Written for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the subject Astrology, Water Task(Scorpio. Cancer, Pisces).
Word count:9179ee
WATER-task: Write about someone discovering a friend/family member/ loved one's secret.
Beta: The Lady Rogue
It was yet another start of the year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Students scrambled onto the Hogwarts Express. Greetings were exchanged and people laughed as they met their friends.
"Marlene, you cow! You didn't write to me!"
"Evans! Will you go out with me?"
"Remus, our new prefect!"
"Dorcas, will you ever stop eating!"
"In your dreams, Potter!"
Among all the voices, one voice was missing. One voice, that was there every year, creating a havoc, making a scene. Despite that, nobody noticed that Sirius Black was missing.
James Potter, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew had searched high and low for him, all over the Hogwarts Express. They had finally settled down into a carriage, thinking they'd meet him at the feast.
But he never appeared. They worried, of course, but among all the excitement and talks about their upcoming OWLs, all thought of him was pushed to the backs of their minds.
The children sat down after being sorted, Professor Dumbledore gave his usual speech, people stuffed their faces with food, and yet there was no sign of Sirius Black.
The older students ran up to their Common Rooms once the first years were settled and began talking about the upcoming year.
As the clock ticked on, students began to leave the Common Rooms and retreat to their dorms. But the Marauders stayed, waiting for their final member.
Since they had nothing else to do, they began eating sweets brought from home and planning the next big prank.
It was when the owls began hooting, when the whole castle slept and when the clock struck twelve, that the door of the Gryffindor common room slowly opened.
"Aw, Moony!" James was laughing as he and Remus watched an overexcited Peter who had just swallowed the last of chocolate frogs.
Sirius Black cursed. The only reason he was this late was that he'd wanted to avoid these people.
"I will kill you, Wormtail!" Remus growled and there was the sound of Peter squeaking. Sirius scratched his head. He had to face them now.
He entered and saw the others sitting at their usual spot near the fireplace. James was, as usual, the first one to notice him.
"PADFOOT!" he cried dramatically. Sirius was really not in a mood for this. But, James was angry and confused and he wasn't the most expressive man around. So, he did what he did best - dramatics.
"Where art thou been?" he laughed. Sirius' lips twitched. This was where he belonged. Not at the stupid…
"None of your business," he said coldly. It was now or never.
It was a shock. A shock to everyone. Sirius would never, in his life, do something so cruel.
"What's the matter, Sirius?" Peter asked. This just wasn't like him and Peter was scared. Well, he was always scared but in those times, he had Sirius to fall upon. Now though…
"I don't see a reason to tell you," Sirius sneered. His sneer would have given Snape a run for his money and Sirius hated himself for that very fact.
"Now," Remus said, being the peacemaker he always was. "There's no need to be so angry. I am sure we can work this out."
But James wasn't listening to him. His eyes were fixed on the figure who stood in darkness, hidden from the rest. There was something wrong - not his way of talking, but rather the way he carried himself.
"I don't see a reason to," Sirius said.
"Can you at least look at us when we're talking to you," James asked angrily.
Sirius clenched his fists. This was not what he had in mind for this year.
But Sirius wanted to tell them. So, he turned. Slowly and steadily, so that they could get an idea of and stay away from the monster he was about to become.
Everyone's eyes widened as they saw the bruised eye, his broken jaw and red nose. Is hair, usually such a mess, was properly tied back, much like a pureblood's would be.
"What the hell happened?"
Sirius flinched at Remus' tone. He didn't want to speak.
"I'll tell you what happened," James said, his body shaking. "Dear mother Walburga and Father Orion decided to knock some sense into this idiot and he thinks that we will not be able to see it."
"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Sirius shouted, all his emotion that he had bottled up for too long finally coming out. "THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME THEY HAVE DONE IT AND NOW THEY AREN'T GOING TO HURT JUST ME, THEY ARE GOING TO HURT EVERYONE I CARE ABOUT! IF YOU DON'T BLOODY GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU WILL ALL BE DEAD!"
Sirius' whole body was shaking. There, he had spoken everything. This was better. If they knew, they wouldn't be the bloody Gryffindors they always tried to be!
James slowly took a step forward towards his best friend and wrapped him in a hug. It was then that the tears began to flow.
"You idiot!" James cried. "As if those monsters could ever hurt us! All these years they were torturing you and you never told us? You are a bloody idiot!"
Sirius didn't know whether he should cry or laugh. But he knew that things would be better now-now that he was with his friends.
I am sick and I hardly managed to pen it down. tell me what you think!