All was forgotten about when Regulus made his way downstairs the following day. After all, today was his birthday. Today he was seven years old. And that was more important than any silly little thing his brother decided to say.

Kreacher, the house elf, had decorated the house neatly, and everyone was wearing their best robes in a variety of dark colours. Regulus included.

Sirius, however, was wearing bright blue ordinary robes and he had a stupid smirk on his face.

"Good evening," Regulus greeted them, glaring af Sirius and his manner of dress. This was his birthday, why couldn't he just keep out of the spotlight for once in his life!

Mother seemed to share his thoughts. She glanced between Sirius (who just stood there, smirking like an idiot in his blue robes) and him, sneered, and said: "it's good to see at least one of you has a good sense of dress."

He stuck out his tongue at his older brother when both parents weren't looking. Sirius, in turn, blew a raspberry, which earned him a pat to the back of his head. Regulus suppressed a laugh and waited for the first guests the arrive.

It shouldn't be long now.

Every second he grew more nervous and every second he grew less resentful of his brother standing out. He didn't want to be the centre of attention, with all those family members coming over—some of them he only saw on birthdays! What was he even supposed to say to them?

He nervously hopped from one foot to another when there was a knock on the door.

"Go on, son, open it," Father gently shoved him towards the door.

Regulus tried to keep his hand from shaking too much and pulled it open, only to be nearly knocked over as Grandfather Arcturus brushed past him, followed by Grandmother Melania.

"Sirius, Sirius. You always manage to stand out, don't you?" Grandfather Arcturus said as Regulus closed the door, glad he had managed to escape the attention this time.

Or not.

"Ah, and there's the birthday boy!" He had turned around and messed up Regulus' hair, who quickly patted it back down again. Argh, grandparents!

Grandmother Melania chimed in: "you'll go places, love. A promising lad," she added to Mother and Father, who tried their best at what seemed to be an attempted humble look.

"Oh, you've both grown so much since I last saw you," she murmured, looking between them. Regulus bit back the comment that if she visited more often this growth wouldn't be as surprising and thanked her as she wished him a happy birthday.

Sirius was instructed to take them to the dining room, leaving Regulus alone with his parents. He braced himself—the next guests couldn't be distracted by Sirius and all focus would be on him.

The next guests were Uncle Cygnus, Aunt Druella and their three daughters; Bellatrix, Andromeda and Narcissa.

Bellatrix stormed inside, nearly knocking him over as she argued with Narcissa about the latter stealing something from her. Uncle Cygnus ran after them, shouting the matter could wait, for it was a birthday visit, which was meant to be joyful.

Aunt Druella mumbled an apology and a happy birthday and pulled along a sour-looking Andromeda who nodded at him in passing.

They, too, left for the dining room.

And so, slowly but surely, the guests all arrived and seated themselves at the long wooden table in the dining room, waiting for dinner to be served.

Regulus was exhausted already, but sat quietly as his mother and father stood at the head of the table. She started the speech: "ladies and gentlemen, we gather here today to celebrate the seventh birthday of our beloved son, Regulus Arcturus Black!"

The dining room erupted in applause and his Grandfather Pollux nudged him. "Get up," he whispered.

Face red, Regulus got to his feet, staring around the table. "Er... hi."

Mother laughed, Father clasped him on the back, and the table filled up with delicious food right as they sat back down.

The entire table was soon engrossed in conversation and he heard his name more often than he could count, though he could really only pick up the conversations that happened on his side of the table, like his mother and Aunt Lucretia, who were comparing him to Sirius as always. Sirius was older, therefore everyone expected him to be better. But he wasn't.

"The Black blood runs strong in him," his aunt said proudly. "I must say I was afraid this family was lost with your eldest..."

Sirius was playing with his food, looking straight ahead, his face unreadable. He stood out amongst the crowd with those bright blue robes... Regulus sighed. He didn't understand his brother, not one bit.

When dinner finally came to an end, his brother forced his chair back so loudly it creaked, and ran out of the dining room.

"I'll check on him," Uncle Alphard said, getting up from the table and leaving the room as well.

After a few moments of everyone sitting in shock, the conversations resumed and he excused himself. He better check on his brother as well.

He eventually found him in the kitchen, with Uncle Alphard. They were talking quietly and looked up when he pushed open the door, stared at him, and fell silent.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Regulus said. "I didn't-"

"No, come, join us, we weren't talking about anything in particular," Uncle Alphard said, smiling brightly at him.

All right then, he thought to himself as he sat down near them at the kitchen table.

"So, dear boy, how do you feel on this special day?" Uncle Alphard asked him. "It's a bit much, isn't it?"

He nodded. "I don't like to have this many people talking about me all the time."

His uncle smiled sympathetically and went to say something when they were interrupted by a "here you are!" coming from the doorway.

Andromeda was rattling on as she came over to the table. "Hiding away in the basement, I see? And you don't think to include me? I have lots to say—did you know that-"

"Later, Andromeda. We have company," Uncle Alphard interrupted, gesturing to Regulus, whose face reddened once more. Andromeda looked at him as if he'd grown a second head.

"What, me?" He asked, confused. "What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing, little cousin. Absolutely nothing," Andromeda sat down next to him at the kitchen table, but didn't continue with what she had wanted to say, indicating that there most certainly was something wrong with him... but what?

The silence that followed was deafening, and he quickly felt very unwanted and very uncomfortable. "I should get back to the festivities," he said as he stood up.

When nobody argued with him, or tried to get him to stay, he stormed off, slamming the kitchen door behind him. Just before he went back upstairs, he heard his Uncle Alphard speak. "Sirius, Andromeda, remember that true greatness is not merely defined by lineage but mostly by the choices one makes in life. You must nurture all your virtues and most importantly: guide him wisely."

The first part reminded him of yesterday, of what Sirius had said... the last part, though...

'Him'? Who was 'him'? Was he 'him'? It gnawed on him as he slowly moved through the hallway. Why on earth would they have to guide him, and more importantly, guide him in what? And why was Uncle Alphard telling them all that, about lineage and choices? Was he trying to wreck this family, or what?

He was so lost in his thoughts that he nearly bumped into Bellatrix. He started apologising but she merely smiled. "Ach, Regulus, darling, do enjoy your little party while you still can," she said, "it won't last long. Soon, you, too, will have responsibilities and obligations that will get in the way."

He frowned, and she whispered: "It's been so long since I had a party like this one."

A party like this one? A bunch of adults chatting away in the dining room about things that didn't interest him? That's what she called a party? It was nothing like the children's parties he was used to! But he composed himself – he wasn't a baby any more, of course – and answered in the sweetest voice he could muster: "But Bella, don't those responsibilities make our family proud? Aren't they just as good as a party?"

Bellatrix laughed. "Yes, yes, very good." She patted his head.

"Ah, Reg, Bella!" Narcissa burst out of the dining room and sped towards them. "Can I have a word with you?" she asked him.

"We were just talking," Bellatrix said.

"Oh, I know," she said.

Bella smiled. "So why are you here?"

"To have a word with our Reggie."

"You can have a word with him right here," she said, gesturing around her.

"Fine. Reg, I don't know who you've been talking to, but listen—just embrace whatever they tell you. It's easiest."

"What do you mean?"

"Family is important," she said, as if this was some big revelation.

"I know that!"

"Well," Narcissa sighed. "Bella here says she overheard Andromeda and Sirius say you have doubts sometimes... about our family..."

"Me? Doubts? He's the one saying no to everything! I don't have doubts!"

"You mean Sirius?"

Regulus nodded. "Yesterday, too, talk about... about..." he stopped mid-sentence.

"About what, Regulus? Tell me." Bellatrix grabbed both his shoulders, looking at him with such an intense look he thought she could read his mind. Maybe she actually could.

"He talked about us going our own way... together..." he mumbled. He didn't want to make her angry, but there really wasn't a good way out. She'd be angry either way, and in such cases, it was always better to have her be angry at the truth, than angry at a lie.

But it always scared him to see her angry.

She was easy to wind up, and took forever to calm down. She could go from zero to a hundred in seconds and if you were the one she was mad at... well, you better run. She was one to be quietly furious, unlike Mother who started screaming at the littlest things, but was really harmless other than that. No, he was pretty sure that Bellatrix's fury could kill.

So when he saw the anger building behind her eyes, he quickly excused himself. Narcissa went with him, as she must've sensed the same thing was about to happen. It was best to not be anywhere near Bella in moments like these.

They both fled to the first floor, and entered the playroom, only to find it was no longer a playroom at all. All of Regulus' once cherished toys, which had been there this afternoon... were gone. Instead, they were replaced by a desk, some bookcases, a wardrobe and a bed. They had turned his favourite room into a stupid guestroom.

It hit him harder than he thought it would ans he had to bite his lip to keep the tears from falling. He didn't want to cry. He wasn't a baby... and he definitely didn't want to cry in front of his favourite cousin.

"Are you alright?" she asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Regulus pulled back. "I'm fine."

It was silent for a bit, then: "You should come visit us sometime soon. Before I go back to Hogwarts, I mean. I want to show you something, back at home. Something I think you'll like. Okay?"

Regulus nodded. "I'll ask my parents if I can come."

Much to both their delight, he had got permission to spend the afternoon at his cousin's the next day.

"Where are we going?" Regulus asked she dragged him along the house. "Tell me, please? Pretty please?"

She laughed. "It's a secret, Reg!"

"But I've been waiting for ages!"

"Well... we're going to go to... a hidden part of this house. That's all I'll say."

A hidden part of the house? Really? She had often told him stories about secret passages at Hogwarts, but he'd never imagined there were secret passages right here!

Oh, how jealous Sirius would be when he found out!

She guided him down some stairs and into the family library, which was at least twice the size of the dining room back home and filled with beautiful wooden bookcases with old, leather-bound books.

"Now, only those with true Black blood can enter this secret passage," Narcissa said solemnly as she guided him through the library, towards the end of the room.

"We're Blacks!"

Narcissa laughed. "Yes, Reg, we're Blacks. That's why I'm taking you there."

They stood in front of a seemingly normal bookcase. He was about to ask what they were doing there when she got her wand out, tapping one of the books on the shelf a few times—it fell back, the bookshelf rumbling and the ground seemed to shake (but Regulus was able to easily keep his balance). The bookcase sank into the ground and instead, he stared into a long, dark corridor.

"Oh, come on then!" Narcissa said, entering the corridor.

Regulus followed, taking a small step, and another. He relaxed a little when nothing seemed to happen, but after a few more steps there was a loud thud and the corridor got pitch black.

And when he turned around, he saw there was no way back anymore—the entrance had been completely sealed off.

"Cissy," he managed. "What... What..."

"Don't worry," she said cheerfully. "It'll open for us."

Regulus swallowed hard. "Okay..."

He followed his cousin along the corridor. Even though his eyes had got used to the dark now, he could barely make out her shape. He followed her until they ended up in front of a door. She didn't say anything, she just put her hand on the door and it swung open. It was even darker beyond it, if possible, but she stepped through as if it was nothing. She disappeared the moment she stepped over the threshold, and the door slammed shut before he could follow her—not that he wanted to. Secret passages turned out to be very scary...

He sank to the floor, sitting against the stone wall, looking at the door, trying to figure out what was going on. He was too afraid to touch the door, thinking he would be dragged away as well. He couldn't hear her any more, he could barely even see.

He just wanted to go home... please let him go home...

But just as he was about to burst into tears, the door opened again, and Narcissa walked out. She was still there! Nothing bad had happened, right?

He jumped up and wiped his eyes, hoping she wouldn't see. It was dark, after all, but her seeing would be the worst thing ever. What would she think of him then? Crying was for babies, for Muggles, not for members of the House of Black.

"Why aren't you coming?"

"C-coming?"

She rolled her eyes. "Just touch the door and it'll open. Go on, you go first this time."

He stared at her, and then at the door. Was it really that simple? He reached out his arm and touched the door with his fingers, only slightly, but it was enough for the door to swing open. He stared at the passage the open doorway revealed. It wasn't as dark as it had been when Narcissa opened the door, but it wasn't lit either.

"Go on, I'll follow. Just go in."

He took a deep breath and stepped inside, and as he passed the threshold, the darkness changed, first becoming a passage, then growing larger, more rectangular, and brighter. It wasn't just a passage, it was an entire room! He looked behind him again, just as his cousin appeared. "What is this place?"

"It's the Black's burial chamber," she explained. "It's a place for us to remember who we are, to honour our ancestors. Only the best of the best get a spot here."

"It's beautiful," he said, looking around the chamber. It was well-kept and lit with candles that seemed to be floating in the air. The room was huge and there were many side doors with names and dates for whole branches of the family, as well as tombs from centuries ago in the main room.

"Can we come here whenever we want?"

"Of course we can! It's like you said—we're Blacks, aren't we? It's ours. I like to come here to remind myself of why we're doing all this, you know?"

He nodded. He understood. At least, he thought he did. All he knew was that these people, who lay here, resting—they were worth it. It was one thing to hear about them, another to see.

"Can I touch it?" He asked, feeling drawn to one of the age-old stone sarcophagi. She nodded, so he approached it and let his fingertips trace the engravings. The cold touch of the stone sent shivers down his spine, and he was sure he could hear... something in the back of his mind. Not quite a voice, but there was still something unmistakably human about it.

"Cissy," he whispered. "I can feel it. It's like they're speaking to me."

"I feel it too," she confirmed. "The dead never really leave us, do they? They're here. They know we're here, too, and they're proud of us. And they'll be so much prouder when we're old and shrivelled and joining them here after we lived our lives to the fullest, to leave our own mark on the world, to be among the best of the best ourselves..."

He nodded, his gaze drifting across the chamber once more. "I want to be like them," he said. "I want to protect our family and make them proud."

She smiled at him. "You will. We will."

Regulus smiled back, feeling good for the first time since they went on this little adventure.

They sat there in silence for a while, just looking at their deceased ancestors' resting places and listening to the whispers coming from their graves.

Eventually, they had to get up and get back. Regulus was reluctant to do so, but knew he had no choice; there were living people waiting for him—his parents, his brother, his other family members... yes, even Kreacher would be waiting, having prepared a lovely meal for them all. It was worth to go home to.

They stood near the fireplace. "Today was great," he said as he grabbed the pot of Floo Powder off the mantle.

"I told you you'd love it!"

"We should do it again sometime."

"We will. When I get home for Christmas, we'll have another look," she said. "Promise."

"I can't wait!

He stepped into the fireplace and threw in the powder. "Number twelve, Grimmauld Place!"

That evening, after dinner, he sat with his brother in his bedroom.

"I wish you were with me today," he said.

"To Cissy's?"

Regulus nodded. "She showed me the burial chamber. Our ancestors were there."

"There's no such thing," his brother argued.

"There is! And everyone was there! You had to see it! They were talking to me, our ancestors, they were there!"

"It's just in your head," he told him. "The dead are dead. They are gone."

"That's not true, I could hear them, they're there, Sirius, I'm telling you!"

But Sirius was getting angry, and threw with the pillow he'd been leaning against, got up and slammed the door to the bedroom shut behind him as he ran out.

"It's your loss!" Regulus called out after him, hoping his brother would turn around and believe him. He wasn't lying; he had heard his ancestors, even if he wasn't sure what they were saying, he was sure that they were there.

And someday, he'd show Sirius. Someday, Sirius would know.