#esp in those years when sirius & reg are at their most strained & estranged

[padfootastic]

I wanna share a lighthearted headcanon of mine. So, I’ve always imagined that Regulus and Sirius look almost completely identical, just a handful of minor differences and Sirius was just a bit taller, so imagine the Hogwarts students coming up to one Black and desperately hoping it’s the one they’re looking for, only to realize it’s the brother. A good way to tell is to look at their tie, but RIP anyone who sees them out of uniform or from the back. Normally the people they’re with the best indicator, but it sucks when they’re alone so nobody can tell. Sometimes, when they’re on decent, friendly terms, they even switch ties, to the dismay of everyone else. Both Sirius and Regulus have started responding to the other’s name, and they hate this fact.

Remus, approaching from the back: Hey, Sirius, McGonagall is looking for you

Regulus, without looking over: Wrong brother, no clue where Sirius is, good luck and goodbye

ok but i love this!!!

i do think the differences are pretty obvious once u get to know them. like u said, sirius is taller. he’s also a bit more,,,sharp-featured? like reg has some baby fat he absolutely loathes but it never rly disappears. sirius is skinnier overall tho, and he has really bony hips & other joints. they loved playing this to their advantage when they were kids—posing as each other, sirius pretending to be regulus and taking any of his punishments, annoying guests who come to their house etc. bit as they grow older and differences started arising, they tried doing whatever they could to distinguish each other. regulus had longer hair, like their father, and preferred smoothing it back to look older. sirius was more on the shorter, spikier hair end. (he was trying to replicate some muggles he’d seen & also it made him look more similar to james ykno?) but yah, sometimes even that wasn’t enough and u have instances like this.

malfoy: black—

sirius, cutting him off w/o even looking back: not the one u want. he should be on the quidditch pitch.