The Most Pitiful and Bigheaded House of Filthy Black
A boy sat in a dark room, staring gloomily at an object at the foot of his bed. The room around him seemed to reflect his mood. It had faded and peeling paper, its dark tones matching his four poster beds deep red hangings. It was peppered with all sorts of items, from candy wrappers to spare bits of parchment and broken quills and looked like it had not been cleaned in many weeks.
The boy was rather tall but could only have been around the age of eleven or ten; his black hair fell into his eyes in an elegant manner. He was quite handsome, his features rather distinguished, his eyes had the potential to be a warm brown, though right now they were dark and bitter. He wore fine clothes, a nice dress shirt, black pants and a tie, obviously it was some sort of special occasion though the scruffy way he wore the clothes detracted the eye from their superior quality. A black polished trunk sat at the end of his bed, secured neatly. It was at this trunk that the boy was casting such gloomy looks, as if it was irritating him in some manner.
Suddenly his there was a knock on his door and a croaky high voice sounded, "Young Master Sirius dinner is served."
The boy looked towards it angrily, "Leave me alone," he growled raising his voice so the creature on the other end could hear.
The creature knocked once more smartly, "Young Master Sirius mistress has sent me to call you to dinner."
"Leave me alone," Sirius snarled once more fiercely this time, turning his back on the door and glaring furiously at the peeling wallpaper as if it was bothering him.
These words did not seem to dissuade the creature on the other end whatsoever, and was a slight click his room door creaked open and the boy fiercely looked towards it. At first glance it appeared as if it had opened on its own accord, but when one turned their eyes down from a person's height and looked closer to the floor, one could see a wizened old creature with a large nose, drooping ears and a mouth much like a snout.
"That door was locked," snapped the boy rising angrily, "I thought I told you not to come in here…You have no right…you just can't walk in …you don't…go away!"
"Young Master Sirius," rasped the house elf as he tugged up his forever slipping white loin cloth and looked up at the boy, Sirius with eyes enveloped in folds of his loose hanging skin. "Mistress told Kreacher that he must bring you down to dinner."
Sirius glared down at the house elf, "She did, did she?" he hissed vehemently, "Well Kreacher you can go tell my dear mother that I don't want stupid dinner."
"You don't mean that Young Master Sirius," Kreacher rasped looking up at him with knowing eyes. They both knew that Sirius would never dare tell his mother that, nor would Kreacher ever relay such a message to his dear Mistress. "Now Mistress told Kreacher he must make sure Young Master Sirius comes down to dinner, and Kreacher will do what Mistress wants, but Kreacher does not want to force Young Master Sirius, no he doesn't."
Sirius looked as if he wanted to say 'I'd like to see you try,' but he held his tongue. He knew the capabilities and powers of a house elf. If ordered to do something, especially by his mother, Kreacher would go to any lengths to see it done.
Sirius settled for saying, "Oh he doesn't does he," in an aloof tone.
"No Kreacher does not Young Master Sirius," Kreacher croaked, looking up at him almost adoringly, "Kreacher does not want to hurt Young Master Sirius. No Kreacher likes Young Master Sirius, yes, Kreacher does. Kreacher has watched Young Master Sirius grow up from a baby, and shares the pride now Young Master Sirius is going to Hogwarts to continue to add honor and glory the proud and noble house of Black. "
Sirius said nothing to this, though he turned away from Kreacher and cast another gloomy glance towards the black trunk on his bed.
"Though Kreacher knew Young Master Sirius was not as happy as he should have been when he got his letter no, Kreacher noticed Young Master Sirius sulking more then usual up in his room, Young Master Sirius seemed….sad…."
"I'm not sad Kreacher," snarled Sirius furiously, quickly turning towards the house elf.
"No Young Master Sirius says he is not sad, but what then Young Master Sirius if not sad?" Kreacher continued, "Kreacher wonders…maybe Kreacher can help Young Master Sirius? Maybe Young Master Sirius is worried about school…"
"Maybe," muttered Sirius mutinously looking down at his feet, having a moment of weakness, "But you can't repeat that to anyone Kreacher…Not to anyone," he added hotly glaring at Kreacher.
Kreacher did not answer to this but continued gravely. "Maybe Young Master Sirius could tell Kreacher what he is worried about…"
"What so mother can hear," Sirius said angrily, "I don't think so Kreacher."
"Young Master Sirius underestimates Kreacher," said the house-elf rather sadly, "Young Master Sirius does not trust Kreacher, not like his brother Young Master Regulus."
"Oh yes perfect Regulus," Sirius spat vehemently, "Why don't you go talk to him then Kreacher if he's so wonderful!"
"Young Master Sirius is in a temper, but Kreacher takes no offence. Kreacher is here only to serve the proud…"
"And noble house of Black," growled Sirius ending Kreacher's sentence for him and rolling his eyes.
"Kreacher knows his feeling are inconsequential but he feels sad that Young Master Sirius feels as if he cannot trust Kreacher, feels as if Kreacher would betray his secrets when Kreacher would never think never, ever, ever, of doing such a thing."
"Yeah well," muttered Sirius looking down at his feet in a rather abashed manner, his anger gone. "Whatever Kreacher…I just don't really want to talk to anyone okay, not right now."
"Young Master Sirius must come down to dinner though," Kreacher rasped, "Kreacher has made all his favorite foods in celebration of the eve of going away to school. Kreacher has been making steak and chocolate éclairs and chicken and turkey and…"
"All right, all right Kreacher," Sirius cut across hastily. "I'll come down to dinner, just give me a moment okay, you know how they get when I don't come down looking all noble."
"Young Master Sirius promises he will come down?" Kreacher asked looking up at Sirius.
"Yes, yes I promise," Sirius muttered grudgingly, "Your task is done now, you can go tell mother I'll be down in a second."
Kreacher gave a low bow then moved towards the door in shuffling steps, he paused however as Sirius watched his progress, and turned to him once more.
"Kreacher thinks Young Master Sirius should not be worried about school," Kreacher said slowly, "Kreacher is very stupid, but Kreacher does know that Young Master Sirius will do well in school. Kreacher knows Young Master Sirius will be a credit to the proud and noble house of Black, and will show Mistress that he is worthy of the name so Mistress will no longer be upset and nor will Young Master Sirius and the Master's and Mistress Black will all be content again and Kreacher can serve you all. So Young Master Sirius should rest his worries, because he will do great things in Slytherin, Kreacher know because he is a Black."
Kreacher, obviously thinking he had been comforting Sirius in some way, shuffled out of the room closing the door behind him.
Sirius stared at it, and all the frustration since he had received the letter from Hogwarts and his mother and father had ranted and raved about family honor, and Slytherin and the 'right sort of people'. All the anxiety he had secretly been harboring that no would like him because he was a Black, and he would have to hang out with people like his family till the end of his days seemed to burst to the surface.
"No I won't," he roared grabbing a stray old shoe from the floor and throwing it at the door. "I won't be in Slytherin, I won't be noble and proud, I won't hang out with the right sort, I won't uphold the stupid name of the most pitiful and bigheaded house of filthy Black!"
He grabbed the shiny black trunk and dragged over the bed so it fell to the floor, it burst open revealing neatly packaged robes, shoes and items, all purchased and packed by Kreacher. Sirius gave the loathing thing a good kick and then howled with pain, holding his foot and hopping. He quickly fell on his bed and nursed his pounding foot. Finally after the pain had subsided he looked gloomily at the dank dark room that he had lived in for ten years. He doubted very much with his name, he would feel anymore at home in Hogwarts then he did here.
"I wonder if I could lie and say I'm someone else," he said aloud to the room at large, slightly hopeful. Getting up he moved towards an old grimy mirror (he hadn't let Kreacher in to clean in a while now). He looked at his reflection and scowled, feeling gloomy once more, there was no mistaking his features, he was a Black and no matter if he called himself Donald Boogin, dyed his hair to bright orange and put on an accent there was no mistaking it.
"Sirius," came his mother's shrieking voice from downstairs, "Stop sulking you foul boy and get down here at once, now!"
Sirius looked darkly at the mirror at the sound of his mother's voice. He remembered the argument they had that morning over breakfast which had led to his surly mood. For it seemed Kreacher was the only one that had confidence that Sirius would do anything remotely worthwhile in school. His mother had told him that morning she was surprised the school had even taken him, the stupid boy that he was. She carried on about staying away from 'Mudbloods' and at least trying to make the right connections and move in the right crowds though she did not expect much from him, no she made it clear it would be Regulus she was expecting all the honor and glory from. She made it fairly clear that the only worthwhile thing she was expecting from him really was to get in Slytherin, there was no question about that, the Black's had been in Slytherin for centuries.
"I'm such a failure am I," he growled to the mirror thinking of his mother's words, "I'm a stupid boy am I. Well I don't want to be there kind of winner, with all their stupid pure blood stuff, just because were Blacks everyone else is rubbish. Well if I don't want to make them proud, no I hope I'm a disgrace to them. I hope I'm not even in Slytherin," Sirius growled to the dirty mirror vehemently, "Actually I hope I'm in Gryffindor! Yeah…" he said grinning slightly as he imagined his parents looks if he was in Gryffindor. "Yeah and then maybe they'll disown me…Good, because I hate the stupid house of Black….I might even start disgracing her right now, why wait till school?"
"Shameful," the mirror snapped out as Sirius undid his collar and his tie, untucking his shirt and running his hand through his hair so it stood up at odd angles.
"That's exactly what I was going for," he replied to the mirror grinning and quickly running out of the room as his mother persisted in calling and threatening him. Sirius Black left his room in a slightly lighter mood; he was now a man…or a boy as it were, on a mission. He slammed the door behind him on his messy room with his trunk open on the floor.