Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters, places, etc.

Author's Note: Written for the IWSC Season 2 Round 4

School and Year: Mahoutokoro, Year 3

Theme: Whomping Willow - Look at the theme of bullying in the school and/or workplace

Main Prompt: [Genre] Hurt/Comfort (Regulus is hurting and Sirius apologizes and comforts his younger brother)

Additional Prompts: [Action] Searching and [Action] Skipping rocks

Word count: 3277

Rated T for language

Thank you Sophie (3cheersforidiots) for beta reading

"C'mon, Reggie," the taunting voice said.

Regulus gritted his teeth as he pushed himself up out of the snow, brushing the powder off his robes and turning around to face who'd pushed him.

It was Cassian Shafiq, a fourth year like Regulus, tall and lean. Cassian had been bullying Regulus for about two years now; he had yet to discover the reasons behind it.

Regulus hated the boy. Hated him with all his might. Apart from the occasional shove like the one he had received just now or running into him in the halls, Cassian's bullying of Regulus was mostly verbal. Of course, that didn't mean it was easier to handle. Hell, sometimes Regulus wondered if he might prefer physical abuse to the array of scornful, twisted remarks Cassian spat at him.

Now, Regulus stood in the middle of the snowy castle grounds, head tilted slightly upwards, staring into the face of Cassian Shafiq.

"Why are you doing this?" Regulus asked.

Cassian, who no doubt had another insult ready on his lips, hesitated for a second before replying indignantly, "Don't pretend like you don't know."

Regulus' eyes hardened. "You can say whatever you like about me, but I don't lie. You've been bullying me for almost two years now, saying things about me and my family, and you've never given me an explanation. So now, I'm asking: Why?"

Cassian, who'd appeared taken aback at Regulus' sudden candidness, stood his ground and proceeded to give Regulus a similarly hard stare.

"I have a big brother, Thomas," he began after a moment. "Same year as your brother."

Regulus nodded.

"Your brother put my brother through hell for his first three years here. Bullying him every other minute. About how our family, despite being one of the Sacred Twenty Eight, isn't as well off as some. Teasing him for being shorter than the rest of the year. It's not Thomas's fault that he was born prematurely!" Cassian yelled outright.

Regulus couldn't help but take a step back. The sudden outburst had taken him off guard.

"I remember," Cassian continued. "I remember those first two years before I came, and Thomas would come home for the holidays, upset – no – distraught because some punk-ass Gryffindor would bully him and call him names and make fun of him."

Cassian was breathing heavily. "Do you understand now?"

"So you're bullying me because my brother bullied your brother?" Regulus confirmed, his anger suddenly redirecting itself from Cassian to Sirius.

"Yeah," the taller boy said. His voice had been raised and Regulus saw, out of the corner of his eye, passing students on their way to the greenhouses or Care of Magical Creatures classes, watching their interaction from far away.

"I'm just returning the favor now. My brother always looks out for me. Despite what people say about him, despite him being shorter than others, he's always looked out for me, so this is me looking out for him. He didn't deserve any of that shit your brother and his friends put him through."

Regulus was silent and his eyes dropped to the snowy earth at his feet.

So, he was being bullied because of something Sirius did? He's been dealing with this for two years, and the whole time, it was his brother's fault?

"I'm not like Sirius," Regulus said after a moment. He looked back up at Cassian. "I'm not like my brother at all. I'm sorry for what he did to your brother, okay? But don't take it out on me."

He turned around quickly, gathered his books up out of the snow, and started running across the grounds.

Cassian made no move to stop him or to continue his taunting, for he was obviously surprised by Regulus' second outburst of anger. Regulus didn't stop to look back until he was across the grounds, standing about twenty-five feet away from a massive tree, its barren branches swaying in the winter wind.

The Whomping Willow.

Regulus glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one was nearby before gently starting to weave between the long branches until he was nearer the trunk. Anybody else would've definitely been walloped by one of the large club-like branches by now, but for some reason, Regulus never had been hit. Occasionally, some small branches would hit him across the face or the arm, but apart from a slight sting, they never hurt much. Regulus theorized that it was because he had a non-threatening air about him, the way he moved, gently and with care, putting the tree at ease.

He pulled his wand out of his pocket and pointed it at a fallen twig near his foot.

"Engorgio," he muttered. The thin piece of wood grew until it was about a foot long before Regulus picked it up and touched the end of it to a large knot on the Willow's trunk.

Hardly anybody knew about the secret passage that ran from an entrance at the Whomping Willow's trunk to the Shrieking Shack, but Regulus was proud to say that he was one of those few.

As the end of the branch touched the trunk, the large branches around him suddenly stopped swaying and simply hung in the air, still as could be, not even the wind able to rustle them.

He walked the rest of the distance to the tree and knelt down. "Evanesco," he said, waving his wand over the large buildup of snow surrounding the roots. It cleared away, leaving the ground only slightly damp and revealing the large gap in the roots.

Lit wand held aloft, he traversed the tunnel for a few minutes before coming up to a fork. One tunnel led to the Shrieking Shack, but the other led to a small dugout. Regulus turned that way. There was a large tree root which he'd covered with a thick blanket, making it a sort of bench. Some of his favorite non-school books sat on the blanket and, though he'd never let anybody find out, a few Muggle magazines were there as well. He'd snatch them from Sirius' room when his brother was done with them and proceed to pour over the pictures of Muggle girls in barely any clothes. If his mother found out, well, let's just say that this was what Regulus' rebellious streak was limited to.

It wasn't like Regulus to skip class either, but he'd done it a few times. Most of the time it was after an encounter with Cassian. After those encounters, Regulus would feel drained. As though someone had hit him, but not physically. More mentally.

If Regulus thought about it, he rebelled against his parents about the same amount any teenager did. Skipping class every now and then, reading his brother's inappropriate magazines, but Regulus took the morals and deep inset factors of being a Black far more seriously than Sirius ever had. Even from when Regulus was five or six years old, he could remember hazy images of Sirius being slapped across the face for calling the Black motto 'stupid' or saying that not being able to hang out with the neighbor's kids was 'lame.' And then, he also remembered himself being praised for entertaining himself with his books or actively engaging in conversations with his parents. He may not have understood the topics his parents talked to him about, but he'd been taught early on that, as a Black, you needed to be able to fake interest and laughter easily as it would be useful at important gatherings and meetings.

Regulus shook his head as he rubbed his eyes, clearing his mind of all the thoughts clouding his mind. The root was large enough for him to comfortably lay sideways on it, so he sat down and turned onto his side, part of the blanket over himself as he just laid there, deep in thought. He didn't really possess the energy to read or take in the imagery of Muggle girls on motorbikes right now.

He laid there for what felt like an hour, the words Cassian had thrown at him still rattling around his brain, when suddenly, a voice startled him.

"Regulus?"

The boy jumped and looked up. His eyes, which had been starting to grow damp, suddenly grew hard as he saw who had spoken. It was Sirius.

"Reggie, what're you doing here? I've been searching for you for more than an hour," the elder Black said, worry in his voice.

"What're you talking about, Sirius? I've only been here an hour," Regulus said with an eyeroll, sitting up.

Sirius' eyes widened. "Wow, you really need a watch," he muttered offhandedly. "Reg, dinner ended almost an hour ago. I didn't see you at lunch or just now so I got worried; we've been looking for you all this time."

Regulus leapt to his feet. "What? But that – that can't be! I had Herbology and Defense Against the Dark Arts this afternoon and – oh, Merlin – I've missed them both."

"Hey, hey, Reg, it's okay," Sirius said, coming forward. "I've missed plenty of classes in my time here. You're okay missing a couple." Sirius looked at him. "You look exhausted, Reg. How've you been sleeping?"

Regulus shook his head and backed away from his brother. There was silence between the two boys for a minute. When Sirius saw that it was clear Regulus wasn't going to answer him, he spoke a different question.

"How do you even know about this place?"

Regulus shrugged. "None of your business, is it?" he replied scathingly.

Regulus had his back turned to Sirius, but he could feel his brother's irritation coming off of him as though they were waves of heat.

"Actually, Regulus, it is my business. This isn't a safe place."

Regulus rolled his eyes again. "There's two weeks 'til the full moon, I'm fine."

"Maybe so, but still, I don't think –" Sirius stopped. "Wait, you – you know that –"

"That your friend Lupin is a werewolf and he goes and hides in the Shrieking Shack at the full moon? Yeah, I know. Found out about a year ago."

Sirius shook his head. "Does anyone else know?" he said, running a hand through his hair as he watched Regulus nervously.

"No." Regulus shrugged again. "At least not that I know of. I figured if anyone found out about him and the secret passage here, I'd lose my hideaway here as well."

Sirius nodded and looked around. "Well, I appreciate that, Reg. I'm sure Remus will too."

Regulus didn't speak.

"So, uh –" Sirius was searching for something to say, obviously sensing the tense air around his little brother. "What – what have you been up to here?"

His eyes scanned the room, ending up on the short pile of old magazines. His face broke into a grin as he knelt down and picked one up. "Oh, man, this was one of my favorite issues!" he said, sitting down and flipping the cover open. "Models and Motors, April 1975," he recited, the title and date of the issue's release rolling off his tongue.

Regulus couldn't help but roll his eyes yet a third time at his brother's… unique characteristics, to put it kindly.

Sirius glanced at the magazine's pages for a few minutes before throwing it back on the ground and standing up. "So, what do you do down here anyways?" he asked. "Other than skip class and read your brother's old magazines," he said with a wink.

Regulus frowned. "Don't look so – so proud," he said indignantly. "I'm not turning into you. May the gods have mercy on me if that ever happens."

Sirius frowned as Regulus shrugged again.

"Not a lot. It's just somewhere I can get away; escape all the expectations and – and stuff." He'd been about to say 'the teasing', but he'd replaced it with 'stuff'.

Sirius nodded and pursed his lips. "Makes sense," he said. "Everyone needs a little hideout, I suppose."

Regulus nodded.

"What's going on, Reg?" Sirius asked suddenly.

Regulus glanced at him. "What're you talking about?" he asked, faking ignorance.

"I know you better than you think I do," Sirius said, speaking to his brother's back. "You're not looking me in the eye, you're being even more sarcastic than usual – which I didn't think was possible – and you're anxious. I can tell by the way you're standing."

Regulus grit his teeth. Sirius thought he knew him so well. He had no right, no right at all, pretending to be this caring, big brother, not when his actions were the cause of Reg's miserableness.

He spun around, his hands clenched into fists as he looked into his brother's concerned gaze. A feeling of intense rage and pain was boiling inside him. He'd never felt this way before. He was proud of being someone he considered very controlled with their emotions. But not now.

"You have no right at all to be concerned about me!" he cried. "Not when I'm being taunted every other day because of you!" Regulus suddenly surged forward and hit his brother in the arm.

Sirius stepped back.

"You caused this!" Regulus continued to yell. Tears were starting to pour from his eyes, faster than he'd ever felt.

"Woah, woah! Reggie, what's going on?" Sirius asked as Regulus hit him again.

"This is all your fault!" Reg yelled. He continued laying the punches on his brother's shoulders and chest. "I'm being bullied and tormented for stupid things you did! I haven't done anything wrong and yet my life is a living hell!

"Did you know that his brother was born prematurely?" Regulus gasped out suddenly, looking at his brother's face. "That's why he's shorter than everybody else in his year."

"Wait, what?" Sirius's expression turned from concerned to puzzled. "Reg, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Thomas Shafiq," Regulus spat the name. "You and your pals bullied him really bad. Now, his brother is bullying me! Saying that he's just getting revenge for what you did. I'm being taunted and teased every day because. Of. You." Regulus punctuated each of the last three words with a finger jab into his brother's chest.

"Reggie, Reggie, talk to me." Sirius grabbed his hands and held them tightly, protecting himself from any more punches. "What're you on about?"

"Cassian Shafiq has been bullying me for the last two years; almost every day, he finds me and throws a comment my way about how I'm a worthless bookworm or just another piece of Black scum or that I'll never amount to anything."

Sirius blinked. "Reggie, I – I don't know what to say. Why didn't you ever stand up to him? You know twice as many hexes and jinxes as I do. You could've easily taken this kid. And – and why didn't you ever tell me about this? I thought you and I were always gonna have each other's backs, but I can't have yours if I don't know what's going on."

Regulus shook his head.

"And what do you mean this is my fault? You said something about his brother?"

Regulus looked up. "Yeah, his older brother's in your year. Apparently, you and your friends bullied him a lot when you were younger. His name's Thomas. Cassian said he was born prematurely; that's why he's shorter than everyone else in his year."

Sirius looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking his head.

"Reg, tell me the truth please. Why didn't you ever come to me?" Sirius said, a stern brotherly tone in his voice.

"Blacks don't ask for help," Regulus muttered, his voice lowered now from after his outburst. He was looking down at his hands but he could sense Sirius' eye roll as he spoke.

"Is that some shit Mother told you? 'Blacks are too pure and proud and dignified to ask for help' or whatever?"

"Not exactly."

"What's that mean?"

Regulus looked up. "She said that Blacks are never weak. That they have power and should be respected." He pressed his lips together before speaking again. "You may not like it but you have to admit, you're more like a Black than I am. Than I ever will be, probably. People bully me and ignore me, but you…."

"What about me?"

"People respect you, Sirius. They look at you and they see the rebel. The cool kid. The guy that wears leather jackets and got a tattoo when he was fifteen.

"And me?" he continued. "They look at me and they see the little brother. The one who's a good little student. They see me as a target. Someone they can push around."

"There's nothing wrong with being a good student," Sirius said quickly. "Granted, I wish you'd have a little more fun every once in a while but just because you're a good student doesn't mean you should be picked on."

Regulus didn't speak.

"I'm sorry," Sirius said after a moment.

"For?"

"For being the reason you're bullied. I – I'll have a talk with Thomas and Cassian. I'll apologize and make sure they don't bother you anymore."

Regulus nodded.

"I'm also sorry for not realizing what was going on with you. I should've been checking in with you and talking with you more and I guess – well – I guess I haven't been the best big brother lately."

Regulus wasn't sure how to respond so he just nodded. "'Kay," he mumbled after a second. "Sorry for – uh – all the hitting."

Sirius laughed lightly. "It's alright, I've been dealt worse."

Regulus' lip twitched. That was indeed true. Sirius had dealt with far worse before, mostly by their own mother's hand.

"C'mon, Reg, let's get out of here. We can go get some food from the kitchens."

Regulus nodded. He grabbed his books and followed Sirius out from under the tree.

When they arrived back into the open air, Regulus saw that snow had started to fall again.

"Listen, before we go back to the castle, I want to show you something," Sirius said, laying a hand on Reg's shoulder and steering him towards the Black Lake.

"What is it?" Regulus said, pulling his cloak tighter.

Sirius cast a quick warming charm over them both as they walked nearer the lake. When they reached the lake, they stood on the bank next to this pile of large, flat rocks.

"Here," Sirius bent over and grabbed one, handing it to Reg. He took it, surprised at how light it was.

Sirius took one of his own and then cast it over the water. Regulus couldn't help but smile at how the stone bounced across the water. It must've made four or five jumps before finally plunging under the dark surface.

"It's called skipping," Sirius said. "Here, you try." He showed Regulus how to hold the rock, keeping his wrist flat and then casting it over the water.

Regulus grinned as his rock made three skips before dropping. He eagerly grabbed another stone, casting it and grinning even broader when it made four skips.

He could feel his brother watching him.

Sirius began to speak. "I'd like to get back to being your big brother again, Regulus. I remember always teaching you things when you were younger and I haven't really taught you anything recently."

Regulus wasn't sure how to respond, so instead, he just cast another stone across the water.

"I want you to promise me, Reg. If anyone's ever bothering you or teasing you, you'll tell me, okay? I don't care if it's not the 'Black way' or whatever. You're my brother, and it's my job to look out for you, no matter our differences."

Regulus looked over at Sirius for a moment. "Okay," he said. "I promise."