The artifact on Regulus' robe pocket is heavy with Dark Magic. He can feel it prodding his magic, trying to look for an opening to enter Regulus' soul and mind. His Occlumency is good, and the ritual he did last week is helping with guarding his soul, so Regulus doesn't worry much about it.
He spends the morning in the small house he shares with Sirius since his brother turned sixteen, when he was disowned and banished from their ancestral home. The place is a mix of Sirius' eccentric personality and his own more subdued one, done in shades of blue and gold to make them feel at home.
"I'll get going, Regulus!" Sirius yells from the other side of the house, crashing into a chair and cursing while holding his stubbed toe. "If someone comes by tell them I'm already at the party."
Regulus nods, not taking his eyes off from the book on Soul Magic he holds, but noticing Sirius is only wearing a shoe.
"You could Accio the other shoe, brother," he advises, passing the page and finding a diagram and and a chart. Somehow he doubts the Dark Lord took the time to properly instruct himself in the topic before going around tearing his soul apart. He is too impatient, and Regulus admonishes himself when he subconsciously compares him with Sirius.
"Yeah, no," Sirius laughs. "Apparently, someone decided to punish me and take away my wand."
"Why?" Regulus asks, and this time he looks over at Sirius with a faint smile and mischievous eyes.
"Well, Harry wanted to try using it during breakfast and I let him throw sparks around."
Regulus facepalms, though he is grinning at the same time.
"Harry turns one today, Sirius. How can you be so irresponsible?"
"I'm a spoiling godfather, dear brother," he answers with pride shining in his eyes. "And if I have to pay the price by going barefoot at my godson's birthday party, so be it!"
Regulus shakes his head as Sirius disappears in the fireplace, followed by emerald flames.
Finally, some peace.
Regulus loves his brother as much as he loves himself, but Sirius never shuts up, and sometimes Regulus just wants to read and learn something new, but the constant noise doesn't let him. He figures once the war is done he will try to look for a place of his own, but for now he doesn't want to leave Sirius (or Harry, for that matter) at the hands of Peter Pettigrew.
At the end of that thought, Regulus sighs. Maybe he should go to the party after all, if only to check on Peter.
Regulus doesn't trust Peter, but he won't out him as a spy to the rest of his friends. If he does he blows his cover as well, and besides he knows Peter is a good wizard, if only misguided. Regulus isn't sure Peter can change even with correct guideness, but for the love of his brother he will try.
The grandfather clock he insisted on building himself chimes marking tea time. Regulus wastes only fifteen minutes taking a quick shower and putting on some robes, not wanting his indecision make him late to Harry's party.
He hesitates in front of the mirror when the metal of the locket reflects the bathroom light. It pulses once, trying to get a hold of Regulus, but he is stronger than the thing. Regulus tucks it into his robes, marvelling in spite of himself at the powerful spellcasting that encased a piece of soul into the very essence of a scrap of metal and cristal. He doesn't want to take it with him, but he can't risk it leaving it in the house.
Regulus is still worried about the artifact when he steps into the Potter's living room and Lily immediately drags him to the kitchen, where Harry and Remus are playing and a stern looking woman watches them.
"Petunia, this is Regulus, Sirius' brother, and our friend," Lily introduces him and he stumbles upon his words when the woman, Petunia, extends her hand to him.
"Uh, nice to meet you, Petunia," he says and smiles. "Lily always speaks highly of you."
"You are Lupin's problematic ex-boyfriend?" Petunia asks with a lifted eyebrow. "She never shuts up about how cute of a couple you two were."
Regulus feels the blood in his cheeks and glances at Remus. He has always thought they are alright after their differences...
"Petunia, leave him be," Remus interjects. "Don't worry, Regulus. Petunia is bitter because she's just been dumped."
"By a fat pig who can't distinguish between a novel and a short story."
Regulus snorts, prompting Petunia to look at him with annoyance in her beautiful blue eyes. To Regulus' mind, they are prettier than Lily's, even if blue is not as exotic as green. He can see mirth hiding inside them, and that makes Regulus smile.
"Eguls?" comes the childish word Regulus has learned to associate to himself. He looks down to see Harry extending his arms up to him. "Up, please."
With a smile, Regulus bends down to lift Harry and kisses his forehead. "You will be a Ravenclaw at this rate, Harry. You are very intelligent and have a complete grasp of our language."
"He can be smart without being able to communicate, even when older. There is no reason for you to ignore other types of intelligence," Petunia shakes her head, attracting Regulus' attention with her words. "Absolute intelligence is not a thing."
"There is no such thing as magic either, is it?" Regulus calls back, narrowing his eyes. "If you bother to read a psychology book we can discuss the issue. Otherwise, don't meddle."
Remus chuckles then, and Regulus looks over at him to see the man, his past boyfriend, smiling sadly.
"I know what's next, so let's take Harry and go start the party, Lily. I'm sure James and Sirius will be thrilled with your gift to Harry."
Regulus passes Harry to Lily, who whispers a quiet Be nice to her before going after Remus with a big box floating behind her.
He is still blushing because of Remus' comment when Petunia huffs.
"What was all that about?" she asks, lifting her delicate chin in Remus' direction.
Regulus' hands get clammy, and he fidgets with the titanium bracelet Sirius gave him for Yule.
"Oh," he mutters. "We started dating because of a debate on whether the use of Veritaserum in Death Eater trials is valid at all."
"That makes no sense at all," Petunia snaps. "I'm a Muggle, remember?"
In truth, Regulus doesn't. Petunia is so at ease in the Potter's home, with the talking portraits of James' parents hanging in the living room and the color-changing drapes that resulted from Harry's burst of accidental magic last week, that Regulus completely forgets she doesn't have magic.
"Well, it would be like lithium on a therapy patient. Unethical."
"You alone can't rule out something valid like lithium therapy," Petunia retorts as she leans on the kitchen counter and pops a grape into her mouth. Regulus' heart pounds at how perfectly pink her lips look.
"No, but proper research and more human alternatives can."
Petunia stares at him for a second before scoffing. "You are just like Lily said, you know? Full of yourself and arrogant."
Regulus frowns. "That doesn't sound like something Lily would say."
"No, that was my take on intelligent and sure of himself," Petunia admits with a grin. "A total Ravenclaw, was what my sister said."
Regulus can't help his smirk. "That I am."
Petunia smirks too.
"And that's what she was counting on when she brought me here to meet you," Petunia confesses, rolling her eyes and circling the counter to stand closer to Regulus. "She's playing matchmaker and for the look of you I think I'm going to let her win."
"The look of me?" Regulus asks, curious and somewhat timidly.
Petunia smirks and looks away, making Regulus' heart beat faster when he wonders about her increasing blush.
"You look positively ravishing," she tells him without looking at him. "And I can't ignore that."
Regulus doesn't think someone shut him up like that before.
When Regulus goes missing a few weeks after their first meeting, Petunia is the only one worried.
"He'll return, Petunia," Sirius sighs every time. "My brother has many things on his mind. Regulus has many projects and then there's his apprenticeship with old Ollivander."
Nobody understands the ache deep within Petunia's heart saying Regulus is dead. Lily pours her another cup of tea and tries to comfort her, saying the same as Sirius, the same as everyone else.
He'll come back.
Petunia knows he won't, but remembers Regulus' words of their last meeting, only hours before he completely disappeared from anyone else's sight. She is the last person to see him, and the kiss they shared still lingers on her lips; the flavor of apology and regret staining her tongue with bitterness whenever she remembers the velvety feel of his tongue on her lips.
"I can't wait much longer, Petunia," are Regulus' last words to her. "If I don't do this now, I'll be consumed by something dark and I won't let myself become the carrier of such evil. I need to go, but I'll take the traitor with me."
Petunia only understands now, two weeks after Regulus' absence and one since the disappearing of Peter. She knows they're related, and can't help but wonder if her smart almost-boyfriend planned this from the start.
"I'm sorry, Lily, but this time I won't be coming back. I'll go back to college and maybe do something to get that psychology degree I always wanted."
Petunia doesn't care that much for her sister's safety. Regulus' promise of protecting them and Sirius (and Remus, she knows even if Regulus doesn't say) will remain true in spite of him being dead.
It hurts to think he's dead, but when Petunia feels the first tears fall she can't stop.
Regulus is dead.
She is dead, except she's not, and she's too smart to pretend life's over.