Disclaimer: Characters and places are property of JKRowling.

Author's notes: Eek! Look how long I've gone without updating! I'm sorry folks. After getting three feet of snow and then having it for three days, it melted in one day and washed out my DSL line at home. (gr!) I never wrote another chapter on that computer because I thought it was silly to write it and not post it…heh. Stupid me. Anywho, I will be writing more, no worries!

Versipellis: I know, I know, I should get back to Blue's Moony. I'll probably start writing that again soon; it was a good stress reliever. And I might have to find this story you speak of…unless you have link?

Reaka: Because I'm evil like that. x3

"You will have to be careful here, of course. I seem to have brought my demon with me. Avoid being alone, brother."

Darkness surrounded me, followed by a fierce cold that encircled me. I gasped at the sight of Regulus. His hair disheveled and clothes unkempt. He was different from the other Regulus: shorter, younger, eyes devoid of the glasses. He smiled in a way that made me cringe.

"Regulus…?" I asked quietly, in hopes of bringing my newfound brother back, not this version I knew too well.

The eyes seemed to light up when I said his name, the grin curling more. "Something like that. But then you would know, wouldn't you? You're one of the few people who would…Because I'm only the brother of the great and magnificent Sirius Black…" The grin had faded, eyes glaring up at me. "No one cares about his silly little brother, because he did what Mummy wanted. NO! All anyone ever cared about was you, Sirius. Mum loved me better! I did what she wanted!"

I stared at the boy at my sleeve, a slow dawning coming over me. The memory came without half the effort the rest of my memories had.

Regulus stared dully at me. I knew something was wrong, had been wrong for quite some time. He'd never displayed it so readily though, as he did now. He rocked lightly as he murmured softly, "Yes, Mum…Anything you want, Mum…" The gaze seemed to suddenly fill with recognition. "BLOOD-TRAITOR! FOUL MUDBLOOD LOVER!"

I heard nothing more of it as I fled.

"Regulus, please…" I murmured in the wake of the memory.

He stared at me. "Please, what?"

"Please remember what we had before Mum got between us…" My throat was dry, looking upon the boy who'd been my brother but now was no more than a demon.

"A façade! It was all to con me into thinking your evil ideas about equality!"

"THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. My brother wasn't always this bad. I knew he wasn't.

"Fourteen…twenty-five…forty-two…three…two…one! I'm gonna getcha this time, Sir'us!" Regulus giggled as he turned from facing the wall.

From my vantage point, I could look down upon him with out him seeing me. "Nuh-uh! You won't ever find me!"

He waddled up the stairs, as most two-year old do with their unsteady legs beneath them. "I'm gonna getcha, Sir'us. I know where you are!" he giggled as if he were privy to a particularly juicy secret.

When he found me, nothing too hard considering I was just barely out of view from downstairs, but clearly visible upstairs, he tackled me with all the might a toddler could muster. "I foundja, Sir'us! Now i's my turn!"

"You never loved me…" Regulus sobbed somewhere. "Mum told me you didn't."

"You were my brother, and I couldn't not love you, Reggie. You knew what we had to endure, and you knew how I felt most of the time. It was your own choice, you know…You could've been in Gryffindor with me…"

"SLYTHERIN!" the hat shouted, and a soft cheer went up at the Slytherin table…for my little brother. He was MINE, not theirs. Why must they already treat him as one of theirs?

Bellatrix glanced over at me, grinning wickedly. "HOW ADORABLE!" I shouted, before I could stop myself. "ANOTHER BLACK SHEEP!" Remus and James tugged me back to my seat, both boys staring at me as if I'd grown another head.

Slowly, I wiped the tears from my eyes and realized I'd never have a little brother to call my own ever again.

"Never have a little brother again…?" he whispered softly.

When I opened my eyes, a small bag of marbles sat where my disheveled brother had stood. Diminutive wisps of smoke flew in opposing directions, dissipating into the nonexistent atmosphere.

xxx

James and Regulus stood over me, silently. Between them, a conversation brewed, one that was of gestures and glances, but no words passed their lips.