The Butterfly Effect

"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Joanne Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, (Ch. 16 Pg. 325)

The school year flashed by quickly, and Regulus's lessons in becoming an Animagus were going well, according to Sirius. Regulus was getting frustrated with them. He wanted to know why it took so long, what could he do to make it go faster, and Sirius was constantly on him about patience. Four months was hardly enough time to learn to change your entire cellular configuration into something of a completely different species.

By the time Christmas break rolled around, Regulus was furious with himself for taking such a long time at it.

"You'll have it by June, little brother, don't worry. You're focusing too hard on what you want to become. What is it, by the way?" Sirius flopped into the now comfortably worn red chair in the special Room. Regulus perched tightly on the edge of the green one, also comfortably worn.

"I'm hoping to become a cat, or a dog like you," he said. Inside Sirius swelled with pride, but he kept all traces of it off his face.

"That's all well and good, but you may not be very cat-like inside. Or even dog-like. D'you know that Prongs wanted to turn himself into a lion? And Wormtail was absolutely praying for something large and intimidating. Look what they ended up as."

"What about you?" Regulus was slowly relaxing into his chair, grabbing a book from the table that had been near the top of the pile in the beginning of the year. Spending all his free time in the room, Regulus had gone through about half of the books the room had supplied when they'd begun.

"I always knew I'd become a dog, and I was hoping I would, too." Sirius said easily. Regulus pouted.

"That doesn't help me at all!" He said, and Sirius laughed.

"I'm sorry little brother," he said. "But that's the best I can tell you. Don't try to force your animal, try to coax it out of wherever it's hiding inside you. I've gotta go, I promised Moony that I'd meet him downstairs before he left for the break."

"Aren't you going with them? I thought you lived at the Potter's now?" Regulus's voice had a strange tone to it, but Sirius couldn't understand why.

"Yeah, but James told me he's taking Evans out somewhere for the Hols, and doesn't want 'the best friend' hanging about while he does it."

Regulus still looked troubled, and as Sirius was leaving, suddenly called out, "Then come home with me this break. I'm sure Mother wouldn't be too unhappy to see you."
"Unhappy?" Sirius asked, the question coming so out of the blue that it stopped him cold. "Unhappy? She'd be FURIOUS. I'd be murdered in my bed! She hates me, I would have thought that two years without me there you'd have realized how much happier she is not having to look at her disgraceful, blood-traitor, Gryffindor son." Biting back a nasty word, Sirius tried to reign in his temper. It wasn't Regulus's fault that they'd been born into the wrong family. Leaving the room, Sirius very forcefully did not slam the door behind him. Any problems he had with the bitch that spawned him were his own, and Regulus didn't need tempers taken out on him. Looking up at the darkening sky, he realized that in a few days, it would be the full moon. A nasty idea came to him, one he didn't fully think through in his anger. Striding down to the room behind the Library, he was unsurprised to find Severus Snape there, alone.

"Hey, Snivellus," he called, and Snape's hand went directly for his wand before he'd even looked up. Sirius twirled his wand between his fingers, showing that he was ready for a fight if that's what the Slytherin wanted. "You know in a few days it a full moon, right?"

"Of course I do you idiot," Snape snapped, his dark eyes narrowed. "What the hell is it to you?"

"Press the knobbly part of the base of the Whomping Willow. You'll find what you want to know there."

That said, he left. The brief confrontation with Snape had leached out the most of his anger, and he met Remus happily.

"Pads! Prongs has been looking all over for you. He's got news." Remus embraced him tightly, and Sirius smiled, relaxing further. Two Slytherin's in one day, brother or not brother, was still a lot more than Sirius liked to deal with.

"News, eh? Well let's go find him." The words had barely left his mouth before a wild-haired maniac jumped at them both from behind a statue.

"I FOUND YoU~~" He called, dancing around. "Lily's agreed to come with me over the break instead of going back to her parents. I'm going to ..." James Potter suddenly silenced himself, and looked around nervously before continuing. "I'm going to ask her to marry me," he added, leaning in and lowering his voice. Remus looked shocked, and Sirius let out a whoop.

"GO PRONGS!!" he shouted, clapping him on the back. "Are you nervous? Do you have a ring?"

"Are you kidding? I'm scared shitless. And of course I've got a ring. It's goblin-made, been handed down in my family for centuries. As soon as I told my mum, she sent it off right away."

"Congratulations, Prongs," Remus added, finally gathering his scattered wits. "I'm sure she'll say yes."

James paled suddenly. "Oh god, mates, what if she says no?"

Remus and Sirius exchanged an amused look. "She won't," they said in unison.

"Who won't?" Lily added, coming up from behind James. He spun, giving her a love-struck grin. She smiled back, indulgently.

"Prongs is going to ask Professor McGonnagal about uh... Animagus transfigurations," Sirius lied smoothly. "He's worried that she won't transform for him to study for his N.E.W.T.S. exam."

James shot him a grateful look, while Remus frowned at him for lying. The four friends went on their seperate ways, each looking forward towards the future.

*

Severus Snape watched the Whomping Willow flail around, and noted that even at the young age it was, it was quite a formiddable opponent. Black had told him to press the knob at the base; well, he could see it, but how the hell was he supposed to press it without being flattened?

Spying a large rock nearby, he did the first thing he could think of. "Wingardium Leviosa!"

Levitating the rock towards the knob, he congratulated himself on a job well done as the tree abruptly stopped, swaying gently but allowing safe passage into the tunnel beyond the roots. He was halfway through the long tunnel when strange noises began issuing from the other end. Screams of pain, mixed in with animalistic howls. Voices began speaking, as well, though he couldn't make out what they were saying. Soon, all noise faded away, but nearly three minutes later, it started again. More howls, less screams this time. It got progressively louder the farther in he got, and Severus wondered if he was coming across the end any time soon. Abruptly, the tunnel jerked upwards, and he followed it curiously. The door swung open, and he was presented with a scene of unimaginable horror.

A boy - Remus Lupin on closer inspection - was twisted horrifically, his body stretched and fur sprouting all over. His hands turned into clawed paws even as Severus watched, and his ears twitched up into a wolf's. The snout grew long, and grey, and still, he could do nothing more than stare in horror.

Dumbledore had allowed a werewolf at school. The students were in danger, the staff, the whole -

The wolf turned to him, and he became aware of background characters. Oddly, a huge black dog, like the one he'd seen near the forbidden forest occasionally, and a stag. As the werewolf turned its whole attention onto him, the others followed. Suddenly, James Potter was in front of him, pushing him back and dragging him out through the tunnel. From behind him there were sounds of a fierce battle, snarls, barking, and yips of pain.

There was a horrible, final noise, the yelp that a dog makes when it has been struck by a car, and the cave echoed into silence. Severus, still in shock over his revelations, barely registered the pained look Potter shot towards the far end of the tunnel. He did notice the pallid colour to his face, however, and finally found his own footing.

"You're hiding a werewolf back there," he said. "It's Remus Lupin, he's a werewolf!" Hysterical now, Severus was ready to run back to the school and tell everyone.

"No one can know, Snape!" James hissed. "Please! I saved your life tonight. Do this as a favour, and tell no one!"

The headmaster met them in the entrance hall, looking sadly at the two of them. "I had hoped it would not come to this," he said. "Severus my boy, I am afraid that your memory will have to be ... modified. This matter is personal, and entirely secret."

"No, professor! Please don't. I'll never tell anyone, I swear." The gears were already working. Black knew that his best friend was a werewolf; he'd sent Severus down there on purpose, perhaps hoping that he'd be killed or worse, bitten. This was most likely a nasty revenge for the beating Severus had delivered with the help of his friends. Still, a few broken ribs and a broken nose compared with death or sub-human for life was petty, and insolent, and it would not be stood for. They all left for winter break the next day, and Severus would remain at the school, and plot his revenge.

*

When James arrived back at the Shrieking Shack, having cleared things with Dumbledore, he found a scene out of his worst imaginings. There was blood everywhere; on the walls, the floor, even on the ceiling. No sign of Remus or Sirius remained, and James instantly thought the worst.

To his surprise, Peter appeared from a small hole in the wall. "Moony's done took him!" he said, trembling. "He grabbed him and dragged him out into the forest!"

"Peter! Worms, what happened? Snap out of it and tell me!"

Peter shook himself, and looked up at James. "I saw Snivellus at the same time the rest of you did. He saw, James, he knows!"

"I know he knows. He's not telling anyone."

"And then you - you went human! I was so scared, James! You took him away, and Moony, he looked set to follow, and I knew you'd never outrun him like that, and you wouldn't leave S-Snivellus, even if you could change and get away. So Padfoot, he jumped onto Moony's back, and bit him on the neck, and Moony forgot to follow you because he was fighting P-Padfoot!!"

Peter broke down into fresh bouts of wailing, and James tried not to throttle him while he waited.

"So, I hid in the corner, and watched. I'm so scared for Padfoot, James! I know that animals aren't affected by the werewolf's bite, but what if he dies? There was so much blood... Most of it's Padfoot's. Then Moony picked him up by the scruff of his neck, and threw him into the wall, there," he pointed, and James could see the faint outline of a bloody impact where Sirius's body had connected with the wall. "He yelped, and didn't move again. Moony grabbed him by the scruff again, and dragged him out through the door, and they took off into the woods! Oh, James!! SIRIUS IS GONNA DIE!!" Peter broke down anew, sobbing into his hands. "I couldn't do nothing!" he sniffled. "Moony'll never forgive himself and I couldn't do nothing!"

"PETER!" James shouted, battling back his own horror. As his eyes adjusted to the dark room, he could make out pawprints in the blood, see the trail where Moony had dragged the body of his best friend into the night. "He's not gonna die! But we can't do anything now, but go back to the school, and wait for morning. We'll go out before dawn, after the moon's set, and find Remus. You'll take him back to the school, get into the Prefect's bath like we usually do, and get him cleaned up and dressed. I'll find... Padfoot."

Left unsaid was whether he'd be looking for an injured boy, or a body.

*

Neither of them slept at all. Peter sniffled quietly every so often, and James stoically watched the clock tick away the hours. Near four in the morning, the moon faded almost entirely from the sky.

"It's time, Wormtail," he said quietly, and stood. They made their way back into the Shrieking shack, and then moments after they arrived, Moony dragged himself back. Years of habit had ingrained into his wolf's brain that the shack was safe, the shack was home, and he returned there automatically. Sirius wasn't with him.

A few painful minutes later, Remus Lupin lay wearing the shredded remains of his clothes, and panting with exertion of the change. James nodded to Peter, who knelt down beside him and began talking him back to humanity. James made the change into Prongs, and bolted through the still open door.

His sense of smell wasn't as good as Padfoot's, or even as Wormtail's, but it served him well. The smell of blood was everywhere, however, and it took him a while to track it to it's source.

Padfoot lay in a puddle of his own blood, breathing shallowly. He was awake, and watched the stag carefully approach. James knelt down beside him, trembling. "Oh, merlin, Siri..." he breathed, and gathered the dog into his arms. Sirius went quietly, whimpering a few times when James touched something sore. He carried his friend back through the Shrieking Shack, and into Hogwarts proper where he was greeted by Madam Pomfrey.

"Peter's told me what happened," she said. "I've got Remus down in his room already. Let me take him from you." James refused to give up his hold on his friend, however.

"It'll hurt him," he said. "I'll take him down myself."

There were few students in the Hospital wing overnight, especially considering that the majority of the students would leave for the holidays that day. One in particular was there, however, complaining of a stomach-ache, and he'd fallen asleep in the bed. Pomfrey left him there, rather than wake him to send him to his dorm, and now the commotion from the Marauder's entrance woke him.

Regulus Black stared in horror as he recognized James Potter carrying a familiar black dog. There was blood dripping from him even now, forming a small pool at James's feet where he'd stopped. Madam Pomfrey brought out a special bed, and indicated James should lay the dog onto it. With a quick spell, she undid the Animagus transformation, and Sirius cried out in pain.

"Hurts.." he whimpered, trembling.

"Sirius, what happened!?" James asked. "I know it hurts, why did Moony attack you like that?"

"He wanted... Snape," Sirius said slowly. "I ... didn't let him. He was mad."

Pomfrey administered to his wounds, giving him potions to drink, and then urged James to go back to bed, and clean the blood off his clothes. It wouldn't do for one of his fellow students to see him wandering around the school covered from head to toe in blood. Reluctantly, James left to wash up and get some sleep. Peter had already been chased out, and Regulus was thought to be sleeping. As soon as the hospital wing had been emptied, Pomfrey wheeled Sirius's bed back into a back room.

*

Sirius wandered out into the main hall of the Hospital wing, and sneered at the beds. His head was bandaged, and his arm was in a sling, but the rest of him seemed to be whole. He still walked with a limp; his hip had been all but dislocated when Moony threw him into the wall, and it would take a few days to clear up entirely, even with potions.

"Siri..?" Regulus sat up cautiously; his stomach was still queasy, and he didn't want to startle his brother. Sirius looked up in surprise, expecting to have been alone.

"Regulus..."

"Sirius Black!" Came an angry voice from within the hall Sirius had just vacated. "I'm disappointed in you! You told Snape how to get in there! Were you trying to kill him? Or curse him for life? Do you think I want that on my conscience?"

An angry Remus Lupin stormed into the main room, and Sirius sat down on the nearest bed.

"Remus, I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"Didn't what, Sirius, didn't think? Didn't know? Didn't care enough about me not to say anything?"

"Remus I do care, I-"

"You obviously have absolutely no respect for other people's private business, if you go blabbing things like that out to even your worst enemies! If you were planning on using me to get revenge for him beating the hell out of you, well I'd encourage him to do it again, as he clearly knocked the sense out of you!"

"Remus, listen to m-"

"No, Si- Black. You listen to me. Don't you ever come near me again. I never want to see you ever!" Remus stormed out, and Regulus watched him go before turning his attention to his brother. Sirius looked devastated. His face was ashen, and his eyes were wide, his mouth moving silently, still murmuring apologies. Slowly, he laid down on the bed he'd sat on, and pulled the covers over his head. Regulus watched the figure in the covers begin shaking, and knew he was crying.

Sirius has been cast out from both his families, Regulus thought, angry at Remus and his parents both. He's all alone now. I'm all he's got. I'll be there for him.

He dashed off a quick note to his mother, explaining that one of his friends had been injured playing Quidditch, and wasn't going home, so he was staying the holidays with him. He put it into his pocket, to be owled off later, and crept closer to Sirius.

The shaking had stopped, and his breathing evened out. Regulus guessed he was sleeping, and put a few more things together. Severus had been the one to beat Sirius up, and in retalliation, Sirius told him something personal about Remus. Remus hadn't taken very well to his secret being passed around like butter, and broken up with Sirius. Broken his heart, his mind supplied. Never, not even when his mother would beat him, had Regulus seen Sirius cry.

But what could have been so horrible? It's not like Remus is a ...

Were you trying to kill him? Or curse him for life? Do you think I want that on my conscience?

Werewolf.

*

Regulus posted his note to his mother, told his head of house that he was staying for the holidays last minute, and collected a silver necklace from his room. It was just a little locket, and within it was contained a picture of Sirius as a younger boy, and a lock of his hair. Regulus copied the locket, and put the picture and hair into the copy. Into the original, the one he intended to give to Sirius, he placed a picture of himself, and a picture of Remus he'd found in Sirius's things before his brother had moved out. He sealed it shut, and returned to the hospital wing. Sirius was still sleeping, though he'd kicked the covers off himself. There were tear stains on his face and pillow, and Regulus's heart constricted for his brother. He placed the locket around his neck, and clasped it, hoping that it would keep the heart-breaking werewolf away from his brother for good.

"You're better off without him," he murmured, and left the hospital wing in search of food.
*

When Sirius woke up, he realized firstly that he was alone, and secondly, there was something strange around his neck. It appeared to be a locket, though he could neither open it, nor get it off. Shrugging to himself, he stood, and made his way back to his dorm room.

It's a good thing I was already planning on staying here, he thought. I don't think I could have made it down to the train station like this. He heard the distant whistle, and realized that his friends were probably already down in Hogsmeade, boarding the train.

None of them said goodbye.

Feeling as though he were the lowest, loneliest person on earth, Sirius resigned himself to spending the last few months of his school year in misery. He couldn't even bring himself to get out of bed long enough to eat, and instead, he simply lay there, staring up at the curtains.

*

The winter holidays passed in a blur for Sirius, who spent them in his bed, trying to make it hurt less that Remus had told him he never wanted to see him again.

Before Remus, Sirius had been a heartbreaker, some even said a player, though he'd never cheated on a girl. After Remus, he couldn't ever see himself falling in love again - Remus was it. And without Remus...

A future without Remus would be a bleak one indeed. Misery overwhelmed him, and he pulled the covers over his head again.

Noise gradually filtered in. He realized that the students had returned from their homes, and soon Remus, James, Peter, and Frank Longbottom would be in the dorm, seeing him, and talking about their holidays. He wanted nothing to do with the happiness that they'd bring with them, and he snuck into the boys washroom.

He looked awful. Nearly two full weeks without proper food or excersise had left him a pale, thin thing with long, stringy hair. In fact, he reminded himself of Snape so much that he chucked his clothes off and washed everything. His hair had grown phenomenally fast, reacting to his feelings, and now hung half-way down his back. He had no real desire to cut it, however, and left it as it was. Now that he was up out of bed and moving around, his stomach woke up and growled hungrily. Dressing in something clean, he tried to sneak out through the common room.

James called out to him, but he pretended as though he didn't hear. The next thing he was aware of was a hand grabbing at the collar of his shirt, or his shoulder, and hooking the necklace, yanking it back and choking him briefly.

The person who'd reached for him yanked his hand back with a hiss, and Sirius realized that it was Remus, glowering death at him and cradling his hand.

"Silver, Black?" he asked acidically. "You're wearing a silver necklace? Wanted to be free of me all along then, have you? Have it your way."

Sirius couldn't even bring himself to explain that he'd woken up with it on, and couldn't take it off, and before he could even force one or two words out, Remus had turned away, treating him as if he'd never existed.

Only Peter, the only one really paying attention to the two of them, noticed the twin looks of longing and fierce pain that reflected from both sets of eyes. The rest of the common room was caught up in chatting about their trips home, and no one noticed as Sirius Black hunched his shoulders, and slunk out, an expression of agony twisting his features.

"Oh, Sirius.."

James looked around, and saw Peter staring at the door. "Hey, Peter! Have you heard the good news? Lily and I will be married when we get out of school!" Lily rushed over, and proudly displayed the ring on her left hand.

"Lily, it's beautiful!" Peter said, gaping at it. "You're a lucky woman!" He grinned, pushing thoughts of Sirius to the back of his mind.

"I know," Lily said happily. "Now where's Padfoot? I want to show him, too."

*

Padfoot was currently sitting in his chair in the special room, reading through some of the animagus books. He was more determined than ever to teach Regulus to make the transformation, and was surprised half out of his wits when Regulus himself entered into the room.

"Sirius..." He whispered, leaning against the door. His face was chalky white, and Sirius realized that he must look a sight.

"Reggie... Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." Sirius could hear the insincerity in his own voice.

"Siri, where have you been? I've been looking for you for the past week. No one's seen you come out of your common room in days." Regulus's tone was on par with the parent who's just found their child eating ice cream in the police department, rather than lying cold on a slab at the morgue.

"Sorry, Reg," Sirius said, his voice hollow. "I haven't been out of the Common room in days."

"Is it because that... that werewolf broke up with you?" The condescending note to his voice made even Sirius wince, despite the rough terms he was on.

"Don't talk about him like that, Regulus," Sirius said, warningly. He neither denied nor accepted the allegations that Remus was a werewolf.

"And why not? I saw what he said to you in the Hospital wing before break, Sirius." Regulus's voice was frosty, his face an expressionless mask. "I won't allow anyone to talk to a scion of the noble house of Black like that!"

"This necklace is yours, then?" Sirius asked blandly. Regulus realized that he'd walked into a bit of a trap, and would have to do some fast talking and faster thinking to salvage all hope of a decent relationship with his brother.

"It was," Regulus said, and released the charm to open it. Sirius was so surprised by what he found in it that he forgot to be angry for a moment. It had cost him all hope of his relationship, but at least he'd have something to remember Remus by within it.

"Thank you," Sirius said quietly, and his demeanor shifted so abruptly that Regulus had to make sure that it was still his brother. "Now, you're here to learn to become an Animagus. How far have you got so far?"

*

It was nearing the end of May when Regulus finally managed the transformation. It happened quite by accident one night; he'd been laying in his bed, meditating - focusing, Sirius called it, as he'd refused to believe that anything from the books would actually work - and suddenly he found himself taking up much less space in the bed. Everything seemed larger, as well, and he was momentarily disappointed by the fact that he'd shrunk so far, and then realized that he was just about cat-sized.

Turning his head to look at himself, all he saw was a long, black bit of ribbon coiled around his bed behind him. With a sigh, he turned the other way. The ribbon moved with him, and abruptly he realized it was him, as he flicked his tail.

I've turned into a dirty great snake! he thought, firstly, and his second though followed closely on it's heels. How the hell do I change back?

Sirius, no longer feeling welcome among his friends, had taken to sleeping in the special room. Regulus slithered out of his bed, getting the hang of using his new, legless body. Flicking his tongue out, he realized that he could 'smell' his dorm-mates. He identified each of them specifically, and then moved out into the hallway, where he crept into the other rooms and memorized every one of his House-mates taste-scents. Satisfied that he could move smoothly, and recognize any Slytherin by taste-scent alone, he made his way out of the Slytherin common room, and began the long trek up to the special room. His body was incredibly muscular, and he found climbing particularly easy, despite having no legs. His body simply gripped whatever he wished to slide up, and up he went.

The castle passed underneath him faster than he would have thought possible, and as he reached the floor with the tapestry - also, incidentally, the Gryffindor Common room, tucked behind the portrait of a fat lady - he flicked his tongue out, and instantly coiled up, on the defensive. There was something in the hallway that shouldn't be.

He tasted the air again, and registered a few more things. One, it tasted of magic, like the rest of his house-mates, so it must have been a student, but there was a strange undercurrent to the magic that wasn't there in any of the others he'd already investigated. Two, there was a strange, watery feel to the air around it.

"...Sirius..."

The name was more of an exhalation than an actual spoken word, and Regulus slid closer, looking up. He tasted again, and suddenly realized that he was looking up at Sirius's ex-boyfriend, Remus Lupin. Anger welled up in him automatically, and his desire to haul off and punch the Gryffindor werewolf was enough to send him sprawling back into his human form.

"What are you doing out here, you git? You broke my brother's heart, now you're here to what, finish the job?" The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them, his anger at seeing Remus so close to Sirius again after everything the werewolf had put him through...

"I'm not here to do anything to your brother," Remus said, wiping at his face hastily. "I just wish he'd come back to Gryffindor."

Regulus sneered, pulling everything he could remember from his father's intimidating posture to the elder Slytherin's icy aloofness. "You're the one who chased him out," he said frostily, and Remus drew himself up, hand going for his wand without drawing it.

"Listen, you little bottom-feeder, I know my mistakes well enough to not need them thrown in my face by a Slytherin brat."

"Lupin, don't you ever talk to my brother like that again," Sirius said angrily from the doorway. Neither of the other two had seen him come out. Regulus's good news had been forgotten in the face of finding Remus where he wasn't wanted, and he turned and stalked away rather than get into a row with the two of them.

"Sirius, I wanted to-"

Sirius cut him off sharply, pushing his hair out of his face. It was now hung past his elbows in ebony falls; if he'd been softer of face or rounder of body he might've been mistaken for a girl. "You wanted to what, Lupin? Finally apologize for being a nasty prat? For listening so well when I tried to explain what happened? For shoving me out on my arse and making sure that not even a Hufflepuff would talk to me? For isolating me?"

"I'm SORRY!" Remus burst out, interrupting him. "I made a huge mistake."

"Oh, you realize that now, do you? Had a good long time to figure it out, have you?" Sirius tugged on the necklace. "I still can't get it off, so you're better off going back to your nice warm bed in Gryffindor Tower. You know, where the Gryffindor's belong?"

Remus fell back in the face of Sirius's onslaught, guilt weighing heavily on his heart. "Yes, Sirius, I made a mistake. I blamed you for telling Snape about me-"

"Well, hello, Lupin, it was me who told him." Sirius interrupted again, unwilling to let Remus off easily.

"No... I mean... I blamed you. I should have known that you'd never do something like that ordinarily, and I nearly killed you because of it, and now you're down here and you don't eat and your grades are failing, and it's all my fault."

"Thank you, Mother," Sirius said icily, and moved to shut the door to the special room.

"NO! Sirius! Please listen! I still... I can't... I..."

"Eloquent, Lupin," Sirius sneered, and Remus was reminded of his Slytherin brother suddenly. "Are you always this chatty or is this a recent development?"

"Goddammit, Sirius Black, I love you and I hate myself for making the biggest mistake of my whole fucking life!" The words burst from Remus's mouth like birds flying from a cage. Sirius fell silent again, watching Remus huddle against the tapestry across the hall. "I'm so sorry that I didn't listen," he went on, quieter. "I'm sorry about everything. I can't do this, Sirius, I need you back. We all need you back, but me most of all. My grades are slipping, and I don't eat and I can't sleep, and I'm so miserable all the time because I see you everywhere, and you hate me."

"Remus, you fool, I love you too." Sirius said, and crossed the hall to embrace him.

"Oh Sirius.. I'm so sorry." Remus kept repeating it, like he'd forgotten how to say anything else. Sirius invited him back into the room, which had accomodated itself for an extended stay on Sirius's part. "You've been staying in here since Christmas?"

"Where else would I stay? I'm not welcome in Gryffindor, and I couldn't go to any of the other houses."

"Sirius, I'm so sorry..." Remus repeated. Sirius silenced him with a kiss, and gathered his belongings. "Please come back to Gryffindor Tower with me."

"I wouldn't go anywhere else," Sirius taunted, emotions running close to the surface. He went with Remus back up to his old dorm room, fighting back tears and trying to laugh. Things wouldn't be the same, wouldn't be normal anymore, but then, when had they ever been normal?

*

Regulus found out that Sirius had been reinstated as a Gryffindor the next day when they met for his lessons. He still hadn't let on that he'd managed the transformation, merely went along with Sirius's excersizes and let him talk.

"You got back in? Oh, Siri." Regulus got out of his green chair faster than Sirius could follow the motion, and hugged him. "I'm so glad for you!"

"but..." Sirius frowned. "Didn't you..." He was recalling the shouting match his brother and Remus had been engaged in when he'd interrupted them the night before.

"Just because I'm younger, it doesn't mean I can't defend you when I have to," Regulus said, picking up on his train of thought easily. He found that his eyesight was better, as was his sense of smell. He'd read that Animagus traits carried over into the human form, but he hadn't expected it to happen overnight.

"I can't believe we spent the first five years of our time at Hogwarts together screaming at one another," Sirius said, ruffling Regulus's hair and poking at the Slytherin crest on his robes. "This isn't a thing that should tear us apart."

"Well, we've got some time to make up for it," Regulus said. "I'm not joining You-Know-Who until after I've graduated."

"Do you really have to join him? You know I'm going to work against him, right?" Sirius held on tighter as Regulus tried to pull away.

"Siri, I've promised. I know you hate our mother, but I don't, and I wanted to make her and father proud. And I know you're going to work against him. I'm glad. He's evil, and if I'd seen it sooner, I'd never have made such a foolish choice. I'll do what I can from within his ranks, I promise."

Sirius sighed into his hair, staring at the wall. "Please don't die, Regulus." He whispered.

*

Later that night, Regulus made another trip up from the Slytherin dorms, and lay in wait as a snake for someone to open the portrait. Once he had the password, he counted out seconds until he was sure most of the Gryffindor's were sleeping. He changed briefly to a human, woke the portrait and gave the password before she could realize that the person seeking entrance was no Gryffindor.

It swung open, and Regulus shifted back into snake form before hurrying through. He made his way through the common room quickly, fighting back the urge to explore. He found Sirius's dorm easily, and proceeded to scent out the beds. He recognized the not-quite-human taste-scent of Remus, and his brother, but there was a noticeable difference between two of the rooms other occupants and the third. Sliding himself up Sirius's bed-posts, he looked at the other students.

James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and someone Regulus didn't recognize. The difference in their taste-scents became glaringly obvious all of a sudden, and he was surprised by the fact that he could taste the difference in the quality of their blood. The un-named boy, Remus and Pettigrew tasted phenomenally different from James and Sirius, who were both pure-bloods.

Bored with his blood-testing, Regulus turned his attention back to his sleeping brother. Dropping himself with some effort onto the mattress, he slid up the bed, feeling Sirius's body under the covers. Instinctively, he coiled towards the source of the heat, wonderful after the drafty chill of the castle. Sliding onto Sirius's chest, hoping to find more of the heat his brother pumped off like a furnace, he shifted wrong and ended up sliding off the other side. The motion was enough to wake Sirius, who took one look at him and shrieked like a bloody girl.

He (naturally) woke up the other four students in his dorm, who went for their wands first, and looked around as though a band of Death Eaters had apparated into the room.
"Sirius! What's wrong?" Remus was the first one to gather his wits, and ask why Sirius had seen fit to scare them all out of ten years of life.

"Gedditoffame! Get it off!" Sirius was carrying on like a squeamish girl, and Remus couldn't understand why. Frank and James were advancing cautiously towards his bed, wondering if Sirius were dreaming, and if so, which jinxes would be the most effective form of punishment.

Remus saw a flash of shadow as something moved under Sirius's comforter. There was a muted flash of light - one he found all too familiar - and then a large lump appeared above Sirius, and placed a hand over his mouth.

"What the hell are you screaming about you ninny?" Regulus asked, mirth dancing in his eyes. It took Sirius a few moments for it to sink in, but Remus could see it when it happened; his eyes widened, and then crinkled at the corners as he smiled, though it was hidden by Regulus's hand.

"Whats a Slytherin doing in here at ... two in the morning?" Frank asked, sleepily brandishing his wand.

Sirius whooped, somehow managing to get out of bed, out from under Regulus, and hoist his brother into the air in one movement. Swinging him around, he laughed. "This is my brother, Frank, and he's the best wizard I've ever seen!"

Regulus laughed, and then started scowling as he remembered he was in a room full of Gryffindors. "Put me down you great oaf!" Sirius hugged him again before setting him down. Frank grinned.

"Alright, boys, get into the common room so the rest of us normal people can sleep. You remember sleep, don't you Sirius? It's most most normal people do at night when they lay down."

Sirius flipped him off, and guided Regulus down the stairs into the common room. "How the hell did you do it? When did you do it? And how did you get in here?"

Remus and James followed shortly after Sirius began speaking, Peter opting to remain upstairs and get some sleep.

"You taught him to become an animagus?" James asked, oggling Regulus.

"Well, I had to do something with my time, didn't I?" Sirius asked, with a pointed glance at Remus, who had the good grace to look thoroughly embarrassed.

"I know I was a horses ass, Pads, you don't have to keep repeating it to me."

Sirius's excitement was infectious, and soon the four of them were animatedly discussing the transformation.

*

Lily and James Potter's wedding was held three days after Regulus's seventeenth birthday, on June 30th. Peter, Regulus, Remus, and Sirius, along with Frank Longbottom and his long-time girlfriend Alice, were among the few guests. Sirius stood up for James as his best man, and Regulus grinned throughout the ceremony, watching Lily and James flirt incessantly.

"They're making up for lost time," Remus whispered, leaning over to him. "They started out fighting like cats and dogs, and look at them now."

In truth, Regulus had never seen two people more in love, unless he counted his brother and Remus. It made him vaguely jealous, wondering if he'd ever find something similar for himself.

It was barely a year later, when he joined the Death Eaters officially. The Dark Mark burned into his arm like a brand, and he hated it instantly. It marked him as more than just a sympathizer of Voldemort, it marked him for death if he ever got caught by the wrong people.

Soon, it became apparent that 'the wrong people' were the very same that his parents had encouraged him to join. Severus, Avery, and several more of his friends from Slytherin had joined at the same time. Bellatrix and Rodolphus, engaged to be married, were proud of their Dark Marks, and showed them off like a new piece of jewellery.

Sirius and Remus grew closer than ever, finally overcoming the last of their problems from school, and last Regulus had heard from them, they'd gotten a flat together in Surrey. The Dark Lord had been hinting at the fact that he was immortal, that he'd discovered the way to cheat death once and for all. Regulus researched it blindly, and stumbled across mentions of Horcruxes in the Family Library.

When Voldemort asked Regulus for an elf, he saw his chance to act against the so-called Dark Lord, and make a strike at him. For a long time, he told no one of his plans, not wanting them to be ruined before they could begin. When Kreacher returned, disoriented and babbling about the locket, Regulus knew he'd been right, and dashed off a letter to Sirius before setting out for the cave.

Padfoot, I've got a lead on how to get rid of Him. I'm following Kreacher, he said He took him to a cave. I don't know exactly where it is, but I'm sure I'll be able to Apparate out of there if it's too much for me to handle. Wish me luck! Nagi

*

The note fluttered into Sirius's hands after he carefully untied it from the leg of the owl. Upon reading it, he fell weakly against the counter. "Dear god," he murmured. Remus came in, looking curiously at the note.

"Who's that from, Sirius?"

"two years, it's been two years, it can't possibly be...Remus. Remember that note? The weird one I got in seventh year?"

"You haven't gotten another one, have you?" He leaned over and took the note out of Sirius's unresponding hands, and read it. "Oh, no..." Sirius was gone, apparating out before Remus could say anything else.

He appeared inside his old house at Number Twelve, Grimmauld place, and looked around for Regulus. "Kreacher!" he called, and the old elf popped in.

"Yes? Oh. It's the blood-traitor," he commented snidely to no one.

"Kreacher, I know you hate me, but please, please for Regulus's sake, you've got to take me to him. Did he go to a cave?"

Kreacher's eyes became wide, and he nodded. "Kreacher, he's about to die! Take me to him!" Without another word, the elf grabbed onto him and apparated them both into the cave. Regulus was drinking from a barrel, and Sirius moaned weakly in terror. The lake, the barrel, the Inferius, it was all here, just like that note said.

That note. He hadn't thought about it in years, though in reality it had been the catalyst prompting him to make peace with his brother. Watching, he saw Regulus remove an ugly locket and replace it with another. Immediately, the lake began frothing and churning. "Regulus!"

His brother turned at the sound of his name, and smiled blankly. "Sirius..." He took one wavering step forward, when a mass of the Inferi burst from the water, lunging for him. Sirius threw himself forward, shouting, "Kreacher, Apparate us, NOW!" and the elf held on to both brothers and they disapparated with a crack seconds before the first of the Inferi took a grabbing swipe at the place that they'd vacated.

*

Regulus was sick for days after, and he kept insisting that the locket be destroyed, but no matter how hard Sirius tried, nothing he did made even so much as a dent in the worn metal.

"What's so special about this, anyway?" Sirius asked, morose to be in his ancestral home once again. His mother hadn't discovered him only because she kept to the first floor, her advanced age making stairs difficult for her. He chucked the necklace away, where Kreacher gathered it up and promised to continue trying.

"Sirius," Regulus said, nearly a week after his trip to the cave. He'd only just begun recovering from the effects of the poison. "You know that I can't go back to the Death Eaters after that stunt. They'll know, and they'll kill me."

"I know. You can stay with Remus and I if you like," Sirius offered. Regulus smiled.

"Somehow I don't think that Remus would appreciate it. Besides... I've been wanting to ask.. How did you know?"

Sirius had been dreading this, and sighed, trying to think of a decent way to explain it. He searched for the best words for a silent moment, then sighed.

"You remember that day in the Great Hall, when I came over and yelled at you?"

"Vividly," came the easy response. "Why?"

"Before I went over and dragged you into the hallway, I'd just received a note. It ... was disturbing. It was from someone who claimed to be from the future. They told me what would happen in the cave. They said, 'save your brother'. Reggie, I think you were meant to die in that cave."

Regulus's face turned an ashen white.

*

Downstairs, Walburga Black sat by the owl-post explaining that her husband was missing, and presumed dead. Pressing a hand against her mouth, she allowed the tears to slide down her face. "Oh my dear Orion... My dear, beloved Orion..."

Voices floated down the stairs from Regulus's room, and she looked up from her grieving. "Kreacher!" She called, knowing that there were only three House-elves that were available for Regulus to be talking to. He'd fallen ill unexpectedly the other day, and had spent his time recovering in bed. Kreacher apparated in, bowing.

"Yes my mistress?" he asked, his voice a tired croak.

"Kreacher, who's upstairs with Regulus?" There was a sly tone to her voice, and she couldn't quite keep it out. Kreacher looked towards the stairs, and his ears drooped.

"With master Regulus, miss?" he asked. "Kreacher will check." He disapparated again, and then appeared again almost instantly. "There is no one -"

"Don't lie to me!" she shouted, kicking at him. Kreacher shivered, cowering.

"Kreacher is sorry, mistress! They told Kreacher tell no one! Visiting Regulus, it is Master Sirius, miss!"

Walburga's entire world narrowed to those simple words. They hung in her mind as though someone had written them across a banner and thrown it at her feet. Sirius was in her house.

"FILTHY BLOOD TRAITOR!" She shouted, climbing awkwardly to her feet. "SHAME OF MY FLESH!"

Rage propelled her up the stairs, and she burst into Regulus's room, ignoring the flash of magic that tried to keep her out. Two identical sets of surprised grey eyes stared up at her. One of them was her pride and joy, her reason for living.

The other...

"Get out of my house!" she screamed. "You filthy, muggle-loving traitor!" The hexes began flying from her wand before she even registered his appearance. Orion's disappearance combined with the sudden re-appearance of Sirius, she realized midway through that she was throwing dark magic at her own son. Shame of her family, yes. Blood traitor, yes. But her son. Her first-born. Regulus was staring at her, terrified, from the bed, and Sirius had ducked behind his beaureau, and tried to make himself as small as possible. Her rage dispelled momentarily, and for a brief few seconds, she almost apologized, almost welcomed him back. Then she realized that he hadn't come back once in years, hadn't even bothered to tell her that he'd returned this time, and the red curtain of anger fell over her eyes once again.

"Get out! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" The magic began flying again, ripping the beaureau apart in her efforts to get at him. Sirius scrambled on his hands and knees to get away, while Regulus shouted at her from the bed.

"Mother! Stop! Leave off! Stop it! MUM! Sirius!"

A bright flash of light startled her, and the words that left her mouth next, she'd never forgive herself for. "Avada kedavra!" The green light glanced off the wall on the heels of her disappearing son, and she was left in the destruction of Regulus's room panting, while Regulus continued to shout behind her.

"How could you!? Sirius! SIRIUS! Answer me! Are you still here!? HEY!"

Just as calmly as she could, Walburga turned, still ignoring her youngest child, and began repairing the damage she'd caused. "Reparo," she said, flicking her wand. The beaureau zapped itself back into one piece, and the clothes that had been scattered re-folded themselves before returning to the now whole beaureau. "Reparo." After the fury faded, she was left with a numb grief. Regulus was almost killed, Orion was gone, and she'd nearly just finished off Sirius herself.

"MUM!" Regulus's voice cut into her thoughts, and she turned to him.

"I'm sorry about your room, Regulus," she said formally. He was staring accusingly at her, eyes wide and wet.

"Mother, how could you?!" He asked, and she ignored him in favour of returning the room to rights. Exhausted by the days events, she left without another word, and returned to her bedroom.

"Oh, Orion, what have I done?"

*

Sirius, as Padfoot, limped into the kitchen. He'd made the transformation seconds before she'd attempted to kill him, and while the curse had missed, the backlash from the dark magic that had been flying had injured him anyway. Whimpering to himself, he listened to her come back down the stairs and retreat into her bedroom, and then he struggled back up the stairs himself. Regulus was still in his room, still too weak to get out of bed, and had his face buried in the pillows.

Sirius barked quietly, and Regulus jerked upright. "Pads! You're alright!" Sirius leapt onto the bed, and curled up next to his brother, who scratched him behind the ears. "I was so worried. I can't believe she tried-" He hiccoughed, and relaxed without finishing the sentence. "I'm so glad you're alright," he repeated, and closed his eyes.

*

The day Lily Potter gave birth to her child was a day of great celebration. Sirius and Regulus, now recovered fully from the 'Incident at Grimmauld Place' surprised her and James at their house with a bottle of champagne, and more baby clothes than they'd ever need.

"You guys don't have to do this," James kept repeating, staring in awe at his wife and child.

"Prongs. How often is it that my best mate has his first-born son?" Sirius whooped, and nearly spilled his drink.

"I can't believe, that, of the four of you, James Potter was the first one to settle down and have a family," Regulus said, shaking his head. Sirius grabbed him and ruffled his hair.

"What about you, Nags? Aren't you interested in finding a nice pure-blood witch?"

The expression on Regulus's face gave him away before he could even say anything, and Remus butted in gently. "Something tells me that Regulus isn't interested in any witch, pure-blood or not."

"Got it in one, Remus," Regulus said, and Sirius waved his hand in front of Regulus's eyes.

"Hey, keep your scaly paws off my boyfriend."

"Excuse me, dogbreath, I don't have paws."

The good-natured teasing continued on into the night, the five friends simply enjoying the company of one another.

***
This chapter, when compared to the other ones, is HUGE!! I think it comes to near twenty pages (this is a big deal for me.) I made myself promise that I wasn't going to stop writing until Harry was born, and I didn't. :3 Expect the next chapter sometime within the next few weeks.