Chapter Twenty-Six: Little Brother

Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews and continued support, much appreciated. There's a wee bit of plot here. I'm getting to the stage where I'm starting to move the story forward and focusing on actual events like the war, rather than just Sirius and Lucius' relationship. So I hope you enjoy :)

{Dreamer}

Time seemed to be set on fast-forward. October and November had passed quickly, taking with it Sirius' eighteenth birthday. He and the Marauders- as well as most of Gryffindor Tower- had celebrated in style; a massive party that went all night until Professor McGonagall came in around 4am to tell them to shut up.

Sirius had been drunk, but not so much so that he missed the lovely present and letter Lucius sent him. And two days later he got a very nice visit.

Christmas was already approaching, and You-Know-Who's attacks hadn't escalated, but they hadn't decreased either. As of yet no wizarding communities had been hit, just towns and cities filled with Muggles. The Minister of Magic, Arginald Hasting, was under extreme pressure from both the people who wanted the truth and those who wanted to continue living in bliss.

Dumbledore hadn't tried to hide the seriousness of the situation from the students of Hogwarts. At least once a week he stood at dinner to announce what was happening, what towns had been attacked; he told the students everything the Ministry and The Daily Prophet were refusing to publish.

Though he hadn't said it out-loud, everyone knew Dumbledore was against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. There were even whispers that the aged wizard was starting some type of group, seperate from the Ministry, that would fight the Dark Lord and his followers.

Sirius didn't know what to think. He knew without a doubt that You-Know-Who was strong, crazy, and out for blood. Thanks to Lucius he knew that every week more and more people joined the Death Eater ranks, either by blackmail, fear or choice.

Despite the growing fear, violence, and paranoia, the seventh years' workload hadn't dropped at all. Even pranksters like Sirius and James found themselves in various parts of the castle and grounds bent over textbooks and parchment.

Though it was cold, the Marauders had needed to get out of the castle. They couldn't talk freely in the library, and the students who weren't studying for their O.W.L.s or N.E.W.T.s were constantly taking up space in the Gryffindor common room, talking loudly with their friends and snacking. Even Sirius was finding the noise level annoying, so they'd packed up their stuff and moved outside to sit under the large oak tree by the lake.

James had cleared the snow, Peter laid down blankets, Sirius configured flames in various jars, and Remus set their books and parchment up. They all got comfortable, and though it was cold their cloaks, scarves, and the jars of fire kept them relatively warm.

Peter also pulled various foods from his book bag and the Marauders snacked as they worked, the sounds of chewing and Quills scratching against parchment filling their ears. They'd only been studying for a few minutes when an owl swooped down from the grey sky, landing on the ground before Sirius.

Sirius blinked when he recognised Lucius' rather prestigious owl and quickly scrambled up to untie the roll of parchment. He fed the owl a pretzel and it nibbled on the end before ruffling it's feathers and taking off, clearly not wanting a reply.

'Who's that from?' James asked without looking up.

'Erm...' Sirius murmured.

Prongs finally looked up at him and read it in his eyes. He blushed brightly and looked down. 'Oh, right. Um... carry on.'

Remus snickered at James' behaviour and Sirius smiled before crossing his legs. He made sure to keep the parchment away from his friends' eyes as he unrolled it;

Dear Sirius,

I'm afraid I'm writing to bring you bad news. Not only can I not see you over the Christmas break for more than a few hours, but your family will be staying at Malfoy Manor for the duration of the holidays, including your brother, Regulus. Father told me early this morning. I might be able to sneak away sometime Yule night, when everybody is asleep after spending the day drinking. I'll find some way to see you, whether you stay at Hogwarts or go to the Potters' cottage.

I also wanted to warn you about your brother. It seems various children, all Slytherin pure-bloods with parents who support the Dark Lord either financially or physically, have been making fast friends with Regulus. I've heard Rudolphus Lestrange and Bellatrix Black speaking about Severus Snape and Regulus, and I don't like what I've heard.

Now that Regulus is the heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, his standing at Hogwarts and in pure-blood circles has risen. Your parents are both avid supporters of the Dark Lord and it makes Regulus a prime candidate, not only for spying on the students and teachers at Hogwarts, but also for future Death Eater activities. My father has spoken to me about some of the Dark Lord's plans, and I in turn told you, if you remember;

The Dark Lord recruits impressionable young men and women from Hogwarts who can be moulded and warped to follow the Dark Lord into service as a Death Eater.

I can't stress enough the importance of you not letting Regulus and the other soon-to-be-Death Eaters know that you're aware of what's happening. They may not be smart, but some of their parents are; if they discover that I'm telling you this, if they discover us, we won't survive until the end of the year.

I know you must be worried for your brother, but please take care of yourself, Sirius. I can't lose you. If you want to keep an eye on Regulus I can't stop you, but keep yourself safe and don't reveal all that you know; play your cards close to your chest.

I miss you more and more every day and I hope I get to see you on Yule. If I don't, I hope you have a good holiday, and try to keep out of trouble.

Yours,

Lucius

Sirius sat back heavily as he re-read the letter, his eyes scanning Lucius' flowing, elegant script. He was disappointed that he wouldn't be able to see Lucius; between Sirius' school work and Lucius' family matters, they hadn't been able to meet every Friday like they had the two years previously.

Though that really did suck, it wasn't what had Sirius barely keeping himself together. It was one thing to suspect that your brother was being turned towards the Dark Arts, it was another to see it in writing from someone who had first-hand knowledge of Death Eater activities.

Sirius had always known that his brother was easily manipulated. Every since they were little, Regulus had followed their mother and father with blind faith. He did everything they wanted, he acted like they wanted, he let his entire life be dictated by their parents.

Regulus been sorted into Slytherin, made friends with the students Walburga and Orion approved on, and even picked the subjects they wanted him to study. He looked down on half-bloods, Muggle-borns, and other species, all because their mother and father wanted him to be that way.

And now, it seemed, Regulus was letting them groom him to follow the Dark Lord.

Sirius didn't find it that surprising, but it was still a slight shock. He'd been hoping, rather stupidly he now realised, that Regulus would grow a backbone, see that their parents were insane, and break away while he could.

But no, not Reggie. He was the golden child, the favourite son, the perfect heir. He was what Walburga and Orion wanted in a child, not Sirius. Sirius, who knew better than to join a madman who killed people for fun.

'Sirius?'

Sirius hadn't realised he'd been lost in thought until Remus' hand touched his arm. He jerked away from the touch and blinked to see Remus, James and Peter all staring at him in concern.

'Sirius?' Remus repeated.

'Erm... sorry,' Sirius shook his head.

'Are you okay, Padfoot?' James asked, sitting up.

'Yeah, I'm fine,' the older boy nodded. 'Sorry, this letter just... brought me some news I wasn't expecting.'

'I thought it was from...' James hesitated, 'you know.'

Sirius rolled his eyes. 'Yes, Prongs, it's from you know,' he said. 'I just wasn't expecting what's in the letter.'

'Do you want to talk about it?' Remus asked.

'No, I'm fine,' Sirius said, shaking his head.

'Have a butterbeer,' Peter said and grabbed a bottle from the pile sitting between him and Remus. 'Always cheers me up.'

Sirius snorted but smiled at Peter's attempt to make him feel better. 'Thanks, Wormtail.'

Peter smiled and went back to his work while Sirius uncorked the bottle of butterbeer and took a healthy swig. It warmed his insides from his throat to his stomach, and Sirius sighed as his muscles relaxed slightly. He put the bottle aside and looked back down at Lucius' letter, while his friends concentrated on their school work.

{oOo}

The next day Sirius was on his way from Charms to Muggle Studies when he spotted Regulus and Severus Snape walking along the corridor towards him. Sirius hesitated before ducking behind a suit of armour and waiting. A few other students passed before Regulus and Snape entered Sirius' view, and the older boy waited until they'd passed before slipping out of hiding and following.

'... I just can't wait,' Regulus was saying, almost bouncing for joy on the balls of his feet.

'I know, I'm excited too,' Snape said softly, and Sirius was surprised to hear an actual level of warmth in the greasy git's voice. 'Lord Malfoy has been so kind to me, and inviting me into his home is an amazing opportunity to show how much I appreciate his attention and support.'

Regulus nodded vigorously. 'My parents have been invited before; the last time I was there was Lucius and Narcissa's wedding. But Lord Malfoy barely paid attention to me, he was more interested in my brother.'

His voice grew bitter towards the end and Sirius frowned. It was true that over the years Abraxas Malfoy had shown an interest in him; as the heir to the Black family, Sirius would one day be a powerful wizard and political figure, as well as head of one of the richest families in Wizarding Britain.

That hadn't stopped the Malfoy Lord from showing his disdain for Sirius' behaviour and life-choices. But still, he'd tried to get Sirius to change, tried to forge a relationship, tried to get Sirius under his thumb.

And now Sirius had been disowned, Regulus taking his place. Now Abraxas was trying to get Regulus. And from what Sirius could see it was working.

'Forget about him,' Snape sniffed dismissively. 'You are the Black heir now, not your idiotic brother. Lord Malfoy recognises greatness in you, Regulus. Your brother didn't have what it takes.'

'You're right,' Regulus grinned, his mood immediately bouncing back. 'I'm heaps better than Sirius.'

'Is that right?' Sirius couldn't help but interrupt.

Regulus and Snape both jumped and turned to find Sirius standing a few feet behind them, arms folded and eyebrow up.

'What do you want?' Snape demanded.

'Nothing,' Sirius shrugged. 'I was just walking along, minding my own business, and I heard my name. Can't blame a guy for being interested.'

'We don't care what you're interested in,' Regulus sneered, and Sirius wondered just when the younger Black had become so bitter. 'Get lost, Sirius.'

Sirius snorted. 'You gonna make me, runt?'

Snape immediately went for his wand, Sirius too, and before Regulus could blink the two older boys had their weapons at each other's throats.

'I dare you,' Sirius snarled.

'It would be my pleasure,' Snape growled in return.

'Severus, this is between Sirius and me,' the Black heir snapped and pushed his "friend" back. Snape kept his wand raised, onyx eyes locked on Sirius' stormy grey ones.

'Listen to him, Snivellus,' Sirius smirked, 'you don't want to get hurt.'

'You're not a threat without your boyfriends around, Black,' Snape told him.

Sirius' eyes narrowed. Snape had said a lot of foul things to him in the past, but mouthing off about his sexuality was a new one.

'You got a problem with homosexuals, Snape?' he demanded.

Snape sniffed. 'So what if I do?'

Sirius growled audibly and took a step forward, but Regulus put himself between the two seventh years. 'Your battle is with me, Sirius,' he told his brother.

'Get out of the way, Regulus,' Sirius ordered.

'No.'

'MOVE!' Sirius shouted.

'NO!' Regulus yelled in return.

Sirius' eyes flicked to his brother and he saw determination as well as hate. Wincing inwardly at the fact that his brother really did despise him, Sirius looked back at Snape. 'Next time you won't have your little bodyguard around to protect you.'

'I look forward to it,' the Slytherin sneered.

Sirius glanced at Regulus again before stowing his wand away and pushing past both of them. He half expected a curse to hit him in the back, but Snape made no move to hex him, instead watching Sirius round the corner and disappear.

{oOo}

'Can I talk to you?'

Remus glanced up from his notes. James was standing before him, uniform all over the place, book bag pulled over one shoulder. He looked nervous and Remus gestured to the chair opposite him.

''Course you can.'

James sat and continued to fidget, looking at the desk, the floor, at anything but Remus.

'Prongs?' Remus said. 'What's wrong?'

'I... it's... Sirius,' James said.

'What about him?' Remus asked.

James breathed in deeply before saying, 'He's still... seeing someone, right?' Remus was silent. 'A... a married someone?'

After about a minute of silence, Remus nodded. 'I'm pretty sure he is,' the werewolf said.

'He's still sneaking out and getting letters from someone,' James continued. 'He gets all weird and then disappears, only to come back looking like he won the Quidditch cup.' He shrugged his bag off and set it on the chair beside him. 'He's... he's still shagging a married bloke.'

'Yeah,' Remus nodded.

James wet his lips and looked up at his friend. 'You know who it is, don't you?' He wasn't about to reveal that he knew who it was until he knew without a doubt that Remus already knew.

Remus blinked. 'What?'

'You know,' James said. 'Every time Siri gets a letter, or comes back, you two... stare at each other, like you're having a silent conversation. You look all disapproving and Siri looks guilty.'

'James-'

'You know, Remy,' James insisted. 'I know you do.'

Remus sighed and set his quill down, pushing his notes aside. 'So what if I do?' he said. 'How will my knowing change anything?'

James bit his lip and looked down.

'James?'

'I know it's Malfoy.'

Remus jolted in his seat as James looked back up at him. 'Why would you say that?' Remus recovered quickly, though his entire body tensed.

James sighed. 'This entire thing, Sirius' behaviour, it started after Malfoy's wedding in fifth year,' the Animagus said. 'He acts... weird, around Malfoy, or any time he's mentioned. And...'

'And what?' Remus asked.

'I... I watched Sirius on the Map when he left during the ball a few months ago,' James confessed. 'I followed him and he met with Malfoy. They...' he swallowed thickly, 'I saw them together in one of the greenhouses.'

Remus was silent before saying, 'Oh.'

'I've been looking at the Map since then,' James continued. 'And most Fridays... Sirius stays on the seventh floor and then suddenly disappears, like he's left the castle. He re-appears a few hours later on the Map just outside Gryffindor Tower.

'Almost every Friday it's the same thing,' James continued as Remus watched him carefully. 'I stay up and watch... he reappears in the same spot and comes back. The third time I spotted another name.'

'Malfoy's,' Remus said.

James nodded. 'He reappeared in the same spot and went to Dumbledore's office. So I watched again and the exact same thing happened. Two weeks ago I caught him earlier; Malfoy appeared in Dumbledore's office, went to the seventh floor, and disappeared. A few minutes later Sirius disappeared too.'

He looked at his friend; the werewolf suddenly looked tired.

Remus sighed and leaned against the table, rubbing his eyes. 'Yeah,' he said. 'It's Malfoy.' He paused to look the other boy over. 'What are you going to do about it?'

'I... I dunno,' James admitted. 'What can I do? I can't exactly tell Sirius to stop seeing him, can I? They've been together... what, two years?'

Remus nodded. 'About that, yes.'

James groaned and leaned back in his seat. 'I still can't believe Sirius is sleeping with Lucius Malfoy.'

'I think... I think Sirius is in love with Lucius Malfoy,' Remus said.

'WHAT?!' Remus hissed at him to be quiet and James apologised before repeating, 'What?'

'We haven't spoken a lot about it,' Remus said, 'but when we do, Sirius gets this look in his eye, the same look you get when you talk about Lily.' James' mouth fell open. 'The way Sirius talks about him, it's... I can tell, it's so obvious,' Remus continued. 'He's completely in love with Malfoy.'

'But... but Malfoy's married.'

'I know,' Remus sighed. 'Malfoy's gay, those rumours aren't rumours; he was almost expelled for having a relationship with a fourth year, but his father stepped in and said there was no proof. Abraxas Malfoy arranged his marriage with Narcissa around that time to make sure he'd get an heir and to try and "stamp out the queer". Sirius said Lucius told him that.

'Malfoy never had a girlfriend at Hogwarts,' Remus continued. 'He was always leering at blokes and I heard some stuff happened in the locker rooms after Quidditch matches but no one ever said anything because... well, he's Lucius Malfoy.'

'And Sirius loves him?' James asked.

'Yes, I think he does.'

'Fuck,' James said.

'My thoughts exactly.'

'What the hell is he doing?' James demanded. His fingers had curled into fists on the table long ago and now his knuckles were turning white. 'Obviously Malfoy doesn't love him.'

'We don't know that.'

'He's married.'

'He has to produce an heir,' Remus said. 'He has a reputation to uphold, a family one. You've seen his dad; would you really come out?'

James frowned. 'I suppose not.'

'We can't stop what's already happened,' Remus continued. 'Sirius... we can't change the way he feels.'

James groaned.

'Prongs, please don't say anything,' Remus begged. 'Sirius is so touchy about Malfoy; if you bring it up you'll just upset him.'

'I can't just sit by and let Malfoy fuck around with him,' James growled. 'It's killing me to pretend I don't know.'

'There's nothing we can do,' Remus said. 'Sirius isn't about to stop seeing him, and I doubt Malfoy will end their affair any time soon; they've been together almost two years, remember?'

'So we just... do nothing?' James asked.

Remus nodded. 'Like I said; nothing we can do.'

'Except sit back and watch Sirius get his heart broken.'

'Hopefully... hopefully it works out,' Remus said. 'I mean, they can't stay together forever; hopefully Sirius will realise Malfoy will never love him and move on.'

James nodded and they lapsed into silence, each lost in their own thoughts. When Remus grabbed his books and parchment, trying to focus on his studying, James whispered, 'What if Malfoy loves him?'

'What?' Remus said, looking up.

James looked worried. 'What if Malfoy loves him?' he repeated. 'It seems unlikely, but... what if Malfoy actually cares about him? What if they love each other?'

Remus stared.

'What do we do then?' James asked.

Remus remained silent.

Because he didn't have an answer for that.