Chapter 72: And So it Goes

After Regulus had a Muggle drug dealer for dinner who sold his products to children, he and Kreacher returned to Doge's to write Albus a quick note requesting Mag's current address. Severus was obviously no longer at Hogwarts and what with everything going on, it had slipped Regulus's mind to ask where they were staying now. Mortis kindly took the note to Albus and was back with a reply in five minutes.

"Well," Kreacher asked, craning his neck in an attempt to read over Regulus's shoulder.

"He is doing well and says to tell you hello. Mag is with Severus at her parent's home for a few days before they join Albus in Bulgaria, and he gave me the address.

"Interesting," Kreacher mused.

"We went there for parties a few times during my school days, remember? Looks to be the same manor," Regulus said. "I suppose Raislen never moved out, though I can't imagine him living with his parents." Burning the note with a flick of his wand out of habit, he turned for the door. "Let us go and find out, shall we?" The elf who opened to Regulus's knock at WestCraven manor was dressed in quite a lot of very bright and colorful scarves. One served as a skirt, one as a top, then there were more layers to each and more tied at her shoulders to fall down her slender arms. The sight nearly hurt his eyes, but then again vampires were sensitive to bright light and those scarves were some kind of bright!

"Kreacher does not know this elf," Kreacher observed. Though he addressed the statement to Regulus he spoke rather loudly, clearly intending for the elf in question to hear. "There was a different elf here when we attended those few parties years ago."

"That would be Hobbard. He works for the elder WestCravens," the bright elf said with a smile. "They all live in Bath now. I am Mira. I came to work for Raislen and Heather when they got married. I was very young at the time."

"Mira speaks strangely," Kreacher complained darkly. "As if she fancies herself to be a wizard." He wrinkled his nose in disapproval.

"I was freed as soon as I arrived here, and I never saw other elves, so I suppose I picked up the speech pattern that was used. It's the only one I ever heard."

"That is no excuse," Kreacher told her sternly. His disapproval wasn't waning in the least, and in fact her explanation seemed to have made it worse if that were possible.

"I wasn't trying to make an excuse," Mira shot back. "I was answering your question. Who are you here to call upon, and may I have your names? Well I already know one name, Kreacher and..." She looked inquiringly to Regulus.

"I am Regulus Black. We're here to see Mag if she's in? If not I would still very much like to catch up with Raislen, as it has been years."

"They are both in as it happens," Mira said. "Just a moment, I will give them your names." She bowed slightly then vanished back inside the manor in a flutter of silk scarves, gently closing the door behind her.

"Cautious," Regulus noted. "That's good. Just because he's dead doesn't mean everything is entirely safe."

"Why not," Kreacher asked, glancing up at him with a worried frown.

"Because it never is. One never knows who is skulking about trying to cause trouble for personal gain or revenge," Regulus said. He stated the words calmly and after all they'd suffered, did not believe his thoughts were paranoid in the least. Just cautious and practical. Before long Mag opened the door and gestured them inside, a warm smile of greeting on her face. "I'm so glad the two of you stopped in so we could visit again before we're off to Bulgaria and our new jobs at Durmstrang! Of course you can still visit us there but it's nice to see you before we leave London all the same. Everyone is in the library. Kreacher would you like some tea? Or perhaps something harder? The rest of us were just having an after dinner glass of wine."

"Tea is fine. Kreacher thanks Magritte WestCraven," Kreacher said and Regulus wondered if he had a hangover from last night.

"Just Mag," Mag said with a smile.

"Very well." Kreacher smiled back and they followed her down a short hallway into a large library.

Regulus remembered the place well. The WestCravens were famous for their library in certain magical circles and had been for generations as adding to it was their pride and had been for at least a century and more. There were no prints or family photos on the walls because every wall, floor to ceiling, had bookshelves lined up against them from corner to corner. Regulus thought it was spectacular! Aside from the walls being covered in floor to ceiling bookshelves, similar shelves filled eighty-five percent of the room, making isles like all the public libraries. The other fifteen percent of the room contained a sofa, a few chairs and a table. Word had it that the family had placed enlargement spells on the room several times throughout the years and Regulus believed it.

"Make yourselves comfortable and I shall go and ask Mira to bring you that tea, Kreacher," Mag said before hurrying out.

Severus sat on a comfortable looking maroon sofa holding a huge old tome in his arms. Mag's parents, Heather and Raislen Westcraven sat across from him in two large, stately wingback chairs. They'd both aged well, Regulus noted as he rushed forward to greet them. "Raislen! Heather! It's so good to see you. Hi, Severus."

Mag resembled both of her parents. She had the tall muscular Raislen's large green eyes and general heart shape to her face coupled with Heather's slender willowy build, red hair, graceful figure and creamy skin.

"I probably shouldn't even speak to you," Raislen said, but the grin on his face softened his words.

"You never even came to see us," Heather clarified, giving Regulus an affronted frown.

"I couldn't risk seeing anyone I didn't have to before he was dead. I was still a danger to myself and others," Regulus admitted, his own grin softening his self deprecating words or at least he hoped it did.

"Well considering the fact we were annoyed with Mag for insisting on entering into a relationship with Severus for the same reason, it seems we must forgive you," Raislen said and Heather nodded.

"Now that I am no longer a danger to myself or others, they're working on forgiving me as well," Severus said tartly.

"Yes, Severus, we are," Raislen said, turning to direct a stony glare at Snape. "You betrayed our friendship to serve Voldemort in order to gain a revenge that your father never would've wanted you to waste your life on. Then you allowed our child to seduce you as soon as she left school. As you are both alive, though, and we missed you very much over the years, we are indeed working on that."

"And likewise I am working on forgiving you for abandoning me as all fake friends do simply because I made a choice you disagreed with.

"Oh wow," Raislen nearly shouted, large green eyes going wide in incredulous rage.

"Had we not done, we and our unborn child could've been in danger due to your association with bloody Voldemort and you know it!"

"He wouldn't have cared about my friends," Severus snapped back.

"You can't know that and we weren't willing to risk it for a choice you did not need to make, Severus!"

Though Regulus understood both perspectives, he found himself agreeing more with Raislen. Wisely he kept his opinion to himself, though, as he wasn't asked to share it. The WestCravens were two years older than Severus and had always dubbed him the kid in school. Though he never said as much directly, Regulus could tell he'd looked up to them in his way. As a Slytherin Prefect, Heather had always gotten Sirius and his three Gryffindor Git friends for tormenting Severus as often as she could. Being bigger, Raislen just beat them up for it. When they graduated, leaving Severus with two years more at Hogwarts, things were hard for him, and he had no defenders left. Regulus tried, because the two often stuck together as much as they could in the name of solidarity. Being two years apart, though, their paths only crossed in the evening after classes and at breakfast. Regulus was shocked when Severus mentioned that the two older Slytherins had cut ties with him, but Snape had never said why. Now Regulus understood his reasoning. With Voldemort as the cause, and Regulus extremely loyal to the Dark Lord, Severus would've kept it to himself. Of course Regulus never would've mentioned this to anyone. Not everyone followed The Dark Lord, and he didn't think they should've been killed for it or anything. Probably the Dark Lord would have disagreed, but Raislen did have a great library so who knew?

Mag returned then and Regulus was grateful. "Mira will be right in with your tea, Kreacher," she said, seating herself on the sofa beside Severus.

The elf nodded and murmured his thanks as he and Regulus settled into a large armchair together as was frequently their way. "Though I did just want to come and pay a visit, I was also hoping you could speak with one of your goblin contacts about getting us an evening meeting at Gringotts. I know they close at five, but sunset isn't for a few more hours after that," Regulus told Mag. "I wish to speak to someone about putting my family home in Kreacher's name as well as my own when Mr. Potter returns it to me."

"Oh has he agreed to do that," Severus asked. "I was rather doubting he would," he added, a sneer of dislike for the young man in question curling his thin lips.

Regulus found himself looking forward to meeting Mr. Potter in an ironic sort of way. Considering who his father was, and the amount of hatred Severus and Kreacher had for him, he was quite possibly a two headed monster.

"Griphook is a good friend of mine, so I believe I can arrange that as a personal favor," Mag told Regulus with a warm smile.

"I'll owe you one for sure," Regulus promised.

"Just promise to visit us often and play music with me so that we bards both keep in practice," Mag said.

Regulus could've sworn that Kreacher and Severus cringed simultaneously, but he was likely imagining that. "Most definitely," he agreed. "I am honored."

"Good then," Mag said, smiling as she rose from the sofa. "I shall write Griphook now."

"If Potter won't return your home, do you plan to use vampiric persuasion on him," Severus asked and Regulus nodded without hesitation.

"It's mine, and he has no right to it," he said, head lifting in a show of old Black family pride that was apparently still alive and well within him. Kreacher gave a glad smile as his eyes shone with pride.

"The manor should legally be yours by all rights, but lawyers can be tricky, so if you can settle it privately with Potter, that's probably best," Heather mused.

Raislen grinned, giving a mock shudder. "Lawyers! They can be worse than Gryffindors!"