Paint It... Potter?

Brothers.

He had made it to the end of January with minimal issues. Snape had tried once. With one word to his brother, Snape was waking up with boils on his face for a week. Regulus didn't care if running to his brother made him a coward. After all, he wasn't a Gryffindor.

And to his defence Sirius was, and being a Gryffindor had no sense of self preservation. He had been more than willing to get back at Snape, and regulus wasn't really up for a detention. Realistically he knew nothing really mattered much, all of the expectations placed upon by his family were now gone. Because they were no longer his family. Regulus just couldn't bring himself to stop. So his posture remained ridged, his marks remained at the top. And his face was set in stone. He continued life as normal. Well, except for Sirius.

The relationship had grown stronger between brother, and along with conversation in passing Sirius had also taken to walking him to and from classes. Regulus had practically begged him not to, but he still found Sirius waiting for him outside of the charms classroom before lunch.

"Don't you have friends?" Regulus asked him one day rolling his eyes as Sirius followed him to the great hall.

"Of course I do Reggie," Sirius said scoffing lightly at him. "You know, most find me quite enjoyable." Regulus laughed.it was a quiet sound almost like a bell.

"Oh, how well I know. So, is it true? Have you really shagged half the school?" Sirius looked scandalized. Regulus noticed the similarities between the two, they both had black curls and Grey eyes through if you looked closely there was a dark ring around Regulus's. They both had sharp high cheekbones. And angular noses. They were a near mirror image, and maybe that's why what happened next.

"Reggie!" Sirius said hand over his heart. "I'm surprised at you, a gentleman never kisses and tells." Regulus simply raised an eyebrow at him and Sirius cracked up, a louder ringing laugh belonging to his lips. Regulus however was unmoved. And he fixed Sirius with a questioning look.

"Nah," Sirius said, and that was it. Regulus knew raht the infamous womanizer person of Sirius Black wad fake. But part of him still though that he had to have had some secret rendezvous  for all of the gossip. Regulus hear clicking on the floor behind him, three click and then it was on him. There was someone hanging on his back. Arms around his neck and legs wrapped around his torso.

"Get the fuck off of me" Regulus huffed, his body going rigid. Somebody with unmistakable warmth was wrapped around him. Someone who was James Potter.a

"Sorry," he said leaning down to look at Regulus over his head " thought you were Sirius."

"Oh I am serious." Regulus said. "Get the fuck off of me" James slid flawlessly to the floor, his heels hit with a click. Sirius let out another laugh.

"What?" Regulus said. "You like my joke?" He asked and Sirius leaned over hands to his knees.

"No," Sirius said, still wheezing. "No, i bloody hat that joke. Awful. " He leaned against the wall. "Merlin Reg the look on your face." Sirius paused to do an impression. Eyes wide and mouth dropped almost comically.

"Yes, ha ha." Regulus deadpaned. "Well, excuse me, bloody Potter fucking jumped on me."

"You looked like a fucking deer in headlights." James seemed to understand this as an inside joke and he began to join in on the laughter. Finally, James jumped on the back of the correct Black brother.

"Come on padfoot," James told him "lunch awaits" James snapped a pair on invisible reigns and Sirius took off robes  blowing behind him. He shook his head as he searched the hall for either of his friends. Barty and Evan were both gone which was slightly strange but Regulus didn't pay much attention. Instead he focused in on the Ravenclaw table.

He hadn't spent much time with her and he honestly regretted it. With the war going on he knew time was becoming less and less, and he didn't know what the summer held. For all he knew he was months away from never seeing her again. Whe was absent from the hall, so it didn't matter Regardless.

"Oi! Baby black! Over here!" He looked to see Mary Macdonald stood waving her arms at the Gryffindor table. He wasn't sure how the two became friends. After his foolish drunken state at the new years party she had sort of claimed him. She still bothered him for never dancing with him.

"Come on, Reg." She said halfway through lunch. "You owe me." He shook his head at her. " I mean you can dance. Can't you?" She asked. He scoffed.

"Of course I can dance. I didn't do 6 years of ballroom for nothing." Sirius groaned from a few seats over. 

"Don't bloody remind me"  He put his head into his hands, elbows resting on the table. the girls were all shocked. Marlenes mouth actually hung open.

"What?" Sirius asked the group. "Never seen me at the Halloween ball?" He said raising an eyebrow

"We've had detention every year." Remus spoke.

"Oh yeah, that'd right moony. The end of term one for sure then?" He asked hands twirling in the air.

"Skipped it first year, and McGonagall banned you from all dances in third year" Remus hummed. " And last year we-" Remus stopped himself going back to the book he had been reading.

"Yes, well ill surely show you all a good time this year, eh?? He said flirting with the two girls.

"Did you take lessons James?" Lily said quietly. He looked to her suddenly her voice having caught his attention. And Regulus's blood was boiling. Because it wasn't fair. And Regulus didn't hate her. He didn't hate her and he didn't know why because he should have. But she was witty and funny, in all honesty she was quite beautiful if you were into that. Really, Regulus thought her only downfall was her feelings for James.

"Huh?" Hames asked shaking his head slightly, his glasses slipped down his nose. Regulus resisted the urge go reach across the table and push the back up. But James just let them rest there. "Oh, oh yeah." James told her.

Lily blushed at him and Regulus suddenly felt the thing back inside him this time clawing behing his eyes. His eyes burnt and he knew he couldn't take much more.

"Well, I mean I guess we'll see how it payed off at the end of term." Sshe brushed a price of hair behing her hair. And Regulus was pissed. Pissed because she gott to do that. And pissed because James was blushing.

He pushed himself out of his seat. He couldn't bear being around it. He should be the one blushing up at James, and he should be the one scrambling around for his affection. And while he couldn't, he didn't much fancy spending time with the girl that did.