disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella and her story.
I am so sorry for this late update but I have some good news: I finally graduated college! It finally happened and I couldn't be more happier. Updates will happen more frequently now since I'm done with school. Anyways, I hope you guys like this chapter!
The House of Black
Arabella woke up the next morning, her vision slightly blurry. She blinked a couple times and groaned. The sun coming through the window hurt her eyes. She stretched, nearly every muscle sore. Her fingers bunched up the front of Harry's shirt and she moved closer. She was in a warm ball next to him, breathing in and out steadily while taking in his scent. He smelled like treacle tart and the handle of a broomstick.
"You awake?" Harry whispered.
Arabella hummed and moved closer, resting her forehead on his arm. "You?" she whispered.
"I think we're all awake right now."
Arabella and Harry quickly jumped up. She heard Harry inhale sharply as she pushed her hair away from her face. Sirius and Remus were standing at the door, both livid and both patient. Both were not a good combination, especially for them. Sirius was imprisoned for a crime he did not commit for years, stewing and brewing the whole time. Remus was a calm and calculated man. He was a gentle man, but a man that should still be feared.
"Morning," Remus drawled out.
"Fancy seeing the two of you here," Sirius gritted out.
Arabella choked for a moment, trying to think of something to say, trying to think of a good excuse. She felt slightly embarrassed, as though she was caught doing something terrible. But she wasn't. She was with Harry. Why should she feel embarrassed or ashamed?
She took a deep breath and said, "Yup. We're just hanging out."
"Is that what the kids are calling it these days?" asked Remus, crossing his arms.
Arabella let out a small snort, before closing his mouth and looking down. She shook her head, bite her lips and looked up. "Why? What did they call it when you were my age?"
Sirius inhaled sharply and said, "We need to talk to Harry. Alone."
Arabella looked between Sirius, Remus, and then Harry. Harry didn't seem too keen on being alone with them, but Arabella knew she wasn't going to win this one and it was best to get it done sooner rather than later. Arabella got up slowly and moved towards the door. For a moment, she stood in between Remus and Sirius, looking at them, and finally resting her eyes on Remus.
"Go easy on him," she whispered, smiling. "You know I like him."
Remus gave her a small smile while Sirius butted in and said, "We are very well aware of your feelings. Off you go now."
Arabella looked back quickly before heading down the stairs towards the kitchen. She did not envy Harry one bit.
"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?"
Harry look at Sirius, confused and nervous. "I'm – I'm sorry?"
"Sorry?" repeated Sirius. "What are you sorry for?"
"I have no idea," Harry said earnestly. "I don't – I don't even know what's going on."
Remus snorted. At least he was being honest with them rather than lying or talking smooth. God knows he's seen too many of those during his time at Hogwarts. If Arabella had been dating someone like that, he would have a heart attack.
"Look, you're the ones that wanted to talk to me," Harry exclaimed, more nervous than before. He stood up and then said, "I'm sorry but I have no idea what I'm sorry about or what you –"
"Harry, you're fine," Remus said reassuringly. He took a step forward and said, "You're not in any trouble – Sirius, you have to stop acting like this – but we do want to talk to you."
"About what?"
"Arabella," Sirius said instantly. "Obviously, what else is there to discuss?"
Harry sputtered for a moment before settling on shrugging.
"Sirius," Remus said warningly. He then turned to Harry and said, "Of course we're here to discuss Arabella, Harry. We just found the two of you in bed, for Merlin's sake."
"It's not like we meant for that to happen," Harry said at once, his shoulders up and tense. "It's just – it's just sort of –"
"It just sort of happened?" Remus offered. He then gave Harry a small smile. "I understand, Harry. You're not in any trouble here. We just want to make sure that –"
"You don't hurt her," snapped Sirius, crossing his arms. Remus gave him a look, which was ignored. "You were taking too long, Remus. I'm not a patient man."
"Hurt her? I would never do that," said Harry, looking between Remus and Sirius. "You've got to believe me, I would never –"
"Of course you wouldn't, Harry, I know that," Remus said calmly. "And Sirius knows that too, he's just being difficult. I just want to make sure that you both know what you're getting into." He took a moment to reconsider his words before deciding upon: "You both are not exactly popular right now in the Wizarding world. The Daily Prophet keeps slandering your names and I wouldn't be surprised if some students don't welcome the both of you back with open arms at Hogwarts, particularly the Slytherins as many of their parents are Voldemort's followers. It is going to be a rough year. It is going to be hard for the both of you. Have you thought about that, Harry?"
The sudden look of surprise told Remus that Harry did not in fact consider that. He felt bad for the boy. Both he and Arabella were going to face so much adversity once they leave Grimmauld Place and there was nothing Remus could do to make it better. What made everything worse was that Remus could tell how much Harry cared for Arabella. They could have a real chance at something normal, something healthy, but the Wizarding World wasn't going to allow that.
"We've both been through worse," Harry said defiantly but slight unsure. "We can handle this. We'll look after each other. We've been doing that for years, anyhow. I care about her."
"And you make her happy?" mumbled Sirius, his eyes at the ground.
Harry nodded, a small smile appearing on his lips.
"And she makes you happy?"
"Definitely," breathed Harry.
Remus could tell that Sirius was searching for a way to fight back, to somehow make sure that Arabella and Harry never see each other again, but it was pointless. Arabella would never listen to him and these two kids were head over heels smitten with each other. Remus had known that for a while. The way Arabella talks about Harry, the way she looks at him and the genuine concern she has for him… that cannot be duplicated or faked. He had known it a couple months ago when he told that to Harry before the Third Task, and it was going to be a while until Sirius realized that as well.
"Just be careful," said Sirius, sighing. "It's going to be rough out there for the both of you. People don't like you and they won't like the both of you together and they're going to do whatever they can to drive the two of you apart and hate each other. Things are going to be out of your control… but you can get by if you're with the right person."
Remus nodded and smiled. "Well, put Sirius. Slightly more than what I would have said, but you got there in the end."
Harry let out a small snort of laughter before nodding.
"Come on, now," said Sirius, indicating towards the hallway. "Let's head down for breakfast before Molly brings us down by our ears."
Harry went ahead of them as Remus and Sirius stood on the doorway for a moment, watching him and getting lost in there thoughts.
"Just feels like I didn't get much time with her," Sirius muttered, letting out a soft kick in the air. "I was there for a bit then went to Azkaban, got out and now she's with Harry. Doesn't seem like I got to know her at all."
"They grow up fast," Remus offered. "There's nothing we can do about that. You never got to know her as a child, but you can as a young adult. She needs her father now more than ever. She needs you to guide her, Sirius, especially now. You missed a couple years – big deal – you'll be there for the next couple."
Sirius gave a loop-sided smile. "You're right. I'm not leaving. Even if she begs and pleads with me. She can't get rid of me that easily."
Remus and Sirius headed down the stairs quietly, as to not wake up Walburga Black. Just as they were about to enter the kitchen, Harry was being dragged away by Fred and George with Ron at their heels. Harry looked defeated while Fred and George gave Remus and Sirius bright smiles as they continued along.
"Mum put down some eggs for the both of you," said Ron, pausing for a moment. "She's going to make another batch of toast before stopping."
"Thanks," Sirius said absentmindedly, looking on after Harry. "What's…?"
"Don't worry about it," Ron said quickly. He gave them a big smile and followed after his brothers.
Remus and Sirius looked at each other for a moment before silently agreeing that it was best to leave that alone. Sirius took a seat at the head of the table, nibbling on his eggs, while Remus took a seat next to Arabella, smearing some jam on toast. Everything seemed peaceful. Arthur was reading the Daily Prophet while Molly enjoyed her coffee. Hermione was reading an old Transfiguration book while her cat was on Ginny's lap, trying to get some egg.
A few moments later, Ron, Fred and George re-entered the kitchen, each looking thoroughly pleased with themselves. Harry followed them slowly, a couple seconds behind, and took a seat next to Sirius, his face completely pale and exhausted.
Once breakfast was done and everyone had filled their bellies. Mrs. Weasley marched everyone into the first floor drawing room. Arabella imaged that the room was once beautiful with olive-green walls and large windows overlooking the streets. Today, the carpet let out a small cloud of dust every time someone took a step and it seemed as though it was molding. The tapestry was still dirty, despite Arabella spending a considerable amount of time there.
"Cover your faces and take a spray," said Mrs. Weasley, handing out cloths and pointing to bottles of black liquids. "It's Doxycide. I've never seen an infestation this bad – what that house-elf's been doing for the last ten years –"
Even though Hermione's face was already covered by a tea towel, Arabella could tell she was throwing Mrs. Weasley a reproachful look.
"Kreacher's really old, he probably couldn't manage –"
"You'd be surprised what Kreacher can manage what he wants to, Hermione," said Sirius, walking into the room with a bloodstained bag of dead rats. "I just fed Buckbeak," he added, noticing everyone's disgusted look. "I keep him upstairs in my mother's bedroom. Anyway… this writing desk…"
He dropped the bag onto an armchair and then bent over to examine the slightly shaking cabinet.
"Well, Molly, I'm pretty sure this is a boggart, but perhaps we ought to let Mad-Eye have a shifty at it before we let it out – knowing my mother it could be something much worse."
"Right you are, Sirius," said Mrs. Weasley.
The doorbell sounded from downstairs followed by Walburga's terrible, shrill screams.
"I keep telling them not to ring the doorbell!" Sirius said exasperatedly, rolling his eyes. "Come on," he mumbled towards Arabella. They both hurried out of the room and thundered down the stairs.
"Stains of dishonour, filthy half-breeds, blood traitors, children of filth…"
"Shut up, you old bat," snapped Sirius.
With one gigantic tug, Sirius and Arabella managed to get the curtain closed without Arabella turning into an Animagus. Sirius then began walking down the hall towards Kingsley Shacklebolt, who looked deeply exhausted. Arabella crouched down on the ascending staircase and leaned in, trying to get a better look without them noticing.
"Hestia's just relieved me, so she' got Moody's cloak now, thought I'd leave a report for Dumbledore…"
Kingsley trailed off as he spotted Arabella over Sirius's shoulder. Sirius turned around and sighed.
"Why don't you go back and help everyone?" he said in a tone that left no room for an argument. "I'm sure they can use the extra hand."
Arabella looked at both men and then said, "All right then." She made her way back upstairs slowly, trying to listen in on anything that might slip between them. But both were quiet, waiting for her to go back to the others. Arabella lingered on the drawing room door before regretfully closing it and joining the doxy part. Mrs. Weasley was bent over Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to Household Pests, which was lying open on the soft.
"Right, you lot, you need to be careful, because doxies bite and their teeth are poisonous. I've got a bottle of antidote here, but I'd rather nobody needed it." Mrs. Weasley then straightened up, positioned herself squarely in front of the curtains, and beckoned them all forward. "When I say the word, start spraying immediately. They'll come flying out at us, I expect, but it says on the sprays one good squirt will paralyze them. When they're immobilized, just thrown them in this bucket." She stepped carefully out of their line of fire and raised her own spray. "All right – squirt!"
They had only been spraying for a few seconds when a fully grown doxy came out of a fold. Its shiny, tiny wings soared out towards them, its needle-sharp teeth bared and body covered with thick black hair. Its four tiny fists were clenched with fury and Arabella caught it midair with a face full of Doxycide. It fell with a loud thunk onto the carpet and let out a small twitch.
"Fred, what are you doing?" Mrs. Weasley said sharply. "Spray that at once and throw it away!"
Arabella looked around. Fred was holding a struggling doxy between his forefinger and thumb.
"Right-o," Fred said brightly, spraying the doxy quickly in the face so that it fainted. The moment Mrs. Weasley turned her back, he pocketed it with a wink.
Arabella smiled and shook her head. The de-doxying of the curtains took most of the morning. It was past midday when Mrs. Weasley finally removed her protective scarf and sank onto the couch. The curtains were no longer buzzing, but damp from the intense spraying. Beside them was the bucket of unconscious doxies, which Crookshanks was now sniffing with Fred and George shooting envious looks.
"I think we'll tackle those after lunch," said Mrs. Weasley, pointing at the dusty cabinets standing on either side of the mantelpiece. They were filled with an assortment of objects: rusty daggers, claws, coiled snakeskin, tarnished silver boxes inscribed with foreign languages, and a crystal bottle full of what Arabella was sure was blood.
The doorbell rang again and Arabella swore under her breath. She was about to leave the room when Mrs. Weasley stopped her.
"Stay here," she said to Arabella and the others. Walburga's screams just began. "I'll bring up some sandwiches."
She left the room and closed the door carefully behind her. Everyone then dashed towards the window to see who it was. They saw the top of an unkempt head and a stack of insecure cauldrons.
"Mundungus!" said Hermione. "What's he brought all those cauldrons for?"
Arabella swore under her breath again and then said, "Probably wants up to hide them or something."
"Isn't that what he was doing the night he was supposed to be tailing me?" said Harry. "Picking up dodgy cauldrons?"
"Yeah, you're right!" said Fred as the front door opened. Mundungus pushed his cauldrons forward and disappeared from view. "Blimey, Mum won't like that…"
They all went over towards the door. Fred and George crouched next to the keyhole, listening intently. Walburga had stopped screaming some seconds ago.
"Mundungus is talking to Sirius and Kingsley," muttered Fred. "Can't hear properly… d'you reckon we can risk the Extendable Ears?"
"Might be worth it," said George. "I could sneak upstairs and get a pair –"
But in one quick second, the Extendable Ears had proven to be unnecessary. There was an explosion downstairs that made everyone in the room jump. Mrs. Weasley was screaming at the top of her voice.
"WE'RE NOT RUNNING A HIDEOUT FOR STOLEN GOODS!"
"I love hearing Mum shouting at someone else," said Fred with a satisfied smile on his face as he opened the door a little. "It makes such a nice change."
" – COMPLETELY IRRESPONSIBLE, AS IF WE HAVEN'T GOT ENOUGH TO WORRY ABOUT WITHOUT YOU DRAGGING STOLEN CAULDRONS INTO THE HOUSE –"
"The idiots are letting her get into her stride," said George, shaking his head. "You've got to head her off early, otherwise she builds up a head of steam and goes for hours. And she's been dying to have a go at Mundungus ever since he sneaked off when he was supposed to be following you, Harry – and there goes your grandmother again –"
At once, Mrs. Weasley's screams were drowned out by Walburga. George opened the door and indicated for Arabella to go through. She looked at both the twins and shook her head.
"I'm not going down there. Do you really think I want to get in the middle of your mother and my grandmother's scream fest?"
"You can do the whole claw-claw-snarl thing," said Fred, holding his hands up like claws. He then let out a small, silly growl that got a good laugh from everyone but Arabella wasn't looking at him anymore.
Kreacher slowly crept inside the room, taking no notice of Arabella and the others. He was wearing a rag around his middle and his eyes were bloodshot. He shuffled slowly towards the far end of the room, muttering under his breath in a hoarse, deep voice. "… Smells like a drain and a criminal to boot, but she's no better, nasty old blood traitor with her brats messing up my Mistress's house, oh my poor Mistress, if she knew, if she knew the scum they've let in her house, what would she say to old Kreacher, oh the shame of it, Mudbloods and werewolves and traitors and thieves, poor old Kreacher, what can he do…"
"Hello, Kreacher," Arabella said loudly, kicking the door shut with a snap.
He froze in his steps and stopped muttering. He gave a start of surprise that did not fool anyone and then said, "Kreacher did not see Young Mistress." He bowed to Arabella and added towards the carpet, "Spawn of the filthy criminal."
"Sorry," said George. "Didn't catch that last bit."
"Kreacher said noting." He gave a bow to George, adding once again, "Unnatural beast those twins are."
Kreacher then straightened up, eyeing them all very unkindly, and apparently convinced that they could not hear him as he continued to mutter. "… and there's the Mudblood, standing there bold as brass, oh if my Mistress knew, oh how she'd cry, and there's a new boy, Kreacher doesn't know his name, what is he doing here, Kreacher doesn't know…"
"This is Harry, Kreacher," said Hermione carefully. "Harry Potter."
Kreacher's pale eyes widened and he muttered faster and more furiously than ever. "The Mudblood is talking to Kreacher as though she is my friend, if Kreacher's Mistress saw him in such company, oh what would she say –"
"Don't call her a Mudblood!" Ron and Ginny said together furiously.
"It doesn't matter," Hermione whispered. "He's not in his right mind, he doesn't know what he's –"
"He knows exactly what he's saying, Hermione," said Arabella, coldly. "Don't fool yourself. Right, Kreacher?"
Kreacher did not answer her. He had his eyes on Harry and kept muttering under his breath. "Is it true? Is it Harry Potter? Kreacher can see the scar, it must be true, that's that boy who stopped the Dark Lord, Kreacher wonders how he did it –"
"Don't we all, Kreacher?" said Fred.
"What do you want anyway?" George asked.
Kreacher's eyes darted towards George and then around the room. "Kreacher is cleaning."
Arabella snorted as a voice behind her said, "A likely story."
Arabella half-turned her head to see Sirius walk into the room. The noise in the hall had stopped, perhaps the fight had gone into a different room. At the sight of Sirius, Kreacher flung himself into a ridiculously low bow that flatted his nose on the floor.
"Stand up straight," Sirius said impatiently. "Now, what are you up to?"
"Kreacher is cleaning. Kreacher lives to serve the noble house of Black –"
" – and it's getting blacker every day, it's filthy."
"Master always liked his little joke," said Kreacher, bowing again. He then said, under his voice, "Master was a nasty ungrateful swine who broke his mother's heart –"
"My mother didn't have a heart, Kreacher," Sirius snapped. "She kept herself alive out of pure spite."
Kreacher bowed again and said, "Whatever Master says," then muttered furiously, "Master is not fit to wipe slime from his mother's boots, oh my poor Mistress, what would she say if she saw Kreacher serving him and his nasty spawn, how she hated him, what a disappointment he was –"
"Kreacher, that's enough," Arabella snapped loudly. "Every time you show up pretending to clean, you sneak something off into your room so that we can't throw it out."
"Kreacher would never move anything from its proper place in Mistress's house," said Kreacher, then muttered, "Mistress would never forgive Kreacher if the tapestry was thrown out, seven centuries it's been in the family, Kreacher must save it, Kreacher will not let Master and his brat destroy it –"
"I thought it might be that," said Sirius. He cast a distasteful look at the opposite wall that held the family tree upon it. "She'll have put another Permanent Sticking Charm on the back of it, I don't doubt, but if I can get rid of it I certainly wall. Now go away, Kreacher."
Kreacher gave Sirius a glare of deepest loathe and hatred. He began shuffling out of the room and kept muttering all the way. " – comes back from Azkaban ordering Kreacher around, oh my poor Mistress, what would she say if she saw the house now, scum living in it, her treasures thrown out, she swore he was no son of her and he's back, they say he's a murderer too –"
"Keep muttering and I will be a murderer!" said Sirius irritably, and he slammed the door behind Kreacher.
"Sirius, he's not right in the head," Hermione said pleadingly, "I don't think he realizes we can hear him."
"He's been alone too long," said Sirius, "taking mad orders from my mother's portrait and talking to himself, but he was always a foul little –"
"If you just him free, maybe –"
"We can't set him free, he knows too much about the Order," said Sirius curtly. "And anyway, the shock will kill him. You suggest to him that he leaves this house, see how he takes it."
Sirius then walked across the room towards the tapestry. The others followed in suit. It was an extremely old thing that began to fade years ago. The only thing that shined brightly was the golden thread connected everyone. At the very top of the tapestry read the words:
THE NOBLE AND MOST ANCIENT HOUSE OF BLACK
TOUJOURS PUR
"You're not on here!" Harry said to Sirius, scanning the tree.
"I used to be right there," said Sirius, pointing to a small, round, charred hole above Arabella's name. "My sweet old mother blasted me off after I ran away from home – Kreacher's quite fond of muttering the story under his breath."
"You ran away from home?" asked Ron.
"When I was about sixteen. I'd had enough."
"Where did you go?" asked Harry, staring at him.
"Your dad's place. Your grandparents were really good about it. They sort of adopted me as a second son. Yeah, I camped out at your dad's during the school holidays, and then when I was seventeen I got a place of my own before moving into mine and Kassandra's house. My uncle Alphard had left me a decent bit of gold – he's been wiped off here too, that's probably why – anyway, after that I looked after myself and my real family. I was always welcome at Mr. and Mrs. Potter's for Sunday lunch, though."
"But… why did you…?"
"Leave?" Sirius smiled bitterly and ran a hand through his unkempt hair. "Because I hated the whole lot of them. My parents with their pure-blood mania, convinced that to be a Black made you practically royal… my idiot brother, soft enough to believe them… that's him." Sirius jabbed a finger towards the bottom of the tree, at the name REGULUS BLACK. He died about fifteen years ago. "He was younger than me and a much better son, as I was constantly reminded."
"But he died," said Harry.
"Yeah. Stupid idiot… he joined the Death Eaters."
"You're kidding!"
"Come on, Harry, haven't you seen enough of this house to tell what kind of wizards my family were?"
"Harry, our motto is literally translated to 'Always Pure'," added Arabella, pointing to the top of the tapestry.
"Were they – your parents – were they Death Eaters as well?" asked Harry.
"No, no," said Sirius, "but believe me, they thought Voldemort had the right idea, they were all for the purification of the Wizarding race, getting rid of Muggle-borns and having purebloods in charge. They weren't alone either, there were quite a few people, before Voldemort showed his true colours, who had thought he had the right idea about things… They got cold feet when they saw what he was prepared to do to get power, though. But I bet my parents thought Regulus was a right little hero for joining up at first."
"Was he killed by an Auror?" Harry asked tentatively.
"Oh no," said Sirius. "No, he was murdered by Voldemort. Or on Voldemort's orders, more likely, I doubt Regulus was ever important enough to be killed by Voldemort in person. From what I found out after he died, he got in so far, then panicked about what he was being asked to do and tried to back out. Well, you don't just hand in your resignation to Voldemort. It's a lifetime of service or death."
"Lunch," said Mrs. Weasley.
She entered the room holding her wand in front of her, balancing a huge tray loaded with sandwiches and a cake on its tip. Her face was red and she still looked angry. The others moved towards her, eager for some food, but Arabella, Sirius and Harry reminded where they were, in front of the tapestry.
Sirius bent forward towards the family tree, examining it closer. "I can't believe she put you here. Must have been a nasty shock once she realized that you were never going to visit her again. There's Phineas Nigellus… my great-great-grandfather, see? Least popular headmaster Hogwarts ever had… and Araminta Meliflua… cousin of my mother's… tried to force through a Ministry Bill to make Muggle-hunting legal… and dear Aunt Elladora… she stated the family tradition of beheading house-elves when they got too old to carry tea trays… of course, anytime the family produced someone halfway decent they were disowned. I see Tonks isn't on here. Maybe that's why Kreacher won't take orders from her – he's supposed to do whatever anyone in the family asks him…"
"Andromeda's her mother," Arabella told Harry, scanning the tree. "Her sister is Narcissa Malfoy, that worm's mother." She then caught Harry staring at the name left of Andromeda's – Bellatrix Black. "And, of course, she is related to that lovely person who so kindly broke into my house all those years ago to have some biscuit and tea."
Arabella let out a snort of laughter, but Harry didn't find anything she said amusing. He frowned at her words and Arabella looked away, feeling slightly self-conscious of herself. She didn't want to be upset today and she certainly did not want to think about what Bellatrix Lestrange had done to her.
"Well, at least Andy will always be our favourite," Sirius offered, shrugging.
Arabella shrugged as well. "Doesn't matter either way, then. She's –"Arabella jabbed at Bellatrix's name "– certainly not part of our family, and neither are her husband's family. As far as I'm concerned, the whole lot of them can rot away in Azkaban where they belong."
She didn't realize her voice was raised until she was finished. She took a deep breath and flexed her hand.
Sirius patted her shoulder and turned away from the tapestry, staring across the drawing room. "I don't like being back here. I never thought I'd be stuck in this house again. It's ideal for headquarters, of course. My father put every security measure known to Wizard-kind in it when he lived here. It's Unplottable, so Muggles could never come and call – as if they'd have wanted to – and now Dumbledore's added his protection, you'd be hard put to find a safer house anywhere. Dumbledore's Secret-Keeper for the Order, you know – nobody can find headquarters unless he tells them personally where it is – that note Moody showed you last night, that was from Dumbledore…" Sirius then let out a short, bark-like laugh. "If my parents could see the use it was being put to now… well, my mother's portrait should give you some idea…" He then sighed and said, "I wouldn't mind if I could just get out occasionally and do something useful. I've asked Dumbledore whether I can escort you to your hearing – as Snuffles, obviously – so I can give you a bit of moral support, what d'you think?"
Harry grabbed onto Arabella's hand instantly, as though in fear. Arabella turned her head from the tapestry and saw what he was staring at: the Weasleys and Hermione enjoying their sandwiches. Arabella squeezed his fingers and rubbed her thumb over his knuckles.
"Don't worry," said Sirius, watching Harry carefully. "I'm sure they're going to clear you, there's definitely something in the International Statue of Secrecy about being allowed to use magic to save your own life."
"But if they do expel me," said Harry, quietly, "can I come back here and live with you?"
Sirius smiled sadly and said, "We'll see."
"I'd feel a lot better about the hearing if I knew I didn't have to go back to the Dursleys."
"They must be bad if you prefer this place."
The rest of the afternoon was quite eventful. Emptying the glass cabinet proved to be quite the task as many of the objects seemed reluctant to leave. A silver snuffbox gave Sirius a nasty bite that quickly developed a brown, crusty covering. An instrument that had many legs that looked like tweezers tried to puncture Harry's skin. Sirius seized it and smashed it with a very heavy book, much to Hermione's horror. There was a music box that emitted a sinister tune that would cause all of them to become weak and sleepy until Ginny slammed the lid shut. There was a heavy lock that no one could open, ancient seals, and an Order of Merlin, First Class that had been awarded to Orion Black.
Kreacher came back into the room several times in attempt to smuggle things under his loincloth. When Sirius actually wrestled a large golden ring bearing the Black family crest from his grip Kreacher actually burst into furious tears. He left the room sobbing and cursing Sirius loudly.
Mrs. Weasley kept them working very hard over the next couple of days. The drawing room took about three days to finally clean. The only things left in the room once they were done was the tapestry and the rattling writing desk. From the drawing room, they moved onto the dining room. The china that bore the Black crest and motto, and the set of old photographs were all thrown into a sack by Sirius. They were truly waging a war against the house as many objects were putting up a good fight and Kreacher was of no help at all. He kept trying to sneak in and remove items from the rubbish sacks while still muttering under his breath.
Sirius threatened him with clothes, but Kreacher merely stared at him with glassy eyes and said, "Mater must do as Master wishes." He then turned away and muttered very loudly, "But Master will not turn Kreacher away, no, because Kreacher knows what they are up to, oh yes, he is plotting against the Dark Lord, yes, with these Mudbloods and traitors and scum…"
Sirius then seized Kreacher by the back of his loincloth and threw him from the room.
The doorbell rang several times a day, causing two things to happen: Walburga's screams and everyone trying to eavesdrop on the visitor before Mrs. Weasley call them back to their tasks. Some visitors, like Snape and McGonagall, came and left quickly without uttering a word to Arabella or the others. Some stayed to help them. Nymph joined them to for an afternoon when the discovered that there was a murderous ghoul lurking in the upstairs bathroom. Remus helped them repair a grandfather clock that kept shooting heavy bolts at passers. Mundungus rescued Ron from an ancient set of purple robes that tried to strangle him, momentarily redeeming himself in front of Mrs. Weasley.
Arabella was actually having fun. She was busy and tired, but she was surrounded by people she genuinely cared for. Fred and George were making the most of it and being around Hermione and Ginny made Arabella smile more. Every time she looked over at Harry, she had hoped to see him smile. Sometimes he did, when he was busy and talking with Ron, but other times, when they would take a break, she started to see that smile slip away. Arabella did not want to bring it up, but she was worried about the Ministry hearing. She could not stop the images of faceless officials looming over Harry, snapping his wand and sending him back to those relatives of his. She felt as though she should talk about it with someone, but she didn't want to bring Harry's spirits down and it didn't seem right talking about it with anyone else.
Dinner on Wednesday was pleasant. Mrs. Weasley had made pork chops with delicious roasted potatoes. Arabella sat beside Harry at the end of the table and was blissfully happy to be surrounded by her friends. She and Hermione were talking about the upcoming year at Hogwarts while Harry head her hand underneath the table. He made gently, soothing circles on the back of her hand while animatedly talking to Ron ad Ginny about the upcoming Quidditch season.
In the middle of dinner, Mrs. Weasley turned towards Harry and said, quietly, "I've ironed your best clothes for tomorrow morning, Harry, and I want you to wash your hair tonight too. A good first impression can work wonders."
Arabella, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Fred and George all stopped talking and looked over at him. Harry gave a tight nod and kept eating his pork chop.
"How am I getting there?" he asked, voice strained.
"Arthur's taking you to work with him," said Mrs. Weasley gently.
Mr. Weasley smiled encouragingly at Harry across the table. "You can wait in my office until it's time for the hearing."
Arabella looked down the table at Sirius, who was cutting his pork chop with more vigour than usual. She had known for a while that Sirius wanted to be the one to take Harry for his meeting, but the Ministry was still hunting him down.
"Professor Dumbledore doesn't think it's a good idea for Sirius to go with you," said Mrs. Weasley, "and I must say I –"
"– think he's quite right," Sirius said though clenched teeth.
"When did Dumbledore tell you that?" Harry asked Sirius, staring at him.
"He came last night, when you were in bed," said Mr. Weasley.
Arabella sighed as Harry dropped his eyes on his plate. She squeezed his fingers tightly and gave him a smile. She rubbed his thumb, wanting to sooth his mood. Knowing that Dumbledore was here last night and did not even see him was bound to make Harry feel even worse than before.
Thank you so much for reading! Let me know what you think of this chapter.
Regarding the talk between Harry, Remus and Sirius in the beginning, I didn't want to go down the expected path where both are making Harry feel bad and threaten him and all that. This seemed to fit Remus and Sirius better, even if Sirius wasn't too pleased with the situation. What do you guys think?