"What are you talking about?" Sirius said incredulously. "You're completely different!" Regulus looked back at him. Sirius could still see the confusion in his eyes.

Did Reggie honestly not know what he was talking about?

"I'm not, Sirius. I'm the same as always…" Apparently he didn't. That didn't make any sense, though…

Unless it was part of the spell his parents were using to control Reggie! That made sense!

"It's because of mother and father," Sirius burst out angrily. "They did this-"

"You're wrong," Regulus said. "This is how I've always been. You haven't been home for a long time, Sirius. Perhaps you've forgotten."

"I haven't," Sirius growled. "Reggie, you have to-"

"I don't have to do anything, Sirius. And don't call me, Reggie."

He turned and began to follow their parents through the crowd. Sirius saw him push past someone – clearly a muggle – with obvious distaste. Gritting his teeth, Sirius ignored it.

"Come on," their mother screeched. "We're going home." Regulus nodded and followed their parents through the floo. Sirius, gritting his teeth, went in a moment after.

As soon as he stepped out of the fireplace, he was met by his father.

Reggie was standing, watching dispassionately from next to the stairwell.

While Sirius looked at him, his father brought a hand up. Sirius, catching the movement through the corner of his eye, flinched back. He knew what it meant.

His father backhanded him hard across his cheek. Stumbling backward, he hit the fireplace and slid to the ground, disoriented.

"You bloodtraitor! How dare you get into Gryffindor!"

Sirius stared up at his father – who was now so intimidating while he loomed overhead. Sirius started to shake with fear.

Then he caught himself.

He was a Gryffindor.

Bravery was everything to him.

"Gryffindor is the best house!" he snarled.

His father waved his wand, and he heard a crack. A second later, a bust of pain echoed through his nose. It throbbed, and Sirius realized, through the pain, that Reggie wouldn't be the only one with a crooked nose anymore.

Then, hot blood was rolling from his nose. His position on the floor didn't help, being flat on his back caused the blood to enter his throat and mouth. Coughing, Sirius rolled over to his knees trying to split the blood out of his mouth before he swallowed any more of it.

"That's what you get for being a bloodtraitor," his father said. Sirius, who was still trying to get the taste of blood out of his mouth, didn't see his father wave his wand again. Sirius felt as if something large had slammed into his midsection. He spluttered even more; the breath had been knocked out of him. The urge to gag was fighting his attempts to get air into his lungs.

He had never had a beating that bad before.

And it scared him, not that he would admit it.

Reggie had gone through worse.

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Regulus watched from by the stairs as Sirius emerged from the fireplace. He was still scowling.

Regulus narrowed his eyes at his brother. Sirius would cause nothing but trouble in the months to come.

Already, he had mentioned a damn mudblood that Sirius had snuck out to see before. He had also had the nerve to suggest that Regulus had also been friends with the filth! That was disgusting.

As if he would associate himself with that kind of animal. He was a Black and a pureblood.

There was nothing any mudblood could do that would make them stronger or more powerful than he was.

He saw how his father hit Sirius.

Did he truly looked scared for a moment? A bit of sympathy whisked through Regulus. Then he caught himself. His brother deserved it.

Besides, it couldn't have hurt that bad. Though, how would he know? It had never happened to him before. His parents were fair; they only punished their kids if their kids deserved it. Sirius had shamed the family.

He deserved it.

Their father was perfectly in the right for what he was doing.

Regulus saw how their father broke Sirius' nose.

It had made an audible crack, which caused Regulus, despite attempting to stand emotionlessly, to flinch when he heard it. It was a horrible sound, and for some reason, again, Regulus felt a deep sympathy for Sirius.

Why, though?

It didn't make sense.

What their father was doing was perfectly fine.

He thought that their father was right in dealing out punishment.

Just seeing Sirius coughing and spitting out his own blood nearly made him change his mind.

However, if Sirius wouldn't have become a Gryffindor, then he wouldn't have to go through it.

So it was Sirius's fault. It was always Sirius's fault.

Regulus saw that Sirius's nose was slightly crooked looking. He held up a hand and touched his own nose.

It was also crooked.

He wondered why.

After all, he had never gone through a punishment like Sirius was now.

Regulus's heart began to beat faster as their father made another motion with his wand.

Sirius jerked back as if struck.

Then he began to gasp and gag. Regulus could see that both reactions were trying to occur simultaneously, making neither work correctly.

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Sirius was still gasping, his world hazy, when he saw his father raise his wand again.

"No-" Sirius managed to gasp out. It was too quiet for his father to hear, not that he wanted his father to hear.

After all, the word had sounded a lot like begging.

In fact, Sirius was quite glad that the word hadn't been heard by anyone other than him.

His father's wand came down one more time; this time, it was flicked in a different way. Sirius, with much more force than before, was thrown backward. He cracked his head off of the fireplace and fell downwards.

Everything went black moments after he hit the floor.

12312312312312123123123123123123123123123123123123 123123123123123123123123123123123Regulus noticed what his father did not. He saw Sirius's mouth move to form the word 'no.'

As much as he told himself differently, he wished that the punishment would stop. He was beginning to feel sick watching his father punish Sirius. Regulus could tell that Sirius was in a lot of pain, and he didn't like the feeling of seeing that. It hurt him, a lot.

As Sirius was thrown back and fell unconscious, Regulus relaxed his taunt muscles. He hadn't even noticed that his hands had turned to fists. His father was stopping – or at least, that's what he thought.

Apparently, their father was caught in the moment because he continued to curse Sirius.

Reggie saw the first curse and promised himself that that was his father's last one.

Then he cursed him again.

To Regulus, cursing Sirius was one thing as a punishment. This wasn't punishment. Sirius wasn't learning anything – he was unconscious.

So why wasn't their father stopping?

Suddenly, Regulus couldn't take it any longer.

He ran in front of his father. Regulus wasn't stupid enough to do it as he waved his wand again. No, instead, he waited until after his father preformed the spell.

"Stop!" he demanded. His father narrowed his eyes at Regulus.

"Is that any way to speak to me?" he hissed.

"No, father, and I apologize. But you can't keep cursing Sirius."

"Why not?" his father asked. Regulus could sense that, to his father, this was almost a test. He wanted to see if Reggie would make a good Black. So, Regulus thought for a moment.

"He's unconscious. Sirius can't feel anything anymore. If it's a punishment, then he should feel it." His father nodded, and Regulus relaxed slightly.

That was his father's way of saying he had given an appropriate answer.

"Alright," he growled. "But as punishment for interrupting me, you get to take care of him when he awakes." Regulus nodded and watched as his father left the room.

"Kreacher," he whispered. With a pop, Kreacher appeared.

"Take Sirius up to his room, please. And get me some medical potions."

"Yes, Master Regulus," Kreacher said and disappeared, taking Sirius with him. Regulus walked up the stairs slowly, not entering his room but instead going into Sirius's.

He would wait in there until Sirius woke up.

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Hey, guys! I hope you enjoy the quick update! Although, I am sorry to say that today is my last day of spring break. I'm back to school tomorrow.

Please review! I need to know what you guys think!

Also, please read my fic titled "Which Should I Write? Two Story Previews."

And vote in my poll or review to tell me which one you like more.

Thanks to all my old reviewers!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.