Few days later each of the Blacks got an official invitation of the family event at Number 12, Grimmauld Place.

Professor Dumbledore called them to his office.

Bellatrix stood proudly and confidently with Narcissa and Regulus on either side of her. Sirius stood at a distance from them, decidedly subdued.

"Your parents have asked me to let you off school from the 26th to 31st of January. You will please report with your belongings in Professor McGonagall's office at 2 o'clock on the 26th."

Accordingly, Sirius and Regulus were transferred to their house through Floo Powder and the sisters to theirs.

When Sirius and Regulus stepped out of their fireplace, they saw their parents standing there in formal suits.

"Not that I'm complaining, but why did Bella and Cissy not come here directly?" asked Sirius.

Regulus nudged him hard.

"Sorry," said Sirius, without knowing the reason.

They sat down for dinner.

"I hope you're making better class friends," said Orion Black sternly to Sirius. When Sirius didn't answer, he asked Regulus, "Is he?"

Regulus smiled maliciously, seeing a way to get back at his brother for locking his house in the dungeons.

"He is not," said Regulus. "He is always going around with James Potter and two half bloods. He and Potter are always in detention, too."

Sirius glared at his little brother.

"What should we do with a son like this?" asked his mother in a tone of great despair.

"Can't you learn anything from your brother?" barked his father.

"Yes, at least we have Regulus," said Walburga, with a meant to-be-loving smile at her younger son.

"We can be proud of at least one son," said Orion.

Kreacher came up just then. "Do you need more soup, Master Regulus?" he croaked.

Regulus smile was little strained as he saw Sirius' expression.

He sneezed violently, then said, "When are you going to bring Uncle Cygnus and the others?"

"We'll leave now," said Orion. "We might stay there for an hour or two. Do you have any job for them, Walburga?"

"Yes," she said. "You two are to clean out the storeroom. Make sure you keep our heirlooms safely arranged. Throw out the useless things."

"Sure, mother," said Regulus, and he sneezed again.

After their parents left, the brothers trudged up into the storeroom. For ten minutes, they worked in silence, as Sirius was ignoring Regulus. Then, however, he spotted a silver cup with the Black family motto, 'Tojours Pur' written on it.

"Another useless thing," said Sirius loudly, holding it up for his brother to see. He made to toss it in the bin.

"No!" Regulus sneezed. "You know-you are not-supposed to throw-" He sneezed again violently.

"What's the matter with you? Got a cold?"

"No...er-just the dust," said Regulus, going red in the face. He turned to go out of the room. "Can I come back after some time?" he asked.

"So long as you don't get out of the entire cleaning thing you promised mother," grumbled Sirius.

Regulus didn't come back in the next half hour.

Sirius used magic and cleaned out the entire room. Then he stood up, annoyed that Reg had snitched out of the entire thing. He went and knocked at Regulus' door. A paper on it said 'Do Not Enter Without the Express Permission of Regulus Arcturus Black.' Sirius rolled his eyes in disgust.

"Come in."

Sirius went in and saw Regulus curled up on his bed. The sharp words died in his throat as he saw Regulus' flushed face and heard his hoarse uneven breathing.

"Hey, Reg-what's wrong?"

"Nothing," said Regulus fiercely. "I'll clean the storeroom after sometime."

Sirius went up and felt his brother's forehead. He could see at once that Regulus was running a high fever. Regulus pushed Sirius away, and turned to the wall.

"Don't behave like a baby, you idiot. You've got fever-may even the flu..." said Sirius.

"Go away," said Regulus weakly.

"Wait." Sirius raised his wand and said, "Accio trunk." His trunk flew into the room. Regulus tried not to look impressed. Sirius took out a pepper-up potion from the trunk and held it out to his brother.

"Drink this," he ordered. Regulus obeyed without a word, shivering slightly.

As Regulus lay down again, Sirius arranged the blanket over him. Regulus snuggled into it, still shivering. Sirius sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed his little brother's arm till he stopped shivering.

"You ok now?"

"Yes," said Regulus meekly.

"I'll tell Kreacher to send your tea here," said Sirius, standing up.

"Sirius," called Regulus weakly. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"I'm still your elder brother, idiot," said Sirius, and going out, he thought, "And the only time you behave like my little brother is when you're sick."

Minutes later, he came back with a hot cup of tea. Regulus drank it, and slowly fell asleep.

As he had nothing else to do, Sirius sat down on the couch in Regulus' room and leaned against the wall, trying to sleep too.

He heard a soft whisper from Regulus. "I'm sorry for snitching you out to mother and father."

Then both the brothers were asleep.

---------------------

"Wake up," growled Walburga Black. "You have got to go downstairs."

"Mother-Reg's ill," said Sirius protestingly. "Don't wake him up."

"He has to go and greet your aunt and uncle."

"But he had got fever-" began Sirius.

"Sure you had nothing to do with it?" asked their mother.

Sirius stormed out of the room, too furious to speak.

The party happened on the next day, apparently celebrating the 150th birthday of some ancestor of theirs who had died long ago.

Regulus didn't dare to speak to Sirius much under the watchful eyes of the elders. Sirius spent the day chatting with Andromeda, his favourite cousin.

Andy haltingly confessed to him in a low voice that she was in a relationship with Ted Tonks, who was Muggleborn.

"I don't know if they'll accept him," she said, looking miserable.

Sirius felt bad for her too. "But this family is never going to do a thing right-so don't give up Ted for them."

At dinner, Bellatrix went on and on about the rapidly rising Lord Voldemort.

"He's wonderful! Really brilliant. He has got such good revolutionary ideas that if we support him, we will get a Muggle and Muggleborn free world within the next few decades," she said fervently.

"I hope our family's next generation will make us proud," said Walburga, smiling at Bellatrix, Narcissa, and finally at Regulus.

Sirius' heart went cold. The thought of Reg joining Voldemort was just unthinkable.

So he was glad that he and Reg went back to Hogwarts on a good note.

From then onwards, Sirius and Regulus smiled at each other when they passed in the corridor. Though Regulus didn't dare to get too friendly with his blood traitor brother in front of the other critical Slytherins, there was a good feeling between the brothers.