A/N: Tell me, did anyone catch the spell Katlin used to hide Harry from the people on the street? Where have we seen that one before and where do you suppose she learned it?

Just wondering.

Oh, you might also notice that a lot of the spelling errors are missing from this chapter. You know the ld favorites of late? First words not being capitalized and the letter 'o' missing half the time?

That's because this was written well over a year ago, when my keyboard was working right.

Just thought you'd like to know.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

Chapter Five: First Night Away From Home

That night after dinner Orion took Harry back to his bedroom.

"I hope you found the room all right." Orion stated. "It is, I believe, the same one you stayed in the last time you were here. I thought it might help if you were somewhere familiar."

Harry only nodded slightly as he looked around the room again. One of the first things he had noticed about the room was that things oddly enough looked much as he had left them a few weeks ago. As though no one had been in the room since. And if Orion had been the only person living there all those weeks, it was, of course, likely no one had.

Harry stepped into the room, then turned around to face his new guardian.

"Is something wrong, Harry?" Orion asked. "If you don't like the room, I can..."

Harry shook his head. "No, the room's fine. It just...I don't want to sound ungrateful, Orion, but how long exactly am I to stay here? I mean...,when can I see Sirius and Arabella again?"

"I'm afraid it may be a while, Harry." he replied without expression. "In the mean time, I'll do what I can to make things comfortable for you. If you need anything, you only have to ask."

And with that Orion turned and left back down the hallway. Harry watched him for a few seconds, then shook his head again and turned back to his room.

"Good evening, Sir."

Harry jumped back abruptly.

Before him suddenly stood a short, green, house-elf.

"We is sorry, Sir." The little creature stated with a small bow. "We was not meaning to frighten Sir."

"You're a house-elf!" Harry stated as though this were only the second he'd ever seen.

"Sir is not familiar with house-elves, Sir?" The creature inquired carefully.

"Oh, no, I know about house-elves." Harry stated. "I just wasn't aware Siri...that there were any in this house. I mean, I was here before, and I never saw a house-elf the whole time."

"Well, Sir," the elf said in a tone as though he were indeed addressing someone who had no idea about house-elves, "that is the sign of a good house-elf, Sir. To not be seen. One has only to do their work to let the master know it is being done, not display themselves doing it."

"So," Harry asked, "you were here before then?"

"No, Sir." The house-elf replied. "We is belonging to Mr. Black only. Besides, the Miss' did not require us, she says."

"Miss'?"

"The lady who came with you the last time, Sir."

"Oh! Arabella."

"Says we was to go with Mr. Black, Sir. Says she would take care of the cleaning and cooking and..."The elf frowned slightly. "Says she would do it all."

"Well, Arabella likes to cook." Harry said.

"Sir does not like to cook, does Sir?" The house-elf inquired hopefully.

"Who? Me?" Harry laughed slightly. "I hate cooking. I had to do all the cooking at the Dursley's."

The house-elf positively beamed at him. "Oh, we are thanking you, Sir" He replied happily. "We is liking to cook a great deal. And we is very good at it. Cooking is what we is doing best, Sir."

"Don't you cook for Ori...for Mr. Black?"

"When he is being here, Sir." The house-elf replied dismally. "But he is not very often."

"Really?" Harry asked curiously. "Where does he go?"

The house-elf suddenly fixed Harry with a suspicious stare. "You's is getting a might bit curious, Sir's. No offense intended."

"Well, no...not at all." Harry stammered. "It just that, well, I wondered..."

"We did think you knew the master."

"Well, I do." Harry replied. "He's my godfather's brother."

"Is not acting much like yous is knowing him, Sir."

"Well, I know what he does...sort of. But I sort of wondered, I mean, does he lived here alone? I haven't seen anyone else since I got here, and I was wondering if..."

"You is wondering too much, Sir's." The house-elf suddenly declared in a not so friendly manner.

Harry blinked and suddenly the little creature was standing on the rim of a vase that was seated on a small pedestal next to the door, giving him a very interrogating look.

"In fact, we's is thinking maybe you is here for other reasons, Sir's. That maybes you is after my master. We's is thinking that maybes you's is...a Deatheater!" He suddenly pronounced with all the flamboyance of a television lawyer as he pointed a small, thin finger at Harry.

"A what!" Harry stated.

"You is here after my master. I's knowing you are. You have been discovered, Sir's. I's is catching the Deatheater!"

"You're nutters!" Harry exclaimed. "I'm no Deatheater!"

"You is." The little elf stated firmly, getting right up to Harry's face.

"Tets." A quiet voice came from behind Harry.

The little elf immediately pulled back and, for balancing on the rim of a vase, Harry thought did a very good impression of someone standing at attention.

"Yes, Sir's?" The House-elf asked in a much more subdued voice.

Harry turned around to see Orion standing behind him again.

"I know I didn't just hear you insulting my guest."

"Was not insulting your guest, Sir's."

"Tets." Orion stated in the same quiet, even tone.

"Yes, Sir's?"

"Tets, Harry is not a Deatheater. He is my nephew. And this is not a muggle spy movie, this is my house. Kindly get on with your work."

"We is getting on with our work, Sir's."

"Very good, Tets." Orion stated as the little creature disappeared with a slight 'pop'.

Harry looked up at Orion as he sighed quietly.

The older man met his questioning stare with a small smile. "He really is good at what he does." Orion explained. "I'm afraid living with me has...corrupted him just a little, though."

"Corrupted him?"

"Sorts through all the mail for hidden spells, roams the grounds looking for intruders. Thinks everyone who comes into the house is a Deatheater. The little bugger practically had me tied up in the basement one day, insisting I was just someone impersonating me. Threatened to sack him if he didn't let me go. So he agreed to untie me."

"Just like that?" Harry thought a house-elf that would give into a threat so easily wasn't really trying.

"Well, Harry, people can threaten to sack you, and then people can threaten to sack you. You see?"

Harry was pretty sure he did as he nodded quickly.

"But just be careful around Tets, all right? I really think he's watched one too many of my spy movies on the DVD player."

"Spy movies?" Harry asked. He was about to asked about the DVD player as well, since the last thing he would have expected to find in the house were muggle devices. Certainly they had had a few while he, Arabella, and Sirius were living there. But they were mostly things brought from the cottage that they took with them when they left. But he decided to let it go. Maybe, like Arabella, Orion just liked certain muggle devices. Which indeed seemed the case from his answer.

"Whole collection of them." Orion announced proudly. "I find them extremely entertaining. Some of the things muggles can think up." He chuckled softly.

"I just never knew a wizard that collected anything muggle. Well, except Mr. Weasley."

"Ah, yes. Arthur. Good man, Arthur. Always meaning to go have a drink with him or something, just never get around to it. Very knowledgeable about Muggle items. Always thought he might be able to help me out with some of the ones I have that are giving me a bit of trouble."

"You have muggle things?" Harry asked.

"Lots of them." Orion replied. "If you like, tomorrow I'll show you some of them, all right?"

Harry was about to point out to Orion he had grown up in a muggle household, and showing him a toaster might not get the awed response Orion was expecting. But he decided to let it go for the moment. The fact was he was feeling a bit tired and was looking forward to going to bed.

"All right." Harry agreed. "I'll see you in the morning then."

"If you have any more problems with Tets, just tell him to call me. I'll sort him out fast enough."

Harry only nodded as he watched Orion walk off again down the corridor, then quietly closed the door.

Harry quickly got ready for bed and was soon settling himself underneath the large, plush green comforter on the double bed. But as he lay in the bed, staring at the canopy above him, a sudden idea came to him.

Sitting up in the bed, Harry reached over and put his glasses back on.

"Tets." Harry called.

With a soft 'pop' the little elf appeared at the end of Harry's bed.

"Sir's that is not a Deatheater, yes, Sir's?" He asked politely.

"Tets, can I asked you something about Orion, without you thinking I'm being nosey or that I'm a Deatheater?" Harry asked. Knowing fully well how House-elves were about discussing anything about the families they served, he felt it was best to ask.

"Oh, nots to worry, Sir's." Tets replied with a friendly smile. "Master is saying you is his nephew. You is family."

"Right." Harry agreed. "Family. So, you can tell me some things about my Uncle Orion, can't you?"

"Like what, Sir's?"

"Well, like what it is he does for the Ministry of Magic."

"Sir's does not know?" The house-elf asked with a tone Harry recognized all too well from the last time when he had ended up accused of being a Deatheater.

"Well, I know he works for the Department of Mysteries."

"Then why is Sir's asking?"

"Well, I though maybe you know what sort of things he does."

"My master does all sorts of things for the ministry, Sir's." Tets answered proudly. "He's very important. They depends on him a great deal, they do."

"But what sorts of things does he do for them, Tets? I mean, you say he's away from the house a lot. Is that because of his work?"

"I's would not be knowing that, Sir's." Tets replied. "The master is not telling Tets about those things."

Harry thought it was more likely Orion had told Tets what to say in answer to that question more than that he never told his House-elf where he went when he would be away from the house for extended periods.

"O.K.." Harry replied, carefully rephrasing the question. "I understand if Orion doesn't want you to tell me, Tets. I mean, considering what he does for the ministry, most of his business must be pretty top secret stuff, huh?"

"Oh, it is, Sir's." Tets replied. "You has no idea the sorts of stuffs my master does for thems at the ministry." But the little House-elf stopped himself abruptly and frowned at Harry. "Not that I's know anything about it, Sir's." he added defiantly.

"I'm sure not, Tets." Harry replied, sensing he wasn't really going to get anywhere with the overly well-trained house elf. "Well, thanks anyway, Tets. Good night."

"Sleep well, Sirs. Tets is keeping watch over house. So not to worrys."

Harry watched the little creature disappear, not sure if he found comfort in that thought or not.

Q&A

SIRIUSLY BORED

DiabloCat:
I'm very glad you liked it, Dear. The story was written just as a lark. Purely for fun.

FAMILY RELATIONS

She said maybe:

And Harry will now sit down and follow every rule?

Interesting name, Dear.

Heavens! Where do you get such an idea? He's a teenager. But first he has to get the 'lay of the land' so-to-speak. Find out what the rules are. Then he can start breaking them.

Also, Harry has a good relationship with Sirius and knows just how far he can push. He has to learn a whole new game plan with Orion, who is no novice to raising teenagers.

MasterLupin:
wow, now I am no psycologist but it seems to me that Harry is now ripe for a depretion to set in. Because here he was excited about getting new parents the first in he would ever know, and sudenly he is snached from that. thrown into a house with no one in it and the person who has sezed custdy of him dosn't seem the parenting type, if anything Orion dosn't know the first thing about taking care a teenager, and Harry would relize that soon. oh well thats my toughts anyway, post again soon.

I am just starting to love you. You ask nice long questions.

Well, you may not be a psychologist, Dear, but you play a pretty good one on the net.

Harry would be pretty ripe indeed for a good old case of depression. If he had the time. Believe me, the boy is not going to be bored.

What do you mean 'doesn't seem the parenting type'? I've got five kids, three of them teenagers, who will swear this man is not the parenting type. (Teenagers can be so cruel.)

They will also swear on a stack of bibles he hasn't got the first clue about taking care of teenagers and seeing to their needs.

In other words, he's the perfect father. He's strict to a point, he doesn't give in easily, and he expects you to give as good as you get. He also absolutely loves them to embarrassment.

Poor Harry has no idea what he's in for.

FreedomStar:

what I want to ask is..how the hell does Orion know where Harry went and what happened with that concealment spell on him...

Now, see, here's were reading other stories first comes in handy.

How does Orin know all that? Very simple, Dear, he went to the source...or more accurately, the source came to him. Namely, his wife. Katlin Griss Herkle Black. And you can bet that was one long lecture about child care.

See what you miss by not reading other stories?

Reviews are as of 07/24/2005.

And remember;

You are never on the same power grid as the person living next door to you. Which explains why they have power during a hurricane and you don't.