Regulus Black's POV
"There's a problem. It's started."
"What's started?"
"The battle for control of the Netherworld."

I watch as Lily turns pale and sinks into a nearby chair. James's eyes widen and he looks worried. Granted they might not know the exact extent of what those words are, but they know what battle is like, and they can obviously deduct what this means for them.

"It's started, and I don't know how we're going to be affected."

James clears his throat, "Who's fighting exactly?"

I give a tired chuckle, "I'll give you three guesses who. We know both sides extremely well."

"Don't tell me that," Lily says, "the Potters and the Blacks are the main instigators."

"No, but they are major players in this. In fact the Potters and the Blacks are supplying major firepower to both sides of this thing. It's kind of annoying and we're in need of a scorecard to be honest. After all both families have good and bad people in them and they have, obviously, gone to their preferred side." I stand from my position and walk into the kitchen. Grabbing a glass, it gets filled with water and I slowly sip it.

James follows me and leans against the table, "How will this affect the people on Earth?"

"That's the thing," I nod, "We don't know. Some of the other spirits have been trying to figure that out, but it's not exactly easy to do. After all, there's only an extent of which Earth can be affected if the battles are kept in the Netherworld, but…."

"If the battles went onto Earth it could affect people," Lily says, her voice coming from the doorway. It's soft and delicate, yet there's an undeniable power that laces the undercurrent. There's that edge to it that shows her willingness to fight.

I nod slowly, "Yes. There are some…some people who want the evil that is on Earth to take over. They want it to spread and destroy. These people are relying on Voldemort."

"But he's dead!" James exclaims.

Lily shakes her head, "I don't think that he is James. If he was dead, why haven't we heard about it already? There would have been some sort of news."

James frowns, "You mean that thing is still on Earth? Where our son is?"

"It's the only explanation. But right now, we have other things to worry about. The people who want evil to take over have to gain control here first. It's going to be tough, but, much like on Earth with your Order of the Phoenix, there's going to be a group meeting up here," I explain, "They're going to get together tonight."

James and Lily look at each other, silently communicating. After a minute they nod and turn to me, determination set in their eyes.

"Do we know how hard this is going to be?" James asks.

"No, but we will."

Lily clears her throat, "You still didn't tell us who the main…generals I guess you'd call them, are in this."

I sigh, "Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin are leading the two armies. They're both equally powered. Godric Gryffindor is a light blood mage while Salazar Slytherin is a dark blood mage. This fight is going to be difficult and-"

I'm cut off by a rapping at the door. James and I walk toward the door, wands pulled and take opposite sides of the hall. He uses a charm that lets us see who is on the other side. A cloaked figure stands on the stoop, nervously fidgeting with the handle of her wand. The only way I can tell is because her fingernails have a French manicure on them. I nod at James and he glances at Lily before returning his attention to the door.

"Who are you?" James asks, voice strong and much like the one he used while working a job.

The figure jumps in shock.

"Not a Slytherin," I mutter.

"James, it's me," the woman says and looks up long enough for us to see under her hood. I give a soft growl and feel my annoyance creep up.

"Prove it! Why do I have a scar on my right knee?" James asks.

The woman chuckles, "That's where the wood embedded from some of your accidental magic when you were five. You were upset that I'd said you couldn't have a new broom and accidentally blew up your old one. You were more upset about the broom being ruined than the foot long piece of wood that was sticking out from your body."

James nods and takes the charm off the door. I drop the wards on the entrance and unlock the door. James allows his mother to enter and takes her cloak. I close and lock the door again, replacing the wards before turning around back toward the kitchen.

"Still here then?" she mutters.

I merely glance over my shoulder, "I live here, so get over it."

"James, I don't think you should be living with him. After all there's a war going on, and do you know what side his parents are on?" her voice gests softer as I head upstairs. Shutting my door I stand there for a moment before throwing a bludgeoning hex at the wall. Sirius was right, this is therapeutic. After throwing a couple of hexes at the wall, I catch my breath and repair it. Shaking my head I turn to my desk and pull out a couple of maps. A flick of the wand and the radio turns on.

"Be my bad boy, be my man. Be my week-end lover but don't be my friend. You can be my bad boy, but understand that I don't need you in my life again."

I'm startled by the song and think back to when I was at Hogwarts.

'Reg! What are you doing?' she asks, laughter in her voice as we run down the empty corridor. It's the middle of the night and, though we aren't supposed to be out, she's following me. Her hand holds mine as she laughs again.

'Reg! Where are we going?' she asks.

I look back at her and just grin. Her auburn hair trails behind her and her hazel eyes are shining with excitement. I slow down and hold a finger to my lips, and she stifles her giggles. Creeping to a door, I open it and we walk outside onto the dark grounds. Though there's no moon out, we can see perfectly because of the sheer number of stars in the sky. Walking hand in hand across the grounds, we head toward the woods that are just beyond the Whomping Willow. I follow a hardly used path, keeping my hand in hers. Soon, though, I stop us.

'What?' she asks again.

I chuckle, 'Someone's impatient aren't they? Let me cover your eyes.'

She eyes me with amusement and nods. I step behind her and place my hands over her eyes gently.

'Now walk,' I whisper in her ear. We walk for about twenty feet before ending up in an enclosed field. When I pull my hands from her eyes she gasps, then turns around and gives me a kiss.

'Reg, this is beautiful!' she whispers, 'thank you for showing me!'

Shaking my head, I clear the memory and get back to gazing at the map. The Netherworld is larger than people would like to think. It takes up about the same amount of space that Earth does, and the people are just as diverse. The only odd thing is that there are no muggles in this world. They go to a separate place. Heaven and Hell are the two planes that their world is split into. Personally, I like it better here, that Hell place just sounds menacing and barbaric.

Shaking my head I try to find a place where Slytherin might keep his army meetings at. Gryffindor is going to have them around the 'light' section, probably in the Arbortorium.
Sighing I run a hand through my hair and start to mark areas where I know that they won't hold the meetings and where they won't keep their main base. A knock sounds at my door and I wave it open.

"Regulus," Lily's voice sounds, "I was wondering if you could help me with something. I have an idea but I don't know if it will work."

"Hm? What do you need help with?" I ask, keeping enough of my attention on her so that I can help her, yet work on my project at the same time.

"Can someone gain a magical ability while in the Netherworld?" she asks, "For instance could someone become an animagus while here?"

This causes me to look up and I raise an eyebrow at her, "You want to become an animagus?"

"What? No! It was just an example!" Lily says, frown on her face, "Why would you think that?"

"Because," I lean against my table, "You are one horrible liar. And that's saying something because I know some pretty bad liars."

The red head places her hands on her hips, "So what gave me away?"

"Your eyes widened when I asked if you wanted to be an animagus. Not too much, but they widened enough that someone who is used to reading faces would be able to tell," I explain with a shrug, "Yes it's possible, but it isn't any easier. Luckily you have two people who are animagi with you."

"Two? You're an animagus?"

"Yeah."

"What's your form?"

I jump right at her, shifting as I do so, and land on four legs right in front of her. I twist around her legs and purr. She picks me up and looks me in the eyes.

"A cat, how appropriate. I always thought that as similar that you and Sirius are, that you are two different animals so to speak," Lily says.

I purr again and snuggle into her arms, enjoying the body heat she's giving off. She heads out of my room and down the stairs. As we pass one of the hall mirrors I catch a look at myself in the mirror and feel pride at how neatly my coat is lying down. My fur is black like my hair, but there is a small spot of white right by my right eye. My eyes are the blue grey of my human eyes, and have the same almond shape.

"James, I need to tell you something!" Lily calls out.

James's head pokes out of the kitchen, "Where'd the cat come from?"

I leap from her arms and walk into the kitchen, turning back into a human when I reach the fridge and grab a butter beer.

"You better not get that close to my wife's breasts again Black," James growls.

I smirk at him, "Didn't hear her complaining."

James growls again, but turns to Lily, "What did you need honey?"

"I want to become an animagus."

James blinks in surprise, "Alright then.'

James Potter's POV

I watch as Lily meditates. She's gone all out for this thing. Apparently she had been reading up on it for a while, back to when they had been alive, and has only been looking for the right time to try it. I'm going to help her as much as I can, but there is only so much that outside help can do.

Regulus walks in and opens a map, "So there's a-"

Ka-Boom!

The house shakes and the two of us look at each other before taking off toward the front door. We barely reach it when the door is blown back. I take up an offensive position while Regulus throws up a shield so powerful that it is visible and shimmers dark green. Lucky that he had that up as fast as he did because curses rain in the front door.

"What the fuck is up with people blowing my bloody door off of its hinges?" I shout.

Regulus gives a laugh, "Guess that you're a magnet for trouble!"

"Shuddup Reg!" I flick my wand and send out some hexes and curses before magically shutting the door and reinforcing it.

"Any idea who would want to attack the house?" Regulus asks as he adds his own wards. Turning around he quickly climbs the stairs.

I summon my spare wand and run over to Lily. Shaking her lightly, I wake her from her meditation.

"What's wrong?" she asks, noticing immediately that there's something wrong.

I pull her to a standing position, "The house is under attack, get your wand. If you want to help, then fine, but I want you to stay safe."

"James, don't worry about me. I'll stay back here. You know I'm better at charms, I can animate some things," Lily says with a smile.

I nod and take position by the front door. Regulus comes down from upstairs and he has a sword in his hand. Taking up position next to me he nods and I cast a spell to vanish the door, but keep the wards up. When I see the sea of black robed figures outside I flashback for a moment to time on Earth, but bring myself out of it. I see Regulus smirk from the side of my vision and smile as well.

"So," he says, "Ready to have some fun?"

"Oh yeah," I respond.

He flicks his wand and, at first, it seems like nothing happens, but all of a sudden there's a long howl and the shadows around the house twist and pull themselves away from it. They drag themselves into the moonlight and give a shake before attacking the robed figures.

"What kind of spell is that?" I ask, part awe in my voice, part worry.

Regulus smirks, "Black family specialty."

I shake my head and start attacking the crowd. They seem to have recovered from their stupor and attack us and the shadows. I start wondering if Regulus and I will be able to handle it when I hear the clattering of metal. When one of the robed people screams I face the sound and see something that boggles my mind.

The house cutlery is marching out of the house in perfectly straight lines. At the head of their march is the butcher knife, with the steak knives at the head of each block. There's a Calvary of some sort, with the teaspoons riding the rolled up fabric napkins. The line of silverware halts and seems to wait for orders. One of the spatulas comes to the front and stands by the butcher knife for a moment before leaving. The knives all line up in a row and just stand there.

By this time all the fighting has stopped to watch the cutlery with trepidation, curiosity and confusion. I glance at the window and see that Lily is standing there with a smirk on her face. A moment later and she flicks her wand, sending the silverware into a frenzy of attacking those robed people. I fight my way out of the fray and laugh when I see it from a distance. I'm joined by Regulus a moment later and the two of us have to lean against each other to even get up to the house.

I glance back once more to see the figures all disapperating, silverware clinging to them and still attacking. Giving a chuckle I re-enter the house and hug Lily.

"Lils that was hilarious," I whisper, giving her a kiss on her cheek.

She nods, "I figured that something that would shock them would probably be a little more effective than brute force. We need better wards up."

"Alright, we can work on that. All three of us can do that later tonight," I say. I hear a commotion coming from the living room. Walking over I see that the three are all in Diagon Ally.

"What is Remus thinking?" Lily mutters.

AN/ Hey everyone, sorry that this has taken so long for me to get to you. No excuses, but in my defense the internet around here has been acting screwy. Anyway, please review, cause if you've gotten to this point you've already read, because I'm thinking this story might be around 15 to 20 chapters. Promise that I'll update again soon, probably within the next few days if possible. Thanks for reading and I hope you're enjoying the story so far!