Hey guys! Sorry for the very late post. There are a thousand excuses I could give, but the real one is that I had a hard time coming up with the sequence of the events. I think I've got it down now ;)

First of all, happy birthday to Senyuu because it was your birthday this month and I found out, then completely forgot about it.

Next, thank you soooo much to my beta Viderelux! I don't have Microsoft Word on this computer, so she made my document look nice and pretty (though I might go back to fix up the chapter once this is finished).

For those who have asked how lonk this has to go, I think there are no more than 10 chapters left, maybe less. So shall we aim for 100 chapters, my readers?

As always, I would like to really thank everyone who took the time to review this. They're so heartwarming, and I really enjoy reading what you have to say. I will reply to you as soon as I've had time to eat, because I've been writing this all afternoon. So a big thanks to Veelaxxx, Sara, Update plz (your name made me laugh), Person (yours too), BraiveHart, Coonchitaa, C.B. Weasley, Mirkali, Cyclothymic, avocavvo, One Smart Waffle, pewpewpewpppp, lizyeh2000, VidereLux (you are too kind to beta AND review), xxxQueenxxx, Nik1804 and Cae-Leigh Anne.

Thanks for staying with me this far! Just a little bit longer.

Regulus was quiet all the way back.

In itself, that wasn't too unusual, even as Emma relayed the extra information about Tom Riddle's treasures, but the silence lasted all throughout the meal Kreacher had cooked, and his mouth merely twitched into a ghost of a smile when Kreacher asked if he liked the roast.

As such, the house-elf was currently cleaning the house with gusto, blowing noisily into his tea-cosy every once in a while as he beat himself up about having disappointed his favourite master.

That was when Emma truly knew that something was wrong.

After having tried - with little success - to console Kreacher, Emma went to Regulus's room, expecting him to be buried deep within his books. Instead, she found his balcony doors wide open and her boyfriend brooding at the railing.

'Hey,' she said, lightly touching his back as she walked up next to him.

She didn't need to say anything else. If he was going to say something, then he would. This wasn't a time for prodding at each other's thoughts.

'Do you think I'm like him?' Regulus asked, and his voice was husky from trying to control his emotions. 'The Dark Lord. That woman,' he hesitated, as though he had trouble getting the words out. 'Mrs Cole. She said that I looked like him.'

'I'm sure that a lot of purebloods resemble each other,' Emma replied consolingly, searching his face for signs of worry. 'Is that really what was on your mind?'

'It's not just that,' Regulus's voice definitely quavered this time. 'Helena, my… friend… at Hogwarts. She said that I reminded her of him. That… our personalities were alike. I… I don't want to believe that I could ever be that. And yet I'm a Death Eater. What if I'm evil, just like him? What if I'm just dragging you to the deep end of the lake, like lead weights around your ankles?'

'Regulus,' Emma interrupted before he could drive himself into a panic. Suddenly, she was glad that she hadn't mentioned Mrs Cole's parting remark. 'You are not Lord Voldemort. You haven't even killed anyone, let alone make a horcrux. He only wanted power, that much we've realised, but you wanted to make a better world. You can't berate yourself because you made a simple mistake.'

'But it wasn't simple, was it? We fought to become Death Eaters, we were proud of it. Sirius got away -'

'Sirius is different,' Emma cut through, weaving her fingers through his and stroking his hand with his thumb. 'He's made different mistakes. And we're trying to make up for them now, aren't we? That's all anyone can ask.'

Regulus was silent, but he seemed appeased. That was, until Emma looked up and saw the shimmer in his eyes. Unlocking their fingers, Emma pulled him into a tight hug. If someone like Mrs Cole could offset Regulus that much, then this had to be a weight he had been carrying around for a long, long time.

He made a noise, as if to say something, but instead took a deep sigh and held her closer. After a long moment, he drew back, and the glimmer of tears had gone.

'Let's get back to work.'

A week later, they were no closer to obtaining their goal. Staying in the house with Walburga was uncomfortable, but ultimately Regulus wanted to be able to protect his mother if worst came to worst. Sirius could not lead the Order of the Phoenix to Grimmauld Place thanks to Orion's Secret Keeper wards, but they were better safe than sorry.

Emma had met with James twice - once to tell him of all the Death Eaters she knew, and another to warn him about the hit on the McKinnon family. The Dark Lord had ordered the execution of all known Order families as soon as possible, and the McKinnons were first on the list. James was able to save only Marlene, in the end.

The Dark Lord had become more paranoid, more erratic, ordering the deaths of known purebloods where before he would shun the spilling of magical blood. There were a few new recruits, but Emma knew they had joined out of fear rather than belief in the new world order.

Regulus believed that this was due to the creation of more horcruxes. Though they gave added power and immortality, the stability of the Dark Lord's soul was reaching its breaking point. He had almost gone past the definition of what was human, and the charismatic leader that Emma had once looked up to was no more.

Now, the Dark Mark had burned black, the signal for all Death Eaters to return to Voldemort's side. A panic rose in Emma's chest and Regulus must have noticed her expression, because before he pressed his Mark, he crossed the room and put his hands on her shoulders, rubbing her arms comfortingly.

'We'll be fine,' he said. 'The Dark Lord has no reason not to trust us; he will think the spy within the Order gave faulty intel. Just remember to act calmly and don't question him.'

Emma gulped.

'Yeah,' she replied, but her voice was strangled.

There was no point in delaying the inevitable, and the faster they arrived, the more pleased the Dark Lord would be. So she gave Regulus a swift kiss on the lips and straightened her robes, summoning her silver mask as she pulled up her left sleeve to press on her tattoo.

To Emma's surprise, Lord Voldemort was not at the Lestrange Manor. In fact, she was surprised to be in the Lestrange Manor at all. All of their other meetings had been at the country house near Little Hangleton, where Regulus found out his family had once lived. They had combed it several times, looking for Horcruxes, but with no such luck.

This time, there was merely Bellatrix with her wand to her arm, looking paler than ever - the Dark Lord's general had barely slept in weeks - and Rodolphus at her side. Rabastan greeted his friends as they arrived, his green eyes bright with excitement.

Whatever this meeting is about, Emma thought, Rabastan is part of the plan.

As the Death Eaters trickled in during the next fifteen minutes, Bellatrix explained that the Dark Lord was on important business out of the country, but had left strict orders to continue with the elimination of all that staunchly opposed him. Attacking the Ministry directly was a surefire way to gain public disapproval, so they were concentrating on Order members for the meantime.

'We've found the McGonagalls' safe house,' Rabastan burst out, obviously pleased with his discovery. 'Rookwood found out thanks to his network of spies. Evidently, the Order still thinks the Ministry mostly safe. I need a couple of people to help me quietly disable the Anti-Apparition charms. I've seen movement within and according to our reports, both Robert and Malcolm McGonagall scout it before bringing their families there.'

'So we wait,' Alecto said as she stepped out from the shadows.

Emma had to hold herself back from starting; she hadn't seen her former friend. Alecto's teeth were gleaming as she sported a ferocious smile not unlike that of her brother's. 'Wait until the whole clan is gathered, then kill them like the McKinnons.'

Alecto, what have you become? Emma thought sorrowfully, remembering the cheeky and mischevious girl from her youth.

'There's no use in wasting good blood,' Lucius Malfoy announced, arriving in a flurry of robes. He set his cane on the ground with a thunk, bringing the room to attention. 'The young ones should not be punished for the crimes of their elders.'

'For once we are in agreement, dear brother,' Bellatrix laughed. 'Let us strike fear into old Albus's heart by turning his Deputy's very family against her!'

There was a murmur of assent. Suddenly, Emma was struck with an idea. A risky idea, but that seemed to be all that she had been running on for the past three years.

'We'd still have to wait,' she said clearly, stepping forwards and nodding at Alecto. 'If we secure the perimetre before the McGonagalls get there, we can bide our time until the men are certain there are no traps. Then as they signal their families, we lower the Anti-Apparition wards and kill them before their children arrive. They'll be so shocked at their parents' death that they'll come without fuss.'

Bellatrix let out another laugh as Alecto flashed Emma a smile, evidently pleased that they were allies of some sort. Rabastan looked taken aback, but Rodolphus was nodding in agreement. Looking around, Emma saw that most of her fellow Death Eaters seemed in agreement.

'Well, then,' Rabastan cleared his throat, recovering from his shock. 'Come with me, Emma. You're an expert on detecting magical signatures thanks to your Arithmancy classes. Barty too. And Dolohov, you're our best duellist, just in case we run into trouble.'

'Makes sense that you'd always bring your friends along,' a person Emma didn't recognise muttered loudly enough for the room to hear.

'Maybe if you weren't as thick as two planks you'd be allowed to come out and play, Crabbe,' Bellatrix sneered, her upper lip curling.

There was a smattering of laughter, and Crabbe retreated to sulk in a corner.

'It's settled then,' Rodolphus said, his deep voice carrying through the room. 'The four of you will go now and we shall when you press the mark. You know what to do, little brother.'

He ruffled Rabastan's hair, who seemed disgruntled.

'I'm not a child,' he hissed at his brother.

'Doesn't stop you from being little,' Rodolphus grinned.

Bellatrix let off another round of her laughs.

Emma's eyes flickered over to Regulus. She couldn't see his expression beneath the mask, but she saw the cloth of his hood move as he gave the smallest of nods.

The Order would not go unwarned.

James was stationed at the Leaky Cauldron. He could think of a thousand better uses of his time, but alas, Dumbledore's orders were Dumbledore's orders.

That didn't stop him from jiggling his leg impatiently as he drank his butterbeer, scanning the tos and fros of witches and wizards. Honestly, the Death Eaters probably knew better than to come through the pub, but Diagon Alley needed to be warned if there was an attack.

He glanced over at Sirius, who was also moving restlessly. If there was ever someone born for the field of battle, it was Sirius. Idly, James wondered what his best friend would do without the war. He'd like to think that Padfoot would become a Hit Wizard for a few years, before retiring to a comfortable life of Quidditch.

James snorted.

'What's so funny?' Sirius asked immediately, letting his chair fall back on all four feet.

'The idea of you retiring,' James flicked some butterbeer at Sirius's hair.

Sirius flicked it out of the way with ease.

'I would never retire,' Sirius said indignantly, straightening his shoulders. 'Besides, Wormy's the oldie. He was born way back in September.'

James snorted again. 'So what, he's a month or two older than you?'

'Exactly,' Sirius jutted out his chin to prove his point.

Just then, the door opened, letting in the summer heat from the alleyway. Instinctively, James and Sirius both swiveled their heads to look.

'Great,' Sirius's voice turned snide. 'Just what I needed.'

James was pretty sure that Regulus's mere existence would be reason enough for Sirius to want to curse him there and then, but they were supposed to be keeping a low profile, reporting back when information reached critical levels.

James had a feeling that this wasn't critical.

Keeping in mind Emma's request not to tell Sirius about whatever she and Regulus were doing to help the Order of the Phoenix - she hadn't even wanted to tell her own brother much of it - he laid a hand on Sirius's arm.

'Why don't I take care of him?' he asked quietly. 'You keep an eye on the door for more of them.' Seeing Sirius hesitate, he quickly lied. 'I'm pretty sure he's not that high up in the hierarchy. Seems like Voldemort recruited as many people he could when he realised he was losing this war. Regulus might be in over his head.'

James knew that Emma would kill him if she heard him, and Regulus definitely would not take kindly to the veiled insult, but he couldn't bear to have the man that had become a brother to him think that his blood brother was a bloodthirsty monster like his mother. A coward would be infinitely better.

'He always was weak-willed,' Sirius growled, biting the inside of his cheeks.

He glanced over at his brother, who was patiently waiting at the bar. After all, the Ministry had no reason to believe that Regulus was a Death Eater, not when the Blacks had so generously donated to the building of their newest fountain. James rolled his eyes at the thought, but remained where he stood.

'Fine,' Sirius said eventually. 'But I want to know every word that passes through his lips. I'll stay on the lookout for Rosier and Lestrange.'

'Lucinda Rosier?' James was surprised. Emma's ditzy friend didn't strike him as the murderous type.

'Evan,' Sirius replied.

Ah, James thought. He had forgotten about that piece of intel. According to one of Dumbledore's sources, the elder Rosier had left for France, leaving his son to take his place both as a business investor and a Death Eater. James had been rather… preoccupied during that meeting. After all, that had been the day he had bought a ring for Lily. A ring that had remained in the secret pocket of his robes ever since.

James shook his head. Now was not the time to think of grand romantic gestures. He had a feeling that Regulus coming into the Leaky Cauldron on his shift wasn't coincidence.

Downing his butterbeer, he collected Sirius's glass and made his way to the bar, sidling up beside the younger of the Black brothers.

Regulus glanced at him, barely acknowledging his presence. James felt a flare of anger. He knew that he and Regulus weren't the best of friends, but he deserved at least a proper greeting, didn't he?

'Two butterbeers please,' James told the barman, ignoring Regulus. Two can play at that game.

As Tom turned around, letters appeared in flaming red, hovering an inch above the polished wood of the bar.

Can't talk here. Too risky. Urgent. Fortescue's.

James frowned, committing the message to memory as the letters faded, leaving no trace of their existence. Regulus downed a shot of Firewhisky and left, this time not even looking in James's direction.

The Gryffindor looked back at Sirius, who gave him a short nod. He had his partner's permission to follow the potential suspect. Sirius would cover for him in the pub, in case Regulus had left a signal for other Death Eaters. At least, that was the protocol for ordinary Death Eaters. James refrained from telling Sirius that he could wait till high morn' if he expected another Death Eater that evening.

Thanking Tom for the butterbeers, James quickly brought them back to Sirius.

'I need to piss,' he said loudly.

Sirius roared with laughter.

James grinned. The ploy was immature, but effective. In the toilets, he took his dad's old Invisibility Cloak out and slipped out into Diagon Alley. Despite the fact that most of the shops had already closed for the day, the magical street was packed with people out enjoying the summer heat, whether by going to restaurants or just milling about on benches.

Fortescue's was heaving with people. James had to fight his way through several screaming children before he found Regulus, casually eating an ice cream sundae in the back of the shop.

'How did you even find a table?' James asked, panting a little from the exertion as he sat down.

'Everyone wants to be outside,' the Slytherin replied. He pushed his sundae away.

Now that James looked a little closer, the dessert had barely been touched. He studied Regulus's face. Was it paler than usual? Neither Black tanned much, so it was hard to tell.

'It's not a coincidence that you're here, is it?' James knew that it was a stupid question, but he couldn't help the words falling from his lips.

'No.'

Emma crept around the bushes of the McGonagalls' safe house, checking her watch as she did so. The longest broomstick fluttered back and forth, veering from green to red, whereas the shortest pointed towards VI.

'What does that mean?' Rabastan whispered to her. There was no point in announcing their presence, even though they had cast muffling charms.

'It's the number six, but there are only three. The last is eight,' Emma said to Barty, who nodded and started casting a few preliminary spells.

Her gaze flitted to where Dolohov was standing, concealed on the other side of the house. She couldn't spot him. A good thing, she thought. She hated to admit it, but Dolohov's presence reassured her. The McGonagall brothers were much more experienced duellists than any of the three kids. She turned back to Rabastan, seeing her thoughts mirrored in his green eyes.

'Six is the number of protection,' she explained. 'Four sixes are the symbol of an ultimate protection charm - blood magic or other types of binding contracts, like that of the Secret Keeper. Three symbolise the best protection one could cast without resorting to what is considered Dark. The eight is the number of power. They tried to make up for the cracks in the layers with sheer magical power.'

'So how do we get rid of the Anti-Apparition Charm without setting off all other alarms?' Rabastan asked curiously.

'We find a crack in the armour,' Emma replied, shuffling to the side as she gauged the size of her watch, which would expand with the amount of magical energy. 'If my watch turns green, then the spells in front of us are harmless. That means any kind of magic that isn't linked to a person - whether to warn the caster or to harm them.'

'All right,' Rabastan furrowed his brow, staring at Emma's watch for a few seconds, before nudging her conspiratorially. 'Merlin, Arithmancy was actually useful for something. Who would have known?'

'I knew,' Barty replied, coming back towards them. He turned to Emma, addressing her specifically. 'I think I know how to disable them.'

'Good,' Emma replied, straightening. 'Because I think we've found our chink.'

She placed her wrist at eye height, as close to the wards as she dared. It shrank to child-size, the long broomstick stuck on green.

'I think there were only three of them casting. This is the point that was obscured from their vision, where the points meet but don't overlap. Are you ready, Barty?' she asked, readying her wand.

Barty gave a short nod, but just as he opened his mouth, Rabastan clapped his hand to the younger boy's lips.

'Wait!' he ordered. 'Put on your masks. Just in case.'

Barty and Emma had removed their masks to better study the wards. Rabastan had done so to lay alarm spells of his own, but had since hidden his face once more.

'We wouldn't want to ruin our chances at the Ministry,' Emma agreed, bringing her mask from her pocket and letting it meld to her face. 'On the count of three. One… Two… Three!'

The two Death Eaters weaved their wands into patterns in rhythm, practicing a once-complicated spell that held no secrets to those having an O.W.L. in Arithmancy. A faint wind washed across them, enough to rustle their hoods, but not enough to blow them off.

'It's done,' Barty whispered.

'Good,' Rabastan nodded, letting out a slow breath. 'I'll tell Dolohov the news. Get into position, and try not to move. The rest of the families should be arriving in fifteen minutes.'