Harry was a tad confused. "Your mother?"
"Yes, my dear old mum," said Sirius, a bit sarcastically. "We cannot seem to remove the painting - we think she put a Permanent Sticking Charm on the back of the canvas. Let's go down into the kitchen now, quick, before dinner gets cold."
"What is this place? Why is a picture of your mum here?" Amelia asked, still a bit bewildered as she tried to peek up at the other portraits in the hall.
"This was my parent's house, but I'm one of the few Black's left, so it is mine now. I offered it to Dumbledore for Headquarters - about the only useful thing I've actually been able to do." Sirius replied. Harry noticed as well that Sirius was another person not particularly happy with the Headmaster of Hogwarts either.
The kitchen of this place was only a little bit nicer than the hallway - it was mainly lit by the fireplace at the other end of the room and though it had a high ceiling, didn't feel entirely homely. There was a long rectangular table taking up half the room, and beside the kitchen units was an entrance to a pantry.
He sat down at the table, with his twin sister sitting next to him and Dorea two seats down. Sirius sat at the table too. What Harry had mistaken to be a pile of dirty clothes started snoring and speaking.
"Mundungus, wake up." Sirius said, kicking the man's legs under the table, where he promptly sprang to life.
"W-what? 'Oo' said that? What's 'appened?" The man Mundungus's head started moving side to side around the room.
Amelia and Dorea started chuckling. Harry felt himself smiling too. "The meeting finished almost ten minutes ago, Dung." Sirius said, not looking that pleased. "Harry and Amelia are here."
"Blimey, so they are." Mundungus looked between the two of them. "Blinkin' nora, it's almost canny how much they look like-!" After a loudly cleared throat from Sirius, Mundungus went all faux proper. "Mundungus Fletcher, Miss Potter. I've met yer brother."
Amelia reluctantly took Mundungus's grubby hand and shook it with the most minimum of efforts. Harry smirked, but then the man turned towards him. "I owe ye an apology, Mr Potter,"
After being told off for smoking a pipe in the kitchen, Mundungus explained that the night Harry and Dudley were attacked by the dementors, Mundungus was "sorry" to not have been watching him as he "had a business opportunity". Harry pretended to look sympathetic and brushed his apology away.
When dinner was finally served (a tasty stew made by Mrs Weasley), Harry instantly kicked into interrogation mode, as he politely asked what on earth the Order of the Phoenix was all about. That one question had almost descended the table into chaos - Sirius wanted to inform both him and Amelia, whilst Mrs Weasley argued that they were too young and that they shouldn't be told more than what they need to know. It had gotten quite bitter - Mrs Weasley had mentioned James Potter and how Sirius had a hard time pretending that Harry and Amelia weren't their father. Mrs Weasley was overruled though, and soon enough the whole table was talking about what Voldemort was up to.
"So you're trying to stop him from gaining support and followers?" Amelia guessed.
"That's our aim, yes." Lupin replied.
"Fudge still isn't believing that he is back," Tonks said, "He is frightened of Dumbledore, you see."
Harry almost laughed as a horror-movie-like image of Fudge cowering away from Dumbledore popped into his head. "How can he be frightened of him?"
"Fudge thinks that Dumbledore wants to overthrow him and become Minister for Magic." Mr Weasley added. "Which Dumbledore is obviously not planning to do, but there's still popular support there for him even though he's never applied to it."
"Fudge knows that Dumbledore is far more clever than he is, and so is making himself believe that he is the smarter one and that Albus is lying in order to destabilize him." Bill said.
"But you are telling people that I'm telling the truth, aren't you?" Harry asked.
Everyone smiled thinly.
"Me and Tonks would lose our jobs if we even mentioned it," Mr Weasley added.
"I obviously don't get invited to extravagant dinner parties to spread the word," Lupin said, "a con of being a werewolf."
When Harry said the simple statement, "I want to join the Order," he was shut down not by Mrs Weasley, but by Lupin.
"The Order is only composed of overage wizards, Harry - and that also includes school leavers." Remus explained, and aimed the last bit at Fred and George, who were about to protest.
"We're in our seventh year though! Surely that's adept enough!" George complained.
"Yeah, we're doing NEWTs this year!" Fred exclaimed.
"Pfft, you're doing like five NEWTs between you." Ron chuckled, to the glare of his older brothers.
"What exams you're doing or have done doesn't automatically mean you're enrolled, you know. It's not based on qualifications." Sirius said to the Weasley twins.
Harry glanced at Mundungus Fletcher. That explains why they let him join.
Remus continued. "None of you know just how much danger is involved, any of you… Molly is right, Sirius, we've informed them enough."
That seemed to be the end of dinner. Mrs Weasley beckoned her children and Hermione. They all stood up then and Harry, sharing a look with his sister that recognised defeat, followed them.
Mrs Weasley led them upstairs. "I want you all to get straight into bed and lights out, we've got a busy day cleaning this place tomorrow."
Cleaning? Harry thought, what, like dustpan and brush and featherduster? From what he'd seen, it looked clean enough. He asked Ron about it.
"Oh, you haven't seen nothing yet. This place was filthy when we arrived. Everyday we've all tackled a room. I think there's only a handful more to do... " Ron shuddered. "You should've seen what was lurking in the downstairs toil-"
Harry wondered why Ron just stopped talking, but in the dark room he could see that Fred and George had made an appearance. Ron cried out a bit.
"Keep quiet, or Mum will be straight back in here."
"You just Apparated on to my legs!"
"We can't see as well in the dark."
Harry could feel his mattress sink a bit, and saw either one of the twins sit down near the end of the bed. "So, what d'ya think?" He realised it was George.
"About?" He said.
"What they bloody let slip, of course! The weapon!" Fred said, sounding excited.
"Maybe it's a particular spell?" Harry offered.
"Or something that can cause multiple deaths - a bomb, or something." George speculated.
"D'ya think maybe Dumbledore's got it for safekeeping?" Fred added.
"At Hogwarts?" Ron asked.
"Ooh, I bet! That's where he kept the Philosopher's Stone, after all! That explains why You-Know-Who's so desperate to get his hands on it - it's way out of his reach!"
"This weapon has to be larger than a little stone though." Harry said.
"Shhhh!" They suddenly went silent. "Mum's coming up the stairs!" George said frantically.
And with that, Harry felt the weight on his bed lift, as the two twins Apparated out of their room and presumably went back into their own. He could hear Mrs Weasley walking about on their level - she even stopped outside their door before advancing upstairs.
Harry, feeling a bit bewildered about the events of the day, tried to get to sleep. If someone had told him two days ago that today he and Amelia would be taken away from Privet Drive and transported to Sirius's family house in London, he would have thought they had gone barmy.
Amelia woke up the next morning to the sight of Mrs Weasley peering over her. "Wake up, dear! Breakfast is ready downstairs, and after that we'll need your help in the drawing room - there are Doxy's in the curtains."
Amelia groaned, and stretched once as she got out of bed. As she got dressed into a simple hoodie and jeans, she noticed that she was the last out of the girls to wake up.
When she entered the kitchen, she saw mostly everyone at the table eating. Bill was just leaving though, - he had to go to work. "Curse-breaking doesn't stop for anyone!" He chirped at her as they walked past each other in the hallway. As she buttered her crumpet, she saw that Tonks was just finishing her coffee and was about to leave for work as well. Mr Weasley had another half hour until he had to leave, but liked to get there earlier.
She effectively had to wolf her breakfast down, as Mrs Weasley wanted the Doxy's to be dealt with right away, and so gulped it down as she walked to the drawing room - a manky high-ceilinged room on the first floor that was incredibly dusty. Every time she walked, clouds of dust would come up. If there's a hoover about, I'd gladly take one to this carpet.. She thought, but remembered that Dorea's grandparents hated anything to do with muggles, so it would be highly unlikely that they'd have a vacuum cleaner around.
"Cover your face and take one of those spray bottles of Doxycide," Mrs Weasley gestured. "This is the worst infestation I've ever seen, just what that house elf has been doing these ten years I'll never know."
Amelia almost chuckled as she looked to Hermione and seen her best friend shoot a reproachful look at Mrs Weasley's comment about Kreacher.
"When I say squirt, start spraying immediately. They're going to come flying at us. Once they're immobilised, throw them in this bucket." The Weasley matriarch explained.
A few seconds later, Mrs Weasley shook the curtain and shouted. "Squirt!"
Amelia blinked, and suddenly a Doxy was flying at her. She sprayed it though - quidditch made her reflexes immaculate. Catching it as it fell, she put it in the bucket. She could see that Fred and George were pocketing a few without their mother noticing, and they were telling Harry about their latest developments.
The de-doxying of the curtains took a few hours out of the morning. In fact, it was almost lunch time. Amelia was staring at the damp and limp curtains when they heard the doorbell ring.
"I'll bring up a quiche and some sandwiches," Mrs Weasley said as she departed. They all ran out to the bannister to try and get a look at who was coming in.
They heard a few voices - They could hear the calming tones of Kingsley Shacklebolt, and they also seen Mundungus sneak in with what looked like a whole lot of cauldrons balancing in his hands. He could hardly see over the top of them.
"What's he doing with all of them cauldrons? Will we be brewing potions next?" Amelia joked.
Her question was answered after he managed to drop one - only, they all went tumbling down onto the floor. Sirius's mum started screaming again, and Mrs Weasley almost rivalled her shouting.
"THIS IS NOT A STORAGE WAREHOUSE FOR YOUR STOLEN GOODS, MUNDUNGUS! COMPLETELY IRRESPONSIBLE - IT'S AS IF WE HAVEN'T GOT ENOUGH ON OUR PLATES TO DEAL WITH WITHOUT YOU BRINGING YOUR TRINKETS INTO THE HOUSE!" Was what they heard. Amelia shivered.
She also seen two new people make their way past Kingsley and helped to close the curtain over Walburga Black. They were a man and a woman.
"Hey, who are those two?" Harry pointed at them.
"Not a scooby," Fred answered.
"Wait!" Ginny leaned a bit more over the bannister, to get a better look. "That's Tulip Karasu's parents!"
"Who?" Ron asked, brows furrowed.
"She's a girl in my year, a Ravenclaw. I'm amazed you don't know her, Fred, George, she's a right good prankster too. Her parents work at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." Ginny paused, and then turned to Harry. "If they're here… then it must mean they've come to join the Order! They believe you, Harry!"
Her brother looked a bit relieved. "That's two less people in Voldemort's ranks, at least."
They had to hurry back into the drawing room when Mrs Weasley came back upstairs not long after and placed a plate full of sandwiches and a plate of quiche lorraine on the table. They all dutifully pretended to not have seen or heard anything.
Mrs Weasley turned to her as she was leaving. She noticed she was very red in the face still. "Oh, Amelia, Sirius wants to see you downstairs after you've eaten."
"Oh, okay." She nodded.
"I wonder why." Dorea pondered.
"Oh gosh, unless he found the dungbombs we put in the master bedroom." She realised. She laughed when the boys all looked at them. "A little prank we have planned that you should keep to yourselves." She said, with a face that said "don't go telling anyone about it."
She wandered downstairs and tried to peek in all the rooms to try and find her godfather. She found him peering up at a tapestry on the wall, which she came to realise was a family tree.
"Ah, there you are Amelia." He gestured to her to come over.
"Hello," she smiled. She soon realised that this was one of the few times she was chatting to her godfather alone without Harry or Dorea around. It felt quite weird.
"This is the Black family tree," Sirius pointed out, and she scanned her eyes over it.
"Dorea told me all about it," she quickly added, "she knows it like the back of her hand."
Sirius barked laughter. "No clue why she would want to memorise it, if I'm honest, half of them are wretched."
She chuckled. But then spoke again. "Was there a reason you wanted to see me?"
"Within the next few weeks or so, we won't be staying here." Sirius explained. "I've found us a place where we will be even more safe."
"Oh, really?" Amelia replied. "Like, a new Headquarters?"
"No, no. Headquarters will still be here. I'm talking about a place for us to stay full time - a home." Sirius answered. "Though this revolting place has its uses, such as all the security measures known to wizardkind on it, it's no fun. The Ministry gave me two hundred thousand galleons as an apology for throwing me in Azkaban, but turns out, I didn't even need it - for this property is also in the Black family name. It belonged to my uncle Alphard - he left me money when he died, but turns out Bill discovered at his work that in his Will, he left it in my name."
"Oh," Was all Amelia could say to that. She felt a bit stupid. "I hope it's more welcoming than this place, no offence. There better not be more screaming portraits."
Sirius laughed again, and she thought he looked years younger. In fact, now that he was washed and in proper clothes instead of rags, he looked like a whole new man. She could see Dorea's resemblance to him very easily.
She still felt a wave of excitement that she would finally be getting what she yearned for - a family life, a home. Her, Harry and Dorea would all be together with Sirius. She knew it was going to be a blast. She urged time to move faster.
Their war on Number 12, Grimmauld Place raged on for a good few days. The drawing room was finally cleaned after two days, but there was still the shaking cabinet to contend with. Mad-Eye Moody didn't have enough time to drop by and confirm what was lurking inside of it, so it would have to rattle some more. Tonks joined them for a memorable afternoon where they lured and banished a ghoul that resided in the upstairs loft, and Remus helped them mend the destructive grandfather clock that shot nuts and bolts at unsuspecting passers-by. Mundungus even earned the gratitude of Mrs Weasley after he saved Ron from a pair of murderous robes that tried to suffocate him when he took them out of the wardrobe.
One day, Amelia even ran into their Potions professor, Severus Snape, when she was bounding down the stairs to lunch. "Do watch where you're going, Miss Potter." Snape had growled at her like a mutt.
"Professor? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." She replied, unwaveringly. "I didn't know you were an Order member."
He didn't bother to answer her, he just glared and made his way to the front door to (thankfully) leave. Good riddance, she thought, putting a certain finger up at the back of his head when he wasn't looking. The man had always hated her, Harry and Dorea from the moment he first saw them.
With every day that passed, Harry's hearing at the Ministry loomed closer and closer. She could see her brother tense every time it was mentioned. The night before, even Amelia had forgotten about it when Mrs Weasley mentioned it at dinner. She could see that Harry's mouth went dry.
"I'll take you to work tomorrow, Harry, and you can wait in my office until it's time." Arthur Weasley offered. She noticed her brother glance at their godfather, yet Mr Weasley immediately answered that question. "Dumbledore has advised against Sirius going with you, Harry."
"Yes, and I think he's quite right." Sirius said through gritted teeth. Even though Sirius's name was cleared, it was obviously not yet quite sure what the public opinion was regarding his bounty being lifted and being found innocent.
"When did Dumbledore drop by?" Harry asked.
"Last night, when you all went to bed." Mrs Weasley replied.
Amelia's low opinion of the headmaster stooped even lower. He doesn't even stay to talk to Harry regarding a bloody court hearing?! It's like he wants Harry to be expelled! Was what she ranted to the girls about in their bedroom that night.
Truth be told, Amelia went to sleep that night not having a clue if the word of Albus Dumbledore would be enough to keep Harry from being expelled.