Close to two weeks had passed before he finally found you. The snowfall had stopped for today, and you had spent your morning in the greenhouses, taking full advantage of the extra points your Head of House had promised anyone staying at school for the break.

"You're doing work?" a voice asks, accompanied by the sound of the glass door shutting. "I had to ask almost everyone staying here if they'd seen you."

Looking up from your plant, your eyes meet his grey ones and you're almost surprised he actually came. Even if he had agreed, you half expected him to brush it off and forget about try to help Regulus.

"Trying to beat Gryffindor for the House Cup and now you're sabotaging my plans," you frown, causing him to laugh. You try not to dwell on what a lovely sound it is.

Sauntering over to you, he eyes the plants you're tending to before speaking again. "You surprised me, you know," he tells you lowly.

"How so?" you question, putting your utensils down and giving him your full attention.

"I suppose it was stupid of me to assume," he begins in his defense. "I just thought maybe since you were so close to Reg that you…agreed with some of his ideals. It's part of the reason I just thought it better not to talk to you."

Only part? "A very stupid assumption indeed," you inform him with a thin smile. "I would love to see the Dark Lord banished. And I definitely don't want to see my best friend aiding him."

He nods at you, looking vaguely impressed, before asking, "This…thing with my brother. How bad is it?"

Letting your teeth sink into your lower lip, you ponder how to exactly answer that question. "Bad, I suppose," you say quietly. "His ultimate goal is joining them, which is bad enough in itself. Not to mention if he climbs the ranks. But it's not just him, Sirius. It's most of his House. It's all he hears. And add your parents to the mix -"

There's a guttural noise that comes from the base of his throat that makes you stop talking. "They'd want nothing more for him to be inducted as soon as possible," his lip curls upward as he speaks.

"Bottom line is," you start again, hoping to distract him from the touchy subject. "We should help him. Show him he doesn't have to become them."

Face full of thoughtful expressions, he nods after a few moments. "We can try," he tells you. "But he can't know about us working together. He won't trust it."

Pang of guilt again. Pushing it out of your mind, you keep trying to convince yourself what you're doing is good and will work. "Deal," you agree to Sirius, locking eyes once more.


Sorry to send an owl. I know we had plans to talk this summer while you came for a visit, but I couldn't take it anymore. I'm staying with James and it's more than likely permanent.

I promise we'll meet at school this year and finally talk. Focus on Reg and do all you can during this summer. That house is poison and he'll need all the help he can get.

See you soon,

Sirius

You had read over this letter what felt like a million times. The edges of the parchment were even becoming frayed from where you had held it so much. A nervousness floated around in your stomach, and you weren't even sure which brother it was there for.

Sirius Black could, without any doubt, handle himself quite well. You knew you shouldn't worry about him. However, you felt yourself feeling sympathetic. Could his life with his parents be so bad that he needed to run away for good? And what emotional trauma that must bring with it. Regulus, on the other hand, was attempting to handle himself but failing miserably. All you heard this summer was his family whispering in his ear and giving him no option but to join the dark ranks.

"What are you reading?" Regulus breaks through your thoughts, coming back into his room and closing the door behind him.

Stuffing it in your pocket, you try to look as inconspicuous as possible and give him a smile. "Just an owl from my parents, I got it this morning. Telling me to have a good time here."

In the past, you had never visited Grimmauld Place for more than a few hours to hang out with Reg. But, like the letter read, you and Sirius had made plans to talk so you thought it might be a good idea to stay for a few days and cover it up by the fact that you wanted to spend some more time with Regulus.

"Speaking of parents," he starts, sitting down on his bed beside you. "I was just talking to mine. Did you know Donovan got his mark over the summer?"

It hits you - Donovan was the seventh year who was boasting about getting inducted as soon as he left school last year. Clearing your throat, you respond, "It still blows my mind people go so young." You hope that your tone conveys the fact that you think someone shouldn't be joining so young and that your best friend would get the hint.

Shrugging, he tells you, "My cousin says there's a lot of young ones. She tells me I'd be fine going in at 16. Go that summer and not come back for my last year."

Your stomach flips. That was next year - would he really do that? Couldn't he at least wait and finish school? You don't say anything, so he continues talks. "She tells Voldemort a lot about me. How were faithful to him and how smart of a wizard I am already."

"He…knows who you are?" you ask nervously. There were tons of questions you had, but the first thought was that you hated hearing the Dark Lords name.

"The Twenty-Eight were first on his list to recruit, so to speak," he explains to you. "I am part of the bloodline, which means I'll be welcomed."

Starting to wonder if you'd ever get used to your head spinning, you try to keep a straight face. "I'm sorry, the Twenty-Eight?"

"The Sacred Twenty-Eight?" he questions, raising an eyebrow. When you shake your head, he lets out a laugh. "You really know nothing about this stuff, do you?"

In your mind, that wasn't a bad thing. Blood status means absolutely nothing in the abilities of a wizard. Why was it so prevailed that someone be "pure?"

"There's twenty-eight families who are still considered truly pure blood. The Blacks are one among many." You wish he didn't sound so proud. It's a ridiculous accomplishment in your eyes. Apparently, you must still look a bit confused because Regulus laughs again. "You know, mum and dad always talked about me having a Hufflepuff for a best friend. Saying it was no good. But I always assumed you knew about more about all this stuff."

Was he trying to make you feel guilty? Like you should agree with him because you were his friend? That would never happen.

"Still learning, I guess," you joke offhandedly. With trying to help Regulus, you had decided to try and appear as neutral as possible. Offering him a thin-lipped smile, you hope that it's working.

Luckily, the subject changes to something else as another thought enters Regulus' head, and you try to carry on conversation as though you're not completely scared for him. This was going to be a long week.


Sirius,

I really wish we could have talked this summer. This thing with Regulus keeps getting worse. We'll really have to work hard to stop him - it won't be as simple as convincing him anymore. In fact, I'm starting to doubt we'll succeed at all.

Only three more weeks until school. I'm glad we'll get to see each other then and you can tell me we're not being entirely stupid by trying to save him.

I know we don't need to be seen together, so I guess just send me an owl at school whenever you want to see me. Have a good rest of the summer.

Folding the letter neatly, you attach it to your owl's leg. Luckily you had been smart enough to bring her along for this situation exactly. "Find Sirius at that address," you instruct, raising the window of the guest bedroom in Grimmauld Place. Lifting her wings, she takes flight and you watch her contrast against the night sky as she begins her journey.

You were restless tonight. It was your last night staying here, and you had done nothing you had set out to do. Hopefully Sirius' help would accelerate the progress.

Mind drifting, you hoped he was safe at James' place. James Potter always seemed like a nice guy, and you can't imagine his family would be any different. In attempt to slow your thoughts, you walk across the floor to exit the room, greeted by a darkly lit hallway. You weren't sure what time it was at all, but you knew everyone was asleep.

It wasn't your intention to prod around in their things, but the thought of exploring the empty house did seem appealing. As you descend to the lower floor, the stairs creak and you open the knob of the first door you come to.

A lounge room, filled with vintage furniture and grand decorations made you look around endlessly. It was beautiful and captivating - but what caught your eyes most was what was on the walls. Tapestry style, there were branches and branches of faces that made of the Black family. Stepping carefully, you circle the room and try to take it all in.

There's a blackened burn mark - fresh - over a spot almost in the middle of one of the walls. Stepping closer, you let your fingers ghost over it and narrow your eyes to read the name.

Sirius Orion Black

Regulus was right. He had finally been exiled. Stepping away from the wall, you feel sad just looking at it. It was horrible of them. To lose their first-born son over the fact that they just simply didn't agree on something.

"Master Regulus wouldn't like you wandering," comes a cold voice as the door to the room opens. Jumping from surprise, your eyes meet the large ones of their House Elf and you clear your throat awkwardly.

Not saying anything, you nod quietly and take a last glance at the tapestry before walking past the Elf to exit the room. Taking the stairs as quietly as possible, you decide that your mind definitely wasn't eased any tonight. In fact, you only had more worries.