Regulus was invited to stay for dinner, and he agreed, having found relief from the tension and anxiety that had filled him up for days. True, there really wasn't much that any of the Marauders could do, but just being in their presence made him feel a bit better. Especially when they did things like include him when they referred to the lot in the room as family, or else refer to their flat as home - his home as well as theirs. 

He found himself helping Alice and Lily pour rice into jam jars and watching as Alice instructed him how to arrange the bluebells and pine just so. They even took his idea - and let him do the charm of - transfiguring some of the rice pieces into little firefly-like lights that glowed inside the jars. "You could do that at the wedding, too," he suggested, "And toss them about among the trees."

"Oh you're brilliant, Regulus!" Lily squealed, and he taught them how he made the rice glow and they gave it a go, making jars full of glowing rice. 

"It's going to look so beautiful, Lily," Alice was practically crying as she said it, and she breathed deeply in the scent of the pretty bluebells dreamily.

"Oi, little brother, if you're sick of hanging out with the females and doing girly things you can come with me and the lads," Sirius announced about midday, "We're going to go get James's tux."

Regulus looked at the flowers and rice and the gooey eyes Alice was making at the lot of center pieces. "Sorry ladies, I'm being summonsed. I trust you'll be alright without me?"

Lily laughed, "We'll be alright. Do me a favor," she added, looking pointedly at Sirius, then back to Regulus, "Don't let any of them talk James into anything ridiculous. The tux ought to be black. Not pistachio. Not raspberry. Not eggplant, turquoise, clementine, halcyon or any other ridiculous color."

"Pistachio was a brilliant color choice, Evans, you're just jealous," Sirius said.

"See to it that the tux is black, Regulus," Lily requested, laughing and pointing at Sirius, "Watch out for that one."

Regulus nodded, then said, "Are you sure? A clementine suit sounds rather fine."

"Oh gods," Lily said, "It's hereditary." 

Sirius grinned, crowing loudly, "I've never been more proud, little brother. Come on."

"I was thinking the raspberry might be kind of intriguing actually," James joked. "Suppose it would clash with my eyes though?"

"A tad," Sirius said. Then, "OOH - how about PERRIWINKLE?"

"Don't worry Lily," Remus said. "At least one adult is going on this outing."

"Perriwinkle is a funny word," James was saying as Remus ushered him, Sirius, and Regulus out the door. "Nearly as funny as cimanonamin."

The door slammed shut behind them.

Lily turned to Alice. "He's going to come back trussed up like a clown."

Alice giggled, "Hopefully Remus will have the final say."

Lily shook her head, "I love Remus to death but he doesn't have a very good track record with talking those two out of anything."

Alice laughed, "I know - Sirius and James have had some influences on Frank, too, before."

Meanwhile, out on the stairway, the lads had nearly bowled over Peter Pettigrew, who was just arriving, carrying a box full of napkin holders that he'd been in charge of bringing, having picked them up for Lily at a shop in Diagon Alley, where she'd ordered them nearly a week before. 

"C'mon Pete, come with us," Sirius said, "We're going to get Prongs a perriwinkle suit with a raspeberry tie."

"Okay, just let me drop these off first," he said, holding up the sack, and running up the stairs.

Sirius threw his arm over Regulus's shoulders lazily as they walked out to the end of the alley to the main road. "So, little brother, before this nasty business of You Know Who going all stalker-y on you, what had been on in your life? Anything exciting that I ought to know about?"

Regulus shrugged, "Not particularly."

"Nothing exciting happening at ol' Hoggy-Warty-Hogsnouts?" Sirius asked, sounding disappointed. Then, grinning, "What's the DWO been up to?"

Regulus rolled his eyes, "They're right little buggers they are. Just like you lot... You'd be very proud."

"I knew they were the ones to take over for us!" Sirius hooted. "It's that little fucker Wally, isn't he? He's the mastermind?"

"Dunno, they're usually all equally involved, though it actually seems to be Ollie that's up to the most mischief, or at least he's the one that gets talked about the most." He paused, "I think every girl in the school has a crush on him."

Remus laughed, "Good for him."

"I mean he only has eyes for Wallace," Sirius intoned.

"Yeah, basically," Regulus agreed.

"And how about you, darling brother of mine?" Sirius asked, "Any... sexy females... caught your eyes?" he paused, then, "Or males, of course, I don't care what you like."

Regulus flushed. "Well... there's... there's one girl that I've been friends with, but - but that's it, really." He added the last bit quickly, with a hint of apologetic tone.

"THERE'S A GIRL!" Sirius cried, grinning. "What's her name, grasshopper?"

"Oni Lamm." Regulus was red as could be.

James smirked, "That's a nice name. What's she like?"

"Well she likes Care of Magical Creatures nearly as much as I do," Regulus said. Then, "She kissed me in the library a couple weeks ago."

"WHOOO!" Sirius shouted, and he pulled Regulus in under his arm in a choker hold, grinding his knuckles against Regulus's head.

Remus said, "The library's good for that. Isn't that right, Padfoot?"

"Only way you could get me to go study... Give me a promise of seeing a bit of your restricted section and I'm in." Sirius grinned and winked as Remus laughed and James stuck out his hands and pretended to cover Regulus's ears, laughing. "OH come on, Prongs - the boy doesn't have innocent ears!"

Regulus laughed, "Yeah, sorry, James." 

Peter came running up behind them, puffing as he had run down the stairs to rejoin the group. "Okay I'm ready," he panted. "What'd I miss?" He could tell the way the others were snort-laughing there'd been something.

"You don't want to know, Pete," James chortled.

The herd of them started off down the street, walking in a clump together on the sidewalk - Sirius still with his arms over Regulus's shoulder, Remus taking the lead, while James and Peter followed behind the brothers. 

"How've you been Pete?" James asked as they walked, Sirius's voice loud and shouty ahead of them, while Remus fished about in his pockets for underground tickets. 

"Been alright," Peter answered.

"You haven't been 'round in awhile - we miss you."

"Been busy," Peter said. 

"Yeah?" James asked, "Deliveries and the sort?"

Peter nodded. "Yeah. Been looking into some other opportunities, too." 

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." 

They'd reached the tube stop, and Remus showed them how to use the tickets. Regulus got it figured out before Sirius did, which led to him teasing his bother good naturedly as they loaded themselves into the train car and took seats. James and Sirius stayed standing, holding onto the leather handles that hung down from the ceiling, challenging one another to stay standing. 

"You're going to fall and hurt yourselves and it won't be anyone's fault but your own," Peter warned from his seat. 

Remus looked to Regulus, smirked, then turned to Pete, "You should see them doing this nonsense on the Knight Bus... much more violent."

"It's a miracle they aren't both dead already," Peter said, shaking his head.

They rode the tube across London and got off close to Piccadilly, where Sirius became the leader, marching them along until they'd come to the tuxedo shop he'd intended to bring James to the day that had ended up being the attack on the Chainwright Theater. "Here we are, lads! The place where we decide what suit Lilith will be tearing off Prongy's body a fortnight from now!"

"Really Sirius!" Remus rolled his eyes.

They piled into the shop.

There were rows and rows of suits hanging on racks, mannequins dressed to the nines, and the walls were papered to look like a smoking room with leather arm chairs and lush carpets. A gentleman with a curled-up-at-the-ends mustache came 'round from a counter at the far end, and Sirius instantly turned to James and pretended to twiddle an imaginary 'stache of his own. "Take a look at that, Prongs, you're being helped by a regular Hercule Poirot."

"Good afternoon gentlemen," the man said with a very thick French accent, which only made Sirius raise his eyebrows as though he had proved his point. "Which of you is looking for the tuxedo?"

"Well we're all needing a suit at least - but it's this one that's getting hitched." Sirius pushed James forward, and James grinned.

"Congratulations, Monsieur." 

"Thanks," James said, his lip hanging up on his tooth.

They spent a good hour of James popping in and out of the dressing room, trying on suits - some with tails, some without, mostly black but a couple were blue, which Remus said was the closest to non-traditional that James was allowed to get. They started a voting system, where James would try on a tux, come out, spin about for them, and they'd cheer and give a thumbs up or a thumbs down. It got quite noisy, especially when Sirius magicked one suit to be a neon pink and they had a good laugh as James stood before the mirror pretending at being a flamingo.

"Perhaps your animagus took the wrong form, you make a damned fine flamingo, my harem," Sirius whispered, and James pushed him so he fell into one of the leather arm chairs. 

Finally after many, many try-ons, James's voice came from the dressing room. "Lads, I've found it." He stuck just his head out. "Be prepared... Remus, you might want to hold Sirius down for this one."

Remus grabbed Sirius's wrists, and Sirius cried, "But - but - but--!"

James pushed aside the curtain and stepped out with a flourish, taking a spin as he did so, and then reached up, straightened the bow tie around his neck, and said, "You can call me double-oh-seven."

"REMUS I TOLD YOU HE WOULD BE A BETTER BOND! I TOLD YOU HE WOULD BE A BETTER BOND, REMEMBER I TOLD YOU!" 

"You do look good, Prongs," Remus said, as Peter clapped enthusiastically and Regulus got up and went to inspect the suit.

"Here," Regulus said, and he ducked to a tray of pocket squares, folded one expertly, and tucked it into James's lapel. "And you'll want to do your tie this way instead of like that --" he untied and retied the tie so that it was properly adjusted at James's throat. "There you are... Refined as one ought to be on such an auspicious occasion." Regulus smiled.

"My little brother -- a truly well trained Black gentleman," Sirius said, waving at Regulus.

"Thanks Reg," James said, smiling, "You'll have to show me that again a bit slower so I can get it right on the Big Day. Or better yet, you could come 'round and do the tie for me, you reckon?"

Regulus hesitated, neatening the front of the jacket, then said, "I don't know if you would still want me to be there."

"Whyever not?" James asked, eyebrows knitting together.

Regulus said, "Because You Know Who is hunting me down. You don't want the chance that he might figure out where I am on your wedding day. Right horrible if that became a battle. I'd never forgive myself." He turned James about to see himself in the mirror again.

Peter asked, "What do you mean You Know Who is hunting you down? Why Vol--"

"Don't say the name!" All four of the others said at once.

Peter's eyes grew wide in surprise at the multiple shouting voices at once. "Sorry!" he squeaked, "Sorry."

"You Know Who figured out Regulus is on our side, Wormy," James explained. "Did you hear about the Chainwright Theater?"

Peter shook his head. 

"Blimey, what've you been doing, living under a rock?" Sirius asked. Remus elbowed Sirius in the ribs. "Sorry. But seriously, have you been? It's been all over the Prophet for a week now."

"A lot's gone on, Pete," James supplied. He turned to Regulus, "But I know Lily and I both really want you to come. And it isn't exactly something he could just... walk in on. There's a bit of a surprise element to the wedding that would protect everyone from that happening."

"A surprise element?" Peter asked.

James smiled, "Yeah, you'll see there Pete. Lily would kill me if EVERYONE knew about it before the day of."

"I suppose these two idiots know, though," Peter whined, pointing at Sirius and Remus.

"Well Remus did the magic for it and Sirius -- well, Sirius was there," James said.

Sirius beamed as though this was a grand accomplishment. 

"It's quite impressive, though, you'll be amazed. Remus's really outdone himself," James added, smiling at Remus. He turned back to Regulus, "But seriously, it's going to be quite safe."

Regulus said, "I suppose it'll depend on where Mother and I are with the Safe House by then. I'll do my very best to come, though. I was really upset about having to skive it off. I've been thinking about it all week."

"Well yes then do your very, very best. We expect you there."

"And wear your dancing shoes, little brother," Sirius said, "It'll be the one opportunity in your life you'll have for putting some of those mundane old Black family traditional lessons that we learned to use... sort-of."

Regulus laughed. "Because there will be waltzing to concertos?"

"Maybe consider your lessons a what-not-to-do on that dance floor," Sirius said.

"I rather think the fact that you know how to waltz is quite hot, actually," Remus said.

Sirius grinned. "I'll waltz you so hard --"

"Rule number one!" Peter cried.

"Rule number one?" Regulus asked as James guffawed loudly.

"Doesn't apply outside the dormitory, ratboy," Sirius said evilly cackling.

James ducked away into the fitting room and changed back into his regular clothes. He paid the man at the counter and thanked him for letting them try on near to every tux in the shop and they left, walking five abreast down the road, through Trafagalar square and down the roadway to the embankment where they were to meet Frank Longbottom. 

The embankment was crowded as folks were getting out of work - muggles and wizards alike. They passed Gideon and Fabian Prewett who said hullo to the lot of them in unison, and a couple others James knew from his time at the Auror Training Center nodded or waved at him. They found Frank by the war memorial where Sirius liked to wait when meeting up.

"There's Frankie with the pastille scarf," Sirius called out, and Frank turned about.

"Hullo there Sirius, Pete, Rey, James --" he stopped when he saw Regulus, a look of surprise, "Hi Regulus." 

"'Lo," Regulus waved.

"Quite the crowd," Frank said, looking 'round at them. He checked his watch. "I can't stay too long tonight, mind, I've got to go and get Alice at King's Cross in the morning."

"And I'm sure she'll be ruddy proud you've managed to keep this thing on so long without getting yourself hexed," Sirius said, and he loped forward and threw his arm about Frank's shoulders. "C'mon, Longbottom. I hope you're hungry. Evans has been slaving away at a roast all day and it took all my strength not to eat it before you got there."

They took the Knight Bus from 'round the bend where the wizards off of work were ducking to take the toilets or else to disapparate from, and they boarded the purple bus and were back to East London with only mild stomach aches about ten minutes later after making a quick pitstop in Bristol on the way to East London to drop off an old witch whose knitting was nearly left behind when she got off the bus.

They were let off down the road a bit and they walked along past the shops that surrounded the block the flat was on, laughing and talking with Frank about his day. Apparently Moody had confiscated a load of bewitched vacuum cleaners that had taken to chewing on carpets and regurgitating dust into their muggle's faces, and Frank told a hilarious account of Moody trying at getting the vacuum cleaner to stop and getting a good deal of carpet fibers spewed all over himself so that the auror's office looked like it had powdered in orangey-brown snow.

When they were in the alley way outside the flat, Regulus caught Sirius's arm. "Hang on a second." 

Sirius hung back, the others starting up the steps. "What's the matter?" he asked.

Regulus said, "I need to get back to Mother. I left a note this morning saying I was just popping off for an errand, she's probably worried sick by now. I've been gone all day."

Sirius replied, "So? Let her worry. It'll do her some good to see what it's like to worry about one of her children, at least."

"Would you ever consider giving her a chance?" Regulus asked. "She talks about you a lot. Especially this week. She's worried You Know Who might fo after you to get to us."

Sirius scoffed. "He wouldn't think of it... she doesn't care that much about me."

"She does care about you, a great deal," Regulus corrected.

Sirius shook his head, musing, then he murmured, "No, I don't reckon I could ever give her another chance, Regulus. She -- she made her stand on me very clear and it's taken me a good deal of suffering to get over her shit. I don't think I can go back through it all again. Understand?"

Regulus sighed and hung his head.

"I'm glad you don't have that sort of past with her, little brother, and you can have the benefit of the doubt for her that maybe she's a better person these days. I'm really glad you have that with her." Sirius shook his head, "But I can't."

Regulus nodded. 

"Sorry," Sirius said.

Regulus nodded again. 

They stood for a moment under the fading sunlight, facing one another awkwardly.

Regulus reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the Queen record he'd stowed there. He turned it over so that the back was face up. "I got this for you." He held it out to Sirius. "Happy Christmas early."

"You didn't have to get me anything," Sirius said, taking the wrapping paper off even as he said it, "Besides, you should be saving this for actual Christmas - you'll be at the wedding and you could've given it to me ---" Sirius took the album out of the paper and he turned it over, "FREDDIE!" A true grin broke over his face, "Oh bleedin' hell it's the new one!" He tore open the plastic that sealed it and slid the liner notes out, gasping and running his hand over the photo with glee. "Ohhhhh FREDDIE! Brilliant! Brilliant!!" He looked up at Regulus, and his eyes were gleaming. 

Regulus smiled. "You didn't have it yet?"

"I didn't, no." Sirius said, "I was going to use the money I got from the degnoming job today to buy it but --" 

"Well, I'm the reason you didn't get that money and now you've got the record anyway," Regulus said, "It's kismet." He paused, then reached for the record. "Did you see the backside?" He grinned at his little pun.

Sirius cracked up upon seeing the bicycle rider on the back cover. "I read about this," he said, laughing, "They staged a whole photo shoot... hundreds of naked people having a bicycle tourney."

"Why?" Regulus laughed.

"Because it's funny as fuck," Sirius replied, "And besides they have a song called bicycle on the album and it was a sort of promotional thing... Freddie Mercury is a bleedin' genius and I love him so much." He looked Regulus in the eyes. "Thank you for this, little brother."

Regulus nodded, "Of course... big brother."

Sirius smirked. He stepped forward and closed his arms around Regulus, pulling him tight to his chest. "Listen," he said while they were hugging and their faces were looking over one another's shoulders and Regulus couldn't stare at him while he said the words he needed to say, "What you said earlier... about me being a brother that doesn't care about you or that thinks you're nothing or... or whatever... that's not true, okay? I do love you, Regulus, okay? I'm just... really shoddy at showing it. Dunno why. But I do love you."

Regulus's eyes were burning. He closed them and hot tears fell over the ducts. He clung tighter to Sirius a moment, hooking his chin on his brother's shoulder. "I love you too, Sirius."

They stood there like that for a moment... a long moment... and the street lamp in the alleyway turned on.

When they broke apart, Sirius hugged the record to his chest. He sighed. "You're sure you don't want to come up for dinner?"

Regulus nodded. 

"Alright, then." Sirius sighed. "I'll see you at the wedding if not before, alright?"

"Okay."

"Don't be a stranger, kid."

"I won't."

"Come back if you need anything."

"I will."

"Alright."

"Bye."

"Bye."

They stared at one another again for several moments, and then Regulus sighed and turned on the spot and he was gone.

Silence fell over the alley way and Sirius stood there for a moment, staring at the place where Regulus had been, then lowered the record to stare at the cover of it. He smiled and turned, carrying it upstairs. He paused on the landing, composing himself, then kicked the door in. "HONEY I'M HOME!" he shouted, entering into a room that was already full of commotion as Frank was still getting over the surprise of having Alice back in his arms where she belonged.