Chapter 6:
A Home of Our Own
Friday 10 June 1994
Harry and Sirius woke at about the same time the next morning, later than Harry usually slept, but his body needed the sleep after the drama of the day before. While Harry was stretching, his joints cracking more than someone on the cusp of fourteen, Sirius leapt off the bed and switched over to human. His joints sounded even worse.
Minerva had sent a note with her owl that they were welcome to come to Hogwarts for breakfast again, but it was nearing the end of the meal and Harry really didn't want to be in the castle with Dumbledore. He didn't know what would happen to the man, and Harry was working very hard to let the adults handle it, but his overdeveloped sense of responsibility was making him want to rush back and yell at everyone to check their bank statements, as the old man had been stealing from him.
"I'll send Mini a note that we've declined breakfast. Instead, I think we should go into the magical village here and head to the bakery. Mini raves over it, and often has their scones delivered by her elf for her afternoon tea," Sirius said after they'd discussed Hogwarts. Personally, the man didn't want Harry within a thousand miles of the headmaster. He didn't even want to think his name.
"Sounds good," Harry said. "As long as I can get tea and lots to eat, I'm starving this morning." The pair were dressed comfortably in informal robes, Sirius had used Harry's school clothes as a start and then transfigured them into something more fashionable. After they viewed the house next to Hermione's today, they were going shopping. Wizarding wear and Muggle clothes were on the agenda. They also needed to stop back at the bank and see where things were with the reading of James and Lily's wills.
The bakery had Floo access and was quite full of patrons looking for their morning caffeine fix and something sweet to go with it. Harry was flabbergasted at the sheer variety of pastries and breads available. Not entirely sure what everything was, he chose a sweet cinnamon roll with thick icing on top, a yogurt parfait, and a strong black tea. Sirius was far more familiar with some of the items and order a fancy roll with sugar on top and a strange name, gooey thing with a cream and fruit filling and a chocolate croissant and both a cup of tea and a large pumpkin juice. They found a table outside and sat down. Sirius had his glamour on, so no one knew they were near the infamous Sirius Black.
"What are those other two things along with your croissant?" Harry asked. "They look good."
"This is a Kouign Amann. It's layers of butter and pastry with sugar. Our cook used to make them when I was a child. They're wonderful but horribly fatty as they contain so much butter. This is a Danish; it's just been twisted so it's pretty. Cook made these too, but they weren't this fancy. No pumpkin juice?"
"No, it's a bit too sweet for me. Anyway, it's better to eat your calories than drink them, or that's what Aunt Petunia used to tell Dudley. So, you had a cook, not an elf doing your cooking?" Harry inquired.
"Yes, although there were kitchen elves to help Cook. Since the Blacks were originally from France, the family always had a French cook at the London townhouse. My family, as well as my cousin's family lived in the house. Mother had a human lady's maid, as did Aunt Druella. There were also tutors for Regulus and me and a governess for the girls. The place was a house of horrors and how they kept the world from knowing our business is a wonder."
"You had a very strange childhood," Harry said, his attempt at conversation.
"You have no idea," Sirius answered between bites. "Our family was ruled with an iron fist, first by my great-uncle and then by my uncle and mother. The girls weren't struck the way I was, magic was used against them so there wasn't a mark. Me…well, no one cared if I was damaged."
"I know what you mean," Harry said.
The pair finished their breakfasts in silence, and they used the Floo to go the Leaky Cauldron and then on to Diagon Alley. They were meeting the Muggle-born realtor the goblins used for a tour of the house Sirius was interested in buying. He'd already had the goblins prepare a cashier's cheque in the asking price of the house, which he would be picking up at Gringotts. If the place wasn't falling down, he was going to buy it. Harry needed to be around Hermione to help him heal. It also needed to be large enough so Remus had a space, and Harry could invite friends over to visit.
Their arrival at the bank went with little fanfare, although Sirius's disguise was immediately removed upon his entry. Goblins hated people who changed their looks, even for as good of a reason as Sirius had. The young woman they met had been a seventh year Ravenclaw in Harry's first year and she recognized him, even if he wasn't sure about her name.
"Hi Harry, you must be Lord Black. I'm Amanda Perswyth and I went to Hogwarts with Harry in my last year. I work for Gringotts as an estate agent for non-magical properties. The house you're going to look at has large trees and hedges surrounding the house and gardens, so you won't have any issue in using magic while there. There is one neighbour who is close and does share a small bit of the property, but their daughter is at Hogwarts, so they know about magic."
"It's my best friend, Hermione Grainger, and she told us about the house being for sale," Harry said.
"Perfect," Amanda said. "Placing protections on the grounds won't be an issue either. If you're not comfortable with doing it yourself, the goblins can arrange something for you, for a fee."
"You sound just like a goblin, Miss Perswyth," Sirius said.
"That's the nicest compliment I've been given all day. I have your prepared documents and you just need to go to the teller and ask for your certified cheque and we can be off," she answered, and Sirius did as he was asked. Harry and Amanda carried on a pleasant conversation about people they knew in common, which weren't many, and what was happening at the school. Harry didn't divulge that he might not be going back or what was going on with the headmaster.
They used a goblin-made portkey, which Harry decided he wasn't a fan of it either, although he didn't vomit upon landing and were soon in the deserted park which butted up to the property.
"Welcome to Ferngarden House. The property is approximately 2400 square acers and the house is just shy of seventy-nine hundred square feet. As you know, the property also has a smaller property known as Fern's Rest, which has been independently sold by the last owner. There are formal gardens here, as well as green space in the rear of the house. There is a gazebo tucked into the corner, which is a lovely space to enjoy the breeze on summer afternoons," Amanda began her spiel.
"Is there a pool? I've always wanted to learn to swim," Harry energetically asked.
"No, but there is more than enough room to put one in if you desire," Amanda answered. They strolled through the gardens to the house and entered through the orangery. It was in need to some pruning and care, and Harry couldn't help but think of Neville and the enjoyment he'd find in returning these trees and plants to their health and glory.
"The house is set up in a rather odd manner," Amanda said as they crossed from the orangery into a small kitchen. "The Fern family has lived in this house for over two-hundred years, but when the last patriarch died there was a division in the family members. Two sisters, Carys and Colleen, both wanted the house and neither was willing to budge, so they walled off the connection of the front of the house to the back and the two girls, and eventually their husbands and children too, lived within its walls without ever spending time together. Colleen died years ago, but Carys only recently passed, which is how the house came to be on the market – none of the children wanted to live here."
"So, there are two kitchens, dining rooms, libraries?" Sirius asked.
"Two kitchens, yes. The rear house, which we entered, as the entryway from the orangery, has a dining room, reception hall and sitting room. The front house has a reception room, kitchen, pantry, and study. My advice would be to turn this kitchen into a library and open the closure between the hallways. Upstairs, you just need to open the hallway up. The front home has the master suite and two other beds and a bath while the rear has five bedrooms, one with an ensuite and two baths. All three baths line up in a row, so knock the walls down and make one long loo with toilets and baths at either end and a shower in the middle."
"Sounds entirely doable with magic," Sirius said.
"You're buying this house, aren't you?" Harry asked.
"As long as it pleases you. Yes, I think we can make it our own."
"The furnishings and wallpapers are ugly and very feminine," Harry said.
"Well, what Remus and I can't transfigure we can go and buy."
"Sounds like we've got a full summer," Harry said. "A home. I like that." Sirius reached over and pulled Harry into a hug. The boy still stiffened at his godfather's touch but eventually relaxed into the embrace.
Then they passed a cupboard under the stairs with a vertical grate to let air in.
Harry stopped and stared at it. Thoughts bombarded him and he felt nauseous.
"Harry, we can rip it out and make it an open space or put a small bookshelf there or have it be where I keep my Pensieve. It will not be a cupboard under the stairs." Harry nodded solemnly. He never wanted to see another cupboard under a set of stairs again.
Harry and Sirius followed Amanda up the front set of stairs, it was a beautiful, sweeping staircase and to Sirius's delight, the heads of former servants did not line it. The master suite covered the front of the house and had a dressing room which was larger than Harry's bedroom at the Dursleys. The bathroom had a soaker tub and Sirius was looking forward to relaxing in it. He was still getting the kinks out of his body from the last thirteen years of his life.
There was a small bedroom near the other bathroom in the front of the house, and then two other bedrooms across the hall. The one in the front had a strange built-in bed and cabinet and Harry shook his head at it. The last bedroom was wonderful, and it had an entrance onto the balcony over the orangery and a good view of Hermione's house. He decided that would be his room. Sirius decided the odd built-in bed and corner cabinet would become bookshelves and this could be Harry's study.
They went back downstairs, out the front door around the rear of the building and into the entrance to the rear of the house and up a different, far less glamourous set of stairs. What they found horrified them.
"So, this side of the house became storage as Carys became older. She moved her bedroom into the sitting room on the ground floor. What you have here is roughly twelve years of detritus and strange purchases she never used. One room was full of newspapers, just stacks of newspapers. Another room had dolls, all still in their boxes with dates on them.
"Who is Marie Osmond?" Harry asked. "These dolls are creepy."
"I'm not sure, but I'm sure the goblins can dispose of them for you –"
"For a fee," all three said in unison.
They toured the other three bedrooms and the bathroom, and every room was full of stuff.
"I think we should live in the front, clean this as we can so that we can have others over to stay. We can knock out a hallway wall so Remus can have a room and that little room in the rear can become his study. He will only be here on holidays, so if we aren't ready with the study this summer, he can use the second kitchen to prepare his lessons."
"So, you're buying it?" Amanda asked professionally.
"You knew that when you brought us here. Now, the cheque I had the goblins create was for the full asking price. Can you take that to the estate agent immediately. I'd like us to move in as soon as we can."
"Let's go downstairs, sign these documents, and I'll be off. Can I meet you at the Leaky Cauldron when everything is done? It should be less than a half hour," Amanda asked.
"Actually, can we meet at the Muggle coffee shop around the corner from there?" Sirius asked. "With everything going on, I'd rather not sit where witches and wizards can stare and whisper. Plus, we have some shopping to do," Sirius answered.
"That will be fine, I'll see you shortly." Sirius signed the paperwork and the trio went outside and watched Amanda Disapparate.
Sirius Apparated with Harry, he still did not like it, but he didn't vomit, to an alley behind the shops where the coffee place was located. They quickly divested themselves of their robes and Sirius shrank them and stuck them into his pocket.
Sirius dragged Harry into an upscale men's shop and bought jeans, jumpers, fleeces, tees, long sleeve Henley shirts and a few button downs. Harry bought a few pairs of shorts, but he preferred not to wear them around others due to his scars. They both stocked up on socks, vests, and underpants. Harry was so excited about well-fitting clothes, he changed into a pair of jeans, a tee with a fleece over and new socks. Now all he needed were new trainers, he was wearing his school shoes and they were uncomfortable. Thankfully there was a shoe shop across the street and by the time they entered the coffee shop, Harry and Sirius felt much better about how they looked. Harry hadn't noticed Sirius had changed his clothes too. Both ordered coffee and found a table to sit at.
"We are still going to need robes, although not many for the summer, so probably one formal set and two informal robes each. I'll need to order the plum monstrosities the Wizengamot wears, but at least I can order them from Ireland and have them made in a finer wool than the English use. We're both going to need suits, although I will head to the shop where Fleamont bought his."
"Why do we need all these clothes?" Harry asked.
"Because, dear boy, we are taking on the establishment so that things might be better for everyone. Thankfully, we have some allies in both the Muggle world and the magical." Sirius explained before he took a deep inhalation of the roasted beans in the establishment. "This is something I missed more than you could know."
"I thought proper Englishmen drank tea?" Harry teased.
"I've never been a proper anything," Sirius quickly replied. "No, I was a tea drinker – mother never let coffee into the house. Muggle drink, you see. However, when I went to live at your dad's, Fleamont, your grandfather, loved coffee and ground his own beans every morning. I was hooked at the first smell. We got Remus drinking it too. When your dad and I were in training we had this really dumpy flat, but it always smelled like coffee because we ran on it. DMLE training is nothing for the faint hearted."
"Ron wants to become an Auror, but I don't think it's for me. I love Defence and it's my best subject, but I'm not sure I want to spend my whole life running around after Death Eater wannabes like Malfoy. Ginny told me a bit about what her oldest brother does as a curse-breaker and that sounds fascinating. Maybe that, or I could try to play Quidditch professionally?"
"Those are all great aspirations, but curse-breaking requires high grades in all your wanded subjects as well as Arithmancy and Runes. What are your electives again?"
"Care of Magical Creatures and Divination," Harry answered his godfather, who nearly spit out his mouthful of coffee.
"Well, Magical Creatures is interesting, but it's not going to help you. Divination is a waste as you're either born a seer or you're not. Harry, I don't think you are," Sirius said with a shake of his head.
"I don't think I am either."
"I'll tutor you over the summer in both Runes and Arithmancy and I'll message Mini to change your electives. We will have you ready for the fall."
"Awesome," Harry answered sarcastically. "Why do you call Professor McGonagall, Mini? You promised you'd tell me."
"So, back when I was in fourth year –" Sirius started, but Amanda walked in and a few minutes later they all walked out, Sirius holding the keys to all the doors of his new house.
