The two childhood friends walked up the stairs each wearing a grin that befitted the upcoming situation. What good was being thought dead if you couldn't cause a little trouble when you came back?
Severus knocked on the door and after a small grunt of acknowledgement from Sirius he opened the door.
"What are you doing here Snivellus?" he asked haughtily.
"Hey, Siri, I'd appreciate it if you were a little more civil to my best friend."
From the second that Regulus had spoke the nickname of Siri, Sirius' blood had frozen. Only his little brother had ever called him that.
"R-rr-regulus?"
Regulus came out from behind Snape's shadow and looked squarely at his brother. A brief bit of unexpected concern flashed across Regulus' face. Sirius looked grossly aged, more so than Severus, what had happened?
"Snape… is this some sort of twisted joke of yours?" Sirius asked panic-stricken.
"No, its not a joke, and I had nothing to do with it" Snape said and then took a step back, leaving Regulus and Sirius staring at each other.
"You're… you're dead!"
"Clearly not."
"You have to be!"
"Some brother you are. Here I am, your last living family member and you insist that I must be dead. But then your family never did mean much to you."
"Well, seeing as you are alive, just where the hell have you been?"
"it's a long story, of which I cant tell you most of."
"How like you Regulus, never telling anybody anything!"
"And were you any different, you never talked to me!"
"I had nothing to say to a dark arts obsessed pureblood prat like you who couldn't see past our 'glorious' family."
"You're pureblood too, Sirius, just thought I'd remind you."
"I never took the pride in it that you did."
"You never loved our family like I did either, it was all about you Sirius, you and what you liked and disliked. You left us, and you never looked back, I bet you never even thought about me or mother all those years you lived with the Potters, did you? If it hadn't been for me being at school, and smashing your beloved Gryffindor Quidditch team in most of our matches you would have never even remembered that we existed. You had your own little world Sirius."
"Damn you Regulus! I was young, and I… never mind its none of your business, just what am I supposed to do with you under my roof now."
"Deal with it!" Regulus snarled "I am your brother, and I have more rights to live here than you do!"
"I'd love to hand over this place, but its not mine to let you have. You think I like being cooped up in this place with nothing to do but try and not go insane or burn the place to the ground, and then there is your elf, your obnoxious and certifiable elf!"
"Leave Kreacher alone! I died to save him!" Regulus said as he gripped his wand in his robes.
"Oh, right, you're precious elf, you talked to him more than you ever did me?"
"Maybe because he was more intelligent and capable of human feelings than you ever were Sirius"
Sirius drew his wand and Regulus did likewise.
"NO!" Severus bellowed.
"Tell me Siri, did you even go to our mother's funeral?"
"No, I'm afraid I had more pressing engagements at the time" Sirius said in a deadly calm voice.
"Like what? Pranking prefects with your beloved Marauders."
"No, maintaining my sanity in Azkaban!"
Regulus balked at this, he hadn't imagined that the premature aging on his brother's face had been caused by time in Azkaban. He hid his shock well and then said… "Why were you there? Did you jinx the Minister."
"No, I was framed for the murder of my best friends" Sirius said icily.
"So, how are you here then?" Regulus asked after a very long pause, in which both he and Sirius had lowered their wands.
"I was wondering the same thing, I thought this house was protected by the Fidelius Charm." Sirius suddenly noticed Snape. "Well I guess I know how now" he said glaring at him "tell me Severus, how did you fool Dumbledore into letting you bring your Death Eater buddy into the Headquarters of the Order?"
Regulus made a choking noise and then he screamed.
"I AM NOT A DEATH EATER!"