A/N:  *hides under a table*  I don't know how many of you remember this story.  I posted it a long time ago, but took it down, promising it would be up in June.  That was eleven months ago, and I haven't quite finished it yet.  I have enough to be going with though, so here you are!

Warning - Sirius doesn't have a happy little life in my story.  If you love Sirius as much as I do, or more, and you can't stand to see him in misery, then let ye be warned. (He does get some happiness, but not for awhile yet.)

Disclaimer:  I do not own, nor have I ever owned, nor will I ever own anything having to do with Harry Potter. (Well, I own a copy of each of the books, but I think you understand what I mean)

Note - I'm guessing on the date below, I don't know when the Hogwarts owls go out, but it has to be sometime before July 31st…so that's what I came up with.  I could probably figure it out with the first book but…I don't want to.

Chapter One – Acceptance

            The evening of July 24th found hundreds of owls swooping across Europe.  Owls of all kinds flew over mountains, rivers, and forests to find their destination.  Though each owl was different, they all had two things in common.  The first – a crest on each of their backs, bearing an H surrounded by an eagle, a snake, a lion, and a badger.  The second – a letter tied to their leg.  Each letter was addressed to one child, and each owl flew across the sky to find that one child.

            A snowy white owl with black spots had already found the house where her child lived.  It was hard to miss.  The only problem was trying to find the right room where the boy the letter was for might be. 

            The house – or rather, castle – where the child lived had seven high towers.  Behind it was what appeared to be a sports arena, and at the front, a lake.  Strange large-eyed and long-eared creatures ran across the grounds, trimming hedges and cleaning statues.  The air around the mansion was cold, as though someone very unpleasant lived there.  A forest surrounded the entire land, shielding it from the eyes of folk who wouldn't understand the people living there – muggles, they were called.  A dome, shimmering white and red, covered the entire area, keeping it safe from anyone else who didn't belong there.

But sitting at the top of the highest tower, peering across the grounds of his home, was a young boy, eleven-years-old, with shoulder-length black hair, and light, gray eyes.  This was the boy whom the owl was searching for.  As soon as she spotted him, she flew to the child, and landed on his shoulder.  The boy jumped up, surprised, but the bird didn't seem to notice.  She stuck out her left leg, tied to which was the letter.

            The black-haired boy smiled when he saw the crest and the letter.   He untied it, and read what it said.

HOGWARTS SCHOOOL

of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

~

Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

            Dear Mr. Black,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

                        Term begins on September 1.  We await your owl by no later than July 31.

            Yours Sincerely,

            Minerva McGonagall,

            Deputy Headmistress

            The boy's smile widened.  He had wanted to go to Hogwarts ever since his mother had begun telling him stories about her days there.  The child read the other parchment, which contained the list of things he would need.  His smile faltered when he realized that in order to get these things, he'd need money and a guardian.  And for that, he'd need to ask his father.  Something he didn't want to do.

            Sirius Black always avoided seeing his father, now more than ever.  Rigel Black was an evil man, who cared very little for his family's well-being, and was quite often the reason why his family suffered. He had never cared for his son at all, and would probably never notice if Sirius just disappeared.

            But Sirius had no where else to go, and he found it easy enough to keep to the fifty or so rooms his father wasn't in.  He never understood why his father always seemed to take his anger out on him.  It wasn't his fault he'd been born, though his father seemed to think so.  Sirius had wondered, briefly, if perhaps Rigel Black wasn't his father at all, and that that had made the man angry at him.  But no, there was no denying the fact that Sirius was Rigel's son.  The two were nearly identical.

            Sirius let the Hogwarts owl fly away – he would send his answer with Ebony – his mother's old owl.  The boy decided he had better tell his father about the letter before evening came, bringing the nightly meetings with his father's friends from the ministry along with it.

            Rigel worked on the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures, a job he seemed to enjoy thoroughly.  He and other ministry members had been meeting at the Black's Mansion every night for almost a month.  For a while, the group ignored Sirius when they entered a room he was in – the meeting didn't like to stay in one room for some reason – and Sirius could come and go as he pleased.  But, whenever one specific man would show up, Rigel forced Sirius out of their way and to his own room with a kick or slap.  Soon, Sirius had learned to just stay clear of the meetings all together.  He was half-glad he was kicked out whenever that man came – his red eyes scared Sirius.

            The boy stopped walking when he reached his father's study.  He straightened his robes and flattened his hair, which had been savaged by the wind on the high tower.  Once he was sure that his appearance was acceptable, he put up his hand, and knocked on the oaken door.

            "Enter" muttered a deep, cold voice from the other side of the door.  Sirius pushed it open and walked up to his father's desk, where the older Black was bending over some scattered parchment.  Sirius caught a glimpse of a snake and a skull on the seal before his father looked up.  The boy locked his arms to his side, and looked down at his shoes.

            "What is it?"  Sirius could not see his father's expression, and he was certain he didn't want to.  His father never liked being interrupted.  He seemed to think that Sirius was just a waste of valuable time.

            "S-sir," stuttered Sirius, "I've j-just received this l-lett-ter from Hogwarts."  He hated his stuttering, but it seemed beyond his control when his father was around.  The man made him nervous, and Sirius never had the courage to stand up to him.

            His father was silent for a moment.  Then "You'll get your things with the Malfoys' tomorrow.  Fire them, and tell them to pick you up before they leave."

            "Yes s-sir."

            Rigel lifted his son's head with his hand and held it up.  Sirius shook as his father looked straight into his eyes.  He found only evil there.

            "Remember to be polite!  Keep your head down, and don't speak unless spoken to.  Don't give them any unnecessary troubles!  Understood?"

            "Yes sir!"

~oOo~

            The next morning, Sirius sat next to a fire in a spare room, trying to keep out of the way of the house-elves who were cleaning for a special meeting that night.  Sirius had received a bit of money from his father so he wouldn't need to bother the Malfoys' with stopping at Gringotts.

            Soon, the fire flared and turned to a blinding green.  Sirius stood up just as Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy stepped through the fire, Lucius following behind them. 

            "Ready, are you?" said Mr. Malfoy, wearing the cold sneer the Malfoys' were known for.

            "Yes sir." Sirius replied.

            "Good" He turned to his wife, "I have to speak with Rigel about something, so take the boys to buy their things."  He glanced back at Sirius for a moment.  "Where is your father, boy?"

            "The study, sir."

~oOo~

            "We'll get your uniforms first" said Mrs. Malfoy. The two boys nodded as they entered Madam Malkin's shop.

            Madam Malkin set the boys up in a back room, next to a red-haired girl. She smiled at them while the witches began to work with their robes.

"Hello," said the girl, "I'm Lily, who are you?"

"Sirius" he replied, thinking the girl seemed rather nice.

"Lucius"

"Well, good to meet you!  Are you going to Hogwarts too?" They nodded.

"I didn't know there were real witches and wizards around before I got my letter. I'm so excited; I can't wait to get there!"

Lucius and his mother glared at the child, who seemed to notice she'd said something wrong, and went quiet.  Sirius, too, glared at the girl.  He felt nothing against muggle-borns, but it was a habit that had been drilled into him by his father.

They stayed silent until the witch working on Lily told her she was finished. She paid Madam Malkin and ran out of the shop.  Sirius caught a look at her face through the window -- she was crying.

"Stupid mudbloods" said Lucius, Sirius turned to look at him. "A decent headmaster wouldn't let mudbloods into Hogwarts!" Sirius nodded in agreement. He had been taught, for as long as he could remember, of what a horrible person Albus Dumbledore was.

"Done, boys" Mrs. Malfoy and Sirius paid Madam Malkin for the robes, and they left the shop.

            "Where next, mum?" asked Lucius.

"Apothecary"

After buying the potion ingredients, they headed for Flourish and Blotts for their school books. Inside they saw a boy with jet-black, messy hair and bright blue eyes comforting the same red-haired girl, who still had tears in her clouded green eyes. Lucius made to walk over to them, but his mother stopped him.

"I won't have you fighting with that boy!  I don't want to have to deal with his parents." said Mrs. Malfoy.

"But why?" whined Lucius.  He seemed eager to punish the muggle-born for daring to attend Hogwarts.

"I'm not fighting with the Potters over some nasty mudblood, Lucius, now lets get your books and go." Potter. Sirius had heard that name often enough. His father had gone to school with Mr. Potter, and they had despised one another.

~oOo~

They finished buying their school things, and then headed back to the Black's Mansion, where Rigel and Mr. Malfoy were whispering at the kitchen table.  Several others had arrived as well.  As soon as they appeared, Rigel stood up, and walked over to Sirius, who looked down at his new boots.

"Have you bought everything you need?" asked Rigel.

"Yes s-sir" replied Sirius.

"Good, then take Lucius and go to your room, his parents will fetch him when it's time for them to leave. Go, and stay there for the rest of the night, I've got important things to discuss here."

Sirius half-bowed and left, Lucius following after him.  The two sat down on Sirius's dark green bed.

"What are they meeting about?" Sirius asked, leaning back on his pillows.

"Oh, some dark wizard's trying to 'get into power'." Lucius replied. "…Damn Mudbloods, they bring disgrace to wizards. They should all just be killed off."