Flashback

To finish his first year at school was a relief, because Regulus wasn't sure if he had truly enjoyed being at Hogwarts as much as his older brother, Sirius, had promised he would.

For one, Regulus had secretly hoped that he would end up in the same House as his brother so they could be together, though he didn't. And more of that, he certainly hadn't enjoyed his time with other Slytherins around his age, or anyone else at all, for that matter.

So returning home was certainly a big relief for him, seeing as he had something else to look forward to back at Grimmauld Place.

     He could finally see his only friend again.

Their way back home from King's Cross Station was a disaster, because from the moment their mother had come there to pick them up, she started scolding Sirius, until the second they arrived at Grimmauld Place.

"Absolutely disrespectful!" Walburga kept yelling as they walked into their house and shut the door close behind them. "I don't know what you were thinking, running off to the Potters' house at Christmas!"

Sirius left his trunk down with a frown on his face and ran upstairs, shutting his room's door behind him as Walburga's shouts followed after him.

"You ungrateful child!" Walburga yelled after him from the bottom of the staircase. "Is this how you repay us for raising you!? IT'S A DISGRACE TO THE NAME OF BLACK!"

"What was that, mother?" Sirius called calmly from his room. "I don't think I quite heard you. Do you mind repeating yourself a bit louder?"

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK! YOU COME BACK HERE AND APOLOGIZE!"

"Come again?" Sirius's voice came again from his room, angering their mother even further.

Walburga tried yelling after him again, though her voice was muffled out by the loud sound of Muggle songs coming from Sirius's room, filling the whole house.

Regulus sighed to himself, quietly walking upstairs to put his trunk in his room and slowly closed his bedroom door after greeting Kreacher warmly, hoping that at least this could lower the voices outside, though it was no help. This was always how it was at their home.

Regulus walked toward his desk beside the window and sat behind it, placing his head down on the desk in exhaustion as he stared out of his window. It was already dark outside, but suddenly something caught his attention out of the window.

With a light frown on his forehead, he got up and walked closer toward the glass, looking outside with narrowed eyes.

On the window in front of his, belonging to the house next to theirs, a note was stuck. He focused hard on it, until he finally made out what the hand-written note said,

Meet me across the street after your parents go to sleep. Don't forget to give me the usual signal! I'll be awake.

Unknowingly, a smile crept through Regulus's face as he read the note. It was even hard for him to hide his smile over dinner. He was glad that Sirius had decided to skip the meal, because he would've definitely teased Regulus about it like he always did.

Regulus waited impatiently until his parents had gone back to their bedroom for the night before walking toward his window and opening it. He then took a little stone from inside his desk drawer; he had collected these stones before, for occasions such as this. And so with that, he aimed and threw the stone at the window in front his on the next house.

His grin widened when as a response signal, the lights in the neighbor's room opposite his went on.

With that, Regulus tiptoed out of his room and when he was sure that the coast was clear, he quietly walked toward Sirius's bedroom and opened his door slowly.

Regulus then tiptoes toward his brother's bed, where Sirius had already fallen asleep, breathing lightly.

"Psst, Sirius," Regulus whispered, shaking his brother gently on the arm. "Wake up."

"Go away," Sirius groaned, pulling the blankets over his head.

Rolling his eyes, Regulus shook him even harder, finally managing to wake him up.

"What?" Sirius snapped, sitting up straight on his bed with a frown and rubbing his eyes moodily.

"Shh!" said Regulus sharply, looking behind him at the door, listening to see if their parents had woken up before looking back at Sirius again. "I got the signal. Let's go out."

"Ugh... what time is it?" Sirius questioned, yawning.

"It's almost one o'clock," said Regulus quietly. "Could you just come down with me? She said she wanted to meet up."

"Fine..." Sirius mumbled grumpily, pulling the blankets off him and getting out of bed, not even bothering to change out of his pajamas as the two brothers tiptoed down the stairs, as quietly as possible.

Although Sirius did notice that for some reason Regulus was wearing his best outfit, despite how late it actually was. But Sirius only grinned and decided to say nothing about it.

Once they crossed the street, they waited beside each other in silent, both of their eyes on the house beside theirs. Although Regulus had started pacing around nervously on the sidewalk.

But both their heads snapped up when they saw the door of their neighbors' house open and in the dark of the night, a young girl of twelve left their house and closed its door behind her quietly, before running across the street to where Sirius and Regulus were standing under the streetlight.

"Hi!" said the young girl excitedly, her wavy brown hair swinging behind her as she ran toward them and quickly first brought Sirius in a hug, and then Regulus.

Although the younger brother didn't want her to let go, and was disappointed when she pulled back so quickly. Her brown eyes were filled with a twinkle of excitement that they had hardly ever seen in anyone else's eyes.

"Hello, Lisa," said Regulus, his face going slightly red after the short hug.

"I really missed you!" She grinned. "And look at you two... all grown up already."

"What are you talking about? We've seen each other only a few months ago at Christmas break," said Regulus, smiling.

"Oi! I'm trying to give compliments here! Play along, will you?" said Lisa playfully, pointing a scolding finger at him, which made Regulus chuckle. His cheeks were still rather flushed.

Seeing this, Sirius smirked at his younger brother's direction knowingly, though Regulus was quick to shot him a warning glare to silence it.

"So what's up?" said Sirius, clearing his throat awkwardly and breaking the silence as he turned to face Lisa.

At those words, Lisa threw down her gaze. "W-well... I... um... actually wanted to meet up with you guys because... because we're leaving."

"You're — what?" Regulus said in a hollow voice, his face falling and his smile vanishing from his face.

"Me and my family... we're leaving the country," said Lisa quietly. "We're moving to New York."

"Oh..." Sirius frowned sadly. "We'll miss you so much." He then moved forward to bring her into a hug. He always saw her as a little sister, and for her to leave was certainly hard for him.

But Regulus remained silent, staring at her blankly with an incomprehensible expression upon his face. Lisa threw a quick guilty glance at Regulus, before digging into her pocket and taking something out of it.

"What's that?" Sirius questioned.

"It's called a necklace, dummy. Ever heard of one?" said Lisa jokingly, making Sirius laugh. "You know? N-e-c-k-l-a-c-e? Should I take out a dictionary for you?"

"I meant what are they for?" Sirius corrected himself, rolling his eyes playfully.

"Well... I thought now that I'm moving away... I would give you guys something to remember each other by..." she said kindly, handing a necklace to each of them.

Regulus still hadn't uttered a single word as he took the necklace's black stone in his hand, staring down at it.

"I'll miss you guys," said Lisa, offering them a sad smile.

"We'll miss you too, Kiddo," said Sirius, grinning.

"Hey! I'm only one year younger than you!" Lisa retorted jokingly.

"That still doesn't change the fact that you're younger!" said Sirius with a laugh, raising his hand and ruffling up her hair before she could dodge it.

"Reg?" Lisa looked at Regulus after her laughter had died down, wishing that he would at least say something. Perhaps just a simple goodbye. But he didn't.

"Later," said Regulus coldly, turning on his heels and crossing the street, walking inside his house without looking back.

After saying goodbye to Lisa one last time, Sirius ran back toward the house, catching up with his younger brother at the doorway to his room.

"Regulus —" Sirius whispered sadly as he placed a hand on Regulus's shoulder, trying to comfort him.

It was true that Sirius always used to tease Regulus around Lisa, but he knew how much she meant to him, even at that young age.

"Leave me alone, Sirius," Regulus mumbled bitterly, shaking his brother's hand off him before walking into his room and quietly shutting the door behind him.

Regulus then dropped himself down on his bed, sitting at the edge of it with a frown as he held the necklace Lisa had given him firmly in his grasp.

He felt guilty for not saying goodbye to her. He never knew how he could express his feelings and emotions. But perhaps a part of him hoped that if he didn't say goodbye to her, then they would meet each other later on. He hated the idea of saying goodbye forever.

So as he held the necklace in his grasp and then wore it around his neck, he promised himself that he would never forget Lisa Goldman.