Sirius went through several different emotions when an owl tapped on his kitchen window. He was alone in the apartment; Remus was on assignment for the Order.
First was confusion. They rarely received mail by owls anymore. The Order used Patronuses or floo network so they were harder to track or intercept. The only owls they regularly got was the daily prophet but it was much too late in the day. And it wasn’t a Ministry owl, it was…
Black barn owls were extremely rare, and Sirius only knew of one person that owned one. A gift from their parents years ago, who prided themselves in having some of the rarest owls- many of them being melanistic. They stood out among other owls, and their black feathers were recognizable as belonging to the House of Black.
Anger over an owl from that family was quickly replaced by worry when he recognized the owl as Regulus’. There were very few reasons Regulus would possibly contact him, and none of them could be good.
Sirius opened the window in the kitchen and untied the roll of parchment from the owl’s leg. The owl flew away almost immediately, as if it knew it couldn’t linger. He closed the window, turning the message over in his hand. His heart sank when he saw the official seal of the House of Black stamped into dark green wax.
And yet some small part of Sirius, buried far down, dared to hope that Regulus wanted him back. That he was leaving the family.
The air in the room held its breath as he cracked the seal.
Sirius Orion Black III-
I regret to inform you of the passing of Regulus Arcturus Black, heir to The Noble and Ancient House of Black.
Grief and panic and many more emotions that Sirius couldn’t name gripped his chest as his eyes skimmed over the short and blunt statement once, twice, three times, hoping it would change. It couldn’t be true.
“No, no, no, no, Reggie…”
The neat script on the parchment shifted, changing and lengthening to fill the parchment in the same neat penmanship. Sirius yelped, and nearly dropped the letter when a large, shimmery form leapt out of it. A giant dog patronus ran around the room, eerily resembling his own animagus form. It was like watching a ghostly form of Padfoot bound around his apartment, before settling on the counter and facing Sirius. The patronus’ mouth opened, much like messages from those in The Order. Unlike those from the Order, the voice did not belong to one of its members.
“I see you’re still calling me Reggie. Given the circumstances, I suppose I won’t tell you to stop.”
The letter slipped from Sirius shaking fingers as Regulus’ voice filled the apartment.
“I have to admit, Dumbledore’s messaging system is impressive. Most Death Eaters are probably incapable of casting a Patronus Charm, and they’ve yet to find a way to intercept them. That combined with the ink concealing charm made sure no one else would get this message.”
Sirius glanced down to the letter he had dropped, realizing Regulus must have used a similar charm to the Marauder’s Map. The words in dark green ink matched Regulus’ voice, and the tiny flicker of hope he’d thought extinguished long ago dared to rekindle in his chest.
“They’ve yet to find”, not we.
Regulus sighed, and Sirius could picture him dropping the formal posture that had been ingrained into them since they could walk, and lean against or even sit on the counter where his Patronus laid down.
“I wish I could tell you that the letter was fake, but if you’re getting this it’s true.”
There was a pause that filled the room with dread, and gripped Sirius’ heart with fear.
“I’m dead, Sirius.”
And that’s when the first tears shed. Sirius felt as if a rug had been pulled from under his feet, as those three words echoed in his head. The world was falling away from around him as those three words consumed him and he sank to the floor.
His face quickly grew damp as tears poured down cheeks. Regulus’ patronus continued speaking, and Sirius’ heart broke again at the subtle shake in his voice.
“I knew there was a chance I wouldn’t survive this war, but I never thought we’d end up on the same side. Especially not so soon.”
On the same side. On the same side. On the same side.
“I mean… I’m not even 18.” Regulus’ voice broke, and Sirius wished for nothing more than to hold him in his arms and never let go.
“I wish I were brave enough to leave like you had, but I presume that is why you were always the Gryffindor. Afterall, one of us had to be the ‘perfect heir’, and I was much better at it than you. Heh, well, if there’s any silver lining: I won’t have to worry about Walburga arranging a marriage for me.”
Regulus cleared his throat. “There’s nothing I can do about that now though. If this letter was sent, then I didn’t make it back. And I’m… I’m okay with that. I’d rather not die, but it also means you have a chance to win.
“Which brings me to the important part, and Sirius I need you to listen very closely because this is vital to winning the war. You can’t share this information with anyone. There’s a spy in your ranks and I wasn’t able to discover who they are. Maybe you have your suspicions, and I know there are people you trust, but you have to keep this to yourself.
“The Dark Lord has created a Horcrux, which I’ve stolen with the intention of having it destroyed. I face death so when the Dark Lord meets his match he will be mortal again. He doesn’t know I’ve stolen it, which means you have the upper hand. Find him. Kill him. Before he has the chance to discover what I’ve done.”
The silence that filled the room felt thick. Although Regulus couldn’t see it, Sirius nodded to the patronus. He would finish what Reggie started. He would make sure his death wasn’t in vain.
When Regulus continued speaking, his voice was much softer, softer than it had been in years. “I’m not sure if patronus forms have meaning- I couldn’t find much in my admittedly limited research- but I have the feeling this one does. I used a memory from the summer before your first year at Hogwarts. When we snuck out and sat on the roof to look at the stars, and you told me now matter what happens we’d always have each other. ‘Nous s’avons toujours l’un l’autre.’ Which is also how you can hide this letter by the way. That sentence will revert it to its original form.
“I’m sorry we couldn’t have more time. I hope what I’ve done will ensure you do. You protected me for years, and now I’m returning the favor.”
“Reg…” Sirius whispered.
“Perhaps the Sorting Hat had been right; I could have done well in Gryffindor.”
The patronus stood and leapt down from the counter. The ghost-like Padfoot approached him on the floor. Sirius reached out, but his hand passed through the dog.
“Goodbye, Sirius. Go win this war.”
As the patronus began to dissipate, it whispered one last confession. “P.S. You can keep calling me Reggie. I never really hated it.”
“Nous s’avons toujours l’un l’autre,” Sirius promised. The letter, still laying on the ground, shrank to its original size and blunt message. Sirius picked it up with trembling hands.
“Reggie,” he whispered. He wanted to hear his voice again, but when the letter expanded, the patronus didn’t return. A sob wrecked through him and he couldn’t hold it back anymore. Sirius curled his knees to his chest and sobbed over the brother he thought he lost years ago. He felt as if he’d just got him back, only to lose him all over again. This time for good.
Sirius cried for the years they could no longer have. For the brother who deserved much more than 18 years. For the brother he wasn’t there to protect when it mattered most.
Between those tears he vowed he’d avenge his brother. No matter how long it took, he’d make sure Reggie’s death wasn’t for nothing.
He turned to look out the window and found the constellation his eyes were always drawn to first. Clouds obscured much of the sky, but the heart of the Lion shown brightly between them.
“Nous s’avons toujours l’un l’autre, mon petit roi.”