Hey all! Hope you enjoyed the last chapter and the preview of this one. In this chapter, Sam and Lily, (though mostly Sam) will be reminded that there is still a battle that needs to be fought. Do enjoy and as always, keep watching!


Chapter 13- "He Knows"

Samantha awoke on the floor of the common room to someone banging loudly on the entrance hall doorway.

In a fluid, garbled motion, she flung off Sirius' arms and lurched to her feet ignoring his piteous moaning and weakly grabbing arms.

"Yeah, yeah, alright hang on…" She called as the pounding got more persistent. "Shit, what time is it?" Sirius grumbled.

"Ugh, half past two in the morn- My God!" She gasped as a searing pain inflamed her left forearm. "Uh, stubbed my toe." She lied as she clutched at the arm, a sick feeling that nothing good was behind that door flashing in her mind.

"I'm gonna go take a shower. Wash this hang-over off." Sirius gritted, holding his head and glaring at the door.

Sam nodded distractedly and watched him ascend the staircase before lurching for the portrait and pushing it open, wand clasped tightly in one hand.

However, as the painting swung open a blood spattered body fell to the floor at her feet, jerkily bringing her down with it.

"Sam…" The cloaked figure coughed. A little blood spittled out of the corner of his mouth and the hood fell to reveal a deathly pale Regulus Black.

"Sam- get- Dumbledore… There's a traitor… Voldemort- Sam, He knows…" Sam felt rather than saw Regulus go limp in her lap and the bottom fell from her stomach as her horrified eyes traveled down the long, dimly lit corridor and planted themselves into the shadowy depths of a cloaked wraith.

"Dementor!" She gasped. She fired a quick Patronus before slamming the door shut, not noticing that the small otter it usually took form as was now a white cloaked lady that looked much like herself.

Sirius' oblivious voice floated from the upstairs shower singing "Bring It On Home" and she spared a wistful smile.

Good old Zeppelin… She thought fondly of the muggle band Led Zeppelin. When this is all over, I'll see them in concert. She promised herself before a moan from Regulus brought her back to the now.

"Reggie, what's happened to you Reggie?" She asked gently, urgently. Regulus grinned weakly and she tried not to stare at the dark blood that filled his mouth, though bile rose in her throat.

"I…gah!" He wheezed uncomfortably and coughed more blood. Spitting it distastefully on the floor he looked back at her, a dull sheen in his once sparkling grey eyes.

"Shh," Sam cooed, trying to ease him back down. "Don't talk, you'll make it worse. Here, let me get you some water, it'll help."

Regulus pushed the conjured water away. "What for Sammy?" He asked softly, and with a pang Sam realized that Regulus knew he was dying and had already resigned himself to his fate.

"Listen, please…" He begged in a husky, choked voice. "I completed my mission, but-" Another racking cough ripped through him and he spit more blood out.

"But someone, a girl- that- that Robbins girl saw me. Sold me out." Sam stared, appalled at him. "But- but," She sputtered.

Regulus held up a trembling hand. "I know, but listen. There's more." Sam stared, hardly believing that there could be more to report that could be worse than this.

"Pettigrew, Robbins, and Fitzpatrick. Those three are the new initiates. They tell Him everything. When that slut told him I was making off with his horcrux he about pissed himself.

"But, unfortunately He wasted no time in going after me." He gasped for air and clutched hard, desperately at Sam's hand. He squeezed his eyes tight shut.

"He went personally." Sam stared at him in a horrified sort of awe. He survived a to-the-death duel with the perfectly healthy Dark Lord and though he was dying now- he lasted long enough to get away.

Regulus snickered dryly, risking another round of fierce coughing for the sake of slight humor. "Least I nailed 'im with a few hexes before I got hit. Don't- don't know what it was called, but- Oh God Sam!" He cried suddenly.

"It felt like my body was being torn inside-out!" Sam's eyes stung with tears as she cradled his blood matted head.

"I don't remember screaming, the pain was too intense for that. All I remember was his voice. He must have wanted me to live long enough to get to you because he kissed my forehead and told me to give you his most sincere regards."

It was Sam's turn to choke and she looked at him with a helpless resignation. "That explains the summoning." Regulus smiled weakly, a tear sliding down his cheek.

"Sam- I don't want to die. I'm scared, I'm so scared!" He suddenly pleaded. She held back a sob and stroked his damp clammy cheeks. His eyes were shadowed with the light of a place that Sam couldn't see.

The crystalline tears paused uselessly halfway down his face, his body heaving a last cavernous sigh before his hold on her hand lessoned.

Sam screamed in outrage and pain, the tears running freely. She cried for Regulus, herself, Ginny, James, Sirius, her Slytherin friends, for the unfairness of life.

She wept for the inevitable.

Regulus was gone.

Determinedly setting her jaw, Sam conjured a short illy written note to Lily and James. She wrote a slightly longer note to Sirius.

At the end of each she left the words: "Don't look for me; you won't find me. Dumbledore can explain what you need to know. –Sam"

With a sigh of her own, Sam kissed each of Regulus' eyelids and she smoothed the blankets on his lifeless body.

She wished she could do more but, Time was short and she had a score to settle. With a last look at all that she was leaving behind, Sam threw the invisibility cloak over her shoulders and stealthily as a shadow- left the grounds of Hogwarts.


"No one said it would be easy Lils. You knew that when you came with me. This is something I have to do now. Vendettas in the wizarding world must be settled. Tell Dumbledore to rally the Order. It's time to bring this thing to an end. I hope to be home soon. If not- no, I won't think about that now. Till next time…"


Hope this was ok. It was sort of a tear jerker but hey, I had to do it. Don't worry though, after a few chapters what had started the night before just might kick up again. Who knows? I'll try to update soon. Till then, ∞ Me ∞