*A/N: So here's another chapter lickety split! I was actually going to wait at least another day before posting it but Howl of Time sent me my first review for this story so I figured this could be a celebration chapter! Once again this has not been Beta read yet but I do have one in the words so please bear with me this last time. ;)

Finally you'll get to see a semi-normal day in the Potter-Black household! My apologies if this drags on a bit...

Chapter Two: Like Night and Day
part one

Harry wasn't good at a lot of things such as cooking, gardening, responsibilities, ect. He knew this, his family knew this, and the boy had come to terms with these hard truths early on in life. Needless to say Harry was a bit of an "instant gratification" kind of boy, he expected results right away and then moved on to the next task like a stubborn little bull, working hard until the job was done.

Cyril on the other hand was Harry's polar opposite. He could start a million slow moving tasks and time it perfectly so he that came full circle just as the first task was nearly ready, and if in order to reach his goal Cyril had to be patient and dedicated, well he didn't mind one bit, his eye never leaving that of the prize.

Each boy had their winning qualities and their flaws, seeming to reverse the other in every single way except three thing.

They both had a knack for the arts. They loved a good challenge. And they were loyal to each other almost to a fault.

As far as music went, Harry and Cyril's knack of continuously being different prevailed yet again as Harry was gifted with dancing and singing and Cyril could pick up any instrument and master it within days along with being able to draw a stunning likeness of practically anything. Of course if it hadn't been for Lily then either boy probably never would have discovered their gifts at all seeing as how she was always trying to expand their horizons... Particularly in Cyril's case...

As for challenges, the boys were always pushing the other to improve in whatever they did, even if it was as much as weeding the garden- a task usually set aside as punishment but one Cyril found he secretly enjoyed. Harry would boast and get on his brother's nerves until Cyril would eventually try to top him in order to shut him up, and Cyril for his part would use sarcasm and trickery to manipulate Harry into things.

Lastly, as for their loyalty, Lily found it to be endearing at first when they were still small but, as they grew, so did their naughty deeds. Sneaking out at night, fighting at the playgrounds, hiding snakes in the basement- Lily had put her foot down at that right away! It was when the boys were six years old that she found them downstairs, surrounded by hissing snakes of every size and color. Lily had done what any good witch mother would have and banished them all away, but then Harry had started to cry for his lost friends and Cyril had held his little brother close, glaring up at Lily as if she had done something wrong! Later she found out that Harry had the Snake Tongue gift, a trait only Salazar Slytherin's family line was able to possess, and she realized that Voldemort had left more than physical scars on her and her children. She told Harry and Cyril that they could have one pet each and sighed in resignation when Harry had picked a snake from the apothecary the next day, while Cyril had chosen a large intimidating owlet that was sure to grow into a monster one day.

The row she and Sirius had had after that had been dreadful, but Harry wouldn't give up his new pet. "Daddy Padfoot will just have to deal!" The little boy had finally shouted and walked away with a long black and white snake draped around his shoulders and Sirius had been left speechless.

And as the boys grew, so did Cyril's intolerance to his "blood replenishing" potion. The poor boy was sick almost five days out of every month with dry heaves, weakness, cramps, and dizzy spells. And through those days and long nights Harry could be found right by his brother's side, getting him whatever he needed and doing everything in his power to distract the other from his sickness. The facade remained but Lily's guilt grew along with them and she just knew one day she would snap.

Harry raced down the stairs, a large grin on his face, his green eyes bright with excitement, and his shoulder length black hair flying out behind him as he flew through the house. He took a corner at break neck speed and crashed head long into a warm, breathing wall. Blinking up owlishly at his father, Harry grinned and allowed his hair to be ruffled by Sirius' large hand.

Chuckling at the sight of little Prongslet, Sirius beamed down at Harry and hooked his hands under the boy's arms, bringing him up until they were nose to nose. Sirius gave a playful sniff to Harry's temple and said with a laugh, "Looks like nothing's damage, nothing but that head of yours and I bet all of that hair was enough cushioning to save ya! All that long hair though, gotta talk to yer mom about getting you a proper haircut!"

Sirius teased the boy good naturally and sat Harry back on the soft carpet, raising up a hand and pulling gently on a lock of black hair sticking out of the mess. Harry swatted the man's hand away and grinned roguishly as he covered his head with both hands as if expecting a pair of attacking scissors to follow Sirius' words. "Afraid not, old man! I like my hair like this! It's makes me look dashing! Debonair!"
In all honesty Harry didn't care about his hair at all, but the fact that his mother took so much pride in them made Harry want to keep them the way they were and keep her happy. Besides, the girls in the village seemed to like them just fine if their fingers and simpering smiles were anything to go by. Harry wasn't too sure what he felt about all of that but it was nice of them to make such a fuss.

Cyril chose that moment to make his way down the stairs, at a much more dignified pace and manner than his little brother, who often times sounded like a baby troll learning to run. And, by all of the bruises his brother was always covered in, Harry had just as much grace! The only time he managed a modicum of dignity was when he was on a broom. Smiling softly at the thought, Cyril straightened a cuff and looked down at the bottom of the stairs and around the corner to where he could hear his father and Harry going at it- it was almost enough to wipe the smile off of his face but Cyril forced it to stay, knowing it annoyed the man to see it there.

Sirius Black hated him, his own son, and Cyril for the life of him had no idea why. Supposedly he had come from a very famous muggle actress and his father's illict affair but every time he asked the man for details he ran into what felt like a brick wall. Sirius would list off a name one time he asked, then change it to another the next time he tried to speak with him about it. And the way he blatantly ignored Cyril in favor of Harry would have probably driven the taller boy to madness if he had ever known any different, however ever since birth Sirius Black had never changed in his manor to his blood-related son.

And if Cyril were a normal boy, he figured with all of these situations combined that he would hate Harry, however innocent the other boy was in the grand scheme of his daddy issues... But Cyril couldn't. Merlin help him, he loved his little brother, and that only added to the confusion of his weird life and their messed up family dynamics.

As he finally reached the bottom, Cyril spotted Harry underneath Sirius' large arm and quirked a brow before pointedly walking around the two, ignoring his brother's cries for help from Cyril even though there was no way he could have seen him enter the hallway. Their bond was weird like that, even though they weren't blood related they always seemed to know when the other was in need and their location. And there was something else, something dark, at least there was for Cyril. It seemed to just be lurking there, a part of him and yet separate from him as well, a... parasite.

Cyril reached the kitchen and spotted his mother standing by the stove, her long red hair pulled back, the thick white and gray strands shining brightly as the morning light mixed with the ceiling lights to make her almost glow. She had never told them why her hair was so different but, when you grow up in the magical community, you simply come to accept these things. Cyril walked up beside her and leaned up on his tiptoes to give her a kiss on the cheek before picking up a potato and helping her skin, slice, and dice the vegetables into small cubes to be soaked in water for the rest of the day to be ready for the mashing for their dinner tonight. Without having to look, Cyril knew that steaks and shrimp were sitting in large bowls in the fridge, marinating in sauces and herbs so that they were ready for their special dinner tonight, his and Harry's going away dinner.

Letting out a sigh, Cyril finished with the potatoes and began dicing up the ham and peppers for their omelets this morning, not bothering to look up when he heard Harry and Sirius finally enter the kitchen. While Cyril always tried to look his best in button up shirts and dark pants, Harry had adopted Sirius' casual dress code and wore baggy jeans and big shirts, usually proudly depicting Quidditch teams, service products, or holes and stains from playing said sport.

"Mornin' Mom," Harry bounced up to Lily's other side and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding on tightly as he hugged her never mind that she had to awkwardly balance a skillet full of eggs in one hand and a bag of cheese in the other. But still she smiled down at her son and bent down to kiss the top of his messy head lovingly while Cyril snorted in amusement. "Good morning Harry dear. Sleep well?" Lily asked, finally shooing Harry away to finish their breakfasts. "Yup yup," Harry said with a grin, going over to Cyril's side and hoisting himself up on the counter so he was just barely in his brother's way but not enough to get him shooed off as well. Harry grinned down at Cyril who had started washing the dishes and leaned back on his hands while he spoke, "But Cyril didn't, he was making funny noises again."

Cyril shot a glare up at Harry before going back to watching what he was doing, careful not to let the small knife slip. "I slept just fine, thank you. And how would you know what noises I was making if you were so sound asleep and in the next room over, huh?" Quirking a brow, Cyril shot Harry a triumphant smirk and wiped his hands off on a dish towel before leaning against the counter and looking back up at his little brother. Harry mockingly raised his own brow as well, although it wasn't as easily done as Cyril managed to do, and crossed his arms over his chest. He let out a stubborn little huff of breath and looked out the window instead of down at Cyril's smug face. "Because Cy, I just know!" Harry glanced out of the corner of his eye down at Cyril and then looked back out the window. "Owlzilla is coming," he warned quickly and jumped off of the counter just in time to avoid being bludgeoned by a feathery beast!

Adele flew gracefully through the open kitchen window, which was quite the feat considering how large of an owl she was. Cyril grinned down at Harry who lay sprawled out on the floor, his arms thrown over his head and butt up in the air, before offering up an arm for his pet to rest on. Lily giggled at the sight and unwound a kitchen towel from it's resting place, whiping it gently on her son's bottom to get his attention before turning back to Cyril. "Sweetheart you know I love your little Adele but I've told you before, she's much too large to be flying in that window. Train her properly because Harley and Ford need to be able to reach this room and a blocking charm would harm her every time she tried. Understand?" Cyril nodded quickly before rushing off to the living room, his pet almost too much for the eleven year old to carry.

After breakfast both Cyril and Harry were sent to their rooms to go over their lists and finish packing, and neither was allowed downstairs until both were completely done. Cyril, being quite the orderly perfectionist that he was, had been all packed and ready a week ago with only his tolietries and a few personal items remaining. Harry, being the little ball of energy and chaos they all knew and had come to love, was getting more unorganized by the minute- what with getting distracted by comic books, funny pictures his friends had given him, and his pet snake Porthos constantly wanting to be held and loved on...

An hour went by and Cyril held firm in his stand of not helping his little brother pack, the boy had to learn to take charge and be responsible, so for that first hour he rechecked all of his things, finished packing whatever he had left for the last minute, and continued reading his school books.

Another hour went by and Cyril was finding his patience being tested... But he was strong, he would outlast, he just needed to believe in his little brother...

At the end of the third hour Cyril had given up hope and marched across the hall, pulled open the door, and stared down at the sleeping preteen. Blinking in surprise, Cyril took in the sight of Harry laying sprawled out on his bedroom floor with little Porthos' head peeking out from beneath the collar of his brother's shirt, the two blissfully unaware of the chaos that surrounded them...

Books opened to various pages seemingly at random, papers with scribbles and doodles, clothes in small moutain-like heaps on the floor, toys covering every inch of free floor space there seemed to be... And the comic books! Where on earth had Harry gotten them all? And then Cyril remembered Harry's new friend Ron Weasely and slapped a hand to his face, biting back a groan. He knew, he just knew nothing good was going to come out of that partnership!

Rather than waking his brother and beginning another useless row, Cyril merely found Harry's list and began packing away all of his things himself. And even though he was annoyed and fuming at being made to babysit once again, the big brother took care to step lightly around the little brother while he packed.

*A/N2: So there you have it! Another chapter- that's makes 3 for 1 day! Since it's a holiday weekend I'll be running around with my son for most of it, however I'll try to update as soon as possible because I know how much waiting sucks. I'm currently in love with this one fic called A Twist Of Time with a Harry/Tom pairing and this little ficlet is actually inspired by her characters, although not fully since I don't have one bit of their talent. Anyways if you get some time please check it out! Also, as always, please review so I know there's something out there except the crickets!

Cheers!