The Corners of the Evening

Prologue

31 October, 1980- Hogsmeade

Amber light and a jumble of voices spilled into the dark street as Sirius Black exited the Three Broomsticks. The door shut sharply behind him, leaving him to stand alone in the dark and silence. Somewhere, James and Lily and little Harry were hidden by better than darkness. This thought brought him little comfort, but it was better than nothing. He buried his hands deep in the pockets of his robes, and with a last glance back at the warmth of the tavern, began to make his way slowly down the street. How many days was it now since they had gone into hiding? Hardly a week, though it seemed ages. Without James the situation seemed more...dire. The joking, the last strains of light-heartedness had disappeared along with him. And now there was no escape from the gravity of the situation, from the insidious truth of the world. If only...if only...

A crack resounded crisply in the air, stopping Sirius dead in his tracks. His eyes swept the air for the Dark Mark, an instinct now. A few yards in front of him, Sirius could just make out the outline of a figure dressed in black against the dark horizon. His hand was gripped tightly around his wand, though he couldn't remember actually drawing it from belt. There was a familiarity in the way the tall figure moved as he approached, but the familiarity was unnerving. In the distance, a low roll of thunder underscored the even sound of footsteps on cobblestones.

"Lumos," he whispered, preferring light to darkness if they had finally come for him.

"What..?" The word slipped out of his mouth as he considered what his wand illuminated.

Regulus Black stood before him with his arms raised, and when he was sure Sirius was paying attention, he let his wand fall to the ground.

"Please, brother," he began, but was cut short by Sirius' sharp laugh.

"You aren't my brother. I could kill you, right now, and be rewarded for it." He thought for a moment. "By both the Ministry and your precious Dark Lord."

"Please, Sirius," Regulus started again, "I am not here to harm you, I am not here for your help. I just..." He took a step forward, and reached into his robes. The motion caused Sirius to tense, but curiosity allowed his brother to draw out a thin roll of parchment. He held it out.

"Please, read this. It will explain everything. I have started something important, something that I will be killed for. It's only luck that has kept me alive this far. But, someone has to know. Someone has to continue..." He glanced over his shoulder, and then back to his brother. Sirius took note of his drawn face, the eyes that never settled anywhere. The eyes of a hunted man.

"Dumbledore needs to know. It is the key to stopping him...to stopping Voldemort."

"And why should I believe you?" Sirius asked, his hand closing around the parchment. Thunder rumbled, much closer now, and small raindrops fell to the ground.

"You have no reason to, I admit it. I wouldn't believe myself, either. But, you could consider the risk I have taken tonight. You are right, I am wanted by both sides now. Revealing myself in Hogsmeade for a prank is too foolish, even for me."

Sirius studied his brother's face, then the scroll in his hands. A second crack broke the silence. Regulus quickly scuttled beyond the ring of light, into the shadows, to be replaced by Remus Lupin. A welcome improvement, but one glance at Remus' face and all the warmth drained from his body. Disbelief and anguish were writ large across that face, a face that had remained stoic through the hardest of times.

"Remus!" His friend stumbled forward, grabbing Sirius' arms for support. "What is it?"

"James...James and Lily...and Oh, God, Sirius." The rain was coming hard now, soaking into everything.

"Take me there," Sirius demanded evenly.

"Sirius, we can't. It's too..." Sirius looked straight into Remus' eyes.

"Take me there." Remus nodded. Sirius's gaze flickered to where Regulus was barely visible. His eyes narrowed and he tossed the parchment back at him with a look of absolute disgust. Another sharp crack, and both Remus and Sirius were gone. Regulus could just make out the mangled wad of parchment at his feet. He sunk to his knees, crying softly as the rain beat against his back.