Parallel

Chapter 20: Dancing Lessons/Mrs. Sirius Black

Harry again rose before Ginny did, and it was a good thing, too ... for if she'd known where he was going, she'd have demanded to go too--and he wanted to surprise her. He didn't feel like walking any distance at the moment, so he used the portable Portkey to transport himself to the door of his married friends Ron and Hermione. To say that they were stunned to see him after so many days of his and Ginny's avoiding them would be to damn with faint praise, but to Hermione's credit, she rose to the occasion magnificently.

"Well! I thought you two had forgotten we existed!"

"Sorry." Harry smiled sheepishly. "We've been kind of busy."

"I can imagine," Hermione threw back. "Now what did you need to see us for?"

"I want to surprise Ginny, and I need you two to help me do it."

His two friends looked at each other, totally mystified.

"I saw that look, you two," Harry remarked in a mock scolding tone. "Just give me a minute and I'll explain."

"All right, explain," Hermione retorted.

"You remember the Yule Ball in fourth year, I assume," was the next thing out of Harry's mouth.

"I remember ... but I'd rather forget," Hermione said. "Just as I'm sure Ron would, considering what happened."

"Don't mean to make you remember anything bad," Harry apologised. "I just need you to help me with something."

"Like what?" Hermione prompted.

"Dancing. I want to be able to dance with Ginny and I don't know the first thing about it ... particularly waltzing. She told me she had a tape of the waltz from that night, and I promised her I would dance it with her. I need you to teach me how to dance it properly."

"You looked like you were doing all right to me," Hermione opined.

"That wasn't any of my doing, I assure you. Parvati was telling me what to do. I'd never danced before in my life up to that point. I also noticed how well you were dancing with Krum."

"Well ... I don't suppose Ron would mind. That is, as long as he's there to keep an eye on things. But, Harry, how in Merlin's name are we going to keep this from Ginny? You know how good she is at seemingly picking things up from thin air, particularly when they concern you."

"I'll think of something. ... Now, will you help me?"

"I just said I would," Hermione returned, voice touched with impatience. "When did you want to start?"

"How about tomorrow? I'll have enough fun trying to think of an excuse for being away from her today without being gone for hours in the bargain."

"All right, how does eight o'clock sound?"

"Okay, I guess. Ginny doesn't usually wake up before ten."

"All right, eight it is. See you then. You just make sure you're awake in time ... and don't forget your dancing shoes!" Just as Harry was about to leave, she added, "Oh, by the way, as soon as you see fit to tell us, we'd really like to know what you two have been up to the last few days."

"We will. Promise. No time now. Got to go!" With that, Harry touched the portable Portkey and was gone.

* * * * *

Harry was there bright and early the next morning, ready to dance ... or rather, as ready as he would ever be. And as expected, both of his friends were awake to join him. He was sure that it had to be a supreme effort for Ron to drag himself out of bed before noon, but he had managed. "I assume you know where to put your hands, Harry," Hermione remarked as she moved to join him.

"Of course I do, now."

"Okay. Ron, start the music." With that, the dancing lesson began.

It was fortunate that Harry had a good memory; otherwise he'd have literally fallen over his own feet trying to keep up with Hermione. More than once she'd either had to pull him back into line or do intricate steps in order to keep him from stepping on her toes ... and it didn't help Harry's morale to have a pair of steely-blue Weasley eyes boring a hole in his back every time he got within range. Only natural, he supposed, knowing too well that Ron was most definitely the jealous type, particularly when it came to Hermione. Just the same, he should know he had nothing to worry about, not when Harry was so pie-eyed in love with Ginny!

They decided to call it quits after about an hour or so in order that the dancers rest their feet and have some refreshments. While they were resting, Harry decided to recount one point in his past when he was about twelve and Dudley had been forced to take dancing lessons. He had hated every minute and had looked stupid to boot, particularly crammed into his one best black wool suit, dress shirt, tie and dress shoes, but Aunt Petunia had insisted. Naturally, Harry was excluded from participating, but hardly minded--at least not in this situation. He definitely enjoyed seeing "dear Dudders" fall over his own big feet, that was for sure!

Of course, Harry didn't dare laugh in front of them for fear of being punished, but after a while it got very hard to hold in. After a time, he had to force himself not to run out of the room, holding a hand to his mouth, then once behind his door, put a Silencing Charm on it, then laughed until his sides hurt and tears streamed down his face. And that's basically what his friends were doing once he finished relating Dudley's dancing woes, if not rolling on the floor holding their sides.

Whenever Harry felt down, all he needed to do was think of Dudley crammed into that hot, black wool suit, his shirt looking like it was choking him, the neck was so tight ... not to mention the shoes, which had to be killing him, and he automatically cheered up. Now maybe his lowlife cousin had some idea of what he had put Harry through when he was made a fool of by Dudley on almost a daily basis in front of their peers! Harry really wished that some of his neighborhood bully cousin's gang members could have seen him like that; they'd never have let him live it down.

It would almost have been worth a bloody nose, black eye or even a belt-whipping by Uncle Vernon to have seen the looks on their faces! Thank Merlin he was away from them and never had to go back again. It was a cinch, too, that Dudley probably wouldn't be able to find a girl who could countenance him, so he'd probably die a bachelor ... and probably end up on the streets after his parents died because he disdained working for a living, believing that the world owed him a hand-out because he had always had virtually everything he'd ever wanted handed to him on a silver platter.

Fortunately, by the time Harry returned to Ginny, he had a ready-made excuse; he was doing something special for her that he couldn't tell her about because he wanted to surprise her. She still looked skeptical at that, but didn't question him further. Meanwhile, they had to make plans to go to London and both go to the WWN and the main Wizarding Genealogy outfit, not to mention look up Rose ... address-wise, it might be a good idea to look under both Shacklebolt and Shacklebolt-Black, who knew which one she was currently using? They shouldn't go too far wrong if they remembered that she lived in Hampstead and likely couldn't afford to move every year as he once had.

Hermione had estimated it would take about a week to teach him the basic waltz steps ... and that was if Harry was a quick study ... and so he was, in most things, but in this case, could make no guarantees, simply give it his best shot. Just the same, a week should be just enough time for him to master the steps before he and Ginny were due to leave for London. He would spring the dancing surprise on her at a strategic moment during their stay there.

In addition, Harry had already told McGonagall not to show Ron and Hermione the letter he had given her explaining his and Ginny's absence until after they were well away and would be unable to stop them. All the same, he and Ginny planned to take their wands and other defensive measures in the event of an emergency while there. Unlikely, but it didn't pay to take unnecessary chances.

* * * * *

Unfortunately, when they finally did arrive there, it was on a Sunday so nothing was open; the only thing they could do was see if they could find Rose in Hampstead. They managed to find her in the London phone book under her maiden name, and armed with her address, they Apparated almost to her door. They also took the copies of the articles found in James Black's file to back up their claims in case she was skeptical of them and who they said they were.

Harry thought it would be best if he knocked on her door; she would be more likely to recognise him than Ginny in spite of their marriage. When Harry saw her, he knew immediately why Sirius had fallen in love with her so easily; she was still a very attractive woman, even though she had to be at least in her forties, if not more, now.

"Yes? What can I do for you?"

"Ms. Shacklebolt? My name is Harry Potter, and this is my wife, Ginny. We are ... close friends of Sirius Black and former Hogwarts students, the witchcraft and wizarding school I understand your son, James,

is presently attending."

Rose acted like she had been Stunned or something for a moment, just standing there frozen, unable to speak or move for a long time. "The Harry Potter, the famous Auror who killed the Dark Lord recently?"

"The same," Harry admitted. "We would like to speak with you if possible. About your son, and about Sirius Black and your relationship with him."

"How do you know Sirius?" she asked, still skeptical even while ushering them inside.

"He was my parents' best friend and best man at their wedding. Not to mention the fact that he was my godfather," Harry told her as the door closed behind them. "I have also discovered evidence that you and Sirius were once ... married."

"Briefly," Rose reluctantly admitted. "And that was years ago."

"But you never remarried," Harry pointed out.

"No. I saw no point. I ... loved Sirius too much," she quietly admitted. "But since he forbade me from coming to see him at Azkaban, I gave him what I could--pictures and information on our son, James. I assume you know that the boy you know as James Black is our son?"

"Yes," Harry admitted.

"I also want you to know that I never believed that Sirius killed anyone; I told him as much," she declared, gesturing to the nearby sofa, in front of which was a coffee table with a pot, three cups and a plate of fairy cakes with white icing. Harry and Ginny sat on the sofa while Rose sat in an overstuffed chair facing them. "I knew him as well as anyone, and he was not that kind of person."

"Damn bloody right he wasn't," Harry declared. "Sorry about the language."

"It's all right," she dismissed. "I've heard worse. Just the same, you can't be here simply to tell me that you're Sirius's godson and all that. There must be another reason."

"There is ... and please hear me out before you give me your decision. Sirius left me his fortune--quite a considerable one, too--and I'm here to offer some of it to you. For your son James's care and education only, mind you. I have enough of an inheritance from my parents; I have little need of Sirius's money. He only left it to me because he had no one else at the time. I also feel sure that Sirius would want me to help you now, since he didn't dare acknowledge you or your son himself, even at the time he died, because he was still considered a criminal, even though he was no longer at Azkaban."

Both Harry and Ginny could see that Rose was torn between her stubborn independence and her wish for her son to have the best of everything she could give him.

"I also know where your son's name comes from. James is my father's name, Sirius's best friend ... and Adolphus is Sirius's father's name."

Rose took a long swallow of tea, then set it down again and reached for a fairy cake, beginning to unwrap it, then took a bite and swallowed before answering. "Well, Mr. Potter, I must say ... you really seem to have done your homework. My compliments."

"It was because I cared about Sirius; one of the few people who ever deserved it. So, if only for your son's sake, because I care about him--and you--because of your connection to Sirius, I want to help ease your financial burdens. I know it could not have been easy to raise a son by yourself, especially since your family is not nearly as well-off as the Blacks. Accepting this money will not only make both of your lives easier, it will make me happy ... but most of all, you'll make Sirius happy."

"How can you know that?"

"Because I kept in close touch with him while he was in hiding; he confided a lot to me. I knew the kind of man he was. We never discussed your marriage or James, of course; Ginny and I just found that out recently."

Rose gave Ginny a lingering look, then the two women smiled at each other. "Mrs. Potter, do you know that you greatly resemble your mother-in-law?"

"You ... once saw a picture of my parents?" Harry asked, incredulous, speaking before Ginny could draw breath to do so.

"Just their wedding picture; Sirius showed it to me once. Your mother had red hair and green eyes and was very beautiful ... and your wife looks so much like her that it's uncanny."

"Aren't you going to say that I look just like my father except for my green eyes ... my mum's eyes?" Harry wondered. "I heard that so much that it got bloody boring after a while."

"I imagine so," Rose laughed. "Well, don't worry. I'm not going to say it."

"Thank you. I appreciate it. Just the same, I must have Dad's penchant for redheads in order to have married one myself," Harry opined, taking another sip of tea. He would have preferred pumpkin juice or butterbeer, but one had to take what one's hostess offered or risk offending her. "It was great to hear that Sirius hadn't been totally out of the marriage and children game, even though I understand the two of you were only together for a month before he was put into Azkaban."

"Three weeks and six days, to be exact," Rose revealed.

"There's something else I want to mention," Harry said. "I was also bequeathed Sirius's family home in London. Since Ginny and I have our own flat elsewhere, we don't need the house, so we would like you to have it ... if only to give your son an inheritance when he comes of age."

"Oh, Mr. Potter, really! This is far too generous of you. First the money, then a house ... I mean, you hardly know me! How do you know I'm worthy of it?"

"Harry," he corrected. "And it's for your son as much as it is for you. And besides, Sirius loved you both. I know from experience that he doesn't fall in love easily, but when he does, it's for life ... and any woman who wins his love is bound to be special. You don't have to move into it if you don't want to, especially since it is presently the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix.

"I'm sure you've heard of it--Ginny and I are members--but it once belonged to Sirius and I feel sure he would approve if I gave it to you and James. I have obtained the consent of the current Head of the Order, Mr. Arthur Weasley, my father-in-law, to offer it to you. Just keep it for your son until he's old enough, then sign the deed over to him. At the moment, however, I'm willing to sign it over to you. I have it with me if you want to do it now."

Rose was once again quiet; Harry was sure that it felt to her like she'd been literally knocked for a loop. To not only be offered a fortune but a house to boot ... and what's more to meet the great Auror Harry James Potter, who had showed up at her door literally out of the blue to offer her these things which had turned out to belong to Sirius Black, her late husband. The famous Auror and slayer of the Dark Lord, who had turned out to be Sirius's godson, and his wife, who greatly resembled Harry's late mother Lily.

"Rose? Are you all right?" Harry asked gently, looking at the older woman with concern.

"Yes, I'm fine. This is just ... all ... quite a bit to take in."

"I imagine so," Harry agreed with a soft chuckle. "So ... is it a deal?"

"I ... suppose so. I'd be an ... unnatural mother to refuse my son something which belonged to his father. Where is the deed?"

"Right here." Harry pulled it out of his inner jacket pocket and offered it to her. Rose put on a pair of half-moon glasses which resembled Dumbledore's and carefully examined the deed before signing it. She noted that Harry and Arthur had already signed it in the proper places.

"Forgive my caution. I'm a solicitor," she told him.

"Quite understandable," Harry smiled. "Congratulations, Ms. Shacklebolt; you are now the owner of Number 12 Grimmauld Place, London ... which, incidentally, is less than five miles from here, so maybe one of these days you could visit the Order. As Sirius's wife, they would not refuse you. Especially not if I vouch for you."

"Oh ... Harry, you're doing entirely too much!" Rose exclaimed. "How will I ever repay you?"

"Not necessary. Your being willing to take what I want to give you will be repayment enough. Also, as far as the money is concerned, just go to the Gringotts Bank, ask for this person" -- Harry handed her a piece of parchment with a name and number on it-- "and he will direct you to my vault, which holds the money from Sirius I want to give you. Just say that I sent you--don't worry, I'll give you a note authorizing you to do so--and he will turn the money over to you once you present identification proving that you are ... or were once ... Mrs. Sirius Black. No questions asked. However much I choose to give you."

"Which is?" Rose softly prompted, what was happening finally beginning to register with her.

"How does ten thousand pounds grab you?"

"Oh...Harry, that's more money than I--or my son--could possibly spend in a lifetime!"

"But just in case you do, I have authorised the Head of the Gringotts Bank to open a standing account for you which will never run dry, in your own name. I'll see to it--even if I have to put my own money into it ... although that is unlikely, because as I said, Sirius's fortune is considerable, and that is what will be in the account."

By this time Rose was almost in tears, she was so happy. She may have lost Sirius, but she had his son, and now his house and his money, as befitted a proper widow of such a great wizard. Most importantly, she had met his wonderful, generous godson, the great Harry Potter, slayer of the Dark Lord, and his lovely wife. Truly, she was one of the luckiest women in the world!

"Lastly, we ask that we be allowed to visit your son James while he is home from school," Harry requested. "Being with Sirius's son will almost be like being with him again."

"Of course, of course! You're both welcome any time. Thank you ... thank you so very much, Harry ... Ginny ..."

"It was our pleasure," the couple smiled. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we must be on our way--but we will meet again, I assure you. Farewell for now."

Rose followed them to the door, now definitely in tears of happiness, insisting on embracing them both, but lingering with Harry the longest before releasing him. "Bless you ... bless you both ..."

It took a while for the couple to extricate themselves politely, but they finally managed. Once they had, however, Ginny asked, "Do you still intend to go to the Wizarding Wireless Network and the Office of Witchcraft and Wizarding Genealogy?"

"Why not, as long as we're here?" Harry replied. "In the meantime, however, I have a surprise for you--but we need to go back to our room first and get dressed up."

Ginny frowned suspiciously at him. "What have you got up your sleeve, Harry James Potter?"

"Just my arm, I assure you," he quipped. "Seriously, I want to take you out for the fanciest dinner I can afford, then ... we can have our dance that we missed so long ago." This part of his explanation was almost crooned, and had the predictable effect on Ginny. It was a wonder she didn't melt into a puddle at his feet! Truly, what had she ever done to deserve such an incredible man?

"Oh, Harry ..." She couldn't resist giving him a loving embrace and lingering kiss. "Thank you, my love. Thank you."

"My pleasure," he crooned back, happily accepting her ministrations. "Now let's get back to our room and get ready."