Thanks to my reviewers:
GoldenWolf88:- Yay you were the first reviewer!! Thank you!! Yeah blue hair would be awesome and Natasha does need some happiness but I've got to warn you....things are only gonna get worse for her before they get better.
Yoda:- Lol I know you read it in school but thanks for reviewing anyways! And look I finished this chapter for you so you'd better have finished your work like you said you would P
Tina Sparkle:- Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like where the story is going, I hope you like this chapter )
Chips:- Thank you for reviewing ) Sorry that there isn't so much romance in this story, but I might be able to wangle some in – no promises though.
One:- Nope Natasha is not in Slytherin, she's a Gryffindor. Thanks for reviewing! )
Coco bean:- I'm glad you liked it and yeah the mood did have to be sad, and I hope you like this chapter as much. Thanks for the review )
Chapter 2 – The Black side of things
Sirius walked down one of the many halls in Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, a slight feeling of dread settling in the pit of his stomach. Memories of the past were haunting him and as paranoia took hold he kept glancing behind his shoulder, as his imagination tried to convince him that the shadows were moving.
All of a sudden a light shone in through the usually shuttered windows and fell on Sirius, warming his skin. He stood there in a state of wonderment, reveling in the peacefulness that had settled in his home. It was such a difference to the usually dank, dreary and dark place where the atmosphere was always depressing that he couldn't help but enjoy the change. Loud, cheerful laughter suddenly reached his ears and he started in shock, as it was such an alien sound to him in his own home. He'd heard laughter there before but it was always of a harsh and evil nature, never one of cheerfulness and happiness like this one was. He blinked and when his eyes focused he was stood in front of a tall, menacing looking black door, and he realised it was the door to his parents' study, a place he usually avoided if he could.
He frowned slightly, a light line appearing between his dark eyebrows as he realised that he couldn't remember how he'd gotten outside the door. The line deepened as he realised that the laughter was coming from the room and this only served to send his thoughts into turmoil.
He couldn't for the life of him ever remember his parents sounding happy, unless you counted the sadistic happiness they had when some 'mudbloods' had been taken care of, and a feeling of unease began to grow in him to run. However these feelings were swept aside as a surge of hope shot through him. The one thing he'd craved throughout his life was to be a part of a loving family but he'd never had it. He'd always been the odd ball and made an example of, he just didn't belong.
'Well that was made even more obvious when I was the first Black to be sorted into Gryffindor' he thought wryly before more cheerful laughter pierced through his mind. Then, ignoring the warning in his head he pushed open the door to be confronted with the sight of the usually sour expressions of his parents' faces that were now covered with smiles.
"Sirius darling, I just told your father the good news", his mother beamed at him before engulfing him in a hug. Sirius stiffened slightly before returning the hug, for the whole of his life this was all he had ever wanted.
'She must be drunk', he thought amused, 'but no that can't be right, she's bloody awful when she's drunk. I wander what the good news is though.....' he was brought out of his musings as his father walked over and clapped a hand on his shoulder.
"Sirius my boy, I have never been more proud, I knew you'd see it my way eventually", his father exclaimed with a strange glint in his eye containing an emotion Sirius couldn't quite place.
"Yes of course father" he replied, feeling insanely happy that his father was proud of him. Maybe now he'd have the chance to belong to a proper family and have a good home life like he knew James had. However his brain began to register what his father had said and the warning feeling he'd pushed to the back of his mind began to push back.
'What is it that I was supposed to have seen his way?' he thought as panic began to bubble inside his stomach. His father continued to talk.
"Finally we'll have you out of that crackpot school and have you transferred to Durmstrang where you can embrace the Dark Arts fully, just like I did".
Sirius' feeling of happiness disappeared quicker that students fleeing the poltergeist Peeves when he was carrying large amounts of water balloons. He stood there as though frozen as the horror began to engulf him.
'I can't leave Hogwarts! It's the only home apart from James' I've ever known. And I don't want anything to do with the Dark Arts!' His thoughts were in turmoil and as he looked back towards his parents he saw that their smiles had developed a cruel twist and their eyes held a malicious glint. It took a while, but Sirius finally got his tongue to work.
"What?!" he yelled pulling away from his parents. "I'm not leaving Hogwarts and my friends", he declared, glaring fiercely before he realised what he'd done. His father's expression became menacing and he picked up his black walking cane which had a bone handle that was placed by his desk, and he started to approach Sirius slowly.
"How dare you!" his mother shrieked, her fury written across her face. "You brother would never speak to us like that, he's a true Black and a better son than you'll ever be!!" she screamed as Sirius' father got closer to him. As she said this something inside of him snapped.
"Of course Regulus wouldn't, he's got about as much backbone as a Flobberworm!!" Sirius bellowed back at his mother before turning to his father, "And the school is not a crackpot of a place, you only think it is because I haven't turned out how you'd want me to!" he yelled.
"Of course you haven't!" his father roared back, "You're a disgrace to the family name, associating with muggle loving scum who would seek to destroy what pure bloods there are left, your behaviour is disgusting, and how dare you disrespect us?!" Sirius father had turned a nasty shade of puce and his arms were shaking in barely controlled rage as he lifted the cane up. "It's about time I taught you another lesson boy" he hissed, and Sirius brought his arms up to shield his face just as the cane was about to slam into his –
Sirius sat bolt up right in bed, gasping for breath and a sheen of sweat was on his body, making his pyjama's cling to his frame. His eyes were wide in panic but his breathing slowed slightly as he was greeted with the site of the familiar red curtains that were surrounding his four poster bed that had gold lions embroidered along the edges. He breathed a sigh of relief and sank back into his pillows as he realised he was safe in his dorm room, but he was still thankful that the curtains were closed around his bed, he didn't really want anyone other than James to know of his nightmares, not even Remus and Peter and definitely not Frank Longbottom who was the other boy in his dorm. As much as he liked Frank, he did have the tendency to gossip and it wouldn't do for the rumour that the great Sirius Black, one of the feared Marauders suffered from bad dreams. As vain as it sounded his reputation would be ruined. And as to why he didn't want Remus or Peter to know, that was something of a mystery even to him.
Sirius rolled on to his side and winced slightly. His dream hadn't been all made up, there was a large amount of truth to it but he was thankful that this time he'd woken up before the cane hit, although in reality it had been the opposite and he still had the bruises on his sides to prove it. What had really happened before he'd left his home to start his fifth year at Hogwarts was that he'd been summoned to his parents' study and given an ultimatum: either leave Hogwarts and go to Durmstrang, or be disowned. He opted for being disowned hence the large beating he received.
Thinking back to his dream he considered which was scarier, his father approaching him with a look of pure rage on his face, or his parents smiling and laughing. He thought the latter was far more frightening.
'Why on earth in my dream was I so stupid as to think my parents could actually love me? Well I've had it with them, from now on as far as I'm concerned they aren't my family, only the Marauders and Andromeda are, even though she is a Slytherin'. Sirius' thoughts were slightly angry, more so for the fact that he could have been so naïve to think that he could ever be accepted by his family. But he'd stand firm by his decision; as far as he was concerned they were dead to him and no longer were they his family.
Peaking his head out from in-between his curtains, he glanced out of the window to see that dawn was not far off, and seeing as he knew that he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep he settled himself up against the head board of his bed and opted to glaring at the curtain opposite him as he mulled over his holiday. His expression lightened though as he thought back to the happenings of the previous day.
He'd been ecstatic to be back with his three best friends again on the train back to Hogwarts and the trip was made even more pleasant by the amount of attention he had received from the girls he had passed.
'This year is going to be great, they all love me' he thought smugly, eagerly anticipating that this was going to be his best year at Hogwarts yet. 'And that trick on Snape was brilliant, the greasy git deserves everything we do to him' he assured himself, although he had long ago blocked out his conscience that made him feel slightly guilty for playing tricks on people who didn't really deserve it. Although Sirius believed that just being a Slytherin qualified you to be subjected to the torment that only the Marauders could provide.
'Everyone loves the tricks we play' he thought happily, glad that he had the respect of others, 'Well as long as we don't play the tricks on them' he mused and this almost caused a smile to break out on his face. Remus he felt wasn't always too keen on the pranks they played but that just had to be because he was worried about getting in to trouble.
'Well Moony doesn't have to worry about that any more, he's a prefect this year so if anything he'll be able to get us all out of trouble'.
Sirius continued to think through the day's happenings, a habit he'd acquired during his stay in the hospital wing in second year and he hadn't been able to break it. It was quite beneficial actually to reflect on the past days events every morning because he had a lot to think about, he was far more observant than people believed him to be. Take for example the situation between James and that Lily Evans girl.
'James is so hung up on her it's hardly believable' he thought to himself, 'although I don't know why she doesn't like him, he's a great person' Sirius shook his head in slight confusion. 'Oh well it doesn't really matter, her friends are weird anyway, well maybe not Ruby but that other one is, the bluebottle....what's her name again?' Sirius mulled his way through his memory trying to remember.
'Oh yeah Natasha, a complete oddball her. Intriguing though, I mean she hardly batted an eyelid after the stunt I pulled in the carriage....I wonder how far I can push her'
A grin really did break out on his face then as his mind began to come up with different ways of playing tricks on her.
'But she hasn't really done anything to deserve it and she isn't a Slytherin' he contemplated but he was still in a foul mood from his dream and spitefulness seemed to take control, 'Oh well I want to see how far I can push her before she breaks, I've had to cope with far worse and I daresay she can to' he thought fiercely, not even considering how Natasha would feel if he done this. He'd played pranks on people for far too long to begin caring about what they felt if it happened. As he recalled the things he'd had to cope with a fierce scowl settled on his features and he glared at the curtain opposite him not noticing that the curtains to the side of him had been opened and two other people were starting between him and the curtain in bemusement.
"Who'd have ever thought that when they were first created that curtains could be such an object of evil" a voice spoke and Sirius, startled out of his reverie glanced him to see James looking at him with amusement shining clearly in his eyes.
"But of course Prongs, they have a secret plot to take over the world and it seems our friend Padfoot here has discovered it and is trying to stop them" Remus, the second person added. Sirius raised his eyebrows in confusion.
"What are you to talking about?" he asked. 'Well it seems that the two of them have finally succumbed to the insanity that has been threatening our group for a while' he thought with a mental smirk.
"I thought that would be obvious Sirius, it was like you were trying to bore a hole through the curtains with your very eyes, we were merely commenting on how evil they had to be in order for you to do that" James explained matter-of-factly.
Sirius let out a deep chuckle at his friends' twisted humour and was about to reply when a fairly high squeaky voice spoke him.
"Curtains are really evil?" Peter asked curiously, eyeing the newly offending inanimate object with nervousness. At that comment Sirius out right laughed.
"No don't be silly Pete, curtains are perfectly harmless I was just thinking about something and glaring into space is all" he explained and grinned at the look of relief that passed over Peter's face.
"And what may I ask were you thinking of?" Remus asked. 'Well I can't tell him about my dreams.......' Sirius thought and quickly made up an excuse.
"Oh just the Slytherins, they seemed far too cocky last night and it annoyed me" he explained but saw James raise an eyebrow at him. 'Damn him for being such a perceptive friend, I'll have to tell him why later'. He glanced again at Remus who was frowning at him slightly. 'Oh boy let's hope Remus isn't too suspicious...but then I guess it won't be too bad if I tell him. After all we're best friends so we should tell each other everything' he thought trying to reassure himself.
"Yeah I guess even thinking of the Slytherins can put you in a bad mood" Remus said, all traces of a frown gone as he seemed to believe Sirius' excuse.
"Well enough talking you three, I want to go and eat breakfast" Peter piped up causing the other three to grin at him.
"But of course Wormtail, we can't have you wasting away now can we?" James asked in mock horror, and poked Peter in his slightly fat stomach. They all quickly dressed and left the Gryffindor common room to make their way down to the Great Hall.
They walked through the many corridors of Hogwarts and descended a few flights of stairs, only pausing once to help Peter up as he got his foot stuck in a trick stair. The ever burning torches placed against the wall were creating flickering patterns in the shadowed areas but the massive windows provided more than enough light for the corridors. There was a continuous bubbling of noise as people were trapped in conversations of their own and Sirius flashed his most charming grin at many of the girls he passed, pleased when they let out giggles and hurried off with their friends.
'This is way too easy man, if all I have to do to get a girl is smile, not that I'm complaining' he grinned to himself and before he knew it he was outside the huge oak doors that let into the Great Hall where he could hear the clattering of cutlery and the hubbub of noise emitting from the room. As he walked in he glared over at the Slytherin table in time to see one Severus Snape trip over his feet and Sirius let out a loud barking laugh, attracting more attention to the already embarrassed Slytherin. Laughter began to break out through the hall as Snape flushed and shot Sirius a poisonous glare before making his way to his seat.
Sirius was still chuckling slightly as he sat down at the Gryffindor table but before he could start to eat he felt a soft hand on his arm.
"Hi Sirius, I hope you slept well" a soft feminine voice practically purred in his ear. Sirius glanced quickly at his friends and James gave him a look that clearly said, 'get in there mate'. Sirius grinned back before turning and gazing into the grey-green eyes of Cassie, a girl in his year. He let his eyes travel over the parts of her body that he could see before looking back at her face, pleased to see a pink blush appear on her cheeks.
'Man I have got her hooked, may as well make use of her I guess' he thought wickedly, allowing a slow smile to appear on his face.
"Morning Cassie, I had a wonderful dream about a certain someone in fact" he said suggestively, although it couldn't have been further from the truth. He then leant over to whisper in her ear. "How about we meet up tonight after dinner in the astronomy tower, say at about eight o'clock?"
She gazed up at him, a certain amount of desire in her eyes and she agreed readily. She then said a quick goodbye and along with her friend Eluned the blonde hastily left the hall.
"Padfoot how do you do it?" Peter asked in an awe filled voice that was directed at him this time instead of James.
"It's a gift mate" Sirius grinned back and James chuckled whilst Remus gave a small smile.
"You a lucky one Sirius" James said, "She's one of the best looking girls in Gryffindor".
"Although not as good looking as a certain red head I bet Prongs" Remus said and started laughing as James flushed.
"Keep it down Moony" James hissed as Sirius and Peter started laughing as well. "We can't have lies like that spreading around" he added hastily. With that Sirius let out his barking laugh again.
'James man you like her more than you know or think' he thought to himself and he caught Remus' eye, knowing that his friend was thinking the exact same thing. They ate a hurried breakfast as they had been slightly late and looked at their time tables. Remus, James and Peter let out groans of dismay when they saw that they had potions first but Sirius just had a content smile on his face. He was back home, and had secured a date already and he hadn't even been there one whole day yet, so not even the thought of having potions first could darken his mood.
They left the hall in a rush and it was only as he walked through the doors that he remembered about his new little project.
'Oh well I can do something to her later, at dinner time maybe – that'll impress the girls even more to be sure' he thought with a huge grin, a plan already perfectly formed in his mind.
A/N: Okay I really wasn't sure about this chapter and whether or not I managed to write it from Sirius' point of view properly so your opinions on it would be much appreciated, and I really do hope you liked it ) (If there were any typos then I apologise, I did proof read it but I may have missed some out)
Yavanna