Word count: 1161


"Sirius!"

The urgent whisper draws him out of his sleep in an instant. "What's the matter, James?"

His sleep-heavy eyes blink once, twice, and a third time as he slowly remembers that he isn't at Hogwarts right now. It's summer holiday, which means he's in his bed, in his room, in this hellhole that he calls home, and it isn't James whose voice has woken him.

This irritates him far more than it probably should, and the concern immediately drains from his voice. "What the hell do you want, Regulus?"

Maybe he feels a little guiltier than he'll ever admit. He and Regulus were friends once, after all. Unfortunately, Regulus will always do what Mother and Father tell him to, and that includes shunning his Gryffindor brother.

He lets out a heavy sigh and sits up, yawning and rubbing his eyes. His voice softens. "What is it? Out with it."

Regulus looks nervously over his shoulder. Sirius doesn't blame him. Even if their mother is asleep, he can still feel her presence. Sometimes it feels like she has eyes and ears hidden in every wall. But for Regulus to fear her overhearing… Regulus, who is the perfect son, the golden boy… Sirius' interest is piqued.

"Come on," Regulus whispers, gesturing Sirius out of bed.

Sirius hesitates but follows behind, too curious to just sit back and wonder. He follows Regulus to his room. It seems like ages since he's been in here. Even when they were still friendly, Regulus always preferred his privacy, something Sirius understands well enough.

"You can't tell Mother," Regulus warns.

Sirius snorts. "Right. You know Mother and I are such great pals. We meet for tea every afternoon and tell each other all the dirty little secrets."

Even in the dim mooblight, Sirius can feel his little brother's eyes narrow at him. Good. Regulus deserves a little dose of annoyance for waking Sirius up at this ungodly hour.

"I found this earlier. And… Well… His wing…" Regulus lights a candle, shedding light on a small form on his bed.

It takes Sirius several moments to realize what he's seeing. There is a bird on his brother's blanket. Not an owl or anything that might serve a purpose. It is just an ordinary bird with blue feathers, nestled happily. Sirius leans in closer and notices its wing doesn't look quite right. He isn't an expert on birds, but he's seen enough to know that wings are supposed to lie a certain way.

"If Mother finds out, she'll kill me."

Sirius shakes his head. "You? Never. Mother actually loves you," he says dryly, and there's no mistaking the traces of bitterness in his voice. "She'll just be terribly disappointed in you and fret that you have empathy like your dear older brother."

Regulus winces. Just because he's rebelling ever so slightly now, it doesn't mean he's tired of living under the weight of their parents' shadow. Sirius sighs. He'll just have to take it as progress, however small.

"Don't worry. I turned out okay."

"Debatable," Regulus chuckles.

"Oi!"

His little brother looks up at him, grey eyes wide, lower lip quivering. In that moment, Sirius is reminded just how young Regulus is. Sometimes he lets his emotions cloud his view, but, really, Regulus is only thirteen. Just a kid. Hell, they both are.

"Can you… Can you help him?" Regulus asks, his gaze returning to the feathered creature on the bed. "Please?"

Sirius sighs softly. He doesn't know the first thing about animals. He thinks that maybe Peter rambles a lot about them, but Sirius so rarely pays his friend much mind. What is he supposed to do? Is there a charm? A potion? Could he possibly transfigure the bones? Everything sounds so complicated, and he wants to tell Regulus it's impossible.

But that isn't his style. Sirius Black has never been the type to run away from a challenge, and he won't start running now.

His lips quirk into a grin. "Regulus, dear boy," he says, clapping his brother's shoulder, "I'm going to need you to break into Father's study and see if you can find any books that might be helpful."

"Why me?"

Sirius resists the urge to roll his eyes. Overall, Regulus is quite clever—so clever that Sirius is surprised he isn't in Ravenclaw sometimes—but he tends to overlook the obvious. Poor dear. At least he has his good looks and Quidditch talent to get him by. "Because, idiot, Mother and Father like you, and you can stay out of trouble. What do you think would happen if I got caught in there?"

Regulus makes a face. It's clear he doesn't like the idea of breaking rules, but he doesn't argue. He looks once more at the bird, then back at Sirius with determination in his eyes. "I'll do whatever it takes."

They don't find any perfect books. Maybe Sirius shouldn't be surprised. Neither of them are allowed to have pets because it's impractical, according to their parents. Of course their father wouldn't have anything useful about animals.

Even so, Regulus finds enough books with vague entries about bones and healing, and Sirius is able to piece together a strategy. He only hopes it will work. The poor bird looks like it's been through a lot already. Sirius doesn't know if he can live with himself if he causes it any further pain.

It takes over an hour, and the inky sky is beginning to lighten by the time Sirius sets his wand down. His eyes are heavy, and he knows he will regret this lack of sleep in the morning, but it turns out to be worth it.

The bird lets out a soft chirp, stretching its wing then lowering it and resting it against its body. Sirius sighs heavily in relief.

"Maybe I'll go into something with creatures," Sirius muses. "Oh, I think Mother would die! Think of it. A Black in such a common job…"

Regulus rolls his eyes. "You look a little too thrilled about the idea of the shock killing her…"

Sirius shrugs. It's no secret he and his mother hate one another. Still, this isn't about that. He carefully scoops up the bird and places it in Regulus' hands. "I'll cause a scene at breakfast," he says. "You get our little friend outside before Mother finds him and has Kreacher roast him as a snack."

"You'll get into trouble."

"I stay in trouble, Reg," Sirius reminds him with a smirk, a hint of pride in his voice, like being a troublemaker is the most noble pursuit. "But this time will be worth it."

He knows that after this things will go back to normal. Regulus will continue to be their parents' golden boy, and Sirius will likely never have a proper conversation with him again. Even so, this moment reminds him that, despite everything, they are still brothers, and for one shining moment, things were okay between them again.