Éthérée

CHAPTER 37

Sirius' morning hadn't gone off to a great start. A pitch-black envelope encased a small letter written on crisp white parchment. The handwriting was hauntingly neat, the paper held the smell of some expensive cologne. The long cursive handwriting of Walburga Black was something he loathed. What he hated more, was that his was quite similar if not the same. He hadn't been able to escape that mad pure-blood world no matter how much he wanted to. Whether it was his mannerisms, or his writing, his vocabulary, or his ability to speak fluent French. Something always reminded him of the place he was supposed to call home. He carried the scars, and the sight of his younger brother in the hallways was a constant hitch, tying him back to Grimmauld Place and the people in it. 

On the other side of the table, Regulus Black received an identical letter, his hands shaking a little when he opened it. His mother never wrote unless absolutely necessary. The cold letter didn't feel in place inside the warm Hall filled with laughter. His eyes scanned his surroundings before he started reading. 

Regulus, 

The Sacred 28 Ball is to be held in the coming summer Holidays at the Rosier Manor. Make sure that your brother comes straight back to Grimmauld Place after exiting the train and doesn't go fraternizing with the Potters, or any of the Gryffindor scum. We cannot have our reputation diminished further with his insistence on acquainting himself with people inferior to us. 

- Mother.

The starkness of her words made him flinch internally. Her voice boomed in his brain in an utterly menacing way and he never wanted to hear it again. He gulped hard, his Adam's apple protruding slightly with the action, and his grey eyes glanced to his older brother sitting at the scarlet table. Sirius held a pale reaction, his lips slightly parted. On the other side of him, James held a similar reaction. The Black brothers' eyes met for an instant before Sirius tore his gaze away to look at the Potter on his side. He pulled him into a side hug with a sympathetic smile. Soon, the rest of the three also knew about the situation, the letter being passed around the group.  They wrapped him in a huge hug, knowing the physical and emotional trauma he went through in his 'home'.

Regulus was jealous of how deep their friendships ran. He didn't have anyone who hugged him when he was forced to go back. He was jealous that James was more of a brother to Sirius than he was. He was angry that his elder brother didn't even give him a chance, didn't ask him how he was doing. Before Hogwarts, they had been close. But it's as if he had vanished when he got sorted into the emerald house. All those years of hiding in closets to escape their parents' fury, Sirius braiding his hair to calm him down, whispers of reassurance had vanished when the serpent symbol got imprinted on his robes. 

With hot tears stinging in his eyes, Regulus got up and left, the letter crumpled in his fist tightly, the emerald robes billowing behind him. 

No one cared for where he went. 

*

"Do you really have to go?" James asked for what seemed like the fiftieth time that evening as Sirius gloomily packed his trunk, throwing his shirts in. 

"Yes," he replied, throwing himself on his bed, and Remus made his way over to Sirius' trunk. He pulled it towards himself, and sat on the ground with folded legs, re-folding all of his clothes neatly. 

Peter walked in with his hands full of candy and sandwiches and a pitying smile on his face. He knew very little about what torture Sirius went through in that house, the Black never shared much with the three boys, but it was enough to scare him. 

"Food?" he asked with raised eyebrows. Sirius nodded, and Peter made his way over to the Black's bed. The dark-haired boy rested his head on Pettigrew's shoulder, biting off a square of chocolate. The door handle turned, and it flew open with a bit of a bang. A very flushed Audrey Potter stood at the entrance, her blonde hair messy and her face red, probably from running as her breathless figure gave away. Sirius' eyes darted towards her, a smile forming on his face as he caught sight of her. He always smiled when he saw her.