Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything what you can recognize from the books. I do however own the plot of this story but I don't have profits because of it unless you count improving my English as a profit.
Preview: The teachers continue their talks in the chamber. The announcement is made. The kids go to Slytherin rooms while the eight heads and Headmaster have a meeting where some thing get out from the control. Later Severus has a very disturbing nightmare.
So read, enjoy and review (because I love to read your criticism and as long as you are logged in or I have your email I'm answering to your questions).
Thanks for such welcoming reviews. I'm also in need for a beta reader for this story, anyone interested.
Chapter four: Two Thirds of Mercy.
"Regulus Arcturus Black?" asked Professor McGonagall finally. "Sirius Black's younger brother? Mufrid Lemeraude is Regulus Black?"
"I just stated it about two minutes ago," Severus replied and he rolled his eyes.
"Come to think about it his face seemed familiar to me but I couldn't for the life of me recall when I meet the kid," Flitwick said pensively. "Guess that the grey hair threw me off. Without them he looks like his younger self."
"But he was a Death Eater. That was the only thing the Blacks had said about his death," Sprout said vehemently.
"As a matter of fact so was I and as you see I'm here and not one of the students suffered because of me," Severus snorted. "Regulus taught here for nine long years and unlike me he has the reputation, and the titles I should add, of Hogwarts Fairest and Most Likable Professor. A title he held for nine years straight and anyone of you didn't came closer to taking that title away from him than Vector to Common Welsh Dragon and we know how afraid of dragons she is."
"I'm not questioning his teaching abilities but his intentions to become a teacher. Don't forget that for years he was supposed to be a dead Death Eater, Severus," Dumbledore said calmly.
"As far as I know him, he is and will remain a dead man, Albus. People who really mattered to him are sixth feet underground," Severus replied.
"Well Arcturus Black is fine, so is the boy's aunt and grandaunt, and cousin," Sprout snorted.
"I wasn't referring to the remaining alive members of Black family, Pomona," Severus replied icily. "I was referring to his wife, his unborn daughter and his in-laws. They were killed in a Death Eater ride at Christmas Eve in 1979. The real Regulus Arcturus Black had died with them, though not literally. He is a changed man, Albus," he looked Dumbledore in the eye. "A valuable ally and an enemy one shouldn't cross," he looked at Sprout, "I value myself as a man well educated in Dark Arts but Regulus as a Black easily matches me and there are probably areas where he is far better than I am."
"You shielded him for all these years," Sprout muttered.
"For a good reason too, Pomona," Severus rolled his eyes. "His presence here is a benefit to Hogwarts. People like him. He is respected greatly by the students and teachers like him, these who can inspire true loyalty in his or hers students, are needed. Not to mention the warding, Albus, you are very well aware that the wards of Hogwarts had improved ever since he came to teach to Hogwarts. Several of said wards are tide only to him. Or his hunches, was there a time where his hunches had failed him, had failed us, Minerva? Don't forgot that he saved Ms Tasworth from certain disgrace and the life full of shame," he said solemnly.
McGonagall turned scarlet, reminding her about Tess Tasworth was a blow below the belt but a much needed one on that. Minerva dismissed poor girl when she came to her to report what her sadistic classmates were doing to her, for the world they were goody two shoes whom no one would suspect of the monstrosity they had done. McGonagall didn't believed her but Regulus did.
"Filius, you do recall that he was the one who had found Mirzam Verascez? Wasn't his abilities and quick thinking gratifying to Ms Verascez for time being? And I dare to add that he was still enchanted by You-Know-Who back then," Severus's gaze slipped from Minerva to Flitwick.
Flitwick looked away and Severus continued pining needles into sore places of his colleagues.
"Remember Mr Sombers, Pomona?" he said sourly. "He was your student, yours responsibility, not his, he wasn't named the Head of Hufflepuff House but you did. And which one of you had their eyes open wide enough to discover what was happening to the poor boy? Who interrupted Mr Sombers from taking a leaf from Mirzam Verascez's book? Certainly it wasn't you, Pomona," Severus snorted. "Thanks to him Mr Sombers did make it and he is leading successful and happy life. He was yours Head Boy but you didn't got invitation to his wedding, Regulus did."
"No one is objecting his fairness, Severus," Dumbledore gave him warm smile. "But you protected him for a reason. You kept his identity from us for nine years."
The answer, I recently learned that he was alive, didn't made it past Severus's mouth. That was something they didn't needed to know. All he needed was proving that Regulus was a good man.
"He was a broken man when he approached me, Albus," Severus replied quietly. "He lost everything he ever cared for but didn't had enough courage in him to end his life. He turned to me, he knew who I was. He asked me to take his life … I couldn't. I was the one responsible for his making and I couldn't do it. The only thing I could offer him was advice. Hogwarts would calm his disturbed mind, would keep him safe if times went bad. You took us all Albus, cast offs of society, people with dubious past, victims of abuse. You took us in. You offered us a place to live, a safe haven, a respected job. Who was I to deny him finding his safe haven and purpose in life when I got mine, even if I didn't deserve it?"
"You still didn't revealed his name," McGonagall pointed out.
"By the time he came to be he was already Mufrid Alphard Lemeraude, Minerva. Regulus Arcturus Black had been dead for quite some time back then. There was no point in changing that. I told myself that if he ever endangers the safety of Hogwarts and/or lives of the people inside I will reveal his true identity but he hadn't done anything wrong. He deserved to be Mufrid Alphard Lemeraude, he still deserves that name," Severus whispered very quietly.
"Then why you are telling it now?" snorted Sprout.
"Because I had to state a claim on him before Filius did," he shoot Flitwick short nasty look. "We all know why we are here and I tell you that in my honest and unbiased opinion Regulus Black would be the best choice for Deputy Head of Slytherin. He teaches Ancient Runes, an elective, and he has enough of free time to keep his eyes on Harry Potter and the rest of the kids."
"Filius?" Dumbledore turned to Flitwick. "Your choice for Deputy Head of Ravenclaw House?"
"Well since my former helper," a glare went in Severus's direction, "had been claimed I pick Charity, she is fair and like the rest of Deputy's teaches an elective subject therefore she has a lot of time to see things I can't," Flitwick replied calmly.
"That's settled," Dumbledore said as he stood up. "We will come back to Great Hall and announce our choices."
"Make it look like they were yours. Regulus recently pissed off few people from my house by putting them in their places," Severus muttered.
Dumbledore opened the door of the chamber and they came back to Great Hall. When Severus seated himself at the table Regulus nudged him and asked.
"What it was all about?"
"You will learn about it in a moment," Severus muttered and his gaze drifted to the Slytherin table.
The kids were busy chatting and eating. Nothing seemed off. Absentmindedly Severus allowed himself to listen to Quirrel's adventures in Albania. The only thing which was irking him was small itch on his left arm and that was definitely something not good.
It was past the dessert when Harry pried himself away from food feeling more full than he felt in ages and quite sleepy. Hermione, Sally-Anne and Daphne were engrossed in a conversation about Transfiguration while Crabbe, Goyle and Blaise were listening to Neville's stories about the plants he once saw when he was travelling the Europe with his aunt and uncle. Harry's mind drifted away from the quarrel between Draco Malfoy and Theodore Nott about which Quidditch Team was better: Puddlemere United or Tutshill Tornadoes. They tried to pull him into the conversation too but he quickly reminded them that he was Muggle-raised and knew next to nothing about Quidditch. Draco stared at him like he just grew a second head and he muttered something about fixing that problem later.
Either way not really paying attention to his classmates Harry looked away in the direction of the Head Table. The conversation seemed to be going there quite deeply too. Hagrid was busy chattering with his companion and didn't even looked at Harry. Snape, still looked like there was some sort of poison in his food while Quirrel who was sitting next to him with his big turban seemed to be unbothered by Snape's obvious disinterest in the conversation.
It happened very suddenly. Snape raised his eyes and looked at Harry just as Quirrel turned away. The hot pain shoot suddenly past Harry's scar.
"Ouch," he mumbled and rubbed his forehead.
"Are you fine?" Draco asked as he turned away from the conversation with Theodore and looked at Harry.
"Headache," Harry mumbled. "Nothing a night of sleep can't fix," he lied quickly.
At least the dessert disappeared too and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. All chattering in the hall had died immediately.
"Ahem – just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well," Dumbledore's gaze lingered on the Gryffindor table at the farthest end of the hall.
"Weasley twins," snorted a girl two seats away from Harry, she was wearing Prefect Badge.
"I have also been asked by Mr Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes on the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. I also must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who doesn't want to die very painful death."
Harry laughed, but he was one of the few who did.
"Finally there is the last issue. It had been used centuries ago by other Headmasters but with passing time it was abandoned. I wish to give it a try. Young ladies, gentlemen, this year Hogwarts will be having not four Heads of the Houses but eight of them. Each Head of the House had been assigned a Deputy Head of the House for help. They have the same authority though the paperwork remains still the problem of the regular Head of the House. To make it all proper allow me to introduce and reintroduce to you Head of Gryffindor House: Professor Minerva McGonagall and her Deputy: Madam Rolanda Hooch."
Professor McGonagall and the witch with hawk's like eyes stood up. The Gryffindor table burst in cheers and clapping.
"Professor Pomona Sprout, Head of Hufflepuff House has for hers Deputy Professor Lawrence Kettleburn," announced Dumbledore as the cheers from Gryffindor table had died a bit.
The plump witch stood up but the man with wooden leg looked at Dumbledore surprised and when he caught Dumbledore's gaze he pointed at himself as if wordlessly asking, 'Me?'
Dumbledore smiled at the man before he continued, "Professor Filius Flitwick," small wizard stood up, "will be aided by his Deputy, Professor Charity Burbage," the young brown haired witch stood up and bowed quickly.
"Anyone but not Lemeraude," Harry heard Draco's mutter on his left.
"Finally," Dumbledore said and he looked in Snape's direction who suddenly got busied with drawing circles on the table with his left hand, "Professor Severus Snape will be having for his Deputy Professor Mufrid Lemeraude."
Regulus who was at that exact moment busy with taking a sip from his goblet chocked on his drink right in the moment Draco muttered, "Dragon's dung."
Snape looked at Regulus and slammed his hand on Regulus's back with such a force that Regulus almost ended under the table.
"Now that everything is settled you may return to your dormitories. The first years will be lead there by fifth year prefects. Good night."
The blonde-haired girl with turquoise eyes who mentioned 'Weasley twins' stood up and motioned at Harry and the rest. She lead them out from the Great Hall. She run into brown-haired girl with long curly hair, her age with matching Perfect badge who was followed by first years from Ravenclaw.
"Ordnung muss sein, Clearwater," Slytherin Prefect said coldly. "Your table is the second one. Slytherin leaves first."
"There is no rule like that," huffed Ravenclaw Prefect.
"Elizabeth Hufflepuff's appendix to 'Guide of Hogwarts' Ceremonies', Clearwater," Slytherin Prefect rolled her eyes. "The farthest house from the door of the Great Hall enters first and leaves the last. It's pretty obvious if you use your mind. Sorting is a ceremony and the rules apply. Now move away from the door before the rest of Slytherin house will squash your first years with the help of Hufflepuffs."
The Slytherin Prefect strode past the Ravenclaw one and lead them out from the Great Hall. They moved past the first stairs which were leading to lower level and past the great marble staircase which lead to upper levels of the castle. She lead them down the narrow staircase to the dungeons then through a labyrinth of corridors constantly turning left and right before they finally stopped in front of blank stone wall.
"This is the entrance to Slytherin Common Room. Current password is 'Gryffindor rules'. Not very Slytherin password I'm aware, but it's the one with which these Weasley prats from Gryffindor wouldn't even think to use. They attempted to break inside three times last year and ever since then Professor Snape and Slytherin Prefects chose the password which is less likely to be guessed or mentioned in conversation. The password changes every Sunday morning and you will be notified by the changes by either myself, any other Prefect, Professor Snape himself and probably by Professor Lemeraude," the girl had said and the wall moved away.
She lead them into low-ceilinged, dungeon-like room lit by greenish lamps. It was quite a big room, not as big as the Great Hall but big enough to fit about a hundred, and probably twenty, fifty at the most, people comfortably on various tables, couches and armchairs scattered around. Between two, about seven foot tall, ivory doors were standing huge fireplace with a mantelpiece made of black marble. The walls were covered with Slytherin banners, and lots of photographs and few portraits. Over several rows of moving photographs and portraits Harry saw delicate silvery numbers, the one closest to him read 1866/67. On the left side to the entrance was huge, ivory board which was full of notices.
"The girls dormitories are on the right side of the fireplace and the boys are on the left. If you want to go to your dormitories now the door to your dormitory will be labelled with 'First Year' and that dormitory will remain yours for next seven years. That would be all, kids. Goodnight," said the Prefect and she went through the door to the girls dormitory.
Tired and sleepy from amount of food he consumed before Harry wanted to go straight to his bed and he moved in the direction of the door to the boys' dormitory. He made few steps in the direction of the dormitory and he looked over his shoulder at the rest. Hermione and Sally-Anne were pulled by the rest of the girls to the portraits on the other side of the room while Crabbe was pointing at one of the pictures under 1930.
"That was Pollux Black," Crabbe said. "He married my grandaunt, Irma. She was the most nasty person I ever meet. She constantly used hers walking stick to pull me by the legs. She always said that a true Slytherin never fears to collapse, just picks himself from the ground and keeps going."
"My mother is there too," Draco admitted. "Though a bit closer to the dorms. She graduated in 1971/72," Draco waved in Harry's direction.
Harry looked at the wall ahead under silvery 1971/72 were engraved small silvery sentence: first year, second year, third year, fourth year, fifth year, sixth year, seventh year. Next to the moving photographs of the students from each year were another sentences and pictures: Head Girl, Head Boy, fifth year Prefects, sixth year Prefects, seventh year Prefects, captain of the Quidditch team, Quidditch team.
Draco pointed out the picture of beautiful blonde haired woman with Head Girl badge, under the photograph was written in black ink, 'Narcissa Black'. Harry took closer look at the other photographs and spotted that each of them was signed in the same broad handwriting and each occupant of the photograph had been given his or hers name.
Curiously Harry looked at the pictures under 1972/73 and the name 'Regulus Black' caught his eye. He was small and scrawny boy with curtain of shoulder-length jet-black and wild hair, his dark-brown wide eyes gave him an appearance of frightened boy, around his neck was wrapped enormous green and silver scarf. It appeared that Regulus wanted to be anywhere but not there. Harry's eyes looked down at the second years from that year and immediately spotted Snape's hooked nose surrounded by a curtain of black hair, Snape was looking away from the camera but the nose and sign 'Severus Snape' under his name proved beyond any doubts that it was younger Snape.
Enchanted by the photographs Harry moved closer to the dormitories to the photographs under 1973/74. Snape was in third year and looked as much 'excited' as he looked on previous picture. Regulus name was signed under smiling widely boy on the photograph under the 'second year' as well as Quidditch Team where he was sitting in the middle of the front row.
"Who sits in the middle of the front row on Quidditch Team pictures?" Harry mussed aloud.
"Ever since 1775 that place belongs to the Seeker with the Beaters on the sides. The Keeper goes to the left side of the second row and remaining three are Chasers. You can tell the captain by the badge, as well as separate photograph. Why are you asking?" Draco explained.
"Just because," Harry shrugged as Draco approached him.
"I've heard of him," Draco jammed his hand at young Regulus on the Quidditch Team photograph. "He was my mother's favourite cousin, calm, collected, good student but when it came to Quidditch he flew like a devil. Poor bugger, no one knows what had happened to him. Just one day the word got around the family that he died, where, when and how, no one didn't know. They never found his body," Draco said pensively.
Because there wasn't any, was on the tip of Harry's tongue and he swallowed audibly to make sure that it didn't left his mouth.
Together two boys made their way through next few photographs to the year 1978/79. Regulus name was listed under the photographs of the seventh years, Head Boy, Quidditch Captain and Quidditch Team.
"He was quite busy," Harry mumbled to himself.
"Ever since the fifth year," Draco waved at the photographs on their left. "Prefect for two years straight, Quidditch captain ever since the fourth year. Quite impressing achievement, since the captainship usually goes to the oldest member of the team."
The rest of the students started slowly filling up the common room and Harry yawned visibly. A little bit of curiosity made him stay awake few minutes longer than he planned but now he started to feeling really sleepy.
Draco and the rest of the boys appeared to be having the same problem and without a word they moved in the direction of the boys dormitory. By some sick kind of the joke 'first year' dormitories were at the very end of the long corridor mixed with few stairs which lead up
Harry expected the room to be underground like the common room but he was pleasantly surprised by huge, made from bottle green glass, ceiling window. The room looked like a nonagon. There were seven ivory beds with dark green curtains with silver linings under each straight wall, each bed was covered with green coverlet and had trunks by their ends. Three of the beds were on the left side of the room and remaining four were on the right side, the farthest beds on each side were separated by the door which appeared to be leading to the bathroom. By each bed was standing small and neat desk and chair and in the centre of the room was small fireplace with a rail around it, probably for drying wet towels and clothes.
Harry spotted his trunk on the bed on the left which was standing closest to the door to the dormitory. Neville ended in the bed next to Harry and Draco landed near the bathroom, so did Theodore but on the other side of the room with Crabbe and Goyle. Blaise ended on the other side of the entrance to their rooms.
"The last under the covers is a rotten egg," Draco mumbled.
Harry fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow and he slept like a log until Blaise and Neville pulled out the coverlet from him around six in the morning.
While the students scattered around the castle on their ways to their common rooms Dumbledore motioned at the Heads and their Deputies to go after him. He lead them up the stairs to the sixth floor where Severus knew that there was Head of the Houses Office, a relic of old times, nowadays it was used once a year, day after leaving feast where the Head of the Houses were meeting to appoint prefects and Head Girl and Head Boy. It was also the place where new Head of the House swore the vow upon taking his duty from Headmaster. In old times the place was used more frequently but nowadays the Heads didn't bother with coming here to report problems with students from other houses, regular staff room served the same purpose.
Last time when Severus seated himself in that room was roughly two months ago. Back then the table in the room was shaped like a five-pointed star. This time it took the shape of a nonagon. On the right side of high, Headmaster's chair, were two chairs with S etched on them, the two chairs on the left had G etched on them. Severus guessed that Hufflepuff ended on Gryffindor side of the table while Ravenclaw ended on Slytherin side of the table.
Dumbledore already seated himself and looked pointedly at McGonagall and Severus as he patted the chairs closest to him then looked pointedly at Sprout and Flitwick and motioned with his head at the seats in front of him.
They quickly seated themselves on their places. Regulus who ended on Severus's right side had Charity on his right side who was seated next to Flitwick. On the other side of the table between McGonagall and Sprout Hooch and Kettleburn settled themselves.
"I have one question, Albus," Kettleburn whizzed. "Why now?"
"I had to assign Deputy Heads of the Houses to all Houses, Lawrence. Assigning one to Slytherin only would raise too much suspicions. Don't forget that our top concern is the safety of our students," said Albus solemnly.
Regulus snorted and Severus kicked him under the table. Sprout send a glare at Regulus while McGonagall was blatantly staring at him.
"Let me guess," Regulus muttered. "We are disguising your concern about Harry Potter being in Slytherin. You needed additional pair of eyes on the kid but why you chose me for this job I don't have even a slightest idea."
"I didn't chose you, Regulus. Severus did," Dumbledore said and he smiled in Regulus's direction.
I'm a dead man, Severus thought.
"Damn you are," Regulus snorted grimly as if he heard Severus's thought. "When I will be done with you, Severus, Dumbledore would need a new Potions Master and Head of the Slytherin House. You filthy, backstabbing traitor."
"Now Regulus, I know that you wanted to keep your identity secret but I trust that confiding in your fellow colleagues, under Fidelius Charm if you wish too …" Dumbledore had started but Regulus growled angrily.
"Trust?!" he bellowed. "You expect me to trust anyone minutes away after being betrayed by a man who I entrusted with my identity merely twenty-four hours ago. Are you fucking serious?"
Then there was a moment of absolute silence and then.
"No you're not," Regulus muttered more to himself than to the others. "He was straight as an arrow."
"Excuse me?" Sprout mumbled clearly confused.
"Hermetic joke, you won't understand it," Regulus snorted. "Anyway where I was. Fidelius Charm, right," he muttered. "Didn't you learned from past mistakes that it fails."
"Now you little Death Eater …" Sprout started angrily and she drew herself to her full height which wasn't a very impressing thing.
Regulus drew himself to his full height and the movement of sixth feet and two inches tall man was far more impressing act than the one of five feet and four inches tall woman as he bellowed, "Don't call me a Death Eater!"
"Afraid to face the truth Black?" Sprout sneered and it didn't look good on her. "You are just like your traitorous brother…"
"Sit for fucks sake, idiot!" Severus growled and pulled Regulus by his left arm which already shoot with wand in hand in Sprout's direction. "You can chew on her later."
"Just and loyal my ass," Regulus snorted angrily as he tried to struggle from Severus's grip. "Seems to me that the Sorting Hat got demented over the years." He managed to get struggle out from Severus's grip and he bellowed at Sprout, "Sirius had more justice and loyalty in his little finger than you in your dung rotten brain."
"Brilliant job Severus," Sprout snorted. "Utterly brilliant, you entrusted Harry Potter's life and well-being to the man who will kill him at the first possibility when you will have your back turned away."
"Seeing the Dark Lord around the every corner lately, Sprout?" Regulus sneered.
"That's your job," Severus interjected.
"Sure as hell," Regulus growled. "Because it would seem that I'm the only one person around who thinks that bringing the Philosopher Stone to Hogwarts is on the top of The Most Stupid Acts of last decade which is only followed closely by two things, making a fucking Death Eater the Secret Keeper of the most wanted by the Dark Lord family in Great Britain and picking Cornelius Fudge for a Minister of Magic. Speaking about the stone, Dumbledore," Regulus turned to face the older man, "what the fuck you were thinking when you gave that announcement? You could as well announce to the whole school where that damned stone is hidden."
"It is hysteria I'm hearing?" Kettleburn snorted.
"Trade with me for one day Kettleburn and you will get to know first handed the true meaning of the word paranoia," Regulus huffed.
"Can we have a calm conversation?" asked Charity calmly.
"Definite calm, Charity," Regulus muttered. "I wasn't calm for last twelve years, ever since my family was brutally murdered by this fucking retards and excuses of wizards who also happened to put Alice and Frank Longbottom in closed ward in St Mungo."
"Your family?" Charity asked.
"My wife and my unborn daughter, as well as my in-laws. For the record, Sprout," Regulus growled at Sprout. "My Muggle-born wife, my Half-blood, unborn daughter and my Muggle in-laws. Would a real Death Eater willing and out of love married a Muggle-born woman?"
"What was her maiden name?" asked McGonagall calmly.
"You don't need to worry," Regulus snorted. "It wasn't a girl from your house. She was from Ravenclaw," his voice suddenly lost its anger as he fell back on his seat. "Her name was Hermione Night. Hermione Night-Black. Our marriage lasted three months before I came back home to find all of them, dead," he paused. "Tortured to the point of madness … My sweet angel raped like a common whore. I felt like the earth had swept from under my feet, like someone had whacked me across the head with something sharp and very heavy and I was supposed to lose consciousness but I didn't. The world was hazy … everything was blurred. The pain … was unbearable … I wanted to die … I wanted the earth to open and swallow me whole. I sat for hours on the railroad to Hogsmead not really having any idea how I got there, I just waited for the train to come and reunite me with them."
All women in the room, aside from Sprout who was still throwing dirty looks at Regulus, had gasped.
"You are here so it didn't," Sprout snorted.
"It didn't," Regulus snorted hysterically. "When you sit docile in one place for hours on end you have a lot of time to think. So did I. When I saw the train on the horizon I realised that I didn't wanted to die this kind of death … so meaningless, so pointless kind of death …" he paused and then he continued quietly. "They say that suicides are selfish cowards and I guess some of them are … I still wanted to die but I wanted my death to have a significance and then I remembered who was directly responsible for the deaths of my family. The Dark Lord … and as soon as I remembered about it I realised that the Dark Lord thrust into my hands a weapon which once destroyed would help in getting rid of the Dark Lord … Funny thing," he chuckled weakly suddenly, "that I still remember the note I wrote to him as the final goodbye. It was a much more polite version of 'Dear Dark Lord, You are fucked up excuse of a human being who tampers with something which should remain sacred. I'm going to fuck up with your plan even if I will be killed in the process. I sincerely hope that one day you will be beaten by a toddler. Hoping that someday you are going to bite the dust, sincerely, Reggie Black."
"You didn't wrote that," Severus cringed.
"I could, but I didn't," Regulus snorted and he propped himself on his chair. "That kind of note would piss him off and I wanted him to be scared shitless." He paused and then looked pointedly at Dumbledore, "I trust that you are going to cast Fidelius Charm on everything which you will deem as something which shouldn't be public knowledge."
"I will, if you will trust me, Regulus," Dumbledore said in his kind compassionate voice.
"The real note was worded: To the Dark Lord, I know I will be dead long before you read this but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match, you will be mortal once more. R.A.B."
"You are still alive," Sprout muttered.
Regulus banged his head against the table and mumbled hysterically, "I tell her about thing which made the Dark Lord unable to die and she still has issues with me being alive. How dense one can be?"
"After teaching for nine years hundreds of students you should be familiar with that density," Severus pointed out automatically, he was the only one person beside Regulus who knew about Horcruxes.
"Please continue, Regulus," Dumbledore said calmly. "How you obtained your knowledge about the Horcruxes and how did you knew that You-Know-Who had one?"
"The answer to your first question is easy, Dumbledore. I was born as a Black. By my first year at Hogwarts I was capable of sitting through Defence Against the Dark Arts N.E.W.T.S examination and receive Outstanding on that and if I applied myself a bit better perhaps I could sit through the Mastery examination on that subject and get a good mark. As for the second question the Dark Lord revealed it to me himself, not directly at least. You've got to understand that I was sixteen when I received the Dark Mark … stupid boy. I believed in everything which I had been told back then. Nevertheless the only purpose for me the Dark Lord had back then was finding decent servants, pardon me, supporters, that's why I lived that year. Then there was a meeting when the Dark Lord had said that he required an elf. I was still happy little Death Eater so I volunteered Kreacher, my family house-elf," Regulus kept explaining.
"What happened later?" Dumbledore asked calmly.
"To make the long story short the Dark Lord took Kreacher to a cave at the coast where he intended to leave the Horcrux. Before I sent him off to the Dark Lord I told Kreacher to do whatever the Dark Lord ordered him to do and then come back home. He fully intended to leave Kreacher there to die. In all his cunningness he forgot one very important fact, perhaps he overlooked it and certainly he didn't viewed Kreacher as a human being with feelings. His downfall was the fact that the house-elves highest law is his master's bidding. Kreacher was told to come back home …" Regulus said gravely and then looked pointedly at Dumbledore.
"… so Kreacher came back home," Dumbledore finished. "That was very clever of you Regulus to give him that order."
"I didn't made Slytherin just because the whole family save Sirius was there," Regulus rolled his eyes. "Anyway what Kracher had told me got me really worried, I ordered him to stay hidden and never leave the house unless on my direct order. I was seventeen back then and as I came back here for my final year I kept questioning myself, my true loyalty. I fell in love, it was returned and the fact that my beloved woman was a Muggle-born got me convinced that getting cold feet won't get us very far. Staying amongst the Dark Lord's servants was the only way which I could protect myself and Hermione and her family. When I graduated for several months I managed to lead the Dark Lord and the other Death Eaters down the garden path. Sirius didn't got the title of the Auror who caught the most Death Eaters in a matter of a month of August and put them in Azkaban alone. He wasn't aware of that but I kept constantly tipping these I could tip, throwing shadows at these at whom I could throw shadows. Finally I meet him in person, it was day before my wedding. I wanted him to be my best man. He was the only member of the Black family about whom I gave a damn after I realised in what kind of deep shit I got myself into by joining the Dark Lord. Ever since that day he was the only other person outside Hermione and her family for whom I would step in front of Killing Curse," Regulus continued quietly but his voice was full of emotions ragging inside him.
"What for?" snorted Sprout.
"Pomona," Dumbledore said warningly. "Let Regulus finish his story and then you can comment freely."
"We aren't yet by the middle of it, Dumbledore," Regulus snorted grimly. "But back to the story. Sirius agreed to be my best man and thankfully Hermione while not having many good friends between females from Ravenclaw was acquainted with Mirzam Verascez, Sirius's Auror partner and the girl he kept mooning for ages, let Merlin keeps her poor soul in peace, she died the same day my wife did. She was Hermione's bridesmaid but during the wedding party I started to fret about them. They believed in me and my story which was brilliant but then I realised that I put both of them in great danger. With Sirius it was obvious that he would try to remain in touch with me after my wedding, if someone saw us together … His life would be in jeopardy as well as mine since amongst the Death Eaters it was believed that there was no man who hated Sirius more than I did, it was the act I had to keep to not become subject of suspicions which would be the end of my life and every person I loved and cared for. So after the party had ended I …" his voice broke down for a moment "I oblivated both of them and send them back into the world where they were a bit more safer than they would be if we remained in touch. Time had run very fast … until I came back home on Christmas Eve … you know what had happened there and I have no strength to repeat it. For three days after their deaths I kept wandering around wizarding world like a breathing Inerius until I realised that I had in my hand a tool which would take away my life, reunite me with my wife and made the world a safer place at the same time. I came back home."
At some point of time a goblet of water appeared in front of everyone of them and Regulus paused to drunk few gulps.
"I told Kreacher to bring me to that cave. I don't know exact location nor I wish to know it. I won't come back there ever again I'm sure of that. We made it through the tunnel, past the Dark Lord's wards and to the lake, from there we went by a boat to the small island in the middle of the lake. I tried to summon the Horcrux, a stupid idea but it only proved to me that it was there. I had a trinket which from farther distance would look like the Horcrux. On the island there was a basin full of potion, its name is Liquid Cruciatus but it is not a name it deserves it actually should me named Liquid Cruciastus and Dementor…"
"You made that poor elf drink it, you saddest excuse of human," Sprout screeched.
"If you don't silence her Dumbledore, I will do it but I assure you that my silencing charm will be final," Regulus growled. "I told Kreacher to switch the real Horcrux with the fake one I brought and take away and destroy the real Horcrux and never tell anyone about anything which had happened that day. Then I told him to feed me with the potion and don't stop doing it no matter how I begged him to stop after drinking the first gulp," Regulus shuddered visibly and when Severus looked at Dumbledore he saw pain in Headmasters eyes.
"It was horrible," Regulus whispered very quietly. "My insides had burned and I remembered every worst memory of mine. I screamed till my voice was raw and then was that though, that it is nothing I don't deserve, that through my mistakes I earned that pain the hour of my death," Severus heard two separate sniffs but it wasn't Regulus who sniffed.
Regulus was staring past McGonagall's shoulder at the wall behind her, not really seeing it. McGonagall's eyes were wet, so where Charity's, hers left hand was resting atop Regulus's right.
"Finally," Regulus rasped. "Finally the potion was gone and Kreacher switched the Horcrux with the fake one. I crawled to the edge of the island. I was thirsty … I picked up a handful of water and then I felt that I was pulled under the surface. In my pain filled mind I forgot that the lake was full of Inferis. The water filled my stomach … soothing the ache of the potion for a brief moment but soon … it filled my lungs, they felt like bursting and I was sure that I was about to die," he said in strangely calm for a man who was speaking about so terrible thing and then he paused before he continued. "They say that suicides are selfish cowards and they are … I was a selfish coward … My mind was blacking out and my last conscious thought wasn't seeing my wife and daughter but … that I was deep enough under the surface that Anti-Apparition ward of the Dark Lord could not work there. I aparated away…" he fell silent.
"You got unscratched from apparating through Anti-Apparition wards, and You-Know-Who's on that?" McGonagall gasped out.
"I didn't," Regulus shook his head and he shrunk visibly in his seat. "That hell of apparition didn't left me unscratched. I woke up two weeks later in a Muggle hospital somewhere in Wales, how the hell I got there I possessed no idea. For few days I only knew who I was and that I was supposed to be dead man by any kind of logic. In a matter of next following days everything came back, all memories, the fact that I was a wizard …they came with realisation that the apparition drained me from all magic I had. I was a squib."
"You aren't anymore," Sprout stated. "We saw you performing magic, you are as good as the rest of us."
"I was a squib," Regulus repeated. "I'm not anymore. I lied low for the rest of January and bits and pieces of magic started coming back until they stopped on an abrupt halt. I was no more powerful than a first year and a very weak one on that. It was utterly frustrating together with realisation that by some kind of freakish miracle I lived through something which should have killed me. Then I realised that not everything was gone: Hermione, my baby and her family were gone but there were still people in the world worth protecting … worth dying for. I was a Black, before I went to the cave I removed from my parents house few books who shouldn't be left around, I hid them in my wife's grave, no one would ever guess that they could be hidden there. They were the books about the most scariest of the Dark Arts, rituals long forgotten … for a good reason too. I took them out and kept reading them to keep my sanity. There the opportunity presented itself to me. A Death Eater, a foreigner, an orphan, naive, even more than I was in my early days as Death Eater and I was naive. It was tempting, terribly tempting. I knew that what I was about to do would not kill him. His sanity was something I could stand and in a way I was doing the git a favour. I dared him into partaking in Transfer of Magic Ritual. It's not even very dark, for normal wizards anyway but since one of us was a squib and the other was not … The ritual removed all of his magic, there was nothing left. I send the idiot back to his country with very strong memory charm on him. Last time I heard of him he was shoot in a drunken Muggle brawl outside the pub."
"That's barbaric!" yelped Sprout.
"Do you believe in love?" Regulus shot back quickly. Sprout nodded as did Dumbledore though the question wasn't directed at him. "Love is the world's greatest power. Love makes you go through any lengths to save the ones you care the most for. Makes you want to die for them … Makes you want to kill for them. I know that what I did would land me in Azkaban but I didn't cared because that ritual allowed me to be fully capable of doing magic wizard again, capable of protecting someone I loved, someone I would die for."
"What happened after the ritual?" asked Dumbledore calmly.
"I discovered idiot's powers obviously. The git was an Animagus, unregistered one on that. It worked to my advantages. I wanted to protect my brother and I knew his Achilles heel, the Potters. For Sirius James was a better brother than I ever was. I didn't hold a grudge for that. I wasn't a saint, nor was James but James offered him what I denied him when he left home. By protecting the Potters I protected Sirius. I planted myself in their household as a cat. I've seen and heard almost everything which was going in that house. I knew plans of the Order of the Phoenix even though I wasn't its member. I knew of prophecy. I knew about your plan," he looked at Dumbledore, "concerning Fidelius Charm."
"See that's a final proof that …" whatever Sprout was going to say she didn't manage to finish because with a flick of Regulus's wand she was bound to her chair and gagged.
"The subject of Fidelius Charm was greatly discussed in Potter's household for weeks before the charm had been placed. I was privy to every conversation about it. James wanted Sirius to be their Secret Keeper and Sirius accepted it. It was a sign of deep trust and before you interrupt me let me finish. The more the subject of the Fidelius Charm was discussed the more doubts concerning it Sirius had. He could keep the secret safe, he would have died to save them but he was a Black and he knew that the Dark Lord knew more than one way of getting an information from someone if he really wanted. Sirius as the Secret Keeper wasn't the safest option for everyone included, that's when Sirius suggested a switch between Secret Keepers. James agreed. They wanted to world to believe that Sirius was the Secret Keeper therefore due to the traitor in the Order of Phoenix the information of true Secret Keeper wouldn't leak to the Dark Lord. With that plan the whole impact would go after Sirius and he was capable of handling himself. The rumours about the werewolves affected James's relationship with Remus Lupin, Lupin was not to be trusted."
"Oh Merlin, no!" McGonagall groaned.
"Oh, yes," Regulus said grimly. "They asked Peter Pettigrew to be the Secret Keeper of the Potters. I was there when they did, I saw that Pettigrew agreed to it eagerly. Later when I thought about it, too eagerly. The Fidelius Charm was performed on 24th October 1981 at dusk with Pettigrew as the Secret Keeper, Potters as the Secret and Sirius as a witness. We were all relieved after the charm had been placed. Sirius because James, Lily and Harry were safe, James and Lily for the same reason and I because of the reason mentioned before and the fact that I finally had a chance to sleep a full night without jumping whenever a branch squeaked behind the window."
"What happened that night, Regulus?" Dumbledore whispered.
"I didn't know much, Dumbledore," Regulus sighed. "The fact that Fidelius Charm was placed on the house didn't meant that I could go prancing around the house as a normal man. I remained the perfect cat and the night the Dark Lord had attacked the house I was doing what every cat would do in my place, especially after few weeks on constant insomnia: I was asleep. I didn't heard the Dark Lord getting into the house. I woke up to hear Lily's pleads for Harry's life. I was shocked … unable to move, to react. I jumped from the bed on the ground fully intending to transform back into my human form as soon as my paws touched the floor. I didn't had a chance …" Regulus shuddered. "When my paws touched the ground something had exploded, the impact of the explosion hit the wall by which the Dark Lord most probably had stood, James's and Lily's bedroom was behind that wall and I was in their bedroom. I was a cat, small, eight pounds weighing cat … the blow send me backwards and I had to hit my head on something, probably the nightstand. I was knocked out unconscious, I don't know for how long because it had to be several hours after the attack because when I woke up I heard Sirius and Hagrid quarrelling over Harry. Finally Sirius let him take Harry away and went inside just as I got downstairs. Merlin," he choked out. "It has been ten years and I still have the sight of James's body in mind, I still see Sirius's tears, I still heard his hysterical mumblings that it was his fault that if he didn't suggested Pettigrew … but if I thought that with James was bad …" he actually sniffed. "When he saw Lily … her crumbled body in front of Harry's crib … his howl of pain wakes me up every stormy night … he went catatonic then swore on everything which is saint and sacred that he won't lie down until Pettigrew's head will be nailed to the front door of the Potters house. It was scary, he did not think about anything, since that moment he was on automat and if I wasn't scared for myself I could have prevented what happened … If I was more braver I could transform back and haul his ass to Hogwarts make him swear under Veritaserum that he wasn't the Secret Keeper as well as testifying under it myself," Regulus was rambling now and Severus saw Dumbledore move from his chair to stand behind Regulus's chair.
Dumbledore lied his hands on Regulus's shoulders and for a moment the only sound in the room was chocked sobs and sniffs coming from Regulus throat.
"I was afraid about him," Regulus said finally. "Scared to death, he wasn't in the right state of mind. I followed him, for the day I kept trailing behind him until he cornered Pettigrew in the middle of London. Then that traitor accused Sirius of betraying the Potters before he blew up the street, killing twelve Muggles in the process and ran away."
"Pettigrew is dead," whispered McGonagall.
"He is fucking not!" Regulus bellowed and he slid from his chair from sheer exhaustion.
Dumbledore and Severus was at his side immediately, the others, save still bound to her chair and gagged Sprout, followed.
"How?" McGonagall mumbled.
"Peter Pettigrew is an unregistered Animagus," Regulus stated firmly. "He takes the form of the rat he is. I do not lie, I saw him transforming in front of my eyes as I saw you Professor McGonagall doing it. He is an ordinary rat, the only thing which will allow one to tell him apart from ordinary rat is lack of toe in his front paw. That's the only fucking thing which was found from him on that street, a finger! Believe me, please!" he cried out hysterically. "I chased after him to the outskirts of London when Sirius had been taken to Azkaban, I lost him when we got to the country but I'm sure that he went west. I spent weeks at searching him and when I came back to London I learned what happened to Sirius. He didn't even got a trial every fucking Death Eater after the Dark Lord's demise got a trial and he didn't got one … and I … I wasn't even able to testimony for him because if I did the only one thing I would achieve would be a cell next to Sirius … and I couldn't … I couldn't … not with the suspicions that the Horcrux I had stolen from the cave wasn't the only one … that there were others … I was the only one who knew … who suspected and … I couldn't save my brother. I spent months … searching … fruitlessly … finally I checked on Harry … I watched Lupin's attempts … didn't worked … he tried everything to take … Harry away from … these awful people … and I knew that if … Lupin failed … then who … was I to … succeed … no one. Then … Landsand … retired … I had mastery … it was Hogwarts … it was safety … and Harry … Harry someday … was … going … to … come … around. That was … the only … hope …I had. I swore to protect him … to myself … to Hermione … to our daughter … to James … to Lily … to Sirius … to everyone … who died," Regulus's words become chocked out between hysteric sobs.
Finally Regulus collapsed unconscious on the floor in Dumbledore's arms and Severus suspected that it had more common with Dumbledore's wand than Regulus's emotional exhaustion.
"He is mental," Kettleburn finally mumbled nervously. "Barking mad."
"They say that only children and mental are telling the truth," Dumbledore said quietly. "Severus, you knew about it?"
"Not in great detail," Severus mumbled. "Though he made both kids aware of most things which had occurred. When he told Potter about the possibility of freeing Black the kid looked like food deprived kid in front of the Hogwarts feast. Speaking about food deprivation, Albus, Potter's reaction to the feast wasn't reaction of a normal teenager boy. I saw enough signs of the abuse in my life to tell that Potter is one of these kids. And don't think that I won't try to take care of that matter."
"What we are doing now?" mumbled Hooch.
"I'm going for late night hunting," McGonagall stated grimly. "If that poor boy is right we let an innocent man rot for ten years in Azkaban while the real traitor and murderer is still at large."
"I will prepare 'Bring Your Pet to the Lessons' in coming two weeks. If the rat is hiding between one of the students…" Kettleburn said vehemently.
"That plan would appear to work for these who had chosen your subject, Lawrence. From third year and up," Severus reminded him.
"I will tell my students that Lawrence offered to give their pets a free check up if they are healthy," said Sprout in raspy voice, apparently someone at least removed a gag.
"Me too," Flitwick agreed. "And I will try to arrange lessons with altering animals appearance if the rat is around he won't slip through the net."
"Especially if I will make the same in Potions," Severus agreed.
"That covers Pettigrew," said Charity. "But what about Regulus?"
"I trust that whatever had been said tonight won't make it past this door?" asked Dumbledore. "We will meet once again when Regulus will be in better state, till then do not talk about Horcruxes, do not look for information about them. Forget everything which you heard concerning that subject. The Fidelius Charm will be placed with me as the Secret Keeper but not before Regulus will be able to explain all his suspicions. Understood?"
"Actually I was referring to his emotional state, Headmaster," said Charity. "He had been through a hell and back again and it was no wonder that he finally broke down. On the other hand we can't lock him up in St Mungo and I dare to say that even the Hospital wing won't be the safest place for him now in his state."
"He has no lessons tomorrow," McGonagall muttered. "Severus?"
"Worst Monday ever," Severus replied.
"I will keep an eye on him during the day. Cornelius can go through one day without an owl from Hogwarts," Dumbledore said.
"I will stay with him during the night," Charity offered. "I have afternoon classes so I can have few hours nap before lunch."
"Move him to his rooms and I will come with the potions for him in a moment," Severus said quickly.
He left the room hastily and when he turned the corner as he reached the stairs he saw the rest of the teachers leaving the room. Regulus wasn't carried on a stretcher like unconscious people would be normally carried but he was cradled like a small boy in Dumbledore's arms. That sight made Severus feel less guilty about revealing Regulus's true identity. He did the right thing, after everything he had been through in his life Regulus Black shouldn't be alone and he wasn't going to be alone, Dumbledore and Severus would make sure of that.
He checked his stock and supplied Charity with last three bottles of Dreamless Sleep Potion for Regulus which would ensure that the younger man would sleep at least until following evening. Dumbledore had been in Regulus's rooms too and he stood up when Severus told Charity that he is going to retire for the night but if there was something wrong with Regulus she could call him by using one of the house-elves.
The conversation with Dumbledore was something which Severus didn't wanted to get through, at least now, he was tired and listening to Regulus's history was really mentally exhausting.
They didn't went to Dumbledore's office, an act of kindness from Dumbledore's side so Severus didn't had to climb all the way to seventh floor when they were on first floor and his own rooms were in the dungeons. Dumbledore picked up an unused classroom a put very strong locking charms on the door and the room.
"You lied to me, Severus," Dumbledore said calmly as he seated himself on the top of the first desk in middle row while Severus was standing in front of the desk.
He did, facts were ... well the facts. He lied to the man who shielded him from Azkaban clutches.
"Why you told us that he came to you for help when he had done everything on his own, Severus?" Dumbledore asked kindly.
Severus sat down on the top of the teacher's desk and sighed, "I wanted to protect him. For starters I believed that his true name will remain only between the five of us and that he would never know that his true identity was revealed. I certainly didn't expected you to call him by his name."
"The look on your face was clear," Dumbledore nodded. "But still why?"
"Because you took me," Severus whispered. "You took me and believed in my when no one else did. They know that I wouldn't betray that trust and if Regulus came to me asking for help…" Severus paused hoping that Dumbledore got the idea.
"There is something else, Severus. Some other explanation for your lie," Dumbledore said kindly.
"That's all," Severus shrugged and hunched his shoulders.
"I believe it is not, Severus. You feel responsible for him," Dumbledore said.
"Of course I do!" Severus growled. "I'm the man to whom he owes his state. It was …" Severus paused feeling the gravity of the words. "It was me, Albus. I'm the one who brought him to the Dark Lord. I'm responsible for his making. I wanted to hurt Black, hurt in the worst way possible … I took away from him someone he deeply cared for. Black always cared for Regulus, in ways no one could understand but it was evident. Regulus was the only one Slytherin who got from theirs childish pranks on Slytherin house unscratched. Only once Potter bullied him at the beginning of Regulus's first year and I believe that it took Poppy few days before she managed to put Potter's nose back in its place."
"Does he hates you, Regulus, I mean?" Dumbledore asked.
"If he really did I would have been told about it by now, Albus," Severus muttered. "But even if he doesn't it isn't real issue, I hate myself, especially now, knowing to what my actions lead…" Severus fell silent.
"If it wasn't you, Severus, then it would be someone else," Dumbledore said quietly. "He was enchanted by the Dark Lord and sooner or later he would come to his service. What happened to him is terrible as whole but we need to look on the bright side. He learned Dark Lord's true colours, he tried to ensure his destruction even at the cost of his own life and finally he protected these who didn't knew that they needed protecting. And you know what Severus? You two are very much alike."
"It's not something I'm proud of, Albus. One Severus Snape is enough for the world," Severus snorted. "Though I admit that there are common traits but he lacks something which I don't."
"Bitterness," Dumbledore whispered.
"And the Princes' genetic. Black family genes were kind to him. Plus if you leave him for longer periods in potions classroom he turns into a poodle not the slimy git," Severus snorted.
After coming back to his rooms Severus had collapsed on the top of his bed in his robes, he felt too tired to change and he figured out that since he had third year Slytherin and Gryffindor mix tomorrow first thing he could as well go there in yesterday's robes.
As soon as his head hit the pillow he fell asleep. But the sleep which enveloped him wasn't the one he welcomed. He fell into a nightmare, the one which was disturbing him ever since Christmas of 1979.
He was in something which looked very much like prison but it lacked Dementor's presence or Muggles with the guns. But nevertheless the building was reeking with feeling of imprisonment and misery.
He turned the corner and in the farthest from the others cells corridor, they were cells, he told himself, he found his tormentor from this particular nightmare.
Years hadn't been kind to her, he observed. Once long, shinny, curly jet-black hair lost their shininess and flattened creating the impression of wild bush. The eyes which once shined with mirth in their violet depths were dull and looked like eyes of a caged animal. Never particularly heavy built, but lean, more willow-like even if hours spent on the broom gave her healthy normally muscular figure. Now she looked absurdly thin, her arms and legs which were sticking out from under white dress looked like bones covered with skin. Her heart-shaped face never particularly full looked like a face of a vampire. Her skin was sallow as if she didn't saw any sun for years.
It was just fucking fitting to have a nightmare of one of three his gravest mistakes tonight. He knew that what he had done was horrible and he lived with that responsibility for a very long time but why, for this one night, his conscience didn't left him in peace? Why so short after hearing the tale of Regulus Black he had to face Mirzam Verascez?
"Tell me what you want me to do and leave me in peace, woman!" he yelled at her, for the first time in that nightmare he used his voice.
"Death," she whispered. "I will welcome you with open arms. You are not something to be afraid of, you set us free … and I want to be free. I want to see, I want to hear, I want to taste, I want to touch, I want to laugh, I want to cry. I want to feel magic again."
Well that's better than nothing, Severus said to himself.
"Severus, oh Severus," she sobbed. "Why you took away the life of my child but didn't take away mine with his? What I had done to you to be punished like that? To be aware of whom I'm in this place which puts our fucking Azkaban into a shame. I'm a fucking witch not a bedlamite. Why the hell I'm in Bedlam!"
Bedlam. Bedlam. Bedlam not afterlife. Bedlam in London not the grave in Godric's Hollow. Alive not dead. Alive not dead.
So there was mercy in the world, the mercy which had saved and kept alive two out of three dead people whose deaths Severus regretted the most and felt very responsible for. First Regulus Black and then Mirzam Verascez … if only Lily, his little, sweet Lily.
Don't think that. Lily is dead and Regulus kept himself alive on his own, he is disturbed but not dying. But Mirzam looks like someone who is dying, from hunger, exhaustion and Merlin knows what else. Tomorrow will be too late to save her, said part of his mind.
She was Black's, the other part of his mind, the one which never let Black or his bunch get away with their crimes.
She is hers and hers alone. Black is still in Azkaban if it makes you happy. You held grudge against them for far too long and if you do nothing about her you will let innocent woman, the one whom you tried to destroy die because of that grudge. Wasn't Lily enough?
Unaware of what his right hand was doing Severus reached through the bars, too far away from her to touch her and whispered, "I will find you Mirzam and I will return to you what I took, everything I will be able to return. Don't lose hope, I'm coming."
He jerked awake, soaking wet from sweat, panting like he just run through ten miles chased by a horde of Hippogriffs.
"Mirzam," he gasped out. "I'm coming."
If he tried to come back to this night later he never managed to point the exact hour he arrived to Bethlem Royal Hospital nor did he managed to count minutes he spent at looking through various rooms and cells. But finally he had found her.
She was huddled in the corner of the cell and looked exactly like she looked in his dream. He lowered Disillusionment and Silencing Charms and stared at her. She slowly raised her head to look at him and whispered.
"So the mercy of death exists. You came," she tried to hoist herself into standing position but had a lot of trouble with it and even when she did she was leaning heavily against the wall. "My angel of death," she snorted. "If I wasn't so weak I would be rolling on the floor from laughter."
"If I'm an angel," Severus sighed "then I'm the angel of life, not death."
"How come?" Mirzam asked sceptically or Severus imagine that scepticism.
"I didn't come here to kill you Mirzam. I came here to take you away from this place and I swear to you that I will return to you everything I will be able to," he said with fierce solemnity.
"You will not return me my child," Mirzam shook her head.
"I won't and I truly regret it but I will return to you everything else. Your freedom, you health, your beauty, your man," Severus continued.
"My magic?" she whispered weakly. "I tried, I really did but there is something in these pills they kept giving me but … I couldn't apparate away, Merlin if I could I wouldn't be there for … I don't even know how long I was here."
"Did they gave you exact date?" Severus asked.
"27th December 1979," she whispered.
"Twelve years," Severus whispered. "Or very close to twelve years. Today is 1st, no, 2nd September 1991."
"Twelve years," she whispered.
He approached her and gathered her into his arms. She leaned in with her weight fully on him.
"You couldn't apparate but I can. I'm taking you to Hogwarts and you will remain in my care until I will be pleased with your state," he whispered.
"Maybe I'm a fool," she whispered and he closed his eyes. "But I trust you Severus, I trust you with my death and I trust you with my life. My existence is yours to decide."
He said nothing just concentrated firmly on the apparition spot outside the gates of Hogwarts. He opened his eyes again and saw the image of the castle looming in front of them.
"It's really beautiful, isn't it?" she asked quietly. "I never thought that I will be able to see it again," she added and she let go of him.
She managed to make two wobbly footsteps in the direction of the gates before her knees buckled under her and she fell on the ground. She was very weak.
"You are too weak to walk on your own," Severus told her as he arranged her in position from which he could pick her up from the ground, his right arm under her knees and his left around her shoulders.
He expected himself to pull hard to pick her up but she weighed so little that he felt like he was caring a child. He waved his wand at the gates and they opened for him. He slipped through it and firmly locked it behind himself.
"Can I ask you something?" Mirzam mumbled weakly when they were walking through the grounds. "I know that you won't like it but I really need to know it."
"Ask then," he replied calmly, he was almost sure which question she was going to ask.
"What happened to Sirius Black?" she whispered.
"He lived," Severus replied and he paused, informing her about Black being in Azkaban now, in her current state would do more harm than good. "You will see him when you wake up from your healing sleep," he added hoping that it was going to be true and that they would manage to find Pettigrew and free Black in a matter of next few weeks and few weeks her healing was supposed to take.
He put her on his own bed, thankful to all deities he knew by the name and few he did not that he fell asleep on the top of the bed and his bed was changed when he was away.
"It's so soft," she whispered as he wrapped the coverlet around her. "My bed felt like I was sleeping on a board."
"Don't fall asleep yet," he told her. "I'm going to my laboratory to pick up potions for you."
"You have other bedroom?" she asked suddenly.
"I do," he lied. He had one bedroom but for everything he had done to her he deserved sleeping for few weeks on the couch, no, the couch sounded too comfortable, he deserved to sleep on the floor, naked.
Regulus is still unfit and probably won't be for another few days and if you get yourself sick now there will be no one to cover your lessons for you, his conscience pointed out.
He collected the potions he needed to give her from his lab and he feed her with them before he let her sleep with quiet, "Goodnight."
"Goodnight," she replied sleepily. "If Sirius ever …" she yawned and that word was lost in that yawn, "he will … forever in your debt."
Harry woke up next morning when Blaise and Neville pulled the coverlet from him.
"Hurry up," Blaise said impatiently. "We need to get to Great Hall to collect the timetables and we need to eat breakfast before the lessons."
"What time is it?" Harry asked with a yawn.
"Half past six," came from Harry's left, it was probably Draco. "Breakfast isn't even served before seven o'clock."
"The earlier we get up the earlier we get there and …" Blaise started.
"More time we will have to wait for our lessons," Draco finished.
"Point taken," mumbled Theodore. "We don't need to hurry."
"Fine then but don't blame me when the girls will brag in our dormitory to haul you to Great Hall in you pyjamas," Blaise sighed.
"They can't do that!" yelped Crabbe.
"They can," Blaise snorted. "Mum told me. Boys can't go to girls dormitory but other way around it is possible. A charm of some sort."
The comment about being dragged to Great Hall in pyjamas had worked because half of hour later when there was a knock on the door all seven of them were dressed and ready to leave.
They went to Great Hall together and seated at the top of Slytherin table. They were in the middle of their breakfast when Snape had approached them and handed them their timetables. Harry hoped to catch a glimpse of Regulus but the other man was nowhere to be seen. Snape on the other hand looked like something or someone kept him awake for whole night in not very pleasant way.
"My condolences to these who are having first lesson with him, even if they are Gryffindors," Pansy muttered when they were outside Snape's hearing range.
"Slytherin and Gryffindor from third year," muttered Millicent. "Defence Against the Dark Arts for us with Ravenclaw."
"How do you know that?" asked Tracey.
"That groan from the third years is deathly gave away," Millicent. "Thank Merlin for small mercies and let's hope that whatever is eating him will pass before Friday morning," she added when she glanced down at their own timetable.
Awaiting criticism - like always. I'm replying as long as you leave me your email or you log in while reviewing. Bring my ego down ;)
Sniffy's random ramblings:
Oops, something get out from the control but to tell the truth I knew that Dumbledore was going to call Regulus by his real name even from the moment Severus said it in last chapter. And it is a good thing when you come to think about it. I agree that the moment the situation was left was foolish but the key is that Dumbledore trusts them, if he didn't he would have objected to the choices for Deputys.
Mirzam - same old story. These who are familiar with my other stories more or less know what they might expect from her in this story and these who aren't familiar will be surprised. I don't feel like going to defence my Original Character right now because it's four o'clock in the morning and I want to sleep - if you want to read it keep your eyes on notes under actual chapters of my other stories (save Brother Brother series where Mirzam is separate issue).
Next chapter: Kids are going through their first day of school while Severus is taking a ride on a rollercoaster (proverbial one). Regulus sleeps while the rest of the teachers are planting rat traps around the castle (though don't expect Pettigrew to be caught that quickly - that would be far too easy and far to early).
