The Wayward Son

"You look downright miserable."

Sirius lifted his gaze from picking at the sleeve of his very expensive dress robes to take in the figure that had approached him. A lazy smile graced his lips as he propped one foot on the low table in front of him and used the leverage to tip his chair back onto two legs.

"Astounding observation, little brother," Sirius drawled, quirking a corner on his mouth into a smirk.

Regulus dropped into an overstuffed armchair next to him. "Can't imagine why. You've been hiding in here all night. Mother has been marching me around for what feels like hours, introducing me to everyone and their grandmother out there."

Just across the hall, the annual Black family Christmas gathering – the Pureblooded event of the year, with all manner of stuffy old families in attendance – was in full swing. Sirius had suffered the noise and the crowd for only twenty minutes this year before he retreated across the hall to the library. He had been enduring this blasted ritual since before he could remember, but at fifteen years old he had reached his limit. If he had any choice in the matter, he would have gone to James' house for the holiday. But, of course, his parents had never been interested in what he wanted.

Sirius snorted. "Don't know what you're complaining about. You're officially the favorite, just like you always wanted."

Regulus glared sideways at him. "You know that's not true. But somebody had to step in when…" His voice trailed off and he sighed heavily. "Well, you know."

"When I disgraced the family with my Sorting?" Sirius supplied, his voice taking on a sharp tone. "Ah, yes, how dare I have a mind of my own."

There was a short pause.

"Have you noticed that we can't even speak anymore without it turning into an argument of some sort?" Regulus pointed out. His voice sounded casual, but there was a tension in his eyes as he glanced over at his brother. "Believe it or not, I actually came in here in hopes of a civil conversation."

"Sorry," Sirius said, halfway sincere in the sentiment. He did miss being able to be civil with his little brother. "These gatherings make me… a bit tense. You know that."

"We used to manage to have some fun at these things," Regulus pointed out. "You, me, and…" His voice trailed off and suddenly he shifted uncomfortably.

"You, me, and Andromeda," Sirius said flatly.

It had been three years since Andromeda had left home to marry a Muggleborn wizard by the name of Ted Tonks, causing her to be disowned by the family. Not that Sirius would want to subject anyone he even remotely cared about to these incessant gatherings, but it was at these kind of events especially that Sirius missed Andromeda the most.

"Sorry," Regulus mumbled, casting his eyes down to the floor as he rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. "I didn't mean to bring her up."

"Don't apologize to me," Sirius snapped. "I'm not the one that kicked her out of the family for not wanting to marry one of her own relatives."

"Oh, stop being dramatic, we don't do that," Regulus said with exasperation.

"Mother and Father were second cousins, Reg," Sirius countered. "They had the same great grandparents."

Regulus made a face. "Don't be gross."

"Hey, I had nothing to do with it," Sirius said with a shrug. "I'm just stating facts. Something this family has become increasingly uncomfortable with."

"Yes, but it wouldn't hurt you to be a little less crass about it," Regulus pointed out.

"It might," Sirius shot back with a little more force than he had meant to.

Regulus shot him and indignant look and Sirius sighed as he kneaded the bridge of his nose with his fingers. He was starting to develop a headache, a common side effect to trying to reason with anyone in his family. And he found that he was genuinely disappointed that Regulus, someone who used to be an exception to that rule, was having the same effect.

"Here's where you two disappeared to," came a high pitched, sing-songy voice that caused Sirius' skin to crawl. He looked over to see that his cousin Bellatrix had appeared in the doorway. "Regulus, dear, your mother is out there looking for you. Why don't you run along, while I have a little talk with Sirius."

For a moment, Regulus didn't move, glancing wearily at Sirius from the corner of his eye. Sirius was almost touched by his hesitation. They all knew that cousin Bellatrix could be a bit unhinged and unpredictable ever since the very public miscarriage she had two years before at this very Christmas gathering. It was so ingrained into the women of the family from a young age that their purpose in life was to bear sons in order to carry on the family name. Bellatrix's mother, Druella, had already been disgraced when she had borne three daughters and no sons. When Bellatrix had failed to produce any offspring at all – coupled with a rumor that her younger sister Andromeda had already had a child with her Muggleborn husband – had caused Bellatrix to have fallen off the deep end in recent years.

"Go on, Reg," Sirius said, forcing his tone to remain light as he carefully lowered his chair to rest on all four legs once more. He knew that Regulus wouldn't outwardly defy Bellatrix's wishes for long, and he didn't want to drag this out. "Don't leave your adoring fans waiting in suspense. I'll meet you out there in a minute."

Regulus only nodded as he stood up and started to make his way to the door. As he did, Bellatrix stepped more fully into the room, her eyes glued to Sirius like a hungry animal.

"Be a dear and close the door, would you?" Bellatrix practically cooed just has Regulus was passing through the doorway.

At that request Sirius stiffened, not missing the anxious glance that Regulus shot his way. They both knew it was a bad sign that Bellatrix wanted privacy. Regulus hesitated with his hand on the doorknob, looking torn and he glanced between his brother and his cousin. This time Sirius didn't offer him an out, curious as to what his decision would be when someone didn't provide one for him.

But, of course, Bellatrix did not have that same thought. Finally she turned and looked directly at Regulus.

"Run along, Regulus," she said, a sharp edge under her sweet tone. "Don't keep your mother waiting."

Regulus mutely nodded as he shot an apologetic look at his brother before turning and closing the door. Sirius glared at the space his brother had occupied. He knew deep down that Regulus was a good person, but he just folded so easily to the will of others.

His attention couldn't linger on his brother for long. As Bellatrix glided toward him in her elegant but gaudy green dress robes, Sirius snapped his attention back to her. His hand drifted down to his pocket where his wand should have been, silently cursing as he remembered that his mother had confiscated his wand as soon as he had gotten home for the holiday.

"You recently had a birthday, didn't you, cousin?" Bellatrix said as she came to an abrupt stop a few steps from where Sirius sat.

"Almost two months ago now," Sirius replied. He quirked an eyebrow as he crossed his arms over his chest. He felt uncomfortably vulnerable in his seated position, but he also knew that if he stood without a clear reason, Bellatrix would take that as an aggressive move. "Don't tell me you got me a present."

"Presents are for children," Bellatrix recited the line that they had been told by their parents starting at the age of eight. Sirius had to put forth a conscious effort to not roll his eyes. "You turned fourteen, didn't you?"

"Fifteen," Sirius corrected stiffly, his gaze hardening.

Bellatrix raised an eyebrow at that. "Fifteen? Really?" She seemed genuinely surprised by this revelation.

"Well, considering I turned fourteen last year and thirteen the year before that, fifteen seemed like a logical next step," he drawled.

"Well, you hardly come around anymore," Bellatrix said, feigning a pout, which only served to distort her face, as her eyes held a spark of anger that contradicted the expression. But what she was angry about, Sirius couldn't even begin to fathom. "Your parents have started referring to you as their wayward son, afraid that you have lost your way after all these years among those Gryffindors." She spat the word 'Gryffindors' like a curse. "I understand going through a bit of a rebellious teenager phase. But now more than ever your poor mother is… concerned about you."

"And she asked you to come in here and set me straight?" Sirius asked with a sarcastic snort. He shot Bellatrix his best shit-eating grin. "Oh boy! Can't wait!"

Bellatrix glare at him, not even a hint of amusement in her gaze. "You would do well to start acting you age," she snapped. "At fifteen you are practically a man. You can hardly blame me for thinking you were younger based on how juvenile you act."

"Oh wait!" Sirius said as if he had just thought of something. Strategically, he carefully slid to the edge of his seat, leaning forward. "Can you wait just a minute for me to go grab some parchment and ink? I feel like I should be taking notes! I'm sure this information is going to be invaluable to me!"

"Sirius—"

"No, really!" Sirius said, taking his enthusiasm to a truly comical level. He knew it was a long shot, but he was hoping to throw her off just long enough to make a quick escape. If he could just make it out that door there would at least be witnesses to whatever she was about to put him through. He smoothly slid off the chair and to his feet, heading for the door. "It'll take twenty minutes tops! Of course, I may be out of ink and may have to run out—"

Sirius hadn't made it halfway across the room before he heard the distinctive click of the lock on the door. He stopped mid-step and sighed, cursing Bellatrix's use of the nonverbal locking spell. If he were being honest with himself, he knew all along that getting out of there wasn't going to be that easy, but he still couldn't help but feel disappointed.

"I didn't come here to play games, Sirius," Bellatrix said in a low voice, any trace of the cordiality – though admittedly heavy with condescension – that she had showed with Regulus completely gone.

Sirius didn't look at her as he shoved his hands in his pockets, lamenting the fact that he didn't have his wand. "Then why don't you simply get to the point," he said, matching her tone as he dropped all pretense of acting like he cared about anything Bellatrix had to say.

"You are not a child anymore," she said, gliding closer to him. He could practically feel her hot breath on his neck, but he still didn't turn to look at her, staring determinedly at a spot where the wall met the floor on the far side of the room. "You are the heir to the Black family name. And it's long past time you started acting like it."

"No offense, but I've heard this lecture more times than I can count," Sirius pointed out, trying to sound bored, but he suspected the tension could still be detected in his tone.

"The day is fast approaching when you will have to choose a side," Bellatrix continued as if she hadn't heard him. "The day is fast approaching when you will be asked to stand at the head of this family and lead us in our crusade. That is an honor that I would hate to see you squander."

Sirius clenched his jaw. The rise of a Dark Wizard who called himself Lord Voldemort had been going on for years now. As Sirius understood it, his rise to power had been a slow build to what it had become. For a long time, the majority of the population was in denial that anything out of the ordinary was happening. But, as more people started disappearing and turning up dead, it was becoming harder to ignore the problem. These days, Lord Voldemort was practically a household name, whispered among Muggleborns and Halfbloods in fear.

Tensions in just the past couple years had risen to the point that it felt like any day this could turn into all-out war. Sirius pictured Remus – his mother a full-blooded Muggle and his father a half-blooded wizard – and Peter – son of a half-blooded wizard and a Muggleborn witch. He even pictured Lily Evans, the girl that his best mate James fancied, daughter of two Muggles. These were all people that his entire family believed to be not only inferior to them, but abominations that didn't deserve to live. These people – his friends – were the targets of Lord Voldemort's crusade to purify the Wizarding World. They were also the ones who treated Sirius better than his own family ever did.

"Let me help you cut to the chase," Sirius growled, finally turning to face Bellatrix. He pulled his shoulders back in order to stand up straighter. "I am not going to be the heir that you want. I am not going to judge people based purely on their blood status. And I will tell you this: if I do last long enough to become the head of this family, the very first thing I will do is welcome Andromeda back into this house."

It was a lie. No matter what he did, Andromeda and her family would never be safe among the Black family. But it was just the perfect comment to get a reaction out of Bellatrix and drive his point home.

"How dare you utter that blood traitor's name in my presence," Bellatrix hissed, her eyes blazing.

"How dare you toss out your own sister without a second thought?" Sirius shot back. "How do you live with yourself, knowing that you grew up together, spent your whole lives loving each other, only to one day decide that this one decision she made to be happy suddenly makes her dead to you."

"You would do well to remember the place of honor that this family resides in this community," Bellatrix said lowly. "And you would do well to learn from that blood traitor's mistakes and know that it does only take one wrong decision to be tossed out in the cold."

"Out in the cold?" Sirius repeated mockingly. "If I walked out into the snow right now, it would be a vast improvement to this frigid house."

"You should tread carefully, Sirius," Bellatrix said, her eyes flashing dangerously. "Your parents have been admiringly lenient with your disrespect for this family. I would not have shown such leniency."

"Well then, it's a good thing you have no children."

The words were out of his mouth before Sirius had thought through the consequences of making the statement.

The curse that she sent at him was little more than a hiss of syllables that Sirius' couldn't even begin to decipher before he was thrown through the air. His back solidly hit the wall, knocking the breath out of him and causing stars to dance across his vision. Immediately he tried to move, wanting to get into a more defensive position despite being unarmed, but he quickly found that his arms and legs were pinned to wall by Bellatrix's spell.

He was trapped.

"You would be nothing without this family," Bellatrix spat as she walked slowly toward him, fiddling with something in her pocket as she gripped her wand in her free hand. "Less than nothing. Knowing that fact, it is absolutely disgusting the amount of disrespect you show to us. To your family."

Sirius pulled against his invisible bonds. "With family like this, who needs enemies," he said with a maniacal laugh that he was unwilling to admit made him sound almost as unhinged as Bellatrix looked.

"The Dark Lord is gaining Followers and power every day, Sirius," Bellatrix said as she stepped closer to him than was comfortable for someone who was related to him. "He alone is going to shape the future of the Wizarding World. He has already expressed interest in the heir of the Black family. This isn't something to be taken for granted, dear cousin. This is an honor that few others will be offered. An immediate invitation into the Dark Lord's inner circle as soon as you become of age." Suddenly there was a knife in her free hand, silver with a glittering emerald handle. She let the blade glide across her crimson painted lips. "I am concerned that if you were to refuse this generous offer, it might be hazardous to your health."

Sirius scoffed, knowing full well that the last thing on Bellatrix's mind would be his health. He was forced to look away from her though as she pressed in even closer to him, letting her free hand run down the side of his face. He knew that she reveled in making people feel uncomfortable. And this intimate closeness with his cousin was definitely one of the most uncomfortable things he thought he could endure at one of these gatherings.

"Careful, Bella," Sirius said in a low voice. "Wouldn't want to make your husband jealous, would we?" The words tasted vile in his mouth. He knew that pointing out the awkwardness of the situation would do nothing to change Bellatrix's behavior, but still it had been worth a try.

"You will surrender to the Dark Lord, Sirius Orion Black," Bellatrix practically whispered in his ear as she let a hand absentmindedly trail through his hair. "One way, or another. So you might as well start accepting that fact."

"Over my rich, hot dead body," Sirius sneered, finally daring to turn his head and defiantly look Bellatrix in the eye.

"Oh, that can be arranged, dear cousin," Bellatrix hissed, carefully running the tip of her knife up Sirius' throat. "Don't you worry your pretty little head about that."

Sirius had to will a shudder not to crawl up his spine at the touch, but as the blade approached his chin he was forced to crane his head away from it. She ran the blade up and then back down his bare skin, increasing the pressure with each pass.

Part of him really wanted to just let her do it. He knew without a doubt that he could keep egging Bellatrix on, he knew that he could send her over the edge to the point where she would slit his throat without blinking an eye. He knew for a fact that his cousin was just that demented. And part of him – a larger part than he was proud to admit – wanted to drive her to that point. Wanted to force her to end this right here and now.

But some small but insistent instinct within him just wouldn't let him do it.

Sirius breathed in and then very slowly exhaled, willing all his muscles to relax despite the fact he wanted nothing more than to spring off of the wall and punch his cousin in her face. There was only one way he was going to make it out of this room relatively unscathed.

"Please… please stop," he said in a low voice, his tone cracking slightly with the shame of what he had to do. He had to make Bellatrix think that she had won. He had to play the part of her puppet.

A wicked smile graced Bellatrix's lips, revealing that some of her crimson lipstick had smeared onto her white teeth.

"I hope to see more respect from you from now on, little cousin," Bellatrix cooed.

Sirius couldn't help but narrow his eyes at that request. He knew full well that it wasn't respect that his family was really concerned with. It was compliance.

There were no words that he could come up with that wouldn't make this situation worse. So instead he simply gave a curt nod as he looked past Bellatrix at the wall behind her. With that small motion, his limbs released so suddenly as Bellatrix stepped away from him that he stumbled and almost fell to the floor, grabbing the back of a chair at the last second to stabilize himself.

"There now," Bellatrix said conversationally. "I'm so glad we got to have this little talk." She looked him up and down coolly. "Make sure you look in a mirror before going back out there. Your robes are a little mussed."

And with that final thought, she turned on her heels, crossed the room, and walked out the door.

The moment that he was left alone in the room, Sirius' anger flooded out of him in waves. He lashed out, sending the chair he had been holding onto flying before kicking over an end table. He didn't care that he would be blamed for the damage when it would inevitably be discovered later. His mother's punishments were at least predictable. Unlike his sadistic cousin.

After all that, there was no way that he was going back to the party and pretend as if nothing was wrong. His feet were moving before his mind even really caught up with him. As he walked out of that room he immediately turned and headed for the stairs. Passing the formal dining room – which had been cleared out to accommodate the guests – Sirius caught sight of a familiar figure that was hovering by the door. Regulus looked up and caught Sirius' gaze for just a slit second. There was concern in his eyes and it seemed as if he wanted to come out and approach him, but then someone moved between him and the door and the moment was gone.

Sirius turned his back to the gathering as he took the stairs two at a time. He wasn't in the mood to deal with Regulus right now anyway. As he ascended through the house, he found that he felt grateful that his bedroom was on the top floor. As the noise from the party receded, Sirius felt as if he were leaving that entire part of his life behind.

As he finally entered his room he slammed the door shut behind him, knowing full well the noise wouldn't be heard amongst the commotion two stories below. He headed immediately for his desk, yanking open the top drawer. Sitting on top a stack of parchment, right where he had placed it the night before, was the small two way mirror that he used to talk to James.

He plopped down into the desk chair, only then realizing that his knees were aching from how long they had been locked during the ordeal with Bellatrix. He carefully flexed his knees as he looked into the mirror. He looked a bit ragged with his hair falling into his face and his eyes looking a bit wild. He took a deep breath, trying to at least compose his expression.

"James Potter," he said, and just saying his best friend's name caused the knot that had been tying itself in his chest to loosen.

Usually if they hadn't decided on a specific time to talk beforehand, it would take James a few minutes to get to his mirror. But tonight, James' image appeared in Sirius' mirror almost immediately.

"Evening, Padfoot," James said easily.

"That was fast," Sirius said raising an eyebrow at how quickly James had appeared in the mirror.

James grinned at him. "Well, I figured with the Black family shindig tonight, I'd be hearing from you sooner or later. Honestly, it took you longer than I thought it would."

Sirius smirked, the tension within him already lessening. "Clearly I've become too predictable."

"So how's it going?" James asked. The perspective in the mirror shifted as James was leaning back in his seat. "Anything exciting this year?"

"Just the same old stuffy people talking about the same old boring things," Sirius said. He titled his head to one side without thinking about it in order to flick his hair out of his face. "Nothing special."

But despite his assurances, James was suddenly leaning in closer to his mirror and adjusting his glasses to sit more firmly on his face, scrutinizing Sirius' appearance. "Wait, are you… are you bleeding?"

Sirius reached his fingers up to brush his neck where Bellatrix had slid her knife. Sure enough, his fingers came away stained with red.

"Well, it wouldn't be a true Black family Christmas without a little family friendly bloodshed," Sirius said dryly.

Suddenly all joking was gone from James' expression. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Sirius assured him with casual a shrug of his shoulder. "It's only a scratch."

But James didn't seem comforted. Instead, he studied Sirius closer, and Sirius looked away, suddenly feeling uncomfortable under his best friend's concerned gaze.

"No, I mean are you okay," James said slowly.

Just the tone of James' voice said more than his words could. He was talking about more than just physically being in one piece. He was worried about more than just mortal wounds. He obviously knew his best friend well enough to know that a toll had been taken on him that had nothing to do with the blood that was dripping down his neck.

Sirius' shoulders sagged and he felt like all the adrenalin from the encounter was finally draining out of him, leaving him an exhausted shell.

"I… I don't know how much longer I can do this, James," Sirius croaked, still not able to look at the mirror where James' image was still looking at him critically. Sirius rubbed the back of his neck as he sighed heavily, feeling as if a weight was suddenly pushing down on top of him, threatening to crush him. "I don't know how much longer I can handle living in this house with these people."

"Merlin," James breathed, running a hand through his already messy hair, a helpless look in his eyes. He paused for a moment, contemplating. "I'll talk with my parents. Maybe we can get you out of there for New Years at least. Your parents have a harder time saying no to my parents than they do to you."

Sirius nodded but he was still frowning. "Thanks, James. But I wouldn't hold your breath. They've been much more… possessive these days. They only let me visit you once last summer, remember?"

"Yeah," James sighed, letting his disappointment show. "Have I mentioned yet how much I loathe your parents?"

Sirius smirked. "Maybe a time or two."

"I can't wait until you're of age and you can get out of there for good," James went on. "I hate it every time you have to go back there. You don't belong there."

"You don't have to tell me that," Sirius said tiredly.

"Well, I should hope they'll let you visit at some point over break," James said, clearly making an effort to sound more lighthearted in order to lighten the mood. "I swear, I think you might have more gifts under our Christmas tree than I do this year!"

At that, Sirius gave an honest laugh as he broke into a sincere grin. "I think it might be time for you to come to terms with the idea that your parents like me better, Prongs," he laughed.

The conversation veered to topics of Christmas presents and holiday pranks they could pull. It might have seen trivial, but it was exactly what Sirius needed that night. There would be no solving the world's problems in one night. But if he was going to be trapped in that house for the remainder of his Christmas break, he could at least take comfort in this small bit of juvenile lightheartedness that he could share with his best friend.

The End

Diagon Alley II Forum's Halloween Event: "Are You a Scream Queen?" Points

Character Prompts: (25 points)

5. Sadie Swenson - Write about someone who is not accepted by their family.

Dialogue prompts: (15 Points)

8. "Over my rich, hot dead body." - Channel Oberlin

Song prompts: (10 Points)

9. "That's Life" by Shirley Bassey

Murder Prompts (10 Points)

2. Knife

Picture Quotes (10 Points)

img/70/38/63455145761667/0/get-inspired-30-examples-bone-chilling-horror-photography.

Color Palette (5 Points)

5. Crimson

Total Points: 75