Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Hold on Tight	By : cls2256 Category: HP Canon Characters paired with Original Characters > Het - Male/Female Views: 7315 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. This fic is for entertainment purposes only!

Chapter List
- 1-one
- 2-two
- 3-three
- 4-four
- 5-five
- 6-six
- 7-seven
- 8-eight
- 9-nine
- 10-ten
- 11-eleven
- 12-twelve
- 13-thirteen
- 14-fourteen
- 15-fifteen
- 16-sixteen
- 17-seventeen
- 18-eighteen
- 19-nineteen
- 20-twenty
- 21-twenty one
- 22-twenty two
- 23-twenty three
- 24-twenty four
- 25-twenty five
- 26-twenty six
- 27-twenty seven
- 28-twenty eight
- 29-Twenty nine
- 7
- 8
- 9
One item that 12 Grimmauld Place never lacked was candles. Mrs. Black made it her mission to utilize the least amount of muggle technology possible, including light bulbs. Because of this, Sirius was not surprised to have a box of nearly 100 only half-used candles in the downstairs closet.
He lit every single candle, lining his bedroom’s mantle, bookshelves and window sill with the larger pillar candles, and levitated the smaller in clusters around the room. The soft glow of candlelight, as well as a quiet crackling fire in the fireplace, gave a peaceful ambiance.
An empty ice cream container lay on the bedside table, tipped over by the weight of a sticky spoon. Allie had devoured the entire pint, boasting the whole time how much she loved Florean Fortescue’s ice cream formula. Sirius didn’t have the heart to inform her that was the last pint left in the freezer.
How long had they laid here? He’d lost track of time, but he didn’t care. Being here with Allie, feeling her bare skin against his underneath the satin sheets of his king-size bed, was better than anything he could possibly imagine.
He cradled her close, both laying on their sides and staring into each other’s eyes. Maintaining eye contact like this was deeply intimate as if he were looking through a window into her soul. Her eyes were the most beautiful shade of emerald green, clear and deep. They shimmered like a brilliantly cut gemstone, polished to perfection. He wondered if their child would get stuck with his dark brown irises, or if they would inherit their mother’s. He hoped for the latter.
His thumb stroked her cheek gently, the tip of his nose brushed gently against hers before he gave her a soft kiss. He was aware of every sensation around him; the warmth of her bare skin, the softness of her lips, the ever-so-slight numbness of his now limp cock, still tingling from making love just a minute prior. Soft rock played from his turntable, the records charmed to change themselves at the end of their playlists automatically. Currently, The Beatles were playing.
“What do you think about Prudence?” he asked.
“Prudence?”
“Yeah, for a girl...”
She rolled onto her back, tucking one arm above her head. Her raised arm lifted her breast up; Sirius couldn’t help but grin at the beautiful view she was giving him. Allie listened for a moment to the music playing in the background— Dear Prudence. She scrunched her nose and hummed disapprovingly with a slight shake of her head.
“Alright then, what about Lucy?” he asked “Eleanor?—“
Allie giggled and rolled her eyes as Sirius sat up.
“— or Sadie?”
“I’m not naming our child after a song called ‘Sexy Sadie’,” she laughed “you don’t want to continue the Black tradition of constellations and things of the sort? Lyra could be nice, or Nebula…”
“Nebu— Hell no—“he grumbled “Nothing of that sort— you really want to name our baby girl Nebula?!” he asked incredulously.
Allie flushed “Not particularly, but if it would be important to you…”
“No, no space, constellation, galaxy, or black hole bullshit—” he said, “what would you name her?”
Allie shrugged “I don’t know— I’m not even sure it’s a girl. What if it’s a boy? You’ll spend all this time picking out the perfect girl name for nothing.”
“I just feel like it’s a girl,” He said softly, tracing circles on her stomach. “I don’t know what I would choose for my son.”
“Not James?” she asked.
Sirius smiled sadly “As a middle name, perhaps—I don’t want to take that name from Harry if he has a son one day.”
“That’s kind of you,” Allie smiled.
“Partially selfish,” he admitted, “I think it would hurt too much to say his name.”
Allie rolled back onto her side and gazed up at him.
“Will you tell me about him?” she asked, “James?”
Sirius looked at her curiously. “What do you want to know?”
“Whatever you’d like to tell me.”
“Well—”
Sirius laid back down on his side next to her and pulled her close.
“I met James on the train, heading to Hogwarts in our first year…”
He’d woken late into the night with the urge to pee, falling asleep after hours of reminiscing over old memories of James, along with Remus and unfortunately, Peter. All the candles had extinguished, burnt down to the bottom of their wicks. The moonlight shining through the window was cold and gray in comparison to the soft orange glow that he’d fallen asleep with.
He slipped out of bed and sleepily stumbled down the hall and into the bathroom. He squinted as he turned on the lights, shielding his eyes by turning his head downward and looking in the opposite direction. When his eyes adjusted to the lighting, he caught sight of his uneven, patchy facial hair. He’d certainly need a shave today.
He wandered back to the bedroom a few minutes later, stopping to admire Allie before climbing back into bed. She was tangled loosely in the bedsheet; the satin draped over her bum and around one leg. She lay on her side, arms cradling her pillow above her head. He admired the slight roundness of her belly, feeling the overwhelming urge to feel for his child’s movement. It was too early for that, he knew, however. Another month or so, he was told.
He slid back into bed and took a few minutes staring at her bare back before reaching out and stroking her spine from shoulder to hip. His hand slid around her waist, and he pulled himself close, spooning around her body. He moved her hair off her shoulder and placed a few feather-light kisses at the crook of her neck.
“Mm—”
She stirred, attempting to roll over, but unable to with Sirius in the way.
“What time is it?” she mumbled sleepily.
“Just before five,” he said softly, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“It’s alright,”
He scooched backward to allow her to turn and face him. He stroked her cheek gently with his thumb, cupping her face with his palm, staring at each other as they had been doing most of the night.
“I love you, Sirius,” Allie whispered.
His heart swelled. He’d heard Allie tell him this more than once, but today, it made his soul stir with pleasure. He leaned in and kissed her, this time firmer than she must’ve anticipated. She groaned in surprise against his mouth but countered with a kiss as firm as his. She parted her lips, allowing his tongue to swirl with hers. He felt his cock stiffen; He’d had her every way he could think of, and then some tonight already, yet the primal need to join his body with hers coursed through him once more. He lifted one thigh, slid it over his hip, and entered her in one swift motion. She winced,
“Sorry,” He chuckled softly, “Bit sore?”
“Just a little.” She replied, even softer but with the sweetness he loved.
He kissed her forehead. “Do you want me to stop?”
She shook her head, flushing and fighting a smile as she bit her lip.
“No,”
Sirius grinned as he brushed the wild curls from her face, taking a moment before rolling his hips against hers. She moaned as her eyes fluttered closed, arching her back to allow him to push deeper. He moved at an antagonizing slow pace, wanting to savor every bit of her feel.
“Open your eyes for me, kitten,” he murmured huskily “they’re too pretty to keep shut…”
Sirius eyed the bedside table with disdain as he buttoned his shirt. At least a dozen letters were piled up, envelopes shredded open from excitement; he didn’t expect all the businesses he sent a resume to respond all at once.
He also didn’t expect all to deny his resume, either.
Each letter started out as the same, with a kindly ‘Mr. Black, Thank you for your interest…’, following then into a polite sucker punch phrase ‘We regret to inform you…’
Allie had left a few minutes earlier, just before a post owl arrived at the window. She’d gone to pick up her siblings; they were going to meet him, Harry, the Weasley’s, Tonks and Moody in Diagon Alley to purchase this year’s school supplies. Part of him was glad Allie wasn’t here to witness his disappointment, as his ego felt like it had been kicked in the nuts. The other part of him wished she would’ve been here, so he wouldn’t have to bring it up later.
A gentle fire crackled in the fireplace. Sirius grabbed the pile of letters, and tossed them in, hoping his anger would burn away once the disappointing news was reduced to ashes. The flames enlarged, engulfing the letters quickly, then simmered back down once most of the paper had turned to char. He sighed; it didn’t have the desired effect on his mood like he’d hoped.
He slunk down the hall to Buckbeak’s room. The hippogriff met him with a grandiose bow and accepted his breakfast of dead shrews Sirius collected from the neighbor’s trash can. He bent down to the large safe in the corner, spinning the dial quickly.
0...7...3...1…
Harry’s birthday numerals opened the safe with a loud clunk. Sirius felt a pang of guilt; he’d been in prison over Harry’s birthday and hadn’t gotten him a gift yet. He knew Harry probably hadn’t thought much of it, but it bothered him. He’d find something for him today.
He threw handfuls of galleons into a purple velvet sack, hoping Allie would let him pay for her and her siblings’ school supplies. He knew how expensive these lists could get, and with 4 Murphy siblings attending school this year, they were bound to spend every knut she had. Sirius sighed, knowing she would fight him on this, especially with him trying to cover her sibling’s expenses as well. He didn’t mean to insult her, to flaunt his wealth and make her feel less because she was scraping by. He wanted to share his wealth, to make a difference in this world with the only thing he had going for him— since obviously, a career wasn’t working out. He did count himself lucky (for the first time in his life) to have been born into a prolific pureblood family- at least his lack of employment wouldn’t cause him to go hungry. At least if his circumstances were different, and he was out on the street with nothing but the clothes on his back, he’d learned to skewer and roast a mean garden rat in his time camped out in the cave adjacent to Hogsmeade a few years previous.
He looked at his watch; time to go. He sighed heavily, he really wasn’t in the mood for shopping today. He wanted to wallow in the drawing room with a bottle of scotch, contemplating whether it was his lack of experience or merely the idea of someone employing the infamous Sirius Black.
Harry, the Weasleys, Tonks, and Moody were waiting for him down in the foyer. He smirked at Moody’s attempt to dress like a muggle for their stroll through London. He wore a large black trench coat that was very inappropriate for the season, and a bowler hat pulled low over his magical eye. Tonks sported black hair for the occasion, tied up in a knot on top of her head. Her ripped jeans and Nirvana tee shirt gave her a very grungy-teenager vibe. Much like her outfit, she lacked any bit of pep in her demeanor. Remus had left a few days ago, and she hadn’t taken his departure well. The Weasley’s and Harry look relatively normal, as did Sirius. Arthur had chosen navy blue socks with his black slacks, but no one would see unless they were sitting down.
12 Grimmauld Place was only a ten-minute stroll from downtown Wizarding London, and the weather was pleasant this morning, so they all agreed upon walking. They would meet Allie and her siblings in the middle of the square in the heart of Diagon Alley and do their shopping together.
Moody’s false leg thunked the entire ten-minute walk. The sound was enough to drive Sirius mad, and he regretted suggesting they walk instead of apparate. Tonks seemed just as irritated by the loud thuds, occasionally giving Moody a sideways glance. A typically cheery witch, it was a bit odd to see Tonks this off.
Just as they discussed, Allie stood in the middle of Diagon Alley, waiting patiently with her siblings. Compared to Allie, Rory, and the twins, Shannon stuck out like a sore thumb. She lacked the same spiraled fiery hair that all her siblings were adorned with. Had Sirius not known the Murphy family, he never would’ve guessed Shannon was related to them.
Amazing, how genetic traits were passed on. Sirius always found he took after his father, something he hated slightly less than the idea of taking features after his mother. Regulus, on the other hand, was nearly a carbon copy of his mother— just one more reason for him to be the favorite Black child.
Genetic traits in the Murphy family were not as black and white. Rory shared the same angular jaw as Shannon, but the same curly red hair as Allie. The twins, on the other hand, looked identical to what Sirius assumed a 12-year-old Allie would’ve looked like. He believed the angular jawline and straight blonde hair came from Allie’s father, remembering how much the eldest brother, Flynn, looked like Shannon when they’d met at the Department of Mysteries.
Before they could get within a handshake’s distance from the Murphy’s, Shannon broke away, busting over to them with an overly eager smile on her face.
“Hiya, Sirius!” Shannon said, “Merlin, you must be Harry! Wow— the Harry Potter! Rory said you were pretty cool— I’m Shannon, Allie’s sister,”
“Oh, hel-” Harry started.
“And are you the Weasleys? Allie told me you all had red hair. Red hair runs in our family too, as you can see— ooh, and you must be Mad-Eye Moody? Ex- auror, right?! Tell me, can you see much better with your mechanical eye…?”
Sirius slid an arm around Allie’s waist and kissed her cheek lightly. His lips brushed against her ear as he whispered as softly as he could.
“Reign in your sister before Mad-Eye pulls his wand…”
Allie giggled, flushing a twinge of pink. “Shannon—” she interrupted, “do you have our shopping lists?”
“Yes I do, I’ve got them right here! The first stop is Flourish and Blotts! Are we ready? Let’s go!”
Shannon took off towards Flourish and Blotts first, with Teagen and Bridget following closely on her heels. Moody leaned in and gripped Sirius’s shoulder.
“I don’t like that girl,” he growled, “she asks too many questions.”
“Oh, don’t pay her any mind, Mad-Eye,” Sirius smirked. “She’s harmless, trust me.”
Once the others were out of earshot, “What the hell did you put in her Wheaties this morning?” he asked Allie.
“She’s just excited,” she laughed “She wanted to meet everyone.”
Once inside Flourish and Blotts, Molly began delegating her kids and Harry like a war general. Allie, on the other hand, stood off to the side, looking at a few papers carefully and calmly going over everyone’s school supplies.
“Alright, looks like I’ll be able to use all of Flynn’s NEWT course books for my classes—Rory, do you know if Flynn took Ancient Runes his 5th year, and if we still have his textbook? I know we need a second copy of 2nd year books for Bridget— we have the first set from me,”
“Standard Book of Spells: Grade 2’s cover fell off,” interjected Teagen “We need 2 of those.”
“Damn, alright—“
“We have my Ancient Runes book,” said Rory, “but I need new trousers…”
“New trousers?” Allie looked at him, exasperated, “Mum just bought you some middle of last year!”
“They’re too short…” he said, flushing and looking down at his feet, “you can see an inch of my socks.”
Allie sighed in frustration. After a moment of glancing over her list once more, she nodded stiffly.
“Alright, we’ll stop by Madam Malkin’s while we’re out today— we’ll need to go to the secondhand bookstore for our books, especially if we need 2 copper and a brass cauldron from Potage’s…”
“I’ve got a brass cauldron at the house,” Sirius offered.
“No,” Allie said, shaking her head, “Mundungus stole it.”
Sirius brow furrowed. “What?”
“While you were in Azkaban, Mundungus came by and took some things to sell. He thought it was all your mother and brother’s stuff.”
“The cauldron was my brothers,” Sirius said flatly. He sighed, shrugging, “he could’ve just asked, I would’ve given it all to him— are you sure he was trying to steal it? Or was everything in a throw out pile?”
“He tried to hide what he was doing when I caught him. Yes, he knew he was taking it without permission.”
Allie sighed, shaking her head as she peered at the list once again.
“Alright,” she moved on, “how are everyone’s quills and ink?”
Out of the corner of his eye, Sirius caught a glimpse of someone watching them from the window. Before he could see who it was, they disappeared. His heart pounded as his eyes darted around the room; they had been staring directly at them. He stepped away from Allie and her siblings, eyes still fixed at the window. He was painfully aware of his wand against his thigh, ready to be drawn at a moment’s notice. He stared at the window for a moment, waiting for the figure to return. Whoever it was, they gave him an unsettling feeling, and he wanted to track them down. He moved back over to Allie and placed a hand on the small of her back.
“I forgot I have an errand I need to run, kitten,” he said, attempting to keep his voice as casual as possible, “I’ll catch up with you lot after a bit?”
“An errand?” she asked, furrowing her brow “Where?”
“Oh, nothing exciting,” he waved her off quickly “I won’t be long, you’ll barely even notice I’m gone.”
“Alright, you want me to come with you?”
“No, no,” he said quickly “I don’t want to pull you away from your siblings, I’ll catch up after a bit.”
Sirius snuck out of Flourish and Blotts and made his way down Diagon Alley. He looked around wildly until he spotted a figure pop into Knockturn Alley. This time, he caught sight of bright blonde hair, and his stomach flip-flopped. Was this Allie’s brother, Flynn, still up to his habits of stalking his family members? Or stalking a large group of members of The Order of the Phoenix…
Sirius drew his wand and took off towards Knockturn alley. He walked quickly, wand grasped tightly but down at his side. He’d hex the kid into next year if it turned out to be him.
Around another corner went a flash of blonde hair and a flutter of a black cloak. Sirius picked up the pace, hoping to catch up with the mysterious person. He was so focused on where he was headed that he smacked straight into someone, both of them falling flat onto their bums.
“Watch it!” a drawling voice sneered,
Sirius looked up with disdain as he got to his feet. The platinum-haired teen that stood in front of him resembled Lucius Malfoy immensely.
“You must be the Malfoy boy,” Sirius said, “Draco, is it?”
“I don’t have time to socialize with blood traitors,” Draco hissed.
Draco shoved passed Sirius, walking quickly towards Borgin and Burke’s. Sirius contemplated following him for a moment until he remembered his initial pursuit. He took off toward the alleyway where he’d seen the black-cloaked figure disappear, but was met with nothing but back doors of businesses. He sighed, rubbing his face vigorously before storing his wand. Draco Malfoy had cost him the ability to catch his stalker.
He turned around and headed back out of Knockturn alley, swearing he caught sight of Hermione’s face poking down from the rooftop of Borgin and Burkes. He’d called her name, but got no response. He contemplated climbing up to the roof to see if it were her, but decided against it; maybe they were tailing the Malfoy boy. He’d ask Harry later.
He made his way back into Diagon Alley. A sharp window display at Quality Quidditch Supplies caught his eye; maybe he could get Harry something for his broom, or something to help him out as Gryffindor’s new Quidditch Captain.
Inside, he was met with a vast array of broom care supplies, quidditch robes, balls, and professional team memorabilia. He quickly scanned the aisles, feeling uncomfortable from the intrusive stares he received from the store clerk. He promptly grabbed a broomstick care kit and a Chudley Cannons winter hat— he’d get this for now, and find something else in a store where his every move wasn’t scrutinized.
He wandered next into Amanuensis Quills and met with rows and rows of quills or every different size, color or variety. The carried notebooks and planners for every occasion and offered custom stationery.
He walked the aisles one by one, aimlessly scanning the products for nothing in particular. He was amazed that a shop could actually make any money only selling a small variety of goods.
A glimpse of vivid color caught Sirius’s eye in one row of quills. A set of Peacock feather quills were displayed as the featured product, along with a leatherbound lavender notebook and vial of shimmering sapphire ink. The nib was fitted with a metal fountain pen head, labeled as being for precision writing.
“This just came in yesterday,” an old woman said, stocking the shelves of plain notebooks “a collector’s set- one of a kind. The quill was designed by Matilda Macabre herself.”
“Who?” Sirius asked
The old woman chuckled, “Some witch who made millions off designer broomstick covers, notebooks, and quills— her designs are very sought after.”
Sirius inspected the set again; he imagined Allie in charms class, crinkling her nose in thought as she tapped the peacock feather against her cheek. Allie loved color; certainly, she would like a colored stationery set.
“How much for the lot?” he asked.
“75 galleons,” the woman said
“75 ga— for a couple quills and a notebook?!”
“Genuine leather notebook, diamond shimmer sapphire ink, and limited edition Peacock quill set,” the woman said, “I did say Matilda Macabre’s designs were sought after.”
Sirius looked at the set once more, shaking his head at the astronomical designer price. It was a lovely looking ensemble, and he knew she’d get good use out of it this year.
“Alright— gimme the set.”
The woman had a gift for sales, Sirius figured, walking out of the shop having spent nearly 150 galleons. She’d talked him into purchasing Matilda Macabre’s entire line of shimmering diamond inks,
“So these are the best colored ink out there, you say?” Sirius asked, examining the bottle of Ruby ink closely.
“Very high quality,” the woman said “made with real powdered diamonds— if you purchase the whole set, I’ll throw in a well of her color-changing ink free of charge. That’s a15 galleon savings…”
He was so caught up in his gift for Allie, and the fact that he’d saved 15 galleons on a well of ink, that he didn’t catch on until after he left that she’d talked him into spending more than he’d saved. Never underestimate an old witch in a quill shop, he reckoned.
He sauntered down Diagon Alley, bag swinging in his hand, headed towards Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. He knew he’d meet up with the group here eventually, and he wanted some extra time to check out what products the Weasley twins carried.
The storefront of Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes featured a mechanical representation of one of the Weasley twins (whether it was Fred or George, he’d never know. No one could tell them apart). A sizeable purple sign flashed in sequence,
Weasley’s. Wizard. Wheezes.
A small sign in the window featured a vial of small green candies, with the advertisement below;
WHY ARE YOU WORRYING ABOUT YOU-KNOW-WHO?
YOU SHOULD BE WORRYING ABOUT U-NO-POO
THE CONSTIPATION SENSATION THAT’S GRIPPING THE NATION!
Sirius smirked; he thought this advertisement was brilliant. Stupid, it put a giant target on the twin’s back, but brilliant.
Inside was more impressive than the exterior. Shelves and shelves of various joke products filled the large storefront, neatly organized. Small indeterminate objects whizzed around his head and then disappeared again. Soft carnival music played in the background, with intermittent short announcements to customers to check out featured products next to the register before checkout. Sirius grinned ear to ear; this place was magnificent.
“Oi, Fred, look what the cat dragged in!”
“Hey, Sirius!”
Fred and George approached him, donning matching pleated maroon suits and mustard gold shirts that clashed with their red hair terribly.
“Hey, great place you got here,” Sirius said, “impressive stock you got.”
“Yeah, have a look around,” Fred said, gesturing towards the narrow spiral staircase behind him, “there’s more merchandise upstairs.”
Sirius took a few minutes to lap the first floor of the store, falling in love with every product he saw. Fred and George had an incredible business, loads better than Gambol and Japes— or dare he say, Zonko’s. He wondered how much time it took to get this place up and running, let alone now to maintain it. An idea struck him— maybe he’d be of use to Fred and George.
“Say, Fred, George,” Sirius said casually, “I’m sure it takes a lot of work to stock and maintain this shop, seeing as how you have all this product.
“Oh yeah,” George started, “we have been working quite a bit, but it’s all fun.”
“Well, what would you say to some extra help around here?” Sirius asked, “I’ve got some free time on my hands, I could come work for you.”
“Oh,” the twins said in unison.
Judging by the identical expression on both their faces, Sirius was anticipating their answer to not be in his favor.
“I mean, as much as we appreciate the help,” Fred started.
“We really do appreciate it,” George added.
“We just aren’t sure if you would be the best fit here,” Fred continued.
“The best fit?” Sirius laughed “I’ve been pulling pranks and causing mischief since before you two were born—I was made for this stuff.”
“It’s not that your personality isn’t a fit…” Fred said
“It’s just that you being Sirius Black isn’t a good fit,” finished George “A lot of the Wizarding World is still up in arms about your whole situation…”
“Not everyone thinks you are innocent, despite all the evidence—”
“—and having Sirius Black work here is bad for business,” Sirius interrupted impatiently, nodding stiffly.
“Well, it sounds a bit harsh when you put it that way...” Fred started.
Sirius held up a hand to silence him. “No no, no hard feelings, I get it; I just remembered I got a bunch of stuff Dumbledore needs me to do for the Order anyway,” Sirius said casually, “Hey, you got a loo here?”
“Oh, um, yeah,” George stumbled awkwardly “up the stairs around the corner.”
“Great, thanks,” he said, “I’ll have a look around while I’m up there.”
Sirius trotted up the narrow spiral staircase to the second floor, spotting the restroom right away. He locked the door behind him and let out a frustrated sigh, banging his fist hard against the porcelain sink.
“Fuck!” he hissed.
A wave of self-loathing washed over him. All he wanted was a simple job, and he couldn’t even snag a position at the Weasley twin’s joke shop! He wanted to work, to feel pride at the end of a job well done. He wanted to be able to say he earned the galleons weighing his pockets heavily. There had to be more to life than merely sitting in the drawing room with a glass of scotch—Allie had shown him that.
Allie. What would she think of him when he told her about his inability to find employment? Sure, she’d say to him it was alright, not to fret, but would she think less of him? Would she feel like she was stuck with a man who was nothing more than an activist? Her mother was worried she’d be trapped—trapped with a loser like him.
When he stepped out of the restroom, he heard familiar voices from down below. Harry and Ron were chatting with Fred and George as Ginny, Hermione, and Shannon admired the wall of WonderWitch products. Rory seemed to hang by himself, observing a small dragon roasting hazelnuts at the snack counter as Teagan and Bridget flung a fanged frisbee back and forth, giggling furiously. Arthur and Molly looked around the shop in awe, and Moody posted up in the corner with a scowl on his face, his magical eye whirring about. Allie and Tonks were nowhere to be seen. He trotted back down the spiral staircase, where he was noticed by Shannon first.
“Hi Sirius!” she cried “Allie wanted me to tell you she had an errand to run before meeting us here. Tonks went with her— did you know Tonks was a metamorphmagus? She changed her hair right in front of me, gave me a bit of a fright I’ll be honest…”
Shannon followed Sirius around and jabbered his ear off. He was about to snap and tell her to shut the hell up when he spotted Allie and Tonks. Both of them lit up with wonder as they looked around the shop.
“Hey, Allie, what’d you get?” Shannon asked, trotting over to her.
“Not here, Shannon,” Allie said, flushing and looking around embarrassed.
“Allie and I were chatting,” Tonks said “how about we all head to the Leaky Cauldron for lunch? They’ve got pea soup on special…”
Allie’s siblings seemed to mesh right in with the others. Bridget and Teagan followed Tonks around like a puppy dog, asking her to show them all the different noses she could do. Rory was friendly with the others but seemed to take on a shyer demeanor similar to Allie.
“Hey, did you get all your errands done?”
Allie slid a hand around his bicep, placing a kiss on the cap of his shoulder before resting her chin against his arm to look up at him.
“Oh, yeah,” Sirius waved her off. “Just picked up a few odds and ends.”
She smiled and nodded, “Are you hungry? I thought you might be, so I suggested we all could go to the Leaky Cauldron for lunch?”
“Sounds fine,” he said stiffly.
Allie frowned “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,”
“You seem upset about something,”
“I’m fine,” he said impatiently.
“You don’t seem fine, you’re being short—”
“I’m fine!” he snapped, “I won’t be fine if you keep asking!”
He shook his head and cursed under his breath. Allie glared at him, removing her hand as if Sirius had burned her. She held her hands up in mock apology as she stepped away.
“Alright,” she said stiffly, “I’ll just leave you be.”
She spun on her heel and marched away. Sirius felt an instant pang of guilt.
“Allie—”
She was already over to Shannon, Hermione, and Ginny, admiring the various WonderWitch products that Fred and George had to offer. Sirius sighed; way to go, you idiot. He walked over to Harry and Ron, clasping them both on the shoulder. He grinned, forcing himself to act a bit more cheery than he was feeling.
“You two get all your things for school this year?”
“Yeah, all set,” Ron said.
“How about some lunch then, huh?” Sirius suggested.
The Leaky Cauldron was busy when they entered. Allie looked around, scanning the crowd of people and counting the number of employees.
They sat down at a large table in the back. Sirius caught eyes with Jack at the bar, scowling in their direction. Sirius flashed him a smile, then slid his arm around Allie’s waist. She snapped her head towards him, daggers shooting out of her eyes.
“Oh, so you can be sweet on me when my ex is watching,” she hissed, just softly enough so only he could hear, “but you’ll bite my head off for asking a simple question?”
“I—” Sirius stumbled. He looked down at his feet, sighing in defeat, “I’m sorry, I was a git earlier.”
Allie scoffed, “Yes, you were.”
She took his hand and pulled him around the corner and out of earshot from the group. Once they were alone, she stared at him hard, crossing her arms and cocking her hip to one side.
“What’s wrong?” She asked, “and be honest with me.”
Sirius’s face grew hot. “I— I got some bad, er— disappointing, rather, news this morning.”
Allie furrowed her brow, her expression still firm and arms crossed over her chest.
“All the companies I sent my resume to declined me an interview,”
Her mouth dropped open, “All of them?”
“Every single one—I’d mailed nearly a dozen,” Sirius said, “And I had the nerve to ask Fred and George to give me a job at their shop.”
Allie shifted awkwardly “And I’m assuming you didn’t like the answer you got?”
He shook his head, “I know I don’t need the money, but I need this. I need some bit of normalcy in my life. I’d take just about any job at this point.”
Allie chewed her lip as she looked at him appraisingly. He saw a flicker in her eyes, almost as if he witnessed an idea pass through her brain through her pupils, and she scanned the restaurant.
“What?” he asked
“You’d take just about any job?” she asked.
“Yeah, why?”
Allie grinned and took his hand “Follow me,”
She dragged him through the restaurant and through a set of batwing doors labeled ‘Employee’s only.’ She pulled him through a hot kitchen (he noticed multiple fryers going off, with no one operating them) through a back hallway to a small office where Colleen sat.
“Mum,” Allie said.
She looked up, her face twisting in surprise when she laid eyes on Sirius.
“I’ve found a new cook.”
“Cook?” Colleen and Sirius asked in unison.
“We need someone in the kitchen desperately, Sirius could do it. He’s more than capable…”
“Does he have any restaurant experience?” Colleen asked, ignoring him.
Allie opened her mouth, and froze, looking at him questioningly. Sirius stepped forward and cleared his throat.
“I served a few detentions in the kitchens with the house elves at school,” he said, “and I make a mean peanut butter and jelly sandwich,” he added with a grin, winking to Allie.
She giggled. Colleen did not.
“I just hired someone for the kitchen three hours ago,” Colleen said, eyeing Sirius up and down, “he starts tomorrow.”
Allie’s shoulders hunched “Surely we need more help than just one cook,” she said, “what about barback?”
“You think Jack is going to put up working with him?” Colleen snapped “It’s already tense enough when you two are working together,”
Allie flushed and looked at the floor, wrapping her arms around herself protectively. Colleen sensed she might’ve gone too far, as her tone softened.
“It would probably be smart to hire one more cook,” she said.
Allie’s expression lit back up. Sirius felt a small stir in his stomach.
“You’ll start first thing in the morning, Sirius,” Colleen said with disdain “So you and the other new cook can train with Rupert. You’ll be here at 7 am sharp.”
His heart swelled with excitement. Yes, a cook at the Leaky Cauldron wasn’t his first pick for a job, but he’d take it.
“Yes, ma’am,” Sirius said, grinning, “I’ll be here.”
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