Hp: Hermione and Darkness

"My mother," said a voice from above. At the end of the hallway, Sirius Black was descending a grand staircase, his presence commanding attention.

"THE SHAME OF THE NOBLE HOUSE OF BLACK! MY SON! A DISGRACE TO THE ANCESTORS AND—"

Suddenly, silence fell like a heavy curtain. Hermione's ears rang in the abrupt absence of the cacophony that had just surrounded her. Ron and George (she was 95% sure it was George) finally managed to close the curtains. The group collectively took a deep breath.

Fred was the first to break the silence. "Mrs. Black must have been the life of the party back in her day. 'Hey, everyone, gather 'round! Let's insult each other's blood status until the sun comes up!'" he quipped.

"A real charmer, that one," George chuckled.

"Fred! George! Now is not the time," Mrs. Weasley scolded. "Hermione must be so overwhelmed right now!"

"Just trying to diffuse the tension," George muttered. Fred snickered.

"Let's get you into the kitchen, dear," Mrs. Weasley said.

Hermione tried to shake off the overwhelming whirlwind of her arrival as she allowed herself to be ushered towards a door at the far end of the entry hall—a set of narrow stone stairs led to the basement and the house's kitchen. Though less ornate than the floor above, the kitchen was a large, cavernous room dominated by a massive fireplace at the far end. Iron pots and pans hung from the ceiling above, and a long wooden table sat in the centre of the room, large enough to fit a couple dozen people around it for a meal. It could still be described as "gloomy," but Mrs Weasley brought an instant warmth into the large room.

Hermione took a deep breath, trying to steady herself, and looked around at her found family. Despite the chaotic house that appeared out of nowhere with a screaming picture and snakes everywhere, she felt a sense of home.

"Sorry about that, love," Mrs. Weasley said, giving Hermione a matronly pat as she walked past her towards the stove. "It's so nice to see you. How's your holiday been?"

"Better, now that I am here," Hermione grinned.

Ron plopped himself down at the large table across from Hermione, his excitement palpable. "Did you get to go to that arcade place while you were home?"

"No, I didn't really have time," Hermione said with a smile as she remembered their adventures to the Lavenham arcade last summer. Ron gave his father a run for his money with how incredibly giddy he was to see the lights and sounds of an arcade.

"Maybe there's one in London," Ron said excitedly. "We could look tomorrow."

"I'm gonna guess there are arcades in London," Ginny's sarcastic voice came from beside Hermione. She looked over with a grin and saw her other best friend, Ginny. "London has a bit more than Ottery St. Catchpole, Ronald."

"Yeah, yeah," Ron said, tossing a dinner roll at his sister. "Wait, give me that back. I'm hungry."

"I'm making supper!" Mrs. Weasley called over her shoulder.

"I'll ea' tha' too, don' 'orry," Ron said with his mouth full of bread. Hermione was so happy that things were finally back to normal (albeit the usual chaotic normal of the Weasley family).

"Sorry again about that umbrella stand," Tonks said. Hermione looked up and saw Tonks and Sirius walk through the kitchen door. "I don't know why I seem to fall over it so much," Tonks continued.

"It's fine," Sirius said, rubbing his eyes. Hermione noticed Harry's godfather looked healthier than when they broke him out of Hogwarts in their third year, though the shadows under his eyes hinted at lingering exhaustion. "Hopefully, one of these times, you'll break the damn thing, and we can get rid of it." Sirius looked at Hermione and smiled. "Now for a proper hello! Hermione, welcome to my childhood home. Please make yourself as comfortable as possible in this hell hole, and let me know if you need anything."

"Thank you, Mr. Black," Hermione said.

"Oh no," Sirius said. "Just Sirius. Please."

"Thank you, Sirius."