The Search Is Over,
Chapter 137, The Doctors Are In
"Regi! Shit, how long do you fuckers sleep?"
The complaining voice of Rabastan Lestrange and accompanying bangs on the bedroom door had Regulus momentarily confused. What? Where? Why was Rabastan here now? He blinked sleepily as everything came flooding back to him. He and Kreacher had convinced the Lestranges to stay over last night...technically this morning by the time everyone made it to bed. 12 Grimmauld had plenty of guest rooms and tripping Lestranges apparating home didn't sit easy with Regulus or Kreacher. Of course they could've apparated them home but it was very near sunrise when they finally noticed the time as they'd all gotten rather lost in conversation.
"What, Rabastan...We're just waking now," Regulus called back.
"Yeah we just woke up too. One of your elves woke us because it appears that something you've waited quite a long time for is finally available."
"What is Rabastan on about," Kreacher grumbled as he sat up and rubbed irritably at his eyes.
"I'm talking about goblin healers," Rabastan replied.
"Griphook sent a note saying they're finally back in town but not for long, and he asks if he should send them over."
"Of course he should," Kreacher snapped as he hastily rose and began tugging on clothes.
"Griphook is silly for even asking," he complained.
Regulus rose and began to dress as well, though not as quickly as Kreacher. Here it was at last. His answer...Had the lake water or potion still been working him over for all these years or was he just stuck with this forever or for as long as it took him to shake himself of whatever had gone wrong in his mind over the entire tragedy? Though he was eager to find out, he was also terrified now that the moment of truth was at last upon them as it were.
His hand was shaking as he stood before the mirror to brush his hair. Kreacher had already left the room, having no hair to brush. He was attending to Griphook's letter and that was good, because right now Regulus didn't exactly feel capable of helping him to attend. That realization only served to make his anxiety rise. He was usually capable...at least he wasn't riddled with this near crippling anxiety. This was entirely new.
"Kreacher has written Griphook that the healers may come as soon as they are able. The Lestranges are having dinner with Kereston. They slept all day along with us as it happens."
"Yes...A trip crash I believe Bellatrix calls it," Regulus said as he slowly lowered the hair brush back to the dressing table.
A glance in the mirror showed no particular anxiety on his face and somehow that was a comfort.
"I suppose we can go down and talk with the Lestranges while they eat," he added, turning to Kreacher.
Kreacher nodded, but instead of leaving the room, he moved closer and took Regulus's hand.
"Please...Kreacher wishes that Master Regulus would not be upset. We are already through the bad, and this is just clean up. If it works...if it doesn't, we'll figure something out."
His slender hand tightened on Regulus's in a reassuring squeeze.
"Remember that we aren't alone in this. We have the support of some very powerful wizards, and now that Voldemort is dead, we have no risks or dangers. It will be alright one way or the other."
At those reassuring words, Regulus let out a sigh, feeling tension in his shoulders letting go that he didn't even realize he was holding.
"Yes, Alright," he said, nodding at Kreacher.
This was ridiculous! After all this time, he shouldn't still be feeling this. He had everyone back...everyone who was alive at least and in a sense those dead ones too, if you counted the visits with Orion and Walburga they could squeeze out of Ariana and her better judgment which he did.
He would take it all back no matter how long it took. He would take everything back that Voldemort had taken from him. When he said as much to Kreacher, he drew comfort from the grimly determined tone of his own voice. It must have pleased Kreacher as well, for the face he turned up to Regulus wore a proud smile full of sunshine!
"That's Kreacher's Master Regulus," he whispered, then with his hand still in Regulus's, drew him from the room.
When they joined everyone in the dining room, the Lestrange men were eating hungrily as they chatted with Kereston and Reynaldo. Bellatrix sat silent, slumped over her plate, hair hanging in her face as she picked at her food with lackluster interest.
"Kreacher...I need coffee, please," she groaned as soon as she caught sight of him.
"I still feel so out."
"Those were some great Merlin's Cap Mushrooms," Rabastan praised with a grin.
"Narcissa did good."
"It seems she's got her own herb garden going now," Rodolphus explained.
"On a side note, this shredded duck is amazing!"
He took another large mouthful to punctuate the statement as Reynaldo happily agreed.
"Hm," Kreacher replied.
"Coffee," Bellatrix insisted and he nodded.
""Kreacher will go and tell the elves."
He slipped into the kitchen as Bellatrix groggily muttered her thanks. Regulus took a seat at the head of the table, and for once he didn't feel too odd not to be eating with the others. Usually talking with the Lestranges provided a proper distraction, after all.
"It was fun hanging out," Bellatrix told him, giving him a blurry side eye as she struggled to wake up.
"We'll have to sort a way for the two of you prats to trip with us next time. You obviously can't eat things now, but perhaps there's another way to get the mushrooms into your system."
"Perhaps one of those vampire blood lollipops could have them added like if the mushrooms are first boiled down into a tincture," Rodolphus speculated and Bellatrix smiled.
"That's a brilliant idea, Roddy. We'll talk to Cissy about it. She's taken up all sorts of cooking these days," she added to Regulus with a slight frown of disapproval, or perhaps it was confusion.
Kreacher returned then and took his place at Regulus's side.
"A pot of coffee and three cups should be arriving soon," he said, taking in the three Lestranges with a glance.
"Kreacher told Stormy to make it nice and strong."
"Bless you," Bellatrix said, her tone truly heartfelt.
"So the goblins are going to come fix you, then," Rabastan asked and Regulus shrugged.
"Hopefully they can do something...at least give me some information if nothing else."
He drew in a breath and let it out slowly.
"If they can't, it's just me...and I'll have to figure out how to fix my own screwed thinking. I read in one of Mag's psychology books that thoughts create emotions so my thoughts are making me feel miserable if the potion or lake water aren't still inside of me doing it. At least that seems logical so if the healers have nothing, it's what I shall be working with."
"Mag...It's so weird to see Snape married to someone...not to mention someone who isn't ugly," Bellatrix cackled.
"I mean it's Snape. I'm still thinking he had to have put a spell on her for that to happen!"
Kereston shook her head.
"Oh no. I went to school with her and she was obsessed with him from like her fourth year...It was very weird, but he didn't do it."
She chuckled.
Regulus was glad to see that she seemed relaxed enough around the Lestranges. At least half of the reputation they'd earned wasn't their fault, after all, and for that he'd always feel responsible. Had he not handled things in the way he had, Voldemort may never have twisted their minds.
Everyone was nearly finished eating when the door chime rang, announcing the goblin healers. By that time, Regulus had actually calmed down, but the sound sent his anxiety spinning right back up again. Something must have shown on his face because Rodolphus asked, "So did you want us with you or is this a private thing?"
Regulus drew in a breath.
"If you'd like to come...That is if it wouldn't be...too odd, I'd like you there."
He gave Rod a tremulous smile. Tremulous because now the anxiety was a blanket that completely covered him as it threatened to strangle him while it was at it. What if he was stuck with this forever? But no! He had to remember what he'd told himself and what Kreacher had told him less than forty-five minutes ago. They would fix this...if not today, then eventually. Thinking strong thoughts worked nearly like an Expecto Patronum for quelling anxiety as it turned out.
"Let's do this," he said and stood, reaching for Kreacher's hand.
"It's good we were here today," Bellatrix said, moving to his other side to lightly touch his arm.
"We started this nightmare together, and we shall finish it together as well."
The strength and determination in her tone strengthened Regulus's own resolve. There was nothing like family support. Tightening his grip on Kreacher's hand, he nodded.
"You were here today because things fall into place as they should," Kreacher told Bellatrix.
"Kreacher thinks it is good that the Lestranges are here today as well."
They left the dining room, Kereston and Reynaldo trailing behind.
"We'll be upstairs if anyone needs us," Kereston said quietly.
"And good luck."
"Yes, good luck," Reynaldo's raspy voice chimed in enthusiastically.
"Thank you," Regulus and Kreacher replied almost in unison. When they turned down the hall away from the dining room and toward the front door, they were met by Piper.
"Piper just settled the healers in the Library. Is that suitable or should he place them elsewhere?"
"The library is fine," Regulus said.
"If they wish to work elsewhere, they will let us know. Thank you, Piper."
The elf nodded.
"Piper asked if they would like tea but they declined."
"Very well," Kreacher said.
"Piper may return to whatever he was doing before the healers arrived."
Piper bowed and hurried away. The rest proceeded to the library. Rabastan moved ahead to open the door. As Regulus entered, still hand in hand with Kreacher with Bellatrix following close behind, he glanced around for the healers.
They sat in chairs across the room from one another. They looked very similar in gray tunics and matching leggings. They had bright green eyes and straight black hair. The male's reached slightly past his shoulders and the girls hung nearly to her waist, caught back at the nape of her neck with a large ornate silver clip. They were young, no more than twenty something at the oldest, and their expressions were blank and nearly flat.
"Gara and Grub," the female said.
Apparently those three words were all either planned to provide in way of introduction. Assuming she was Gara and he was Grub, Regulus nodded, smiling at each of them in turn.
"Twins," Rodolphus wondered and Grub's lips twitched ever so slightly into what may have been a smile.
"Yes," he said simply.
"As we have no idea what Griphook told you, here is how it is," Grub announced.
"We may be young, but we're the best healers we've ever heard of and we have medical books going back for centuries. We're hailed as geniuses, and we charge like geniuses so be prepared to let go of a shit ton of money today."
Regulus let out an incredulous laugh and Kreacher snorted.
"Fine. If you can help me it shall be more than worth twice what you might charge," Regulus said.
Gara smiled as she leaned forward in her chair, eyes narrowing.
"Now this is getting interesting," she murmured.
"Griphook mentioned that you're a vampire and that we may have to cut you open and get some potion out of you?"
Grub arched his brows in question as he spoke, and Regulus nodded.
"We'd better sit down," he said, glancing from Kreacher to the Lestranges.
"This may take a while."
They all sat. Together, Regulus and Kreacher told the goblin healers the entire story starting with Kreacher's experience with the green potion and the black lake of Inferi, and ending with Regulus's. They skipped the bit in the middle where they'd attempted to kill Voldemort so that the already tampered with minds of the Lestrange's wouldn't be distressed.
As they spoke, the goblin twins listened attentively.
"That lake probably has some nasty stuff in it to animate the Inferi," Gara said with a shudder.
"If so, you're fortunate it didn't serve to put either of you into his thrall when it got into your lungs."
Regulus shuddered and Kreacher nodded his fervent agreement. It was nice to find one aspect of that entire dreadful situation over which they could feel fortunate, Regulus thought dryly.
"So must you cut him open, or is there some sort of scan you can perform to see if either the lake water or the potion is inside of him," Bellatrix asked.
Gara frowned.
"Ordinarily we could perform a scan, but both of these particular liquids are so foreign, that we would not be doing our best job were we to trust a scan to recognize them."
"So we'll open him up," Grub clarified...just in case clarification was required...which it wasn't.
"Can you put him to sleep at least," Bellatrix asked.
"And there are other considerations," Kreacher murmured.
"Have Gara and Grub ever operated on a vampire before? Because if not they should be aware that vampires heal very quickly. They shall need to perform a spell to keep any incisions they make in Master Regulus from closing as soon as they have been opened."
Grub grinned, giving a happy sigh.
"I can literally feel our price going up. No, we haven't ever treated a vampire before, so this shall be a marvelously exciting learning experience."
Regulus was glad that someone was marvelously bloody excited!
"Shouldn't that make for a discount then," Kreacher asked, narrowing his eyes at the goblins.
"If Master Regulus is providing you an opportunity to learn something knew, it only seems fair that he is given a discount."
Regulus grinned, proud of Kreacher for haggling with the healers for him as he had with Griphook for Kreacher.
Grub laughed.
"No. Normally, with any other healers, perhaps. But we're us, and we can just leave, and you're stuck dealing with inferior healers. Such healers may bargain with you, but we don't have to."
"Actually, we sort of did by even agreeing to come here," Gara said.
"If we didn't find the case interesting and beneficial to our own experience, we wouldn't have bothered. Human wizards, as a rule, aren't worth our time. It isn't as if most of them would help any of us, after all."
Kreacher sighed.
"Very well."
Regulus smiled gratefully at the goblins.
"I understand, and I do appreciate your time. Thank you for agreeing to help me."
"And as you can see, he's not like other humans," Rabastan said.
"He's shagging the elf, so he's like...you know, good with other races and all."
The goblin twins gaped at Rabastan, their eyes bugging out in identical expressions of shock.
"We...ur...didn't know and don't care," Grub managed.
"Right," Gara managed.
Rabastan laughed.
"Yeah...but I'm just sayin...and by the by, my own reaction to the little fuckers was much the same."
Regulus shot him a dark scowl. Rabastan Lestrange could be such a crass prat, but for all that, he did know how to lighten the moment.