CHAPTER TWELVE: Family Reunion
Life moved on in much the same was as it always had for Holly. She was living in London again, working nine to five with all the other adults and keeping herself as far away from the magical community as possible. Neither Holly nor Carie had heard from Harry since Sirius' funeral five years ago, which was good for them as both still resided in Sirius' apartment. It was for this reason that Holly was surprised early one Sunday morning when none other than Remus Lupin knocked on her door.
"Remus. To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" Holly asked coldly.
"Don't be like that, Hol. I've come with news that I know you have not heard due to your self-imposed muggle lifestyle you're living lately," Remus commented. Holly merely huffed in reply.
"Sirius is alive," he said, waiting for the reaction that would surely be nothing short of an explosion, but it did not come.
"Thank you for informing me," Holly said in a voice so cold it sent chills up Remus' spine.
"He wants to see you, Holly. Please come with me to see him?"
"That's not such a great idea, Remus," she said.
"Please? Just once for an old werewolf's peace of mind?" He begged.
"Manipulation does not suit you, Remus. I will go for you, not him. Understood?"
"Understood."
And with that they apparated outside number twelve Grimmauld Place.
"You stashed him in number twelve? What the hell are you thinking, Remus. Have you turned into a complete idiot? The man dies, comes back to life and the first place he lands is the one place on earth that may possibly be worse than Azkaban!" Holly screeched upon seeing their location.
"He's fine with it, Holly. I swear that to you. He's safe and healthy and with Harry," Remus said in his own defence.
"Doesn't change the fact that it's number twelve. No-one deserved to be living in that place. It should be abandoned. Anyway, that's an issue for another time. Come on, let's get this bullshit over with," Holly said as she lead the way up the front stairs to the old door and pushed straight on through, making her way to the living room as if she had been there before.
Sirius was standing in front of the old red velvet loveseat in front of the fire with Harry leaning casually on the mantle. Upon seeing Holly enter the room his face softened more than Harry had ever seen before. It was a look of love. Oddly enough Holly's face was painted with nothing but pure rage.
"Hello, Hol," Sirius said with an air of apprehension.
Holly strode straight across the living room and punched Sirius fair in the face knocking him to the ground in one hit.
There was silence for a moment before Remus broke it,
"Well, that's been coming for nineteen years," he said dryly from the doorway.
"WHAT THE HELL?" Harry yelled, "Miss Maywater, that is out of line! Sirius is innocent. He wasn't my parent's secret keeper!"
Holly turned on Harry and her face composed itself.
"I know he didn't kill your parents, Harry. I've always known. But do not, for one minute, think this dog is innocent. You have no idea what you are talking about." She said, making an attempt to explain her outburst of violence.
"I'd forgotten that you knew, Hol," Sirius said, still sitting on the floor struck dumb by the woman who had just flattened him.
"You've known all this time and you never told me?" Remus asked from behind her in a tone that could only be defined as a painful mixture of hurt and disgust.
"I had bigger fish to fry than saving Sirius Black from a prison stint," Holly threw over her shoulder at the werewolf.
"Jesus, Hol, I'm so sorry. It's just that...that...oh Merlin, I'm sorry, Holly," Sirius muttered from the floor holding his head in his hands as it all came rushing back to him.
"Can it Sirius, you sound stupid," Holly spat as she dialled a number into her cell phone and waited for it to answer, "He's alive and he's fine, well, a grovelling mess, but otherwise fine, well, he also has a black eye. No it wasn't a damn Death Eater it was me! Oh, for Circe's sake you sound more pathetic than him. Yes, yes, I'll update you later. Tell Anita to put the damn kettle on and calm you down and you are not coming to England. Ok, I'll be careful. Bye."
As she hung up she looked around at the three men in the room who were all wearing a stunned expression, "What?"
"Who was that? Who else knows about Sirius?" Harry spat at her.
"No-one you need to worry about, Harry. He's forgotten, just leave it that way."
Sirius stood and looked at Holly with a hard expression on his face.
"I'm not a bloody Death Eater, Sirius. It's just an old friend that is concerned but has to keep his distance," Holly attempted to explain while remaining vague.
"This conversation is not over," Harry said coolly.
"Yes, Harry. It is over. Remus, Sirius." She nodded to them both and walked out the front door.
"Holy cow! She's so perfect," Sirius sighed, as Remus and Harry looked at him assuming that he finally had gone insane.
Three days was all it took. Holly could have killed that girl. She was so flighty and free. Whenever it took her fancy she just ran towards what she was curious about without a single thought for her mother or father. Holly was on her way to meet the latest flight from Sydney to London. Almost predictably Georgina was en route to meet her long lost uncle. Nothing good could come of this.
As soon as she exited the airport Holly grabbed her by the arm and threw the dark haired beauty into a taxi.
"Hi to you too, Aunt Hol," Georgina said in an indignant tone.
"Don't you 'Aunt Hol' me. Do you know how worried your father is?" Holly was hoping on winning her over with a guilt trip but she didn't feel too hopeful given who her uncle was.
"I'm not going to leave until I meet him. Dad's not worried enough to come see him, but I want to know him," Georgina replied, "Take me there. Please Holly."
"One time only, then you're going home. And there are rules. One, you do not tell him where you live. Two, you do not run off the minute you get a chance. Three, you do not tell him who your father is or your last name. Four, you get on a plane back to Australia as soon as I say. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Aunt Hol." Georgina replied.
"Fine."
Holly apparated herself and her sixteen year old goddaughter to number twelve and stormed inside. She marched straight into the kitchen where Harry, Ginny, Sirius and Remus were eating dinner. Holly pushed Georgina into a chair and said,
"Georgina, this is Sirius Black. Curiosity quenched yet?"
"What the hell are you doing, Holly? I'm alive but I'm not free yet. Who is this?" Sirius looked as if Holly had lost her marbles.
"She won't tell a soul. Sirius, this is Georgina. She's curious to meet the infamous Sirius Black."
Before Holly could explain anymore her cell rang.
"Yes?" she answered.
"We're safe...you don't want to know...yes, we're with him...at number twelve." Holly's face paled as she pointed at Georgina, "Remember those rules. Shit is about to hit the fan, Georgie."
Holly excused herself and made a phone call to Carie, who now worked in the police force at a very high level and had access to wizarding records.
"I need to know what status is on Regulus Black and I need it quick...thanks Carie."
Not a moment after she hung up her phone Regulus and Anita Black stepped out of the fireplace in the living room.
"I told you she was safe," Holly said, trying to calm Regulus.
"If she's with him she's in danger. He's too reckless to have anything to do with my children, and you know that as well as I do, Holly. Now, where are they?" Regulus chastised.
"He doesn't know you're alive, Reggie." Holly stated in an attempt to get him to see reason, but she knew it was a lost cause if his little Georgina was involved. Suddenly they heard a screech from the kitchen.
"Georgina!" Regulus yelled and ran for the other room.
Upon entering they caught Georgina, Remus, Harry and Ginny all entranced and laughing at the story Sirius was telling them.
"So, the next minute, James turned around and was bombarded by no less than seven barrels of…"
"Georgina! Up and get ready to leave," Anita commanded, "NOW young lady!"
"Geez Mum. It's not like he's the anti-Christ, he's family," Georgina whined as she was marched out of the room.
Sirius looked up at the man standing to his right and jumped out of his chair drawing his wand in shock.
"You're dead! Everyone knew you were dead. Holly what the hell is going on?" Sirius demanded.
"Same could be said for you, brother. Someone took pity on me and saved me. God only knows why. However, unlike you I have never been dead, merely lying low," Regulus explained.
"So have you returned to reclaim your fortunes and the family home?" Sirius asked accusingly.
"No. I want for none of this. This house has never been anything but a torture chamber and the money; well I wouldn't claim anything that was my dear old mommy's. I came here to get my daughter, you daft mutt."
"Pack it in, Reggie. He didn't even know she was on her way. Sirius knew nothing until Georgie turned up here with me." Holly explained.
Everyone else in the room sat in silence watching what was unfolding, except Harry, who believed deeply that he had a great man he needed to thank standing in front of him.
"Reggie? Short for Regulus Arcturus Black?" He asked.
Regulus turned his head in his direction, "Perhaps, who wants to know?"
Harry stood and held his hand out to Regulus, "Harry Potter, Sir. I just want to thank you for your part against Voldemort. Without you, I'm not sure we would have ever destroyed him."
Sirius was stunned to say the least. How could his dead Death Eater brother have helped Harry? He had never helped anyone but himself…or mother.
"I did nothing, Mr. Potter."
"Reggie, you sacrifice your life. If I hadn't helped you get on that plane that night you would have been killed. You betrayed the most evil demon that ever existed just to save innocent people you had never met. Not very Slytherin of you, I have to say, snake face." Holly proclaimed.
"I think I've missed something here. So, you," Sirius pointed to Holly, "plotted with my evil and somewhat deceased little brother to save humanity, and you," he pointed to Harry, "are thanking him like your life depends on it. What the hell has been going on while I was dead?"
"You never developed fully in the head did you, Sirius?" Regulus asked, "It wasn't all since you were dead. Not long before the Potters were killed Holly helped me escape England and run to Australia to hide. Everything was done before you went to prison, and well before you died. I came looking for you, but as always you were off running around with your Gryffindor cronies with no time for you troubled kid brother. I needed help and Holly was the only one I had to turn to."
"So you were never evil? Is that what you're telling me?" Sirius was still sceptical.
"He was thrown into something he couldn't control, Sirius. He did the best with what he had. We all did. Just we had more to work with than Reggie until you threw that all away." Holly spat.
"Come on Reggie. We have what you came for." Holly dragged Regulus out of the room and headed up the hall towards the living room so that they could floo home; however it didn't take a second for the portrait of Mrs. Black to zero in on them.
"Regulus! My dear Regulus! You're here! Get rid of the blood traitor scum at once!" she screeched from her frame.
Regulus just smiled hi crooked smile at her and said, "I am blood traitor scum, you nasty cruel old hag!" He then flicked his wand at the portrait and it exploded into flames and burnt to ashes in seconds. "I always wanted to do that, I hated that painting."
"Thank you." Came the voice of Sirius from behind them.
"Gladly, brother." Regulus replied.
