Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine.

A/N: Well, if you've gotten this far, I guess that means it doesn't totally suck ;)  Anyway, please read and review!

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The days were painfully slow.  After the first dinner Sirius was no longer required to eat with the rest of his family, and spent most of his time locked in his room, only coming out when he needed food.  By the time Christmas Eve rolled around Sirius had already finished all his work for Hogwarts,  and was almost done his fifth book. 

This was the night Sirius was dreading the most: he would again be forced to eat dinner with his family, and this time the family would be extended.  He headed downstairs at 6 O'clock, the feeling dread a lump in his stomach, weighing him down.

            As he entered the living room, he was met by the sound of chatter.  He lurked in the back, hoping to avoid notice. As he looked around he realized he had forgotten how much his mother lacked Christmas spirit.  When compared to the extravagant Hogwarts' decorations he was used to, the few ribbons and one scrawny undecorated tree looked especially pathetic. He sighed, thinking of what it would be like to be at Hogwarts right now: he, Remus and Peter would be happily anticipating the next day, joking about Snape, maybe even sneaking into Hogsmead…His thoughts were interrupted by the voice of an uncle or cousin or something he hadn't seen for years and who's name he didn't remember:

            "That…that can't be Sirius!" The man exclaimed, not quite managing to sound pleased. "We haven't seen you here at Christmas for years."

            "If it were up to me, you wouldn't be seeing me now," Sirius replied shortly.

            "Oh," the man replied, taken aback. He walked away, but his exclamation had brought attention to Sirius's existence, and Sirius found himself attacked by relatives wanting to know how he was.  He made sure to be rude to every one of them.  Finally most dispersed, but one cousin, Bellatrix, remained.

            "How's Hogwarts treating you?" She asked.

            "Better than my mother," Sirius replied.  To his surprise Bellatrix laughed, it was a cold laugh. 

            "Be careful, that attitude could get you in trouble," she whispered before walking off.  Sirius raised his eyebrows, confused, but he didn't have time to mull over her comment, as dinner was starting.

            For the first hour things went smoothly, as everyone ignored Sirius, which was just fine to him.  But just as the dinner plates were being swept away, the person sitting next to him (Sirius was pretty sure it was a uncle) turned to him and asked, quite pleasantly, what he had been doing with himself over the holiday.

            "Not much. Homework, reading."  Encouraged by Sirius's civil, if short, reply, the uncle continued:

            "What books? Anything I'd have heard of? Anything by that new author…what's his name? Bert something…"

            "No, nothing by him.  I read 1984, a couple Dickens,  a little Poe…" Sirius said with a smirk.  The table fell silent.

            "But those…those are muggle books," the uncle stammered.

            "So?" There was a collective gasp. And then, slowly, her voice icy, his mother said,

            "Sirius, there is something we need to talk about."  Sirius gulped, he quite sure that whatever they were about to talk about was the reason he was home for Christmas.

            "Here," he asked, trying not to sound nervous "now?"

            "Well, yes…since you've given yourself such a perfect lead in." Sirius inwardly cursed at himself.

            "Well…what?"

            "It's your attitude, and your friends."

            "My friends! What have they got to do with anything? They're all pure blood, if that's what you're worried about."

            "Yes, but they, like you, don't act like a pure-blooded wizard should."

            "Oh, yeah? And how, pray tell, do you know that," Sirius said, trying very hard to keep himself from yelling.

            "You're brother has told me things.  For instance, he says your friend, Jordan is it?"

            "James," Sirius muttered, fists clenched.

            "Yes, well, that he is attracted to a mudblood. Now I'm very worried, I think these people are pushing you away from the path of reason," (Sirius noticed most of his relatives seemed to be nodding) "and I would very much like it if, no, I demand that you stop being friends with those people!" At this declaration Sirius lost it. He jumped out of his chair—knocking it over—and began to yell, saying all the things he had longed to say for years:

            "OH YEAH? YOU DEMAND? WELL SCREW THAT, I'M NOT GOING TO! I DON'T CARE IF I DON'T FIT YOUR STANDARD OF A GOOD WIZARD! AND DO YOU KNOW WHY? BECAUSE YOUR STANDARDS SUCK!  I DON'T WANT TO BE A DISCRIMINATORY ASS!  AND IF THAT MEANS YOU HATE ME, THAN SO BE IT! BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT? I HATE YOU!  EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU! ESPECIALLY YOU, MOM. AND YOU, LITTLE BROTHER.  YOU BE HORRIBLE PEOPLE, I'M NOT PUTTING UP WITH THIS ANYMORE. I'M LEAVING!"

            And with this declaration he (as a last parting shot) overturned the table, and admits the screams and shouting, ignoring the strange stare Bellatrix was giving him, quietly walked upstairs, grabbed his things, and walked out of the house he hated, swearing he'd never return.

THE END

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A/N: "The End." I never thought I'd be writing that for a fic ;) 

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