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: Regulus has a long talk with Dumbledore and later meets fourteen misbehaving and too curious for their own good students.
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. Thanks to Kyra for her help and patience.
Chapter five: Cavere Decet, Timere Non Decet
He felt like his head was filled with wool. The world around him was hazy. He heard sounds but he had a problem with identifying them. He wanted to move but he felt that he had very little strength left in his body. It took him ages to open his eyes.
There was a man sitting on the chair on the right side of his bed. His white hair and beard as well as broken nose and twinkling blue eyes were familiar but he couldn't, for the life of him, recall his name or his own in fact.
"How are you feeling Regulus?" his companion asked kindly.
Regulus so that was his name and, as soon as it settled in his brain, the events of last night came back to him leaving him ashamed of his weakness.
"Like shit," he answered, his voice was raspy.
"It is understandable after everything you have been through, Regulus," said the man in his kind voice.
"I lost control," Regulus muttered. "I thought that I could manage."
"Alone, my boy?" the man asked patiently.
"I had been alone for better part of my adult life, Albus. I learned to live with the fact that the only person I can trust is myself and even that was pulled away from me," Regulus answered bitterly.
"Do you wish that Severus didn't do what he did?" Albus asked calmly.
That was very interesting question. Did he really want it?
"Not really," he answered timidly. "Though I would have appreciated if our resident bat had consulted me before making a decision about me. I could have used a little warning beforehand… I would have been able to control my emotions if I did. I made a fool of myself."
"You are a human, my boy and last night you made them see it. Really see it and believe it. They are all genuinely concerned about you. Minerva spent the whole night at patrolling the halls as a cat and I heard her sniffling in Trophy room. Filius spent better part of the night preparing everything about the subject of animal transformations and young Charity didn't leave your side until I came to send her off to her rooms for few hours of sleep before her afternoon classes. I believe that Lawrence spent quite some time at chasing the rats on the ground," Albus said kindly.
"Charity was there?" Regulus asked in shock.
"All night long, she offered to watch after you during the night and if it wasn't for her classes she would have stayed with you for the rest of the day. She cares deeply for you my boy," Albus replied with small smile.
"She would run away screaming like Banshee if she knew the things I had done," Regulus shrugged. "She reminds me of my Hermione, not in the looks mind you, but that quiet demeanour, this hidden passion of knowledge and sense of justice. She deserves a good man, not a broken man with shitty past."
"But that broken man with shitty past as you said, is a good man for her. He is fiercely loyal, overprotective, a rock in the storm and warm embrace during stormy night. Charity doesn't need more, and doesn't want more. I pursued her views on that subject because I'm an old meddling codger who wishes his friends to be happy with their lives. She cares little for money and position but she cares for the passion in intellectual discussion and someone who will support her no matter what," Albus replied and his eyes twinkled merrily.
"I admit that you are meddling old codger," Regulus muttered.
"I would have to be blind to not see the way you look at her over the table or the way her eyes follow you around the room, Regulus. If you ever allowed it you could be everything for each other," Albus continued.
"I once allowed my feelings take the leading before my mind and every Christmas Eve when I'm in Wye I tell myself that I won't allow it again. Once in a lifetime was enough, Albus. If it happened a second time… I would not survive it. I would turn my wand on myself in that exact moment and I can't do that… not until the Dark Lord is no longer out there. Not until all Horcruxes are destroyed," Regulus replied bitterly as he was shaking his head.
"We will come back to that part of discussion later," Albus stated.
"I have no doubt, Cupid," Regulus snorted.
"You brought up the issue of Horcruxes and I need to address that matter now," Albus continued. "You should be aware that I left the matter of them on at what you told them yourself. Nevertheless, I told them that once you are fit, we will address that matter again. Since it is your knowledge you must have a lot to say about that particular subject. Is there a person who was present in that room last night whom you do not trust with that knowledge or someone you really don't want to be aware of it. I intend to hide everything concerning that particular subject under Fidelius Charm with me as the Secret Keeper."
"I want Harry to be aware, Albus. The Granger girl as well. I'm a cat and she has an air about herself that the cat in me trusts. You know that cats are excellent judges of character. With the weight of our world on his shoulders Harry needs to know. We both know that he has to be prepared. He cannot go to fight with the Dark Lord until all Horcruxes are gone and he is ready, which brings another issue concerning Harry. I want him to be trained in Defence but I trust Quirrel as far as I can throw him, figuratively speaking of course. I believe that Severus, Filius, and I, probably even Minerva, will do splendidly with him. The most important issue of the whole training will be mastering Occlumency. I know that Severus would be your choice for the job but he lacks the patience to do it well. While he will manage to push Harry to master the art he will do a shitty job with the basics of Occlumency. I will train Harry myself until I have taught him everything I could. Then I can release him to Severus's care with lighter heart," Regulus said fiercely.
"Understandable," Albus agreed. "Is there anything else concerning Harry?"
"Animagi but it isn't a pressing issue, Albus. Not this year certainly but being an Animagus has its advantages and it would be good for the boy. Between Sirius and Minerva he will quickly master it," Regulus continued.
"Sirius?" Albus asked surprised.
"I didn't mention it last night, did I?" Regulus snickered. "That's how I know that Pettigrew was an Animagus. It seems that when they were at school the Marauders had learned about Lupin's monthly problem. Whose idea it was I cannot say but I know for a fact that all three of them were Animagi and I saw their forms. James was a stag, quite fitting considering his character and ego. Pettigrew was the rat and it should have given all of us at least some reservations about him, filthy traitor," Regulus snorted. "But Sirius, Sirius was a dog. We both know very well that the Animagi form is heavily influenced by character. That's why, even if I wasn't present at the discussions about Fidelius Charm or later on that street in London, I would never believe that Sirius betrayed the Potters."
"What about you and that fellow?" Albus asked curiously.
"He was a guinea pig," Regulus snorted. "The ritual transferred the ability but not the form since the form is based on character. For a few days after the ritual I felt sick as a dog. I guess that was the ability adjusting to my character. It is quite fitting when I come to think about it you know. I was spoiled for better part of my life and I kept things to myself as you know. But it is a good disguise it allows me to get almost everywhere unnoticed."
"I get the idea," Albus chuckled. "You are a rather persistent cat. Fawkes is envious about you on occasions."
"I imagine," Regulus chuckled. "That was the only way I could come with to be present at the meetings which wasn't meant for my ears."
"If you came and told me what was going on you wouldn't have had to be a cat during them and you would have been allowed to voice your concerns," Albus pointed out.
"I'm too independent Albus. I'm not Severus," Regulus shook his head. "He moans and groans but regardless, he trusts your judgement blindly and I don't. That doesn't mean that I don't respect you, because I do: as a Professor, Headmaster, and scientist but I don't trust you in making big decisions and when I'm able to voice an opinion on certain matters I do it. I'm careful and vigilant to the point of paranoia because that paranoia has saved my life over and over again. I know that certain choices are hard to make, especially when you have to choose between two things you really care for, but I learned to take things into consideration and choose the lesser evil. This leads us to three very important issues. I know that Flamel is an old friend of yours and friends help each other, but I was and I will remain against the presence of Philosopher's Stone within the school walls. It's like opening the door wide and calling the Dark Lord to come and get it."
"Protections…" Albus started calmly.
"Protections-smotections," Regulus snorted. "We both know what kind of protections are on the stone, Albus and they aren't enough. I would be able to get through them in fifteen minutes. For the Dark Lord it would take even less. Hagrid's pet, Devil's Snares, Chess, Flying Keys and Severus's riddle, oh I forgot about Quirrel's Troll. I don't trust him, with the stone nor with the students. The only thing which he won't be able to go past now is Severus's riddle. A decently skilled first year will be able to go past the protections on the stone," Regulus said sourly.
"What do you suggest?" Albus asked kindly.
"Aside from destroying the stone, which would kill the Flamels?" Regulus sighed. "Well there is a way to ensure the safety of the stone but it is complicated as hell and I would need to give it a lot of thought. Meanwhile I suggest strengthening the protections which are already are around the stone or at least adding one more person to those who are protecting the stone. Myself. The Dark Lord is skilled in Ancient Runes but he didn't manage to break through Salazar Slytherin's code on his letters, and he wanted to read them badly. He didn't have the patience to get through. He once said that he did not deem them important enough to get through them. I didn't have the same reservations and I discovered how to read them. They are quite an interesting thing to read by the way, very enlightening. So if I coded Severus's riddle with Salazar's code then, if there is an attempt to get the stone, whoever would try to do it will get stuck in that place with no way forward or backward."
"What you really have against Quirrel, Regulus?" Dumbledore asked curiously.
Regulus said nothing and rolled up his right sleeve. If someone didn't look closely at it they would miss a very faint red imprint of the Dark Mark. Dumbledore leaned from his chair and examined the ghostly mark carefully.
"The Dark Lord is somewhere around the school, Albus," Regulus said certainly. "I presume that he is in contact with Quirrel or that Quirrel is possessed by him. I operate on instinct with the Dark Lord. A former Death Eater is far more sensitive to feeling his presence than any other person. Whenever the Dark Lord was around us in very close vicinity, an arm, sometimes arm and half length away we could feel the itch on his mark. The point is, that whenever I'm around Quirrel, I feel that itch. If I wasn't as paranoid as I am I would have completely written it off. Besides, I don't buy that story about a vampire, Quirrel was skilled enough to repeal a vampire. And Albania… you know the rumours," Regulus shook his head.
"I will have him watched but you know that until he does something suspicious we can't do anything," Albus said carefully. "Besides it's his life at stake if he is really possessed."
"These who are foolish enough to trust the Dark Lord should pay for placing that trust in wrong person," Regulus snorted.
"Even with their lives?" Albus asked kindly.
"Especially with their lives, then the Dark Lord wouldn't be as powerful as he was if only few of his followers would remain by his side," Regulus replied bitterly. "There is always a price to be paid for stupidity and mistakes past or future won't go punished."
"Destiny?" Albus asked quietly.
"No, fate," Regulus replied shortly.
"Is there someone else whom you want to be aware of the existence of the Horcruxes?" Albus changed the subject.
"Sirius when he comes around. I want him to be told. Whether it will be you or me doing the telling doesn't matter but I want him to know about them. I want him to know what I did. If Kreacher did not destroy the Horcrux we will need Sirius to get inside the house at Grimmauld Place. I cannot enter the house. I know that my grandfather or any cousin of mine won't do it. Ever since my father passed away the place has been Sirius' since I supposedly passed away before my father did. Imagine how it pissed off our dearest mum," Regulus snorted.
"Granted. Anyone else?" Albus nodded.
"Severus," Regulus replied shortly. "I'm still cross with him about revealing my true identity but that is nothing which a weekend of sporting Gryffindor colours won't fix. Filius, I guess. He is Charms Master and you know that old proverb, still water runs deep. Minerva perhaps. We could use her scepticism," he added after a moment.
"What about Lawrence, Pomona and Charity?" Albus asked curiously.
"I trust Lawrence," Regulus replied quickly. "But we really don't know with what we are going to deal. I trust his judgement but he is an old man and if we got in trouble he would be greater liability than asset and I don't want to have his blood on my hands. I trust him with my identity and Sirius' case but for his sake I don't trust him with the Horcruxes. As for Pomona, she doesn't trust me, for a good reason mind you, and I'm paranoid enough. I wish her to forget everything which had been said in that room except bits and pieces about Pettigrew. You will know how to arrange that memory modification."
"What happened between the two of you, Regulus?" Albus asked kindly. "She was always nice to you before yesterday."
"Before yesterday she knew me as Mufrid Lemeraude. Now she knows that I'm Regulus Black, the man who killed her only brother. Pontius Sprout was an idiot but that doesn't make the fact that I have his blood on my hands any less real," Regulus shrugged. "I avoided killing at all costs. I only watched the deaths of those whom I could not save. Pontius Sprout died because of his stupidity and his fucking carpet," Regulus growled in irritation.
Dumbledore said nothing he just settled himself more comfortable in his chair.
"The ride in Bardney near Lincoln," Regulus said quietly as his mind recalled that day. "The 23rd December 1979. A completely Muggle village with a few wizarding houses on the road. Crabbe and Goyle were with me and that arrangement had suited me well since they always shared one brain cell. We had apparated to the forest. I managed to get them lost there and I ran ahead to warn the families. I could do little about the Muggle families and they weren't the main aim of that raid. The main aim was to sway the wizarding families to join the Dark Lord. They were five of them: the Greens, the Tuckers, the Urbans, the Willows and Sprout. All of them left hastily or I thought so until we entered Sprout's house. I just called them to search the house fully expecting the idiot to have evacuated as soon as I left his house. He didn't. I knew that in the moment Crabbe was knocked unconscious and Goyle quickly followed him. It's a miracle that those two idiots lived through the first war, I tell you. When they were knocked out the real duelling started. I kept to usual stuff I used when there weren't any Death Eaters around to see me, nothing remotely dark or harmful, unlike Sprout who managed to cast Cruciatus, Imperius and Rento's Spell in a matter of a minute. Thankfully, ever since I learned how to read, my father taught me how to conjure shields and I consider myself a man who can make a shield out of everything. With time passing the duel only got more heated and finally I decided that if I wanted to save my life or these two idiots I had to do harm. Do you know how Sprout died?" Regulus asked quietly.
"He bleed to death," Albus nodded slowly.
"He summoned my mask and he saw my face. It was nothing which good Memory Modifying Charm wouldn't fix and I intended to do it as soon as I disabled him. I needed to harm him, not lethally but enough to disable him. I used Sectumsempra. I was aiming at his legs. It was supposed to startle him enough for me to summon his wand and then modify his memory. I slipped," Regulus chuckled hysterically. "I prided myself as a decent dueller and when someone's life was at stake I fucking slipped on a fucking carpet. The spell left my wand before I could do anything to stop it. The idiot in his pride had lowered his shield, if he hadn't… Because of my changed position the spell didn't hit his legs, it hit the artery as I heard the sounds of the Aurors apparating. If I wanted to see my wife again I had to get away before the Anti-Apparition Charms were placed on the area. I took the idiots with me. I pitied them because they had little sons. It was next day when I learned that Pontius recognised me and managed to draw Re … Black with his blood on the floor. I managed to stay away from Azkaban because I hadn't been in places where the Aurors had been looking for me. I spent the night in Wye and for the rest of the day I was transporting Muggle families from the area which I knew that was going to be attacked on Christmas Day and then…" his voice broke down "then I came back home."
"You can't blame yourself for choices of the other people, Regulus," Albus said quietly.
"I don't when said actions don't lead to me having their blood on my hands. Anyway, that's my issue with Pomona. Right now she is too afraid of you to do something to me. Unfortunately that doesn't mean that she won't grow braver in the future. I deeply regret that murder but she won't understand, ever, that it was as much her brother's fault as mine. I won't be so arrogant to claim responsibility for the whole. If he had only left like the others did… " Regulus shook his head.
"You did everything you could to save him, Regulus. Don't worry about Pomona, I will modify her memory so she doesn't remember anything from last night and tell the others, who are aware, to not discuss the issues you pointed out with her. What about Charity?" Albus asked calmly.
"That's another issue," Regulus mumbled nervously. "But I will let her decide whether she wants to work by my side or not. I owe her that. When she will come?"
"I believe that she will be here in a moment since her last lesson of the day just ended," Albus replied.
"When she gets here don't reveal your presence. Stand by the door, that part, so you will be hidden while I will talk with her. Do not do anything until I give you a clear sign. If her memory should be modified then I will reach for my pipe," he said and he placed his pipe on the covers on his left side so Dumbledore could have seen it from behind the door. "However if I decide that she should remain aware of the whole issue then I will give you thumbs up."
"Understood," Albus nodded and, right in that moment, through the slightly ajar door of the bedroom was carried the sound of someone knocking loudly on the door to the sitting room.
Regulus nodded quickly and as Dumbledore stood up and he placed himself behind the door Regulus called out, "Come in."
Seven seconds later Charity Burbage entered the room. Her long and wavy light-brown was pulled into single long braid fastened with light-blue ribbon. Under her light-blue eyes he spotted dark circles and he felt ashamed that it was his state which kept her awake through the night. But her cheeks had their usual rosy and healthy colour. When her eyes fell on him she smiled widely before she approached his bed and abandoning the chair which Dumbledore occupied earlier she settled on the bed on Regulus's right side.
"You are awake," she said happily. "Severus told us that you wouldn't wake up before the evening."
"Well its late afternoon I presume. Not very far away from the evening. I chased Dumbledore away because I wanted to have a quiet lie in and he was making too much noise with his sherbet lemons bag," Regulus replied.
"He is genuinely concerned about you, Regulus. We all are. I haven't seen Severus so irked since Dumbledore informed him that he wouldn't get DADA position yet again this year," Charity said fiercely.
"Well the bat has something to be worried about. He knows that he won't get away with telling something which was mine to tell. I will let him fret for a while before I will humiliate him properly. Don't worry it won't be harmful," he quickly reassured her and then he had to take a very deep breath in preparation of what he was about to do. "Charity we need to talk."
"I'm listening," she said with a smile and he hated himself even more.
"Charity," he said her name like a whisper on the wind. "Charity, I killed your father."
"So it was you then," her smile vanished from her face but her voice was calm. "It was Killing Curse," she whispered.
"No," Regulus shook his head. "Only once in my life did I use Killing Curse and it didn't happen that day. I was duelling with your mother. She aimed me with a curse and I didn't have time to conjure a shield. I stepped away to the left, knocking away the man who was standing next to me. Rosier was lousy dueller and if it wasn't for me knocking your father in the way of the Killing Curse he would have lived because the curse would have missed him. I cannot say how sorry I'm for killing your father. He was a good man and he deserved to live" he started babbling but he stopped when a forefinger was placed on his mouth.
"If you weren't the one who cast the Killing Curse then you didn't kill my father," Charity said calmly as her finger remained on his lips. "He died by accident," he opened his mouth to object to that but Charity was quicker. "Now you listen to me, Regulus. That night you could have died as well. What would your poor wife have done, left alone, expecting your baby? Would you want that? Would you really want it, knowing that ahead of you was a future with your wife and your baby?"
"Charity," he mumbled.
"His death saddened me greatly, Regulus but he was already dying. You should know it. The Killing Curse only made his death quick and painless. He was regular smoker ever since he was a teenager and he didn't pay attention to the coughing. By the time my mother managed to haul him to St Mungo's the lung cancer had done too much damage to be fixed. When he died he had about a month or two at the most of life and, don't delude yourself, that death would have been painful. If you feel responsible, and want to feel responsible for his death even if you aren't, he died a better death for him. He died fighting for his family and not in hospital bed after days of agony. That death was a favour to him," Charity continued patiently.
"I…" Regulus started.
"Hush," she whispered and before he knew what had happened she was hugging him tightly.
He embraced her slowly not really knowing what to do with his arms; so much time had passed since he hugged someone. Over her right shoulder he spotted Dumbledore in all his twinkling glory. Damn that old codger turned Cupid. Gingerly, he gave Dumbledore thumbs up with his left hand and Dumbledore removed himself from the room. Without a doubt, he left to fix yesterday events.
"I talked with Severus," Charity said finally when she pulled away with a cute blush almost made him kiss her, almost. "He said that if you feel strong enough to walk around the room you might go for a walk on the grounds. Though he did advise me, that you should not be left alone until he determines that you are healthy. He will be by to examine you after supper."
"Out of fear I presume. He thinks that if he plays concerned I will spare him the humiliation," Regulus snickered.
"Don't joke about it. He genuinely cares about you. He is a man hard to read but yesterday I thought that I would have to hex him out from your rooms. He constantly kept asking me about your potions and reminding me that he is just a house-elf call away. Today he looks like death warmed up," Charity shook her head.
"He always looks like death warmed up. Not enough sun," Regulus chuckled. "Hey, that's the idea, I will portkey him out to the Sahara."
Charity rolled her eyes at that and said, "Anyway, once you eat your food like a good boy, you may go with me for a walk on the grounds if you feel up to it."
"I slept for about sixteen hours, Charity. I would be happy with anything which gets me away from my bedroom," Regulus snickered.
It took him about a hour to eat the small feast which was prepared for him, take a bath and dress himself in his battered jeans. They had more holes in them than actual material but it was a pair which his dearest Hermione had bought for him along with a t-shirt with 'I got enchanted by a Ravenclaw' emblazed on it. Both of which made Charity giggle like little girl until he hid his attire under his long dark-blue cloak.
He expected her to walk by his side without touching so he was greatly surprised when her left arm ended hooked on his right arm but he didn't complain. She was a tempting creature, very tempting, and he had been resisting that temptation for far too long. It felt good to have such nice, intelligent and beautiful woman on his arm. Not to mention that, unlike his dearest Hermione who was so small that the top of her head reached the middle of his chest, Charity was tall enough to lean her head comfortably on his shoulder. He felt like he was seventeen again but this time he didn't have to hide the affection of the beautiful woman by his side.
Damn it, perhaps the bat was working with the long-bearded cupid and had slipped something to his potions to lower his inhibitions. Regulus wasn't very keen on letting go of Charity's arm. Even when they passed current Head Boy and Head Girl and he spotted the boy giving money to the girl he didn't release Charity's arm. Nor when they ran into Aurora 'Dominatrix' Sinistra who called after them, 'Took you long enough!' Hagrid, whom they meet in Entrance Hall, beamed at them and Regulus felt a gentle smile tugging his lips.
"Want to sit on the stands?" Charity asked gently as they get closed to Quidditch Pitch. "I see how much you miss flying."
"Not as much as I thought that I would, Charity," he answered simply. "I loved flying and I loved the competition but every time I flew around it I kept remembering Mimi. She could have gone professional and I believe, no strike that, I know – bloody Howler – that the captain of Holyhead Harpies was displeased that she chose to become an Auror."
"Mirzam 'Violet Eyes' Verascez? Your almost-sister-in-law?" Charity asked gently.
"One and only," Regulus sighed. "Poor girl. Sior was heartbroken after she died. I didn't get the details because he never talked about her after her death, but for me it was clear that there was something between them before she died. Her grave is in Godric's Hollow and whenever I slipped away from the house I always meet him there."
"It's sad that neither of you had a chance for a happy and long life with the women you loved," Charity whispered quietly.
"I learned through the years that nothing happens without a reason, Charity. As much as it pains me to even think about it, maybe I wasn't meant to have long and happy life with Hermione, or maybe at all," he whispered back.
"Don't say that," Charity huffed in irritation. "Everybody deserves to be happy. Everybody deserves to love and be loved. If you deny yourself that ability you will become the next Great Bat of the Dungeons."
"No I won't," Regulus shook his head. "It will be different. Severus never denied his love but his love had been denied for him. That's why he is a bitter Great Bat of the Dungeons. Love is something sacred. It is something which deserves to be cherished. Loving someone is giving your heart into the hands of that person and should never be something to be laughed at for. A loving heart should never be stomped upon by the person to whom it was offered," he said fiercely as he continued walking. He felt Charity stop and haul him back to where she stood. "What's up?" he asked nervously.
She looked up at him with blue eyes and whispered, "If my friendship really meant something to you over last few years, please be gentle with my heart."
"What…?" he mumbled and before he had a chance to add more he felt her arms sneaking around his neck and her soft lips on his own.
He hesitated. He knew that the task ahead was dangerous and he really couldn't stand the thought of losing someone he loved once again. But his heart once again beat his brain and he kissed her back, hard. It had seven years of denied passion and heartache mixed with feelings of betrayal of his dear wife's memory by daring to fall in love with another woman.
He pulled away from her just far enough to whisper, "Only if you will be gentle with mine, it's battered and bruised because it saw things it didn't want to see."
"Don't worry," she whispered back. "I will keep it safe and even the Dark Lord won't take it from me. He doesn't have the key and he will never find it."
"Did I ever tell you that you can be really creepy when you want to?" he chuckled half-heartedly.
"Yes and I believe that you found it endearing," she giggled.
"Indeed I do but at times when, said creepiness, isn't directed at me. I'll need to get used to it," he gave her his widest smile.
"You need to get used to a lot of things," she smiled back.
"Denial is a river in Egypt and I don't fancy being a meal of a crocodile. I have been told that I was too sexy to be the diner of a reptile," he said before his brain caught up with his mouth.
"Don't look guilty, I'm not denying that statement. I believe, no, I know that by the time you made Head Boy you had whole girls' dormitory in Ravenclaw crushing over you, firsties included," Charity giggled.
"And there I was, grateful beyond the words that the girl I loved dearly loved me back. What happened with you girls?" he snickered. "Sior was the one who was good-looking bloke in the family."
"He didn't have an air of mystery about him, nor that gentle smile. Personally, I found you better looking than your brother but maybe it was the school robes. The mix of green and silver looks dashing on you. By the way, what is with your hair? It's not a spell since we ran an Examination Spell over you and it didn't reveal a glamour spell. Filius kept insisting that there isn't a glamour spell which wouldn't be revealed by Examination Spell," Charity asked curiously.
He wanted to laugh at that and so he chuckled quietly, "What subject do you teach here, Charity?"
"Muggle Studies," Charity replied quickly and then her lips formed in surprised 'o' as she realised what he was using to keep his hair grey. "But why this one?"
"I look dashing in silver," he joked.
"Seriously," Charity giggled.
"I knew that I couldn't look like myself if I valued my life. A glamour charm sooner or later would fail so I decided that muggle hair dye was my best shot. I needed to make myself look older than I really was and it would have worked if it wasn't for Albus and his bloody pool. It's the only one place where an anti-cheating charm is placed which is stupid if you ask me but, then again, I guess that you can tell a lot about the person by their birthday date. Albus looks there to check when he can throw a birthday party. I truly wanted to write 31st October 1951 but I ended writing 31st July 1961 instead. Thankfully everybody bought the story about a hard life which turned my hair grey by the time I turned nineteen," he snickered.
"But you still look like yourself if I imagine you with black hair," Charity said simply.
"What do Muggles say? The darkest spot is always under the lamp?" he snickered. "The hair fools people enough to not pay very much attention to my face."
"You are a true Slytherin," she said playfully.
"I don't object, Ms. Burbage," he smiled wolfishly.
He would be content to stand in this spot for the rest of the day and even the night but he suddenly heard the sound of cheers coming from the Quidditch Pitch.
"Hooch didn't allow anyone on the pitch, did she?" he asked Charity sceptically.
"She won't for another two weeks," Charity shook her head.
"And yet someone is there, lots of someone's, judging by the sounds," he said pensively. "Let's investigate."
"After you, Sherlock," Charity giggled.
"Only with you by my side my dear Watson," he chuckled. "Hey, did you ever think that Sherlock was in love with Watson? It occurred me while I was bedridden last Easter."
"You have interesting views on Muggle literature," Charity giggled again.
"Want to have a discussion about it once we catch and punish those little criminals who are using the pitch without permission?" he asked playfully.
"Always, Mr. Lemeraude," Charity grinned and hooked her left arm under his right.
He felt like he was cat again and he was hunting for the rat. He led them through the hidden passage between the stands and peeked through the material covering it. Judging by colours, they were under Gryffindors stands.
Not even twenty feet away from them were fourteen Slytherin first years and all of them had brooms in their hands. Most of them were looking at the brooms doubtfully.
Before he even opened his mouth he had the whole plan formed in his head. He was their Deputy Head of the House and he needed to be in touch with Harry and have an eye on the other kids. Punishing them would have only made things worse in their relationship. However appearing as a concerned mentor would make them more keen to accept his presence and that was his main concern.
"Don't question what I'm about to do," he whispered to Charity's ear before he said loudly, "Well, well, well, whom do I see…?"
Their first lesson of the day was double Defence Against the Dark Arts with Ravenclaw house. It turned out to be a big joke. By the end of the first lesson, the Ravenclaws busied themselves with reading the textbook instead of listening of Quirrel's lecture. The girls quickly followed Ravenclaws example and by the middle of the lesson even Crabbe and Goyle had been engrossed in their textbooks.
"He is a bit weird, don't you think?" asked Terry Boot when all twenty-four of them made their way to the library before they were supposed to go to Transfiguration together.
"I didn't pay attention to him," Draco replied and grimaced. "The smell practically killed me," Draco ended up in the front desk, just two feet away from Quirrel. "My grandfather Abraxas always loved eating garlic. If it was possible he would add garlic to every meal but he never smelt as bad as Quirrel does."
Harry snorted at that. So did the rest.
"Add the juice of crushed garlic into your tea and use the rest of it in your biscuits and then we will talk about it again," Draco rolled his eyes.
"Well garlic has healing properties," Neville pointed out with small snicker.
"Bet that he doesn't have a girlfriend," Draco muttered. "Or if he did I bet the stench killed her."
"Imagine kissing someone like him," Pansy snorted.
That statement got collective 'Yuck' from remaining eleven girls from Slytherin and Ravenclaw both.
"He doesn't even look dashing," Padma Patil said. "Your Deputy Head of the House on the other hand…"
"Nice piece of meat," Mandy Brocklehurst finished.
"Don't let his innocent look fool you," Draco snorted. "He is good-looking, as much as I hate to admit it, but he has a tongue to rival Professor Snape's."
That statement got a collective 'Nah' from Ravenclaw girls.
"I dare you to say the word Mudblood within his hearing range and then you will see,' Draco commented. "Looks can be deceiving."
When they parted with the Ravenclaws the conversation still remained on Lemeraude.
"Speaking about Lemeraude we should check his records," Theodore suggested. "We need to get information about whom we are dealing with."
In the end, they settled on a table in the library that was big enough to fit all fourteen of them.
"Look," said Daphne. "Here he is," she pointed at the book which was lying in front of her. "Lemeraude, Mufrid Alphard. Born: 31st July 1961 – hey Harry I think that you share your birthday with him – in – there is a blank space – Parents: unknown. Blood status: Muggle-born – weird it suddenly got crossed out and reads – Pure-blood. What in the name of Merlin's socks?" she gasped out.
"What's wrong?" Pansy asked and immediately whole bunch was hanging over the table and over Daphne's shoulders.
"It changed, completely," Daphne whispered and started reading. "Black, Regulus Arcturus. Born: 31st July 1961. Died: 27th December 1979. Born: 13th January 1980. Parents: Black, Walburga Irma and Black, Orion Sirius. Known siblings: Black, Sirius Orion (see: Aurors of 1970-1980). Spouse: Night-Black, Hermione Anne (d. 24th December 1979). Blood status: Pure-blood. Status of marriage union and eventual heirs: Half-blood (Mrs. Night-Black was of Muggle heritage). Heirs: female Black (d. 24th December) – unborn. Known works: Ancient Runes for Dummies, Achievements of Translation in Ancient Runes in Seventeenth Century, Lost in Translation: How to Not Translate Ancient Runes."
"Wait a moment," Millicent interrupted her. "It doesn't reads that. It reads: Lemeraude, Mufrid Alphard."
"It reads: Black, Regulus Arcturus. Black on white," Daphne argued.
Harry who was standing on the other side of the table to Daphne went around and looked down at the text. It read black on white: Lemeraude, Mufrid Alphard.
"It's Lemeraude, Daphne," Harry said simply even if he wondered if he should reveal more.
"It can't be," Daphne shook her head. "I see Black, Regulus Arcturus as plainly as I see the rest of you."
"Lemeraude definitely," Draco muttered as he leaned over her shoulder. "Sorry, Daphne. How about the rest of you?"
After each of them checked the book Daphne was holding all of them confirmed that it was Lemeraude, Mufrid Alphard, not Black, Regulus Arcturus.
"I don't get it," Daphne huffed when they made their way to Transfiguration. "I know what I saw. I'm not mad!"
"I don't believe that you are mad, Daphne," Hermione said pensively. "And there is definitely something off that you see something which we don't. We need to examine it further after Transfiguration."
Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall turned out to be a very pleasant lesson. It had memorable events, like Hermione being the first one to change the match into a needle or Daphne changing her match into a hedgehog – how she managed to do it even Professor McGonagall couldn't explain. Harry's assumption that Professor McGonagall was a strict teacher and someone whom they shouldn't try to cross was proven right when she made her speech.
After Transfiguration all fourteen of them made their way back to the library where Daphne read them once again accomplishments of Black, Regulus Arcturus while the rest of them were seeing Lemeraude, Mufrid Alphard.
"I don't get it," Hermione muttered.
"Perhaps Daphne is gifted," Millicent muttered. "You know a seer of some sort."
"There wasn't a seer in my family, ever," Daphne shook her head. "Perhaps I'm mad," she mumbled and hit her head against the table.
"Bracelet," Hermione muttered suddenly.
"What?" Daphne raised her head to look at Hermione who was sitting on the opposite side of the table.
"When you read the text to us you had your left hand on the book, the bracelet was touching the text all the time," Hermione said quickly. "Pull that hand away and read again," she suggested.
Daphne did as Hermione told her and she gasped when she removed her left hand, "It reads Lemeraude, Mufrid Alphard."
"Can I check it out?" Draco asked curiously.
Daphne looked down at the bracelet and slowly undid it before she fastened it on Draco's right hand, he lied that hand on the book and said, "Black, Regulus Arcturus. You aren't mad, Daphne, it's the bracelet."
Harry wasn't one hundred percent sure but the bracelet started suddenly glowing in faint green colour
"It has been in my family for ages," Daphne mumbled. "It was an engagement gift from Scorpius Black to my great-something aunt, Ariadna. She died in an epidemic of Wizard's Flu but, as far as I know, the Black family never asked us to give it back."
"That's very interesting thing," Draco muttered. "Very enlightening."
"What you mean?" Daphne asked.
"I mean why Lemeraude, Mufrid Alphard and Black, Regulus Arcturus have the same achievements in the field of Ancient Runes," Draco said pensively.
"Perhaps they were stealing from one another," Crabbe suggested.
Draco rolled his eyes and muttered something about density of bludgers before he said curtly, "Because Mufird Alphard Lemeraude and Regulus Arcturus Black are one and the same person. Don't you find it curious that Regulus Black is mentioned as twice born and once as dead?"
"Well he is dead," Crabbe muttered. "You said so yourself."
"Idiot," Draco sighed. "The family had told everybody that he died. He got a funeral but they couldn't find his body. Why they couldn't they find his body?"
"Because they didn't look properly?" Crabbe suggested.
"Because there wasn't a body to bury," Pansy mumbled. "That's because he is still alive."
"And that's what I don't understand," Draco muttered. "He was a Death Eater. He served the Dark Lord. Everybody knew that. Then why in the name of Merlin's underwear did he pull our families dirty robes into public display. Is it his kink or what?"
"He isn't a fan of anything kinky," Sally-Anne shook her head. "You should have heard him before."
"Still. Why?" Draco muttered.
"I think it is obvious," Daphne mumbled. "He married a Muggle-born. That's what the book says. It seems to me that your Death Eater uncle got a change of heart but too late to back off from serving the Dark Lord."
"Not that backing off after joining would make him live longer," Theodore pointed out.
"What I know about Lemeraude is that he came to teach there in September of 1982, that's what my Gran knows about him," Neville mumbled. "The book says that he was born again in 1980. That leaves two years in between."
"What he was doing then?" Blaise asked pensively.
Harry hesitated. Horcruxes was not something which he should talk about and the look on Hermione's face had expressed the same thought.
"He didn't mention what made him change his allegiance," Harry said cautiously. "Only that it was good enough reason to abandon You-Know-Who's service and that he tried his best to protect my family from You-Know-Who."
"You knew," Draco gasped out quietly. "You knew who he was even before we came into that compartment. That's why you stood up against him. That's bloody why he was made Deputy Head of Slytherin, to look after you."
"Not only him," Neville mumbled. "All of us."
"What makes you think so?" Theodore asked.
"Malfoy, Nott, Crabbe, Goyle…" Neville sighed. "After You-Know-Who's demise there were trials. Add Parkinson and Bulstrode on whom they were only inquires, not full trials. Then add Potter and Longbottom to the mix along with two Muggle-born girls and you will get a combination which shouldn't be. All of us placed in the same house is improbable but happened nevertheless. Of course the adults are worried. Professor Dumbledore wants to have another set of eyes, especially on us," Neville explained. "The rest of the deputy heads are just a farce so as to not raise suspicions."
"But what did that unfortunate first cousin once removed of mine want to achieve with his remarks on the train?" Draco mumbled pensively.
"He wants us to think," Millicent muttered suddenly. "No matter if what he had said about our families is true or not, it made us question them, right? It made us think, didn't it?"
"Got it," Theodore mumbled suddenly. "I know what else he wanted to achieve. There are rumours that You-Know-Who didn't die that night. They say that he is still somewhere hiding, waiting to regain the strength. If there will be second war…"
"A Malfoy bows to no one," Draco mumbled. "He doesn't want us to brainlessly follow the choices of the adults but make up our own minds. We need to approach him directly about it."
"Then we have to wait until at least dinner," Harry pointed out. "For some reason he missed both breakfast and lunch already today."
"Dinner then?" Draco suggested.
"If he makes it," Harry shrugged. "He might not. Seriously, it isn't an issue which needs to be talked about right away. Whenever he shows up would be fine."
"I need to clear my head after Herbology. Who wants to go flying with me after the lessons?" Draco sighed.
"Aren't we prohibited from having brooms?" Hermione asked sceptically.
"Our own brooms," Draco pointed out. "Hogwarts has spare brooms. Old stuff which has seen better days but they do decently."
"We haven't had a flying lesson yet," Hermione pointed out.
"There is a neat charm which you can place on a broomstick so it doesn't go farther than five feet away from the ground," Draco said quickly.
"Still, five feet is high enough to get hurt," Hermione argued.
"There is cushioning charm which one can place on the ground. What kind of injury can get from a fall from only five feet; a bruised bum? Falling from fifty feet is serious, five feet, not so much," Draco rolled his eyes. "Those of us who know how to fly can teach those who don't know. Don't be a rat, Granger."
At the mention of a rat, Hermione turned into disturbing shade of red, and Harry was worried for a while that she is going to burst out.
"Fine then; you are the one responsible if someone gets hurt," Hermione huffed finally.
"I'm with her on that one," said Pansy. "It is your idea Draco."
"Fine, blame the Malfoy. As long as we can go flying," Draco shrugged.
During Herbology they had listened to Professor Sprout's lecture about danger of sneaking into Greenhouses and how they were supposed to follow her instructions. Harry acknowledged both but he paid more attention to the quick and frowning glances which Professor Sprout was giving him and by the end of the double lesson Harry was almost sure that Professor Sprout didn't liked him much.
They dropped their bags in their dormitories and in twos their made their way to Quidditch Pitch. Harry was in a pair with Hermione.
"It's dangerous and stupid," Hermione muttered grimly. "I don't think that we should be flying on our own."
"You can always blame Malfoy if we get caught, besides the rest seemed to be eager to point their fingers at him if something happens," Harry reasoned.
"If it wasn't…" Hermione huffed.
"Everything is going to be fine Hermione," Harry assured her.
"We should warn Lemeraude that he has been discovered," Hermione muttered.
"I know," Harry nodded. "You know that he wasn't around today and Professor Snape is in such a foul mood that he would be more inclined to hex us first and ask questions later. If anything, we will find him after dinner. I think, though I might be wrong, that the rest of them aren't going to talk about it until they corner Lemeraude but we need to keep our eyes on them just in case."
"What about our homework?" Hermione asked forlornly.
"We only have Charms and History of Magic tomorrow and the lessons will end two hours earlier than today. We can really do our researches about Transfiguration and Herbology tomorrow since we managed to do what Quirrel wanted us to do for homework during the lesson," Harry pointed out.
"You are right," Hermione sighed. "Let's go get ourselves killed."
By the time they reached the Quidditch Pitch the rest of their classmates had gathered on the ground. In front of them were lying fourteen broomsticks.
"The door to the broom shed was open," Draco said quickly when Hermione took a deep breath, for sure to reprimand him from breaking in and stealing. "Anyway let's grab your brooms and we can start."
Harry picked up the broomstick which looked like something which Mrs Figg used to sweep her patio than something which was supposed to fly. Then again he knew that he shouldn't judge the book by the cover but he would felt a little bit surer of himself if the broom looked more decent.
Suddenly he heard someone's voice saying, "Well, well, well, whom do my eyes see…"
As on the command thirteen brooms had dropped to the ground and thirteen fingers pointed at Draco Malfoy.
It was then when Harry allowed himself to look at the source of the voice and he breathed in relief when he realised that it was Regulus. Next to him was standing the woman who had been introduced as Professor Burbage.
"Fourteen Slytherin first years," Regulus finished coldly. "I'm truly ashamed of you, all of you," his gaze swept through their faces and finally settled on Harry. "Though I will have to congratulate you. You have done something unbelievable and created a new record in the history of Slytherin house. Never before has Slytherin house started the school year with a negative tally of house points. I'm sure that Professor Snape will congratulate you personally before he expels each and every single one of you."
They all had gasped. Harry felt sick in the stomach that was it. This was his end. He didn't even lasted one day within Hogwarts…
"You can 't do that!" Draco yelped and Regulus's gaze moved from Harry to Draco.
"Oh, trust me Mr. Malfoy I can," Regulus snorted. "What you did just violated about ten of school rules. For instance: breaking into and entering into stores which are unavailable for you without direct permission of a teacher; then stealing; being on the Quidditch Pitch and attempting to fly without a supervisor with the title of Madam, Mr. or Professor; the attempt to harm through possible injuries and even death not only on yourself but your fellow classmates. That actually gives eight rules you have broken, my mistake. Trust me Mr. Malfoy that's enough to have you packing right now. Unfortunately, I'm just a Deputy Head of Slytherin House and any drastic changes in Slytherin House I decide to make will have to be consulted with regular Head of the Slytherin House. Professor Snape has always prided himself for having the most disciplined house and he will be greatly ashamed of you, have no doubt. I dare to say that he is in such a great mood today that he won't expel you," they breathed out in relief, "he will personally degut you and use what remains of you as ingredients for his potions and I, for once, won't lift even my small finger to stop him."
Regulus had stopped but they didn't dare to say anything.
"However," Regulus said solemnly. "As funny as it sounds, degutting leaves the Head of the House in a not very pleasant predicament of filling in paperwork, especially in circumstances when said Head of House will be the one doing the degutting. Professor Snape will be unable to file that paperwork by himself since he will be on his way to Azkaban prison for mass-murder. No matter how justified, that not very pleasant job is going to fall on me and filling in reports concerning fourteen deaths is not something I'm eager to do, ever. Therefore, you leave me two choices. I can send you all back into the castle and take fifty points from Slytherin because that's the lowest penalty for what you have done and…"
"Fifty isn't that much," Draco exclaimed in relief. "We will get that back in a month."
"Each?" Regulus snorted.
They gasped again.
"And make you serve detention each night for the whole school year," Regulus finished. "There is also a second option…"
"And that would be?" Draco asked timidly.
"Me," Regulus said simply. "You are first years and your flying lessons have to be supervised by someone with the titles I mentioned before. Professor Burbage and I will turn a small blind eye on the other rules you have broken and put all fourteen of you in detention, tonight I should add, and the points will remain unaffected if both of us will remain with you on Quidditch Pitch," he explained. "So, what is your choice? Should I get a sharp quill or a broom?"
They stared at him dumbfounded, even Professor Burbage.
"Broom, sir," Draco finally breathed out.
"Fine then," Regulus gave small nod and with a swish of the wand he summoned a broom. Regulus turned to Professor Burbage. "Charity, please check the charms on the pitch. No more than six feet up."
Professor Burbage nodded and after two swishes of her wand she said, "The whole pitch and five feet up."
"That will do decently for now," Regulus nodded. "All right, so who has been flying before?"
Draco, Theodore, Blaise, Daphne, Millicent and Pansy raised their hands.
"Splendid," Regulus muttered. "Boys here," he waved his free hand behind himself. "Girls in the same place you are standing now. Pick your brooms, form a line and put your brooms on the ground."
They obeyed him quickly. Most of them didn't want to piss him off and Harry had personal reasons to be on Regulus's good side.
"Stand so that your broom is on the side of your wand hand. If you are ambidextrous chose the more powerful hand," Regulus said briskly. "Extend your hand over the broom," they did as they were told. "Close your eyes," Harry followed the order though he wasn't sure about the others. "Now I want you to concentrate on something calm and something which makes you stronger. Let that feeling embrace you, cherish it, let it fully envelope you, savour it, breathe it in and out."
Harry concentrated firmly on remaining at Hogwarts and learning everything about magic.
"Now you will repeat after me, in very clear and very sure voice: up!" Regulus's voice carried through Harry's mind.
"UP!" they chorused and Harry felt the broom settling in his hand.
"Great," Regulus said and in his voice Harry caught a note of happiness, he obviously loved flying and teaching at the same time. "Now you can open your eyes."
Harry opened them and saw that every single one of them had a broom in hand.
"That's first very important lesson for anyone," Regulus said and sat down cross-legged on the ground. "Anyone who has ever ridden a horse knows that horses can feel your fear. Though they aren't alive brooms will react the same way. Your tone makes the magic aware of your intentions. If your order is spoken clearly and confidently the broom knows that you are the boss here and it will listen to you. Now repeat it five times and remember clearly and confidently. You can have your eyes open if you want."
They followed his directions and not even a single broom refused the order. Regulus nodded quickly and he stood up.
"Now put your leg over the broom and grip the handle," Regulus said and he started walking around and correcting their grips while giving tips like 'not so hard, Hermione', 'not so loosely, Neville,' or 'put your wand hand closer to the end, Draco'.
When he approached Harry he looked quickly at him and gave him small nod.
"Remain where you are and again clearly and confidently say: up. This time, firmly concentrate on the distance of two feet between your feet and the ground. Remember two feet."
They followed his order and Harry felt happiness filling him. It was amazing.
"Charity, you will remain with those who aren't sure about flying higher than six feet. Simple circling around the pitch so they can get used to flying. I will mind the rest," Regulus said. "These who feel comfortable enough can fly higher but stay lower than the topmost goalpost."
Draco, Theodore, Blaise, Daphne, Pansy and Millicent surly made their way up and after a moment of hesitation Harry followed them. Sure it was his first time on the broom but he felt so great that he wanted to rise in the air.
"Smooth," Regulus commented quietly. "The last one on the level of the topmost goalpost is dragon dung. I will see how you manoeuvre," he barely finished the sentence and he was flying vertically in the air.
Not really thinking about it Harry shoot after him, pressing himself to the handle to not lose the speed and quickly shoot past Regulus broomstick and then made a full leap over his head.
"That was nice," Regulus chuckled. "Now you lot," he called through the pitch to other six. "Ten circles around the pitch, breaking and gaining speed. Don't smash into the stands."
"That's the extent of your teaching abilities?" Harry joked.
"It's called trial and error," Regulus snickered. "Think that you can beat me, Potter?"
"You bet, Black," Harry replied quietly.
He practically said it into the air because Regulus was already ahead of him. Harry wasted no time and dove after him. Soon they were flying on topmost speed and the strands became dangerously close to them. Suddenly Regulus pulled the handle up and zoomed up the stand. On instinct Harry had done the same in the exact moment and followed him.
They were about twenty feet above the topmost goalpost when they both pulled their broom-handles up thus flying in the air with their heads down. Harry spared a quick glance at Regulus's face and he only saw blatant excitement. Regulus seemed to retreat from adult Professor into excited kid mode.
It seemed that said excitement was contagious because Harry couldn't suppress a grin. Flying was absolutely great and it was a pity that first years weren't allowed to have brooms of their own.
Suddenly Harry spotted something gold under them, it was fluttering and moving. It made him so curious that he wanted to examine it closely so he abandoned Regulus's side and pulled the handle up once again thus zooming down like dropped rock.
The gold thing zoomed away and Harry zoomed after it. Distinctly he heard Regulus flying behind him and the closer Harry got to the gold thing, the closer distance between him and Regulus became. Finally when Harry was close enough to tell that the flying gold thing looked like a small golden ball with wings and closed his hand over it he felt Regulus hand closing over his. They both came to abrupt halt about ten feet over the ground, their hands joined together over the ball which wings stopped fluttering.
"What it is?" Harry asked curiously when cheers erupted behind their backs and under them.
"That, Harry," Regulus beamed at him as he let go of Harry's hand. "Is a golden snitch. Only a true seeker could spot it in place where it wasn't supposed to be, at least today. You are a true seeker."
"Seeker?" Harry mumbled.
"I forget that you don't know much about Quidditch," Regulus snickered. "Keep it. You used bare hand so we are going to have to replace it anyway."
Harry landed on the ground dumbfounded just to get questioned about how he managed to spot it.
"No idea," he mumbled truthfully. "I just did."
"It will be all for today," Regulus called out as he jumped from his broom. "If you really want to I have a relatively free Thursday and we can come here after your lessons."
"Really?" Draco asked in excitement.
"Really. But you are still having detention today," Regulus answered strictly. "In fact you are going to have it now. Brooms to the storeroom and follow me. I will see you at dinner Charity."
Professor Burbage gave Regulus a knowing smile and she went to the castle. After storing the brooms the kids followed Regulus to the castle and up the marble staircases to a classroom on first floor.
He indicated that they should sit on the benches and went into the office behind it. He came back a minute later with sheets of parchment and fourteen quills. Then he waved his wand at the blackboard and a sentence materialised on it:
I'm a student from Slytherin house. I'm wearing my house colours with pride. I'm not to disgrace my house. And if I lose seven hundred points again I will be ready to jump from the cliff and became dinner for the giant squid.
"Considering that the points were not taken from you; then you have to make up for that. Write it down seven hundred times. After you reach one hundred you are free to go once I check if you wrote down at least one hundred. The rest of them will be in my office before supper next Monday. You may begin," Regulus said and he settled down at the desk.
For a long time the only sound in the room was scrapping of the quills and turned sheets of parchment (Regulus appeared to be doing the marking on his own when Harry glanced at him for a second).
Finally most of the quills were put down and only Hermione was scribbling furiously. Relative silence drew Regulus's attention from his papers and he looked at them.
"All finished?" he asked surprised as he put his papers aside.
"That part we were supposed to finish here," said Draco curtly. "There is also something which we want to ask you."
"Go ahead," Regulus said as he came from around the desk and leaned against the front of it.
"Are you Regulus Arcturus Black and why did you abandoned You-Know-Who's services?" Draco asked straightforwardly.
Regulus's eyes immediately settled on Harry and Hermione who were sitting in the last row of the benches. They only managed to quickly shake their heads hoping that Regulus realised that they hadn't told anything. At least they hadn't told anything important.
"Your questions are quite contradicting each other, Draco," Regulus said calmly.
"Not really," Draco shrugged. "We have our answers but we would like to listen to your explanations. You are Regulus Arcturus Black, son of Walburga Irma and Orion Sirius Black. You have one brother, Sirius Orion Black who is in Azkaban prison for a mass-murder. You are a widower. Your wife was a Muggle-born. She died together with your unborn daughter on Christmas Eve of 1979. You have written three books about Ancient Runes. You have Mastery in Ancient Runes and Defence Against the Dark Arts as well as an Apprenticeship in Potions which makes you the only one Professor in Hogwarts aside from Professor Dumbledore who can supervise Potions lessons when Professor Snape is unable to do it himself. You are a former Prefect, Head Boy, Seeker and Captain of Slytherin Quidditch Team, the youngest Captain of Slytherin Quidditch Team in last century at that. You are also born twice and once dead. Plus you were a Death Eater once but something made you change your colours. That's what we know about you, Professor. We did our homework well," Draco explained simply.
"If it was homework assignment I would have given you twenty points," Regulus said and he sat down on the top of the desk. "I'm all what you just mentioned, Mr. Malfoy. I am curious as to how you managed to get all that information."
"It was my bracelet," said Daphne timidly and she stood up.
Draco shot her a dirty look but Daphne didn't even flinch.
"Do explain, Daphne," Regulus nodded.
"We wanted to learn some stuff about you. You are our Deputy Head of the House but we aren't going to have Ancient Runes till our third year, right?" Daphne said calmly. "We were flipping through encyclopaedias looking for information about Professor Mufrid Lemeraude. I was just reading a passage in one of them when the text suddenly had changed in front of my eyes. Suddenly Lemeraude, Mufrid Alphard turned into Black, Regulus Arcturus and aside from family concerning notes the text had remained the same as it was for Lemeraude. I showed it to the others but they claimed that they saw Lemeraude in the book but for me the text was about Regulus Black. Then after Transfiguration we checked on it again and Hermione got the idea that it was perhaps my bracelet. When Draco put it on he saw what I saw," Daphne explained.
Regulus looked pensive for a moment before he asked calmly, "Can I see it?"
Daphne stood up from her place and on her way to Regulus's side she undid the bracelet. She handed it to Regulus and returned to her seat.
"I've heard about it," Regulus muttered as he examined the bracelet closely. "It's very tricky thing and absolutely smashing work on Charms, Potions and Dark Arts. The artefacts like this one always depend on the Dark Arts. It is called Juge D'Héritage, in English Heritage Judge. Centuries ago old families used this things to identify if the person who was stating that he or she was the heir of the family were telling the truth or if they were a love-child or long lost member of the family. This one I'm holding is le Juge D'Héritage des Noirs, the Blacks' Heritage Judge. If someone who has at least one Black great-grandfather put it on the bracelet will glow a very faint light-green. With a Black grandparent the colour will still be light green but it will be stronger and easier to see. A person who is half Black will get a plain green colour."
"What about a Black who had both Black parents?" asked Daphne curiously.
"Never heard about it," Regulus replied but he quickly fastened the bracelet around his right wrist, it glowed in enchanting emerald colour. "That's the answer to your question, Daphne. Quite fitting since the jewellery stone of the family is the emerald. I will appreciate if the Heritage Judge returned to its family."
"Yes sir," Daphne said quickly. "No one in my family would miss it. It was gathering the dust for ages before I took it."
"About…" Draco had started.
"Not here," Regulus shook his head. "If you have questions I will answer them in a place where the walls are less likely to overhear us. Go into my office and pick up the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes from the shelf. It will open a hidden passage. We will go down the tunnel and then we can talk."
"Who is Sherlock Holmes?" asked Draco sceptically.
"He is a fictional character from Muggle detective stories that I personally find fascinating. They are something which should be read by every kid your age, regardless of magical abilities or the lack thereof," Regulus answered and he waved his hand in the direction of the door which was behind the door. They went through his office and down the tunnel into a nice cosy living-area.
Harry fully expected a Slytherin theme on the walls but the only green thing in the room was an emerald green jumper which was lying on one of the two beige sofas. The room didn't even look like part of the castle. The walls looked like they were made from bare red bricks and the windows looked like no windows in the castle. These were plain industrial windows. The few pictures on the walls looked like posters from movies Harry heard about in last few years. The wall they had come through was one large bookshelf which occupied the whole length of the wall. Under the window there was an old gramophone and amongst the things scattered on the floor next to it Harry glimpsed vinyl discs with names like: Queen, The Police, The Rolling Stones and the Beatles. The carpet in the sitting area was beige like the sofas and looked so inviting that Harry had the urge to lie down on it and listen to stories. There was also a glass and metal table for four people under the wall opposite to the bookshelf with two doors on each side. The fireplace was placed about ten feet away from the sofas.
"Got to love it," Regulus said as he sat down on the carpet with his back turned to the fireplace.
"What is it called? This style, I mean," asked Daphne curiously.
"Muggles would call it industry style but I call it I-Know-That-I'm-Living-In-The-Castle-But-I-Don't-Give-A-Damn-About-It style. Private rooms of a Professor should be their private refuge where they feel comfortable and, as fantastic as Hogwarts is; when I go down to my private rooms I need a change of environment. This is the improved version of my old flat."
"Isn't that too Muggle?" asked Theodore timidly.
"Don't say it like it is a bad thing," Regulus snorted. "Living amongst the Muggles is a hard school of life but once you adjust you will realise that there are areas where Muggles have gone further than the wizarding world. I'm still waiting for first wizarding movie as well as a decent beer. Plus Muggles have better taste in literature than wizards because everything which has been written in last two decades by wizards is either romance crap for stay at home wives or scientific work or a crap in general sense like Gilderoy's books – a waste of parchment and shitty toilet paper if you ask me."
"You are Muggle lover," Draco snorted and he sat down on the sofa.
"I'm not," Regulus snorted. "Of all of them in general at least but Muggles and wizards are people in general. No one tells you to love everybody but once you learn more about a person you will learn to see past the ability or disability to do magic. The coolest, most supportive father I ever happened to know was not my own father. My father taught me a lot but when it came to showing affection he was as cool as naked woman from Greenland. It was my Muggle father-in-law who taught me several useful things as well as not useful ones and was the most welcoming person I ever knew. In a matter of two months I learned how to ride a car, motorbike, bicycle and horse, how to play football, basketball, Rummy, Poker, guitar and piano. Not to mention that the best hangover cure isn't a potion but traditional English breakfast and cows aren't the best means of transportation. I learned to appreciate the beauty of lighting a fire and cleaning the house without magic. They are small things, simple things but beautiful nevertheless. I miss that man more than I miss my own father. How well he showed that magic is not always the best thing in the world." Regulus explained.
"He sounds like real dad should be," said Theodore. "Someone supportive and someone who likes to spend time with you."
"He always wanted to have a son but he had had three daughters. His wife threatened to cut out his manhood after she gave birth to the last one," Regulus snickered. "He had treated all three of his daughters husbands as his sons, all equally. We were quite a colourful bunch when whole family was around. Johnny the dentist, Reggie the wizard and Mark the florist," he said happily and he sighed, "It was a good life, calmer but at the same time more chaotic and there were times when I wished that I was born as a Muggle."
"Why?" Draco asked sceptically.
"Ignorance is bliss, Draco," Regulus replied. "I appreciated those small things, the little joys even more than the others because I knew the threat. I knew that somewhere, out there was someone who would kill everyone I loved and cared for because they weren't magical. I cherished the small moments and that's the only thing which saved my sanity after all six of them had died."
"Six?" asked Hermione timidly. "But you said that your in-laws were killed."
"My parents-in-law. Holly, my wife's younger sister and her boyfriend Mark. My wife and our unborn daughter," Regulus explained.
"What happened with the other sister and her … husband?" asked Hermione cautiously.
"They were on a contract in Australia. Left straight after our wedding. Few days later we got a call that Harriet gave birth to a daughter there. I never saw them again. It was 19th September, I remember it clearly. Ted was happy but he was also quite sad that it wasn't a boy. After he got over initial shock he said that it was fate and he was doomed to play with the dolls and not football. Though I'm sure that if things had turned out differently, and the whole family had lived, that the girls would be playing football instead of dolls," Regulus chuckled.
"If they are alive then why didn't you try to contact them?" asked Hermione curiously.
"Why?" Regulus shrugged. "Most probably they are dead by now and if they aren't they deserve to live in peace. I owe them that for not saving the rest of the family."
"Don't say that," Hermione huffed. "You did everything you could do making a choice based on knowledge you had. You had no way to know that the Death Eaters would attack the village where you lived."
"I was a Death Eater," Regulus muttered.
"That brings us to a point on which we had started that conversation. Why?" asked Draco quickly
"Why I was a Death Eater?" Regulus snorted. "I was young and stupid. I believed in stuff most of you believe, that wizards are better than Muggles and that what the Dark Lord was doing was a right thing to do."
"Use of the past tenses indicates that it isn't what you think now," said Tracey curiously.
"I will use simple language to explain it. That whole 'let's support the Dark Lord because he is the Heir of Slytherin and he will finally put Muggles and Muggle-borns in their rightful places' notion is nothing but an advertisement. A shitty one at that, because nowhere does it show that you are going to be grovelling on your knees in front of Half-blood egomaniac who wants only to achieve his own plans. Plans which have nothing to do with the pure-blood ideology that drew you in the first place. So, if it is why you are planning to support the Dark Lord then you are going to be sorely disappointed. By then it would too late to back out. Take it from someone who has firsthand experience. People joined the Dark Lord for a few reasons. Reason number one: plain old stupidity – that was me. Reason number two: fear – there were a few. Reason number three: revenge – that would be our dear Great Bat of the Dungeons also known as Professor Snape. Reason number four: because they thought that the Dark Lord would help them to achieve their private business – that would be Lucius Malfoy. Let me finish Draco," Regulus said and looked at Draco pointedly. "I know you father in ways you don't. It wasn't his belief that the Dark Lord would clear the planet from people your father considerate as lower than himself (which are quite a few) but cold calculation. Your father is a Malfoy to the bone, and a true Malfoy yearns for power of any kind of."
"How do you…" Draco started but Regulus didn't give him a chance to finish the sentence.
"Do tell me why, even after nearly ten years since the Dark Lord's demise, he still didn't come back?" Regulus asked sharply. "I will tell you why, Draco. Because the Dark Lord is not in a position to regain his former strength without his servants and where are his most faithful servants?"
"Around?" Draco mumbled timidly.
"Indeed, they are around. Most of them are gathered in one place. A place people call Azkaban prison. That's where the Dark Lord's most trusted servants remain: the Lestranges, Carrows, Rookwood, and Dolohov. I have heard that they are still alive, mad but alive nevertheless. So you see Draco, the measurement to see if one is a true and loyal servant of someone's isn't in the words they speak. It's not something one just talks about. A truly loyal servant is the one who will truly kill and go as far as getting himself or herself killed for the cause of his master. Those people had done that. They do not fear the Dark Lord being raised again as they will be rewarded for their loyalty. Your fathers aren't the Dark Lord's most trusted servants and, therefore they will be punished accordingly," Regulus said firmly.
"How can you say that?" Draco snorted.
"I know that is true because, as much as you are going to hate to admit it, your daddies and I have much in common. We fear and we all came to important realization. Serving the Dark Lord is not something worth dying for. I have no doubt, that at least once, that thought has crossed their minds. A simple 'what if I made my choice differently', 'there were and are other ways to achieve my own goal'. Thoughts like that…" Regulus said grimly.
"You are barmy," Theodore mumbled. "Just because our fathers didn't land in Azkaban it doesn't mean that you are in the same boat."
"No, we aren't," Regulus chuckled. "The directions those boats will be headed in are not very far away apart from each other. The trials after the Dark Lord's demise showed what is truly important to your fathers and it wasn't the Dark Lord. It was you; their children. Because of you they tried to buy their way out of Azkaban. Because of you they remained around and not one of them even moved his little finger to help the Dark Lord rise again. They know the price of that raising. So do I," his tone suddenly turned very serious.
"What has it to do with us?" asked Millicent.
"Everything," Regulus said simply. "You are children and children are easy to fool. I have no doubt that when the Dark Lord rises again he will come after what is dear to these who abandoned him. Who failed him. I don't fear for myself. Everything which mattered to me I lost during the first war. I have no living heir and I don't fear death. I fear something else."
"What?" asked Daphne and she sat down next to Regulus.
"A cage," Regulus said quietly. "Not my own because I know that I made the bed I'm going to sleep in and I will sleep in it with pride. But I fear about you, you and your fellow students. When the second war starts, and I have no doubt that it someday will happen, I'm not a Gryffindor to foolishly trust in belief that the Dark Lord won't try to regain his strength. It will be even worse than the first war. During the first war many who had joined the Dark Lord were fooled but next time he rises they won't be. It won't be pretty. It will be dirty and there will be a lot of backstabbing and pointing fingers before the Dark Lord asks for their most precious possessions. Not the money, the lands and stuff they own but their children, you. He will ask you to serve him and he will give you tasks. Tasks which you are most likely going to fail to accomplish. Your failure, and the consequences of that failure, will be the punishment for your parents' crimes."
"So we are at a dead end," Theodore mumbled weakly.
"The end of everything is death," Regulus stated calmly. "We are all going to die one day and, for some of us, that death isn't going to be pretty. Others are going to be given a choice."
"What kind of a choice?" Theodore asked and he scooted closer to Regulus.
"A choice between being dragged into the arena or walking there with your head held high. A choice to be the master of your own death. The final choice will be up to you. Trust me on this; there are lots of things in this world dying for, killing for and the Dark Lord is not one of them," Regulus said quietly.
"So what is worth dying for?" Draco asked bluntly.
"Love," Regulus said simply. "When you love someone, truly love someone, you will be ready to either kill or die or both for that person. Take it from someone who did both. That's the world's greatest power. A power which will make you go through the darkest places in the world, through your greatest fears, through unbearable pain – just to make sure that the person you love is safe. The Dark Lord never knew love and he greatly underestimates it. In the end I think it is going to be his downfall…" his voice trailed off and, from where Harry was sitting, Regulus looked like someone who had centauries of knowledge and experience on his shoulders. He didn't look like a man who recently turned thirty years old but more like three hundred.
"It is still a dead end," Draco mumbled. "There is no way to…"
"Live?" Regulus finished. "Would you be able to live with yourself if your parents had been killed because you had stood back and had done nothing to save them? You see Draco, sometimes death is our greatest salvation. I lived even if I was supposed to die. What's more, I wanted to die. I think that my job on earth isn't done yet. I have done my share but there are still things which need to be taken care of before I will let myself pass away; no matter the cause of that passing."
"Like teaching us?" asked Daphne quietly and she looked at Regulus with pure adoration.
"Yeah," Regulus chuckled. "Like pounding through your thick skulls that there is always another choice and choices are what makes us. They are what define us. That's why I stopped caring about the blood purity a long time ago. It isn't what really makes us, us. It gives us a history which we should learn from. Those that don't learn the history are doomed to repeat it. I have a small project for you, kids. Try to learn as much about your family history and see what made them who they are."
"What about the orphans?" asked Harry quietly.
Regulus said nothing but he undid the bracelet on his wrist and threw it into Harry's lap. "A true orphan has no one in the world to care for him or her," he said finally. "Put it on."
Harry slowly put the bracelet on his left wrist with Hermione's help. As soon as it was fastened it glowed in clear light green colour.
"That would be the blood of Dorea Black," Regulus said simply. "My grandaunt therefore it makes you my second cousin."
"So if Harry was a girl you could marry him?" Blaise asked jokingly.
Regulus rolled his eyes and he snorted, "That's the main problem I have with supporting the pure-blood ideology, you see."
"Inbreeding?" asked Tracey.
"Indeed," Regulus nodded. "For now most of the pure-blood families are on the safe side but give it five to ten generations, depending from the family in question, and there hardly are going to be any pure-blood families left and these who remain… Well again, those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Another pet project for you, examine closely the history of Muggle royal families in middle ages and then come back to me to discuss your opinions," he added briskly. "My library is going to be at your service if you wish."
"Fine. Why you hide as Lemeraude?" Draco changed the subject suddenly.
"Regulus Black is a murderer, A Death Eater and a dead man. Lemeraude is everything in name which Regulus Black isn't. The history is different, but the core remains the same. There are a few people in the world who would love to know that Regulus Black is alive and kill him. Not to mention that Mufrid Lemeraude has a clear record," Regulus answered.
"So you are here to make sure that we are going to know the reality of what we may get into in the future?" asked Pansy.
"Amongst the other things, yes," Regulus nodded. "I'm also here because I know the Dark Lord well enough to know that the most treasured experience which happened to him is Hogwarts. The second war, when it starts, will come to Hogwarts and I will be damned before I will let the Dark Lord take control of the school."
"You seem disturbed," said Daphne quietly.
"I'm disturbed, greatly disturbed," Regulus admitted. "I fear that the second war will come to Hogwarts sooner than even those who never fully believed in his demise think."
"How soon?" Draco gulped.
"Soon. Very, very soon," Regulus muttered grimly.
"More precisely?" Draco mumbled.
"During the coming year if he isn't here right now," Regulus said pensively.
"How?" asked Pansy fearfully.
"The Dark Lord yearns immortality, or a state as close to immortality as possible, but there is nothing which can make one immortal, Pansy," Regulus said gravely. "Well actually there is something which can make one immortal but that is another issue…"
"Does it have something to do with the robbery in Gringotts last month?" asked Theodore curiously.
"Possibly," Regulus nodded.
"And Headmaster's announcement during the feast?" asked Draco. "Something very important is hidden in that corridor?"
"But it can be stolen," said Hermione quickly.
"One would need some time to go past the protections put in that area," Regulus shook his head.
"But if the Dark Lord wants to get it…" started Draco nervously.
"The Dark Lord isn't omnipotent Draco," Regulus said calmly. "He is the sum of all Slytherin qualities and he has extensive knowledge in many areas but there are things he doesn't know. If he goes after the thing which is hidden I have no doubt that most of the challenges would be a piece of cake for him. However, there are ways to outsmart him and that's what I'm going to do. A piece of advice, never underestimate a Black," when he had said the last sentence his eyes had lit with hidden fire.
"Advice noted," Draco mumbled. "Is there something we should be extra careful of?"
"Yes," Regulus nodded. "Keep your eyes open wide for everything weird, or any behaviour which seems out of character to you in anyone you see. If you see something alert either me, Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Professor Burbage or the Headmaster himself."
"Does smelling like a garlic count as something out of character?" asked Pansy pensively.
"Yes," Regulus nodded. "I'm not trusting Professor Quirrel even a single bit. Avoid getting detentions from him and try to never be alone in his presence. That goes especially for you, Harry," Regulus said firmly and his eyes had settled on Harry. "Plus you will learn that you can only talk to me about Professor Lemeraude."
"You put us under a spell!" yelped Draco.
"Yes, for my own safety. It's either that, or modifying your memory and the second option would do more damage than good," Regulus said sternly. "I think that we are missing dinner."
Suddenly there was a knock on the door and is was opened quickly by an agitated Professor Burbage who peeked inside.
"You missed dinner," she said. "Plus you need to see Severus right now."
"What had happened?" Regulus asked alarmed.
"He is in hospital wing and has something very important to tell you. Don't worry its nothing overly serious but he will be unable to leave hospital wing for next two days. I will take over your lessons tomorrow and on Wednesday because I only have free day tomorrow and just two lesson on Wednesday and it is right before the one of yours," said Professor Burbage seriously. "By the way, thanks for creating normal schedule for once. Septima, despite being a mathematician sucks at creating decent class schedules. Dumbledore said something about letting you do it permanently."
"I'll be there in a moment," Regulus said as he stood up before he turned to the kids and added. "Go to the Great Hall and catch the rest of the dinner. I'll see what I can do for Professor Snape."
The room cleared immediately.
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:
Regulus talks too much for sure but he knows the price. The kids aren't going to turn into Muggle-lovers over the night if ever but Regulus wants them to know what is at stake if they plan to join Voldemort at some point of time. Plus a nice Fidelius charm prevents them from refering to him as Regulus if they aren't in presence of an adult who knows the truth. Romance can be cheesy but I simply couldn't resist the urge to write it and on a long shot it is plotwise.
Next chapter: Entitled as 'Let's Make Snape's Life Miserable Day' where our dear spy reveals bits and pieces about himself and Mirzam to certain someone while the kids comment on what they heard from Regulus. Next day Harry meets Mirzam and they have a very long talk about a lot of things while Regulus considers comitting a murder on a certain spy. A very emotional chapter which pushes several plots into a view. Pettigrew isn't caught - still - through a certain someone has a great idea where to look for him.
