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Sirius knew the path he was walking on could turn out to be a grand mistake and he knew perfectly well that if he died tonight Remus and James would bring him back as a ghost so they could haunt his ass for all eternity. The truth was Sirius needed answers, he desperately needed answers or he was going to lose what little sanity he still held.
His brother was dead.
His little brother was dead.
And no one seemed to know how or why, everyone had different ideas, had heard different rumors and Sirius just needed a spark of truth.
And in the situation their worlds had fallen into there was only one person left who could bring some light into the mess surrounding Regulus' death without immediately killing Sirius afterwards.
So here he was, walking down a terribly illuminated back alley in Northern London, James thinking he was with Remus, Remus thinking he was with James while both of them were preoccupied with Order business. If anyone found out or if anything happened, this would backfire on Sirius spectacularly.
"You must be mad, coming here like this." The voice hit him by surprise despite his hightened awareness of his surroundings and he stopped when the blond young man, really still a boy truly, stepped out of the shadows between two houses. "I couldn't believe it when I got your message, thought to myself that even he can't be stupid enough to believe I would fall for it."
"And still here you are," Sirius pointed out and showed his hands, he wasn't unarmed, the wand was tugged into his sleeve, ready to be shaken loose at any point but he had come with peaceful intentions.
"And still here I am indeed," Evan Rosier mentioned and casually showed his hands as well, Sirius took a second to look him over, his brother's best friend since earliest childhood. Evan looked terrible in a lack of a better word, deep dark circles under his eyes, thinner and paler than the last time Sirius had seen him which had been fighting on Trafalgar Square. There was something haunted in those green eyes, and he wondered vaguely if Evan had come because he knew something he was trying to escape from.
How had Regulus died?
How?
As cold as it was they were both layered up heavily but Sirius could still see Evan's stick of an arm peak out from his coat sleeve, a spot of black on white skin just barely visible. Who had joined first? Who had gone because the other one had been forced to make the move? Had Regulus not wanted Evan to be alone after his brothers had convinced him? Had Evan jumped as he so often had when Regulus had been shoehorned into a decision?
Sirius had so many questions.
And so little time.
If Remus returned back to headquarters after his mission and found James there, Sirius' cover had been blown to pieces and they would chew him out for ages. He needed to wrap this up quickly.
"So," he drawled and sharp green eyes were on him, tired and crushed as he looked – Sirius didn't kid himself – Evan was still a capable fighter and worthy opponent. "I think we both know why I came here, why I sought you out and offered you a ceasefire for at least tonight."
"I don't know anything," Evan answered him and as much as he wanted to Sirius had no reason to think he was lying, he didn't look like he had the mental energy left to lie and taunt. "I don't know how he died. My people are saying it was the Order but I imagine you being here negates that."
"It wasn't us, they wouldn't have." No one in the Order would have killed his brother and then not stood up to it when he had asked around. Sirius wouldn't have ripped their heads off, Regulus had made his decision, he had chosen the Death Eaters, he had chosen the murderers and psychopaths. Still, Sirius needed to know how he had died. "It wasn't anyone official either. They wouldn't keep it silent, even if it had been an accident. He was marked, they would have put it in the papers for shock factor alone."
"I can dig around on my end," Evan proposed calmly, he had always been so fucking protective of Regulus, always been more of a big brother than Sirius could have ever tried. As much as Regulus' death was hurting him, he didn't want to imagine how much it had to be tearing Evan apart. "But Sirius, I'm not doing this for you. I have no obligations towards you at all. The moment we step out of this alley, we're enemies again. I will not hesitate to strike you down the next time we face off. Do not expect me to hand over what I may find in person. What I am doing is for Regulus' memory and that alone."
"Understood."
A moment later, Evan disapparated and Sirius reached out to drag a hand down his face, shaking his wand loose as well to arm himself, now where he wouldn't be able to hurt any delicate feelings anymore. A short moment was taken to debate the next target, home or HQ, and then Sirius vanished as well.
--
Headquarters was quiet when he slipped past the front door which was always a welcome sign because it meant no one had gotten into trouble or any confrontations, it also meant the Death Eaters hadn't been pulling anything.
Sirius relaxed finally and smiled at Dorcas when the older woman came walking downstairs with a book in her hands, he wasn't even able to form a word in greeting though because in the next moment a hand grabbed his shoulder and roughly pulled him right into the kitchen.
"So," James growled almost when he let go of Sirius and then placed himself right next to where Remus was leaning back against the countertop with a cup of tea, eyes glowering on both of them. "I heard you can do the impossible now, being with both of us at the same time and without either of us being aware of it even."
Aw, shit.
"Was so funny when I got here and James had no idea what I was talking about when I asked him what you two had been up to today," Remus mentioned with a look that was somewhere between pissed and worried. "Real funny." Sirius brought a hand up to the back of his neck and made a rapid decision to either lie or tell the truth, both had their risks.
"I was meeting someone to get information," he chose the truth when James' eyes were boring into his skull with anger.
"About what?" James demanded to know and then made a step forward when Sirius hesitated to answer, prompting Sirius to raise both hands in a placating manner.
"About my brother's death."
"And whom did you meet?" Remus wanted to know in a tone that already promised he knew he wouldn't like the answer at all, he even set the tea cup to the side and Sirius knew he was in for a world of disappointment from his boyfriend and his best friend. It was only a question of who would get louder in their initial explosion.
"Rosier."
"Oh for fuck's sake, Sirius!"
And the win goes to James Potter.
--
Evan never turned up with answer and it would take a great many years until Sirius learned why.