Sirius woke to a voice he hoped to never hear again. "Sirius Orion Black, get out here this instant!" the voice of his mother shrieked. Sirius covered his ears to block her out. Not a good idea.
Next thing he knew, he felt his hands being grabbed and pulled away from his ears. He looked up to meet the gaze of his mother, Walburga Black. He had not missed her in the slightest. Her portrait was bad enough.
"Mother?" he asked.
"YOU DO NOT IGNORE ME, SIRIUS!" she shouted. Sirius flinched. She dug her nails into his hands, making them bleed. He winced at the sharp pain.
"If you ignore me again, you will be punished," she sneered.
Sirius knew what that meant. The Cruciatus Curse. "Yes, Mother," he said respectfully.
"Now, you're going to Diagon Alley today to get your things for Hogwarts," Walburga informed him. "Your grandmother will be taking you. You better be on your best behavior, or else." She glared at him in warning.
"Grandmother Melania is taking me?" Sirius asked. He wondered which year he was starting. He only remembered Melania taking him to Diagon Alley before his first and second year.
"Yes, and she will be here in thirty minutes," Walburga said. "Get ready, and don't keep her waiting." She threw the list of supplies in his face before she walked out of the room.
Sirius looked down at his list, and realized that it was the list for first years. That meant, he was eleven once again. With a sigh, he got ready for the day ahead.
He wondered if there was any way to get him and Regulus away from their parents. While Walburga was by far the worst, Orion was not much better. While he wouldn't use the Cruciatus Curse on his children, he would use a bone-breaking curse at times, and when Walburga did use the Cruciatus Curse on them, he would just watch it happen instead of stopping it. However, getting away from their parents were pretty unlikely, because Sirius didn't know who they could go to. He didn't exactly trust any of his family.
When Sirius got downstairs, he was just in time to witness his mother putting Regulus under the Cruciatus Curse, for whatever reason. Sirius suddenly had a brilliant idea.
"Mother?" he asked when she was done torturing Regulus. "I think it would be beneficial if Regulus came with me to Diagon Alley, so he knows what to expect next year when it's his turn." He held his breath, praying it would be enough to convince her.
"Very well, but if either of you set one toe out of line, you will both be punished severely," their mother threatened.
"Yes Mother," both boys said in unison. A few minutes later, the fireplace flared and Melania Black stepped out of the fireplace.
"Sirius," she greeted. "Are you ready to go?" Sirius realized at that moment that his grandmother seemed uncomfortable there. She looked stiff while looking around. Sirius couldn't believe he had never noticed it before. Was she uncomfortable because of where she was? He couldn't be sure, so he decided to think about it later.
"Grandmother," he replied. "Will it be alright if Regulus comes with us? Mother already gave permission."
"Of course," Melania agreed. "Let's go." Sirius and Regulus followed their grandmother to the fireplace. Melania went first, followed by Regulus. Sirius was last.
Melania stepped out of the fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron, and waited for her grandsons to come through. Regulus came through first, almost falling over in the process. Melania steadied him. "Are you alright?" she asked. "It's not like you to stumble when coming out of the Floo."
"Yes, I'm alright, thank you Grandmother," Regulus replied. Melania narrowed her eyes. "You look a bit pale," she commented. "Are you sure you're alright?" Sirius came through at that moment. "Sirius, is your brother alright?" she asked. "And why are your hands red?" Sirius and Regulus gave each other a look.
"Er… well..." Regulus stuttered.
"Spit it out!" Melania snapped. They both flinched at her tone. She sighed. She had not meant to snap at them, but she had a bad feeling that something was very wrong.
Sirius looked at his grandmother, wondering whether he could tell her or not. He knew that if she knew what was going on, she would contact their grandfather immediately, and Sirius had never gotten along with his grandfather before. Then he remembered the promise he made to Regulus. He promised to have an open mind. He took a deep breath, praying he wasn't making the wrong choice.
"Mother crucioed Regulus this morning, and she dug her nails into my hands and didn't give me time to clean up the blood," he told Melania.
"SHE WHAT?!" Melania exclaimed angrily. "How dare she! Stay right here. Don't move." She stepped into the fireplace and called out, "Black Manor!"
"Oh no," Regulus whispered. "She's really mad. When Mother finds out you told her…"
"I know, but maybe Grandmother and Grandfather will be able to do something," Sirius said, not believing his own words.
A few minutes felt like hours to the two Black brothers. They nearly jumped when the fireplace flared green and Melania stepped through.
"Sirius, Regulus, shopping will have to wait," she informed them. "Your grandfather is expecting you." The two brothers gave each other horrified looks. Melania noticed this, and softened her features. "You are not in trouble," she said gently. "We have suspected for a while now that something was going on, but never had any proof. Come along now. Your grandfather is not the most patient man in the world. Sirius, I will be taking Regulus with me this time. Will you be able to come through on your own?"
"Yes, Grandmother," Sirius replied respectfully. The older woman nodded and stepped into the fire with Regulus. Once they had disappeared, Sirius went through himself. He just hoped that Melania was right, and that they weren't in trouble.
When they arrived, a house-elf greeted them. "Master Regulus and Master Sirius," the elf greeted. "Zippy is happy to see young masters. Master Black is waiting to see young masters."
Sirius and Regulus slowly made their way to their grandfather's office. They didn't know how this meeting would turn out, and they hated not knowing the outcome beforehand, because they couldn't prepare. All they could do is hope that they would be listened to.
Here goes nothing, Sirius thought as he knocked on the door.
"Enter!" was the reply. The two brothers gave each other an encouraging smile before opening the door.