The figure's hand slowly rose to the hood of their cloak, fingers brushing the fabric before pulling it back in one smooth motion. The room seemed to hold its breath as the hood fell away, revealing the face beneath.

Sirius's face drained of color. The blood drained from his cheeks as though he had seen a ghost. His mouth moved, but no words came out—just a strangled, broken sound, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

It was him.

Regulus.

"It's been a while, brother," Regulus said coldly His wand was raised steadily, his posture stiff.

The dim light of the room fell upon him, revealing the sharp planes of his face—still youthful in its structure, but with an unmistakable hollowness. His black hair, though unruly, carried none of the casual charm Sirius's did. It was darker, almost sinister, and his stormy gray eyes, once sparkling with life, now seemed deadened—clouded by years of secrets.

"No—no," Sirius stammered, his voice shaking as he stumbled backward. "You're dead. You're—this isn't real."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Regulus sneered, his wand still trained on Sirius. "You'd like to believe I rotted away in that cave, wouldn't you? That's easier to swallow than the truth, isn't it?"

"What truth?" Sirius yelled, raising his wand suddenly,  "Revelio! Revelio!" He sent one spell after another at Regulus, his voice growing hoarser with every shout, as if he were trying to peel away the mask he might have on. Sparks flew through the room, and Molly shrieked pulling back the kids as the spells ricocheted dangerously close.

"Stop it, Sirius!" she pleaded, but her words were drowned out by Sirius's ragged voice.

"Revelio!" Sirius bellowed again, his voice cracking as the spell dissipated harmlessly against Regulus's shield.

Regulus's patience snapped. With a sharp flick of his wand, he sent a blast of magic hurtling toward Sirius, knocking him backward into a chair. The Weasleys scrambled to shield Sirius, but Regulus's gaze remained fixed on his brother.

"You're pathetic," Regulus spat, his voice trembling with fury,  His wand was steady, but his entire body radiated rage as he stepped closer. "How dare you—how the fuck did you hurt her—my daughter? How dare you stand there, in her house, and pretend you've ever been anything but a selfish coward?"

Sirius staggered backward, his face pale, his hand still clutching his wand as though it were his lifeline. "Your daughter?" he echoed, his voice uneven, disbelieving. "Cassie—she's not—you are... Pierre?" His voice faltered, trailing off as realization dawned, 

Regulus's lips twisted into a cold, humorless smile. "Took you long enough, brother," he said, "Yes, I'm Pierre. The man who's been raising the child you abandoned. The man you never even thought to question. But then again, thinking has never been your strong suit, has it?" 

Sirius's wand hand dropped slightly as he gaped at Regulus, his mind reeling. "You—you've been alive this whole time? You faked your death?!" His voice grew louder, more incredulous. "You've been hiding all these years, raising my daughter under a false name? I cried for you, Regulus—I mourned you! And you didn't even—" He broke off, his voice choking with a mix of anger and betrayal.

Regulus took a step forward, his wand still trained on Sirius, his expression hard as stone. "You cried for me?" he repeated, his tone mocking. "That's rich coming from you. You mourned me, did you? What did you mourn, Sirius? The loss of a brother you left behind? The family you spat on? Or the fact that you couldn't come back and gloat about how you were right, and I was wrong?"

"That's not true!" Sirius shot back, his anger flaring once more. "I didn't have a choice—"

"You always had a choice!" Regulus roared,  He stepped closer, wand unwavering, his gray eyes ablaze with fury. "You chose to abandon me! Just like you abandoned her! Your daughter!"

 The word hit Sirius like a physical blow, and he flinched, but Regulus pressed on, "You haven't changed one bit since you were sixteen. The same selfish, reckless fool. The same coward who left me behind, running off to James!" He spat the name like it was poison on his tongue, 

Sirius's hand shook as he raised his wand defensively, his jaw tightening. "Don't you dare—don't you fucking dare talk about James like that!" he yelled, his voice breaking under the strain. "He was my family—he was there for me when no one else was!"

"And what was I, Sirius?" Regulus shot back, "What was I? Just some inconvenient little brother you could toss aside when it got too hard for you? You left me in that house with them! You ran off to play the hero while I was drowning in their expectations, their hatred—everything you couldn't face!"

"I didn't know!" Sirius shouted, desperation creeping into his voice. "I didn't know they'd turn on you like that! I thought—"

"You didn't think!" Regulus cut him off, "You never think! You just do whatever you want, consequences be damned! And now you're standing here, in her house, pretending you have some kind of right to her after everything you've done?"

"I'm her father!" Sirius bellowed, his voice cracking as he tried to assert himself. "I didn't even know she existed until it was too late! How the hell was I supposed to—"

"Don't you dare call yourself her father!" Regulus thundered, his wand slashing through the air, sending a spark of magic that Sirius barely deflected. "You're not her father. You're not even a brother. You're nothing but a selfish, self-absorbed coward who runs the moment things get hard!"

Sirius's face twisted with rage, "You think you're any better?" he yelled,  "You lied to everyone, hid like a rat, and now you're acting like you're some kind of saint? You've been pretending to be someone else for years—raising her under a false name while the rest of us thought you were dead!"

"I had no choice!" Regulus shouted back as he advanced on Sirius. "I did what I had to do to keep her safe—something you wouldn't know the first thing about!"

"You think I didn't want to keep her safe?" Sirius yelled, "You think I didn't care? I never even got the chance to—"

"You didn't want her!" Regulus spat . "You said it yourself—it was an accident. You didn't want her, just like you didn't want me. You've spent your whole life running, Sirius, and now you think you can just come back and fix everything with a few words?"

"I wasn't ready for this!" Sirius yelled, his voice cracking. "I didn't ask for any of this—I was just a kid!"

"And so was I!" Regulus roared, "But I stayed. I fought. I did what you wouldn't—what you couldn't. I raised her.I protected her, because you didn't."

Sirius's wand dropped slightly, his eyes wide and glassy. "I didn't know how to be a father," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "I didn't know how to be anything..."

"You didn't even try," Regulus hissed, 

 "The Order needed me!"

"And what about Cassiopeia?" Regulus demanded/  "What about Valerie? Did they need you, Sirius? Did they matter at all? Or were they just collateral damage in your grand quest to be the noble Black who defied his family?"

Sirius opened his mouth to respond, 

"You weren't there when Valerie showed up in the middle of the night, in tears, Sirius. She had nothing but Cassiopeia in her arms. No money. No home. Nothing but sheer desperation. Do you know what that looks like? The woman you claimed to love, broken and begging for help?" He stepped closer, his wand steady,  "No, of course you don't. You were too busy playing the hero, gallivanting around with James and your precious Order."

Sirius flinched as if Regulus had struck him, but Regulus wasn't finished.

"You weren't there when Valerie took her last breath," Regulus continued, his voice thick with barely contained anger. "You didn't see her struggle to hold on, even as her body gave up on her. You didn't hear her whisper Cassie's name with what little strength she had left." Regulus's voice broke on the last word, but he pushed on,"You weren't there when I had to hold her hand, watch the life drain out of her eyes, and tell her that I would keep Cassie safe—because there was no one else, Sirius. No one."

"I didn't know," Sirius whispered, his voice hoarse and barely audible. "I didn't know, Regulus..."

"No, you didn't," Regulus spat, his voice a sharp contrast to Sirius's broken whisper. "Because you didn't care to know. You were too busy running away from your responsibilities, from the family you hated so much, from the people who needed you and yet " he hissed, "you had no problem pretending to be one to Harry Potter, did you? You left your own daughter to fend for herself, but you had time to play parent to James's son. How noble of you, Sirius. Truly."

Sirius's lips trembled "I did what I had to do. You have no right to judge me."

"No right?" Regulus's voice cracked,  "I've earned every right! You left me, you left her, and now you dare stand here and act like the victim?" His wand slashed through the air with a sharp, precise movement, a jet of green light streaking toward Sirius.

Sirius deflected the spell just in time, the force of it making him stumble back a step. His wand was raised, his grip tight, but there was a tremble in his hand, a hesitation he couldn't quite suppress. "You don't understand!" he shouted, "I didn't have a choice—"

"Don't you dare," Regulus snarled, cutting him off. The two began to circle each other like predators, their movements slow their wands trained on one another. "Don't you dare try to feed me that bullshit about choices, Sirius. You had a choice. You always had a choice, and you chose to run."

"And you're no saint!" Sirius shouted back, His wand whipped through the air, sending a blast of magic toward Regulus, who narrowly dodged it. "You don't get to play the martyr, Reggie. You joined them! You were one of Voldemort's little puppets—"

"And I paid for it!" Regulus snapped, his voice dangerously calm, his eyes burning with the weight of his years. With a flick of his wand, he sent a jet of dark magic straight at Sirius, who barely managed to dodge it, his heart pounding. "I paid for it in ways you will never understand. Every single day, I paid for that decision."

The two brothers were locked in a dangerous dance, their wands flashing and crackling with energy, each move a deadly gesture, each word a fresh wound between them. Regulus's face was a mask of fury and sorrow, a face that had once been full of warmth and youth, now hardened. His hair, once neatly combed, was now wild and unruly, framing his sharp, cold features.

Sirius, on the other hand, was all contradictions—his anger, but behind it lay a deep guilt. His face was pale, older than his years, with shadows beneath his eyes that spoke of sleepless nights .His hair, disheveled from the fight, fell into his face, and his hands were shaky as he held his wand, trying desperately to defend himself against the younger brother who had once been his equal.

They were mirrors of one another, both filled with rage, but the rage was different for each of them. 

"Dad, please stop—you don't have to do this!" Cassie pleaded

But it wasn't enough. The tension in the air was thick with years of unresolved resentment. Cassie's words, though desperate, were drowned out by the storm of magic crashing between her father and her biological father, two men who had once shared everything but now stood on opposite sides of a chasm so wide that neither could see the other clearly

"I was fighting for the right side while you were groveling at Voldemort's feet!" Sirius barked, his anger flaring as he shot another spell at Regulus, h

You don't know anything!" His wand slashed through the air, sending a jet of light that Sirius barely avoided. "You're a coward, Sirius. Always have been. Always will be. You don't deserve to call yourself her father."

Sirius's face crumpled at the accusation, and for a moment, the words hit him harder than any spell.  "She's my daughter," he said "Whether you like it or not, Regulus, she's still my daughter."

"No," Regulus snapped, his voice colder than ever. "She's my daughter, Sirius. She was mine the moment you left Valerie alone and went off to chase after those bloody Potters. Don't act like you have any right to her now, not after everything you've done."

Regulus raised his wand again, his voice cold and dangerous. "Enough of this," he snarled,"I won't let you hurt her again."

The two brothers fired their spells simultaneously, The magic collided mid-air, ricocheting off each other straight toward Cassie.

Instinct took over as Cassie raised her wand, her shield coming up just in time. The force of the spells crashing against her shield pushed her back, her feet sliding across the floor as she stumbled slightly, her breath catching in her throat—her years of practice with Theo and her own training had made her quick, her reflexes sharp.

Regulus blinked in shock for a split second, his gaze locked on Cassie as she staggered u. Something clicked inside him—through the rage clouding his thoughts. Without another word, he rushed toward her, moving with a speed and urgency that suggested nothing mattered more in that moment than her safety.

"Star  Regulus's voice cracked with worry as he reached her, his hands steadying her shoulders, his eyes scanning her face for any sign of injury. His breath was ragged, but there was a tenderness in his touch, a soft contrast to the fury he had shown moments before.

Sirius took a step back, his chest heaving with every breath. His eyes remained on Regulus, now focused solely on Cassie. The concern in his brother's gaze was palpable, and for a brief moment, Sirius felt something like regret gnaw at his chest.

Maybe Regulus was right. Maybe he didn't deserve to be her father. Not when Regulus had been there for her—when Regulus had stepped in, had taken care of her, had raised her. Not when she had grown up with the fatherly care of someone who actually knew how to love her, to protect her,  standing in front of him, his brother had proven that even after all these years, even after all the pain, he would do anything to keep her safe.

"Cassie, are you alright?"  

Maybe Regulus was right. Maybe he didn't deserve her.

But in that moment, as he watched Regulus cradle Cassie in a way he never had, Sirius understood the terrible truth: he had failed her.

"I'm fine, Dad," she muttered, not bothering to look up at him. Her gaze was firmly fixed on Sirius, "We don't need to stay here any longer, anyway. You can continue playing house with your little Order, Sirius," she sneered, the venom in her tone impossible to miss. "Kreacher will be keeping me updated, even if you so much as twitch the wrong way... or throw anything out."

She didn't wait for a response, turning away from him as she addressed Regulus. "Let's go, Dad," 

Regulus looked at Sirius one last time, his gaze filled with disgust. He pulled his hood up to shield his face, casting a shadow over his features. Without another word, he turned and started toward the door, the soft swish of his cloak the only sound in the otherwise tense silence. Cassie followed closely behind him, not looking back, slamming the door shut behind them. The sound reverberated through the room, until a distant crack echoed through the house—an unmistakable sound of apparition

**************************

As Regulus and Cassie entered the dimly lit hallway of their home,The door slammed shut behind them, and Regulus's eyes flickered with irritation. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself

"Why didn't you leave earlier, Cass?" he asked, his tone sharp but laced with concern. "I told you, going to that little piece of shit was a bad idea. He never changes."

Cassie frowned, "Yeah, you were right, Dad," she muttered, crossing her arms. "But you didn't have to storm in there, ruin the secret of your existence, and fight for me. It's not like I asked for that."

Regulus turned toward her, his face softening just a little. "Of course I'll fight for you, Cass. You're my daughter."

Cassie's eyes softened, and she rushed toward him, wrapping her arms around him in a quick, tight hug. "Thanks, Dad," 

Regulus stood there for a moment, his hand resting lightly on her back, before he pulled away and looked down at her with a small smile. "Anything for you, star"

Cassie pulled back, her signature smirk returning as she looked up at him. "You know, this whole ordeal with Sirius really traumatized me," she said mockingly "You know what could cheer me up?"

Regulus raised an eyebrow, "What's that?"

A wide grin spread across Cassie's face. "A trip?"

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after these angsty encounters i think we cud use some fluff- theo x cassie time - a fun trip extreme purebloods in a muggle word- could be interesting-

ahahahha-- i kidna hatethe fics taht make it look like reggie was at fault for going to voldy

cos imagine the familys heir ran away- all the pressure on him- he kinda doesnt have a say-

Tell me how u liked this- and if yall are expecting any particular fun scenes from the muggle world-

till next time

mxriddle