Sorry for the wait, its exam times, enjoy
Black Errands – When Regulus woke, it was clear less that than an hour had passed given how he was still dead tired, injured and shaken. He had had a nightmare, he already could not remember what it had been about but the nature of the cold sweat, shaking and irrational fear was undeniable. He glanced over to where Sirius was across from him, he was still there, unmoving and unresponsive, but alive. They had at some point become separated in the night, maybe when he had thrashed around in the throes of his dream. Feeling like a child (as this had been common place back in his youth) he hopped off of the floor, jumped across the room and into his brother's lax arms. He threw his arm around his waist protectively and nuzzled his neck. He did not want to move from this position, not now, not ever, he closed his eyes and immediately he was asleep again.
It was midday when he woke next, whether he had only slept the rest of the day he'd rescued Sirius and the night and the morning of the next, or whether a couple of days had passed was unclear. Judging by how Sirius skin was not too stretched from dehydration or anything Regulus would guess he had not lost any days. He was feeling almost completely recovered from the events of the days before, it was truly amazing what a meal and sleep would fix, along with a little magic. He was still feeling awfully shaken and did not want to move, or leave Sirius unattended. The older man was not going to wake up for a week at least, that was what magical exhaustion will do to you but he still should be monitored. He used a little magic to get nutrients into his system and an idea struck.
He picked up the phone that they had purchased for their link to the muggle world, on Sirius' insistence; Adam Tanner was working to be as well-known as Sirius Black. Having someone to watch Sirius was no problem, after all, what were friends for? An hour later Mrs Granger was sitting on the end of Sirius' bed. Regulus had dragged him upstairs, one night had left him stiff, and he did not want Sirius to have to suffer a week of it, besides he could hardly have a guest over to see him lying on the floor, she'd think he was drunk. "Poor thing," she said in a motherly tone as she stroked his hair lovingly like a parent might do for a sick child. "What was he doing on a hill in the middle of a thunderstorm; did he not know it was dangerous?"
He probably could have thought of a better excuse if given time, but that was the first thing that came out of his mouth. She did not believe him at first, it was a very unfortunate circumstance, but he put on a serious voice and then she saw his body. He was not ill and not injured, visibly, but a scratch on his cheek, and very few muggles fell into comas out of exhaustion so it just kind of came out. "He does not look hurt, I guess the lightning went straight through his body, at least he has not gained a fever from the shock or anything." Yes, he had told her Sirius had been struck by lightning and rendered unconscious. He had been to hospital but their private doctor said he could be kept at home as long as he was kept comfortable and monitored at all times.
She had jumped at the chance to help out being the caring person she was. She thought he was going to pick Harry from his relatives, best not to be in the house while Sirius was being patched up and unresponsive. He was about to pick Harry up, he liked Mrs Granger, he really did, she was a wonderful person, but that was probably the only truthful thing he'd said to her, he could not give anything away about his world, that was the number one rule. Now Sirius was being looked after he went in search of Harry, he could send a patronus first, but just in case people were with him and Harry he thought it would be best to launch a surprise visit. Regardless of his previous help, if he had done a 180 he would be aggressive.
Just as he was about to leave the room, a little girl of five ran into the bedroom looking flustered and put out, her bottom lip trembled as she stared at her moth with a red face. "I want to look after Padfoot too!" She cried out, Hermione, Regulus remembered with a jolt, they had not seen her for a little while. "I don't want to be left behind, I like Padfoot!" Her mother gave an indulgent sigh and picked her up, mumbling apologies about how she could not leave her behind and started to rebuke the girl for following her all on her own. Hermione did not even seem to hear. "Where's Harry?" She demanded to know as she looked round the room, not seeming in the least bit concerned about the man she wanted to look after, unconscious on the bed.
"It is fine for you to stay and help watch Sirius for me as long as it is alright with your mother," Regulus told the little girl as he once more made to leave the room. "I'm going to get Harry now; he's staying with a relative for the time being. He is likely to be shocked and shaken so be nice to him and don't mention Sirius too much." Padfoot – the name of his canine form, fitting, though not as menacing as it probably should be given the nature of the man without the fur or the tail – or the fleas. Harry knew it of course, as did all of the close friends of the man, it must have been ramblings of the children that made it well known, at least the origins of nicknames were rarely questioned and any such nonsense believed.
"I won't Mr Tanner!"
"Good girl," he smiled as he headed towards the staircase. He was going to floo there as he never learnt where his house was, just what it was called.
Remus was not to be seen when he entered the house, he did not want to call out just in case there were unwanted visitors here, but everyone could hear the arrival of a floo passenger. For a terrible moment he wondered whether something bad had happened, maybe Dumbledore had been revived and now he and Severus were badly hurt. He had to push those fears aside, finding Harry and Kreacher, the last members of his pack for now as no one else had been accepted by the alpha yet. (Regulus threw himself whole heartedly into the dog thing Sirius had going with his human life as well as his canine one.) Instead of calling for the man who'd helped him he called for Kreacher, he knew for a fact he'd have been sent here, Remus was something of a cornerstone in Sirius' life.
Despite what Sirius had said earlier, he trusted Remus with his life, he always had, and that of Harry's. To his relief the little elf appeared immediately, effectively getting rid of any searching he may have had to do. Harry was in his arms, and upon seeing Regulus burst into a wide smile and held up his arms to be picked up. "Uncle Reggie, you're ok!" Regulus picked him up and swung him round in his arms, making Harry squeal, delighted.
"Of course I'm alright squirt; it takes more than a little to scratch your uncle Reg!"
"I am glad to see you well master," Kreacher said seriously with a small smile and a bow, "Harry has not stopped asking after you or why we had to leave master Sirius. How is master Sirius?"
Regulus' face darkened ever so slightly, "he is sleeping, and may be sleeping for some time," he said, knowing that the intelligent elf would know what he meant by it. "He pushed himself to magical exhaustion rescuing me, complete, he passed out after defeating a number of wizards, one of them was Dumbledore, he turned out to be dark along with Fudge, but he is corrupt, driven by fear of losing his support, I feel something akin to pity for him. Sirius will be alright in time, he'll bounce back, he always bounces back in time, we just need to wait."
"Well then, I am glad, I am, after all, his personal elf."
"Aye, that you are Kreacher, there is something else, I unlocked my core when Sirius fell. I have tried to reach it since but all I can do is certain spells like Flagu, I have not tried anything else. But all I have to do is train, like Sirius."
"That is wonderful news master Regulus."
"Kreacher, where is Remus, why is he not here?"
"I am not sure exactly where he is master Regulus. As you obviously know Sirius sent me and Harry here when he decided to go and rescue you. Severus was already here when I arrived trying to get him to come with him and help Sirius rescue you as he feels a great debt to master Sirius and knew Remus was the only one who would willingly help. Remus was trying to delay and wanted to plan out everything, every possible scenario, much like master Sirius. Severus said how that was all god and well but there was not time for that in this instance. Eventually they left to go and get Minerva to 'knock some sense into the old coot' and the two of you. I see that they must have been successful unless you and master Sirius won the fight all by yourselves, but they have not returned, but I could not leave to find him with Harry in my care."
"No, it's ok Kreacher, that was the right thing to do. They were still fighting when I left."
"They might have won and are now celebrating?" Kreacher suggested hopefully.
"I can't knock out the possibility," he replied truthfully, although he would not have left Harry in favor of a few butter beers. "Either way, now is not the time to worry about it, I need to concern myself with looking after Sirius and Harry, I cannot go searching for Remus, Severus and Minerva when I don't know where to start. Once Sirius is awake I will find them, but let's get this sleepyhead back home, honestly, five years old and still taking a nap." Even if he was newly five.
With Harry settled at home under the watchful eyes of the Grangers, Regulus soon found that he was the new Lord Black for the time being. He was going to be raising Harry alone, more or less, taking care of the household, be in charge of Kreacher, if the elf let him, and of looking after his brother. He was not actually sure what it was he was supposed to be doing, but whatever he did, he had to make sure his brother remained safe. Regulus was no fool, he was well aware he was vulnerable in this state, painfully so, so much it hurt to just see him lying there like that. He was more than capable of protecting him, he was extremely powerful if not as much as his older brother and he supposed he had allies now too in the form of Severus and Remus and Minerva.
Still, Regulus pulled on his cloak and flicked the hood up, it never cost to make absolutely certain, and there was one thing he needed to make sure of. He could not leave here at a moment's notice, not with Harry and Sirius to look after, not if there was the possibility he or either of them could get hurt or worse. Being the ally of the most powerful man in Europe most certainly had its perks, but when that man was also wanted dead by so many different people, it also had its downsides. He owed it to Remus and Severus to keep them safe, Minerva should be ok. The two young men would be targeted if it ever got out they helped him escape. The death eater ministry officials were smart enough to keep their traps shut or else incur the famous Black wrath, but there was one person who was decidedly dim.
Even if she lived to be one hundred and fifty, and continued to work for her new 'employer' up until her grave, Rita Skeeter would never get used to his visits. She was honored in a strange sort of way that he went what must be out of his way for such dramatic entrances and exits as if it impressed her, and it did. She liked the way he did not use the doors and invited himself in and was dangerous to her and gave out his orders before jumping out the window and driving away into the night on his motorcycle. Perhaps one day he would give her a ride on that vehicle of his. It was quite surprising really that with how often he was on her mind, and in her fantasies, it still caused her to give a little shriek of surprise when she opened her bedroom door.
He was sitting on her bed like he usually was, against the headboard, feet on the covers, paying no mind to the dirt he got on them, although it was nothing a scourgify won't fix. He was wearing his cloak, still with the hood up as if she did not know who it was. She immediately sat down at the desk with her parchment and quill as, if she remembered rightly, he liked to get straight to business. "I know about the latest trouble you got it by the way," she mentioned, "about how your brother got captured and you fought Dumbledore and the minister's cronies to get him free. It is a terribly juicy story, you will not stop me from writing it." There was conviction in her voice as if it could possibly be in her power to not let him make her do exactly what he wanted and nothing else.
The same thoughts were obviously running through his mind as he chuckled dark and low, "and what exactly would you do to stop me making you do exactly what I want you to? You are helpless against me and you know it just as well as I do."
Rita froze, something wasn't right. His words were not exactly unexpected, his tone was right, even his pose, but, "you're not Sirius."
"I'm a lot more powerful than you I am perfectly seri – oh you mean Sirius, yeah no, I'm not him." He took down his hood to reveal the baby brother.
"Regulus, it's good to see you, you know, alive."
"Is it?"
"Well sure, I mean I didn't really know you when you were alive for the first time round except as a mindless fool to Voldemort so I didn't exactly cry when you died."
"You and me both sister, the fool part I mean."
"But not now," she said quickly, "you're good now."
"Indeed, back to what I came here for, you can't write up what happened."
"But why? Everyone will learn somehow anyway, please."
"Oh ok then."
"That didn't really take as long as expected." At some point she had moved from her desk and now sat beside him on the bed as if they were old friends.
"There are some things you cannot mention. Firstly, Severus and Remus, they are out the picture, they did not come."
"Ok, fair enough." Who wanted to hear about their dark hero needing to be rescued by his friends anyway, it was only going to be a couple of lines.
"Dumbledore, he wasn't there."
"But that was the whole point of the story!"
"The point of the story was that Fudge captured me and is even more corrupt, his only allies now are the death eaters he unknowingly employs, you can demonize him as much as you like."
"But everyone already knows about Fudge, Dumbledore is the stereotypical always good guy. He is new, he is juicy material."
"It was just a misunderstanding," he said, a touch of sternness entering his voice.
"But Regulus please listen to reason," she pleaded. "The people need to hear about this, they would love it, the Albus Dumbeldore messing with the Black brothers, this is almost as exciting as the initial breakout, it would be a huge scandal – ok I won't mention it."
"Good." Regulus got to his feet and headed towards the window where the motorbike was waiting when a hand grabbed his arm.
"You know I will give you the same offer I gave Sirius, the door is there for you whenever you feel like entering or exiting a house like the rest of the world."
"No," he said, a smirk curling around his lips, "why would I want to do that? I'm a Black."
"Still it would be nice to have the assurance I can walk into my own bedroom without the fear that someone will be there uninvited. I mean one day I might have a date over and you will come in and see a strange man naked in your spot and you can't un-see that."
It happened once with Sirius, he came back and cried before going back to see the rest of the show because he'd never mixed magic with sex before and took notes. Even his brother thought that was beyond weird and didn't talk to him for two days until he told his baby brother about some of the things he saw and Regulus had to admit he was impressed. "I'll bear that in mind… as long as you realize you just gave me all the more reason to drop by unannounced."
Rita laughed and shook her head in disbelief, "sure thing. Wait, before you go." Regulus did not turn back around, he kept one foot on the window sill, but he halted. "If you do not mind me asking, why are you here instead of Sirius?"
It was then Regulus made one of the biggest mistakes in his life and it was so soon after the last one he wondered what was wrong with him, seriously? Maybe it was because they had been having a pleasurable conversation, laughed, joked, shared their selves instead of sticking to cool business like meetings like Sirius had with her. Maybe it was his shame in partaking in Sirius watching her play out fantasies in the bedroom because he could not resist dramatics like that and it had not occurred to him that she was a woman and so might do that sort of thing. Regulus got that she was a woman, but in doing so had more or less forgotten she was a reporter first. "Sirius is ill, he worked himself to magical exhaustion rescuing me, he may not wake for some time."
"Oh my goodness, that is awful," her voice sounded a little weak but he did not notice. Maybe it was because he could not believe even Rita Skeeter could be so stupid.