SPLITAPARTS: lessons in love ✔️

Christmas at Grimmauld Place

December 23, 1995

Ryan and Andromeda stood before their old ancestral home with Remus by their side, both eager and terrified to finally meet their father again when they could spend time with him; the precious few moments in the Gryffindor common room had been etched firmly in their minds. They had both decided not to tell him immediately in case he had forgotten their very existence. Remus had explained that Sirius was terribly anxious and depressed, but that hosting guests for the holidays had brightened his spirit tremendously. The moment they walked into the house they heard rock music coming from the kitchen downstairs and smelled food cooking. They recognized the female voice singing the not-so-gentle rock ballad as their mother's and smiled.

Remus asked that they wait for their father with a loving smile, promising to send Sirius up straight away. They looked up and down the walls at the faded wall coverings as Remus left them to fetch their father. They both glanced up the stairs, they could barely make out a curtain rod with a heavy black material draped over it. They could hear that someone was heading for the staircase upstairs.

"I wonder why Grandmother's portrait is covered," Andromeda asked quietly.

"Well, there is at least one muggle-born in this house right now and that can't possibly sit well with her."

"Oh yeah, Hermione is here as well. I almost forgot."

George was the first down the stairs to greet them.

"Hello you two! Welcome to the Headquarters of the Order!"

"Hi Georgie," Andromeda purred as she smiled. "Where's Freddie?"

"In the loo. What? You think we hold each others willie whilst we take a piss?"

Andromeda laughed and shook her head. "No--!"

"Well, we do," he said and he grinned and tilted his head. "Only kidding! So, what do you think of this place?"

"It's changed a bit--been left to run down. It's kind of sad really," Ryan said.

"Changed? You've been here before?"

"Yeah, a few times," Ryan replied. His gaze followed the stairs again and he spied Kreature eyeing them hard. "Hello Kreature. Mum asked that we send her regards and hopes you are well—"

"Master Orion has returned to his Family's ancestral home! And Mistress Andromeda! Ohh! You've grown so! Kreature is overcome with joy!"

George's eyes widened. "He just called you Master and Mistress—you're related to Sirius then?"

"Don't you see the family resemblance," Andromeda asked, oozing charm.

He looked at the pair hard. "Yeah, now I do! Blimey! Why haven't I noticed it before?"

"You can't say a word! He doesn't know who we are and no one knows that we're his kids except a handful of people. We asked Remus to tell him that our family is being watched by You Know Who and his Death Eaters."

"Which is more or less, true," Andromeda said, finishing his sentence.

"Hold on--did you say that you're his kids?"

Andromeda looked up at the tall ginger-headed, freckled-faced older boy and slowly blinked a smile as she nodded. "Uh huh!"

"Hey, he might be off his rocker, but Sirius is a smart guy--the minute he hears your surname, he's gonna know who you are."

"Which is why I asked Uncle Remus to make up an alias for us."

George nodded his head. "Oh--you know, you really should have been sorted in Ravenclaw--"