Disclaimer: I don't own anything, neither am I making any money off this. I am just writing for my own enjoyment and hopefully the enjoyment of others. What's really all mine are any mistakes you might find within the text, if you want them you'll have to sue me (LoL)
Rabastan and the other four kids followed the older pair into the house keeping enough distance that Cassiopea Black could not hear their sniggering and comfortably chatting with each other.
„Only Alphard would wear muggle clothes when he knows that the complete family is coming to his birthday party" commented Rabastan.
„Well, he was lucky that it was aunt Cassie who saw him, can you imagine what it would have happened if great-grandfather or grand-father saw him like that?" said Harry with the relish older siblings can't really hide when annoying younger siblings get themselves in trouble for a change.
„Oh Merlin! –gasped Neville- They would have ranted for hours!, remember the last family dinner at Beltane? When he saw us playing Jedi with the lightsabers uncle Marius gave us? I was reading etiquette books for ages afterwards..."
A collective shudder went through the kids, Harry and Draco had also been reading the dusty etiquette thomes for ages after that one. Of course the idea of giving up the lightsabers and stopping seeing the Starwars videos on the muggle TV Sirius had in 13th Grimmauld Place did not came into their heads... in was not really a question of not acting ‚muggle' or not, it was more a question of not letting the wrong family members see you doing it. Survival of the fittest was a really Black quality you did not last long in this family if you did not learn to think quickly on your feet.
„Ooohhh! What do you think, that grandmother Druella will do now to aunt Cassie when she learns that aunt Cassie hexed Alphard?" gleefully asked Draco
On this happy note, Rabastan and the kids disappeared into number thirteen Grimmauld Place closing the door and leaving Padfoot alone in his hiding place.
Padfoot really had a lot on his mind after this last exchange and the previous happenings. He felt that he had to recapitulate or he would easily forget part of what had already been said. He couldn't avoid to be extremely curious about this universe and the interactions within this new and different Black family.
On the one hand some things were beyond different with his own universe. On the other hand some things and some family members were exactly what he remembered from his own family and youth.
Aunt Cassiopea and Grandmother Druella Black –nee Rosier- apparently were the same as in his own universe.
Cassiopea Black, had loved his nephew Cygnus with the same passion she had hated his erstwhile wife and nowadays widow Druella Rosier Black. The ‚discussions' between both of them at any family event could put the final duel between Dumbledore and Grindelwald to shame.
The family thought that the only reason they still had not killed each other once and for all was that they had too much fun hexing each other within an inch of their lives on a regular basis. Both ladies could have given Voldermort a run for his money and if there was something all the Blacks were really proficient by now, it were strong shield charms. So nothing new here, thought Padfoot.
Two of the kids, weren't Blacks. Teddy reminded him of someone but... he couldn't put his finger on whom. He only knew of a Neville, Frank Longbottom's son, aunt Callidora's grandson. But the Longbottoms and the Blacks were never too close, specially not after that Rodolphus and Bellatrix stunt which put both Frank and Alice in for live, maybe, that had never happened here.
What it was very clear was that the Sirius in this universe was both, married and wealthy. Alphard, the pint-sized-chatterbox was this Sirius eldest son and he had already mentioned both a mum and other siblings, which in his words „were a pest". Well, Padfoot had only three words for him: pot, kettle, black.
With regards to his wealthy remark, one needed only to take a look around at Number thirteen Grimmauld Place to see that this was an expensive townhouse situated in an exclusive neighbourhood.
Alphard obviously knew Harry quite well, so Harry was probably Sirius' godson in this universe as well.
Draco was also easy to place, a Malfoy, and obviously Narcissa's son. But a universe where Blacks, Potters, Malfoys and Longbottoms were on friendly terms was more difficult to place. Weird!
Regulus was alive here and he seemed to be a loved uncle who doted on the kids. He had been the one to take care of poor Alphard after his run into aunt Cassie. Padfoot couldn't avoid to smile a little bit at this one. He could remember a similar occurrence on Regulus fourth birthday party back at home.
He also seemed to be on extremely good terms with his brother. Padfoot was very happy, but couldn't avoid the pain he felt when recalling the strained relationship he had had with his own brother in his own universe.
The kids were definitively happy and outgoing. That was in Padfoot's eye a mayor difference within any Black household he had seen until now. Weird!
Rabastan was another puzzle. He obviously was Regulus best friend, same as in Padfoot's universe. But what in Merlin's name may be the reason for him to be in such friendly terms with Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom? He could see that for the kids he was just another uncle.
From the older generation of Blacks his parents had, thank Merlin for small mercies, not been mentioned at all. He could only hope that they would be dead here as well as they were at home.
Both his grandparents had been mentioned and seemed to be alive and kicking and quite similar to his own. He really hoped that one of the sprogs would ask the old gaffers about great-grandfather Arcturus being the „roof " and not the head of the house of Black.
Well, about the ladies of the House of Black, granny Black baking a cake was a dead giveaway for Granny Melania, nee Melania MacMillan, wife of Arcturus Black and the best cook in all the world.
How a Hufflepuff like Melania had been able to happily live for decades together with Arcturus Black was a mystery for family and acquittances.
Great-grandmother would be grandmother Irma, nee Irma Crabbe, and married to Pollux Black.
The only couple who were a real surprise to him were aunt Marius and aunt Clytemnestra. It was obvious for Padfoot that they were Marius Black, the squib brother from Pollux, Cassiopea and Dorea Black and the squib sister from Abraxas Malfoy. And the idea of two squibs being invited to the family birthday party of the youngest heir together with the rest of the family was absolutely mindblowing.
As mindblowing as the fact that Marius was so sure of his place within the family that he came to Grimmauld Place driving a muggle car and daring to tell off Cassiopea for hexing the sprog. Weird, brave and utterly insane!
Padfoot definitively was going to remain put where he was and try to find out more about this exciting new „Black Family" before going back through he Veil. Afterall he always could rely on his Padfoot form to remain unrecognized.
There was only a small point, mentioned by Teddy, which Padfoot seemed to have failed to notice and which would bring his cunning plan down.
-End of chapter three-