Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I seem to be running out of humorous ways to say that I don't own anything pertaining to Harry Potter. Oh! I guess that counts as a disclaimer…doesn't it?
A/N: I'm truly impressed with the number of reviews I have been getting! Thank you guys so very much. You don't know how happy it makes me to know that you are enjoying my story. I just wanted to say a few things in my defense: first off, I have no idea how to speak French. My expertise extends to counting to ten (don't even try asking me how to spell the numbers). However, I do happen to have a very handy computer translator. Unfortunately…it's rather stupid. It gives me the words in French exactly how I ask for them in English (so it doesn't rearrange the sentence structure)…and always in the formal tone never the informal. So anyways, thanks so much for giving me those pointers about the language and I will try my very best in the future to correct my abominable language skills.
One more thing. I'd like to give a very special thanks to Cocoa Girl for her excellent (and hilarious) suggestions. "The Talk" would definitely add a lot of humor to any chapter (Lord, I can just see it now: lots of blushing and stammering and horrified looks…oh yes, that will be fun!). As for the dancing blackmail, it sounds like a marvelous idea. Wonder how I could work that in?
Chapter 11: The Next Five Years
Year one (age 6):Harry and Hermione did take ballroom dancing together and they were both surprised to learn they were fairly good dancers (meaning that they didn't constantly step on their partner's toes). Despite their dancing abilities and their young ages, their lives did not become any less chaotic as they grew older.
Shortly after Sirius and Elena returned from their honeymoon Remus moved out. He said he felt a little like an intruder and he was old enough to live on his own. Both Sirius and Elena said he was welcome to stay, but Remus insisted it was time for him to leave.
Ironically enough, he ended up moving into the recently abandoned Grimmauld Place. When Sirius had first received the news that the house was now unoccupied (meaning that his abominable witch (no pun intended) of a mother had finally kicked the bucket), he had been at a loss for what to do.
As fate would have it, Remus decided to move out a week later and Sirius asked if he would be interested in running Grimmauld Place for him. Sirius knew instinctively that Remus would refuse to take the house as a gift, so instead, he asked Remus to play Steward of Grimmauld place.
After some serious thought, Remus agreed with the condition that Sirius not loan or give him any money. Remus was determined to make his own way in the wizarding world and with a Hogwarts teaching salary, he was doing pretty well.
Harry and Hermione finished with the ballroom dancing just before Harry's sixth birthday. Unfortunately, Sirius wasn't going to give Harry any kind of break. He was determined to turn Harry into a gentleman, no matter the cost.
In place of the dancing lessons, Sirius scheduled Harry for Spanish language lessons. Hermione's parents thought it was another great idea, and so she grumblingly joined him for these as well.
There was another minor change in Harry's schedule that year. After Hermione's sixth birthday in September, Sirius signed Harry up for football (soccer) instead of swim, saying that it was important that Harry become well rounded in all sports.
Harry gave in without a whimper even though Hermione was allowed to stay in gymnastics. As a kind of reward for all the good work they were doing, Sirius took the two children and Elena riding twice a month. They were all becoming very proficient.
Harry and Hermione worked diligently on their school work as well, moving up through the years faster than anyone would have thought possible. They spent any free time they had studying magic together in the attic of Harry's house. Without wands, they were forced to focus on magical theory, but it didn't slow either of them down. Harry was enjoying a wonderful, albeit hectic, life for the first time.
Year two (age 7): It took Harry and Hermione about a year to become proficient in Spanish. As a matter of fact, their instructor pronounced them fluent the day before Harry's seventh birthday. The two celebrated with ice cream…lots and lots of ice cream.
Sirius gave Harry a week of rest before filling his schedule again. Or rather, Sirius gave Harry a week of rest before dropping the bomb. Harry was to take etiquette classes.
He was supposed to learn how to sit, stand, walk, eat, bow, and talk like a gentleman. He'd also have to learn how to do things like greet other people, seat ladies, and most of all, he would have to learn the manners of a gentleman.
When Harry pointed out that he was only seven, Sirius said that it was never too early to learn proper etiquette. Apparently the Grangers agreed with him because a furious Hermione was seated next to him on the first day of Etiquette class.
After Hermione's birthday in September, Sirius switched Harry's sport again. This time he would be playing American Football, a sport Harry found oddly exciting. Hermione, of course, continued with her gymnastics.
Remus was doing a fantastic job of managing Grimmauld place. He'd had the entire thing cleaned out and remodeled to his specifications and now it resembled the grand manor house it once was. Minus all the Slytherin and Dark paraphernalia of course. It was a refuge for Gryffindors now and Sirius couldn't have been happier.
Year three (age 8): When etiquette classes finished in the beginning of January, Sirius decided that it was time for Harry to do something fun. Harry was a little leery and not without reason, but this time Sirius wasn't kidding.
His godfather had finally decided it was time for Harry to learn how to fence. Needless to say, Harry was ecstatic. Hermione had been too until her parents had put their foot down. Fencing was for boys and men, not for little girls.
Her parents did concede that if she wanted to learn how to fight she could take karate. If not, then she could take singing lessons. Hermione opted for the karate with no questions asked.
It was mid April when Elena announced a piece of news that had both Sirius and Harry paling and then leaping for joy. Elena Black was pregnant, which meant that Sirius was going to be a father.
To say that Sirius was excited would be an understatement. As for Harry, he too was happy. He would be getting a god brother, or at least that's what he thought the relationship would be. Also, it meant that if the child was a boy, he was no longer the Black heir. That in turn meant that he could stop all these ridiculous classes.
After her announcement, Sirius became so protective of Elena that he actually tried to wrap her in bubble wrap. Needless to say, Elena wasn't too happy with him, although she did agree to go off active police duty until after the baby was born.
Three months later, much to Harry's delight, they discovered that the baby was a boy. Sirius and Elena immediately began discussing possible names and even Harry and Hermione occasionally threw in a name.
Shortly after that, Harry finished his fencing lessons and Sirius began teaching him how to fight with his fists and other body parts. It was almost like Hermione's karate lessons but less formal.
September brought Hermione's eighth birthday and a change of sports for Harry. He would be swimming again. Harry figured he could use the practice after two years on dry land. Hermione continued with her gymnastics and karate.
As for Elena's pregnancy, well, Evan Alexander Black made his appearance into the world in mid-November. There were no complications whatsoever, and by Christmas he was gurgling at everyone. Sirius had refused to allow Harry to quit his 'gentleman training' despite the birth of a healthy son. He did however, much to Harry's profound relief, make Evan his official heir. All in all, it had been a great year.
Year Four (age 9): The New Year brought a change in Harry's schedule as usual. He and Hermione, who had risen to black belt in her karate lessons and didn't see the point in going any farther, were now doomed to German lessons with a crotchety old man one town over.
Additionally, they had now completed all the requirements for graduating from muggle school. All they had to do was go down to the school and take an assessment test. If they passed, they would be given their diplomas and be allowed to enter college if they wanted.
The two Grangers, three Blacks, and one Lupin were stunned. They'd had no idea that Harry and Hermione were working through their materials so fast.
Harry and Hermione liked the idea of being finished too. It meant that they now had four hours free in the morning to do whatever they wished. Hermione decided that they should move their magical studies to the four hours in the morning and leave the time after dinner to do whatever they wanted. Harry didn't mind and so it was done.
Hermione and Harry decided to put off college for a while. The decision was settled upon after Hermione happened to read a bunch of material about Harry in magical books. She had decided that they had more important magical things to worry about. Like Voldemort for example.
Harry had gotten her Hogwarts, A History for her seventh birthday and since then it had been read nearly two hundred times.
After coming across a snippet of information concerning Harry's encounter with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, Hermione was determined to find out everything she could about her best friend. And so she had.
Harry turned nine that summer and a few months later so did Hermione. That fall Harry switched to football (soccer) again and Hermione, who had finally mastered the piano after five years, was introduced to the violin. She was not a happy person for a good week afterward.
November brought Evan's first birthday and everyone just couldn't wait to give him their gift. Even Remus was begging to hold the little monster.
Christmas came and went. Sirius had finally decided that Harry and Hermione were ready and so he bought them each their own horse. Hermione now owned a beautiful brown mare with a black mane, tail, and four black stockings. The nine year old girl instantly fell in love.
Harry's horse was large, completely black, and had a wicked sense of humor. The boy decided that no other horse would do as well. Of course, Sirius bought a horse for himself and Elena as well. Sirius's was brown all over and Elena's was almost white with a yellow mane and tail.
They spent the rest of the year enjoying the outdoors and each others company.
Year five (age 10) Harry and Hermione finally completed their German lessons that January. Harry had been waiting with dread to discover what language Sirius demand he learn next, but it was actually Hermione who put the noose around his neck.
After reading that most of the incantations they would recite were derived from Latin, Hermione insisted that they take Latin lessons. Harry simply shrugged and went along with it. It wasn't like he had anything better to do.
Harry continued with his football (soccer) all way until summer when he turned ten. Hermione was still battling it out with her violin when her birthday came in September. Harry switched to boxing that fall and Hermione won first place at her gymnastics competition.
November meant that Evan was two and that his parents were going crazy. Harry discovered first hand that there really was such a thing as "terrible twos". He and Hermione spent as much time as possible out of the house. They even went so far as to take their magic books and study at the park, though they had to be careful that no muggles saw them.
Christmas was celebrated at the Grangers that year simply because they had asked. Harry got a kick out of seeing the Grangers interact with Evan. Remus was looking so healthy that Harry nearly cried with happiness. Life was treating Remus good this time around.
Hogwarts year (age 11) Sirius told Harry that January that there would be no more new stuff. Instead, they would spend the remaining eight months until Hogwarts reviewing everything he had learned over the past five and a half years. Actually, they would spend seven months reviewing. Harry was to have the last month to himself.
Unfortunately, Hermione wasn't so lucky. Her parents decided she should take Italian lessons so naturally, Harry took them too. Hermione was grateful for the company and Harry figured one more foreign language wouldn't kill him (although it might be close).
January, February, March, and April were spent reviewing French, Spanish, German, and Latin which Harry and Hermione were now fluent in. The two got a kick out of speaking to each other in different languages and seeing the looks on other people's faces. He had to admit that he would have looked rather confused too if some little girl had asked a boy a question in one language and the boy answered in a completely different one.
May was spent covering ballroom dancing. Throughout the past years, Harry and Hermione had taken occasional refresher courses, just to make sure that their dancing skills didn't become rusty. Harry found that as he got older, he enjoyed dancing with Hermione more and more.
June was devoted to fighting and was probably the month that Harry enjoyed most. Despite the fact that he always had at least one painful bruise, and usually more, he didn't regret his training. Sparring with Sirius was an activity he very much enjoyed and it became all the more enjoyable when Hermione joined in on some of the sessions. Although they could never tell her parents. The Grangers would be aghast at the thought of their daughter fighting with a grown man and her best friend. After all, it just wasn't ladylike.
July covered etiquette (which Harry discovered he was rather rusty at) as well as his eleventh birthday and his Hogwarts letter. He made it a point to practice his "gentlemanly behavior" on Mrs. Granger, Hermione, and Elena. All three females thought it adorable and a little flattering.
Mrs. Granger was so impressed with Harry after dinner one night that she looked about ready to sign a marriage contract. Whether between herself and Harry or her daughter and Harry he didn't know. He was too terrified to ask.
The first of August brought Hermione's Hoqwarts letter, complete with an explanation about why she was receiving it early. A Deputy Headmistress McGonagall wrote that they had been keeping track of Hermione's progress in muggle school and based on her abilities, they decided that she would be easily able to handle attending Hogwarts a year early. Everyone heartily agreed with the assessment.
August also brought Harry's freedom to do as he pleased. He and Hermione had reviewed everything they had learned in the past five years. Now it was time for both of them to have some time to themselves and relax.
A/N: Okay, there it is. We've finally gotten to the crux of the matter. I didn't want to spend too much time on their childhood and bore you guys to death. I know I've also crammed a lot of knowledge into to their heads, especially with them graduating super early, but most of it will come into play later. As for Evan Alexander Black, well, just think of the most adorable little two year old you know and you'll have the general idea. He will definitely have a larger role as I continue writing. Now, I don't want any of you worrying about Remus. There is someone special waiting in the wings for him, but now just isn't the right time. Next up, Diagon Alley, the train ride, and meeting Ron for the first time. Drop me a review on your way out. See you all next week.
P.S. If you guys could find the time to take a look at my other piece, I would be eternally grateful. It a short little oneshot titled "What Hurts The Most" and you can get to it through my profile page. It is definitely for those of you who like H/H stories. If you've already read it or you don't want to read it that's just fine. Otherwise, please drop in and give it a look.