Tears (Sirius Black's daughter) Book 2

Chapter 11

"I knew it!" yelled Ron, punching the air. "You always get away with stuff!" 

"They were bound to clear you," said Hermione, who had looked positively faint with anxiety when Harry had entered the kitchen and was now holding a shaking hand over her eyes, "there was no case against you, none at all." 

"Everyone seems quite relieved, though, considering you all knew I'd get off," said Harry, smiling. Mrs Weasley was wiping her face on her apron, and Fred, George and Ginny were doing a kind of war dance to a chant that went: "He got off, he got off, he got off..." 

"That's enough! Settle down!" shouted Mr Weasley, though he too was smiling. "Listen, Sirius, Lucius Malfoy was at the Ministry -" 

"What?" said Sirius sharply. 

"He got off, he got off, he got off..." 

"Be quiet, you three! Yes, we saw him talking to Fudge on Level Nine, then they went up to Fudge's office together. Dumbledore ought to know." 

"Absolutely," said Sirius. "We'll tell him, don't worry." 

"Well, I'd better get going, there's a vomiting toilet waiting for me in Bethnal Green. Molly, I'll be late, I'm covering for Tonks, but Kingsley might be dropping in for dinner -" 

"He got off, he got off, he got off..." 

"That's enough - Fred - George - Ginny!" said Mrs Weasley, as Mr Weasley left the kitchen."Harry, dear, come and sit down, have some lunch, you hardly ate breakfast." 

Ron and Hermione sat themselves down opposite him, looking happier than they had done since he had first arrived at Grimmauld Place. "Where's Clara?" Harry asked noticing her absence. 

"She went up about an hour ago, she cleaned all morning," Mrs Weasley replied. Harry nodded his head. 

A few moments later Clara rushed in. "Harry!" She exclaimed happily. "No charges?" She asked. 

"I got off." Clara pulled him into a tight hug. 

"See I knew they would!" She said in the same happy manner. She sits down next to Sirius. 

Over the next few days, Harry could not help noticing that there was one person within number twelve, Grimmauld Place, who did not seem wholly overjoyed that he would be returning to Hogwarts. Sirius had put up a very good show of happiness on first hearing the news, wringingHarry's hand and beaming just like the rest of them. Soon, however, he was moodier and surlier than before, talking less to everybody, even Clara, and spending increasing amounts of time shut up in his mother's room with Buckbeak. Clara, Lupin and Harry were all getting worried. 

"Don't you go feeling guilty!" said Hermione sternly, after Harry and Clara had confided some of their feelings to her and Ron while they scrubbed out a mouldy cupboard on the third floor a few days later. "You belong at Hogwarts and Sirius knows it. Personally, I think he's being selfish." 

"That's a bit harsh!"  said Ron, frowning as he attempted to prize off a bit of mould that had attached itself firmly to his finger, "you wouldn't want to be stuck inside this house without any company."

"I agree with Ron, my dad only got to see me and Harry for a year, then he was in Azkaban for 12, saw us for one night and had to hide," Clara stated. 

"He'll have company!" said Hermione. "It's Headquarters to the Order of the Phoenix, isn't it?He just got his hopes up that Harry would be coming to live here with him."

"Doesn't mean they'll stay! They have jobs and dad's stuck in here with the screaming painting and kreature who isn't any fun!" Argued Clara. 

"I don't think that's true," said Harry, wringing out his cloth. "He wouldn't give me a straight answer when I asked him if I could," he added regarding to Hermione. 

"He just didn't want to get his own hopes up even more," said Hermione wisely. "And he probably felt a bit guilty himself, because I think a part of him was really hoping you'd be expelled. Then you'd both be outcasts together." 

"Come off it!" said Harry and Ron together, but Hermione merely shrugged. Clara stayed quiet. 

"Suit yourselves. But I sometimes think Ron's mums right and Sirius gets confused about whether you're you or your father, Harry." 

"So, you think he's touched in the head?" said Harry heatedly. 

"No, I just think he's been very lonely for a long time," said Hermione simply. 

At this point, Mrs Weasley entered the bedroom behind them."Still not finished?" she said, poking her head into the cupboard. 

"I thought you might be here to tell us to have a break," said Ron bitterly. "D'you know-how much mould we've got rid of since we arrived here?" 

"You were so keen to help the Order," said Mrs Weasley, "you can do your bit by making Headquarters fit to live in." 

"I feel like a house-elf," grumbled Ron. 

"Well, now you understand what dreadful lives they lead, perhaps you'll be a bit more active in SPEW!" said Hermione hopefully, as Mrs Weasley left them to it. "You know, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to show people exactly how horrible it is to clean all the time - we could do a sponsored scrub of Gryffindor common room, all proceeds to SPEW, it would raise awareness as well as funds." Clara stopped cleaning. 

"I'm going to get a drink, you guys want anything?" She asked. They all shook their head. Clara left the room and made her way downstairs.