Chapter 2
Sirius dreaded visiting a cemetery, it reminded him of how much his mother had changed. When Sirius heard the news about his brother he had already assumed he'd be put in 'the noble house of black' graveyard that he was sure was haunted.
Sirius couldn't bring himself to go at first, euphemia potter would usually go instead as she knew how hard his mother could change, he wasn't sure how she knew but it's common knowledge that walburga black was cruel and cold. Sirius would whisper something he wants to say to his younger brother to his found mother.
However, this time, Euphemia came but it was different, she didn't have that pitiful look on her face whenever she would look at Sirius, no, instead she had a sad look of betrayal and it was almost like she wouldn't even look at him. "Mum..? What's wrong?" Sirius asked as he walked up with his best friend, she flinched when he said mum but suddenly regained her posture "I love you Sirius." Sirius looked confused, it wasn't unusual to say that but in this situation it is very weird. "I love you too?" He hesitated realising how much he probably sounded like his mother, always confused when it came to love and never reciprocating it properly. "Are you okay?" Euphemia just hugged him, his cold body scarily similar to his mother "am going to go for some tea, would you like some, dear?" She asked with the sweetness in her voice almost artificial, "oh- uhm, sure- yes please" and like that was the trigger, she swung around and walked into the kitchen, her heels clicking as she walked just like his mothers had, he used to find that sound satisfying and would even stop making noise when he would hear the sound but now it taunts him.
Everything was reminding Sirius of his mother, as if she now had a presence in this house, as if she was present on Effie. That was when Sirius decided it was time to go to the graveyard—something had happened, and he needed to know.
Sirius didn't like wearing a jacket to a graveyard, it reminded him of his mothe- there it was, the comparison to his mother. Sirius was going to stop thinking about her and visit his brother.
He apparated to the place he knew very well. He arrived in a matter of seconds and was immediately met with the smell of smoke and rain that seemed like it was just stopping.
When he found the source of the smoke he began stomping on it incase it caught fire again, it seemed that it had been lit with the incendio charm, and had only just been put out. He turned away from the smoking object on the ground and turned to a tombstone that was not there before— his brother's.
"Regulus, you idiot!" He cried as he punched the ground that held his brother's coffin—his empty coffin. "You can't leave me! Not like this, not when we were so close to getting you out!" Sirius clutched onto the perfectly carved rock that had his brothers name. "I miss you.." he whispered as a ginger cat appeared behind the tombstone.
"Hello..?" He spoke so gently, nothing breathing ever lived here, nor visited so why now was there a cat. "have you lost someone too?" That was so stupid that Sirius mentally cringed, but the cat nodded. It nodded! Sirius was taken aback "I lost my brother, I really miss him. You know, half of me doesn't believe he's actually gone." The cat just rubbed it's head against his arm as he shivered before jumping over to the not-smoking object.
The cat turned its head to face Sirius and motioned for him to follow, which Sirius did.
He crouched down to get a better look before picking it up. A jacket? No. His jacket. The jacket him and his mother would huddle up in but how did it get here? How does it still exist? and why is it here? Then there was crunching.
Sirius scattered behind his great aunts gravestone and the cat quickly followed and hid behind the boy who still held the jacket. Once the crunching came to a stop, Sirius poked his head out—his mother was standing there, looking; upset? Not her usual upset, but sad like she would never love again.
Instinctively, Walburga reached down to get the jacket that was no longer there. She released an audible "huh?" Before looking around and stopping on her sons grave "oh regulus.." she spoke with such softness that it almost seemed like she missed him? Which was barbaric!
"Regulus, I know I was just here, but you're the only one I have left.." walburga sounded on the verge of tears, sirius wondered what she meant, regulus was dead. He was no longer there, but father was. That what sirius thought, until his mother spoke "your father.. he- he died barely thirty minutes ago." Sirius felt his heart break, he never liked his father much, or any of them really, but the sound of betrayal and brokenness in his mothers voice made his heart hurt more than ever. The cat turned to look at him before jumping out of his lap over to the woman as Sirius reached out to catch the cat. The cat sat just in front of the woman as if it knew to keep a distance "oh." Is all she said when she spotted the cat "such an ugly colour" she muttered, of course she could find something bad in something so cute. Despite the cats understanding, it didn't react instead it purred at her feet.
Sirius held his breath at the sight as did walburga. She looked as though she was about to curse it but something stopped her "regulus.." the cat stopped and stared at her "regulus would have liked you." She said as she picked the ginger animal up making Sirius flinch, ultimately making a sound causing his mother to snap her head to her aunts grave. "Who is there! Show yourself!" The lanky fingers reached for her wand "come out this instant! How dare you spy on a woman whilst in a vulnerable state!"
Sirius could apparate away but that would only cause the spell to travel with him. So he decided to stand. His back to the woman. Before he could even turn around he heard a faint whisper "Sirius.." he turned to see his mothers eyes filled with hope and relief "Sirius. Your father." Walburga spoke "well, I assume you've already heard. Your father had passed. He will be placed here along with—" she stopped as if it pained her to even think of regulus gone "regulus.." she was hesitant "why are you here." The skinny woman quickly composed herself.
"Euphemia had been coming for me, I could not wrap my head around the fact that regulus is gone." Ah, so walburga did know where her son's loyalty lies. "Well he is in fact gone" Sirius couldn't help but notice how she sounded as though she was trying to convince herself "moth- ma'am" her eyes shut as her only son denied his mother "sorry for coming. I'll be leaving now" Sirius hasn't seen his mother this gentle towards him since he was little "very well." She stepped aside, just as Sirius began walking, he didn’t understand why he was walking, he could apparate, it felt instinctive, like he couldn’t stop himself. “Wait!” His mother yelled softly, not the usual screech. Sirius was more startled than if it had been a shriek “would you.. stay one moment. Tell me about regulus. Like I told you about my brothers.” Sirius knew to decline, it was the correct decision, but it wasn’t. His mother, his biological mother, was asking him to comfort her, when he never had comfort. “I will.”
Walburga smiled and let out a sigh, she kicked up snow with her boot, making a clear area to sit. She sat looking right in front of her son’s grave. “I will not put your father’s grave next to his. He would not want that.” Sirius had been standing over his mother, just lingering. “Maybe put his grave next to great aunt Marie” Sirius suggested at the same time his mother spoke “i will put his grave next to aunt Marie” Sirius looked stunned while his mother had no reaction. “Tell me Sirius, about regulus.” Sirius approached her quietly, he had mastered walking silently, even with the crunch of snow. “Regulus was quiet. He had so much to say, but not the voice. He met his friends bartimus crouch junior, Evan and pandora rosier, and Dorcas meadows; They became his voice—until he could use his own.” Sirius sat next to his mother, like they had done before and placed the partially burnt coat around the both of them. His mother leaned against his shoulder “he loved writing, he confessed to loving muggle literature, he said ‘I find it fascinating how they can find magic in a world that lacks it’ he was always gifted. He hated being compared to me-” Sirius laughed dryly “regulus was the only one who understood people, he could read people like a book. Honestly scary. He began dat-” Sirius snapped his mouth shut, his brother may be dead but he still had his mother right next to him “tell me, i am done with being angry. My whole life I have been angry. I’m finally free.” This was new, extremely new. “He began dating a boy…” he waited for his mother’s reaction, when there wasn’t one, he continued “James potter-” now Walburga sighed. Sirius didn’t dare finish until he was given an explanation, but he would never ask for one, he simply would leave if not given. “Fate was destined to break them.” She whispered “what..?” Only then did Walburga look into her son’s eyes “it is known, potters and blacks were made to be separated, but which causes us to be attracted, it in our nature to be stubborn, we thought not even fate could tell us what was right and wrong.” ‘Us?’ Sirius thought “it will happen to all the next generations, hopefully, one day, maybe, just maybe, fate will rest.” Sirius moved closer to his mother “you.” She spoked again “you are the one putting fate to rest. You did what all of us couldn’t do.” This was a whole different person from the mother he had grown up with “what do you mean? You wanted to be me?” Walburga chuckled lowly “I wanted to do what you did, I wanted to break free from my house. You think I willingly married Orion, my least favourite cousin? Sirius, you were the only freedom I had, but even that was stripped away from me. By me becoming exactly who I did not want to be.” Sirius hugged his mother “I’m sorry…” she shook her head “no, I’m sorry, I treated you like how my mother and father treated me. I loved you the only way I knew how, and that was not love. I know that now.”
They sat in silence together before the ginger cat came back and curled up between them “tell me more. I want to know my sons” sons? Plural? “Tell me about the boy, the tall boy with the scars.” Sirius sighed “I love him mama..” she closed her eyes as he laid his head on her shoulder “I know you do.” She opened her eyes slowly, making direct eye contact with the brown woman in the distance “I know you love him.”