Chapter 4: Clothes and Frying pans
The last week of Harry's stay at #12 was, even with the introduction of a mysterious new comer, not especially eventful.
Ebony's sudden appearance seemed to change the mood of the house over night. Soon, order members were appearing at the front door positively 24/7. There was never a moment when the door bell was not ringing or loud cracks were not sounding from the living room. Harry and the others were now allowed downstairs only for meals and mere caught fleeting glimpses of order members. That was not to say that Fred and George's expendable ears were not working over time. They were usually unsuccessful, but Harry found that it was worth the failed attempts to catch just a few words of what the order members were talking about
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and the twins were not alone in their plight to uncover the order's dealings. Ebony had been banished the to a small attic room on the day it was decided that she would remain at Grimmuald place. The most she had been told was that after the holidays were over, she would begin lessons to try and break the memory charm. Even though she was more than old enough to join the meetings, (most of which had to do with her), The Order thought that since she had little memory of the magical world, it was best that she stay up stairs. Especially regarding what happened the second night of her stay.
At dinner, Harry and Ron had both been surprised when Hermione announced, with a self-satisfied smile, that she had just recruited a new S.P.E.W member.
"What insane person who lives in the same house as Kreatcher would want to join Spew?" Ron asked incredulously.
Hermione gave him a sharp glare and opened her mouth to answer when the door to Kreatcher's den burst open. The entire table looked around to find Sirius dragging stubborn looking Ebony by the arm.
"I tried to tell you! This wouldn't be happening if you had just listened to me!" Sirius was yelling as they entered the room.
Harry moved his chair to get a better look at what was going on. He could see that, in her right hand, Ebony was holding a rather moldy looking old sock. Suddenly Harry understood.
"This wouldn't be happening, If you hadn't kept him enslaved in the first place! AND LET GO OF MY ARM!" Ebony began struggling to free herself from Sirius's grasp.
"Only if you give me the sock, and promise never to try and free Kreetcher again."
"And why should I give into your oppressive standards? Give me one good reason." Ebony was now keeping the sock out of reach from Sirius who was grasping for it.
" Because we have to live in the same house and I'll make your life a living hell if you don't!" Shouted Sirius who had to change his grasp on Ebony's arm in order to make a dive for the sock.
"Oh I see! So I should conform to save myself is that it? No matter what you say I won't give up as long as anything is being held against it's will. Don't you see? He doesn't like being locked up here!" As she said this Sirius made a quick grab for the sock.
Ebony spun him to the other side of the table trying to keep it out of his reach, but Sirius was too quick for her. He twisted her hand and she let out a yelp of pain finally releasing her firm hold on the sock. Sirius grabbed it and let go of Ebony's arm.
She stared at him darkly for a few moments and then turned to address the rest of the room.
"If you'll excuse me, I'm very tired. I'll head up to bed." She was very calm as she said this. In fact, if some one had walked into the room they would have thought that she had just finished a very lovely dinner conversation.
"Hermione, you don't mind if I borrow one of your night dresses do you?"
"Oh, no of course not." Hermione said her mouth slightly open.
"Well then, good night" And with a last sharp look at Sirius Ebony walked out of the room.
"Did you tell her how to free house elves?" Sirius asked darkly, rounding on Hermione.
"If you must know, yes I did. And while I don't approve of her behaviour, she did.
"Have a point yes I know." Sirius snarled as he sat down in between Harry and Lupin.
From then on, all agreed it was best that Ebony remained up stairs. And while Ebony was as frustrated as Harry was about not hearing any news, even she confided that she preferred staying upstairs. There, she was closer to her clothing supply, (she had been borrowing old cloths from Hermione's trunk.) Also, she quite enjoyed her new job as test dummy for Fred and George's creations. Indeed she seemed fascinated at the amount of things one could do with magic. Fred and George were also happy as they only had to pay her two sickles every time she tried one of their skiving snack boxes, where as with the first years at Hogwarts, they had to pay one gallaon for every taste test.
Ebony never spent her earnings. Instead she insisted that the twins drill holes in the tops of each coin so that she could string them on a chain that was constantly dangling from her neck. True, the twins saw this as nothing short of blasphemous, but as it was the price for their tests, they obliged (however grudgingly).
It also seemed that Ebony preferred the company of the children to the adults. In fact despite her large word usage and partiality to books, Ebony was almost like a teenager herself. She took part in Fred and George's jokes and could often be found giggling with Ginny over some secret they had shared. And every one agreed it would have been absolute torture to have Ebony and Sirius work together. They were barely tolerant of each other at meal times. The rest of the house hold was becoming used to the arguments that often broke out between them over dinner.
"Harry, please tell the slave driver on your right to pass the butter"
As was typical of most dinners Sirius and Ebony sat one seat apart from the other putting Harry between them. As they were still keener to speak at each other rather than to each other, this arrangement forced Harry to act as communicator for both parties.
Harry turned to Sirius who handed him the butter before he had a chance to ask.
"And you can tell the woman to your left that if she is to remain in this house she will keep her opinions to herself." Sirius said, his lip curled
Harry passed Ebony the butter with out saying a word. She took it wearing a deadly glare that seemed to match Sirius's perfectly.
"You may tell your Godfather that I have the freedom to say what I please. Unless of course he intends to treat me as another one of his slaves..."
Harry turned instinctively back to Sirius whose face flushed.
"Harry, please inform the smart mouthed know it all next to you that all she has to do is live one month with that Kreatcher in this house to realize who belongs to whom."
"You wouldn't have to deal with that if you would just set him free."
Predictably, they had finally abandoned the third party pretense and were soon to be engaged in an all out shouting match that had rather morbidly come to represent a sort of after dinner entertainment.
"I would if I could just to shut you up." Sirius had risen from the table now and every eye seemed riveted to him as if watching a mildly interesting television programme.
"... but... oh forget it, you wouldn't understand."
"Oh wouldn't I?" Ebony countered. Sirius stared sullenly at her but said nothing as he began to sit back down. Ebony gave a self satisfied smile.
"You like it don't you?" Ebony said triumphantly.
"That's it isn't it? You like being able to lord over something smaller than you. You, you... Conformist!"
She added the last portion as if she had just given the worst insult a human being could possibly throw at another. With another semi-satisfied smile she stalked away from the table and up the stairs for the fourth time that week.
Soon after that Sirius excused himself from the table and headed to his bedroom muttering "women" under his breath.
Harry attempted to ignore the out burst and continued to eat his mashed potatoes, but was surprised to hear Ginny and Hermione erupt into a chorus of giggles from across the table. He looked at Ron who seemed to be as baffled as he was.
"What's so funny?" Harry asked. At this Ginny only laughed harder
"Well it's obvious isn't it?" Hermione said.
Harry was feeling very stupid as he couldn't see what was supposed to be obvious. He was glad to see he was not the only one surprised. Ron gave him a sort of shrug and Fred and George had looked up from their plates wearing equally perplexed expressions.
"They fancy each other!"
"Wh-what?" Chocked Ron. The men at the table still seemed shocked, but Mrs. Weasly now bore an amused sort of smile.
"If shouting your lungs out at some one means you fancy them, then perhaps Umbridge and Snape should take a house by the sea together!" Fred said sarcastically. Every one but Hermione laughed
"Well, shouting at each other is sort of a way of coping with it. Sirius hasn't really had to deal with Women for about fifteen years. And Ebony doesn't even know who she is let alone how to deal with men." She added the last bit somewhat bitterly with an exceptionaly pointed look at Ron.
This was enough for Harry to have to listen to. He was with Sirius, no matter how old he got, he would never be able to understand women.
The evening took a turn for the worse when latter he was summoned down stairs to learn that upon his arrival at hogwarts, he was to begin taking extra lessons with Snape.
"Wait a minuet." Sirius said as Snape was turning to leave. "If I hear your using these occlumency lessons to give Harry a hard time You'll have me to answer to."
"How touching." Snape sneered. "But surely you've noticed that Potter is very like his Father."
"Yes I have," said Sirius proudly.
"Well then you know he's so arrogant that criticism simply bounces off him."
Sirius pushed his chair roughly aside and strode around the table pulling out his wand as he went; Snape whipped out his own. It was at this very moment that, (to Harry's great releif) the kitchen door opened and Ebony walked in. Both Sirius and Snape stopped in mid action and turned to look at her.
"Molly sent me in to wash the dishes." She said rather quickly while her eyes darted from Sirius to Snape to Harry. Harry doubted weather this story was true, as Mrs. Weasly had never asked Ebony into the kitchen after dinner before.
Still, neither Sirius nor Snape looked likely to try anything now that she was in the room. Indeed they were both starring at her wearing very odd expressions
Snape finally lowered his wand and said
"I suppose this is the mysterious girl I've heard so much about?"
Sirus nodded bitterly as he also put his wand down at his side.
"Professor Snape. This is Ebony." Harry said as a way of an introduction. Snape nodded curtly in her direction but kept his stance
"Well then I hear congratulations are in order Black." Snape said, a familiar sneer returning to his face
"What do you mean?" asked Sirius through clenched teeth.
"Well seeing as you've recently been promoted from repair man to sitter..."
"That's it! I warned you sinivelus!"
He raised his wand, but before he could do anything Snape was doubling over in pain. Ebony was standing over him holding the frying pan she'd been washing.
"Let that be a warning." She said to Snape who now lay groaning on the floor.
"And in the future you will kindly remember that I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."
Harry and Sirius were both starring at Ebony awe struck. Finally Sirius spoke.
"You didn't have to do that you know. Why didn't you just let me handle him?" He was trying to sound angry, but Harry detected a definite note of amusement in his voice. Ebony must've heard it to because she let out a slight laugh.
"And have you go back to that horrible sounding prison they've told me about? No thank you." She began to walk back to the sink, shoving a struggling Snape back to the floor as she went. Sirius smiled rather strangely after her.
Needless to say, the next day Sirius and Ebony were being perfectly friendly to one another. Indeed, Sirius seemed the happiest he'd been since Christmas. Still, even with Ebony staying at Grimmuald place, Harry had a slightly un-easy feeling about leaving Sirius. Ebony was not, after all the best influence to keep Sirius out of trouble. Still, his God Father was happy. Wasn't that what Harry was supposed to care about?