3So, this is my first Sirius Black / OC fanfic. I hope it came out well and I hope you all enjoy! I now present to you, "No Surprises."
"Are you ready to go to Diagon Alley to buy your things, kids?
"Yes!" was Stella Black's ear-shattering response.
Stella, her daughters, Freya and Iris and her son, Pollux, left the house at Number 12, Grimmauld Place and took the nearest underground station to the Leaky Cauldron. As they sat on the train, she smiled at the thought of Sirius telling her to just Apparate to Diagon Alley with the kids but being a half blood, Stella didn't mind taking Muggle transport.
"Is dad going to meet us there?"
"He told me he'd try to show up and that we'd go get dinner after we'd finished buying your things. But dad's been really busy at the Auror office; you know that Frey."
"It's all because of You-Know-Who. When is he going to go away?" asked Iris.
"I don't know, sweetie. No one knows."
Thirteen year old Pollux didn't bother listening to the conversation. He was merrily content reading his book that Sirius had given last summer; Quidditch through the Ages, in celebration of him making the Ravenclaw house team. However, it was neatly concealed with a cover of a Muggle comic book. Soon, they had arrived at their destination and walked on over to the dingy little pub.
"Hello Tom. We're here for Diagon Alley? Mind if we go through?"
"Go right on in, Stella." She tapped the wall with her wand and they walked over to Flourish and Blotts to buy the books. Stella always hated the first year's list with a passion.
"Right, you'll get from The Standard Book of Spells, Grade One to the Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration and I'll cover the rest. Lux, Iris, go find your books okay?"
"Do we have to buy our books now?" groaned Pollux.
"Well, if you even want to think of heading into Quality Quidditch Supplies after we're all done shopping, then yes, we do." Pollux grumbled as he and Iris headed off to find their books. As Stella looked around in the shelves, she was caught off guard by a set of arms that managed to snake their way around her waist and scare her half to death.
"Sirius!" she exclaimed.
"I managed to get out of work early. It's been mad chaos over there, but Kingsley decided to let me leave because of the kids." He gave her a kiss and she blushed, feeling embarrassed that he did it so comfortably in public.
"Will you go with Lux to Quality Quidditch Supplies? We can meet up at the apothecary after I get Frey's robes done at Madam Malkin's and then we can go get her that owl she's been wanting and of course her wand and oh, shoot! I needed to get myself fitted for new dress robes because of that stupid benefit St. Mungo's is hosting-"
Sirius interrupted Stella's infamous ranting before she could continue.
"Calm down, Stella. We'll get it all done. She's still got two weeks left before term starts. Go do whatever you have to do and I'll see you all at the apothecary. Oy! Pollux!" He and Iris came over to him and after attacking Sirius with hugs, gave their mother their books and the three of them headed off to the shop. Freya found Stella, paid for all of the books and walked on over to Madam Malkin's.
As Stella watched Freya be fitted, she thought of the time she had gone into Diagon Alley with her parents to buy her Hogwarts supplies.
"Just wait a minute, dears while I get this young man finished off," said Madam Malkin as Stella took a seat by the pretty red-headed girl and smiled back after the girl had given her a shy grin.
"I'm Stella. Are you going to Hogwarts this year too?"
"Yes, I am. My name's Lily Evans. Are your parents a witch and a wizard?"
"Mm-hmm. Are yours?"
"No, we're not. Actually, we're a bit confused on where everything is. Mum wanted to go buy my wand but we don't know where to go."
"You all can come with me and my mum! She knows where everything is!"
Lily agreed to this wholeheartedly and was then called to get fitted. When it was Stella's turn, Lily introduced her parents to Stella's mum, Proserpina and after her robes were taken care of, the two of them led the Evans' all over Diagon Alley. The two girls chattered constantly about Hogwarts and kept asking Proserpina what they were to expect. As they went into Flourish and Blotts, they caught sight of an argument going on between a very good looking dark-haired boy and his noble looking mother.
"How dare you talk to that half-blood, Sirius!" she shrieked as she led the boy out of the store by his wrist.
"I'll talk to whomever I want!" he yelled back before the door slammed shut behind them.
Before they knew it, they had gotten their wands and the Evans' were ready to go back to the Leaky Cauldron.
"I'll see you at Platform 9 ¾ soon, Stella!" said Lily as she gave her new friend a hug.
"I can't wait Lily!" Proserpina and Stella watched as the three of them headed back to the Muggle world through the pub and then she Apparated the two of them back to their house in Manchester.
"I'm so glad I met Lily today mum! Why do some people still have problems with Muggles? There's nothing wrong with them!"
"Oh, sweetie, they're just very stupid and very familiar to tradition. The woman we saw at Flourish and Blotts was Walburga Black and you know what I've told you about the Black family. They're very traditional and well, the sad part is, they'll pass their prejudices onto their own children."
After Stella had been fitted into new midnight blue velvet robes, they went to the apothecary and bought Freya's necessary ingredients, a set of brass scales and the bezoar stones she needed to replace the ones she had in her office at St. Mungo's. While she waited for the bezoars, Sirius, Iris and Lux came in; Lux toting a bag from the QQS.
"What did you, or rather, what did your dad buy you?" asked Stella, noticing the bag.
"A new beater's bat!"
"Sirius!"
"What? The kid deserves it; you know he does!"
Stella sighed. Sirius always had a soft spot for his only son.
"What else do you all need this year besides the parchment, ink and quills?"
"We're good to go mum. All Iris and I needed were the books and you've signed my permission form too. Mum, are you going to be able to sign Harry's too?"
Stella looked at Sirius and they exchanged looks. They both hated the fact that Dumbledore would not let them adopt Harry because of the protection surrounding number 4, Privet Drive. Sirius kept bringing up the matter to Dumbledore saying that Number 12, Grimmauld Place was very secure and that he'd die before letting anyone hurt Harry. But Dumbledore remained unpersuasive.
"I…uh, I don't know, Lux. We'll see what Dumbledore says, okay?" said Sirius, ruffling his son's hair.
Sirius took the kids to Eeylop's to buy Freya's owl while Stella stocked up on parchment and ink and quills at Scrivenshaft's, bought the pewter cauldron and telescope and headed to Ollivander's, where she was greeted by Freya's new tawny colored owl.
"She's gorgeous! What are you going to name her?"
"I'm not too sure yet."
Ollivander (who, Stella noted, gave Freya the creeps, just like he had when she had bought her wand…and her older children as well) had Freya try out three wands before the fourth wand, a Vinewood with a unicorn tail hair core, nine and a half inches and was great for charms.
"Aww…my little Freya's got her wand now!" exclaimed an overenthusiastic Sirius, hugging his daughter. Stella smiled at the sight. They all Apparated home.
"Be sure to put all of your things in your trunk; I don't want you losing anything and I don't want you running all over the house August 31st trying to find something! Why can't you ever be the strict one?" asked Stella, directing the last question to her husband while starting to make a late dinner.
"Because you do it so well, dear. Kids, listen to your mother!"
As promised, Stella and Lily met up on the train and Lily introduced her to her 'best friend' Severus Snape. While a bit quiet and poorly taken care of, he seemed to be an okay kid. Stella treated to cauldron cakes and licorice wands. The two of them had taught Lily how to play exploding snap and during their game, were interrupted by four rowdy boys.
"Are you all first years too?" asked the rather peaky looking sandy haired boy.
"Yes, we are. I'm Lily Evans. And you all are?"
"Remus Lupin."
"Peter Pettigrew."
"Charmed by your beauty," said the messy haired boy with glasses. Lily rolled her eyes at him.
"Sirius Black," said the ridiculously good-looking black haired boy, taking Stella's hand and kissing it. She was taken aback, but introduced herself. Lily rolled her eyes again. The boys though, decided to stay.
"This is it! We're off to Hogwarts!" exclaimed Severus. Lily only nodded. She was still rather upset at the way things had gone between her and her sister Petunia when they said goodbye.
"Who wants to be in Slytherin; I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" asked James. The question was directed to Sirius. He however, didn't smile at James' question."
"My whole family have been in Slytherin." Stella looked at him. He avoided her blue eyed stare.
"Blimey! And I thought you seemed all right!" Sirius smiled.
"Maybe I'll break tradition."
Stella was surprised by his remark; maybe he wasn't as notorious as a Black as she had pegged him to be.
"I hope you do," she said, giving him a bright smile. His only had gotten bigger in return.
"What house were your parents in, Stella?" asked Sirius.
"My dad…I don't know, but my mum was in Gryffindor-"
"Gryffindor! Where dwell the brave of heart! That's where I'm going, just like my dad!" Severus made a grunt and James threw him a look.
"Got a problem?"
"No…if you'd rather be brawny than brainy."
"Where are you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" asked Sirius. The four boys roared with laughter and Lily looked at James and Sirius in disgust.
"Come on, Severus, Stella. Let's go find another compartment." Severus obliged but Stella strayed for a bit.
"I really hope you get Gryffindor, Sirius," she said, before leaving the compartment with her bag.
"Chicken smells great," said Sirius as dinner was cooking in the oven. Stella refused to give up her Muggle cooking skills and utensils; it made her feel useful and cooking always made her relax. He began to set the table when a loud knock at the front door was heard.
"Who are you and explain your reason here!" he exclaimed.
"It's Harry James Potter; son of James Potter and Lily Evans Potter…yours and Stella Martin Black's godson, soon to be a third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and I come from Number 4, Privet Drive because I have accidentally blown up my aunt." Sirius raised his eyebrow at this last statement but nonetheless opened the door. Stella came in from the kitchen. Their godson, Harry Potter was in their foyer with his broomstick, trunk and at that moment, his owl Hedwig came swooping in the room.
"Harry? What's going on, dear?" she asked, giving him a hug.
"What do you mean you blew up your aunt? Oh thank god; the Marauder side has finally come out of you! James would be so proud!" exclaimed Sirius, pretending to wipe a tear away from his eye.
"Sirius, this is not the time! Harry, come in and rest and tell us what happened over dinner. Kids, get down here now; Harry's come to visit!"
"HARRY!" exclaimed the three kids, bounding down the stairs.
"What are you doing here, mate?" asked Lux, giving Harry a hand with his stuff.
"We're just about to find out, Lux. Come on, to the dining room the lot of you," said Sirius, leading Stella in with a hand on the small of her back. Lux and Harry took his things up to Lux's room while Iris and Freya helped Sirius finish setting the table. By the time the boys got back downstairs, the table was set with food and everyone else had sit down.
"So, Harry…uh, what exactly happened?" asked Stella, piling on a hearty serving of mashed potatoes and chicken on his plate. Harry sighed and told how his Aunt Marge came to stay (that they had known of; he had mentioned it in a letter a few days ago) but how she began to say things about James and Lily that weren't true and had truly upset Harry.
"And before I knew it, she was floating outside in the backyard and my uncle was trying to get a hold of her. I ran before they could do something drastic and, well, now I'm here."
"Cool!" exclaimed Lux and Sirius. Stella threw them her trademark glare.
"It's not your fault Harry; it's understandable. Those things you said she said were horrible…of course it would trigger your magic inside of you," she said, giving him his third helping of mashed potatoes.
"You're definitely more than welcome to stay, and-"
There was yet another knock at the door and Stella this time went to question the visitor. She came back with a man in a bowler hat and pinstriped suit.
'"Uh, Sirius, Cornelius Fudge is here to talk to Harry."
"This life, this life and then the next; with you I have been blessed, what more can you expect?"
-Bruce Springsteen, "This Life"
I got some of the second italicized dialogue from Deathy Hallows (in 'The Prince's Tale) but I did tweak it around a bit. If I owned Harry Potter, I wouldn't be writing here! All rights belong to JK Rowling & the lyrics belong to The Boss! Hope you liked, please review!
Beautiful Bluebird