1st September 1971
The Black family drew a lot of strange looks as they moved through the Muggle King's Cross Station, Sirius noticed. They did stick out in their fine robes, and she couldn't see anyone else with one owl, let alone two. Muggle fashions weren't that bad, she saw, looking around her trying to take everything in.
She watched in interest as two young women walked past, wearing incredibly short skirts that barely covered their knickers, and strange pointy boots. She wasn't the only one who found them odd, though, as several older Muggle women were staring at them scornfully; ironically, the same look with which Sirius' mother was fixing all of them with.
Having crossed onto Platform Nine-And-Three-Quarters, her mother followed with Regulus, then Aunt Druella with Narcissa, who was just starting her sixth year at Hogwarts.
"You will introduce Sirius to the right people on the train, won't you dear?" Aunt Druella was saying to her daughter.
Narcissa gave Sirius - who was glowering at her - a faintly amused look but nodded solemnly to her mother.
"Don't worry, Mother, I will,"
"Make sure she doesn't get into any trouble," Sirius' mother gave them both a sharp look. Her mother's condescending tone irritated her.
"Yes, Auntie, of course," Narcissa gave a demure little nod.
Sirius tossed her hair, turning away from the woman, not even one little bit sorry to be leaving. She had been rather cold towards all of the family since they had made Andromeda leave.
"Oh really, Sirius," Her mother snapped impatiently. "You're going to keep up this foolish act even now?"
Aunt Druella hastily turned away, saying her goodbyes to Narcissa.
"It's not an act," Sirius glared at her mother. "I've told you what I think already, and you didn't listen, so you might as well just let me go,"
"Fine," Her mother straightened up coldly. "Then go,"
Sirius turned away to Regulus, who Narcissa had just released from a tight hug.
"Bye," She said, half-heartedly.
"Bye," Her brother replied.
She doubted they'd miss each other much, they'd never been very close. He'll love getting all Mother and Father's attention now I'm not there.
"Goodbye Sirius," Aunt Druella embraced her, a little stiffly, but it was more than her own mother had done. "Enjoy your term. We'll see you at Christmas, so you can tell us all about it,"
Behind her, Sirius heard her mother sniff derisively, which she ignored.
"Goodbye, Aunt Druella," By this point she just wanted to get away.
Her aunt released her, and that was it. She and Narcissa walked to the same door, got onto the same carriage - Narcissa waved at their family, Sirius didn't - but once inside the train, her cousin looked at her.
"I won't make you sit with me and my friends," She said, smiling slightly. "And I know you don't like any of the other pureblood children your age. I can't imagine they like you much, either," Sirius had to smile grudgingly at that. "All the purebloods will be talking about Dromeda, too," Her tone became slightly strained. "It'll be a field day for many of them, proud Andromeda Black brought down so low," She gave a hollow laugh. "I'll have a hard enough time talking around it myself, there's no need for you to have to do the same. You'll only lose your temper. Just... be careful," It suddenly occurred to her that perhaps Narcissa was missing Andromeda too. "I won't make you make friends with the right people, just don't get too close to the wrong ones,"
Sirius wanted to give some snappish reply to that, but didn't. It didn't seem fair.
"Alright," She nodded instead. "See you at Hogwarts, then, Cissy,"
They had never been very close, not like Sirius had been with Andromeda, or even rivals and occasional allies like she and Bella, but Narcissa was alright, really.
"See you at Hogwarts," Her cousin smiled, then they went their separate ways.
Sirius made her way up the train, pausing slightly when she had to edge around a group of young Slytherin - or soon-to-be Slytherin - boys, all of whom she recognised from various events for the purest of families and their lackeys. None of them looked at her except a sallow-faced boy with greasy hair, the only one she didn't know, but she couldn't help but hear their conversation as she walked past.
"Yes, one of the Black sisters," Mulciber, a second year, was nodding with a smirk. "The one Avery's cousin was meant to be engaged to. She was disowned, of course,"
"Serves her right, letting that mudblood put a child in her," Wilkes look disgusted.
There were several crude chuckles, and even more sneers.
"Don't say that in front of Snape here," Marius Avery - the younger cousin of Andromeda's would be fiancé - smiled, nudging the greasy-haired boy. "His mother was a Prince. Ran away with a Muggle,"
The Snape boy's eyes narrowed in anger as several pairs of mocking eyes turned on him.
"That thing isn't my father," He said with loathing. "He's vile, an animal,"
Evan Rosier raised an eyebrow.
"Well at least you recognise filth when you see it," He said smoothly. "Maybe there's hope for you somewhere. A halfblood Prince isn't entirely without promise,"
"He hasn't thrown it all away yet," Wilkes chuckled. "Same can't be said for the Black whore,"
Sirius hated all of them, from the smug Mulciber, to the cold, sneering Avery, to this new boy Snape, she wanted nothing more than to punch the lot of them in the face. As it was, her fist clenched around her new ebony and dragon heartstring wand in her robes pocket.
She could have easily walked past, none of them were paying attention to her. She didn't, of course. She had the temper of her mother and Bellatrix.
"Her name is Andromeda,"
All five of them turned to stare at her.
"Sirius Black," Rosier said with dislike. "I haven't seen you in a while,"
"What did you make of your cousin's pitiful betrayal?" Avery looked amused.
"Fuck off, Avery," She glowered. "I hung you from the ceiling of our drawing room aged seven. You cried for your mother like a little girl, if I remember right. I'll do it again if you don't shut your dirty mouth,"
"Why you little - " Avery reached for his wand.
"Oi," A tall fifth year in Ravenclaw robes, prefect badge pinned to his chest, called up the corridor, approaching the group. "What's going on here?"
"None of your business, Fenwick," Mulciber glared at him with dislike.
"Sirius here is an old friend," Avery smirked.
"You wish," She snorted. "I hope that wand of yours get stuck so far up your arse that it takes that stupid brain of yours with it. Perhaps I'll find a hex to do that," She turned on her heel and left, not looking back.
She heard the prefect, Fenwick, exchange a few sharp words with Avery, Mulciber and the rest, but his footsteps followed her.
"Hey," He called, and she reluctantly turned to face him. "I know you don't want to be a snitch, but do tell someone if that lot hassle you again. They're a nasty bunch for first, second and third years,"
"It's fine," She looked up at him. "I can handle Avery. My cousin taught me a lot of hexes,"
"Your cousin?"
"Bellatrix Black,"
Fenwick's eyes widened for a second.
"I'll leave you to it, then," He grinned, though the look in his eyes was rather... dark. "I remember Bellatrix. She was in Slytherin too, when I was new at Hogwarts. She had a reputation back then," He tilted his head. "I see it now. You look quite like her. And Andromeda," Sirius' expression darkened, and Fenwick hastily continued. "I'm not like them. It's only people like Avery and Mulciber, there's a few little shits in every year," He continued, tone deliberately light. "I'd know - I'm muggleborn,"
"Muggleborn?" The question was out of her mouth before she could stop herself. Of course they wouldn't call themselves something like mudblood, stupid. "Sorry," She added quickly at his rather bemused expression. "I just... hadn't heard that word before,"
"I bet you hadn't," He smiled rather sardonically, before softening it slightly. "Look, don't go round saying the other word, unless you want to get lumped in with Rosier and that lot. If it's just been thrown around at home, you probably don't know it's one of the worst things to call someone,"
Sirius was silent for a moment, considering that.
"Thanks," She actually meant that, too, and hoped it came across despite the fact she knew she seemed rude and abrasive to most people. She glanced over her shoulder. "I need to find a compartment. They're starting to fill up,"
"Yeah, good idea," Fenwick said. "Like I said, if they bother you again, tell a prefect or a teacher," He held up his hands at her flat expression. "Fine, fine. See you in Slytherin, I suppose,"
"Yeah," Sirius nodded, dragging her trunk away down the train.
She found an empty compartment near the end of the train, and even got a passing older student to levitate her heavy trunk onto the luggage rack. She sat there alone for a while, unbothered, as the train filled up around her, until the compartment door slid open.
"Oh, sorry," The girl in the door was rather short, with very pale skin and very ginger hair. Her eyes were red, however, and the way she hastily rubbed at them told Sirius she had been crying. Homesick already? Pathetic. "I didn't see you there. Do you mind if I - " Her voice caught, and she flushed red in embarrassment. "Do you mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is filling up,"
"Go ahead," Sirius noticed that the girl wore Muggle clothes; most people were, in fact, even those she knew had wizard parents. The redhead dragged her trunk inside with some difficulty, then looked up at the luggage rack, high above them.
"How do I - ?"
"I got a fourth year to levitate mine," Sirius glanced at the corridor outside, which was now largely empty. "You're better off just leaving it,"
"Are you a first year too, then?" The redhead sat down. Sirius nodded, and she looked a little relieved. "Do you know anyone going to Hogwarts?"
"My cousin," Sirius nodded. "She's a sixth year, Slytherin. You?"
"Oh, Slytherin, that's where I want to go," The redhead said, to Sirius' surprise; she didn't seem the type. "I've got a friend in our year, he said it's the best house,"
"My family would agree with you," Sirius said. "They've all been in Slytherin,"
"So that makes you a pureblood, then?" The redhead asked in interest, slight apprehension in her eyes.
Sirius frowned. Was this what Andromeda had been talking about?
"Yes," The words anything wrong with that? were implied. It didn't seem like she could win. All the other purebloods hated her - she hated them - and everyone else seemed scared of her. Or her family, really.
"I - " The redhead was interrupted as the door slid open again, revealing a scrawny boy with messy black hair and glasses.
"Can I sit here?" He gestured to the empty seat next to Sirius, who shrugged. The redhead turned back to the window, looking rather melancholy.
"No one else is,"
"Thanks," The boy started to drag his trunk through the door and attempted to lift it onto the luggage rack himself. It didn't really go to plan; the trunk was extremely heavy, and the boy couldn't even reach the rack.
Sirius watched him struggle for a few seconds, rather amused.
"I'd have just left it on the floor," She raised an eyebrow. "Especially if I had your skinny arms," It was abrasive comments like that that had made her an outcast whenever her mother dragged her to anywhere where she could meet other pureblood children.
"Thanks," Instead of getting angry, or upset, or telling tales, this boy just grinned wryly. "Fancy lending a hand? This thing probably weighs as much as I do,"
"Probably more," She laughed, pleasantly surprised, getting to her feet. She was taller than him by several inches.
Together they lifted the trunk, before sitting back down on the seat.
"What's your name?" The scrawny boy asked her. "I'm James,"
"Sirius,"
James frowned.
"Isn't that a boy's name?"
"Probably," She said. "Apparently I was named by my dying grandmother, who was too senile to realise I was a girl,"
"Fair enough," James glanced over to the redhead, who was looking determinedly out the window. Sirius saw the girl was silently crying again, though James clearly didn't notice. She herself could never imagine being that upset to be going to Hogwarts, even before the whole thing with Andromeda. "Who are you?"
"Lily," The girl sniffed.
"You alright?" He sounded concerned.
"I'm fine," Her tone was a little choked. "Thanks, though," She turned away, staring onto the platform, and didn't say anything else.
As the train finally began to move forward, pulling out of the station, James looked to Sirius, who shrugged. She'd never been very comforting.
"Helpful," He muttered, and she grinned.
"That's me,"
She and James talked for a little while. Conversation came surprisingly easy, and not once was she irritated by the boy. Nor did he seem put off by her in any way. Remarkable, really. She'd never had anything like that with anyone who wasn't family. Anyone who wasn't family had always just seemed irrelevant.
A few minutes later, the door opened once more, revealing a fairly tall but skinny boy with a sallow face. Snape, the one who had been with Avery, Mulciber and the rest. His skin had an almost-grey pallor, and horrible strands of greasy black hair hung in ratstails around his face. He didn't ask them whether he could sit there or not, just gave them a rather suspicious look as he walked past and sat next to Lily, talking quietly to her.
Sirius glowered at him, though James barely seemed to notice, continuing their conversation about quidditch very animatedly.
"You don't know Ara West?" He was exclaiming in disbelief. "The youngest professional Chaser in fifty years, and already a record holder!"
"Oh yeah, I remember now," She turned back to him. "But never mind her," She ignored James' spluttering. "The Wasps have the best pair of Beaters ever, Dobbs and Greyman, have you seen them fly?"
"Yeah well, Beaters aren't as important as Chasers,"
"I'll remind you of that when your beloved Ara gets beaten to a pulp by a rogue Bludger because the two morons the Tornados have don't get to it,"
James opened his mouth to reply again then closed it, catching the last bit of the conversation between Lily and Snape.
"You'd better be in Slytherin," He had the same accent Lily did.
"Slytherin? Who wants to be in Slytherin?" James scoffed, turning to Sirius for support as both Snape and Lily scowled. "I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"
"My whole family have been in Slytherin," She didn't return his smile, expression hardening slightly. Not another one. She wasn't going to pretend to be something she was not - she never had, and wouldn't start now - and if James ditched her for that, then... Well, that would be a shame, as she quite liked him.
She didn't need to worry, though.
"Blimey!" He exclaimed. "And I thought you seemed alright!" He grinned, to her surprise, clearly joking. James' whole manner was just somehow likeable.
Sirius found she didn't actually want to drive him away like the others. She grinned back.
"Maybe I'll break the tradition," She doubted so - everyone had always said how much like Bellatrix she was - but said it to humour him. "Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?"
"'Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!'" He theatrically lifted an invisible sword. "Like my Dad," Snape made a small disparaging noise. James turned on him. "Got a problem with that?"
"No," The boy's slight sneer said otherwise. "If you'd rather be brawny rather than brainy..."
"Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither!" Sirius interjected, eyes narrowed as she remembered what he had said about his apparently Muggle father earlier - and what he had doubtless joined in saying about Andromeda - and James roared with laughter.
Lily looked scornfully at them both.
"Come on Severus, let's find another compartment," She said rather snootily.
James and Sirius looked at each other, both thinking the same thing.
"Ooooooh..." They imitated her lofty voice as the pair left the compartment and, with a stroke of genius, James tried to trip Snape up as they passed.
"See ya Snivellus!" Sirius sneered as the door closed.
The moment they were gone, they both burst out laughing again. It was nice, laughing with James. She'd never really had anyone her age to do that with.
"Nice nickname," James grinned at her. "We should keep it,"
"It suits him, doesn't it?" Sirius smirked.
"Yeah," He leant back against the seat. "D'you think he even washes that hair?"
"If he did, it wouldn't look like rats tails coming out of his scalp," Her lip curled as she brushed her own hair out of her eyes.
"What I want to know is why that girl, Lily, hangs around with him," James said. "I mean she seemed like she could make better friends than that?"
"Maybe," Sirius had thought Lily seemed a bit of a drip, herself.
There was a silence.
"You know, you're not bad, for a girl," James said thoughtfully. "From a family of Slytherins, at that,"
"Thanks,"
"How do they sort us?" Sirius heard a boy to her left ask. They were in a small chamber off the Great Hall; the rather strict-looking Professor McGonagall had just let them, having told James and Sirius off for talking during her welcome speech.
"My cousin said you have to fight a Hippogriff!" A skinny girl with an unfortunate nose said.
"My cousin told me you get put under the Cruciatus Curse for ten minutes," Sirius snorted. "Doesn't make it true,"
The girl gave her a disturbed look, as did several others. James laughed, then realised she wasn't joking.
"Really? Blimey, your family's messed up," He shook his head.
"That's one way of putting it," She smiled faintly, then looked at him suddenly. "If I'm in Slytherin, can we still, you know... be friends?" She felt like a fool asking.
"Course," James just grinned again. "You're quite cool. I could overlook you wearing green,"
"Cool?"
"Oh, it's a Muggle word. I live next to a Muggle village, they use it all the time. It means..." He paused to think. "Well, it's just cool,"
Professor McGonagall returned before Sirius had a chance to say anything to that, ushering them into the great hall. It was magnificent, just as Andromeda had always told her. Sirius wasn't nervous exactly - she knew where she would be going - but a sort of thrill went through her stomach at the sight of the hundreds of faces looking at them, the floating candles, and the ceiling that looked like the night sky.
Beside her, James looked very excited. He knew where he was going too.
Several ghosts were dotted amongst the crowd of students. Sirius turned back around to see Professor McGongall placing a four-legged stool down in front of the group of first years, and then putting a ragged and dirty wizard's hat on top of it. The Sorting Hat. But why was everyone looking at it?
To her surprise, the hat then twitched, a rip opening like a mouth near the brim, and it began to sing.
"Oh I know that I'm a little old,
And raggedy and torn,
And dirty, dusty, full of holes,
And brown and very worn,
But a smarter hat you will not find,
Not anywhere else nor here,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat,
And I sort each school year,
You put me on your head, you see,
I look into your mind,
And see whatever there is to see,
And all there is to find,
With these facts I sort you,
Into houses, four,
Each house is different, every one,
And I can tell you more,
You might belong in Ravenclaw,
Where those with brains prosper,
Those of learning, wit and smarts,
Will always find home here,
Or perhaps you'll be in Hufflepuff,
Where they value good hard toil,
The patient Hufflepuffs are true,
And good, and just and loyal,
Or maybe you'll go to Slytherin,
If you are sharp and cunning,
Slytherins use any means,
To send their enemies running,
Or you could be a Gryffindor,
If you've an adventurous heart,
Their daring, nerve and courage,
Sets Gryffindors apart,
So try me on, I'll take a look,
Inside your many minds,
And I will sort you, one by one,
Based on what I find,"
The Hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song and bowed to each of the four tables before becoming quiet. Professor McGonagall stepped forward, holding a long roll of parchment.
"Alderton, Henry," A boy with brown hair stepped forward, not looking very nervous, and moved to sit on the stool. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on his head - it fell right down over his eyes - and sat down. There were several seconds of silence.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat yelled, and the table in yellow whooped and cheered as Henry hurried off to sit down, grinning.
"Bentley, Alicia," A tall girl with blonde hair and dark eyes sat down, and seemed to be having an argument with the hat before it yelled,
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Black, Sirius,"
There were several murmurs from certain places on the Slytherin table at her name, none of which Sirius caught, but she could guess what they were talking about. Her cousin ran off with a mudblood, you know? Yes, Andromeda Black. I know, the shame of it!
James' eyes had widened in surprise at hearing her full name, clearly recognising it, but clapped Sirius on the back nonetheless. She slowly sat down on the stool, eyes open as the hat was placed on her head. The last thing she saw was the table in green on the far right looking expectant, ready to welcome her into their ranks.
Then everything was dark.
Oh, you're refreshing, a little voice said in her ear. An odd choice of words. Hardly, the hat replied. A Black who I didn't sort into Slytherin straight away, or at least Ravenclaw? Very rare... There's talent here, lots of it, but little thirst for knowledge, and no patience with riddles. Very loyal, I see, and a hard worker... when you want to be. There's pride, oh yes, and a mean, ruthless streak, that seems to be a family trait... You thirst to prove yourself different and go your own way - now that's very contradictory. Plenty of courage, and even more recklessness. I don't believe this is too difficult at all. Better be GRYFFINDOR,"
Sirius sat in shock as Professor McGonagall removed the hat from her head. She quickly slid off the stool, heading not to the sea of green and silver that she'd been expecting, but to the table of red and gold on the opposite side of the room.
Whispers followed her even as most of the hall clapped, but she wasn't listening. Nor was she paying attention to the glares from certain members of Slytherin, as well as some suspicious looks from many sitting at the table of her new house. She found Narcissa's face in the crowd, blonde hair easily visible, but her cousin's face was a mask. She could be feeling anything; Sirius was never good at hiding her feelings like that.
She sat down at the Gryffindor table, alone.
She couldn't remember any Black being in Gryffindor before, the few times she had paid attention to the family tree. There had been a few in Ravenclaw; that seemed to be accepted. Her mother couldn't be angry because of her house. It wasn't like she had a choice, and it wasn't Hufflepuff, at any rate. That had to count for something?
This was a good thing, Sirius decided (though still sighed with relief as James was sorted into Gryffindor too and came to sit down next to her). She wouldn't be being bothered by stuck-up purebloods all the time; good, as she would doubtlessly have been expelled within a week for killing Avery. Narcissa wouldn't be able to report every move she made back to Grimmauld Place; for the first time in her life, she could do almost what she wanted. She was in the same house as James, her new... friend? She'd never had a friend who wasn't related to her before.
And perhaps being in Gryffindor would give her another option in life other than turning into one of her cousins.
The last chapter was very short, more of a filler - this is well over 4000 words so I hope that makes up for it. Please let me know what you think of the chapter. Thanks for reading!