This story includes some sensitive material and should be read carefully. There is transphobia, homophobia, and racism along with the hardships accompanying these forms of hatred.

A sharp slam of a door resounded through the house. Sirius stiffened up, knowing what that sound meant.

"Saoirse! Here, now!" Anger was unmistakable in the voice calling him down. Slowly as he dared, Sirius made his way down the stairs.

"It's Sirius," he pointedly added.

"I named you Saoirse, and I will call you as such! Who are you to tell me what to do or say, huh?" There was a dangerous edge to Walburga Black's voice, but that didn't stop Sirius.

"I am a human being who deserves respect, Mother. I am Sirius, not Saoirse." Sirius held his head up defiantly, jaw set.

"You are Saoirse, you are my daughter, and I want you to explain why I found all of your new dresses in shreds outside." When Sirius refused to answer his mother, the red in her face deepened. Quicker than his eye could catch, her hand flashed out, and he felt the sting of a slap on his cheek. "Room, now! No supper either. Maybe that will teach you to think before you become insolent with me." Hand on his face, Sirius trudged up the stairs, into his room. As soon as he heard the click of the lock behind him, tears fell, disobedient of their owner's wishes. He did not rest easy that night, an uneasy sleep accompanied by images of handprints, angry words, and wasting away.

===

"What happened to you?" James Potter took his friend's chin to look at the bruising better. "If I didn't know any better, I would say these were made by your mother's rings."

"Well, you're not wrong." Sirius pulled his face back, letting the curtain of shoulder length black hair shield him.

"Damn it, Sirius, why didn't you call or text me?" James looked at his friend with concern furrowing his brow.

"Fell asleep," was all he responded with as Remus and Peter joined them. Sirius remained silent as they four of them headed to their first class.

===

The four boys sat at their usual table for lunch, all of them but Sirius pulling out food. This didn't go unnoticed by the others.

"Where's yours?" Peter gestured to the empty space on the table in front of Sirius.

"Not allowed to eat until tomorrow."

"Oh, well, I'm not hungry." Peter put his food back in his bag, and Remus and Sirius followed suit. A small smile broke the melancholy face. The boys spent the lunch hour laughing and planning their next prank. Sirius' joy was short lived, however, when his friends walked him out to the parking lot, and Sirius saw his mother there to collect him.

"What have I told you about the company you keep? You are a Black." Walburga's expression was a hurricane of rage as Sirius entered the vehicle. "The Potters are...tolerable, but a halfling? Do you really need to associate with such dirt?"

"Don't you talk about Remus that way! He is a better person than all of you put together!" Fists balled together as Sirius failed to control his emotions. The look he received from his mother was one that could make even the toughest men cower.

===

Sirius didn't know what time it was when he woke up to the sound of the doorbell.

"May I help you?" Walburga seemed displeased at whoever was at the door.

"Yes, we were hoping to see Sirius." Sirius thought the voice sounded like James.

"I'm sorry, but I know no one by that name." Of course, she would say that.

"Walburga, I know you have your misgiving, but please let us not play these petty games." That sounded like James' mother.

Soon, he heard footsteps coming up the stairs. His door opened, and someone sat on the bed beside him, but Sirius couldn't find the strength to open his swollen eyes.

"Mom!" That was definitely James.

"What're you doing here?" Sirius mumbled at his best friend.

"I've been calling and texting you for hours. We were worried about you after yesterday and the way your mom looked in the parking lot. Mom! You need to come here, please!" James yelled out again, his volume grating against his head.

"She's coming, so you can stop yelling, Potter." Regulus stood in the doorway of Sirius' room, though moved out of the way to allow Euphemia Potter to enter the room.

"Oh goodness. I'm sorry Walburga, but Sirius is coming with us. James, pack him some clothes and his school bag. I need to make a call to your father." There was a flurry of movement as James and Regulus packed a few backs for Sirius. Before long, Euphemia had him in her car.

"This isn't the way to your house," Sirius noted out loud to James.

"We are taking you to the doctor first, making sure you are ok."

===

"She has-"

"He."

"Excuse me. He has a concussion, but other than that, the injuries seem to be minor. Mostly bruising and a few minor abrasions. He should heal just fine." After instructions on how to treat the headaches accompanying the concussion, the three of them went to the Potter residence. He was lead upstairs and fell asleep on James' bed.

When he woke up, he was a little disorientated until he remembered what happened. Fighting back panic, Sirius made his way to the living room, looking for James, when he bumped into someone in the hallway.

"Remus?" He looked up at the sandy haired teen in surprise.

"Hey, Sirius, you ok?" Remus didn't receive an answer, however. Instead, Sirius crashed into him, wrapping his arms around him as he began to cry. A stunned Remus just hugged him back and attempted to comfort him.

"I'm sorry about your sweater," Sirius apologized as he wiped his face with the back of his hand. "I'm kind of a mess, but I'm glad to see you. And to answer your question, I don't think I've been ok for a while."

"Yeah, you do look a bit of a mess. James sounded really upset when he called me and Pete, though he didn't say what happened." Remus began walking towards the living room, Sirius in tow.

"Sirius, darling, you're awake." Euphemia looked up from the tray she had been setting. "I was about to bring you something to eat. I was going to tell you, I called our lawyer. He's already petitioned the courts to move you into our care. You aren't going back."

Sirius stood there speechless. Surely, he was dreaming. Never have to go back? That was the best thing she could have said.