As much as I love my RLNT fics, this story stands alone and isn't a prequel. In the other stories, Sirius never loved anyone before Cami. There may be echoes and reflections, (The pairing of Dorcas and Remus, Sirius' charming, irreverant personality) but they're not the same. They cast unique shadows.

The idea of shadows reminded me of a fantasy series by Roger Zelazny called Chronicles of Amber. In the Chronicles, Amber is "an immortal city from which every other city has taken its shape", and every other world is a shadow of that 'reality'. To me, Jo's books are Amber, and readers are like Zelazny's Corwin and his son Merlin, travelling from the core reality to others on a quest. Corwin wanted to discover his past. I'm thankful for everyone who wants to discover fanfiction and visits my parallel world to read about Sirius and Rosmerta. I hope its a version of HP reality you'll come to love!

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Chapter 2- Differences of Opinion

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The kitchen was bright and homey; a sharp contrast to the one he had eaten most of his meals in growing up. Sitting with his legs stretched toward the small brick fireplace, Sirius patted his stomach contentedly. "You didn't have to feed me dinner as well as gingerbread, Mrs. McFee, but my stomach is grateful you did. What can I do to repay you?"

"Not a thing! Even without the satisfaction of feeding a hungry boy, the envy I'll inspire tomorrow night at the meeting of the Ladies Society would be payment enough."

He grinned at the old woman's gloating tone. "What House did you say you were in?"

Using her wand to levitate his plate to the sink, she smiled mysteriously. "I didn't. I refuse to be stereotyped, especially by impudent young rascals, so don't ask my age, either."

Standing, he nodded. "Good for you, Mrs. McFee, but there's got to be something needing done before I Floo home."

The witch set aside her knitting and pointed to a tall cupboard. "My nephew visited yesterday and thoughtlessly replaced the honey on the highest shelf. I would appreciate if you would bring the jar down."

Sirius did so, although he felt compelled to ask, "Why not use magic to do it?"

Deep-set eyes twinkled. "Hagrid said the honey was taken from a bee hive deep within the forbidden forest. If touched by magic, the honey will call the bees to reclaim the fruits of their labour."

He held up the jar. Sparkles of light glimmered within the pure, amber colour. Mischievous thoughts began to whirl- what he and the Marauders could do with this…

"Would you loosen the top as well? My nephew likes loose lids as much as loose vowels, which is not at all. I can never open something he's tightened."

Her family sounded almost as loving as his was. Sirius agreeably complied. He placed the jar on the table and was taken aback to find a large basket pressed into his hands. "Ah, no, you…"

"You will not argue with an old woman who conjures for enjoyment and loathes seeing food go to waste. So take it and return the basket when next you come to Hogsmeade. I'll have gutters to clean and leaves to be raked by then."

He smiled, feeling warmed by her kindness. Since he was emancipated from his 'real' family, perhaps he'd start adopting one of his own. James and Remus could be brothers, Peter the annoying cousin, and Mrs. McFee would make a brilliant Nan. When it came to imagining a girl to bring to 'family dinners', he immediately thought of Rosmerta. The vision of her with an adoring smile and low-cut blouse made him smile wickedly. Sirius said with a gallant bow. "I look forward to putting my friends to work for such a fine Hufflepuff lady."

"You won't catch me out that easily, and I'll find work for you as well."

"Testing sweets?" he asked hopefully.

"We'll see," she replied with a hint of a smile.

Sirius grinned over the thought of eating his way through a mound of sweets while his mates worked at less pleasant tasks. He was still smiling when he picked up a handful of floo powder and said, "The New and Ignoble House of Black!"

When he stepped onto the cold and grimy hearth of the dilapidated house near Knockturn Alley, his grin faded. He had a visitor, who demanded sternly, "Where have you been?"

The basket was lifted as Sirius rolled his eyes and replied, "Hogsmeade, Dad…why? Did I break curfew? Am I grounded to my room? Say yes- I'm tired, and it's the only one with furniture."

He watched James light the medieval torch whimsically placed above the simple fireplace. His friend's tone was grim. "I thought you agreed having a motorbike on the grounds wasn't a good idea."

With a shake of his head, Sirius reminded, "No, I merely listened in silence while you expounded on that subject at great length. If you took my nods to mean more than 'Yes, I hear what you say', then sorry to disappoint, mate."

"Damn it, Sirius!"

The sight of James raking his hair into a spiky mess prompted a change in tactics. "C'mon, Prongs, don't be narked. Hagrid made me promise to keep the bike a secret and I won't do any riding on the grounds. Trust me. I don't want to raise hell; I just want the motorbike there. It means more to me than a piece of machinery. It's a symbol of freedom."

Hazel eyes narrowed. "You are so full of shite."

Sirius smiled persuasively. "That doesn't mean I'm not sincere."

"Sincerely full of gobshite." James' mouth turned up in a reluctant smile. "What's in the basket?"

"Goodies from Mrs. McFee. How long you been waiting? Want some gingerbread?"

"Not long, but I could eat."

"Then shall we adjourn to the dining chamber or would you prefer to eat al fresco?" enquired Sirius. His haughty butler tone earned a laugh from the other boy. Good old James, he never stayed angry for long.

"Since you don't have a table or chairs in the house, let's go to the back garden. At least there's a bench to sit on."

Sirius waved his arm grandly to indicate his friend should lead the way. He asked, "Should we light the Tiki torches?"

"The ones your dodgy neighbour said he found in a skip?"

"Yes." Sirius handed over the basket and reached for a torch. He pushed the long end into the ground. "Mate, Dung isn't someone your parents would approve of, but he's got a knack for finding the most useful things."

On the bench, James' expression was doubtful. He opened a tin and took out a square of gingerbread, remarking, "Look, she's included bottles of pumpkin juice. I told Remus she liked you best, you lucky dog." After taking a big bite of cake, the boy said around a mouthful, "'s it s'pposed to spark like tha'?"

Sirius backed away from the Tiki torch just in time. It exploded into a shower of sparks that hurtled into the evening sky and burst into silver crackling stars. James said something he couldn't quite hear for the ringing in his ears. He hollered, "What?"

James rushed over. "Those aren't torches…they're disguised rockets!" Sirius gave a shout of laughter when his mate yelled, "Let's light off another one!"

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The Hogsmeade Community Centre was a low, stone building that served as Village Hall and meeting place for various social groups. On the night Rosmerta entered the double doors, the Ladies Society was milling about before settling down to hold their monthly meeting. At the back, a large group of women gathered around the tea table, fixing steaming cups to their individual tastes. Nearby, a smaller group picked over the sweets displayed. Other clusters of women, in two's and three's, talked in low, restrained tones around the rectangular chamber. It reminded the young woman observing of the library- especially when she saw the village librarian pouring a cup of tea from the enchanted urn.

Everyone she made eye contact with smiled. Several of the younger women greeted her with a wave or a casual hello, but no one came over to chat. In the Broomsticks, the same ladies would sit on a stool and natter on, but outside the pub, her 'scandalous' reputation apparently made her friendly acquaintances leery of associating too closely.

"So glad you could make it, dear."

Rosmerta turned to the woman who had once awed her by saying her great-grandmother had been the inspiration behind the Muggle tale of Hansel and Gretel. She said dryly, "Nothing could stop me…once you told me anyone who doesn't show is food for gossip."

Mrs. McFee folded her hands together primly, but her eyes gleamed with humour. "We have the highest attendance rate of any club in the village."

"I'm sure you do."

Over at the sweets table, a stout, ruddy-faced witch demanded loudly, "What? No gingerbread?" Turning, she called over the low hum of voices, "What is the meaning of this?"

Rosmerta had been looking forward to a bite of the renowned cake too, but this reaction seemed extreme. Across the chamber, conversations hushed as women stared in anticipation. Mrs. McFee's lips curved. Calmly, she informed, "I donated it to a worthy cause, Mrs. Wilton-Smythe."

"What worthy cause?"

"A hungry young man."

A swell of whispers piqued Rosmerta's curiosity. Why were these women so aflutter over the kindness done a boy? Mrs. Finch, a small woman with a beak of a nose, asked, "What young man?"

"Sirius Black."

The murmured whispers became a muted roar. The young woman listening had felt a jolt hearing the name, but she was shocked at some of the other ladies' comments.

"It must've been when he roared through the village on that wicked Muggle contraption."

"It's not the motorbike that's wicked, it's his smile."

"And his devilish good looks."

Weren't these women supposed to be fine, upstanding pillars of the community? They sounded more like schoolgirls! The one who had noticed his smile, a witch in her thirties whose skirt was shorter than her hair, said, "I'm a lonely widow too. Why doesn't the lovely boy ever come see me?"

Cackles filled the air. Rosmerta was not amused, and muttered, "Lonely widow my arse. Black Widow is more like it, and a perv to boot."

"He is of legal age, dear, even if unlikely to be attracted by Mrs. Quickly's obvious charms."

Although embarrassed to be overheard, she was also relieved to have Sirius' age confirmed. It made her feel less pervy. Rosmerta smiled at Mrs. McFee and asked, "Should we go find a seat?"

"By all means," the sprightly witch said with a sly smile. "Only a few of the folding chairs have comfort charms on them."

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Trying not to fidget, Rosmerta listened to the Chair of the Ladies Society stress the importance of early planning and thought, Fat lot of good that did me. All my youthful plans to get out of Hogsmeade and here I am at 21, back where I started.

Mrs. Raisin, a formidable woman in both the breadth of her shoulders and forceful manner, continued, "Our refreshment booth is one of the premier attractions of the Fire Festival, and if enough of us sign up in advance, October won't find our tables overloaded with ginger newts again."

"Nowt was said to me about somebody else baking newts," one woman grumbled in a carrying tone.

"Did you wish to address the group, Mrs. Bouquet?" asked Mrs. Raisin.

Rosmerta heard a chair scrape as the woman behind her stood to announce, "In order to prevent another distressing occurrence, I want everyone to know I shall be contributing iced fairy cakes this year."

"But I make the iced fairy cakes each year!" declared another lady.

"Then it's about time you made something else, Elizabeth," the woman behind Rosmerta shot back.

Shocked gasps echoed throughout the chamber. At the podium, Mrs. Raisin said, "Emotionality is no cause for informality. Please address your fellow society members properly, Madam."

"Quite right," agreed Mrs. Bouquet, before asserting, "Find another recipe, Mrs. McGavin, because the fairy cakes are mine, now."

"Oh, no, they're not!"

The uproar that followed made the rest of the boring meeting worthwhile. Rosmerta was still smiling over it when she walked Mrs. McFee home.

"They're not always like that," the old woman said, as they approached her cottage. Patting the youngest member of the Ladies Society on the arm, she winked. "Sometimes they hex, too."

Rosmerta laughed and said goodnight, thinking as she headed toward home that age didn't matter when it came to friendship. Mrs. McFee was a kindred spirit. Immediately, a young man's handsome face came to mind. She'd felt a similar rapport with Sirius, but was resolved not to encourage him. He wasn't interested in just being friends.

Are you?

Cheeky inner voices were not what she needed right now.

Too bad you can't have what you've needed for ages. I bet scrummy Sirius would love to give it to you.

Irritably thrusting open the back door to enter the kitchen, Rosmerta fixed a mug of tea and carried it with her into the pub area. She had done a flick and swish on the place earlier, but deep-cleaning spells were mandatory before she could turn in for the night. As she lifted her wand to propel an enchanted mop into motion, her eyes fixed on her reflection in the mirror behind the bar.

I bet he does a kiss and cuddle better than any man around.

"I bet." The sound of her voice jarred Rosmerta out of the reverie she'd fallen into. It was far too easy to imagine snogging a sexy young man who was exactly that. Young…too young for her to think about doing anything other than brushing him off with a smile, just like she would any other cocky schoolboy.

She carried out the rest of the tidying in record time. If she didn't whistle while she worked, and a few of the clean tankards were replaced on their shelves with heavy thuds, at least annoying inner voices had the decency not to remark on it.

"Ros, is that you?"

A projection charm carried her Da's voice down the stairs, making her cares melt away. He hadn't called her 'Ros' in such a long time. Work finished for the night, Rosmerta picked up a glass and a bottle of her Dad's favourite whisky and went upstairs to tell him about the Ladies Society meeting. Maybe he'd do something else he hadn't done in a long time. Laugh.

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The train ride seemed to drag on forever. Sirius tried to keep his mind off the woman who made him look forward to Hogsmeade Weekend like never before, but it was impossible.

"Padfoot, is the view really that riveting, or do you have something on your mind?"

Sirius turned away from the window. He slouched down in his seat and replied, "This is one of the final times I'll be aboard the Hogwarts Express. Perhaps I'm taking a last, nostalgic look at the scenery, Moony, old man."

"There's still Christmas and Easter holidays," reminded Peter, not taking his eyes from the chessboard suspended mid-air. Sirius rolled his eyes when Remus said 'checkmate' and added gently, "He was being facetious, Wormtail."

Prominent front teeth worrying his lower lip, the pudgiest boy in Gryffindor house repeated anxiously, "Facetious, Paddy? Were you really?"

Sirius exhaled sharply. "You don't have to be an Irishman to consider 'Paddy' an insult, worm-brain, so don't say it again, and yes, I was indeed being tongue-in-cheek."

"Oh! Right, sorry, erm…better go visit the lav after all that pumpkin juice…" Beady eyes darted from one friend to another as the boy stood and said, "Play again when I get back, Remus?"

"Sure, Peter."

The moment the compartment door slid shut, Sirius propped his feet up on the opposite bench and sighed. "Remind me again why we brought that gormless wonder into our merry band."

Lean features girls called 'gentlemanly' creased in a smile as Remus gave the standard response. "I knew what it was like to feel alone and excluded, James enjoys Peter's fawning admiration and you like having a devoted follower who has occasional bursts of cunning."

Sirius grinned. "I knew it wasn't his sparkling wit. How many matches has he lost today?"

"I refuse to count, since the important thing is Peter keeps trying to improve."

"What a stellar teacher you'll make one day. Professor Lupin...has a ring to it."

The other boy's smile was wry. "Do you really think the Ministry would allow a werewolf to teach Defence Against Dark Arts?"

"Who gives a toss about the Ministry? Dumbledore would!"

"We'll see."

Impatient with his mate's fatalistic attitude, Sirius looked for something to tease him about. Finding it, he smirked. "I see a few strands of gray in that shaggy brown hair. You really are an old man now, Moony."

Remus chuckled. "Better premature gray than male patterned baldness, don't you agree?"

"Hell, yes, look at Filch."

"I'd rather not."

They were still snickering when Peter returned, chocolate frogs attempting to jump out of their cellophane packages within his pockets. Sirius took one of the sweets. He bit off a leg and asked, "Where'd you come by these, mate?" From the wide smile on Wormtail's face, it was hard to tell if he was more pleased over finding the sweets or being called 'mate'. Slightly discomfited by his earlier behaviour, Sirius decided he would make more of an effort not to take his moods out on the hapless boy.

"I heard the Trolley Witch griping to a porter that they'd stocked too many, so I offered to buy a box at tenth of the price. Now we'll have frogs to last until the first Hogsmeade Weekend!"

"Well done, Peter!" Sirius clapped the boy on the shoulder and then snatched up a frog that had escaped to the floor.

On the other bench, Remus frowned. "Wasn't that taking advantage of another's misfortune?"

"Erm…uh…"

Peter's stammering prompted Sirius to come to his defence. "No, mate, everybody knows they overprice, and it's not like she's going to lose her job 'cause she didn't make as much profit this trip."

Remus looked ready to begin a tiresome discussion about ethics when James entered the compartment. Catching sight of all the chocolate frogs, the Head Boy laughed and eagerly reached for one that was trying to hop out of Peter's pocket.

After swallowing the chocolate in two bites, he accepted another from Peter, complaining, "I didn't get tea with all the firsties crying and carrying on this trip. They have to be the sorriest lot ever. We sure as blazes didn't need anyone to find us a compartment or keep bullies from picking on us when we were their age!"

Sirius puckered his lips and imitated his less-than-beloved mother, "The youth of today!"

His mates laughed. Peter stood and offered to go raid what remained of the Trolley Witch's cart. Remus opened his mouth, likely to scold, and then closed it, shrugging. Sirius interrupted James' enumerating the food items he'd most like to consume by saying, "And bring us all a round of pumpkin juice while you're at it, old chum."

After Wormtail scurried off, James took the seat beside Remus. He tried to put on a front of nonchalance, but it was a feeble effort at best. Sirius put a palm to his forehead, closed his eyes while holding up the other hand, and intoned, "The spirits are showing me an image of Evans speaking politely to you…no, she gave permission for you to use her first name…and…what's this? She smiled, and it wasn't gas…OW!" Sirius rubbed the hand that had received a Stinging Hex, grinning unrepentantly.

James attempted to sound stern, "Serves you right for making fun of me and my tender feelings." After trying to glare, he broke down and laughed. "You sounded just like Professor Edwards channelling the spirits who've crossed over."

Remus asked, "Were any of the visions true?"

James grinned like a fool. "All three."

Before Sirius could jokingly ask how James knew for sure it wasn't gas, the compartment door was thrust open. Peter stumbled inside, throwing the goodies in his arms onto a seat and scrambling to shut the glass once more. When furious shouting was heard in the corridor, the red-faced boy stumbled back to fall on the floor, gasping, "I think we're in trouble."

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A/N: I don't write crossovers, but I do like to put names and bits of quotes that make me smile into fics. So yes, Nanny McFee fans; Mrs. Quickly's name caught my fancy, as did the absurdity of 'loose vowels'. And if any of the names of the Ladies Society members sounded familiar, may I remind everyone that Mrs. Bouquet's name is not pronounced 'Bucket', lol, although she is very concerned with Keeping Up Appearances. The readers who caught my fancy with their reviews last chap were…♥ 40/16 ♥ AAMLrox ♥ Cat ♥ cupcakeswirl ♥ dragonrider HP ♥ ElspethBates ♥ Emmas Padawon ♥ FNP ♥ GraceRichie ♥ Hebi R.♥ honeymuffins♥ ishandtwofourths ♥ k8ebug ♥ Kara Adar ♥ Libeku Taganashi ♥ Liserl ♥ Machiavelli Jr ♥ Molly Coddles ♥ NalaravatheRed ♥ Newbie GK ♥ petiteloupegarou ♥purebristles♥ RahNee♥ Sivaroobini Lupin-Black ♥ sophianwin ♥ sunny9847 ♥ Verity Weasley ♥ and ♥ waterdreamer ♥