Disclaimer: Well, i think it's safe to say i don't own Harry Potter.

I've been wanting to write Sirius fics for the LONGEST time and I've never quite found the fic that combines all my views into one (though I've seen some that are pretty close).

This fic is about the life of Sirius (how many of those are out there...) from the age of 6 to whenever... probably however old he was when the Potters died. I'm going to skip a a few years at times so that I only cover the 'important stuff.' In my mind, Sirius is a Slytherin with a bit more selflessness and loyalty than the average Slytherin. Slytherin's in his blood... he can't get rid of it, not completely anyways.

This is just the prologue, so it's short... never done a HP fic before...


"SIRIUS BLACK!"

Sirius groaned and rolled over, too tired to get up, but not too overly-enthusiastic about hearing his mother's screeching voice again. After a few moments of quiet, he sat up with a yawn and hopped out of bed, landing his small, six-year-old feet near his two pythons, Agatha and Salazar.

" 'Morning," he said, nudging Salazar with his foot. The snake lifted his head a fraction of an inch before going back to sleep, causing Sirius to laugh. "I've never met a lazier snake, I swear..."

The boy walked over to his closet and slipped on his robes, silver and green, onto his body quickly, not wanting to suffer his mother's wrath (better to get there on time, than get a shower, right?). He walked through the door, closing it behind him, and walked down the stairs, absently picking at the velvety green cloth of his robes. Green and silver, the colors of Slytherin, for Sirius Black was, just as his name stated, a Black, and it was common knowledge that the Black family consisted entirely of dark, cunning, pureblood Slytherin witches and wizards, though there were a few exceptions (after all, his brother, Regulus, wasn't exactly what Sirius would call cunning). Finally making it into the kitchen, he took his seat next to Regulus who gave him a warning look and glanced briefly across the table towards their parents. Sirius instantly caught on. According to his younger brother, he was in serious (excuse the pun) shit.

Orion Black glared at his oldest son scornfully, "Where have you been? Breakfast has been ready for five minutes. You have been coming late to breakfast for the last two days, if you're not careful you'll become an arrogant Gryffindor with no sense of punctuality whatsoever."

Sirius mentally snorted. Arrogant? His father was more arrogant than any Gryffindor could ever hope to be.

"Maybe if you were more like Regulus—," Oh GOD. It was ALWAYS 'Well if Regulus', 'Now Regulus wouldn't', 'If you could act like your brother maybe then' he was SICK and TIRED of it. Sirius loved his brother, he really did, and he knew Regulus didn't ask to be constantly put on the spot. His bother was just caught in the middle and Sirius felt more pity for him than hate because he knew that just about any affection or concern directed towards his younger brother was merely there to spite him, only there for Sirius's parents to rub in his face. It was obvious to the older Black that his parents were grateful that they had held enough attraction for each other to have sex more than once because for some unknown reason (unknown to Sirius anyway) his parents didn't seem to think he was good enough.

"—And your room—," She was still talking? And what about his room? He had kept it perfectly clean, aside from the next Salazar and Agatha had made from his clothes and a few (dozen) books scattered across the floor, his room was fine.

"Sirius," And his father was talking again, "I hope you remember what's happening today."

Sirius nodded, though he wasn't quite sure... Birthday? No. Anniversary, wedding, the Dark Lord—. He felt his insides freeze up. Now Sirius wasn't quite sure who the Dark Lord was exactly, but his father had been friends with him at school and Sirius knew that anyone who had ever been friends with Orion Black couldn't be too great a person. No, dad said he was coming in December... His mind had drawn a blank. He just hoped his father wouldn't ask him, or else he'd be in for it.

"Good. I suggest you get ready after you finish eating, the Malfoys will be here in three hours and Julian is bringing his son Lucius. I expect you two to get along.

Sirius resisted to urge to groan. The importance of good relations between other well-known families had been beat into him when he had been about two, and to his knowledge (or what he had heard his mother and father talk about late at night when walking past the study on his way to kitchen to sneak a midnight snack), the Malfoys were right up there with the Blacks on the pyramid of most influential families in the wizarding world. He had met a few of the other pureblood wizarding families, and the kids he had been introduced to had been rather unpleasant with him. The Goyles' boy and that Zabini chick had been especially nasty.

Which was why they had suffered.

Sirius knew they probably hadn't enjoyed his little pranks (a Permanent Sticking charm, Body Bind, honey, and flowers for Goyle and an Everlasting Charm with a good old fashioned Pepper Up, for Zabini) half as much as he had.

He didn't know anything about Lucius Malfoy but he desperately hoped the guy wasn't a git.


So yeah.

Please review.