After a quick stop at Florean Fortescue’s for some ice cream (it was still as good as he remembered), Sirius moved on to Madam Malkin’s Robes for all Occasions. He quickly selected several sets of school robes, a set of dress robes and a variety of casual clothes. Thankfully, the shop was not busy and he was first in line to submit (albeit impatiently) to the usual session of pinning and fitting with the store’s proprietor.

“The girls are going to love you,” the robemaker gushed, “My niece, Tina, a lovely girl, she goes to Hogwarts too. Fifth year, Hufflepuff, you should look her up.”

“Draco darling,” a voice called from across the shop. “Come and have a look dear.

It was then that Sirius noticed the customers who had entered the store. A good looking young man his own age was standing nearby observing Sirius with interest. If the boy’s pale coloring and aristocratic features did not give away his identity, his intelligent grey eyes would have made him instantly recognizable as they were quite like Sirius’ own grey gaze. An inheritance from a mutual Black family ancestor, those eyes sized Sirius up with the instinctual recognition of another wizard of wealth and class. Sirius could detect no hint that the boy knew who he was as he came over to address him.

Draco cast a scowl in his mother’s direction, and then turned back to Sirius, “yeah, I know what you mean. She would have had me study at home too, if she had her way,” the boy gestured toward the back of the store. “I personally would have chosen Durmstrang, but Hogwart’s will do for now.”

Sirius agreed to this statement while doing his best to keep his back toward his cousin. With a quick glance, he spotted her blonde hair coming in their direction to investigate what was holding up her son. Sirius figured that Narcissa would have no reason to suspect that the teenager before her was the same young man who had played pranks on her at Black Family get-togethers so many years ago, and had even less reason to connect him to the escaped prisoner whom she believed dead, but even if Draco did not realize it, the family’s good looks were plainly evident in Sirius’ features and it was best not to risk any awkward questions.

Sirius’ last glance as he made his way out the door was of Narcissa and Madam Malkin converging on the scowling Draco. Sirius felt a brief sympathy for the boy being so clearly overmatched, but all thoughts of his cousin left his mind as he raced out of the shop and headlong into a man passing the store from the opposite direction…