Chapter 42: Holland Park

Holland Park, London, England, United Kingdom

January 17, 1987

Leonis let his eyes roam over the pretty ice flowers that were blooming in the winter gardens of Holland Park. The park was a pretty place frequented by the Wizarding Upper Crust during the winter months. It was a good place to allow their children to play and prance in the snow while they socialized with those of other important families. The flowers and other foliage were all magical plants. In the winter months, the ice flowers bloomed and in the spring the ice melted to reveal beautiful colors of violet, blue, fuchsia, yellow, and green.

Holland Park was a beautifully cultivated place. He had been to the park a few times now with Lord Black. Today he was at the Park with Meliora Burke, the mistress of his Great-Grandfather Pollux Black. Meliora had taken him to Holland Park while Aunt Cassie was engaged in one of her meetings of the Crones Council. It had been arranged for him to play in the park with three little Heiresses, charges of Madame Burke. One was the young Heiress Burke, third cousin of Lady Burke. The other two were the newly found Heiresses of the House of Black. Lord Black had deemed the three girls acceptable company for Leonis to keep, and so as the Heir of the family it was time for him to get to know the young ladies. He stared pensively at the ice roses before him while he thought about what he knew about the three girls.

Estelle was a pretty girl with dark eyes and dark chocolate brown hair that was riotously curly. She was the granddaughter of Pollux Black's Mistress, Meliora Burke. Her parents were Pencast Burke and Edwina Burke nee Borgin. Her father was the Heir Burke and would assume the title of Lord Burke upon the death of his second cousin, Araminta Meliflua Burke the Lady Burke. Her mother was the sister of the current proprietor of the Borgin and Burke's store in Diagon Alley. Leonis did not know much about the store other than that they specialized in mysterious antiquities and had a reputation for selling Dark Arts materials. He wondered if the latter reputation was true. If it was, then surely the Ministry would have shut down the store long ago. Estelle had seemed a nervous, but nice sort of girl. He had met Estelle Burke at his last birthday party, but he didn't know her very well. She had gotten along well with the other young ladies at his party, and had spent quite some time in conversation and play with Luna Lovegood of House Malfoy. Draco had once told him that Luna had a sort of truth sense and could tell if people were bad company to keep. Whether that was true or not, Leonis had been somewhat relieved that Luna had found Estelle Burke worthy. Though Estelle was a member of the House of Burke, she was also a descendant of Belvina Black and so Leonis had been taught that she should be protected by the House Black.

Hermione was the sort of girl that other girls picked on. She wasn't a beauty, but Leonis thought she would grow to be rather pretty. She had warm brown eyes with topaz flecks in them, especially around the pupil. She had brown hair that was the color of maple syrup and was bushy with thick nearly unmanageable curls that currently puffed out of her winter cap. She had a gap in her front teeth and a slight overbite. He was positive that her Magical Guardian would take her to a Healer before Hogwart's to have that straightened out though. He had been informed by his Grandpa Pollux that Hermione Granger was three months older than he was. She was born in September while Leonis was born in December. The girl was a descendant of the Dagworth-Granger family on her father's side, though it was through a Squib line that had dropped the Dagworth name. The Dagworth-Granger's had once been a very prestigious Pure-blood family, full of inventors and entrepreneur's. Hector Dagworth-Granger was the founder of the Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers. He was also known to be the first to understand that no such elixir thus far created could control and create love, but rather that love potions only fabricated love. They created infatuations, deep infatuations, but not real love. It was through Hermione's mother that she was a blooded descendant of the House of Black. Hermione's mother, Helena, was a descendant of Iola Hitchens nee Black, who had been disowned from the Black family by her older brother Phineus Nigellus Black for her marriage to a Muggle. Due to the disownment, the Black family had not kept track of Iola's descendants. It had been quite the surprise to the family to learn that Dudley and Harry's muggle school friend was actually a Witch and one descended from the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black and the Prestigious House of Dagworth-Granger.

The other young Heiress was named Eleanor Branstone. She was a little beauty with sleek dark brown hair and gray eyes. She was three months younger than he was, having been born in March. She was the descendant of Phineus Nigellus Black II, who had been disowned by his father, Phineus Nigellus Black, for his love of Muggles and his political support of Muggleborn rites. He had married a Muggleborn Witch and for that act his father would never forgive him. He was disinherited and disowned. From what he had been told by Lord Black, Phineus Nigellus Black II had a single child named Phoebe, who was a Witch. Phoebe had married a Muggle and their only child, Reginald Branstone, was a squib. Reginald was the grandfather of Eleanor. The Branstone's seemed to be an upper crust family in muggle society. He had heard that both Hermione and Eleanor had readily and easily taken to their studies in Wizarding Etiquette and History. It did make him feel better to hear that they were eager to learn about the world in which they truly belonged instead of resenting it and hating it. He had already heard stories from Aunt Cassie that too many Muggleborn's entered their world with prejudiced eyes. He was hopeful that Hermione and Eleanor would not be like that.

He shivered slightly as the bright sunshine was obscured by a gray cloud. It had been a morning of rare sunshine in London, or so Estelle had told him. She had considered it a rare treat and Leonis wouldn't argue with her. Estelle lived in London, not far from Holland Park so she would know more about the wintry weather of London than he would.

He glanced back toward Meliora Burke while the girls trailed ahead of him. His pseudo-Great-Grandmother was dressed in a fashionable winter outfit of deep blue. Her pale brown curls were covered by a fashionable winter hat of the same shade of blue as her winter robes. He liked Meliora much better than he did his Grandma Irma. Meliora was nice and kind. He had never heard her say anything mean. She always greeted him with smiles and kisses. Irma was far different. She was mean and spoke bad things about everyone. She never seemed to be happy, even when things were done her way. Irma always greeted him with a pinch to the cheek and then a light pat to the spot.

Meliora had idly quizzed them throughout the morning. She had interspersed their play time with little questions, mostly at the girls, but occasionally he was encouraged to answer as well. He had enjoyed the quizzes almost as much as he had the playtime with his three new friends.

"Does she often quiz you this way?" Leonis found himself asking Estelle.

She nodded her head in the affirmative. "She does now," she said. "Before Hermione and Eleanor came to study with me, it was just me and it was rather dull. She would sit me down and make me answer questions. Now we can play and she quizzes us. It is more fun this way."

Leonis smiled. "I think it's fun this way too," he said. "My Aunt Cassie has been my primary tutor for the last few years but she's growing increasingly busy with the Crones Council, so she's contemplating what to do about my education."

"Crones Council," Hermione said brightly. "I have heard of that. Andromeda told me about it," she said clearly proud that she knew what they were speaking about.

Leonis nodded at Hermione. "Andromeda would know. Her sister is on the Council. So is her aunt and a few cousins."

"What is the Crones Council?" Eleanor asked since she was clearly the only one who didn't know what it was. Her gray eyes were full of curiosity.

"The Crones Council is a special council that was set up a long time ago. It is made up of thirteen women," Hermione began to explain to Eleanor in a tone of voice that was full of information and a touch of satisfaction for knowing the subject matter. "These women make decisions about what is respectable and fashionable in society. They give money to charities and encourage others to do so."

Estelle nodded in agreement and then added. "There have been times in the past where they have done great things for our society."

"Like what?" Eleanor asked again curious.

"The Maternity Wing at Saint Mungo's was built due to them," Hermione told Eleanor, and then said almost in a breathless rush, "before that Witches gave birth at home. Many still do that, can you imagine?"

Eleanor looked flabbergasted at the idea. "But, wouldn't they need a doctor, or um, I mean healer?"

"Healers come to homes in the Wizarding World," Leonis pointed out.

"Oh," Eleanor said, mulling that over. "I think that would-be kind of nice to be able to rest and get well in one's own home."

"Yes, but sometimes you need the extra care. In that case it is good that we have Saint Mungo's," Leonis said.

"I wonder what projects the Crones Council are working on now," Hermione said as she adjusted her blue knitted cap. It matched her blue knitted gloves and her pretty and stylish blue winter coat.

"I don't know all of their projects, but I know that the one that is consuming most of their time at present is a proposal to Hogwart's Board of Governors," Leonis confided.

"What is the proposal about?" Eleanor asked, even as she glanced at Estelle who was now bent down by a pile of snow beside the ice roses.

"It's a proposal on educational reform. A few of the ladies on the council did some digging into the curriculum of the other magical schools and became aware that they offered more subjects than Hogwart's currently does. The current Headmaster had cut some subjects from the Hogwarts Curriculum when he became Headmaster," Leonis explained.

"I wonder why he cut those classes?" Hermione asked, puzzled.

"I've no idea," was Leonis's honest reply. "Perhaps he felt that there was not enough funding at the time to support those classes. In any case, Hogwarts has a high standard of education the classes it does teach, but the Crones Council agrees that other classes should be added to the Curriculum. I know that Aunt Petunia has been considering sending Dudley and Harry to Beauxbaton's instead of Hogwarts because Beauxbaton's offers more classes."

Hermione bit her lip. "I hope that I can go to the same school as them, wherever it is," she confessed.

"I'm sure if you let your Guardian and Lord Black know that you do not wish to be separated from Dudley and Harry that they will find a way to ensure that you get to go to school with them," Leonis promised. "The House of Black is paying for your education after all. They will want only the best for one of their Heiresses."

Hermione giggled then. "So, speaks the Heir," she teased him.

It left Leonis feeling perplexed. No one had really teased him about being the Heir Black before. He found himself smiling at Hermione. He was beginning to understand why Harry and Dudley liked her so much.

"Ooh, that's pretty!" Eleanor exclaimed then catching the attention of Leonis and Hermione. Leonis trailed after Hermione to Eleanor's side and looked down at Estelle's hand. She had taken snow into her hand and then was manipulating it with her magic to make it swirl in a little tornado funnel.

Leonis smiled at Estelle. "Good job," he said to her. He then reached out his hand over the pile of snow and slowly snow began to rise and slowly begin to swirl faster and faster until it had formed a little tornado moving in circles on the ground.

"That's amazing!" Estelle said. "I've never been able to do that before. I can only do it if the snow is in the palm of my hand."

"Oh, really?" Leonis asked now feeling slightly embarrassed. He felt a flush rising to his pale cheeks. "I've just always been able to do this, at least for as long as I can remember."

Estelle looked dubious, but Hermione and Eleanor looked very impressed. "Could you teach us?" Hermione asked.

"Please," Eleanor added.

"I guess so," Leonis said as he thought about what he had done. He had never really thought about how he did it before. He just knew that he pushed his magic out toward the object and he thought about what he wanted it to do. He supposed that was a good way to explain it to the girls. Then he glanced at Estelle.

"Estelle, how do you manage to make it work?" he asked.

She looked startled for a moment but then she gave him a grateful smile. He had no idea why she looked grateful. "I think about what I want it to do and I push my magic at it," she replied.

He nodded. "I do the same thing, but I push my magic at it before I think about what I want it to do. I let my magic surround it and become sort of part of it, I guess. Then I think about what I want it to do and it obeys," Leonis said.

"Oh, I think I understand," Estelle said, and then she looked at a patch of snow and raised her hand over it. Soon enough a few flakes of snow began to rise and form a little swirling cone. "I did it!" she exclaimed happily. Her loss of concentration released the snow from her spell and the flakes fell once more to the cold earth.

"I want to try," Eleanor said and then she began making attempts. She managed to get the snowflakes to rise but she was having trouble making them form the swirling cone.

"You're thinking about it too hard," Leonis said gently. "Give it the simple command, it will do it. You are trying to manipulate the whole process."

Eleanor looked dubious but she slowly closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths and then she tried again. She opened her gray eyes and smiled in delight when she saw the little funnel cone forming and spinning faster and faster.

"Good job!" Leonis told her. Then he looked at Hermione. "You want to try?"

She nodded and then took a few deep breaths as though trying to calm herself down. "Alright, I'm ready," she said, mostly to herself. She then put her hand over a patch of snow and slowly the snowflakes began to rise. She then set them to swirling about, forming the little tornado. She giggled as she then set it moving into the path of Eleanor's little tornado. The two collided, but to the girl's surprise it formed a larger force.

"Shouldn't it have stopped?" Eleanor asked in confusion.

"Your magic is still in it and manipulating it. You haven't released your hold on it, even if you have stopped thinking about it," Leonis explained.

"Oh, then how do we stop them?" Hermione asked puzzled.

Estelle was the one to answer. "Think that you want it to stop and return to how it was before."

Hermione did just that and a few moments later snowflakes began to be thrown from the tornado. The four children laughed as they watched Eleanor's tornado throw about the snow that had once been Hermione's tornado.

"Just what is so amusing, hmm?" Meliora asked as she came over to join them.

Eleanor's tornado suddenly ceased to exist and the snow fell back to the earth. Leonis smiled at her in reassurance even as Estelle answered her Grandmother. "We were just teaching Eleanor and Hermione how to manipulate snow."

"I see," Meliora said with a raised eyebrow.

"They taught us how to make a little snow tornado," Hermione informed Meliora.

"Manipulate snow, so that means we could use that in a snow ball fight?" Eleanor asked of Leonis.

"Yes," he admitted. "It's good practice for your magic, but if you are not used to using magic you can become drained quickly that way. You'll feel tired, like you need to take a nap."

"Think of magic as a muscle," Meliora said to the girls. "You need to work the muscle periodically or it will go to waste," she said.

"Yes Ma'am," Hermione and Eleanor echoed.

"I don't think we can do that in front of Muggles," Eleanor said then.

"Why not?" Estelle asked in curiosity. "It isn't big magic so they'll just think it is some sort of trick right?"

Eleanor frowned then. "I imagine some might but others would just see it as us being different," she said in a sad tone of voice.

"Do you think they would be terribly scared?" Estelle asked.

"My old friends were pretty scared when I did accidental magic," Hermione said softly.

Eleanor nodded her agreement. "I don't think it's worth the risk to find out Estelle. Muggles might not be willing to hunt us like they did in the past, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't try to hurt us in other ways."

Leonis smiled kindly at Hermione and Eleanor. He gently placed a hand on Hermione's back and rubbed her back briefly. He had heard from Dudley and Harry that Hermione's past friends had called her a freak, and hadn't been willing to have anything else to do with her due to her accidental magic or her "freaky moments". The poor girl must have been terribly lonely before Dudley and Harry had forced their friendship on her. He didn't know what had happened to Eleanor, but she gave little hints that her background might have been like Hermione's. It was hard for him to imagine living in a place where he had to hide who and what he was.

"It's best to be safe," Leonis said in agreement with Hermione and Eleanor.

Estelle looked thoughtful but nodded. Despite living near muggles, she really didn't seem to know enough about them. Leonis was pleased to see that she was not jumping to conclusions. So far, he thought these three girls were fun to be around. They were open minded. He liked that.

"I was wondering where you would like to eat?" Meliora asked of them. "We could return home where Cook could whip us up something," she began. "Or, because you have been such good children today, we could go to Estelle's for lunch."

"Estelle's!" Estelle exclaimed, eagerly naming the restaurant that had been named after her. "Please Nana!"

"I would like to go to Estelle's too Nana Meliora!" Eleanor chimed in.

Hermione nodded. "I like Estelle's," she said.

Leonis inclined his head in agreement as well to the idea. He had been to Estelle's a few times with Aunt Cassie, Aunt Petunia, and with Cousin 'Cissa. He liked the layout of the restaurant and the feel of the place, the atmosphere, as Aunt Petunia called it.

"Very well then," Meliora said brightly. It clearly pleased her to be called 'Nana' by Eleanor. He too called her Nana, as he had been taught since he was a little boy. "Estelle's it shall be," Meliora agreed. "Come along Heir Black and Heiresses Burke and Black," she pronounced.

Estelle and Eleanor moved ahead of them, and Leonis smiled as he offered his arm to escort Hermione. "Miss Granger," he said as he offered his arm.

Hermione smiled brightly and took his arm. "Thank you, Heir Black," she said with perfect etiquette. After a few steps she revealed, "I've been practicing what etiquette I have learned with Harry and Dudley. It gives them the chance to practice as well, which I think is good for them, don't you?"

He nodded his agreement. "Yes, especially for Harry. If he wants to stay on the good side of Lord Greengrass then he'll need to know his etiquette."

"Greengrass?" Hermione questioned, and then her brown eyes lit with understanding, the topaz looked gold as she smiled. It was charming, like he could literally see a light go off in her head. "I see, because of Daphne," she said. "He talks about her an awful lot."

Leonis chuckled. "Yeah, he's rather fond of Daphne," he said. "A few years ago, we had a snow fight and he was on the team against her. She was willing to give it her all of course, but Harry just couldn't bring himself to give it his all against Daphne, even though he is usually competitive," Leonis told her.

"That sounds a bit unusual for Harry," she admitted. "You are right. He is competitive. He doesn't just let someone win," she said thoughtfully.

"That's a good thing," he said. "People should have to earn their victories and even defeats can teach us a thing or two," he said quoting Lord Black.

Hermione hummed in agreement and they continued out of the gates of Holland Park. He felt the tingle of the magic and shivered slightly. She looked at him in confusion at his shiver. "Cold?" she asked.

"It was the wards," Leonis explained. "The magic wards that keep that part of Holland Park a secret from the Muggles. We just passed through it," he said.

Hermione turned her head back to look but all she saw was a large hedge. "I didn't feel a thing," she said with a frown."

"There's nothing wrong with that," he reassured her. "I was diagnosed as magically sensitive when I was still an infant. Not everyone can feel magical wards, but you can be taught how to search for them. Perhaps you can learn that when you are older," he said.

"I'd like that," she said. "It would be interesting to be able to find hidden passageways or treasures."

"Perhaps you'll have a future as a Curse Breaker," he said as they left Holland Park behind and began to walk down the sidewalk toward Philimore Street. At her questioning look, he explained "They dismantle curses on objects, tombs, and sometimes even people."

"That does sound fascinating," she admitted, her eyes alight with wonder. It made him smile. They turned their attention away from talks of magic when they heard Estelle and Eleanor talking about what they might order at Estelle's. Leonis was just about to suggest the Oven Roasted Chicken when suddenly Estelle began to speak of dessert.

"Maybe we can get ice cream later at Fortescue's," Estelle said suddenly, to Meliora's surprise. Leonis chuckled at the look on Meliora's face. The woman looked absolutely perplexed by Estelle's sudden pronouncement.

"It is January with snow on the ground. Why in the name of the Fates would you want ice cream?" Meliora asked in a bewildered tone of voice.

This caused Eleanor and Hermione to giggle as Estelle gave the cheeky reply "Ice cream is to be treasured at any time of the year."

"Grandpa Pollux was correct, cheeky goes with curly hair," Leonis said to the delight of Meliora even as she gently steered him and the girls along toward her home.

They entered the house swiftly and Leonis watched as Meliora took up Estelle's knitted hat. He had watched the girl purposefully leave it behind on the hall table before they left for the park. Estelle didn't seem to like wearing her cap.

Meliora grabbed her granddaughter and placed the cap on her head. "Your mother will have my head if I let you out of the house without this."

Estelle smiled. "So, I shouldn't tell her about earlier then?"

"Cheeky brat!" Meliora said fondly. "Come along girls. This way to the floo."

"Meliora?" they heard the voice of Pollux Black call out to her. Leonis watched her pause and then turn toward the library doorway. Leonis and the girls followed her, careful to keep their steps soft. Leonis saw his Grandpa Pollux standing up and leaning over a book that was spread open upon one of the library tables. He was dressed in fine black robes properly tailored to showcase his handsome physique. Most men his age had grown a bit pudgy in the middle, but Aunt Cassie said that Pollux had maintained the same build that he had possessed as a man in his thirties. His black hair was mostly silvered now. Cassie sometimes teased him that he had silver hair streaked with black. He often responded that some of that silver was because of her.

Leonis watched as the two greeted each other. He wondered what exactly was his Grandpa Pollux researching? Meliora had asked him and he said it was research for Arcturus. If it was research for Lord Black then it could be about almost anything. He knew that his other Great-Grandfather had many interests and pursuits both personal and for the family.

He watched as Meliora moved closer to his grandfather, encroaching on his personal space. Pollux then grabbed Meliora pulling her closer and the two kissed. He turned his head away with a slight blush. He had seen adults kissing before, of course. He had seen Uncle Marius kissing Aunt Petunia before and he had seen cousin 'Cissa and her husband Lucius kissing. He had even seen Lord Black bestow kisses upon Lady Black, but it still made him uncomfortable to see it.

He heard giggling and turned to look at Estelle. Her expression said that she was quite used to seeing Pollux and Meliora kissing one another. Hermione and Eleanor merely looked curious. He wondered then how much they knew and understood about the relationship between Pollux and Meliora. He knew that they understood that Pollux was married to someone else, but that he loved Meliora instead. He decided that it really wasn't his concern what they thought of it, and so he put it out of his mind.

"It seems that I shall be joining you for lunch," Pollux said then. Leonis smiled at that and he watched as his Grandpa grabbed up his winter cloak, which had been draped haphazardly over the chair that he had not bothered to sit in. Leonis watched Meliora take the cloak from him to help him into the garment. Her hands smoothed over the front of the cloak and Leonis smiled as he watched Pollux catch her hands in his own. Pollux raised first her left and then her right to his lips for a gentle kiss upon her palms. Leonis didn't blush this time, instead he studied the intense look in the eyes of Pollux Black.

'He loves her,' he thought. Though Aunt Cassie was fond of Meliora, she had told Leonis that Meliora was only Pollux's mistress and he might one day tire of her for another woman instead. Seeing that look in his Great-Grandsire's eyes though, Leonis was sure that the man would never tire of Meliora. He wouldn't tell his Aunt Cassie though. Cassiopeia Black did not enjoy being told she was wrong.

"Shall we?" Pollux offered then, sweeping toward where the children awaited.

"Yes," Estelle said happily.

"Let's," Eleanor replied.

"Please," Hermione said.

"Of course," was Leonis's response.

Meliora smiled at the man and said, "Lead the way, my love."

Pollux lead them to the receiving room and took up the small, ornate bucket of floo powder he beckoned Meliora to go first, and so she took up the powder and her place in the fireplace. She cried out, "Estelle's," and then she was away, traveling through the floo network to the restaurant.

Estelle went next. She was followed by Eleanor and then by Hermione. Leonis was then ordered to go and he took up the floo powder and said the password that would give him access to the fireplace in Estelle's hidden courtyard. It was the way in which anyone flooing in to the Restaurant arrived. A moment after he had cleared the grate, Pollux appeared and he smoothly stepped forward.

Pollux ushered them inside, escorting Meliora. They were spotted by Estelle's mother, Edwina Burke, who spent a moment asking the girl's questions about their day and then she asked Pollux if he wanted a private room. He replied that he did, and soon enough they were ushered to the upper rooms where they would be able to dine in relative peace and quiet.

Leonis watched as Estelle assisted the other two girls in making their selections from the menu. Each of the girls called their orders down in crisp clear voices.

Eleanor blushed as she called out her order and then looked to Hermione. "It just seems strange, calling out our orders instead of speaking with an actual being."

Hermione nodded her agreement but then a thoughtful look came over her. "Well, we are talking to a being though. We are speaking to the Elves who then tend to our meals. We just do not see them."

Eleanor seemed to think about this for a moment and then she smiled her agreement. "I'll try to think of it that way in the future."

"Do the elves cook our meals or just deliver them?" Hermione asked.

"They do both," Leonis said.

Estelle nodded. "Most of the elves wait upon the Witches and Wizards who come here. There are some though that help in the kitchens, preparing food. Some of them cook as well, but the Chief Cook is a Witch named Griselda," Estelle said.

"I see," Hermione said thoughtfully.

"How has Sirius been settling in?" Meliora asked of Pollux, and the sound of his father's name captured Leonis's attention. His father had moved back to England just last week. He was beginning a Political Apprenticeship under Pollux and so Leonis was sure that Pollux had spent some time with him over the week.

"He is settling in very well," Pollux informed Meliora. "For now, he has chosen the old Townhouse that Alphard left him in his Will and Testament. It is the property that needs the least work done to it to make it suit Sirius's tastes."

"It was your son's favorite residence, as I recall," Meliora said idly, even as the drinks appeared on the table. Leonis took up his own drink of Pumpkin Juice, and took a sip as he continued to eavesdrop on the adults' conversation. "Please do tell me that he isn't going to decorate the place to be some sort of bachelor's haven."

Her look of horror made him fight the urge to chuckle. He quickly turned his gaze toward Hermione so they might think he was chuckling at something she had said. It was a trick that Blaise had taught him when trying to listen to adult conversations while pretending not to. Really what they were talking about couldn't be secret. If it were, then they would have at least put up a silencing ward around themselves to prevent him, Hermione, Estelle, and Eleanor from being able to hear them. For that reason alone, he didn't feel guilty about his eavesdropping.

Pollux chuckled. "Alphard had already done that. Sirius's bride-to-be will have a time attempting to transform the place to mirror both of their tastes," he replied.

"So, it is true then, what Andromeda told me," Meliora said with a sigh. "The House of Black will be attempting to play matchmaker for Sirius?"

Pollux nodded. "It's for the best," Pollux said, not the least bit sorry that they may be forcing Sirius into a marriage of convenience.

Leonis felt his mind whirl with the information. They were going to attempt to make Sirius get married. He didn't know how to feel about that. He hoped it wasn't that healer woman that Sirius had taken up with. He hadn't liked her and he had the feeling that Sirius had not really cared much for her either. He frowned. He wanted Sirius to be happy and for him not to be lonely. Someone should be there for him to help take care of him, like adults who are married are supposed to do. But what if they chose someone all wrong for him and it ended up like Pollux and Irma? Then his father wouldn't be taken care of by the woman at all. She'd be a harpy trying to make him miserable instead.

'What if the woman doesn't like me?' he worried.

"Darling, I do not really think it wise," Meliora said softly, and Leonis forced himself to listen once more. "Sirius should have the right to choose."

Leonis frowned at that. They were going to make Sirius marry but not let him choose his wife? That seemed all wrong to Leonis. He could end up like Grandpa Pollux did with Grandma Irma or Uncle Cygnus with Aunt Druella.

Pollux looked at Meliora with a frown. "Because we did not," he said cutting to the heart of the matter. "Meliora, you are not looking at the situation from the correct vantage point."

She frowned at that, clearly offended. "Then please do give me instruction."

Pollux said nothing for several moments, and then the food arrived, cutting off their conversation so that they might eat their meal. Leonis let himself be drawn into conversations with the girls. He'd have to think of the situation of his father getting married later. Clearly Sirius didn't know yet. He'd talk to Lord Black about the situation. It would mean admitting to having eavesdropped on Pollux and Meliora's conversation, but he didn't think that Lord Black would punish him severely for that. Not when the adults had not used a silencing charm or anything to dissuade them from listening.

"The girl's spoke of ice-cream," Meliora admitted sometime after their meal had been finished.

Pollux arched an eyebrow at that, but he didn't comment about the silliness of eating ice-cream in winter. "The Ladies of House Burke and House Black wish for ice-cream, then I would be a cruel monster indeed to deny them," he said to the girl's delight. "Come my dear ladies and lord, let us walk to the Leaky and then to Diagon Alley so that we may lay siege to Fortescue's."

Leonis chuckled as he swiftly donned his own coat. He then took up Hermione's coat and helped her into it. A moment later he assisted Eleanor with her scarf. He then helped Estelle with her hat, placing it upon her dark curls. She looked cute with the hat upon her head. It looked like it was trying and failing to tame her riotous chocolate curls. With that they swiftly departed Estelle's and headed for the Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley beyond.

While they walked Leonis resolved that he would have a talk with Lord Black very soon about this issue of a bride for Sirius. If Lord Black truly thought it would be best for Sirius to marry, then he would not argue that, but he would demand that he, Orion, and Harry have a final say in who he marries. The last thing that Leonis would stand for, would be a woman who disliked him, Orion, or Harry.

Leonis had realized many things about his father after their fight just after Christmas. Chief among them was that, though Sirius had not said it in these exact words, Leonis knew that he, Harry, and now Orion too, were the most important things in the world to Sirius. He'd never be happy with a woman who disliked them, and Leonis loved his father too much to let him be miserable on the say so of anyone, even Lord Black.


Thank you to the many wonderful people who are reading and reviewing this story. I cannot thank you enough. You are helping me to become a better writer in so many ways. You are also really making me think about my characters and the story plot. Thank you!

Next Chapter: Matchmakers - in which we shall see several women from the House of Black argue over Remus Lupin's custody of Orion, figure out the magical God-parents for Hermione, Eleanor, and Orion, and argue over potential brides for Sirius Black.