Well here we are once again. Please remember that it is alright to leave a comment, I promise that I will not get hurt if you want to leave some constructive critism. I really hope that you like this chapter, I'm trying to get in deeper into the plot. Once again, I'm not J.K. Rowling...
Well here it is, enjoy!

4: Lunch and Lupins

I walked out of the fireplace and looked around. Yup, just like I remembered it. I was standing in the living room. Its bright pink walls and green carpet reminded me of a prank James and I once pulled, it involved those colours and Slyhterin hair.

"Andy?"

"Ahhh! Ted, Sirius' here!" I smiled as she came into the living room. She wobbled up to me with open arms. For the next minute and a half I let my aunt squeeze the life out of me. I sometimes thought that my mother had been talking to Andy, because she seemed so relieved when she saw me. What was going to happen to me? I had to close my eyes from the pain, when I opened them, I was face to face with the tall figure of Ted Tonks. We shook hands and he patted my back, then steered me towards the outside dining area.

I took a seat beside him. He leant in closer to me, I did the same assuming that he was going to speak softly. I was grateful when he did.

"She was so excited when you said you'd come, she has enough food for a hundred giants." I laughed, mainly to be polite, I was grimacing inside. Knowing my aunt, it was probably true.

Ted and I started talking about the latest Quidditch game, but we were interupted by a high pitched squeal.

"Sirius!"

I looked up to see Nymphadora running towards me, I just managed to get up out of my seat before she ran into hug me. I was bombarded by purple hair for about ten seconds before my cousin let go of me.

"Hey Tonks, it's good to see you too." I once called her by her first name. She hit me square in the nose. Other than her parents, I only knew of one person who was immune to her 'no-first-name' rule. That person was back at the Potter house probably singing her lungs out.

"I like the new style by the way." I said, pointing to her hair, which was bright purple. I sometimes envied Tonks for her metamorphic abilities. God only knows how much girls like to change their hair, well if they don't like it they have to wait until it was back to normal, but Tonks didn't have that problem. I found myself wandering what Charlie would look like with purple hair… Nah, wouldn't work. I snapped back to reality when Tonks laughed. "Charlie told me to say hi." Ok she hadn't but I felt like being nice. I was expecting a smile to cover Tonk's face, but instead ther smile faltered a bit. She was quick to compose herself. But it was too late, I had noticed, she wasn't getting away that easily. Oh come now, cough it up!

"I miss her." Tonks said after looking up at me.

Andy put a hand on her daughters shoulder as she walked towards the table. "It's ok, you'll be back at Hogwarts soon." Tonks nodded and sat down at the table, as did I, but I was still a tiny but confused. It wasn't like Tonks hadn't spoken to her. Charlie had been walking around the Potter house with a letter in her hand almost everyday. And why didn't Tonks ever visit? It wasn't like it was a hard thing to do. Just eat and be nice, alright?

I looked around. Unfortuantely, my uncle hadn't been lying. There was enough food to feed all the students at Hogwarts and still have enough for seconds. OHH, ok, I was exagerating bit, but there was no way that we were going to finish it. Shut up and just eat. Ahh, thank Merlin for that little voice in side my head, actually now that I think about it, it did sound a lot like Moony most of the time. As I ate and talked with my aunt and uncle I kept looking back to Tonks. She was so quiet, where normally she was as loud as anything. Like me, Tonks had made it into Gryffindor, she was so happy when she made it, having a family like hers, she didn't have much to worry about, no matter what house she got put into.

Yeah, so, if you haven't already guessed, my parents weren't to happy about me being sorted into Gryffindor. Everyday for about a week after the sorting, I'd received howlers from almost every person in my so-called-loving family. Sure, some of them hurt, but after each one I stood up, and bowed to the people around me. Letting them know that I wasn't going to be the least bit un-happy about what they said.

I was dragged back into the present by Ted. He was looking at me, expecting to hear words escape me.

"I'm sorry?"

"I asked you what you wanted to do after you leave school?" he said.

"To be honest, I haven't really thought about it." That wasn't the complete truth, I had been hoping to become an Auror, but I'd decided that I wasn't good enough, school wise, to even be considered.

Although I had had a great time, it felt great to step into the Potter's sitting room. James was sitting on the lounge waiting up for me.

"Have you been sitting there all day?"

"Ohh, Sirius, I've been so lost without you here," he said placing a hand on his heart, smirking.

"Prongs, there is no need to fear, for I am, once again here…" I jumped on top of an empty chair, pretending to pull out a sword. "I am here to defeat all your enemies, all who stand in my way shall never see the light of day!!" With that I made a dramatic dive off the lounge, almost ending up in the fire.

With James on the floor in hysterics and me regaining my balance, Charlie must have wondered what was wrong with our brains when she swung in the door frame. I looked up to see her face, confused but not the least bit shocked. I smiled at her, rather smiled at myself, for her eyes were still locked on James' shaking body on the ground.

She held out her hand and dropped three envelopes on the floor. "Letters." With that she left.

Once again I felt my eyes wandering after her, when I heard a door click I looked at the letters on the floor.

Remus

Marlene

Peter

WHAT!! Wait up! MARLENE??!!

"Have you been handing out your address to strangers James or is she just some bizarre kind of stalker?"

James walked over and took the letter from me. "Wow, they don't normally go this far. I mean they send you letters ad chocoates and stuff at school don't they? How did she find out where I live?"

By 'they'he meant the female population of Hogwarts… oh come on, it's not my fault if I'm popular.

He flipped it over and started to tear it open. I jumped off the lounge and tried my best to grab it from him. I mean, no offense to him, he is my best friend, but there are some things that I think shouldn't be shared.

James ran out of the room and I followed him down the hallway towards his room. He unfortuantely was the faster out of the two of us, once he was safely behind his bedroom door, he swug it shut and locked it, damn. Whatever was in that letter, it wasn't going to be good.

"James!! Ohh come on Prongs let me in!" I was banging on the door for about three minutes before he opened it. Even then he didn't give it to me. He just ran around the room shouting at the top of his lungs "OOOOOO Marly wants Siri-poo to come shopping with her!!"

"Give me that," I snatched the letter from his hand. I read it quickly, me eyes growing bigger after every sentence. Marlene McKinnon was in my year at Hogwarts. She was one of Lily's best friends and as James was constantly following Lily, I saw a lot of Marlene, unfortuantely. She was a pain, some girls just try a bit to hard. She was asking me to meet her in Diagon Alley on the 23rd of August to "shop."

"Great let's go to Diagon…" I looked up to see James' shocked face. "on any day but the 23rd." He smirked at that comment.

We went back to the sitting room and picked up the rest of the letters. Remus said that he was coming the next day and Peter's letter contained photos of him and his family in Egypt.

Later that night, lying in bed, I decided not to ask Charlie about Tonks, there was a good chance that she didn't know a thing and if that was the case, I didn't want her to worry about her friend. I then found myself thinking about Charlie worrying. I'd never seen her worry. Some people say that they can hide their emotions pretty well, well Charlie Potter didn't hide them pretty well, she was an absolute expert. Even Remus had a hard time picking out her emotions, and normally he was really good at that. James had always said that she only showed the emotions that she wanted others to see, all the rest she just, well, hid by choice. Little did I know just how wrong I was…

I woke the next morning to Charlie's voice coming from the bottom of the stairwell.

"Jay, Sirius, Remus is here!" Even when she shouted it sounded like singing.

My eyes flew open. I was officialy freaked out! I had gone to sleep AND woken up thinking about my best friends sister. I quickly rushed to the bathroom, got dressed and slapped myself with water. Snap out of it, Sirius, alright!

I made my way down into the kitchen. Remus had made his way over to sit opposite to Charlie at the dining table. I opened up the fridge whilst listening in on their conversation.

"So, Charlie, how are you holding up?"

"As well as anyone could with two three year olds in control of the house." She laughed.

"Yeah, I can only begin to that noise. All out of food, are you?"

Charlie laughed again. "I can hear all of this you know." I said closing the fridge.

"Oop, I think we've hurt Sirri-poo's feelings." I heard Charlie whisper, Remus laughed. I felt my cheeks grow hot. What was happening to me? What is wrong with me? I was blushing. BLUSHING!! I don't feel things like this! I don't blush! For the second time that day I told myself to snap out of it. I didn't leave the kitchen until I was sure that my cheeks were back to normal.

I sat down just as Charlie was finshing off her breakfast. "So how long are you here, Rem?"

Remus looked up at Chralie and smiled weakly. "I'm so sorry, Charlie but I'm afraid you'll have to put with another three year old for a week or so."

"Oh don't be silly Remus," she said getting up and walking away. "I don't think of you as a three year old… Just a very excitable teenager." With that she walked back up the stairs.

About half an hour later we were all sitting at the dining table talking about the holidays and what pranks we should do for our final year at Hogwarts.

We were brainstorming ideas when Charlie came through the kitchen with a handbag over her shoulder, heading towards the back door in the study.

"Where are you going then?" I asked, rather to sharply, thankfully James didn't register it. Moony on the other hand.

Charlie swung around to look at me. "Don't worry, I'm just going to town. I promise I'll come back." She said, smiling, making it clear that she knew that my tone had been an accident.

James lifted his head from the parchment on the table. "Oh? When did Jo get back?"

WHAT JO? Wait a second Sirius, calm down, ready… Jo, Joanne, Joddie, Joesephine, see no need to worry.

I watched Charlie's face light up. "He got back yesterday. I won't be home to late." She waved to us and walked out the door and down the back path.

WHAT!! JO'S A GUY!! My face became a little red again, thankfully I was able to stop it before it got too bad. Remus caught my eye, looking a bit confused and a bit shocked. I realized my mouth was still wide open, I shut it quickly.

I put my head on the table and let out a soft sigh. All I coud do was ask one little question. What in Merlin's name was happening?

Well there it is... I really hope you liked it, if you did, please tell me.
In chapters to come:
* Who is this Jo, and how will Sirius react to him?
* What does Remus suspect, can he shed any light on Sirius' rather awkward position?
and
* Hogwarts - home to many...