EVEN IN DEATH
By Siobhan Arysa

Chapter One : Haus des Schwarzen

HARRY sat quietly in the solicitor's office. Apparently he was always supposed to receive Grimmauld Place from Sirius upon his death. He felt like he was signing his life away when he signs his name on the deeds to all of the Black property. After he finished, the solicitor handed Harry a small chest. It was obviously shrunk down for mobile uses. He handed Harry a set of keys that he explained would be very useful when exploring more of the Black manor. They were small, brass skeleton keys that had the shapes of the Zodiac imprinted on them. Harry felt extremely drained as he walked out of the solicitor's office. He vaguely felt Hermione squeeze his hand and Ron touch his shoulder.

"Harry…" Hermione breathed.

Harry sighed. "Not now, I just need to… get away... for a little while."

"Understandable," Ron replied. "But Mum wants you to come 'round the Burrow after your done with whatever you're doing." Ron placed both hands on Harry's shoulders. "Don't forget, alright? Mum'll have a right fit."

Harry chuckled. "I know. Tell her I will."

Ron beamed at him. "Alright (all right), see you in a few weeks, mate."

Hermione looked shocked. "A few days! Do you really plan on being gone that long?"

Harry nodded. "I'm going to look at all the property I've acquired."

"But you've already seen all of Grimmauld Place."

"There's another manor in Germany and then a villa in Italy," Harry replied. "Besides, I think the change of scenery will do me some good."

Hermione sighed, looking defeated. "Just don't disappear off the face of the Earth again. I don't think I can stand another episode like after the war."

Harry pulled Hermione into a tight hug. "I won't, see you."

"See you…" she replied.

§ § § § § §

Harry left the following morning on a plane to Berlin. It had always boggled Ron that he never Apparated anywhere anymore. They believed that he had good reason, and Harry just didn't believe that you needed magic for everything. Besides, he thought, I'd be missing this wonderful experience of flying on a plane. After his plane landed in Berlin, he took a train to Dresden. After arriving in Dresden, he Apparated to the front gates of Haus des Schwarzen. It was a very large, imposing place. It made Grimmauld Place look warm and cozy, with a little white picket fence. Harry slid the lock off the gate and walked towards the manor. As he walked, he could tell that this place had once been in tip-top condition. There was a large topiary garden off to his right and extravagant fountain to his left. As he reached the large, oak, double doors, he noticed the symbol for Aries was etched around the door handles. Pulling the large ring of keys from his pocket, he found the one with the Aries symbol and unlocked the door.

"Dear God…" he breathed.

The entrance hall alone was gigantic. There was a large portrait of the entire Black family up on the wall. Harry noticed that it was much like the tapestry at Grimmauld place. The face of the 'blood traitors' sported a red slash through them, and those that were dead were only painted in black and white. Harry found Sirius standing solemn-faced behind his mother. There was a rather large red slash through his face and the color had drained away from his form. He noticed Sirius' younger brother, Regulus, was standing to his right. It was incredibly obvious that these two were brothers. They both had the same facial structure, though Regulus seemed a bit more feminine in nature. Harry wondered if Regulus had had the same ice-grey eyes as Sirius did

Letting out a deep breath, he headed towards the staircase and stopped. There was another presence in the house. He figured that there could possibly be ghosts or poltergeists, but this was different. Sensing a spirit was faint, for the were intangible. This presence was a cold, solid mass of something.

He began to follow it, climbing to the highest floor in the manor. It was the strongest in the front of a door that had 'Zweiter Sohn'. As he reached for the handle, the door slid open of its own accord. Harry was beginning to think that he should have gone to the villa in Italy and then back-tracked to this manor. Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the room. It was pitch black and as cold as a freezer. Harry was very aware that the door behind had just slammed shut and he was most definitely sure that he was locked in. Pulling out his wand, he lit a dim Lumos and walked about the room. The walls seemed to be covered in parchment and the windows were hung with blackout curtains. Harry was fairly sure he'd seen this kind of décor before, but for some reason he couldn't place it. There was a large creak of something opening, causing Harry to whip around. There was a very gaunt face staring back at him. Dark hair and icy grey eyes stared at him. It look familiar.

Harry gulped. "Sirius…"

The person smiled, exposing his teeth. "Try again."

Harry's eyes widened. "Vampire."

"And the Boy Wonder gets a gold star for the day."

Harry pointed his wand in the vampire's face. "Who are you?"

"You thought I was someone else." He raised his eyebrow. "I only look like one other person."

"Regulus!" Harry was shocked. He'd always been very sure that Sirius' younger brother was dead. "How? I thought—"

"I was dead?" Regulus shook his head. "I'm not truly dead, but then again I'm not truly alive."

"Luce fioca." The room was lit with a dim light. "Bellatrix told us Voldemort had you killed."

"Voldemort did have me killed," Regulus replied. "Raped, tortured, and killed. He didn't know that my destroyer would think I was beautiful and turn me, but Phian is like that."

Harry plopped down on the bed situated in the middle of the room. "Uh-huh… wait, did you say Phian?"

"Yes, do you know of him?"

"'Know' is an understatement." Harry explained, "We spent almost six months learning about his path of destruction in History of Magic."

Regulus chuckled. "He's not as bad as you are led to believe."

"I'm sure," Harry replied sarcastically.

Regulus seated himself next to Harry. "Your appearance must mean that my elder brother has passed on."

"Yes, he died two years ago. He was exonerated of his crimes last year."

"Oh yes, that whole incident with Pettigrew." Regulus blew his fringe from his eyes. "Snivelling bag of sewer trash."

"Can I correctly guess that he's wronged you somehow?"

"He was partially responsible for my death." Regulus stared at Harry strangely. "Do you know you've been sitting here for a good couple of hours conversing with a vampire?"

"I know who I'm talking to," Harry replied. "I've faced scarier things."

"You probably have."

Harry lay back on the bed, his eyes closed. This had to be the most bizarre day of his life. Regulus was alive, well, not technically alive. Regulus looked virtually identical to Sirius—save the feminine accents about his face. He had the look of a storybook vampire. Very dark hair, intense eyes, creamy pale skin. Harry mentally slapped himself. This could be extremely dangerous.

"You look exceptionally like your father."

"Now there's something I don't hear everyday."

Regulus chuckled. "I'm only telling the truth. You do have quite a bit of your mom in you." Regulus traced a finger around Harry's jawline. "You're a bit softer around the edges then your father. Your nose isn't crooked, but then again," he ran a finger down his nose. "you didn't break your nose."

"True…" Harry replied.

"And your body shape…" Harry felt him slide a hand down his neck, "is more slender. Your father was kind of stocky."

"Uh-huh…" Harry breathed, and then his stomach growled rather unceremoniously.

Regulus stood up. "I suppose I'll have to feed you while you're here."

Harry cocked an eyebrow. "You have food?"

Regulus looked at him strangely. "Of course I have food. Why wouldn't I?"

"I just thought… you being a vampire and all…"

Regulus chuckled. "I do have guests from time to time."

END CHAPTER ONE

SA's Notes: Well thats the first chapter. Hopefully you enjoyed it. Please REVIEW!