Disclaimer: Usual

Chapter 35

The Potters and Sirius apparated in the same park from which they left. The road home had never felt so long to Sirius. He had no idea what he was in for when he got home.

They climbed the stairs to the front door and knocked. Mrs. Potter hadn't taken her hand from Sirius' shoulder since they arrived at the park.

When the door swung open, Mrs. Black seemed slightly surprised to be standing face to face with Mr. Potter, but as she surveyed the others, her eyes falling last on her son, her gaze turned icy and Mr. Potter was thankful that the old muggle saying wasn't true and looks couldn't kill.

Mrs. Black stood in the doorway a moment, not moving. Mr. Potter broke the silence, "Mrs. Black…"

Without moving, Mrs. Black said, "Go inform Orion that we have visitors." Sirius saw his mother's robe rustle slightly and figured that Kreacher had been standing behind the door and brushed her robes as he turned to perform his task.

It wasn't until Mr. Black appeared that Mrs. Black stepped aside and motioned for the Potters, and her son, to enter.

"I would like to apologize for being involved in your son's disappearance. Had I known that Sirius did not have permission to leave his home, I would not have taken him with us," Mr. Potter stated. While the apology was genuine, any true remorse he might have felt was frozen away by the reception that all four of them had received. He had been stunned and appalled that Sirius' parents did not seem at all concerned about the welfare of their son. He had been gone a full day. Had they not noticed? Did they not care? Or was their anger so overriding that the fear of losing their child did not show through. Surely they had to have been a little worried.

Mrs. Black continued to silently seethe, but Mr. Black responded, "Yes well, this isn't the first time he's snuck out of the house. It seems to me that we have talked to you before about your son's influence on him…"

"Now see here…" Mr. Potter started.

"No. You see here. You obviously have no control over your son or you would have known the situation from the get go!"

Enraged, the anger in Mr. Potter's voice came through loud and clear, despite the fact that he wasn't yelling. "Excuse me! My son didn't…"

"We have warned you before about interfering in how we raise our son. If you cannot keep your boy under control, we may have to consider other methods of keeping them apart."

"That would be some trick considering they room together at school."

Sirius had not considered that his parents might do something to the Potters when he left. "Dad, it wasn't…"

"Silence!" Mrs. Black said without looking at Sirius. "Can you not remember even the simplest of instructions?"

Mrs. Potter felt Sirius start to tremble slightly under her hand. "Mrs. Black, Sirius was trying to help a friend. The way he went about accomplishing that task may have been questionable, but his intentions showed caring and loyalty for a fellow classmate. He and James succeeded, by the way. They provided the help they could." Mrs. Potter's statement had the entirely opposite effect than she had intended, hence making things worse for Sirius than if she had said nothing.

Casting a scathing gaze on her son, Mrs. Black said, "Loyalty." Her voice had been nearly a whisper, but it could just as easily have been a shout the way it resonated and left a ringing silence behind.

"James," Mr. Potter said, breaking the silence.

"What?" James looked up at his dad.

"You have something to say."

"I… Oh." Shuffling his feet slightly, James said, in a very rehearsed tone, "I am sorry Mr. and Mrs. Black for not telling my parents that Sirius did not have proper permission to leave, and instead for encouraging him to do so." His apology could not have come across less sincere if he tried. Well… he was trying, and it sounded perfect to him.

Mr. Potter glanced at James, communicating, as only fathers can, that he would be dealt with later, and then said, "Sirius."

"No," Sirius whispered.

Under the intense scrutiny of the Blacks, Mr. Potter bent down so he could speak to Sirius and only he would be able to hear. "Sirius, they are your parents. However misguided they might be, they deserve the respect due their position. And you did actually do something wrong this time."

Sirius understood what Mr. Potter was saying. He would be getting in trouble for that which any child would get in trouble. He had done something that was not simply falling short of their unattainable standards or due to a difference of opinion. He also understood from the wording that Mr. Potter was not unsympathetic to his plight. Who knows, maybe it will even help for once. It can't get any worse.

Sirius could not have sounded more miserable as he mumbled, "Sorry."

There was a moment of surprise on his parents' faces, which instantly became, if possible, more full of loathing than before at the realization that Mr. Potter had more influence over their son's behavior than they. They watched as Mr. Potter smiled a little and gave Sirius a gentle squeeze on his shoulder.

"We should leave now," Mr. Potter said with apprehension when he saw the fury on the Blacks' faces. He leaned over again, "Let us know if you need anything."

Sirius nodded and watched the Potters go. A sudden coldness settled on him when Mrs. Potter lifted her hand and he felt his safety leave with them.

"Loyalty?" Mrs. Black asked when the Potters had left. "Loyalty? You don't know the first thing about loyalty." Mrs. Black's volume was increasing with each word she spoke. "You bring blood-traitors into this house – for a second time! You claim to stand against EVERYthing we stand for. You have NO concern for your FAMILY. HOW can you POSSIBLY claim to be LOYAL to ANYONE?"

"Just because I don't believe what you do, doesn't mean I'm not loyal to this family!" Sirius rebutted.

"BUT YOU'RE NOT! Would someone loyal leave without saying a word?"

"It's not like you even noticed I wasn't here. You've been ignoring me all summer! What do you care if I'm here or not? Just because I didn't learn to be loyal from you…"

SMACK!

Sirius touched his cheek and then started laughing. "What's the matter, mum? Can't handle the truth?" He was positive he was going to get smacked again. Why they couldn't just go back to ignoring him he didn't know.

In fact, Mrs. Black did raise her hand again, but Mr. Black grabbed her hand before she could swing. "Regulus!" he bellowed.

Regulus appeared so fast it was clear he had been nearby listening.

"Regulus," Mr. Black said calmly. "Regulus, I want you to learn this lesson along with Sirius. Disloyalty to this family will not go unpunished. Sirius claims to be loyal. He will now get a chance to prove it. Remember the punishment doled out every time that Sirius is disloyal to the family – every time he's disloyal to you."

Mr. Black pulled out his wand and muttered a spell that Sirius recognized as the shocking spell Bellatrix had used on him during his first year at school. But as screams of pain filled the hall, Sirius stood rooted to the spot in horror as he watched his brother fall to the floor.

"NO!" both he and Mrs. Black yelled at the same time. With a quick flick of Mr. Black's wand, the spell was lifted.

Sirius ran over to his brother, dropping to his knees and sliding up next to him. Sirius just had time to register that his father moved when Regulus started screaming again.

"STOP IT!" Sirius cried. He put himself between his father and his brother to break the connection. "Regulus!" Sirius reached out for his brother. Initially, Regulus pushed him away, but being weakened he didn't have the strength to fight his older, stronger brother, and Sirius was able to pull him into a hug, rocking them both. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" he whispered, as tears streamed down his face.

He glared at his father, who put his wand away. Mrs. Black, who had stayed where she was out of fear of her husband, half yelled, half growled, and she rushed forward. Her strong, boney grip ripped Sirius from his brother and pushed him away. Then she gathered her youngest into her arms and carried him up the stairs to his room.

"Remember this next time you feel inclined to dishonor the family. Don't dare me to do it again," Mr. Black said calmly. "Room."

Sirius scrambled off the floor and ran to his room, slamming the door behind him.

Later that night, Sirius went to his brother's room. Standing outside because the barrier was still in place, Sirius called to his brother. "Regulus."

"Go away."

"Regulus, please!"

There was a sniffle and Sirius heard a muffled, "I hate you. Go away."

Sirius decided that he would make it up to his brother… somehow. For the next two weeks, he had never been on better behavior. He spoke only when spoken to and at no other time, knowing that whatever he had to say would just cause trouble.

He also ate very little. His nerves were constantly on edge, wondering what would set his parents off and what would be a bad enough offense to bring on punishment.

When, at the end of two weeks, his brother still wasn't speaking to him, Sirius' only hope was that at school, away from his parents' influence, they might be able to patch things up.

Chapter 36

James took his seat across from Remus on the train. He was grinning broadly and his eyes sparkled mischievously.

"So. I talked with my Dad," he began. "He showed me how to do non-verbal magic."

"You're joking!" Remus sat up straighter in his seat, catching James' excitement.

"I still can't always do it. It's going to take a lot of practice. But it's a start."

"Excellent! Wait until the others hear about this."

"Speaking of…" James said, nodding out the window in the direction of the approaching Black family.

Remus frowned. "Did he get into a lot of trouble?"

"Dunno. He wouldn't say."

When the compartment door opened a few minutes later, Remus and James were both surprised to see Peter's face staring back at them.

"What?" Peter asked.

"Nothing, we just… Where's Sirius?" James got up and glanced down the corridor. He was just about to return to his seat when the door to the car slid open, and slammed shut again when an unhappy-looking Sirius entered. It took him a second to realize he was being watched. When he saw James, he smiled, but it was a strained sort of smile.

Once everyone was in the compartment and settled, James said, "What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing," Sirius stated shortly.

Peter said, "You look as bad as Remus, no offense. Glad you could make it, by the way."

"None taken. And me too." Remus answered casually, but he, also, was watching Sirius. "Peter's right. You don't look well."

Sirius sighed. "I've had sort of a stressful two weeks."

Remus glanced at James, then asked, "So did you get in trouble for coming to see me?"

Sirius snorted but didn't answer.

"Well?..." Sirius continued looking out the window, so James prodded him. "What happened? What did they do to you?"

"Nothing. Just drop it."

After thinking about it, James said, "No. You don't get to do that. What did they do?"

"Nothing!" Sirius yelled. "They didn't do anything to me."

The compartment was silent for a few seconds. Then Peter asked, "You didn't get punished then?"

"I wouldn't exactly say that," Sirius muttered. He looked at the faces of his friends staring back at him. He realized they really weren't just being nosey, they were concerned. Sirius sighed and hunched forward in his seat, resting his elbows on his knees. "They didn't do anything to me. They punished Regulus instead – with the shock curse Bella used to use. Remember?"

The other boys nodded their remembrance, but they looked horrified at the idea.

"I was told if I did anything else deemed worthy of punishment, it would fall on Regulus again. So… I've been kind of stressed."

"Bugger," Peter whispered, while James said, "Bloody hell."

Thinking as only thirteen-year-old boys can, James said, "Does that include anything that happens at school?"

"Probably."

"Well," Remus smirked, "that just means we can't get caught."

Sirius looked up in surprise at Remus, then started chuckling. As laughter so wonderfully does, it spread and grew and soon they were all laughing until tears fell down their faces. But it did the trick, and the tension that Sirius had worn like a shroud since two weeks ago slipped off his body and dissipated like water through cracks. In fact, all of them were in need of the release after this last summer.

Once they had settled down, James shared his news.

"Non-verbal magic," Sirius said with a far-off look in his eyes. "Imagine the possibilities."

"Slow down there. We still have to learn how to do it. Like I was telling Remus, I've been practicing every day for a week and I still can't do it consistently. This is going to take a while."

Peter groaned. "I'm never going to get it."

"Yes you will," James insisted. "You don't have a choice." James smiled reassuringly, but he wasn't too sure if Peter would get it either, although he had surprised them in the past.

"So our goals for the year," Sirius began, "are: finish mapping Hogwarts…"

"Find more secret passages. Hopefully more that lead off grounds…" Peter added.

"Learn non-verbal magic." Remus ticked off on his fingers each goal.

"Win the Quidditch Cup," James added enthusiastically.

The other Marauder's rolled their eyes.

"… And solemnly swear…" Sirius raised his hand.

The others followed suit, raising their hands and saying in unison, before breaking into more gales of laughter, "That we are up to no good."

A few hours closer to school, Remus asked if anything else had happened over the summer.

"Ugh," Peter huffed. "My mum's getting married."

There was a stunned silence in the compartment before the others started laughing again.

Peter slouched back in his seat and crossed his arms. "It's not funny."

"Sorry Peter," Remus laughed, though, to his credit, he tried to subdue it.

"What do you have against this guy anyway?" Sirius asked, once he'd settled enough to be able to ask. "I mean, he sounds like a good guy. And your mum is happy."

Peter shrugged. He couldn't very well say he was jealous, or that he felt replaced. He somehow thought that would only bring more laughter from the others.

"It's okay, Peter," Remus said sensibly. "Sometimes it just takes a while to adjust to these things. Give it time. Once everything is settled, you may find you like the guy."

"Maybe," Peter mumbled.

"What does he do, anyway?" James asked.

"He's retired. He's an ex-Auror."

"Excellent!" James said sounding slightly awed.

Peter looked at James curiously, trying to decide if he was making fun of him. But seeing the genuineness on James' face, he then wondered why James would be so impressed.

"Imagine the things you could learn from him," Sirius said, sounding equally impressed.

Peter was flustered by the sudden awe the boys were showing him. Well, not him really, but awe by association. It was something he wasn't used to, but thoroughly enjoyed. There might be more to having John in the family than he initially considered. What if he could learn things from John that he could share with the others? How much more valuable would that make him to them? He might have to consider being more friendly to John in the future.

Remus was the only one who didn't seem awed. In fact, he was more uncomfortable about this revelation than impressed. Peter had never once told anyone any of their secrets, especially in relation to Remus being a werewolf. But Aurors were trained to pick up on clues and patterns, and he didn't know how much Peter shared that would inadvertently lead to the discovery of what he was. The others didn't seem to notice his discomfort, and Remus wasn't about to share, but he would be on guard if he ever met John in person.

The train arrived at the Hogsmeade station, and the boys got into the horseless carriages. Sirius had scanned the crowd, keeping an eye out for his brother. He frowned slightly to see that Regulus had already associated himself with Slytherins. It wasn't a surprise, since Narcissa had met them on the train and took Regulus with her, but it was disappointing nonetheless.

The Start of Term Feast began as usual, with the song by the Sorting Hat. As the sorting began, Sirius paid close attention to what was going on and became stock-still when his brother's name was called.

"Black, Regulus," Professor McGonagall announced. A few Gryffindors glanced in Sirius' direction.

The hat paused for just under a minute before announcing, "Slytherin!"

Though Regulus was clearly relieved, he glanced in Sirius' direction to see his brother's reaction. Disappointment was etched on Sirius' face and Regulus felt them slip further apart. Not that he had done much to help their relationship this summer. But he wondered what this would do to them.

The applause, especially from the Slytherins, had created enough noise in the hall that, when Regulus was announced as a Slytherin and Sirius slammed his fist onto the table, nobody but his surrounding Gryffindors noticed. And Andromeda. He was frowning when Regulus glanced over at him, his disappointment clear. Though it was definitely upsetting, he wasn't so much disappointed that his brother had been put in Slytherin, as he was with the fact that it would be very hard to repair the damage he had caused over the summer if they were in different houses.

The rest of the feast passed quickly with good food and catching up with the other Gryffindors as they chatted about their holiday and, for the third-years, looking forward to their new classes. And the usual, possibly magical, sleepiness of the first night back overtook the students as they headed for their dorms, preparing for the start of a new term with a good night of solid rest.

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A/N - Another two chapters. :D Hope ya'll don't mind. Thanks again for the reviews and wonderful comments and encouragement. Ya'll rock! Thanks also to my editors (mom and mei mei) and my beta (J.A.Carlton). Lots of love.

Zenna - Thanks for the kind words. And yes, Remus is lucky to have them. They're all lucky, I think, to have each other.

Nonair - Thanks for the wonderful words. I'm glad the incident was believable and Remus/werewolf was in character. It's good to hear that who they were is compatable with who they became - for him as well as the others. Let's me know I'm on track. Thanks. Glad you liked the backstory with the Lupins. Thanks again for the review.