"Crap," I muttered as I glanced at my watch. Merlin knew what Moody would do to me if I was late again. I shoved a piece of toast in my mouth with one hand and flattened my hair with the other. That would have to do. I couldn't pull off respectable but that had never been my forte.

I pulled up my shirt collar to cover my tattoo, grabbed my coat and turned to leave. A knock at the door stopped me in my tracks. I didn't know anyone who would use the front door, let alone knock. It could be Moody, come to drag me into training which, to be fair, had been known to happen, but I wasn't that late. Besides, he'd be more likely to find a way past my flat's defences and then berate me for it.

Whoever it was knocked again and I glanced apologetically up to Remus's room. Full moon had been two days ago and he was exhausted. I touched my wand and pulled open the door.

A mirror image stared back at me. Or rather, an image of what I would probably look like in 30 years. Orion Black.

I didn't say anything, not trusting myself not to throw a curse his way.

Eventually he broke the silence. "Son..." His voice was tired, cracked.

"Don't call me that," I spat. "You made it pretty clear I was to consider myself no son of yours." He didn't deny it. "I have to go," I said coldly, shouldering past him.

"Wait!" He made to grab my arm but stopped himself. "I need to talk to you. Please."

"I'm late. I'm leaving."

"It's Regulus."

I turned back to face my father and saw him properly for the first time since he had turned up. He looked different than the last time I had seen him, which admittedly had been in the pages of the Daily Prophet. His hair, though still not grey, was lighter, his face etched with lines. Desperation bobbed beneath his emotional mask.

"What about him?"

"May I come inside?"

I thought of Remus, sleeping deeply in his room and of Moody, who probably had far better things to do than come looking for me. "Let's go to the Leaky Cauldron." I took off before he could object, walking fast so we didn't have to travel side by side. I entered the pub without a backward glance.

The barman greeted me silently. "Morning Tom. A large whisky please. Is the front room empty?" He nodded slowly as he poured my drink and, at an indication from Orion, another. Say what you like about my father, he's the one person I know that wouldn't bat an eyelid to my drinking at 9.30 in the morning.

We entered tbe front room, shutting the door behind us and seating ourselves at opposite ends of a large round table. I waited.

"How have you been?" When I didn't respond he tried again. "The flat seems...nice."

"Oh cut the crap, dad. What's up with Regulus?" I snapped.

He gave a sigh. "He's missing." Nothing, not even the slightest quiver in his voice, betrayed what he must have been feeling.

"What do you mean, missing?"

"I mean we haven't seen him in days. No one's seen him in days."

I scoffed. "He's a grown man. Got to be, what, 18 now?"

"No," Orion shook his head as if willing himself to believe something. "He wouldn't do that to us. Not like.." he trailed off.

"Not like me?" I asked savagely, before checking myself. Now wasn't the time. "When was the last time you saw him?"

"On Saturday. We'd had dinner together, the three of us. He went to bed. In the morning he wasn't there."

"Does he often go off on his own?"

"It isn't unheard of."

"Where does he go? Have you contacted his friends?"

Orion took a swig from his tumbler. "I didn't ask. And his friends aren't the type of wizard one can just owl."

I frowned, trying to understand what he wasn't telling me. I'd heard rumours about my brother. I had hoped they weren't true.

"Look, I thought...well I wondered if you knew anything. If one of your lot...?"

"One of my lot?" I repeated quietly.

"If they had seen, heard...anything." Orion finished.

"So that's why you're here? Not to inform me as an interested party but to see if he's been picked up? I'm your fucking contact?"

"Keep your voice down," he admonished.

"Don't tell me what to do! You're unbelievable. If half of what I've heard is true this is all your fault, feeding him that Pureblood bullshit. Do you even care about him at all or are you just worried about what the scandal of having a missing son will do to your reputation?"

Orion's mask slipped back into place, too late for me to register it had been taken off at all. "Your mother was right," he said coolly. "It was a mistake coming here."

"You can tell her to go to hell," I spat.

Orion stood and walked to the door. "Will you never learn to control your temper, Sirius?" he asked scornfully. I threw my empty glass at the door. He didn't flinch as it narrowly missed his head, but jturned and left the room calmly.

I stood, breathing heavily for some time, before heading back to the bar in the main part of the pub.

"Same again, Tom."

My eyes opened, more of their own accord than because I willed them to. My eyesight was blurry so I used my hands to explore my surroundings. Miraculously, I was in my own bed. Even stranger, I was alone.

I tried to get up and grunted, lying back down. The door creaked open, sending a jarring pain through my skull. I groped for my wand but couldn't find it. Somehow this seemed a secondary problem to my headache and growing nausea.

James and Lily walked in. What were they doing here? I tried to articulate the thought and became increasingly annoyed when they refused to make an effort to understand me.

"I said, why are you here?" I managed.

"Well you certainly didn't get home under your own steam last night," said James in an amused tone. Smug bastard. "We brought you a cup of tea and some hangover potion."

"Lovely friends. Thank you," I replied, holding out a hand.

"Not so fast," said Lily firmly. "First you're answering some questions."

"Fuck off, gimme the potion."

James's eyes glinted. "Play nice Padfoot. We just want to know what happened."

"Give me the hangover potion and I'll tell you," I offered.

"Doesn't work like that."

"Why?"

"Because, Sirius, you are notoriously difficult to get personal information out of and if we give you this potion, we'll never find out," Lily said serenely.

The thumping in my head spread from my temples to behind my eyes. "Who says it's any of your business?"

"We're your friends."

I groaned. "Look nothing happened, I just got pissed! Big deal! Just give me the potion, please?"

James shook his head. "I know you and I know something must have happened to send you on a bender like that." He dangled the potion in front of me. "You want it or not?"

I gritted my teeth. "Fine. You win. My dad showed up."

"Your dad?"

"Orion Black."

"Yeah, thanks for the family history lesson. What did he want?"

"Regulus is missing. Has been for days, wondered if I knew anything."

Lily gasped. "Good riddance," muttered Prongs.

"James!" chided Lily.

"What? Sirius never got along with him, he's a vindictive little snake."

"They were still brothers."

"Guys! Please can Ihave the potion?" Lily handed it to me and I downed it in one, waiting for normal brain functions to resume.

As my friends continued to squabble I pulled on jeans and a battered hoodie over the underwear I'd slept in. I had to push through them to get to the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Out," I replied.

"I'm coming with you." I almost told James not to bother but something in his expression persuaded me otherwise. He was on my side no matter what he thought about Reg.

"Come on then."