Chapter 446: Regulus
Kyle instinctively reached for the locket, his fingers brushing off the dust as he held it up.
"Careful," Sirius warned. "It might be some strange dark magic artifact."
"You're probably right," Kyle agreed, though he still inspected the locket closely. It was egg-sized, heavy, and on its front, a grand letter "S" made of small, dark green gemstones glowed faintly in the dim light.
"This isn't a Black family heirloom. I've never seen it before," Sirius murmured as he leaned in. "My guess is someone in the family picked it up as junk and then threw it aside, just in case it was cursed or dark-magic-infused."
"It's not junk!" shrieked a voice behind them.
They turned to see Kreacher, panting, his face twisted in rage. His gaze locked on Sirius, and he let out a piercing wail.
"This is Master Regulus's locket! He told Kreacher to bring it back!"
"Regulus?" Lupin asked. "Your younger brother, wasn't he? I remember you two didn't exactly get along in school."
"Yes," Sirius said, his voice quieter, head bowed. "My brother... with his feeble character, always blindly believed in our parents' Pure-blood ideals, convinced that the Black family was born superior. We fought about it constantly. Every conversation ended in a row."
"Master Regulus was no fool!" Kreacher shrieked. "He was the mistress's favorite son, far superior to Master Sirius!"
"I don't need you to remind me!" Sirius snapped, his voice thick with irritation. "Everyone always says that, but in the end, where did it lead him? He died—he joined the Death Eaters like an idiot!"