Another night's sleep diffused some more tension at the Bennett residence. The adults went off to their respective jobs, which, in Mary's case, meant welcoming piano students into their home. Harry and Melissa would keep out of the music room during those hours, content with books, games, and television to keep them busy.

At 4 o'clock there came a ring at the door. With her mother distracted in preparation for tea, Melissa hopped over to the door.

"Who is it?" She sang out.

"It's Sirius." A door-muffled voice answered.

She glanced out of a nearby window to confirm the dark-haired wizard at the door.

"One second." She called back. She ran to the kitchen and back, opening the mail flap and slid a ziplock freezer bag through it. "I need you to put your wand in the bag and out to me, please."

"...Should I ask why?"

"Can't be too careful." She answered back. A laugh from the other side of the door made her smile assuredly. Sure enough, the bag came back through the flap, a wand in its contents. "One minute!"

She ran out of the hall, hid the wand, and came back to unlock the door. "Hullo, Mister Black."

"Hello yourself." He replied, his eyes oddly amused. "You know, I would find that wand-checking idea absurd if I hadn't already met Salvatore."

Melissa blinked in confusion. "You've met Professor Salvatore?"

"I've done more than that. I've hired Salvatore as my security expert." He explained. "He's a clever fellow. Cautious, though I've met worse. He had me do the exact same thing when I visited him."

She grinned at that. "Knowledge and preparation!"

"Ha!" He barked. "I've heard that one from him, too. How's Harry?"

"He's good. Harry! Mum! Sirius is here!" She called out. "Come on in. We're having tea."

He stepped in with a thank you and joined them in the kitchen for tea. He asked Harry about his time at the Bennetts, and Melissa took the time to get to know Sirius. She had expected she would already know him, but it had been probably 20-25 years since she ever read the books or watched the movies and memories had long fuzzed over details like personality quirks and dispositions. That in mind, the conversation went as any other would when meeting someone who was mostly a stranger. He didn't speak much of his family, but when it came to friends there were tales by the dozen. Harry listened with rapt attention to the tales about his parents. The Bennett matriarch listened politely and asked questions relating to the differences between muggle and magical life. It was an experience, overall. Making for an enjoyable time.

"So how's the moving preparation going?" Mary asked. "I'm sure there's much more to plan for now."

"Definitely, but it's a welcomed one." He offered Harry a wink at that. "Though I might have to be a bit more discreet about it. Had a woman approach me in Diagon Alley asking me questions about Harry, I think she was some kind of reporter."

Melissa scrunched up her face at that. Having a reporter after Harry was a worrying idea. Especially if the woman in question was that blonde twit, Rita Skeeter.

"You didn't tell her anything, right?"

"Definitely not." He answered. "I shooed her away, but I think she stuck around from afar."

"Joy."

"Well it can't be helped. I've had my share of reporters and letters during the trial. I'm not surprised they're asking about Harry now that he's eleven. Almost eleven." He corrected himself.

"Ah, yes, to sniff out the famous Harry Potter!" Melissa grinned mischievously at Harry.

Harry groaned and shook his head. "Please, don't."

"What's that?" Sirius queried.

Harry slouched in his chair. "It's stupid, is all."

"Harry doesn't like being famous." Melissa expanded.

"Being supposedly famous for surviving the night my parents died isn't something worth celebrating." He argued.

Sirius looked him over with a new eye. "I see what you mean." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I miss James, and Lily, but I don't regret that you lived, Harry."

Harry blushed and slunk into his seat. "Thanks, Uncle Sirius." He mumbled shyly.

"If it's any consolation, I'm sure most of those people celebrating you only think the best of you. The only people who aren't are Death Eaters or slimy snakes."

"Hey! " Melissa chided. "That's not true."

"Oh, relax. I'm only talking about Slytherins."

"I'm a Slytherin." Melissa argued back.

Sirius raised his brow in surprise. "You?"

"Yes, me."

Sirius blinked, taken aback. "A muggleborn Slytherin? Sorry, that's a little hard to believe."

Melissa raised her brow in return. "Because muggleborns lack ambition and cunning?"

"Because Slytherins are a bunch of blood purists and dark wizards."

Melissa rolled her eyes at that. "Contrary to popular belief, humans aren't all a stereotype. Only about a third of kids in my year are like that; and, even then, I get on decently with a couple of them."

Sirius huffed, disbelieving. "It was certainly a constant when I was at Hogwarts."

Melissa raised a brow at that. "And is that because they acted like that from day one, or did you make an enemy out of every Slytherin before they could introduce themselves?"

There was an odd tension in the room. The non-Hogwarts attendees looked on in confusion as Sirius and Melissa stared each other down.

"I'll admit," Sirius grounded out, "I'm a little surprised that Harry's friends with a Slytherin."

Melissa's face transformed, replaced with the mask of a Slytherin sneer. "An ability to stay friends under the radar of obliviating wizards and abusive relatives. Giving him tips on how to manage under that abuse and have fun while preparing him for the real world. Frankly, no other kind of friendship would have survived."

"Melissa, dear." Her mother interrupted lightly, like exhaling a breath of air. "We ought to clean up now. Let our guests enjoy themselves."

"Hmm?" Melissa let the mask fall. "Sure thing, mum." She gave Harry a wink as she hopped off the table and flicked a knowing smirk at Sirius as she collected his plate. "Also, just throwing it out there, but Peter wasn't in Slytherin."

Sirius froze at that. Shocked at the name and the implication she was making. Unfortunately, the girl had already run off to her mother with the plates before his mind could unfreeze.

"Uncle Sirius?" Sirius turned to his godson, who seemed to be biting his lip with a frown. "I don't get everything you two were talking about, but you shouldn't be so harsh on her just because of which house she's in."

Sirius frowned in turn. He didn't want to upset his godson, but he also wanted Harry to understand. "Sorry, Harry. I didn't mean to insult your friend; but, well, Slytherins don't have the best reputation. Many of them were the followers of the man who killed your parents."

His godson's frown deepened. "She told me about that. She also mentioned that she and her friends were bullied and attacked a lot in their first year because everyone treated them like they were Death Eaters. One of her friends nearly died from it before it stopped."

That surprised Sirius. That surprise continued as Harry explained what she had told him in her letters. Vicious pranks and bullying on both sides, the Pledge they came up with after one boy's near-fatal fall, Valentines Day, and the budding friendships that had been growing for the past two years. It was an unusual thought to take in, but even Sirius could see the problems that came from the bullying. He could easily recall the time he had tricked Snivellus into the tunnel when Remus had turned. He knew, retrospectively, he had gone too far that night. Hearing it happening to a bunch of eleven year olds, though, gave it a more disturbing perspective. Even he had to admit that it went across the line.

"Alright, gents," Melissa propped herself up against the kitchen table, "are you up for hanging out in the music room?"

"Sure." Harry nodded. The two wizards got out of their respective seats and followed the Bennetts out of the room.

"Do you have any music preferences, tonight, Sirius?" Mary asked.

Sirius shrugged. "I can browse through your collection, but I'll leave it up to you."

"Mum, can I play something first?"

"Sure, sweetheart." Her mother giggled. "But only one song."

"Don't worry. I only want to play the one."

"Melly." Harry looked at her pointedly.

"What? "

"...You're going to play that new song, aren't you?"

The girl grinned, catlike. "Mayyyybe."

Harry simply rolled his eyes and shook his head. "You're ridiculous."

"Yeah, but you love me for it." She teased, giving him a small shove.

Harry laughed and pushed her back playfully. "Sure, Melly, sure."

Sirius and Mary watched the two kids giggling between them. For Mary, the interaction was completely ordinary. For Sirius, his feelings of love and worry only seem to be confused further. Nevertheless, he remained civil as he and Harry took up the loveseat. Mary had gone off to the bookshelf where a collection of vinyl, tapes, and CDs filled the contents. As she perused for options, Melissa grabbed one of her notebooks and got set up at the piano. With a crack of her fingers, she warmed up with a few chords and cleared her throat.

"Lady and gentlemen! Welcome to another night of Bennett Concert Theatre!" She announced dramatically. Her mother and Harry silently laughed as they gave polite applause. "Tonight we are debuting a new work composed by the irresistible, the enchanting, the siren of slytherin hall, Melissaaaaaa Bennett! "

Harry audibly groaned at the introduction, causing the girl to turn to him with a teasing frown. "Hey! If it hurts you that much, I'm not bringing your name up!"

Harry laughed in turn and teased her back. "I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not."

"Even better!" She grinned. "Let's Schrodinger this intro, then!

"Tonight's composition, though created by your favourite siren, was inspired and born from the daring, the quick-witted, the muse of magic and Houdini of hair care, Harryyyyyyyy Potter! "

That time, even Sirius joined in on the applause. Though whether it was a good intro to Harry or not was still up for debate as the boy still shook his head despite a smile on his face. "And now, for your entertainment, a debut dedicated to Messrs. Harry Potter and Sirius Black, just because."

With a wink, she turned to face the keys. The girl's fingers struck the piano keys in a jazzy, upbeat rhythm, building the structure of the chorus before singing out the words.

There's a snake charmer, singin' up in Surrey,

Crooning tunes by the scale

Yeah, a snake charmer, with his band right behind him,

Playing notes by the tail

He's got a viper, playing on the piper

A garter, stringing with the harper

And a boa, wailing on the oboe-a!

Da-da-da-da dat. da. dat-da DOW now!

There's a snake charmer, jiving on the dance floor,

Playin' spells on the beat.

Yeah, a snake charmer, cheering on the dancers,

Winding steps without feet.

There's a mamba, dancing to the samba

Cobra King, he's the master of swing

And rattlesnake is out doing the Harlem Shake,

Da-da-da-da dat. da. dat-da DOW now!

There's a snake charmer, underneath the stagelight,

Ringing up the circus show.

Yeah, a snake charmer, weaving up enchantments

As you watch the tableau

There's a juggling asp that'll make you gasp

The python is an aerial icon

And Anaconda is the starlet prima donna

Da-da-da-da dat. da. dat-da DOW now, yeah!

The song finished with one last jazzy chord, and was followed by the sound of laughter and haphazard applause. Melissa turned to see their reactions, and found all three audience members in some state of amusement. That said, she was mostly enjoying Harry's snickers and Sirius chuckling and eyes closed with his head in his hand.

"I'm surprised you're still laughing, Harry, seeing as you already know it."

"Well it is ridiculous." Harry grinned. "But you didn't see Uncle Sirius' face when you started playing."

"Oh, was I am amusing to you?" Sirius teased, peering at him with an open eye.

Harry nodded. "I couldn't tell if you wanted to run, fight, or laugh the entire time."

Sirius only laughed more at that description. "I'd say that's about right. Do you always make songs like that?"

Melissa giggled, her feet swung against the piano bench. "Only in the sense that they're all silly. Though I'd like to refer to them as 'secretly clever'."

"And this is why Barbary banned you from the songwriting workshop." Harry considered dryly. Melissa could only stick her tongue out as a response.

"There's nothing wrong with being silly." Mary debated with her own smile. "There's an entire industry of children's music that uses songs like that. I think it has potential."

"Thanks, mum!" Melissa beamed.

They spent another minute or two talking about the song. Sirius made a few lamenting notes about having a snake song dedicated to him, which was met with more teasing on the part of the children. Afterwards they spent the next hour listening to music while they talked about the past and future in turns. Sirius declined staying over for dinner, but promised to come back to visit again in a few days. As he got ready at the door, Melissa went out and retrieved his hidden wand.

"Doing it Salvatore's way, you're supposed to wait until the door closes before returning my wand." Sirius jokingly chastised as he put the wand back in it's holster.

Melissa frowned slightly, but shrugged it off, taking the advice to heart. "Right. I'll remember for next time."

They stood at the doorway awkwardly. Sirius seemed to shuffle his feet. "Look, about earlier, I should apologize. I'm not entirely sure how you ended up in-" He seemed to catch himself, as well as the girl's raised eyebrow, "what I mean to say is, you're a good kid. An odd one, but a good kid, and you've been a good friend to Harry." He smiled sincerely. "I appreciate everything your family's done for him. I know how it is, growing up without a friend. I'm glad he met you before going to Hogwarts."

Melissa smiled in turn, finding herself blushing slightly at the praise. "Same here."

Sirius seemed about ready to say his goodbyes, then caught himself with a thought. "There is something-, I've been meaning to ask." He paused for a moment, regarding her curiously. "The first time I met your parents, they had put up a sign to find me. A very specific sign that, apparently, had been your idea." Melissa twitched at that, showing that she understood what he was talking about. "Now, what I've been wondering since then, is how, exactly, did you come by that idea for the sign? About Padfoot and the rat?"

The girl was silent for a moment. Then, slowly, her face grew to a smile, playful yet sharp. A smile of Slytherin quality. "Come now, Padfoot, a witch can't be revealing all of her secrets."

Sirius' own expression twisted. Unsure of whether that answer was meant to be playfully teasing, or teasingly dangerous. Even the familiar way she said the name, much like how she casually mentioned Peter, put him on edge.

"I suppose she can't. You're a coy one, aren't you?" He remarked, keeping his tone matching on that knife-edged balance.

She chuckled, some of that Slytherin feature fading away. "It can be fun. I like to change things up once in a while for the entertainment value. Well, you have yourself a pleasant evening, Mister Black. I look forward to dinner next time you're around."

"Yes," Sirius blinked, miffed and confused at the obvious dismissal and change in demeanor, "you, as well, Bennett. Goodnight."