Disclaimer: I don't own anything in Harry Potter.

Summary: In another life, Sirius Black hated anything that had to do with his family. That is, until his brother came into the picture. A rippling effect has unfolded, and the future has been altered. "And Regulus?" Death questioned. "Will he succumb to darkness this time around?" AU

Note: Aerial here. For those of you who have read this story from S. S. BIRD, I am the same author. There was some error on the computer that has made me unable to use that account, so I made a new one in order to continue writing. I apologize for those who've already read this to the inconvenience, but I will be posting up this story again since it's too good to pass up with a few changes. Also, don't expect me to update this quickly since I am busy with other ideas and fics that I'm currently writing.

Thank you. And I hope you'll enjoy reading this.

Prologue: Alternate

The deceptively innocent looking little girl sighed. She rocked her feet back and forth as she looked at the scene of Voldemort dead and Harry Potter triumphing over his victory.

She yawned.

Tragic, just typically tragic. The homicidal idiot of a dark lord was an incredibly pitiful figure as he laid eagle spread on the ground.

She hummed as she jumped down toward the body, sliding down the air currents from the invisible surface of the sky where she had been comfortably sitting for the last hour or so, waiting till all the humans were in the great castle of Hogwarts.

They couldn't see her of course, but she preferred doing her job in solitude. Though she was used to it, it was always weird for people to walk through her. Hell, she's the reason why people feel a shiver up their spines when their impending doom comes near.

She snorted.

Superstitious bastards, the whole lot of them. Ironically, wizards were the worst of that bunch.

Her feet patted the ground lightly before she walked over to the pale body. She leans over the recent corpse with nonchalance, taking note of the hideously slit nose and eyes that resembled a snake. She sneered. The human (arguable) had caused her much trouble, splitting his soul like that. A stupid move, since he had reserved a place in the Oblivion the moment he did, which was not even comparable to Hell. Nothing was worse than emptiness. At least with torture, you feel something.

Suddenly, she felt a presence that immediately put her on edge. She bit back a curse. What in seven hells was he doing here? She didn't turn and tried to relax her stiffen shoulders, even though she knew it was pointless.

"Well well well. If it isn't Miss Death. I didn't expect to see you here." the person behind her exclaimed, voice drawling. She gritted her teeth. She managed to compose herself before finally turning, glaring as she did so.

"Like hell you didn't." she said coldly. "What the hell are you doing here Time?"

The man smirked, looking very dangerous when he did. He was the definition of what people would describe "tall, dark, and handsome." His black and white suit and tie along with his black top hat only added to his looks, cigarette hanging between two fingers.

"Oh don't be that way. It isn't my fault you're a terrible gambler."

"You cheated you bastard and we both know it." she refuted furiously. "Damn it Time, you're not supposed to be here. This is my domain! Mine!" she stomped her foot to put emphasis on her words, making her look every bit like a petulant child on a tantrum.

"Yes, of course your majesty." he beguiled, having the nerve to even tip his hat. She huffed at the cheeky gesture, making the man grin. "I've heard you have another Death Seeker now. The kid seems like a decent bloke. Lot better than that Dumbledore fellow anyway."

"True." she reluctantly agreed. "The old coot was as manipulative as you from what I can see. And it would be nice to be able to talk to a human who doesn't do that blasted eye twinkling thing the old man was fond of. Though neither of them are as bad as you."

"Oh please. As if anyone can match up to my skills in the art of manipulation." he dismissed. His silver eyes glinted sharply as his countenance turned serious. "All kidding aside though, I didn't come here for games this time. I came here on the behalf of the King."

The reaction was instantaneous as an intense expression overtook the girl's childish features, making her look very old and weary. "What happened?" she demanded. Time sighed and put the cigarette in his mouth, inhaling the nicotine and breathing out calmly before giving his answer.

"He's not pleased." he said gravely. "Apparently, he's having some trouble with two souls."

"Are their souls cracked?"

Time's mouth twisted into a grimace.

"No. They're... shattered."

Death closed her eyes. "... Are they important?"

"Well, Fate is currently bitching herself out right now so yeah. Definitely important."

Death took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "Who are they?" she queried.

"The Black brothers."

Her eyes snapped open as she stared at the deity incredulously, as if he had declared his desire to be a tutu wearing ballerina. She groaned and squatted down, resting her whole body on her legs, not caring she was acting how she looked.

Of course it was them. Bloody wizards.

"Are you fudging kidding me?" she wailed. She whipped her head around to give the stink eye to the standing man. "But Sirius was able to come out of the resurrection stone and talk to Pott- Oh." dawning comprehension lit her face up. "But it was only part of his soul that went to Potter. The rest is still beyond the veil, right?"

Time nodded.

"Bingo. As for the younger one, his soul is currently trapped at the lake. His soul is literally torn to shreds and is currently swimming with the inferi, who just so happens to be able to touch us since they're... well, dead." he finished lamely. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, looking frustrated. "If nothing is done soon, we're screwed. They both, directly and indirectly, have a strong influence on Harry Potter, mister 'Chosen One', and that is big. The very fabrics of time is being bended with their souls howling like dogs. They have to pass on, the King demands it."

"Well," Death said slowly, seeing the rising agitation from the other deity. "Why don't we just start over?"

Time paused and stared at the still crouching girl.

"Explain."

She shifted her feet.

"Go back in time and prevent them from dying the way they did. Change the course of history into something different." as the words sunk in, a smile gradually began to take form, razor sharp and calculative.

"A gamble then." he mused. "A risky one at that."

He didn't sound the least bit disappointed. Seeing that he was interested in the proposition, she stood up and stretched her arms into the sky, her cloak sleeves slipping at the action.

"Well, now that you know what you have to do, I'm just going to go now. Since you're going to change things, it's not like taking Riddle's soul will have any point to it. Hell, Riddle might actually win."

"Doubt it. He's a mad man, nothing more to it. He'll definitely lose."

"And Regulus?" Death questioned. "Will he succumb to darkness this time around?"

Time smirks.

"Only one way to find out."

And so begins this story, the pages ripped out as new entries are written.

Let the game begin.

Chapter 1: Shift

Time lit his smoke as he stood in front of Grimmauld 12. His casual pose was betrayed by the way his sharp eyes blindsided everything except for the house.

He was on a mission. A mission that was going to save him from a major headache.

He reached into his pocket and extracted a silver pocket watch out, an intricate design of a single, flourishing tree that had many branches reaching out etched in. He clicked it open to reveal the most complicated watch no mortal could ever describe. Shapes of all sizes of hands were ticking away, the gadget so complex that only he would understand what it would say.

The only thing a person could really manage to make out were a few lines of texts on the surface.

June 3, 1965 (evening)

Grimmauld 12, London

House of the Blacks

He clicked the watch closed and smiled.

Time to get to work.

-A-

Unbeknownst to the deity's intention to interfere with his life, six year old Sirius Black fidgeted in his seat, uncomfortable in his formal attire and stiff neck collar of his black robes. He tried as much as possible not to though. If there was one thing he has learned in his short life, was that Walburga Black did not tolerate little boys who did not do what their mothers told them to. That was the one thing he was determined to get right.

He sat among his family and relatives at the dining table, chandelier hanging and glittering, wine glasses and expensive china laid out on the table with food that would make mouths water. He glanced around, seeing the Malfoys conversing in a hushed manner, Lucius sitting among them and hanging on to the adults' every word. Though he was only three years Sirius's senior, the young Malfoy acted as if he was already a duke, his dignified and haughty manner very much like the rest of his pureblood family. To be honest, he never really understood why bloodlines were so important, but never questioned it. He knew better than to ask for trouble.

As conversations went on, somebody began to tug on to his pants. Sirius glanced around to make sure no one was watching before trying as discreetly as possible to see what it was. Blue eyes met grey as his cousin Narcissa looked up at him underneath the dining table. How she got there, Sirius didn't know. What he did know was that what she was doing was very very bad.

"Cissy!" he hissed out quietly. "What are you doing? You're going to get in trouble!" she pouted at him, blonde hair falling onto her face.

"No I'm not! Can you play now?" she asked innocently. Sirius hesitated. Seeing the reluctance on his face, the girl pouted and fearlessly crawled out of her hiding spot, despite Sirius's protests. Her wriggling bumped the table, drawing attention from all the adults.

The boy squirmed at the assessing way they looked at him, as if he was a flesh of meat and they were the pack of wolves ready to devour him.

The girl didn't register or didn't care about the scrutinizing eyes and simply popped up before pointing at him. "Mummy, is it okay if Siri can play with me?"

Druella, Narcissa's mother, thinned her lips before glancing at Walburga. She looked to her daughter again and smiled. "Well, that would depend on Mistress Black." Sirius looked to his mother to see her staring at him, eyes piercing. She had a smile on her face that didn't reach her eyes. Sirius doesn't think he has ever seen his mother truly smile before, seeing how she is always sneering at him.

"Sirius? Is there something you want to ask me?" Walburga questioned, tone overly concerned. It rang false. His father stood behind her, his composure stony as he stared down at his child.

The raven haired boy gulped.

His mother had always scared him. With her tall height and aristocratic beauty, she was an intimidating figure to the boy. He didn't look away though, knowing he would be called weak if he did. The Black family did not tolerate people who couldn't handle themselves.

"Narcisssa was asking me to play with her. May I, mother?" he braced himself for rejection, but was pleasantly surprised when his mother merely waved a disinterested hand in his direction.

"Since you are a nuisance here anyway, fine. Now leave." she ordered imperiously. He barely paid attention to it and gave a quick but low bow, unable to believe his luck. With a squeal, the blonde girl grabbed on to his hand the moment permission was granted and darted out of the room, dragging him along with her.

She pulled him for a while before going into what was one of the many unoccupied rooms in the Grimmauld 12 Place. The room was a bit dim and dusty from disuse, furniture stacked against each other against the wall with tapestry blanketing them.

The occupants who were the sisters of Narcissa all turned to see who entered, both having different reactions. Bellatrix wrinkled her little nose while Andromeda gave him a warm smile and greeted him.

"Hello cousin." Andromeda said cheerfully. Sirius grinned at her. Out of all his cousins, he has always liked the middle child best. Though she looked like a younger version of Bellatrix, the maternal air around her even at the age of six instantly set him at ease. The oldest scowled at him, obviously displeased to be so quickly overlooked.

"Sirius." she spat out the name like a curse.

"Bella." he responded back, much more neutrally. As much as he didn't like her spoilt attitude, she was still family to him. Besides, she was the same age as Lucius and a girl to boot. It would be a waste of time arguing with her. He glanced around, feeling a bit awkward now that the confrontation was over. "So, is there anything to do?"

It seemed like the wrong thing to say when he saw Bella, Cissy, and even Andromeda slump their shoulders. Cissy sniffed. "No. And I'm so booored. Why do you think I brought you here? You can make a game for us!" her depression had evaporated as she said those words, staring at him as if he was her knight in shining armor. "Bella makes really scary games, and Andy's boring."

"Gee, thanks." Andromeda muttered, causing Sirius to snicker. The blonde ignored her and stared imploringly at the boy. "Can you please make a game up? Please?" with the thin veil of liquid over her eyes and the quivering of her lips, Sirius immediately knew if he didn't, an all out cry fest would ensue. He crouched down on one knee and smiled at her, hoping against hope she wouldn't bawl her eyes out.

"Of course." he reassured. He internally sighed in relief when the near tears were immediately gone. It would've been near impossible to escape the next dinner party if she had cried, since he would probably get the blame for it.

Bellatrix huffed and crossed her arms, her tense shoulders loosening when she realized that her sister was not going to scream like a banshee. She grudgingly jerked her head to Sirius. "So, what game? It better be good."

Sirius frowned at the girl's rudeness, but chose to ignore it as he thoughtfully mulled over the question.

"How about tag? We could play in the back yard outside so we don't break anything." he offered. Bella muttered, "How boring." under her breath while Andy and Cissy shared a beaming look at him. Andy nodded. "Sounds good." she agreed.

Now that a decision had been made, the four children marched out of the room, the eldest reluctant, and continued down the hall to the back door, passing by room after room in the process. While they were walking, a nagging feeling began to take root in Sirius's mind, as if he's forgotten something important. He involuntarily frowned at the feeling, losing his attention to where he was going as the others went ahead of him, not knowing he was lagging behind. One second the three girls were in front of him, then the next moment they were gone.

Sirius blinked and glanced around, noticing he was alone now. For a second, he worried that they would get lost before dismissing it. The sisters have been the Grimmauld enough times to know where to go. He looked around again, realizing he was close to the living room, which was just right next to the back door. Just when he was about to go, the nagging feeling came back, tugging him to where the living room was.

Without thinking, he went in the room.

He was met with dark green walls and expensive armchairs, the type his father always liked to sit on. The room was one of the biggest rooms in the house, including the dining area and his parents' master bedroom. The old but well kept fireplace wasn't lit, the Persian carpet free from dust and soot, courtesy of Kreacher. He ignored his surroundings however and was surprised to see he wasn't alone.

A small boy sat on one of the armchairs, his little legs dangling as a huge tome rested on his lap heavily. His black hair was hanging as he leaned over the words, mouth moving soundlessly as he did. Sirius stared at him.

Regulus. His younger brother.

He cocked his head.

To be truthful, he didn't really know his brother. He rarely interacted with the younger Black, and had no desire to. He knew in his mother's eyes, he was the disappointment in the family, though he didn't know the exact reason why. In his childish mind, it was because he was a bad boy, which was part of the reason he tried so hard to please her and try not to anger her. Regulus, on the other hand, was the 'perfect son', the one who couldn't fail. His mother had made that quite clear when she had screamed at his face, demanding why he couldn't be more like Regulus.

Despite this though, Sirius never really resented the younger boy. In a world where it was black and white, the Black family was the definition of the grey area. To some degree, Sirius knew having too much attention directed at yourself in a family like his was not good. He sometimes had caught his mother slapping her younger son and telling him he had to carry on the pride of the Blacks along with Sirius, a heavy burden to a five year old.

In another life, the clawing feeling of being alone had gnawed on his mind, making him crave attention from his parents, even though he knew it would never happen. Resentment for the perfect son who became who his parents wanted him to be had overridden the pity he had felt, hatred growing till it became permanent. Now though, this Sirius was free from such thoughts at his young age, bitterness not taking over his soul just yet.

So at that moment, when he watched the boy he called brother turning the pages quietly, his small figure engulfed by the big room, he felt a heaviness in his chest that made his whole frame sag. The boy just looked so... lonely.

At the thought, everything clicked and the nagging feeling disappeared. Nodding to himself, the black haired boy strode over to the hunching form until he was right in front of him, determination fueling him as he did.

Regulus glanced at him before suddenly snapping his head up again, eyes wide with alarm. Sirius didn't know whether to be amused or dejected at the reaction.

He smiled at his younger brother, not wanting to scare him.

"Regulus." he greeted. The smaller boy stared at him wearily for a second before his expression smoothed over.

"Brother." he greeted back curtly.

Sirius internally winced at the response but didn't let his hurt show at his coldness. Though he said brother, Sirius felt like the boy was treating him like a stranger. An awkward silence stretched as both brothers were not sure what to say to each other. Sirius couldn't remember the last time he ever had a conversation with him.

He felt his stomach clench. By god, wasn't that just sad.

"So, what are you reading?" again, the guarded look came back on, as if he expected to be jumped.

"The family bloodlines. Mother wants me to memorize everything."

Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, I see." he recalled their mother doing the same to him. It was punishment for spilling juice on the table at dinner that one time. His mother had yelled at him for an hour before forcing him to clean up the mess instead of Kreacher, shoving the same tome to his chest and ordering him to memorize every word. Sirius half wondered what his brother did that warranted the same punishment. "So, did you get to Grandfather Phineas yet?"

He would've leaned over himself to see, but he didn't want to make the boy uncomfortable any further. It wouldn't be good if he scared off his one chance to maybe bond with his brother.

Regulus looked startled at the question. Clearly he didn't expect to talk with him further. "... No, not yet."

Sirius hummed.

"When do you have to get all this memorized?" he asked curiously. The younger boy looked more flummoxed at every question, not looking so cold as before.

"By Monday." Sirius gaped at him.

"What!? But that's only three days away!" he exclaimed. Even he had been given at least a week when he was given the task.

Regulus shrugged, not looking as bothered by the prospect.

"Yes, well, mother said to, so I have to." Sirius was surprised by the low undertone of unhappiness in his voice. He had always thought that out of the two of them, Regulus was the one who adored their mother. Clearly, he was wrong.

He frowned and saw that the younger boy was only one fourth done into the book. If there was one thing he did know about his brother, was that he was a perfectionist. Just one look in Regulus's room proved his neat and strict behavior. Due to this, it was safe to say that he probably had memorized everything up to this point in the book.

"Want me to help you?" he asked, surprising himself by his own quick decision.

Regulus's eyes widened, looking completely stricken. For the first time during the whole time he had been talking to him, Regulus really did look like he was five years old at that moment.

"Why?" the boy blurted out in shock. Sirius steadily stared at him and felt incredibly sad that his own flesh and blood had to ask such a question. He rested a hand on the chair's arm, a bit nervous. He hoped the other boy would hear the sincerity in what he was about to say next.

"Because you're my brother."

It was such a simple yet true response that it left Regulus speechless. Never had either of them openly said it in such a manner. Such acknowledgment was never spoken, since both had thought they were all only related by blood, and simply had to tolerate each other. The fact Sirius was willingly crossing over that line was a move neither of them had expected.

It was that moment when the timeline shifted, for both could never go back, not after such a ringing declaration that sent a ripple of change to the future. And a ripple will only grow bigger as time goes on.

The significance passed over the brothers as both only thought of this as a bold statement from a six year old boy to his year young brother.

Oh, if they only knew.

Regulus blinked and cleared his hoarse throat, trying to avoid the warm look directed at him. He looked down at the tome on his lap and fingered the pages unconsciously.

"... How?" he asked hesitantly. Sirius brightened at the fact he wasn't immediately rejected and carefully sat on the armchair to look over Regulus's shoulder, making sure not to touch him. He was sure the younger boy wouldn't like it if he did.

"I can test you. And explain it to you since I've already memorized this. Is that okay?" he was a bit worried on how he was supposed to act.

He could've imagined it, but Sirius could've sworn he saw the end of Regulus's mouth twitch up. Regulus nodded mutely. Sirius grinned.

"Great! Well, let's see. We can start with great great aunt Delphinus. Did you know that her name means dolphin...?"

For hours, Sirius ranted on about the Black family's bloodline, trying to make it as interesting yet informative as possible. At first, it felt awkward to talk while the other was clearly not going to comment at all. After a few pages though, he really got into it as his natural ability to tell stories came into play. It was part of the reason why Cissy absolutely loved him. His fun yet intelligent nature made it so easy for people to be at ease with him.

Eventually, the air of tension around the younger boy lessened as he listened intently to his older brother's stories, eyes gleaming like the child he was. Hours passed without them noticing as both enjoyed the pleasant company of each other.

Just when they were two thirds done with the book, the living room door slammed open, startling them both. Three girls stormed up to him, all looking quite angry. Their abrupt entrance reminded Sirius immediately what he had been doing before meeting Regulus, causing him to groan.

Oh, he was in for it.

He completely missed the younger boy's raised eyebrow at his action.

Bellatrix, with her lips thinned and her pretty face red, looked like an exact replica of a demon reincarnated. Andromeda was much the same except to a lesser degree, evidently more relieved looking then angry. Sirius felt a pang of guilt at that. He felt worse when he saw Cissy's eyes red from crying.

He stood up from where he had been sitting, wincing a bit when he felt his numb buttocks. Time really did fly. He looked at his cousins and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

"Uh, I'm sorry?" he said nervously. His apology immediately set the sisters off as exclamations and shouts flew out of their mouths.

"Sorry? That's all you can say? You're such a twit!"

"You had us worried you idiot! Why didn't you follow us?"

"Siri, why is Reggie here?"

The last question threw the whole group off as all stares suddenly directed themselves to Regulus, instantly making the young boy fidget. Bella narrowed her eyes and took a threatening step forward.

"That is a good question. Why is perfect little Regulus here instead of at the party? I would think someone with such high prestige would be with his parents." the insult toward Sirius was obvious to all, making Sirius immediately bristle. It did, however, pique his own curiosity.

Why was Regulus here instead of with his parents? Now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember his brother ever not being at a meeting, in trouble or not. When he saw the hard look on the younger boy's face though, all thoughts of asking flew out the window.

He whirled to glare fiercely at Bella, causing her to stare at him in surprise. "Back off Bella. It's none of your business." If he had looked behind him, Sirius would've seen Regulus staring at him in astonishment at his act of defense. Andromeda, though, caught it. Her gaze quickly darted back and forth between the Black brothers, eyes thoughtful.

"Bella, I think we should leave." Bella looked to her younger sister skeptically. Andromeda sighed. "Mother and Father must be looking for us right now. The meeting's bound to have finished."

Both sisters did a stare down before Bella huffed.

"Fine." she turned to Narcissa and took her hand. "Let's go." she muttered. She managed to glare at Sirius on the way out while the two younger girls followed behind her, both bidding quiet good byes to him.

Silence drew out in the room, the easy atmosphere gone. Sirius ran a hand through his black locks and sighed.

"Well, Andromeda is right about one thing. Mother is sure to be looking for us by now." he mused. He instinctively offered a hand to the still sitting boy, expecting him to grab on. When he didn't, he glanced at Regulus to see the boy just staring at his hand as if he wasn't really sure what to do with it. His hand faltered at the thought and right when he was about to lower it, his brother latched on, one hand still on the open pages of the book.

A tingling warmth went right through his whole body, a jolt in his heart.

'His hand is pretty small.' he absentmindedly thought.

With one hand occupied, Sirius managed to close the huge tome and grab on to it, heaving it against his chest. Regulus jumped down from his seat, still holding his hand, and straightened his robe to look more presentable. Without speaking, the brothers left the room as Sirius tugged him toward the hallway where the guests would be apparating out.

When they reached there, Regulus tugged his fingers off, sending him a quick, unreadable look. He gently pulled the book out of Sirius's grasps and walked toward their mother without looking back.

The warmth was still tingling Sirius's hand.

-A-

Time grinned as he watched the scene unfold.

"Hmm... That went better than I expected."

He congratulated himself at accomplishing his task. In truth, he hadn't expected his plan to work out so smoothly.

He felt Death next to him as she observed the scene as well. "You think the kid is going to break the bond?" she questioned. "Humans can be fickle."

He shook his head. "If there is one thing about Sirius Black that has not changed over the course of time, is his undying loyalty to those he deem as a friend." he smirked. "Just imagine how much things are going to change with his brother at his side now. The very aspect fascinates me."

Death rolled her eyes. "All right, enough of that. It's time we should be going. I'm going to have to recapture all the souls I have taken in this past life. And that bastard Voldemort is alive." she scowled. "This gamble better be worth it."

"You can't say that now. After all, this was your idea."

"Whatever." she grumbled. In the blink of an eye, she vanished out of sight.

Time chuckled and took one look back at the small figure of Sirius Black. "Good luck. Try not to die such a death a second time around."

On that note, he vanished as well. As if he had never been there at all.

I changed the ages to fit the story better. So cannon lovers, I apologize.

Sirius: 6

Regulus: 5

Lucius: 9

Bellatrix: 9

Narcissa: 5

Andromeda: 7

Please review on the way out.