A Family Affair

It was with some trepidation that Draco Malfoy set out for Hogsmeade the next day. He tried not to think about the fact that this might very well be his last glimpse of Hogwarts, his last taste of magic, his last few minutes as a wizard. The walk down to the little village seemed entirely too short. Before he knew it, Draco had slipped away from the other students and was walking up the dilapidated front steps of the ramshackle old house known as the Shreiking Shack.

Draco looked around quickly to make sure no one had followed him, then eased open the door to the Shack. A large and rather unkept black dog greeted him, and his reflexes took over; he backpedalled quickly, nearly falling down the steps, his heart racing. Draco had been deathly afraid of dogs ever since an incident that occured when he was a very small boy.

"Draco," a voice called softly. The boy's eyes reluctantly flitted away from the shaggy beast guarding the door to see to whom the voice belonged. The fear in his eyes faded only slightly when he recognized the owner of that voice as his third year Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor Remus Lupin.

"Padfoot," Remus said softly to the dog. The mutt whined softly, and then circled around to lie down behind Lupin and rest his massive snout on his equally sizable paws. "It's all right, Draco," the former Professor reassured him.

The boy swallowed hard, and forced his feet to carry him forward. So much for not being a coward, he thought. "Sorry, Professor," he said softly.

Remus smiled at him. "I'm not exactly your Professor anymore. Please, call me Remus," he replied, crossing over to close the door behind Draco. "We've managed to temporarily connect one of the fireplaces here to the Floo network. That seemed the easiest way for us all to make the trip back to what Albus insists on refering to as the 'safe-house'. C'mon, it's just through here," Lupin explained, striding through one of the foyer's doorways, the large black dog heeling him. Draco followed at a safe distance.

Remus passed through what once must have been a family room or den, down a little hallway, and into a small kitchen. There, safe from prying eyes, the dog shook its massive head once and then transformed before Draco's ever-widening eyes into a tall, rangy man with long black hair and rather kind blue eyes. The man rolled his shoulders to work out the kinks, then smiled and extended a hand to Draco. "Sirius Black," he said.

"Draco," the boy replied, firmly grasping Sirius' hand in a breif handshake.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at the lack of a surname, but made no mention of Draco's omission. "Not fond of dogs, I take it?"

"No, sir," Draco mumbled, flushing.

"Anyone would take a fright at such an ugly cur as you, Sirius," Remus jested.

Sirius scowled. "And what would you have me be, a poncy little poodle?"

The image of Sirius Black as a teacup poodle, sporting a pink bow and tucked into an old woman's handbag, had Draco suddenly doubled over with laughter. Remus smiled, relieved to see the fear and tension leaving the boy's eyes.

Lupin retreived a small tin from his pocket, popped off the lid, and offered it to Sirius. Sirius brandished his wand and muttered 'incendio' to start a fire in the kitchen fireplace. Tucking his wand back into his pocket, Sirius pinched a bit of Floo powder out of the tin in Remus's outstretched hand and tossed it into the fire, causing the flames to turn a brilliant shade of green. "RoseWild," he spoke clearly into the fireplace as he stepped into the flames and disappeared.

"RoseWild?" Draco asked, wanting to be damn certain he arrived in the correct location.

Remus nodded as he closed the tin and tucked it back into his pockets.. Fighting down a sudden attack of nerves, Draco stepped into the emerald flames and clearly stated his destination. The familiar but hated sensation of freefall enveloped him for what seemed like an eternity before he found himself stumbling out of a fireplace into a cozy little sitting room. He had only a moment to wonder if he had chosen the correct exit before he noticed Sirius settling into an armchair, his attention focused on a stack of papers he was perusing.

Brushing soot off his robes, Draco stepped away from the fireplace toward a comfortable looking chair opposite the one Sirius had claimed. As he was taking his seat, Remus walked into the room from an open doorway, humming softly to himself. "Apparated," Remus explained at Draco's puzzled expression. "Had to extinguish the fire, do away with any evidence that we had been in the Shack."

Draco nodded. You have to start thinking, Draco! That should have been completely self-evident - would have been to any self-respecting Slytherin. Get a grip, boy, he thought, rather startled to realized that his inner voice sounded just like his father.

"Welcome to RoseWild, Draco," Remus said. "Otherwise known as the safe-house."

"Or Chateau Lupin," Black quipped

Remus grinned. "Upgraded to a chateau? RoseWild must have grown on you, Sirius." He offered Draco a cup of tea, which the boy gratefully accepted. "We've quite a bit of work ahead of us," he continued more seriously.

Draco smiled a little, and pulled several small objects from his robe pocket. Laying them on floor at his feet, he pointed his wand and cast an engorgement charm on them, returning them to the size they had been before he reduced them to fit in his pockets.

Sirius closed the file folder he was holding, looked up, and leaned over to peer at the objects Draco had charmed. "Muggles Studies texts?" he asked.

"Hermione Granger loaned them to me. Aside from actually being quite interesting, they'll be useful for cutting down on the amount of 'work ahead of us'," Draco explained, smiling to himself at the memory of his last encounter with Hermione.

"Clever girl," Remus noted, taking a seat on the once elegant sofa that, like RoseWild, was part of his inheritance from his parents. He thoughtfully sipped his tea as he watched Sirius flip through the file again.

Sirius sighed. "One of the things Jaffe has done is to compile this," he said, indicating the file in his hands. "In this are three separate yet inherently equal dossiers - the records of three people who, for all intents and purposes, do not actually exist. These records, however, indicate that they do exist."

"I don't understand," Draco admitted.

"In this file are records that are on file in government offices in Britian. Birth records, scholastic records, immunizations, vital statistics - everything you can imagine with the important exception of photographs. This information is apparently based on persons who are reported as missing."

"They aren't missing though, are they?" Draco asked softly. "They were killed by Death Eaters, weren't they?"

Sirius nodded solemnly.

"And I'm to become one of these people, take on their identity?" Sirius winced at the pained expression in Draco's eyes.

"Yes. Nathan says that this is a variation on the way Muggles handle similar situations, at least in the United States. He works for their government, handling such matters," Remus said.

Draco sighed, sipped his tea, and sank back into the worn but comfortable old armchair. "All right, then. Which one of these people am I to become?"

"That's up to you, really," Sirius said, opening the file again. Draco wondered fleetingly if the file would stand up to Sirius' repeated perusals. "Each of the individuals is about your same age, but they differ greatly in appearance and their scholastic records vary somewhat as well."

Draco nodded. After considering for a moment, he decided that Sirius wasn't likely to hand over the file to him. "What are my choices then?" he asked.

Flipping the file open, Sirius scanned the first dossier. "All right. Let's see. First we have Rupert Radcliffe."

"Stop right there!" Draco cried. "Next, please. I shan't go through life as a 'Rupert'."

Remus sniggered, moving to peer over his friend's shoulder at the file, and Sirius sent Draco a withering look. "My favourite Uncle was named Rupert."

Draco held his ground. "Next. Please," he repeated more firmly.

Sirius flipped to the next set of papers in the file. Clearing his throat, he continued. "Next, then. Thomas Watson. No objections to being called Thomas? Good. All right then. Thomas Watson, born December 10, 1979. Top marks in school - attended a private school called Smeltings. No major health problems; in fact he was quite active - played a bit of rugby at school."

"Doesn't sound so bad."

"You realize you'll have to fit their description?" Lupin asked, trying to supress a grin.

"A glamour spell?"

Remus shook his head. "We'll have to handle it the Muggle way, I'm afraid. Spells do tend to wear off as time passes, and you can't be giving yourself away by recasting them on yourself."

Draco nodded. "So what does this Thomas Watson chap look like?"

Sirius scanned the page. "Let's see. Hmm. Description really just comes down to hair and eye color. Growing boys and all that."

"And?" Draco demanded.

"Blue eyes, red hair. Why does it matter?"

"Red hair?" Draco rolled his eyes. "I can't go through life looking like Ron Weasley, either."

Remus had been anticipating that reaction, and chuckled softly. "It could be worse," he admonished.

"Yes, I suppose I could actually have to take on the identity of Ronald Weasley." He mused for a moment, thinking about Ron's friendship with Hermione. "Then again," he said, "maybe that wouldn't be so bad, after all." He sighed. "What else have you got?"

Sirius flipped to the next identity. Remus took the page from Sirius's hand, and began to read. "Ciaran Michael Talbot. Born February 15, 1980."

Draco's eyes went wide. "Please tell me he's not a horrid student or anything like that," Draco said, his voice almost reverent. Sirius shot him a puzzled look. "That's my birthday," Draco said softly. "I don't think I actually believe in fate, but that's just one strange coincidence, don't you think?"

Smiling gently at the boy, Remus continued reading the information. "Above average student. Attended Chetham's School of Music," at this Remus paused, watching a smile play across Draco's face at the mere mention of the word 'music'.

"Sounds perfect," Draco mused.

"Even without a description?" Sirius teased.

The boy laughed. "All right, go on, spoil it all. Tell me I'll have to have puce hair and yellow eyes and dress in women's clothing."

Sirius grinned as Remus handed back the dossier. "Not at all," Remus assured him. "Rather a normal looking fellow. Black hair and green eyes, and no mention at all of women's clothing."

"Oh shit," Draco said, the smile fading from his eyes.

"What is it?" Sirius asked, tucking the papers back into the file and setting it aside.

"I'll look like Harry fucking Potter."

Remus hid a smile behind his hand, trying not to laugh as Sirius turned to glare at Draco. "And just what is wrong with Harry?" Sirius demanded.

"Besides the fact that he can do no wrong and he's got all of Hogwarts in his back pocket? Nothing a good stylist and a tailor couldn't cure," Draco retorted.

Composing himself, Remus came to the boy's rescue. "Sirius, calm down and sit down. You know Draco and Harry are old rivals."

Looking up, Draco noticed for the first time the rather angry glare Sirius was directing at him. He shrunk back into the armchair, uncertain of exactly what he had done to earn that murderous look from the man.

"You might do well to watch what you say about Sirius' godson, Draco," Remus advised.

"Godson? Oh, no." Draco buried his face in his hands. Remus gave the boy's shoulder a friendly squeeze.

"It's all right, Draco. C'mon, I'll give you the grand tour."

Draco gratefully took Remus up on his offer, glad to escape Sirius Black's fury. Remus showed him around the cottage, which was small compared to Malfoy Manor, but had always been more than adequate for the Lupin family. The house had once been rather simply yet elegantly appointed, but was beginning to show age; it was, however, cozy and cheery, and Draco found himself feeling more at ease in the unfamiliar surroundings than he often had in his own home.

Remus ended the tour upstairs. "Closet here," he said tapping on the first door on the right. "Sirius has the guest room," Remus pointed at the first door on the left. "I'm in here," he indicated the other room on the right. "Bathroom's at the end of the hall, so that puts you in here," he concluded, opening the last door on the right and stepping inside.

Draco followed Remus into the bedroom, which he quickly realized was the master bedroom, complete with an ensuite bathroom. The room was devoid of personal effects, but furnished in the same style as the rest of the house with a cherry wood armoire, wardrobe, and dresser surrounding the massive cherrywood four-post bed. Deep blue curtains edged in silver enclosed the bed, echoing the blues and greys of the wallpaper and rug.

Parting the curtains on the gigantic bed, Draco peered inside. Stepping back, he grinned at Remus. "I could disappear in that thing. No one'd ever see me again. It's big enough for an entire Quidditch team!"

Remus laughed. "My grandmother had a passion for antiques. She bought this monstrosity for my parents when they married." He ran a hand over one ornately carved bedpost, his thoughts straying.

Draco swallowed hard and looked away from the raw emotion in the older man's eyes. He suddenly felt like either crying, or hugging the old werewolf, or perhaps both.

Sometime later, after partaking of a rather enjoyable dinner that Sirius had prepared by way of channeling his anger, Draco wandered through Remus's library. He was tired of thinking about the new life he would soon be leading, and had decided to indulge in a good book and a long soak.

He perused the titles for a long while, skipping over anything that sounded remotely like a text or reference book. His eyes settled at last on a thick leather-bound volume whose spine bore no title. He traced the book's spine lightly with his fingertips, and then gently pulled it from the shelf. Opening it, he realized that what he'd chosen was an old family album.

Draco grinned to himself at the images that greeted him: a smiling man and woman who looked from the camera to an infant that surely must be Remus, cradled in his mother's arms; an adorable little boy sucking his thumb and frowning at the camera, only his flitting eyes revealing the fact that the photo was indeed a moving wizard photo; the same little boy grinning and waving at the camera. As he moved to return the album to the shelf, a loose photo slipped out and landed at Draco's feet. Retreiving it, he noticed that it was a Muggle photograph with Hogwarts Castle in the background.

Curious, Draco looked more closely at the picture, examining each smiling face in the group closely. The person on the far left of the photo was quite obviously Remus Lupin. Remus had his arm propped on the shoulder of the somewhat shorter boy beside him; Draco wasn't sure who that boy was, but he was certain he had seen him before in the company of Lucius Malfoy. On the unknown boy's other side was a young man who looked almost exactly like Harry Potter. Harry's dad, he surmised. And that must be Harry's mum, he concluded, noting that the girl wrapped up in the elder Potter's arms was really quite pretty. On the other side of Harry's parents stood a tall boy with long dark hair, who was unmistakably Sirius Black. Black was the only person in the photo not looking at the camera - he was looking instead at the girl he had his arm wrapped around. Draco studied the girl's face for a moment, his eyes going wide. Clutching the photo to his chest, he turned and fled the library, intent on finding Sirius Black.

Sirius was talking quietly with Remus in the kitchen and sipping a cup of tea when Draco burst into the room. The boy's cheeks were flushed and he looked a bit bewildered. Without a word, he strode across the room and slapped a slightly faded photograph down on the kitchen table in front of Sirius.

Both men turned their attention to the photo, wondering what had the boy in such a strange state. Sirius picked up the old picture, letting a mixture of emotions wash over him - grief and guilt at the loss of his friends, sorrow and anger for Peter's betrayal, sympathy for Remus who was growing old before his time, and bitter regret for letting go of the woman he loved. Gently, he traced one finger over the girl's image.

Remus gently gripped his friend's shoulder in a gesture of comfort before turning his attention to Draco. "Lily talked some little Hufflepuff boy into taking this picture of us with her Muggle camera. I think we must have been in our sixth year then. We were all so young." He sighed.

"Narcissa was always too good for me," Sirius said quietly. "I knew she was out of my league, knew that her parents wanted better for her. They introduced her to Lucius the summer after that picture was taken. Just a few weeks later, in fact."

Draco sank down into a chair, folded his arms on the table, and rested his chin on the backs of his hands. "I suppose I just always thought that my parents were always together. I have a hard time imagining either of them as anything other than...well.. my parents. It's almost as if time didn't exist before they were married. They certainly don't talk about Hogwarts, except for Lucius telling me how exalted and revered they were and how I needed to live up to my name."

Remus chuckled. "Lucius had already graduated by the time we enrolled at Hogwarts, so I can't tell you much about that. But Cissy," he shook his head. "That girl was one of a kind. You look a great deal like her, you know." Draco couldn't help but smile at this remark, as he was used to hearing how much he looked like his father.

"Hermione reminds me of her," Sirius added. "Spirited, as likely to hex as to heal with her wand, and a brilliant student. Narcissa was brilliant even compared to the other Ravenclaws."

"Ravenclaw?" Draco asked, astonished.

Sirius smirked. "Malfoys may always end up in Slytherin, but Narcissa was a Gaillard - the first of her family to attend Hogwarts rather than Beauxbatons, and she was a Ravenclaw through and through."

Sirius and Remus continued to relive their Hogwarts days, and Draco listened, fascinated for a long time before he became aware than he was having trouble keeping his eyes open. At some point, he realized he was drifting off to sleep sitting there at the kitchen table, only slighty aware of the conversation of the two old friends.

As if through thick gauze, Draco heard Sirius mutter something in Latin; immediately, the boy felt a strange tingling sensation spread through his limbs. A moment later, the man was gathering the groggy boy in his arms and carrying him to bed. As Sirius pulled the blankets over him, Draco fleetingly wondered why his own father had never carried him to bed and tucked him in the way this virtual stranger just had.