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"What do you want?" Regulus closed the door of the cabin behind him. He made it as obvious as possible that he was only talking to him because he knew Sirius would have stuffed the cabin with stink bombs if he didn't.
"Easy Reg...is that the proper way to treat your own brother?" Sirius flashed him his signature smile.
Regulus snorted. A brother wouldn't have turned his back on him and their family. Not when he knew he needed him by his side, navigating the shark infested waters of Hogwarts. Not when he knew that he would leave Regulus alone.
"Well then brother," he snarled, "What do you want?"
Sirius stood quiet for a second. He hadn't anticipated him to have such a heated reaction to his presence. But even though it might've been mean spirited, Regulus could not help but feel a hint of pride flare in his chest when he saw his brother's face.
"Well then...if it's going to be like that" Sirius pursued his lip, "I'll make this quick,"
He had intended to push Sirius away by his tone but he couldn't help contemplating apologizing. But that idea was squashed as quickly as it passed by. If anyone would be getting an apology it would be him.
"Go ahead,"
"What happened to us Regulus?" Sirius' voice softened, "Before Hogwarts we were like two peas in a pod! And now..."
"I only did what was expected of me. I don't know what you're on about," Regulus eyed his bright red tie coldly.
It was that color that tore his family apart. Oh how he wished that it would magically shift into the comforting green he was used to would change so he could wake up from the nightmare he'd been living in for the past two years.
"Since when were you all about the rules? Don't you remember all the adventures we had. All the things we did together?" He put a special emphasis on the word together.
"I do remember that. I also remember when we made plans of being Slytherin. Do you have any idea how heartbroken mum and dad were? Of —"
"As if they have hearts," Sirius muttered, almost low enough for Regulus not to hear.
Regulus clenched his jaw. He was sick of Sirius thinking he could insult his family, his home, without consequences, "If you have something to say about mum and dad, the say it to my face!"
"Alright then," Sirius smiled with false cheerfulness, "How about we start with the fact that they practically disowned me for—"
"For breaking centuries of tradition! For rubbing your betrayal in their faces! For tarnishing the family na—"
"Oh yeah because having a name that makes your skin crawl is always a good thing!" He growled, his anger seeping into his voice, "And even now you can't answer my question without referring to mum and dad! So let me ask you one more time, what happened?"
"What happened?" Regulus exploded, "What happened was my life was hell after that!"
Regulus knew he was yelling at that point but he didn't care. He wanted him to know what he'd been through because of him. He wanted him to listen to all his pain caused by only him.
"Do you have any idea how hard it was to make friends? Or convince people that I wasn't just Regulus brother of a blood traitor! And I know none of that would've ever happened if you had just stuck to your damn family!"
For a second he'd thought that he finally got to him. But in a second Sirius proved him wrong.
"Here," He roughly shoved something in his hand.
"What! No!" Regulus let go of the substance and it fell to the floor with a soft thud.
Sirius groaned, "Look Reg—"
"Regulus to you,"
"Reg," he insisted, shoving the same substance back in his hand, "These are Gobstoppers. Muggle candies and if you don't like them, then you were right! I am selfish,"
"W—what does that even have to do with anything,"
"They're muggle candy and if you don't—"
"You know what Sirius," Regulus shoved back the candy into his brother's hand, "If that's all you have to offer, I think we're done here."
He turned around to open the cabin door but Sirius' hand stopped him roughly.
He stared at his brother for a second. He looked hideously furious but it wasn't enough to intimidate Regulus. Not any more.
They continued their staring competition for a second until the larger boy let go and Regulus felt the pressure on his hand elevate.
"Fine," he spat, "I'll see you at the sorting Regulus,"
And that night when Regulus discovered that Sirius had stuffed some of the Gobstoppers in his pocket and reluctantly tried some to prove a point he accidentally found himself liking them.
And he wished with all his heart that Sirius had not been right all along.
