Warning for major brotherly fluff ahead. Also an amusing amount of angst.

Regulus started to really come around over the next few months. His previous life seemed to be fading. He wasn't forgetting the time before his death, but there was a distance to it all now. It was like some distant memory, as if he had been conscious for the last fifteen years. He was still a teenager, but at times he truly felt thirty.

With the retreat of his first life, Regulus was acclimating to this new existence. He was beginning to settle in with his new surroundings, and had been quarrelling less with his brother. Sirius had thought Regulus to be making excellent progress right up until the middle of July. Suddenly Regulus became severely withdrawn. Though he was rarely talkative and spent a lot of time alone, the evening of July 30th marked the fourth consecutive day that he had not set foot downstairs.

"Regulus?" Sirius knocked softly on his brother's bedroom door. "Your light's on and I can see your shadow out from under the door. I know you're in there."

"Go away," Regulus snipped.

"Hey," Sirius chastised. "Don't take that tone. Now I'm going to ask you one more time to come down to dinner, it's going to get cold soon. Everyone's waiting downstairs and if you haven't joined us in ten minutes then I'll be coming back up here and, trust me, you won't want to see me."

Regulus scoffed in response, but his voice was so quiet that Sirius was certain his brother hadn't meant for him to hear.

Sirius reluctantly returned to the kitchen. He was partially regretting the ultimatum he'd given his brother. He'd been trying to maintain a festive mood in the lead-up to Harry's sixteenth birthday, and he really didn't want to have to neglect his godson in favor of punishing his brother.

"How'd it go?" Harry asked when Sirius took his seat at the table. "He not coming down?"

Sirius shook his head and reached for his wine glass. "No, he's still brooding. I swear sometimes I wonder if I screwed something up with that potion and brought him back as a twelve year-old."

Only Sirius, Harry and Remus were at the table. The three of them plus Regulus were the only people currently living at Grimmauld Place. The Weasleys would not be moving in again until the end of the summer (Sirius had begged for some time off from all of them in order to focus on his own pseudo-family). However, the whole lot of them, plus several more Order members would be arriving the next day to celebrate with Harry and likely staying on throughout the weekend.

"What's wrong with him?" Harry asked curiously.

"Dunno," Sirius admitted. "Likely he's sulking because there'll be so many people here for the next few days. Always was an antisocial little bugger."

"He's always in the library," Harry continued. "I wonder what he's researching?"

"I'm sure it's something he shouldn't be," Sirius said in a low voice.

"And I'm sure he just enjoys the peace he finds up there. Reading can be very relaxing," Remus said in a calming tone, although there was a nervous edge to his voice. "Everyone needs a break from you now and then, Sirius."

"Well I'm going to have a word with him after dinner," said Sirius resolutely. "I've had enough of this."

"Does this mean I can have Reg's share of dessert?" Harry asked.

"Yes."

When everyone had finished eating, Sirius left Remus to do the dishes and marched up to Regulus's room. He didn't even afford his brother the courtesy of knocking. He unlocked Regulus's door swiftly with his wand (Regulus, still without a wand of his own, was unable to seal his bedroom door with anything stronger than the ordinary key lock).

Regulus, who had been sitting cross-legged on his bed reading, let out an indignant noise of surprise and quickly tossed the book in his open school trunk, which he swiftly closed before turning to his brother.

"What the hell, Sirius?" he demanded. "What, do I not deserve knocking anymore?"

Sirius approached his brother and sat next to him on the bed, choosing for the moment to ignore Regulus's suspicious actions with the book. "No, Regulus, honestly, you don't. Now would you like to explain to me just what's gotten into you lately? You've been insufferable."

"Go away, Sirius!" Regulus yelled, looking away. Sirius grabbed Regulus and pulled him back around to face him.

"Regulus, why didn't you come down to dinner like I asked? I assume you've been having Kreacher bring you food these last few days…I will order him to stop facilitating this behavior if you don't come around yourself."

"Sirius," Regulus whined.

"Enough, Regulus, I've given you plenty of warnings."

Regulus looked a little scared. He huffed and fell backwards onto his bed, trying to seem nonchalant but actually coming off more than a little nervous. "Oh right. I see," he said in a clipped tone. "Want me to go and fetch Father's favorite belt, then?"

Sirius narrowed his eyes. "Don't be dramatic," he growled. "And don't temp me. I've come up here to talk with you, nothing more."

"Oh!" Regulus scoffed. "Because with the way you were talking earlier, I thought for sure I was in for it…"

Sirius hated it when Regulus goaded him like this. He knew Regulus didn't respect him as much as Harry did. After all, Sirius had always been something of an authority figure to Harry, but Regulus still held an obvious preference for Sirius as a brother, and was reluctant to censor himself or obey arbitrary orders. Sirius knew comparing Regulus and Harry was unfair, but damn it all if Harry wasn't infinitely easier get along with. Not that Harry hadn't had his fair share of escapades, but he never fought with Sirius and truthfully, Harry had a dozen other authority figures in his life who were better equipped to keep the boy out of direct danger anyway. With Harry the responsibility was spread around somewhat, but with Regulus…with Regulus Sirius was mostly on his own.

"Please just talk to me, Reg," Sirius said, sighing. "I really don't want to fight with you right now. Just tell me what's wrong and I'll see if I can fix it…"

"Sod off, Sirius, I don't have to talk to you—ow!"

Regulus ruefully rubbed at his arm where Sirius had slapped him.

"Yes you most certainly do have to talk to me," Sirius countered.

"You're not my dad," Regulus said petulantly.

"Of course not," said Sirius in frustration. He felt like they had had this particular conversation a hundred times over. "I'm your older brother—"

"No you're not," Regulus snapped. He seemed to immediately regret saying anything at all, and swiftly rolled over, facing the wall.

"What?" Sirius asked in surprise. "Regulus, what do you mean?"

"N—nothing. Never mind. Sirius, just go away!"

Sirius could tell his brother was struggling not to cry. With a soft sigh, he kicked off his shoes and swung his legs up onto his brother's bed, then pressed himself up against Regulus's back, draping one arm over his brother's chest in a firm hug.

"Shh," Sirius hummed softly. He'd not had to do this since Regulus was very small, and so he was a bit out of practice, but his instincts proved correct. Instead of pushing him away, Regulus actually took ahold of Sirius's arm, holding it tightly to his chest as if to prevent Sirius from letting go.

"All right, Reggie," Sirius said softly. "Now do you want to tell me what you meant? I'm afraid you've lost me…how come I'm not your brother anymore?"

"Because you're just going to die, okay?" Regulus shouted. He pressed his face into the blankets, muffling his hitching voice.

"Regulus, I'm not going to die," Sirius said calmly. "I'm perfectly safe here, you know that."

"But you're old!" Regulus said crossly. "You're too old now. You're not going to live for my whole life like you should. You're going to die and leave me alone!"

Sirius blinked. Had that been what was bothering his brother? Their new age difference? It was an unpleasant topic, Sirius had to admit, but he found it hard to believe that it was enough to send Regulus into this kind of a frenzy.

"You've got a lot of years before you need to start worrying about that, Reg," Sirius said softly. "I'm hardly that old yet. And besides, magical medicine's come a long way in the last few years; I promise I'll be around to harass you for quite a while yet," he added with a smile. Regulus tightened his grip on Sirius's arm.

Sirius lifted himself up on one elbow and leaned over Regulus a bit, covering him almost, trying to make him feel secure. It was rare that Regulus opened up and showed this kind of vulnerability, he was such a proud creature. Sirius felt the desperate need to prove to Regulus that he could handle this—that he could take care of him.

"Tell me what else is bothering you, Regulus, please?" Sirius asked. When Regulus remained silent, he added, "I know you've more to say. Why have you been avoiding me?"

In truth, Regulus had been avoiding everyone, but as his avoidance of Order members and most of the other teenagers was usually par for the course, Sirius felt that the topic worth addressing was Regulus's reluctance to talk with him specifically.

Regulus remained quiet. Then something clicked inside Sirius's head.

"Oh," he said softly. "You're upset about Harry's birthday tomorrow."

Regulus stiffened. Sirius bit his lip, pondering the situation. "Surely you're not jealous, Regulus?" he asked carefully. "You couldn't think that I'd forget you? I assure you that you'll have all my attention when your birthday rolls around this August."

Sirius would have been lying to say that he wasn't the slightest bit excited by Regulus caring enough about him to want to monopolize his attention.

"Sure," Regulus muttered shortly. "Whatever."

Sirius shook his brother a little. "Regulus, come now. Don't be petty. I thought you liked Harry? I understand that you might be feeling insecure, but think of him for a moment. Sixteen is an important birthday and I'd not dream of letting Harry's slip by unnoticed."

"Yeah," Regulus snapped. "It's real fucking important. So are fourteen, fifteen, and seventeen…"

"Yes," said Sirius blankly. "Of course they…are…oh fuck," he swore quietly. "Regulus, listen—"

"To what?" Regulus asked miserably. "Your excuses? I don't want them."

Sirius exhaled deeply. So they had finally reached the root of the problem. Regulus had clearly worked himself into a panic after realizing his brother's remaining lifespan was significantly shorter than his own, and then convinced himself that Sirius was likely to spend most of his comparatively short time left with Harry rather than Regulus—because Sirius was going all out for Harry's sixteenth birthday while he had ignored Regulus's own (along with his fourteenth, fifteenth, and seventeenth).

"Regulus please, don't do this. You know I was completely absent from Harry's life until he was thirteen, he's hardly been bogarting my affections."

"You weren't in prison yet, Sirius," Regulus said cruelly. "Just living with Potter."

It was a low blow, and Sirius felt like he deserved it. With great effort, he pulled Regulus over so they were face to face. With no warning, Sirius kissed Regulus's forehead. "Regulus Arcturus Black," he said earnestly. "Listen to me. The way I treated you when we were younger was despicable. I was young and inconsiderate, and my mistakes contributed to your death. I will never forgive myself for that.

"But now I have the chance to try and right a little bit of that big mistake. Please let me. Please believe me when I tell you I love you, Regulus, with all my heart."

Regulus looked at him incredulously. "How can that be true?" he asked sullenly.

Sirius ran a hand through his brother's neat hair. "Well, Reg, what about Mum and Dad?"

"What about them?"

"Well, did you split your love between them? Divvy it out percent by percent?"

Regulus shook his head.

"Or did you just love them both unconditionally, with all of your heart, without favoring one or the other?"

Regulus looked down.

Sirius kissed him again, this time on the top of his head. "I know this is all very hard for you, Regulus, but please remember that you can talk to me, always. I want you to talk to me. And understand that you are not replaceable to me, not by James twenty years ago, and not by Harry now."

Regulus took a deep, shuddering breath. "I'm sorry," he said.

"Don't be," said Sirius kindly. "Are you hungry at all? I set aside some dinner for you earlier, we can heat it up…"

"Maybe later," Regulus said. He still felt a bit queasy from crying.

"Okay," said Sirius. "Do you want me to stay with you for a bit?" he asked. He knew Regulus would normally want him to clear out, as he would be embarrassed for showing so much emotion, but today he felt Regulus might appreciate the gesture because it would mean Sirius was choosing him over Remus and Harry, two people Regulus thought of as having stolen his brother at one time or another.

"Please do," Regulus said so softly that Sirius almost didn't hear him.

And stay Sirius did. The two hardly spoke for the rest of the night, but they didn't need to. Sirius lay with Regulus for a while, then the two got up and Sirius took out his brother's old Chinese checkers set. They played until they were both yawning. Without a word, Sirius got into bed next to Regulus and stayed with him through the night.

At one point there was a creak as Regulus's door opened slightly before closing again. Regulus was sound asleep, but Sirius was just awake enough to realize it was Remus and Harry, coming to check on the two of them.

So Regulus sucked up his pride and made an appearance at Harry's birthday party the next day. He was irrationally terrified that Sirius would have announced to the whole room Regulus's behavior the previous few days, but when he crept into the kitchen around noon he found that wasn't the case. Everyone was milling about, talking and happily snacking on a small buffet that covered most of the kitchen table. Harry and his friends were at the head of the table, playing with a brand new chess set and speculating about presents.

Regulus eyed the waist-high mound of presents in the corner of the room. At least a third of them seemed to have Sirius's name on them. Despite his promise to get over such a petty gripe, Regulus felt a little embittered that Sirius was spending his fortune so frivolously. It was his money after all. Sirius had been disowned and the Black Family fortune as well as Grimmauld Place and their various estates had only reverted to him after Regulus had died. Regulus felt as if it ought to be his name on all those cards.

"Reggie!" Sirius called. "Glad you finally got out of bed. Come here and eat something!"

Regulus cringed as a dozen sets of eyes briefly centered on him. He wished Sirius hadn't called attention to his arrival. He nodded once to Harry Potter before joining his brother at the kitchen counter. Sirius was fiddling with the radio, trying to find a station everyone would like.

"Not that one, Sirius, that's for old people!" Hollered one of the Weasley twins from the table.

"Go back one!" yelled Ginny. "I liked the last one!"

A large, ginger cat flung himself onto the counter and Regulus started. For an agonizing minute, the room filled with the booming laughter of Kingsley Shacklebolt, who was conversing loudly with the other adults near the entryway.

Regulus wanted to cover his ears and scream. Everything was too loud and too obnoxious. Sirius finally settled on a radio station before turning to him.

"I put your name on one of the gifts," he said proudly, offering Regulus a plate of miniature sandwiches and vegetables.

"Only one, eh?" Regulus asked sourly. He took the food and immediately dumped half of it back onto Sirius's own plate.

"What are you on about?" Sirius asked, promptly putting Regulus's discarded food back on his little brother's plate.

"Just wondering how attached you are to my inheritance," Regulus snapped. He swiveled around, trying to prevent Sirius from ladling any more food onto his plate. "I don't suppose I'm ever going to get any of what Mum and Dad left me…"

Sirius paused for a moment. Now here was something he and Regulus had never discussed: their parents' assets. Sirius had promised that Regulus's situation would be explained to the Ministry once the war was over and he was no longer at any risk from Voldemort, but they had never discussed money or property. Sirius knew his parents had left everything to Reg and that him having it all now was a sort of legal mistake, for although his parents had disowned him, they had not done so legally and when no secondary heir was named, Regulus's death had forfeited everything back to their one remaining child: Sirius. Sirius remembered getting the letter while in Azkaban and feeling very bitter about it all. A fat lot of good such a windfall of money and property did him in a prison cell!

But it seemed Regulus was operating under the assumption that Sirius was going to sign everything back over to him one Regulus was legally "alive" again. Sirius honestly hadn't been planning to.

"You're hardly going to be starving in the streets, Regulus," Sirius hedged. "I'll take care of you."

Regulus ground his teeth and Sirius knew he was on thin ice with his brother. One wrong word and Regulus would surely make a scene. Sirius wasn't going to promise him anything, though. In his mind it wasn't stealing exactly, more like righting a wrong. Everything should have been his to begin with; he was older.

"If you think I won't fight you on this, Sirius, you're dreaming," Regulus hissed. "You're the one who left everything and all of us behind to rot! You never cared about our legacy. This house and all their money is rightfully mine and you know that! You got shit from Uncle Alphard, and I got my inheritance from our parents. When this is all sorted out, I will take back what is mine!"

Before Sirius could respond, Remus Lupin shouldered his way past the gaggle of Weasley children who were busily showing off some indoor fireworks display the twins had made for Harry.

"Sirius," he said. "I'm making a trip down to the wine cellar for refills." He held up two empty bottles and shook them slightly for emphasis before setting them in the sink. "Do you mind if Harry has a little? He's been asking."

"That's fine," Sirius said.

"Hello, Regulus," Remus said fondly. "You look upset, is everything okay?"

"Oh I'm fine," Regulus said sardonically. "Aside from the fact that I've been robbed blind. IF you'll excuse me…"

He set his plate of uneaten food down and pushed his way past Remus. Before he could escape the room however, he was waylaid by Hermione Granger, who insisted he set off the next round of fireworks for them. Regulus scowled but reluctantly accepted her wand and joined in the merriment.

"Twelve hours of peace between the two of you. Is that some sort of record?"

"Very funny, Moony," Sirius said. "He's mad at me because the house and all our parents' money was originally left to him but then went to me when he died. I think he assumed I was going to give it all back eventually…"

"You aren't?" Remus asked curiously.

"Of course not!" Sirius exclaimed. "What would I live on?"

Remus shrugged. "It is his, Sirius. I understand why you'd want to keep it, being sort of his parent and all now, but surely you must understand how upset he'd be?"

Sirius nodded sadly. "I knew it'd be a tough potion for him to swallow, but I thought I could appease him by promising him all the money he could ever need. It's not like I wasn't planning on providing for him. If we're both living in the house and I fill his vault with gold, then what's the difference to him?"

Remus rolled his eyes. "And if you just gave it all back and let him give you an allowance, Sirius?"

"Don't be crazy, Moony! I can't have my little brother own our house! Imagine him trying to kick me out the first time he disagrees with a punishment…"

"See," said Remus slyly. "It clearly does make a difference. It's a control thing, Sirius. Regulus knows he's not going to be in the poorhouse just because you've taken over his inheritance, but he'll still be at your mercy. Even if you'd never deny him money or kick him out of the house, it's just the fact that you have that power at all…plus, he's a teenager as well as a Black: two demographics that last time I checked, did not share so well."

"I guess you're right, but now what do you propose I do?"

"Honestly? I'm not sure anything short of getting one of your parents' portraits to tell him to obey you is going to cow him. Barring that…just offer to put the asset deeds in both your names and give him a share of the money."

"Putting a second name on any of our deeds wouldn't actually give him any power of estate," Sirius said confusedly.

"No, but it'd make him feel better. Anyway, you two have a long time before any of this is something you need to be worrying about. What brought it all on?"

Sirius nodded towards Harry's present pile, which was noticeably smaller thanks to tactics he was sure his godson and his friends thought were sneaky.

"Ah," said Remus. "Spending all his money on the kid he's the most jealous of. Excellent job, Sirius."

"Oh shut up and go get the wine already."

The rest of the day passed in peaceful excitement. Everyone seemed so happy that in certain moments Regulus felt sure he was the only person who remembered that they were in the middle of asymmetrical war. Harry Potter gleefully unwrapped a new broomstick, several expensive jackets, a wand-servicing kit, multiple Quidditch books, and various other expensive gifts. Some of them appeared to have been hastily rewrapped.

Harry shared his stash of new-got birthday candy with all his friends. Seeming attuned to Regulus's unhappiness, Harry made a point of giving Regulus more than anyone else. Regulus didn't feel much like eating sweets, but he appreciated the gesture.

Later in the evening everyone retired to the drawing room with plates of cake. Most of the kids lounged on the floor, snacking and talking, while the adults sat around on the furniture sipping wine and firewhiskey. Regulus alone stood awkwardly in the doorway. Sirius set down his glass and approached him.

"Will you come sit with me, Regulus?" he asked.

Regulus shrugged.

Sirius draped an arm over his brother. "Thank you for behaving," he said. Sirius was very happy that Regulus had chosen to not make a fuss over their earlier argument and that he seemed to be getting along well with everyone at the party.

Regulus gave in. He was tired, and Sirius's affections were too tempting. Regulus slouched into his brother's armchair with him. It was large enough that they could fit comfortably side by side. Soon the lights were dimmed and Bill Weasley was entertaining everyone with a bit of an indoor lightshow. Regulus watched with heavy eyelids for a few minutes before he drifted off, his head lolling onto Sirius's shoulder.

Sometime later, around ten o'clock, Professor Dumbledore arrived. Regulus awoke with a start when he felt Sirius stand up.

Dumbledore handed Harry a gift, which the boy quickly set about unwrapping. Then after a brief word with Sirius and Mr. Weasley, Dumbledore had the children cleared from the room except Harry Potter. Regulus also lagged behind.

"Go on, Reg," Sirius urged.

Regulus shook his head. "I want to know what's—"

"Not now, Regulus," Sirius insisted and he pushed Regulus hastily from the room. "Get."

Regulus wanted to argue, but Sirius's glare stayed him. Regulus reluctantly retreated upstairs to his room. A long while after, Hermione Granger nudged open his door, knocking quietly.

"Can we converge in here, Regulus?" she asked, leading Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny into Regulus's room with her.

"Sure," Regulus sighed. He was too upset to sleep anyway.

"Harry's been gone for quite a while," said Ginny suspiciously, crawling catlike onto Regulus's bed and making herself comfortable. Regulus sneered a bit at her and slid further away.

"He left?" Regulus asked Hermione as though she had voiced the question. He found he had an easier time talking to her as she appeared to possess a modicum of intelligence compared to the rest of the home invaders.

"Yes," Hermione said. "Professor Dumbledore took him off somewhere. They've been gone since ten-thirty!"

"Well," said Fred or George, Regulus couldn't be bothered to guess which. He whipped out one of the Extendable Ears they had used the previous year to spy on the Order. It dangled ominously. "When they get back they're bound to have a little meeting, and we'll be listening!"

"Can't you just rely on your friend to fill you in on the details?" Regulus asked in a bored voice. "He's never failed to before."

"I don't know," said Hermione skeptically. "I think if Professor Dumbledore swore him to secrecy he'd want to obey him. It's easier for everyone if we just get the information on our own, then Harry won't be put in an awkward position."

"Fair enough," Regulus sighed.

"Did you hear that?" Ron asked suddenly. "That's the front door! That'll probably be them!"

"Finally!" Ginny breathed, relieved. "It's almost one am!"

Just like that, everyone rushed from Regulus's room. With a sigh, he followed them.

Harry Potter was indeed back, and by the sound of things, exhausted.

"Harry, are you all right?" Regulus could clearly hear Sirius's voice even without the Weasley's trick device.

"M'fine, Sirius." Harry sounded exhausted. Hermione held out her arm, stopping her posse at the bottom of the steps.

"So?" Came Kingsley Shacklebolt's deep voice. "Were the suspicions correct? Was there really another horcrux in that house?"

"Indeed," said Dumbledore. By the sound of things, he was showing something to the others. "A ring. I cannot begin to express my gratitude at your bravery, Harry. You have once again proven yourself capable of things far greater than most your age."

"You are truly amazing, Harry," Sirius said.

Regulus felt his heart clench. There were multiple horcruxes? And by the sound of things, Dumbledore had taken the Potter boy to retrieve a second one. Why had he not been informed of this? He was the one who had discovered the Dark Lord's secret! And why was Harry being allowed to gallivant off and hunt dark artefacts like this, when he, Regulus, had been forbidden by Sirius from even leaving his house?

Sirius continued to praise and fawn over Harry, until Regulus couldn't take it anymore. He stalked off to his room and slammed to door shut.

Regulus knew he was being petty in some regards. It was little of him to feel jealousy over Harry's treatment. He was frustrated, though. Did Sirius truly think of him as such a child? Less trustworthy than a sixteen-year-old…less brave than a schoolboy?

He thought back to the night he'd revealed his mission in the cave. He'd received suspicious glances, a few sage nods and a few shocked expressions. No one had hailed him as a hero. Regulus truly wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. He felt as though he truly had no place in this new world.

Bitter, Regulus pulled his books back out, as well as his notes. As he had every day for the last few months, he pored over his papers. Some were recent and some were from his previous life and they held everything he'd gathered on the Dark Lord's immortality and his potential horcruxes. Originally, Regulus had thought his various notes were speculations on the possible location of his master's horcrux. When he'd been taken to the cave by Kreacher and collected the locket, he'd assumed that his other leads had been false. Now, however, with the revelation that there were multiple horcruxes, Regulus was forced to assume that all his other potential leads were actually other horcruxes.

Regulus sifted through his pages. What had Dumbledore mentioned…a ring? In a house somewhere? Likely that was the Marvolos' house, the home of Voldemort's ancestors. Or perhaps the Gaunts. Regulus wasn't sure, and it hardly mattered at this point. That horcrux had been found. Regulus focused his thoughts on some of his other leads. Perhaps if he could locate another piece of Voldemort's soul, he could tell the others and then Sirius would see him as useful.

It took Regulus hours to narrow his options down.

"Bellatrix…" he whispered.

A knock at his door nearly made him jump out of his skin. He hastily hid his work and looked at the clock. It was seven in the morning.

"Come in," Regulus said gruffly, and unsurprisingly, it was Sirius who stuck his head in.

"Breakfast, Reggie," he said. "What would you like me to make? Hang on…" Sirius eyed Regulus's clothes. "You haven't slept, have you?"

"What of it?" Regulus asked, miffed.

Sirius sighed. "Not this again, Reggie." He pulled his brother to his feet. "What can I do to make you trust me?"

Regulus raised an eyebrow. He decided to throw a little test at his brother.

"You could tell me what all that commotion was about yesterday."

Sirius blinked. "Regulus…"

"What did Dumbledore want?" Regulus demanded. "He left with your godson and they came back in the early hours of the morning. What were they up to, Sirius?"

Sirius paused. "The…headmaster has been teaching Harry Occlumency these past few months. He's nervous about Harry's visions. Harry's been receiving private lessons once a week. Surely you've noticed?"

Regulus narrowed his eyes. "Of course I did," he said angrily. "I wasn't aware they were so important that he needed to be whisked away in the middle of the night."

"Well it is," said Sirius shortly. "So let's just forget it, okay?"

"Sure," Regulus growled. He joined Sirius in the kitchen and ate in a gloomy silence while everyone around him chattered happily. He left quickly and no one noticed him. If Sirius was going to lie to his face, then he wasn't going to share any information with him. Instead he'd go and get the next horcrux himself.

End/part one

Signed/tenrousei-kuroi