The day after Peter had tried to push Regulus into the lake and Sirius had interfered, Sirius received a telepathic message from his grandmother.
"Sirius, please come see us for a moment," Melania said. Sirius was in the library when he got this message. He had been looking at some books on disabilities to see if he could find anything on blindness, but so far, he wasn't finding much.
Sirius headed to the headmaster's office, and found his grandparents in their quarters.
"Grandmother, grandfather, what's going on?" he asked curiously as he took a seat across from them.
"Sirius, we've been thinking," Melania began. "We know that yes, sometimes you can lose your temper, like Blacks are known for, but we also know that you tend to do things, whether or not it's right or wrong, for a reason. So, is there a reason why you pushed Mr. Pettigrew into the water?"
"Make no mistake, what you did was wrong, but we are just curious to see if there's more behind why you did what you did," Arcturus added.
"Did I never tell you what actually happened to Regulus in the original timeline?" Sirius asked.
"No, you did not," Melania answered. "We just know that he was a Death Eater."
"Well, Kreacher told me this story, and at first, I didn't believe him, but overtime, I started to," Sirius began explaining. "He was a Death Eater, but then he discovered that Voldemort had Horcruxes. Well, at least one. The locket." Arcturus and Melania looked at him with surprise and confusion. "You see, a year after Regulus joined the Death Eaters, he told Kreacher that Voldemort needed an elf. So, he volunteered Kreacher. He told Kreacher that he was to do whatever Voldemort ordered him to do, and then go straight home."
"Wait, a Black, telling a house-elf to follow orders from someone not in the Black Family? That is unheard of, and, honestly, dangerous," Arcturus stated, looking concerned. "I already do not like where this is going."
"Yeah, well, anyway," Sirius continued, "Voldemort took Kreacher to a cave, where there was a lake. When they got across the lake and onto an island, there was a basin with a potion in it, and Voldemort ordered Kreacher to drink it. Kreacher told me it was torture, that his insides burned, he saw terrible memories, and he wished that Regulus or... Walburga," Sirius spat the name out like a curse, "Could save him. But of course, Snake-face just laughed and ordered him to drink it all. Voldemort put the locket in there, then LEFT Kreacher on the island alone." Arcturus and Melania looked horrified. "Kreacher went back to Regulus, and he told him what had happened. Regulus told him to take him to that cave. He had a locket like the one Voldemort had, and he told Kreacher to swap the lockets and to destroy the first one. Regulus drank the potion, and... Kreacher watched him as he was pulled under the lake by Inferi."
"So, he..." Melania trailed off.
"He sacrificed his life," Arcturus stated softly.
"Yeah, and Kreacher couldn't even figure out how to destroy the locket, and... well, I didn't know it was a Horcrux, or I would have tried to figure out how to destroy it," Sirius finished.
"So let me get this straight," Arcturus said. "When Mr. Pettigrew was trying to push Regulus into the water, this memory of what Kreacher told you came to mind?"
"Exactly," Sirius confirmed. "Alright, maybe I shouldn't have pushed Peter into the water, but I... I don't know. I just did. I wonder if, if Regulus had survived in that timeline, if he would have been afraid of water after that."
"Most likely," Melania replied. "I know I would be."
"Either way," Arcturus spoke up. "While what you did was wrong, I now understand why you felt the need to protect Regulus, even if he hasn't had anything like this happen in this timeline. However, next time, perhaps think of a more responsible way to protect your brother."
"Well, I couldn't care less what happens to Peter, so..." Sirius began.
"Sirius Orion Black, that is not how you talk about others, even those you despise," Melania scolded.
Sirius wanted to snap at her, to say he was not a child, but he knew that she was right, so he said instead, "Yes, Grandmother."
"Thank you for telling us, Sirius," Arcturus said gratefully. "This explains a lot."
Sirius nodded. He then brought up a topic that he had been meaning to ask about. "I met Yeoman," he informed them. "He told us about his disability and all that, and how the staff are attempting to help him figure out how he can navigate Hogwarts safely." His grandparents nodded in understanding.
"Yes, he has talked to several of us about that," Arcturus said. "I must say though, this is new for a lot of us, because in wizarding families, disabilities are almost unheard of."
"Why?" Sirius asked. "Why is it that Muggles have more disabilities than witches and wizards?"
"My only guess is that it's because magic can cure many things, so magic can cure a lot of things before it gets too serious," Arcturus responded thoughtfully.
"Well, there aren't many books in the Hogwarts library about disabilities," Sirius said. "We would probably need to go to a Muggle library for any real answers. I mean, Lily, Mary, and some of the others of the Marauders are going to try to find something, but I don't want to just sit and wait."
"Then during the holiday break, let's go to a local Muggle library," Arcturus stated.
"We can, but I think we need some kind of card or something to check out books," Sirius said, trying to remember what he knew about Muggle libraries. "I think they call it a library card."
"Then we'll get one," Melania declared. "We can even see if Cassiopeia will join us."
It was agreed upon. Melania would reach out to Cassiopeia, and the five of them would go to a Muggle library during the holiday break. Sirius was excited, knowing that they were getting closer to finding answers to help Yeoman. With multiple people looking for answers, they were bound to find something. Sirius couldn't wait for the holiday break to start. He never thought he would be so excited to read books, but if it meant helping a student in need, he would read as many books as it took.