All in the Family

Chapter 163: The White Tomb

The sky was an endless blue with not a cloud in sight. Regulus didn't notice right away as he crash landed right next to the white marble tomb, hints of smoke making strange patterns still lingering in the air. There was no plaque or other defining marker, but they all knew instantly what it was. The book rested on top.

Nobody moved, nobody dared speak for several moments as it hit them all again like the shock before hadn't yet managed. Someone they all knew had done this to their headmaster, this future could not be allowed to continue in this path.

Regulus finally felt he had some kind of hand to play in that, but now more questions than ever. How had he discovered this? What had made him do such a thing? Dumbleodre had made it clear Voldemort had asked for no one's help when it came to making those Horcruxes, but Lucius had gotten his hands on at least one. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match you will be mortal once more.

He had died just like Sirius, unselfishly, for something more than his own blood to have meaning. And all his brother had done was make a joke about it, again. He didn't really need his brother's approval though, he never had, he just wanted to have him for his own selfish desire of a companion. He had a friend now, he could go and talk to Peter whenever he liked. If Sirius still wanted to talk to him then he'd gladly foster that, but he didn't need it anymore.

The idea of his future explicitly went against his parents wishes though. How had it come about, he'd joined the Death Eaters but died defying them? I face death in the hope that when you meet your match you will be mortal once more. Had he even succeeded though, or had he failed at this too, and there was still a horcrux out there lost to time because of his stupidity? What had happened to the real one as he incompetently replaced it? Was Harry going to die because he was incapable of doing anything right?

How long until his theft had been discovered and those other Death Eaters killed him? Had the Dark Lord figured it out and put the real Horcrux somewhere even more dangerous and he'd died for nothing? More than anything, how had he escaped that cave, and who had he sacrificed to die in there in his steed to get this? His own parents? If he'd lied or tried to manipulate mum and dad to come and see the horrors the Dark Lord was capable of and left them there when he'd made a grab for the locket to make this switch? He wasn't sure he could live with that outcome, how cold blooded had he become while still trying to be like Sirius and fight back?

Frank kissed Alice's temple and whispered to her he'd be back as he went over to Sirius and Remus having some kind of conversation by the chairs in the back. They'd all landed in the middle section, breaking a few upon their arrival. Alice squeezed his hand and Lily even considered going with him, but she was curious about something first.

"Do wizards have anything against two blokes together?" She was positive Alice had guessed at this back in the locker room when the two idiots pretended they hadn't been caught holding hands, but Lily had absolutely known inside Hagrid's hut, the look of concern on Sirius's face as he stayed with Remus on the bed. She wasn't sure when Frank noticed and hadn't dared ask in case it was a problem, neither of them had mentioned it.

Alice contemplated for a moment how to explain. "Not really, most wouldn't bat an eye with whoever you wanted to date, why would they? The fun's not getting caught, not who you're caught with," she said with the most un-Alice like smile Lily had yet seen, causing both of them to giggle. "It's a bit of a thing with some of the older pureblood families," she shrugged with a sad look at Sirius, then Regulus, her guess why they would have kept it shushed up at all. "Mostly for the infidelity, but no more frowned upon than marrying a muggle-born I suppose in that regards, kids and lack there of is their biggest aspiration in life as you know," she finished in a scathing tone, before watching Lily in confusion. "Why do you ask? Muggles see it different?"