I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice the car stop, I didn't notice Bill open the door and help my mother and brother out. I didn't notice my mother talking to me before she swiftly pinched my arm leaving a small, red mark. I flinch then look up and out of the car door. Now that I was focused I was freezing, the Scottish air biting at my cheeks, one of which was already sore from the slap that I received earlier. I look past the dreary atmosphere, and at my family standing beside Bill's beloved Lincoln Limousine. My Aunt and Uncle were standing with their three daughters by the large front doors of their manor, staring at me as if I were dirt. I quickly clambered out of the car, ignoring Bill's outstretched hand. I walked to join my mother and Regulus who were waiting for me at the foot of the stairs waiting irritably for me to join them. I scramble to my mothers side and she puts a cold hand on my shoulder, peering down her nose at me, a slight snarl sitting at the corner of her lips.

"How nice of you to take notice of us Sirius." She said coolly. I looked down at my toes,

"I've only got eyes for the family, mother." I mutter to my toes sarcastically. I hear her sniff and her hand slips off of my shoulder. I don't dare look at her, knowing I'd be met with a disapproving stare that would just make me mad. Instead I surveyed the perfect family at the top of the stairs that we slowly started to climb towards. My Uncle Cygnus, My mothers older brother, stood with his back straight, glaring down at us with mean, electric blue eyes, mirroring exactly my mother's constant cold expression. His hair was a chestnut brown rather than the family's signature black, which was gelled and slicked back neatly. He had a thick moustache that matched the colour of his hair, I thought it looked a bit out of place on his otherwise smooth face. You couldn't tell this man's age from a distance, but up close he looked grizzled and bearish. His large frame didn't help with his slightly threatening, animalistic appearance. His wife, Druella, stood dutifully at his side. She was short and curvy, wearing a long black fitted dress to accentuate her figure. Her long wavy black hair pulled into a perfect knot on the base of her head, with strands floating around her round face, which contrasted well with her ivory skin. Despite her soft appearance, her deep, brown eyes were sharp and cunning. I immediately knew to stay out of her way. Not that that was shocking, I stayed out of everyone 's way, apart from Uncle Alphard, but he wasn't technically family anymore.

My eyes drifted over the three young girls standing in front of their parents, all tight smiles and watchful eyes. Of course I'd met my cousins before, but it had been years. All of them were older than me and Regulus by a few years, and although we were close as children, like everything good, that quickly fell apart once the girls became teenagers. Bellatrix, the oldest, stood on the left in front of her father. Hse had wild black hair that fell down to the middle of her back, and matching black eyes that were narrowed suspiciously as she took my in. Her thin arms were folded over her chest and I saw her literally turn up her nose slightly. I rolled my eyes and then looked over to the youngest, Narcissa who was standing between her older sisters. She was only three years older than me, but at just nineteen years old she seemed very mature and put together. She, unlike every other member of the Black family, had flowing, pin straight, stark white hair that reached her waist. Her pale forehead merged seamlessly with her white hair. Her eyes were wide and vibrant blue and her cheeks slightly rosy. Despite her delicate features, she looked at me like she was ready to take me down at a moment's notice, her pink lips were raised in a tight smile, that made her look colder rather than welcoming. Finally my eyes landed on the second oldest, Andromeda. She was tall, taller than her sisters and mother, probably Regulus' height. She was looking between us with a bored expression, and I thought I imagined the excitement that twinkled in her warm brown eyes. Her hair was a chestnut brown like her fathers and was pulled back in a loose braid. Her skin wasn't as pale as her siblings and as she caught my eyes, she threw me a cheeky grin that made her glow golden in my eyes. I stuck my tongue out at her which earned me a sharp cuff to the back of my head from my mother, but it made Andromeda snigger and I had to force down a laugh.

Uncle Cynus walked down the remaining few steps and wrapped a tentative arm around his little sister's slender shoulders before quickly extending his arm out and shaking mine and Regulus' hands in succession. His grip on my hand was firm and I squeezed back, silently letting him know that he didn't intimidate me, even though he did. "Welcome Dear sister, it's a pleasure to host you on your sons and we're dearly sorry for your loss." His voice was gruff and clipped, as if he struggled to speak clearly. I Imagined him holding down a roar, his canines pointed and poised to rip out your throat, his pupils turning to slits. I shook the thought out of my head while my mother thanked him for his generation. Soon we were being bustled inside as servants scurried around the entrance hall with our luggage. I threw one last look over my shoulder at Bill and his Lincoln Limousine before the thick oak doors slammed shut, filling the marble hall with a deafening echo. I was vaguely aware of polite chatter around me from the adults, I suppose Regulus, Bellatrix and Narcissa considered themselves grown because I watched as they mingled with the parents, hovering on the outskirts and contributing to whatever part of the conversation they could.

"Ugh, they're so dull." I whipped my head around to see who had spoken, only to find Andromeda standing next to me, glaring at the group and swinging her arms back and forth. I suppress a smile. "I'm sure it's riveting conversation," I drawl, folding my arms above my head and nodding to Bellatrix, Narcissa and Regulus who had just started lifelessly chuckling at something uncle Cygnus had said. Andromeda snorts. "I bet." I glanced down at her, she was definitely at least as tall as Regulus as the top of her head reached to around the tip of my nose. I look down at her and grin slightly. "Can you come up with anything more fun to do?" I ask her hopefully. She cocks an eyebrow at me. I practically watched the contemplation running through her head and I waited patiently for her to decide on whatever he was considering. Finally she seems to settle on something. "Depends, baby cousin, can you keep a secret?" she whispered playfully.

My grin matched hers. Instantly I decided I liked her. "Well with parents like ours it's hard not to be." Andromeda's smile finally reached her eyes and she jerked her head in a quick nod before she was striding up to the rest of her family. "Mother, father, I'll be showing Sirius to his room and giving him a tour. I trust Regulus is fine in your care?" She said, her voice sweet and dutiful. I marvelled at her ability to switch personalities so quickly. She looked at her parents like she worshipped the ground they walked on and they looked at her like she was the picture of perfection. "Yes Regulus is fine here Andromeda, please be back in time for supper." Aunt Druella said, her voice was sharp as knives but she didn't seem angry or irritated as she nodded to her middle child. My mother was also looking at Andromeda softer than she'd ever looked at me. "Yes. Perhaps my son can learn a thing or two about respect if he spent some time with you." Andromeda bowed her head, the picture of a devoted daughter.

"Toujours Pur." She said proudly, before turning on her heel and beginning to walk up the grand staircase. I nodded quietly to my family who looked at me like dirt before scampering after Andromeda.

Andromeda led me through a maze of corridors and rooms. It wasn't so different to our manor home in London. The decor was all thick green and black carpets, and deep red floral wallpaper. All the skirting of the house was gold and chandeliers hung in every room and passage. Every so often we'd pass a maid or servant who bobbed at us before carrying on with their daily duties. It wasn't so different from home at all. She showed me my room on the first floor. I barely peaked inside before I was disinterested. The wallpaper was identical with everywhere else in the house. The bed was huge, four posters with thick curtains draped over the pillars, just like every other bedroom I'd seen had had. The floor was dark hardwood and polished to reflect the ceiling and my luggage was piled neatly in a corner.

After we'd gone through a number of passages and walked the length of the second story, Andromeda finally stopped outside of a large forest green door, with a large brass handle and a lock on the outside. "Welcome to my humble abode." she trilled before swinging the door open and stepping inside. I followed her reluctantly. Where I lived before, bedrooms were sacred and no one dared set foot in the other. The only exceptions to those rules were when mother was snooping, the maids were cleaning or when Regulus and I were much younger and couldn't bare to spend the night in our enormous, empty rooms alone. I swallowed a lump in my throat at the memory of Regulus snuggled in my gigantic bed, so tiny and fragile, sniffling, giggling ad chatting happily while I made up stories of us running away to New York, Milan, Paris and sharing a tiny apartment when we grew up. That would never happen now.

I snap myself out of my misery with a nervous chuckle and Andromeda raises her eyebrows at me and I push down my sudden wave of sadness and smile at her. "Nice place you got here." I say as I casually lean against the door frame. I cast my eyes around the room. Everything seemed so large. The four-poster bed was made to perfection and was shrouded by thick purple hangings. There was a huge, fluffy green rug on the floor that I just wanted to sink my toes into and the walls were covered in hand painted roses. I felt Andromeda's eyes on me so I glanced at her worried that I'd upset her from my lack of enthusiasm but to my surprise she was grinning at me from her bed. "Underwhelmed cousin?" She asked as she hopped off of her bed and skipped across the room and stood beside a blank wall. "No." I say quickly. She rolls her eyes at that.

"I don't do well with liars Sirius," She says shortly. I let out a huff and took a few more steps into the room. " I suppose I did expect…more, I thought you may have been more interesting." I shrug. At that her brown eyes did that twinkly thing again.

"Well I'd hate to disappoint!" she declared. With that she pulled something from around her neck that flashed slightly when the light of the chandelier hit it. She slid the thing into a tiny hole on the wall that I hadn't noticed before as It blended so well with one of the painted flowers, then something shifted and the wall opened.

My jaw dropped.

"A secret door!?" I exclaimed excitedly, hurrying over to her side and trying to peer in but she blocked my way. "Nobody knows about this room other than my sisters' ' She says solemnly. I glance at her slightly shocked. "And they don't tell?" I ask incredulously. She shrugged, clearly not bothered. "Not much to tell. It's my place and they understand that. We all used to sneak in her to play when we were younger but now.." She got a far-away wistful look in her eyes that I recognised well. "Now things have changed." I finish for her lightly. She looks at me and nods. Something like understanding passed between us and suddenly I didn't feel so lonely. I tried not to wonder if Regulus would have immediately told my mother if he knew I had a place like this for myself. "Can I go in?" I asked breathlessly. She looked me up and down for a second and I tried not to make any sudden movements as if I was trying not to scare away a stray dog. Finally her casual grin returned, making the corners of her eyes crinkle. "Course you can, baby cousin!" she laughed before ruffling my hair and ducking under the low door frame to step inside.

The room that I stepped into was small and cosy and vibrant. The walls were covered in hand painted artwork of flowers and dancers and music notes. Anywhere there wasn't a painting a poster was strung up. I was immediately drawn to a David Bowie poster, it was the cover art for his newest released album 'Young Americans'. "How'd you get your hands on this!?" I squealed as I gently stroked the paper. Andromeda laughed and scurried beside me. There's a music store in town, it sells the best records and band tees and posters and even instruments. The apprentice there, Ted Tonks, gives me stuff discounted!" She said excitedly. I noticed her cheeks glow a little red when she mentioned the music store apprentice but I pretended not to as I turned my attention back to the posters scattering the walls. "I didn't think they'd have music stores in the Scottish highlands." I half joked. Andromeda smacked my arm lightly. "Now it may not be the big city but we aren't living in the 50's" she laughed. I was so engrossed with the posters I didn't see her move to the record player that was perched on a Table scattered with records and put on an Album. David Bowie's 'It Ain't Easy' started playing and I instantly started humming along. Andy started singing the lyrics and then we were singing together. It was the happiest I'd been in a long time. The happiest i'd ever thought i'd be under a family member's roof.

We spent around two hours there. Halfway through the album Andromeda pulled out a few pre-rolled joints. "Probably shouldn't be giving you this. How old are you again?" she asked after taking a deep draw. "Sixteen." I chuckle. She groaned but she didn't seem actually upset. "I'm going to hell!" She wailed but she was smiling.

"Thought that was a requirement of being a Black." I laughed back. I struggled with the weed at first but I gradually eased into it. After about an hour of music and casual chatter I turned to my cousin. "Andy?".

She tilts her head a little in my direction to show that she was listening although she was gazing happily at the wall. I wondered briefly what she was seeing. "You're turning 21 soon, why'd you still live here? Don't you wanna get out?". She was silent for a moment and I assumed that she was ignoring the question but then she opened her mouth to speak. She spoke slowly like she was trying her hardest to make sure that all her words came out clearly. "Well for one, my parents are trying to marry me off to some rich aristocrat or something but first Bellatrix has to get through her damn wedding to the Lestrange bloke. I'll leave when I'm married." At that she sighed deeply and my expression must have matched hers because she smiled at me sadly and patted my cheek. "Don't pity me baby cousin, it's the fate of all Blacks."

"Not me." I say forcefully. Her smile brightened a little at that.

"Well, if any of us could get out it'll be you," she said fondly. I grin, I supposed I'd made a name for myself with my disgustingly defiant ways, but then I was sad again as I looked around Andromeda's room, at her art and music. "Andy… but if you left now, you'd be able to be an artist, move to Paris. Marry someone you love."

"True." She said slowly, "But I'd never leave Narcissa alone in the hands of my bastard parents. She's their shining star. They'd marry her off to anyone rich enough to buy her, age and looks don't matter because my baby sister's beauty to them is the best thing they could've asked for. In fact, I'm surprised they've waited so long." Her face was droopy and tired but her voice was shrill and angry. I frowned. "But Narcissa is barely 18, that's hardly older than I am." I say angrily before taking a long drag from my joint before realising that it was burned out. Andromeda's smile was sad again. She glanced up at the clock on her wall then back to me. "It's almost six, go get washed up for dinner." She stood and led me out of her secret room and to the door of her bedroom. "Try to sober up a little before going down to dinner Sirius." she said softly. I nod curtly but my mind was filled with marriage to a faceless, nameless, cold woman. The thought made me feel physically ill. I must have looked unsteady because Andromeda lay a firm hand on my shoulder and twisted a little to make me look her in the eyes. "You'll be fine." she said firmly to which I nodded again. She seemed satisfied so she dropped her hand from my shoulder. "Toujours Pur baby cousin." she murmured softly before disappearing into her room and closing the door.

Every day after the first night was practically the same.

I was woken early by an elderly maid who was plump with round caring eyes. She'd fling open the curtains letting the light in, which wasn't much at 6am. I'd shower, brush my teeth and fix my hair, then be down for family breakfast by 7 am. The whole family had to attend, though Uncle Cygnus sometimes didn't when he was called away by a client. Breakfast would be a slow ordeal with my family idly talking amongst themselves while I sat and played silently with my food, occasionally muttering a few jokes with Andy who always sat next to me. Then I'd be ushered off with my brother and cousins to the music chamber where we'd practise our classical instruments, taught by a dull portly man who spoke in a high pitched, warbling voice and was always peering disapprovingly at me over his spectacles. Bellatrix played the violin while Andromeda huffed on a clarinet. It was immediately obvious that Regulus, Narcissa and I would be vying for the spot of top student. While Regulus played like a god on his cello, his face carved in a perfectly focused frown, Narcissa became one with the harp. Her fingers were so skilful and her eyes were closed lightly as she played. Her body movie with the music that she made. She'd always bite her bottom lip as she played as if she was anxious to mess up and disappoint but her performance was always flawless. My speciality was the piano. I'd spent countless hours of my adolescence with my mother hovering over me, cane in hand to whack my fingers in case of mistakes as I played. I'd become a master. Many taught me to be a prodigy but I wasn't serious. When I played I played modern music rather than the classics that were drummed into my head. I acted out too, with dramatic flourishes and cheeky winks and my watchful tutor I was by no means the favourite but that made me no less talented at my craft. I didn't mind not being praised for my work by the tutor. I didn't care much for the piano, it pained me to play from years and years of being forced to play over and over again until I was perfect. Of being punished when i was anything less than flawless. I much preferred the electric guitar that i'd taken to practising in my free time, holing myself up in Andy's secret room. I practised until my fingers were raw, possibly out of morbid habit and had found that I had a natural talent for it. I was over the moon when Andy showed me her guitar, second hand, an 18th birthday gift from Uncle Alphard that she kept hidden from her family, even her sisters and I was honoured that she'd shared it with me.

When we're not in "wonderland" which is what we dubbed the secret room, Andy was showing me around the manor, and all the secret hiding spots and secret passageways. I'd grown to know my new home in two short weeks, but all too quickly the start of a new term was approaching. I didn't want to start a new school. Not a private one anyway full of descendants of royalty, all snobby and priggish like Regulus.

Andy must have noticed me becoming restless as time flew from all the lectures I was forced to sit through of my mother and uncle talking at me about upholding the Black family name and values, because the weekend before school started on Monday, she pulled me aside before I went to bed for the night.

"Wanna do something fun?" She asked in a hushed voice. I beamed at her, immediately snapped out of my bad mood as Andromeda's fun never seems to disappoint. "What're we doing?" I asked eagerly. Her smile widened,

"We're going out!" she declared, equally as excited.