A/N: Last chapter, epilogue tomorrow or Tuesday morning. Thanks for reading!

Declarations of Loyalty

Chapter 8: The Story

Regulus woke up in an impossibly soft bed, and the first thing he saw was a pair of half-moon spectacles and twinkling blue eyes.

"Am I dead?" he croaked.

"No, I'm afraid not," Dumbledore said calmly.

Regulus sat up, holding a hand to his ribs. "But, I saw the- Voldemort fired a Killing Curse at me!" he babbled.

"You're mistaken," the headmaster said lightly. "Voldemort was reacting to your rather abrupt declaration when a Killing Curse was fired, but it was not fired by him nor was it directed at you. He was far too delayed to kill you due to my own spell work."

"But…who?"

"One Bartemius Crouch Jr., who, upon seeing Voldemort about to kill you, reacted instinctually and successfully killed Voldemort."

"Barty?" Regulus said.

"He's quite unhappy about it. But, allow me to continue, Regulus. You assumed it was you that was hit, because a rather large black dog, upon seeing you in a life-threatening situation, bounded at you and tackled you, unintentionally doing more harm than good. You were knocked unconscious and he might have broken a few ribs."

"Sirius saved me?"

"A good team effort by myself, Sirius and Barty might have saved your life tonight, yes," Dumbledore said pleasantly. "There were far too many wounded to keep in the hospital wing, the Great Hall is a temporary hospital, you are up here because you were more severely injured."

"Where are Sirius and Barty, sir?" he asked.

"I'm assuming they are off somewhere bickering," he said, waving a dismissive hand. "They have been bickering since Voldemort was killed. Barty blames Sirius for you being unconscious for the past two days, Sirius blames Barty for the events of the past month or so," he said. "Neither of them would leave your side."

Regulus smiled a little.

"You've had a run in with fiendfyre, the Cruciatus Curse, and a rather large dog tackling you into a stone wall, you're a bit banged up," he continued. "But the wounds on your arms seem to be mending," he said. "And your ribs will be a little sore for a few more days, but Poppy has fixed you up quite admirably."

Regulus grinned. "Sir, you said something to yourself the night I brought you the first Horcrux, what did you mean by it?" he asked.

Dumbledore thought for a second, and grinned slyly. "Merely that Voldemort had always underestimated the power of something he has never experienced."

"What would that be, sir?"

"Love," he said simply. "All of the things that have happened," he said, with an air of knowing something Regulus did not that thoroughly annoyed him. "Have been caused simply by you, and the people around you, and your capacity to love."

"Somehow, I don't believe you, sir."

"You went to that cave because the life of your house elf had been so carelessly tossed aside by someone you had once admired," he started knowingly. "You care very much for Kreacher, do you not?"

He nodded.

"Your friend rescued you from that cave, simply because of a flaw in your plan, your orders being too vague. Your friend rescued you because, however unwillingly, he loves you. He lied for you, to ensure your safety. His loyalty to the Death Eaters didn't waver, but neither did his loyalty to his friend, therefore, conflict brewed. It was a brother's love that took you in and accompanied you on a suicide mission of epic proportions, a brother that could not stand by, invisible, and watch his cousin harm his only little brother. Do you see it?" he asked.

Regulus nodded a little, still not really believing it.

"You didn't have weapons of a high caliber, or any particular power Voldemort could not top. But you had love," he said, standing.

"Why…why did James pull the sword out of the hat?" he asked.

"When you are humble enough to ask for help, you will always be rewarded," he said cryptically. "Now, I believe you have two people that desperately want to see you awake. Then, I'd suggest you come down to the Great Hall, people want to thank you."

He nodded, and the doors to the hospital wing burst open. "No, Crouch, you just wait," Sirius said, shoving his way past the slight blond.

"I'm really sorry," Sirius said, throwing himself into a vacant seat. "About the ribs…and the cracked skull, I was just-"

"Trying to protect me," Regulus said, smiling. "I know. It's fine."

Barty was standing at the end of the bed, looking awkward.

"Sit down," he told Barty. Barty obliged, sitting in the chair on the other side of the bed from Sirius. "Thanks you two," he said. "Without you blokes, I'd be dead."

They both nodded.

"How many are…dead?" Regulus asked tensely.

"Most of the Death Eaters fought to the death," Barty said. "We saw Bella die, Rodolphus copped it too," he said. "They carted Rabastan off to Azkaban. Hmm, Rosier is dead, Karkaroff fled, but they'll catch him soon enough, they sent Moody off for him. A few of your Order guys," he added, jerking his head at Sirius. "My father too," he said with a maniacal grin.

"I have a good feeling I know who killed him," Sirius muttered.

Barty glared. "I didn't kill anybody, thanks."

Sirius laughed sardonically. "Yeah, we lost quite a few. Can't remember all the names. Severus Snape joined the battle, died too. Not too sorry about that, though…"

"What?"

"According to James, he saved Lily's life. Don't know what that was about, he's a Death Eater," Sirius said with a shrug. "You feeling up to a walk, Regulus? Take you down to the Great Hall so people can fuss over you?"

"I don't think-" Barty started.

"I think I'm up to it, really," Regulus told him. He stepped out of bed awkwardly. Then he noticed Barty was laughing at him. "What?"

"You do realize you're naked, right?" Barty asked behind his hand.

Regulus looked down, and turned red. "Does anyone have any robes or anything for me?"

Sirius wandered around the hospital wing until he found a spare set of robes, he threw them at Regulus, who caught them and dressed faster than he ever remembered dressing. He was quite aware of how sore and heavy his legs felt, and felt oddly like he had body guards of some sort, with Sirius on his right and Barty on his left, both glancing at him as if he could fall over dead any second.

He entered the Hall to far more applause and looks than he had expected.

"All the Death Eaters got carted off to Azkaban yesterday," Barty whispered in his ear.

"Why didn't they take you?"

"Because I killed the Dark Lord, I suppose," he said, a hint of bitterness in his voice. "No matter."

Regulus nodded and hoped he looked injured enough that people wouldn't attempt to hug him, he didn't feel like he was as much of a hero as people were making him out to be.

Sirius had left them, standing awkwardly in the middle of the Great Hall, to find Lily, James and Remus.

"Don't touch him," Barty said, brandishing his wand. "He's still injured."

Most of the people in the Hall, glaring reproachfully at Barty, nodded and turned back to their families, instead of approaching Regulus.

Regulus sat down at the single long table that occupied the Great Hall. He watched reunited families laughing and celebrating, checking on their loved ones injuries, and he felt a pang of longing for his own family. Lucius Malfoy had been thrown in Azkaban if he hadn't been killed by the Fiendfyre, so he highly doubted his cousin Narcissa would receive him warmly, especially since he was partially responsible for the death of her sister, on top of that.

Sirius sat down beside him. "What's wrong?"

He looked at his brother. "I miss the family, I suppose."

Sirius laughed at him. "You have a better family now, you arse," he said. "You've got me, and Moony, and Prongs and Lily, now. Oh, and this prat I suppose," he said, jerking a thumb towards Barty. "'Dromeda would have you, I'm sure, and she's got a kid now!"

"So you're saying the Order has adopted me?" Regulus asked him, grinning.

"Pretty much," he said, grabbing him and pulling him out of his seat, and dragging him over to where he, James, Lily and Remus had been sitting on the floor. He gestured helplessly for Barty not to leave him alone, and the six of them form an odd little circle on the stone floor.

"Good work, Regulus," Remus said, shaking his hand briefly.

"But I didn't do anything," Regulus muttered. "I didn't even kill him."

They all laughed a little. "Sirius told us the story mate," James said. "It was pretty much all you, and your friend," he said, gesturing to Barty.

"Can't hear you," Barty grunted.

The three older men laughed, and two more joined their little circle.

"Gideon, Fabian!" James said, reaching over and thumping each of the twins on the back. "How might you two be?"

"Starving and aching all over, Molly is having kittens, she's 'coming right away' and bringing the kids, to make sure we're 'okay'," Gideon said, thumping James back and grimacing. "And by 'okay' she means yelling at us."

"What have you two been doing, exactly?" Remus asked.

"They recruited us to help haul off dead bodies and restore overturned statues and gather destroyed portraits," Fabian supplied tiredly. "Us and Kingsley," he added. "That man should be Minister of Magic, really."

They all laughed.

Families were entering the Great Hall, looking for some shred of hope that their loved ones were, in fact, alive and well. Some were disappointed, others reunited with their brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, their families.

"Regulus. Arcturus. Black!" someone (sounding rather angry, at that) shouted, running into the Great Hall. Regulus looked up and saw the figure of his cousin, Andromeda, running up to their little circle, with a young girl of about six following behind her. "What have you been getting yourself into?" she snapped at him. "You were nearly killed, according to Sirius!"

Regulus' eyes widened. "'Dromeda, I'm fine, really!"

"And you," she said, rounding on Sirius. "Letting him get himself into danger like that! I heard from someone at Ted's work that you two broke into Gringotts." Her anger seemed to have ebbed away, and she seemed interested. "It was all in the papers that you attacked Bellatrix to escape," she added, her hands on her hips. "Not to mention the fact that they found Peter Pettigrew's corpse on Bellatrix and Rodolphus' doorstep."

Barty hid his laugh in a cough.

"That'd be your handiwork then?" she asked him shrewdly, looking haughty.

"I didn't kill him, if that's what you're asking."

"He was a Death Eater," Sirius interrupted.

Andromeda looked shocked.

"Is this my little cousin?" Sirius asked, pointing at the young girl.

"This is Nymphadora," Andromeda said with a grin, as she sat down on a nearby bench.

"Don't call me that, Mum!" she chirped, but she bounced over to Sirius and fell into his lap. "Hi!"

"Hullo," Sirius chuckled. "I'm your mum's cousin Sirius," he said. "You really should learn the names of people before you collapse into their laps."

Andromeda scowled, Nymphadora giggled.

"What's your name?" she said sweetly to Remus.

"Remus," he said. "How old are you exactly?"

"I'm six," she told him matter-of-factly. "How old are you?"

"I'm nineteen," he said. "Almost twenty."

"Wow, you're old!"

"Dora, that's rude!" Andromeda scolded. But Remus laughed.

"I do feel quite old, now that you mention it."

"And who are you?" she said, turning her bright blue eyes on Regulus.

"I'm Regulus," he said.

"He's another cousin of mine," Andromeda told her daughter.

"Ohh," Nymphadora replied, nodding. "You look like you got beat up."

He laughed. "I did," he admitted. "Well, I got trapped in a fire and attacked by a dog," he said.

"A dog?"

"A dog bigger than you," Sirius interjected.

Nymphadora's eyes went wide at that.

"Here comes Molly with the kids, Gid," Fabian said, nudging his brother and standing up gingerly. "Best keep everyone else out of the line of fire. Molly's going to tear into us good."

They parted the group briefly to meet a stout redheaded woman, about a head shorter than either brother, followed by a boy of about nine, a second boy around Nymphadora's age, and a third boy that was probably no older than three or four.

"Where're the twins, Molly?" Gideon asked, smiling at his sister, trying to divert Molly's building up rage, and pulling the youngest boy out of Molly's grasp.

"Uncle Fabian you smell!" the oldest boy said, releasing his uncle from a large hug.

"Thanks for that, Bill," Fabian said.

Nymphadora scrambled over and engaged the boy about her age in conversation, the older boy, Bill, joined in, sensing his mother's imminent explosion.

"Watch Percy, won't you, Bill?" Gideon said, setting down the younger boy beside his old brothers and stepping a bit closer to his older sister.

"Now," she started. The entire Great Hall went still. "Please explain to me," she said, punctuating every word. "Why you two decided to run off to battle, without even a note, or leaving us any way of knowing where you were off to and if you were even alive?" she snapped.

"Oh, come on Molly, we knew you'd be worried if we told you, we're in the Order, we had to come help," Gideon said, putting up his hands in surrender. "We're alright! See? Both of us, alive and well," he added, gesturing between himself and his brother.

"Regardless! A note, anything, would've been better than finding out you had run off to battle from the Prophet!" she shrieked. "People have been turning up dead for weeks and you run off without a word, not to be heard from for two days?" she continued. "They found Peter Pettigrew's body on Bellatrix Lestrange's doorstep. That could've been you! How do you think I felt?" she asked them.

"Pettigrew was different though," Fabian pointed out. "He was a Death Eater."

"But we're sorry, Molly," Gideon said, elbowing Fabian. "We didn't mean to worry you or the boys. How are the twins?"

"Fine, fine, they're at home with Arthur, too young for all the excitement." She looked down at the three redheaded, freckly boys talking to Nymphadora, whose hair had miraculously turned the same flaming red as the three boys and their mother.

Sirius was laughing. "You didn't tell me she was a Metamorphmagus!" he said to Andromeda.

"I must've forgotten to mention it," Andromeda said with a laugh.

"I'm really hungry," James groaned, looking around. "Where's the food?"

"Dinner will be in an hour, Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall said, brushing past the little knot of people.

"An hour? She's got to be kidding. C'mon, Padfoot, let's go to the kitchens and see what the house elves have got for us."