AN: Just a quick note to say thank you to all those who are enjoying this story. As always I don't own Harry Potter, that honor belongs to JK Rowling. Please review and let me know what you think. The Black family tree is AU for simplicity and my sanity! Please review! I would love to hear your thoughts and send me a little inspiration along the way.

Chapter 4 Remember Me?

You don't understand! There are things worth dying for!

Sirius Black

After they stopped for the night, they went to dinner at a restaurant in Potterville called Mims & Pipers. The restaurant was owned by a pair of elves named Mim and Piper, and their food was delicious. The three friends talked about old times and drank wine. Sharing a simple meal between friends. Sirius paid attention to all the details. Soaking it up like a sponge. He wanted his recall of the moment to be indelibly imprinted in his mind. How James laughed at a memory and his arm went so easily around his wife's shoulders. How they leaned into each other, touching foreheads. How he kissed her forehead and touched her flame-colored hair. They were still very much in love.

His eyes traveled the room and several witches and wizards were similarly dining this evening. But a young man at the bar caught and held his attention.

He sucked in his breath when the man turned and their eyes, flint, and steel met and recognition passed like a thrill. Dread, excitement, surprise, fear; a myriad of emotions rocked through Sirius and he leaned across the table and said. "I see someone I need to talk to. You don't need to wait for me. This might take a while." He said as he stood and walked towards the bar, eyes still fixated on features he knew as well as his own.

He stopped a few feet from him. "Regulus." He didn't try for a smile.

Regulus stared at him for a moment. "Sirius." Regulus nodded and he sat back a bit against the bar and took in his brother's battered good looks, haunted eyes, and gaunt and abused frame. "You've looked better." He noted almost snottily but Sirius recognized it as good-natured banter. A familiar tease.

Sirius puffed up pridefully, "You should see the other guy." He sniffed and then seemed to crumple in on himself. "I really messed things up Reg." He wanted to cry. "I should have saved you."

Reg laughed and waved his wand a bit, erecting a privacy ward. "Oh. That's a hoot. I was just thinking the same thing. If I didn't go and get myself killed by stealing that Horcrux then I would have been there to save you." Sirius looked around and took hold of Regulus's arm and leaned in. "You know about the Horcruxes?" Regulus nodded.

"Yeah. I died going after one." Regulus admitted. "I'll show you the memory if you want. It would be easier than telling the story. Kreacher knows about it. I gave the Horcrux to him with orders to destroy it. I didn't know that he wouldn't be able to. I pretty much condemned him to self-destruction, unable to fulfill his master's last wish." He sighed. Sirius listened to this and had his worldview altered.

"I'm sorry Reg. I didn't know how you died." He shook his head, "I want to change some things. You are one of them. You know?" he sighed. "I'd like to have a second chance to not be such a loser." He grinned a bit. "To be as brave as you Sirius," he admitted and Sirius was shocked.

"I thought you hated me," Sirius confessed.

"No. I envied you. I was mad at you for leaving for school while I had to stay home with our crazy mother. She opened the door to evil and I was infected." He sighed. "I was a coward. And I was trying to hurt you." He shook his head. "I'm sorry!"

Sirius opened his arms and the brothers hugged tightly. Letting the feel of each other's arms heal the years of ache. "There's nothing you need to apologize for Reg. My fault. It was really all my fault."

He shook his head, "Not entirely true. There's plenty of blame to go around." He sat back and said, "Now you are dead but not dead... And able to go back perhaps?"

Sirius nodded. "That seems to be the consensus." the younger Black nodded. "But you don't know when?" At Sirius's second nod he sat back and said, "Well you'll have to be very strategic." He glanced at Sirius. "I'd hate for you to make it worse." Sirius shook his head, "I won't let that happen Reg. I know what happened now, and I'll help you if I can."

Regulus studied his brother and his expression lightened, "Will you tell me? If you're from the future? Will you tell me?" Sirius didn't know.

Regulus nodded. "It would be a risk. But if you take me in early enough I'd believe you. I'd do anything for you Sirius if you don't abandon me."

Sirius felt his throat constrict with emotion and it was difficult to say, "I'm going to save you Regulus. And not just from death, and death eaters and Tom Bloody Riddle."

Regulus sighed, " After I go to Hogwarts if you really want to get my attention you might need to know that I love Severus Snape."

He blushed as Sirius looked disgusted. "You love Snivelus?"

Regulus looked at Sirius with disappointed eyes and Sirius tried to remember how close Snape and his brother had been. Both in the same house two years apart. His young brother admired Snape. "Did you join the death eaters because of him?"

Regulus shook his head, "No he joined the death eaters because of me."

Sirius felt ill. "Oh."

Sirius didn't want to think of Snape and was angry about how he treated Harry. But he was beginning to see what a horrible bully he had been to the boy... man. "I'm going to have to find a way to fix things with Snape. And you. If I'm given enough time."

Regulus nodded. "Not leaving me alone with mother when you go to Hogwarts would be a start."

Sirius nodded. "If I have the chance to fix that Reg I swear to you I will."

The younger brother shook his head, "I'm happy now Sirius." He grinned, "I have friends. Peace." He sighed, "And yes there are regrets, but I don't want you burdened with my choices Siri. You can't save us all. But you can save yourself." Sirius nodded. "Okay. I'll try and save myself too."

Regulus nodded, "Good. Good."

They both joined James and Lily then and spent the next few hours just getting to know each other and sharing stories. It was one of the best nights Sirius could remember. The four made plans to continue the work on the timeline together and Regulus promised to be at the house by noon.

That night when Sirius laid down on the bed he thought about last night's dream. His grandfather, a raven telling him to take up the mantle of Lord Black and Regulus telling him to wake up. He nodded, "I'm awake Regulus. Wide awake. And I'm never going back to sleep again." A few moments later he was snoring into his pillow.