Harry Potter and the Exiled Heiress

The inhabitants of the corner house, at Godric’s Hollow, had a reason to be, all jubilant. After all this time they were expecting a relative (well, Sirius after all was family.) after such a long time. In many weeks, everyone seemed so happy and had actually been looking forward to the evening. Lily had been busy all day, (they had already arranged for bottles of Butter-beers, Pumpkin and pineapple juices, sandwiches for snacks and bacon and scrambled eggs for dinner) baking cakes one chocolate fudge and other vanilla and black-currant essence with lots of nuts, , which she knew was Sirius’s favorite and she had tried hard to learn from her late Mother-in-law.

Oh god! How much time it had taken her to consume all those intricacies for the ingredients to clean up and mix well and that too accordingly or it could spoil up the whole thing. Lily laughed at the idea, she remembered her potions classes at Hogwarts, how she and Snape would compete to be the first to brew a potion, and how Snape would lose, even after being all that good (he actually used to do it knowingly and made Lily win), Lily could not believe she was thinking about Snape all over again. How could she…just how could she…. After all this!! She tried to shake off the idea out of her mind.

She imagined someone calling her name. Oh no, it was James, standing right beside her. How long had he been there, how long had she been thinking about Snape and how consumed was she..?/////

“Hey, Lily…You fine! I had been calling you, you just didn’t listen.”

“Um..uh..yeah was just, busy …”

“Lily darling, I know you are upset. You were thinking about Snape right.”

Lily looked full in his face. “Lily I can understand how you feel, but its no good in blaming yourself about it.”

“But, I had once been his friend…” tears filled her eyes. “How could I ever be friends with such a person, why didn’t I realize, he was…” “He seemed so different.” “WHY….!!!!!!………..just why…I always thought I could change him.”

“Lily some things happen for good, as they say, if you had been friends with him, you would never had as far as looked at me, or fallen for me….a toerag…heheh that’s what you said…”

“Wha…..how do you….”

“UMM…..never mind..” He hugged her.

They were disturbed by a sound from the living room, which was coming closer

.

“Heyyyy,……..llllllllloooooooooo…..anybody there…?////”…Hey mates what is this…not acceptable…you call someone for dinner and when the special honored someone arrives theres noone but an old cat to welcome him…?/// said Sirius in his usual tone and wearing the same famous smile.

“Hey…mate..good to see you” James took 3 steps, and rest were covered by Sirius and they hugged. Sirius came to Lily and kissed her on the cheeks. Lily welcomed him with her warm smile and they together went to the living room and seated.

“Hey..!! So where are the kids.?/”

“yeah..oh I’ll just bring them down.” Said Lily getting up from the sofa.

“No, Lily wait. I want to discuss few things, before that.” Said Sirius.

It was not often that you saw Sirius, to be that serious. Lily sat down.

“Well, I read what has happened here in the past weeks, and Albus had asked two order members to keep watch, one of them being Moony, but the watch is called off. Fidelius charm is working too well. And they sighted some death eaters in the vicinity” “no victims” he added on seeing their changed expressions.

“So, my mind has been thinking hard and it has finally come up with an idea.”

They exchanged looks. “Confused? Well I’ll explain” “Prongs and me are very good friends and more of an extended family, this is a worldwide known fact.” He said making an inverted comma kind of a gesture in the air.

“I could be the secret keeper, even a troll can come upto the conclusion.” He tried to laugh. “And here we are dealing with death eaters and Voldemort himself. Reckon, why they could not come upto the same conclusion? Making me the secret keeper was not all that a big idea after all, no they could not know the secret, even over my death”

“What are you suggesting?” asked James.

“Prongsie, don’t you reckon! We need to change the secret keeper. That would be much more safer and that too someone whom no one could ever put a doubt again. And, this time I want it to be just between the three of us. Looking over all the facts, I feel that this could be the best idea.” “Any, Questions..?”

He looked enquiringly at both of them and when none of them said any thing, he went on “Well, I have already thought about it a lot, and I think Wormtail would be our best take.”

“WORMY..!!” both of them said out aloud.

“Yeah.! I know it’s a bit strange to believe,” said Sirius his smile coming back to him. “But, look at it. With Wormy’s reputation noone could ever put the facts together. Noone could think it could be him. It is the best idea. Don’t you think, to put someone – a less obvious one.” He finished saying and looked at both of them, from Lily to James. Who were still not any near to responding?

“Hey mate..! what in this is making it so undigestable..?/”

“But..Padfoot” said James, “Albus decided upon you to be the secret keeper. How can we take a new decision without involving any one, even Moony or Albus for instance.”

“Look, Prongs, You very well know, Moony has to be with his own folk, as the Order’s spy and Albus on the other hand is always busy making so much plans. And don’t you think it to be a foolproof thing to do. Do you doubt it?”

“Well, on second thoughts I do think the idea is good enough, chosing someone less obvious. And obviously fro me all of you are equally believable, I could never mistrust any one of you or put any one on a different pedestal.”

“So, I reckon my idea is accepted..!”

All this while Lily had been silently listening, But seeing James agree she said “Are, you both gone mad. How could you take such a big decision without informing Both Albus and Moony, and specially Albus.” She almost screamed.

Both of them looked at her and tried hard to talk her out of it, but still she needed much of logic. Finally, she did agree but still added “I don’t know and am not much sure, its just that not telling anyone is giving me those chills and goosepimples. Something seems just so wrong with it. But, if you feel its right, then go on.”

The air in the room was getting serious, but immediately Sirius announced, “Heyloo…you call someone at dinner and get him welcomed by an old scowling cat, and when he himself announces his arrival, you just sit there staring at his face, then you don’t bring down the kids to give him a warm welcome and don’t even ask him for a drink or a snack leave away food.” The scene changed to a happy one and the air lightened up. It had always been Sirius’s speciality.

Lily got up, to first bring out snacks and juice and then call up the kids. James followed her back to the kithen, to help her out with the trays. They re-entered with juices and Sandwiches. Sirius’s expression was one of happiness filled with contentment.

“It feels so great to know, that, out there somewhere you have people who think of you, who care for you and wait for you, its fells so good to have a family of your own.” Finished Sirius, looking up as if in a trance, and looking over them. Lily noticed a speck of tear in his eyes but before she could say anything James said, “But, you do have a family, and its right here.”

“But, of course James this is my family, since the time I left them, and I know I left them for good.” He said with a tone of completion.

“Um..well did you find out anything about Regulus?” James asked suddenly.

“I do not wanna talk about it.”

(Lily decided to leave them alone for a moment, and left for upstairs to bring down the children.)

“But you told me he had been owling you a lot, before his disappearance.”

“Yeah..and that is all I know, he was trying to contact me but I obviously was not much interested. But, now when I think of it, may be I should have gone and try to find out what he wanted to contact me for.”

“Well any news did you try finding out about him?”

“Yeah. I have got a bit of an idea. I think he, well as you too very well know, was quite obsessed with hid Dark Lord thing. And followed just like other of his types went after him. What I think, would have happened is, he would have gone all obsessed and would have had got all scared by being at the center of the thing and to find what actually he was running after and, he just panicked and got killed by their own.”

“Hmm..and about your mother.”

“Look, James just leave it. Its all over, now.”

Before James could say anything he saw Sirius looking over his head and went towards the staircase, James turned to see Lily coming down with Harry up in her arms and Miley beside her. And the moment Miley put eyes on Sirius, she gave a squeal and ran towards him, Sirius took her in his arms and hugged her. She hugged him with all the strength in her little arms. She kissed him on the cheeks repeatedly, what more could he ask for. After a while he put her down with all his biggest of smiles and declared, “If you actually wanna know how to welcome someone and make him feel special, then learn it from her.” He said with a big grin towards James and Lily who were all smiles. Sirius went towards Lily and took Harry in his arms and kissed him, “Well, hope she gives all the lessons to him too.” They all laughed.

“Sirius, so what did you get for me?” enquired Miley with a curios look, hands croosed. Sirius gave her a full look.

“Oh..well she’s just got into a bad habit of calling everyone with their names. That needs to be corrected.” Said Lily worriedly.

“Never mind Lily, I actually liked the tone. Makes you feel answerable..si finally Sirius Black is cornered by a lady..eh?/”

He bent down to get to Miley’s level and with a big smile took aout the box of chocolates from his coat’s pocket and handed it out to her.” She was so happy and started jumping excitedly.

“Miley dear thank him.” Said Lily.

She hugged Sirius again and ran to kitchen. Sirius looked curiosly at Lily at this.

“Oh.. probably gone to fill her chocolate box container. She actually had been missing your chocolates a lot.”

He looked towards the kitchen and said, “ Miley, Mia….I love her, she actually knows how to make your day.” Lily patted him on the back and gestured him to the sofa. He got up and sat on the sofa.

They were soon busy, filling each other up with the news, talking about the bygone days and much much more. The best part of the evening was when Lily brought in the vanilla and black-currant essence cake with lots of nuts, Sirius said “ Well, even you know how to make someone’s day, and Lily thank you for making it This special. I could never thank you more.”

“Padfoot! You are family, you don’t have to thank us.” She retorted back.

The party was going on good and Miley again was up with her pranks and Lily filled Sirius with all news on Miley, her pranks and her magic, the last she discussed with a serious tone. “But, it’s a reason to be proud Lily, we have got a gifted one here.” Said Sirius with a big grin. She just couldnot decide what to say.

Noone could ever say that this place could ever had been mellow. Air was all full with happiness.

Just when Lily announced time for dinner, they felt some disturbance at the front gate. Everyone went quite and Lily took the children to the kitchen and came back closing the door.