Location — 6 Healthgate, Hampstead, garden suburb, London
Date — June 9, 1984
Grace Smith's POV
"Check...and mate " the voice of Hermione filled the house as she defeated Harry for the 9th time since the morning in chess.
"Again!" Harry whined as he reached out for pieces.
"You will lose Harry, again," Hermione stated, as if it was a fact that Harry couldn't deny.
"No, I won't," Harry pouted causing me to laugh.
She reached for the chessboard and started picking up the pieces. "I think that's enough for today."
Her statement caused both the kids to look at me as if she had said no to their favourite ice-cream...which she rarely does,
'Though she had to keep it secret from Grangers as they don't like kids having too much sweets. Dentists are scary!'
"Mumma, can't we play for a little more time," Harry whined.
Both kids started making puppy-dog eyes at her; she tried to resist, but she lost.
"Ok, ok, let me think for a moment," she made the classic motion of thinking, with her thumb on her chin and fingers on her temple.
Meanwhile, Harry & Hermione looked at her with such intensity that it told her that their non-existent patience had reached its end.
"I have decided," she said, smiling as both of them bent forward with grins on their faces, "we will be going to the park."
Harry looked offended by the decision, 'Looks like he really wants to defeat Hermione.'
"Both of you have been playing inside since the morning, its time to go outside and have some fun."
Looking at Harry who was popping a raspberry at her, "You can continue your play tomorrow at Emma's home."
Harry was about to throw a tantrum when Hermione's voice stopped him, "Harry, we should go to the park. Mum always says that we should also do phisial activities."
"Physical" she corrected Hermione, 'Little lady always uses big words compared to her age,' she mused, 'Side effects of having Emma as your mom, I guess.'
"Wait here, I'll be back in a second." She said as she watched Harry's face also lighten up at Hermione's statement.
She grinned and left for her room to get summer hats for both of the kids.
She returned with two sun hats and put them one by one on Harry and Hermione's heads.
Harry tugged at the elastic under his chin, frowning at the orange colored hat on his head, "Why do we have to wear it, Mumma?"
She moved back from Hermione's side and saw Harry, who had managed to tilt his hat so much that it hung on the right side of his head.
She readjusted the hat back to normal, then lightly pinched his cheek, "Because it's hot outside and I don't want any of you to get sunburnt."
Grace moved back to her feet, straightened her clothes, and felt both of her little monkeys grabbing her hands with their tiny ones.
She smiled and left the house for the park….
Location — London Borough of Islington, Northern London
Sirius Black's POV
As he walked along the familiar road going straight to his personal hell, he had enough time to muse over the last 2 years since everything around him collapsed.
James and Lily were still in St Mungo's, waiting for someone to find a cure for their condition.
Nobody knew what spell Voldemort had used on them.
'The Bastard is still destroying our lives even beyond his Grave.'
His jaws tightened at the reminder of his uselessness.
Remus, who was travelling to France when James & Lily were attacked, had returned in the aftermath. Both of them had tried to find anything on the spell but couldn't get any information about it. They had no idea about the situation, and the entire situation looked bleak.
But, today his heart felt a grim hope pulsing through it. He had gotten the breakthrough he needed, The keys to his family residence. The keys to the famous, he smiled, 'infamous, depending upon who is asked,' the Black Library.
If any library can have that spell in its repository, it would be the Black Library.
His Grandfather, Arcturus Black had retreated behind the ancient Black Castle but before he left, he bestowed the Headship on him.
Flashback Begins
"Why do you want to give me the Headship. Neither I follow your ideology nor do I like House Black."
Arcturus Black, with his greying beard and ancient ferociousness replied, "Your father & mother destroyed my entire work by supporting a foolish man who had nothing but delusions of grandeur."
He then looked directly in my eyes, his face grim but determined, his hand placed on my shoulder, "You were always different. You had an opinion, and whether I like it or not, you stuck to it. You had self-respect, which your father never had."
He took a deep breath to calm his old body and continued, "You can revive the name of Blacks. I just want you to observe and think about your decisions carefully. May you make the Black family Proud."
Flashback Ends
Arcturus handed him the Head ring and asked him to go to Gringotts to get the keys to the various properties of Blacks.
He shook away the memories of his grandfather.
As he walked by the shabby and neglected houses of the neighborhood, his eyes skimmed over the family ring and its black onyx with the family motto 'Toujours pur', he scoffed at the sheer idiocy of his House.
Their pride brought a near end to one of the oldest magical families of the entire world.
Only the Warisakis of Japan and the Rathods of India could boast of being much older than his house and they still held respect among their people.
Meanwhile, his Family..., A bitter smirk crept on his face, they burned the entire legacy of House Black and pissed on its ashes.
Suddenly, he nearly fell as he slipped on the wet pavement. He took support from a nearby tree and quickly looked sideways to see if someone had seen him in this embarrassing situation.
But the entire street was empty, 'Thank Merlin ', he continued on his path.
Just after a few moments, he was standing right next to the place where his childhood home, 'house', his mind whispered, was located.
He picked out the slip given to him by Gringotts & read, "The ancestral residence of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black is located at Number 12, Grimmauld Place, London."
As he looked up between No.11 and No.13, a battered and old door started to appear followed by grimy and somewhat broken windows.
Ancient-looking walls were next to come. The nearby Muggles had no reaction to the house suddenly inflating right next to their houses.
After a few moments, No.12, Grimmauld Place was visible in all of its glory, 'seeming to be lost glory', he scoffed after seeing the condition of his old house.
'It's just pathetic,' he thought, gazing at the fading paint on the walls.
'How in the world did Walburga survive in this shithole? I would have gone mad.'
'Well,' he grinned, 'Walburga was born mad, if his grandfather would have to be believed.'
He took a deep breath as he put the key in the keyhole of the door, thinking about everything that was done by his so called family.
The house that once represented the darkness in his life, is now the only hope to save his friends. His veins were popping up in his arm as his grip tightened on the knob.
'I have to do it,'
The knob turned,
'For my friends,'
the door creaked open,
'For Lily, his sister-in-law'
He pushed himself inside the house,
'For James, his brother in all but blood.'
And the gate closed behind him, leaving the street as empty as before….