The Outside of Enough

July 1976

Sirius Black had thought he'd be spending his summer in hell, but as it turned out, he had been wrong. Hell would have been a pleasant holiday spot compared to a Black family reunion.

What I wouldn't give for Prongs' Invisibility Cloak right about now, Sirius thought ruefully as he surveyed his mother's crowded sitting room with a wary eye. Everywhere he looked there were Blacks: his aunt and uncle were accepting cups of tea from Kreacher, Sirius's family's house elf. Old Aunt Elladora was sitting by herself on the sofa as usual, muttering under her breath to a nearby bolster cushion that she'd apparently mistaken for her long-dead husband. Uncle Alphard had very strategically situated himself next to the drinks cart; he was currently sneaking, by Sirius's count, his fifth nip of firewhiskey.

Not that Sirius could blame him; actually he'd have liked nothing better than to walk over there and join him. Aside from his disowned favourite cousin Andromeda, Sirius was fonder of Uncle Alphard than of anyone else in the family, and that included his parents and brother. This wasn't actually saying much, as Sirius loathed his brother, had reluctantly tolerated his father, and shared a mutual hatred with his mother. Still, he had a few semi-fond memories of Uncle Alphard, particularly of last year's family reunion when Uncle Alphard and Sirius had invented the Black family drinking game: every time anyone in the family had said the words "pureblood," "noble," or "abomination," they'd taken a swig. Both Sirius and Uncle Alphard had been thoroughly soused by dinner, which had not, to put it mildly, pleased Sirius's mother.

Sirius shuddered faintly as he recalled the screeching his mother had done over last year's firewhiskey episode. No, best not to join Uncle Alphard by the alcohol. He'd do much better to stand in a corner and try to ignore his horrible family until he had the opportunity to slip out unnoticed. Sighing in resignation, Sirius returned to his perusal of his relatives.

On the opposite side of the room, Sirius's cousins Narcissa and Bellatrix were chatting with his brother Regulus. Something Bellatrix had said caused Narcissa to chuckle and Regulus to throw back his head with laughter. Sirius snorted in disgust; he somehow doubted that he'd find their joke funny.

Bellatrix, a smug smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, glanced up just then and caught Sirius's eye before he could turn away. Instantly her smile became a smirk and a familiar and dangerous gleam entered her eyes; Bellatrix would love nothing better than to see Sirius get in trouble in front of all of the assembled Black relatives.

Sirius merely curled his lip at his cousin; past experience told him that rude gestures didn't sit well with adults who might happen to see them, and he absolutely refused to have his broomstick taken away again just for flipping Bellatrix off. Bloody hell, he still hadn't gotten the broomstick back from his mother after the last time he'd done it. Sirius had finally had to go out and buy another one, and this current broom was much too nice to lose over his mad cow of a cousin.

Bellatrix's smirk widened as she put her arm round Regulus and began toying idly with his hair, keeping her eyes on Sirius all the while. Sirius bit back a laugh; apparently Bellatrix still hadn't gotten it through her deranged head that he didn't care how close she was to Regulus. Sirius had written his brother off years ago, especially after James had become his best friend. Who needed a whiny, snivelling, brown-nosing younger brother when he had Prongs?

And besides, Sirius told himself firmly as he looked deliberately away from Bellatrix and Regulus, if I want to be around a whiny, snivelling, brown-nosing git, I'll go find Peter.

Sirius smiled slightly as he considered his fellow Marauder. Peter was probably on holiday in Bath with his mother, bored out of his mind. Remus would be in bed sick, resting up for tonight's full moon. And James, of course, was pining for Lily Evans at his parents' country house, coming up with new ways to impress her that Sirius would eventually have to talk him out of.