Molly, I am not your child. This is not your house. You are here, only because the Headmaster needs you here, and at my reluctant invitation. You cannot order me around as if this was your home. How would you feel if I came to your house and started demanding that you and your family bond with elves and dirty up your house, because I didn't feel comfortable there?" Sirius said calmly, yet firmly, to the mother of the Weasley family.
"Why would anyone do that? That doesn't make sense at all and is completely beside the point. Those elves could be spies, and I won't have it," Molly said, confused and angry. "You just wait until Dumbledore gets here. He will set you right," she threatened him, slumping down in her chair as if that settled it, and got stung again, only this time harder. She all but jumped out of her chair again.
Now Sirius was getting annoyed. "You won't have it? You won't have it?" he spat, his voice rising. "How dare you threaten me in my own house?" he hissed as his hands balled up into fists. He held back on the need to slam them. Instead, he placed them on the table and leaned into her space.
She tilted away from the man she just angered, confusion showing on her face as if he didn't react as predicted.
"I can kick the lot of you out in a minute, and you would have to fend for yourselves. I can remove you and keep your children and husband here, where they would be safe. It is a good thing for you I am not a vindictive man," he threatened in a harsh whisper, giving in and slamming his fists on the table. "But by Merlin, woman, you will follow the rules of this house!" he finally gave in to his need to yell.
Molly huffed and folded her arms across her chest a look of disbelief on her face.
"You will keep your tongue, or I will ban you to your room," Sirius continued as he leaned forward more to make sure she understood what he was saying. He looked her straight in the eyes and narrowed his dangerously. "Then I will only let you out for meals and the loo. Maybe then you will know how Harry feels. But you don't care about that do you?" he snarled.
She looked at him with wide eyes, like a skeleton in her closet had just been revealed.
"Oh yes, I know all about how the twins and Ron had to rescue Harry. But you didn't believe them, did you? You took Dumbledore's word that all was well, even with the bars they pulled off his window still attached to the car," he said, his face contorting to show she was pushing him to his limit. "I could further this by locking you in a closet, and only letting you out to cook meals. You don't hold the high ground here, Molly."
She glared at him and opened her mouth to yell, but he cut her off.
"Listen to me, Molly Weasley, I have had enough of your nagging, and bossing everyone around. You will leave Harry alone and he will sleep where I say he will. I may not be able to do much for the Order, but I will be in command of this house," he said, slamming his fists on the table again, making the teacups rattle.
She opened her mouth again and was getting red in the face, though from embarrassment or anger, Sirius didn't care.
"No! I'm talking and you will sit there and shut the hell up. Do you feel the wards stinging you? They are teaching you manners. For all the harping you do on the children about manners, you seem to have very few. It will just keep getting worse the more you argue with me, then the house will evict you. Do you want that?"
Molly snorted but otherwise remained quiet. The last few times she spoke she had gotten stung enough to welt.
At that moment, Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione came running into the room to see who was yelling. It was comical the way they fell on top of one another trying to be first through the door.
"Sit down everyone," Sirius said, gesturing to the chairs around the table.
The kids saw Molly sitting at the table, still fuming and looked around with various expressions on their faces, mostly confusion. They all took seats and looked back and forth between the two adults.
Sirius saw their looks of trepidation and tried to ease the tense atmosphere. "I want to let you know that you will no longer have to clean this house." He smiled, taking the bite out of what he still had to say.
The teens looked relieved, some slumping in their chairs, and others giving a small cheer. This was not an easy house to clean, and all of them had been hurt by the creatures that inhabited the place. However, Fred and George would have to figure out how to get their ingredients if they couldn't sneak them by cleaning.
"Things are going to be different around here, kids," the new Head said, sitting back in his chair and relaxing. His legs stretched forward and crossed at the ankles. His arms casually rested on his stomach; fingers laced.
"How?" came the question from Hermione.
"Well, first off, there are now seven house elves cleaning the house. Stop," he said, holding his hand up at Hermione as she opened her mouth to tell him off. "If you start yelling at me, the house will sting you. If you continue, after so many warnings, you will be evicted. I don't want that to happen."
"But…" she started, only to stop when he glared at her.
"I know what you think about elves. Harry told me. I know that you feel it's slavery, but you do not have any right to impose your false beliefs on me," Sirius stated firmly, and then softened his face and tried to look kindly at the girl who reminded him so much of Lily in her desire to know everything.
"They're not false," she grumbled, folding her arms across her chest.
"Yes, they are," came the rebuttal. "Hermione, you should research so you will understand the nature of house elves. I asked each and every one of them if they wanted to bond. I did not take any by force. Most broke out in tears, happy to be serving a family again," he said gently to her.
"But…" she said again, only to stop with he shook his head.
"I sent the elf named Dobby to Harry to see if Harry wants to bond with him," the man informed her strongly. "It is Dobby's greatest desire to be bonded with Harry. If they do, you will respect that. If you cannot, then keep your opinions to yourself while you are in this house."
Hermione quieted with a mulish expression. She didn't want to be attacked by the wards, and she certainly didn't want to be evicted; she had nowhere else to go. When the Order all but kidnapped her, her parents said they were still going out of the country on vacation. She sat, disgruntled. It was not often that she was told she couldn't voice her opinion. Her parents always told her to speak out on what was bothering her.