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.

5. Into the Fire

Chapter 5 – Into the Fire

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.

~#~

It was midway through the fifth week of the summer holidays when trouble started to brew. Sirius was at the Ministry of Magic, shadowing his father again. They were heading towards the apparition point on the ground floor in order to leave for home when they were joined by a representative from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.

Orion and Minister Reynolds (head of the Werewolf Registration Committee) started talking about attempts to pass new laws when the Minister turned to Sirius.

'What's your opinion on the matter? Do you feel werewolves should have their human rights completely revoked or only partially?'

'Neither.' Answered Sirius without thought. Over the past week or so, Sirius had found himself on the verge of returning to his own pattern of speech and had stopped thinking so much before speaking. He still retained the slightly upper class note to his voice however.

The Ministry wizard, pretending to be polite but being entirely unable to hide the look of shock and disgust that crossed his face, turned fully to face the younger Black and asked, 'How so?'

Ignoring the tightening hand on his shoulder, Sirius plundered on. 'Because they're still human beings on twenty-nine days of thirty and hence deserve human rights.'

Orion's hand was now clenched so tightly that his knuckles were going white. Nothing changed in his expression however.

'And what about the nights when they are not human?' Orion asked in an outwardly normal tone of voice, Sirius however heard the steely undertones and he certainly felt the warning.

He refused to back down. 'They can be contained on those nights. Most would not object if they were treated as normal witches and wizards for the rest of the month.'

Thankfully, the three wizards reached the apparition point in the Ministry Atrium and saved the conversation from turning hastily into an argument.

Orion did not release his vice-like grip on his son's shoulder as he half-turned on the spot and dragged them both off to the front door of Grimmauld Place.

~#~

Lightning split open the sky as the pair appeared on the doorstep. Rain poured down onto their heads and ran down their necks before they could open the front door and enter the dry corridor within.

As they waited for their eyes to adjust to the gloomy half-light, Walburga's shadow appeared in the doorway to the front living room. She greeted her husband with a loving peck on the cheek and turned to her eldest son with a gentle smile that seemed lost amongst her cold features and asked gently, 'Sirius, could you collect your brother for dinner. He is in his room.'

Orion relinquished his hold on Sirius' shoulder and the sudden rush of blood to his arm made Sirius feel slightly dizzy. Shooting his mother a surreptitious perplexed look at her attempt at warmth, he began the ascent to the fourth floor.

Upon reaching the top floor of the old house, Sirius shoved open his bedroom door and threw his damp cloak onto his bed. He then turned and knocked lightly on the door opposite his own. When he received no answer he knocked slightly louder. The force of the knock pushed the door open slightly and upon seeing the room empty, Sirius pushed the door the rest of the way open.

With the door open he could now hear the sound of running water from the Jack and Jill bathroom he shared with his younger brother. He stepped into the room with the initial intention being to knock on the door and inform Regulus that he was wanted downstairs.

Sirius hadn't been in his brother's bedroom since his first summer after starting Hogwarts. A lot had changed that summer, his father had become even more distant, his mother had started to get abusive and his brother had turned his back on him.

The room had always been neat and orderly but Regulus' choice of wall decoration was certainly new. Hanging over the ornate and expensive four poster bed was an over-sized Slytherin banner that almost mirrored Sirius' own Gryffindor banner in the room opposite. What caught Sirius' eye however was the way the west facing wall was entirely coated in newspaper clippings, letters and photographs.

Completely captivated, Sirius moved forward, further into the room with his head cocked slightly to the side in confusion. Quickly scanning the wall in front of him, Sirius soon became aware that every item centred on Lord Voldemort and his actions since his rise to power a few years earlier.

Feeling his temper start to rise to the surface for the first time in over a month, the teen looked still closer at the clippings stuck to the silver painted wall. He saw that Regulus had outlined certain bits of text on some of the newspaper extracts:

'Muggle village annihilated… killing curse appears to have been used in all cases.'

'12 muggleborns killed in Herefordshire.'

'Johnson, member of the Wizengamot and possessor of the Order of Merlin Third Class, was found dead after what appears to be extensive torture and with the word "bloodtraitor" carved into his forehead. He leaves behind a loving wife and three young children.'

'Entire Johnson family found dead.'

'Death Eater numbers swell.'

'Mass hysteria forces public to take refuge in their homes.'

The sheer volume of information made Sirius' head spin and the content made his stomach roll.

He was so absorbed by the information decorating the wall in front of him that Sirius failed to register the cease of noise from the bathroom behind him and the gentle creak of the bathroom door opening.

'What the hell are you doing in my room?'

Sirius spun around to face his brother, clad only in a bath towel.

'What is this?' Sirius asked, eyebrows raised and gesturing vaguely to the wall behind him.

'Decoration.' Regulus answered bluntly. 'Now get out of my room before I call for Mother.'

'You can't honestly be thinking about joining this pillock?'

'What "pillock" would that be Brother?' Regulus still hadn't moved from his position in front of the open doorway to the bathroom.

'This Voldemort arsehole. He's a murderer Reg. You don't want to be getting mixed up in that kind of stuff.'

Lightning cracked, and briefly illuminated the Slytherin's bedroom.

'Why do you care now? It's not as if you've ever cared before. And so what if I'm thinking about joining him, he's got the right idea, purifying the world of the scum that have taken over, it's liberating.'

'How can you even believe that bullshit?!' Sirius' temper was quickly beginning to rise at Regulus' standoffish tone.

'I believe in the rights of our race, where is the "bullshit" in that, dearest brother?' Regulus' tone was steadily becoming coloured by the smallest hint of the Black family temper.

'We are humans Reg, muggles are humans, muggleborns are humans. We all bleed red. The only difference is in our heritage. I can't believe you fell for our parents' lies and coercion.' Sirius was almost pleading now though it surprised him at the amount of emotion this conversation managed to evoke, he had not been this emotive in a long time now.

'You've just been brainwashed by those bloodtraitors and fools into thinking that there's no difference between us. And then you swagger back in here after you've been abandoned by your so-called friends and you're suddenly close to father again. How thick do you think we all are to buy your pitiful attempts at fitting in?'

Sirius mentally staggered under the weight of the low blow dealt by the boy in front of him. He had no idea how dark and manipulative his innocent younger brother had gotten and how far their parents had wormed their sinister beliefs into his mind.

'You don't even realise what you are doing, do you?' Regulus spat, sensing the change in power and immediately taking advantage. 'You've taken away all that I ever really had. With you being the perfect first-born heir, I was always second best. You had all the attention, all the tutoring, Father favoured you, our relatives favoured you. And I was just shunted off to the side and ignored as I was worthless in their eyes.'

Sirius' brow furrowed as his brother continued.

'Then when you went off to Hogwarts and got sorted into the House of the Bloodtraitors and Mudbloods, Mother and Father began to see you for what you really were. Then I started to get the attention, the care and the love. Mother even started to consider replacing you with me as the heir. And then you come crawling back into Father's good books and I'm pushed by the wayside again. You are ruining my life! You don't give a damn about me and you never have done. I wish you were gone. In fact, I wish you were dead and never interfered with me ever again.'

Sirius blinked. The sheer venom and malice in the younger boy's face and voice was overpowering. It took several moments before Sirius could gather himself sufficiently to answer his brother who was still fuming in front of him.

Head bowed, Sirius' voice came out rather huskily. 'Believe that if you will Reg but I always cared. Mother wanted me to collect you for dinner.'

He left the room with his head still bowed and pulled the door closed behind him.

~#~

The landing between the two bedrooms felt oddly dark as the tall boy made a slow walk towards the stairs. As his foot hit the first step, the hall was suddenly lit by a bolt of lightning. As he reached the floor below, he heard the corresponding thunder echo in the distance. The storm was still some way off hitting.

With each step he took, Sirius' head kept spinning at a faster rate than he thought possible. He had almost been in a slumber these past few weeks, too lost in his despair to think properly or even consider what was happening in the world around him. The last few moments had quickly shaken him from his previous dejected state of nothingness.

The anger he inherited from his mother was coursing once more through his veins, making him feel more alive and more like himself than he had done in what felt like years.

The weight of Voldemort's offer had lifted almost entirely from his shoulders. To think he was only really considering the offer for his brother's protection, so that he wouldn't be drawn into that world of hate and murder. He had only ever wanted to protect his brother, to keep him sane and to keep him human when even their parents wished the two of them to be otherwise. Sirius had even considered sacrificing his own well-being and going against his own beliefs that he held onto so dearly so that Regulus would not be drawn into the darkest this world had to offer.

Sirius stopped when his feet hit the first floor landing. The anger was building so much inside him that he felt he might burst if he didn't let it out.

Regulus' belief in Voldemort's propaganda felt like a personal blow. The fact that he was clearly following and adoring the acts of these murderers when Sirius was willing to become one to protect him from that world. It felt like betrayal and it crushed him.

Unable to think what to do with himself, Sirius lashed out; his fist connecting with the only solid object within reach. He felt his knuckles shift in his hand as they left a dent in the perfect pale green wall of the first floor landing.

Leaning forward until his forehead lightly touched the wall in front of him, Sirius exhaled slowly before running his uninjured hand through his hair. He counted backwards from twenty in his head (a calming method he had found in a muggle book a year or so ago) before breathing heavily again and restarting his descent to the dining room and dinner. Not entirely calm but calm enough to manage dinner.

~#~

Due to the sheer size of the house, neither Orion nor Walburga had any idea what had occurred on the topmost floor of the house. Instead they were both impatiently sitting in silence at either end of the dining table when Sirius walked in, hand still throbbing and mind still whirling.

He gave a short nod in greeting before taking his seat in between the two.

'Where is Regulus?' Walburga asked curtly.

'I'm sure he's on his way.' Sirius replied with the same bitter tone in his voice.

'Well he can damn well hurry up about it. KREACHER!' His father called, losing the smallest amount of composure in his impatience. When the detestable house elf appeared at Orion's elbow he said, not turning to it, 'bring the boy to dinner, we are waiting.'

Sirius counted the seconds in his head. After eleven seconds, there was a sharp crack as Kreacher returned with one hand clasped in that of a slightly dishevelled and half-dressed Regulus, now recently calm.

Straightening what clothes he had managed to put on Regulus fought to make himself appear more composed. 'Sorry I am late father.' He said turning to one end of the table before politely nodding at his mother at the other and taking his seat across from Sirius.

After the delayed beginning the family managed to make it through the first course and most of the way through the second before any talk was exchanged.

'Did anything interesting happen at the ministry today, Father?' Regulus asked with a jealous tone to his voice.

At that point a bolt of lightning silently illuminated the room, casting light onto the bitter look on Orion Black's face for all present to see. Sirius flinched but kept his eyes on his dinner.

'Mostly the usual.' Orion replied curtly. 'Until Sirius here decided to share his liberal views regarding werewolves with the Deputy Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. The man who is cited to be the next head of department and then the Minister for Magic.' This final sentence was spat out through gritted teeth.

Thunder cracked.

And Sirius flinched in time with it, finding it impossible to place his attention on the food in front of him. He could hear the venom in his father's voice and he knew exactly where he would be after dinner. The dark study across the hall would soon have silencing charms placed on its walls and Kreacher would be ordered to clean all remains of the event in the morning.

'Really Father?' Regulus asked with false politeness on his face. He now knew how he could get back at his older brother for their earlier argument. A look of malice briefly flickered in his eyes before he turned once more to address his father. 'Personally, I believe Sirius to be over-liberal when it comes to half-breeds. After all, he has befriended some. Perhaps just to get back at you Father?'

Sirius looked up, glaring at his younger brother across the table from him. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Snivellus was forbidden from telling anyone about Remus and yet here was the youngest Black insinuating his knowledge of his friend's condition. Regulus was wearing a superior and smug look which he had clearly learnt from their mother. Sirius hated that look with a passion. It resembled everything wrong with his family and hence everything he stood against.

'Befriended? What do you mean by this Regulus? If this is anymore hearsay and attempts for attention, I promise you will be punished for it.' Orion spoke quietly but there was no mistaking the ferocity in his voice. Orion was a man who got quieter the angrier he became. And one of the few things that angered him the most was anyone who threatened his superiority and control over others.

'I do not say this for attention Father, merely for the good of the family. We don't want word to get out that a Black has been consorting with Beasts such as werewolves. I have it on good authority that there is even one such beast in Gryffindor and we all know how friendly Sirius is with the whole lot of bloodtraitors and mudbloods.'

Sirius chanced a glance towards the other end of the table. Walburga was sat with her hands clenched so tightly around her cutlery her fingers were turning as white as the bone the cutlery handles were made from. There was fire in her eyes. He would get no support from the woman who was supposed to love him unconditionally.

'Is this true boy?' Orion asked from the head of the table, voice now a mere whisper in his anger.

Before today Sirius would have cowered under his father's wrath and taken his punishment with as little noise as he could muster. Today, especially after his argument with Regulus on the upper floor of the house, he felt far more confident in himself and was prepared to fight his corner just as he used to do.

'So what if it is? They're just like us, they just have a few more problems they have to deal with than we do.'

'And when they are tearing apart the magical world as we know it, then what will you do?' Orion bit back.

Previous experience had taught Sirius enough to know that however right he was and however well he argued, he was not going to win this argument or change the events after dinner had finished.

That didn't stop him from trying though. Throughout the last month at home and the two weeks prior at Hogwarts he had forced himself to remain calm but Sirius had always been energetic and quick to anger. All of this energy and emotion had steadily built up within him until he felt he could almost burst.

'They're not about to start a bloody revolution Father! All they care about during their time of the month is surviving it, the rest of the time they've got normal thoughts and feelings. And turning into a werewolf looks like it must really hurt, they're not about to overthrow the world after going through that are they? The biggest danger to the wizarding world is this so called Lord Voldemort.'

'You do not have the right to say his name!' Walburga bellowed, speaking up for the first time, her face purple with anger.

'The Dark Lord has the right idea, it is just people as blind as yourself that cannot see the benefits. He is going to restore the world to its natural food-chain and put the right people back in control. Only those soft in the head believe what he is doing is wrong.' Orion's words quickly quietened his wife's.

'"Food-chain!" What the fuck do you think we are, animals?' Sirius' voice was quickly beginning to rise.

'If we are animals then they are beasts.' Regulus chimed in helpfully, clearly happy with the way the conversation had turned.

Sirius just scowled in his direction, the increasing volume of the thunder adding to the quickly deteriorating atmosphere in the dining room.

'I cannot believe that my own son harbours such heathen views. I thought we brought you up better than this.' Walburga pushed her half-eaten dinner away from her, glaring at her eldest son with contempt.

'You never brought me up! All you ever did was try and force me into a mould and try and brainwash me into believing your misguided and detestable ideas. And when that didn't work all you'd do is shout and scream and curse me until I couldn't even stand.' Sirius was preparing himself to lock horns with his mother once again and go temper for temper with her when his father interrupted in his quiet voice of steal.

'I had thought, nay hoped, that you had turned a corner this summer. You seemed to be acting more appropriately and conscientiously. I had even begun to hope the direction and future of this family would be secure. But now, you throw my efforts back at me. You are a detestable excuse for a Black and I am disappointed you were born my heir.' Orion's voice did not depict any of the disappointment his words suggested. Instead, his words portrayed a personal hatred and betrayal as though Sirius had personally crucio'd every one of his family members until the pain had driven them out of their minds.

'That's just because his so-called friends decided he wasn't worth it Father. Even they abandoned him before the end of term. He is incapable of even making fools and bloodtraitors follow him.' Regulus' voice was snide and boastful.

Orion gave a dark chuckle at these words.

'What were we then, boy? A reserve for when nobody else believed your façade of rebellion. Your beliefs really must be fickle if they are dependent on your allies.' He chuckled again.

Between his brother and his father, they had hit Sirius right in his insecurities and troubles. Where before these words would have made him melancholy, they now fuelled his rising anger.

'With or without my friends, my beliefs are not going to change Father. Just because your own beliefs need the will and submission of others to be heard doesn't mean mine do too.' Sirius' voice came out in a low growl that was so reminiscent of his animagus form.

'And what do you mean by that?' Orion's voice was now deadly and slow, like a shark edging up to his prey.

Sirius did not heed the warning in this, besides he was now in too deep to turn around and swim for safety. 'I mean that your beliefs are only upheld because others are too blind or too scared to reject these beliefs. If people like you were unable to manipulate them, then there would be no Dark Lord and no killings every other weekend. Then there are the sick bastards like Bellatrix and my dearest mother that somehow think hurting people is fun! Then there are the sheep like Reg who've been told that this is the only right opinion. And then you've got the fucked up gits like you that control the fucking carnage created by your puppets!'

He had gotten so angry mid-speech that he had forced his chair back from the table and was half-stood with his hands tightly clenched on the table in front of him. His right hand burned as the pressure made his already damaged knuckles to grind together painfully.

Orion retaliated the only way he knew how. By forcing control. He had his wand out of his pocket and clenched in his hand as he elegantly stood from the table and growled, 'Study, now.'

Regulus grinned from ear to ear at the inevitable punishment that his brother would endure. He however, remained seated as Walburga stood to follow Sirius out of the room.

Sirius walked with his head held high as, he thought, it was better to walk into the lion's den than be forcefully dragged.

Lightning flashed and the corresponding thunder cracked mere seconds later.

~#~

His eyes didn't even have time to adjust to the dingy light of the study before the door snapped shut and he was shoved forward into the centre of the room.

A silent force knocked into his chest and sent him wheezing. He knew instantly that this was not his mother's magic and the thought filled him with dread. Orion far preferred dictating his punishments than doling them out himself, he rarely liked to get his hands dirty. Sirius was in for a rough night.

'How dare you undermine me in such a manner? Siding with lesser beings when you are better than that, you are made of better than that.'

The growl resonated around the room, so low in pitch that Sirius' eardrums trembled. His knees quaked with automatic terror at what was sure to face him as he fought to get air back into his lungs.

Positioned in the middle of the dark study, Sirius forced his spine to straighten. Yes he was scared, in fact he was terrified, but this just made him more defiant. He knew he wouldn't be able to walk after his father was finished with him, he knew he would be lucky if he could even drag himself from the room in the morning. So what did he have to lose for having beliefs?

'But I am no better than they are, and they're no worse than we are.' He wheezed back.

For a second, Sirius thought another bolt of lightning had cracked and somehow managed to make itself known in the windowless room. Then he felt the intense pain scorch across his front and the scream rise in his throat and burn out between his lips.

'You are no better than they are. You are as worthless and detestable as they are. And you deserve the same painful death they will all eventually receive.'

Sirius' eyes widened slightly at his father's words. Had he really just promised to kill his own son? Sirius couldn't believe it. He didn't believe it. Orion had threatened his sons before and Sirius was certain this was just another idle threat to scare him.

'You're just scared of them, what with all the charms and protective spells you've put on the house. You're scared. It's not supremacy you want, it's security.'

Where this confidence and outspokenness came from Sirius did not know. Perhaps it arose from all the bigotry he had had to swallow through the holidays. Perhaps it was the pent up energy and emotion he had kept bottled. Or perhaps he was just fed up of being suppressed and diminished when he should have been loved and nourished.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sirius saw a flash of purple light burst from his mother's wand and his eyes had barely the time to widen in fear before the curse hit him, causing deep cuts to tear open across his torso.

At the same time, Orion cast a curse which caused a slow black smoke to edge forwards, encasing Sirius in darkness for several seconds.

Distracted by the opening wounds and the seeping blood, Sirius initially missed the spell his father sent his way. That was until he felt a sharp crack just above his stomach, and then another below his collar bone. The pain was excruciating as approximately fifteen ribs splintered across his chest. He howled in pain but somehow managed to stay on his feet, though now supporting himself on the desk.

'You dare speak to me like that? I am your father and your superior and you will treat me as such.' The venom pouring from Orion's voice was almost tangible. 'Your contemptible, abhorrent ways disgust me and bring shame on me and everything I have created. You epitomise disgrace.'

Sirius' left hip popped at the same moment he felt his right knee shatter. He crumpled to the floor with another shout of pain.

He forced himself up on his palms and spat blood from his mouth, pleased to see he had splattered it on his father's shoes.

'You must be looking in a mirror Father, because that's exactly what I see when I look at you.'

The next thing he knew was that every single nerve ending on his body felt as though they were on fire. It was the worst pain he had ever felt. He vaguely registered that this must be the Cruciatus Curse and a remote part of his mind managed to feel astonished that his own father had turned an Unforgivable on him. As his vision started to swim and black spots began to appear in front of him, the curse was lifted. He would not be given the benefit of unconsciousness tonight. Not yet anyway.

As the curse lifted, and Sirius slumped to the floor once more in a heap of blood and sweat, he heard his mother's inhumane cackle.

'You are not my son.' Orion spat before turning on his blood-soaked heel and exiting his office, slamming the door behind him.

Sirius breathed once more, feeling that he was allowed to pass out now that he was left alone.

Just as his eyelids began to droop, he was picked up by a gust of wind and thrown full force into the wall behind the desk. Crashing to the floor he heard his mother laugh once more. He had forgotten she was still there with his father's former presence monopolising his attention.

He could not ignore her existence when the wall decorations were crashing into his beaten body.

As he tried to force his arms to support his upper body, Sirius felt his hand scrape something wooden and familiar. Startled, he looked down to find his wand resting just next to his palm, clearly jostled out of his pocket during the recent events.

He couldn't believe he had forgotten magic. His anger and determination to prove his parents wrong had made him blind to the one thing that might have helped him.

But there's no way you would have bested Orion Black in a duel Sirius, you're not that good. A quiet, rational part of his mind spoke. But his magic might help him now.

Grasping all eleven inches of red oak, Sirius managed to awkwardly roll onto his back and expose his right arm and fire an unknown spell towards the door where he presumed his mother stood.

It was sheer magic that he sent across the room not a hex or a curse. His brain was barely functioning now with blood loss and it was only instinct that kept him conscious. Unfortunately his near delirium meant he couldn't pinpoint where his mother stood. Hence, it was the wall that took the brunt of the power Sirius emitted. The walls shook and yet more heavy objects fell on his crumpled body.

'EXPELLIARMUS' Walburga bellowed.

Sirius tried desperately to hold onto his wand but his hand was slippery with blood and sweat and it soon flew from his grasp.

The splintering noise that followed made Sirius want to be sick. His lifeline was gone, he had no way of protecting himself and he had clearly angered his mother further in his attempt to stop her hurting him.

As a bolt of power slammed into him, further damaging his broken ribs, a thought occurred to him. This might be the day I die.

The more he thought it, the more he began to believe it as a long deep gash ripped open his face and he gasped in pain as blood swam into his eyes.

His head sunk to the floor and the last thing he registered was the click of the door as Walburga left the room and her eldest son under a heavy pile of ornaments and rubble.

~#~

Unfortunately, unconsciousness lasted only thirty seconds as pain ripped through the teenager's beaten body once more.

Sirius' first thought was that one of his parents had returned to continue their punishment, but when he heard no voices or screams Sirius' foggy brain realised the pain must have arisen from within, not without.

The weight of the objects fallen from the walls were steadily crushing the boy's legs and ribcage and doing further damage to his shattered ribs.

Instinct and a need to survive took over immediately. Thankfully, both Sirius' arms were relatively intact and he managed to drag himself free of the rubble. Unfortunately this caused various objects to tear into him and pulled his damaged legs into more painful positions.

He couldn't stay here. Not with his parents so close and when they could return at any minute. He'd have to leave but he didn't know if his dislocated hip and shattered knee joint would be able to support him for long. But then, he didn't know how long he'd last bleeding out on the carpet anyway.

Sirius managed to drag himself to the door and from there managed to lever himself into an awkward sitting position. Here he had to stop to breathe, gritting his teeth to prevent the screams from being emitted. He couldn't stop the pained grunts however. It was at this point he saw two lengths of dark wood on the carpet. His stomach lurched as his eyes confirmed what he thought, his mother had snapped his wand in half.

After several minutes of painful breathing and trying to work out which way round his legs were supposed to go, Sirius decided he'd have to try to stand. After all, he would have to be able to walk in order to get out of the house.

If it wasn't for the combination of adrenaline, his innate magic and the anger that even now resided in him, Sirius would have been a crumpled mess. In fact, he still was a crumpled mess but after five minutes he was a standing crumpled mess.

Trying not to think past basic functioning, Sirius didn't wait around for his legs to fail him. He pulled open the door – not worrying about trying to be quiet – and inched along the hallway which was now frequently thrown into light by the raging storm overhead. If it wasn't for the support of the walls and the various hideous and expensive ornaments that decorated them, Sirius didn't think he'd have made it to the door.

Briefly glancing back, Sirius noted with a small amount of macabre glee that he'd left a constant smear of blood along the pale green walls as he'd walked.

Edging open the heavy oak front door, Sirius threw himself out into the downpour.

His delirious mind noted that the storm had finally settled directly overhead with frequent lightning bolts creating enough light to see by, even in the torrential rain.

Sirius' hand slipped off the doorframe as he passed it causing him to stumble and then fall face first towards to concrete pavement.

Once again, instinct and magic saved him as he automatically transformed into Padfoot whose front paws stopped him mid fall. At least in this form, half of Sirius' legs could fully function. The only problem was, he didn't know where to make them take him.

I'm so sorry for the delay. Apparently moving out of home and starting uni is far more stressful and depressing than anyone ever tells you. I have no idea when the next chapter will be up, that largely depends on how much I can be bothered to do my uni work, so maybe it won't be all that long. Sorry again.