When Sirius Didn't Go Home
A One Shot
Disclaimer: I would say I don't own "it," but "it" is an ambiguous word, according to my English teacher. I own this piece of writing, I just don't own the universe and residents in said universe.
A/N: Please tell me what you think, even when this piece is years old. If you got an update, ignore it. I just added a break line.
A dark haired boy of sixteen was feverishly rummaging through the top shelf of his closet. He repeatedly shook his head to get the hair out of his eyes, hair he was very proud of. And eyes he was very proud of too. In fact, the young man with the roguish good looks held a great deal of pride in everything having to do with himself, except perhaps his family.
To any well-bred muggle girl walking along the street, he was the boy your mother told you about. To any girl who knew the meaning of the word muggle, Sirius Black was so much more.
For the first eleven years of Sirius Black's life, he was the mischievous troublemaker of the noble pureblood house of Black. Shortly after he turned eleven, he became the only mischievous troublemaker of the noble pureblood house of Black to become a member of Gryffindor in as long as the Black family cared to remember. While Sirius was not the only Black to not become a member of Slytherin house, any Black who had not done so was promptly disowned once of age. As soon as it became clear that Sirius would not renounce his evil ways of courage, bravery, and chivalry, he would be disowned as well.
Oddly enough, Sirius couldn't wait.
At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy, Sirius thrived. By the end of his first year, the entire faculty, staff, and student population of Hogwarts was aware that Sirius Black was an absolutely brilliant git with charming wit and a bad-boy grin, complete with a bad-boy reputation. Save for several Slytherins and a young Gryffindor by the name of Lily Evans, Sirius was popular and loved. His only rival in the contest for popularity was his best mate, James Potter.
Yet it was not popularity, fame or glory that Sirius was after. Those were just perks that followed fun, pranks, girls, and his undying quest for laughs.
His family viewed him differently. As he leaped down from the closet, his mother's screams pierced the room.
"Sirius Black, you hurry this instant! You brother is packed and ready to go to school! Why can't you be more like him?"
"Coming, dearest mother!" Sirius hollered back as rudely as possible. "Calm yourself! We wouldn't want you to hurt you heart and die early!" From the tone of his voice, Sirius made clear that he wanted nothing more than precisely that—his mother's early death. "Ruthless bitch," he muttered.
Sirius dropped several packs of Fizzing Whizzbees into his school trunk before slamming it closed. He pulled out his wand and muttered several strings of security spells. He wasn't allowed to do magic outside of school, but the ministry had no way of detecting this infraction if full-fledged wizards lived in the house as well. His mother and father were given the task of monitoring Sirius, but failed horribly, seeing as they were intent on seeing as little of their son as possible.
As a last security measure began tapping the posters, hangings, banners, and pictures around the room.
"Virga proprius!" Sirius repeated again and again. He'd performed these charms several times, but took no chances. His mother was going to be haunted by this room forever if Sirius had anything to say about it.
Finished with his handiwork, Sirius spun slowly around the room. He smiled at a picture of himself with his friends James, Remus, and Peter. He'd be seeing them soon as they started their sixth year at school. He smiled also at the Gryffindor red and gold covering the room as it reminded him of his dorm at school. Sirius then turned to one of his muggle bikini girls. He found it in some American magazine about sports, though he didn't really get why it was in there.
"I'll miss you too, sweetheart," Sirius told the stationary girl sitting on a motorcycle in a red bikini. "But I can't come back here anymore. I'd take you with me if the image of mother finding you weren't so delicious. Be strong."
He kissed the poster before grabbing the handles of his trunk and backing out the door. For the first time in six years, Sirius did not lock his bedroom door. He wanted his mother to come in and try to rip the decorations from his walls. Sirius only regretted not getting to watch the spectacle.
His mother screeched again, "Sirius Black, if you want to go to school this year you will—
"Don't give you self a heart attack, mother!" Sirius screamed as he dropped his trunk near the top of the stairs. "You know how that would just break me up!"
He chuckled as his mother muttered from down stairs, "Ungrateful little bastard. Blood traitor. Despicable."
"Look out below!" Sirius bellowed as he pushed his trunk down the stairs. He chuckled again as the house elf Kreacher yelped and jumped out of the way.
"Hey Kreacher," Sirius said as he followed down the stairs. "Do me a favor, and if that ever happens again, don't move, alright?"
"Yes, Master," Kreacher grumbled.
Sirius laughed and skipped over the last few steps, landing with a thud on the wood floor.
His brother sat at a chair in the front hall, glaring in hatred and disdain. "Don't listen to him, Kreacher," Regulus said. "So that's an example of chivalry, huh bro?" He rose to his feet to look Sirius eye to eye.
Sirius stared back at him. "No, does he look like a damsel in distress?"
"I thought you were a bigger fan of quick snogs with mudbloods in empty classrooms than saving damsels," Regulus sneered.
Sirius hated jabs like that, but didn't dare show his brother. "Am I really getting advice on chivalry from a Death Eater?"
A sick grin spread over Regulus's face. He pushed up his left sleeve, exposing his bare, white forearm. "Not yet, Gryffindor. They aren't big on fifth years. And what's it going to do to your reputation when I join up? Your own brother a Death Eater?"
Sirius clenched his jaw, "You aren't my brother. Soon, I'll be blasted off the family tree, ad there won't be much evidence left."
Regulus kept on grinning, "Except for the part where we have the same surname and look exactly alike."
"It won't matter after Hogwarts," Sirius said. "I don't think we'll run in the same crowd."
Regulus just smiled in response. Their mother walked in, yelling as usual. "One of those revolting muggle tax things is outside in the circle for us. Go out one at a time so we frighten the vapidly stupid muggles. Do not know why they insist on leaving from a dirty muggle train station. Not a bit respectable."
One by one, the boys and their mother slipped outside and piled into the taxicab. Sirius couldn't help but smile as they drove away from 12 Grimmauld Place for what Sirius believed to be the last time.
The driver glanced at the three Black's in the back seat and made an attempt at friendly conversation. "So, King's Cross, you say? Where are you heading off to?"
Mrs. Black snapped back a reply, "That's not really any of your concern, is it?"
"Oh, um," the man stammered. "Sorry, madam."
"School," Sirius blurted out. "My brother and I are heading to boarding school."
"Is that right?" the man said. "What's this school called?"
Sirius smiled, "You probably haven't heard of it, but it's called Hog—
Mrs. Black snapped again, "If he hasn't heard of it, it is not of his concern, Sirius." The woman was shooting death glares at her son, and Sirius decided not to bring about bloodshed with non-family members present. His mother would say it just wasn't respectable.
The rest of the journey was silent. Sirius's mother sat like a stone, disgusted by the accommodations. Regulus slouched in the middle seat with a frown, and Sirius slouched against the window with a knowing grin. He was almost done with this—almost free.
Sirius parted from his family as soon as the car arrived at the station. He glanced back to see the cab driver staring dumbstruck at the little pile of galleons, sickles, and knuts in his open palm. Sirius didn't bother saying goodbye to his mother, and his mother showed no intention of initiating the farewells.
Throwing his trunk onto a cart, Sirius aggressively pushed past muggles until he came to Platform 9 ¾. He barreled through with out checking if any muggles were watching, but with his luck, it was doubtful any were. Immediately after stepping onto the platform, a lanky boy with glasses and disheveled black hair sauntered up to him with outstretched arms.
"Padfoot!" he called.
"Prongs!" Sirius boomed back.
The boys exchanged a quick manly embrace.
"How've you been, James?" Sirius asked.
James laughed. "You mean since I saw you last week? Not bad, my friend. Not bad." He started heaving Sirius's trunk from the cart, which was no problem with his Quidditch muscles, but Sirius grabbed the other end anyway.
Sirius asked, "Got a compartment?"
"Yup," James replied. "Peter's saving it for us."
"Always knew that kid was good for something."
"And Remus will stop in later, when he's done being a prefect."
"Always knew that kid was good for nothing."
Settling into the compartment, Sirius greeted Peter Pettigrew and stowed his trunk overhead.
"So," James started. "I've got some new plans to get Evans. They involve serenading her in my boxers while standing on the Gryffindor house table during breakfast."
"Sounds like a plan, mate," Sirius grinned. "And it won't ruin people's appetite for toast one bit."
"Well I know I always picture James without pants when I eat," Peter said. The boys roared with laughter, and Peter flushed with pride at the approval.
When they settled down, they began going over James's plans to woo Lily Evans. After several more stabs at James's skills at pursuing the popular redhead, James turned to Sirius.
"Why are you so chipper? Your mum finally croak?"
Sirius grinned, "I wish. Just glad to be back at Hogwarts I guess.
"I know what you mean," James agreed.
But the thing was, James couldn't possibly know how much it meant to Sirius.
It was snowing outside, but the Gryffindor common room was nice and cozy. In the best corner by the fire, James and Sirius were talking. Lily Evans was near by, only because there was nowhere else to sit.
"So, love," James started, "Heading home for the holidays?"
Lily's head rolled towards James with daggers in her eyes. "Potter, I thought I made it clear never to call me 'love' if you want to retain the ability to speak."
"Calm down, pumpkin!" James replied. "I was talking to Sirius. But while we're on the subject… are you?"
"Yes," Lily snapped. "I'm spending the merriest season with my evil sister and her fiancé."
"Have fun," James replied. "And you, love?"
Sirius responded as if James usually called him 'love,' which he very well might have. "No," he grinned. "Not to my childhood home anyway. But that's not really my home anymore. I don't think I'm going back there again."
James's mouth dropped open, and Lily's eyes widened. She suddenly realized that this wasn't a conversation she should be hearing.
"You mean you're never going to live with She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named ever again?" James bounced to his feet.
"No," Sirius shrugged. "I don't think I will. I've already cleared out everything over summer holiday. I don't have anything worth going back for."
James's feet started dancing a bit. "That's a good job, isn't it? You're living with me now, Sirius!"
"W-what?" Sirius stuttered. "I am?"
"Damn right!" James jumped up and down like a smile child. "My mum always wanted to adopt you, any how!"
"Are you serious?" Sirius asked.
"Course! You didn't think you were going to live homeless, did you?"
Sirius shifted uncomfortably, "I figured I'd stay over holidays until I was seventeen, then I'd get my own place."
James stopped bouncing and his lip nearly quivered as he asked, "Would you rather do that? Rather live alone than—than come stay with my parents?"
"No!" Sirius said quickly. "No, I mean, I just didn't think you'd… I didn't even think you'd want me."
James sat down next to Sirius, "You're like my brother, mate. I'd do anything I could for you. You know that. And, for some inexplicable reason, my parents like you. They would never allow you to go it alone."
"Thanks, Prongs," Sirius grinned.
"Anytime, Padfoot," James replied.
Neither of the boys noticed Lily Evans, fighting back tears as she witnessed this scene between the two most arrogant boys in school.
Sirius Black was the boy who had everything, and now he had a home.