Sirius Black knew it was time. Time to leave all the insanity of Slytherin clan behind and leave for good. He would escape tonight and go to one of the other clans. Sirius was sure at least one of them would take him in; anywhere was better than Slytherin. This particular clan was led by Salazar Slytherin, a crazy pureblood supremacist who refused to accept anyone other than completely wizarding families. There were four clans; Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Sirius' family, the Blacks, were one of the most influential and powerful in the Slytherin clan; they were right in Salazar's inner circle, members of the High Slytherin Council. Sirius had always felt disconnected from the rest of his family. His parents, Orion and Walburga, were close personal friends with Slytherin and would do anything for him. He knew for a fact that both of them had fought many battles for Salazar. Sirius' younger brother Regulus was growing up to be the son that Orion and Walburga had been hoping for; Sirius had always been something of a disappointment to them. Then there was Sirius' cousin Bellatrix Lestrange, wife of Rodolphus. Bellatrix was insane. There was no other way to put it. She was one of Salazar's highest ranking warriors and also a member of his inner circle, despite being younger than most of the others. Sirius knew that although Bellatrix was married to Rodolphus, her heart was set on another man; Slytherin's closest friend and fighter, Tom Riddle. Riddle was a quiet man, tall, handsome and mysterious. Despite his outward appearance, he was a ruthless killer and an expert in the dark arts.
Sirius sat up slowly from his bed, and peered around in the darkness of his private chamber. Because of the Blacks power and influence in the Slytherin clan, the family were permitted to live in Salazar's castle. Sirius guessed from the complete darkness and the dim moonlight that it must be around two in the morning. Perfect. Nobody would be around at this time of the night. He slid the duvet off and silently crept out of bed. Sirius grabbed his wand and muttered "Lumos" before grabbing a few essentials; some robes, whatever food he could find and a flask of water. He tied it all into a knapsack, flung it over his shoulder and quietly opened the door of his chamber. It was of paramount importance that nobody catch him attempting to escape; anyone found trying to abandon the Slytherin clan would be sentenced to a painful and bloody execution. Slytherin's castle was even eerier at night, with its cold, empty corridors and its unnatural silence. The castle was inhabited by only the most powerful pureblood families. Everyone else had to live in one of the run-down old houses in the surrounding town which lay just outside of the castle. A towering stone wall encircled both the town and the enormous castle; it was this that was Sirius' main adversary. Sirius crept through the first corridor which was lined with doors leading to the private chambers of his other family members. When Sirius reached the end, he crept down the steep spiralling staircase which led him down a few flights. Sirius was just about to continue down another corridor when he heard slow, steady footsteps echoing against the stony castle walls. With an urgent swiftness, he extinguished his wand and ducked into a darkened corner. He saw a shadowy figure at the far end of the corridor. Whoever it was had their wand gripped tightly in their hand and was walking up and down slowly. Of course; Slytherin had wizards patrol the corridors at night. Sirius knew he had to get to the other end of the corridor to continue his escape which left him with one option; he had to get past the guard. Sirius did not own an Invisibility Cloak and, regretfully, he had not yet mastered the Disillusionment Charm. The only way to get past him was with brute force. Sirius stepped out of the corner; the guard swivelled his head and pointed his wand at Sirius.
"Who's there? What are you doing here?"
Sirius recognised the voice of Thorfinn Rowle, a large, sticky pureblood wizard. Sirius said nothing. With the swiftness of an eagle, Sirius whipped out his wand, muttered "Expelliarmus" forcefully, but not loudly so as to wake anybody up and Rowle's wand flew out of his hand. Before the other man could react, Sirius shot a stunning spell at him. The red jet of light struck him in the chest and Rowle collapsed feebly to the hard floor. Sirius stepped over the unconscious body of Rowle and took off into a sprint. If one of the other patrollers found the body, they would know something was wrong. Sirius ran down the next corridor which was covered with Slytherin banners which all bore a silver snake set to an emerald green background. He took off down the next flight of stairs which led to the Entrance Hall of the castle. The main doors were 20 ft high and locked tight; Sirius knew he'd never be able to get through them so it was fortunate he had another plan in mind. Sirius ran through the empty Entrance Hall until he reached the Servants Quarters. The servants were the only non-purebloods in the castle. He crept through the servants quarters which was a long, narrow corridor lined with doors which led to tiny rooms. When Sirius reached the end, he pushed open the door and breathed in the fresh night air.
The Servants Quarters back door, which Sirius had just walked through, took him out to the stables. It stank of dirt, urine and dung. He had no idea where to go from here. Sirius' eyes caught sight of of gate; this was his way out. He ran across the stables, past the bales of hay, past the troughs of food, past the tied-up Hippogriffs – Sirius stopped in his tracks. Hippogriffs! They were his way out. He opened the door to one of the Hippogriff stables; lying asleep on the dirty ground was one of the magnificent yet terrifying creatures. Sirius had been taught how to ride a hippogriff but magical creatures were not his area of speciality. He sliced the rope tying up the hippogriff with a simple Diffindo charm and then clapped once to catch its attention. The hippogriff opened its enormous orange eyes and glared at him with malice. Stay calm, he thought to himself, stay calm and it won't harm you. Then he bowed, slowly but steadily, keeping his eyes locked with the creatures. The hippogriff stood up slowly, still glaring and took a step forward. Sirius flinched; this was risky but it was his best way out. To his immense relief, the hippogriff bowed in return. Sirius sighed with relief and then tossed it a dead ferret which was lying in its trough. The hippogriff snapped it up eagerly and bent down, allowing Sirius to climb onto its back.
"Fly away, boy" Sirius said to the hippogriff, suppressing a grin. How could he not feel happy? Tonight was the beginning of his new life. The hippogriff kicked off from the ground and shot into the air, wings stretched out wide. It was a beautiful night; not a grey cloud in the night sky, only the dotted silver stars. The bright white beam of the moon illuminated the gothic castle of the Slytherin clan, casting an enormous shadow upon the town. Sirius was escaping the darkness forever. This was the beginning of a life in the light.
The full moon. Remus Lupin's worst nightmare. It came once a month, Remus' least favourite day of the year. Yes, it was beautiful, but behind the beauty lay a sinister side to the moon which cursed him once every month for the rest of his life. See, Remus Lupin was a werewolf. Had he been a member of Ravenclaw or Slytherin clan, he would've been banished immediately into the wilderness. The wilderness was where he deserved to live. But Godric Gryffindor was a kind man; he let Remus into his clan under the condition that, when the full moon came, he carry himself off to the forest and transform there, before returning once the process was over. It was approaching five in the morning. The light was beginning to appear again; the moon and the stars were beginning to fade. Remus was awakened by a beam of sunlight which struck him in the eye. He yawned lazily and stood up slowly, stretching his arms as he went. For a split second, Remus wondered why exactly he what he was doing in a forest; it took him only a quick look at his naked, scarred body to remember. Beside the tree he had been leant up against was a small carcass – a rabbit, maybe? Remus would never know. He rarely remembered anything of his werewolf nights; something he was thankful for. He supposed he must've eaten the rabbit, or whatever it was, when he was transformed. It explained why he wasn't feeling particularly hungry. Remus picked up his robes from the floor along with his wand. He always took his clothes off before transforming. It meant he didn't have to buy a new set of robes every month. Remus slung his clothes over his shoulder and began to walk. First of all, he needed somewhere to bathe. His body was bloodied and dirty and in serious need of a wash. After ten minutes of wandering through the forest, he found a small pond which looked perfect. He dropped his robes and wand by the side of the pond and dipped his toe in. It was icy but refreshing. Remus slid his whole body into the pond and let out a sigh of relief. It was relaxing; the cold water soothed his aching muscles. Remus lay back, submerging all of his body but his head which rested on the bank of the pond and closed his eyes. This was nice. This was what he needed after the night he'd had. Remus felt himself drifting off into a deep, refreshing slumber...
A twig snapped. Remus' eyes bolted open; he sat up quickly, alert. He heard the rustling of leaves, and footsteps; one set light and nimble, the other loud and heavy. Remus scrambled out of the pond, careful not to splash too much. He grabbed his wand and ducked behind a tree.
"This way, boy" a young voice said.
Remus peered out from behind the tree. Only twenty or so metres away he saw a man who looked no older than him – Remus was thirty six – pulling a hippogriff along on a rope. Remus was confused. In all the years he had been coming to this forest he had never seen a person there, let alone a hippogriff. Remus took a step back and, to his horror, stumbled over a fallen branch and hit the floor with a resounding thump.
"Who's there?" the man with the hippogriff said fiercely, holding up his wand in his free hand.
Remus didn't know what to do and so, with a deep breath, got up and stepped out from behind the tree. The man caught sight of Remus, stared with a confused look for a few seconds, and then snorted with laughter. The man was a little taller than Remus, with long, messy black hair and a bit of stubble on his chin. He was fairly pale and had stormy grey eyes.
"Why are you naked in the middle of a forest?" the man asked Remus with a hint of amusement in his voice.
"What are you doing with a hippogriff in the middle of a forest?" Remus countered.
"I'll answer your question if you answer mine" the man said simply.
"Fine. I am Remus Lupin, a werewolf, and every month I come to this forest to transform so as not to harm anyone else. Now you"
"Okay then. I'm Sirius Black, and I just escaped Slytherin clan on this fine hippogriff"
Remus raised his wand at the man.
"You're a Slytherin?" he said, trying to sound threatening.
"Well, sort of. I'm guessing from your reaction that you, Remus Lupin, are from the Gryffindor clan" Sirius said, still sounding amused. Apparently Remus' threatening tone wasn't doing the trick. Maybe the fact that he was naked wasn't helping.
"And what of it?"
"Oh I haven't got a problem with Gryffindor clan. Actually, that's where I'm headed"
"Godric Gryffindor wouldn't let a Slytherin into his clan" Remus said, lowering his wand ever so slightly. There was something odd about this man. Something un-Slytherin-ish about him. For starters, he hadn't even drawn his wand.
"Technically I'm not a Slytherin anymore" Sirius Black said, walking toward Remus with the hippogriff in tow "Do you need clothes? I've got spare"
"I've got my own thanks" Remus said sharply.
"Then maybe you should put them on. As you can imagine, this is a little awkward for me" Sirius chuckled.
Remus picked up his robes and pulled them on swiftly. Sirius pretended to look away, glancing around the forest. When Remus was done, Sirius grinned again and walked over to him.
"Can you lead me to Gryffindor then?"
"Why should I trust you? I don't know who you are. All I know is you're a Slytherin"
Sirius sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm not a Slytherin. Look, I'll explain. My family, the Blacks, are quite powerful in the Slytherin clan. They're also insane. I'd had enough of living in that crazy place, so I escaped in the night and flew away on this hippogriff"
Remus didn't say anything for a while; he just stared at Sirius with confusion.
"Crazy, isn't it?"
"Just a little" Remus replied.
"But you do believe me, right?"
"Possibly. I'll lead you and your hippogriff to Gryffindor and when we get there I'll let Godric deal with you"
"Sounds good to me. How do we get there? We can fly if you want, I've got this hippogriff"
"I noticed. Alright then, but you'll have to let me be in control seeing as you have no idea where you're headed"
The two of them clambered onto the hippogriffs back and it kicked off into the sky.
"If you try and throw me off, I'll curse you into oblivion" Remus said warningly as they ascended into the clouds.
Sirius laughed. "I'll keep my hands to myself then"
Remus, who had his arms wrapped tightly around the hippogriffs neck, steered the beast through the sky. Sirius seemed to be enjoying the flight more than he was; Remus knew how to fly, but he preferred to keep his feet on the ground. After over an hour of soaring through the sky, a magnificent castle reared into view. It sat atop a hill, like Slytherins castle, and it too was fortified. However Gryffindor castle was wider than Slytherin, but not as tall or with as many towers protruding from the top. Behind the hill, the morning sun was beginning to rise.
"Not bad, is it?" Remus said as Sirius gazed at it in awe.
"No. Not bad at all"
After another forty minutes of solid flying, the hippogriff began to descend from the clouds towards the castle. The hippogriff landed on the grassy path which led up to the castle. From where they landed it was a good 100 metres, giving the two more time to talk.
"So do you think I'll be welcomed into Gryffindor?" Sirius asked as they walked.
"Doubt it. If you don't tell them you're from Slytherin then it won't be so bad" Remus told him.
"They'll recognise my name. We Blacks are a very influential family. Caused Gryffindor some problems in the past"
"Oh really?"
"Yeah, whenever there's a fight, at least one family member, if not more, always seem to be involved" Sirius admitted.
"Have you ever fought against Gryffindor clan?" Remus asked.
"Not willingly" Sirius said honestly and, upon seeing Remus' horrified look, "But I've never killed anyone"
"That's a relief"
"What about you? Ever fought in a battle?"
"Yeah, a few although I prefer to keep out of conflict"
"Don't we all? Well no, actually, my cousin Bellatrix loves a good fight...seriously, you want to keep away from her"
They reached the enormous wall which stood around Gryffindor clan. In front of the enormous gate stood two guards. Sirius became increasingly more nervous at the sight of the guards .
"How was your trip Remus?" one guard asked, grinning.
"As enjoyable as ever, Gideon" Remus replied cheerily.
"Who's that you've got with you? Don't recognise him" the other guard said, narrowing his eyes at Sirius.
"Just a traveller I met on my way, Fabian. I'll need to speak to Godric about him, of course" Remus said.
"Godric knows you well now, I'm sure he'll be quite happy to speak with you. Dunno what to do about the hippogriff though" the guard called Gideon replied.
"I'd take it over to Hagrid, he's in charge of all the beasts. You know Rubeus Hagrid, don't you Remus?" Fabian said, as he and Gideon pushed the enormous gates open.
"Yes, a little" Remus said as he, Sirius and the hippogriff walked through the open gate "Thanks guys"
Sirius followed Remus through the town. Like Slytherin, there was a castle in the centre of the town which was surrounded by an array of houses and market stalls.
"Who are they?" Sirius said, looking back at the guards as they closed the enormous gates again.
"Gideon and Fabian Prewett. They're part of a big pureblood family who're all interconnected one way or another"
"Oh we've got plenty of those sorts of families back at Slytherin" Sirius replied as they walked down a path lined with many market stalls selling everything from fruit, to wands to Owls.
"You might want to keep your voice down. And don't say the 'S' word around here" Remus warned him.
"Got it. So where are you taking me?" Sirius asked.
"Up to Godric Gryffindor to see if he'll let you stay" Remus said.
"I'm not as bad as you first thought, am I?" Sirius said.
"No, you're alright. Still don't trust you yet" Remus said.
Sirius laughed heartily. "I'm sure we can become friends"
"It's a possibility if you're allowed to stay, of course. If not then you'll probably be publicly executed in a violent and humiliating manner" Remus said matter-of-factly.
Sirius stopped dead in his tracks. "What?"
"I'm just joking. The most they'll do is kick you out into the wilderness" Remus said with a smile.
"That's reassuring" Sirius mumbled.
They walked and talked for another ten minutes until they reached a large set of stables. There stood an enormous man, who was taller than anyone Sirius had ever seen before. Sirius guessed he must be part troll or something. The large man had a bushy black beard and hands as which could crush Sirius' head in one easy squeeze.
"Morning Hagrid" Remus said to the large man "I've got something for you"
"Oh 'ello Remus, you alrigh'?" Hagrid said, before setting his eyes on the hippogriff "Oh my...an 'ippogriff! We ain't got one o' them, very hard to catch..."
Sirius handed the rope to which the hippogriff was attached to Hagrid, who like mightily impressed.
"An' who might this be?" Hagrid said, looking down at Sirius.
"My names Sirius" he said, without giving out his surname "You must be Rubeus Hagrid"
"Tha's me alrigh', keeper of magical creatures" he said "We got everythin' here, unicorns, thestrals, even a couple dragons down the underground chamber...could show yeh one time if yer interested"
"Thanks Hagrid but we really have to be getting on" Remus interrupted, ushering Sirius out of the stables. Hagrid waved goodbye with his saucepan hands as Remus and Sirius continued onto the castle.
When they reached the entrance to the castle, two more guards who Sirius found out were called Benjy Fenwick and Caradoc Dearborn opened the 20ft steel doors open for them to enter. They walked up a broad staircase which was carved purely out of marble. Sirius was impressed by the liveliness off the castle; while Slytherin was dark, cold and lifeless, Gryffindor was warm, lit up by lanterns and flaming torches, and full of smiling faces of guards, civilians and important figures alike. Remus said a friendly hello to almost everyone they passed; in Slytherin, even making eye contact with someone was considered unusual. The corridors of the castle bore Gryffindor banners; the gold lion emblazoned on a scarlet background. When Remus and Sirius reached the very highest tower of the castle, they were met once again by a pair of guards who stood in front of a small door.
"James! I didn't realise you were on guard duty today" Remus said to one guard.
"I didn't either until Frank here pulled me in last minute to take over from old Elphias Doge. He's fallen in; I've got Lily at home concocting the old man a Soothing Solution" James said.
"Who's this guy then Remus?" Frank asked.
"Everyone's asking that question today!" Remus said, exasperated.
"That's because we're not used to seeing new faces around here" James said "I'm James Poter, by the way, and you are..."
"You can call me Sirius" he said.
"Sirius what?" Frank asked.
"Black. Sirius Black" he told him.
"When can we see Godric?" Remus said quickly "It's important"
Frank was looking suspiciously at Sirius. James, who obviously wasn't the most observant, ignored Sirius' surname and continued talking to Remus.
"I think you can go up now. He's probably talking to Albus but I suspect they're nearly done" James said, opening the door for the two men "Up you go"
Sirius nodded politely to the guards and followed Remus up the flight of stairs. At the top, they reached an enormous room which was almost empty apart a golden throne, several lit candles, an enormous Gryffindor banner and two bearded men, who were conversing most intently.
"Word from Severus is that Salazar is getting restless. He wants to begin his conquest" the shorter, stockier man with the ginger beard muttered in a very hushed voice to the taller man "And at this point, we fear Rowena may side with him. You'd think such an intelligent woman would know when – ah, hello Remus"
The two bearded men looked up.
"Lord Gryffindor" Remus said, bowing respectfully. Sirius, who was unsure of what to do, followed Remus' lead and also bowed.
"What is it? Albus and I are very busy right now – " Godric said.
"- I'll be quick, my Lord, I promise" Remus said shortly.
"Spit it out then Remus" Godric said. Sirius noticed the taller man with the white beard, Albus, eyeing him up thoughtfully.
"This man here is Sirius. Sirius Black"
"Black?" Albus said instantly "He can't be related to the Black family of Slytherin clan – "
" – unfortunately, I am" Sirius admitted.
"Then what on earth did you bring him here for Remus?" Godric bellowed.
"Wait, my Lord, he's not a Slytherin. Well, not really" Remus said.
"I don't want to hear it Remus" Godric growled forcefully " You'd better – "
" – wait, Godric. I think we should listen to what Black has to say before we pass any judgements" Albus said calmly. Godric looked up at Albus from his golden throne for a second and said "Very well then"
"Regretfully, I was brought up a member of the Black family in Slytherin clan. Ever since I was little I wanted to leave, run away and start somewhere new, somewhere where everyone isn't a crazy pureblood lunatic. So last night, I ran away for good. And I stumbled across good Remus in a forest and he guided me here" Sirius explained.
"How do we know we can trust you?" Godric asked.
"You can't. But you should" Sirius said "Look at is this way; my family were very powerful. I heard a lot of Salazar's plans. I can give you secrets. I just need a place to live"
Nobody spoke for a minute. Albus continued to stare at Sirius while Godric stroked his bushy ginger beard in thought. After a while he spoke.
"I will let you stay. However, if I hear of any funny business involving you, you'll be out of Gryffindor and back into the wild. You may leave now"
Sirius sighed in relief.
"Thank you, Lord Gryffindor" he said, bowing once. He then scurried out of the Kings chamber along with Remus.
"Well, well, well. What a day it's been" Remus said.
"Indeed" Sirius agreed "What. A. Day"
Over in the sprawling valleys of Wales in a large village, all was not well with the Hufflepuff clan. Inside the biggest building in the clan, seven witches and wizards sat around a circular table. The room was lit up by hundreds of flaming torches, giving the room a warm, cosy feeling. The chairs upon which the wizards were sitting on were soft and velvety; Helga Hufflepuff liked her colleagues to feel comfortable.
"You may be wondering why I've called you today" Helga said, standing up from her chair and addressing the others "One of Godric's spies in Slytherin, who shall remain unnamed, has heard that Salazar Slytherin is preparing his clan for conquest as we speak. Slytherin wants this country to himself; he wants to take out the other clans. We fear that a war is coming"
There was silence for a minute or so. Then somebody spoke up.
"Then we must prepare to fight too" said a girl in her mid twenties with bright pink hair "Hufflepuff clan cannot stand by and let this happen"
"No, we can't, Nymphadora. Thankfully we have a strong alliance with Gryffindor and they will fight alongside us, should a war come. Ravenclaws allegiance remains unknown at this point in time. We have reason to believe Salazar offered Rowena a share in the land if she fights with him"
"Would she really believe such a blatant lie? Slytherin would never share any land like that" said a a middle aged man.
"You're right, Amos, he wouldn't. Most likely he'll use Rowena's army to help defeat us – "
" – we won't go down without a fight – " Nymphadora said, banging her fist on the table.
"Thank you Dora. As I was saying, he'll use her army against us and Gryffindor, and once we're done he'll double cross her and take her land for himself" Helga said.
"You'd think an intelligent woman like Rowena would know better"
"So Slytherin offered to give you part of his land? You really think he'll stick to a deal like that?"
"Yes, Xenophilius, he did. And no, Xenophilius, I don't" Rowena said in the highest tower of Ravenclaw palace.
"Then why are you even considering agreeing to fight with him?" the old Garrick Ollivander asked.
"Because we can double cross him" Rowena said with a sly smile "Once we've conquered Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, we can turn on Slytherin before he turns on us"
"That's risky, Lady Ravenclaw, very risky indeed" tiny Filius Flitwick said.
"A war is coming whatever happens. Gryffindor and Hufflepuff don't stand a chance against Slytherin" Rowena said.
"But if we join the other two, it will be three against one"
"Thank you Xeno, I can count" Rowena snapped "Slytherin has by far the strongest army. He'll find a way to win with or without our help"
"Maybe it is worth the risk" Ollivander suggested.
"Are you out of your minds?" squeaked Flitwick.
"I think you've forgotten who is in charge around here" Rowena said demandingly, pacing the room in the highest tower, her emerald blue robes swirling around her feet "If I say something is to happen, it happens"
"Very well" Filius said quietly.
"We need to get our army prepared. Filius; you're one of the best duellists we have. Teach the youngsters how to fight. We'll need all the help we can get" Rowena commanded.
"You're bringing children into this?" Ollivander said, shocked.
"Not children, exactly. Anyone over the age of 15 must fight. Anyway between the ages of 12 and 14 may fight if they so wish. You're the best wandmaker in the land, Garrick, so make some more please. We'll need all the weapons we can get"
The four stood quietly for a moment.
"You may leave"
A/N. This idea just sprang into my mind out of nowhere yesterday and I couldn't help but write! If you read, THANK YOU, and I hope you enjoyed it. Very long, I know. I may or may not finish this story, chances are it'll be a long-running task. Reviews are welcome! Thank you so much for reading.