Regulus stared at his father. Shock flooded through him, and his breath burst out of him in a long gasp as it slithered don his spine. He felt cold and… unreal.
Their father cared about Sirius.
(cares about having a heir.)
Sirius had been hurt, and – and his father helped. That was insane and incomprehensible. After all, their father was the man who caused Sirius to get hurt.
Why was he helping him now?
It – it had to be a trick, right? Regulus bit his lip, trying to convince himself that it was. One glance at his father shattered the decision he'd reached.
Regulus's father looked concerned for his sons. He seemed to care about them. As Regulus stared, his father turned away from Sirius and towards him.
"I did not realize Sirius was so injured."
(as if.)
Regulus analyzed his father's voice. Orion Black seemed cold, as per usual, but there was also a hint of concern. He certainly wasn't apologizing but…
"He is," Regulus said quietly. It wasn't said angrily, but he worried that his father would get angry all the same. He felt his mouth once again drop open in shock as his father sighed.
"I did not mean for him to be so… incapacitated."
(you probably meant to kill him.)
"Of course not, father," Regulus muttered quietly. He wasn't quite sure what to think. After all, his father was the bad guy, and bad guys never changed. Regulus's father looked concerned and saddened by his son's reaction.
"You believe me, Regulus, right?"
(like I'd believe anything you said.)
Regulus shook the thought from his head. He didn't know what to believe. His mind seemed to be warring with himself. Those strange comments in the back of his mind were growing stronger. It was creepy to feel them become more… his.
He wanted to listen to them; they felt right.
What they said wasn't right, though.
And he refused to trust it.
"I do," Regulus said, sounding as if he had more conviction than he actually did. His father sent him a small smile, the corners of his lips barely seeming to twitch in his stern face. It was hardly anything.
But it was more than Regulus had ever seen before.
His father turned back to Sirius, gently shaking his shoulder to wake him. Regulus bit his lip as a question flashed across his mind. Then, thinking about his 'new'
(deceiving.)
father, he asked his question.
"Father? Do we still have to leave?" His father, not turning away from Sirius, paused for a moment.
"Yeah," he answered distractedly, sounding less formal than Regulus had ever heard him.
"And we have to leave on time?" Regulus asked. Again, his father paused.
"Yes, Regulus. Why?"
"We have five minutes," Regulus said.
"What?" his father said sharply. Glancing at the grandfather clock, he swore under his breath.
Regulus winced at the sound. He hadn't meant to.
('course not, I'm brave.)
With his father, however, the clear sound of anger was usually followed by something unpleasant.
Nothing followed it this time.
His father quickly but gently
(gently my ass.)
got Sirius out of bed. He pulled out his wand and casted another spell. There was a bright flash, and Regulus saw that Sirius seemed much more stable than before.
"F – father?" Sirius said, clearly quite confused.
"I apologize for injuring you, Sirius. It was not my intent to hurt you so badly."
(you still wanted to. you still enjoyed it.)
"O – okay…" Sirius said. He glanced at Regulus, who shrugged and mouthed
'Go with it.'
Sirius nodded.
"So…" Regulus said, dragging the word out. "Where are we going?"
"To catch a Portkey."
"And…" Sirius said, similarly dragging the word out. "Where will it take us?"
"Germany," their father said. Regulus scrunched his eyebrows. Why were they going there?
"Why?" he asked.
"You'll see," their father said. "Your mother would disapprove. So, she is not coming on this."
(what doesn't she disapprove?)
"Come with me," Orion said, taking them to the floo. He grabbed some of the powder on the mantel.
Their father held it up, ready to drop it, when he hesitated.
"Sirius will you be alright flooing alone?" Thunderstruck, Sirius nodded.
"Yes, father."
"International Port-Key Site," Orion said and disappeared into the flames. Sirius went next, repeating the words and disappearing into the flames.
Regulus stepped into the fireplace.
(don't trust him! don't go!)
His thoughts were screaming at him… almost as if they were a different person.
(or a forgotten part of you.)
Regulus jumped. His thoughts had just referred to himself without saying 'I.' That was a bit scary. Was he insane?
Sighing, he dropped the powder and, seconds later, was whirling away.
(you shouldn't have done that.)
Regulus emerged, coughing, from another fireplace. It was a small cabin, no doubt charmed to look as small as it did because Regulus could see no end to the line of fireplaces on one wall. His father and Sirius were waiting for him.
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Orion nearly smirked as his second son emerged from the fireplace. They trusted him. He would have expected that from the Gryffindor, but Regulus was an accomplishment. After all, the boy had nearly broken the most powerful memory charm he could create.
He should have been able to tell the truth from a lie. Orion would teach him, of course, when Regulus admitted how evil (how dirty) muggles were.
Where they were going would take care of that.
He was taking both of his boys to a muggle place.
It was a place used only in the past. For five years, it was in use.
In those years, muggles killed nearly four million of their own kind there. It wasn't for something that mattered. Rather, it was for something they believed in.
If this didn't show his sons the truth, then they were already lost.
As Regulus joined him, he took them to a desk where a wizard sat. There was a box of Portkeys beside him.
"Black," Orion said curtly. The old wizard nodded and handed him a Portkey. It was an old hairbrush.
Orion took the brush and led his sons over to an area that they could use it.
"It's going to leave in a minute or so," the old wizard from the desk shouted.
Orion nodded. He watched as both of his sons put a finger on the Portkey, then he put his own on.
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(what the hell are you doing?)
The thoughts sounded more screechy than usual. If it was possible, it sounded as if they were annoyed with him.
(he'll try to hurt you! it's a trap!)
Regulus shook his head. It wasn't a trap. His father had helped Sirius. Surely, that meant his father cared?
(fool! he doesn't care! you've fallen into his trap!)
It isn't a tap, Regulus declared mentally. He would know.
(you do know, fool!)
Regulus bit his lip. Perhaps, he should listen to the voice.
(your voice!)
Regulus shook his head roughly.
It wasn't his voice because he trusted his father.
Not completely. After all, the man still hurt his brother
(and you.)
He'd hardly ever laid a hand on Regulus.
Perhaps, he had misunderstood his father.
(as if anyone could do that.)
He'd find out today.
Regulus felt a pull on his navel, and a scream of rage in his not-thoughts. They, no doubt, thought he was a fool.
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Hey, guys! This has been a really quick update for me! Yay!
So, Regulus is at war with his old self. Everything can't go smoothly for him, can it?
I tried to make it sort of obvious where they're going.
Please review!
And thanks to all my old reviewers!
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.