A/N: Four more chapters to go. The next chapter's going to be the big, climactic, scene. Thank you for everone who has reviewed. They mean a lot.

Chapter Eight

Snippets of hair scattered the floor of the hotel lobby.

Sirius bit his lip as he tried to give his brother a haircut. Regulus kept squirming, making a perfect cut nearly impossible.

At long last, Sirius gave up. Regulus's hair still came down past his ears, yet it wasn't as long as Sirius's, which fell well past his shoulders.

"Can't we go to a barber?" Regulus complained.

Sirius snorted, "Reg, we barely have enough money for food, let alone luxurious hair-styling."

He crossed over to the box, that had once held the provisions, provided by James. It was nearly empty.

Sirius sighed. It had been a month, since they had met James, and Sirius wished that they could run into him, again.

Of course, he was thick to believe that James would want to hang around them.

Still, James was the closest thing to a mate that Sirius had ever had.

Even if it was for only an hour.

Regulus crossed his arms, sulking.

"Don't give me that look," Sirius said, irritated, "Why don't you take Shadow outside, to use the loo?"

"Fine," Regulus snapped, motioning for his dog to follow.

Sirius stared after them, bitterly. He knew that they had both been acting testily. Still, what was to be expected, with little food?

Sirius felt his growling stomach, wallowing in self-pity.

A sudden scream pulled him out of his sorrows. Sirius jumped up, racing outside.

He gave an anguished cry. Regulus was leaning against the rundown hedge, looking terrified.

Shadow, meanwhile, was ripping at the leg of a bystander, drawing blood.

"Stop that!" Sirius cried, wildly, "Get away from him!"

He went to give the dog a harsh blow, but Shadow's jaw caught Sirius's arm.

Sirius reeled back, horrified.

A wagon skirted over the curb, and a gruff looking man came out. He grabbed Shadow, shoving him into the back of the wagon.

Sirius saw that the side of the vehicle read: DOG CATCHER.

"No!" Regulus squealed. He ran forward, but Sirius restrained him.

Meanwhile, the poor civilian had wobbled off, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.

"Shadow!" Regulus bawled, as the dog scratched at the cage, "Stop! Don't let them take him!"

"Reg, get a grip!" Sirius roared, shaking his brother.

Regulus fought as hard as he could, but Sirius was stronger. Reg's eyes sparkled with tears, as he watched Shadow get taken away.

He immediately crumpled, sobbing.

"That dog is mad!" Sirius went on, "I knew that there was something off, about him!"

Regulus shook his head, "He didn't mean it!"

"Are you mental?" Sirius cried, "You're going to defend him, after he bit me? And what of that other man?"

"That man jumped out at us," Regulus gasped, between sobs, "He asked for money. I was scared, so I screamed. I went to go back inside, but he stepped in between me and the door. That's why Shadow attacked him! He was trying to protect me!"

Sirius immediately felt a stab of guilt. He put an arm around his brother, but Regulus jumped away.

"He still bit me," Sirius said, defensively.

"He didn't mean to!" Regulus wept, "Oh, Sirius! We have to go after him!"

"There's no way that they're going to let us get him," Sirius sighed, "They'll ask for parental identification. In ase you haven't noticed, we don't have any parents, do we?"

Regulus glared daggers at Sirius, "That's why we need Shadow! He's a member of our family!"

"All he does is eat our food and urinate on the hotel walls," Sirius sighed, "He's nothing more than a burden on the family. We're better off, without him."

Regulus was so upset that he was shaking. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out, other than an anguished roar.

He spun around, racing back into the hotel.

Sirius sighed, listening as his brother threw a tremendous tantrum. When all was quiet, Sirius entered.

Regulus was lying on his mattress, burrowed beneath the blankets.

Sirius sighed, lying down on his own mattress.

He tried to sleep, but his dreams consisted of whining dogs and slaughter houses.

Sirius finally woke up, in the middle of the night, in a cold sweat.

He crossed over to the pitcher, where they kept the water. He splashed some on his face, drinking the rest.

He then opened the last bag of potato crisps.

"Regulus, do you want some?" he whispered.

When his brother didn't answer, Sirius glanced closer.

He felt the bag fall from his hand, sending crisps scattering across the floor.

Beneath Regulus's blankets was a wadded-up pillow, and a note.

Regulus was gone.

Sirius grabbed the note, reading:

Sirius,

You said that Shadow was just a burden on our family. I reckon that I'm a burden, as well. I was thinking of the book by Dr. Seuss. I realized that you cannot go to the places that you want to, because you're babysitting me.

So I've decided that I'm going to go out on my own. It'll be better this way. I'm going to find Shadow, and he and I will be our own family. Don't worry about us. We'll go to the orphanage, if need be.

Love,

Your Former Brother,

Regulus