Brothers

Sirius nudged his friends, pointing to the gaggle of incoming first years streaming into the Great Hall. "There, that's him, do you see him? On the left, there, next to that blonde girl?"

"He's tiny!"

"Nah, all of them are. He's looking over here! Regs!" Sirius hissed. "Regs!"

Regulus Black glanced around, and his face lit up when he saw his brother. He waved, then pointed to the ceiling in amazement and pretended to faint.

Sirius laughed. "What a stupid kid."

Remus said, "He looks just like you, Sirius."

"Ugh, no, I'm much better-looking." He was still watching his brother intently. "I hope he gets into Gryffindor… he told me he'd like to be here…"

Regulus was one of the first to be called, after "Barnabus, Heather!"

Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on his head. Sirius was muttering under his breath, "Gryffindor…Gryffindor…c'mon Regs, Gryffindor…"

There was a full minute of silence. Regulus was beginning to look panicked.

Then, the rip at the brim of the hat opened, Sirius squeezed his eyes shut and crossed his fingers, and the hat yelled…

"SLYTHERIN!"

There was a thunderous applause from the Slytherin table, but Sirius swore loudly and said, "You're joking!"

As the next name was called and the ceremony continued, Sirius was still fuming. "How could he do that! That stupid Hat! He was supposed to be in Gryffindor, he said he wanted to be in Gryffindor! What the hell! What the bloody hell!"

James murmured, "Katelyn Manns, she's my neighbor," to Remus, and they both applauded her as Katelyn joined the Gryffindor table.

"You aren't even listening to me!" accused Sirius. James didn't even look at his friend as he replied.

"'Course we are, Sirius, it's hard not to, seeing as you won't shut up."

Clenching his jaw shut, Sirius sat staring down at the plate in front of him. He didn't pay attention to Dumbledore's speech, and when food appeared on the table he didn't eat, just sat there looking surly.

"You go on ahead," said Sirius to his friends. "I'm going to have a little chat with my brother."

James rolled his eyes as he, Remus and Peter headed towards Gryffindor tower.

Sirius heard a "Slytherins, this way!" and followed that voice. He caught up with the Slytherin first years not far from the Great Hall.

The prefect leading the first years started to protest when Sirius stopped his brother, but Sirius just rolled his eyes and said, "Just a mo, Lestrange."

Rabastan returned the eye roll, but left Sirius to talk to his brother.

Sirius turned to Regulus. "What was that, Regs?" Regulus rubbed his eye childishly, but Sirius took firm hold of his hand and said, "Will you stop that and just answer the damn question?"

"Mum said you're not allowed to use that word-"

"Mum isn't here right now." Sirius sighed. "Regs, listen to me. You don't want to be in Slytherin. No matter what Dad told you, Slytherin is full of liars and murderers and cheats."

Regulus looked scared. "But… I can't change Houses now…"

Sirius thought for a moment. "I guess you can't. But, just… don't be like the others, okay? And stay away from Lestrange, will you? And Malfoy, while you're at it, he's bad news. In fact, steer clear of anyone related to us."

"But they're pureblood, they're all related to us-"

"Problem solved! Stay away from them all." Regulus looked scared. Sirius shook his head. "No, don't look like that, I don't want to frighten you, it's just… there are bad people from Slytherin, alright?"

"But… there are good people, too…"

"Not from Slytherin there aren't. So you have to promise me something."

Regulus looked up at the other boy, his eyes shining with adoration for his older brother. "Anything, Sirius."

"Be the first one. Be the first good bloke to come out of your House ever. Do it for me, will you?"

Regulus nodded. "Yeah, I'll be the best, Sirius! I promise!"

"Good. Off you go, then."

The younger boy hesitated. Sirius asked, "What is it?"

"Sirius… was… was You-Know-Who in Slytherin?"

"Don't be silly, Regs," said Sirius. "You-Know-Who never went to Hogwarts."

Regulus nodded again. He hugged his brother shortly, then hurried after the rest of the Slytherin first-years.

Sirius looked after his brother, a heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach. This was not going to end well.

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Summer, 1977

"DON'T YOU WALK AWAY FROM ME, BOY!"

"YOU WILL TREAT YOUR FATHER WITH RESPECT!"

"DON'T YOU TOUCH ME!" Sirius shouted at his father as he jerked his shoulder away from his father's hand and looked at his parents, pure loathing in his eyes. "I'm sick of you! Both of you! You're pathetic, with all this pureblood mania! You know what's the worst part, though?"

"WATCH YOUR MOUTH-"

"NO, I WON'T WATCH MY MOUTH, DAMMIT!" Sirius screamed, and now he looked mad. "I won't, I won't do anything you ever tell me to do ever again! I hate you! I wish you would DIE! I HATE YOU!"

As he charged up the stairs to his bedroom, he called, "The worst part is that for the longest time you actually had me believing all of it! Did you know that! You really had me fooled! I can't believe it!"

He slammed shut the door to his room and began throwing his belongings into his trunk, still furious. Muttering under his breath, he slammed the top of his trunk closed and angrily wiped the tears from his eyes. He shouldn't cry. There was nothing to cry about. He wasn't leaving anything he cared about behind…

"You're being an idiot."

Sirius turned around. His younger brother was closing the door behind him. Hurriedly, Sirius turned back to his trunk, blinking hard and rapidly.

Regulus said, "Don't be stupid, I know you're crying, stop trying to hide it. I would be too if I were you."

"Yeah, we all get it, you're not me, you're better, you're so much damn better than me, aren't you?" Sirius asked heatedly.

"That isn't what I meant," said Regulus quietly.

Sirius turned around, glaring at his brother, who, he realized, was holding his broomstick. "Give me the broom, Regulus," said Sirius stonily, holding out a hand.

"Don't go."

"Stop telling me what to do! You are just like them, you know that? JUST LIKE THEM!"

There was a moment of silence. Then Regulus said, sounding hurt, "I am not."

"But you agree with them, don't you? You believe Bella, don't you?" He imitated their cousin. "'Oh, dear little Regulus, pride and joy of the family, good thing you don't have Mudblood friends, good thing you're not a failure, like your damn brother.'"

Regulus said nothing.

Sirius wiped his eyes again. "Give me the broom."

Regulus didn't move.

"Give me the damn broom, Regulus!"

For a moment, Regulus looked down at the broomstick in his hands, and then he looked up at his brother again. His brother, with his tear streaked face and that mad look in his eye.

Regulus tossed the broom to his brother.

The boys looked at each other.

Sirius saw his brother, slightly smaller and slimmer, but still almost identical to Sirius himself. Only two years of difference between them. Two years and… nothing else.

"You should have been me," said Regulus. "I'm sorry. I took it all from you, didn't I?... You're the firstborn son. I'm supposed to have grown up in your shadow. You should be what I am."

Sirius shook his head, closing his eyes, inches away from dissolving into tears. "You did grow up in my shadow, Regs. Always."

"Not in the way it was supposed to be."

"But the way it was. The way it is. And in the end, that's all that matters, isn't it?"

There was another pause. Then, Regulus took a step forward and embraced his brother. "It's going to be hell without you," said Regulus.

Sirius shook his head. "You'll survive."

"I hope so." Silence. They let go of each other. "I promise to miss you."

"Thanks," said Sirius sarcastically. "That means a lot, coming from you."

Regulus, slightly pink in the face, muttered, "Oh, shut up."

"Well… 'bye, then."

"'Bye."

Regulus watched hollowly as Sirius left his room, the house, and his family. When Sirius finally dismounted his broom, miles away, he was at Number 13, Peverell Lane, Godric's Hollow. James's house.

It would be years later in a cold, dark cell in Azkaban, that Sirius would finally realize he had never told his brother he loved him.

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Wow. Seems like all I can write is Regulus/Sirius brotherly love. I love them both so much.

Review, please, and tell me whether or not I should just quit writing now and go live on the streets as a hobo.

(Some constructive criticism would also be nice.)

Thanks so much for reading!