AN: Yay! I'm back with a new story. These will all be written for the Houses Competition and maybe occasionally a few other challenges. Enjoy!

House: Ravenclaw

Category: Themed

Prompt: Home Sweet Home

Word Count (not including AN): 507

Now, without further ado, I present to you: Home is Where the Heart is.

Sixteen year-old Sirius Black lay curled up under his blanket in bed one late, cold, rainy night, his grey eyes unwavering as he stared at the floor of his bedroom, unseeing, lost in thought. His dark hair fell over his stormy eyes as images of everything that had happened since his first year at Hogwarts flashed through his head, just as they did every night.

His mother had sent him a Howler on his first day when she had heard he had gotten into Gryffindor, screaming about how he had brought shame on the whole family. He had been an outcast in his own home ever since then. But no, he thought, this wasn't home. Home is a place where you can find comfort and love - he hadn't felt that here in years. He was always shunted by his parents, Kreacher, Regulus…

He thought about Regulus, his little brother. He always followed the family rules; he had always been the 'better child', as Sirius was constantly reminded by his parents. His parents, who were always pure-blood crazed and considered themselves superior to everyone because of the family name that they proudly upheld, the very one that Sirius despised: Black. His parents were convinced that it made you practically royal, while he was sure that everyone hated him for it. All except his best friends, Remus, Peter, and James.

James… they had been best friends since the moment they had laid eyes on each other. Sirius would give anything to be a part of James' great family instead of his horrible one… And suddenly he knew what to do. He sat up straight, amazed at himself. Why didn't he think of it sooner? Sirius finally cracked a smile.

But...

He mulled the idea over in his head, thinking. If he did it, he would never be welcomed in this house again, he knew that. He would be blasted off the family tree and disowned. And what if the Potters didn't accept him? There was always that possibility - Then he would have no place to stay whatsoever.

But then again, James would never turn him away. They were best friends – no, brothers, right? And brothers would never do that to each other. So he might as well give it a try. He was going to run away.

He slowly slid off his bed, careful not to make a sound as to wake his parents. He tiptoed to his drawer, pulled out all of his belongings and stuffed them haphazardly into his trunk. He changed into his robes, grabbed his wand, slid open the window, and levitated himself onto the muddy ground below.

He then hopped onto his broom and flew off into the night, not minding the rain the beat down on his head, not minding the mud that now adorned his shoes, not minding that he was breaking the Statute of Secrecy, and not minding that he was expelled from his family forever, for he knew that he was on his way to home sweet home.