WARNINGS: THIS CHAPTER DOES TALK OF DRUGS AND ALCOHOL AND CHILD ABUSE; THERE IS ALSO A DRUNK CHARACTER

Disclaimer:

"Why am I here?"

"Because I asked you."

"You didn't ask me; you kidnapped me!"

"Just do the disclaimer, Sirius, then, I'll let you go!

"Fine, Myra109, does not own anything except for her insanity."

"You call it insanity; I call it creativity."

"Can I leave now?"

"Never!"

"Regulus?"

Regulus froze at his desk, his hand dropping the quill he'd been using.

"C-Come in," he cursed himself when he stammered. Please, don't hit me. Please, don't hit me. Please, don't hit me, he prayed.

The door opened, and his father stepped inside, shuffling his feet, but Regulus didn't dare turn around, lest he see Regulus's look of fear.

"Regulus, can we talk?" Orion said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Sure," Regulus choked out.

"Could you face me?" Orion said, sitting on the bed.

Regulus took a deep breath, willing his face to become blank, before he faced his father.

Orion was horrified when he saw his son's black eye. Walburga had quite the temper, but she'd never, ever hit one of their children.

He reached up, hesitantly, and brushed a finger over the black and blue skin beneath Regulus's eye.

"When did this happen?" He whispered.

"Yesterday," Reg murmured.

Truthfully, he was a little shocked. His father was stern and drunk three quarters of the time, although his father had his moments when he was soft and tender, just like any other father. But typically, he had those moments with Sirius, not Regulus.

"Regulus," Orion said, "I promise that this will not happen again. She'll hit you over my dead body, understood?"

"Yes, Father," Regulus said, growing more astonished by the minute. "Father, may I ask a question?"

"Yes?"

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

Orion shrugged. "Well, we've been so... concerned about Sirius lately. He's in Gryffindor; he's away from home; he's always getting into trouble. But, you're also my son, and you need me, too. I'll deal with Sirius when he gets home; right now, you're living on a battlefield."

"Is Mother mad at Sirius?" Regulus murmured. "Is she mad at me?"

"You're mother isn't mad at anyone but herself. She's lived a hard life, and even though that's no excuse for any of this, you have to understand how her past makes her so angry, and even she doesn't understand why.

"But Reg, she will never hit you again," Orion said, sternly. "If she ever does, you come to me. And Reg? I'm going to try to stop drinking and leaving and the drugs and all of that. I don't want you or your brother turning out like that."

Regulus nodded, but he was in too much shock to say a word.

"Now, I'm going to write back to your brother. Your mother should be gone for a while, and when she's sober, I'll talk to her. No use having a conversation she won't remember in the morning."

Reg smiled, sadly, and nodded.

His dad left, and Regulus picked up on the story he was writing.

Maybe the story would have a happy ending, as would his.

Little did Regulus know, things were about to take a turn for the worse.

Meanwhile, Orion tapped his quill on the table, leaving a few ink splatters but not really caring.

How should he start this letter? What should he even write?

Dear Sirius.

That was as good a place to start as any.

Dear Sirius,

I'm proud of you for getting into Gryffindor, and making new friends. I hope you're enjoying Hogwarts.

Things around here have been pretty chaotic. Your mother is as volatile as ever, shouting and raging like some kind of dragon. She hit your brother the other day. I only found out a few moments ago when I saw his black eye.

Sirius, I'm putting my foot down. Your mother will never hit one of you again. She'll hurt either of you over my dead body.

I'm trying to stop drinking and leaving and doing drugs. I don't want you or Regulus to turn out like that.

I hope those friends of your's are a hell of a lot better influences than your mother and I.

Have fun, Sirius. We all miss you, including your mother, even if she won't admit it.

I love you. I don't say that to you enough.

DAD

Orion sighed, literally throwing down his quill. It was good to get all of that off his chest.

(Walburga is drunk, sor any spelling mistakes in the dialogue are intentional)

Walburga came home at 7:53 that night, drunk as hell.

"Orion!" She called, stumbling into the living room, where her husband sat in the arm chair. "Deed ya know dat dat brat is in... is in Gryffindor? Can ya beliebe dat?"

"Walburga, you need to go to bed. I haven't seen you this drunk since you were pregnant with Regulus."

In hindsight, it probably wasn't a good idea to let her drink when she was pregnant, Orion thought.

"Who cares?" Walburga laughed, throwing her arms in the air like a five year old.

"Walburga?"

She suddenly stopped laughing. "Where aw da kids?"

"Sirius is at Hogwarts, and Regulus is upstairs, getting ready for bed."

"I hit 'm, Oron. I hit my son."

"I know, and it will not happen again," Orion told her.

"NO! I SIDN'T MEAN, TOO!" She screamed, hysterical. "He just looked so much like Sirius..."

"So you'd hit Sirius then?" Orion growled, angrily.

"NO! I-I was just so mad, and-"

"That's no excuse, Walburga. They're both your children, regardless of house."

"I know. I know."

She fell to her knees, crying.

"I used ta be nice... gendle... and pity," she said it so quietly Orion didn't hear her.

"Could you speak up a little, darling?"

"I used to be nice and gentle and pretty. What happen ta me?"

"I don't know, Walburga, but we can fix it."

"No, we can't! It's the Black Insanity, Oron. It's come for me," Walburga sobbed. "I'm sorry."

Orion wanted to deny it, but he knew it was true. He wife was going insane.

And he was powerless to stop it.

In the Department of Mysteries (the Time room, to be specific), there's a machine that resembles a clock, but it has years on it from 1971 to 2000.

If anyone had been looking at it the past week, they would've seen 1994 light up with an arc of light drawn to 1971.

They would've seen a map below the clock light up, and two lights glow: one at Grimmauld Place Number 12, one at Hogwarts.

The machine tracked time travelers.

It would only take one look...

But of course, no one ever looks at the machine.

But what happens when they do?

I made up that machine. I guess if they're from further in the future or from the past, that year would appear, but I'll leave that machine up to the imagination until it comes a bigger part of the plot much later on.

Also... TRIVIA IS BACK

What are the names of Walburga Black's two brothers?