Summary: While cleaning the attic as punishment Albus S. Potter comes across the journal of R.A.B. Thus begins the tale of the man who will change his life forever. AU.

This fic is going to tell a different tale than the one we think we know of the Marauders and those around them that will eventually change the life of Harry and the family he has created. It will in no way affect what happens in the books, that will remain in-tact.

Disclaimer: I no own.

Chapter 1: Albus meets Regulus. . .sort of.

"Albus Severus Potter!"

"Uh-hoh. . .what've you done?"

"Oh shut it Lilu."

I knew I was in for it now. Mum hates my name, so she only ever uses it when I've really messed up. But I contend that it wasn't my fault this time. I'm sure of it. I just have to figure out what I've done this time to have my full name shouted throughout the entire house.

It's not like I try to get into trouble, it's just, it kind of finds me. I feel like I'm like my Da in that respect, just don't let him or mum here you say that.

I remember this one time when I was younger I dug up all the roses out of Mum's garden, I had known it was wrong, at the time, but Mum wasn't feeling too well and it was obvious roses were her favorite, I mean she had so many of them. Well let's just say that didn't end very well. I remember Uncle Ron saying that I would be just like Da when I grew up, for whatever reason Mum didn't like that very much. . .

I think it's the Slytherin in me that she has trouble with. But honestly I do things all the time that I don't necessarily think are wrong but apparently according to her they are.

So as I slowly make my way downstairs to see what I could have possibly done this time, I wonder if there was someway I could magically run into Da before she finds me, and he can hopefully in someway intercept the oncoming storm.

And then I remembered. . . last night.

There was something I was meant to do? I can't quite remember what, but I know Da was late home from work, and, there was something I was asked to do something. . . But for the life of me I can't recall what it was.

I'm slightly absent-minded, not with anything important mind, but, it is what it is. All I know is that when Da got home I became completely distracted by this Dark Arts book one of his aurors had found on a small mission. Apparently it's been given all the standard counter-jinxes to anything harmful so it is supposedly perfectly safe. Never mind that Da should never bring anything like that home but. . . It is what it is.

"Albus Severus, when are you going to get your head out of the clouds."

"Sorry Mum, truly, I know I can be a bother but I swear I didn't mean to. How can I ever make it up to you?" Despondent look, check. Puppy dog eyes, check.

"Oh no, don't you even start that young man. I know for a fact you have no idea what it even is you've done wrong." Hands on hips, check. Eyes crossed, check. Steam coming out of ears, almost. Maybe I can salvage this yet.

"What if I were to say it was all in the name of learning?"

"Then I would say that your Father's probably brought home another Dark Arts artifact or book and you're in even more trouble than you were before." Steam coming out of ears, check. Damn.

"You were told to floo you're Grandmother after dinner last night and ask her if you and Lily could spend the night tonight while-"

"Mum, I don't need a babysitter, me and Lilu will be perfectly fine-"

"Oh please, you can't even remember to do the simplest thing, how in Merlin's name do you figure you can watch yourself and your sister for a whole night?"

"That's not very fair, I only forget the small things, I wouldn't ever forget anything important."

"Yeah? What about your third year? Got all the way to Hogwarts before you realized you'd left your wand under you pillow."

"Well that was an extenuating circumstance, you were rushing me."

"And why is it you are never at fault for any wrongdoing?"

"Because it's never my fault?"

"How you ever got into Slytherin with an answer like that is beyond me. Lucky for you Teddy is free tonight. He'll be coming over to watch you." She starts to walk away, I'm lucky she hasn't realized my avoidance tactic yet. Honestly questioning my Slytherin ability.

"Oh Albus," She calls over her shoulder as she walks away.

"Yeah"

"You'll be organising the attic for the rest of the night, and I've confiscated your book. You're way too young for that stuff, and no asking you're Father for it back, I'll be having choice words with him."

Damn.

I swear it's been like 200 year's since anyone's stepped foot into our attic. We live in the old Black house, Grimmauld Place, and although it's not as dreary as Uncle Ron has described it to us several times as children, it seems the attic must have missed all the renovations the rest of the house went through.

I'm not sure if Mum has just learned of how messed up and creepy it is here, or if this is just some kind of cruel punishment that she's left perfectly for the perfect grounding. Either way, I am quite disgusted. I don't even know where to start.

It looks as though there might be some discarded house elf heads in the far right corner, and a stack of trunks that look as though they might tower over Hagrid against the back wall. There seems to not be any source of natural light up here, but I know there's got to be a window around here somewhere cause I've seen it from the outside.

I'm going to die up here, I just know it. Something's going to crawl out of one of those trunks and eat me. Or something even more dramatic.

I look over to the left side of the attic and notice that there is a group of boxes that look as though they may be my best bet. As I get closer I notice a couple have some names written on them. The first one I open has the name Sirius written on it in my Da's handwriting. Knowing this must belong to his godfather, I can't help but sneak a peek. Opening the box, it looked to be a mess of rolled up muggle posters and some muggle magazines. An ancient pack of cigarettes, and a nice looking motorcycle jacket later and I was moving on to the box beside it.

The outside of this box read Regulus. I'm pretty sure Regulus Black was my Da's godfathers brother. I open this box and sitting on top is an old picture of the Slytherin quidditch team, I look at it nostalgically wishing I was as into quidditch as much as James.

Setting the photo aside I looked back into the box. I shift aside some old school books and a Slytherin scarf and there, at the bottom was a worn looking journal. I pulled it out of the box and looked at it. It was full looking and carried the smell of an old library book. On the front cover of the journal, in the bottom right hand corner, were the initials R.A.B.

A/N: I've wanted to write a story about Regulus for some time now and have studied the character and the Black family as much as I could before starting the story, because I wanted to get it right. I've started the story a couple of times but could never get past a couple of paragraphs, and then I randomly sat down to write after months and months of absolutely nothing and was able to write this whole first chapter in one sitting. Hopefully the rest of the story will come with as much inspiration.

For those of you who have seen and started my other story's I will go ahead and say I will probably not be able to come back to those. I was really excited about them when they were started but I've lost the drive to continue them, and I'm truly sorry.

I have thought to restart betrayal from scratch, I really feel as though that story was started prematurely and I had kind of dug myself a whole before I could get started good.

Please read and review this story for me. It would really mean a lot!