Harry Potter: The Golden Viper

Do not enter without the express permission of Regulus Arcturus Black.

"Regulus?" Ron furrowed his brow, his eyes narrowing slightly as he stared carefully at the polished brass nameplate attached to the wooden door bearing those words.

But after a few moments, the creases in Ron's forehead smoothed and a look of realization appeared on his face. Indeed, he now recalled, Harry and Hermione had told him about this brother of Sirius before. Ron turned his gaze to Sirius, "He's your—"

"Yes," Sirius confirmed with a nod while his eyes were fixed on the nameplate. "He's my younger brother."

A wry smile appeared at the corners of his mouth as he glanced back at the words on the metal. "Judging by the stern warning on his door, it seems Regulus wasn't the most friendly or welcoming sort, was he?"

Sirius' expression softened, as memories of past skimmed through his mind. "But you know, before I entered Hogwarts and was sorted into Gryffindor, Regulus and I actually had quite a good relationship. Despite the age gap between us, he always admired me and wanted to tag along wherever I went. He would follow me around constantly, tugging on my sleeve and begging me to take him to Quality Quidditch Supplies whenever we visited Diagon Alley."

A fond chuckle escaped Sirius' mouth as vivid images of a bright-eyed young Regulus staring longingly at the broomsticks in the shop windows flashed through his thoughts. "That was his favorite store, the one that sold all the top-of-the-line flying brooms. The way his face would light up as he pressed his nose against the glass at the sight of the latest Nimbus or Cleansweep models - it never failed to make me grin."

Sirius glanced over at Harry. "Oh, that's right, I haven't told you yet, Harry—in addition to being my brother, Regulus was also a Seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch team. Just like you and your father."

"Ah yes, that he was," Remus chimed in with a reminiscent smile appeared on his lips as he stood behind the others. "But even with his flying skills, Regulus was no match for James on the pitch."

"Oh, that's true," Sirius didn't mind what Remus said. The chilly attic quickly drained the alcohol-induced flush from his cheeks. He looked at Remus who was still smiling, "You know Remus, I've long suspected that my relationship with Regulus soured not only because I was sorted into Gryffindor while he went to Slytherin and we ended up on opposing sides of so many things. I think his resentment of me also had a lot to do with James thoroughly defeating him in every match."

Sirius' eyes misted as his thoughts drifted to the past. "Regulus lost to James again and again over the years. It must have eaten at him, and then to see me, his brother, becoming best mates with his rival...I imagine that only rubbed salt in the wounds." Sirius sighed heavily, regret and sorrow appearing on his face. "Small wonder he began to pull away and turn cold towards me."

Harry felt a pang in his chest as he watched the sadness seep into his godfather's smile. His thoughts couldn't help but wander to the tragic tale of Regulus Black that Sirius had shared with him and Hermione.

At Regulus' funeral, Sirius had told them that Regulus had once been a follower of Voldemort. A loyal Death Eater. But at some point, he came to his senses and had a powerful change of heart. Filled with remorse, Regulus tried to make amends for the terrible things he had done.

And in the end, this courageous choice had cost him his life.

But last time, Sirius didn't say exactly what Regulus did to lose his life.

Harry recalled that Sirius had said, before being sent to Azkaban, he had believed for years that Regulus died as nothing more than a faithful servant of Voldemort. A devoted henchman to the end. It was only thanks to Professor Watson that the truth of Regulus' redemption and noble sacrifice finally came to light.

The thought of it made Harry's heart ache all the more for Sirius. He couldn't gauge the pain of believing your own brother had died in service to a monster, only to learn over a decade later that he had bravely given up everything to strike a blow against that monster he once served.

And Harry was certain there had to be so much more to this tragic story. After all, at the funeral, Dumbledore himself had approached Sirius to personally apologize. He expressed his deepest regrets that the true nature of Regulus' position could not be made public, as his death was entangled with some of Voldemort's most important secrets.

It made Harry burn with curiosity. What exactly had Regulus done? What could he possibly have discovered that was so dangerous, so important, that even in death it had to remain confidential?

A quick glance confirmed that Hermione and Ron were just as intrigued, their eyes were shining with interest. But Harry knew it was fruitless to hope for more details.

"I'm sorry, you three—" Apology shone in Sirius' eyes as he took in their interested expression with the mystery surrounding Regulus' Life. "Truly, I wish could tell you more, but my hands are tied. I gave my word to Bryan and Dumbledore that I would not reveal the truth of Regulus' sacrifice to anyone."

Sirius reached over to give Harry a gentle clap on the back. "It's late and you've had more than enough excitement for one evening. You should all get some sleep."

Turning, he motioned towards the doorway. "I know you're curious about this old manor and our family history. By all means, feel free to explore the other rooms tomorrow but for now, off to bed with you."

"I'm afraid I still have loads of work ahead of me tonight," Remus groaned, rubbing a hand across his face as he turned towards the stairs. "I'd love nothing more than to slack off and catch up with you lot, you know. Going to America is not an easy thing, but as things stand, I have to go and negotiate with MACUSA myself, to see what they're really up to…."

"No rest for the wicked," Sirius teased.

"More like no rest for those trying to thwart the wicked," Remus shot back with a grin. "And negotiations are only the beginning. There's a mountain of entry application parchment work to go through. It'll be a miracle if I get a wink tonight."

Hermione tugged gently at Harry's sleeve, "Come on, Harry. It's like Professor Watson and Dumbledore always say--" But her persuading weakened as she noticed the distracted frown furrowing Harry's eyebrow.

It seemed to her that he was still disappointed over the limited details surrounding Regulus. So, Hermione opened her mouth, ready to attempt to persuade him again, but before she could utter a word, Harry abruptly blurted out, "Karkaroff and Snape—"

Remus and Sirius froze at the unexpected names, arresting their movement as they were ready to head downstairs. In near unison, they turned back to face Harry, as matching frowns of confusion and concern appeared across their faces.

"What's this now?" Sirius asked sharply, crossing his arms. "Why the sudden mention of Snivellus and that Durmstrang git?"

Hermione blinked. She knew what Harry was about to say, but after a moment's hesitation, she didn't stop him.

"We heard Karkaroff tell Snape that Voldemort is getting stronger," Harry said quietly, his voice steady despite the way his eyes blazed with barely suppressed agitation in the gloom. "He sounded completely terrified."

Upon hearing this, Remus and Sirius, who still had a hint of intoxication on their cheeks, immediately sobered up. Remus, who was already on the stairs, stepped back onto the fifth floor. He and Sirius quickly walked up to the three, scanning their faces, and realized that these three little ones had grasped something important.

"What's going on, Harry!" Remus grabbed Harry's arm and his expression turned serious. "Explain it clearly."

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Remus' gaze became wary as he squinted towards Sirius' mother's room.

"You don't think Kreacher could be lurking about in there, listening in, do you Sirius?" Remus asked lowly, eyeing the room suspiciously. "Best he not overhears any of this."

Sirius waved a dismissive hand looking unconcerned. "I wouldn't worry about him, Moony."

Despite his nonchalant tone, Sirius was just as keen to hear what had his godson so restless. Turning, he guided their little group towards his own room, ushering them inside before closing the door with a soft click.

Sirius' room was spacious and beautifully decorated.

Opposite the entrance, in the middle, was a large bed with a carved headboard. Long velvet curtains hung over the tall windows, and the branched chandelier emitted bright candlelight.

The walls of the room were covered with so many posters and photos, which must have been put up by Sirius when he was a teenager.

Because the current Sirius was unlikely to put up pictures of Muggle girls in bikinis and photos of Muggle motorcycles on his bedroom walls.

In addition to these things, several Gryffindor banners were hung on the inner walls. These were probably also left over from before, because although they had been wiped clean, the red and gold flags had faded, clearly showing some age. But, What really caught Harry's attention was a wizards photo at the head of Sirius' bed.

In the photo, four Hogwarts students stood together with their arms linked, laughing at the camera.

Harry's gaze immediately stuck to the boy in the photo who had the same unruly hair as him. That was his father. This was the first time he had seen his dad as a teenager. His heart leapt and he subconsciously walked over, even ignoring Remus' questioning voice.

Seeing him like this, Sirius' lips curled into an involuntary, loving smile. He didn't interrupt Harry.

"This happened last night—" Hermione saw Remus' helplessness and urgency, so she took a breath and explained.

"We were originally dancing in the hall. After the first dance ended, we decided to go for a walk and accidentally discovered Professor Karkaroff and Professor Snape moving away from the castle."

"So, you followed them?" Remus said, frowning.

"Well, at the time all the staff were in the castle conjured by Professor Watson. Um, I thought it was unusual, so—"

Remus' stern demeanor was more imposing than when he was a professor. So, Hermione nodded guiltily.

"Go on, Hermione. What did you hear next?"

"By the time we caught up, Professor Karkaroff and Professor Snape had almost finished talking. Harry and I only heard Professor Karkaroff say:

You cannot pretend this isn't happening, Severus! For the past few months, it's become more and more obvious. I'm very worried now. I can't deny it, the Dark Lord is getting stronger—"

Worry flashed in Hermione's eyes, while Ron, who had already heard it once, showed the fear he had felt when he first heard it last night.

Sirius turned his head and looked at Hermione with a sharp gaze.

"And Snape, what exactly did dear old Snivellus have to say to that bombshell?"

At this point, Harry also pulled his gaze away from young James' face. He continued Hermione's words, "Snape told Karkaroff that if he was so scared, he should hurry up and run away, while he still could —"

"He didn't deny what Karkaroff said?" Remus narrowed his eyes and asked, "What else did you hear?"

"We didn't have the invisibility cloak with us at the time—" Harry said with some regret, "Snape sensed someone was eavesdropping, but he didn't catch us."

"Severus and Karkaroff..." Remus hesitated as he looked at Sirius.

"They must be old acquaintances—" Sirius said with a gloomy face, "They worked for Voldemort together. I've always suspected that he was the one who tampered with Hermione being chosen as a Triwizard champion—"

"Maybe not, Sirius—" Hermione pressed her lips together. Faced with Sirius' surprised gaze, she first glanced at Harry. When Harry shook his head at her, she continued, "We also, um, accidentally overheard a conversation between Professor Karkaroff and Professor Snape, back on the night we met in Hogsmeade..."

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