Sirius Orion Black was used to opulence. The oldest child of Orion and Walburga Black, he had been born to a family that prided purity over everything else, including common sense and a tad bit of insanity. However, no matter what their mental faculties or lack thereof, every Black had an eye for the elegant, expensive things in life. Most couldn't afford them, though they pretended as though they could.

Thus as he stared around the Potter Manor, home sweet home since he was about 13, Sirius could see that even though the Potters preached a 'simpler' lifestyle they were not above a few expensive things. Hypocrites, he thought idly, without any venom. Currently, the Marauders were holding court in James' private sitting room. Remus was reading a book, while James was chatting rapidly to Sirius, trying to plan some sort of prank.

Sirius found that his mind wasn't on pranks, however. It was preoccupied with the man who had been here almost a week ago. No matter the fact that he was a Lord, who did Harrigan Peverell think he was? Sirius had reasons for his estrangement from his family, ones that didn't need to be explained to a strange Lord, no matter his association with Orion Black and the Potter family.

He did have to admit that he had burned or thrown away a few letters from his father after the first one, which told him about his late mother's unlamented death. For a while, he'd wondered if Orion had something to do with it, at least until his father had explained that she'd died of cancer. Sirius had found no end of amusement at the fact that his mother had been brought so low by a Muggle disease of all things.

However, that wasn't the source of his anger with his family, nor the deeper hurts that lingered below. Until some things changed or some people were removed from the Black family he would continue to refuse to acknowledge where he came from.

He locked eyes with Peter, who gave him a nervous smile before quickly looking away. It made him frown, remembering Peter's shifty (or more shifty than usual) behavior. It all couldn't be explained by the fact that he was a rat animagus, though a great deal of it may come from the rodent bleeding into his personality. Sirius well knew that his own laugh had become a great deal more bark-like.

Such was the downfall of becoming unregistered Animagi. While there were great benefits to being able to transform, it tended to affect the witch/wizard's personality and mentality after a while. More so if one spent extensive time in their form, but Sirius had no plans for doing so. It wasn't as if he was on the run or anything, after all.

Lord Peverell hadn't spent very long here in the Manor after scolding the Marauders and commenting on Sirius' lack of conversation with his father. The man was considered a rising player in the politics of Wizarding Britain, not to mention the Daily Prophet considered him a hot topic whenever they reported on the doings of the Wizengamot. It had shocked many when the new Lord had chosen to sit and ally himself with the Dark families, James had ranted long on the subject at first.

Strangely enough Lord Potter had put a quick halt to his son's behavior and tolerated nothing of the sort from James' friends. He had proceeded to shock his son with the knowledge that the Potter family was traditionally Dark or Grey, having only recently become Light. Sirius already had known this, based on his classes as a young child when his late mother had lamented on the loss of the Potter family to 'the old coot's influences'.

Sirius himself was considered a Dark wizard. It wasn't at all based on one's actions, though it could be influenced by one's actions. No, the initial base for a wizard's standing was in the family genes and the exposure to magicks in the air around a family's home. Sirius' behavior throughout his life had continued to influence his standing, it couldn't be considered Light by any stretch when he'd caused Severus Snape to almost being killed.

Remus was dark as well, no doubt about it. The influence of the wolf in his head and heart made him Dark, but he'd noticed that Remus himself, though very kind most of the time, had quite a streak of maliciousness hiding deep down. Plus he had a very innocent air about him, one that made him a master at planning pranks and getting away with them. He was a very good liar.

James was on the Darker side of Grey in Sirius' opinion. He was extremely loyal and fairly gentle most of the time, but he had an aggressive streak a mile long and a possessive one just about as long. It had caused the boy to break up with Lily Evans after chasing her for five years. They had been going together for a few months and then Lily had discovered his darker edges, dropping him faster than a letter filled with bubotuber pus.

Sirius scowled privately to himself and turned away from his mental conversations to what his best friend was saying.

"I think we should play a prank on the new Defense teacher when we go back after this summer," James was saying enthusiastically. "We'd have all summer to plan it, just think! It would be perfect since we'd be able to plan out every aspect ahead of time. We could even make sure that we weren't even thought of as the culprits, lay it on the Slytherins or something."

"Sounds good to me," Sirius said absently, looking over to where Remus was sitting.

"Are you going to help us, Remus, or do we have to do without your oh-so-knowledgeable self?"

"I should make you do it yourselves, but since you are such a flatterer Sirius I think I can help out," Remus replied dryly.

"I'll help too!" Peter squeaked.

Oh joy, Sirius thought sarcastically, though all he said out loud was, "Sure Wormy, we may be able to think of something suited to your talents," few though they may be, Sirius added to himself.

He put the subject of his family and politics behind him, concentrating on planning the best prank ever. It was what he was good at, after all.