Disclaimer: I do not own anything of this story. Harry Potter and all of the notable characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

Magnolia Crescent

Chapter Eighteen

Housewarming

Harry had to stifle a chuckle as he looked over the kitchen; Sirius had sent everything into a cleaning frenzy. When they first arrived, the entire house was covered with more than a decade's worth of dust; some places had even more than that.

The house elf, Kreacher, walked into the basement kitchen as Harry glanced over at him. He was wrinkled and old with sparse white hairs sprouting from his ears and a very harsh and croaking voice.

"Does the young Master need anything?" Kreacher asked, glaring up at Harry.

"No thanks, Kreacher. Thanks for asking," Harry replied as the house elf went back to his business. Harry frowned, not sure what his thoughts were on the elf. He seemed to hold a great resentment towards Sirius, and even Harry at first. Harry, however, did his best to be polite to Kreacher and the elf didn't hate him as much.

"I need dusting!" a painting shouted. Harry winced, glancing over at Kreacher. The elf nodded as he walked out of the room.

"Shut up!" Sirius shouted as Harry walked into the hall. Sirius was still trying to pry his mother's painting off the wall.

"Be gone, you traitor!" she shouted. Harry winced, watching his godfather attempt another pry.

"Sirius, that's the third time today you've tried. It's not coming off," Harry grimaced.

"I am having guest and I can't have her disturbing them," he frowned. "She's never been very fond of the friends I keep," Sirius explained, losing his grip and dropping to the ground. Kreacher seemed to chuckle under his breath before Sirius shot him a dark glare.

"Go clean up the living rom. I want it spotless," Sirius ordered, glaring at the house elf.

"But, of course, Kreacher is happy to serve the House of Black," Kreacher replied, bowing as he took his leave. Harry watched the wrinkled figure vanish down the stairs.

"You really shouldn't be so hard on him," Harry said with a frown, looking at his godfather. He eyed the painting for a moment. "Couldn't you use a Silencing Charm?" he suggested, glancing back at Sirius. His godfather paused for a second, realizing that it would be a lot less work.

"Of course," Sirius admitted, quickly flicking his wand and muttering an incantation. Now, no matter how much the painting tried, Mrs. Black could not be heard. Sirius breathed a sigh of relief, rushing down the stairs. Harry noticed a broom sweeping up the stairs. The windows opened and the curtains fluttered, allowing a warm summer breeze to enter the stale house.

"So, who is coming over?" Harry asked, entering the kitchen. All the dishes were on the table; a washrag was cleaning every surface and whatever found its way into the sink. Harry didn't know whether to frown or smile; he was so used to cleaning things by hand. He didn't enjoy cleaning, but it just felt odd to see so much work being done and yet be doing so little. He ducked as a glass floated overhead to find its way onto the table with everything else.

"Remus," Sirius replied. "He has some spells that will be able to help restore the house – since Kreacher decided to shirk his responsibilities," Sirius growled, spotting the house elf in the living room. "That and I need to get new furniture. You wouldn't believe how lumpy and stiff everything is. Not to mention, I need to get rid of these damn painting," he muttered to himself.

"You really don't like the place?" Harry inquired. Sirius turned to reply but they heard a knock at the door. Harry frowned a bit while Sirius quickly left to answer the front door.

"Hello. Oh, Molly, Arthur!" Sirius smiled. "What a pleasant surprise!" He stepped to the side, allowing them to walk in. "It's so good to see you," he smiled, shaking Arthur's hand.

"Hey, Ron," Harry waved as Ron and Ginny appeared behind their parents. Sirius glanced behind him as the broom levitated down the stairs and a garbage bag flew overhead.

"Sorry, the house was in need of some deep cleaning," Sirius apologized. "Please, come on in. Harry, why don't you show Ron around the house?" Sirius offered, leading Arthur and Molly to the living room.

Harry went upstairs as he and Ron noticed vaguely that Ginny was tagging along. Harry shrugged, not to bothered by the addition as he made his way to the landing. He opened the door to his room as Ron glanced around.

"This was Sirius's old room, but he let me have it," Harry said. Ron noticed the colors of Gryffindor and all of the Muggle pictures.

"So, did he put up the pictures?" Ginny asked, taking note of the Muggle pictures of women on walls. Harry blushed a deep red.

"Yeah, he said he would try to get them off if I wanted but he had cast some sort of sticking charm. It's going to take time," he replied. Ron smiled, nudging his friend.

"You're still going to keep them up, aren't you?" he smirked, nudging him again. Harry blushed as the redhead smirked.

"Ron," Ginny frowned, glaring at her brother. Ron simply ignored her. Harry opened his mouth to say something but he heard another knock at the door. Thinking it was Remus, Harry dashed to the door, only to see Hermione there. He glanced at Sirius, who shrugged.

"Hey, Harry," she smiled, each waving at the other.

"Hermione," Ron said with surprise, walking down the stairs. "What are you doing here?"

"My parents dropped me off. I wanted to make sure Harry was adjusting well to his new surroundings," she admitted. Harry scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed but happy to see her all the same.

"Um, Harry," Ginny interrupted. He glanced over at the redhead. "Where is the bathroom?" she asked quietly.

"Up the stairs on the right hand side," he informed as she headed back up the stairs. "Be careful! We haven't cleaned it yet!" Harry called after her.

"What, do you think the dust will bite her?" Ron joked, smirking a bite.

"We ran into an imp in the attic the other day. Sirius told me to keep an eye out for anything. The house has been more or less empty for a decade, so who knows what has gotten in. That's part of the reason why we're expecting Remus," Harry explained. "Come on up, I'll show you around." Harry smiled as he went up the stairs. They were just about to enter Harry's room when Ginny screamed.

Sirius leapt up from his chair at the sound but Molly was already halfway up the stairs. Harry jiggled the handle, realizing that it was locked. "Alohamora!" he shouted as Molly almost knocked him out of the way. Everyone froze when the door opened as they saw a teen standing inside with Ginny.

"Tom?" Harry frowned while Molly glanced at him with a look of confusion. The black-haired Slytherin turned as Harry realized what it was. It began to grow a cloak as Harry raised his wand.

"Riddikulus!" Harry cast as the dementor shifted into a bouncing black ball. With a flick of Molly's wand, the creature was sent back into the open towel drawer which slammed shut.

"Ginny, my baby! Are you alright?" Molly cried, quickly grabbing ahold of her daughter.

"Somebody been bullying you, sis?" Ron asked angrily, balling his fist. Sirius and Arthur glanced at Harry.

"Someone you know?" Arthur asked.

"You know him too," Harry frowned, glaring at the drawer. "Ginny, it's okay. The diary is gone," Harry said calmly, kneeling next to the girl. She nodded and Harry noticed that she was beginning to calm down. Molly blinked, remembering the diary from the previous year.

"That was…" she realized, glancing at Harry. He nodded.

"We should get her downstairs," Sirius interjected. Arthur picked his daughter up and carried her to the living room. Harry glared at the drawer. "We'll deal with it later," Sirius replied, leading the group to the living room.

Everyone took a seat in silence. Ginny grabbed ahold of Harry's hand in an effort to keep herself calm.

"So, I take it that was Tom Riddle?" Ron spoke up. Ginny nodded but didn't say anything.

"His memory, anyway. We'll make sure the next time you come over, we won't have any magical creatures besides Buckbeak," Sirius admitted. He backtracked when Arthur gave him a confused glance. "I mean Witherwings. You know, Harry, it might be a good idea to check on him," Sirius mentioned. Harry tried to get up but Ginny had a death grip on his hand. Harry glanced at his godfather with a pleading look. Sirius inclined his head a bit.

"Would you care to join me?" he asked. Ginny nodded and Harry led her up to Mrs. Black's old room. They had reached the landing when they heard a knock at the door for the third time. Ginny was about to walk through the door Harry had just opened when he stopped her.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"You need to be careful when approaching a hippogriff. You remember Malfoy going on about his arm?" Harry asked. Ginny nodded in realization. Harry was walking her through the correct motions when he heard Remus walking down the hall.

"Hello, Lupin," Harry greeted. Remus noticed Ginny calmly petting the creature.

"Hello, Harry, Ginny," he replied. Ginny nodded in return, having calmed down from her earlier scare. The hippogriff shifted as Remus bowed low. "I heard about your little scare so I have something for you," he said, smiling as he handed her a piece of chocolate.

"Thanks," she smiled, accepting the chocolate.

"Do you always have chocolate on you?" Harry asked, glancing at the old professor.

"You never know when a dementor might appear," Remus winked, patting Harry on the shoulder. "Well, then, Molly is making dinner for us. It will be ready in a couple of minutes," Remus reminded as Ron and Hermione entered the room as well.

"So, that's what the darkest wizard of our time looked like. Who knew he looked just like every other student," Ron commented as Remus exited.

"I'm going to help Mum finish making dinner," Ginny said. Harry nodded as she left the room as well.

"So, how's Buckbeak doing?" Ron asked, petting the hippogriff's neck after he had taken a bow.

"He's adjusted quite well. Although, I don't think he likes being trapped up here all the time," Harry replied.

"And what about you?" Hermione asked. "How have you adjusted?"

"I love it. The only weird thing is there being so much magic. There really isn't a need to do any physical cleaning. Sirius just charms everything to clean itself. It's a bit hard to get used to. Other than that, I'm doing fine," Harry said, shrugging his shoulders. Hermione nodded but seemed to want to press for more information. Thankfully for Harry, she didn't pry for anything more. The three spent a few minutes petting Buckbeak and tossing ferrets around the room for him to find.

"I hope Ginny isn't too shaken up," Hermione said as Harry shut the door behind them. "But if that memory is anything to go by, she isn't over the experience. At least not completely," she added. Ron frowned but refused to comment.

"Well, we can go check on her," Harry suggested, heading towards the kitchen. Ron groaned; he just wanted to sit down and relax. "Come on, Ron," Harry encouraged. The three soon found themselves in the kitchen where Molly was cooking.

"Ginny, dear, make sure to keep an eye on that pot. The last thing we need is another mess," she sighed, moving to another part of the kitchen.

"What's one more spill?" Ron asked out loud, noticing a lot of flour. Molly gave him a quick glare before messing with the dough again.

"So, what are you cooking?" Harry asked.

"Mum's making pot pies as well as some dessert but that is a surprise," Ginny winked.

"Out of here, the lot of you," Molly scolded, waving them off with a smile.

"Good to see you're feeling better, Ginny," Hermione said with a smile.

"Same here, Ginny," Harry added. Ginny smiled fondly as Molly reprimanded her for not watching the pot.

"Thanks," she whispered as she went back to her job.

Everyone had sat down at the dinner table while Molly, Ginny and Sirius helped get everything set down. Harry had offered to help.

"Sit down, Harry, dear. We've got everything ready," Molly smiled while Ginny set down an obviously bigger pie for him. Ron saw this and frowned, a little grumpy. Harry chuckled.

"Sirius, where are the forks?" Molly asked.

"Fourth drawer on the left," Sirius replied as he glanced over at Arthur, taking his own set. "No, thanks. The only reason I am taking the job is to spend time with Harry. The Black fortune has enough in it, I wouldn't have to work another day of my life. However that would be boring," Sirius replied. Molly frowned as his reasoning, but didn't call him out on it. "Not to mention recent events," Sirius muttered his breath, but nobody seemed to hear.

"I just hope that curse doesn't take him as well," Ron frowned, causing Hermione to elbow him. "Well, it's true. Quirrell, Lockhart, and now Lupin. Nobody has been able to hold onto that job," Ron shrugged.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it if I were Sirius. I just hope you do a good job," she countered.

"No doubts on that. Remus here has offered to help me out with all the responsibility that will require," Sirius replied. "Besides, I wouldn't mind going over all the Defense Against the Dark Arts spells myself. Been a bit out of practice," Sirius commented. The group nodded in agreement.

"So, who do you think will be going to the Quidditch Cup this time?" Remus asked, ready to start up a new conversation. Ron was quick to talk as the table became buried in old dishes and small talk.

It was late into the evening when the Weasley family got ready to go. Everyone was out in the living room, next to the fire place as Sirius handed out the Floo Powder.

"It was good to see you both," Arthur smiled, shaking hands with Sirius. Molly took Harry into a hug before grabbing his shoulders.

"You are always welcome at our home, Harry," she reminded. Harry nodded, giving her a warm smile. Ginny quickly wrapped him into a warm hug.

"Thanks for everything, Harry," she smiled, brushing her hair out of her eyes. Ron patted him on the back as his father vanished in green fire, Ginny following shortly thereafter.

"This is great, we can finally hang out more. Hopefully, nothing will interrupt our conversations this time," Ron chuckled, moving to the fireplace. With the Weasleys gone, all that was left were Hermione and Remus.

"Remus, if you don't mind, I have something I need your help with," Sirius mentioned. "You know, school work. No cheating, you two," he frowned, glancing at Hermione and Harry.

"Hermione, cheat?" Harry smirked. "No way, she takes too much pride in her work," Harry dismissed while Remus chuckled.

"Can't argue with that," Remus remarked, remembering how she was always on time with her work and one of his best students during his time as a professor.

The two teens didn't have much to say. Hermione talked about the upcoming classes and other school stuff. Harry listened but wasn't too focused on what she had to say.

"Do you think Sirius would mind if I played on the piano?" Hermione asked, breaking up their conversation on Herbology, a class Harry didn't find too particularly interesting.

"I don't see why not," Harry shrugged. Hermione walked over to the baby grand, lifting the cover on the keys. She began to play as Harry next to her, watching. She remained silent, playing a song he wasn't too familiar with. "Is there anything you can't do?" he asked jokingly when she had finished playing.

"Lots of things, Harry," she laughed. "After all, I am still in school. Harry, what do you think of Ginny?" she asked. Harry glanced over at her, a little confused.

"She's all right, a little shy, why?" he asked. Hermione frowned, as if fighting her desire to explain while at the same time keep quiet.

"I am worried about her, to be honest. With last year and the recent boggart, I am worried she may develop a…."

"A what?" Harry encouraged.

"A, I don't know, Harry, but I am worried about her. With everything that's been going on around her, I just think you should be careful around her," Hermione explained. Harry let it drop as he mused into what she meant. "Not trying to be mean, but you have become a bit of a pillar in her more devastating moments. I just don't want her to rely on it," Hermione sighed, deeply concerned. Harry kept quiet, not sure how to deal with anything. Even if it was some random girl, he was sure he would have gone down there just as quickly.

"I think I understand. I will be careful," Harry replied, not really sure what he could do. Hermione nodded when a knock at the door interrupted them.

"That would be my parents," Hermione said. Harry nodded, saying goodbye to his final friend.

The door closed on his final guest and Harry turned to see his godfather. "My godson, the bachelor, you dog," Sirius smiled, walking down the stairs. He was clearly hiding something behind his back.

"What do you mean?" asked Harry. Sirius shrugged, stopping at the foot of the stairs.

"Nothing. I do have something for you, think of it as a housewarming gift," Sirius replied, having found the word he was searching for. Harry smirked at the idea but refused to get his hopes up. Sirius tossed him a broom shaped gift. "I saw what happened to your old broom, so I hope you enjoy this one. Speaking of, I got tickets to a local game if you're interested."

"A Firebolt?" Harry said, stunned. He remembered Ron talking about them at dinner. "I couldn't," Harry stuttered, trying to hand it back. Sirius placed his hands behind his back.

"You need one for school. After all, the best seeker in the world should have the best broom," Sirius smiled confidently. Harry inspected it before hugging his godfather.

"Thanks for everything," Harry said as Sirius returned the hug.

So, yay! We're back from hiatus! The only thing is that I can guarantee that a chapter will be posted every week as I am not always by the internets. However, rest assured that new chapters will be posted, regardless. You just might have to wait for a while. But for now, enjoy!

~LE

EDIT: As per a few reviews, SWD and I agreed that Remus Lupin should be addressed by his first name. The only exception to the rule would be when a Hogwarts student is talking to him or about him. In that case, he will still be referred to as Lupin. Hope that clarifies and apologies for the confusion.

~LE