The Four Interchanging Lives of Regulus Black (Harry Potter Fanfic)

Not That

"I'm not dead," Regulus pushed his brother's hand away, trying to ignore the burning sensation in his ears from what Sirius said. "I really hate this puzzle, particularly since I'm putting the pieces together."

He didn't look his brother in the eye, but the way Sirius' voice quaked was undoubtedly not the Sirius he knew. "I know you're in denial, Reg, but..."

"I'm not," Regulus said, not looking up at Sirius, swallowing. "The brother I know wouldn't have been so concerned about having a second chance with me either."

"I know I died. I fell through the veil," Sirius said.

"I didn't say that it didn't, that you didn't fall through this veil," Regulus said. "But what you think happened to me, Sirius absolutely did not.

"But it did. The tapestry..."

Regulus frowned. "The family tapestry." He sniffed, running his nose across his sleeve, something he would never have done before the cave, but then—so many things started making sense. "I thought you were never going to set foot..."

"Things happened," Sirius said. "You died."

"So you did return after that? Become the heir?" Regulus said, looking for an exit, only to realize he'd placed himself in a nook and cranny for comfort, from which Sirius blocked the only exit.

"Well, no. It's been longer than that," Sirius said. "I still wouldn't step foot in there if it weren't..."

Regulus sighed, reaching up to rub his forehead, trying to think while Sirius made this difficult. "I'm not dead."

"You're in denial. You drowned, right? That's why you reacted the way to the Slytherin dorms?"

Regulus heard the hesitation in his brother's voice. "Something I wouldn't have been able to do, perhaps, before the cave. But I learned. I learned because I survived." He looked up, deciding to make eye contact despite how comfortable this made him, doing so because he'd learned to do so when needed. "Sirius, I'm alive, not dead.

"I—no," Sirius took a deep breath, closing his eyes. "You're just in denial."

Regulus swallowed. "Sirius, you haven't noticed anything off about me. Is there something off about you?"

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked, his eyes blinking.

"You caring about me when you never did before?"

"That's because you died."

"Well, technically," Regulus sighed. "That..."

"See!"

"...close to dying, does..." Regulus sighed, but now Sirius wasn't making eye contact. "Haven't you noticed anything strange? About me?"

"No! Of course not!"

Regulus swallowed. "I can think of something."

"Reg," Sirius said, his body trembling. "Please. Please don't do this to me."

"Don't you remember?" Regulus said. "I know it may be foggy, in who knows what timeline, but..."

"Please. Reg. Don't."

"Father noticed, even if you didn't. That I'd actually returned a hug."

"Yeah, well, you learned that." Sirius reached out, grasping his shoulders.

"Because someone taught me that." Regulus closed his eyes. "And I know for a fact that didn't happen until after the cave after I nearly drowned."

"No," Sirius said. "That can't be. I mean, who..."

Regulus swallowed, looking at his hands. "Her."

"Who?"

"I can't exactly," Regulus tried reaching up to pinch his nose, only for Sirius to shake him.

"Her, who?"

"Her name evades me, but..." Regulus sighed. "She shouldn't be here. At Hogwarts."

"Who?" Sirius said.

"The girl who's actually a Muggle, not a Muggleborn," Regulus said.

"No," Sirius took a deep breath. "You've got this wrong, Regulus. Because it can't end here. I don't want to say goodbye."

"Sirius?"

"Because if what you're saying is true, then this isn't so I can have a second chance to be a proper older brother to you, is it?"

"Well..."

"It means I'm just being given a lousy chance to say goodbye, so it can't be true! Reggie, please! I don't want to say I'm sorry for everything, and then everything ends! It's not fair! I lost you, James..."

"James? What are..."

"See?" Sirius said, shaking him hard. "If you were alive, you'd know that! What happened to him? You don't have any proof that you're right and I'm wrong here, do you?"

"Proof?" Regulus frowned. And then, his eyes blinked, another realization sinking in, his breath sinking in. "Ancient magic? Why didn't I..."

"Ancient what? What are you..."

"Sirius, I'm so sorry, but I can't see the flow of magic here!" Regulus said. "I can't see the magic, and if this place were real, a real place, I'd be able to! Which means..."