Sirius lowered the amplification charms on the guitar and deepened the sound of it slightly. The first pattern of notes was mournful and sparse.
"I started writing this one summer night, smoking on the roof of what had been my parents' house." He didn't usually say this much about his songs. Sirius looked down at his fingers. "I like the roof.
"I began it thinking about how awkward it was trying to return to an old, interrupted friendship, but before I had more than a few lines chosen, it had become about older things yet, so Regulus, this one is pretty much for you." He started to pick up the tune in earnest, and then backed off, returning to the first sparse notes and laughing slightly as he looked up to find his brother in the audience. "Don't take it wrong -- we weren't speaking to each other then."
Looking out over the city Looking back over the years Looking out over the dark, dark river that flowed past both our fears
Let's call it a conflict of memory, years in worlds apart A conflict of interest A conflict of the heart Nothing was simple, nothing was true Nothing is easy with you.
Looking up into the darkness Looking again for the stars Looking through my grey veil of smoke that shields them from my heart
Let's call it an inbred nostalgia the urge to find the names I will not regret you I am not the same Lights are uncounted, darkness is vast, life doesn't come from the past
The tune grew briefly brighter and stronger, hinting at warmth.
There's a fire in the kitchen A son of my heart in the hall The light will take me in again when I fall
The notes weakened and trailed away, leaving the sense of something incomplete. Sirius had to keep his eyes closed while they faded. For all his leather and satin and ink, he had never felt so naked.
Swallowing, he changed the amp charms again, and went into a new cover of an old song.
You know I saw Miss Lucy Down along the track She lost her home and her family and she won't be coming back Without love, where would you be now?