A shower, a shave, and an abbreviated explanation to Molly Weasley later, Regulus was back in the kitchen, once again mulling over a coffee cup. He was watching Tonks attempt to help Molly make breakfast with a combination of reminiscence and amusement— Andromeda was equally hopeless when it came to not burning a meal. Remus had pronounced his intention to sleep until noon when he and Tonks had gone back to bed and seemed to be living up to the fact— not even shock could keep an exhausted Lupin awake, it seemed.

Molly, while thanking Tonks half-sarcastically for her eager desire to help, was nevertheless trying to impress upon the young woman that she needed none. "But I never help you!" Tonks exclaimed. "I feel like I should be!"

"Tonks, dear, that's not for lack of effort," Molly assured her, starting to get irritated. "But I'm fine."

It was then that a redheaded freckled boy, a girl his age with bushy brown-hair, and another redheaded girl about a year younger wandered down. "Hi, Mum," the boy said. "G'mornin', Tonks." He glanced around the room for other people he recognized and did a double-take as his eyes passed over Regulus. "Who're you?"

"Is that any way to greet someone?" Molly asked him. "Regulus, this is my son, Ron, and my daughter, Ginny." She indicated the redheaded girl. "And this is Hermione Granger. Ron, to answer your question, he is Regulus Black. Do not offer to help— I've had more than enough offers already." Tonks went as red as the Weasleys' hair.

Ginny turned to Regulus. "So . . . would you mind my asking when you came here?" she asked.

Regulus shrugged. "Very late last night— I daresay I frightened Nymphadora—"

"—Tonks—" she protested.

"—Nymphaodra," Regulus repeated, "in my coming in. I hadn't intended to, of course, but that's the general reaction when someone enters a house by way of the attic."

"Why the attic?" Ron demanded.

Regulus smiled slightly, fingering the cup between his hands. "I haven't had a key to this house for almost sixteen years, and knowing Dad, he changed the locks."

"Your dad? But isn't this Sirius's. . . ." Ron trailed off. "But. . . ."

"He had a brother named Regulus on that tapestry," Hermione answered simply. "But it also said he died— sixteen years ago, in fact."

"Which is why I haven't had a house key," Regulus answered. "I faked my death. I've also been told to speak to Dumbledore, who's coming this afternoon. To my parent's house? Does anyone care to explain?"

"I don't think we can," Hermione answered.

"And she knows everything," Ron answered, and there was no real trace of sarcasm in his voice. "I dunno how she keeps it all in her head."

Ginny started laughing so hard she had to sit down beside Regulus. Both Ron and Hermione gave her a rather strange look. Hermione wandered over to talk to Tonks, and Ron just wandered off. Regulus continued to look calmly at Ginny until she regained her breath. "And may I ask what brought this on?"

"They've been doing that all summer," Ginny panted, a wide grin across her face. "It's so obvious to everyone but them."

"What is?"

Ginny shook her head, eyes still laughing. "You'll figure it out eventually," she answered. "Mum, do you need any help?"

Molly sighed in defeat and asked her daughter to get the dishes out. As activity continued in the kitchen as usual, another man entered. He was covered in scars and walked with a clonking step because of a wooden leg. One eye was beady black, and the other a spinning, electric blue orb. Regulus sat up completely, eyes widening. "Alastor Moody?"

Moody turned his normal eye on the younger Black— for about a second, his blue eye stopped on Regulus as well. "Indeed," he growled, taking his wand out of his pocket. "Who're you?"

Regulus eyed the wand suspiciously. "Regulus Black. But—"

"Impossible!" Moody snapped. "Sirius's brother died! You'll have to think of better explanation than that I'm afraid!"

"Peter Pettigrew faked his own death, too, and everybody really seems to be taking that in stride," Regulus commented. "I don't see why it's so different from me. You have Nott's word for it, and I don't see why that seems to be so great a source. I explained it to Nymphadora and Lupin— I don't want to explain it twice."

Moody lifted a grizzled brow. "Let's see, Black, then . . . how did you get into this house?"

"Um . . . the attic? It's the house I grew up in, Moody, I hope I know my way around by now," Regulus answered with a shrug.

"Ye-es,"Moody answered slowly. "But. . . ."

"But what?" Regulus asked, his own temper slowly coming out as he glowered at the retired Auror. "Moody, it's my house."

"Well . . . yes. You don't know anything about a Fidelius Charm, do you?"

"A what?" Regulus got to his feet, taking his hand out of his pocket without his wand and staring at the man he spoke to. "I don't understand." He blinked, and for a moment he again looked just like Sirius might have had he been there instead.

"Never mind, then," Moody answered. "I don't suppose you can be here and not you, anyway."

Regulus was still confused, but he slowly relaxed, letting it go. "I'll have to ask Dumbledore about that this afternoon," he decided aloud.

"Indeed you will," Moody answered.

Remus had wandered down as they spoke, breaking his vow of sleeping until noon but sleeping considerably longer than he ever had while he was at school. "I've got a feeling that this wasn't the most pleasant greeting," he commented mildly.

Both Moody and Regulus jumped. "What're you doing here so soon, Lupin?" Regulus asked. "I thought you were going to catch up on lost sleep."

"I thought you were a dream," Remus retorted. "Molly—"

"I do not need any more help, Remus, thank you though," Molly told him. "We have an Order meeting tonight, though, I suppose, and then Harry's coming tomorrow?"

"Yes, I think so," Remus answered. "Mundungus isn't here," he added to no one in particular. "I've no idea where he is."

"Probably doing something illegal," Molly sniffed, putting biscuits on the table. "I really do wonder if he's going to be back in time for the meeting."

"I have confidence in him," Remus answered mildly.

Regulus heard their conversation with only half an ear. His mind was still rather focused on one of the first things Molly Weasley had said, and he kept turning it over in his mind until it suddenly clicked. "Order? You don't mean the Order of the Phoenix, do you?"

"Ye-es," Remus answered slowly.

"In my parent's house?" Regulus asked, well aware that this concept had already been beaten well into the ground from the previous night.

"It might be," Moody answered darkly. "You shall have to ask Dumbledore when he gets here. He may just be picking us up while we're stationed at Sirius's place."

"A Fidelius Charm and now the Order," Regulus repeated, lifting his brows. "Moody, I'm not stupid. I can put two and two together and come up with four alright by myself, thanks."

"Ask Dumbledore if you're right, then."

Author's Note: Hm . . . this was a short chapter, and there's not a whole lot else I can say. We'll meet Dumbledore and Snape next chapter, which will be considerably longer. Harry soon after that. Then the real plot starts. Thanks to my reviewers! Cheers! — Loki