A/N: Rated M for later chapters. Please review on your favourite Marauder backstory. I'm intrigued to discover who will come out on top!
NOVEMBER 5TH 1970
Number Twelve Grimmauld Place: a handsome six story London town house, accommodated two generations of the 'ancient' and 'noble' Black family by the fall of 1970. It also played host to a mixed bag of extended family and aristocratic acquaintances. Orion Black Sr had inherited the property in the summer of his 20th year, in the wake of his parents' untimely deaths. In memory of his late mother, he had vowed to refill its empty hallways with the easy laughter of his youth.
A decade later, an arranged marriage to the radiant daughter of his mother's first cousin once-removed, Walpurga had bore him a steady social climb, an impressive bank balance and two sons to carry on the family name and motto 'Toujours Pur' (Always Pure). Their education was Walpurga's highest priority. Both were taught at home in an effort to shield them from the outside influences of bad blood. They only accompanied their parents to functions held in specific social circles. Orion paraded them on display like fine china; well dressed, educated and behaved and fully aware of what was expected of them. Well built, dark eyed, handsome and elegant; Orion's sons were his replica in miniature. A strict routine and a firm hand had resulted in two talented musicians and academics with a flair for the arts but they could not have been more different. One was shy and introspective whilst the other was outgoing and rebellious. Their sheltered upbringing had bonded the polar opposites together but childhood could not last forever.
Sirius Black had often used the fact that he was the eldest son to get his own way. This included his expansive fourth floor bedroom at the front of the house but he still shared a bathroom with his little brother Regulus. The boy spent most of his time sitting on Sirius's rug or at the end of his bed, incessantly trailing him everywhere with juvenile questions. In earlier years a simple deceptive game of 'hide-and-go-seek' was enough to allow Sirius the solitude he craved. Now Regulus was old enough to know better of his brother's intentions. Sirius's game had also unintentionally caused Regulus to seek out every nook and cranny in the house, making secret hideouts no longer so covert. However there was one place Sirius had kept quiet for years. Within the first floor drawing room, a hanging tapestry detailed the roots and reaching arms of the Black family tree. Hidden behind it and down a thin spiralling staircase was a storage room. It was filled with broken and forgotten things and it was there that Sirius Orion Black felt most at home.
"Master Black!" Sirius stopped pulling faces in a cracked old mirror jumping with a start. He dropped the cigar (stolen from his father's study) that he had been using as a prop under an old chest. The family house elf, Kreacher, passed down through several generations had appeared in the room with a loud crack. He was dressed in rags and was the dirtiest thing in their house. He served their family with a fierce sense of pride and was not permitted to part with them until the master of the house presented him with clothes. Whilst Orion Sr had often given Kreacher a beating for unsatisfactory work done, he was simply too valued by the household to be let go. He had served as a large part of the Black children's upbringing; fed, bathed and dressed them, scheduled their time and chaperoned them whilst out of their parents' supervision since infancy. None of that changed the fact that his bulbous watery blue eyes gave Sirius the creeps or that his physical inability to lie had always gotten Sirius in to trouble.
"Mistress has been calling you for quite some time-"
"I do have ears," Sirius sighed bitterly, flicking at one of Kreacher's drooping bat like ears. He had spent the morning and the better half of his afternoon stuck in classes (reading, writing, arithmetic, music and languages) and taken several lashings of a leather strap from Kreacher for acting out of turn. He found it hard to concentrate at the best of times but it was his birthday. He didn't see why he had to study. He had wanted a lie in and breakfast in bed and to watch the fireworks. So far Regulus was the only person who had so much as acknowledged what day it was. Lunchtime had consisted of a horribly dry sandwich as he was barred from the kitchen to make way for celebration preparations and he wasn't allowed in the garden for similar reasons. He was in a foul mood and had no desire to see his irritating relatives, even if they did come bearing gifts. He was eleven now and the ingrained routine of the last decade was about to be turned on its head. He'd be going to a real school where he'd meet other kids he wasn't related to. He acted out in the knowledge that no punishment could follow him where he was going.
"Watch your mouth, Master Black. Mistress has put a lot of effort into celebrations and you shan't ruin them with your impertinent attitude!" Sirius snorted. His mother had never cooked a day in her life. Kreacher had been responsible for every meal the Blacks had ever had and Sirius's birthday dinner would probably be no exception. His parents, little brother Regulus, two aunts and uncles and three cousins were in attendance but Sirius and Regulus would be the only boys. Orion always preached about the strength of his genes as his brother-in-law had three daughters in succession. He was also careful to keep his sons in male company. Time with their cousins had made Sirius and Regulus adept at braiding hair and dancing and a little too sensitive for their father's liking. Though Sirius liked his cousins the thought of being stuck in a group of girls at school filled him with dread.
"Guests will be arriving soon," Kreacher informed him impatiently. Sirius took any opportunity for vengeful attempts at getting the house elf in to trouble. As a result of this back and forth battle of wits neither liked the other very much. Parents could not have favourites but Kreacher was very vocal about his and it wasn't Sirius. "You must change immediately and be ready to greet them at the door, sir." It was Kreacher's duty to make sure that Sirius was where he should be at all times. If he wasn't, Kreacher got it in the neck which almost made the clap around the ear Sirius received worth it too. "Your father hates-"So many of Kreacher's subtle urging sentences began this way that the effect was lost on Sirius.
"I know," Sirius huffed. He had stuck his arm under the dusty chest and was reaching towards the back for the stolen cigar. He pulled it out to find it and his arm coated in a thick layer of grime. Kreacher made a noise like a kettle and apparated the pair of them out of the room and in to Sirius's bedroom. He took a clothes brush out of his rags and cleaned Sirius off.
"No stalling master Black!" Sirius stared disdainfully at the outfit which had been laid out for him on the bed, namely a velvet dinner jacket which was uncomfortably tight in the arms and matched his brother's. "Wear the jacket! No complaining! Hurry up!"
Bathed and dressed, Sirius took a detour to return the stolen cigar to his father's study before he noticed it was missing. "Sirius, eleven!" He froze at the sound of his mother's voice on the other side of the door. "Our first born is growing up. No need to be so tense darling, it happens to us all."
"Grow up, he may," came his father's deep, even voice, "but in what company? Perhaps we ought to keep him taught at home-"
"You're being ridiculous!" his mother shrilled, "You and I met at that school and his name has been down since the day he was born. Go, he must. The girls will keep a close eye on him Orion." The floorboards squeaked and Sirius stared up the hall at Kreacher who was standing on the loose step at the bottom of the stairs with a satisfied smirk.
"Get in here!" his father's voice boomed into the hall. Sirius thought of the Black family tradition of beheading and mounting their house elves and tried to think of some way for this to happen to Kreacher. "Sirius..." his father sighed as he stepped quietly in to the room, "Come here." Sirius stepped gingerly towards him only to be slapped hard around the side of the head. "I thought you had grown out of eavesdropping at keyholes." Sirius blinked away tears and stood up straight as his mother looked across at him with a disappointed expression.
"I'm sorry sir," Sirius said stoically and his mother stared down at him. Her beauty was one of the many reasons his father had chosen her as his wife. She was an elegant woman who had effortlessly furnished their house with heirlooms and their lives with interesting, cultured characters. She flitted about town in classic ensembles and she had a fiery personality which perfectly complimented her brooding husband.
"Happy Birthday darling!" she said pulling Sirius in to a brief hug. Sirius lingered with a smile. He had always been comforted by the smell of her perfume. She drew away with an austere smile. "Look at this jacket!" She pulled at the slightly short sleeves with a frown.
"Perhaps Sirius ought to look inside the second drawer of my desk," his father said as he crossed the room. Sirius would not have put it past his father for his suggestion to have been a backwards trick and prepared himself for another slap. He lifted a white box out of the drawer. Inside wrapped in delicate paper was a checked, silk scarf similar to the one his father wore and a brand new dinner jacket. It was blue velvet with a black collar. His mother watched with a smile as Sirius slipped the new jacket and scarf on and stared at his reflection in the rain streaked study window. "Happy Birthday boy." By the time Sirius had turned to thank his father he had left the study with his mother in tow. He had never been much good at showing his affection but Sirius didn't mind as it gave him the cover to replace the stolen cigar.
Sirius greeted all of his guests at the front door; his cousins Bellatrix, Andromeda and Narcissa, their mother Druella accompanied by her brother in law and Sirius's uncle, Alphard and finally his heavily pregnant aunt Lucretia and her husband Ignatius . "Oh Sirius you do look handsome!" Lucretia commented as he pulled out a chair for her in the dining room.
"You look..." Sirius tried not to get his foot stuck in his mouth as his cousins sniggered behind manicured hands. "Radiant, just glowing aunt. I'm so glad you could com-"
"Drop the charm offensive Sirius," his cousin Bellatrix drawled, as she passed messing up his hair which his mother had combed herself.
"You're only turning eleven, not in to your father," Narcissa chimed, pulling his new scarf from around his neck.
"Who by all accounts isn't even that charming," Andromeda added, turning up his collar and running away around the table to sit down.
"Andromeda!" her mother scolded and she pouted and sat down between her sisters. Sirius shook hands with his nervous uncle Ignatius.
"Sirius! Look at the state of you," his mother shrilled as she stepped in to the dining room with her sister in-law Druella. Sirius stared at her aghast and then glared at his cousins who had stopped throwing his new scarf between them. Their tired looking mother Druella handed him back his fallen scarf with a kiss on both cheeks.
"Happy Birthday, love."
Sirius's father sat at the head of the table shrouding the inhabitants of the dining room in cigar smoke. "Orion! Not around your sister! Lucretia is pregnant for heaven's sake!" Sirius's mother swiped the cigar from her husband's lips and gave it to Kreacher, who stubbed it out on his own hand and slipped the butt in to Orion's pocket. He was preoccupied by his eccentric younger brother Alphard who was righting Sirius's wonky scarf with a laugh.
"Fine scarf, Orion," he said with almost a hint of teasing and a wink at Sirius. Wealth and privilege had made many members of the Black family quite uptight but Sirius had always felt a natural affinity with his childless uncle Alphard. He had told him often that he thought of Sirius as a son and always gave the best presents. He had a habit of undermining their father's attempts at discipline as he didn't believe in smacking children. He believed in many strange things as a result of extensive travels. Orion did his best to keep him away from his sons, excluding family events in which he had no choice. "Happy birthday." Alphard pulled Sirius in to a tender hug. "You'll stop growing up now, won't you? Surely eleven is enough." He was a drinker like his brother but much merrier with it. He handed Sirius a small wrapped gift. "Dungbombs," he whispered with another wink, "In case you get any stupid grown up ideas you need to blow out of the water."
The long dining table usually seated ten but an extra chair had been added at the end to accommodate their guests. Narcissa had taken one of the seats opposite Orion at the very end but the extra beside her was empty. "Hand the boy his letter Orion. He's itching!" Alphard barked from his seat beside Sirius. In all the commotion Sirius had almost forgotten that an infamous acceptance letter was what made his eleventh birthday such a defining moment in his life. Orion snapped his fingers and Kreacher appeared carrying a gold trimmed piece of the Black family china on which sat a heavy envelope. Under all their watchful eyes, Sirius took it up and tore it open, ripping through his name in that infamous emerald green ink:
Mr S. Black,
Fourth Floor Front Bedroom,
12 Grimmauld Place,
London
HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizardry)
Dear Mr Black,
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
He looked excitedly across at his cousins; Bellatrix had just graduated from Hogwarts and could not have looked less happy for him, Narcissa would be returning in 4th year and Andromeda in 6th and both were smiling serenely. Hogwarts had four houses which students were sorted in to based on their personalities. Every member of the Black family to date had gone through Slytherin house where there was practically a bed with Sirius's name on it. This had given them something of a superiority complex when it came to the other houses which Sirius's father maintained were 'swimming in bad blood'.
"We're so proud," Bellatrix remarked dryly. "Your bed wetting phase had us all terrified that you were a squib." Orion chuckled and drained his whiskey glass whilst Alphard narrowed his eyes at his niece.
"Filling out there Bella dear," he sniped, making Ignatius snort, "Best be careful. With a smart mouth like that no man in his right mind will marry you." She was silenced and threw a napkin ring across the table at her giggling sisters. Sirius stuffed the letter in to the pocket of his dinner jacket.
"Aren't we missing someone?" Narcissa asked, nodding at the empty chair at her side. Sirius's mother surveyed the table, mentally counting heads and then gasped.
"Reg! Where is that boy? Sirius go and find him," she demanded. "We're trying to have a mature evening for your birthday and he's off playing hide-and-go-seek!" Sirius smirked and left the table in search of his little brother.
Sirius didn't bother taking the stairs to his and his brother's bedrooms on the fourth floor as Kreacher was standing in the hallway. He still needed to get him back for making his presence known earlier but he was pointing a long bony figure in the direction of his father's study with a knowing expression. Sirius nodded and carried on in to the room. He looked under the desk and behind the leather sofa but didn't find his brother there. Under the music from the dining room, he could hear someone sniffling softly nearby. He slipped a book on taxidermy techniques from the bookcase and it opened with a creak to reveal another room entirely. Sirius stepped through in to the hunting room. It was filled wall to wall with a collection of rare and exotic stuffed animals from house elf heads, to clabberts, winged horses, owls and their father's most prized, a unicorn head. Regulus's little dinner jacket was currently hanging from the horn.
Sirius and Regulus had often set up a tent and a picnic at the centre of the room and would entertain each other with valiant, dangerous, exciting tales involving each creature. Their small yellow canvas camping tent was sitting on the rug, glowing and lit from a lamp inside. Sirius could see a shaking silhouette. "Reg, don't cry." He removed the pocket square from his new jacket and passed it through the tent opening to his brother. "I'm only eleven. I'm not going to die for a million years yet." There was the loud childish blowing of a nose from the tent and then a small hand emerged with the soiled pocket square. "You keep it."
"Did you get your letter?" asked a quiet voice.
"Yes-"
"No need to sound so happy!" he snapped, "Though I bet you are, to be getting away from me! I'm going to be all alone!" Regulus broke down into snivelling tears again and Sirius sighed and climbed in to the tent.
"You'll have Kreacher," he said which only made his brother cry more. "And you'll be joining us all in a year. That's no time at all, especially seeing as you'll be writing to me once a week."
"I will?" Regulus stared up at Sirius wiping his eyes on his sleeves.
"You better," Sirius said squeezing his shoulder, "With all that horrible homework to do, I'll need a good yarn about Bellatrix being pooped on by a fleet of winged horses to tide me through." Regulus giggled and threw his arms around his older brother.
"Happy birthday, Sirius...You're not even gone yet and I already miss you, is that weird?" he asked, as they crawled out of the tent together.
"Probably but you are weird," Sirius stated. He grabbed Regulus's dinner jacket and helped him slip it back on. They left the taxidermy room together but Regulus's upset expression lingered. "Don't worry. I'm weird too. You can't escape it in this family."
A/N:The Black brothers have always been held close to my heart. Mostly because I couldn't imagine growing up so close and then parting so very far from a brother.
Could you?
I think it's awful that neither knew the best of the other in the end...
