Sirius took another sip of firewhiskey from the snifter before setting it down on the table. The talk with Harry had caused several memories to resurface. But, unexpectedly, he didn't feel as bad as he had thought he would. Harry was one of the few people who actually understood what he had gone through. Unlike others, he hadn't responded with the usual 'I'm sorry'. Instead, he'd just listened quietly and for that Sirius was thankful.

He glanced at the photograph he'd pulled out from the bottom of his school trunk. It was a picture of him and Regulus. His little brother had only been six years old back then. Both the boys in the picture looked so happy and carefree like nothing could ever go wrong. He watched as his eight-year-old self chased the other boy around before finally catching him and wrapping him in an embrace. When Reg had joined the death eaters, no one knew about it other than Sirius, his parents and a few others. So, as far as the entire world was concerned, Regulus was somewhere, living his life.

"Master Sirius Black sir?" He looked up and saw Dobby. "Should Dobby refill your glass sir?" The elf pointed to his empty snifter. Sirius shook his head and stood up. "No thank you Dobby. That won't be necessary. I'll head upstairs to bed now." He replied. The elf nodded and disappeared with a crack.

Sirius firmly told himself that there was no use in thinking over the past. Regulus was gone and so was James. He couldn't bring them back but what he could do was not mope about it.

The next day, Harry woke up earlier than usual. His mind was still processing everything Sirius had told him. It was still six thirty and he knew that his dad was still asleep. He heard Ron still snoring peacefully and so he decided to let him sleep. He crept into his father's room to find him under the covers.

He tiptoed inside carefully so as to not wake him up. His last few attacks had failed, but this time, he was determined to succeed. He was just about to pounce when a voice stopped him. "Don't even think about it." Sirius turned around and smirked at him. Harry groaned and then threw himself on the bed. He had failed again.

"How do you always know?" He asked, tired of unsuccessful attempts. "I've told you this several times before and I'll tell you again: it's a secret." Rolling his eyes, Harry lay down over the blanket. "Since Ron's going back home today, you've got nothing to do. So, are you up for a little picnic one of these days?"

"Picnic?" Harry enquired, excitement colouring his words. "Mmhm. There's this nice little picnic spot about an hour or so away from here. It's even got a small lake surrounded by trees and picnic tables. It's for both muggle as well as magical folk."

"It sounds really fun." Harry replied. "It is. Regulus and I used to go there when were kids. Just the two of us. It was a whole lot of fun. Later, when I started going to Hogwarts, during the summer, James, Remus and myself would go there often. I used to catch one of them off guard and shove them into the pool."

Harry laughed at that. He could imagine his father doing something like that. Sirius was one of those adults who were like the definition of cool. "You better watch out. I might just push you in as well." Harry's smile abruptly faded at that. He and swimming just didn't go together. He had always had a bad experience with water in general.

Whenever his muggle relatives would go outside, they left him behind. The few times they would take him along, was an utter nightmare for Harry. Dudley would always kick Harry into the water whenever he got the chance. Since he didn't know how to swim, he would thrash violently to try and stay afloat. The whole time, his uncle would laugh at his helplessness. Every time he tried to get out, he was shoved underwater. Soon, he was terrified of the mere thought of swimming.

"I don't like swimming." He admitted quietly. His father sensed the change in his mood immediately and pulled him into a hug. "Why not, pup?" Harry told him the story behind his dislike for water and by the time he was done, his dad was also visibly upset.

Sirius forced a smile for Harry's sake and hugged him tighter. "Well, I promise you that it's not going to be anything like that. I'd drown myself before I did anything to harm you." said Sirius. His voice contained no humour, thereby indicating the seriousness of that particular statement. "I know Dad. And I really want to go. I know it'll be great." Harry replied.

"Excellent. Like I told you last week, I need to get back as an Auror in a few days. But before that, I'll take you there. In fact, if you want, we can go tomorrow itself. " Said Sirius and bit of his light tone of voice returned.

"Brilliant. I'll go and wake Ron." Harry rushed out of the room and to the guest bedroom. They went downstairs for breakfast after which Ron had to leave. Mr. Weasley had recently won a lottery so the entire family would be making a trip to Egypt. They'd be leaving the next day. From their winnings, they'd bought Ron a new wand as well. Harry wished his best mate a great holiday and the redhead left after that.

Once the Manor was quiet, Sirius settled down in his office and pulled out a piece of parchment. He didn't have to get back to work just yet but there was something that he needed to have ready by the time he began. The very first case Sirius would tackle was Lucius Malfoy. That nasty little sod had been running around scot-free for a very long time. Not anymore. He wrote down the necessary details in the letter and sealed it shut. The very first thing he would do after rejoining was carry out his plan.

He sent the letter to Scrimgeour along with another letter, telling him to have the necessary documents ready by the time he resumed.

After an hour or so, he received a confirmation that things would go as planned. Get ready Malfoy. You're doomed.

"Come on now, wake up kiddo. We're going to be late if we don't leave soon." said Sirius as he tried to get one very sleepy boy out of bed. "I promise, just two more minutes and I'll be up." Harry mumbled. "That's the third time you're saying that. If you're not up now, I'm afraid we'll have to forgo today's program." Sirius didn't really mean that but Harry didn't know that. "No, no! Dad don't do that. See, I'm up and I'm going." The boy replied, scrambling out of bed and into the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later, they were ready to leave. "Now since this is a muggle spot as well, we cannot risk apparating. So, we'll apparate to this place meant for witches and wizards. We'll have to walk a bit further to get to our destination." Sirius explained. "Now hold on tight." Not everyone could apparate in and out of Black Manor. Sirius was the only one who could do it. The other one was dead. Or so he thought.

They reappeared in a clearing where there were a few other families. The place wasn't all that crowded. "We need to walk about a mile or so to get there."

They trekked through the slightly narrow road that led to their picnic spot. Harry was still a little sleepy since he'd spent quite some time last night reading magazines. "There's a beautiful view from the top you know. You can see the entire city from up there." said Sirius, grinning. "Old Moony was rather afraid of heights so he never went very close to the edge. It was quite scary from him." He commented with a smile. The werewolf had been extremely nervous to walk to the edge although firm railings had been attached. There wasn't even any real danger involved. "We used to drag him along anyway."

"You know what's really scary for me?" Harry asked. "What?" With a mischievous grin, Harry replied: "A Dad who is mad at you. All conversations begin with 'Harry James, you're in so much trouble' and that's when I start thinking about what'll become of me. Dad, you may or may not know this, but when you're angry, you're scarier than even Voldemort."

"Oh please, I think you're exaggerating a little too much." Rolling his eyes, Sirius ruffled Harry's hair. "I'm really not. Have you looked at yourself when you're mad? You're like the most scariest person on the entire planet." Sirius glared at Harry playfully.

"I'm scary is it?" Reaching out, he poked Harry's sides. "I think I need to do something to prove that I'm not scary. Here's what I can do: I'll owl every single one of your friends telling them about all the embarrassing things you did as baby. I'll even send a picture or two. Or even better, we can invite them over and I'll tell them everything myself. That's not remotely scary. It'll be hilarious." Sirius remarked casually.

"Hey no! Who's scary? I never said scary. What I was saying was that you're the best dad on the planet. Not scary. Whoever said anything about scary?" said Harry. He mentally imagined all his friends roaring with laughter as Sirius told them about his adventures as a baby.

"Oh I don't know. I'm pretty sure that you said scary. I really must tell your friends," said Sirius with a smirk. "If you did that, you'd truly be a scary dad." Harry replied. "I think what you must do to prove that you're not scary is that you should let me do whatever I want. Stay up late, eat as many pieces of pie as I like, play Quidditch in the middle of the night; you know, those kinds of things."

"Oh, those kinds of things. No, not happening. In your dreams, kiddo." The man laughed.

As they made their way to the picnic spot, playfully bantering with each other, an uneasy feeling crept inside Sirius. Although they were having fun, he couldn't shake off the feeling that they were being watched.

His Animagus senses didn't pick up any suspicious scent nor did he hear anything unusual. The people around them were behaving just fine and no one seemed to be looking at them. Nothing is wrong. He firmly repeated those words to himself.

The figure quietly hid behind the trees and observed everything inconspicuously. He watched as the man lightly tickled the boy's ribs and the latter danced away, laughing. He'd been observing the duo for over a year now from afar and watched them grow closer over the months. The man became the boy's father and the boy became the man's son, his entire world.

He knew he was taking a risk by getting so close to them. He'd always maintained a safe distance, but off late, he'd been tempted to take a closer look. He had finally given into that temptation and he didn't regret it one bit. The happiness on their faces was totally worth it. The past few years had been hard for him since he had been completely alone. But then again, he was reaping the fruits of his own decisions. He had no one to blame but himself.

He had so desperately wanted to approach the man but he hadn't, for fear of being shunned away. He was searching for the right opportunity to walk up to him but had never been brave enough to do so. He quietly followed them, making sure to maintain sufficient distance. He was dressed in muggle clothing so no one would notice him.

His lips curled into a small, sad smile as he observed them. The dark haired boy said something to his father and bolted away. The man chased after his son and caught up with him, pulling him into a hug. He distinctly recalled the time when the very same man had done the exact same thing with him. It was one of the few good memories of his life. He had later made some very bad decisions and he carried the guilt with him to this day. His brother had tried to stop him but he hadn't listened.

When he was a child, he always went to his brother whenever something was wrong. His older brother would simply give him a hug, ruffle his hair and say 'Don't worry Reggie. It will all be okay. Big brothers know best.'

That was then. Now, he wasn't even sure Sirius would want anything to do with him. He'd followed that one cause Sirius strongly hated and then he'd let him think he was dead. He'd made so many mistakes in his life. But despite everything that could go wrong, Regulus wanted to meet his brother again. There was no doubt that Sirius would be furious, but maybe, just maybe, he would forgive him. After all, it was Sirius who had once told him: Mistakes are forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them.

But then again, his mistakes were pretty large ones. He carried a whole lot of guilt on his shoulders. He had been stupid to join Voldemort. He had been so bloody brainwashed by his parents! When he had finally realised the error of his ways, it had been too late. He had been forced to fake his own death. He had been helpless to do anything when Sirius had been unfairly imprisoned. He was without doubt, the worst brother ever.

As he watched them, he made up his mind that he couldn't stay away any longer. It hurt too much. He would go and meet them. To hell with the consequences. The thought of finally reuniting with his brother filled him with a certain joy that he hadn't felt in ages. Yes. Soon, Regulus Black was going home.

"Dad, no, you will not splash me anymore." Harry said as he took a step backwards in the water. Both of them had changed into a pair of trunks and currently, they were in the lake. Sirius had once again, effortlessly gained the attention of several ladies. The admiring looks that he was receiving were so clear that even Harry couldn't ignore them.

Sirius flexed his arms before dousing Harry again. "Whoops. Guess I did it anyway." He replied, winking at the boy. He was getting his pup accustomed to the basics of swimming, and so far, Harry had been doing fairly well. In the beginning, he had been a little apprehensive about stepping into the water, but now, that apprehension was gone. "Now move forward, you're making progress, trust me." Sirius encouraged.

They spent some more time in the water, swimming, splashing and likewise. "You hungry?" Sirius asked. "Ravenous." Harry answered. "Well in that case, I suggest we get out and get some lunch." The man remarked with a laugh. "Could I stay in here for just a little while more?" Harry asked. Although he was hungry, he was enjoying himself. For the first time in his life, swimming had been a good experience for him. "More? And I thought you didn't like the water. Alright I suppose. Ten more minutes and then lunch." Sirius responded, climbing outside. "Don't go in too deep. Be careful to stay in the shallow area. I'll be back in a bit."

As Harry lazily swam about, he was too busy enjoying his pure bliss to notice a pair of grey eyes observing him intently.

Regulus felt a wide smile nearly split his face into two when he reached Black Manor. He stood right outside the gates and took in the details. He was finally home. Everything was just as he remembered. Although he didn't have many good memories of his parents connected to this place, his older brother had made sure that he had a wonderful life. He thought about what he would say to Sirius when he was face to face with him.

He had deliberately chosen to come home before the other two since he wanted to be ready. He decided that he would wait for Harry to go to bed before going inside. If Sirius was going to be mad at him, he would prefer that Harry wasn't around. He could meet him later on, once Sirius was done yelling at him.

He'd even missed the family house elf Becky. He had to admit to himself that he was nervous. Sirius' reaction would decide everything. He hoped and prayed with everything that he had that things would be resolved between the two of them.

Sirius had been the one constant support throughout his childhood. And how had he repaid that support? By joining Voldemort. Throughout his life, he had made some pretty big mistakes and he was paying the price to this day. He had no excuses to justify his actions. He wanted to fix things and he would.

He heard a crack and assumed that the two of them were home. He strained his ears but heard nothing other than some laughter, he heard nothing else. Then, there was silence. Only the occasional hooting of a stray owl broke the silence of the night. A barn owl landed on the tree under which he was sitting. He looked up to find its piercing gaze on him.

Regulus felt like the owl was laughing at his current situation. Oh, poor Reggie! Nervous to meet big brother? What was he even supposed to say to him? Hey there Sirius! It's your little brother Reg! Guess what, I'm not dead!

He tore his gaze away from the owl and back to the house. He sat quietly, waiting for the time to pass. After about an hour or so, the lights went out one by one. Only two lights remained: one in the living room and the other from Sirius' bedroom. Yes, it was finally time for him to go. He was going to be seeing his brother after seventeen years.

He pushed himself up and started walking towards the house. He got past the gates since the wards allowed him access. He was a Black after all.

This is it Regulus, there's no going back now. Come on, you can do this. You will do this.

Sirius smiled to himself as he closed Harry's bedroom door. It had been a brilliant day. Harry's initial apprehension had melted away, replaced by unadulterated joy. He made a mental note to take him there more often.

Scrimgeour had mentioned in his letter that it was alright if Sirius took a few days more before rejoining since there was a lot of paperwork from the previous cases that needed to be seen to. Only then could the new ones be tackled. He intended to spend as much time as possible with Harry in that span of time.

Since he wasn't particularly sleepy, he went downstairs and sank into his favourite armchair with a book. He didn't pay much attention but simply flipped the pages casually. Pleased immensely with the day's events, he took a deep breath but then froze. That scent. Where did it come from? He hadn't caught a whiff of it in seventeen years. It had to be an imposter. It just had to. Quietly, he closed the book and placed it on the coffee table and pulled out his wand.

He crept up the stairs, as silently as possible. Protect Harry. That was his first instinct. He reached Harry's room and opened the door. A shock of black hair was visible while the rest of him was safely tucked in. He closed the door and cast a strong protection charm over the boy's room.

He scanned the rest of the top floor for any sign of an intruder but found nothing. He mentally said a Homenum revelio on the first floor but nothing happened. There was no one upstairs. Time to go downstairs and check.

Making sure to keep as quiet as he could, he went down. The living room was just as he had left it but that scent was stronger. Whoever this was, they would be seriously sorry. There was no one there either but that scent was so damn powerful that Sirius was sure someone was here.

He swept his gaze over the living room for any sign of another person, to check if anything had been rearranged. His eyes stopped on the coffee table. No, it couldn't be. He hadn't seen it in years. It was a ring. No ordinary ring but his brother's signet ring. For a minute, he forgot about the scent that was getting stronger and walked towards the table. He picked up the ring and examined it carefully. It wasn't fake. The small scratch on the loop of the R was a clear indication that it was real.

The ring, the scent– they all pointed towards one thing but Sirius refused to acknowledge that absurd theory. That just wasn't possible.

Sirius heard the soft creak of a footstep and stilled instantly. He gripped his wand till his knuckles turned white and slowly turned around.

His eyes widened with disbelief when he saw the person standing before him. Black hair that ended below the ear, grey eyes identical to his own and a figure slightly taller than what he remembered. There, standing only a few feet away from him was none other than his younger brother, Regulus Black. No, this wasn't true. It's. Not. True. But even as he repeated that line, the slight pressure of his fingernails digging into his palm due to his grip on the wand was enough evidence that it was real. How?

Sirius looked at the other man, too shocked to say anything. It's not him. He's dead. He was gone long ago.

Sirius looked at 'Regulus', trying to find something to say but could think of nothing. Despite the fact that he was currently standing before him, Sirius did not believe that the man before him was truly his brother. He couldn't believe it. Regulus had died. Why else had he stopped writing to him?

Both stared at each other, not saying a word. The silence that engulfed the room was deafening. Sirius watched as a myriad of emotions washed across the younger man's features: pain, guilt, joy and hope. It was Regulus who finally broke the silence. His lips turned upward into a somewhat nervous, hopeful smile and he spoke:

"Hello brother."

And there's your chapter as promised. I put in a lot of thought before writing this chapter. I've always felt that Regulus and Sirius deserved a chance to rehash things between them. And yes, most probably, he is going to become a regular character.

Keep reading!