"My brother, Regulus… I thought he was dead."
"In fact, he was," said Dumbledore without hesitation. "For years, we believed Regulus to be one of Voldemort's most devoted followers."
"Wasn't he?" Sirius frowned. "He bought into that whole 'pure-blood supremacy' nonsense from the start. He was two years younger than me, but we were never close. He cared about blood purity more than anything, thought pure-blood wizards were superior."
"Young men often lose their way," Dumbledore said gravely. "Fortunately, Regulus realized soon enough that Voldemort's words and deeds were entirely at odds. He saw the Dark Lord's true nature—and even discovered his secret." Dumbledore's expression turned solemn.
In his view, Regulus Black was a man worthy of respect, one of countless brave souls who sacrificed their lives during the Wizarding War.At the very least, he deserved a First-Class Order of Merlin.
"He didn't die committing evil with the Death Eaters," Dumbledore continued softly, "but as a hero who sacrificed himself in defiance of Voldemort."
The news hit Sirius Black like a Bludger to the chest. He froze, unable to speak for a long moment.
His brother—a hero?Honestly, that had never once crossed his mind.
To him, Regulus had always been a frail, unremarkable boy. Their mother adored him, of course—Regulus was the "good son," the pride of the pure-blood Black family. And after graduating, he'd joined the Death Eaters almost immediately.A man like that—a hero?
If anyone else had said it, Sirius would have laughed it off as a cruel joke.But this was Albus Dumbledore speaking—the greatest wizard of their time.He wouldn't make such a claim without reason. Perhaps he already had proof?
Sirius turned to Dumbledore, his expression conflicted. "What exactly happened? Tell me everything."
"I didn't witness it myself," Dumbledore admitted. "Nor do I have direct evidence. But Charles did."
That drew both Sirius's and Lupin's eyes toward Charles Gold.
"You?" Sirius asked, incredulous. "Wait, hold on—aren't you just a teenager?"
Charles shot Dumbledore a look of irritation. The old bee was dragging him into this again. But since he'd already boasted about it before, there was no backing out now.
Thankfully, in the wizarding world, simply claiming to be a Seer was enough to explain most things.
"I'm a prophet," Charles said evenly. "Born with the Sight. I saw what happened to Regulus… just as I saw the truth about Pettigrew."
"The Sight can see into the past?" Sirius asked, frowning.
For all their magical knowledge, most wizards knew little about prophecy. Divination was an elective subject, and genuine Seers were exceedingly rare. Even those born with the Sight weren't always true prophets.
That was why so many wizards distrusted prophecies altogether. The Hall of Prophecy in the Ministry of Magic held thousands of orbs, but only a handful had ever come true. Most were vague riddles that could mean anything—or blind luck.
"I don't really understand it either," Lupin said, shaking his head.
Prophecy was mysterious, beyond the comprehension of those without the gift. Even Dumbledore himself had once questioned whether Divination should be taught at Hogwarts at all.He never placed much faith in prophecies.
"Charles has a talent for the unexpected," Dumbledore said with a chuckle.After all, this was the same boy who could conjure Pokémon into existence—seeing visions of the past was hardly unbelievable.
"Regulus stole Salazar Slytherin's locket from Voldemort," Dumbledore explained. "The locket was of great importance to the Dark Lord. Its destruction would deal him a devastating blow. And right now, that very locket is in the hands of the Black family's house-elf."
Charles noticed Dumbledore had carefully avoided mentioning the word Horcrux and wisely held his tongue.Though he'd forgotten that Regulus had already used that very term in the letter he left for Voldemort.
Fortunately, Dumbledore didn't seem intent on venturing into that cursed cave himself.After all, that was Regulus's final "gift" to Voldemort—one that the Dark Lord should discover personally.Charles couldn't help wondering what kind of expression Voldemort would make when he realized one of his Horcruxes had vanished.
"It's easy enough to confirm," Dumbledore went on. "Return to the Black family estate. Find the house-elf and ask him directly. The locket should still be there. Until now, we couldn't retrieve it because we were unable to locate the house itself."
"Kreacher…" Sirius muttered, his expression darkening.
Or perhaps "disgusted" was more accurate. Normally, house-elves couldn't disobey their masters—but Kreacher and Dobby were exceptions.Kreacher despised Sirius so deeply that he often twisted his orders out of spite.If not for the binding magic of their contract, he likely would have refused to see Sirius at all.
By contrast, Regulus had been Kreacher's favorite master.
"I doubt he'll tell me the truth," Sirius sighed.
"Then let me give you some advice," said Dumbledore gently. "Learn to care—and to show respect. Be kind to him."
Be kind to a house-elf?Sirius couldn't help finding that absurd.
Charles knew it was easier said than done. Prejudice ran deep, and given Kreacher's attitude, even he might not have handled it kindly if he were in Sirius's shoes.Some things simply couldn't be forced.
"Just tell him you know how to destroy the locket Regulus gave him," Dumbledore suggested. "He's carried that burden for years without fulfilling his master's last wish. I imagine it pains him deeply."
"…All right," Sirius murmured, still dazed. "I'll do it."
He and Lupin left soon after, hurriedly.Charles was about to take his leave as well when Dumbledore stopped him.
"I intend to attempt breaking the curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts position," Dumbledore said. "I may need your assistance."
"Breaking the Defense Against the Dark Arts curse?" Charles raised a brow."That's fine and all," he said dryly, "but honestly, wouldn't it be better to start with something more pressing—like the Hogwarts Professors' Bachelor Curse?"
Dumbledore blinked. "The… what?"
"Think about it," Charles said with mock seriousness. "Every professor at Hogwarts is single. Every one of them. You're all too old for it to matter anymore—but me? I refuse to spend my whole life as a lonely old bachelor!"
(End of Chapter)