The next few weeks were a happy week for Amanda. Her and Stephanie had been getting along quite well after the previous Saturday and they were becoming fast friends.
One hot and humid day after school was over, the Marauders and company were walking to an ice cream parlor, which James' had spotted that was close by. They were all chatting animatedly about a new film that the Weird Sisters had composed the music for when someone called Sirius' name loudly from behind them. Everyone turned around with puzzled expressions and the Marauders gasped when they saw whom it was.
"M-m-mother?" Sirius exclaimed disbelievingly. 'What's my mum doing here?' He thought, bewildered.
"Sirius Orion Black! How dare you mix yourself with filthy mudbloods and disgrace our noble name!" She screeched. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself! Mingling with mudbloods and mudblood lovers, where did your father and I go wrong when we were raising you?" She demanded rhetorically.
"Mum!" He protested, "What are you doing here? I thought you were touring France with Dad. How did you even find out I was here?"
"Regulus told me," Mrs. Black said crisply. "When he didn't see you at Hogwarts, he informed me immediately. Honestly Sirius, how could you do this to your father and I?"
"It's not like you were worried…" Sirius mumbled.
"Haven't you already disgraced the name of Black enough by socializing with halflings and blood traitors? And now this! I don't know what to do anymore! Why didn't you even asked permission? Do you want to have another 'talk' with your father again?" she continued ranting as Sirius paled at the last sentence.
"Sirius! Are you deaf? Mute? Answer me! Tell me why you are acting so disobedient! This is the kind of behavior that humiliates our family name. Oh, what would your father say! You've been living at a muggle home and going to a muggle school. How shameful! What would the others say! I-…"
"Mother, that's enough!" Sirius shouted, cutting off his mom's lecture.
"How dare you shout at me? Your own mother! Seriously Sirius, what has gotten into you? Yelling at your own mother for Merlin's sake! Your ancestors must be ashamed by you! And the-…"
"STOP IT! I don't care about the freaking Black family! Why don't you just disown me like you did to Uncle Alphard! What are you even doing here anyways? And I told you to shut your bloody mouth, mother! Damn it, you and the rest of the Black family should go to hell and rot! You don't even give a damn about me so why should I care about some bloody family that hates my guts! You and father wouldn't even care if I died! In fact, you'd probably have a party and invite all of your bloody pure blood friends! So why are you caring now?" he spat all in one breath.
"SIRIUS ORION BLACK!" his mother's voice was becoming shrill, "Don't you ever use that tone or foul language with me again! I am your mother and you will do what I say. Pack your bags because you are coming home with me. You have humiliated me enough already. I willNOT have you polluting the noble name of Black any longer!"
"No," Sirius said looking serious for a change. "I'm not coming back with you, and you cannot make me. So go away you bloody woman and let me live my own life! You can stop pretending to care now; it makes me sick to my stomach. I'll come back to Hogwarts next year, and still you think I'm not learning magic in the muggle world? We are, so that we won't be behind when we get back! Professor Dumbledore has already arranged it. In fact, my friends and I are working ahead of the curriculum at school! So why don't you go back to your bloody vacation with your husband and leave me in peace!" He shouted with anger.
"Mrs. Black," James addressed her.
"What!" She snapped as her piercing gaze passed from Sirius to him.
"Er, not to be rude or anything, but you should let Sirius stay for a while. It's important to know muggle stuff in case of emergencies. They can come handy once in a while." He said, trying hard not to stutter under the old woman's glare.
"How is that going to-…" she began, but was interrupted by Amanda.
"Auntie! Aren't you being a little too harsh?" She asked in a sugary sweet voice. "Sirius is safe with us. I mean I, er, we," she gestured at the gang, "won't let Sirius be tainted too much. I swear on my name and honor as a Delcot," She said smiling.
Mrs. Black's gaze softened slightly.
"Well, if you're here, I'll be less worried…" She said hesitantly.
"See? Everything is all right! You don't have to worry, I'll take good care of him Auntie!" Amanda said giving the group a discreet thumbs up when the shrew wasn't looking. Then she led Mrs. Black to a shadowy corner and advised her Apparate back to the Black manor.
When Amanda got back, she found Stephanie with a quizzical look on her face. Amanda sighed.
'It was going to take one hell of an explanation to fool Stephanie,' She thought.
Just as Amanda suspected, as soon as she got into hearing range, Stephanie ran up to her and started asking questions.
"Who was she?" the blonde asked looking very confused.
Sirius was about to answer when Amanda suggested, "Let's go back to the house. It's safer that way."
After they walked back to the house without the ice cream they had left it for, the group headed towards the room where the guys bunked in (AN: We'll call the room that Remus, Sirius, and James is staying in the "guys' room") so that they could have some privacy.
"Ok, to answer your first question, she's my mother… unfortunately," Sirius said grimly.
"What was that all that 'muggles' and 'besmirching' and 'disgracing' all about?" she questioned.
" Er… well… You see, Sirius comes from a ("How you Americans say it?")rich family. So his mother's really angry 'cause he ditched his private boarding school and came here without telling her."
'That much was true.' Amanda thought while trying to explain the situation without letting on too much.
"So what did Sirius mean by 'not learning magic'?" Stephanie asked again.
"Oh that," Amanda said in a fake exasperated tone, "She's just a really big fan of magicians so she wants Sirius to learn magic tricks and stuff."
"She's pretty serious about those things." James added, trying not to laugh in vain.
Remus and Amanda were chuckling, while Sirius was on the floor clutching his stomach from laughing so hard. Stephanie stared.
"Okay…" she said, not really buying the whole story.
"Listen Stephanie," Amanda said. "You don't want to get involved in this. It's better for you to not try to understand Sirius' family. If you ask me, they're all a bit funny in the head," she said as a lame attempt at a joke.
"Okay, I guess," Stephanie said with a slight giggle, "But one more question. Why did you call her auntie?"
"Oh, that's because I come from the same family background Sirius, James too. We're all related in some weird way. For example, Sirius is like my distant cousin from my dad's side twice removed. And James is also distant cousin, but on my mother's side once removed or something like that… er… don't ask," Amanda said with a sweat drop and a sheepish look on her face. "It gives me a headache just trying to remember those things."
James and Sirius both nodded their heads in agreement.
"Remember those parties that your mother always throws? And every time there are always these distant aunts and uncles who mess up your hair and say, 'Aww, this is insert name here? Oh my, you're so grown up now! The last time I saw you, you were just a baby!' etcetera, etcetera, etcetera," James said as Amanda nodded.
"What about Remus?" Stephanie inquired.
"Well, Remus is pretty rich too, it's just er…" James said.
'It's kind of hard to explain the concept of a pure blood and a half blood to a muggle!' Thought James, while sweat dropping.
"Alright," Stephanie sighed. "I understand that you guys have secrets that you don't want me to hear so I'll just leave you guys alone so you can talk freely, okay?" she said heading upstairs.
"I'm really sorry Steph." Amanda told her sadly as Stephanie walked away. "I wish I could tell you, but I just can't."
Stephanie nodded understandingly.
"It's alright."
After she left, the Marauders let out a big sigh.
"That was close." Sirius said to everyone.
"I seriously thought she'd put two and two together and find out!" James exclaimed loudly.
Everyone shushed him.
"Don't be so noisy!" Sirius hissed.
"Sorry!" James apologized in a whisper. "That was really close though," he added.
"I know James, and it cannot happen again." Remus told them. "We have to be extra careful."
"Yeah, I know. It's just that I'd never even think of Sirius's mum of all people would just show up!" James said.
The others nodded, knowing that Mrs. Black hated anything that wasn't pureblood.
"I've never really thought about it, but now I wonder what's going to happen next," Remus mused.
"Well, I don't think anything else like this is going to occur again, but just in case, we'll have to be extra careful. Not too careful though 'cause we don't want anyone to be suspicious of us, but enough that this never happen again." James said.
He looked at the others and saw that they were gaping at him with their mouth open. "What?" He asked.
"Well, you were actually serious!"Amanda exclaimed, amazed.
"Oh no he's not!" Replied Sirius who then marched up to James and said, "You can't take my place! I'm Sirius!"
Everyone groaned at the pun. Amanda threw a pillow that found its target' on Sirius' face.
"Will you stop it with the serious/Sirius jokes?" She demanded.
"They are so lame!" James said, "And annoying too! Even Remus agrees, don't you Remmy?"
Remus nodded. "That joke is getting old."
"Fine then! Be that way! You guys are so mean, ganging up on me. It's not fair! I bet you're just jealous because I have such a cool name and you don't!"
Everyone had to laugh at that. They spent the rest of the day in the room laughing and joking. Remus also got them to finish a little bit of their homework, but only one assignment since they got sidetracked so easily.
Meanwhile…Stephanie laid on her bed reading a book, and hearing bursts of laughter coming from the boys' room once in a while. She longed to be one of them and wondered what it was like for Amanda, having such good friends whom she could share secrets and laugh with.
'How long will they keep me out?' she asked herself.
Editor's Note to the ReadersMUAHAHAHA! For those who don't know this is xpakux! If you enjoy reading Harry Potter crossovers and absolutely love Full Metal Alchemist then come over to my profile and read my story, Harry Potter and the Full Metal of Amestris! Yeah, just some subliminal advertising…
Also, the author of this story, a close friend named Christine, and I (xpakux) have joined together and are making a manga (Japanese comic for those of you who don't know). It's called San Tomodachi! Unfortunately we can't post it on fanfiction so… yeah.
To those of you who read this before Kathy and I realized we screwed up... Gomen nasai...
please review or else Kathy won't write!