01 - public torture/use
Life was so unfair. Why did regulus just get to stay at home when Sirius had to be dragged out to events all day? Maybe today he wouldn’t take it and he’d just stop behaving to see what his parents would do. His mother would probably shoot him a mean glare and the worst his father would do is maybe forbid him from having dinner.
Sirius didn’t really understand what they were doing today his father was giving some speech to people in masks or something boring like that, the eleven year old didn’t really care to listen to the explanation. “Sirius” Walburga hums voice unusually neutral. “Yes mother” Sirius chirps back almost robotically, no matter how much Sirius tried to rebel he never seemed able to stop wanting to please them. Today though that would change.
“You will be on your best behaviour today, this means a lot to us and we can not afford to be embarrassed by a useless heir.” She continues hand gripping his shoulder like a vice more threatening than grounding. “Yes mother” he nods, but she didn’t know what he was really going to do. A while later some house elves brought out food, fruit, bread and even cake. That would be a good start - he was never allowed cake.
So he slinked past one of the masked people, an especially tall one with long blonde hair and a perfectly shiny silver mask. He got a plate and a slice of cake holding it proudly as he ate. He made eye contact with his mother who clutched her bag tighter but did nothing, he knew it. Seeing his first act of rebellion went so well he decided to do more. He felt almost giddy acting out like this - like it was what he was meant to do.
When he sat down he didn’t keep his posture, and got away with it. He chewed with his mouth open, and still they kept quiet. He was starting to get bored, it wasn’t fun if it didn’t even seem to make an impact. So when his father stood up in front of the group and everyone went silent - even the tall dark haired man with pale skin who everyone was always staring at - Sirius let out a loud ’boooo!’ giggling to himself as he did so.
Everyone’s head snapped to him eerily quiet for just a second before suddenly he was in the air with his mothers wand pointing at him. His skin felt tingly and his stomach shook not in the good way like when he laughed to much or had a breath holding competition with Reggie - who always lost. Sirius couldn’t speak, couldn’t even feel his tongue it was like it had been ripped from him.
Without being able to protest he seemed at a loss just helplessly wriggling about only then to realise what everyone else was doing, staring at him, like he was some kind of fighting dog that had been beaten and left in the ring by his owner. “Good on you Walburga, that boy should be punished harshly” the man with the dark hair finally speaks up immediately everyone’s attention was on him except walburga who kept staring at Sirius.
He decides to pull his eyes away from his mother - who only made him want to sob - then catching the man’s horrible gaze, a layer of disgust over his iris’ like Sirius was nothing but vermin. “More.”
With a flick of the wand sirius’ arms were pulled infront of him at the man’s request. Sirius had to look away from his pale disfigured face before he could feel the bile burning his throat.
He gasps as his mother keeps moving her wand his fingers starting to bend at unusual angles. But still he couldn’t scream, couldn’t even cry as everyone in the room stared at him, his face painfully close to the pale man’s. A couple minutes later walburga took mercy dropping him to the floor in a shaking heap curled up like a sheepish rescue animal.
He just stayed there staring at the man’s ankles no one paying Sirius any mind as his father went back to speaking. He wasn’t moved until they left and by then his fingers were numb and his shaking had greatly reduced. Once home Walburga sent him to his room but of course he sneaked to regulus’ room. He was sat on the bed sobbing clearly awaiting sirius’ return.
“What did they do to you?” He had snot lacing his upper lip eyes an ugly red. “I don’t know” he shows his fingers and regulus gasps. “You should leave”
“I know,”
“You need to listen to them more”
“I know,” Sirius was quickly irritated by his brother, of course he was telling him what to do. He stormed off to his room and stayed there, miserably brooding.