I've returned with another great chapter (actually, this chapter isn't my favorite, but it's an important building block, so...) Anyway, I hope it's great. Make sure to review and tell me if it was.
Disclaimer: I own nothing
WARNINGS: LANGUAGE, KIDNAPPING
Sirius bolted upright in his seat, surprising his three friends.
He was breathing, heavily, as the truth set in. He'd seen him; he'd seen Reggie.
He silently thanked God and Merlin and everything Muggle and Magical for this single blessing.
Now, if only they could aid him in finding Reggie and returning the both of them home. Alive.
After the questioning, his parents had forced him to get on the train, saying it'd be better if he was safe at Hogwarts (he also caught the unspoken out of the way). Who knew if this man was targeting both Sirius and Regulus?
Sirius was the only one convinced that he wasn't. This was The Man. He didn't care about Sirius; he only wanted Regulus.
"Are you okay, Sirius? You look a little... well... shaken up," James said, trying to choose his words, carefully. He seemed to realize what a stupid question that was when Sirius turned to him and raised an eyebrow.
"Well, I'm sorry, James, if I'm a little shaken up after my brother just got kidnapped. And on top of that, I'm getting shipping back to Hogwarts, and they won't even let me search for him!" Sirius yelled. "And Evans, Snape, I know you're spying on us, so just come in, would ya?"
The compartment door slid open, revealing Lily Evans and Severus Snape, both with solemn and sympathetic expressions.
"I'm sorry, Sirius," Lily whispered, trying to calm the hot headed boy. "It's just... we know what happened to your little brother, and we're worried about you."
"Worried about me?" Sirius exclaimed. "Since when is Lily Evans worried about anyone but herself?!"
"Hey, don't talk to her that way!" James jumped to the defense of his long time crush, his anger flaring up like a red flag.
"Well, it's the truth, James, and you know it," Sirius growled. "She's friends with Snivillus! Doesn't that say something about her personality?"
"No, it doesn't!"
Just before a full out row could begin, Severus intervened, "Hey. Just give me a moment alone with Black? I need to tell him something."
"If you're going to tell him what a git he's being- which I don't blame you, but still- then, you can take your insults and shove them up your-"
Remus interrupted James. "That isn't a good idea, Snape," he said, hastily.
"I agree with- wait. Are you going to tell him the story?" Lily said, her eyes wide with realization.
At Severus's nod, she yanked James and Remus out the door by their wrists while beckoning for Remus to follow. With one last anxious glance between the two enemies, he trailed after the fiery redhead.
As soon as the compartment door slid shut, Severus turned around and said, right off the bat, "I've never like you, Black."
"Feeling's mutual, Snape," Sirius scowled.
"I'm going to ignore that since you're grieving. I've never told you why I didn't like you, have I?"
"Nope, and I really don't care why," Sirius snapped.
He knew he was being a jerk, but a part of him felt that he had a right. He was backed into a corner; his brother was in a huge amount of danger, and it was all his fault. He was in a foul mood because of it; sue him.
"Well, you should because the reason has something to do with your brother."
That caught Sirius's attention. He spun away from where he'd been staring out the window to face the Slytherin, shock evident in his wide, gray eyes.
"What?" He demanded.
Severus smiled, bitterly. "That got your attention. Anyway, I saw you at King's Cross on the day we went home for the Winter Holidays during our first year. Your little brother-who looked so much like you, by the way- raced up to you and hugged you, screaming your name in excitement. And you pushed him away, saying you were embarrassed of him. You reminded me of two sisters I know.
"One of them was named Petunia. She was average looking with brown hair and blue eyes and a humongous jealousy problem. Petunia was always jealous of her little sister, Lily, who is standing outside. Lily had it all: the looks, the brains, the talent, and, as time went on, the magic.
"I watched Petunia push Lily away; I'm their neighbor, you see. And then, one day, my dad marched into the house with Petunia thrown over his shoulder. She was screaming and kicking, telling him to let her go. He didn't; instead, he threw her into the basement and didn't let her out."
At this, Severus looked away from Sirius and focused on the ground, looking almost ashamed.
"My father is... not a nice person, if you couldn't tell. He's an abusive, unstable alcoholic, and... I'm ashamed to call him my father. I was much younger when this happened, and... I was afraid of my dad. At this point, I still loved him, enough to keep my mouth shut about what happened with Petunia.
"About three days later, my dad left on a business trip, and I tore our house apart looking for the key to the basement. Once I found it, I unlocked the door and let Petunia out; she went home. I got beaten for it, but it was worth it. My dad hadn't gone down there in those three days, and I try not to think about what would've happened to her when he finally did go down there after his business trip.
"A few days afterward, I went to see how Petunia was doing, and I discovered that... her family hadn't even noticed she was gone. Not even Lily; now that she knows the story, she still feels guilty about it. Anyway, Petunia treated Lily worse than ever; I remembered hearing a story of how Lily was out thirty minutes past curphew and her parents freaked out when they hadn't noticed Petunia missing for three days.
"I can understand why she treated Lily the way she did, but when she called Lily a freak, I lost all sympathy for her.
"When I saw you push your little brother away, I thought of how much you'd regret that in a few years. Lily took Petunia for granted; she almost lost her, and then, Petunia was so angry, she couldn't stand Lily anymore. Petunia and Lily didn't talk all summer, even though they live in the same house.
"Somehow, I knew that if you didn't learn to appreciate your brother, you'd end up the same way."
"Is that story true, Snape?" Sirius asked, glancing at the door.
"100%. Ask Lily if you don't believe me," Severus replied.
"Snape, you helped Petunia even though she treated Lily like that. Why?"
"No one deserves to be taken from their family, their home. It just isn't right," Severus said, almost whispering the words. The words held so much truth that it turned Sirius's stomach.
And he agreed. 110%. (Even though that technically wasn't possible, but you know, who cares about technicalities?)
"Sn-Severus, even though I've treated you like dirt, would you let... bygones be bygones and help me find my brother?"
Asking for help was like a dagger to the gut; Sirius will admit it. He was independent, prideful... maybe he was a Slytherin in some ways.
Nah...
(He really is, but he won't admit it)
"Of course, Sirius. I don't know what that man is doing to him, and I'm not sure I want to know, but I will not put a child's innocence and life at risk because of a pity rivalry. If there's one thing I learned from my parents, it's that fighting won't solve anything."
Sirius was surprised by how wise Sna-no, Severus sounded right then. Maybe Snape wasn't just a big nosed, greasy haired snake. Maybe he was more like Sirius than they were willing to admit.
Nah...
(Once again, they really are, but Sirius refuses to admit it)
"Okay, let's invite the others back in here. I have a plan," Sirius announced, determined.
"Should I be scared?"
"Probably. There's a reason Remus never let's me make the plans."
"Oh, great," Severus muttered, sarcastically, but didn't try to stop Sirius.
He didn't think anything could stop him, honestly.
Miles away from the Hogwarts Express, a young boy screamed at the top of his lungs.
Pain burnt through his body. Acid raced through his veins, and broken glass swirled in his blood, slicing up his organs and veins. His bones were being ground into dust; his hair was being yanked out in chunks; swords were driving themselves into every single pore of his skin, tearing the muscles to shreds.
None of this left a physical mark. The Cruciatious Curse never did.
It was the fifth time Trent had put Regulus under the curse. Or was it the tenth? Regulus was in so much pain, he couldn't remember anymore.
And Trent was laughing. Laughing as Regulus sobbed, pleading for mercy, pleading for death.
Where are you, Siri? I need you. Please come find me.
Little did Regulus Black know, his brother would be on his way to do exactly that in less than an hour.
Regulus eventually passed out from pain, and when he woke up, Trent was gone.
Regulus sighed in relief before his eyes focused on the door.
His eyebrows knit together as he frowned, and just as he was about to push the question away, a closer look forced him to reconsider it.
Regulus climbed to his feet, wincing in pain but thankfully, remaining on his feet.
He pulled on the handle, and the door shifted with a slight groan.
The door was unlocked.
No way.
He pulled harder, and the door slid open.
Holy shit.
Regulus threw the door the rest of the way open and sprinted up the stairs.
Even if this was a trick, he had to try. As fear coursed through his body, he tried to focus on the adrenaline pumping through his system instead, the adrenaline that would lead him out the door and back to Sirius if he used it, properly.
Skidding to a halt, Regulus opened the unlocked basement door and slid out of the small opening.
No one was there.
Regulus glanced around the corners, scanning the kitchen and living room and finding both empty. Then, he made a break for the door.
Bursting through the doorway, he raced toward the woods, listening as the screen door banged shut behind him.
This was all too good to be true, but even if it was a trick, he'd been brave enough to try.
Sirius would be proud.
Regulus's feet slammed against the ground; his blood was pounding in his sars, and his heart was thundering in chest, threatening to burst out at any second.
He could see a fence. It was so close...
Regulus skidded across the leaves until he was before the fence, but then, he got a weird feeling in his gut. It was like when he chose to sneak out of his house on the Friday after Sirius started Hogwarts.
When he returned, he found the house trashed and discovered that his brother had been sorted into Gryffindor.
His dad had gotten drunk, and when he was intoxicated, he often had a hard time telling his children apart.
If Regulus had been home and Orion had mistaken Regulus for Sirius... it would not have been pretty.
Regulus picked up a stick and chucked it at the fence.
He watched in horror as the electricity arced across the fence, frying the poor stick until it was black; the tortured object toppled to the earth, smoking.
That could've been him...
Footsteps sounded from behind him.
Regulus spun around and saw Johnathon racing towards him with a smirk on his face and some kind of weapon his hands. It looked like a gun.
Regulus turned away from the fence and dashed in the opposite direction as Johnathon.
Jonathon brought him in here, and if there was a way in, there had to be a way out.
The footsteps drew closer, a second set joining them, and Regulus ran faster.
Of course, that exit would be extremely hard to find with his kidnappers on his heels.
What'd you think? I know Snape is OOC, but keep in mind that this was before the bitterness truly set in. That really doesn't happen until his fifth or sixth year.
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