The Butterfly Effect Chapter 1, a harry potter fanfic

The Butterfly Effect.

Chapter 1.

The evening was surprisingly cold for early August. Although it was only eight o'clock the light was already beginning to fade. The moon was muscling its way in, attempting to take the sky from the sun, if only for several hours before it would be forced back again.

The moment Sirius Black had arrived home for the summer holidays his room had been dismantled. Red drapes from the walls now lay strewn across the floor, the emerald green paint that lay underneath finally allowed to breathe. The canvas portraits of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black that he had hidden in drawers, buried under various items of clothing, were now dotted around the room. He had thrown them in anger at the walls and left them where they had fallen, destined, it seemed, to spend an eternity staring at the ceiling. Finally pictures of what he had once thought of as his real family had been plastered across the room, dumped on every surface, so there was always one visible from every angle. Most of the pictures were moved on a daily basis, from place to place, as a pale hand grabbed them, their crumpling edges retreating more each day. He would check at intervals, whether James Potter, Remus Lupin or Peter Pettigrew had returned or whether the portrait still contained just the one member, himself, staring dejectedly at the floor. Shameful tears sometimes escaped the portraits eyes.

The real Sirius lay flat out on the only space of floor left. It was cold hard wood, rough from the wear and tear of being crushed by agitated feet for hundreds of years. But Sirius relished the discomfort, he understood now that pain was something he deserved. One of the pictures was clutched in his hand, currently residing at his side. He lifted it up painfully slowly so he could see the picture, every ounce of his being wishing that he could just catch a glimpse of one of his friend's faces. It wasn't that he needed to see them, he could see them alright, their images floating around his head, disapproval clear in their eyes. He just wanted them to be thinking about him, he didn't like to think that he had just been cast out and completely forgotten. Nothing. Just himself. Tear stained and distraught. Stuck in a nightmare, alone forever. He shook his head, returning his hand to his side and tightening his fist around the picture, forcing more creases into the paper. He took in a deep breath of the dusty air around him and let it out slowly through his mouth, it was the only control his had now, his life was off-kilter, hurtling out of control. He couldn't even control the tears, protect his dignity, as they rolled mercilessly down his pale face that hadn't seen the light of the sun in weeks.

Yet he knew he did not deserve dignity either, so he did not struggle as the tears began again. The force of gravity pulled them down to the floor, so they trickled uncomfortably into his ears. The memories flooded back, another wave of tears joined them. The horrible moment that would haunt him for the rest of his existence, one sentence that he hadn't even thought about at the time. It had ruined his entire future.

The boys greasy hair stuck to his face as he turned, "I know you're up to something Black," Snape snarled, "You, the half-blood, the blood traitor and the coward."

Sirius chose to ignore the insults, now was not the time to land himself in detention Moony needed him, "We're always up to something," he chuckled.

"You know what I mean, something beyond the school, something bigger..."Snape stared unblinkingly at Sirius, his mouth set into a determined line, "I will find out Black."

Sirius let out a bark of a laugh, "You want to know what we're doing?" Sirius's eyes sparkled dangerously, "Go to the Whomping Willow tonight, the knob on the at the bottom freezes the branches, there's a secret tunnel underneath. You'll get what you deserve, Snivellus."

Sirius briefly saw Snape looking suspicious as he turned, but he knew that curiosity would overcome his distrust. A grin spread across Sirius's face, it was not until later that he was forced to face the consequences of his actions.

...

"SNAPE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED! I COULD'VE BEEN KILLED AND DID YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT WHAT IT WOULD HAVE DONE TO REMUS?" James yelled, "Don't you even care? Didn't you even think?"

Sirius sat quietly on the bed in the dormitory, taking his punishment.

"Well?" James demanded, his eyes wild, "Answer me Black!"

Sirius visibly flinched, James knew he hated the name but ignored the hurt that appeared in his best friends eyes.

Sirius jumped up from the bed to respond, his survival instinct from years of insults at home kicking in, "I'm sorry!" He said, his voice forceful but not quite a shout, he was trying to restrain himself, he knew he was in the wrong, "I've told you countless times, and Peter, and Remus, especially Remus," he faltered, "I'm such an idiot, and don't I know it. I'm so sorry!"

"Sorry isn't good enough Black," James answered him quietly, his voice still harsh.

"Prongs, please..."

James eyes flashed and Sirius fell silent. James walked up to Sirius, so their noses were centimetres apart, staring him straight in the eye, breathing heavily. Even though Sirius had a slight height advantage James's stony expression still chilled Sirius to the bone.

"Don't ever call me that again! Do you hear me Black? You're just like them, we were the idiots, thinking that a Black could be different. Leave the marauders alone, traitor."

James turned quickly and left the room so that Sirius wouldn't see the tears that were filling up his eyes at a rate of knots.

For the final two months of term not one of them had said a word to him. Either they walked away if they were somewhere around school when he attempted to approach them or pretended he wasn't even there and stayed talking amongst themselves. He began to sleep by the blazing fire in the common room, every night waiting for it to be vacated before he could curl up on his favourite armchair in peace.

He had once ran into Peter, the two of them alone, a rare occurrence. As Sirius had begged with Wormtail, the watery-eyed boy had stuttered, mumbled and retreated. Typical Peter.

But James words still echoed around his head, bouncing around in the emptiness their absence had left behind,'...You're just like them...Black...leave the marauders alone...traitor...traitor...traitor...'

"Sirius!" A sharp voice snapped his name between her vocal chords, shaking him from his reverie, "Dinner!"

Sirius groaned as he got up, stretching out his back like a cat, a strange comparison for the animagus, and made his way downstairs, each step leading to another evening of questioning and insults.

XXXX

Sirius picked up his silver cutlery apprehensively, beginning to pick at his chicken with his head down, apparently intensely interested in cutting it correctly.

"I had a terrible day at work today," His father, Orion Black, drawled, "Too much trouble over a group of muggleborns going missing. If you ask me..."

"Lovely chicken," Sirius interrupted, he couldn't bear to hear how his father was going to end that sentence.

Orion smiled sardonically, "I'm sure kreacher has done it in the same way as he always does," Walburga frowned at her sons praise of the house elf before returning to her own meal, surprisingly without comment, "We haven't been getting much post lately." He said it as if it didn't matter, but his smirk showed that it meant more than would meet the untrained eye.

Sirius groaned inwardly, of course his parents would have noticed when they screened the post that nothing was arriving for him from his friends. Not that it ever got to him anyway, it was always hidden, or sometimes even burnt.

"I was hoping that you'd come to understand the truth of the matter," Walburga began, a smile gracing her aged face.

At this opportune moment Regulus decided it was time for him to explain the situation to his parents, reminding them he was there. Regulus craved his parents attention, but they were too busy trying to get Sirius back in line. They weren't the sort of parents who did praise, they were more accustomed to giving out punishment.

"He hadn't been with them much at school very much lately. There were rumours..."

"Regulus!" Sirius hissed, "Don't talk about things you don't understand."

"People were saying that Sirius had, changed his loyalties, that he was a traitor to the Gryffindors."

Sirius leapt up from the table suddenly, catching it and rattling the things that lay on it, "I am not a traitor!" he roared the sentence, trying to convince himself as much as everyone else.

"Sirius sit down!" Walburga snapped. Her son stayed on his feet, reaching one hand into his pocket, checking for his wand, something that always made him feel safer, "Sit down." She repeated sternly.

Sirius sat slowly, not taking his eyes off his brother, fixing him with a glare.

Strangely enough Orion was smiling, "A traitor to your family and a traitor to your friends. What will we do with you."

Sirius repeated himself in a strangled voice, trying to ignore James's voice in his head, "I am not a traitor!"