(8) Tri

When the train pulled into King's Cross that evening, Sirius waited until nearly everyone else had gotten off before finally taking his bag down from the shelf & stepping off onto the landing.

"There you are," Walburga snapped as Sirius moved away from the train. "About time. What took you so long? Potter's boy, again?"

Technically ... yes, in a sense, but Sirius didnt feel like explaining it. "Fell asleep," he said instead.

"I suppose you'll be going over to that house again," Walburga went on with her sneer she had reserved precisely for Sirius. "I don't even see why you come home at all."

"First of all," Sirius was starting to lose his own temper. "We have to. All families must be reunited because of this war." He ignored her scoff as he added, "Secondly, since most of my packed stuff is for school & winter, I kind of need to change that for summer stuff."

"Well, if that's all it is," Walburga went on in her snippity way. "Come along, now. Reggie's already gone ahead with your father."

"Whatever," Sirius muttered, following her to the Apparation point where Orion was already waiting with Regulus & oddly, Charlus Potter. The two men seemed to have been talking about something as Sirius & his mother approached.

"Well, that will be all for now," Charlus was saying, stepping back. "Give me a little time to sort Jim out."

Jim. Sirius felt his heart sink. He had a feeling Charlus had said something about what had happened. But of course, something would have to be said. After all, within a week, his own parents would be wondering why Sirius wasn't just up & leaving for his beloved Potter boy's side. Great. Perfect. Wonderful. Sirius kept his eyes down as he stepped up next to Regulus.

"What did you do now?" Regulus hissed just as Orion Black pulled all of them into the vortex.

They landed in front of Grimmauld. "Yes, Sirius," Orion started as they went inside. "What did you do?"

"What did he say?" Sirius countered.

"That doesn't answer my question, boy," Orion snapped. "All he said was that you & his kid aren't on speaking terms, right now. So I ask again, why?"

"I thought you wanted me away from the Potters?" Sirius again dodged.

"Still not answering the question," Orion said, crossing his arms. "Last chance, boy."

"Fine," Sirius huffed. "Jim & I had a big fight about the OWL's." He sure as hell wasn't going to mention Remus.

"The OWL's?" Orion echoed.

"Jim thinks he will be better than me," Sirius plunged on, knowing how stupid it sounded. "I disagreed. You know we're always competitive. It just came to a head."

"OWL's," Orion repeated. "Well, we all know what you signed up for, so forgive me if I don't care if the Potter boy gets better than you do. You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Trying to be an Auror? That's beneath our Noble House, Sirius. As the eldest son, there are more pressing plans for you than being—"

"A Death Eater?" Sirius cut in. "I wouldn't do that. I'm not a killer."

"Marriage," Orion rolled his eyes. "I don't care if you become a Death Eater or not. It really isn't our concern as much as it is keeping our house pure. Reggie's told me all about your escapades at Hogwarts."

Sirius shot a glare at his little brother. "I know safe sex."

"Well, you won't need 'safe' sex," Orion made some air quotes as he mocked the word safe. "If you would just settle down with a nice pure lassie, already. Is that too much to ask? You have a duty to this house, Sirius."

"Fine," Sirius said for the second time, knowing better than to argue. "But what gal would want me long term if I'm not settled in a solid career? Can I at least wait until my Seventh Year? If I fail being an Auror, I still have this next year to figure out something to do."

"See that you do find another career," Orion warned. "Now go put your things away. We will be ready to eat in half an hour."

"Sure," Sirius groaned, heading up the stairs after Regulus.

"To answer your question," Orion suddenly went on as Sirius was halfway up. "Yes. I'd rather you do take a break from that Potter boy. He's a bad influence on you. It's high time you start thinking about your future & checking out some respectable women. Your mother & I have already checked into a few prospects & we think you should meet them."

"Whatever," Sirius said again as he finished climbing up the stairs.

"What was that?" Orion prompted.

"Nothing," Sirius muttered, going down the hall & into his bedroom without another word.

He threw his bag aside & plopped down on his bed. His eyes roamed over the muggle pictures of motorbikes that he had used a permanent sticking charm on to keep them in place. His lips twitched into a smile, remembering the bout of Crucio he had to suffer when his parents had seen them & found out that they could not be removed. Oh, it was worth it! His mind drifted to one particular advertisement in his magazine of a Triumph he was thinking of buying.

Hearing his door click, Sirius flicked his eyes over to see Regulus standing there. "Thanks for ratting me out," Sirius snapped.

"Just be glad I didn't tell them everything," Regulus replied. "They don't know that the only girls you shag are mudbloods."

"Reggie!" Sirius glared. "What did I tell you? Don't use that word in my room!"

"I'm still in the doorway," Regulus defended as he finally came in. "I also didn't mention that other rumour going around."

"Which one?"

"Sounds like you & Potter are a bit more than friends?"

"Oh, fuck off," Sirius groaned. "That's something that dumb Evans girl started. She doesn't like either one of us & so made that up to piss us off."

"I know," Regulus said. "I know what's really going on."

"Oh, do you now?" Sirius grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"You're in love with that Lupin dude," Regulus said, smiling at the near-squawk of shock Sirius was unable to hide. "You also really fucked him over about something or other & that's why they aren't speaking to you."

"What else?" Sirius gasped for air. "What else do you know?"

"I know that Lupin is the m-word," Regulus said. "So you better not let Dad find out. He will really make your life miserable. A guy, Sirius? An impure one at that? Honestly, you'd be better off shagging Potter than having this thing about Lupin get out. At least Potter's a pure like us. What the hell is wrong with you?"

Sirius got off his bed & went to the door. Holding it open, he ordered, "Get out."

"Hmm, what's this?" Regulus took no notice as he was bent over, looking at something in Sirius's bag he still hadn't unpacked. He pulled out the muggle magazine about motorbikes & held it up. "Again? Dad's gonna torture you if he sees this."

"The only way he would see it is if a little twerp like you shows it to him!" Sirius closed the door & locked it, trapping Regulus in.

"Don't threaten me with a good time," Regulus teased as he spread himself out on Sirius's bed. He swished his shoulder-length hair back & began flipping through the magazine. "Merlin, these pictures are boring. None of them move & all these girls," he paused to glance up at his brother. "Muggles?"

"Reggie!" Sirius gritted his teeth. "I am really not in the mood, right now."

"Oh, but I am," Regulus continued to flip through the magazine. He stopped at one picture of a bike on a beach with a hot blonde babe standing next to it. "Ooh! Got some good breasts on this one. Wow!"

Sirius blinked. "Hang on. Are you interested in muggle women?!"

Regulus finally tossed the magazine aside. "Don't be stupid. I know a hot female body when I see one. I'm allowed to make a comment. You're not the only man-whore at school, you know. I've been having my own fun. But with PROPER women. I'd never sleep with a muggle one even if she is hot. Big boobs are my type. That's all I mentioned."

"What, are you having sex?" Sirius wondered just how many more shocks he could receive today.

Regulus laughed at him. "Are you ever daft! I'm barely a year younger than you. Of course, I'm active. What do you take me for, a prude?"

Sirius went to sit on the bed next to him. "I've just ... never thought of it. I look at you & all I see is this little brother I once had to cover so he wouldn't get hurt all the time."

Regulus sat up. "If you'd quit acting up, you wouldn't get hurt either. Dad hasn't tortured me in a couple of years."

"He never should have done it at all," Sirius said. "You were just a little boy. We both were & the least little thing to piss him off would earn us a round of the torture curse."

"It got me in line," Regulus said. "Dad & I have been on very good terms for a long time."

"In line?" Sirius glared at him. "No, Reggie. You gave up! You're a coward!"

Regulus jumped off the bed to stand before Sirius. A tear slipped down his cheek. "How dare you call me that? You're the coward! Running off with your Potter not-lover all the time instead of dealing with family issues & sorting things out! HOW DARE YOU?" He slapped Sirius hard across the face.

Sirius clutched his stinging cheek. Shooting a dark look at Regulus, he said under breath, "Do that again & I'll kill you!"

Regulus balled his fists by his side & mockingly quoted Sirius's own words from just a short time before. "I'm not a killer. I can't be a Death Eater."

"That does it!" Sirius grabbed Regulus & dragged him onto the bed.

They struggled for a few moments, scratching at each other like a couple of angry alley cats & pulling each other's hair. Sirius eventually had Regulus pinned under him, his hands wrapped around his younger brother's throat. He dug his nails in as Regulus struggled for breath. Blinking back a few angry tears as he held Regulus down while straddling him, Sirius demanded, "What happened to us? We used to be so close!"

Regulus grappled at the fingers crushing his throat. Sirius let him go & sat up over his brother. Regulus gasped for air. "I followed Dad's footsteps, not yours."

Sirius pushed some hair back as he looked down at Regulus still lying under him between his thighs. He shook his head. "I'm leaving. Soon."

"Why am I not surprised to hear that?" Regulus muttered. They both remained quiet for a bit, lost in thoughts. Regulus finally broke it. "So is this what it feels like to be with a guy?"

Sirius stared at him, suddenly acutely aware of the position they were in. He slipped off to stand by the bed. "I don't know. I haven't actually gotten that far with Remus, yet."

Regulus sat up. "See that you never do, Sirius. It could be your death & most certainly his. If you truly love him, stay the hell away." He went to the door & pointedly looked at it until Sirius came & unlocked it for him. He left without another word.

Sirius closed the door behind him before going to his desk by the window. A small mirror stood on one side. He pulled out the chain to let the Hallows pendant hang down in view. Sirius didn't know anything about the Hallows. All he knew was whatever Charlus had mentioned: triangles & ... & Vikings! He tucked it away after a few minutes & went downstairs to eat.

Sirius took his plate into the private Black library & began looking around at the books. He never really bothered much with them since most were about the Dark Arts. But it was all he had at the moment. He took another piece of chicken off his plate he had set down on a stand & wandered down the aisle marked V.

He came out at the other end to find his father sitting by a window with a book. On closer inspection, Sirius saw that it was one of the rare ordinary books they had, this one was about the stars. A simple astronomy book. Both his parents were obsessed with stars & had named their sons after them. Orion's name was one thing that Walburga said she liked about him.

Orion looked up in surprise. "Well now," he said. "I don't think I've ever seen you in here, before. Looking for something in particular?" He took a sip of his tea.

"Do we have anything about Vikings?"

Orion spat out that same tea. "Vikings?" He stared incredulously at Sirius. "Why?"

"Nothing," Sirius shrugged. "School assignment. For history. We have to write about some race or culture & have it ready for the first History class in September. I chose Vikings." Every Marauder could lie like the devil. At the same time, Sirius hoped Orion didn't send an owl inquiring about this. It would ruin him.

Orion stared into his plate for a moment, processing that. Merlin have mercy, this eldest son of his will drive him to an early grave. "So you just happen to fancy Vikings then?" Sirius didn't answer. Orion sat back in his seat. "Well, whatever. No, I don't think we do. You might have to try one of those muggle libraries for that one."

"Would that bother you?"

"Probably," Orion said. "But if it's only a school assignment, get it over with & let's not talk about it again, alright?"

"Ok," Sirius said. "I'll go into London next week, then."

"You do that," Orion said, returning back to his book of stars. He waited until Sirius was gone. "Vikings..." Orion scoffed. "Good Merlin, what next, the bloody Queen of England?" He shook his head & got up.

"What's that about the Queen?" Walburga asked as she came in, looking for him.

"Never mind," Orion sighed tiredly. "It's ... It's fine." He took her hands & pulled her close. "Sirius is just finishing up a school assignment." He left out the Vikings. What did it matter? They didn't bother much with the classes either of their sons were taking, knowing Regulus would join every class a good Slytherin would & knowing that it didn't matter what Sirius did. Sirius was the eldest & had other duties of the home that he ought to attend to soon instead of having his dumb head in the clouds all the time.

A soft whimsical song came over the radio about witches & unicorns. Orion pulled Walburga along in a slow waltz around the lobby section of their private library. "Oh my!" Walburga blushed, glancing away. "You are too much."

"Am I?" Orion teased, pulling her along in their little dance. "Let me prove it to you." He pushed her down onto a wide lounge & leaned down over her.

"Goodness me!" Walburga giggled. "Keep this up, we might get some more sons!"

"Oh, it's up alright," Orion wrinkled his nose in a silly little grin. "Besides, maybe we ought to replace Sirius if he keeps going the way he's going."

"Don't be mean!" Walburga tried to frown but her husband's hands being shoved down into her blouse made her giggle all the more.

"I try to be," Orion said before kissing her as he lay down onto her. "Boys need a strong hand but ladies?" He licked the tip of her nose. "They have other needs that ought to be taken care of tenderly."

"Oh, stop!" Walburga was trying hard not to laugh more but failed.

"No, I don't think I will," Orion said, pulling her completely under him.

Both flipped over onto the floor. They lay there, stunned for a moment before Walburga laughed again. "Well, we have more room down here."

"That we do," Orion agreed before taking his wife right there on the floor.

The day Sirius was able to get out to go to the muggle library in London, he left early, skipping breakfast. Once away from the house, he felt himself relax as he wandered into the muggle side of the city & felt perfectly at home there. He had a little bit of muggle quid & bought himself a small breakfast at a café before ducking into a library.

As he didn't have a check out card, Sirius stayed there for a couple of hours, reading about the Vikings. He didn't find anything about a wizard one but didn't expect to in a muggle library. He had hoped the Black library at Grimmauld would have had something, but this was all he had.

When his eyes finally got tired of reading, Sirius headed out to one of the shops that sold motorbikes & looked a few over. He knew they would never sell him one until he was allowed a license which was not given until he turned seventeen. But Sirius had no intention of waiting that long. He planned to have one within a few days. Muggles were good but simple folks & Sirius already had a fake ID card to make him two years older than he was. He would be able to get a bike no problem as far as the muggle folks were concerned.

Getting the money for it, on the other hand, was a huge issue. He had plenty of money & could literally buy out the whole shop. The problem was going to Gringotts to convert some of that money into a huge sum of muggle cash. His parents would know instantly & it would go downhill from there rather quick.

Worry about that later. Sirius slipped through the rows of bikes, being drawn to where some older classics were. His eyes suddenly fell on his second love: a white 1959 Triumph Bonneville T120 complete with her little sidecar. "Ahh, fuck me sideways with a G'damn cactus!" Sirius panted. Merlin! She was beautiful! He put a hand on her handlebars. "Don't worry, Tri. I'll be getting you in a day or two." Tri? It had just come out. Triumph. Triangles. Tri was her name & that was that.

Still not knowing how to get his hands on the money & survive, Sirius had Tri put aside for twenty-four hours. One day. That's all he gave himself to figure out how to get Tri & escape his family before they jumped on him. They didn't mind a few quid here & there if only to shut Sirius up when he wanted to go into the muggle world, but this price? She was almost two thousand quid, which was a big deal in the mid 1970's!

Then of course, he would need a constant supply of muggle quid just to keep her in repair & get her fuel. Although, perhaps, he could do something about that fuel thing later. Magic it out or something. But still, it would amount to not only a lot of muggle money but a steady income of it & that was something his parents would notice & worse, disprove of. Maybe even cut him off.

He went out to another shop & used the last bit of quid he had at the moment to get the leather jacket he knew all bike riders wore. He planned to complete the ensemble later. He went home & finally took care of his school bag. This time he packed it with things he wanted to keep, having no plans of returning ever again. His half of the two-way mirror he & James used was wrapped carefully & placed in a side pouch.

Sirius stared at the bundle before closing the pouch. James hadn't used it once since they had come home for summer, deliberately ignoring him. He sighed & went around his room to find other things he would take. He kept his wand & the Hallows pendant on him at all times, just in case he wasn't able to grab his bag.

Finally having it stuffed, Sirius put it on the far side of his bed, away from the door & lay back with a book of spells to study. He was just in time too for Orion had opened the door to check on him. Sirius looked up at him.

"Found what you needed for that Viking thing?" Orion asked.

Not really. Sirius wanted to know about the wizard ancestor in the Potter family, but oh well. "Yup," he nodded. "Spent a couple hours out there in the library."

"Good," Orion said. "Let that be the end of it."

"Sure," Sirius said. He waited for Orion to leave before muttering to himself. "Don't worry, Dad. It will be." He put the book aside & lay back. His mind drifted between Remus & Tri. How to get his hands on both of them?

If only he could go to James. He could have asked James to buy that bike & then pay him back later. Sirius felt his hand slip down to his bag by his bed. He sat up & pulled out the two-way mirror. Unwrapping it, he stared at the reflection for a bit before whispering, "Jim? You there?" He waited but there was no answer. "Prongs?"

Nothing.

With a dejected sigh, Sirius repacked the thing & got into bed. He lay awake, planning his escape. If only he could go to the Potter Manor but that was out of the question. Charlus had said that James would eventually come around but there wasn't time to wait. Sirius had plans to leave in the next few hours. Perhaps someday, he could roll up the Potter drive on Tri & everything would be fine & he could stay with James forever. But that was in the future. It was 'now' that Sirius needed. He couldn't help but feel something bad was coming, that he would be trapped here if he didn't leave. He wondered if Regulus had opened his stupid mouth.

He rolled over. First things first. Get out. Get Tri. Worry about everything else after. He would be safe once he was on the road with Tri.