Chapter 1: The Truth
Sirius sauntered awkwardly into the Black living room, and the unwelcome home once again rung it's disagreements to him by dropping some sort of vase on his head. Besides that, the stairs somehow managed to trip him (he'd broken his arm two times already) and the severed heads of elves in the hallways always seemed to turn their heads to watch him sinisterly.
It wasn't as if his family loved him; in fact the Black family had been the most powerful pureblood family with a completely spotless record of Slytherins, had it not been for Sirius being sorted into Gryffindor. Sirius, though having a wonderful life in Hogwarts, had never fit in his own home, and his parents were less than considerate to him. Not that he had cared, but he'd always envied other boys and how their mother … actually loved them.
The parents had been about to banish the boy anyways.
So he had run away.
Life at James' house was heaven. James' mother's cooking was delightful, and his house, though much smaller, was homier than Sirius' could have been if decorators hung balloons all over the walls. James' parents treated him like their own son, blissfully aware of how he had "defied" the Black family. Yet one day, a beautifully embroidered envelope had been sent to the Potter's house. He'd looked at it curiously before realizing it was addressed to him. He then opened it, finding a well-written letter of sorry to him. Never one to ignore the flattery in the note and the fact that they had given him a flying motorcycle (his obsession with motorcycles James had never understood) on account that he come back, he turned to James' parents before leaving. The two had looked at each other before giving their consent, and James's mother hugged him more vividly than his own mother ever could and would, and he had left.
And so he'd come back to his old home, where he received the motorcycle he had been promised, and even more flattery. It shocked him, but after Sirius had gotten over it, he sucked it all in, finally convinced that maybe his family really did love him.
So here he was. Sirius stood before his mother and father, the tyrants of his childhood. "Sirius, darling, come and sit down next to mother." She had used the voice that Sirius had often heard her now using in his presence, much to his cousin, Bellatrix's amusement.
But being said, everything amused Bellatrix Black.
She was insane.
Sirius glanced strangely at his mother before sitting in the empty armchair across from her. The woman gritted her teeth in fury. Sirius just looked at her, smirking.
"Sirius." His father nodded his head curtly. They had stayed less than communicative over the summer; in fact they had scarcely spoken at all.
"We have arranged something for you, dah-ling." His mother continued. Sirius sat stiffly, while an inner laugh almost threatened to burst out of him. "Dah-ling?" What was she, some American muggle?
"Let's just get this over with." His father muttered darkly. His mother looked at the man quietly before talking to Sirius.
"You have been betrothed, my dear son." Sirius groaned. So that was what it was about. The niceties, the compliments, the lack of insanity from Bellatrix. They wanted to continue the Black line. He was betrothed.
"To who?" His answer was abrupt. His parents looked at him, startled that he had taken it so easily.
His father started into introductions. "Her name is Symphonia Dawn Basilisc. ('What kind of name is that?'Sirius had thought in distaste.) She is currently the youngest in the royal family of the Chinese empire. Miss Basilisc is extremely important to us, to you, and we sincerely expect you to be able to finally regain your pride in our family, Sirius Orion Black."
"Why the hell is her name English if she's an effing Chinese princess?" Sirius retorted, rather mad and not thinking.
"You will not speak of her like that. We are holding a ball for her. We expect you to attend." The two walked briskly out the door, leaving the boy to ponder.
And so, the next night, Sirius found himself attending a ball. A ball. It was effing fantastic.