Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Harry Potter.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I'm glad you like it so far. This chapter's a bit longer because I have family over next week and so won't have as much time to write.


Chapter Eight - Where the Whiskey is Cracked Open


"I think people that have a brother or sister don't realize how lucky they are. Sure, they fight a lot, but to know that there's always somebody there, somebody that's family."

Trey Parker and Matt Stone


Hermione looked in shock and awe at the man they all thought was dead. The man who, in his less guarded moments, Harry admitted that he had mourned everyday for the last two years. She smiled tremulously and threw herself at him, crying her eyes out.

"Thank heavens you're OK." Was all she said. Sirius wrapped his arms round the young woman his son was in love with and patted her back soothingly.

"Good to see you Hermione." He said quietly and she sighed. She turned to Harry and smacked him on the head, and then gave him a big hug too. He warily put his arms around her, returning the hug.

"Um…Hermione? Am I being greeted or reprimanded?" He asked and she lifted her head from where she'd buried in his neck.

"Both." She replied. "This way saves time." She added and tightened her arms a little. Harry smiled and rested his head on hers. Harry suddenly felt incredibly guilty for the worry and anxiety he must have put people through since his disappearance. He would have done it again, given the opportunity – anything to escape Number Four, Privet Drive. But he'd upset his Hermione and he should apologise. He wasn't that insensitive!

"I'm sorry for making you worry about me Hermione." He said contritely.

"So you should be. Don't ever scare me like that again, OK?" She admonished him and he chuckled a little.

"OK. I won't! Come on, let me introduce you to my new family." He said with a big grin. Hermione looked curiously at him, wondering if he'd become a little unhinged. She didn't say anything though; she just patiently followed Harry into the living room of this very muggle looking house. Sirius had settled on the sofa next to Remus, and in an armchair next to them was a dark haired woman, who looked to be a few years younger than her former professor and his mate. She smiled warmly at Hermione and the young witch let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. With everything that had happened in the last few days, Hermione was a little jumpy around strangers.

Harry led her eagerly into the room and stopped in front of Remus and Sirius. He stood behind her and reached is arms around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Well, Hermione, this is my Father, Sirius Black. Next to him is my other Father, Remus Black. On the armchair there, looking pretty, is my Aunite Belle, Remus and Sirius' sister, Annabelle Black." Harry said and then he turned her around to face him. "And I'm Harry Black. Everyone, this is Hermione." Hermione stood stunned, again, as the older people in the room chuckled at Harry's bizarre introductions. Belle spoke first.

"I think perhaps Hermione should sit down, and then we can give her a proper explanation, hmm?" She suggested and Hermione nodded in gratitude. There was only so much shock a body could stand in twenty four hours.


A large number of whiskey laden cups of tea and a few hours later, Hermione felt she was in possession of all the relevant facts. She couldn't be happier that these four lost souls had found a family together. In these Dark Times, what little joy that could be found was worth hanging onto. The whiskey in her tea had become necessary at one, heart-stopping moment.

"They hit you Harry? Oh my God! Why didn't you say something?" Hermione had declared, falling forwards and covering her face with her hands while she wept for her friend. She couldn't imagine anyone wanting to hurt him. He was such a gentle, kind person. Sure he was strong and couldn't half pack a punch. But he wouldn't hurt a fly. Harry had held her, and eventually she had calmed. Resolving that she would find some way to pay those muggles back.

Her reaction to Belle's parentage had surprised them though.

"So you weren't born with the name Annabelle? What was it then?" She had asked as they got to Belle's part of the story.

"Aiyana Leonie Riddle. Leonie after my Mother, and Riddle…well I'm sure you can guess." She replied with a grimace. The three men watched warily, uncertain as to the young Gryffindor's reaction. That's when she surprised them. She jumped up out of her chair and flung her arms round Belle.

"Oh, you poor thing! Imagine having 'that' as family. You must have been terribly alone all these years…" She declared and Belle blinked. Then tears started to form in her eyes and she hugged Hermione back.

"I was…for a long time. Then I met someone, and it was wonderful. He understood about families and having to run away from them, his were horrible to him. We were together for a while. But then…he was a Deatheater. I didn't know at first, because you see after Voldemort tried to kill Harry people's Dark Mark's started to fade. I never actually saw it. He carelessly let something slip. I was so scared when I found out, that I ran away…I later discovered that he was working against Voldemort, but by then it was too late. I couldn't go back." She confessed and the others in the room gaped in shock. They could guess who she meant, and this little bit of his history went a long way to explaining why he was such a git.

"So you locked yourself away, hid in the muggle world and never contacted him?" Hermione pressed. She could tell the older woman needed to let this out. Belle shook her head.

"He could be…unforgiving at times. I thought there was a chance he would understand, if he knew who I was. After all, I was young and scared. But I was too cowardly to take the chance, to hold myself up there and risk the rejection. Plus, Albus found out and made it quite clear I was not welcome in his 'sphere'. I know I should have been brave, but I couldn't…what if he or one of his 'associates' handed me over to Voldemort? My blood, our connection could make him worse than he already is…so I hid. I didn't take sides." She explained in a quiet voice.

"And now?" Hermione asked. A look of resolve and determination formed in the tearstained eyes of the Dark Lord's daughter.

"Now, it's about us. About our family. My Father and Dumbledore can go hang for all I care. This is about us now." She replied. Remus raised his mug in a toast.

"To us!" He declared and the others followed suit.

"To us." They replied.


The five of them were a little tipsy as they made their way upstairs. Harry offered Hermione a guest room but she shyly asked if she could share his room. While he stuttered back a yes, blushing like mad, Sirius stumbled by. He was leaning on Remus, who was giggling and Belle was walking behind them, ready to catch one or both of them in the event of any mishaps.

"No fuzzy bizzis!" Sirius declared as he passed the young couple going into Harry's room. Harry saluted him and chuckled at Belle as she rolled her eyes.

"Come on Dogtanian! Time for beddy-byes!" She said cheerfully and Sirius stumbled.

"Don't call me that Belle!" He managed before he nearly took himself and Remus down.

"Ohhkay lover, lets get you to bed." The werewolf said with a long suffering sigh. As Harry was closing his door he heard the tail end of Remus and Belle's conversation.

"You know it's weird. I haven't had to help a drunken Sirius to bed for years, and yet somehow, when I thought he had died, this is one of the things I found myself missing." Remus said, confused. Belle just laughed.

"I can understand that. He is a cute, flopsy sort of drunk." She replied and they both chuckled.

"Night." Belle called shutting her door.

"Bight, bight." Replied Sirius and Remus clucked his tongue at him.

"Night Belle." He said, closing the door behind himself and his husband. Harry laughed and closed his door finally, and then his breath caught in his chest as he turned and saw Hermione lying on his bed.

Her loud snore told him she was already asleep. He chuckled and sat down next to her. She looked so beautiful, lying there. He ran his hand through her silky, curly hair and sighed contentedly. He waved his wand to change her into something fit to sleep in, and spelled the clothes she had been wearing into a neat pile at the bottom of his bed, along with her shoes. He then got up and changed himself, and after arranging Hermione into a more comfortable position, so she wouldn't wake up the next day with a sore neck, he slid into the bed next to her, and drifted off to sleep.


The next day, various members of the household stumbled into the kitchen sporting varying degrees of hangovers. Since she wasn't a bitch, Belle had prepared several hangover potions for them. Well, she said it was because she wanted to ease their suffering, but it was mainly because she didn't want to listen to their grouching. She chortled at their discomfort as she placed breakfast in front of them, and laughed even more at their answering scowls. They brightened considerably when she placed the potions next to their drinks.

"Belle, dear, you're a lifesaver!" Sirius toasted her with his vial of potion and downed it in one. He was surprised to find it actually tasted good. So was Harry.

"Hey, when Professor Snape makes these, they taste disgusting!" He declared. Belle turned sharply at the mention of the Hogwarts Potions Master.

"Severus Snape? He's your Professor?" She asked, frowning.

"Yes, didn't Dumbledore tell you?" Harry asked, digging into his breakfast. He put his knife and fork down as Hermione entered the kitchen and got up to hold his chair out for her. He looked warily at the big beaming grins of his family when he sat down again.

"What?" He demanded.

"Nothing." All three said at the same time. Hermione greeted them all and asked about what they were discussing before she came in the room. Remus filled her in on the beginning of their conversation about Snape.

"Oh, seems like Professor Dumbledore has been keeping a lot from all of us, over the years." She said and the others nodded moodily. Hermione couldn't blame them. It would be a long time before she could forgive the Headmaster for deliberately leaving Harry with the Dursleys when he knew he was being abused. Belle stood by the kitchen counter stirring her tea, thinking about what she'd just learned.

She now knew where he was. Knew what he was doing. He'd always wanted to teach. Oh sure he complained about children, claming that they were all stupid dunderheads. But he loved to pass on knowledge, help shape a young mind and watch it grow. It was such a shame he was never a Father. Then again, who knew? He might be by now. Her heart twisted at the thought of him with someone else. She knew she was being ridiculous. It had been seven years since she walked out on him.

Walked out without a word.

As much as she tried to justify it, she couldn't. Sure she'd only been twenty six at the time. But that was more than old enough to be responsible for her decisions. They'd met when she was only twenty one, and had had five great years together. He was her one and only. There was no one before him, and no one after him. Though she realised she was an idiot for thinking he would have stayed celibate for all these years. Seven years was a long time.

"So, um, does Professor Snape have a family? A…wife or something?" She asked without looking up. The others exchanged shocked glances. Before anyone could speak, Belle carried on, still not looking up.

"I don't even know why I'm asking. Not like I can do anything about it now, right? Been seven years. Oh, and he deliberately makes his potions taste foul, says it's a deterrent." She rambled on. She felt a light touch at her shoulder and turned to be embraced once more by Hermione. The young witch answered her question as she held her.

"I truly don't know if there is anyone else. There have been no rumours. But he keeps his cards very close to his chest. If there was someone, and I'm only saying 'if', then he's kept them awfully quiet. And to be frank, we'd probably be the last to know. He's not exactly fans of ours." She said and Belle nodded slowly.

"Thanks Hermione. Don't even know why I'm so upset about it. I suppose it's because I haven't spoken about any of this, to anyone. Not ever." She sighed and wiped her eyes, and then blew her nose of a bit of kitchen towel. "Enough. It's not like I'm going to be seeing him any time soon. So, enough." She said firmly. The others agreed and turned the topic to something else. They all looked up at a tapping at the window, and groaned as they saw Fawkes. He couldn't get through the wards apparently.

"Now Belle, dearest. You really should learn not to speak too soon." Sirius said and she laughed. Remus got up and relieved the phoenix of the message it carried.

"Order meeting. Dumbledore has demanded that 'All who are currently with Mr Harry Potter are to report to Order HQ immediately." He read and tossed the letter onto the table in disgust. Hermione picked it up and read it, frowning.

"We don't have to go. We're not with Mr Harry Potter are we? We're with Mr Harry Black." Sirius said and Remus frowned at him.

"That's just semantics Siri." He said and Sirius shrugged.

"So what? It's good semantics. All I'm saying is, why should we have to go and leave the safety of our home, just because some old coot deems it so? The middle of the morning isn't exactly the best time for an order meeting." He argued and the others looked thoughtful.

"I for one, am with Sirius. We shouldn't go." Belle said and Hermione looked curiously at her.

"No offence or anything, but is it because of Dumbledore, or is it because Professor Snape will be there?" She asked. The three men looked between the two women and decided to sit this one out.

"Bit of both actually. Firstly, Albus said he would kill me if I ever came near Harry. Secondly, I don't see why we should be at his beck and call. It's not like we're his lackeys! And thirdly, I don't need the emotional upheaval of seeing Severus again. Even if it has been a very long time." Belle replied and Hermione nodded, thoughtfully.

"It's a tough one. Damned if we do, and damned if we don't." Said Harry. Sirius sat forward slightly.

"Surely he can't know about Belle and I?" He asked, and the other turned to look at him.

"I mean sure, it says 'all who are with Mr Harry Potter', but he can't know it's us." He said and they all looked down at the letter again.

"Question is, do we want him to know about you? Are we ready to come 'out' about our new family?" Remus asked and they all considered it.

"I was kind of hoping to have a Dumbledore free summer." Harry said with a rueful grimace. The others chuckled.

"Not bloody likely. He's an interfering old windbag and you're his favourite toy Harry. He's not likely to let you out of his control for long. Now here's the stinker – he knows you don't want to run in his harness anymore, but do we a) let him think you've come round, or b) ignore him and carry on as we have been?" Belle said. Hermione thought of something.

"Surely he'll know if Harry is pretending?" She asked and Harry smiled. He tapped his forehead with a finger and shook his head.

"Not anymore. One of Belle's books explained Occulemency so clearly that I've managed to master it in no time at all! Like, one afternoon! No way the old coot is getting in my head now. Nor Snape! Or even Mouldy Voldy." Harry said and his family smiled at him. Harry raised his eyebrows and waited for the inevitable request from his lovely Hermione.

"Ooh! That's wonderful Good for you Harry. Can I read? Pleeease?" She asked and Harry chuckled, pleased that she hadn't disappointed him.

"Sure thing." He replied and she blushed as he pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek. The others looked on, smiling indulgently. Sirius stood up and began to pace.

"Right, here's what I think we should do: We'll all go and face the music together. Harry will agree to cooperate with the Order on the condition that he is allowed to live here and that he's not kept in the dark anymore. Dumbledore won't like it, but since we legally adopted each other, he has no choice. He's not Harry's Guardian anymore, I am. And also, I think Hermione will be able to back me up on this, I think the Vows we made together as a family override any Vows we made to the Order?" He asked, looking expectantly at the young witch. She nodded firmly.

"That's right. So he won't be able to order you to give Harry or this location up. But what about me?" She asked, wondering where she would fit in with all this. Surely the Headmaster would have no qualms about stealing the information from her mind?

"Well, you can take the Vows, same as us. They won't be family ones, but they should protect everything you've learned here." Remus suggested and she hastily agreed.


Half an hour later, they were making their way from the park near Grimmauld Place along the road towards Sirius's former family home. They'd driven out of Guildford and parked the car in a Park and Ride car park and then apparated here. This meeting surely had to be about the failure of the tracking charms someone had placed on Hermione. Well, the family had decided to face this head on, and Hermione was honoured to be a part of it. They reached the door and waited with some trepidation, as they waited for someone to answer the door. The house, however, had different ideas, and recognising its owner, the front door swung open unaided.

"Three cheers for the Noble House of Black." Muttered Sirius, and he led them indoors. They all had their hoods pulled up despite the early morning sunshine and they trooped along the hallway towards the back of the house. Hermione could feel the nerves roiling in her stomach.

"Here we go. Ready love?" Harry asked squeezing her hand and she turned to him and smiled, squeezing back. Together they walked in after the three older people, and shut the door behind them.