Thanks to all my reviewers and to everyone who put me on alert or favoured me. I very much appreciate your support. Special thanks to my lovely betas, Alabaster Princess and hypnotic ink- you're the best!
37 Fools rush in
"Who's there?" Black yelled, which caused Raven to roll her eyes because that was just so typically Gryffindor.
Why don't these 'brave lions' ever use their brains?
"Come and say goodbye to your dear brother, Regulus; he's just about to leave."
Sheepishly grinning, Regulus Black stepped out into the alley behind the Red Lantern. It really hadn't been hard for Raven to figure out who was observing them, it was was pretty much obvious that the younger of the Black brothers wanted to know what was going on. Raven only wondered how much he had overheard.
"I have to tell my friends why I left so suddenly," Sirius protested and he tried to get back into the bar but Raven blocked his path.
"I'll tell them you went to mark a tree. Most certainly they are are sympathetic."
Affronted, Sirius spun on his heels to Disapparate without paying any attention to his younger brother, while Regulus arched a quizzical brow at Raven.
"Flea collar? Mark a tree?"
"What else did you overhear while lurking around in the shadows?"
"I wasn't lurking." A hurt expression clouded his features. But although he looked quite cute when he was pouting, Raven thought that perhaps a Memory Charm was in order. After all, she was playing a dangerous game and she couldn't risk him tattling on her to Lord V.
"I only followed you because I was worried. I know what an arse my dear brother can be."
"Awwww," she cooed in a mocking tone, "you're such a little hero. Alas, I'm in no need of one."
"I noticed. You actually seemed to be able to exercise some control over him- may I congratulate you and ask how you managed that?"
"You may, as long as you don't expect me to answer your question. You know, Blackie, a witch has to keep her secrets to herself."
"Don't call me Blackie," he said with a smirk.
Sometimes he resembled his older brother a lot. They had the same grey eyes, the same cocksure smile and they were definitely both handsome fellows. Funnily though, Regulus seemed to be the more serious, the more mature one. Of course, he liked to have fun, but unlike his brother he wasn't a prankster and he used to study with more determination.
"By the way, I hope the results of your NEWTs were satisfying?"
"Indeed- but don't try to change the subject, Lestrange. What's going on?"
Raven wondered if perhaps she was making a huge mistake by not using the Memory Charm on him, but she couldn't bring herself to do just that. Yes, she knew it was stupid and she also failed to come up with a logical explanation for her... call it female intuition. And yet, she decided to trust Regulus Black. Although he was a typical Slytherin in cunning and ambition, he was not like his house-mates; he was not the most typical of Voldemort's Death Eater aspirants. True, Regulus had been fed with pure-blood supremacy nonsense from his infancy on, and he... sort of believed in that crap- albeit just to please his parents, Raven concluded. He wanted to be the good son, the pride of his family. Contrary to Sirius, who was such a disgrace to them that they had actually blasted him off the family tree.
"Well, as it seems your dear brother deflowered our dear Wilma-"
"She was still a virgin? In that job?"
"We're dancers, not whores," Raven reminded him sharply.
"Yeah... I know. No offence meant! It's just... well, it just seems so absurd."
"Wilda's from an impoverished pure-blood family; her dad lost his job when he started looking for hope at the bottom of every Odgen's bottle he could find, all because his first-born died in a Quidditch accident two years ago- he was a promising new player for the Wimborne Wasps- and Wilda was only working for Henri in order to support her family. Including daddy's drinking habits."
"And now she's dead." Regulus interjected thoughtfully.
"Right, and now she's bloody dead, and her parents will lose the little hut they're living in because stupid Wilma threw it all away when she believed your dear brother that he'd marry her, but he only used her, got her pregnant and abandoned her when he found out." Raven trusted Regulus with that much information, but most certainly she wouldn't trust him with that little spying game of hers. "You know the rest of the story; it's been in the Daily Prophet for days. Wilda died of an overdose of an illegal Abortion Potion and no one will ever know if it was accidentally or on purpose."
Regulus' face fell; he seemed to have figured out the truth, knowing his brother and his way of swaying witches to get what he yearned for. Actually, Sirius had already boasted with his conquests the very summer he had run away from home-
"I'll talk to father. There must be a way to support Wilma's family without making it appear like some sort of a blood toll."
It was a noble gesture, Raven had to admit, and it seemed to come from his heart. Regulus wanted to make amends for his brother's wrongdoings, even if he had to ask daddy. On the other hand, those pure-bloods were always good in holding charity events- provided, of course, the returns were to benefit other pure-bloods.
"Do whatever you can't leave well alone, but bear in mind that you have to maintain silence and not disclose any information regarding your brother's role in this sad affair to anyone."
"Why ever not?"
"Because," Raven rolled her eyes, "it cannot harm to have some leverage against your dearest brother."
"Oh, you mean blackmail?"
"No. I simply prefer to have more pull when it comes to dealing with Gryffindors. Now, if you would excuse me, please- I still have to tell his charming friends that he's not gonna come back again and besides, my break's nearly over." Raven opened the back door to enter the bar again. And I have to break it to Henri gently that I decided that Sirius Black isn't welcome at the Red Lantern anymore. Oh, he will be fuming so...
Regulus followed her like a shadow she couldn't get rid off, being much too curious.
"You called Sirius a mutt once, and today you told him to buy himself a flea collar or mark a tree. Why?"
Well, that was another secret she was not going to blab.
"'cause you're both following me 'round like lost puppies, so piss off now, Blackie. I've still got a job to do."
He flashed her one of his most annoying smirks but refrained from bothering her any further. Nevertheless, Raven could almost feel his eyes resting on her as she told Werewolf and Vermin to follow the mutt and get lost, while Henri was watching her with a frown. She knew she was in trouble.
-o-
Needless to say, Henri was upset. He didn't like his employees sending patrons away and when he learned that Raven had actually issued an order for Black to stay away from the Red Lantern, he started yelling at her. Fortunately that was only after the last patron had already left.
Raven was already too tired to care, and if he sacked her now, she wouldn't even protest. She could still apply for Auror training- damn, no! She had already missed the last date for this year's application due to Wilda's funeral.
Bloody Wilma, Raven thought and added, bloody Blacks.
"But Mr le Grand," Lettie chimed in, "she only did it for Wilma. You haven't seen her lying in her own blood, but I did. It was such a horrible sight."
Henri's face softened since he really liked Lettie. Even more so, though, he liked the sound of Galleons jingling in his cash box at the end of a long night, and Sirius Black had always spent quite a nice amount of Galleons when visiting the Red Lantern.
"Sugar, I believe that it was a ghastly sight indeed. Nevertheless, Wilda's unfortunate demise is no reason for sending regular patrons away, and Mr Black was always quite generous. Don't forget, darling, that I hired you as exotic dancers. I never asked you to become intimate with our patrons; that's not a part of your contract and therefore entirely up to you."
"But Black comes here, looking at us as though we were whores and hoping to get laid without ever having to pay for it," Randy interjected all of a sudden. "Raven's right about telling him to piss off."
Raven had to blink in surprise. Was Randy actually taking her side? She had rarely ever experienced any support in the wizarding world, so that was a first to her. "We owe the memory of Wilma to not let him have his way with us."
"Wilma was no saint. Perhaps she planned to get pregnant so Black would marry her."
It was a legitimate idea, Raven realized and she agreed with Henri that Wilma was not the saint the others wanted to make her. Wilma was just a stupid girl that probably had gambled too high and when her plans failed she idiotically overdosed the Abortion Potion because she wouldn't be able to do her job with a big round mummy tummy. It was possible. But just as likely was that Black had fooled her and she committed suicide. At least he had been quite nervous about the letters, and the wizarding media would definitely exploit the story of a young, innocent girl when the name Black was mentioned in the same context. Raven could already see Rita Skeeter's headline in the Daily Prophet. In the end it didn't matter what the truth was- perhaps no one would ever find out- but it was still a good feeling to have the mutt on a leash now; one she could shorten if it suited. Of course, it would be of great advantage if Henri didn't choose to fire her today.
She was lucky. Her colleagues seemed to have taken her side and Henri knew how hard it was to replace good employees, so Raven still had a job when she went home that night; she could still carry on her little spying game.
-o-
She didn't notice how much it burdened her, but it was weighing her down. The war was still going on and no matter what she found out, it didn't seem to make any difference. Although Black was not showing up at Red Lantern anymore- he was clever enough to stay away- he nevertheless kept his favourite parking spot next to her motorbike when he went out in Knockturn or Diagon Alley, so she could still leave messages there.
And apparently he knew to keep his mouth shut because Raven's identity was never revealed. The Order was still clueless about who was passing information to them, but unfortunately they hadn't figured out the spy within their ranks either. It was mightily frustrating and disillusioning, like tilting at windmills.
Severus noticed the change. Watching her surreptitiously, he realized that he hated to see the smile fading on her face. He was so used to see her cheerful and smiling, but now she seemed to have lost her sparkle and he had no idea how to... reignite... it. For loss of a better word.
It was convenient, though, that at the end of their latest finished project, Professor O'Flaherty had insisted that Severus took his annual vacation. So he was now facing almost three weeks of boredom in which he wasn't even allowed to touch a cauldron. It was one of those stupid Ministry decrees for the Safety and Health of Potion Apprentices.
Well- truth to be told- it was actually known that even the greatest potioneers took a break from work at least once a year, because the constant exposure to the fumes of simmering cauldrons was a health risk indeed.
And so Severus was thinking about a way to make Raven smile again when he came home earlier than usual on that day. He found her sitting in the kitchen with Jeffrey, drinking tea, and he overheard parts of their conversation.
"...everyone's going... why don't you want to come to the festival with us? It will be fun."
"I'm not in the mood," Raven said. Then she spotted Severus standing at the kitchen door and the ghost of a smile flickered over her face. "You're early. Want some tea?"
Severus accepted a cup of tea as he sat down, addressing Jeffrey. "What festival?"
"Leigh Rock, with lots of cool new bands like Joy Division, The Teardrop Explodes, Echo and the Bunnymen..." Jeffrey listed some more bands that Severus had never heard of. Nevertheless, it sounded like a good idea.
"Why don't you want to go?" He arched a brow at her. "We could go together."
"That would be great," Jeffrey said jovially.
"Do you want to go?" For the fraction of a second, Raven beamed at Severus. Then her face fell again. "No, I have to work."
"You could take a few days off," Severus suggested, although he wasn't explicitly keen on going to a Muggle rock festival, because that meant having to mingle with a crowd of mostly drunken and unwashed bodies. But it seemed to be just what Raven needed and so he would handle the unpleasantness of the situation. Besides, there were spells to make him feel more comfortable in a crowd.
"Yeah, take a few days off and come with us," Jeffrey agreed. "You know we miss you, don't you? You made yourself scarce lately."
Raven ran her fingers through her hair and decided that it wouldn't harm to not spy on Death Eater patrons for a weekend. Severus seemed to be willing to go to that festival with her and she was keen on spending some leisure time with him... her heart was actually beating a little faster at that prospect, although it would most likely end in just another heartbreak. But she could still worry about that tomorrow. Today, she was just looking forward to a fun weekend with great new music.
And she didn't get disappointed.
It was so good to see her Muggle friends again, to get (slightly) drunk, and to spend time with Severus, who was at least enjoying the Muggle music albeit not the Muggle crowd at the festival. But he was no friend of crowds in general. Despite of that, he seemed to be having a good time and so was she; it almost felt like a lot of weight had been taken off her shoulders just by being away from the wizarding world for a while.
It was the era of post punk. New bands had formed, influenced by the likes of the Sex Pistols but not as raw and untamed as they had sounded. Instead, they had turned those wild tunes of anger into something that was more introverted and experimental, often using the complex wall of sound of synthesizers.
Raven realized that she was witnessing the birth of a completely new age of music, and it was very exciting. For a while, she almost forgot that there was a war raging on in the wizarding world.
-o-
Severus was quite content with himself; it had been a good idea to go to the Leigh Rock festival because Raven seemed to cheer up and was more like herself, smiling again. She was very pretty when she smiled. He always noticed that- and yet it never crossed his mind that she was happy simply because she was with him.
Raven was still cheerful the Monday afternoon after the concert. They were sitting in the kitchen, drinking tea, when all of a sudden there was an urgent knock at the door. She glanced at Severus.
"Are you expecting someone?"
"One of my many friends?" He sneered.
Raven sighed and went to answer the door. Her Muggle friends were also his friends; he should know that they liked him...
"Wait," he insisted all of a sudden, standing right behind her with his wand drawn- as if he knew that there was no Muggle knocking. Then, they heard a low whimpering, followed by another urgent knock at the door.
Raven drew her wand, too. "Who's there?" She asked but at the very same time she opened the door wide- to reveal a very anxious looking Regulus Black standing at the threshold. He was holding a deliriously mumbling something in his arms, wrapped in a heavy blanket. It was Slytherin green, embroidered with the Black family crest and their motto, Toujours pur.
"I need your help. Please!"
"Are you mistaking this place with St Mungo's emergency ward?" Severus drawled. Unlike Raven, he hadn't lowered his wand yet. "Go there if you need help."
"They don't treat house-elves at St Mungo's." Regulus pleaded, sounding desperate.
"House-elf?" Raven plucked at the blanket and stared in utter fascination at the probably ugliest creature she had ever seen. He was already quite old and his head was bald but there was wiry white hair sprouting from his bad-like ears that were now furled in misery
"Water... Master Regulus, help... no, no Kreacher is bad, bad elf... always a burden... water… white dead hands," the elf wailed, which sounded funny with his deep bullfrog voice.
Raven arched a quizzical brow at Regulus. "His name's Kreacher? How very fitting. What happened to him? And how the hell did you find us?"
"At least he's not bringing us another illegitimate offspring the Blacks want to get rid off," Severus deadpanned before he glared at the younger Black. "Now answer her questions."
"The Dark Lord demanded the service of a house-elf so I offered Kreacher; he's a very loyal elf. I was proud I could help. I... I didn't know he meant to dispose of him!"
"What did you expect?" Raven snapped. "Even families that are not obsessed with blood-supremacy treat their elves like slaves. To the likes of you they're just a possession and not a being."
"No!" Regulus protested. "Kreacher's very dear to me."
"How touching," Severus interjected as he took the bundle from Regulus' arms to give it a closer look. He already had an idea what was wrong with the house-elf but he needed to learn more details. "What did the Dark Lord do to him?"
"Well, as far as I understand, the Dark Lord took Kreacher to a cave by the sea, and he made him drink a potion from a stone basin- it was poisonous. The Dark Lord meant him to die in that cave but I told Kreacher to come back to me and..."
"Stop babbling, Black! If the Dark Lord meant your house-elf to die, why don't you simply obey to his wish. Why did you bring it to me? Do you expect me to oppose to the Dark Lord? Do you question my loyalty?"
"Yes. I mean- no. No, I don't know, but you're not like the other Slytherins, Severus. Please help Kreacher. You're probably the only one who can cure him. I'm certain you know a remedy to whatever potion the Dark Lord forced him to drink."
"Perhaps," Severus said in a silky voice that lulled the young Black into a false sense of security, and while the boy was glancing at him with hope in his eyes, Severus was scanning his mind for any... falseness. But he found none. Apparently, Regulus was truly concerned about the well-being of Kreacher. He wasn't sent by the Dark Lord to test Severus' loyalty.
"Take care of the whelp," he told Raven as he walked towards the kitchen, carrying the elf with him. "I don't want to be disturbed."
-o-
"Do you think he can-"
"Yes," Raven silenced the boy as she ushered him into her room where she made him sit down on the sofa. "Now relax and let Severus do whatever he needs to do. And tell me how you found out where we live."
"He mentioned it once, when we met at Fortescue's- so you really think Snape can find a cure for Kreacher?"
"Sure. What's the elf to you anyway?"
Regulus sighed. "I've known him since the day I was born; he's very close to me... like a friend."
"Ah." She had read that many pure-blood families didn't bother with changing nappies or all the other tedious stuff that came with raising a child; they often left the dirty job to the house-elves. So Kreacher was probably sort of a nanny to Regulus and most likely the boy had seen more of that elf than of his parents. She almost felt sorry for him. Perhaps the only attention young Blackie got from his parents was when he was parroting their sick ideals of blood-supremacy.
Meanwhile, Regulus was glancing around, taking in his surroundings with wide eyes. He was definitely not familiar with modern Muggle furniture.
"Are those magical artefacts?" He pointed at the lava lamps.
Raven wanted to answer in the negative but changed her mind since there was something magical about lava lamps. The rising and falling of the colourful bubbles always had a soothing effect on Severus, so she switched them on, hoping they would do the same for Regulus. And the boy was impressed- at least for a short moment. Then his grey, curious eyes drifted to something else instead.
"Oh, is that a visiotelly?"
Raven rolled her eyes. "It's called television- or short, TV."
"Wow," he said, staring at the empty black screen. "And where are the moving pictures?"
Oh dear, those pure-bloods are really clueless when being confronted with the Muggle world, Raven thought as she reached for the remote control to turn on the TV. Now Regulus was really gaping. It wasn't like anything he'd ever seen before, not like the wizarding pictures that were smiling or scowling or waving- these pictures did not repeat themselves; they were constantly changing, showing Muggles talking to each other in different scenes.
He glanced at the black thing in Raven's hand that had made a totally new world come alive. "Is that a special Muggle wand?"
"It's called remote control. You simply press the buttons to flip through the TV channels- "
"Can't I use my own wand to do that?" Regulus made an attempt to brandish his wand at the TV screen but Raven snatched it from his hands before he could cause any harm.
"No! Stop that, you stupid boy! Don't you know that Muggle electricity reacts very sensitive to magic?"
Regulus didn't reply. He had just pressed a button and a new scene was unfolding on the screen, like magic. A Muggle woman was telling a Muggle man that she was in love with him, begging him to not leave her, and Blackie seemed to be totally mesmerized with Coronation Street. Since he was beginning to relax, Raven decided to sneak out of her room and into the kitchen to see what Severus was doing.
-o-
She was greeted with the most absurd sight. Severus was pouring a familiar brown liquid down the house-elf's throat.
"Is that actually Coke you're bottle-feeding him with?"
Severus glanced up briefly without confirming her theory, then he simply continued. Apparently with success, since Kreacher was already looking much better. His cheeks had taken on a more rosy tinge and he was beginning to protest against being manhandled by a 'filthy half-blood.'
In spite of that, the elf's hands clawed at the bottle, drinking as much as he could down of that 'disgusting Muggle brew', loathing it just as much as he craved for it.
"Poor Kreacher... poor Master Regulus... if he could see... big-nose half-breed scum is abusing Kreacher, can't help... give Kreacher more... abhorrent brew... abomination... "
He looked like a withered baby, aged beyond time, uttering obscenities between taking greedy gulps of Coke.
"Foul brew... so revolting... give me more... you... stinking disgrace of wizardkind."
"Oh, he's quite a charmer, isn't he?"
"He's ungrateful and annoying. I don't even know why I'm trying to save this spiteful creature."
"Because you're a great guy, Sev," Raven said as she gently rubbed his arm.
He snorted derogatorily. "Who are you trying to fool, Lestrange? The poison he consumed is my
creation."
"Yep, I already gathered that much, and apparently there is an antidote to it"
"Well, I didn't lie to the Dark Lord when I told him that there is none in the wizarding world-"
"Too bad for him to always underestimate the Muggles, hm? But why Coke?"
Severus didn't reply at once. He frowned and gestured at Kreacher, indicating that the house-elf might tattle. Raven, however, waved his worries aside.
"Blackie won't allow him to say a word."
"You trust him?"
Raven nodded. "I think he is currently... reconsidering his ideology, thanks to the TV program. And he's decent enough to know he's indebted to you for saving his spiteful little friend. So, why Coke?"
"Liquid Thirst causes dehydration and Hyperglycaemia, meaning a lower than normal level of blood glucose. The effects of that can range from headache over mild dysphoria to serious brain damage; the victim will be in a state that resembles drug abuse or drunkenness, bordering to delirium."
"Ah, and sugared water wouldn't help?"
"Only for a short time. There are other ingredients in that horrible Muggle brew that are supportive, especially caffeine. Also, one shouldn't underestimate the properties of citrus fruits and spices like vanilla, cinnamon or coriander as potion ingredients, given that they haven't even been researched properly yet. Vanilla, for example has soothing as well as stimulating effects.
"Besides, I know you always keep at least one bottle of Coke in your fridge."
Our fridge, Raven wanted to correct him when it suddenly dawned upon her what he was actually trying to say without speaking it out loud. Whatever Lord V had in mind with Liquid Thirst, Severus had seen to it that there was an antidote available for her; he wanted to know her safe. And that meant a lot to her.
The butterflies in her stomach were in a wild frenzy. She flung her arms around his neck, hugging him hard as she kissed his cheek. But before she could whisper something stupid, Kreacher let out a hoarse, gagging sound of disgust.
"Ugh! Repugnant half-breeds. Yuck! No manners, no decorum. Kreacher must protect his dear master from debauchery. Where is Master Regulus?"
"Well, I guess he's enjoying the decadence of Muggle lifestyle in my perfectly Muggle furnished room," Raven quipped.
"Obnoxious half-blood scum, shame to the wizarding world," Kreacher croaked before rising his bullfrog voice to a higher volume. "MASTER REGULUS?"
Only an instant later, Regulus Black came rushing into the kitchen, relieved to see that his elf was alive and well and just as pleasant as ever.
"Kreacher! Are you alright?"
"Big-nose half-breed forced Kreacher to drink vile brown Muggle potion."
"But you're alive and that's all that matters." Regulus turned to address Severus. "Thank you, Snape. I owe you… and I'm not sure if I can ever repay in an adequate way."
Raven frowned at that; there seemed to be something… final in his words. A fierce spark of determination lit up in his eyes, and she didn't like that either. Quickly, she exchanged glances with Severus. He had noticed it, too.
Regulus said goodbye.
'We cannot let him leave!' Raven screamed wordlessly before she acted out of instinct. She flung herself at Regulus, knocking him down. They rolled over the floor in the hallway. Kreacher hurried to protect his dear master and grabbed for Raven's ankle.
"Leave Master Regulus alone! Filth! Scum!"
The elf was about to dig his teeth into Raven's leg but a mocking chuckle stopped him. Actually, the whole scene of madness seemed to freeze when they all glanced up to stare at Severus, who was blocking the front door, his wand at the ready. He did cut an impressive figure as he sneered at them.
"Rolling over the floor like brawling Muggle brats- I expected a more superior behaviour from a Black. On the other hand… perhaps not, given what I know of your brother. And Lestrange, why don't you try it the magical way- for the sake of elegance."
"Ah, but isn't it rude to fire a Petrificus Totalus at the back of a dear guest?"
"Sometimes, the end justifies the means," Severus said dryly.
Meanwhile, Kreacher tugged at Regulus robes, croaking, "Master, let Kreacher take you away from here."
"Besides," Severus continued to lecture Raven, "I didn't hex Black. At least not yet. I merely Apparated to the door in order to stop him."
"Apparition requires determination, and I'm simply not determined enough to Apparate within my own flat," Raven replied.
To everybody's surprise, Regulus was suddenly laughing out loud. "Dear Merlin, you two are incredible!"
"Yeah, I guess we are," Raven smirked. "And that's why you can't fool us, Blackie. Whatever you have in mind- forget about it since it's probably an incredibly stupid idea anyway. Don't rush things-"
"After all, you're not a recklessly foolish Gryffindor like your brother," Severus cut in.
"Abhorrent blood-traitor scum!" Kreacher hissed. "Ran away and gave poor mistress so much woe- oh, poor Mistress."
Raven thought that now was a good moment to change her strategy, so she smiled sweetly at Kreacher and said, "I'm certain you want to spare your mistress even more grief, don't you?"
"Yes... filthy half-blood." The house-elf stared at Raven with big pale eyes; his bat-like ears were unfurled and perked up. Then he coiled up one of his ears as he shrewdly glanced at Regulus. "Master Regulus, Kreacher thinks that filthy half-blood witch is trying to manipulate Kreacher."
"You're probably right, but please refrain from calling them names," Regulus chided him gently. "As it seems, they're our friends- I reckon."
"But Master Regulus, they are of lower blood. Unworthy. Bad company for Master Regulus of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black."
"No, Kreacher. We owe them. Master Severus saved your life."
"Master Regulus should not have to owe big-nose for saving Kreacher's life because Kreacher is just a house-elf."
"Listen," Raven interjected before Regulus could reply, "why don't we go and sit down in my room, have a nice glass of wine, and talk things over?"
Regulus seemed to be pondering about a way how to politely decline her invitation and weasel himself out of this dilemma, but a brief glance in Snape's direction told him that any attempt to make a hasty retreat would be futile. Besides, he had meant it when he claimed that Raven and Severus were his friends, although it was perhaps still sort of an... uneasy friendship. Nevertheless, he had undoubtedly chosen his path the very moment he had knocked at their door, and now there was no way back. He just had to trust them.
On the other hand, he was a too Slytherin to not try and make advantage of the situation. They wanted to know something of him, so they would have to give some knowledge in return.
"Alright," he said resolutely. "Snape, put your wand down; I will accept your hospitality- on one condition."
Severus arched a brow at him that indicated amusement and curiosity all at once. "Indeed," he drawled in a mocking tone, "so pray tell me what is your... condition."
Albeit Regulus was feeling a little foolish, he couldn't help but burst out, "What do you know about my brother that you always refer to him as if he were a dog?"
Severus just smirked as he guided 'Blackie' into Raven's room.