Chapter 1
December 23rd 1976
At 11:37pm on Christmas eve's eve while rain is battering off the windows the least thing you expect to hear is a faint knock at the door. Which is precisely why all four of their heads snapped towards the door, startled out of the intense game of chess going on between Sirius and Fleamont. During times like these, in the middle of a war, a knock at the door is never a good sign.
Euphimia stands up from her spot on the sofa offering a concerned glance at her husband, Fleamont, as she goes to answer the door. But James is already up on his feet and halfway there by the time she's on her feet.
"Dont worry mum. Ill get it!" James says, offering her a kind smile.
As he fumbles for the keys and unlocks the door, he is met with the same peircing grey eyes he was met with the previous year. The same scared, startled expression on his face as his brother's. Regulus Black. Him and James stare at eachother for a moment, James notices the bruises on the younger boy's face and the bleeding cuts on his face. To add to it he is absolutely drenched in rain leaving his dark curls flat against his head.
Just as James is about to open his mouth Euphimia pops her head around the door, just as startled as James was when he first layed his eyes on the beaten boy infront of them.
"Oh, hello love. Come in please, out of the rain, " she says as she ushers Regulus inside and sits him at the dining room table. "Lets get you cleaned up shall we!" With that Regulus offers her a thankful look.
"Thank you." He says and they get to cleaning him up and getting some dry clothes on him.
Back in the living room, Sirius and Fleamont have perked up from their chess game to offer curious looks at James who is still standing in a slight state of shock. Seeing Regulus standing there good him back to when his best friend showed up at his door last year, same look in his eyes, and threw himself right into James's arms and just broke down crying.
"Who is it?" Sirius asks farrowing his eyebrows at James.
"Its, um, its Regulus" James doesn't really know what else to say to Sirius. The brother that he hasn't spoken to in a year has just shown up at their door, in the same beaten state Sirius had when he finally managed to escape that prison of a house.
"What? Regulus as in my brother Regulus? Why in Merlin's name is he here?" Sirius exclaims, standing up from his spot on the floor next to the coffee table.
"He's got... bruises and, and cuts. I think he ran away, " is the only explanation James can think of.
"Is he alright" Fleamont asks, still perched at his spot next to the chess board.
"I dont know, mum is cleaning him up right now" is the only answer James has, he doesn't know if he's okay or what happened, but he does know that if his mum has anything to do with it he will make a turn around.
December 25th 1976
Its been nearly 2 days since his brother showed up at the Potter's front door step and they still haven't said a word to eachother. Regulus is staying in the room across the hall from Sirius. Euphimia has been taking him food up and there is an en suite bathroom in his room do there has been no reason for him to leave, but Sirius is desperate to see his little brother and make sure he's okay.
Euphimia keeps telling Sirius to give him time, so does James but he needs to see his baby brother. Needs to make sure he's alive and breathing even though he knows he is.
Sirius knows first hand what it's like to be disowned and to run away from home but the problem is, Sirius can't possibly imagine what it was that drew regulus out of the house. He was their golden child. The heir to the noble house of black. There's no way they are letting him away this early.
He some home manages to shove his concerns for his brother aside to go downstairs. It is Christmas after all.
The Christmas celebrations in the Potter household go as usual. Breakfast as the 4 of them, big Christmas lunch with family friends (peter and remus obviously in attendance), and then a calm wind down once everyone has left. Regulus is yet to make an appearance.
James, Sirius and Monty have been sat playing exploding snaps for about half an hour. For the first 25 minutes Effie watched while sipping her tea then disappeared off upstairs. Sirius suspects she's talking to Reg.
About half wn hour later Effie makes her way back downstairs, surprisingly followed by the younger of the 2 Black brothers. They both sit down on the sofa next to eachother and Sirius sees his brother for the first time since he arrived. His face is still slightly bruised and he has a small cut on his bottom lip. The 2 boys make eye contact, saying nothing for what feels like forever before Regulus drops his head. He doesn't pick it up for the rest of the night. Just sits in the company, sipping on the cup of tea Effie made him.
They all make there way upstairs gradually, Monty leaves first then when Effie gets up to leave so does Regulus. Regulus goes into the kitchen to get a glass of water so by the time he's don't that Sirius and james are heading upstairs too. James makes it to his room first leaving the two brothers alone.
"Reggie..." Sirius says before Regulus can make it into his door.
"Not tonight Sirius, not tonight" he bows his head and closed his door behind him.
"Merry Christmas" Sirius whispers, knowing his brother can't hear him but he hopes he does.