Growing up Pureblooded

Filthy Half-Blood

     Sirius and Aries flooed over to Malfoy Manor the next day promptly at eleven-thirty. Pollux had woken up and spoken to them briefly that morning, though he had called Sirius 'Alphard' and Aries 'Sirius.' Sirius wondered briefly whether it was right for them to leave, with the situation so critical, but Irma urged them to do so. "If there are any changes, I shall send Kreacher to fetch you at once," she assured them. Abraxas greeted his son-in-law and grandson warmly as they arrived. "Welcome home, Aries," he said. "I've heard from Draco about your wonderful time in France. I daresay he was sorry to come back to England!"  He clapped Sirius on the back. "As for you, my boy, we never got to our little rematch. We shall have to play a bit of Quidditch after dinner, I think." Sirius bowed slightly. "As you wish, Dad." "It was good of Regina to go off and marry a boy who knows his way around a broomstick," Abraxas went on. "I could never get Lucius really interested in the game. He would enjoy a match now and then, but he never even tried out for the team at Hogwarts. He was always messing about with politics. Even when he was a child it was like pulling teeth to tear him away from The Daily Prophet." "I on the other hand, have never shown the slightest inclination for politics," Sirius replied. "My own father had a difficult time getting me out of the garden." "That's the way a boy should be. There's plenty of time for politics later. Did you play for your House team?" Sirius nodded, "I did sir, I was a Beater." "Yes I can see that," Abraxas replied, looking at him appraisingly. "You're awfully thin now, but I suspect before you had just the right build for it." "My best friend, Aries' godfather, played Chaser," Sirius said. "James Potter. He was the real Quidditch star." Aries looked up at Sirius and grinned. Sirius winked at him.

     "Yes, I remember," Abraxas said. "I used to attend school games from time to time when I sat on the Board of Governors. He was quite good. I heard he turned down the Wimbourne Wasps. A rather undignified profession, of course, but a pity all the same. He displayed real talent." "Aries!" Draco exclaimed, and walked quickly into the room. "I didn't know you were here." "We only just got here, " Aries replied. "Mum told me what happened," Draco said. "How's Great-Granddad?" Aries shook his head. "Not good," "We're staying at Grimmauld Place for the time being," Sirius explained to Abraxas. "Grandmamma needs our help. She's taking it rather hard," Abraxas nodded. "It's no easy thing, losing a spouse," he said. "I remember when Iphigenia died. Nasty bout of spattergroit. Regina was just out of Hogwarts." He face fell. "Little could any of us have guessed that Regina would die of the same thing only eight years later." He patted Aries on the shoulder. "Your mother was a fine woman, Aries." "I know sir," Aries replied, "Thank you." "And it can't be easy for you either," the old man said to Sirius, "being stuck in Azkaban all those years and getting out only to learn that your wife was dead." "There's been a lot of adjustment," Sirius said truthfully. "Aunt Cassie helped a lot at first, and Aries and Draco have make all the difference in the world these past few weeks." Abraxas smiled fondly at his grandchildren. "They're fine boys, both of them, It's hard to believe that they'll be off to Hogwarts in only a year."

     Sirius smirked. "I hope Hogwarts survives the encounter." His father-in-law laughed heartily. "Now don't tell me you didn't engage in a bit of mischief yourself at school." "If he were to tell you such a thing, it would be a monstrous lie," Lucius said smoothly as he strode into the room. "As I recall, I had to deduct countless points from him and Potter. Based on what Severus has told me, his behavior only grew worse after I left." "Oh, so you're still in touch with Snape?" Sirius said brightly. "Figures. How is old Snivelly?" "Severus Snape is currently Potions master and Head of Slytherin at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Lucius said drily. "I should say he's done rather well for himself." "Snape? Severus Snape?" Abraxas scratched his head. "The name sounds vaguely familiar, but I can't quite place it." "Nasty fellow," Sirius said, Scrunching up his nose. "Mortal fear of soap." Aries and Draco sniggered. Lucius scowled at them. "Severus Snape is an excellent potioneer and your future Head of House," he said to the boys. "You would do well to show him some respect." "Come now, Lucius, they've never met the man," Abraxas scolded his son. "How can they show him respect when all they know of him is that he has poor hygiene?" He frowned. "Who was his father? Surely I knew him."

     "I doubt it," Sirius said with a mischievous grin. "I believe he was a Muggle." "WHAT?!" Abraxas shouted. "A Muggle? You mean this Snape fellow is a Mudblood?" "Half-blood, Father," Lucius said evenly. "He's a half-blood." "as I recall," Sirius said with his tongue firmly in cheek, Cissy once commented that Severus Snape gave the phrase 'filthy half-blood' a whole new meaning." Draco and Aries doubled over in laughter, Abraxas joined in, and even Lucius struggled to suppress a smile. When Abraxas had calmed down, he shook his head sadly. "Since when can a half-blood be Head of Slytherin House? In my day, we had a few half-blood students, but still... Head? It boggles the mind. When my father was at school there was not a single student in Slytherin who could not document pure blood for at least three generations." "Is Minerva McGonagall still Head of Gryffindor?" Sirius asked Lucius. "I believe so," the blonde man replied. "I always liked here," Sirius said nostalgically, "Tough as nails, to be sure, but a fine woman and a skilled witch." "I remember Minerva," Abraxas said. "We went to school together. I even escorted her to Hogsmeade a few times. I quite agree with your assessment Sirius, a fine woman from a decent family, though a bit puritanical for my tastes. A Scot, you know. It's the Presbyterian strain." 

     A little bell rang, and they moved into the dining room. After a delicious dinner, Abraxas, Sirius, Aries, and Draco went out into the garden for their game of Quidditch, which Sirius and Draco won by a single goal, Abraxas and Aries were good sports, however, and willingly agreed to fetch the drinks for the others; butterbeer for the boys, firewhisky for the men. They sat in the garden and sipped from their bottles, enjoying the soft breeze. It was truly a perfect day.

     T three-thirty Sirius took his leave. "Thank you for a wonderful time Dad," He told Abraxas. "I trust it's alright if I leave Aries here until this evening?" "Why don't you let the boy stay the night?" his father-in-law suggested. "We'll send Dobby over to Windermere Court for his things. He and Draco can come over to Grimmauld Place tomorrow after their lessons. Draco ought to pay his respects to his great-grandfather." Sirius checked with Aries to make sure that arrangement was fine with him, and then thanked Abraxas for his generosity. He said good-bye to the three wizards and flooed back to Grimmauld Place to check on Pollux. There was no change, so Sirius told them were he would be before changing into Muggle clothes and apparated  to Remus's parents' old home. The Squibs and Cassiopeia were visiting Grimmauld Place that evening, so she wouldn't be alone.