Back in the good ol' present... enjoy ;)

The house that I'd spent the first 16 miserable years of my life stood as old and tattered as it had been when we'd left it just less than a year ago, still making my nerve ends twitch with fury and boil with hate – I'd really believed Rems when he'd told me we'd never have to come back here again, and what a lie it had been, a little bit of childlike annoyance bubbling beneath my skin, slowly rising above the 'Existence of Lily Evans Potter' mark on irritation graph in my head.

I swung the rotting door open, dusting my hands with peeling paint, and made my way into the slice of hell, the floor boards bearing my weight with a low whine. The little body for Kreacher, popped from a doorway to stare and cuss at my presence, then scatter off to then continue the wonderful job he was doing not cleaning. I breathed the thick, dirty air and sighed.

"I really hate this place."

Remus swivelled to face me, caressing my cheeks with sweet, tender hands, warming me to the core.

"I'm sure I can make it better." He beamed as I stood encapsulated in the wonder of his eyes.

His soft lips played on mine, losing me deeper in his wonder, and, placing my hands on his shoulders, I pulled him further into our kiss, remaining as I always had been: a sybarite to that locked within the very being of Remus Lupin. As his slender arms cradled me, I towed off and placed a tired forehead against his collarbone.

"As stunning as you are, Rems, I'm not sure even you could make this place worthwhile."

He just shook his head and smirked. "I'll be happy you prove you wrong. Now, contact Arthur and Molly – They're some of the first people we need around here."

I let an unenthusiastic grin slide out of the corner of my mouth and spread over my face in an unconvincing fashion, making him frown somewhat.

"Sirius, do it... or I will and you'll regret it!" He waved his left hand behind him, the sliver of gold glinting in the dim light, as he began to make his way further into the jungle of rubbish that was Grimmauld Place.

"Ok," I forced, my voice resignedly hauling out, dragging its knuckles along the floor in a limp fashion. "But I wouldn't regret it as such, it's just better to not have people jumping about when we have something serious to get on with."

He flicked a little snort of laughter in my direction, continuing down the corridor. "Oh, I have, Siri. Oh, I have."

Not much time later, my though patterns were severed by the shrill yell of a mother I wished I'd never had, smouldering in my ears, so loud I was surprised the house didn't collapse.

"You!" The voice called, with all the distaste that could possibly slip from the tongue of any human being. "A FILTHY HALF-BREED IN MY HOUSE! GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT!"

I turned the corner to see Remus stood in front of the portrait, the edge of his knuckles brushing across the canvas in an almost charming manner, a calm contrast to the image writhing and cussing below his touch. She looked greener, more unwell than ever, eyes hollow, dark; black pits dug into the front of her face. For a moment I felt a small twinge of sympathy stab the base of my stomach for the woman so worn and horrifying, but was quickly dismayed by the fact that she'd destroyed what should have been some of the happiest years of my life and the chance that the portrait artist most probably hated her, like any other sane person in this world.

"GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF ME! YOU ARE NOT WORTHY, YOU REVOLTING HALF-BREED! SIRIUS, YOU VILE WORTHLESS CHILD I EVER HAD, HOW DARE YOU! HOW VERY DARE YOU PROPOSE TO THAT MONSTER, A MAN AT VERY LEAST!"

I slid toward the pair, placing a hand on Remus' shoulder and slipping my mother a snide grin.

"Oh, mummy, he is a monster, just in places I'd rather not converse with you over. Though I'm sure you'll hear it enough over the passing nights... and possibly days..." My mind danced for a bit with the face she was pulling, thinking of something more to fuel the fire that was playing in her expressions. "... In your bed..."

I left a little kiss on Remus' cheek and left once more in order to search for things I'd like to burn, possibly starting with the front door and letting it course through the whole house. Quite abruptly, the old woman's course, haggish voice halted with neither a struggle nor as much as an ear splitting scream, meaning we'd won... well... she'd given up... but it still mean Sirius and Remus: 1, "Mummy Black": nothing.

I was waiting in the next room when Remus appeared, read to give him a high-five, the 16-year-old boy inside of me leaping to the surface. He skipped toward me, hunched a little in laughter, face screwed in a childish ball, trying to muffle the laughter, pulling me into a warm hug until we teetered and collapsed onto old, dusty four-poster bed.

"Oh, I feel so welcomed by the 'Ancient and Noble House of Black'" He exhaled, through quiet, breathy fits of laughter.

My hand lifted from my side and stoked his hot, glowing cheek.

"You're beautiful, you know that." I grinned, gazing into his smiling eyes, turning him a shade redder.

"Please don't say things like that without warning – it makes me want to lock you away all for myself... In that cupboard, for example..."

The dark wood shook and moved forward a bit and Remus flashed me an innocent look.

"Well, maybe not that cupboard... but you get my drift..." His eyes shifted across the room. "Anyway, what do you thinks in there?"

I shrugged the shoulder that wasn't under my weight. "Dunno, probably only a boggart, but I think we should get Alistair to check it out – I don't want you dying on me."

He shook his head, masking a sly smile. "Ok, but I want to start sometime."

I didn't reply straight away, basking in the splendour of an exquisite vignette that presented itself on almost every page of my life so far and, hopefully, every other in the future, painting the sides of my maudlin childhood with effulgent colours.

"Well, I'm going to talk to Arthur now." I smiled, sitting, taking one tender glance to my partner before leaving the room.

I don't know what I'd do without him.