Sirius and James' battles were drifting them farther down Church Street. The smallest, and obviously poorest duelist amongst the death eaters had portkeyed away early on in the fight. Sirius vaguely recognized that he must've been the one to cast the anti-apparition wards as the air felt less heavy when he left.

Sirius recognized that the remaining three death eaters were trying to create a formation that would surround the two of them. Unfortunately, he was kept busy enough that he couldn't warn James who was being led towards him.

Sirius managed to strike one of his opponents with a particularly strong 'reducto,' spell, effectively shattering his wand arm. The death eater drew his portkey. Before Sirius could stop him, the other death eater shot a curse at him that he was forced to block, allowing the injured death eater time to escape.

A few moments later, Sirius heard James yell out. Sirius saw him sprawled on the ground, a puddle of blood beneath him. He couldn't tell where the blood was coming from. He cast a slew of curses at their attackers and dove for James, disapparating immediately.

He felt like a coward for retreating, but he wasn't going to let James be killed when he was in no shape to defend himself. He worried too late that apparition could exacerbate James' injuries.

They reappeared in front of the Potter's home and quickly helped James inside. Lily, who was already in near tears, let them fall freely upon seeing her husband's bloodied torso, visible through his freshly sliced clothing.

Upon removing his shirt, two large gashes were revealed on James' stomach. Lily immediately began casting the healing spells that she knew, but to no avail. The wounds would heal for a few moments before ripping open again, each time more ghastly than before.

Sirius pulled out his Phoenix portkey and activated it, taking all three of them to Hogwarts infirmary.

It was clear by the number of other Order members receiving treatment, that their attack had not been the only one of the evening.

Sirius caught the attention of nearly everyone, yelling for someone to help James. Given how frantically Madam Pomfrey and her apprentices were already working, it would be a while before any help could be spared for James. Too long.

'Damn it,' he thought, 'where is Regulus?' Equally concerned for his brother as he was hopeful that he could help James, Sirius sent him a patronus.

Regulus remained on his knees in the grass of the meadow, unmoving and in a bit of daze after what had happened. Unforgiveables and apparition were not a good combination. It would also be foolishly optimistic to think his interference this evening would go uunnoticed by Voldemort. It had been worth the risk when it had been for Sirius, but Lily Potter? How had he become so out of touch with his sense of self-preservation?

Eventually he looked up to find Evan, who had his back to him looking out over the valley that expanded below.

"Where are we?" Regulus asked.

"You can see the lights from my family's estate if you look there," he pointed into the distance of the valley far below them. Regulus didn't bother trying to look.

Glancing at him, Evan commented, "I think it's a good thing you never cast an unforgivable before now, considering your reaction."

"I was actually just trying to figure out why I bothered," Regulus admitted. "But how am I supposed to react?" He asked despite feeling stupid.

Evan withheld a smirk, "The cruciatus never bothered me much. My father brought me here after the first time I killed someone. He said that if I couldn't get over my feelings of guilt by the end of the day, I might as well jump because I would never make it as a death eater."

Regulus grimaced, "Sounds just like him. Is that why you brought me here?"

"As you are no longer a death eater, I see no reason for such extreme measures."

Regulus resumed his silence, prompting Evan to continue,

"I could give you the rest of my father's lecture if you'd like. It's about how each time you cast an unforgivable, it becomes easier than the last. It also helps when you embrace the belief that only the purebloods who recognize their place in society are worthy to inflict the punishment of the unforgivables... The speech is a bit long winded though and doesn't exactly apply to you anymore, given the circumstances."

Even in his mild state of shock, he registered that Evan must have been a little worried. He was never this talkative. As Regulus continued his relative silence, he continued to chatter away,

"As for Snape, I see no reason for you to feel guilty about what happened. He would have done the same to you. Its also Snape… who hasn't wanted to crucio him at least once?"

Regulus shook his head, "Too soon."

Evan smirked, obviously relieved to end his monologue.

"Don't you have to report back or something?" Regulus asked. Now would be a bad time for Voldemort to find him.

"My only task for the past two days has been to stalk Snape. For two days," he repeated for emphasis. "Our dear cousin has become distrustful of him. I am not to disturb her with a report until tomorrow."

"Why would Bella choose you for that and not a new recruit?"

"We can't all have the luxury of being her favorite cousin."

"There's an opening for the position," Regulus answered blandly. "Now that I think about it, I have done stuff like that for her before though. It sounds like you're her new favorite already."

"I'll try not to let the honor go to my head," he answered dryly.

"Right. So how did you know it was me?" Regulus asked. Now that he was feeling more like himself, he needed to know what had given him away.

"The way in which you carry yourself is very distinct, you should work on that. You also arrived with Sirius. Not to mention, I've heard your impression of Rodolphus a thousand times. It's not nearly as convincing as you think it is."

"It's been a while since I practiced," Regulus answered defensively.

"You were reckless."

Regulus didn't answer. Evan already knew he was right, no need to give him a big head.

"Have you given any more thought to leaving the country?"

"I have...certain affairs to get in order first."

"You are lying. And if what happened tonight gets out, you will have projected yourself as a new Order member who has no qualms about impersonating death eaters and casting unforgiveable curses. Could you have drawn anymore attention to yourself?" Evan demanded, his anger beginning to seep into his voice.

"I didn't have a choice but to curse Snape if I wanted to be believable."

Evan sighed, "I could understand your use of the curse better than why you felt the need to rescue Evans in the first place. I mean Snape has to take whatever he can get, but surely your standards have not sunk so far as to be attracted to a married, impregnated woman, not even mentioning her blood status."

Regulus couldn't help but feel amused at that, "Since when do you not mention blood status?"

"I thought you might be offended if I called her a 'mudblood' since you are a blood traitor."

"Ouch. To be honest, I don't even see why people get so torn up over either term. If I lashed out every time someone commented on my parents being second cousins…" he trailed off as Evan attempted to hide a smile. He had commented on that more times than he could count.

"They're just names, but that's irrelevant now. I didn't intercede on behalf of Evans, she was meant to be spared from what I gathered anyway. They were going to kill her baby… A baby. Not even you can deny that is sick."

"Disquiet amongst the death eaters is what instigated the attack in Godric's Hollow."

That piqued his interest, "What sort of disquiet?"

"Well, you remember how Snape was in school, always obsessed with Evans. A lot of the other death eaters remember that too. They questioned his loyalty to the Dark Lord because of it. Add to it that his father was a muggle. By the Dark Lord's usual standards- Snape should be killed. If not for his muggle parentage, then for his obvious affections towards a muggleborn.

"I think the Dark Lord only agreed to attack Godric's Hollow because Evans and Potter are both known members of the Order. He doesn't really care about them, but it was too good of any opportunity to pass up, especially after so many death eaters have been burned by Potter.

"Originally the plan had been to kill both James and Lily. Snape somehow managed to convince the Dark Lord that it would be more meaningful to spare her, but kill her husband and child," Evan continued in an indifferent tone, "leaving the Potter line to die out."

"Snape convinced the Dark Lord that Lily Potter's survival would better serve as a reminder of what happens when a pureblood marries beneath their station. They will be unable to produce an heir- If for no other reason than because the Dark Lord will ensure they can't... How Snape managed to convince him that sparing Evans was a better idea than killing them all without revealing his obvious feelings about her is rather impressive," Evan begrudgingly admitted.

"Dumbledore would attribute that to the Dark Lord's inability to love, I'm sure. He mentioned something like that to me once."

Regulus considered telling Evan of Voldemort's own 'dirty blood'. He stopped himself when he remembered Evan told him he didn't want to hear the details of what happened prior to helping him plan his 'murder'.

For his part, Regulus didn't want to give Evan even more knowledge that could get him killed if discovered. He was already hiding more from the Dark Lord than any other death eater would likely ever dream of. Instead Regulus asked,

"Any idea where Rodolphus actually was tonight? It's going to be pretty obvious something was amiss when everyone gives different reports."

"It will be obvious if it is closely looked at. I don't actually think the Dark Lord cares about the Potter's anymore than any other Order member. He agreed to ambush Godric's Hollow to appease the death eaters most angry over their continued existence, but he didn't send the usual number of reinforcements. As long as the other attacks tonight were successful, He might not look into the botched attack too carefully. Rodolphus was probably at the Bones' tonight. That's where most were sent. Perhaps you can ask him next time you meet him in battle, seeing as you are in the Order now."

Regulus recoiled slightly at the statement, "I'm not. I was with Sirius when Potter contacted him. I only went because of Sirius."

"You might as well join. It's obvious you've changed sides in the war. I don't think I've been properly introduced to your new alias, by the way."

Regulus smirked, "Marcus. It was enough trouble leaving the death eaters, I've no intention of joining another dictatorship anytime soon."

"Still, it's obvious you didn't just want to escape the Dark Lord when you 'died'. You wanted to join the fight against him," Evan said with a good attempt at not sounding bitter.

"He's wrong, Evan. I know you know that."

"Regardless of how you feel about it, the opposition against him is nearly obsolete. What reason could you have not to leave the country and live somewhere else? You could forget all about the war if you wanted to. I'll come visit you and Rachel when I go on holiday."

"Rachel?" He scoffed, "Why would you even mention her?"

"I saw her yesterday while I was following Snape. She was visiting your gravesite. She held her wand in my face rather threateningly and told me I should have helped you, as you would have helped me. It was quite charming really."

Regulus felt sick at the thought of Rachel mourning his death. He recalled that when they had gone to Diagon Alley together she seemed to be doing well enough.

"I spoke to her- as Marcus. She seemed fine. A little sad and… a bit more rebellious maybe, but-"

Evan scoffed, "Do you really believe she is only a little sad?"

"My death would not have brought any significant changes to her life. We broke up in June, as we knew we would. I only saw her on two occasions since leaving Hogwarts before I supposedly died, both times were in a hospital."

"Has it occurred to you that your relationship was only fated to end because of who you were? As you can no longer be known as Regulus Black, the two of you could actually be together-if it's what you both wanted."

"She shouldn't be with me," Regulus answered firmly. Evan looked at him expectantly. "I should have stood up to my family on her behalf before. If I had, we could have been together. My parents wouldn't have approved of her, but they might have gotten over it eventually since she's at least a pureblood. If I would have threatened to leave the family… they would have had no choice but to accept it. Their only other option was Sirius, how couldn't they?"

"I wouldn't put it past your parents to have disinherited you out of spite."

"It should have been worth it to me though, shouldn't it? Even when I walked away from the death eaters it wasn't for her. It was because of family…Sirius of all people. She deserves someone that wouldn't hesitate to give up everything... The best thing I can do for her is stay 'dead'."

"I won't pretend to have advice for you, but if you plan to stay in the country you will be found out eventually. Do you want her to find out from someone else that you are still alive?"

"Of course I don't want that to happen. I just-" he shook his head.

"You should just tell her. It's possible she will hate you enough on your own merit, since that is your goal," he smirked.

"She was right, you know. I would help you if you ever wanted out of the death eaters."

Evan scowled, "Not everyone regrets the side they chose."

"Just keep it in mind, in case anything changes"

He was determined that if he found another horcrux he would not destroy right away. He would save it for as long as he could, just in case Evan ever changed his mind and wanted a way out of the death eaters.

"So how is your father recovering?"

"I catch him completely zoned out, staring at some wall or random inanimate object sometimes… but it is occurring less often all of the time. I expect he will be back to terrorizing muggles in no time."

A silver patronus in the form of a large dog appeared, speaking in Sirius' voice,

"Come to Hogwarts infirmary."

Evan smirked, "I've never known Sirius to be so… straight to the point."

"I expect only a marauder's health could elicit such precision," Regulus added wryly. He couldn't help but feel annoyed. Obviously they had managed to get to the infirmary whatever the injuries were.

"Speaking of Gryffindors, have you seen any amongst the death eaters lately?"

Evan looked surprised at that, "No, I was of the impression they were incorruptible. However I do know there is a spy in the Order. That's how Snape and the others were able to break through the protections at the Potter's so quickly. They are trusting little things, aren't they? Telling their supposed friends of the exact protections on their house. That's naivety at its best."

"You told me the exact protections of your flat."

Evan chuckled, "Yes, but you're incorruptible when it comes to my wellbeing."

Regulus smirked, "That definitely sounds like naivety at its best to me," he remarked as he extracted a galleon from his pocket and turned it into a portkey.

Upon entering the infirmary, Regulus quickly found Sirius, who immediately began complaining about how long it had taken him to get there, and that if James bled to death because of his apathy then he would never be forgiven and who knows what else… Regulus stopped listening almost immediately.

It really was a wonder how anyone in the Order had survived this long in the war when they so clearly treated ever splinter like a splinch. Regulus would admit that Potter was exceptionally pale, but the idea that he could bleed to death… in an infirmary… with two people standing beside him, was laughable.

Had they never heard of a blood replenishing potion? Lily might have had more wits about her had she not had such a traumatizing ordeal already. Regulus interrupted Sirius' tantrum and asked him to retrieve a vial of blood replenishing, as well as several other potions from the supply cupboard.

In the meantime, Regulus diagnosed the spell used and cast the counter curse to prevent the wounds from continuing to open. By the time he was finished, Sirius had returned. Regulus made a concoction of the potions in a bottle and instructed Sirius to force feed the bottle to Potter, not having the patience or desire to do it himself.

Just as he was finishing the concoction, an apprentice came to check on Potter, though nothing else was needed for him by then.

Dumbledore came around a few minutes later to check on his favorite former student and obtained a report of what had happened in Godric's Hollow before addressing the room at large.

"Good evening, everyone. As it appears all of our number are in stable condition at the moment, I wanted to take the time to fill you in on the events of the past evening. It is with great sadness I inform you that Edgar Bones' house was attacked by death eaters. He, his wife and two small children were all killed."

A collective breath seemed to have been taken by the room at large before cries of outrage rang out. Regulus wished he could be anywhere but amidst his current company. He had little doubt that if his identity were found out at least one of them would have wanted to cast the killing curse at him in that moment, regardless of their supposed morals against it. He wished Pettigrew was there.

After Dumbledore finished his speech recounting all of the different attacks of the evening, Regulus turned back to those surrounding Potter's bed. Lupin had come in at some point during the headmaster's speech. Judging by his appearance, he was recovering from his own injuries.

As innocently as he could muster, Regulus addressed the group surrounding James' bed, "Has anyone seen Peter? If he is still with his mother, he won't know what has happened. Perhaps we should contact him and let him know."

Sirius did his best to keep an indifferent expression as Lupin responded,

"That's a good idea. He will want to know about James. About the other attacks as well," he then drew his wand and cast his patronus presumably to summon Pettigrew.

As Sirius and Lily exchanged stories with Remus, Regulus took the opportunity to look around the room. He knew he needed to tell Rachel the truth. Somehow distracting her from a room full of injured people did not seem like the right time. Unfortunately he never saw her when she wasn't working.

He decided the right opportunity was bound to present itself eventually. Given the circumstances, that opportunity was unlikely to be tonight.