first year - so this is christmas (sirius pov)
Once Sirius had tasted warmth and love, he dreaded being back in the Black Manor's walls. leaving Hogwarts, he had seen the common room decorated by house elves with stockings for the students staying behind, and small piles of presents lying by the fireplace. The Great Hall had been lined with wreaths, a pine tree reaching up into the ceiling, an illusion of soft, white snow falling.
Even before the Christmas festivities, he had spent his birthday with his new friends in the Gryffindor tower, making a deliberate show of mucking about in each class, singing happy birthday at the top of their lungs every new room they went to. Even Mcgonagall let them dance around by the end of the day's lessons when word had gotten around about their mischief. They spent their flying class chasing around laps, still very wobbly on their brooms. Sirius and James loved the rush of adrenaline with flying, and Sirius as usual was a natural at anything he picked up, including flying on a broom several feet in the air. Remus despised all things heights and had refused anything above hovering, and Peter was very wobbly, but the boys still managed to cause chaos nonetheless.
Sirius had made sure to note down any places with mistletoe snuck in, cheekily kissing a girl on the cheek when he got caught. Sirius had become slightly popular with the girls in his year, much to James' approval, Peter's awe and Remus' annoyance. He had heard all of his friends' Christmas plans, James and Pete would go back to their homes, and not living too far apart would spend most days together, and Christmas morning. Remus was staying at the castle, Sirius was quietly pleased he didn't have to go back to his home if it meant he was kept away from his dad. He knew what it was like to always be in danger of some sort of trouble. Sirius just sought it out more, he had gotten used to it, and would much rather protect his baby brother.
Sirius had thought about pleading with his mother to stay at the castle, but he couldn't upset Regulus like that, and his mother would refuse, as he still had to show his face at all the Black family gatherings for Yule. The pureblood tradition was less joyful, and warm than the muggle-inspired traditions of Hogwarts, and involved no Santa Claus, and presents, and milk and cookies.
The morning of the train back to Kings Cross station, Sirius was frantic. Not wanting to think about going home, feeling guilty reading his brother's excitement to have him back home, he had put off packing his trunk back up again. Remus had once again been a godsend, helping Sirius stuff his clothes and books, and important things to take home, actually folding them up instead of how Sirius threw them about. The trio waved Remus goodbye as they took the carriages down to the station, and ran and took a carriage for themselves once their belongings were stowed away. They spent the long train ride talking, Peter at one point taking a small dose, and James and Sirius would speak about pranks and all the bloody homework they had to do as a result of sodding off in class.
The train slowed into platform 9 and three-quarters, and Sirius' shoulders slightly tightened at the sight of Walburga black. After 3 and a bit months, he had defrosted the icy stare she pressed down on him, and the chills had all come back within seconds. His heart warmed to see his younger brother, eyes beaming as he made his way over to them, waving one last goodbye to James and Peter, who only seemed slightly off-put at seeing the shrieking voice in that howler on their first morning.
Arriving home, Sirius took to his bedroom, avoiding the first scolding he was due that evening, for god knows what.
The extended black family included Walburga's Brother, and Sirius' uncle, who had been removed from the family tree. The boys' only cousins were Cygnus' daughters, Bellatrix, Andromeda and Narcissa, and the girls and their parents had invited Sirius and his family to Grimmauld. He knew the place, as neither family lived there, the English house had been kept as a place for gatherings, during holidays.
The plan was for the two families to meet and spend a few days at Grimmauld, and then would both go back to the Black manor in the last few days before they all had to go to Hogwarts again.
Sirius knew that wasn't all that was to happen that break. The Black family had never been one for simplicity. The weeks covering Christmas and New Year's were to be full of surprises.
Nevertheless, Sirius vowed to spend all his time with his brother. He couldn't imagine the cold walls of the manor when Sirius was away, and his baby brother had been left alone under the restraint of their mother. He wasn't free yet, so Sirius spent their first night home telling him the wonders of the castle back in Scotland, the towers, the forbidden forest, the creatures, all the teachers and students, the insane willow tree with the same anger and wrath as Walburga.
He told his brother about the new friends Sirius had made. He couldn't wait for them to meet his brother. Conversation about home life wasn't usual with the four, but James had heard about the younger black, and Reggie's name would sometimes come up when he spent late nights awake with Remus.
Grimmauld Place was different to the Black Manor. It had some sense of dark magic, the estate covered by such wards Walburga had allowed him to practise small amounts of magic, despite breaking a few wizarding laws. Bellatrix, the eldest Black was in her final year of Hogwarts, and had caused trouble wherever Sirius had gone in the castle. Whenever he had been walking alone, she wouldn't hesitate to tell him of the disappointment his family had in him. He didn't walk alone much after the first few weeks of her harassment, always by one of his mates' sides. Andy, the middle daughter, was the nicest of the three. Making up for her older sister's insanity, she would spend time with Sirius, asking him about the Gryffindor common room, like she hadn't been in it at some point. All of the Black family were fair-skinned and had perfectly sculpted faces. It had made them a desired bunch. Andromeda was in her 6th year, and the youngest of the three was in her fifth.
Narcissa was similar to Andromeda in her sanity, neither took after the mad Bella, but she was as vain as their mother and aunt were. It had been known she was promised to Lucius Malfoy from earlier on, and she had changed her hair to match her partners, making a blonde crown around her skull.
Regulus had gone exploring as Sirius set their bags down in their shared room. The house had enough rooms for everyone to sleep on their own and further, much like all of the Black estates, but the brothers would always choose to share a room.
Not long later, he had burst into their bedroom, dragging Sirius out to see a room the house elf had shown him. Kreacher took care of Grimmauld place, even when it would stay abandoned for months at a time. The Black family owned many estates and had house elves working at each one for years.
Sirius was taken to a room, with an ancient tapestry lining the walls. Portraits lined all four walls, in branches of a family line stretching on ages. He was surprised to see his name, sitting next to his brothers, and aside from his cousins, eyes quickly scanning over the pieces of burnt-out portraits, names crossed out harshly. Sirius noticed the Star theme continuing over every generation, not sure whether to be impressed or irritated about the share of Sirius' before him.
He traced down the lines, as Regulus pointed out people he had read about. The Peverel family, the Bulstrodes. His jaw dropped open when he saw the name Potter on the wall, His father's uncle-in-law. That would make Sirius and his best friend.. his second cousin once removed or something similar. What incest! he had no idea he and James were related! Of course, He didn't stop gushing to Regulus about James, and how cool and awesome he was.
After Sirius had written to his friend, the next morning Regulus had brought him back to the room, showing him something else he had found. The boys took to the shelves lining a wall, peeking at the other titles, but finding a book about Stars, and the meanings of their names. Regulus had obviously read this before, but they had all these family names to look at.
The younger boy's name meant 'Little King.' Of course, Regulus was perfect, and definitely fit to rule the world, if Sirius could have his way. The older brother had been 'Orion's Dog', and didn't mind the name. He had always preferred his father to their mother, having taught them French as they grew up, sometimes when they were younger sneaking in cheeky remarks that Walburga couldn't understand.
The days would begin to pass by, the nights spent away from his home, both in Scotland and at the Black Manor. Regulus would continue to search Grimmauld, and Sirius would show him some of the magic he had learnt.
Hogwarts would never be the same after Regulus came. Sirius couldn't wait any longer. Coming back in the holidays risked his temptations to fold his brother up, and shrink him into his trunk to take to school, like James had his cat.