Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Rowling does.

Hogwarts House Challenges: Room of Requirement – Mafia!AU; Quidditch Pitch - Now, it was up to him; Drabble club - "Tell me what it is you need."
Word count: 1094

Sicilian mafia!AU. Translations: picciriddu = little boy, child; cosca = family, clan; cu nasci tunnu un po' moriri quatratu = a leopard can't change its spot.

Summary: Regulus must prove himself by killing his brother who betrayed the clan. Warning: Regulus/Sirius mild slash!

Dedicated to Scarlet Hibiscus. Happy birthday! :)

The test of honor

The Godfather Voldemort had gathered the whole cosca round him and looked intently at young Regulus who set his jaw in return. That picciriddu had required to become a 'made man' and that could mean only one thing: the 'test of honor'. The Boss was really looking forward to that for many reasons. First of all, Regulus would kill Sirius, that cosca's traitor, and secondly, Voldemort could feel his heart filling with pride for the boy's courage; he knew the young Black had it in him to be a feared Boss and a respected Godfather some day and would lead the clan towards a bright future. After all, Regulus was destined to be in the mafia; it was in his blood; cu nasci tunnu un po' moriri quatratu.

He glanced at Bellatrix, who was teasing her little cousin, and made her be quiet, then he took three steps towards Regulus, made him spun and blindfolded him, before leading him and the others outside.

The night was dark and stormy, inviting everyone to commit any sort of crime. The Godfather smiled menacingly, remembering his own 'test of honor'. He really couldn't wait for Regulus to come back.

After they had stopped walking, Regulus carefully removed his blindfold, and it took him only a few seconds to get acquainted with his surroundings and spot Sirius quietly smoking. The younger Black looked around and noticed that the rest of the clan had gone, leaving him alone with his... victim. Now, it was up to him. He hadn't killed anyone yet but knew that he needed to prove his loyalty. He had asked for it, after all. He still had some doubts, though.

He quietly waited for Sirius to finish his cigarette before calling for him. When their eyes met, Regulus could read understanding in his brother's eyes, those eyes which he was going to make glassy and empty by killing the family's traitor.

"Hey, picciriddu," the former Black heir said, almost casually. "You are here for the 'test of honor', I take it. How fascinating!"

"Don't you dare scare me with that tone, Sirius! Don't you dare! I have a gun!"

"Oh, really? I'm trembling. Is it your gun as neat as this one of mine, little brother?" the older boy asked, fiddling with his weapon.

Regulus's blood grew cold, but he managed to get a grip on himself. "Why don't you shoot, then?"

"And you?" Sirius retorted.

"I'll shoot... soon. I have to kill you to show my honor, courage and devotion." The younger boy looked at the other's eyes and sounded unsure all of a sudden. Those beautiful eyes... Closed forever. Because of him. The more he thought of it, the less he liked it.

"I know," his big brother whispered almost reassuringly, "I know you don't really want to kill me, I feel it. As for me, as much as I'd like to help you, I admit death is not a fancy of mine, so..." He raised his gun and shot. Not to Regulus, though. Never to Regulus. They both knew it. Sirius had aimed to an innocent owl that was flying over them; it immediately fell on the ground, dead.

Sirius grinned. "As you can see, there could be another way. I could never kill you." He dipped his fingers in the blood of the animal and squirted his brother with it.

Regulus seemed disgusted. "Hey! What are you doing?"

"Isn't it clear? If you have some blood on you, it will be easier to you to convince your cosca that you have killed me."

The younger brother smiled but still had a question. "What about the 'test of honor'? I won't become a 'made man' if I don't kill you. This doesn't sound fair... Moreover, you're not dead for real, and what if they see you?"

"Who cares? Nothing your clan do is fair. And I promise you are a 'made man'. I'll disappear—I have things to take care of anyway— and none will ever discover you lied."

"Thank you, brother." Yet, the younger one felt there was more than met the eye.

Sirius messed up Regulus's hair. "You're welcome, picciriddu."

The younger Black pouted. "Hey! You said I was a 'made man' now."

The other boy's laughter resonated for a long time, but, the the younger brother noticed, it sounded forced, choked.

"It's true. You're a 'made man' now, a 'made man'. You're no little any longer... And some day, you'll be able to kill, actually kill... And it'll probably be..." Sirius's voice died so that Regulus had to lean forward to hear those few, tragic word. "... me. For I'll love you, but you'll hate me."

Silence. Oppressive, heavy silence. Hateful silence.

Sirius looked into Regulus's eyes, and the younger one read the truth in those gray, glowing orbs. Suddenly, the stars were not above them anymore, but each man had become the firmament to the other.

... I'll love you, but you'll hate me. I'll love you. I will love you.

Will. That was future tense, and they didn't have much time. Regulus knew he wasn't supposed to say anything, but he really couldn't wait for so long. Yes. No. Yes. No. "What about now, Sirius?" The words left his mouth before he was aware of it. "Please?" He knew his brother would never resist his plea. Sirius had always doted on his picciriddu.

"Tell me what it is you need," the older Black said.

"Love."

At dawn, Regulus was home, his robe spotted with blood that should have been Sirius's, his thoughts still lingering on the older Black's soft skin. He wasn't sure he had actually passed his test, but he certainly felt like a man. And, more importantly, he felt he had taken Sirius's life somehow, for he seemingly had his big brother's heart, and isn't the heart the same as life?

The Godfather himself woke up to greet him and mark him as part of the clan. "Well done, young one. Well done. You're truly a 'made man', the best I've ever seen." Then, he pricked Regulus's finger with a pin and squeezed until blood came out. "This blood means that you're truly one of us. Let's go and meet the others. Welcome to the real Family, son!"

The end

Please, review. :)

A/N I didn't make up the test of honor; it is truly part of the Mafia initiation ritual. I made up the plot for this story though. Thanks to Jasmin (Delusional Fujoshi) whose story inspired this one!