Also I do not know the age difference between Sirius and Regulus. And I, being me, was too lazy to try to look it up. So uhm...so sorry if it's off.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and/or related characters. I, Lykaios Nyx, am not making any money off of this fic.
A/N: This has been edited. Thanks to RenieandtheMoo.
Regulus sighed as he sat down on the Hogwarts Express, trying his damnedest to stay away from his older brother. And he had good reason to.
Before Hogwarts, Regulus would watch his older brother with admiration in his amethyst eyes. The younger of the Black sons would stand with just the tip of his small foot in the doorway of the room. He would watch Sirius, the natural rebel of the two, do anything and everything. Any movement that Sirius would make, Regulus would inscribe the action into his memory.
Once, Regulus cracked the dining room door open, peeking at Sirius as the older boy had ran around the table, messing up the order of the silverware. And pretty soon the salad forks were in place of the soup spoons, the pasta fork swapped with the meat knife, and the pasta spoon with the fish forks. Regulus stood back; giggling like any giddy 5 year old boy was wont to do when he witnessed a prank the making.
The young boy had gasped for breath, which caused the unawares Sirius to flinch, jerking around to make sure he hadn't been caught. Sirius spied Regulus, his little body shaking with more suppressed laughter. Nine year-old Sirius grinned toothily and wiggled his eyebrows the best he could manage at that age. The older brother pointed to the dessert spoon and the butter knife. Regulus had giggled and ran towards the table and his brother, climbing on to a chair with Sirius's help.
As fate would have had it, Narcissa and Bellatrix walked in the room with their noses stuck high in the air as Regulus begged Sirius for a piggy-back ride. The boy locked his arms firmly around Sirius's neck and wrapped his legs around his brother's waist. Sirius chortled and complied, walking with only a little sign of trouble that he would not have admitted he had.
Narcissa looked at her cousins' antics with clear and obvious disdain.
"You know, your mother would not be happy if she could see you two behaving like smelly mud bloods," she said, sneering at Sirius, who had mocked her slight lisp.
Regulus tightened his grip with one arm and had covered his mouth with a small hand to effectively muffle his laugh as tears began to well up in Narcissa's blue eyes.
Bellatrix pulled out her wand, pointing it directly at Regulus's throat as he slid off of Sirius's back.
"I would suggest to you that you keep your mouth shut, unless of course you want to be covered in bat bogeys."
Sirius narrowed his eyes.
"Don't you dare," he had said and for a moment, Regulus had actually been scared.
The young boy could feel the anger in his big brother's voice. The fear - very quickly - turned into admiration as he realized Sirius was on his side.
Bellatrix looked at Sirius, who had stepped in front of Regulus, when the wand poked his chest.
"So dear Sirius, you want to practice spells with me?"
And Sirius had stood his ground, his small chest puffed out.
Bella stepped closer to him, an evil glint in her young eyes.
"I learned a new curse today, Cousin. Judging by the dog's reaction, it seems to hurt quite a bit. Mum told me to just imagine it was a muggle or a mudbloods. Would you like to find out just how bad it hurts?"
Sirius still stood string in front of Regulus.
Bellatrix growled.
"Do not begin to think that I wouldn't stun you. I'll get to the little brat one way or another, Sirius!"
You can try if you want, Bella, but I'm not moving."
Anger flashed in Bellatrix's dark, violet eyes.
"STUPE---"
"BELLATRIX BLACK!" Andromeda screamed as she snatched the wand from the younger girl's hand.
Regulus saw Sirius smirk at Bellatrix as her older sister continued reprimanding her.
"C'mon, Reg," he called, walking out of the room as arrogantly as a young Sirius could.
And in that moment, Regulus had realized. He made a decision. He wanted to be brave. He wanted to be smart. He wanted to be loyal and he wanted to be funny. Regulus wanted to stand up to people like Bellatrix for people like him. And he wanted to be exactly like Sirius Black.
Another time when Sirius had first went off to Hogwarts, leaving Regulus all alone; the younger brother did some more observing. He watched as his mother threw an absolute fit about Sirius's house placement after she received a letter from Bellatrix. Sirius had been placed in Gryffindor and when Regulus had first found out, he was thrilled. But his parents weren't. Many a valuable vase and antique were broken that night and then repaired.
0o0o0o0o0o0
Regulus looked out the window, catching sight of Sirius on the platform, talking to a boy named Remus Lupin. He didn't want to defy his Mother. Regulus couldn't let her down. He didn't want to be burnt off of the tapestry, nor did he want to be the one who followed in Sirius's footsteps. Regulus didn't want to be the scapegoat for everything, not like Sirius. Then Regulus made another decision at that instant. He didn't want to be like Sirius Orion Black at all.