Chapter – 10

Sirius P.O.V

Sirius stood stock-still, not moving an inch. Maybe he shouldn't have taken a walk at this time of the night, but this was the only time he wasn't being monitored by his parents.

Obviously, he wasn't as silent as he liked to believe he was. Or Kreacher, that miserable house elf snitched on him. Sirius was convinced the latter had a higher chance of being possible.

That was not why he was standing stock-still, though. The problem he was facing was very simple, but very hard to remedy.

Sirius was standing in between the door to his brother's room, and the hallway closet, hiding from the approaching light of his father's wand. If he moved even an inch towards Regulus' room, the floorboard would creak and give away his position. And if he moved towards his room, he would have to cross the hallway and his father would see him.

So, here he was, stuck. Now, what to do? His father was nearing his position, and the shadows wouldn't hide his position forever. Just before his father stumbled upon him, Regulus' room door opened and covered Sirius' hidden form.

"Father," Regulus' clipped voice drifted across the heavy door. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard something up here, son." Father said, suspicion colouring his tone. He was less of a fanatical lunatic than mother, but that hardly made him kind. "It seems there's nothing to worry about."

Regulus scoffed slightly. "Obviously."

Sirius glared at the door. If he had said that to father, he would've been punished severely, for several days. And here Regulus was, flaunting his 'I'm the favourite' status.

"Good night, father." Regulus said, weariness creeping into his voice.

"Hmmm…" Father said, probably nodding and then, the footsteps receded. Regulus' door shut, and Sirius was once again, alone in the hallway.

Frowning at the shadowed hallway, Sirius slipped across the hallway. In his room, relatively safe from prying eyes, Sirius smirked at the small book in his hand, titled – Horcruxes: The Secrets of Immortality.


The next morning was tense. Regulus kept side-eyeing him, and father was looking suspiciously between the two of them. Mother was screeching about their plan for the day, which was visiting the Malfoys.

Sirius sighed, Regulus turned to him sharply and father glared. Mother stopped talking and scowled at the three of them. Immediately, father was impassive again, Regulus looking innocent. Sirius almost scrunched up his nose and stuck his tongue out at his mother, but that would just irritate her more.

"What is so important that the three of you aren't listening to our plan for today?" Mother asked sharply.

Sirius kept his mouth shut. Every time he came back into this house, all his Gryffindor bravery and recklessness turned into self-preservation instincts and sharp words. He knew very well that this time, this vacation, he was going to keep out of trouble.

"Nothing, mother." Regulus said, beseechingly. "Please continue."

Father had long since abandoned the pretense of remaining in the conversation, but there was nothing mother could do about that.

"We're going to be meeting Narcissa's betrothed, Lucius Malfoy." Mother started again, keeping her volume low and her eyes focused on Sirius. "You will behave nicely, no mischief. This is a family gathering, so you will honour our family."

Regulus was already nodding, breakfast completely forgotten. Sirius sighed, again.

"Is that understood, Sirius?" Mother glared.

Sirius decided note to bring up the unfairness of being picked aside, but simply nodded instead.

"Go get ready, then. Something presentable." Mother always had such a harsh tone when speaking to him.

"Of course, mother." He responded, out loud. She probably would complain about him behaving rudely if he didn't.

Walking back to his room was more awkward than breakfast. Regulus was walking right behind him, and Sirius could feel his younger brother's eyes boring right into the back of his head. It was uncomfortable, but nothing too bad.

Ignoring Regulus' attempt to pull him to talk, Sirius dashed into his room as soon as they reached the third-floor landing.

"Damn this entire house to hell." He cursed, turning to rummage in his wardrobe for the 'presentable' clothes his mother wanted him to wear.

"This is a family gathering!" Sirius mocked his mother's high-pitched voice. "Then why do we have to worry about embarrassing the family or bringing dishonour on our name? We're the only ones there!"

"Are you talking to yourself?" The mirror on his wall asked, and Sirius snarled at it.

"Does it make a difference?" Another voice piped up. Sirius grinned and lunged for his mirror.

"Jamie boy." He said, grinning widely. "Phase 2 is a go."

"Is it really?" James asked, peering at Sirius curiously. "You haven't escaped the haunted house yet."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "As sad as it is, I'll meet you at the station in January, James."

James looked thoughtful. "You could always just run away."

Sirius sneered. "As if I could run away, James. Don't even think about it!"

Sirius startled at the banging on his room door. Time to leave for the Malfoys. "Talk to you later, Jamie."

He swiped across the mirror and tossed it into the mess that was his trunk. If there was one thing Kreacher wouldn't touch it was that.

"Sirius! Where are you?" Mother's voice reached his room, and he pulled open the door to go down.

"Coming mother."


The party wasn't dreadful, but it gave Sirius plenty of time to think about James' suggestion. Running away. He hadn't ever thought he would do that, but maybe he should. It's not like he wanted to be with his family, or that they wanted him to be with them.

His brother was drifting towards the lunatics calling themselves death eaters, and his parents supported Regulus. There was no reason for him to stay. He was sixteen, his parents would get him branded like a slave by the mad man waging a war.

Sirius was so busy thinking about all of it – running away, death eaters, the Dark Lord, that he didn't even register anything until he was heading back to his room.

"Sirius needs to be controlled, Orion!" Mother whispered. "We cannot allow him to just run amok."

"What do you want us to do, Walburga?" Father's deeper voice spoke up. "Lock him up like a misbehaving child? Brand him like a slave against his wishes?"

"Nobody's branding anyone, Orion!" Mother said, venom dripping from her tone.

"That Dark Lord is," Father mocked, derisively.

"That Dark Lord is the most powerful wizard in years, decades!" Mother argued back. Sirius pressed closer to the door as Father hissed something back at mother.

"He's going to change the world, Orion." Mother exclaimed abruptly. "We can either support him or die with all those light bastards."

"And how's he going to do that?" Father's voice dripped with scorn. "By branding powerful, ancient, pure-blooded families?"

Mother scoffed. "He's got power Orion. And those children he took will be of the utmost use, especially as hostages against the light."

Sirius sucked in a breath. Hostages? What was going on? He had hostages, now? From light families… children?

Hearing his mother's purposeful strides near the door, Sirius rushed up to his room, locking the door behind him.

"Dear Merlin!" Sirius exclaimed, when the implication of everything he heard hit him. "He kidnapped children, and he's holding them hostage!"