I Solemnly Swear

Chapter Two

It was now September 1 and Sirius couldn't deny the nerves he felt in the pit of his stomach. He was really going to leave 12 Grimmauld Place. At 11 o'clock today, he was going to be free.

A few weeks earlier, he had gone to Diagon Alley. There, he had shopped for everything he would need. All his books were in his trunk, as well as many more side reading books. He had his robes, his materials, and his cat, Lyra. Lyra was a cute, black cat with green eyes that Sirius knew he was going to love forever. Because the Black family had its own personal owl, Sirius was allowed the privilege of receiving a pet. And finally, Sirius had his wand.

His wand. Sirius had not been in possession of his wand for long, and yet, he was already in love with it. It was a 13 inch wand, with its wood being hawthorn and its core was made up of dragon heartstring. On three sides of the wand, it had runes that Sirius was determined to figure out.

Sirius was at King's Cross with his father and mother, waiting for 11 o'clock to hit. Regulus was left at home as this was a "moment only the heir and his parents could experience." In other words, Regulus was not trusted enough for what Sirius' parents were going to tell him.

"Are you ready for this?" Sirius' father asked him as they stood in the back of the station, waiting for the train.

Sirius nodded. "Yes father."

Without looking at him, his mother sniffed and said, "Enjoy the cold. The Slytherin common room is full of it."

Slytherin. Of course that was what his parents wanted him to be in. Ever since he was a little boy, his parents had only talked about Slytherin. It was the only house fit for the Blacks, they said. And so, that meant that it was the only house fit for Sirius.

What his parents didn't know however, was that Sirius didn't feel Slytherin. He wasn't particularly shrewd or cunning or even that ambitious. Besides, he wasn't evil and Slytherin was where the bad kind of evil went. If there was such a thing as good evil, it definitely wasn't in Slytherin. It was a place for the worst of the worst. A place where only true followers of the Dark Arts, and by that, the mysterious Dark Lord Sirius' parents kept talking about when they thought he wasn't listening. Sirius didn't know what house he belonged to but he hoped it wasn't there.

By the time Sirius had thought through every horrible thing that could happen to him at Hogwarts, it was time to board. As he turned around to say goodbye to his parents, he saw their stern faces and settled for a slight incline of his head. A Black never showed feelings to others. That was one of the many things he had learnt in Grimmauld Place from his mother.

As he started walking away, a cold, firm hand grabbed his arm and pulled him back. It was his father. "Do not shame this family Sirius. If you do... you know the consequences." The only thing Sirius could do in return was nod once more, grab his chest and cage for Lyra, and walk toward Hogwarts Express.

When he stepped onto the train, he walked to the back of the train instead of where his cousins Andromeda, Bellatrix, and Narcissa would be. There, he found an empty compartment and settled in. He pulled out a book and began his struggle of reading. Not many people knew this, but Sirius had dyslexia. His parents did not call it anything other than a disease or proof of his inability to be heir. They had beaten him enough for it that he no longer told anyone that he had it.

The train began to move. As it started to leave the station, a boy ran into Sirius' compartment breathlessly. Sirius looked up and put his book away. He waited until the boy had regained his breath and extended his hand poshly, saying, "Hello, my name is Sirius. What's yours?"

A Black did not have friends, Sirius remembered his mother telling him. Sirius knew this was something he had to follow or face consequences at home. If he could not have friends though, perhaps he could have allies. Someone to help aide him in his destiny.