His eyes flew open. Something was definitely wrong with him and he would not call himself a mischief-maker if he didn't figure out what.

Chapter 2: Coming Home II

His bed squeaked as he got up and tip toed to their desk in the middle of their room. He felt for trousers and a jumper, not caring if it was Fred's or his, since they shared the same clothes anyway, and silently pushed down the door handle as he got out.

The Burrow was quiet; apparently everyone else had gone to bed.

The night's air was warm. He fetched his broom from the shed in the garden and kicked off.

Dumbass, she won't be awake. What are you going to do, stare at the front door? a voice in his head said.

Shut it, another voice said. I just want to get some air and if it happens to take me to Sirius' and if she happens to be there, that's coincidence.

He took the same route as a few hours before, straight east and then up the hill. There was light behind the windows and his heart jumped.

George landed behind the trees. Slowly he went around them and stepped closer. He was pretty sure they couldn't see him, but for him the insides of the house were clearly illuminated.

And his eyes found her. She sat on the couch in the living room, reading. He inched a little closer and tried to make out if Sirius or her brother were still awake, too.

His heartbeat stopped a second when suddenly Sirius' head appeared in the window. George stumbled a few steps back and held his breath. Sirius went over to her, gave her shoulder a squeeze and then moved away. Lights went on in his room, and then out again.

George stood rooted to the spot and his heartbeat slowed again. He watched her eyes dart over the pages, her foot moved to an inaudible rhythm. Sometimes the smallest of smiles would play around her lips and her eyes would stop for a moment and then she'd re-read a passage again.

"And that isn't at all creepy."

George jumped and turned.

Fred stood behind him, broom in one hand, the other tucked in the pockets of his pyjama pants.

"Merlin, you nearly gave me a heart attack." George stepped back and pulled Fred with him away from the cottage. "How did you know I was here?"

Fred shrugged. "You were off all evening. It was a lucky guess."

"I thought you were asleep."

"Obviously I wasn't. So, you wanna tell me why you were staring at Sirius daughter like a psycho?"

George shook his head, "I don't know. I just wanted to check something."

"And what was that?"

"If she really… well, if she was really as, uhm, nice as I remembered."

Fred rolled his eyes.

"What? I don't know why I'm here. I just flew here and then I stood there and then you showed up."

"And what if I hadn't?"

George shrugged his shoulders.

"George, are you smitten?"

"What? No!"

"Dude, you got out in the middle of the night to stare at her through the window."

"Yeah. Don't tell her that."

Fred chuckled. "Wow, she really got to you."

"But how could she? We never even talked. I mean, I just looked and…"

"Well, she's not bad looking. I understand how you'd be attracted to her."

"And you aren't?"

"Clearly I wasn't the one she caused a sleepless night."

George bit his cheek and Fred sighed.

"Come on, we should get back."

His twin looked back at the house behind them.

"I don't think it would be a good idea," Fred said before George voiced his thoughts. "We'll meet her in a week, then you can stare all you want."

He was right, of course. And a part of him was even scared of himself. He was used to reacting in the heat of the moment when he and Fred pulled pranks, but this was odd, even for him.

Shaking his head he mounted his broom and sped after Fred back to the Burrow. One thing was clear, she was as pretty as he'd thought. But apart from that he now had a hundred more questions.

Sophie had no idea what had gone on before the window. She read the last words on her page, closed the collected works of Shakespeare with a yawn, and went to bed herself.

"Happy Birthday!"

Dustin beamed as Harry, Sophie, and his dad congratulated him with a huge birthday cake between them.

Sophie went around the counter and hugged him close.

"This is a special birthday," she whispered in his ear.

She watched Sirius and Harry get their hugs in and then Dustin jumped to sit on one of the bar stools and rubbed his hands together.

"Cake for breakfast!" He grinned.

After they all had eaten their share, they got ready to floo to Diagon Alley.

A wizard of the ministry had come by the last week and set up the floo-network for their chimney, so Harry stepped in their fire place first, with a hand of poisonous green powder.

"Diagon Alley!" He said and threw the powder down to his feet. With a "Whoosh" he was gone.

"Sophie."

She stepped in, took a hand of powder, repeated after Harry and she, too, vanished in green flames. It felt like standing under a shower of rice.

When she opened her eyes, she stepped out to a crowded street of busy witches and wizards hurrying past, children chattering, and owls hooting.

"Overwhelming, isn't it?" Harry said.

She moved to stand beside him, taking in their surroundings. Diagon Alley was a sight that took some getting used to. The display windows were loaded with brilliant and multi-coloured items, and never had she seen so many witches and wizards bustling along – in their robes no less, as if they needn't be afraid Muggles would notice them. It was loud, colourful and brilliant.

"Wow!" Dustin and Sirius stepped out beside them.

"Come on, school uniforms are first on our list."

Sirius led them down the alley and Harry enjoyed watching the two young Blacks who didn't know where to look first.

Dustin was obviously beyond excited and practically bounced alongside them, Sophie was a bit harder to read. Her dark blue eyes took in the scenes around them and her lips curved into a smile.

'Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions' was a shop at the north side of the alley. The store bell rang when they entered and Madam Malkin, a witch with curly blond hair, hurried to greet them.

"Oh, good morning," she said. Then she stopped and stared at the lot for a moment, or rather at two of them, the famous Harry Potter and the momentarily equally famous Sirius Black. But a smile quickly covered up her surprise and she asked how she could help them.

"Three packs of new school robes for Hogwarts and a dress robe each," Sirius said.

"Marvellous," Madam Malkin said. "Well, Mr. Potter, why don't we start with you, you are already familiar with the process."

Harry stepped up on a round podium and a measuring tape buzzed around him, while a quill took down the results on a flying notepad beside him.

Then Mrs. Malkin went to the back of the shop and brought out robes for him to try on.

The Hogwarts uniforms were found quickly, for summer and winter, and additional jumpers in the colours of Gryffindor house, red and gold.

The dress robes took him a little bit longer.

"Why do I need dress robes?" He asked Sirius, looking himself up and down in the mirror. The robe was dark green, to match his eyes as Madam Malkin had said, underneath he wore a formal waistcoat and bow tie.

"Because there's an occasion where dress robes are required this year at Hogwarts, but I'm not telling you more." His eyes twinkled.

"Now the boy. Your name my dear?" Madam Malkin asked, when Harry went to change again.

"Dustin, Dustin Black."

"Alright Mr. Black, up you go."

With Dustin it was the same procedure as with Harry, only he didn't get red and gold jumpers. First years didn't know which house they'd be sorted into at Hogwarts, so their jumpers were just grey.

He almost didn't want to change out of his dress robes, though, and humoured everyone present when Sirius had to shove him behind the changing curtain, while the eleven year old tried to get one last look at himself in the mirror.

And it was Sophie's turn.

"We won't get your jumpers. We'll leave your measures here and I'll send them to you, when we know your house," Sirius told her.

"Well, you've got you school robes, only your dress remains," Madam Malkin said.

"Dress? No dress robes?"

"Oh no my dear. Come with me, we'll take a look at some, you'll tell me your preferences, and then we will give those gentlemen something to look at."

Sophie gave them an unenthused look.

"I prefer trousers," she mumbled, but Sirius sent her after Madam Malkin.

"Where do we go next?" Dustin asked, sitting on a bench next to Harry behind the shop windows.

"Olivanders, to get your wand," Sirius said.

"My wand? Awesome!"

Harry chuckled.

"I cannot wait till school starts."

Sirius watched him and then looked away. As far as he was concerned, he could wait forever.

"Where did you leave Madam Malkin?" he asked when Sophie returned alone.

"I told her my preferences," she said, "and now she's hexing something together. Do we really need dress gowns?"

"Yes," was his simple reply.

"Here you go dear, oh don't look at me like that, you'll love it once you've tried it on." Madam Malkin handed her a clothes bag and Sophie went behind the curtain to change. Dresses were not clothing she liked. They were unpractical and, well, dresses.

"All ready dear? Then let me see."

The dress maker joined her and the boys waited anxiously to get a peak.

"Well now, if that isn't absolutely lovely? Come on, time to get compliments."

She thrust aside the curtain and Sophie appeared in a darkish ocean blue dress. It was strapless and fell over her knees, with a low cut back.

"Wow," Dustin said gaping at his sister.

"What do you say, daddy?" Madam Malkin said.

"You look very beautiful," Sirius said and Sophie smiled.

Madam Malkin nudged her side.

"Yeah, alright, it's nice," Sophie admitted.

It was, too. It wasn't black, for one, so it had that going for it. And she couldn't deny it kind of made her eyes shine.

The boys laughed and Madam Malkin's eyes twinkled.

A few minutes later they hit the street again. Olivander's wand-shop was next on their list and Sophie and Harry decided to wait outside.

"So you never needed dress robes before?"

Harry shook his head. "Maybe Hogwarts celebrates some kind of anniversary this year."

They were sitting side by side on a bench outside Olivanders and watched the people go by.

"I suppose it'll be quieter now that you don't have to fear to be murdered by Sirius in your sleep, huh?"

"Yeah," he said with a laugh, "it wasn't fun not knowing that he wasn't after me, when everybody thought he was. But really, I have never had a quiet year in Hogwarts, so I wouldn't bet on it."

"Oi! Watch it!" a witch called and caught their attention.

A man with his hood pulled down far into his face made his way roughly through the crowd. They could just make out his dark eyes in the shadow of his face and they landed on them. He looked from Harry to Sophie and back.

A shiver ran down her arms.

Then the man wrapped his robe tighter around him; a golden ring on his right ring finger reflected the light. He looked over his shoulder, to them, and then vanished in a side street.

"Knockturn Alley," Harry said. "It's where all the weird folks go, Dark Magic lovers and such."

"That bloke definitely looked weird."

"Look!" Dustin appeared, pointing his wand at them.

With a finger, Sophie directed it out of their faces to the floor.

"Cool, but do us a favour and don't blow us up, kay?"

He stuck out his tongue.

"Well, Harry, what is the coolest place here?" Sirius asked.

"Uhm, Gringotts?"

That was the enormous wizarding bank at the end of the alley, elegant and run by goblins.

"Think smaller."

"A shop? The Quidditch shop."

Sirius grinned and nodded. "To your feet!"

'Quality Quidditch' was crowded with people. Sirius made his way to the front and fetched a young shop assistant, whom he gave quite a scare, being who he was.

"Don't worry," Sirius said as he dragged him over to the corner where Sophie, Harry and Dustin stood. "You can earn yourself a nice tip."

He let go off his robes. "Alright, we need a new pair of Quidditch robes for those two, Seeker and Chaser, what do you have?"

"How expensive?" The assistant asked.

"Show me your most expensive first, then we'll go from there."

"Sirius-" Harry and Sophie began to intervene simultaneously.

"None of this," he interrupted them. "It for both your birthdays."

Harry and Sophie marvelled at their new uniforms not long after. Neither had ever flown in such expensive and fitting gown.

"Alright, now go crazy and get everything you want for your rooms. Posters, books, games, whatever."

When they left the shop each loaded with several bags, it was time for lunch and they went to 'Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour'.

"Best birthday in history," Dustin said, plunging his spoon in his ice cream bowl so huge, he could barely look over it.

"The cauldron shop, 'Scribbulus Writing Instruments' and 'Slug & Jiggers Apothecary' we'll save for when we have your lists of school supplies for next year, we can go to 'Flourish and Blotts' if you want to start your own home library, if not – and we'll got there, too, when we have your lists - I only have two more stops planned."

"I told you, you'll get your broom for your twelfth birthday," Sirius told Dustin when they stood in front of their second last stop, "but we have one more in our group in need for one."

Sophie looked at him but he ignored her.

"A Firebolt for the Lady," he told the salesman and everyone in 'Broomstix' turned to see who had the money to buy the world's best broom.

"Sirius," Sophie started.

"No complaints, please."

"We got it with birch or hazel twigs, from the looks I'd say hazel works better with you, love." The salesman opened a long parcel and took out a brand new Firebolt.

"Bloody-"

"No cursing," Sophie said automatically but her head felt very light as she took the broom from the man.

Sirius went to deal with the pay and the three students just stood and admired the broom in Sophie's hand.

"You're a lucky girl," a woman said.

"I wish I had the money," a man said.

"You really needn't have done that," Sophie said when they left the shop, and she was kind of glad to escape the starring.

Put a man whose picture had been all over the papers the last months, Harry Potter and a brand new Firebolt in a room and you can be sure to be gawked at.

"It's for all your past birthdays I didn't give you anything."

"Still."

"A thank you will do," Sirius said smiling.

"Thank you."

Their last stop was the 'Eeylops Owl Emporium'.

"That is no owl," Sophie said when they left the shop at noon with Dustin holding a cage with his new pet up before his eyes. "It sounds like a songbird."

"Don't listen to her, Flecks, she's just jealous."

"Ron's owl sounded just like that when he got it last year," Harry said. "It gets better as they get older."

The Scops Owl chirped excitedly. It was brown with one black spot on his head.

"He sleeps in your room, just to make that very clear from the beginning."

Harry and Sophie smirked at each other.

"Are you sure you don't want a pet?" Sirius asked her.

"Nah, maybe next year. I have enough responsibility watching over that one," and she tapped Dustin's head affectionately.

As they made their way back to the fire places to floo home, Harry nudged her side and pointed to the man vanishing before them. It was the hooded figure that had vanished into the dark alley before. They exchanged a look and Sophie wanted to ask Sirius about Knockturn Alley but then she saw that his gaze was fixed upon the very spot, where the dubious man had vanished.

"Off you go," he then said with a smile and waited for them to step into the fireplaces. With a last look, Harry and Sophie journeyed home.

Sunday they spent outside, Harry and Sophie racing with their Firebolts and Sirius teaching Dustin the first grips with Sophie's old Shuffle. At noon they went to get ready for dinner at the Burrow.

Harry had told her about the family. Ron was his best friend, thirteen, too, and Ginny was his one-year younger sister. Then there were Fred and George, sixteen like her, and wholehearted trouble makers, and Percy, two years older than the twins and a straight "A" student who took school very, very seriously. And of course, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, the former was fascinated by every thing Muggle-ish, the latter raised seven children, enough said.

She looked forward to meeting them, apparently Harry and Sirius were both very fond of the Weasleys. Especially the twins had aroused her interest and she wondered what they'd be like.

It was never wrong to have some allies at school; she usually had never stayed long enough to make friends.

So Sophie straightened out her hair and let it fall flat on her shoulders, applied a bit of make up to her eye lashes but that was it. They were going over in Muggle attire so she chose a pair of black trousers and an aqua blue blouse. The only jewellery she wore was her slender silver watch on her left wrist and since she only owned one pair of shoes, darkish grey sneakers, they went on her feet.

"Kids, are you ready?"

"Did he just call us kids?" Harry had appeared at her door and grinned.

"Maybe we shouldn't answer just to prove a point," she joked.

"Dad, I can't find my socks!"

"On the kitchen counter."

"On second thought…," she said.

They went to join the two others in the kitchen.

"Since when are you messy?" Sophie asked her brother.

"Since I'm allowed to."

Sophie gave Sirius a pointed look.

"We'll talk about that when we get back," he said. "You two can go ahead."

Because Sirius would apparate with Dustin, Sophie and Harry made use of their head start and mounted their brooms. They raced each other to the Burrow and it so happened that they arrived just when Sirius and Dustin materialised in the Weasley's front yard.

"I will not ask why your brother is not feeling sick after apparating," Sirius said and knocked.

Harry and Sophie went to put their brooms against the shed and Harry asked in a whisper, "what did he mean by that?"

"Well, he knows or guesses that I've been apparating with Dustin, though it's not allowed till you're seventeen and got a Ministry license for it."

"Oh hello!" Mrs. Weasley said. "Sirius, how good to see you, and you must be Dustin, well, come in, come in."

Harry and Sophie followed through the open door and she was surrounded by red haired people at once.

"… are Dustin and Sophie," Sirius was saying.

"Percy Weasley," a boy with short red hair that curled in its ends introduced himself.

"I'm Fred," said one of the identical twins. Their hair fell into their eyes and they both smiled, "and I'm George," said the other, sounding a bit croaky.

"I'm Ron, Harry's mate." Ron was tall, with a mop of red hair like the twins.

"And I'm Ginny," said the only girl.

"Nice to meet you all," Sophie and Dustin said.

"Well, sit down, sit down."

Mrs. Weasley was obviously some kind of super-mom. Not only were her children overly likable but her dinner was to die for. And Sophie thought all that before she had pie. Yeah, the Weasleys definitely were – in her brother's words- bloody brilliant.

"You know Sirius is a bit of our hero," Fred said.

He was sitting next to Sophie.

"His doings as a Marauder back in the day are legendary," George said.

"A what?" Dustin asked.

"Marauder, that's what they called themselves, Sirius, Harry's dad and their two friends," Fred explained.

"All our time in Hogwarts is spent to someday have a longer record than theirs," George said.

"What a noble goal," Mrs. Weasley said and got Sophie smirking.

"Bet you two are a bit of trouble makers yourself, ey? With his blood running through your veins…"

"Fred, no more of this nonsense," his mother said upon seeing the spark in Dustin's eyes. "Sirius would sure not be happy with you two if you got his kids expelled."

"Indeed, I would not."

"Sorry," Fred said, but grinned when Sirius winked at him.

"Alright, I believe it's your turn to do the washing up," she pointed to Ginny and Ron, who groaned.

"I'll help," Harry said.

"Us, too," Sophie said but Mrs. Weasley shook her head.

"We don't make our guests work."

"Harry's family, he can help, can't he?"

His mother gave her son a pointed look but Ron just shrugged his shoulders.

"Gladly," Harry said.

"Well, we have some things to discuss with Sirius, you go take our guests to the living room, and Percy will surely tell you all about Hogwarts there is to know," she told Dustin, "he's a prefect."

"What's a prefect?" Dustin asked the oldest Weasley son with curly hair and Percy smiled.

"It is a great honour…"

Percy put a hand on Dustin's shoulder and directed him upstairs.

"Well, he's lost," Fred said. "C'mon, we'll show you our couch. It's truly fascinating; we got it sometime in the 15th century…"

The three of them moved through a door at the far side of the kitchen and entered the living room. It was … different.

"We have to remember to save Dustin from Percy…," George said.

"…or he'll die of boredom. A bit of a drag, our brother is." Fred slumped down on the midnight blue sofa and tapped the spot beside him. Sophie followed his invitation with a smile. When she sat down she sunk in so far, she wasn't sure getting up again would be an easy task. But it was comfy.

"By the way, that expelled-thing our mother said, we would never do that," George said, taking a seat in the yellowish armchair opposite to them.

"Yeah, there's a fine line and we're the masters of walking it," Fred said.

"An occasional thumb may cross it…"

"…but never so far as to give Dumbledore a reason to throw us out…"

"…not that he would, our dear insane headmaster…"

"…he likes us way to much." Fred winked at her and Sophie couldn't help but mirror his grin.

"So, Sophie Black in a nutshell, what do we have to know about you?"

Their eyes met. George wasn't grinning like his brother, he smiled. And his eyes were fixed upon her with an expression, she couldn't quite decipher.

She in a nutshell, didn't he find a more difficult question?

"Maltreat my brother and die. Hand me a Quaffel and I'll score. Cross me and regret."

"Quite the spirit, I like it," Fred said.

"Quite the warning, too. So what do you do for fun?"

He had the weirdest questions.

"You do know fun, don't you?" Fred said, observing her.

"I consider flying fun," she said a bit lamely.

How on earth had she landed herself in this interview? Usually she was better at seeing things like these coming and avoiding them.

"Harry said you're a decent flyer, what kind of broom do you fly?" George asked.

"A Shuff-, a Firebolt, since yesterday."

Their eyes widened.

"Merlin, I wish Sirius was our uncle or something," Fred sighed.

"Do you want to play in Hogwarts?"

She shrugged. "If I get the chance to."

"There are tryouts every start of term, I'd like to see you fly."

Fred looked at his brother for a second and a plan rapidly formed in his head.

"Of course, since we're neighbours and all, we could play a round of scaled-down Quidditch in our yard."

George shot him a glance.

I'll make sure we'll get to know her, or rather that you will, he'd said before dinner. If he knew his brother, and he did, Fred was about to do a stupid thing, which was meddling in his non-existent love life.

"Sure, so I reckon you two play?"

"Beaters on the Gryffindor house team," Fred said.

"Oh so you're in the same team as Harry?"

"Yeah, Harry's our Seeker, Oliver is our captain and Keeper and then we have two lovely lady's flying as our Chasers – one finished school last year so we have a spot to fill."

Fred gave her that look.

"We'll see," she said with a smile. "Maybe I won't even be in your house."

"Sirius was," George said.

"Anyhow, I'm gonna go free Dustin from the unendingly compelling stories of our brother," Fred said and got up. "Be right back."

Sophie and George looked at each other, then she looked around the room. A fire was crackling in the crooked chimney and gave the room a warm glow. For a moment there was no other sound.

"How do you like England? I suppose it's very different."

He was spot on. Very different was the term.

"Different, yes. But I like it."

She looked back at him and smiled.

He had brown eyes, chocolate brown. And freckles.

"It must be weird, having a dad all of a sudden."

"It takes some getting used to, I guess," she said, never taking her eyes off him. "But it's good for Dustin."

"Not for you?"

She looked into the fire. "I'm okay."

George examined her closely. She didn't look tense, nor was it in her voice, but something about her told him that she had carefully built walls in place. He wished she'd look at him again. The eyes are the window to one's soul, a former teacher had once told them. And hers were giving away more than her posture, her smile or her words would.

"You're going to be better than okay, though," he said, looking at his hands. "Hogwarts changes people, changes life."

Her eyes met his again.

"And it's fun," he added.

"Is that a promise, George Weasley?"

He gave her a surprised grin.

"How come you know who I am? Nobody can tell us apart, not on the first day anyway."

Sophie smiled. Distant footsteps could be heard on the stairs. He looked at her with that same expression, and a part of her came to like his questions.

"I've always had a gift for twins."

Thank you so much for reading!

As you will have noticed there are some minor and major changes, e.g. that students leave Hogwarts after nine years of school, Sirius was eight years in prison and not twelve, and oh yeah, he has kids, too.

I am always happy about constructive criticism and/or feedback about what you liked about the chapter!

The next one will pick up where we left and end at the morning of September 1st.

Have a wonderful day,

Citty

5/15/2016 # Chapters 3 - 11 have been taken down.

Hopefully I'll soon be able to start uploading the rewritten story - until then:

Mischief managed.