"What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Regulus said in response to Evan's question.

"Well, I hope you're not studying more, as we've finished our end-of-the-term exams," his cousin said.

"We're taking our O.W.L.s next year," Regulus responded.

"Just stop with the studying, Regulus," Evan said. "For once?"

"It's not, but thank you," Regulus said.

"And you don't want to share?"

"It's," Regulus frowned. "Private?"

"Does it..." Evan said, and then his cousin shook his head, carrying his things into his trunk. "No. I won't ask. Whatever Sirius did this last time, I know it upset you, but I won't ask. Barty might, but..."

"You're upset about that?" Regulus asked, finally looking up. He glanced at his trunk. "And before you asked, I've already packed my trunk and double-checked everything more than once."

"Likely a dozen times, knowing you, just as I always leave packing for the very end," Evan said. "I'm not..." Sitting on the edge of his bed, his cousin took a deep breath. "It's not about me being upset, but you being upset. I don't like Sirius upsetting you like that."

Regulus swallowed. "Likely, he is going to be in for it when we get home, that's for sure."

"And Aunt Walburga? She will be screaming at him, and he will be screaming back at her?"

"Likely," Regulus said.

"Says my cousin, who doesn't like loud noises, acting as if that's not a big deal," Evan said.

"I'll stay busy," Regulus said, then paused, looking at Evan. "If it helps, I'd say something about the matter if it weren't for me not wanting to drag an innocent business into it."

"Snape isn't an innocent, Regulus."

"No, but..." Regulus sighed, closing the notebook he had attempted to write more lyrics in, slipping it under his arms, and turning in his chair. "It's someone else, someone, Sirius ended up hurting, but if what happened got out, it would really hurt that person."

"Ah," Evan said, holding up his hands. "You need to say no more."

"I don't?"

"You couldn't hurt a fly, which is why I need to do it for you," Evan said. One of his eyebrows shot up. "Nobody from our house is giving you a hard time again."

"No. The threat of my cousin jinxing them works quite well, thank you," Regulus said. He let out a deep breath. "We'd best be going, lest we..."

"We won't miss the train, Regulus. I'm sure the teacher double-checked to ensure all the students were on the train."

"That would explain why Sirius has never tried staying here, as he has never had permission from maman to stay at school for the holidays."

"That brother of yours," Evan sighed. "Good luck with him this summer, Regulus."

"Yes. I'll need it," Regulus said, pulling his trunk from the room, Evan following him. Barty joined them, saying various things Regulus paid no attention to, but riding on the train, lyrics involving the ride ended up jotted down, only for him to snap the book shut when Barty tried looking at them. "No, Barty."

"No, Barty. Bad Barty," Evan said, laughing. "You know not to look at Regulus' notes. He hates people looking over his shoulder."

Regulus tilted his head. "It was a bit different with Adrian, kind of like how things used to be between Sirius and me before I started hiding what I wrote from him so he wouldn't tease me about my thoughts." He let out a sigh, looking at the notebook. "Best hide this as well, although he'd die of amusement if he found out I was doing Muggle-like music with others. Might even tattle to maman, given he's always wanted something to get me into trouble."

Getting off the train, their mother met them, along with Kreacher, ready to apparate them home the moment Kreacher clicked his fingers, only for Sirius to take his sweet time. They landed in the front foyer and—

Regulus closed his eyes, letting Kreacher take his trunk to his room as Walburga lay into Sirius.

"Sirius Orion Black! What were you thinking, nearly getting a fellow student killed!"

"A student?" Regulus thought, heading up the stairs. "More like three, but then, I guess Mother wouldn't care about a werewolf or that best friend of Sirius, although I myself didn't know James was involved until..."

He winced, hearing Sirius start yelling back at their mother. He headed up the stairs, still hearing them yelling, deciding to sit on the landing, legs hanging down, knowing full well that the sound of them yelling would travel to his and Sirius' rooms on the top stairs.

A hand reached up, pinching the bridge of his nose, letting his notebook open up, looking at the lyrics regarding a banshee killing his brother, his mouth twisting into a frown. "And how exactly is this related to Sirius and mother, now that I think of it? I mean, it's not as if she's actually killing Sirius, right? He's still here, alive, no matter how much dramatics he pulls saying she'll use one day the unforgivable curses on us, including the killing curse."

He sat there, snapping the notebook shut, tucking it into his school robes that he hadn't changed out of yet, looking down at the two still yelling at each other.

"I don't see why the death of a dirty Slytherin even matters!" Sirius snapped at their mother. "He's a bloody Slytherin, like you. All of you are a bunch of murderers, but I'm just waiting for someone to kill me in my sleep."

"Sirius," Regulus muttered. "Stop being dramatic. It's not funny."

Not that either could hear Regulus; his words always seemed to fall on deaf ears two, leaving him wishing a way existed that he could communicate with him.

Walburga, of course, didn't think what Sirius said was funny either, spluttering. "We're not murderers, but you really shouldn't talk Sirius Orion Black, what with you nearly getting a student killed!"

Sirius held up his hand, mimicking talking with his hand as he rolled his eyes. "Blah, blah, blah! I don't want to listen to an actual killer. As I said, all of you are killers."

"Your brother isn't!"

Regulus was startled, not expecting their mother to bring him into the conversation, or at least so soon. He pulled his legs away from the banister, hoping Sirius wouldn't that moment look up, glaring at him for—

"Normally, she's telling him to be more like me, even though I hate being like me," Regulus said as Sirius looked up at him, glaring, catching sight of Regulus before he retreated from the railing altogether, heading to the wall.

"As I said, all of you are!" Sirius snapped. "But that perfect little angel of yours isn't such a perfect little angel, you know!"

"He's certainly not a killer, but as I said, Sirius, you've really no room to talk about killing others when you nearly killed another student!"

"Not even the same, old hag. That brat, I know you're grooming him to be a killer just like you, just like Bella!"

Regulus let out a sigh. "And what did I do this time to piss him off?"

"You'd better hope you're O.W.L.s come back with decent scores, Sirius Orion Black, or you'll be in even more trouble than before."

"Oh! Because Regulus could ace them right now, as far as you're concerned? So what if I decided to flunk every single one of them just to spite you?"

"Sirius, please tell me you didn't do that. You're already in enough trouble as it is with the prank you pulled on Severus Snape." His eyes opened, thoughts of more songs springing into his head. "Drat. Not now. Why does my mind have to do this?"

They didn't hear, continuing yelling at each other as Regulus' head pounded, Sirius not holding back on the accusations of murder as his brain thought of a song about studying for one O.W.L. and N.E.W.T.s, and another regarding the unfairness of being a child cursed with werewolf syndrome which only made his head hurt worse.

Taking a deep breath, he headed to his father's study, knocking on the door, his father saying he could enter. "They're arguing again."

Orion looked up from his desk. "You know I can't stop them from arguing."

Regulus shifted his notebook under his arm. "Not that."

"No?"

"Could I go and visit Aunt Lu and Uncle Iggy?"

"Now? It's quite late?"

"I think they'll be going all night, papa," Regulus said. "You may want to hunker down at grandpapa's."

"Noted," Orion said, letting out a deep breath. "Yes, you can go. I'll message Lucrettia that you're heading over, but you can stay a few days if you want, as I think she'll be laying into Sirius for a few days."

"Likely," Regulus said, then paused. "How do you feel about what Sirius did?"

"How do I feel?" Orion frowned. "It's typical, isn't it."

"No, it's not!" Regulus said. "He's never actually tried to kill someone!"

"You don't need to defend your brother, Regulus."

"I'm not!" Regulus said, sniffing, trying to hide how upset he was. "It's just—he nearly got a friend of his killed! That's not the Sirius I know!"

"Lower your voice, Regulus."

"Sorry," Regulus said. "So sorry."

"No. Sirius hasn't been, well, the person you knew growing up for some time now."

"But I'm stuck where I've always been," Regulus sighed. "I wish I could, you know, just get through to him, but he doesn't listen to me."

"They don't listen to me either. Well, she listens to me, at least until that brother of yours does something else to set her off, and then all of what I've said before goes out the window," Orion said. "Go, though. Lucretia will have a tea ready for that headache of yours. I know it has already started."

"Thank you, papa," Regulus said, slipping from the room, heading for the drawing room, and casting the Floo powder so he could end up there, knowing full well that, even though his father was letting her know he was coming, that he wouldn't have time to let her know, so they were undoubtedly surprised upon seeing him arrive in their drawing room.

"Regulus," Lucrettia said.

Ignatius frowned. "What happened this time?"

"It's a long story," Regulus gasped out. "But you'll listen? Actually, listen to me?"

"Why, of course," Lucrettia said. "You need not worry about that."

Regulus let out a sigh of relief, though the relief didn't feel complete.