I. Forgotten

The locket gleams dangerously where Regulus throws it to the floor. Mother's portrait sneers at him.

"You blood traitor," she snarls. "Sirius would be proud!"

They're words are aimed to hurt. They do, but not for the reason she would like to think.

Sirius will never know what he has done. How Regulus, in his cowardly ways, has finally acted for what he believes.

"He wouldn't."

Regulus storms out of the house. Bella will have informed the Dark Lord of his betrayal; it is time he faces death.

All his life, it has been about fear. Now, it is loyalty.

II. Claimed

Bella hates that her family has been torn apart. She misses Andy and Regulus and, yes, even Sirius. She misses them something fierce.

"You have done well, Bellatrix," the Dark Lord intones. Bella bows. For all that she misses her family, they are gone now. Having made the wrong choice, having backed out at the wrong time, they mean nothing to her.

Back at home, Bellatrix eats quietly with Rodolphus.

"Regulus died today," she says idly, sprinkling salt on her meal. Rodolphus raises an eyebrow.

"So many blood traitors. This shall be a bloody war."

Rodolphus smiles. So does she.

III. Unforgiven

In Azkaban, Sirius thinks about a lot. The Dementors force him to remember things best left forgotten.

Regulus refuses to look at the Gryffindor table as he heads towards Bella, who smirks at Sirius, making him furious.

Scenes and images flash, of his brother, his cousins, his parents, his friends…

The mark grins glaringly at Sirius, and Regulus looks away.

"You always made mother so proud," Sirius sneers, "Coward."

A heavy ball lingers, threads of guilt for all he's done wrong.

James, Lily, Harry…

They're present. But they don't represent the thickest, heaviest thread of all.

He has failed Regulus.