Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and events from J.K. Rowling's wonderful Harry Potter books. I am writing this for my own enjoyment and hopefully for the enjoyment of readers. Anything you recognize belongs to JKR. The rest belongs to me.
Warning: This chapter contains some child abuse.
Chapter 49: Return to Grimmauld Place
The last few days of term passed without much chaos, that is, except for a few mysterious happenings. Severus Snape ended up in the hospital wing for the afternoon while Madame Pomfrey tried to find the appropriate charm to remove bagpipes from his mouth. Students who walked by the hospital wing could hear the grating off-key tones of the instrument as Snape grunted in frustration.
The other mysterious event that occurred was the sudden disappearance of Professor Peurom. Emmeline Vance had gone to his office to discuss her DADA grade and had found his desk and bookshelves completely cleared out. When she encountered Professor Dumbledore in the corridor and asked him about it he nodded his head sadly though he did not seem surprised.
James wondered where Professor Peurom went and why he left in such a rush. He had wanted to ask the professor more about the Veil but Peurom had been able to avoid James by leaving class as soon as his lectures were finished. James resigned himself to the idea that this mystery would not be completely solved.
He and the rest of the school turned their attentions toward the upcoming summer. For the first time in a few years James was looking forward to going home. Ever since the incident with his boggart James felt foolish about how he had acted around his mum after the death of his father. He had never thought his father's death was his mum's fault, but he had had difficulty seeing the grief in her eyes when he had not been able to acknowledge his own. Now that he had finally released some of his pent up grief he felt more comfortable at the thought of returning home. The thing that bothered James most about returning home would be the separation from his friends.
James had invited Sirius over for the summer however Sirius told James he was expected to return to his family's home. Sirius was rather tight-lipped when the Marauders spoke of their summer plans. Sirius did not want to think about being around his family for such a long time. He tried to concentrate on having fun before he was forced to board the train that would drag him home.
If he had his druthers he would have gone to James' home, but he knew his parents would never allow him to step into the home of 'blood traitors.' They didn't know about Sirius' visits during the other school holidays. As far as they knew he had stayed at Hogwarts for Christmas and Easter. Since no student was permitted to remain at Hogwarts during the summer holiday Sirius did not have an excuse to give his family for not returning home.
"You okay, mate?" asked James as the Hogwarts Express made its way into King's Cross Station.
Sirius grabbed his trunk and with sarcasm said, "Never better."
James knew that Sirius was not looking forward to returning home and he suspected that his parents did not treat him well. He remembered Mrs. Black slapping Sirius before their first journey to Hogwarts and he was pretty sure he had seen a bruise on his friend's face last summer when they contacted each other through their mirrors.
Sirius never told James the entire truth about his visits home. It wasn't that he was trying to protect his family. Sirius didn't want to admit to his friends that his parents could affect him so negatively. He preferred to be the easy-going friend, the brave Gryffindor. Ever since he had been sorted into Gryffindor he wanted to make it clear that he belonged there. His pranking and hexing the Slytherins wasn't just good fun. James had his reasons for hating Slytherins - he associated them with the people who killed his father. Sirius had his own reasons - he associated them with his family.
As Sirius slowly made his way through the barrier he saw Marianne hugging James. When she looked up and saw him she smiled and waved in greeting. Sirius started to smile but froze when he saw the cold probing eyes of his mother 10 feet away. Sirius glanced at Marianne and James and as he walked past them he forced a smile and told James he'd see him in a few months. Sirius' mother narrowed her dark eyes at her oldest son as he approached her.
"What were you doing with those blood traitors?" she sneered as she glared in the direction of Marianne and James.
"Hello to you too, Mother," muttered Sirius.
Elphaba Black tightly grabbed Sirius' arm and started to pull him out of the station. As they made their way into a nearby alley she pushed him against the wall and said, "Don't you use that smart mouth with me! You may be a disgrace to the Black family name but I'll be damned if you will speak to me like that, especially in public!" She picked up an old shoe and looked at her watch. Holding the shoe toward her son she ordered, "Go on, grab hold of it. The portkey's due to leave in a minute."
Sirius tightened his grip on his trunk as he reluctantly touched the shoe with his other hand. A few seconds later came the familiar tugging at his navel that indicated that they were being transported home. Once they landed Sirius' frown deepened as he saw the Black family estate on Grimmauld Place. To Sirius, seeing his childhood home did not bring back fond memories - it was like a prison except the only thing missing was a dementor guarding the door.
Elphaba pushed her son toward the stairs and scolded, "Hurry up! The last thing I need is for some filthy Muggles to see us."
Sirius scowled at the familiar sight of the silver door knocker in the shape of a serpent. His family had a penchant for serpents, seeing as how they were all Slytherins. As they walked inside he saw the chandelier and candelabra, also in the shape of serpents.
"So, you're back, are you?" sneered a voice to his left. Sirius looked over to see the portrait of his mother frowning at him. "Thought you'd have been disowned by now, you shameful Gryffindor!"
Sirius shook his head and dragged his trunk to the stairs. As he made the ascent he saw the familiar sight of the shrunken house elf heads glaring at him as if he had been the one to perform their decapitation.
"Mr. Sirius! Mr. Sirius! You's back. Let Beeste get your trunk for you."
Sirius turned to the house elf as he hobbled toward him. He smiled as he saw the tiny elf snap his fingers, elevating his trunk. "Thanks, Beeste." Beeste had been with his family since Sirius was a toddler and he always showed Sirius some kindness, though he had to hide it from the rest of the family.
As they reached the door to the bedroom, Sirius paused. He recalled being locked inside on many occasions as punishment, the worst being the summer after his first year when he had been locked inside for almost the entire holiday. His room was both his prison and his haven away from his family. At least when he was locked up they left him alone. It was for that reason only that Sirius was able to step inside the room.
"Leave us, Beeste," came the voice of Elphaba from the doorway. The small elf scurried out of the room after bowing low toward his mistress. She turned her gaze on Sirius and said, "We are having company this evening. Your aunt, uncle and cousins will be here to honor the completion of Andromeda's studies. You will make yourself presentable and keep your mouth shut during their visit." Without waiting for a reply she turned and stormed out of the room.
Sirius opened his trunk and pulled out a calendar. "Welcome home, Sirius," he spat. "Only 65 days left in this hellhole until I can return to my real home."
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That evening Sirius waited until he heard the voices of his cousins before grudgingly making his way to the dining room. As he entered he saw his father seating himself at the head of the table and his mother seating herself opposite him. His aunt and uncle sat near his father while he saw Andromeda, Narcissa, and Bellatrix seated with Regulus. There was one seat left and it was between Regulus and his mother.
"Stop dawdling and sit so we can eat," ordered Elphaba.
Dinner was nothing that Sirius wasn't used to. He listened as his parents praised Regulus for receiving his Hogwarts letter. They were not thrilled about sending their youngest son to the school that had placed their eldest son in Gryffindor, but after Sirius' antics at Durmstrang the other wizarding schools were not eager to accept another Black just yet. Still, his parents were proud that Regulus was a wizard and hoped that he would uphold the Black traditions and values.
Since the dinner was in honor of his cousin, a large portion of the conversation was centered around Andromeda. She was awaiting the results of her NEWTs and was enjoying a break before applying for jobs at the Ministry.
"I'm certain they will accept your application, Andromeda," said Elphaba. "After all, the Black family has been established for generations. They wouldn't dare turn you away. It's good to see that more people such as yourself will be able to make a difference at the Ministry." She glanced at Sirius and said, "Merlin knows there are too many half breeds, Mudbloods, and blood traitors trying to change the way things should be."
Sirius turned a few shades of red as he tried to focus on eating his dinner. He wanted to shake his mother and scream the truth at her about where she could put her so-called beliefs. He knew, however, that that would make things much worse for him. He knew she was looking at him, egging him on to see if he would be disobedient. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction of knowing she had gotten to him. 'In a few years,' he thought to himself, 'in a few years, I won't ever have to see them again.'
He tried to ignore the conversation until he heard the name 'Potter' mentioned. He looked at his father who was saying, "I agree. The Potters are the biggest blood traitors out there. They have been blessed with generations of wizard's blood and they want to dirty themselves supporting half breeds and Mudbloods."
Regulus grinned and said, "Narcissa, weren't you saying something about one of the Potter's earlier?"
Narcissa tucked a strand of her long blonde hair behind her ear and sweetly replied, "Oh, yes! I was recalling some of the trouble that Sirius got into with James Potter at Hogwarts." She looked at Sirius with a cool gleam in her pale blue as she continued. "They are best friends, from what I've heard and seen."
Sirius' dad dropped his fork and spat at Sirius, "You mean to tell me you're consorting with a Potter?!"
Elphaba narrowed her eyes and said, "Just as I suspected! I saw how friendly you were with that boy in the station. That was Joseph Potter's son, wasn't it?"
Sirius couldn't hold his tongue anymore. He looked his mother squarely in the eye and said, "Yes, James is the son of Joseph Potter." He turned and looked at his father. "AND he is my friend, my BEST friend."
"What did you expect, Father?" said Regulus. "He betrayed us by becoming a Gryffindor. Even so, he could have chosen to ignore Potter and find more suitable friends."
Sirius clenched his fists as he looked at his weasel of a brother, who just smirked back at him.
Octavius Black slammed his fist onto the table and said, "You are NOT to speak to that boy again!"
Sirius stood up and yelled, "I will speak with whomever I wish! He's my friend and that will NEVER change!"
Octavius slowly stood up, his dark eyes menacing. "What did you say, boy?"
Ignoring his survival instincts, Sirius continued, "You heard what I said! James Potter is my friend and he has more honor in his pinky than all of you combined! You're all a bunch of phony, stuck-up bigots!"
Sirius stormed out of the room and ran to his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. He paced the room, trying to work off some of the angry energy that had invaded his system. He kicked his trunk, causing him to curse and rub his toes.
A minute later Octavius burst through the door, his face flushed and fury pulsating through him. He strode the short distance between himself and his son and struck Sirius across the face, sending him to the floor. He leaned over and lifted Sirius by the collar. "Don't you ever disrespect me or the family name!"
Sirius glared back at him with his rebellious black eyes, one of which had a nasty bruise starting to form. This infuriated Octavius further and he flung Sirius back to the floor and pulled out his wand.
Sirius sneered and taunted, "Going to cast the Cruciatus Curse, Father?" Although Sirius dreaded the Unforgivable Curse, a part of him hoped his father would cast it so he could be sent to Azkaban.
Octavius shook his head and gave his son a cold, calculating smile. "Do you think I would be stupid enough to cast an Unforgivable Curse?" Before Sirius could reply he said, "There are other curses that can be cast that will produce similar results, just not to the degree of the Cruciatus Curse." Sirius' eyes widened as his father flicked his wand and pointed it at Sirius' leg.
Sirius' face tightened as he felt a tremendous amount of pressure being cast upon his right leg. He wanted to cry out but didn't want to give his father the satisfaction of seeing that weakness. Finally, a minute later his father lifted the curse and said, "You will not speak with that boy again."
Sirius caught his breath, feeling sweat dripping down his temple. "I will!" he shouted.
Once again Octavius raised his wand and cast a curse, this time causing Sirius right arm to feel as if it was being twisted. This continued off an on for about a half hour - Octavius casting painful curses and demanding obedience while Sirius defiantly told him to go to Hell. Toward the end Sirius could not take much more of the pain and was near losing consciousness. Octavius stood over him and said, "If you insist on defying me then I will not let you out of this room. Let's see how many meals you can miss before you feel ready to comply."
As darkness crept into Sirius' vision he heard the sound of his door being locked.
A few hours later he woke to the vibrations of the mirror in his shirt pocket. He groggily reached up and pulled out the mirror, relieved to see it had not broken during his punishment. Sirius, painful from the curses, crept to a dark corner of his room where he felt James wouldn't be able to see his bruises. He looked into the mirror and said his friend's name, allowing James' face to appear in the glass.
Sirius threw on his most convincing grin and said, "Prongs! How's your holiday so far?"
James grinned back and said, "Interesting to say the least. Mum got a cat. She said the house seemed too empty, even with Joseph on the dining room wall to keep her company."
"A cat?!" Sirius did not have much of a liking for the little fur balls. They reminded him of Mrs. Norris and he fondly recalled the last time they had stuffed her in the Vanishing Cabinet.
"Yeah, a cat," replied James. "It's already torn up half the furniture but Mum doesn't seem to mind. That's a complete surprise since she always jumped down my throat if I came near the furniture with dirty hands. Guess I know who she cares about most!" joked James.
Sirius smirked but his breath caught as he felt a jab a pain shoot up from his ribs.
James noticed and squinted his eyes, trying to get a better look at his friend who was in the shadows. "You okay, Padfoot?"
"Fine," Sirius stiffly replied.
"Are you sure? I mean, has your family given you any trouble yet?" asked James.
Sirius didn't look at the mirror, fearing he would see pity from his friend's eyes. He hurriedly grinned and said, "I'm just thinking of ways to welcome my little brother to Hogwarts this fall after he makes it into Slytherin! I was thinking of using the Jelly-Legs Jinx after he gets off the stool to walk to the Slytherin table."
James took Sirius' cue that he did not want to delve into his latest family experiences and they spent the next half hour thinking of ways to humiliate Regulus at school.
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A/N: So…sorry it isn't pleasant, but that is the start of Sirius' summer. I had to write it this way because in a few years he'll be running away - have to show his home life and what events lead up to his leaving. Plus, it'll make James and his mum's friendship with him that much more important.
Another bonus question! à Where did I get the name of Sirius' mum from?
Thanks to my wonderful reviewers: hpfreak, Alicia, lilly flower, Mrs. Pendragan (x2), likediamondrain, Anu, mani12191, Jo Bob, sweetie513, mystical cah (x2), sista7 (x2), I <3 Harry…, Nyscat, delpheena (x2).
Shameless plug: I just wrote another one-shot Lily/James ficlet. It's meant to be humorous. It's called Music of the Night. Scroll on down and click on the link - let me know what you think.
Next chapter: We'll see how Remus is doing at home this summer.