Carvings and Countdowns

4 SB

It was a calm Friday morning as Sirius Black sat in the corning of his room, reading a motorcycle magazine and listening to his record player. His feet were up, his body relaxed...yet he wanted nothing more to go outside and ride his bike.

His foot began to twitch with the thought, before he set it down in the ground and let it bounce uncontrollably. He had too much energy today. Maybe it was the fact that school was approaching soon, or maybe because he'd see James Potter later that evening.

James was his best friend, and at that point, Sirius needed as many as he could get. His parents were more lenient with him being in Gryffindor in his younger years. Maybe the sorting hat had messed up? He's still a Black, we need to consider that! But now that he was older, they began to see right through him.

"This behavior is ridiculous, Sirius!", his father would scold.

"We expect better of you, hold yourself to a higher standard!" , his mother would lecture.

The worst of all for him, was to hear was the disrespect on his friend.

"That potter boy. He's a no good, HOODLUM!", his parents both agreed on this, "Would it kill you to make more friends in Slytherin? You have your brother for goodness sakes."

Ah yes, his brother. Inseparable when they were growing up, but now there seemed to be a wall forming between them. It didn't matter how hard Sirius tried to break it, or how hard he tried to find ways to shimmy through the cracks, his parents always found a way to slam his efforts in his face.

"Be more like your brother."

"Regulus is younger and still more mature than you!"

"Thank the heavens we birthed another son, for our firstborn never reached his potential."

If those comments weren't enough to put a line of jealousy between him and Regulus, the forceful comments they'd fish out of Regulus were.

"Your brother looks like such a simpleton walking around with these fools he calls companions doesn't he?"

"Yes father, he quite does", Regulus would agree.

"It pains us to just think about it, I couldn't imagine witnessing it at school with him", his mother would taunt.

"It is quite entertaining, yes", he'd agree.

At first Sirius could see the apprehension in his brother's face, pick up on the hesitation in his voice, but then it all came natural. It was so often talked about, that it became second nature to them all.

Sirius Black, the disgrace to the family.

He figured it'd eventually stop, just as they figured he would eventually listen to their criticism, but it never did. On and on they'd go, Sirius defying their values, and them despising him for it.

He just didn't think he'd lose the brother in the process. The one person he thought he'd have forever.

"Reggie", Sirius popped in his room out of boredom, hoping to catch him in a good mood, "I was thinking of tossing the ball outside for a bit, would you like to join?"

"I told you to knock before you enter my room", Regulus answered with a sigh and kept his head buried in his book.

Sirius closed the door and knocked.

Nothing.

He knocked once more.

Silence.

"You see the old Regulus would've gotten a kick outta that! Too bad Mum and Dad put a stick up your arse!", he turned from the door with a sigh and bumped right into his unamused father.