The Meaning Of Family

Thank you to my reviewers:
Tina109: Thank you.
Red: Yes the pairing will be Harry/Sirius and thanks for the review.


I hope you all enjoy this chapter :D.

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Chapter 6


Chateau De Les Saison ( Castle Of The Seasons ).


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July 31st, 1982.


They had just arrived via apparition to the Black family home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Sirius was currently standing in the doorway looking into the entrance hall, he had many memories of this home, he had always loved it here when he and his family had come here during the summer break before returning back to England and back to Hogwarts. He was now just realizing how much time had passed since he last come here. The last time was just before he moved out, to live with James and his parents. After his Father died his time with the family was never the same it was because of him that kept the family together Sirius had always wondered what his Father had seen in his Mother. He had always been close to his Father whilst Regulus had always been closer to
their Mother but was always jealous of Sirius' and their Fathers relationship, but whenever they came here it was like they left all the worries and differences behind in England, Sirius always put it down to being in a new place and away from all the people back in England. England will always be his home but it was still nice to get away from it all, and what better place then where he held a lot of good times close to his heart.


"Good afternoon Master Sirius Sir" A house elf named Daffy, exclaimed excitedly, doing a little dance on the spot, and clapping his hands.


"Good afternoon there Daffy, it's been a very long time since I last saw you" Sirius said with a warm smile on his face, Daffy was his favourite house elf, he was always there to help Sirius whenever he needed it and always came to him before any of the other house elves did. Sirius could remember when they first got Daffy, his Father had let him pick the name for this particular elf, Sirius always assumed it was because Daffy acted a lot like Sirius in a lot of ways, so Sirius had named him Daffy after seeing a cartoon at Lily's place once when he and the Marauders had stayed over for the
weekend back in there sixth year, he had seen the duck named Daffy and claimed that character as his favourite of all time, James and the rest of the group use to call him Daffy when he was having one of Daffy moments, when Sirius had seen this house elf the name came to him straight away and he went with it, Daffy had loved his new name and would tell anyone who listened where, how and why he was named Daffy.


"Yes it has Master Sirius Sir, and I have kept your bed ready and waiting for when you came back Master Sirius Sir" Daffy said whilst motioning with his little hands in the direction of Sirius' room.


"Well thank you very much Daffy that was most kind of you to have done that after all the years and all, and you know you can just call me Sirius like you use to" Sirius explained.


"Oh no Master Sirius Sir" Daffy said in a shocked voice, "You is the Master of the Black's now so I have to call you Master Sirius Sir, it is only fitting" Daffy said with big watery blue eyes that reminded Sirius of his own, which looked like Sapphire's.


"Well okay I will let you get away with it for now but I wont stop trying to convince you otherwise" Sirius explained whilst smiling at the sincerity of the little creature.


Daffy smiled at Sirius and said "who is that in Master Sirius Sir's arms" whilst gesturing to the sleeping little boy in Sirius' arms.


"This is little Harry Potter, but you may call him Harry, we will be living here for as long as we can before Dumbledore finds us again" explained Sirius.


"Would you like me to take Harry to the bedroom next to your's Master Sirius Sir?" Asked Daffy.


"No that's okay Daffy I think I will wait till he wakes up and give him a tour of his new home, but for I think I might go to my room and get freshened up, whilst I'm doing that though Daffy could get something for a snack before dinner, please?" Sirius asked whilst walking towards the stairs.


"Of course Master Sirius Sir I will brings you up some sandwiches to munch on for now, then I will start making a big feast for Master's return home" Daffy replied with a glint in his eyes thinking of what kinds of food he could make his Master, he had missed his Master terribly and now he would be cooking and cleaning for him again, he couldn't wait to get started.


"Well don't go overboard with it Daffy after all it will be mainly me eating it all, and I may be hungry but I dont think I could eat all of what I know you will cook, unless you eat it with me and we can sit and eat together like old times?" Sirius asked whilst giving his house elf a crooked smile.


"I couldn't do that now Master is the Master of the Black's" Daffy said as if it was obvious.


"Nonsense you will join us for dinner Daffy I'm sure Harry would love it and it would give us a chance to have a chat as it has been many years after all and you can get to know Harry" Sirius said in a tone that told Daffy he wouldn't budge in his command.


"OK Master Sirius Sir, as you wish" Daffy replied with his head down but a small smile creeping on his face, he was so happy and excited to have his Master home. 'Oh the fun they will have, and now with Harry as well, now another person to prank' thought Daffy as he headed to the kitchen, he had so much to make up for and he knew he would be allowed to have fun with them, he always was with Sirius even if he was Master of Black's now.


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Sirius was walking to his room when Harry woke up. He looked down at the sleepy face of Harry and smiled down at him "hey there, finally awake hm? well I think now your awake I will clean you up too and then we can start the tour of what is now our new home what do you think Harry?" Sirius asked.


Harry just nodded his head whilst giving off a big yawn, and curling in Sirius' arms until they got to Sirius' bedroom where he was put down on the four poster bed with a navy blue and silver lining curtain going around it, he just sat there watching Sirius take out the suitcase from his pocket and resize it to normal then take out some clothes for him and Harry.


When Sirius was done he went to grab Harry and take him to the bathroom that was on the right of the bed next to the bed head on the same side as the balcony door and window at the opposite side of the door to the hall, when he saw Harry sitting there on the bed watching him with his head tilted to the right as though he was in deep thought. He gave Harry a smile and said happily "bath time Harry, are you ready to see the biggest bath you have ever seen?" whilst Harry just gave a little giggle at Sirius' happy voice.


When Sirius walked into the bathroom he could see the house elves did a great job at keeping the place like brand new and had a feeling that Daffy probably came in here every day to keep it ready for whenever Sirius returned, with the way the walls that were white with golden specks and swirls through it in marble fashion, and the floor done the same as the walls, and the bath which was the size of a small pool, big enough to fit at least fifteen people in it that was glowing white with golden specks like the walls and golden faucets, at the far end of the room to the right when you walk in that went from three walls in its own corners, not to mention the sink that was the same as the bath in all but size that was on the left wall opposite the bath and also went from the end of the shower to the wall next to the door leading to the bedroom and the shower that would fit at least four people in it sparkled. The toilet was in between the bath and shower on the wall opposite Sirius and the the doorway that he was standing in and was white with gold, and opposite the toilet next to Sirius' right in between him and the bath was a heating towel rack and a cupboard that held the fluffy towels and things. All in all the room was huge and beautiful and sparkly.


Sirius walked over to the bath and as soon as he stepped near the edge of the bath it started to fill with water in the temperature Sirius loved all he had to do was add the soap suds that came in all different colours, Sirius picked the blue one that was named Ocean Breeze and smelled of the ocean too that reminded him of Christmas at the beach in Australia, maybe Harry would find some familiarity in it, Sirius decided.


Once they had finished in the bath and Sirius dried and clothed both of them and was about to leave the room Daffy brought the sandwiches in with a jug of pumpkin juice.


"Here is Master Sirius Sir's and Harry's sandwiches and pumpkin juice Master Sirius Sir" exclaimed Daffy whilst bowing and puting it on the table near the stone fireplace opposite the bed where there was two black lounges and two arm chairs sitting. As Daffy said all this and set it down he didn't notice the stare he was getting from Harry until Sirius started laughing and Daffy turned around to see what his Master was laughing at, what he saw made him laugh as well.


Harry was sitting on the bed after Sirius had dressed him when this little thing came into the room and started talking to his Paddy. He couldn't think what this thing could be and didn't want it to look at him so he stayed quiet whilst watching it's every move with his head tilted to the right a little, trying think what this thing could be, until Paddy started laughing, he looked up at his Paddy and saw that he was looking and laughing at him and as he was about to talk he heard something he had never heard before coming from the direction the little thing was standing and looked at it with a
funny look on his face. "Paddy what's that" Harry asked whilst keeping his eyes on him the whole time whilst sniffing the air as he could smell something different about this thing that he had never seen before.


That stopped Sirius laughing straight away when he saw what Harry was doing "He is what is called a house elf Harry, and his name is Daffy like Daffy duck and he lives here with us" Sirius replied whilst giving Harry a strange look trying to figure out why he was sniffing the air, but Harry didn't see the look he was recieving from Sirius as he still hadn't taken his eyes of Daffy, but Daffy saw the look and also knew why Harry was sniffing the air, he wasn't sure before when he had seen Harry asleep in his Masters arms but now he was.


"But Paddy, he's not a duck" Harry explained whilst trying to understand what his Paddy was telling him.


That started Sirius laughing again and even Daffy started laughing again at that, and Harry just looked from Sirius to Daffy and back again before Sirius said "no he's not a duck Harry, but I named him Daffy because I like Daffy duck, because Daffy duck is like me and so is Daffy here" Sirius tried to explain to a Harry that was looking from one to the other.


Harry was trying to follow Sirius when he asked "why doesn't he call you Paddy or Siri?" Harry said with a look that said he doesn't understand this situation at all.


Sirius gave a chuckle and replied "that's because only you call me that Harry because you can't say my full name, and I would only let you call me those names anyway" Sirius explained with a smile on his face as Harry slowly started to nod his head.


"OK Paddy, and I call him Daffy too?" Harry asked with a tilt of the head in question.


"Yep, thats you can call him" Sirius said with a nod and a smile, "and now we eat, are you hungry Harry?" Sirius asked.


Harry nodded his head, and with that Sirius picked him up and took him to the lounges where the food was on the table next to the fireplace.


Harry was still looking at the Daffy when Sirius sat them down on the lounge. "Do you want food too Daffy?" Asked Harry.


"No not right now thank you little Harry, Daffy is to be starting on dinner now so you can have lots of food for the feast" Daffy replied with a big smile.


Harry just looked at him still a bit unsure of this Daffy and nodded his head then looked up at Sirius and frowned.


Sirius just laughed and shook his head at Harry and said "Daffy wants us to eats lots".


Harry just shrugged and picked up a sandwich and took the cheese off and ate it and put the bread back onto the tray it came from.


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After the snack Sirius took Harry on a tour of the castle which was nestled behind private gates on a secluded mountain top, at the entrance hall it adjoins to the great room on the left, which you walk through to get to the library on the opposite wall to the one you first walk in through, in the great room on the right is a door to the sitting room, that adjoins to the formal dining room that seats twenty people, then you walk through french double doors to the gourmet kitchen which also has a stone fireplace on the wall next to the door that leads to a second dining room on the opposite side to the french doors. Through the formal dining on the left leads to the back garden with a fountain to the right and a swimming pool to the left while straight ahead was the winding cobbled pathways lined with Tulips, towards the garden full all sorts of roses and pathways lined with different flowers and plants that leads to the middle where there is a sitting area next to the lake, with a little bridge to the small island in the middle of the lake.


Once they were done outside and downstairs Sirius took Harry to the second floor, which is accessed by the grand staircase on the right hand side in the entrance hall, which had a doorway under the staircase to allow entry to the grand ballroom, they walked down the right hand side of the hallway and the first door on the right was the Master bedroom which had an en suite, walk in wardrobe, stone fireplace and sitting area with access to it's own balcony facing the front garden and pathways, then further down the hall and around the corner to the left and on the right hand side of the hallway was a second bedroom with an en suite and a stone fireplace with sitting area and table, across from that room down the hall a bit and on the left was another room that also had an en suite and stone fireplace. Across from Sirius' room was Harry's room with en suite and stone fireplace and sitting area, and also had it's own balcony and wardrobe. Down the left side of the hall from the staircase was the last three bedrooms all with en suites and fireplaces and sitting areas and wardrobes.


When they were done it was time for dinner and they were both tired and hungry from the exploring they did and the time they spent in the garden playing. Sirius took Harry into the smaller dining room where Daffy had laid out the food which did infact look like a feast well a small one anyway, there was roast chicken, roast turkey, roast vegetables and a salad, so true to his word Sirius made Daffy sit at the table with them and join in the feast.


"So Daffy what have you done to entertain yourself in my humble absence?" Asked Sirius.


"Daffy has cleaned everyday ready for when Master Sirius Sir came back" Daffy replied whilst serving out Sirius, Harry's and his own food.


"Well that mustn't have been very fun, I always hated cleaning it sound rather boring to me" Sirius said as he started to eat and help feed Harry some salad pieces and the vegetables.


Daffy just shrugged his little shoulders as he looked at his own food and with a slight hesitation shovelled some raost chicken in his mouth.


When Harry finished his mouthful he said to Daffy with a smile on his face "do you like ducks, Daffy?"


At first Daffy didn't know what to say to that but the smile on Sirius' face made him think of an answer as he replied with "yes I do little Harry, and Daffy went and put some in the lake" Daffy said and nodded his head at Harry.


"Daffy duck likes ducks" Harry said with a giggle, which made Sirius burst out laughing. Harry looked at Sirius and said "can Daffy duck read us a story for bed Paddy?" Harry asked with happily smiling big emerald eyes.


"Of course Harry, so you want to sleep in my room with me tonight aye?" Sirius asked, whilst Daffy sat there listening to Harry and laughing.


"Yeah" Harry said with a nod, "I don't want to sleep all lone Paddy, it too big and scary" and with that and a chuckle from Sirius and a laugh from Daffy they ate the rest of their dinner.


Once they were finished they sat near the fire on the sofa with Harry on Sirius' lap for a little while until Harry started to yawn, so Sirius took Harry to their bedroom and put him to bed whilst he got into bed also and Daffy came in with an old book full of Sirius' that he had written whilst still at Hogwarts full of their pranks the Marauders pulled on all the teachers and kids at Hogwarts, and started to read them to Harry, but before he could read much into it Harry was asleep.


"Where did you get that Daffy?" Sirius asked whilst he flipped through the pages and laughed at a couple he went past.


"Daffy found it in Master Sirius' room Sir, Daffy took it and put it in his room ready to give back to Master Sirius Sir when he came back, Daffy would sit there and read it and laugh at it and get ideas to play on Master and his friends" Daffy laughed.


"That's okay Daffy I don't mind, but I dont think you will get to play any on my friends but never fear there's always me and Harry, and I don't think you will get any on me, and with me and you around I think you will have a hard time getting any on Harry as well I mean he will be learning from the masters after all" Sirius said with a chuckle, Daffy laughed at that as well.


Sirius put the book on the bedside table, then said goodnight to Daffy as he was tired from such a long day then gave Harry a kiss on his cheek, sunk under the covers with the only light being from the fireplace, all the while thinking he would have to take Daffy back to England if they ever go back there he would miss him again otherwise, and it was good to be back there again after so long, he didn't realize how much he missed being there, then he was asleep before he knew it.


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I'm a bit stuck on my next chapter as I am trying to name the wand shop that Harry gets his wand from, so if anyone can help me name it whilst making it related to American witch lore and culture that would be a great name for it I have a few ideas but I need help with it and I will dedicate the next chapter to the person that I pick the name from, I know that isn't much incentive but it's the best I got that I can give as a thanks for the idea, so anyway if you want to help that would be much appreciated, Thanks.

Thanks I hope you all enjoyed the Chapter, and it wasn't too hard to follow, I tried my best with it but as I said before I have never written anything in my life until this story so please go easy on me and tell me if you liked it or just review to let me know what you think, as I was hoping to have more reviews then I do after 6 chapters already and so many hits even if it's just to say you read it, I don't know if I should just give up or not it kind of seems pointless but at the same time I want to keep going it just makes it seem worth it when people show they appreciate it or even just like it a bit, but I'm no author and beggers can't be chooser's I guess, Please review thanks.


Also there will be a time jump in the next chapter and Harry will be 7.