It was Thursday evening, and James and Sirius were in the sitting room in the middle of an intense match of Wizards' Chess. It was the first time they had really spent one-on-one time together since Sirius had moved in, and James had made it clear that he was more than a little put out by that fact. Between turns, they were still arguing mildly about the situation.

"Honestly, I know you've liked her forever and all, but can't you still make time for your best mate? You're living here, and yet I feel like I've seen less of you this summer than I have in years!"

Sirius didn't respond right away, instead focusing on sending his knight forward in an attempt to trap James's queen. Then he leaned back in his chair and rubbed his face wearily. "Can you honestly tell me that if Evans was suddenly giving you the time of day, you wouldn't be spending every possible moment with her?"

"That's different!" James argued. "That would be a totally new thing, and we would have tons to catch up on since we haven't even been friends. You and Sadie have spent plenty of time together in the past. It's not like you're trying to get to know each other." Sirius smirked and opened his mouth to beg to differ, but James hastened to continue. "You know what I mean! I don't want to hear about...that."

Sirius yawned. "Honestly, Prongs, you're more than welcome to hang out with us. We'd just appreciate it if you could cut back a bit on the sarcasm when you do."

James scoffed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

At that moment, Sadie breezed into the room and smiled at them both. She pulled up a chair next to Sirius and slid into it, beaming up at him when he automatically draped an arm around her shoulders.

"Who's winning?"

"James, at the moment," Sirius frowned, scanning the board thoughtfully. "Only by a bit though." He looked away from the board, eyes softening as they landed on her face. "What have you been up to?"

"Helping Mum in the garden." She held up her hands to reveal the soil caked under her fingernails. "I was just going to go hop in the shower but wanted to see how your game was going."

Sirius grinned mischievously. "Want company?" James made retching noises as Sadie laughed.

"Down, boy," she teased. Standing up, she pressed a brief kiss to his lips before turning to exit the room.

"Ugh!" James exclaimed. "My eyes!"

Sadie stopped in her tracks and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before slowly turning back around. Sirius barely had time to catch the devious look on her face before she had slid into his lap and was kissing him heatedly. He knew she was doing it to get under James's skin, but he couldn't help the way his body responded as she nipped at his lip and explored his mouth enthusiastically. His hands, almost acting of their own accord, slipped underneath the hem of her shirt to trace circles along her hips and sides, making her hum happily into his mouth.

James was making choked sounds of disbelief, and Sadie pulled away and hopped off of Sirius's lap, giving her brother a sweet smile. "How are your eyes now, Jamie?" And with that, she flounced out of the room and upstairs to take her shower.

"Sweet Mother of Merlin..." Sirius muttered, eyes wide as he stared after her. His trousers were feeling uncomfortably tight, and he winced slightly as he adjusted them.

James was gaping after his sister. "Look, Pads, I'm happy for you guys. I really am. But...it would probably be great if I never have to see anything like that again."

Sirius snorted. "Well, I wouldn't put it past her to do it again if you don't stop being such a drama queen every time we so much as hold hands."

James didn't have anything to say to that, so they simply went back to their game, only speaking to direct their pieces around the board. Sirius's thoughts were no longer anywhere near chess, however, so it didn't take long for James to completely demolish him. James gave him a knowing look but refrained from saying anything.

They had moved into the kitchen and were snacking on biscuits when Sadie found them once again. She gave James the barest hint of a smirk before coming to stand next to Sirius. She slipped an arm around his waist and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"So, I was thinking," she began with an air of wanting to spit out all of her thoughts as quickly as possible. "We don't need to be at the Leaky Cauldron until 3:00 tomorrow. Maybe we could leave a little early though. Spend some time in Diagon Alley." She shrugged and fidgeted anxiously with his shirt. "Only if you want to though, no pressure."

Sirius's frowned, confused about why she was acting so nervous. "You mean like a date?"

She cleared her throat and examined her fingernails in a would-be casual manner. "Um, sure, yeah, if you wanna call it that. But you don't have to if you've got...you know...other plans..."

And then, he understood. She had mentioned a couple of days ago that she thought part of the reason things hadn't worked out with Gideon was that she had been too needy with his time. The git had barely been willing to go on a walk with her for the last few months of their relationship. Sirius scowled at the thought before turning to wrap her up in his arms and press his lips to the top of her head.

"There is nothing I would love more."

And so it was that they found themselves wandering Diagon Alley hand-in-hand the next day. They didn't have any specific goals in mind until their meeting with Regulus, so they simply wiled away a few hours exploring the various shops. Sirius just about had to drag Sadie out of the Magical Menagerie, where she had found it difficult not to purchase and bring home every single creature for sale. He took note of the final, wistful look she sent toward a cage full of kittens and vowed that he would get her one once he had more than a few knuts to his name.

Eventually, they had exhausted most of the shops and were strolling down the alley, licking ice cream cones from Florean's. Sirius glanced at her and grinned at the small smear of chocolate ice cream just above her upper lip. She gave him a questioning look, and he swooped down to kiss it off. She sighed when he pulled away, and they turned forward again to see Gideon staring at them from a few feet away, a somewhat constipated look on his face.

Sirius felt Sadie tense next to him, and he gave her hand a comforting squeeze. As much as he would have liked to deck Prewett in the face, now was not the time. The redhead approached them hesitantly, carefully avoiding looking at Sirius.

"Hey, Sade," he greeted hesitantly. "Erm...could I talk to you for a second? Privately?"

A low growl escaped Sirius's throat before he could stop it. It wasn't that he felt jealous or threatened; he just didn't think Sadie was ready for a conversation with her ex at the moment. Nevertheless, he loosened his grip on her hand just slightly, in case she wanted to go. It was her call.

She bit her lip uncertainly and glanced between Gideon and Sirius. Sirius gave her a small shrug, and she took a deep breath. "Now isn't really a good time. We've sort of got an appointment."

Gideon's face fell. "Right. Of course. No problem." Sirius gave Sadie's hand a light tug, and they began to walk away. "Hey, Sadie?"

She hesitantly turned around to face him again. "Yes?"

"I..." He seemed to be waging some kind of internal battle. He glanced briefly at Sirius before looking back at her. "I really hope that you're happy. I can't think of anyone who deserves it more than you." And with that, he sent a stiff nod in Sirius's direction and disappeared into the apothecary.

Sadie stood frozen for a moment, a stunned look on her face, before slowly turning to look at Sirius. He reached up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"You okay?" he asked softly. She nodded after a short pause.

"I think so. Maybe...maybe I should have let him talk..."

Sirius shook his head. "If you're not ready for it, you're not ready for it. And that's fine. You don't owe him anything, no matter how much you think you do."

She bit her lip and nodded. "Maybe next time I run into him..." She glanced at the time. "We really should head to the Leaky Cauldron though if we don't want to be late."

Sirius nodded in agreement, and they set off. Upon entering the pub, they quickly spotted Regulus, who was waving at them subtly from a small table in the corner. He kept glancing around nervously, but nobody seemed to be paying them any heed.

Sadie and Sirius took seats at the table, and there was no mistaking the relief in Regulus's eyes as he took in the sight of his brother. He gave Sadie an approving look and spoke quietly. "It's good to see that you're doing better."

Sirius nodded. "Thank you. For...you know...sending for help."

Regulus glanced down at Sadie and Sirius's clasped hands and smirked lightly. "Well, it's about bloody time. What did I tell you, Potter?" Sadie grinned good-naturedly. Regulus sighed. "Alright, I don't have much time, and I can't guarantee that I'll be able to give you much help in the future. The Dark Lord is the one who ordered Bella to come after you. He's angry that you've...chosen a different path. And Bella is furious that you got away. She's out for blood, Sirius. And she knows it was Sadie who rescued you." He gave Sadie an apologetic look. "You both need to be careful and watch your backs, especially for the rest of the holiday. You'll probably be safe at school, but..." He shrugged helplessly.

Sirius nodded stiffly. "We understand." He swallowed hard. "Reg...why don't you come with us? We can get you away from all this."

Regulus smiled sadly and stood up. "I appreciate the offer, but...I can't." Sirius nodded in resignation. He'd been expecting that. He stood as well and grasped his brother's hand.

"Stay safe, okay? Take care of yourself." He was slightly embarrassed to hear the tremor in his own voice. Regulus nodded.

"You do the same. And take care of her, will you?" He gestured at Sadie, who was watching the exchange solemnly. "She's a good one."

The brothers stared at each other for a moment, neither quite sure what to say. Finally, Regulus clapped Sirius on the shoulder and sent a nod in Sadie's direction before slipping quietly out of the pub. Sirius felt his heart break slightly, but it wasn't until a while later when they were safely shut in Sadie's bedroom that he allowed himself break down and cry, Sadie holding him and doing her best to offer comfort as he processed the fact that he might never again have a relationship with his brother.

A/N: Sirius and Regulus's relationship is so heartbreaking to me! Anyway, thanks for reading, and let me know what you think or if you'd like to see anything specific in the coming chapters!

WindSongEnchantment: Ohh yes there will definitely be plenty of drama soon! But the fluff is certainly fun for a bit haha

hollypop2014: Thanks so much! That is what I love to hear!

GingerGryffindor: 1. Thanks! They are getting there slowly but surely haha! 2. I kind of love them. Like a lot haha 3. Yes, drama is definitely coming! 4. Absolutely! Define 'cool' though. Like, cool as in badass or cool as in that sort of haughty, bored, slightly arrogant Sirius that we see in the books?