Legal Disclaimer: All Harry Potter names, characters, places, incidents et al. herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and her legal licensees, including but not limited to Bloomsbury/Scholastic, etc. No copyright or trademark infringement is intended and no money is being made. I own nothing but my heartbreaking ideas.

Author's Note: I solemnly swear that I am up to no good! At long last, I'm finally writing a story about the tragically beautiful lives of my two favorite literary characters—Sirius and Regulus Black! It will go from their first memories to their deaths, touching on every moment in between. I really want to focus on their childhood and their upbringing. Each chapter will alternate between the brothers' points of view. I'll upload two chapters every Tuesday! I genuinely appreciate every single review that I receive and take all criticisms into account!

Rating: T

Dedication: This story is dedicated to Sarah. You've been a great friend, even as I've bombarded you with multiple headcanons concerning these two boys. Now, have a whole story of emotionally scarring headcanons! *Cackles Evilly* Ahem. Anyway…

Blackbird singing in the dead of night

Take these broken wings and learn to fly

All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise

Blackbird singing in the dead of night

Take these sunken eyes and learn to see

All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to be free

Blackbird; The Beatles

Blackbird

Chapter One

Sirius Black's first memory was of Regulus.

Or rather, his first memory was of the harsh, angry, wails that had to have belonged to Regulus.

Sirius angrily huffed and flopped onto his stomach. He was practically lost in a sea of blankets. He wasn't used to this new bed. He doubted that he would ever be used to it. It was gigantic! He could roll over several times before coming to the edge. He did just that before uneasily glancing at the floor. It was miles away.

Regulus continued to scream and cry.

Sirius sleepily covered his ears.

Stupid Regulus.

He immediately felt guilty. It wasn't his brother's fault. Babies cried. They also made a mess and threw things. Sirius sourly felt the bump on his head as he remembered the dinner last night. Regulus had thrown his bottle at him, before devouring into a fit of giggles.

Sirius giggled. Thinking back, it was pretty funny.

What wasn't funny was the fact that his brother was continuing to scream. His parents must have heard Regulus by now. They should have been racing up the stairs, ready to hold and comfort him. And yet, Sirius could hear two snores from somewhere below. He impatiently waited but they didn't break.

'What about Kreacher?' Sirius thought. He shuddered at the thought. Their house-elf was old and wrinkled. Frankly, Sirius thought that he looked terrifying. Certainly, his face was not one that should be seen in the middle of the night.

Sirius peered over the edge of his bed once more. He took a deep breath and debated whether or not he wanted to risk it. In the end, he didn't have much of a choice. His blanket slipped and he fell to the floor with an unattractive thud.

He sat, quite shocked, before tears brimmed his own eyes. He miserably wiped them away. If they weren't coming for Regulus, they weren't coming for him.

Sirius shakily stood up. He was still learning to walk and his legs sometimes got confused. Nevertheless, he managed to wobble over to his door. His hands clumsily found the doorknob but ended up slipping away. He reached for it again and managed to grab hold. He turned it and grinned with success as the door finally opened.

Unfortunately, this just caused the noise to escalate. Sirius' hands flew to his ears. How could their parents be sleeping through this racket?

Sirius wondered if it had anything to do with the potions that they had taken after dinner; the ones that smelled like lavender. His mother had given him the same potion when he was ill and he had slept for three whole days. But were they ill? Sirius didn't know. He hoped that they were alright. He was barely two. He couldn't take care of a baby by himself. Nor did he want to.

He crossed the corridor and tripped over the elegant runner. He crashed to the ground once more. He bit his lip before crawling over to the decorative table and pulling himself up.

He then staggered over to Regulus' door. Sirius and Regulus had the top floor of Number 12 Grimmauld Place to themselves. They each had a bedroom with a large bathroom to share. They were often sent to the floor when their parents discussed things that "weren't meant for children's ears". Sirius personally didn't know what was wrong with his ears but he didn't mind being away from his parents. Their voices often became loud and harsh. Sirius didn't really like it when they did that. It made him want to cry, even if he didn't do anything wrong.

Sirius fumbled and finally managed to open Regulus' door. His brother's miserable wails echoed around the large room. The infant's face was red and pinched. His eyes were slits. He was gripping the bars of cot. Sirius scowled. That had been his cot. He would like very much to have it back. His parents had taken the cot away from him without asking. You weren't supposed to take things that didn't belong to you. And yet, they had taken his cot and had given it to his brother. He, in turn, was given his gigantic bed. He didn't want his bed. He wanted his cot.

Regulus blinked at his presence. The distraught shrieks haltered for a second before starting up once more.

"What?" Sirius asked.

But of course, Regulus was too young to answer.

Sirius glanced around and suddenly realized why his brother was screaming. His bottle was on the floor, a horrid consequence from his desire to throw things. Sirius would have laughed, had his brother not looked so miserable.

He walked over, grabbed it, and clumsily threw it into the cot; his cot. Regulus blinked at this sudden intrusion of privacy. He stopped screaming and he stared at the bottle in confusion. His face finally broke out into a gummy smile and he grabbed it, happily sucking.

"All right?" Sirius gently asked.

Judging by the sounds of happy drinking, Sirius could tell that he was.

Sirius happily smiled, feeling quite proud of himself.

He glanced around before spotting a toy chest in the corner. Another sour feeling entered his stomach. Those were his toys. Not Regulus'. He walked over and selfishly sorted through them. He spotted a giant book and frowned. This was his book. He grabbed it and nearly buckled under its weight. It fell to the ground and he bent over, dragging it across the floor.

Regulus tilted his head, lowering the bottle.

"It's mine!" Sirius cried, "My book."

Regulus merely blinked at him.

Sirius straightened up and defensively repeated, "It's mine."

He was met with more blinking.

"It is."

Blink. Blink.

Sirius huffed. Regulus wouldn't miss it. He was too young to read anyway. So was Sirius but that was beside the point. Besides, the book was magical. The pictures flew right off of the pages and talked to him. Regulus didn't deserve it anyway. Sirius was pretty sure that it had been his birthday present. Or a present from Christmas. Either way, it wasn't Regulus'. But like his cot and his toys, it had become Regulus'.

It simply wasn't fair. Why did Regulus get all of his things? They were his things.

He really wished that his brother would stop looking at him.

Sirius dragged the book for a few more feet before hesitating. Regulus was still staring at him, his eyes wide and accusing. Sirius immediately felt guilty. But still…it was his book…

He sat down, pondering this difficult decision.

He finally sighed and whispered, "Okay."

He dragged it over to Regulus' cot. He threw the book over the railing, narrowly missing his brother. Regulus stared at it for a moment before immediately biting in the corner.

"Don't," Sirius laughed.

He glanced around before mischievously pulling out the drawers to the dresser. He climbed up them before leaping right into the cot. Regulus cracked up and Sirius proudly smiled.

He then grabbed the book and flipped to a page.

His brother's eyes widened with awe as a sparkling golden light swirled around them. He laughed and tried to grab at the sparks. They reflected in the brother's silver eyes before forming into a bearded wizard. He always told the title of the story.

Sirius snuggled up next to Regulus as the wizard boomed: "This is the tale of Babbity Rabbity and her Cackling Stump."

They watched as the wizard swirled into a king sitting upon a throne.

"A long time ago, in a far-off land, there lived a foolish king who decided that he alone should have the power of magic."

The king and his throne formed into a bunch of wizards, marching in straight lines.

"He therefore commanded the head of his army to form a Brigade of Witch-Hunters, and issued them with a pack of ferocious black hounds."

Several golden dogs raced around the brothers and barked. Regulus jumped and snuggled closer to his brother. Sirius gave him a comforting smile.

The two brothers sat and watched the story unfold. Regulus eventually dozed off, using Sirius' shoulder as a pillow and subsequently soaking his pajamas with drool. Sirius didn't mind. He smiled and continued to watch the story until he too fell asleep. He would be yelled at in the morning for leaving his bedroom and disturbing Regulus' precious sleep. But for now, the two brothers peacefully dozed on, as a golden rabbit bounced around their heads.