Sirius Expelled

Sirius Expelled Part 7

"Ready?" Bellatrix taunted the two brothers.
Sirius nodded, swallowing hard. Regulus nodded as well, quickly, but he was shaking in nerves. His shaky grasp on Sirius's hand was slippery with sweat and Sirius could hear him trying to control his breathing. The terror in his little brothers eyes made him furious with Walburga. How dare she torture his brother like this?
"It's okay." he whispered in his brother's ear. "Just breathe. I'll take care of you, I promise."
Regulus nodded again but Sirius could tell he wasn't convinced. He gave a reassuring squeeze to his brother's hand and took his own breath to calm his nerves.
"Wands out!" Walburga commanded from in front of the two brothers.
Sirius pulled his wand out, defensively, while Regulus took it out, trembling. He held it limply, about to let it fall out of his shaking hands. Sirius grit his teeth in fear but stood tall. He couldn't let the fear paralyze him, he had to be strong, for Regulus.
"Reg, I've got you. Trust me." he reassured, trying to have his stomach match his calm and brave voice.
He felt a wand poke him in the back.
"Keep moving, boys." Orion snapped, pulling his wand back.
Sirius glared, angrily at him, but pulled himself and Regulus forward. He forced his legs to walk, though they felt heavy and full of lead. He opened his mouth to speak several times, but he couldn't find the words. They entered silently through a gate and Sirius could hear the sounds of laughing children. He felt a lump in his throat and he realized he was blinking back a couple of tears. Nausea filled his stomach again as he grit his already sore teeth. Walburga smirked as her family reached the front door. With a flick of her wand, the door flew open with a loud, splintering sound. The laughs of joy turned into screams of terror as the happy family saw Sirius's family.
"Expelliarmus!"
Walburga sent a disarming spell at the father, the only one holding a wand. His wife was clutching two young children, ages 5-8.
"Stupefy!"
Orion joined, stunning the wife to the ground as her children began to scream and cry.
Bellatrix smiled and looked at her aunt for confirmation. Walburga nodded and Bellatrix raised her wand at the father.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Sirius's heart dropped to the ground as the man's body went limp. He heard Regulus's breath begin to increase in speed and the grip on his left hand tightened.
"Avada Kedavra!"
The green light filled the room once more as Walburga sent a spell on the woman, frozen to the ground. The light in her eyes died out and the children began to shriek, sobbing as their parents were gone.
"Sirius."
Walburga's command was sharp. He jumped at his name and forced himself to tear his eyes away from the corpses on the ground. Walburga pointed her wand at the boy who was clutching his little sister. Flicking her wand, she silenced them, though silent tears ran down their cheeks as they looked, beggingly, at Walburga.
"Your turn."
"What?" Sirius couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"The boy. Kill him."
"Mum, he's a child."
"Sirius Black, must you question everything I tell you?" Walburga growled, turning to her heir.
"He. Is. A. Child." Sirius snapped, standing his ground.
Walburga sighed, exasperated.
"Sirius, either you kill the boy or..." she looked around, her eyes settling on Regulus who was still clutching Sirius's wandless hand. "For every minute you take, I'll cut him."
Sirius couldn't breathe. He couldn't let Regulus suffer. But how could he choose his brother over this little girl's brother?
"Thirty seconds." Walburga warned Sirius.
The little girl looked at him, big black eyes begging him not to do it.
"Twenty seconds."
Regulus's pained breaths as he trembled from beside Sirius.
"Ten seconds."
Remus's words of him being just as bad as his family rang in his ears.
"Five. Four. Three."
Sirius couldn't take it.
"Two. One."
"Avada Kedavra." he whispered, pointing his wand at the boy.
As the words left his lips and the green light filled the air, he felt his heart shatter. He couldn't catch his breath and the room began to spin around him. He was a killer. A murdrer. He had taken the most precious thing in the world. Life. No. A new thought crossed his mind. Hope. He'd taken the hope of being good from Regulus. Sirius buried his face in his hands, his wand falling to the floor.
"I'm sorry." he whispered. "I'm so, so sorry."
Remus was right. He was just as bad as the rest of his family.
"Thank you, Sirius." Walburga said. "And, Regulus? Kill the girl."
Sirius heard Regulus's gasp of surprise as the last thought from his head vanished.
"No." he cried, his head snapping up.
Walburga rolled her eyes.
"Regulus Arcturus Black. The same rules apply. One minute before I cut Sirius. Kill the girl."
Sirius froze as he looked at the pure fear on Regulus's face.
"Mum, I-I can't. Please, don't make me." he whispered.
Walburga only watched him as tears dripped over his eyelids.
"Mum." Regulus pleaded. "Please."
"Thirty seconds." was all Walburga said.
"Dad." he switched, turning to Orion. "Dad, stop this, please.
Orion shook his head.
"Listen to your mother."
"Twenty seconds."
Regulus turned to Sirius, desperately.
"Sirius, I can't do it. I can't."
"Ten seconds."
"Reggie, you have to." Sirius whispered back. "I'm sorry, but you have to."
Regulus stood, his wand shaking in his hand.
"Five. Four. Three."
"Reggie."
"Two. One. Zero."
He didn't move as the tears poured down his face.
"Sixty seconds."
The timer restarted and Sirius felt dread race through his bloodstream.
"I'm sorry, Sirius. But I can't do it." Regulus whispered, turning to his brother.
Sirius couldn't say anything. He couldn't. Regulus didn't deserve the burden of killing someone. But the terrible, fearful selfishness of not wanting to suffer for his brother took over.
"Thirty seconds."
"Regulus. Please." he said, trying to suppress his anger. "You can't do this to me."
"I can't do it Sirius. I can't. I'm scared."
"Ten. Nine. Eight."
Fear filled Sirius again as Regulus's face screwed up again in a wince as Walburga finished her countdown. His brother looked so tiny and innocent, in a way Sirius wanted to protect. How could Sirius ever tell him to kill someone? But he also knew he couldn't stop his mother. This was a battle that couldn't be won.
"Honestly Regulus, just do it so we can leave." Bellatrix complained. "Aunt Walburga, make him do it or I will!"
"No. Regulus needs to learn." Walburga said. "Sixty seconds, starting again."
"Reg, you need to do this."
"Sirius, I'm not strong enough. Not like you."
The brothers stared at each other while Walburga's timer ran down.
Sirius was more conflicted than he thought was possible. He couldn't let Regulus kill a child. He couldn't take the torture from his mother. He couldn't do anything.
"Thirty seconds."
The time ran down as Regulus looked at Sirius with a tortured look on his face.
"Three. Two. One. Zero."
Sirius fought a groan of anger back in his throat. He took Regulus's arm and pulled him to the side, Walburga and Orion making no move to stop them.
"Regulus." he whispered, gruffly. "You have no choice. You have to do this."
"Killing a child? I have to do it? Sirius, I can't!"
"Thirty seconds."
"I can't. I won't. I'm sorry, Sirius, but what can I do?"
Sirius swallowed hard, the tears coming back.
"Reg, please. I did it for you. I need you to do it for me."
"Ten seconds."
"I'm not like you, Sirius." Regulus said, sorrowfully. "I'm not strong. I'm not selfless. I'm not brave."
"Three. Two. One. Zero."
Sirius winced as another cut was added to the list. He felt terrified of getting home and the panic began to set in.
"Reggie, I need you to do this. For me."
"How?"
Sirius hesitated.
"Thirty seconds."
"You-you just have to. I can't explain it. Just, you have to."
Regulus nodded, wiping the tears off his face. He bit his lip and tightened his grip on his wand. His trembling hands raised the wand as he slowly turned around. Halfway through his turn he hesitated, looking back at his brother.
"Sirius, I'm scared. I'm scared."
"I know you are." he answered, hollowly.
"Ten seconds."
"It's okay, Reggie."
Regulus raised his wand at the sobbing girl.
"Av-av." his voice broke and he froze.
"Two. One. Zero."
Regulus's face was ghostly pale and he was struggling for air.
"Reg." Sirius whispered, but nobody could hear.
Regulus tried to raise his wand again, trembling like a leaf in the wind.
"A-a-avada Kedavra."
The green light filled the air as Bellatrix's wild laugh rang in Sirius's ears. Regulus dropped his wand like it was burning him and covered his mouth with both hands, making a choked noise of pain. The tears poured over his face and his hands and he fought for breath. His knees gave out beneath him and he sobbed. Sirius felt like doing the same but he couldn't. He had to be strong so Regulus could be weak.
"Six minutes." Walburga said with both a mix of disproved and approval as she stowed her wand away. "But you did it. My sons."
Sirius felt distant from his body, like he didn't exist, and he could tell Regulus was the same way. Sirius felt his mind spin as he met Regulus's tortured eyes. He shook his head as Regulus made a tiny pained noise in his throat.
I'm sorry, he wanted to say. But he couldn't. Walburga took Sirius's arm as Orion grabbed Regulus's. With three loud cracks, Walburga, Orion, and Bellatrix Apperated away. The second he landed, Sirius looked for Regulus. His brother was on the ground, his shoulders curled up as he hunched over his knees. Orion had the sense to grab his wand with them, and he dropped it next to Regulus.
"Bella, you may go." Walburga said, turning away from her niece.
She looked at her sons, up and down, and lifted her chin.
"My office. Both of you. Now."
Although Sirius was worried for Regulus, the fear for himself overtook him. His stomach began to churn as he followed his mother, unwillingly, up to her office. His hands were trembling in a way he couldn't control as the panic began to overwhelm him.
"You're okay. You're going to be okay. You're going to get through this. It'll be over soon." he tried to reassure himself, though it wasn't much comfort. Regulus's soft sobs from behind him made him wince. He couldn't push away the anger at Regulus, no matter how hard he tried. He'd refused to let his mother lay a finger on his brother, but when the roles were reversed, Regulus couldn't be strong. Walburga reached the office and opened the door.
"Sit." she commanded Regulus, who sat in the chair, still pale and shaken. "You took six minutes to kill the girl. Sirius will suffer for you."
Sirius shut his eyes in fear, trying to staunch his terror sinking in his stomach.
"Unless..." Walburga's voice changed, evilly. She knew how to make her sons suffer the most, to turn them against each other."Regulus, you could take your brother's place. Would you be willing to do that for your big, strong, older brother?"
Regulus's eyes dilated and he looked at Sirius. Both boys were conflicted, neither one willing to volunteer themself for torture, but both were full of giult and neither was ready to sacrifice the other.
"Reg." Sirius whispered looking at his brother.
Regulus looked away, closing his eyes and biting his lip.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "But I can't."
"Well then, we see how you stand." Walburga said after a moment of silence. "Sirius, your shirt."
"What?" Sirius looked up, confused.
"Yes, I think it's time we moved on, isn't it?" Walburga asked, sweetly.
With quivering hands, Sirius slowly unbuttoned his shirt, letting it fall to the ground. The winter air was cold, making him shiver in anticipation and cold. Slowly, he turned around facing away from his family. Closing his eyes, he clamped his jaw shut tightly.
"Lacero!"
And everything started. Sirius's back exploded in pain. Walburga had been right, this was worse, much worse then anything she'd given him to his calves. The cut sliced deep into his back and he shuddered as it set in, letting out a cry of pain. Fire was racing along his nerves and he felt his knees giving out underneath him. Sirius fell to the ground, his hands clawing at each other to stop himself from running. He had to stay down and take it, this he knew, but it didn't make it any easier to take.
"Lacero!"
The pain exploded again, lower this time and Sirius buried his face in his hands as he cried out again, louder. The pain was sharp and cruel, pulsing with a violent stabbing feeling. He sucked air sharply through his teeth, unable to catch his breath. He could feel sticky blood running down his back, hot and thick.
"Lacero!"
Again, the world erupted into white-hot fire as Sirius's thoughts were consumed in pain. He let out a scream, pulling on his hair as he tried to cope with the unbearable pain running through his back. Tears were flowing down his face, dripping like the blood on his back. A new thought crossed his mind. Was this unbearable pain in his back like the one Remus suffered through, with the ear-splitting sounds of his back breaking? If it was, Sirius knew he had to be strong, as strong as Remus was, suffering through it each and every month.
"Lacero!"
Any thought of Remus was banished from his mind as the pain flooded his back. The world was spinning, it was over. All Sirius knew was the pain. He was going to die, here, in his mother's office, alone. Without forgiveness from Remus or the feeling of love. He couldn't think, couldn't move, the world seemed to stand still as his back spasmed in pain. Everything felt out of control, running like time was speeding up but slowing down by the second, around and around as the time ticked. Deep in the pain, he felt another feeling rise in his chest. Anger at Regulus for letting him suffer like this.
"Lacero! Lacero!"
The final two curses came, both a blessing and a curse, finishing his punishment in a horrible, agonizing pain that was finally over. Sirius heard a guttural scream that may have been him, but he couldn't tell. He collapsed to his stomach, shaking and unable to move. Vaguely, he heard two footsteps moving as Walburga and Orion left the room. Sirius lay, trembling at the trauma he couldn't bear. It hurt him so bad, pulling away any comprehension, feelings, because all Sirius knew was the pain. Somewhere in the white, misty feeling of pain, he saw his traitorous brother, Regulus. His mouth was moving but Sirius couldn't hear anything over a washed out noise in his ears, turning to a bright siren noise. Regulus slowly reached down and his hand grazed Sirius's back. He let out a cry and shuddered. He pulled himself away from his brother, some of the pain shifting to an anger at his brother. Sirius forced himself to stand and very slowly dragged himself to an upright position. Carefully, one step at a time, he made his way down the stairs at a slow, agonizing pace. Regulus stood several steps behind him, not saying a word. Sirius went back to his room and Regulus followed him, not exactly what he'd wanted. Tenderly, Sirius found his bandages in one of his desk drawers. He began carefully wrapping his torso, enchanting the roll to pull around him tightly as Regulus watched in silence. Finally, he spoke to his brother.
"You're a real Slytherin, aren't you Regulus? Leaving me to her." Sirius's words were icy cold, in pure contrast to the fiery hot pain in his back.
Regulus's eyes widened at the cruelty of Sirius's words set in. All throughout his four years at Hogwarts he'd been haunted by both the Sorting Hat and Sirius telling him that he truly was a Gryffindor. And now he was being told he was a Slytherin. The words of betrayal hurt Regulus's, no more than he thought he deserved. Still, it wasn't any easier to take.
"Sirius, I'm sorry. I really am." Regulus said, tears spilling down his face.
Sirius laughed, slightly incredulously. The feeling of wanting to protect his brother had faded as the pain had set in.
"Get out of my room."
"Sirius-"
"Get. Out."
Regulus stood and turned, the guilt evident on his face.
"Happy Christmas Sirius." he said, hollowly.
"Happy Christmas Regulus." he said back, without a drop of forgiveness in his cruel voice.
His brother left the room and Sirius turned again, from anger to sadness. He couldn't stop replaying the memories in his mind. The flashes of green followed by corpses on the ground of the Muggleborn family. The little boy and girl's scared eyes, followed by the glassy, dead ones haunted his memories. His tortured screams mixed with the screams of the family, whom he didn't even know the name of. They were young, innocent, and Sirius had killed one of them. The screams ran around his brain, chased by Remus's words of him being just as bad as his family. The mental torture and games were nearly as bad as the physical ones. At least his pain would mend and heal. The memories wouldn't leave though, haunting Sirius for everything he had, everything he knew. Sirius buried his head in his hands, wincing as the movement stretched the skin on his back.
"Sirius Orion Black." he whispered to himself. "You are a traitor. A murderer. You don't deserve Remus. You never deserved him. Why did you ever think you were good enough for him? You never have been. You never will be."
The words rang true in his mind as he spoke them.
"Happy Christmas, Sirius." he said, louder. "This is no more than you deserve."
End of Part 7