Mary Potter
The morning of August 26th finally rolled around and Mary was practically skipping around her room as she got ready to greet the Weasleys; who had just returned from Egypt the night before. She placed both of her wands in their arm holsters and donned a light green cloak over her casual Muggle clothes while Dobby sat at the little table sewing a quilt that he had started earlier that week.
"Keep an eye on Snuggles for me, Dobby," she requested, more for the benefit of the dog that she didn't want out and about today. "I'll probably be out late with the Weasleys."
Dobby nodded his head, making his ears flap wildly. "Dobby will make sure your doggie behaves."
Mary scratched Padfoot behind the ears, trying to dampen down her already frayed nerves. "Be good, Snuggly."
Padfoot huffed and curled back up on the rug, giving Dobby a rather irritated look as Mary shut the door. She hated the fact that she still hadn't let Sirius know that she knew about his true identity, but honestly, revealing that would have been dangerous for both of them. As it was, she had resigned herself to make sure that she had proof of Sirius's innocence. The only way to obtain that proof, was to get a hold of Scabbers and find out if he was really Wormtail. And if that went according to plan, she still wasn't sure what she needed to do to secure Sirius' freedom.
"Mary!" Ron yelled as he exited the Floo and walked up to her, pulling her into a quick hug. "You're taller!"
"Yeah." She laughed quietly. "The long nap seems to have triggered a growth spurt."
Hermione was next, not giving Ron a chance to move before she tackled Mary into a bone crushing hug. "We were so worried about you! I'm so sorry I couldn't come visit sooner, but my parents had that vacation planned since last summer and I honestly didn't know when you'd be waking up."
Mary patted her lightly on the back. "I'm fine, Hermione. Summer started a little rough, but it's become loads better."
They were joined by the rest of the Weasley family who seemed just as thrilled to see her as she was them. The Weasley parents in particular seemed to treat her differently, as though she was made of glass and might break at any time. Ginny barely spoke and looked haunted each time Mary tried to talk to her. Mary hoped that she wasn't suffering from the after effects of the diary, but knew that recovering from such a horrific event would take time.
"Come along, dears." Mrs. Weasley wiped her eyes again. "Let's get your supplies before the shops get too full."
It was a bit late for that though. Every parent and student in Britain appeared to have chosen that day to get ready for the upcoming term and it was difficult to walk through the Alley without being pushed or shoved.
While on the way to the Magical Menagerie, Mary was forced to hold Scabbers while Ron dug through his pockets to find his money. Bile rose in her throat as she looked down and saw the missing toe on the rat's foot.
Wormtail's nose twitched as he sniffed her hand and tensed in her grasp. Mary clutched him tightly with both hands, not wanting him to get away and trying frantically to think of something she could do to reveal who he really was. Wormtail bit down hard on the soft flesh of her palm just above her thumb joint. Instinct kicked in and she immediately released her grip, letting the rat fall hard to the cobblestone path.
"Scabbers!" Ron cried out in abject horror at what his pet had done.
Scabbers took off running into the nearest alley, not stopping or slowing down no matter how much Ron called for him. Mary, being the fastest of the lot, was close on the rat's heels, skidding around a corner and barely avoided colliding with an old overturned table.
No! She thought desperately. He can't get away!
A solid brick wall loomed in front of her, showing her that they were surely in a dead ended street. Her eyes scoured the area looking for a sign of where the rodent had hid, but came up empty. No rodents. No people. Only her and stacks of empty crates and a broken down cart.
I've lost my only chance.
A fat hand grasped her neck and she was pulled back roughly by a man with a raspy voice that squeaked when he breathed. "Don't move, Mary. I don't want to hurt you. Just tell me where Black is. I know you've been near him, you reek of dog."
Mary felt the sharp blade of a knife touching her neck and fought down the urge to swallow. How could she have been so stupid as to just let Wormtail go? She should have stunned him and turned him in to the Aurors the second she had him in her hands. But she had desperately hoped that the dream wasn't true. She had let fate decide the path she took and once again she was left in far more danger than she could have ever realized.
"I didn't mean for this to happen," Wormtail whispered. "Your parents, none of it."
Footsteps echoed loudly on the stone path and she didn't have to wait very long before Ron and the rest of the Weasleys came into view. Mrs. Weasley gasped and pulled the younger children closer to herself as Mr. Weasley said something to the twins and they both took off running the way they came.
"Tell them to go away." Wormtail breathed into her ear as he held her tighter.
Mary lifted her hands up to stop them from coming closer. "I'm fine, Ron. Just stay back."
"You let her go!" Ron yelled out, trying to fight his way out of his mother's grasp.
"Leave her alone!" Hermione echoed him at the same time.
Mr. Weasley held up his hands, showing that he was unarmed, and spoke softly. "Tell us what you want. There is no need to harm the girl."
"What I want!" Wormtail squeaked loudly. "What I want!"
Mary dropped her hands to her sides and stood there on the tips of her toes, trying to avoid letting her neck sit too heavily on the blade. The Weasleys' and Hermione's interruption had given Mary the distraction she needed and while Wormtail's attention was focused on them, she called her wand to her hand and pointed it behind her back while still hiding it beneath her cloak.
Stupefy. She closed her eyes and thought. Stupefy. Stupefy. "STUPEFY!"
The knife dragged against her pale skin while Wormtail's body crumpled to the ground.
"Mary!" Hermione shrieked loudly and tackled Mary into a hug that threatened to make her eyes pop out.
Mary's whole body felt wound up and tense. Her legs shaking slightly from exertion, she leaned heavily on her friend. Ron and Ginny were close behind and joined the hug before Mrs. Weasley broke it up.
"Back off you three," Mrs. Weasley said firmly, pulling Mary gently out of their grasp. "She's got a nasty cut on that neck that needs seen to."
Mary wadded up the extra fabric of her sleeve and pressed it to the side of her neck and held it there while Mrs. Weasley guided her over to a empty crate and forced her to sit just as Fred and George arrived with Auror Moody, Trainee Tonks, Amelia Bones, and her niece Susan.
"Mary!" Susan cried, rushing forward and stopping just in front of her. "Oh Merlin, you're hurt!"
"I'm fine." Mary tried to smile reassuringly.
"Don't worry," Susan whispered to her. "Auntie's Head of the DMLE. She won't let anything else happen to you."
Over the next quarter of an hour, Mary watched as they poked, prodded and cast spells on the stunned man. She answered the Aurors' questions honestly.
"Did the man identify himself?" Madam Bones asked as Tonks held her quill and parchment ready.
Mary played with a loose string on her sleeve. "No, only that he didn't plan on what happened to my parents."
"Did he say anything else?" Madam Bones asked in a disbelieving tone. "Anything at all?"
"He asked if I knew where Black was," Mary whispered, her throat tightening at the next outright lie. "He said that it would have all been perfect if Black hadn't got in his way."
Mary could see the Aurors sending each other confused looks as they tried to make sense of why Pettigrew was suddenly back amongst the living.
Madam Bones patted Mary's shoulder gently. "Take him into custody, Moody. Miss Potter, don't worry, we'll find out the truth."
Mary swallowed heavily and stood up to stare the older woman in the eye. "I'm going with you. He attacked me, but claimed to know my parents. I want to be there when he's questioned."
"You're far too young for that." Mrs. Weasley interrupted and put her arm around Mary.
Madam Bones gave Mary a shrewd searching look and pursed her lips. "As an eye witness, your testimony will be very beneficial to the case."
"I'll follow you, Madam Bones," Mary answered resolutely, gently extracting herself from Mrs. Weasley's grasp.
Tonks and Moody took Pettigrew via Portkey to the Ministry while Madam Bones, Susan and Mary followed by Floo. The Ministry was in chaos when they entered the lobby. People were standing around talking to each other in low whispers and were casting glances over their shoulders to where the Auror offices were.
"Wait in my office, Susan," Madam Bones said in a stern tone. "I'll be in as soon as I can."
Mary waved at Susan as Madam Bones led her toward the lift. "Where are we going?"
Madam Bones looked down at her with kind grey eyes. "The interrogation rooms are housed in the lower levels of the Ministry. It'd be best to prepare yourself for the presence of Dementors, but given how short of notice we've had, I'd say that we don't have to worry about them."
"How is all of this happening so quickly?" Mary voiced her thought as she watched people frantically scuttling around carrying stacks of paperwork and boxes labeled 'EVIDENCE'.
"The DMLE has spent a large amount of money trying to track down Black and figure out how he escaped from Azkaban," Madam Bones answered her quickly but quietly. "It will save us far more in the long run if we can find out the truth today. Between you and I, the longer we wait, the current administration may just decide to sweep Pettigrew's trial under the rug in order to avoid a public scandal."
"If he's found innocent, will Black be freed?" Mary asked after a second of hesitation.
"That depends on Pettigrew's testimony," Madam Bones replied in a hard tone. "If he's guilty, the Dementors will take him."
Mary suppressed a shudder at the thought of the dark cloaked creatures - that she only remembered from Harry's memories - and sincerely hoped that she wouldn't have to face one given how shaken she felt just standing beside the Head of Magical Law Enforcement. It was almost surreal to remember just how scared Harry had felt when he had his Use of Underage Magic trial at this very place and a shot of sympathy ran through her at just how little support he had while he was there.
The cold stone walls felt like they were closing in around her as the two got off the lift and made their way through the crowded hallway that led to Courtroom Eleven. Her bones ached the closer they came and Madam Bones looked down when the rattling of Mary's teeth echoed throughout the hall.
"I'm sorry, Miss Potter." Madam Bones flicked her wand and whispered the Patronus Charm.
The small silver raven flew through the air in front of them, casting a warm white glow on the dark walls, and eased Mary's tension enough to where she could take a deep breath without succumbing to a panic attack.
She had been so focused on the Patronus that she had completely ignored her surroundings and ended up running smack into a small fat man the stood in front of the heavy metal doors to the courtroom.
"Mary Potter!" Cornelius Fudge grasped her arm and steadied her before she tumbled backwards. "Bad news we have today. Terrible business."
Mary found her footing quickly and met his eyes with a firm glare of her own. "I have full confidence that the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Ministry will do all in their power to make this right."
"Of course, dear girl," Fudge said jovially, but his hand shook as he pulled the door open for them. "The Ministry would never fail in their standards for justice."
Mary nodded sharply and followed Madam Bones into the room and into the stands where Madam Bones found her a seat beside her own. Mary felt immediately grateful to her for not leaving her to the wayside or putting her in the spotlight.
The trial itself took less than two hours and Mary felt like she had been pulled through a laundry wringer when she finally Floo'ed back to the Leaky Cauldron that evening with an advance copy of the Daily Prophet clutched tightly in her hand.
"Mary!" Ron yelled as he and the twins spotted her and ran forward to greet her. "What happened? They wouldn't tell Dad anything! We've been waiting for hours!"
Mary let them drag her to her seat where she sat heavily and scraped her hands against her cheeks just as Tom set down a plateful of fresh pot roast in front of her. She smiled tiredly up at him in thanks and took a gulp of her pumpkin juice.
"Pettigrew, or Scabbers, as you know him," the Weasley's all gasped in shock. "Was sentenced to life in Azkaban for being a servant of Voldemort, causing the death of twelve Muggles, betraying the secret of my parent's whereabouts, being an unregistered Animagus, and attempted kidnapping."
Mary took a deep breath and looked up at the eight faces that stared at her in bewilderment and continued. "Sirius Black has been found innocent and pardoned of all charges."
Mary took a large bite of her food while her companions digested this news, then pushed her plate away as her stomach churned, her nerves getting the better of her.
"Are you not hungry, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked worriedly, breaking the tense silence.
Mary picked up her plate and glass of juice. "I'll have Tom send it up to my room, Mrs. Weasley. I'm exhausted."
"Finish your meal, dear." Mrs. Weasley pleaded as though she didn't want Mary out of her sight.
Mary looked at her blood caked robes and back to the Weasley matron with a tired glance. "I'd kind of like to get cleaned up and then go to bed."
"Would you like to come back to the Burrow with us?" Mrs Weasley asked her quickly. "We'd love to have you."
"I appreciate the offer, Mrs. Weasley, but Madam Bones asked that I stay put until everything is sorted out," Mary answered her honestly. "I'll send you an owl as soon as I know more."
Mrs. Weasley stood and grabbed the plate and glass from Mary's hands. "I'll have Tom send them up. You go ahead. Don't worry about the others. Take care of yourself and we'll see you soon, dear."
Mary gave a parting nod and smile to the other Weasleys and avoided Hermione's fidgeting gaze, knowing that the other girl would demand answers and explanations no matter how tired and wrung out Mary felt.
Mary walked into her room, shutting and locking the door behind her, before leaning against its frame and sliding down until she hit the floor. Padfoot crept up to her and licked her face in greeting, then sat back on his haunches to stare at her.
"Been a long day, Snuggly." She chuckled softly and patted his head. "A man named Peter Pettigrew tried to kidnap me in the Alley. The Aurors interrogated and arrested him. Come to find out, he was a friend of my parents' and was also the one that betrayed them to Voldemort."
The dog whined softly and laid down beside her.
Mary ran her hand over the soft black fur. "Why can't I just have a normal life, Snuggles? A family of my own and a calm peaceful year at school? Is that too much to ask for?"
Padfoot let out a loud sigh and sneezed.
Mary patted his head once more and stood on shaky legs. "I'm going to get cleaned up, then I'm passing out. It's been a long day."
But when Mary exited the bathroom a half hour later, Padfoot was nowhere in sight. The room was empty other than a snoring Dobby and dozing Hedwig. Mary let out a shaky breath and collapsed face first onto her bed, forgetting her dinner completely as she fell into a deep and restless sleep full of memories that were not her own.
Sirius Black
Sirius listened to Mary's story in abstract horror. It made him sick to think that Wormtail had been that close to her. While he was excited and thrilled to know that the traitor had been caught and arrested for his crimes, in the same sense, it rankled that Peter didn't get the kind of justice that the rat deserved.
Exoneration was a prospect that he hadn't even considered, but as he watched his goddaughter tear up at the mention of a family of her own, he felt that he would finally be able to do something right by James and Lily. It was true that they had named him godfather to Mary, but he never had the chance to take care of her after he had been taken to Azkaban. Now it was a real possibility. He never should have gone after Peter in the first place. He'd been there at the house, holding Mary in his arms and grieving over his friends when Hagrid arrived. Had he done what James and Lily expected of him, Mary never would have had to grow up unloved and without a family of her own. It wasn't a mistake he had the opportunity to correct, but he very well could make sure that she had a happy life from there on out.
The moment the bathroom door shut, Sirius transformed and used Mary's wand a last time to cast a short term Disillusionment charm on himself. He gave one look at the closed door and hoped that the next time he saw Mary, that he'd be greeting her as a free man.
The door clicked shut behind him and he walked down the stairs with a heavy heart and hopeful determination. He could get through this. He knew he would be able to handle anything the Ministry threw at him as long as he could get back to her. They would find a way to make up for the years they had lost. He could provide the family that James wanted her to have, or at least he hoped he could, but if nothing else, he would keep her safe.
The Ministry was empty when he Floo'ed into the Atrium, but it was for the best as the charm he had placed to disguise himself had worn off halfway through the trip. He made his ways to the Auror offices with a knot in his throat and on legs that seemed to move of their own accord. Through the thin pane of glass, he could see Amelia Bones sitting at her desk with her head down as she read through a stack of paperwork. Alastor Moody sat to her left, tapping his foot as he leaned forward and said something that she quickly jotted down. The older Auror's magical eye spun in its socket and focused on Sirius who stood just outside the door.
The door opened on its own and Sirius walked in as Moody and Bones both stood and took out their wands.
"I'm here to turn myself in." Sirius held up his hands to show them he was unarmed.
"Took you long enough." Moody grumbled and waved his wand over Sirius, proving that he was telling the truth.
"Mr. Black." Amelia nodded as soon as Alastor had given her the okay. "We have orders to take you directly to St. Mungo's for a health evaluation. Whilst there you will be questioned about the night of October thirty first, of the year nineteen eighty one, and what occurred between yourself and one Peter Pettigrew. Once your Healer has cleared you, we will return here. There are some papers that you need to look over and sign."
Sirius nodded and grasped the Portkey that Moody and Bones had their hands on. "I've been ready for a proper questioning for twelve years. Don't keep me waiting, Ami."
Ami blushed slightly, turning away as Moody stomped his cane on the ground. "You're Black, alright. Never came across another person who could flirt at the worst of times."
Sirius outstretched his arms. "What can I say? I've got it. Charm and all."
The next two days were spent being poked and prodded by numerous Healers while Aurors questioned him about everything from what he ate for breakfast to why he had shown up at the Potters' house just after Voldemort's death. They forced him to consume potion after potion while they tested everything from his blood to whether or not he was truly an Animagus as Pettigrew claimed he was.
"You're free to go, Mr. Black," Healer Pye said kindly, handing him a brown quill. "This will take you back to the Auror Department."
Sirius nodded and grabbed the Portkey. He landed gracefully just outside the door to Madam Bones' office and knocked lightly on the frame. She looked up from her paperwork and waved a hand, opening the door.
"The Healers finally let you go, aye?" Moody growled from the corner of the room, where he sat with his prosthetic leg sitting a few feet away.
Sirius chuckled lightly. "I think they ran out of potions to feed me. That and the nurses were getting tired of my complaining."
"You always did like to whine." Moody grunted.
"Have a seat, Black." Amelia gestured him toward the chair across from herself. "Read through these. Make sure that everything is up to snuff and to your liking."
He took the stack of parchment from her with steady hands and carefully read through them. To his own surprise, he had been acquitted of all wrongdoing and given an Order of Merlin: Third Class for his heroic actions in trying to take down a criminal. Not only that, but he'd been compensated for double the annual salary as an Auror for the entirety of his stay at Azkaban, along with a stipulation that covered his time in St. Mungo's.
While being the only heir to the oldest and second richest family in Wizarding Britain, he still almost choked at the number of Galleons. Sirius signed the parchment with the proffered quill, a lump still stuck in his throat.
"Any chance we can get you back on the team?" Moody asked, staring at Sirius with shrewd eyes.
"I'll have to think about it." Sirius let out a long sigh then turned to face Amelia. "Are there any papers for me to sign to confirm my guardianship of Mary?"
Amelia gave him a long hard look before passing him another piece of heavy parchment labeled: Department of Wizarding Child Services. "Are you sure you're capable of caring for a child?"
Sirius back at her with a narrowed gaze. "I would have been taking care of her all these years if I'd have been given a trial in the first place."
He ignored her sharp glare as he signed the papers and dropped them on her desk. "If that's all?"
Madam Bones pulled a box out of the drawer of her desk and opened it to reveal a thin mahogany wand. He could feel it calling to him and twitched his hand and watched in awe and joy as it floated straight into his outstretched hand. Bright silver and red sparks burst from the wand and Sirius let out a bark like laugh then took a step towards the door and looked over his shoulder to address the two one more time.
"Send an owl if you need me." Sirius opened the door and walked out with his head held high and a smile plastered on his face. "I've got shit to do."
The clock had barely struck eight when Sirius walked himself into Twilfitt and Tattings. The young woman at the door didn't recognize him and almost seemed to to disregard him completely when he asked for an entire wardrobe fitting. But the moment he pulled out a blank bank draft, she was all too eager to take down his measurements and suggest the most popular Wizard and Muggle styles. He ordered far too much of both and only picked a single dark grey robe off the rack to wear that day. The rest would be sent to the Leaky Cauldron when they were ready.
As Sirius walked by the old junk shop across from Ollivanders a sign in the window caught his eye.
Flat for Lease
Inquire Within
Sirius pulled the door open and navigated through row upon row of useless junk to get to the desk where an ancient man was sleeping with his head on the desk.
Sirius cleared his throat and the man looked up at him, startled at his sudden appearance. "Apologies, sir. What can I help you with?"
"I saw the sign in the window about the flat for lease," Sirius answered kindly.
The elderly wizard reached into his pocket and pulled out a small brass key. "The stairs are around the side of the building. Bring the key back and let me know if you're interested."
Sirius could hear the snoring start up again before he even made it to the door. To say that he was surprised when he opened the door to the flat was an understatement. It was far larger than he imagined. The hardwood floors were highly polished and the cream colored walls looked like they had been recently painted. The large wooden beams were in open view of the vaulted ceiling where skylights let plenty of natural light into the open room. The entire place was completely furnished, even a small closet with extra linens was across the hall from the smaller of the two bathrooms. The three bedrooms weren't large or fancy, but they would be more than enough for him and Mary, if she decided to accept his offer to live with him.
Sirius locked the door as he exited the flat and went straight back into the store where – surprisingly – the old wizard sat with his head bent over a large scroll of parchment.
"I'll take it," Sirius said proudly and pulled another bank draft out of his pocket. "How much for a five year lease?"
The man wrote the amount down on the parchment and slid the scroll over to Sirius, who wrote the amount onto the bank draft and signed his name at the bottom of the lease.
"Lucky for you, I had just put up the sign after my elf finished cleaning," He said with a shaky voice. "Haven't been upstairs since my wife passed away."
"I'm sorry for your loss," Sirius replied in sympathy.
The man nodded and tapped the scroll with his wand. "I've sent a copy of the lease with your bank draft. The goblins will have it on hand if you need it."
The man waved his wand and another brass key landed on the desk. "A spare if you need it, Mr. Black."
"Good day, sir," Sirius said in confusion as the man gave no sign of recognizing his name.
Sirius went back to the new flat and unshrunk and unpacked his purchases as quickly as he could into the wardrobe in the middle bedroom. If she chose, he would give Mary her pick of the other two rooms. Sirius dressed in his best new clothes, hoping to make an impression on his goddaughter. He hoped she would see him as the Uncle she should have had and not the man who'd left her to get revenge.
"You can do this." Sirius told himself as he walked into the Leaky Cauldron and ignored the stares and gasps as people gawked at him over the tops of their copies of the Daily Prophet where his picture and Wormtail's took up the front cover.
He took the stairs two at a time, but faltered when he reached the door, knocking with his heart in his throat.
Mary opened her door and stared up at him with wide, tear stained eyes. "Can I help you?"
"Mary." Sirius smiled at her and tried to quell the urge to hug her. "My name is Sirius Black."
"I know, sir," she said quietly and pointed to the paper that was on the bed. "I read about you in the Prophet."
Sirius grimaced. "I'm your godfather, Mary. There's no need to call me 'sir' I'm not that old."
Mary let out a small chuckle. "Come in, please."
Sirius walked into the room where he had spent the past month, but it felt odd to be here in the open in his normal form. "This may come as a shock to you, but I don't want to start off with secrets."
Mary looked up at him with a narrowed gaze that painfully remindedhim of Lily. "Secrets?"
"I'm an Animagus," Sirius said with a sigh. "A dog Animagus. You've been looking after me for the past month."
"Really?" Mary quirked an eyebrow and stared at him.
Sirius sighed and quickly transformed into Padfoot.
Padfoot was shocked when she tackled him into a hug. "You're Snuggles! Oh, I'd thought you'd ran away! I've been so worried about you!"
Sirius' brow furrowed and pursed his lips as he transformed and patted Mary on the back while he tried to figure out why she wasn't ranting and raving at him in horror or anger. With a mental shrug he hugged her back and let his hands fall to his sides when she pulled away.
"I've been pardoned by the Ministry," Sirius said proudly. "You can say no, if you like, it won't hurt my feelings, but I've just rented out a flat in the Alley and I was hoping you'd come and stay with me for the rest of the summer."
"Until I go back to Hogwarts?" Mary asked hopefully.
"Until you're as old and grey as I am. If you'd like." Sirius smiled playfully.
Mary scoffed. "You're not that old."
"How about it, kid?" Sirius pressed, trying not to let himself get too excited. "You can pick whatever room you like."
Mary's brow furrowed in thought, before she looked back to the small room she was in. "Give me five minutes to pack."
Sirius laughed and sat down in the chair by the door, wondering if Mary was just desperately wanting a guardian or if she was slightly mentally unbalanced for agreeing to live with him after just a short chat. Either way, he hoped that he would be able to help.
Mary stopped packing and looked at Sirius with pleading eyes. "Can Dobby and Hedwig stay with us?"
"Of course!" Sirius said. "They're both welcome. It'll be your home too, so no more of this asking nonsense. Unless you want a cat. I'll warn you now that most can't stand me."
"Agreed." Mary laughed quietly. "Dobby?"
The little elf appeared with a pop, took one look at Sirius and bowed lowly. "Mary Potter's doggie has returned. Dobby told young Miss not to worry."
"I should have listened to you, Dobby." Mary replied. "We're packing up and moving in with Sirius."
Dobby snapped his fingers and everything that belonged to Mary flew into the trunk. The lid clicked shut and the trunk shrunk itself to the size of a matchbox. Dobby picked it up and handed it to Mary.
"Call Dobby and he will come to your new home, Mary." Dobby disappeared with a soft pop.
Mary Potter
Mary didn't know if she made a mistake by accepting Sirius's offer so quickly, but she had a good feeling that everything would work out for the best. There was something about it all that just felt right. Like she finally found a place where she truly belonged. All with someone who really cared about her and wasn't focused on who she was supposed to become. It was shocking to think that she'd gone from basically homeless, living at a hotel with her fugitive dogfather, to moving into a flat that would be her own home.
Mary and Sirius together drew a large amount of attention as they walked straight though Diagon Alley. People stopped and stared. They whispered and gossiped to each other. Women either looked at Sirius in disdain or blushed profusely. Sirius ignored all of it, nearly skipping as he whistled a happy tune.
Mary shook her head, wondering if things would go well with them living together. The junk shop wasn't impressive in the least. Given that Sirius was a bit snobbish in his actions, Mary suspected the poshest flat in London, not an obscure looking doorway to nowhere above a place that was lucky to see a few customers a year. So to say she was shocked at the flat itself was an understatement. Its openness and brightly lit rooms felt more like home than the Dursleys' ever had. With Dobby's help, Mary was unpacked within an hour and made her own bed with the Gryffindor set that Professor McGonagall sent her.
Sirius walked into the room and stood beside her as she looked around her room proudly. With a flick of his wand, he changed the white hangings on the bed to a rich gold color.
"You need posters!" Sirius said suddenly, then looked at the stacks of books on the floor by the bed. "A desk and shelves would also come in handy for you, kiddo."
"Dobby will get them!" The little elf jumped up and down. "Dobby will go to the market and get food for dinner too!"
"That'll be great, Dobby." Mary looked at the elf and knew that she had created a little shop-a-holic. "Sirius and I will go get the posters, if you don't mind the rest."
Sirius pulled a small bag of coins from his pocket and handed them to Dobby. "Get three of everything you think will fit. We'll put a set in each room."
Dobby nodded like an elf on a mission and disappeared.
"It's a good thing he loves shopping." Mary shook her head in amusement. "I only enjoy it when it's to buy things I like. I have no luck with buying clothes and such."
"I hope you've got a better eye for art than I do," Sirius said in a grave tone. "Your mother used to claim that being a dog had made me color blind."
"Is that why you're wearing girly robes?" Mary asked with a smirk.
Sirius looked down at his robes and his mouth opened in horror. His navy robes were now a horrendous shade of fuchsia with a bright yellow bouquet of daisies embroidered on the front.
"What?!" Sirius yelped and started removing the spell from his robes.
Mary fell back onto the couch, howling in laughter as each time he tried to remove the charm, the colors would change into something even more ridiculous.
"I thought we were going to buy posters." Sirius pouted and dropped his arms to his sides.
Mary rolled her eyes, and finally – after three tries - removed the spell. "Come on Snuggly. Let's go."
"Padfoot!" Sirius yelled as Mary ran out the door and down the stairs. "My doggie name is Padfoot! Not Snuggles!"
Sirius was acting like a little kid as he ran through the aisles of Gambol and Japes, pulling things down from the shelves and squealing in glee. Mary laughed, trying not to drop the armful of posters she held. It was seriously the most fun she'd ever had. She couldn't remember laughing so much in her entire life. If this was what life with Sirius would be life, she wouldn't ever complain about it.
"We'll need one of these!" Sirius said gleefully, holding up a magical camera. "Maybe two! We can send pictures back and forth while you're at school! Oh, look! Glow in the dark solar system ceiling charms! They make your ceiling look like the night sky! Two more of those. Exploding Snap cards! Do you have a set? I'll still get two sets, always good to have a back up."
"We're going to miss dinner." Mary told him in mock reproach. "Dobby said he was cooking for us tonight."
"Food, yes," Sirius said in a dazed tone as he gazed around the store.
Mary pulled the items from his arms and set them on the counter in front of a small witch that looked at Sirius with narrowed eyes. Mary glared at her until she turned her sights away from Sirius and started ringing up their purchases. Sirius shrunk the bags and Mary stuffed them into her pockets and grabbed Sirius' arm, pulling him out of the store and toward their new flat.
Her heart swelled with pride, holding the little brass key that Sirius gave her and sticking it into the lock, while Sirius rambled on about the new things that had been invented in the pranking business over the past twelve years.
"Dobby, we're home!" Mary yelled as they walked into the sitting room.
All Mary could see was the top of the little elf's head as he ran back and forth behind the tall counter. "Dinner is ready and on the table. Dobby is just cleaning up."
"Come sit down, Dobby." Sirius called out as he helped Mary unshrink the packages and set them on the couch. "We'll help you clean up after dinner."
Dobby rounded the corner and looked from Mary to Sirius with wide eyes. "You want Dobby to sit with you?"
"Well why the hell not?" Sirius asked happily. "You're part of this ragtag family now."
"Family." Dobby whispered, echoing Mary's own thoughts. "Dobby has always wanted a family he can be proud of."
The three sat down and dug into a mouth watering meal of fried chicken, potatoes, and steamed fresh vegetables.
"I could kiss you, Dobby," Sirius said with a mouthful of food. "This is delicious."
"I agree." Mary got a second helping of vegetables. "About the deliciousness of the meal, not that Sirius should kiss you."
Dobby chuckled and shook his head so hard that his ears batted his eyes. "Dobby loves to cook. Dobby will cook all the meals you want."
"Think you can handle Snuggly all on your own while I'm at Hogwarts?" Mary asked Dobby.
Sirius dropped his fork, flinging potatoes onto the front of his robes. "It's Padfoot! PADFOOT! Not Snuggly!"
Dobby shot Mary a wry smirk. "Dobby can handle Snuggly. As long as there is no kissing."
Mary leaned forward slightly and stared at Sirius straight in the eyes and pointed her knife at him. "Don't think I won't be here in a snap second if you act up."
Sirius leaned forward toward her. "Is that a challenge, kid?"
"It's a promise." Mary chuckled darkly.
Sirius leaned back in shock. "You look just like your mother when you do that. Fucking scary."
"I've always wondered," Mary said curiously. "How did I get my name?"
Sirius choked on his food and spent the next minute alternating between coughing and quaffing down large amounts of Butterbeer. "Funny story, really. We were raised in the sixties and seventies, so I can't exactly be held accountable for my part in it. To be honest, right up until you were born your parents thought they were having a boy. Your nursery was all in blue and all of your clothes were little Quidditch robes that your dad picked out. They had a name already picked out too; Harry James Potter."
It was Mary's turn to choke on her meal, but Sirius was kind enough to wait until she regained her composure to continue.
"Well, poor old Lils burst into tears when the Healer declared you a girl. Your mum was blubbering loudly about how she didn't know what to name you." Sirius leaned forward slightly. "Note that she was a little loopy from potions. Your father was trying to comfort her and so the Healer passed you to me. Yeah, I was the first person to hold you. You were just lying there, healthy as could be, and staring up at me quietly. While your parents were getting their act together, I started humming a song to you and rocking you back and forth. You passed out like you'd been hit with a stunning spell!"
"What happened next?" Mary laughed and leaned back, loving hearing about her parents and godfather.
"Well," Sirius said wistfully. "Your mother's best friends in Gryffindor were Mary MacDonald and Marlene McKinnon. So your mother picked the name Mary to honor them both. Your dad wanted your middle name to be James or Jamie, but your mum wouldn't hear of it. She said that every Evans woman in her family had been named after a plant or flower, so deemed Mary Jane perfect. I – like I said we were disco kids – of course, thought the name was genius. James agreed wholeheartedly, which is why you sit here today, Mary Jane Potter."
Mary's gaping mouth snapped shut with a loud click. "Wow."
Sirius leaned back and rubbed his stomach, then let out a loud belch. "Yep. Marijuana Potter. You should have seen the look on Alice Longbottom's face – her son Neville was born just hours before you – when she visited Lily and heard your name. She started calling you 'Kid Cannabis'."
Mary almost didn't hear the last part, as she was mentally checking another fact from the dream. She hadn't known that she and Neville almost shared a birthday, but Harry had.
Sirius yawned widely. "Let's see to those posters. Then I'm going to hit the hay."
"As long as you're not hitting the pipe." Mary sighed as she stood up and carried their plates to the kitchen. "Or smoking the hay."
Sirius stood and gave her a stern look. "This flat is a no judging zone, kiddo. So no judging."
Mary laughed. "If you say so, Snuggly."
Sirius growled and went to help her wash the dishes and finish cleaning the kitchen while Dobby, who had picked the tiny attic as his bedroom, went to put away the picture frames that Mary had bought for him. Once everything was in pristine condition, Mary followed a sleepy Sirius into the hallway.
"I'm beat." She told him honestly. "How about we finish decorating tomorrow?"
"I second the motion." He put his arms around her and squeezed her tightly. "Night, kid."
"Night Snuggly." She chuckled as she closed her door, leaving her godfather fuming loudly in the hallway.
The moment her door shut, all thoughts of sleep fled her mind as she took in her room. The bare bookshelves and desk sat there, waiting to be filled, and the walls looked far too normal for her taste. She spent the next five hours organizing her books, setting up her desk, and using the magical version of sticky putty to attach her posters to her wall. Next she went through her trunk and had to decide what she wanted to take and what could be left. It was a surreal moment, as Mary had never had the opportunity to completely unpack before. She had basically lived out of her trunk since she was accepted to Hogwarts, but now she actually had the option to leave things behind and know that they wouldn't disappear while she was gone. She unpacked everything other than what she would need to take to school. This was her home now. And she'd be damned if anything short of death would drag her from it.
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