CHANGE OF HEART. → wolfstar

ten

The Black house was a mess on school mornings. Regulus and Bella, who was always staying with Sirius' family, were still in school, Regulus in year twelve and Bellatrix in university, and sometimes cousins and aunties would drop by. On the Tuesday morning that Sirius was supposed to be training for his soccer match, he was instead helping his mother make sandwiches for his younger family members.

''Reg!'' Sirius called, and when his younger brother finally showed up, Sirius bowed and handed him his bag of lunch. ''Just for you! Look at all that hard work I put in!''

''You're only doing it because mum made you.'' Regulus said, his tone accusing. Sirius threw up his hands in defense.

''Fine, fine!'' He said, and filled another bag with food for Bellatrix. ''Where's Bella?''

Regulus shrugged as he sat up on the kitchen counter stool. His tie was neat and his shirt was untucked, and Sirius could tell his hair didn't get that tousled without a brush. Ever since he and Madeline Meadows had started dating, he had taken better care of his appearance. He was in his last year of high school now, and finally he's social life had matched up with his excellent grades.

''No clue.'' Reg answered, yawning as he watched Sirius make lunches.

''Anything planned tonight?'' Sirius asked his younger brother, and Regulus shrugged again.

''Not sure. Maybe something will come up later on today, but for now I have nothing planned. Why?'' Reg replied, knowing, as always, the meaning behind Sirius' words. The smart little shit.

''Because I wanted to go out to dinner with all of my high school friends, and I need someone to pick me up when I get shitfaced.'' Sirius said, and Regulus rolled his perfect eyes.

''Fine, asshole. What time.'' He asked, and Sirius gasped dramatically.

''Watch your fucking language, god,'' Regulus rolled his eyes again as Sirius shook his head, ''and, one am, please, Reg dear.''

Regulus groaned as Sirius winked at him. ''Fine. Don't be late or I'll drive off. Is Potter going to be in the car with you?''

Regulus always called Sirius' friends by their surnames, even though he had known James since he was a baby. Sirius nodded. ''Yep. Not Pete, though.'' Sirius said, and Regulus grinned.

''Thank fuck. He always throws up. I swear every time he drinks it's like it's the first time he's touched alcohol.'' Regulus said, and Sirius laughed.

''I know, yeah? He thinks he's so tough, and really he's just a lightweight.'' Sirius said, and Regulus laughed too. They kept talking about their friends, and how Regulus had met a boy named Lucius and they had gotten on well, and how Reg had introduced to him to Narcissa, Sirius and Regulus' cousin, and the two had hit off right away.

''You should've seen the way Cissy blushed. I don't think I've ever seen her blush. She seems too posh; don't you think? But she sure did blush this time. And all he did was hold her hand!'' Regulus was saying, and Sirius smiled as he listened. He wasn't home often enough to hear about little things like this. He missed school suddenly, and it was sad how much had changed in seven years.

''What about Andromeda? How's life for her?'' Sirius asked, and Regulus launched into another story about their other cousin while Sirius made coffee.

The Black family was huge and complicated. You would make a new friend, only to find out they were your second cousins' aunties' nephew, and your new girlfriend would probably be your third cousins' fourth cousin. Sirius had always made sure he asked people their family heritage before he got to know them, romantically or not. Making out with someone who knew your grandma was kind of disturbing, blood relation or not.