The Squib and the Werewolf (book 2)

44. House Tours

Although she wasn't happy about it, Raya allowed Sirius to head alone to Grimmauld Place the following morning.
She didn't like the idea, but history had taught her not to mess with Albus Dumbledore.
Jamie was sad when he returned home that evening from Hogwarts, and found that his dad wasn't there to greet him. But Raya promised him that they would all join Sirius the following day.
So, after breakfast the 4 of them headed to London, before making their way to 12 Grimmauld Place.
Since Raya was the only one who had been there before, she took the lead, and directed them all towards Sirius's ancestral home.

As Raya pushed open the front door, she was hit with a smell of mould and dampness, that hadn't been there before.
The house was dark and gloomy, and as always it was covered in snakes.
"Are those house-elves?" Whispered Jamie, as he pointed to the beheaded house-elves that were on the wall beside the staircase.
"Yes. Sirius's Aunt Elladora came up with the idea to behead house-elves when they got too old. But try not to think about it too much" replied Raya, as she headed towards the kitchen, where she knew Sirius was waiting for them.

The moment Sirius saw her, his face lit up, and he ran into her arms.
"I missed you" he murmered, before kissing her quickly.
He then hugged Jamie, and then Remus, before taking hold of Sophia and holding her tightly.
"We are a complete family once again" grinned Sirius.
"Yes, we are. It's just a shame that our family reunion has to take place in this hell hole" sighed Raya.
"I am no more fond of this place than you. I've only been back for 24 hours, and I already want to burn the place to the ground" admitted Sirius, as he handed Sophia back to Raya.

"It's not very clean" commented Remus.
"I know. I've got no idea what the wretched house-elf has been doing for 10 years, since my mother died. But he clearly hasn't been cleaning" replied Sirius.
"Kreacher is still alive" gasped Raya.
"Unfortunately. I wanted to get rid of him, but since he knows family secrets, I'm stuck with him. And the years have definitely not made him into a more likeable being" complained Sirius.
"I never liked that elf" admitted Raya.
"The feeling is mutual".

"Where is he?" Asked Jamie curiously.
"Merlin knows. Probably crying over my mothers clothes or something. He was always obsessed with her, even though she was never nice to him. The only one who treated him decently, was Regulus" answered Sirius.
"Have you been into Regulus's room?" Questioned Raya.
"No. There are far too many other rooms in this house that need cleaning, to worry about Regulus's room. I told Dumbledore that the house is a state, and he said that the Weasleys will be here at the end of the week to help start putting the place back together, before any Order meetings can take place" said Sirius, changing the subject from his brother.

"We'll help you" insisted Raya.
"No, I don't want you guys wasting your time cleaning this place. Especially on our first day back as a family. Besides, there's no point starting until the Weasleys get here, as we won't even be able to make a dent in the cleaning. There is so much to do, and we will need all of the Weasleys to make this place livable again. When I did a quick inventory of the rooms yesterday, I think I found things living in most of them" admitted Sirius.
"What kind of things?" Quizzed Jamie.
"Doxies, Boggarts, giant spiders. All kinds of things" answered Sirius.
"In that case, we should definitely wait for the Weasleys then" shuddered Raya.

"How about I give you all the grand tour before lunch?" Suggested Sirius.
"Sounds good to me" replied Raya.
"You didn't get to see much of the house last time, so it will be a first for you too"
"My first visit here wasn't exactly very enjoyable"
"It wasn't a good day for me either".
"What exactly happened?" Questioned Jamie.
"Your grandmother found out I was a half-blood and a Squib, so she issued your father with an ultimatum. Dump me, or get banished from the family home" explained Raya.
"And obviously, I chose your mother" finished Sirius.

"How come you ended up with the house then, if you were banished?" Quizzed Jamie.
"Well, there were no other Black heirs to take ownership of it. My brother is dead, and my cousins are all women who got married and lost the family name. So, none of them could inherent the house. Even though my mother despised me, she didn't want the house falling into the hands of someone who wasn't a Black. Which is why I still got left 12 Grimmauld Place in her will. And one day, this place will be passed down to you" answered Sirius.

"Speaking of my mother, there's a horrible portrait of her in the hallway, that I can't seem to get rid of. I expect she had it stuck on the wall with a permanent sticking charm, so that I can't take her down. She starts shouting and screaming if she hears anyone nearby, so I had to put up some curtains around her to shut her up" continued Sirius.
"We'll have to make sure that everyone is quiet when they are coming and going then, so that they don't disturb her" replied Raya.
"Yes, we will" agreed Sirius.

"Where's Buckbeak?" Questioned Jamie.
"Well, since there is no garden, I had to put him in one of the bedrooms" answered Sirius.
"Who's?" Asked Jamie.
"My mothers"
"Now, that I have to see".
Everyone laughed.
"A Hippogriff in a bedroom, that has got to be a first" grinned Remus.
"No wonder your mother's portrait hates you, if you stuck a Hippogriff in her room" added Raya.
"Well, she wasn't using it, so I thought I'd make it Buckbeak's new home" replied Sirius.

"Can we go and see?" Asked Jamie.
"I think we should let your dad show us around all the rooms one by one, instead of heading straight for the room with Buckbeak in" suggested Raya.
"Good idea, mother's room is a few floors up. It's on the same floor as mine and Regulus's. There are several other floors of rooms, which I'm going to let the Weasleys use while they are staying here" informed Sirius.
"I wish we could stay here with you as well. I don't like waking up without you" sighed Raya.
"Me neither. But we have to do whatever it takes to keep you and the kids safe"
"I suppose so... Come on then, take us on a tour Mr Black"
"Right this way Mrs Black".