Regulus didn't know how to feel, he would usually be joyed to come home, this time he had a bad feeling. He knew that his brother and his parents would fight as usual, but the fights were getting louder. At Hogwarts, he rarely talked to Sirius, not because he hated him, but because he simply didn't see him. Contrary to popular belief, he cared for his brother's safety, most of the time that it is. He was lost in thoughts, the train had stopped for a while, and the trolley witch came to tell him to get off. 

Regulus saw his parents and brother, he walked over to them, as he got closer he saw a red mark on Sirius' face. His parents looked displeased already, he saw his mother massaging her hand. 

His parents wouldn't hit Sirius, right? It wasn't unusual to see Sirius with bruises or cuts, everything Sirius would say that he fell or was being clumsy, the more Regulus thought about it, he's never seen his brother trip or act clumsy in general.

The family of four quickly made their way home. Walburga said that she didn't want to see the sunlight or 'awful muggles and muggle-borns' any longer.

"Regulus go up to your room and wait while we talk to Sirius." Regulus did as he was told, going up to his room and shutting his door. 

What happened didn't surprise him, he heard screaming, shouting, hexes, jinxes, and curses. He heard the front door slam shut, it had a distinct slamming sound. He looked out his window and down, seeing Sirius sitting on the doorsteps. He opened his door, said hello to Kreacher, and then made his way downstairs opening the front door and sitting next to Sirius.

"Why do you always do this? We've only been home for an hour." Regulus pulled on the sleeves of his top.

"I did not start..." Sirius looked away grabbing something in the pocket of his leather jacket, "Sorry, I'll try to not cause any more pain to the precious Regulus Black."

"I hate it when you three fight, I want to be good for mum and dad but I don't want you to die." Regulus watched as Sirius opened a pack of muggle cigarettes, he saw some muggle-borns smoking them on their way to Hogsmeade.

"I'm not going to die, I'm the great Sirius Black." Sirius got out his lighter, taking a few tries before being able to light it.

"You say that, but here you are, killing yourself. Lucas Brown, he's a Slytherin prefect, he says that cigarettes are awful for people's health." Regulus grabbed the lighter and tossed it onto the road.

"You? Talk to a muggle-born? Are you alright? You got a fever mate?" Sirius put his hand against Regulus' forehead.

"I don't talk to mudbloods, I was walking by when he was talking about it."

"How is that? Having a muggle-born be a prefect?" Sirius didn't have a problem with it, he in fact, loved it, but he knew where his brother's views stood.

"It's idiotic, almost as idiotic as Dumbledore himself."

"Dumbledore is anything but idiotic, he's wise, he may not be the best man, but damn is he a wise man." Sirius accidentally blew smoke in his brother's face causing Regulus to go into a coughing fit.

"How on earth do you smoke those things for fun?"

"I don't," Regulus gave him a confusing look, "If I smoked for fun, I'd be smoking something else, it numbs everything. It helps forget the two actual idiots in our house whom you call mummy and daddy."

"Don't smoke yourself to death, okay? Lucas said that those can kill you."

"I promise to not smoke myself to death, on one condition, don't end up like them." Regulus flinched when he heard the yelling, as if on cue.

"I promise I won't end up like them, on one condition, you won't replace me." Sirus put out his cigarette laying on the stairs.

"What do you mean replace you, Reggie?"

"You know what I mean, Potter, Pettigrew, Scarfa-" Regulus could feel the glare, "Lupin."

"I may have three younger brothers, but you are my favorite and will always be my favorite younger brother."

"I thought that Potter was younger than you." Regulus watched Sirius get up.

"I said I had three, Remus Lupin, Regulus Black, and James Potter. All three younger, and all three I consider my brothers, along with Peter, but he's a week older." And with that Sirius went inside, leaving Regulus with a smile on his face.

The happiness didn't last long, the yelling started again and Regulus went into his room, locking the door and he sat down on his bed staring out into the sky. He heard a popping noise and looked over, "Hello again Kreacher."

"Does master want anything?" 

"Some tea would be nice." Kreacher disappeared with another popping sound only to return with a cup of tea.

"Is Sirius okay?" Regulus knew that Kreacher secretly watched everything that happened in the household.

"Master Sirius is in his room, he is muttering something about tattoos and piercings." 

"Is he hurt?" Regulus made room for Kreacher on his bed.

"Not any more than usual sir." 

It had been two weeks since the first fight, usually, Regulus would be next to the fireplace reading but instead, he was on his bed staring out his window trying to ignore the screaming from the first floor.

He watched the snow gather up, smiling at the memory of how Sirius and he used to play all day during the winter.

"Reggie, come on." Sirius grabbed Regulus's hand as they ran outside tumbling in the snow Regulus got up going to a smooth patch of snow, "I wanna make snow ghouls!"

As the noises got louder, he heard Walburga shout a curse, it couldn't be the curse that he heard, so he chose not to hear it until Sirius came up the stairs limping, he looked into Regulus's room.

"Don't worry, it's not the first time."

Regulus got up ready to say something but Sirius went into his own room, Regulus stared at the door losing track of time, until Sirius opened it wearing his favorite leather jacket and a crumpled ball of paper. Regulus knew what was happening, the two stared at each other for what seemed like minutes until Sirius left. He wished for this to end.