“How?” Ron asked with quite a shaky voice, and Harry and Hermione could tell that he was choking back tears.
An Unspeakable came up to them and answered Ron’s question. “This was a nasty death,” he informed them. “Apparently Voldemort killed him personally.”
Harry looked at the man, not because of Lupin’s death, but because he had said Voldemort’s name. This said a lot about him.
“Reed Croaker,” he introduced himself to them. He was around Mr. Weasley’s age with dark blond hair, and had a Galleon-sized bald patch on the crown of his head.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Harry Potter, and these are my friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley,” Harry said.
“Blimey,” he said, and lifted up his glasses to make sure his eyes weren’t deceiving him, “So you are. Excuse me for not noticing, these old eyes are getting worse every day.”
“It’s alright, I prefer people don’t notice.”
Croaker let out a chuckle. He took a handkerchief out of his robes and wiped his balding head with it.
“Shame that Remus had to go,” he said, “He was a good man.”
“You knew him?” Ron asked in shock.
“Yep,” he answered in a tone that clearly said: ‘don’t ask me how’. Ron didn’t press on.
Croaker went on to explain how this room worked. He said that every witch or wizard that knew something not yet revealed to anyone, their picture was put on the wall downstairs. Every witch or wizard that held crucial information got their picture on the wall in front of them. The Unspeakable’s main job nowadays was to weasel information out of the pictures. When someone’s not working on them, they are put in the case. Harry has taken a liking to the old man.
“Do you know anything about Sirius Black?” Harry asked.
“Sirius Black...” Croaker repeated. “I’m not sure that we ever received a notice that he died.”
“He fell through the veil,” Harry said.
“Merlin’s beard, you know about the veil? Well people don’t die when they fall through it!”
“They “ they don’t?” Harry choked.
“Of course not, boy! They come back when their time is right. Is Black a friend of yours?”
“Yes. He’s my godfather.”
“You’ll see him again. I promise.” They were just taking an even greater liking to the man when a deafening BOOM echoed throughout the entire building. A different alarm sounded.
“A break-in! Stay here, kids!” Croaker and countless others ran out into the main room. A flash of green light was seen, and petrifying screams followed. A person in a dark cloak came through the hallway; he drew back his hood to reveal milk-white skin, with piercing snake-like red eyes.
“Well, well, well. Harry Potter,” Lord Voldemort said. “I can’t say that I’m not surprised to see you here.” He looked at the wall behind Harry and tutted. “Pity that werewolf had to go, but he was far too nosey, if you know what I mean. He would have been a great improvement to the Dark Side.”
“He would never have joined you,” Harry spat.
“Angry, are we Harry? Well, there’s no use standing around and talking. Let’s get down to business. Avada Kedavra!” he hissed. A jet of green light shot out of his wand and missed Ron by a hair.
“SAY AWAY FROM MY FRIENDS!” Harry shouted. He dove into his pocket, drew out his wand, and shouted, “Crucio!” Voldemort stepped out of the way of the jet of light with ease.
“Harry, you don’t want to do that. I had not idea how you got in here, but I better bring in a few of my friends to help make sure you never leave here again,” Voldemort said. Greyback, Alecto, Amycus, and Snape came into the room, wands out. “Kill them!” Voldemort ordered.
Immediately Snape shot a nonverbal curse at the trio, which went unseen by his master.
“What did he just do?” Ron whispered to Hermione.
“It was a nonverbal curse. It didn’t hurt us, thought. It might even be a type of strong shield charm,” she replied.
“When are you going to see that Snape is evil, Hermione?”
“Never, because he’s not! If he shot a shield charm at us, it was to protect us!”
Hermione was right. No matter how many spells, jinxes, and curses the Death Eaters shouted at them, they just bounced back toward them. Greyback was even hit with his own stunning spell.
“Stupefy!” Harry shouted, making up his mind on the spur of the moment.
“Harry!” Hermione cried. The stunning spell flew out of the invisible bubble and hit Alecto in the eye. Ron and Hermione followed Harry’s example and stunned Amycus, too. Harry scanned the room briefly and then leaned back toward Ron and Hermione.
“When I say go -,” he started.
“Well, Potter, you seem to have cast this complicating shield charm on yourself,” Voldemort said.
“-run toward that blue door at the end of the room,” Harry finished.
“Although you still have to get past me, which won’t be easy,” the dark wizard assured.
“What’s in there?” Ron asked.
“I have no idea,” Harry answered. “But it might help us get out of here alive.” There was a pause when he and Voldemort had eye contact, and although Harry’s scar felt as if it was going to burst, he stood his ground. “RUN!” he shouted, and followed his friends as they sprinted across the room. Snape and Voldemort followed.
The room was very gloomy, with the floor and walls both colored the exact same shade of grey. There was a chair and desk, where a computer-like object sat on top of it. Other than that, the room held no other furnishings. But, much to Harry’s sadness, there was also a picture covering the better part of one wall that showed the tattered veil, flowing gently as if someone just passed through it.
“What the heck is this place?” Ron said.
“I dunno,” Harry said slowly, looking around the room carefully. “Draw out your wands.”
Snape and Voldemort burst into the room, but Harry, Ron, and Hermione were ready. They raised their wands, and all three shouted, Stupefy at the same time. The power of all three spells combined was enough to stun someone as powerful and un-human as Voldemort. Harry rushed over to the computer-thing, and tried searching it for a way to contact the Auror Office. He worked quickly, not knowing how long the stunning spell would stay in effect on Voldemort.
“Well done, Potter,” Snape said. “For the time being you succeeded in trapping the Dark Lord.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Harry said coolly. “There!” he said triumphantly, pushing a button on the keyboard. “Two Aurors are on their way.”
“What is that?” Ron asked.
“I think it’s a way for the people down here to communicate with everyone else,” Harry said. “There’s also a file with everyone who has their picture here’s name. And Sirius isn’t here.”
“Harry that must mean he’s alive!” Ron said cheerfully.
“I know!”
“Thank you, sir,” Hermione said unexpectedly from the corner. “You saved our lives.”
Snape didn’t answer, but kept looking around the room. When he caught sight of the picture of the veil, it seemed as if he tried to hide a smile. Harry’s fury deepened. He strode over and touched the picture, but much to his shock, his hand went through. He withdrew it quickly and looked at it with wide eyes.
“What’s happening?” Hermione asked.
“I have no clue,” Harry said. He took a deep breath, put the tip of his wand into the painting and said, “Accio!” Nothing happened.
“Harry, maybe we should try and get out of here,” Hermione said.
“Fine. I don’t care, let’s just go,” he snapped, and stepped through another door. This time their eyes met a room that was somewhat similar to the one they just came out of; it was completely empty except for a moth-eaten couch that had a person sitting on it with his back toward them. He had graying robes on with the hood covering his head.
“Who’s there?” Snape called, and Harry jumped. He had forgotten that he was with them. The person stood up and faced them. He lowered his hood, and Harry’s grumpy mood brightened at once.
“S-Sirius?” he managed to choke out, thinking that it’s too good to be true.
“Harry, I’ve been waiting for you,” Sirius said, now positively beaming at them. Harry rushed up and threw his arms around his godfather.
“How’d you get out of the veil?” Harry asked.
“I dunno,” Sirius said slowly. “I guess it was my time to come out. Let’s get out of here.”
Everyone agreed, and proceeded to walk to the other side of the room, but they turned back to find Sirius staring at Snape, and vice versa.
“Sirius,” Hermione began. “He’s on our side. He saved us from Voldemort.”
“Voldemort’s here?” Sirius asked frantically.
“Yes.”
Sirius hurried toward the exit frantically.
“Sirius, what’s wrong?” Ron asked.
“Nothing. Nothing. Let’s go.”
“Black, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you were...” Snape let his sentence hanging and stared Sirius square in the eye. “It can’t be,” he said softly. “You’re dead,” he muttered so that only Sirius could hear.
“Obviously not, Snape,” Sirius said with a nasty grin.
“You’re not Sirius,” Harry said, his voice quivering with rage. “Where is he?”
“Dead. I killed him,” the man in Sirius’s body said. Right before their eyes, he muttered an incantation and he began to morph into someone else. The long black hair remained the same color, but became shorter. He was slightly shorter and thinner than Sirius, but his eyes were exactly the same, but the grey was filled with darkness and despair.
“Who are you?” Harry asked.
“Potter, stand back, you don’t know what this man is capable of,” Snape said.
“You’re Regulus Black, aren’t you?” The man smiled evilly.
“Sirius’s brother?” Ron asked loudly.
“Sirius said he was killed,” Hermione said.
“No, you stupid girl, the Dark Lord thinks I’m dead. I killed the Death Eater that was sent to kill me,” Regulus spat. Hermione made to grab her wand, but Ron stopped her.
“Where have you been all these years, Black?” Snape asked. “I’m surprised that you didn’t get yourself caught.”
“I’m not. You underestimate me, Snape. Now, if you will excuse me, I must leave.” Regulus headed to the exit, but Snape shot a spell at him, holding him back.
“I’m not finished with you,” he said.
“Alright, but make it quick.”
“For starters, how did you manage to impersonate your brother?”
“Easy.” Regulus walked over to a dark, moldy door and pulled out Sirius’s body. “Switching spell.” Harry clenched his fists and resisted the urge to attack Regulus.
“Why did you kill him?”
“I felt he would come in the way of the Dark Lord rising to power. I’ve heard Lupin was killed, too.” Regulus offered himself to smile. “And once I get out of here, I will secretly be killing other members of your pitiful Order, and then I’ll be welcomed back like a hero.” He smirked. “Bellatrix thought that she killed Sirius, but she will be disappointed once I inform her of the truth.”
“How will she take to finding out that you were alive all this time?”
“Like a Red Cap takes to blood. I made the mistake in trying to back out of the Dark Lord’s plans, and I am now dedicated in proving my loyalty to him.”
“I don’t think so, Black,” Snape sneered. “I think that you’re bluffing.”
“You do, do you?”
“Why not have helped the Dark Lord return to power two years ago? Instead you were hiding from him like a child. I see through you, Black, enough to know that you are a coward.”
“Don’t “” Regulus began, but the door burst open and Lord Voldemort stood in the threshold.
“Well, well, well,” he said. “Regulus Black. I thought I ordered your death eighteen years ago?”
“You did,” Regulus said, but his voice cracked with fear. “I killed the Death Eater you told to kill me.”
“I’ll just have to kill you now, Avada Kedavra!” the spell missed Regulus but hit Snape, and he fell to the ground, dead. Regulus bolted toward the exit, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione, not wanting to be left with Voldemort, followed.
The passage was dark, but Harry kept sight of Regulus’s cloak as it swept behind him. They turned left, right, left again, until, after about ten minutes, they found themselves on the crowded Muggle street, the Ministry’s visitors entrance was across the road. “C’mon, we have to follow him,” Harry said, and they followed Regulus, who was attracting many stares because of his wizard attire.
“Why?” breathed Hermione as she struggled to keep up with Harry.
“He killed Sirius.”
“Harry!” Ron said warningly. “Don’t do something stupid.”
Harry didn’t respond, but glanced around. Regulus was down an alleyway, and in a blink of an eye, he was gone. “We have to go to Grimmauld Place!”
“How? Neither of us can Apparate yet!”
“Hermione can,” Harry said, looking at her.
“Fine,” she sighed. “Grab my arm, both of you.” They did, and felt the pressuring sensation, and when Harry and Ron looked up, they were standing outside of Harry’s house. They entered cautiously.
The door opened and Regulus stepped in. Harry supposed that he approached it from a distance, as Harry and Dumbledore had done.
“Who are you?” he asked rudely, catching sight of their shadows.
“Harry Potter, and this is my house. Sirius willed it to me.”
“Harry,” Hermione began. “since he’s alive, it would be his house.”
“But Sirius willed it to Harry,” Ron protested.
“But the house is to go to the next person with the name ‘Black’.”
“Bellatrix didn’t get it.”
“Because she doesn’t have the name ‘Black’ anymore!” Regulus and Harry rolled their eyes.
“Ron, Hermione, shut up!” Harry said.
“Yes, shut up, idiotic children,” Regulus agreed.
“You killed Sirius,” Harry said.
“Unwillingly.”
“What?”
“I didn’t want to kill him. By killing Sirius, I thought the Dark Lord would forgive me, but as that’s not going to be enough, I’m just going to kill you as well.” Regulus dove for his wand. Hermione stepped in front of Harry and Ron.
“If you want to kill Harry, you’ll have to kill us too,” she said, embracing her inner Gryffindor.
“Snape was right. You’re bluffing,” Harry said, trying to buy time. “Tell us what really happened.”
Regulus sighed. “I reluctantly became a Death Eater. For the longest time I considered joining the Order, but, as a seventeen-year-old, I was convinced that following the Dark Lord would make me powerful and finally overshadow my brother and cousins. Then I was sent to kill James and Lily Potter, and I backed down. The Dark Lord knew that, in a way, I had ties with them and wanted as many important Order members killed as soon as possible. I was tortured when I refused, but managed to escape for a few days. Then I grudgingly became a killer.”
“Where have you been hiding all these years?” Hermione asked.
“Up North, where no one would find me. I heard of a second war coming to effect, so I came back down to try and become a loyal Death Eater once again, but I knew that I didn’t have it in me.”
There was a pause, in which Harry took a few steps back so that he was in the drawing room. Glancing around, he caught sight of the Tapestry on the wall. Beside a small burn was the name Regulus Black. Hit with sudden inspiration, Harry pulled out the fake Horcrux, and reread the note inside of it.
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.
“Your R.A.B., aren’t you?” Harry shot at Regulus.
“Yes. My genius plan did not go as hoped, as you can see, I have not faced death just yet, but, because of my stupid foolishness and fear of death, instead I murdered my would-be-killer.”
“Where’s the real Horcrux?” Harry asked greedily.
“Here,” he responded simply, taking a good look at the house around him. “I had to go into hiding and didn’t have a chance to take it with me and destroy it.”
Harry went over to the cabinet and remembered that they were all empty. “No,” he whispered. “We cleaned out the cabinets two summers ago! The Horcrux is gone!”
“Are you sure?” Ron asked.
“Yeah, don’t you remember?” said Harry, thinking back. “There was a gold locket that we couldn’t open. That must have been it!”
Hermione clapped a hand to her mouth. “I remember that!” She turned to Regulus. “We need your help. Come to the Order, and we’ll keep you safe from Voldemort.”
“Hermione, he killed Sirius,” Ron reminded her.
“That just shows how much of an impact Voldemort has on people! To force his followers to kill their siblings to remain loyal to him.”
“The Order would never want me.”
“Yes! We want anyone who can help us! Everyone makes mistakes, and we need you. You and Harry know a lot about Voldemort’s Horcruxes, and can destroy them so he’ll die like a mortal man!” Hermione said, somewhat hysterically. “Please.”
Harry, upon hearing these words, realized that now four of the best Order members were gone, and they wouldn’t be the last. Regulus could provide information that would make it easier to avoid Voldemort until the other four Horcruxes were destroyed. He extended a hand, which Regulus shook reluctantly.
“Welcome to our side,” he said, as Hermione and Ron grasped his hand. Harry looked out the moth-eaten curtains. “We didn’t find what we were looking for in the Department of Mysteries,” he admitted after a while.
“We know,” Ron said. “But we got a bit more than we bargained for, didn’t we? Even if it meant not getting all the answers we wanted.”