Disclaimer: Not JK…
A/n: My entry for the third round is up! I've taken up all the words from the second set. Hope you like it!
Go Slytherin!
Chapter 3: Healer? Human? Hallucination?
Regulus Black kept looking back as he placed step after cautious step in the shadows, careful not to fall in the depressing light of the alley. The light kept flickering on and off, helping him immensely. He moved in the darkness with steps as light as a cat's, feeling the ground with his foot for some stray object before placing a step. The putrid smell of the alley burnt his nostrils, but there was no better place for him now than this dark, dismal lane.
Walking through Knockturn Alley was normally a cause for concern, but he seemed unusually desperate for secrecy, his apprehension apparent on his face as he continued to survey the place. For all his worry, the alley appeared completely deserted, but he knew it would be flooded soon. He'd have to escape quickly if he was to save his skin. The Dark Lord was not very forgiving of traitors who tried to butcher parts of his soul. He wondered how he had survived at all, with the Death Eaters hunting the entire wizarding world for him.
The silent pops soon answered his question. They were here. If he had any hope of escaping, it'd have to be by disapparating. And he'd have to act soon before they set up the anti-apparation jinx. One of the men in the mask raised his wand to shed light on the place, followed by the rest of the group. Regulus braced himself against the damp wall behind him to escape the floodlight.
He tried to imagine one place where he could stay hidden safely. His manor was out of the question. It was in all likelihood under constant watch. He briefly considered going to his brother's flat. Sirius would probably Avada him before he welcomed him in. That was no good. He thought of all his cousins. Bella and Cissy would surely turn him in. Andromeda was a possibility but he wasn't willing to risk his cousin's life. She was happy with her new family and he wouldn't spoil it by intruding.
"Cast the jinx. I'm certain he's here somewhere. We'll find him soon"
Lucius' command woke him up from his musings and he thought of the first place that came to his mind before he spun around and disapparated soundlessly. The familiar sight of the village near his former school was the first thing he saw as he stood up from the ground. The next thing he noted was the tiny brunette who was leaning over him looking worried.
A throbbing pain was developing in his head, and he immediately placed a hand on his forehead. The cool skin of his palm felt good on his scorching forehead and he closed his eyes trying to regain his perspective. So he had come to Hogwarts. As far as he could feel, all his body parts were intact. It was only his eyes that were threatening to shut down any minute now. The plan had gone well. He opened his eyes to see that the girl before him hadn't disappeared yet.
"Are you alright? Are you hurt? You seem quite pale?"
"I'm fine…" was all he was able to reply before the blackness that had been threatening him for so long enveloped him and he went under.
The next time he gained consciousness, he was lying on something soft and the surroundings seemed alien. He closed his eyes immediately, the light blinding him momentarily. The beam still hurt his eyes, and he could see the orange glow from behind his closed eyelids. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes slowly and found that the blinding light had been a lone candle which was illuminating the room partly.
A figure was sitting by the table on which the candle was placed, stirring something in a cauldron. He vaguely remembered seeing the girl before he had fainted. He felt thankful to her for not taking him to the village or worse, to the school. But where was he? He thought he had an inkling but he wanted to make sure.
"Where am I?" he jumped at the broken croak before he grasped that it was his own hoarse voice. The girl turned to him now, smiling reassuringly, while she read from a book she had perched on her lap. She was also juggling a scale, a vial and a spatula at the same time. She waited for a few minutes before she added a hazel colored powder to the cauldron and made the fire simmer.
She turned back to him now, her expression no more the serene smile it had been earlier. "What were you thinking apparating when you were hurt and exhausted?"
"I wanted to get away from…from wherever I was. Who are you? What is this place? How long have I been out?"
"One question at a time. Don't strain yourself so much. You're sill recovering from the injuries" as she walked to wards his bed and took his temperature, nodding to herself, she picked up another vial from the table and gave it to him. He drank the potion which was thankfully tasteless and odourless.
"Who are you?" he asked after he had swallowed the potion. She walked back to the table silently, clearly avoiding the question.
"I'm not a Death Eater, if that's what you fear" He couldn't help smirking to himself at that. As if he wouldn't have known at first sight if she had been one. "Then who are you?"
"A healer trainee. I just happened to be at Hogsmeade when I tripped upon your fainted form" she answered mechanically, back to her potion making.
"Do you always carry a cauldron with you?"
She looked at him warily and he immediately felt bad. She was the one helping him, with no apparent obligation either, and he was criticizing her backpack.
"No, actually. It was in the other room. This is the Shrieking shack. It's pretty stocked, if I do say so myself. I wouldn't have been able to aid you half as well if I hadn't had all these ingredients at hand"
"Oh, thank you! Do you have any idea what time it is?"
"Around one am. You were out for just a few hours. How are you feeling? Does anything hurt?"
"No. I'm fine. I'm just feeling dizzy and a bit disoriented. Nothing else" he recited, glad that there hadn't been any lasting effects from last night's adventure.
She nodded again, saying "It's expected. It was a minor miracle you did not splinch yourself. Were you escaping from somewhere? There were traces of encountering an anti-apparition jinx…"
"No, no. It was just a coincidence. Nothing else. I wasn't running away from anything" he declined quickly, but his reply sounded slightly off. He only hoped she hadn't observed.
"Are you sure? You can trust me not to tell your secrets. But its fine if you don't want to" she asked calmly as she looked at him over her glasses, looking wise and intelligent.
"I'm sure" was his curt reply before he fell back on the pillows closing eyes to the sight of the interior of the shack. His form shuddered slightly at the prospect of being inside a haunted building, but this was most likely the safest place for him now. A bunch of misbehaving spirits wasn't his priority
"Something is wrong, isn't it? Something is horribly wrong" she said quietly. So quietly, that he could have ignored her question if he had wanted to, pretending to not have heard her.
"It's not your concern. Thank you very much for helping me out. Please do not ask me too many questions"
Either she understood the desperation behind his voice or she respected his request. She kept silent after that, only speaking when she was administering him a potion or checking his symptoms. A few hours had passed when she stood up to give him another potion. This one was different from the other ones and he became skeptic.
"What is that potion?" he asked while he stared at the transparent vial trying to identify the familiar looking potion.
"The Dreamless sleep draught. Your wounds have healed enough for you to take this. You'll be fine by daylight" She said as she handed him the vial. Regulus hesitated, wanting to thank her before he fell asleep.
"Thank you for all this help. I still don't understand why you are doing all this. I don't even know who you are. And I'm pretty sure you don't know me either. Thank you. If there is anything within my power I could do…"
"Just take care of yourself. That's all a healer expects of her patient" she replied as the comforting smile appeared once more on her face. She neither acknowledged nor denied his statements. Regulus drank the potion and closed his eyes. His breathing evened out soon.
She stood by his side for a while, studying his sleeping face like she had once before when they had been at Hogwarts. Regulus was fast asleep when she pushed away the hair veiling his forehead and kissed his forehead once, murmuring, "Be safe, Regulus. I love you"
Regulus woke up the next day to find the room empty, the warmth absent from it. He looked around, expecting her to be in one of the other rooms. After a futile search, he sat back down on the bed, wondering if it had all been a dream. But the cauldron on the table and the letter underneath it were proof enough that he hadn't been hallucinating.
He lifted the cauldron to remove the paper from underneath. One was a detailed schedule for the medicines he was to take. He placed them on one side carelessly. He'd decide if his life was worth taking potions over later. He read the other letter over and over again, though there were only a few words on it.
If ever you need me again, you needn't look far. I'll be just around the horizon.
A/n: Review!