Regulus stepped off the stool, a hush going over the students. The Purebloods knew him – he was the Bloodtraitor, the foolish boy that had told them all he'd be a Gryffindor, that he'd be different.

They had forgotten him and hated him and ignored him for being so different. Now, here they were, realizing that Regulus was on their side, was one of them, was the same as them. Slowly, one Slytherin – Lucius Malfoy, a prefect, began to clap, polite and measured. The rest of the table started as well. Unlike the other children – the few that had gone before him – there were no loud cheers, no rambunctious calls.

Then his brother broke the figurative spell over the school.

"No!" Sirius yelled, disbelief bright in his eyes. "No! There was a mistake! It isn't him! Regulus isn't a Slytherin!"

He stood and ran to his brother, stopping him from sitting at the table by grabbing his arm.

"Let go of me, Sirius," Regulus said, quiet, hissing the words not to sound angry but to try to get through to his distraught brother.

"No – it's the spell! It's the memory charm! Please." Regulus wasn't sure exactly what his brother was pleading for.

However, he knew that Sirius had just told the entire school – professors, students, ghosts – about the memory charm.

Regulus could feel their eyes on him, judging him, sizing him up, curious in a cruel way.

In one quick motion, he pulled his arm out of Sirius's grasp and stalked out of the Great Hall, fear and anger and betrayal echoing through him.

Everyone knew.

It wasn't like it was life or death, but the entire school knew that his head had been broken by his father.

God, what would Regulus's father do to him for allowing the school to learn of what happened?

"No, Regulus!" Sirius called to him, and Regulus could hear his brother running after him. Regulus didn't turn to Sirius until they were in the hall, away from the students that listened in with glee at the newest drama.

"How dare you!" Regulus yelled, allowing his anger to propel him. Otherwise, he would have just collapsed. "You just told everyone! You yelled it in the Great Hall!" His voice cracked on the words, showing how truly upset he was.

"I'm sorry, Reg –"

"No," Regulus exclaimed, shaking his head. "You don't get to just apologize. This isn't 'oh well, I'll fix it tomorrow! This is my home for the seven years, and because of you, they all know what's broken in my head!" Sirius clenched his fists, digging his nails into his hands.

"Everyone knew you were broken the moment the hat put you in Slytherin!" Sirius snarled. "They know who you are – they know that you'd never end up there."

"Who's they?" Regulus shouted. "The Purebloods? No other student would know me!"

"The Gryffindors did. They knew you because I never stopped talking about my little brother – the trickster, the brave little lion I left!"

Sirius stepped closer to his brother, and Regulus allowed him to place a hand on his shoulder.

"You aren't a Slytherin, Reg," Sirius said. "Let's go talk to Dumbledore – he can fix this!"

"No, he can't," Regulus said, stepping away from his brother. "Because he can't fix what isn't broken. I chose Slytherin. It's a hell of a lot better fit than Gryffindor would be."

"This isn't you talking, Reg," Sirius pleaded, sadness in his gaze. Regulus recognized it as the same tone he'd used on train. However, this time, he wouldn't be apologetic. He wouldn't back down. Sirius was using the same method, but Regulus was a different person.

"Yes, it is," Regulus said. "You don't understand this – this is me. This isn't just a curse. It's something that will never change. It's who I am, now. People change, Sirius. Perhaps I just changed a little more severely."

"So you want to be a Slytherin! You want to be evil?"

"I'm not evil," Regulus said. "Why does one word make me different?"

"It doesn't," Sirius snapped. "It lets me see what you're really like."

"So what am I like? Why am I a Slytherin, Sirius?"

He didn't answer Regulus's questions, unsure of his answer, unsure of what was the right answer.

"Do you remember telling Alex he was a wizard?" Regulus asked, throwing his brother off with the sudden change. "I spoke with a snake – yes, I remember that. I'm a Parselmouth. Is that why I'm a Slytherin?"

Sirius could remember his shock at seeing Regulus's 'evil' gift. His brother had been excited about it, thought it was really cool. He had been really innocent back then.

Merlin, so much had happened since that date.

Sirius looked at Regulus, curious about why he was asking these questions. Regulus knew exactly why he was a Slytherin, so why was he asking Sirius?

"Perhaps it is because of the spell," Regulus added. "What then? It's me. I'm never going to change."

Sirius knew that Regulus didn't believe what he was saying. Even when so much had changed, Sirius could still tell when he brother was lying.

Then Sirius noticed something gleaming in his eyes. Something sly and cunning and deceptive.

And then he understood what Regulus was doing.

"No," Sirius said, quiet, whispering. "I think you're a Slytherin because you're trying to… manipulate… me into blowing up and storming away – to leave you alone. You're trying to make me angry so I don't ask questions, so I began to hate you, stop talking to you. Why?"

Regulus looked pained and a bit surprised that Sirius had said that – or that he had noticed it.

"I don't want you to hate me," Regulus said. "I just want you to accept this now. And I thought you'd do that if you were angry with me, rather than with the rest of the world."

"I'm not angry," Sirius said. "Well – perhaps at father, but not at you, and not with the world. I'm nervous and worried and disappointed that all the dreams we had as kids aren't going to happen with you condemned to the dungeons."

"Not condemned," Regulus disagreed. "This is my home, and Slytherin is my home. But that doesn't mean that we can't talk to each other, hang out with each other. It doesn't mean that."

Sirius nodded, slow and a little bit sad.

"Are you sure this is what you want, Reg?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, I'm sure," Regulus said. "C'mon – I'm guessing they continued with the Sorting, and I don't want to miss seeing which House Alex goes to." Sirius took his words as a final peace offer, and they turned, re-entering the hall together but separating to go to their own tables.

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"So, the black sheep is a Slytherin?" a voice drawled, making Regulus turn. He was in the Slytherin Common Room, unsurprised that the other students wanted nothing to do with him. He didn't recognize the kid.

"Technically I've always been a Black," Regulus quipped, smirking at the kid.

"You seem happy to be in Slytherin, sheep," the student said. "Something change? A… spell of sorts, perhaps?"

Regulus felt a flash of anger. Every one of them knew about the memory charm.

But that really didn't matter.

"I changed," Regulus admitted, calm. "Are you implying that you haven't? Or perhaps I just have many faces."

The kid chuckled.

"I'm sure you do, little lamb. But which one is real? The kid that lead his older brother around or the kid that denied him today?"

"Perhaps I'm just complicated," Regulus said. "What about you? Are you always such a bastard – or is it special – just for me."

The other student tilted his head down and smiled, chuckling slightly. His hair fell over his forehead, shadowing his eyes as he spoke again.

"What can I say – it's a gift. I like you, lamb. Leon Wilkes – third year. Perfect Pureblood, and all that bullshit – at least when Malfoy's not around."

Regulus knew what the kid – Wilkes – was implying. He didn't care that much about blood – unless one of the big names were around. If they were, then you didn't joke around, and you watched your back. Regulus knew it was true, but he couldn't help commenting in reply.

"Are you implying that you change for others?" Leon smiled again.

"Are you pretending that you don't?"

"I'm my own person," Regulus said, enjoying the back and forth retorts.

"And people change – you taught me that, remember? Plus, Malfoy would eat you alive – what are you, ten? And there's certainly no excess love for you here, lamb."

"I don't know – I have a knack for making friends," Regulus said, pointedly surveying Wilkes.

"That you do, lamb," the kid said, turning away and walking up the steps to the third year dorms. "I'll see you tomorrow."

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Hey, everyone! So I made a new chapter quickly – YAY! For those of you following Reveal Your Secrets – my Regulus also has a friend named Leon Wilkes in that story too. They are different characters, but I would just confuse myself if I tried choosing a different first name for Wilkes. Also, I changed his age in this – in RYS he was Reg's age. Now he's older.

So Regulus talked with Sirius, and he also made an unlikely friend in Slytherin!

I hoped you enjoy this chapter!

Please review!

Thanks to all reviewers!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter!