Sirius's relationship with his brother was nowadays smothered with tension. Whenever they passed each other in the halls at school, it was with a look of indifference that they stared at each other. Most people hardly believed that they were brothers. The only tell tale signs were that they shared the same surname and they both had the same attractive, stormy grey eyes. Apart from that it was as if they were strangers.
It hadn't always been that way. When they were young children they used to play with each other for hours, inventing new games and even sealing their bond with a secret hand shake. But as they grew older it became clear that the two brothers were very different people, and such opposites just did not keep good company. Their relationship truly fell to tatters the moment that Sirius was housed in Gryffindor.
Sirius was the rebel, he always had been, but as the years went by his rebellion stopped being chidlishly innocent, it became something much deeper. He shunted his families sinister values and did everything he could to seperate himself from then, where as Regulus tried desperately to live up to the high standards that posessing such a respected name requiried. Although he didn't completely agree with his parents values, sometimes not at all, he followed them because he understood that he was their heir now that Sirius had ran astray.
Sirius thought his brother a coward, and never tired of reminding him of this fact. Regulus ignored his taunts because he knew that his elder brother was too arrogant and blinded by determination and hate to understand. It wasn't until the summer of his final year at Hogwarts that Sirius found out just how far his brother was willing to go to keep face.
Sirius never stayed at home in the summer if he had to, but he had angered his father greatly with his latest stunt of sneaking stolen Muggle motor bike parts in to the house, and was forbidden to leave the house until further notice. Usually Sirius would ignore his fathers wishes and continue to visit his friends anyway, but even he knew that this time he had gone too far. Over come with boredom, he decided to one day pay his younger brother a visit.
Sirius didn't bother to knock as he sauntered unannounced in to Regulus's bedroom, as was always the way with him. Regulus was sat on his bed, above which a Slytherin banner and a tapestry bearing the Black family crest hung, reading his way through a pile of Potions notes. He looked up when Sirius walked in.
"Heard of knocking?" He muttered scathingly.
Sirius shrugged. "Long time, no speak, my friend," He said, leaning against the bedpost with his arms folded. Regulus returned back to his notes.
"Maybe it wouldn't be that way if you at least bothered to say hello every once and a while at school," He said.
"I don't see you making much of an effort either," Sirius argued, "Besides, I don't like the company you keep."
"What's that got to do with anything?" Regulus snapped, looking up, "And just so you know, the feelings mutual."
"At least my mates don't dabble around in the Dark arts more than they should," Sirius snorted, "Bit of a suspicious lot, aren't they? A bit shifty."
"I think it's pretty suspicious that that Lupin disappears in the middle of every month," Regulus said coolly.
"That's none of your business," Sirius snapped, "He gets ill."
"Yeah, right," Regulus tutted, "Are you done talking? As you can see, I'm pretty busy."
Sirius glanced down at the notes scattered around the bed. "Aw, if only mummy could see you now. She'd be so proud of her ickle golden boy," He mocked, "What you planning on doing when you leave old Hogwarts, anyway?"
Regulus was a little taken aback that Sirius had taken such an interest. He shrugged. "I dunno, somthing useful. Worthy," He mumbled.
"What, like a Death eater?" Sirius teased. Regulus automatically flung a hand to his wrist. He realised what he had done immediately and tried to pass off the moment by scratching himself, but Sirius's sharp eyes had caught the movement.
He launched on top of his brother, pinning him down against the covers. Regulus attempted to fight his elder brother off but it was fruitless. Sirius grabbed Regulus's shirt, tearing its sleeves upwards and staring down at the mark on his skin. Sirius looked up to stare at Regulus with horrified eyes before roughly pushing him away.
"Tell me you aren't being serious!" He shouted.
"No, you are," Regulus joked meekly, his heart thudding violently in his chest as he sat back up. He could feel Sirius's glare burning him as he tried to avert his gaze elsewhere.
"Why, Reggie?" Sirius whispered. Regulus felt a pang in his heart upon hearing the abbreviation. Sirius hadn't called him Reggie since they were children.
"I have to make mum and dad happy," Regulus said quietly.
"Yes, but not like this," Sirius replied, his voice rising again, "Do you have any idea what you've signed yourself up for?"
"I wouldn't have had to do it if it wasn't for you!" Regulus shouted, surprising both Sirius and himself, "You can't understand how much pressure I'm under, just because you decided you want to be the black sheep."
"You have your own mind, Regulus!" Sirius snapped, "Don't try to blame this on me. If you didn't really believe in what bearing this mark means, then you wouldn't have done it, not just for everybody else's sake!"
"How would you know?" Regulus snarled, "You don't know anything about me Sirius! And you don't even have the fucking decency to say thank you."
"Thank you? What for!" Sirius cried.
"I did this for you! I did this so that they'd get off your back," Regulus muttered, his hands balling in to fists.
"Well thank you very fucking much," Sirius said, "Thanks for sacrificing, you utter idiot!"
"I knew you'd be like this, I knew you wouldn't understand," Regulus said.
Sirius jumped up from the bed. The brothers stared at each other for a moment, panting with anger and exasperation. Then Regulus's eyes softened as they pleaded with Sirius for the final time to understand. Sirius turned his head away. He felt sick to the core, and over come with guilt, an emotion he wasn't accustomed to feeling.
"Good luck with your new career choice," He said as he stalked from the room, "You're gonna need it."
The door slammed shut. And though neither of them knew it, as they stood on opposite sides of the wall, a single tear dripped from their identical eyes.
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