"Finally!" Regulus exclaimed as he pulled out the small box. They were yet to go through Malfoy's collection. So, he had been searching for the requisite equipment in his father's room. He opened the box and pulled out the ring. To anyone else, it looked like any other ring: a plain band of silver studded with an emerald. But, Regulus knew better. It was the very ring that his father had used to detect dark magic. The man had been a 'collector' of sorts. It had been one of his interests: gathering dark objects and 'souvenirs'.

He slipped it onto the ring finger of his right hand. Years ago, he had possessed one of the darkest creation in the world but he'd finally been rid if it. He rolled up his left sleeve and looked at the slightly blackened spot on his forearm. It had taken great efforts to get it off but after some tricky spells and goblins' old magic, he had accomplished pain had been excruciating for a while but it was better than carrying around a constant reminder of his horrible mistakes.

Sirius had already left for work while he had chosen to stay home and tend to this important task. The emerald on the ring glowed whenever it was exposed to darkness. Red, if the magnitude of darkness was mild to moderate and black if it was extremely high.

He was about to look for something else when the floo roared to life loudly. It was a fire call. It must be Sirius. His brother had told him that he would call if needed. Regulus stood, and exited the room, pulling the door behind him as he left.

Harry closed his Transfiguration textbook and pumped his fist in the air. He had successfully completely one of the four essays that had been assigned to the students for the vacations. His father had told him to have it completed by the end of the day and so; he had done as told.

He decided that after two hours of dutifully doing his homework, he deserved a break. He grabbed his Nimbus Two Thousand and stepped out of his room. That's when he noticed it.

The door on the far end of the first floor was slightly ajar. Harry frowned a bit at that. It was one of those rooms in which he wasn't allowed. Sirius had given him explicit instructions to stay out of those rooms. So far, he had followed that particular rule without any complaint.

But now, when he saw the open door, he started to get curious. He hadn't realized it before but he really wanted to know what was in those rooms. He looked around and saw that Regulus was nowhere to be seen and his father wasn't at home. Don't do this. Don't do this. It's a bad, bad idea. He firmly told himself but ultimately, curiosity got the better of him.

While the sensible side of him knew that it wasn't the right thing to do, his legs automatically moved towards the door. Harry stopped at the door and peered inside. He couldn't make out anything much other than a wardrobe. He pushed the door and quietly stepped inside. He took in his surroundings as he stood at the entrance.

It obviously was someone's bedroom. It was rather sparsely furnished and contained nothing more than a bed, a wardrobe, a nightstand, a desk and another door that probably led to the bathroom. The furniture was old but had a sort of elegant charm to it, like the rest of the house. Despite the expensive decor, the room had a rather dark feel to it.

A trunk lay on the floor, thrown open. Harry knelt down in front of it, wanting to take a closer look at the contents. Most of the objects in the trunk were securely wrapped and sealed. There was a small box that had been recently opened. Cautiously, he grabbed the lid of the trunk and pulled it down. The name was faded but Harry could still make out the letters: Orion Black. It belonged to Sirius' father.

"I thought Sirius asked you to stay out of these rooms?" Harry nearly jumped out of his skin and turned around. Regulus was leaning against the door with his arms loosely crossed across his chest. Harry gulped, desperately trying to find a way to explain himself. The man didn't appear angry but he didn't look particularly pleased either.

If his dad had found him, he could have known what to expect. Sirius wouldn't have been happy to find him here. A few stern words accompanied by a warning and the matter would have been closed.

Regulus approached him and Harry instinctively tensed. He's not going to hurt you! He scolded himself. "So? What are you doing in here?" The man raised an eyebrow at him, questioningly. "I was... I was curious." He admitted and braced himself for a rebuke. But, Regulus only gave him a lopsided grin. "It happens to all of us. Just don't come in here again. Not a very nice place. Off you go."

Harry stared at Regulus in amazement. "That's it? You're not going to yell at me?" He blurted out. Regulus chuckled slightly at his question. "I'm not your dad, kiddo. I'll leave the yelling to Sirius. You ever get into trouble with him, it'll be my responsibility to try and get you out of it." The man promised with a wink.

Harry grinned and his tension eased away. "But seriously, I don't want you in here again," said Regulus. "I swear; I won't come here ever." Harry replied. "Great. In that case, I don't think we need to tell my brother about this." Harry's eyes widened with surprise. "Are you serious?"

"No, he is." Regulus answered with a smile. He ruffled Harry's hair playfully but his grin faded and he slowly retracted his hand. "What's wrong?" Harry asked, hurt. Regulus quickly regained composure and forced a smile for the boy's sake. "It's nothing, don't you worry. Go on now; you were supposed to go flying, right?" He asked, pointing towards the broom. Harry seemed unconvinced, but when Reg gave him an encouraging nod, he picked up his broom and headed out of the door. "Bye Reg!" He called out as he left the room.

He didn't notice the frown on Regulus face or the ring on the man's hand that was currently emitting a black glow.

"This had better be good, Regulus. What was so bloody important that you had to call me home in the middle of work?" Those were Sirius' first lines when he apparated home. Regulus felt relief wash over him, the moment his brother was home. He needed to tell Sirius about what he had witnessed a few minutes ago.

There was no way that the ring could have made a mistake. It was always right. "Oh it's urgent alright. Something strange happened today."

He must have sounded pretty tense because Sirius' anger was immediately replaced by worry. "What's wrong, Reg?" He asked. "Today, I found father's ring; the one we were looking for."

"Okay... what happened after that?" Sirius asked, since there obviously had to be more to this. "I slipped it onto my finger since I knew that we'd need it later, to examine the things we found at Malfoy's. When I tousled Harry's hair, the ring glowed. Black."

First; pure shock washed over his face after which Sirius shook his head disbelievingly. What his brother had just told him was absolutely ridiculous. "That's rubbish. There's no way that could have happened. Harry is anything but dark. There's definitely some mistake here."

Regulus calmly shook his head. "The ring never lies. You know that just as well as I do. I'm not imagining this, Sirius. The ring really did glow." Sirius glared at his brother. "So you're trying to say that Harry's dark? Do you even realise what you are saying? My son is anything but evil."

The younger Black held up his hands in a placating manner. He knew that his brother was very overprotective when it came to Harry. "Look, I'm not saying that he's evil. Of course he isn't. But, that doesn't change what I saw. Sirius, I know that Harry is not a dark one. He's far, far away from the dark side. All I'm saying is that the ring glowed. If something is amiss, we need to fix it before the situation gets out of hand." Regulus explained.

He could almost see the gears turning in his older brother's head. Finally, Sirius nodded his acceptance. "You're right. But first, I want to see this for myself." He said. "I'm sure you do."

About half an hour later, Harry came back inside. "Hey, Dad. How come you're home so early?" He asked, grinning at Sirius. The man offered his son a small smile and patted the space next to him. "I just needed to look into something," he replied. He slung an arm over Harry's shoulders before reaching up to ruffle his hair. "So, what have you been up to, all morning?"

Harry looked at Regulus who gave him a smile; indicating that his little secret was safe. "Uh... nothing actually. I did that essay like you asked me to and then went flying." He replied. "Go put your broom away, we'll have lunch together."

The boy nodded enthusiastically before getting up. As he went towards the stairs, he lightly brushed past Regulus, who was sitting in one of the sofas. Sirius caught the unmistakable black glow of the ring. Once Harry was out of earshot, the man turned to his brother. "You were right, Reg," he admitted. "But what exactly is wrong over here? He's lived with me for over a year and till date, there's been absolutely no sign of darkness form him." Sirius remarked.

His son was without doubt, one of the sweetest people one could ever meet. The frightened pup he had met a year ago didn't know a thing about being evil. Despite being so badly abused by his muggle relatives, Harry hadn't done anything to them in return. How could someone like that be evil?

"Sirius, I'm not saying that he's dark. But, there is something dark inside of him. He's isn't aware of it. I've known him for less than a month but I completely agree with you: Harry is anything but evil. All I'm saying is that we need to help him out."

"I know. I'll do whatever I can to help him. We need to find out what exactly is going on. Once we find out why the ring is glowing, it'll be easier to look for a solution."

"Precisely. Now, I take that you'd like to stay with him for a while? If you want, I'll go and examine whatever is required." Regulus suggested. Sirius nodded right away. He needed to find out what was wrong. "Thanks Reggie. I'll go and see what we can find in the library. A place as huge as that; we're bound to find something."

"Call me if you find anything." Said Regulus. "Will do."

After lunch, Regulus left for work and Sirius went to the library. Harry, who had been awake, last night, playing around; promptly fell asleep in his room.

Sirius ran his finger down the list of dark objects and their effect on different living creatures. So far, he hadn't come across anything that could be so dark as to cause the ring to glow so brightly. He was certain that the ring hadn't responded to Harry's scar. The scar was just something the boy had received on that fateful night.

Sighing, he closed the book and pinched the bridge of his nose. He got up and headed out of the library. There was no point in sitting there when he could find nothing. He made up his mind to work on it later.

"So, I assume you didn't find anything?" Regulus inquired as Sirius walked into the auror department; looking visibly upset. "Nothing. What about you? Any success at all?" Sirius asked, going into his office. "Actually yes. We managed to neutralize a good deal of the artefacts that we found at Malfoy's. I must say, he had quite an interesting collection. Apparently he was a prime customer at Borgin and Burke's. One would assume he was trying to imitate father's collection."

"Of course he was. He was always following him around. What else?" Regulus continued: "The objects that couldn't be neutralized; were destroyed. Some of them couldn't be destroyed so we've set them aside. As for the list of names you asked for; it's right there, on your desk." Regulus pointed to a thin file that was sitting on top of his desk. Sirius picked up the file and ran through the details. "That little scumbag had several people in almost every department, doing his bidding."

"How the mighty have fallen. There's also the other information that he gave us; the one about all the death eaters. We'll have to go after them." Sirius nodded in agreement. "I know. In fact, I'll take a look at the names right now. We can start tracking them down. The sooner we have them under lock and key, the better." Said Sirius. "It won't be long before word gets out that Malfoy was arrested. We have managed to keep this under wraps for now. But, at the trial, several people will be present. One of them is bound to let something slip, albeit accidentally."

"Let's not forget about the Prophet and all the reporters who will be there." Regulus pointed out. "We'll handle them and get it done as soon as possible."

Malfoy's trial was not the only reason Sirius wanted to get the work done quickly. He just wanted something to do. He needed to get his mind off that glowing ring. It was constantly bugging him. "Sirius?" Regulus looked at him; concern on his face. "Don't worry about Harry. We will figure it out. I know how important this is for you and trust me, we will find a solution."

Sirius hoped with all his might that his brother was right. The day he had adopted Harry, he'd sworn to himself that he would do right by the boy. So far, he'd kept that promise. He wasn't going to break it now.

As planned, Malfoy's trial was a hushed affair. The DMLE, a handful of aurors, Malfoy's immediate family and a few others were the only ones who were present. The accusations were all verified once more and the verdict was passed.

"Lucius Malfoy, for your crimes against the Wizarding community; you are herby sentenced to fifteen years in Azkaban." His sentence had been reduced as a compensation for the valuable information that he had provided.

He was then escorted to a holding cell so that he could meet his wife and son. After that, he would be transported directly to the Wizarding prison.

Draco and Narcissa were let into the cell. The woman had an expression of pure angst on her face. She spoke quietly to her husband while her son stood next to her. "I'll be outside. We can leave once you're done." She told Draco before exiting the cell.

Draco stared at his father silently. "Father," he greeted, not sure about what to say. "Draco."

"Why?" The boy asked, unable to bear the silence any longer. "What do you mean why?" The man demanded coldly. "I always did as you asked. I tried my level best to be the son you wanted. I walked, talked and behaved according to your instructions. I pushed people away because it's what you wanted, I refused to show weakness by expressing emotions, I acknowledged and accepted your beliefs regarding pureblood superiority and followed your orders without question."

"So? You were only doing what was expected of you," Lucius icily replied. "What's your point?"

Draco felt hot tears burning behind his eyes. All his life, he had tried to be the dutiful and obedient son. "All my life, all I ever wanted was your approval. I tried my utmost. But, all I received at the end of the day was your disappointment. Why? I want to know, father. Why were you always so disappointed in me?"

The man stared at his son, long and hard. "I don't know." He replied quietly. And truly, he didn't know.

Draco finally gave in to the tears and let them fall. He glared at his father. "I'm done. I tried and failed all my life to gain your approval. But today, I have realized that you don't deserve it. Whatever I did was never good enough. I may not be a very good son; but you are definitely not a good father." His voice sounded hoarse and broken; even to himself.

Without another word, Draco wiped away the tears that were falling rapidly and left the room.

That day, Lucius Malfoy didn't just lose his freedom. He also lost his only son.

"Could it have something to do with Voldemort?" Regulus asked suddenly. Sirius frowned at that possibility. "Voldemort? I don't think that is possible. When Harry destroyed that diary, Voldemort's preserved memory was also destroyed. He's too weak to do anything right now." Sirius replied. But, even as he said those words; he could help but think: what if it really was Voldemort?

"Hmm. Maybe." Regulus seemed convinced; but Sirius wasn't. "Hey, I'll take a look at this for a while. Why don't you take a break?" Regulus suggested, noticing Sirius' tensed expression. "Thanks. I could definitely use it." Sirius left the library, leaving Regulus to go through the books by himself.

Feeling a bit knackered, Sirius ran a hand through his hair and went up the stairs, to Harry's room. He frowned slightly when he saw the boy simply lying on the bed. "Pup, are you alright?" He enquired worriedly, as he saw down on the bed. Sitting up, Harry gave him a shrug. "I'm feeling sort of tired." He admitted.

"Tired?" The man placed his hand over Harry's forehead, to check if he was warm; but found that the temperature was normal. "Well, you don't have a fever or anything. Are you hungry?" The boy shook his head. "Since when have you been feeling this way?"

"I don't know, Dad. A few days maybe. I thought it was just the tiredness from playing Quidditch or something but I haven't actually done anything today. I'm still tired." Said Harry. "Was this exhaustion present after we came home from Hogwarts as well?" Sirius asked, hoping that the answer would be no. Prolonged tiredness was a concern, yes. But, if this tiredness had something to do with the glowing of the ring: that was definitely a major issue.

"I'm not exactly sure. I mean, I was kind of tired at the end of the day but that was because of all the chores that you gave me." Harry pointed out with a playful accusatory note in his voice. Sirius only wished he could return Harry's smile. The tiredness that Harry had been feeling; couldn't have been a result of his punishment.

His son had spoken about bad days with his horrible relatives and all the housework they had forced him into. He'd done more than five times the work back then and was still able to wake up early the next day; to complete the same routine. This meant that all this had begun after the incident in the Chamber of Secrets. Since the past few days, Harry had been going to bed earlier than usual. This new fatigue was something else altogether.

He'd ponder over that later. For now, he rolled his eyes and ruffled Harry's hair. "Oh come on now, I don't think I was that bad." The boy laughed a bit at that. "Yes you were. You never listened when I told you that I was bored. I'm tired of that boredom, Dad. Since I was grounded, I couldn't even go out anywhere. It was just you and me all day. You got a little boring after a bit." Harry replied with a mischievous grin.

"Why you cheeky little brat!"

Giggling, Harry reached out to hug his father and Sirius returned it instantly. He rested one hand on the back of Harry's head and the other around his middle. As he wrapped his arms protectively around his son, he made a promise to himself. It didn't matter what this problem was. He was going to help Harry. After years of pain, his pup was finally happy. He would do whatever was needed to keep it that way.

You're going get to the bottom of this, Black. You will do this.

"I must say, that Weasley woman is quite fond of Harry." Regulus commented one night. Since Sirius had been busy with work, Regulus had gone over instead. "Oh she certainly is." Sirius affirmed.

"She kept talking about how Harry had a very kind and gentle soul and how her entire family would forever be indebted to the two of you." But, Sirius had stopped listening the moment Regulus had said the word 'soul'. Soul. Soul. Soul! SOUL!

He recalled his earlier observation of how it had started after defeating Voldemort in the Chamber. Damn it! He hoped with all he had that he was wrong. The diary, Harry's tiredness and above all: the soul. It was all bloody connected!

Voldemort was a sick, conniving and malicious bugger but he was clever. Very clever. That day, in the Chamber when Sirius had demanded to know as to how he was able to look into Harry's mind; the dark wizard had lied with an admirable ease.

It wasn't fear. It had never been the fear. No; this was something far deeper. Harry's unusual weariness began almost immediately after the diary had been destroyed. Sirius prayed that his theory was wrong; but a strong gut feeling told him that he was unfortunately correct.

Voldemort's mannerisms and behavioral patterns clearly indicated that he was utterly heartless. He didn't have a soul. Sirius didn't mean that metaphorically. Voldemort was literally empty on the inside. He was just so cruel and vile. But, this was a completely different level of evil. He hadn't destroyed his soul. He had divided it. There was dark magic and then there was unspeakably dark magic. What Voldemort had done was the latter. His father had spoken about it once or twice. So, Sirius knew a good deal about it.

His conclusion was based partly on deduction and instinct. His instincts told him that he was absolutely correct. That day, when Harry had destroyed Voldemort's diary; he hadn't just annihilated his memory. Oh no; he had obliterated something much bigger. He had destroyed a piece of Voldemort's soul itself.

Hed never realised this before but now he knew. In the Wizarding war; Sirius had fought the Dark Lord and although he had managed to significantly wound him; he'd never been able to kill him. Now he knew why. There was nothing inside Voldemort that could be killed. He had finally managed to unravel the secret of the glowing ring. The tiredness, the diary – it all pointed towards one thing.

"-ius! SIRIUS! Are you even listening to me?" Sirius looked at Regulus with grave solemnity in his eyes.

"I think Harry is a horcrux."

And so, my fellow witches and wizards; there's your update. I hope you'll enjoyed it.