CHAPTER 7

Hello lovely readers! Hope you enjoyed the previous chapter would appreciate a cheeky review. I'm in the midst of essays so obviously procrastinating through the medium of . In this chapter I really want to explore how adding Sadie an unknown entity to the Weasley/Harry/Hermione dynamic that is so prevalent in the books especially OotP. Remember Sadie is a Hufflepuff in the year below the Golden Trio so her face is recognised but they'll probably not know her name or anything similar. Ginny is an interesting gal for me in terms of friendships. Her only friend in her year mentioned is Luna and she never seems to have a group of mates or even people round to the Burrow. I wonder if this is a result of the possession incident and trauma in first year. Possession is not really conducive for making friends and likely the loneliness led her to becoming so attached to the diary. Enjoy this chapter and please chuck a review or two this way xx

There was an air of tension in Celestial Manor the following Wednesday evening whilst its three inhabitants waited in the hallway to welcome their Order "guests". Obviously, Harry was excited to be seeing his best mates but Sirius was nervous about the Order entering the little oasis he had created alongside his mad teenagers. He was especially worried about their reaction to both Harry and Sadie as well as any parental judgment especially from Mrs Weasley who had made a few interesting comments about him raising two teenagers. Finally, he was concerned for Sadie and her interactions with the Weasleys. He had certainly laid down the law to both teenagers. They had the big upstairs living room and the bedrooms to use and were not to set one foot downstairs for the duration of the meeting. House elves were on standby to provide drinks and snacks. Sirius had told Harry to include Sadie and make her feel welcome and had told Sadie to make an effort at least for the first week. After that, he was happy for her to retreat to her bedroom for the rest of the Order meetings if it was just too odd to spend time with the Weasleys and Hermione.

Sadie was also standing in the corridor worrying. She'd promises Sirius to try and make an effort but knew that the Gryffindor stereotype of Hufflepuffs as nice but a little boring and dim would work against her. Harry's stories of the Weasley twins and their many pranks did nothing to calm her nerves. The tendency for students at Hogwarts, even Hufflepuffs, to lord over the younger ones was increasing Sadie's worries even more that the only teenager her age, Jenny? Ginny? had been involved in that weird incident in 2nd year. Sadie was a bit hazy on the details but knew it involved toilets of some sort. At least she'd get to see Tonks again. Now that was an example of a Hufflepuff breaking the mould! Sirius had promised they could have a brief chat and she'd be invited round to dinner next week.

BING! Sirius' new fireplace had been installed last week and that particular noise signified someone was coming through. There was the opportunity to reverse them or incarcerate them before they had the chance to step out of the fireplace but Sirius had only given the floo code to a select group of people. He pressed the "allow entry" button and the Weasley clan came pouring in as Sadie took a deep breath.

Mr and Mrs Weasley came out first with the matriarch appearing to have been in the midst of telling someone off on the other end. They bustled out and managed to quickly greet Sirius before their four youngest teenagers and a bushy haired girl came quickly out one after the other in a large noisy complaining mass.

"Gerrof Fred!" moaned Ron

"Can't even tell your own brother apart Ronniekins? Shameful!" came the light-hearted reproach

"George just move! My left foot is still in the burrow!"

"Honestly Ginny! Floo travel doesn't even work like that according to Rule…" was the retort from the only non-ginger

Whatever the end of that fascinating sentence was, it was drowned out by the Weasley parents. The five teenagers managed to get themselves out of the floo and into the corridor with only minimal staring at the small teenage girl waiting in the corridor. Sirius smiled and affected a jovial Lord of the Manor demeanour as he greeted all Weasleys and Hermione before introducing them to Sadie and sending them upstairs with a cry from Mrs Weasley of "Behave yourselves!"

Harry led the way to the big upstairs living room whilst starting an animated conversation with Ron. Sadie was left to trail behind the gingers and bushy haired girl who kept shooting puzzled looks at the younger girl. Harry got them all in and shut the door.

"Right guys! Hi, it's so good to see you all. Basically, we're stuck up here for the next few hours but there's loads of snacks and games. Also, this is my cousin Sadie she's in the year below and a Hufflepuff!"

The twins were the first to approach Sadie jumping over the ends of each sentences in an act perfectly practised to both amuse and confuse its victim.

"Hello

"Greetings!

"We are Gred"

"and Forge"

"Magical purveyors"

"of mischief"

"and mystery"

"at your service" they ended in a chorus.

Sadie laughed and shook their hands as they made a beeline to the snack table where Ron was already engrossed and had merely given Sadie a perfunctory wave so spellbound at the range of pumpkin pasties and hummus selection.

Sadie smiled at the two girls shyly whilst filling her glass with cranberry juice. She sat down on the closest sofa and nearly jumped as the older girl Hermione? started interrogating her.

"I'm Hermione Granger. Good to meet you. And you are…"

"Sadie Black. Sirius is my uncle."

Hermione made an odd sort of smirk. "So you're not really Harry's cousin?"

Sadie gingerly smiled back. "Well no but we just say we're cousins as it's a lot easier than saying my paternal uncle's godson. Apparently we're like third cousins twice removed in real life."

Hermione again made that odd smirk. "I see. Tell me this, Sadie why haven't we met before?"

Sadie found her tone to be really rather cold and glanced over to Harry's corner hoping for support but the boys were engrossed in salivating over the Firebolt.

She smiled and shrugged. "No idea. We're a year apart and different houses. I also didn't meet Harry or Sirius till June. Is this your first time meeting Sirius?"

Hermione's smirk grew wider as she detailed she and Harry's freeing of Sirius in third year. It seemed like she was nearly gloating that she had met Sirius earlier than his own niece. Sadie put up with the interrogation for a few more minutes before turning to the previously silent Ginny.

"It's Ginny, right? We're in the same Charms class aren't we? You share a dorm with Phoebe Wright don't you?"

Ginny shyly smiled. "Yeah I am, I think you're like three rows ahead. Yep I share a dorm with Phoebe. She's really sweet, how do you know her?"

Sadie quickly reversed her opinion of Ginny from a toilet aficionado to a potential friend and ally from the terror of Miss Granger. She detailed how she knew Phoebe as an old friend of Poppy Smith, Sadie's best mate and described their disastrous tennis match that resulted in a finger knocked off a seven-hundred-year-old fountain statue and the attempt to repair it before Lady Smith saw. Sadie still winced from the half hour telling off from the Smith matriarch who was precious about her garden statues.

The two girls were giggling and beginning a tentative friendship and had begun discussing subject choices which caught the attention of a certain older girl.

"So Ginny, I'm taking Arithmancy and Divination." Ginny hadn't opened her mouth to respond before being interrupted by a snort.

"Arithmancy and Divination? So difficult mathematical logic on one hand and learning how to be away with the fairies on the other hand. Although that's the usual Hufflepuff girls for you. Giggly empty headed blondes."

Sadie opened her mouth to retort then Ginny stepped in trying to be a peacemaker. "Sadie what's your eyeshadow? It's so pretty." "Aww thanks it's a silvery one from that new shop in Diagon Alley." Hermione snorted again with a "typical Hufflepuff!" and stormed off.

Sadie mouthed a "Thank you" at Ginny before leading her off to her room to show her the huge selection of makeup from Tonks.

An hour later after Harry had burned off half his eyebrow in Exploding Snap, he realised his little cousin was not in the room. "Hermione! Have you seen Sadie or Ginny" he called over to his friend feeling a little guilty he had sort of ignore her.

Hermione scowled and shrugged. "No idea Harry. Also didn't expect she'd be the Hufflepuff version of Lavender, a perfect airhead obsessed with the latest lipstick."

Harry scowled at her and went out of the room looking for his little cousin with a little niggle of worry. The Weasley boys and Hermione following. He knew she was nervous about meeting the Weasleys and Hermione and he probably should have done more to facilitate. He knew his little cousin was interested in her appearance and make up and quite enjoyed her near artistic dedication to variety in her facial appearance every meal and skill in staying on the delicate line between annoying Sirius and pushing the boat out on facial reality. However, he didn't appreciate Hermione's comment. Drawing near to his cousin's door he relaxed hearing the giggling, realising he'd never heard Ginny behaving quite like that before.

''Sadie can I come in?" More giggling and muffled chat.

"Wait a minute Harry!... Okay come in now."

Sadie opened the door revealing her bright and airy bedroom with yes, several highlights of pink scattered throughout. The two girls were on the floor with makeup scattered all about. Harry emitted a slight gasp as did the rest of the group. Sadie had painted her face to her usual glam look to more resemble a twenty year old on a night out but it was Ginny that made them gasp. She wasn't as made up as Sadie but her loose hair and subtle but refined make up made Harry realise that Ginny was not just a little girl anymore. The Weasley boys looked shocked but it was Hermione that broke the silence.

"I can't believe it. Ginny, I thought you'd have more sense. Whilst Sadie might go for the slut look I thought you would be better!" There was a shocked tension after her words. Sadie looked upset but angry and Ginny crumpled and looked miles away from her normal quietly confident self. It was Harry that broke the silence.

"Hermione… I genuinely can't believe you said that to my cousin! Sadie is fourteen and definitely not slutty!"

Herminoe was shocked her closest male friend defending this nobody over her the girl he'd known for four years now! At that moment before she could respond the group of teenagers turned as Sirius and Mrs Weasley came up the stairs pausing at the obvious tension emanating from the group. Sirius came closer.

"Sadie, Harry what's going on?" Before either could reply Mrs Weasley let out a short scream on seeing her made up daughter.

"Ginny what on earth are you wearing that slap for?" She pulled her daughter closer and began to lecture her.

Sirius put up his hand trying to calm the situation especially as Mrs Weasley's lecturing and shouting had brought the entire Order upstairs. "Molly it's only a bit of makeup Sadie and Ginny have been playing with. Sadie comes down every day with different coloured eyeshadows and enough glitter to engulf Snape." There was a muted laugh at this comment, but Mrs Weasley still looked furious.

"Be that as it might Sirius, Ginny is not your niece and in my eyes they are both far too young to emulate the girls in Knockturn Alley!" Sirius' eyes narrowed especially as Hermione had triumphantly smirked at her words and Harry quickly glared at her.

Sirius' voice dropped down to a menacing whisper. "Molly that is utterly unacceptable to imply that about my girl, my Sadie. It's just a bit of fun and contrary to your expectations and comments I can and am parenting my two. I only suggest you leave my parenting alone and focus on your seven."

Mrs Weasley blanched but managed to stay calm. "Ginny, boys get your coats we're going home." Ginny slipped into Sadie's room to retrieve her shoes. The girls gave each other a quick hug and Sadie whispered, "Owl me"

After the Weasleys left the rest of the Order followed suite. Sirius beckoned his teenagers into the living room and called for hot chocolate. He sighed. "What on earth happened guys?"

Sadie quickly explained the situation leaving out the slut comment from Hermione. Harry frowned at her but she quickly shook her head. Sirius sighed again. "Right, I'm not angry but next time please just play cards." The teens laughed and Sirius sent his charges off to their beds.

A/N Oooh! Tension. Basically, I've been wondering about makeup etc in the magical world but as Harry's so oblivious and Hermione is not the sort to bother I've wondered about the girls who do bother. Hermione is very jealous of this girl, Sadie who's just appeared from nowhere and is seemingly usurping her position as Harry's closest female companion/friend. As an only child and fairly friendless before Hogwarts I can imagine she doesn't understand the sibling or quasi-sibling bond that Harry and Sadie are forming. Also I love a bit of protective Harry coming out now. He's also had his first realisation Ginny is a girl not just his bestmate's sister. Please review xx