Harry, Sirius, Kreacher and Sawyer remained in the house is Grimmauld while the rest used Floo powder to travel to the Burrow for the funeral of Arthur Weasley.
A mismatched family waved as Remus disappeared as well, and Harry sighed, about to slump his way back to his room.
"Where you going Harry?" Sirius wondered brightly.
"Our room," he mumbled. "Why?"
"Why didn't you go?" Sawyer wondered, hand resting on Kreacher's head. Harry sighed, turning to look at the remains of the once great Black family.
"When Moody dropped at St. Mungo's he said something... About Voldemort," he paused, looking quite awkward, as Kreacher flinched violently. "He said... He said that he possessed me and that's how I knew what happened."
Sirius and Sawyer exchanged a look as Kreacher shivered slightly.
"Harry, why do you believe it?" Sirius asked. "Moody is a great Auror, but he isn't really on the sane side of things these days." Sirius stepped closer, resting a hand on his shoulder. "I won't deny it, Dumbledore's acting shady around you and about you, and he suspects that something's happening, but being possessed?"
"You don't believe it?" Harry asked hopefully.
"Harry, I'll believe it when I see it." Sirius grinned, and suddenly seemed a lot younger. "You're my Godson. I may have only known you for a couple of years, but I don't think you're anything more than hormonal, scared and confused at the moment."
"But--"
"No buts," Sawyer cut in coldly. "I'm not saying it out of affection, so you know it's true. You and Riddle, you've got a connection. And if you believe what happened was you being possessed, it means that you can also possess him. Can you?"
Harry frowned, deep in thoughts. "I mean, I can see sometimes things that I think are Voldemort's situations... Like when I saw him with Wormtail last year--"
"Then it's the same. Connection is not possession."
"But I was the snake, not him--!" Harry attempted, making Sawyer huff.
"Harry, I'm not saying it again. Nagini and Riddle also have a connection," she paused, wondering if Harry would remember those words in due day. She shrugged, "you can keep thinking you're being possessed, but I just think you're the weaker side of the two and Riddle's easily invading your mind."
"But I wanted to hurt Dumbledore-"
Sawyer was getting mad when she stopped him again. "Dumbledore is very annoying indeed, and I will say this for the very last time. You. Share. A bloody. Connection." The dark haired girl huffed loudly, before forcing a smile. "Now, let's hang the Christmas decorations."
"Is that really the time?" Harry asked gloomily, "Mr. Weasley just passed away--"
"Harry go to your room and don't leave it," Sawyer snapped. "I'd rather not see and hear you mopping around, you dramatic little--"
Sirius clamped a hand on Sawyer's mouth, and smiled brightly. "Rest up a bit, get a cup of tea, and join us. We'll start in the entry hall."
Harry shot Sawyer a look, turned to Sirius and then nodded. "Alright. I'll be back..."
He shuffled to the kitchen, leaving Sawyer to shrug as Sirius shook his head.
"You're even worse than your mother."
"I'll take it as a compliment," she grinned cheekily, and then went ahead to grab a broom. "Come on guys! Let's get this house to be sparkling clean by the time everyone's back!"
"Let's go!" Sirius cheered, saluting playfully.
"I'll start cleaning, mistress," Kreacher grinned at her. "You can rest, master, as I believe it'll be better to hang the decorations only after it's clean." Kreacher paused, big eyes widening in horror. "O-of course, only if--"
"That sounds great, Kreacher," Sirius grinned. "We could spend the spared minutes on speaking about your relationship with Charlie Weasley," he directed to Sawyer. Kreacher grinned, snapping his fingers and starting to clean up the room they stood in.
"What is there to discuss?" Sawyer wondered, inspecting her nails, feigning a bored exprassion. Sirius howled a laugh.
"You're blushing, Sawyer!" he clamped a hand on her shoulder. "That's real precious."
"Shut up," she huffed.
"Aw, how can you speak to your dad with such disrespect?" He turned to Kreacher, "hey, Kreach, you think it's polite, the way she speaks to me?"
"No, master," Kreacher replied. Sawyer shook her head with an amused smile, and encouraged Kreacher to speak up. "But it is fairly better than the way you spoke to your own father," Sawyer laughed as Sirius scowled.
"But I'm a better father," he tried.
"You're barely a father, dad," she waved off. "But thanks Kreach, always knew I could count on you."
"Of course mistress. Whenever."
::
Barely an hour later, a knock on the front door made the portait of the late Walburga Black wake up.
"BLOOD TRAITORS! FILTHY HALF-BLOODS!" Sawyer and Sirius shut her up within a short moment, seemingly the fact that both of the people who attempted to cover her up actually related to her seemed to make her less bitter about it.
"Hermione," Sawyer greeted, welcoming the muggle-born. "Come in, everyone's at the funeral except for Harry, dad, Kreach and I. But you could help us."
When Hermione stepped inside, she gasped in shock. The house looked unrecognizable in comparison to the one they stayed in for the summer. "The house looks... different."
"Yeah, Kreach helped us clean everything-- dad and I are hanging decorations."
"Hi Sirius," Hermione greeted the man, who nodded. His joyful smile made her grin back, though she felt odd to feel at ease with Arthur Weasley's death looming over their heads.
"How'd you get here?"
"The Knightbus," she informed quietly. "Where's Harry?"
At that very moment, the mentioned boy stepped out, tangled in various colorful decorations. "I think it's harder than you though to untie those knots without magic."
Sirius laughed, taking out of his pocket Sawyer's previous wand, waving it in front of him and making the decorations to untangle and float down to the floor neatly.
"Hermione!" Harry called in surprise, rushing to hug his friend.
"Hey," she smiled, and Sawyer elbowed Sirius softly.
Sirius shrugged, "I bet you two have enough to speak about, and we have all christmas break together, so we'll head back to the living room. You can handle the entry hall?"
"Of course."
Sawyer and Sirius met Kreacher at the living room again, and he proudly stood in front of the Christmas tree.
The three remains of the Black family looked in glee at the tree.
"After Mistress Walburga has left the world I never thought I'd get to celebrate Christmas again," Kreacher whispered. Sawyer crouched down and hugged him as he buried his head in the crook of her neck.
Sirius mused that Sawyer's relationship with Kreacher seemed a lot like a parental relationship, supporting and caring and comforting. He wondered if that's all Kreacher has ever wanted, and if that was the reason he loved Regulus.
"When I cleaned the drawing room, I did something I am uncertain if masters and mistresses before you would approve," he whined, looking at the escapee and his daughter. Sirius and Sawyer exchanged a look, and followed after the house-elf up the stairs. He opened the door, eyes on the ground, and directed the two to the Black Family Tapesry.
Toujours pur stood out proudly at the top of the tapesry.
Sirius gently stroked the golden threads at where his name was once burned. Beneath him, a golden thread connected to the name Sawyer Black. His mouth was agape as he looked at the spot.
"Kreacher--" Sirius barely spoke up. Kreacher looked up at him, bashful. "Kreacher, I'm not sure others would approve, as I am a blood traitor and Sawyer is half-blood, which beats the whole 'always pure' agenda," he grinned. "But I appreciate it."
"Thank you master, I'm glad it caused you even slight happiness."
Sawyer was silent, so they both turned to her.
Tears were rolling down her eyes, and for a moment Sirius wondered if the names of the dead bother her. "Do you see their deaths...?"
"No," she shook her head. "I never thought you and Remus would accept with the knowledge of who I am," she wiped the tears. "But Kreacher too... I have an actual family. Not just my friends, but a biological family. And Remus accepts me." She threw an arm around Kreacher and dragged Sirius down to crouch next to her, forcing him to hug Kreacher too. "I love you."
"Hey, why are you so sentimental all of a sudden?" Sirius wondered, trying to get away. He was so unused to touches, that this long hug made him feel odd. "I'm your dad, it's my job to love you, idiot."
"That is not obvious, Padfoot," she told him gently, and her eyes were so much like Amanda's at that moment that Sirius' heart squeezed. He placed a hand on her cheek, before moving a piece of hair from her delicate face.
"You're good, Sawyer," he assured her. "I know you hate yourself, and what you are. But you're good."
She hugged him tightly.
"How do you know?"
"I am a pretty good judge of character."
"You're really not."
"I'm not even gonna answer that."