till death do us part -regulus black (the blacks, vol. 1)

chapter 12

Some time had passed quickly at 12 Grimmauld Place. The end of summer was close and the teenagers were getting ready for their year at Hogwarts. Evangeline and her son were in his bedroom, packing up his trunk.

'Pyjamas?' Eva asked.

'Check.'

'Robes?'

'Check.'

'School books and books for pleasure reading?' Evangeline was looking at the list in her hand and the trunk.

'Yes, mum, I have them,' Draco said, pointing at the stack of books in the corner of his trunk. 'Don't worry, I'll be okay. And, even if I forget something at home, you could always send it to me,' Draco assured his mother.

Evangeline let out a deep sigh, shaking her head. 'Sorry, but I didn't get the chance to send you off in the other years and I'm trying to make up for the lost years.'

'And I'm glad you do,' Draco smiled at his mother. 'But you have to take a deep breath and relax.'

'And I'm glad I'm here to send you off,' Evangeline hugged her son.

Sirius knocked at the door and walked in.

'What are you two doing?' Sirius asked.

'Mum is helping me pack for Hogwarts,' Draco told his uncle.

'Already?' Sirius asked, surprised.

'Well, mum went into an all-crazy phase where she worries about every little thing regarding this year at Hogwarts,' Draco explained.

'I didn't go all crazy...' Evangeline beamed. 'Oh, that reminds me, I have to make sure Dumbledore changed the name,' Evangeline said.

'You wanted your name changed?' Sirius asked Draco.

'Well, yes,' Draco answered. 'Since the adoption was undone and my name in both muggle and wizarding world records is Draco Sirius Black, I decided that I'll use that name at Hogwarts, too,' he explained. 'I don't want to be tied to Lucius Malfoy anymore.'

'That's a brave choice,' Sirius affirmed, smiling proudly at his nephew.

'Well, I'm a Black, I have inherited yours and dad's bravery,' Draco noted.

'I'm sure he'd be proud of you,' Evangeline told her son.

'You think so?' Draco asked.

'No, I know so,' Evangeline assured him. 'Now, come on, let's go downstairs before Molly comes and drags all of us to lunch,' the Black woman laughed, leaving the room, the other two Blacks following her.

Lunch was already done and the table was already set by the time the Black family walked in, some housemates even already sitting at the table. The three resumed their usual places at the table, Sirius and Evangeline engaging in a conversation with Remus about the Order's business, while Draco started talking to Fred and George about some pranks the three wanted to pull while at Hogwarts.

Draco made friends among the Order's children. He became friends with Fred and George, bonding over prank ideas and solutions to their pranking boxes. Ginny and Draco would often be caught discussing Quidditch, sometimes their conversations getting pretty heated. Hermione and Draco were getting along very well, their friendship being founded on books and school-related discussions. Draco even got closer to his cousin, Nymphodora, having fun with her a lot of the time.

Ron and Harry were still sceptical about the Slytherin boy, seeing as he went from being one of their biggest enemies to one of them overnight. What annoyed the two boys the most was how often Hermione, Ginny and Draco would go into muggle London. They asked the two at first, but they always declined.

'Draco! Oh, there is a new book at the bookshop down the street!' Hermione stated.

'We saw the announcement at the shop's window when we passed it on our way from the cafe,' Ginny added.

'Is it fiction? Wait, no, even better... Sci-Fi? Please, tell me it's Sci-Fi,' Draco said excitedly.

'It's called Assassin's Apprentice,' Hermione said. 'And that's all we know.'

'The title alone sounds exciting,' Ginny told the blonde boy.

'It sounds indeed intriguing,' Draco told the two girls. 'Mum, could Ginny, Hermione and I go to the bookshop tomorrow, please?' Draco turned to Evangeline.

'Sure, but, take Harry and Ron with you, too, guys. They haven't been out in a while,' Evangeline instructed the three teenagers.

'A trip to a bookshop with Malfoy? What, am I bloody insane?' Ron screeched.

Draco's smile fell into a frown and started playing with his food.

'Ronald Weasley! That's not a nice thing to say! And he's not a Malfoy anymore, so, start calling him by his name!' Molly told her youngest son.

'He is one of them, mum!'

'No, he is one of us,' Molly corrected her son, trying her best to remain calm.

'He will betray us! And then I'll tell you I told you so!' Ron yelled, standing up and storming out of the kitchen.

Silence fell around the table until Molly spoke up.

'I'm sorry for his behaviour, Draco, dear,' Molly told Draco.

'It's alright, Mrs Weasley, sometimes we say things without thinking about the impact those things will have on others,' Draco said. 'Now, if you'll excuse me,' Draco excused himself before standing up and leaving the room.

Evangeline looked at Sirius knowingly and the man nodded.

'Excuse me, too,' he said before standing up and running up the stairs to Draco's bedroom. He knocked on the door and waited for an answer, but the answer didn't come; he knocked again.

'Go away!' Draco exclaimed.

'Draco, it's uncle Padfoot,' Sirius said. He waited for a while before the door was unlocked and Draco opened it. 'Can I come in?' Sirius asked and Draco moved out away from the door.

Draco walked to the window seat while Sirius sat down on the chair at the desk.

'Mum sent you up here, right?' Draco asked, and Sirius shook his head.

'Your mother doesn't have to send me up here when I know what you are going through,' Sirius remarked.

Draco sighed, looking out the window at the park. 'I wish mum raised me,' Draco sighed.

'She and I do, too, buddy. But she had a choice to make which, at the time, seemed to be in your favour,' the older Black explained. 'We all make hard choices in life. For example, me running away from home and going to live with the Potters, your father going against Voldemort, Andromeda choosing between love and family, your mother leaving you with your godmother,' Sirius retorted.

'I wish dad didn't die. I wish he would have destroyed the locket and then ran away to America with mum,' Draco sighed.

'Eva and I wish that, too, but your father made the choice,' Sirius told his nephew. 'And trust me, I knew my brother pretty well to say that he did all of these so you would grow up in a better world.'

'Does it ever pain you to look at me and think of my father?' Draco asked. 'I know it pains my mother.'

'To be honest, sometimes I look at you and I want to shout at my brother for leaving you behind. Other times, I can't bear to look at you because I feel like I'm on the verge of crying,' Sirius admitted. 'But, mostly, I'm glad to have you in my life.'