/Lioness\ Sirius Black

[eleven]

• past •

The summer before Sirius's fifth year, Astaras sixth, he was still living with his parents. It was obvious that he wasn't the favorite child, his brother was, but he didn't care. He was only there for the summer then he could go back to school. Sadly, before then, him and his family were invited to the Annual Ball, hosted by the Malfoys. Only the richest and fanciest Slytherin families were invited, and unluckily for Sirius, his family was one of them. But, this time, he got plus one.

He considered James, even Remus, but the choice seemed obvious that he chose Astara White. They were going as friends, obviously, but Sirius couldn't wait to shove it in Lucius's smug face. When he figured out who of was taking, he rushed to his desk and wrote her about it.

He was very happy when he got a letter back the next day from Astara's screech owl, Mortimer. She said yes. He was very excited. It was probably the happiest he had been at home in a while.

***

The night of, The Black family, his mother, father, and younger brother, were the last to arrive. As usual. Fashionably late as they say. They had been there for a while and Sirius was starting to get worried. Astara wasn't there yet. Did she get lost? Did she decide not to come and just not tell him? What if- His irrational thoughts cut off by the ball room doors opening. Not everyone looked over but most did, including Sirius's family.

Walking in with a house elf leading her, was Astara White. She looked stunning. Her hair was a dark green bob, her makeup matching, her eyes blue with hints of bright green. But her dress, her dress was long, black lace that reached the floor, a slit in the side for one of her legs, puffy sleeves that tighten at the wrist, and a neckline that cut all the way down to her waist. Showing off the dark freckles that covered her chest, matching the lighter ones on her face.

Sirius gapped at her as she spotted him, smiled, and was walking over to him. "Hi." She said as she looked at him, her black heels making them almost the same height. He tried to say something but couldn't as he was trying to process that this was her. His friend. His best girl friend. With a space in the middle, the space called the friendzone.

"You look beautiful, stunning, gorgeous. I don't think there is enough words in the English Dictionary to describe how... incredible you look." Sirius smiled bashfully as he stared at her like he was the luckiest man in the world to even know her. And to him, he was.

Her painted lips broadened into a bigger smile. "Thank you. I think you look quite dashing as well." She said as she reached up and straightened his collar. He preened like a dog at the simple touch but was soon stopped as he heard the familiar clicking of heels. Sirius turned his head and met the eyes of his mother, her face was in its natural scowl as her dark eyes darted to Astara.

Sirius got the hint and introduced his friend, "Mother, this Astara White. My date. Astara this is my mother." He held back a grimace.

Astara managed to muster up a pretty convincing smile and held out her hand to the older woman. Walburga, Sirius's mother, looked at her hand in disgust before deciding to grab her fingertips with hers before letting go. She didn't want to get mudblood germs on her.

The green haired girl found this a little unnerving but ignored it and continued to smile.

"Your last name was?" His mother asked, curiously, leaning forward. She was a very tall lady.

"White."

"Ah, the White family, such a shame what happened to them." Walburga said with no remorse in her tone whatsoever. Astara's eye twitched at the woman's tone but tried to remain positive. But she continued.

"So, I assume your one of Sirius's Gryffindor friends?" The woman asked, venom laced her tone name the red and gold house name. When Astara hesitantly nodded, his mother hummed and pulled her close, almost like she was hugging her. But she wasn't.

The horrid woman bent down and whispered harshly in her ear, "You may look like us, you may dress like us, but you will never belong here." Before pulling back and walking away, muttering something rude about her green hair.

As Walburga walked away, Astara gapped at her in confusion on how the hell she was even related to Sirius much less his mother. She leaned on her side closer to Sirius and whispered, "Who pissed in her cereal this morning?" Causing him to quietly laugh like a child with her, Immediately brightening the dampened mood.

He hooked his arm with hers and whispered back, "I don't know if I would have been able to get through this without you."

"Well I'm here now so let's enjoy this."

The night was actually pretty fun. More fun than Astara had expected. Her and Sirius danced, ate fancy food, and just had a blast. It wasn't a rager like the Gryffindor kids would throw in the common room when they won a qudditch game but it was pretty fun. For being thrown by Slytherins that is.

She and her friend laughed and talked, making fun of his family and their friends quietly to each other, guessing if the old dude in the corner with the very young woman was his date or daughter (definitely not his daughter), and just having fun.

When the night came to an end and people were starting to leave. Sirius walked Astara to the front door, not wanting her to get lost like she had when she got there. Astara smiled brightly at him and kissed him on the cheek. A totally platonic kiss on the cheek. She pulled him down into a hug and and said, "Thank you for inviting me. I actually had a really good time."

"Thank you for saving me from my parents." He said, smiling boyishly at her, not wanting the night to end. But it had to sadly.

She started to walk away, turning back to wave at him before pulling her wand out and apparating home. Oh yeah, the rules for outside school magic were very different back then.

Sirius smiled to himself as he watched Astara in her big poofy black dress leave in a loud pop. He stood there for a second, still smelling the lemon and rosemary scent she left before snapping out of it when his mother called him. He sighed before going in.

***
The next day, things only took a turn for the worst.

"I don't want you seeing that White girl anymore!"

"You can't chose who I'm friends with!"

"She's not one of us! It's bad enough that you were sorted into Gryffindor, ruining the family name, but then you had the audacity to invite a mudblood to the Annual Ball?!" Sirius's mother screeched at him as they stood in his bedroom. Mudblood. His jaw tighten along with his fists. He glared at his mother.

"DON'T DARW EVEN CALL HER THAT FOUL NAME! YOU ARE NOT MY MOTHER. YOU WILL NOT TELL ME WHO I CANT AND CAN BE FRIENDS WITH. AND YOU WILL NOT STOP ME FROM BEING FRIENDS WITH ASTARA!" He yelled at his mother everything that he had been feeling since he was a child.

His mother glared at him, her face turning red with anger, and yelled back, "THEN GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! NOW!!" He stopped and stared at her for a second, like they were having a stand off which they might as well have had. Sirius grabbed his bag, filled with clothes as he had been wanting to leaving this awful house since his second year, now he could.

He spared no look to his mother as he ran out, listening to her yell spells, no doubt burning his picture off the wall. Sirius ran through the rain, as it was pouring outside and went to the first place he thought of. The Potters.