Chapter Twenty-One

Regulus wasn't talking to him.

At first, Sirius had thought that his new owl had been losing the letters. He had eventually realized that Regulus wasn't writing back. He often found himself wondering if their parents were preventing Regulus from writing or if his brother was doing so on his own accord.

Despite worrying about his brother, Sirius was happier than ever.

For the first time in his life, he was free!

He had decided early on that being sorted into Gryffindor was the best thing that had ever happened to him. From the very first night, he had made three amazing friends. James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. The Marauders, they called themselves. Sirius had been amazed to see that their parents were loving and their home-lives was great. Well, Remus once remarked that his father had left but he happily lived with his mother.* James' parents were amazing. They had sent all four boys presents on Christmas. Sirius had been stunned to realize that his friends' parents gave them presents on their birthdays. He had always assumed that this was merely something siblings did. Sirius had the sneaking suspicion that James had mentioned his own home-life to his parents. He had tried to hide as much of it as possible but James could always see right through him. The angry letters from his parents hadn't help. Nevertheless, he hadn't confessed anything and they hadn't asked.

And what a wonderful time they had!

Not a day went by when they weren't pulling some sort of prank. They became regulars in Professor McGonagall's office. By the end of the year, the Deputy Headmistress had set out their favorite sweets for them to enjoy as she sternly reprimanded them. If his parents knew what trouble he was getting into…

But he didn't care! He didn't care!

For the first time in his life, he had a home.

He had been more than sad to leave at the end of the term. An entire summer had been spent babbling to Regulus about their countless adventures. Regulus had politely listened, though Sirius had noticed a hint of jealousy in his brother' eyes. Or perhaps it was more than jealousy? Perhaps it was envy? Regulus had eventually gotten his own letter and the two brothers soon found themselves boarding the Hogwarts Express.

"I'm so excited," Sirius whispered.

"Really?" Regulus croaked, "Because my legs feel like jelly."

"You'll be fine," Sirius assuredly said.

"Sirius!"

"Oi!"

"Over here, mate!"

He looked up and beamed.

James, Remus, and Peter pushed their way down the corridor.

"We have a compartment in the back," James breathlessly said, "Oh, hullo!"

"You must be Regulus," Remus kindly said.

"Where'd you get that scar?" Regulus curiously asked.

Sirius angrily thwacked him on the back of his head. He, James, and Peter had secretly wondered about Remus' scars but they had agreed to never ask.

"I was just curious," Regulus mumbled, rubbing his head.

Remus smoothly said, "Broomstick mishap."

The train lurched and began to move.

"Come along," James said, jerking his head.

Sirius went to follow but realized that Regulus hadn't moved.

He turned and asked, "Coming?"

"I think I'll sit by myself," Regulus explained, "I want to catch up on some reading."

"Reading?" Sirius dubiously repeated.

He had gone through a growth spurt over the summer. He was now a good six inches taller than Regulus. His brother gazed up at him and meekly said, "Yes."

Sirius frowned and muttered, "Alright."

He knew that Regulus didn't want to be seen around other Gryffindors. For a while, he had hoped that his brother would follow in his footsteps and ask the Sorting Hat to place him in Slytherin. The dream had quickly withered away and had been replaced by reality.

"It was nice meeting you," Peter kindly said.

He followed the other Marauders and left Regulus standing in the corridor.

The four spent the train-ride playing a rowdy game of Exploding Snap. Unfortunately, Sirius' heart wasn't into it.

"We're nearly there," Remus spoke up, "We should change into our robes."

"Yeah," Sirius murmured.

"Alright?" James asked.

"Fine," Sirius brightly said.

James carefully surveyed him but didn't say anything. Sirius truly appreciated that.

The train came to a screeching halt and they leapt onto the platform. Sirius spotted Hagrid—the kind groundskeeper—leading Regulus and a small group away from the crowd. He called his brother's name but Regulus didn't hear him. The Marauders made their way up a cobblestone path where several driverless carriages were waiting.

"Do we just…get in?" Peter asked.

Remus nodded and murmured, "I think so."

They climbed into one and James awkwardly cried, "Err…forward, march!"

The carriage started forward, though Sirius didn't think that it was by James' command.

He stuck his head out the window, like an excited dog, and watched as the castle unfolded before his eyes. It was a breathtaking view.

Giddy with excitement, he leapt from the carriage before it had completely slowed down.

"Sirius!" James exclaimed, "What are you doing?"

Sirius raced forward and pushed the double oak doors. They swung open, revealing the magnificent Entrance Hall. His smile widened and he spun on his toe, taking it all in.

He was home.

The other three came up behind him, grinning from ear to ear.

They started towards the Great Hall but Sirius stopped in his tracks as he peered into a small room. The first-years were huddled together. Regulus was in the midst of the crowd, trying and failing to look brave. Sirius sympathetically smiled and entered, interrupting Professor McGonagall's speech about the four houses.

She looked up and sharply said, "Mister Black, you may follow the other students into the Great Hall."

"In a minute, Professor," Sirius promised.

He put his hand on Regulus shoulder and the two rested their foreheads together.

"Alright?" Sirius whispered.

"Gerroff," Regulus chuckled, "Honestly, I'm trying to look somewhat confident."

Sirius smirked and pulled away.

"Thanks," Regulus muttered.

"No problem," Sirius softly said, "Good luck."

He turned and cheerfully cried, "Carry on, Professor."

He entered the Great Hall and joined the other Marauders at the Gryffindor table. A Prefect entered a few minutes later, carrying a stool with a hat on top. Sirius barely paid attention to the Sorting Hat's song. He impatiently tapped his foot as the other students were sorted.

He only looked up when Professor McGonagall crisply said, "Black, Regulus."

He watched as Regulus approached the stool and sat down. The hat was dropped over his eyes and Regulus gripped the stool. Sirius knew that he was hearing the small voice in his ear.

Sirius half-rose from his seat but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. James gave him a sympathetic smile. Sirius sat down, realizing that there was nothing that he could do.

By now, an entire minute had passed.

Sirius smiled, as if the verdict had already been declared.

Another minute passed.

Then a third.

Finally, the hat came to life and a single word echoed though the hall:

"SLYTHERIN!"

Sirius nodded and James squeezed his shoulder. And yet, despite his sorrow, Sirius continued to smile as Regulus took the hat off and raced over to the table clad in green and grey.

"Sorry, mate," Remus murmured.

Sirius waved his hand and remarked, "Ah, I knew that he was going to get sorted into Slytherin."

His friends stared at him, unable to hide their confusion.

"Then," Peter whispered, "Why are you smiling?"

"Because," Sirius proudly said, "The hat hesitated."

*I know that a new article recently came out on Pottermore which states that Remus actually grew up with loving parents. However, I've had a headcanon for years that his father walked out because he couldn't handle the fact that his son was a werewolf.