A/N: Woo! Second chap up in just over 24 hours! I hope everyone's enjoying so far! This one I think is a lot more upbeat than some of the other chapters and there's more Moony in this one which is always good :D

Also I would like to thank everyone whose reviewed so far as I've noticed I haven't thanked you yet, they really do make my day when I read them, and people following I always do a little jig when I get the email through :D

Any who, here's chap 11 let me know what you think!

much love

Lika


Sirius bounced into the kitchen late that morning, grinning ear to ear, to find it empty. He shrugged it off assuming Molly had already gotten the kids to start cleaning again, he flicked the radio on, the new weird sisters single blasting from it, picking up the frying pan from beside the stove when red sparks went zooming past his face, and the frying pan went flailing across the room, destroying the radio in the process.

"Argh" Sirius screeched, turning around to see his attacker, Remus Lupin was sat with his head on the table and his arms shielding his ears.

"Too …loud…." Sirius heard him mumble, trying despertely to hold back a snort of laughter.

"You never could hold your drink"

"Three, three bottles of firewhiskey" he moaned, lifting his head and Sirius saw just how rough his friend was, unshaven with black tired bags under his eyes "How do you not have a hangover?" he asked, flopping his head back on the table,

"I'm just talented like that" Sirius smirked

"Shut up and make a brew" Remus grunted

"Why to you and Tess seem to think tea will make everything better?" Sirius asked, he had always been a coffee man personally, tes had never seemed to do a lot except taste like earth.

"It doesn't chocolate does. Tea just helps, but if you was a real friend you'd get me a chocolate frog from the pantry" Remus remarked with his head still on the table

"Get it yourself!" Sirius retorted smiling at the state his friend was in.

"I may throw up if I move" Remus told him, Sirius rolled his eyes but moved to the pantry never the less, grabbing a chocolate frog and throwing it down in front of Remus, who opened up the box asking "Where is Tess? She's usually up making breakfast by now" as Sirius poured them a tea and coffee respectively.

"I left her in bed, she- huh-" Sirius coughed lightly "didn't get much sleep last night" giving Remus a smug look.

"Urgh" Remus made a gagging noise "I think my stomach just turned!"

Sirius laughed sitting down opposite his friend, thinking silently. He had wanted to ask Tess, but he also wasn't sure how he would react if he didn't like the answer, he did not want to cause an argument after he had promised.

"Do you think I'm being selfish, with Tess?"

"That's gross!" Remus lifted his head in disgust "me and Tess are close but she doesn't tell me stuff about her sex life, eww why would you ask me something like that!"

"What?!" spitting out his coffee in shock "That wasn't what I meant!"

"Oh" flopping his head back down with a disgruntled look "good"

"I meant with me and her … I'm not keeping her back from someone else am I?" he asked sheepishly

"What do you mean?"

"Well, just that when you told me she was living you I was shocked was all. I thought… well I thought she'd be married with kids by now was all. I don't really understand how she isn't"

"Is the great Sirius doubting his mad skills?" he asked mockingly

"Well I'm not as devilishly handsome as I once was" Sirius joked playing with his now non-existent beard hair

"Mmm, well if there is she hasn't told me …well she's never told me about anyone come to think of it" Remus said thoughtfully well as thoughtfully as someone hung-over could

"Really?"

"Really"

"Nothing?"

"Nothing!" Remus repeated in irritation

Sirius was quiet for a minute then very begrudgingly asked, "What about you?" barely moving his lips

"What about me?"

"Well, have you and Tess ever …?" he really didn't want to know the answer but if something had happened... Tess and Remus had always had a soft spot for each other, but twelve years were a long time for something to blossom from platonic friendship.

Remus bolted upright in his seat, shock on his face "that's disgusting, Tess is like my sister, it would be like incest, that's -Eh!" he rabbled out quickly, then regretting his sudden movement immediately, and collapsed back on the table.

"Alright, just thought something may have happened, 12 years is a long time" he said defensively,

"Well you're an idiot, and I think my stomachs turned again, why are you asking this?"

"I was just wondering why she isn't with anyone, like I said 12 years is a long time, there's no reason why she shouldn't be married to some who deserves her, she's smart and sexy as hell "

"Well, I don't think she ever got over you" Remus admitted "I haven't told you this, but I know she still has the engagement ring you gave her, she don't know I know mind!" He warned

"She does?"

"I know she packed it when she went to Brazil because I saw it, I'd guess it's still in her holdall"

Tess walked through the door looking just as rough as Remus but luckily without the facial hair "what are you two talking about?

"Nothing" they both answered

"Tesssss? Make me a bacon buttie? Please?" Moony pleaded

She slouched in to the chair next to him "I'm too hung-over, Sirius make Remus and me a bacon buttie, extra greasy"

"No!" he said forcibly "do I have house elf plastered on my fore-head" he retorted

"Moony I do believe Padfoot owes us 14 years' worth of bacon butties and cups of tea's" Tess revealed

"I was in Azkaban!" Sirius interjected

"I concur Faoil" ignoring Padfoot

"Bacon!" they both grunted at him from across the table.

Sirius knew he was defeated. Picking up the frying pan he'd left on the floo,r he went off to find the bacon in the pantry.

"Oh I almost forgot" said Remus digging in to the pockets of his robes pulling out a crinkled piece of parchment "this is yours" handing it over to Tess whose eyes widened to the size of galleons when she saw what it was.

"I can't take this" she protested

"Can't take what?" asked Sirius returning from the pantry with the bacon already placed in the pan,

"The insurance payment come though, it's a cheque for Tess's share of the cottage"

Sirius looked over Tess's shoulder and gave a low whistle when he saw the amount.

"I can't take this, it was your house not mine I don't deserve this"

"Tess you've paid for the last few years Wolfsbane potion, I know that's why you sold yours and Sirius's old house, I know how much that stuff costs, so now I can pay you back, both of you!" he argued

"Hey I'm not taking your money" said Sirius defensively, placing the pan on the heat.

"Remus this seems like a lot, have you given me all of the insurance money?"

"My house wasn't worth anywhere near what yours was-"

"I am not taking this" she exclaimed, Tess couldn't believe he was trying to give her this money, it was his house! "I didn't even pay for my old place, Sirius paid off the mortgage, you don't owe me anything and I've seen the inside of his vault"she jabbed her thumb at Sirius "he definitely doesn't need this" pushing the cheque in to Remus's hands

"No, but you forget I've seen the inside of yours and you definitely do!" he countered

"No she don't, Tess has access to mine" Sirius interjected

"Uhhh I don't" Tess replied uncomfortably

"Yes you do, I informed all my accounts to include you when I moved in remember?" he said calmly

"Yeah, but I kind of transferred them back after everything that happen" she said guiltily

"Oh" he said his voice mixed with surprise and disappointment

"Sorry?" Tess said uncomfortably, Sirius shrugged turning back to the hobs flipping the bacon before it burnt

"Just take the money Tess"

"Is this already in your account "

"Well yeah-" she ripped the cheque in several pieces Remus sighed

"Why did you do that for?"

"I'm not taking money off you, so stop fighting me , thanks!" she said to Sirius as he placed the sandwiches in front of them, sitting opposite Tess giving her a smile and a cheeky wink she smiled back. Remus let out a sigh "This isn't over you know" Tess just smiled biting into her sandwich.


Turned out everyone had been in the drawing room that morning, putting up the last of the Christmas decorations. Tess, Sirius and Remus had appeared near the end, just in time for them to bewitch fairies to glow in the tree, and put up some mistletoe, which Sirius kept trying to make appear whenever Harry was near Ginny "stop that" Tess hissed swatting at Sirius's wand

"Why?"

"Ginny's already got a boyfriend, and I heard some sixth years saying Harry's dating a girl called Cho!" she whispered

"But I thought him and Ginny where-"

Tess shrugged "Just don't go messing anything up…"


"Hey Gwenfrewi Morgans is now coaching the Holyhead Harpies" said Tess that night reading the daily prophet, the Quidditch pages were now the only thing that was not full of crap in the Prophet.

"Wasn't she the year above us in Hogwarts?" asked Sirius leaning over to her to look at the article.

"Yeah, I'm surprised she's gone over to the harpies"

"Proper kick to the balls for the Puddlemere fans"

"Language Ron" said Molly

"Traitor" Tess heard Ron mutter under his breath, she smiled. she heard someone yell in irritation down the far end of the table.

"Everything ok Remus?" Tess asked in amusement

"He can't get the radio to work" replied Tonks who was sat next to him trying to help in his attempt to fix the radio .

"Still?" asked Sirius.

He'd been trying to fix it for 2 hours.

"It's got power just no sound" Remus snapped slamming the device on to the table

"Well you shouldn't have broken it in the first place" scolded Molly

"I wasn't aiming for the radio, I was aiming for his head" nodding at Sirius, who let out a bark of laughter pouring wine in to the glass of the adults around the table.

"Try tweaking those two wires by there" said Tonks pointing at the radio.

"There?" he questioned

"Yes there!" Remus pointed his wand in to the radio and it came to life with an eye piercing shriek!

"Ah turn it down!" Everyone shouted over the noise Tonks snatched the radio from Remus turning it down changing the station to one that was playing old Christmas records "finally something good to listen to" said Sirius before he froze realising what he said "oh merlin I sound old" shaking his head leaving the others to laugh at him as he went to get another bottle.

"Tess?" Tonks had moved up the table to sit in Sirius vacant seat "can I ask you something?" she whispered, Tess saw Sirius notice his cousin had taken his place and moved begrudgingly down the table.

"Of course" Tess smiled she really liked Tonks she hoped Remus would stop so stubborn "what is it?"

"It's Remus's Christmas present I've gotten him a first edition of a book he mentioned once do you think he'll like it?" Tonks asked timidly which seem so out of character for someone with bubble-gum pink hair .

"I'm sure no matter what you get him he'll love it Tonks, what book?"

"Well it's a collection if I'm honest, author is a Muggle, someone called Charles Dickens?"

Tess nearly choked on her wine "first editions! They must have cost a fortune"

"No not really there from my dad's side of the family I inherited them a few years ago and forgot all about them until I heard Remus mention him do you think he'll like them?"

"Like them? He'll love them Tonks that's properly the best think you could've gotten him" said Tess recollecting Remus's love for Muggle authors, it was Lilly's fault she was always lending him her copies.

"Really?!" She asked excited "aw that's great" she squeaked pulling Tess in to a tight hug

"Everything ok up there?" asked Remus

"Yeah we're fine" Tess said laughing with Tonks, realising they had properly had a few too much to drink. A fast up beat one had started to play Tess recognised it as the weird sisters newest Christmas song.

"Oh I love this song!" Sang Tonks pulling Tess up from the chair,

"O no you don't" Tess laughed trying to forcing herself back down

"Come on Tess this song is great!" Tess gave in and resigned to making a fool of herself. She giggling with Tonks who were both now dancing on the kitchen floor, the other laugh at them from the table as they made complete tits off themselves Tess grinned at Sirius as he laughed at her from across the room she felt herself stumble slightly from the alcohol when Tonks flew her arms up in the air spinning around when she lost her footing landing in Remus's lap. Tonks cheeks turned bright pink but Remus laughed helping her back up as Sirius waved his wand at the radio turning the music up "come on then" he encouraged pulling Remus from his seat "oh I don't dance" warned Remus

"Go on Remus have some fun" cooed Molly, Tess laughed at the quick death glare he gave Molly

"And you!" said Sirius pulling Molly by the arms,

"Oh I really don't think-" She started trying to escape the madness but Sirius had already pulled her out of the chair and was already making Molly embrace the music. With all the adults now up dancing (however begrudgingly in some respects) the twins soon joined in pulling Ginny with them doing a funny looking Irish jig around her as Ginny tried not the collapse in a heap of laughter on the floor, while Harry Ron and Hermione sat drinking their butterbeers laughing at everyone making a fool of themselves in the kitchen. It had turned in to one of the best nights at Grimmauld place … for everyone.


PLZ R&R! XX