On a Night Like This

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Chapter Two: Invitation to Understanding


Draco was positive that he could see Harry’s jaw drop. He reminded himself that he could not move and decided that it had all be in the expressions swirling in his green eyes. What the hell was he doing looking at Harry Potter with anything other than hate? Draco was not positive that he knew himself.

He had done a lot of thinking during the time between the headmaster’s death and their return to the good graces of the Order. Having joined the dark lord in the past year and been asked to kill one of the most powerful wizards in the world (never mind whether he accomplished it or not) had taken its toll on him.

He now had some understanding of what the-boy-who-lived had to go through. The expectations, fear of failure, and now the added stress of joining Severus in the ranks of spies. Voldemort had pressured his father into making Draco a loyal Deatheater, just like his daddy. What he-who-considers-himself-beyond-err didn’t realize was that Lucius Malfoy was an extremely powerful wizard who joined the Deatheaters because he loved power and could see that, at the time, Voldemort was the way to get it.

He did have vague notions of the old pureblood prejudices, but he could certainly appreciate muggle-borns. They could approach problems from different angles than purebloods because their thinking was not steeped in years of tradition and knowledge of what is “proper.” He also thought it hilarious that for all his pureblood propaganda, Voldemort himself was a halfblood. Yes, he got a good laugh out of that one, privately of course.

The dark lord did not particularly enjoy being laughed at and Lucius rather enjoyed living. He loved power, beautiful women, expensive liquor and money. All this Voldemort knew. What he did not know was his endless love for his only son and the lengths he would go to protecting him.

Minerva gasped and gawked at Severus. For the second time that day, he had rendered them all speechless. He internally patted himself on the back. “Yes, you heard correctly. Dumbledore knew that Harry would have difficulty dealing with the death that seems to surround him. He also knew that the prophecy states only Harry can kill Voldemort. He would need someone close to him to have the strength he needed. Knowing he must pass for the good of the light, he did the next best thing: brought back Sirius.”

“Technically, Sirius never really died. He was certainly as good as dead, but there are ways to bring people back from the veil. It is not easily done, nor is it legal as it involves obscure dark magic. Fortunately Albus and I are well versed in the more practical aspects of dark magic. I located a book in the Malfoy family library that contained a spell to bring him back. It severely weakened the headmaster to cast such a powerful spell but he managed to continue on, knowing the poison from the horcrux would do exactly the same thing. So Sirius has been in hiding with us and knows all about the headmaster’s plan.”

He stood there for a moment, looking around at the faces around him. Some shone with renewed hope for the battle, some for the return of their friends. Well, mostly for Sirius, but he knew that at least Minerva and Hermione were glad to see him. “Well?” queried Tonks. “Well what?” Snape shot back. Though she believed him they were not exactly best pals and he enjoyed harassing all the aurors. “Don’t you ‘well what’ me, you greasy bastard. You know exactly what I mean. We want to see Sirius!” He smirked at them, enjoying holding this over their heads, however briefly. He motioned to Draco who rose, giving a great sigh and sauntered out of the room.

They heard the front door open and shut, and in walked a very much alive Sirius Black. He was immediately attacked with hugs, and Severus decided to release those still petrified. He reasoned that if they still didn’t believe his story then they never would anyway. Plus they may very well kill him for not letting them at Sirius.

Everyone cleared out of the way for Harry. He simply stared at Sirius, and then wrapped his arms around him so hard that everyone was sure his godfather was going to die again of strangulation. Eventually he let go and looked up at Sirius’s grinning face. “Is it true?” he asked. Sirius looked down at him and nodded.

“After Dumbledore brought me back we discussed his plans. I too tried to dissuade him, but he was dead set to continue with his plans. So I had to go back into hiding and after Albus’s death I met up with Severus and Draco. We waited until it was safe for us to approach you. I must admit though, I am rather disappointed that we were able to get to you so easily. Severus and I racked our brains thinking of ways to get into the house. Finally Draco pointed out that in your distress you probably hadn’t thought to replace the wards and such. He figured that we might as well try simply walking in before we wasted time on complex spells to break in to such a guarded house. Smart boy, that one.” Sirius winked at Draco, who grinned back. Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged looks that clearly conveyed what they were thinking: what the fuck? How the hell did those three not only manage not to kill each other but end up getting along?

Sirius noticed the look and thought back to the time he had spent with Severus and Draco. At first they nearly did kill each other. He could not stand Severus anymore than he could in school and he considered Draco a spoiled brat that Albus was far too lenient with. Eventually though they began to act civil, really more so out of necessity than desire. It is bloody tiring to be such an ass all the time.

Things started to change one night when Draco and Severus were summoned. He tried to convince them not to go, saying it was an unnecessary risk. Severus pointed out that now that they had gotten into the dark lord’s good graces again, it was best to stay there. And not responding to one of his summons was virtually a guaranteed death. Sirius had stomped off angrily. When they returned bloody, broken and having the occasional seizure (an unfortunate, or fortunate from the dark lord’s point of view, effect of the cruciatus curse), Sirius could not help but feel for them. He cleaned the blood off of them and found the potion to mend their broken bones. He realized just what they were giving to the Order by spying. Not only were they facing potential death every time they went, but they gave their very souls through the horrible things they endured.

In the inner circle, it was not only their privilege to receive punishment but also to give it. Afterward Draco told him of the young muggle girl he had been forced to kill that night, and Sirius’s heart went out to him. Draco explained that he was allowed to live even though he failed to kill Dumbledore because Voldemort was so happy to have him out of the way. He had been making Draco kill to make up for his initial hesitation. Sirius became close with Draco quickly. He and Severus now grudgingly respected each other, and eventually Sirius extended the olive branch to him, apologizing for everything that happened in their school days. After that they formed a tentative friendship that became more solid as they discovered how much they had in common.

Minerva cleared her throat and broke the silence. “Anyone care for some lunch?” Sirius laughed at her. “You always know exactly what we want to hear.” She winked at him and whisked into the kitchen. After a leisurely lunch Ron contemplated the situation. If someone had told him this morning that he would be having lunch with Snape, Malfoy and Sirius Black who had miraculously turned out to be innocent, alive and all friends, he would have recommended a stay at St. Mungo’s. And yet here he was.

Severus eventually stood up. He looked around and adopted his trademark scowl. Harry smiled to himself, knowing that no matter what happens, some things never change. “Come along now, there is no time to lollygag around the table. We have work to do.”

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