A/N: You'll notice I missed last week. I did promise to start the first of June, but we had an unexpected death in the family.
You see, my family's pet parrot died Saturday of last week. This was a bit more than losing a pet you have for ten or fifteen years. This parrot was truly a member of the family. We had had her for nearly forty years. And she was every bit my father's parrot. She had totally bonded to him and he misses her a great deal. As do we all. I still have to stop myself when I make a salad for dinner and remind myself I no longer have to save the shredded carrots for her, which she loved. I still walk into my parent's house and expect her to be there in her cage. I still remind my Dad to save her some potatoes from dinner. I suppose in time we will get use to her not being with us, just as we got use to having her there every day.
Oddly enough, this will read much as the last posting of Chapter One did in the previews. But there are subtle differences. Like the answers at the end.
Also, if you want to learn a bit more about Hershel Bennett, folks, I direct you to said answers below. A lot of people were interested in him, so I gave you a bit more information on him down there.
A/N1: O.K.. A few things you need to know before the rest of the things you need to know.
(Pauses for a minute to allow everyone to digest that last statement.)
Now, for those of you who have read the preview chapters, my advice is 'to read them again'. There have been a few minor, but important., alterations.
Next, whereas I would like to hand you a nice, happy little lark of a read, I'm afraid that is not it. Family Relations is as convoluted as it's title suggests. How convoluted, you asked? Folks, it's taken me nearly three years to write this thing. You figure it out. You really need to read between the lines here. Trust me, there isn't one word in this thing that I didn't mean to put in here. And if it's there, it serves a purpose. So read carefully is my advice.
My next piece of advice, if you suspect something, but aren't sure, ask. I'll be more than happy to spell things out and draw pictures this time. Because it really is necessary.
A/N2: Folks, we need to talk.
A few things you need to know before starting this story. They're important...and slightly confusing.
One: Family Relations is the sequel to Family Life. If you haven't read that story, boy, are you gonna be one lost little reader.
Two: If you have read Family Life, you might still be lost. Why? Because I have to make some changes. Nothing drastic. Don't get upset. But they are important.
Change one: Do you remember back in Family Life, when they were all in the chamber in the lair of the Deatheaters? You remember when Harry cast the spell? Do you remember Analisa turning and saying something to Lupin? Good! Now, do me a favor? Forget that part. Small change. The person Analisa was talking to was Snape, not Lupin. (Trust me, it's real important.)
Change two: You remember in Fever I told you that story was in no way related to Family Life except in one small area? For those of you who forgot what that area was, here it is. In the end of Fever, Sirius changed Harry's name, making it now Harry James Potter Black. There was something else involved in the court papers. Remember that? Well, it figures in with this story in a rather big way. (Telling you what right now would ruin the story, so if you forgot, go back and review.) So, the fact of the matter is, while Fever and Family Life aren't related, Family Relations does borrow that one concept from Fever.
Three: Remember, Q&A at the end of each chapter. Feel free to ask questions. Give P.A.R. something to read for a change. After all, I'm giving you something to read.
Four: Oh, and could you back up the time line a little for me? I know Family Life ended with the start of the school term like only a week away. But I need a little more time with this story. So could we back Family Life up a little further? How far? I haven't an exact date yet. But it'll figure into Family Life's changes. So just work with me, O.K.?
Good.
Thanks.
Also, speaking f time lines, for those of you who are interested, or simply want to be really confused, Runaway took place right before Family Relations by just a few weeks. Technically, Runaway was a sub-story of Family Life.
O.K., one more thing.
Yes! The first few chapters are short. Why? Well, folks, because P.A.R. learned a new word and you have only yourselves to blame for teaching it to me. (Someone mentioned it in a review.). That word is 'Cliffhanger'.
It's a fun little word, and a really great writing tool. (Let's face it, folks, it's the greatest marketing tool ever invented!).
So bare with P.A.R. while she has her little bit of fun.
Be good. Don't flame. And P.A.R. will make the chapters longer. Deal? O.K..
On with the story.
And as always;
Enjoy.
Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations
as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.FAMILY RELATIONS
Chapter One: Meetings
"All right then, Mr. Black. We just have a few more issues that need to be cleared up before we can finalize the adoption of your godson."
Sirius sat in the chair before the caseworker about as stiffly as anyone could, his hand wrapped in a tight grip over the head of his cane. He had lost count of the number of meetings, paper signings, and personal interviews he and Arabella had been through all to try and get to this point. And still they managed to find something to asked him. Of course, Sirius wasn't really that surprised. There was one issue left that they had been skirting about the whole time, but never asked any direct questions about.
All through the interview his leg had been throbbing to beats faster than his heart, and he was running desperately low on patience. Between Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore, they had done all they could for him. But the leg refused to mend properly. Dumbledore had summed it up to being an aftereffect of the extent of the damage done to the leg, and suggested helpfully that time would likely be the only healer now. It was a small comfort to Sirius, who lived with the pain n a daily basis now. But still he remained calm and silent, gripping the head of his cane tighter and reminded himself that this should be the last interview. After this, Harry would be his, and no one could take him away from him or Arabella after that.
Next to him, Arabella was literally on the edge of her chair. She had been the one who had always appeared the most eager each time they had come here. Wondering if each meeting would be the last. If they would finally be handed the adoption papers on that visit.
Sirius had sworn she probably had the whole presentation to Harry planned out. Flying down the hallway screaming for joy quickly came to mind as he envisioned the scene with a small smile. And he was pretty sure no one had better be between her and her godson on that day. The results could get messy.
"Now, Mr. Black...," The interviewer started.
Sirius' eyes narrowed slightly.
"There is a report we've come across that seems to indicate some sort of a criminal record?"
Sirius quickly produced several papers from his jacket. He had come well prepared for this.
"I was cleared of those charges." Sirius stated simply.
The woman looked over the official documents. When the ministry had finally accepted the parchment given to Harry by Peter Pettigrew as authentic, one of the restitutions they were required to give Sirius was a document stating he was cleared of all charges and was declared free. Of course, two separate documents were required. One signed by the officials of the wizarding community, and one by those of the muggle community, so both would recognize the paper as official. The papers from the wizarding law enforcement had been easy enough to obtain. But from the muggle police the Ministry had relied heavily on Sirius' brother, Orion, and his partner Charlie Misser to obtain the proper paper work, based mostly on their prior dealings within the muggle law enforcement agencies.
And a week of articles in the Daily Prophet and the muggle papers, as well as on the muggle news, didn't hurt either. Where had this woman been that week?
The woman behind the desk looked the paper over for a few minutes, which was followed by a few phone calls. She then made a quick copy of the documents before handing them back to Sirius.
"Well, Mr. Black." The woman behind the desk said pleasantly. "That was really the only matter that needed clearing up. But all seems in order in regards to it." She added with a smile. "So...,"
Arabella was barely still sitting on any chair at all as she leaned forward a bit more.
But just then the door to the office opened and a young man hurried in. He only favored the couple sitting before the desk with a brief glance before he hastily placed a note on the woman's desk in front of her, right on top of the adoption papers she was getting ready to sign.
The caseworker quickly read the note over. As she finished she turned to the man standing next to her, her expression somewhere between confused and irritated.
"They're sure about this?" She asked quietly.
The man nodded.
"They checked the claim?"
The man nodded.
"They're sure?" She emphasized this time.
The man nodded.
"What?" Arabella nearly shouted. She had been holding onto the edge of the woman's desk at this point. The tension had been building in her all through the interview. That horrible little feeling that she couldn't get rid of that something would go wrong and stop them from being able to adopt her godson.
The woman turned a stoic face back to the couple before her as the man quickly hurried out, closing the door behind him. The man's only brief acknowledgement of them, and then his hasty retreat from the office, did not leave Sirius with a good feeling about what was in that note.
"Mr. Black," the woman said calmly, folding her hands on her desk as she gave him a level stare, "I understood that you had custody of your godson."
Sirius' expression shifted ever so slightly to one of confusion. But the grip on his cane tightened enough to turn his knuckles white. "I do." Sirius replied, keeping his voice as even as he could under his growing apprehension. "I gave you the papers. You have your copies of them."
"Yes, sir." She replied, opening the folder on the desk in front of her again.
Laying on top of the folder was the unsigned adoption paper, already made out. Arabella stared fixatedly at it as she begged that this was just a small matter. A few more questions and she would have her son. Her family. Everything she had dreamed about for fourteen long years.
"Mr. Black," the caseworker stated as she closed the file, "I'm must tell you that that does not seem to be the case. And until the matter is resolved, we can't finalize the adoption. I'm sorry."
Arabella drew on every ounce of resolve within her not to break into tears. She felt as though her godson had been snatched right out of her arms along with her dreams. Next to her Sirius seemed lost in thought for a few seconds. But then, as though coming out of a slight trance-like state, his expression became very hard, and his voice utterly cold.
"What?"
"Someone else, Sir, has stepped forward claiming to have custody of the minor child, Harry James Potter Black."
Sirius was out of his chair, leaning hard on his cane for balance. "Who?"
The caseworker stared up at Sirius without so much as flinching.
"Orion Black."
Q&A
Enemies
Skahducky:
Ahhhhh...that's the question, Dear. Who was he talking about? Harry or Sirius? But that I leave up to you to figure out. However, a bit of advice. When we get past the first ten chapters, come back and re-read the first three. They'll read a lot differently after chapter ten, I promise.
Hershel was showing a rare bit of compassion there. Simply put, it's not his nature to be amiable or kind. He's a Dementor, for heaven's sake. They're not known to be agreeable. But he still has a small little ember of humanity in him, and he preserves it by showing, every once in a great while, he can still be compassionate...when it suits him. (Well, technically he's not a full Dementor, but your splitting hairs there.)
Hershel is not a trusting person. And in general, he dislikes and distrusts people. But Katlin was the first person in a long time who stood up for him. Who took his side and defended him against her own husband. This made a very deep impression on Hershel. Especially considering who Katlin's husband is. There is little love lost between Hershel Bennett and the Black family for reasons that come out in this story. Also, let's look at this from a point of view everyone seemed to miss. Hershel, for all he may be, is still a man. Katlin is a very beautiful woman and the wife of someone Hershel is not overly fond of. You work it out.
Done? Let me add that Hershel is no fool, nor is he out to break up any marriages. But he sees a great deal of potential in rattling someone's cage that he feels deserves it. Just a little clarification there.
Past that, Hershel sees in Katlin something he has not had in his life in a very long time. A willing friend.
What did Hershel mean when he said that Orion's family still feels they have control over him? Again, that is something that will come out in Family Relations. But know that the ties between Hershel Bennett and the Black family are long, deep, and very tense. Actually, I don't remember if I mentioned it in the story or not already; if not consider this a freebee of information. Back when Talon himself was an Auror, Hershel Bennett was his partner. Little something for you to work on.
Harry's a little confused about his thoughts on Katlin? Try a little confused about his feelings on Katlin. Teenage boy. Pretty woman paying attention to him. That's a whole lot of flattery going on there, folks. Now, don't get me wrong. Harry did not help Katlin escape hoping to get a date with her. But Katlin does tend to use her femininity to her advantage almost without thinking about it. She'll manipulate, coerce, lead, and spin herself about a man until he doesn't know which end is up. Unintentionally perhaps, she did a little of this to Harry, trying to get him to do what she ask without too many bothersome questions. And the poor boy didn't stand much of a chance against her.
Silverfox:
Well, currently I have no plans to send poor Bo to visit Azkaban. Maybe later. Keep in mind, should such an occasion arise, that it's not that Bo 'can't' go to Azkaban, he just doesn't 'want' to go there. Purely a matter of preference.
Hershel is indeed an interesting character. And a man with a great deal of depth. He arose out of a thought I had one day, what would a Dementor be like if it actually had a soul of its own to worry about? Hence, Hershel Bennett was born. He is a strikingly handsome man, has a great deal of intelligence, talent, and money. He is, in fact, every woman's dream of the perfect man. He just has one small little problem. He happens to be a Dementor. And he's not really even that. But a better description of him lays in the chapters of Family Relations, which explains in detail exactly how Hershel got to be the way he is and why.
Well, we all have our favorites, Dear. For a good laugh, I'll take Bo. For a nice cuddle on the couch, definitely Hershel.
Abay:
Any relation to Ebay, Dear?
Just a little joke.
As Orion said, Dear, Hershel may deserve and crave many things. Pity is not one of them. He is what he is by choice (sort of). I mean, he could possibly be human again, but there's no guarantees there. Kind of, 'the cure could be worse than the disease'. Hershel chose to stay the way he is. Granted, he's not very popular at parties, but he's learned to adapt as best he can. And he enjoys, to a degree, the power his situation has brought to him.
Katlin did the best thing she could have done in her situation. She stood up to the man. Hershel is not use to that. He is far more use to being shunned, feared, and even hated. But rarely has anyone ever stood up to him or for him, much less against her own husband. Hershel felt that that sort of action deserved a proper acknowledgement of appreciation. Hence, in a sense, he gave Katlin her freedom in the only way he could.
Orion actually owes Katlin a great deal of praise and thanks. She is now the buffer between his family and Hershel Bennett. There is little love lost between Hershel and the Black family, despite their past, or more likely, because of it. But to hurt any one of them, especially Orion, who is the one Hershel would most likely strike through, would upset Katlin. So Hershel is much more careful how he deals with the Black family now.
The last scene, Dear? Go read Skahducky's question, then the answer. It may shed a little light for you. I did warn you in the author's notes that Family Relations is not a light read. If I put something in this story, it's there for a reason. There's a little reading between the lines involved, and a lot of re-reading. Once you get past chapter ten, you will most likely want to go back and re-read the first few chapters. With one missing piece of information you will read the first few chapters in a whole different light.
Currently, Dear, I'm just hoping to get to my hand surgery. My Primary doctor appears to need to make a car payment and is using me t do it by ordering every blasted test he can think of before signing my release for the surgery. This week I simply put a stop to it and said 'no more'! I went to my surgeon and told him I would sign a release on myself, releasing him from any liability if he will just do the surgery. You just get tired of being poked and prodded, folks.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Thank you! I am so glad someone commented on that. I thought it was cute.
Hope to hear from you again, Dear.
Family Life
Fwuzzfwuzz:
Your name is a mouthful, Dear.
I'm glad you liked it. I am told I misused 'soap' when I meant 'soup' in one chapter. But of 133,000 readers, only one person mentioned it, so I did not feel t hard pressed to change it yet. One day I might.
If you liked Family Life, I d hope you come back for Family Relations and Family Ties, parts two and three of the Family story arch.
Family Relations
Becky (Me):
Me? Where have you been, you son of a gun? Thought you disappeared on me. Man, it's been a while! Good to have you back!
Oh, yes, Dear, after a long, long, long time, we are finally off and running with Family Relations.
Sadist. You're going to make me really work on this one, huh? Well, do your best t not understand. I pride my stories on being able to stand on their own. But you'll keep me on my toes, I'm sure.
Orion is not an idiot, Dear. Just poorly informed. He had no idea Harry couldn't apparate. Nor did he expect, once he discovered his error, that his target would have moved by the time he got back, all the spacing of about a minute. And, having five of his own children, he can't even claim unfamiliar territory here. Just bad planning.
Well, you have a few weeks to go before you see anything strictly new. I am reposting the first four chapters in order t make some modifications. Mostly they will be extended to give a bit more information. So don't overlook them.
Catch you later, Dear.
Fever
Charming-Lynn:
Dear, I have some bad news for you. Fever is done. There are no more chapters to update with.
Rankokunalpha1:
I have to assume you put that number on there yourself, because, Dear, there is no
In response to you review, please see above response.
Tried And Convicted
Mrmistoffelees:
Ummmm..., bad news, Dear. This story wrapped up. There is nothing to update.
All reviews are as of 06/12/2005.
And remember;
Hurricane Season began June 1st. Expect delays. We've already had one.
(OK, so it was technically only a tropical storm.)
Please stay tuned to my bio page for weather delay updates.