Summary: In another life, Sirius Black hated anything that had to do with his family. That is, until his brother came into the picture. A rippling effect has unfolded, and the future has been altered. "And Regulus?" Death questioned. "Will he succumb to darkness this time around?" AU

Note: S. here. This is my first fic, so please bear with me, since I have no idea where this idea will take me. Hope you enjoy! Please review!

Prologue: Alternate

The deceptively innocent looking little girl sighed. She rocked her feet back and forth as she looked at the scene of Voldemort dead and Harry Potter triumphing over his victory. She yawned. Tragic, just typically tragic. The homicidal idiot of a dark lord was an incredibly pitiful figure as he laid eagle spread on the ground.

She hummed as she jumped down toward the body, sliding down the air currents from the invisible surface of the sky where she had been comfortably sitting for the last hour or so, waiting till all the humans were in the great castle of Hogwarts. They couldn't see her of course, but she preferred doing her job in solitude. Though she was used to it, it was always weird for people to walk through her. Hell, she's the reason why people feel a shiver up their spines when their impending doom comes near.

She snorted.

Superstitious bastards, the whole lot of them. Ironically, wizards were the worst of that bunch.

Her feet patted the ground lightly before she walked over to the pale body. She leans over the recent corpse with nonchalance, taking note of the hideously slit nose and eyes that resembled a snake. She sneered. The human (*arguable) had caused her much trouble, splitting his soul like that. A stupid move, since he had reserved a place in the Oblivion the moment he did, which was not even comparable to Hell. Nothing was worse than emptiness. At least with torture, you feel something.

Suddenly, she felt a presence that immediately put her on edge. She bit back a curse. What in seven hells was he doing here? She didn't turn and tried to relax her stiffen shoulders, even though she knew it was pointless.

"Well well well. If it isn't Miss Death. I didn't expect to see you here." the person behind her exclaimed, voice drawling. She gritted her teeth. She managed to compose herself before finally turning, glaring as she did so.

"Like hell you didn't." she said coldly. "What the hell are you doing here Time?"

The man smirked. He looked very dangerous when he did. He was the definition of what people would describe "tall, dark, and handsome." His black and white suit and tie along with his black top hat only added to his looks, cigarette hanging between two fingers.

"Oh don't be that way. It isn't my fault you're a terrible gambler."

"You cheated you bastard and we both know it." she refuted furiously. "Damn it Time, you're not supposed to be here. This is my domain! Mine!" she stomped her foot to put emphasis on her words, making her look every bit like a petulant child on a tantrum.

"Yes, of course your majesty." he beguiled, having the nerve to even tip his hat. She huffed at the cheeky gesture, making the man grin. "I've heard you have another Death Seeker now. The kid seems like a decent bloke. Lot better than that Dumbledore fellow anyway."

"True." she reluctantly agreed. "The old coot was as manipulative as you from what I can see. And it would be nice to be able to talk to a human who doesn't do that blasted eye twinkling thing the old man was found of. Though neither of them are as bad as you."

"Oh please. As if anyone can match up to my skills in the art of manipulation." he dismissed. His silver eyes glinted sharply as his countenance turned serious. "All kidding aside though, I didn't come here for games this time. I came here on the behalf of the King."

The reaction was instantaneous as an intense expression overtook the girl's childish features, making her look very old and weary. "What happened?" she demanded. Time sighed and put the cigarette in his mouth, inhaling the nicotine and breathing out calmly before giving his answer.

"He's not pleased." he said gravely. "Apparently, he's having some trouble with two souls."

"Are their souls cracked?" Time's mouth twisted into a grimace.

"No. They're... shattered."

Death closed her eyes. "... Are they important?"

"Well, Fate is currently bitching herself out right now so yeah. Definitely important."

Death took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "Who are they?" she queried.

"The Black brothers."

Her eyes snapped open as she stared at the deity incredulously, as if he had declared his desire to be a tutu wearing ballerina. She groaned and squatted down, resting her whole body on her legs, not caring she was acting how she looked. Of course it was them. Bloody wizards.

"Are you fudging kidding me?" she wailed. She whipped her head around to give the stink eye to the standing man. "But Sirius was able to come out of the resurrection stone and talk to Pott- Oh." dawning comprehension lit her face up. "But it was only part of his soul that went to Potter. The rest is still beyond the veil, right?" Time nodded.

"Bingo. As for the younger one, his soul is currently trapped at the lake. His soul is literally torn to shreds and is currently swimming with the inferi, who just so happens to be able to touch us since they're... well, dead." he finished lamely. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, looking frustrated. "If nothing is done soon, we're screwed. They both, directly and indirectly, have a strong influence on Harry Potter, mister 'Chosen One', and that is big. The very fabrics of time is being bended with their souls howling like dogs (*yes, the pun is intended). They have to pass on, the King demands it."

"Well," Death said slowly, seeing the rising agitation from the other deity. "why don't we just start over?"

Time paused and stared at the still crouching girl. "Explain." She shifted her feet.

"Go back in time and prevent them from dying the way they did. Change the course of history into something different." as the words sunk in, a smile gradually began to take form, razor sharp and calculative.

"A gamble then." he mused. "A risky one at that." He didn't sound the least bit disappointed. Seeing that he was interested in the proposition, she stood up and stretched her arms into the sky, her cloak sleeves slipping at the action.

"Well, now that you know what you have to do, I'm just going to go now. Since you're going to change things, it's not like taking Riddle's soul will have any point to it. Hell, Riddle might actually win."

"Doubt it. He's a mad man, nothing more to it. He'll definitely lose."

"And Regulus?" Death questioned. "Will he succumb to darkness this time around?"

Time smirks. "Only one way to find out."

And so begins this story, the pages ripped out as new entries are written.

Let the game begin.