"Alright lads." Remus sat down as he carried a dozed off Harry in his arms. It was his turn to hold his nephew Harry. "Court is in session."

Remus tried to smile and Regulus noted worry lines all over his face, he was still young. Barely reached 20. Scoffing to cover up how long he'd been starring, Regulus rolled his eyes as he sat down waiting for it all to be over with.

"Sirius?" Remus nodded his head, signalling it was time for him to speak. Sirius leaned forward; he looked better, more colour in his cheeks. He looked at Regulus with a mixture of emotions all over his face. His eyes were slightly red.

"You died?" Sirius' voice is barely a whisper. It carried across the otherwise silent room. It's like an arrow and it wounds itself into Regulus' shoulder right beside his heart. His brother was never one for beating around the bush.

"For a few minutes nothing wild." Regulus shrugged. He tried to seem calm and hide all his tells. He tried to pretend he couldn't still feel the cold wet hands of the inferi all over him, their hissing into his ears, the blood they drew as they clawed at his arms and his legs ripping up his sleeves pulling him down into the cold dark water that was their home.

"You died." Sirius' voice is louder. His eyes regard Regulus like he hadn't seen him before. He clasps his mouth as a few tears run down his face. He says something in his mouth but it's warbled and Regulus is sure the other didn't hear it but he did.

My baby brother.

"Next on the Agenda, Mr. lupin?" Regulus' voice dripped with annoyance. Remus seemed absent as he glanced at him. He nodded slightly before looking at James.

"You had a vat of memories about your relationship with Regulus and you two were together? For how long?"

"4 years." The room went silent again.

"4– 4 years? That's a long time. How didn't we know? You're not exactly known for your discretion."

James simply shrugged, "Spells, disillusion charms, secret corridors and parts of the forbidden forest. No contact in public. We were careful, not a soul found out, although we almost got caught by McGonnagal."

"You were shagging my brother and you didn't tell me?" Sirius waved his wand over his face as he spoke. His eyes became clearer and his face was less tense.

"You wouldn't have spoken to either of us ever again, you were fighting with your family one day, the next you had moved out, the next you were disowned and had only your last name and the money with it. I didn't know how you'd react to-"

"But was it my choice? Or did I not have that?" Sirius was right in his anger no matter how misplaced it may have been.

"You did, I just-"

"You were having a relationship with my brother and you didn't tell me, because you didn't know how I'd react? You thought I'd blow up? Out you and expose everything?"

"Sirius-"

"No, don't-"

"Oh grow up Sirius," Regulus spoke, he stood up and walked slowly over to Sirius. "You would have freaked! Then you would have given James here the silent treatment for the entire year and beyond, your friendship would have been in ruins, the Gryffindors would have lost their parents to a nasty divorce. The both of you would have been in arms fighting each other over over Remus in a custody battle. James was the best thing you ever had and to think I got my hands on him would have ruined you."

Regulus was puffing now. Sirius turned his head, his hand holding up his head as he looked into the fireplace. He could pretend to ignore Regulus all he liked but that wouldn't stop him from talking, he should be glad he wasn't shouting or throwing spells.

"You weren't obliged to that information, get over it. It was years ago, I understand it hurt but it doesn't give you the right to act like James had to tell you, If he had married me, you'd be none the wiser because I asked him not to tell you. "

Sirius snapped his head back. "What?"

"He proposed to me." Sirius stood up and turned his head to James, eyes wide and jaw low.

"You did what?"

"I loved your brother," Regulus' breath caught in his throat. Loved. Past tense? Before he could even finish his analysis. James continued. "In fact I still do somehow. I love Regulus." His heart was loud in his head. I love Regulus.

"Bloody hell." Remus swore as he took off his reading glasses and ran his hand through his hair.

"Don't act like you and Lupin over there weren't having your own loving moments."

"We never got engaged!?"

"You would have."

"And how are you so sure, you just-"

"Because I told him." Remus butt in and all eyes turned to him. "I told Regulus I wanted to marry you. To take you far away from here, from this war, this hurt your family burdened you with. All of it."

"So everyone's been talking to my brother behind my back huh?" Sirius' hair became undone and he looked mad. He tied it back with his wand as he took a breather.

"You could have talked to me too or do we speak different languages? You bloody well speak all the languages I speak so you have no excuse."

"I don't speak the Dark Lord's favourite." Another arrow lodged itself tightly into Regulus' wounding itself deep in his heart. So that's why his brother thought of him.

"Sirius-" Remus tried to cut him off but Sirius was on a rampage.

"Wearing his mark by 16, leading missions by 17, deceased at 19. The best soldier."

"You speak like you knew what I was going through?" Regulus' eyes were burning but he wasn't going to stand there and take it. He was shaking now."You stand there looking at me like I-"

"Oh really? What were you going through, that made it okay to kill your fellow friends? Did you do Marlene in? Or did you send other Death Eaters to finish the job?"

At the sound of Marlene's name, Regulus felt his head crack open as the memories of her broken body flooded his mind, rushing at him like horses.

His voice went low as he tried to pull himself together.

"Every living moment I was under the crucio curse, then the cruciatus curse, I was forced to use the Avada curse as my only weapon. ONE hesitation meant more cruciatus. You of all people should understand what that's like, SO DON'T DON't-" Regulus paused as Harry shuffled in his dozed stupor.

"Don't stand there and tell me I was the best soldier thinking I accepted it all like it was my destiny. I abandoned the man I loved because he could have been killed pre-war, I handed him over to Lily Evans because she was a safe option."

"But it wasn't your choice to make." James spoke, his eyes sad as he walked over to Remus and picked up Harry.

"James…"

"I would have stayed with you, fought for you. Sirius is right, we had choices." He walked out the room, a lively Harry chirping his ear off oblivious to the raging tempest he was so close to.