Blood Bound | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix [5]

𝗶𝗶𝗶 | 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿

Everyone followed Harry and Sirius down into the kitchen as quietly as possible, where Sirius began to explain the situation. Fred, George, and Ginny were pulled aside by Mrs Weasley to help with the food, while Gwen, Ron, and Hermione sat with Sirius and Harry, helping to fill him in on the new information. Sirius' resentment at being stuck in the house was evident. When Snape was brought up, his face darkened.

'Oh, Snape's been jolly,' he said grimly. 'Having to take all his snide hints that he's out there risking his life while I'm sat on my backside here having a nice comfortable time... asking me how the cleaning's going--'

'Cleaning?' Harry asked.

'Trying to make this place fit for human habitation,' Sirius explained, nodding at Gwen, Hermione, and Ron. 'No one except for Kreacher has lived here since my mum died ten years ago, and he's gone round the twist.'

'Well, at least you've known what's been going on,' Harry said, somewhat angrily.

Mundungus Fletcher was examining one of the silver goblets. 'Sirius?' he said, apparently having paid no attention to the conversation. 'Is this solid silver, mate?'

'Yes,' said Sirius, surveying it with distaste. 'Finest fifteenth century goblin-wrought silver, embossed with the Black family crest.'

'That'd come off though,' Mundungus said, polishing it with his cuff.

'Fred-- George--' Mrs Weasley's voice made them all look up. 'Please-- NO JUST CARRY THEM--!'

Everyone dived from the table; Fred and George had bewitched a large cauldron of stew, an iron flagon of butterbeer, and a heavy wooden breadboard, complete with a knife, to hurtle through the air toward them. The stew skidded the length of the table and came to a halt just before the end, leaving a long black burn on the wooden surface, the flagon of butterbeer fell with a crash, spilling its contents everywhere, and the bread knife slipped off the board and landed, point down and quivering ominously, exactly where Sirius' right hand had been seconds before.

'FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE!' screamed Mrs Weasley. 'THERE WAS NO NEED-- I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS-- JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE ALLOWED TO USE MAGIC NOW, DOES NOT MEAN YOU HAVE TO WHIP YOUR WANDS OUT FOR EVERYTHING!'

'We were just trying to save a bit of time!' said Fred, hurrying forward and wrenching the knife out of the table. 'Sorry, Sirius, mate-- didn't mean to--'

The crowd that had been at the table were laughing, except for Mundungus, who had toppled back off his chair and was swearing as he got to his feet. Crookshanks, who had been purring around Sirius' legs, was now hissing, wet with butterbeer, his yellow eyes glowing in the darkness underneath a cabinet.

'Boys,' said Mr Weasley, lifting the stew back into the middle of the table 'your mother's right, you're supposed to show a sense of responsibility now you've come of age--'