"Over here!" Harry called as the football flew through the air. He caught
stopped it with his foot and readied himself to make the next pass.
"Harry, James, breakfasts ready." Harry could play football with his dad all day if his mother let him. Inside the house Lily set out three places on the table and served bacon and eggs, Harry's favourite breakfast, just as the boys stumbled inside.
"Hands, wash, now!" Lily barked. Harry and James washed their hands and sat at the table. James picked up the newspaper while Harry tucked into his breakfast.
"Thanks mum." Harry said cleaning his plate.
"Seconds?" Lily asked dishing more onto Harry's plate before he had a chance to answer.
"What are you planning on getting up to today son?" James asked not taking his eyes off the paper.
"Well I've got footy training this afternoon so I was going to finish my homework and..." James cut him off.
"I'm worried Harry, you seem to becoming increasingly obsessed with this footy training." Harry opened his mouth in protest but closed it again.
"...However it's nothing two V.I.P passes to England vs. Italy can't fix." Harry's jaw dropped for the second time today.
"Are you serious?" Harry's voice came out in a squeak. James's face broke into a grin.
"Your mother got them off a friend at work." He said. Harry jumped out of his chair and let out a hoot.
"Thank you." He said hugging his parents.
"Anything for you Harry." Lily said stroking his hair. Suddenly Harry felt as though he was being sucked backwards, his parents faces slipping farther and farther out of reach.
*~*~*
The final horn sounded as the Hogwarts express slowed to a halt. Harry sat up and rubbed his eyes. His best friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley watched him from the doorway of the carriage.
"Harry are you all right?" Hermione asked worriedly. They stepped into the near empty carriage.
"Yeah mate, what were you dreaming about? Dementors or something." Harry didn't particularly want to share his dream with them. He was still grumpy to have woken up only to discover it was nothing more than just a dream.
"Yeah something like that." Harry mumbled back to them.
"Dementors my arse." Someone scoffed. All three looked around the carriage.
"Who said that?" Ron asked in a puzzle voice. Two hands appeared from nowhere and removed an invisible hood revealing a head of long blonde hair and two brilliant blue eyes. She proceeded to undo the rest of the cloak which fell to the floor in a pile.
"Ron, your mouth is open." Hermione pointed out. Ron shut his mouth but continued to stare.
"You all act as though you've never seen an invisibility cloak before." The girl said packing the cloak into her trunk. Hermione rolled her eyes at the two boys before stepping forward to shake hands with the girl.
"I'm Hermione Granger, this is Ron and this is Harry." She said indicating her friends.
"Zelda Black." The girl said smiling.
"Any relation to Sirius Black?" Ron asked. Hermione elbowed him. She knew Harry missed him terribly. The girl's smile broadened.
"He's my uncle." She announced. Harry's head shot up.
"He's my godfather." He said hastily.
"We must be god-cousins then." Zelda said. Harry laughed. "I remember now Sirius told me all about you, he's very fond of you, Harry Potter isn't it?" Harry nodded. Hermione crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently.
"I knew Sirius had a sister, but I thought she died?" Harry said.
"She did." Zelda said looking away.
"It looks like we're here." Ron chimed in as the train finally stopped outside Hogwarts.
*~*~*
All four of them got off the train with their trunks floating behind them.
"What year are you in?" Hermione asked.
"Fifth." Zelda replied.
"Us too, do you know what house you're in?" Zelda shifted uncomfortably.
"Slytherin probably." She said finally.
"Why is that?" Hermione asked.
"Well because my father is the head." Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.
"Oh that's impossible, Snape's the head of Slytherin and he's more grumpy than a blast-ended skrewt." Ron and Harry laughed.
"No you misunderstand, Severus Snape is my father." Ron and Harry's smiles faded in and instant.
*~*~*
"Ah Potter just in time, I see you've already met Zelda." A familiar voice rang through out the entry hall. It was Professor McGonagall. She stopped just in front of Harry and adjusted her glasses.
"If you would be so kind as to keep an eye on Miss Black and give her the grand tour of Hogwarts for me." Harry beamed inside.
"Yes Mam." He replied. Zelda followed Harry to the portrait to of the fat lady which was the secret entrance to the Griffyndor common room.
"Wait here." He instructed, Zelda nodded. He muttered the password and took his things upstairs while Zelda waited.
"Where do you want to go first?" Harry asked.
"Anywhere is fine with me." Zelda replied. Harry showed her the Great Hall, the kitchen full of house elves busily making breakfast, and the classrooms. He wanted to show her Hagrid's house as well but they were late for the first assembly as it was.
*~*~*
"So Snape's really your dad?" Ron asked. One by one the firsts year clambered forth to be sorted into their future houses. Zelda gave a weak smile.
"I never knew Snape had a kid." Ron went on.
"Nor did I." Hermione confessed.
"Well to tell you the truth, not many people do know, you see, my mother had to keep it a secret from Sirius I mean he's so unpredictable." They all nodded in agreement.
"You wont tell him...will you Harry?" Zelda asked. Harry looked into her big blue eyes. He didn't want to lie to Sirius but he knew it was none of his business.
"I wont tell him." Harry said just as Zelda's name was called.
"Well good luck." Hermione said as Zelda walked up the Great Hall. She sat in the chair and awaited the sorting hat to be placed on her head.
"I guess that's the last we'll see of her." Ron said scornfully. Harry winced. To know his only living relative's only other non-evil relative would soon be out of his life before he got a chance to know her really bugged him. Harry could just hear the sorting hat's words over the murmur of the Great Hall.
"Ah yes Zelda Black, intelligent yet spontaneous, but above all courageous and kind. I think... GRIFFYNDOR!" A roar went up from the Griffyndor table. Harry looked at Snape who's expression could have frozen a lake.
"Wait Harry didn't you say Sirius was in Griffyndor?" Ron asked.
"Yea why?" Harry replied.
"Well Zelda's mother would have been in Griffyndor too!" Ron explained. Zelda rejoined them at the table.
"Welcome back." Harry said. He really meant it too.
"Harry, James, breakfasts ready." Harry could play football with his dad all day if his mother let him. Inside the house Lily set out three places on the table and served bacon and eggs, Harry's favourite breakfast, just as the boys stumbled inside.
"Hands, wash, now!" Lily barked. Harry and James washed their hands and sat at the table. James picked up the newspaper while Harry tucked into his breakfast.
"Thanks mum." Harry said cleaning his plate.
"Seconds?" Lily asked dishing more onto Harry's plate before he had a chance to answer.
"What are you planning on getting up to today son?" James asked not taking his eyes off the paper.
"Well I've got footy training this afternoon so I was going to finish my homework and..." James cut him off.
"I'm worried Harry, you seem to becoming increasingly obsessed with this footy training." Harry opened his mouth in protest but closed it again.
"...However it's nothing two V.I.P passes to England vs. Italy can't fix." Harry's jaw dropped for the second time today.
"Are you serious?" Harry's voice came out in a squeak. James's face broke into a grin.
"Your mother got them off a friend at work." He said. Harry jumped out of his chair and let out a hoot.
"Thank you." He said hugging his parents.
"Anything for you Harry." Lily said stroking his hair. Suddenly Harry felt as though he was being sucked backwards, his parents faces slipping farther and farther out of reach.
*~*~*
The final horn sounded as the Hogwarts express slowed to a halt. Harry sat up and rubbed his eyes. His best friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley watched him from the doorway of the carriage.
"Harry are you all right?" Hermione asked worriedly. They stepped into the near empty carriage.
"Yeah mate, what were you dreaming about? Dementors or something." Harry didn't particularly want to share his dream with them. He was still grumpy to have woken up only to discover it was nothing more than just a dream.
"Yeah something like that." Harry mumbled back to them.
"Dementors my arse." Someone scoffed. All three looked around the carriage.
"Who said that?" Ron asked in a puzzle voice. Two hands appeared from nowhere and removed an invisible hood revealing a head of long blonde hair and two brilliant blue eyes. She proceeded to undo the rest of the cloak which fell to the floor in a pile.
"Ron, your mouth is open." Hermione pointed out. Ron shut his mouth but continued to stare.
"You all act as though you've never seen an invisibility cloak before." The girl said packing the cloak into her trunk. Hermione rolled her eyes at the two boys before stepping forward to shake hands with the girl.
"I'm Hermione Granger, this is Ron and this is Harry." She said indicating her friends.
"Zelda Black." The girl said smiling.
"Any relation to Sirius Black?" Ron asked. Hermione elbowed him. She knew Harry missed him terribly. The girl's smile broadened.
"He's my uncle." She announced. Harry's head shot up.
"He's my godfather." He said hastily.
"We must be god-cousins then." Zelda said. Harry laughed. "I remember now Sirius told me all about you, he's very fond of you, Harry Potter isn't it?" Harry nodded. Hermione crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently.
"I knew Sirius had a sister, but I thought she died?" Harry said.
"She did." Zelda said looking away.
"It looks like we're here." Ron chimed in as the train finally stopped outside Hogwarts.
*~*~*
All four of them got off the train with their trunks floating behind them.
"What year are you in?" Hermione asked.
"Fifth." Zelda replied.
"Us too, do you know what house you're in?" Zelda shifted uncomfortably.
"Slytherin probably." She said finally.
"Why is that?" Hermione asked.
"Well because my father is the head." Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.
"Oh that's impossible, Snape's the head of Slytherin and he's more grumpy than a blast-ended skrewt." Ron and Harry laughed.
"No you misunderstand, Severus Snape is my father." Ron and Harry's smiles faded in and instant.
*~*~*
"Ah Potter just in time, I see you've already met Zelda." A familiar voice rang through out the entry hall. It was Professor McGonagall. She stopped just in front of Harry and adjusted her glasses.
"If you would be so kind as to keep an eye on Miss Black and give her the grand tour of Hogwarts for me." Harry beamed inside.
"Yes Mam." He replied. Zelda followed Harry to the portrait to of the fat lady which was the secret entrance to the Griffyndor common room.
"Wait here." He instructed, Zelda nodded. He muttered the password and took his things upstairs while Zelda waited.
"Where do you want to go first?" Harry asked.
"Anywhere is fine with me." Zelda replied. Harry showed her the Great Hall, the kitchen full of house elves busily making breakfast, and the classrooms. He wanted to show her Hagrid's house as well but they were late for the first assembly as it was.
*~*~*
"So Snape's really your dad?" Ron asked. One by one the firsts year clambered forth to be sorted into their future houses. Zelda gave a weak smile.
"I never knew Snape had a kid." Ron went on.
"Nor did I." Hermione confessed.
"Well to tell you the truth, not many people do know, you see, my mother had to keep it a secret from Sirius I mean he's so unpredictable." They all nodded in agreement.
"You wont tell him...will you Harry?" Zelda asked. Harry looked into her big blue eyes. He didn't want to lie to Sirius but he knew it was none of his business.
"I wont tell him." Harry said just as Zelda's name was called.
"Well good luck." Hermione said as Zelda walked up the Great Hall. She sat in the chair and awaited the sorting hat to be placed on her head.
"I guess that's the last we'll see of her." Ron said scornfully. Harry winced. To know his only living relative's only other non-evil relative would soon be out of his life before he got a chance to know her really bugged him. Harry could just hear the sorting hat's words over the murmur of the Great Hall.
"Ah yes Zelda Black, intelligent yet spontaneous, but above all courageous and kind. I think... GRIFFYNDOR!" A roar went up from the Griffyndor table. Harry looked at Snape who's expression could have frozen a lake.
"Wait Harry didn't you say Sirius was in Griffyndor?" Ron asked.
"Yea why?" Harry replied.
"Well Zelda's mother would have been in Griffyndor too!" Ron explained. Zelda rejoined them at the table.
"Welcome back." Harry said. He really meant it too.