Sirius stood outside the door for a long time, debating whether he should go in or not. There was a part of him telling him to just walk away, that there was no need to go inside. However, at the same time, there was another part of telling him to go in and to find the box. He sighed, "Get a hold of yourself." He muttered, and finally pushed the door open and walked in.

It was quiet, but he caught a figure stepping out from the sitting room as he shuffled in, and he quickly turned to face it.

"Mistress is that you? Kreacher has been-" The elf broke off when he saw it was Sirius, and looked away, muttering something about traitors returning to the most Noble House of Black.

Sirius narrowed his eyes but ignored the elf. "Nice to see you again as well Kreacher." He said but the elf said nothing. Sirius sighed.

"Look Kreacher...I...I need to see that box Regulus told me about. The box in his room...is it still there?"

Kreacher's ears seemed to droop as Regulus' name was mentioned and he averted his eyes.

"Kreacher." Sirius said again, "Is the box in his room?" Again, the elf said nothing, "Right Kreacher, I order you to answer me...please"

Finally, the elf turned to Sirius and he nodded, "Yes. The box is in his room." He paused, "Under the loose board."

Sirius nodded, and without a word, walked past the elf and up the stairs. He passed his own room and continued down the hall before stopping outside the door he knew so well. He ran his fingers over the sign that read 'Do Not Enter Without the Express Permission of Regulus Arcturus Black,' and he couldn't help but laugh. "I suppose you've given me permission, eh Reggie?" He said with a chuckle

He pulled out his wand, "alohomora," he whispered, and as the lock clicked open, he reached for the handle and pushed the door wide open.

The room hadn't changed. Granted Sirius had only caught glimpses of it now and then, but it was just as he remembered. The Slytherin banners still hung on the walls, and the Black family Crest was still painted above the bed. Sirius looked around, "Gosh Reg...you really played the part, didn't you?" He whispered, "You got so into it…"

He made his way through the room, running his fingers across the wooden floor, searching for the loose floorboard, and finally he found it. He knelt down and lifted it up, and sure enough, there was the box. He reached down and picked it up before placing it on the ground next to him.

"Right then Reggie...let's see what we have here."

He opened the box, not sure what he was going to see. He pulled out a red and gold scarf. Running his fingers over it, he brushed off the dust. He remembered sending this to Regulus. He had gone to McGonagall and had asked if he could have an extra scarf so he could send one to his little brother. It had taken a lot of convincing, but obviously it was worth it.

He reached into the box and started flipping through pieces of paper until he found what he was looking for. It was one of the very first letters he had sent to Regulus.

Dear Reggie,

Here's a Gryffindor scarf. You're bound to get into Gryffindor next year, you're not the right fit for Slytherin at all. They're a horrid lot…besides you don't want to be stuck with people like Bella or Narcissa all day, do you?

You'd get on great with the new mates I've made. James is such a jokester, and Remus - well, he's pretty quiet but he enjoys a laugh. And Peter well, he's a bit of an oddball, but he always seems to have sweets in his pockets.

Don't let Mother or Father get you down. Forget everything they say. Hide the letters and scarf...they'll never know.

Stay strong Reggie!

Sirius

Sirius smiled sadly as he folded the letter and placed it back into the box. He remembered that letter, he had sent it after he had gotten a letter from Regulus telling him how their parents had been furious about the fact that he had gotten into Gryffindor. The young Regulus had been worried about what would happen if he was sorted into Gryffindor as well, and Sirius had wanted to assure Regulus that everything would be alright, so he sent the letter.

There were other letters in there. Ones that talked about Quidditch matches, and how boring some of the classes were. There was one that talked about how James had fallen for a girl named 'Lily', and how he (Sirius) had taken to calling her 'Flower Girl'.

Sirius came across one that was from his first Christmas at Hogwarts

Dear Reg,

Sorry for leaving you all alone at Christmas. I just can't stand being around Mother and Father at Christmas. Plus, James, Remus and Peter are staying here...I can't let them have fun without me. And…you know what would happen if I came home. There'd be nothing but yelling.

Don't let them force you to go to any parties if you don't want to go. Play sick if you have too, there's all sorts of way to fake a fever...hug a hot water bottle for a while, stick the thermometer under a lamp...do the same thing if they try and make you play piano at any parties they have at home as well.

I hope you like your gift, don't eat all the sweets at once, otherwise you won't have to pretend being sick!

Happy Christmas!

Sirius

Sirius set the letter down, and then looked through the box looking for the gift he had sent. Aside from the various sweets – which he had gotten from the House Elves in the Kitchen. He had sent a stuffed model lion that roared when you pet it. He picked it up and smiled, he remembered how the 7th years had set up tables a few weeks before Christmas, so that the 1st and 2nd years, who were of course unable to go to Hogsmead, could buy gifts to send home. He sighed.

"Wow Reg...you really kept everything.." He whispered. He placed the letters back in the box and then folded the scarf and placed it and the lion on top, before closing the box and putting it back in its spot under the floor. He replaced the board and stood up looking around."You really were a pathetic, soft fool Reg…" he said, "I would have helped you if you got into Gryffindor…"

Of course, it was no good saying that to an empty room, and he turned to go, only to stop.

Kreacher was in the doorway staring at him, "Master Regulus was a good wizard." He said softly, "Kreacher was his friend."

Sirius sighed, "Yes. I suppose you were...and I suppose he was in the end." He looked away, "He's gone isn't he?" He slowly turned back to look at the elf, "He's not coming home…"

The elf nodded, "He is not coming home. They took him down into the water."

Sirius nodded, "Did he get it?"

The elf nodded, "Kreacher will destroy it."

Sirius sighed, "I hope you do. Right then...I'm leaving now. I'll leave you to it." He walked by the elf and turned, "Don't tell Mother I was here."

"Kreacher won't tell."

Sirius forced a smile, "Good. Thank you." With that he walked down the front stairs and out the front door. Number 12 Grimmauld Place vanished behind him, and the muggles wandering around took no notice of the man walking down the street.

They don't know how lucky they are, Sirius thought. They have no idea what's happening around them. He sighed, and then a dog replaced him, and broke into a run, vanishing into the night.