HERE TO SURVIVE

CHAPTER ONE
THE WELCOMING

You're wrong if you think I'll be just like you
On my own, cause I can't take living with you
I'm alone, so I won't turn out like you want me to
Three Days Grace – Just Like You

Knock-knock.

Sirius Black regarded the knock on his family's solid oak front door with little interest. His lovely parents had forbid from greeting visitors due to his unpredictable nature. For that's what they called his-problem-his ability to make strange things happen.

Sirius never knew when these strange things were going to happen thus the unpredictable part. Hell, he had no control or even explanation for the rare occurrences he just knew that eventually they would. There was no avoiding them. No suppressing them. Despite his parents best efforts to force him to be normal.

Knock-Knock.

This time, the knocking garnered more attention from Sirius. He lowered the volume of the telly and cocked his head to the side, his eyebrows knitting together as he focused, trying to hear for his parents footsteps but he heard none.

Lately his abilities had begun enhancing some of his senses. His hearing for one had increased tenfold. He could easily hear the conversations his parents had in their upstairs bedroom, even with their door shut, from on the first floor.

Not that he could tell anyone. His parents were ashamed of him and his random outbursts that they couldn't make sense of. No normal person should be able to do that they had told him once, several years ago when he had his first outburst.

His family tried their hardest to keep him hidden from visitors or the public. He was the first born son, the heir, to the multi-million dollar Black Corporation. But Sirius would bet all his trust fund that only a handful of people even knew he existed. Most were just familiar with his younger brother, Regulus. The perfect child. At least according to his parents. His younger brother didn't have the condition Sirius did which made him automatically more favorable in his parents' eyes. They could take him out in public and show him off without the risk of an outburst that could cost them their reputation.

But Sirius didn't mind. Not really. He knew the secrets of the company. He knew about their embezzlement scams, their connections with some unsavory people and he quite honestly didn't want to follow in his family's footsteps. Their thieving, corrupt footsteps.

A second knock to the door had Sirius resigning to the punishment of answering it. It was most likely better than not answering it and risk pissing off the guest.

After he made up his mind, Sirius let out a huff of breath that blew his fringe off his forehead. It was getting long, so long that it sometimes impeded his vision but Sirius didn't mind. In fact, he wanted his hair longer. It was an act of rebellion against his parents and he wanted to see just how long he could grow it before his parents snapped and either forced him to cut it or exiled him to his room permanently.

"Bloody hell, I'm coming," he muttered as he heard a third knock and pushed himself off the couch, moving towards the door with a certain grace that was expected of an heir of the Black enterprise.

Upon reaching the foyer, Sirius reached out a hand that was fairly large for a fourteen-year-old and grasped the shining silver doorknob, twisting it before taking a step back in preparation of greeting the persistent guest.

One glace at the man had Sirius letting out an undistinguished snort.

The man had wispy white hair that came down to his shoulders and a matching white beard. Half-moon spectacles were perched on top of his nose covering disturbingly bright blue eyes but surprisingly that wasn't the most disturbing part of the man. It was his attire. He was dressed in what Sirius assumed to be robes covered in random silver stars and moons in a horribly bright purple.

Sirius rolled his eyes again while giving a disbelieving shake of his head before turning away from the crazy man standing on his doorstep.

"Oi, mother! Some fag's here ta see you!" he yelled in the direction of the stairs.

Several seconds later his mother appeared at the top of the marble staircase looking agitated. She began smoothing her hands down the front of her ivory dress before bringing them back up to comb through her the inky black, straight hair. The same hair Sirius had inherited and his was thankful that it was only in looks that he took after his family.

Her heels clicking loudly as she hurried gracefully down the stairs to stand next to her son.

"Sirius," she hissed while placing a delicate and perfectly manicured hand onto his arm. But the delicacy of her hand did not prevent her from trying to inflict damage upon him for in the next instant her grasp tightened and her nails dug into his pale skin.

She leaned her head in towards his to whisper in his ear and he caught an overwhelming waft of her expensive perfume that gave him an immediate headache.

"I thought we discussed that you were under no uncertain circumstances to answer our door."

Sirius grimaced as her grip caused a twinge of pain to race up his arm but he gave her a winning smile as he tugged his arm away.

"Oh mummy dearest," he began in a sickly-sweet voice, "I just assumed you would have rather not let our guest wait on us any longer." His brought one of his hands up to his heart and his face then transformed into a look of mock sincerity before he added, "It's incredibly rude."

Sirius let out a short bark of laughter as backed away from the psychotic woman standing in front of him that called herself his mother and threw up a two-finger salute at her, intending to head up the stairs to his room.

Maybe I'll get a few minutes of peace before Father catches word of my actions, he thought smugly.

However, Sirius was only to the first stair when he heard the strange man speak and it wasn't to his mother.

"Oh, my dear boy! Please don't go, I'm here to speak with you."

Sirius paused with his foot atop the first step and looked back over his shoulder, an incredulous look on his face. No one ever came to talk to him, there must be a mistake, he thought with certainty.

Apparently, so had his mother for she broke out into a tense laugh, placing a hand onto the man's shoulder.

"Oh goodness, you must be confused sir. That's my uh-nephew. You wish to speak with Regulus, no? Let me call him for you. Reg-"

But the older man surprised Sirius yet again and cut her off, raising a hand to point towards Sirius.

"Oh, no, Mrs. Black. I am without a doubt here to speak with that young man, you're ah, nephew."

The white-haired man fixed Walburga Black with a look that told her that he knew exactly who Sirius was. He then turned his intense, seemingly knowing gaze back on Sirius himself.

"My boy, I am Professor Dumbledore and I am here to offer you a chance to be accepting into my exclusive school: Hogwarts School of Gifted Youngsters. Do please come back and give me a chance to explain my offer." He continued and swept his arm out to gesture towards the sitting room.

"Oh do please excuse me," his mother injected. "But if you are looking for gifted boys you must really meet Regulus. I'm sure he is just what you are looking for, Professor."

Professor Dumbledore shook his head gently and walked over to take a seat on the black leather couch.

He folded his hands on his lap. "Please sit, Sirius. Mrs. Black, I am not looking for Regulus, please understand. He is too young to enter into my boarding school at this current time. I am here for Sirius, and Sirius alone."

Unreal. It was the only thing Sirius's shocked mind could come up with at the time. Someone, albeit a crazy someone, was offering him a chance to get away from his family. To go to a boarding school. Away from his family.

He lifted his foot off the marble stair and walked as in a trance to the sitting room, taking a seat opposite the man named Professor Dumbledore.

Sirius didn't even notice the face of his mother light up at the mention of boarding school.

"You mean, you would take him away? As in, Sirius would be gone for eight months out of the year?" She turned her head to look at him and her face was set with determination. "You will go with this man, do you understand, Sirius? He is offering you a chance you will never receive from anyone else."

For the first time since Sirius had laid eyes on him, the older man seemed surprised at the statement that came from her. Once again turning his wide blue eyes to Walburga Black.

"But Mrs. Black, you haven't even heard about what kind of school I run. Aren't you interested in the slightest?"

Her trill of laughter was all the conformation Sirius needed.

"Not in the slightest," she replied. "I'm going to inform your father, Sirius."

She looked over at the Professor as she started to walk away. "When does he leave? And don't worry about the tuition; we have plenty of money to cover whatever you ask, just get in touch with one of my husband's secretary."

And with that Walburga Black walked away without a backwards glance, successfully having gotten rid of the, excuse the pun, black mark in her family.

Awkward silence crept in as Sirius realized he was left alone with this strange man who had changed his whole life in a matter of minutes.

He lifted his steel gray eyes to look at the Professor and jerked back in surprise when he found him already staring back and a flush instantly starting creeping up his neck.

"My dear Sirius, this will be a new start for you. You see, my school is not just any ordinary school. It's a school for gifted people such as you and me," he explained.

Sirius's forehead wrinkled in confusion, there was no way he could know about his abilities. "You and me, sir? And what do you mean by gifted?"

Instead of telling him, Professor Dumbledore just lifted his hand and flicked his fingers.

The paperback novel that was just lying on the coffee table between them began to float as if being picked up by an invisible string.

"Brilliant," Sirius whispered as his gray eyes remained fixed on the book as it gently floated to lie back on the table.

Sirius's attention was then snapped back to the Professor when he heard him let out a gentle laugh.

"That my boy, is just the beginning of our gifts." His blue eyes seemed to alight behind his spectacles and then he clapped his hands and stood up, making Sirius jump.

"Well that was easier than I thought. We leave immediately." He leaned over to get closer to Sirius and added in a conspiratorial tone, "I don't think you're much wanted here, my boy. I think we will have no problem getting you on your way to place where we welcome everyone of abnormal circumstances."