The House of Black

The door to the antique bedroom slid open.

Bellatrix Black stared in at her cousin.

He was in his room, a wide, tall one with a four-poster bed and expensive furniture everywhere.

"Why did you leave the table?" she asked him, her voice patronizing.

"They sent you to ask me that, did they?" Sirius looked up at her from where he sat on the bed. "Couldn't piece together that I don't enjoy narrow-minded, drawn-out conversations about all of us being the 'chosen ones' and how it is our 'pre-destined duty' to screw everyone else in the world over? Well, I'm sorry; I should have stood up and made a formal announcement." He stood and bowed mockingly. "I apologize, Mother, Father, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Brother, but I have discovered that I loathe all of you and your disgusting, self-centered ideas. Please excuse me from the dinner table."

He sat back down.

"You know what, Sirius?" Bellatrix asked, anger pulsing under her voice. "You don't understand. You'll never understand. You're mother keeps holding on, thinking you'll turn around and suddenly be the man she wishes you'd be, but I see that it's impossible. You think you're so smart, so mature, but you're just a scared little boy."

His eyes flashed up to her.

"I'm not scared."

She laughed. "Not scared? Yes you are! You're too scared to dedicate yourself, body and soul, to a mission! You're too scared to face what you are! You're a Black, and any Black would happily die for the Dark Lord!"

Sirius snorted. "My parents don't seem to be jumping for the bait."

"That's because they're cowards," Bellatrix said quietly. "Just like you."

"I'm not a coward just because I refuse to die for that blood-sucking bastard!" Sirius snapped.

"How dare you!"

"Oh, how DARE I?" Sirius imitated her.

"You will show him proper respect in my presence!"

He looked up at her again.

"You've already done it, haven't you?"

She glared at him. Without taking her eyes off of him, she unbuttoned the cuff of her sleeve and pulled it up over her shoulder.

There was a gray marking on her white skin, the image of a skull with a snake twisting out of its mouth where its tongue should have been.

"You should see it when he calls us." The corner of her mouth twisted up into a smile. "It turns black. Why don't you alert the ministry, Sirius? See what they can do about it."

Something exploded in Sirius's chest. Suddenly, he'd had enough. Anger poured out into his veins. He grabbed her shoulders harshly.

"I'll die for Albus Dumbledore, for James Potter, or for myself, but never, NEVER for him, do you HEAR ME?" He shoved her hard, and she stumbled backwards. Her hand knocked something off of the dresser that crashed to the floor. Sirius ripped out his wand and stormed into the hall. He broke everything glass that he came upon until he got to the dining hall. Candle-light flickered over china plates and ball-gowns, over a group of families that refused to admit that their society was long dead.

Everyone had heard him coming. They were all frozen, staring at him. No one moved to stop him as he marched to the head of the table, where Mr. and Mrs. Black sat in their ghostly traditions and radical idealism.

"You'd better blow my name off of that precious tapestry, Mother," he said cruelly, and spat in his father's face.

He only saw, as if from a distance, his mother clutching her chest and breathing hard, barely heard her calling after him, "BLOOD TRAITOR! BLOOD TRAITOR!" He only half saw Regulus stumble out of his chair, and didn't react when he fell to his knees and clutched Sirius's leg.

"Don't go, Sirius," Regulus begged.

Sirius kicked him off and walked on.

"Please! Please! Don't leave!" he wrapped his arms around Sirius's neck.

Sirius shook him off. And shook him off again. And again, until finally he had to take him and slam him against the wall. His head hit the intricate wall-paper hard, and he sank down onto the floor, weeping pitifully.

Sirius didn't feel like caring, and he slammed the front door behind him.

It was dark, and he didn't know where he was going, but he didn't turn back.

After about half of an hour, he was looking up at a tall house with a little sign in the window: ROOM FOR RENT: 3 GALLEONS.

Sirius put his hands in his pockets, remembered that he was still wearing his dress clothes. There were only two knuts in his pockets. He'd stormed out of the house without taking anything. There was no way he was going back, though. Uncle Alphard had left him some money, he recalled. Maybe he could go and get it tomorrow...

He climbed the steps to the doorway of the house and knocked. In a few minutes, the heavy inside door creaked open.

A young girl, a little younger than Sirius, with long blonde hair and big, blue eyes that gave her a look of constant fear gazed up at him.

"Oh," she gasped. "Who are you? I mean..." she blushed, "can I... help you?"

Sirius frowned.

"I'm sorry, I must have the wrong house," he said undecidedly, and turned to walk back down to the road. He had reached it, and was about to walk on, when an older woman's voice called him back.

"Boy! Are you looking for something?"

He turned back and shrugged one shoulder awkwardly.

"I guess I wanted to rent a room... but I don't have any money."

"George!" The woman called over her shoulder. A man walked out into the doorway, and they began talking quietly, looking over at Sirius every once in a while.

"Come on, Boy, we'll lodge you."

Sirius dug his toe into the ground for a little.

"Okay." He walked back up to the door.

The older woman closed the door behind him. "Hungry?" she asked.

He shook his head.

"You're sure?"

He nodded.

"Come along then, you can sleep in the rental room."

She led him up a flight of stairs and opened the door to a partially furnished room. There were dragons on the wallpaper boarder- most of them asleep at the moment- and the bed was themed towards some magical action-figure company or another.

"Jimmy's away on his own, now; all grown up. We haven't changed the room yet."

Sirius looked around.

"If you need anything, we'll be somewhere in the house."

He nodded, still looking at the room.

The woman left. As she was walking down the stairs, Sirius ran back out of the room and called, "Thank you! Sorry. I forgot."

She waved him off.

"It's no trouble," she insisted and continued down.

He walked back into the room. It smelled warm. He closed himself in and lay down on the bed. When he spread his arms our on either side, his hands hung over the edge. This bed was much narrower than the one he had at home. That wasn't bad, though. The beds in the Black mansion were ridiculous extravaganza set-ups, really.

He watched the ceiling get steadily even darker than it had been, listened to the members of the family trickle into their beds, but didn't fall asleep. When he looked around the dark room, it was obvious that something was missing. He needed clothes, money, his broomstick would be helpful, probably...

As silently as possible, even though it was impossible that any of the sleeping people in the next rooms would hear him, he got out of bed and stood in the middle of the room. He pulled out his wand and visualized-

Regulus's room. Crack. He appeared in front of his brother's bed. It shocked him that he had decided to apparate there as much as it shocked Regulus to sit up and see him.

The younger Black apparently hadn't been asleep.

He gasped right before Sirius jumped forward and covered his mouth.

"Did you come back?" Regulus whispered, his eyes huge.

"Yes, to get you."

Regulus's expression sank. He shook his head.

"Come on, I found a room. I can get a job and pay for our rent after we've used up the money Uncle Alphard left me. We can share the room." Sirius opened one of the dresser drawers. "What do you want to bring?"

Silence.

"I can't leave," he said weakly.

"Don't be stupid."

"Mother-"

"Is a nasty snob."

"She's counting on me-"

Sirius whirled to face him and he stopped talking as if he'd been struck.

"You're not coming with me?"

Regulus shook his head.

"Fine." He walked over to the door to get out into the hall.

"Don't leave me!" Regulus cried feebly, kneeling up in bed.

"Shhh!" Sirius climbed onto the bed. "Leave with me. You can't make me stay."

"But Mother and Father-!"

"Regulus!" Sirius hissed, "I'll put the imperius curse on you and force you, if you don't come right now, I swear." He pulled his wand out.

Regulus's eyes were sad. "I'd run back as soon as you took it off."

Sirus threw his wand down, his throat tightening, wishing he didn't suddenly want so badly to bring his perfect mommy's-boy brother with him.

"Why?" he half-moaned the word.

"Because I can't leave. I'm too scared," Regulus whispered.

"Too scared!" Sirius shook him once, hard. "Too scared... no brother of mine..." he let go and climbed back off of the bed, stooping to pick up his wand. He walked to the door and opened it.

"Sirius-"

"Shut up," Sirius whispered back harshly, and closed the door noiselessly behind him. He crept down the dark hall. Cryptic paintings slept all along the walls. Dark blue and green drapes and tapestries hung everywhere, chandeliers- unlighted, now- were suspended over his head. They were starting to remind him of dead things, hung from the ceiling. He felt like he was suffocating.

He opened the doors to his room and went in, closing them again behind him. His chest felt constricted. He hated this room, the floor, the walls, the ceiling- He scrambled a little, gathering his clothes. He couldn't really think strait, but he was pretty sure that he got the basics. He grabbed his broomstick and went back to the hallway doors.

He stood in front of them. His arms and legs were shaking. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was starting to panic.

He couldn't go back out there.

He apparated into the yard and flew to the house with the rental room in it. It started to rain when he had closed himself back into Jimmy's warm bedroom.

Thunder rumbled somewhere a ways off.

Sirius stood in the middle of the other boy's room, not understanding... any of it... he'd lost track of it...

Lightening, too. The room muffled the storm well.

He decided to get in bed, but just sat on it instead.

And waited for Regulus to come in and say he was scared of the of the storm and ask to sleep with him.

His little brother didn't come.

He tucked his knees up under his chin and rocked back and forth. He started to cry.

The next morning, the room for rent was empty, and there were 3 galleons on the bed, and a note.

Staying with a friend.

-Sirus

The last name was scribbled out.