Chapter One

Shopping Stagnantly

God were the days going by slowly. Sirius could hardly wait to go to Hogwarts…and escape…

Home.

But, of course, there was always the trip to Diagon Alley, which, of course, his nasty mother made him wait for, until the day before he was the board the train.

"All right, I've put it off long enough. We're going to Diagon Alley today," she said, as if announcing it meant the death of her own daughter.

"Oh, Mum, do we have to? I've already gone with my friends! We've gotten nearly everything…" Whitney was interrupted.

"Except your books. And your brother needs to go to," Mrs. Black yawned. "Let's get going," she said, grabbing the large container of floo powder from the fireplace. "Sirius, you go first."

"Unless you're scared," Whitneychided.

He rolled his eyes, and grabbed a big handful of floo powder. Stepping into the fireplace, he thrust it down into the ashes below his feet and bellowed, "Diagon Alley."

A whirwind of colors circled him, dizzying and nauseating, they changed, and then, it began to slow down, until…

WHAM!

He had landed smack dab on the boy who had traveled just moments before him. He blamed his mother. Bet you she knew.

"…Sorry," Sirius mumbled, dusting himself off, his cheeks reddened with embarrassment.

Nothing.

"I said sorry."

Nothing. The boy turned around, his messy black hair dusted with floo powder, and his glasses hiding hazel eyes.

"I said I was sorry." Sirius repeated.

Again, the boy didn't answer.

"What, are you deaf?"

"You're Black, aren't you?" the boy asked Sirius.

How could he know me, when I don't know him, Sirius thought. Although, he nodded to the boys question.

"Get off me. Your mom screwed my mom over…I hope you remember that the name James Potter spits over yours."

And the boy left Sirius standing that, dumbfounded.

Another boy, almost as pleasant as his mum.

His sister came tumbling through the fireplace moments later, and five minutes after that, his mother arrived.

"Goodness, it's been a while since traveling by floo powder, and let me tell you, that at my age, that is how you always stay in…honestly, if they could only come up with an easier way for us older witches to travel."

Sirius was still to stunned to reply using a witty remark. How dare that boy…that…James Potter talk to him, Sirius Black, like that! He doubted that his mother had done anything…As much as he hated her, this boy, Potter, was a jerk. But, just in case…

"Mother, did you do anything to…a Potter?" he asked, and although the question was out of the blue, she did not seem surprised, or, to his surprise, annoyed.

"No, nothing at all, why?"

"No reason…"

So that kid had been lying, the twit! Just wait until I get to school, Sirius thought with Malice, just you wait. You're life will be a miserable hell hole.

And I'll be making it that way, no doubt about it.

"Okay, Sirius, we'll leave Whitneyhere to get her books, and we'll head over for you to get a robe. Would you mind terribly if we had the Slytherin crest sewn on in advance?"

Walking out of the store, the two of them left alone, but not for long. Sirius saw her spotting her friends and , as the door swung shut.

"What makes you that that I'll be in Slytherin?" he glared at her, the hatred quickly returning.

"Because is in it. I was in it. Your father was in it. Our family has been in that house for generations. And if you change that, young man, you will be in for a Howler."

"For being myself?"

"For being a…traitor."

Whatever could she mean by that? A traitor? What was wrong with Gryffindor? Or Hufflepuff? Or Ravenclaw? Certainly he did not want to be in Hufflepuff, but why was his mother so anti to these houses? She certainly couldn't mean the bitter old rivalry between Slytherin and Grffyindor. That was stupid.

Then again, so was she.

"Mum, I really don't see why I have to get it before hand…what if it falls off? What if I eat it? What if-," he was cut off from a painful sting on the back of his hand, where her hand had slapped her.

"Shut it, Sirius. I am growing sick and tired with your what if's. What if I decide to kick you out of the house?"

Please and thank you, Sirius thought bitterly. But, then again, she was going to supply him with belongings for Hogwarts.

Across the stone roads in Diagon Alley, Sirius saw a red headed girl, looking scared, frightened, and in a new place…Could she be a…muggleborn? She certainly looked the part, with her faded blue jeans, and a nice, solid colored green shirt. Sirius thought it was odd for her to pick such a bright colored shirt, that is, until he saw her eyes. She looked up, gazing across the street, teeth trembling in worry. Staring at him, the girl had the greenest eyes he had ever seen. He shivered, surprised that he could even see them from across the street, but offered the girl a smile. She saw him, and then she smiled back.

"Who are you staring at? It better not be that girl across the street…goodness, she could be a muggle born!"

Exactly. And that's why it would be Sirius' goal at school to befriend her.

"Whatever, mum," he sighed, fed up with her. What was it with her and muggleborn's? The girl truly didn't seem that odd. "Mum, why do you hate muggleborns?"

"Because they're filthy creatures that think they can fit in with us pure bloods. Honestly, it's enough to make me want to scream. I seriously can't understand why Dumbledore would even accept them. Then, again, the old coot was always off his rocker…"

Sirius was silent, as they walked towards Madam Malkin's. He couldn't think of anything to respond to his mother.

Because she was so nasty, that he now knew how witches' got there reputation.

Oh, goodness. His robes were a mess. His mother had absolutely ruined them, in trying to sew on a Slytherin badge. Sirius had gotten bad, and tried to rip it off…and it resulted in a loose Slytherin badge, and his brand new black robes looking like rags.

"Sirius Black, I should hex you right now, I should!" His mother screamed at him, as Sirius dressed in the only muggle clothes he had, ready to get to the train station.

"They really do look ridiculous," Whitney snorted.

Sirius glared at her, although, inside, he knew that she was right. Then, he had a question. "How are we going to get to the station? We certainly can't iuse floo powder can we?"

"Stupid, stupid Sirius," Whitney laughed, saying the remark in a sing song voice, "We do something called…driving. You'll absolutely love it! Especially with mum!"

How wrong she was. Then again, of course, she was being sarcastic. She was always sarcastic.

"MUM! What are you tried to do? Get us KILLED?" Sirius yelped as they narrowly avoided a large truck.

"I'd like to get you killed," Whitney muttered bitterly, blowing her hair out of her colored eyes, and nose ready to sneeze from the tickling.

"You'd die too, smart one."

"So would you."

"I think you're missing the-,"

"STOP IT! Both of you, before I have to slap you two upside the head!" his mother screamed from the front seat.

The two straightened up, and shut up. They knew better than to contradict her. You never contradicted. Mrs. Amie Black.

Finally, the car arrived at Kings Cross Station, hardly still intact, and the people inside it had nearly died, about…three times.

"I should have stayed with Regulus," Sirius whispered to Whitney, "I might have come out of this alive. At least he got to stay with a friend of break."

She giggled, and they had one of the rare few family moments…or at least, brotherly and sisterly moments.

"What are you laughing about," Amie glared at them, as she was heaving the childrens' trunks out of the back of the car. "Sirius, I really hope you don't think that I'll walk you to the gate. will. She knows it well enough know."

"Mum, you can't be kidding,"Whtiney said, groaning,her eyes filled with pain.

"I'm not. Do you have a hug for your mum now," she said, a false sweetness in her voice.

"No," Sirius said, and quickly walked away, know that when Christmas time came, he would be in a lot of trouble. He would probably receive a howler. But he was going to get one anyways. There was no way that he was going to be in Slytherin. No way.

whispered in his ear. "I know you're a Black…but you didn't seem that bad. I'm Elizabeth."

Sirius was only able to follow.

"Why did you do that for me?" Sirius questioned the girl…Elizabeth.

"Because. You didn't deserve that. No one does…," she trailed off, looking into his eyes, but Sirius knew that although she was looking into his eyes, she wasn't seeing them.