Chapter Eight.

Runes, when Draco's wand was replaced the new one was decorated with what looked like runes, bold geometric designs that trailed down to the midway point and Draco had been considering getting them translated. Ollivander's had only just opened and Draco had flinched when he had walked into that shop to acquire a want from a man his family had held prisoner for over a year. The man had seemed genuinely pleased to see him, and that kindness had terrified Draco. That man had looked at him with such pity that he had reached for Draco's shoulder and squeezed it.

"You were a prisoner just like I was son" he said. "That they gave you a longer leash just proved to be another form of torture for you." Now as Draco looked down at his wand as Remus Lupin and Sirius Black settled themselves before him Draco was close to panicking. The same kind of fear held him in its grips as he looked between the two men. He hated the judgement he got from others, that he was about to be picked apart for being the victim of a werewolf attack just made him feel that much more vulnerable. Its only when two more chairs were summoned and filled that Draco looked up to see Harry and Ron before him settled on either side of Remus.

"Potter." He acknowledges, wondering why the boy who just wouldn't die was seated before him. Harry inclined his head, whilst Weasley scowled, clearly he wanted to be here just as much as Draco. "You told them". Draco doesn't make it a question, he looks at Sirius Black, a man who is soon to be father in law and sighs. "Fine, let's just get this over with shall we?" When no one replies he reaches for the tumbler of water he had been drinking from and gulps heavily. It's all he can drink on the day before the full moon, and briefly notes with some amusement that Lupin too was drinking water.

"Draco we," Lupin started and then pauses with a pointed glare in Sirius' direction. "We were recently informed that you, like myself, are a werewolf, lycanthrope, or whichever title you prefer. We want you to know that, I at least, understand the affliction and would like to offer my assistance should you need anything. With Fenrir dead you have not been claimed by a pack and life as a lone wolf can be brutal at best. Having my friends know made my time at Hogwarts and the years after it easier more bearable. "

The silence from that statement lasted long enough for Weasley to start fidgeting, this was not the response that Draco had anticipated and the Slytherin in him couldn't help but wonder what the catch was. He had expected all kinds of threats to be made against him, along the lines of 'If Hermione cries we will…' insert threat of choice here. Something must have shown on his face because Black cleared his throat.

"Don't get any ideas, harming you harms Hermione, and she's been harmed enough. So No, I am not going to threaten you, you were a babe when this was drawn up, I cannot fault you for that. No my anger lies with your parents and my Dear twisted evil mother." He sighed using his hand to push the long curls back from his face, impatiently. "You didn't trick Hermione into this, and no sane person would get themselves turned into a werewolf. Be glad you're rich kid, because the world is full of people like Umbridge who think werewolves should be neutered and hunted down. Kingsley is a good man, but the Wizengamot is full of prejudiced bastards who rarely use their wands for more than beating their house-elves.

"My issues with your father are not for you to concern yourself with, he and I have hated each since we were students here, he was so unworthy of my cousin, and the only reason I didn't hex him into celibacy is because your mother begged me to spare him." Sirius looked at him and smirked. "James and I were legends at the school for a reason kid, and soft hearted fools would call it bullying what we did in school, but those were the same fools we were protecting from the death eater wannabes. Half of Slytherin thought they were doing the works that Salazar Slytherin started when he didn't want to allow muggleborn's into the school. Thieves of magic they called them, absolute rubbish, you can't steel someone's magic, it flows from your life force, remove the life force and all you'll have is a dead body. You don't strike me as an idiot Malfoy, your mother would never have let you become one, and it's the only reason I'm not going to interfere with you and Hermione."

Seeing Draco's shocked face he continues, bitter amusement on his features now. "Don't get me wrong, you will never be good enough for her in my eyes, hell no one would be, but she's put you in your place many times before, so I won't act as though she needs rescuing from you. You and I will have no problems as long as you keep that wolf of yours under control. Most mating's end bloody kid, the bad news is, that ever happens and Hermione will be dead and you, hell you'll have half the country looking to rip you limb from limb for it."

"Sirius stop." Potters words are like a whip crack through the room and every set of eyes turns to face him. "Hermione can handle Draco, hell she could take over the world if she ever put that mind of hers towards it." He holds his hands up placating when Sirius opens his mouth to argue. "Yes she's terrified, she's nineteen who in their right mind wants to get married that young? I know I don't. You know what I thought would happen with Ginny, but honestly, she was right. Some things, even when you want them badly just aren't what you need. Hermione is in a funk, she has been since the war. That bag of hers is still packed and ready to go at a moment's notice because she is still sure that we haven't finished yet.

"She's taking her NEWTs but already been offered jobs in the ministry, as a healer, with the reserves across the globe working with different magical divisions and yet she's here, at school. She needs something to shake her out of it. Am I happy that she's marrying Malfoy, not really, will I support her anyway, yes. She put up with saving my life every other day for seven years, trust me, I will always owe her far more than I can ever pay her back." Harry turned and looked at Ron, whose face was set in angry lines, mirroring Sirius'. "We all owe her, so you two need to grow up and support her."

"Mate, supporting 'Mione doesn't mean we just welcome him with open arms, its Malfoy. We saved him and Zambini from the chamber of secrets, and he's always been a bloody tosser to Hermione, calling her a youknowwhat and acting like a smug git, she's too good for him Harry." Draco leant back in his chair and simply watched as Potter and Weasley argued, Weasley getting more and more animated and his face going a rather ugly shade of puce. He couldn't refute anything of what they were saying because he had done all those things, and how could he apologise for it, wouldn't change anything, wouldn't take the pain from the memories of it away. "Harry we can't let her marry the ferret!" Ron shouted, bringing Draco back out of his thoughts.

"Werewolf, Weasley, I am a werewolf do keep up. Haven't been a ferret in years to be honest, but I know from experience they are really stringy, they get caught in the teeth." He smirked as Weasley went pale and noticed from the corner of his eye Lupin, just as calm as he was, grimacing as though he was being reminded of the unpleasant taste too. "Not to mention the smell, when something smells better when it's dead it should have been the first clue not to eat it. Shadow however had the controls that night, so I just have to live with the memories."

Lupin looked amused, his eyes had turned gold as he looked at Draco. "Shadow?" He inquired. Sirius it seems werewolves get better names when they aren't named by four year olds, I think even Moony is jealous of that one Padfoot." He turned back to Draco, crossed one leg to rest upon his knee gingerly as though he too had aching joints and leant forwards. "Interesting name you've given your wolf their Draco, care to share the story? Personally I was so young when I was turned that I do not remember the naming of Moony, simply knew that it was his name and learned to fear his coming with each full moon. I hated him but the feeling was never mutual, he sought my wellbeing and would wrench control of me whenever I tried to end it all. He wanted to live, that I did not for so many years concerned him. I think that's why when my friends became animagi to spend the full moon with me, he accepted them as pack as once, he needed me to see that he wasn't the monster the four year old me saw."

It wasn't the sympathy or the shared pain that made Draco speak, it was that if there was anyone who might be able to make him understand Shadow better it was the man before him. Sirius and Potter listened intently, Sirius reaching around his Godson to squeeze the older werewolves shoulder in show of silent support. Weasley had settled into a begrudging silence, but he was silent which was all that Draco cared about in that moment. "I didn't name him, at least not intentionally. After my first full moon, I could feel him watching out at the world from behind my eyes, an unwavering presence, sometimes I would get these emotions that made no sense, anger and frustration and it took me days to realise that it was him. He was angry that he could not take control and frustrated that I did not seem to understand what he tried to communicate with me.

"He would constantly track scents, lead me down trails in the gardens as though he was searching for something but I could not understand what it was that he wanted. It wasn't until I called him the most aggravating shadow to ever curse someone's mind that I felt any other emotion from him. He grew quiet for a few moments and then he seem to radiate with peace and awareness. Greyback seemed to know immediately when it had occurred, said that by naming him I had claimed him as my own and sealed the bond. When I asked his wolves name he grew silent, refused to answer any more questions, he hated being asked questions and I learned the hard way how far I could push him before he attacked."

Draco was unconsciously stroking a particularly deep scar on his forearm, just below the dark mark, it was a messy slash, and was clearly deep because it hadn't healed quite right, some of the muscle beneath knotted in a way it shouldn't be. "Of course he was only too happy to answer Mother's questions, stalked her even, offered to free her from her marriage and show her what a real wolf was capable of." He snorted in disgust as he relived the memory of Greyback slobbering over his mother, panting after her until it annoyed the Dark Lord enough to send him out with the snatchers. "Bastard turned her into a werewolf and then had the nerve to offer to help her whelp some stronger pups."

The silence that followed that pronouncement was almost deafening in the room. Draco looked from each of their shocked faces and couldn't help the smirk that grew on his face. "Apologies, did she not tell you?" It grew wider as all four of them said nothing. "Ah Mother is a werewolf, she's still meeting with Hermione if you have any questions to ask her." Draco threw his head back and laughed, for the first time since the reading of the will as Potter and Weasley scrambled from their chairs, Harry chasing Weasley as he called Hermione's name in fear.