Portrait Between the Pages (Harry Potter fanfic)

Requital

Hermione didn't pull out the diary until after classes once she was in the Room of Requirement. And during Defense Against the Dark Arts, there was a strange worry in the back of her head: Umbridge finding the diary even though she'd not pulled it out during class. She imagined during class the horrid woman taking the diary should she find it hidden within Hermione's bag and burning the book, thus destroying the diary of Regulus' younger brother.

She arrived in the Room of Requirement and finally opened the diary again, to which she saw Regulus blinking at her. "Did I wake you again?"

"We portraits don't really sleep. We pretend to do so."

"Tell that to the Fat Lady. She complains about us disturbing her slumber."

"I guess we do sleep, then," Regulus said.

"Did you," Hermione started to say when the corners of her mouth twisted slightly. "Are you a self-portrait?"

"As rare as that is, yes?"

"Rare?" Hermione asked.

"Who are you talking to, Hermione?" Harry said, making Hermione look up to see that Ron and Harry had joined them in the room of requirement.

"Ginny, she's not here yet?" Hermione asked just in time for the doors to open and close again.

Ron turned, frowning. "What is my sister doing here?"

"Am I not allowed?" Ginny said, giving her brother a death glare as Hermione sat on the chair in the Room of Requirement.

"Well, if this is a dangerous business," Ron started to say.

"I can very well take care of myself," Ginny said, heading to Hermione. "Has he said anything else?"

"We've not been conversing long," Hermione said.

"Hey, hey," Regulus piped up from the book. "Where in the castle are we? It looks like the Room of Requirement. I like the Room of Requirement. It always made for a nice place to study and do other things. Always has what you need, but I thought of hiding the diary here, but then it got weird."

"Weird, how?" Hermione said.

Regulus frowned. "Well, I wanted a place to hide something, and then I found a place where everything was hidden. Like everything anybody at this school ever wanted to hide. And I thought to myself, 'but I want the diary to be found eventually,' so I hid it in the library. And you found it. But I'm happy someone did find it because that means—well, Sirius is alive and well, right?"

Harry walked over, frowning as he looked down at the portrait. "Who are you? How do you know Sirius?"

"Has she puzzled it out yet?" Regulus said, words pouring out of his mouth with absolutely no filter.

"No. I mean, I have figured out who you are, but I can't say I puzzled it out," Hermione said. "Ginny told me. That you're his younger brother."

"What?" Harry's tone of voice turned sharp. "But he's—isn't he?"

Harry came closer, looking at the youth who, like Sirius, had black hair and gray eyes, but the moment Regulus saw Harry peering down at him, he became excited. "Potter! You must be Potter's son, which means Sirius would be your godfather!"

One of Harry's eyebrows lifted, his green eyes looking right into Hermione's brown ones. He opened his mouth to say something as Ron came over, looking down at the portrait, horrified at seeing the diary with the portrait on the front page. Ginny headed over as well, steps behind the two teen boys.

"And," Regulus squinted his eyes. "Green eyes. Like Lily's. Your hers as well, aren't you."

Harry's jaw dropped before looking up at Hermione. "What? Where did you find this?"

"The library," Regulus and Hermione said at the same time.

"The school library?" Harry asked. Hermione nodded her head.

"You found that in the bloody restricted section?" Ron said, still looking at the diary with wide eyes. He glanced up at his sister, likely thinking of Ginny's first year, where she'd come to be possessed by another magical diary. "And you knew?"

"Well..."

"Pfft," Regulus said, rolling his eyes. "Not the restricted section. That would be just as stupid as leaving it hidden here in the Room of Requirement as that would mean my diary would never be found."

"Stupid?" Ron said. "It's a bloody dangerous diary."

"Is not," Regulus said, his tone of voice changing to indicate irritation. He sent a glare Ron's way before becoming bright, cheery, and bubbling over in excitement. "Potter! Potter, Potter!"

"What?" Harry said, his voice cracking slightly as he looked at the portrait of the young boy before looking at Hermione almost as if to ask how she could be okay with such a thing.

"Lily, your mother, Lily!"

"What about her?" Harry asked.

"No," Ron said, shaking his head. "Harry, he was a Death Eater. D-A-N-G-E-R-O-S-E."

"It's R-O-U-S, not R-O-S-E," Regulus corrected.

"Bloody Merlin, the two of you are alike," Ron said, looking at Hermione in horror.

"What?" Regulus said.

"She corrected him on the pronunciation of Leviosa during our first year," Harry said.

"The spell for levitation," Regulus frowned. "How can you get that wrong?"

"Hey!" Ron said, letting out a sound of frustration before turning to look at his sister. "Are you fine with this?"

"Well," Ginny started to say.

"Lily, Lily! Did she ever reconcile with Tuni!"

"Wait, who?" Harry said, starling, his mouth twisting up in confusion. He glanced up at Hermione, who shook her head, just as unsure as he was about who Tuni was.

"Don't, Harry," Ron said. "He's a Death Eater, remember."

"Regretfully, yes," Regulus said, starting to squirm. "Can we talk about something else? Tuni did..."

"You said regretfully?" Ginny said, stepping forward.

"Oh! My companion's pretty red-haired friend!" Regulus blurted out.

"Don't talk to my sister!" Ron snapped.

"Hey! I'm right here, you know," Ginny said.

Harry cleared his throat. "Wait. You knew my parents? Sirius never said you did."

"Sirius," Regulus muttered, the cheerful look on his face disappearing. "I doubt Sirius would ever talk about me to anyone."

"He did. He," Harry paused, pushing his lips together, not finishing the thought, remembering how Sirius in front of the tapestry called his brother soft and an idiot who would do as their parents pleased.

"Nothing good, I suspect," Regulus sighed, glancing to the side. "But if you want to know about my relationship with your parents, you should ask them, not Sirius. And I shouldn't have asked about Tuni like that."

"Why?" Harry asked. "And who...."

"I should ask Lily," Regulus laughed, his eyes closing as he smiled. "I get to talk to Potter and Lily again, so I can wait to see them. Just don't...."

"Regulus," Harry said. "My parents are dead."