Author's Note: Thank you reviewers! :)

Chapter Twenty-Five

The Truth

As the sun shone on his face through the window the next morning, Sirius blinked wearily. It took him a minute to realize where he was. This was not his bedroom at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. Neither was this his bed in the dormitory at Hogwarts. Looking around the sight was vaguely familiar from the several other times he had visited his best friend. He was at the Potter's house in Godric's Hollow.

He rolled over, feeling a dull ache in his chest. Despite the events from the evening before, last night he had slept more soundly then he had in weeks.

Sirius had laid low for several days in his parents' house. He had sulked about just as he always did and he did his best to avoid the rest of the family. He didn't bother with any family meals and for the moment it seemed his parents were content with pretending that he simply didn't exist, which was fine by him. In fact, that was exactly what he was hoping for.

Even though he knew what he had to do – he would leave this house for good – the plan was slow to come into focus. He didn't bother unpacking his school trunk, knowing that he had to be ready in a moment's notice. He just had the wait for the perfect moment. He knew from experience how difficult sneaking out without his parents knowing could be. They seemed to have more protection and alarm spells than the Ministry of Magic. Not to mention Kreacher always lurking about.

He was walking up the stairs, heading for his bedroom when his opportunity finally presented itself.

His mother was already in a rage. Her screeches could be heard throughout the house, though as Sirius paused and listened curiously he couldn't quite hear the words she was spewing. Suddenly there was a loud bang. Sirius gave a start at the noise, which was unfamiliar to him if he wasn't on the receiving end of it. Who was she attacking? Surely not her husband. Was it Regulus? He hadn't earned a punishment since before he started at Hogwarts; he was always the perfect son in their parents' eyes.

Unable to stop himself Sirius wandered closer to his mother's rage. As he poked his head into the room he found a very curious sight. His mother was completely alone in the room, but from the way she clutched her wand as well as the stench in the room clearly she had burned something. Against his better judgment Sirius cleared his throat to make himself known.

His mother whirled to look at him, a fury he had never seen before in her eyes. She jabbed a finger angrily in his direction. "You!" she spat. "You will be no better! Blood traitor in my own house!"

"Excuse me?" Sirius said a little too politely. This certainly wasn't news to him but the cause of this particular rant was still a mystery.

"I just heard from your Aunt Druella," his mother hissed. "It seems your filthy cousin has run off with a Muggle!"

Sirius raised his eyebrows, finding it humorous that they were suddenly his relatives rather than her sister and her niece. As he surveyed the room he suddenly found where the source of the burning smell was coming from. She had blasted his cousin Andromeda off of the family tapestry. "Well, good for her," Sirius said with a smile that he knew was sure to send his mother over the edge. "I'll have to send her my congratulations."

"You should send her poor, dear mother condolences!" his mother shrieked. "My poor sister is bedridden because of this heinous thing her daughter has done. Such a disgrace to this family to have so many children who can't understand how important family is!"

"Perhaps it is the other way around, mother," Sirius drawled easily. He leaned against the doorway casually and crossed his arms over his chest. "Perhaps it is us who are disgraced to have such an awful family who cannot let go of old, outdated ways."

His mother stalked toward him and Sirius immediately straightened up but made no move to reach for his own wand, though he eyed her wand still in her hand wearily. Deep down he knew where this was going. And deep down he knew it had to be done.

"You are wrong, boy," his mother hissed in his face. "You have picked the wrong side of this war. Because that's what this is going to be. A war. The Dark Lord Voldemort is gaining power and soon he will be unstoppable. He will destroy the world of Muggles and then true witches and wizards will be able to take their rightful place as the superior race in this world." She leaned in even closer and Sirius did not so much as flinch. "And I hope that he will capture you and torture you himself for being a blood traitor to such an honorable family."

"He'd have to catch me first," Sirius said in a low voice, meeting his mother's eyes. "He'd have to catch me… before I got him."

That did it.

"HOW DARE YOU!" his mother screamed, her rage soaring to all new heights. "You ungrateful, unworthy shame to your family!"

Sirius laughed in her face, suddenly feeling liberated. Somehow he knew this hell was almost over and he knew that his parents would no longer control him. He could almost sense how near his freedom was. "Actually, mother, it's this family that shames me!"

When his mother screamed the curse he couldn't even make out what she had said. He was suddenly thrown backwards out of the room, hitting the wall in the hallway hard. It took him a moment to comprehend the pain running through his side and the sudden wet feeling of his shirt. He looked down to see that he was covered in red.

"I don't want you in my house," his mother hissed.

"And I don't want to be in your house," Sirius spat back. He shoved himself away from the wall. At this point the pain barely bothered him. He'd had worse. "I'll do us both a favor and just get the hell out!"

He turned and started up the stairs. As he reached the top he began to notice the dizziness and the dark spots clouding the edges of his vision. As he entered his room he pulled out his wand before he realized he didn't know what kind of spell to cast. Remus had always been the Healer of the group. He winced as he tossed open his school truck and dug around for a moment. He came up with his Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook. He forced himself to focus through the dizziness as he quickly flipped through the pages, finally coming upon a fairly simple healing spell.

After healing himself he knew he had no time to waste. He had to leave while his mother was still too angry to stop him. He yanked his trunk along. As he entered the hallway he was only vaguely aware of the door across the hall from him slowly closing, concealing the occupant. He didn't have time to stop and think what Regulus was thinking. Surely he had heard the entire exchange. If the house hadn't been so hidden he suspected the neighbors would have heard it as well. But Regulus could take care of himself. Sirius wasn't worried about him.

He allowed his trunk to bang loudly down the stairs behind him. He didn't care about secrecy. He would not sneak out of this house with his proverbial tail between his legs. He was proud of his rebellion. He was proud to be rejected by this family.

"Sirius."

The low voice reached him just as he was reaching out for the doorknob. He paused, his hand still outstretched. He didn't turn around.

"Father," he returned.

"If you walk out that door right now, you will no longer be a part of this family," his father said in a low and dangerous voice. "You will never be welcomed back into this house again."

"Then we are on the same page," Sirius said, still not looking at him.

There was a tense silence. Finally Sirius grabbed the doorknob, flinging the door open. Without a backward glance he walked out the door, half expecting some sort of attack while his back was turned. But none came. As he closed the door behind him he felt an enormous weight lifting off his shoulders. He had done it. He had left The Most Ancient and Nobel House of Black. For good.

As he walked away, just before the house melted back into the houses around it, Sirius could just make out the sound of a small bang coming from deep inside it. And he smiled. He knew that his name would no longer appear on the family tapestry. And he was glad for that.

After he had finally left it had only taken him a few minutes to decide where to go. Surely James wouldn't turn him away, even at that late hour. And he had been right. Now as he lay there going over the events from the night before he felt a wave of relief wash over him. He knew that he would never return to that house again, and that was comforting.

He noticed James shifting in his own bed. Sirius sat up and watched him as his eyes blinked open. James yawned and stretched before reaching over to his bedside table and grabbing his glasses. As he slipped them on he jumped a bit at the sight of Sirius sitting on the mattress on the floor. Sirius smirked.

"Didn't mean to frighten you, Prongs," Sirius said.

James shook his head slightly. "No, sorry, just forgot…" he mumbled, his voice still full of sleep. He yawned again. "Did you sleep?"

"Yeah, I slept fine," Sirius said. "Better than I have in a while."

James nodded as he slid to sit on the edge of his bed, looking down at Sirius. "So are you going to tell me what happened?"

"I ran away," Sirius said with a shrug. "What else would you like to know?"

"How about where those gashes on your side came from?" James said bluntly, looking at him critically.

Sirius sighed. There was no point hiding it. "A parting gift from my dear mother," Sirius confirmed what James had probably already suspected. "Very minor compared to what she did last time."

James looked at him for a moment, apparently surprised that Sirius was being so straightforward about this. "And… what did she do last time?" James asked slowly.

Sirius paused, looking down at the floor. "The Cruciatus Curse," he said finally, very quietly.

James just stared, his mouth open, for several minutes as Sirius sat there silently, letting the information sink in. After keeping this secret for all this time Sirius felt strangely relieved finally letting it out. It wasn't like before when he had accidentally let parts of his story slip and he immediately felt dread and regret. He was no longer controlled by his parents. He wouldn't be returning to their house. Ever. Keeping secrets for them just didn't seem to matter anymore. He was free.

"Are you serious?" James finally said.

"It's not much of a joke," Sirius said dryly.

"Why… why didn't you tell us?" James finally said. "Why did it take this long?"

Sirius sighed. "I don't know," he mumbled. "It just felt like… somehow they controlled me. If it was a big deal, then I thought that maybe it would make me… weak."

James slowly shook his head, a look of shock still on his face. "Sirius, there are grown men driven mad by the Cruciatus Curse," he pointed out. "It's not something you should have had to deal with alone."

Sirius shrugged. "It's over now," he said, believing it for the first time.

"I can't believe your parents would stoop to that level," James said. "Who does that to their own child?"

"My parents are a special kind of malevolent," Sirius said flatly.

"Yeah, no kidding," James agreed. "Sirius… I had no idea that it was that bad."

"It wasn't always that bad," Sirius said. "But it never had been particularly pleasant."

There was a short pause.

"Well," James said finally. "What's the plan now?"

Sirius paused, looking at James carefully. "Well you know, I don't mind the floor," he said slowly, smiling lightly. "Just tell your parents I'm a stray dog. I could even look the part."

James laughed as he hopped out of bed. "You know that won't be necessary," he said. "My parents are more fond of you than they are of me sometimes."

Sirius chuckled as he got up and followed James out of the room. They headed down the stairs, hearing voices coming from the kitchen. It was late in the morning; James' parents probably had been up for hours already. The light voices floated up through the house, Mr. Potter had a humorous tone, Mrs. Potter laughed. It was a noise that was not heard in the House of Black.

"'Morning," James said, walking into the kitchen with Sirius in tow.

"Good morning, James," Mrs. Potter said. She turned to look at her son and gave a start. "Sirius?" she said, surprised. "Darling, when did you get here?" She gave him a warm smile and Sirius couldn't help but smile back.

"Sirius?" Mr. Potter said confusedly as he turned to look. "Why, how are you boy?"

"Fine, thanks sir," Sirius said with a nod, grinning.

"Did we know you were coming?" Mr. Potter asked, glancing at his wife. They were confused, but not angry. Never angry.

"No, I thought I would just drop by," Sirius said.

"Sirius was wondering if he could stay here," James spoke up.

"Of course," Mrs. Potter said without hesitation. "You are welcome here anytime, dear."

"I was wondering if I could stay a bit longer than usual," Sirius said slowly, feeling a little unsure. Sure James' parents were nice people… but what he was hoping for was a lot to ask.

"How long were you planning on staying?" Mr. Potter asked curiously.

Sirius hesitated. "A few weeks? A month? All summer?" he said quickly.

"All summer?" Mrs. Potter said, sounding surprised.

Mr. Potter just looked at him for a moment, as if sizing him up. "You're welcome to stay as long as you like," he said slowly. "But what do your parents think of this?"

Sirius couldn't help but snort a laugh. "I think they're a bit relieved to be rid of me, actually," he said.

Mr. and Mrs. Potter were quiet for a minute. They exchanged glances and Sirius couldn't tell if the looks on their faces were reluctant or just concerned. Either way he could feel his stomach falling. Maybe this wouldn't work out after all.

"I could make up the guest bedroom," Mrs. Potter finally spoke up.

Sirius smiled cautiously. "I don't mind the floor, Mrs. Potter," he mentioned.

"Nonsense," Mrs. Potter said with a casual wave of her hand. "I won't hear of it, Sirius. You will not spend the entire summer sleeping on the floor in James' bedroom."

"So… I can stay?" Sirius said hopefully, exchanging a grin with James.

"Well of course you can stay!" Mrs. Potter said as if it were obvious. "Now, dear, I was just making up some breakfast, so have a seat."

James and Sirius both sat down at the table, smiling despite themselves. As Mrs. Potter went back to fixing breakfast, Mr. Potter joined the boys at the table. He looked at Sirius with a serious expression.

"It takes a lot to walk away from a family like that," Mr. Potter said. "Are you sure you are ready for the consequences of your actions?"

Sirius sat up a little straighter. He had learned a lot about the consequences of his actions over the course of the past few months. "I never really belonged in that family," he said firmly. "I know what I did won't be taken lightly. But I also know that what I did was right."

Mr. Potter nodded and smiled. "Well then," he said as he leaned back in his chair. "Welcome to the family, Sirius."

Sirius grinned. "Thank you, sir."

He knew that never in a million years could he convey his gratitude to Mr. and Mrs. Potter, not to mention James. As breakfast was served and light conversation and jokes floated around the kitchen, Sirius felt more at ease than he had in a very long time. He knew that eventually he was bound to have an encounter with some part of his family. He knew that his rebellion wouldn't be taken lightly. And he also knew that his mother's words about Lord Voldemort were more than just petty threats. They were well protected from the outside world in their school, but news about the tensions between haughty purebloods and Muggleborns still managed to infiltrate the walls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and they were obviously getting worse.

He supposed his mother was probably right. There was a war coming. And he felt ready for it. He had chosen his side and he was prepared to fight for what he believed in.

The End

Author's Note: Thank you so much to those of you who stuck with this story! I hope you liked how a wrapped it up. This story actually ended up going in a much different direction than I originally anticipated, but I am pleased with out it turned out. Please keep an eye out for other Marauders fics that I will be posting in the future. Thank you for all your support! Please leave a review! Cheers!