December 22nd, 1975
"You're always welcome here." The words, spoken by Mrs. Potter the previous summer, echoed through Sirius's head as he stuck out his wand arm, just a few blocks from the house he'd left moments ago at Number 12 Grimmauld Place.
A house, but never a home, he thought. At least, not since the day he'd been sorted into Gryffindor.
Was that really the moment? The moment it all changed? Sirius wondered as he paid the conductor and boarded the Knight Bus. He knew there'd been a time when the Blacks had been a real family, though he struggled to remember it just then. His parents had loved him, pampered him even, and he'd been a hero in Regulus's eyes. Had house prejudices really been enough to cause the rift that now existed between Sirius and the rest of the Blacks?
No. Sirius knew a simple rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor was not enough to cause the hatred that had radiated off his mother as she aimed her wand at him tonight. The moment he was sorted into Gryffindor marked the beginning of the end of his place in the Black family, because it was the first moment he'd shown a defiance against them, though it was the far from the first time he'd internally questioned their believes.
At times, he and Regulus had even wondered aloud together, though quietly and privately, of course, why the Blacks and their friends so adamantly believed in their superiority over muggles and muggleborn and half blood witches and wizards. It was these conversations and hope for his little brother that had Sirius returning year after year to Number 12 Grimmauld Place for summers and holidays, despite mounting tensions with Mr. and Mrs. Black.
Sirius desperately held out for the possibility that Regulus would come around, that with the help of Sirius, he too could escape a future as a death eater. Sirius didn't believe he himself would ever have escaped such a future if not for the support of his closest friends; Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and most especially, James Potter.
Over five years later, Sirius still couldn't believe his luck of having met James Potter on the train to Hogwarts. That moment had surely altered the course of his life forever. Sirius held on to the hope that he could offer the same strength to his brother that the Marauder's had offered to him.
That hope was lost; however, when he'd seen the mark upon his brother's arm this evening. Only 14 years old, and already resigned to a life of serving the one they called Lord Voldemort. The violent escalation of the fight that ensued proved Grimmauld Place was no longer safe for Sirius, and so it was that he ended up on the Knight Bus, battered and soaking wet from the rain, headed for the only place he could think of-the Potter home in Godric's Hollow.
It had been a wet, grey, dreary day in Godric's Hollow. The kind of day that chilled a person to the bone if they dared step outside for even a moment. The kind of day that left most with the motivation to do little more than sip tea and huddle around the fire all day.
The Potter's had been doing just that, when the door bell suddenly rang.
"I'll get it," announced Mrs. Potter, setting down her book and allowing her husband and son to continue what must have been their sixth game of wizard's chess that evening. Mr. Potter opened his mouth the protest that he ought to be the one to check on their unexpected visitor, when Mrs. Potter cut him off. "Really dear, it's not like a death eater is going to ring the door bell. The house is protected. I'm sure it's just Evie, gone stir crazy from this weather and dropping by for a visit."
Satisfied, the Potter men returned to their game while Mrs. Potter marched through the foyer. Despite her assurances to her husband that the visitor was only their next door neighbor and her dear friend, Evelyn Smith, Euphemia peeked through the peephole in the front door before opening it.
To her surprise, it was not the older woman she'd expected to see, but rather a young man standing on her welcome mat. His long, dark hair was dripping from the rain, and he was wearing a grin that Mrs. Potter immediately recognized was too big to be true.
"Sirius!" she exclaimed, opening the door and quickly pulling him inside, out of the cold. "Jame's didn't tell us you'd be dropping by!"
Sirius flushed slightly. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Potter. It's not James' fault; he wasn't expecting me either." Mrs. Potter frowned, taking in more of the boy's appearance now that he was in the bright light of the foyer. There was a bit of dried blood on his lip, and his left eye was starting to show the hint of a bruise. His shirt was ripped slightly, and despite his fake grin, there was a weary sadness about him that was quite different from the usual persona Mrs. Potter had come to know.
"Of course, you're always welcome," she assured with a gentle smile. "To what do we owe the pleasure?" Sirius's grin faltered, and he looked down at his wet feet, shuffling them slightly, not quite sure what to say. Mrs. Potter placed her hand on his shoulder, barely lower than her own these days, so he'd look up at her. "I'll just go get James, shall I?" He nodded gratefully.
Euphemia turned to head back into the living room where her son and husband were still playing chess, oblivious to what was happening in the foyer. Before she reached the door, she turned back and pointed her wand at the boy still standing just inside the door. His immediate reaction was to flinch, and he flushed as a warmth spread through him and he realized Mrs. Potter had merely cast a drying spell.
"Thanks," he mumbled, straightening. Mrs. Potter nodded and looked for a moment as though she wanted to say something more, then she shook her head and pointed her wand through a door just to Sirius's right-Mr. Potter's home office. Flames irrupted in the fireplace. Another flick of the wand, and a tea pot and cups appeared.
"You must be freezing. Go warm up. I'll send James in."
James and Fleamont were deeply concentrated on their game when Euphemia reentered the living room.
"That was a short visit," said Fleamont, without looking up. "Everything alright next door?"
"As far as I know," Euphemia replied. "James, the visitor was actually for you."
"Alright, just a mo', mum. I've almost got dad in checkmate."
"James," Euphemia repeated and the two Potter men finally looked up from their game at the seriousness in her voice.
"Yeah, ok..." James said, looking confused as he stood up and made to investigate who was in the foyer.
"He's in your dad's office," Euphemia said as he walked past her. Once James was through the door, she strode across the room and sank wearily into her husband's lap.
"Who's in my office?" asked Fleamont, leaning his forehead against his wife's.
"Sirius Black."
"Ahh, to what do we owe the pleasure?"
"I'm not sure... but I've a feeling this is less a visit and more a..." she paused, struggling to find the right word, "relocation."
Mr. Potter nodded, but didn't respond for some time, then, "it's about time."
"Sirius!" James said excitedly as he walked into the office, causing Sirius to look up from his seat by the fire. "Good to see ya, mate!"
After a moment, finally noting his friend's demeanor and disheveled appearance, he added more sullenly, "what's happened?" He pulled up a chair across from Sirius, in front of the fire, while Sirius collected himself. The silence continued, as James filled both tea cups and passed one to the other boy.
Finally, Sirius said, "I had to leave." James nodded, taking a long sip of the tea to give the words time to soak in.
"What about Regulus?" he asked eventually.
"It's too late," Sirius replied, his voice hardened at the mention of his brother. "He has the mark."
James couldn't help it, he gasped. "Already?" Sirius nodded, staring into the fire.
"I'm-I'm so sorry." It was all James could think of to say. Feebly, he added, "do you want to talk about it?"
Sirius shook his head and with a shrug said, "It was bound to happen sooner or later". He paused, then added, "anyway, I'm sorry to drop by unexpectedly. I didn't know where to go. If I can just stay tonight, I'll send an owl to Dumbledore tomorrow to see if I can-"
"Not a chance!" James interrupted. "I've been bored out of my mind all holiday! I've played SIX games of chess with my dad today alone! And besides, Remus and Peter are at home too. You can't spend Christmas at Hogwarts by yourself. You can stay here until the end of break. Mum and dad won't mind-they adore you!"
"Thanks, mate," said Sirius, a weak, but sincere grin playing across his features.
"No, thank you... for saving me from the misery of being an only child home for the holidays!" James said dramatically, before jumping up and heading for the living room. "C'mon, let's go tell mum and dad the good news!"
Just before the boys entered, James grabbed Sirius's arm. "Listen," he began awkwardly. "I know I'm not really... the best at these kinds of conversations... but if you do decide you want to talk, I'm here, alright?" Sirius nodded.
"I know, Potter," he said, throwing an arm around his best mate.
Mrs. Potter was relieved when the two boys entered the living room, to see that some of the life had returned to Sirius and he was now wearing a real, albeit small, smile.
"Mum, dad," James said, "Sirius is going to be spending the holidays with us."
"Wonderful!" Mr. Potter beamed. Mrs. Potter's response was a bit more stern.
"Is he? Well, since you've taken the liberty of inviting him, I suppose you won't mind going to make a bed for him?" She raised her eyebrows pointedly at the door. James grumbled a bit about how much easier it would be for Mr. or Mrs. Potter to make up the bed, since they could do it using magic, but he trudged out the door and up the stairs to take care of it just the same, knowing such an argument would be lost on his mother.
"I'm sorry James didn't ask first," said Sirius. "If it's a problem, I can send a letter to Dumbledore and-"
"Nonsense," Mrs. Potter cut him off with a wave, "James just needs to be reminded sometimes of who's in charge around here." A small laugh escaped Sirius at this, and he looked almost guilty over it, like he hadn't a right to laugh.
"Son," said Mr. Potter. "We're happy to have you, but would you like to tell us why you're here?" Sirius hesitated and after a moment of silence, Mr. Potter added softly, "Did your parents do this to you?" He gestured at Sirius's split lip, his torn shirt, his increasingly obvious black eye. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, Sirius nodded.
"Oh Sirius," said Mrs. Potter, her eyes shining as she swiftly crossed the room and wrapped the boy in a hug. He stiffened as she reached him, but slowly relaxed into her. "Why didn't you tell us it was this bad? You should have come here immediately from King's Cross. You should have never gone back there."
"I just-I hoped something would be different," he admitted, feeling foolish. "And I didn't want to burden anyone, I suppose."
"You could never be a burden," said Mr. Potter, also crossing the room and putting his hand on Sirius's shoulder, but pulling it away quickly when the boy flinched. "Although I wish it were under better circumstances, we're glad to have you here as long as you need. I'm sure James has already expressed his joy to have another kid in the house." Sirius nodded.
"You're always welcome here," said Mrs. Potter, echoing the words she'd said that summer. The words that had led Sirius to come to the Potters' that night in the first place.
"Thank you," Sirius said, just as James poked his head back into the living room.
"What'd I miss?" he asked, looking around at the other three.
"Nothing that concerns you," said Mrs. Potter, giving James a quick hug and kiss on the cheek before shooing both he and Sirius back out of the living room. "It's getting late, now. To bed with you."
"Yeah, yeah," said James, leading Sirius up the stairs. "We're going." He turned to his friend, "Padfoot, I set up a bed for you in my room and in the guest room. I figure you can sleep in the guest room the rest of the break if you want, but tonight we have things to discuss."
"Those things can wait until morning," Mrs. Potter called after them. "I mean it James, go to bed!" James rolled his eyes.
"The woman still thinks I'm a child!" he whispered to Sirius, who grinned thinking he wouldn't mind having someone treat him the way Mrs. Potter treated James.