Tell my mother, tell my father I've done the best I can
To make them realize this is my life, I hope they understand
I'm not angry, I'm just saying
Sometimes goodbye is a second chance

-Second Chance, Shinedown

Sirius Black stood with his things in tow. His eyes blazed with held back tears as he took in his former home. The unique quality it stored before increasingly lacked as he stepped out for the last time. No more disappointed glares, no more put downs. He was leaving. For once, he was going to finish what he started.

James didn't quite know yet that his best friend would be coming to stay for a good while – before his real home, Hogwarts, reopened for the semester. Sirius doubted James would ever deny entry.

There he stood, drenched with the oncoming, ironic rain, as he took his last look. There were many emotions he could feel, but the only one that reached the surface was hope.

He resituated his bag on his forearm and turned on his heel, feeling his old home bore a hole in his back. Stop it, he wished the house quietly, feeling rather insane. I'm leaving for good reason.

"Sirius!" A voice called from behind him; he could hear footsteps approaching him, splashing water. "What in the name of Merlin are you doing?"

He stared at his brother, Regulas, with a long lost smile. He never smiled at Regulas, and since when did Regulas ever care where he ventured? It was a like wise decision between them never to speak.

"Home," Sirius stated, keeping his hands in his pockets.

"Bullocks, you are home!"

He shook his head, breaking his glance, now seeing his blurred reflection in a nearby puddle.

"No, this is your home. You know as well as I, it's never been welcome to me."

Regulas stood with his furrowed brows, as always, with a sense of dread. He kept his chin up. Of course, Regulas was always better than us all. Or, he forever wanted us to believe so. Sirius's Mum admired that; when Sirius tried it just came off cocky and arrogant according to her. Nothing he did was ever good enough. Never…

"Goodbye Reg," Sirius's voice trailed as he turned around again. He felt Regulas huff, highly disapproving. How would Regulas ever seem like the top dog without Sirius to be compared to?

"You – you can't just say that," He yelled over the rain. "Fine; just leave. You'll come back, you know…goodbye is for the weak!" As Sirius continued down the alley, he knew in his gut that he was sorrowfully wrong.

Sirius could barely feel the presence of his old house far behind him, and his ungrateful brother staring after him through the rain contemplating whether to run and stop him. No, brother - sometimes goodbye is a second chance.