I rub my eyes tiredly, squinting at the clock beside my bed. Three o'clock in the morning. I have to be up in four hours for Auror training, but sleep refuses to return. With a sigh, I grab my dressing gown and head to the kitchen, careful not to wake Sirius.

After casting a Silencing Charm, I make myself a cup of tea and settle on the windowsill, watching the rain streak down the glass. The streetlamps cast yellow pools of light on the wet cobblestones below. Movement catches my eye—a dark figure pacing in front of our building.

London at three AM attracts all sorts, but something about this one makes my hackles rise. The way they linger, staring up at our windows. I set down my tea, heart suddenly racing. Grabbing my invisibility cloak and wand, I slip out the back exit.

Circling around the building, I approach carefully, keeping to the shadows. As I draw nearer, I can make out the figure beneath the hood—pale skin, aristocratic features, shoulder-length black hair. My breath catches.

It looks like Sirius, but not quite. This person is shorter, slighter, more delicate in the face. My mind races, trying to comprehend what I'm seeing. It can't be... but it is.

Regulus Black stands directly in front of our building, at three in the morning, during a war where he fights for the other side. His shoulders are hunched, hands balled into fists at his sides. Even from here, I can see he's trembling—with cold, fear, or something else entirely.

What in Merlin's name is Sirius' little brother doing here?