Perhaps Sirius Black resented his parents and resented this black family that brought him countless pain and oppression, but for his brother, he always carried on the concern, even though he was a Death Eater. Otherwise, he would not have investigated the truth of his death alone after Regulus left the world.
Sirius sat in a chair, covering his face with his hands, and his shoulders shook slightly.
Regulus was only seventeen at that time, still a child. He could not imagine how much courage his younger brother had gathered up to confront the most evil Dark Wizard in history, Voldemort, whom he had worshipped before.
In that cold and lifeless cavern filled with cadavers, with only Kreacher as the sole witness, Regulus paid with his life in a confrontation against evil.
He proved with his death that the glory of the 'noble and ancient Black family' is real, and not just an imagination of a group of people crazy about bloodline.
Remus took several candles from the drawer under the cabinet, replaced the spent candles on the candlesticks, and lit them. The kitchen was bright again.
Kreacher was still sobbing on the table, the old house-elf who loved Regulus more than anyone. Yet, he had to watch as Regulus died before his eyes. Sirius didn't understand him, but Remus knew that there must have been unspeakable pain in his heart. Perhaps because Remus himself was also seen as an outcast by wizards, he understood him all the more.
"Amorta?"
Remus watched Amorta examining the mysterious symbols on the locket, and whispered softly,
"Voldemort values this locket so highly, and you recognized it at a glance. I suppose you know what this thing is, right?"
"Don't ask too many questions, Remus--"
Amorta slipped the locket into his pocket. Then, his voice lightened,
"You don't have the ability to keep secrets, the more you know, the more dangerous it gets."
"That was retrieved by Regulus with his life, Amorta," Sirius raised his head and stared at the one who was about to claim it for himself, tears in his eyes, "I cannot give it to you, it should be destroyed. That was Regulus' wish!"
"You don't have the ability to do this either."
Amorta was unmoved.
"And this locket has very strong magic that can hypnotize people. If you wear it for a long time, you will become puppets of Voldemort. Only a wizard who is proficient in mind control and has high magical power can resist its temptation."
Remus and Sirius looked at each other without saying a word.
"Do you have the ability to destroy it, Mr.?"
Kreacher seemed to have caught something from Amorta's words. He struggled to stop crying, staggered up from the table and jumped down, coming in front of Amorta, gazing at him with misty eyes.
Perhaps moved by compassion, Amorta's tone softened slightly.
"I will do so, Kreacher, but not now."
"We should notify Albus right away--"
After a long silence, Remus suddenly said,
"Since Voldemort values this locket so highly, it must be hiding some major secret. It could be Voldemort's own weakness. Albus must know this."
Amorta raised an eyebrow, preparing to say something, but Sirius spoke first. He said harshly,
"If you're going to tell Dumbledore, I have no objection, Remus, but I don't have the time for that right now. I need to go fetch Regulus' body back; I can't leave him there!"
Kreacher stared at Sirius in disbelief, as if he had just met him.
"Calm down, Sirius,"
Remus wore a solemn expression.
"Regulus was a hero, we can't just leave him unattended. However, I still think it's best to notify Albus first."
From Kreacher's description, they knew the cave was definitely very dangerous, with many traps left by Voldemort to protect the locket. Remus thought that with his poor condition and Sirius, who had been in Azkaban for over a decade, it was highly likely that they would end up there.
Remus automatically ignored Amorta, knowing that Amorta did not like Sirius much and thought it was highly unlikely that he would accompany Sirius to retrieve Regulus' body.
"I'm not afraid of danger, Remus,"
Sirius' gray eyes were misty with tears.
"I've had Regulus sleeping in that cold lake for over a decade now, and I need to bring him back, to bury him. I can't wait a moment longer!"
The thought of his brother's body lying alone in that dark, damp cave filled Sirius with an overwhelming sadness he had never felt before.
Hearing Sirius' words, Kreacher let out a loud wail and pounded his head desperately.
Remus's face was stern. He had never imagined that the welcome dinner for Sirius' return would turn out to be such an accident.
What should we do now?
Because of the true cause of Regulus' death, Sirius was already acting as if he had lost his mind. Remus wasn't surprised by this display; he wasn't the first to know him like this.
"Let's go and see--"
To Remus's surprise, Amorta actually volunteered to accompany Sirius.
Looking at the startled Remus, Amorta smiled.
"Regulus' brave and selfless actions are admirable. Such a hero deserves a proper resting place. Moreover, I do have some interest in that cave, as if to gain an early understanding of Voldemort's strength."
Remus's heart sank. Amorta's words were clear; he believed that Voldemort would return to the magical world one day, and Dumbledore shared the same opinion. This almost confirmed that the brutal and powerful Dark Lord, who inspired despair in everyone, would one day stand before them again. When that time came, how many of them could survive?
"Thank you, Amorta," Sirius pressed his lips together, "This was my own matter."
Since Amorta was joining them, Remus had little to say despite his concerns. He had witnessed firsthand how terrifying Amorta could be when he went off the deep end, and Dumbledore's assessments of his abilities were also on point.
"Quickly, take us to the cave, Kreacher!"
"Okay, let's go," Sirius immediately said eagerly.
But Kreacher hesitated suddenly. He stared at Amorta, as if he wanted to say something but held back. Under Sirius' repeated prompts, he finally stuttered, "I-I-I don't know if it's a good idea to go there. It's-It's not an easy place to get out of."
"Mr. Bran, your magic is too strong, Old Kreacher may not be able to bring you--"
"Ah, this is indeed a problem."
Amorta slapped his forehead and then, his eyes fell on Sirius.
"You two go with Kreacher first. You have a locator charm on you; I will use apparition to move to the marked location myself."
(Chapter ends)
