I Stand Alone

I Stand Alone

Chapter Two:
I'm Eighteen

Lines form on my face and hands
Lines form from the ups and downs
I'm in the middle, without any plans
I'm a boy and I'm a man

I've got a baby's brain and an old man's heart
Took eighteen years to get this far....

I'm Eighteen, Creed

~~

Draco watched in horror as his father leapt onto the head table, brandishing his wand in the air. Blue, yellow, and red lights flashed through the Great Hall. Unconscious bodies hit the floor, the acrid smell of fire was heavy in his lungs.

What had happened to Dumbledore? He couldn't believe this was happening. Draco pushed his way through the crowd, his temper bristling at the sight of so many cowardly people.

"Shut up!" he roared at the kids that were crowding around him. Immediately, the small group of them fell silent. His gray eyes flashed and his hand was gripping his wand tightly.

"Cowards!" he hissed, glaring at them. "Don't just stand there!" he narrowed his eyes, and one of the younger students squeaked. Exasperated, Draco turned around and leapt back onto the platform, forcing it to rise into the air.

"Stupefy!" he shouted, pointing his wand at any hooded figure in the crowd. Hogwarts would not fall to the Dark Forces. It couldn't.

Lucius had begun to laugh, his eyes twinkling at the sight of the seventh year's weak rebellion. The noise level grew as the younger students joined in; the teachers were shouting curses left and right.

A high, cold toned laugh slowly began to cut through the noise, like a knife through butter. It grew louder, chilling the hearts of all who heard it.

"Silence, children, silence," it taunted, echoing around the hall. The silence was unnerving, but it was broken as the huge black dog let out a ferocious growl, leaping onto the head table. It bounded down the table, leaping at Lucius's throat. It's glistening white teeth grazed the man's throat, about to rip it out--

"Inpedimedia," the cold voice said lazily. The dog froze, centimeters away from victory. Lucius grinned again, and pushed the dog off his chest. It hit the ground with a resounding thump.

In the corner of his eye, Draco saw Harry Potter let out a strangled cry and charge forward. Lupin grabbed his shoulder, pulling him backwards. The teacher's eyes held a cold fury that he didn't think was possible for the kindly actor.

"Touch the dog, Lucius, and you'll regret it," he hissed, his blue eyes darkening and turning amberish. His wand was raised, and his thin hand gripped Potter's shoulder with surprising strength, holding the boy back.

Lucius's expression was malicious as he spoke, sharply kicking the dog.

"You're showing an awful lot of feeling just for a dog, my dear Lupin," he chuckled slightly. "In fact, too much that I began to be suspicious to if it is really a dog at all," he continued. Lupin's eyes widened slightly, and he set his mouth in a firm line.

The attack of the dog had brought back the rebellion; the teachers were fighting for all they were worth; but the Death Eaters were able to victor over them with the help of the mysterious cold voice. Lucius kept pacing around the frozen dog, taunting Harry and Remus. Soon all the teachers were bound and carelessly strewn about the hall. The rebellion from the younger students was faltering; they'd lost hope.

Draco tried to help Snape, who had been tied up and tossed into a corner, but the ropes were too strong and not even severing spells could break them.

"Draco, don't bother, boy. They can only be removed by the person who put them on," Snape explained. His voice was calm and smooth, but his expression was full of hard fury. Draco nodded, and sped off into the crowd towards Lucius.

All this had happened in less than three or four minutes; the Death Eaters were ruthlessly efficient.

"I think that this is no dog, but the infamous Sirius Black," Lucius finished, his eyes lighting up with morbid humor. He swished his wand, muttering a spell. The dog let out a howl, beginning to twitch. Then suddenly, it wasn't a dog anymore, but a man with bright blue eyes and longish black hair.

Sirius Black was sprawled across the floor, Lucius Malfoy's wand pointed at his face.

"Bugger," Sirius drawled, glaring up at Lucius. "I seem to be in a bad state, don't I?" he asked sarcastically. Lucius's eye twitched and his gaze darkened.

"Still the same Sirius, still the same. Tell me, how are your friends now? Your little mischief makers? Ah, let me think...I remember now. Laena and Taryn are dead, aren't they? Frank's insane; and Lily and James are dead too. That's your fault, isn't it? If only you'd been brave, if only you hadn't been so blind..." Lucius trailed off, watching Sirius's muscles tighten with anger.

Now, Draco thought. He knew Lucius was absorbed with taunting Black, he wouldn't expect his own son to attack him.

Draco charged forward, knocking his father aside. Sirius leapt to his feet, and in an instant, was the big black dog again. He bounded off the table and sank his teeth into Lupin's robes, forcefully pulling the professor in the direction of the great wooden entrance doors. He growled ferociously through the fabric at one of the Death Eaters and yanked Lupin into the hallway, the doors clicking shut behind him.

Draco swung around, already in guard. Lucius had recovered, and was glaring darkly at his son through his dark blond hair. Both of them had their wands pointed at each other.

The high voice chuckled again, this time sounding even more amused.

"My dear Malfoys, lets not harm each other! You both are worth more to me alive than dead, I assure you." the voice scolded, and Lucius immediately lowered his wand.

"Begging my lords' pardon," he said smoothly, and shot another dagger filled glare at his son. "My son will be punished sufficiently for aiding in Black's escape,"

The voice laughed again.

"Lucius, where would he go? We control the grounds, after all," Draco grinned faintly as the color rose on his father's cheeks; Lucius was embarrassed at being wrong.

"He's just taking his friend back to the hospital wing. We should fear nothing from either of them. Lupin is dying; Black will soon loose his spirit once he's gone. He'll be the last one of their little group living, won't he, Wormtail?" There was a shaking, squeaky "yes" in reply.

Lord Voldemort stepped out from between two hulking figures in black; a tall and willowy figure; a ghostly, unnatural thing amongst the living. He pulled his hood off, and smiled maliciously at the ripple of horror that passed through the hall. He took a deep, mocking breath, faking a look of nostalgia.

"Hogwarts! It's been so long since I've been here. So very, very long. It's mine now, just like I said it would be," he was gliding across the stone floor, stopping in front of the teachers.

"Professor Flitwick, I haven't seen you for years. I trust that you have been doing well? The same with you, McGonagall...Trelawny, for you see what I've become. But, that has all changed. You once taught me, and now you've taught me again; I know what you'll try, so I suggest you don't. These children really don't need to see death, now do they?" he chuckled, then turned to face the room.

"Children! Lucius here shall explain to you the new rules and the new consequences. Sleep tight!" he mocked, laughing again. Then he strode across the floor and vanished through the doors. Several of the Death Eaters began to drag the teachers' bodies across the hall and towards Dumbledore's office. Draco stepped back, eyes glaring daggers at Lucius.

"The new rules are fairly simple," Lucius drawled, addressing everyone. "You are to be in your Dorms by six o clock sharp. No visits to Hogsmeade, obviously. No associating with other houses, ie, no Gryffindors entering Slytherin quarters, etc. Classes will continue, although Defense Against the Dark Arts will be canceled. You will now be taught by one of us, as your teachers are being held elsewhere. The consequences are severe; try to escape, you could get killed in an...accident...those out after curfew will be brought before me or Lord Voldemort, and their punishment shall be decided then. Very well! All of you, have a good night. Be up bright and early tomorrow for breakfast," Lucius grinned nastily, bowing slightly.

Draco's shoulders were tight with rage. He'd failed; they had Hogwarts. He shuffled across the hall, and several thoughts crossed his mind.

Maybe I'll end up working with Potter and his friends anyway.

...Damn it all.

~~~

Sirius Black closed the wooden door and flipped on the lock with one of his paws. Then, in a split second, he was a man again. He shook his dark hair out of his eyes, and once he was sure the door was secure, he turned to face Lupin.

Lupin was sitting against the wall, staring at his hands as they sat in his lap. Moonlight from the high tower window filtered onto Remus's lined and gaunt face. The once round and smiling face held more than laugh lines now. The moonlight defined the gray in the man's light brown hair, and brought out the amber flecks in his eyes as they reflected the light like a wolf's eyes. He looked mesmerized by his hands, staring hard at them. His brow was furrowed and he was biting the inside of his lip. Sirius blinked.

"They shouldn't be able to find us here," Sirius assured, but got no reply. He stepped away from the door, closer to Remus, who had lifted his hands and was moving them around in the moonlight. This caused the light to dance off the dusting of silver hair across his hands. His eyes rose to the moon, and even behind the gold framed glasses, Sirius could see them darken from blue to amber.

Remus angrily hit the floor with his hands, and almost immediately his eyes shifted back to their normal color. Sirius blinked again, his eyebrows knit together and his expression questioning. He shifted his gaze and peered out the small window. The moon was only a tiny crescent in the sky.

"I'm transforming before the full moon," Remus whispered, raising his hands and showing them to Sirius. His gaze locked with Sirius's, who was frantically searching for an appropriate answer. Remus's eyes were sad, apologetic and hopeless.

Sirius shook his head violently, his eyes growing wide.

"It's nothing! You're just a little hairier than usual. It might be left over from last month,"he said firmly. Remus smiled sadly, slowly shaking his head.

"Yeah, sure," he replied softly, looking back down at his hands, his pale cheeks coloring slightly. Sirius took another couple of steps forward and slid down the wall, sitting down beside Remus.

"You're going to be fine; Madam Pomfrey will have you fixed up in no time. She's always been able to find cures and such," Sirius continued cheerfully, pushing his hair out of his eyes again.

"Sirius," Remus said firmly. The tone of his voice forced Sirius to look at him, right into his eyes again. Forced him to see the emotions he didn't want to see or believe.

The moon was glinting off Remus's new gold rimmed glasses, and his eyes glittered, halfway reflecting the light. Sirius found he couldn't pull his gaze off of his best friend as he began to speak in a slightly edged voice.

"It's hard for me to breathe. I can barely sing. I can't dance anymore, because of the clotting in my legs that makes my feet swell. I can barely see anymore and I have to wear glasses, not to mention I'm tired all the time," his eyes were cutting into Sirius, who still couldn't look away.

Sirius's chin raised slightly; his eyes were defiant and his mouth was set in a thin, firm line. Remus knew that expression all too well; he'd seen it thousands of times. It meant that Sirius wasn't going to listen to him.

"Madam Pomfrey seems hopeful," Sirius said stubbornly, though his voice had lost some of its' confidence.

"She's lying, Sirius! I've already lived longer than most Lycanthropes. You know that, and she knows that. Why won't you accept it? You're only making it worse for yourself. I can't stand it when you do this! You always deny things that hurt you, like the fact that Laena was dead, that Taryn wasn't coming home, or that Aron was a spy; It only makes endings more painful than they should be, crushing your hopes and beliefs! Crushing that little part of you that believes that maybe something higher exists and that it wouldn't allow so many horrible things to happen to one group of people; our group of friends," Remus pushed himself to his feet, then swung around to face Sirius, hesitating a split second before continuing.

"I'm dying, Sirius. I can't perform anymore and they won't allow me to be an Auror. I won't be able to see Harry graduate, to see Voldemort fall once and for all. And, sod it all, I won't be able to stay with you. I'm sorry, Sirius, I'm so sorry..." his hands had begun to tremble and he was pacing around the small room, face flushed. Sirius stared unbelievingly at his best friend.

"Remus--" Sirius began, but Remus cut him off.

"Sirius, no, please, don't. Just accept it, it will make it easier. I'm sorry," his voice sank to a whisper at the last part of the sentence. He looked out the window and tried to catch his breath after the outbursts. He staggered slightly, then leaned against the wall, chest heaving.

Sirius leapt to his feet and was by Remus's side in an instant.

Remus rested his forehead against the cold castle wall, hacking painfully, his face flushing even darker. Once he quieted, Sirius turned Remus so he was facing him.

"I would never, ever count Lycanthropy against you. You don't ever have to apologize for it again, you hear me? It's not your fault, I don't blame you at all," Sirius said softly, searching the smaller man's eyes for the carefree, sweet, studious boy he'd known forever. Remus stared into his eyes for a second, then looked down.

Remus clutched onto Sirius's shirt, burying his face into Sirius's shoulder.

And he cried. He cried while Sirius held him, cried for seventeen years worth of pain. The pain of Sirius's arrest; Peter's betrayal; Aron's betrayal; James, Lily, Laena, and Taryn's deaths. Frank and his wife's insanity. Lost and cold Narcissa. And his own impending death.

Sirius held Remus tightly, running his hand through the soft, silvering hair.

"It'll be okay," he whispered in the werewolf's ear, and like years before, Remus believed him.

Remus didn't see the tears that fell from Sirius's bright eyes.

~~~

The Gryffindor Common Room was silent. Dean Thomas sat in the corner, holding his guitar in his lap, but not touching a string. Hermione was curled up in one of the large, squishy chairs with a book, but she wasn't reading it. Ron was pacing around angrily, kicking at the scarlet carpet. Seamus was nursing numerous bruises from his leap off the platform. The silence was becoming unnerving; it was a rare occurrence in the Gryffindor common room.

Seamus let the ice pack he held drop onto the floor.

"Well, this has been a crappy birthday for me," he said meekly. One of the fifth years giggled nervously. Silence reigned again. Dean fiddled with his guitar pick, not daring to play; Harry merely watched everyone listlessly.

Ron suddenly looked up from his carpet abusing spree, his bright eyes narrowed. Harry, Seamus and Dean looked over at the redhead's sudden lack of movement.

"What is it?" Harry asked, but Ron didn't reply instantly. His eyes narrowed more and he looked up at the ceiling. Dean was now looking at him strangely.

"Do you hear that?" Ron finally replied, answering the question with a question. Harry stared at him, joining Dean and Seamus in giving him a strange look. He shook his head slowly, eyebrows raised. Ron turned to face them, and his expression went slack and questioning, as if he was saying 'What did I do?!'

"I repeat what you told me back in second year: 'Hearing voices that no one else can is not a good sign, not even in the Wizarding world'," Harry snickered, grinning slightly. Ron scowled as Dean laughed into his hand.

"You're just jealous they're not talking to you any more. They like me better," Ron shot back. Dean laughed louder, the sound echoing strangely in the quiet room.

"Nah, it's not just Ron," Seamus suddenly commented, and Ron's expression brightened considerably.

Seamus was right. Now they could hear voices. They were coming from way up above. A confused common room looked up just in time to see people fall from the ceiling, landing with a crash on the couches and the floor. Needless to say, there were many expletives coming from that corner.

"What the hell!?" Dean shouted, jumping up.

About seven students sat up, and among them was Ginny Weasley. Ron gaped at his little sister. Avrin, who'd been on the other side of the common room with Colin, blinked.

"I concur with Dean. What the hell?" he inquired of Ginny, who grinned sheepishly. Behind her sat three Hufflepuffs (Susan Bones, Justin Flench-Fletchly and Hannah Abbot) and three Ravenclaws (Russ Newman, Mary Beth Steven and Kiyoshi Linn).

"Muggle thing. We came through the ceiling; the pipes and such. I remembered Ryan talking about how they'd done that to get into the band room when it was locked, so I thought I'd try it," Ginny explained. Ryan was a muggle boy from the village by the Burrow. She and Ron had spent much of the summer with him, since Percy was at the Ministry, Bill and Charlie were gone, and the twins had moved to Hogsmeade.

"We figured we could work out some plan if we could get together without them knowing. I seriously doubt they thought of non-magical secret passages or ceiling tiles," Kiyoshi, the dark skinned oriental Ravenclaw commented, climbing to his feet.

"Ginny, this is great!" Harry exclaimed, and Ginny blushed brightly.

"Aren't we missing someone?" Seamus asked her, cocking his head to the side slightly. Ginny looked back at him, slightly confused.

"What?" she replied, taking the hand that Kiyoshi gave her to help her climb back to her feet.

"The Slytherins aren't here," Hermione observed, answering Ginny for Seamus. Ron scowled.

"Of course they're not here! They probably helped the Death Eaters get in!" Ron snapped. Seamus glared slightly at him.

"I dunno--Malfoy and that Zabini looked pretty angry. Especially Malfoy. I think we should get him here, too. We need all the help we can get." Seamus announced, and was met with dead silence.

"I agree," Russ Newman said suddenly, turning to look at Seamus. He was a tall seventh year, with bright green-blue eyes and long dark hair. Hermione slowly nodded, knowing Ron wouldn't like her response.

"Why? Why him?" Ron asked angrily, shaking his head violently. He would not have that filth set foot in this tower, and he would not let him know their plans.

"Because he's sexy and I think he'd add to the decor here," Hermione snapped, rolling her eyes. Ron blanched.

"What?" he exclaimed, staring at his girlfriend.

"Sarcasm, Ron, I was being sarcastic. Seamus is right. Malfoy did fight against his father and help Sirius," she pointed out, and Ron's shoulders slumped. He mumbled something incoherently, frowning deeply.

"What was that, Ron?" Harry asked, a smile tugging at his lips.

"I said 'Go ahead and get the bastard'. But if he even hints that he's gonna sell us out, I'm tossing him out the window." Ron said firmly, looking completely disguised.

"Not now," Ginny said quietly, and they stared at her. "It's too late to get him tonight. I don't fancy getting caught. Let's just work at something now, and get the Slytherins later." she reasoned. Hermione nodded again.

"What can we possibly do? I'm sure the Ministry knows something's up by now," Susan said, sitting down on one of the couches.

There was a loud knock on the Portrait. Everyone froze like deer in headlights.

"Bugger!" Ron hissed as Russ and Kiyoshi dove behind a couch. Susan and Mary Beth rushed up the stairs towards the boys dormitories, not knowing where they were going but hoping there was somewhere to hide. Hannah hurried behind another couch.

"Justin! Lay down on the couch, facedown," Harry whispered, and quickly borrowed a blanket from one of the first years who had been curled up with it on the other side of the common room, looking out the big picture window. He covered Justin with it, then unceremoniously sat on him.

"Uck!" Justin shouted, the first part of the word muffled by the couch. Harry could guess what he had said, and shushed him.

"Open up!" the person on the other side of the Portrait shouted, pounding on it again. Ron gulped and moved to the Portrait so it opened to let him out. When it did, two black cloaked figures climbed into the room. The Portrait swung shut behind them.

The cloaked figures surveyed the room full of silent, scared teenagers. One of them shuddered, and the other elbowed him.

Ron shared a strange look with Harry as he protectively moved in front of Hermione.

"We've come to check your common room for visitors," one said gruffly, smiling under his hood.

"Get out! No one's here," Ginny hissed, glaring at them.

"We decide when we leave, young lady, so watch your tongue," the taller one spat. Ginny shrunk back slightly; she could feel his glare even through the fabric of his cloak.

"I have a couple questions for you," the taller Death Eater continued, crossing his arms. Seamus and Dean shared a panicked glance. Dean silently told himself that if this went horribly wrong to sacrifice his guitar and whack one of them over the head with it.

"Firstly, why the hell is Harry sitting on someone?" the tall Death Eater exclaimed. "Don't tell me you've all given up hope and are going for an 'end of the world' orgy," The Death Eater snickered, and started to laugh.

Harry suddenly leapt off the couch and tackled the Death Eater. There were gasps from several of the younger students.

"Sirius, you pillock!" he cried, yanking the hood off of his Godfather's head. Sirius was still laughing. Remus Lupin pulled his hood down; his eyes were shining with humor.

"Use your brain, abstain!" Sirius continued, snickering at Harry and bringing up an old sex education class motto. Hermione frowned good-naturedly and pushed Ron out from in front of her.

"I'd be careful, Sirius, he could say 'pet your dog, not your date," Remus shot back, walking over and pulling Harry off of Sirius. Sirius scowled.

"No, I'm serious now--" Sirius said as he climbed to his feet, brushing off his robes.

"Of course you're Sirius," Remus grinned as Sirius glared at him.

"No, really, why are you sitting on someone? You all are terrible pranksters, you'd have been dead meat if we'd really been Death Eaters." Sirius said, the humorous gleam in his eyes gone.

Justin Flinch-Fletchly sat up and threw the blanket off himself, glaring darkly and fixing his hair.

Hannah, Russ, and Kiyoshi stood up from behind their couches, looking relieved that it was only Sirius. The students had gotten used to him being around; his name had been cleared the summer after Harry's sixth year. Dean rushed up the spiral staircase and brought Susan and Mary Beth back down to the common room.

"Erm, we were hiding him..." Harry trailed off, looking sheepish. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Have I taught you nothing? Anyway, we came because we knew you'd have some sort of 'Let's Save The World' rally in here," Sirius explained. Harry frowned.

"Okay, then, why'd you risk coming here? We can figure something out on our own, you know," he said, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms, still frowning.

"Why'd I risk coming here? To stop you, because every time something like this comes up you go off and do something dangerous and stupid and almost die," Sirius pointed out.

"I have enough problems with dealing with others' health without you going off and being a prat," Sirius continued, reaching out and squeezing Harry's shoulder. Remus seemed to diminish somewhat at that comment, looking slightly guilty.

"We have a plan, and we thought we'd share it with you," Remus said quietly, walking over and sitting down on the couch next to Justin. His cheeks looked rather flushed.

Sirius shot him a concerned look, but Remus waved him off, giving him a meaningful glare.

"What Voldemort wants is the students, right?" Sirius said, looking around at the teenagers that were now moving in closer to form a circle around him and Harry.

"Us, and Dumbledore, but he already got him," Ron confirmed, biting his lower lip. Silence reigned for a moment.

"Don't worry, Ron, Dumbledore'll be back. He'd never abandon Hogwarts," Remus commented, but Ron still looked doubtful. How did Remus know if Dumbledore was even still alive?

"There are too many students here to get them all out. What I say we do is get the first, second and third years out--they can't really defend themselves. That would take away helpless targets for the Death Eaters to slaughter. Then we can put up a resistance here," Sirius explained.

"But they'll kill anyone who tries to escape," Hermione piped up, and Remus nodded.

"We know that. That's why Sirius and I and one of the students will lead them into the Forbidden Forest. A group will free Hagrid, and he'll get them off campus by the way of the forest. The rest of you will have to create a diversion. I suggest you talk to Mr. Malfoy about that," Remus commented, his eyes twinkling at Ron's dark expression.

"What about the teachers?" Hermione spoke again, her brow furrowed as she thought through their plan.

"They can take care of themselves for now, I assure you," Sirius told her. "Remus and I will stay in the common room tonight, then I'll go and speak to Hagrid tomorrow. "

"I must ask none of you to do anything tomorrow or tomorrow night. Cooperate with them for now, and speak to the Slytherins. They're not all bad." Remus said firmly, his mouth in a thin line as he looked around the room.

The Ravenclaws readily agreed to get the help of the Slytherins--they were the universally popular house and they really had no problem with the Slytherins. The Hufflepuffs agreed after some persuasion from the Ravenclaws, but it took quite a while before the Gryffindors grudgingly agreed to truce with the Slytherins.

"Alright then, back to your houses," Remus ordered, conjuring up a ladder that reached to the ceiling. Once the six seventh years had gone through the hole in the ceiling, he repaired it.

"All of you, to bed, now," Sirius told them. The common room quickly emptied out, all realizing how tired they were. With the thoughts of escape and victory in their heads, they should have no trouble falling asleep.

Remus waved his wand again, and the ladder vanished. He sighed, and turned to look at Sirius, who was inspecting the blanket that had been used to cover Justin.

"This should cover you well enough," he commented. Remus smiled slightly.

"It'll cover us both well enough," he corrected, and Sirius chuckled. He pulled one of the couches close to the fire, and stretched out on it. Remus, now that the children were gone, didn't disguise it anymore and limped over to the other end of the couch, wincing slightly as he sat down.

"Blood clots again?" Sirius asked, and Remus nodded slightly. As Remus pulled his legs onto the couch, setting them next to Sirius's, Sirius leaned forward and pulled off Remus's glasses. Remus smiled broadly.

"Thank you for treating me like a decrepit, senile old man," he deadpanned, and Sirius grinned.

"No problem, Moony." he replied as he tossed Remus his end of the blanket. Sirius turned onto his side and closed his eyes, breathing in deeply.

At the other end of the couch, Remus was staring at the ceiling, watching the firelight dance across the scarlet paintings.

"Sirius?"

"Yeah?"

"You keep yourself safe tomorrow. I don't think I could take being the last Marauder again," Remus said softly, shifting his gaze to look at Sirius. The dark haired man's face was blurry, but Remus could still make out his expression.

"I will, I promise," he said firmly. Remus's next smile was bittersweet. Then he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

~~~

Draco was storming bad naturedly around the Slytherin common room, taking his rage out on various inanimate objects.

Blaise was watching him with slight amusement, playing with her long auburn hair.

"You're really not accomplishing anything," she commented, and Draco didn't reply, but he did stop kicking the high backed chair by the fire. There was a moments silence.

"Think Harry bloody Potter already has a plan worked out?" Draco asked, scowling and dropping down into a chair. Blaise shrugged.

"Probably," she replied, dropping the lock of her hair and looking at him.

"Well, he better be ready to share it with me," Draco snarled, his anger returning. Blaise's dark eyes widened.

"Because I'll do anything to get my father out of this castle," he explained, and Blaise nodded. They'd known each other since they were small children. Blaise stood up and sat down on the arm of Draco's chair.

"Your father has her here," she told him softly, and Draco turned to look up at her, his gray eyes stormy.

"He does?" he demanded of her, and Blaise nodded.

"Bugger," he said, slamming his fist onto the chair arm that Blaise wasn't occupying. Then he began to curse. Long and loud.

"Well, that's an interesting thing to do to a Quaffle," she deadpanned, moving back to the couch she'd been on earlier. Draco ignored her.

"Who here is not loyal to Voldemort?" Draco asked her. He was almost sure he knew who was and wasn't and who didn't give a rats ass, but it was always smart to have a second opinion.

"Why are you asking me?" Blaise exclaimed incredulously, and Draco glared at her.

"Rule number twelve on the Evil Overlord List: 'One of my advisors will be an average five-year-old child. Any flaws in my plan that he is able to spot will be corrected before implementation'. I don't have a five year old child, and you're the closest to one here, so I figured I'd ask you," Draco drawled, smirking at her.

"You live your life by that bloody list, don't you?" Blaise said, ignoring the insult.

"You should see the Malfoy rule book. If you did, you'd find another list to go by too," he told her, turning to face the fire. "Are you ever going to answer me?"

"I really don't know. Everyone's been real careful about talking about their allegiances," she said truthfully.

"Well then, I'll just have to find out myself, then rob Potter of the glory of saving the day. It's my turn this time," he said as he rose regally from his chair and swept down the staircase to his dorm.

Blaise watched him go, shaking her head. He was very off-putting. And arrogant. And sarcastic. She didn't even know why she put up with him.

But she'd follow him to the ends of the Earth, and that was about the only thing she was sure of.

~~~

A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this up! I hope you enjoyed it.

Some of you are probably wondering why Sirius is so cheerful- it's my opinion that he's the kind of character that only lets people he's really close to know that he's having problems or not happy. To everyone else he keeps up his playful illusion.

The next chapter's coming soon, and thanks for reading!

~Sabaye