A/N: Thanks for your kind reviews so far.
Chapter Three
The tall buildings loomed above them, casting dark smoke into the air.
Sirius felt imprisoned. It wasn't that he hated London; he just preferred the countryside.
Unfortunately, he knew that, so long as they remained in the city, they would be close to food and shelter.
He also knew that the countryside had a way of turning even the most civilized people into animals.
So Sirius had managed to pull Regulus to the next best thing: a large, grassy, park that sat in the suburbs of the city.
Sirius sighed, leaning against a large tree. He smiled, as he watched Regulus slip down the slide, and twirl on the swings.
"We should just live here," Regulus beamed, "We don't have to go home, at night. We can play anytime we want to!"
Sirius shook his head, "We can't stay here forever, Reg."
Regulus sighed, retreating to the playground.
Sirius shook his head, once more, allowing his eyes to close.
They flew open again, when he heard the sound of someone crying.
Regulus was sprawled next to the merry-go-round, looking at a scrape on his arm.
Sirius ran over, surveying the damage. Regulus wasn't really hurt; just shaken. Sirius quickly rummaged into his bag, putting a small bandage on the scrape.
"Mummy usually kisses my boo-boos," Regulus muttered.
"Yeah, only after she causes them," Sirius said, before he could stop himself.
Regulus's face crumpled. Sirius reached for him, but his younger brother ran away, sitting on one of the swings.
The last few rays of the sun ducked behind the mountain. The park was suddenly thrown into darkness.
Sirius sighed, crossing over to sit next to Regulus.
The small boy was quiet for a moment. Finally he whispered, "Do Mummy and Daddy hate us?"
Sirius's eyes widened, "No, of course not. Th…they love us."
When he saw Regulus's teary eyes, he said, "Now, come on. It's time for bed."
He led his brother over to the large tree, where they sat down. Regulus laid next to him, using his lap as a pillow.
"They love us," Sirius repeated.
Regulus just sniffed, snuggling closer to Sirius.
Sirius glanced around the park, attentively. The creaking of the merry-go-round and swings seemed to ring in his ears. Odd shadows swept across the ground. An owl gave a ferocious hoot nearby.
Sirius closed his eyes, blocking out the fear. Slowly, he drifted into his dreams.
Hot flames were leaping all around him. Sirius tried to fight the fire, but it was too powerful.
His mother and father were on the other side, laughing. The flames lit up their faces, showing the pure evil.
The floor suddenly caved out from underneath him.
He fell through sheer blackness. When he finally landed, he found that he was in his bedroom at Grimmauld Place.
His father was looming in the doorway, reeking of alcohol and power.
Orion walked out of the room, saying, "Follow."
Sirius yawned and obeyed.
He followed his father outside. They stared up at the stars, which were clearly visible, despite being in the heart of London.
"There it is," Orion said, "The Orion constellation. And there you are. The Sirius star."
He turned to tower over Sirius. Sirius felt himself shrinking.
"Do you know why you were named accordingly?" his father's voice boomed, "You were named after the Dog star. That's all you are. A filthy, good for nothing, mutt. Trained to be loyal to his master. Trained to obey."
Orion swung, cuffing Sirius on the side of the face. Sirius tried to run away, but Orion struck him again. He stumbled, falling off of the roof. He seemed to defy gravity, as he fell upwards, crashing into the stars…
"Sirius! Sirius!"
Sirius gave a start, as his eyes flew open.
Regulus's face loomed in his view, "You were having a nightmare."
"I was not," Sirius said, hotly. He sat up, pushing his little brother off of him.
He was drenched in a cold sweat, and his eyes stung.
"Are you ill?" Regulus asked, frightened.
"I'm fine, Reg," Sirius said, calmly, wiping his brow, "I need to use the loo."
He stumbled off, into the bushes, until he came upon a smooth pond. The stars reflected the surface.
Sirius fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face.
"They love us," he hissed, angrily. He kicked the ground, and threw several rocks into the pond, breaking the smooth surface.
"They love us!"
The more he repeated it, the more he doubted it.
When Sirius had finally exhausted himself, he splashed water onto his face, hoping that Regulus wouldn't notice his puffy eyes.
He looked across the pond, and a small smile came to his face, "Hey Regulus! Come over here!"
Regulus walked over, yawning.
"Look over there," Sirius pointed.
Regulus's timid face broke into a grin. Thousands of fireflies were zooming through the air.
Before Sirius could stop him, Regulus ran around the bank. Sirius followed him, and the two brothers entered a wall of sparkling light.
The fireflies twinkled, zooming around them. Their lights reflected in the pond.
Regulus leapt up, trying to catch one.
Sirius joined him, feeling a small wave of euphoria.
An uncanny noise escaped from his mouth. It took Sirius a moment, before he realized that he was laughing.
The two brothers jumped around, laughing and trying to catch the wondrous lights. They finally fell back onto the ground, too exhausted to get up.
Sirius put an arm around Regulus, hugging him. The two peacefully dozed off, as the fireflies flew up to blend with the stars.