All the Young Dudes ( Sirius' Perspective )

Second Year : Brotherhood

Sirius woke up happy the next morning, with Suffragette City still stuck in his head. He hummed as he brushed his teeth and got dressed, which made James groan and throw his pillow over his head. As they headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast, Sirius teased,

“Just you wait, Potter! One of these days, I’ll make you see the light—you can’t live in ignorance forever!”

James rolled his eyes, taking a seat at the long table. “Music’s just music! S’not like this Bowie guy’s doing anything that hasn’t been done before.”

“You wound me!” Sirius slumped dramatically onto Remus’s shoulder, “At least I have you, Lupin. Honestly, what are we going to do with these two?”

Remus only smiled and shrugged in answer—his mouth was already full of food.

James was about to offer a retort when the post arrived, owls swooping in to drop off their letters and packages. Sirius tried not to look, but he couldn’t help it—over James’s shoulder, a brand new eagle-owl was settling onto the Slytherin table, right in front of Regulus.

Of all people, his brother had chosen to sit next to Snape. The older boy picked up the letter that the owl had dropped, unfolding it quickly over Reggie’s protests. As he started to read, a delighted grin spread across his features, and he looked up at Sirius with a mean glint in his eye.

“Wow, Regulus, your parents are really proud!” Snape drawled, speaking just loud enough to ensure that Sirius and his friends could hear, “Listen to this: Our dearest son, we were so pleased to hear the results of your sorting. The entire family commends you on upholding our noble traditions, and congratulations are in order...”

Regulus was blushing, trying to snatch the letter away from Snape, but the second year kept stubbornly reading. It was clear that the owl was a reward for Reg, since he had gotten into the right house. Every word that came out of Snape’s mouth was a barb, a stinging reminder to Sirius that, unlike his brother, he was still the family disappointment.

His face felt hot. He stared down at his porridge, not wanting to let the Slytherins see the effect that his parents’ words had on him. I don’t care, he reminded himself, furiously. But shame was a fist around his throat, making it impossible to eat.

“Didn’t your parents confiscate your owl again?” Peter asked, bluntly. Reg had managed to snatch the letter back now, but Snape and his friends were still snickering, and the owl was still perched imperiously on the Slytherin table. Sirius gave a sharp nod and muttered,

“Said I can have it back when I remember my duty to the family and started acting like a ‘true Black.’ I don’t care, I don’t need an owl.” He felt sick, angry. He wanted to get out of the hall, away from Snape and his stupid laughing friends.

“What exactly is your family duty, again?” James mused, loudly, making sure the Slytherins could hear him, “Go ‘round with creeps like Snivellus and Mulciber? Marry your cousin?”

Despite his embarrassment, Sirius smiled, eternally grateful for James Potter.

“Oh, yeah,” he replied, matching his friend’s tone, “Inbreeding and creeping are key aspects of my noble heritage. And picking on kids smaller than me, of course; cheating, lying and cursing my way into power...”