Poppy's POV

Sirius and I didn't wake up until late and even then, Sirius refused to let me leave the bed for another hour as he found another way for us occupy our time. When we did make it downstairs, James was already up, whistling happily as he weirdly, was making breakfast for everybody but there was nobody else around.

"Good morning my favourite people" he greeted us when he turned around at the sound of our footsteps, big smile on his face.

"That's creepy right?" I whispered to Sirius who nodded. "Uh, morning" I said loudly, moving further into the kitchen in my usual 'Sirius attire' as I called it (i.e., Sirius's clothes).

"Morning Prongs. You're exceptionally happy today" Sirius noted as he took a seat at the table and I went over to see if I could help but James shooed me away.

"That's because I am very happy" James told him, bringing us both a cup of tea before he joined us with a smile.

"You didn't do anything stupid last night, did you?" Sirius asked him cautiously and James looked at him offended.

"No, I did not thank you very much" he told him. "I'll have you know I stopped drinking after you two disappeared to shag your brains out" he seemed unable to help himself, obviously making me blush "and kept my hands and all parts of my body to myself. And it's good I did because a lot happened" he told us now with a grin.

"Go on!" I encouraged, loving a gossip and I know James secretly loved a gossip too.

"Fiona was totally making out with Masters all night" he told me and my eyes widened as I smiled.

"Shut up! No way!" I said but he nodded.

"Yes way. And he seemed to be enjoying it" he commented. Well, obviously I mean Fiona was an absolute stunner. "And then Pete and Suze were all over each other as well, as were Alice and Frank naturally" he continued, ticking people off on his hands.

"Where's Remus?" I asked, knowing it was unusual for Remus to drink so much that he wouldn't be up already. A normal question, or so I thought, but James and Sirius glanced at each other for a brief moment which was enough to make me suspicious.

"He didn't stay. Went home as he had a family thing today" James told me, sounding casual enough if it wasn't for the momentary pause. I nodded, deciding not to question it for now.

"What time did you all go to bed then?" Sirius asked James and I had a feeling he was moving conversation on.

"Well Alice and Frank disappeared upstairs about 3, Pete and Suze stumbled off about 4 and Fiona only prised herself away from Masters when he went about 4.30. I'm surprised they didn't end up shagging though I must admit" James told us with a grin and I rolled my eyes at him; Fiona wasn't like that.

"Woah hold up. So, did Alice and Frank share a room? And did Pete and Suze share a room?" Sirius asked with a grin. James shrugged although he was grinning.

"I honestly don't know. All I do know is that they disappeared upstairs together" he said simply just as we heard a door go upstairs and somebody stumble slightly down the stairs. I tilted my head, listening closely.

"Lily" I settled on and I saw James's face brighten. "James, do not resort to fifth year you" I warned him quickly, making Sirius laugh. "Be cool. Be your seventh year, head boy, laid back self please" I urged him, and he nodded, relaxing a bit in his chair. The door opened and we saw Lily there, still wearing her dress from last night, looking ruffled, pale and exceptionally hungover.

"I hate myself" she moaned as she came over and joined us at the table, flopping down in a seat and resting her head on the table. I couldn't help but laugh as James got up and made her a cup of tea and a glass of water.

"You might need these" he suggested, pushing them towards her and she looked up to give him a small smile.

"Thanks" she croaked, almost downing the water before she wrapped her hands around the mug. "Pop did you put me to bed?" she asked, turning to me.

"I mean I tried to, but James had to help me" I admitted, thinking she deserved a little bit of embarrassment and she blushed at this, eyes wide.

"You're welcome" he told her with a grin, her blush deepening.

"Merlin was I really bad?" she asked me, and I saw Sirius grinning at James and tried to subtly nudge him.

"No, you weren't awful, but I was afraid you wouldn't remain horizontal for much longer unless I put you to bed" I told her and she groaned, banging her head on the table again. I watched her, shaking my head and feeling surprisingly good until I realised that I had been so caught up in Lily/James match making that I don't think I actually drunk that much.

"Thanks for helping Poppy put me to bed James" Lily mumbled, turning her head towards him and he smiled at her.

"Honestly no problem" he told her. I looked at him and realised he was smiling a smile I hadn't seen before; this must be the smile Lily was saying she felt was reserved for her and I had to admit, it certainly seemed that way. "So, breakfast?" James asked, standing and Lily sat up, putting a hand over her mouth.

"I think I'm going to vomit" she said before getting up and cautiously walking out but a moment later we heard her running, all three of us unable to keep from laughing at her.

We spent the day helping James tidy away, the others coming down slowly throughout the course of the late morning/early afternoon. Alice and Suze were pretty tight lipped about their nights and I saved the questioning until it was just us girls. Fiona swanned about in a very happy mood all day, happily telling us about how good a kisser Will was, and Lily re-joined us at about 2 looking much better after she had gone back to bed after vomiting. It was nice to just hang out like this but at four I had to get ready to go; Sirius and I were having dinner with my family as Sienna was bringing home a guy she'd been dating for a few months now and this was the official 'meet the family' dinner. Sirius was excited that he wasn't the newest anymore and was also very happy to have been invited along to it.

Sirius had very cheekily joined me in the shower at the Potter's, which was a first for us and, given how much we both enjoyed it, I doubted it would be the last (he was taking full advantage of the fact that Matt and Carol were away for a couple of days for New Years). Afterwards, we got ready to go, leaving James with Fiona and Lily as we joined my family for dinner.

"We're home" I called out as we arrived at mine, Sirius appearing a couple of seconds after me, brushing the ash off his shirt. I had gotten him a new burgundy one for Christmas which he loved and was now currently wearing, taking my hand with a smile as we made our way into the kitchen.

"Happy New Year" I greeted Phil and Sara, Sirius mimicking me as we hugged them before taking a seat at the table, Sienna and Max nowhere in sight. "Where are they?" I asked Sara who shook her head, rolling her eyes.

"Max has only just gotten up and Sienna said they're running late" she told me; Sara was like me, we hated lateness.

"I did wonder why Sienna thought New Years Day was a good idea" I said, making her and Phil laugh.

"Sorry Sirius, we should be speaking in English" Sara told him but he shook his head, smiling.

"No, it's fine honestly. It helps me practise" he replied, and she beamed at him; Sara loved him.

"Ah but speaking in English helps me practise" Phil countered with a grin making Sirius laugh.

"And it is a family rule that when we're in the UK we speak English" Sara told him and I nodded, realising it was me who had broken the rule.

"Does Sienna's boyfriend speak English?" I asked and she nodded.

"He works in International Magical Cooperation and it's a requirement they speak a second language. His happened to be English" she informed me.

"What's his name again?" I asked and she tutted at me.

"Etienne" she reminded me, and I nodded, committing it to memory.

"Very French" Sirius commented quietly to me, making me laugh.

"We're here" I heard the front door go and we all sat up a bit straighter, Sara looking excited and Phil putting on his gruff expression as I did my best not to laugh at it. A moment later Sienna appeared with a big smile and holding her boyfriend's hand. He was pretty tall, and he was incredibly hot; he looked older than her with a full beard, dark like his hair but well-groomed and the brightest blue eyes.

"I'm right here" Sirius commented and I jumped, realising I had been staring. I turned to him and he was shaking his head although I could see a small grin.

"You're definitely hotter" I told him with a smile, giving him a small kiss before turning our attention back to Sienna and Etienne.

"You better mean that" he said, and I turned to him, looking offended.

"Did my eyes go purple?" I asked him and he smiled, shaking his head. "Well then, I'm offended you would even say that" I told him with a pout, making him laugh.

"And this is my sister Poppy" Sienna's voice made me spin and I made my way forward with a smile.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you" I told him as he gave me a traditional French greeting, kissing me on both cheeks.

"It's lovely to meet you Poppy, I've heard a lot about you" he said politely, perfect English accent.

"And this is Poppy's boyfriend, Sirius" she said at last and Etienne offered him a hand and a smile.

"Nice to meet you" Sirius told him politely and Etienne nodded.

"So Poppy and Sirius are still at school, they go to Hogwarts but they're in their last year" Sienna rounded up and Etienne nodded as though it was actually interesting what Sienna had said.

"Ah, so working hard for your NEWTs?" he asked and we both nodded, Sirius putting an arm around my waist which made me smile.

"Etienne can I get you a drink?" Sara asked him, already opening the fridge and Sirius and I resumed our seats, seeing Phil was already sat down, watching him closely.

"How old is he?" Sirius whispered to me and I shrugged not knowing.

"Phil?" I whispered and he turned to us, nodding. "How old is he?" I asked him.

"Twenty-one" he told us quietly. Older man, nice and very Sienna. At this moment, Max finally appeared, his hair still dripping wet. It would seem he already knew Etienne, the two greeting each other with a familiarity before he came over to us, giving me a hug and shaking Sirius's hand.

"What do you think?" Max asked me quietly from his place next to me, small grin on his face. Sirius cleared his throat next to me and I tried not to grin.

"He seems nice" I settled for and I saw Max's eyes flash to Sirius.

"She was staring huh?" he asked him, and I whacked Max as subtly as I could get away with.

"Had to remind her I was literally sat next to her" Sirius told him and Max laughed, drawing attention to us. Sara's eyes narrowed and I put on my innocent face, knowing she wanted us to behave. Honestly, boys.

The rest of the night passed uneventfully, and Etienne did truly seem very nice. He was polite and happy to chat to everybody and I could see how pleased Sienna was with how it had all gone. After dinner, Sirius, Max and I had given them some space and gone to sit in the front room where Max and Sirius immediately started talking about quidditch and I tuned out, grabbing a book and reading as I lounged against Sirius, his arm around me the whole time. It was a very pleasant way to spend an evening I must say, the fire keeping me warm and Sirius and Max's conversation soothing me, keeping me relaxed. I could feel Helios's agitation at not being able to come downstairs with me though, sending him a tiny bit of light every now and again to remind him I was still here. We had decided that until Etienne seemed more…permanent, we would keep my Etoileige abilities on the down low and Sienna had reassured me that she obviously hadn't said anything to him about it.

We stayed sat like this until the others joined us and I was forced from my book to be more sociable as we continued to find out more about Etienne and him us. By nine thirty I was feeling tired, having not slept as much as I would have liked last night and was thankful when Sienna and Etienne made a move. I was pleased to see Sienna so happy, telling her so as she hugged me and she seemed happy with my comment, telling me to write to her as her, Etienne and Max were back to France tomorrow. I didn't realise quite how much I would miss Sienna and Max over this time period, having been so used to spending every holiday with them but now they had jobs they didn't get the time off which allowed them to do this. After they had gone, Sirius too made a move, not staying as James was on his own and he didn't want him to stay there alone which was cute. I promised him we would do something before we went back to school, even if it was just hanging out. When he went, I took myself straight to bed, Helios flying happily over to me and sleeping in my bed with me.

The next week flew by and I spent some time doing some work, making sure I was on top of everything and making a start on my revision as I truly felt that it was never too early to start. I felt better having done it and Phil also kept up my light training, pushing me further and harder than ever before. It was exhausting work, but I felt like I was slowly improving my strength, being able to recover much quicker when using my magic than I had before.

A few days before we were due to go back to school, Artemis had come with a note from Sirius asking if I would go and have dinner with the Potters and then stay over. Sara and Phil had given me the all clear and I messaged him back excitedly, telling him I'd see him then.

As always, dinner with the Potter's was an enjoyable affair and this time I'd made and taken a cake with me for dessert, wanting to give them something in thanks for having me over all the time. Carol had been ever so thankful, and Matt had been most excitable by the sight, reminding me very clearly of where James got it all from. James was just as excited, telling me off for keeping my baking a secret and insisting that I bring something every time I come over from now on which had made me laugh.

After dinner I just hung out with James and Sirius, the former telling me he'd been very chilled on the Lily front and not written to her as she'd not written to him. We discussed how he needed to act as normal when they got back to school, maybe a smidgen of flirting to start with and then gradually increase it. James had seemed onboard with the plan, excited even and after a chat he had disappeared to 'get ready', leaving Sirius and I laughing after him. We lapsed into a comfortable silence as we sat in front of the fire, each of us clearly in thought.

"Sirius?" I asked after a moment, turning to him and he smiled, nodding. "Can I talk to you about something?" I continued and I think he could sense something in my tone as he turned so, he was properly facing me.

"Of course you can" he told me with a soft smile. I turned myself and reached for his hand, wondering if this was going to annoy him.

"Will you try not to get annoyed at me?" I asked and he frowned but nodded. "It's something I've been thinking about for a while" I started slowly, slightly worried and this must have shown in my eyes as his frown deepened. "Your brother" was enough for him to make a disgruntled sound. "Sirius, he warned us. I…I don't think he wants to be part of that world, of that thinking any more" I told him, keeping my voice soft.

"You can't know that Poppy" he told me, his voice much firmer than I was expecting.

"No, you're right but I really think it. Sirius you weren't there, he was scared, I know he was" I had to let him know; if Sirius could get out then there might still be a chance for Regulus. He looked at me sceptically, evidently not convinced.

"He could have just been playing you Poppy, he probably was" he told me, but I shook my head, adamant on this much at least.

"What did he have to gain by telling me to never go back to that house? By openly telling me that they knew about my magic? He had nothing to gain and everything to lose. Sirius I'm telling you, he's scared, and he doesn't know how to get out" I insisted. "He's not you. He doesn't have a support system around him like you. He's surrounded by…by them all the time" I found that for some reason I was almost pleading with him. Sirius was watching me carefully with a frown that hadn't budged since I'd started talking to him about his brother.

"Why do you care so much?" he asked, bristling against me which made me frown.

"Because he's your brother" I told him, and he scoffed at this. "I mean it. When I talked to him, when he laughed, he just looked so much like you it surprised me. And it made me think how lucky you were, are, to have James and the Potter's. What would you have done if you didn't?" I asked him, trying my best to keep my tone soft.

"I would have found a way out Poppy because it was the right thing to do" he told me coldly, and I was now worried I had gone too far.

"He's younger than you remember. And he's been surrounded by prejudiced thought in a way that you weren't as you were sorted into Gryffindor" I decided to press on seeing as I'd come this far. Sirius made a growling sound before getting up, pacing in an agitated manner in front of the fireplace. I fell quiet for a moment, giving him a chance to collect his thoughts.

"What are you suggesting Poppy?" he asked me, sounding irritated. I tried not to get annoyed, taking a breath before speaking.

"I don't know" I admitted with a shrug. "But surely anybody who wants to escape from a miserable life should get the chance? Think about how unhappy you were" I said gently, and he shook his head as he continued to pace. "Look I don't have any ideas, but I just wanted to talk to you about it. Because when I think about it, it makes me think what if it had been you? And the thought is too…upsetting, too terrible for me to consider" I finished and at my words he stopped pacing and looked at me. His expression softened as he came back over to me, kneeling in front of me and taking my hands in his.

"You're too good a person Poppy Turner" he told me with a small smile.

"You'll help him?" I asked, seeing him tense slightly.

"I'll think about it" he replied, and I realised this was a lot from him. Besides, I still had time to work on him.

"Thank you" I said with a smile and he leant forward to kiss me, surprising me by picking me up and I wrapped my legs around him, feeling him smile into our kiss.

"Hey guys what do you think about-oh for the love of Merlin" we pulled away, seeing James stood in the doorway covering his eyes. Sirius laughed, gently putting me down but keeping an arm wrapped around me. "Are you quite done?" James asked, still covering his eyes.

"You're so dramatic" I told him, seeing him peek between his fingers, lowering his hands when he saw us standing there. "I hope you realise I'm remembering all this for when you get a girlfriend" I said with a grin and he rolled his eyes as he came in, Sirius pulling me down to the sofa with him.

"If he gets a girlfriend Pop" Sirius teased and this was enough to get the two of them bickering. I don't know how I put up with them sometimes.