Hurray for eight year old Sirius and James. Be warned- Sirius's Father is a jerk!
It was a crisp morning and Sirius was wandering the streets around the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black. He liked watching the muggles and their silly ways. It had been his wanderings among them that had convinced him, despite what his family said, that muggles were human and deserved to be treated as such.
Once Sirius dared to argue his opinion with his father. The argument ended badly. After telling Sirius to write "I will not disagree with the Ideals of the most Ancient and Noble House of Black" with a blood quill, his father forbade him to go into the muggle town.
Fortunately, his family never noticed when he was gone even when he was right up in their face, well except for Regulus who like to pinch, hit and trip Sirius and call him a blood traitor. And the blood quill punishments were pretty common so Sirius had learned to shrug them off. He was a Black after all. He could take it.
Sirius was now at the edge of town. It was his favorite part. After crossing a couple streets he was in a park, behind the park were thick woods. The perfect kind of woods for a little boy to go play in.
Sirius dashed to the woods and quickly disappeared behind the brush. His parents wouldn't look for him till dinner; he had hours to spend doing what any boy does best. Exploring.
Sirius knew they lay of the land by heart. He quickly found his favorite tree, deep in the center of the forest and climbed to the very top. It was one of the highest trees in the whole woods. Sirius was never afraid of falling. If he fell and killed himself, who would care? Might as well go out doing something he loved.
Sirius looked out over most of the trees. He could see the houses from town over the tops of the trees. The wind felt good over his sweating brow and burning hand. The wind also brought something else. A Snitch.
Said Snitch flew right past Sirius's ear. Suddenly a figure on a broom zoomed past Sirius too. Sirius, startled half near to death, clung to the strongest branch available. The figure swerved in something like a figure eight and caught the snitch in a blink.
"Wow!" Sirius exclaimed. The figure stopped. It was a small boy, who appeared to be Sirius's age, perhaps eight or nine, on an oversized broom. His messy black hair stood up at odd ends.
"Oh-oh," the boy said. He zoomed in real close to Sirius.
"Who are you?" The little boy demanded.
"Sirius Black," Sirius said. "And don't worry I'm not a muggle."
"Oh." The boy back up a bit. He almost looked scared. "If you're a Black then you certainly aren't a muggle." He looked down at the park. It was too far away for anyone to see them.
"I should probably go. If my dad see's that I let the Snitch out again I'll be grounded from flying," the boy said.
"Grounded?" Sirius said. The other boy rolled his eyes.
"Yeah grounded, harsh I know, but those are the rules," the boy said. Then he made his voice deeper. "You shall obey the rules of the Most Noble House of Potter."
"Potter?" Sirius said before he could stop himself. "Isn't that family full of blood traitors?"
The boy gave him a nasty look. "What's it to you if my family thinks muggles and muggle-borns are actually people?"
"I didn't mean to insult you-" Sirius started.
"Yeah. Well you did," the boy said.
"But my brother calls me blood traitor all the time," Sirius said.
The boy looked at Sirius oddly. "Why's that?"
"Because I was talking about how Muggles kind of have their own magic. They use their brains to get regular things done. Have you ever seen a computer? They use them like owls and they work almost faster," Sirius said.
The boy laughed. "Alright. I guess you're ok. What was your name again?"
"Sirius."
"James Potter," the boy came forward with his broom and shook Sirius's hand.
"What's that?" James turned Sirius's hand over just barely reading "I will not disagree with-" before Sirius pulled his hand away.
"Nothing," Sirius said, his face changing from pale to red to pale again. James's face turned fierce and firm. Sirius guessed it was a look he was copying from his father.
"Who made you use a blood quill?" James asked.
"My Father," Sirius said shrugging.
James looked upset. Sirius couldn't understand why. Didn't all parents use blood quills on misbehaving kids? Sirius didn't know. He'd never met another magical kid his age.
James spoke again. "You know, you don't have to accept that you're father is right to punish you. Just because you think Muggles deserve respect doesn't mean you're worthy of punishment."
Sirius rolled his eyes, but the words cut deep. True he meant to go on thinking as he did despite his family's scorn, but all the while he felt like something was wrong with him. Like he was some kind of freak and deserved to be treated as such. Never before had someone told him that he didn't deserve to be treated that way.
For a while again the two boys said nothing.
"It's harder to fight punishment. I'd rather just deal with it and keep quiet," Sirius said quietly.
"But that's not what a Gryffindor would do," James said. "You are going to be in Gryffindor right?"
Sirius looked up at the boy floating in air just feet from him. He had never given any other house thought beside Slytherin. His whole family had been in it. But Sirius had never really been like the rest of the family.
"I- I'd like to," Sirius said thoughtfully.
"Well then, better start practicing if you want to get sorted right," James said smirking.
"I'd better go," Sirius said. "My family might start looking for me soon and I'm not supposed to be this far, much less leave the yard."
"Will you be coming back here?" James asked. Sirius smiled for some unknown reason. Was this what friendship felt like?
"I'll try. Same time tomorrow?"
"I'll be there," James said.
Sirius climbed down and James flew off in the opposite direction of the park. Then Sirius ran home as fast as he could.
Mr. Black was waiting for Sirius at the door. Sirius almost ran into him.
"Have a nice walk?" Mr. Black said simply. Sirius wished Mr. Black and his mother would scoop him up in their arms and say, "Sirius we were so worried! Don't you ever do that to us again!" But he knew that was wishful thinking. They only saw Sirius as a threat to the honor their house and name held.
"Yes I did, thank you," Sirius said matching his father's tone exactly. Mr. Black's eyes flamed. Sirius had never talked back before. He knew right then it wouldn't be the last.
"Go do your lines," Mr. Black ordered. Sirius stood there. He wasn't going to go his lines without a fight this time. He was going to earn his way into Gryffindor.
"Worthless brat," hissed Mr. Black. He grabbed Sirius roughly by the neck of his shirt and dragged him inside. He landed Sirius in front of the blood quill and parchment. All set out and waiting for him.
"Write," Mr. Black said.
"No."
Mr. Black drew his wand and pointed it at his son. Sirius gave his father a deadly glare before sitting down. Picking up the quill and parchment, he pulled it close to himself so his father couldn't see what he was writing very well. Suddenly, Sirius scribbled away like a maniac, ignoring the pain searing in his hand.
My Father made me write this.
My Father made me write this.
My Father made me write this.
My Father made me write this.
"Stop! Write the other lines!" Mr. Black roared.
My Father made me write this.
My Father made me write this.
My Father made me write this.
My Father made me write this.
Sirius's chosen wording made Mr. Black remember that Sirius would go to school in a couple years. The teachers would notice the illegal blood quill scar. The Ministry would be notified. And there was no way to keep Sirius from going to school since the teachers would send for him.
My Father made me write this.
My Father made me write this.
My Father made me write this.
My Father made me write this.
"Stop! Stop writing lines," Mr. Black roared.
Sirius dropped the quill and put his hands in his lap with a blank expression on his face. His hand was red and bleeding and "My Father made me write this" stood out over the former phrase.
Mr. Black pointed his wand at his son. Sirius braced, preparing for the worst. After shaking with rage for a full minute, Mr. Black performed a body bind on Sirius and levitated him to his room.
"Perhaps some time in here will teach you to respect me," Mr. Black snarled before leaving Sirius alone in the dark room, in a body bind.
He left him like that till morning. And even then he didn't let him out of his room. But Sirius didn't mind. It gave him a chance to owl James.
Hi James,
Guess what! I did it! I stood up to my Father. He set me down to do lines as soon as I got home. So I did lines. I wrote "My Father made me write this." He panicked! It was so funny! I hope to see you soon. If he lets me out of my room, I'll meet you in the same tree.
Sirius
The reply came shortly.
Sirius,
Way to go, mate. I'll wait by the tree every day.
See you in Gryffindor.
James.
Sirius read and re-read the letter, cherishing the fact that he had been called 'mate' and that James had said see you in Gryffindor. Sirius now had no doubt that he belonged in that house and he earned the right to enter it. He would only take bullying from his father for so far. He was a Black after all. He could take him.
Wow that was longer than my usually one-shots. It was fun to write though. Totally happened by accident because I was going to write a Lily/James and it turned into Sirius's story. Oh well. It kind of explains why Sirius is so rebellious. R&R
