Sirius Black and the Golden Lion

The track to freedom?

Eleven year old Sirius Black awoke with a start, and realised that he was sweating with the memory of possibly the worst birthday anyone could ever have had. He reached around, and touched the fresh welts on his back. Those were from his father who had beaten him again the previous night. Sirius wasn't even sure why- the beatings were now so common that all excuse for them seemed to have faded.

Suddenly, Sirius' promisingly handsome face split into a wide grin. He had just remembered something that made the painful memory of his beating fade into insignificance. Tomorrow, September the first, he was off to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! He'd been looking forward to going for as long as he could remember, not least because it would mean three terms away from his parents. He looked at the clock beside his bed. Only seven hours to go, before the Hogwarts Express would leave from Kings Cross train station. He grinned again, and lay back down.

But then, his face fell. From all accounts, Slytherin, one of the Hogwarts houses would be nearly as bad as home. He couldn't imagine not being put in that house, after all, both his parents had been Slytherins, and his cousin Bella was currently a member. Still, nobody would beat him there, and so what if he didn't fit in. He was used to that, after all.

The grey light of morning began to filter in through the dusty curtains, and Sirius got out of bed. He'd packed his trunk the night before, but he'd left out one of his books, "The Dark Forces, a guide to Self-Protection". It was the first book he'd ever read that discouraged the Dark Arts rather than promoted them. He flicked through to page 79 and started reading.

Almost before he knew what was happening, the customary morning call rang through the house.

"Everybody up!"

He leapt up from the chair in which he had been sitting and sprinted out of his room to the top of the stairs. Slightly down from his room, another door opened, and Sirius' younger brother Regulus joined him there. Sirius scowled. He and Regulus had used to be friends, but they had begun to grow up with conflicting views. Regulus had followed faithfully in the family opinion that blood was what mattered, whilst Sirius still didn't understand that. His non-conformation had earned him many a beating in the past, but he refused to back down on his views.

"Reggie, you get dressed and come and lay the table. Sirius, you can cook the bacon and eggs," Sirius groaned. He hated cooking, and had been hoping to be able to skip it that morning. However, he swiftly remembered that he would be eating in the Hogwarts Great Hall that night, with food expertly prepared by the resident house elves. He wished his mother would hurry up and get the house elf she was always saying she needed. Maybe with Sirius unavailable for cooking, she would get on with it.

He returned to his room and dressed quickly in his tidier robes. His parents insisted on him and his brother wearing wizard robes all the time, though Sirius knew that many other young wizard children often wore muggle clothing. He padded softly down the stairs and into the kitchen where, unusually, his father had started on the breakfast.

"Er, do you want me to take over, sir?" Sirius asked nervously.

"No, no, you're off to Hogwarts today, so I thought I'd do this for you as a treat. Just think, tonight, when you sit at that end table, you're carrying on a fine tradition of Blacks."

"Yes sir," Sirius said dully. That explained why his father was being so nice to him today. It looked like he was destined to be a Black through and through- his father seemed to take for granted that he would join Bella at the Slytherin table. He ate his breakfast in silence, although he wasn't very hungry.

"Scared, Sirius?" Regulus taunted him

"No!" Sirius replied defensively.

"Why should he be scared?" asked Mr. Black. "He knows just what to expect, and he's going to be a true Black." Sirius winced. That phrase again. And he wasn't too worried to not pick up on the edge in his father's voice. It was a threat. Sirius stood up and excused himself, then returned to his bedroom to finish preparing. He grabbed his new wand from its slim case lying on the dresser and opened a book. He ran a finger down the page until he found the spell he wanted. He took a deep breath and said the spell aloud:

"Capillumundus". He jumped over to look in the mirror. His hair, which had been tousled from him tossing and turning that night, now lay smooth, falling into his eyes ever so slightly at the front. He grinned. There were advantages to being a Black- usually underage wizards weren't allowed to do magic at home, but his father had put a charm on the house so magic could not be detected there.

Sirius polished his handsome willow wand. He wanted it to stay in perfect condition for as long as possible. His wand contrasted greatly to the rest of the family's- most of theirs were made from mahogany or another dark coloured wood, and most contained a dragon heartstring as their core.

"Right, let's go!" Sirius tucked his wand inside his robes, and dragged his trunk to the top of the stairs.

"Accio trunk," his father called and the trunk flew down the stairs, coming to rest by Mr. Black.

"Come on then," Mrs. Black said, pulling the door open.

"How are we getting there?" Sirius asked interestedly.

"Muggle taxi. And don't ask questions," his mother snapped. Meanwhile, a taxi drew up beside them.

"Where to, guv?" asked the muggle at the wheel.

"Kings Cross, mu.. er Sir," Mr. Black replied. Sirius stifled a laugh. He knew how much his father hated muggles, and it was funny to watch him trying to be polite.

The journey to Kings Cross couldn't last long enough for Sirius. He'd pretty much stayed at home all his life, with only occasional trips to Diagon Alley, and he'd certainly never been in muggle London before. He kept his nose pressed up against the window the whole way. When they arrived, Sirius was sent to get a trolley for his trunk, and then they went to the barrier that separated platforms 9 and 10.

"Er, so what do we do now?" asked Sirius nervously. He knew the train left from platform 9 and three quarters, but couldn't see it.

"It's through this barrier. We won't come on to the platform with you, so you go through on your own," his mother replied curtly.

"Right then, off you go, and for once in your life, make us proud of you," his father said, a threat edging into his voice. Sirius nodded mutely and wheeled his trolley to face the barrier. He set off into an awkward jog, and before he knew it, he was through the barrier and standing on another platform. A handsome scarlet steam engine was stood waiting. Sirius looked around. He was surrounded by people his age and older, many with their parents. He noticed one or two of them looking curiously at him, and he suddenly felt very alone and self-conscious. He overheard one boy asking his father:

"Who's that?"

"Looks like another Black," his father replied. "He'll be a Slytherin, I imagine, so you won't see much of him."

Sirius turned away quickly, and went to find a compartment on the train. But before he could board, a third year girl stepped in front of him.

"Well if it isn't the baby cousin," she smirked at him. "Mummy finally let you out of the house, then?"

"Shut up, Bella," Sirius muttered, trying to shove past.

"Manners, manners," she replied, stepping again to bar his way. "You're going to have to live with me, after all." She stepped to one side, and let him past. Sirius looked at the clock. Only a minute till the train went. He heaved his trunk onto the train, and set off to find a carriage as far away from his cousin as possible.