Chapter 23: Regulus

Summary: It's Regulus' first year at Hogwarts and Sirius can't stand it.

Sirius was dangerously close to strangling his brother. They had to leave for the station and Regulus was taking his sweet time getting ready. The boy had been annoying him all summer with his unstoppable chatter about Hogwarts and his endless questions. On top of that, the brat threw a tantrum any time Sirius wanted to go over to James' house, begging to come with him. They ended up fighting about it every time and Sirius was the one getting blamed by their mother.

It wasn't fair. All his life he had been forced to endure Regulus following him around like a lost poppy and copying his every move. There was no getting rid of him and whenever they got in trouble it was always Sirius' fault. Since going to Hogwarts, he had been free of the brat for the first time and he wasn't going to let that get ruined. He was almost certain Regulus was going to end up in Slytherin like the rest of their family which would make avoiding him a lot easier.

Sirius checked the time again and swore under his breath. He was sure his friends were already sitting in a compartment waiting for him. He gritted his teeth in annoyance and marched to Regulus' room, pulling the door open with force.

"Damn it, Reg! What's taking so long?" he snapped.

His brother was sitting on the floor, rampaging through his overflowing luggage. "I want to make sure I didn't forget anything." he explained.

"Forget anything?! You've put everything you own in there from the look of it. Why the hell do you need all that crap for?"

"None of your business!"

"It IS my business when mom and dad are making me wait for you." said Sirius through gritted teeth. He stepped forward and closed the trunk before picking it up and walking out of the room. If it wasn't for the feather-light charms, he was sure it would have taken two grown men to carry it.

"Hey! Give it back. I wasn't done." whined Regulus, following him.

Sirius ignored his brother's protests and made his way to the fireplace.

"We're ready." he announced to his parents as he placed Regulus' school trunk beside his own.

"About time. Let's go." grumbled their father.

Sirius gave his brother a smuggle look before flooing after the man.

As soon as they reached the platform Sirius took off for the train, ignoring his mother's disapproving look. He had spent the whole summer with his family, he wasn't about to waste more time on saying goodbye. He started going through the compartments, opening the doors and closing them just to get a glance at the occupants. He finally found his friends in the eighth compartment.

"Morning people!" he called out, grinning. "Sorry I'm late. Did I miss anything?"

"Hi, I'm Regulus; Sirius' brother." said someone from behind him.

"What are you doing here? Get out!" snapped Sirius. He had no idea the brat had managed to follow him.

Regulus walked right past him. "And you are …?" he asked expectedly.

Peter for some reason seemed eager to indulge him. "I'm Peter and this is …"

"You don't have to talk to him." Sirius interrupted the boy. "Beat it, Reggie!"

"You're Severus, right? I thought they were exaggerating but you're really small. I haven't met many Princes but the ones I've seen are pretty tall."

Severus blinked at him as if unsure of how to react.

"That's it." grumbled Sirius and shoved his brother out before closing the door in his face and lucking it with a spell.

"So, that's your annoying brother, huh?" asked James, smirking.

"The brat lives to get on my nerves." said Sirius. He put his trunk away and squeezed himself between James and Peter.

"I didn't know you had a brother." commented Remus, looking at Severus questioningly.

"Me neither." murmured Severus. "What exactly did you tell him about me?" he asked, looking peeved.

Sirius reached over and ruffled the boy's hair, smirking as he squirmed away. "Told him you're cute as corn and tiny enough to fit in my pocket."

"I'm two months older than you!" protested Severus, blushing.

They all laughed. Severus crossed his arms over his chest and Sirius had to stop himself from ruffling his hair again. "I'm just pulling your leg, kiddo. I don't talk to Reg unless absolutely necessary. Narcissa must have said something. Those two are thick as thieves."

"So, he's bound to be a snake, too." commented James.

"I'll bet my broom on it."

"Oh, that reminds me." James turned to Severus. "My dad had me bring your broom."

"What do you mean? I don't have a broom."

"The one you practice with when you come over."

"But …"

"You need a decent broom if you're going to play seeker." said James and then started rambling on about the tryouts.

Sirius frowned as he noticed Severus curl into himself at the mention of quidditch. He was probably nervous, Sirius figured. For some reason that made him think of Regulus. He wandered where his brother had ended up sitting. He was probably with one of their cousins. Although they were all a lot older and wouldn't want to sit with a first year. Sirius shook himself out of that thought. Why would he care where the brat was sitting? Besides, he had been on his own last year and had even managed to make friends with James.

They spent the rest of the way to Hogwarts talking and playing exploding snaps and Sirius did his best not to think about Regulus. As they reached Hogsmeade station they got on a carriage, dragged with invisible horses and rode to school. Sirius was definitely not thinking about how Regulus was fairing on the boat, knowing his brother had an irrational fear of drowning. And he definitely didn't sigh in relief when he saw him enter the great hall with the rest of the first years.

Regulus kept his head high, projecting an air of confidence as he waited to be sorted but Sirius knew from his rigid stance that he was just as nervous as the other first years. Luckily Regulus was the second student to be called, one of the many benefits of carrying the last name Black. Sirius held his breath. He'd never admit it, but there was a part of him that hoped his brother didn't end up in Slytherin. Anywhere but Slytherin, he prayed.

He felt a rush of bitter disappointment as his prayer went unanswered and Regulus walked over to the table on the other side of the room, decorated in green and silver. It was no surprise really, Regulus had always wanted to blend in with the older kids when they were growing up and here he was following in their footsteps. Sirius couldn't help but feel betrayed however. As much as he wanted to break free from his brother he couldn't bear the thought of the boy turning against him like the rest of his family. Sirius barely touched his food and lay awake in his bed long after his roommates had gone to sleep. He felt like he had just lost his only brother.