Hello! Apologies as uni work got in the way. Just to confirm I don't own Harry Potter if I did I would not be eating pasta for four days in a row. Hope you enjoy and as always give me any comments, complaints, musings, or suggestions in the comments xx

Chapter 4

It was the end of June, a Friday to be exact and everyone in Hogwarts was excited to be ending the year. Of course, there had been sadness watching one of their own die this year and the seventh years had been a little more subdued this year in their annual celebrations. Whilst there had been the traditional mass sneak out to Hogsmeade it had been more subdued and they'd all gathered at the lake to honour Cedric foregoing the traditional mass skinny dipping. There were significantly less sore heads this morning than in previous years. Dumbledore was proud of his departing seventh years and gazed at them wistfully as he saw them having their last Hogwarts meal knowing that soon he would be seeing some of them in the upcoming war but on which side only Merlin knew.

Both Sadie and Harry were experiencing similar nerves. The news about Sadie had broken the week before and it had been pandemonium for a few days before a member of the Weird Sisters decided to cheat on his wife. The talk around Hogwarts had died down but Sirius had warned them that there would be a strong media presence at Kings Cross. Relations between the teenagers were still at an awkward level since they'd met three weeks ago, Sirius had taken them out for dinner two weeks ago, and encouraged them to find common ground but it was still strange. Harry, truth be told, was still feeling a little jealous that as soon as he'd finally got his godfather after a year of coded messages and secrecy Sadie had just strolled in. The fact Sirius and Sadie were so close in terms of a blood relationship added to this insecurity. Similarly, Sadie was worrying about her place in this strange family. Sirius hadn't tried to hide that her father had committed a heinous crime despite his redemption and the fact she'd only known him for three weeks when Harry and Sirius had known each other for a year wasn't ideal. In addition, she was a girl, a Hufflepuff and the youngest also rankled. It was becoming clear that Sirius still saw her as a little girl. He had not been happy about her outfit when they went for dinner.

Sadie entered Dumbledore's office ready to meet her uncle for dinner alongside Harry. She'd been warned it was a fancy place so was in heels, a short silver cocktail dress and had recruited Elsa her roommate to do her makeup. It was a little more dramatic than usual but felt appropriate. Sirius turned around and smiled at his niece before he had properly seen her. A look of complete shock came over the usually composed Lord Black before he straightened up and said, "Hello Sadie, love could you please go and change?"

To say Sadie was shocked and embarrassed would be putting it lightly. "What? Why? I thought this would be ok? What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

Sirius sighed before embarking upon his first conflict with a teenage girl and her wardrobe. "Sadie it's not that you don't look nice it's just… it's just a little old. If you would just change into something more age appropriate, definitely below the knee and tone down the makeup and heels." Seeing that Sadie was about to protest, he held up a hand and stated a little more firmly. "Sadie, you are aware there is a lot of public interest in our family and you represent our family whilst in public and even in private. Love, I just don't want you to be embarrassed or for someone to say something negative about your appearance. Do you understand? I'm sure you've got at least one pretty dress for tonight."

Sadie could only nod numbly. Sirius smiled and gave her a quick hug. "Excellent we've got plenty of time so don't worry darling. We can sort out your wardrobe during the summer I'm sure Harry needs new clothes as well."

Sadie retuned in about fifteen minutes in a knee length turquoise summer dress she'd worn for a party last summer, silver flats and toned down make up. Sirius was in the midst of fixing Harry's bowtie as she entered the office but beamed when she merged. "Fantastic there's my beautiful girl!"

Sadie still felt uneasy about the whole incident but was excited at the prospect of the new wardrobe. After spending half an hour trying to stuff her friend Elsa's massive blanket in an already overflowing trunk the bell rang signalling it was time to head to the carriages. To get the massive trunks to the train house elves would transport them down the stairs and later into the carriages. This was a new initiative after one small girl had been knocked unconscious by a fourth-year last year trying to levitate his 20kg trunk down the grand staircase. Sadie winced just remembering McGonagall's outraged yells at the unfortunate student.

As Sadie and her dorm were walking down the lane to the carriages she saw Harry. Internally sighing, she realised they still hadn't worked out what was happening, all Sirius had said was he needed them to get off the train together. "Give me a second," she said to her friends before increasing her speed, "Hey Harry. Harry!" The curly haired boy turned around in annoyance before seeing her. He murmured something to his ginger mate… Ron before slowing down waiting for Sadie. "Yeah?" he said to her looking a little annoyed at leaving his friends behind. Sadie felt a little nervous, it was still a little odd talking to him and they still hadn't really settled a good rapport.

"Hey Harry, sorry but completely forgot to ask you earlier what you want to do about the train and the fact Uncle Sirius wants us to be seen together." Harry momentarily frowned before replying, "Look Sadie, no offence but I do just want to sit with my mates during the journey but when they give us the fifteen-minute warning I'll meet you at the front of the train and we can work out what we'll do. Is that ok?"

"Yep sounds good. Don't worry I was planning to sit with Poppy, Lucy and the rest. See you in a few hours!" With that Sadie smiled and went back through the crowd to her friends. Yes, the chat with Harry had been awkward and they were still mere acquaintances but it was improving and they would have the summer to get to know each other and Sirius of course!

The train journey passed quickly with the Hufflepuff girls mostly teasing Elsa about the weird attention from Zacharias Smith. He'd sort of started hovering about her recently and as Elsa and his family were friends she was dreading seeing him over the summer. Several hours passed in fun and laughter with several games of exploding snap until Poppy's eyebrow was nearly burnt off. The fifteen-minute warning came through the speakers and the girls quickly changed into their muggle clothing. The others all changed into their jeans and jumpers whilst Sadie changed into the dress Sirius had sent her a few days later. She bid goodbye to all her friends with plenty of hugs and promises to owl before grabbing the trunk and rushing to meet Harry who was similarly smartly dressed in a jumper and trousers.

"Hey" she said seeing he looked deep in concentration, "Umm... do you happen to know what we're supposed to do?"

Noticing her Harry smiled and replied "Hey Sadie, yes Sirius owled me the plan a few days ago. Basically, we wait until the majority have left the train, Sirius will be over at the other side of the platform speaking to reporters. He's sent me this ball thing which will heat up when it's our cue. He'll turn around, we'll descend from the train together greet Sirius and he'll take us over to the media for a quick interview then we'll go home." He finished with a big smile.

The "ball thing" was the size of a bouncy ball and looked remarkably like a stress ball.

Sadie was shocked at the amount Harry knew. "Ok but Harry how come you know this. I've been left completely in the dark! Sirius has obviously been owling me but we've just been chatting about our lives and how the exams went, he's not been giving me action plans!"

Harry looked a little uncomfortable, "Look Sadie, surely it's no secret Sirius is obviously going to treat us differently. He loves us the same but we're in very different circumstances." Sadie raised an eyebrow and Harry continues obviously feeling awkward. "Sadie don't make me spell it out! Oh ok… look because of my parents and the tournament and Voldemort it's just different. I know Sirius wants to get me properly trained in defence etcetera. I'm also heir to the Potter Lordship. With you I know he's so excited to have a girl and he wants to make sure you're going to be a proper Lady. Sadie, obviously, it's going to be different. Sirius is really focused on the House of Black and restoring it to be a real force for good. It's going to be a really weird experience for both of us getting into all this Pureblood stuff but yes, he's going to treat us different. I'm also older and will be doing my OWLs next year. We both grew up in the muggle world but here society is just a lot more traditional. Do you get it now?"

To say Sadie was gobsmacked would be an understatement. Harry and Sirius had apparently been plotting behind her back to turn Harry into some sort of wizard destroyer and her to be a lady of leisure! Whilst the Irish girl had never been one to fight certainly her plans and ambitions for her future had never envisaged a life of afternoon tea being the most exciting thing in the day. She turned to Harry ready to retort but the whistle blew again and the train came into Platform 9 ¾ once again.

Harry saw her disgruntled face and sighed. "Look Sadie, you can have it out with Sirius later but please just do this for him. It's literally half an hour to get a nice photo and some comments. I don't really want to do it either but he'll be really embarrassed and upset if we don't do this."

Sadie sighed with a "fine" and the two teenagers prepared for the already visible swarm of wizarding press as the platform entered. Harry clutched at the ball and immediately adorned a concentrated determined gaze. "Sadie, we need to go now. Just leave the luggage!" With that he opened the door and held it open for Sadie to descend the stairs. Sirius was at the platform holding out a hand to her before hugging both his wards.

The threesome walked towards the photographers with Sirius already wearing his "Pureblood look" a slight smile with steely determination in his eyes and Harry immediately tried to follow suit. Seeing Sadie's hesitation Sirius slowed down to walk beside her took her hand and whispered, "Just smile and wave" which immediately resulted in the hysterical laughing of both Harry and Sadie with a nonplussed Sirius. Yet after a whispered "Behave!" from Sirius the teenagers resumed their walk towards the photographers.

The short press conference passed quickly with Sadie only being asked the generic, "How do you like living with Sirius and the boy-who-lived" etc plus a few quick-fire ones on favourite quidditch team and the like. Obviously, Harry was quizzed relentlessly on his fame, the Tournament and Voldemort with Sirius stepping in when they got a little personal. After about 30 minutes, Sirius gave a nod and the press secretary, Penelope something, started to clear the reporters.

"Alright everyone" Sirius smiled at his charges. After nods from both Harry and Sadie he grabbed their hands and apparated.

The threesome landed with a bump on some grass. Sadie and Harry would both have fallen if Sirius hadn't maintained a strong grip. After taking a moment to gather herself and the nausea to dispel Sadie finally noticed her surroundings. Quite simply they had landed in some sort of stately home with a huge front garden and a beautiful home about 250m away.

Sirius chuckled to himself when he noticed the awestruck gazes of his two teenagers. "Have you two recovered yet?" He asked receiving nods before clicking his fingers. "Right then let's head inside and we'll get you settled in."

Harry turned to him in shock, "Sirius is this your house? Are we living here?"

Sirius sighed before replying, "No Harry, we'll actually be living in the garden shed… Of course, this is where we'll be living! Also, this is our home, our family home." He finished with a smile and began walking towards the house. "Alright, so this is the ancestral home of the Blacks Celestial Manor. As you have probably gathered by now, the Blacks were obsessed with stars, hence the slightly strange names. We're in the Cotswolds region for reference by the way. The house has been in the family for years, I think Sadie marks maybe the 13th generation to be living here and I've had to do an extensive clean and refurbish as no one has spent any time here in about 10 years as my mother preferred the London house which is currently being refurbished. So, we'll head to the house I'll give you a quick tour show you your rooms and we'll have a sit down over afternoon tea and discuss rules, expectations etcetera."

With that they had entered the house and true to his words the teenagers were again bowled over by the manor it had obviously been modernised but still retained a classic feel. Both the teenagers had been speechless when seeing their rooms for the first time. Whilst the manor felt incredibly luxurious it wasn't cold or austere the manor was already beginning to feel like home.

Giving his teenagers half an hour to relax Sirius was now waiting in the family sitting room, cradling a coffee, and was honestly feeling rather nervous about how the next hour would go. Whilst he loved his two children to pieces he was acutely aware of the need to impose structure and discipline onto their lives. He was concerned some of his rules would not go down well with them.

Immersed in thought Sirius started when he heard the knock on his door and the two came in. He smiled when he saw these two children he didn't really know that well but already loved with an intensity it nearly hurt. His boy Harry, the child who he had been reunited with after a tortuous twelve years. This boy was the only thing that had sustained him in Azkaban and whilst the boy was nearly fifteen and after hitting a late growth spurt was starting to develop in a strong young man Sirius still saw the little boy who would reach out to his "Nuncle Siwius" every time he visited. Sirius' heart bled for that little boy and the struggles he had faced. Again, he vowed to protect and train him in every way to keep the promise he had sworn as Godfather to protect and cherish the son of his best friends.

Then there was Sadie his little surprise. He was still deeply furious and concerned about the gross negligence of the Hogwarts staff in relation to her mother. Whilst he didn't know Sadie that well he was determined to honour his little brother's memory and care for her as Regulus would have. Sirius was confident the Black line was safe in these two teenagers. They would stand for a new age of compassion and pride. The main challenge was how to care for two teenagers going through the joys of puberty and the stroppiness that followed.

Leaving his complicated thought processes behind Sirius smiled at his two children. "Harry, Sadie I hope you're both happy and comfortable here. If there are any problems, please inform me or our head house elf Mitsy. So… in order to really maximise our summer I obviously need to lay down ground rules. The most important of which is respect. A person with no respect for themselves or others is not someone whom one wishes to associate with. The most important rule is do not put yourself in danger" This last was especially addressed to Harry. "I will be ensuring you both know how to protect yourself but I will be severely displeased if either of you places yourself or others in dangerous situations. Harry I trust you will look after Sadie. Do I make myself clear?"

The teenagers nodded quickly surprised by the stern tone of their guardian although Sadie had bristled when Sirius had said she needed to be protected.

Sirius continued, "The other most important rule is to respect others. This obviously includes your tone and language as well as actions. I will be teaching you more about the etiquette of how to behave in society but I expect respect here at home. This includes addressing me as Uncle Sirius and when I tell you to do something you will do it. I will never tolerate lying either. If you swear or lie I will scourgify your mouth which I ensure you is deeply unpleasant. Your grandfather Harry taught me that the use of disrespectful language and swearing is worse than any physical injury and I will not accept this behaviour. In addition, I expect you to treat any house elves or staff with the same level of courtesy as well as each other. I expect you will disagree but I will not tolerate insults or mindless bickering."

Sirius sighed, he was surprised about how well he could maintain the role of stern parent. "I know this will come as a shock to both of you but I will be expecting you both attend to your education. Both of your exam results could do with work despite the extenuating circumstances. I have engaged tutors in the essential subjects as well as other specialists. Harry I expect you to obviously focus on defence whilst Sadie I intend to hone your charms work as you seem to have some sort of natural aptitude. I will be expecting both of you to attend classes on etiquette and dancing as well as French. It is an essential skill to have in our society. Many of you classmates will have begun learning in early childhood."

Staying in her friends' houses over the summer Sadie had been involved in French lessons so had some grasp but was not conversational. Harry had never learned the language but had observed classmates speaking or reading the language. Neville had had a French nanny and he had often seen him speaking to Susan Bones or Hannah in the language. Even Ron knew enough to get by and had been able to translate some of what the Beauxbatons students had giggled about. Whilst both the teenagers were not happy about the prospect of extra classes they understood the need and knew there was no point complaining.

Sirius smiled relieved there had been nothing worse than disgruntled looks.

"Right those are the big rules so a few little ones. I don't tolerate lateness so please be on time to meals. Whilst we have house elves tidy up after yourself. Tell me where you're going especially if you're going flying. I want to assess both your flying before allowing you to fly by yourself. Yes, Harry even you. In terms of the library please tell me before you read anything as some of it may not be suitable. Treat this house and property with respect. This is your home but it is everyone's home and some parts of the house are exceedingly old and valuable and never run in the house. You are welcome to explore but there are rooms including my bedroom, study, and others which I have marked you will not enter. Finally, I am a great believer in getting enough sleep so I expect you Sadie in bed by 10pm and you Harry by 11pm."

At this both teens erupted in indignation. "Sirius that's so early!" "Why does Harry have a later one there's only a few months between us" "It's Summer!"

Sirius internally signed before slightly raising his voice. "Excuse me. This is not up for negotiation. You are both growing children and need your sleep. I will not tolerate two grumpy teenagers because you have up to all hours. Sadie, you are younger so have an earlier bedtime. Also, do we need to have a talk on disrespect. I am your guardian not your friend. Therefore, I insist on Uncle Sirius beside the fact I am actually your uncle Sadie and Harry it is not fair you call me something else now. If you continue to complain and whinge I will simply bring forward bedtime. Do you understand me?"

They nodded and responded with a subdued "yes Uncle Sirius."

"Good. Now that brings me nicely to consequences. Depending on your actions I may use groundings, lines, scourgify, early bedtimes or I will resort to corporal punishment for severe offences. Harry, you especially are becoming a man and you breaking these rules can have severe consequences in society for your reputation and our family reputation. I love you both but you worry me a lot and as guardians of our family legacy you must act appropriately."

Sirius smiled as his speech was over. "Right, that's the heavy stuff finished. Who's up for exploding snap?"

Whilst both the teenagers bristled at all these rules Sirius;' last words reinvigorated them reminding this would be their best summer so far.