The Black family of #12 Grimmauld Place were a particularly intimidating bunch. All of them had been Slytherins, though a couple misfits seemed to belong somewhere else. The second youngest boy, Sirius, was about to start his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He ran along the tight hallways with his younger brother, Regulus, as his messy mop of hair smacked him in the face. They were pretending to be on brooms and racing each other to the kitchen. When they arrived, Sirius had gotten their first, and he held out his hand to stop his brother. Their mother was standing in front of them, looking very stern.
"Sirius, what have I told you about fooling about in the house?" She scolded. The boys looked down at their feet and muttered apologies before scurrying off to Sirius's room. Regulus shut the door after him and sat on the bed with his brother. They were laughing, but Sirius stopped suddenly.
"What's wrong?" Regulus asked. Sirius hesitated.
"Reg, what if I'm not in Slytherin? I don't want to be in Slytherin, but what will they do if I'm not?" Sirius's voice dropped to a breaking whisper. They sat in silence. The dark walls seemed to be getting smaller. The skeleton mobile above the bed appeared to be getting larger. What would happen if Sirius was not in the House the rest of his family was?