Melancholy || Harry Potter's twin brother

1: chapter twenty seven

Three days, three days since his first year at Hogwarts ended and Sirius was missing it more than ever. Three days of Petunia glancing at him with pity when she thought he wasn't looking, three days of Harry attempting to talk to him and getting no response. Three days of Dudley and Vernon steering clear of him as though he was diseased. He would give anything to get out the house, but his friends were on holiday, all of them seemed to prefer a holiday at the beginning of the holidays.

Sirius had never felt so alone. He couldn't talk to Harry, he couldn't. But how he wished he could, how he wished his brother could know about the mess he was in. Harry walked into the room, sitting down on his bed, opposite his brother. Sirius internally sighed, Harry was going to try to talk to him again.

"Sirius what happened to you? One minute you were screaming, the next you disappear, and when I ask your friends, they don't know where you are." Harry told him, it was the first time Harry had told him this. "Then I see you looking... like that."

Sirius didn't answer, he was lying on his mattress, staring at a spot on the floor, and he did not avert his eyes or even give a hint of recognition that showed his brother he even knew he was there. "Sirius please, you're scaring me." Harry admitted, he did sound worried, Sirius fought an internal battle between what he had to do and what was right. His moral conscience won.

"Harry..." Sirius cut himself off as his wounds began to burn again. "I'm sorry." He managed to choke out, through the pain.

Harry knelt down beside him. "What is it? What's hurting?" He asked frantically. Sirius shook his head. Harry frowned, his lips pressed together tightly, frownlines creasing his forehead.

"I'm fine." Sirius said, the burning began to fade, but was still there, a warning to not forget what he must do.

"Maybe we should get you to a doctor, or a healer?" Harry suggested. Sirius shook his head.

"There's nothing they can do." He answered. Harry sighed, he looked conflicted.

"What happened?" He asked. Sirius just shook his head and went back to staring at the spot on the floor. Harry couldn't know, he couldn't. It was bad enough his friends knew and were possibly in danger. The least he could do was protect his brother, protect him from whatever Sirius was going to have to become.

He remembered something Ollie and Jane had said when they had thought he was asleep, and yes he was almost there, but he has still heard what they said, and it hung in the back of his mind. 'It'll kill him when he realises what's happening' Ollie had said that, Ollie, who always seemed to be on his side. 'Then we don't tell him' that had been Jane. It was a typical Jane answer and he didn't really expect anything else from her, but then what were they hiding? What was the truth.

He remembered the fearful expressions as the two saw their father, he hoped they would be okay. Yes, they were weird and mysterious, but they were his team, whatever they had to do, they had to do it together.

"Sirius, I can help, you just have to talk to me." Harry was trying his best, but he didn't realise how much his brother was hurting about this.

"I'm scared." He could at least tell his brother that. Harry frowned, he seemed to be unsure of what to do. Sirius didn't blame him, he was all too aware he was being difficult, but he didn't know what else he could do.

"He's gone Siri. It's okay." If only Harry knew. If only it wouldn't harm him if he knew. Sirius shook his head.

"No, no Harry, you probably didn't see him, not Quirrel, Ar-" a pain, a sharp pain shot through his body, he held in the scream, Harry glanced at him with wide eyes. He nodded.

"The man in the shadows. You screamed, I saw him and then... you disappeared." Harry told him. Sirius nodded, pain shooting through him again. He couldn't stop the scream this time. "He did this to you." His brother realised. He nodded.

He was being punished for giving Harry information, that was obvious, but how did Aro know? Was it those enchantments that had caused him so much pain? Or was it something else? He wasn't sure, but the letter that flew suddenly through the window forced his musings from his mind.

Harry retrieved the letter, looking at it longingly. He hasn't received anything from his friends. Sirius was going to kill them both at the end of the summer.

"I'm sorry Harry." He whispered gently as he looked at the handwriting on the envelope. A wild, swirling cursive, he guessed it was from Ollie, but he wasn't sure.

"I'm sure they're just busy..." Harry said, he wasn't convincing anyone, not even himself. Sirius nodded as if to say 'sure they will' and pulled himself into a sitting position.

Opening the letter, Sirius really didn't know what to expect. He had not expected anything, it had only been three days.

Sirius,

I know you won't be expecting this, it has after all been two weeks since we last talked, but we need your help. Our father... He is as we remember him. We're trapped Sirius, Aro will not help us, We're locked in the basement, he got angry and drunk and told us he wouldn't let us 'run away' again. Ollie's unconscious and it's scaring me. I know I'm the last person you want to help, but please. You're all we have. I don't know what's wrong with my brother, but I do know that my father has most likely forgotten about us.
I can't give you the address, I don't know it, but if you look for our presence, you will find us.

We need you Sirius.

Jane.

"It's been three days." Sirius mumbled with a frown. Harry stared at him.

"Sirius we left Hogwarts two weeks ago." He told him, his twin frowned and reached under his pillow and retrieved a pile of letters. His friends telling him about their holidays. It had been two weeks. Of course it had, his friends had extended their holidays, that's why he had been so alone.

"I... oh." He sighed. "Harry I don't suppose you know how to get to York?" Harry just stared at him.

"YORK!" He bellowed. Sirius nodded.

"That is what I said." At Harry's bewildered expression, he sighed. "Never mind, I'll find the way myself."

In a sudden burst of energy, Sirius was ready to save his friends. Harry stared at him as he actually stood up and went to the door. "I'll be back." With that Sirius went downstairs.