Delirious

Delirious

Chapter One: Sirius Black.

It was cool for summer and the streets had been freshly washed with rain. Sirius Jeremiah Black sat huddled in the doorway of an abandoned building, reading. He wore a filthy wife-beater and over-sized plaids held up with string, things that the local housewives had given out to homeless children last Easter. Only, Sirius Black wasn't a homeless child. He lived in a one-room shack with his alcoholic mother and spent most of his days picking pockets for a living.

The eleven-year-old hooded his eyes and sighed, crumpling the letter in his hands. He had found it in his mother's purse last evening and had stolen it when she wasn't looking. Katherine Stephens had a tendency to keep letters from her son, paranoid as she was of her numerous ex-boyfriends finding out where they lived. She must have forgotten to burn this one like she had the others since the letter was dated from the beginning of July. Sirius bit his lip and spread out the letter again, smoothing out the wrinkles with one thin hand.

It was a letter from a school called Hogwarts and from the monogram, it looked expensive. It announced that Sirius had a place in this school for witchcraft and wizardry, and that they were 'awaiting his owl'. If this was a prank, it was a very elaborate one to pull and to be honest, Sirius could name a few people who would want to play a joke on him. If it was a ploy to get to his mother, it was about as stupid as plans went. Still, hope flared in the boy's breast, only to be snuffed out by the harsh realities of life. Even if such a school existed, Sirius doubted that his mother could afford to send him there. After all, it was all she could do to send him to school now.

"There you are. Thought yeh'd never got the owl!"

A large booming voice jolted Sirius out of his misery and before he could react, he was caught in a hug by something that resembled a large bear. He struggled and spluttered, too shocked to say anything before he was placed gently back onto the ground. A giant stood before the eleven-year-old, positively the largest man that Sirius had ever seen in his life. His face was completely covered with hair and all Sirius could see were a pair of beetle-black eyes twinkling as he stared, open-mouthed, at the strange man who stood before him.

"Well. We better get goin'. Can't keep the others waiting."

"Wait a minute. Owls? Others?"

Sirius narrowed his gray eyes and stared at the giant before him, cold logic descending upon his shoulders like a calming blanket. Logic and commonsense was what had kept him from starving for as long as he could remember, and the realization that the stranger wasn't making any sense somehow calmed the boy. The giant looked vaguely surprised before beaming.

"I fergot. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of the Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."

Sirius looked vaguely horrified when the giant held out a plate-sized hand, reaching out to grasp the boy by his arm. He braced himself for the jolting and socket-wrenching handshake that was to come and was mildly shocked that although the handshake was enthusiastic, Hagrid was surprisingly gentle.

"Yeh'll be needing explaining, being brought up by Muggles an' all."

"Beg your pardon?"

Hagrid looked sympathetically at the boy before him and shook his shaggy head. Sirius bristled at the look of pity and stood up to his full height, half-suspecting that he had been insulted.

"Muggles. That means non-magic folk like yer mum."

"Oh."

Sirius stared at Hagrid as if he had gone out of his mind. Then he reconsidered. Not many people would simply walk up to someone as filthy as he was and hug the living daylights out of him, so the reasonable assumption was that Hagrid was already bonkers to start with. It wasn't a comforting thought.

"So… I'm a wizard or something?" he ventured cautiously, glancing around for people that might possibly save him. Most of the people around looked surprised at Hagrid's sheer size, but quickly averted their eyes as if to avoid trouble. Sirius sighed inwardly. He hadn't expected help anyway.

"Yer a wizard al' right. Dumbledore said so hisself."

Hagrid practically beamed at Sirius as his beetle-black eyes glanced nervously around for eavesdroppers. Somehow it looked comical, and Sirius couldn't help himself smiling, even if the action was suspicious in its own right.

"Yeh'll best keep that to yerself, see. It's a secret that wizarding folk live among Muggles."

Sirius folded his arms and hugged himself, not believing that of all the kids around that area, he was the one that was stuck with this raving madman. The giant seemed slow and incapable of lying and the intensity of his gaze somehow confirmed Sirius's belief that he was not all together there, but in spite of everything, the boy found himself liking the large and bumbling man.

"So. Where are we going? Who are we going with?"

Hagrid smiled expansively and shook his shaggy head. If he had a tail, it would be wagging.

"We'll be getting James Potter and Peter Pettigrew, an' then we'll be getting up ter town to buy yer books an'-"

"I don't have any money."

Hagrid stopped short. Then he gaped at Sirius. Hands in pockets and shifting nervously from one foot to another, Sirius ducked his head and stared at his feet. His shoes had holes in them and he didn't wear socks. Embarrassed, the boy flushed and tried to scuff off the mud caked around his toes.

"Ye don't mean to say yer father didn't leave you any money?"

Hagrid looked incredulous when Sirius bit his lip and nodded. He cocked his head up at the large gamekeeper and glared.

"I never met him," he spat, cheeks turning pink with shame and defense. "Mother never told me who he was, and seeing things as it is, he was probably one of her clients."

He half expected a look of disgust on Hagrid's face, but to his surprise, the giant only looked thoughtful. Hagrid scratched his chin and slowly smiled, reaching with his large hands towards the boy's face. Sirius recoiled reflexively but quick as lightning, Hagrid's hand curled around the space beside his ear. Putting a thick finger to his lips, Hagrid grinned mischievously and opened his fist. Sirius gaped. There was a tiny gold key in Hagrid's hand.

"Figured old Alastair Black'd do somethin' like 'at," Hagrid beamed. "He took care o' his own, he did."

Sirius remembered to close his mouth when the giant casually dropped the key into his hand, winking as he did so. Gold. Real gold. It was the first time he had seen it up close, and Hagrid simply gave it to him. The giant's eyes softened as he took in the shocked expression in the boy's face. Then he stood and stretched.

"Haven't got all day, yeh know. Better get goin' or the shops'll close."

Hagrid thumped Sirius affectionately on the shoulder and gently shoved the boy towards the street. Stunned beyond belief, Sirius complied and began walking. If this were a joke, he'd have to laugh along with it. But until it was proven, it felt good to hope.