๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฝ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ข๐ป๐ฒ: ๐ข๐ช๐ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ฆ๐ง
โTwas a tragedy that Sirius Black happened to be born to a wealthy but almost loveless family.
His mother, Walburga Black, who was frightening as she was beautiful, was a blood-status obsessed woman who ruled the house with an iron fist and a ruthless way of dealing out punishments. She was a woman who expected to be obeyed by everyone, including by her (I'm sorry to say) spineless husband.
So imagine her surprise when she gave birth to the one person who wasn't going to succumb to her regime.
Sirius was rebellious from the start, refusing to eat from her hand but from his father's, refusing to wear the clothes his mother picked out for him and generally throwing big tantrums at anything she suggested.
He favored his father over her because even at a young age Sirius understood that him and his father were kind of in the same boat though they faced Walburga quite differently. Orion Black just tried to stay on his wife's good side and well out of her way while Sirius did everything he could to drive her insane, which he was extremely gifted at, mind.
Life at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, London was very boring, to say the least. The mansion was pretty ancient, dating back to the Middle Ages allegedly but was in extremely good condition thanks to the many house elf's who start slaving for the family when they're able to walk, the most recent one being Kreacher. There are many rooms and secret passages to explore, cupboards and drawers full of dangerous stuff (including bagpipes that will bite your lips off) and really sharp toys. But the decor is rather off putting, too many snakes everywhere you looked.
Sirius's years before Hogwarts were regrettably uneventful too unless you consider him calling his mother things he shouldn't, Walburga trying to kill him and Orion daring to step in every once in a while before Walburga silenced him with a look, eventful.
Sirius Black's real adventure began after a big and handsome screech owl landed in his brother, Regulus' breakfast and scared Kreacher only half to death (unfortunately).
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"Hurry up, Orion." Walburga called as she fretted over Sirius's robes, her long fingers brushing over nonexistent dirt on his shoulder.
"Coming, my love." Orion called as he ran down the carpeted stairs.
"Do you have everything with you? Money? The letter?" Walburga asked her husband, who was notorious for his forgetfulness. "Good." she added when he nodded. "Don't get distracted. Finish shopping and I want you straight back home for lunch. We're going to celebrate a little. Kreacher is making stake and kidney pie."
Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place vanished the moment Sirius and his father stepped off the property line thanks to a handy little spell that kept away Muggles. Especially insurance sells Muggle and fortunately so because Walburga Black would have cursed them off to oblivion if they came calling one too many times.
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"All right, Tom?" Orion called to the wizened bartender as him and Sirius passed through the unusually empty bar of The Leaky Cauldron. "Just passing through today. The wife wants us home for lunch."
Tom looked a little disappointed at that and went back to wiping goblets after giving Orion a polite nod.
Once in the alley behind the Leaky Cauldron, Orion tapped on the third brick from the left after counting from the trash can and the archway opened to reveal the twisting cobbled stone streets of Diagon Alley.
Sirius has been to Diagon Alley countless of times before but coming here to get his Hogwarts things made him see it all with a different light. Even Quidditch Quality Supplies where him and Regulus always stopped by to window shop whenever they came to Diagon Alley looked different.
Sirius and his father went to Madam Malkin's to get his robes first ("What a handsome little boy." Madam Malkin had said while Sirius tried not to smile to much) then to Flourish and Blotts to get the required books. Sirius wouldn't read a book to save his life but it still took a lot of self control not to buy all the books in Flourish and Blotts.
Sirius and Orion had almost gotten everything he needed from the list and headed to the Apothecary to get potions ingredients.
The Apothecary was fascinating enough to make up for its horrible smell, a mixture of bad eggs and rotted cabbages. Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor; jars of herbs, dried roots, and bright powders lined the walls; bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and snarled claws hung from the ceiling.
Sirius and Orion had just finished shopping for ingredients and were about to leave the shop when someone cried, "Orion."
"Abraxas." beamed Orion and embraced the tall, pointy faced blond man who walked toward them. "Fancy running into you here."
"Just getting Lucius his things." said Abraxas, clapping a hand on the shoulder of the teen standing next to him. "He's just been made prefect."
"Congratulations, Lucius." said Orion and shook hands with Lucius. "Sirius here is just starting."
"Make your family proud, young man. And the first step to do that is to get sorted into Slytherin." said Mr. Malfoy and patted Sirius on the back so hard, causing him to go momentarily off balance.
The door of the Apothecary swang open at that moment and two middle aged people, a man and a woman, Muggles judging by their clothes, walked in followed by a girl with flaming red hair. They pointed and smiled with awe at the jars of pickled beetle eyes and dragon liver.
"They shouldn't let their lot into Hogwarts, if you ask me." drawled Mr. Malfoy, looking at the new comers with disgust and ill-concealed hatred.
"That school's going to the dogs, letting anyone in." added Orion, nodding along to Mr. Malfoy's words. He was a good man but very proud of his pureblood heritage and hated 'Mudbloods', as he called them.
"Now when Phineas Nigellus Black was headmaster..." said Mr. Malfoy, shaking his blond head wistfully, "...now that was a golden age for any self-respecting wizard."
"Indeed. He was a good man and a very fine wizard." nodded Orion, basking in the reflected glory of his great-grandfather. "Well... it was nice seeing you, Abraxas. But we still need to get Sirius his wand and get back to the Manor in time." he added, shaking hands with Mr. Malfoy and Lucius and they left the Apothecary to get Sirius his wand.
The inside of Ollivander's was dingy and had a clusterphobic feel to it. There wasn't an inch to spare on the shelves and thin boxes tittered, stacked on top of each other dangerously.
"Hogwarts?" whispered Mr. Ollivander from behind Sirius while he was looking around, almost making Sirius jump out of his skin. "Follow me." he added and Sirius nodded.
Mr. Ollivander led Sirius and his father to the back of the room. He ordered Sirius to stand straight and pulled out a tape measure that immediately twirled around Sirius, taking measures off its own accord.
"Good, good." said Ollivander when the tape measure was done and he started pulling down boxes. The old man handed Sirius a wand but snatched it from him almost immediately.
"Rude." Sirius muttered under his breath but Ollivander didn't hear him. The wand-maker only handed Sirius another wand.
Ollivander went on to produce many more wands only to throw them away before Sirius even touched them. Sirius was on what feel like his hundredth wand and thinking that he might just be a Squib and get disowned like Marius Black, when Mr. Ollivander gasped. The wand Sirius was holding was emitting green sparks.
"This is the one." Ollivander breathed. "It has chosen you, my boy."
"How about we get you a pet now?" said Orion once him and Sirius were outside of Ollivander's. "A reward of sorts and an early birthday present."
"I want a dog." Sirius said, something he'd been saying since he was been able to talk.
"Alas. You can't have dogs, my boy." sighed Orion, looking down at the letter from Hogwarts. "But I'm not getting you a cat either. Nor a toad. No son of mine shall be seen with a slime ball."
Next stop was Eeylops Owl Emporium.
