sirius black - prologue pt 2
sirius black.
Sirius Black was asleep in his bed when he heard the crash. His brother, Regulus, was also asleep with him. He was only a year younger than seventeen year old Sirius but he was still so sensitive to the punishment their parents gave him. Remus and James always said they were cruel but the two of them had been living with this for years; they were fine.
Sirius was the only one of the two that woke up. The clock on his nightstand said 2:54 and it was still pitch black outside. For a moment, a peaceful loving moment, with his brother pushed up next to him and the calling of birds fluttering outside, Sirius believed he dreamed the noise. His brother was a lighter sleeper than he, so why didn’t he wake up as well? He didn’t think about it, but still carefully pulled the covers off of him, attempting to avoid waking up his brother.
All attempts were futile, and just as slowly as he got away, his brother arose. A small groan escaped Regulus' lips as he came too.
“What’re you doin’?” The younger brother asked, words soft and slurred.
Sirius looked back and waved him away.
“Nothing, don’t worry about it Reggie. Go back to sleep.”
Regulus wasn’t satisfied with that answer. He pushed the blankets off of him and scrambled out of the large bed. Sirius had a queen bed and Regulus only had a twin. Regulus wasn’t jealous of it or anything, but the comfort of his brother next to him always made him sleep better, and even in his brother’s arms he still slept pretty light. Especially on the nights of punishments, Regulus always ends up in his brother’s bed.
They have their moments, but deep down they know they’re brothers, and can’t escape the blood they share.
Begrudgingly, Sirius opens his bedroom door with Regulus at his flank. The hallway was dark and unmoving. No unnatural lighting made Sirius nervous to continue moving out of his room. As they moved, they noticed their steps were the only noise that echoed through the halls. The Black estate was never truly silent like this. They had night staff cleaning the halls or kitchen. Sirius noticed this, but Regulus seemed unaware.
He’s almost as dense as James, Sirius thought, rolling his eyes.
He began moving again and dragged Regulus along when he noticed he didn’t move when Sirius did. Together, they trekked down the long hallway of the third floor. Their house wasn’t very wide, it was mainly long. Hallways looked cramped with the minimal decorations and the towering portraits of each black patriarch or few matriarchs.
Sirius and Regulus’ portraits haven’t been put up yet. They wait until the heirs are at least eighteen. Sirius has still got a year or so to go, and Regulus has two years. The portrait has never been anything Sirius had been looking forward to. On the other hand, Regulus seemed more excited than their parents combined. Sirius didn’t care about the Black legacy living on, he just wanted to live around his best mates and live freely. But that won’t be happening anytime soon.
Suddenly, a door opened. It was their parent’s room and their Mother swiftly exited the door room, shutting the door immediately after. She wore a long, black robe, a colour that perfectly matched her hair. In the darkness, the robe and her hair meshed perfectly, she seemed like an evil Rapunzel. Perhaps the evil stepmother?
With a pep in her step and a glare in her eye, their Mother approached the two of them. Regulus cowered back, still hurt from the night prior. Sirius didn’t move a muscle when she grabbed onto Sirius’ chin and forced him to look up at her. Her nails grabbed deep and though he was nearly her height, he still felt the shame of looking up to her. Their Mother frowned harder, which he didn’t even know was possible, and yanked her hand away from her son’s face. Her eyes darted towards Regulus, who was still hiding behind Sirius.
Slowly, she looked at Sirius and then back at Regulus, her eyes seeming to soften the moment they reached her youngest, most precious son. Sirius felt like saying something about it, but his jaw clenched, and he didn’t say a thing. Their Mother, however, did.
“Why did you wake your brother up?” The question is directed towards Sirius, because he’s the only one bothering to look her in the eye.
Their parents don't know that Regulus sleeps in Sirius’ bed most nights. In the end, their parents would most likely blame Sirius for making their pride and joy a sensitive little baby, and not the prideful heir they intended to make. Sirius always covers for his brother, since in the end, he would be the one blamed and reprimanded for the act.
“He woke himself,” Sirius said, side-eyeing his mother. She returned the look but stayed silent. “I heard something and got up.”
Their Mother nodded slightly and frowned. “I heard it too. Go back to bed, both of you. I’ll get Mr. Kreacher to check it out.”
She turned away and waved the both of them off. They knew it was a dismissive wave, so Sirius turned off. Regulus looked back at their mother right when it happened.
What they could only assume to have been the reason for the crash before, an animalistic figure rushed up the stairs and crashed into their Mother, throwing her against the wall. There was an audible crack, and that's when Sirius turned to see the… thing hanging over their Mother. It was small and deformed and had its face over their Mother’s chest. Blood was gushing out of her, and Sirius was at a loss for words. Regulus was behind Sirius, again, pushing his body against him. A small whimper escaped Regulus’ mouth and Sirius quickly angled his body to reach for his brother’s mouth, covering it.
The creature seemed preoccupied with their Mother. She didn’t make a noise, and she lay there, still. The two of them stared at her and at the thing above her. They didn’t know what it was, or if they wanted to.
Emerging from their parent’s bedroom, their father, also in a black robe, came onto the sight before him. His eyes were wide, but he was also unmoving. The four of them ended up in some weird standoff. Their father was staring at the creature devouring his wife, and after a few moments, began staring at his sons. Sirius had been staring at their father since the moment the door opened. Where in the world do they go from here?
The moment was slow, but Sirius watched as his father slowly shuffled past the wreckage before him. His shuffling turned into small steps, then they grew larger. Their father moved quickly past the thing to his sons. He placed an arm around them both, squeezing them close. Ignoring the death before them, this was the closest thing to a hug his father had ever given him.
Together, the three of them shuffled away and down the stairs. They reached the bottom before their father pushed the two of them forward towards the door and looked back. Sirius and Regulus were already pushing off of each other to slip outside the door. Sirius was too stunned to move and just leaned forward and put his hands on his knees, taking in a breath, holding, and exhaling loudly. Regulus was crying, rubbing his hands over his arms and walking in a figure-eight motion.
After a moment, their father emerged from the house with keys in his hands. From the outside, he locked the door and all three locks. Sirius heard the clicking and registered the reality of the situation. Before Sirius would fully stretch up, something was grabbing onto him. He screamed and attempted to push the thing off of him before noticing a messy brown haired boy latched onto him.
Sirius slightly pushed him away to get a good look. It was his best friend, James. Neither of them said a thing, but after staring at each other for a moment, Sirius allowed James to hug him and the two shared a brief moment together. In the corner of his eye, Sirius watched Regulus latch onto their father, seeking comfort.
Sirius had all the comfort he needed.