A/N thank you to the lovely Nadia for catching my misspelling of Kreacher's name in chapter 2. In my defense I didn't edit chapter two at all ;) Anyway, here's chapter 3 (ngl, I'm really proud of myself for having something to post and remembering to post it, so yeet) ((also, if any of you know what's up with the maraders fandom and the song So This is Christmas, please let me know, i was offline last christmas and i need the pain))

Azkaban had definitely affected Sirius. Growing up he had always been sharp, and quick witted. Even when he was acting out he had always seemed completely in control of his own actions. He had always seemed to notice everything and hear everything. He could act like he wasn't paying attention, but then when quizzed on what had been said he'd get everything right. But now? Now he seemed to be always lost in his own mind. Always caught in a haze. He would act erratically, like a mad-man might. Regulus would talk to him and he wouldn't even bat an eye and then when Regulus would probe him for a response he couldn't have even heard what he said. The bath and haircut had done wonders at making him look human again, but Regulus could see every time he looked at him just how broken he truly was. He was hardly more than a shell of his former self.

It hurt Regulus to see him like this. Their whole childhood Sirius had been the one with fire in his eyes, and Regulus had been the broken one. Sure his fire had wavered some as they got older and began to fight in the war, but it had still been there. Now they were both broken.

"Regulus," Sirius asked from the doorway to the study.

Regulus looked up from the ministry report on the search for Sirius that he was pretending to read. Auror Harrison was still suspicious of him, but he was careful not to give them anything.

"Can… Can we go out?" Sirius asked.

"Of course," Regulus said. "Anywhere particular, or just for a walk?"

Sirius shrugged. "Just out."

For the first few days Sirius, despite being stir crazy, had almost refused to go out. He had always been too proud for his own good, not that Regulus could say anything about that. In order to avoid suspicion from the muggles and the Aurors, Regulus had bought a collar and leash for Sirius any time they went out. Sirius hated it, but eventually came round to the idea. Regulus slid on his shoes and buckled the collar around dog-Sirius' neck.

"Alright, let's go, Regulus said.

It was already getting dark outside. Sirius set off at a brisk trot down the sidewalk. Some part of Regulus' mind refused to believe that this was just a normal walk.

"Good evening Mr Black," Auror Harrison said, crossing the street in front of Regulus. Behind him trailed an auror that looked to be in their twenties with a silver pixie cut and bright blue eyes.

"Auror Harrison," Regulus said politely, ignoring the way Sirius was tugging on his leash. "How is the search? I was just reading yesterday's report."

"Nothing new since then," Auror Harrison said. "Oh, I wanted to introduce you to Trainee Tonks. Mx Tonks will be shadowing me on my watch tonight."

Regulus nodded at Tonks. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he said.

Tonks flashed a slightly uncomfortable smile. "Yeah, you too."

"Where are you headed?" Auror Harrison asked. "You don't usually leave the house at this hour."

"Nowhere in particular," Regulus said. He focused his mind a little more on his occlumency barrier. "My dog wanted to go for a walk."

"He's a good boy," Tonks said. "What's his name?"

"He… He hasn't got one yet," Regulus said. "I've only just got him last week."

"Can I pet him?"

"Of course, he doesn't bite," Regulus said, almost struggling to keep amusement out of his voice. Sirius would hate that, but he had to keep cover.

"Tonks, we're not here to pet the dog," Auror Harrison said, sounding thoroughly exasperated. He looked over at Regulus. "I actually wanted to ask you a few questions."

Regulus stiffened. This wasn't good. This was the first time he'd spoken to Auror Harrison outside of the ministry since the Wizengamot meeting. If anything were to come up, if he'd seen anything in Regulus' mind, now is when it would come out.

"You seemed a bit defensive at the Wizengamot meeting last week," Auror Harrison said.

Part of Regulus, the part that had been molded by his family's teachings, knew that Regulus didn't need to respond. Auror Harrison hadn't asked him a question. "Do you find that surprising?" He asked. "I'm sure I don't need to remind you of Sirius' escape."

"No, certainly not. I'm not afraid to admit that I may have used some Legilimency on you during the meeting," Auror Harrison said.

"I had noticed," Regulus said dryly.

"Yes. You seemed very private about your thoughts. I don't think there was a single moment that I caught you with your mind unguarded."

"I have had many experiences with Legilimency throughout my life, I believe that my right to privacy extends to my own thoughts." Regulus could tell by the look in Auror Harrison's eyes that he still had an ace up his sleeve.

"I did have one question. What does the ministry not know about Black?" Auror Harrison asked.

If Regulus had been Sirius he would have cursed, if only in his mind. But no, he had lied to the Dark Lord, he could lie now too. "You don't know him. You think you can outsmart him by setting up watches outside of Narcissa, Andromeda, and my houses. You think he'd seek us out, but you're wrong. Sirius would know better than to seek help from Narcissa or I, and do you really think that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's right hand man would associate with Andromeda, who is married to a muggleborn? He wouldn't. Sirius is very driven, when he gets something into his head, he never lets it go. If you want to catch him, then set up a watch on Harry Potter's house. That's where he'll be."

Auror Harrison was silent for a long moment, he looked almost taken aback by the slew of words Regulus had thrown at him, but it didn't take long for his expression to harden again. He stepped closer to Regulus, his hand near where most Aurors kept their wands holstered. "Mr Black, you may not have been arrested for it, but don't think you have me convinced that you weren't loyal to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. You know more than you'll say about your brother's escape, I may not be able to prove it now, but I will," Auror Harrison said.

Regulus' heart was pounding, but he did his best to force himself to seem confident, just like he had so many times before. "He's not my brother. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to walk my dog." He waited for Auror Harrison to step aside before starting down the sidewalk again, hesitating after only a few steps. "It was good to meet you, Mx Tonks. Good luck in your training."

He let Sirius lead him for several blocks. His heart was still pounding and his mind reeling. Auror Harrison wasn't going to figure it out. No one would. Besides, harboring his innocent brother was far from the worst thing he'd done in his life. Images of people screaming in pain flashed in his mind. He needed to calm down, if he didn't… Well, the memories were worse when he was stressed.

They had stopped. Regulus looked around them, trying to find something to tie himself to the present moment. They were in an alley, it was fully dark now, and there was no one in sight, wizard or muggle.

Sirius turned human beside him, and silently took off his collar. "I'll be back soon," Sirius said, handing Regulus his collar.

"Siri wait," Regulus said, but Sirius was already gone. He cringed at his use of the nickname. They weren't children anymore. They hadn't been children for a long time.

Sirius appeared between a garage and a fence in Magnolia Crescent and immediately turned into a dog. If he was right and Harry lived with his aunt and uncle, then he was only a few streets away. A ten minute walk at most. He had been here once with Lily when Petunia had given birth to her kid, Lily had desperately wanted to meet him, but she couldn't go alone. Sirius hadn't actually met them though. But that wasn't important right now. Sirius tried to push back the thought of Lily, it may be his fault that she and James were… but he wouldn't let that happen to Harry. He would keep Harry safe. He wouldn't fail this time, he wouldn't make the mistake of trusting someone again.

You're trusting Regulus, and he was a death eater too, Peter's voice said in his mind.

Sirius let out a low growl. That rat had no business being in his head. He walked forward to the edge of the garage, and stopped. There, right across the street from him, was a boy.

He looked like a teenager, Sirius couldn't tell exactly how old he was, but he wasn't a child, and he wasn't an adult. He opened his trunk and began digging in it, apparently searching for something. Sirius moved to sneak forward, he had to find Harry, but the boy straightened up swiftly and looked around. Good instincts, whoever this kid was. Sirius stayed still as the boy bent over his trunk again, and he was glad that he did. Not only did the boy straighten up again, but he turned and looked directly towards Sirius. He stood as still as possible while the boy squinted at him.

A few seconds later the boy raised his wand and muttered a spell.

Sirius would have stumbled back if he wasn't rooted to the ground by what he saw in the boy's wand light.

It was James. He looked just like he had when they started third year. SIrius wanted to bound forward, to warn him not to trust Peter, but no, this couldn't be James, James was dead.

The boy stumbled backwards, tripping over his trunk and the light went out.

If it wasn't James, it had to be Harry.

This time Sirius almost did run across the street, but with a deafening bang the Knight Bus appeared across the street and screeched to a stop in front of Harry.

Sirius shrunk back, turned human and disapperated.

"Sirius, where were you?"

He didn't stop to answer before turning himself into a dog again. Regulus knelt down and buckled the collar around his neck.

"I'll let you get by with avoiding the question for now, but we're talking about it when we get home."

He had seen Harry. He had been right there. He had been so close, but now?

Regulus tugged lightly on the leash and Sirius started walking.

Now he could be anywhere in Great Britain and Ireland! Peter could find him, he could kill him, Harry was in danger and here Sirius was trapped in his old house, again. He let out a low growl as they turned into Grimmauld Place.

"Oh hush," Regulus said quietly, but harshly. He glanced around as they walked up to the steps.

The second the door was shut beside them Sirius was human again.

"What was that?" Regulus asked sharply. "You said you just wanted to go out, and then you just disapparate without giving me so much as a word of warning? Where did you go?"

"I have to find them," Sirius said, his tone shifting to match Regulus'. Didn't he understand? Harry was in danger! "Peter's out there somewhere, and who knows where Harry is now, and…"

"Sirius, you said the boy that has Peter is in Harry's year. They've been at school together for two years, don't you think Peter would have done something already if he planned to?" Regulus said.

"I have to keep him safe! Don't you get it? I have to protect him! I saw him, and now he could be anywhere!"

Regulus stared at Sirius for a moment, an accusatory look on his face. "You went to find Harry?" he said. "Are you insane?"

"I. HAVE. TO. KEEP. HIM. SAFE!"

"AND I HAVE TO KEEP YOU SAFE!" Regulus screamed back at him. "Sirius, if you get caught it's both of our lives on the line, and…"

And there it was. The one fact Sirius always hoped wouldn't be true. The one thing he always wished would be different, but never was. "So you haven't changed then," he said.

Regulus blinked. "I… What?"

"Even after all these years you still only care for yourself," Sirius said. "Why don't you go ahead and turn me in now, then, and save yourself all the trouble?"

Regulus looked furious. This was not how Sirius wanted this to go. He was supposed to be quiet. He was supposed to stay on Regulus' good side so he'd help him! He had nowhere else to go. Regulus was right, Andy hated him for being a Death Eater which he wasn't, Cissy would never help him, Remus hated him for killing James and Lily and rightfully so, he couldn't do this by himself. He needed Regulus, and now Regulus hated him too. Everything he touched always broke. Maybe he should stay away from Harry and just look for Peter, but knowing himself he'd just mess that up too.

"Is that really all you think of me?" Regulus said quietly.

Sirius stiffened. Anytime mother's voice had gone quiet like that, it… He almost held his breath, afraid to make any noise.

"You think I'm selfish, that I'd do anything just to save my own skin?" Regulus' voice was gradually getting louder, just like Mother's always had. "You have no idea the hell I've been through, just to be what everyone else always needed me to be! I have never done anything for myself! My whole life has been about what someone else needed! Mother, Father, the family, you! It's always been someone else! You're the one who's been selfish! And good for you! You got out! You got away! So no, Sirius, I'm not going to turn you in. I'm not going to hand you over because for the first time in my life I'm going to do what I want to do! All I want is to have my brother back so I am going to do everything I can to help you, and you don't get to call me selfish for that."

Regulus set the leash and collar down and the troll-leg umbrella stand, and walked past Sirius into the drawing room, shutting the door behind him. A few moments later piano music started from the closed room. Beethoven's Sonata no. 17 in D Minor, Regulus' favorite.

Regulus didn't understand, Sirius was sure of it. He had to save Harry. He had to make it right. Sirius fell to his knees. For a moment he had really believed that it was James standing there, across the street from him. It wasn't. James was dead.

It was all his fault.

It wasn't anything new. Sirius had always been quick to throw accusations. Quick to say Regulus was too timid, quick to say Regulus was just trying to make Mother and Father happy, quick to say Regulus was just a puppet on a string, quick to say Regulus was wrong in everything he believed. It had always been that way, and not just towards Regulus. Sirius never seemed to stop, to stand still and watch and listen. That's what Regulus had always been good at, watching and listening. That's what had led him down the most terrifying path of his life. He saw the little things, things very few people noticed. He listened to words and their meanings, regardless of who said them. He saw and heard everything, that's how he survived. Maybe he shouldn't blame Sirius for being so quick to accuse, after all, that's how Sirius survived.

That didn't make it hurt any less. Regulus poured every emotion he could into the notes of Sonata no. 17. From when he was fifteen until Mother's death when he was twenty-three he hadn't practiced, that's not what Mother and Father needed him to do, but the first thing he had done when he came home from Mother's funeral to the house that suddenly belonged entirely to him was play the piano. He had played for five hours that day, not because he was grieving, but because he was free, and because he was afraid. Mother's portrait had criticized him for wasting so much time on a useless hobby, after a week of practicing an hour or more every day he had closed the drapes of Mother's portrait to muffle her voice. He was still afraid.