I can't hear you....

See how you handle this!

"That's how it goes when you start defending those blood traitors."  Mulciber snarled as he levitated Regulus around the ground.

"Adrian! Let me down!" Regulus commanded while they moved further away from the castle.

"Oh, no I won't." He smile wickedly.

James, Sirius, Remus and Peter were all standing there watching it all happen. But they were in a stinging hex and couldn't do anything.

Avery and Barty were standing there, watching them struggle.

The marauders' eyes all widened as they realized where Mulciber was heading.

"See how you handle this." He said and dropped regulus on the ground.

He hit the ground with a thump and a groan in pain.

But he didn't see his surroundings enough to notice, that he was laying right next to the womping willow.

He heard a strong swift and windy movement a few feet away from him.

He looked up and saw the branches swinging his way. He rolled away right as the branch hit the ground and just missed the hit.

Regulus tried to get up and run. But before he could get far enough away, he was swept of his feet with a branch hitting the side of his head.

The other slitherins ran away and the stinging hex faltered.

Sirius grabbed his wand immediately and got regulus away from the trees' reach.

Regulus'  head was bleeding excessively and Sirius was so scared for his brothers. And too caught up in getting him to the hospital wing to even think. He levitated himand ran faster that he ever had before, up to the hospital wing.

As soon as Madam pomfrey saw the third year passed out and covered in blood, she started throwing healing spells and making Sirius put him on a bed.

She told sirius to leave and get some sleep but sirius refused. Wanting to help save his brother, but she forced him out and locked the doors.

Sirius slid down the wall right outside the hospital wing and started crying into his knees.

He flinched as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

«what happened?» james asked.

«she told me to get some sleep. But i cant leave, not when i don't even know if-...» he stopped talking and started sobbing.

James sat down next to him and started rubbing soothing circles on his back.

«You should get some sleep though, so you can come here early tomorrow and check up on him.» James said with the smallest smile.

Without saying a word, sirius got up and started walking towards the tower.

——— ——— ——— ———

Sirius woke up at noon. He cast a tempus and immediately felt extremely guilty over the fact that he managed to sleep while his brother was in the hospital wing, possibly extremely hurt.

He got right out of bed, and basically ran to the hospital wing.

When he got there, he tried to go in, but the door was closed so he knocked instead.

Just a second later, poppy came and opened the door.

«where's regulus, i need to see him.» he said worriedly.

«he's alright, ill ask if he want you to see him.»

She closed the door and a few seconds later, she came back and nodded.

Sirius ran to the one bed that had the curtains closed around it.

«reg! Are you here?» he pulled the curtains apart and entered.

Regulus flinched when he came in.

When he saw that regulus was silently crying, he sat down on the stool next to the bed touched his arm.

«how are you?» sirius asked worriedly.

Regulus looked at him and a tear dropped down his cheek.

«what's wrong?» sirius was getting really scared.

«Sirius....» regulus began.

«reg, you're scaring me.»

«Sirius. I.. i cant hear you.» a silent sob escaped his throat.

«what do you mean?» sirius asked, confused and scared at the same time.

«i can see you lips moving Sirius, i know you're tying to talk to me, but i can't hear you.» regulus cried.

«what?...oh..no, no regulus....» sirius realized and started crying again and hugged regulus who hugged back.

Madam pomfrey entered and looked at the two in with sadness in her eyes.

«the branch hit his head and crushed his intire ear system, it cant be fixed, even with magic. But he was lucky that he kept most of his eyesight.» she informed.

«what do you mean, 'most of his eyesight.'?» sirius turned his head abruptly towards her.

«his eyesight was damaged in the hit, we will have to see how that heals after a while. But for now, there's nothing we can do.»

Sirius looked back at his brother, who was trying his best to read the medi-witches lips. Madam pomfrey noticed and mouthed 'i told you this already.' And he nodded somberly.

«i will Get him a book on British sign language, and if you want to communicate with him, i will suggest you learn that to.»

Regulus had given up with trying to understand what they were saying and had layed back down in the hospital bed.

«do you have a piece of paper?» sirius asked poppy.

She seemed to understand and went to her officers get some parchment and a quill.

Whe she came back, sirius touched regulus arm and he sat up in question. Sirius gestured to the piece of parchments in his hand and turned to the nightstand so he could write something.

He handed regulus the note and regulus looked like he was lightly struggling to read but after a few sounds he looked like he was going to cry again.

«really?» he asked hopeful.

Sirius nodded. What sirius had written on the note was.

'im going to learn sign language for you brother.'

Regulus hugged him, but his face shifted into something intirely different and his eyes darkened.

Sirius noticed and looked at him in question.

«only mulciber got expelled, the other two got away with a banning from hogsmade and detentions for the rest of the year.» regulus said bitterly.

«what?!» sirius almost yelled in anger, even tho he knew that regulus could not hear his outburst.

But regulus wasnt daft, he knew how protective his brother was over him. And he knew what Sirius would try to do now.

«but please, Sirius. Do not go after revenge. The last thing i need now Is for you to get expelled as well.» regulus cried and hugged sirius again.

Sirius lifted his head when he heard ruffling in the curtains surrounding the bed.

«hey, reg, how are you?» it was james, remus and peter who wer standing there.

but reg was still hugging sirius. Sirius pulled away and gestured toward the newest guests.

«oh..sorry.. i didnt hear you coming in..» regulus apologized.

sirius looked at him as if to say 'that's not your fault.'

«what's wrong?» James asked.

sirius cleared his throat and looked at regulus who looked back.

«just tell them.» he whispered. Sirius nodded.

«regulus... lost his hearing in the hit.»