The Change

I stretched in my bed, yawning loudly. Rolling over, I pulled the blankets closer to me. It was way too early for me to be awake, as far as I was concerned. I would just go back to sleep. I started to close my eyes just as someone pulled my bed hangings open. "Sirius!" James yelled, "Sirius, come on! It's the first day of classes, can't be late."

"Ok. I'll be up in a minute," I said, covering my eyes from the sun. James walked away and I sat up. I remembered everything then. This wasn't going to be a good day. I looked around the dormitory and wished I was in the Slytherin dorms. My eyes settled on James and I knew that my mother was bound to kill me just for being in the same house as James, not even knowing it was Gryffindor. I sighed heavily. She would be down at the school today, probably causing a scene, and it wouldn't work. Then she would find me and kill me. I pulled my feet over the edge of the bed and slipped them into my shoes. I pulled on some new robes and walked to my wardrobe, quickly pulling a comb through my hair. I shook my head, trying to be at least a little excited about my first day at Hogwarts. It wasn't working.

"Looking forward to a bad day?" I heard suddenly from behind me. I turned to see Remus sitting in his bed, smiling at me weakly.

I turned back to the mirror and said, "Yeah."

I heard Remus get up from his bed and walk up behind me. "I know how you feel," he said.

Now I turned to look at him again. "Your parents didn't want you to be in Gryffindor either?" I asked, hoping someone else would know how I felt.

"No," he said, still smiling, "They don't care what house I'm sorted into."

"Then what do you mean you know how I feel?" I said angrily. It was obvious to me that this kid had no idea what kind of trouble I was in.

"Well, you're afraid your parents are going to disown you, right? Hate you? Maybe even kill you? I know exactly how that feels, even though I was never really afraid my parents would do that to me," Remus said.

"Well then, you don't know how I feel. Your parents hating you is worse then a friend or someone hating you," I said.

He shrugged not seeming at all to care what I thought, "I guess someone might think that." He started to walk away but I grabbed his shoulder and he looked back at me.

"What are you talking about? If your friend hates you, you can just make new friends. If your parents hate you, how are you going to eat? Where are you going to sleep? Who is going to buy you clothes?" I desperately wanted Remus to agree with me. To say, "Of course you're right, that's far worse." He didn't. He simply smiled at me and walked out of the dorm.

I turned back to the mirror, mumbling to myself. How could he possibly think he knew how I felt? He didn't come from a family like mine. He came from an accepting family and a loving family. A family who could forget that he had just been sorted into the worst house in Hogwarts.

"Sirius, hurry up," James said, coming out of the bathroom while putting on a tie. I grabbed one of my own ties and we walked out of the dorm as I tied it loosely around my neck. James was in a hurry and I struggled to keep up with his pace, taking the stairs two stairs at a time. We got out of the common room and headed for the Great Hall. As soon as we got into the Great Hall I saw the prefects were handing out schedules. I sat down in the seat next to Peter and James sat next to Remus. Remus smiled at me but I ignored him, piling my plate with eggs and sausages. We spent the next few minutes talking, excitedly, about classes. When the prefect reached us he handed me my schedule and I frowned when I saw the first class. "Damn," I heard James say, "First class of the day is Potions with the Slytherins."

I nodded my head in agreement. I knew the Slytherins were going to be angry with me and I wasn't ready to deal with them, yet. Remus stood up and said, "I'm going to go back up the dorm and then go to potions. I don't want to be late the first day."

"Ok, I'm coming too," James said, shoving the last of his eggs into his mouth.
Peter and I followed them back up to Gryffindor tower. We grabbed our books that we would need before lunch and headed to the dungeons. Then what I had been dreading would happen, did.

We were in the entrance hall when the doors slammed open. I knew then who it was. I was afraid and wanted to run but knew it was no use. She would get me wherever I hid. My blood ran cold when I saw her standing there. She looked murderous. And she saw me before I saw her. By the time I saw her, her wand was pointed straight at me. She said in a scarily calm voice, "Sirius, come here, now."

I didn't know what to do, but I definitely didn't want to get any closer to her. That didn't matter, though, she flicked her wand at me and I was being dragged across the floor to her feet. She grabbed my shirt and said, "You're a blood traitor and a good-for-nothing son. You have embarrassed the name of Black. And you will pay for what you have done."

"Mother. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be sorted into Gryffindor. It's not my fault. I tried to tell the hat I belonged in Slytherin, but it wouldn't listen. Please believe me," I said, watching her wand very carefully.

"Whose fault is it then, Sirius? Surely it's not my fault, or your Father's fault. We didn't raise you to be a Gryffindor. We raised you to be a proper Slytherin. If it isn't your fault, then whose fault is it?"

"THE HAT. It's the hat's fault, mother."

"No, Sirius, this time you can't blame it on anyone else. It is your fault and you will pay for it," she raised her wand, an evil glint in her eye and I closed my eyes preparing for the pain. Instead I felt someone grab me from behind and pull me away. I opened my eyes, to see James and Remus standing next to me. They both had their wands out, pointed at my mother.

"You can't hurt, Sirius," James said, facing my mother without an ounce of fear.
She looked at him with disgust, worse then she even looked at me, "Move out of my way, you little blood traitor." James didn't move and neither did Remus. She looked between the two and laughed, "What do you think you can do to me? I am much more powerful then either of you can ever hope to be. You don't threaten me."

They stood their ground and I was impressed by how little she seemed to scare them. I took my wand out then too. When I started to raise it to her she looked at me dangerously.

"Put that away, Sirius. You'll be in worse trouble then you're already in," she said quietly. I let my arm hang loosely at my side. She directed her attention back at James and Remus, "You will live to regret this day." With that she walked away from us and started towards the staircase. I watched her as he she walked. I knew it wasn't over. She wasn't going to let this go anytime soon.

"Are you ok, Sirius?" James asked. I turned to him. I was so grateful. What would I have done if James and Remus hadn't helped me?

"I'll be fine. Thanks a lot," I said.

Remus nodded at me and said, "We should probably get to potions, then. We're going to be late."

"Yeah, come on guys. I don't want to get in trouble the first day," Peter said from behind us.

We left the Hall without another word to each other. We got to the dungeons quickly. We were on time but I was disappointed to see all the Slytherins were already there. I tried to sit down quietly, without drawing any attention to myself. That wasn't going to happen, but I could hope.

James sat down next to me, and Peter and Remus sat behind us at another desk. We weren't sitting for a second when I felt something hit me hard in the back of the head. I turned around and saw the Slytherins were howling with laughter. I glared at them and tried to turn back around but they weren't having that. "Hey, Black, I'm surprised to see you here. Aren't you too ashamed to show your dirty face?" I looked back at them. I knew Severus had said it. He was laughing with the rest of them.

A girl I recognized from parties my parents had taken me to said, "Siri, I saw you in the Hall. You looked like you were going to pee your pants. Does mummy hate you that much?"

The Slytherins laughed harder and another girl said, "Natalie, haven't you heard? Black's parents disowned him. They hate him. I would disown him if he were my son too. Getting sorted into that dirty mudblood house."

The Slytherins laughed hard at that and I felt myself standing up. Before I could do anything, the professor walked in. I sat down regretfully. I was quiet the rest of the class, taking notes and trying to ignore the snickering and nasty comments coming from the other side of the room. When the class was over I practically ran out of the room. I thought I had gotten away when I reached the Hall without harm.

"Petrificus Totalus," someone said. I fell to the floor unable to move. I couldn't see who attacked me and I was afraid it would be my mother. It was worse.

"Hello, dear cousin, Siri," someone said sweetly, standing over me. I would have grimaced if I could have. My cousin Bellatrix was standing over me proudly. If that wasn't bad enough, a few seconds later my other cousin Narcissa appeared.

Narcissa smiled at me, "Oh, Sirius, stop looking so scared. You should be more afraid of your mother than us. She told my father she was going to kill you when she could. Such a disgrace to the family name." She waved her wand and I could move again. I jumped up, shoving my hand in my pocket, trying to get to my wand, but I wasn't quick enough.

Bellatrix flicked her wand at me gracefully. There was a sudden strong stinging in my arm and I pulled it out of my pocket quickly. "Baby Siri, don't even try to curse us. Silly little boy, I don't want to have to hurt you." I stepped back from them. I looked around desperately. Where was everyone? Wasn't lunch soon? I needed help.

Narcissa said, "Sirius, we know you are sorry for getting sorted into Gryffindor. I saw you practically crying this morning while Auntie yelled at you. We understand that. All we want you to do is go up to the Headmaster's office and get this all straightened out. It is quiet embarrassing in the Slytherin common room, having you as our cousin."

Now I was angry with Narcissa and Bellatrix. Who did they think they were? Narcissa was only two years older then I, Bellatrix was only a year. "If you heard me this morning then why are you even asking me to get sorted again? I said the hat won't let me into Slytherin."

Neither of them were smiling or trying to be sweet anymore and I had become suddenly aware there was an audience watching us now. Bellatrix stepped forward dangerously, "Sirius, if you will not be sorted again we will have to punish you."

Narcissa stepped forward and whispered so only Bellatrix and I could hear her, "We were going to say it was all a mistake and forgive you, but if you refuse to be sorted into Slytherin we will have to prove our hatred for you. We have to redeem ourselves." With that they stepped back, taking out their wands. They both screamed a spell as someone else yelled, "Protego." Their curses disappeared when they hit the shield in front of me. I looked over to the staircase, where another angry Black woman was standing. My cousin, Andromeda Black, had her wand pointed at her sisters dangerously.

She stepped forward, brandishing her Head Girl badge as she stormed across the entrance hall. "Narcissa and Bellatrix, what do you think you're doing?"

They looked at her innocently and Narcissa said, "Hi Andy. We're just showing Sirius here some things we learned in Slytherin House."

My cousin glared at her sisters and said, "Listen to me, both of you. You will go back to your common room now or I will give you detention. If I ever see you treating Sirius like that again you will regret it."

Both Naricissa and Bellatrix looked angry that their fun had been interrupted. They didn't say anything though. Andy was a seventh year and they knew they were no match for her. They just turned around and walked back to the dungeons.

Andromeda turned back to me and said, "Are you okay Sirius?"

"I'll be fine, Andy, thanks a lot."

"Sirius, I think we need to talk," Andromeda said seriously.

I was about to suggest meeting up with her after lunch when a strong voice came from behind me, "I do agree Miss. Black. I doubt you would mind much if I talked to young Mr. Black first, though." I turned around and saw Albus Dumbledore towering over me. "We have some very important and interesting things we need to discuss," he added with a twinkle in his eye.

Andromeda nodded, "Oh of course, Professor Dumbledore. I'll talk to you after dinner all right, Sirius? See you then." She walked away leaving me alone with Dumbledore, who was smiling widely at me.

"Come along, young Mr. Black I've heard you have had a very exciting day. We can talk about it more in my office." I nodded fearfully, following Dumbledore up to his office. This was not turning out to be a good day, I thought.