Work Text
Sirius Black was eight years old when the world went to shit. He doesn’t remember much about the day of the outbreak but from the little bits of information Andy has told him over the years, he’s managed to piece together a timeline in his head.
On the morning of September 26th 2013, Walburga Black received a phone call from her brother, Cygnus. Due to him being a politician, Cygnus was an important man in the eyes of the government and therefore was let in on secrets that the public were…kept in the dark about. Secrets, such as a fungal infection which takes control of the human brain and causes it’s victims to only have one goal; spread the infection.And spreading it was, Cygnus learned. It had already escaped from its containment in Asia and had travelled across the ocean to North America at an alarming rate. By Monday morning it would be unstoppable.All ‘important people’ were to be moved to safe houses scattered across the country, or brought to one of the quarantine zones that the government were preparing. Cygnus chose the former.And so, on that fateful September morning; Cygnus and his wife, Druella, woke up their three daughters and told them they would be going on a trip with their cousins. While the girls quickly packed their things, Cygnus called his sister to inform her on what was going on. Unbeknownst to him, his sixteen year old daughter, Andromeda, heard every word.She heard how their ‘trip’ would permanently move them from their home in Wyoming to a house all the way in Boston, Massachusetts. She heard how there was a deadly infection on the rise which was ravaging the entire world. And worst of all, she heard how in a days time the world would never be the same.When the phone call ended, Andromeda slipped away up to her bedroom and pulled out her own phone. Her father shouted at her from downstairs that it was time to go but before she left and never returned, she had to call her best friend.For a few seconds after she hit the call button, the only thing Andromeda could hear was the phones staticky ringing in her ear. Her hands began to shake with worry. What if she doesn’t pick up. What if I never hear her voice again? Just when she started believing her fears would come true; a voice on the other end stopped her in her tracks.“Hey Andy what’s-“ but Andromeda never let her finish.“Dorcas, something bad is happening. I have to leave. You’ll understand why soon enough. I don’t have enough time to explain - you wouldn’t believe me if I told you anyway…”“Andy what the fuck is going o-““There are things coming that will try to hurt you. No matter the cost, you do not let them, okay? Tell your family to lock their doors and if I ever get the opportunity, I’ll contact you through the radio.”“You’re scaring me-““I love you so much Cas, we’ll see each other again.”And then the line went dead.
(Years later, Sirius would learn that Andromeda did in fact get in contact with Dorcas through the radio; until eventually that line also went dead - separating them forever.)
Things for Andy got a little all over the place after that. She remembers the drive to her cousins house, and the excitement she felt when she saw her favourite boys run towards the car. How Sirius - so young and so pure - immediately sat next to her and curled up into her side, falling fast asleep. They were driven to the airport where they filed onto a private jet and sat in their respective seats. Well…except from Sirius as he stayed glued to her side and refused to sit in his own seat.Throughout the flight, Andromeda drifted in and out of consciousness, catching snippets of conversations around her. It seemed her older sister Bellatrix had somehow found out about what was happening and was interrogating their Mother who simply ignored her. When they landed, it was beginning to get dark. The walk from the plane to the rental car felt eerie and unsettling, as if someone - or something -was going to jump out on them at any second.Apart from the background noise of the radio going on about the rise of a mysterious illness which was causing people to become dangerous, the car was silent. At least, until Regulus spoke up.“Are we sick?” he whispered softly; so quietly that no one would’ve heard him unless the car was as silent as it was. He was so little - only turning five a few months before - and he looked so scared that Andromeda felt herself tear up.Walburga glanced at him from her position in the front seat. “Don’t be stupid,” she snapped. “Of course we aren’t.”No one spoke again after that.After a few hours, they pulled up to a large house. It wasn’t extravagant or anything, but it was big enough to fit all of them. (Although some people would have to share bedrooms.) There was a tall gate surrounding the place which could only be opened using a code and it looked to be strong enough to keep almost anything out.The night was cold and the sky was pitch black outside when Andromeda and her family stepped out of the car. So dark that no one saw it coming - not until it was too late. It all happened so fast and all of a sudden one of those things had grabbed Druella by the back of her head and sunk its teeth into her neck.Time seemed to move in slow motion as everyone reacted; Narcissa and Bellatrix screaming, Regulus running towards his parents, and Sirius - just like herself - unable to do anything other than watch as her mother was torn apart in front of her eyes. It always amazed her; how similar she and Sirius were. Two sides of the same coin, Druella would say. They always seemed to be on the same wavelength. Knowing what the other was thinking or feelings. Being able to tell what their next move was. That’s why when Andromeda began to collapse backwards, Sirius was there to catch her. He would always catch her. His tiny hands wrapped around her neck, and she hid her face in the space between his collar and jaw as she sobbed. They stayed like that until Andromeda heard the sound of a gun shoot two bullets, the immediate thud of body’s falling afterwards. Whenever Andy mentioned this bit, she would always go somewhere in her head, like she was back in that moment again. The feelings of shame and regret would always be present. Why didn’t I do anything? Why didn’t I react quicker? Why did I only curl up in a ball and cry? She knew the reason was because she was scared, but it just felt so wrong that she would be frightened of something as small as one little helpless infected after all she’s been through now.And so the Black family walked through the doors of their new home, Andromeda holding Sirius’ hand, Walburga carrying her youngest son, Narcissa holding onto her oldest sister for dear life, Orion god knows where (probably walking at the back by himself), and Cygnus clutching his wife’s cold, limp corpse. The first of many losses yet to come. *** Sirius Black was sixteen years old when he ran away from the place he was supposed to call home. This time, he doesn’t need Andromeda to explain to him why, or how, or where; because he remembers all of it. Every bit of the torture he faced in that awful house - the way the end of the world seemed to bring out the worst in his family. How they became terrible human beings.In the beginning, they were coping; they were safe. The gate surrounding the house applied protection from the infected, and if anyone dared to climb over it, Bellatrix’s dead aim would take care of them.The government tried to control the situation by operating quarantine zones in the city’s that could be saved, and bombing the ones that were too far gone. The military - or the death eaters, as they would come to be known - controlled these quarantine zones and they were the most corrupt bastards ever. They would risk the health and safety of anyone in the QZ’s as long as whatever bribe they were taking was worth the effort.About a year after the outbreak, the rations system was doubled down on and people were beginning to be given less and less food. That’s when the protests started and the Order of the Phoenix was formed.The Phoenix - as they were more commonly referred to as - wanted to restore the USA to a democratic country and re-introduce a way for people to live happily, even in the darkest times. Hence the message of, “When you’re lost in the darkness, look for the light. Believe in the Phoenix.” that they would repeat at the end of every broadcast on the radio. Sirius couldn’t count on both his hands the amount of times he’s heard that slogan.Throughout the years after outbreak day, the Phoenix gained more followers and began to take action. They would execute attacks against the death eaters which brought them attention and allowed them to spread their message. In some cities, they were effective. About five years post-outbreak, Pittsburgh fell. The people of the quarantine zone rose up with the Phoenix and together they overthrew the death eaters control.Sirius heard all about them. Whether it was from his parents and uncle dragging their name through the mud, or Andy who believed in their cause and wanted to one day join them. (Although she would never mention that to anyone except for Sirius; as even her own father would take pleasure in killing her.) Cygnus - like other politicians - were given jobs in the death eaters ranks. Sirius never knew exactly what he did, but ever day he would wake up early and leave the house - only returning when it was already dark outside and most people were in bed. This meant that in the house of Black, anyone outspoken against the death eaters would be faced with severe consequences. Sirius, of course, being young and stupid decided to test the limits.And he was punished.Locked in his room for three days without food and nothing to keep him company. He was only thirteen. Although, Andromeda did manage to slip some magazines under the door that she’d found - which he appreciated.After that he learned that he could never trust his family. Well…except from Andy and Regulus. They were the only two people in the world that he cared about. His parents were vocal in their support for the death eaters, and he knew they joined his uncle when he went out on missions to take down Phoenix bases. Bellatrix was climbing the ranks and no longer lived with them all; instead living permanently at a death eater base in Hartford, Connecticut. And Narcissa mostly kept to herself, but there was talk that she’d taken a fancy to one of the high ranking death eaters and they had fallen in love. (Sirius, personally, could not understand the appeal.)The day he turned fourteen, Andromeda gave him his first gun. She knew about the dangers of the family and unlike Sirius, she had actually spent time outside of the gates of their home. They began having lessons where she’d take Sirius out to the garden of their home and teach him how to defend himself. First, she taught him to hold the gun. Then how to aim. Then how to fire. And eventually she taught him how to kill someone using only one bullet.During one of their lessons, Regulus came outside and joined them. After watching for a while, he turned to Andromeda and asked, “Can I have a gun?”Sirius remembered looking at his brother and thinking; but you’re only eleven. My sweet baby brother, it’s my job to protect you, not yours. And I will protect you - no matter what.Thankfully, Andy knew that a boy as young as Regulus could not be trusted with a gun. Instead, she reached into her back pocket and pulled out a switchblade, “Here.” she said as she placed the weapon into Regulus’ tiny hand. “You’re fast. You’re sneaky. No one will hear you coming. If you’re ever in trouble, use this. I promise it’ll keep you safe when I cannot.”Sirius saw how tightly he clutched the switchblade as he put it into his back pocket and that’s when he knew that Regulus would grow into a man capable of doing whatever it takes to stay alive. It should’ve scared him knowing that his little brother would be capable of doing unspeakable things one day. Instead, it only comforted him. As anyone who tried to stop Regulus’ heart from continuing to beat deserved no mercy in Sirius’ eyes.That’s why when the day came and Sirius was forced to leave Regulus, it hurt all the more.It wasn’t his fault, really. All he did was sneak out one night because he needed to see what the world was like outside of his awful home. He crept downstairs and out of the back door where he climbed over the gate surrounding the house. It was built to protect things from getting in - no one would notice something getting out.He didn’t have a plan. Only deciding to wander aimlessly until he found something interesting. He had heard things on the radio, and Andromeda had told him stories from her adventures in the outside world, but this really was the first time he had left the gates of his house in over eight years. Everything was unfamiliar. The last time he had seen neighbourhoods, and houses, and cars, they had been shiny and new. Now, they were covered in rust and were abandoned. No life, no home.He wasn’t stupid (Regulus would beg to differ), as he had remembered to bring his gun and his knife with him - the knife coming in handy when he had to cut some rope in his way - which he planned to use if he came across any infected or people who wished to hurt him.Sirius walked until he found what looked to be an old shopping mall. It was bordered up from the outside but there was a window left open on what looked to be the second floor. If he found something to step on, he could definitely climb through. After searching for what felt like years and grossly discovering a dead rat behind a lamppost - he ended up finding a large wheelie bin which he rolled into position underneath the window and then used it to climb through. When he landed inside the mall, he crouched down and stayed silent as he checked for any infected. Upon declaring it clear, he looked around and found that he was in some sort of costume shop. The place was a wreck; with shattered glass littering the floor and blood on the walls - which he hoped was from one of the little plastic tubes that he’d found which said ‘fake blood’ on it, but he probably wasn’t that lucky.There were rows and rows of outfits to wear; cats, nurses, skeletons, witches, even zombies! if only they knew, right? he thought. Eventually, he reached a stand which had all different types of necklaces on it. There were various themes available; Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day - but only one caught his eye. It was simple; nothing but a silver chain with a silver star attached to the bottom, but Sirius thought it was perfect.
Regulus would love this.
He grabbed the necklace and began to put it away in his pocket when he heard a noise. It sounded like someone crying, and it was coming from the closed door in the corner of the shop. Sirius had never heard another person sound so distressed while crying - it unsettled him. He began to walk towards the door and reached into his pocket to collect his gun. The closer he got to the door, the more distressed the crying became and when he eventually reached it, he knocked and asked, “Hello? Are- are you alright?” no reply.He knocked again.“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. I can take you somewhere safe. You don’t have to be scared.” Sirius reached towards the handle with his left hand, his gun still tightly clutched in his right; prepared to attack if need be.When he opened the door, there was a boy. He was facing away from Sirius, but he could tell he was no older than Regulus from his height and small build. The boy’s shoulders were shaking with what looked like sobs, and Sirius began to walk towards him, “Hey little guy, where’s your parents? I can help you find them if-“ but he never got to finish, as the boy turned around and snarled before sprinting towards him. Sirius only had a second to process three things at once. Number one: the boy was infected, number two: this poor kid must have been so scared, and number three: oh shit I should probably run.Sirius turned and ran out the door but the boy was faster and jumped on him. The force of the attack knocked them both forward and they collapsed to the ground in a heap. There was a second of silence and then the boy began screaming again and suddenly Sirius felt a hand grab his ankle. He looked down and saw the boy trying to take a bite of it and he instinctively went to aim his gun like Andy had taught him, but it was no use as during the chaos it had been knocked across the floor where he could not reach it.
Great.
Sirius continuously kicked at the boys face while he tried to find something else he could use to defend himself. He spotted a broken bottle beside him, which he grabbed and threw at the boys head, giving him enough time to shake his leg free and run in the direction of his gun. He reached it and picked it up, turning as fast as he could to aim and the boy who was now running full speed, directly to him. He fired one shot, two shots, three shots; but they all missed their target. (In Sirius’ defence, it was the first time he had ever encountered an infected and ever had to fire at a moving target - cut him some slack.) He continued to fire shots at the infected boy until it finally reached him and shoved him up against a wall. The boy was all animal, snarling and biting at his face; trying desperately to take a bite out of his neck. Sirius truly believed that he would accomplish it, when a gunshot suddenly rang out. Sirius looked at the boy who had now gone limp in his arms and turned towards his saviour.It was his fucking Mother.And she did not look happy.“You stupid, stupid boy!” she screamed as she began to stalk over to him. “You incompetent fool! Thinking you could leave the house without me knowing and then not even being strong enough to defend yourself!” she spat in his face.“Mother…I wasn’t trying to disobey you-““Disobey me? I don’t care that you snuck out. I care that you are so weak that one teeny tiny baby infected could overpower you. I should have let that monster kill you, you’re an embarrassment to our family name.” Sirius stared at her in shock. His own mother wanted him dead? That was a low blow, even for her.Sirius felt anger rise in him so quickly that he was almost choking on it.“You think you can blame me for this?! You’re the one who has kept me locked up inside that torturous house for eight years! You’re the one who never taught me to defend myself! You’re the one who never speaks to me unless it’s for a punishment! Go ahead and tell me how disappointed you are in me - I don’t give a shit-“ his words were stopped by a hand slapping him across the face. Sirius felt her rings cut open his skin. Blood trickled down his cheek.“Don’t you dare swear at me!” she hissed at him. There was a minute of silence where they both did nothing except for glare at each other with disgusted looks, until Walburga managed to control her emotions and slip back into the mask she always wore. “If we leave now, we will make it back home before the sun rises.” she said calmly as she walked towards the window leading out of the shop. However, before she could begin climbing through, Sirius’ voice stopped her.“I’m not coming with you.”Silence.Silence.Silence.And then.“What do you mean?” she said sharply, her back still facing Sirius.“I mean I’m not coming with you. I wont go back to that house. Not when you treat me like this.” Sirius explained.Walburga sighed as she turned to face him. Her steps were slow as she walked in his direction. Sirius tensed more and more with each step that brought her closer. When she stood close enough that he could feel her breath on his face, she reached a hand forward and cupped his cheek. Sirius flinched on instinct.“Oh my sweet boy.” she whispered as she stroked his cheek. “Such wasted potential.”And before Sirius could reply, Walburga smacked him in the head with the handle of her gun, knocking him to the floor.Sirius fought to stay conscious, but his eyes kept closing of their own accord. He could feel his mother picking him up off the ground but he had no energy to fight against her. He could hear no sound apart from the ringing in his ears, and every time he would manage to open his eyes, he got too dizzy and would have to shut them again. Sirius could do nothing except fall hopelessly asleep as Walburga began to walk in the direction of their house.When Sirius woke, the first thing he registered was the ice cold surface he was lying on. He itched for the warmth of his own bed. Upon opening his eyes, he was faced with a view of the ceiling. He slowly sat up but got dizzy too fast and immediately threw up - which was a difficult process considering he had nothing to throw up. He sat dry heaving and gagging on the floor for what felt like a century until he finally settled. A concussion. Great.He looked around and saw that he was in the basement of his house. He hadn’t been down here in years. It was freezing in this part of the house and he began to shiver uncontrollably. He needed to get out of here - and fast. Unfortunately, before he could think up a plan, the door opened and Walburga walked through.“You’re awake. Good.” she stalked over to him and crouched to were he was on the floor.Sirius was still so out of it. His head was throbbing and his vision was blurry which made it difficult to make out her words and process them. “What am I doing down here mum?” he asked weakly.There was a moment of tense silence.And then, “I’ve decided to let you prove yourself.” she paid no attention to the hurt look Sirius gave her and continued on. “If you pass my test, you will have proven your worth and be allowed to continue to live here. If you do not…” she stared directly into Sirius’ eyes. “…you die.”
Fuck. She had finally lost it.
Sirius always knew his mother was batshit crazy, but this was a whole other level. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” he spat out.“I’ll show you.”She moved to the door in the corner of the room, which Sirius believed was a utility cupboard (although he had a sneaky feeling that she wasn’t in there looking for cleaning supplies). Sirius sat in suspense for whatever shit she was about to pull; trying to ready himself for the challenge he would be facing.But nothing could have prepared him.An infected man walked out of the room first and Sirius’ immediate thought was that Walburga had somehow stolen one of those zombie costumes from the costume shop, and had worn it to scare him. (He blamed it on the concussion.)Walburga followed after the man and Sirius realised with a start that she was holding the end of a rope which was tied around the infected’s body. She’s going to let it kill me. Sirius realised. She’s going to watch me die. The betrayal he felt was unwanted but there nonetheless. “You want me to fight it.” Sirius didn’t ask it like a question, he already knew the answer.“Correct.” Walburga replied. “If you manage to kill it, you will be forgiven for your incompetence from before. If you do not…we’ll I’d say it’s pretty obvious what will happen.”Sirius’ hands began to shake, his breathing becoming uneven. “Do I at least get a weapon?” he gasped out.Walburga pretended to think on it. She even brought a hand up to her chin and stared at the ceiling in fake deliberation. Sirius had to sit on the floor in utter silence and watch as she ridiculed him; until finally, she muttered a simple, “No.”And with that, she let go of the rope and watched as the infected ran directly for Sirius.He was faced with an intense feeling of deja vu when the infected pinned him to the floor and began to try bite at his neck. He was back at the costume shop being pinned down by that little boy; feeling as helpless as he did now. But this time was different. He felt weaker than before and his head would not stop pounding - a reminder that he couldn’t stop the infected the first time, so how could he stop it now?How could he stop it when he could barely see straight? How could he stop it when his own mother was standing in the corner of the room letting it happen - no, being the reason it was happening. What was the point? Why should he fight to stay living in a world this cruel? A world which should make mothers fight with everything in them to protect their children; but instead had turned his into a monster.Sirius rotated his head to face his mother; subsequently baring his neck for the infected like it was an offering. He felt his hold on the monster begin to slacken but he did nothing except continue to stare directly into her eyes and hope she could somehow hear his thoughts. You made us this. A son who cannot recall the warmth of a mothers embrace. A little boy who has done no wrong and has been taught no right. I will not fight for your approval and because of it I will die by your hand. You don’t deserve my life and I don’t deserve my death, so where does this leave us? Should I let myself die and hope that the ones who truly love me will understand that I leave on my own terms? Should I fight to survive or is the pain of knowing that you can see me struggling and will not offer a helping hand too much to bear? I need you to decide for me mum. I need you to choose me for once in your life. I need you to choose me. Please, please, please…Sirius would never know what his mother truly would have decided. For in that moment - while he sobbed on the floor, silently begging his mother to choose him - Andromeda burst through the basement door. She surveyed the room in one quick look, pulled out her pistol, and fired two shots. One into the infected’s head, and one into Walburga’s heart.There was a gasp, an intake of breath, a thud on the floor, and then nothing.Sirius dazedly looked from the infected’s body lying beside him, to his mothers limp body on the floor across the room, and finally to Andy who had somehow managed to appear in front of him and was clutching his face in between her hands. The look she wore was one full of regret, relief, worry, and acceptance all at the same time.She was saying something to him but Sirius could hear no sound except his own jumbled thoughts. “I don’t think she was gonna choose me.” he whispered. Andromeda stopped her ramblings immediately. “Oh god, she wasn’t going to choose me.” he began sobbing and curled over into himself. He continuously repeated his mantra of not me, not me, not me, until Andy pulled him into her chest and let him soak her shirt with his tears.“It’s okay étoile. I’ve got you, I’ve got you…” Sirius only cried harder because she hadn’t called him that since before the outbreak began, and he finally felt back home again.Sirius doesn’t know how long they sat there. Him desperately trying not to fall apart, and Andromeda piecing him back together when it inevitably happens. He eventually pulls back from her and is immediately faced with the image of his mothers dead body over her shoulder. The panic is sudden and he stands up too fast that he sees stars, causing him to stumble into Andy who has to keep him steady.She looks at him with alarm, “What the fuck happened? Did you hit your head or-“Sirius cuts her off, “Andy we need to go. Now.” his words are slurred but he continues on, “Somebody will have heard those gunshots and if we don’t get out of here quick, we’ll be next.” Sirius sees her heart drop.“Shit, you’re right.” she realises. “Okay, we’re going to sneak upstairs, grab our shit, and then get the fuck out of here.”“Where will we go?”“You know the Phoenix?” he nods and she continues, “I made contact with them a few weeks ago. Managed to get a message through to them on the radio that I have insider knowledge on the death eaters and would be willing to join their cause.”Sirius stared at her indignantly, “What the fuck Andy?! Why didn’t you tell me?”She waves his annoyance off with a flip of her wrist, “I had a plan to get us out of here unnoticed. Next week Walburga and Cygnus were both going to be out of the house at the same time. That was our chance to escape. But obviously plans change…” she trailed off. “Anyway, there’s a Phoenix base beside the Boston quarantine zone. We can get there in under two days and we’ll be in the clear. Now c’mon we gotta-““Sirius?” a voice questioned weakly from the doorway. Sirius turned to find Regulus staring at both of them with tears in his eyes. “What happened? I- I heard the gunshot and wanted to check if you guys were safe. Have you seen…” Sirius saw the moment Regulus’ eyes locked on their mothers body. “No, no, no, no, no…” he pleaded as he ran over to where she lay. “Mum, Get up! Mum you’ve gotta get up. Please…” he sobbed, cradling her body.Sirius walked over to him and slowly laid a hand on his shoulder, only for it to slip off when Regulus whipped around and glared at him, “Don’t you fucking touch me!” he screamed hoarsely.Sirius’ jaw dropped and tears formed in his eyes, “I’m sorry.” he trembled. “I should’ve asked-“ but Regulus cut him off.“This is your fault!” he shouted. “You misbehaved like you always do!”“Hey that is not fair-“ Andromeda cut in but Regulus only continued.“She told me that you snuck out. I was there when she carried your body back into the house. She told me how you attacked her when she tried to bring you back…she was only keeping you safe!” Regulus’ lip trembled. “This is why we should stay behind the gates of the house. It protects us and you knew that - but you still decided to leave and break the rules. She told me she brought you down here to explain why we don’t do that. All she wanted to do was help you and now she’s dead because you two killed her!”There were hot tears spilling down Sirius’ cheeks. His breathing was unsteady and he found it difficult to stay upright. “Regulus you’ve got it all wrong. She wasn’t trying to help me, she was trying to hurt me. I know what you think, but she wasn’t a good person-““Stop talking.” Regulus hissed. “I don’t care why it happened, Sirius. Our mother is dead, and you were involved. Now leave before I kill you too.”Sirius was in shock. He genuinely couldn’t process the words that were coming out of his brothers mouth. Would he really kill me?Sirius wanted to push the thought out of his head and never let it see the light of day again, but the image of Regulus clutching the switchblade in his hand the day he was given it flashed into his mind. That doesn’t mean he would ever use it on me, he reminded himself. It must’ve taken too long for him to answer because Regulus stood up from his position on the ground, whipped out his switchblade from his pocket, and pointed the sharp end at Sirius’ face. Andromeda immediately drew her gun and pointed it at Regulus. Sirius saw the split second Regulus’ face showed how betrayed he was by this action, but he recovered quickly.“You think I won’t do it?” Regulus snarled as he walked closer to Sirius.“I won’t let you hurt him, Regulus.” Andromeda warned, still aiming the gun at him but Regulus wasn’t phased.He continued to walk towards Sirius until the knife was rested against his throat. Sirius took a shaky breath and spoke, “I know you Regulus. You won’t do it.” Regulus did nothing except shake with barely contained fury. “Come with us, Regulus. We can be somewhere safe! We can be together-““Get out!” Regulus roared. “Just fucking leave!” he began to shove Sirius with his left hand, his right still pressing the blade heavily against Sirius’ neck. All it would take was wrong move and…“No…” Sirius whined. “I can’t lose you too.” He tried desperately to cling onto him but Andy saw how worked up Regulus was getting and new it wouldn’t end well for anyone if they stuck around any longer.“Let’s go Sirius.” she ordered as she grabbed his shoulder and began dragging him towards the door.He shoved her off him and shouted, “I’m not leaving without-“ but stopped when the switchblade flew past his face - so close that he could feel the breeze it caused - and landed in the wall to his right. He turned to see Regulus staring at him almost unrecognisably.“Go.” he said.Sirius had never denied his brother anything before.Why start now?
(The basement door would haunt his dreams for the next twelve years. His brother on the other side; so close and yet so far. All it would take to see him again would be to step through the door.)
(He was never brave enough to try the handle.)