Regulus watched as the Hogwarts Express left the station, taking his brother with it. Sirius was off to have grand adventures with the many friends that he would undoubtedly make, and there was no place for Regulus in that life. Regulus smiled sadly as the smoke finally began to dissipate, knowing that this was going to be a big transition for them both.
He followed his parents as they walked briskly towards the exit, almost having to jog to keep up, shuddering as they walked through the divide between the magical and muggle worlds. The sensation of walking through something that looked as if it should be solid was something that he thought he would never get used to.
He looked back once at the wall between the signs for platform 9 and platform 10 one last time, wishing that he was a year older so that he could stay with his brother. Sirius was the only friend that Regulus had – the only friend that he'd ever had – and now he was leaving, and things would never be the same between them.
Regulus knew that he would be in Slytherin – he wasn't particularly clever or brave, and he'd only ever been loyal to Sirius – but he knew that his brother was different. Sirius was the black sheep of the family, cleverer than anyone gave him credit for and braver than even he knew.
Sirius would set himself apart from their family; he would shine as bright as the sun whilst Regulus would only be a dim glow several paces behind him, always intended to be overshadowed by his brother. It didn't matter to Regulus, on some levels he'd always known that his brother was special even if Sirius would never believe it.
Sirius had always been destined for better and greater things.
