A/N: So there seems to be some confusion about the maturity aspect. What I imagine is that Regulus has always been slightly immature, because he wants to preserve the childhood that he never really had. Sirius, on the other hand, knows that in order to do what's best for Regulus, he [Sirius] has to act mature and rational. However, you'll notice, that as the story progresses, Regulus is going to become mature very quickly, and Sirius is going to have a few childish moments.
Chapter Five
The first snowfall brought both joy and sorrow to the two brothers. Sirius and Regulus loved to walk around, during the daytime, and marvel at the massive flakes. They would often build small snowmen, or have a friendly snowball fight.
At night, however, the cold air was unbearable. Sirius and Regulus hopped from shelter to shelter, leaving as soon as anything looked suspicious.
It broke Sirius's heart, to see Regulus shivering. He fastened both cloaks onto his little brother, but it didn't block out the cold.
More than once, whilst sleeping under an underpass or loitering in the garbage for food, Sirius wondered if it was all worth it.
Then he remembered the things that they had faced, before. He made up his mind that, no matter what circumstances lay ahead, he was not turning back.
Which was why he felt his heart plummet, when Regulus whispered, "Sirius, we're near our house."
Against his better nature, Sirius allowed Regulus to drag him to Grimmauld Place, but he did not allow him to go closer than the park across the street.
They watched as their house materialized between Number 11 and Number 13.
Sirius leaned against the iron gate, staring at the house with disgust.
Regulus stepped forward. Sirius put a hand on his shoulder, warningly.
He watched, stunned, as Regulus bent down, picking something off of the ground.
Then, before Sirius could react, Regulus had thrown a rock into one of the windows. He chucked another, and then a third.
"Reg, take it easy!" Sirius cried, appalled.
He grabbed his brother's arm, and the two ran away. When they were half a dozen blocks away, Regulus finally burst into tears.
"Regulus, what's wrong?" Sirius asked, gently.
Regulus didn't answer. By now he had entered a state that only children seem to enter, when they're terribly upset. His face was swollen and red. His chest rose and fell with every huge, uneven, breath. Tears poured, endlessly, down his face, as he tried to gain control of himself. Every sob shook his fragile body.
Sirius held onto his little brother, trying to soothe him.
Regulus tried to say something, but it came out in muffled gasps.
Finally he managed to burst out, "It's our house, but it's not our home."
Sirius felt his own eyes sting, but he blinked back his own tears.
After a few minutes, Regulus finally calmed down. He didn't let go of his older brother, however.
"Don't ever let me go back there, Sirius," he sniffed, still red-faced.
Sirius hugged him, tightly, "Never."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
True to his word, for the next few weeks, Sirius and Regulus spent their time on the other side of the city, in the Victorian district.
It was cute to see all of the quaint houses covered in snow, their windows twinkling welcomingly.
One night, when Sirius dozed off, he woke up to find that Regulus was not there.
His heart instantly crashed into his stomach, and he felt a wave of anxiety hit him as he cried, "Regulus? Regulus!"
He burst out of the alleyway, which they had been sleeping in, and relaxed, as he saw his brother looking through the window of a family house.
"Regulus, are you mental?" Sirius hissed, "You could get yourself caught."
"Sirius, I think that it's Christmas Eve," Regulus whispered, pointing.
Indeed, a large spruce tree was in the corner of the family's sitting room, decorated with bulbs and candles. Presents littered the floor besides it. A tray of cookies was placed delicately on the table, waiting for Father Christmas to consume them.
A mother came into the room, coddling her infant son.
Regulus and Sirius ducked down, but continued to stare into the room.
The mother sat in a rocking chair, gently rocking the infant to sleep.
The father came in, followed by two young children. Their faces were scrubbed and their nightgowns were perfectly pressed. A beautiful dog followed, curling up at the father's feet.
The children's eyes shone with excitement, as they stared, longingly, at their presents.
The mother scolded them gently, before reading from a book. The family huddled next to her, unaware of how lucky they were.
Sirius and Regulus stared pensively at the room, before creeping back to their dismal alleyway.
"Do you think that Father Christmas will find us?" Regulus asked.
Sirius sighed, heavily. It was best if his brother knew the truth.
"Reg," Sirius said, "Father Christmas is…"
Regulus stared up at him. Sirius just didn't have the heart.
Sirius closed his eyes, before saying, "Father Christmas doesn't have time to worry about two little boys in an alleyway. He has an entire world to deliver presents to."
Regulus sighed, as though he was expecting this answer, "What kind of world do we live in, when Father Christmas abandons you?"
Christmas day saw Sirius being pounced on by his little brother.
"Sirius, wake up! Come on then, wake up! You have to come see this!"
Sirius sat up, rubbing his eyes, "What's the matter?"
"Father Christmas was here! He left us a present! Come on!"
Sirius shook himself out of his stupor, and followed Regulus to the end of the alleyway.
He blinked, before saying, "It's a dog."
A large, black, dog was sitting in the middle of the alleyway.
"It's our dog," Regulus beamed, "Father Christmas left it for us! See, I told you that he would come!"
"Regulus," Sirius groaned, "That's not our dog. That's just some stray. Get away from it; it could have rabies."
"Please, can't we keep him?" Regulus pleaded.
"No," Sirius said, firmly, "We barely have enough food to feed ourselves, let alone a dog."
Regulus stomped his foot, "That's so unfair! You wouldn't let me bring my owl when we left Grimmauld Place! Now I can't have Shadow?"
"Who's Shadow?" Sirius asked, bewildered.
"The dog!"
"You named him?" Sirius cried out, "We're not keeping him."
Regulus threw his hands into the air, "I hate you!"
Even though he knew that his brother was being melodramatic, it still struck a blow to Sirius's heart.
Nonetheless, he was in charge of Regulus.
"Go to your room!" he roared, the first threat that he could think of.
"I don't have a room," Regulus shot back. Still, he went to sit behind a dustbin, where he commenced a fake tantrum.
In the end, the two spent the day walking around, asking anyone of they knew the dog. After three people confirmed that it was just a stray, Sirius finally said, "Alright. But you have to promise to take care of him."
"Yay!" Regulus said, besides himself with euphoria.
Sirius laughed, "You are so difficult!"
Regulus merely stuck his tongue out. He then knelt next to Shadow, "He's a stray, just like us. We strays have to stick together."
Sirius swallowed, hugging his brother, "Merry Christmas, Regulus."
A/N: Gah, I completely forgot to announce: If any of you have a Tumblr account, you can follow mine. My username is the same as this one: Marauders4EVR. I update every single time I create a new chapter. Also, I post illustrations of the story! Check it out, sometime!