They reached the top of the first stairs when they heard the muttering at the bottom start. Peter didn't turn to look because something on this floor had caught his eyes. There was another banner with the words 'La purezza è essenziale'
Peter couldn't contain the many questions he had picked up in a few moments and he couldn't stop it leaving his mouth.
"Mand what does la pizza e essenzal mean?"
Amanda turned to look at him a quizzical look in her eye, and then saw he was staring at the wall.
"I'll answer questions once we're in my room. It's on the next floor come on."
She walked up the next flight to the third floor and waited for him to catch up. They walked down the long corridor passed at least six doors until Amanda stopped outside a white door that was slightly ajar.
As she moved inside Peter couldn't help but gasp. This room was massive; the walls were a cool cream colour that showed eloquence. The curtains were a slightly darker cream and pulled back showing a large balcony with a table and chairs.
In the middle of the wall on the right of the door sat a king sized four-poster bed much like the one from Hogwarts. Peter could see on the wall furthest from the entrance was another door, which Peter guessed was the bathroom. He opened the door and was surprised to see a wardrobe the size of the bedroom. There was a desk in here filled with Hogwarts books and another door.
"That door leads to the bathroom Pete. Now come back in here and I'll answer your questions."
They jumped onto the bed sitting opposite ends and Peter was about to start asking questions when Amanda answered the one from earlier
"On the second floor corridor we have the 'La purezza è essenziale' its Italian and is the Dixon family motto. It gives the name of all the Dixons that have been 'pure' in blood since the times before the founding of Hogwarts. It's an Italian name and means 'purity is essential'."
"Oh, whys it Italian?"
"The Dixon's are originally Italians. We haven't been though for a hundred and thirty three generations, but our motto is still in our ancestors tongue. On the way down I'll let you see the names better, Malfoy will be on there as well."
"Why?"
"Oh come on Pete don't be so dense. Victoria Malfoy our Potions professor was not born a Malfoy she married in. She was born a Dixon and then married William Malfoy when she was nineteen, then of course they had Lucius after three years of marriage."
"Oh, but what's the one on the first floor?"
"Arr you noticed our 'Puro en sangre' it's the same as the 'La purezza è essenziale' only it's my mothers family. It's the Herchicero family tree. You see my mother is Spanish, she moved here when she was thirteen and started Hogwarts as an exchange student. She was then promised to my father and married off when she was nineteen."
"My grandparents had two daughters my mother and Aunt Amarantha, my mother is the oldest and so inherited the tapestry when her parents died. Translated it means 'pure in blood' and if you look closely you will notice that there is a man namedSalvalus Slytherin. He's the younger brother of Salazar Slytherin and he's my ancestor."
"Wow, your family really goes back doesn't it."
"Yeah I know we're the oldest family in existence now, we have ties to most other wizarding families. Like I said Aunt Victoria married into the Malfoy family, Aunt Amarantha married Charles Snape, then there's my sister Anastasia, she married Paul Parkinson, well his aunt is Cassiopeia who married Cepheus Black, she's Andromeda's mother."
"Wow, and the language downstairs that was…"
"Spanish. Mother doesn't like speaking English; she thinks it's common. We all speak Spanish, well except father. Mother and Aunt Amarantha speak Spanish around each other. They won't even speak English to me, Anastasia, my brother Adrian and even Severus. It's stupid really because father doesn't really speak much of it."
"So you speak Spanish a lot?"
"Well kind of. If I want to speak to mother or Aunt Amarantha I have to speak Spanish otherwise they don't acknowledge me. Then Adrian and Anastasia like to speak Spanish all the time as well, although they won't if father is in the room. Severus and I don't usually bother unless we are being spoken to in Spanish."
Peter just sat there. He knew that the Dixons were an old family and that they had ties to many of the English families, but he had never known that they had ties to Italy and Spain as well. A thought then struck him.
"Do you speak Italian as well?"
"Yes but not as well as the Spanish because we don't use it much, but certain family objects will only answer to Italian. Examples are some of the house elves. We have three types of them, one type is the 'elf della casa' that just means house elf in Italian. They are a pain; they're the descendents of the house elves brought over from Italy when the Dixon's came."
"The head house elf is Aldo that's Italian for Noble. He's the one in charge. They are the main ones who take care of the house. Aldo runs the house and orders the other 'elf della casa' around. In fact Adrian's personal house elf is one of them, goes by the name of Amato. We don't have many of these ones any more, only ten. They are the ones that do the washing, ironing and cooking."
"Then there's the 'duende de la casa' which is again house elf only in Spanish. They are mother's personal house elves, although Anastasia took four of these ones with her to her new house. They are the ones that do all the cleaning in the house from the attic to the basement, we have twenty one of these types"
"Then we have the plain house elves, who take care of father's business and my personal one is Libby. They check the mail for father and ensure all the bedrooms and bathrooms are to the liking of whoever is staying in them. We have fifteen of these ones."
"That's why Pete you'll always find another language being spoken in this house its stupid at times."
At that moment there was a knock on the door and the squeaky voice of a house elf was heard
"Amanda è voi si è vestito tuttavia il pranzo è quasi pronto e dovete essere vestiti per esso"
(A/N Amanda are you dressed yet dinner is nearly ready and you must be dressed for it)
"Amato va fuss Adrian eccessivo e lo lascia solo, anche se potreste trasmetterli a Libby fino ad aiuto"
(A/N Amato go fuss over Adrian and leave me alone, although you could send Libby up to help me)
The sound of muttering could be heard as the elf moved away from the room back down the stairs. Although at that moment the door flew open and another person entered.
Both Amanda and Peter burst into fits of laughter at their new companion. Sirius stood there with a yellow shirt on and navy trousers smiling as though fit to burst.
"Mother tipped her tea on my only other clean shirt, isn't this one brilliant!"
Libby found her way into the room before Amanda could answer
"Mistress is looking for me"
"Yes Libby what shall I wear tonight?"
"You'se not dressed. You'se mother is wanting you in the parlour now, Libby is sent to fetch you."
"Well Libby we had best find something quick then."
Amanda jumped off the bed and smiled at the two boys as she went towards her wardrobe. Andromeda smiled from the door where she had been standing watching them since Sirius had entered the room.
It was funny seeing them together, these kids were growing up and she felt that she didn't belong with them and yet at the same time they were her kindred. This was where she truly belonged with those without prejudice.
Minutes passed and the girl came out, she was wearing a white shirt that was tucked into a pink skirt. She smiled at the boys who both laughed. Andromeda knew she would go down like that and stepped into the room
"Lets see what else you have to wear. Sirius you and Peter go downstairs. I believe that all the guests are here and we are all waiting for madam here in the pink skirt."
Amanda smiled wider as the two boys left making faces while running down the stairs. Then Andromeda led her into the wardrobe in search for the perfect outfit.