CH 2 Routine


Sirius POV

Sirius was currently standing on a stool in the parlour at 12 Grimmauld Place. He was attempting to rip down all of the old curtains blocking the windows. He was sick of living in the dark, he wanted to feel the sunlight again.

For as long as Sirius could remember he has hated 12 Grimmauld Place.

It was always this dark, imposing prison that reminded Sirius of those muggle haunted houses. It simultaneously looked rich and abandoned. The wooden floors and cabinetry had long lost their shine. The dark grain made it look like it was decaying and rotting. The wallpaper was peeling and cracking in various places. There were very few lights and those in the lamps glowed lowly. The house smelt old. There was a muskiness that constantly existed and followed you no matter what room you were in. The house gave the impression that it was damp. As if there was a leak in the roof and the water would constantly stain the walls.

It never felt like home. It was dark, dreary and downright depressing. The colours were black and green and everything seemed to look as if it was covered in a layer of grime and dust even when it was clean. Everything was decorated with snake adornments. Maybe it once looked classy but now it looked like a chaotic mess of clutter and useless junk.

It made him feel claustrophobic. As if he was back in Azkaban. Stuck in a cell with no way out. He could look outside through the dirty windows and make out the people walking on the street but he could never join them.

During his childhood, every summer after the school year at Hogwarts was his definition of hell. He always felt like he was suffocating. Being pressed into a mould he couldn't shape into. It felt as if the ceiling was trying to squish him until there was nothing left of him. Perhaps that was why he was able to stay as sane as he could in Azkaban for as long as he could. He had a lot of experience being put in a cage.

It fit his parent's personality perfectly. They were both stuck-up purebloods who despised muggles. They, like their ancestors, were sorted into Slytherin. They were strict and unimpressed with his life. He was a disappointment from day one. His father was distant and rather uninterested in his children. He mostly allowed his mother to be in charge of the Black Family. His mother on the other hand was a cold-hearted bitch who had no parental love whatsoever. She would never stop shrieking and nothing was ever good enough. And his brother. Well, Regulus learned from his example what would happen if you didn't behave. So he became their golden boy while he was the disappointment.

That was one of the reasons he hated the house. It reminded him of his family.

It was too unyielding.

Last summer for a brief time he was able to forget just how dark and dreadful this place truly was. Surrounded by so many people and laughter, it truly brightened his day. But when they left for school and most of the Order went back to their own houses, Sirius was left alone once again in his own personal prison and hell.

For this summer he didn't want a repeat of the past four months. He had somehow survived a near death experience. And his life wasn't measuring up to this second chance. He was miserable and turning quite bitter. Preferring to spend his days as Padfoot instead of as a human. He originally wanted to go and stay with Harry for the summer. His cover was that he would be his emotional support dog. But Dumbledore shut that idea down. However, the good news was that Harry would be coming after his birthday. So he would be able to have a whole month with his godson. And in the meantime the two could use the pair of two-way mirrors he gifted Harry for Christmas. And at this point, Sirius would take what he could get.

And what Sirius got was a surprise. But he couldn't tell yet if it was a good one or not.

Even though Sirius was no longer the only person currently living in the house. He often forgot that she was even here with how quiet she was.

He was extremely confused as to why Dumbledore would drop Hermione Granger off at his doorstep. He understood that after the chaos at the Ministry her parents would be in danger and needed to be relocated for their safety. But he didn't understand why he would bring her here instead of having her stay with the Weasleys. Apparently, the Burrow was a little crowded since the eldest was planning a wedding. And Hermione was given the option of staying here or with Tonks. Even though she liked the Auror she was more comfortable here. Since she already stayed here last summer.

The first night she was there he found himself so relieved to have found out that she had already eaten supper before arriving since there was practically no food in the house. He wasn't even sure he knew how to cook. After that stunt with Kreacher that resulted in the mess at the Ministry, he didn't trust the elf not to poison him. He realized in a panic that he actually had no clue what he was doing. He had no idea how to take care of a teenager. Hell he barely knew how to take care of himself.

She on the other hand did. She was better at being an adult than the actual adult in the house.

When Dumbledore brought her here she was wearing brown slacks and a brown button-up top. Her clothes gave him the impression of a librarian rather than a teenager. He never really spoke to her that much last summer. She spent most of her time with the younger Weasleys. And though he knew she was one of Harry's best friends, Harry never mentioned her in their conversations. And though he was grateful for her help in his escape from Hogwarts in her third year. He found her to be a bit stuck up. She was quite plain and in his opinion boring. All she did was her homework and then read books. She was extremely independent and quite reserved. They didn't seem to have anything in common. She wasn't interested in hearing about the pranks he pulled when he was at school and he was definitely not interested in learning about arithmancy equations. Their interactions were quite limited.

And so he was stuck this summer with a stranger. And the excitement he once had over not being alone once more quickly faded away to boredom.

Boredom was a dangerous thing for Sirius. It could easily and quickly spiral into depression and then drinking.

This summer has to be different. Now that the rat was in Ministry custody and the possibility of his name becoming clear was more than just a far away dream, he needed to make preparations. Dumbledore already promised that Harry would be staying here for over a month. And if Sirius was going to have a chance to have a proper relationship with his godson instead of a few fleeting moments then he would need to make some changes.

First on the list was buying some food. Real food.

Thank Merlin for the mail carrier by owl; otherwise, he would have asked Remus to go shopping on his behalf. And though he knew he could always ask for his help, he wanted to do it on his own. Prove that he did all of this on his own initiative.

Once his food orders arrived and he enlarged them to their natural size, the kitchen table was completely covered with food. He started with the basics. Jars and cans of non-perishables and dried goods. He bought a lot of breakfast foods since it was the easiest meal to make. And then he bought a limited selection of fruits and vegetables. He knew that his time in Azkaban left him severely unhealthy. And though he wished he could just eat his weight in chicken, he figured with all of his new plans that he would need to have as much strength as he could. And that meant more rabbit food and less alcohol. Though coffee was still on the table.

Before he started to put the food away he individually cast a stasis charm on each item to ensure that all of the food would last for a couple of weeks. He may have gone a little overboard. He probably didn't need two dozen apples or three loaves of bread since it was currently just the two of them. But it wouldn't hurt to be prepared. He still wasn't sure how to cook but at least there was an assortment of food he could throw together to at least attempt a balanced meal.

Since he was already reorganizing the food he thought he might as well go through every single item in the kitchen. Tossing everything useless that laid dormant for the last decade and making more room. He was pretty sure that there were some pickled foods in the pantry that were at least two decades old that he tossed. He wasn't sure if pots and pans could go bad. But the level of rust was concerning and so he chucked those too. But the one thing he made sure he removed was all traces of metal cutlery. He didn't want another incident of Moony burning his hands just by picking up a spoon. He cleaned all of the surfaces by hand. He wasn't very sure about cleaning charms and he wanted to make sure any and all mould was removed from the cabinetry.

Hermione kept to herself. It wasn't as if he was ignoring her. She often stayed in her room or in the library, only really venturing down to the kitchen to get some food.

And today she walked into a completely disorganized kitchen.

She was extremely startled by all of the stuff since the last time she entered it was quite sparse and bare. She was probably under the impression he was about to feed a small army.

"Sorry for the mess." He said before putting his head back into a cupboard.

"What's happening here?" She sounded extremely confused and mildly concerned.

"Just doing some spring cleaning," he said, while scrubbing some weird sticky substance off of the wood.

"It's summer."

"Same thing."

Finally whatever that mystery goop was, was now freed from the cabinet. He finally was able to stand upright. He had been at this for a couple of hours and his back was starting to get sore. All he wanted to do was sit down and put his feet up. But he knew if he did he wouldn't get back up. And he started this mess he was determined to finish it. Though it was taking a lot longer than he first thought. He leaned against the counter and watched as Hermione grabbed the old cereal and poured herself some in a bowl before grabbing herself some coffee. He knew that she probably shouldn't be drinking coffee while so young. But he started drinking it at her age and had no right to tell her no. He was not her guardian or parental figure. But he did care that she started to pour her coffee into a mug with ducks wearing red rubber boots on it.

"Hey, that is my favourite cup."

She looked startled before looking down at the mug in her hand. "It's the only cup here."

"I have others."

"Wine glasses don't count," she muttered underneath her breath. He looked at her curiously. Others would be appalled by the comment but he was slightly impressed by her nerve. She wasn't wrong, he did have a drinking problem. And it was definitely a problem since she could notice. But he had quit a week ago. And she would have noticed that if they had spent any time together. That is something that should also be addressed. They live in the same house together. She was practically his ward and yet he knew absolutely nothing about her.

Sirius never considered Hermione's reserveness was due to her own awkwardness in interacting with him. He figured that she was dismissing him and being stuck up. He didn't think that she was just as nervous about living with him as he was with her. This was new and strange territory for the both of them. And neither knew how to act with the other.

He could see that she was so used to acting so sure and confident while in the presence of others. That it was uncomfortable for her to not be while in his company. She never acted skittish or meek with him. But there was a hesitancy in her voice. As if she never knew when she was crossing the line.

"Hmm. I thought there was more. They must have broken at some time." At least he thought he had others. But he threw some out that seemed to have permanent stains on them. Okay, maybe he did throw them all out. Well, he should add that to the list.

And that reminds him since she was here and talking to him. "Hey if there is anything you need just write it on the list." His current list was somewhere around here in this mess. The last place he saw was on the table.

"I can buy my own stuff." She sounded a little defensive but he shrugged it off. He knew from experience with Moony that some people believed it was charity if someone else bought them something. But she was not Moony, she was a teenager living in his house. "You know it's considered rude not to accept someone's generosity. But fine whatever floats your boat. But I was also referring to things in the house. Like food, pillows, comforters, bathroom or kitchen supplies."

"Okay." Though she still seemed reluctant.

That reminded him of some more things he needed to buy. Before he bought any furniture or paint. He should probably buy more cleaning supplies and general house products. There was also no such thing as too much toilet paper. He also needed more towels for the kitchen and bathrooms. All of which he would eventually write on a roll of parchment. That was increasing inch by inch each day. Once he found it again.

The second thing he did was clean himself up. Properly. The clothes he was wearing weren't even his. They belonged to his father and though he despised the wardrobe it was only a resort to get out of his shabby prison robes.

He not only needed clothes that fit but that also made him feel more like himself instead of the hollowed man staring back in his reflection.

His appearance made him look like a deranged murderer.

His hair used to be a source of pride and now it was just sad. It was limp and lifeless and still quite long and the ends were damaged from being matted together for so long. He took great pride when he took a fancy pair of decorative scissors and started to chop away at his mop. The snip of each strand was very soothing and as the hair fell to the ground Sirius could feel himself getting lighter. In the end, it was almost to his shoulders and though it may not have been even close to what it used to be, it brought him a little sense of joy.

And then the real work began. Hair products. Something no one had mentioned was that since Sirius' animagus was a dog, he shedded. There was a reason he had to have so many hair products. He wanted to make sure he didn't start balding while in his human form.

He couldn't do much with his sallow skin from years of living in a cell. But he was finally able to fix some of the yellow stains on his teeth. His face had more lines than he was used to. Stress and worry had worn away on his face. But he hoped soon enough the more lines he gained would be from smiling and laughing.

Then was the house. It needed a serious makeover.

Even more so then he did.

Hence why he was currently fighting with some drapery. He had already removed the ones from most of the rooms in the house but these ones were proving to be most stubborn.

"Come on you bastard," Sirius muttered angrily as sweat dripped down the side of his face. "I am not in the mood to play tug of war." He had a good grip on the fabric and was trying to jerk it off the rod.

And with one large yank, the disgusting sheets fell in a heapless pile.

"Yes," he shouted excitedly, finally finishing this one task after almost an hour of work. The curtains finally gave way but so did something else. He heard the creak and moved seconds before the curtain rod could hit him in the head. Apparently, his feelings for this house were reciprocated. And it clearly didn't like the idea of its Gryffindor owner messing with hundreds of years of traditional Slytherin decor.

Well, that went well.

Sirius ended up sitting on the floor next to the cruel curtains and the metal rod. He was exhausted and had made such little progress. Now looking around the room he was suddenly hit with a wave of overwhelmness. He had no idea what he was going to do. All he knew was that he had to change the house. But he had no creative mission or end goal. Hell, he didn't even know what furniture he was going to keep or what colour the walls were going to be. He may be a little over his head.

"Are you okay?" He looked up to find Hermine had entered the room. She was biting her lip and looking at him in concern. "I thought I heard some bangs."

He waved off her concern though he made no attempt to stand. "Sorry if I woke you."

She crossed her arms around her chest as she entered further into the room. "I was already awake."

"Aren't teenagers supposed to sleep in during the summer?" He knew he definitely did as a teenager. And though it was 9 am, he would have slept in till at least 10 during the holidays.

"I like to get a head start on my day." That didn't surprise him.

He finally decided to haul himself up and take a look at the broken curtain rod. He didn't really care that it broke but it seems as though it might have left a giant hole in the wall that he would now have to fix. He might as well add it to the ever-growing list.

"What are you doing?" She seemed to be taking in the broken curtain rod and some of the moved furniture.

"Redecorating." She looked surprised by his answer. And he doesn't blame her. She probably didn't have that high of an opinion of him since he did jack squat last summer and just sat around complaining. It was probably why she avoided talking to him. Merlin, he really has become a miserable old sod. He really needed to keep working on pulling himself together. "Despite all of the cleaning you kids did last summer this place still doesn't look clean."

"Has it always been this…" She trailed off not wanting to insult him. Though he took no offence.

"Awful, dreary, dark and hellish." He finished for her. There was no need to sugarcoat it. This place was awful. He was just trying to make it less so. "Yes. Hence why I am attempting to give this place a makeover."

"Attempting?" She asked quizically.

"Despite my extensive knowledge, I find myself at a loss on creative vision." Well, that was an understatement. He had no idea what he was doing. Up until now he was just winging it. But now he doesn't know how to progress. He didn't know what rooms were going to be used for what. Nonetheless he found himself giving her a beaming smile. Though he didn't think she bought it. Hell he didn't even buy it.

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You have a lot going for you, but humility is not one of them."

"At least I still have my hair." Thankfully though his handsomeness has faded to an attractive ruggishness his hair has retained its youthful glow. Well it was starting to gain a glow that wasn't from grease.

"Until you start going bald."

"Now that is just plain rude." He didn't have much left to not be insecure about but he didn't want to add his hair to his list of things to worry about. "All I need is my mad skills, rugged good looks, and maybe half a million pounds."

She gave a laugh and said, "Let me know how that pans out."

She turned to leave. "Wait a second Kitten." She looked at him hesitantly. He could see some unease on her face. He ran a hand through his hair, "Any suggestions?"

"You want my opinion." She was completely shocked. She looked at him as if he had gone crazy. He knew he never really cared about her opinion before especially last year but he was running completely blank on what to do.

"Strictly on this matter of decorating." Reassuring her that this was a one-time deal and then they could go back to awkward words in passing if she preferred that.

She gave him a small smile and shook her head. It seemed she was willing to give him some pity. "Okay, first pick out what colour you want the walls. Then you can decide on furniture and placement last."

Well, she did give him some advice. Though that was the general idea, to begin with. He needed a starting point. "I was hoping for something a little more specific. I thought about painting every single room red, to stick it to every single generation of ancestors in my family. But that wouldn't be very adult of me. Plus it is still a little too dark for this place since I am trying to brighten it up."

"Why not gold then?"

"Gold?" He raised his brow at the suggestion.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Ya why not that would definitely brighten this room up plus red isn't the only colour of Gryffindor." Hmm. That wasn't a bad idea. How come he didn't think of it? It was so simple.

She seemed to take his silence as a dismissal "If you need any more of my opinions I will be in the Library."

He waved her off, still half stuck in his thoughts. "I will keep that in mind." Hmm. He rubbed his chin as he started to turn in a circle looking at every wall in the room. Gold. That could work.


Sirius lay exhausted from finishing the parlour.

Not too bad at all, Sirius thought to himself.

It turned out better than he expected. Way better. He had to purge everything out of the room including the furniture he did want to keep just to paint the walls. The tatty couches and chairs were scrapped. Most of the wooden furniture was kept, though they were painted a dark brown instead of their aged black. The walls were painted golf. And the couches and chairs were a nice tan colour. There were a couple of pieces of furniture that were dark blue. A few random paintings on one wall. The old grandfather's cloak remained. And he even added a fern to one corner. The bookshelf was still rather empty. And so were the end tables. But hopefully, Harry would help him fill them up in time with mementos.

It wasn't perfect. He was pretty sure that some of the furniture didn't match. A couple of pictures he hung up were lopsided. And in certain sections, he could see the brush strokes on the wall. But he was happy and proud. When the sun came in through the windows the entire room lit up in sunlight.

"I see you took my advice."

Sirius turned his head to find Hermione standing in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest and a smile on her face. She looked incredibly pleased. "I admit it has some merit." He had a smile on his face too even though he didn't want her to feel too much satisfaction.

"This looks really good actually." She came into the room and turned in a circle. "A lot nicer."

"Thank you."

She turned to look at him curiously. "What's wrong?"

He huffed a strand of hair out of his face. "It has taken me four days to complete just one room.'

"Oh, so you are just realizing how big this house is and how much work it will take."

"Yep." He turned to look up at the ceiling. He was never going to finish in time."

"If you want I am willing to help." Sirius snapped his head back to look at her. Eyeing her curiously

"Don't you have homework to do?

"I already finished it." He eyed her before responding. It is only three weeks into summer. There was no way she could have finished all of her homework.

"Well, the first draft. Closer to the end of summer I like to rewrite it."

He stared at her in disbelief. "Of course you do." Well he could use some help and this would give him a good opportunity to get to know her and Harry. This would be good for him. Give him an opportunity to be social. "Well if you are sure then by all means join in and help cause there is still a lot of ground to cover."

Working on the next room didn't take nearly as long as Sirius anticipated. Even with Hermione's help, they flew by. Sirius was anticipating redecorating each and every room in its entirety before realizing that changing one or two things can make a huge difference. It also helped that he had already organized the kitchen. He wasn't a fan of the dark stained wood. But he really wanted to focus on fixing up the bedrooms so he tried to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible. The walls were painted white. And in contrast to the dark woodwork. It looked visibly better.

The bedroom Hermione was living in was one of the guest rooms. The room was sparse with only the necessities of a bed, wardrobe and a bedside table. He figured that it should be spruced up and be better suited to the person currently residing in it. Hermione for some reason was very opposed to it. "But I am just staying here temporarily."

"Yes for the summer but let's not pretend that you will be over often for Harry. This way you can have a designated room." He learned quite quickly that she wasn't a fan of him spending his money on her. It was clear that she felt like she was a hindrance. And that was probably why she was helping him with renovations. But she couldn't have been more wrong. It was her who was helping him in general.

He found himself feeling excited again by life. And when some of his mail orders arrived including some stuff for her room. He shrunk it and put it in his pocket and immediately transformed into Padfoot and bounded up the stairs. He immediately made his way to her room not bothering to transform back, just letting himself in through her half-closed door.

She was sitting on the bed with her legs underneath her, biting the edge of her thumb as she was completely engaged in what she was reading. He tilted his head and gave a bark to draw her attention.

She immediately fumbled with the book and practically jumped in surprise. "Sirius. We talked about this. Boundaries!"

He immediately turned back and was extremely confused by her indignation. This wasn't the first time a female was mad at him but usually, he had an inclination as to why. But right now he had no clue what he did wrong. Yes he didn't knock on her door. But it was open? "But I am in Padfoot form?"

"It doesn't matter that you are in dog form. It is still weird that you enter someone's bedroom." She looked at him like he was crazy. And in his defence he probably was.

"I had something to tell you." What was wrong with that?

She shook her head and spoke slowly almost as if she was talking to a child. And he didn't blame her in the slightest. Since he wasn't comprehending what she was getting at, "Nonetheless you came into a closed room while someone was unaware of your presence. And in a way, it is almost worse that you are in your animagus form. You are pretending to be your animal, it seems more sneaky and deceitful." Those were definitely not his intentions. He just did it for fun. It was fun being in his animagus form. And it was a kind of habit.

"Really. I used to wake James and Remus like that all of the time."

"Yes, well that's different. You shared a dorm together and they probably had their fair share of waking you up as well." Huh, he never considered that it may seem strange to an outsider. It was just so natural for him that he never second-guessed his actions.

"So I shouldn't wake Harry up like that?"

She gave him a small smile. She recognized that he had good intentions but this situation was a little more complex. "Probably not. He might freak out and pull his wand on you."

That's an extreme reaction and a bit concerning. "That isn't normal"

"Well, he has experienced one too many unpleasant surprises." He always forgot about that. He tried so desperately to ensure anytime they saw each other it was all light-hearted and fun. He always brushed over the sad and hard stuff Harry has been through. And him as well for that matter. He just ignored it and only faced it head-on when it was staring at him in the face. "He also isn't quite used to you changing back and forth between forms. Normally he sees you in one or the other. It might help when he is emotional and wants to talk to you. But struggles to talk to you as Sirius he can talk to Padfoot." Now that was an idea. He usually turned into Padfoot when his own emotions got the best of him. It could be good for others. So in the end he could still be his emotional support dog even if he couldn't be his emotional support godfather.

That was a great idea. And this was definitely not the first time she suggested something that would be extremely helpful for him. "Thanks, kitten."

"Why do you call me Kitten?" She looked at him with her big brown eyes and he saw something in them he couldn't explain.

"Why don't you like that?"

She shrugged slightly and seemed slightly uncomfortable. "I just don't like abbreviations of my name."

"But it's not an abbreviation, it's a pet name." He wasn't sure where she was going with this. It wasn't as if he was making fun of her. Kitten was like a nickname for her. Just like how pup was one for Harry. A term of endearment and admiration. So what was the problem?

"Hermione is a very unique name and to others, it is considered strange and unusual." He understood that but considering what his name was it wasn't that out of the ordinary. "I love my name. I love the meaning behind it and that it is the name my parents gave me." Okay, he got that. She wanted to honour her parents. But surely they had nicknames for her as well. "Kids can be cruel. They don't understand how important a name can be. And they would butcher the pronunciation both unintentionally and intentionally."

Realization washed over him. This had nothing to do with him but just past experiences. He didn't consider that with what he saw as a compliment, she could see it as an insult. But that wasn't his intention at all. And she needed to know that. "I call you kitten cause despite you being quiet and independent you have claws. You can be feisty. Plus it was your cat that made it possible for Harry to know the truth about me."

She looked at him in surprise and she seemed speechless for a moment. "I will stop calling you that though." He realized that he may have overstepped her boundaries and he figured the best way to apologize was to change his actions. But it seemed like there was no need.

"Sirius. It's a pet name, not an abbreviation." He gave her a small nod in understanding. He appreciated that she was honest with her feelings with him. And this conversation taught him that he should perhaps explain himself more. Or at least understand his own reasoning and actions. He didn't often consider the possibility that others didn't seem to follow along with his line of thought. He spent so long not talking to anyone, that needing a reason to justify himself was never a consideration.

He got lost in thought that he completely forgot that Hermione was sitting there waiting for him to continue talking or to leave. "Was there something you needed?"

"Oh ya this came in the mail." He grabbed the box from his pocket and transfigured it back to its original form. It was a gorgeous oval mirror that had an intricate design of vines and flowers encasing the glass. He thought it would be nice for her room. To give the room a softer look instead of the harshness she was used to. It would definitely look better when the purple converter and pillow cases finally arrived.

"Sirius, I told you not to buy me anything." She was sometimes frustratingly stubborn. But two could play that game.

"I did this for the house. You just happen to be staying in the room this will now be residing in."

She simply rolled her eyes and he caught on to the clue that he was dismissed.


The pair had made their way to the hallways and were currently overtaking a task that should have been done first. They were trying to remove the portraits by cutting the plaster around the hook. But that one person had to hold it up and that for some reason was left to Sirius. He was quite positive that he might take an eye out during this renovation.

He found he didn't quite enjoy working in silence. It was awkward and with him staring at the edge of the frame while it was so close to his eye, he needed a distraction. "What's Harry's favourite colour?"

"I don't know," Hermione responded, not seeming very interested in talking.

That caused Sirius to shift his head out from underneath the painting and look at her incredulously. "You don't?"

"Just because we are best friends doesn't mean we go around asking each other what our favourite colour is." That makes sense on some level, but he, Prongs, and Moony, all knew each other's favourite colour. James loved orange though that changed to green to match Lily's eyes. Moony loved the sky blue. And he loved red.

And though it wasn't overly important to have a favourite colour not knowing Harry's did interrupt one of his plans. "Well, that sucks."

"Why?"

"I was hoping to have Harry's room finished by the time he got here." He was hoping to paint it in his favourite colour to surprise him with an already finished room to his liking.

Hermione must have picked up on his silent plan and disappointment. "You could always let him decide. That way he gets to have some input and you two could spend some time together while painting it."

That girl is a genius. And once that hook and surrounding plaster were cut. he was able to pull down the painting of one of his great ancestors; who was probably named after a star or constellation as well. He never realized that her knowledge of Harry and her intelligence could come in hand. He wanted everything to be perfect for Harry but right now he didn't know too much about his godson. They had soo little time together already. And he couldn't learn everything about him in a month. But she did. He could learn so much from her. Like, how much of a screw up was he when it came to being Harry's Godfather. "Did Harry like that broomstick?"

"He loves it. It was undoubtedly his favourite gift he has ever gotten," She practically gushed while reliving Harry's excitement.

He couldn't help but smile along at the idea. "Good I am glad. I wasn't sure what to have gotten him. But after seeing how amazing he played quidditch. I couldn't get the thought out of my mind. His father would have been incredibly proud. And jealous." His smile suddenly faded at his own words.

Hermione must have seen how he started to grow saddened by the loss of his friends. "Harry loves anything to do with his parents."

"Really. I figured that talking about them would make him sad." Sirius tried not to talk too much about James and Lily in front of Harry. He was too scared that he would upset the boy. And of course, it was hard for him to bring up all the memories; the good and bad their names inspired.

"Sometimes it does. You know the moment he remembers that he will never get a chance to really know them. But he loves to hear stories about them. I think it makes them more real to him." Even though he was told so often that he looked just like his father with his mother's eyes. Sirius did see how his eyes always lit up with happiness. "He was so happy when Hagrid gave him this scrapbook with pictures of them in it. He still has it and looks through it."

That's good to note. "So he wouldn't mind if we went through that book together and I told him about some of the stories?" He always held back from talking about them. He didn't want to focus on the past, just live in the here and now. At least that is what he told himself. In reality, he didn't talk about them because it upset him. But now he didn't have any excuses to continue to avoid the conversation.

"Not at all. It would make him really happy." She seemed to understand his conflict and gave him an encouraging smile.

Perhaps this would be good for him. Just like all of the other changes in his life.

The changes to the house made him feel at peace. He finally felt as if he was starting to have a home here. He could imagine for the first time calling Grimmauld Place home. There was only ever one place he called home and that was Potter Manor. He still remembered the first time he walked into the house and he noticed the feeling of warmth and comfort not only offered by the Potters but by the house itself. It was as if the house breathed love, and family. As soon as he went there he knew he never wanted to leave. And when he ran away from Grimmauld Place when he was sixteen there was only one place for him to go.

But things are different now. He had found a home at the Potter's and now he was building one for their son. It was a cruel twist of fate. But he was rising to the challenge more than ever. Putting in the most effort to be a good godfather. He hadn't worked this hard since he escaped Azkaban and made his way to Hogwarts.

Every night he went to bed sore. Muscles aching after years of non use. He was constantly wiping the sweat off his brow. But he knew the moment he saw the smile on Harry's face would make it all worth it in the end.

And that was what kept him going. Kept pushing him to continue to not only fix up the house but also help himself.

So he was taking a break after a couple of hours of work and was going to have a proper lunch. Not just guzzle down a glass of water and an apple and head back to the grind. Instead, he was going to actually make a meal. Though it was just a sandwich it would at least keep him going for the rest of the day.

He was just putting the finishing touches on; lettuce and tomato when he heard a woosh from behind him. He turned around and immediately regretted the decision.

"Snape, what are you doing here?" His annoyance immediately seeped through his voice.

He stood with his hands behind his back as his eyes swept across the kitchen before looking back at him with a raised brow. "My my you have been busy. Having fun decorating?"

Sirius tried to calm himself and not let himself rise to the bait. He steadied himself and asked again, "You didn't answer my question. What are you here?"

His coal eyes looked at him scrutinizing. "This house is still headquarters for the Order. Don't you recall your only contribution to the Order?"

"Doesn't explain why you are here now, Snivelous. There is no Order meeting occurring. Nor should you be at any, Death Eater." He was getting angry now. Why on earth did it have to be him of all people to walk into his house. He was having such a good day. And Snape's appearance has literally thrown off his appetite.

Snape's eyes narrowed at him. "How original."

The both of them stared at each other, neither making the move to speak first. Sirius was not going to give him the satisfaction of caving first. Though his eyes were unnaturally unnerving, Sirius could feel a fire building in his own the longer he was in Snape's presence. There was just something about the man that set his blood on fire. And he couldn't stop himself from wanting to punch him.

Even when they heard creaks coming from the staircase neither of them turned until Hermione spoke, "Sirius did you call for me I thought I heard talk-'' She cut off when she walked into the kitchen and noticed that he wasn't alone. "Professor," she greeted nicely. Though how she managed it, Sirius will never know.

Snape didn't even glance her way. Only spoke with what Sirius interpreted as a mocking tone. "Just the person I am here to see."

Now Sirius narrowed his eyes. "What do you need from Hermione?"

He continued to glare at him but there was a lightness in his tone. As if he was enjoying this encounter. "Yield dog. I was informed that this was her new location of residence."

He turned to face Hermione and disconnected his hands. He held out a bag that Sirius was just realizing Snape had on him the entire time. Hermione didn't even hesitate from taking the bag and glanced inside for a moment before meeting Snape's eyes. Understanding seemed to pass between them. Though Sirius couldn't understand a damn thing that was happening. "Instructions are in the bag."

"Thank you, sir," she said sincerely.

He tilted his head slightly in what could have been a nod. "Try not to get injured anytime soon. It is ill-advised to mix potions." And just like that, he swept out of the room making his way towards the front door. Instead of leaving the way he came. Sirius didn't want to think about the man roaming around his house and examining all of the changes he made. No doubt the man would find something about it to insult him with at the next Order meeting.

Even with Snape gone, Sirius still felt on edge. He immediately faced Hermione, searching for answers. "What was that all about?"

She put the back on the table and began to sort through the contents "These are just some more potions I need to take. For my injury after the Ministry."

"I thought you were all healed." His anger all but dissipated, instead concern filled him.

"I am technically," she said sheepishly. But it was clear she was relying on a technicality for her answer. "It's just the curse I was hit with was tainted with dark magic and did some damage to my organs. The curse ended up not only hitting my chest but also my stomach. Gut wounds can fester and easily get infected and make it difficult to eat. I am still on some nutrients potions. As well as a mild pain reliever. Then of course Professor Snape had to specially brew me this potion that is supposed to combat the effects of the dark magic until it is completely out of my system." She said all of this in one breath. And for a moment Sirius didn't know if he would be able to keep up with her. But he was able to catch a few pieces.

It's been a month since the ministry. "What the hell were you hit with?"

"I have no idea. All I know is that Dolohov cursed me. And from the way Madam Pomphrey spoke, it didn't sound like I was supposed to live." She seemed a little too nonchalant for his liking talking about her supposed imminent death. But she did have a month to deal with it.

But that did explain quite a bit. If her injury was that serious it wasn't much of a surprise that she still had to keep taking potions. Though he wished she had said something before now. He wouldn't have kept letting her help him if she was still on the mend. Though from what she said she should be a lot worse than she currently was. "No wonder Snape had to be the one to heal you."

She looked completely surprised by that. "I didn't know that."

Well, it didn't surprise him, she was unconscious for the whole thing. And as soon as the dark magic was removed Snape probably buggered off and Madam Pomphrey healed her. But he could recall the vague memory of Snape healing her in the infirmary before he passed out again. "Ya well, it makes sense, Snape knows a lot about the dark arts and despite how good Pomphrey is, she is still just a pediatrician."

She looked pensive and bit her lip. "I should have thanked him."

Technically she did for dropping off the potions and he figured that would be good enough. "I wouldn't bother," He said, waving off her concern.

She rolled her eyes. "I am not you."

And perhaps that was a good thing.

For her. And for him.