1

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry yet.

A/n:

Dogstar'n'Lionheart: Thanks so much for the wonderful review! I promise to explain the bruising breeze over soon! Talk to you later:D

Crystal Unicorn: Your review was great! Sorry there isn't any Sirius/James in this story, but I promise to keep going!

Lanna: Thanks for the review! Here's the next chapter!

Noemy: Love talking with you! Here you go:D

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Chapter 3

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James woke up to a loud banging sound coming from Sirius's end of the room. He opened his eyes and sat up quickly, thinking that Sirius had fallen out of bed or something. Instead he was greeted by the sight of Sirius and his little brother, Regulus, wrestling each other on the ground.

Regulus looked as if he was winning, as Sirius seemed about half asleep, and he was still bruised from last night. Sirius's hair was tousled about his face, and his comforter was still wrapped around him as he struggled to get his brother off of his chest.

James stood up quickly, and pulled Regulus off of Sirius, muttering, "Dirty bastard". Regulus was cursing at Sirius, and he seemed to be looking for something Sirius supposedly took from him.

As soon as Regulus was off of him, Sirius sprang off of the ground. He yelled, "What the hell could you possibly want so badly that you had to attack me while I was asleep?"

Regulus simply glared at Sirius and shoved James off of him. "I'm missing my broom. I woke up this morning to go riding outside, when I found out it was missing. I asked Mum, and she said that you probably took it. So I came in here to tell you to give it back!"

Regulus's face was flushed, and he looked barely older then twelve with his arms crossed stubbornly over his chest. Very much in the manner of a five year old who didn't get his way.

Sirius wiped his hands over his face in an exasperated manner, as if he had done this many times before.

"Reg, I don't have your broom. I don't know where it is, but if you asked Mum again, I think you might find it."

Regulus huffed and looked around the room angrily. Suddenly his face lit up, and he pointed to something in the corner of Sirius's room.

"Oh yeah? Then what's that, over there in that corner, eh?"

Sirius spun around to see what his little brother was pointing at. When his gaze fell on the Nimbus 1000, his eyes widened in shock, and he turned back to Regulus.

"I swear Regulus, that wasn't there earlier! I didn't take your broom!" Sirius look utterly confused and sank onto his bed as if he was expecting a tirade.

Regulus smirked triumphantly and snatched his broom from the corner of the room. On his way out, he smacked Sirius on the head with the broom, and then ran out of the room as fast as he could.

Sirius barely even flinched as the blow landed on him. James expected it didn't really hurt so much physically, as it did mentally. He knew Sirius, and he knew that he didn't like having anyone else order him around. To have his own brother smacking him, and getting away with it, must really be hard for him.

Sirius sighed and fell back onto his bed, his arms draped above his head. James stared at his friend for a second, and his gaze fell on the bruises scattering Sirius's face.

It was not an uncommon thing for either Sirius or James to have a few bruises coming back from the holidays. James's dad often hit him for doing wrong in his Quidditch practices that his father ran in their local park. As for Sirius's parents, they had always been physical with him, and that's just how the pureblood family worked.

In a family such as the Blacks, the heir had special duties to uphold. Since they were so important, the parents were always extra hard on them and harsh towards them when they did a wrong. In Sirius's case, where he had messed up big time in his parent's eyes, they had taken to punishing him harshly with words and their fists.

James remembered a deal that he and Sirius had made back in the second year, after they had each seen each others fresh bruises.

James had just been changing his shirt when he had heard Sirius's voice behind him.

"Do yours hit you too?"

James whirled around and found Sirius staring at the bruises on his back from where his father had hit him last weekend. Apparently, he hadn't scored enough points in his practice game to be up to his father's expectations.

James swallowed, and decided it was best not to lie, especially to his best friend who seemed to have the same problem he did.

"Yeah, sometimes. This is just for me not playing well enough in Quidditch the other day though. My dad's a fanatic, and makes sure I make every play perfect or else."

Sirius nodded understandingly and told James about how his parents had beaten him all summer for being sorted into Gryffindor.

They had decided, then and for the rest of their lives, not to acknowledge any bruises when they had them, and to never tell anyone what really went on in their homes. They both knew that they had powerful families, who could easily make it look like James and Sirius were just trying to make their poor parents look bad.

Either way, James never mentioned Sirius's bruises, and Sirius never mentioned James.

James was jolted out of his thoughts, with a sharp tapping on Sirius's window. Sirius just grunted, so James opened the window and let Wanker inside.

Attached to the owl's leg, was the note that James had sent his father just last night, with a huge REJECTED: SEND BACK TO SENDER on it.

James scowled, trying and failing to cover up the hurt he was feeling at his father's rejection. He was used to his father doing things to him when he messed up, but the rejection was just to much for him this time. All he had done was lose one game, and he wasn't allowed home.

"What is it?" Sirius said loudly, his eyes still closed.

James quickly hid the letter, not wanting to get into his father issues with Sirius right now. "Nothing. Just a letter from my cousin, seeing how the term went."

Sirius grunted, and slowly opened his eyes. "Okay. Feel like going downstairs?"

"I guess so. Now or never." James said, knowing that Sirius was dreading it just as much, if not more then he was.

Sirius made a dramatic groan, and rolled off the bed. There was a dull thump as he hit the ground, but he bounced up again as if nothing had happened.

"Ready?" He said as he walked out the door.

James just rolled his eyes and followed, muttering, "Bugger."

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After about twenty five minutes of pure hell, James and Sirius were finally on their own and free. They had snuck out, saying it would be best if they were out of the way of Mr. and Mrs. Black for as long as possible.. So there they were, wandering the streets of London.

They were walking in a comfortable silence, both not paying the slightest attention to which way they were going. They turned and corner, and Wham! Sirius ran head first into a particularly greasy, hook nosed, friend of theirs.

Sirius sighed, clearly not in the mood for Snape today.

"Well, Black, I see you're still alive. Thought maybe your mother would have killed you. Rumor has it that she kicks your ass."

"Fuck off, Snivellus. It's none of your fucking business. Now leave us alone." Sirius shoved past Snape and walked past him before he could say a word.

Sirius was in a fury having Snape mention his mother, so when James tried to calm him down, it was really no wonder that Sirius ignored him.

"And his huge, greasy faced, nose? Who has a nose that big? I mean, come on. It's not normal, that isn't."

"Padfoot, forget him. It's summer." James opened his arms wide as if he was about to embrace something. "No thinking about Slytherins. Especially Snivellus."

Sirius grinned at James, who was spinning around in circles, arms wide, and said, "Sodding Snivellus." His grin widened. "Nah, you're right, Prongs. Why waste time on Snivellus, when we could be seeing how dear, sweet, Miss Evans is?"

James looked shocked, and stopped spinning immediately. Then he went slack jawed and stared into the distance, apparently dreaming about Lily.

"Come on then Prongs."Sirius said with a slap to James's back. "I know just the place to find her. She goes to this really adorable little tea shop every morning. She lives right around here, did you know that?"

James looked like he was about to wet himself with excitement, and said, "Ah, Padfoot, think of the possibilities. Me, and Lily Evans, all summer, living in the same city, for two months."

And with that, James and Sirius walked up the street to the tea shop, to pay a visit to the lovely Lily Evans.

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Three hours later, James and Sirius were laughing wildly and running home. They had in fact seen Lily, as James's red handprint splattered across his face proved. She hadn't been as happy to see them as they had been to see her, though. Funny thing, that.

They turned onto Grimmauld, and both boys turned a little somber. Sirius concentrated and slowly the huge house appeared in front of them.

Sirius walked up to the door, then suddenly turned around to face James. "Prongs, buddy, I've suddenly been struck with a brilliant idea."

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A half an hour later, the boys found themselves being pulled by their ears to Mr. Blacks office. The house had been given a little bit of Marauder Magic, and needless to say, both Mr. and Mrs. Black were furious.

Sirius had hung his mother's undergarments from the house elf heads, James had painted Regulus's room red and gold, and they had both stuffed Kreacher in a laundry shoot.

Mrs. Black ripped open the door, threw both boys inside, and slammed the door behind them, leaving them to Mr. Black.

James looked up slowly at Mr. Black. He was sitting all of the way across the room, at a huge oak desk. Above him was a huge Black Family Crest, family motto and all.

Mr. Black beckoned with one finger for Sirius to come to his desk. James quickly looked at Sirius, worried about his safety. Mr. Black looked like he could murder right now, and James wasn't so sure he wouldn't try it on his firstborn son.

Sirius slowly walked up to his father's desk, smile gone, and a anxious look on his face. James could only make out the sound of Orion's voice from where he was standing but he knew he was furious.

Sirius said loudly, "It doesn't matter, I said I was sorry."

His father's voice raised too, "Sirius, you are my son. We have been through this. And as my son, you will do what I tell you, and you won't complain about it. Now, I said get that muggle-lover out of my house, now and I mean now. Or were you looking for another set of bruises to match those ones from last night?"

Sirius looked back at James, and then turned to face his father. "No, I was just asking if you would forget about this incident, and use it as a warning. Please, he has no where else to go right now!"

In one swift movement, Mr. Black had stood up and slapped his son, hard, across the face. Sirius's face was slammed sideways with the force of the blow, but he straightened up again quickly.

"Fine, if you won't let him stay here, then I'm leaving too."

Orion looked furious at this, but simply stared at his son. "If you walk out that door, don't expect to ever come back. When your starving and cold, and you decide you wish you hadn't left us, it'll be to late. You leave tonight, you no longer exist to us."

Mr. Black's voice and glare were so cold, James felt himself shivering. Sirius took one last look at his father before turning around and walking towards the door. James turned around too and walked out before Sirius.

Sirius shut the door quietly behind him, and looked over at James. "Sorry about all of that. Ready to go?"

He walked towards the front door, apparently planning on leaving right that second.

"Padfoot, are you serious? You're going to leave your family, your home, just because I can't stay here? I'll be fine on my own, you don't have to leave too." James said looking shocked at what Sirius was doing. He knew that Sirius hated it here, but he didn't want to be the reason he left his family.

"Yeah, yeah, Prongs. I've wanted to leave here for forever, it's no big deal. I hate them all. Stupid bastards. Let's get the fuck outta here."

And with that, Sirius and James were out on their, own in muggle London. Again. And this time they weren't going home.

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A/n: That's it! Done with the chapter! I know it's a little short, but I had some serious writter's block!

Don't think this chapter was to good, but I'd appreciate reviews anyways!

Thanks!

3 MilyMB 3