A/N - Written for Round One of QL - write about your chosen Death Eater going on a holiday (I chose Regulus which, I'm sure, is no surprise to anyone - with the optional prompts [song] 'Graduation' by Vitamin C and [word] Tomorrow.

And thank you to Dina [DinoDina] and FF [firefly81] for beta'ing!

I keep thinking times will never change

Keep on thinking things will always be the same

.oOo.

1966

"Where are we going?" Regulus asked, trailing after his older brother.

"You know where we're going," Sirius said. "We go there every year."

"I don't remember," Regulus said, frowning up at his brother.

"Then you'll see when we get there." Sirius stepped up to the fireplace, standing beside their mother. Regulus hung back, twisting the fabric of his robes around his fingers. "Come on," Sirius whispered, holding his hand out for his brother.

.oOo.

1967

"Come on," Sirius whispered, holding his hand out for his brother. "We need to be quick if we want to get back before Mother wakes up."

"But it's dark outside," Regulus said, voice rising in pitch.

"Shh!" Sirius hissed, grabbing his brother's hand. "Don't you want to explore?"

"We come here every year. What's left to explore?" Regulus asked, but allowed his brother to pull him through the front door.

"It's different at night," Sirius said. "And we get to see the places Mother doesn't want to go."

"Maybe Mother doesn't want to go there because they're not nice places," Regulus suggested.

"Mother doesn't like to go because they're actually interesting," Sirius whispered, turning the lock on the door so he could pull it closed without locking them out. "C'mon, let's have some fun."

.oOo.

1968

"C'mon, let's have some fun." Sirius grinned at his brother, already racing ahead.

"Mother said we have to stay together!" Regulus yelled after him; he wasn't as fast as his brother and was struggling to keep up. Sirius had already turned the corner, running out of sight, and Regulus could feel the sting of tears behind his eyes.

"Regs?" Sirius called, stepping back into view, a worried frown marring his features.

"You're not supposed to leave!" Regulus yelled, running faster to catch up with his brother.

"I'm not leaving," he said with a roll of his eyes, crossing his arms and glaring at Regulus. "It's no fun to have an adventure by yourself." Sirius grinned then, turning and jogging at a pace Regulus could keep up with.

"But we've been here before," Regulus panted.

"So? Anything can be an adventure," Sirius said. "It'll be fun."

.oOo.

1969

"It'll be fun." Regulus only responded with a doubtful look to his brother before turning his attention back to the cliff face.

"We normally just go to the beach," he said eventually.

"Yeah, which is down there. But we should go up this time!" Sirius said.

"I don't want to."

"Why not?" Sirius said, already reaching towards the wall and preparing to climb.

"It doesn't look fun," Regulus whispered. "I don't want to fall."

"You like flying. You're not afraid of falling then," Sirius said, turning to face his brother. Sirius watched his brother for a moment, before nodding. "Okay, let's go to the beach." Regulus should have felt happy - they were doing what he wanted for once - but it felt hollow.

"Yeah. Let's go."

.oOo.

1970

"Let's go."

"To the beach?" Regulus asked.

"Yeah, where else?" Sirius said, already leaving the house. "There's nothing else to do here." Regulus felt a brief flash of guilt but pushed it aside. If Sirius had really wanted to do something, there was no way Regulus would have been able to stop him.

"Yeah, okay. Let's go."

.oOo.

1971

"Let's go," Sirius said. Regulus remained silent. "What's wrong?"

"You're leaving."

"Yeah… we're going to the beach." Sirius looked a little confused.

"No, after that. When we get home," Regulus clarified. "You're leaving."

"Oh."

"Oh," Regulus repeated, quieter.

"I'm not going forever. And I'll write you every day," Sirius said. "You'll have a major advantage over all the other Slytherins, 'cause you'll have me to look out for you." Sirius grinned proudly at his brother. "I'll even help you sneak out of the common room."

"Really?"

"Really."

.oOo.

But when we leave this year we won't be coming back

No more hanging out 'cause we're on a different track

.oOo.

1972

"Really. I think you'd make a great Gryffindor," Sirius said.

"I'm a Black," Regulus said. "We've always been in Slytherin."

"I'm not." The silence stretched after that, neither sure what to say. "I'll race you to the beach!" Sirius blurted suddenly, grabbing Regulus' hand and dragging him along behind him.

"This isn't racing!"

"Fine," Sirius snapped, letting go of Regulus' hand and speeding up, disappearing around the corner.

"Sirius!" Regulus yelled, slowing to a stop. His brother didn't return. "Sirius?"

.oOo.

1973

"Sirius? What're you doing?" Regulus asked. He still wasn't sure his brother had forgiven him.

"Making a plan," was his brother's curt reply.

"Why? We don't normally have plans."

"Plans help. James said so. And Remus is really good at making them work." Regulus barely knew these people, and yet he'd never hated anyone more.

"Aren't we just going to the beach?" Regulus asked.

"No. We're gonna climb the wall."

"I don't want to," Regulus whispered.

"Why do you always have to be such a baby?" Sirius snapped, grabbing his crumpled piece of parchment and storming from the room.

"I'm not a baby," Regulus said, trailing after his brother. He was almost running, and he was still a few paces behind Sirius by the time they reached the cliff.

"You first," Sirius said, pushing Regulus forward.

"Why me?" he asked.

"So I know you won't chicken out." Regulus looked up at the cliff face, then back to his brother's stony expression.

"O-okay," he whispered, reaching up for the first handhold. He didn't get very far before he made the mistake of looking down.

"What are you doing?" Sirius yelled.

"I- I can't," Regulus shouted, feeling his clammy fingers begin to slip. "Sirius, I can't do it!" He could see his brother beginning to climb up after him, but it was already too late.

"It's okay, you're okay," Sirius whispered in his ear, wrapping his arms around his brother. Regulus knew that he was crying, but he thought Sirius might be to, and that scared him more than the fall had. "You're okay, just… Don't tell Mother."

.oOo.

1974

"Don't tell Mother."

"Don't tell Mother what?" Regulus asked.

"You have to promise not to tell her first," Sirius said. "Or I can't tell you."

"But then how would I know if I could promise not to tell Mother?"

"Do you want to hear or not?" Sirius snapped.

"I want to hear," Regulus replied immediately.

"Then you have to promise not to tell Mother." Regulus thought about it for a moment, long enough that he could already tell Sirius thought he would say no.

"Okay."

.oOo.

1975

"Okay. Let's go."

"Okay," Regulus muttered, his tone enough to cause Sirius to stop and turn to face him.

"Is this 'cause of what I told you last summer?" Sirius asked. "'Cause I'm not leaving you, I'm leaving them."

"But you are leaving me," Regulus whispered, hating that it came out as more of a whine.

"It's not for another couple years," Sirius said, after a pause. "I have to wait until I'm seventeen."

"Yeah, but it's not like we can talk at school," Regulus muttered.

"Stop worrying about it. We should go outside. We're on holiday, after all."

"It's raining."

"We could go into town," Sirius said.

"Mother's normally in town."

"Not when it's raining."

"We don't have any money," Regulus said.

"Why are you like this?" Sirius snapped. Regulus knew he had reason to be so irritated, but that didn't stop the sting of hurt he felt.

"I don't know," he whispered.

.oOo.

And if you've got something that you need to say

You better say it right now 'cause you don't have another day

.oOo.

1976

"I don't know," he whispered. "What am I supposed to do now?" He paused, as if waiting for an answer, before turning to face the empty room he had once shared with his brother in the small cottage.

He would see Sirius again tomorrow, at school, but it wouldn't be the same.

"There's nothing to do."

.oOo.

1977

"There's nothing to do," Barty whined, and Regulus couldn't remember why he had allowed his mother to convince him to bring a friend along.

"You didn't have to come," Regulus snapped, not bothering to turn and face his friend.

"I thought it would be fun. You always said you liked it here," Barty muttered sullenly, and Regulus couldn't stifle the flash of guilt.

"We could go into town?" Regulus said, after a pause.

"Yeah, sure."

.oOo.

1978

"Yeah, sure," Regulus muttered to himself. "You do this now?"

He reached for the first handhold, climbing a lot faster this time. He wasn't even a quarter of the way up when he felt himself begin to slip again, but this time there was no one to save him.

"Maybe you should have been in Gryffindor, after all. They're all idiots."

.oOo.

1979

"They're all idiots," Sirius muttered, standing alone on the deserted beach. No one ever came down to this alcove, largely, he supposed, because it was so difficult to see from the path along the cliff.

He'd stayed for the customary week at the end of August - not in the same cottage, but close to it; that had never really been their place, anyway.

"I miss you."

.oOo.

1980

"I miss you," James said.

"I haven't been gone," Sirius replied immediately. He wanted to head down to the beach, but he was reluctant to bring James. Regulus had never particularly liked him, though Sirius had hoped they would get along under different circumstances, and that spot had been the only place that was truly theirs.

"I hardly ever see you anymore. It's like you're there, but you're not."

"I'm sorry," Sirius whispered.

.oOo.

1993

"I'm sorry," Sirius whispered. "I'll come back next year."

.oOo.

'Cause we're moving on and we can't slow down

These memories are playing like a film without sound

A/N - (Approximate) Ages:

1966 - Regulus = 5, Sirius = 6

1971 - Regulus = 10, Sirius = 11

1976 - Regulus = 15

1979 - Sirius = 19

1993 - Sirius = 33