DISCLAIMER: i don't own any of the characters (isnt that obvious?)

A/N: this story is the prequel of "the blacks" and if you haven't read it, it doesn't matter actually, you could still continue with this...

ANDROMEDA BLACK

"Andromeda!" Druella black's voice called from within the kitchen and the five kids lounging under the sun in the garden looked up.

"you need to get you things packed and ready before dinner, there wont be time to do it in the morning and the rest of you go back inside" the girls' mother told them. They all got up and hurried back in through the kitchen.

An hour passed by unnoticed as Sirius and Regulus played a game of snap cards against Bellatrix and Narcissa.

"Siri! You are not concentrating" Bella complained. Regulus looked at his brother who was staring at the cards, not really doing much

"Earth to Sirius" cissy said snapping her fingers in front of him

"What? Oh right, my turn….." Sirius said as he shook his handsome little head.

"No idiot, you were dreaming and so you lost" Bella said, looking at her brother

"Oh…" he replied

"Siri?" reg looked at his slightly taller older brother in confusion

"Just a second reg" Sirius replied, as he suddenly collected all his cards and rushed up the stairs, climbing them as fast as his little legs would carry him.

"Andy! Andy! ANDY!" he called as he ran into her open bedroom. She dropped her books in a pile on her bed as she saw him bounding towards her.

"Siri? What's wrong? She asked

"You are leaving" the six year old told her and for once the look on his face didn't make his name seem ironic. Andromeda looked puzzled, then assuming that Sirius might have thought she was leaving now she said "I'm only going tomorrow dearest, and mom already said all of you can come to the station…"

"But after that you will be gone!" Sirius said flailing his hands impatiently. Andromeda studied the favorite member of her family for a moment. The impatience on his face clearly seemed to ask her how dumb she was to not get it.

"Oh siri!" she said suddenly, wrapping herself around her kid brother. "I'm only going to school and I'll be back for the holidays…"

"But you will still be gone….." Sirius insisted and then held out his pack of snap cards.

She looked at him questioningly. "So you won't forget me" he said, no traces of his prankster self on his features. She stood up and went over to one of her draws and pulled out her own pack of snap cards, and then she swapped the packs and said "there now we both will remember each other."

Sirius smiled. "Me, reg, cissy and bells just finished playing with them so you can remember all of us" he said and it was Andromeda's turn to smile. She would miss all of them, especially Sirius. She threw the last of her things into the trunk and taking her brothers hand, she headed down to the living room and all of them played another game of snap cards…..

The next day, the eldest of the blacks started her journey to her new life and the faintest lines of breaking apart made it self known on fate's handbook.

BELLATRIX BLACK

A year had passed by and now it was time for Hogwarts to accept another black into its family. Bellatrix black ran eagerly through the crowded street of diagon alley, clutching a list of books required for her first year at Hogwarts. She suddenly came to a halt and turned back to see her parents, firmly holding cissy by the hand and making their way towards her. Hurry up! She wanted to yell across to them but she knew what her mother would say about etiquette so she just resigned to tapping her foot impatiently. Her mother indicated towards a shop directly opposite to her and she walked into madam Milkins to get her new robes. There was an aura of superiority about her as she paused in front of the gray haired old lady and waited her turn. The boy who was getting his measurements done looked at her just as haughtily as she did.

"Pure blood?" he asked

"Bellatrix black" she replied with her nose in the air.

"Ah…a black, always an honor" he said, then added "I'm Rophuldus Lestrange" she smiled and asked "what house do you think you will be in?"

"Like you have to ask" he said "Slytherin of course, just like you I suppose"

"You suppose correctly" Bellatrix replied in ringing tones. The boy jumped down from the stool he was standing on for measurements just as the other blacks made their way into the little shop.

"Mr. and Mrs. Black, a pleasure to meet you and your family" the young man said "my name is Rophuldus Lestrange" he added introducing himself again

"Lestrange!" Mrs. Black cried "what a pleasant surprise, how is you mother?"

"Fine madam" he replied "I was just going to head back to her now"

"Well tell her I asked then" she said smiling "and have a good year ahead"

"Sure will madam, thank you." He said, then to Bella he added "See you in Slytherin" before making his way out of the shop.

Later that night, once the dinner was over and druella black had told the walburga several times on how pleased she was about the good company that her Bella was going to find herself in and walburga had added that she had heard the malfoy's only son lucius was also to join the same year and both the ladies had exhausted themselves of their excitement on perfect pure blood company, the children were sent back to their beds.

"I wanna go too" cissy whined. Sirius pretended to look insulted at his sisters words and opened his mouth to say something but andromeda was faster "it's just a year cissy…..then you can come with us"

"Yeah imagine next year, all of us will be going together and having a whole compartment to ourselves…..won't that be fun? Bella added

"Ahem?" a seven year old Sirius said, redirecting his glare from Andy to Bella. The girls paid no attention as cissy began to cry in earnest. "I don't … (sob) wanna be alone" she said sounding utterly distressed.

"What are me and reg? Dead and shelved house elves?" Sirius asked this time evidently hurt

"You'll be in London….." she said looking at him with tears in her eyes. Sirius looked taken aback.

"Come with us" reg said as he shifted from Sirius's lap to narcissa's

"Yeah! We'll share a room, you can have mine!" siri said and flashed one of his winning smiles. The girls rolled their eyes in synchrony.

"I mean it, I won't even play a prank on you, swear" he added. Andy pulled him into a warm hug and siri winked at Bella, who narrowed her eyes and both reg and cissy smiled. Then before they knew it, they were standing on the station, waving cheerfully to the two blacks on the train and the lines on fates handbook became more pronounced.

NARCISSA BLACK

An owl soared into number 12 grimmauld place just as the family of four was finishing their breakfast. After the few minutes it took for walburga black to finish reading the letter, she was loudly exclaiming "how wonderful! Cissy got sorted into Slytherin too"

Her husband looked at her, "what's so surprising in that? We all knew she would be Slytherin, she is a black after all" he replied.

"True true, nonetheless, another wonderful contribution by the blacks to the noble house of Salazar Slytherin!" she said

"And many more will come…"her husband predicted with certainty. She smiled and turned to her two sons. "Sirius it will be your turn next!" she said proudly.

"I dunno…..what if I'm not in Slytherin?" he asked his mother, his eyes shining with merriment.

Walburga black froze and looked at her eldest son. Then her eyes became slits and she was screaming "HOW DARE YOU EVEN THINK OF SUCH A THING?"

"Jeez mom, I was just kidding….thought you could tell, I am a black after all" he added as he slid out of his chair and moved to the door.

"Reg?" he called turning back and when he was sure that his brother had followed, both boys headed back upstairs. Sirius was rummaging through his room, trying to find the Andy's old copy of Hogwarts: a history. His kid brother was unusually silent.

Minutes passed by and Sirius climbed on the bed next to his brother, the book firmly held in his hand which seemed to be shaking.

"Siri?" reg called in a small voice

"Hmmm?" the older boy replied

"When you….when you told mom about not being in…in Slytherin…..you weren't joking were you?" reg asked.

Sirius turned to face his little brother but remained silent for a while. Seeing that Regulus was still waiting for a reply he answered slowly "no Reggie….I wasn't" he said

Regulus took in his brothers words and then nodded, he found himself looking at a pair of grey eyes identical to his own, that were willing him to understand.

"What…what house do you want to…?" Regulus asked as his voice trailed off. He could see a spark of excitement in his brother's eyes as he said "Gryffindor of course" Regulus swallowed but said nothing. "It's really the best reg" he said "believe me, it is" and believe him he did, after all he was six.

"What about me?" Regulus asked his brother after a while

"We'll be together of course! I'm not going anywhere without my baby brother" Sirius replied, with an expression that plainly said that he was astounded at the stupid question. Regulus smiled. "What about the others then?" he asked

Sirius looked at him, surprised and then quietly whispered "I dunno Reggie, but things will work out, they always do. That's what Andy says." The younger boy nodded.

Another few minutes passed by, before Regulus spoke again "siri? If Gryffindor is the best, then why isn't cissy or anyone in it?"

"Maybe they wanted to be in Slytherin….cissy did" Sirius replied and indeed she had. He put an arm around his little brother and pulled him close as he thought of the last time he and cissy had spent time alone.

"Siri? You are awake aren't you?" she had asked as she gently shook him.

"I am now…what's wrong cissy?" he had asked, sitting up in his bed.

"I was worried…" cissy had said and her eyes hadn't quite met his

"About what?" Sirius had been worried too, what could be worrying her enough to worry him at this time of the night

"Well Bella and Andy are in Slytherin and…"she had trailed off

"And you don't wanna be in it?" he had asked, slightly hopeful

"Of course I do!" she had replied indignantly

"Then what's wrong?" he had asked, his hopes dashed

"I dunno, they are both better than me siri, what if I'm not…I'm not good enough to…to…"her voice trailed off again

"To be in Slytherin? Nonsense, you are a black cissy…" he had told her, with enough conviction to reassure her .she had smiled and hugged him, "you are the best siri!"

He had heard her say.

Regulus had fallen asleep on Sirius, just as usual and the older boy smiled slightly, thinking to himself, 'slytherin maybe bad, but not all of them are bad, andy n bella n cissy aren't….' and with those thoughts Sirius hugged his brother closer and fell asleep.

And unaware to all of them, the line of separation on fates handbook had now become a tiny slit.

SIRIUS BLACK

An eleven year old boy with dark black hair was lying sprawled on one of the many four postured beds off the Gryffindor dormitory, his legs hanging off the sides and one hand covering his face. He ran his free hand through the red and gold hangings all the while thinking of how cruel life had been for him in the past 24 hrs. His dream had come true yesterday and he had been sorted into Gryffindor but what was supposed to be the best time of his life had become the most annoying instead. He sighed as he remembered the look on his cousins faces as he had taken off the sorting hat. All of them had been staring at him with their jaws hanging loose; he noticed that some of the other Slytherin, those who knew the blacks by reputation were also looking at him in shock. He hadn't met any of their eyes as he made his way to the house table. Things had become slightly better when James potter and Remus lupin, the boys he had been with on the train had also been sorted into the same house.

But this morning things had taken a turn for the worse. Cissy had been the first of the three to find him, or rather start stalking him. She was waiting in the corridor that led to the Gryffindor dormitory.

"Siri? You okay?" she had asked. Whatever he had expected, it was not this and he simply looked at her blinking twice, and before he could come up with an answer she had both hands on his shoulders and he found himself looking into ice blue eyes. "Look Bella says that the sorting hat could have made a mistake and she says that you should ask your mom to write to the headmaster asking to place you in Slytherin and-"

"Whoa! Why would I do that? I wanna be in Gryffindor. I always have!" Sirius said looking at his cousin wondering how she could assume so much.

"You – you what?" Narcissa had looked completely taken aback.

"Yeah, I think Gryffindor is really awesome. It's really the best cissy….." he had replied

"Sirius this is SO not funny!" she said before turning around and walking away. He had looked at her helplessly and was pondering over whether or not things would improve between them. He saw Bella stalking towards him, with a murderously contorted face. Of course he thought dryly, he should have seen that it would take Bella exactly the time that would take cissy to fill her in, to hunt him down. He was standing between Remus and James when she reached him, cissy just a few inches behind her.

She reached for him and smacked him just like she would have any other day and said "idiot!" "Ouch! Hey watch it! What was that for?" Sirius cried out. This was embarrassing, they were in the great hall and people were watching

"For being a jerk and for making cissy cry!" she said haughtily.

"What? What did I do?" he asked, glaring alternatingly between the two cousins

"You told her that you actually wanted to be a Gryffindor?" she asked

"Well yeah, I did and…" he started

"And that is not funny!" Bella said with annoyance.

"Never said it was meant to be!" Sirius retorted. James and Remus were standing next to him, without knowing what to do.

"But you can't want to be in Gryffindor!" cissy cried out.

"I do! And I am in it!" Sirius said, now feeling nettled. Bella looked murderous for a minute before taking a calming breath.

"Siri look, you don't have to get all defensive. I can see you are humiliated to be in Gryffindor and all that but this is just a mistake. Write to your mom and come back to where you belong" she said in a controlled voice.

"No! I have always wanted to be a Gryffindor! I have dreamt of this since I was six!" Sirius said, defiantly. He was getting seriously pissed now but unfortunately for him, so was Bella.

"Now listen to me young man, you better-" Bella was saying, holding his neck painfully

"Hey! Lay off! That's my friend you are holding!" James had intervened and was pointing his wand at her. She laughed a cold loud and mirthless laugh. "Insolent child! You won't know a single spell and you think you can duel me?" she asked. James was glaring at her and Sirius was trying to make eye contact, trying to ask him to stay out of this, and both Remus and cissy were looking uncertain.

Then again, apparently luck didn't seem to hate him all that much. Professor McGonnagal was striding towards them and that had sent all off them back to their house tables. Which in Sirius's case meant being greeted by a howler from his mother who very considerately let him and the whole school know how much he had disgraced the family name and how very disappointed she was in him. James though looked like he was ready to throw up made an effort to smile and had punched him lightly on the shoulder saying "don't give too much to it mate" and Remus had just looked at him, it seemed to take him all his will to just nod and agree with James. The rest of his first day was spent trying to avoid his cousins and trying to find his classes. His friends helped a lot, James always trying to make him smile and Remus just letting him know that he was there for him. Now it was lunch time and there was no way in hell he was going back to the great hall and get into more trouble than was worth. He smiled slightly at the irony of him hiding in his dormitory like a coward on the first day after being sorted into Gryffindor, the house of the brave. He heard someone entering the dorm and sat up to find James looking at him, Remus just a step behind him. "Your cousin is waiting in the corridor" James said.

"Which one?" Sirius asked warily. "Ummm the one we were not fortunate enough to meet till now….." James said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Sirius got up and started for the door. "Good luck" Remus said. "Yeah you need a lot of it" James said. "Nah! The worst was over with Bella, Andy's not so bad" Sirius mumbled, all the while hoping he wasn't wrong.

As the three boys stepped out of the door and the fat lady had swung back, he saw his oldest sister standing there with a very grim expression. Perhaps he had been wrong, he thought, a pit forming in his stomach. He let nothing show on his face though which remained a cool mask, he was a black after all. When they reached the girl standing in the shadows of the corridor, she moved forward and when she spoke her voice sounded grave "Sirius, please tell me that what Bella tells me isn't true" she pleaded. He looked hurt as he replied "it is Andy and-"

"Are you out of your mind siri?" she exploded at him. He took a step back, it wasn't often that one saw andromeda black lose her temper, Bella yes, but Andy. He didn't quiet know what to say and apparently neither did she. Another minute passed uncomfortably before she finally spoke again. "I would reconsider my actions if I were you Sirius and then there is always the possibility that the headmaster may not agree to transferring you into Slytherin and-"

"Whoa! What are you talking about?" Sirius asked looking confused "why in Merlin's name would I want to transfer to Slytherin?" Andy looked at him, confusion evident in her eyes. "But Bella said that you were gonna ask your mother to try to get you to be placed in the rightful house of the blacks" she said imitating her younger sibling.

"That was her idea, I want to be in Gryffindor, ever since you joined Hogwarts, this is the house I have been dreaming of" Sirius said quickly and watched as Andy smiled warmly.

She pulled him into a quick hug and ruffled his hair, before saying "I am so sorry siri, I should have known. Don't worry Gryffindor is the right place for you." Then almost as an after thought she added "you were always different from the rest of us…." Sirius smiled "you are different from them too…." He said and she frowned "don't….don't make it us and them…..and well I should go now…but if you ever need anything, send word through Ted tonks, he's a Gryffindor sixth year" she said and added "and also my boy friend" she winked and Sirius felt his jaw drop. "He's also a muggle born, which is why I haven't actually introduced him to our family yet but that doesn't mean I'm gonna keep him waiting now" she said, then she waved a quick goodbye and walked away. Sirius stood there and watched her leave until he felt James and Remus tug him back into the common room. After another hour of discussing random stuff, the boys returned to their dorm, and Sirius was way happier that before only to find another surprise waiting for him. Just as he had gotten ready to crash for the night, he saw an owl out their window, with a letter from his kid brother. He read it quickly and smiled at the words that were hurriedly scribbled onto the piece of parchment

Siri,

Congrats, I know you are happy now. But mom isn't, she is really pissed and scary. Missing you a lot. Come back soon. Love you – reg.

He felt completely happy as he scribbled a quick reply and sent the waiting owl back. He watched it soar away, content to have found his place in the world, regardless of the fact that what was once a tiny slit had now become a gaping hole on fate's handbook.

REGULUS BLACK

A young boy with dark haired walked shakily towards the three legged stool, aware of the whole school watching him, and even more aware of a pair of grey eyes, very much like his own watching him. He was afraid of falling over, his whole body was shaking so badly and he was sure that everyone in the hall could see how badly shaken he was. He felt the sorting hat being placed on his head and for an instant all was quiet. Then he suddenly heard a sharp voice in his ear as the hat began to speak. "Ah…..another black?" it said softly and he cringed. "Now what do I do with you…...? Place you in Slytherin like the rest of your family or break the tradition for a second time? What to do? What to do?" the hat continued to talk almost to itself. And regulus's mind was filled with images of the same person. His older brother, but none of the images were pleasant. He watched in his mind as Sirius was tortured with the cruciatis curse over and over again, watched as he writhed with pain, watched as his cousins watched him helplessly, Bella even seeming to wear an approving look, more images played themselves into his head, as though on fast forward, he saw all the horrid things his parents made him do under the imperius curse, then he remembered flashes of Sirius lying helplessly bleeding on the ground, Sirius unconscious on his bed, Sirius yelling at his parents and a cold chill passed through him and he whispered "not Gryffindor, please not Gryffindor"

"Not Gryffindor eh?" the hat said in his ear "but there is a lot of bravery in you… and a bit of selflessness too, Gryffindor would be a good place for you"

"No please, please not Gryffindor, please…" Regulus begged the hat. As much as he wanted to be with his brother, he knew he couldn't. "Please not Gryffindor" he repeated.

"Hmmmm if you are sure then…SLYTHERIN" the hat said, shouting the last word to the entire school. He got shakily to his feet and saw the entire Slytherin house cheering him on, he watched as Bella stood with her hands stretched out in welcome.

Then his eyes shifted away from the cheering table on the far end of the hall and turned towards the one person who meant the world to him. Grey eyes were looking back at him and he could tell of the sadness they held. There was so much pain in them and Regulus felt like turning around and putting the hat back on and letting it place him in Gryffindor just as it had wished.

He walked numbly and joined his cousins, and continued to stare at his brother, realizing only later that he had turned away. he saw one of Sirius's friends put an arm around him and the other ruffle his hair up, he watched for a few more minutes until the boy with the spectacles said something resulting in laughter from the crowd around him, he saw even Sirius smile ever so slightly and then tore his eyes away from them. He was sure that once the initial disappointment had faded away, he could see Sirius laughing again, being his happy carefree self again…..at least that was what he hoped as that side of his brother was long lost when they were back was so used to seeing his brother storming or yelling or hurt that even the faintest of smiles made him happy.

He tried to smile too, but he couldn't, because the clawing fear of separation had begun to feast on him. And the most ironic part was that it was the youngest black who was most aware of the battle lines being drawn between them. Andy had been disowned, Bella and cissy were well changing in their own way and siri was too lost to him and he was afraid, and for good reason too, as the gaping hole had now become completely ripped from fate's handbook and was now lying in shreds…

A/N : this was just something that i couldnt help but write down as it has been filling too much mind space, leaving none for physics, if i may add, so i took time out to get it done with (because apparently fate has decided so? :P )

anyways reviews please? just one word would do...good or bad? oh and btw there might be a sequel to this, "the last flower" though i don't know when I'll update it! anyways thanks for reading this completely (and for your reviews too?)