Author's Note**: AACK! I'm on a roll!!!!!!! I'll finish all my fics completely…………..sumday……..*snorts in laughter* but for now, I needed to put my idea up. Couple of warnings b4 I proceed, plus some general information and, of course, the summary. This is the second fic of it's kind (w/ the pairing, neways……………) hope you enjoy!
*VERY IMPORTANT NOTE!!!!!!!!!*- This story contains SLASH!! Yaoi!! It's boy on boy interaction (romantically) and involves them hugging, holding hands or ne sort of loving gesture!! If this does not suit ur tastes then *plz plz plz* DO NOT READ!!!! You have been warned! If u dare send me flames aftr this warning, I swear to God, I'll hunt you down (evn if ur reviewrs name is anonymous….(heheh, I have my ways) and I swear I'll make you feel so humiliated that u won't want to evr show ur face again. O and not to mention I'll send u a virus!!
Once again, THIS STORY CONTAINS SLASH!!!!!! GUYS WITH GUYS!!! YAOI!!
Summary: Sirius, currently a ten-year-old boy, visits his first ever wizard's auction with his father. There he sees the one thing he wants the most…………………and bullies his father into buying it for him. As he gets older, he realizes the true value of what he has, and swears to protect it with all his strength. The only problem is, he'll have to go against his parents, all his beliefs and even certain death to protect the love of his life. AU. SB/RL.
Before reading this story, you must read this in order for anything to make sense. It makes my life a whole lot easier, so I don't have to explain things all over again. It also makes your life a whole lot easier because stuff that happens will actually make sense.
~ This fic is VERY AU. Sure, the characters are still the same, but there is NO Marauders and no Hogwarts. Sirius and friends will be attending another school, with different rules and a totally different aim.
~ Sirius is absolutely fine with his family, their ways and their train of thought.
~ Auctioning half-humans is a common thing in the Wizarding World.
Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies *sets fire to it*. I am not J.K Rowling. She would never come up with something like this. Furthermore I am not writing to infringe upon her works.
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Chapter One:
For 90 Galleons
The two ran, forgetting the fact that they knew not where they were headed; ignoring that their bruises throbbed painfully and the branches of beckoning trees drew fresh blood from their wounds. They focused only on the matter of getting away. They ran, their bodies begging for them to stop, their minds pushing them just a bit farther. Escape. They must escape.
And quite suddenly, all became unnaturally quiet for a thicket. Sirius kept looking back for any sign of their assailants, but the amber eyed boy in front of him pulled his attention to other matters. It was a clearing. And surrounding the entire clearing was barrages of brambles and thorns.
They were undoubtedly trapped. Any way he looked at it, Sirius realized that they were sitting ducks here. The boy next to him let out a soft moan and Sirius' heart constricted. He always knew that the other boy had been more rational, more patient, the one to find solutions and think things through. But if he could see no way out then perhaps………………..
But no! He mustn't think those things. He had gotten them in this mess, and he would get both of them out- alive. Instinctively, he pulled the other boy in a fierce hug, result of a rush of emotion choking him into tears. Sirius blinked, too afraid to talk, as he felt the other's lithe body respond to his own and relax. It was a moment of comfort, of rejuvenation, and when they pulled away, Sirius thought he saw a tiny glint of hope in his companion's deep eyes.
But before Sirius could make out what was happening, he was on the ground, warm blood pooling around him.
His own?
And then his mind cried out more than if he would've been the one to get hit.
For it was his beloved that lay beside him, struggling to sit up, as blood trickled like a flowing tap down his ripped robes.
Sirius' mind screamed in fury, his heart screaming in pain. It couldn't be! And suddenly, there were tears running down his face as swiftly as the other's blood. He wouldn't let it happen……………………he couldn't let it happen.
8-year-old Sirius Black, sole heir to the Black family fortune, prankster extraordinaire, practically skipped down the cobblestone roads of Hogsmeade. He would be running if it weren't for the fact that his father was holding his hand quite firmly. No doubt he was far away from the comforts of home, but Sirius knew that if he were patient good things would come to him.
Astin Black, Sirius' father, had kindly consented to take him along on certain business matters. They were attending an auction. And it wasn't just any auction. It was a Wizarding auction.
For a long time now, Sirius had kept his eye on a certain broomstick………………..he had been told by his uncle Alphard that if he kept his eyes and ears open, he would be most rewarded, especially at an auction. Of course, Sirius could just as well get what he wanted from Diagon Alley but he knew that getting the broomstick at an auction meant certain advantages………….
"Father," Sirius whined, "Are we there yet?"
His father looked down at him kindly. "Almost, Siri, almost."
Sirius fought the urge to say out loud that that was what he had said half-an-hour ago. Instead, he turned his attention back to the surroundings. They were heading farther and farther away from the heart of Hogsmeade, the place that he really enjoyed. What with Zonko's Joke Shop, the Three Broomsticks and a few other outlets, the center of Hogsmeade was nothing short of heaven to Sirius. If he could, he would spend the entire day philandering in all of the shops. Still, he reminded himself of the broomstick and started thinking of all its brilliant features.
This worked so well, that before he knew it, his father and him were standing outside a two-storey building made entirely with a stone interface. There was a handsome oak door and two torch holders in the shape of menacing gargoyles, flanking the doorway. They entered.
The inside was carpeted in rich maroon and intricate carpets lay here and there. It looked almost like a convention hall and it was dimly lit with torches randomly around the room.
Sirius and his father weaved through the crowd trying to reach the very center of the room, from where most of the commotion was coming. All around, there were deep maroon chairs, and programmes on each of them. His father and him were about to take a seat when Raistlin Malfoy approached them, sneer on his face in greeting, programme in his hand.
Sirius looked up at Lucius Malfoy. The boy was a good 5 and a half feet tall, being fourteen, 6 years older to Sirius himself. Just like his father, Lucius too wore a contemptuous sneer and nodded at Sirius. Sirius stiffly nodded back.
The Malfoys had been family friends of the Blacks for as long as he could remember. Why, they practically were family. The only difference was, the Blacks were actually nice to their offspring. Nice and indulgent. The Malfoys may have been indulgent, why they could afford to be what with their mounds of gold, but they weren't what you'd really call caring.
But as Sirius looked back at Lucius, the former bore an expression of boredom; he thought maybe they were brought up in such a way that they didn't need any of that. No love. He shivered at the prospect.
Apparently, the Malfoys would be sitting with them because, a couple of minutes later, Sirius found himself stationed next to Lucius. The latter leaned over.
"What are you here for?" he asked.
Sirius blinked in surprise. Lucius seldom talked to him. He supposed it was a matter of superiority, but Lucius made it a point to merely nod but say nothing else. Trying to draw himself up so that he looked important, he said, " Yeah, I'm looking out for something."
"Really?" Lucius looked mildly surprised perhaps somewhat amused. "And what, pray tell, might that be?"
It occurred to Sirius just then that Malfoy was mocking him. How very demeaning considering the fact that he, Sirius, was not even half as old nor as tall. So Sirius turned his attention to an old, pudgy in a deep purple tailcoat walking up to the podium.
Malfoy smirked and Sirius pretended not to notice, gripping his chair very tightly. He'd show that stupid git!
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Astin Black had gotten what he had come for. Sirius tried to see what it was, but his father wouldn't show him. And he hadn't been paying attention either; he had been half-asleep. Now, he inwardly cursed himself. What if his broomstick had been on the show, but he had been too busy sleeping to listen? Well, he thought contemptuously to himself, it isn't my fault. They shouldn't make the announcers so damn boring!
Sirius' father wanted to leave right then and there, because there would be a rush once the auction finished. But Sirius persuaded his father to stay until the end. What if he missed out on his broomstick for the second time??
Perhaps it was a good thing they remained and perhaps it wasn't. Sirius' father would never be able to tell. He would be long gone before tragedy had struck.
The prices of items were slowly dragged up by the auctioneer, broken only by the finality of the sound his wand produced. It was this sound that kept Sirius awake. Every time he would hear it, he would crane his neck trying to see the item, then relapse back into a moody silence, seeing as it wasn't what he wanted.
The auctioneer's wand made the banging like sound for the third last time, jerking Sirius awake to him saying, "Sold!"
"I doubt it will come Siri. We will leave it for today. We'll go to Diagon Alley and pick one up for you from there." Said his father.
But Sirius refused. "No! They won't have the Silver Arrow! It's a brand-new limited edition. Uncle Alphard told me so! We've waited so long, father. Just a little longer, please?"
Sirius' father sighed in relent. Flashing a grin, Sirius turned his attention back to the podium.
From the depths of the curtain, someone was being pulled out. It was a boy. A boy who looked to be no older than Sirius himself. He had cinnamon-brown hair, with a light peach-ish tinge to it and startlingly clear, amber gold eyes. He wore a pained expression and was dressed in a Roman-type toga and brown, fraying robes, flowing over the white, pristine cloth.
Sirius looked at the boy in wonder. He didn't know that humans were auctioned; he looked to his father for some sign of understanding, but saw that his father had suddenly become interested in someone sitting in one of the top box seats.
And so he looked back once again. The auctioneer was listing his qualities.
"…………….very well groomed indeed. Has a high IQ and sharp, piqued senses for those nighttime wanderings. In excellent condition, never been sold before, but well trained and obedient. Starting at 20 Galleons." The boy looked up now, and Sirius caught his eye. He jumped somewhat as the boy's eyes pierced through his own. There was confusion and some hurt, mixed with fear.
For some reason, Sirius was enchanted. He was just enchanted. He couldn't take his eyes off the boy.
From nearby him, he heard, "20 Galleons." He looked around and saw Lucius Malfoy bidding amidst his father's protests.
A powerful something up surged through Sirius and he found his voice. "30 Galleons." His father looked back in a hurry.
"What are you doing Sirius?? I thought you wanted a broomstick," he hissed to his rash son.
"40 Galleons." Malfoy was saying.
"50 Galleons." Challenged Sirius. "I did." He whispered hurriedly to his father. "But not anymore. I want him." He said, pointing to the forlorn boy on stage.
"What ever for?" asked his father, also in whispers.
"………………That's 50 Galleons for this fine creature. Only 50 Galleons? Come now, I'm sure someone is willing to pay more than that. That's only 50 Galleons for this fine specimen." But nobody apart from Malfoy and Sirius seemed to think that the boy was a fine specimen.
"60 Galleons!" Malfoy yelled, as onlookers looked at the two boys as though they were delirious. Sirius looked at the smirking older boy in fury as the auctioneer continued. "Very well, very well. 60 Galleons. Do we have any other takers?"
"70 Galleons!" Sirius yelled.
"You've lost your mind, Sirius! Didn't you hear what the auctioneer said? He's a werewolf! A werewolf for goodness sakes! He's an existing hazard!"
"I know." Remarked Sirius as the price escalated to 80 Galleons, a la Malfoy, and he named his price of 90 Galleons.
"90 Galleons??? And where, may I ask are you getting that money from?"
"You." Said Sirius simply, crossing his fingers as the auctioneer advertised the boy's qualities again. He hoped there would be no other takers and that Malfoy would finally shut his mouth at 90 Galleons.
"I- you- but-" spluttered his father, trying to think of something that would put his stubborn son down. "Your mother will never allow it in the house. Never!" he said, as if that settled the matter.
"We'll see. Look, you were going to get me a broomstick, because that was what I wanted. Now this is what I want. Your long overdue with my birthday present and you know it, Father."
"90 Galleons. That's 90 Galleons to Mr. ?"
"Black! Sirius Black!" Yelled the raven-haired youth fervently.
"90 Galleons for the werewolf boy to Mr. Black. That's 90 Galleons going once," Sirius and his father held their abated breath,"90 Galleons going twice. 90 Galleons going thrice. SOLD! Sold, to Mr. Sirius Black!"
Sirius whooped as his father groaned. He looked over at Malfoy; the older boy was, to Sirius amazement, smirking again. Did he ever stop? Sirius wondered idly. Or maybe, his face was just made that way. And with that, he made his way to the front, his father in tow, an enormous grin plastered on his face, much to the confusion of everybody else.
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An hour later, Sirius stood in the back room while his father was sitting at the table, signing acceptance and release papers on behalf of the boy. Sirius couldn't wait to see him. Apparently, he was getting all cleaned up and ready for them. Sirius didn't know why. The boy looked fine to him.
"Are we done yet, Father?" Sirius whined again. He liked the sound of his whining voice. It invariably reminded him that he was a spoilt brat and he loved it.
"Yes Siri, we're done." Said his father at last as he paid the man and put a hand on his son's shoulder steering him out of the room. "You have been quite patient despite your over-enthusiasm at buying the young thing. What your mother will say………………..God alone help you and forgive me for the sin I've committed."
Sirius grinned, thinking of his mother's face. But somehow he knew that it would all be worth it! He was getting his own werewolf! Whatever that meant. And then he remembered the question that had been pressing him all this while.
"Father, I never knew we were allowed to auction people."
"We're not. But half-breeds like werewolves, we are. Listen to me, Siri. When we get home, I'm going to have to have a talk with you. Explain a couple of things, all right?"
Sirius nodded. He wondered what his father was going on about, and noticed that he still hadn't answered his question. Not really, at least. But with a promise of a longer explanation and the boy's brown, now new-looking robes, coming into view, Sirius forgot everything and focused on the young werewolf that stood at the side of the door.
His father did one last signature and led his son and the little werewolf out.
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Remus looked curiously at the boy and his father. His father looked to be reading some parchment intently, while the boy looked as if he were containing himself, though bursting to say something. He opened his mouth, but his father spoke instead.
"It says you've been under basic human training and interaction as well as basic predatory controls. Is that right?" Remus looked up at the man and nodded, inwardly wincing, remembering that he had been threatened with silver on countless occasions for his blunders here and there. He involuntarily shivered at the memory, a gesture not gone unnoticed by the black haired boy beside him.
Shrugging of his robes, he draped it across Remus' shoulders, and said to his father, "We will need to buy him new robes, Father."
His father, who was still reading, no doubt about Remus and his past training, said, "Yes of course, Siri. We'll have Esmerelda make a list of things and we'll take you to Diagon Alley."
Remus' head was swimming. Esmerelda? Diagon Alley? All these were new terms to him having never known any of the outside world, past the silver, enchanted fences of his concentration camp. A werewolf concentration camp. A horrid, wretched place that had been his home for as long as he could remember. Remus wearily hoped that he did not have to undergo the same kind of treatment here.
He looked at the black-haired boy's eyes and noted his reassuring smile. No, he did not think he would have to. Siri. That was the boy's name? Remus kept from laughing out loud. It was a silly name, to be sure.
They were entering the village again. This part Remus had seen during his arrival in the village. It had been a week before this. Nobody had wanted him during the previous auctions. But now he would be going home with this boy. Remus nervously fingered the soft suede of the boy's robes around his frail shoulders. Where was he going? And did he really want to go? Then again, did he really have a choice?
It didn't seem so.
And yet, there was something about the boy's company that made up for the strange feeling of loss Remus was experiencing in the pit of his stomach. Or perhaps that was just the soft suede.
They stopped suddenly. The boy's father finally put Remus' release papers inside his robes and put one hand on his son's shoulder, saying, "I'll be right back, Siri. I'm going to go and find our Portkey out of here." The boy nodded. His father then took some coins out of his robes. Dear God, did these people never run out of money?? Remus thought to himself. He was handing it to his son. "You can buy some sweets for yourself and your friend here from Honeydukes. I'll see you in there, okay?"
Once again, the boy nodded and pocketed the money grinning. He tugged on Remus' hand, silently motioning for him to follow. Remus obeyed. He wasn't really paying attention. He was too busy thinking of what the boy's father had just said. Friend? The queasy feeling in the pit of Remus' stomach turned from apprehension to excitement. He had never had any friends before.
Unless you counted Artemis Fowl. Artemis had been Remus' cell partner back at the concentration camp. She hadn't really spoken to Remus much, always too busy nursing her wounds of contempt back to health, but she never missed an opportunity to share a joke with Remus. Or to share something to eat, or even, a little treat, something that Remus himself, almost never got.
Artemis was a good little werewolf. The only times she had ever messed up in their exercises was if she was too sick. So she was rewarded much more than Remus. And even though it was scarcely enough for her, Artemis had always made sure to let Remus in on the pleasure. He would always be eternally grateful to her. She made living there bearable.
He was jerked out of his thoughts by the boy shoving a considerably large piece of chocolate under his nose. "Here," he was saying as he took a couple of licks at a large, candied ball, "try some. It's brilliant!"
Remus shyly accepted. He was about to take a bite of the chocolate, but instead he focused on the boy. He was levitating. He was floating a couple of inches in the air and no one seemed to notice. But Remus continued to stare and in turn, dropped his chocolate. But he didn't mind; the boy was now returning to the floor and this contributed to the strangest sight he had ever seen. He explained that he had been eating a levitating Sherbet ball.
The boy shoved a couple of boxes of sweets in Remus' hands as he fumbled with the money to pay for them. Then they exited the shop, Remus still dwelling on the fact that Honeydukes just had to be a part of heaven. They waited outside, sitting on a nearby ledge and the boy dug into the bag, pulling out a random piece of candy and carefully unwrapping it.
Curiosity got the best of Remus as he asked, "What's your name?"
"Shy-e-ush." He answered thickly.
Remus stared at the youth, now pulling out a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. "Pardon me?"
The boy answered. "Sirius. Sirius Black." He grinned, tilting the box towards Remus.
Remus smiled at Sirius and pulled out a bean, examining it carefully. He wasn't too keen on getting a soil-flavored bean. Then he turned his attention back to Sirius. "So do I have to call you Master Black or something like that?"
Sirius, who was in the middle of eating a bean, made a face. It was hard to tell if it was because of Remus' question or perhaps because he had gotten a particularly foul flavored bean. "Eww! No. You can call me whatever you like………….as long as it's not a swear word." He added as an afterthought.
Remus smiled. He was really starting to like Sirius. "No, of course not."
"Oh and while we're on the topic of names, let's straighten a couple of things out." Sirius said, leaning closer to Remus. Remus leaned in to listen to his companion. "Erm, my mum doesn't exactly know I'm getting you. Actually, I –er- was supposed to get a broomstick- you do know what that is, don't you?" Remus nodded careful not to display his indignation on his face. "Well, she'll kinda blow her top…………u just have to sit there and be real quiet. She'll ask you a couple of questions, real rudely mind, but answer her politely enough. And don't give her anything to comment on. Just be a really good boy, and she'll get over it in a few days."
Remus nodded. That shouldn't be too hard. He wasn't particularly a person who indulged in much talk himself. He was a thinker, not a socializer. But it seemed that Sirius was.
"-and I already have a Comet Two Sixty, but it's a year old and it's starting to show. You can have my brother's old broom and we can play a lot of Quidditch. And then-"
"You have a brother?" Remus asked.
"Yup. Name's Regulus." He dropped his voice to a whisper. "Isn't that the dumbest name you've ever heard?" he asked, voice shaking with laughter. Remus nodded, also silently laughing. The two boys then cracked up.
By the time Sirius' dad came, the two boys had broken out into fits of unsuppressed giggles, holding onto each other for support, laughing much about nothing.
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Author's Note**: Feedback in the form of reviews r much appreciated. You'll have the satisfaction of knowing that you have positively made my day! Heh!
Next chapter: Poor Remus gets an earful, the explanation of auctioning humans sprinkled with a couple of cute events here and there……….
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