OVERCAST ▕⃝⃤ Regulus Black

Chapter Seventeen - HYPOTHETICALLY

Remus had been the first to forgive Sirius, but something about that conversation had always seemed hollow, like the young werewolf viewed it as something he had to do rather than wanted to. But that wasn't to say Remus had forgotten.

Sirius Black was sure Remus Lupin would never forget what he had done to him.

And It weighed on his heart in the moments the humour and company of his friends were not there to lift it.

His guilt made him question every decison he had made in all of his life and another weight he wanted to lift had emerged.

Sirius had never quite seen eye to eye with his brother, mainly because after attending Hogwarts for a year Regulus had spent the first day of summer gluing newspaper articles of The Dark Lord to his wall. He wondered more recently if that was his fault. Sirius hadn't meant to let their house divide come between them but it was hard when Regulus seemed to represent everything his parents wished he was, who he should have been. Maybe he should have tried harder to yank him away from hanging out with the likes of Malfoy and Goyle rather than cursing him out for it. Maybe that could have saved him.

But the moment he thought about most was the night he left Grimmauld Place, the night he tried to save his brother. He had asked Regulus to escape with him to only to be met with the coldness of a no. Sirius thought he was cowardly for that, but the more he had thought about it lately, Sirius failed to see a scenario where he would ever say yes.

And once again he wondered if that was his fault. Of course he could never control his brothers thoughts or beliefs, that was Regulus' choice, but Sirius constantly felt like he should have done more to prevent the tormentor his brother would become.

In fact, he had attempted after Christmas for a few months last year to break through to Regulus but was once again met with no.

And so Sirius doubted whether his brother had really changed. Sure Regulus had managed to befriend someone as kind as Pandora but she had always ventured to see the best in people even when it wasn't necessarily there.

But Phoibe Evadine?

His most recent friend had claimed to despise the boy, and while Sirius had no doubt she had a clear dislike for him, he knew it wasn't hate and had a funny feeling it would not last when Regulus seemed to be smiling at her and she wasn't pushing him away as expected.

The older brother was uncomfortable to say the least as he stared at across the field the younger wizard actually talking to to her.

What was he up to?

Sirius was suspicious. Especially when he knew Regulus was right under their mother's thumb after not wanting to leave her. It was no secret that Phoibe Evadine's father was on his way to becoming the new Minister of Magic and so Sirius wondered whether that was why Regulus seemed to suddenly be so friendly.

The Gryffindor's stomach dropped at the idea of Phoibe being used as some kind of pawn in his mother's endless games.

Maybe he should go over there and give her an excuse to leave. Phoibe was probably looking for one. Sirius could only imagine Regulus' current absmal conversational skills ranged from insults to quidditch tactics.

However, the wizard wasn't exactly looking for trouble unlike usual. Sirius figured marching over would only make Regulus want to sink his claws in further. He had always been petty like that.

"Peter?" Sirius nudged his friend who had been polishing the end of his broom finally feeling encouraged enough to play the second game of the day.

"What?"