A/N: It's only been a few hours, but here you are… Chapter Two!
Disclaimer: I do not own, nor have I ever owned, nor will I ever own anything dealing with Harry Potter.
Chapter Two - Memories
Hours later, Sirius sat alone on his bed, staring up at an old, fading photograph of a witch and a little boy, about 5 years old. The boy grinned happily at his mother, and held up a sheet of paper that had been colored on. The witch took the scribbled drawing in her hands and held it out, examining it like a masterpiece. The child sat by nervously, biting his lip, as his mother flipped the drawing and examined it from all points of view. Finally, the woman gave him an approving nod, and then gathered him up in a crushing hug. Both of them laughed until their faces began to blotch with various amusing shades of blue.
It was a familiar act. Sirius and his mother had done the same thing anytime he showed her anything he'd made. But it was those moments that Sirius missed the most. It was these simple moments of pleasure when nothing else mattered, and nothing bothered him. All that had mattered was his mother.
Sirius rolled over on to his side, covering his eyes with an arm. He remembered the day his mother died better than anything else. The image of her body was burned into his mind for the rest of his life. By the age of eleven, Sirius had learned to deal with whatever his father did to him. But he had been weaker then…
~~~oooOooo~~~
Rigel stomped away from the seven-year-old boy, lying heaped and crying on the floor. As soon as he disappeared Sirius's mother, Jillian, ran towards him. Careful not to hurt him further, she lifted the boy and carried him to his room.
Sirius's sobbing ceased when she laid* him on large, soft bed. Jill searched the large room briefly before finding what she needed. She quickly snatched a rotating globe off the night stand, and closed the green curtains of the four-poster bed around her and her son.
The boy's eyes lit up when he spotted the glass orb in her hand. He knew, whenever father hurt him, his mother would always cheer him up. Sometimes she would sit of hours by his bed, and they would talk about anything at all – it didn't matter how important or insignificant it was – they would discuss anything. Somehow, the conversation never strayed to a dark subject; it was always full of happiness and joy. Other times, his mother would take him to the highest tower as soon as it was dark. Here, the two would sit and watch the stars. Sirius loved these times, because his mother would always teach him a new constellation whenever they stargazed.
On cloudy nights, however, Jill would keep him inside, and together, they would watch a star-globe replica of the night sky in his bedroom together.
The star-globe wasn't as beautiful as the true sky, but Sirius loved these lessons just the same. Anytime spent with his mother was counted as a blessing. That night Jill had stayed with him, talking and laughing until he fell asleep.
The globe was still spinning when he woke up, but the curtains were open, and the torches in his bedroom were lit. Confused, Sirius slid out of bed, and crept toward the door. Just as he reached for the door handle, a rough hand clamped down on his shoulder, and spun him around.
Sirius bit his lip to stop himself from crying out. His father beside him, his strong grip locked on his son's shoulders, and his mother lay on the floor, motionless. The boy stared in shock at his mother – the only one who cared about him. Before he could stop himself, he was sobbing and reaching for her – praying she would get up and be alright.
That was the last thing Sirius remembered about that day. He assumed his father had knocked him out when he started crying, because he woke up that night sprawled on the floor. Jumping up, Sirius immediately reached for where his mother had been lying. She was gone. He felt himself fill with relief, though he knew it was no use. He knew, in his heart, that she was dead.
The body had been moved by Rigel to his own bedroom. When the ministry came in to investigate, Sirius was locked in his room. It was concluded that Jillian Black had poisoned herself.
Sirius was not permitted to attend the funeral, though he wasn't certain there was one to attend. Lucius talked with him that day, happy and cruel as ever, oblivious of the problems Sirius faced.
~~~oooOooo~~~
Sirius no longer cried when he thought of that day. It was the worst day of his life, but he knew better than to show any weakness while his father was around.
Sirius's mother had been the only person to ever love him. He missed her more than he would miss anything else, and would have been beaten a thousand times by his father, if he could just see her again.
~oOo~
Summer came to an end. July was over before he knew it, and Sirius wasn't sure August ever came. He'd spent what he remembered of it living the usual, uneventful life that Sirius lived, trying to avoid his father whenever he could. If he didn't, he ended up with large bruises on his arms and shoulders. On several occasions, he had been forced to flee a room that Rigel and his friends were entering. They often had the strange, red-eyed man with them.
September 1st found Sirius looking upon the scene unfolding in front of him with amusement. The house-elves were swarming the manor like bees in a hive. Sirius sat on the sofa and watched with unease as a clumsy house-elf stuffed his star globe into his trunk and almost broke it before the head-elf stopped him.
Halfway through the packing, Rigel Black entered the room, tripping on the half-dozen elves that ran to help him with a small, gray box he had been carrying
The box turned out to be a cage containing a small, black kitten with bright yellow eyes. It mewed when Rigel set it down on the sofa next to Sirius, and sat down next to his son.
"Get away!" he said, swatting at the house-elves who were trying to polish his boots and brush off his dusty robes. "Now," he said, once they'd been left alone. "Since you're going to attend Hogwarts, you will need a familiar. I need the owls here, so you will have this cat. I think an elf saved her from drowning, or something."
Sirius's father walked away to get his traveling cloak – he was tired of both Sirius and the elves by now. Sirius unlocked the cage and pulled the tiny creature into his lap. Her claws tried to grip the walls of the cage in her fright of the new stranger, but she slipped on the enchanted plastic.
The boy clicked his tongue, soothing the kitten the same way his mother had comforted him – with whispered words of encouragement and tender handling. Soon, the little critter was purring in content on his lap.
Once the elves had packed all his favorite books and robes, and any personal possessions he had, Rigel re-entered the room. He through Sirius's cloak towards him, and walked toward the fire the elves had just started.
"Now, listen here, boy!" Said Rigel, after the kitten had been placed back in her cage, and Sirius had joined his father near the fire. "You're not to be blabbering on about what's been happening here, or disrespecting me." There was a strange look in his father's eyes that Sirius had never seen in them before. He was panicking. Sirius wasn't sure why – didn't people meet together in other houses?
"I want you to behave yourself – do what your professors tell you, understood? Listen to Professor Morse – he's the Slytherin Head-of-House. A fine, proper wizard. Respect him, understand? Well!" he repeated when Sirius didn't answer.
"Y-Yes, sir." he stuttered.
Rigel grabbed Sirius's shoulder and dragged him through the fire to King's Cross Station.
"And one more thing," said Rigel before they entered the main wizarding part of the station, "Potter's boy is in your year... stay away from him."
Sirius heard the silent threat in his father's voice. He stood, shaking in fear, until his father grabbed his shoulder again, and dragged him out of the door of the invisible (to muggles) building where the wizards apparated and floo-ed to.
Rigel 'led' his son through the station, oblivious to the wondering looks the muggles gave them. Sirius almost tripped over his robes as he was dragged toward the barrier.
"Go on then," said his father, and he pushed Sirius through the wall.
Once he'd disappeared from his father's view, he dropped his bag and rubbed his burning shoulder, when he was approached by another first-year student.
"Hi!" said the black-haired boy with an over-excited smile, "My name's James, who're you?"
Sirius froze in surprise. Before he could answer, however…
"SIRIUS!"
The boy spun around to face his father, snatching his bag off the ground and directing his eyes downward, to his father's polished boots.
The man grabbed his son's shoulders and shook him, but before he could drag him away toward the train, they were stopped by a tall man with graying hair sprawled across his head in strange directions.
"Black?" it was Mr. Potter. His wife stepped up beside him and put her arm on her son's shoulder, pulling him back from Sirius.
"Stay away from that boy, son. We don't want you mixing with people like that." Mr. Potter said.
Sirius fumed "People like what? You don't even know me!" He flinched as his father silenced him with a strong grip on his bruised shoulder.
"Come along, Sirius." and he steered him towards the train.
Sirius climbed into a compartment at the back of the train, and set the kitten's cage on a seat. He then helped his father lift his trunk inside.
Sitting down next to the kitten, he turned to face his father through the window.
"Just remember what I told you, boy. And stay away from that Potter!" And without a second glance, he walked away from his only son.
A/N: That's all for tonight. I'll post more tomorrow. Thanks very much to my two reviewers! Your comments mean a lot to me.
Good Night Everyone…
Relian.