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Chapter 1: The Fallen Star
All you could hear was the sound of the cutlery rubbing the plates while the atmosphere was heavy, cold and oppressive. Sitting in the dining room, with the rest of his family, Sirius, the eldest of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, was tilting his chair back on two legs, slamming it in this pesky silence.
His dark hair fell back into his grey eyes with a sort of casual elegance. With his pale skin, his mocking and sufficient smile, Sirius had in him, though he did not particularly like to admit it, all the presence of that old wizard family to which he belonged.
'Toujours Pur' was their motto and the generations of heirs had not hesitated to marry between cousins to continue this lineage which they considered to be practically of royal blood.
His father, Orion Black, was enthroned at the end of the table, eating in silence not even giving his family a glance, absorbed into the Daily Prophet. Sirius was nothing like him, neither of appearance nor of temper. Orion was a weak man, always relying on his wife for any questions concerning the family. He was no man of decisions or actions.
His father had coarse features, his jaw was round, while Sirius's seemed to have been carved in marble. His short and grayish hairs were flat and dull while Sirius's were dark black and as silk-like. His brown eyes often try to escape other person's glare, while Sirius's eyes stared at you, reading deep into your soul. No, he was nothing like his father, but was instead, the portrait of his mother.
Walburga Black was a tall, slender woman with long, thick black hair that fell on her shoulders with the same elegance as Sirius's, her black and cold eyes were on him at that moment, burning him like fire as she stared at him without a word, as he used to do it himself with other people. Sirius had inherited all his graceful features from her. Nobody could deny that he was her son.
She was exactly what a Black should be. Walburga was née Black herself and had married Orion, her second-degree cousin or something like that, Sirius could never well remember it. By doing so, she was able to continue the pure-blood lineage and thereby, entered the main branch of the family.
He sighed, trying to ignore the silent oppression she was putting on his head before turning his gaze towards his younger brother Regulus. Regulus was like an amateur portrait that someone would have tried to make of Sirius. He had the same dark hair, the same eyes but everything was coarser in his appearance that resembles Orion's features.
He had never had the presence of Sirius, and never would he have it, no matter how hard he would try. There was nothing to distinguish him from the others, not like Sirius, who only had to raise his head for the people to admire what generations of pure-blood aristocracy look like.
However, Regulus was his mother's favorite son, and Sirius knew that she was waiting for the slightest opportunity to strip him of his eldest title and make Regulus the one and only heir.
He hated his mother and his only motivation for the summer he had to spend at Grimmauld Place, was knowing that he was driving Walburga completely insane.
He put make-up on because he knew she hated that, so he did it more during the holidays, intensifying the black lines around his eyes just to see his mother fulminate each time she had to look at him. She abhorred his long locks falling in front of his face so he let them grow during the summer.
She had ordered him to be calm and posed and to behave himself. So he took pleasure in screaming and running everywhere as quickly as possible, sometimes jumping steps in the stairs making the big portrait of herself she had hang in the hall before the summer, yelled at him.
He suddenly rose from his chair without asking permission, with a smirk before finally putting his gaze into his mother's, defying her arrogantly. -I'm not hungry; I'm going to my room. He said -Anyway, he added, glancing at his plate with disgust. -I'm not sure you know how to cook meals mother.
-You sit down immediately Sirius; I will not repeat myself to you, ungrateful child. She had said that, in a so calm and cold voice, that he saw Regulus repress a chill of horror. His father, on the other hand, stood still, as if nothing of this was actually happening.
-As I've told you, mother, I'm going to my room. Bonne appétit.
-It's hard to appreciate my meal when you stand before me. She said with that same, ice cold voice, looking at him with disgust. -I still can't believe you're my son. Nobody has ever shamed the Black Family like you did. Befriend that Potter boy, choosing Gryffindor. She continued, spitting that last word as if it were dangerous for her health.
-There, there, darling. Orion said to her briskly, gently patting his hand, without raising his eyes of his newspaper. -Contain yourself, you know he's not worth the effort.
-You are right. Walburga replied, taking her towel to wipe the corners of her lips gracefully. -Your little rebellion is over now Sirius. She continued.
-My little rebellion? Repeated Sirius coldly. -Because you think this is a joke for me!?
-Sit down Sirius, and listen carefully to your mother. Hissed Orion. Yet Sirius remained on his feet, with his hands on the back of his chair, staring at the both of them. - Well, as I see, you prefer the hard way. His father pulled out his wand to point it at him.
Sirius then felt a soft sensation of floating invading him, his head slowly emptying of all worries and he fell himself sitting down against his own will. He saw Regulus twisted his hands nervously when he came back to himself, blinking his eyes, having trouble believing that his father had really used the Imperiatus curse on him.
-Good. Walburga exclaimed. -I'll do it sample, to make sure you'll understand every word I am going to say. Sirius glanced furiously at her. -You'll get married when you'll be graduated from Hogwarts.
-I beg your pardon! I will certainly not!
-Sorry but was I, for one moment... said Walburga to him. -Looking like I was asking for your opinion, you arrogant sufficient child! You will do what you are told to do, even if we need to force you into doing it.
-So this is it! Sirius shouted loudly, his voice echoing in the dining room as he clenches his fists. -You really think I will bow to your inbred marriage! Well, people are damned right! The Blacks are really suffering from insanity and clearly, you two, are the most psychotic of the lot! He shouted before bursting into laughter and standing up again to run out of the dining room. Climbing the steps of the stairs two by two, trying to get back to his bedroom as quickly as possible, hoping to be faster than his mother.
Still laughing, as he reached the top of the stairs, he could not help it and he risked himself, bending his head over the railing to see if she had followed him. But there was no one. With a satisfied smile, he turned around and then, out of the sudden, he received a gigantic slap in the face that made him fall to the ground. His mother had Apparated next to him when he'd looked down the stairs. He remained under shock, a hand clutching his face where she had slapped him.
-Now, she said, grabbing him by the hair, forcing him to stand up as he let out a scream, trying to make her let go of him. -You're going to do, what you're told to do, or you can be sure you'll stay here till you've finally learned some manners, but we all know you're a desperate case. She said, forcing him to go ahead. He turned his head to see Regulus walked into his room, looking at him anxiously, holding his door half closed, as he watched the scene, helpless. What can he had possible done for Sirius against his mother?
Sirius suddenly felt a pain so intense crossing his body that he collapsed to the floor, screaming out loud while he felted as thought his organs were literally melting and boiling inside of him.
And then, everything stopped as it had come. He was lying on the floor, gasping for air, drops of sweat dripping on his face, has he turned painfully towards his mother, who stood with his wand lifted, ready to inflict him the torture curse once more.
-I never told you to look behind you, but I had assured you, that you were going to obey me. Now get up.
She did not wait for him to stand by himself and she forced him to do so by grabbing him by the hair again. He was taller than her, he knew he was stronger than her, but his mother was a terrifying woman. He knew, however, that if she succeeded in getting his hands on him, it was over for him and he'll pay the price, as he was now. Sometimes, only sometimes, he regrets to never know when it was time to shut his mouth up.
He fell hard on his bedroom floor when she finally release his hair and he went painfully to lay against his bed, his body trembling head to foot. Walburga threw a look of disgust at the Gryffindor banners that Sirius had hung around his room with perpetual glue charms, as well as motorcycles and Muggles girls dressed lightly, before finally looking at him.
Sirius closed his eyes, ready to receive the spell again. Despite his determined and stubbornness personality, today more than ever, he found it difficult to be a lion in a pit of snakes.
- I should have got rid of you the day you were born, I knew something was wrong with you. She told him, before going out and shutting the door closed behind her.
He finally allowed himself to relax when he heard her walk away in the corridor and he climbed onto his bed, still trying to catch his breath. Squeezing his fists furiously, his heart pounding, he let out a bitter laugh for himself. What would the others at school say if they could see him right now?
The so popular Sirius Black that nothing and no one could silence. He, who was always laughing, screaming and jumping everywhere. Honest with everyone, seeming to be above all that was going on in his family, proclaiming loudly every time he could, that he would never fall into the hands of the Dark Arts.
He let out a second laugh which died against the walls of his bedroom, a lump in his throat, his body still stretched, suffocated, hurting him.
Everyone knew that he was the black sheep of his family, that he did not approve of the unorthodox methods of the Blacks, that he dissociated himself from them and that he was always, every time he could, doing exactly the opposite of what his family asked of him.
But no one would ever have imagined that the situation was so painful for him at home, and no one would have thought that he was threatened to be torture for everything, or simply because it was entertaining his dear mother. No one knew that the Imperiatus curse was used on him at least once a day because he refused to answer to his parents.
Only James knew exactly what was going on behind Grimmauld Place closed doors. He was the only one who had seen what it was like to stand up to Walburga Black. And as of Remus, Sirius was trying to keep him in the dark with what it was like to leave there, the poor boy already having enough of his own problems, to begin with.
When Moony was trying to find out what was going on or was close of finding it, Sirius made gestures of impatience and took the boy by the shoulders to shook him, laughing, telling him he doesn't have anything to worry about.
But Sirius knew that Remus was still looking at him over his book, trying to find a flaw in him to learn what was wrong with him and what had happened. He knew he was not tricking the werewolf, but it was so much easier to pretend there was nothing and that he was well, even if sometimes, it was too much for him to bear.
He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself, clenching his teeth, doubting that the next day would probably be a painful day for him and that he would have to pass through it like all of the other crappy days. Life was hell when he was ''home''.