We Were Forever

"I officially believe this is a path to nowhere," grumbled Peter, shuffling a good five feet behind the other. James and Sirius exchanged identical looks of guilt, silently asking each other if it were maybe time to throw in the towel. Perhaps the tunnel was a trick to throw people off or a booby trap- Hogwarts was full of those.

"Alright," Sirius sighed in defeat. "Fine, let's go-"

"Wait, do you guys smell that?" Asked Remus suddenly.

"Ugh, Peter!" Groaned James.

"Not that!" Remus rolled his eyes. "I smell chocolate…"

"Alright, it's time for an intervention," said Sirius. "You're an addict!"

"I don't smell anything," Peter muttered.

"I have a better sense of smell than you lot," Remus pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration with an exasperated sigh.

James snorted, "Like super wolfy senses?"

"Yes," Remus deadpanned before shoving his way to the head of the group, which was no easy task in such tight quarters. Holding his wand up, the tunnel was filled with the silvery blue light, and just a few feet away Remus spotted a trap door overhead. Once they were directly below, James- the tallest- was able to reach up and push the small wooden hatch open and one by one they climbed up.

There was a collective gasp from all four of them and a hushed "Bloody hell," from an amazed Remus as they stared at the piles of boxes and crates around them, all labeled Honeydukes Sweets.

"We must be in Hogsmeade!" Said James, grinning from ear to ear in the most devious way that was only matched by Sirius. "This is bloody brilliant! Sirius, there's a joke shop in the village! Think of all the dungbombs!"

"The Slytherins won't know what's hit them," Sirius was practically bouncing before both of them headed to opposite ends of the cellar and plunged their hands into the barrels of candy.

"Whoa, hold on a second!" Remus grabbed the back of Peter's shirt before the shorter boy could join the other two. "We're not here to steal."

"Aw, c'mon Remus!" Sirius whined, stuffing his pockets with ice mice. "No one will know. Besides, I finished your chocolate frogs two nights ago. You need to restock."

Remus huffed, "You what?"

"I'm looking for a Morgan La Fay card… I'm related to her on my mother's side- Aw, Re, don't pout!"

"You don't just get to eat my chocolate when I'm not around, Black!"

"Mum and Dad are fighting again," James muttered close to Peter's ear and they both snorted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sirius rounded on them.

James shrugged. "Nothing. You two just argue like a married couple…" he smirked.

"We don't!"

"You do. But quit your whining, we're surrounded by enough chocolate to last till graduation… except Remus. It's only enough for the weekend in his case," Peter grinned.

When their pockets were full, they jumped back down through the trap door into the tunnel and took the long trek back to the castle and, under the cloak, back to the common room.

"I'm not kidding," James was saying as they dumped their stashes onto their beds. "We really should make some sort of map of the castle… Think of all the other secret passages we could find! Think of how much it would help with pranks! We could charm it, too! It could tell us if the stairs were moving or if even if someone was coming! You think that's possible, Remus."

Remus nodded. "I do, actually," he popped a few Bertie Botts Beans into his mouth. "I'll look into a few spells. It really isn't a bad plan."

"YES!" Sirius nearly jumped out of his bed, holding a trading card in his hand. 

"If that's your bloody Morgan La Fay card, I will murder you in your sleep," Remus grumbled.

"Er… Nope, not at all," Sirius stuffed the card under his pillow. "Well, I'm knackered! Night, chaps!" And he shut his curtains.

—-------

None of them were particularly hungry the following morning, having all stuffed themselves with sweets. Regardless, they were pleased that they decided to go to breakfast anyway because the scene that took place was not to be missed. It started, as most scenes do, with Bellatrix Black screaming from the Slytherin table.

Everyone in the other three houses turned to stare at Sirius, wondering if he and the other boys, now commonly known as The Marauders, had done something to contribute to the girl's apparent anguish, but Sirius simply heaved a sigh and stood and made his way to his cousins and brother.

Both Narcissa and Bellatrix were looking positively horrified and seemed to be consoling each other as Regulus stared down at a letter from their parents. None of them seemed to notice Sirius standing there.

"Er… Alright, I'll bite. What's wrong?" Sirius asked, feeling strangely vulnerable without friends behind him.

"Oh, it's dreadful!" Bellatrix practically wailed. "Absolutely horrid!"

"Has someone died?" Sirius actually felt a twinge of panic, looking to his younger brother for answers.

Regulus snorted, "Someone may. Auntie Druella may as well just drop…"

"REGULUS DON'T SAY THAT! OH CISSY, WHAT WILL WE DO?"

Regulus rolled his eyes. "She won't die, Bellatrix! Keep your knickers on straight," he sighed and passed the letter to Sirius. "Andy's getting married, to that Tonks bloke."

"Merlin, is that all? For Godric's sake, you'd think the bloody world was ending with Bella screeching like a bloody banshee!"

Bellatirx's beady little eyes glared up at him, "He's a muggle! And he's POOR!"

"...He's not a muggle, he was in Hufflepuff. His parents are muggles-"

"SAME THING!"

"And he isn't poor. He just doesn't own half the wizarding world… pretty much because between us and the Malfoys, there's nothing left to own…"

"Well, congratulations, Sirius," Narciss sighed, sounding like someone had murdered her best friend. "Looks like you aren't the biggest disappointment in the family anymore."

Sirius shrugged. "Nah, it's only ten thirty in the morning. I'm sure I'll find my way to the top of that list. I always do, eh Reg?"

He may have imagined it, but he could have sworn he saw a hint of a smile on Regulus' lips. "Anyway, I'll let you go back to your grieving. Send my condolences to mummy and daddy, then?" And he turned on his heel and hurried back to the Gryffindor table before they could stop him.

"Everything alright?" Remus asked, shifting so Sirius could sit between himself and James.

"Yeah, my cousin, Andromeda, is marrying a muggleborn. Looks like I'll have to up my game a little if I want to remain my family's biggest screw-up."

"I'm sure, you'll manage to meet their expectations. I give it a week," said James.

"I give it eleven minutes," Remus snorted.

—-------

Sirius stood at the door to the Slytherin dungeons that night, silently going over in his head what he planned to say. It was not in the nature of the Black family to apologize, nor was it to be forgiving. But Sirius, he reminded himself, was trying hard not to be like the rest of his family and he hoped that Regulus would find it in him to follow his lead.

"I got your note," the voice of his younger brother actually startled him a little, and Sirius nearly jumped before turning to face him.

"I didn't think you'd actually come," Sirius admitted. He reached into his pocket and held out a small bundle of licorice wands. "Your favorite."

Regulus stared at him, stoned-faced. "Is this a peace offering?"

"I… yeah, pretty much," the older boy sighed. "Listen, Reggie, I'm sorry for how I treated you. I just… you were right, I didn't want to feel different from you. You're my brother and I…"

This time Regulus didn't hide his smile. "Me too, Sirius." They both felt relief wash over them as Regulus took the candy from his brother. "Where on earth did you get all this?"

Sirius shook his head with a grin, "Can't tell you that. Just say thank you and leave it at that."

"Thanks," he bit into a wand. "So… Andy's getting married."

"Good for her, I say. If she's happy, why does it matter who it's with? What do you think?"

"I don't think it matters," Regulus said, leaning against the wall, chewing thoughtfully. "I mean, it's not like she's- er… never mind…"

Sirius raised an eyebrow, "Not like she's what?"

"Not like she's… the heir…" Regulus muttered, looking away awkwardly.

Sirius frowned, "So it would matter if it were me marrying a muggleborn?"

"I mean… it would matter more, I suppose."

"Why?"

"I don't know, Sirius. I'm eleven years old for Merlin's sake!" Regulus actually laughed. "I mean you're not getting married anytime soon, so what does it matter"

"...You're right. Sorry."

"Maybe… maybe we just shouldn't talk about family stuff," Regulus suggested carefully. "I'm just glad we're… you know… talking."

Sirius smiled and playfully ruffled his brother's hair. "Me too."