He failed to deflect it. The spell hit him square in the chest, and as he fell through the veil slowly, the world faded.
However, it wasn't the end. Seconds later Sirius opened his eyes to find a peaceful setting; he wasn't in the Ministry, but in a wide open space. He stumbled. But rather than falling to the ground, he was caught by a pair of rough strong arms. As he regained his balance, Sirius looked up. The sight caught him by surprise- Regulus Black was staring back at him. But Regulus was dead, Sirius was confused. After a few seconds of silence, Sirius came to the conclusion that this was what came next, the life after death, the biggest question asked by man.
The silence continued- the brothers had not seen each other for years- yet now they found each other lost for words, in (what Sirius assumed was in) the middle of nowhere. "I never liked Bellatrix." Regulus said, breaking the silence.
"As if, I thought you would get married and have perfect pureblood children" Sirius replied with a tone of disgust.
"I wasn't like them, not really. The way they treated people was disgusting. I was scared. I was there the night mother blasted you off the tapestry, I wasn't supposed to see but I was peeking through a gap in the door. I was horrified so from then on I suppressed any feeling or thought that went against the Black family morals."
"You brought it upon yourself so don't expect any sympathy from me! I'm proud of what I did, I was happy to be free and to make real friends regardless of their blood status or heritage."
Regulus did not reply, leaving a tone of uncertainty in the air, before telling Sirius some thing nobody knew. "At the end I found out Voldemort had made Horcruxes, which are objects that contain part of his soul- rendering him immortal. I don't know how many he made but I died trying to destroy one. I left Kreacher the job of destroying it, but so far he has had no luck."
Sirius was taken aback- he had no idea- he thought Regulus had stayed loyal to the end yet this would suggest otherwise. A thought circled in his head. Why?
Regulus, who guessed what Sirius was thinking, continued. "Once I learned that Voldemort was making horcruxes, I knew he had gone too far. Do you know how you make one? Murder, that's how. When you kill someone you tear your soul apart and one of those parts latch onto an object, turning it into a horcrux. I couldn't pretend anymore, so I turned around, changed my mind. Look where that got me. However I don't regret it, and I never will."
"I can't forgive you- I'm sure you know that- I felt so lonely for years because I didn't fit in with the family but you came to help. When I got sorted into Gryffindor in my first year and I spent the Christmas being bullied by mother, they should have fired Kreacher and hired me, because the way mother treated me was that of a house elf. You never helped. I know you heard me crying at night. Still nothing- you were like a mini mother." Regulus cringed, yet Sirius carried on. "And when I left to live with James, you saw me at Hogwarts every day but you never smiled when you saw me, and it hurt. I thought maybe you would understand, so when you ignored me it hurt and I felt even more alone."
Tears formed in the corners of Regulus's eyes. "I'm so sorry. I hate myself, especially when I think of how hard it was for you, and how you never gave up. I envied you because you had friends; real friends and you were free. I just wish I had chosen another path… but we all know it's too late now." He reached over and put a hand on Sirius's shoulder. Regulus knew he could never be forgiven but knowing that he had finally shown Sirius the side of him that he had kept hidden from the world was enough to calm the torment and guilt he'd had inside, ever since Sirius had fled from home. "I'll go now so you can find James and Lily, I know they were looking for you but they stopped when they saw me approach you. I'm sure I heard James threatening to punch me, and probably would have if Lily hadn't stopped him. You should be proud of your friendship- James's loyalty is something I've always be in awe of. I'm just glad I told you my side of the story, and I understand that you'll never forgive me, but it's helped me get a weight off my chest. I hope you won't abandon me like I did to you, I feel so alone since the only people I know still worship Voldemort, which is what I've been trying to avoid ever since I got here." And with that Regulus turned and left as quietly as he came before Sirius could say otherwise.
Sirius, left alone speechless, gave himself time to compose himself before launching himself at James, who had just appeared a few meters away from where Sirius stood.