Growing up Pureblooded

Don't Mind Your P's and Q's

As the Hogwarts Express drew slowly into King's Cross Station, the cousins and the twins gathered their belongings and bade farewell to Lee Jordan and Dean Thomas. "You're going to love Dad," Aries gushed to the twins as they exited the train. "He really is brilliant. He..." He paused in confusion when they stepped out onto the platform. "He isn't here."

Sirius Black was, in fact, conspicuously absent. In his stead stood Cassiopeia in her severest robes, looking sternly in their direction. "Don't dawdle, boys," she snapped. "We don't want to wait around this Muggle sty a moment longer than we have to." She looked at the boys' trunks and owls. "Are these all your things?" "Yes, Aunt Cassie," Aries replied. His great-aunt waved her wand and their trunks vanished. "They will be waiting for you all at home," she explained, taking a couple of steps closer to the boys. Fred and George Weasley instinctively took a step back. Cassiopeia glared at them. "Aren't you going to introduce your friends, Aries?"

"Sorry, Aunt Cassie," Aries replied hastily. "These are Fred and George Weasley. They're Cedrella's grandsons." He turned to the twins. "This is my great-aunt, Cassiopeia Black." "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Black," Fred said nervously. "A real honor," George added. "I know," Cassiopeia replied in a bored tone. "I wish I could say the same." She sighed. "In any event, my nephews are fond of you, and you have been invited to join the family for Christmas. As much as I might wish it otherwise, the decision in no way rests with me. I wish, however, to impress upon you the utmost importance of your maintaining proper decorum in our house. I don't doubt that, raised as you have been, you have become accustomed to a somewhat looser standard of behavior. That will not do with us. You will behave yourselves as proper gentlemen at all times, or you will find the consequences to be most severe. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

Fred and George nodded in unison. "Do you have voices?" Cassiopeia demanded. "Yes, Miss Black," George stammered. "Then I suggest you use them. Once again, do I make myself clear?" "Yes, Miss Black," both boys replied simultaneously. Cassiopeia gave them a faint smile. "Excellent. As long as you behave yourselves appropriately, I expect we shall get on quite nicely."

She led them off the platform and out of the station, and the boys followed her in silence. Fred and George gave Aries and Draco rather resentful looks, but the younger boys could only shrug apologetically. "Where's Dad?" Aries asked Cassiopeia as they walked back to Windermere Court. "Your father is very sorry that he is unable to collect," she said. "He injured his leg rather seriously over the weekend, and he is still unable to move about." "Is he all right?" Draco asked in concern.

Cassiopeia frowned. "I have no doubt he will survive. Tell me, boys, how have you fared in school?" "The classes are really boring," Aries answered. "They're nowhere near the level of yours, Aunt Cassie," Draco added. Cassiopeia sniffed. "Undoubtedly. It is a very rare thing for children to be instructed by a witch of my proficiency. You should both count yourselves lucky to have been afforded such a privilege." Her tone was stern, but the boys thought she looked rather pleased.

When they finally arrived at the house a quarter of an hour later, Sirius met them at the door, seated in Pollux's ornate old walking chair. "Aries! Draco!" he exclaimed, and gave both boys a hug without standing. He smiled at Cassiopeia. "Thank you for picking them up, Aunt Cassie." The old witch sniffed. "It was dreadfully inconvenient, of course, but the boys managed to refrain from causing too much trouble." Aries grinned at her. "You know you love us, Aunt Cassie."

She pursed her lips, but gave him a rather affectionate look. "Well, at least I am generally satisfied with your conduct, which is more than I can say for some people." She turned her glare on Sirius. "What were you doing to get yourself so damaged? Sliding down banisters again, no doubt." Sirius shrugged. "It was the full moon, Aunt Cassie," he said nonchalantly. "I was wrestling with a werewolf." Aunt Cassie shook her head and walked upstairs, muttering beneath her breath about insolent, overgrown adolescents, but Sirius gave Aries a playful wink, and the boy realized that his dad had been doing exactly what he had said.

"And these upstanding young gentlemen must be Fred and George Weasley, about whom I've heard so much," Sirius said, offering the twins his hand. They accepted it somewhat nervously, still clearly shaken by their encounter with Cassiopeia. "I'm Sirius Black, Aries' dad," he went on. "I remember seeing you at the Quidditch match. You're both excellent Beaters." "Thank you, Mr Black," Fred said. Sirius grimaced. "Lose the 'mister' bit," he said. "It makes me feel old. I'm only just barely on the far side of thirty, which is still quite young, really. Call me Sirius." "Certainly, Sirius," George said politely, holding his hands folded politely in front of him, as though he were reciting a bit of poetry.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Are you really going to be minding your P's and Q's all through Christmas?" He turned to Aries. "Let me guess. Aunt Cassie gave her introductory speech?" Aries nodded. "I thought so," Sirius replied with a sigh. "Well, whatever the old crone said to you, I want you to do the exact opposite. This is your holiday, and I want you to enjoy every bit of it." He raised his voice pointedly. "And if Aunt Cassie complains, she'll find out just how dangerous a wizard Sirius Black can be!" The boys heard a faint huff from upstairs. Sirius laughed heartily with Aries and Draco, and the Weasley twins hesitantly joined in.

"That's more like it," Sirius said with an approving grin. "I hear that you boys think yourselves quite the mischief-makers. I look forward to seeing a bit of that over the holiday." He looked over his shoulder to where Mopsy was dusting a portrait of old Sir Sagittarius. "Mopsy, kindly escort Messrs Fred and George Weasley to their rooms. They will be our guests here for the next two weeks, and you are to see that all their needs are fulfilled." "Yes, Master," Mopsy replied, and led Fred and George upstairs. "As for you, Draco," Sirius continued, "your mum is eager for you to come home as soon as possible. We'll see you at Grimmauld Place tomorrow, and then we'll all come over to Malfoy Manor on Christmas Day." Draco nodded. "Thanks, Uncle Sirius. See you, Aries." The blond boy headed for the drawing room, and moments later vanished through the fireplace.

"It's good to have you home, Aries,' Sirius said once Draco had gone. "I've missed you. It's just not the same with only Aunt Cassie and the Squibs to keep me company." Aries smirked. "It seems like you and Uncle Remus have been keeping yourselves busy. What happened to that leg?" "Werewolves have extraordinarily powerful jaws," Sirius replied with a wince. "Let me give you a bit of fatherly advice: No matter how good an idea it seems at the time, never try to sneak up and surprise a werewolf, even if you're a giant black dog and the said werewolf's best friend. You might just end up with a shattered leg for your trouble." Aries raised his eyebrows. "A shattered leg?" "It hurt like hell to have it mended, let me tell you," Sirius replied. "I should be all right by Christmas, though, and your granddad and I'll still have plenty of time to trounce you at Quidditch." "Dream on, old man," Aries retorted.

Just then, the Weasley twins came sliding down the banister, one after another. "I'm glad to see you boys are feeling more at home," Sirius said wryly. "Well, we heard it mentioned and decided we couldn't resist," Fred replied. "Are your rooms satisfactory?" Sirius asked. George snorted. "Does the sun let off a bit of light? I've never seen anything so grand in my entire life." "You should see Dad's suite," Aries told him. "It's like a whole flat all to itself." Sirius shrugged. "Being me has its privileges. Who's up for a game of Exploding Snap?" Fred and George grinned at each other. Maybe this hadn't been such a bad idea after all.