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Ron muttered something and sat down next to Harry, keeping his eyes on us. I transfigured a couch out of small stones, on which I sat with Hermione. The girl, in turn, played with her wand in her hands, looking at the guys with a predatory look. Ron shivered.

"Ha-ha-ha..." Sirius burst into a barking laugh. "You guys are funny. Don't get along?"

"Why get along with him," a pouting Ron, resentfully digging the ground with his heel.

"Ron doesn't like my background. Harry doesn't like what Ron doesn't like. The only friend, after all."

"Really?" Sirius looked at Potter in surprise. "No more friends?"

"Harry has lots of friends!" blurted out Ron. "A whole bunch of friends!"

"That won't do," Sirius shook his head. "You have to socialize with people. We had a lot of friends, even if not sidekicks. Yeah... Okay. Max... You're Max, right?"

"Yeah. Did you get my name?"

"I did," Sirius grinned, taking a big bite out of the half-eaten chicken and chewing quickly. "You didn't just drop by, did you? How is it at home, by the way? Well, you know."

"Not just for fun. It's not bad at home, except there's no one left alive."

"That's how..." Black stared blankly at the piece of chicken in his hands for a few seconds.

"There's a portrait left from Lady Walburga. She says if she sees you, she's going to be swearing all over the place."

" She won't see me."

"Why are you even talking?" Ron looked at us all with indignation and questioning. "You and Lupin said he was a Malfoy!"

"Well, yes... But actually no."

"Oh, Sirius!" I smiled, leaning back on the back of the sofa. "Did you find out something?"

"Why don't you create a chair for us, too?" Ron fidgeted with obvious discomfort on the ground of the grotto.

"You're not a wizard?" glancing at Weasley, I smiled. "Then conjure."

"I can't."

"That's your problem. Have you ever tried studying?"

"Okay, that's enough!" Potter was tired of our feuds. "How much longer?"

"Why is he ..."

"Ron!"

"I got it, I got it."

Sirius finished his chicken and looked at me.

"I thought you were a Malfoy at first. But then Moony told me that your last name is different, too, and there's already a Malfoy in Slytherin. I then thought for a long time: "How so?". After all, you are very much like Narcissa, my cousin."

"And what did you decide?"

"I came up with something absurd! Writing to my cousin! I didn't even think she would answer. But she did. Says she doesn't remember any second son, but she's seen him, and the kinship is obvious. Interesting, isn't it? Maybe it was that scumbag Lucius who did it. He's a sneaky bastard."

Sirius stood up, beginning to walk around the grotto from wall to wall.

"He performed some kind of ritual," I spoke quietly, "that was supposed to remove the Malfoy blood in me."

"Not likely," Sirius shook his head. "No one can survive something like that. Although, all the will of magic. By the way, how do you feel about him?"

"About Lucius?"

"Yes."

"He tried to kill me three times. So you guess for yourself, Sirius, how I feel about him."

"Wow!" Black stopped and looked at me with a kind of delight. "And you survived? You're pretty resilient. I always suspected Lucius of doing shady things, but this bastard is too slippery. Never got caught."

"Wait!" jumped up Ron, staring at everyone with shock. "You mean your own father tried to kill you?! Three times?!"

Smiling, I just stared at the redhead in silence. Potter was in shock, too, and Hermione took my hand, wanting to be supportive.

"Holy shit..." Ron sat back down dumbfoundedly on the ground, thinking about something.

"I wish I could nail that slippery bastard," Sirius said dreamily, now taking a piece of the pie I had brought.

"There's no point. He's been feeding the worms for over a year."

Sirius, who had taken a bite of the pie, choked and tapped his chest. Silently looking at me, he grinned.

"So that's it, huh?"

I only shrugged in response.