Chapter 288: My Little Brother's Taller Than Me? [bonus]
Sirius pushed open the door to his room.
Clean sheets. Dustless desk. Curtains drawn. Fireplace cold.
Kreacher had been keeping it spotless. Even though the room's owner was never coming back, the house-elf scrubbed every inch as though he might walk in at any moment.
A silver frame on the bedside table held a photograph of him at three, dressed in a miniature formal suit, grinning wide, radiating the kind of happiness that didn't know any better.
The bookshelf held a few titles Walburga had chosen. Guide to Pure-Blood Family Etiquette. A History of the House of Black. Noble Bloodlines. He'd never cracked a single one. The gilt lettering on the spines still looked fresh.
Beside them sat his own things. A worn broomstick servicing kit. A handful of photographs with James at Hogwarts. A copy of Quidditch Through the Ages.
Two collections side by side. One half was the person the House of Black wanted him to become. The other was the person he'd chosen to be.
He stepped inside, fingers trailing along the bookshelf.
A memory surfaced. Five years old. Regulus on this floor, stacking blocks.