AN: I do not own Harry Potter.

Also, to those that caught that I had at some point copied chapter 13 over chapter 12, it is now fixed.

A Brother's Sacrifice

Percy Weasley was not often asked to go help other lords in the Ministry. He was typically kept busy with paper work, sorting, filing, and passing on pieces of paper more important than a memo. As he had a typical station, he was often given more paperwork to file by those passing by, or even as he was walking. While it wasn't the grandiose job that the younger siblings had teased him of getting over the years, he was content.

It was a typical day at work when he was stopped by Lord Malfoy. This wasn't an atypical happening, as he was one of the people that would sometimes give him paperwork. However, he was asked to go back to his desk with him. This was unusual.

Percy's desk wasn't anything fancy, but it did have one function that all desks in the Ministry had. It could have a silencing ward within three feet of the desk top, in the form of an array of runes that could be activated by pressing one's wand into the first rune.

"Weasley, could you activate the silencing ward?"

"Yes, sir," said Percy, moving his quills to press his wand to the activating rune. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Weasley, are you still in contact with your family?"

"Yes. The twins and Ron send letters weekly, and my parents, Bill, and Charlie send letters monthly."

"Have you heard from them recently?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Can you send a message to Ronald that Harry needs to get us together to talk? It's very important. Yes, you may quote that directly."

While Lord Malfoy had been talking, Percy had grabbed a piece of parchment of memo size, dipped his quill in some ink, and quickly written it down. he looked up when he finished writing that Lord Malfoy had requested it.

"Just needs a salutation and ending, and I'll send this when it dries."

"I appreciate it. I am about to go into another long meeting, and I haven't written in a while."

Lord Lucius Malfoy wrote himself a note to tell of what his sister-in-law had. It was vague enough, and he had two sisters-in-law, despite that they were found on opposite sides of the last war. He was meaning Bellatrix, and that he had remembered that she had also been storing something to be protected for the Dark Lord. His something had been destroyed, but he wasn't the only one to do so in the family.

Kreacher had been very successful at hiding the locket. In both moves, he had kept that locket safe from being found by his master's brother. He normally avoided the masters, but he had overheard something, and had fought with himself on what the best course of action would be. He had been ordered to destroy the locket, but he had also been ordered not to let the rest of the Black family know that he had it. However, he was at a point where he would not be able to try much longer.

This past year had been a bit of a revelation for Kreacher. First, the young master and his friend blood-traitors and mudblood had performed blood magic to keep the house from killing them. Second, the mudblood had pointed out the poison in the walls and what it was doing. Thirdly, the blood traitors had removed the poison from the walls, the furniture, and everything in the main part of the house.

He had known of the poison in the walls, and had been told he was to not speak of it for the elves were exaggerating the effects. The only ones to take him seriously had been the ones to redecorate the nurseries, even if they had not been able to redecorate the rest of the house. He was also the only one of his kin that remained in the house, and he had been constantly cleaning himself in order to not feel poisoned. Yes, he remained the last of his kin to remain alive and not go mad, but his magic had been drained with the house over the decade of emptiness and the poison had no longer been able to be kept away completely.

Kreacher was dying. He may have a few years left, especially now that the house was connected to the ley line and the poison was gone, but the years of poison had taken many more years from the average lifespan of a house elf.

He also could say from the years of trying that he could not kill the locket. He didn't know how to. It wouldn't get destroyed with anything that he had tried. In order for what Master Regulus' last goal in life to be completed, he had to disobey one of Master Regulus' last orders.

He had to tell someone.

Sirius wept. He had wept for his brother many times during his time in prison, but they were mostly what-if's. What if he had tried to stay somewhat close to Regulus? What if he had taken his brother when he left? What if he had just not bullied him while he was in school? What if he had sent letters? What if he had just given his baby brother an out? While his godson had been his biggest motivation for living, his brother had been his biggest regret.

Now, now he regretted what he had done to his brother even more. His baby brother, who had had his mother's only soft spot and therefore felt he had something attainable to live up to, had come to regret being a Death Eater. His little brother had done more than cower in fear once he found a line had been crossed that he could not justify, and done something. He had stood up for the one being that had been his actual caregiver as a child, and acted against Voldemort, even if he knew it would cost him his life.

Sirius' little brother, former Death Eater, had stolen a horcrux, and then had Kreacher leave and try to destroy it as he was dragged down by Inferi.

Sirius would do his best to avenge his baby brother and fulfill his last wishes.