The Bonds of Spirit are stronger than the Bonds of Blood

Chapter Thirty Four

Fourth Year and Fifth Year had passed by in what felt like a matter of moments. With the help of the map, Sirius and his friends pulled off some of the most amazing pranks. Not once did they get caught, though they still ended up with detentions for more minor offences such as disrupting class. Each full moon, they accompanied Remus on his werewolf adventure, keeping him in check whenever he showed signs of losing himself to his other half. At home, life kept worsening for Sirius. His brother was completely lost to him now, hating even the sight of him as their parents did. In a small corner of his heart, Sirius still held out hope that Regulus was not truly the person he appeared to be. But he chose to ignore that hope. No matter what he did, Regulus only showed disdain for him. He ignored Sirius whenever he could, and berated him when he could not. Sirius began to make a genuine plan to leave the family home forever. Up until this point it had just been a wonderful dream, running off never to return. But now, plans had to be changed. He had originally planned to take Regulus with him but that was clearly no longer possible. The family's darkness had warped his mind and turned him against Sirius. So now Sirius sat, starring at the fire in the Gryffindor Common Room, trying to form the perfect escape plan. It would need to be soon; he didn't know how much longer he could stand to have ties to that terrible house. He at least knew where he would go. He would return to the Potter house and join their family properly. They had constantly reminded him that he was always welcome there when the doubts crept into his mind. And he had spoken of living there permanently before. Granted he had been talking about a wonderful dream he had had, but they all seemed to welcome the idea of having Sirius as a constant companion. Now all that was left was choosing the time to leave, grabbing his few remaining belongings from the Black family home, and making his grand escape. Thoughts of potential dramatic exists flowing through his mind, Sirius finally went to sleep.

The year began to go by in a painfully slow manner. Each day Sirius tried to focus on classes, pull off wonderful pranks with his friends, prepare for the next full moon, and try to complete his plans. The holidays were quickly approaching, leaving Sirius dreading every new day. He would have to return to his family's home this year. His parents had sent a letter telling him exactly what would happen if he did not. So, to spare his friends from the potential danger, he prepared for the faithful day of his return. His plan was ready, so all that was left for him to do was actually step up and make the first move. He would have to make sure he took the initiative or else his parents would find a way to keep him trapped in that dreaded house for the foreseeable future. He shuddered at the thought, but there was no turning back now! The day of the train ride back to Kings Cross turned quit and tense rather quickly. His friends could tell something was off but could not bring themselves to ask. They saw the determination in his eyes and realized quickly that whatever he was about to face was his to battle alone. They tried to start hundreds of conversations, but none of them could figure out the right words to say. So instead they focused on watching the passing scenery. Each started to daydream about their own holiday traditions. Peter saw himself back home, baking cookies with his mother, and decorating their tree with every ornament he could find. Remus saw himself exchanging presents with his dad, excitedly watching his reaction to the gift Remus had carefully selected. James saw himself and Sirius with their parents, their meaning Mr and Mrs Potter of course, in their cosy home eating the delicious Christmas feast. He saw them trading presents and singing carols. He could not wait to hear Sirius sing "God Rest Ye, Merry Hippogriffs" again. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the train pulled into the station. The quartet said their farewells and went their separate ways.

Sirius took a deep breath after his friends left, steadying himself, before taking a step towards his family. His parents stood at the far end of the platform, clearly trying to avoid contact of any kind with everyone they deemed unworthy. Sirius managed not to roll his eyes as he watched them. Regulus managed to reach their parents first, but Sirius was unfazed. He took his time reaching the trio, his last act of rebellion for the moment, as he ran through his plan one last time. He did his best to ignore his parents' cutting words. His mother in particular seemed to enjoy berating him for his existence. He had heard all of her insults before but for some reason she insisted on repeating them both on the platform and the second they returned to their home. She praised Regulus for his accomplishments, adding subtle jabs towards Sirius with every sentence, before sending the boys off to prepare for dinner. Unable to take it any longer, Sirius set his plan in motion. He went to his room, packing what belongings he could into his trunk, before biding a silent farewell to the pictures and Gryffindor related materials he had kept on the wall with a permanent sticking charm. He wished he could take all of it with him, but at the same time he knew leaving it behind would just add to his rebellion. Sirius took his trunk to the fireplace, grabbing a handful of floo powder along the way. His parents, seeing him dragging the trunk behind him, followed him, shouting at him to stop. Regulus peered into the room, curious to find out what all the shouting was about this time. Sirius smirked at their enraged looks and said "Well this has been a wonderful holiday, but I must bid you all farewell. This house is far too full of your ignorance and blind hatred, so I am moving out. To the Potter House!" At these last words he threw the floo powder into the fireplace with a dramatic flair and finally made his escape in a flare of green flames. Even Sirius had to admit it was incredibly dramatic, bordering on the overdramatic, but it was an exit Sirius could be proud of. He stepped out of the Potters' massive fireplace and into their wonderful living room. Hearing the commotion, James and his parents entered to find Sirius with a bright grin on his face. "I'm home!" He said, beaming as he awaited their reactions. The trio looked from Sirius to his trunk and realized what had happened. With bright smiles of their own, the three rushed over and engulfed him in a hug saying "Welcome home, Sirius!"