"Ummm… Where to start…" Sirius pondered.

"Take your time," Remus said quietly.

"What about you start with Grimmauld," James suggested and Lily gave him a questioning look. "I know the details, I'm just trying to make it a bit easier on him," James whispered into Lily's ear in reply. Lily nodded her understanding.

"My parents, if you could even call them that, used to treat me like shit," Sirius started. "I was the perfect child, the favourite child, I had to be with them."

Remus felt that there was something that Sirius left unspoken but he wasn't going to interrupt, now that Sirius had stared talking. Remus knew this would be hard for Sirius, if the amount of times Sirius had brushed it off was anything to go by. Remus reached his hand out to grasp Sirius' hand, sliding their fingers together in moral support.

Sirius lifted his head from where it was looking down into his own lap to face Remus and give him a slightly pained smile. He took a deep breath and continued.

"That was until I started boarding school. When you start at Hogwarts-"

Lily snorted loudly at the name and Remus grinned, hiding his laughter.

"Yes, I know, it's a funny name, when you start at Hogwarts, you attend an interview with the headmaster, who asks you a whole range of questions, some are just ridiculous, to determine what house you should be placed in for you years at the school."

"One of the questions I was asked was 'what position do you sleep in?' James provided.

"I got 'do you prefer liquorice of sherbet?' but anyway… I was sorted into Gryffindor, the house that was known for courage, chivalry and determination." Sirius finished, sounding like he was reading out of a book. "I became a disgrace to my family that very day."

"By being sorted into Gryffindor?" Remus asked.

"Yep, my whole family had been sorted into Slytherin for generations," Sirius answered.

"What is Slytherin house known for?" Lily asked.

"Being slimy gits," James growled.

"But officially they are known for being cunning, resourceful and ambitious," Sirius stated.

"But that's a crock of shit if you ask me." James

"But nobody did," Lily said to James with a neutral tone as she slid her fingers into his hair. James rested his head against the arm of the couch and closed his eyes. Next to where Lily's arm was resting, allowing her to keep running her fingers through his black mess.

"Anyway," Sirius continued, "I was sorted into Gryffindor, I didn't know anyone, I had gone to school expecting to be sorted into Slytherin, all the other kids at my age that my parents allowed –no, not allowed, forced- me to socialise with, were sorted into slytherin. James was the first person I met who was in the same house as me and we were also in the same dorm. We didn't get along to start with."

"You were such a snob," James commented. "Why aren't these bed sheets silk? Where is the private bathroom? Where is the dumbwaiter so I can have food sent up here." James continued attempting to mimic Sirius' slightly posh accent.

"Ha, yes, I so was. But you soon changed that," Sirius added.

"Damn right I did, good thing I did, too. You'd pissed off some of the seventh years because you kept going on about how it must have been a mistake with the interview results," James advised. "They were quite offended, as you had decided that insulting the traits of Gryffindor's would help you get into the house you thought you should have been sorted into. You even went to Dumbles to have him re-interview you."

"Oh yeah, I did to. I'd forgotten about that," Sirius pondered "I think that was the last straw for you, You were trying really hard to help me fit into the house because you knew that what my family was being from a prestigious family of Hogwarts yourself. We both angrily yelled a lot of things at each other that day, the others who were staying in the same dorm as us left. I don't remember what was said exactly but it did result in the both of us rolling around on the floor laughing. I think you said something like 'why don't you fuck off to Pigfarts!'"

James burst into laughter and fell from his position, resting against the arm of the couch to lying on the floor, holding his sides. "I did!, I can't believe I said that!"

"Pigfarts?" Lily queried.

"Neighbouring school, bit of a joke really, their uniforms look like a space suit." James answered while trying to steady his breathing.

"So, fast forward twelve months," Sirius continued, "James and I were best friends now and were inseparable as we still are today. That year was tough though, my parents used to send me angry and insulting letters and emails all the time. Children of my parents' so called friends used to spit on me as they walked by, I was beat up a few times too. But somewhere in there, my perspective changed, of Gryffindor of Slytherin and of how I should treat others, though I do admit I continued to be a bit of a snob for a while."

"I dreaded going home over the summer," Sirius reflected. "My parents treated me like shit. They didn't allow me any outside contact, especially not Reg, in case I tainted him or something."

Sirius stopped talking then, taking deep breaths, trying to prepare himself for what was coming. Remus gripped Sirius' hand tighter.

"My brother, Regulus was starting school. We were beginning third year, he was sorted into Slytherin, just as expected. He had gotten along with some of the kids that our parents allowed us to socialise with and had already started to form a group. They were all shady."

James solemnly nodded his agreement at Sirius' last statement.

"The day after the welcoming feast and the sorting, I made the mistake of going up to Reg, just to say hello. We'd always gotten along at home before I started school and our parents started to restrict our contact with each other. I thought it was harmless, just saying hello but that was my mistake. His friends were with him, they ganged up on me and beat me." Sirius paused. Remus looked at his face, there were tears in his eyes. Remus curled himself into Sirius and rested hi head on Sirius' shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. The position he was in was slightly awkward as he had his injured leg stretched out, resting on the coffee table.

"Reg just stood by and watched." Sirius finished.

"When Sirius finally told me all that was happening, I begged my parents to contact Sirius' parents to allow him to stay with us for any holidays" James continued in Sirius' place, giving him time to compose himself. "The first few times they contacted the Blacks the answer was an outright no or no answer at all. I didn't tell my parents anything that was going on but I think they sensed there was something wrong, which is why they put in so much effort. I still can't believe they did it, they dressed up, in super snobbish clothing and went over to Grimmauld Place and somehow convinced them to allow Sirius to visit over the summer."

"It's what kept me sane when I had to go home, just the knowledge that I was going to the Potter's soon." Sirius said, showing that he was ready to speak again. "Also by that stage I had started rebelling against my parents, I wallpaper glued posters of bikini-clad girls on motorbikes to my bedroom walls, decorated my room with everything red and refused to cut my hair. My room was atrocious but I needed to do it, to show them I wasn't a pawn for them to manipulate."

"In fourth year I figured out that those bikini clad girls did nothing for me, I told James towards the end of that year. All he said was, 'mate, I know, you check out the other guys on the soccer team in the changing rooms, don't worry, I'm the only one who noticed.'"

"Ha yeah, I think you thought you were being subtle about it, but you were not."

Sirius hummed in agreement. At that point the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Lily offered as she stood up, "I ordered food while we were in the kitchen, hope you like Indian."

"Yessss," James hissed, rubbing his hands together.

"I'll put it in the kitchen, it'll stay warm til we're ready." Lily said as she walked past. James stood up and took Lily's spot seat on the couch.

"In the summer of fifth year," Sirius continued, knowing that Lily could still hear from the kitchen. He was on a roll at the moment and didn't want to loose momentum.

"I had the house to myself one weekend. My parents were out of the country and Reg was staying at his friend's place. I thought it would be safe to bring someone back. I'd been seeing Gideon for a couple of weeks at the end of the school year and it happened that his family were staying in town that week. I'd been able to sneak in and out of the house thanks to the amazing pranking skills I had learnt at school."

Lily walked back into the room. She noticed that James had taken her spot on the couch and decided to just wriggle herself a spot between James and Sirius on the now over crowded couch. Remus rolled his eyes at her then turned his attention back to Sirius.

"The door flew open and Reg's friends had seen me with Gideon's cock in my mouth and that was it. They were into us. Luckily we managed to escape, Gideon ran back to his family, saying that he couldn't do this anymore." Sirius paused and took a laboured breath. "I was on the street for a couple of days before I plucked up the courage to go to the Potters."

"He was a mess when he got there," James took over, "his face was so bruised he was nearly unrecognisable. We took him to get medical care and then he stayed with us. Sirius' parents had sent a letter to the school with an official notice of disownment while he was missing for those couple of days. The school contacted my parents' as they knew that we were friends and that my place was the place that Sirius was most likely to go to."

"I didn't find out until later when the Potter's told me that they wanted to adopt me, make me truly part of the family, even though they made me feel like I already was from the moment I met them," Sirius added. "Those people at the shop today were three of my brothers' so called friends. Malfoy, Lestrange and Greyback,. They were the three that were at my house that day, along with my brother who strangely wasn't with them today."

"Now every time they see me, they try to get to me and I'm really sorry that you have been caught up in this mess. I get them back when I can, in creative ways that they can't trache back to me. Potato in their car's exhaust, covering their car in sticky notes, cling wrap, shaving foam, dog shit etcetera, etcetera."

"Fuck this shit!" James shouted angrily as he stood up from the couch.

"James," Sirius warned.

"I'm not angry at you Sirius, I'm angry at them and scared fucking shitless half the time because of what could happen to you and now Remus too."

"I think it's time to get dinner and put the movie on." Lily said, pulling James from the room with her, leaving Sirius and Remus alone. The two stayed silent, Remus still curled into Sirius' side.

James looked noticeable calmer when he and Lily walked back into the room, James carrying the food and Lily the Dvd.

While the others were cleaning up the mess from dinner after watching the movie. Remus stole away to his bedroom, he needed a moment to think about everything that was discussed. His room was his sacred place, somewhere he could escape to, which was what he needed at this moment. He needed to think. How could someone go through all of that and still be sane let alone caring and loving as Sirius was. Remus lifted his hand to his cheek. His hand had come away wet from the tears that were running silently down his face.

"I'll leave" came a voice from the open doorway to Remus' bedroom. Remus turned his head to see who it was even though he already knew.

"I understand that you don't want to be with me now that you know what you were getting yourself into," Sirius said to him. Remus opened his mouth to say something but found that nothing came out as he was stunned at what was happening.

"Goodbye, Remus" Sirius said as he turned and walked out of the bedroom then out of the flat, leaving Remus sitting on the edge of the bed with tears streaming down his face.