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.
Author's note: This chapter contains some disturbing events. Be prepared if you are going to read further.
Chapter 82: The Final Straw
The next day brought about the final O.W.L. exam of the year, Transfiguration. At this point, all of the students were itching to finish so that they could finally look forward to the upcoming summer holiday. Poor Zinnia Zucker was in such a dither that when she was asked to perform a Vanishing Spell on a teacup she missed and accidentally vanished Professor Tofty's toupee.
Professor McGonagall managed to conjure his toupee, though the dog that Liam Parkinson had just transfigured from a chair decided to race over and snatch it. Professor Tofty became rather flustered as he watched several people attempting to salvage the hairpiece from the slobbery confines of the dog's mouth. Unfortunately, the dog swallowed the toupee, leading to a new dilemma. In order for Liam to get full marks on his transfiguration, he would have to return the dog to its original form as a chair. If that took place, then the toupee would be gone forever. That being said, other methods of retrieving the hairpiece were not favorable, either, so Professor Tofty woefully allowed Liam to finish the transfiguration. Professor Marchbanks assured him that he looked quite dignified as a bald man.
Despite the usual O.W.L. mishaps, the exams finished and the fifth year students joyously flocked out of the Great Hall ready to celebrate their freedom from studies. The general mood was of relief and joy, however a handful of fifth year students were not as buoyantly happy.
James had not spoken to or approached Lily since what had been deemed as the 'big tell-off' by the those who had been present to witness it. He tried to play it off like nothing was bothering him, however those who knew him knew better, since James normally spent about 50 percent of his time finding ways to ask Lily out or get her attention. They knew that if he hadn't been upset by Lily's words, he would have brushed it off and continued to pursue her.
Despite the 'big tell-off,' James did not heed Lily's words. In fact, he seemed more intent than ever on tormenting Snape. He didn't do anything to the degree as when he had dangled Snape in the air, however he did little things like sending tripping hexes and making snide comments about the Slytherin's hygiene. He tended to become more vocal in his taunting when Lily was nearby, as if trying to prove a point.
Lily did her best to avoid James. She tended to stay cloistered in her room unless she was forced by Alice or Marlene to go down to the Great Hall to eat, or if she had to go on a patrol. Lily was counting down the few remaining days until the trip home. She loved Hogwarts and her lessons, but she wasn't ready to face James again. Conversation with Remus during their patrols had been somewhat clipped, as she was hoping he wouldn't bring up the subject of James, and Remus was feeling slightly guilty for not intervening during the 'big tell-off.'
Alice tried talking to Lily more about what happened but Lily, as usual, closed the subject of James and chose to focus on other things like packing for the trip home. After her final attempt at the end of the trip to King's Cross, Alice gave up and grabbed her trunk. When she reached the exit of the train, she saw Frank bidding farewell to Amy. Alice cringed, still not used to seeing the guy she liked hugging and kissing the girl she had dubbed, 'Perky-Nose.'
After Amy walked through the barrier, Frank turned and saw Alice watching him. He paused, watching her for a moment before taking a deep breath and approaching her. "Here," he said, grabbing her trunk and pulling it off of the train, "let me help." Once the trunk was safely on the ground, he turned back to Alice and offered her a hand to help her down.
Alice gave him a shy smile before taking his hand, feeling how perfect it felt surrounding her own. Once she had stepped down, she looked up at him and said, "Thanks."
"I should be the one thanking you," he said with a smile, "for helping me so much this year."
"I'm sure you did fine," reassured Alice. "You had those counter curses down pat before the exam."
Frank shrugged and said, "We'll see."
"We find out our scores in July, right?" asked Alice.
"Yeah, though I probably won't see mine until right before I get on the Hogwarts Express," said Frank.
"Why not?" asked Alice.
"Mum owled me yesterday and told me we're going on holiday to Siberia all summer," he replied. "We'll be in some pretty remote areas and we won't be coming back until the very end of August. She'll probably have the owls drop our mail off at the home address, unless it's something critical."
Alice marveled at Mrs. Longbottom's choice in vacation spots. Frank had regaled her before with stories of some of his previous holiday locations, such as the Sahara and Greenland. "So I guess I'll see you in September?"
"Yeah…I'd owl you, but…" he said.
"Remote Siberian terrain…right," she said.
They gazed downwards, both suddenly realizing that he was still holding her hand. Alice looked up and saw Frank's warm brown eyes looking back at her. Alice attempted to discern what thoughts lay behind those pools of chocolate, all the while hoping her stomach wouldn't growl again from the allusion to chocolate.
"Frank!"
Frank dropped her hand and turned to find his mum standing by the barrier, summoning him to join her. He grabbed his things and with one last look at Alice, he gently said, "Goodbye, Alice. See you in a few months."
Alice swallowed the lump starting to form in her throat at the idea of not seeing him for so long and replied, "Bye."
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Many people could come up with a list of adjectives for Sirius Black. He was handsome, he was impetuous, he was fun, he was loyal. But nobody who knew Sirius would call him unintelligent. That was why he was suspicious when his mother greeted him with less than the usual number of barbs about his misbehavior and the dishonor he routinely brought to the Black family name.
In fact, Sirius had been certain that he would be in for more than the usual 'welcome home' rant, since his parents presumed he had something to do with Andromeda's secession from the Black family. Instead, his mother had been silent as she led him and Regulus to the portkey to transport them to Grimmauld Place.
She didn't say anything until Sirius was about to drag his things upstairs to his room. She summoned Beeste to take his things and once the little house elf was out of sight she turned her steely gaze onto Sirius and said, "We're having guests tonight. I've laid out a set of dress robes for you. Make sure you wear them and make yourself look presentable."
Sirius watched his mother walk away, thinking that maybe things weren't that out of place as he originally thought. After all, it wasn't uncommon for him to endure a family dinner after arriving home for the summer. As he walked to his room, he still couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something just wasn't right.
He saw the set of robes his mother had left for him. They were black, with the Black family crest embroidered on one side. Sirius picked them up and grimaced as he saw the familiar words, 'Toujours Pur' at the bottom of the crest. Those words had been drilled into his head for as long as he could remember. His mother claimed they had been Regulus's first words as a baby.
Sirius decided that, even though he knew he'd eventually get in trouble for something, he would try to survive that evening by humoring his mother and putting on the robes. He would attend the dinner and eat the food, trying to blur out the insanity surrounding him. And that's exactly what he did. As soon as he donned the dress robes and combed his hair, he proceeded downstairs to the sitting room to wait for the guests. His mother had never said who would be joining them.
He sat on an armchair, letting his mind drift to the previous summer where he had had his moments of escape, sneaking to James's house every weekend because of the deal he had made with Andromeda. Now there was no Andromeda to help him scheme, and no chance of the fun he had had last summer. Sirius was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice his mother introducing the guests to him.
He finally snapped out of it enough to see an austere looking couple with a son about his age. The boy looked rather odd, with what looked like one eyebrow painted across his forehead and a hairy mole attached near the corner of his lip. Sirius missed the boy's greeting, his attention instead drawn to the movement of the mole as he spoke.
As they sat down at the dining room table, Sirius noticed several times during the meal that his parents' eyes were focused on him. They didn't have the usual reprimand; they just seemed watchful…almost curious. No matter, Sirius continued to focus more on the meal at hand rather than the conversation at hand. It wasn't until he heard the word 'marriage' that his ears keened to what was being said.
"It will make a very respectable union," said Octavius Black.
Sirius's mother, Elphaba, looked quite pleased as she agreed, "Imagine…the Black family uniting with the Malfoy family. Narcissa was quite pleased when her parents told her of the betrothal."
Turning to the man (Sirius had not paid attention to his name during their introduction), Octavius said, "I have heard very good things about the Krueger name. How far back does your line go?"
Sirius stifled a laugh, realizing that the conversation almost sounded like they were comparing the purity of dog breeds rather than people.
In a thick German accent, the man replied, "We can prove the purity of our lineage for over 1000 years. I am afraid there was war around that time, destroying any records of our lineage from before then, though it is said we go back another 500 years beyond that, at least."
Elphaba glanced at Sirius before focusing on her guests again. She had a prim smile as she said, "That is very impressive."
Sirius noticed the boy kept looking at him, the mole occasionally twitching. It was rather disconcerting.
The man puffed his chest out in pride and said, "Shall we discuss the arrangements, then?"
Octavius nodded and replied, "It will take place in two years time."
"I agree. There is no sense rushing into a wedding when they are this young," replied the woman.
Sirius had a queasy feeling in his stomach as he asked, "Who's getting married?"
Every eye at the table turned on him, the guests' looking confused and his parents' looking impatient. Regulus was sitting next to him with a giant smirk on his face.
"Well, you are, young man," said the woman. "To my daughter."
Sirius could have sworn he felt his jaw hitting the floor at the news and he ignored the warning looks he was receiving from his mother. "Married?! The hell I am!"
"Quiet down!" hissed Elphaba.
Sirius, ignoring Regulus's sniggers, continued, "You're trying to get me to marry some girl I've never even met?! I don't even want to get married!"
The man looked even more confused as he said, "What do you mean? You've met her." His eyes darted to the boy sitting next to him, and Sirius felt a pang of nausea as he studied the person sitting across from him.
Too distressed to be tactful, Sirius exclaimed, "You're a girl?!"
The girl (apparently) widened her eyes, obviously upset and said, "You thought I was a boy?!"
Sirius tried not to look directly at her for fear that the sight of the hairy mole dancing by her lip would lull him into a trance. He needed to stay focused on the matter at hand. "I will NOT let you force me into getting married!"
Octavius gave Sirius a dangerous look and with a steely voice said, "Brunhilde Krueger comes from a very respectable family, and you should feel fortunate that we have found someone to help you bring honor to our name."
Sirius stood up and shouted, "You think marrying a half-troll who has the personality of a cucumber will bring us honor?!" Seeing the distress on Brunhilde out of the corner of his eye, Sirius gave her a fleeting glance and said, "No offense intended."
Brunhilde and her parents sat there is shock, greatly offended at the insults Sirius had said about her. Mr. Krueger, his face turning a deep shade of red, said, "I thought you had discussed this with your son, Octavius. Perhaps I should rethink this arrangement."
Elphaba gathered her anger and tried to smooth things over. "Please forgive my eldest son, Heinrich. He is going through a rebellious phase right now. You know how teenage boys are…"
The Krueger's left a short while later amidst Elphaba and Octavius's apologies, reassuring them that they would talk sense into Sirius. Sirius, not able to handle listening to their schemes of ruining his life, stormed upstairs and slammed the door. Thinking quick, he rummaged through his trunk and grabbed his wand and pen knife, along with whatever cash he could find laying at the bottom, hiding them behind a loose brick by the fireplace.
Not to his surprise, a short while later Octavius stormed in, enraged that Sirius had had the audacity to defy him so openly in front of such important guests. Sirius, feeling a little taller than the previous summers, and more rebellious, was infuriated and yelled back, saying he would just assume marry a Muggle before marrying some pureblooded cow his family tried to force on him.
That was enough to set off Octavius's violent temper. He struck Sirius, knocking him back a few feet. Sirius did not fall to the ground. He felt his temper, the one he had inherited from his father but managed to keep in check most of the time, bubble to the surface and boil over, causing him to strike back at his father for the first time.
Octavius then drew his wand and placed a full body bind on Sirius, causing him to fall to the floor, now helpless. In a blind fury Octavius beat and cursed Sirius like he never had before, more wrathful than ever after Sirius's defiance at dinner and his attempt at fighting back. By the time Octavius was done, Sirius lay on the floor unconscious, while he left him locked in the room still under the effects of the full body bind.
When Sirius finally started to come to, he wasn't sure how long he had been out, but he was still laying on the floor. He achingly turned from his side onto his back, having to grit his teeth at the pain that shot through his body. He lay there, attempting to assess where he had been injured, before finally giving up and deciding it would be easier to count the places that didn't hurt. His arm and leg were numb from laying on his side for so long, and it felt like his head and ribs were on fire.
As usual, Sirius was left in his room, imprisoned without food. He spent the next few days immobile due to the pain shooting through every nerve in his body. A few times he heard the vibrations coming from the two-way mirror that was stored in his trunk. Part of Sirius desperately wanted to answer, wanting to talk to his best mate in order to remind himself that there was a world of good outside of his own personal hell. The other, prideful side of Sirius did not want James to see him like this, beaten and defeated by his own father, forced into hunger.
During the third night of Sirius' imprisonment, the door silently opened just enough to allow the small presence of Beeste through. He closed the door carefully and approached Sirius, offering him whatever he could sneak out of the kitchens. Sirius, despite his injuries, was by this point hungry enough to force himself to eat, not knowing when the little house elf would be able to sneak him more food again.
After Sirius gratefully handed his plate to Beeste, he crawled back into bed and watched the kind house elf sneak out of his room. He closed his eyes, not seeing the small set of eyes watching from the inside of a nearby room as Beeste left Sirius's room.
As the next day passed, Sirius found himself staring at the loose brick by the fireplace. He felt strong enough to walk around his room more, having to clench his jaw with each step he took. As the night came, Sirius found himself removing the brick and grabbing the pen knife, feeling the need to escape his room for a little bit. Perhaps he could sneak to the kitchen himself while his family slept and nick some food…
He tried the lock and smiled as the gift Andromeda had given him caused a 'click' as the door opened. He peeked outside and noticed the hallway was dim and quiet. Holding onto his sore side, Sirius crept out as quietly as he could, taking care to avoid the floorboards that were known to 'creak' the loudest. As he approached the stairway, he felt confident that his family was tucked away in their rooms for the night.
When Sirius came to the top step, he had the nagging feeling that something wasn't right; the same feeling he had gotten when his mother had picked him up from the train station several days earlier. He found his attention being pulled to the wall beside him, and felt his breath hitch as he saw the familiar face of Beeste, now mounted on the wall beside all of the other 'retired' house elves. He felt the blood drain from his face, knowing that if he had eaten anything that day it would have rebelled onto the stairs.
"I see you've noticed the new addition to our wall," came the voice of Octavius Black from behind Sirius. It made Sirius' blood run cold, his father's voice containing a satisfied edge to it.
Turning around, Sirius felt himself shaking with anger. "You beheaded him?!"
Octavius approached Sirius on the stairs and looked up at Beeste's head, a cold smile forming. "He was a weak little servant. Didn't follow the rules very well." Turning his cold eyes on Sirius, he added, "He deserved it, and he only has you to thank for it."
Sirius felt a well of rage coursing through him, and adrenaline shot through him giving him more strength than he had when his bruised body had stepped out of his room a few minutes earlier. "You…you…!"
Octavius grabbed Sirius's robes and looked him in the eye, and at that moment Sirius felt certain that his father was insane. His father narrowed his eyes and hissed, "I what?!"
After years of abuse, starvation, and now the death of the one creature who had shown Sirius kindness in that crazy household, Sirius felt like a trapped animal, fighting to escape an angry predator. He let out a growl as he shoved his father away from him. In doing so, Octavius lost his balance and, while trying to regain it, let go of Sirius's robes.
Octavius Black's footing slipped and Sirius watched as his father fell down the long flight of stairs. As his body hit the floor, Sirius stood at the top, staring down at the unconscious form of the man who had caused him so much torment for so long. Still having the instincts of a trapped animal in danger, all that kept running through Sirius's mind was, 'No more, no more, no more…'
The adrenaline still present, Sirius walked into his bedroom and pulled his wand and money out from their cache, putting them in his pocket. He closed his trunk, still packed, and dragged it downstairs, ignoring the pain still present in his bruised body. He walked by his father's still form, not noticing that despite the injuries Octavius Black was still alive. Sirius Black walked out the front door and down the street, not looking back.
Once he reached the corner, he paused, the pain starting to become more noticeable again. He winced and sat on his trunk, trying to think of what to do and where to go. He thought perhaps Andromeda since she was also hiding from the family, but he realized two flaws with that idea: He didn't know how to find her and she was either very pregnant or the mother of a newborn. He couldn't impose himself on her and Tonks.
His next thought came naturally, almost by instinct. Nodding his head to himself, he achingly stood up and held out his wand, summoning the Knight Bus. He ignored the strange stares from the conductor and the few passengers present as he mounted the bus, not realizing they were wondering where this bruised boy had come from. He shoved a handful of sickles into the awaiting hand of the conductor and gave him the destination.
Time seemed warped that night. Sirius's mind was in a haze, filled with pain and anger and shock. He wasn't sure how long he had been camped out on the bus, but the conductor finally tapped him on the shoulder and announced they had arrived. He asked if Sirius needed any help getting his trunk to the door, but Sirius held his head high and refused.
Approaching the front door, Sirius barely took notice that it was very much the middle of the night, probably sometime very early in the morning. He knocked several times, each time pounding a little harder on the door. Finally, the door opened revealing a very tired looking James Potter.
James, attempting to look intimidating in case the visitor was not friendly, had brought his wand, but was too busy yawning to really scare anyone away. Once he finished his yawn and focused his eyes on Sirius, his jaw dropped and he exclaimed, "Padfoot?" There was enough moonlight to show the bruises and the swollen eyelids and the split lip. "What the hell happened to you?"
Sirius, seeing his best mate, left him both slightly relieved and numb. All he could say was, "No more. No more…I've had enough, no more."
James pulled Sirius inside and went to take the trunk, but Sirius defiantly held onto the handle, his pride forcing him to show that he could still carry his own trunk. Following James into the foyer, he felt the energy and adrenaline settling now that he was someplace good, and he felt the pain returning full force, causing him to wince.
"Padfoot…" started James, before he was interrupted by his mum's voice from behind him, standing in her dressing gown at the top of the stairs.
"James? Don't tell me you actually answered the door in the middle of the…" she paused, coming down a few steps to see who was standing beside James. Marianne gasped and said, "Sirius?"
Sirius looked up at her and Marianne would never forget the look behind his eyes for as long as she lived. She felt her throat catch at the sight of the boy who had always been so lively, who was now standing battered and haunted in her foyer.
Marianne rushed down the stairs and ushered him into the living room, forcing him to sit down on the sofa. While she rushed to grab her kit of healer's supplies and potions, James finally convinced Sirius to let go of his trunk.
When Marianne returned, she set to work trying to determine the extent of his injuries so she could heal them. Sirius sat there, allowing her to examine him. Marianne noted with a frown that he likely had previous rib fractures along with his new ones. By the time she was done he was still sore, but she assured him most of his injuries were healed and the others would heal over time as well…the physical ones, at least.
Once Marianne completed her treatments, there was a silence as both James and Marianne struggled to find something to say.
"Sirius-" started James.
"No more," repeated Sirius. "I'm not going back…ever."
Marianne, knowing in the pit of her stomach what happened, felt she had to ask. She needed to hear it from Sirius. "What happened, Sirius? How did you get these injuries?"
Sirius's jaw clenched, feeling the familiar pride steeling his spine, ready to lie about what his father had done. He looked at James, expecting to see pity, but instead saw James's steady gaze, waiting to hear the story. Sirius saw concern; he saw empathy, but he didn't see pity. It triggered something inside of him, asking him why he shouldn't tell them; why he was in a sense protecting the man who had made his life hell. Sirius looked Marianne in the eye and replied, "My father."
Marianne nodded and said, "You need to rest. We can talk more tomorrow."
"I'm not going back," repeated Sirius.
Marianne leaned over and grabbed his hand. "Of course not. I don't expect you to return to your family after what happened."
"I have no family," said Sirius defiantly, not wanting to associate himself any more with their insanity.
"That's not true," said James. "You do have family. You have us." His tone was definite, leaving no room for argument. "You'll stay with us." He glanced at his mum, who nodded. With a small smile he added, "People already think we're brothers."
Sirius gave James and Marianne a grateful look before frowning again and saying, "I'm only sixteen. They might try to make me come back. But I won't go," he insisted.
"They'll have to get through us first," said Marianne.
James and Sirius looked at her, realizing that Marianne Potter radiated a confidence and a strength like a mother ready to protect her cubs. Looking at her, they knew that she could probably inflict some damage to anyone who threatened those who were family, and Sirius was touched that she and James considered him a part of their family.
Marianne left to find Perchy so she could instruct the house elf to prepare an extra bed in James's room, where Sirius usually camped out when visiting. Sirius felt sick, remembering Beeste and his fate, feeling guilty for playing a role in the kind house elf's demise.
That night, despite his exhaustion, Sirius lay in bed with that week's events replaying in his mind over and over again.
"Padfoot?" whispered James's voice in the dark.
"Yeah?" replied Sirius.
"Tonight…this wasn't the first time this has happened, is it?" asked James.
Sirius paused before finally answering, "No."
"What happened tonight? Why'd you finally leave?" asked James.
Sirius wasn't sure how to answer, but then he realized that he could trust James and that James would listen and not judge him nor show pity, just as Sirius had done for James after his dad had died. He started with the story of the dinner with the Krueger's, causing a snicker to escape James as he revealed that the person he thought was a boy was in fact not only a girl, but the girl his parents expected him to marry. He described her unibrow, and her hypnotic dancing mole, before getting into the heavier subject of his reaction to the betrothal plans.
He described what he could remember of his father's attack and how he was often left to starve in his room for punishment. He described how Beeste had been helping him survive for years, only to meet his unfortunate fate that night. Seeing the house elf's head mounted on the wall had been the final straw and Sirius explained how his father had cornered him, and how he had reacted and pushed him down the stairs. He finished his tale with his means of escape and how he had arrived at their doorstep.
Marianne finally poked her head in to check on him, only to scold the boys for still being awake, threatening to force sleeping potion down their throats if they didn't get some sleep. Sirius heeded her warning and drifted off, feeling his load lightened from having revealed his darkest secret to his best mate who now claimed to be his brother.
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A/N: Well, that's a chapter that's been dancing around my head for a long, long time. Unfortunately, Beeste's fate was preordained. If you were wondering, it was Kreacher lurking outside, witnessing Beeste sneaking out of Sirius's room. So what do you think of Sirius's escape from Grimmauld Place? Believable? What did you think of his 'future wife'? (lol)
Thanks to my latest reviewers: DreamAngel, Mani12191, Anu (x2), Jo Bob, mae513, Will the Wierd, alto2srock, delpheena, German Wings (x2), Calypso, RainDateChick, granger1191, God'sgirl, Anonymous (x3), Dilna, Golden Phoenix, Remus'sweetie, and hpfan.
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