The softly spoken words had slipped from her sliver tongue as easily as any simple pleasantry would, though Sirius could hear the underlying fury in her voice. They sliced through Sirius like the poisoned knives his family loved so much, burning him from the inside out. He felt hollow and cold, as if he was in shock. Except he wasn't in shock, because this wasn't a surprise.
Coming from a major criminal family as he did, there were certain expectations imposed on him since birth. He was born the heir, the one who would rule the family when his mother no longer could. He would be responsible for dealing with those who were disobedient, who tried to leave. Responsible for hurting people to ensure that his own got paid. It was a future that made him feel sick to the core with disgust.
Raised to be dangerous, Sirius could break just about lock, talk his way out of any situation with a charming smile and silver tipped words, and kill a man ten different ways with his bare hands alone. But that wasn't who he was. Defiantly he faced his mother, staring her down in the dark of their basement. The only sounds he could hear was the quiet dripdripdrip of water leaking from the pipes which seemed deafening in this excruciatingly tense silence. Every now and then, a quiet groan would escape the red stained lips of the rival crime family member, James Potter, who was chained up against the wall. The sound of pure agony had filled his ears, solidifying his decision.
The knife in his hand had clattered to the floor as the words 'I can't' escaped his lips. Never in his life had be been so terrified of his mother, and never had he regretted less. Over the weeks they had held James prisoner, Sirius had begun to learn something his own family never bothered to teach him. Kindness. It drew Sirius to James like a moth to a flame, brought out a side Sirius didn't know he possessed and now that he did, he never wanted to lose. More knives shot from her silver tongue as Sirius moved to untie James, but she didn't prevent them from leaving. Nobody could hide from Walburga Black, and she'd find them soon enough. The chase would make it all the more worthwhile for her when she finally got to deliver the punishment they deserved. He walked out with his head held high, leaving a lot more than just a name behind. For the briefest of moments his eyes met Regulus's, and he felt a twinge of guilt. But he didn't change his mind. Out he walked with the broken boy under one arm, and freedom under the other. Not knowing what life had in store for him, but not caring. Anything was better than the life he had just left.
Now here he was. Once a boy with more wealth and arrogance than he knew what to do with, the world at his feet. Now he was a street rat. No money, no family and nothing but the memory of the night he lost everything flashing through his mind. However not for a second did he regret it. Sirius lost a life, but it was time to start a new one. He looked at the boy, battered black and blue, standing next to him and smiled. The smell of petrichor filled his nostrils, and they may have had the full force of the Black family coming after them, but with the protection of the Potters behind them Sirius knew they would be okay. For the first time in what seemed like years, Sirius felt hope.
