Do you have any headcannons of Sirius taking care of Regulus when they were little. Like paying attention to Regs needs with the help of Kreacher or Sirius taking Regulus's punishments. Or maybe vice versa
At first Sirius didn’t quite understand what Regulus even was.
Sirius was just barely two years old and quite used to being the only child in the house and suddenly one day there was this other little thing present. He didn’t see what the fuss was about, he was simply told that the squirming, drooling, loud blob was his “brother” and he was to be called ‘Regulus’.
Only he wasn’t really sure what he was supposed to do with a brother. He tried poking it, but that only made the it cry which made his mum shout at Sirius before ordering Kreacher to bring him to his room and punish him. He tried to talk to his Brother, but it didn’t talk back, it only stared at him with large gray eyes and occasionally passed gas…That was the other thing, Brother smelled pretty bad most of the time.
It took Sirius almost an entire year to stop referring to the baby as simply “My Brother” ( “My Brother is crying.” “I think My Brother doesn’t want his snack. Could I have it?” “You shouldn’t shout at me, mummy! My Brother is asleep! You’ll wake him!”) and he finally started to call him “Reggie” around the baby’s first birthday when he took a chunk of chocolate cake in his pudgy little hand and smushed it into their cousin Bellatrix’s hair when she wasn’t looking. Sirius had thought it was very funny until Bella went running to his mother and Auntie Druella in tears. His mother stormed over, looking at the mess all over the giggling baby with the scowl on her face that Sirius recognized would mean punishment.
“Reggie didn’t do it, mummy!” Sirius insisted, pulling on the sleeve of his mother’s robe. “I did!”
Of course, it was the baby -not Sirius - who was covered in chocolate cake. However, Sirius was punished for lying.
That didn’t stop Sirius from doing it all the time as they grew up. Sirius was the trouble maker and always being scolded, shouted at and punished. He was also very protective of his brother and he would take double the punishment if it meant sparing the younger boy of the same fate.
Grimmuald Place wasn’t exactly child friendly. Dark, ancient magic hung heavily in the air and the eyes of the portraits and disembodied house elf heads seemed to follow you around wherever you went. Sirius was brave, he had told himself over and over as he avoided making eye contact with the bulging, lifeless eyes, and it didn’t bother him. Regulus was not as brave and he would have nightmares. He would wait until Mummy and Daddy were asleep, tip toe from his bedroom and down the hall and carefully slip into Sirius’ room.
“Siri?” He’d tug at the blanket that covered his brother. “Are you awake?”
Sirius’ eyes wouldn’t open, but he’d grumble in his sleep and pull the blanket back for his brother to climb in.
“s’only a dream, Reggie.” He’d say, stifling a yawn and throwing an arm over the smaller boy. “s’alright.”
“But how d’you know?” Regulus would ask. They both knew there were bad things hidden in the house. Their father kept very bad things in his office. How did Sirius know it would be alright?
“I’m your brother, stupid.” Sirius muttered, but Regulus could tell he was smiling. “I’ll protect you.”
“Thanks, Siri.”
“It’s you and me, Reg. I’ll always protect you.”
But Sirius was reckless. He got himself into trouble and from what Regulus could see, it was like he did it on purpose. Regulus didn’t understand why Sirius had to always have things his way and Sirius didn’t understand how Regulus could conform to what other people wanted him to be instead of being true to himself. When Sirius ran away to the Potters he asked Regulus to come with him.
“It’s supposed to be me and you, Reggie! Together! I can’t protect you if you don’t come with me!”
“I can’t leave, Sirius!”
“And I can’t stay!”
So Sirius left. James was his brother from then on. They didn’t speak to each other when they passed in the halls at school. They didn’t even look at each other.
When Sirius heard that Regulus had died it broke his heart. He was supposed to protect his brother, but he couldn’t save someone who didn’t want to be saved.
