Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize. All characters belong to a woman with a great imagination and determination, capable of creating this world that is the center of so many stories.

Sins of Angels: Thanks, as always, to my reviewers! This chapter focuses more on Sirius and Regulus, but I hope you like it all the same. You're strongly encouraged to review, mainly because it makes me oh so happy to be writing this to know that people actually like it. Of course, criticism is always welcome as well. Enjoy.

Chapter 37 – Of Brothers and Men

Sirius ran into them at high speed. Lily glanced out the window as James and his best friend tried to get up. No full moon.

Almost a week into the term and it looked like she would have to dock points from her own house again for Sirius being out of bounds. She hated how she always had to do the right thing.

"What are you doing?" she asked, helping him up. She was ready to yell and fight, if need be.

She didn't. Her voice died as she saw his face, contorted with fear and fury. James noticed it too. "Mate, what's wrong?" he asked. Sirius just turned a blank stare on him. He gently sidled over to the wall and sank down. James followed him, and Lily stood a little way away, unsure of what to do. Sirius just brought his knees up and rested his elbows on them, rubbing his eyes with his wrists.

"Do you have a time-turner, Prongs? One that can take me back years?" Sirius asked sadly, his once smiling face now emotionless as he talked dully, a sight that sent chills down James's spine.

This wasn't Sirius Black, fellow Marauder, best mate for his life. This wasn't the kid who would eagerly plan pranks at the drop of a hat. What had happened?

Sirius laughed hollowly, which was possibly more disturbing than what he had done up to now. "Times change, James, don't they? You seemed to realize that faster than I did. I can't go out into the world just smiling and playing these ridiculous jokes on people. I can't act like I don't have responsibilities for another minute, Prongs. Like you realized you can't act like a total prat if you wanted her to like you. Hah, seems you're one up on me there again, mate."

"Sirius, what happened?"

He seemed to collect himself a bit, because he continued not as a sad, detached, human, but sarcastically, laughing hollowly again. "War happens, mate. War happens to everyone."

"War, Sirius? What are you talking about?"

Sirius suddenly turned to him, his eyes narrowed to show his disgust with what he was about to say. "The war with Voldemort, James. Seems Regulus has joined the wrong side."

"What? Did you talk to him?"

Sirius looked from James, to Lily, then to the floor. He nodded, and then stood up. He flashed a great smile, one characteristic of him. He grinned at Lily. "Say, Head Girl, you weren't perhaps thinking of docking points from Gryffindor for me being out of bed, were you?" he said mockingly.

Lily looked to James, surprised at Sirius's sudden change. James looked up at his friend, concerned. "I…thought about it," she said weakly. Sirius beamed at her again and he looked very much like the boy she sat with at breakfast while he talked about turning someone's skin green.

"Wonderful! Well, I'll gladly take those five points-provided you can catch me!" he said quickly and dashed off down the hall. James sprang up, utterly confused. Sirius stopped at the corner, grinned mischievously, and called out, "see you at breakfast!" before disappearing again. Lily looked at James.

"What just happened?"

James hesitated, before grinning at her. "We're playing tag, and you're it!" he called out and ran down the hall too, laughing as Lily started after him.

Sirius ran up the steps and down the corridors, hearing the sound of James's and Lily's footsteps grow further away. He smiled at that and then cursed himself for acting like that around them. He was Sirius Black. He didn't behave like that, not when others are watching. His feet unconsciously took him in front of the Slytherin dormitory, and he sank down next to the wall, waiting. It wouldn't be long until someone came back here.

Laughter rang out, clearly Lily's. Her warm voice seemed to fill and engulf the chill that was so characteristic of the dungeons. James laughed too. For a slight moment Sirius thought about going up there, seeing them, possibly laughing with them.

But then he shook his head. Take care of business first. Then he can go back to being…himself.

A Slytherin third year came out, panting, and ran past him without realizing it. He jumped up and grabbed the boy by the back of his cloak. He squeaked shrilly, but it was cut short when he realized whose laughter rang throughout the halls. Sirius grinned, which caused the boy to tremble.

"You listen here, chum," Sirius said. The boy nodded eagerly, trying to stay on the Marauder's good side. "You'll go in there and ask for Regulus Black, you hear? Fifth year prefect, with a badge. And you're going to tell him that someone is out here looking for him, but don't let on who. And you better not be trembling in there like you are here, see? Because me, I have a mighty good memory for faces, and I don't seem likely to forget yours in a hurry. Understand me?"

"Yes, sir!" the boy said nervously. Sirius dropped him down, and he scurried into the Common Room, his trembling firmly under control. Sirius smiled as the entrance opened again and his brother came out for the second time that night. Regulus saw Sirius and gave him a puzzled look.

"What, again? Didn't we finish before?" he said lazily. Sirius flinched at his words.

"Come on, I don't feel like being heard," Sirius said and walked towards an empty classroom, knowing his brother would follow. As they made it to the door, Lily's laughter rang out again, as did James's.

"Is that who I think it is?"

"Head Boy and Girl, that's them alright. Anyway, just get inside and don't start talking until the silencing charm is on the room, got it?"

Regulus did walk in and Sirius closed the door and locked it, manually and magically. He then performed his charm and turned towards his brother.

"Why did you send that trembling third year in?" Regulus asked. Sirius looked at him, puzzled. "Now Bellatrix has gone off about how lower years shouldn't talk to us. Are you even aware how hard it was to get in league with those seventh years?"

"And why exactly are you in league with them again?" Sirius asked.

Regulus sighed. "We went over this. It makes no sense not to be."

"What are you talking about!" Sirius said angrily. "It makes perfect sense!"

"Brother, I don't want to have been dragged out of bed again for the same conversation in one night. Is there something you'd like to add, or can I go?"

"Well, brother," Sirius spat. Regulus winced slightly. "I have this question for you. Was it because of me?"

Whatever Regulus had been expecting, it wasn't that. He stared at Sirius blankly for a while before finally responding. "What? What do you mean, because of you?"

"Look, when I ran away, I knew I was leaving you. And I hoped you'd follow me and come, but you refused, remember? All I'm saying is, was my leaving the final push you needed?"

Regulus sighed again. He was fifteen, this wasn't fair. He wasn't supposed to have the Dark Lord breathing down his neck or Bellatrix torture him until his head was ready to split. He was supposed to act like James, that day on the lake's edge when he had flirted with an angry Lily. It's amazing what can happen in two years.

Right now, he would give anything to have been standing in James's position, laughing as he turned someone upside down, going around school with a cocky smile all the time. He would love to have a row with a girl over something stupid. He just wanted to be happy.

But no, his rows were all concerning one thing-Voldemort. That bloody bastard has been in his life since the middle of fourth year, when he had to stop talking to Sirius and James, because of something so trivial as what house he was in. That was when Bellatrix had pounced, and first won over his mother, who made him go along with it. To think his parents were proud he was following that deranged lunatic.

And yet no one knew, no one would even guess, that proud, cunning, sarcastic little Regulus Black had his own plans, ones that differed from what he was told to do. They never thought the dog would bite the hand that feeds it. Not even his own brother.

"Sirius," Regulus said, sighing. "You had nothing to do with that. Did I ever tell you why I joined in our little chats?"

Sirius sat down in an empty chair, shaking his head.

"Look, remember when people started to hate me last year? When I stopped talking to you? It was because I was in Slytherin and you were in Gryffindor, and the two shouldn't mix. But every time I saw you and your three friends, I wished more than anything to go to Gryffindor and be one of you guys, a Marauder, someone with friends.

"And then Bellatrix came along. You know how mum is with family, I had to be nice to her or she'd have a fit. I didn't have anywhere to go, not like you. I didn't have a friend like James, one that would take me in. So I was nice, and she mistook this for me being interested in what she does, and recruited me into her group of, for want of a better word, friends.

"I knew they were in league with the Dark Lord-"

"-Voldemort," Sirius supplied. Regulus didn't flinch or anything, he just smiled faintly.

"Right, him."

"Why don't you say his bloody name, anyway? You don't make any movement when anyone else says it."

"Force of habit, I suppose. I'd be dead in two seconds if I called him Voldemort instead of the Dark Lord. I'm a fifth year at Hogwarts, I haven't proven myself useful yet. Anyway, the thing that stood out, that made me join in with them, was the one murder he had openly done himself. Curiously enough, it's the one where every finger but a scarce few point at your best mate."

"You don't mean…?"

"Yes, brother, I do. Charlie Potter Jr. was a very impressive murder indeed. Think about it, Sirius. I've spent enough time around Charlie to notice how brilliant he was, what a quick thinker he could be. I knew he didn't lose his head in a crisis at all, and he was one powerful wizard. Before his encounter with the Dark Lord, I thought him invincible. But, then, he died at the hands of the one I've been convinced to follow. The way James described it, he didn't even put up a fight. He couldn't. The Dark Lord just blasted him clear out of the water.

"So, you see, Sirius, it made little sense to not join him. I've always considered myself smarter than most, and I know what I'm doing."

"Regulus, you are one stupid kid, you know that?" Sirius asked angrily, getting up from his chair. Regulus got up too.

"Oh, spare me the act, Sirius. We both know that you don't care if it wasn't your fault."

Sirius grabbed him by his robes and spun him around, slamming him on the wall. "Don't care? Do you know what happened tonight, Regulus?"

For someone pinned to the wall, the boy smiled in an overly happy way. "Put me down, Sirius, we both know you won't hurt me. And no, I don't know what happened."

Sirius felt it, the ever so light probing of his mind. He slammed Regulus again and it stopped. "It's useless to go messing around in my memories, Regulus. You should have figured out that I'd be an Occlumency expert by now."

"Fine, fine, just let my bloody feet touch the floor again."

Sirius lowered him. "I met James and Lily, after our little talk. I must say, this one has turned out more productive than the last."

"Maybe it's because to asked the right questions, brother."

"Shut up. Anyway, they saw, well, him."

A look of concern flashed on the younger boy's face. "You mean…"

"Yeah. James Potter saw me, Sirius Black, completely miserable. And what's worse, I think I let on too much. He just might figure some stuff out and come asking questions."

Regulus now lost his confident look and began to look fearful. "You won't…you aren't going to, to tell him about me, are you?"

Sirius shook his head distractedly. "No, no, don't worry, you're safe. Well," he added, laughing horribly, "as safe as you can be what with that hypocritical pureblood maniac watching your every move."

"Well, look, if I don't get back, they're going to start being suspicious. I hope we've resolved everything?" Regulus said, pausing at the door. Sirius just laughed at him in a way that suggested something that only he found funny was talking place in a setting that should not be amusing.

"Yes, dear brother, we resolved that you're not only a complete moron, but a total git as well. Go back to your precious friends, Death Eater."

For a moment, and only for a moment, Regulus paused in opening the door after Sirius's last comment. His back to his brother, he shut his eyes tightly and opened the door, walking through it and went off to the Slytherin Common Room.

Sirius slowly left the empty room, what was said there tonight hung in the air, both from the first and this conversation. Maybe there was something his brother didn't seem to want to let on.

As he turned the corner, he raised his head and saw James running. As he streaked past him, his friend yelled, "you better get going, mate! She's hot on my heels and we'll lose five points if she gets you!"

Sirius turned around to see Lily just coming down the corridor, having just turned to corner. She grinned as she spotted him, and he grinned back, a grin that told her that she would never catch him. He turned around and began running after James's footsteps, gaining speed and laughing loudly. He was back to his old self.