((A/N: Last chapter! (Hmm it sort of looks familiar~) Thank you all so much for reading! Don't forget to check out the Remus/Sirius Big Bang on LiveJournal! ))

Sirius had been receiving subtly degrading letters from home since he'd entered Hogwarts, but none quite like the one he held in his hand.

It came at breakfast on a Saturday, carried by an unfamiliar black owl. The letter had been shoved into his pocket, as it bore his brother's name. Somehow, regular correspondence with his little brother did not seem like a cool thing for a twelve year old to do. He preferred to read and respond to the letters in private.

At first, Regulus had been fairly disappointed that his brother had been sorted into Gryffindor. Sirius did his best to assure him that the dodgy old hat had simply made a mistake and that he belonged in Slytherin just as much as any other Black. As if to prove it to Regulus, Sirius associated with Slytherins exclusively for the first few weeks of his first year. Some took to him at once, recognizing his prestigious last name, others wanted nothing to do with a wayward Gryffindor.

Then he had met James and the Slytherins seemed less and less appealing.

Nevertheless, his little brother still idolized him. When Sirius came home for the holidays, Regulus followed him around as always, as if their time apart did nothing to their relationship. Somewhere in the back of Sirius' mind, he always worried that the boy would think less of him if he knew that all his friends were Gryffindors. So he said nothing of his friends, instead telling Regulus all things grand about Hogwarts.

Letters from Regulus came more often than letters from his parents. That didn't bother Sirius in the slightest. Regulus never pressed him for details about everyone's blood status or wrote biting remarks.

Letters from his parents were more or less the same as the letters other children received from their parents. How was he doing in lessons, was he getting enough to eat, was he avoiding fraternizing with mudbloods? There would be a snide remark or two about the house he'd been sorted into, but nothing Sirius couldn't handle. They were his parents, and every parent had a few faults.

After breakfast, Sirius found himself in the dormitory alone. He told the others he had something to do and would meet them on the grounds in ten minutes, at most. Their letters were always short.

That day more so than ever.

Sirius,

Mum and Dad told me the Sorting Hat doesn't make mistakes. When I get to Hogwarts, I'm going into Slytherin and I never want to talk to you again.

-Regulus

Those two sentences coursed through Sirius' thoughts like poison. Just like that, his brother hated him for stupid reasons. His little brother who once idolized and loved him…

What Sirius would have liked to do was write back something as equally hurtful. He wanted to say something like "took you long enough to find out, you little git," and throw in every insult he could think of. He wanted to scream into a howler and send it in the dead of night.

Instead, Sirius felt tears forming at the corners of his eyes.

The letter crumpled in his fist before he chucked it in the wastebasket by his bed. He crossed the room to the window and yanked the curtains closed, the light suddenly bothering him. Then he just stood there, in the middle of the room, hot tears filling his vision.

Footsteps outside the dormitory brought him back to reality. In a hurry, he scrubbed away his tears with the back of his sleeve and dove for his book bag. He pulled out a book at random and fell onto the bed, shielding his face as though he was reading.

"Sirius? You in here? Figured we would just find you."

James. He could not see Sirius like that. Sure, they were best friends, but Sirius would never want to see James cry, and he was sure James never wanted to see him cry. That was girl stuff. They were boys, and boys did not share their secret feelings or whatever.

"Merlin, it's dark in here. Oh, I see him, James, on the bed." Peter, someone else who could not see him like that.

As their footsteps drew closer, Sirius had no idea what to do. "Reading," he said weakly, hoping his voice didn't sound too off. "Go on without me."

He could barely see James' face in the darkness. "Reading? Since when? Come on, it's Saturday, only Remus reads on Saturday!" His fingers closed around the textbook and before Sirius could do anything, James pulled it away.

Sirius did about the only thing he could; he pulled back his fist and punched James square in the face.

An explosion of curses filled the room. Peter squeaked, scrambling back and out of the room, but James remained, hands clapped over his nose. "Bloody—" his words faulted when he caught sight of Sirius' expression. "What's—"

"Nothing! Get out before I hit you again!"

"Git," James hissed as turned on his heel and stormed out of the room. Sirius waited until his footsteps faded away before drawing the curtains and flopping onto the bed. He had no idea how long he laid there, tears streaming, before the door opened again.

He bit his lip and frozen, hoping it was just James getting his books or something.

"Sirius, are you there? It's Remus." The timid voice sounded far away, as if on another planet entirely. Sirius shifted uncomfortably, burying his face deeper into the pillow. Maybe if he didn't say anything, Remus would go away.

No such luck. "Is something wrong?"

Though Remus would be infinitely more understanding to Sirius' problems than James, he still had no desire to see the other boy in his present state. "Sod off."

He could hear Remus draw closer and the curtains rustle. "I just want to know if you're alright…"

Of course Sirius wasn't alright, but what could he say? 'No, actually, I'm a bloody mess, thanks.' "I'm fine."

The curtains ruffled ominously. Very slowly, they drew back, casting what little light left in the room on Sirius. Now that made him angry. All he wanted was to be alone and there was Remus, all in his business. He tore his face from the pillow and glared. "I told you, I'm fine!"

He hadn't the strength to punch Remus as he had James, nor did he really want to. James could take it, James knew it wasn't personal. Remus, on the other hand, tended to take everything personally. Punching him would be like kicking a puppy or something.

Puppy or not, the look on the boy's face made Sirius' stomach turn. Full of pity. For Sirius. He didn't need pity, he didn't like pity. Pity was for people who actually needed it, Sirius didn't need any pity; he was simply having a bad day. He would, eventually, live up to his family's expectations.

Remus dropped the curtain and looked away, chewing on his lower lip. "Can I sit down?"

Sirius blinked, just staring at Remus for a moment. Slowly, he sat up and moved to the end of the bed. Something about the way Remus acted made Sirius think that he genuinely wanted to help. Maybe it would do him some good to let the other boy stay. "I guess."

He wiped away his tears as Remus sat down and lapsed into silence. He took a deep, shuddering breath, willing his breathing to return to normal.

"Um, Sirius?"

Sirius looked up in mild irritation. Maybe Remus did not actually know how to make people feel better and was just going to continue to interrogate him. "What." There was no hint of question in his voice.

And then Remus said something so odd that Sirius never forgot it. "Did you know that Sirius is the brightest star in the sky? It's twenty-six times brighter than the sun."

At first, he had no idea what Remus was talking about or why he had decided to spout some random facts. Then, inexplicably, it became funny to Sirius. Of course, Remus would do something like that. It was just like him to say something smart that didn't seem to relate in the slightest.

Hoarse laughter forced its way out of his raw throat. "No. No I didn't. Is that supposed to mean something?" His shoulders shook, attempting to contain the laughter building inside him. Somehow, he couldn't allow himself to full out laugh when he felt so terrible.

The other boy became visibly uncomfortable, fidgeting and getting red. "I guess not. Forget I said anything."

For a moment, Sirius thought to do just that. He could just dismiss Remus and return to wallowing in his own self pity. No, he didn't want to be alone anymore; he was done feeling sorry for himself. "You can't say something mental and then just take it back."

"Well… that's your name, Sirius, and… I don't know what's wrong, but you'll be okay because you're twenty-six times brighter than the sun. Well, I mean you don't give off light, and I don't mean bright as in smart, but I'm not saying you're not smart…"

It had to be the stupidest thing Sirius had ever heard. A shaky laugh escaped his lips and soon he was hunched forward, covering his face and shaking more than ever.

At the same time, he thought something really odd had happened there. Someone believed in him again. Someone thought he was worth something and he didn't have to prove anything to him. Unlike his family who thought him unworthy for being sorted into the house he truly belonged, Remus seemed to genuinely like him for who he was.

"Thanks…," Sirius said, glancing back up. "I guess." He had to add in the last bit to save face. Of course, he couldn't let Remus know how much that silly phrase had affected him. But any saving face was cancelled out the moment Sirius threw his arms around the other boy.

He hadn't really planned the hug; it had just sort of happened and seemed like the proper thing to do anyway, even though it made Remus turn even redder.

"Um… you're welcome?" was the meek response. "I suppose I should do my homework now."

Sirius watched him for a long moment before Remus finally stood up and made for the door. He flopped back onto the bed and laughed to himself.