A/N: Zayhad and I want to wish you all a merry Christmas. Like last year, we plan on giving you an extra chapter as a Christmas present :) I can't say for sure what date it will come up, because it depends on when I can find time to get the extra editing done, but I will do my best to do it before next Thursday's usual chapter. Or at least before New Year. So be on the alert! And don't eat so much you burst.

Chapter 30 – You're Lying

Regulus stayed at the Lupins' for three days until his parents left on another business trip. When they came home after the weekend Regulus counted on them having calmed down enough so they at least wouldn't hurt him. However, it turned out that he had underestimated his father's anger. The moment Mr. Black came home and found his youngest son sitting reading in the parlour, his face twisted into a snarl and he rushed towards him. Regulus, who had been engrossed in his book, did not react quickly enough to run away.

The tall man loomed over him. "Where have you been? You cause a scandal and then just take off! Did you think you could run from the consequences? Do you know people are still talking?"

"I didn't mean to cause trouble," said Regulus, feeling his heart jump into his throat. "It was her fault. She fondled me. I panicked."

Orion pulled him to his feet and gave him a rough shake "You're a menace!" He shook him again. "Our reputation has been damaged by this! And I don't care if Mrs. Yaxley did in fact touch you - you should have kept your mouth shut until we were back home!"

"LET GO!" yelled Regulus, struggling to get free of his father's grip. But Orion was a tall, well-built man and Regulus just a willowy teenager. "SHE MOLESTED ME! You should protect your children!"

"SHE DID NO SUCH THING!" roared Orion, holding onto Regulus with both hands now. "She is a very respectable woman! You think people molest you if they as much as touch your hand! Is that what you tell your therapist too? That we molest you?"

"LET GO!" screamed Regulus, panic seizing him. He thrashed in his father's grip like a fish on a hook. When Orion loosened his grip for a second to get a better hold, Regulus managed to tear himself free. He bolted for the exit but Orion cut him off, stepping between him and the door.

"You're not going anywhere!" Orion said and tried to catch Regulus, but he turned around and ran for the kitchen, Orion on his tail. "GET BACK HERE!"

"SIRIUS! SIRIUS!" screamed Regulus. He didn't think his brother was home but he hoped to God that he was. He didn't know what his father was going to do to him but he didn't want to find out.

But there was no big brother to save Regulus this time, and his father chased him into the kitchen. Trapped, Regulus was caught by Mr. Black, who spun him around roughly. "When I tell you to stay, you stay! I'm not done with you yet!"

"W-what are you going to do?" asked Regulus, his eyes wide with terror.

Full of rage Orion grabbed a hold on Regulus' neck and squeezed. "You have brought shame on our family for the last time!"

Regulus clawed at his father's hands, trying to pull them off. He struggled for breath but only managed to produce some choking sounds, and white spots were starting to appear before his eyes. In blind panic his right hand scrambled for something - anything - on the kitchen table. He knocked down a newspaper and a saltshaker and then he found the knife block. He drew one of the knives and drove it into his father's shoulder.

Orion howled in pain and let go of Regulus, reeling back a few steps. "Oh, you're going away for this!" he said, his lip curling into a crazy grin. "You're going to be locked up for the rest of your life!"

Regulus stood frozen in shock, his eyes like saucers, gasping for breath. One hand clutching at his bleeding shoulder, Mr. Black grabbed Regulus with the other. Then he dragged him to his office, threw him in and locked the door.

Regulus landed on the floor and scuttled into the far corner like a terrified animal. He turned to sit with his back pressed against the wall, staring at the door through which his father might come back any moment. What was he going to do when he did? Regulus had nothing to protect himself with. He had dropped the knife when he had stabbed his father. He had stabbed his father... How badly was he hurt? Half of him wished he was hurt badly; the other half felt horribly guilty and hoped that it wasn't serious.

Nothing happened for about fifteen minutes but then Regulus could hear people enter the house. "He is in there," Orion's voice sounded as the key turned in the lock. Five men Regulus had never seen before walked in. Two of them were wearing police uniforms and the others looked like paramedics

"Easy now," said one of the officers to Regulus, holding up his hands as if approaching a wild animal.

"Are you sure he's unarmed?" the other officer asked Mr. Black.

"Yes," said Orion, who had been sat on a chair to have his shoulder tightly wrapped in gaze. "He dropped the knife in the kitchen."

Regulus, who had been sitting in the corner, stood up, his back still pressed against the wall as if he could go through it if he pushed hard enough. "STAY AWAY!" he screamed, staring at the men with wild eyes. "DON'T TOUCH ME!"

"Easy now," repeated the officer. As he got closer, Regulus tried to run past, but the man caught him. It took both officers to hold him still enough for a paramedic to empty a syringe into his arm. "Easy now, lad. Just relax."

Regulus screamed and thrashed, kicking and trying to bite the hand closest to his face. Then he felt his muscles go limp and his vision blurring. He didn't pass out but he couldn't stand on his own.

o0o0o

Sirius came home to a shocking sight: two ambulances and a police car parked outside his home, and several neighbours standing in the street, gossiping and craning their necks to get a good look.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked as he came in and was met with the image of his father sitting with a bandaged shoulder. Then he saw Regulus being dragged out of the office. "Get your hands off him! He doesn't like being touched! Especially not by strangers!"

"Move aside," said one of the officers and stopped Sirius with a hand. "Your father has been stabbed. Worry about him instead."

"I don't care about him! He probably asked for it!" Sirius spat and tried to get past the officer. "Where are you taking him?"

"Si...rius," mumbled Regulus, recognising his brother's voice although too tired to move his eyes to find him.

Sirius tried to get to Regulus but the officer stopped him again and Sirius had to step back as the paramedics dragged Regulus through the front door.

"To the hospital first. They will determine whether to have him committed or hand him over to us."

"I'm going with you," stated Sirius. "I'm not leaving my brother alone with you lot!"

"No," said the officer, blocking Sirius' way, his partner stepping closer, ready to assist should it be necessary. "He's dangerous. He stabbed your father, and as I can understand this is not the first episode of violent behaviour."

"What? Regulus is not dangerous!" He turned to his father, eyes ablaze. "What did you do to him?"

"I just gave the boy a telling off and he attacked me with a knife!" said Orion, answering Sirius' question, but Sirius knew it was meant for the officers.

"You're lying!" Sirius hissed through gritted teeth. He turned on his heels and tried to walk out the front doors again. "You can't stop me from going to the station or wherever you're taking him! He shouldn't be alone!"

The two officers each took a firm grip on Sirius' shoulders and pulled him away from the door so a paramedic could help Mr. Black out to the second ambulance. "If you don't stop making trouble right now we will bring you to the station, all right: You can spend the night in jail!"

"And as I just told you, your brother is going to the hospital first, for a valuation," added the other officer.

Sirius realised that arguing would get him nowhere. He would drive to the hospital on his own. As he watched the ambulance with his brother leaving, he picked up his phone and called Mrs. Lupin, thinking it would be best to talk to her first. She was a psychiatrist after all, so maybe she could pull a few strings so he could see his brother.

"Sirius?" she answered. "Is something wrong? You sound upset."

"They took Reggie away," Sirius said, walking in circles, running his fingers through his hair. "I think my father hurt him, so Regulus stabbed him in the shoulder. They wouldn't allow me to go with him so I don't know the details."

Mrs. Lupin let out a gasp. "My goodness, Sirius! Is your father hurt badly? And Regulus? Is he hurt?"

"I don't care about my father," spat Sirius. "If he hurt Reggie, then he deserves everything he got." He cursed a little under his breath. "I should have been home instead of at Marlene's. I knew father would come home today, but I figured I could easily slip out for a few hours. But I should have been there for Reggie!"

"You can't blame yourself, Sirius. Where did they take him?"

"The hospital. To check him and decide what to do. They said they were either going to throw him in jail or in a mental hospital."

"Do you want me to go? I can pick you up and we can drive there together."

"Yes please," Sirius agreed. He was too worked up to drive himself.

o0o0o

Mrs. Lupin hung up and went to get her coat when she heard a voice behind her.

"Mum? Where're you going?" Remus stood in the doorway, rubbing his eyes sleepily. He had been taking a nap on the couch.

"Remus..." she started, hating to deliver the bad news to her son. "They arrested Regulus. He stabbed his father. Sirius says it was self-defence. Regulus is at the hospital now. I'm getting Sirius so we can go and figure out what's going on."

Remus went pale and stared at his mother as if trying to figure out if she was joking. "He... stabbed him? But Regulus would never do something like that!"

Remus went for his jacket but his mother put a hand on his arm. "You need to rest, Remus. You have been looking peaky all day. I'll call you from the hospital."

"No. I want to go. Regulus needs me."

She hesitated for a minute but then agreed. The determined look on her son's face told her that she did not have a choice.

o0o0o

At the hospital Sirius raced to the information desk and demanded to be taken to his brother.

"Regulus Black? He just came in, you say?" The nurse at the desk looked something up on her computer. "He's in the emergency room. At least that's where he came in. Oh, it says no one is allowed to see him. He's under arrest."

"I'm allowed to see him! He is my brother!" Sirius slammed a fist on the desk. "Let me see him! I can't have him all alone in a bloody hospital. He hates hospitals!"

"It says here that you can't see him, so that's that. You can wait in the lobby and I'll make a note that you should be informed when there is any news."

"Sirius," said Mrs. Lupin. "There's no use discussing with her. Let's just sit down and wait."

o0o0o

When Mr. Black's wound had been treated, the police, along with a psychiatrist, came in to question him. "So tell us exactly how things happened," asked the officer, pulling out pen and paper.

"I scolded him and grabbed him by the arm when he wouldn't listen, and then he attacked me with a knife," Mr. Black said and got up from his seat to put on his coat.

"Please sit down, Mr. Black. We have made an arrest and this is a serious matter. We need to question you further before you can go. We need to determine whether or not to admit your boy." Mr. Black sighed and sat back down. "Tell us in more details. How did the confrontation start? What did you talk about?"

"It was about him leaving home for three days without letting us know where he was," said Mr. Black. "He had us very worried. I confronted him about it and he flew into a rage."

"Did you threaten him in any way? You say you grabbed his arm. Did you give him reason to fear for his own safety?"

"Of course not!" snorted Orion. "I would never hurt my son. I only grabbed a hold of him to prevent him from leaving before I was done talking."

The officer nodded and took a few notes. "Is there any previous history of trouble with him?"

Mr. Black let out a dry laugh. "If there is previous history of trouble with him? There has been nothing but trouble with him! Ever since he was little, we knew he wasn't right in the head. He gets violent when he doesn't know how to cope. He has pushed my wife on several occasions. Once he pushed her down the stairs."

"What about his mental state in general?" asked the psychiatrist, who had just sat listening until now.

"Overall bad. We have tried just about everything. At the moment he's seeing a therapist for his fear of touch and his violent behaviour."

"Where did that fear origin? Has he experienced any kind of abuse?"

"No," Mr. Black stated, looking shocked. "Not that I know of. We have always been very protective of our children."

The psychiatrist nodded. "Have there been incidents with violence outside of the home?"

"He starts fights at school on a regular basis. If we didn't donate generously to the school he would have been expelled long ago."

"Alright," said the psychiatrist. "I will commit him to the closed ward for now. They will evaluate him and decide what to do further."

"I presume you're pressing charges?" asked the officer.

Mr. Black looked at him. "Yes of course! I want him locked up so he can't hurt anyone else. He has crossed the line definitively this time."

"Alright. We will have to speak to your wife as well. And your other son."

Mr. Black looked a little nervous. "Why do you want to speak to my other son?"

"Because we need to talk to all witnesses to both this incident and your home life in general. And from what I heard at the scene, he had a rather different story than yours. We need to hear all sides."

Mr. Black gulped. "I... well alright, but my oldest son has always been overprotective of his brother. Always lying on his behalf."

"So they have a special bond?"

"I guess you can say that," Mr. Black mumbled irritably. "But you can't put too much emphasis on what he says. He will say anything to get his brother out of trouble."

o0o0o

"Are you going to release my brother? He's innocent!" was the first thing Sirius said when he was called in for questioning.

"I have just taken your father's statement. Now I need yours. If you would come with me, please."

Mrs. Lupin got up. "I would like to come as well."

"Who are you?" asked the officer.

"Hope Lupin. Regulus is my son's friend. I'm a psychiatrist."

"Are you Regulus' psychiatrist?"

"No."

"Well, then there is no need for you to be interviewed. Mr. Black - let's go."

"As I said," Sirius started when they were alone, "my brother is innocent. My father did something to him. That's the only explanation."

"How do you know that? You weren't there. As I recall it, we were already there when you arrived at the scene."

"I know my brother. Why don't you ask him?"

"Your brother is in no condition to talk right now. He has been moved to the psych ward, heavily drugged. The doctors will talk to him tomorrow."

"Can I at least see him? He asked for me back at the house."

"No. You may not see him until he has been interrogated and that won't happen until he is somewhat level-headed."

Sirius looked at him with irritation written all over his face. "Fine. I will be back in the morning, and then I'm taking my brother home!"

"Well, right now you will answer my questions," said the officer and motioned for Sirius to sit down. "Now, how would you describe your brother's relationship with your father?"

"Tense. Our parents – if you can call them that – are always on his back about every little thing. My brother is…" Sirius stopped for a second and bit his lip. "My brother is a little special. He is afraid of germs and such, and he's scared of people touching him. Our parents have always hated him for being weird. They never tried to hide it, either."

"Right," said the officer, taking notes. "How do you think your brother has become this way? Have your parents beat him?"

"They slap us around from time to time," said Sirius. "Mostly they just grab Regulus and shake him, and that freaks him out."

"Lots of parents shake their children," said the officer, nearly looking bored. "Is that the worst they have done to him?"

"No, they slap us around sometimes, as I just said!" said Sirius, looking angrily at the officer. "But for Regulus, the grabbing scares him the most, because he's so sensitive about touch. For most kids it might not seem such a big deal to be grabbed, but when they know he doesn't like it and do it anyway, then it's abuse!"

"My children don't like it when I send them to bed without desert, but I do it anyway when they need disciplining - and that doesn't make it abuse. So far I haven't heard any testimony that points to abuse to the extend that could even be considered a fair reason to attack your father with a knife. And stabbing someone just because they shake you is not considered self-defence."

"I didn't say he stabbed him for shaking him!" said Sirius and stood up. "My father must have become very violent, if he scared Regulus enough to do this! I'm sure he hurt him in some way or was about to."

"What you think happened doesn't prove a thing," said the officer and got up. "Thank you for your time. We will be in touch if we need to ask you any further questions."

"Check him, for fuck's sake!" yelled Sirius as the officer ushered him out of the room.

Sirius marched over to where Mrs. Lupin and Remus were sitting and gave the bench next to them a good kick. "They won't listen to shite I say!"

Mrs. Black arrived just then and went to the front desk to ask for her husband. Sirius spotted her and raced over, red in the face. "Get Reggie out of this place!" he demanded. "Father did something to him! I know he did! Tell them that you want to take Reggie home!"

Walburga sent him a cold look. "We always knew something like this would happen, it was just a matter of time. He was a loose cannon, Sirius. At least this means we can lock him away and we will all be safe."

Sirius stared at her. "You can't be serious! You're actually going to lock Reggie away? If I didn't know better I would say that you planned for this to happen!" He grabbed a hold on his mother's arm and looked straight at her. "Please, Mum. Don't do this to him!"

"If he had murdered someone you would still be making excuses for him. Now, remove that hand or you will be sorry."

The officer came out, greeting Mrs. Black and asked her to follow him for an interview.

"Sirius, we should go," said Mrs. Lupin. There's nothing more we can do today. Do you want to stay at our place? We could stop by your house to pick up some things."

"One thing is certain – I'm not staying under the same roof as those bastards!" said Sirius. "I need to get the animals out of their reach too."

o0o0o

They decided on Remus taking Kreacher home and Sirius staying at James' place with Padfoot. The Lupin house was small enough without a rambunctious dog chasing around after two cats.

"What about the cat? Do you think it will like Cleo?" asked Mrs. Lupin, eying the very miffed looking feline in the crate in her son's arms.

Cleo was there to greet them in an instant as they walked through the front door. Remus sat down the crate to let the two cats get a look at each other. Cleo barely had time to see Kreacher before the crate started rattling and sounding like it was stuffed with exploding firecrackers. Cleo jumped away in chock, fur standing on end.

"I guess you don't like other cats, huh?" Remus sighed and lifted up the crate again.

Mrs. Lupin sighed. "Why don't you keep him in your room? Cleo can have the rest of the house. We'll put Kreacher's litter box up there and make sure to keep the door closed. I don't want him to run away or get into a fight with Cleo."

"Okay," nodded Remus and brought Kreacher upstairs. He put the crate on the bed and opened it. "You don't have to be afraid. It's just me." Kreacher however would not come out and Remus sighed. "I know... I miss him too."

There was a soft knock on the door a little later. "Remus?

"Come in. Kreacher isn't near the door."

Mrs. Lupin came in quietly and sat down on the bed next to Remus. She ran a hand through his hair, looking at him worriedly, seeing how pale and unhappy he looked.

Remus looked down at his hands resting in his lap. "What if they charge him? I know he had a good reason to do it."

"I don't know, Remus. There are no witnesses and the stab wound on his father's shoulder is the only evidence."

"But what about Regulus' testimony? What about his version of what happened?"

"It's his word against his father's. The question is whom they're going to believe. And what the psychiatrists' evaluation of Regulus is."

Remus bit his lip. "I just... I just wish he hadn't gone home or that I had gone with him so I could have protected him."

"He couldn't stay away forever, nor could you move in with him. Don't blame yourself, honey, please."

Remus closed his eyes and leaned to the side, resting his head against her shoulder. "Please do all you can for him."

"I will. I promise," she said, wrapping an arm around him. "We will go see him tomorrow and I will demand to talk to the chief physician."

"Mm... good," Remus mumbled, not wanting her to hear that his voice was about to break. A few tears had already formed at the corner of his eyes and he pressed them shut to prevent them from spilling.

She hugged him tighter. "I'm so sorry, Remus. It's not fair. Things were finally going so well for you. You had won over your impossible crush and gotten him to open up... You were so happy."

Remus started sobbing, unable to hold back any longer and he pressed his face into her shoulder. "What if they won't let me see him? Or what if they lock him up and sedate him so much that he won't even know that I'm there?"

"Don't say that. No matter what happens you will be allowed to visit. It's a human right." She didn't comment on the sedation part, because she knew high strung patients like Regulus were often drugged to become easier to handle, especially if the staff took the easy way. It depended a lot on them and how understanding they were. "Think of him being in a mental institution as better than jail. Can you imagine that? Being surrounded by other prisoners in a dirty cell? At least it's clean at the hospital and he will be protected from the other patients."

"I-I guess," sobbed Remus and dried his eyes on his sleeve. "I just hope we can get him out of there soon." He looked at his mother with wet eyes. "He can live here if he wants... right?"

"Of course," she smiled. If he gets out. "He's never going back to that house."

They sat like this for a while until Remus had stopped crying. "I think I'll go to bed early," he said, eyes still closed. "I'm exhausted."

"That's a good idea. You need the rest. I'll make you some camomile tea and get you a pill to sleep on."

Remus took his tea in the kitchen and then went back up with his mother, carrying water- and food bowl for Kreacher and a litter box. Remus pulled Kreacher out from the crate to show him the food and litter box. Kreacher hissed angrily but didn't bite or scratch. He had come to almost like Remus.

Mrs. Lupin studied the animal. "I think that is the ugliest cat I've ever seen..."

"He isn't very pleasant either, but Regulus loves him," Remus smiled.

o0o0o

Regulus slowly came to. He was staring up into a pale yellow ceiling. Where was he? He tried to sit up to get a look around but he couldn't. His arms were stuck. He looked down himself and saw that both his arms and legs were strapped down. His heart began hammering in his chest. Then panic gripped him and, screaming bloody murder, he started thrashing wildly in his restraints.

There was a sound of keys rustling in the door and then two men dressed in white rushed into the room. One tried to hold Regulus still and said in a smooth voice, "Easy there, lad." He turned to his colleague who stood with a syringe.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" screamed Regulus, throwing himself to the side, desperately trying to get away from the man's hands. "GO AWAY! LET ME GO!"

The man pushed his weight down on him and to hold him in place. The other grabbed Regulus' arm and plunged the syringe into it, slowly emptying it.

"Just relax. You need to sleep a little longer."

Regulus screamed as if he were going to die. For a moment he thought he was. Then the world went dark again.

A/N: To see Zayhad's illustration to the chapter go to deviantart dot com and look up Zayhad. She has a folder in her gallery with the story's name on it.