though you had every reason to distrust me. Thank you for speaking on Sirius' behalf even though you don't like him. And thank you for saving Astoria. She- she would have died if you hadn't been there."

Snape looked at Draco for a long time, his expression unreadable. "Anytime Draco."

TBC

I honestly had no idea where this chapter was going when I started writing it. Up till one chapter ago, I knew exactly where the story was heading. I also know what some of the future chapters are going to look like. But the in-between? Not so much. But I knew that Draco would need to talk to Snape at one point and I like the way it turned out.

I never really liked Sirius because I always, just like Snape, thought that he was a cold-blooded murderer who felt no regret for what he did but while writing him in this story, I came to understand, just like Draco, that this is just how he is. He didn't mean any harm. He is just very short-sighted and impulsive. So in a way, this chapter mirrors my own process of understanding Sirius. I don't need to bash either of them for the story to work. I am quite fond of him now so maybe Snape will get over his hatred, too. But there is still a long way to go.

As always, let me know what you think.