Disclaimer: I own nothing *sniff* except Dr. and Mrs. Bernard and Reggie!
Author's note: Here's something I should have written in the first chapter. I plan to make this series bloody long , so if you don't like long fanfics, you needn't read ahead :). This chapter took quite some time for me to write, because I got into a bit of trouble with the chief punk at school *Ouch*. Okay, what's going to happen...erm.....Sirius has some practical hexing experience......and....um......(sounding annoyed) read on! what did I do all this writing for?
A HUGE thanks to anyone who reviewed my chapter one. I think I'll speak out here, I'm a tad lazy to send everyone individual e-mails. One of you asked me if I've read the fifth book yet. Actually, I finished it the day it was released (night actually) Besides, If I hadn't, how would I know Sirius's brother's name? And someone else asked me why I had made him older. Well, you don't generally come across younger brothers who are bullies, do you? Anyway, I'd like to thank everyone again for taking the trouble to review and e-mail me with their suggestions and comments.
PG13 because of criminal activity and some course slang
It was three days since Sirius had received the letter from Hogwarts. He had spent most of the time trying to figure out why the headmaster had sent it to him, when his parents had explicitly told him not to. Though he had resolved to go to Diagon Alley, the next day, and buy his wizarding supplies (without his parents' knowledge), when the morning dawned, he couldn't bring himself to do it. For one thing, he didn't know where Diagon Alley was. For another, he needed an excuse to slip out of the house. And he also needed gold. He had discussed the letter several times with Andro, who thought that maybe the headmaster wanted him at Hogwarts because he was an exceptionally talented wizard, a prodigy. Though this sounded delightfully believable, Sirius wasn't quite sure he believed it. He had managed to lay his fingers on Regulus's wand for a few seconds, the day after he had received the letter, and he had used the time to perform a Disillusionment Charm on the letter, which made it blend with its surroundings, making it nearly invisible. At least, it was now invisible to Regulus's clumsy eyes. He had come across this charm in Regulus's textbook.
Quite in contrast to the weather conditions on the day he had received the letter, the air was now surprising cool. As Sirius roamed the streets of Grimmauld Place, he could hear newsreaders debating about the upcoming weather conditions in Muggle television sets. It had been three days, three long days since he received the letter, as Sirius constantly reminded himself. Now the third day would soon be coming to a close. He had to do something about his wizarding supplies. He had spent a lot of time, debating when he should sneak off to Diagon Alley. For that, he needed gold. He had pondered heavily, considering the various possibilities to raise a little gold for himself. Each possibility seemed more absurd than the last. Finally, he had settled at one possibility, which seemingly was the best, though by normal considerations, it was a flimsy one.
Sirius knew that Regulus had some one hundred and fifty Galleons stashed away as pocket money. That was decidedly unfair as Sirius barely had three Knuts. To buy all his supplies, it would cost roughly about fifty Galleons. That was all he needed. The main question was, how was he supposed to lay his hands on that money and get away with it? He stifled a laugh as he imagined himself walking up to Regulus and asking him with a brotherly smile, to lend him fifty Galleons. He could well imagine Regulus's reaction, and he could almost feel the bruises and cuts with which he would emerge from the meeting. Regulus had two bedrooms. In one bedroom, he kept all his Hogwarts stuff and his old magical toys (most of them broken). In his other bedroom, the one where he slept, he kept his money in the closet. Reading Regulus's books and practicing using his wand had been easy, as Regulus seldom set foot in his second bedroom. But stealing his money was different. He could either sneak into his room, while he was off with Bellatrix and Narcissa during the day, or he could do it at night, while Regulus was sleeping. Either way, Regulus would realize that he had money missing and would throw a big tantrum and as usual, Sirius would be accused and beaten till his bones turned blue. Probably his room would be searched and the money would be found, and it would be all the more worse for Sirius.
Gradually, a plan began to form in Sirius's mind. If he could pull it off, then gold, was no longer a problem. Again, like most of his plans, the odds of success were very low. This particular one, involved a hopelessly advanced spell that was mentioned in one of Regulus's textbooks. Sirius had never even tried it even once, he could only cross his fingers and hope that he managed to pull it off. All the same he couldn't help but feel excited. The little risk that he might get caught, made it almost fun.
Sirius paused outside the window of Number Five, Grimmauld Place. A Muggle called Dr. Aben Bernard, lived there. Sirius had been really fond of the Doctor and his wife since he was a child. The doctor had helped heal the cuts and bruises (in Muggle fashion) he had received from Regulus's regular floggings. Though Aben didn't know that Sirius was really a wizard, he had always had a soft spot for this outspoken little handsome boy, with an amazing sense of humor that had sent him into fits of laughter. Sirius had never told Aben where he lived, and Aben had decided not to ask.
Sirius stared into the sitting room, of Number Five, through the foggy window. He could hear the television blaring perfectly. He decided that he wouldn't go inside, he would try to hear as much as possible from where he was. (He didn't feel like being fussed over by Mrs. Bernard) The newsreaders were still having a heated debate over the weather conditions which was growing more and more hot ("Now Reggie, you had better control your language, you wouldn't like our one thousand viewers to hear you say that again, would you?") For five boring minutes the scientist called Reggie, gave a big boring lecture on what he thought about the censorship committee, trying to prove that he should be allowed the pleasure of choosing what words he wanted to use. ("Okay, Reggie, now can we return to the weather, please?") Finally Reggie relented, letting go of the mike so that the newsreaders could carry on with the news. The camera flashed on to a man who was looking very grim, and in the background, several Muggle policemen were charging at a mob of people, who were wreaking havoc. "The London riots have now spread, to cover the outskirts of the District of Grimmauld Place....."
Sirius heard gasps echo from the surrounding houses, but didn't care. Something had clicked in the back of his mind. The riots! The perfect excuse for him not to be present at home the day he went to Diagon Alley. That was it. His plan was complete. All he had to do now, was wait for the night, and cross his fingers, hoping that it worked.
He decided to return to Number Twelve and retire to his room after a quick word with Andro. He made a mental note not to tell her about his plan, he wanted to keep it a secret until it was successfully pulled off. He didn't feel like letting it out of his mouth, in case there were eavesdroppers. As he walked towards Number Twelve, he could see people locking their doors and boarding up their windows. The rioters had obviously struck panic in most of the Muggles. The news had said they had reach the outskirts of Grimmauld Place, which probably meant they were near Lane One. Number Twelve was on Lane Twenty, so it would be quite some time before the rioters managed to make their way anywhere near Number Twelve. He wondered if his parents would help ward the rioters off, by using magic, then he decided that they wouldn't. They would probably take delight in watching the Muggles shrieking and running around in terror.
As he walked across the lawn, he was confronted by the people he least wanted to see. Regulus was blocking his way into the house, and Bellatrix and Narcissa were as usual, giggling behind him. 'Bella got a letter from Hogwarts,' said Regulus, a maddening smile playing at his lips. '....and you didn't. Which proves that what I was thinking all along was correct...'
'You actually think? c'mon don't kid me,' Sirius tried to push his way past Regulus. He noticed Andro standing behind her sisters, biting her nails. Regulus stuck out an arm and caught Sirius by his collar, forcing him to stop. Sirius battled against the iron grip of his brother to no avail. He found himself pinned against the wall, Regulus's face, merely inches away from his.
'Not so fast, you little rat,' he hissed, the look in his eyes, was one Sirius had grown to fear. It nearly always preceded an exceptionally painful flogging. But now, he had had enough. That look no longer frightened him. He was now almost Regulus's size, which meant that his strength would also be almost equal to his.
'Go eat skunk droppings, Regulus,' Sirius whispered, the expression on his face was the one that frightened Andro. 'And feed some to those bitches as well'
At this, Regulus let out a cry of fury. His hand slipped from Sirius's collar on to Sirius's throat and tightened its grip. Sirius clenched his fists at his side. He knew what he was going to do. He was going to demonstrate to Regulus and his cousins that he was no longer that pipsqueak of a brother, Regulus thought he was. He had had enough.
'Regulus,' he said, his voice calm, but Andro winced as she saw his eyes light up with that murderous look. 'I just want you to know, I've had enough of your shit. And I'm about to show it to you.'
He raised his right fist from his side and thrust it, with all the force he could muster, into Regulus's face. Regulus let out a cry of pain and stumbled a few feet backward, releasing his hold on Sirius's throat. At this, Sirius took a step forward, raised his foot and thrust it into Regulus's genital region, with all his might. Regulus doubled up, wheezing with pain. Sirius stooped down and clamped his fingers around Regulus's throat. Regulus let out a cry but gave up, the pain in his lower torso was draining all his energy. Sirius raised him to his feet, surprised at how easily he had managed it, and banged him on the wall, making the girls shriek. Sirius realized that he was an inch taller than Regulus.
'Look here, you worthless pile of rat droppings,' Sirius hissed, his face inches away from Regulus's, 'If you are a boy and not a shrieking pipsqueak, you will keep your mouth shut, and command your girlfriends to do the same, do you get me?'
Regulus nodded feebly, his hands over his lower torso. Sirius released his grip over his throat and he slumped to the floor, still clutching his lower torso. 'Sirius...,' he croaked. Sirius turned to look at him and noticed that he no longer looked frightening, in fact, he looked more like a wimp. He almost felt sorry for him. 'Yeah?,' he said disdainfully. 'I want a rematch, okay?,' Sirius nodded and turned around, disgusted. What had he expected? An apology? For bullying him for eleven years? Sirius knew that payback time had only begun.
As he walked to his room, he kept recollecting how he had kicked his brother, with what ease he had raised him to his feet and pinned him against the wall. Regulus had been stupid, to not think of what would happen when Sirius became his size, and bigger. Maybe, he thought that Sirius would never become bigger than him. And he had asked for a rematch. That was probably to make sure the girls didn't ditch him, thinking he was weak. Sirius would have bet his Hogwarts letter, that the next day, Bellatrix and Narcissa would come flocking over to him, leaving Regulus alone in the rain. That is if he was there the next day.
Sirius had planned to go to Diagon Alley, in the early hours of the morning. He was going to raid Regulus's pocket money that night and hex him so that he didn't remember anything. To make sure he didn't realize that his money was missing, Sirius was going to attempt to hex him with a ridiculously advanced charm called the Confundus Charm, which Sirius had never performed even once.
Sirius smiled as he thought of the freedom he would have with his own wand. He could hex Regulus at his leisure and then modify his memory so that he wouldn't remember a thing. He wouldn't need to sneak into Regulus's second bedroom every time he wanted to do some magic. He didn't feel guilty about stealing Regulus's pocket money it was much less than what should have been his share.
He collapsed onto his bed, staring out of the window. This had been the second best day of his life. The best day had been three days ago. It was already dark. All that was left to do, was wait for Regulus to fall asleep.
Four hours passed. Sirius was nearly asleep. He shook himself back to consciousness and took a swig of the pungent orange juice, that he had managed to nick from the kitchen. It instantly made him feel more alive. He glanced at the luminescent dials of his watch. It was nearly one' o clock in the morning. The perfect time for him to put his plan into action. He slipped on his rubber slippers, which didn't make much of a noise and got out of bed. He strode over to his desk and grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill and stuffed them into his jacket pocket.
The corridor outside was dark and deserted. Sirius winced as the door creaked when he opened it. He decided to leave it open not wanting it to creak anymore. He already thought he had heard a grunt from Regulus in the next room. He carefully inched past Regulus's door towards his second bedroom. He opened the door, hoping with all his heart that it wasn't as creaky as his bedroom door. To his relief, it wasn't. He quietly inched into the room, not daring to turn the lights on, and felt about for Regulus's wand. He found it on top of a pile of books, it had become rather dusty from misuse. He grabbed the wand, and quietly inched out of the room. Now his agenda was rather simple. He opened Regulus's door and crept into the room. Once he was inside, he didn't bother to keep quiet.
'Starry night, isn't it Regulus?,' he said, keeping his voice loud and clear, squashing the excitement that was trying to make it tremble.
'Huh......what....?,' Regulus was jolted to consciousness. He opened his eyes and seeing Sirius calmly seated at the end of his bed, pointing his own wand at him, he began, 'Siri....what...da...,' Before he could finish, Sirius swiftly said, 'Petrificius Totalus'
Regulus's body seized up, and became rigid, the only part of his body that was now moving was his eyeballs. His eyes were widened with fear. Sirius lowered the wand and glancing at his watch, he sighed. He had to proceed fast. Though it was only one thirty, his mother had been known to lose her sleep as early as three' o clock.
He looked at his brothers horrified face. 'Okay Regulus, an explanation. You think that I didn't get a letter from Hogwarts right? Well actually, I did.', Regulus's eyes widened even more. 'Of course, I'm not mad, so I wouldn't show it to mum or dad or you, because the next instant it would be roasting in the fire,' he paused, enjoying the expression on Regulus's face, 'You know, Regulus, you actually have a very smart brother, who has secretly gone through every one of your textbooks, ever since you joined Hogwarts and mastered everything in them,' Regulus's face was now turning purple, as though he was trying to resist the body bind. 'Unfortunately,' Sirius made a face of mock sadness, 'You got onto the wrong side of this wonderful brother of yours. And today you're going to pay for it,' Sirius allowed himself a wicked grin.
'We'll come back to that later, anyway, this smart little brother of yours decided to take matters into his own hands. He needed money to buy his wizarding stuff. And the easiest way for him to get this money was to raid his brothers bedroom. So he decided to do that and take his revenge at the same time,' Sirius rose to his feet, his wand pointing at Regulus's chest. Now was the time to perform the Confundus Charm.
'Confundo!' he cried. Regulus's face was wiped blank of all expression. Sirius sighed with relief. That meant the charm had worked. 'I am your master,' he said strongly and clearly. 'You shall do as I command,' Regulus blinked his eyes in assent. 'You do not have one hundred and fifty Galleons as pocket money. You have merely fifty Galleons. Do you understand?,' Regulus blinked again.
Sirius raised his wand. Regulus's head dropped on to his pillow, his eyes shut. That was another sign that the charm had worked. 'Good,' Sirius muttered to himself. 'And one more thing,' once again, he pointed the wand at the sleeping Regulus. 'Obliviate,' he muttered. Regulus twitched in his sleep. A sign that his memory had been wiped clean of the night's events.
Sirius glanced at his watch one more time. Two' o clock, he had to hurry. He strode over to the closet in the corner and swung it open. Regulus's gold was all lying in a heap. Sirius scooped most of the gold into the waist pocket of his jacket, making sure that he left behind at least fifty Galleons.
He hurried out of the room, closing the door, and the corridor was as dark and deserted as before. He headed for the staircase, inching his way along quietly. Once he was out of earshot of all the rooms, he burst into a sprint. As he ran through the sitting room, he hoped that he wouldn't wake up any of the portraits, who were all prone to shouting their heads off, if disturbed in their sleep. Luck was in his favor for once.
He reached the front door and paused. He pulled out the parchment and quill from his pocket and placed the parchment against it. He paused for a moment wondering what exactly to write, then he made up his mind.
Dear Mum, Dad and Everyone Else, he wrote,
I have decided to prove that I am worthy of being a Black. In case you don't know, Muggle riots have been happening. The riots have now spread to Lane One. I've managed to learn a few hexes and curses from Regulus's books and I've decided to show those Mudblooded freaks the power of wizarding blood. Don't worry though, I'll modify all their memories and come back home. I've taken Regulus's wand with me.
Sirius
Sirius felt sick as he finished the letter. He could have slapped himself for writing a few things. He wondered if it sounded too suspicious, his turning over a new leaf in a matter of one night after whacking his brother blue. Then he decided that the Blacks thought he was mad anyway. They would probably think that the Muggles had killed him, when he didn't return home which was what he wanted.
He tugged at the front door which was locked. 'Damn,' he thought, but then remembered that he still had Regulus's wand. 'Alohomora,' he muttered and the front door clicked open. He tugged at it and it creaked open. He slipped out and then shut it behind him gently. Then resisting the urge to jump into the air and whoop, he sprinted across the lawn and down Lane Twenty of Grimmauld Place.
Marauder whoops and catcalls