Bitter Rage and Broken Brothers

When he saw him, standing in the hallway whispering to a twisted looking Mulciber, Sirius felt his heart shudder to a stop. Without even thinking, he tensed up and stood, as still as stone, staring with utter disbelief. A clamminess overtook him, followed by a wave of cold sweat that he knew wasn't from any passing ghosts. Then, there was a prick of guilt. Then, there was a prick of regret.

Regulus' pale eyes met his from across the hall and his face contorted with anger. He seemed to be so full of anger these days. He was like a storming fire that threatened to burn everything down. Like a promise of vengeance and an oath of pain.

Like a brother left behind in a broken house.

"Hey, what's holding you?"

James threw an arm across his shoulder, easy smile splayed on his sunny face, before catching Sirius line of sight. His hand immediately went to his wand, just in case, and his eyes brightened in alert.

If Regulus looked angry before, he looked downright livid now. He always hated James. Livid, and disgusted and, beneath those heavy layers, hurt. When they were younger, when Sirius was prized and Regulus was just the second son, Regulus would keep everything bottled inside and, after a full week, would he sit in a small corner in his room and cry to Kreacher about what had been bothering him. But that had been Regulus, the second son, and now, Regulus, the heir, could be a completely different story. They were never properly introduced anyway,

He didn't know what his brother hissed to Mulciber, but it made the older boy break into a wide, cruel smile. James tensed beside him. Sirius felt his heart thrum. Regulus stalked towards them. James hissed. Sirius kept staring into those pale, icy eyes.

With a hard shove, Regulus pushed past him and continued to storm down the hallway, disappearing into the shadows of the dingy corner.

Regulus was never an angry child. He was an easy playmate, bubbling with energy. He was happy when he flew, happy when Cissy shared her colours with him and happy when he wasn't in sight of their parents. He had his fare share of tantrums, stomping up and down the stairs, but they were usually because he was disappointed, sad or annoyed- but never angry.

But now, bitter rage was all encompassing.

A little character sketch on Regulus at school, directly after Sirius ran away. I always felt that even though they didn't get along later on, Regulus still loved his brother. But, when Sirius upped and ran off, it broke his heart in a way, and left him very bitter, sour and angry- probably even hateful. So... yup!

PLUS! This gives me an excuse to advertise something all HP fans- ESPECIALLY MARAUDER FANS- should be aware of.

Marauders: The Gathering Storm.

It's a Fan Film based on the Marauder's Sixth Year and it is going to be EPIC. Take a minute or two to wander around their tumblr or look at their campaign video on Indiegogo. The link is on my profile page but it's easily googled if you type in (Marauders: Gathering Storm). It's unlike anything you've ever seen before- trust me.

As always: read, enjoy and review!