The Black Sheep

by AutumnSkiesAreBlue

Sirius' world is in turmoil. He's being hounded by Voldemort and his followers determined that he will eventually join them. He's betrayed his closest friends in the worst way possible and now his parents think he's returning to them. No, he will not let them force their ideas onto him. Even after the beat him to within an inch of his life. - Willow Incident/Leaving Home Story.

4. All Quiet?

Chapter 4 – All Quiet?

So it was with a heavy heart and the few belongings the Room of Requirement had given him that he walked alone to the Hogwarts Express. There he found an empty compartment near the front of the train and remained in isolation as the train bore him towards an even darker and grimmer six weeks.

~#~

When the train pulled in to Platform 9¾ later that evening, Sirius miserably noted the happy faces of the parents waiting to welcome their children home for the summer. Thankfully he knew his parents would not be among the awaiting throng as they preferred to send their house elf to collect their children rather than be seen in the company of those they deemed beneath them.

Sirius waited for the train to mostly empty before disembarking so he wouldn't have to clatter through the other students. When he finally stepped onto the platform he was once again assaulted by the sound of happy voices. Walking carefully through the crowds, Sirius accidentally caught the eye of Mrs Potter who smiled warmly at him and beckoned him to join them. Returning a wonky half smile that didn't reach his eyes, Sirius continued walking towards the back of the station. He tried hard not to see the hurt expression that crossed Mrs Potter's face when he didn't even turn towards her.

When at last he reached the back of the platform he first saw the figure of his younger brother. Standing tall and proud, the perfect pureblood son as Sirius was constantly reminded; Regulus was glaring in his direction. The second thing he noticed was a small slimy creature that stood beside his brother. As Sirius drew level with the pair he had barely the chance to exchange a scowl with Regulus before the elf seized his hand and apparated him to Grimmauld Place.

As the gloomy kitchen swam into view, Regulus turned to his older brother and said, 'no bags, brother? Or did you leave them with your friends?' His voice was snide and he wore a gloating and superior look Sirius knew his mother would be proud of.

Instead of replying as he usually would have, Sirius slunk out of the room and up the stairs, not stopping until he had shut the door behind him when he reached his bedroom on the fourth floor.

His room had always been his refuge. When he was little and his parents shouted at him and he didn't understand why, his room provided him protection. When relatives visited and the poncy pureblood acting got too much for him he ran away there to stay sane. After he'd started Hogwarts he transformed it so that it looked like everything he stood for so he didn't feel like a complete outsider in his own house.

He remembered spending a long afternoon in the dark library downstairs researching strong permanent sticking charms so that his posters, pictures and symbols of rebellion would be safe from his mother when he left for school once the summer had ended.

When once they helped keep him sane, his decorations now reminded him of everything he had betrayed in telling Snape how to get past the Willow. Yet he knew he would have to stomach his surroundings for the next six weeks as the rest of the house would prove to be far worse and he would not be allowed out of Grimmauld Place unaccompanied.

Deciding to run himself a bath before dinner, Sirius walked to the bathroom he shared with his brother, thankful that his musing had allowed Regulus to bathe and dress before him.

That night had traditionally not been good for Sirius since he started Hogwarts. His parents took the opportunity at dinner to talk to Regulus about his school life and his achievements over the year while criticising Sirius.

After dinner was always worse though. This was when Walburga and Orion Black made it clear how much they disagreed with their eldest son's choices and emphasised their disgust at all the trouble he had gotten into throughout the year.

He sank into the bath until his nose was just above the surface of the water. He was not looking forward to later that night. Especially as his parents were partially aware of recent events (though they at least did not know of Remus' condition). And he certainly hadn't been on his best behaviour before the Willow incident. The pressure of propositions from Voldemort and his impending examinations and worn on Sirius and as such he had really been acting out. Yes, his parents had a lot of fuel for later that night.

~#~

Dinner was almost bearable. While overly stuffy and formal, there were not too many insults aimed Sirius' way. Yes there were digs at his choice in friends and the company he kept and Regulus kept hinting at the recent separation from his friends and the rest of Gryffindor. But in his current state of emptiness, Sirius struggled to care. He kept his eyes on his dinner and only made eye contact when necessary. There were no sarcastic comments or indignant remarks and this change was clearly noted by Sirius' father and partly by his mother. Hope stirred within them that the Black heir had finally decided to conform to the family's demands.

This new hope did not save him after dinner as he was called in to his father's study as Regulus left to read in the front lounge.

The door had barely closed behind him when he found himself face to face with a very angry Walburga Black with her wand raised. While he had been expecting abuse fairly immediately, Sirius was taken aback by the sheer proximity of his mother and her haste (normally she'd start with verbal abuse).

'What on earth did you think you were doing demeaning the name of Black this year, boy?' His father snarled from behind him, near the door.

'Er, what?' Sirius replied, blindly spinning to face his father and putting his back to his mother's wand.

Within seconds of the words leaving his mouth, Sirius was forcibly thrown into the door face first. He felt his nose break and blood begin to pour into his mouth as he collided with the solid wooden door. Staggering backwards, Sirius found himself stood in the rear corner of the study instead of between his parents. This, he felt, was a far safer position as he couldn't be attacked from behind again.

'We have put so much effort into fixing the damage done by those disgusting half-bloods and blood traitors and you have never been thankful for our efforts. In fact, it seems you go out of your way to actively go against what we have been teaching you for the last sixteen years!' Walburga's voice was at a dangerous shrieking level.

Sirius had no idea what the woman was talking about. Unfortunately, Walburga noticed the brief confused look in her son's eyes.

'What is worse, you do not even seem to understand what you have done wrong.' She began to advance on Sirius menacingly, leaving her husband stood by the door blocking the exit. 'Let me enlighten you as it seems your vacuous mind is incapable of comprehending the external world.'

Instinctively, Sirius flinched backwards. He now knew what his mother was implying. However, where once he would have laughed or scorned her implication that the pain he felt at his parents' hands were to 'fix' him, now he just stared at Walburga's outstretched wand and waited for the pain that was sure to follow. The rebellion used to help keep him sane, now he started to feel as though he deserved the inevitable pain that was sure to come.

'You duel with those you should be seeking an alliance with, you cavort with those you should deem enemies and yet you do not understand what you have done wrong?' Her speech was intermittently broken up with strong stinging hexes and cutting curses aimed at the boy in front of her.

And yet, Sirius did not retaliate as he usually would have. He didn't raise his voice; he didn't scream and shout about the injustice of it all. And he didn't fight back.

This sudden change in their eldest son had largely gone unnoticed in Walburga who had never loved Sirius as much as her youngest son who, to her, had always seemed more obedient and doting. However, this more subdued version of Sirius had not gone unnoticed by the other Black in attendance.

Orion was thinking fast. You did not maintain the position he did within the ministry without uncommon levels of intelligence and common sense and he intended to put those virtues to use.

Quickly piecing together his heir's more reserved temperament, lack of communication and sudden respect for his elders, Orion came to the conclusion that something major must have recently happened. However, he also knew his eldest far better than he ever let on. He knew that regardless of the event, the change would not last long. Sirius had been rebellious, inquisitive and loud long before he started at Hogwarts, it had only intensified afterwards. Thus, Orion knew he had to act fast to manipulate Sirius enough so that he would become a strong asset both to the family and to the Dark Lord's cause.

When the combination of shrieking, hexing and cursing had died down to a less damaging level, Sirius looked as though he could barely stand. This had, by far, been the worst punishment his mother had ever given him, it had also taken longer.

Blearily looking up at his parents, Sirius was once again glad that his father had not gotten involved. While his mother was vicious and vindictive enough to do some serious damage, Orion Black was far more powerful.

As Sirius painfully pulled himself upright, Orion moved away from where he stood in front of the door and silently ushered his wife out of the room.

Taking this as a dismissal for him too, Sirius began to shuffle out after her, instead Orion called, 'stay Sirius'.

The boy stiffened his shoulders slightly as though in preparation for another round of attacks. He turned to face his father, his face a blank mask showing none of the pain that was nearly crippling him.

'Sit down.' The elder Black commanded, almost softly.

Even Sirius, who was well practiced with keeping his face blank of emotion, could not hide the shock that these words provoked. It had been a long time since Sirius and his father had had a normal, civilised conversation that wasn't for appearance's sake. He practically fell into the chair that was pulled out for him.

Orion wanted to laugh at the expression and body language emitting from his heir as he carefully sank into the chair opposite his son on the other side of the ornate writing desk. Sirius was cautious and looked as though he were a mouse in the lion's den with the way his eyes had widened ever so slightly and the way his posture was stiff.

'Life is not as easy as you once thought it was, is it Sirius?'

Sirius didn't move even a single muscle.

'You think I cannot tell when my own son and heir has gone through hardship? Of course I know Sirius, and I understand. I am, after all, your family.'

Sirius' mind was spinning at a pace even he was unused to. The combination of the pain and his father's words made it almost too difficult to even process the information.

'You must remember Sirius that family will always be there to assist you as long as you are willing to accept it. You are, after all, my heir and I will do everything within my power to help you through what has always been a difficult stage in any person's life.'

Sirius was wary. While his father had always been far calmer than his mother, Sirius had little trust for a man who had spent the last twenty years manipulating the British government so that he effectively controlled a sizable proportion of it.

Orion continued, sensing Sirius' wariness and confusion. 'Your mother has recently been in favour of bypassing you as heir and instead instating Regulus in your position. But Regulus is too weak; he is intelligent and powerful, yes but not exceptionally so. You have a natural gift for magic and leadership Sirius, while Regulus works hard to maintain his abilities, you have never had to do so.'

Despite everything he knew about the man sat in front of him, Sirius couldn't help but feel warmed by his father's words. It was nice for a change, to be compared positively against his younger brother, but there was more to it than that. Throughout his life, Sirius, as any other boy, instinctively sought acceptance and guidance from his father. As such, in his youth Sirius would try to impress his father though he always thought that he had failed.

In reality, Orion had always maintained a special interest in Sirius. He was, after all, the heir and no law or disownment could completely change that. But Orion had always struggled to show his interest in his firstborn, but he always paid attention to his every act and motion.

'I feel now is an appropriate time to begin to teach you more of the world. You are almost come of age and at that point you will be fully established at my right hand. You have ample qualities that suit you for that role, Sirius and I wish for you to begin that preparation this summer.'

Sirius worked hard to extinguish the small amount of hope that had kindled in him with his father's words. He knew his father was just trying to manipulate him into fitting the Black family mould and working for him, but he couldn't deny the craving for closeness these words seemed to promise. Hence, Sirius found himself nodding stiffly in acceptance.

'Good. Come to work with me tomorrow Sirius. I will be leaving at thirty minutes past eight. You should wear formal robes.' Orion smiled warmly at his son. 'Perhaps you would like to clean yourself up a little and rest before tomorrow?'

Orion did not actively acknowledge the punishment his son had received only twenty minutes previously. Sirius had almost been too shocked to pay much attention to the cuts that were still oozing and his nose that was on fire and his limbs that were aching as though they were made of lead.

Giving his father a cautious half smile at the soft dismissal, Sirius carefully eased himself off the leather chair and turned to leave the room.

'And Sirius, there should be no more need for further encounters like earlier this evening for the remainder of the summer. Goodnight.'

The words startled Sirius slightly but he carried on walking out of the study and up to his bedroom. He had not had a largely quiet summer since he had started at Hogwarts. It crossed Sirius' mind that his father was simply providing him with a new sense of security in order to encourage him to work harder for his family. This thought was quickly dismissed when Sirius remembered the acceptance he had heard his father declare for him.

Once he had healed his broken nose and the majority of the cuts across his torso, Sirius sunk into bed and, for the first time in a very long time, he fell asleep with a smile on his face.

~#~

The following morning found Sirius up bright and early – something unheard of since he'd turned twelve – and preparing for the day ahead.

He should've known the day would not be as simple as he thought it would be. His life rarely was.

At breakfast, sat opposite his younger brother with parents absent, Regulus remarked 'what the hell do you think you're up to?'

'What?' Sirius frowned back at him.

'Trying to get close to the family after you've shunned us all so much. Why are you even bothering?'

Finishing his last bite of toast, Sirius just shrugged instead of using the many retorts that would usually be running through his mind.

Just at the right time, Orion Black called 'Sirius, time to be leaving' from near the front, providing Sirius with the perfect excuse to leave his brother at the breakfast table wearing a confused look of betrayal. Sirius had no idea what was wrong with Regulus unless he was jealous that he was no longer getting all the attention from their parents now.

~#~

The day went smoothly enough, even if the ministry workers were perplexed at Sirius' presence. While they understood that powerful pureblood families allowed their heirs to follow in their footsteps by integrating them into their workplaces while they were still in school, none of them had seen Sirius before except at formal functions.

The bitter sharp emptiness Sirius had been feeling since he'd been abandoned by his friends began to ebb a little that day too. The acceptance from his father had gone a long way in convincing the boy that he was not totally isolated. Yet still the warning ran clear in his head that he had to be wary of his father's actions but doing so was difficult when he finally got what he had always craved.

Returning home later that evening brought Sirius sharply back to reality. While his mother remained civil, on the top landing Regulus was anything but.

'So what's this then? You lose all your friends so you try and worm your way back into the family?'

Sirius shot him a puzzled look before trying to pass him and walk to his bedroom. He was blocked.

'Well it doesn't work like that, brother. Just because you're the heir doesn't mean you can do what you like. I've spent my entire life being the 'good' son, being who you couldn't be arsed to be, making allies and learning what had to be learnt and you just waltz back in and you're instantly back in Father's good books. It does not work like that!'

Regulus looked as though he was working himself into a rage. He rarely ever got angry, Regulus always had the calm and control their father always preached to them both when they were younger.

'What's wrong with you?' Sirius asked quietly, possibly the longest sentence he had said in weeks.

'Me? There's nothing wrong with me, it's you! You and your pathetic existence and the way you've been recently. You're ruining everything I had!'

Sirius, unable to comprehend just what his brother was trying to get at, shook his head and finally shoved past him and entered his bedroom.

Still puzzling over Regulus' reaction, Sirius initially missed the large black owl sat on his desk under the window sill. He was, yet again, too busy stuck inside his own thoughts to notice such things.

This time however, the main focus was not his friends, though they certainly featured. Instead, Sirius began to query and analyse his brother's words.

For most of their early childhood, Regulus was often ignored in favour of Sirius, the heir. Sirius also had the personality which demanded attention whereas Regulus was far more reserved and introverted. However, after Sirius spent a weekend with their Uncle Alphard (Regulus didn't go as he had a bad case of mumblemumps), their parents had to start keeping Sirius out of the public eye. His weekend with his uncle had begun to open his eyes to the similarities between wizards and muggles, and Sirius wasn't the one to keep his thoughts quiet. From that point on, Sirius got less and less attention while Regulus got more and more as he fit the pureblood mould far better and was more willing to conform to their parents' ideals.

Sirius couldn't understand why Regulus was so put out that Sirius was finally getting some positive attention from one of their relatives. After all, Regulus always got the attention these days, Sirius only got noticed when he did something wrong.

This most recent rejection from his brother brought back all the feelings of rejection and isolation that Sirius previously thought had been set aside after his father's acceptance of him. Sirius was not the most expressive of people when it came to his feelings but he had always tried to let Regulus know that he cared about him, though he tried to do this more through actions than words.

Suddenly, an impatient squawk cut through his internal monologue causing Sirius to spin quickly to face his window.

Finally noticing the large, jet black eagle owl, Sirius' eyes widened. The scroll clasped in its claws looked as though it bore the mark of Lord Voldemort and Sirius instantly recalled that his deadline for his decision to join the Death Eaters was the previous evening.

Cautiously walking over to the owl, Sirius reached out a hand to take the scroll from its claws. While he managed to liberate the parchment he also obtained a deep gash in the back of his right hand for his efforts. When Sirius had backed away several steps, the owl turned its back to him and flew out of the open window.

The letter was, as he had previously guessed, from Lord Voldemort. It read:

Master Sirius Orion Black the Third
I do not appreciate insubordination and the lack of your reply to my gracious offer has reached the end of my patience. I have been made aware of recent events and as such I will be willing to give you one final offer.
My offer is this: you will join my ranks as an ordinary servant with no preferential treatment. You will serve me as any other Death Eater. In exchange I will ensure the safety of your friends and family and none will be approached for the noble honour of joining my ranks.
I expect your answer by the twentieth of September, allowing a week before you come of age and your initiation.
Awaiting your response
Lord Voldemort.

The words sent a chill down Sirius' spine. The words of the Dark Lord had never seemed so real before, now when he felt he had almost nothing he felt the true weight of the offer. When he was still close to his friends he felt that rejecting Voldemort was the best thing to do, he would lose his friends otherwise and would hence gain little other than the protection of his younger brother by joining with the Dark Lord. Now, his friends would hate him more if he did so but he had already done everything to make them despise him, at least this way they'd be safe. With James a bloodtraitor, Remus a werewolf and Peter a sometimes clumsy and weak willed wizard they really needed some protection from the Death Eaters.

But still, joining the other side, doing everything his parents want him to do, went so far against his morals that Sirius couldn't comprehend changing sides.

Throwing the letter onto his desk, Sirius did the only thing he could think of. He began a letter to the only person who – at this point in time – would listen and understand his predicament: his Uncle Alphard.

Before he really understood what he was doing, Sirius had written two sides of parchment and was searching for another sheet. With the original motivation to just explain the difficulty in making the decision to join Voldemort he had instead gone into detail about everything that had happened in the last month or so.

Sirius hadn't talked to anyone about everything that had happened over that time, he hadn't felt secure enough in himself to tell anyone how vulnerable he felt. Yet Alphard was one of those people who didn't need to be told, he could often easily understand what Sirius was thinking and feeling even when just reading his words on a piece of parchment.

Thirty minutes later Sirius folded the parchment and addressed it after sealing it. He gave a short whistle and seconds later his owl, Nyx, flew down from a gap in the eaves of Grimmauld Place and through his open window.

Carefully attaching the bulky letter to his owl's leg, Sirius stroked the feathers on the back of her head as she gave him an indignant look at the size and weight of the package. After Nyx had disappeared completely from view, Sirius sank back on his bed and continued to mull over the day's events until dinner.

~#~

It was a full week days later when Sirius finally got a reply from his uncle. He had spent the time largely in the company of his father and had joined him at the Ministry each day so far. The work was not something Sirius could imagine himself doing, he was not naturally inclined to try and manipulate others and the whole ordeal seemed far too dull for a potential career. This said, he didn't really think he would be allowed to choose a career for himself. Regardless of the activity, Sirius enjoyed the company of his father above all else.

While during the day Sirius mostly just helped out where he could and observed Orion's interactions with various members of the Ministry, the evening quickly became what he truly valued. After dinner, both father and son would retire to the luxurious study opposite the dining room. Here, Orion would pour them both a large brandy and pass Sirius a cigar (while he usually only smoked cigarettes, Sirius had been without nicotine now for eight days and was more than willing to smoke anything).

At these times Orion would begin to teach Sirius the ways of the British government, the loopholes in the law that were essential for him to know – and some that were less essential but certainly useful. He would also talk a little of his childhood and his school years which helped Sirius connect with his father on an entirely new level as he quickly found personality connections between them.

All the while, Regulus became far more distant and spent more and more time either in his room or out of the house altogether. Sirius barely noticed. What he did notice though, was his mother's new behaviour. While she was not completely civil, she at least limited herself to snide insults and only mild abuse. There had been no further punishments since the first night of the summer holidays.

After seven days of waiting, Sirius finally saw the return of his owl when he returned from the Ministry. He quickly shod his cloak and hurried over to Nyx, giving her a treat as he picked up the letter she had dropped onto his desk.

Sirius
Calm down.
You can't fix everything at once and some things can't be fixed at all. This issue with your friends however, can be fixed. From what you have told me it is easy to understand why you did what you did and you certainly didn't mean to do it. Have you tried explaining what happened to your friends? They know you, they will understand why you told this Snape boy how to get past the tree if you explain it properly as you did with me.
As for joining You-Know-Who, why are you even considering the offer!? I understand that you are young but you should know deception when you see it, especially you. The only thing you will gain by joining Him is notoriety, your friends will desert you for your decision and they will not be protected when they oppose Him.
I will try to visit at some point over the summer but I am incredibly busy abroad at the minute, I shall be home in around two weeks though. Be careful of your father, I'm sure he's got an ulterior motive somewhere though I'm not yet sure where, just don't be too taken in by his interest in you.
Stay in touch,
Alphard.

While the words on the parchment did not really provide any source of comfort, it was reassuring to hear from a rational voice he wasn't constantly wary of.

The letter was equally useful, worrying and hope-inspiring. It was useful as Alphard had confirmed Sirius' thoughts regarding Voldemort and his propositions and had finalised his decision to reject the offer. Not that he would reject it immediately, he would wait until he returned to school for that one. He could only imagine his parents' reaction when they found out as they were, after all, staunch supporters of the Dark Lord.

The worrying aspect arose from his uncle's warnings. Sirius didn't want to believe it, certainly not after the increasing closeness between himself and his father. But it also confirmed the half-thoughts he had been having throughout the past week and was backed up by his own knowledge of his family.

He didn't want to believe it, yet since he had started Hogwarts Sirius' self-preservation instincts had become stronger. He would have to be more careful around his parents, but he also knew he couldn't change how he acted around them too obviously otherwise they would know something had happened to change his manner.

Hope came from the idea that the relationship between himself and his friends could be salvaged. It was all he could ask for and he would try and do all that was possible to get them to at least acknowledge him again. Though, he had no idea how he would tell any of them what he had done. He knew that they never got the full story but the only reason he could tell Alphard was because the man had an incredible ability to read between the lines. But for his friends he would have to try.

~#~

The following three weeks passed slowly and far less enjoyably than most of the first. He continued to accompany his father into the ministry on weekdays and he avoided the company of his mother and brother most of the rest of the time. Sirius had even begun to look forward to the time at the Ministry as it offered relative peace compared to events at the Black household.

For starters, Sirius began to question his father's intentions more and thus was more reluctant and reserved than he had been becoming. He also felt that his father had noticed the change despite his best efforts to remain the same as he was before the letter from his uncle.

Secondly, Regulus was steadily becoming more confrontational with Sirius. He was more hostile and overly ready to start an argument or a duel. However, Regulus stopped being quite so obvious about his feelings after Orion caught him one day and pulled him up on it. Sirius saw Regulus stumble painfully back to his room later that night from their father's study and from that point on all confrontations were confined to when both parents were well out of earshot. While undeterred, Regulus behaviour towards his older brother only escalated after his punishment, though now Sirius made an effort to stay out of his way to avoid any repercussions for either of them.

The mood of the week was most certainly not improved by the arrival of the cousins either. They, excluding Andromeda but complete with parents and respective partners, arrived shortly before noon one day with the expectation of staying until after nightfall. Of course their arrival was planned as unannounced visits were unbecoming of high-born families but their visit was entirely unwelcome by the eldest Black boy.

Both meals and the duration between was filled with stuffy, formal conversation regarding the purity movement (Voldemort), appropriate marriages, those of lower birth and blood and Ministry affairs. This last issue as well as the first were things that Sirius was now expected to comment on and fully participate in conversation. All in all, Sirius was at the centre of attention, constantly pushed into the limelight by his father as the reformed heir and he hated every minute of it.

Throughout all the niceties, Sirius twice caught his younger brother's eye. Regulus was stood off to one side, conversing only with Lucius Malfoy who had accompanied Narcissa. By all respects, the younger Black boy appeared to spend a great deal of time glaring in the direction of his older brother whom he felt had stolen his position and popularity within the family.

The day did come with its blessings however. Due to the arrival of the extended family and the lateness of their departure, Sirius was not obliged to don his mask and converse with his father into the late evening in the ground floor study. Unfortunately, this small blessing did not outweigh the entire day spent pretending to be the good son who rightly upheld the family values. It did not outweigh the burning embers of anger he felt when he caught Bellatrix staring at him thoughtfully and eagerly every time Voldemort was mentioned. And it certainly did not outweigh the pain he felt when he felt the burning eyes of jealousy and betrayal belonging to his brother.

At the very least, the day had only really served to kindle a small semblance of emotion within Sirius that was not just despondence and dejection. Sirius was gradually beginning to feel like himself again, nearly a full six weeks after the Willow Incident.

This new feeling did not aid Sirius in his attempts to explain himself though. He had tried to follow Alphard's advice by writing a letter to one of his friends explaining what on earth he had been thinking that night. He had decided that the first person he had to explain himself to was Remus as he was, after all, his secret that Sirius had betrayed.

The only problem was that he couldn't quite manage to form suitable sentences that conveyed both what he had been doing and how sorry he felt for doing it. In the month so far of the summer holidays, Sirius had begun countless letters to his friend. In fact, the floor of his room was almost carpeted with crumpled bits of parchment. He had only managed to write two full drafts of letters and upon re-reading them, had instantly discarded them and incinerated them.

All in all, while the summer so far had not really been as bad as those preceding it, it had still been unpleasant and Sirius continued to look forward to the day he never had to return to Grimmauld Place. This said Sirius felt almost proud of himself at how well he had managed to stay out of trouble and had not received any more punishments from either of his parents. Little did he know, this semi-peace would not last too much longer.

Not too much dialogue in this chapter but the next should be faster paced.

Speaking of the next chapter, I hope to get it posted before I go to holiday (at the end of August) but as hopefully I'll be starting uni almost immediately after, it might take a while to post if it's not by then.

I'd also like the thank those of you who have reviewed, especially those who do not have accounts so I couldn't send you a personal reply. You make all this worthwhile and you don't cease to make my day.