Growing up Pureblooded

Dad's Brother

Sirius blinked once, hard. He couldn't believe his ears. He blinked again. "R.A.B.?" Cassiopeia repeated. "But those are..." Sirius cut her off with a single cold glare. At that moment he reminded Cassiopeia very strongly of his father, and she acquiesced without the slightest protest. Sirius reached his right hand out towards his son. "Let me see that," he commanded in a quiet voice. The temperature in his quarters had dropped dramatically. Draco nodded meekly and handed over the bit of parchment. Sirius held it up to the light to see it more clearly, and his face went deathly pale. He had no doubt it was Regulus's handwriting. "What does it say, Padfoot?" Remus asked, his brow knitted in concern. He hadn't seen Sirius this upset since Aries' battle with Quirrell during his first year.

Sirius made no response. He only stood there, reading and re-reading the brief note. He felt the sting of hot tears in his eyes, but blinked them away. At last he dropped the note to the floor and stormed out of the room. "What was that about?" Draco wondered aloud. "I don't know," his brother replied. He bent down and picked up the piece of parchment from the floor. "What does it say?" Remus asked.

"To the Dark Lord,' Aries read. "I know I will be dead long before you read this, but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match, you will be mortal once more. R. A. B." Remus glanced at Cassiopeia. "Am I right in thinking those were Regulus's initials?" he asked quietly.

Cassiopeia nodded sadly. All blood had drained from her face. "His middle name was Arcturus, after his grandfather." "Regulus?" Aries exclaimed. "You mean Dad's brother?" "That's right," Remus confirmed. "He joined the Death Eaters, but he died a couple of years before the war ended. Sirius always thought he must have got cold feet and chickened out." Draco snorted. "It looks as though he got a bit more than cold feet. Do you think he actually managed to destroy the Horcrux?" "There's no way we can know for certain," Cassiopeia replied. "Unless Regulus trusted someone else to help him in his quest."

Aries frowned and looked at the door. "Someone ought to go after Dad," he said. "He's not taking this well." Remus nodded and took a deep breath. "I'll do it," he volunteered. "You boys head on to bed. We can decide what to do about the other Horcruxes later." Aries and Draco nodded and began to make their way back to Gryffindor Tower, placing the locket and parchment back on the table as they went. Remus stopped them just before they left Sirius's quarters. "May I borrow the Map?" he asked. Aries nodded wordlessly and handed it over. Remus thanked him, and the boys returned to their dormitory. "I suppose you'll be going back to Windermere Court," Remus said to Cassiopeia. The witch nodded.

"There's little reason for me to stay here," she said. "Keep me informed on any new developments. I shall begin an investigation to determine whether poor Regulus had any accomplices." Remus helped her fasten her travelling cloak, and she Flooed back home. Once she had left, he spread the Marauder's Map on the table. It only took him a moment to find Sirius. He was pacing back and forth on top of the Astronomy Tower. Remus smiled fondly. The tower had always been one of his friend's favorite haunts as a boy. It was nice to see that some things didn't change.