A sharp banging on the front door woke Sirius the next morning. Groggy, he shoved his face back under the covers and dropped off again. Half asleep, he heard the front door open and slam shut. Groaning, he rolled over. He should get up and see what all the noise was about.
Something shifted beside him. Regulus. That was right, Sirius realized. Regulus Black, in a drunken stupor, had regressed about ten years in age and begged Sirius to sleep with him.
"S'morning?" Regulus grumbled in a pained voice.
"Yeah."
Regulus mumbled something that sounded like a cross between "Don't want to get up" and "Everything hurts." Sirius threw and arm over his brother and pulled him even closer. He nuzzled his face into the back of Regulus's neck and started to drift off, only to be startled by the sound of the bedroom door swinging open.
"Oh, that's adorable," Sirius heard Lily say. "Remus, look, they're snuggling."
Remus switched on the lights and opened the blinds. Sirius squinted at the sudden light and Regulus whined and gripped at his head.
"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty," Lily said, crossing her arms. "We've got a meeting to get to this morning. You can go back to sleep, Reggie."
Regulus must have been very hungover because he let Lily's pet name slide. He didn't even seem to notice Remus. "Sirius," he cried. "Can you cut my head off?"
Sirius was sitting up and rubbing at his eyes. "What'd I tell you, kiddo? You made a seriously bad decision."
Regulus took a sleepy swing at him. "You're a jerk."
"Oh, I don't know," said Sirius casually while he rolled out of bed and accepted the clothes Remus threw at him. "I think it was pretty benevolent of me not to bring the axe down on you last night."
"I see," Lily smirked. "Somebody's big brother have to hold his head while he puked his guts out?"
"No, he was a bastard," Regulus groaned, curling up on his side. "Yelling and dragging me off like that."
"Oh, quiet you," Sirius said as he fastened his jacket. "Be grateful for me. Father would have belted you and you know it."
Regulus was silent. Sirius immediately felt bad for mentioning their father.
"Hey, Reg, I'll be back in just a few hours, okay? This meeting shouldn't last too long, we're just compiling information. Setting up patrol duties, you know, simple stuff."
"Sirius…" Remus warned.
"Patrols?" Regulus asked curiously.
"Well yeah," Sirius laughed. "Someone has to make sure those death eaters don't get up to anything."
"But how do you know who works for You-Know-Who?"
"Oh, come on, Reg, it's not that hard, at least for some of them. The Malfoys, the Notts…Rodolphus Lestrange," Sirius added in an undertone.
Regulus's eyes widened. Sirius's friends knew about Rodolphus? Did they know about—
"Bellatrix most likely, too. I always knew she was heading that direction. I'll be back in time for lunch, Reg. I'll take you out somewhere, okay?"
"It's fine," said Regulus quickly. "Go to lunch with your friends, I'm sure they've plans."
"No," Sirius insisted. He bent down to give Regulus a quick hug. Now that he was more awake, Regulus was nowhere near as cuddly. He leaned away and turned his head, which Sirius only used as an excuse to kiss his temple. "You're going out to lunch with me. It's a date, deal with it."
"Let's go, lover boy," joked Lily. She pulled Sirius back and led him out the door. "Remus, hurry up, Aberforth's probably freaking."
Remus lagged behind for a few moments. "Regulus," he said slowly. Regulus looked up at him from the bed.
"Do you mind?" he asked pointedly.
Remus ignored him. "You're not supposed to know where we're going," he said.
"Afraid I might crash your party?" Regulus snipped.
"My point is Sirius trusts you," said Remus as he scrutinized Regulus's face carefully. "I'm praying he's found good reason to."
"Remus!" Lily yelled. "I am opening the front door!"
"Drink lots of water," Remus advised Regulus before leaving the bedroom. Regulus fell back against his pillows and sighed. When he heard the front door close, he sprang back up. From Sirius's desk drawer, he retrieved a roll of parchment and quickly scribbled out a note to Rabastan. Sirius's owl was asleep in the other room. He woke her and sent her off immediately. Then he paced.
He was doing the right thing, he told himself. Rodolphus deserved to know he was no longer safe. And that was what family members did, right? They kept each other safe.
Rabastan was at his doorstep forty minutes later.
"What took you forever?" Regulus demanded, letting him in.
Rabastan rolled his eyes. "I forgot where this run-down ghetto was. Finally had to pull out a map for the bus driver. Reg, what was so important that we couldn't just talk via letters? I was on a date, you know…"
"They know," said Regulus immediately.
"Know what?"
"That Rodolphus is working for the Dark Lord. The Order of the Phoenix has a list of death eaters and they're setting up patrols to monitor them," Regulus said, looking down. Rabastan stared at him with his mouth hanging open.
"That's impossible, how could they? How do you know this?"
"Sirius told me, how else?" said Regulus quietly, feeling reluctant to mention his brother's name but seeing no other option.
"Shit," Rabastan looked positively green. "Regulus if they turn him in…"
"They'd need concrete proof, I think that's why they've been staking out people they suspect. So they can get the evidence and slowly cut down the Dark Lord's numbers—"
"Yeah, well what if they find proof!" Rabastan yelled.
"I wanted you to warn Rodolphus and Bellatrix to be extra careful for a while," Regulus began, but Rabastan cut him off.
"Regulus, are they meeting right now?"
Regulus blinked. "Y-yes," he stammered. "Sirius left about an hour ago."
"Do you know where they are?"
"D—Dumbledore's," said Regulus. "Not—not Professor Dumbledore, his brother, I think. I'm not sure where that is…"
"It doesn't matter, Bella will know how to find him. Come on, Reg, we have to go."
"Go?" asked Regulus numbly. "Go…where?"
"To Bellatrix! So she can summon the Dark Lord," said Rabastan.
Regulus looked pale. The pounding in his head was getting worse. "The Dark Lord can surely be informed at the next meeting, later this week, no?"
"What good would that do?" queried Rabastan. "If the Order is all together in one place right now, and we know where they are, we can strike first and take them completely by surprise. Regulus, you're going to be a hero, you know! Rodolphus says they've been trying to work out those traitors' meeting locations for months! Did you only just now learn that they go to Dumbledore's? You should have told everyone earlier if you already knew where they met."
Rabastan swung open the front door and looked to Regulus expectantly. With a bizarre numbness settling in his stomach, Regulus summoned his shoes and a jacket (he was suddenly chilled to the bone) and followed him.
The next hour or so passed over Regulus in a blur. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a muffled voice was compelling him to speak. Talk! It screamed at him while he and Rabastan sat on the Knight Bus. Say something! It yelled when Bellatrix opened her front door. Don't be such a fucking coward!
Bellatrix's eyes widened while Rabastan spoke frantically. She was shocked, but Regulus saw excitement there, too. Within five minutes, her hair was pulled back, she was dressed for action and Regulus hadn't even stepped over the threshold.
Things were moving too fast; Regulus found that he couldn't make his muscles move. Rabastan had to tug him by his lapels.
"Where're we going?" Regulus muttered. Rabastan pushed him into the fireplace.
Bellatrix slapped a handful of floo powder into his hand.
"I told you, to Cissy's," Bellatrix responded, but Regulus didn't hear her.
"Rabastan?" he asked weakly. "Where are we going?"
"The Malfoys', Regulus, what are you, deaf?"
Regulus's mind was suddenly surging with early childhood memories of family reunions at the Malfoy's main manor. They weren't pleasant. Regulus's father was vulnerable to the snowball effect when around other pureblood men and the last time Regulus had gotten caught in the crossfire between him and Mr. Malfoy he'd had a full-blown panic attack. His mother had only been able to calm him down after force feeding him a half bottle of Firewhiskey. "Abraxas doesn't like me," he said quietly.
"No, idiot," Rabastan snapped as he and Bellatrix ducked into the fireplace with him. "Narcissa and Lucius's house, not Lucius's parents!"
"Just keep your mouth shut when we get there, Regulus," Bellatrix ordered.
Bellatrix shouted an address and slapped Regulus's hand, spilling the emerald green powder he was holding. The floo network whisked them away.
"Go get Lucius and Narcissa," Bellatrix ordered Rabastan as they the three of them tumbled out onto the rug. Rabastan dashed off, yelling for his cousins and Bellatrix pulled Regulus to his feet.
Regulus's head was spinning and his vision was spotty. Beside him, Bellatrix was pacing anxiously. The gaudy traditional wedding ring she wore kept catching the light and shining in Regulus's eyes, and it reminded him of why they were there.
"Rodolphus isn't here," he said suddenly. "At your anniversary Rabastan said to me that Rodolphus was going away for a while on an assignment. So we don't have to worry, do we? Bella?" he added breathlessly. "Can I go home? Can we all go home?"
"Regulus, what is wrong with you? You braindead muggle! Did you really think Rabastan of all people knows the Dark Lord's schedule? Rodolphus has been in and out all week, but he's not gone. He's due home this evening as usual and I rather think he'd prefer to not be blindsided by those mudblood-loving Order members!" Bellatrix screamed.
Regulus didn't seem to have heard a word she'd said. "I probably misheard. How serious can patrols be, anyway? Rodolphus doesn't have anything to worry about. When he gets back from wherever he is, we can just tell him to be careful. Nobody else even has to know…"
Bellatrix slapped him hard and he was so surprised he fell down. From down the hall he could hear concerned voices in another room. Regulus whimpered and swallowed blood: he'd bitten his tongue when he'd landed.
His cousin stood tall over him. From her lofty position, she stared down at him coldly and asked, "What are you playing at, Regulus? Do you want my husband to be arrested?"
But Regulus didn't answer her. All he was focusing on at the moment was how very much her haughty looks resembled his brother. He found himself remembering how angry Sirius had been the night before when he'd dragged him away from Barty Crouch's. Sirius had been furious and Regulus had been incredibly frightened. He'd seen that same look on his father's face more times than he'd care to count recently.
"Sirius didn't hit me," Regulus said earnestly, unaware that he was babbling. How would Bellatrix have any idea what he was referring to? "He was mad at me yesterday but he didn't act on it."
"Of course he didn't do anything to you, dumbass," Rabastan said. He'd returned with Narcissa and Lucius, both of whom were dressed with their wands in one hand and matching white masks in the other. "He doesn't give a shit about you, you're nothing to him. He wouldn't even bother!"
"Now Regulus," said Narcissa suddenly. Regulus noticed with a start that she had slipped her mask on. "We've sent the word out. Your cousin Bella needs to head out with us for a while, okay?"
She was speaking to him very slowly and kindly, as if he were a small child. Regulus gazed up at her from the floor. Bella and Lucius surged towards the door, Rabastan following closely behind.
Bella paused with her fingers on the handle and looked back at her little brother.
"Rabastan…"
"Is more than old enough to start thinking about his future," Lucius said. "Come on, Rabastan…Narcissa."
"Rodolphus wouldn't want Rabastan to go!" yelled Regulus suddenly. Rabastan shot him a fierce glare. Things were getting out of hand. There was no way he could stop the situation now if they'd already contacted the Dark Lord, all he could hope to do was minimize damage. If Rabastan got sent out into the scuffle he'd get hurt: he was no duelist, at least not on the level of an adult.
Regulus couldn't quite admit to himself that a part of him was worried that Rabastan might hurt Sirius.
"Rodolphus is overly cautious. There will be no danger; we'll have the advantage," said Lucius smoothly. He slipped his mask on as well. "Bella, if you have Rodolphus's mask here, I'm sure Rabastan could use it."
"Yes."
Regulus stumbled to his feet. "Bella!" he reached out to her as she brushed past him and into her bedroom, but Narcissa grabbed him around his middle. Her mask was cold against his face as she held him close to her.
"You'll be all right, Regulus, just stay here and relax. We won't make you go with us, you don't have to fight." She held him out at arms-length and seemed to be raking her eyes approvingly up and down his body, like a proud parent, though Regulus could not be sure behind the mask. "The location of Dumbledore's Order," she breathed. "We've been trying to track them down for ages. Regulus, everyone will be so proud of you. Just think of your father!"
Suddenly Regulus felt like puking.
"Are you okay?" Narcissa asked, worriedly. She pulled him close again just as Bella came rushing back past, tossing a mask to Rabastan.
"Hurry, Narcissa," she said. "We need to leave. I'll apparate Rabastan with me."
"Right," said Narcissa. Bella, Rabastan and Lucius walked out the door.
"Cissy," Regulus whispered.
"Yes?"
"I don't want my brother to die."
"Reggie…" Narcissa murmured.
"I don't want to kill him."
"Regulus," she said urgently. "You don't have to kill anyone, don't be ridiculous. You're staying right here."
"But I told Rabastan where to find him," said Regulus in horror. His eyes grew wide as he started to fully realize what he had just done.
Narcissa tried in vain to calm him. "Shh, the Dark Lord values pure blood; Sirius will be fine."
"No," said Regulus quietly. "He's a blood traitor."
"Narcissa!" Lucius's voice sounded through the door. "Come on!"
"One moment, Lucius!" Narcissa yelled back. Her fingers clenched and unclenched against Regulus's shoulders, to the point where it became painful. "Regulus," she murmured, turning back to her cousin. "I don't want you to do anything stupid…but Lucius keeps my old broom in the garden house out back."
