Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has already reviewed so far, it is very much appreciated! As promised, here is part two! Keep in mind that this is from Sirius' point of view, so I deliberately refer to James' parents and Sirius' parents differently. James' parents are mostly referred to as "Mr. and Mrs. Potter" because Sirius has respect for them. In contrast, Sirius' parents are mostly referred to as "Orion and Walburga" to show the lack of respect he has for them.

Hope you like it! Please don't forget to review!

Part Two

Sirius awoke suddenly, gasping for breath as he sat straight up, details of the nightmare he had been having slipping away like water through his fingers. The involuntary movement caused him to yelp as pain shot through his body. His hands went to his chest, where the worst of the pain was concentrated, as he closed his eyes and took several deep breaths in an attempt to steady himself.

After taking a few minutes to gather himself, he carefully squinted his eyes open again, wary of what he would find. But, strangely, the dark walls of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place did not come into focus. These walls were much brighter, and the curtains of the large windows had been thrown open, letting in copious amounts of bright sunlight.

Sirius swallowed as he gazed around him, confused, his mind slow to process his surroundings. Then, very suddenly memories from the night before came rushing back to him in a crashing wave. The argument with his mother. The Cruciatus Curse. Him fleeing his home. The painful trek to James' house.

With a great effort, Sirius pushed himself to the edge of the mattress so that his feet were hanging down to the floor. If he sat there any longer he would be overwhelmed with memories, and for now he was content to not think about anything that had happened. He tested his muscles carefully as he pushed himself to his feet, one hand on the headboard of the bed in order to help him balance. He still felt achy and sore throughout most of his body, but nowhere near the pain he had felt before.

He shuffled across the room and slowly opened the door, peering out into the hallway. It was deserted. Finding this to be a little odd, Sirius walked out the door and took the familiar path from the Potters' second floor guest room to the stairs, the path coming easily to him after visiting so many times over the years, as if he were walking the halls of his own home.

The stairs were admittedly more difficult to conquer than he thought they'd be. His muscles all felt like they were wound tight around his bones, stretching from one step to the next painfully. He winced with every step, holding tight to the bannister to keep himself steady.

The sitting room at the bottom of the stairs was also empty. Sirius stared around curiously until he heard voices coming from the kitchen.

"He had to have Floo'd to that pub up in town and then walked here," came James' voice as Sirius approached. Sirius slowed down, pausing just out of sight of the kitchen. "He's done that before. I dunno how else he could have gotten all the way here from London."

"Well, if that is how he got here, it's nothing short of a miracle he was able to make it this far on foot from the pub," came Mrs. Potter's worn voice. Judging by the sounds to footsteps and banging pots, he figured she must have been cooking. "The internal damage done by that curse…" Her voice trailed off like it was too painful to talk about. "I can't believe a parent could do that to their own child."

"Has he ever talked about his parents doing anything like this before?" It was Mr. Potter's voice this time.

"Not really," James admitted. "He doesn't talk much at all about his home life at all if he can help it. He's definitely never mentioned… physical abuse before." James' voice was pained and Sirius winced in sympathy. "But the emotional abuse alone is killing him. He puts on a good face most of the time, but I can see that they make him feel absolutely worthless. There's something… dark about him when he's around them or gets a letter from them."

"That poor boy," Mrs. Potter said quietly.

"He can't go back," James said firmly. "We can't send him back there. They're going to kill him."

Sirius stepped forward, hanging onto the frame of the doorway for support. A quick survey of the room showed Mrs. Potter moving about the counters while preparing food, Mr. Potter sitting at the kitchen table nursing a steaming mug, and James sitting on top of one of the counters, his legs swinging nervously.

"I'm not going back," Sirius announced.

They all turned in surprise at the sound of his voice, clearly having no idea that he was up and about.

"Oh, Sirius, what are you doing up?" Mrs. Potter asked as she hurried over to him. "You should be resting."

"James is right," Sirius went on as if she hadn't spoken, desperate to make them understand. "I can't go back there, not now." His voice was strained with the implications of that statement. He took a deep breath, trying to gather his courage for what he wanted to ask of them. "I wonder… I wonder if I might stay here? Just for a night or two. Just until I can figure out something more permanent." Dare he hope that the Potters offer to let him stay the remainder of the Christmas break?

For a moment, Mrs. Potter looked taken aback, and Sirius was afraid that he had offended her with the request. But then her features softened.

"Come here," she said, opening her arms to him and beckoning him forward. On an instinct that he had only developed after spending time with James' mother, Sirius moved forward and allowed her to wrap her arms around him. He returned the hug, burying his head into her shoulder and inhaling deep her comforting scent. "You will stay here as long as you'd like," she stated matter-of-factly as she rubbed his back gently. "You should know by now, you will always have a safe place to stay here, darling."

At the words, Sirius felt something welling up inside him, an emotion he couldn't quite identify. His vision blurred for a moment, but as he blinked, it cleared again.

"Thank you," he managed, his voice wavering.

Mrs. Potter gave him a gentle squeeze before taking a step back, though she kept a hand on his shoulder, seeming concerned with Sirius' ability to keep himself upright. Sirius decided the concern wasn't entirely unfounded, as he was feeling rather unsteady.

"James, why don't you take Sirius out into the sitting room while I finish up breakfast," Mrs. Potter said.

"Sure," James agreed, hopping down off the counter and crossing the room. He gave Sirius a strained smile. "Let's go."

James tossed one arm over his shoulder, and Sirius immediately knew what he was doing. It was something they would do for Remus after he had a particularly rough transformation. James put none of his own weight on Sirius, but the position allowed Sirius to grab onto James' wrists, which rested on his shoulder, with one hand and discreetly take hold of James' shirt with his other hand. This allowed Sirius to use James to support himself, while masking that fact with a casual gesture.

They made their way into the sitting room like that, Sirius still stumbling unsteadily, his body pulsing with more pain the longer he remained standing. He couldn't help but feel relieved as James helped him in an overstuffed armchair by the front window.

"How are you feeling?" James asked carefully as he sat on the edge of a nearby couch.

"Like I fell off my broom, hit the ground several hundred feet below, and then was set on fire," Sirius said, deadpan. But then he grinned, even though the gesture felt out of place on his face. "But other than that, just peachy."

James didn't return his smile though, an uncharacteristically serious look on his face. "Do you want to talk about it? About what happened?"

Sirius sighed. "I really don't."

"But—"

"Please, James," Sirius said, his tone suddenly betraying how exhausted he was. This went beyond just a physical exhaustion. His complete being – mind, body and spirit – felt worn. "Not right now."

"Okay," James allowed reluctantly as he leaned back into the couch.

They lapsed into silence, which was odd for the usually hyperactive teenagers. Sirius let his mind grow blank as his gaze wandered until he was looking vacantly out a nearby window.

He was staring across the front lawn, looking at nothing in particular when it happened. There was the distant crack of Apparation. A figure had appeared just a little ways down the road. Sirius didn't think much of this at first; after all they were very close to a wizard town. However, after a brief pause, the figure started making its way in their direction, rather than heading toward town. Sirius watched curiously. It wasn't until he reached the front gate that he recognized him.

It was his father.

For a moment, Sirius forgot to breath. He hadn't seen Orion since before the fight he had with Walburga. He was suddenly on the edge of his seat despite the protest from his still burdened body.

"James," he gasped on a sharp intake of air.

James was on his feet in a heartbeat, hurrying over to him. "What is it?" he asked. But Sirius didn't have to answer. As he looked out the window he visibly tensed at what he saw. "Dad!" he called urgently.

Mr. and Mrs. Potter immediately came hurrying out of the kitchen to see what was wrong. Sirius was practically shaking. He was berating himself for thinking that it could be that easy to walk away from the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.

It took James' parents no time to assess the situation through the window. Mr. Potter looked over at the boys sternly.

"Stay inside," Mr. Potter ordered, his eyes lingering on Sirius.

Then he turned and headed out the front door. He went to close the door behind him but in his haste the latch didn't quite clasp and the door bounced open a crack, letting them clearly hear what was going on outside. Sirius was pushing himself up out of the chair, grabbing onto the windowsill for support so that he could better see out the window.

Mr. Potter stood on his front porch and as Mr. Black approached he stopped just short of the porch steps and looked up at James' father with cool indifference.

"Good morning, Fleamont," he said smoothly. There were no emotions in his tone; it was as if they were merely passing on the street.

"You are not welcome here, Orion," James' father responded.

Orion seemed unaffected by this greeting, hardly appearing to have registered it at all. "I'm looking for my son. Is he here?" He said the phrase so casually as if asking about the weather.

"He is," Mr. Potter said stiffly. "But he does not want to see you."

Orion didn't appear surprised. He regarded Mr. Potter with a cool gaze and spoke with conviction. "My son is sixteen years old; he does not have a choice. He will see me."

"No, he will not," Mr. Potter countered angrily. Suddenly his wand was in his hand. "Now leave my house."

"I am not going anywhere until I see my son," Orion stated.

James shifted beside Sirius and glanced over at him. "Don't worry," he said in an undertone. "My dad won't let him get past him."

But that wasn't comforting to Sirius. He had brought this to the Potter's house; he had brought his problems here. The least that he could do was not hide behind the Potters' skirts like a child.

Clearly no one had expected him to move, because he had shuffled halfway to the front door before anyone seemed to take notice.

"Sirius, don't –" James started with alarm, but it was too late.

Sirius pulled open the front door and stepped out onto the porch.

"What do you want?" Sirius demanded coldly.

Mr. Potter whipped around at the sound of Sirius' voice, his eyes widening when he spotted him. Sirius felt someone grab his upper arm, glancing behind him to find that James had come out behind him, his eyes blazing as he looked passed Sirius to where Orion stood, calmly watching the situation.

"Sirius, stay where you are," Mr. Potter commanded, putting an arm out in front of him protectively, his wand still at the ready in his other hand.

"My son was not raised to be a coward," Orion stated, his eyes darkening as he observed the skinny, older man with a mess of black hair standing between him and his son. "He can fight his own battles, Fleamont." His eyes shifted and Sirius found that he couldn't help the cold feeling that flooded through him as they met gazes. "Isn't that right, Sirius? If you can take off in the middle of the night without a word to anyone, surely you are capable of facing me like the man that you clearly think yourself to be."

Sirius stiffened at the challenge, even though he knew that his father was baiting him. He took a small step forward and carefully pushed Mr. Potter's arm away. He could feel James' hand tighten on his arm.

"It's alright," he said evenly, glancing at Mr. Potter. Then he leveled his gaze back on his own father. "You said you wanted to see me. Well, here I am." He narrowed his eyes, trying to mask the fact that he was having a hard time standing steady. "Disappointed when you found that I was not still lying on the floor of the drawing room after my talk with Mother?" He spat the word 'talk' like a curse.

Orion sighed, looking mildly annoyed at that. "You're mother has a tendency to be a bit… dramatic. You know that. And you should not have provoked her."

"I shouldn't have provoked her?" Sirius demanded hoarsely, his eyes bulging.

"This is hardly the place to discuss this," Orion said stiffly, his eyes straying to James and then his father before returning to his son. "Come home and we will talk about this."

Sirius scoffed at that. "Talk? You people have never been interested in what I have to say, not even when it comes to decisions about my own life!"

"Sirius," Orion said warningly.

"No!" Sirius practically shouted. "No, I'm done! You can drag me back there against my will if you wish, but the moment that I turn seventeen I'll be right back out that door. Even if you manage to brand me with the Dark Mark, you can't control me forever. So why don't you do us both a favor and save us another year of misery as you try and fail to brainwash me. It hasn't worked for the last sixteen years and it's not going to work now."

Orion's eyes were blazing. "How dare you defy me?" he hissed. "How dare you shame this family!"

Sirius was aware of Mr. Potter's movements before he realized that his father had his wand out and was pointing it right at him.

"Don't you dare, Orion," Mr. Potter snapped as he moved between Sirius and his father. Sirius couldn't help but take a small step back as he looked up at James' father. He had never seen him so angry before. "You've put this boy through enough, I will not stand for any more abuse, especially on my property. I demand that you leave immediately."

"He is my son," Orion spat. "He is the heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. Until he is of age, he belongs to me. And I am not leaving without him."

"He does not belong to you," Mr. Potter growled. "You do not deserve him. And you will not take him." He glared. "If you care to dispute me on this matter, feel free to take it up with the Ministry. We would love to present what my wife found when she healed him last night."

Orion's gaze narrowed. "You couldn't—"

"Trace it back to you and your family?" Mr. Potter cut him off sharply. "Perhaps not, with your wealth and influence. But we can make the investigation process as difficult as possible while dragging your precious Black family name through the bowels of every tabloid in the country."

Orion opened his mouth and then shut it again, fuming. Sirius looked up at James' father in awe. He had actually rendered his father speechless. In his entire life, Sirius had never seen anyone do that before.

Sirius took a deep breath. His heart was beating hard in his chest and he was feeling more unstable by the minute. He tried to discreetly lean into James' grip for support, but he knew that he wasn't going to be able to stay upright much longer.

"Sirius, this is no time for childish games," Orion finally said, lowering his wand. "You will come home with me now, or you will be disowned, blasted off the family tree, and never allowed back within the House of Black."

"Father, I never thought you to be so slow," Sirius said coldly. "That has been my plan all along."

Orion stiffened. For several long moments, no one moved. Sirius met his father's gaze, not wavering for a moment. He needed this and he wasn't going to crumble under his father's will ever again. Finally, Orion's features hardened with resolve as he tucked his wand away.

"As you wish," Orion said lowly.

And that was it. Sirius' father turned on his heels and marched back down the path. As he exited the gate there was a crack and he was gone.

Sirius took in a sharp breath as his knees finally gave out. James had clearly been expecting it, because he was quick to duck under Sirius' arm and support him as they stumbled back into the house.

That was it. He was free. He never had to return to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black ever again.

"Sirius? You okay?"

Strangely, Sirius wasn't able to focus enough to comprehend who was speaking. It was like a haze had suddenly filled his mind.

"Get him to the couch. Poor boy is in shock."

He should be happy, shouldn't he? He should be celebrating finally escaping his sadistic parents. So why didn't he feel happy? Why didn't he feel anything? Wasn't this exactly what he had wanted?

"What's wrong with him?"

Sirius blinked, but his vision was starting to tunnel.

"He's been through so much in such a short amount of time. Most people who had been through the Torture Curse wouldn't be out of bed for days, let alone go through the emotional stress that he just went through."

"But he's going to be okay?"

"Yes, dear. He just needs time and rest."

He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. When he opened them again, he haze seemed to be clearing from his head.

"Sirius? Can you hear me?"

"Sorry," Sirius mumbled, struggling to focus on the faces that surrounded him. He was slowly realizing that he was sitting on the couch with a blanket thrown over his shoulders. He was shivering. "Sorry about all… all that."

"Listen to me, Sirius," Mrs. Potter said. She sat next to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for. None of this is your fault. Do you understand me?"

"They… they don't want me…" Sirius said softly, almost as if he were talking to himself. Emotion was welling up inside of him and his vision blurred. "They've never wanted me. Why… why didn't they want me?"

Even though it was his choice to leave, Sirius still couldn't help but feel the sting of his father's indifference when his decision had become clear. Your parents were supposed to be the only people in the world to love you unconditionally, weren't they? But ever since he was little, Sirius had never felt anything akin to love from his mother or father. He had been tolerated, but never loved. And that fact had become so much clearer when Sirius had witnessed just how easy it was for his father to turn his back and walk away from him, knowing he may never see him again.

"Sweetheart," Mrs. Potter said quietly as she carefully wrapped an arm around him. Sirius found himself leaning into her embrace, willing himself to melt into her. "I don't know. I don't know why they wouldn't want a kind, intelligent, and wonderful boy like you. But I will tell you this for certain: we want you. We will always want you. And you will call this place home for as long as you'd like. You will be safe here with us, darling boy. I promise you."

And in that moment, something within Sirius Black crumbled. Years of holding back his emotions suddenly came flooding out of him as he dissolved into tears, burying his face in James' mother's shoulder.

Sobs wracked through his already aching body, weeping openly for the boy who had clearly been born to the wrong family. Crying for the boy who had spent the first eleven years of his life trying to live up to the expectations of parents who saw him simply as property. Aching for the boy who was so starved for affection that a passing pat on the shoulder from his friends' parents could practically send him crashing to his knees with gratitude.

He had no idea how long he stayed like that. Eventually though it seemed that he simply ran out of tears.

"There, there, dear," Mrs. Potter soothed. "It's alright now. It's alright."

"Th-thank you," Sirius murmured, his voice still thick with emotion. He felt the simple words did nothing to encompass the depth of his gratitude to the Potters for giving him someplace to escape to, but it was all he had to offer them.

He looked from Mrs. Potter and then over to Mr. Potter who was sitting in a nearby armchair, watching the scene with a somber expression. In that one day alone, both of these people had done more for him than his biological parents had done for him in his entire lifetime.

"You don't need to thank us, Sirius," Mrs. Potter assured him, giving him a smile that was so pure and sincere it was practically seraphic. "Now, I want you to head upstairs and go back to bed. I'll be up in a little while with some food. Can you make it up the stairs alright?"

"I'll help him," James volunteered.

James helped Sirius off of the couch. Sirius struggled going back up the stairs, relying heavily on James to make the trip, and he was relieved when they finally made it back to the guest room and he was able to lay down again.

"We'll fix this room up when you're feeling better," James said conversationally as he helped Sirius get settled. "Mum will let you decorate anyway you like. We can write to Peter and Remus, I bet they'll come over for New Years to help."

Sirius swallowed and the corners of his lips twitched upwards, the beginnings of the first honest smile since he had left Hogwarts for Christmas break.

"That sounds good," Sirius agreed quietly even as he was starting to drift off.

Sirius Black didn't have a normal upbringing. While other first years were being encouraged to work hard and have fun at school, he could remember his father lecturing him at eleven years old on the importance of finding a nice, pureblooded girl that he would someday marry. The oppressive upbringing had caused Sirius to rebel almost immediately after gaining some freedom at school, having both his first cigarette and his first drink before he turned twelve, though he wouldn't regularly indulge in either until several years later. Even without a full understanding of how skewed his parents' views really were, he was still a very troubled child.

Reflecting on his early years at school, he knew that he had had the potential to go down a very dark path. His parents had tried to make sure of that, despite the fact that it went against his nature. Being forced down that path would have torn him apart. If it weren't for his friends, he shuddered to think what would have become of him.

And now, at sixteen years old, he was offered the Dark Mark, given the opportunity to join the ranks of Lord Voldemort.

Looking back, at eleven years old Sirius had never considered defying his parents. He hadn't even known it had been a possibility. But the Sorting Hat had set him on a path that would show him just how different the world really was outside of his parents' narrow-minded views. All those years ago, it had set him up to think for himself and form his own opinions. It showed him that he could take control of his own life.

And at sixteen years old, Sirius Black forcibly took his freedom by running away from the life that his parents tried to force on him. It would not always been an easy path that he walked, but it would be one that he had chosen himself.

And with those thoughts still clear in his mind, he was lulled into a peaceful sleep in a house that felt more like home that Number Twelve Grimmauld Place ever would.

The End

Diagon Alley II Forum Competition:

The Fairy Tales Challenge Prompts

Fairy Tale (10 pts) - Snow White - Write about a runaway.

Word (5 pts each) - Seraphic

Songs (10 pts each) – Seven Years - Lukas Graham

Total Points: 25