Lying Mirror
A/N: Takes place in Prisoner of Azkaban straight before Sirius took a knife and held it over Ron to kill PErttigrew. Anyways, Read Enjoy and Review!
Sirius wandered aimlessly in his grim-like form through the darkened halls of Hogwarts. He was quite flattered with himself since they put a top-security guard outside every door and still couldn't find him… well then, they should learn to guard the windows- but until then…
He sniffed the air- maybe a sign of Pettigrew wandering around the castle might reach his nostrils but no- not one single thing. Why he decided to come into the castle was beyond him- but he kept it up. Maybe it was some sort of sign from someone that something useful was finally going to happen. He heard footsteps straight behind him. His ears perked up immediately and he turned to a dark corner to blend with the shades.
"Are you sure the entire castle is searched- not a single sign of him?" McGonagall's voice echoed.
Sirius felt a jab of pain- this was the teacher whom he tormented worse throughout those years in Hogwarts… yet she favoured him and now, here she was, with panic risen in her voice, filled with disgust from the meaning of his name.
"Yes, everything is searched- he must be still out on the grounds! With the Dementors, he won't be going anywhere!" Professor Flitwick squeaked.
The tone of his voice certainly hadn't changed, and his size, he observed as they walked past him unnoticing. He remembered Remus taking the chance to sleep through Charms after full moon- but how he accomplished that was beyond him since the class was anything but peaceful.
Either way, he continued his walk through the halls of his childhood, reminiscing memories of light and joy- and scratching out Pettigrew from every single one of them!
CREAK
His head whipped back immediately- a growl coming straight from his throat. No one. It was no one except the door that had mysteriously opened by itself. He heard squeaks only to see a common rat scurrying away from the sight of him. Sirius sniffed the air wildly and gazed with full concentration on the scurrying rat- it smelt like garbage and cabbage… no, not Peter. Hatred still lingering in his heart, he made way for curiosity and padded softly to the ajar door.
What was in that room anyways? It was long since he came here and Azkaban had washed away his memories… well it didn't hurt to re-discover, eh? He trotted as softly as he possibly could- but that didn't stop a distant echo in the room itself. Suddenly, the door blasted shut with a loud bang that burst his eardrums and before he knew it, he heard the panicked voices of teachers and prefects arouse.
As though absorbed- panic fled into his heart and he made way for the darkest corner in the room- a tunnel or a corridor…
'You should start thinking before you leap.'
Remus' voice echoed in his mind. Well, sorry Remus, I don't think that'll help me right now.
Without hesitation, he burst straight ahead towards the hall- towards the corridor, the panicked voices scurrying behind him, edging nearer and nearer while he was going farther and farther. More voices erupted from in front of him and his ears perked up. They were coming from every side- just great!
He remembered on nights like these, when he and the others would go prowling around doing who-knows-what in the middle of the night, and then Peter would do something stupid and really loud that would wake the entire castle- running away from the teachers, dodging the prefects and bribing the Head Students… it was fun. So fun, that they wouldn't even bother to keep their voices down as they laughed away but now… not fun at all. It was as though they were his death sentence- oh wait… they are.
He saw a cutting in the wall on the opposite side. He was top-prankster and Hogwarts-Explorer-Extraordinaire in his old-days, and knowing that this was a door was too easy. With all the strength he could muster, he threw himself against the wall expecting a hard-time of pushing, only to be thrown directly into the room when his tail touched the wall. Result? Very painful- even more painful than the time he and James threw Remus off the Astronomy tower and was chased down for an entire week, only to give up and survive the wrath of a mad- hyper-unhinged-werewolf. Actually, scratch that, the Remus Incident was much more painful.
Either way, he was a crumpled carpet of black fur on the cold marble floor. Shaking his head he stood straight up and changed form back into a man. The belt on the tattered coat screeched as it scraped on the floor and he felt coldness run into his numb bones- after all, years in Azkaban in nothing but coldness was enough to numb you for eternity. His breath was shallow and hoarse as he heard then run by the closed wall that they didn't know had him in the room behind it.
A flash caught his eye and whipped towards it- expecting some sort of attack. However, a large mirror stood there, gleaming from the light of the moon from the large window next to it. A mirror? It's not like his reflection was pretty to gaze upon. If the girls from his year saw him now in comparison to before- he laughed at the idea. He made his way straight for it, after all, if there was an empty room with nothing than a mirror, what's best but to look at it? At first he saw his reflection- his own tattered reflection, then, someone started walking from behind him in that reflection. Sirius whipped around to see who it was, but no one was in the room but himself. Suspicion and a tingle of fear mounted into his heart as it started beating a bit wildly.
The person in the reflection kept walking towards his own reflection until Sirius could see who it was. A gasp took his by surprise and he almost fell down as he stumbled backwards. It couldn't be. He hadn't seen that person for years- years!
He never admired the way his brother looked as he did right now. He missed seeing that smiling face that went on his pure face. Those grey eyes that were wide and lined with thick lashes. That black hair that was in a much messier state than he ever wouldn't let his own hair be. His black billowing robes that hung carelessly from his slim frame. Regulus made way to his brother, and with a slight smile that quirked his right eyebrow upwards as always, he placed a hand on Sirius' tattered shoulder.
Sirius felt nothing- and then he knew. Mirror of Erised… he knew that he would never see his brother like this, smiling at him at this age. He knew he'd never see his brother so light and joyful and careless from the pain of the world. He knew he'd never see his brother casually walk towards him without a hint of mistrust or anger.
Regulus would scowl at this age- would look haunted with black rings under his large, eyes that would go a glassy-grey colour so distant from the world. Regulus would be much thinner- so thin that his hands would look so delicate as though they would crush if someone took hold of them. His robes would be more tattered and dusted with stains of blood or who-knows-what. He'd have his wand pointed straight at him for an insurance and his lips wouldn't come up to a smile.
He wouldn't have that innocent aura around him- that happiness. He'd have that aura of fear and dread. He would never look that careless of pain and worry- he'd have that responsibility that was too large to be placed on his shoulders…
Sirius looked away. A Lie. It was just a lie. A filthy lie- just like the way Pettigrew had lied to all of them for the Dark Lord- had lied to all of them until they all fell in the hands of Him. Anger bubbled in his heart- it bubbled in his mind and in his blood. Why was he wandering around? Why was he trying to remember when his friends' killer still lies here- still faithful to the man that took away his own brother's life!
Without a care- without hesitation- not even paying attention to Remus' usual echo in his mind, he made straight out the room, the wall banging behind him- he knew where he was going to go. He knew exactly what to do. A knife was always placed somewhere near the knights in armour… and Peter Pettigrew would be nowhere if not the Gryffindor Dorms by now! He was going to get him- he was so sure of it! That filthy rat was going to pay.
However, if Sirius had looked hard enough- had actually pondered on the reflection of his brother rather than taking that quick glance then resolving in regret he would've noticed that his robes were not stained but tattered. He would've noticed that the linings of a few ribs could be seen on his black shirt. He would've seen that his eyes were that glassy-grey that seemed far from the word, and that there were a few fresh bruises running up his neck and they way he limped as blood ran from his leg. But either way, he would've caught that suspicion…then that smile.
Good I hope? Anyways- pls review!