Chalked Up

His question went unanswered, much to Sirius' irritation.

Also, to his irritation, Regulus became infatuated with the chalkboard. He picked up a piece of chalk only to stand there, the chalk hovering inches from the chalkboard.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "This is going nowhere."

Then Regulus turned his head. "I just remembered. You've told me nothing about the you-know-what."

"Horcrux," Sirius said. "We don't have to speak like that, you know."

"Just in case someone walks in," Regulus said. "What do you know, Sirius?

Sirius took a deep breath, closing his eyes. "It's a journal, as our ancestors said. It had a hole in it."

Regulus' eyes blinked, his hand lowering. "Wait? Meaning it has been managed to be destroyed?" He then paused. "I still need to find out the status of the one I left in Kreacher's care." He opened his mouth, then froze, his eyes closing. "Ugh."

"What?" Sirius let out a sigh. "What is the matter?"

"I dare not call him," Regulus muttered. "Not after what I did."

"And what did you do?" Sirius said.

"I..." Regulus' eyes snapped open, looking at Sirius.

"Please don't give me that look," Sirius sighed, going and taking a seat. "Why does he have to look at me as if he's about to burst into tears? I remember that look from when he was tiny; if I remember, he always burst into tears at the strangest things."

"Well, journal," Regulus said, drawing an open book at the top of the board. He then drew a circle with a squiggly line going from and back. "Locket."

"Locket?" Sirius asked. "That's the one you left with Kreacher?"

Regulus nodded his head. "Slytherin's locket, to be exact."

Sirius heard a sigh from his grandfather, and he turned. "Slytherin wasn't a good person, you know. Apparently, he had a chamber built below the school with a Basilisk in it." He turned to look at the board. "Draw a hole in the book, where the Basalisk tooth went through."

"Huh," Regulus said, drawing the hole. He then turned and looked at Sirius. "We wouldn't happen to have to deal with a live Basalisk if we went after that tooth, would we?"

"Bloody Merlin!" Sirius let out a deep breath. "Do you have a death wish?"

"I'm just—"

"Never mind. I know you do," Sirius snapped. "Because whatever you did before nearly got you killed."

"I'm just being practical."

"No. Practical is being sure you come back alive. Practical is not making Orion grieve again, thinking you might have killed yourself because he saw the bloody tapestry, only for everyone to think he's gone mad because he was sure you weren't dead, because of feelings."

"That..." Regulus frowned. "Papa didn't mention that."

"Why would he?" Sirius said. "He's always..." And then his eyes blinked, letting out his deep breath. "He's always sheltered you, or tried to. Because he cares. Do you understand that, Regulus? Do you understand how much our father cares?"

Regulus' eyes blinked, turning his head. "Did you just?"

"He did," Arcturus said. "Is the Basalisk dead, Sirius, or will we need some way of dealing with it?"

"Harry and his friends took care of the stupid chamber," Sirius muttered.

"Meaning Draco was involved?"

"Meaning," Sirius paused, looking at Arcturus. His eyes narrowed. Then it clicked. "Oh." He turned to look at the board. "Just how much does she know, you think?"

"Who?"

"Cissy?"

"Nothing!" Regulus said. "Don't involve her."

"She may already be involved, Reggie," Sirius said. "But what do these have in common? Slytherin, I guess?"

"Well, he did tell us that he was Slytherin's heir. Made a big deal about it," Regulus said.

"And nobody asked questions?"

"He can speak Parsletounge," Regulus said, arms folded. His head tilted, and then he turned to look at Sirius. "There is, though, something else these have in common."

"What?" Sirius asked.

Regulus answered by drawing a cross-section with the locket in the upper right corner. "If I remember correctly?" He drew a cross in the upper left cross section, then in the lower left he drew a cup, and in the lower right a crown. He tapped the lower right. "This one is going to be the problem."

"I see where you're going," Arcturus said. "And hopefully this is all you need to find."

"I'm not following," Sirius sighed.

"I think you can rule out the sword as well," Arcturus said. "The magic is such that he would never be able to get his hand on it even though he'd wish to, but I think its magic is such that it wouldn't allow itself to become a Horcrux in the first place."

"I'm not following," Sirius sighed.

"You really should have studied up," Regulus said, turning his head. "You've been so stuck on what you think our family is, you ended up with no clue what our real role in wizard society is."

"What?" Sirius looked at his brother, while Arcturus let out a laugh. He turned. "It's not funny."

"He's not wrong, but this is why I always intended Regulus to be heir over you, even over Orion," Arcturus said, leaning back in his chair. Sirius felt his eye twitch. "Not that I didn't have a role for you."

"Wait?" Regulus tilted his head, frowning. "Now I'm not following."

"Don't worry about it, dear boy." Arcturus nodded his head at the chart. "Regulus has put the founder's items on the board, of which the diadem is lost."

"Which I doubt is everything it is cracked up to be," Regulus said. "Or more of it doesn't work the way many think." He let out a soft hum. "That said, I do have an idea of who might know."

"Oh?" Arcturus said.

"It increases what Muggles call a person's natural IQ, rather than giving them all the knowledge in the world, so if one is not actively willing to study—"

Arcturus laughed while Sirius groaned. "I meant you having an idea of who might know where the diadem is, which simply leaves the cup."

"What is this?"

A piece of chalk dropped on the floor, Regulus' eyes blinking. He turned, looking at the doorway, while Sirius turned, letting out a sigh and twisting his mouth into a smile. "Cissy! How nice to see you! And Uncle Ignatius"

"I know you're not thrilled at seeing me," Narcissa said, walking forward as Regulus let out a gagging sound. "And you?"

"Uh?"

Sirius sighed, closing his eyes, noticing how much of an idiot his brother currently looked, unable to respond to their cousin. Ignatius Prewett cleared his throat. "So. Lucrettia didn't say anything about a certain someone being here, Father."

"Yes, well," Arcturus shrugged, folding his hands in front of him.

"Great. He's leaving us to deal with the irate family alone," Sirius thought to himself.

Narcissa walked over, frowning, looking up at the journal. "So that's what nearly got my Draco killed?"

"Draco?" Regulus said. He turned to look at Sirius. "There was Draco at your place. Papa asked..."

Sirius lifted his fingers, signaling that Regulus should stop talking as Narcissa stepped closer, glaring at the chalkboard. "Cissy? What do you want?"

"For starters," Narcissa said, "I want to voice my ire at a certain cousin for leaving us thinking he was dead."

Regulus let out a gurgling sound as he looked away.

"And for whatever trouble he got himself into," she said, looking Regulus up and down. "It can't be a coincidence that one of your arms is in a brace."

"Leave him alone, Cissy," Sirius said.

"However," Narcissa said, stepping up to the chalkboard, looking it over, frowning. "My number one priority is the safety of my son." She reached out, tapping the picture of the cup. "You said something about needing to find a cup?"

"Huff..."

"Reg!" Sirius snapped. "For someone who is insistent on not asking for help because of trust issues, you're being way too trusting."

"Uncle Ignatius has offered to take me to Gringotts to take care of my business there," Narcissa said. "But part of that business is checking on my sister's accounts as they're under my care since she and her husband's family are all in Azkaban."

Regulus let out a sigh of relief. "Good."

To which Sirius and Narcissa both looked at him wide-eyed.

Regulus held up both hands, his facial features twisting slightly. "Sorry! Sorry! I know how much you love Bella, Cissy, but she's scary." He then closed his eyes. "Can't tell you how many nightmares I had of her being the one to find me."

"Urgh," Sirius muttered, opening his mouth to say something more.

"That can't be pleasant," Narcissa said. "But were you really waiting for us to find you?"

"Kind of," Regulus said. "I'm still not sure what I wanted. Everything got turned upside down. And..." He looked at the floor. "I'm surprised you're even talking to me, given, well, you know."

"Given what, dear?"

"I turned on him."

"Regulus!" Sirius snapped, pointing at Cissy. "Do you not understand she's the enemy?"

"I am—"

"She's family, though."

Narcissa sighed, rolling her eyes in annoyance. "You'll find I'm not your enemy, but we can speak of the details of what's transpired while you disappeared on us after whatever this business is is settled. But you'd better not walk out on the family again, Regulus Arcturus."

Regulus sighed, folding his arms, his mouth twisting into a frown, but Sirius noticed his left hand moving slightly slower, and Regulus glared at their cousin.

"Glare all you want," Narcissa said. "And I expect the two of you to be here when I return with Uncle Ignatius." She held out her arm. "Shall we be going? I think I'd rather Apparate than Floo today. I think it will cast a more lasting impression."

"Understood," Ignatius said. He nodded at Regulus. "And you? You'd better stay safe this time around."

And then silence.

"So?" Regulus said.

"Basalisk?" Arcturus chimed in.

"I told you. The kids killed it," Sirius muttered, resulting in Regulus choking suddenly. He frowned, turning to his grandfather. "Look. I know you think Cissy is on our side, but—"

"How about you wait until she returns to decide," Arcturus said. "For now, let's have tea? I'm certain a certain House Elf would be delighted to serve it. Once he gets over the shock of learning a certain master of his is alive."

"Urgh," Regulus muttered, glancing away.