After Andromeda's awful departure from the household, the mood around Grimmauld Place was somber. Everyone was in shock, it seemed, though they showed it differently.

It was like her cousin had died, Sirius thought scornfully, when all they had to do was send her a letter. Aunt Druella mourned her like she had died, and cried a lot, but in secret when she thought no one was looking.

Great Aunt Elladora told anyone and everyone that she had always known this was coming, that she could tell a mudblood-lover from a mile off; Aunt Druella always left the room when she got started.

Sirius could hardly bear to sit through most of it herself, especially when Regulus nervously agreed with whatever was being said, glancing at his mother for approval. Narcissa just sat there in silence, looking down at her lap; at least she had the decency not to pretend. None of them saw anything of Bellatrix.

All of this had made Sirius Black think hard, about her own future, which she very rarely did. In all honesty, she knew she did not fit into the mould that Narcissa did so perfectly, that of a dainty, polite young lady who wanted nothing more than to please her family and her husband.

Quite honestly, Sirius didn't particularly care about pleasing her family seeing as she had been displeasing her mother her entire life. And the idea of being expected to be good, dutiful and sweet to please some... some man truly repulsed her.

No doubt it had repulsed Bella too. She had married nonetheless, and now she was miserable, bitter and angry. Sirius was no Narcissa but she didn't want to be Bellatrix either.

Which left Andromeda. Who had acted for herself and her own happiness, which seemed like the most appealing option of the three. Only she had been disowned and abandoned by her entire family, lost her inheritance, her name and would be outcast from everything she had ever known.

Sirius' relatively neutral opinion of the Black family had lowered considerably during the whole situation with Bellatrix's lost baby, and had soured even more after the fiasco around Andromeda's disownment. What did she care if they were proud of her?

She had always smiled when someone called her beautiful, or complimented her powerful magic or strong will or pure blood, but thinking back, inside she hadn't really cared. She hadn't worked for those things her parents were so proud of her for, they came naturally.

The realisation had hit her suddenly that, being who she was, she would either marry and be miserable like Bellatrix or be disowned like Andromeda. When Sirius thought about that, she felt trapped, and all she wanted to do was scream.

22nd July 1971

The letter came at breakfast time, brought by a stern-looking grey owl.

"Good news at last," Aunt Druella had smiled rather tremulously as Sirius' father passed her the thick envelope.

"It's hardly a surprise she got in," Sirius' mother scoffed, though for once seemed pleased too.

"I'm sure you'll make us proud," Her father gave the faintest smile.

Sirius stared blankly at the letter he was offering her for a moment before realising. She had forgotten all about it. With everything that had happened, she had actually forgotten that this year she would go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

She took the letter from her father's outstretched had, grinning like she hadn't done in weeks.

Miss Sirius A. Black. The seventh floor bedroom. No. 12, Grimmauld Place. The London Borough of Islington.

No one seemed to be in the mood to celebrate given everything that had happened, but despite this, Sirius was happy. Forget every inch of Black family drama; she was going to get away from this now-miserable house and go to Hogwarts in under two months.

Hopefully the saying 'bad luck comes in threes' wouldn't hold true in this case.