Disclaimer - I don't own Harry Potter. This is written for the first regular Froday challenge for the month of February 2023 where the prompt was damaged.
Damaged to the Point
"I'm damaged," Regulus said, not batting an eye as he said those words. "I'm damaged beyond repair, so what would it matter to the family if I wasn't there?"
"That's not true," Sirius said, staring at his brother, taken back by what he just said. Sirius asked, "Why? Why didn't you get help from me, or if you didn't consider me family, why didn't you get help from someone in that blasted family of yours." And the response he gets sunk into the pit of his stomach. "What you just said, Regulus isn't true at all."
"But I am damaged," Regulus repeated. "You are, too, if you think about it."
"Regulus," Sirius let out a sigh, becoming frustrated with his younger brother, wanting to reach out and shake some sense into the younger Black.
"But we can be whole again."
"Wait. You just said…."
"That's how I was thinking then. It's not how I'm thinking now," Regulus said, leaning against the railing, taking in the sea air, remembering the day he almost died in a cave by the sea and how he'd smelled sea air then. "Well, it's not truly whole because there will still be cracks where we were mended, or in my case, physical scars. But Sirius?"
"Yes?"
"It's good to be whole again, to have had somebody drill into my head that I'm not actually damaged beyond repair, that I do matter. I wouldn't say I'm something the family would want, mind you, because once you're broken, that family of ours wants nothing to do with you, to pretend you don't exist because, to the Black family, it's just easier to ignore a problem. Or maybe it's more of not that they pretend you don't exist, but that they ignore that you're broken in favor of keeping that pristine image."
"That's rather philosophical of you," Sirius said.
"Sorry if I bored you," Regulus said. "I've had time to think. A lot of it." He let out a laugh. "Oh. I do have another answer to your question?"
"And what would that be?"
"Can you actually imagine me going to ask Bella for help?" the younger Black laughed.
Sirius' mouth opened, then closed, his eyes wide with horror. "Regulus, that isn't funny! Not at all!"
"I think it is. I mean, imagine Bella putting family before that Dark Lord of hers, let alone having any," Regulus said. "I mean, imagine Bella swooping in to save someone, being the hero instead of a villain? It's actually a hilarious image in my head, particularly when she's always looked the part of a villain. I mean, just imagine it, Sirius."
Sirius stared, glanced up at the sky, then sighed. "Merlin, your horrible. That's got to be one of the weirdest things I've ever heard."
"I know! That's what makes it hilarious," Regulus laughed.