I don't own Harry Potter.

***

"From what I found out after [Regulus] died, he got in so far, then panicked about what he was being asked to do and tried to back out. Well, you don't just hand in your resignation to Voldemort. It's a lifetime of service or death." -Sirius Black, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

***

Sirius was appalled when he received the morning edition of the Daily Prophet. He hopped on his motorbike and sped to the Ministry building in order to catch Remus right away.

Remus was just unlocking the door to his office as Sirius arrived. Remus saw him, but then quickly turned away.

This did not stop Sirius. "Moony, have you lost your mind? Why'd you pass that rubbish?" Sirius accosted him.

"How many times have I asked you to stop calling me 'Moony?'" Remus said softly, his eyes averted as he opened the door to the office and stepped inside. "They're so childish, those nicknames. We've been out of school for two years now. It's time you grew up."

Sirius was a bit taken aback. He stood in the doorway a moment in shocked before following Remus in. "Fine. REMUS. Why on earth did you pass those mad Death Eater laws? I mean, look at this!" he pulled a crumpled copy of the article from within his coat. "'All students entering Hogwarts must be traceably pure on both sides of the family back at least five generations.' Five! Do you even know if YOU'RE pure five generations back?" Then he added sourly, "Though I notice you didn't add any amendments banning werewolves, did you?"

Remus was silent; he went over to his tea cauldron and started to brew it.

Sirius continued to rant. "Dumbledore recommended you to this position because he trusted you wouldn't let any of this happen. You were the one thing standing between the Death Eaters and the Ministry. Naturally, Rookwood was going to pass the laws. I half suspect he's a Death Eater himself! You were the one thing keeping the Ministry incorrupt. You've betrayed everybody! Dumbledore, Lily and James- you do realize their kid's not going to be allowed at Hogwarts now, don't you?- and even yourself! Since when have you believed in any of these laws?"

Remus wished he would shut up; he had already run through this reprimand to himself thousands of times. Yet it worse coming from the man who had done a lot of betraying himself, the hypocrite.

"Things change," he said shortly, still refusing to look at Sirius. "People grow up. People start having jobs and families and things they want to protect."

"People turn into traitors," snapped Sirius.

Remus jerked his eyes into Sirius's for the first time that morning. "Yes, they certainly do, don't they? You can't trust anyone, can you?"

Sirius blinked in shock. Remus turned coldly to the window. "W-well," stammered Sirius, "then I suppose my mum was right all along- and you know how much I hate to admit she's ever been right. That old adage . . . "

"What adage?"

Sirius pulled his coat around him with a snap. "Never trust a werewolf," he said harshly. Then he turned and walked straight out the door.

Remus collapsed into the chair behind the desk. He was left with an unrelenting emptiness and loss of trust. He felt like a villain and a victim at the same time. It had hurt so much to fight with Sirius, but then again, Sirius had really hurt him. It was all his own fault.

***

There was much electricity at the next Death Eater meeting. Regulus and Bartemius had both finally passed their Apparition tests, so they had managed to show up instantly at the Dark Lord's side without being followed by the mad Muggle. Regulus found it particularly ironic that the law allowing Underage Magic had been passed only a month before his graduation and official licensing.

"Avery has just informed me of a very pivotal event," the Dark Lord told his circle of followers in the graveyard. "He stepped into the Hog's Head a few nights ago while following my great adversary, Dumbledore. Avery managed to hear the prophecy . . . it was the whole, was it not?"

Avery nodded fervently, though rather nervously. "I heard the whole thing, I swear, my lord . . . "

The Dark Lord silent peered down at him for a moment, then returned to addressing the entire congregation. "There is to be a child born, at the end of next month, whose parents have thrice defied me. He shall grow to be my equal. I must stop this prophecy from being fulfilled. I will kill the child at its most vulnerable."

"What child is it, my lord?" asked Nott.

"Thrice defied . . . only two have every defied me and survived three times. Oddly, both are couples and both are with children, due at the end of the seventh month. The Potters and the Longbottoms. Both Aurors, both entirely too meddlesome and powerful for my liking. It would be desirable, naturally, to do away with both. Yet I have a suspicion of to whom the prophecy points. Pettigrew-- Wormtail, he goes by-- has informed me that the Potters have already been alerted of this prophecy by that fool Dumbledore, and are taking action as we speak. What did you say was their plan, Wormtail?"

Peter looked immensely proud to have the limelight for a moment. "The Fidelius Charm," he said squeakily. "And they have already refused to let Dumbledore be their Secret-Keeper. I think they'll choose Sirius."

"But you are close to the Potters, are you not?" The Dark Lord pointed out. Then he laughed to himself. "Foolish Potters . . . they have made everything much easier for me, refusing Dumbledore. Wormtail, I have a plan. You shall be made Secret-Keeper. Who do you have to contend with?

"James would only trust Sirius, Remus, and me," Peter said.

Bellatrix sniggered from her place in the circle. "If Lupin were by chance made Secret-Keeper, I can have him give you the whereabouts oh so easily. Getting him to pass those laws was like taking candy from a baby. This shall be no different."

"That still leaves Sirius, and he will most likely be the Potters' first choice," pointed out Lucius.

"Bella, I need you to take care of the Longbottoms. We shall deal with their child when we have finished with the Potters. However, feel free to incapacitate the parents. I would rather not have to deal with them a fourth time."

"Certainly, my lord," Bellatrix grinned, gripping her wand excitedly.

"Regulus Black!" the Dark Lord snapped, turning to the boy. Regulus practically jumped; he had never been called personally by the Dark Lord. He was always delegated tasks by Lucius or Bellatrix, and usually they involved he and Barty together.

"Y-yes, my lord?" Regulus stammered.

"Have you retained any ties with your brother?"

"N-no, my lord," Regulus replied, wishing he had so he could be more pleasing to the Dark Lord.

"Then you will go to him, beg to see him again, pretend your family wishes to welcome him back with open arms. Bella, you may play a part in this as well." Bellatrix groaned, but the Dark Lord did not respond. "Then, Regulus, when you are close enough to him- even just close enough to ask him- you will kill him."

Regulus's eyes widened and he stifled his gasp. The Dark Lord remained resolute. "This is your test . . . you have been but an honorary member of this clan until now. You must prove your worth to us."

Regulus nodded and then backed into his place in the circle. Bartemius was watching him jealously. "Of all the people you could kill, he's probably easiest. Just put on a sweet loving brother act. You're not- you're not scared are you?"

"If it's so easy, how come you haven't murdered your dad in his sleep?" Regulus snapped.

"He's not even your brother, idiot. He's been out of your family for years," Bartemius replied shortly. He shut up after that, though.

***

Regulus had to carry out his mission by the first of July. The Potters would choose their Secret-Keeper then, Peter had found out. He waited until the last minute, his procrastination eating him up with thoughts from his conscience. He hadn't ever hated Sirius nearly as much as he could have. Sure, he enjoyed being his mother's favorite, held up with praise before his older brother when he was made a Slytherin and joined the Quidditch team when all Sirius ever did was get in trouble in the hated Gryffindor house. They were cheap thrills, though, brought on by the natural jealousy of the youngest child to his older brother. Regulus had been jealous of Sirius at times; he always had more friends and many more girls interested in him. Still, just as jealousy was a natural part of brotherhood, so was fondness. Before Sirius went to Hogwarts and started his downhill slope towards shunning, Sirius and Regulus were companions in the sense of brothers. They fought, but still played together nicely at times. Even just living in the same house as someone for fourteen years had its effects.

Regulus left the house that fateful chosen night. He hadn't bothered to write Sirius in advance; his brother didn't want to see him and he knew it. His only hope was to catch him while he was at home.

Regulus knocked on the door to Sirius's flat. He could hear loud music thumping within; Sirius still acted like a teenager. A moment later, his brother appeared at the door. He took one look at Regulus, wrinkled up his nose, and sneered, "What do you want?"

Regulus stood there, blinked, and thought vaguely of reaching for his wand and hexing him on the spot. He was supposed to say something, persuade Sirius he was here to play nice. "I just . . . I just came by to see you . . . " It was feeble.

Sirius smirked. "Right. Tell Mum Uncle Alphard gave me more gold than her and she can just get over it, alright?"

"That's not why I'm here . . . I'm here to . . . I'm . . . " Time was slipping away from him. Sirius was getting even more annoyed. He had no idea how hard this was for Regulus. Regulus couldn't just point his wand between his brother's eyes and kill him on the spot, watch him fall to the ground lifeless and go on living himself as if nothing had happened. The Death Eaters killed people all the time, but they were never family and rarely friends. Regulus wondered if even the most hardened Death Eater could kill a family member, however unattached they were. Family was blood, and blood meant everything to a pureblooded cult.

"You're here to stutter and waste my time, aren't you? You're a bigger idiot than I remember. Mum let you get stupid after I left, did she?"

His dark eyes were looking straight into Sirius's, like a reflection of Regulus's. "I can't . . . do this!" Regulus suddenly cried. He turned and fled, flying down the stairs of the apartment complex as if he had seen a ghost. Sirius laughed as he ran off. The kid was hilariously stupid.

"You're supposed to run away BEFORE I answer the door, idiot!" Sirius called after him. "And most folks in their right mind don't pull the doorbell trick on their disowned brothers!"

Now Regulus was on run from the Death Eaters. Unless he got back up there and killed Sirius, he would be over his deadline. It was nearly midnight, and at midnight it would be July. The Dark Lord had a schedule that couldn't be tampered with.

He collapsed against the wall of the building, behind a bush. However, he wasn't as alone as he thought.

"Did you do it?" a voice hissed in his ear.

Regulus jumped and gave a shout. Bellatrix clapped her hand over his mouth. "Idiot! Crouch lives in this complex; do you want to go to Azkaban?" Ironic, thought Regulus, that they didn't have Barty do this job. He apparently lived right by Sirius; Regulus had had to walk several blocks from Grimmauld Place to here.

"Did you do it?" Bellatrix asked again.

Regulus couldn't speak. Bellatrix sighed in annoyance. "Your time is up. If you didn't do it . . . " she seized his wand right out of his hand. She placed hers against his and cried, "Priori Incatatum!"

The ghost of a small spell Regulus had used to fix his bed hangings last night dribbled out of the end of his wand. Bellatrix rounded on him, her eyes aflame. She threw his wand into the bushes beside her.

"Traitor!" she spoke in as harsh a whisper as she could muster.

"No . . . no, I just didn't have time!" pleaded Regulus.

"Don't lie! This would have been easy! There was no one around! You're powerful enough now to take him on! What on earth stopped you? Did you fear?"

"H-he's my brother! I couldn't just-"

"He is not your brother! He hasn't been your brother in ages. He never was really your brother; he was a stinking blood traitor Gryffindor who would have no qualms about killing YOU."

"He's blood, Bellatrix, no matter how he turned out," argued Regulus weakly. "Blood ties are stronger than any of that!"

"Where does your loyalty lie?" Bellatrix snapped suddenly. "To him, to a foul blood traitor who cares nothing for you? Or to the Death Eaters?"

"The Death Eaters are about preserving pure blood . . . blood matters to them," Regulus hoped his argument was true.

Bellatrix shook her head grimly. "I'm afraid you may be wrong, Regulus. The Death Eaters are a family of their own. You may consider a traitor to your family still kin, but within our clan we do not feel similarly. It's time you were disowned." She lifted her wand slowly.

"NO!" Regulus dropped to his knees. "Bella, no! Please don't kill me! Don't kill me! I'm your cousin! I'm your own blood!"

"I just told you, Regulus. The Death Eaters are my kin now." Her wand was now stiff in her hand, pointed to Regulus at the ready.

So there were Death Eaters hardened enough to kill their kin. Regulus shuddered. There was no use pleading any longer.

"I'm sorry, my dear baby cousin. I honestly thought you were better than this." Bellatrix's cold fathomless eyes looked straight into Regulus's as she whispered:

"Avada Kedavra."

The young body of Regulus Black slumped forward onto to the ground. He had died at the wand of his own kin, attempting to save the life of another family member. He had died torn in half by the one thing he had ever bothered to stand for.

Upstairs, Sirius went on with his business. He knew nothing of what had gone on below his windows. He would never know that it had been he whom Regulus had died to save.