A/N: I added 14 prealgebra and algebra problems for fun. Also while writing this chapter, I was on the phone with Emily and I realized she fell asleep sometime while I was writing this after I finished the chapter.

Regulus POV

He struts up to me, the stupid cocky smirk that could make anyone fall in love with him. My mother's words haunt me, screaming in my head repeatedly. "YOU WILL NOT BE OR ASSOCIATED WITH ANYONE IN GRYFFINDOR!" 'What can I do? Maybe mother will have mercy on me because I can't control it? What the hell am I thinking? My mother would NEVER have mercy for anything, no matter how rational it is to have her do so.' I flashback to when I was made against my will by Slughorn to talk to a Gryffindor. . .

I was eating breakfast after having a good night's sleep. When my parents' owl came into view. 'Oh, merlin's hat that is on fire no. They never write unless they are mad about something I did or didn't do or didn't do good enough or didn't do bad enough. If it wasn't the best for them, then it is just the trash of the trash. And you can NEVER be the trash of the trash because then you make the family look like trash. And if you make the family look like trash, then you make your aunts and uncles families look like trash and if you make them look like trash, then you make all purebloods look like trash, and then boom, you ruined everyone important in the world all because of you.'

The owl lands near me, and I take the letter and open it.

Dear Regulus Arcturus Black,

Why did I hear from one of your cousins that you were talking to a filthy mudblood? Also, do you not remember what I told you about talking to Gryffindors? You have ruined the family name in not 1 horrible way but 2! When you come home for summer break, you will not leave the house even for a second.

I know I must seem cruel, but I love you with all of my heart, and I only want the very best for you. If more people find out about this, your life would be destroyed and I don't want that for you, dear.

Lots of love to you,

Your mother and father.

Well, they are doing it for me, so I guess it is fine? They are only doing this because they want the best for me and they love me. Right?

'I am going to get killed. That was just a muggle-born. This is James Mother fucking Potter. My mother hates him with a burning passion. She sees him as the reason that messed up our family with Sirius leaving home. But she will be mad at me if I fail a class cause I don't talk to him. What should I do?'

James takes the seat next to me.

'Well, nobody here would say anything. . . but what if one talks and someone hears? I guess I will need to take a risk.'

"Hello," James says.

"Hey. . ."

Professor Delta talks thankfully.

"Alright class, now that you are all seated and have your partners, I am going to discuss what we are going to be doing today. So, first, you are going to do a sheet of problems- and no, this is not an assessment- and if you need help, you are going to need to ask your partner. And if you both can't figure it out, then you come to me. Then, after you finish, you will review the answers with your partner to make sure yours match up. Then you will wait for further instructions." Right after they stopped talking, the papers magically appeared on all of our desks. 'Alright, this is going to be easy.'

1. y+2=5

5-2=3

y=3

3+2=5

2. 3+x=(-5)

(5-)-3=(-2)

x=(-2)

3+(-2)=1?

'Wait what? How is that not the answer? Fuck, what is the rule for positives and negatives? Shit, shit shit-'

"Do you, um, need some help? You look like you are about to murder the paper," James says, looking at me.

'Shit, I don't have a choice. I guess I must take a risk. Since there is no other way to do this.'

"Yeah, that would be great."

"Okay, what problem is it?"

"2."

"Oh, it was the negatives and positives that got you all hung up, huh?"

"Yeah. . ."

"It's okay! It took me a bit to get them down. You just learned last year, so it is only natural that you make mistakes.

You see it going to be (-8) cause the negative number is first. So you take the two numbers and add them as if they weren't 2 negatives, so for this problem 5+3=8 and then you add the negative sign to make it (-8). Does that make sense?"

I stare at James in shock. 'He is not as dumb as he seems.'

"um . . .yeah, that makes sense, thanks."

"No problem!"

I go back to my problems,

1. y+2=5

5-2=3

y=3

3+2=5

2. 3+x=(-5)

(5-)-3=(-8)

x=(-8)

3+(-8)=(-5)

3. (-2)+y=(-5)

(-5)-(-2)=(-3)

y=(-3)

(-2)+(-3)=(-5)

4. y-4=2

2+4=6

y=6

6-4=2

5. 3+y=3

3-3=0

y=0

3+0=3

6. x-(-5)=(-3)

(-3)+(-5)=(-8)

x=(-8)

(-8)-(-5)=(-3)

7. (-5)+x=5

5-(-5)=10

x=10

(-5)+10=5

8. x+3=(-4)

(-4)-3=(-7)

x=(-7)

(-7)+3=(-4)

9. (-3)+y=5

5-(-3)=8

y=8

(-3)+8=5

10. y-5=(-2)

(-2)+5=3

y=3

3-5=(-2)

11. y-2=4

4+2=6

6=y

6-2=4

12. x+5=3

3-5=(-2)

x=(-2)

(-2)+5=3

13. 3y-7=8

7+8=15

3y=15

15÷3=5

y=5

3*5-7=8

14. 6x+2=(-10)

(-10)-2=(-12)

6x=(-12)

(-12)÷6=(-2)

x=(-2)

6*(-2)+2=(-10)

And finally done. Wow, that took me a while.

"Again, class, remember that you have to check answers with your partner when you are both done."

James turns to look at me, paper in hand, clearly done.

"So, Potter, how do you want me to do this? Do you want to go through them one by one and then I go through mine one by one? Or do you want one of us to say their answer to 1 and then the other says their own?"

"Call me James, let's do the latter, and you can go first."

"Okay, well for number 1, I got y=5."

"Same."

"Number 2 x=(-8)."

"Same."

"Number 3 y=(-3)."

"Yup."

"Number 4 y=6."

"Same again."

"Number 5 y=0."

"Wow, the same again."

"Number 6 x=(-8)"

"Again, the same answer. You know, I think maybe you copied me." I snort at the comment.

"Number 7 x=10."

"Yes."

"Number 8 x=7."

"Hmph."

"Number 9 y=8."

"Yep roni!"

"Number 10 y=3."

"Yes, sir."

"Number 11 y=6."

"Same."

"Number 12 x=(-2)."

"Yesssss."

"Number 13 y=5."

"Yes."

"And lastly number 14 is x= (-2)."

"And yes again."

There was now silence between us. You could hear the murmur of people discussing problems and who is right or not. When James broke the silence.

"Why didn't you leave with Sirius?"

July, 25th, 1975 (When Sirius left)

I was in Sirius' room. 'He had gotten into a big argument with my parents that I heard little about. That fight was the last straw since he was now going to run away to Potter's house. Or maybe it wasn't his last straw, but he finally found a place to go, to stay, to support himself. Where he could trust them with his life, so much so that he would leave the place he was born into. The only place where they are almost obligated to help you if you need help.'

"Come with me please, little star. The Potters are great, they will love you. James may annoy you, but he isn't that bad. They are so much better than here in this hellhole." Sirius pleads to me.

'No, it's different for Sirius. He has money to fall back upon, I don't. He has a found family to fall back upon. I don't. No matter how many times he tells me they will be there for me, I know they won't. I am just his little brother, and that would be the only reason they would kinda care. I just have Sirius and now I am losing him. Even if I go with him, I don't want to burden him. I also don't dare to make it on my own. What am I but last name "Black", the spare, probably soon to be heir to the Black fortune? What else am I? What else do I offer?'

I hear mother get close to the stairs.

"No. Go."

"Reg-"

"Go. Mother is coming. This is your only chance to go. So go."

He was about to talk when we both heard mother coming down the hallway, clearly mad and knowing that something was going down in Sirius' room. So he left. Just like that, he is gone. The last thing good in my life is gone.

When mother came in, you could hear his motorcycle running in the distance. She was furious.

I lie and say that I was trying to stop him myself. Luckily, she believed me. She took his name off the family tree, making me heir to the Black family. And with her taking off his name, she took my last hope with it. All things I loved are now gone. All because of her.

She told me he was so dumb for doing this that he was going to regret this for the rest of his life. That he longer had the family. She reminded me I was nothing without my name on that damned wall.

Present

She was right about some things and wrong about others. She was wrong about Sirius regretting this. He has what he needs; he will never regret that day. Because that day he got rid of my parents and me. The thing that had been holding him back.

She was right about me only having the family name. That is my entire worth, that name? I have nobody, no money to help me stand by myself, or people to fall on.

Before James could egg me on about it, Professor Delta started talking.

"Alright class, that took longer than expected and some of you guys aren't done yet, so everyone turn in your slips and the ones who aren't done can finish it tomorrow. And tomorrow we will do the assessment. Class dismissed."

Thank every witch, wizard, and sorceress that has ever been alive!

I grab my stuff off of the desk and my bag and run out the door.

Ignoring James, calling me back.

'Why did he ask me that? Do they care? No, they can't even let me think about that. It is better to expect nothing from people than to expect good.'

I go to my spot at the tree near the lake.

'After this, just one more year, then I am free. One more year. One. More. Year.'