Shit! He had forgotten the map in the Ice Room. Sirius put his leather jacket back on and jogged back to the club. Wonderful job, Sirius. Forgetting the one thing he worked so hard on during the last few weeks was a lovely addition to the stock of wonderful things he had done since he had arrived here.
The moment he stepped into the club the hot and stuffy air chased away the cold in his body. Sirius hurried towards the locker room. Relief spread through his body as he saw the piece of parchment lying on the little table. He picked it up and automatically scanned the sheet, searching for a dot with a familiar label. He found one. Not the one he had hoped for. Rather one he had tried not to think about. Obviously his brother was just a few feet away from where Sirius was standing.
Sirius did not know how he should feel about him. Yes, it had been Regulus’ choice to join the Death Eaters. Saying ‘no’ was always a possibility. So, he had dug his own grave. But maybe if Sirius had been more persistent, he would have been able to save him. Sirius had spent so many time thinking about what he had done and, even scarier, what he will do. And he was sick of it.
Well, screw it! There was only one way to find out… something, anything that would quit the nightmares and relief his worries. He stuffed the map into the back pocket of his jeans and walked determinately into the club. He looked around. The bar was empty for this time of the day. As his eyes fell on the bar, he saw him. Sirius did not know what age Regulus was but he couldn’t have been far away from his point of death. In front of Regulus stood a half-empty liquor glass. His brother did not seem to notice him and so he climbed onto the barstool at his left side.
“Aren’t you a bit young for that stuff?” Sirius remarked casually. He was surprised that his voice sounded so emotionless. He looked at Regulus with simple curiosity while his heart hammered in his chest.