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“Sirius, can we talk?” Regulus said, letting Crookshanks out of the wicker carrier. He watched as his half-kneazle cat stretched before heading up the stairs to the drawing room. “There’s something that I need to tell you.”
Sirius let out a laugh, reaching out to take Regulus ’ coat. “Let’s get warmed up first.”
Regulus watched Sirius brush away some of the snow from the coat, hanging it in the coat closet alongside his own. “Yes, but….”
“I’ll ask Kreacher to get us something warm to drink,” Sirius said.
Regulus opened his mouth, mentally noting Kreacher was yet another person he would need to tell. He let out a deep sigh, heading up the stairs after Sirius to the room above. Crookshanks had settled himself on the piece of furniture closest to the fire despite his long fur, intent on warming himself up, although Regulus suspected the can would move away once he got too warm. “Do you promise not to be mad at me?”
“Why would I be mad at you?” Sirius said before calling out to Kreacher to ask the House Elf to make something warm.
“Because I have a daughter.”
To which both Sirius and the House Elf stared at him, Kreacher having popped in. Sirius stared, looking rather amused, before saying. “Ha-ha. Very funny, Regulus.”
“Ha-ha, I’m not joking,” Regulus said, watching his brother pale visibly.
“Hey, Kreacher, can you get us something warm to drink so we can discuss this?”
“Yes, Master Sirius,” Kreacher said, giving Regulus a strange look making him wonder if he’d finally crossed the line with the House Elf, but then—Kreacher had known about Olivia and knew how he felt.
When Kreacher left, Sirius said, “Bloody Merlin, Regulus. You don’t think I wouldn’t want to know about this when you first found out?”
“How did you know?”
“Know what?”
“That I’ve been keeping this from you for a few months now?” Regulus watched his brother stare at him wide-eyed, meaning he’d again managed to say the wrong thing. Regulus scooped Crookshanks up and sat down, setting the cat into his lap.
“You’ve what?” Sirius sucked in his breath. “I mean….” Sirius closed his eyes. “I’d thought you’d only recently found out, like a few weeks ago. But you’ve not told me until now? How long have you blood known?”
“Since the sorting,” Regulus said. “She’s a first-year.” He took a deep breath. “But that’s not all of it.”
“That’s not bloody all of it?” Sirius said. “Regulus, the family will have my hide over this.”
“Yes, well,” Regulus frowned. “It’s not like I planned on keeping it a secret.”
“Yet you did.”
“I meant—I was waiting to tell you face to face rather than via owl,” Regulus said.
“And it wasn’t because you were afraid of how I would react?” Sirius said.
“Of course, I’m afraid of how you’ll act,” Regulus said. “I’m afraid of how the rest of the family will react, given—” He stopped, looking away as he scratched Crookshank’s ears.
“Given what?”
“Her mother is a Muggle.”
Which led to a string of curse words before Sirius asked, “And you didn’t think to tell anybody about this….” Sirius swallowed. “This Muggle girl.”
“Master Regulus told Kreacher,” Kreacher said, handing the hot drink to Sirius for once before heading over to Regulus.
Sirius gripped his drink. “You bloody told the House Elf?”
“Kreacher is able to keep secrets when asked,” Kreacher said.
Sirius narrowed his eyes. “I don’t know what’s most bizarre, the fact you fucked a Muggle….”
“Don’t speak about Miss Olivia like that,” Kreacher said firmly, glaring at Sirius as Regulus felt the heat in his cheeks from what his older brother had just said.
“Or that!” Sirius pointed the finger at Kreacher. “You bloody give me hell, Kreacher, for upsetting mother, but this—you do know that this will upset her far more than anything I did.”
Kreacher looked at Sirius, choosing not to respond, while Regulus took the warm drink in his hands, Crookshank still warming himself by the fire in his lap.
“Sirius, don’t be hard on him.”
“Hard on him?” Sirius said. “How is this different?”
“Master is a filthy runaway,” Kreacher said.
“Kreacher,” Regulus said, displeased with the House Elf’s tone, yet he was never one to lecture Kreacher for voicing his honest opinion.
“He wasn’t there to listen to Master Regulus,” Kreacher said. “Kreacher was. So Kreacher knows better than he does what Master Regulus was going through.”
“Bloody Merlin,” Sirius said, looking away. “Bloody House Elf.”
“I wish you wouldn’t speak to each other like that,” Regulus said. “And no, Kreacher, that isn’t meant as an order.”
“I wish you would order that thing not to speak to me like that,” Sirius muttered. “But,” he sighed. “Kreacher is right. I wasn’t there when you needed me. But I still don’t get why he’s fine with all of this.”
There came a sudden tug and a pant leg, and Regulus looked down at the House Elf. “Yes?”
“Would Master Regulus order Kreacher not to tell anyone else in the family about his daughter?”
“I’ll bloody order it,” Sirius said. “You’ve always been his bloody favorite, but I guess that means he’s going to have a soft spot towards your spawn regardless of their….” Sirius paused, frowning. “Kreacher, also, no name-calling his spawn anything nasty. Got it?”
“Filthy runaway shouldn’t call Master Regulus’ issue filthy spawn,” Kreacher said.
“Bloody hell, Kreacher!” Sirius said. “I didn’t call her filthy spawn. Don’t put words….”
“Master did call her spawn.”
Sirius closed his eyes, letting out some more curse words. “First the bloody cat, now this.” He let out a sigh. “Well, I’ve gotten used to you trying my patience.”
“Master shouldn’t speak to Master Regulus like that,” Kreacher responded.
“Oh bloody,” Sirius let out a sigh. “You honestly going to tell me he doesn’t try your patience?”
Kreacher turned to give Sirius a funny look before disappearing, resulting in a sigh from Sirius, who honestly didn ’t know what to think of the matter. Regulus looked down at his drink and his cat in his lap while he continued warming himself at the fire.
“How about we talk about this later, after I’ve some time to think about it.”
“Sure,” Regulus said.