Chapter 14 - Casa Lupin (but not for long…)

** Warning for child abuse **

Sirius Black was sitting on the edge of his bed, holding the piece of parchment he'd received from Remus. He tried not to cry as he read it but the whole thing was just so sodding unfair…

Dear Sirius,

I really hope this gets to you. I put 'Regulus' on the front as I thought your parents wouldn't check his mail as much as they might yours (I hope it worked and you're reading this!)

Mum and dad say they'd love for you to come on July 31st for a week. Do you think you can? Please say yes, It won't be the same without you.

Let me know (if you can…)

Love, Remus

Sirius smiled as he got to the end of the letter, in spite of how he was feeling. Remus was the only twelve-year-old boy he knew who wrote 'love' at the end of his letters.

Of course Sirius wanted to go to Remus' on 31st. One week wasn't nearly enough because it meant nearly a whole month with his stinking family after, but he'd still gladly accept the invite. But then he remembered that he wasn't his parents. Remus hadn't really been asking him, he'd been asking them. The ones who always said no to anything he ever wanted to do.

It had been good of Regulus to give him the letter, he supposed. He was surprised he'd dared disobey their mother, the evil, hateful witch that she was.

He scrunched the letter up and threw it in the bin.

He couldn't go to Remus' house. And he couldn't send any letter back to tell him. What a pointless, hopeless, stupid, trapped…

There was a knock at the door. He sat up in his bed and looked over at it. "Yes?" He said politely, in case it was one of his parents.

Someone small shuffled in and closed the door behind them. It was only Regulus. He sighed and sunk back down on his bed.

"What?"

"I just wanted to ask what the letter said?"

Sirius pointed at the bin. "It's in there. Fish it out if you're curious."

Regulus did so, straightening it out and reading quickly.

"Oh Sirius." His face fell as he looked at his brother. "I'm sorry."

"'Course you're sorry." He snorted. "You're not sorry. If you were sorry you'd be trying to help me find a way out of here."

"Why would I do that?"

"Well you wouldn't, obviously. That's my point."

Regulus glared at him and he glared back. "Go on, run back to mummy. Don't tell her you were talking to me or she might get cross with you. Heaven forbid."

"You're being a real prat."

"You're being a bad brother. Why won't you help me break out of here?"

Regulus glared at him and then he sighed. "Alright, I'll help you. On one condition."

"Name it."

"You tell mother it was you who smashed the porcelain vase last week."

Sirius stared at him. "Why do you care?"

"Because she thinks it was me!"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Fine. Done." He knew his mother would be a lot less forgiving for his carelessness than her precious golden boy's, but if that's what it took, he'd do it.

And so they agreed on an plan. His brother snuck into his bedroom with their parents' screech owl, Hades, to whose leg he fastened a reply to Remus, and Regulus promised to distract their parents with a sung rendition of 'The Hippogriff on the Hill' while Sirius snuck out of the front door.

It was all arranged and it was all executed. Sirius snorted as he heard his younger brother's high pitched voice from the morning room upstairs, then threw his satchel over his shoulder and walked out of the house.

He'd had the foresight to extract (meaning steal) some muggle money from his dad's study earlier in the week. He hadn't been back in there (to his extreme relief) at all this summer. Though his mother had been furious with him and the more he defied her the worse she got, his dad seemed to be losing the will a bit. Sirius wondered how much of his behaviour towards his son was of his own choice and how much was dictated to him by his indomitable wife. He supposed he ought to be glad to see the old man finally showing some grit, for his sake if nothing else.

He glared past the man's old wooden cane as he rummaged in the desk drawer, finding (as he'd hoped) a little pouch full of odd pieces of silver and copper that his parents used whenever they were forced into muggle London. Sirius found it oddly amusing that his father kept the two things in the same place.

After sneaking back out of the study, he'd behaved impeccably for the next few days, giving his parents absolutely no opportunity to lock him in his room or anywhere else unpleasant, and now his bag was packed and he was ready to leave.

He felt a surge of gratitude to his brother as he took to the grimy streets of muggle London. He hadn't needed to do that. It was oddly decent of him. Sirius knew he'd deny all knowledge of his brother's escape and so have no chance of being at risk of any punishment, but he'd not behaved like quite as much of an arse as usual at least.

Sirius felt like an arse, walking through London in his smart clothes, with everyone else wearing brilliant colours and casual T-shirts. Why were his parents so stiff and boring about everything.

He boarded a northbound train from King's Cross (not from platform nine and three quarters this time) that would take him to a city where he knew he could get to Remus' house from. It all worked out excellently. They hadn't even checked tickets yet and if they did he'd just duck into the loo (he'd save the money for real emergencies).

Though he'd promised Remus he'd find a way to make it to his house (he usually just asked muggles the closer he got to the address), he arrived at the station to find Remus, Hope and Lyall Lupin, James Potter and Peter Pettigrew already there waiting for him.

They rushed over to greet him as he walked over to them. "You made it!" James cried, clapping him on the back.

"How did you manage it?" Peter asked.

"We're so glad you're here." Hope and Lyall said.

"Not as glad as I am." Sirius said, grinning broadly at them all.

The Lupins' home was about an hour's drive from York. As they drove, the countryside became greener and hillier, and Sirius found himself transfixed by the beauty of it, having never seen the likes before in grey London. There was so much green space!

Hope Lupin ushered them inside the little house and made them all lemonade, inviting them to 'make themselves at home' and Remus brought them up the single flight of stairs to his bedroom. There were only two bedrooms upstairs; Remus' parents and Remus'. It really was a very small house.

The kitchen was small too, but Hope Lupin's cooking more than made up for any limitations in size. She served them all home-made scones with jam and cream, strawberry tart and apple turnover. Sirius devoured every delicious morsel.

Hope and Lyall wandered off, Peter and James went outside to spy on the muggle neighbours and Sirius seized his opportunity. There was something he'd been wanting to ask Remus from five minutes into his arrival. He'd had time to observe Remus' mother now. He had seen her driving, cooking and gardening. She was a woman of skill, spirit, good conversation and, most significantly, health.

"Lupin." He hissed, cornering his friend in the kitchen. "Why are you telling everyone your mum's sick when she's not?"

Remus glanced around anxiously. "I'm not… I mean she was… She's… She's better now."

"She's better." Sirius repeated, looking out of the window to where Hope was walking over to James and Peter, presumably to ask what they were up to.

"Sirius, please leave it." Remus pleaded. "She was sick, now she's not. Er… She might be again. Who knows? But…"

Sirius looked at him and saw the panic in Remus' brown eyes. He'd told enough lies in his life to recognise that look. He sighed. "Why won't you tell me the truth?"

But Remus was spared answering by the arrival back inside of James and Peter, both of whom were laughing hysterically.

"That bloke to the right was in a paddling pool!" Peter shrieked through his mirth.

"Peter says only muggle kids use them." James said, laughing so hard he was doubled over. "His stomach was so fat it was hanging over the edge!"

Peter clapped a hand on his thigh and laughed twice as hard.

"Boys, it's not kind to laugh." Hope said, coming in and pretending to smack them. "Poor Mr Lewis is still recovering from his hip operation. We need to be kind." But then her lip twitched too. "Did he have a can of Fosters?"

James opened his mouth to tell Mrs Lupin exactly what old Mr Lewis had been up to but before he could do so there was a sharp knock at the door.

Hope frowned at her husband and went over to open it. Sirius' stomach did a backflip. There, standing in the doorway, like something straight out of a horror film, was his mother. And, held tightly in her grip, was Regulus.

Sirius could do nothing but stare at her. His mother, here, now?! It wasn't possible. She wouldn't have come here.

"Come, Sirius, we're leaving." She snapped from the doorway. She seemed quite calm but Sirius still felt a shiver run down his spine as he looked back at her.

"Surely that's a bit soon!" Hope said, trying to smile at the woman. "Won't you come in and have a cup of tea? I'd love to have a chance to meet you properly. You must be Sirius' mother? He's such a lovely boy. You must be so proud of him."

"If you do not come here right now I will make you." Sirius' mother said, ignoring Hope and glaring at her son.

Sirius stood, rooted to the spot, quite unable to move. He couldn't go with her. He wanted to stay here.

Her face was twisting now. And though he knew the sensible thing to do was to heed her, how could he possibly?!

With a snarl of rage, she pushed passed Hope, grabbed him painfully by the arm and turned on the spot with him.

Sirius felt the same strange sensation he'd had last time he'd disapparated. It was like he was being squeezed through a very narrow tube. He wasn't sure if his mother was really supposed to apparate with him or Reg at their age, but then there were quite a few things his mother wasn't really supposed to do...

The moment they arrived in the stone basement of number twelve, she pulled him to his feet and slapped him hard. "How dare you." She hissed as his eyes watered with pain. "And dragging your poor brother into it too. You just wait..." She shot him a threatening glare, spun on the spot and vanished again.

Shaking slightly, Sirius glanced quickly around the basement. What could he do? What should he do?! Surely anything would be better than staying trapped here with his mother's rage. How could he possibly escape?! But his time had run out. With a whip-like crack, she was back. This time with his brother, clasped firmly in her iron grip.

Silent tears were running down Regulus' cheeks. He looked utterly wretched.

"It wasn't his fault." Sirius said automatically. "I made him do it."

"As I suspected." His mother said, throwing Regulus from her. He fell against the wall and sunk to the floor where he put his head between his knees, shoulders shaking with silent sobs. "I'm still going to punish him though. Or rather your father will. We have to do something to prevent him ending up entirely like you."

There was no way Sirius was going to let that happen. This was his fault and Regulus was his brother. "Father won't." He said, an idea forming of its own accord in his mind. "He won't have the chance." And before she could stop him, he turned and ran out of the basement, up the stairs and along the hallway. He darted up the first flight of stairs, along the first floor corridor, then up to the next flight.

"Sirius Black!" His father's enraged voice came from the floor below. "Stop that at once!"

"Stop what? Stop running?"

He ran back down the stairs to the corridor where his father was standing with his hands on his hips and glaring at him.

"Yes. Stop running."

"You can't stop me running at Hogwarts." Sirius told him. "You can't stop me doing anything at Hogwarts."

"So we have realised."

He looked over his shoulder to where Regulus and his mother were coming now. He knew his time was running out.

"You don't know the half of it." He said with a slightly shaky laugh. "Guess whose house I was in today? A muggle's. Guess who I've danced with at school? A muggleborn. And no I won't say mudblood. Because they're not the ones with dirty blood around here. When was the last time anyone in this family actually checked how pure their blood -"

But he got no further. Finally losing his temper, his father had lunged forwards and grabbed him, twisting his arm painfully behind his back. His mother had reached them now too. She drew out her wand and pointed it directly at his throat.

His eyes met Reg's. His brother was hiding behind the stairs. He was looking terrified. Sirius knew he wouldn't say anything. He'd chosen this for him, he'd pay the price. If only the stupid idiot would run and hide. He didn't need to see what happened next.

Their mother banned Regulus from speaking to his brother for the remainder of the summer but fortunately he hadn't paid a worse price for Sirius' disobedience.

Sirius, for his part, felt like his entire body had been hit by a battering ram. How could anyone experience so much pain and still exist? He groaned and turned onto his back. It didn't help.

He wondered what his friends were doing at Casa Lupin, where though the house had been small it had been peaceful, comforting and homely. Everything the 'Noble and Most Ancient House of Black' wasn't.

There was the sound of footsteps from the corridor followed by a rustling on the carpet. Sirius sat in bed up to see a piece of parchment slide under his bedroom door.

Every muscle in his body protesting, he got up and walked over to it.

It wasn't a long note but he imagined it had taken Regulus a long time to work up the courage to send it.

He felt his face crack into an involuntary smile as he read.

I'm sorry I'm not more brave. Gobstones when mother and father are out tomorrow? RAB.

He reached for a favourite quill and scribbled a reply underneath.

You're learning. Gobstones sound great. S x

His parents could take away a lot from him. But not everything.