A Tale of Two Brothers

Chapter 34

When Dumbledore had re-formed the Order of Phoenix following Lord Voldemort's resurrection, only a few people had returned. James and Lily were the first ones to turn up, followed by their friends, Sirius, Regulus and Remus.

Alastor was next, along with a new member, Kingsley Shacklebolt.

Minerva and Poppy were the last, but the first thing the latter had said was 'I'll never join a fight.' It was alright though. The work the Healer did for them was in some ways more important than joining a fight.

Alice had not returned, which was understandable. She and her mother-in-law were the only family members Neville had.

And those who never returned either did not want to fight again or were lost in the previous war.

There were only ten of them, which was quite disheartening. Though they had a greater advantage than the Death Eaters this time. They had members with influence over the public, the Ministry and the school. It was supposed to be okay.

But everything derailed in 1992, with the murder of Albus Dumbledore.

They were painted as liars and traitors by the Ministry, which made the people do the same. Though as the number of Death Eater's attacks increased, some started taking them seriously, though there were those who still believed the lies spewed by the Ministry. As time went, more people started talking about the Order. Some old members returned as well as new ones joined. The Weasleys had graciously offered their house as a meeting space, and the two parents never failed to put together an elaborate feast during such occasions. The generosity and optimism of the big family rekindled the enthusiasm of the Order, of the people who had lost hope after Albus had died.

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August, 1995.

"–they are called horcruxes. The vilest form of magic to ever exist. It contains a fragment of the soul of its maker, so that they are never truly dead, even if their body is fatally injured. It can be anything, a book, a quill, a trunk or an heirloom. Dumbledore believed that the Dark Lord made more than one. Six, to be exact." Regulus looked around the table as he spoke. Though some of them looked horrified by that knowledge, some still looked unconvinced.

The news of him being the one to be in contact with Albus' spy was not well received by many. Even after all these years, some still thought that he should not be trusted because of his status as an ex-Death Eater. And it was ironic that the person decided to communicate only with him, not that Regulus enjoyed it. That person was as insufferable as ever.

"And you believe this spy?" Moody asked after a while, his magical eye spinning around wildly.

"They are obligated to tell the truth under the Vow and–"

"Can't you tell us their identity? At least give us a hint, Black."

"I don't think that is something we should be focusing upon, Alastor. As he said, Albus chose him. We have to respect his decisions." Regulus stopped himself from reacting. He had no idea why they had decided to lie about this. Lily turned towards him and asked, "Did he give the spy any hint about those horcruxes?"

"About that; why I believe the spy." He looked pointedly at the auror. "I have two of his horcruxes in my possession." Everyone was stumped into a disbelieved silence.

"What?" Sirius said after a long moment. "How– when?"

"I was the one who first discovered it and told Albus about it." Before some of the more volatile members could start shouting, he continued. "He was the one who asked me not to tell anyone about them. Said that the lesser people knew, the better. I did not agree with him, but he made me take an oath. Even after his death, I was still bound by it. The only reason why I can talk about it now is because of the spy. The moment they spoke to me about it, which happened a few minutes ago, I was freed from that oath."