Disclaimer: See chapter 1
A/N: I'M SO SORRY FOR BEING SO DRATTIDLY LATE! This is where it starts to be a little AU. Just a warning.
Chapter 11: Never Too Late
"Now and again we try to just stay alive; maybe we'll turn it around. Cause its not too late; it's never too late."
Sirius stepped off the cement steps, glancing around the Tube station carefully. It wouldn't do to draw unnecessary attention to himself or his comrades. It didn't help that he was pretty sure this was a trap. The owl that had been sent to headquarters went directly to the Head and if that wasn't suspicious, Sirius didn't know what was.
As it was twenty men had been dispatched immediately. And here they stood in an almost empty platform. It was very creepy. Sirius glanced at James, who was crouched behind one of the many pillars, awaiting an order from their superior.
"Confirmed. Thirteen known Death eaters just entered through the South entrance. More suspected on inbound train." Came the legimenized confirmation. Sirius looked at James once more, both wondering why the Death Eaters would be so carelessly obvious.
"Who do you think the hit is?" A voice from behind him had Sirius groaning. MacClaggen wasn't known for his tact.
"Not sure, although we have several commuters coming down North now. Keep watch for any potentials."
The Aurors watched as the Death Eaters filed into the station, quickly hiding themselves in shadows.
"Hey, Black, Potter, check out North entrance. I think we just found our targets."
Sirius turned and his eyes met those of a very startled Remus. James's mumbled "shit" reverberated through his mind. Remus paused in the doorway for a moment, worrying his scarf, before a feminine hand moved him forward. He reached out and caught himself on the pillar, before turning to glare at the girl behind him. Sirius groaned mentally as he realized who it was. H couldn't believe this was happening.
He saw Remus's eyes snap from him to James and then to Mad Eye Moody, who was growling softly. Sirius saw the were take in the entire platform and made to step backwards. Remus was moving slowly away from the danger zone when the female accompanying him moved onto the platform. Remus reached to grab her, hand on the wand hidden in the coat he wore, and miss her as her eyes widened in recognition.
"Hey! It's Sirius!" Three loud groans issued at Vicky's excited yell, "I thought you said he was working tonight!"
Remus tried to shush her as Sirius, giving up on being stealthy, moved toward the pair. He could feel the stares being thrown at him from every direction.
"Remmie, Vicky, how are you?" Sirius wrapped a cautious arm around his lover, wishing for this not to be happening. Remus gave a small shudder and moved closer, hand clenching upon the willow of his wand. Vicky was happily spewing on about the pros and cons of the restaurant they had gone to. Sirius was paying attention enough to be grossed out at the thought of vegan food. Eating grass did not seem appetizing.
"What is wrong with you two? You're all jumpy and shit, what gives?" Vicky placed her hands on her hips and glared at her rather eccentric neighbors.
The two glanced at each other briefly, wondering what to tell her. She was open enough that they may get away with explaining some things, but Sirius wasn't sure she'd believe that they were in the middle of a wizarding battle.
"It's nothing to worry about Vicky. Really." Remus tried to reassure the woman.
In retrospect, Sirius decided that she may have bought that rather flimsy excuse if not for the Death Eaters popping into action and screaming muggles pouring off the train. As it was Remus grabbed the astonished woman and pulled her behind the information booth. Sirius saw the other Aurors jump out of their hiding spots and he rushed to join the fray; knowing that Remus could take care of himself. He hoped that Vicky wouldn't put up too much resistance. This was guaranteed to be a bloody battle. He just hoped that everyone came out of it alright.
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Sirius burst through their front door and ran up the stairs to the tiny apartment door. He hadn't been paying too close attention, but he had seen Remus get hit with flying tile shards. He heard feet stomping up their stairs behind him and turned, his eyes meeting those of James before ramming the door open. They pushed their way into the common area where Lily was attending to the cuts on Remus's face.
"Remmie! Are you okay?" Sirius dropped to the floor next to the couch. Remus gave him a tired smile and a thumbs up.
"He's fine. But his arm is going to be sore for awhile."
"Sirius put a hand on the heavily bandaged arm and winced in sympathy, "I'm sorry, Rem. If I could have…"
"If you could have prevented it, I would still rather me be injured than anyone else."
"How's Vicky?"
"The same. A little spooked but alright. Turns out her aunt is Marchetta Deriso." Remus laughed.
"Deriso? You mean the Amazon lady in the Wizengamot?"
"One and the same. So no Obliviators needed."
"Is she…?"
"Nah. Daughter of a Squib and a full blooded muggle."
"Ah."
"Are you two talking about the crazy neighbor down the hall?" James asked, scratching the bridge of his nose.
"She's not crazy. She's eclectic." Remus mumbled.
"Yeah, right."
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Sirius lay back against the brick wall and prayed that no one had seen him. It wouldn't do for a well-known Auror to be caught in Knockturn Alley wearing street clothes. But he had to come down here; there was an apothecary that may carry something to help Remus. It was just a whisper, heard from Mudungus Fletcher, but it could be worth the risk. Moony's transformations were getting more brutal, something that was a natural occurrence. It didn't make the situation any more comforting.
The door was silent as he stepped into the sketchy apothecary. He could see why it had such a seedy reputation. The floor was dirty, the cabinets covered in dust, the counters were absolutely filthy, and Sirius was positive that he saw several cockroaches hiding in the corner. There were only three other people in the store besides him: the storekeeper and a rather odd looking couple. They paid no attention to Sirius as he moved to the shelves. There were all sorts of illegal potions and tonics, but the one he was looking for was nowhere to be found. He would have to ask then.
"Excuse me." The clerk glared at him in clear irritation, "I'm looking for a newer potion. It's supposed to help werewolves…"
The clerk looked panicked for a moment, making strange shushing noises. Sirius looked at the man, confused as to why he had to be quiet seeing as how the couple had left. The man motioned for him to stay put and walked into the back of the apothecary. Sirius waited for twenty minutes before giving up. He had started to walk away when the man came back. He carried with him a silver bottle and placed it gently into a red velvet sack.
"Thank…you. Sirius said as the man rang him up, wondering why the man wouldn't speak. A toothless and tongue less grin answered him. With a heavy heart and lighter pockets Sirius forked over the thirty galleons required. He left the shop hoping that this might make Remus feel better about the coming full moon.
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Sirius cringed; he couldn't believe he had listened to Dung. He was going to kill that little creep, right after he handed the apothecary name over to his superiors.
"Stop it, Siri."
"What? I'm not doing anything!"
"I can see the wheels turning." Remus whispered.
"I'm sorry." Sirius sighed and climbed into the bed.
"It's not your fault. I was stupid enough to drink the damn thing."
"I know, but I should have known it was dodgy. I'm a Black and an Auror for Merlin's sake."
"Sirius, neither of us could have known there was liquid silver in there. It's okay, just painful." Remus wrapped his arms around the other man and smiled at the blue walls around him. Josephina Potter had been the best choice to go to after he started convulsing and having hallucinations. She had a medical background and was used to such horrors.
"Neither of you need to blame yourselves. My only wish would be to beat the man who sold you that poison into pancake batter!" Josephina's voice got more forceful and slightly hysterical as she continued. Sirius and Remus fell backwards, slightly concerned, and vowing to check their breakfast from now on.
"Anyone hungry?" She finished and both boys just nodded their heads slowly, scared that she'd go ballistic if they refused.
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"What are you doing, Pads?" Remus watched in amusement as Sirius tore a letter into teeny, tiny shreds.
"I'm getting rid of my anger. What does it look like?" Sirius rubbed his fingers together, ensuring that the parchment was turned into confetti.
"I…why?"
"I didn't want to read it."
"Who was it from?" Sirius was quiet while he picked up some of the newly created confetti and swished it around.
"Sirius?"
"Regulus, it was from Regulus."
"Did you even open it?"
"No."
"Sirius!"
"Don't, Remus. I don't care about his opinion anymore and he doesn't care about me."
"Oh, Siri." Remus wrapped his lover in a firm hug, knowing that it was hard for the man to pretend he didn't care.
It had been a month since Regulus had sent the letter and everyday Sirius wondered what was in it. He wished he hadn't been so hasty in tearing it up. But he didn't want to swallow his pride and write his brother.
He walked toward the Leaky Cauldron, anxious to be out of the open walkway. It didn't bode well to be in one spot for too long. He stepped into the pub and sighed, he was the last one there…again. Sirius sat amidst the chuckles and kissed Remus on the cheek quickly. Being homosexual may not have been illegal, but it wasn't popular.
"Hey, Prongs, Wormtail, what's up?"
"Just waiting on your sorry ass, so we can eat. I'm starving! Lily has me up at all hours of the night with these stupid wedding plans." James moaned, clunking his head on the table as the other laughed.
"And I thought Sirius was the melodramatic one." Remus said.
"Oi! I resemble that remark!" Sirius cried, dragging Remus into a headlock. The young men laughed again.
Thirty minutes and a pile of chips later, a hush fell over the establishment. The four males looked to where the source of the uncomfortableness was. A dirty and wan Auror was talking to Tom and looking at their table nervously. The man began to walk towards them slowly and the entire table knew that something was very wrong.
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Their feet pounded the cobblestone pavement as the four friends raced toward the main Gringotts building. They knew they were getting close when the forming crowd came into view. The first few in the back moved out of the way when they saw Sirius coming. The sea of people parted quickly, leaving him a clear path.
Remus's gasp and James's quiet 'shit' were all that permeated his stunned mind as he gazed in horror at his baby brother's mutilated body. Regulus was draped across the marble steps, blood everywhere. One could barely tell if he had any skin left, since most of it looked like raw hamburger meat. He had been completely stripped and spread out like some sort of messiah. The only thing that hadn't been touched was his face.
"No…NO! No, no, no, no." Sirius chanted over and over as he stumbled to his brother's body. He dropped to his knees but couldn't be bothered by the fact that blood was seeping into his clothes. He couldn't bring himself to touch Regulus either. All he could do was run his fingers through his own hair and cry. He faintly heard the crowd dispersing but didn't care.
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Sirius had held onto his brother for as long as he could. He couldn't believe that his little brother was gone. It must be some sort of sick joke, but it wasn't. Sirius knew that, he really did, he just didn't want to believe it. Now he sat in his own bed, in his flat, with the people he cared about. He was resting against James, with Remus wrapped about his middle. Lily sat at the end of the bed, miserably pretending to sip tea, while Peter sat on the trunk at the foot of the bed. Sirius didn't know when he had started crying again, but it had yet to stop and his sinuses were beginning to feel the pressure.
He sighed and rested more firmly upon James, the other man grunted slightly, taking Sirius's full weight, but ran a hand through his "brother's" shaggy hair. Remus tightened his grip and sighed, snuggling closer. It was almost two in the morning and he knew that it was going to be another long day. They all needed some sleep.
The four on the bed watched blearily as Peter stammered an excuse and left. Remus was about to suggest the same to James and Lily, when Lily tugged off her shoes and climbed in behind Remus. The three males looked at her strangely for a moment before she spoke.
"What? There's no point in leaving; we're all comfortable. Now budge over Remus. " Remus laughed and scooted two inches closer, the two only had a queen sized bed, there was not enough space for four nearly grown adults.
Sirius and Remus scrunched closer so that maybe James and Lily wouldn't fall of the bed. Al four giggled in the dark for long moments, not that the three males would ever admit to giggling, of course. They fell asleep before long, the Gryffindor red quilt covering them. They would deal with what happened tomorrow.
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Sirius stood next to his father for the first time in four years. They weren't yelling or besmirching the other for once, he only wished it were for a different reason. Yet here they stood, watching as Regulus's body was lowered into the ground. It was a defining moment; the moment when Sirius knew he could never be a part of this pureblooded world, it was too prejudiced. Remus had been banned just because of his half blood status. The man had assured him that it was okay and that he'd be waiting for Sirius afterwards.
As the minister spoke, he glanced around at the family gathered. Narcissa was mournfully lovely in black and silver, while Andromeda was fading into the background. It was quite astonishing to see who was here and who wasn't. As he looked around he could feel the tears building again and gave a discreet sniffle.
Or what he thought was a discreet sniffle for as he straightened he felt his father's arm slip around him for a moment, a brief hug, and then he was released. A small smile was shared between the two Black men and then it was over, but Sirius felt much better for it. The two would never get along or agree, but he couldn't wait to tell Remus about the small moment.