On My Own

by Twilight Flower

PG-13 for mild language. After much clashing with his family, Sirius runs away to James's house. Songfic: On My Own by Three Days Grace. Please review!

Even as the sun set a warm comforting glow upon the houses of Grimauld Place, the atmosphere could not have been more dark

I walk alone
Think of home
Memories of long ago
No one knows I lost my soul long ago

Lie too much
She said that she's had enough
Am I too much?
She said that she's had enough

Even as the sun set a warm comforting glow upon the houses of Grimauld Place, the atmosphere could not have been darker. Sirius stood at the foot of his bed, carefully examining a lunar calendar he had bought in Diagon Alley. The full moon was one week away. Previously, he would not have been thinking so deeply about this; but ever since he became an Animagus, he and his friends had been persistent in helping their werewolf friend. He wondered if there could be a way he, James, and Peter would be able to go over to Remus' house and keep him company during his transformation, in their respectable animal forms. But then again, he thought, he wasn't entirely sure how well Remus' aunt (who he lived with) would take the information of Remus having three unregistered Animagi for friends.

Suddenly, there was a knock at his bedroom door. Then, without waiting for a reply, Regulus stepped into Sirius' bedroom. "Mother says that dinner is going to be ready in five minutes" His younger brother informed him.

Sirius merely gave a short grunt to let his brother he had heard. He wasn't too interested in dinner at the moment and he was even less interested in spending another meal with his so-called parents. He wasn't sure how many more lectures he could take on why Muggles were vermin and how great being a Black was. Regulus continued, "She wants you cleaned up and downstairs before the house-elf is finished setting the table."

"Fine." Sirius said dismissively.

But Regulus did not move. His icy blue eyes followed Sirius's gaze and rested on the lunar chart. His eyes narrowed slightly- Sirius had not told him, or any other member of his family of Remus' condition. He didn't want to imagine the kind of scolding he'd get, not that he wasn't proud of the friends he made. Sirius simply did not think his parents would be very lenient with him. They were, after all, strong believers in being Pure-Blood or nothing at all.

Sirius stared at his brother, now annoyed. "What?" He snapped.

Regulus' eyes left the lunar chart at last. "Nothing." He replied airily, and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Sirius, deciding that he better do as his mother wish, or risk suffering the consequences, walked into the bathroom next door and got cleaned up. He smiled half-heartedly at his reflection in the mirror, noticing, slightly humorously, that he had developed slightly pointed canine teeth. They weren't disfiguring, on the contrary, they seemed to add to his cool elegant manor.

Once this task was complete, he made his way downstairs, carefully sidestepping a severed trolls' leg umbrella stand. Taking his seat at the table, Sirius immediately engaged himself in his meal, not really wanting to be involved in his parent's and brother's discussion about whether a person's House had anything to do with their OWL and NEWT grades.

"Well, at least we can be assured, Orion, that Regulus will pass his tests with flying colours," Mrs. Black said proudly, staring fondly at her youngest son. Sirius rolled his eyes. Regulus smirked over in Sirius' direction.

"Speaking of which," Orion Black began, "When in the name of Slytherin are you getting your test results, boy?" He snapped at Sirius. Then, just as Regulus had done, plowed on without a reply. "If I hear you failed all your classes and they're going to make you take extra courses- I have no idea how we can cope with you sliming up the family name."

"How do you know I'm the one sliming it up? And how do you know there's anything to slime?" Sirius replied in tones of mock curiosity. He knew he shouldn't have, but it was exactly what he was thinking. Was there really any honor in thinking of yourself as the greatest beings in the world and exiling those who you considered below yourself? iAt least I've made friends in all three Houses/i Sirius thought bitterly. It was true, not only did he make friends with James, Remus and Peter, but there were quite a few other people from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff he was close to.

His father gave him a threatening look. But his mother seemed to have expected him to reply in that manner, for she said, "Do you know how we got where we are?" iBy cheating and abusing?/i he thought. "We kept our hearts in the right places. Regulus, at least, is grateful for all we have given him. By making sure we do what's good for us, we have managed to live happily- well, imost/i of us have."

Sirius made no reply. He really wasn't in the mood for an argument. And why did they always drag Regulus into this? To compare him to Sirius and make him feel bad?

They managed to continue to eat in relative silence, until, to Sirius' annoyance, Regulus mentioned his lunar chart.

"So, Sirius, which teacher asked you to have a lunar calendar? I was never told we needed one."

His mother's eyes narrowed dangerously and Sirius shot Regulus a menacing look. "Not spending precious gold on useless items, are you, boy?" His father asked, not looking up from his dinner. He always did that; hardly ever look at Sirius when he talked to him. It unnerved him slightly.

"No," He said through gritted teeth. iIf you're going to talk to me- at least look at me!/i

"What's it for?" Regulus asked, and to Sirius' slight surprise, he actually sounded genuinely curious.

"Nothing." He replied dryly. Regulus opened his mouth to inquire more, but his mother raised a hand to silence him, saying, "We're not discussing this here." Sirius felt a stab of annoyance. Did they ask Regulus about every little thing he got?

No. Just him.

After dinner, which wasn't an entirely enjoyable experience, especially after Sirius flicked a spoonful of pudding onto his brother's lap, which his parents assured him earned him a week's worth of extra chores, he made his way for the staircase leading to his room, planning on sending a letter to James.

"Not so fast." His mother called. He stopped with one foot on the stairs, hand on the black iron railing. He turned and went back over to his mother. He expected she was going to lecture him about the pudding incident. He was, however, mistaken.

"Lunar chart… for what, exactly?" Again, he felt that stab of frustration.

"It's just-" Usually, at Hogwarts, at least, he'd always know what to say. But home was a completely different matter. It hit him just how much of his Hogwarts life his parents didn't know about. They knew that he was sorted into Gryffindor, and that he had been getting into a lot of trouble with a 'James Potter' figure, but other than that, they really didn't know much. Oh, yes, and that he had been making friends with Muggle-Borns. He had a clear memory of what had happened, on his first day back from Hogwarts, at the start of the summer holidays, when he had given his parents a bit of inside information on his life at Hogwarts. He had rushed into the house and told his parents he was going to show him something. Out of his trunk, he had pulled a deck of cards. He was just about to shuffle them, saying "It's a card trick a boy named Paul Robinson showed me. He's in Hufflepuff, and his brother's a Muggle, so he showed me-" when his mother's eyes had flared angrily, and she pointed her wand at the cards, shooting all of them into the fireplace. He was then sent to his room for the rest of the night and received a long lecture from his father. Although this wasn't a Paul Robinson type of situation, it might turn out worse.

Choosing his words carefully, Sirius said, "At a certain time of year, my friend gets really ill, and I was just checking to see when he might be getting better."

"What's his status?" Mrs. Black shot. To any one else, she might have been asking what his status was in recovery – but by now Sirius knew she was actually asking his blood status.

"What does it matter?" He responded.

"He's a Mud-Blood, isn't he?"

Sirius gritted his teeth. iHow dare she!?/i "It doesn't matter." He shot back, refusing to let her gain control of the one aspect of his life that previously remained untouched: his friends.

"So" She said, pointing accusingly at him. "You're affiliating yourself with filth and scum! Dishonoring the name of Black!"

"Look who's talking!" He roared.

"We were so happy before you were born," She said in a low, dangerous voice. "We expected a proud, wonderful son-" Sirius was barely listening. He was breathing heavily, as though he had just run a great distance. He had heard this before, but, not with such certainty said with it, such – loathing. "But instead we get – you." Her voice was barely more than a whisper.

"Well, if you feel that way, why am I still here?" He tested.

"Because," She said slowly, deliberately, "Despite all that you have done to us, we have found it within ourselves to forgive you. However, as time continues we iexpected/i some gratitude, particularly in the form of loyalty."

iFound it within themselves?/i They were his parents! They should always forgive him – regardless of what was going on.

She continued, her tone icy. "But we still got nothing. You're a waste of time. A Blood-Traitor. Barely worth mentioning under this house." Her eyes flared suddenly and she looked somewhat mad. "You're no son of mine!"

"I NEVER WANTED TO BE!" He yelled. Seething, he turned away from her.

"Just where do you think you're going?"

"My room." He barely replied. She did not follow. He slammed the door behind him. He took several long deep breaths, before noticing a handsome brown own sitting outside on the window sill. He walked over, let the bird in, and took the scroll from his leg, recognizing James's handwriting. He unfolded the letter and read the following:

Padfoot

New edition of the Silver Rockets was just made! I might have

to do some persuasion to buy one.

Those brooms are supposed to be good at turning and such.

Did you know Lily's grandparents are from America?

I overheard one of her friends talking about them

with her before term ended. You know, I have a

great second uncle who was a war hero. You think

she'd go for guys like that?

Anyway, my Mum just asked me to invite you

to stay for a bit, if that's alright with your parents.

(She said she doesn't care if they're okay with it or not,

but you didn't hear that from me!) We have am extra

room if you want to stay overnight. So, that's all. I'm

waiting for Johnny to come back – he's hunting right now.

See you around, mate!

James

He smiled slightly at the letter. iBeen out of Hogwarts four weeks and still can't stop thinking about her, huh, James?/i He went over to his desk and grabbed a bottle of scarlet ink – might have been going a little too low in his desire to make himself seem as apart from the family, but if it got the point across then he would damn well do it. Scarlet for Gryffindor. Gryffindor – the only way to go for him. Using the same piece of paper, he added notes along side James's comments, a tradition they had started during their first summer after Hogwarts. It was their own special form of writing to each other – that instead of using a whole new piece of parchment, they would just add comments to those already written, trying to reframe from using the same color twice, as it got confusing when trying to tell one day's notes from another. The letter ending up looking like this:

Padfoot, Hey, Prongs!

Where are you going to get the gold for that?

New edition of the Silver Rockets was just made! I might have

to do some persuasion to buy one.

About time they make one of those

Those brooms are supposed to be good at turning and such.

Did you know Lily's grandparents are from America?

I overheard one of her friends talking about them

with her before term ended. You know, I have a

great second uncle who was a war hero. You think

Yes, I'm sure she would, mate.

she'd go for guys like that?

Anyway, my Mum just asked me to invite you

to stay for a bit, if that's alright with your parents.

(She said she doesn't care if they're okay with it or not,

but you didn't hear that from me!) We have am extra

room if you want to stay overnight. So, that's all. I'm

waiting for Johnny to come back – he's hunting right now.

If I could come, just for a while. This place is killing me.

See you around, mate!

James

Yeah, see you around, mate. Tell everyone I said hi.

Finishing the letter, he folded the parchment up and tied it to the leg of James's owl. As he flew off, Sirius stretched and yawned. The sun was now fully set, and darkness was quickly welcoming itself into Grimauld Place. He sighed. "I hate this house." He whispered to himself.

He slept fitfully that night, his dreams made up of his brother, Regulus, sitting proudly at the Slytherin table, with Mr. and Mrs. Black beside him – and his friends, all together at Hogwarts with their parents sitting with them at the Great Hall. No one was sitting with him, until… until James and his mum moved over to where he sat. At last, he felt relaxed. Forget them, he thought, referring to his parents and brother.I don't need them Never have, never will.

Standing on my own
Remembering the one I left at home
Forget about the life I used to know
Forget about the one I left at home

"Catch this, Seeker!" Sirius yelled, flying a good ten yards in front of his brother, mounted on his own Shooting Star racing broom. His brother looked up just in time to see the large apple Sirius had chucked at him coming straight towards him. He ducked, missing it by inches. After much persuasion, and a few arguments, Sirius had been forced into going to the nearby field to play Quidditch with Regulus. Although Sirius would always count that as a waste of time, he really did miss flying quite a lot. It gave him a sense of freedom and control, something he rarely found at Grimauld Place. Sirius turned his broom in the opposite direction and accelerated. Regulus followed him.

"Sirius!" Sirius ignored him, and continued to fly in front of him, not bothering to turn around to let his brother know he heard him. He turned to the right, but it was in favor of Regulus, who managed to cut in front of him. Reluctantly, Sirius looked at his brother.

"What?" He asked flatly.

"You're supposed to be helping me practice."

"Do I look like a Seeker to you?" Sirius asked. "And anyway, if I help you, the Gryffindor team will think I'm fraternizing with the enemy."

"Then forget them," Regulus suggested, and he actually sounded like he was genuinely trying to help.

"What?" Sirius said, not really interested. He had been bombarded with demands that he get his House changed so many times, saying no was just an automatic reaction. He remembered how his cousin Bellatrix had seemed determined to never let him live it down. She'd make snide remarks, always with a sneer on her face.

"You heard me," Regulus said. "Just forget them." Then, his tone dropped, and his eyes fell at a point some twenty feet from where Sirius was floating. "You know Mother and Father are right – if you would just listen-"

"Listen to what? Them, going on about how amazing being a Pure Blood is? Regulus, it doesn't make a difference. Some of the nicest people are Muggle-Borns."

"Nice in one respect." Regulus responded meaningfully. "But really, Sirius. How much longer do you plan on keeping this up?"

"Forever." Sirius responded truthfully. "Because it's what I know is right. Honestly, Regulus – just take the time to get to know some other kids outside of Slytherin – it might do you some good."

Regulus' eyes widened, and he seemed to look horrified at the very idea of making friends outside of Slytherin. But he was also taking note of the tone of voice Sirius had taken up. He now sounded like he meant for Regulus to follow his advice. iIf he would just listen to me…/i Sirius thought. iIt may not be to late/i.

"But the people outside of Slytherin are Blood Traitors!" Regulus said. "If Mum and Dad were to find out-"

"You don't have to tell them about everything you get up to at school." Sirius said matter-of-factly. "I don't. Why should they know? It's my life – not theirs."

"Yeah, but that's you." Regulus murmured sadly under his breath, as a gentle breeze sent ripples through his and Sirius' hair. For a second, soft, pale, grey eyes met icy blue ones, and Sirius thought that his brother might have actually listened to what he had said, with the intent of obeying.

But then Regulus said, "You always were different." There was a pause.

"And proud to be." Sirius said, breaking the silence. He flew passed Regulus, staring determinedly ahead. Regulus followed.

"Well, I believe them," He shouted over the wind rushing through them.

"That's your choice," Sirius said, breaking once again. "But I, however, iknow/i that they are wrong – and you're a fool for believing them."

Regulus' pale face turned slightly red. "Well, I know that they have the right idea. Even…" He paused, seemingly wondering whether to finish that sentence or not. "Even the Death Eaters."

Sirius began to feel agitated. "You think what they're doing is right? You think that their stupid ego is healthy?" Then, a horrible thought crossed his mind. "Don't – don't tell me – you're thinking of joining them, are you?"

For a second, Regulus did not answer. He sat on his broom, seeming to be balancing on his very decision. One choice would take him down one road – another choice, another road. At last, he said, "It's the right thing to do."

Sirius had heard enough. He turned his broom away from his brother – Hmmph, no brother of mine he thought bitterly. iWhen has he ever shown any brotherly affection – to anyone? Except him and his stupid soon-to-be Death Eater pals./i

"He's a werewolf, isn't he?" Regulus called after him. "That's why you wanted to lunar calendar." He didn't know why he shouted that at the last minute, but he wanted to know if he was right. Of course, it was only a guess, and he actually didn't expect to be right, but, still.

"Why would I tell you?" Sirius snapped. He did a rude hand gesture. "Traitor." At once Regulus pulled out his wand from the inside pocket of his robe. Sirius dodged the spell, reaching into his own pocket and grabbed his wand. His aim was more successful than Regulus' who hung sideways on his broom, one hand clutching the broom handle for dear life, the other, clutching his stomach. Shakily, he flew down, landing on his knees, throwing his broomstick aside. Sirius landed next to him, pointing his wand at his brother.

"Get. Up." He said through gritted teeth.

Regulus stared up at him, then, at once, sent a spell that hit Sirius squarely in the stomach as well. He doubled over, giving a gasp of surprise and pain. Regulus shot another spell at him. Sirius dodged it, sending a spell of his own. Regulus had to roll over to escape that one.

"Going to tell mummy, are you, big, strong Death Eater?" Sirius roared, sending curses and dodging the ones his brother sent flying at him. They were both on their feet, shaking a little, from the spells the two boys had been hit with.

Not so far away, Walburga Black could hear shouts in the directions of where her two sons had been directed to go. Her eyes narrowed.

Sirius was hit by a Leg-Locker curse. He fell to the ground, cursing. "You shouldn't have been sorted at all!" Regulus taunted. "You should have been sent to St. Mungos, where they deal with lunatics like you!"

Enraged, Sirius sent a curse that hit Regulus in the face. He yelled, falling backwards. Sirius hastily muttered the counter curse, and his legs, while still stiff, were released from their invisible bonds. He made his way over to his brother, staring down at him with the utmost loathing.

"YOU!" He turned- wand at the ready, but – too late. He was hit by yet another curse that sent him back a good five feet, landing on his back. Stars popped up in his eyes and a pounding pain had developed in the back of his head, which had collided with the rough dirt ground. He focused his vision long enough to see, tall, dark-haired and, worst of all, furious, Mrs. Black, standing above him, her wand raised. A small trickle of blood made its way down the back of his head, where it hurt the most.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" She screamed at him. He made to get up, but an invisible force held him down.

He didn't know what to say, except, "Did you know you're son is a Death Eater fan?" His eyes darting to Regulus for a split second. The rage did not entirely vanish from his Mother's face, but a keen expression made its way forward. Sirius knew it would only be another one of those topics that was meant for 'later discussion'.

"He knows a half breed!" Regulus chimed in. No – shut up, you! "That's why he needed that calendar when no one else did!" Really, he thought, did he need to blab about every little detail? Seriously.

"This doesn't surprise me," Mrs. Black said quietly. "However, what does astonish me is that someone, even as ungrateful and unworthy as you would make an unprovoked attack on your own brother."

"He's joining the Death Eaters!" He fumed, feeling as though his throat might tear from the volume of his exclamation.

"Any other Black would have congratulated him for his choice. You however, have decided to go against the traditions we have for so long upheld. You will be our downfall!" She took a deep breath – something Sirius took as a danger sign. She had the unmistakable look of a woman deep in terrible thought. She flicked her wand, and the force keeping Sirius from standing was released. But then, as he made his way to stand, he felt a jolt of pain in his back, and he became unbearably dizzy. He began to fall, regained his balance, and then stared up at her incredulously. Regulus was now standing too, staring at his brother with a slight sneer.

She flicked her wand again, and he felt a stab of pain in his back, causing him to stumble forward. He stared determinately at the ground, filled with humiliation at having to be taken home like this- like an unwelcomed dog. Maybe… maybe that's all he was in that house. A mutt amidst all the purebreds.

When at last they arrived at the house, Mrs. Black ushered her eldest son roughly inside, Regulus following behind. Still, she did not stop staring at Sirius. He could still feel the affects of whatever she had hit him with, and the feeling of vertigo increased slightly.

"Take the spell of me," He said darkly.

She did not respond to him, only said, "Upstairs- and don't come back down until dinner," to Regulus. He walked passed, trying not to catch his brother's eye. When at last Mrs. Black looked at Sirius, it was with purest hatred. "Nothing I do seems to get through to your thick, tainted head." She said in a quavering voice. "When I gave birth to you I expected to have perfection-"

"Nobodies perfect- not even Purebloods. And especially not Death Eaters." He cut in angrily. "Not even you," He said more quietly.

She spoke in a hiss, "You have soiled our family name for too long, boy. You are hardly my son."

"Really? Hardly your son now, am I? Because, last night I remember you saying flat out I was no son of yours." He could sense Kreacher, their house elf, lurking nearby, no doubt wanting to catch every minute of Sirius' pain as possible. The elf gave a low mumble of something that sounded like, "Waste of air" and "No stain is anything compared to the one this boy's become". Sirius tried as best he could to ignore him.

"You are never to go to Hogwarts again," She said. "Not until your father and I have had time to straighten you out. Until then, however, you are to stay in this house. We will inot/i have you besmirching the house of my fathers. You're a disgrace! A DISGRACE! Nothing less! And I WILL NOT have a disgrace in my house! Now – to your room!"

He could still hear her shouting at him, yelling "disgrace" with so much certainty, it could not be mistaken for an angry slip of the tongue, as he tried, with much dignity as he could muster, to turn and head up the stairs, still shaky from the spells that had hit him. When he came in to his bedroom, the spell wearing off, he slammed the door and threw himself on the bed, burying his face in the blankets. He heard the unmistakable click of the door lock- he was locked in. He took long, shaky breaths, trying to hold back all the emotions running through his mind. The sun was setting, casting an eerie light onto the houses of Grimauld Place. He couldn't believe what had just happened – how had things gone so wrong? One minute he was trying to get into his brother's mind and perhaps help him from throwing his life away, and next… he didn't quite know what was going to happen to him. He thought of James's family. He remembered every time he visited his house, how his mother would great him warmly, smiling all over. He had even spent a few Christmas's over there. She treated him like her own. Yes… he thought, she treated me… as though I were her second son. He recalled clearly the reaction he had been greeted with when he had told her about all the lectures he had received, and all the times he had gone to bed without dinner because his parents thought he was a blood traitor. He didn't mean to, but he was in a really thoughtful mood then, and wanted her to know just how much he had appreciated the change in attitude he had received.

Anyway, my Mum just asked me to invite you to stay for a bit, if that's alright with your parents. (She said she doesn't care if they're okay with it or not, but you didn't hear that from me!) We have am extra room if you want to stay overnight.

I need to run far away
Can't go back to that place
Like she told me
I'm just a big disgrace

Lie too much
She said that she's had enough
Am I too much
She said that she's had enough

He looked up, out the window. It had become surprisingly cool for a summer night. The sun was now almost completely set, a bittersweet darkness now creeping its way into the neighborhood. One of the Muggle neighbors blasted music loudly next door. A dog barked a few houses down. A car drove passed, heading into the square, and Sirius Black realized what he had to do. All those cheerful Christmas's, all those heartwarming birthday presents that were appreciated for the thought – not the quality- they were all coming from the Potters. Where did he go every time he needed a break from his parents' Pure-Blood mania? Where was the place he felt more like he belonged most of all? The Potters.

He turned over on his bed and reached into his dresser draw. He fumbled in there until he found what he was looking for. When he brought his hand out, he was holding a large, sturdy knife. Enchanted, by himself. Ha, he thought, triumphantly. Sirius Black is prisoner to no one! He rose from his bed and ran the knife along the crak between the door and the frame, he heard a click, and brought the knife away, successfully unlocking the door. Finishing his work, he scanned his room, trying to figure out where to start. He fetched his trunk, and began to pack up all of his belongings that weren't stuck to the wall.

He smiled, in spite of himself, at the picture on his wall of him and his three friends, Remus, Peter, and James. He was tempted to take it, but knew his attempt would be in vain. Blacks were usually peculiarly gifted at Sticking Charms, the only attribute he was somewhat willing to admit he was grateful at acquiring. But, any pride he found in his family, he usually traced back to Andromeda, who herself was facing family issues. They had always been good friends, ever since their first family reunion, when they had both found interest in a Muggle magazine she had brought in from her friend's house. The cover featured a group of Muggles standing around a motorcycle with flames decorating the sides. Although Andromeda had found more interest in the way Muggles had been able to come up with daily horoscopes, they both found the idea of a motorized bike fascinating – Sirius in particular. Since then, they'd spend time together, as she taught him spells she had learned – simple ones, not too complex. But it was thanks to her that Sirius had cast his first Permanent Sticking Charm, something he was still rather proud of.

Five minutes later, he was staring into his open – but full – trunk. He sighed triumphantly. After checking to make sure he had everything, he slowly opened the door to the hallway. No one was there. Quietly as he could, dragging his trunk behind him, he made his way down the stairs. At first, he made to leave immediately, then second guessed himself. He wanted to grab his old broomstick from the second study.. He turned left and rounded the corner as, a split second later, Walburga made her way up the stairs and into his bedroom. She only needed to look for a minute to realize what he was planning on doing, and did not hesitate to react in the most spiteful way she could think of.

As Sirius made his way back to his trunk, broomstick over his shoulder, he decided to inform ithem/i that he was going – and was not planning on coming back. He walked stiffly into the room where he found his mother and Kreacher standing by the family tree. As soon as Sirius walked in, there was a flash of fiery light. His hand immediately reached for his wand, but nothing came his way. Instead, he saw his mother, her wand pointing at a place at the tapestry near the bottom, where a small round burn mark now was, smoking slightly at the edges. To any one else, it might have been eaten away by moths, but Sirius immediately knew what had just happened. Kreacher cackled with delight, his watery eyes moving from Sirius to the tapestry.

Walburga stared at Sirius, seeming to expect him to react angrily. But he showed no emotions, until he smiled roguishly, and said, "Thought I might say goodbye to my loving family… but it seems I'm not apart of it anymore."

"Indeed." Walburga replied sourly. "And don't expect to be able to come back here either. I've had enough of you- I've had enough." And then, her shoulders began to shake, and she cried loudly.

Kreacher moved forward saying in his deep bullfrog-like voice, "There, there, Mistress. Kreacher knows how much you hate the boy. Kreacher promises to never let him forget what he did to you."

Sirius rolled his eyes at the pathetic-looking couple, and headed for the front of the house. He didn't even bother saying goodbye to his father. What was the point? Stepping out of the house, Sirius inhaled the fresh smell of the summer night. A star shone brightly in the darkness, its contrasting brightness making it clearly visible within the sky.

And then, he wasn't sure why he did it, but Sirius turned back to look at the house. Up there, in the window, Regulus was visible, staring down at Sirius with… was that – sadness? It suddenly hit Sirius just how alone Regulus looked, staring out of the window, the rest of them dark.

iYou don't have to be like them, Reg./i If only he had listened. But- there was no time for dwelling on that now. He had to get moving, less risk having to travel in complete darkness. Turning his back on the house, which he would not have to enter for over fifteen years, he made his way to his best friend's house- to his brother's house.

Lie too much
I think that I've had enough

Am I too much?

She said that she's had enough.

"Henry, someone's at the door," Mrs. Potter said, looking up from the book she was reading, upon hearing a sharp knock on the door/. The fire cast rays of warmth upon her face, and yet her eyes were tense, always alert. James looked up too from his place on the couch.

"Who is it?" He asked as his father rose, wand ready to answer the door. He was lost from view as he turned into the foyer, yet they could hear the door creak open, and Mr. Potter say "Sirius?"

James got up immediately and went to where his father was standing, looking slightly surprised. Sirius stood framed in the doorway, shivering slightly, with his trunk at his side. He smiled at them.

"Good evening, Mr. Potter. Do you- er, mind if I stay here a bit?"

"Sirius, come inside," Mr. Potter responded, ushering the teenager into the house. Sirius closed the door behind him as Mrs. Potter came round the corner. Her expression turned as surprised as her husbands had, as she said, "Sirius- are you all right? What's happened?"

"Nothing," He replied hastily, raising a hand slightly. "No- I was just wondering if I could stay here for a bit. I just can't take anymore of… my parents."

Mrs. Potter's expression softened immediately, and she nodded, sympathetically, saying, "Of course you can, dear. We have more than enough room. Why don't you head upstairs and unpack your things. Then I want you to change into some nice warm clothes before you get sick.

Although she had no way of knowing, Mrs. Potter's kindness, and the way she treated him like a son meant more to Sirius then words could describe. He would no longer have to feel hated by his family. The people at Grimmauld place weren't his family anyway. James, Remus, and Peter were. He and James were twins, Remus was the older brother, able to lecture them, but still not unwilling to join in on their fun. Peter was his little brother, always watching in awe as he and James performed risky tasks and always kept their cool. That was his family, and his home was with the Potters. That night was one of the best nights Sirius had since his last night at Hogwarts.

Finally… home…

The End

(well, that's it. As you know, I do NOT own any wonderful creations of the Harry Potter series. No harm intended as far as copyright goes. Please review – it will be greatly appreciated. Oh, additionally, sorry if there are any things like " i " because this was originally written on another site, and I had to have color and italic codes in order for it to work well. Thanks so much for reading this!)