"We'll be good, Uncle Paddy." Fred gave Paddy and Myah a smile. "Prank wars are announced at breakfast and last only until dinner time. If you want to escape, Uncle Paddy's office is neutral ground and a prank-free territory, as are the potions lab and the greenhouses."
"Excellent, Fred, thanks." Paddy grinned at the redhead.
"I think I can deal with that." Myah gave him a tentative smile.
"If you can't, just let us know, but no wars will go passed dinner, so you don't have to worry about being pranked in your sleep." George assured the witch.
Three days after returning from Hogwarts for the summer, five teens sat at the breakfast table and faced the two adult members of the Grimmley family.
"We will be engaging in a prank war, today. Battle will be joined in one hour." Lee said, in a formal manner.
"Oh, gods." The two adults exchanged looks but only Paddy spoke. "Can I recruit from outside?"
"Battle will be joined in one hour." Lee repeated. "Whoever is here is far game." He paused. "Unless, of course, they're in the office, the lab or the greenhouse."
"Excellent." Paddy grinned. "Myah? You in or out?"
"I… I think that I'd best sit this one out, gentlemen. I haven't been in a prank war for… years." Myah hesitated.
"Sure." George gave a shrug. "If you want to spectate, the office is the best. There's a series of screens that pull down from the top of the bookcases, they're linked to viewing windows in each room and strategically placed points around the outside of the house."
"Oh, that might be… I think I'd like that." Myah said with a small smile.
Over the next eight hours, Myah got a (not so) short lesson in the dynamics of the extended Grimmley family. She also learned that Titania was Titania, not Harry playing at being a girl. Titania wasn't Harry, there were similarities between them, but there were also significant differences, too.
Harry was a parseltongue. Titania wasn't.
Harry was a seeker. Titania was a chaser.
Harry liked treacle tarts. Titania preferred chocolate cheesecake.
Harry's best subject at Hogwarts was DADA. Titania's was charms.
Harry's favourite subject was CoMC. Titania's was runes.
Harry was a mediocre student. Titania was advanced enough to sit her OWLs a year early.
Harry never expressed interest in becoming an Animagus. Titania had been able to successfully transform for almost a year.
Harry couldn't stand Snape. Titania and Snape got along surprisingly well.
After dinner that evening, and Lee and Snape being declared the winners of the prank war, Titania, Paddy and Myah left Lupin and Snape to supervise Luna and the boys. The three retreated to the office and Paddy watched as Myah threw up some extremely complicated privacy wards.
"You wanted to talk?" He asked.
"I did." Myah answered. "Firstly, thank you."
"For what?" Paddy arched an eyebrow in question.
"For today." Myah replied. "It let me… let go… I suppose. Let go of Harry. Let go of Hermione. It made me realise that you two truly aren't Sirius and Harry, just playing at new lives, you really are Paddy and Titania."
"We are." Titania said.
"Yes, I can see that, now." Myah sighed. "I didn't until today. So…? Thank you."
Paddy and Titania exchanged speaking looks.
"You're welcome?" Paddy was the one to reply but it still came out as a question.
"I've been thinking about what Paddy told me about what the public know about Sirius Black. And about what the Ministry know about him and Harry."
Titania looked at her Aunt and tilted her head. "Yeah…?" She asked slowly.
"He also said that he wants to tell Remus, Snape, Lee and the twins, who you are and how you came to be here." Myah said.
"Yeah…" Titania nodded.
"I think…" Myah paused.
"Yeah…?" Paddy prodded his new sister.
"I think that we need to make it a little more open." She spoke quickly. "Make it an open secret."
"In what way?" Paddy frowned, he wasn't going to risk his daughter being taken from him.
"Bring in a couple of others, but give them a distorted version, all true but only part of the truth." Myah replied.
"What would you tell and to whom?" Titania asked.
"Tell Dumbledore, McGonagall, Bones, Moody and maybe the Weasleys. Tell them that Paddy used to be Sirius Black. Say that Harry saw to all the documents and potions needed to convert Sirius into Paddy and gave him a time turner and told him what to do with it."
"And how do we explain you?" Paddy asked.
"That Sirius had found me between leaving Azkaban and reaching Hogwarts." Myah began. "That I'd lost everything to the war and couldn't let go of the past. Harry offered me the same potions and conversions as Sirius and I went into the past with Sirius. I left not long after and found a place of my own to live in, I saw a mind-healer and began to recover, finally putting the past where is belonged, in the past. Recently, I fell afoul of a group of muggles and was assaulted, not raped, just beaten. I'm still recovering from that and probably will be for some time. Paddy insisted that I come to live with them, giving me a cottage of my own, on the property."
Paddy didn't answer, he just looked at Titania.
"That would work…" Titania mused, speaking slowly. "Leave out any reference to coming through the veil, though. We'd have to word it just right."
"Best get Moony and Snape in for that." Paddy sighed. "They always knew exactly what to say to avoid the worst detentions. I just can't think the way they do."
"Alright, how do we do that?" Myah asked. "What do we tell the boys and Luna?"
Titania snickered. "Telling them the truth, all bar me having been Harry, was something we planned to do, this summer. Tell them now and get them all to help with a plan and a cover-story."
Paddy barked a laugh and Myah just blinked. "Oh, Merlin." She whispered. "Snape and the twins working together…?"
"That's enough to give many people nightmares." Titania grinned.
"In that case, let's go to talk to them." Paddy stood beside the door and waited for the two witches to join him. Myah flicked her wand and let her wards fall before leaving the room.
An hour later, the expressions on the faces of Lee and the twins, had Titania and Luna giggling.
"Padfoot?" Fred whispered.
"You're Padfoot?" George added.
"Of Moony, Whiptail, Padfoot and Spikes?" Lee demanded. "The Corsairs?"
"That's what we were called." Lupin nodded.
The three boys couldn't speak, they didn't know what to say. They were living with one of their heroes. Being taught by another. What did you say to that?
"Okay…" Lee finally forced out. "Why…? Why tell us?"
"We'd like some… assistance…" Myah said.
"Consider it a prank on the entire wizarding world." Paddy added.
"But… We want to avoid the possibility of Paddy being arrested." Myah said. "We know that Sirius has been cleared of any wrongdoing, but we don't have much confidence in the Ministry. We were thinking about who to tell."
"Dumbledore, McGonagall, Bones, Moody and the Weasleys." Paddy said.
"No." Fred shook his head.
"Not mum and dad." George agreed.
"Let Dumbledore tell them." Lee added.
"No, not Dumbledore, make it Bones." Titania corrected. "Make it a DMLE notification, on the quiet, about the fostering."
The three boys tilted their heads in the same direction and thought for a few moments.
"Yeah…" Lee nodded.
"That would…"
"…work better…" Fred started and George finished.
"I would suggest…" Snape started.
The next few hours were an interesting blend of argument, conference, briefing, debate and a lesson in how to Slytherin.
Paddy took a deep breath as the floo-fireplace flared green and Albus Dumbledore stepped from the flames, followed closely by Minerva McGonagall and then Filius Flitwick.
"Good morning, Professors." He greeted them.
"Good morning, Mr Grimmley." Dumbledore and McGonagall nodded to him.
"Good morning, Paddy." Flitwick gave him a slightly confused smiled.
"We thank you for the invitation," Dumbledore began. "Although, I am at a loss for the reason for such an invite being extended."
"Please come through to the sunroom." Paddy gestured to Filius. "You know where to go and you're the closest, you lead the way, please, Filius."
"Certainly, Paddy." Filius headed out through a door and down a short hallway that opened out into a large kitchen with an attached sunroom.
"Have a seat." Paddy gestured to the comfortable-looking armchairs. "Drinks? Tea, coffee, scotch, firewhiskey?"
"Firewhiskey?" Dumbledore's brows rose.
"It's a little early in the day for that, isn't it?" Filius asked.
"It is." Paddy nodded. "But what I have to tell you… You may want it."
"Let us be the judge of that, Mr Grimmley." McGonagall suggested. "If, as you say, we need it, we can ask for it."
"Of course, Professor." Paddy said. He then took a few deep breaths and started. "I was Sirius Black." Remus Lupin and Severus Snape entered the room and sat, one on each side of Paddy, causing two of his guests to gasp and Filius to nod. "Less than an hour…" He proceeded to give the three a rough outline of the story that he and his family had decided upon, as his cover.
"You're truly not Sirius Black, anymore, are you?" McGonagall asked, eyeing the man who sat beside Severus Snape, someone who loathed Black and was loathed in return.
"No, Professor, not anymore."
"And that lovely young lass of yours? Who is her mother?"
"Lauren Grant. She was a good friend, she died in 1985. We light a candle for her, each Halloween." Paddy said. "Titania knows who her mother was and we've a pensieve, so I've been able to make up a small cabinet of memories that she can watch." It had taken some fiddling, since deciding a cover story, but they'd managed to take a trip to Hogwarts and get the Room to alter Paddy and Titania's documents to show that Paddy was a sole-parent, that Lauren had only donated eggs for a surrogate to carry, not married Paddy at all.
"Ah, she was a lovely girl." Dumbledore allowed.
"Much like her daughter." Filius added.
"Did she not have family that would object to her… donation…?" McGonagall asked.
"No, Miss Grant was an orphan." Dumbledore said. "She did have a brother but I seem to recall that she had to leave school early one winter, he'd been involved in some type of vehicle accident and wasn't expected to live."
"Nathan." Paddy said. "I met him a few times, Lauren was pretty cut up about it."
"I can imagine." Filius grimaced.
"What do you plan to do now?" Dumbledore asked, his mind racing in different directions, trying to decide what would be best.
"I'm going to talk to Amelia Bones and Alastor Moody, then nothing." Paddy replied. "Grow my herbs and other potions ingredients, manage the menagerie of children and critters. Severus wants me to sell ingredients, to him, to Hogwarts and maybe open a mail-order business. I'm not certain about that, I'll start with him and maybe Hogwarts."
"That might not be a good idea." Dumbledore commented. "Talking to Amelia and Alastor, I mean."
"Maybe, maybe not." Paddy rocked his head. "But it's what's going to happen."
"I would prefer you not-"
"Professor, stop." Paddy held up a hand. "What you want doesn't come into this. I'm telling you, only as a courtesy, because Titania is a student at your school. It is my choice, who I speak to. I hesitated about telling you, at all, as you are renowned for your meddling but Remus and Severus felt that, as you are also the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, there was a strong chance that Amelia would want to tell you, anyway. Professor McGonagall is here because she is Titania's head of house at Hogwarts."
"And Filius?" McGonagall asked, looking at the charms Professor.
"He, along with Remus and Severus have known since yule." Paddy answered. "He suggested then that telling you might be something to think about. It wasn't going to happen right then, with Myah missing, I wasn't about to walk into what could become a legal battle. Once she escaped where she was being held captive, I was more focused on helping her recover. Now that she has? It's time to move forward." Paddy was beginning to get agitated but until Snape laid a hand on his leg to calm him, he didn't realise it.
"I see…" Dumbledore sighed, it seemed that Sirius Black had grown up and at an exceptionally inconvenient time. "Well, Mr Black, I cannot-"
"Grimmley." Paddy cut him off. "I am Nigel Patrick Grimmley, not Sirius Black. Not anymore and never again. Legally and magically, I am Paddy Grimmley."
"Ah…" Dumbledore nodded. That was not a bad thing. "Very well. Tell me, Mr Grimmley, do you know enough of the House of Black charter to speculate who will inherit the Head of House title?"
"It's already been claimed." Paddy smirked. "The Lady of House Black is Andromeda Tonks-Black." He knew that Andi was no fan of Dumbledore.
"Ah…" Dumbledore sighed internally, there went any chance of accessing House Black's Wizengamot seats.
"Exactly." Paddy's smirk became a grin. "And no, she hasn't forgiven you for your comments about her husband."
"I do think she could have done better." Dumbledore chided.
"Not your decision, Dumbledore, and it never was." Paddy reminded him.
"True, too true." Dumbledore sighed. "And what of your family, here?"
"Well, Luna's father pops in and out, a few times a year, so I get the chance to talk to him about her and her future. Lee's mother is much the same, but she drops by more often. Arthur floo-calls, at least once a week." Paddy answered.
"And do you have plans laid out?" McGonagall asked.
"We do." Paddy nodded. "The girls are sitting their OWLs at the end of this coming year, with the boys sitting their NEWTs a week later. On Titania and Luna's fifteenth birthdays, I've agreed to sign betrothal contracts for them, Luna's father will have to counter sign hers later. That reminds me, I must remember to speak to Arthur. Luna's going to work towards her arithmancy mastery. The boys have plans to open a shop, where they'll sell pranks and the like. Titania has decided that she will do some advanced studies in both charms and runes, she wants to make quill grips that have internal ink reservoirs, where the buyers can change the feathers and the ink changes colour to a predetermined match."
"Interesting…" Filius rocked his head.
"Betrothal contracts?" Dumbledore asked. "Don't you feel that's a little… old fashioned?"
"Personally? Yes." Paddy answered. "But that's what the girls want and who am I to deny them?"
"Ah. Might I ask… Whom have they chosen?" Dumbledore hesitated to ask. Did he really want to know?"
"Luna and Lee have already spoken to Xeno and Lee's mother, the parchmentwork is done and just needs signing. Titania and Fred's will need a meeting with Arthur and Head of House Weasley and probably with Muriel Prewett, too."
"Oh, my…" McGonagall looked slightly alarmed at the thought of the daughter of the man who was once Sirius Black, marrying the more inventive of the Weasley twins.
Paddy just laughed.
"And where are the young ladies, in question?" Filius asked.
"Upstairs, the kidlets are having morning tea on Titania's balcony with the flock."
"The flock?" McGonagall asked.
"Titania has a habit of collecting odd beasties." Lupin spoke for the first time.
"Odd…?" McGonagall asked.
"If I recall…?" Dumbledore tilted his head as he thought. "There was a hippogriff…" He paused as something occurred to him. "Would that be the one that young Harry and Hermione used in your rescue?"
"It would." Paddy answered. "I tied a pigment change to his blood. Made him a little darker."
"Excellent." Dumbledore smiled. "If you have no objections, I shall tell Hagrid that the beast is being well cared for." When Paddy nodded, he went on. "There was also a number of snidgets, an Augurey and a jaberknoll, wasn't there?"
"Oh, yes." Paddy nodded, again. "It likes to harmonise with the fwooper. Plus a pony-sized Pegasus and her second familiar, a griffin cub."
"Oh, my stars." McGonagall gasped.
"Then, she decided to add to the collection by bringing home children, first Luna then the boys." Paddy shook his head.
"In his last letter to me, he whinged about his twelve-year-old daughter bringing home fifteen-year-old boys." Lupin laughed.
"She was twelve, Moony. Twelve. Bringing home older boys. And boys reputed to be the current Hogwarts pranksters. Of course, I was whinging." Paddy mock-snarled at his friend.
"Oh, please." Snape shook his head. "Like the first thought in your head wasn't something to do with pranks." The look he sent the beleaguered father was full of fond exasperation.
"That's not the point!" Paddy squawked, indignantly.
"Never mind, Pads." Lupin snorted. "Shall we call the Hellions down for lunch, or do we have more to discuss?"
"Nope, that's it." Paddy shook his head. "Subject's closed."
"Good." Snape nodded. "Bring out the firewhiskey, I believe a drink is needed."
"Definitely." McGonagall agreed.