The first thing Sirius feels when he sees Regulus on his doorstep, and he is ashamed to admit this even to himself, is fear. Here he is, starting this new life, settling down with the man he loves, fighting a war with the people he loves, and still his family is chasing him down. His deatheater brother has found him, tracked him down for some unknown reason and is now threatening Sirius' new life. It is a strange feeling to be scared of one's own brother.
For a moment, the two brothers just stare at each other. Sirius takes the opportunity to scrutinise his younger brother. Regulus doesn't look well. He's paler than usual, which is saying something. There are dark circles under his eyes. He's sopping wet, even though it hasn't rained. And his expression... Regulus looks scared, haunted almost. This only serves to put Sirius more on edge.
"Sirius," Regulus finally breaks the silence, his voice rough and shaking. "I need your help."
Sirius cannot form a single coherent thought at that. Why on earth would Regulus need his help? He stopped coming to Sirius for help years ago.
"Sirius, love?" He's saved and startled by Remus' voice calling down the hall. Regulus raises his eyebrows. Sirius shoots him a glare. Now is not the time to come out to his little brother. "Is that James and Lily at the door?"
Oh, right. Lily and James. They'll be here any minute now for dinner. Regulus has got to go.
"What are you doing here, Reggie?" Sirius hisses. Its an odd mix; a harsh tone with a childhood nickname tacked onto the end. But Regulus has always been Reggie to Sirius and old habits die hard.
"I need your help." Regulus repeats, desperation clear in his voice. "Please, we need to talk. Let me in."
"What happened to all your friends?" Sirius shoots back. "Surely one of them could help? I'm not really in the business of helping deatheaters."
Regulus shakes his head, visibly growing more agitated. He's clenching and unclenching his fists, his jaw set. "Listen to me, Sirius." He looks around, as if worried someone might overhear. He swallows audibly, staring Sirius dead in the eyes. "The Dark Lor- I mean, He-who-must-not-be-named, he's got horcruxes."
Sirius swears he feels his heart stop for several seconds as he searches his brother's face for signs of dishonesty. But Regulus looks earnest, and deathly afraid. Sirius takes a steadying breath and opens the door.
"You have one minute to explain. And hand over your wand."
"So, what exactly is a horcrux?" Remus asks, worry written into the lines on his face. When Sirius brought Regulus inside, Remus greeted him with a slew of swear words and a wand to the face. Which, considering the circumstances, Regulus could understand. It had been a shock, though, hearing Remus 'The Prefect' yell insults at him.
Sirius, sitting at the kitchen table with his head in his hands, lifts his head up to explain. "They're a very dark form of magic," He says, his face dark. "A horcrux is a piece of your soul that's been separated from your body and placed into an object of your choosing. As long as that item is not destroyed, you cannot die. We had a crazy uncle who kept his horcrux in a glass display cabinet. Even my batshit parents were scared of him."
"...Scared of him? Why?"
"The only way to split your soul is to commit murder." Regulus says, and he watches Remus' face change as he absorbs the information. "And extremely dark magic."
"So... you think Voldemort has created a horcrux? Or multiple horcruxes?" Remus asks slowly. Regulus almost flinches at the name. He notices Sirius twitch a little too.
"I know he has." Regulus replies. "I have one with me." And he pulls out the locket.
The effect is immediate. Both Remus and Sirius jump up from their seats and start shouting.
"Regulus, you brought one into the flat??" Sirius practically screeches. Always so dramatic. "Do you know how much danger you've put us in?"
"Shit." Remus says, running his hands through his hair. Regulus finds the time amidst his own panic to inwardly smirk at how Sirius gets distracted by this movement. "This is bad, Regulus, this is very very bad."
"I know!" Regulus yells back, loud enough to make Remus and Sirius freeze. Regulus has been working for so long to keep a calm façade but he can feel it crumbling as he faces his brother. "I- I didn't know where else to go. I- I lost Kreacher. I- I was going to sacrifice myself, give the locket to him but that stupid house elf beat me to it." He's breathing heavily and he doesn't know whether he's about to cry or throw up. He had counted on Kreacher, knowing he wasn't the sacrificial type. He hadn't wanted to face what he'd done.
"Fuck!" Sirius yells, reaching for the locket. "How do we destroy it?"
"Fiendfyre." Regulus whispers, passing the locket to his older brother. "I forgot the spell." And suddenly, Regulus feels like a child again, still asking for his brother's help, still wanting his approval. Not once has Sirius seemed happy to see Regulus, not once has he seemed proud of Regulus for trying to do good. Regulus knew this would happen but it still stings.
"I've got it." Remus says, pulling out his wand. "Put the locket on the table."
As they watch it burn, Regulus can almost feel the tension slowly dissipate from the room.
"You're a jerk, Reggie." Sirius says, when the locket is nothing but ash. But there is, for the first time in a long time, no venom in Sirius' words. Regulus allows a relieved laugh to burst out of him and soon, the three of them are laughing like lunatics.
That's when James Potter arrives.
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