Changed Life

2

Regulus and Harry went to a small room and sat on the middle of the floor.

"So what do you want to play?" Regulus asked grinning. Harry shrugged.

"I don't know. I never had toys before. I just stayed in the gardens all day." Harry said quietly.

"Okay so let's see what we can do." Regulus said and conjured many toys. Cepheus started giggling as he played. After a some time of playing, the sleeves of Regulus' hands went up, revealing his dark mark. Cepheus, from his life as Harry knew what it was and also knew that Regulus didn't want it at the end. So after some thinking he crawled into Regulus' lap.

"What happened kiddo?" Regulus asked cheerily when Cepheus fully climbed onto his lap.

"Uncle Regulus, what is this?" Cepheus asked showing the dark mark. Regulus'smile faltered.

"Nothing. It's just a design that many people wears." Regulus said with a fake smile.

"Don't you like it?" Cepheus asked in a small tone looking at Regulus' face. Regulus looked at the innocent face for a long time.

"At first I liked it but now I hate it. Even your grandfather and grandmother also don't like it now." Regulus said honestly.

"Oh! Okay." Cepheus said and hugged Regulus tightly and put his head on the crook of his neck. Regulus smiled softly and kissed him at the crown of his head. He also leaned against the wall and closed his eyes thinking about the different what ifs of his life.

When Sirius came in the room, he saw that Cepheus was sleeping curled up at a corner of the room and Regulus was also sleeping leaning against the wall. Sirius shook his head fondly at both of them. He went to Cepheus and picked him up gently. Cepheus sighed and put his hand around his neck. Sirius took him to his own room and tucked him in his own bed. He kissed his son's forehead gently and then went out of the room. When he got downstairs he could hear someone saying something loudly.

"How's it possible?" He heard Walburga's astonished voice.

"I don't know, it was there just before I slept and it's not there now." Regulus said awed. There was a distinct amount of relief in his voice.

"What happened?" Sirius asked when he got downstairs. Everyone looked at him with guilty faces.

"What?" Sirius asked looking around.

"My dark mark. It vanished." Regulus said looking at the floor.

"What do you mean vanished?" Sirius asked stunned. The other three looked at him sharply.

"You will only ask how it vanished? Not when we got that?" Orion asked shocked. The other two wore a similar expression.

"I already knew. That was the reason I stopped coming here. But how did it vanish?" Sirius shrugged but repeated his question. The three of them sighed in relief.

"I don't know. Cepheus saw the mark and asked me if I liked it or not. Then we both went to sleep. Now when I woke up it's not there. My skin is as good as new." Regulus said honestly. Sirius suddenly thought something and ran towards his own room. When he reached there he saw Cepheus was again curled up in a ball and whimpering.

"Mother, you know healing spells. Please can you check on him." Sirius called out. Walburga along with Orion and Regulus who has came behind him, nodded. She went towards his bed and casted several diagnostic spell.

"He is very exhausted. He has a low fever. I'm giving him some potion which will probably heal him." Walburga said and went away. Sirius nodded absently. He was looking at his newly adopted son with a look of wonder but didn't say anything.