Nocturnal Emissions - 3. A Sibling's Intervention

As Regulus watches until his brother is safely out of sight, before going to the door to answer his mother's inquisitiveness, he catches sight of movement in the yard below. What the hell? He squints at the distant figure. It appears to be one of Sirius' friends. He'd know them anywhere, seen them with him often enough. Sighing softly, he decides he needs to get to the bottom of things, see what has distressed his brother so greatly, see if there’s anything he can do to rectify the situation. Assuming they’ll permit him to. He hastens to the door, reassures his mother that he was simply talking in his sleep, assuages her fears and waits until she returns to her own room, the sound of her closing door reaching his ears. Then he draws on his cloak, and exits the room the same way Sirius just had, reaching the ground silently. He approaches the other boy, peering through the darkness to see which one it is. Oh, it’s Lupin. Somehow hat doesn’ surprise Regulus.

"He just left," Regulus says softly, even as Remus whirls about, having detected his presence with his prenatural hearing.

Remus hesitates for a moment, as if unsure what to say or ask, but his concern for Sirius quickly outweighs any other consideration. "Is he all right?" he blurts out in frustration, biting at his lower lip. Regulus is an unknown quantity with him, being both Sirius' brother as well as a Slytherin. Although he tries to get along with everyone, the snakes don't make it easy, and they aren't shy at showing their distaste for him and his less than pure blood. And he’s also aware of disharmony in the Black household, aimed at his friend, but Sirius has never been forthcoming with details, and he’s always hesitated to press him in any way, or to upset him. But at the moment, he doesn't have that luxury. And he also knows the brothers are at odds with one another.

"No," Regulus says bluntly, "I don't think he is. What happened?" HIs dark eyes pierce directly into Remus' topaz orbs.

Remus feels the heat rise in his cheeks, for of course he knows exactly what has happened between them, although why Sirius is running from him is not exactly clear—but he isn't about to share such information with his sibling. He’s grateful for the cover of the night, which shields his embarrassment. "H-he's upset about something. I-I just need to talk to him..."

Regulus regards the other boy, and he senses that he only has his brother's best interests at heart. And he intuits more, in a sudden flash of insight. "You love him, don't you?" he asks with the forthrightness of youth.

Remus doesn't bother to deny the accusation, nodding mutely.

"Then go after him, and make whatever’s wrong right," Regulus insists. "Before my dumb brother gets himself into trouble..."

"He isn't dumb," Remus swiftly leaps to his friend's defense.

"I know he isn't. Not normally," Regulus explains, "but when he's upset ... He just doesn't think, that's all. It's usually how he gets into trouble, you know?"

And Remus knows exactly what the other boy means; he's seen it happen all too often before. Although he really wishes he understood why Sirius is so upset at this moment. But there’s no time to lose.

"Where did he go?" he asks tersely.

Regulus shrugs. "I'm not sure. He took a change of clothes and headed off that way..." He points up the street, in the direction in which he last saw his brother. "If he's not careful, he'll end up someplace bad. Please help him...."

Remus hears something in the voice, in the words, and he understands more than he did before. "You love him too, don't you?" Regulus nods silently.

"Thank you," Remus says, and suddenly he envelops the younger boy in a hug, before releasing him and disappearing up the street, in pursuit of Sirius. For several moments, Regulus does not move, but then he shinnies back up to his room, although he is unable to sleep, thinking of his brother, hoping that Remus finds him in time. And wondering if they will tell him if everything is all right or not. He sighs, biting his lower lip thoughtfully.

It's gonna be a long, long night.