Disclaimer: I do not make any money from this Fanfiction. I do not own the characters used in this Fanfiction. The Harry Potter books are © by Ms. Joanne Kathleen Rowling, Bloomsbury, Scholastic, Little Literacy Agency, Arthur A. Levine, Random House, & Warner Brothers. Other copyrights and trademarks of Harry Potter belong to Hallmark, Jim Dale, Nintendo/Gameboy, Department56, Coca-Cola, Inc., and more to come. All rights reserved.

However, the idea of this Fanfiction is strictly my own.

Summary: What if Sirius didn't wait until he was sixteen to run away? When Sirius is ten years old, he decides to run away and live on the streets. He takes an eight-year-old Regulus with him. Now the two brothers are forced to survive on their own. They don't have anything but a tattered Muggle book, a handful of coins, several scraps of food, and each other. NO slash, other than a strong brotherly bond.

Fallen Stars

"If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together... there is something you must always

remember. you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than

you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be with you." ― A.A. Milne

Chapter One

The rain bore down, like a torrent of bullets, onto the roofs of London.

Two boys scurried through the streets, their cloaks whirling behind them.

The older boy was urging his little brother to run faster.

"Sirius, I can't hold on much longer," the latter whimpered.

The oldest boy raised his head, to look around. Beneath the hood of his cloak was a handsome, yet sorrowful, face. Silver eyes, which had once sparkled, were now dull. Raven black hair fell out of the hood and down to the boy's shoulders. A scar traced his cheek.

Sirius Black had been called many things, by his family. He had been called a traitor, a wretch, an imbecile…

Yet, no one dared to call Sirius Black an idiot.

For he was one of the smartest wizards of his age.

No one dared to call Sirius Black a quitter.

For he would not stop until he knew that he and his brother were safe.

No one dared to call Sirius Black weak.

For he would continue to run, until his dying breath.

He grasped his brother's hand tightly, and pulled him into a deserted alley.

There they knelt, with Sirius's hands on Regulus's shoulders.

Regulus Black whimpered. His own silver eyes were sparkled with tears. At only eight years old, he couldn't fully understand what was going on.

"Regulus, be quiet," Sirius soothed, "Everything's alright."

"I want Mummy," Regulus snivelled, "I want to go home, Sirius!"

"We can't go home," Sirius said, patiently, "We can't ever go back there."

This statement was too much for Regulus, who burst into tears. The tears mixed with the rain, which was falling in sheets.

"Stop that," Sirius said, desperately, "We'll be alright, on our own. We've stuck together, through worse."

Regulus's lip trembled, but he was able to quiet down.

"Can you read to me?" he finally whispered.

Sirius reached into the small bag and took out the battered book. They had managed to sneak the book out of a library, several months ago. It was by a Muggle author, known as Dr. Seuss. Regulus simply loved it, and even Sirius couldn't help but to feel calmer when he read it.

"I hardly need to look at the book," Sirius chuckled, "We've read it so many times."

Regulus blinked up at him, "The story could be different, now."

Sirius laughed as his brother's naiveté and began to read:

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away!

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care. About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there." With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

Sirius glanced down, and saw that Regulus was dozing off.

"That's enough for today," Sirius said, promptly.

Regulus nodded, letting his head droop. He let out a small snore.

Sirius held him, shielding him from the rain. He could feel the little boy's quickened heartbeat. He could hear his stomach growl, from lack of nutrition. He didn't let go, not even when Regulus fell asleep, nor when the rain subsided.

Even when the storm had passed, Sirius still held Regulus. For he was his brother's shield. He had always been his shield.

A/N: I know what you're thinking. You're reading this Fanfiction and going, "Ugh! Why did the author make Regulus eight-years old and Sirius ten-years-old? He's only a year younger than Sirius! I know. Regulus has a birthday coming up very soon, people!

So what'd you guys think? Please reply! Criticism, comments, I love them all!