What If Series: The Black Prince

by Miss Mysteria

Chapter Two

Sirius felt his feet connect with the ground and clutched Harry closer to him as he began to sniffle, if apparating was an unpleasant experience for adults, he couldn't imagine what it would be like for Harry. He sucked in a shaky breath and raised his wand, flourishing it so that a bright light appeared at the end, lighting up the dark path in front of him.

He knew where he was, he'd already known when he had apparated where he would end up. There were only two places on earth that he had really ever called home; Potter Mansion in Dorset and Black Manor in Cumbria. When he had been younger he had spent a lot of time in Black Manor, with his father holding a tight, squeezing grasp on his shoulder and his mother hissing in his ear, reminding him of who he was and what the repercussions of misbehaving in front of Lord Black would be. The memories were not fond, but they were fonder than those of Grimauld Place and Hogwarts, where he had only found out moments ago he had spent years in the same room as the man that had lead his friends to their deaths in aid of a terrorist.

He slowly let out another breath; whether it was a sigh of relief he was away from prying eyes and the dead bodies and memories or a sigh of let's-get-this-over-with he himself wasn't sure. Nevertheless, he moved his legs forward, and padded towards the dark mass in the distance he knew to be the Manor.

He stopped after twenty minutes of walking up the path at where he knew the wards of the property started. He took a deep breath, inwardly unable to believe he was coming to his family for help, the family that he had always renounced. The urge to backtrack and try and access the wards in Potter Mansion was strong, but he knew he wouldn't be able to cross, only Harry, the Heir would be. The Potter family magic would know that its Lord had died and would only allow family of blood to enter the house until Harry took up the mantle of Lord Potter on his fifteenth birthday.

Harry gave a small snore and Sirius looked down at the lightly snoozing child with a smile on his face. He was doing this for Harry, to protect Harry. Looking back wistfully at the darkness behind him, he summoned up his steely courage and resolve that had made him the Gryffindor he was. What would James do? Sirius huffed a quiet laugh that seemed to echo in the dark silence and as soon as his breath left his mouth it turned to cloudy air. He knew exactly what James would do, turn around and stubbornly refuse help. So, in light of that, he thought to himself, what would Lily do? The fiery woman would march up to the Manor, slam on the door and demand Lord Black aid her and her child. That woman was scary when she was angry. His smile slipped; when she had been angry. They were gone, and he needed to remember that.

He turned back to face the ward that glistened in the moonlight in certain areas where it caught the light. His grandfather would know he was here once he crossed the wards, he would be alerted the second someone walked through them and there would be no turning back. He sucked in a shaky breath, clicked his neck by stretching it to the side and pressed a kiss to a sleeping Harry's forehead.

He stepped forward and felt the Black blood wards wash over him like a warm hug. The magic recognised the blood rushing through his veins; even if he had been blasted off of the tapestry, he was still forever and always a Black and the magic would always be there to welcome him home. Even if the people who used the magic didn't.

He continued up the path, hand holding his wand sweating with nerves as he got closer and closer to the large onyx stone doors that would take him into the Manor. He tried to ignore the worms that had appeared inside his stomach, the anxiousness had lowered slightly now that the wards had recognised him and he was one step closer to getting himself and Harry to safety, but it didn't stop, it most likely wouldn't until they were inside.

He stopped dead in front of the door. It was black onyx stone with two silver raven door knockers. There was no handle and Sirius knew from childhood experiences that if anyone didn't knock and just tried to enter they would not fare well. He had been blown back by an invisible force too many times to count.

He squeezed his eyes closed and raised his hand that was holding his wand. His pushed his magic through the wand and touched the tip of it to the centre of the door, signalling that he was a Black (as only Black's knew that passage of entrance) and wanted to be permitted entrance. A loud bong sounded from inside the Manor as soon as his wand touched the door.

He hugged Harry closer and ran his hand through the boy's curls as he heard footsteps and whispering on the other side of door. He raised his wand somewhat higher, not enough to be threatening but enough so that he could fire a shield if a spell was thrown at him and Harry. It would be ironic if Harry was killed by a Black instead of Voldemort, but not unthought of.

The lock on the other side of the door clicked and Sirius jumped in surprise as it was pulled open and a strong hand took hold of the fabric of his shirt and dragged him inside. The rapid motion of the movement woke Harry and he cried out, tears already running down his face. His Godson was plucked from his arms as soon as the door had been slammed shut and locked behind him and his cries quietened instantly. Sirius broke free of the grasp on him and immediately settled into a dulling stance; his back left leg forward, right leg supporting him behind and his wand arm raised, ready to fight his way out. He shouldn't have come, he was thinking to himself, now Harry was somewhere else and he was stuck duelling...who was he duelling?

Sirius blinked and properly looked at the two people, in front of him, his eyes going crossed at the sight of a very familiar black oak wand trained on the space between his eyes.

Lord Arcturus Black the third was stood in front of him in all of his glory; he cut an imposing figure at six-foot-four, framed with broad shoulders, and very strong arms that could apparently drag a twenty three year old man through a door whilst said man struggled, all set off by a pair of misty grey eyes and deep black hair. He was the Black Lord and had always acted the part and right now he was playing it well, a furious scowl on his face, but Sirius could see the softness in his eyes.

"Grandfather." Sirius' eyes flickered quickly over to the other occupant of the room, his grandmother Melina Black who was rocking Harry back and forth, but keeping an eye on the situation and palming her wand. Sirius gulped, "Grandmother." If anyone in their family was the best with curses, it would be his grandmother. There was a reason his grandfather and her got along so well after sixty years of marriage.

"Sirius." Arcturus' raspy voice gave away his age in a way that his appearance, other than the sparse few grey hairs, didn't. His eyes narrowed, and the softness was gone, "What was the last thing you said to me?" Of course, security questions.

Sirius paled and looked to the floor in shame. He remembered the last conversation he had had with his grandfather and father vividly, it had been the end of his fifth year at one of the monthly family dinner's with his cousins, aunts and uncles and grandparents all present. His father, the late Orion Black, had brought up the subject of a new Dark Lord rising, one more powerful and intelligent than Grindelwald. Bellatrix and his mother, Walburga Black, had perked up and listened to the tales with adoration shining through their eyes. Without even meeting the monster they had become awed and practically servants to him immediately. Sirius had made comments under his breath, muttering to Regulus that it was not true, that the man would be stopped by Dumbledore before he got too far, that there was no point, hoping to keep his brother out of the conflict. Unfortunately...or fortunately, Sirius had never decided which it had been, his grandfather had heard him. After the dinner had ended, Arcturus had summoned Sirius and Orion to his study and then made them sit in the uncomfortable chairs in front of his desk in silence as he signed some pieces of parchment. Then, Arcturus had looked up at him, ignoring Orion completely and had asked him bluntly what his allegiances were. Sirius had straighten in his seat and announced that he would never bow to the 'Dark Lord'; that he would never become a servant of another man and that he would stand with his brothers in battle. Orion had blown his lid, throwing himself out of his seat and grabbing Sirius by his robes, shaking him furiously whilst screaming that he had betrayed them all, that he wasn't a real Black, that he was no better than a "common mudblood". Sirius had fought against him and finally released his wand from his pocket, but before he could use it, his accidental magic had burst out and thrown his father back into the bookcase of the office. Once the last book fell and silence once again refined over the room, Sirius had stared, wide-eyed and panting at his grandfather, expecting revenge for attacking Orion, so he raised his wand at his grandfather. The man stood, slowly and carefully placing his drawn wand on the table in front of him, showing Sirius that he was not going to retaliate. Sirius, however, just sneered.

"You disgust me." He had ripped off the Black family sigil that had been woven onto his robe and threw it at his feet. "All of you," He made eye contact with his Head of House. "All of you are a bunch of slimy fucking Slytherin's who manipulate, maim and destroy anything you come into contact with. I am no longer a Black, as you said Father. I will be nameless, as anything is-"

Present day Sirius finished the sentence replaying in his mind, "-better than being a Black and a descendant of yours."

Arcturus nodded once to Sirius, and then once to his wife, before lowering his wand. He looked at Sirius, who was still sheepish, "I was not expecting to see you again, Sirius."

Sirius let out a shaky breath and ran his wand-free hand through his hair, "I wasn't expecting to come here either. But I had no where else to go."

Melania's brow furrowed as she to pocketed her wand. She stared between Sirius and the baby in her arms, who looked remarkably like a boy she had seen in photos with Sirius in the papers, when he had received his Hit-Wizard badge. A Potter, hadn't it been? And here Sirius was, with a baby that looked just like the young man in that photograph, looking dirty, tired and broken. The child had a long, jagged scar running over his forehead that to her, reeked of Dark Magic. Oh no. She sighed and walked over to him, heels clicking on the floor. She switched the child onto her hip and his small head came to lie on her chest as she rested her aged hand on one of Sirius' and squeezed. "I am so very sorry for your loss, Sirius."

Sirius' eyes widened. He didn't know how she had realised it so fast, had she known that Voldemort had been after them? He didn't know what to say, so only nodded jerkily in thanks and swallowed strongly. He looked down at the marble floor, tears prickling at the corner of his eyes, he had just arrived, he was not about to cry on her shoulder. A strong hand came down on his shoulder and made Sirius look up. The sympathy in his grandfather's eyes made him lose all resolve and as he opened his mouth to apologise for being weak, something the man no doubbt expected, a sob forced its way out of his throat and the hand on his shoulder dragged him closer and in for a hug.

And there the last of the sane Black's stood. A broken man with only his Godson left being surrounded by two of the coldest people he had ever known.

Well, Sirius looked back on later, perhaps this had always been home.

A/N: Thanks for reading, Don't forget to review!