Two years had passed since that day, and Kyla made sure to spend every drop of free time she had in the library.  She was thinking ahead, in those two years she knew when she turns eleven she'll go to Hogwarts.

And Hogwarts meant Albus Dumbledore.

Kyla knew Dumbledore was a brilliant wizard that excelled in Occlumency and Ligilimency.  He was also the one that defeated Gellert Grindlewald, and even Lord Voldemort feared him.  So Kyla thought she had a good reason to feel on edge about going to a school led by him.

But Hogwarts also meant freedom.

Freedom from having to heal Sirius's injuries for riling her parents up, from having to hear him flirt with all the girls, from how long he took in the shower looking after his hair.  Freedom from the darkness that didn't even bother to hide in the corners of the house.  Freedom from her father.  Freedom from all the expectations, if only to be able to loosen her grip. 

So she had mixed feelings.

She knew enough about the school to know she would be sorted by a hat that could read your mind.  And that made her nervous, what if it snitched on her to Dumbledore and told him her secret?  What if she didn't get sorted into Slytherin?  What happened when Sirius got into Gryffindor and she didn't?  Would she make friends?

She didn't know, that was probably bothered Kyla the most.  She didn't have enough information on the subject of Hogwarts or there curriculum, so she tuned to Kreacher, their house-elf.  But Kreacher had never gone to Hogwarts, and as a result, knew even less than she did.  But Kyla never dared turn to her parents, she was their golden girl, after all.  Their perfect wall-flower that knew everything without needing to be taught.  She was easy, and Kyla didn't think she could deal with being shunned from her family, her heart was too soft for it.

So if anyone asked about what she thought about Hogwarts, she'd gush about how excited she was to get into Slytherin, then smack talk about Hufflepuff and Gryffindor along with all the Muggle-Born's.  Ignoring the anger that burned in Sirius's eyes as she did so.  Kyla didn't think she could deal with the confrontation, those were what she was afraid of, after all.  That and failing what she took up to be her mission.

"Mistress Black," Kreacher bowed, knocking Kyla from her thoughts. "Are you ready for Diagon Alley?"

"Of course," she gave him a kind smile.  She couldn't understand why Sirius hated Kreacher so much. "Are we leaving right away?"

"Yes, Mistress," Kreacher bowed again, extending his arm.  Kyla took it with another light smile, the poor elf got too much hate.  So with a snap, the two apparated to her parents.

Orion and Walburga Black did not seem pleased.  That was something Kyla could easily decipher off the looks of their faces, meanwhile, Sirius looked rather pleased with himself.  So she mentally deduced he'd done something - that or he was just really excited to escape the house.  Her father had a scowl on his face, and Walburga curled her lip in disgust when they observed all the bustling around them. 

"Shall we get robes first?" Kyla took a chance, stepping forward with a polite look on her face.  Nothing more, nothing less.

"Indeed," Orion muttered, then looked up. "You two can go get your things, just call Kreacher and he'll take you back," then he looked at Sirius, "Don't try anything funny."

Walburga turned to Kyla, "I'm sure Kreacher would be more than happy to get your things for you."  No.

"As much as I would love to say yes-" she looked around the Alley in distaste "-I still need my wand." Please buy it.

"Right," her stone-faced mother said. No, it wasn't a smile, but Kyla could've sworn her face showed excitement slightly. But that would be out of character, so it was probably just her imagination.

"Come along, Kreacher," Kyla said, putting herself together.  She was in public, she had to make an image. "We have places to go."

"Yes, Mistress Black," he scurried along.  He was the one with the key to their vault, after all.

"Sirius?" she asked, motioning him to hurry up.  With a dark scowl, the boy caught up to her and began muttering fowl things under his breath. "If you keep doing that it'll come out on me, you know that right?"  Kyla asked him quietly, thinking back to her father and wincing.  Her hand subconsciously moved to her forearm and put a feather-light touch to it.

"I can't believe you bother to humor them," Sirius looked guiltily at her arm.  "They don't deserve it."

"They're family," Kyla insisted, ignoring the voice whispering in her head.  Why do you lie to yourself?  it asked, It'll do nothing but hurt you in the end.

Why not?  she argued, Why should I just give up on them?  What's wrong with trying?  Deep down Kyla knew that she was wrong, but Kyla didn't want to accept that. 

"-so Madam Malkin's first?" Sirius asked, she hadn't even realized he was talking.  Meanwhile, Kreacher was just exiting Gringotts.

"Yeah," she nodded, following her twin's figure.  Sirius needed some freedom in his life, and this was just the beginning of it.  It was a step forwards, and he was loving it.

And Kyla couldn't break it to him that he'd tumble back down.  The higher you are, the more you have to fall, she knew.  But curse her soft heart, she couldn't.  She couldn't deal with the confrontation, so she ran from it.  Did anything in her power to do so.  Then pretended to be brave.  Because pretending was easier.

Madam Malkin's was a dark purple building with a glass showcase that revealed many of her masterpieces.  The inside was filled with racks of clothing and was, luckily, emptier than Kyla had expected.

"Come up front!" Kyla spun around to see a woman in around forties.  She was a fairly squat woman dressed in full mauve and had purple swirls dotted around her dress.  "Are you two for Hogwarts, dear?" Madam Malkin asked Sirius.

"Yes," he told her.

"Well come along, you two, and I'll get you fitted right away," she smiled jollily.  It was obvious how much she loved her job. "I think I got  the lot of you kids this year," she told them conversationally. "Twilfitt and Tattaings got it last year..."

"Where to next?" Sirius asked tiredly, there was only one last place on there lists.

"Before I get a pet?  Olivanders," the place she had been dreading and anticipating most.  She was worried the wise old wizard would be able to read her too well, but there she would get her wand.  And she would need her wand if she wanted to stay safe.

"Let's go then," Sirius obviously shared her excitement.  Though as the two walked towards the little shack containing the wands, they began to feel on edge as the mysterious wisps of magic seemed to radiate from it.  Like they were sneaking into a strict library.  As Kyla knocked on the door with faked confidence, she got no response.

"Hello?" she asked, trying to stop Sirius as he opened the door and stepped onto the old, creaky floorboards.  Dust danced to the ceiling as the door swept open in a loud, rusty fashion. "Sirius!" she hissed, eyes widening as he beckoned her in.

"Hello, Sirius," a mysterious old voice said from inside.  An older man stepped into the light and nodded in her direction, "Kyla."

"Hello, sir," she smiled politely, trying to stop her hands from trembling as panic overtook her.  The way he had said her name...

"Let's find a wand for you first, Sirius Black," he motioned the black-haired boy forwards. "Walnut, unicorn hair, thirteen inches, rather bendy," he picked up a box and gingerly placed the wand in Sirius's fingers, who grabbed it awkwardly.  "Go on," Olivander insisted. "Give it a wave."

Sirius cautiously waved the wand around, trying to imitative what he thought other wizards would do if they were in a situation.  The result was him waving the wand in circles like a lunatic and a pot outside beginning to smoke, "Not that one, then,"  Olivander snatched the wand from his fingers.  Then spun around, revealing another box. "Dogwood, dragon heartstring-" Kyla winced, trying not to  imagine what it would look like "-fourteen inches, slightly springy," his eyes twinkled slightly, as if anticipating this would be the one.

Sirius waved the wand again, but as he moved his hand up to wave it around again, a breeze swept through the shack, bubbles coming with it.  Weird... Kyla furrowed her brows with a smile on her face.  It's Sirius Black, who am I kidding?

"It's your turn now, Miss Black," Olivander motioned her over with a wrinkly hand. "Cherry, unicorn hair, eleven inches, swishy," he handed it over to her.

She picked up the wand with the same respect Olivander had and twirled it around a little-

CRASH!

Kyla's hands darted to just the edge of Olivanders desk, dropping the wand quickly.  "That's not it," the old man looked at Kyla curiously, interest sparked within his blue eyes.  "You're an interesting girl, aren't you?"  Kyla's body went rigid, her thoughts froze.  Too late, she couldn't lie in an obvious way by then, she already gave away her game. 

There was a beat of silence between the two, Kyla's body still tensed, before Olivander spoke again, "Cypress, unicorn hair, twelve inches, quite flexible," the wand had delicate carvings on it, swirling around appeasingly.  Definitely a beautiful wand.

Kyla took the wand, her pale fingers tracing the grooves curiously, when a strange sensation took over her.  It was a feeling she'd always yearned for, all positive emotions.  Joy and belonging mixed with a peculiar feeling she couldn't quite figure out.  It was like she could just relax and have fun for once.  She could be free.

But everything must come to an end, some things sooner than later.

"I think you've found your wand, Kyla," Olivander spoke from the silence.  If she was being honest, she expected her brother to speak more than he has. "Can I have a word?" he asked.  Kyla felt her blood turn to ice.

Her eyes widened in surprise, but Sirius beat her to it, "Why?" he asked suspiciously.

"It's about her wand." coverup.

"Olivander was rather suspicious, don't you think?" Sirius asked conversationally, "I mean, holding you back like that-"

"I have a unique wand, I guess," Kyla shrugged, used the same excuse as Olivander.

"Okay..." Sirius still looked suspicious, and it was a little too obvious he didn't believe her.

"It was the last wand his father ever made before he died," Kyla sighed, lying through her teeth. "He just wanted to make sure I'd take good care of it."

"Oh."

"Time to get a pet!"  Kyla changed the subject, real excitement taking over her for once.  She wasn't feigning anything.  Not the entire time she'd been at Diagon Alley had she faked excitement. 

And Kyla loved it.

"An owl, cat, or toad?" Sirius asked mischievously.

"Well, you're already a toad-" she yelped as Sirius elbowed her playfully in the ribs.  Then Kyla actually started to think about it. "-and cats aren't as useful as an owl, plus mother would kill me if I brought back one.  So I'll go with an owl."

"To Eeylops Owl Emporium we go, then." Sirius started off in the general direction.

"Race you?" Kyla asked, already running as she knew her brother couldn't turn down the challenge.

"Hey!" he shouted, spurring after her, a wide grin spreading over his face.  Olivanders was far from his mind, and so were his parents.  He didn't think he'd ever been so happy before - besides that time he was trudging around with the Muggle boys when he was little.  But that didn't lessen his happiness any.

Needless to say, Kyla won.  "You... cheater," Sirius gasped for breath, taking in large gulps of the cool air inside the Emporium. 

"You... loser," Kyla mocked him, but she was also breathing rather heavily as she entered the shop filled head to toe with owl related things.  "Are those... owl nuts?" she asked, pointing at a packet of treats.  Just before Sirius could respond, there was a large indignant squawk as a little boy approached a big screech owl.

"Definitely not getting that one, then," Sirius nodded towards the bird, speaking her thoughts.  She couldn't bring back an owl that would disturb her parents, after all.

"Definitely not," Kyla agreed, looking around.  Her eyes finally landed on a small little barn owl, with a long, heart-shaped, white face, and brown-and-black feathers speckled around the rest of its pretty body.  It was a shame it was too young to actually fly.  "Shame that one's so young," she commented, nodding in its direction, "it's cute."

"Yeah?" Sirius hummed mindlessly.

"Yeah," Kyla nodded in affirmative, though she knew he wasn't listening. "Hey, Siri?" she used his nickname, "Can you get a pet too?"

"Sure..." he looked up sharply, "Wait what - No!"  his reaction had Kyla giggling softly, which quickly died.  This would be over soon.

"I think I'll get that one," Kyla pointed at a brown owl.  It had adorable big eyes, with white encircling them.  And it's brown feathers did nothing to lessen its innocence.  And Kyla was about to rip that away.

"Ma'am?" she called. "I'd like to get this one, please."

"Of course," the lady rushed over, grabbing the caged owl, "Ten galleons," she smiled.  Then hesitantly asked, "Where are your parents?"

Kyla looked up sharply, "It's alright, I have a house-elf," only rich people had house-elves, everyone knew that.  Then she reached in her pocket for the galleons to get her owl, "What's its name?"

"She doesn't have one."

"We'll have to give it a name then," came Sirius's voice. 

The two walked out with an owl that day, and Kyla was over the moon. "We're ready, Kreacher," the girl grinned.

"Of course, Mistress Black.  Kreacher shall take you back right away," he looked at Sirius in distaste, finding the boy staring back with a glare of his own.  

"You ready, Sirius?" Kyla nudged him.

"Yeah," Sirius sighed, looking back at the Alley behind him. "Can't wait to come back here again."

"Yeah..." Kyla trailed off, taking in all the buildings. 

She loved just being out in the open like a regular wizard, no titles, nobody had anything against her unless they figured out what she was.  A Black.  Because that was what she was, and everyone thought they were all vile human beings.  And they were right, for the most part, and even her and Sirius had their flaws. 

Sirius was too narcissistic and hot-headed.  He didn't think before acting, and he was prejudiced in the exact opposite of the rest of the Black's.  Meanwhile, Kyla thought too much before acting, thinking about everything that could go wrong instead of weighing out the possibilities equally.  It didn't help that she had no back-bone, either.

Kyla thought probably the best Black was Andromeda, her older cousin.  But even then, she didn't see her all that often.  But Bellatrix, Kyla shuddered, that girl always had this malicious look in her eye, one that said if you made a wrong move then you were dead before you could blink.  So Kyla didn't really mind not seeing Andromeda if that meant seeing Bellatrix as well.

And then of course there was their little brother, Regulus, a boy that lit up her day with the innocents, but also brought her endless guilt.  He had to live in a world of pure evil, and had no clue.  Instead he thought everything his parents did was right.  He was Orion's pride while she was her mothers.  He would most definitely grow up into a prejudiced man like everyone else, condemned to a fate he didn't even know he had. 

That was what made Kyla feel guilty.  Because she couldn't bring herself to smash the fake paradise he lived in, and instead watched.  She couldn't help but run from the guilt and feel warm whenever he walked in, because he was the happy sibling.  He was the one that made everyone proud without having to fake anything.

Kreacher's cool fingers wrapping around her hand lulled her out of her thought and into the squeezing sensation of apparation.  It was like getting squeezed into a small tunnel and she suddenly got gephyrophobia.  She could still see her parents displeased faces when she threw up the first time she did it on their antique carpet ("This was my great-great-grandfathers carpet, Kyla," her father had snarled at her.) the scolding she'd gotten was enough to bring the soft-hearted girl to tears.

"What wand did you get?" her mother asked her, cool as always.

"Cypress, unicorn hair, twelve inches, quite flexible," Kyla recited, remembering the words Olivander had spoken to her afterwards.

"You poor poor girl, I sense you hold a dark secret inside that brilliant mind of yours.  I hope you're brave enough to hold that burden and assert yourself with good people.  And remember this when the time comes, easy isn't always right,"  those soft spoken words had brought shivers down her spine.  And the man that wielded them had never looked so ancient and wise.

"I will," she had said, and rushed outside the shop as quickly as possible.

"Good," her mother had a a look of pride on her face.  But Kyla knew it wasn't for her, merely just her reputation.

"And you?" Kyla's father interrogated Sirius.

"Dogwood, dragon heartstring, fourteen inches, slightly springy," Sirius announced proudly, ignoring the disgusted sneer already forming on his father's face.

"Where's Regulus?" Kyla tapped Kreacher's shoulder, wanting to get away from the scene forming in front of her.

"This way, Mistress," Kreacher led her out of the room and up the stairs.  Away from the scene before her, away from the betrayal in her twin brother's eyes.  Away from danger.

(A/N - I realized in the last chapter I didn't say this:  I do not own Harry Potter, I only own my OC's and the plotlines that aren't in the book.  If anyone has constructive criticism feel free to share!)