No One Mourns the Wicked

by Regulus of Slytherin

Are people born evil? Do they choose to become so? Or does it just happen, sometimes? The life of Regulus Black through his Hogwarts years. Chapter 1 posted

1A/N: I want to point out that my Regulus is very different from any other Regulus I have ever read. He is not weak, mean, spiteful, vengeful, or evil. He is a little boy who wants very much to be loved by both his mother and the elder brother he idolizes, and can't quite come to terms with the fact that he can't have both. I hate that people write him as evil, and have Sirius hate him, when I don't see it that way at all.

Also note, my Sirius is much more to my version of the character than most. To many people write Sirius as a saint. He isn't. I like to bring that out in him.

If you can't deal with either of these things, please don't read this fic.

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter and all related characters. I am not J.K. Rowling.

Summary: Are people born evil? Do they choose to become so? Or does it just happen, sometimes? The life of Regulus Black through his Hogwarts years.

Authoress: Regulus of Slytherin

Title: No One Mourns The Wicked

Book I: Part I: A Family Party

Regulus looked himself up and down in the mirror with critical azure eyes, trying very hard to be as nit-picky as his mother always was. His black hair was swept into its regular style, brushed back with just his longer bangs in the front. It was a nice looking style; similar to his elder brother's without being quite so scruffy. His collared white shirt was perfectly buttoned; wrinkle free while tucked into his black dress pants, and his black dress robes hung loose around his shoulders. Overall, he would have to say he looked nice but slightly casual, which was exactly what he was going for.

"What do you think?" Regulus asked his reflection as he cocked his head.

"I think your mother will approve." The mirror answered. To most people this would have been somewhat frightening, but to Regulus Black it was natural. In truth, it would have been much more frightening to the young boy if the mirror didn't talk. "What's the occasion, little master?"

"It's my birthday," the boy told the mirror happily, "I'm turning eleven. That means I get to go with Sirius in the fall to Hogwarts. My letter arrived yesterday." Regulus was practically glowing with delight as he said this, turning around so he could make sure the back of his shirt was properly tucked in. "Mother is taking me to Diagon Alley to get my school stuff next week. Maybe I can..."

Regulus was cut off by the sound of a door slamming from up the hall, and something breaking. He winced.

"Convince her to take Sirius?" The mirror asked in a falsely sweet voice. "Not likely if he keeps that up."

Regulus sighed, running his hand through his hair. It fell instantly back into place. "He's not happy about today."

"That's obvious," the mirror said cynically.

"Well, he wouldn't be, would he? Sirius hates family gatherings. At least Andromeda will be there, that should keep him happy. More exactly, pestering Bellatrix will keep him entertained and Andromeda will keep him happy." Regulus shrugged and tried to ignore the inaudible yelling that was now coming from downstairs. "I had kind of hoped...seeing as how eleven is such a big deal and everything..."

"Maybe next year," the mirror offered sympathetically. Regulus sighed, looking none to hopeful.

"Well, I'm off to face it." Regulus announced, going toward the door. Running his hand nervously through his hair once more, he pushed the door open into the eerie hallway. He shut the door, removing his hand from the snake handle as quickly as possible. All but running down the hallway, his eyes on his shoes so he wouldn't have to see the rows of house elf heads that still creped him out, Regulus reached the top of the stairs fairly quickly. He crept down the stairs, and realized that Mother and Sirius must have been in the kitchen as he could still barely make out the argument.

"Not wearing...would rather go starkers..."

"Regulus's birthday...everyone coming...would have expected better..."

Not wanting to hear any more, though he supposed he should have expected it because it happened everyday, Regulus walked toward the hallway. Guests weren't due for another fifteen minutes or so, and since members of the Black family were always exactly punctual he really didn't expect to see anyone there. He was then understandably surprised when a voice spoke out of the shadows.

"And where does little master think he's going?"

Regulus spun around to face the voice, blue eyes wide, "Kreacher! You startled me!"

The house elf bowed so low his bulbous nose scraped the polished wooden floor. "My apologies, little Master. Mistress gave me instructions to watch the door."

"No, no, it's alright." Kreacher had always made Regulus a little nervous, and was suddenly thinking that listening to the fighting would be better than sitting here and talking to him. "I was just making sure no one had arrived yet."

"Kreacher will let Mistress know when the family gets here," Kreacher said indignantly. "No need for Little Master to waste his birthday."

"Right," Regulus said, edging away. "Well, since you've got this covered I'll just be going..."

"Regulus, there you are."

For the second time, Regulus jumped and spun around.

His father was standing there in his best waistcoat, looking as regal as ever. His jet-black hair was slicked back from his high forehead, and his finely arched eyebrows were slightly knit together. His father's thick bristle brush moustache was combed finely over his thin-lipped mouth that was pulled down at the corners in a constant frown. Since Regulus was still small for his age, Orion Black appeared as some royal giant to his youngest son.

"Hello, Father." Regulus said, using the respectful voice he saved only for his parents. "May I help you with something?"

"Come here, Regulus. I have a special present for you."

His awe forgotten in delight, Regulus followed his father into the drawing room. As usual, his eyes were immediately drawn to The Tapestry. It wasn't really capitalized, but whenever Regulus thought about it the capital letters fit. His eyes wandered the branches, tracing the familiar names. How many times had he sat at his mother's feet, listening to her recite each name and story with pride? How many hours had he spent while Sirius was away at school the last two years memorizing each one until he felt like he knew them all intimately? How long had he spent pretending they were his friends in this lonely old house, when he only had his mirror and Kreacher for company?

His father smiled down at him indulgently. "Do you like the tapestry, Regulus?"

Regulus nodded, but didn't turn, as he seemed unable to draw his eyes away from the shining letters. "Yes, sir."

"Are you proud of it?"

Regulus turned this time, somewhat surprised. How could anyone not be proud of a lineage like that? "Of course, sir."

Orion smiled, sitting in his chair as he did so. "I'm glad to hear that. You may, then, appreciate what I am about to give you. Sirius didn't like his very much."

The last sentence was said in a dark tone that Regulus chose to ignore. He instead remained silent, eager not to spoil the moment. As far as he could remember, this was the first thing that his father had given him personally. That, in and of itself, made whatever he was about to receive special.

His father leaned forward, and put a hand in the pocket of his jacket. He opened his hand, and revealed a small box. "Here, Regulus. This is a special relic that has been handed down through the family for generations."

Eagerly, but doing his best not to seem so, the boy took the box. He quickly opened it. Inside lied a silver pocket watch with the Black family crest emblazoned on it. He clicked the clasp open, and looked at the watch's face. The numbers seemed to be made out of thousands of tiny emeralds that reflected back onto his young pale face, and the hands were snakes made of silver with intertwined tails. Regulus gaped at it.

"Do you like it, son?" Orion said, his voice betraying nothing. In Regulus's mind, it was the first time his father had acknowledged their relationship. Bellatrix loved pointing out that Regulus, with his large blue eyes instead of the traditional Black gray ones, had doubtful parentage. Between the watch and this statement, Regulus felt he had something to argue back with.

"It's wonderful," Regulus smiled, meaning more than the watch, though his father had no way of knowing that. Regulus told no one, not even Sirius, about the torment he received from Bellatrix.

Regulus thought, for a moment, that he saw a flicker of smile slide across his father's usually stony face. It was gone instantly, if it had ever really been there at all.

"You're reaching the age, Regulus," his father said as he stood up and strode over to the mantel piece, "where you will begin to make your own decisions. That watch is to remind you of who you represent as you make those choices." The fact that Sirius had not represented them correctly was left unspoken, but it hung between them nonetheless.

Regulus looked at his watch. The family crest stared back at him. He swallowed and looked up at his father. Orion Black had lit his pipe and was staring at his son with his eerie slate eyes.

"I will remember, sir," he promised earnestly. He put the watch in his pocket, though he held it tightly for a moment longer.

Orion nodded and sat down with his pipe. "You are dismissed."

Regulus got up and nodded, their customary sign expected of him and Sirius when leaving the presence of their parents. Only Regulus did this anymore. Sirius usually just slammed doors.

He exited the room into the silent hallway. He was unsure whether or not this was a good thing as he couldn't be sure his mother and Sirius had not killed each other. He had not gone very far, however, before his mother climbed the door up from the kitchen.

Jesta Black was an elegant woman of the purest blood, for which she was very proud. Her long honey colored hair was pulled up in bun on the top of her head. She had piercing grey eyes, like most of those related to the Blacks, which stared at him from under her thin blonde eyebrows and heavily darkened eyelids. She was tall, thin, and dressed in emerald green dress robes.

"There you are, Reggie darling," Mrs. Black smiled at her son. Regulus blinked at her, tugging at his robes self consciously as she looked him up and down critically. She frowned for a bit when her eyes passed over his hair, but the false smile returned to her face when she met his eyes. "Are you having a nice birthday, dear heart?"

"Yes, Mother," he answered immediately. He tried not too blink to often and hint that this wasn't entirely the truth. Unlike Sirius, he had developed a way to lie rather well.

"That's wonderful," she said briskly. Her necessary motherly duties fulfilled, she seemed eager to be doing something else. "I'm going to finish the dining room for our guests. Be a dear and go check on your brother. Make sure he doesn't try to come down in those awful Muggle clothes again. There's Mother's little darling."

He nodded at her, though she wasn't looking, and walked up the stairs, deep in thought.

Regulus hated it, more than anything, when she called him her little darling. It was only ever said on two separate occasions. One was on his birthday; the other was in front of Sirius when he was behaving badly. It wasn't meant as an endearment, it was meant to bring Sirius down. Regulus did not like it when he became a pawn in the war that his parents and Sirius were constantly waging.

There hadn't always been a war, of course. Though Sirius had always been a bit uneasy about his family acting so superior to others, he had liked getting the best of anything and had been honestly proud to call himself a Black. Then he'd gone to Hogwarts and got sorted into Gryffindor.

At first he had seemed genuinely distraught about it. He wrote countless letters home apologizing for it, and eventually his mother had dismissed it as something that could not be helped. She tried to focus on the belief that Sirius must have been sorted there because he was extraordinarily brave.

As the year had gone by, however, something in Sirius's letters had changed. He had made friends with his dorm mates- James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin, and Frank Longbottom.

Mother hadn't known what to think. Though all had once been respectable names, they had since lost their glamour and at least the Potters and the Longbottoms had become blood traitors. The Lupins, she had heard, had married Muggles and it seemed this Remus was probably a Half-Blood at best.

James, it seemed, had become Sirius's best friend, as Sirius was constantly writing about him and his humorous attempts to win the heart of a girl named Lily Evans.

When Sirius had returned that summer he was different. Having the best of everything seemed to make him angry now. As soon as Mother tried to persuade him to ask Dumbledore if he couldn't change to his proper house and that he should stop befriending Half-Bloods and blood traitors, as it was unseemly for a son of the house of Black to do so, Sirius exploded. That was the first battle, and the victory seemed to have gone to Sirius as he was still in Gryffindor and still good friends with his dorm mates.

Regulus pushed open the door to his elder brother's room- he and Sirius never knocked on each other's doors- and peered inside.

Sirius was sitting in his window seat, gazing out over the neighborhood sprawled below him. His gray eyes seemed far away and teary, but Regulus was sure that was only a trick of the light that was streaming through the window and reflecting off Sirius's shimmering black hair. He was, Regulus noted, still in his button-down shirt and Muggle blue jeans. The forest green robes his father had ordered for Sirius specifically for the occasion lay forgotten in a heap on the bed.

He pushed the door open fully and stepped inside. He whispered his brother's name in what he hoped was a calming way. "Sirius?"

Sirius turned around at the sound. His eyes darkened as they focused on his little brother. "Oh," Sirius muttered, looking away again, "it's you. I suppose she sent you up here to check on me. Make sure I was changing."

Regulus didn't deny it since they both knew that was the case. Instead he walked over and sat on Sirius's bed. He began to play with the sleeve of the robe absentmindedly. "Why are you so determined to wear the jeans? You know it will only make Mother mad."

"I make her mad everyday no matter what I do. Seems to be my lot in life to be the woe of my crazy mother."

"Why today though, Sirius?"

"Why not?" Sirius demanded harshly, fixing Regulus with his angry gaze once more.

"Because," Regulus paused, trying to keep the tears away. He was eleven now, and he was much too old to get upset about something like this. "Because it's my birthday."

Sirius's eyes softened. He walked over and sat on the bed next to Regulus. "I'm sorry, Cub. I really am."

Sirius had always called him Cub. It was an allusion to the fact that the star Regulus was the heart of the constellation Leo. Sirius had pointed out when they were small that Regulus wasn't a lion yet and had dubbed him Cub. No one else called him that. It was something special between Sirius and himself. Regulus adored it.

"Why won't you just wear the robes, Sirius? She's not proving anything by having you dress up…"

"But she is, don't you see that? The robes are green. Green is a Slytherin color! If I wear green it will look like I'm longing to be in Slytherin, like she wants me to be, and I most certainly am not."

"It offsets your eyes rather nicely," Regulus tried, keeping his voice soft. If he could gently appeal to Sirius's sense of fashion, then he stood a chance. "I asked Father for the color because I knew it would look spectacular on you. Crimson is fiery, and while it works with your hair it clashes awfully with your eyes. I think your eyes are your best feature."

Sirius raised an eyebrow, knowing full well that Regulus had almost no idea what he was rambling on about, but he chose not to comment. Regulus decided a different approach was necessary.

"What if you wore the robes, but kept the jeans on underneath? It would appease Mother, but you'd still be defying her by wearing the jeans. You could show them to Andromeda when Mother is in the room. Then she'll see them but it will be to late to make you change without making a scene, and Mother would rather die than make a scene in front of the family."

Two summers of practice had taught him how to delay the fights instead of trying to stop them. The only way for them to stop was for one of the parties to surrender to the other, and that wasn't about to happen. Regulus had decided that it was best to just work with what he could.

Sirius smiled slowly, "You know, Cub, that just might work. I like it, actually. Thanks for the idea."

Regulus offered a weak attempt at a smile, "Don't mention it." He felt awful whenever he manipulated someone like that, but the guilt was better than the screaming. Anything was better than the screaming.

Sirius put the robe on, doing his best to flatten out the wrinkles. He frowned at his reflection, but seemed to placate himself with his secret defiance. "Alright then, little one. Lets go downstairs."

Regulus hopped off the bed and followed Sirius down. The hallway wasn't as eerie with Sirius beside him, so he walked at a normal pace. Their Mother was waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs.

"There you are. I see Mother's little angel managed to tame his brother into his robes. You're truly wonderful, Reggie, my darling. Mother is so proud of you." Her voice was falsely sweet and she was looking at Sirius.

Sirius seemed about to tear off the robes right there, but Regulus gave his brother his most pleading look. Sirius sighed, putting his head down in a semi-submissive attitude.

"It's only because it's your birthday," Sirius whispered in a dark voice. Regulus didn't answer, he just continued down the stairs, his left hand drifting up to run through his hair.

Orion Black stepped out of his study, now smelling strongly of tobacco smoke. "They will be arriving promptly. Sirius, do try and look presentable." His eyes drifted to Sirius's shaggy black hair, which looked as though it hadn't been brushed.

Grumbling, Sirius stood up straight and put his shoulders back. For now, Regulus knew. It was only for now.

The bell rang from the hallway, and they heard Kreacher scuttle to open the massive oak doors. Locks clicked, and then there was a flurry of emerald, of silver, and of gold in the entryway.

"Welcome, esteemed members of the House of Black," Orion said, bowing to his younger brother.

Regulus stared as his Uncle Pollux returned the bow in a way that was eerily similar to Kreacher.

"We thank you, Brother," he answered in a smooth voice. It was a political voice; used to mask the venom that Regulus knew was there. Andromeda had told him and Sirius, once, that her father was jealous of theirs because he didn't get Grimmauld Place. Like Regulus would not get Grimmauld Place. Regulus could not see why his Uncle Pollux thought this was such a bad thing.

"No need to be so stiff!" A loud voice said from the back of the crowd. It was Uncle Alphard. "We aren't here to stand around all day! Lets celebrate the lad's birthday."

Beside Regulus, Sirius grinned. Excluding Andromeda, Great Uncle Alphard was the only relative Sirius could stand.

Jesta Black frowned at her uncle with narrowed grey eyes. "All in good time, Uncle."

"Hello Auntie Jesta," Bellatrix said, her voice like cream, as she curtsied. Her sea green dress robes shimmered in the light. "You look lovely today, and younger too."

"Thank you, Bellatrix," Regulus heard his mother reply in the same sweet voice she used when trying to coax Sirius into something. When he was younger, the tones used to fool him into thinking everyone in the family liked each other. No longer.

"Happy Birthday, my pretty princling!"

The voice startled Regulus, but even as jumped he realized he ought to have expected it. He forced a smile as he turned to Narcissa.

As always, she looked perfect. Her golden locks fell in stunning curls around her flawless face. She had put on just the right amount of make up to bring out her soft blue eyes, which she blinked quite frequently.

"Hullo, Cissy," Regulus said mildly. He was honestly terrified of Narcissa, even more so than Bellatrix. He supposed it was from when he was a baby and she would drag him around, as both his mother and Aunt Cassiopeia were fond of telling him. For some reason she had always been convinced that he was her property to do with as she pleased. "How are you today?"

"Fine, thank you kindly. Are you really turning eleven? My, but time does fly!"

Regulus thought about pointing out that she was only a year older than he was, but decided it wiser not to.

The adults were beginning to migrate to the drawing room for a before-dinner smoke and conversation. This happened whenever the adults got together, and they all understood that they were not allowed in with the adults until they came of age.

Regulus drifted over to Sirius's side as Narcissa began studying herself in the polished silver plate hanging on the wall. She seemed to be trying to arrange her already perfect curls around the Black family crest in the plate. Bellatrix was leaning against a far wall, trying to eavesdrop on the adult's conversation. She had always done that, because she felt it her privilege as the eldest of the small group.

Andromeda walked over to them, her blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail that swished as she did so. She grinned at them both.

"Hi, Reggie. Happy birthday."

"Thanks, Andromeda." Regulus had always liked Andromeda. He felt she was the only one who ever meant anything she said in his family.

"Sirius," Andromeda said, turning away from him, "I have something to show you. I've been practicing my potion brewing, because my OWLS are coming up this year, and look what I've come up with!" Reaching into her sky blue robes, Andromeda pulled out a vial of some kind of bright orange liquid. It reminded Regulus of pumpkin juice.

Sirius raised an eyebrow, "I may be smart, Annie, but I'm not a mind reader. What is it?"

"It's Essence of Animal, silly. It makes the drinker transform into an animal whose hair, skin, or other essence was used in it. Dissolves instantly in liquids and is virtually undetectable. They use a diluted form of it in those candies. You know, the ones that make you make noises like the animal they are."

"Oh," Sirius said, now much more interested. "What did you use?"

"Well, all we had around the house was…"

"What do you think, Regulus? Should I wear my hair up or down for the first day of school. Wouldn't want any new first years to think I'm trashy," Narcissa asked, causing Regulus to not be able to hear the rest of Andromeda's sentence. He suppressed a scowl. He really didn't care how Narcissa wore her hair.

With a reluctant sigh he said, "It looks great either way, Cissy. No one will think you're trashy."

"Oh, Regulus, you're such a darling!" She squealed. Regulus was not a darling, he simply knew what she wanted to hear and said it. He was disgusted with himself.

"Well, I have something to show you," Sirius grinned. He had obviously forgotten about the part of doing it while their mother was in the room, or else was counting on Bellatrix to report it. He pulled up the bottom of his dress robes to reveal the forbidden jeans. "Pretty neat, huh? Nicked them off of James. They were too long for him anyway."

"They're very nice, Sirius," Andromeda said, checking over her shoulder to make sure Bellatrix couldn't see. Bellatrix could, and smirked.

"You just love Muggle clothes, don't you? Wouldn't it be easier to get the job done in only your robes though?" Here she looked pointedly at Regulus. She had long made fun of the brothers for how close they had once been. She knew that accusing Sirius of such awful things was a sure fire way of riling him up- one of her favorite activities. Regulus felt his cheeks go hot.

"Belt up, Bella," Sirius growled, his fists clenched and grey eyes flashing.

Andromeda and Narcissa had both whirled on their elder sister, although neither of them seemed capable of finishing a sentence.

"Now, Bell, really…"

"How could you even accuse them of…"

"It's his birthday…"

"Bellatrix, sometimes you're such a…."

"Bellatrix! Andromeda! Come tell your aunts and uncles about this past year at Hogwarts." In Regulus's opinion, his Aunt Cassiopeia had ideal timing. Both Bellatrix and Sirius were about to reach for their wands.

"This isn't over," Bellatrix growled before storming into the room.

"Oh! Oh!" Andromeda was now forcing the vial of potion into Sirius's hand. "I wasn't supposed to bring that with me…if mother finds out…just hold onto that, Sirius." She then ran into the room, doing her utmost to look regal while doing so.

"Oh, Bellatrix, you're right," Sirius grinned, "This isn't over."

"Sirius, what are you up to?"

Sirius's only response was a very unsettling grin. He then wandered into the dining room, where dinner was already set up. Regulus moved to follow him, but Narcissa caught his arm.

"Regulus, I simply must help you chose your outfit for school! Do you realize that tomorrow is the first of August? You only have a month to get your outfit planned."

Regulus rolled his eyes. Though Narcissa was proud of her pure blood status, and would certainly date only pure bloods, appearance meant more to her than anything in the world. The entire school would know they were related, and she already had to deal with Sirius's obvious lack of style. There was no way, Regulus knew, that she would allow herself to suffer the torment of a second tasteless relative.

Noting that Sirius had now stepped out the dining room with a look that reminded him of a dog playing tug-a-war, Regulus decided to subject himself to the inevitable and allowed Narcissa to drag him up to his room. He was subjected to half an hour of going through his wardrobe and it's many combinations of clothing before the bell rang to signal dinner.

He and Narcissa walked downstairs and into the dining room. The rest of the family was already standing behind their accustomed seats. It was Black tradition not only to wait until everyone was present before sitting, but also to sit in a certain order. Orion sat at the head of the table, with Jesta on his left and Sirius on his right. Regulus sat next to his mother while Uncle Pollux sat next to Sirius. From there, it was kind of a declination in rank. At the very end of the table sat Aunt Elladora.

Once Orion was seated, the rest of the family followed suit. Regulus was pleased to see all of his favorite dishes, including roast duck, appear on the silver plates in front of them. He would, however, have to wait for his father to dish his plate and take the first bite before he could dish up his own. It seemed everything involving meals depended upon his father, and it was always hardest for Regulus to wait.

Orion dished up his plate and took the first bite almost lazily while everyone at the table watched him. He swallowed and nodded, their signal to eat. Regulus helped himself to the nearby mash and was just reaching for some duck when he noticed Sirius.

Normally as ravenous and boisterous as most thirteen-year-old boys, it was unusual for Sirius to not reach eagerly for the nearest plate. Yet there he sat, unmoving, with his grey eyes fixed intensely on Bellatrix. Regulus felt his stomach do an uneasy flip, and he was suddenly much less hungry.

He began to chew his food, hoping that it would go away. Sirius was unflinching however, and he smiled to himself as Bellatrix reached for her cup. A minute later, Regulus found out why.

Bellatrix had scarcely put down her cup before a strangled squeal escaped her lips. It was not a human squeal, but very animal. Her nose grew out from her face, becoming round and very pink. Hair began to sprout from her now bulbous chin as her eyes bulged. Her ears slid up the side of her head and became pointed while her fingers grew together to form hooves. Her stomach bulged as her figure shrank. Finally, a round curly tail came out of her backside with splitting sound.

Were Bellatrix had been sitting only a moment before now sat a pig in sea green robes and what looked like a black wig. The pig began to squeal and struggle frantically, upsetting the table and sending food flying everywhere. Most of the table's occupants leaped to their feet. Only Regulus, Sirius, and Andromeda remained seated.

The only reason Sirius wasn't moving, that Regulus could see, was because he was laughing to hard to stand. Tears were rolling down his cheeks from his mirth and he kept gasping for breath.

Andromeda, meanwhile, had gone extremely rigid and pale. Regulus could see her lips moving frantically in what looked like mumbled words of panic.

Regulus didn't know why he didn't move. Only one chair separated him and Bellatrix. He was getting covered in food. He felt that if he moved, however, he would start to cry and he couldn't do that. Not on his birthday, in front of everyone.

Uncle Alphard lunged at Bellatrix, grabbing her around the middle to try and keep her from struggling. Her short little legs were wriggling through the air, and her lacy white unders could be seen up the robes. Sirius began to laugh even harder.

Uncle Pollux strode over and, with a firm tap of his wand, had Bellatrix returned to normal.

Bellatrix's face contorted in fury and she tried to lunge at Sirius, but Uncle Alphard still held her fast. "You! You did that to me! You'll pay for that you…you…"

"Sirius, how could you?" Andromeda cried, tears springing to her eyes. She was in trouble, and she knew it. Sirius stopped laughing, and looked almost sorry.

"I thought it was funny," he offered weakly. "She was so much like a pig anyway…"

That had been the wrong thing to say. Every adult in the room, from their father to Aunt Elladora, immediately began to yell at Sirius.

"You selfish no good…"

"Can't believe this kind of behavior…"

"Should both be expelled…"

"It was a bloody joke!" Sirius exploded back. Andromeda burst into tears.

Regulus stood up from his chair and left the room. No one even noticed. He climbed the stairs slowly, one hand on the railing. In fact, he made no noise until he was in his room and marched forward with a face that seemed to be made of stone.

Once the door had safely clicked shut behind him, however, he flung himself face down on his bed and began to sob. Here in his room, where no one could make fun of him, he would cry. He would cry for Andromeda. He would cry for this façade of a family. He would cry for himself because, just once, he had wanted to have a special day all to himself. Just once, he had wanted to be loved.

It was an hour before the screaming stopped below, and it was getting dark before anyone came to look for him. Regulus recognized Sirius's steps as the came across the landing. From where he was sitting Regulus heard Sirius try the knob to find that the door, for the first time ever, was locked.