A/N: Hey y'all! This was written for Hogwarts. :)

Demonology Task 3: Write about someone fainting.

Please note: This is a Muggle!AU

Word Count: 2396

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Those rights go to JK Rowling.

WARNINGS: Angst, typical Black outlooks

Enjoy!

He was lost.

He was out in the cold, hungry and tired, and he didn't even know where he was. No. That was a lie. He didn't know where he was going.

It had seemed like a good idea at the time, running away. Sirius had done it. Regulus could remember the day he left clearly, as though the instance had been burned behind his eyes, there whenever he closed them. He hadn't tried to stop his brother, but he never imagined himself doing the same thing only three years later.

He was walking along an abandoned road, wilderness to his right and a large, empty field to his left. He was swaying slightly, but he didn't slow down. He didn't know if his parents were looking for him, or if there was anyone else on his trail.

Should he try to find Sirius? But why would his brother welcome him after he'd pointedly ignored the letters Sirius had been sending since he left? Why should he rescue someone who had pushed him away in the first place?

He's not like them, a little voice in his head tried to reason. He's never been like them. He's better than that. And besides, the letters never stopped coming, did they?

That much was true. No matter how long the silence went on, Sirius had stilled tried to reach out to him. Remembering this made guilt pool in his stomach. He didn't deserve his brother. But that didn't stop him from hoping that he could one day be like him.

Regulus squinted against the sun. There might have been a building in the distance—a house, maybe, or a family-owned store—but he was too tired to make it out properly. He stumbled over to a nearby tree and sat down against it. His hunger had stopped bothering him sometime that morning, but the exhaustion wouldn't let him go on. He told himself he would only sit down for a few minutes.

He was unconscious before he hit the ground.

Orion Black slammed down the papers in triumph. He turned to his wife and son, who were eating breakfast.

"I told you I could turn Sirius' betrayal around. With this latest donation, everyone's fawning over our generosity. No more rumors about what could have prompted him to leave."

Walburga looked pleased, but Regulus was uncomfortable. It sounded like his father was trying to deny that Sirius ever existed.

He cleared his throat. "I wasn't aware we had made any donation."

"We didn't," Orion said dismissively. "I convinced the Bulstrodes to do it for us."

Regulus stared at his father for many moments. "But the papers—"

"Say what they need to." Orion was looking at his son in warning, and Regulus bit his tongue. He'd learned a long time ago that his family wasn't made of heroes, but the silence following that statement was strange. Normally Sirius would have already protested this blatant lie.

But Sirius wasn't here anymore.

Regulus kept his grey eyes downcast and resumed eating.

He was in the sitting room with his cousin Narissa. They had escaped her engagement party to have some time to themselves. The two had always been close, but Regulus had to admit that they'd distanced themselves in recent months. Whether it had more to do with Sirius or Lucius, he didn't know.

Narcissa brushed a long strand of blonde hair away from her face. She smiled prettily at Regulus, her cheeks slightly flushed from the glass of wine in her hand. "Regulus," she murmured in greeting.

"Narcissa," he responded, feigning coolness. In truth, he had no idea what to say to the woman in front of him. "Congratulations."

She hummed in thanks, looking pleased. "I know things have changed between us," she began, "but you must know by now that everything changes. Especially people and their—their relations."

He nodded slowly, wondering how he might get her to release the alcohol in her hand. She rarely ever drank, preferring not to risk the consequences. She did it when she was upset—or nervous.

"I'm aware of that," he said slowly. "But why bring it up now?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she wandered over to the old record player against the wall and put on an album that Regulus didn't recognize. She swayed to the music, but the smile was gone from her face.

"I love Lucius," she stated suddenly. "But you must know that love doesn't last in our family. What if we become… like the rest of us?"

He knew what she was referring to. He wasn't sure if there was any real love between his parents or hers, or if there ever had been. Orion and Walburga didn't hate each other, and they certainly made a formidable team, but they had never expressed any love while Regulus had been present.

"Maybe you won't," he said uselessly.

She turned to him suddenly, her blue eyes glassy. "Our family may break apart," she whispered. "Just look at your brother."

Ice flooded through Regulus. He tried not to think about Sirius, but he knew that it was never good when a relative brought him up. "What about Sirius?"

"He never understood our family. My sister at least started out correctly—Sirius didn't. Those two are proof that our family tree has been poisoned. We must make it stronger, but that sort of pressure on a marriage…. I fear that may kill the love even faster."

Regulus stared at her. He had only heard words like that from one other person. "You and Bella have been talking."

Narcissa nodded. "Yes. She wants me to let Andromeda go… and we all want you to do the same for Sirius."

"I've always loved Sirius. Ever since we were kids," Regulus said carefully. "I can't just decide to forget him. He is ingrained in me."

She walked towards him, placing a delicate hand on his shoulder. "You must try. Or your life will be as miserable as mine might become."

Regulus' breathing was shallow. "What does forgetting Andromeda have to do with your marriage to Lucius?"

Her voice was devoid of all emotion. "He does not love her. I do. I must forget, or else it could be the end of us." She shook her head and turned away; Regulus knew that she was now speaking to herself. "Love is a powerful thing. It can build an empire… but it can just as easily destroy it."

He learned the term by accident.

Emotional abuse.

He knew now why Sirius had left. It couldn't have been easy, living in a house where all you ever heard were insults. His brother had always seemed so confident, so sure of himself. How badly had they truly hurt him?

The worst part was the he had helped. Regulus always thought that pretending to be like them could help his brother, but maybe that had been just as damaging. What had they left him with? If he saw Sirius again, would he recognize him?

For once, he wondered what the letters said.

Regulus rolled over in bed. The longer he thought, the more curious he became. Where was Sirius? Had anyone helped him? Shame flooded through him. He may have been Sirius' younger brother, but family looked out for each other. That was the first thing Blacks learned. Maybe everyone else was content to forget, but Sirius was family.

He'd abandoned his brother.

He had to make things right. Maybe the best way to uphold the Black beliefs was to break every rule he'd been given. He stood up, pushing his black hair from his eyes. There was no going back from this. But then again, they had broken the most sacred rule by letting Sirius get away.

Regulus grabbed his coat. It would be impossible to find Sirius, he knew. That bridge had been burnt long ago. But maybe he could make a point by leaving anyway.

Let his father try to get out of that one.

Regulus was awoken by someone gently shaking his shoulder.

"Sorry, but I really had to wake you," the person said when his eyes had opened. Regulus groaned, struggling to focus on figure before him.

"Who—" he croaked, feeling very sick and weak.

"Frank Longbottom," the man replied promptly. He gently lifted Regulus' arm and ducked under it, so he could support the smaller boy. Regulus was awake enough to feel embarrassed at his physical state. He tried to shake the other man off, but Frank was having none of it.

"I'm taking you home," Frank told him. "You can rest there, and my wife will be more than happy to make you something to eat."

Regulus nodded numbly. He almost didn't hear Frank say the next part.

"And then I'll call the hospital."

Regulus' grey eyes snapped to meet the green ones of the man helping him. "No! No, I can't, my parents…"

Frank hesitated. "Are you underage?"

Slowly, Regulus shook his head. "N-no. But they… they'll come after me, and I can't go back. Things are supposed to be different now."

He realized that he wasn't making any sense to Frank, but the man didn't question him. "Is there anyone I can call?"

Regulus hesitated. "I'd like to see my brother," he admitted softly, "but that's impossible."

Frank helped him stagger down the road, toward the building Regulus had been unable to identify earlier. "Maybe not. What's his name?"

"Sirius Black," Regulus said reluctantly. "I'm Regulus."

Frank's eyes widened, and Regulus realized that he should have kept his surname a secret. "Black" was too recognizable—how would he fly under his parents' radar now?

"Regulus? I know Sirius, he's a friend of mine. He's been looking for you for a long time."

He was too tired to answer. He wondered idly how long he'd been walking on his own before he slipped into unconsciousness once more.

He tore into the food, appalled at his horrid manners but unable to slow down. Alice, Frank's wife, was a kind, round-faced woman whose cooking was unbeatable. She still gazed at him sternly though.

"Slow down," she instructed. "You'll make yourself sick."

He tried to, but it was mostly futile. He couldn't remember the last time food had tasted so good.

Regulus was just polishing off his meal when the door opened, a frantic voice sounding from the entryway.

"Frank? Alice? Is it true—is he here?"

Regulus slowly set down his cutlery. The seventeen-year-old was dimly aware of his shaking hands, but his entire being was focused on the man who had entered the kitchen. He was different than Regulus remembered. His back was straighter, his hair longer, and there was a little black stubble on his face, as though he had forgotten to shave that morning. He looked happy.

"Regulus?"

Regulus let out a sob. He didn't know what to say. He was so tired, and sick, and he just wanted his brother to protect him like he used to because what had he been thinking?

Sirius rushed over and embraced him, and Regulus clung to him like a lifeline.

"I didn't think I'd see you again," he told him. "I just had to get away, I didn't want to burden—"

"Stop right there," Sirius interjected angrily. "You're not a burden, Reg. You never have been, and you never will be. I… I'm so glad you're here."

Regulus nodded, his body still trembling.

He felt Sirius tense beneath his hands. "You're so thin. How long have you been out there?"

"I don't know," Regulus confessed. "I'm… I'm tired."

Sirius' voice was gentler than Regulus had ever heard it. "I bet you are. I'll help you upstairs. Frank and Alice called a doctor; he'll be here in the morning. Just rest, all right? Then we can sort this whole mess out."

Regulus let Sirius walk him upstairs, but he paused before entering the spare bedroom. He took a deep breath.

"I want to be better, Sirius," he told his brother. "But I'm not technically seventeen—what if they come after me and I…"

He couldn't finish the sentence, but Sirius seemed to know exactly what was going on in his mind.

"I know." Sirius' voice was a low rumble, but it was comforting all the same. "I was afraid of the same thing when I left. My friends helped me through it though—and I'll help you."

Regulus stared at the wall. The euphoria of seeing his brother again was wearing off, and he realized suddenly that there were some very large barriers between them.

"I don't know how to forget about them," Regulus said. "I don't think I can. And how do you…" His hands were shaking again. He didn't know how to express his fears. Could he ever break away from his family completely? Could he give up that life of luxury forever?

Could he trust anyone besides Sirius ever again?

He felt a hand on his shoulder, wrenching him from his thoughts. "I don't know what they did that prompted you to leave," Sirius began, "but living apart from them, finding yourself again…. It gets easier. Every day it gets a little easier. But you gotta do it every day—that's the hard part. But it does get easier."

Regulus felt some of the tension drain from his shoulders. "Okay," he whispered.

Before he slept, he insisted on taking a shower; he'd never felt more disgusting in his life. Sirius had laughed good-naturedly and left him to it. He let the scalding water run over his body, lathering on soap and scrubbing until his skin was raw. He was brushing his teeth, hair still wet and a towel wrapped around his waist, when he heard Sirius and Frank talking from outside the bedroom door.

"Thanks, Frank. I dunno what I would've done if anything…"

"Don't worry about it, Sirius. Is he all right?"

Sirius' voice was filled with confidence—and maybe, Regulus thought, a hint of pride. "He will be. He's a fighter. And just the fact that he's recognized they're wrong… I'm sure he'll come out stronger."

Regulus spat into the sink, comforted by his brother's words. He dragged himself over to the bed, barely awake, and thought that, even if things would be harder from now on, he could at least escape the guilt that had been plaguing him for so long.

He shut his eyes. Finally, he could rest.

A/N:

Writing Club:

Assorted Appreciation: 14. Write about someone cutting something bad/negative from their lives.

Disney Challenge: Songs 4. God Help the Outcasts — Write about someone being treated badly.

Book Club: Sugi — (emotion) embarrassed, (word) rescue, (dialogue) "I've always loved [Name]. Ever since we were kids."

Showtime: 6. Dead Girl Walking — (dialogue) "Sorry, but I really had to wake you."

Amber's Attic: 4. Harley Quinn — Write about someone trying to turn their life around

Emy's Emporium: 1. Brian — Write about someone made into a hero/villain for something they haven't done

Liza's Loves: 3. Write about Regulus Black

Angel's Arcade: 1. Superman — (theme) change

Lo's Lowdown: Dialogue 6. "It gets easier. Every day it gets a little easier. But you gotta do it every day—that's the hard part. But it does get easier."

Bex's Basement: 19. All I Ask by Adele — Why don't we just play pretend, like we're not scared of what's coming next (Bonus)

Film Festival: 11. (action) brushing teeth; 24. (object) record player