Author's Note:
Sorry it's been a bit since I've updated. I know I spoiled you all with my binge writing and I have done some writing as well, but I've also been on a fanfiction reading kick, specifically some really amazing Dramione fics (which I don't even ship Draco and Hermione to begin with, I love Romione, but these fics were amazing and I just couldn't put them down) and anyway while I was reading them I remembered that I did want to introduce Draco Malfoy in some way into my story so I did — but it wasn't to introduce Draco, it was about Sirius, which I think you've noticed by now that this story is about Sirius, Harry, and Remus. I think each of their lives are equally important and what they are going through and not going through while learning to adjust to each other and to being each other's family.
So anyway, will Malfoy come back and befriend Harry? Will it change anything? I don't know. At this moment, I'm saying not immediately, but I like to think of Malfoy being a good guy who makes bad choices, I always have, and for those of you who have read my Beginning Series, you know I like to give him a second chance. How he will fit into this story or if he will even be a relevant character, I can't say because I haven't fully decided yet. But I hope you like my introduction of him.
Reviews and Comments: To Guest: Thank you! What a lovely thing to hear! To darkhk: Sorry to make you cry, a little. LOL. To E-Dett: Thank you! It's nice to hear the chapter I cried writing made some people emotional reading it. That is the best compliment! Nothing bad will happen to Althea. You think that they have deeper feelings for each other than they are willing to admit? Interesting. We shall see. To Guest: Thank you! It's always nice to hear I've done well with the characterizations! To M: No, not weird at all! I'm honoured this is your favourite chapter so far. I don't think Sirius would ever have considered going to Godric's Hollow on his own either and I think that's why we needed Remus to give him a swift kick. Harry and Sirius both needed it whether they realized that or not.
To Claire Fraser: Thank you very much! I did leave it ambiguous for that exact reason. To Mattelle: Thank you! We'll see Neville again soon and yes, I'm sure Althea will come back. At some point. To ChaosRedShirt: Thank you! Sorry, I made you cry, but that's the ultimate compliment. To MarilynT: Thank you for saying that the chapter was beautiful and sorry for making you cry. To trickstersink: Thank you so much! It means a lot to me that the line 'they thought they were safe' struck such a chord with you. I didn't mean to break your heart into so many pieces, but yes, their death was truly sad. Thank you for saying that I am "such an incredible writer" who is "capable of painting astonishingly vivid pictures with" my "words." That means a lot to me. Thank you very much! To The Go1den Snitch: Thank you! To Reyna: I'm glad to hear you are so anxious for an update. It will be soon. To Donna Rae Diamond: You're welcome! To coloredwords: Thank you for saying your heart is melting. I'm glad that you like Althea so much and I'm sure we'll hear from her again. Neville is a gem and he and Harry are definitely going to be great friends. Thank you!
Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!
Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE:
The One Where Sirius Speaks French
As November breezed in and Sirius turned twenty-seven, he found himself finding a comfortable rhythm with his life. He was teaching himself to cook some new recipes and was doing surprisingly well with them; even having made some large batches of casseroles, soups, and stews to freeze and use later on. He enjoyed learning how as it reminded him of being in school and learning something new like a potion or a charm and he found that he enjoyed it most when Harry worked with him in the kitchen. He loved teaching his godson the new stuff that he had learned and they made a good team together. Harry was surprisingly a really good chef assistant.
For his birthday, Remus, Andromeda, Ted, and McGonagall had all come over for dinner. Andromeda made him dinner: Steak and ratatouille and a large chocolate mousse cake. Sirius spent the day playing The White Album over and over again and every time 'Birthday' came on, he'd make Harry sing it loudly with him until the boy begged him to stop while Sirius tickled his ribs as Harry laughed and laughed. Harry had made him a birthday card and a tall pint glass that said: Padfoot's Pint. He had thought it was adorable and now drank everything that wasn't tea from the pint glass all of the time.
Remus was still teaching Harry in classes almost every day. Harry's Latin lessons were particularly strong and he was in the habit now of asking questions in Latin to either Remus or Sirius in ways to show his learning. Sirius enjoyed responding in French and watching his godson stare at him blankly.
As a member of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, it was important to put up appearances and to show how sophisticated and intelligent an aristocrat one was. He had learned French, Italian, and Latin as a child along with ballroom dancing, the proper way of dining and etiquette at all formal and informal events, appropriate posture when sitting and standing, and the proper way to speak in public. As woe and behold if he had acted rashly or inappropriate at a formal event and embarrassed the Black Family — which he had done anyway by being blasted off of the family tree. But he found himself teaching Harry formal table manners, making a joke out of it as they set the table, and Sirius explained what each utensil was for.
Remus was amused by this, but he watched in earnest as his friend explained proper eating and table etiquette to Harry. When to use which fork and why, how to place the utensils on your plate mid-meal as opposed to a finished meal, how to hold them properly, etc. When Harry went outside to play with Marauder, Remus only grinned at him.
"You hated all of that as a kid," Remus said with a grin. "You complained about it all of the time. Yet here you are, patiently teaching Harry."
Sirius shrugged as he cleaned up the table. "I did, but that's because I hated my life and that entire 'toujours pur' life motto. I spent most of my childhood being forced to stand up straight, sit straight, eat with respect, and dance with that pureblood and talk to that pureblood as it was demanded and expected of me and it was just all bullshit, Moony. But the more that I've been thinking about it and the more that I've been looking back on my life, I've come to realize that some of it is important. I mean, don't you think it's always important to know proper table etiquette?"
Remus smiled and squeezed his friend's shoulder in reassurance. "I think it's a great idea. You can teach Harry how to be an aristocrat at formal events. It can only benefit him and it's not a bad thing to know. When he comes of age and takes over Somerset, it will be good for him to know the ins and outs of the aristocracy. You should pass down some of your knowledge, Sirius."
Sirius smirked. "I'm having fun teaching him and it's not like we're going to get invited to any formal balls any time soon, but still it can't hurt for him to know, right?"
"No, but it can't hurt for him to be prepared, Sirius," Remus said with a grin. "As for the languages though, Harry has asked me twice now about you speaking to him in French. That could definitely be beneficial for him to learn."
Sirius nodded, scratching his nose. "Can you speak French, Moony?"
"No, but you can."
"You think that I should teach him French?" Sirius asked incredulously. "I'm not teacher material, that's definitely all you, Professor!"
Remus rolled his eyes. "But I don't know the language, Sirius. Come on; it will be good for you. You can practice speaking it again and Harry can learn it. It never hurts to know another language and French is a great one to study."
"Tu es la personne la plus agaçante," Sirius muttered under his breath.
Remus' eyebrow rose. "See, I don't know what the means, but I know it was an insult of some kind. Let's not teach him any bad words, Padfoot."
Sirius merely smirked. "What? We don't want him walking around telling people — va te faire foutre." When Remus only stared at him, he grinned. "The first one was hardly an insult, I said you were annoying but okay, fine, I'll teach him French."
"Now tell me what the second thing you said was," Remus demanded.
He just grinned at him. "A smart professor like you, you can figure it out."
And he left Remus glaring at him in the kitchen.
True to his word, Sirius did start teaching Harry French. He made labels for things around the house and they started off by learning the different words in both languages. If they were eating ham and cheese sandwiches it was: jambon et fromage sandwich; or time for bed it was: heure d'aller au lit; etc. Sirius found that going between the two made it easier for him to recall his own memory and for Harry to grasp it.
November also brought more time for Harry to spend with his new friends. Neville was the biggest surprise and he seemed to have taken not only a great shining to Harry, but to Sirius as well. The last time that Neville had come to play, Sirius had spent the entire afternoon with the two boys: Listening to music, working on his motorbike (which both boys wanted to help with), and then playing football in the yard. Harry had also visited the Longbottom residence (Cumbria Manor) twice and had gone fishing with Neville and his Great-Uncle Algie. He'd come home and eagerly filled Sirius in all about the fish that he had caught and how Neville's great uncle had then shown him how to cut it open and how they had grilled it. He had been both fascinated and disgusted, but the fish had been delicious and Harry was in complete awe over the entire situation.
The Weasleys had come by a few more times as well. Fred and George had caused more mischief at home and Mrs Weasley had grounded them for sending a Fanged Frisbee through the house and decapitating one of her prized houseplants, followed by hiding fireworks underneath pots and pans so that they were immediately set off once the pot was lifted. Sirius felt a little bad since he had given them the products in the first place, but the result of them clearly having the time of their lives only made him smile; not to mention that Mrs Weasley had absolutely no idea that Sirius was the source of her sons' new found joke products and therefore newfound method of troublemaking and Sirius rather hoped that she didn't find out.
Ron and Harry had both become a bit closer as well, the boys enjoyed racing through the treehouse obstacle course, running up the rock climbing wall and over and playing catch with the Quaffle. Ginny had introduced Harry to her favourite tree at The Burrow, which she liked to climb and hang from and the two of them had climbed all the way to the top laughing like loons.
Harry hadn't had a single nightmare since Halloween and Sirius felt like things were finally starting to calm down and fall into place. They had a life here and it was going quite well.
As for Remus, Snape had continued to brew the Wolfsbane Potion for him and it seemed to be doing wonders. His transformations were going smoother and his fear of hurting someone had diminished to the point where he was allowing Sirius and Harry to spend the night at his cottage during the full moon. He still wasn't thrilled with the fact that Harry sometimes slept in the same room as him when he transformed, but he knew that he would never hurt the child in his lucid state of mind and the thought calmed him and therefore calmed the wolf who likewise felt a strong urge to protect 'the pup'. However, he still felt better when Harry stayed in his own room while he and Sirius stayed in the cellar as despite Sirius' insistence, Remus refused to leave the cellar when he was transformed.
As December swept in and the snow finally started to fall, Sirius began to get excited for Christmas. He took Harry out into the forest to find the perfect Christmas tree and they laughed and joked around before Sirius showed Harry how to cut the tree down and they tied it up with a rope and dragged it behind them to the house. They went shopping for decorations and made some homemade ones as well, but soon the house was full of twinkling lights and Christmas cheer.
Sirius had most of Harry's presents all finished, including the child-sized motorbike that he was extremely anxious to give to his godson. He helped Harry make a present for Remus and they wrapped it and put it under the tree. But they still had a few last minute stops to make which was why Sirius and Harry were bundled up as they hurried into Twilfitt and Tatting's for some new dress clothes.
Sirius left Harry warming himself by the fire as he saw the seamstress and hurried over to talk to her about what he wanted. Harry held his hands out by the warmth, sniffling a bit from the cold, and jolted when he saw the boy sitting on his left as he hadn't noticed him there when he had initially made his way to the fire. The boy had white blonde hair and a pale, pointed face. His grey-blue eyes were looking at Harry in interest.
"Hello," the boy said politely, crossing his legs neatly. "Here for some formal wear as well?"
Harry nodded. "For the holidays, Uncle Sirius says that we have to dress up."
The boy tapped his fingers on the side of the armchair that he was seated in. "Mother always insists that we must look our best for every occasion. I'm Draco Malfoy."
"Harry Potter," Harry said, taking a seat in the other armchair.
Draco's grey-blue eyes widened slightly. "Harry Potter!" He jumped out of his chair and stood over Harry, slightly awed. "The Boy Who Lived?"
Harry nodded, his cheeks flushing. "I guess so."
Draco seemed to catch himself because he moved to sit back into his chair. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pounce on you. It's just… you're rather famous, you know."
"So I've heard," Harry said, turning to look around for Sirius. Unlike the time when Ginny had declared his fame and simply hugged him, this made him feel slightly uncomfortable.
Draco nodded, smiling slightly. "Bet it gets annoying, people always telling you that. Mother says that fame is in the eye of the beholder whatever that means. She's looking for a new set of robes for me for the Winter Masquerade that she's throwing. It's going to be the ball of the year as she so eloquently claims. Father says that I must be on my best behaviour at the ball. Is that why you need dress robes? Are you coming to the manor for the party?"
Harry shook his head. "I don't think so. What's a ball?"
"Cissy!" Sirius exclaimed in surprise causing Harry to turn around in time to see Sirius stop a tall beautiful woman with bright blonde hair and blue eyes. "Should have known I'd run into you here."
Cissy's mouth opened in surprise before she caught herself. "Sirius, I heard you were released from Azkaban."
Harry moved over to his godfather, abandoning the blonde boy and smiling when Sirius put his hand on his shoulder.
"I did. Cissy, this is my godson, Harry Potter. Harry, this is my cousin Narcissa Bl — sorry not Black anymore, Narcissa Malfoy, Lady Wiltshire."
Narcissa's eyes immediately moved to the lightning bolt scar on Harry's forehead. "So, he's the child who defeated He Who Must Not Be Named, how lucky for him."
"Mother," Draco said quietly from her left. "Is Harry Potter coming to the Winter Masquerade?"
Narcissa looked alarmed by this. "Of course not, Draco! You know about my terrible cousin Sirius Black — he was disowned by our family. He disgraced the family name and reputation. We do not need such riffraff at our event and if we invited Harry Potter, the rubbish would come too."
"Ouch," Sirius said, holding a hand over his heart and mocking being stabbed. "That was hurtful, Cissy." When she only rolled her eyes, he grinned. "Winter Masquerade, eh? Let me guess, blue and ice themed, huge ballroom for lots of dancing, finger foods no one really wants to eat, and expensive wines. Anyone who's anyone will be there," he said with a smirk. "Boy, am I disappointed to miss that."
Narcissa merely glared at him, ignoring the sarcasm that had dripped from her cousin's lips. "You weren't invited so it does not matter in the least. How dare you even speak to me after what you did to this family?"
Sirius snorted. "What I did to this family? Cissa, all I did was refuse to let my mother push me around and force me to marry a Carrow — and I was blasted off of the family tree. I'm hardly a disgrace for making my own choices." His eyes fell upon her son with a small smile. "But I see you have a son now. Draco, is it?" At the boy's nod, he smiled warmly. "Well, I'm your cousin, Draco, and it's lovely to meet you. You look quite a lot like your father."
"Thank you, Sir," Draco said, wincing when Narcissa rapped him lightly on the head and his posture immediately stiffened from the more comfortable slouch he had been standing in.
"How is Lucius these days, Cissa?"
Narcissa kept her hand on her son's shoulder as she looked at Sirius. "He's fine, thank you."
"Bella is still in Azkaban, which is a blessing, as we both know how bloody insane she was. Can't say I miss her. But I did have dinner with Andy last night," Sirius said conversationally as if he hadn't a care in the world. "She's doing great. Her daughter is wonderful by the way and she even watches Harry for me. She's at Hogwarts now. Her name is Nymphadora, incase you were interested, but she prefers to go by Tonks. She's going to be fourteen in May."
Narcissa's eyes looked sad for a moment before she masked it. "I'm not interested in hearing about how the other disgraced members of our family are doing and I am already perfectly aware of Bella's current status and whereabouts. Draco, let's go. We still have much to do for the party."
Draco waved goodbye as his mother pushed him from the store and Sirius smiled down at Harry. "Sorry about that, Harry."
"She's your cousin?" Harry asked as he watched the blonde woman and her son hurry off down the street.
Sirius nodded. "She's actually Andromeda's younger sister. But Andy and I don't get along with anyone else from our family."
Sirius paid for the robes that he had purchased and led Harry down the street to The Leaky Cauldron where they were soon eating hot corned beef sandwiches. Harry was still thinking about the boy. He didn't understand how Sirius was family to them, but didn't talk to them. Were they like the Dursleys, he wondered?
"Uncle Sirius?"
"Hmm?" Sirius asked as he buttered the bread in front of him.
"How are you related to Draco Malfoy and how come you don't get along with them?"
Sirius smiled sadly. "It's kind of complicated, Harry." He tapped his fingers on the table for a moment, trying to think of how to explain it. "You see, sometimes the world takes everything really seriously and well… sometimes people are just snobs."
Harry only stared at him in confusion.
Sirius sighed. "I come from a really wealthy and old pureblood family, Harry. That means that my family has been around for generations and for centuries my family has been full of people with magical blood. No one in my family is like the Dursleys for example, Muggles or people with no magic. Well, that's a lie, we had a Squib once a few generations back, but they were disowned, anyway doesn't matter, everyone in my family has magic, do you understand?" At Harry's small nod, he continued. "And because our family can be traced back to such a prestigious beginning, they don't like being forced to be with people who are not the same. They don't like different people or change."
He reached for his bread, taking a large bite as Harry watched him.
"Harry, there are many pureblood families in the world and they pride themselves on the fact that they are pureblood, but the problem with this is that they are very prejudiced towards those who are not quote on quote 'pure of blood.' Do you know what the word prejudice means?"
"No," Harry said, looking up at him.
"It basically means that they judge people without even getting the chance to know them just because they are not of the same pureblood standing as themselves. My parents were very strict about who I could speak to, who my friends could be, and who I could spend my time with. They all had to come from respectable pureblood families like ours. It's why I don't get along with any of my family. When I went to Hogwarts, I got sorted into Gryffindor. I was the first member of the Black family ever to not be put into Slytherin House and my parents were furious; beyond furious actually. Then there was your dad and while James Potter was a pureblood, he was not a respectable pureblood according to my parents. The reason was that his family had no prejudice and they were respectful to everyone like a person should be."
"Am I a pureblood?" Harry asked, his mind trying to grasp all of this new terminology.
Sirius shook his head. "No, Harry, you are what people would call a half-blood, respectable, but still not what my family would deem appropriate to be speaking with. That's the kind of people they were. You see, Harry, your mum, she was a Muggleborn. She was the only person in her whole family to ever have magical abilities. That's why your aunt wasn't magical and I think that's why she hated your mum so much. But your dad marrying her was considered a big taboo to my family. Anyway, that's why Andy doesn't get along with our family either. Ted is also Muggleborn and when she fell in love with him, my Aunt Druella and Uncle Cy, told her that she had to choose between being part of the Black family or choosing the man that she loved. Andy chose to be with Ted. And she's very happy as you can see."
Harry stared at him for a moment. "I don't understand why it all matters."
Sirius smiled warmly. "That's just it, Harry — it doesn't matter. Or it shouldn't matter is the more appropriate saying. Your mum being Muggleborn, she was so talented and she was so good at magic that if you didn't know that she was Muggleborn you never would have guessed. It's like looking over there and saying that you don't like anyone with brown hair or that everyone who has a big nose is stupid. You should never judge anyone without first getting to know them. You don't know what kind of life they've had or why they are acting the way they are. Your dad said it the best to me once: We all bleed red. So, give everyone you meet a chance, all right?"
Harry smiled. "That's not hard, Uncle Sirius."
He grinned at his godson. "Good, I'm glad to hear it. Now, as to how I am related to Narcissa and Draco. Well, my mother's brother, Cygnus, is my uncle Cy and he and his wife, my Aunt Druella, are the parents of my cousins Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Narcissa. The three infamous Black sisters, beautiful and they knew it. Narcissa married Lucius Malfoy and they have one son named Draco. Does that make sense?"
Harry nodded. "Yes."
Sirius smiled. "Good."
Harry was quiet for a minute as he ate his sandwich. "Draco seemed nice."
Sirius smiled and took a long drink of the butterbeer in front of him. "I hope he is, Harry. I really hope he is."
~ ASC ~
The next afternoon, Sirius visited Andromeda and Ted while Harry was doing his studies with Remus. He sniffed the air appreciatively as he stepped into the house.
"Apple crisp?" he asked hopefully as the scent of apples and cinnamon overtook his senses as he stepped into the kitchen.
Ted had his hands on the counter on either side of his wife, his body pressed up against hers, and his lips on her throat.
"Er, sorry, I can come back."
Ted kissed his wife softly before turning to smile at Sirius. "No, it's fine. Come on in, Sirius."
Sirius smiled gratefully at him. "Didn't mean to interrupt."
Andromeda laughed, her hands going to her hair. "Of course not, we just lost track of time."
Ted smirked at her. "I'll head to the market and get those supplies for you," he kissed her cheek, nodded at Sirius, and hurried off.
Sirius grinned at her. "I really didn't mean to interrupt. I mean, how long have you guys been married? You still snog in the kitchen?"
Andromeda laughed, turning back to the dough that she had been kneading with her hands. "Good grief, Sirius, Ted and I are hardly dead. I'm only eight years older than you! And yes, we still have lots and lots of sex." When he winced slightly, she grinned. "Did you get the dress robes yesterday?"
He nodded, smirking at her as he took a seat at the kitchen table. "That I did and I ran into your sister."
Her hands stopped kneading for a moment and he saw her tense up before she returned to the dough as if nothing had happened. "Oh?"
Sirius nodded, watching his cousin carefully. "She looks as beautiful and as regal as ever. She has a son. His name is Draco. Looks a lot like Lucius, about Harry's age, and he's obviously being moulded into a proper little aristocrat."
"Did she… is she happy?" she whispered.
Sirius came up behind her, turning her around to pull her close for a hug. "I think she is. Her eyes looked sad when I mentioned that I had dinner with you the other night and then she quickly masked it. I remember her at Hogwarts and she was madly in love with Lucius Malfoy. I assume she still is."
Andromeda cleared her throat, turning back to the dough that she was working with. "Well, I assume she's busy planning the big Winter Masquerade at Malfoy Manor. It's always the talk of the season."
"We should crash it."
Andromeda laughed. "That would give her a bloody heart attack not to mention what it would do to my mother if I walked in there."
Sirius chuckled. "But it would be fun."
Andromeda shook her head in amusement before placing the apple mixture in the middle and folding the dough around it. "I suppose it would be, but that bridge was burned a long time ago, Sirius. Fifteen years ago in fact and… she made it perfectly clear that I wasn't part of her family anymore; part of her life anymore. I had disgraced the Black Family name."
"You were the first white sheep; gave me the inspiration."
She carefully tucked the dough. "Do I regret losing my parents and my sisters by choosing Ted? I loved them, Sirius, and I will always love them, but my Edward… he makes me so unbelievably happy and we have a beautiful daughter and I would never give that up for the world. I miss my family sometimes more than I can bear, especially Cissy, we used to be so close, you know, but they cast me out and I'm not going to impose myself upon them when they don't want me there and when I have everything that I need right here."
"I know," Sirius told her as he watched her hands work. "I feel the same. I just… Harry was asking me how I was related to them and it got me thinking. I found myself telling him about what prejudice is and how important it is not to judge someone without first getting to know them first; basically the exact opposite of everything that we were taught as children. And I was just thinking of how Draco had slouched slightly and she thumped him lightly and his posture stiffened and… all I could see was my own childhood of strict rules and formal gatherings and… Andy, I am so fucking thankful that I don't have to be part of that world anymore."
Andromeda went to the sink to clean her hands. "You could be if you wanted to be, you know. You are the Head of the House of Black now. You could throw the big parties and have the big events and invite all of them."
He smirked. "Never in a million years." When she laughed and placed the first tray in the oven, he smiled. "I have found myself teaching Harry proper table etiquette though. I'm not really sure why, but I am."
"There's nothing wrong with that," Andromeda told him honestly. "I did the same with Nymphadora. It was drilled into us as children and we should pass that knowledge down. You never know when or if it will ever be something that they will use in the future. Politeness is not a bad thing."
"You know what I love most about you, Andy?"
"What?" she asked him as she wiped her hands on her apron.
"You just get me," he said with a smile.
"Us White Sheep have to stick together," she told him, her eyes twinkling at him. "Now, let's talk about our Christmas plans. You boys are all coming here for dinner?"
"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Sirius told her, grinning widely. "Now, was that apple crisp I smelt earlier?"
End Author's Notes:
(French) Tu es la personne la plus agaçante = you are the most annoying person
(French) va te faire foutre = kiss my ass
Thank you for reading and please review!