An American At Hogwarts: Book Three

Chapter Eight

A/N: Here's Tony's workshop playlist 😄

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0S78UVuLW857NQ2FaUYwTD?si=QVr707I2S8KUfT1Qy6l-EQ

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"A sister? What do you mean?" asked Sirius, scrunching his eyebrows together in confusion.

"Well, you'd be getting more than a sister," I mused. "You'd be getting a hell of a group of in-laws, and of course, your cover identity would be also mean you'd be getting me as a niece."

I turned to give Sirius a grin as soon as I finished my speech, but he just stared back at me, looking confused.

"I'm not sure I know what you're getting at, Tin Can..."

I rolled my eyes and sighed. So much for the dramatic reveal.

"Your fake identity can be as my uncle!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up. "Your disguise is blond, and so is my mom. You need a reason to spend time with us and our group, so what better explanation than my Uncle Potts, recently discovered wizard relative, helping his niece find her way in the wizarding world?"

Now Sirius was getting it. A smile slowly spread across his face, growing with each second as his eyes got a unique glint to them.

"My niece is a genius," he finally said, clapping me on the shoulder.

"Thanks Uncle Potts," I said, grinning right back and sharing a knowing look with him. Then, I dropped my voice to a whisper. "And don't forget to use your American accent when you're in character."

Sirius nodded, then we both straightened up. When Sirius spoke again, it was in a loud, slightly more obnoxious than necessary American accent.

"Well, thanks for helping me pick out the paint, Alexa! Let's checkout and burn rubber outta here."

He grinned like he expected me to tell him he did a good job, but I just rolled my eyes. Sirius didn't let that deter him, and he turned to head for the checkout station with a massive grin still on his face.

While Sirius was checking out, I shot my parents a quick text to explain the disguise situation, just in case they were asked for some reason. The whole time, Sirius was conversing with the cashier in a loud American accent, and I had to concentrate to block him out so I could think straight long enough to send my text.

I had created a monster.

Once we'd gotten enough paint for the dining room, I used a sling portal in an alley to drop it back at the house, and then Sirius and I kept wandering down the streets of London.

"Alright, we've got two choice now," I said, stopping a few blocks from the paint store with my hands on my hips to face Sirius. "We can go look at some carpet and furniture for the rest of the day, and just do that, or we can put your disguise to the test."

"You think I'm ready for that?" asked Sirius, sounding skeptical. I shrugged.

"Yes, but only because the wizards don't know who I am." Sirius gave me a confused look, so I explained. "I need to mail this Howler to Percy. I'm thinking, if you're confident enough, you could come with me and we could mail it together. It would be your first true test as Uncle Potts, but none of us are famous in the wizarding world, so you probably wouldn't have to deal with a bunch of hard questions. It is still a risk, though, so if you want to wait I understand."

Sirius paused to think, turning to take in the bustling city and crowded streets around us.

"I've never been one to play it safe before..." he mused. He still didn't sound completely sure, so I spoke up again.