Brothers 2

Hard Conversations

Sirius' POV
"Everleigh, you and Regulus hangout in here for a bit while I go out and talk to Andromeda. Okay?" I say to her. She nods her head.

I motion for Andromeda to follow me out of the room so we can talk in private. Regulus doesn't need to hear what i'm going to tell her since he's lived through it. It traumatised him and clearly is still affecting him. I'm not surprised though. Seeing your parents physically attack your brother would be pretty traumatising.

"Sirius, what was all of that about? Did I say something wrong in there?" Andromeda asks me. "I've never seen Regulus act that way. He's usually cocky, and has an attitude like he's too good for everyone else." 

"It's very complicated but I'll explain when we're out of ear shot from everyone else." I say to her as I grab her arm and walk to the common room. No one else was around, thankfully.

Andromeda sits down on the couch and I sit down next to her.

"When I got disowned, it all got very ugly and violent. I think I told you some of it but not all of it because- well I don't know why. I think I was just ashamed because I told James and he said that it's not normal for parents to act like that."

"It's not normal for parents to act the way yours do." Andromeda adds.

"Right, well I didn't know that because I grew up away from everyone and it's the only way I ever knew." I say to her. "But Regulus witnessed the entire thing. They had never hit him like that or- they never used the cruciatus curse on him like they did on me-"

"Sirius! What?" Andromeda interrupts me.

"I'm okay now, but Regulus saw the whole thing." I continue, "And now he thinks that if he gets disowned, that'll happen to him too."

"So that's what the whole freak out was about?"

"Yeah, if there's one thing Regulus is scared of, it's our parents." I add.

"I would never have known that." Andromeda says, "Before I thought he was just like Bella. Always pleasing them, always on the bad side because our parents want us to be."

"No, he's not like that. Although, I think he was trying to be how they wanted him to be after I left. Mostly for survival but then he met Everleigh."

Andromeda smiles. "She really helped him."

"They helped each other." I add. "Honestly, I believe they are meant for each other."

"I can't believe your parents used the cruciatus curse on you." Andromeda says and I sigh.

"That's pretty much the reason I left home." I admit to her. "Before they would just hit me and there would be punishments that most parents don't use in the wizarding world, like hexes and all of that but then she started using the cruciatus curse when I got older and continued to rebel."

"If you would've told me, I would've killed her for you." Andromeda says, and I know she means it.

"That's what James told me too." I say, laughing a little about how much they're alike. "He told me he'd kill her for me if I wanted him too."

"Should have taken him up on his offer." Andromeda tells me, "Or you can take me up on mine right now."

"I can't," I say. "You guys mean a lot to me and my mother isn't worth going to Azkaban over."

"Damn, you both are soft now." Andromeda jokingly says to me.

"Says the one who got disowned because she fell in love." I tease her.

"Oh shut up." Andromeda says. We both laugh for a moment, and then it got serious again.

"Can you keep what you found out today a secret?" I ask her.

"I-"

"He needs more time." I continue when I notice her hesitation. "I think we all do. Our friends are going to react the same way you did today and I don't think we're ready for that."

"Fine, I'll keep your secret." Andromeda finally agrees. "But I want it known when you guys do finally tell everyone, that I didn't know, like Everleigh."

"Okay, okay." I say.

"Good." Andromeda says.

-

Everleigh's POV
Regulus was pretty messed up after Andromeda brought up how he'd probably be disowned after his parents find out what he did. Sirius took her outside to talk to her so that gives me some time to make him calmer.. or at least bring his mood back up.

"Do you want to read some more?" I ask him after a moment of silence.

"I want you to promise that you'll never let me be anything like my parents. I don't want to lay a finger on our kids if I'm anything like that. I don't want to be angry and aggressive. I want to be a good father." Regulus says to me.

I take his hand and guide him to the bed to sit down. Then I sit down beside him but I don't let go of his hand.

"My love, I love you... and I do not think you would ever hurt our kids the way your parents did."

"I don't think I would either... but I can't be sure. I do have those genes in me so anything is possible."

"Okay... I promise the moment you do that... if you ever do, i'll hex your ass so fast and won't let you near them."

Regulus lets out a shaky breathe of relief and nods his head. "Okay, thank you." he says to me.

"But I really don't think you'll be anything like your parents." I say to him, making him smile softly in response.

"But there's no way to be sure." Regulus mumbles.

"Since when did you become a grump? I thought you were in a good mood because I'm here."

Regulus smirks, grabs me by my waist and pulls me closer to him. "Believe me, I am glad that you're here."