Pinky Promise
AlwaysPadfoot
AN: For QLFC Season Four. I chose Regulus Black and we had to 'write about your chosen Death Eater being with their family.'
i. Age Seven (nearly.)
"What's a Pinky Promise?"
Regulus looked up at his big brother with his forehead creased in confusion. Sirius was holding his little finger out towards him and he was very confused. What was he supposed to do to Sirius' finger?
Sirius rolled back his head with a sigh; his grey eyes were bright when he looked back at Regulus.
"I saw some kids doing it in the Square." he replied simply.
"Muggle kids?" Regulus asked in astonishment.
Mum and Dad said they weren't allowed to play with the Muggle kids and they'd be really angry with Sirius if he'd snuck outside again. Sirius always got into trouble especially for exploring where he wasn't allowed to go. He wasn't allowed in the Square outside the house; Regulus knew that.
"No just kids Reggie." Sirius answered indignantly. "Don't be silly. What you do is you wrap your pinky finger around mine and we make a promise. You can't break it afterwards."
"Like an unbreakable vow?" Regulus asked, slipping over the word 'unbreakable' slightly.
"Kind of," Sirius answered. "Except bad things don't happen to you if you break it. I will be mad if you break it though."
"I won't break it."
Regulus would never ever break a promise with his big brother. Sirius always looked after him; he always took the blame when they got into trouble. He was braver than Regulus; that's why when their parents took them to things everyone prefered to play with Sirius. Not that he cared; Sirius always ignored them and ended up playing with Regulus instead.
He wrapped his right pinky finger around his brother's and then looked back up at Sirius.
"Now what?"
"Now we make the promise," Sirius grinned. "You copy what I say, okay?"
Regulus nodded fiercely ready to do exactly what he was told.
"I pinky promise -" Sirius began
"I pinky promise -"
" - that I will always -"
" - that I will always -"
" - be there for my brother."
" - be there for my brother."
ii. Age Ten (and a half.)
"You said you'd always be there for me."
Sirius looked up from his trunk to see Regulus stood in the doorway of his bedroom. Regulus' arms were folded across his chest. Sirius was going to Hogwarts without him; how would Sirius be there for him if he was miles away in school and he was all alone at home? Sirius was breaking his Pinky Promise to him.
The older boy's face dropped sadly.
"Come here, Reggie." he said.
Regulus debated stubbornly saying no and storming off. That way Sirius would have to come and find him and stop packing, but instead he let his shoulders slump, and dragged his feet as he went over towards Sirius' outstretched arm.
"I'm still going to be there for you; I'm just going to be in school." Sirius said as they sat on the edge of his bed. "You can write any time and I'll reply, but I have to go to Hogwarts."
He knew that Sirius was right deep down in his heart. He nodded stiffly, trying not to get upset, because boys don't cry according to their father. One year to wait to go to Hogwarts seemed too long to Regulus.
iii. Age Twelve (just.)
"Now, who's breaking their Pinky Promise?"
Regulus internally winced. Sirius' voice was so cold that he almost wondered what he'd done to deserve that tone - that one he'd learnt was usually reserved for their parents. Then again, he knew really, why Sirius was angry at him. He knew why he tracked him down, over three months into Hogwarts, when neither of them were with their friends. He wanted to fight or yell at him.
"I have Herbology homework to write." Regulus responded.
He was surprised at how well he'd learnt his father's nonchalant tone as he turned to face his brother. Sirius' eyes were narrowed, but they gave him away. They were flashing with emotion; a dead giveaway of his brother's burning passion for anything he cared about. Regulus saw it when he defended his house, and his friends, at home. Regulus saw it when he defended muggles and mudbloods. Regulus used to see it when Sirius defended him. He hadn't seen him look at him like that since the summer.
"Since when was anything more important than your brother?" Sirius asked before continuing quickly. "Oh wait, since you were sorted into Slytherin and decided you couldn't bare to be associated with me."
"That's not -" Regulus began.
He knew it was a lie before he even finished his sentence; he knew it even before Sirius interrupted him.
"It is." he snapped, his shoulders dropping slightly in defeat, and then Sirius huffed to himself. "I just needed to see it written all over your face; I don't need you to lie to me about it."
Regulus watched him walk away, knowing full well that if he'd tried, then maybe he could have fixed his chance at a real family before it was too late.
iv. Age Fifteen (and hating it.)
Regulus more or less knew what the noise was before he went to go and investigate it. He lay in bed for a second debating whether to just ignore his brothers comings and goings like he had the summers before, but this time it felt different, like he regret it. So Regulus slid out of bed and crept across to his door in complete silence. He opened it just enough to slide out, knowing it would creak if he opened it too far. His parents may not be there to wake up, but he didn't want to alert Sirius, just in case.
He followed the light flooding out from under Sirius' door and stopped outside listening to the noise. His brother's muggle music player was faintly playing out a slow but cheery tune and he was clattering around inside, unaware just how much noise he was making.
If Regulus was going to get any sleep at all he was going to have to get his brother to shut up.
He pushed the door open and Sirius whipped around. His older brother was in jeans and a faded grey jumper. His hair was all pulled back into a hairband and his right arm displayed an ungodly amount of brightly coloured bands. Regulus' attention however was drawn to his brother's school trunk, things packed tightly inside, and he froze before he could say a word about the noise.
"What do you want Regulus?" Sirius sighed, continuing to pack things in his trunk.
"You're leaving." he stated slowly, although, in the end it sounded like a question.
"I'm going to the Potters'. I'm done with this pureblood mania crap, and if that means I'm disowned, I'll be fucking disowned." Sirius replied not looking up from his packing.
Regulus watched him in silence. He'd never thought in a million years that Sirius would seriously do anything as stupid as to run away from home. But then again his parents were getting worse. Just last week their father and Sirius had such a bad argument that he had ended up with blood pouring from his lip when he came back upstairs. Maybe for Sirius not to wind up in real trouble he had to leave. Regulus had no authority to tell, or even ask, him to stay here.
"Okay." he said simply. "Good luck."
"Woah," Sirius called out. "That's it? No, fucking hell, Sirius, no wonder our parents hate you? Nothing?"
Regulus stopped, one hand still on his brother's doorway, his back to him.
"No." Regulus responded. "If you have to leave, you have to leave."
"I don't suppose there's any chance you won't alert the mothership?" Sirius asked jokingly.
Regulus turned, took two steps towards his brother, until they were barely centimetres apart and held out his pinky finger. Sirius seemed stunned. He looked down at Regulus' hand confused and then slowly raised his own pinky finger up, wrapping it around his brothers.
"What are we doing?" Sirius asked, his voice a dead whisper.
"I pinky promise -" Regulus said without explanation.
"Reg -" Sirius began before Regulus glared at him and he sighed. "I pinky promise -"
" - that I will never -"
" - that I will never -"
Regulus took a short breath and then finished. " - sell my brother out."
" - sell my brother out." Sirius replied his words barely audible.
They stared at one another for a moment, their fingers still connected, until Regulus could hear his heart in his ears and let go. He took one step back and half-smiled; he was never going to break this one.
"Now shut up and let me sleep, or I'll break this promise too."