Chapter Text
Sirius has got him now. He's got the rat. He can smell him with the Weasley boy he's got under him. Padfoot growls, and shifts back into his human form. With his tattered prison garb, tangled hair, and sunken face (the face of the framed killer, SIRIUS BLACK, the headlines scream), it's no wonder the boy under him pales even more.
And then, the door bangs open, and he's quickly disarmed, and now he's the one on his back, staring at the face of his ghosts.
"Why'd you kill them?", James Harry shouts at him. His face is scrunched in pain, confusion, and anguish. He has Sirius's collar in his hands, and Harry grips it so tightly as if he can shake the answers off from him.
There are a thousand things Sirius can say, from I didn't do it to I'm sorry, I might as well have. I'm so sorry, Harry.
But before he can say any of that, the door opens once more.
Now Harry is the one disarmed and pushed aside, and Sirius regains some space to breathe. He turns around, and meets another ghost. Remus.
Remus glances at him. "Peter?", he asks softly. Sirius nods in relief. Remus has learned the truth. He has someone in his corner now, someone who believes in him. He grips Remus's shoulder tightly, and embraces him.
(In the one embrace, he tries to communicate twelve years of regret. He thinks Remus does the same.)
Sirius startles when the girl shouts. "I can't believe it! You've been helping him all this time!" She gestures at the boys beside her. "Harry, Professor Lupin—he's been helping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead too, he's, he's a werewolf!" And perhaps most surprisingly, she looks past them, back at the doorway. "Regulus, get over here! They're dangerous!"
Sirius, in his preoccupation with Remus, hadn't noticed anyone else enter the room with him, especially anyone with that name. He turns around, and his breath catches in his throat. From the silky black hair, to the pale skin, to the gray eyes and careful posture—he sees, unmistakably, Regulus. Perhaps his biggest ghost, his little brother Regulus. Regulus looks back at him (younger than he should be, but alive), and his face softens into a little smile.
Remus notices his shock, and nudges him. "We'll talk later." To the children, he says: "Not up to your usual standards, Hermione; you only got one out of three correct. But, you really are the brightest witch of your age."
Remus steps forward, and the children all watch him warily. "Now, let us explain this: a tale of four friends."
Remus shares his story—their story—of friendship, of loyalty, and of betrayal.
Later, Sirius walks with Remus and the four kids out of the Shack. After Remus told the story and revealed Peter Pettigrew in front of all them to see, the kids have lost all their doubts. Hermione is chattering to Ron a bit of a ways ahead about the magical legal system, and the implications this revelation will have. Harry and Regulus are conversing quietly a bit behind the two. Sirius watches them with Remus from behind the pack.
"Who is he?" Sirius finds himself asking. He's entranced by this kid who looks so much like his brother, and even acts like him. But it couldn't be.
Remus looks at him carefully, like he's trying to find a way to answer.
"That would be Regulus Malfoy," he says. Ah, that explains it. Cissy's kid. No wonder he looks so much like him, his Regulus. Sirius is about to comment on this, when Remus continues. "But, he's also Regulus Black."
Sirius blinks uncomprehendingly.
Remus, once again, tells his story: a story that Regulus has confessed to him many months ago.
Regulus Arcturus Black had died in the year 1979. Regulus Arcturus Malfoy was born the year 1980, named after his deceased would-be-godfather. Growing up, Regulus II had lived normally, until he started getting visions. These visions showed him as older, living in a different house, with a different mother, and a different brother. Only, he realized: these weren't visions of the future; they were memories of the past, of a life he once lived.
When Remus finishes, Sirius doesn't know what to say. His little Reggie, died and reborn. His heart fills with sorrow, and he remembers.
When Sirius had first learned of the news that Regulus had died, he was angry. Bitter. Oh Regulus, following mother and her ideals upto the very end, huh? That anger quickly turned into sadness. He's still a child. Regulus deserved better. I was able to escape, but Reggie never got the chance to. He deserved that chance. And now he's gone. Sirius had attended Regulus's funeral as a dog, shivering in the cold.
Sirius shivers now. His breaths turn shaky as he drowns in his sorrow. But then, when he exhales, a light mist puffs out. It's not supposed to be cold out, it's June. Then, he catches sight of them. Black, willowy cloaks, gaunt faces, skeletal hands—the dementors.
Remus stiffens from beside him, and readies his wand against the rapidly approaching creatures. But before he can cast, Harry and Regulus call out from in front of them.
"Expecto Patronum!"
From their wands, out comes two silvery creatures. Sirius and Remus's breaths hitch when they see.
A regal stag, and a big, shining dog.
Something settles in Sirius then. Maybe, not all is lost between him and Reggie.
Sirius stays with Remus as he sorts things out. They bring Peter to Dumbledore, who calls Minister Fudge. Fudge looks uncharacteristically nervous when Dumbledore explains to him what happened. He apologizes profusely to Sirius, promising him speedy absolution with the Wizengamot. Sirius had grinned at him then. Yeah, you better.
Now, Sirius is in Remus's classroom as he packs his things. They've talked about the year before Sirius's exile, and the growing distance between them. Tensions were high during the war, and suspicions even moreso. They apologized to each other, and all was forgiven. They were just getting into a discussion of Remus's life since then, when someone knocks on the door.
Two someones, it turns out, as Harry and Regulus walk inside.
Harry smiles at his godfather, before ultimately walking up to Remus. That leaves Sirius with Regulus. Regulus shuffles his feet for a bit, before meeting Sirius's eyes. "Do you know?", he asks.
Sirius envelopes Regulus in a hug.
Regulus is smaller than he remembers, or perhaps it's Sirius who is bigger now. Sirius wraps his arms around him tightly, and places his chin on Regulus's head; Regulus hugs him back. Sirius stays there until Regulus squirms and lightly hits his arm. "Sirius, let me go," he laughs.
Sirius pulls back, and his face stretches into a grin. "It is you, Regulus. My little brother."
Regulus scowls. "I'm not that little. Or," he amends, as he looks up at the height difference between them, "I wasn't that little."
Sirius simply laughs at him, and Regulus scowls at him more.
When Sirius's laughter dies down, he finds his eyes filled with tears.
"How... how are things, Reg?"
"Good. Things are good, Siri." Though Regulus says this a bit awkwardly, he has a small smile on his face. "Mum—Cissy," he clarifies, "is much better than Mother ever was."
Sirius smiles sadly. "I'm glad." At least now, in his second chance at life, has Regulus been given a better family.
Regulus frowns at him, as if he can read what Sirius is thinking—and maybe after all these years, he still can. "Stop that," he says.
"What? I'm glad! At least now you won't ever have a mother who'll force you to, to—" Sirius forces himself to finish that thought: "serve some madman." Though he and Narcissa weren't the closest, he trusts in her dedication to the family, her family. He trusts her to protect her children if it comes to that. "I know you never believed that supremacist crap, but she forced you down that route! And then you died! I'll never forgive her for that." I'll never forgive myself, for allowing that to happen.
Regulus frowns. "I don't really want to talk about it, but I'm telling you now." He rightens his posture, stands up straighter, the picture of a proud and confident Black. The echo of himself, back when he was eighteen and Sirius talked to him for the last time, his little brother. "I died going against Voldemort. My last stand was against him. And now," he huffs out, "now I have this second chance. With you." Regulus flicks his eyes away. "I don't regret it."
Sirius feels his eyes water again, as he opens his arms again. This time Regulus walks forward to embrace him. There's a desperation within Sirius as he holds on tight. He thinks Reggie can practically read his thoughts as he grabs on, thoughts of I'm so proud of you and I'm sorry and I love you. Sirius thinks he can feel Regulus's reply, as his shirt moistens where Reggie has his face tucked in.
I forgive you. I love you too, Sirius.
When they let go, Regulus scrubs a hand over his face to compose himself while Sirius laughs at his little brother again. Eventually, Harry and Remus beckon them forward. The four chat for a bit; Sirius asks Harry if he'd like to stay with him as his godfather, and Harry beams. Tomorrow, Sirius says; he'll just have to fix things with the Ministry. Harry asks him and Remus for more stories of his parents, and they regale him with tales of their antics. Regulus rolls his eyes at them, laughing.
Another knock soon sounds from the door. Draco Malfoy walks in, scowling. "C'mon, Harry, Reg! I thought we were going flying today!"
Harry bolts up. "Right! You're on, Draco." Harry rushes over to Draco's side.
"You coming?", Draco asks Regulus.
"Yeah, coming." Regulus looks over at the adults. "Thank you, and see you soon, Professor Remus, Sirius." Regulus locks eyes with Sirius, and all the unspoken things pass between them. See you soon.
The boys say their farewells, and leave the room. When Sirius glances out the door, he sees Harry, Draco, and Regulus laughing at something, with them pushing and ribbing each other around. Sirius smiles.
He's in good hands, this time around. He'll be okay.
We'll be okay.