A/N: Sorry there weren't updates this weekend. I went skiing up in Vermont and had no reliable internet :(
14 Dec 2005
Amelia Bones was nervous. One might think this was because she had important meeting, raid, or Wizengamont session coming up. But then, one would be wrong. Amelia Bones was nervous because her house was about to be overrun by a bunch of five and six year old wizards. For today was the day of her niece's birthday party.
The house was decorated with balloons and streamers, the cake was made, the snacks were set out in small bowls, and the party favours were packaged. Now all the remained was for the guests to come. Arriving shortly would be Harry, Hannah, Neville, Daphne, Astoria, Draco, Hermione, Lavender, Tracey, Ernie, and Blaise. A full house for sure.
"Auntie, when will they be here?" Susan asked excitedly.
"Any minute now. Is everything ready?"
"Mhm. I've been ready for ever!"
Just then the doorbell rang and Susan went running down the hall. Amelia followed at a more sedate pace, reaching the door just as Susan let in Matthew and Hannah Abbott.
"Good afternoon Amelia," Matthew greeted at the two girls ran off down the hall. "Are we first to arrive?"
"Good afternoon Matthew, and yes. But don't worry; Susan was bouncing off the walls waiting for her friends to arrive. I am sure Hannah was the same."
"That she was. She tried to leave almost an hour ago. I managed to hold her off this long."
"Almost an hour? I am impressed, but please, come inside. I am sure the other guests will be arriving momentarily." Amelia stepped aside, letting Matthew into the house and led him to the living room. "Would you like some tea?"
"Earl Grey would be delicious, thank you."
With a flick of her wand, a tray of tea floated into the room, settling down on the table between them. Amelia poured them both a glass, adding two sugars to her own.
"One sugar and a dash of milk, please," Matthew asked. Settling down with his tea, he started to relax as the floo dinged.
"That would be Sirius with Harry," Amelia explained. "He should be through in just a moment." And, indeed, a moment later the floo turned green as Sirius exited, Harry on his lap. A moment later, a very proud Hermione stumbled out of the floo. "Susan is in the playroom with Hannah if you want to join," Amelia informed Harry and Hermione.
Harry nodded and jumped off Sirius's lap, running out of the living room and up the stairs, Hermione following after a quick "Thank you". Sirius laughed heartily as he crossed the living room. "A bit excited he is. I think Aletha was ready to kick us out thirty minutes ago just to get some peace and quite." Turning to Matthew, he added, "I'm glad I'm not the only one who was forced to arrive right on time."
Matthew smiled, "well, we all know how children can be," he said. Taking a sip of his tea, he looked at Sirius. This was the first time he had seen him outside of official meetings. Hannah and Harry had played together a few times, but it had always been Aletha who dropped him off, or they had meet at the Bones', and not actually seen each other. The first thing he noticed, of course, was the wheelchair. While Sirius had admitted to an injury that affected his walking, the chair indicated it was far more serious than he wished to let the general public know. Which made sense. The second thing he noticed was Sirius's clothes. At all their meetings and the official functions, Sirius had worn simple, yet elegant and expensive wizarding robes. But now he was wearing casual muggle clothes, specifically jeans and a sweater. He looked more at ease and natural in the muggle clothes, yet younger. After all, Sirius was only twenty-six.
Sirius smiled at Matthew as he accepted the tea Amelia offered, indicating he had noticed Matthew examining him. As Amelia left to greet more guests, Sirius placed his tea down on the table. "So what do you think?" he asked Matthew.
"Of the real you?" Sirius nodded. "You seem much more at ease. Looking back I can see how uncomfortable you are as Lord Black, especially at the beginning."
Sirius laughed lightly. "You should have seen me suffering through all the etiquette and politics lessons Frank Longbottom, Amelia, and my cousin Andromeda put me through. While I grew up learning all of those things, well… Let's just say when I was thrown out I made it my goal to forget it all."
"So Lord Black is really just a lazy twenty-something year-old?"
More laughter. "I'd like to think I'm not lazy. But I am certainly far more muggle than people would like to think. After all, I live in a muggle neighborhood and Harry attends a muggle primary school."
"Ah, yes. You name is associated with several new bills, including the Muggleborn Contact bill. One of these days some of the traditionalists just might realize these progressive new bills are being spearheaded by the Lord Black."
"What a tragic day that would be."
"What would be tragic?" Amelia asked, returning to the room.
"The day people realize the great Lord Black actually prefers football and barbeques to fancy parties and politics."
"Scandalous. Talking about parties, have you thought about attending the New Years Ball?"
Sirius groaned. "I didn't have to go last year, why would I have to go this year?"
"Perhaps because last year you were a new Lord nobody really knew anything about. Not that people know much about you now," Matthew replied.
"And maybe because half the population still thought you were a follower of Voldemort," Amelia added with a smirk. "This year people realize you are a force in the Wizengamont, and they have concluded that you do not, in fact, belong in Azkaban."
"Wonderful," Sirius groaned. "I don't suppose there is any way to get out of this? I'm not really much of a dancer."
"You might be able to get away with sending a representative of the Black family instead," Matthew postulated. "It would have to be someone quite important, and capable of dealing with politicians. They would be acting as your voice."
"Perfect. I can send my cousin Narcissa. She loves these sorts of events. Well, really she loves any reason to purchase new dress robes."
"Narcissa Malfoy?" Matthew asked.
"Black now. She took the Black name once again when Lucius… ran into problems with the law."
Amelia laughed, "Ran into problems with the law? I'd like to think I was more than a problem."
"Fair enough, Amelia. When Lucius got beaten senseless by the magnificent Aurors who are lead by the fabulous Madam Bones," Sirius corrected.
"Much better, thank you."
"So, Narcissa Black. Her son is Draco, correct?"
"Yes, why do you ask?"
"Well, he is the heir to the Black Lordship, correct? That would certainly make Narcissa a suitable stand in."
Sirius ran his fingers through his hair. "About that…"
Matthew choked on a sip of tea. "Draco is not your heir? Is Harry then? While you might have adopted him in the muggle world, Draco is by all rights the heir. Choosing Draco over Harry would upset much of the pureblood faction. Especially since you say Narcissa is a Black and not a Malfoy now."
"It's uh…"
"Not Harry," Amelia supplied. "Is it Polaris or Oberon? I forget who is older."
"Polaris and Oberon?" Matthew asked, confused.
"My sons. And Oberon is older by a few minutes. That's why he comes first alphabetically."
"Your sons? When did this happen?" Matthew asked. "And just as I thought I knew you…" he trailed off quietly.
"They turn two in four days. And while Oberon is currently listed as heir in case of my untimely death, I plan on truly deciding later. I mean, what if Oberon hates politics and Polaris loves them? Or what about Lyra?"
"Your daughter?"
"She is three and a half. Currently the Black Lordship is passed on to the oldest male, but as Lord I can change that to oldest child."
"Blimey. This suddenly got more complicated. If Draco is not your heir, than Narcissa isn't really a suitable substitute."
"What if Sirius never indicates otherwise and lets people assume Draco is? I mean, outside the three of us, I think Frank is the only Lord who knows about the twins."
"Why share now?" Sirius asked. "Especially if it gets me out of a ministry party."
"I suppose that could work. Although at some point you will have to go to one of these functions. And you will have to introduce Harry to the public. He is quite famous," Matthew explained.
"At least it is not as bad as it could have been," added Amelia. "Ted managed to stop all those Boy-Who-Lived storybooks."
Sirius groaned, "don't remind me of those! And fine, I'll eventually go to one of these blasted events. Just not this one."
"I'll hold you to that," Matthew promised. "Now, I don't know about you, but I would live to enjoy the next few childfree hours while Amelia supervises this party."
"You might be childfree, but as you just found out, I have three more. By the way, who is watching the children?" Sirius asked Amelia.
"The house elf, Toppy. She loves children and is great with them. I suppose I should stop in and see how things are going. Now off you two."
"Yes ma'am!" Sirius chirped.
"Have a lovely afternoon, Amelia."
19 March 2006
"Why did I agree to this?" Sirius moaned as he rolled out of the floo into the Longbottom's living room.
"Because Matthew and Amelia decided you needed to be seen outside of the Wizengamont chambers and you figured if you were going to appear in public with Harry it might as well be at something fun. Like a quidditch game," Frank explained.
"Right. Besides, it's Puddlemere United versus Montrose Magpies. Should be a good game."
"And Harry is certainly excited. You are going to have fun, Sirius. I know you love quidditch, you have just forgotten how great it is to actually go to a game."
"I know, I know. It's just; I haven't really been out in public since James and Lily died. And Harry has never been out in public. I worry it will all be too much for him."
Frank sighed. It was a concern, a very real one. He agreed with Sirius's decision to keep Harry out of the public eye for so long, but it really was time. Harry had a normal life in the muggle world, and if they slowly started attending events and meeting people, by the time Harry entered Hogwarts, it wouldn't be a big deal. Personally, he thought Sirius was more concerned about showing up himself. Outside of him, Amelia, Matthew, the Weasleys, and family, every appearance Sirius had made was carefully planned. He had carefully constructed an image of a powerful aristocrat. And attending the game could ruin that. Primarily, people would realize Sirius couldn't really walk, which they feared would open him up to attack. Sirius had been a highly skilled dueler, capable of taking down almost anyone (he still was quite good, but not as). Without that threat there was a really good chance Death Eater sympathizers (they never caught them all, and many never went to jail) would target him and Harry. In all honesty, Frank was surprised they had made it this far. "Everything will be fine. All we are doing is portkeying to the stadium, heading up to the box, watching the game, and leaving. Simple and easy. Okay?"
"Okay. How long till the portkey?"
"Five minutes. We should grab the boys."
Arriving at the stadium, Sirius forgot his worries as they made their way through vendors and crowds. The atmosphere was amazing, full of excitement and anticipation. A few times he heard people whispering, "Is that Harry Potter?" or "Sirius Black, the Lord Black, is the one in the chair." But, for the most part, people left them alone. Everyone was too busy buying snacks, souvenirs, and finding their seats. After stopping at a stall to purchase jerseys for Harry and Neville, the four made their way up to the box.
The box itself was not large, so Sirius had found enough friends to book the entire box. Already inside were the Abbotts (Sirius said if Matthew was going to force him to come, he had to be there too), Susan (Amelia was working), and Ted Tonks. He had invited Remus, but Remus had claimed he was too busy grading papers. (Really he thought it was because Remus didn't like quidditch but didn't want to admit it). As Harry and Neville eagerly made their way to the front row, Frank and Sirius greeted Matthew and Ted.
"Still annoyed I made you come?"
"Yes. I might be enjoying myself, but there was really no need to force me. I do get out."
"In the muggle world."
"Don't knock it. It's a lovely place, right Ted?"
"Yup. Sirius is a football fan now. We've gone to a few games with his neighbor, Dan."
"Football? I must admit I only have a passing familiarity with it. I have never actually seen or listened to a game."
"We will have to fix that then. If you are going to force me to a quidditch game, I'll force you to a football one."
"Corrupting all the purebloods now?" Frank asked cheekily.
"I personally think it is an admirable goal. One I've had since I was introduced to motorcycles and bikinis when I was fifteen."
Frank and Ted starting laughing, as Matthew simply looked at them in confusion. "I'll have to go with you just so I learn what you all find so funny," he muttered under his breath.
The game lasted nearly four exciting hours. The chasers for Puddlemere flew amazingly, but the Magpies' keeper was better. He was the favorite to play keeper for Scotland in the next World Cup. But not matter how exciting a game is, children grow bored quickly. So, by the end of it, all the children had lost interest and switched to playing gobstones on the floor. Although Sirius was very proud of Harry, he had spotted the snitch about an hour in. Hopefully he would prove just as good at spotting it while flying. Gathering all their belongings, the group exited the box.
As they made it to the bottom of the ramp, Sirius's good day was ruined. A crowd of people and several reporters from the daily prophet were waiting.
"Is that Harry Potter with you?" one reported asked, quick notes quill hovering above their parchment.
"Does this mark Harry Potter's reintroduction to wizarding society?" another asked.
"Lord Black, is that a recent injury?"
"Does going to a quidditch game together mean the Abbotts, Longbottoms, and Blacks are allied?"
"Come on," Frank said as he pulled a rope out of his pocket. "I have an emergency portkey from Amelia. It will take us right through the wards back to the manor. Grab onto it. You too Harry and Neville."
Once all four of them were holding onto the rope, Sirius turned to Matthew.
"It's alright. Get out of here. Ted's a lawyer. We will be fine."
Sirius simply nodded as Frank muttered "damn reporters" and the portkey activated.