Celestia POV
A week after capturing Pettigrew, Sirius Black steps into the Great Hall. Everyone falls silent as the man looks at each house table carefully. A smile graces his face when Potter runs over, hugging the man tightly. He demands to know what the older man is doing at Hogwarts.
"I came to visit you. Now that the charges are retracted and I was given a clean bill of health, you can move in with me, just like we talked about," Sirius tells the younger boy. Glancing around the room again, he asks, "Would you happen to know who Persephone Gaunt is?"
Harry answers in the negative while several Slytherins turn to stare at me, so I shrug, wondering what he wants with me. The Funny Twins grab Black, dragging him over to the Slytherin Table. Facing the inevitable, I stand up to meet the man. "That would be me. What can I help you with?" In front of the whole school, Sirius Black gives a well thought out speech thanking me for saving him. He promises to repay me one day, though I don't care. Catching a murderer wasn't really a choice, is it?
The ride to King's Cross is eventful. Some of the older Slytherins decided to confront me halfway through the ride.
"Don't forget yourself just because you saved someone."
"You will always be that clueless girl nobody likes, Gaunt. Nothing will change that."
"So clueless she doesn't know her true heritage!"
The group of three keep insulting me, but I try to ignore it, until Montague says, "I bet your parents aren't even dead. They just didn't want a disgrace like you. Maybe we should fix that." The three Slytherins pull there wands, and luckily I have mine already in hand. I only hit one with a stunner, but all three drop. Standing in the doorway is Harry Potter, wand in hand. Reviving them, they runaway screaming about the little Orphan bitch.
"I want to thank you for Sirius. Nothing we do could ever repay that. Do you mind me asking, are you an orphan, too?" He seems sincere in his questioning.
"Yeah, I am. My father was a squib, but instead of being disowned, my grandfather helped him set up a muggle identity. Death Eaters found him when I was four. Mother died in childbirth." We're pulling up to the station, so he excuses himself to get his belongings
As I wait outside for a cab, Potter and Black walk out. "I think I found a way to repay you," Sirius says. "I wish to offer you a room in my house." Freaking out, I ask him why he would do that. "Harry's grandparents took me in when I ran away from home. Now that I'm free, any wizarding child who doesn't have a home or doesn't feel safe at home will have a place of refuge. I was wondering if you want to be my second ward?"
Thinking back on all the hungry, cold nights I spent making sure the little ones didn't go without; all the bullying for going to 'Private' School; neglectful caretakers. With me gone, it's one less mouth to feed. I never return to the orphanage.
"I know it's not that great right now, but I am planning to fix it up. I have everything drawn out and sorted, already. I just need to do the labor."
Looking around, I agree the house could use improvements, but it isn't terrible. We order take out and sit around the dining room for a few hours, but as evening approaches, Sirius leads us up to the fourth floor.
The ground level has a library, sitting room and a full kitchen/ dining room. Reaching the second level, Sirius explains the rooms will be renovated for boys, the third floor for the girls. Reaching the top floor, he hesitates. "This floor is for family members. I haven't entered these since I was a teenager, so I can't tell you the state they are currently in."
Leading us to the closest door, he opens it, revealing a trashed room. Papers are thrown all over, pictures scattered on the floor, posters falling off walls. The furniture, however, still looks like new. So do the many photos stuck on the wall. "Since I'm taking over the master suite with Remus, I thought you might like my old room," he says, looking at Harry. Harry stares wided eyed at our foster dad, then agrees enthusiastically. "We'll get the rooms cleaned up tonight, using magic. Tomorrow, we can change the room more to your liking." Harry nods, while I cast sorting spells around the cluttered floor and tables, Sirius is hitting everything with multiple cleaning spells. We can teach Harry these spells later. With Grimmauld being unplottable underage magic isn't detectable, and I plan to learn anything I can. When we finish, Sirius and I exit Harry's room.
Crossing the hallway, Sirius pauses touching the handle. Taking a deep breath, he opens the door to an immaculate room. The room is actually to my liking already. The walls are painted black, a dark green carpet lines the floor, and the bedspread is green and black with quite a few matching pillows.
Sirius looks uncomfortable. "This was my brother's room. He always was the cleaner of us, though I have to admit I deliberately trashed my room before leaving." Laughing halfheartedly, he continues, "I trust you with this room. If anyone else happens to move in up here, I don't want them in Reggie's room."
When I ask him why he's helping so much, trusting me with this, he sadly says. "You remind me of him. He was kind, caring, sarcastic and so scary smart it was crazy. We may not have been close, but I know you two would have been friends. Just be careful of anything you find in there. My family line has always embraced the Dark Arts, even if Reg and I tried to avoid it."
"Thank you, Sirius. Really, thank you for all of this. It's more than enough to consider us even. We both got each other out of terrible places with mediocre caretakers." He shakes his head muttering about it not being anywhere close to the say extent.
Casting a Tempus, I decide to start packing up Regulus's belongings. I start looking for a trunk, and notice one under the edge of the bed. Crouching down to grab it, a voice commands me to stop.
Looking around the room, nobody else is here. Not even the grumpy house elf. I finish pulling the trunk out, standing up to place it on the bed. "Who are you?" the same voice asks, slightly angry in tone. Focusing on the location of the sound, I'm staring at a magic portrait of a young man. His hair is chin length, falling around a handsome face and silver eyes.
"I apologize for the intrusion. I just moved in today and was given this bedroom. My name is Persephone, but you can call me Sef."
"And pray tell, who gave you my room?" he asks, curious instead of angry.
"Sirius Black. He is turning your family home into a safe haven for wizard children; beaten, orphaned and unwanted," I tell him, pride for my new guardian evident in my voice. The look of joy in his eyes doesn't corespond with his facial expression.
He asks which one I am. I softly reply, "Orphan."
"A home for wounded children? I'm glad Siri finally found a purpose. Azkaban can be damaging to the soul." I ask him how he knew about Sirius's incarceration. "Kreacher keeps me updated on the happenings of the world, though I don't believe he's aware of this new development."
"Fair enough." I say as I start folding his clothes to put into a trunk. "Keep the shirts." I look up at him confused, but don't argue. Grabbing a few of his shirts, I hang them back up, packing the rest away, and shrinking the trunk.
Moving on to his desk, I organize all the contents into an extension charmed briefcase, while Regulus and I talk about whatever comes to mind. An hour or so later, I say, "Umm... so is there a way to get you to not watch me sleep? No offense, but that would be creepy."
"No offense meant, so none taken. However, you will have to tolerate my presence. The only sentient portrait, aside from my own, is my mother's. Considering she is unaware I commissioned this, I don't want her aware of my presence. Nor do I want Sirius to know just yet."
Before I have the chance to question it, I hear a loud thud and Harry's cursing. Just seconds later, a voice starts screeching about blood traitors in her home. I look at the amused grin of Regulus. "Point taken. I'll be back shortly."
Trudging down the staircase, I reach the entrance way, where Sirius is arguing with the portrait of his mother, Walburga Black. "Hey, Sirius, you mind if I try something?"
"If it shuts her up, go for it!" Sirius looks hopeful at the prospect. Walking up to Walburga, I lock eyes with the portrait. "Hello, I'm Sef. Please, be silent. You are disturbing the occupants of this Manor."
Walburga stares wide eyed. "I apologize for my rudeness. Welcome to the Black Family home." I nod at her, smiling.
Turning to Sirius and Harry, one looks amused and the other a bit paler than usual. "What did you do to her? I have only ever seen my mother back down from Voldemort."
Harry's laughter rings out, before he says, "Sef politely asked her to shut up."
"And she listened just like that?"
"It isn't the first time I've made adults listen to me. After Winter Break my first year, I cut my hand in Potions. Even though I started swearing, Professor Snape didn't punish me. He dismissed the class to heal my hand, then told me I had a special talent that I should avoid using around Light Wizards for its misjudgement. I accidentally used it against Quirrell third year. The bumbling fool kept messing up his demonstrations, so one day after class, I confronted him. After a few minutes of yelling, Quirrell looked scared and started begging forgiveness."
"Yes, well, our kind can be rather intimidating," Harry assures me. I'm unsure of what 'our kind' means, but too tired to care right now. Bidding them goodnight, I head back upstairs, warning them not to stay up too late, because Sirius mentioned a shopping trip for our rooms.
Opening the bedroom door, I see Regulus looking at me expectantly. "She agreed to behave. All I had to do was ask her to stop her bellowing?"
His questioning look turns to amazement. "She listened to some unknown orphan? That doesn't sound like my mother at all." Seeing my glare, he quickly adds, "My mother is very prejudice, however, I don't share the same views. I don't understand why she would surrender so easily."
"Well she did, so stop acting surprised. Gods, you Blacks are so frustrating. I don't know why I bother with-"
Regulus stops me mid-rant. "I apologize for offending you. Did you happen to speak to my mother that way?"
"Why are you Blacks acting so odd tonight? First, Sirius has to ask what I did to her portrait, when he stood there and watched me speak to her. Harry even had to tell him what I said. Now, you think I speak some specific way." Rant aside, something does seem strange with them.
"You said your name is Persephone, but didn't give a surname. If you don't mind answering that, and I'll answer anything you ask after."
"My father was a squib, so I grew up in a muggle atmosphere under the name Holt. When I rejoined the magic world, my grandfather let me take up our family name of Gaunt since Dad wasn't disowned for his circumstances." Letting out a yawn, I bid him goodnight.
"I'll explain in the morning, then. You can close the bed curtains, if you wish." Just before I fully loose consciousness, I hear a faint whisper, "Goodnight, Korre."