"Master should rest," Kreacher suggested not for the first time that night.
Regulus ignored his advice just as he had every other time it had been offered.
"I will in a bit," he answered vaguely as he brought the ring nearer to his face to study more closely.
It was the middle of the night, but instead of sleeping he was up trying to figure out a way to rid Gaunt's ring of its curse. Since they had arrived in India, he had been staying up well into each night to research variations of curses and even poisons that could be used on the ring. He had also spent a fair amount of time casting counter spells at random on it. So far he had been grossly unsuccessful in his efforts.
He wasn't exactly hiding what he was doing from Sirius, but as his brother had a habit of complaining incessantly about how much he hated research on the rare occasion he participated, it was easier for Regulus to concentrate in Sirius' absence.
He still thought it likely that fiendfyre could destroy the horcrux without need of removing the curse, but in doing so, he wouldn't be able to help Evan escape from the death eaters. Was helping Evan, who never actually asked for help, really his priority? Shouldn't he be more concerned with getting home so he could hunt more horcruxes?
Especially after Evan had taken a spell that he had shown him from his family's grimoires in confidence, and knowingly used it to the detriment of one of the few people he knew Regulus cared about.
He couldn't pretend that didn't bother him.
After nearly a week of being angry though, he realized that Evan wouldn't have chosen to use that spell in Rachel's presence if he had had another option. Since it was Evan's putting Rachel in danger that bothered Regulus worse than Evan's use of the spell- and because Sirius' letter had said Rachel was nearly recovered already, Regulus supposed he probably should get over it.
Rachel, on the other hand, would likely never forgive Evan. Not that Evan would care. Regulus wasn't sure if it even mattered as the only link between the two of them had always been him, and it wasn't as if Rachel was particularly thrilled with him at the moment either.
Besides, Regulus had told Evan to do whatever he had to do to survive without worrying about how it would affect him. He had also told him that he would help him leave the death eaters if he ever wanted to. That was the cause of his sleep deprivation. He wanted to remove the curse on the ring before returning to Britain, and he wanted to return to Britain as quickly as possible.
Regulus had been reading the book on Indian wizarding customs that he had ordered, but his mind kept drifting back to Gaunt's ring, and what he was going to do to get rid of the curse on it.
"You've had a day and a half to read through that book, Regulus," his mother chided him. "The information is not going to change. I think it is past time we move to live among our own kind."
Regulus exhaled slowly before answering. It wasn't exactly a small book that he was reading, and with this being the first time she had even acknowledged that he was reading about wizarding India at all, he thought she might have shown a bit more interest.
"This book is not entirely inclusive. It sites only one wizarding community in the whole of India. It is supposed to be quite large, bigger than Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade combined, but I suspect there are other communities that are not listed. The book does allude to the Indian School of Witchcraft and Wizardry being located somewhere in the Eastern Ghats with a small residential area of wizards nearby. With it being their version of Hogwarts, I don't suppose they can come right out and say exactly where it is located though."
"None of us are school aged anymore. Obviously we'll be going to the other place," Sirius answered unnecessarily.
"Right, so as I said, that community is quite a ways north of here. It's located in Madhya Pradesh, and while I agree that the sooner we get you settled the better, it might interest you to know that nearly every region in India has a different official language, especially in the south and east. From what I've read, English is spoken more often here than what we would necessarily find farther north."
Seeing Sirius and his mother's blank stares, Regulus rambled on, "In the south, English is often a second or third language of the people, allowing for those from different states to communicate amongst each other. Farther north, Hindi is the official language of much of the region, no longer necessitating the use of English."
"I tell you I wish to live among our kind, and you give me a history lesson of muggles," his mother remarked disdainfully.
"It's important because, as I've said, the only wizarding community that I've found in India is an area where Hindi is the primary language."
"India is the country of languages, is it not? I'm sure there will be plenty enough of the wizarding community who can speak English as a second or third language… if not they can learn."
Regulus leaned his head against the couch he had been sitting on and closed his eyes as Sirius sneered,
"Loads of English is spoken to the north west of here, Regulus… she is not going to make an effort to fit in here because she wants you to either stay with her or agree to take her back to Britain with you."
His mother looked scandalized, "You can't have expected me to learn a new language in two weeks."
Regulus fought to keep his expression neutral and ignored his impulse to add to Sirius' sentiment. For once, his brother was right. Their mother had made no effort to adapt to their new surroundings in India. Unfortunately, she was unlikely to do so anywhere else either.
It was beyond frustrating, as Regulus had found learning about the history and culture of India to be fascinating and thought his mother, and even Sirius, would too if they had not already decided to remain purposely ignorant of it all.
"If someone approached you in London and began speaking Malayalam to you as if you should understand them, would you not secretly think they should put forth the effort to speak English?"
Sirius chuckled, "Mother has never thought anything secretly in her life."
"You've said the official language of Belize is English. Perhaps we should try there next?" Walburga asked a bit too innocently.
Regulus set his jaw, "You are staying here whether you fit in or not!"
"Now Regulus," Sirius reprimanded mockingly, "You don't want to be too harsh with mother, less she might rebel and find herself in trouble."
"She is a Black and will behave as such once we're gone," Regulus answered ironically, "pride alone should ensure it."
Mrs. Black straightened her already rigid position in the armchair she occupied, "I don't know who taught you it was acceptable to ship your only mother off to live in India alone, but I would have thought you had a bit more concern for my well-being," she remarked haughtily.
"This isn't the first you've heard of this plan. I've told you we will ensure you are settled well enough in the wizarding community here before we leave," Regulus answered.
"Well, I just don't know if India is safe for a single woman like myself."
"I pity anyone who underestimates you," Sirius answered absentmindedly. Realizing his remark could have been taken as complimentary, he added harshly, "If you do something foolish enough to get yourself killed, it's your own fault. You're too old to be considered attractive, you're abrasive and in case it's escaped your notice- you're a witch."
Regulus winced slightly at Sirius' choice of words but as he didn't feel the need to debate any of what he had said, remained quiet. He did hope her sense of self-preservation would kick in once she was away from him though- whether in India, or any place else.
Interrupting his mother's shrieks of indignation, Regulus remarked loudly, "Alright then… whenever you are ready to check out the wizarding community, we can go. We'll call Kreacher to bring our stuff once we have somewhere to stay."
Evan stood with Augustus Rookwood between two nondescript muggle warehouses in Manchester. According to Snape, the residential area nearby was home to one of the Order members, and the location of the scheduled meeting for the night.
"Are we really meant to just attack any stray Order members who wander by?" Rookwood asked him skeptically, "Could this not be a test of Dumbledore's to ensure Snape is trustworthy?"
Evan sighed inwardly. Rookwood was content when he was able to work in the ministry and secretly pass information to Voldemort. He either thought himself too good to do anything aside from that, or was inherently petrified of being caught with his other affiliations.
"Don't be thick. Our orders are to kill any known Order members that we see. How could you interpret that as anything differently?" he asked gruffly.
Rookwood looked at him in surprise but Evan couldn't be bothered to care. He didn't know Rookwood well, but suspected he knew the only reason why the latter could be surprised by his callousness.
Regulus had had a bad habit of indulging some of the lesser cruel death eaters by offering them explanations when they wanted reassurance. As nearly everyone had associated Regulus and Evan together, it had seemingly given Evan, who refused to mollycoddle anyone- a softer reputation than he deserved- certainly more than he wanted.
They resumed their vigil in silence after that. Around a quarter until meeting time, they heard obnoxious cackling from who could only be James Potter. A softer male's voice chimed in as did a female's who he assumed was Lily Potter's.
None of them bothered him until he heard what sounded like Rachel's voice and was filled with dread. Why did she always seem to find him when he was supposed to be killing people?
Noticing Rookwood was ready to pounce into action, Evan whispered, "We are only supposed to attack if it is a stray Order member. If it's a group we'll have to let them pass."
"There are other death eaters not far from here. We can call them for back up-"
"No, it would be too obvious we were waiting for them. We'll have to let them go, less our infiltration of the Order will have been for nothing," Evan answered as he pressed himself into a doorframe as much as he could so as to avoid drawing attention to himself.
Rookwood looked at him as if he were going to contradict him before thinking better of it and ducking behind a dumpster just as the Potters followed by Rachel and Lupin unknowingly passed them.
He couldn't prevent Rachel from getting killed, but at least he had avoided doing it himself- this time. He knew Regulus must be angry over his contribution to her being attacked, especially considering the spell choice. He liked to think there was a chance he might get over it since she had obviously recovered. If Evan actually killed her though, well that might change things.
It was a pity for the next Order member who passed, as Evan was left with no choice but to kill them.
Regulus apparated his mother and Sirius into the Indian wizarding community, Avirodh.
He felt his eyes widen slightly as he tried to take it all in. It was bright and colorful- everything Diagon Alley used to be, before the Dark Lord began gaining power.
These days Diagon Alley was covered in wanted posters of known death eaters and littered with abandoned businesses which had closed due to its owners having fled the country or having been killed. Shoppers in Diagon Alley were constantly paranoid of an attack and made sure not to dally after dark.
In contrast, the shops of Avirodh gave a cheery atmosphere. Flocks of people shopped at their leisure amongst the multitude of shops and various vendors who were set up along the cobblestone street. The people in the street gave a far more relaxed impression than the ever present anxiousness in Britain of late. He suspected the shoppers here were less concerned about making it home before dark.
There seemed to be a modest representation of diversity among the people beyond those of Indian descent. The majority of men were dressed in wizarding robes, while the women were pretty evenly divided between wearing witch's robes and saris.
"We'll have to wait to explore until later," Regulus told them regretfully as it seemed for once they had both taken an interest in their surroundings. "We need to first see about housing before the ministry closes."
The trio of Blacks immediately found their way to the Indian equivalent to the Ministry of Magic, where they met with a wizard (who spoke English well, only adding to his mother's smugness) who assigned them to a standard flat along with much of the rest of wizarding India.
His mother had a rather difficult time with accepting that she was to live among 'the majority,' but Regulus and Sirius ignored her rants as they pretty well had them memorized by now.
"Being a Black means nothing here, mother. That's why we are here, remember?" Regulus asked as he led her and Sirius towards the white apartment building that had been indicated to them.
Sirius looked across the road from them and saw a neat row of stone houses. He wasn't sure what it would cost to get their mother into one of them, but had no doubt Regulus would be finding out.
Upon entering the apartment complex, Sirius was surprised at how much bigger the place was on the inside than it had appeared from outside. He had nearly gotten used to living without magic in the past couple weeks, what with as worried Regulus had been about getting caught using it. For a former death eater, his brother was a bit more concerned about the statute of secrecy than Sirius would have expected.
"What's the room number?" he asked as his mother and brother followed him inside.
"Lower Level 828," Regulus answered as he passed Sirius and pulled open a door to their left, revealing a set of stairs which led downward.
Regulus held open the door for their mother, who was oddly quiet, before following her down ahead of Sirius. It was as if Regulus expected him to trip their mother down the stairs or something.
"How can this go so far below the ground? Aren't there monsoons here or something? Won't we get flooded?" Sirius wondered aloud.
"There's this thing called magic…" Regulus began before answering seriously, "It gets too hot here in the summer for anyone to want to live more than a few floors up. Cooling charms can be exhausting if you have to do them all the time. By building underground the inside temperatures are more bearable, and as I said, magic keeps being underground from being an issue."
Upon arriving at their apartment's entrance, Regulus pushed open the door and again held it open for his mother. As he followed in behind her, Regulus remarked, "It feels bigger once inside, doesn't it?"
"I'll bet you've asked that question before," Sirius commented under his breath.
Regulus rolled his eyes and placed a hand over his chest as if wounded, mocking what he suspected Sirius would have done. Not realizing his mother had overheard Sirius, he missed the profound look of disapproval she gave him as he summoned Kreacher.
Mrs. Black was holding court in her newly conjured armchair as she looked disdainfully at everything in the room,
"I don't see why we can't pay to live somewhere bigger-?"
"If you want to live in a wizarding community there is limited space. You can't have a manor house in the middle of a shopping area. We can adjust this place to look more to your liking."
"Let's go eat and then explore," Sirius beckoned to Regulus before he could get too invested in their mother's discontentment.
"Would you like to come with us?" Regulus invited their mother.
"No, I'll remain here where I belong," Walburga answered contemptuously. "Alone with only a house elf for company."
"Enjoy," Sirius sniggered before dragging Regulus back out into the hall and slamming the door behind them.
"We won't be gone long," Regulus called over his shoulder just before the door shut.
As James and Lily were leading their group through Manchester, Rachel purposely hung back. When Remus turned to ensure she was still near them, she remarked,
"You know I don't blame you for what happened, don't you?" She asked him as they walked.
"I know you've said that a time or twenty," he said morosely.
"Yes, and I meant it. Please don't feel guilty and stop thinking I'm mad at you. There was nothing you could have done - Rosier is the one who cast the spell."
"The spell that Black showed him," he pointed out.
She hesitated, "Please don't blame him for what happened either," she said pleadingly. Remus raised an eyebrow at her change in tone. Before he could object, she added, "It was… a poor choice for him to have shown that spell to Rosier, but it was Rosier who cast the spell. I wouldn't have healed nearly as quickly without Regulus helping me. I sent him away because I was mad at him, but Evan is his best friend. He probably didn't think he would actually use the spell when he showed it to him or else he would have shown better judgment…and besides if Rosier hadn't cast the spell, I'm sure Bellatrix would have."
"Why are you defending him? I could have killed you."
"I know, but you didn't. And I know Regulus. Maybe not the Regulus who showed that stupid spell to Rosier, but the person he has been for the better part of the last two years. He would have never wanted that spell used against me, or on you, or anyone else."
By then they had arrived at the meeting place for the evening. Remus and Rachel followed James and Lily up the path to the house. When they arrived at the entrance, Remus paused with his hand on the door knob.
"Perhaps you shouldn't be so quick to forgive him, Rachel. As your friend, I'd hate to see you get hurt," he cautioned before pushing open the door and holding it open for her to enter ahead of him.
When she turned back to look for him, he had already engaged one of the Prewett twins who had been the nearest to the door in conversation.
Sirius sat in a booth across from Regulus in a restaurant on the outskirts of Avirodh. He stared at the menu in front of him despite having no idea what any of it said. He had intended to copy whatever Regulus said, but as he wasn't even bothering to look at his menu, Sirius hated to think what he was going to end up ordering.
"Do you really think mother will be okay here? I mean… I know she isn't trying… but once we're gone-?" Regulus asked awkwardly.
"Why do you care? She's a horrible person and she wouldn't have done any of this for you if your situations were reversed."
"If our situations were reversed… her situation is because of me. I'm the reason she is in danger, and she doesn't have anyone else to look after her."
"You found yourself in the position you were in to begin with because of her, because again, she is a horrible person."
"No, she is in this position because I willingly took the mark, and backed out later… and because her husband died and her other son hates her."
"No argument on the part about me hating her-"
"You can say what you want about her deserving your resentment, but when have you ever made an effort to get along with her? It works both ways."
Sirius had been trying not to argue with Regulus since they'd left Britain as it would only give opportunity to their mother to further manipulate his brother. Argument or not though, Sirius would never see Regulus' point of view when it came to their mother.
Before the silence had gotten too awkward, they were approached by a rather pretty Indian waitress around their age who spoke some gibberish at them.
Regulus answered back in carefully articulated gibberish which Sirius suspected sounded nothing like how it was supposed to.
The girl smiled slightly. Sirius couldn't wait to see what he had accidentally ordered.
Rather than copy his poor example, he found the drink section of the menu and selected one at random.
The waitress raised an eyebrow and left without another word. Sirius looked to Regulus expecting him to be smug about his inability to speak the lingo, but Regulus seemingly hadn't noticed as he was frowning over something behind him. Sirius turned in his seat and followed his gaze, but whatever sign posting that Regulus was reading, Sirius couldn't.
"What?" Sirius asked him. Instead of answering, Regulus gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head as the waitress had returned to their table. She placed a cup of tea in front of Regulus, and a deep red colored beverage in front of Sirius.
"What is that?" Regulus asked as Sirius took a drink.
"No idea, but its good," Sirius answered as he took a much bigger drink now that he knew what it tasted like.
The waitress, Amala, answered, "Mamajuano." At both of their blank stares, she added in nearly perfect English, "It is a drink that originates from the Dominican Republic. We have a very diverse population here in Avirodh. We try to be as accommodating as possible."
"So, what's in this mama-ju-ano?" Sirius asked, laughing at her unexpected ability to speak English before taking yet another drink of what tasted like wine only better.
"Rum, red wine and honey, soaked in a bottle with tree bark and herbs along with…a special ingredient," she said almost as if a question.
"Can you tell us what the special ingredient is, or is it a secret?" Regulus asked as he was considering ordering one himself since it tasted good enough for Sirius to have already drank most of his already.
"Grated sea turtle penis," she answered uneasily.
"Oh, no wonder you like it so well," Regulus quipped before seeing the repulsed expression on Sirius' face and letting out the bark of laughter that was more commonly heard from his brother.
After a brief moment of horror, Sirius grabbed the tea that had been too hot for Regulus to drink yet and chugged it, profusely burning his mouth and throat as he did so.
After they had finished eating their happily unadventurous meal, Sirius chuckled,
"You made such a big deal about learning Hindi, and almost everyone here speaks English."
"If we left the populous areas, I bet they don't," he answered touchily.
"Why would we ever leave the populous areas?" Sirius asked rhetorically before grinning, "Amala seems nice...Maybe she could introduce us to Avirodh properly. "
Regulus gave him a stern look, "Don't."
"Don't what? Ask her to show us around? All she can say is 'no,' though I can't see any reason for why she would. I mean look at us," he said arrogantly.
"Well for one, she just watched you swallow a turtle's chub… and enjoy it," Regulus deadpanned. Seeing Amala making her way back towards their table, he added quickly, "There's no recovering from that."
Regulus wouldn't have objected to having someone to show them around, if not for knowing Sirius well enough to know he had more in mind.
Cleary not discouraged by Regulus' warning, Sirius' entire demeanor changed as Amala presented them with their meal fare. Glancing at the bill unconcernedly, Sirius began in what he must have thought was a charming voice,
"Amala," Regulus kicked him under the table in effort to get him to shut up before making an arse of both of them. As always, Sirius ignored him and continued on, "I wondered if you might take pity on us woefully inexperienced newcomers-"
Regulus discreetly drew his wand, casting a silent 'Langlock,' which left Sirius unable to speak and looking like a displaced fish trying breathe on dryland.
In effort to distract a bemused Amala from Sirius as he was still trying, unsuccessfully to talk through the spell, Regulus remarked,
"I've read that the wizarding populations of Asia generally hold a bit more regard for muggle practices than in other parts of the world. I believe in India the principles of Ayurveda is particularly important. I found the concept to be intriguing."
For a moment Regulus wondered if she had heard him, for she had begun clearing their table in a very muggle fashion, and without comment. Regulus might have suspected she was a squib if not for having read the sign that stated the wait staff was not allowed to carry wands out of respect for those who were dining.
"The muggle principles of Ayurveda are believed to dictate the efficiency of our magic. When there is balance, we are empowered to better use our magic… If you do not intend to remain in India for long, there are a few books that might prove helpful to take with you."
"If you have recommendations, that would be great," he answered thankfully. "I'm also really interested to learn more about the history of poisons in this country, if you happen to know of any good books on that." At her look of surprise he amended, "Or perhaps directions to the bookstore most likely to have a selection on that topic. We've not had much of a chance to explore yet."
Amala pulled out a quill and parchment and scribbled out the names of the books she recommended as she gave him directions to the best bookstore in the village. Regulus didn't undo his spell on Sirius until they were safely back outside.
"Poisons? Really? Of all of the things you could have asked her, you chose poisons?" Sirius asked in disbelief.
"What was I meant to ask her? I was only trying to distract her from you. We aren't going to be here for long and the least attention we draw to ourselves while we're here the better."
"Which brings me back to the point of you asking about poison of all things. In a restaurant-"
"What? She might have known something..." Regulus said innocently despite realizing it had been an incredibly stupid thing to ask.
Regulus would have found it difficult to pull himself away from the oversized and diverse bookstore that Amala had recommended, if not for Sirius following him around with a copy of the Kama Sutra. Apparently the only version Sirius had ever seen before had been muggle and without the moving images of wizarding books.
After grabbing the first book he saw on Amala's list that was written in English, Regulus made his way over to the books on poisons. After making his selections there, he realized Sirius was no longer with him.
Inexplicably feeling as if he was missing something about, The Tale of the Three Brothers, children book of all things, he made his way towards the children's section of the store.
Sirius found him a few minutes later, his eyes alight for reasons Regulus didn't want to think about. Seeing Regulus holding a copy of, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Sirius looked back to his copy of the Kama Sutra frowning,
"Sometimes… it's really hard to believe that I'm only one year older than you."
Regulus scoffed as he hurriedly put the book back on the shelf before making his way to the checkout counter, "Yeah, usually it's difficult to believe that you're older at all."
They quickly checked out and left the store, intent to return to their temporary home at Regulus' insistence. As they walked they discussed a timeframe for which they could offer their mother. They agreed they would be skimping on their obligations if they stayed away from Britain for much longer.
