Notes: Part 2. Originally this was planned as a two-parter. But it became a bit too long and so I've split it into three.

Regulus was so upset by the reappearance of his brother that he didn't eat for two days. Every small noise set him off. He had drawn all the curtains closed and spent most of his time pacing around the kitchen, throwing anxious glances towards the potion vial on the counter. It was still simmering a violent orange, making Regulus more panicked by the minute.

He wanted to leave here, but now that Sirius was possibly waiting just outside the door, there was no way he would be safe without his wand. Hiding was no longer an option. Regulus needed to be able to defend himself.

But could he even protect himself from Sirius's returning specter? Regulus shuddered. In his mind his brother was strong, superhuman even. Part of Regulus's brain had never shaken the image of Sirius as he remembered him from childhood: always larger, always stronger, and always a few years ahead.

Regulus's potion began to sparkle.

A cold bead of sweat zigzagged its way down Regulus's face. It was no good standing here staring. With tremendous effort, Regulus managed to drag himself to the bathroom, where he showered and redressed in some of Sirius's old pajamas. For a brief moment on his way down the hall, Regulus paused and stared back at Sirius's bedroom door. A chill ran up his spine and he dashed to the living room, where he settled down on the couch again, praying for a dreamless sleep.

Sleep didn't find Regulus easily. A million thoughts were racing through his head. He still couldn't decide if he believed his brother to have truly returned. There was still the possibility of a trick of some sort. Could it be that the Dark Lord had discovered him to still be alive? Was he attempting to draw Regulus out of the house?

Regulus thought he might honestly be going crazy. He let out a low whine and covered his face in his hands. Suppose he hadn't actually heard Sirius's voice at all? Was it so far-fetched that he would start hallucinating after everything else that had happened? That Regulus's brain would torment him with the voice of his renegade brother? Slipping in when his defenses were weakened and taunting him with that gentle, but threatening voice Reggie, are you awake?

...Reggie?

"...Reggie, I know you're not sleeping in there."

Regulus sat bolt upright. The house was pitch black save for the pulsing glow of Regulus's potion as it finally cured to its final, dull red color. Regulus staggered to his feet with half a mind to go to the kitchen where his vial sat, humbly illuminating the dirty counter. But his brain was foggy and his movements were slow…

...and he would have to walk past the front door to get there.

Slowly and cautiously, like a drunk trying his hardest not to fall, Regulus shuffled across the carpeted floor, feeling himself shiver with anxiety as he made his way to the front door. Petrified, he leaned forward and listened. There was definitely someone outside. Regulus could hear his brother scurrying about, tapping at the side of the house, testing the wards, looking for a weak point. Unable to breathe, Regulus stumbled backwards and dashed to the living room window. He was all but in a blind panic. All he knew is he needed out of this house, right now. He'd take his chances that it was all a trap and that there was a battalion of Death Eaters lying in wait, ready to snag him as he tried to flee around the other side of the house. He'd have to risk that it was really Sirius, and that his brother would hear him exit through the window and run over to catch him in an instant.

He just had to get out.

But the window wouldn't open. Regulus tugged, and yanked and pounded his fist against the glass, but to no avail. The window wouldn't unseal for him. It was warded.

The wards were no longer weakening...they were strengthening. Which could only mean one thing.

It wasn't the Dark Lord outside his door, trying to lure him out. It wasn't a trick of his mind, tormenting him with Sirius's voice.

It was Sirius. Sirius Black was alive after all. He must not have been killed, as Regulus had assumed, but rather weakened. Somehow so hideously weakened that the very spells he'd cast in life had begun to dissolve. Only now he was back, uninhibited by whatever force had maimed him so seriously...and with Sirius Black's recovery, the wards had regrown, as well. Regulus Black was once again trapped inside this home. He couldn't open the front door for his brother now even if he'd wanted to.

And he didn't need to. The wards would grow to recognize Sirius once again as their caster. They would allow him entry. Regulus wrapped his arms around himself and cowered in fear. A long few seconds passed and then he heard it.

That click. The sound of a door handle rotating fully before the door actually swings open.

"Yes, that's right. Been waiting long enough..."

The front door opened with only mild resistance, its foot dragging heavily against the carpet, crumpling up and brushing aside the entryway rug. In the dark of the room and the dark of his own mind, Regulus could not see his brother as he stepped inside the doorway.

But he could feel him. And Regulus had nowhere to run.

The messy, dark silhouette that was Sirius Black shifted slightly, and Regulus knew his brother was turning to look at him.

Regulus didn't need his eyes to see that nocuous smile spread over Sirius Black's face. He knew it was there, and he knew what it meant for him. Regulus started to inch away from the wall, not entirely sure where he was even trying to go.

"There you are, my little one. You know, Reggie...you've been very bad, ignoring me like you have. Trying to keep away from me? When I've come so very far just to see you again?"

Regulus heard the rustling movements of Sirius Black walking towards him. Regulus began to pant. He felt like he was at an enormous disadvantage. How was it that Sirius seemed so confident in the dark? How could he see Regulus so well, adjusting to Regulus's flighty movements and still making a steady line towards him?

And Sirius was moving so slowly...not because he needed to, but because he knew he had won, and now he was playing games. He marched slowly towards Regulus, stalking him.

A minute later, with his back flush against the wall, Regulus felt the air around him shift, and he knew Sirius was right in front of him. Then Regulus felt Sirius's cold fingers ghost at his cheek and he lost it.

Regulus screamed and took off sprinting. He felt Sirius stagger as Regulus knocked past him in a blind panic. And so truly blind was Regulus's fright that he passed the front door without a backwards glance. Instead he crashed his way down the hall, terrified that Sirius was following him. Regulus threw himself to the one door in the house he hadn't touched since Sirius's disappearance.

The closet.

Regulus closed himself inside the tiny room, panting. He crouched down with his arms wrapped around his stomach, trying to be quiet and hoping against hope that Sirius wouldn't find him.

But find him Sirius did. Within moments, Regulus's panting was quieted by the most dangerous voice his brother has ever adopted: a sort of vicious murmur, all sweet and cruel.

"Naughty, Reggie. Hiding from me. I'll decide when you spend time in this closet and when you spend your time...elsewhere with me."

Sirius yanked open the closet door, at the same time flicking on the lights. Regulus fell forward, shaking and blinking furiously at the onslaught of light. Pupils trying frantically to constrict, Regulus crawled forward, slipping just from Sirius's grasp and staggering down the hall. He couldn't well see where he was going, where was the front door? He felt his way along the wall, knocking pictures off as he went. The door was close…

But Sirius got to him first, snagging him securely around the waist and literally throwing Regulus back towards the living room. The house was still quite dark here, with just the mildest of glows emanating from the hall. Regulus rubbed at his eyes while he stood. Sirius's foreboding silhouette was blocking the front door and Regulus ran the opposite direction, back into total darkness.

Regulus felt Sirius snag him by the back of his collar. Regulus shrieked and tore free from him, sprinting towards the kitchen and the only light he could see: the faint, red glow from his vial.

"Enough of this!" Sirius hollered. "Regulus, you come here, right now!"

Sirius's voice sent Regulus even further into his frenzy.

"Please, please, please," he begged, tears streaming down his face. "Siri...please don't be mad at me. I—I didn't mean to. The door—the wards—Sirius please don't hurt me!"

"When have I ever hurt you, love? I've kept you safe, haven't I? Come here, honey."

And Sirius was upon him again. With his strength and courage failing him, all Regulus could do was whimper and writhe. Sirius had ahold of him by the arm and the throat. Regulus could feel his brother's fingers constricting around his neck, somewhat weaker than he remembered, but still more than enough to overpower Regulus's devastated, frail body.

"Settle down," Sirius scolded.

With the last of his energy, Regulus swept his free arm wildly across the counter. He felt the sharp pain of his forearm connecting with something...his vial!

The potion crashed to the floor and exploded an instant later. In the brief flash of light, Regulus saw his brother's face clearly. Sirius was sickly and his skin taut. He looked beaten and feral, and in his eyes was an expression of both anger and shock. The force of the explosion sent Sirius careening backwards into the kitchen, crashing his head against the cupboard and his back against the counter. Sirius hit the floor with a thud and didn't move.

Regulus was also blown backwards, into the living room, where he landed a little more gently on the carpet. His hands, face and chest felt like they were on fire, the potion had singed his pajamas and he was seeing starbursts.

"Sirius?" Regulus cried, crawling onto his hands and knees, unable to fully stand. He felt like he was going to throw up. "S—Sirius?"

But Sirius did not answer him. Shaking uncontrollably, Regulus reached his arm up the wall until he found the light switch. As soon as the kitchen lit up, Regulus's eyes found his brother's limp form. Sirius had ragdollized in the corner of the kitchen, surrounded by broken glass and the sizzling remains of Regulus's carefully crafted potion.

This was Regulus's chance to run.

This was his moment to escape…

...but what about his wand? This was also his chance to grab it but Regulus's potion was gone. How was he going to get inside that safe?

Sirius! Regulus could steal Sirius's wand to retrieve his own. It was perfect, but Regulus would have to approach his brother to do so. And he wasn't sure he could make himself do that.

Regulus sat on the floor for a good while, biting his nails and unable to stop staring at his brother's body. Sirius's wand was of a similar make to his own...perhaps Regulus could just abscond with his brother's wand for now rather than mess around in this house a moment longer.

Regulus crawled forward to his brother's side, a sliver of worry creeping into his heart. Had he killed his big brother? Oh god, what had he done?

"Siri..." Regulus whimpered. He took his hand, scratched and bleeding from the glass on the tile, and placed it gently on Sirius's chest. To his immense relief—and also to his extreme terror—Regulus felt Sirius's chest rise gently. He was breathing.

"Oh, Siri...I'm sorry, I…I need..." Regulus raked his eyes over Sirius's body. His brother was quite thin and his normally sleek hair had dulled and dried. His robes were frayed and skin was dirty and chapped. What had happened to Sirius during his absence? Regulus slid his hand over and felt the frantic beating of his brother's heart, like a rabbit hidden in its burrow from a hungry eagle.

Regulus opened his brother's robes and felt his shirt and trouser pockets...nothing. He turned out the pockets of Sirius's robes. Nothing.

Sirius Black did not have his wand. Regulus slumped in confusion and sorrow. What was he going to do now?

He would have to leave. Wand or no wand. He didn't have time to risk staying here any longer. If he could not arm himself, then he would just have to take his chances on the streets. Even unarmed and weakened, Sirius was too much for him. Regulus knew he could not withstand his brother's words...he would cave to Sirius's manipulation.

No, Regulus would go now. He gently pulled Sirius's robes back over his chest, as if he were tucking in a child.

"I'm sorry, Sirius," he said again. "I'm going to...leave you here. And I'll...I'll call for a healer or...I'll tell Mum and Dad. If I can find them. They'll know how to help you. I won't...I won't get you in trouble, I'll...I'll..."

But Regulus had no more words. He wasn't sure what he would do, anyway. Sirius was lying broken and bleeding on his kitchen floor, and Regulus was just going to dash wildly out into the streets? This was such a mess.

"Goodbye Sirius," Regulus whispered. And he started to stand, only to be stopped by a cold grip on his wrist.

Regulus squealed in shock.

"Morning, Reggie. Looking for something?" Sirius sat up, raising an eyebrow.

Regulus cowered. He was caught. Sirius heaved himself up and crawled over his brother, trapping him on the hard floor of the kitchen.

"I see you still haven't learned to behave," Sirius observed. His weight bore down on Regulus, pressing him harder into the floor and the glass. Regulus felt the hot remains of his potion pooling against his shoulder.

"Come with me," Sirius said sternly. He got unsteadily to his feet, and Regulus saw a light trail of blood seeping from his brother's temple. Sirius was coming back to himself quickly, though. He pulled Regulus up and dragged him into the hallway. Regulus saw they were heading towards the bedroom and he tried vainly to tug himself free.

Sirius turned back sharply and slapped Regulus smartly across the face. "Enough," he snarled. "You're getting on my last nerve."

"Siri, please."

But Sirius only pulled Regulus along, throwing him onto the bed and closing the door behind them. Regulus rolled onto his side, shivering. He'd stayed out of this room to avoid the nightmares of this very scenario. But now he was in a nightmare. A permanent, real nightmare. Sirius was shuffling around in the closet. When he reemerged, Regulus was horrified to see he was twirling and ebony wand.

"W—what is…?"

"Mother's old wand. The one she set aside years ago in her study as a spare...I thought it would make a lovely parting gift the night I ran away. After all, Mother and I always had such...annoyingly similar magical signatures. I think this wand will do fine until I can wrangle my own back."

Regulus saw the world blurring as more tears pooled in his eyes. To think a usable wand had been within his reach all this time! Sirius left him for a moment, and Regulus felt his heart sink to the floor when he heard his brother chanting the familiar words that would repair the house's security wards.

Regulus was trapped again. Once more his hesitation had cost him his only chance of escape.

But what escape? What chance had Regulus really stood? He tried to picture himself running around the streets of London, wandless, starving and frightened. What was he thinking? That he would have been able to run home to his parents? That the Dark Lord would ignore that stupid note he'd left in the cave forever?

Regulus rolled onto his back. His stomach was doing flips, but his heart was thudding madly. He could hear Sirius's footsteps as he made his way back to the bedroom. With a casual flick of his newly acquired wand, Sirius opened the bedroom door and approached his brother. Regulus had his eyes closed, but he heard the bedroom door slam shut, and he could feel the mattress shift as Sirius sat down next to him. Then there was hair tickling his face. Sirius was leaning over him.

"Reggie, my dear...we've a lot of catching up to do, don't we?"