Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I don't make money from this fic.
August 6, 1981 Falmouth, England - Nott Residence
Regulus and Severus stood before the Dark Lord, their eyes on the ground. They knew they'd have to deliver the information of Lily and James's whereabouts together in order to achieve their ends.
"From what you've told me, Severus, it seems your infiltration mission was successful?" Voldemort asked, seated in his armchair in front of the men.
"Yes, my Lord. They willingly invited us into their home, told us their secret, and now that Peter is dead, Regulus and I are secret keepers for the Potters, as well."
"Yes, I can see the location in your mind, Severus. They were in Godric's Hollow after all! You've served me well, the both of you. Regulus, any word from your brother and his wife?" the Dark Lord asked.
"No, sir, last I heard, they'd left Rye, no signs of where they might have gone. I think the death of Peter scared Sirius and he fled."
"Ah, well, I'm sure their foolish bravery will force them into action when I kill their little friend. If Black doesn't come to me, I'm certain his wife will. She's always had a desire to save her friends, hasn't she?" He said, coldly. He stood, looking the two men over. "Severus, you are to send word to Bellatrix and Rodolphus, you three are to take Rabastan and Crouch and head to London. Longbottom's mother lives there. I believe Rabastan knows the place. I believe if you find her, you'll find the child. Then, I believe the parents will come to us."
"Yes, my Lord." Severus said.
"And Regulus. Take Mulciber and Wilkes and search the Black's cottage in Rye. Find out where they've gone." He said.
"My Lord, I won't be able to take them to the cottage until Lily is dead. She's the secret keeper."
"Ah, that little problem will be remedied soon enough." Voldemort said. "Now off you go, both of you. I need time to prepare for my own mission."
"Yes, my Lord," They both murmured, ducking their heads and making their way out of the room. They passed a guard standing watch outside. Rosier. Regulus made a mental note of that as he and Severus left the house. It wasn't until they were out of sight of the house that they dared talk.
"I told you Occlumency would come in handy." Snape muttered. Regulus grinned when he saw Severus's lips twitch up.
"I've gotta say, Snape, you make a fine double agent. Triple agent? Whatever." Regulus said as they approached the apparition point.
"You know my plan." Severus told Regulus. "But how are you going to get back into the Nott house?"
"I've got an idea." Regulus said, scrunching up his face. "But it's not gonna be fun."
"Well good luck." Severus said with a nod.
"You, too. We're gonna need it."
Wimbourne, England - Lestrange House
Severus strode up the drive of the large house, trying to calm his nerves. His face was a stone mask, though his hands trembled slightly. There was no denying he was nervous. One wrong move, and he could end up dead. He took a breath and knocked on the door. Try not to die, he told himself. Bellatrix herself opened the door; she must have seen him coming.
"Severus, how lovely. I assume this isn't a social call, though? You never come round unannounced." Bellatrix said, letting him into the foyer.
"Afraid not, Bella. Are Rodolphus and Rabastan around? This involves them, as well." He asked. She nodded.
"In the lounge, as usual. Is it urgent?" She asked.
"Quite." he said. Try not to die.
She lead him to the lounge, where the two men sat, one smoking a pipe. Severus sneered at the pipe, but nodded at the two men.
"Severus! We've got news from the Dark Lord, then?" Rodolphus asked, looking up at the two of them.
"Indeed. An urgent mission. You've got orders to track down Augusta Longbottom. Lord Voldemort is under the assumption that you know where she lives, Rabastan?" he asked.
"Yeah, been staking it out for a month or so. You coming with us on this one?" he asked, getting to his feet.
"No, you're to take Crouch. I've got other orders." he said, before turning on his heel and making to leave the room.
"Oi, Snape, where're you headed?" Rabastan asked.
"If you must know, I've got to use the toilet. Would you like to follow me to ensure everything comes out alright?" He threw over his shoulder.
"Er, you go right ahead, mate. We'll head out when you get back." he said, avoiding eye contact.
"Right." Snape said, stiffly, continuing out into the hall. That actually worked? He's more stupid than he looks.
He headed upstairs. Luckily for him, the bathroom was right next to the room Bellatrix had devoted to storing all her Dark artifacts, and, in fact, the Cup, as well. Severus slipped into the room quietly, scanning the room and making a beeline for it. He stopped short, finding it suspicious that Bellatrix would leave such a valuable artifact in the middle of a room with little more than a glass display case to protect it from theft. He caught a glimmer in the air around the case, and his question was answered. He drew his wand and leveled it at the case.
"Aparecium." he said, and a silvery barrier revealed itself around the case, an anti-theft enchantment. Why am I doing this? This is ridiculous. I'm an idiot. "Finite Incantatem." He winced waiting for Bellatrix or one of the Lestrange brothers to burst through the door, but that didn't happen. He sighed in relief. He opened the case carefully, pulling out the Cup and setting it on top of the case.
"Gemino." He said, watching the Cup split into two. He picked up the copy and placed it back into the case, before shrinking the real Cup and placing it in an inside pocket in his robes. He stepped back, waving his wand and resecuring the antitheft charm he'd taken down moments ago. He took a deep breath and quickly exiting the room. He had only walked a few paces before he came face to face with Rodolphus, though. He panicked, but didn't let it show. Fuck. I'm an idiot.
"Thought your were going to the toilet, Snape? Well, there's the toilet-" He nodded to the door just behind Severus, "And here's you. And I didn't hear no water running, neither."
"That's because I used the one down the hall." Severus lied smoothly. "This one is far too cramped." Rodolphus narrowed his eyes, but shrugged.
"S'pose you're right, it is a bit cramped." he said. "Well, we're ready to head out and lock up, if you're quite done."
"Certainly." He said, trying his damnedest to not let out a sigh of relief. Apparently, they're even bigger idiots than I am, I might actually get away with this. He followed the man down the stairs, where Bellatrix and Rabastan were standing in the foyer.
"Everything come out okay, Severus? You were up there a rather long time." Bellatrix asked.
"Food poisoning. Ate some undercooked fish at the Hog's Head the other night. Should've known better." Severus said, shaking his head.
"Well, I do hope it doesn't affect your mission." Bellatrix said, pointedly.
"My dear, nothing could keep me from my mission. I assure you, a little food poisoning couldn't keep me from this task." he said sincerely.
"Good man." Rabastan said, clapping him on the back. "Let's get a move on, then, shall we?"
"Indeed." he said, following the trio out. He didn't dare celebrate until he'd apparated away. The Order was gathered at the home of Frank and Alice Longbottom. He was to return there and wait for the signal from James and Lily. He only hoped Regulus was having half the luck he'd had.
Rye, England - Fletchers House Tea Rooms
Regulus had had no choice but to bring Mulciber and Wilkes to Rye and wait for the charm to be broken. At least, that's what he told them. He was really just biding his time, trying to find the time to sneak off and get a patronus out to the Potters. They sat in a corner in a quiet restaurant, biding their time.
He tapped his fingers on the table, ignoring his tea. He looked out the window at the little town, realizing why Hermione and Sirius had picked it. It was an old town, but gorgeous, full of winding, cobbled streets and quaint, brick-faced shops.
Regulus fought a smile. His brother and sister-in-law loved history and learning. He was certain the town held a place in his heart for that reason alone, not to mention its proximity to the sea. When they were kids, Sirius had asked their parents several times to go on holiday at the beach, but Walburga had never relented. Regulus sighed, putting the thought of his mother out of his mind.
He looked around the little tea room. It was early afternoon on a thursday. The place wasn't overly crowded, but there were enough people that Regulus could slip away if he needed to. He straightened up, deciding it was time to enact his plan.
"I'm going to check the house. Stay here, I'll come after you when the spell's broken." Regulus said.
"Why don't we just follow you?" Wilkes asked, starting to get to his feet.
"Because you wouldn't be able to see me after a certain point." Regulus sighed. "The charm is still in place. Until Lily is dead, you won't be able to get close."
"How will you know when she dies?" Mulciber asked.
"Believe me," He said, looking him dead in the eye. "I'll know."
He left the little restaurant, easily walking the three blocks to his brother's cottage. They'd left the door unlocked for him. He walked in and sat in the old chair that Sirius loved. He ran a hand over his face.
This plan was insane, but it was all he had. He pulled out his wand.
"Expecto Patronum."
Godric's Hollow - Potter House
Lily had just finished washing the lunch dishes when the silver crow flew into the kitchen. She looked up at James, who was drying the last of the plates. They both turned to the patronus as it opened its mouth.
"No time to explain, send me word when he gets to you. Separate patronus from the Order, I won't be with them. I'll be there as soon as I can. Stay safe." Regulus's voice said, sounding tired, but determined.
"I hope he's alright." Lily said.
"I'm sure he's fine, sounds like he's got a plan." James said, squeezing her shoulders.
"You're probably right. Reg knows what he's doing." She said, wiping off the counter. She jumped when a loud whistle ripped through the kitchen. Lily looked over to the table, where the Sneakoscope they'd sat there was spinning, flashing and whistling wildly.
"Looks like it's time." James said, glancing to Lily before they sprang into action.
A dark figure appeared in front of the Potter house, dressed in black robes. He held a wand in his hand as he stalked up the front walk. Lord Voldemort smiled at the neat little house. He'd been all over this town, but he'd never seen this house before. He knew that meant it was the right one. He allowed himself the satisfaction of a smirk as he climbed the stairs to the front door. He could hear a radio on inside. They were home, then. He twisted the knob, surprised that the door was unlocked. But then, why would they bother locking the door if their house was invisible to all but a select few? Or if those locks were useless, anyway. He pushed the door open, a smile on his face.
He was finally going to put an end to this silly prophecy. He'd finally have his way and nothing would stand between him and his plans to take over the Ministry and begin his new world order. The wizarding world, as it was always meant to be, would be born from the murders he was about to commit. It would rise like a phoenix from the flame.
He stepped into the house, ready to end their little game of cat and mouse, and move on to bigger obstacles. Surely, these two Order members and their child would be sitting ducks, complacent in their little bubble of safety. After all, they couldn't even be bothered to lock their door.
Voldemort heard a whistling noise. He followed it to the kitchen, where he saw the Sneakoscope spinning wildly on the table, flashing a warning to an empty kitchen. He swore under his breath. Had they fled? Surely they couldn't have gotten too far? He caught something moving in the corner of his eye and looked up at the back door which had been left ajar. There was movement outside. He walked quietly to the back door, venturing out into the yard, seeing nothing but a few trees, a small garden, and a wheat field that backed into a wooded area. Just as he was about to turn back to the house, he saw a ripple in the air, and suddenly a man and a woman appeared at the edge of the field, wands drawn.
"I see you've decided not to hide from death." Voldemort said, quietly. "How brave. And utterly stupid."
"Oh, we're not here to greet death." James said, off handedly. "We're here to end this war, once and for all."
"And how are you going to do that, Potter?" He spat.
"Well, you see," Lily said, looking back at the wheat field and waving. "We've brought some friends."