Getting to Know Sirius

Missing Scene

September 15, 1996

Regina sank onto the sofa while Sirius went around the room making sure that there were no more visitors lurking in the shadows, namely Logan. Sirius flopped onto the sofa once he had made his rounds around the room. His gaze landed on the teenager sitting beside him. He noticed everything about her screamed Veronica. Her figure was trim but not so trim that people thought that she was anorexic and her satiny robe showed it off to the best advantage. Her light brown hair may be the same shade as Remus's but it was as thick as her mother's. She had it shaped around her face so that it swung slightly around her shoulders. Her eyelashes framed her hazel eyes that she had gotten from her father. Regina in turn was watching Sirius. He looked exactly like her mother had described him. His black hair was scraggly but at least it was clean. His blue eyes were bright and clear like the Caribbean waters around St. Thomas that Professor Xavier had taken them to celebrate Regina's seventeenth birthday. She ducked her head slightly when she noticed him staring at her. His dazzling smile made her grin softly.

"Can you tell me anything about that school in the States that you attended?" Sirius leaned back against the sofa cushions.

"I can tell you that I learned a lot from the people that are there." Regina fiddled with the belt of her robe.

"Like what?" Sirius climbed to his feet and made his way over to the table to get them some butterbeers.

Regina accepted the butterbeer as Sirius sat back down beside her. "History, Physics, Politics, self defense, that kind of stuff. Uncle Charles made sure that we knew what was important and what we wanted to know. Mainly, I studied everything I needed to become a teacher at the school after next year."

"You want to teach?" Sirius shook his head slightly. "It's amazing how much like Remus you are."

"Thanks. I'm glad I finally got to meet him and you." Regina tilted the bottle slightly as she turned it in her hands. "I only wish I could have met Uncle James and Aunt Lily."

"Yeah. I wish everything that has happened over the last eighteen years were different but things happen for a reason. Vee was supposed to go to the States and meet this Xavier person. If I know her, the instant she got there she trained herself for a fight."

"Actually, Uncle Charles said that he and Mr. Cassidy found her wandering around a seedy part of New York City. They offered her a place to stay while she tried to recover her memory. That's when she found out about me. Uncle Charles told her that she could stay and teach at his school and when she found out about the Danger Room, she insisted that Mr. Cassidy train her too."

"I know how persuasive she can be." Sirius rubbed the back of his head. "She persuaded me more than once to behave."

"So I've heard." Regina took a quick sip of her butterbeer. "Once she had me, Mother decided that she needed to go to college. Uncle Charles and the students took over looking after me and Mother went to college. She worked hard and Uncle Charles helped her send out her resume to various schools. She even taught at Uncle Charles's school for a while. We went to Florida and that's when I decided that Uncle Charles's was the best place for me."

"Why?"

"I had changed the neighbor's dog from brown to neon purple. I had to have been three or four at the time."

Sirius gave a bark of laughter as Regina blushed. "I wish I had known you then. I would really have taught you some things."

"I had Ororo to teach me about pranks." Regina gave a slight giggle.

Sirius nodded slightly. "How did you meet Logan?"

"Mother's third appointment was at a small school in Canada. Some of the boys didn't like her because she was a woman. One day she was walking out to her car and got attacked. Logan heard her screams and came to her rescue. He stayed with us for about a week. Before he left, he told the head of the school that he would be back and not to let anything happen to Mother. He came back a year later and he and Mother both agreed that it would be best if I went back to Uncle Charles. Logan liked to call me his Rosie Posie."

Sirius shook his head slightly. "It used to take more than a bunch of boys to get your mother down."

"Well, they had attacked her at night and she wasn't really paying attention. She was lucky that Logan was nearby."

"I'll say."

"Logan always seemed to be there when we needed him. Him and a guy named Remy."

"Remy? Where did your mother meet him? Canada?"

"No. New Orleans, Louisiana. He's also a mutant. He likes to call himself Gambit."

"Gambit? Why?"
"Because he likes to gamble. He taught me how to play poker and how to bluff."

"Nice." Sirius swirled his butterbeer in the bottle. "So this Logan character has taught you a lot of stuff?"

"More than Gambit." Regina shrugged. "Mother seems to think that he's the one that taught me how to cuss but it wasn't him."

"Who was it?"

"Jean. Don't tell Mother."

"I won't." Sirius watched Regina fiddle with her butterbeer. "What did Logan teach you?"

"He taught me how to fight after Scott stopped teaching me."

"Why'd Scott stop teaching you?"

"Because I came really close to kicking his ass one time this summer and he didn't think I should learn anymore."

"Some guys don't know what women can do." Sirius grinned as Regina blushed. "What all did Logan teach you in this Danger room?" Sirius waved his free hand slightly. "I just want to make sure that he taught things that were useful."

Regina smirked slightly. "You mean other than cussing?"

"Yeah, though I might have to give you a refresher course on that."

"He won't like that." Regina gulped down some of her butterbeer. "Logan showed me some stuff that he learned in Japan and Canada. He also taught this same stuff to Marie."

"Marie?"

"Yeah. My best friend after Danielle." Regina grinned at the confused look on Sirius's face. "Let me tell you about the school and then you'll understand more about what my life was like."

"Okay. Shoot."

Regina took a deep breath. "Uncle Charles's school is a school for Mutants."

"Like Ani?"

"Ani was at the school when I was about eight or nine. We went to classes together and everything. Back to the school, Uncle Charles takes in kids and teens that have started showing their Mutant powers. Take Scott for example. I was ten when he came to the school for the first time. He became my big brother. Whenever Mother would be home for any period of time, she would teach the kids that were there."

"Sounds like her."

"Yeah. Well, Mother knew about the school getting attacked but she doesn't know that I helped fight against Striker's men."

"How?" Sirius eyed Regina slightly.

"I changed into a griffin." Regina ducked her head to avoid the yelling she was sure was to come.

"Had you ever done that before?"

Regina shook her head. "Nope. That was the first time. Just like me changing into a wolf in Diagon Alley when Ms. Umbridge made me mad."

"A wolf too? It's really rare to have more than one form."

"Mother's got more than one form too."

"Really?" Sirius's eyes widened slightly. "What are they?"
"She can change into a wolf, lioness, and a falcon."

She thought she could keep it from us. I'm going to have to have a word with her about this. Sirius nodded slightly as he looked over at Regina sipping her butterbeer. "Are you enjoying your stay in England?"
"Yeah. I miss Uncle Charles and Mr. Cassidy but I'll see them soon." Regina took a sip from her bottle. "Oh, by the way, you're not going to be able to get the jump on Mother about her forms."

"How did...?"

"I've been training a bit in telepathy for a little over a month." Regina shrugged slightly. "Just one more thing to make me different."

"I think it makes you unique. Are you going to keep it from Vee?"

Regina nodded slightly. "I've got a lot to learn and it's easier to keep it hidden from her and Daddy."

"They won't like that."

Regina shrugged slightly. "So when did Uncle James and Aunt Lily say you had to go back?"

"I don't have an answer for that." Sirius jumped to his feet. "Show me some of the stuff you know."

Regina looked down at her silky gown and robe. "I can't fight you in this. Mother would kill me."

"No problem." Sirius waved his wand and Regina's robe and gown changed into jeans and a jumper. "Show me what you got."

"I don't want to hurt you."

"You aren't going to hurt me. I might hurt you." Sirius pulled out his wand and banished the table and chairs to the wall.

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

Regina glanced around the room and noticed that he had forgotten to raise the chandelier. She took several steps back before running, jumping up, and grabbing the light fixture. Sirius watched as she used the fixture to swing herself toward the table. She landed in a crouch as Sirius fired a stunner at her. She did a cartwheel to the right before flipping herself off the table. She rolled slightly to the left as Sirius kept firing minor curses and hexes at her. She dodged and managed to avoid most of them. She used what Logan told her about the shadows and slid along the wall as Sirius looked for her. She saw her opening when Sirius lost track of her along the wall near the fireplace. She jumped onto his back and wrestled him to the floor.

She panted heavily as she flipped him over. "See. I told you Logan taught me well."

"That he did." Sirius climbed painfully to his feet. "Okay, Paws. What do you want to know about me?"

"First will you please change back my gown and robe? It's my favorite." Regina sank onto the sofa as Sirius sat down gingerly in the chair across from her. "Everything."

"Okay. How about I start with the camping trip after our second year?"

"Mother's already told us a bit about that one. I want to know what the girls did to make you put something into their shampoos that changed their hair colors."

"Nothing. James thought that one out. He had a cruel mind when he wanted. Believe me when I tell you that he had been planning to do something to your mum all summer. Vee was ruthless in her retaliations against him. They treated each other like family even if they didn't know that they really were."

"But how did the camping trip get planned? I thought Aunt Lily was a Muggle-born."

"She was. She invited all the girls over for a sleepover a month earlier and James got us guys together. Well, Mrs. Potter was the only woman in the house and we found out why James hated his middle name."

"What was his middle name?" Regina leaned forward in her seat.

Sirius leaned forward as he looked around the room. "Herbert."

Regina held a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. It slid half an inch. "I've got to tell Harry."

"Just don't tell him where you found it out from." Sirius moved from his seat and sat beside Regina. "Anyhow, Mrs. Potter went to take Vee her camera. James and I were in the kitchen when Mr. Potter came back with Mr. Evans and Remus. It seems that your grandmother just shoved Mr. Evans into the fireplace with his bag. He called her a crazy woman. And to live with James and Vee she had to be."

"But the trip?"

"I'm getting to that. We went to Hogsmeade and did a bit of shopping. Mr. Evans brought up camping to Mr. Potter. They planned it and Mr. Potter talked to Moody and Arthur and it was decided that we were going. Us boys thought that only Vee, Lily, Petunia, and Melissa were going."

"Melissa?"
"Melissa Smokler. She's Hermione's mum. Anyhow, we got to the campground and suddenly we have two more girls show up, Patricia and Emma. Of course that makes all us guys go nuts. We recruited Mr. Potter and Mr. Evans to put the potion into the girls' shampoos. Of course, Vee had come up with a way to get back at Petunia for letting poor Charlie get burned. She asked Mr. Evans to slip a flirting potion into her drink that night and we all watched her..."

"Flirt with Moody. Mother already told us all about that one. What else happened on the trip?" Regina scooted slightly so that she was leaning against Sirius's arm.

Sirius smiled and moved his arm so that Regina could snuggle up against his chest. "Well, we met a bunch of Muggle girls and boys as well as witches and wizards. Us boys flirted with the girls from the other group but there was one girl there that wanted to get her hands onto Remus."

"I bet Mother was upset about that."

"She was. The morning after the hair incident Vee went to see the owner of the campgrounds and his son. On her way back she saw Remus and this girl walking to the beach. Vee was so mad that she ripped a tree branch from a tree and threw it at Moody. I don't know what happened at the campsite but she came down to the beach and asked me to help her with something. I told her sure and next thing I knew she and I were kissing."

Regina spit the mouthful of butterbeer out and looked up at Sirius. "You and Mother kissed? I can bet Daddy hated that."

"He did. In fact, we got into a huge fight about it. Vee yelled that Remus was hers and he wasn't acting like it. Remus accused me of trying to steal Vee away from him. I told him that he wasn't acting like a boyfriend when he's busy flirting with another girl. They didn't talk for like two days. When they finally started to talk again, James and I tried to overhear what was being said but they knew that we were there. They went down to the beach and didn't return for a few hours."

"What were they doing?"
"According to Mrs. Lupin they were having a picnic to make up with. They could never stay mad at each other for long." Sirius shook his head slightly. "We went through the rest of the trip without incident until the second to the last night. Us boys got with the men and planted toads and frogs into the girls' beds. They didn't react like we thought they would. They calmly came out and brought us the frogs and toads. Then they asked Mrs. Potter and Molly to change James and me into piñatas so that they could beat us up with big sticks, which they did. James and Vee declared a prank war and I have a list of every prank and potion that any of the Marauders did."

"Where is it? Fred and George would love to get a look at it."

"It's at my house." Sirius climbed to his feet. "If I go and get the book, do you swear Fred and George won't look at it?"

"I swear." Regina watched as Sirius disappeared with a soft pop. She grinned when he reappeared holding what looked like a small Muggle notebook. "Is that it?" Regina jumped to her feet and ran over to her uncle.

"This is it. To reveal the contents you just have to tap it with your wand and say 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.' To hide the contents say 'Mischief Managed.'" Sirius handed the book to Regina who flipped it open to the first page.

Regina pulled her wand from her pocket and tapped the empty page. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." She watched as Sirius's semi-neat handwriting filled the page. "Color Changing Potion? What's that?"

"That's the potion that Vee and Lis put into the water balloons they threw at us that summer." Sirius shivered slightly in memory of it. "We changed colors for something like two weeks."

"Interesting." Regina ran her fingertip down the page. "Following Charm?"

"Shampoo bottles followed Snape for like fifteen minutes when we used that one."

Regina had moved on down the list. "Vertitus Evanesco?"

"James's brilliant idea to make Vee and Lily's clothes disappear while we were eating one night in Fifth Year. I thought Vee was going to kill James before she managed to get herself covered in Remus's cloak."

"Interesting. I'll have to remember that one for later." Regina grinned as she turned the page. "What is this one?" She pointed to a small notation on the second page. "'Never mess with Vee at that time of month. She'll kill us.'"

"Yeah. James got her in trouble with a bucket of paint in fourth year. It turns out that she was having some monthly problems and she about took my head off along with James's. We learned real quick that we shouldn't mess with her during that time." Sirius watched as Regina shuddered.

"That was a lesson that Gambit learned the hard way."

"What did he do?"

"He took her éclair one morning and she about took his head off. Then he asked her if she was having PMS and she really did try to take his head off."

"Never mess with her at that time of the month." Sirius watched Regina tap the notebook.

"Mischief Managed. I can't wait to share this with Harry." Regina slid her wand back into her pocket with the notebook. "He's going to flip when he sees all the pranks that Uncle James pulled on Mother."

"And the other way around." Sirius looked over at the grandfather clock chiming the hour. "Will you look at the time. It's after six."

"Funny I'm not sleepy." Regina stretched slightly. "I want to learn more about you, Uncle Sirius."

"I want to hear some more about your adventures with Logan and Gambit." Sirius pulled Regina into a tight hug. "I'm sorry for missing out on your whole life, Paws, but I swear I'm going to make up for it."

"I know you will." Regina returned the hug before pulling away. "I'd better get back up to my room before the other girls get up."

"Sure thing, Paws." Sirius draped his arm around her shoulders and led her up the stairs. "Try to get some sleep or Vee'll kill me."

"I'll try." Regina stood on her toes and placed a soft kiss on his whiskered cheek. "Good night, Uncle Sirius."

Sirius watched her step into her room and close the door behind her. "James, you've got a great niece in her and she's the best thing that ever happened to Harry, Remus, and Vee." Sirius turned on his heel and made his way to the third floor and his comfortable bed.