Regulus thought about the letter. Was it still here? What had Sirius done with it? He got up, slowly approached the waste bin and looked inside. No letter. That meant if Sirius hadn't burnt it, he'd taken it into his room.

Without thinking twice about it, Regulus headed to Sirius' room. Switched the lights on. The room was a mess, as usual, but there, on top of the books on Sirius' bookshelf next to the bed, Regulus spotted the letter.

Tentatively Regulus took and unfolded it. It really was from James, Sirius hadn't lied about that at least. But as Regulus' eyes scanned over the lines, his face changed to a very cross expression.

He'd known it. Sirius had lied about what he was doing.

No word of playing Exploding Snap, just the cryptic words

"It's nicely bright outside. Meet us at 10 at Moony's. James"

What the hell was that supposed to mean? It's nicely bright outside… That meant they would do something outside, most likely. Regulus thought about some strange rumours Severus had spread over a year ago about Sirius and his friends. As if they regularly sneaked out of the castle at night, up to something.

But when Regulus had asked what he meant with that, Severus had just sneered and kept his words vague, what was uncharacteristic for Severus, because if he really knew something he could hold against Sirius and his friends, Severus would definitely have publicised it.

And then again, Severus had told him a lot of things during his time at Hogwarts, especially about his brother. Contradicting, weird things. Most of which Regulus had thought was rubbish. And some things on which Regulus now wished he had broached the subject again.

At first, Regulus felt the urge to rip the letter apart, or to keep it and confront Sirius with it when he came back.

But then again, he didn't want to get into trouble. And he knew he wasn't supposed to sneak around in Sirius' room. It had been one of the few things that had always riled Sirius up, even when they had still been children.

Speaking of sneaking around… Regulus let his eyes wander over Sirius' possessions. Sneaking around would be a great payback as well. That's what Sirius got for leaving him alone here!

Regulus put the letter back exactly how he had found it, and then went over to Sirius' trunk. It was a complete mess, and Regulus rummaged around in it a bit.

He found several objects that seemed strange, like an empty piece of parchment, an ancient looking knife, and a shimmering ball, approximately the size of a snitch. But then again, they were probably prank objects.

Regulus felt around at the bottom of the trunk, and then he felt the surface's texture change in a squarish area.

A secret compartment.

Regulus hauled all the stuff Sirius kept in his trunk out and threw it on the floor. Then, carefully, he opened the newfound compartment.

He pulled out thin, wooden stick. His wand.

Regulus' eyebrows furrowed. Sirius had still had his wand, Regulus had totally forgotten about that. Sirius had taken it, and not given it back.

Regulus let his fingers slide over the smooth wooden handle. His wand had always been beautiful, and he loved holding it in his hand, just looking at it, feeling its energy. And right now he felt that again. He realized how much he had missed his wand, how he had missed being able to do magic.

Didn't Sirius trust him with it? Regulus knew that when he first got here, Sirius had taken his wand to prevent Regulus to use it for attacking him or for an escape.

But Sirius knew now that Regulus would never do that. He would never cast a spell at his brother. This was his home now. So why did Sirius keep it? Did Sirius think he was a dark wizard and tried to keep him from practising dark magic?

Regulus sat down on the wooden floor and leaned his back against Sirius' bed. He regarded his wand. It was made of cypress, had a beautiful brown colour, and a twisted design throughout its length, growing broader towards the handle. The handle itself had the design of the rippled tip of a dragon's wing. The core was dragon heartstring, just like the core of Sirius' wand.

Merlin, he loved his wand. It felt so familiar, so right, fitting perfectly in his hand. The magic pulsated through his veins into his fingers and from there into the wand, and it came to life, he could feel it, like an extended part of himself, he felt his magic float into the tip, concentrating, centralising.

Why had Sirius kept him from having it? From some strange reason, Regulus felt immensely hurt. Sirius had said trust was the basis of their relationship. Do not lie to me.

But Sirius didn't trust him one bit.

It hurt because Regulus trusted his brother. Because he loved him and he wanted Sirius to trust him as well. Hadn't Sirius said everything was forgiven after that night a few weeks ago? That they would start anew? So what had he done to make his brother distrust him?

Had it something to do with Sirius taking this guardianship thing so seriously? But that didn't excuse lying.

Regulus gritted his teeth. Sirius had lied to him, so he would lie to Sirius as well. He wouldn't leave his wand here, he would keep it. It was only fair.

Regulus looked around in the room. His eyes came to rest on Sirius' history of magic homework. Regulus felt a grim satisfaction rise up in him as he took it and transfigured it to look exactly like his wand. Proudly Regulus examined it. His transfiguration skills were still on fleek.

That would teach Sirius to treat him like a stupid child. Regulus grinned maliciously as put the fake wand back into the secret compartment inside of Sirius' trunk, then he threw all the stuff he'd previously pulled out back inside, not caring much about doing it neatly. He didn't think Sirius would notice any difference from the mess he usually kept in his trunk.

After that, Regulus took his wand and put it into his own trunk in his bedroom, he hid it carefully under his school robes. Then Regulus went back into his brother's room, pulled the broom out from under Sirius' bed and went outside to fly a bit.

Regulus pushed himself up from the ground and into the nightly air. At first, he stayed obediently inside of the magical wards, but then he figured it was night and the muggles wouldn't be able to see him fly anyway, thanks to the darkness.

Flying was awesome, just like it always was. Mixed with the spicy feeling of mischief and the thrill of doing something forbidden, it probably felt even better than it usually did.

Regulus tried a few stunts, and after he was tired of doing that, he decided to fly along the beach for a bit. The moon was full and stood high on the clear nightly sky, shining down on the waters behind the cottage, making them appear like a lake out of pure, shining silver while bathing the area around him in a white-silver glow, illuminating it, making it almost as easy for Regulus to direct his flight as if it was bright day. For a second he wished he could share this beautiful moment with Sirius, but he quickly banished the thought from his mind.

It was Sirius' own fault that he wasn't here with him right now.

Regulus circled the beach a few times and then returned to the cottage. He softly landed on the top of the cottage's roof and just sat there for a while, regarding the pattern of the roofing tiles that silhouetted sharply in the silvery moonlight, letting his mind come to a rest.

Suddenly he spotted something fly towards him. A ministry owl. With a letter.

Before he even got the chance to take it, the letter enfolded itself and a shrill voice resounded.

"Dear Mr. Black, the Ministry has received intelligence that at ten thirty-six, this evening, you performed a transfiguration spell. As a violation of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, you hereby receive a first official warning.

Hoping you are well, Isolde Henbane"

Regulus' snatched the letter angrily out of the air and ripped it to tiny pieces, then he threw them high in the air and watched the wind carry the small pieces away. This was again Sirius' fault. Had Sirius been at home, the ministry wouldn't have been able to identify the spell as performed by Regulus and thereby he wouldn't have gotten a warning.

He sighed. It was way past midnight, and he wondered what Sirius was doing right now. Together with James and Mooney and whoever else might be invited.

Regulus let his feet dangle from the roof. His own friends hadn't written him a single time during the holidays, and it was just three weeks left until school started again. But on the other hand, he hadn't written them either. And he'd never been as close with his friends as Sirius was with his. Sirius' friends were like a second family to him, whereas to Regulus, his friends were just that – friends. Nothing more.

Maybe Sirius would prefer to spend his holidays with James and his other friends rather than with him. Or with the Potters. Regulus felt the nasty feeling of jealousy creep up inside of him again. Who was he anyway? The little annoying Slytherin brother?

It wasn't as if he hadn't noticed that Sirius and his friends identified very strongly with the house of Gryffindor. And he had observed how they treated Slytherins in general – as if they were inferior to them, Gryffindors were the good ones and Slytherin the bad ones who couldn't be trusted.

Trust is the basis of our relationship.

All Slytherins are evil.

Did Sirius think he was evil? Did he think he was inferior to him because he was a Slytherin? Was he ashamed of him?

Sirius hadn't talked much to him during his time at Hogwarts. Alright, he had avoided Sirius as well, and they had ceased talking completely after Sirius had left their home to go and live with the Potters. But the sorting ceremony had been the final turning point in their relationship.

How Sirius had looked at him. With a tinge of disappointment, and then his eyes had gone cold. Slytherin. The epitome of everything Sirius rejected.

It had been the day they had ceased being brothers altogether. It had been as if Regulus had made a decision. As if he had chosen his parents and the family's traditions, and had made clear distinctions between himself and his brother. And he had.

We put all our hope in you, Regulus. Your brother has proven himself worthless. Don't disappoint us as well.

He had made a decision. But he hadn't had a choice, not really. Sirius had never understood it. He had never understood him. After Sirius had gone his own way, egoistically, not caring about anything else, it had been up to Regulus to pick up the pieces. The pressure his parents, especially his mother, had put on him had been immense. He had had to rehabilitate the family's reputation. Mark Sirius as an abomination, as something out of the norm.

I see a huge amount of courage and loyalty, just like your mind is sharp and your thirst for knowledge insatiable. Are you sure you want Slytherin? You possess a need to prove yourself worthy, that's true. And Slytherin would bring greatness with it. But what about happiness?

He had begged that damned hat to put him in Slytherin. He had wanted to make his parents proud.

And then he'd seen the expression in Sirius' eyes after the hat had announced his decision, the glimmer of disappointment in them. And how quickly Sirius had looked away as if he wasn't interested at all, as if he didn't care at all. As if they had nothing to do with each other.

We are nothing like each other, Regulus. You chose them, now you've got them.

And now Sirius was hanging out with his Gryffindor friends. Not wanting to drag his little Slytherin brother along with him, because he wouldn't belong. Regulus never seemed to really belong anywhere.

"Have you seen my History of Magic essay?"

Sirius had been searching for his homework since over half an hour, he had turned the whole cottage upside down by now. He had tried summoning it, he had searched for it everywhere. This couldn't be real. It was nowhere to be found. Would he really have to do it all over again?

"No," Regulus answered curtly.

"It's a large pile of parchments, about seven or eight pages at least…" It was unbelievable. It had to be somewhere! Sirius paced up and down in the living room. He had been almost finished. Just about two more pages and the worst part of his holiday homework would've been over.

"No, I haven't! Now stop bothering me!" Regulus snarled from the armchair he had curled himself up in, a large, ancient-looking book hiding his face.

Sirius' eyebrows furrowed. "Mind your tone." He said sternly. He went back into the kitchen, checked in the waste bin and on the kitchen counter for, what he felt, the hundredth time.

He hadn't taken the homework outside, had he? No. He was sure he'd left it on his desk the day before yesterday, he'd worked on it shortly before he'd left for Remuses.

"Fine," Regulus responded brazenly, clapped his book shut and left the room, fuming.

Sirius stared after him. Regulus had been acting strange the last two days. Actually, since he'd gotten the letter from James, but he hadn't realized it until yesterday afternoon after he'd had a good night's sleep. Regulus had avoided Sirius, had spent most of the time in his room and Sirius almost had to force him to spend some time with him in the living room.

Maybe Reg had… but no. Reg would never do that. Why should he hide his homework? Especially after Reg knew how hard Sirius had worked on it. Sirius banned the thought from his mind. He had no reason to think it had been his brother, and to assume it would've been him just because Sirius had lost his homework would be unfair.

Sirius sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, brushing his fringe out of his face. Then he slowly went towards Regulus' room. At the door, he paused and knocked softly.

"No!" Regulus' angry voice resounded from behind the closed door. Sirius knitted his brows and opened the door anyway.

"Haven't I made it clear enough that I don't want to be disturbed?" Regulus snapped. He was sitting on the floor in front of his trunk but slammed it shut as soon as Sirius stepped in, closed the door and leant against it.

"What's got your wand in a twist today?" Sirius asked bewildered, but Regulus could clearly hear some worry resonate in his brother's voice.

"I just want a moment of peace. Is that too much to ask for?"

Sirius ignored Regulus' question. He knew there was more behind Regulus' behaviour than just wanting a moment of peace.

"I'm sorry. I just don't want us to be cross with each other." Sirius slowly took a few steps towards Regulus and sat down next to him on the wooden floor, crossing his legs.

"Hey. Talk to me," Sirius said softly.

Regulus felt a tinge of guilt crawl around in his stomach, but he decided to ignore it. He shrugged his shoulders. "I wouldn't know about what." He answered flatly.

Regulus watched his brother's shoulders slump slightly. "Have I done something wrong?" Sirius asked him, his voice almost a whisper, sounding vulnerable all of a sudden. "I'm sorry that I annoyed you, I just… this essay really cost me a lot of time and energy. And it's frustrating that it's gone, that I lost it. It's not your fault, and I'm sorry that I was short with you."

Regulus averted his eyes, studying the floorboards on the ground, the dust that had collected itself in between the narrow gaps. The feeling of guilt inside of his stomach grew larger and formed itself into a tight knot.

So he just nodded, not looking at his brother. Maybe he should stop being so cold to Sirius. Because he'd paid him back, hadn't he? They were even, kind of.

He forced himself to quirk the corners of his mouth up to something that he hoped looked like a smile.

"It's okay." He said in a lighter voice than how he felt. Nothing was okay.

Sirius' expression relaxed, and relief washed over his face. He flashed Regulus a bright smile.

"Do you want a cup of tea, later?" He asked gently.

Regulus nodded again and his smile became more genuine, he couldn't help it with Sirius looking at him like that. "Yeah, I'd like that."

Sirius' smile broadened, and a loving expression entered his eyes as he looked at his little brother. It felt like Christmas each time he was able to make Regulus smile.

"In half an hour?" Sirius asked.

"Okay."

Sirius pushed himself up from the ground, ruffled Regulus' hair affectionately and left the room, his pace light and carefree again.

Suddenly, hot, bitter shame washed over Regulus.

He wished dearly he could just undo the past two days. He shouldn't have taken Sirius' essay. Sirius would have never done something like that to him, so why had he? Regulus sucked at the inside of his teeth, lost in thought. Then he went over to his trunk, opened it. Rummaged around in it, and finally found what he'd searched.

His wand.

Should he confess to Sirius? But then the last bit of trust Sirius had in him would be destroyed. Sirius wouldn't trust him again, even though Regulus yearned for Sirius' trust and approval.

Maybe he should sneak into Sirius' bedroom and just transform the homework back. There might be a chance of Sirius not noticing him sneaking into his room and performing the spell. It would be quick. The Ministry would be none the wiser as well, for Sirius was at home and they wouldn't know who had performed the spell.

But Sirius had searched for the essay everywhere. He would immediately know that Regulus had taken the essay and had just been too cowardly to confess to him.

Was he?

No. I'm not a coward.

So Regulus sat there, on the floor of his bedroom, his wand in his hands, cudgelling his brains about what to do.

Half an hour later, Sirius called him for tea. Heavy-hearted, Regulus got up and put his wand in the waistband of his trousers. Then he joined Sirius in the living room. Regulus' senses already perceived the sweet scent of tea before he reached the room, and he couldn't help but feel even worse as soon as he saw how nicely Sirius had decorated the coffee table, how his brother had put little bowls with Regulus' favourite biscuits and chocolate next to the cups filled with the sweet-smelling, hot tea.

Sirius had already sat down in his favourite armchair next to the fireplace and motioned for Regulus to sit down as well. Regulus obeyed, but the knot in his stomach grew by every minute he watched Sirius smile happily at him and tell him about some funny types of tea he had tried with James once in Hogsmeade.

"You wouldn't believe it, but in Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, normal tea is sorted under 'tea taste'. The other sorts aren't tea-like in the least, there is bubblegum taste, steamed steak taste, coffee taste – I wondered whether that wasn't a contradiction, but she said it was tea with the effects, the taste and the looks of coffee. But isn't that coffee then?" Sirius chattered away happily, only pausing to take a sip of his tea. "Anyway, the funny one James and I tried was Parchment taste. It tasted as if someone had dunked an old, dusty page of parchment into flat water, just worse, and the aftertaste was awful. The only person I could imagine drinking that voluntarily was Professor Binns, and just because he's a ghost and therefore doesn't have any taste buds. But Madam Puddifoot assured us that there could actually customers be found for this type who were quite fond of it."

"Maybe Madam Pince?" Regulus mused. The new librarian seemed like the kind of person who would enjoy parchment taste tea.

Sirius snorted with laughter, spilling some tea on the floor. "Right! I didn't think about her, but yeah!"

Regulus watched him intently. His older brother, Sirius. It seemed so natural to sit together and listen to him chatter about random things. Two months earlier, he wouldn't have believed it to be possible. He wouldn't even have wanted it.

And now he couldn't miss it, not again. Trust is the basis of our relationship.

"Do you trust me, Sirius?" He asked suddenly, the knot in his stomach growing unbearable. He wanted Sirius to trust him, but Sirius didn't deserve to be deceived.

Sirius blinked for a second at the sudden change of topic but then smiled. "Yeah, I do." His eyes honest.

Regulus swallowed heavily, set his cup of tea down on the coffee table and then put his feet on the couch and curled his knees to his chest.

"I need to tell you something." He said in a small voice.

Sirius' smile faltered as he saw Regulus' anxious expression. He put his cup down as well, leaning slightly forward. Waiting.

Regulus opened his mouth and closed it again, searching for words. Now he wished he'd kept his mouth shut. What if Sirius hated him after he'd told him what he'd done? He risked a quick glance at his brother and saw Sirius looking at him with a serious expression, worry showing in his grey eyes.

"What is it?" Sirius asked hesitantly after Regulus kept silent.

"I … I've done something. Can you promise you won't be angry?" Regulus said, his voice barely audible. He was so scared of his brother shouting at him, sending him away. Deciding he'd had enough of him.

Sirius' stomach turned and he felt his insides tightening. What horrible thing could Regulus have done that he was so afraid he'd be angry?

"I…" Sirius stammered. But a look at Regulus' anxious expression was enough for him to soften. "Just tell me, Reg. I promise I won't yell at you."

Regulus took a deep breath. "I lied to you. I took the essay and my wand." He withdrew his wand and put it on the coffee table.

"Huh," Sirius said, staring at the wand, mouth open. For a moment, he was almost relieved. Regulus hadn't done anything dangerous.

"And your essay is in the hidden compartment in your trunk… It's transfigured to look like my wand." Regulus said softly, then put his arms around his knees and hid his face in them, curling himself into a ball. Now everything was over. Sirius would see that he was just a bother, and if he hadn't thought so previously, he'd think so now, definitely.

"Huh," Said Sirius, again. Then he shook his head as if to himself. "When was that?" He asked, keeping his voice neutral.

"The night you were away. To play Exploding Snap." Regulus mumbled, but the last part he said with an edge.

Suddenly Sirius understood. "Do you want to tell me about that night? How did my essay end up disguised as your wand?" He asked, not unfriendly, but decided. "Hey, Reg. Look at me." He said as Regulus just shrugged his shoulders.

"I'd rather not tell you about it," Regulus said as he turned his head a bit, his face still half hidden by his arms, just his large, grey eyes were cautiously fixed upon Sirius.

"And when I ask you friendly? It seems like a rather interesting story to me." Sirius said and tried for an encouraging smile. He'd promised Reg he wouldn't get angry, and he really didn't feel a tinge of anger.

Regulus looked at his brother, slightly confused. Why was Sirius so calm? Why wasn't he shouting at him? Why wasn't he telling him to pack his stuff and get lost?

But Sirius was still sitting in his armchair, just like before, looking at him, expectantly.

"I was pissed at you for leaving like that. So I went into your room and rummaged around, and found my wand. I transfigured your essay and kept the wand in my own trunk." Regulus admitted.

"Is that all?" Sirius asked doubtfully. He could see that Regulus wasn't telling him the whole truth. How Sirius had expected it, Regulus shook his head.

"I went outside and flew on my broom."

Sirius raised his eyebrows slightly. Now that was something that bothered him. But it didn't make him angry, not really. Not after he saw the defeated look on his little brother's face.

Slowly he slid out of his armchair and went over to the couch to his brother who'd hid his face in his arms again. Sirius sat down next to Regulus who shifted away slightly, but Sirius put an arm around his shoulders and drew him near again.

"Thank you for telling me." He said softly.

"At least I won't have to do my History of Magic essay again. I'm really glad about that." Sirius said lightly after Regulus had just shrugged with his shoulders.

"Hey, Reg. Come on, tell me. What is it?" Sirius asked after a short while of silence between them, squeezing his little brother's shoulder gently while keeping him in a one-sided hug.

"I just wanted you to trust me," Regulus said in a low voice.

"But I do trust you," Sirius said, knitting his eyebrows in confusion.

"No, you don't. You told me you were going to James but you lied."

Sirius tensed up at that. How'd Regulus know that?

"I'm not stupid, you know," Regulus mumbled into his arms.

"I know that," Sirius answered, and sighed. "You're right, I lied. I'm sorry. But I can't tell you where I went, even if I wanted to."

"Yeah, because you don't trust me. Because I'm a Slytherin." Regulus said bitterly.

"No, because I can't break a promise. And I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lied. But I can't tell you the truth, really."

"Sure. Whatever." Regulus huffed, his face still hidden.

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Hey, that's not how you talk to me right now. Sit up and face me properly." He said in a slightly sterner tone, his lips now pressed together in frustration.

Reluctantly Regulus untangled himself on the couch, setting his feet back onto the ground.

"There are some things I cannot and do not want to share with you, but I do that to protect you. Do you understand that?"

"No," Regulus said with a tinge of attitude.

Sirius sighed at that. "But do you trust me?" He asked, looking his little brother directly in the eye.

Regulus lost the attitude at that. "Yes," He said in a small voice. He trusted Sirius. More than anyone else in the world.

"Then you'll have to trust me to know what's best for you," Sirius explained slowly as he watched his brother's feelings flash over his face, so openly portrayed that he could read each and every one of them.

"I'm sorry that I lied to you. But it does have nothing to do with me not trusting you. I trust you as well, little brother. Very much. And I'm glad you told me… about what you did. That was really brave." Sirius reassured Regulus, gently brushing Reg's curly fringe from his forehead.

"But won't you…?" Regulus' small voice piped up.

"What? Punish you?" Sirius asked.

Regulus grimaced and nodded.

Sirius regarded his little brother. He knew he had to. Even though he really didn't want to do it. But Regulus had lied to him, disobeyed, and put himself in danger by recklessly flying around at night. And he needed to be consistent with him, and if he made rules and didn't follow through with the consequences, what was the point of it at all?

He sighed. "Yeah." Sirius felt Regulus tense up next to him. He gently took hold of his little brother's chin and spoke in a much more serious tone than before.

"I don't want you outside at night, alone. You know that, I've told you that before – and you know flying at night is forbidden as well when I'm not with you. It can be dangerous, you might think you know the area and will be able to fly even though you barely see a thing, but you're mistaken here. You might fall, fly against something, and get hurt. And I would not be able to help you because it's dark outside, I wouldn't find you – therefore, flying at night is only allowed when I'm with you. Understood?"

Regulus nodded against his hand.

Sirius bit his lip and regarded his brother's face for a few seconds. Under other circumstances, this might have been a situation deserving of a severe punishment. Not so much the lying, but the flying and deliberately disobeying. They had discussed that before. But Regulus had confessed it, willingly, and he'd left nothing out, even though he easily could've not told Sirius about the nightly flying.

"A verbal answer, please."

"Yes, I understand," Regulus looked at him worriedly.

Sirius sighed. "No broom for the next three days and an early bedtime today. I'm sorry, Reg, but I did warn you before. Fly without permission, and you won't be allowed to fly at all. And when I tell you to stay inside at night, when I'm away, I expect you to obey me."

Regulus looked at him surprisedly as if having expected something else. "Don't you… Won't you…?"

Sirius knew Regulus had expected a spanking at least. But it didn't seem necessary, not this time. Sirius was sure Reg had learned his lesson, and that was what was most important. And having no broom for three days would be hard enough for his little flying-fanatical brother. He felt so proud that Regulus had felt brave enough to trust him and confess to him what he had done. He grinned at his brother's confused expression.

"Oh, you want a smacking?"

Regulus' eyes grew wide, but before he could react, Sirius had tugged him over his lap and started to whack his little brother's backside with a neck roll pillow he had snatched up from the couch.

"There you go. That'll teach you not to do it again!"

Regulus giggled and tried to push himself up again, but Sirius held him down firmly, and after a few more cushioned whacks, he threw the pillow away, lifted Regulus up to sit next to him and then pulled him into a warm hug.

"And I hope for your sake that I'll be able to transform that essay back, otherwise, I'll tickle you into the ground," Sirius added in a mock threat, lightly tickling Regulus' side.

Regulus giggled against his big brother's chest, hugging him tightly back.

"I love you, little brother. Don't ever doubt that," Sirius whispered into Reg's dark mop of hair.

Regulus felt his heart lighten, and the knots in his stomach disappeared. He wrapped his arms tighter around Sirius.

"I love you too," He murmured into Sirius' shoulder, feeling Sirius' fingers caressing his hair. He relaxed into his brother's warm, protective embrace, not caring in the least that what they just had said sounded incredibly corny and girly and... honest.

Sirius had forgiven him, and he wasn't even angry. He still trusted him. He loved him.

It meant a lot. So much, that Regulus was barely able to grasp it. Love. And he wanted to give Sirius all the love in his world too because that's what his big brother deserved. All his trust. All his love. How much had he missed it. Being loved. Feeling at home with somebody.

He could be a child again, together with Sirius. Sometimes, it felt as if they both were children again, laughing, joking, hugging, feeling loved and accepted. It all seemed so easy. Because, even after all that time, Sirius knew him. The real him. And he knew Sirius. They had nothing to hide.

After some time, they went together to Sirius' room, and Regulus watched as Sirius retrieved the fake wand out of the now not-so-secret-anymore compartment of his trunk and easily transfigured it back to his History of Magic essay, and Sirius didn't seem to mind the corners of the parchment being wrinkled after the transfiguration.

"Do you want me to fetch my wand?" Regulus asked slowly.

"No. You can put it into your own trunk. I should've given it back to you much earlier anyway. But don't let me catch you violate the degree of unreasonable restriction of your connection from brain to wand." Sirius said in mock sternness.

Regulus' face lit up like a Christmas tree. He was allowed to keep his wand! He had expected Sirius to take it away from him for sure, especially after what he had done.

"So, shall we finish our tea? I'm afraid it's cold now, but I suppose I could heat it up again with a quick spell." Sirius suggested and then grinned.

"Because I am allowed to do magic." He teased his little brother.

It was wondrous, how at home he felt here, with Sirius. More than he had ever felt at home anywhere else. Maybe it was because here, he felt, he could be who he really was. They were brothers. There was nothing they had to pretend to be. They could be children if they wanted to, brothers, grown-ups, whatever. It all felt true with Sirius.

The next night, they stayed up long. It was very bright outside, still almost full moon, so the brothers decided to go on a nightly walk along the coast. The moon illuminated the meadows and the sea next to them shone like dark silver, glittering as the soft wind caressed the surface.

At some point, they decided to sit down, looking out towards the waters. They hadn't talked much, both of them simply enjoying each other's company, and listening to the sounds of the night – the wind making the soft grass rustle slightly, and here and there they could hear a bird's wings fluttering or an owl cooing.

"Do you really think there are muggles walking on the moon?" Regulus mused.

"I'm sure there are some – hey, I just saw one!" Sirius pointed to the moon, causing Regulus to turn quickly and look up.

"Where?"

Sirius started to laugh loudly, ruffling his brother's hair affectionately. Regulus blushed at first but then laughed as well.

It was truly idyllic. Regulus lay down on his back and stared up into the starry heavens. He could recognize lots of constellations – Cassiopeia, Andromeda, the big dipper, the small dipper… Their family had always been very enthusiastic about Astronomy, and he and Sirius had made a game out of it, as children, finding each other's stars.

"I can see your star," Regulus smiled, recognizing the star Sirius had been named after brightly shining close to the horizon. Sirius, the brightest of all stars. It had been the first star he had been shown, by his brother. The Dog Star, sitting brightly on the chest of Canis Major.

"And your star's hidden behind the sun," Sirius responded, sitting next to his brother on the soft grass, his head tilted back.

Regulus kept his eyes on the brightest star, then used it to navigate himself from constellation to constellation. Sirius had shown him how to do it when they had still been children, and even though Regulus could tell the star constellations by heart now, he still liked to navigate himself from one to another like Sirius had shown him so many years ago. Near Sirius, he saw Orion, the Hunter's constellation.

Melancholy washed over Regulus.

Orion, his father. He hadn't thought about him for some time. And suddenly he felt awful because of it. How could he forget him so quickly? How could he be happy, even though his parents were dead?

Regulus turned his face away, looking to the dark waters a few yards away from them. He felt his eyes starting to burn but quickly blinked a few times, forcing it away.

"Are you okay, Reg?" Sirius voice from beside him, his brother was studying his face with worry in his eyes.

Regulus sighed. Then looked up into Sirius' eyes. "Don't you miss them, sometimes? Mother and Father?" He watched Sirius swallow heavily and avert his eyes.

When Sirius didn't answer, Regulus bit his lip. "I miss them, sometimes. And sometimes I feel guilty about being happy." Regulus whispered the last part.

"Don't. You deserve to be happy, always."

"Even so, I feel as if I am betraying them by not being sad all the time. Are you sad about Father's death?" Regulus asked tentatively. He knew it was a difficult topic for Sirius, but somehow, he felt the need to talk about their parents. And nobody else was around he could talk about them with, except Sirius. They were Sirius' parents, too.

"Listen, Reg… I missed them, once. But they were dead to me long before they actually died. I grieved then, but not anymore." He didn't want to tell his brother the hard truth, that he wasn't sad at all and couldn't be either, but he didn't want to lie to him, so he decided to say it in a roundabout way.

"So… did you just replace them with the Potters?" Regulus' voice got caught in his throat. He felt himself holding his breath. This was the thought that had been spinning around in his head for years.

Sirius shook his head decidedly. "No, Reg, Mother and Father, I never replaced them. Mr. Potter is not my father, and Mrs. Potter is not my mother. I would never call them that. But it feels like Mr. Potter is a dad to me, and Mrs. Potter a mum." Sirius lay down and turned on his side to face Regulus.

"That is completely different. I didn't look for a substitute of what I already had. I looked for something I had longed for my entire life. Mother was never my mum. And Father was never my dad." Sirius said with a tight voice.

Regulus looked at Sirius. He understood what Sirius meant. He swallowed heavily, blinked a few times, tried to force his tears back. A lump in his throat, he literally had to force his voice out. Insecurity. It was always there, looming in the dark corners of his mind, no matter what he did or what Sirius said.

"What about me? Is James… a better brother?"

Sirius looked at him with wide eyes, then shook his head, firmly. "No, Reg, don't ever think that way. You're the best brother I could have asked for. And you will always be my brother, nothing could change that. Ever, okay? You will forever be my baby brother, and I will always love you with all my heart. No matter what happens." He reached out and ruffled Regulus' hair with his left hand, then, gently, brushed a tear from his little brother's cheek that had escaped the big, watery eyes.

"It's okay to be sad. I understand it. Your relationship with them was different than mine. And I'm sad as well because you are sad."

Regulus sniffed. "I know but… I don't know how to feel about them anymore. I still love them."

Sirius smiled sadly at him. "And that's okay as well. They're your parents. Every child should have the right to love his parents." No matter who the parents were and what they did.

"You think so? But I feel guilty for everything I do. I feel guilty for forgetting about them, for being happy here, for being with you, and then I feel guilty for betraying them. They would be so disappointed in me if they saw me now."

"Hey, Reg. Anyone who is disappointed in you doesn't deserve you caring about them. I am proud of you. And you should be proud of yourself as well. It does not help anything to wonder what might have been, or what they might think." Regulus was still struggling with this new kind of life, having Sirius back and as his guardian, learning that muggles weren't bad, that the whole pure-blood supremacy thing was a big bunch of evil nonsense – it had turned his world upside down, and Sirius was so proud of how Regulus handled everything. His little brother had a lot on his mind. But that's why Sirius was here, to guide him, to help him figure it out.

TBC…

A/N: Thanks so much for all the reviews, PM's, followers etc. It means so much to me. I hope the length of the last chapters is not bothering you, but I feel it's a much less disruptive read when the chapters are longer and deeper explored. These boys have so much to talk about, I swear I could fill a whole novel only with dialogue ;)