Sirius’ doesn’t scream. As curse after curse lashes at his skin, he doesn’t scream. He learned very early on that screaming only encourages his witch of a mother. That doesn’t stop the tears though. Silent and unstoppable tears stream down Sirius’ face. Yet, not for him. His younger brother, Regulus, stands in the corner held captive by the Imperius curse as he is forced to watch their mother torture Sirius. The beatings don’t always constitute reason. Even if there is a reason for punishment in the Black household it will often be considered an innocent mistake by others. For example, just five minutes ago Sirius was packing his trunk for his first day at Hogwarts when his mother walked in to see a red mess of clothes thrown in his trunk. Now, this wouldn’t have been a problem had Sirius had not been banned from wearing the colour red. A rule which was established when Sirius expressed interest in Gryffindor house when Narcissa retold the events of her Sorting Hat ceremony four years ago.
Ever since, any shade of red has been banned from the house and especially Sirius’ possession. The Noble House of Black have all been members of Slytherin House when they attended Hogwarts. Ergo, green and silver decorate every corner of Grimmauld Place. Any other House colours such as red are and will remain absent from the house. With the exception of blood. Sirius chuckles at that thought. Mistake. “Something funny, boy?” Orion Black, Sirius and Regulus’ father, speaks from the corner beside his youngest son
Sirius swallows dryly, schooling his features, “no, sir” Sirius’ mother smirks curly and exchanges a smug look with her husband. Sirius knows he should keep his mouth shut and take the beating but some otherworldly force keeps him talking, “however I do find it amusing you despise colours not associated with Slytherin House yet you beat me and Regulus till we’re black and blue. I may not be totally accurate when I say I do believe those are Ravenclaw House colours, Sir” Sirius dares to look up at his mother with a malice grin. The room goes so silent you could hear a pin drop. The sharp intake of breath by Regulus might as well be a scream in the quiet room. Walburga looks to her husband, “Orion, would you be a dear and escort our other son to his room” she looks back down at Sirius, where he stays kneeling at her feet with his hands palm side up, “I require a word with Sirius alone”
Regulus audibly gulps as Orion shoves him towards the stairs. The two of them exited the room, Orion shutting the two solid dark oak doors behind them. Sirius met his mothers gaze head on. The older woman sneered, “now Sirius,” she starts, “I won’t have such rebellious words spewed in my house, especially not in front of your brother” she tuts, looks around the living room. Her eyes catch on the podium beside the desk, “go kneel in front of the podium and cling to it. Remove your shirt and bare your back” Walburga juts out her chin at Sirius’ dark grey jumper. Sirius wipes his face of all emotion and does as his mother instructed. Sirius expected the Cruciatus curse to hit him but a steel tip whip cracked across his back. Sirius flinched and bit down on his lip hard enough to draw blood. His parents didn’t enjoy non magical punishments and something akin to shame built up in Sirius at the thought of how bad he messed up for his mother to resort to muggle made inventions to discipline him.
Walburga whipped Sirius until his back was basically entirely red from blood. Hot, fat tears poured down Sirius cheeks in two steady streams. ‘One more day. Just one more day’ Sirius repeated this mantra in his head with every strike. He tried to feel guilty for abandoning his brother when he leaves for Hogwarts tomorrow but guilt was the farthest emotion he felt by the fiftieth crack of the whip. Sirius hugged the post tighter as his mother crouched in front of his frame and ran her fingers through Sirius’ hair. He was expecting another lash. “My beautiful boy, this hurts me more than you, believe me” Walburga’s sad smile and the teary film over her eyes fooled Sirius. She shushed him and told him his punishment was over now. He smiled sadly back at her as he turned around and hugged his knees to his chest.
“Now, no more nonsensical talk of Gryffindor House” her eyes steeled again, “go clean yourself up before dinner” she condescendingly slapped his tear stained cheek and stood back to her full height. Adjusting her hair, she left the living room in search of her husband. Sirius counted to ten on his figures as his ragged breath came out too fast. His frame shook from fear and the cuts on his back gushed blood. He muttered a cleaning spell to wipe away the blood as retrieved his shirt and wobbled his way out of the room and up the stairs to his bedroom. He threw his sweat soaked sweatshirt down the laundry chute and ran his clammy hands through his hair. A knock came on his bedroom door and then Regulus appeared. He wore his black frame non see through glasses to hide his eyes, which were glassy with unshed tears last Sirius saw in the living room. In his left hand he held a glass bottle of clear liquid. His Essence of Dittany. Sirius began shaking his head. “Sirius, I can’t even see you yet I can feel your refusal” Regulus’ voice remained cold and distant but quivered towards the end of his sentence, giving away he was not as unaffected from listening to his brother’s sobs of agony as he’s trying to look.
Last year, when Andromeda found Regulus after he’d been punished, bleeding and bruised, she gave both boys a potion to use should they ever be severely injured. Sirius had used the majority of his three months later as he also refused to let Regulus use his own when he needed it, offering his instead. Andromeda had said she would supply another bottle of Essence of Dittany for the boys on their respective birthdays. “I’m not letting you waste your Essence of Dittany on me. You’ll need it for when I leave” Sirius argued
Regulus bit his lip, “but,” he says in a small voice, “but you’re hurt” Regulus focuses on his hands
Sirius sighs, “yes, yes I am” he winces a memory of his maimed back, “but I’ll be ok. It’ll heal. My birthday is coming up soon and Andromeda will keep her word” Sirius cringes hearing himself. Apparently, Regulus shares the same thought process. The younger’s head snaps and Sirius can feel his brother staring straight at him, “your birthday isn’t for another three months. You’ll scar before then. At least let me use some of it on your injuries”
Sirius sighs exasperatedly, “fine. Just the big ones though” he lays back on his stomach
Regulus took one look at his back and raised an eyebrow, “just the big ones? Sirius, are you kidding me?”
“Regulus-”
“Sirius”
Sirius sighed. He knew there was no point in arguing with his brother in such a state. He turned his head to the side to look over his shoulder at the younger boy. Regulus blew out a breath of frustration and unscrewed the glass bottle in his hand. Using the small pipette to drip Essence of Dittany on the most severe of the markings. Sirius hisses through his teeth as the cold liquid closes his cuts. Regulus chuckles, “you can take fifty plus whippings from mom without making a sound but can’t tolerate a few drops of Essence, Mr. Black? Pathetic” his brother joked sarcastically
Sirius shivered again when another one of his cuts closed “Ouch, salt in the wound, Reg. Salt in the wound”. The boys divulge into melancholy laughter. Regulus capped the Essence of Dittany as Sirius headed towards the wardrobe across the room. Sirius pulled on a loose, white, pirate style dress shirt so as to not agitate his smaller unhealed scars. The silence turned awkward. Sirius tied his hair back with the elastic on his wrist. His hair got long enough to put in a low ponytail around last year. Both of his parents disapproved of the idea of a boy having long hair but then Narcissa got engaged to Lucius Malfoy who sported long hair at their initial meeting.
“So, you heard then?” Sirius swallowed. The one thing he’d always tried to shield Regulus from was his own weakness. To think of his younger brother, who views Sirius as a beacon of strength in all this, witnessing him at his lowest is a very hard pill to swallow. “A bit hard not to. I think they house elves heard your dramatic ass from down in the cellar” Regulus attempted to crack a joke, “you didn’t scream” he stated, “you usually always scream under the Cruciatus”
“Maybe I’m trying out a new method”
“Or maybe you're lying. What did she do?” Regulus could always tell when Sirius was being untruthful. It’s his thing. Sirius suspects Regulus would excel in divination. Sirius took a deep breath and sat on the edge of his four poster bed, “mother… she had a little fun with a steel tipped whip”
Regulus gasps, “but you can get really sick from that! What if-”
“Reg, really I’m fine” Sirius assures
"what about poiseni-"
Kreacher, their head house elf, appeared in the door, “dinner’s ready, Masters”
“Yes Kreacher we’ll be right down” Sirius dismisses the elf as his younger brother paces the length of the room
“I mean honestly, you’re almost out of here. What are they trying to do? Make you stay?” Regulus’ breathing picks up
“Hey, Reg, sit down mate” Sirius pats the spot beside him on the bed
Regulus sat down on the bed, running his stressed shaky hands through his greasy hair. Sirius really needs to get him using the right product. Regulus expelled an uneven breath and two tear droplets fell to the ground beneath them. “I’m so scared, Sirius” Regulus head butts into his brothers chest, “I’m so fucking scared of what’s going to happen once you’re gone”. Sirius wrapped his arms around the sobbing Regulus in his lap. Physical affection is rarer than Christmas in Grimmauld but ever since Regulus’ sight deteriorated, the shorter boy has been relying heavily on his sense of touch. Sirius closed his eyes as another silent sob wracked his brother's body, “I can find a way to stay if it means that much to you”. That gets the others attention as Regulus punches Sirius’ in the shoulder, hard, “don’t even joke about that, Sirius! You have to go!” the younger said half angrily and half amused
Sirius shrugs, “I’m not joking. I could fake sick and start next year when you go”
“You’re out of your bloody mind, Black” Regulus leans into Sirius’ shoulder
“Runs in the family, Black” Sirius retorts
The room went awkwardly quiet again, “promise to write though?” Regulus said, voice barely above a whisper
“Promise”