Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Harry Potter series and any of the characters. All credit goes to my hero, the wonderful J.K. Rowling! :D
Hpov
Watching Sirius struggle in the muggle world was some of the funniest stuff I'd seen in years. I'll never forget this face the first time the blender went off. He was fascinated by muggle inventions and technology, and bizarrely enough, out of anything he could choose, the toaster seemed to be his favorite. I was amazed to find he'd never tasted soda before, never heard of the word flashlight, and the idea of a treadmill was just something he couldn't grasp. For the first time he was outside his element and I almost couldn't contain myself when I'd caught him one day repeatedly opening and closing the refrigerator.
"What are you doing?" I'd asked incredulously shocked by his complete and total expression of utter concentration.
"The light..." He'd muttered closing it again and opening it quickly. "It doesn't have a switch. Is it always on or does it know when it's open?"
Another time I'd caught him staring at a news paper waiting for the pictures to move, when he tried to play chess with Mason, he'd tried to tell the players where to move, but my favorite moment had to have been when my brothers had convinced him that our vacuum could fly.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to this." He said grinning ecstatically as the toaster popped and he took out the slightly charred pieces of bread. "This is just wonderful."
"You cannot possibly know how strange this is to me." I said trying so hard not to laugh as he happily chewed his toast, I felt as if I'd cracked a rib. His expression was one of pure delight.
"When I go home, I'm buying six of these."
"You only need one." I said a giggle escaping.
"It doesn't matter, I want six." He said resolutely and I couldn't take it, I burst out laughing.
"Sirius, it's not that amazing."
"To you maybe." He said shrugging. "But this is all new to me. Everything is so different here." He frowned. "It's like everywhere I look there's something new that I just don't understand. Was this what it was like for you coming to Hogwarts?"
"Yeah." I said grinning and we sat facing each other on opposite sides of the kitchen counter. "You should have seen Lily and me the first time a portrait spoke to us. We were so stunned we couldn't respond."
"How did you learn so quickly?" he asked.
"Well we had some help." I said shrugging. "Alice explained a lot but I mean, eventually you just get used to it. Especially when you're surrounded by it all the time. You get to a point where you're not surprised anymore."
"I don't think that's going to happen." He said then immediately jumped when the refrigerator started making a horrible scraping and clattering noise.
"Relax, it's just making ice." I said laughing.
"It can do that?" He asked amazed and I nodded. "I'll never understand muggles, but they are much smarter than me…"
"Can you hand me that paper?" I asked noticing the newspaper on his said of the counter and he grabbed it.
"Why didn't you just summon it?" he asked confused while holding it out to me.
"My wand's upstairs." I explained. "I don't normally keep it on me when I'm at home."
"Why not?" he asked and I could tell the thought of leaving his wand unattended anywhere had never occurred to him before.
"I never really need it." I said shrugging. "How much magic have you used since you got here?"
He frowned slightly, his brow furrowed obviously lost in thought. The fact was, I couldn't remember him using any spells.
"Fair point." He said and I nodded, laughing slightly.
"What?" he asked curiously.
"Nothing." I said grinning. "It's just, Sirius Black has been living like a muggle for the past week."
"Can you write that down?" He asked me.
"Why?" I asked in shock.
"Because I want a written record of it that I can send to my parents."
It was obvious he'd meant it as a joke but I didn't smile. I felt a surge of guilt go through me that I couldn't explain.
"I guess they wouldn't be happy about you being friends with a muggleborn would they?" I asked a little awkwardly.
"Actually they'd be furious." He said off handedly. "That assuming they still gave a damn about me at all." He said but this didn't improve my mood. He seemed to notice because he reached across the counter and took one of my hands in his own, and when he spoke next, his tone was much gentler.
"That's why I left. I hated it there. Honestly Hallie, I'm much happier here with your family, than I ever was with mine."
His eyes met mine and my stomach tightened. I felt a strange tingling sensation where his fingers brushed the back of my hand, although the contact was minimal, I was hyper aware of it.
"Katie! Sirius!"
I jumped and quickly pulled away just as my father walked into the room.
"There you two are, everyone's in the family room. It's movie night."
Sirius shot me a curious look, but I shook my head figuring it was easier to show him than explain and together we walked into the living room.
"Why don't we watch Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail?" Kohl asked as Sirius and I both found seats on the couch.
"Yeah, we always watch it when Kate is home." Sampson agreed.
"Don't you think it's time for a change?" Mason asked raising his eyebrow.
"It was Mom's favorite movie." Kohl said coldly.
"I know but we've all see it so many times."
"Not enough if you ask me." Sampson said glaring at Mason.
"Boy's calm down." Mr. Benson said picking up the remote and tossing it to Sirius who caught it automatically. "We'll let the Sirius decide, he won the last round of super sledding so he gets to pick."
Sirius looked utterly confused.
"What am I supposed to do with this?" he asked.
"Dad he's never watched the telly before." I said in exasperation.
"You've got to be kidding me." Kohl asked alarmed. "Never?"
He shook his head.
"Blimey…" Sampson said. "What do wizards do then?"
"Probably what people did before the television was invited." I said rolling my eyes.
"Shut up Morgana." Sampson said.
"What?" Sirius asked confused.
"It's a famous witch in muggle legends." I explained scowling. My brothers always called me that when they wanted to annoy me.
"Yeah and she's very mean." Kohl continued and I shot him a look.
"Well Sirius, what do you want to watch?" My dad asked.
"I'll leave it up to you." He said looking at me. "I really don't know anything about this."
"I agree with idiot one and idiot two over there." I said gesturing towards Sampson and Kohl. "We should watch Monty Python."
"Yes!" they said in unison while Mason groaned.
"So what do we do?" Sirius asked as my father put in the movie.
"We watch it."
"That's it?"
"Yeah."
"Weird." He said frowning.
Mason turned off the lights as we passed around a bag of popcorn and the opening scene of the movie began to play.
"I have no idea what's going on." Sirius muttered quietly next to me.
"That's not unusual with this movie."
"What's with the coconuts?"
"It's just a joke."
"Oh." He said but he clearly didn't get it.
I wanted to pay attention and quote the movie along with my family but I found it difficult. I kept remembering what it felt like when Sirius had held my hand earlier and it didn't help that I was sitting right next to him. About half way through the movie I gave up and let my mind wander to other places, most of them times I'd spent with Sirius.
'Get a hold of yourself' I thought mentally shaking myself. 'Focus on something else.'
But I couldn't. Sirius was stuck on my brain like the lyrics to a song you always heard on the radio. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't get him out.
Spov
Hallie spent most of the movie explaining to me what it was about. I found a few of the jokes funny, but most of them just went over my head. Her family had found it hilarious apparently, and had been saying the lines along with the movie as it played.
Most nights were spent like this one or the first, doing ridiculous family traditions and games that they'd made up over the years. I found myself wondering how many times they'd watched it together and wishing I'd had something like this growing up but decided not to dwell on it. There was no point focusing on something I'd never have.
One thing was for sure, we were never bored, and it was incredible to see her going along with it with no structure or plans as if it were completely normal to her. Which, maybe out side of school, it was. Over the past week I felt as if I'd learned more about her than I had in all my years at Hogwarts combined.
As the movie ended, Mr. Benson announced he was going to bed. Just as he'd reached the top of the steps, I jumped as a blaring noise rang through the house and immediately Mason hopped to his feet.
"It's just the telephone," Hallie said laughing as Mason tore out of the living room while Kohl and Sampson, both grinning evilly, made their way quickly to the stairs.
"NOBODY TOUCH IT! I GOT IT! DON'T ANSWER THE PHONE!" he shouted while running to the wall where a plastic square hung and from it dangled a cord. He flew past Hallie and snatched at the phone. "Hello?" he asked hopefully then grinned like an idiot. "Amber, hey how are you?"
"It's his girlfriend." Hallie explained.
"Amber can you hold on for a second?" Mason asked. He waited for her response, then covered the mouthpiece with his hand and shouted. "SAMPSON AND KOHL GET OFF THE OTHER PHONE!"
Hallie smirked as we heard laughter break out from upstairs.
"Ok I'm back." He said putting the phone back to his ear.
"Why does it matter if there is another phone?" I asked curiously.
"Well there's only one phone line in the house, so if you pick up any phone when it's already in use, you can hear whatever the person is talking about."
"So they were listening in on his conversation?"
"Yeah. But we should go, give him some privacy." She said walking towards the door as Mason said.
"No I can't talk tomorrow night, my Dad's doing this thing for Christmas Eve…"
"Oh that's right I forgot to warn you." Hallie said as we walked out of the living room and into the main hall. "My Dad throws a party every year the night before Christmas."
"You know I'm a little curious as to why you put the word warn in there."
"Because," she said shaking her head. "These things always tend to get a little wild."
"More wild than your family?" I asked grinning.
"Imagine my family under the influence of copious amounts of alcohol."
"So it should be fun then." I said grinning.
"It's bound to be interesting to say the least."
"Who all is coming?"
"Family friends mostly. Dad's old soccer buddies, a few friends from work and their families. I think Adam might have invited a few of his teammates. The same with Kohl and Sam."
"That should be good for you right?" I teased. "Fit older guys who are already close to your brothers. It's practically open season."
"I don't date football players." She said looking extremely disturbed at the thought. "They remind me too much of my brothers."
"Then who do you date?" I asked curiously, remembering the muggle boyfriends she'd mentioned before, she'd never really gone into much detail.
"Prats mainly." Said a voice from above us and we looked up to see Kohl and Sampson grinning at us from the top of the stairs. "In fact, you're the first decent boy Katie's brought home in years." Sampson continued.
"Yeah Kate, why can't you date blokes more like him?" Kohl asked.
"What do you guys want?" Hallie asked suspiciously.
"Nothing," they said innocently and in unison.
"I don't believe you." She said her eyes narrowing.
"Well," Kohl started giving her a wicked grin. "Dad just told us we had to set up the Christmas lights this year and we were just talking about how much easier it would be if we had some magical help. Since you're home over the break…"
"I am NOT your personal wish granter." Hallie said annoyed. "Dad told you to do it, I'm not going to do your job for you."
"Yeah we know." Sampson said with an expression so similar to Hallie's when she was irritated, I almost did a double take. "You think after years of refusing to use magic around us we haven't gotten the point?" But his expression changed as his eyes fell on me. "But he might."
"Sure." I said shrugging and they looked pleased. "What would do I have to do?"
"Sirius you don't have to do anything."
"Shut up Morgana." They said in unison while clattering down the stairs and jogging towards me.
"Fine." Hallie said rolling her eyes. "But I'm warning you Sirius, those two are like leeches, it's one favor now, but pretty soon you'll be doing everything for them."
"Don't listen to her mate." Kohl said genially while putting an arm around my shoulder.
"Yeah our sister's always been a bit prone to overreactions." Sampson agreed in a falsely gave tone. "Although we try not to blame her, she is a girl after all. We figure she just can't help herself."
Hallie made an irritated noise and walked up the stairs presumably to go to her room.
"Although," Kohl continued while smiling slyly. "There are a few things you could do for us."
"Like what?" I asked suspiciously.
"Just a few favors," Sampson said airily. "Nothing at all strenuous for a magical person such as yourself."
"However it would however help solidify your position in our good graces." Kohl said seriously. "And I think we all know how much that would mean to our dear little sister for her brothers to like someone…"
It was in that moment I knew that Hallie's brothers knew exactly how I felt about her, and while they might not hate me for it like the boys from her past, Kohl and Sampson were willing to exploit it.
"Who knows?" Sampson said in a knowing tone. "It might even help her see that person in a different light…"
"What do you want me to do?" I asked warily.
"Well first off you can fix our room." Kohl said darkly.
"It's still pink." Sampson said darkly and I had to bite back a grin. "But there are other things as well."
"Like?"
"How much do you know about technology Sirius?" Kohl asked me curiously.
"Practically nothing." I said frowning thinking about the mystery light in the fridge.
"Not a problem." Sampson said airily. "Do you know how to make things fly?"
I nodded.
"You know what Sam." Kohl said grinning and clapping me on the shoulder. "I think we've just found ourselves a new best friend. Do you like motorbikes Sirius?"