Chapter Text
Friday 25th June 1971
Sirius was awake, he had been awake for hours, in fact he didn’t even go to sleep, Andy and Cissy came back from Hogwarts today. Being stuck at home with Bella and Regulus was torture, all Bella did was throw curses at him, one time in April he was putting on a drama piece about going to Azkaban for Regulus when she crept up behind him and struck the skinny boy with the leg locking jinks. Walburga gave him a nasty time for that even though it was Bella, according to him mother he needed to be more aware of his surrounding especially now, Sirius had no idea what she meant by ‘now’ but thought better than to question her and simply went back to Reggie with his new unlocked legs. Sirius’ head was overwhelmed knowing that Regulus birthday was the next day and everyone would be there, everyone was coming, even the Crouch’s probably because Barty Crouch. Sr had a son the same ages as Regulus.
The room shuddered, something below him had fallen but silently, he was sure everyone in the house felt it, most likely Bella trying to levitate Kreacher, she should know the old, plumpy house elf cannot be lifted he weighed way too much. Sirius had always wanted to provide him with some sort of irrelevant clothing such as a tie or a sock to get rid of the thing, he had always hated Sirius even since he was born, no matter how kind he was to the house elf it just didn’t approve of him, perhaps it thought he wasn’t a true Black or whatever. He couldn’t lay there any longer, he needed to move around, but where his room wasn’t much of a place to move and anywhere a good size would surely get him in trouble, an idea flooded his brain, the loft, it was the perfect size for some early morning walking and the stairs were just across from his bedroom door.
He cautiously slipped out his warm room into the eery hallway, this house never felt welcoming more so repelling as if the house didn’t want him there. The cold wood on his bare feet sent surges of shock up his spine causing him to shiver as the icy air wrapped around him, Sirius reached a thin hand out attempting to grasp the oversized stair railing, he confidently flung himself to where he thought the steps were but in this darkness nothing was visible. He had missed it, the boy collapsed in a pile on the floor, he caught his breath and bolted back to the bedroom and flung himself onto his bed, wrapping the emerald green silk covers around his now limp body to look as asleep as possible in case the good-for-nothing house elf snitches and his mother comes up with a new curse ready to use on him, he was still, so still he drifted to sleep at last.
***
Hours later he awoke in a cold sweat, heart pounding in his chest, as the lingering dread of his reckless escapade clawed at his consciousness. The fear of his mother somehow knowing gnawed at him, making him feel exposed, as though her piercing gaze could already see through his lies. Sirius raised his heavy head to have a clearer view of his window. The early morning sun shone through onto his steel-blue eyes, causing him to wince. He swallowed hard, the dryness in his throat made it difficult. Sirius lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, his mind still clouded with the weight of last night’s transgressions. The morning light stretched further across his room, casting long shadows against the deep green wallpaper. His body felt sluggish, as if his limbs were encased in lead, yet his mind was already racing, anticipating the inevitable. The sound of heavy, deliberate footsteps ascending the stairs sent a fresh wave of unease through him. His mother. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, steadying his breath just as the door creaked open.
“Sirius,” Walburga’s shrill voice cut through the silence, the kind that never truly asked but demanded. “Get up.”
“I’m already up,” Sirius muttered, pushing himself upright, though his body protested.
Walburga lingered in the doorway, scrutinizing him, her lips pressing into a thin line. “Good,” she said coolly. “Then you can make yourself presentable. Breakfast is waiting.”
And with that, she turned sharply, the air thick with unspoken tension, leaving Sirius to steel himself for whatever the day would bring. He exhaled sharply as Walburga’s footsteps receded down the stairs. His fingers curled into the sheets, gripping them for a moment before he forced himself to move. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he ran a hand through his tangled hair, trying to shake the last remnants of sleep from his mind.
With a sigh, he pushed himself up and crossed the room to his wardrobe. He caught his reflection in the mirror—a pale face, dark circles under his eyes, the rebellious glint that never quite left his expression. His mother would expect him to be polished, perfect, the Black heir she wanted him to be. He smirked bitterly at the thought.
Breakfast with his family was never a peaceful affair. He threw on a dark button-down, ignoring the crisp robes hanging beside it, and raked his fingers through his hair in a half-hearted attempt to tame it. His mother would have something to say about that, no doubt. Everyone would, no matter how hard he tried there was always something wrong with him, even down to how shiny his shoes were.
With a final deep breath, he stepped out into the hall, heading downstairs. The house felt stifling, suffocating, it’s very walls heavy with generations of expectations he had no interest in meeting. He could already hear voices drifting from the dining room—his mother’s clipped tone, his father’s occasional grunt of acknowledgment, the quiet murmur of his younger brother, Regulus and of course his aunt and uncle bickering over who Andromeda was to marry after her seventh year— which happened to be the following September.
Bracing himself, Sirius squared his shoulders and strode forward, slipping into his usual mask of defiance. Another morning in Grimmauld Place. Another battle waiting to happen. He slumped down to the dining room, he leant against the stair railing, he was exhausted and debated whether or not to go back to bed but though he best not, his mother would surely come to him with an unforgivable curse or something. With each step the scent of sausages and potatoes invaded his nostril even more intensely, a large breakfast was too be expected today since his cousins were coming home from Hogwarts. Sirius was thrilled for Andromeda to be around again, the last she was in the house was Christmas, it was obviously overly eventful but not in a good way. Her mother and father had attempted to set and arranged marriage for her with Avery II once he came of age, he was the same age as Sirius, Andy had refused for his age. Things after that didn’t go smoothly, everyone but Sirius ignored her and both were cursed.
Finaly, he came to the very last step, he stared at the dark dingy wall only about five feet away from his face.
“Sirius!” the cold voice of his mother called out, “Where in Merlin are you.”
He rolled his eyes and took a deep breath before staggering his way into the dining room where six pairs of icy cold eyes met him.
“Sorry mother, I couldn’t find my socks.” He uttered skittishly.
“Sit then.” She said ushering to a chair next the Regulus.
He sat down reluctantly, he so badly wanted to just run away but had nowhere to go. Sirius lowered his eyes to the barren plate at his seat, he was absolutely famished and in desperate need of some food to keep him awake. The house elf came shuffling in before hovering near Sirius and snaping it’s grimy yellow fingers. An abundance of food appeared on his plate, sausages, mashed potato, mushrooms and much more. He fumbled around for his cutlery and indulging in the goodness of this English breakfast.
“Father what time are Andromeda and Narcissa expected home?” questioned the innocent boy next the Sirius.
“The train will arrive at the station at seven o’clock, and everyone is expected to be ready to collect them.” He replied fiercely whilst staring at Sirius as though he would be causing issues when leaving for Kings Cross, Sirius chose to ignore the look from his father and continue to eat his mushrooms.