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The young boy ran excitedly to his brother's room and knocked on his door, "Brother, brother!"
His brother, Sirius, opened the door with a tired expression on his face and looked at his little brother's face, "What happened Reg?"
Regulus smiled happily and said, "Brother, can you teach me how to swim? Evan and Pandora learned how to swim! Teach me too, please!" He said excitedly. He wanted to go swimming with Evan and Pandora, he knew his mother wanted them to be friends and he was trying to do so.
Sirius frowned at what he had heard, he was still in pain from the curses he had received from his mother. He and his mother had had another fight. This time the reason for the fight was because he and Regulus had run away from home and gone to get muggle ice cream, his family thought he was a bad influence on Regulus.
Their previous big fight was when Regulus went into the lake with the Rosier family children and nearly drowned. His mother was angry at Sirius for not taking care of her brother and for being a bad influence on him. However, Sirius had jumped into the water as soon as he saw Regulus struggling in the lake and saved him. Sirius felt guilty, but after his mother's reaction, he had involuntarily gotten angry at Regulus and the relationship between the brothers became cold. Regulus loved his older brother Sirius very much and wanted his older brother to teach him how to swim in order to spend time with him. Regulus was very afraid of water. Especially after the last accident, Regulus was afraid of water.
Sirius was surprised by Regulus's request because after that accident, Regulus wanted his older brother next to him even when he was taking a shower, he had nightmares at night and went to his brother's bed and slept with him. Sirius did not want to teach Regulus how to swim. He did not want to be cursed by his mother again, he had been hurt enough today. He was aware that he had become cold between him and his brother and he did not like it at all, but he did not think he really wanted to spend time with Regulus today. Sirius was tired and just wanted to rest.
"I'm sorry Reg, not today." Sirius said in his tired voice. Regulus' face fell when he heard Sirius' words, but he still forced himself to smile, "But brother... please! If it wasn't for you last time, I almost drowned. What if something like this happens again?" Regulus said, as if trying to change his brother's mind.
Sirius sighed, "Look Reg, that accident happened because you entered the lake without telling me last time. If you tell me in the future, something like this won't happen. I'll always be by your side," he said and continued while patting Regulus' head, "So, you don't have to be afraid... I'll always be here to save you."
Little Regulus couldn't help but smile after his brother's words. His brother was his hero and he would always be. He was afraid of water, but his brother would always protect him, so he didn't have to worry.
Right?
—♡—
18-year-old Regulus Arcturus Black was afraid. The feeling he felt as he was pulled under the water by the Inferi was fear. He was in the water, his breath was taken away. He struggled to stay afloat, but every move exhausted him even more. His eyes were wide with terror, and his throat was burning desperately for air. No matter what spell he cast on the Inferi, it was useless, they were too many.
Every time Regulus was pulled under the water by the Inferi, he was drowning in the salt water that filled his lungs. His arms were heavy, his movements were slow. His consciousness was blurred, he could not feel the coldness of the water. A moment of peace and acceptance appeared in his mind, as the Inferi slowly pulled him deeper, his mind tried to hold on to his memories with a final effort.
As the burning sensation in his throat became unbearable, he suddenly remembered his brother Sirius. Regulus raised his head above the water one last time, as if he wanted to hold on to Sirius. Just like he had done that day in the lake. His brother was with him then, his brother had saved him.
The last breath that escaped his mouth was like a cry mixed with despair, it was Regulus' farewell to his brother. Then, the sea silently swallowed him. The waters calmed, and Regulus Arcturus Black stopped struggling. He opened his mouth and wanted to apologize to his brother. It suddenly occurred to him that his brother would never find out that he had betrayed the Dark Lord and that he was not a bad person.
Sirius had always been Regulus' hero. The happy summer days they had spent together as children, the old memories of feeling safe in his brother's strong arms came to mind. They were all in the past. His brother hated him, even as he took his last breath, his brother hated him.
As Regulus was pulled deeper into the water, he imagined his brother's face one last time. Tears gathered in his eyes, but they disappeared in the salt water. Sirius' smile became clear in his mind.
“You don't have to be afraid... I'll always be here to save you."
Regulus was pulled deeper into the water, remembering Sirius' voice and face one last time in his mind. It was the last time he thought of his brother. As the sea silently took him in, Regulus's last thought was of Sirius' reassuring presence.
The last peaceful image in Regulus' mind was his brother's loving face. At that moment, time stopped for Regulus and the cold darkness of the water completely surrounded him. Even though he thought his brother hated him, he felt his brother next to him.
—♡—
At that moment, Walburga Irma Black, who was sitting quietly reading a book in Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, felt a pain in her chest. Something had happened.
She threw the book on her lap haphazardly to where she was sitting and ran into the room where the family tree was upstairs.
A skull.
A skull on Regulus' picture.
Walburga's eyes widened in shock. At that moment, the world stopped spinning around Walburga. Time seemed to stop, even breathing was difficult. She was slowly walking backwards while shaking her head as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. When her back hit the wall, the old woman collapsed where she was. Tears were involuntarily streaming down her cheeks. She felt like a hand was squeezing her heart.
Walburga couldn't believe it. "This must be a nightmare," she thought. Her son, the meaning of her life, her little snake, why had something like this happened? She covered her face with her hands and started to cry.
The silence in the house was making the storm inside Walburga even bigger. She slowly got up and headed towards her son's room. She wanted to smell his scent in his room, to touch his belongings. The sight she saw when she opened the door increased her pain. His bed, his clothes; everything was in its place. But her son wasn't there.
She sat on the edge of the bed and took her son's favorite sweater in her arms. As her tears fell on the emerald green sweater, a scream escaped her lips: "Why?" This word echoed in her mind over and over again. Her tears wouldn't stop, her heart felt like it had broken into thousands of pieces.
Walburga had lost both of her sons now. At that moment, she didn't care about anything, neither behaving like a lady, nor like an elegant member of the Black family... she didn't even care.
That day, the walls of “The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black” echoed with a mother’s screams and pleas.