I certainly have no rights to Harry Potter, but this won't stop me writing this story. However, you probably already know this. As it is my specialty, and as in my other big stories, this shows how things go if something went different right at the beginning. Please note that I'm not a fan of bashing and also don't expect the pairings to differ from canon. However, the path to them sertainly will be quite different. I also want to try and subvert certain plots and things that became common in the fandom over the years.
For now, the story will update every second Saturday, until I say otherwise.
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Chapter 7: Small Steps to Enlightenment
"I wonder why they even hired me? No tutor can save that girl from flunking out of school; not with the kind of attitude she's got," Remus grumbled while pushing open the front door. "Well, I told them as much. Either she gets more serious about it, or I cancel the contract."
"You don't sound very happy, Moony," Sirius commented from the couch, where he was sitting while watching the news on the TV.
"You could say so. Today I met my very first truly hopeless case," Remus told his friend while putting away his briefcase. "I've tutored many students, but never one like that."
Sirius knew that Remus needed to talk about it. "Well, I guess there is a first time for everything. Get yourself a beer from the fridge and then tell me about that hopeless case that's driving you up the wall."
Remus did exactly that and then started to explain about that real problem girl he was hired to tutor. While he'd had some difficult cases over the years, nothing came even close to her. Not only was she incredibly dumb - which made it little wonder she was failing school - no, she also felt that she was doing well and didn't need any help, thus refusing to cooperate at all. Indeed, she'd even had the nerve to scream into his face that she could simply lie to her parents about him touching her just to make his life hell.
"Of course she should not have screamed all that, so they heard it quite clearly and knew what she was up to. It was at that point I packed my stuff and told them outright that either her attitude about everything improves drastically, or I invoke the cancel clause of my contract," Remus ended his tale.
"Sounds like a female version of the Dursley brat," Sirius remarked.
Truth to be told, being neighbors with the Dusleys, they witnessed more of Dudley's bad behavior than they wished. One time they'd thought there had been a small explosion next door, only to learn later that Dudley had put his foot through his TV because his favorite program got canceled. Another time the poor dog from No. 2 got run over by a miniature tank controlled by Dudley. That one had nearly resulted in a brawl between a furious Mr. Webb and Vernon Dursley.
Oh yes, with such a little monster living next door, things never got boring in this neighborhood.
"I can certainly see the similarities, only that instead of being morbidly obese she is trying to diet herself as thin as a stick and thinks 13 is a good age to smear all kind of cosmetics on you face without a plan," Remus agreed, drinking some beer. "All this gives me new appreciation for how much patience our own teachers had with us."
"Being on the other side gives you some perspective, eh?" Sirius gave him a knowing look. "Being a policeman also made me realize that some things we did in our youth went way too far."
"Well, that mainly goes for you, since it generally was me who was trying to keep the rest of you out of messes that went too far. After all, I was the good boy." Remus then got up. "I need to get my work stuff upstairs. I'll be right back."
Remus went upstairs and returned after some minutes, giving Sirius a very interesting look. "Eh, Padfoot, is there something you should tell me?"
Now, this sudden shift in behavior confused Sirius. What was this about? "Eh, nothing that I could think of right now. Any particular reason why you are asking, Moony?"
Remus looked a little uncomfortable. "Well, the door to your office was open and I couldn't help but to notice that there was the photo of a woman standing on your desk. Quite prominently placed as well, so it was impossible to miss."
"Oh." Now he realized what this was about.
Remus held up his hands. "I do not hold it against you, after all your love life is a very private thing, but it still comes pretty much out of nowhere, you know? In the past you didn't hesitate to announce such things to the world."
"There just never seemed to be a good moment to bring it up." Sirius then looked up. "I guess you now want to know who she actually is?"
"Only if you want to. After all, if you want this to stay private, I wouldn't mind." Remus knew they no longer were teenagers, and some things just were meant to be private.
"No, I need to get this off my chest, and telling someone I trust is what I need." Sirius was silent for a few moments. "Her name is Diane Watson, She's one of my co-workers and arrived a bit over four months ago when got these new computers. At first I didn't even notice, until someone told me she's giving me looks. Both of us were really awkward around each other and it took us weeks before we honestly could call ourselves friends."
This actually surprised Remus a bit. "I'm honestly surprised, Padfoot. In the past you had little problem with approaching girls. Either you changed a lot over the years, or it's something else."
"It was... different. Sorry, I can't explain what exactly made it so difficult. I know, however, that she got pretty much the same problem, so I'm not alone in this." It was really bizarre to see Sirius act like that. "She's different from these girls at school. If getting something done means crawling through mud, she would do it without hesitation. And yet she is..."
Seeing that Sirius finally could no longer put it into words, Remus took pity on him. "So, it's something serious this time?"
"Ehm... I think so. Both of us only noticed when we exchanged photos," Sirius admitted.
"Sounds really serious," Remus said.
Sirius sighed, not reacting to the pun. "Both of us seem to think so, but we're still unsure and want to take it slow to see if it actually works out."
"Your parents would turn in their graves should they know that their son has a thing for a Muggle woman," Remus said, knowing that it was a big irony that Sirius did that, considering the motto of the Black family.
Sirius chuckled a bit at the reminder. "Oh, should anything come out of it, I'll make sure to tell them in person at their grave."
"However, you know that if things do work out, you have to come clean to her about magic?" Remus reminded him. "After some rather negative examples I heard of in school, it's better to get it out of the way before making a permanent commitment."
"I know, and that will be difficult." He knew of one boy in school whose mother had tried to keep it all secret from her husband. Needless to say, it had ended in disaster for everyone involved and the boy in question had grown up actively detesting his mother for her dishonesty to his father.
"To be honest, I'm a bit envious. I don't have that luxury..." Remus looked a bit melancholic.
"You are not even trying," Sirius reminded him.
"Because I know how it will end." Remus felt over his facial scars. "As soon as my sickness is revealed, they won't touch me with a ten-feet pole, or deny altogether that they even know me."
Sirius knew why Remus thought like that. His lycanthropy was a very sore topic for him, which had made a good part of his life miserable. At least the social aspect had gotten better since leaving the magical world, but Remus felt he was not capable of entering any kind of relationship with a woman, as much as it was hurting him.
"Don't say that! There surely is a woman who doesn't mind."
"Thanks for trying, Padfoot, but in that regard I've become way too cynical. For the most part I've accepted my lot in life," Remus wave off this attempt.
Watching his friend go back upstairs, Sirius felt it a bit depressing how quickly the mood had shifted. Deep inside he felt it was unfair that Remus, one of the most upstanding men her knew, was given such a horrible treatment by fate. If anyone deserved happiness, it would be Remus. Sadly, life decided to be unfair and Sirius thought that it would take quite an awesome woman to accept Remus as he was without any hesitation.
...Hogwarts, September 1st...
Once again a new school year was about to begin at Hogwarts. Compared to the changes introduced the previous year, no one expected a repeat performance. After all, it would be pretty much impossible to top what happened the previous year with the school being turned upside-down with all these changes. However, when sitting down at the house tables to wait for the first-years to be led in, the students did right away notice something.
While the two Weasley brothers Bill and Charlie were in high spirits, because this would be Percy's sorting into Hogwarts, their sharp eyes managed to spot a a few changes at the head table right away. While the previous year had brought lots of change, it looked like the cards would be re-shuffled yet again. even if less drastic.
"Well, Bill, I have a really good guess that the sickly-looking man at the head table is Defense vict- eh, professor. Looks like breathing at him could lay him down. But do you have any idea who that woman at the table is? I've never seen her before and all other professors are accounted for," Charlie told his brother.
Bill, having kept free a seat between them for Percy - as there was no way he wouldn't be sorted into Gryffindor - took a look at the woman Charlie was talking about. "No, I honestly can't remember her. Big question is, what this now will be about?"
To be honest, the woman did stick out a bit amongst the teachers. The way she dressed was quite... Muggle-like. It did remind them of a picture the twins had shown him in one of the school books, which showed a school around 1900. The woman dressed a lot like the female teacher in the picture, only not as buttoned-up. Bill guessed her to be in her late twenties. Her skin was quite pale, while her long blond hair was smooth and well cared-for. Her thin silver-frame glasses were quite prominent on her face. She also looked a bit uncomfortable, even somewhat nervous.
"Guess we'll find out soon enough. Hagrid has just come in, meaning it can't take that long now," Bill answered.
Indeed, they saw the big man walk into the hall, meaning that he had escorted the first years into the castle. To their surprise, he also sat down at the head table, something he'd never done before and which caused considerable whispering what that again could now mean. The whispering only stopped when the first years were being escorted in by McGonagall and Myrtle - it seemed she'd found a liking to greeting the first years and would do so in the future.
The sorting itself went off as usual with no big surprises, though the hat was signing about it being interesting times of change. Percy was the last to be sorted, but thankfully his sorting took mere seconds and he soon joined his brothers at the table.
"Perce, you made all Weasleys proud; a Gryffindor in mere seconds," Charlie congratulated his brother.
"Well... the hat said the choice was easy," Percy said nervously while checking if his glasses had stayed straight.
"Oh, Perce, try to relax a little. You always try to be so serious," Bill reminded his brother.
"Yes, try to relax. In two years, Fred and George arrive. You'll need all your strength then, since Bill will be gone by that point." Seeing Percy look alarmed, Charlie knew that had been an error. "Sorry, that had been a tasteless joke."
"Besides, if Fred and George try to be up to their usual tricks, they'll learn quickly that things have changed at Hogwards recently. It's not like it used to be," Bill tried to support Percy.
Percy still looked a bit skeptical, but then again he trusted Bill about such things. "Well, if you say so..."
"Be glad you won't have Snape for your first four years. We didn't have that luxury," Charlie told Percy. He didn't dare to look at the teacher in question.
Percy gave his brother an unreadable look. "He's a professor. Surely he has to act professional, doesn't he?"
"Well, he certainly has calmed down a lot since last year. It certainly helps he now got the job he always wanted to have. Still, he's a petty perfectionist who takes a bit too much pleasure at making life miserable for his students. But be glad, you'll only have to deal with him in four years," Bill explained to Percy, making no secret of his opinion of Snape.
"Uh, all right..." Percy still sounded skeptical, but decided to not bother his brothers anymore about it.
The feast then went on without any hiccups, apart from the usual things like one first-year Gryffindor asking Sir Nick how he could be nearly-headless, which was followed by a demonstration. However, of course everyone was waiting for the Headmaster to tell them about the new professors at the head table and why Hagrid had started to sit with them.
Finally, the feast was over and Dumbledore asked for attention.
"A new school year has begun. Now that everyone is well fed and can give their whole attention, I have to make some announcements," Dumbledore addressed everyone.
"The Forbidden Forest outside the castle is filled with dangerous creatures and thus off-limits to all students. Despite explicit warnings, students still tried to enter it over the previous year. In order to stop further disregard of that rule, a permanent age line has been created at the edge of the forest. We will be notified right away about further violations, so don't even try," he announced, giving several students knowing looks.
Several students suddenly were wishing they could become invisible. Clearly, they were the usual suspects for such transgressions.
"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch", Dumbledore now announced, nodding to the witch in question.
That got better reactions from all those who loved the sport.
"Now, some changes in the teaching staff have occurred over the summer. Teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts this year is Professor Martin Millstone. I sincerely hope you give him the same respect as you do to all the other professors."
The applause was rather faint and mostly done for politeness. Everyone by now knew that the Defense professors were pretty much a joke, especially since the Headmaster by now had to search at the bottom of the barrel. Thankfully, the lower years would be told by the Perfects soon enough how to still get the work done, despite that handicap.
"Also, Professor Kettleburn has taken our gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid as his apprentice, therefore he will be present at all Care for Magical Creatures lessons. Give him the same respect as you give Professor Kettleburn, especially since he is set to take over the position in several years." That was a clear warning to not disrespect Hagrid.
Charlie took this announcement especially well. Creatures was one of his electives - one he was in the top position at that. He also really liked Hagrid and his love for magical creatures. So having the man now being present in the subject for the foreseeable future made Charlie itch with anticipation for all future lessons. The only sad thing was the realization that he most likely would have already finished school when Hagrid takes over.
Now Dumbledore looked to the strange woman sitting at the head table. "As you can see Professor Trelawney has returned from her year-long sabbatical..."
"What?! No way she is that scarecrow!"
Evenone fell silent and looked in shock to the Hufflepuff table, seeing that one certain individual with changing hair color had caused that outburst. Dora Tonks only now realized what she had done and wished she could vanish into the floor, especially when feeling Trelawney's angry looks almost burning holes into her skin. Thank all goodness she didn't have Divination as an elective, or she would have been in the ninth circle of hell.
"Ehhhh... Ooops?" If anything, that made everyone give her a look that said: 'really?'.
"Miss Tonks, my congratulations. It's not often that students earn themselves detention right at the opening day," Professor Sprout told her after some moments, looking quite disappointed. "We'll speak about that in a moment."
Dora whimpered and cursed her own impulsiveness, while her hair turned snow-white in dread of that conversation. "Me and my big mouth..."
"Ahem. Now, our older students might not have recognized Professor Trelawney right away. She has gone through many changes, as has her subject of Divination. I do not want to spoil the surprise, however." It was clear that Dora's outburst had thrown Dumbledore a bit off.
This again caused some discussion, since Divination and Trelawney over the years had become more of a joke than anything else, with students basically taking it as a soft option where no real work had to be done. Now they were unsure what this changed Trelawney would be like.
However, the Headmaster didn't allow this whispering to continue. "Now, however, before we go to bed, the school song!"
Many students groaned, wondering why that particular tradition had not been abolished as well.
o
Two days later, Students finally got the chance to see what that was about the possible changes in Divination.
After the rather surprising revelation of the greatly changed Professor Trelawney, students actually taking her Devination lessons - a number lower than one might expect - were left to wonder how the subject would be taught now. As fate would have it, it was the fifth year Syltherin-Ravenclaw group that two days after the opening of the new school year would have her first.
That was good, since it was them who could make the best comparison, as they'd had her in their third year and the teacher from the Ministry in their fourth year. They held her teaching methods and general attitude in bad memory, with many being convinced the subject was outright fraud. However, even though it sounded impossible, the teacher from the Ministry actually had been worse than Trelawney, since he'd made no secret that he wanted to be somewhere else instead of teaching children.
Walking up the stairs of the divination tower, the students got the first surprise when seeing that the ladder to the classroom had been replaced with an actual spiral staircase, though it still ended in the trapdoor leading to the classroom. Said trapdoor also was open, so they ascended the stairs to see how the classroom had changed.
It really was a difference between night and day... literally.
The first thing all of them noticed was how bright everything now was. In the past Trelawney had preferred a mysterious atmosphere by teaching only in the light of the fireplace. Now however the windows - and they were sure these were now bigger and more numerous - were no longer obscured and let in bright sunlight. That already created a vastly different atmosphere, not to speak that unlike before, the air now was clean.
It only underlined how vastly different the Divination classroom looked now.
Basically the entire gaudy decor - which Trelawney clearly had originally put in place to create what she thought did fit with the topic but actually looked like a massive cliche - was gone. The armchairs, lamps, round tables and cloth hangings were gone and the shelves holding all kind of stuff, giving the room the atmosphere of an attic, had been ripped out, leaving the bare walls. Even the fireplace had been reduced to a regular-sized one.
Instead, there now were normal tables arranged in a horseshoe formation, with Trelawney's desk being located near the opening of the horseshoe. The walls were now decorated with things like star charts and pictures of famous seers. It essentially now looked much more like a classroom instead of the private realm of a nutjob.
"Ah, welcome to the first Divination lesson of this school year." Professor Trelawney spoke from behind her desk, not at all using the bad acting she used in the past. "I can see that all of you are surprised at the changes. Please sit down, and all will be explained."
They did as told, waiting for the Professor to continue.
"You surely are surprised at how different things are compared to the last time you were in this very room." She waited a few moments before she continued "I won't bore you with details, but my apprenticeship under Madame Flan over the past years has brought great change."
No way she would tell them how Madame Flan had ripped into her for turning Divination at Hogwarts into a cliche-laden joke, not to speak about her misconceptions of the subject. It had been very humbling how the old woman had first torn everything down, so that she then could build up her and the subject from the ground. Trelawney still shuddered at the memory of getting dry, as Madame Flan had been very incensed over her alcohol abuse, shouting why in all names she was trying to reduce her own powers.
"However, first let me tell you that if you expect to continue reading tea leafs or tarot cards and thus look into the future, you sadly will be disappointed. Actually taking a look into the future is restricted to true seers, which are born, not made. I certainly will look for the signs, but they are very rare," Trelawney explained.
One Ravenclaw student then spoke up. "Professor... eh, then what is then the point of this subject?"
Thankfully, Trelawney didn't seem offended. "Good question. I already said that one function of this class is to scope out possible seers. However, since this hardly justifies a whole subject, Divination instead is the odd subject that uses no magic at all."
There was stunned silence. Even in Muggle Studies, students at least used some magic for certain tasks.
"Do not be surprised. The course work from now on has two goals: for you to learn about Divination and for you to learn mundane ways to predict the future behavior of other people as well as determining the most likely outcome of situations. True seers use a highly powerful magical version of such, but sadly it refuses outside control," Trelawney explained. "Now, can any of you explain, why I have star charts in this room?"
"Is it because they figure into the measures we are going to learn?" a girl from Slytherin asked.
"No, but it was a good guess." Trelawney pointed at the charts. "These are here for when we talk about the power of divination that is innate to all centaurs. It is weak, but they mastered channeling it through astrology to get results, as cryptic as these are..."
When class was finally over later, students were talking while leaving.
This was very different from the hogwash they had been fed by Trelawney before, and it was highly interesting, too. Before, Divination had been seen as a lazy subject, where you just had to make sure to appear attentive but otherwise learned nothing from it. Now however the subject was actually interesting and fun as well. Not to speak of the fact that the professor now actually was helpful and it no longer was a chore to interact with her.
Word was quickly spreading how different the subject now was.
...Dumbledore's office, November 11th...
Hearing the faint rattling of a typewriter through his office door, Dumbledore knew that his secretary Ms. Spencer, a witch in her mid-forties, was busy with the paperwork in the anteroom downstairs.
Typewriters, such a useful invention, he thought while listening to the faint rattling.
At first he had been confused why Ms. Spencer, a muggleborn witch, insisted on using a typewriter, but now he couldn't deny the advantages. Not only could she do the paperwork faster that way, but it also helped the readability. While he of course was of the opinion that good handwriting was a beauty to look at, sadly most people didn't hold such skill with a quill and it at times was frustrating and time-consuming to try and decipher bad handwriting. The more conservative parts of their society would be offended at it, but for him the typed words were much easier to read.
I should introduce more of these once I can finally convince the board that we do need an administrative staff. Funny that we introduce typewriters while they've started to phase them out in the non-magical world, Dumbledore mused.
As for Ms. Spencer herself, she was a godsent.
Now that she was relieving him of the bulk of the low-level paperwork, he finally again could concentrate on his more important duties as Headmaster. It still was impressive to see how much the amount of paperwork had swollen since Grindelwald's War. Miss Spencer also had introduced an appointment calendar for him, so that he could plan ahead and no longer run the danger of forgetting something important. That also was something he no longer wanted to miss.
He even again found the time to personally teach. Granted, it was Alchemy, an elective for sixth and seven years only and a subject that for now only had a handful of students in it due to the high requirements in multiple subjects, but the results spoke for themself. It also made him quite a bit happier, as he had rediscovered his love for teaching.
-briiing-
He looked up when hearing a small bell. That was another of these improvements that Ms. Spencer had introduced. He'd once asked her where she got all these ideas from and she told him she got a non-magical sister who worked in an office. That certainly was a fruitful coincidence which had led to several improvements being made, such as this one.
On his desk stood a small silver horn, which currently was closed with a lid and had a small bell attached to it. Its counterpart stood on Ms. Spencer's desk. The function of them was quite simple: if you opened the lid on one horn, the other one would signal so by ringing its bell. Once both lids were open, they worked as a magical intercom. It was a simple and yet very time-saving idea.
He opened the lid. "Yes, Ms. Spencer?"
"Headmaster, two house-elves request an audience with you, saying it is an important matter," Ms. Spencer told him.
He found that interesting. Not only had he noticed some undercurrents with the house-elves recently, but for them to send a delegation this way... "Please send them in."
"Right away, Sir." He heard her close the lid on her side, and did the same.
Dumbledore didn't have to wait long before the door opened and two house-elves, a male and a female, walked in. He recognized them as two of the elder elves, who held much respect in their small community and due to their advanced age nowadays mainly were concerned with coordinating the other elves. For them to come to him it meant something important - at least to house-elves - had to be decided.
"Ah, Yander and Blinky. What gives me the honor?" Dumbeldore asked.
Now, normally house-elves would react confused or flattered to such a greeting, but due to their advanced age these two had seen enough to no longer overreact and they also had known Dumbledore for many years. Many of the younger elves probably would have had an emotional outburst after such a greeting, but not them.
It was Yander who replied. "Headmaster, Sir, we, Yander and Blinky were chosen to speak for the elves at Hogwarts."
"Ahh, so this is something that concerns your people as a whole?" Dumbledore asked.
Blinky nodded. "Yes, Headmaster. For a long time now, all the elves are watching the one known as Kreacher."
Dumbledore looked a bit concerned. "Is Kreacher causing trouble?"
"Oh no, Headmaster! Kreacher is being a role-model of a house-elf; very dedicated to his work," Yander quickly assured to Dumbledore. "Other questions connected to Kreacher have arisen and we were chosen to bring them before you."
Dumbledore knew that it must have cost them elves considerable time to come to such a decision. "Well, after all, without questions there would be no answers. How can I help you?"
They hesitated for a moment, but then Blinky asked the first question. "Headmaster, Sir, not that we doubt Kreacher's word, but is he really an elf of House Black?"
"You mean because he is working here most of the time?" Dumbledore saw her nod. "Yes, he is in the employ of House Black as the head elf - sadly at the moment also being the only elf the Blacks employ due to some recent setbacks. The current Head sent him here, since tending to the empty house would not fill his time, and he wanted him to do meaningful work."
Both elves were highly impressed. Not only was Kreacher a very dedicated elf, but his Master also gave him ample opportunity to do meaningful work - something that helped improve the mental state of an elf. "Headmaster, we elves are also wondering about the uniform Kreacher is wearing," Yander asked.
"A good question. Surely Kreacher already told you that it doesn't count as clothes?" Again seeing the nods, Dumbledore decided to explain further. "Kreacher was correct in that it does not count as clothes, but he is not fully informed about the details."
Now both elves couldn't wait to hear what Dumbledore had to say. This was news to them.
"It certainly is true that you can wear things that do not count as clothes if they were made by yourself," Dumbledore started to explain. "What Kreacher certainly does not know, is, that there is a limit to it before it counts as clothes and can't be worn. Most wizards didn't bother to find out the exact limit, thus why most elves nowadays wear what they do. The House of Black, however, did."
Now they were truly astonished. "So it does not count as clothes?" Blinky asked, still trying to process it.
"While the style Kreacher is wearing is at the upper end of the tolerance, it doesn't not violate the rule. It certainly is a good way to represent the Master an elf works for much better than a tea towel or an old pillow case. I never understood why other wizards decided to make their elves look so bad, since it does reflect back on them," Dumbledore mused.
The elves were taken aback. They had never thought of the issue like that and secretly they now actually felt horrified that all these house-elves could represent their masters better, but were not allowed to. These were important news and they had to bring them to the other elves as fast as possible. There would be much discussion, but this revelation certainly would change some things.
"We thank you a lot, Headmaster. You gave us a lot to discuss," Blinky thanked Dumbledore.
Dumbledore was amused to see that the elves also left the office like they'd entered, by walking out instead of just teleporting away. He knew they did so as a sign of respect to him and his position. Leaning back, he thought about what just had happened. Sirius ordering Kreacher to work at Hogwarts on weekdays had unintentionally resulted in the elves of the castle improving their situation in a small but noticeable step. He was sure the elves soon would look quite different from now.
He then noticed Fawkes giving him an interested look. "Well, my friend, it seems we indeed live in interesting times. I even dare to say, that a wind on change has started; a wind that is certain to blow away old certainties."
Fawkes chirped in agreement.
...Christmas Day, December 25th...
"Yay, now look at that!" Harry gasped in pleased surprise at the morning of Christmas Day when seeing the pile of presents waiting for him under the tree.
The pile was a decent size; not too small, but also not too much. While the former was easily understandable, the latter did have a backstory. In the days before Christmas two years ago, Sirius by coincidence had been busy with polishing his motorcycle in the driveway despite the temperatures when Vernon returned with his car. Sirius then had seen the massive amount of presents Vernon unloaded from his car and correctly deduced that they were all for Dudley.
Later talking with Remus, Thomas and Veronica, they'd agreed that the Dusley parents were clearly attempting to buy their son's love, which wasn't a smart thing to do. They'd also agreed they would not do so with Harry, instead wanting to find a healthy middle ground that would help him to appreciate the presents he did get and wouldn't get the feeling that it was normal to get heaps of them.
The adults also wondered where in all names Dudley was storing all that stuff, if that amount was normal for Christmas and his birthday - little did they know about Dudley's second bedroom, where he put in all the stuff he had broken or lost interest in.
"Well, you behaved really well this year, thus you got a bit more," Thomas said in amusement when seeing how Harry looked at his presents. He then noticed Mark looking at the Christmas Tree. "Looks like your brother really likes the tree."
Sure, Mark was technically not his brother, not even a step-brother, but for all practical purposes he was, since they were growing up together. "Ohhhh, shiny," Mark then said in amazement when looking at the tree decorations, especially the shiny bulbs. This was the first Christmas he was old enough to notice such things.
Good thing we are no longer using real candles, Veronica thought, knowing how much of a risk that was with children around.
"Well, don't let us stop you."
Hearing that voice, Harry looked up and saw two of his favorite people having entered. "Uncle Sirius, Uncle Remus!" He had recently gotten out of the habit of calling them Padfoot and Moony, saying it sounded silly to him, much the protest of the two men.
"You didn't think we wouldn't be here, do you?" Remus asked, although he already knew the answer.
"No, I'm happy you are here! This is a time for family, and you are family!" Harry said with enthusiasm, then again looked to his pile. "Eh, can I?"
"Oh, go right ahead," Veronica told Harry while presenting Mark with a toy she'd gotten for him, causing the little boy to yell in enthusiasm.
Harry needed no more invitation and right away dived into the task.
A bit later there was ripped wrapping paper surrounding Harry while was checking out the presents he'd gotten. Sure, there weren't that many things, but Harry had never been very materialistic and thus didn't mind. After all, in his mind the things he did get were really awesome and he didn't hesitate to thank all of them for such great presents.
"Hey, careful!" Harry gasped when Mark ran by, chasing a wind-up toy fire lorry.
All in all it was a very normal situation, something that no one would ever connect to the fact that four of the six people present could use magic. Everyone had lots of fun with the children and Sirius waited until Harry had moved his presents to his room, before approaching him about something he had to tell him now or suffer the consequences.
"Harry, sadly I won't be able attend the Christmas meal this year," Sirius told his godson.
Harry looked a bit disappointed, after all Sirius had attended as long as he could remember. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked, hoping he didn't.
"No, you didn't," Sirius quickly reassured Harry. "Well... you do remember Diane?"
Now Harry's face morphed into a very funny expression. "Oh, you mean your girlfriend?" The way Harry worded the final part made it sound like a sort of conspiracy.
Of course Harry had met Diane several times by now and he found her nice enough. While Harry was only seven years old, he was smart enough to understand exactly what was going on. Thankfully, unlike other boys his age, Harry didn't think girls have cooties, finding the idea ridiculous. If anything, he compared the whole thing with Sirius and Diane to Thomas and Veronica, which made it easier for him to understand. Of course they still made sure Harry was not around when they were a bit closer, like kissing, since despite being okay with them, Harry was still grossed out when actually witnessing that.
"Eh, yes... And now her family has invited me to their Christmas meal and I have to make a good impression on them. Oh, I can't risk to act like a fool or they..." Sirius stopped when realizing that he was babbling and Harry was barely holding back his laughter. "Things are going well between us and I don't want to mess it up."
Harry at first said nothing, then looked up. "You two want to be like Uncle Tom and Aunt Verni aren't you?"
That was a very direct question and Sirius hoped Harry wasn't possessive of him. "Eh, yes, but we still need time. Though, getting the approval of her father and brother would be a big help."
"Oh, alright." Harry then noticed that Sirius looked surprised. "I want you to be happy," Harry then reminded Sirius.
"Well, he got you there."
"Listening in again, Moony?" Sirius said while rolling his eyes.
"You have to admit it wasn't that difficult, considering both of you are out in the open," Remus reminded his friend. "Well, now you do have the official Harry seal of approval to spend Christmas Day with your ladyfriend and her family."
"Ha ha, I still have to appease a father whose only daughter I'm dating and a protective older brother. Don't think that will be a walk in the park for me," Sirius reminded Remus of the gauntlet he expected.
Feeling that what the two men would talk about would be uncomfortable for him, Harry retreated back to where Thomas and Veronica were currently busy with little Mark. "Uncle Sirius is having the meal with his girlfriend's family."
"You don't sound disappointed," Veronica noticed, having thought Harry would be.
"Being with Diane makes him happy and I want him happy." Harry then sighed. "Even if he then has less time for me."
"That's a very mature view, Harry. Oh, you are growing up so fast," Thomas mock-lamented.
"I'm not old..." Harry grumbled with crossed arms, now looking very much the seven years that he was.
"Oh, and now you're simply looking cute," Veronica added with a laughter.
Harry blushed a little.
o
Later that day, Diane Watson was praying that everything would go as planned without any problems coming up. Of course, she also knew her father and thus wanted to make sure that he would cause the day to go south.
"Now, Daddy, please don't embarrass me..." she told her father.
"Oh, I didn't invite him just to insult him. I want to see first hand what kind of man he is before my final judgment. He's the very first man you're actually dating, so one can't be careful enough," Peter Watson told his daughter.
"Forget it. Once our father set his mind on something, there's no talking him out of it... like you. Now come, I need your help in here," her brother Archie, three years her senior, called from the kitchen.
Diane rolled her eyes but did as told. Despite her outer imagine she knew her way around a kitchen, though it mostly was because her and her brother had been forced to learn fast as a sort of self-defense, since their father was hopeless in a kitchen. Their mother had died in a car accident when she was six years old, thus explaining why she'd never had a strong female influence in her formative years.
Their father was a strongly built man, which was no wonder due to his profession as a mechanic meaning he often had to move around heavy parts. He was not an overly complicated man, yet had a good nose for people who smelled of falsehood. His whole house screamed 'blue-collar worker', but Diane and Archie had grown up in it and it still felt like home, even years after moving out.
"I hope he won't do something to scare Sirius away. I love Daddy, but at times his opinion overrides his common sense," Diane told her brother while checking the oven.
"Oh, come on, cut Dad some slack," Archie asked his sister.
Diane gave him a telling look. "Remember when he met your first girlfriend?"
That silenced her brother for a moment. "Oh yes, I do remember too well. After that I was dating poison for almost a year, only that it in the end turned out she was not of a good sort. Dad has a strange way to detect such people..."
Sirius would be arriving soon and Diane hoped this wouldn't end in disaster.
Mr. Watson meanwhile was deep in thoughts while sitting close to the window that faced the street. He of course had not been oblivious of the fact that his daughter had been unable to enter the dating scene when growing up, nor that she'd never even talked about a boyfriend as an adult. So it had actually come as quite a surprise when she did mention this Sirius Black for the first time, as he hadn't expected this to ever happen.
He was not one of these overprotective fathers - especially since Diane already was an adult and knew very well how to fight her own battles - but he still wanted to gauge the character of this Black, since Diane's inexperience with men could have colored her own perception.
Should he be impossible, I can always throw him out of my house. He meant that literally.
-vroooopropropropp-
"Hm, that sounds like a motorcycle... Must be custom-made, I don't recognize the brand." He then made several more conclusions about the machine just from hearing the engine and realized whoever was riding it had to be a real enthusiast.
Looking out of the window he indeed saw a motorcycle with a sidecar drive down the street, only to stop at their driveway, with the driver seemingly starting to check something on a piece of paper in his hands. Mr. Watson suddenly had an idea when realizing that that had to be Diane's boyfriend. Putting on his jacket and shoes, he took the backdoor out and walked through a gap in the fence to the neighboring garden - good thing his neighbors were not at home - and then walked to the street.
"Hello, son, are you lost?" he greeted the driver, who clearly still was trying to orient himself.
Sirius looked up when he was greeted by this man in his early fifties. "Eh, yes, I'm looking for this address but I think I may have missed the street sign or written down the way description wrong and all the houses look so similar to each other."
Taking the paper, Mr. Watson saw the correct address, but decided to test Sirius a bit further. "No problem, I can show you where to go. I'll hop in and direct you."
"Really?" Sirius had not exactly expected such helpfulness from a complete stranger. "OK, show me the correct way. Thanks, I have no wish to be late and anger the father of my girlfriend."
Mr. Watson of course gave him directions that led them to drive in a big circle, knowing in his unfamilarity with the area Sirius wouldn't notice, while commenting further. "Oh, sounds like you were invited to spend Christmas with her family, right young man?"
Sirius didn't know why, but he felt talking about it would lower his unease about the coming confrontation. "Well, actually HE gave the invitation. I'm really nervous about this; things are going really well with her and I guess I'm afraid I could mess it up royally."
"You sound like you really care for her," Mr. Watson observed.
"Care is not enough to describe it. I think... I think she is the one. I wouldn't be able to live with myself should I mess it up today," Sirius admitted.
"Spoken like a true man." He now had heard enough to correctly gauge Sirius' character. "Stop here, we are at the correct address."
Stopping, Sirius looked up and saw that they were back where they had started. "Eh, I don't understand?"
Mr. Watson laughed while getting out of the sidecar. "Oh no, this is the correct house - my house to be precise. I'm Peter Watson, the very father of the woman you are dating. You certainly no longer need to be nervous about meeting me."
For a few moments Sirius gave him a wide-eyes look, before he had to laugh. "Oh man! I can't believe it that I fell for the oldest trick in the book."
"Oh, don't beat yourself up over it, you after all couldn't have known who I am," Mr. Watson waved it off, also seeing the humor in it. "It certainly helped me to see who you really are, since for a stranger you felt no need to put up a front."
"And I thought you were only waiting to bite my head off," Sirius said in relief.
"I generally wait until I know if I should or not." Seeing that talking about would only make Sirius nervous again, he switched topic to something he wanted to ask ever since seeing it. "Now, that motorcycle of yours... This is not a brand I know. Is it a custom job?"
Now, that was something Sirius liked to talk about. "Oh yes, I built all of it myself from spare parts. It was one of my ways of rebelling against my parents as a teenager."
"You built it at such a young age?" Now Mr. Watson knew he had to hear that story. "So you angered your parents by becoming a biker?"
"Among other things. My parents were horrible people who felt corporal punishment should be used at every opportunity and wished back the time before the automobile." Sirius was not exaggerating. "As soon as school was done, I was gone and never looked back."
"Sorry to drag up old memories..." He had some friends with painful pasts, so he knew to better leave it alone. "So, how fast can it go?"
From the window, Diane and her brother Archie watched the two men talk.
"Well, look at that. Seems the problem solved itself without much drama," Archie commented, finding it amusing to see both men bonding over their love for motorcycles.
"Thank all goodness for it. I felt like being ready to bite my nails off out of sheer nervousness. Though, I probably will never understand this male bonding you men do," Diane told her brother. "Should we leave them alone for the time being?"
"Would be better if we do. We still need to get all done in the kitchen and it would be awkward to have them talking inside while we are busy with cooking. Let's call them in when we are ready," Archie decided.
While they walked back into the kitchen, Diane still couldn't believe that this tense situation had somehow defused itself without any input from her side. Perhaps she had misunderstood how men actually thought and solved problems between themselves? That was troubling her a bit, since she after all had grown up with her father and brother around.
Maybe she shouldn't think too much about it and just be glad that the day would go well now?
...Auror office, February 6th 1988...
Alastor Moody was not exactly pleased while sitting with his back to the wall - old security habit. The object of his ire sat on his desk: a simple book, dark red in color, which had 'Spells and Curses for the Professionals - written by Severus Snape' written on the cover in golden letters. That such a book could incur the dislike of a man who had literally seen everything was quite a feat.
I know we should have thrown him into Azkaban and be done with it. Look where you got us, Albus, he cursed silently, thinking with dislike of the author.
It was not like the Auror department was normally in the habit of screening books before publication, but after the publisher checked it, they had contacted his department due to the very nature of the book, asking how they should proceed. Considering what he himself had read in that book, Moody couldn't fault them to make sure they weren't doing anything illegal by accident.
While a good number of the spells in the book were not of a dangerous nature per se - like that stupid spell for suspending someone in mid-air by the ankles, which Moody still had found lots of possibly dangerous applications for - there also were truly nasty ones in it, like that severing charm which could create a bloodbath in no time. To Moody, that these spells originated in Snape's mind was proof of a truly dangerous person.
Normally, he would feel that reviewing books should be relegated to the lower ranks, but after a few pages he was glad the damn thing had been brought to him instead. A misguided or outright criminal mind could do much damage with some of the spells in that book. After all, this was not too different from someone trying to sell weapons.
That moment there was a knock at his door, his magical eye already seeing the two people that stood on the other side of it before Auror McAlister poked her head in. "Sir, he's here."
Moody knew he already disliked what would come next, the eye concentrating on the unseen visitor. "I can see it myself, so let's not wait and send him in."
McAlister opened the door and Severus Snape entered Moody's office. Though he tried to look annoyed that he had been ordered to appear before Moody, the Auror had no trouble to see a slight undercurrent of nervousness. Clearly, Snape didn't enjoy his stay and Moody was glad for it, as it made his job easier.
Snape then spotted the book on the desk. "You've ordered me here because of my new book?" It was unclear if Snape was in disbelief or annoyed when asking that.
"Don't give me that lip, lad." Moody clearly felt it was the latter. "You should already know what this is about. Your publisher surely told you."
"Yes, they did." Snape knew he shouldn't be surprised, after all he had literally dared them to react to his second book with some of the spells contained within it. He had not exactly considered the possible consequences of that action. "You do have a problem with a number of the spells in the book."
"Aye. I honestly don't know what you were thinking when you compiled this book, and to be frank I don't exactly care. I'll get right to the point: you have two options." Moody let him stew for some moments, before he continued. "Option one: we screen the book thoroughly and remove all the spells we find too dangerous."
"I'll never agree to that; I won't compromise my work,"Snape replied, feeling offended.
Moody let of a humorless bark of laughter. "I knew it. Well, then you have to swallow option two: your book goes on restricted sale; only to law-abiding professions like the Auror department."
Snape was grounding his teeth together, but he knew he had little choice. He had dared them to react to his book, and they did - it honestly had been naive of him to think he could slip by. In a way he however understood them. The danger of these spells getting into the hands of those who had no idea it was highly dangerous or those that would use them for illegal purposes was simply too high.
"Alright, I give in. Where do I have to sign?" he growled, making no secret of his disappointment.
Moody pulled a document out of his drawers. "Right here on that line."
Snape did as told and then got up to leave. However, just when he was at the door... "Oh, and Snape..."
Snape didn't turn around and waited what else Moody had to say. He didn't have to wait for long. "Had it been my decision, you would right now rot in Azkaban. I have no idea what exactly you offered Dumbledore that he saved you from being roasted over a small flame, but it must have been quite the offer."
That's one way to describe it, Snape thought bitterly while leaving the office without a single word.
Watching Snape leave the department with his magical eye, Moody again wondered what had happened between Dumbledore and Snape, that the latter got the help of the former to escape his just punishment. At the time he'd thought Dumbledore had gone senile. Whatever it was, Dumbledore refused to talk about it and at best only gave very general answers. Moody for his part got his trust in Dumbledore damaged as a result and felt this only could end in disaster.
...Granger home, March 4th...
It was nothing unusual to see Hermione Granger sit at the desk in her room - especially now that it was raining heavily outside. However, in this instance she was doing something entirely different from what she normally used the desk for. Instead of school work or reading something interesting, Hermione was busy with sketching a diagram of her observations concerning the strange power she seemed to posses.
Granted, due to her age the chart didn't exactly look professional, but compared to what others her age could do, it was quite complex. It represented the results of her observations and experimentation concerning every single event when the power did manifest. To her dismay, it weren't that many incidents and they always happened suddenly, thus she was incapable of re-creating the circumstances like a good scientist could.
That means I have no chance to convince Mum and Dad that I'm not imagining things, Hermione realized in resignation.
Looking at her findings, it at first looked like there was no pattern to the trigger and outcome. However, when making the connections, she did discover a pattern in all the incidents. The incidents always happened if she either was very emotional - including the one time she had accidentally sat on a package of cookies, crushing them - or when she really, really needed something.
As for the effects however, there seemed to be no limit to what could happen. She had seen things move and float, items reacting in some way, items repairing themselves, things being altered and one time she somehow had made a disgusting cockroach vanish into thin air. There was no rhyme or reason to it, the effects seemed all over the board.
No, think, the trigger is still the same and I did all of it. What is the unifying force? she wondered, drawing a big question mark that all incidents pointed to.
After pondering it for some moments, she walked over to her bed and laid down, staring at the ceiling of her room while trying to sort her thoughts - something not exactly easy for an eight-year old girl. She had thought often about these incidents, but never got a satisfying conclusion. She would never accept a stupid answer like 'magic', since that only happened in books. No, as an emerging intellectual, she knew there had to be a scientific explanation.
She didn't even consider that thinking like that - excluding something simply because she felt it sounded stupid - when dealing with an unknown power was quite narrow-minded.
Finally giving up for the moment, she left her room an went downstairs. Both her parents were currently very busy in their practice with an especially difficult kid who obviously had never heard of dental care. That much she had gotten from her mother over the phone. Not exactly what you wished to do on a Friday afternoon, but the life of dentists, after all, was never easy.
Speaking of teeth, Hermione again noticed something annoying in her mouth.
I better tell them another of my baby teeth is about to fall out, Hermione reminded herself, knowing her parents wouldn't like her keeping that form them.
She was about to wish that this tooth could just fall out, when stopping herself. What if I wish it and it just happens? That would be difficult to explain to Mum and Dad.
Though she would have liked to get rid of that troublesome baby tooth, she controlled herself. Yes, she was a child, but even she realized that trying to actively force this strange power to bend to her desires could have bad consequences. Not to speak of the fact that she would have to explain how she lost the tooth to her parents.
Thankfully, she had no time to brood over it when she heard the front door open. Looked like her parents were finally home after dealing with that troublesome kid.
"Mum, Dad, finally done with that troublesome boy?" Hermione greeted them.
"Oh, you better believe we did. He was so bad, it took both of us together to get it done. He must have never touched a toothbrush in his life to have such bad teeth at 15," her father said, still astounded at what he'd seen.
"Oh yes, heavily rotted with more holes than you could count. Not to speak we first had to put his teeth through an intensive cleaning before we could work on them," her mother added, shuddering at the experience. "Well, enough of him. How are you, sweetie?"
Hermione grimaced. "One of my baby teeth is starting to fall out. It's annoying, wish it would be gone faster..."
"Oh dear, do you want us to remove it at our practice tomorrow?" Mr. Granger asked her.
That was something Hermione readily agreed to. "Yes, please. I don't want to have it in my mouth for days."
Say what you want, but at times it did have its advantages to have parents who were dentists.
...April 15th...
I have to thank Moony that he agreed to not be in the house tonight, Sirius thought while enjoying a nice evening with Diane in his home.
He'd prepared himself for this day, knowing this would either put an end to all the secrets, or it could end with a disaster. Good that Remus had agreed that they needed their privacy for that and decided to use the guest room of the Evans house for the night. He also said that if things did go as planned, he didn't want to witness what would come next. Truth to be told, Remus already scouting for a flat in one of the housing blocks closer to the center of Little Whinging was telling, as it showed what he was expecting to happen.
The big elephant in the room of course was the fact that he was a wizard.
Despite not using much magic nowadays and having lived in the non-magical world for over six years, it was a part of him that would never go away. That of course meant before going the critical step with Diane, she needed to know. He would not make the same error as some others did by telling way too late or trying never to. That in general could only end in tears.
He didn't even want to imagine her reacting poorly to the truth and him being forced to call the Obliviators and then having to break things off under a pretext after her memory got altered. No, he wanted to use the little box in his pocket, so he tried not to think of the worst case.
Granted, he perhaps had been a bit over the top with the candles and borrowing some of the silverware from Grimmauld Place, but he simply wanted things to be really good, before he would drop the big bomb and hope for the best. He'd even swallowed his pride and enlisted Kreacher's help, since his cooking skills were limited, though the elf seemed surprisingly happy being called for such a reason, and it proved the kitchen of Grimmauld Place was in working order.
Maybe in a twisted way he wants the Black line continued, regardless how, Sirius thought.
"Sirius you really went all out to make this textbook," Diane commented after they were both done. "You even included the wine..."
Sirius wouldn't tell that he got the bottle from his late parents' stock and just removed the label. The thought that their stock was used for such an opportunity was quite ironic.
"Granted, maybe it's a bit too much, but I really wanted to go all out. After all, it's exactly an entire year since I first became aware of you," Sirius replied.
"Oh, I know that, but nonetheless... Don't think I didn't notice you've tried to butter me up. That means there is something you want to tell me and you tried to get me into a better mood before you break it to me," Diane revealed her observation.
Seeing that he was busted, Sirius decided that now was the best moment. "Yes... that's right. I do have a secret to tell you; something that only very few know and it connects to many more things. Please try to keep an open mind."
"Well, as long as you don't try to tell me the easter bunny is real..." Diane wondered what it could be with all the suspense Sirius was building up.
"Not exactly that. Please tell me, do you believe there's more out there than what's common consensus?" Sirius tried to specify.
Diane rolled her eyes. "If you ask me if I believe in Atlantis or the Bermuda Triangle like these nutters on the telly do..."
Seeing that this was getting nowhere, Sirius decided on the direct approach - though perhaps less direct than he did back then with Thomas and Veronica - and pulled his wand out of his sleeve. "Please observe."
At first Diane wanted to roll her eyes again, wondering why Sirius suddenly wanted to play stage magician by waving a stick and saying something in Latin. However, that opinion changed very fast when she observed her - thankfully empty - wine glass being lifted up by an unseen force, hovering in front of her at face level.
"How...?" Words failed her, as this was so unreal.
"Don't worry, it's harmless. Take your time..." Sirius encouraged her.
At first Diane just stared at the hovering glass. Then she started to look at it from different angles and tried to feel for any hidden stings. Finding nothing, she touched the glass, which moved slightly. Finally, she took hold of it and could pluck it out of mid-air, the force holding it suddenly gone. Her questioning looks told Sirius to explain himself.
"Diane, please remember that regardless what I'm about to tell you, I'm still the same Sirius you've known all the time. I never lied to you, there simply is a part of my life I haven't told you about yet." He waited for a moment to drop the big reveal. "Diane, I'm a man who can do true magic."
As if to prove to her that he was not lying, he did some more things with that wand of his. Seeing a fork being turned into a saltshaker and then back, a chair do a little dance and the dessert being sliced into two portions without the use of a knife did a lot to show her that he was serious about it. At the end she got a funny feeling and then suddenly belched out a big soap bubble, which popped before her eyes.
"Sorry, I couldn't resist the last one. No harm done, right, not even a soapy aftertaste?" Sirius looked a little sheepish.
"No... I'm fine." Since people don't normally belch soap bubbles, she was still trying to shake off her surprise. True, however, she had suffered no ill-effects. "I still haven't fully processed all of it. But... are you the only one?"
Seeing that the worst case had not come to pass, Sirius relaxed a bit. "No, there are many out there in the world. Let me tell you about it..."
And so he did. Not in all detail, but enough that she did understand what was going on. She did need a bit more wine to swallow all of what he was telling her, but she did seem to take it well enough. Perhaps the fascination of being told about a secret society overpowered other emotions. She only became emotional when he told her a bit about his own family - which put what he told her before into context. In retrospect he should have waited with that until later.
"I know you parents weren't nice people, but to hear this... How did you manage to come out of that hellhole and be the man you are now?" Having grown up in a loving environment, Diane still had difficulties how parents could be so horrific to their child. Not to speak of all the other things he'd told her about the Blacks.
"It certainly did help that starting at age eleven, I was away at school for most of the year, only couldn't avoid them over the summer. It was the first time I was truly happy." Sirius remembered meeting his friends on the train, which sadly also included one false friend.
"Still, magic or not, that's just horrible. It's like growing up in a house full of die-hard Nazis who still think that Adolf is the greatest." Diane couldn't even start to imagine how bad Sirius' childhood must have been.
A surprisingly fitting comparison. She is more concerned about me than the whole magic thing. Sirius felt the pressure leave entirely when realizing what it could mean.
Suddenly she got up and hugged Sirius. "I really need time to understand all of this properly, but don't think I don't understand how this can change my life. It must have taken you lots of courage to admit all of it to me."
"Ah yes... there is another reason for me wanting to come clean about it..."
Letting go, Diane watched Sirius reach into his pockets and pull out a small box. It was not like in these cheesy movies; neither did Sirius go to his knees before her, nor did he say the standard question. He just opened the box and showed her what was iside. Diane right away understood what he was asking her when being presented with an engagement ring.
"I thought the anniversary would be a good time..."
Diane had actually wondered if perhaps she should breach the question first in due time, but now to see that Sirius had revealed all of this not only because he trusted her, but also because he wanted to actually ask for her hand in marriage! This certainly was not a hastened decision of his, their relationship had been going really well for months, but both of them still had felt something holding them back from it becoming physical. Seeing the ring broke a dam in her.
"Oh, yes. Yes!" Diane felt her emotions threatening to get the better of her, so she held out her left hand, allowing Sirius to gently slip on the ring.
After he was done she could no longer control herself and hugged Sirius again, giving him a crushing kiss. They remained like that for quite some time before finally separating. Diane looked quite excited, but also a little nervous. "Oh, all the details can come later! Sirius... eh... there is also something I wanted to ask for some time now. And... with this I'm sure..."
She finally stopped and instead pulled something out of her purse. Sirius blushed a little when realizing what it was, even though these certainly had not been a topic in Muggle Studies. "Oh, I understand what you want, and good that you thought of protection. However, while I am flattered, why a whole pack of ten?"
Diane chuckled nervously. "Well... I wanted to make sure we do have enough of these once we commit to taking this step. Ehm, also..."
Sirius understood what else was going through her head, considering that she hadn't had any sort of physical relationship before. Thus it was no wonder that she was a bit concerned that it couldn't go as imagined. It was a bit funny that this was where he was quite a bit more experienced, even if being a bit rusty since it had been some time.
"Oh, don't worry," he reassured her. "I'm not greedy. I'll guide you through it and once you've gotten a taste of it, you don't want to miss it. Just let me do my magic - and I mean a different kind of magic with a different wand."
That promise made Diane wonder how good it could be and she also could couldn't help but to laugh at the puns Sirius had just used.
o
"Again, what did he call us for?" one bobby asked his colleague while they were driving to the address they were given in the phone call.
"Well, he said it was because of a nighttime disturbance from his neighbors, though it was a bit difficult to understand him with how angry he was at being woken up in the middle of the night," he replied while finding the correct street of Privet Drive.
Normally, the nighttime shift was a very easy assignment for the police in a sleepy suburb such as Little Whinging, where only little serious crime happened. Even break-ins and burglaries were somewhat rare. Of course the telephone suddenly going off this Friday night with a rather angry citizen on the other end of the line was outside of the routine. The man, Mr. Vernon Dursley, had complained loudly that his entire family had been woken up by their neighbors - and that from activities not to be described in polite company.
They were the two bobbies who had drawn the short stick and now had to drive to the address given to take care of the matter. The man was known as somewhat of a griper in the community, thus no one had stepped forward for the task at hand. Finally they arrived at Privet Drive No.4 and could already see Mr. Dursley wait for them in the door of his house, having hastily thrown a robe over his pajamas.
"Oh well, let's get this behind us."
Getting out of the car, they quickly approached the man. "Mr. Dursley?" one of them asked.
"Yes, that's me." If anything, being woken up in the middle of the night only made Vernon look quite dangerous. "You hear what's woken us up."
Well, they didn't have any problem hearing it, since it was loud enough and originated from the open window on the upper floor of the neighboring house No. 6. Just listening to it certainly put many porn flicks to shame; that pair had to be quite enthusiastic... and loud.
"Do whatever you need to do, but this has to stop!" Vernon growled, before walking back into the house.
"Yikes, what a nice chap. Well, now comes the nasty part..."
They started to walk to the neighboring house to make sure the inhabitants were aware of how much of a ruckus they were causing. Well, that was until suddenly they heard a loud female voice. "Oh yes! Sirius, SIRIUS! YEEEeeess..." Then there was silence.
One of the bobbies gulped hard "Don't you recognize that voice? And that name?"
Checking the nameplate next to the doorbell, he confirmed it. "Yes, he's living here and that voice clearly was our lovely computer worm. You think we still should...?"
"Do I look that insane?!" he asked his colleague, then listened but heard no more from the window. "I guess they were done anyway. You've heard nothing, got it?"
"Yes, and you didn't hear anything, either. I think we just write it up as a false alarm," he agreed, and they walked back to the car. "Only too bad we can't tell anyone, but I have no wish for these two to tear us into bloody pieces. When do you think they'll tell everyone?"
"Possibly only when we spot a ring on her finger. Come, let's get back to the station, have some coffee and hope our imagination won't fall into the gutter."
to be continued...
"Toujours Pur?"
Notes:
Here the notes.
I noticed that most stories where Sirius has a girlfriend/wife, the woman in question is magical as well. Therefore I decided to got the exact opposite route and the woman is as unmagical as it can get. I also wanted to show that this does not mean uninteresting and I made sure we learn quite a bit about Diane.
Well, what do you think about new Divination?
You have to leave it to Snape that he thinks he can get away with something... only that he doesn't. I hope this shows a bit of the Mnistry workings before it started to become dysfunctional due to Fudge's mismanagement.