Chapter 1
Regulus never fully got why Sirius ran without looking back once. He tried to hate him for it. For leaving him behind. But deep down, he knew that his brother didn't have much of a choice. He had to run, or he would have died in that house.
Maybe he would be the heir right now. Maybe he would still be at Regulus side. But it wouldn't have been the Sirius he knew. Their parents would have broken him and made him their puppet, just an empty shell without any emotions and not his own thoughts. Maybe he wouldn't be six feet under, but he would have died at that place anyway.
Regulus knew all that deep down, but he still tried to convince himself that he hated Sirius. That he didn't have a brother anymore. The older ones' choice left him without the chance of getting away. It was a trade- Sirius freedom for Regulus life.
His whole life, he was the second choice. The spare. He never had the chance to break free like his brother did, and he never let himself dream about a life other than what his parents planned for him. He always knew exactly what was going to happen next. His whole life long, he had everything figured out. What he never thought about was what he would do if he was in a similar situation to the one Sirius was in years ago.
Now, standing in the rain in a country he had never been to before, he wished that he had some sort of plan. Knowing what happens next brought him a sense of comfort he couldn't quite explain. But most of all, he wanted to be with Sirius. His brother always knew how much Reg hated to be alone.
Pulling the hood of his jacket-one he stole from his brothers room-over his head, he started walking towards a small house at the side of the street. It was the only one in sight, and he wasn't sure how he even ended up here. Everything was a bit hazy, and it happened way too fast.
Slowly, Regulus lifted his hand to knock on the door, but before his fist met the door, it was being pulled open, and he stared in shock at the person in front of him.