The summer holidays, a time of sun and laughter. A time where students got to relax and forget about school for two and a half months, a time spent outside in the fresh air, hanging out with your best friends. This however, was not so for one Sirius Black. For him, the summer holidays meant time enclosed in the dark walls of Number 12, Grimmuald Place, keeping company with a muttering house elf and, his family, the people he wished he didn't have to spend time with.

Currently, Sirius was in his room, looking up at his ceiling in sheer boredom. His schoolbooks lay abandoned, deep in the recesses of his trunk, whose other contents were spread around the floor.

One month. It had been one month since he arrived at Kings Cross station at the end of his sixth year, already mournful about leaving his friends for the entire summer. James had offered him to come stay at his house, but Sirius had already received firm orders from his mother that he was to stay at the family home this summer. He of course, never listened to orders and was therefore grounded for the entire summer after his attempt to fly to the Potter's on his broom. Not to mention his attempt to bribe Kreacher into giving him his broom back, which the traitorous house elf blabbed the whole entire thing to his mother. This incident extended his grounding to owling any of his friends and even venturing outside the house. His mother had even gone to great lengths as to confiscating his owl. This was the icing on the cake on what would seem to become one of the most boring summer's of his sixteen year-old life.

How wrong he was.

Sirius has been up in his room for almost all of the entire day, staring up at the ceiling and watching as the players of the Welsh Green's quidditch team flew around his poster, occasionally waving to him.

He blew his black hair out of his face. At school he had allowed it to grow but now it was becoming a nuisance. If he had to say so himself however, he did look rather dashing with it pulled into a ponytail. When he had made this comment to himself, he had just imagined Lilly Evans calling him a narcissistic pig, following with a resounding slap as the mental image of Lilly hit his mental image of his best friend James in the face for gazing to long at her buttocks.

Sirius grinned to himself at this imaginary scene. He really did miss his friends. If he had to stay any longer in seclusion, he was sure to go mad. To him, even Snivellus would be a welcomed change.

Sirius sighed. In five days, he would be turning seventeen, his coming of age. He should be happy. But this was not enough to confirm his happiness for a birthday without friends isn't a birthday at all, in his mind.

Lost in his self-pity, Sirius did not hear the creaking of the stairs, or the knock on the door until he heard a voice said,

"Sirius!"

Sirius groaned at the voice. He didn't want to be bothered right now, especially by his little brother.

" Go away Regulus!" he yelled back.

There was silence on the other side and then,

"Mother wants you to come down to supper. She said that father needs to speak to us, all of us."

Sirius sighed and then got up from his bed. Opening his door, he saw the body of his brother already descending the stairs. Sirius shook his head. He would never understand his brother, the way he served their parents every whim.

Entering the dining room, he saw the rest of the family sitting down at the table. His mother held a look of impatience and as soon as he entered the room, she glanced at his attire and made a disapproving sniff. Sirius's father hard eyes glanced at his son and then back at the letter he was reading. Regulus was on his mother's right, his face smug.

When Sirius sat down, his father looked up, and spoke, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

" How nice of you to join us my son,"

Sirius nodded at his father, trying desperately to hide his spite, instead, helping himself to some of the chicken the house-elves had brought.

The supper was quiet, not unusual for the Black family, and as Mrs. Black rang for dessert, her husband placed down his cutlery and looked up, a sign that the whole family was to listen.

"I have some interesting news that involves us all, especially you, Sirius." He said, looking pointedly at his son. Sirius shifted uncomfortably in his seat but stared his father down. Mr. Black smirked, and brought out the letter he had been reading before and placed it on the table.

" I have received news from a friend of mine, Rafael Delmar, that his daughter, Rebeca, is ready for marriage."

Silence reigned in the room and Sirius turned to his father, his mind racing on what this could mean. His mother seemed to know for her hand was at her mouth in surprise. Regulus just sat there, looking from his parents to his brother, clueless.

" Indeed Augustus? What else?" asked Mrs. Black calmly, trying to suppress the eagerness that was given away from her shaking hand.

"Patience, Heloise. He says all is well in his family and that business is good. He also says that his wife thanks you for the flowers you sent her, and let's see…"

" Augustus, please, about the girl."

Augustus Black smiled maliciously at his wife's evident impatience, enjoying the fact that he was causing her distress by avoiding the issue. He stroked his perfectly clipped, black, beard, streaked here and there with grey.

" Rafael says that he feels that it is high time for an alliance between our families and that his eldest daughter would feel honored to bear the name Black." Augustus glanced again at the letter. " He asks us if our eldest, Sirius, would consider his daughter's hand in marriage."

Augustus looked at his eldest son with a calculating look and his mother was staring at him in shock.

" Sirius? Why ever for? Regulus is perfect for the girl." Said his wife.

Sirius did not hear this comment, but was staring at his father, his knuckles turning white as they clutched the end of his chair arms. He didn't see his brother's red face at being singled out, he was only thinking about what his father had just told them.

Daughter…ready for marriage…alliance…

Sirius shook his head. This couldn't be happening to him, not him!

He came back to the real world when he heard his mother say, " …well we are going to have to buy the visas to Spain, and of course buy Sirius some new dress robes as well for the wedding. "

Sirius snapped out of his reverie. " What? I am bloody well not getting married!"

His mother gave him a disapproving look. " I will not tolerate that language at my table Sirius Cyneric Black. And you will marry Rebeca Delmar."

Sirius glared at his mother. " Absolutely not! I refuse! I will not tie myself down with some girl that I don't even know!"

"You have no choice in this matter." Replied his father, giving him a cold look. " It is done. I have already sent back a reply to Rafael, accepting his proposal. The wedding is next week." His grey eyes glinted at Sirius. "I suggest you get used to the idea of being married my boy, and to brush up on your Spanish. We leave for Barcelona in two days"

With that, his father rose from the table and left for his study. Mrs. Black stayed and gave the house-elf orders to clear up the table.

Getting up she looked at her eldest son who was red with suppressed rage, " I expect you not to mess this up my son. The reputation of the house of Black rests on your shoulders."

She turned around but then looked back at him, in a scrutinizing way. " By the way, we need to schedule a haircut for you at the barbers and robe fittings. Your hair is appalling and you have shot up like a weed."

With that, she left the room, no doubt to send letters to Madame Malkins and the barbers.

Sirius sat there fuming. 'How dare they,' he thought. 'How dare they try to run my life and make my decisions for me as if I'm some kind of pet.' He stood up from the table and stomped up to his room, slamming his door so hard that the hinges groaned in pain. Standing in the middle of the room, Sirius's rage radiated off him in waves and he forcibly kicked his trunk, which he regretted instantly as a sharp pain went up his foot.

Cursing, he sat down on his bed and then immediately got up after feeling a sharp pain on his bottom. " Ow!' he cried, rubbing the injured area and then turning around to discover a ruffled, and slightly squashed looking, owl. It's large brown eyes holding his in malcontent. Tied to its leg were a package and a letter bearing familiar writing.

Sirius grinned, recognizing James's owl immediately.

" Hello Buggy!" he said, bringing out a finger to stroke him with, but was nipped hard in turn. Sirius hissed and held his injured fineger away from him. " Guess I deserved that." He muttered as Bugafalia, or Buggy, as some called him, held out his leg for Sirius to untie.

After offering the disgruntled owl a treat, the young man ripped open the letter and eagerly read its contents.

Dear Padfoot,

How are you? Silly question that, I know you are probably miserable, bored, and sulking. ("I don't sulk!" exclaimed Sirius)

Well here something that'll cheer you right up mate! Call it an early birthday present if you will. Cheers!

Prongs

Sirius grabbed the parcel and ripped the brown paper open. Inside was a plain hand mirror. Stuck to the face of it was a note.

Speak into it.

-JP

Sirius stared at the mirror. Was James mad? Did he want him to talk to his reflection? He shrugged and decided to give it a try.

Leaning in to the mirror, Sirius whispered,

" Hello?"

He waited for something, anything to happen, but the mirror stayed blank. Sirius started to put it down in frustration when, suddenly, he heard a voice say,

" Sirius?"

Sirius quickly turned the mirror towards him, and there, in the glass, he saw the face of one James Potter.

The brown-eyed boy grinned up at his astonished friend. " Well, did it cheer you up?"

Sirius let out a laugh. " This is the best birthday present I've ever had! Where in the world did you get this?"

" Some curio shop in Diagon Alley. Thought you'd like it in your seclusion. By the way, are you still grounded? Cause I've got some great tickets to the Welsh Green's game next week." James replied.

Sirius looked down astonished at his friend. " No bloody way! Those tickets were sold out the day they were available! Where'd you get them?"

James smiled smugly, " Dad knows the team's manager so he pulled some strings. Want to come?"

"You are joking right? Of course! I'll check with mum and I'll be over for next…week's …game…" Sirius's face fell and he sat back on his bed.

James was perturbed at the sudden change of mood. " What's wrong mate? Can you come?"

Sirius looked back down at the reflection of his friend. " Sorry Prongs, I'm going to need a rain check. I'm going to Barcelona next week/"

" This is the game of the century! What could possibly be so important in Barcelona?"

Sirius smiled weakly at his friend, " I'm getting married."