Part Six - Another County Heard From

The next morning was spent in repairing the damage from the previous nights prank. A new trunk had appeared in the boy's room overnight and Sirius spent some time before breakfast packing it up.

His Muggle books were tossed out, the ink had run on most of them, and they had become unreadable. He cataloged them with Peter's help and left the list on James's bed. James glared at them both throughout the entire exercise.

'I can't say I'm really hungry.' He thought as he trailed the other two down to breakfast. 'In fact, since Remus is the only roommate I can actually stand I might as well go see how he is doing.'

Sirius was surprised when he entered the infirmary to see Remus covered in bandages. 'Didn't we hospitalize him for a fever?'

"Sirius." Remus's eyes widened.

"Hey," he gave the other boy a small smile. "Just came to check up on you."

"I should be out of here soon." Remus smiled weakly back, ignoring the puzzlement on Sirius's face.

"That's good." Sirius sat down in the chair next to Remus's bed. "What's with all the bandages?" Sirius's curiosity finally overcame good manners. "Chicken Pox?"

Remus gave a weak laugh. "No," He shook his head. "I fell out of the bed yesterday and cut myself."

Sirius's eyes widened at the obvious lie. 'It would be just like my mother to do something horrible to a friend of mine.' His mind's voice conveniently forgetting that only yesterday he had been questioning Remus's friendship.

Sirius stood up suddenly. "I've got to go."

'Preferably to somewhere that I'll be able to be alone for the rest of my life.'

"Good to see you feeling better." He upset the chair as he hastily stepped back.

'And maybe if I never talk to you again this won't happen again.'

"I'll see you later today." Remus told him with a puzzled look.

Sirius just gave him a pained smile. 'Maybe breakfast isn't such a bad idea after all.'


An owl from McGonagall landed on his plate during breakfast. The letter attached to its leg informed him that his first detention would take place that afternoon in McGonagall's classroom. He glanced down the table to confirm that James and Peter had gotten similar owls.

"So what happened last night?" Lily said sliding into the seat next to him. "We only got some garbled reports from a second year."

"I broke James's nose." Sirius told her straight out.

"Oh no!" Joelle Patil squealed. "How could you!"

"Easily," Sirius muttered, annoyed by her attitude. "I brought my hand up to his nose and wham!" He mimed the movement he had used the night before.

"Poor James." Joelle sniffed.

"And what did James do to you?" Lily said knowledgeably.

"Threw my stuff into the shower after breaking my trunk open." Sirius sighed. "Apparently they were trying to get a rise out of me."

"That worked then." Lily laughed.

Joelle sniffed again. "That still doesn't excuse...."

"We're going to see Remus." Lily interrupted, "want to join us?"

"Not really." Sirius said a little too quickly.

"I saw him before breakfast." He said by way of explanation.

Lily smiled. "Kay. We'll see you later."

Sirius shook his head as they left.


He decided to bury himself in the library until the detention. He headed straight for the Muggle book section and chose an out of the way corner to settle down with Captain Nemo and the Nautilus. Before he had gotten more than halfway through the book a hand came and slapped the book to the floor. He quickly snatched it up before either of the girls in front of him could see the title.

"Can I help you?"

"I would like to commend you on an amazing display of common sense." Narcissa smiled at him. "There may be hope of you rejoining humanity yet."

"All I had to do was bloody my roommate's nose." Sirius drawled. "I'll have to remember that one."

"You bloodied the nose of a boy who is a right arse." Bellatrix gave him a tightlipped smile. "He has been unaccountably rude to his superiors."

'Superiors?' Sirius mentally raised his eyebrow. 'You mean he didn't bark like a puppy when you said speak?'

"I am glad I took care of that annoyance for you." Sirius said out loud.

The girls both gave him warmer smiles.

"Don't let the cat punish you too harshly." Narcissa advised cheerfully.

"We Blacks are generally above such things as fists-to-cuffs," Bellatrix gave her sister a glance. "In this case though, well done."

The two girls moved off allowing Sirius to return to his journey. His peace was doomed though, as a bunch of Ravenclaws moved into the section he had inhabited. He returned the Verne book to the shelf and dejectedly headed for the Gryffindor common room.

"Sirius!" He groaned as he recognized the voice that had stopped him mere feet from the Fat Lady.

"Andromeda," he said uncertainly.

"What is this I am hearing about you breaking your roommate's nose?" The short black haired girl demanded as she caught up with him.

Sirius gave her a shrug glancing at the common room door longingly as some students exited.

"I thought you were better than the rest of the family!" She railed at him. "When you were sorted into Gryffindor I rejoiced because another Black had escaped the oppression of our rank."

Sirius took a step away from her. "Meda...."

"But no!" She ignored him. "You go around not even talking to your roommates and then break one of their noses!"

Sirius sighed and leaned against a conveniently placed wall for the rest of her speech.

"You are just as bad as the rest of them!" She was getting higher in pitch as she went on. "I can't believe I ever wasted pity for what your mother is going to do to you once you get home for the summer!"

Sirius slid down the wall as his cousin finally ran out of steam and stormed off.

'My favorite cousin is angry with me.' He thought wryly. 'Two of my least favorite cousins are happy with me. I don't think my life can get more twisted.'

A group of Hufflepuffs, obviously lost, went by startling him out of his reverie. He glanced at his watch and gave another sigh. 'Two more hours before facing James and Peter.'


When Sirius arrived at the appointed classroom, he found it full of books that hadn't been there two days ago during their class. Professor McGonagall was sitting at her desk and Peter was the only one who had preceded his arrival.

"As soon as Mr. Potter arrives, I'll explain what your detention will be." McGonagall answered his unspoken question. "For now, take a seat."

Sirius sat down and risked a glance at Peter, the smaller boy was looking squarely at his feet.

The door burst open and James threw himself into a nearby chair placing himself as far from Sirius as possible.

"Mr. Potter," McGonagall sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I would like my furniture to last me at least until your own children are attending this school. Do be gentle."

James grinned at her unrepentantly.

The Professor rolled her eyes, "as all three of you are finally here, I might as well explain your task for the next week."

McGonagall reached into her desk and brought out a cigar box. She lifted the top to show the boys what lay inside.

Sirius drew in a sharp breath of recognition.

"Uh, Professor?" James said hesitantly. "Are you going to pelt us with glass shards and make us practice our healing charms?"

"No Mr. Potter," McGonagall allowed herself a slight smile. "These shards belong to Mr. Black, they were once an item in his possession that was destroyed during your 'prank.' For your detention you three will research for a spell to put it together again."

"Can't we just use the Repairo charm?" Peter asked

"You can try that if you like." Sirius thought that the Professor's eyes were definitely laughing at them. "I should warn you though that you will find it of little use."

"Where do you suggest we start Professor?" Sirius looked straight at his house's head.

"By opening a book Mr. Black." McGonagall shook her head slightly. "I'll check back on you in an hour."

The door had no sooner closed behind the imposing woman, when Sirius jumped out of his chair. He walked over to one of the stacks of books took one, Charms to repair your spelled items, and settled down in McGonagall's chair.

Peter stood up to copy his movements, but James reached out a hand to stop the blond.

"So," James said sulkily. "What exactly is it that we broke?"

Sirius raised his eyes impatiently. 'Isn't anyone going to let me read today?'

"Don't give me a look like I'm a slug that you found in your garden." James's eyes flashed. "If you want our help you're going to have to at least tell me what we're fixing!"

Peter began to frantically whisper in James's ear.

"I don't care about detentions or McGonagall." James ground out, his eyes never leaving Sirius's face. "I do want to know what I'm about to waste my time on."

"A family heirloom." Sirius returned his eyes to his book.

"See Pete!" James sighed dramatically. "Purebloods are crazy." He glanced at Sirius.

"Who else would send a breakable family heirloom, no doubt priceless, to school with an eleven year old." Sirius failed to respond to this bait and instead began to make notes on a piece of scrap paper.

James flopped back down into the chair he had been in previously. His weight caused it to scrape along the floor.

Sirius rolled his eyes and sighed. 'Can't we all be mature for once?'


After dinner the three boys returned to their room to find Remus already there. Sirius gave the boy a wide berth choosing instead to climb straight into bed with the curtains drawn. Sirius could hear the other boys telling Remus about what he had missed while he was in the hospital wing.

'If a run in with whatever goon my family sent after him wasn't enough to send him packing then whatever Potter and Pettigrew are telling him definitely will be.' Sirius reflected wearily. 'And maybe it is for the best, everything I've truly enjoyed my parents have ruined. Why should it be different now?'

He was more than a little surprised when the curtains of his bed were forced open and Remus crawled in with him.

"Do you want to talk?" The auburn haired boy offered.

"Not really." Sirius said regarding the boy carefully. 'Maybe my thoughts on him being sent to befriend a pureblood were correct. Why else would he be here?'

"Lily told me that they dumped your clothes into the shower last night." Remus told him.

"And the rest of my possessions as well." Sirius closed his eyes and flopped back on his pillow.

"I've been watching you for the last week." Remus said hesitantly. "Physical violence isn't like you."

"They broke something that means more to me than life itself." Sirius admitted.

"A family heirloom." Remus shifted his weight on the bed. "They told me they have to help you spell it back together."

"Yes."

"What are you're parents going to think about all this?" Remus asked.

"I don't know." Sirius opened his eyes. "I haven't the foggiest, perhaps they'll follow my Slytherin cousins' suite and fall down on their knees and thank me. Then there was my Ravenclaw cousin who stopped me in a hall and yelled at me."

"Pardon me for saying this, but your family doesn't seem all that nice."

Sirius gave a short bark of laughter. "The only happy families I knew growing up were the ones in the Muggle books that my cousin Andromeda smuggled to me."

Remus shook his head. "It shouldn't be like that."

"When you can change the world talk to me about what should or shouldn't be." Sirius said harshly wanting to drive the other boy away. "Until then keep those thoughts to yourself."

Remus gave him a small smile. "When you want to talk, remember I'm only a few beds over."

Sirius gave another bark of laughter as the other boy left for his own bed.


End Notes:

- All in all a most satisfying chapter.

- Please Review.