“Can you explain to me again why we are moving into this old building? I thought you hated that thing. "
“Because I'm not going to Spinners End with you and Harry. I've looked at the area, it's dangerous to the public. I have also renovated Grimmauldplatz over the past few months. It doesn't look as shabby as it did in the war. "
Severus snorted.
"Do you still have that grumpy house-elf in there?"
"Yes, Kreacher is still young after all."
"And what about your fury's impossible picture of a mother?"
Now Sirius was embarrassed.
"I really tried everything, but not even the curse breakers could pull the thing off the wall."
"You even requested the elite?asked the Potions Master, amazed.
“It's not just you who piss this woman off. It has expressions. "
"And you want to bring Harry into such an environment?" Severus raged.
Sirius looked a little embarrassed.
“I'm trying to find something new right now. but everyone knows that I'm the godfather of Harry Potter. They all want the heroes in their neighborhood. Can you imagine what that would mean? "
“Of course, a pack that keeps ringing our storm bell and wants something from the little one. Probably with a large number of reporters in tow. Nevertheless, I am still against this building. "
Harry had followed the two arguing men and was enjoying himself like a king. He didn't care where they lived. With these two he would be happy even in Siberia. And why not, what more could he ask for? after Sirius ’acquittal, the year had gone on peacefully. There was no bother with Draco. And whenever he went to visit Severus and Sirius he saw how well they were doing. they had even decided to move in together for good, including on vacation.
He winked at Hedwig and Beast.
"Sirius, don't look like that now. severus is only so angry because his house lost both trophies to our house this year. "
Severus just growled to himself.
Sirius, however, laughed.
“I still don't understand, you don't care about Quidditch at all. and four weeks ago you deducted a huge amount of house points from your snakes yourself because they had a party in the prefect's bathroom. "
“It's a matter of principle. slytherin lost the school championship for the first time in nine years. I wanted it to be ten consecutive years of victory. And as for the points. I hate it when the students let themselves go, no matter which house. did you see what they did there? The bathtub was full of alcohol, and so were the students. Just because you're in seventh doesn't mean that you have to go overboard like that. You can do that from me during the holidays, but not under my nose. "
Harry laughed again. .this mistake by Slytherin resulted in such a fit of anger from Severus that not even the headmaster dared to come on the man stupid anymore. Not that Dumbledore has had much to say in the last few months. he was still through with everyone downstairs because he had allowed the dementors at the school. Not to mention his behavior towards magical beings.
When the two men stopped, Harry looked around searchingly.
"Where is your house now?"
Sirius put his arm around the boy's shoulders.
"Look closely."
What happened next left the boy speechless. two of the houses moved to one side and an old awe-inspiring building appeared in the middle.
"Unbelievable, and that in the middle of the Muggles," the boy marveled.
"Fortunately, they don't notice anything." Severus explained.
sirius climbed the stairs and opened the door.
"What if you want to keep staring at the house or do you come in?"
"Why did I let myself be persuaded," Severus grumbled.
"Because you love him," Harry came to his aid with an explanation.
The Potions Master made a face.
"No, I love you, I just tolerate him."
Harry burst out laughing.
“How much longer do you want to play this game? I saw exactly how you two stand to each other. "
Sirius, who had overheard the conversation, turned to Harry.
"I think exactly that is the problem."
"What? That I saw you guys together? ”Harry asked.
"No, it's about what situation you saw us in." Severus glared at his partner.
"I've seen you kissing many times," the boy tried to appease.
Sirius scratched his head, embarrassed.
"Yes, but this was something else."
"I guess you can say," grumbled Severus.
Harry slowly understood. he had burst into Severus' room two days ago and had heard Sirius lay the man over the kitchen table.
"But it was just a kiss." It came softly from Harry.
"The point is that Severus doesn't want to give the impression that he is taking over the submissive Pat. At least it was on the table, under me. ”Sirius chuckled.
For this he got a huge blow on the head from Severus.
“That's not the point at all, but the boy doesn't have to see everything. He's only thirteen. ”The man hissed.
“Maybe in the future I should just knock before I drop in at your place. after all you are adults, so it is normal that you want to show your love to each other. And just so you know. It is very clear to me who has what role in your relationship. "
Sirius blushed.
"Did you have to say that so clearly?"
harry shrugged his shoulders.
"You asked. And I wasn't just talking about sex. Sirius, without Sev's help you would never have come to terms with your whole experience in Azkaban so quickly. you absolutely need someone to let yourself go to. And Severus is just great. "
Sirius looked at his partner.
"The little one is simply too grown up for his age."
"I agree. I would only appreciate it if you didn't call me by that stupid nickname. ”He had directed the last sentence to Harry, of course.
"I like it, but if it is that important to you, I'll call you Severus. the name is nice too. "
Severus smiled and ruffled the boy's hair for a moment.
"Good kid," he commented.
“UNWORTHY! REPEAT FOAM! TRAITORS ENTERING MY HOUSE. DISAPPEARS. A SHAME FOR MY FAMILY. "
Harry had turned pale at the words. The boy took a step back and bumped into Severus. He put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
“This is Black's mother. Or rather, her picture. every time someone enters the house, she becomes a fury and starts nagging. Just don't try to listen. "
Sirius turned apologetically to his godchild.
"I'm sorry kid, I should have warned you.
AND YOU, FINALLY SHUT UP YOUR MOUTH, STUPID BOX! "
Harry watched as Sirius screamed at his mother's picture and she countered with more and more swear words. then Sirius went to a curtain and tried to drag him in front of the picture.
“CAN'T YOU BEAR THE TRUTH? OR WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO LOCK ME AGAIN? "
"Because I can't stand your screaming anymore, you old saber witch."
“DON'T DARE TALK TO ME THAT YOU UNDERGRATIVE BELLOWS. I'M STILL YOUR MOTHER. "
"Yes, unfortunately," Sirius hissed on.
Severus gritted his teeth angrily and covered Harry's ears.
this enabled the boy to see exactly the expression on the face of the picture woman. Careful, he cocked his head slightly.
"Mrs. Black? Why are you so angry? ”He asked calmly.
Sirius was just about to point out to his godson that the old woman wouldn't answer him when it suddenly fell silent. Since the curtain was still stuck, it couldn't have anything to do with it. The Black looked confused at the silent picture of his mother.
Severus was amazed too. He had known this house since the last war. The Order had always held its meetings here. but he had never seen this picture shut up. At least not when it was free.
Harry carefully removed Severus ’hands from his ears and approached the woman. He was still looking at her waiting.
when the picture opened his mouth Sirius was about to pull Harry to safety from that shameful mouth, but surprisingly she didn't scream.
"That is probably very clear, because my dear son tramples the traditions of our family."
“What do you mean by traditions? You are racists and practice black magic of the worst kind, so I could only turn away from you. "
Immediately the picture wanted to roar again, but was stopped by Harry's soft voice.
"Please don't yell again, Mrs. Black, because Sirius won't listen to you. Is it true what he says? "
The woman turned her gaze back to the boy with the lightning scar.
“You are Harry Potter, aren't you? my grandfather told me about you. It also hangs as a picture in the headmaster's office. The guy forgot to mention what a smart kid you are, though.
To get back to your question, no, my son's allegations are not true. that's why I blew Sirius out of the family tree. "
Harry cocked his head.
"Yes, from the family tree, but you did not ban him from the family."
The woman raised an eyebrow.
“You really are a smart kid, it's true, I didn't want to lose my kid entirely.
In any case, most of what is said about our family is nothing but lies. "
"How is it then?" The Animagus wanted to know in a huff.
“Sirius Orion Black, you are forgetting your manners. Do you want to leave your guests here in the hallway all the time? Freshen up and sit down in the salon, then I'll explain everything to you. "
"There's no picture of you there," Sirius reminded him.
the woman in the picture rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"Kreacher!"
A house elf came out from behind the curtain. He had held him so that his master could not pull him in front of the lady's picture.
"Mistress?he bowed so low that his nose touched the floor.
“Stop wiping the floor with your nose. And then hang my picture back in its place. I think Sirius is finally ready to listen to me too. don't forget the tea and cookies. "
The house elf smiled happily.
"As my mistress wishes." And immediately he got to work.
Sirius stood around, a little hesitant.
"Does anyone know what that should be?he then turned to Severus and Harry.
The teacher sighed.
“I would say your sponsored child has sorted out your problems for you again. And now please tell us where our rooms are. I want to wash the journey from my body. your mother had a good idea. "
"Yes, I agree. I would also like to finally let Hedwig out of the cage. She wants to lose her wings, ... um, fly? ”Harry cocked his head in his typical way. a gesture that always melted adults away. And that without the boy being aware of this effect in the Karen.
Sirius smiled.
“Of course, come with me. Harry, your room is right next to Severus' and mine. "
"Hopefully you can do good soundproofing magic," said the boy.
"Harry!" Severus was indignant.
"What? I just mean that I don't want to hear if you guys argue. No child wants to experience that with their parents. what did you think what I mean? ”The boy looked so deliberately innocent at his two companions that they could only laugh.
"This child is my death again," said Sirius.
"My speech," Severus muttered.
when the three met in the parlor downstairs, the little elf was already bustling over there and he. He even trilled a song.
Harry sat down and listened.
"What kind of song is that, Kreacher?"
The house elf turned in surprise.
"It's an old house-elf summer song."
"It sounds nice, would you ever teach me?" Harry asked while taking a cup of tea.
Now the house elf was even more surprised, but then he started to grin.
"If the young gentleman so wishes, then gladly."
Mrs. Black giggled.
"This child has more hearts than a unicorn."
Harry blushed. However, the two men agreed with the woman. Especially since Beast was sitting on Harry's lap again. the book always started whimpering when the boy left it alone. And since it bit anyone who targeted their little one, both Severus and Sirius thought it was a good protector.
"So mother," Sirius changed the subject, "what did you mean earlier that everything about our family was a lie?"
The woman crossed her arms over her chest.
“Would you first introduce me to your guests? you probably left your manners lying around somewhere. "
Sirius had the grace to blush.
"Um, this is my godson Harry Potter. I have already submitted an application for adoption, which will probably go through in the next few weeks. then it will be called Harry Potter-Black. And this is my partner, Severus Snape. He is a potions master and teacher at Hogwarts. Sev, Harry, this is Walburga Black, my mother. "
"It's better, nice to meet you both."
Harry and Severus returned the lady's kindness.
"So, and before Sirius starts biting his nails again, I'd better get to the bottom of our meeting.
What do you know about black magic? I mean the right one. "
"Everything," said Harry. And he immediately reported to the woman what he had read in Quirrell's book.
“I also recently found something interesting in another of his books. namely, when black magic was demonized back then to prevent a war with the Muggles, the talking hat was also enchanted. "
Sirius looked at him questioningly.
"Why that?"
"So that he helped make the Slytherin house look worse. You know the Ministry needed an enemy. And unfortunately the house of the snakes had to serve for that. because that's where most of the black magicians went. "
"And how exactly did you do it?" Severus wanted to know.
Harry looked up at the picture.
"Shall I explain, or do you want to?"
Mrs. Black smiled.
"Take it over, please. I will then talk about our family.
"I'd love to." Harry inclined his head slightly.
“Well, you know that the hat always lists the properties of the houses in his songs. But he didn't always do that. and above all, once he did it, he didn't leave anything out. "
"He's leaving things out?" Severus asked, puzzled.
"Yes, you keep saying it yourself when you get upset about students from other houses."
"You mean who I say, it's typical for Gryffindor to act and then think," Severus agreed.
"Yes, and would you describe that as a positive quality?"
"Hardly," Sirius muttered thoughtfully.
“The positive qualities are right, but Gryffindor is not only brave and brave. Where I always wonder what the difference is anyway? We can also distinguish right from wrong. Something that everyone should be able to do. but we are also impulsive and stubborn like a whole herd of donkeys. But these things were wisely kept silent. And now it's your turn. What was left out of the other houses? "
Harry looked at them both intently.
it didn't take severus long to think about it.
“The Ravenclaws are not only smart and striving for wisdom, but they are also often power-obsessed and scheming. The best example is Lockhart. "
Harry nodded, then turned to Sirius.
he still looked a little perplexed, but his features also brightened.
“The Hufflepuff are loyal and do not shy away from work. Unfortunately, they often recognize mistakes too late. And if you do, you still don't change anything in your decision. they stay true to their own mistakes and work to the point of their downfall. That struck me back then with the Death Eaters who came out of the badger house. They just didn't see what Voldemort had done wrong. "
Severus shook his head.
“Yes, they saw it, but they didn't want to change anything. I overheard a few conversations in which some followers said they had taken the wrong path, but they were going to end it now. if they won well, if not, then at least they were loyal. "
Harry shook his head. He couldn't explain such behavior. but on the other hand, Severus often didn't understand why the Gryffindors were stubbornly behind their opinions or why they often acted without thinking.
The boy cleared his throat.
"Do you see? The hat has left out these characteristics nicely. but he did not forget to point out the trickery at Slytherin. That one can still find true friends in this house often goes under. and you know that the Muggleborns are all told not to bother with the House of Snakes. The residents would be angry and would hate everyone who is not pure blood. "
“SO CHEAP!” Walburga roared.
"Mother, please. We are all not deaf. "
"It is true. All bad, what nonsense. Do you actually know what kind of relationship Salazar and Godric had to one another? "
Sirius smirked.
“Yes, it is often said that the two were a couple. before they fell out. "
"Wrong," came from Harry and Walburga at the same time.
"Oh? How was it then? ”Severus wanted to know.
Harry sighed.
“The two were brothers. After Salazar's father died, his mother remarried. from this marriage came Godric. I don't have to say more. "
"The Quirrell books again?" Sirius wanted to know.
“Yes, and before you ask that everything is not a secret. You can buy these books anywhere. only nobody is interested in it. Ridiculously, they are in the forbidden section at Hogwarts. "
"Well, what does that have to do with our family now?" Sirius wanted to know.
“Quite simply, our family consists of black magicians, but just as young Harry described them. And we have nothing against Muggleborns either. We're only there to stay away from the muggles themselves. for example, no orphan with magical powers should be raised by non-magical people. That is dangerous for everyone involved. people just can't handle the magic and the kids are mostly treated like monsters and develop quite darkly. The best example is Tom Riddle. "
"But our family was against the Muggles before the madman." Sirius protested.
“Yes, because the Muggles kept hunting us. Not just in the Middle Ages. people just aren't ready to accept us yet, maybe they never will. And the best method is that the two worlds exist separately from each other. "
"But, I like to be in London, it was fun to walk around the city," said Harry.
The woman in the picture smiled.
“You get me wrong. What I mean is we have to be careful. we cannot bring our children to areas where muggles live. At least not while they are too small and cannot control their wild magic. The Blacks learned this lesson many years ago. they had muggle neighbors and they saw how a three year old had let her magic loose in shock. Out of sheer fear, the people threw the little one into a river. It is still too difficult for such a young child to break out of such a situation, especially when they have just had a magical outburst. the little one died and we weren't allowed to take revenge on the people because the confidentiality agreement was just being concluded. We had to pretend we agreed with the decision. that's why we stopped messing with muggles. And immediately counts as a racist. "
It was quiet. Except for the soft sniffing of Harry. He just couldn't imagine how anyone could be so mean. he snuggled closer to Severus.
Sirius broke the oppressive silence.
"Why did you never tell me that?"
Walburga sighed.
“Because I was stupid, I wanted to let you make your own decisions. you should see what is the truth and what is a lie. Unfortunately, at that time, our reputation in the magical world was already badly damaged. All you could hear from everywhere was how bad your family was. And when you got to Hogwarts it was too late. then you were constantly under Dumbledore's influence. And he did everything to stir up your anger at us.
The man is absolutely against black magic, just as he only lets magical beings live to a limited extent. When I realized it was too late, I decided not to make the same mistake with Regulus. Unfortunately then I had to blow you out of the family tree. If I hadn't, you would have known too much about our family from the family book. I was sure that the headmaster would only have waited for such a possibility. "
"Then that was self-protection?" Sirius wanted to know in disbelief.
"Yes, you can put it that way." The woman agreed.
“That wasn't very intelligent of you. That could have turned out differently, "said Severus.
“I know that the problem is when you don't feel fear, you often don't think properly. or worry too little. That has already cost many of us our lives, but somehow we never learn. "
Harry started giggling.
“Sirius is going to break this vicious circle, he has Severus now. he will protect him from stupid things. "
"Great, a life's work," Severus grumbled, feigned angry.
"Hey, I'm not that bad either." Sirius indigned.
"Right, you're worse," Severus grinned. however then pulled his partner close and kissed him. Just so that he might not be offended after all.
Walburga watched the two of them with satisfaction. It made her happy to see her son so happy. the boy had developed splendidly. Unfortunately, she hadn't contributed very much to it. But from now on, she resolved, she would be part of Sirius ’life .