It was August before Sirius and Caelen got their way and were allowed a trip out together. Eventually, however, the force of their combined begging payed off and the duo was sent out with strict orders to stay safe, not get into mischief, an order met by matching innocent expressions, and to be home for lunch.

Diagon alley was much the same as the last time Caelen had been there but somehow better. It seemed to come alive in a whole new way with Sirius pointing out places of interest, reminiscing on school aged antics with James and Remus, and dragging Caelen bodily from one store to the next. He seemed to take great pride in showing her off to his favorite store owners, introducing her with a smirk as "my lovely, brilliant, or clever goddaughter." The descriptive terms grew steadily more grand until Caelen began to secretly shake her head in the negative behind his back, attempting to negate his over exuberant praise.

By mid morning the young girl was already beginning to tire, her feet dragging as she attempted to keep up. Sirius' quick solution was to simply load the nine year old onto his back and continue his trek around the magical shopping district. "We could go to Florean's," he suggested as the clock struck ten, "wonderful ice cream, Fortescue has."

Caelen thought perhaps her father would have something to say about ice cream before lunch but, like any other young child, was not about to turn down the cool treat. Armed with the delicious custard the duo continued on, ducking into the brightly colored new shop belonging to Caelen's favorite red headed twins. 

"Hello mini Lupin, Sirius" the pair greeted in unison from behind the counter. It was all but empty at this time of day save for a group of children roughly Hogwarts age, staring at a display of potions. "What sort of mischief can we help you with today."

"Not that you'd need much assistance Mr. Black."

Sirius smirked wickedly at that, his gaze taking in the whole of the shop with poorly disguised glee. "We're looking for something special for a prank. It has to be odorless, nothing that would cause the prankee any actual harm mind, he has to keep his wits about him during times like these."

"It's for daddy, we're pranking him." Caelen offered, grinning over Sirius's shoulder.

Sirius smiled reaching back to pat the girl's head affectionately. "We were thinking something we could slip into his tea perhaps?"

The twins grinned a smile that would surely have made a Cheshire Cat proud. A term Caelen had recently discovered thanks to a book Hermione had owled her. They headed with a beckoning wave behind them, up the stairs to the second floor workshop. 

"Here's something we've only just finished trials on."

"It's great fun but only lasts a day."

"Won't disrupt most daily functions."

Sirius accepted the vial of clear liquid with a curious glance at the contents. "What's it do?"

"We got the idea when Hermione told us about color blindness a few months back," the closer of the twins began.

"Basically it switches colors about at random."

"Doesn't sound like much but it can make some things right amusing. We tested it on Ron,"

"Poor sap ate an onion thinking it was an apple."

"How he mistook the shape baffles us but it was right amusing."

Caelen reached eagerly for the bottle, "let's do it uncle Sirius! It will be funny to watch daddy get all flustered."

Sirius nodded obligingly, "guess that's the one then. Thanks lads." Their purchase made, and noon rapidly approaching, the pair hurried to the floo and headed, in a flash of soot and flame, back to the cottage.

They tumbled out together giggling in a heap onto the floor. Oblivious to their audience and still mid conversation Sirius began tickling the girl mercilessly. "Take it back!" He ordered in a playfully stern tone.

Caelen gasped around giggles, "it wasn't me!" She pleaded squealing, "Nuts said it I just thought you should know!"

The man sat back with a huff, flipping his long black hair over his shoulder as he did so. "I am most certainly not a drama queen."

Caelen giggled again, giving an absolutely valiant attempt to keep a straight face but failing miserably. Sirius would've begun his on slot of tickling again had the other occupant of the room not chosen that moment to cough loudly, thus alerting the pair to his presence.

Caelen, who had been attempting to avoid Sirius' next attack, yelped in surprise nearly falling backwards into the fireplace.

Sirius' arms shot out instantly pulling the child to him, "hello Harry," he greeted with a broad smile, absently brushing aside a few stray brown hairs as he settled Caelen in his embrace. "Weren't expecting you yet, you haven't run away again have you?"

An indecipherable, almost scowl, crossed the teen's face before settling. "No, professor Dumbledore brought me by nearly two hours ago, the Weasley's are expecting me in a couple days but he thought you might like to see me first."

"Right he was at that, I was hoping you'd be able to visit. I won't try to keep you long, I'm sure you'll want to get off with your friends, I always did." Sirius smiled a genuine smile.

"There's a strange silent woman in Remus' kitchen, she kept passing me notes." Harry began in a puzzled tone. "And crying."

Sirius expression shifted slightly, "Oh right," Sirius began with a sheepish smile, "that'll be Nuts, she went to school with us. We were all friends."

As if on cue a black head of hair peeked through the doorway, "I've made hot chocolate for the children." She signed quickly to Sirius. Caelen, not understanding the signs but not needing an excuse to join Nuntis in anything, hurried quickly to the woman's side.

Harry looked confusedly towards his godfather, who missed the expression altogether and headed for the kitchen. "Oh merlins beard Nuts, quit staring at the boy like that!"

The woman made a rude gesture, wiping away a few stray tears as she did so. "You didn't tell me how much he looks like James!"

"What's going on?" Harry questioned, his tone clearly becoming frustrated.

"Nuts can't speak, she was attacked by a werewolf when she was little. He nearly ripped out her throat! With his teeth!" Caelen answered for the two adults, who were having some sort of argument with their hands.

"Nuts was just telling me how much you look like James." Sirius finally responded. He peeked disdainfully into the bubbling pot of, what was meant to be hot chocolate, wrinkling his nose up in disgust. "You're not feeding this rubbish to my godchildren."

Nuntis responded quickly with more, presumedly rude, hand gestures.

"I don't care how well you can cook any of that the fact is you're crap at simple things." The black haired man argued, effectively silencing her as he turned to the stove top. "Besides, hot chocolate is an art form, I'm the master."

Nuntis approached the table then, Sirius with his back to his audience missed her triumphant expression. "He really is the best at hot chocolate." The woman wrote quickly passing the note over to Caelen's, already reaching, fingers.

"You planned to have him make its all along then?" Caelen questioned, her eyes wide with admiration.

Nuts nodded, still smirking, "between you and I he only learned in an attempt to catch your father's attention."

Caelen didn't get a chance to ask what she meant as at that moment three steaming mugs of the sweet concoction floated onto the table. "There then, that's how you make a proper cup of hot chocolate." Sirius stated smugly.

Nuts sipped the chocolate, closing her eyes with a very satisfied expression. "Perfect as always padfoot, you truly are the master."

"Do I smell hot chocolate?" Remus asked from the doorway.

"I'll get you a cup!" Sirius offered scrambling back towards the stovetop. Remus completely missed the wink directed at his child and her answering smirk, hidden quickly behind her warm mug.

"So how'd the errand go?" Nuts signed over to Remus.

"Good as possible I suppose," Lupin responded, both signing and aloud. "Those two lads I mentioned, Malcom and Jacob, met up with Dumbledore today, they've officially joined the order. Might see more of them I suppose, their pack doesn't want to be involved so may reject them now."

"The two guys at the ministry?" Harry clarified, "Jacob killed Malfoy right?"

Remus nodded, "that's right Harry, good to see you by the way. Muggles treat you alright so far?"

"No worse than normal." The boy responded.

"Here you are Remmy," Sirius interrupted, passing Remus his chocolate.

Nuts, never one to miss a trick eyed the cup curiously. Before the potion had a chance to work Remus grew suspicious, Caelen's expression revealing far too much. "What's going on?" He questioned quietly, following his first sip.

Caelen burst into fits of giggles, "I'm sorry uncle Sirius, I tried to be sneaky!"

"Not slytherin then," Nuntis signed with a fond smile.

"Sirius, what have you done?" Remus voice, slightly worried, grabbed the rooms attention. "Why're you all colorful?"

"We put a color changing potion in your chocolate, daddy." Caelen giggled.

"Yes that's working, but you're all sort of luminous, colorfully so."

Nuntis moved to stand in front of Remus, her head tilted thoughtfully. "Like we're glowing? What color am I?"

"You're sort of purple, a bit of dark green?"

Nuntis nodded, unsurprised. "And the others?"

Remus glanced around the room studying the people around him. "Caelen is yellow, Harry is dark green, Sirius is a translucent red, and light green."

Nuts smirked knowingly to herself, "I wouldn't worry about it Remus, just an unexpected effect of the potion I'd imagine."

Caelen, still grinning, bounced over to her father. "Did you like our prank daddy? Is everything all the wrong colors?"

Remus smiled in amusement at his daughter's excitement, "yes cub everything is all wrong. For example, this chocolate has gone pink."

Caelen stretched to peek into the mug as if she could see what her father saw. "That's so cool! I should've taken the potion myself!"

"Maybe better not cub, if it's effected me strangely it might you too. Rather not chance it."

"Not really much of a prank," Harry stated in an unimpressed tone, "you can't even actually see the effects."

Caelen frowned, "Fred and George said it was very funny when they tested it on Ron. He ate an onion."

"Remus isn't Ron, he actually pays attention to what he eats." Harry argued.

"Could cause some rather interesting clothing choices I'd imagine," Nuntis signed, Sirius quickly translated for Harry and Caelen, bringing a hopeful smile back to the girl's face.

Harry looked skeptical, "Probably only lasts a day yeah? You may get to see mismatched pajamas I suppose. Honestly Caelen as much time as you spend with Sirius you'd think you'd come up with a better prank."

Sirius stared dumbfounded at Harry's odd behavior. Caelen winced, looking crushed, and left the room. Nuntis glared, quickly signing something at the boy that Remus was glad he wouldn't understand, and hurrying out after the child.

"That wasn't necessary Harry," Sirius scolded. "She's just a child, it was a good prank for her."

Harry didn't argue simply moved to the living room, a mutinous expression on his face.

"I don't know what's gotten into him, snapping at Caelen like that. He's never behaved that way before has he?" Sirius ranted to Remus in annoyance.

Remus' face was thoughtful, "I expect it's something he'll have to work through on his own. They care for each other a lot, really. Don't worry too much Sirius, I'll talk to Caelen, for now just let him be."

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Nuntis found Caelen curled up in her window, her blanket pulled up over her head like a hood, Alice in wonderland open in her lap. The woman curled across from the child into the window, laying the worn notebook open on top of her story.  "Are you alright tesero?"

Caelen looked up tearfully, moving to write in the notebook. "I don't know what I did? Why's Harry mad at me?"

The woman reached forward, pulling Caelen into a comforting hug, "ragazza dolce, we mustn't ever take another's emotions as our responsibility. What Harry said was unkind and uncalled for. But it does not reflect on you, whatever his issues are they're his own. You, piccolo amore, have done nothing. Never let another's treatment of you decide your actions, you decide what you become. Regardless of parentage and what happens in your life, one must always choose to be better. Never give up tesero, promise?"

"I promise Nuts."the girl hesitated, her quill hovering above the parchment, "New words?"

Nuts shoulders shook in silent laughter, "ragazza dolce, sweet girl and piccolo amore, little love."

"Will you teach me Italian?"

"I will teach as much as you wish to learn."

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Hey peoples! So that took ages! I was probably 3/4 through and hating it when I started over last night on an inspiration. Yay! Love this so much more lol. hope you like it. Fun stuff to come. Well kinda fun lol interesting at least. Anywho kids need stuff so laters lovelies 😊💙