15 days after Sirius reunited with Harry
Upon entering his childhood home, Sirius experienced a shiver down his spine. There wouldn't come James to rescue him and bring him to Effie's and Fleamont's embrace, filled with more love and security than he every experienced.
He found himself completely isolated in the house he despised. Apart from Kreacher, whom he wouldn't mind vanishing. Sirius was on the brink of killing him with the constant muttering he was engaged in.
Afterwards, he began to search the area, but everything looked too recognizable. He thought he heard a familiar scream, but dismissed it. As he approached his childhood bedroom, he saw the door to a room he had spent almost as much time in as his own.
Walking towards the door, he noticed the familiar three letters, and tears welled up in his eyes. Inside, he noticed the recognizable Slytherin colours and chuckled softly. However, upon closer inspection, he saw newspaper clippings about Voldemort and the Death Eaters, which vanished all amusement.
As he approached the table, he noticed incomplete papers and old school textbooks. Choosing to disregard them, he headed towards the drawer and cast a quick reveal spell.
After he opened the drawer, he noticed the recognizable image: two boys, one older with unruly black hair and another younger boy with a mixture of black and blond locks near his neck with more tamer curls.
Sirius ran his finger across his younger brother's image, sitting still for hours, staring at the picture, wishing to be transported back in time. He was willing to endure the usual punishments just to relive that moment.
On his way to feed Buckbeak in his parents' room, he passed by his father's study and heard his father's voice in his head, reminding him that foolish boys were not welcome inside.
He clenched his jaw and hurried to Buckbeak to give him food. Once he was done, he entered his father's study and felt a cool breeze. Scanning the room, he noticed the usual bottle on his father's desk, along with a glass still containing the familiar brown liquid.
He heard a gasp behind him and when he turned around, one of his own slipped. His idiot brother stood there, his soft grey eyes wide as he looked at him. The next words he spoke were as ruthless as usual.
"Father?" Sirius remains for a brief moment before quickly departing. Regulus observed him depart while his mouth remained slightly ajar.
Sirius felt the familiar waves of a panic attack looming as he noticed that he was starting to breathe heavily outside.
17 days after Sirius reunited with Harry
Sirius had been ignoring the elephant in the house, bearing his brother's skin, for the past few days. He was unaware that their parents had started creating a portrait of him, he had accepted that their parents were a separate species, and he would never comprehend them at a young age.
Yet, they were connected with them and shared some of their qualities in that aspect. Contrary to their parents, the two always had a mutual understanding of each other's thoughts.
This could be why he returned to his father's study, where he found his brother reading inside his portrait.
He nearly snorted, while his brother kept reading through a book. After a small cough, he observed Regulus quickly glance up with soft gray eyes.
When Sirius locked eyes with him, he sensed something stirring inside him, but couldn't quite identify what it was.
"Sirius..." he heard the voice he knew well, and if he were a weaker man, he would have cried. Upon learning of Regulus's death, he never believed he would hear that voice or sense his presence, yet there he stood in the form of a portrait.
"Regulus, uptight as always." Sirius noticed the glare on Regulus' face that was meant to be threatening, but instead he resembled an angry kitten.
"Could you please wear proper attire? I'm surprised our mother's portrait hasn't scolded you yet." As Regulus spoke, it felt like a typical conversation. Just like after family dinners, where their mother would criticize Sirius, and their father would give him a cold look, while Regulus would look worriedly at Sirius with his head down.
"Why should I care, she's dead, thank Merlin for that." Sirius must have said the wrong thing because Regulus started glaring down at him.
"Don't you feel any shame? Disrespecting our mother, who's resting in the cold soil?" Regulus said the words angrily out of frustration.
"Why do you keep defending her? She wasn't a good mother and is better off death" he said, looking at Regulus with a pained expression. Regulus gazed at the ground, his anger vanished, while Sirius sensed his anger growing.
"What aren't you agreeing with me? She made our entire childhood a living nightmare! 'Your attitude, Sirius, is unbecoming.' 'Regulus, make sure you keep your eyes down, you are not meant to be seen.' Do you recall these words or the consequences that followed?!" his voice started to increase in volume and then cracked towards the end. Regulus kept staring at the ground with a blank expression on his face.
Despite this, Sirius was aware of his truth of feelings and clenched his teeth, "I see, you lacked courage while alive and that fact remains unchanged while being stuck as a portrait. Keep fabricating excuses for their behaviour, but deep down we both know the reality... they never cared for us, we were simply pawns, Regulus."
He stormed out without realizing that his exit was being watched by soft grey eyes which let tears fall down.
40 days after Sirius reunited with Harry
Sirius ignored his father's study for some time, and during that period, his mother's portrait appeared to have come to live. He hadn't experienced a peaceful morning because of her in some time. Kreacher has not been very helpful either, carrying out his mother's orders as if she were still alive.
It's unexpected that he still hasn't located his father's portrait, which is likely in a liquor store in Knockturn Alley. He began to feel uninterested, and not even Harry's occasional letters could change that. Sirius has always thrived on social interactions to energize himself. However, there were very few individuals around him, depriving him of that energy source.
The only presence he found some pleasure in was the one emanating from the portrait of his brother.
He observed Buckbeak pecking at a pillow that belonged to one of his parents, and a smile began to appear on his face. As he glanced at Buckbeak, he realized he couldn't keep avoiding Regulus indefinitely, especially now that he had somehow re-entered his life.
Upon entering the room later, he noticed his brother once more engrossed in a book, though this one was distinct from the previous. He observed a gentle curl fall in front of his brother's eye, which was swiftly blown away by him without taking his eyes off the book. The rebellious curl persisted in returning to its undesired position, causing Regulus to huff and push it away.
"I always wondered where your curls came from. Our mother and I have the same curly hair, while father's hair was always perfectly straight... Your curls however, were always so soft and easy to take care of." Sirius talked, and quickly sensed Regulus raising his head from his book.
"The heir has come back." Sirius noticed the sarcasm in Regulus's tone but decided to overlook it, opting to have a casual conversation.
"Yes, I have the option of selecting between you, Mother, and Kreacher. Did not want to interrupt their rendezvous..." Regulus gazed at him with an expression of indifference.
"Only you could know how to pronounce so poorly in French." Regulus spoke with no visible sign of any emotions he might be experiencing. Sirius acknowledged this but persisted, aware that it was a consequence of his past negative behaviour.
"I never quite understood the purpose of taking French classes," he murmured, as Regulus raised an eyebrow in response.
"Naturally, everything needs a 'purpose' or else you won't engage in it. You always struggled to just complete your tasks as required." Regulus spoke softly, his voice not aligning with his words. Nevertheless, Sirius could sense the anger starting to rise.
"Having one perfect son was enough, two would have been excessive," he quipped, but Regulus only rolled his eyes in response. Sirius finally lost his patience and snapped in response to his attitude.
"Actually, screw you, I've been attempting to have a regular conversation with you, but all you do is give me a cold shoulder. You must have avoided communication classes, how outrageous for a young man not to know how to converse." With sarcasm in his tone, Sirius remarked, and Regulus responded with a cold look.
Observing Regulus' silence, Sirius could feel the surge of anger returning.
"Is this all there is to it?! Finally getting to see each other after such a long time, and all you can do is argue! You don't have to restrain yourself, Regulus, our parents aren't around, you can finally drop this facade!" Sirius exclaimed optimistically.
Regulus glanced at him and rolled his eye, "You don't seem to understand how portraits work, do you? You always stirred up trouble instead of being productive." Sirius had finally enough and, before storming out of the room, turned around yelling.
"Keep clinging to an idealized image of the parents we never had, the three of you really deserve each other."
91 days after Sirius reunited with Harry
Sirius began to steer clear of his father's study. The argument with Regulus was unnecessary, and he felt lost on how to interact with him. Regulus, once his beloved brother, was now just a memory on a canvas.
He had numerous topics he wanted to discuss with him. Yet, a persistent voice in his mind uttered harsh words, resembling his mother's voice.
His stream of consciousness was abruptly stopped by her shouting and he couldn't help but release a groan. She was determined to inflict pain on him even in her own demise. That despicable woman.
99 days after Sirius reunited with Harry
Nearly a week after, he found himself in his father's office again, making eye contact with Regulus. They maintained a wordless silence, simply gazing at one another. Sirius gazed at the recognizable black lashes surrounding gentle grey eyes, and as Regulus shifted slightly, he noticed the familiar blond curls near the back of his head.
He finally gazed at Regulus and understood their significant age difference. Once only a year older, now he was roughly 13 years ahead and Regulus was stuck being 17. However, upon closer inspection, he noticed Regulus's youthful appearance and suspected there could be a larger age difference.
His younger brother, who used to hide behind Sirius or sneak into his room out of fear of the dark at nighttime. He spent so much of his youth looking out the window, dreaming of walking the streets. This however only happening rarely, and he was imprisoned inside his own room. How the tables have turned...
He then voiced the question he had been pondering ever since learning about his death.
"What caused your death?" the shattered voice finally reflected Sirius's true feelings. During his time in Azkaban, he had always been preoccupied with thoughts of Harry, but his treacherous mind often turned towards his brother. Before Harry, there was Regulus, a young child with big grey eyes who looked up to him as a saviour, being taught by Sirius the things their parents considered too soft for a Black.
Regulus was let down by him, the evidence was clearly visible in front of him in the form of a portrait.
Sirius gazed at the quiet young boy, sensing tears welling up in his eyes. He anticipated Regulus to break the silence, but he kept quiet, looking down at Sirius with pity. They both understood that he couldn't respond to the question.
Sirius allowed the tears to drop and gazed sadly at his brother. He soon started to cry and the only observer was Regulus' portrait as the real Regulus had been dead for a while.
190 days after Sirius reunited with Harry
Every day, Sirius would go see Regulus after dealing with the order, informing him of their plans to prevent another war. He would share all their ideas and discuss how they could maintain peace with Voldemort rising.
As he joked and laughed, Regulus sat in silence, looking sadly at Sirius. He watched his brother fall apart, knowing that the Black madness had taken hold of him, albeit less obviously than it had with those who came before.
But the magic prevented him from expressing his concern, as the Regulus, whose portrait had been captured, didn't express his worry openly, so he had to keep quiet. Regulus could do nothing but witness his brother's gradual deterioration and understood that his Sirius was gone.
The person facing him resembled Sirius in appearance and actions, but the true Sirius was already deceased. This wasn't the brother who used to tell stories to help Regulus sleep, or sneak sweets into his room to show his love. He wasn't the brother who would kiss away his bruises, promising a future where they could live together and away from all this mess.
Sirius interrupted Regulus' thoughts by saying, "It's getting late, and I still have a few things to do. I will be back tomorrow, Reggie."
Regulus observed as his brother walked away and allowed his tears to flow openly, just as he always did whenever Sirius departed. He then whispered quietly words that only he could hear.
"Siri, time has not been kind to you, has it?"
360 days after Sirius reunited with Harry
Upon entering his father's study, Sirius noticed Regulus arranging to read another book and smiled, the walls feeling now all too familiar.
"Are you not getting tired of looking at the same 26 letters every day but in a different sequence?" he playfully asked as he took a seat in the usual chair.
Regulus glanced away from his book and sighed, "I have never encountered someone who insults reading in such a disrespectful manner. You really are immature." Sirius laughed in response to Regulus' words.
"You are brilliant enough for both of us. This brings to mind today-" Regulus interrupted Sirius' voice inside his mind. Sirius has been pretending that Regulus is still alive by coming inside and acting as if he was really there, not just a portrait. He used to hold back and not say anything, but now he can't continue with this charade.
"Sirius, please stop," he whispered, watching as Sirius ran his hand through his hair.
"Yeah I understand, I wasn't a huge fan of that idea either but-" Regulus cut in before Sirius could carry on, releasing all the cruelty stored in the portrait.
"Sirius, I'm not actually Regulus! I'm just a small part of his magic combined with a painted canvas. The true Regulus is already dead and will not return." Regulus anticipated Sirius to react with tears or denial, yet he stayed entirely composed.
"I am aware that you are not him, I am not that stupid. Regulus, my beloved Reggie, was a good person who always strived to do the right thing, but our parents needed to also ruin that. You are the only reminder of the Reggie I treasure," he expressed with overwhelming affection, almost overwhelming Regulus. Despite this, he resisted, wanting Sirius to move on and forget about him.
"You are really pathetic, do you actually believe I was like that? No, I desired the same thing mother and father did, eliminating the Mudbloods who are so ignorant they cannot grasp real magic. I cannot fathom why that fool I look like would oppose the Dark Lord, he is the one to liberate us from this Mudblood filled world." Regulus uttered these poisonous words and watched as the warmth disappeared from Sirius's eyes.
'Hate me, hate me so intensely to the point where thinking of me only brings disgust to your mind. Treat me with the same contempt you have for our parents. See me just like another Death Eater, no more than that. Please, Sirius, hate me.' He thought while harsh words were brewing in Sirius's mind.
"Keep your mouth shut, you don't know what you are talking about! Regulus, are you really that naive to want to eliminate Muggles and follow our parents' footsteps? Muggles are not the issue, and you know that! I did not raise you to have such thoughts..." Regulus released a harsh chuckle.
"What gives you the impression I took any of your 'rasing' seriously? You're just as pitiful as the Mudbloods, a blood traitor who ignores our bloodline!" Sirius interrupted Regulus.
"Could you please stop talking, Regulus?! You're saying things without even thinking about what they mean. I always thought you were the smarter one... Why aren't you saying anything?" Sirius' glare intensified when Regulus stayed silent, and the next words he uttered were meant to be hurtful.
"Do you believe James would pardon you for talking in that manner?"
Regulus gazed at Sirius with eyes wide open, and Sirius could interpret the inquiry in his expression.
"I was aware of the situation between you two. Who do you think encouraged James to speak to you? I requested him to speak with you because I couldn't." Sirius noticed the pain in Regulus' eyes and averted his gaze.
"I can't even look at you. I'll return later, and perhaps by then you'll realize your mistake." Sirius walked out of the room after spitting. Regulus watched him closely and made no attempt to conceal his tears this time.
"You are more like mother than you think." he whispered, observing Sirius pause briefly before departing.
10 days after Sirius death
Regulus anxiously anticipated Sirius' return for days, but recognized the importance of Sirius needing to calm down. At the same time, he wouldn't be opposed to the idea of Sirius not returning at all, as he desired for his brother to have a fulfilling life free from being chained to the image of his death brother.
However, he did receive a visitor, a visitor who would have given him a heart attack if he was still alive. The boy who entered the room was fascinated by the portrait; if he hadn't seen it move, he would have mistaken it for a Muggle painting. Regulus was so startled that his book slipped from his grasp when he saw the boy; for a moment, he believed James was standing right in front of him.
Regulus tried to compose himself as he gazed at the boy in front of him who bore a striking resemblance to his James, yet it was not him. Harry remained fixated on the portrait, staring at it in awe. James had a taller height and a slightly larger nose, as well as a slightly gentler facial appearance. The boy in front of him also had incorrect eyes, indicating this was not the James he knew.
"Excuse me, but what is your name?" the boy queried as Regulus averted his gaze slightly. James had a slightly deeper voice that was always filled with love.
"Regulus." he said softly and maintained his gaze on the boy who stared back at him with familiarity flashing through his eyes. He looked around the for some time and then he departed. Regulus watched him leave and wished he had asked for his name.
438 days after Sirius death
Upon seeing the boy entered the study again, Regulus was bombarded him with multiple questions. Regulus struggled to keep up with the barrage of questions and stared at the boy with widened eyes. After the boy finished, he inquired.
"I apologize, but I didn't catch much of what you said. Can you please repeat that?" He maintained a gentle tone and observed the boy running his hand through his hair.
"How did you discover the Horcrux? Do you know the whereabouts of the others? And-" Regulus observed as the young boy repeated all his inquiries, hearing them all. Despite knowing his response wouldn't be very helpful, he allowed the boy to continue speaking.
"I am unable to respond to these questions not out of unwillingness, but due to my inability. This portrait was created months prior to the events that transpired, and I have no recollection of it. My performance is influenced by the painter's perception of me, infused with a bit of my magical essence to bring my past self to life." Regulus noticed the disappointment in the boy's eyes and gazed at him sadly.
As the boy was getting ready to depart, Regulus finally asked what has been on his mind since their last meeting.
"What is your name?" he asked, and when he got the answer, he smiled a little.
"My name, it's Harry Potter."
Regulus looked away softly, his voice now much quieter. "A common name for a remarkable boy." as Harry departed, these words slipped out, and he felt tears flowing down his cheeks.
Harry, though, did not hear the words, and Regulus was transported to a moment when he and James were discussing their future.
He was happy that at least one of them was able to bring their plans to life, even though they weren't able to do it together. He let the traitors tears fall while smiling.
700 days after Sirius death
When Harry and Regulus saw each other again, Regulus noticed the wide grin on his face.
"We defeated Voldemort..." Regulus was surprised by everything Harry revealed while speaking, and he felt a small shock at each revelation. He was relieved that the nightmare that haunted him and extended into Harry's life had finally ended.
"I believe the true me would be happy that the final thing he strived for has been accomplished. Even if he wasn't able to be the one who defeated him, thank you, Harry." Regulus noticed the surprised expression on his face and softly smiled back at him.
A moment of silence passed between them, but Regulus didn't feel uncomfortable. He gazed at Harry and then recognized the flannel shirt, realizing who it belonged to.
He took pride in Harry, despite facing harsh challenges, he used them to grow stronger and stronger. Regulus was not surprised to see the bravery in James' son in front of him. James, who was courageous, passed down the same valour to his son, and Regulus could not be prouder.
After some time had passed and Harry was getting ready to depart, Regulus finally posed the question that had been weighing on his mind since Sirius ceased his visits.
"Could you destroy my portrait?" Regulus noticed Harry's eyes widen. He interrupted Harry, questioning the reason behind his desire to destroy the last living thing of himself.
Regulus had already been death and out of time for a significant period, all the while his moments as a portrait was time which he stole. His sole mission in life had been to defeat the Dark Lord, which finally occurred despite not being his own doing. It is now time to release and move on.
Harry remained silent while Regulus explained everything.
On May 10, 1998, Regulus Portrait was destroyed, and its magic returned to its owner inside a cave where he would remain forever alone. However, now he had new memories and knew that the living image of his first and only love existed, making their shared dream come true.