Author's Note:

Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canucks!

Reviews and Comments: To scrappy8: Thank you! Yes, Sirius is finally home! To Sets: Thank you! Lola is a fun song, but I like my Beatles. To alix33: McGonagall definitely is but Walburga doesn't like her so she makes up some lies. I love the Potters welcoming Sirius home. Thank you! To ellyann13: Poor Regulus indeed. Sirius knows who his real family is. Thank you! To ascfan: Thank you very much! To A Huge Fan: Yes, I really like to show the juxtaposition of the two families. Sirius was very brave and I don't think we give him enough credit for that. Thank you very much! To EnigmaticEmperor: I agree, I do think Orion loved his sons more than Walburga did, but the bigoted pureblood is still ingrained in him. Sirius sassing his mother does make me smile — she deserves it and more. I love Fee and Monty taking him in and knowing and understanding what he's been going through. They are his real parents. Thank you!

To Bellmel: Walburga is definitely very foul, but I agree, seeing Sirius stand up to her is pretty glorious. He needed to do that and I think despite the fact that his mother is foul, she was a little bit proud of him in that moment. Sirius does genuinely care about Lily. He considers her one of his friends and he knows how important she is to James which automatically makes her family to him. Yes, Monty meant it as son and welcomed him home. I love forehead kisses, too! Yes, Alecto is definitely ew lol. Thank you!

My posting schedule: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Thanks to Dusk for her amazing editing skills.

As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!

Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE:

The One Where Sirius Talks to Reg

August 1976…

Sirius stood on the street corner of Claremont Square across from Number Twelve, his hands shoved in his pockets as he waited for his little brother to step outside. Every Thursday at three o'clock, without fail, Regulus would head out and walk to the underground station and take the tube to Diagon Alley. Walburga and Orion had no idea that he used the Muggle transportation system as they would be beyond furious if they ever found out.

But Regulus had always been fascinated by it.

Sirius had shown him how to use it after his first year at Hogwarts and he loved putting the coins in the slot and just travelling around on the underground. It was how Sirius knew he would be heading out that Thursday afternoon, Regulus was anything if not predictable.

He only waited fifteen minutes before he saw his brother's skinny frame slip out the front door. He waited until he was almost in front of him before he spoke, making the boy jump in alarm.

"Reg."

Regulus turned, his eyes wide. "Siri, what are you doing here? If Mum or Dad sees you —"

"They won't. They never look out into the street," he said, dragging his fingers through his hair. "I just… I wanted to make sure that you were okay."

Regulus shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. "They're not angry with me."

Sirius nodded and gestured for his brother to keep walking as they spoke. "Did Mum really blast my name off of the family tree?"

"Yep. There's a big burn mark on the wall and the tapestry."

Sirius nodded as he draped an arm around his brother's shoulders. "Probably looks more evened out now, you know the burn marks more spread out now that it's me and Andy who have both been properly disowned."

Regulus half-smiled. "You shouldn't joke, Siri."

"I'm sorry."

"Where are you staying?" Regulus asked, looking up at Sirius beneath his long lashes.

"With James. His parents are the best and they told me that I can stay there as long as I want."

Regulus nodded. "Mum cried after she blasted your name off of the tapestry."

Sirius looked at his brother in surprise. "She what?" he asked in shock. He couldn't have imagined his mother had actually been upset to see him go.

"She did. Father told her that angry tears weren't going to stop you from being any more of a disappointment to them then you already were and that if the Black family name was going to live up to its reputation of an Ancient and Noble House that I would have to step up into the role of first son."

Sirius looked sad. "Reg, I'm sorry. I know that by me leaving… I just walked away and left you with even more responsibility than you want. But I couldn't stay there — you know that."

Regulus nodded, his eyes on the ground. "I told Mum that it was her fault. That she drove you away."

"Reggie," he said quietly, urging his brother to look up at him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to leave you behind, you know that, right?"

"Mum said that you did. She said that you only care about your blood traitor friends and the filthy Mudbloods you hang around with. She said that I was the good son, the faithful son, who wouldn't make stupid decisions and stick my cock into Mudbloods and filthy Muggle whores like you do."

Sirius snorted at that. His mother had caught him shagging a neighbouring Muggle girl in his bedroom over the Christmas holiday last year and she had lost her shit. Sirius had had to smuggle her out quickly for her own safety, before kissing her goodbye and promising to talk to her later. He had only brought her home with him in the first place to piss off his mother, and, if he was honest; it had been worth it.

"Reg, do you remember what I told you a few summers ago about blood?"

"Everyone bleeds red."

Sirius nodded. "Exactly. Blood is red, Regulus. Every person bleeds red and that blood looks the same. It doesn't matter what our parentage is. I'm not any better than James just because he's what our parents deem a blood traitor despite the fact that he is a pureblood nor is James any better than Remus, the half-blood, nor is Remus any better than Lily or Mary who are Muggleborns. It's about who we are as people, not what our bloodline says. I'm sometimes ashamed that it took me so long to fully grasp that; to understand why our parents are wrong."

Regulus swallowed slowly as they turned down the street and headed towards the subway station. "Mum says that the Dark Lord is going to fix the world; to make it better."

Sirius scowled. "This so-called Dark Lord is not going to make the world better. He wants to rid the world of everyone who isn't a pureblood. He's a genocidal maniac. Look at what's been happening the last few years, nothing good is going to come out of following Voldemort. People are dying."

"Mum said that cousin Bella knows him. That he's generous and kind and that he knows how to make the world better," Regulus continued on as if Sirius hadn't even spoken. "When I asked why we should trust him, Mum used the Cruciatus on me for daring to question her."

Sirius sighed and hugged his brother. "I'm sorry that I wasn't there to stop her."

Regulus pushed him away, his eyes flashing in anger. "No! You weren't there, Sirius! You left and now Mum says that I have to marry Alecto Carrow when I turn seventeen! I have to continue the Black Family line and I have to…" he trailed off, his eyes sad. "I have to follow cousin Bella and listen to what she tells me. That the Dark Lord will reward all those who serve him."

"Reg, I'm so sorry," Sirius said desperately. "You don't have to do what Mum tells you. You can stand up to her. Come with me."

Regulus rounded on him. "I can stand up to her? What, like you did? I will not be punished by her for disobedience! I will not make YOUR mistakes! I am in Slytherin! I am now the sole heir to the Black Family Estate and I am the RIGHTFUL son! You are the tosser who threw all of that away and for what? Your bloody morals?"

Sirius shoved his hands into his pockets. "Aye, I did. And one day, I hope you'll realize that those morals are the most important thing that I could have thrown it all away for." He gestured towards the entrance to the tube. "I'll leave you here, but my offer's open. Reggie, I will always be your big brother. If you ever need anything, anything at all, even to just talk, I will always be here for you. Always. Don't forget that."

Regulus simply stared at him and then nodded, turning his back and heading into the station, leaving Sirius alone on the crowded London street, lost in his thoughts.