Tidy Time

Tidy Time

Part 5

Painting and Phantoms

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Black. My name's Dean, and I'll be your artist for today. I thought we'd start with a bit of a makeover, 'cause blimey, you could use it."

"I don't think insulting her is the best way to start, Dean," Ron said behind him.

"I don't see a need to coddle her. She'll be co-operative or not, and we'll find out right now. Hermione?" Dean gestured to her.

They had moved three chairs into the hall facing Mrs. Black's portrait, and Hermione rose from hers. With a swish from her wand the gag was gone. Mrs. Black appeared to draw a great breath, but before she could start screaming, Dean held up the can of whitewash.

"You start shouting, and I use the big brush," he said, locking eyes with her. "We've all faced life and death decisions this year." He motioned behind him, indicating the other three. "This is nothing for us, but it means a great deal to you, so you need to decide right now how you want this to go."

"I want my house clean," she said in a raspy voice.

"Funny you should say that: we've been at it all day," Ron put in from his chair.

Mrs. Black looked at Hermione.

"That's not what she meant, Ron," said Hermione.

"I know."

"You're a pureblood, boy, how could you debase yourself with this..."

"Be very careful what you say," Dean cut in. "Hermione is Muggle-born as I very well may be. You use any other term than that, and I use the big brush. Do we understand each other?"

"Yes!" she said curtly.

"Excellent," Luna said from her chair. "I thought you might be reasonable. Cissy and Andy were not very hopeful, but I know most women wouldn't want to miss a single moment of their family's lives." Pelly sat on her lap, eyes bright, following the conversation.

Mrs. Black looked at Luna and then Pelly "The badgewonk! How did you find her? Where was she? We looked for years."

"She was in the playroom in a locked cabinet," Luna answered.

"There? We suspected something important was in it, but we could never open the lock. What was she guarding? Titania hinted in her writings it was one of the Black family treasures."

"There was a small statue of an elf with her. That was all," Hermione told her.

Mrs. Black still didn't want to acknowledge Hermione, so she addressed Luna. "It's as we thought: the binding stone," she said.

"They exist," said Hermione in a hushed voice.

"Okay, fill us non scholars in," said Ron.

"The binding stones are said to be the final part of the magic that binds the elves to servitude," said Hermione.

"The M... girl is correct. There are nine. That one was entrusted to the guardianship of the Black family."

"Interesting. Well, shall we begin?" asked Dean. "I have a photo here from Narcissa's wedding; you're wearing a much nicer dress. Shall I put that one on you?"

"You can do such a thing?" Mrs. Black asked in surprise.

"Dean is a gifted artist, Mrs. Black. He can do whatever you want," said Luna.

Dean took Luna's hand and kissed it. "She's a bit biased," he said to Mrs. Black. "We'll start with the dress, and then move on to your hands and face. The flowers will be last. Ready?"

Dean stood in the hall, with his audience in the chairs facing the portrait, and slowly, with paint, magic, and great care, he healed Walburga Black.

*************************

"How's it open?" asked Harry.

"Blood. Almost all the ancient Black enchantments work that way," said Andromeda.

"I'll do it this time, Andy," said Narcissa.

She stepped up to the arch at the back of the pantry and drew a small knife from her robes. She sliced her palm, and blood quickly covered her hand, dripping onto the floor. Harry was startled and a bit shocked, but Ginny noticed that Narcissa didn't even flinch. The two women shared a nod of mutual recognition of strength. Narcissa wiped her palm on the wall in the arch, forming a large capital letter "B". When she had finished she stepped back, and Ginny wordlessly performed the healing charm on her hand while the wall sank into the floor. Narcissa looked at her hand, flexed it, and then she looked at Ginny and nodded with a smirk.

Beyond the arch was darkness and dust. The four illuminated their wands and stepped through the arch. A short tunnel covered in brickwork led to steps leading down. They descended, by Harry's guess, more than a hundred feet, before they came to level ground.

"Lumos Maxima," said Harry, and they could see the extent of what faced them. A long tunnel lead away from them as far as the light reached. Every thirty feet or so another tunnel crossed the one they were in, and between the tunnels were the tombs. On each wall, left and right, was a pattern, three tombs and a tunnel bisecting the main passageway, then three more tombs.

"These are all Blacks?" asked Harry.

"Well, it's not completely full, but yes, the whole family as far back as we have records is here, at least the ones that didn't get disowned," said Andromeda.

"It seems fairly peaceful. You said it was haunted?" Ginny asked her.

"Give them a minute to wake up, then we'll talk," said Narcissa.

"Who disturbs the rest of the house of Black?" a voice boomed out of the darkness.

"We do," Andromeda said in a loud voice. "I am Andromeda Black. This is Narcissa Black. We are daughters of Cygnus and Druella Black. We come to inspect the tombs and pay our respects to the ancient and most noble House of Black."

"You may pass."

"We didn't know that part last time," Andromeda told Harry.

Then something happened that none of them anticipated.

"Where is your sister, child?" It was their mother's voice in the darkness.

Narcissa laid a hand on Andromeda's shoulder. "I'll tell her," she said to Andromeda. "She is dead, Mother. She dabbled in great evil, as you know, and she paid the price for it. In the end, it cost her everything. I'm sorry."

"Why is she not here with us?"

A specter formed in the passage in front of them. It started as a shapeless blob of mist, but then the torso of a woman coalesced and spoke to them.

"My Bella is dead?" she said to her remaining daughters.

"Yes, Mother, I'm so sorry. You know what she became, and when the Dark Lord rose again she joined him. She did great evil herself. She killed my daughter, and she in turn was killed," said Andromeda.

A tear glistened in the wandlight as it rolled down Andromeda's cheek. Harry had not fully grasped the tragedy of the Blacks until that moment. Andromeda and Narcissa had loved their sister, and she in turn had loved them, but that love had been destroyed by prejudice, hate, and, in the end, insanity. Harry, Ginny and Narcissa gathered tightly around Andromeda in an attempt to comfort her.

The air was full of rustlings and muttered voices as more specters appeared from passageways and tombs. Before long there was a crowd: witches and wizards from every period, even as far back as the Roman occupation. Some wandered aimlessly, looking lost and vacant; others looked as if they were just people, strangely transparent people. The catacombs looked more like a busy street than the abode of the dead.

Druella Black addressed her daughters again. "You came to bring us this news?"

"No, Mother," said Narcissa. "The last male Black has died. Sirius, son of Orion and Walburga, was killed in the war with the Dark Lord, and he bequeathed the house to his godson, Harry." She indicated Harry to the crowd. "He has taken possession of the house, and is making it fit to live in. We came to secure your cooperation in accepting him as the rightful master of the house."

There was uproar among the assembled ghosts.

"The house of Black is no more?" an old man in ancient robes asked.

"Andromeda has a grandson, Theodore Lupin. He is of the blood, and I intend to pass the house to him when he comes of age," Harry said to the assemblage.

"He is the son of your half blood daughter!!!" It was the ghost of Orion Black.

"Yes, Uncle," Andromeda spat, "and he is the best you'll get. I lost my family for years because of your insane prejudice, and I will not tolerate abuse of him or any other of my friends and family because they don't conform to your idea of what a witch or wizard should be. My husband..." - there was a catch in her voice - "My husband was a far greater wizard than you ever thought you could be. He and my d... daughter were my life, and yet because of their heritage you never got to know just how wonderful and special they were. You lost their entire lives! We could have been a family; we could have been complete, but no, they were "soiled blood". That stupidity cost me my entire family."

"Harry and his friends have been helping me with forgiveness, and Cissy and I have become better sisters than we ever were, thanks to them, but you...you I can't forgive. Aunt Walburga, crazy as she was, wasn't the problem in our family, dear Uncle. It was you, you and the ideology you inherited from the rest of these idiots."

Narcissa nudged Harry and Ginny, and gently pulled them back a pace.

"You shunning me and mine cost you far more than it cost me. Your son died hating, hating you, and I felt the same for a long time, but now, thanks to some very dear friends, all I have for you is pity," Andromeda continued.

"And maybe a little anger. She's had this bottled up for a bit, and they've earned it all. Let her go," Narcissa said in a whisper.

"The youngest male heir died trying to undo the great evil of your philosophy, you sanctimonious idiots. You clinging to the idea that our lineage made us special killed the line, and good riddance." Andromeda was on a roll; Ginny recognized it from her mother, and smiled at Harry.

"They're in trouble now; she's got wound up," Ginny said to him and Narcissa.

Andromeda began pacing in front of the ghostly audience. "The great and noble house of Black, hah! The only noble Black for a century was your son Sirius, and you idiots disowned him, stupid self-centered morons. Regulus tried, in the end. Did you know that Uncle? Yes, he defied the Dark Lord; that's why he was killed. He came to know the truth, that he had been lied to his whole life. He left me a letter: I didn't read it until I heard he was dead." Great cascades of tears were flowing down her face. "He was so sorry, sorry he stopped talking to me, seeing me. Sorry he didn't come to the wedding, sorry he never met Dora."

"I will not have your putrid philosophy damage anyone else. Our sister fought on the side of evil for you. She was driven insane by the damage to her soul. This mad belief that we are better that everyone else took her from us, from me." She broke down and wept for a brief second, then flared back up again with a tangible anger. "If you make so much as a creak in the night I will raze these tombs!!!" Andromeda had to stop and catch her breath, only then did she realize she'd been shouting.

"No one, no one will know that you ever existed. Harry here is a hero, an actual hero, and he deserves peace, and you will give it to him. Am I understood?"

She was panting now, and an electric blue glow of magical fury surrounded her.

"Am I?" A pulse of magic burst forth from her, and to everyone's surprise it pushed the front row of ghosts back several feet.

Narcissa chuckled softly , whispering to Harry and Ginny, "And they thought Bella was the one with the temper."

"Calm yourself, my daughter," said a ghost dressed in ancient robes. "I assure you that we will behave. But if there is to be life in the house again, then I and others would like to visit, to see and feel some of what we lost."

Andromeda looked enquiringly at Harry.

"That will be fine," said Harry, "we just don't want any mischief."

"Will your daughter and son in-law be joining us?" the ancient ghost asked.

"They have a place of honor at the memorial to the fallen; no, they won't be coming here." Andromeda spat out, as she regained some of her composure.

"Narcissa has a pure blood son, why isn't he master of the house?" the ghost of Orion muttered.

Andromeda's anger flared again, but it was Narcissa who stalked forward, lightly pushed Andromeda aside, and leveled her face with the ghost.

"Draco. Is. A. Malfoy. That's his lineage and legacy, and that is the last we will hear of that. Do you understand me?" she said, in a low hiss that dripped venom.

I solemnly vow never to make any of these women angry, Harry thought to himself.

"We have one more thing to do, and then we will leave you in peace," Ginny said as she wiped tears from her face. "We are clearing the house of evil. Are there any objects here that we should cleanse or remove? Any spells that could do harm?"

"There may be things in some tombs, but they are sealed, and safe from abuse," said the ancient ghost. He turned to Harry. "You are welcome to come to us should the need arise, young master. We have a great wealth of experience and knowledge. Please, if you need our help, come to us. I promise you a better reception next time."

"Thank you," said Harry. "Oh, yeah, the badgewonk has been found. The binding stone that was with her is being sent to the Ministry. I thought you'd like to know."

There was another small uproar among some of the assemblage. A ghost in Victorian robes quietened them and said, "That is for the best. How is my Pelly?"

"She lives, and is very happy. I've given her over to the care of one of my great friends. They hit it off rather well," Harry said with a smile. "Is there anything we should know about her?"

"She is loyal unto death, and very intelligent. Everything else you will find out in time. As far as I know she is the last of her kind."

"Well, she now has a woman who fell in love with her instantly, so I think she'll be well cared for," said Narcissa.

"We will take our leave of you then," said Harry. "If you do come upstairs, just let us know you're there. Thanks."

Cygnus Black disengaged himself from the crowd and moved to his daughters. "I said this in life but a few times, much to my sorrow. I love you my daughters."

Narcissa looked at her sister, who was still recovering from her anger. "Thank you Father, Mother; we love you too. Our only wish now is that we have peace. We, or at least I and mine, were on the wrong side of this war; I know now. I will teach our descendants to be proud of their heritage, but they will not be taught that they are better than anyone else just because of their birth. I hope you rest well with this knowledge."

The ghost of Cygnus smiled. "You make me proud, my daughters."

The ancient ghost spoke as Harry, Andromeda, Narcissa and Ginny turned to leave. "Live well, young hero, know that we are here should you need us, and care well for the house and its descendants."

Harry nodded to him, and the four living made their way back up the stairs.

*******************

"Hold out your right hand," said Dean as Harry came back into the hall.

Dean was standing alone in the hallway; the three chairs behind him empty save for a mirror propped up on the middle one. His artist's pallet was in his left hand, and a needle point brush was in his right. As Harry leaned against the hallway wall and watched, Dean delicately stroked the canvas with the tip of the brush, and then stepped to the side.

"Is that more like when you were young?"

"Yes... yes, lovely. Thank you."

Dean smiled broadly. "Well, hold those hands out and let's finish off."

He was bending over and concentrating as Harry walked up.

"This seems to be going better than I had hoped," said Harry.

"Yeah, Mrs. Black and I have 'come to a meeting of the minds' as Professor McGonagall would say."

"Does Minerva still talk that way? Merlin, she annoyed the hell out of us!" Mrs. Black said.

Harry and Dean looked at each other for a moment and then laughed.

"So, she hasn't changed much, eh, Mrs. Black?" said Harry.

"I wouldn't know, but from what Dean just said, I'd guess not. She sounds just as haughty and annoying as she ever was."

"Well, we'll have to have her over so you two can reminisce. How would that be?" asked Harry, grinning.

"Don't push your luck, Potter," said Mrs. Black with a smirk of her own.

"You're looking much better, Mrs. Black. Blimey, Dean, you're brilliant," said Harry.

"You think so? Luna says that a lot, but she loves everything I do."

"Yes, I know," said Harry with a grin.

Dean looked at him and smiled broadly. "Hey, what can I say?"

"Alright, back to work," said Harry.

"Yes, Master," said Dean in a passable imitation of Kreacher, and then laughed and dipped his brush. "Hands, please," he said to Mrs. Black.

Harry took a good look at the portrait, and he could see that Dean had been busy. She now wore the dress from the photo. The cap that she had worn was gone, and in its place was a small red hat with a few bright phoenix feathers on the right side. Her hair was once again black, and her face looked at least twenty years younger, as if she were in her mid thirties. Dean was finishing touching up her hands. He had changed them from the claws that they were, to the soft elegant hands of the woman she once was.

"Where're Ron and the girls?" asked Harry, as Dean with drew back for another dip of paint.

"Upstairs in Mrs. Black's room. They're doing actual housecleaning. I'm sorry Mrs. Black, but the Hippogriff made quite a mess of your old room."

"As I suspected. My son and I weren't on the best of terms. I suppose I can forgive him for that."

"Good. So I'll just head up then, and see how they're doing. Looking very good Dean; you too, Mrs. Black."

"Thank you ... Harry, thank you very much. I have a great deal to think about," Mrs. Black said.

Harry smiled at her and went up the stairs.

*********************

"And so when you find one, it's a once in a lifetime event," Luna's voice said from beyond the door. "I don't understand why you're so skeptical, Hermione. You didn't believe in magic until seven years ago, and now you know that witches, wizards, and even dragons exist. Why not the Snorkack?"

"Well there's no evidence, Luna. I mean if there was just a bit of real hard, physical evidence I'd be with you all the way, but all I've seen is anecdotes in your father's magazine, and that's just not enough."

"You will have to get over that skepticism before you become minister. It won't serve you well. Oh, hello Harry. Have you finished in the tombs?" asked Luna as Harry entered the room.

"Yeah, went really well. Andy got to unload some old baggage; it was good."

"Anything evil down there?" Ron asked.

"Just some of the residents. Orion Black got a face full of Andy and Cissy; I don't think he'll ever be the same." Harry chuckled. "Oh, and I told them we found Pelly. One of the ghosts, I'm guessing it was Titania, asked about her, and was really happy you were taking her on," he said to Luna.

"Oh that's lovely. You're certain you want me to take her, Harry?"

"Absolutely, I can't think of anyone on earth more qualified or deserving, not even Hagrid."

"Oh that's wonderful. Hagrid will get to meet her soon though. Even with the special sessions, I have to go for my seventh year. Would you come with me to Hogwarts, Pelly?"

The badgewonk snuggled deeper into Luna's lap, making it perfectly clear that where ever Luna went Pelly would be happy to go.

"I think they'll be inseparable for quite some time," said Hermione, beaming.

"Where're Gin and the ladies?" Ron asked.

"Down in the kitchen. Kreacher's moving the pile that's blocking the storeroom, so we can have somewhere to put all the stuff we don't want to just chuck out."

"Like what?" asked Ron in a skeptical voice.

"The elf heads for one; we can't just toss them in the bin. D'you remember that painting that thinks it's so funny in the second floor bedroom we shared?" asked Harry, and Ron nodded his head. "Yeah, well that and anything else that we should keep for posterity." Then he really looked around at the room. "Wow, you really have been busy."

The room had been completely cleared of anything that wasn't furniture. The bed that had been reduced to splinters was standing again. It looked a little the worse for wear, but Harry was impressed. The mattress and hangings were gone, and there were gaps in the wood where he suspected not enough of the wood remained for the Reparo spell. The dresser, writing desk, and dressing table, all looked well used but much more intact than the last time Harry had seen them, and the room no longer smelled of overripe Hippogriff dung.

"Nice spellwork, Hermione," said Harry.

She smiled up at him. "Thank you for the compliment, Harry, but it wasn't me. It was Ron."

Ron clapped him on the shoulder. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, mate."

"Sorry, but I..."

Ron laughed. "'S okay, but if you'll excuse us, we're going up Regulus's room, soon to be mine, to clear it out. Hope they don't mind us stripping the green and silver, 'cause it's gone."

"Just wrap all the stuff up and we'll put it in the cellar store room."

Ron held his hand out to Hermione. "Coming?"

She shot him a warm smile. "Anywhere you want to go," she answered, and took his hand.

"Which reminds me, I wonder if Ginny would help me with Sirius' room. That could use a bit of a tidy too."

"No hanky panky, Harry," Hermione said with a wicked grin.

"Touché." said Harry, laughing, and noting that Ron's hand was firmly on Hermione's bottom as they left the room.

"Harry, if you don't mind, Dean and I would like to stay tonight. I can make this room comfortable for us," said Luna.

"Uh, yeah, I a..."

"Dean and I often share a bed, Harry."

"Well, okay then," said Harry. He smiled." A full house tonight. I'll just go and find Ginny. Are you alright here?'

"Oh, yes. Pelly and I can fix this room up, can't we Pelly? Come and see later."

************************

It turned into a competition. Dean had finished with Mrs. Black, and while her nieces moved her from the hallway to the stairwell, the three young couples attacked their respective rooms with vigor. Mrs. Black, it turned out, had to allow herself to be moved, and once she found out they were moving her to the stairwell so she had a view from the window, she was enthusiastic. The elf heads came down in a rush and were entrusted to Kreacher, who carefully placed them on a high shelf in the storeroom. The two sisters took great pleasure in flattening the wall, transfiguring the wall paper, and hanging their aunt. Once she was up, a vase of real lilies, to match the ones Dean had given her, graced the small shelf the two women had placed under her portrait.

Ron and Hermione, after an initial ten minute snog, dived into clearing any vestige of the former occupant's Slytherin past from the room. The curtains, bed drapes, wall hangings, everything that held the silver and green was taken down or transfigured, all but the picture of the Quidditch team. That, Ron said, could stay. Regulus, for his part in the downfall of Voldemort, had earned at least that.

Hermione had surprised him, once again, by performing many of the housecleaning spells his mother used. She shrank the mattress to the size of a book, floated it through the window, enlarged it, and made it shake and vibrate four floors above the ground. When the last of the accumulated dust had been shaken from it she shrank the mattress again, floated it back into the room, replaced it on the bed, and returned it to its normal size. Then she thoroughly Scourgified it.

"You never know," she said to Ron.

"Never know what?" he said.

"You never know when you might have someone in that bed who would like to be sure it's completely clean."

"Oh, yeah," he said, blushing furiously.

Harry and Ginny had more mess and fewer decorations to deal with. Sorting through the mass of papers, books, and clutter that Sirius had left behind took hours, but in the end they had found only a few things that needed saving. Ginny had insisted the posters of the Muggle girls go, and Harry had readily agreed. The bedding was cleaned in a similar manner to the treatment given to the mattress across the landing, and the whole of the room was Scourgified.

When the dinner bell rang, the three exhausted couples made their way to the kitchen. They were stunned by what awaited them. Narcissa, Andromeda, and Kreacher had laid on a feast for them. The two women had prompted Kreacher, and he had prepared many of the dishes they remembered from their childhood, along with the favorites he knew Harry and his friends enjoyed.

When they had eaten their fill, Harry asked for a judgment from the two older women on the bedrooms. Luna and Dean were the clear winners. Harry's room was mostly unchanged from the décor Sirius had installed. The red and gold of Gryffindor still showed, and was now as bright and clean as the day he had put it up. The pin-up pictures were gone, and in their place were pictures from Harry's photo album. A poster of the Holyhead Harpies had been plastered over one particularly stubborn poster that refused to come off the wall. Harry thought it must have been one of Sirius's favorites.

In Ron's room the changes were much more pronounced. "Do Not Enter Without the Express Permission of Regulus Arcturus Black" still adorned the door, but the room looked nothing like it had. Again, the Gryffindor colors were everywhere, and a Chudley Cannons poster graced the wall. The bed was draped in crimson, and a gold duvet covered the mattress. Hermione had transfigured the wall paper to the same style that Mrs. Weasley had in the drawing room at the Burrow. The picture of Regulus and the Slytherin Quidditch team hung by the door, and another, of Hermione, sat on the bedside table.

The former bedroom of Walburga Black bore no resemblance to the shattered remains that Luna and Dean had started with. The bedroom was now mostly blue with bronze accents, all but the bed, which was clothed in the same Gryffindor colors as Harry's and Ron's. The furniture was clean and shone with polish; the floor had been scrubbed, a new carpet had been found, and the wall was repaired with new paper showing a variety of magical beasts. At the foot of the bed was another bed, a small round one, for Pelly.

"Where'd you find the mattress?" asked Ron.

"Dean transfigured a pillow," Luna answered, nonplussed.

"Very good," said Andromeda as she sat on the bed testing the mattress. "That'll go in the note to Minerva."

"We did the loo and the closets too," said Dean.

"Show off," said Ron as he backhanded Dean on the shoulder.

"This is the nicest bedroom in the house, Harry. Are you sure you don't want it for yourself?" Luna asked.

"No, I like Sirius's old room, it's... comforting. I don't know why, but it is."

"Yeah, and you can't beat the view. Ours... uh, mine, faces the same way, and you can see the King's Reach Tower, Westminster; the big white wheel thingy they're building's great," said Ron.

Andromeda pointedly ignored Ron's slip. "I'm so happy you decided to do this, Harry." She looked at her sister. "I really don't know how to thank you, but Cissy and I will think of something, won't we?"

"Yes, and I... I have to thank you again. You saved my family, and gave me my sister back." She looked at her sister with shining eyes. "You saved all our lives, and more I think. I know you hate Draco, but thank you for saving him too."

"Ah, Mrs. Malfoy, Cissy. We don't hate Draco, or at least not any more, right?" Ron said, looking at the others, and they nodded agreement. "Hey, we saved him at least twice on the night of the battle, and I only punched him once, so I think we'll be okay."

"Thank you. He's trying to make up for everything he's done, make up for some of the evil things he was made to do." She looked at Luna with sorrow in her eyes. "He'll be a good man, a great man, you'll see."

Luna nodded. "I know."

"Well I think I should get over to Molly's, and see if she'll let me have Teddy back," said Andromeda.

"Oh, Mum's been looking forward to the handing the baby back to the parents part for a long time," Ginny said grinning.

"Shall I tell her you'll be along shortly?"

"Yeah, in a bit. The boys are staying, but Hermione and I are going home tonight."

"Good. Cissy and I will gather our things and Floo back to the Manor. I'll go on to the Burrow from there. Thank you again Harry."

"I'll come down to the fireplace with you, leave these to pat each other on the back for a while," he said, chuckling and nodding at his friends.

**************************

"Thanks for coming Andy, Cissy, you've helped make this old house a home again. We've got more redecorating to do; if you want to help you're more than welcome to. I'm thinking of repairing the tapestry, getting everybody's names back on. What do you think?"

"That's a wonderful idea, Harry," said Narcissa.

Harry stepped forward and pulled her into an embrace. "Thank you for coming. You're welcome here any time." He stepped back and smiled to her, and then drew Andromeda into a hug. "Thanks, Andy."

They stepped into the hearth and Andromeda said, "Malfoy Manor." They were gone in a burst of green flame.

Harry turned and surveyed the drawing room. This was his home now, his and Ron's, for as long as they cared to stay. There was still a good deal of work to do, with cleaning and personalizing the decoration, but at long last Harry had a home of his own. Grimmauld would not have been his first choice, but now it fitted. It was becoming the house of Potter, and one day it would be the house of Lupin. Harry smiled. That was a day he looked forward too. A burst of laughter drew him from his reverie, and with a contented smile he headed up the stairs to his friends.