~ Now no one's knocked upon my door, for a thousand years or more

All made up and nowhere to go, welcome to this one man show. ~

***

It had been more than a week since Sirius had finally taken the toughest decision in his life and left the horrible Grimmauld Place, coming to the Potter's abode for the meantime. It hadn't been difficult to decide whether he wanted to leave his parents or not, what really was tough for him was the fact that he would have to leave poor young Regulus behind.

Regulus and Sirius had never been very close but Sirius still thought of him as a young pup who needed to be guided and taken care of. He knew Regulus was quite malleable as compared to him and could easily be reformed to his family's horrible ways if not guided in the right direction.

Sirius had tried to do his best in keeping him away from the dreadful prejudice inflicted deep in the minds of purebloods but had failed to do so for long. Regulus was the golden boy, the perfect Black son and the apple of his mother's eye while he was the curse on their family, the ungrateful son and an utter disgrace.

How could he expect that Regulus would choose to listen to him instead of blindly obeying his family like the perfect son he was?

Dinner was served and he was seated at the dining table with the elder Potters; Euphemia and Fleamont, and his best friend James. It had never been a thing for him to come down to dinner with his own family. He didn't remember any sort of family time shared between his brother and parents either except for the occasional parties they attended together but that too would be a lot formal for his liking.

And yet now this family bestowed the friendly warmth and comfort he had so longed for since years. He felt as if he was more a Potter than a Black. It had been only one week with them yet he felt a lot more at ease than he ever did in the past fifteen years. He felt as if he was finally at home.

"Sirius, dear, why don't you try a little of the herbed Yorkshire pudding? It's quite a specialty and I'm sure you'll like it," Euphemia handed him the platter and watched him tenderly as he cut out a slice for himself.

She couldn't help but notice how confident Sirius usually would appear to be but at times as this he would grow unbelievably quiet. She felt an equal love in her heart for both James and Sirius and felt sorry that the poor child had been treated so roughly by his own parents.

She knew deep down Sirius was a lot different than what he portrayed but it was only the influence of a strict family as the Blacks which had enhanced and brought out the stubborn rebellious side of him. In reality, he wasn't like that at all.

"I had to tell you something," Sirius finally spoke after the dinner was done and the dishes taken away by the house elves.

The three of them turned to face him, attentive to what he was going to say. Once again he felt a slight shock; back at home his conversation had never been given any importance and yet here they were all paying attention.

Knowing that he better get away with it than delaying any longer, he spoke up, "yesterday I wrote a letter to my Uncle Alphard."

"The one whose named after the star in some Hydro constellation?" James asked.

"Hydra constellation," he corrected him with a slight smile, "but I'm glad you remembered even that. Guess your tutoring really has paid off."

"Nah, I don't think so," James shrugged the compliment off.

He resumed the conversation, "he says he is living in a lonely neighborhood at Magnolia Crescent and wants me to come and stay with him. He is not well either, quite sick since many months so... It would be better I think if I go to him. But I needed your permission first."

"Sirius, son, you are never a burden on us if that's what you're wondering," Fleamont remarked, "our doors will always remain open for you no matter where you go. But if you really want to live with your uncle, you are free to do so."

He nodded in gratitude, "thank you, Mr Potter, I really appreciate that."

Euphemia too shook her head in affirmation, "so when has he asked you to come?"

"I was thinking of leaving tomorrow," he paused then added, "if you don't have a problem with it, that is."

"But what about me? Do you have any idea how much I'm going to miss having you around?" James pulled a face quite alike to that of a petulant child, "can you not stay for a little longer, Siri?"

Sirius laughed a little at his childish behavior, "I would love to, mate, but my uncle is really really sick. He needs me there. And by far he's the only considerate uncle I've had, absolutely my favorite. I can't abandon him in the time of need."

Seeing the frown visible on James's face, he added, "but you can visit me whenever you want. I'm not leaving the country, y'know."

*** 

The next day Sirius left for his uncle's abode as promised. His departure was quite an emotional one as James was rather adamant not to let him leave. He took blessing from the Potters and they bid him farewell as if he was their own son, consoled his best mate trying to cheer him up by the prospect of coming to visit and write letters as often as possible, and then boarded the Knight Bus.

Sirius knew well that the Knight Bus was much renowned for it's extremely unsafe trips so he was prepared to jostled around in the Bus. The bus had curtained windows and sofas that could easily be converted into beds. On the roof of the bus, round handles were hanging for the passengers to grip on in order to keep themselves from falling every now and then.

He stowed his luggage in an empty compartment, paid the ticket to the conductor and in a loud whoosh, they were off.

The Knight Bus whizzed through broad highways, unbelievably thin alleys, over and under bridges in short just everywhere on land but not in water. The speed with which it traveled was tremendous and Sirius felt quite exhilarated as to him this ride was much close to taking a rollercoaster at the Muggle amusement parks which Peter had told him about.

Also, he was lucky he didn't throw up.

In next to no time, the bus halted with a loud screech at a street with the signboard which read Magnolia Crescent.

Sirius got off the bus, dragging his trunk behind him. Soon as he crossed the last step, the Bus whizzed off again. He had to admit that he was glad the ride was over even though he had enjoyed it for the first few minutes.

He took out his uncle's letter from his pocket and read the address; house number 7, Magnolia Crescent, Little Whinging, Surrey.

Walking through the street, he noticed the house tucked away in the corner surrounded by a flowery hedge and neatly kept garden. It was the last house on the street and even then there was a considerable gap between it and the house number 6. It seemed as if his uncle himself had chosen to keep his place a little isolated.

Stepping onto the pavement, he rang the doorbell and waited. A while passed after which he could hear faint footsteps coming towards the door. An eye peeped through the small hole and eventually the door was pulled open from the inside.

Standing in front of him was his Uncle Alphard as he could unmistakably tell from his blue eyes but other than that a lot different from when he had last seen him.

Instead of the tall and handsome yet somewhat intimidating man, Alphard was reduced to a frail figure with sunken eyes and hollowed cheeks.

"Sirius, my boy, it's so great to see you," he embraced him just like a father embraces his son, a genuine smile breaking out on his otherwise blank face.

"What happened to you, dear Uncle?" Sirius asked out of concern as they went inside. The house was quite well kept for an ailing man who live alone. But obviously that was the work of magic, he could tell.

"Well... Maybe I'm growing old now and all this is just a consequence of that," he replied, leading him in to the living room, "here, sit. I'm indeed sorry that I'm not quite a hospitable person at the moment, but I hope you understand."

He nodded, "that's absolutely fine, Uncle Alphard. You don't have to treat me as a guest."

Alphard was younger brother to his mother Walburga, he was the second child; the last being Cygnus Black and the first being Sirius's mother. While Walburga was known for her fiery temper and strict regime, both Cygnus and Alphard had rather calm personalities. 

Cygnus Black was the serious yet ambitious brother, the brooding and responsible one who would usually ponder on existential questions and was quite a scholar having mastered many languages and being much proficient in history and learning.

On the other hand, Alphard had been the laid back yet experimental brother; one who liked to try new ideas, cautiously bend and sometimes even break rules. He had a certain rebellious streak to him in his younger days and it was this mutual interest in causing trouble which made him, and not Cygnus, to be Sirius's favorite uncle.

"You should take care of yourself," Sirius remarked, "you are not that old yet. Somewhere in your thirties, if I'm right?"

"On the brink of forty, to be honest," he replied.

"You have not yet met my friend James's parents or else you'd definitely know you're nowhere near old age. They are both over fifty, I guess, and still as good as ever," Sirius remarked.

A melancholic smile took over Alphard's features, "for some people, such as me, life is like a curse. And everything suffered throughout the years becomes visible apparently at one point."

The words held a much experienced wisdom behind them and his eyes filled with sorrow clearly emphasized that he had probably learnt it the hard way. 

Sirius was well aware that the Blacks looked down on Alphard in quite the same way as they did with him, due to his differing opinions on pureblood supremacy and Wizard-Muggle relationships. He could easily tell that his uncle had gone through a lot of rough time due to his family as well. "Uncle... You don't have to worry anymore. I'm here to take care of you now."

His words felt like those of utter relief to Alphard. After so many years of being alone and estranged from his family, he found his nephew's company rather enjoyable. After many years he felt as if he had finally found a companion with whom he could conveniently and enjoyably spend the rest of his years.

"So tell me, Sirius, have your school days been as eventful as mine or have I lost the bet against your Uncle Cygnus?"

A mischievous glint sparked in his grey eyes, "I haven't let you down. Just ask anyone you please at Hogwarts and they will tell you how respectfully I have held up your tradition of being an extreme prankster. Eventful is quite an understatement to describe the hazards we caused there. Remember the poltergeist Peeves? Me and my friends were often referred to as a perfect match for him."

"Then you surely have a lot of tales of your mischievous hazards to tell me, I assume?" Alphard leaned back in his armchair, propping his legs up on a small footstool, eyes sparkling as if eager to hear whatever his nephew had in store for him.

He nodded in affirmation, "more than just a lot. Where do you want me to start from?"

***