Was it Betrayal, Or Just Stupidity?

Chapter 4

(Sirius' POV)

I wanted to cry, but I could only sit there. I was sat in an armchair, with Dumbledore and McGonagall sat across from me, and my dreadful Mother sat next to me. Father was stood with his hand on Mother's shoulder. A united front. As if. Any old fool could see through it. It was like a broken jumper that someone had tried to patch up. We sat in complete silence for a while, you could've heard a pin drop. Dumbledores eyes bored into mine as if he was mentally rummaging through the contents of my mind, trying to find my deepest darkest secrets.

"Well, I hope you are happy Sirius. Do you understand what could've happened? Mr Snape was very very lucky. He could've died." I just sat there, matching Dumbledore's gaze through his entire monologue. It was moments like these where I was glad of my upbringing. There were not many people who could, and I was proud of that.

"Now, I think that, because no real harm was done, suspension should be a good enough punishment. Shall we say, 4 weeks? Your professors shall owl you your assignments at the beginning of the week. You have 30 minutes to pack your things, and then you can leave through my floo. In the meantime, Lord and Lady Black, might I offer you anything to drink?"

I scuttled out of the room like a frightened beetle. Suspension was the worst punishment. Mother and Father were going to kill me. Not even because of what I had done, God they'd be upset that I failed! No, it was the fact that I was friends with a werewolf. A Half-blood werewolf. I hurried up the steps to our dorm. I could hear voices echoing down the stairwell presumably from our dorm.

"- deserves to be expelled!" I heard James' voice.

"I don't think he does. No one does." That was Remus.

"But after what he did! Don't you want revenge!"

"No! I don't know! Ugh! It's all so confusing!"

"But Moony-"

"Shut up James, I don't want to hear it."

"Sorry. Its just that its so wrong."

"I know James."

"He makes me sick."

"Ok. Can we stop talking about this now?"

"No! Moons don't you get it! Its so wrong! I can't believe we thought him any different from his family!"

"James."

"No Moony! I can't believe we were ever friends with a backstabbing git like him!"

"JAMES!"

"What?"

"Someone's coming."

I felt fresh tears falling down my cheeks. They really hated me. 

Upon my entry, they all fell silent. I completely ignored them, and hastily grabbed my stuff, shoving it into my trunk.

"Being expelled then, Black?!" Potter asked, glee evident in his voice. I gritted my teeth.

"Nope. Suspension. Four weeks." I replied gruffly.

"Ahhhh! That'll be nice for you. Bonding time with the family you're not so different from!" There it was again. I was NOT like them. Not like them at all! But these words, the fact that two of my closest friends had told me that I was like them was making me really doubt myself. I yanked my trunk off the bed and made a bee-line for the door, the palpable silence was freaking me out a bit. I made my way to Dumbledore's office, where my parents were still waiting. No one had moved. Evidently, the silence in this room was as tangible as the one I had just left.

"Right then Sirius, we best be off," Father said, offering Mother his hand.

"I'll see you in four weeks, Sirius." Dumbledore declared.

"If I'm not dead," I muttered to myself. Luckily, no one heard. We stepped into the fireplace and flooed to Grimmauld Place. Home sweet home...