Title: Another Sky

Summary: Because respectable Slytherins of pure-blood don't fall in love with obnoxious blood-traitors in Gryffindor. SiriusOC

Prologue

Over the centuries, the Rivers household had undergone many changes. Originally a wooden cabin on a hill that overlooked a small brook, the property had expanded to be a home of Baroque grandeur in the 1600s. The size itself was incredibly modest in comparison to the Black Manor and Malfoy residence, but the ornamental architecture gave it a more opulent and impressive appearance. Many generations of Rivers took pride in the home, generously performing any and all restorations needed, allowing it to remain in pristine condition. And just as that old wooden hut had evolved into a respectable mansion, the family's reputation also became a success within the wizarding community. By the early 1700s, the Rivers established their place among pure-blood society.

And despite the long history, one thing hadn't changed: the Rivers home stood atop a hill.

Seraphina Rivers found it depressing. It was a fifteen minute walk down the hill and a twenty minute walk up the hill due to its steepness. Few children from the town below would have the patience to climb up the unpaved winding path to see her. Few children would not be intimidated by the tall creaky gate and gargoyle guardians at the entrance. Few children would want to befriend a girl with a name as pretentious-sounding as Seraphina.

And absolutely no children from a Muggle town would ever have the slightest desire to do any of those things.

The Muggle town that had sprung up right below the heart of the Rivers estate annoyed her parents to no end. "Don't leave the estate lest you wish to sully yourself with the presence of those wretched Muggles, Seph," her mother had commanded. "Don't mind the noisy Muggle children. Stay here. Play with Castor," her father said as he urged her out of his study and into her room. To be fair, Seph was great friends with Castor, the resident barn owl. He sometimes stole Muggle treats from a candy store in the town and brought them back for her. They were delicious.

But whenever Castor was "dutifully" performing his tasks as family messenger (Seph was certain the extra days she had to wait for his return were not because of weather conditions unsuitable for flying), Seph had a lot of alone time. Pure-blood gatherings were fewer for her than they had been when her parents were children since the Muggle town had dislodged the Rivers's position among the pure-blood society. The presence of Muggles in such proximity to their home had only earned the Rivers family disdain from the other noble pure-bloods. Thus, the Rivers family was only invited the less prestigious pure-blood gatherings. And those were even scarcer now after what she had done at Goyle's sixth birthday party (she still didn't quite regret it).

And so, without the company of Castor or peers, Seph did a lot of reading ("Dad, the Pure-blood Directory is not a kids book.") and thinking.

And sometimes, she thought why the bloody hell was she not allowed to play with Muggles.

For the first few years of her life, Seph bought into her parents' philosophy. She believed them. They may have had excellent snacks, but they were below her in the societal hierarchy.

But then the school was built beside the river.

Seph was passing by the hallway window when she saw the schoolchildren running around with a ball, which made her pause. That looked fun. That looked like Quidditch, except with running. So she tried running around with a ball. It was great until her mother found her destroying priceless heirlooms. But it was enjoyable while it lasted. Another time, as she watched Castor sneakily pull out one of the chocolate Muggle snacks from a schoolbag from the base of the hill, she saw some of the Muggle children playing chess. Seph played wizarding chess, albeit not very well. But she could spot the similarities between their games and frankly, the two boys playing it were far better at it than she was. Clearly, the Muggles weren't as dull and stupid as she thought they were.

By the age of eight, she realized that Muggles weren't the worthless trash her parents conditioned her to believe. It wasn't a shocking thought, but rather something she figured she must have known for quite some time now. It just felt natural. It certainly wasn't a proud opinion since there wasn't anyone by her side to support her. Part of her was convinced that she only believed in this idea because she was passive-aggressively trying to get back at her parents for not playing with her more as a child.

The thought remained with her, though she made a point to never express her inner conflict with her parents. Instead, she used the terms "mudblood" and "blood-traitor" almost indulgently. It was enough for her parents to not suspect her. In fact, it was enough to make her parents proud of her and so she was rewarded often as their favorite and only child with gifts of Galleons and rare books ("A first edition copy of the Pure-blood Directory? Mum, you shouldn't have...").

Years pass without Seph making progress towards resolving this "Muggles are good? Muggles are impure?" conflict. She was beginning to think she was wrong and she was destined to spend the rest of her life following in her parents' footsteps.

But then she met Sirius Black.

AN: Sorry for the slow start. I really hope it didn't bore you. This was an idea I've been playing around with for a while so I really want it to work. Please be patient with me.

Reviews would be greatly appreciated!