The silence filled the spacious room, as the minutes slowly ticked past. Regulus placed his hand on the table and absentmindedly began tapping his fingers against the table. Tap-tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap.
"That's enough, Regulus," Walburga said sternly, watching her youngest son with intense, dark eyes. Her eyes shifted to the clock behind her son's head.
Sirius followed her gaze and inwardly groaned. He had another 20 minutes before Mrs. McCleary would come and rescue him from this hellhole. He shifted again in his chair, looking beyond his mother, out the window, at the woods behind Grimmauld Place. Birds flew around excitedly, with not a care in the world. Sirius stared enviously.
He sharply tore his eyes away from the sight of the birds as he heard the click of the knob turning. The door squeaked open slowly and Mrs. McCleary peaked inside. "Oh, I didn't know that you all had finished breakfast so quickly," she said, pushing the ancient door farther open.
Her warm brown eyes guided across the painfully bored faces of her employers and sighed.
"Well, I see that it is time for Sirius to leave to get to the Platform on time. So, let's get going." With that, Mrs. McCleary turned and headed for the door.
Regulus followed her, with Sirius trailing behind after him.
A hand grabbed his wrist lightly, gently tugging him back into the dining room. Sirius turned to see his mother staring at him, warm and friendly.
"Sirius, I'd rather tell you in private about what your father and I expect out of you when you arrive at Hogwarts." She looked at him fiercely; neither anger nor aggravation showed in her face. It was something else the Sirius could not place. Pride? He thought, or maybe even joy?
"As you know, there are four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. What you may not know, however, is that both your father's family-the Black's- and my family-the Crabbe's- have long been sorted into Slytherin. Both your father and myself expect you to be in Slytherin, without any exceptions. Slytherin is a noble house, far better than the others. The others allow blood-traitors and Muggle-borns in. But not in Slytherin. No, not Slytherin. They only accept the purest of blood, so you will not be tainted with the filth of Muggle-lovers and Mudbloods. While you are away, you are also expected not to associate yourself with those kinds of people, do you understand?"
Sirius nodded zealously, encouraged by the words of his mother, and not wanting to disappoint his father. "I understand, Walburga. I will follow your and Orion's wishes to my best extent."
His mother stared at her son one last time before her temperament once again became cold and distant and stood abruptly. "You are dismissed."
Sirius glanced at his mother's face before leaving, trying to find some hint of emotion. He found none.
He walked slowly to the entranceway, embracing his younger brother in a tight hug. Regulus held his brother tightly, trying to hold back his tears. Sirius swallowed the lump in his throat, not wanting to upset his brother even more. The two parted and smiled, their eyes filled with water.
"I'll be back for Winter Break, so try not to fill my room with your stuff, ya hear?" Sirius ruffled his brother's hair, and grabbed his coat off the wall hanger.
Regulus smiled and opened the door while Sirius grabbed his trunk and carry-on suitcase. Mrs. McCleary cursed under her breath as she grabbed an umbrella, and carried it so it covered both herself and Sirius. Sirius dragged the heavy luggage to the car, and shoved it into the backseat. Quickly, he threw the second piece of luggage into the car after it, not caring where it fell. Regulus ran out to hug Sirius one last time, getting soaked by the steady downfall of rain.
"Promise you'll write?" Regulus held onto his brother until he got an answer from Sirius.
"Promise." Sirius whispered before pushing him gently towards Grimmauld Place. "Go and get out of this rain, okay?"
Regulus nodded and jogged back to his house. He stood and watched as Mrs. McCleary helped Sirius into the car before getting in herself. The younger boy waved as Mrs. McCleary drove past the house, and watched them round the corner before heading back into the house.
Sirius watched through the fogging window of the car as number twelve Grimmauld Place disappeared behind them. He slid lower into his seat as he turned to face the front.
Mrs. McCleary watched him out of the corner of her eye, waiting for him to speak. She patiently waited, driving in a comfortable silence, listening to the rain as it hit the car, and the squish-y sound the windshield wipers cleared a space for her to properly see. Finally, Sirius spoke.
"Why didn't he stay home," he whispered, not bothering to hide his pain from his father's absence. "Just this once? Why couldn't he have stayed home for this?"
Mrs. McCleary shook her head, not knowing the answer herself. "Your father does what he must to support his family. He loves you with all his heart, he really does, and working to have enough money for the lavish lifestyle that you all live is his way of showing that he loves you."
Sirius shook his head, angry. That wasn't what he had asked. "Why didn't he even wake me up to tell e good-bye? Or leave a note?" His voice grew louder as his anger grew.
He stared at Mrs. McCleary with wide, sad eyes. His lip quivered slightly as he waited for her response. Her warm brown eyes looked at the miserable boy, who broke down as he looked at her loving face for answers. He looked down at his hands suddenly, not wanting to disgrace himself in front of her. His shoulders shook slightly as he tried to hold back the tears.
"Come here, boy," the elderly witch whispered as she pulled into an abandoned parking lot.
Sirius scooted closer to the loving witch. Mrs. McCleary opened her arms, and the young boy allowed himself to collapse into her warm hug. His small frame shook as he sobbed, which made the loving woman hold him tighter. The tears flowed freely now, unable to be stopped. Mrs. McCleary brushed his shaggy, dark hair out with her fingers as she hummed a lullaby, gently rocking the boy, hoping to stop the tears. Slowly but surely, his tears stopped and his breathing returned to normal, interrupted by the occasional hiccup.
"Feeling better?"
Sirius nodded and wiped his cheeks, hoping to rid himself of tear-streaks.
Mrs. McCleary smiled at the boy and pulled back out into the street, headed towards King's Cross Station.
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