Title: The Last Straw
Author: fuzzyalligator
Rating: PG-13 (for a death)
Genre: Angst
Disclaimer: Not mine. If they were, there'd be more Remus/Sirius in the books.

A/N: This isn't exactly where I wanted this fic to go. Actually...I was planning on it being sort of fluffy. *shrugs* Oh, and in my mind, Sirius' parents weren't afraid to use spells and curses on people. Their sons were no exception.

oO0Oo

"CRUCIO!"

Unimaginable pain shot through Sirius' body as he fell to his hands and knees. It felt like hours until his mother lifted the curse, but Sirius knew that it had only been a few seconds; she would never risk hurting the Black heir severely.

"Answer me, Sirius," she commanded coldly. When he looked up, he saw that she had lowered her wand to her side but noticed it twitch a few times. "I said: Answer. Me."

Sirius shook his head before resting his forehead on the ground to catch his breath. Even though the curse had been lifted his body still ached. "No," he mumbled, unable to bring his head up just yet.

"What did you say?" His mother's steps clicked as she walked across the hardwood floor over to him. The tip of her boot dug into his side until he was pushed it away and looked at her.

"I said," he managed to say through clenched teeth, "No."

His mother let out a loud scream, almost like she was in pain, then kicked him hard in the side. "Walburga," a very calm voice said from the room just off to the side. "Let me handle this." Sirius clutched his side and watched as she silently stormed out of the front hall, her blood red robes billowing behind her.

His father stood in the doorway as slowly Sirius got to his feet. He had to lean on the wall slightly for support, the pain in his side increased when he stretched it. "Yes, father?" he asked sarcastically and knew immediately that he shouldn't have done that.

Orion glared at his son before turning around and walking back into his study. Sirius knew better than the leave him waiting and slowly followed him inside. The walls of the room were a dark green color with black, thin vines painted on them, there were two large bookcases that were filled with books on Dark Magic, and the desk that his father was sitting at was immaculate, just like it always was. The only thing that was out of the ordinary in the room was the fact that the black drapes that were behind his father were drawn shut. Normally, they were open to make it seem like the room was a warm, welcoming place.

Sirius sat down in the large, deep blue chair that sat opposite his father and waited for his punishment. They sat in silence for almost a half hour, where Sirius didn't bother to move an inch. Just because he was sixteen didn't mean that he was an idiot. Walburga favored using the Unforgivables on her children but Orion preferred to torture in other ways.

Eventually, his father looked up from the piece of parchment he'd been writing on to his son. "We've noticed that Morpheus has been missing the past few days," his father said calmly. "Do you have any idea where he might be?"

Sirius shook his head silently, clutching the cushioned seat he was sitting on in slight fear. His family never paid that much attention to his personal owl and wondered why his father cared to mention it now. "Maybe Regulus has been using him to send letters," he responded, knowing that no matter what he said his father would ignore it.

And he was right.

Orion stood up slowly then opened up one of the drawers on his desk. "No!" Sirius cried when his large Barn Owl was dropped on the desk, his feathers sticking out at odd angles and covered in blood. He made a pained sound as he moved around just a little. "What have you done to him!" Sirius went to grab for his dying owl but was suddenly flying back in his seat.

"Don't move," his father commanded with a stern tone then aimed his wand at Morpheus. Sirius watched with tears in his eyes as his father killed the only friend he had in this house. "Do you know what we found along with this disgusting thing?" One of the House Elves came into the room just then carrying something. When his father had taken the letter it had brought, the elf snapped his fingers and Morpheus was instantly gone.

Sirius recognized the handwriting on the front of the letter as Remus' and finally knew what his mother had been referring to earlier. His father flipped the letter over and Sirius saw that the seal had been broken, meaning that it had been read. He only hoped that Remus hadn't mentioned anything that could get either of them killed by Sirius' parents.

"We've been ignoring your insolence since your first year, Sirius," his father informed him as if this was new information. He knew that the only reason they hadn't thrown him out when he was placed in Gryffindor was because they always hoped that he would make the right friends, grow up to be like them, and eventually have nasty little children with another Pureblood. But, they were sadly wrong. There was no chance of them ever getting a grandchild out of him and Remus, but they didn't know that. Or they might now... "If you renounce your friends, we won't have to punish you."

Sirius stared up at his father, not daring to wipe away the tears that had fallen by now. "Never," he said, summoning all his Gryffindor courage. "I'll never abandon my friends for your bigoted ways."

His father glared at him again and he tried to not cry out as the same unbearable pain shot through his body once more. It took longer for his father to lift the curse and when he did, Sirius was laying on the hard wood, more tears falling down his face. The sounds of Orion's footsteps faded as he left his son shaking on the floor.

It took Sirius a little longer to get up this time, his body not fully recovered from the first attack. He slowly made his way upstairs and, as he passed his brother's room, heard Regulus moving around. For a brief moment, he thought about going in there but knew that it would do no good. The days where they would comfort each other were long gone.

Once in his room, Sirius fell down on his bed, trying to lay so there was no weight on his bruising side. He closed his eyes slowly and listened to the sounds around him. There was a bird off in the distance singing a happy sounding song, Regulus was still making noise in his room and the muffled voices of their parents could be heard in their room. Walburga did not sound happy.

His face hurt as he smiled, not used to that expression since the end of the school year. In fact, Sirius couldn't remember the last time he'd been happy in this house. Maybe when Morpheus had brought the first letter from Remus...

Sirius knew what he had to do. He couldn't stay in this house a second more, not with his vindictive parents and their 'perfect' son. He'd just have to wait until night before he could do anything.

oO0Oo

The house was dark and quiet when Sirius shrunk his trunk to place in the pocket of his robe. He quietly made his way down to the front hall. Right here had been when his mother had demanded he answer the questions he hadn't known the answers to until later. And in his father's study...

Sirius looked away from the depressing room and slipped out the front door. There were a few Muggles heading home but other than them the street was silent. Sirius pulled his cloak closer around his body and made his way from his childhood home. When he was a few blocks away and out of the sight of Grimmauld Place, he stuck out his right hand, and a couple minutes later a purple, triple-decker bus stopped right in front of him. A man just a few years older than him stepped down and looked at Sirius. "Where to?" he asked, stepping aside so he could get on.

For a brief moment, Sirius didn't know where he was going. But then he remembered something someone said to him. "Potter residence," he said and fell back when the bus gave a sudden lurch as it made its way to its destination.