Prophecies and Betrayals (sequel to The Marauders)

9

It was late. Far too late for him to be awake.

And yet, here he was.

The pale yellow light of the oil lamps in the hallway threw his features into sharp realization. A small mouth framed by pale lips, slightly curved, hinting at a smirk.

Sirius Black tried to make no noise as he eased his way down the poorly lit hallway of number 12 Grimmauld Place.

In just a few moments, he would be out the door.

Out of this suffocating prison of a house.

And he didn't plan on ever coming back.

~~~~~~

An hour earlier...

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK!"

Mrs. Black burst into the room in a flurry of black frills and numerous petticoats. Her dramatics usually intimidated her victims, but her son sat calmly on the armchair, book in hand, completely unfazed.

Everything about Mrs. Black was harsh. Her voice was shrill, and grated unpleasantly on the ears, like fingernails on a chalkboard. Her facial features were sharp, with a nose so straight it was almost too straight, leading to a pronounced jawline that ended in the abrupt point of her chin. Her bones stuck out against her pale white skin, and she looked almost sickly. But worst of all was her eyes. They shone almost gold in the light. A gold that some who didn't know her would deem as beautiful, but those unfortunate souls who did know her would dread the day those golden eyes locked on them.

Sirius slowly closed his book, setting it down on a nearby table. His eyes fell to the slip of parchment that his mother clutched in her spidery, heavily bejeweled fingers.

"Explain this." Mrs. Black shoved the paper at her son, nostrils flaring. Sirius took it from her wordlessly. He then proceeded to read the paper very slowly. He knew the contents of course, for they were the words his headmaster had spoken to him at the end of the last schoolyear, however, he greatly enjoyed making his mother wait.

After about a minute, Mrs. Black could take it no more. Snatching the paper from Sirius, she made a hissing noise like a cat. "Well? What is the meaning of this?!"

"I was only halfway through, mother-" Sirius started with a shrug.

"FAILING!" Mrs. Black roared, holding the parchment in the air as though it were the physical form of the power she held over him. "A BLACK, FAILING AT HOGWARTS! A BLACK, NOT GOING TO GRADUATE! A BLACK...A FAILURE!"

Sirius was almost surprised to find that the words that used to hurt didn't hurt anymore. In fact, he felt quite bold. "So?"

Mrs. Black halted in her raving, and merely stared at him a moment. "So?" she repeated in a choked whisper. "This is a disgrace. A shame. I shall never be able to show my face in the Wizarding community ever again."

"Shame, I'm sure they'll all miss your pretty face." Sirius said sarcastically.

Mrs. Black rose to her fullest height, eyes sparking. "You do not understand the weight of what you have done. The shame you have brought upon the noble house of your ancestors."

"No, mum. I do not understand," Sirius sprawled down on the coach, peering up at his mother. A picture of innocence. "Please enlighten me."

At first, he thought his mother might strangle him, but instead she took a deep breath through her nose.

"For centuries, our family has worked and labored to earn the respect that we have today. We have all been expected to uphold that respect, something that we have all done. Until now. Until you." Mrs. Black watched her son carefully for a sign that her words had hurt him, but his expression was stone.

"Sirius, come with me." Mrs. Black swept out of the room in that dramatic way of hers, and Sirius breathed deeply as though he were drowning. Although he feigned nonchalance, his heart was pounding and his blood boiled so hot he felt as if his skin would melt from his bones like hot wax. All he wanted was to scream at his mother and make her feel some fraction of the pain she had caused him, but seeing as he couldn't do that without bringing on the wrath of the entire Black family, he had no choice but to follow his mother into the next room.

He found her standing by the tapestry that held the Black family tree.

"I am sure you are familiar with the names upon this tree." Mrs. Black started, gesturing with her wand to the tree. "And I am also sure you are aware of the names that have been removed from this tree."

Sirius nodded slowly, unsure of where this was going.

"Upon every healthy tree, there are dead branches. Dead, pestilential, ugly branches that draw attention away from the tree itself, until all people can see when they look upon the tree is the dead branches. In order to prevent the slow, humiliating death of the entire tree, one must cut the dead branches off. A sacrifice for the greater good. For our pride. A concept which I am sure you know very well," Mrs. Black raised an eyebrow at her son, and Sirius shifted his weight, the first sign that she had gotten under his skin. "It is important not to let the dead branches feed off the tree for long, lest they do greater damage. And I am afraid that I have let this branch fester for far too long."

Now he knew where this was going. And although he had hated the Black name his entire life, a part of him hoped desperately that he was wrong about what she was going to do.

But he was not.

Without taking her eyes off Sirius, Mrs. Black reached inside her frilly black robes and withdrew a short, slender wand. Perfect, like the family she strove to raise.

A whispered incantation, a spark of red light. The sparks landed on one of the branches of the tapestry, creating a small black whole which devoured the bold cursive words 'Sirius Black' from the tree. And just like that, it was over.

Sirius Black was no longer a part of the Black family. He was free of the burden that had plagued him since before he was born.

And as he stepped off the porch of his house one last time, he was surprised to find that he had to fight back tears. Because although he was miserable with his family, although he strove to do everything in his power to show them that he was his own person, even though all of the pain they had caused him, they were still his family. A flawed, dysfunctional family, but still a family.

Sirius Black squared his shoulders against the chilly night air, taking what he thought was one last look at the house of his childhood before turning his back to it.

This was his new start. A chance to be his own person, without the Black legacy tying him down. He was free.

A\N I too lazy to check what age Sirius is when he runs away, so for this story, let's just say that it happened at the end of his seventh year at Hogwarts.

I hope you guys like this chapter! I know it's a little boring, it is necessary for the rest of the book. Ever since I first read about Sirius and his family, I wanted to know how this moment would've gone. Although I'm sure I did not write it the way J.K Rowling would, I hope that you guys liked it anyway!

Have a good day/night and don't forget to take care of yourselves!