Upside Down Mirror: A Grim Tale (Harry Potter Fanfic)

A Grim Fate

The first time he saw a Grim was a week or two after Sirius ran away from home.

The youngest member of the Black family stood by the window in the parlor, ignoring the scorch mark on the family tapestry where his older brother's name once existed. His thin fingers pulled back the curtains so he might peek out at the Muggle street, still believing Sirius might come to his senses and come home. Instead of allowing sunlight to pour into the dim room, the pulled back curtains revealed rain dripping down the glass and the sight of a black dog – a Grim – looking up at him from the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street.

"Regulus, come away from the window."

The sound of his mother's voice made Regulus Arcturus Black flinch, his eyes widening in fright. He turned, his silvery-grey eyes looking at his mother and realizing she'd come into the room without him realizing. Mentally, he attempted reading the way her mouth twisted, not to mention the odd look in her eyes as she looked at him, the only thing his brain properly registering was how he recognized that particular look as the one she normally reserved for when his older brother got up to no good.

Blinking, Regulus turned his head back to see the Grim disappeared from the sidewalk across from Grimmauld place and let out a deep sigh before letting the curtain shut while the rain continued pouring outside. "Yes, mother."

"He's not coming back Regulus."

Which, he didn't understand though he did understand the fact he saw a Grim. Regulus also understood a Grim signaled the death of the wizard who saw the creature, yet he said nothing. There didn't honestly seem like anybody the young wizard could tell, given the fact Sirius left after yet another heated argument with their mother nor did he have any friends he might confide in. Instead, Regulus had his books and books wouldn't ever miss him.

Nobody would ever miss him, or at least Regulus thought as much every time he saw the Grim after that.

Sirius, of course, once cared, but for the first time Sirius didn't come back after storming out of the house and Regulus didn't see his older brother until the start of the term. More specifically, Sirius was with James, not giving him a second glance. The fact Sirius preferred hanging out with his best friend wasn't anything new, but not seeing Sirius over most of the summer holiday was a whole new scenario. For a brief moment, Regulus thought of telling Sirius about the appearance of the Grim a few times over the summer yet decided best not to.

Telling his housemates about the Grim also didn't feel like an option given the fact he wasn't friends with them or anybody at school. Instead, Regulus kept his nose in a book reading and keeping himself out of trouble, unlike Sirius who seemed to have a penchant for finding trouble wherever he looked. He also flew under the radar of the teachers, not ever catching their attention despite his relatively good grades, so there was no one, absolutely no one, to let know about the Grim which continued haunting him even at school.

Regulus didn't expect his parents to care either, given the fact he was conveniently there when they needed someone to point out Sirius' failings whom his parents ended up constantly focusing on. He honestly couldn't blame them, given the fact Sirius was the oldest, the heir, and ever so much trouble.

The Grim was there far more than Regulus liked to admit, yet there was nobody, absolutely nobody he might speak to of the Grim.

No, not even when his parents started paying more attention to him simply because Sirius was no longer in the picture and they needed somebody, at least until Sirius came to his senses and came home. It was no different from before, not making any waves that would upset his parents until everything would return to normal, or so he thought.

The real world, reality, and perhaps even the Grim – the black dog that was a definite death omen – they had other ideas.