way to go, tiger | Lorenzo Berkshire

࣪𖤐 Y4 | 1 . The World Cup 1/2

IF I HAD A GUN — NOEL GALLAGHER
'Let me fly you to the moon, my eyes have always followed you around the room.'

Cassie sits on the steps outside of her home in the Kent countryside, the warm light from the kitchen shining through the window. The light turns off, and the front door opens. Cassie doesn't check to see who it is, for she's too busy looking at the stars. She can see herself, Regulus and Sirius.

"You're staring at me." Sirius states, sitting next to his daughter. She turns to face him, eyebrows furrowed. Sirius points at the constellation of stars to the left. "That's me. The whole Black family tree is named after stars. Hence your name, of course." he points to Regulus opposite, "That's Regulus, there. He was my brother."

"I know. Sirius and Regulus are pretty much never seen without one another. You could be all the way over there; and Regulus would always be close."

Sirius sighs, "Ironic, isn't it?" he laughs. "Me and my brother were the opposite. I ran away from home at fifteen, leaving him behind. He never did forgive me."

Cassie wants to know more about her father's past, but she doesn't know how to ask. "Why'd you run away?"

Sirius squeezes her knee, "Let's just say... my parents weren't the best."

Cassie's blood goes cold. "Where did you run to?"

"James'. His parents were mine just as they were James'. They took me in and loved me like their own."

Cassie smiles, but looks back up at Regulus. She chews her cheek in thought. Why does Sirius talk about Regulus in past tense? Why won't he elaborate on his brother?

"You know, pup, Reg looked strangely a lot like you. You have the same nose, I think. And just the way your features align, I see Regulus in you a lot."

"Tell me about him."

"He was a Slytherin— a year younger than me. He was a seeker, a bloody brilliant one at that." Sirius chuckles. "Reckon that's who you got your seeking skills from. It's in your blood.

Cassie smiles, "I suppose it is."

"He was friends with Vick, you see. His group of friends consisted of death-eaters I never really got along with— apart from Dorcas Meadowes and Pandora Rosier. Pandora and Barty were Ravenclaw; Evan Rosier was his year, your mother, Chris Berkshire and Dorcas Meadowes were Slytherin with Reg but in our year. Dorcas joined our side for the woman she loved— the very woman you share a middle name."

"Marlene?"

"That's the one." Sirius smiles, his heart breaking at the mention of his old friend.

"Who were you friends with at school?"

"James, Remus and Peter were my best friends, obviously. We were inseparable, the four of us. But we had other friends, of course. There was Lily Evans, Mary Macdonald, Marlene Mckinnon, Frank Longbottom—you know his son— Neville, I think."

"He's the sweetest."

"Just like his mother, that boy."

"Are you going to tell me what happened to Uncle Regulus?" Cassie says, after a moment of silence.

Sirius looks down at his hands. His brother is still tormenting him even after his death. "Not the full story, pup. We'll save that for another day. For now, you just need to know that he died young before the war officially started."

Cassie's heart drops. She knew he was dead, but hearing it come out of Sirius' mouth so casually breaks her heart. "I'm so sorry."

"S'alright, pup. It's why I don't want you to let go of your brother any time soon."