Sirius sighed loudly, his gaze turning to look at the Slytherin opposite of him. He glanced around the house and really wished he didn't when he caught sight of the disaster. Had they really been that gone in their rage to not notice how they had destroyed Albus's home? That thought had him sitting up quickly and looking around widely for a clock. The wizard in him panicked at the thought, not even thinking to spell a Tempus charm.

 "Black what the hell are you doing?" Severus asked quietly, as the other man seemed to be freaking out. He didn't want to deal with Black when he was like this; he was already trying to figure out how to keep his side of the truce. He knew the other man was a Gryffindor through in through despite his Slytherin traits. Sirius Black was a loyal man; he had to give him that.

"I just had a bad thought, about Albus coming home and seeing this mess. He's gonna kill us," Sirius said in a panicked tone.

 Severus waved that away and gave the man a look that said he was being melodramatic. "Relax, what time does he usually get home?" He asked causally.

"About 6, he's really into togetherness for dinner. Well he has been the last few weeks after Harry disclosed something about those wretched relatives of his. Speaking of those, we need to discuss with him, what all happened with them. Because the vibe I got when we talked wasn't good," Sirius said solemnly.

"Abuse rarely is," Severus said confirming it in just those few words.

Sirius swore before he shook his head, they could discuss that bit later. Right now they had better things to do, as he glanced at the clock over the mantel and quickly started spelling things fixed or clean. "Hurry up, and help me," he hissed out to the man.

"Black, Albus is at the ministry. I doubt he'll be on time today. It's already passed 6 as it..." Severus broke off his sentence as he heard the floo, his heart dropping into his stomach before picking up overtime as he watched the twinkle in those blue eyes go out in an instance as he looked around his house.

"Would someone like to explain to me just why my house is destroyed? Choose your words carefully gentleman, I've had a rather trying day as it is," Albus said quietly. Though his words were phrased as a question, it was anything but and they all knew it.

Severus and Sirius exchanged glances at that, feeling like schoolboys getting reprimanded at that moment. It looked like they were trying to silently communicate to get their stories right but was interrupted when they heard the pattering of feet coming down the stairs.  They were grateful that the stern blue eyes moved off of them to turn to look at the child. Only when the old man turned to look at Harry the eyes were gentle and with concern.

Albus sighed in relief when he saw that Harry was unhurt, he had hoped that nothing had happened to the child. He had a hunch he knew what those two had been doing, and he would be getting to the bottom of this as to why. "Hello Harry, how was your day?" He asked conversationally.

"It was good for a little bit. I went to spend the day with Remus and Theo. But then when I got back here, it wasn't so good anymore," Harry told the man, his eyes flashing angrily to his Professor and Godfather.

Sirius just thought Harry was still angry but Severus saw the look for what it was and quietly swore.

"What?" Sirius whispered out curiously to the other man.

 "Albus is getting ready to kill us, Harry will tell him everything," Severus said quietly, knowing they deserved it, but he had no desire to get punished as if he was a mere boy.

"Why did it turn bad Harry?" Albus asked once the other men had turned back to attention.

"Because when I flooed back for a second, I almost got cursed. Sirius and the Professor were dueling. And not the way Professor Lupin is teaching us, but actually hurting each other! I heard Professor Snape say that he was sorry that he missed Sirius's head, and he threw a cutting curse!" Harry told the man fearfully, his face portraying everything he felt during that time.

"And you were alone, I take it? My boy, I'm so sorry. Harry is it possible that you'll allow me to watch that memory of you being here when they dueled?" Albus asked quietly, his eyes flashing angrily to the two men.

"Yeah but I didn't get all of it, I was hiding mostly," Harry told him quietly slightly ashamed of that.

"That is fine actually. I prefer that you were hiding rather than jumping in the middle of that fight. When people allow anger and rage to take over, they rarely see reason, and do not care who they hurt," Albus told him seriously.

Harry gave the man a sheepish and embarrassed look. "I ran in the middle of the duel to get them to stop," he admitted softly.

Albus pierced him with a look of concern but he shook his head. He couldn't scold the boy, he clearly hadn't known what to do and he never should have ever been in that situation to begin with. "I don't need to tell you to never do that again do I?" He asked him quietly.

"No the Professor and Sirius already yelled at me for doing that, as if it was my fault. I wouldn't have done it, if they hadn't been fighting," Harry muttered out bitterly.

"I know Harry, I will be having a chat with both of them," he promised him before he pulled out a small vial and gently took the memory from the child. He along with the other two men would be visiting his pensive when everything was all said and done. He wanted them to see what could have happened while they were dueling.

Harry nodded happily, but his frown was still there. "Do you think I could eat dinner with Professor Lupin and Theo?" He asked sweetly.

"I think that's a good idea, have Remus floo when you're ready to come home. We may or may not still be in the sitting room," Albus told the child.

Harry nodded that he understood before he disappeared into the green flames, without a care in the world.

Albus turned to face the two men who had destroyed his sitting room. "I think it's time we've all had a bit of a chat boys," he told them sternly, feeling slightly nostalgic as he saw their guilty faces. The old man couldn't help the amusement he felt at their contrite faces; it serves them right. 

"Albus, if you would just let me explain," Severus tried weakly.

"At the moment Severus, you are to address me as Headmaster. Since you both want to act like mere boys, I will discipline you as such and then when it is all said and done, we will see if you will then act like the men I know you both to be," he told him firmly.

Sirius gulped audibly at the implications of that, turning a quick gaze to Snape. He knew then that they were royally screwed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A few days after Albus had given both Sirius and Severus that blistering lecture found Sirius making his way up to Harry's room with an important document. He and Severus as well as the ministry already had a copy but now it was for Harry to have one of his own. For the boy to know that he belonged to someone now, that he wasn't alone in this world any longer.  He knew he should probably wait for Severus but honestly the man was out looking for a place for them to live.

He knew that they could have used any of the Potters, the Blacks or even the Prince houses but the last thing they wanted was memories that came attached to the places. It was better to start fresh. Ad since Snape knew what to look for Sirius left him too it. It was still amazing to him, how much they could work together if they really tried. True the git still got on his nerves, but that would never change he didn't think. He had been right; they complimented one another very well. Where Snape was stern, Sirius wasn't.

Now he just had to convince Harry that this was a good plan. Hopefully the boy didn't hate him any longer; he had been beside himself as he had minimal contact with his godson these last couple of days. Sirius made it to the door of Harry's room before he knocked on it before letting himself in. He didn't want the child to give him a chance to say no, this needed to be said and done. He knew that his godson might still be annoyed but it was a risk he was willing to take.

Harry's displeasure was known soon after as he turned to look at who had invaded his domain. He relished in having his own room, his own sanctuary where he could be himself and do anything he wanted. Having been denied this growing up, he was very attached to it and he didn't like it when people just came into it.

"Grandpa Albus said that you have to wait until I let you come in here," Harry told the man with a frown.

Sirius made a face and went to dispute that before his eyes narrowed. "Grandpa Albus?"

"He said I can't call him Headmaster and to pick a new name," Harry said defensively.

"I wasn't judging kiddo, I was just curious," Sirius said quickly not wanting to fight with the child.

"Alright," Harry replied slowly. "Can I help you Sirius?"

"Yeah, I actually need to talk to you about something. Remember the reason we moved in with Albus a month ago?" He asked him gently.

"Because I couldn't go back to my relatives and you were still a convict," Harry told him promptly.

"Yes that is true, however Remus has ties in the Ministry and he was able to push for a trial for me. And long story short, I was granted my freedom and compensation for the time spent in the prison," he told him happily.

Harry gaped at his godfather excitedly. "You're free?" He asked barely able to believe it.

"I'm free," he said getting slightly choked up at the memory of that quick trial. "Yeah and um I wanted you to know what that means for you and me," he added.

"You want me to live with you," Harry told him softly as he stared at the man's shoes. He sighed, but he couldn't be choosy, it wasn't like he had homes lining up for him. No he didn't care about that; he just wanted to know what his Professor had to say about that. He knew though that to turn this down would let his godfather down and so he knew what he would need to do.

"Yes, but Severus will also be living with us as well. I don't know how to raise a child," Sirius told him lightly throwing the other man's name in the mix to get it over with. He didn't need to see his godson disappointed and as he had told himself and Severus. They would make this work, because if they didn't that little boy would suffer. And Harry didn't need any more nightmares.

Harry's neck went up so fast he winced, what his godfather had said.  "Who is living with us?" He asked trying not to hope.

"Your Professor, Severus Snape, we've both spoke with Albus and we all agree this would be for the best," Sirius told him.

"No jokes, this is serious?" Harry asked in disbelief. As much as he wanted this it felt almost too good to be true.

"As serious as my name kiddo, actually here I have the paper for you. This is your copy to keep," Sirius told him as he unfolded the joint adoption parchment giving both the men custody of the child in front of him.

Harry read the paper quickly, his grip tightening on the parchment before he suddenly threw himself at the man. "Thank you!" He whispered out tearfully.

If Sirius had ever felt that it was a bad idea to include Snape, he had his answer in the hug Harry was currently giving him or the tearful thanks he was currently on the end of. This is what James meant all those years ago, he would do right by Harry, both he and Snape both.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Harry couldn't remember the last time he had been this happy. He glanced at the house; well really it was a Manor that stood in front of them. They had picked it out, thinking of him, he knew because he remembered Sirius chatting about the backyard and how it had a Quidditch pitch in it. He was very excited not to mention he couldn't wait to see his room.

No matter how much he loved his room at Grandpa Albus's house, he knew he would love this one even more as this was his forever home.  He smiled brightly as he looked at his two guardians, he wasn't sure how it was going to be living with both of them but the old man had promised that he would be checking in on them. Harry was sure it was to make sure that neither man ended up dueling one another again.

"Go inside Harry, your room is already picked out and decorated. I think you'll love it," Sirius told him cheerfully.

"Okay," Harry chirped out happily as he ran inside the manor.

 "You did good Snape," Sirius said as he looked at the building. "Very good,"

 I'm glad that you approve," Severus stated unable to tone down the sarcastic tone fully as he looked at the other man.

Sirius gave a shrug as he turned to the Slytherin.  "Did you already pick our rooms?"

"Mostly, you can still change yours if you prefer. The way I set it up is our room is down the hall from the left and right of Harry's. We are on either side of him but a few doors away so he can see he has some privacy but at the same time he is close if something were to happen," Severus explained.

"That's perfect," Sirius said and he meant it.

"Let's get in there then, don't want him to worry," Severus said refusing to admit he wanted to see Harry's reaction to his room.

"I'm sure that's it," Sirius said with a chuckle, seeing right through it but letting the man have it. He was still laughing as he followed the Potion's Master into the Manor.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Time passed with the new little family getting to know each other's quirks but the two adults making sure that everything worked out. They had a common mission to make sure that Harry was taken care of and so the remains of their little rivalry faded away to almost non-existence.  And Harry seemed to really flounder, after all he had never had parents before and he relished in all the attention they gave him.

And as the two men had never had kids they gave him everything they ever could. But all too soon Christmas was upon them and then the New Year was here until finally they got the letter they were waiting for in the post. Hogwarts was reopening! Harry was so excited to see his friends not to mention starting school again, he couldn't wait. All too soon, the day was upon them and everyone, not just Harry was a little worried.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Why do I have to ride the train? Can't I just floo there, please?" Harry pleaded to his godfather with puppy dog eyes.

"No kiddo, this is an experience. You haven't seen most of your friends in two months and when did you see then it was at the funerals. That's not a joyous time, and given everything that's happened you all need to reconnect," Sirius told him firmly, though his tone wavered at the puppy dog eyed look.

"But I don't wanna take the train," he whined out.

"I don't like whining Harry, you're taking it and that's final," Severus told him as he came around the corner.

Harry pouted as he looked at his guardian with a look of contempt but he didn't say anything in response to that. He could get away with whining and other things with Sirius, but with Snape whining was asking to get stuck in the corner or something even worse like lines. He had learned these past two months, and not all of the lessons had been very nice.

"How come he always listens to you? I swear I have to fight him when I say no," Sirius complained to the Slytherin.

"That's because you're not firm with him," Severus said as he buttoned up his robe lazily.

"I was too, I had on my serious voice," he said with a grin at the joke.

"That is why he doesn't listen," Severus said gesturing where they heard a small giggle to the side of him.

"Oi, I don't want to be stern anyway," Sirius pouted out as he made a silly face at the child.

"Precisely why I am here," Severus said with a shake of his head as he made his way into the floo room.

 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Molly was fretting with her children as they stood on the Platform, surprisingly early for once, and reluctant to let her children go. She held the twins to her chest, Ron never leaving her side only Ginny seemed the least bothered ad that might be to the fact that she wasn't being hugged which soon changed as Fred and George pulled back from their mother.

"I know you don't want too, but I need you both to take care of Ron," she told them seriously as she held her youngest son close.

"Mum we know, we've gone over this numerous times. We're gonna watch out for him and Harry and Ginny and everyone else you said too," George promised her sincerely.

"I know, but I just I know Ron isn't ready for school yet. He still won't say anything," she said turning to look at her husband fretfully.

"Albus thinks that Ron is ready for school. To let him stay home will not do him any good, he has to go to school. And his mind healer is going with him, and he will be seeing him twice a week or more depending on his progress," he told her soothingly. "And this is paid for, by the school. This is his best chance Molly,"

Molly nodded that he was right, even if she didn't want to admit it. Her eldest sons had been helping pay the healer for Ron as they themselves struggled with the hospital bills for Percy. It was stretching them all thin and once again Albus had come through. He had managed to get the healer that had been seeing Ron these past few months to come to Hogwarts. And though he would help more students' Ron was the priority for him.

"Alright, just remember what I said," Molly said as she hugged her youngest son close to her. "Try to get into trouble Ronnie, I won't be mad at all," she told him seriously as she kissed the top of his head.

It was George who whipped his head around to look at his mother in disbelief. "Mum did you just tell him you want him to get into trouble? Oy, I sense some favoritism here Fred," he said with a grin.

Fred laughed even as his gaze remained firm on his little brother, Ron hadn't even twitched. He knew why his mum didn't care if Ron got into trouble, that just meant that he was almost back to his normal self. He would do anything to get his little brother back, he blinked hard before gently pulling the younger sibling too him.

"We're gonna go get a compartment alright mum, we'll be back," Fred told her.

"Alright," Molly replied as she kissed each of her children once more. She was clingier because of what had happened a few months ago. But she would need to be strong for them.

"I love you mum, and I'll help take care of Ron, I promise," Ginny replied firmly.

"I know honey, and thank you," Molly told her tearfully as she watched her children get on the train. Though she knew that Hogwarts was still be rebuilt and even more protective charms were being put on the school she still worried.

She hugged her husband tight as she looked around the platform; even though they were early it was still quite a bit of families there. Not that you could tell as the noise level was definitely muted compared to how it usually was. She took a deep breath as before turning around as she heard her name.

"Mrs. Weasely!" Harry repeated out anxiously.

"Calm down Harry, we're heading to her now," Severus told the child calmly.

"Harry!" Molly called out to him once he was close before throwing her arms open as she had an armful of a child.

"I'm sorry I didn't get to visit a lot," Harry mumbled to her. "How's Ron; is he better now?" He asked worriedly.

"Ron is, still the same but he's getting there. Some days he will come out of himself but other days he's in his head still," she told him sadly.

"I'm sorry, I wish he was better," Harry told her softly.

"It's not your fault, and don't you be thinking it is. I'm glad all of you are all right, and he'll still be your friend, I just hope you'll still be his," she told him.

"Of course, Ron's my best mate. I'll just have to take care of him until he can do it himself," Harry told her proudly.

"You're a good boy Harry," Molly told him tearfully.

"I try to be," Harry replied honestly before he pulled back and turned to his guardians. "I'll see you guys in a few hours right?"

"Yes Harry, we'll both be at Hogwarts," Sirius replied.

"Kay, so no sappy stuff, I'm gonna go find Ron," he told them as he hugged both of his adults before running to get on the train.

Severus watched him fondly as he turned to look at the Weasleys.  "Was there anything you needed us to do?"

"Just watch over them like you have been maybe watch over Ron a bit more. I told Albus you are to read over his healer's finding," Arthur added.

"Of course," Severus replied knowing he would have done it anyway. He continued talking with the older Weasleys until about 2 minutes before the train was leaving and the rest of her brood appeared off the train.

"Told you we'd be back mum, we'll write every week, and I promise I will watch out for Ron," George promised them.

"Keep us updated on Percy's health," Fred added. "Ginny is with Ron and Harry but she say's bye too," they added before hurrying back to the train.

"Just another year starting over, and yet you can feel the difference in the air," Molly remarked softly.

"It's to be expected," Arthur said as they all waved as the train pulled off from the station. "Come on along honey, we need to see to Percy,"

Molly nodded as she turned to face Severus and Sirius. "You both have done good by Harry, he needs that. Keep taking good care of him," she told them both fondly before she headed to the floo with her husband.

Severus shook his head as the emotions threatened to cloud his judgment. He needed to get through this first day, it was the hardest part he knew that.  "Are you heading to Hogwarts now?"

"In a bit, I need to visit with Moony, and help him finish packing for Hogwarts," Sirius told him.

"Was Theo on the train?" Severus wondered.

"Yeah he was, I told Harry to look for him," he added.

"Good, they all need as many friends as they can get," Severus added.

"Right you are," Sirius murmured.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Harry cold admit to himself that the current feeling on the train was eerie, he didn't know how else to explain it. They had just left the station and though he had though the platform being quiet was weird that had nothing on this. The twins had been different, serious for instance and he didn't like it. They had promised to check in on them later, and he knew from the look in their eyes that they meant it. He glanced up at Hermione who was gazing contemplatively out the window instead of reading the book in her lap.

"Hermione, are you okay? How come you didn't answer any of my letters?" Harry asked quietly as his eyes flickered to Ron.

"My parents were sure of letting me stay in the wizarding world. This had nothing to do with magic, they know that, and I know that. But they're worried, and I get their reasoning. I had to ignore magic for a bit and we had to take care of a few things as a family," she replied quietly.

"Yeah I get how that is, the family bit. I got a new family," Harry told her shyly.

"Who are they?" Hermione asked her eyebrows up in surprise.

"You'll see when we get to school," he told her with a childish glee.

Hermione grinned in return and nodded. "I'm looking forward to it,"

Harry sighed as their conversation died; this was what he was talking about. He promised Sirius that he would go and look for Theo on the train but he wasn't feeling it at the moment. He would do it later. He turned to make sure Ron didn't need anything before he curled up and fell asleep.

 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Harry was jolted awake by the conductor's voice telling them all that the train had arrived in the station.  He yawned before gently pulling his friend up as Hermione led the way out of the compartment and then the train. Harry walked onto the station platform towards where the carriages would be with Ron and Hermione, and he couldn't get used to the silence. It seemed like neither could Hermione as well, as his red-headed friend always had something to say, except now and he didn't like it. As it was, he had his friend's arm leading them towards the horseless carriages only to freeze when he saw them. He wasn't the only one to stop, he felt Ron tense but the boy made no other reaction. He could vaguely see out the corner of his eyes other students stopping to stare at the strange creatures. What were they? And why the hell were they here?

"What are they?" Dennis whispered out fearfully from where he was standing by the trio.

"What are what Dennis? I don't see anything," Hermione said in confusion as she still saw horseless carriages. She had after all left when they did the first evacuations.

"They're called Thestrals, you can only see if you've seen death," Draco told the younger boy as he had been behind him before he swallowed thickly as he made his way towards a carriage.

"Oh," Dennis breathed out harshly as he fought his tears, as he looked at the skeletal horses trying to get control of his emotions. He hugged his torso tightly, wishing for his older brother more than ever. He was only 11 and Colin had been 12 and yet the older boy had protected him at the expense of his life.

"Hey hey, Dennis its okay, it's alright. Its fine, you can cry if you want. No one is gonna make fun of you," Lee Jordan said gently as he wrapped an arm around the small boy and led him to one of the carriages.

Hermione was staring in horror at what she just learned; she couldn't see them because she had been whisked away before anything truly happened. But Ron and Harry and poor Dennis they could see. And clearly so could many of the other students, oh god, why had she wanted to come back to this?

Harry shook the thought away as he turned to his friend, waving a hand slightly in his face trying to see if his friend would wave it away. He knew they all dealt with the trauma differently and it sucked to know that Ron was like this way. He wanted his best friend back, but until he was there he wouldn't abandoned the boy. He would stick by him, through it all.

It was somber ride to the school; Harry didn't have the energy or the want to even attempt conversation. Everyone was in their own thoughts, especially those who had just seen what was pulling the carriages. He swallowed thickly as they silently made their way up to the castle. The quiet was unnerving, and he got his first look at Hogwarts since that fateful day.

The castle wasn't completely fixed and you could still see some cracks and splints but on a whole Hogwarts was good. He made sure he had Ron's arm remembering what Mrs. Weasely had said as they trooped into the Great Hall. The staff wasn't at the head table, they were all waiting by the house tables, and there to give a hand to the students in they need be. He made his way with Ron and Hermione to Sirius and gave his godfather a sad look.

"Why didn't you warn me about the Thestrals? Is this the real reason why you wanted me to take the train?" He asked tearfully, trying to shake the hurt away.

Sirius was staring at Harry in horror at the boy's words, he had forgotten about the carriages and his eyes flicked to Albus and then Snape. "No, they slipped our mind; we didn't know you would be able to see them. Take a seat Harry, we'll explain it, I promise," he said ruffling his godson's hair before he made his way to the Slytherin.

"What is it Black?" Severus asked when he saw the man coming towards him. There was no animosity in the calling the man by his last name now, it was more out of habit.

"Harry can see Thestrals, and I'm pretty sure he's not the only one," Sirius breathed out quietly as he got a look at the Slytherin table.

"Sweet Merlin," Severus muttered out his eyes flickering over to Albus.  "Go tell him, he needs to explain to them just why,"

Sirius nodded and hurried towards the old man, who was giving a small Hufflepuff first year a much needed hug. "Albus, some of the students can see the horseless carriages. Harry can," he added quietly.

Albus shook his head sadly, he didn't think about that. No doubt they had witnessed some of their classmate's demise and he didn't want to bring up those memories. It was inevitable as it all happened at Hogwarts. Which is why he nodded to himself, he had been right when he had been discussing with Molly about mind Healers coming to Hogwarts. The sad thing was he didn't think any of the parents would be against it. He collected himself before he cleared his throat. There was no need to even perform a sonorous as the Great hall was quiet.

"It has come to my attention that a few of you were concerned and confused about what exactly was pulling the carriages that brought you to the castle," Albus started of gently.

Harry glanced up at the Headmaster, noting that everyone else seemed to give the old man their attention as well.

"They are called Thestrals, and are harmless unless otherwise provoked. I'm sorry that you all can see them, for they to become visible to you, you would have seen some type of death. I also want you all to know that there will be a mind healer here for the remainder of the year. Which also means each of you will be required to meet with him at least once, so we can evaluate your mental state," he told him kindly.  "You may sit wherever you wish, houses are not in affect right now," he added as he turned to comfort another child.

Harry made sure he had Ron's hand; he wasn't ashamed to hold his mate's hand before leading the red-headed over to where the Slytherin table was.  He wasn't the only Gryffindor that had followed, he could see Neville on the other side of Ron and he was grateful for that. He settled down on the bench pulling Ron down with him to sit as well.

"Hey Theo, I'm sorry I didn't see you on the train," Harry told the other boy apologetically.

"It's okay, "the Slytherin replied quietly. "I needed to keep Draco company anyway,"

Harry nodded quickly. "That's cool too," he said and he meant it. He knew from his Professor that Draco wasn't doing so well. He would try super hard to gain the other's boy's hand in friendship.

Draco looked up from where he had been staring at his book. He felt almost as if he didn't belong here, because of what or who was missing. Every time he looked at Theo he saw a white cast on his arm, and though Draco knew he himself wasn't hurt he couldn't explain the pain he felt inside of him.

"I wonder what's for dinner," he stated conversationally.

"I don't know, I'm not all that hungry to be honest," Harry replied before quickly turning as the headmaster was speaking again.  He shook his head he wasn't interested to hear about this. He talked among his friends for the moment until the food silently appeared. It seemed to be some type of stew for which Harry was grateful. After setting Ron up with a bowl he started to eat his food, glancing up when he saw one of the twins make their way over to them.

"Doing alright Harry; you and Ron?" Fred asked seriously.

 "We're okay," the Gryffindor replied easily.

"Good when you're not come find me or George," he told him firmly.

"I will," he promised.

 "Good," Fred replied happily before he turned to look across the table of the not so subtle blonde who had been staring at him.

Draco ducked his head when they made eye contact and scowled. He didn't know why he was looking at the older boy. It wasn't like Fred could help him, the other boy had made it perfectly clear those few months ago in the Headmaster's office when he had left him. He just wanted the stupid boy to walk away and leave him alone. He didn't care about him; he didn't need him or anyone.

"How you doing over there Blondie?" Fred asked kindly.

Draco shook his head as he sipped his stew. "I've been better," he muttered out wondering why he was even replying.

"Anything I can help you with to make it almost the way it was?" Fred pressed.

"No, no one can, and that's on me," Draco hissed out before he stood up, and after grabbing a bread roll hurried from the table and out the hall.

"You should've left him alone Weaseley," Theo grumbled but there was no heat in his tone.

"Naw, I shouldn't have, and I won't stop. Everybody needs someone," Fred said as he stood up and glanced out the door Draco left. "Especially him," he murmured out and he meant it. He would be keeping an eye out on one Draco Malfoy.