Story that this is uploaded later then I wanted it to have it sooner but I had to go to Texas for a Wedding last weekend and I have a new kitten named Pippa. She crawls all over stuff and sometime she accidentally deletes a paragraph. The next chapter will be long and Harry will be in it that's why it going to be longer. I haven't started on it yet but soon, the only time I have off work this week is Saturday. Also thank you for the reviews!
"All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride." - Sophocles, Antigone
Sirius was now sitting on the side of his bed where Regulus lays. Looking over at his little brother, he was the picture of bliss thanks to the dreamless sleep potion Mrs. Weasley provided Regulus with. Thankfully the potion caused his brother breathing to even out and he had stopped trembling, Regulus eyes were swollen from tears and his cheeks are a rose color but he was still unnaturally pale. He was always like that, Regulus hair was a mess on the pillow curls in every direction.
Molly Weasley had tucked Regulus in the warm thick blanket up to the chin, Sirius's pillow was so big compared to Regulus head it would almost look like a child was sleeping in the bed. Sirius clenched his teeth in anger his brother was a child, he died as a child. A child that had desperately tried to reach our but had lost all options. Except death.
Sirius clenched his hands in anger at the thought of Regulus choice. His anger really wasn't towards Regulus but mainly at himself. The argument that he had with his brother before the potion was given to him opened his eyes a little. Through all the yelling and crying there was one thing that Regulus said that made Sirius very sick.
"Your door was locked."
Those words almost made Sirius turn green. No one seem to understand but him, he knew. As a child, Sirius always kept his bedroom door open for Regulus when he had a nightmare or was genuinely scared of something. It's wasn't what Regulus meant but Sirius understood the metaphor. He had shut him out casted him. It was almost felt as if Sirius abandon him and in a way he did. Regulus did come to him but he turned him away left him to his death.
You killed him. A dark twisted voice weaves through Sirius. He denied what the voice said telling it that it was Regulus choices that lead to his death not him.
You never once considered your actions for wanting freedom. Sweat Regulus's freedom and life was your price for freedom.
That wasn't true he wouldn't sacrifice his brother for that no matter what even...even if he had too. He had to much pride and justice to do that. The voice laughed at him.
Pride and justice is such a bad sin but it wasn't pride that killed your brother it was greed and justice. Greedy for your freedom so you stripped him of his by running away leaving him at the mercy of your parents and justice for seeing him pay for what he did as a Death Eater. Don't make me laugh your an adult now, you should know that things in life isn't black and white but grey. Nothing comes free.
Sirius told the voice to shut up very loudly that Regulus stir a little but not wake. He watched a Regulus settled himself back to sleep trying to ignore the voice but it was futile.
Your old burdens became his. Maybe If you had just stayed he would have grown into a man he was meant to be and would not have died as a frightened child.
Sirius clenched his hands tighter in anger because maybe the voice was right. His stomach dropped It hurt because it was right. Sirius kept on listening to the voices poison words until he realized something horrid. It was his own voice he was listening to. He turned his gaze from Regulus to his hands and noticed one hand was bleeding. Opening his bleeding hand he held with in it a locket. But not just any locket but the locket his baby brother died for. The locket was green and had a symbol of a snake in the middle with runes around the sides.
Within it was a swirling smoke and had a green glow to it. Kreacher had reluctantly gave Sirius the locket after the fight with Regulus. His brother had to order Kreacher to give it to Sirius. Before Regulus had fallen asleep he told Sirius that it was Salazar Slytherin's locket and it belonged to Voldemort along with that it had been tampered with. Regulus memories are still a bit muddled so he couldn't tell his story straight, Kreacher helped fill in pieces and warned not to wear the necklace or be with it far to long in general. Kreacher told them that it made him see and hear things that weren't there and that he was unable to destroy it.
Damnit! Sirius chucked the locket away from him realizing that it was most likely messing with his mind.
"Sirius?" A voice called out to him and Sirius turned his head to the doorway. There standing at the doorway was Remus with a concern look upon his face. Sirius gave him a smile signaling he was okay because Remus was staring at his hand.
"Clenched the bloody thing to hard it cut my skin." Sirius grimiest and waved his none bleeding hand to the locket on the floor. Remus walked into the room quickly and made his way over to pick up the locket but Sirius stopped him. "I wouldn't touch it, Kreacher was right that thing does something to ones mind." With that said Remus backed away from the item on the floor.
"It's was talking to me."
"Talking?" Remus blinked at him in confusion.
Sirius nodded and grimiest at the locket on the floor not really wanting to go into details of what the voice had said. "Just told me things that are mostly true. Funny thing was it was in my voice it was talking in but that's not important. Did you get in contact with Dumbledore?" He said quickly so that he could change the subject. Remus knew what he was doing but went with knowing if he pushed Sirius, he wouldn't get anywhere.
"Yes, he will arrive later in the morning, he said it was best to let Regulus rest before asking him some questions. Said his mind went through a great ordeal." Remus had agreed with Dumbledore and it was best to leave Regulus alone for a while. "If this thing can mess with out minds then I say we place it some where safe until Dumbledore arrives." Remus continues as he took out his wand and levitated the locket.
"I agree. We should place it in my fathers study away from us especially Regulus, his mind is trying to repair its self safer to not cause any more damage then what's already been done." Sirius looked at Regulus sleeping form and frowned. He honestly didn't know how to help him or himself, Sirius couldn't forgive Regulus for the things he done as a death eater that was his pride.
But he also could forgive himself, the voice was right he had abandoned Regulus at the age when he really needed a brother. He watched as his brother shifted to the side facing him and the shirt he was wearing fell from his shoulder, Sirius saw the scar. He never once heard or seen Regulus break his collarbone before it must have happened when he went to school. There must have been a lot of things in Regulus life that he didn't know about and he always thought he knew his brother.
But in reality that far from the case maybe when they where children Sirius could tell anyone that he knew his baby brother more than anyone. Hell now he couldn't even tell anyone what Regulus favorite food or what he was like in Hogwarts. For Sirius, Regulus had always been in the background of his school day and when they did interact it always ended up in a fight and Regulus almost in tears half of it was probably his fault Sirius will admit. Know that he looked back on it Regulus always had a depressed and pleading look when he glanced at him. Did things go down hill for Regulus when he started school? Did it start happening then? Could he not see it? Sirius wondered to himself.
"Why am I so blind to him?" Sirius said out loud not really saying it to anyone really.
Remus looked at Sirius with a grim expression as he levitated the locket into a pouch to carry it in. "It's not that you were blind to him Sirius. Sometime when we are young, we like to see what we want to see."
"Meaning?"
Remus moved forward and sat on the bed next to Sirius and folded his hands together, he frowned when he looked over to him. " I've learned a few things while out of school and I'm not saying this to upset you." Remus paused to get his statement though Sirius and once he got that it was okay he continued on. "We all did this not just you Sirius, it's shameful but all young kids at that age did the same. As young kids we choose to ignore what going on in others lives or in our own. It makes life easier then." He paused to make sure Sirius was with him and then he started up again. "It wasn't that you are blind to him back then it was you were so focused on getting away, you lost track of Regulus leaving him behind." Remus watched as Sirius gripped his hands and gritted his teeth.
"It's unfortunate but it happens and it's a painful thing to realize. It doesn't help that we weren't the nicest group of kids in Hogwarts. Yes we did pranks but thinking back some of them might as well be considered bullying. May have been one of the reasons why Regulus never to you for help."
Sirius opened his mouth to protest him but Remus held up his hand to stop him.
"What I'm getting at Sirius is you lost Regulus but he is here now and that is what matters. You have a chance to see through him now. The real Regulus not the one you wanted to see when we were kids. Those years are over." Remus places his hand on Sirius shoulder.
"It got the best of me back then." Sirius whispers in the air and Remus hummed in confusion.
"Hm?"
"My pride and greed. I should have not been so rash, I should have stopped for a moment or second to see him."
Remus brows furrowed and frowned knowing Sirius was now beating himself up. Remus grip the hand that was on Sirius's shoulder. "We are only human Sirius." Trying to get him to understand and Sirius just nods. Then Remus held up the pouch that held the locket. "Call Kreacher to put this away."
Sirius called for the elf not in his usual way due to Regulus sleeping and with a pop, Kreacher appeared.
"What can Kreacher do for the blood-traitor?" Kreacher sneered at Sirius and Sirius willed him self not to bite back at Kreacher knowing that the noise would disturb his baby brother. Sirius took the pouch from Remus and held it up to the elf looking into his eyes.
"You want to protect Regulus?"
Kreacher eyes went wide and then he nodded with his ears following the movement.
"Then hide this within the house. You must tell no one of it or of Regulus. Not even former Blacks. No one must know, if it gets out Regulus is back they will come to kill him. Do you understand?" Sirius words put fear into the elf and the old elf nodded.
Kreacher held out his hand in order to take the locket away. "Kreacher will not say a word to anyone except Blood-traitor. Kreacher will protect Master Regulus this time. Kreacher will not fail again." He rambles to Sirius as Sirius drops the pouch into Kreacher hand. With that the elf disappears somewhere within the home.
"You know what this means right?" Remus said all of a sudden with a grin on his face, Sirius looks at him questioning.
"What?"
"You have to be nice to him, Padfoot." Remus chuckled as Sirius shock face turned into a pout.
"Oh Sod off, Moony." Sirius joked but in the back of his mind it would be worth it.
In order to protect Regulus and bring down Voldemort if it came down to it he would be nice to the old house elf.
