You can’t leave me.
Remus stood frozen in the ground floor, his breath caught in his throat as his eyes locked onto the scene before him. Sirius, slumped against the wall, was barely conscious. His pale face was streaked with sweat, and with every shallow, labored breath, he let out short, wet coughs that sent small flecks of blood onto his lips.
"Move," Regulus’s cold voice snapped him out of his stupor. The younger Black pushed past him without hesitation, dropping to his knees beside Sirius.
"Padfoot…" James’s voice cracked as he crouched down, cradling Sirius’s face in his hands. His fingers trembled as he gave Sirius’s cheek a light slap, trying to stir him. "Sirius, come on, look at me!"
Sirius let out another strangled cough, his head lolling to the side. James’s chest tightened as he noticed the unnaturally pale color of his skin.
"Stop wasting time," Regulus growled, his focus entirely on Sirius. His hands moved with grim efficiency, tugging at Sirius’s shirt to get better access to his body.
"What are you doi-?" James demanded, his voice rising in panic. "W-what are you looking for?"
Regulus didn’t answer immediately. James's hand pressed against Sirius’s shoulder, and when he pulled it back, his fingers were slick with blood. He held them up, his expression grim.
His stomach churned as he saw the dark crimson staining his hand. "Oh God…" he whispered, shaking his head.
"We need to move him," Regulus said sharply. "Now."
With James’s help, they carried Sirius into a nearby room—a small, sparsely furnished space with a single bed.
As they laid him down, Regulus immediately began pulling at Sirius’s blood-soaked clothes. James hesitated, his hands hovering uselessly.
"Don’t just stand there!" Regulus snapped. "Help me!"
Reluctantly, James obeyed, peeling away the soaked fabric. The moment Sirius’s back was exposed, James almost recoiled.
"Bloody hell…" he muttered, his voice barely a whisper.
The jagged wound on Sirius’s back was worse than anything he could have imagined. Black, web-like veins radiated outward from it, writhing just beneath the surface of his skin. The veins pulsed faintly, as though alive, and the wound itself oozed a dark, viscous fluid.
"What is that?" James asked, his voice shaking.
"It’s cursed," Regulus said tightly, his hand hovering over the wound but not touching it. "And it’s not just any curse. This… this is dark magic at its worst."
At that moment, Lily rushed into the room, a bundle of towels and a basin of warm water in her arms. She froze when she saw Sirius’s back, her face going pale.
"Merlin…" she whispered, her voice trembling. "What did they do to him?"
"Help me clean him up," Regulus ordered, his tone clipped. He grabbed one of the towels and began carefully wiping away the blood and sweat.
James, still in shock, muttered under his breath, "Why… why didn't he-"
"Do something James," Regulus said coldly, not looking up. "or watch him die."
Lily handed a damp towel to James, who began wiping Sirius’s face and neck. His hands trembled as he worked, his heart breaking at the sight of his best friend reduced to this.
Sirius let out a weak groan, his body twitching as the damp cloth touched his fevered skin. His eyes fluttered open briefly, glassy and unfocused.
"James…" he mumbled, his voice barely audible. "Hurts…"
"I know, mate," James said softly, his voice cracking. "I know. Just hang on, okay? We’re going to fix this."
But Sirius’s eyes closed again, and his body went limp.
"His fever’s getting worse," Lily said urgently, pressing a hand to Sirius’s forehead. "He’s burning up."
Regulus muttered another incantation under his breath, his wand tracing a glowing line over Sirius’s wound. The black veins recoiled slightly, but the effort seemed to take a toll on Sirius. His back arched off the bed, a strangled cry escaping his lips.
"Hold him still!" Regulus barked.
James and Lily moved quickly, each taking one of Sirius’s arms to keep him from thrashing.
The door creaked open, and Remus appeared, cradling Harry in his arms. His face was pale, his eyes wide with fear.
"Lily," he said hoarsely, "Harry—"
"Give him to me," Lily said quickly, taking the baby from him. "Go to Sirius."
Remus hesitated, his eyes darting to the bed where Sirius lay. Finally, he stepped forward, his hands clenching into fists at his sides.
"Is he…"
"He’s alive," James said quickly. "Still alive."
Regulus didn’t look up as he worked. "If you’re not going to help, get out," he snapped.
Remus ignored him, moving to Sirius’s side. He reached out, his hand hovering over Sirius’s.
"You bloody idiot," he murmured, his voice breaking. "Why didn’t you tell us?"
Sirius didn’t respond, but for a moment, Remus thought he saw the faintest flicker of recognition in his expression.
Sirius lay motionless on the bed, his chest rising and falling in shallow, uneven breaths. James sat heavily in a chair by the bed, his elbows resting on his knees and his face buried in his hands.
Regulus stood, his dark cloak hanging heavily around his shoulders. His gray eyes swept over Sirius’s unconscious form one last time, lingering on the pale, sweat-soaked face of his brother. For a moment, just a fleeting second, something raw flickered in his expression—guilt, sadness, love—before he masked it behind the cold indifference he had perfected over the years.
"Where are you going?" James’s voice broke through the silence, sharp and incredulous. He stepped forward, his fists clenched at his sides. "You’re just going to leave him like this? He’s your brother, for Merlin’s sake!"
Regulus turned slowly, his expression unreadable. "I’ve done all I can," he said, his voice steady but hollow. "Staying here won’t change anything. And you should leave here tonight or tomorrow."
"Won’t change anything?" James repeated, his tone rising with disbelief. He pointed at Sirius, who lay limp and feverish on the bed. "And leaving here? Look at him! He’s dying, and you’re just walking away? How can you—"
"Don’t," Regulus interrupted coldly, his gaze locking onto James’s with a force that made him falter. "Don’t pretend you understand. You have no idea what’s at stake here."
James’s jaw tightened, his hazel eyes blazing. "He’s your brother, Regulus. How can you just leave him like this? How can you—"
"Because I have no choice!" Regulus snapped, his voice cutting through the room like a whip. He took a step closer, his face now inches from James’s. "Do you think I want to leave? Do you honestly think I want to walk away, knowing he might not make it? But Let me remind you I’m a Death Eater, Potter. In case you’ve forgotten, I’m not one of you. I have a mission and if I don’t see it through, everything I’ve done, will mean nothing."
James stared at him, his chest heaving with barely restrained anger. "Mission? What the hell is so important that you’d abandon your own brother for it?"
Regulus’s eyes hardened, the mask of indifference slipping back into place. "None of your business," he said flatly.
For a moment, Regulus hesitated. His lips parted as if he were about to say something, but then he shook his head, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"You’re wasting your breath," he said quietly. "You don't understand that, Potter?"
James opened his mouth to argue, but Regulus raised a hand, silencing him.
"And don’t you dare lecture me about loyalty," he added, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "You need to find a healer. A real one."
James’s fists unclenched, the fight draining out of him as Regulus’s words sank in. He looked back at Sirius, who was still trembling with fever, and his heart twisted painfully.
Regulus followed his gaze, his expression softening imperceptibly. He stepped closer to the bed, his movements slow and deliberate, as though he were afraid of breaking something fragile.
"You need to understand something," he said, his voice quieter now, almost gentle. "Sirius… his body doesn’t work like yours. Not anymore. It hasn’t for years."
James frowned, confusion flickering across his face. "What do you mean?"
Regulus let out a slow breath, his gaze never leaving Sirius. "Our mother," he said, his tone laced with venom. "She didn’t just punish him. She… she broke him. Over and over again. Every time he defied her, every time he stood up for himself—or for me—she made sure he paid for it. Cruciatus, Imperius, curses you’ve probably never even heard of. She didn’t care if it left scars. She didn’t care if it killed him. She just wanted to teach him a lesson."
James stared at him, his stomach churning. "What do you wanna say?"
Regulus flinched, but his expression remained stoic. "I was a kid," he said quietly. "And Sirius… he wouldn’t let me interfere. He always thought he could take it. He thought he had to."
His voice wavered, and he cleared his throat, forcing himself to continue. "But the damage was done. His body… it’s not like yours, Potter. It doesn’t heal the way it should. It’s much slower, weaker. And now, after everything, it’s failing him."
James’s throat tightened as he processed Regulus’s words. He felt a surge of anger—not at Regulus, but at the world, at the injustice of it all.
Regulus straightened, his mask slipping back into place. "He’s strong," he said, his tone firmer now. "Stronger than anyone gives him credit for. But even he has limits. If you want to save him, you need to find someone who knows how to deal with this. Someone who knows how to undo what that basterd did to him."
James nodded slowly, his voice barely above a whisper. "We will."
Regulus turned away, his cloak swirling around him as he strode toward the door. He paused in the doorway, his back to the room, and for a moment, it seemed like he might leave without another word.
But then he turned, his gray eyes locking onto James’s. "Take care of him," he said quietly.
With that, he stepped out, the door creaking shut behind him.
James stood there for a long moment, staring at the empty doorway. His hands were trembling, his mind racing with everything Regulus had said. He knew about what Walbruga did, but not the side effects.
Lily stood near the basin of water, wringing a bloodstained towel in her hands. Her green eyes darted between Sirius and James, worry etched into every line of her face.
"James," she began softly, her voice barely breaking the quiet.
He didn’t look up.
"James," she said again, firmer this time.
He finally lifted his head, his hazel eyes bloodshot and full of anguish. "What?"
Lily hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "What Regulus said… about his mother. Do you think it’s true? I mean, all of it?"
James let out a bitter laugh, though there was no humor in it. "Of course it’s true, Lily. I was the one cleaned his scars every time. She was a monster."
Lily’s fingers tightened around the towel. "But… unforgivable curses? On her own son? How could someone do that?"
James shook his head, his jaw clenched tightly. "Because she didn’t see him as her son. To her, Sirius was a failure—a disgrace to the Black name. She thought if she hurt him enough, she could force him to be what she wanted. But Sirius… he never broke. No matter what she did to him, he never gave her the satisfaction."
Lily’s voice trembled as she asked, "How long has this been going on?"
James sighed heavily, running a hand through his messy hair. "Since he was a kid. He never talked about it much, but I pieced things together over the years. He’d come to our room sometimes, covered in bruises or limping, and he’d make up some excuse—said he fell off his broom, or got into a fight."
Lily’s eyes filled with tears. "Oh God..."
James nodded slowly, his throat tightening. "He’s tough—Merlin, he’s the toughest person I know—but there’s only so much a person can take."
Lily swallowed hard, her voice barely a whisper. "I should notice sooner..."
James shook his head again. "You know, he told me bits and pieces, but only when he couldn’t hide it anymore. Sirius… he doesn’t want people to worry about him. He thinks he has to handle everything on his own which is why I will kick his ass as soon as he gets better."
At that, Lily’s tears spilled over, and she pressed the towel to her mouth to stifle a sob. "He’s been carrying this all alone…"
Unbeknownst to them, Remus stood just outside the doorway, hidden in the shadows. His hand gripped the doorframe so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He had come back upstairs to check on Sirius, but he froze when he heard James and Regulus talking.
Their words hit him like a physical blow, each one cutting deeper than the last. He had always known Sirius’s childhood had been difficult—how could it not, growing up in a house like Grimmauld Place? But hearing the truth laid bare like this, the full extent of the horrors Sirius had endured, was almost too much to bear. And now this is all his fault.
Remus clenched his jaw, trying to keep his breathing steady, but he could feel the lump rising in his throat, the sting of tears threatening to spill.
"James," Lily said softly, "what if… what if we can’t-"
"Don’t say that," James snapped, his voice harsh and raw. "We’re not losing him, Lil. I won’t let that happen. He’s been through too much, fought too hard, to let some bloody curse take him now."
Lily stepped closer, placing a hand on James’s shoulder.
Outside the room, Remus pressed his back against the wall, his hands trembling. He felt like an intruder, listening to a conversation he was never meant to hear, but he couldn’t bring himself to move.
A single tear slid down his cheek, and he quickly wiped it away, cursing himself. But the fear gnawed at him, relentless and unyielding. The thought of losing Sirius—losing the one person who had always been there for him, who had always fought for him, and the one who love him—was unbearable.
He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms.
You can’t leave me, Padfoot. You can’t.
Inside the room, James and Lily continued their quiet conversation.
As their voices faded, Remus finally stepped back from the doorway, his head bowed. He took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to steady himself. Then, with one last glance toward the room, he turned and walked down the hallway, his footsteps silent on the wooden floor.
In the quiet of the night, his whispered words went unheard.
"You’re not allowed to leave me, Sirius. Not now. Not ever."