"Sirius!" a younger looking Sirius called. "Sirius! You know mother and father will be furious to find out you hid my trunk, just tell me where you hid it!"

"Sorry, Reg you'll just have to do without it. Or… Maybe if you talk to me I'll make an exception." Sirius told his younger brother. Regulus scowled. It was never this easy. Sirius had been quiet since their long talks last Christmas. Regulus had been going through many sessions with his parents on how to act at Hogwarts. the same ones Sirius went through before his first year. Sirius had been trying to talk with his younger brother all summer, but they never found the time between all the pureblood events and such.

"I don't believe you, and you know I'm not afraid to tell mother. I also know you wouldn't risk it" Regulus mentioned, truthfully, he was afraid. He hated that his mother beat Sirius. He would never tell his mother something bad about Sirius, and he hasn't since he was five and realized what Sirius got when he told on him. Sirius called his bluff.

"Try me," Sirius said staring down at his brother. Regulus bowed his head in defeat and let Sirius pull him into Sirius's room. He looked at all the Gryffindor paraphernalia.

"How did you smuggle this into the house?" He asked.

Sirius shrugged. "James and Remus sent it to me." Regulus looked around some more.

"Cool." He mentioned without much enthusiasm. "What do you want?"

"To talk, we never do that anymore," Sirius told him. Regulus raised an elegant eyebrow.

"I am not entirely sure we ever talked. last Christmas was the first time in ever, and it seemed to be a one time occurrence. Anyhow, I need my luggage. Mother will be furious when she finds out I haven't packed yet." Regulus reminded his brother.

Sirius sighed. he didn't know how to approach the subject. He figured he should just come out with it. "Do you agree with our mother?"

"On what. She has many opinions, you'll have to narrow it down." Regulus countered with a smirk.

"Everything. On her views of blood purity. On what she thinks children deserve when they step out of line. On what she thinks is disgusting and vile. Do you agree with most of what she has said since we were able to understand her?" Sirius asked.

Regulus considered this a moment. He hated how his mother treated them, he had known for a while that perhaps it wasn't right. 'Cissy never got beaten when she broke a vase. Yelled at, but not beaten. His cousins only ever got slapped if they did something wrong like the one-time Bellatrix snuck out of the house and didn't tell them why. So, he didn't agree with his mother on that subject.

He had also been researching vampires, werewolves, and other magical creature hybrids. Although he did believe that werewolves were dangerous on full moons, he found no reason to hate them the rest of the time. One thing that he could never find an unbiased book on in the Black's library, was the subject of blood purity. He knew that muggles had to be insignificant because they had no magic. However, Muggleborn's did have magic, so they couldn't be insignificant. The only disadvantage Muggleborn's had against purebloods was the fact that they weren't raised with magic. Then again, half-bloods didn't have that problem, so why was he better than a half-blood? Blood definitely had nothing to do with any of the bigotry. Even after considering all of this, Regulus did not know how to answer his brother's question.

"I don't know," Regulus said, at last, not letting on to his recent self-searching. He wanted to see where Sirius was leading with this.

"How could you NOT know? Do you agree with her or not? Do you agree with the ways our parents have raised us, what they have taught us?" Sirius asked again, getting a little impatient.

"Why does it matter?" Regulus wanted to know why his brother was so insistent on knowing what Regulus thought of their parent's beliefs.

"You fucking Slytherin! It matters because I want to know whether or not you will leave me in the dust after you get sorted." Sirius took a moment to take a calming breath, "If you agree with our parents, of course, you're going to do everything to make them happy, while I get the run of it. I just need to know if you'll be on my side or not." Sirius finished.

Regulus thought for a few more moments. "I'll think about it. I'll tell you tomorrow after we get on the train. Now can I have my trunk?" and with that Sirius gave him a smile. Sirius walked over to his bedside and knelt on the ground and pried up two loose floorboards. he reached down and pulled out a trunk.

"So that's where you keep all your secrets. nice to know" Regulus jibed. Sirius stuck out his tongue as Regulus turned around to leave.

The next day started well for Sirius. His parents were so excited (as excited Walburga and Orion Black can get) about Regulus going to Hogwarts they forgot entirely about Sirius. They only remembered him finally when Andy came by to pick them up for Kings Cross station. Walburga and Orion couldn't be bothered to go out into Muggle London, so both this year and the last Andy had been asked (told) to drop the boys off at the station. Since Andy had not said anything to her Aunt and Uncle about dating a Muggleborn yet, she happily walked up to Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Andy and Narcissa were welcomed in by Kreacher. because Andy was accompanying both of the boys she took (dragged) Narcissa along with her

"Alright boys, try not to bring too much shame to the family this year." Mr. Black reminded them. They said their farewells and the four Black cousins were off into muggle London.

"Narcissa, help Regulus with his owl," Andy commanded her younger sister.

Narcissa squinted her eyes at the older one and grabbed the owl from the young boy. She turned to Regulus. "Your mother and father have asked that you sit with me and Lucius on the train. If you sit quietly and don't disrupt anything we might let you stay."

Sirius held his tongue, knowing that anything said to Narcissa would be told directly to his parents the minute she had her hands on some parchment.

"Thank you, Cissy," Regulus said as charmingly as the eleven-year-old could.

"Do you not listen to your parents." She huffed, "If you are to make it a day in Slytherin you will have to cut back on the thank you's. the only time you ever say thank you is if you actually don't mean it and are hoping to get something from it. You idiot." She reprimanded as she rolled her eyes.

Andy started chuckling. "That's a load of bull. So, you actually listen to Mum and Dad?"

"And if you had actually been paying attention, as Slytherins should, I was doing all of those things. Do you actually believe I'm grateful for you to hold my owl upside down?" Regulus smirked. Narcissa huffed again and walked ahead of them.

They finally made it to Kings Cross station, and platform 9 and ¾. Narcissa found her beloved boyfriend and dragged her youngest cousin toward the train. Sirius looked around for his friends and finally found Remus.

"Remus!" Sirius yelled. Remus turned around when he heard his name and smiled when he saw Sirius. He kissed his mother, or at least what Sirius figured had to be his mother, on the cheek and ran over to Sirius.

"Hey! I haven't heard from you in like two weeks. What happened?" Remus asked. Although he would never admit it, he gets scared every time someone doesn't reply to a letter right away because he is always scared someone will find out who he is and ignore him. He thought it would be normal since the Blacks hated werewolves almost more than they hated muggles. One of the Black ancestors were the reason Remus' life was as difficult as it is.

"Sorry, my parents confiscated my owl after I fought with them about…. I don't know, something. What's happened?" Sirius asked the small boy.

'oh, you know, normal werewolf things. Reshaping bones, terrorizing villages. All that fun stuff.' "Not a lot," Remus answered.

"Have you seen James yet?" Sirius inquired.

"Nope, he said he might run late. I, can't seem to remember why, though." Remus replied. They then headed to the compartment that would later become their signature compartment.

Meanwhile, Regulus was being forced to watch Narcissa make out with her boyfriend. Suddenly the compartment door swung open.

"Narcissa, Lucius, stop snogging and come to the prefect's compartment, we have a meeting to commence." Some Slytherin prefect called to them.

Before they left, Narcissa grabbed the front of Regulus' robes. "If you move an inch before we get back, I will personally make sure you are beaten within an inch of your life." She whispered in his ear.

He nodded absentmindedly. After they were gone he got out a book and started reading. It was "Hogwarts: A History." At that moment the door of the compartment opened.

"Cissy, I swear I won't touch your things," Regulus said without lifting his eyes off his book.

"You're not Black, why do you have his face?" a pre-pubescent baritone voice said silkily. Regulus finally looked up. He saw a boy around his brother's age wearing a Slytherin tie. He had chin length black hair and black irises'. He had a sneer on his face but Regulus could tell it was forced. A redhead followed closely behind him.

"So clearly you met my brother, luckily, I'm nothing like him. Regulus Black, and you are?" Regulus inquired. The boy quirked an eyebrow. The redhead followed suit, but brought herself forward and held out her hand.

"Hello, I'm Lily Evans. So, you're Blacks brother. Hm… that's odd, you're not as…. bold as he is." She declared. Regulus chuckled.

"I can only imagine what he said when he met the both of you," Regulus said more to himself than the others.

"Yes, we have met Black, although perhaps I should call him Black number 1. What makes you so different from your annoying, prat of a brother?" the Boy asked.

"My Brother doesn't seem to know boundaries, nor does he understand any concepts of morality. I'm sure you have more than one reason to hold such malice towards him, but I will ask you not to assume such things of me. Siblings are never alike." Regulus explained to him. "But may I inquire who you might be?"

The boy was stunned by how eloquently Black's brother spoke, so he stood stunned for a moment. He blinked himself back into reality. "Severus, Snape. Sorry for assuming, but you do look so much like him it's hard to believe you aren't a younger, slightly smaller, clone. I do regret offending you, I just wanted to get the upper hand." Snape

"As any smart Slytherin would. It's hard to get anywhere in that house without being one of the sacred twenty-eight. I apologize for the insinuation, but I don't recognize the name "Snape." I hope that the rough start we had won't disturb any other encounters we have. Would you like to sit down, or do you have other arrangements?" Regulus said articulately. Regulus had learned very early in childhood that when talking to a Slytherin, to use your words wisely and slap on your pureblood face. Snape looked so confused but quickly put his Slytherin sneer back on his face. Lily giggled and then frowned when she saw how Severus acted towards the young boy. She rolled her eyes.

"Yes, of course. Sadly, I already have a compartment with my friend. It was a pleasure meeting you, Regulus." Severus concluded.

"Yes, very nice to meet you. I do hope we can be friends. Maybe you can give us insights on how your brother can act like such an idiot." Lily mediated.

"The pleasure was all mine. Yes, that would be nice." Regulus said with a true smile. Snape went to turn around, he did not know what to make of a kind Black. As Severus and Lily made their way to leave, Sirius showed up, and prancing behind him was James.

"Snivellus! How nice it is to see you again. I didn't realize they let vampires into Hogwarts. Although, they let Evans attend, so I assume they let all sorts of creatures in." Sirius sniped. James elbowed him in the guts.

"She's right there, mate, you can't just insult her!" James shouted. His eyes were wide. He did not want to anger his future girlfriend. Again.

"Thanks, Potter, for defending our honor. It's so very chivalrous of you." Snape remarked sarcastically.

"I'm not defending you, Snape, you deserved it. Evans is just an innocent bystander. I'm sorry, Evans, he didn't mean it." James clarified.

"That's so very nice of you, Potter. However, I don't need you to defend me. Let's go, Sev before their brains explode from trying to think up a comeback." Evans told him, and the pair sauntered off.

"What a pair of loons," Sirius muttered.

"The loon is you, Siri. What the hell was that?" Regulus exclaimed from the door of his compartment. He had been watching the entire encounter and now realized what his new friends must have gone through last year.

"Reg, just the boy we were looking for. James, Remus," Remus had been hiding behind the entire group during the whole encounter, and just now made himself known. "This is my brother Regulus, Reg, this is James and Remus." Sirius introduced.

"Nice to meet you. I state again, Siri, what the hell was that?" Regulus repeated. Sirius looked at his feet for a moment and then sighed.

"Look I'll tell you about it later. Right now, I want to know your answer. Do you agree with them or not?" Sirius queried. Regulus stared at him and went back into his compartment. He motioned for the group to follow him. What did he want to say? To say no would mean he was to take the side of his brother and most likely become an outcast if his parents found out. To say yes meant he would lose his brother. It would mean that he would lose his best (and only up until a few moments ago), friend. However, if he lost his parents trust, that would mean hell for not only just Sirius but for his as well. Both heirs to the Black family fortune would be outcasts. Even though that would only happen if his parents found out he agreed with Sirius. Regulus really wanted to know why Sirius was so insistent on knowing Sirius' intentions.

"What would it mean if I did or didn't," Regulus asked. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"I'm not even sure if it will work at this point. You're such a Slytherin!" Sirius shouted. Then he sighed. "It matters because if you don't agree with Mother or Father, I want you from out of their reach. Out of the reach of Slytherin. I want you to ask the hat to put you in any other house besides Slytherin. But if you do agree with our parents, then perhaps it won't matter. I guess I just want an ally at home, you know?" Sirius explained. Regulus smiled and raised his left brow.

"That's why you want to know?" He sighed. "Wow, this is actually bigger than I originally thought. if you had told me this last night it would have been easier to tell you my answer now." Regulus thought some more. James and Remus watched curiously at the two brothers.

'It must be so hard for them, actually having to decide between each other and their parents' James thought to himself.

"Ok, I've decided."

The boat ride up to the castle was just as magical as Regulus had ever imagined. The castle was always s beautiful at night, he would never forget his first sight of the castle, just like most students. The gray castle shimmered in the sunlight, and the grounds had shadows over them. Regulus felt a chill wash over him as he realized that he would be spending the majority of the next seven years at this castle, his new home. He sat on a boat with two boys he identified as other purebloods he had seen at certain events at his cousin's house and a girl whom he did not recognize. The girl had long, curly, chocolate brown hair, and as Regulus looked at her face he saw her eyes were a nice minty green color. Her face was thin, and she had scattered freckles everywhere. She gave him a kind, shy smile and looked back down at her lap. He returned the smile, but he didn't think she saw it because she looked down so quickly.

"Muggleborn?" he deduced, announcing it suddenly. She looked back up at him with wide eyes.

"How did you know?" she asked him in almost a whisper, after a moment of contemplation. The boy next to Regulus spoke up.

"It's not like you hide it well. Your robes are put on incorrectly, your hair is a disheveled mess, and really, you don't even try to act like you know what you're doing. I saw you trying to figure out how the boats row by themselves. In the future, just follow and copy someone else who truly belongs here." The recommended. The girl looked back down at her hands and seemed as if she was trying not to cry. Regulus felt a mixture of emotions at this moment. He thought about what he wanted to do in the near future and acted accordingly.

"You could at least have the decency of giving her good advice. If she follows someone who only looks like they know what they're doing, then she might end up following you. We all know what a mistake that would be." Regulus pointed out.

"Watch it, Black. You don't want to end up like your brother by defending these Mudbloods." The boy spat.

The girl squinted him. "I may not know what that word means, but I know enough about you to realize it's not nice. Apparently, you don't know enough words to actually distinguish how to use them. Might I offer you some help, or is that not the place of a 'Mudblood?' Obviously, you think yourself better. But how is it that I could be a mud blood. Do I somehow have dirty blood?" she asked. Regulus spoke up so that the other two didn't have a chance.

"Many wizards and witched believe Muggleborn's have dirty blood because they have a muggle heritage instead of a magical heritage. And although it hasn't been closely traced, it is believed by some that Muggleborn's are just long-lost relatives to squibs." Regulus quipped. The boy sitting next to the girl squinted at Regulus.

"What are you, a Ravenclaw? For a moment you looked like a Gryffindor, but that can't be too surprising seeing as how your brother's a blood traitor." The boy sneered. The boats were finally pulling up to the shore. As they all got out, the girl stayed closer to Regulus, as she saw how he defended her. She thought she might be able to make her first friend.

"I'm Neveah, by the way, Neveah Collins. Who are you?" She asked Regulus.

"Regulus Black. and I am also probably the last person you want to associate yourself with. My parents and extended family are all like those two twats. It was nice meeting you, though." He explained, also making his way to the front of the crowd.

They made it to the entrance hall, where Prof. McGonagall gave her "First Years" speech. After they waited an unreasonably long amount of time, they finally went into the Great Hall. The ceiling showed a bright sky that mirrored the one outside. Finally, it was time for the sorting. The first person was a girl by the name of Grace Ashford. Next was a boy whose name was Michael Atkins. So, on went the first few listed.

"Baggins… Baggott…. Black, Regulus." Prof. McGonagall announced. Regulus swallowed and made his way up to the stool. Prof. McGonagall smiled a tight-lipped smile at the boy that almost looked forced. Since she was the head of Gryffindor, Regulus had a small feeling she knew his brother very well. He sat down on the stool and looked out into the sea of students. He saw his brother and smiled. He knew what had to happen, not only to help his brother but to help himself. The hat was finally rested on top of the young Black's head.

"Hm… another Black. I sure hope for Prof. Dumbledore's sake this is the last one. Interesting, very interesting. You weren't forced to act as a Slytherin as your brother was, that is certain. Very sly, very calculating. You would do very well in…" The Hat began to say as he was cut off.

"Not Slytherin! Not there, anywhere but Slytherin." Regulus insisted. If the Hat had eyebrows, they were quirked.

"Not very ambitious, are we? Alright, you would also do well in Ravenclaw, but for the sake of your brother's well-being we better put you into- GRYFFINDOR!" The Hat yelled. The entire Slytherin table broke into whispers. Regulus looked over at Sirius who had a huge grin and stood up and started cheering. The rest of the table followed suit. Regulus had felt a little worried at first but then felt excited. He looked over at Prof. McGonagall as she had a very worried look on her face, but she recovered quickly with a smile she offered the boy. He jumped off the stool and almost ran over to the Gryffindor table.

Regulus plopped himself on the right side of Sirius. "Welcome to the house, mate. You're a blood traitor now."

A/N Sorry this took so long, school this last semester took me a while and I never had time to write. this next semester I will have a ton more time so you can expect another chapter out before the summer, hopefully, another year or two, truth be told. anyway, thank you sooooooo much for reading my chapter and this entire note because I know for a fact I rarely read these. also, don't worry about my OC, she won't be a big part of the story, nor will she even really come into play until, fourth or fifth year. I never like it when OC's take up the main part of the story so you don't have to worry. (insert smiley face here)