Written for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges and Assignments) Term 12

Challenges listed below

Word Count – 1473

"Sirius, what in Godric's name are you doing on top of a tree? It's only you second day here, for Merlin's sake. How are you already bored?"

"I just wanted an apple, Pet. Calm down."

"And you had to go all the way up there for an apple? Are you insane?"

Sirius turned around to face an exasperated Lily and even before he could open his mouth to answer, a teenaged male voice cut him off.

"Why do you sound so surprised? Insanity runs in my family. It practically gallops."

Sirius nearly lost his footing and fell on his butt to the ground at the surprise. He gripped the nearest branch to regain his balance. He was sure he wasn`t going to die because of it, but he wasn`t in the mood to find out how much pain you could be in in the afterlife.

Looking at his brother`s face, Sirius didn`t know how to feel. He wanted to yell at him, punch him, hug him, jump on top of him. All at the same time, if possible. But he just stood there, mouth a little agape and eyes scanning every inch of Regulus's face. His state of stupor only subsided when he heard Lily's laugh and, glancing in her direction, he saw James standing by his wife's side.

"What's wrong, Pads? Can't come down?" James teased him. "I thought only cats got stuck on trees."

"Oh, bugger off." With a few swift movements, Sirius got down from the highest branch of the tree he was on with an apple in hand. "Can anybody explain what's happening here?"

Regulus smiled and showed the dimples that made him look like the carefree young child he used to be. The sun illuminated his hair making it a lighter shade and lifting a heaviness that the signature Black dark hair cast upon the boy. Sirius's younger brother looked just like that. Younger, carefree. Sirius didn't know how to react to that.

"Hello, brother," said Regulus. "Long time no see."

Sirius blinked and looked over at James, who smiled encouragingly. "Well, you two have a lot of catching up to do. Lily and I are going to go inside–"

"What? Why?"

"Because this is a personal conversation," said James looking like he was trying to explain something really obvious to his wife. "They need privacy. Now can I please finish my sentence."

"Uh, fine," Lily grunted. "It's not like I've been waiting for this moment since I died, but go ahead. Finish the sentence that's going to drag me out of here."

"As I was saying, before my lovely wife–who is definitely not projecting–interrupted me," Lily smacked his arm, "We are going to go inside and bake some cookies while you enjoy the sun and your talk. Let's go, love."

Lily followed James begrudgingly into the house. Sirius knew why. If he could make peace with his estranged brother here, that meant there was still hope for Lily and her sister in the future. She wanted to be around to see how it happened and make sure that it did.

Sirius and Regulus stared at each other for a while, before Regulus broke the silence.

"Look, I know how this looks. Let me explain everything from the beginning. It's time I told you my story." And that he did. Regulus told exactly what happened before he died, how he tried to stop Voldemort from ever winning, the very moment he realized that he had to do something to end his reign of terror. Sirius felt his own heart shatter at his brother's words, but he was not ready to give up on his upper hand yet.

"Are you not going to say anything?" urged Regulus, once he finished and Sirius kept quiet.

"I'm waiting for you to apologize."

"Excuse me?" Regulus stared at his brother; head tilted to the side.

"You heard me," said Sirius defiantly crossing his arms.

"What exactly do you want me to apologize for? I died trying to stop him. I reckon that I have already earned my redemption."

"You can apologize for staying on our parents' side all those years."

"Just because I didn't leave? That doesn't mean I was on their side, Sirius! If you think it was hard being the prodigal son, then try being the perfect one!" Regulus' voice rose. "I was constantly walking on eggshells around them, thinking at least twice before saying anything and having to join a group that I absolutely despised!"

"You could have left, Regulus! Like I did. With me! How many times have I asked you to do it?"

"I was not like you, Sirius! I was not like your friends and I certainly was not like our parents, but they were the only thing I had." Sirius opened his mouth to protest, but Regulus raised a hand to stop him. "I know I also had you, but it's different. You were sixteen when you left. I was fourteen. A scared fourteen-year-old boy who saw his brother get hit by Unforgivable Curses more often than not. I was not born to be brave, Sirius. The only time I tried, I bloody died!"

Sirius couldn't contain his laughter. Regulus was absolutely exasperated and that was not something Sirius had ever seen before. From a very young age, Regulus Black had been a calm and collected child, the complete opposite of his older brother. His nose was always in a book, he listened to nothing but classical music and his most rebellious act had been making the Sorting Hat take longer than 10 seconds to place him in Slytherin. Could Sirius really blame his little brother for staying behind? Could he blame Regulus for sticking with his family, having been told his whole life that blood was the most important bond? Regulus didn't have a James or a Remus. Hell, he didn't even have a Peter, and although Sirius would give everything right now to squeeze the rat's neck until his eyes popped out, Peter was a big part of his teenage years, and a really good one.

"Listen, if I was such a horrible person, then why am I here? With you, James, and Lily? Don't you think that I would have been sent somewhere, I don't know, worse?"

"I don't understand any of this, Reg." Sirius sat down by the pond and held his knees to his chest.

"I don't either," admitted Regulus in a whisper, sitting by his brother's side. "When I first got here and I saw Lily and James, I thought that I had landed in the wrong place. I thought that I didn't belong here with them, and to be honest, I still don't think I do. They talked to me, Sirius, for weeks on end. Convinced me to wait for you so we could talk, so I did."

Sirius looked at him. "You were going to leave without talking to me?"

"I was ashamed. I let you go, I let you be tortured by our parents, I joined Voldemort's followers. I didn't think I could face you. You were brave, fought for the right side from the very beginning, you defied our parents. You were true to yourself. I could never compare."

"I guess both of us thought the other had gotten the long end of the stick."

"When in reality, they were both tiny from the very beginning," Regulus said in a small voice.

Sirius took a deep breath. He didn't want to think about that at all, specially not after all those years, but the question came out before he could stop it.

"Do you know where mum and dad are?"

"Somewhere else, I reckon. I mean, whoever engineered this wouldn't just leave people like us with people like them. Can you imagine? We die fighting Voldemort only to run into him here and have it all start over? What a bloody nightmare that would be."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. Regulus did have a point, but he couldn't understand a damn thing about this whole Afterlife situation. "Then where are they?"

"No idea," the boy shrugged. "Can't say I'm disappointed, though."

"Huh. Yeah. Me neither."

The silence that followed was not an awkward one, but it was not entirely comfortable either. They knew they would have to adjust being around each other again, trusting each other. They knew the love had always been there, but they had missed so much during the time they had spent apart. Sirius looked over at Regulus, who picked up a rock from the side of the river and examined it. They had a lot to talk and decide, but at that moment Sirius was happy just skipping stones under the warm sun with his given brother while his chosen one helped Lily bake them all some cookies.

Hogwarts: Assignment #10

Healer Studies - Task #2 – Write about repairing something that is broken.

Insane House Challenge: #225 - Dialogue – Insanity runs in my family. It practically gallops.

Writing Club May

Character Appreciation - #27. Look. I know how this looks. Let me explain everything from the beginning.

Bingo – 3.B. Emotion: Surprise

Elizabeth's Empire - #16. (character) Sirius Black

Liza's Loves - #11. Find the Path - Write about someone who is lost/stops being lost

Scamander's Case - #9. (character) James Potter I

Geek Pride

54. Supernatural – Write about brothers.

May Fortnightly Challenges

Choose a Side - Jedi.#2. (genre) family

International Workers Day – Rosa Luxemburg [Trait] Rebellious / Shopkeeper [Word] Want

Gobstones Club

Grey Stone – Reunion

Accuracy – (word) shatter

Power – (weather) sunny

Technique - (dialogue) "Can I please finish my sentence?"