AN: Sorry. Things got nuts. I moved, and had a bunch of stuff going on, and then just could not get motivated again. BUT I am here now, and you get chapter 13. This chapter focuses mainly on Rory, James and Sirius, since Peter and Remus as punished and on Holiday, respectively. The reading might be a little slow going, but it'll pick up in chapter 14 and on. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and added this story to their alerts and favorite, I appreciate it.

Chapter Thirteen

Summer Changes

Rory sat at her desk, finishing up a potions assignment. The last few days at Potter Manor had been spent with her and James doing homework, James showing her around the Manor and generally settling in. The morning after they had come home from Hogwarts, Sirius sent James an Owl, stating he had finished his Holiday homework and wondering when would be a good time to come over.

James looked at his father after he read the letter, "I only have a couple of more essays to finish, and they're in subjects that Sirius is better in than me, so could he come over before I finish? Please?"

Charlus and Miriam exchanged a look before Miriam spoke, "James, we would be delighted for you to have young Master Black over, but it's only been a day since you've come home from school, and Rory is still settling in. I think it would be best if you waited another day or two, and then he could come by. How long did you want him to stay?"

James looked mildly uncomfortable. "Well, Mum…Sirius and his Family don't get along well at all. He and his mother especially. They're always trying to make him take more of an interest in the Dark Arts and such…"

Charlus interrupted him with a slight smile "If it is agreeable with Lord Black, whom I will ask when I see him at the Ministry later, Sirius may stay for the rest of the Summer." He held back a wider smile as James obviously looked relieved, "However, your Mother is right. The end of the week would be better, to allow a little more time for Aurora to settle into her new home." Turning to Rory, he asked "What about you? Would you like to ask any friends over?"

Rory took a sip of juice before answering "Actually, my friends Lily and Severus live in Surrey, and I was wondering if I could take the Knight Bus over there after my essays are done. Inviting them over might be a bad idea, since they don't get along well with James and Sirius, and I know Lily was saying she missed her parents over the year, since she stayed at school for Christmas. I mean, if that would be all right…"

Miriam nodded, after looking at Charlus for confirmation "That would be fine, dear. When your essays are finished, you can send an Owl to Lily…what is her last name?"

"Evans, she's a Muggleborn."

Charlus nodded, "Well, you have Muggle clothing, so that won't be a problem. I need to get to work, there have been more attacks and I'm needed there. Finish your essays and then maybe take a bit of a look around the Manor some more." He bent and kissed Miriam on the cheek and then apparated out.

The three finished their breakfast in near silence, each one thinking of their own things.

Rory shook herself from her flashback and focused on her essay. She frowned and stood, stretching as she walked over to a bookshelf, picking up her Potions book and flipping through it, looking up the properties of Sea Kelp when used in a Healing Salve. Potter Manor had a vast Library, rivaling even that of Hogwarts, and she had a large treasure trove of books from the Knight Library in the Family vault at Gringotts, but those were at the Bank, and she was not yet comfortable enough to take books from the Manor Library. Perhaps in a few days she would be. She wanted to run around the grounds more as well, she was itching to run through the forests. Rory frowned, wondering if Charlus and Miriam knew about her ability to transform at will. She was pretty sure she mentioned it at the Hearing, but couldn't remember.

Rory found the fact she was looking for, and copied it down, finishing her Potions Essay, and the last of her work. Biting her lip, she picked up a fresh piece of parchment and started writing, having been told she could visit Lily when her work was done.

Dear Lily,

How is your Holiday going so far? Were your parents pleased with your grades? I can't imagine them not being. I hope your Sister isn't giving you too much trouble. I've settled here into Potter Manor pretty well. I've finished my Holiday work, and was wondering if you would be okay with me visiting you in Surrey sometime this weekend? I'd invite you (and Severus) here, but James already invited Sirius, and I know you all don't get along (Understatement of the year, no?)

Anyway, Celevon (the owl) will wait as long as you need her to for a reply. Hope to hear from you soon.

Rory.

Nodding in approval she attached the letter to her Owl's leg and stroked her feathers lightly before opening the window so she could head out. She straightened her room slightly before heading downstairs for lunch, smiling at James as she saw him exit his Suite from down the hallway. Sirius would be arriving in a few hours, after Dinner. She wouldn't admit it, but she was a bit nervous about him being there for the Summer, since she was still trying to work out her feelings for him. She knew she liked him, but wasn't really sure in what way. She was trying to work out if it was because she was grateful because of what he did for her on Christmas Eve, or if she really liked him. She frowned thoughtfully. When her Mother was alive, she would have been able to talk to her about it, but she wasn't, and Rory wasn't sure how comfortable she was with talking about Miriam. Besides, even if she did legitimately like Sirius, it couldn't go anywhere. The Law forbidding werewolves to marry had not been repealed.

At Black Manor, Sirius rubbed his eyes, sighing slightly. His cousins were over, talking secretively with Regulus, while his Aunt and Uncle talked with his mother about how they were considering disowning the oldest Black Daughter, Andromeda, for being involved with a Muggleborn. He looked at his watch, realizing that his Father would be taking him to Potter Manor in an hour or so, and smiled in relief, thinking back to a couple of days ago.

Sirius looked up at the House Elf, Kreacher, popped into his room, rasping out "Lord Black wishes Kreacher to tell Master Sirius he is wanted in the Sitting Room."

Sirius nodded and stood, immediately heading to where his Father was waiting. On his way, he met his Mother, who started berating him over wanting to leave for the Summer. He tuned her out as best he could, as he usually did, as they approached the Sitting Room door. He knocked and heard his Father say "Enter".

He stepped back to allow his Mother to enter first, as manners dictated, before stepping in himself and closing the door behind him. He sat when bade to do so and looked at his Father curiously, wishing he could ask why he had been summoned, but the Black Lord always insisted in being formal, even with his family.

"At the Ministry today, Charlus Potter approached me and told me that you had sent the Owl to spend some time there, and wanted to know when would be agreeable to come get you. I told him, and now I am telling you, that, if it were agreeable to him, I would bring you to Potter Manor myself on Saturday. He said that you were welcome to stay the entire Summer Holiday, if it was agreeable to me, and it is. I have already Owled your Head of House to inform her you will be spending the Holiday there, so your booklist can be delivered to the appropriate place. I will drop you off at Potter Manor Saturday, as agreed, at 7 o'clock in the evening, so as not to disrupt anyone's evening meal. Of course, that is provided you have finished your Holiday Schoolwork. Have you?"

Sirius looked up at his Father, fighting to keep the sheer joy from his face, since he knew if he appeared too happy, his Mother would trick him into doing something that would bar him from going. "Yes, Father, I've finished all of it, as I was instructed."

Orion looked at Walburga, noticing the sour look on her face. He was not as Dark as she was, and was proud of his son and Heir for being true to himself. He nodded "Very well. Make sure all of your belongings are packed by half past six on that evening. If you are not prepared to leave then, then you will forfeit this trip. You are dismissed."

Sirius had walked quickly from the room and packed almost immediately. Now, as he sat on his bed and waited, he practically willed time to go faster. When Bellatrix has shown up, she had sneered at him, and had said something about how he was associating with Animals, when her father had spoken up, rebuking her for speaking about the Head of the DMLE's adopted daughter, and reminding her how dangerous such a thing could be. She, and Narcissa, had ignored him since in favor of Regulus' company. Andromeda had been confined to her bedroom until it could be determined what to do with her, since only Lord of the Family could disown someone. Sirius sighed and settled back against his pillows, thinking of Rory. They had fought quite a bit over the last school year. Sirius knew that he liked her, and he knew that it was more than a crush, but didn't know how to handle feeling this way. He always seemed to put his foot in his mouth. He thought back to the first fight they had had, back when he and James found out she and Remus were werewolves. He thought about the first time he looked into her eyes, in that Potions Class. He felt his stomach tighten as he remembered the soul deep hurt that was reflected there. He remembered how he had wanted to do nothing more than hold her right then and there and say he was sorry. He wondered briefly what it would be like to kiss her. Her lips looked very soft and whenever she bit her lower one when she was thinking…

Sirius allowed himself to get lost in thought about Rory to pass the time, all the while wondering if he would ever ask her out.

Finally, Six Thirty chimed and Sirius grasped his trunk and brought it downstairs. Orion was waiting at the foot of the stairs and nodded in approval as he saw Sirius. He tapped Sirius' trunk with his wand, shrinking it, before holding out his arm and apparating the pair of them to Wales. They had a short walk ahead of them to reach the boundaries of Potter Manor.

At Potter Manor, the rest of the afternoon passed quickly. There was a Lake on the far side of the grounds, and after lunch Rory went up to her Suite, changed into a black one piece swimsuit, and went out to the Lake to Swim. James ventured out on the grounds, practicing flying. They stayed out there for most of the Afternoon, before going back inside to change for Dinner. Rory looked at her lunar chart, seeing that the Full Moon was a few days away. She wondered how she would cope after 9 months of having Remus there during her transformations.

Dinner was spent making small talk, the excitement Rory and James felt for the arrival of their friend nearly palpable. Charlus informed James that they would be leaving to meet Sirius and Lord Black shortly before 7. After Dinner, Rory busied herself by helping the House Elves tidy up, and then went to her Suite to pass the time, where she saw a letter from Lily waiting.

Eagerly opening the envelope, Rory read:

Hey Rory,

My parents were pretty thrilled with my grades. They took Petunia and I out to Dinner, and invited Sev along as well. I think my parents must have said something to her about her behavior, because she's pretty much ignored me since I got home, except for dirty looks. That's fine though, it's better than her saying mean things. She still spends a lot of time at Church though.

I asked my parents about you visiting, and they said next Saturday will be good, because we are going on a short trip until Friday. You're right, it would be better for you to come here, understatement of the year is right! I'll see you then!

Lily.

Rory smiled before settling on the lounge to read a book, glancing at the clock every few minutes, nervously biting her lip.

Charlus and James walked down to the edge of the wards and then down a worn path to meet the Blacks. Charlus noticed that James seemed a bit nervous and asked him what was wrong.

James sighed "Well, you see, Sirius and I and Severus, Rory's friend, don't get along well at all, and…well…Whenever Rory and Severus hang around together, Sirius tends to get a bit...jealous. They had a few bad fights over it. I don't know if it's because we don't get along, or what, but I think Sirius might have a bit of a crush on Rory." James had been worrying about this quite a bit, since Sirius had accused Rory of being Dark earlier in the year.

Charlus nodded "Well, young witches and wizards do tend to get involved in relationships younger than their Muggle counterparts, so it could be possible…Do you think Rory likes him?"

James shrugged "I'm pretty sure she does. She was pretty hurt by a couple things he said, and I don't think she would be that hurt if she didn't have feelings for him. I'm just worried that if they do get together, and it doesn't work out, that it might make things strained for them."

Charlus nodded, and spoke quickly, seeing Sirius and his Father approaching, "Well, son, all you can do is wait and see. Whatever happens will happen."

Orion Black approached with Sirius in silence, seeing Charlus Potter talking with young James Potter. He felt a pang, as he and Sirius were not comfortable enough with each other to talk as they were. In fact, much of their time was spent in silence, and it pained the Lord Black more often than not. Extending his hand in greeting, Orion said "Lord Potter, I thank you for opening your home to my Heir for the Summer Holiday. It is my hope that our Heirs will remain as good of friends as they appear to be now."

Grasping Orion's hand, Charlus smiled in reply "The pleasure is mine, Lord Black. Both my son and my daughter are friends with your Heir, and as such he is will always find shelter here. Hello, Young Master Black, I trust the journey went well?"

Keeping a formal air about him, as his father had taught him, Sirius replied "Thank You, Lord Potter, it went very well. I am grateful to you for allowing me to stay."

After exchanging farewells with Lord Black, Charlus lead the boys back to Potter Manor, relaxing almost immediately after Orion apparated away. "Sirius, you'll find we're not formal here at all, unless the company calls for it. Please, call me either Charlus, or Mister Potter, and my wife is either Miriam or Mrs. Potter, whichever you prefer."

Sirius nodded, relieved. He had a feeling that the Potters would not stand on formality as much as the Blacks would, but it was still a relief to know for sure. Turning to James, he asked "How did you find the homework?"

James shrugged "Easy enough. I mean, we were both on the top ten, so it's not like it was going to be very difficult."

Sirius nodded "How's Rory? Is she doing all right?"

"As well as can be expected, I think. I'm pretty sure she hides it from me when she's crying or sad about her parents, but that's probably normal. She seems to be settling in well enough. She decorated her Suite and it looks pretty good, she has really good taste."

Sirius nodded relieved. He had thought a lot about his feelings regarding his female friend and knew he had a bit more than a crush on her. She evoked protective feelings in him, a desire to keep her safe and secure. But, he was only twelve, and didn't have the experience to deal with it in a way that was mature. Instead he lashed out at her, especially when he saw her spending a lot of time with Severus Snape. Even if he didn't admit it to others, he saw the young Slytherin as competition and wasn't sure what he would do if, at any point, Rory decided to date (Sirius shuddered mentally) Severus.

Sirius pushed his thoughts to one side as they approached Potter Manor. It was much brighter than Black Manor, which was very gloomy. The grounds were expansive; Sirius could see a large forest and a lake in the distance. It had Black Manor beat from every conceivable angle.

Rory smiled as a House Elf popped into her room and informed her that James and Charlus were back with Sirius. She placed her book to one side and ran out her room, black hair streaming behind her, and down the stairs. She stopped, breathless and pink cheeked, at the bottom of the stairs, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Now that all their Holiday work was finished, she was eager to spend her days swimming and running on the grounds with her new brother and their friend. Miriam looked over at her and merely smiled as Rory nervously ran a hand through her hair, making sure it was as neat as it could get, and smoothed out a wrinkle in her t-shirt.

The door opened and Charlus came in, closely followed by James and Sirius. When she saw Sirius, her breath caught. She had thought that maybe her crush on him had to do with what he did the night her parents died, and after some time apart, even if it was less than a week, the feelings would vanish and they would be only friends. Instead she found that there were butterflies in her stomach and her heart was beating a little faster than normal. Luckily, her heightened senses were telling her that Sirius was having a similar reaction.

Blushing, Rory went down the last few steps and smiled at Sirius, and was eternally grateful that her voice didn't waver in any way when she said "Hi, Sirius. I'm glad that you could come."

Sirius seemed to be staring at her, drinking her in. he didn't realize that he had missed her, specifically her rather than all his friends, while he was at home, but now all he wanted to do is hug her. Luckily, James spoke up before Sirius could do anything embarrassing. "Why don't we show Sirius up to the Guest room in my Suite, Rory?"

Miriam spoke, "That sounds like a good idea, James. We'll see you all in the morning."

Before she could stop herself, Rory reached forward and grasped Sirius' hand, saying as she did so "Come on, it's this way." Charlus resized Sirius trunk, and James carried it upstairs, since Sirius was his guest.

James frowned slightly at Rory holding Sirius' hand, but decided he would talk to Sirius in private. He didn't know if Sirius legitimately liked his new sister, but he knew she liked him and didn't want to see her get hurt.

They made it to James' Suite and Rory opened the door without letting go of Sirius' hand. It was done in Gryffindor Colors, scarlet and gold everywhere, and had Quidditch posted on almost every wall. The Guest Room was done in Scarlet and Gold as well, but less so. The windows were large and opened, allowing a breeze into the room. Rory let go of Sirius hand so he could look around. He looked and James and smiled a lopsided smile that sent Rory's pulse racing "Nice. Much better than the Slytherin Colors my mother insists on."

The trio laughed and helped Sirius unpack. Rory was putting Sirius' books on a nearby shelf when there was a knock at the door and Charlus poked his head in, smiling. "Hey. I have Quidditch tickets for next Saturday. Rory, I don't know if you like Quidditch, so I told the vendor I would get back to him about yours. Do you want to go too?"

Rory smiled back "Thank you, but I can't. I already told Lily I would visit her and Severus in Surrey on Saturday. Maybe next time?"

Charlus nodded, "That's fine. The game starts at one in the afternoon, so I can drop you in Surrey on our way." Seeing the kids all nod, he left.

Upon hearing Severus' name, Sirius scowled, but it was only a warning look from James kept him quiet. Rather than get into a fight with Rory his first night, he chose to just ignore her, causing James to sigh and Rory to look a little confused, then hurt, as the night went on.

After a few hours of this, Rory sighed and stood, "I guess I'll go to bed, since I'm obviously not wanted here by your guest. Goodnight James, Sirius." She hurried down the hall to her own Suite, sighing. She figured it was hearing that she'd be hanging around with Severus that caused Sirius' change in mood, but she wasn't going to stop seeing her friend just to appease someone else. She should have known Sirius would respond that way, but there was no reason for her to have to hide when she wanted to see her other friends. She sighed again, pushing aside the hurt she felt, and changed into a nightgown before crawling into bed.

As soon as the door closed behind his sister, James whirled to face Sirius "What is your problem? I thought you got over Rory hanging around with Severus?"

Sirius sighed "I know, and I did, while we're at Hogwarts…but knowing that she's going to hang around with him outside of school, I don't know. Never mind."

But James was unwilling to let it go that easily. Looking Sirius dead in the eyes he asked "Do you like Rory? As in a dating way?"

Sirius looked up, surprised, but then nodded "Yeah, I think I do, but I'm not sure. I feel about her they way you always say you feel about Evans."

James sighed "Then, Siri, you should stop being suck a prat to her, or else you won't even get that far. You'll lose her as a friend too."

With that, they two boys went to their respective rooms and went to bed.