Chapter One: Narcissa Black


Sirius hid the gun in the box springs beneath his mattress. He was certain that whichever servant had seen it had definitely told his parents, and with it hidden away safely, perhaps he could deny having it.

Sirius trekked down to the gloomy basement kitchen for breakfast dressed in his cleanest robes with his hair tamed and his face washed. He was surprised to see no one in the room.

"Hey, Sirius," came a voice from under the table. The kitchen wasn't empty after all. Sirius turned to see his cousin, Narcissa Black, clamber back into her chair with her fork in hand. "Dropped it," she explained, tossing the utensil all the way into the sink, an impressive shot from where she sat. Sirius gave her a new one from the cutlery drawer.

"Thanks," said Narcissa, digging into her scrambled eggs. "You're parents are both at the Ministry, by the way," she said through a full mouth. "They said there was something going on and they're calling everyone important in to a meeting. My parents dropped me off here and took Uncle Orion and Aunt Walburga with them."

"What's happened? Where're Bellatrix and Andromdeda?" asked Sirius, sitting down across from his cousin and helping himself to some of her breakfast.

"No idea," she shrugged. "Someone important's probably been offed by a pack of monsters or something. I don't read the papers. And both of them're at Rodolphus Lestrange's; they spent the night."

Sirius nodded. "Did my parents seem angry about anything?" he asked carefully.

"No," she said. "Why?"

"Nothing, they've just…been in a really bad mood lately."

"Well they seemed fine," Narcissa said. She gave Sirius a confused look. "Why are you asking me that? They were perfectly pleasant to you when they told you to go back to sleep like an hour ago, don't you remember? Don't tell me you slept so soundly that you forgot you spoke with them."

Sirius blinked. What was…Regulus! Narcissa must have seen Regulus talking to his parents! But Regulus's room was down a flight of stairs from the basement and Sirius's was up on the third floor, had Narcissa not noticed that Sirius had appeared to go to bed downstairs and awake upstairs? Sirius was saved from having to talk further by the arrival of his violin instructor, Grus.

Grus was a tall and stately man who bore a slight resemblance to the oldest of the Lestrange sons (Sirius had always supposed they were distantly related). He wore intimidating glasses that flashed menacingly whenever he tossed his head and his dark, auburn hair was almost always tied back. He was of near perfect pureblood stature, as identified by the pin on his collar, and his face was permanently affixed with a distasteful look that read as though Grus considered helping Sirius rosin his violin strings to be a task completely beneath him.

Grus noticed Sirius had no plate or silverware of his own. "Good to see you are done eating, Mister Sirius," he said curtly. "Come with me; we may as well get off to an early start."

"Start for what?" asked Narcissa, putting down her fork. Sirius gave a half smile because there were few things that interested Narcissa more than food.

"Your young cousin has a two hour lesson with me this morning, though I do not doubt it will take twice that long," he eyed Sirius with distaste. "It would not surprise me if he has not touched his violin all week."

Sirius groaned, but Narcissa perked up considerably. "Can I join you?" she asked.

"Of course not," came the immediate response from Grus.

"But I want to!" Narcissa demanded. "I'll bet I can play better than Sirius!"

"And how old are you?" asked Grus.

"Twelve," Narcissa responded proudly.

"Exactly, you're much too small to use Sirius's violin; it's a full 4/4, and we have no others in the house."

Narcissa slouched down into her chair and scowled. Sirius knew why Grus was being so obstinate. Regulus took his lessons at the same time as Sirius, and Narcissa was not to know the other young man existed. Grus himself had been sworn to secrecy with an Unbreakable Vow performed at the request of Sirius's father, who was adamant that Regulus match Sirius perfectly, right down to his mediocre violin skills.

Before they left, Grus growled at Narcissa one last time. "And lower your collar, Miss Narcissa; it's covering your Mark."

Narcissa's eyes flashed, but she seemed reluctant to get herself into any more trouble with this man who so often talked to her parents. With a barely contained attitude, she yanked down the right half of her shirt collar, revealing a tiny green snake that had been tattooed on the side of her neck. It was a symbol intended to immediately identify anyone who was of pure blood, and therefore also of the highest stature. Unlike the pins and bracelets given out to the halfbloods and mudbloods, the Mark could not be easily faked. "Why bother?" Narcissa rolled her eyes. "There's like, no one else left anyway."

Sirius's violin had definitely seen better days. It was dented and scuffed from him hastily throwing it into its case and it had dulled from a lack of polishing. Regulus's, by contrast, stood proudly next to it, still in mint condition.

"Get started," Grus instructed, pointing to Sirius's sheet music which was already perched on a sleek black stand beneath the window of the music room. "I want you done with your warm up by the time I get him in here." He left hastily to go and collect Regulus.

Sirius picked up his instrument. Grus had gotten it ready for him. Well, as ready as the bedraggled thing could ever truly be. He had tuned it to the best of his ability, the strings were new (Sirius had snapped two of them during his last lesson) and they produced a somewhat pleasant, if slightly strained sound when Sirius grazed his bow along them.

Still of the mindset that he needed his parents to be in a good mood when he told them of his lost wand, Sirius actually played through his warm up several times. He smiled pleasantly when he heard Grus's footsteps outside the door; he could picture the man's shocked face.

"Hello," Sirius said as he turned around to face Grus, who was leading Regulus harshly by the arm.

Regulus inclined his head in a little bow, but his eyes were cold.

Regulus seemed to have a natural affinity for the violin. Sirius could see the anguish in his wrists as he strained to make his music sound as average as Sirius's. It probably pained him greatly not to be able to play unless Sirius was.

"Sirius," Grus said as he cut the older Black off midway through his recital piece. "That sounds horrific."

"It's not me!" Sirius insisted, dropping the instrument to his side. "It's this beaten up old thing," he whacked the side of the violin with his bow. "It's gonna' sound terrible no matter who plays it!"

"I know," Grus nodded. "Regulus," he said sharply. "Switch your violin with Sirius's."

Regulus's eyes widened. "W-what?" he stuttered. "You mean…like, for today?"

"No, for good," Grus responded from his seat in the corner of the room where he sat, critiquing the two boys. "You can have yours back when Sirius's parents get him a new one."

Regulus paled. He turned, horrified, to Sirius. "But Master," he begged. "Sirius will trash it, just look at the one he's got now!"

"I said give it to him, Regulus. Now, or your masters will hear of this."

Regulus's hands shook as he handed his prized, blue violin over to Sirius with a look on his face as though he were carefully setting it into a wood chipper. Sirius dropped his own instrument to the ground where it landed with a crunch on the carpet. He held Regulus's violin out in front of him briefly. In the reflection shining off the oiled wood, he could see Regulus's face; he seemed to be near tears over the situation.

"Now, Sirius," continued Grus. "Start from the coda."

Regulus could only watch in horror. Sirius was sure he was furiously tallying in his head all the misdeeds Sirius was already committing against his precious violin. He was probably holding it too tightly, scratching at the strings too hard.

Sirius had to admit Regulus's violin was nice. He seemed to be playing better than he ever had before. The notes flew from his hands and he didn't have to look to see that Grus was impressed. When he finished his song with a flourish, he knew he had done well enough to deserve an early reprieve, and so tossed Regulus's (now his) violin into its case at his feet. Regulus blanched.

"Wonderful, Sirius," said Grus. "Nearly perfect, you've never done so well! I think we might just leave it at that today. That is, after Regulus has finished his recitation."

Sirius saw Regulus hunkered over in his chair. "I don't wish to play this thing," he said. Sirius's old violin hung limp in his hands. "I don't think I could stand the screeches it produces."

Grus and Regulus argued back and forth for a few minutes while Sirius watched the clock, wondering idly when his parents would return. The sooner one or the other of them came home, the sooner he could ask for a new wand, and thus the sooner he could recommence his experiments. He had some more potion ingredients to whip up, and there was still the matter of that gun; he wanted to do a little tampering with it, maybe take it apart.

Regulus was usually more submissive than this, but the matter of his violin seemed to have finally gotten a serious reaction out of him. He railed at Grus with a fierceness Sirius had rarely seen before. It was not until Grus, fed up with Regulus's disobedience, took ahold of him by the hair. Immediately Regulus seemed to recognize his mistake and tried desperately to backtrack.

"Wait—wait—wait!" he cried, but it was too late.

Faces were off limits to Grus and the others under the Black's command because the marks were too easily spotted. Instead Grus opted to beat Regulus around his chest and stomach for thirty agonizing seconds. Sirius even grimaced a little at the crunching sound of thin frame crunching beneath the man's fist; Regulus's eyes watered from the grip on his hair.

When Grus released him, Regulus took several deep breaths to collect himself and then obediently brought Sirius's mutilated violin to his chin. There was a definite hitch to his breathing and a slouch in his posture that suggested he was going to be hurting for a while. Although his eyes were subserviently downcast, there was a harsh glare to them. Sirius got the uncomfortable feeling it was directed more at him than their instructor.

Regulus choked through the piece, even he couldn't salvage Sirius's destroyed instrument. He was thoroughly reprimanded for his poor performance and rapped one last time across the hands with a baton for good measure.

"Sirius," Grus commanded in a much gentler voice than he had used on Regulus. "Please be sure there are no servants or…twelve year old girls in the hallway."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Why bother?" he asked. "Most of the servants know about Regulus anyway! For fuck's sake, he's lived here his whole life. He's been seen plenty of times."

"Be that as it may, so long as he is not seen with you, we may still deny that he wasn't simply you slouching over. Now, check for me so that I may escort Mr. Regulus to his room for the remainder of the day."

Sirius felt a slight pang at Grus's words. It must be truly miserable to live as Regulus does, locked away until he was needed. Completely without affection or companionship…little more than a tool…Sirius gave Regulus a rare, pitying look.

Regulus only glared and brushed past him harshly. Sirius stumbled a little. Regulus seemed to have developed an attitude overnight. It was rare for him to be so surly. Grus led him off and Sirius watched them go. After Grus left through a back door, Sirius made his way back to the kitchen where he rejoined his cousin.

"What are you doing, Niccy?" he asked, noticing her flat on her stomach on the floor with an arm stretched under the kitchen dresser.

Narcissa shot up at the sound of his voice.

"N—nothing," she immediately stuttered, getting shakily to her feet. "I, well…okay, I might have dropped my wand and it rolled under there," she jerked her eyes in the direction of the dresser.

"Ah, I see," said Sirius. "And what were you casting in my kitchen to begin with?" he asked.

"Nothing," said Narcissa again. "I swear! Sirius…can you accio it out from under there for me?"

"Love to, little cousin, but I've lost my wand as well," Sirius admitted. He approached the dresser and put a hand on either side of it. "But I can pull this out for you so you can grab it."

"All right," Narcissa agreed. "Boy are your parents going to be pissed when they hear you've lost your wand! Didn't Auntie Walburga order it specially from somewhere in Russia?" Narcissa scampered over to the wall and watched the floor closely as it Sirius moved the dresser inch by inch, rattling the cutlery and plates seated inside it.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll need to butter them up a bit before I say anything."

Sirius wished Narcissa had not reminded him of how expensive and cumbersome it had been to get his original wand. International shopping was nearly impossible with the current state of things. A lot of the monsters like to chomp down on owls and as such sending mail long distances was insanely risky. His parents were not going to be happy at all…

"When you talk to them, you should get them to let me stay here for a while," said Narcissa while she grabbed hold of the dresser as well to help Sirius move it over a bump in the floor.

"And why would I do that?" Sirius huffed. Narcissa fell to her knees and started reaching around under the dresser again, feeling for her lost wand.

"Because I don't like it at my house anymore. My parents keep asking that Malfoy heir over. He's there like every day! And I don't like the way he stares at me."

Sirius snorted. "Well looks like they're thinking about marrying you off already."

"I'm way too young!" Narcissa cried. She didn't seem too surprised by Sirius's revelation. She must have already arrived at that conclusion herself. Hearing it voiced by another person however, was enough to make her just a little shy of enraged. Her voice wavered and had gotten considerably louder.

"To marry, maybe. But you're not too young to start planning. I'm sorry your parents chose Lucius of all people, though. He's got to have ten years on you age-wise. And he's a douche. Do you suppose they picked him because you two have matching hair?"

Narcissa kicked the dresser, rattling it and sending Sirius careening backwards a little. He managed to regain his balance, but was now in a rather precarious position with the dresser bearing down on him. It's forks and knives were dangling awkwardly in his face.

"Most likely they picked him because it was either that or a Lestrange brother, and I think both of them are marrying my sisters. Figures that they'd get the lookers," she scoffed. "I won't go through with it, though! And they can't make me. I'll run away before they betroth me to that creepy jerk. That's why I need you to get your parents to let me stay here for a while, so I can lie low and gather my wits and some supplies…then I'm high-tailing it out of here!"

"To go…shit," Sirius tried to rearrange himself into a better position without tipping over. He had long since given up on moving the dresser any further and was now focusing all his strength on holding it still. "To go, where, Narcissa? You'd be dead in a gutter the minute night fell."

"I'm more resourceful than you know," griped Narcissa. "And besides, I'll have time to plan if I'm here and not at home with Mum and Dad and Mr. Tall Dark and Rapist breathing down my neck all the time."

"Well I'm not assisting your insane notions at all," said Sirius sternly. "I'll not have my head mounted on Uncle Cynus's wall, thank you very much. You can just get yourself killed without an accomplice."

"Sirius! You're supposed to be my favorite cousin!"

"I'm your only cousin, and besides, it's no use fighting your fate like this. Just marry the guy and pretend to have a headache for the next forty years, all right? The rest of us have to deal with our expectations, what makes you so special?"

Narcissa stood up and walked to Sirius, glaring up at him.

"Hey, get back down there and fucking find your wand, this thing's about to tip over on me!"

"You bloody hypocrite," Narcissa snarled. "Like you haven't been fighting against this family since you were born! You should hear your parents talk about what a train wreck you are, and how they wish they had a second son to usurp you, so they could disown you and live their lives in peace! You don't do what you're told, so remind me why I have to again?"

Sirius looked into her grey eyes. He shook a little from the exertion of holding up the dresser, and had the uncomfortable idea that Narcissa might kick his legs out from under him.

He opted for a safe answer.

"Because you're a girl," he said simply.

It was the wrong response after all. Narcissa let out an angry cry and all-out punched him right in the kidney. With a yelp, Sirius went down with a thud and the dresser came down on top of him.

He wasn't crushed to death, though, as he had been expecting. Winded, he opened his eyes and found Narcissa kneeling next to him. She had sunk to the ground in time with the dresser and, while she was at too awkward an angle to catch it, had managed to slow its descent so while it rested on Sirius's chest making it painful for him to breath, it hadn't slammed into him.

"Oh look at me, I'm merciful," she said with a fake smile. She stood up and scraped her wand off the floor. It was covered in dust bunnies, which she promptly blew off in Sirius's direction.

Things couldn't have been worse if Narcissa had planned them. Just as he was about to start yelling at his cousin to levitate the heavy furniture off of him, Sirius's parents decided to come home, both dressed in their fine 'society' robes and carrying themselves with that same air of dignity and disdain Sirius had come to expect. Surprisingly, they were alone and not accompanied by Narcissa's.

The two of them entered the kitchen and the yelling was immediate.

"By Merlin what is going on in here?" thundered Sirius's father, Orion.

"Sirius!" screamed Walburga. "What happened?"

"He was moving the dresser and it fell on him," explained Narcissa helpfully. "I managed to kind of catch it as it went down so it didn't, like break any of his ribs or anything. It's just resting on him. Most likely he can't breath." Her voice was gratingly cheerful.

Walburga lifted the dresser a few inches off her son and Orion swiftly levitated it back to its position against the wall. Miraculously none of the dishes had broken, although some of the forks had jammed themselves into Sirius's chest. He pulled them out sullenly as he stood up.

"What the hell were you doing moving the dresser?"

"Helping someone get her wand back!" Sirius yelled. His parents both glared at his raised voice. "Narcissa's wand rolled under it and she couldn't reach."

"And is there a reason you didn't just summon the wand back?" demanded Walburga.

Before Sirius could think of a cover, Narcissa spoke very loudly.

"He lost his wand," she said. "I'm assuming he had it yesterday since you'd have noticed it gone, so that means he probably lost it last night. He probably went sneaking around outside again. Pity he didn't get his ass eaten by those monsters," she added in an undertone that only Sirius could hear.

"What?" demanded Orion in that calm and deliberate tone that Sirius remembered as never boding well.

There were rarely instances where Sirius's parents took to punishing him in any effective manner. For the most part, they took their frustrations with Sirius out on Regulus, completely convinced that Sirius cared for the boy in a way that he just did not. To them it seemed that any harm befalling Regulus should be unbearable for Sirius to watch, although they had apparently forgotten to tell him just why that should be.

This was different, though. This was not something his parents were going to smack Regulus for. Narcissa had landed Sirius in some deep trouble this time. Judging by the looks on their faces, Walburga and Orion Black had most likely forgotten Regulus even existed. Surely it was just Sirius swirling about in their vision right now, surrounded by a sea of black and red stars.

"Nacissa," said Orion in that same calm manner. "Please run along upstairs, dear. Have one of the servants make up a room for you. It is your parents desire that you stay the night here as they will not be home until late."

"Are…are Bella and Andy home?" asked Narcissa curiously.

"No, they're still at the Lestranges," explained Walburga as she dragged Sirius to his feet. "And they'll be there all week. Your parents don't want you home alone. They'll be by to pick you sometime in the late morning."

"Fine by me," Narcissa shrugged. "I'll see you later, Sirius," she smirked at him. The look on her face read I hope you know you deserve all you're about to get in my opinion.

Sirius was strongly regretting how he had spoken to Narcissa, yet at the same time, he was angry enough that should he open his mouth all he'd likely do would be yell at her. So he remained silent as she trotted upstairs.

Sirius unconsciously took a slight step back from his parents, feeling trapped by their dominating presence as they stared down at him, seething. Orion grabbed him by the collar and dragged him back again.

"Out on the streets at night?" he demanded. "Again?"

Sirius swallowed. Not getting a new wand right away was rapidly becoming one of the least of his problems.

"No, I wasn't…" he started to lie but trailed off when he realized he had no decent cover story. Besides, even if he managed to convince his parents that he hadn't lost his wand outside, that would mean it was inside and they should be able to find it with a simple spell. When said spell didn't work, they would find out he had lied.

"Is now really the time to add deception to your list of offenses, Sirius?" demanded Walburga. Sirius shook his head meekly. "I thought not," his mother growled.

"I'm sorry," he offered weakly. He'd rarely been in this situation before. All his cockiness vanished now that he knew his parents were about to lay into him and not Regulus.

"Do you understand nothing?" roared Orion. Sirius flinched. He had the uncomfortable feeling that Narcissa was likely sitting at the top of the staircase, listening and smirking in that insufferable, self-justified way.

"I…"

"We are at war Sirius. Maybe that seems like a game to you, but it's not! There are precious few of us left and we need you to keep our bloodline strong, to ensure we survive into the next generation. If our line falters, all of the magical world will be weakened beyond the point of recovery!"

Sirius wanted to tell his father that he was overreacting, that he was overstating the importance of the Black family. He didn't get the chance, though, because Orion kept shouting, shaking Sirius a little for emphasis.

"I'm sorry you feel like our rules are below you, but it is not your decision to make. You will grow into your station, you will not go outside to get yourself fucking killed! We have worked too hard and spent too much on you for you to throw that all away now with some nighttime escapade!"

"Dad, let go, you're hurting me," Sirius whined. He tried to shake free of Orion's grip. "Please—"

He didn't get the next word out. Orion struck him hard upside the head. Still weak from his ordeal with the dresser, Sirius immediately fell limp in his father's grasp.

The next blow made something in his torso crack a little and a sharp, hot pain jettisoned up his spine. Sirius let out a strangled scream.

Oh, god, was this the kind of thing he had always subjected Regulus to? This was not only agonizing, but terrifying. With Orion's fingers digging into his arm and holding him firmly in place, Sirius felt trapped, claustrophobic. He had this blind fear that he was about to be killed. Surely his father would never do that, but perhaps he would lose all control over himself? Sirius was uncertain if Orion would stop before any permanent damage was done, or keep going…Was this how Regulus always felt?

For a brief instant between the pain and the fear, Sirius wondered if Regulus would get a beating of his own so the two of them would 'match'…but no, these were the kinds of bruises and breaks that could be healed easily, so probably not. After all, his parents usually healed Regulus after punishing him, rather than lay a hand on Sirius.

"Stop!"

"Regulus?" Sirius heard his mother's voice cut through the room and for a moment, he thought she might have somehow heard his thoughts…or that perhaps he had been speaking out loud.

Orion ceased his beating and both he and Sirius turned to see where Walburga was facing.

In the doorway off the downstairs hallway, Regulus was standing with his arms folded and his eyes downcast.

"What do you think you're doing out of your room?" hissed Orion. It seemed as though any more disobedience from either Sirius or Regulus might send him over his breaking point.

"I…uh, I heard you, Master," said Regulus plainly. He looked up at them timidly. "And I needed to stop you because you've made a mistake."

Exactly how much of the conversation had Regulus heard? Sirius wondered.

"It's not Sirius's fault he lost his wand—"

Evidently all of it.

"—he didn't even go out. It was I that did."

Sirius stared at Regulus in disbelief. Sirius's father released him and he staggered back. Walburga caught ahold of him and, taking Regulus's words at face value immediately, she set Sirius down in one of the kitchen chairs and started taking off his shirt. His chest was covered with bruises that matched his face, and one of his ribs was probably cracked judging by the way he held himself.

Orion had both anger and regret showing on his face.

"You?" he asked in a very dangerous voice.

Regulus flashed his eyes to where Sirius sat. Sirius guessed he looked pretty pathetic, sitting shirtless and bleeding at the kitchen table while his mother went about trying to heal the worst of it. Regulus took a deep breath and looked Orion squarely in the eyes.

"Yes," he admitted. "I wanted to go out because I hate being locked up in this house. I…I wanted to be able to protect myself though, in case I got into trouble. A—and it was easier to steal Sirius's wand form his room than to try and track down mine. I'm sorry, Master."

Sirius's parents only allowed Regulus to have access to his wand—a replica of Sirius's cosmetically but with a different magical core—when he was needed to masquerade as Sirius at whatever event they deemed too dangerous for their real son to go to. Usually political meetings, or places where Sirius would be openly exposed.

"So you not only left your room and stole Sirius's wand, but you then took it outside and you lost it?" hissed Walburga from where she sat, gently rubbing Sirius's now-healed but still throbbing ribcage.

"Yes," said Regulus. His voice wavered slightly.

"Get over here," said Orion coarsely.

Regulus hesitated for only a second, seeming to weight his options. In the end he stepped forward slowly and hung his head. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists, readying himself.

Sirius made a strangled sound that was supposed to be Regulus's name, but he couldn't seem to form actual words.

"Shh," his mother cooed, running a hand through his hair. "Mummy's sorry she yelled at you and accused you of lying, Sirius. We should have listened to you. Daddy's sorry, too…"

Sirius ignored her baby voice, he was too busy nursing a new feeling that was rising up in his abdomen as he watched Orion lay into Regulus. It was similar to pity, but wasn't. He had pitied Regulus all his life for various reasons, but that had been different. This was like pitied combined with…perhaps some kind of caring. Was this perhaps sympathy? Or empathy? No, those didn't seem quite right, either, although they were closer.

Regulus was on the floor within minutes, Orion towering over him and seething with rage.

"—and this is how you thank us?" He had been shouting at Regulus the entire time. "Do we not feed you? Clothe you? Take care of you? And yet you behave like this! You have a place in life and you will do well to remember it, Regulus!"

Sirius thought he saw his mother maybe wince ever so slightly when Orion brought his hand down again, although he may have imagined it. By the time he looked closer at her, her face was again a stoic mask.

Sirius couldn't bring himself to look at Regulus, who was at this point completely limp and barely conscious. Instead he stared, eyes unfocused, at the stairwell and waited for it all to be over. Only someone else's eyes were meeting his.

Narcissa was peering around the wall at the bottom of the stairs. It seemed she had been listening to Sirius's punishment all along as he'd suspected, but had crept down to investigate when she'd heard Regulus.

She had the most horrified look on her face, and Sirius was not confused as to why. Regulus looked like he could have been dead, and Orion was still hitting and yelling. He seemed to have worked himself into a lather, he was so angry.

Walburga had a tight grip on Sirius's arms now that he was fixed up. It was as though she was afraid he would leap to Regulus's defense. Why would she think that? When Sirius had given her no indication he held anything but apathy in his heart for Regulus? Although it might have just been based on average human compassion. One would have to be heartless to look at Regulus's limp, broken form and not feel a surge of emotion. Sirius suspected grimly that even Orion would feel guilty about his action later.

In the back of his brain, Sirius almost wished a servant would step in and do something, but they were undoubtedly to frightened of being next should they intervene, and Grus, the one employee who was not a servant to the Blacks but actually a paid professional, had gone home immediately after Sirius and Regulus's lesson.

There was one person who was bold enough to step forward, though, and Sirius sent a desperate look to Narcissa. It was a look, however, pleading with her to go upstairs. Orion was in a blind rage right now, and as angry as Sirius had been with Narcissa earlier, he did not want her on the floor next to Regulus.

Narcissa seemed to be battling with herself. Sirius could see her hand fiddling with her wand and he silently prayed she would not attack his father. Eventually, she nodded at Sirius with a frightened look on her face and dashed back upstairs. Sirius was certain his mother had not seen her, for she was too focused on cooing at Sirius and trying to ignore the scene in front of her.

Orion did not stop until, when he picked up Regulus by the arm, the blood on his hands caused the boy to slide from his grip and smack back onto the floor. Only then did he freeze, breathing heavily and staring down what he had done.

"Regulus?" he asked, almost timidly.

Regulus stirred and opened his eyes. With slight relief, Sirius noticed that most of the blood was spilling from and open wound on Regulus's forearm, where he had probably torn his skin open on the rough, wood floor. The rest of him, although not cut, was black and blue, and Sirius wondered if a significant amount of internal damage had been done or not.

A shiver of relief swept over Orion's face when he realized Regulus was not dead after all. He leaned down and pulled him up. Regulus had trouble standing, and had to lean on Sirius's father.

Next to him, Sirius's mother was breathing raggedly.

"I am sending you to your room now, Regulus," explained Orion slowly. He waited for Regulus to nod in understanding, as if he were checking for brain damage, before he continued.

"You will get no supper until the amount of money we save on food equals the cost of Sirius's new wand, and your new matching replica."

Regulus showed no reaction to this news, but Sirius cringed. How long would that be? Months, most likely, and what an outrageous punishment when his family had more than enough money!

"You will of course, still get breakfast and lunch…you're of no use to us dead. Now I'm going to lock you in your room—"

As if Regulus was in any condition to try and leave!

"—and I'll be back in later tonight to patch you up a bit, ok?"

Orion's voice was still cold, but he had some back to some of his senses. It seemed strange, all things considered, but Sirius would almost have described the man's behavior as tender as he gently led Regulus into the hall and down the stairs, murmuring to him the whole way.

Sirius's mother put a hand on his shoulder but he pushed her away. He had never felt so disconnected from his parents before. Sure, they had never gotten along well, but he had never until tonight been truly frightened of either one of them. Nor had he ever been so angry with them. It wasn't that he cared about Regulus…anyone would be upset after seeing someone treated that way! Even if they were just a servant.

"I'm going to my room," Sirius announced, standing up suddenly.

"Sweetheart…have you had lunch yet?" his mother asked.

"Yes," he lied.

"We'll…we'll call you down when it's time for dinner then," she said quietly.

"I don't want any, I feel sick," Sirius hissed. He stormed up the stairs and didn't look back.

Narcissa was waiting for him in his room, sitting on his bloodred bedspread. She jumped when he opened the door.

"S-Sirius…" she said.

Sirius honestly wasn't surprised to see her there. He threw off his shoes and pants (he had left his shirt downstairs, presumably his mother would throw it in the laundry) and slid into a nightshirt. He pushed Narcissa down to the end of his bed and then threw himself under the covers. It wasn't even one in the afternoon, but he felt tired and…sick with a bizarre kind of almost-guilt.

"Sirius," said Narcissa calmly. "Who is…Reglas?"

"Regulus," he corrected automatically. He had always had a fondness for Regulus's name. It had been him that had chosen it after all. For the first ten years of his life, Regulus had had no name. Sirius had come across the name Regulus in a book somewhere during one of his lessons and become instantly attached to it. Unfortunately his owl at the time had already been named, and so he had given the name to the only unnamed thing in the house—his decoy.

"Right," Narcissa slid up next to him and put her head on his pillow. Normally Sirius didn't like her being this close to him, but he was feeling particularly alone right now.

"Who was that kid Uncle Orion killed?" asked Narcissa softly.

"He didn't kill him!" Sirius cried. "He didn't!" It was like he needed to say the words to cement them as truth. Regulus was not dead; he would make a full recovery; he would be up and about again in no time…hadn't his father promised to heal him that night? Yes, Regulus would be fine.

"He looked pretty dead to me," Narcissa whispered, horrified. "Sirius…who was he? Did he really take your wand?"

"No," Sirius said under his breath. "He was lying. He didn't take it, and he didn't go out, I did."

"Is he a friend of yours? No…he looked so much like you, he must be a family member, but I've never seen him before!" Narcissa exclaimed.

"He's a wizard," Sirius explained. "But he's not family. I think Mother and Father have some cosmetic spells on him to make him look like me. Niccy, he's sort of like…my body double."

Sirius went all in and spilled everything to Narcissa. He knew there was no point now. She'd seen Regulus, and would just investigate herself if Sirius tried to lie to her. He didn't like the idea of her talking up the idea of a missing family member with any of their relatives, and he liked even less the idea that she might interrogate his parents.

"A decoy?" Narcissa raised a blonde eyebrow in disbelief. "What would you need a decoy for?"

"I don't know," Sirius admitted. He rolled over to look at the ceiling. "I guess it's more for later, really, when I'm a proper grown up and get more involved in the war and everything. He gets sent to dangerous meetings and stuff in my place. My parents have kept him here his whole life, sort of getting him ready. He mostly stays in his room downstairs."

"But who is he?" Narcissa pressed.

Sirius shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted. "I gave him his name, Regulus Arcturus Black, and I have no idea where Mother and Father got him from."

Narcissa bit her lip. "You guys must be close," she observed. "For him to throw himself in front of your father for you like that." She looked down and Sirius could tell she was regretting getting Sirius's father so worked up earlier; most likely she had not realized he could react so violently.

"That's just it, though," Sirius said. "We're not close. We never have been. I've sort of always been a bit of a prat to him, really."

"Well he obviously loves you for some reason."

"Right…" Sirius rolled back onto his side. "Narcissa?" he asked after a minute.

"Yes?"

"Are you not creeped out by being in my bedroom?"

Narcissa stared thoughtfully at the hanging bones and drying pelts. "Nah," she said after a minute's consideration. "Reminds me of my room just a little."

Sirius snorted in amusement. He didn't think too much about what she might mean.

"You're going to go see him later, aren't you?" Narcissa queried after a lengthy pause.

Sirius sat up. "Why would I do that? I told you, we're not friends."

Narcissa looked at him quizzically. "I never said you were friends. That wasn't a friendship display downstairs, that was something a little deeper!"

Sirius stared at her blankly. "I don't understand what you're talking about."

Narcissa sighed. "Maybe I don't either," she admitted. "But you definitely need to talk to him. If only to ask him yourself why he did it! Come on, aren't you curious?" she added, trying to spur Sirius into action by tickling his natural curiosity. "At the least you owe him a thank you."

Sirius nodded. "Maybe you're right…"

"Of course I am."

There was a long silence between the two of them during which Sirius contemplated falling asleep and Narcissa played with the comforter.

It was Narcissa who broke the silence. "Sirius," she said in a voice barely above a whisper. "Would you be willing to help me pack some things?"

He looked at her through the corner of his eyes.

"I want to be gone before my parents come to get me tomorrow," she continued.

Sirius sat back up again. "Narcissa," he began.

"Don't tell me, I don't want to hear it," she warned. "I'll leave with or without your help, just…"

Sirius could see the determined look in her eyes.

"Niccy," he started again. "Okay, listen, I'm not going to stop you…but one night is not long enough to plan this. Now listen to me, your parents are not going to frog-march you down the aisle tomorrow. You've got some time, all right? Let me help you get ready. You need a plan, you need to know what to expect out there. I've got experience with what's waiting outside in the shadows, let me teach you how to deal with it, at least."

"Are you saying, that if I wait and make a better plan, you'll teach me how to take out any of those horrific monsters I might come across?" Narcissa asked.

"Yes," said Sirius.

Narcissa smiled devilishly, as though her true goal had been reached and Sirius couldn't help but feel a little but manipulated. He shook it off, though.

"For example," he said, getting out of bed. "There a lot out there you don't know about."

"Well…" said Narcissa in a voice that suggested Sirius might not know everything about her life.

"Let me show you something I found while I was out with James last night. It's one of the weapons that belongs to those alien creatures."

"The ones who sent the monsters?" asked Narcissa, intrigued.

"Yes," said Sirius slowly. "Where did you hear about them?"

"I have ears, Sirius," Narcissa explained.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Whatever, look, I've hidden it under my mattress, so stand up, girlie."

Narcissa leapt to her feet and helped Sirius lift his mattress and push it off completely.

To his horror, Sirius saw the gun was not where he had left it. In a panic, he dismantled the entire bed looking for it.

"It's…gone?" asked Narcissa.

"Yes…" gasped Sirius in disbelief. "I don't understand."

"Does anyone know you have it?" asked Narcissa.

"James does…but he's out of town."

"Anyone else?"

"No," Sirius insisted, but then he thought of whoever had moved the gun last night. He had been hoping all day that maybe that had been his imagination after all, but this sealed the deal. "No one could have known I put it there," he muttered, concerned.

"Unless they looked for it," offered Narcissa. "But who would go rummaging through your room? You don't think one of the servants took it, did you?"

"No, what would they want with it? What would anyone want with it? Who would even know what it was?!"

"Okay, calm down, Sirius," Narcissa put a hand on his arm. "Let's just get the bed put back together, okay? Then I'll go get my own bedroom set up and you can go talk to Regulus."

Sirius gave her a look.

"It'll make you feel better, and you'll be able to think clearer, trust me. Honestly, Sirius, how can you not want to talk to him after that disaster downstairs?"

Sirius slid the mattress back on the bed. He leaned down to pick up his sheets.

Because I'm afraid of what I might learn about him, and I'm terrified of what I might learn about myself.


signed/tenrouseikuroi