Sinfully Yours, R.A.B.

31 December, 1972

Regulus technically keep his promise to Emmeline. They actually wrote to each other every week, and his first letter came two days after he arrived home.

"This is for Regulus A. Black,

Hello friend! What was your middle name again?

If you haven't noticed this letter is coming to you from America! My father surprised me for a holiday trip which is really exciting! I've done so much; we went to a baseball game and I got to actually catch one of the balls- I think you would really like American sports if you gave them a try. Anyways, I'm not sure if I will be able to write on Christmas Day because we are supposed to be meeting with my father's family here in the states. So Happy Christmas Mr. Regulus!

P.s. I'm not going to press but I hope things are better with your bother.

Your best friend,

Emmeline Cleo Vance"

It was short and simple and sweet. It was Emmeline, and Regulus appreciated it. Equally, his letter to her was short and simple and sweet.

"To she whom they call my best friend,

Oh how the tables have turn, being that how did I not know your middle name was Cleo? I would like to make it known that I will be only addressing you by such. The A stands for Arcturus. Congratulations on catching a baseball, and you're right, I do like American sports. I read a book about baseball though it was specifically Jackie Robinson's autobiography, but it was still great. I think he died this past October unfortunately. Still cool though.

P.s. Sirius is perpetually not happy, make of that what you will. I miss sitting in the courtyard and heckling the Hufflepuffs with you.

Happy Christmas Lady Emmeline of the House of Vance,

Lord Regulus of the House of Black"

Their signatures to each other seemed to get progressively stranger as the letters went on, but Regulus genuinely enjoyed receiving them from his friend. Three days after Christmas Emmeline addressed a letter to him calling Regulus as 'the one who will one day be my children's Crazy Uncle Reggie'.

The 31st of the month was the first time Sirius and Regulus talked to each other.

Their entire family as well as friends and colleagues were packed into the Black Estate. All the chatter made Regulus' ears buzz. His vision seemed slightly hazy as he pushed through the waves of people. He was intending to head to the kitchen, because maybe his lightheadedness was coming from not eating all day, but he never made it. Instead he was yanked into the private dining hall.

In the room were his cousins, and Sirius. "Little Regulus!" Narcissa and Andromeda's voices harmonized and flowed to him and seemed to wrap him a warm blanket.

"Where have you been this entire time? These parties are not actually for mingling!" Andromeda laughed but there was a crisp bitterness to it.

"Actually-" Regulus was going to tell them that they indeed were. Parties like this are specifically to for people to puff like peacocks in order to impress each other and make them feel above everyone.

"Does it matter where he's been?" Sirius' voice roughly jabbed its way into the conversation. It wasn't positively reciprocated either as Regulus crossed his arms ready to bite something back.

Before he could even start, Bellatrix was standing from her chair swiftly and strong.

"Oh!" she groaned and she walked over to Sirius but each step ended with a small bounce and when she reached him she tapped his shoulders like a drum. "Can you two just stop being mad at each other? I don't even know why, but it's killing the mood!"

Her voice was high and sharp and Regulus thought of saying something like 'the mood was already dead' but ultimately chose against it. Instead he shrugged at his cousin. All three women groaned.

"Little boys!" Andromeda scoffed with a playful roll of her eyes and her sister backed her up with hollers.

"Hey! I just turned 13!" Sirius stood up with force and sheer will in his words, but his voice failed him and cracked with a squeak barely getting through the end of it.

The silence was maddening but it held for a miserable amount of seconds before a laugh tore through the room. All eyes flipped to Narcissa as giggles fell from her mouth like honey from a jar. They looked at her and she looked at Sirius, laughed a little harder so much so that she snorted, and that set the whole room off.

Giggles swallowed the room whole and their breathy and heartfelt laughs carried on for only as long as no one was watching. A chuckle must have slipped through the crack under the door because just when the good was good- the bad came in the form of a tall dark figure

When the door closed everything in the room stilled. Their laughter died and their bones stiffed. Narcissa was quick to slide her white mini skirt clad behind off the top of a drink cart while Sirius had stuffed in the chair he was previously draping his body over.

Regulus thought it was his mother there to scold them and force them all to leave the room. The person stepped from the shadows and Narcissa once again was the one to break the silence with a high pitched squeal.

"Lucius!" she jumped into his arms faster than they could wrap around her but her feet never touched the ground.

"Oh good Lucius is here now the party can get started," and Sirius was back to being bitter.

And it didn't go unnoticed. "Sirius!" Narcisa and Andromeda whined to him once again.

"Maybe you guys should just duel it out and whoever survives, wins," Lucius casually offered a fight to the death and everyone in the room shrugged like it was a completely viable option.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it first?" Dromeda offered once again in efforts to calm the rising tension in the room.

Sirius stood up swiftly and sharply. "No, let's just move on. Are we leaving now that the hag is here?" He flipped one hand in the direction of the lanky blonde who simply rolled his eyes in return.

"Where are we going?" Regulus, dumbfounded by the ever changing pace of the conversation, stood from him own chair and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his black slacks.

They all began to shuffle out the door, one after the other, and in the most casual way they could muster they all slid against the wall all the way to the other side of the room. They wrapped around each guest, swerving in and out of conversations muttering their apologizes as they raced for the door.

Regulus still didn't know where they were going, but he'd follow them anywhere.

But they never actually got anywhere. When the six of them reached the ballroom door and pushed themselves out into the foyer, they were met by Kreacher and Orion. A very angry Orion.

"Uncle, we were just-" But a sharp look to Andromeda and she stopped talking.

"Girls, I'm incredibly disappointed. Go back to the party, do take Mister Malfoy with you." God Regulus hated when his father was calm the most. The worst had yet to come.

Orion grabbed both his sons by the back of the neck and pulled them close to his body. He leaned down to speak lowly by their ears. "One day I will stop being so forgiving."

Regulus could feel Sirius trembling beside him. Regulus felt stiff. Empty and hollow but a body of stone. Their father stood up straight one again and broadened his chest. "Kreacher, Regulus is finished here, take him to his room."

And there was no fight to put up. Kreacher led the way up the stairs as if this wasn't Regulus' home. When Regulus peered down over the railing he caught the bewildered look in Sirius' eyes as their father began to drag him by his collar out of the house.

The door closed in Regulus' room and locked behind Kreacher. Regulus was alone again, not a sound in the world could be heard.

"Happy New Year," he whispered into the darkness as he blew out the last candle and fell backwards on his bed.