will be boys

Regulus reached high up to the banister, standing on his tiptoes, chin barely touching the top, trying to see all the way to the bottom of the grand staircase. Sirius said he'd be waiting for him, but Regulus wasn't quite sure he believed his older brother. Sirius was always playing pranks on him, jokes that he always said were supposed to be funny, but usually ended up getting Regulus hurt because Sirius didn't really think about what he was doing or didn't know how much Regulus could take.

Regulus was a little bit scared of his older brother, but thought that was really kind of natural when you had a brother like Sirius.

"Are you there?" He called timidly. "Sirius?" But no answer came. Regulus leaned back and tripped over the edge of the sled, butt landing hard on the floor. He thought about crying - maybe Andromeda would come, and she would make him feel better - but then again, maybe Cissa or Bella would hear him, and he didn't want either of them to find him crying on a sled, so he didn't.

Sirius had told him this would be fun. Since Sirius had been grounded last week for spitting gum in Narcissa's hair, and since Sirius wouldn't let Regulus go out and play without him, and since it had snowed last night, all pretty and new and untouched and just waiting for a sled to ride by on it, Sirius had come up with a plan. They couldn't sled outside, so they'd get the sled and they'd do it on the huge grand staircase that led to the foyer and spanned several floors.

Regulus thought it was kind of dangerous, but Sirius swore it would be the best day of their lives. He also swore that Mum would be furious if she found them doing it, so they had to wait for her to go off to one of her dinner parties (which they weren't allowed at, not since Regulus was four and Sirius convinced him to swim in the punch bowl).

Regulus didn't really think they should be doing something that Mum wouldn't approve of, but he really wanted to sled. So, he'd agreed, only now Sirius was nowhere to be found and Regulus was stuck on the sled at the top of the staircase with a bruised bottom and no snow.

He was starting to think he'd been had. Again.

Pouting, he rearranged himself on the sled and wondered what would happen if he went down without Sirius. Probably awful things. Sirius didn't like being left out very much.

Then, in the next second, four things happened at once. One - he heard a loud, primal shriek. Two - something very heavy and warm hit him hard in the back. Three - the sled tipped forward and started to crash down the stairs.

And four - the door opened and Mum and Dad walked inside, complaining of the cold and canceled parties.

Regulus and Sirius both screamed all the way down the stairs, while Mum and Dad looked up and yelled just as loud as they did. Andy and Bella and Cissa all came running in from another door, and within moments, the entire family was in a huge heap at the door.

Sirius, cackling, pulled Regulus off the top of the pile and ran for the snowdrifts out the still-open door.

They were both grounded for the rest of the season.
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(A/N: Merry Christmas Cuba!)