Chapter 46: The Price Of War
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{"Don't give us none of your aggravation...We had it with your discipline...Saturday night's alright for fighting...Get a little action in"} Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting, Nickelback/Elton John
The Potter Residence,The Burrows, Wizarding World...
Word of what occurred at Hogsmeade Village had gotten back to Harry Potter's family as the green eyed wizard landed in the open field. Ron and Hermione rushed to greet him unsure of how he would be taking the loss of those they had known in their once treasured of childhood places. Harry had been none too surprised to see Regulus Snape among his family and it appeared they had all been chatting about a way to deal with the increasing threat of Arcturus and his Serpent Brothers Of Destruction.
"What's our next move?" asked Hermione, the ever logical one among them.
"I haven't decided yet." replied Harry.
Upon hearing this Ronald Weasley had been filled with rage.
"What the bloody hell do you mean you haven't decided yet?" he asked as if it had been an easy answer. "That nutter's running lose and murdering people as we speak!"
"I know that Ron." said Harry attempting to quell his own temper in the wake of his discovery. "But rushing off to fight him is exactly what Arcturus was trying to provoke."
Hermione had been in agreement of this.
"It seems he is making his moves in a calculating fashion." she said. "Knowing where to strike to deal out the most damage."
"Almost like a serpent." remarked Regulus seeing the strange aspect of cleverness in their enemies tact.
"So big deal...the bloody nutter happens to be a Slytherin." muttered Ron bitterly. "Voldemort was a Slytherin and look what Harry did to him."
"I don't believe he's a Slytherin Ron." said Harry taking a moment to breathe. "At least not directly."
"What the hell is that suppose to mean?" asked the red head wizard folding his arms across his chest.
"Well...for one thing...most of the Slytherins we know have come to accept Snape's death." said the green eyed wizard pondering the events that lead to this very moment. "Any other Slytherins hated Snape's guts when it was revealed he had betrayed Voldemort to save me."
"So...just because a few of them turned over a new leaf doesn't mean that it isn't possible for one of them to return to wreak havoc...for crying out loud Harry Snape could bloody well be an easy banner for them to rally around just to throw us off." said Ron having fully considered another alternative to his friend's conclusions.
"That is a possibility." began Harry as if he had been about to consider coming around to his brother-in law's way of thinking.
"No." replied Regulus interrupting the two of them. "Arcturus is not some old grudge posing to give my father a bad rep...this guy is the real deal...and he won't stop until he destroys Geek boy's life and reputation as well."
"I don't see the point of this conflict." said Hermione with an exhausted sigh. "Harry has done nothing wrong...he's even fought to get Snape's portrait into the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts...his youngest son bares the man's name for Merlin's sake."
"It's something much deeper than mere conflict." said Regulus beginning to understand this Arcturus a lot better than he intended. "It's almost as if he were waging a war just to get people to acknowledge my father's role in the war...that it eclipses anything you might have done to Voldy in the end."
Ronald Weasley narrowed his eyes at the Junior Snape.
"The way you talk it's almost like you agree with him." he muttered.
"Wither I agree or disagree with the intent of Arcturus' message pales in comparison to the fact that he's using my father to destroy innocent lives." replied Regulus narrowing his obsidian orbs at the red head wizard. "My father has had enough blood on his hands for one lifetime...he doesn't need an increase to the body count."
Ron had not liked the younger Snape one bit and his apparent sympathies for their enemies' message had been more than enough to convince him to mistrust the strange American son of his former Potions Professor.
"You know what I think?" asked Ron not at all letting up on his suspicions.
"No but I'm sure you're going to go out of your way to tell us." replied Regulus bitterly knowing all too well of Ron's accusations.
"I think you're one of them." said Ron glaring at him.
"Of course you do." replied the raven haired wizard.
"How do we know you aren't Arcturus?" asked the red head wizard. "You've only recently just gotten back from Hogwarts...I don't know how you've managed to get passed McGonagall's wards and into the school but I know some outsider like you who never even went to the school should never have been allowed inside."
"What's your point freckles?" asked Regulus annoyed.
"My point...you greasy git junior is that Hogsmeade was fine before you made a mysterious visit." replied Ron. "Care to explain to everyone why Neville Longbottom placed you at the scene only a day prior to the attack that leveled it?"
"I stopped for a drink before visiting my father's portrait." replied Regulus. "I left after some jerk decided to attack me due to my resemblance to my father...I'm guessing that happened to be your...Neville Longbottom."
Ron continued to glare harshly at the wizard before him.
"Neville ended up needing to be treated at St. Mungo's." he said with an accusatory tone. "For burns wounds."
Harry looked from Ron to Regulus unsure what to do about their evidently hostile tempers.
"Ron stop this." said Hermione stepping between them. "This is not the time for petty disagreements."
"Like hell it isn't." hissed the red head wizard. "You think I don't know that you didn't come home last night...you think I don't know it was because you spent the night with this greasy yank son of a bitch."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Regulus leveled him with a swift hay-maker to the jaw causing everyone to gasp in shock. Hermione had been powerless to employ reason at that time as Ron got up from the ground a bit dazed but enraged as blood trickled from his lip.
The red head wizard rushed the son of his former Potions Professor only to find himself much too slow despite being propelled by his anger.
Regulus slammed the hot-headed wizard onto the ground and once more Ron attempted to get up. It had only been a matter of time before the bulls of the group locked horns as they continued to trade blows despite Ron being the more winded of the two given his leisurely life style compared to Regulus' impressive build and discipline via his father's training.
"STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM MY FAMILY!" shouted Ron still trying his hardest to hit Regulus in a way that supplemented his ego.
He had failed rather miserably as Regulus again slammed the winded red head wizard onto his back in front of his own family.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" shouted Hermione growing angry with the pettiness of the situation.
Ron attempted to tackle Regulus one last time only to find himself caught in mid-stride in preparation for another slam only this time nothing happened.
The bracing wizard noticed that it had been due to Hermione having launched Regulus thirty meters away from the group in a bid to protect a helpless Ron.
Feeling the sting of having been hexed by an irate Hermione Granger for the second time since their initial encounter, Regulus got to his feet without another word and disapparated from the open field. As Hermione watched him go, she had no doubt in her mind that he was fed up with assisting them from this point on.
Ron seemed pleased to have finally driven Regulus Snape away but his antics had cost them an ally in the wake of this war.
"Nice going Ron." said Ginny narrowing her eyes at her vastly selfish brother. "I won't be surprised if he doesn't come back."
"So." replied the red head wizard getting to his feet despite the pain and dusting himself off. "We don't need that greasy American git...we fought Voldemort and won didn't we?"
Harry had been silent ever since the fight broke out. He had been torn between wanting to believe that Regulus had nothing to do with the strange dark wizard cult that had descended upon the wizarding world but something about Ron's words had him drift back to his initial suspicions of Snape during his time at Hogwarts.
Regulus had pointed out himself that Arcturus wasn't a Slytherin but merely adapted the tactics of one and who better to teach his son to be as a Slytherin than the former Head of Slytherin House himself.