I never knew a person who was so incapable of carrying out normal social relationships as Sirius. His moodiness, his bad temper, and his spoiled, irreverent air caused him to alienate most of the few friends he had made during his childhood. He was always getting in petty fights with our aunts and uncles over the smallest things, only because he couldn't keep his mouth shut and control his temper. Countless times I counseled him to calm down and try to see the issue from the other person's point of view, but this only incurred his wrath. He accused me of being a coward and of having no conviction.

The first signs of this really began appearing in 1971. Something which had happened at Christmas had obviously upset him. The family started having occasional "family meetings" at which the adults gathered and discussed important issues in private while the children were made to entertain each other upstairs. Sirius began trying to eavesdrop on these conversations, but his magical ignorance greatly hindered this, and even the few charms he had picked up in his ten years were of little help. Bellatrix, enraged at not being included in the conversations, actually agreed to help him, but they were incapable of getting along for very long periods of time. They were too similar.

July 15th, 1971

Number 12, Grimmauld Place

"Sirius, move over!"

Bellatrix's screeching whisper carried down the hallway to the doorway to the nursery where I stood, peering at my brother and cousin as they crouched at the top of the stairs, ears pressed closely to a cylindrical glass which was enchanted to transmit the sounds which entered the identical glass Bellatrix and Sirius had planted in the Sitting Room where the adults were gathered.

"Quit pushing," Sirius rasped back, tilting the glass this way and that, trying to improve the reception between the glass in his hand the one he knew must be somewhere on the other side of the wall against which the stairway was placed. "I can't hear anything when you do that."

"I can't hear anything either because your fat ear is in the way," Bellatrix hissed, cracking her skull against Sirius' in an effort to push his head away.

"Come away from there, Reggie," Ann called from inside the nursery. I turned back to her. She was sitting against an enormous plush salamander my father had brought back from a trip to Spain he had undertaken in the spring for the Ministry. When you sat on its back, blue flames spurted out of its mouth. Not real flames, mind you, or the nursery would have caught fire. They were just harmless blue sparks, like exploding blue flowers. I loved it. Sirius had laughed at it and said snobbily that fire was red. Mamma had smacked him and said that really hot flames were blue, or even white, and that Sirius would know that if he ever paid attention to his studies. Sirius had taken offense, but really, he had gotten what he deserved after all.

Ann stretched out her arms to me and I gratefully came and sat in her lap. The sudden addition of weight against the salamander's stomach caused it to belch out little curling sparks and I grinned. "It's a pretty toy," Ann said distractedly, but she wasn't really looking at it; she was staring off into the distance. She had been very quiet ever since coming home for the holidays. Now that she was graduated from Hogwarts, Aunt Elladora talked all the time about the job she was setting up for Ann as a researcher at the Ministry through her connections. Ann never talked about it.

A shriek reached us from the hallway, and then a thump, and suddenly Sirius appeared in the doorway, scowling, and kicked at the little army of toy giants I had set up on the nursery floor. Fat, little figures went sprawling all across the room.

"I hate her," my brother muttered darkly, crossing his arms against his chest and putting on his best haughty pout. He crushed a prostate giant under his foot, snapping off its toy spear with the heel of his shoe.

"Don't say that. It's mean." Ann said reproachfully as I whined in protest at his rough treatment of my toys. Just because Mamma had taken all of his away didn't mean he ought to take his anger out on me.

"I don't care," Sirius spat. "I hate her. She's mean."

Ann sighed and rubbed a hand absently though my hair. It felt good so I leaned back and curled up against her. Suddenly there was a noise outside, something like an owl's screech.

"Mercury," I said and looked towards the hallway. Somewhere down the hall was my parents' room where our owl, Mercury, slept. Ann stiffened under me.

She said, "Why don't you boys go check on Mercury?"

"Because that didn't sound like it was coming from the master bedroom," Sirius replied coolly from the doorway, even as I got up to see to our bird. The noise repeated itself. "It sounded like it was coming from outside."

Ann stood quickly, steadying herself on a writing desk, and went to the window. "There's nothing there," she said. "You'd better go check on Mercury just in case."

"Why don't you go check on Mercury yourself," Sirius retorted, and he put out his hand to block my way when I tried to push past him and into the hallway.

"Let me through, Sirius," I frowned, and tried to duck under his arm, but he put out his foot and tripped me.

"Sirius, don't you talk back like that," Ann snapped. "Your parents put me in charge…"

"I'm the head of the family," Sirius answered snootily, which was a big lie, because I knew as well as he did that he didn't care about being the head of the family. He had, however, developed a very unpleasant habit since Christmas of flashing his stupid title all over the place whenever he wanted something.

"Who cares," I said, picking myself up and shoving him from behind. He made as if to wrestle me and I shrieked and ran away. Sirius was bigger than me and stronger, and he showed no mercy during wrestling matches. I rushed to Ann's side and hid behind her skirts.

The owl screech repeated itself, and from my new vantage point beside the window, it did, indeed, seem to be coming from outside. Curiously, I began to peer over the window sill. Ann started to lead me away, but as soon as her attention was turned, Sirius ran past us both and threw open the pane. He stuck his head all the way out the window before Ann could protest and then, pulling it back inside, he crowed triumphantly, "Ann, there's a man on the lawn! I think he thinks he's an owl, though! Somebody had better go down and straighten him out!"

"I'll do it," Ann hissed. But instead of going down the stairs the usual way, she apparated out with a 'pop.'

"She's outside," Sirius whispered to me conspiratorially, leaning over the sill. "She's wal…he's kissing her!" Sirius gave a sudden squeal and clapped his hands to his mouth to suppress his laughter. I gave a start and ran to the window to see. Ann was indeed clasped to a strange man in the sort of embrace I had only ever seen shared between mummies and daddies. The implications seemed enormous.

"Is Ann a mum?" I gasped.

"No, you git," Sirius snapped, but with merriment in his voice. "She loves him." He thrust the window pane down. "Come on," he said, motioning to me, and rushed out the nursery door. I was elated that he had invited me to accompany him and followed on his heels. We ran down the hallway, with a few furtive glances back at Bellatrix who was still crouched at the top of the main stairs, to the back stairs, the ones reserved for the servants' use. We clambered down them and out the servants' door at the back of the kitchens. Then, around the side of the house and to the bushes that lines the wall under the nursery window.

Ann was still in the arms of the stranger, a tall, lanky young man with arms and legs that seemed much too long for his body and which flopped about uselessly when he moved so that he looked to me like he was made out of pudding. They had moved behind a big tree, hidden from the nursery window's view, as if they thought this was really going to protect them from prying eyes.

The man was saying "...giving up so easily" and Ann was looking off at the neighbor's house with sad eyes. He went on: "I don't care what your family thinks." When she remained silent a moment, he added stuffily, "although apparently you do."

"Don't say that," Ann cried, burying her face in his chest. Sirius pressed his hands to his mouth beside me and giggled. His laughter was infectious. I pressed my hands to my mouth too, in imitation of him.

"Don't take the job, Ann," the man pressed on. He had a funny accent. I could tell he didn't come from our part of London, or any of the surrounding areas. "They'll send you far away. You know they will!" He was starting to sound angry. "Listen, I've got a job lined up. Sure, it won't bring in a lot, but it's a start."

"They're my family, Ted," Ann replied weakly. "I'll never see them again."

At this, I began to get worried. I didn't understand any of this, but I didn't like what Ann was saying. I hoped she wasn't going to go away. I got up to ask her, but Sirius caught the edge of my shirt and held me back. "Don't, stupid," he hissed.

"If they really loved you," the man, Ted, muttered, "they wouldn't put this kind of pressure on you." There was a silence. "Things are getting worse," he insisted at last. "This dark lord, whatever they call him, he's gaining support. The situation is not going to improve. Your parents will only hate me more with time. We have to act now or never." There was another silence and then Ted whispered, "I'm sorry."

Ann turned her big, drooping eyes to him and whispered, "I love you."

This was too much for Sirius. He burst out laughing and practically fell out of his hiding place with mirth. Ann shrieked and whirled around. I laughed too, without understanding what was so funny, because I didn't want to be left out.

"You two!" Ann shot fiery glares in our directions, but this, as usual, did nothing to discourage Sirius.

He chanted:

"Ann and Ted can feel a spark.

Took a potion in the dark.

Owls' brains and lizards' piss.

Drink it up and kiss, kiss, kiss!"

"Sirius!" Ann was appalled, and red as a turnip I might add. "That is a vulgar rhyme!"

Ted, on the other hand, while just as red, laughed a little. "Who are these fellows," he asked. "Your cousins?" Maybe he thought we hadn't heard his mean remarks about Ann leaving her family forever, because he acted like we ought to be his best mates. He tried to reach out the pat me on the head, but I ducked out of the way.

"Yes," Ann replied tightly.

"Ann, are you in loooove?" Sirius puckered up his lips and smooched his own hand passionately. "Are you gonna run away forever?"

"Ann, don't leave us!" I cried, remembering my earlier fear.

Tears filled Ann's dark eyes and she knelt down beside me. "Oh, Merlin, darlings. I… I don't want to leave you." She hugged me, and suddenly I started crying, too.

Ted came up behind her and tried to hold her shoulders, but she shrugged him off. "Ted, it's dangerous. You can't stay here. Don't you know what they're discussing in there…" She nodded towards the house and shuddered. "Listen, dear, I'll come to see you later. Next week." She was speaking rapidly and in a high voice. "Come down to London. Trafalger Square. By the fountain. We'll talk."

"I can't stand being without you," Ted said warmly, and kissed her neck. Sirius giggled. Ann blushed.

"Go!" she muttered. Then, catching me up in her arms, she carried me back towards the house. "Come along, Sirius," she said. Sirius tagged along behind us. Every now and then he turned around and blew kisses at Ted until, with a 'pop,' Ted was gone.

Back in the nursery, Ann stood stiffly by the window and eyed Sirius. "You mustn't speak about this. To anyone. I'm not joking," she added as Sirius began to kiss his hand.

He sniffed haughtily. "Who would I tell? Bellatrix?" He wrinkled up his nose in disgust. "Icky, slimy Bella…"

"You worm," came a voice from the doorway, and Bellatrix came in. Her ebony hair was bound up in an elaborate bun, pulled away from her face, and making her look much older than she really was. Her sneering expression furthered the effect. She brandished the glass. "Of course, I needn't tell you that your father is a worthless coward. By this time, the whole family knows it."

"Hag!" Sirius exclaimed. "Take it back!"

This was more posing in my opinion. Sirius never stood up for family members unless he felt he, himself, was being indirectly insulted. Bellatrix turned red. "The only hag in this household is the one who birthed you, you little…"

Sirius leapt forward before Ann could hold him back. He tried to push her, but she clawed at his face with her long, painted nails. Clutching at a red welt that appeared above his nose, my older brother landed my cousin a punch right on the jaw. I screamed. I hated them both for fighting. I knew they were fighting about dumb things our parents said, about the stupid birthright and Sirius' title. I hated Bellatrix for saying those things about my father, and I hated Sirius for only thinking about himself and not trying to help our parents out, except with his constant fighting, which only upset them more. I screamed and screamed.

"You…you son of a Muggle!" Bellatrix cried, reeling from the blow. Her lip was bleeding. Sirius cringed, visibly taken aback. I was shocked. Son of a Muggle was just about the worst and dirtiest insult I had ever heard. I wasn't even allowed to say it. I couldn't believe Bellatrix would say something like that, especially to her own cousin!

There was a horrible silence which was finally broken by Sirius' voice. His eyes were flashing, but his voice remained calm and slightly ironic. "You oughtn't to insult my Mother. I don't think she'd appreciate being called a Muggle."

"Shut up, both of you," Ann screamed suddenly, shocking all of us. And with one quick movement, she stepped forward and slapped Bellatrix straight across the face. Bellatrix's mouth hung open dumbly and the sound of the slap echoed in the room long after Ann had run out into the hallway and disappeared.