True to her musing Walburga sent an owl off to her niece requesting that she bring young Draco over so that he and Syrus could get acquainted. Well not really a request so much as a polite demand. So when the next morning rolled around she was sure to leave instructions with Kreature, she had errands to run, that included waking Sirius at a proper time, making sure that the house was in presentable shape, and anything else that needed done before Narcissa's arrival .

So much to Sirius' horror at seven sharp the ghastly little beast dumped a jug full of ice cold water onto his head and began mumbling orders to get dressed and prepared for company. It took a rather vicious stinging hex to get him to leave. "Bloody hell!" Sirius grumbled as he pushed wet hair out of his face. Grudgingly he rolled out of bed and stumbled, blurry eyed, into the bathroom. After he finished making himself presentable he was happy to find that his bed had been dried and the sheets changed. After dressing, an outfit had been laid out for him something that strongly reminded him of his childhood, he headed to Regulus' old room, the room that his mother insisted be converted into a proper nursery, and roused his equally sleepy son. "Don't take it out on me." He told Syrus when the boy sent him a rather comically vicious glare, it looked so out of place on his angelic face that it caused him to chuckle, as he tried to dress him. "Complain to your grandmother for inviting people over at such an unholy hour."

"Bad!" Syrus grumbled as he frantically tried to wiggle out of the outfit his father was trying to place him in. "No!" He tried again when he didn't stop.

"I know you don't like it but until we get to the Alley to get you more outfits this is the only one that has Walburga Black's stamp of approval." Sirius rolled his eyes. "How about I make you a deal, hm?" He continued to fiddle with the stiff collar of the tiny shirt. "If you be good and wear these dreadful clothes I promise that we'll go shopping AND get ice cream later okay?" He wasn't beyond bribery nor was he too proud to admit it.

Syrus stopped moving and eyed his father as if trying to determine if he was lying. "Creamy?"

Sirius nodded. "Yes all the creamy you can eat and maybe if you're super good we'll pop in and look at the new brooms." He added for good measure.

"Creamy and broom." Syrus accepted the terms and provided no other resistance to being dressed in the extremely uncomfortable clothes.

"I always said you were a smart boy." Sirius glared at Kreature when he appeared to inform them that the guests had arrived. "Well tell them to keep their robes on we're coming." He muttered snidely.

Syrus giggled and clapped his hands together. "Robes on! Robes on!" He mimicked almost perfectly.

Sirius shook his head and picked up his son and left the nursery. "I'm glad one of us is finding humor in the situation." Now this was the happy little boy he had known; always quick with a smile and even quicker with a laugh. "I haven't the foggiest whom mother invited and I'm pretty sure that's exactly what she wanted." He frowned hesitating on the stairs as his Auror training seemed to decide that now was a good time to kick in. Should he really carry Syrus into a potentially harmful situation? Would his mother actually purposefully cause harm to her only grandchild by inviting someone dangerous? It worried him that he couldn't say for certain that she wouldn't. Shifting the quiet boy slightly in his arms he made sure his wand was easily accessible just in case. Descending the stairs he entered the parlor cautiously and while the person, people, inside weren't dangerous per say he felt the urge to throw a curse just for the principle of it. "Hello Narcissa." He greeted stiffly.

Narcissa turned away from the family tapestry when she heard someone enter. "Sirius." She acknowledged. Her eyes drifted down to the grey eyed toddler. "And this must be Syrus?"

"Yes this is my son." Sirius coolly regarded the blonde haired boy in his cousins arms. "He looks like Lucius." It wasn't really a compliment but knew it would be taken as such.

"Yes my son has truly been blessed." Narcissa agreed. "I must say that little Syrus' appearance has caused quite the stir."

Sirius ignored her for a moment in favor of sitting down on one of the rooms sofas. He sat Syrus onto the floor before answering. "Yes mother has kept me informed. Seems that Aunt Druella is in a snit. Even accused mother of making him up." He smirked. "I'm just pleased that I can prove her wrong."

Narcissa sighed and followed Sirius' example by sitting down and placing Draco onto the floor. "Go on and play little snake." She cooed softly using her pet name for him; something she did only when Lucius wasn't around. "Mother was just worried that perhaps all the time Aunt Walburga has spent alone caused her to go 'round the bend so to speak. She was only thinking of the family I can assure you."

"No she was thinking that her grandson would be elevated to a higher status but you, of all people, should know that that is impossible. There has never been a non Black head of the family nor will there ever be as long as just one person is alive that believes in the old ways." Sirius told her. "Besides when has your mother ever thought about our family other than to have the sense to marry into it?"

Syrus was bored listening to the adults talk so he pushed himself to his feet and toddled over to the other boy that seemed to be attached firmly to the corner of his mothers robe. "Play?" He questioned as he left himself fall backward onto his bum and pulled his blocks out from under the center table.

Draco wasn't normally shy but his father had basically yelled at him to behave on this little outing or else. And frankly he had no desire to find out what the or else was. Having already grown bored he gladly welcomed the offer to play from the other boy. He had many playmates but this one was new and he loved new things. "Yes." He answered clearly as he scooted his bum across the floor so that he could reach the pile of blocks.

So it was on that day, amongst a pile of magical blocks, that an unbreakable friendship was born between the two boys; the only two boys who could claim a stake in the Black family with one being a little more pure in blood than the other but both too young to care.

"Perhaps we should try and get along Sirius if not for our sake then for our sons?" Narcissa didn't want to argue with him; he had been her favorite cousin while growing up. "Aunt Walburga expects our children to get along and that won't happen if we can't say two civilized words to each other. We were raised better than this."

Sirius stood and began to pace the length of the room. "I can't…." He frowned. "Mother expects many things some would say too many. Most of which are unrealistic. And while I understand, in part, her reasons it doesn't mean I agree with her. Nothing is going to change, not really. I will always be the boy that disappointed his family by being sorted into Gryffindor. I'll not allow my son to be manipulated for any purpose." He stopped pacing and stared at the two little boys; two innocent lives. "And while I dislike whom you've become and who you married I find myself at a loss of a good reason to keep our sons apart. So with you and only you I will try and put aside our differences at least while our children interact. But I will not allow your husband anywhere near my son because I do not trust him."

Narcissa frowned. "Lucius would never willingly hurt a child." She tried to assure him. "But it is your decision."

What neither Narcissa nor Sirius noticed was that Walburga had returned and stood watching them. Her son was strong willed but Narcissa always seemed to calm him down when they were children. She was counting on that strong bond to be rebuilt and with time reinforced because Sirius would need a strong ally when she was gone. And with the news the medi-witch had just given her he'd need that ally sooner rather than later.