Coming back from a long break in between updates feels like a walk of shame. But welcome back!
I agonized over writing this chapter for the longest time, and I'm still not entirely pleased with it, but my goal is to finish this story this year and I can't do that without actually writing it, so here we are.
Thanks to everyone for your continued support on here and on Tumblr! I would not be trying to finish this fic if it wasn't for y'all and your constant encouragement. Thank you!
Chapter Twenty-Three
The Truths and Lies of Regulus Black
BREAKOUT FROM AZKABAN: TWO PRISONERS ON THE RUN AND WANTED BY MINISTRY AUTHORITIES, AND MINISTER HAROLD MINCHUM STEPS DOWN
At approximately two o'clock in the morning on 7 January, Ministry officials from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement received word that one-hundred dementors stationed at Azkaban Prison revolted and fled the island fortress. In the midst of the pandemonium, two inmates escaped from the prison and now remain at large.
The prisoners are Erebus Kane (34) and William Alderfair (20), both convicted by the Wizengamot in brutal slayings of family members. Kane was sentenced to life in Azkaban in 1967, and Alderfair received the same punishment only last year in July 1976 after a high-profile arrest in which he confessed to killing his parents, influential Wizengamot member Lukas Alderfair and Eleanor Alderfair nee Vaughn, the former editor of the popular Witch Weekly magazine, after being an active and open supporter of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named in the recent years leading up to his arrest.
Details as to how or why the two prisoners escaped remain unknown, but as of this morning, Death Eaters—supporters of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and self-described advocates of wizarding supremacy—have claimed responsibility for the dementors' defection from Azkaban, and warned that they 'have only just begun to wake up the wizarding world to the scourge of our would-be oppressors, Mudbloods and Muggles' in a statement addressed to the office of the Minister for Magic. (Full statement can be read on pages 8 and 9.)
Former Minister Harold Minchum released details of the alleged Death Eater statement in the early hours of 8 January, just before announcing his resignation from his post as Minister of Magic in wake of the devastating betrayal from Azkaban's guards, barely a year after the former minister allocated dozens more dementors to the prison. (To read the complete transcript of his resignation speech, see pages 12-15.)
The resignation comes as a shock to the country, where morale among British wizarding society is at an all-time low and uncertainty plagues every aspect of ordinary life. The Wizengamot has already announced that an emergency election will be held at the end of the month to determine the next Minister of Magic, with the usual calls for Albus Dumbledore, the current Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, to take the mantle of leadership, though some Ministry officials believe that Millicent Bagnold, the current Chair of the Wizengamot, has already been tapped for the role after she was the runner-up to Minchum herself in the last election. But will Bagnold have the means and the spine to stand up to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named when her predecessor did not? We discuss this further in the forthcoming Evening Prophet tonight.
Reported by Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent to the Daily Prophet and Evening Prophet
Cassie finished reading the front page of the Daily Prophet aloud to her friends and promptly tossed it onto the table they sat around in the Gryffindor common room. Most of the page was taken up by the bold headline and several moving black-and-white photographs; one depicted a frazzled Harold Minchum, the ex-Minister, as he dodged swarming reporters, while the other two were mugshots of Erebus Kane and Will.
After hearing so much about Erebus Kane and his terrible deeds, she had expected an imposing figure, but his portrait was surprisingly ordinary. Of course, the inmate placard he held said otherwise, but if she had passed him on the street one day, he would be entirely unforgettable with his slight, pointed face and neutral expression. It was hard to tell with the photograph's lack of color, but his short hair seemed fair, and his eyes light. His photo moved every now and then, blinking and looking around with polite curiosity, betraying nothing of the monster who had tortured and experimented on his three sisters until their deaths.
Will's photograph burned at her like the piercing heat coming off a large fire. It was the first time she had seen him since last summer, even in such a limited form. He peered around with dark eyes, shuffling from foot to foot, his hair overlong and flopping into his eyes with every movement. He was still handsome, still alive and breathing, but even through the photograph, Cassie could tell that there was nothing behind those roving, shadowy eyes anymore. Whoever William Alderfair had been was dead.
It made it much easier for her to snatch up the paper then and throw it into the fireplace. Will's picture wilted and smoldered, distorting his features in a macabre mockery before he burned away. It wasn't until the newspaper had become ash that Cassie finally broke the heavy silence.
"So, there you have it." She waved toward the fireplace. "The latest development. It's like I told you all last night when I got back from Dumbledore's office."
Lily clasped her hands together in her lap, her emerald eyes sympathetic. "Oh, Cass…"
She leaned against the back of the saggy red armchair, her voice hollow as she said, "Yeah, I know."
"What did Dumbledore suggest you do?" asked Remus. Though they were alone in the common room with most of their House at breakfast, he kept his voice low.
"Nothing." She snorted. "Use me as the bait to lure Will and Voldemort out." She scratched at a stain on one of the chair's arms. "I'm to be a good little girl and continue my studies while not one, not two, but three psychopaths are out for my head now."
"What else would you do?" Alice said quietly, an uncharacteristic frown on her face. "Hogwarts is the safest place to be with Dumbledore around."
"I dunno," Cassie shot back, "maybe not be a sitting crup?"
When no one said anything and only shot each other furtive, uncomfortable looks, Cassie got to her feet and walked toward the portrait hole. "Forget it. I think I just want to be alone right now."
Without waiting for a reply, she ducked through the tunnel and emerged into the seventh-floor corridor. No one followed her out, and she started for the moving staircases with no real destination in mind. Like a fool, she'd left her bookbag in the common room, leaving her with no supplies to go to class with, and she was feeling far too stubborn to turn back around and deal with her friends' pity at the moment. She'd had enough of it for a lifetime.
Her feet carried her all the way to the ground floor and the packed Great Hall where students still enjoyed their breakfast. Their laughter and mindless chatter followed her out of the castle doors and into the rare but freezing sunny morning. She squinted her eyes against the light shimmering off of last night's snowfall and trudged toward the Owlery, struck by the sudden urge to see Osbourne after she spotted a honey-colored owl flutter into the adjacent tower.
She climbed the spiraling steps and entered the dim Owlery, greeted by dozens of sharp eyes of the perched owls and the smell of bird droppings. Her shoes crunched over the rushes on the floor, and a dozing tawny owl above her head hooted lowly in reproach.
"Sorry," she whispered to it. She peered around the tower. "Ozzy? You here, boy?"
A familiar quiet call sounded above the rustlings of the other owls, and Cassie's handsome brown owl swooped out of the rafters and landed on an empty perch next to her.
"Hullo, Ozzy." She scratched the top of his head, and the owl shut his golden eyes in contentment, emitting a chirrup that reminded her of a cat's purr. "I'm sorry I didn't bring any treats today. This was kind of last minute, you know?" He ruffled his wings in what almost looked like an imitation of a shrug. "I guess you don't. You just get to live the good life up here. Wanna trade places?"
He blinked slowly, and she took that as a no. When she stopped petting his head, he clicked his beak at her. "I didn't bring any letters either. Sorry, Ozzy. You can go back to sleep now."
With an affectionate hoot, he flew back to the top of the rafters. She sighed and shuffled toward one of the tower's apertures and rested her elbows on the ledge. From her vantage point, she could see the Hogwarts grounds and the western wing of the castle itself, and in the distance, she could just make out the rising smoke coming from the chimneys of the houses and shops in Hogsmeade. She was half-tempted to take the secret passage into Honeydukes and slip out for a butterbeer at The Three Broomsticks, but she still hadn't the heart to return to the pub after she'd been accosted by the wizard who'd claimed that Will had killed his brother.
She dropped her head into her arms and squeezed back her sudden tears. She still couldn't believe that Will was out of Azkaban and on the run again. Only this time, she hadn't Obliviated him. He was in the shadows, plotting Godric-knew-what with Erebus Kane, and it seemed he'd gone back into the fold of Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters if they were claiming responsibility for the dementors' uprising at Azkaban.
"What are you doing, brother?" she said, sounding miserable and pathetic even to her own ears.
Somewhere in the depths of the castle, the bell signaling the start of lessons doled out, but she couldn't bring herself to move. She stayed at her spot overlooking the western sky, tracking the sun's slow ascent with listless eyes. She didn't know how long she stood there, but by the time she heard footsteps ascending the tower stairs, her knees had locked, and her elbows ached from leaning on them. Her back creaked when she looked over her shoulder, and her mood plummeted even further when she realized it was Sirius.
It had been nearly a fortnight since Avery had confronted her about Regulus, and she still had yet to tell Sirius what his brother was planning. It had become easier to talk to him after they had all made up, but every time she looked at him, she was reminded of the weight of the secret she carried, and the dread that shriveled her insides when she remembered that she would have to tell him at some point.
"Hey," Sirius said when he spotted her. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his black school cloak, and a red-and-gold striped scarf hung loosely around his neck. She hadn't noticed it before at the Potters' gala, but his hair had grown out, long enough to tie it back if he wanted to. His grey eyes tracked over her warily. "You weren't in Charms."
"And you're skiving Herbology now," she countered. She straightened and rubbed at her arms to get some feeling back into them. "I'm guessing you drew the short wand to come find me?"
"I volunteered, actually." He came to stand at her shoulder, keeping a respectable distance between them. It shouldn't have bothered her as much as it did, but she hoped the sentiment wasn't written all over her face. "Had to break out the map since you weren't in any of your usual spots." He glanced pointedly around the Owlery. "Any reason you've decided to shack up with the school owls?"
She shrugged. "I just wanted to see Osbourne."
"Right." He studied the side of her face when she didn't meet his eyes. "Are you up here because you're worried about what people will say about Will?"
She tugged at her gloves. "Partly."
He raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "And the other part?"
"Trying to figure out his next move," she admitted. She shook her head. "I thought I knew him like the back of my hand; I thought I could always predict him. But I've never been so wrong about someone before." She stared at the black mittens covering her hands. "How could I have never known my own brother at all? My own father and mother? They were supposed to be my family."
She swallowed thickly, feeling like someone had just stuffed burning coals down her throat. Hesitantly, Sirius reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. The coals blazed hotter, smoldering with shame, and she resisted the urge to shrug him off. When had she become such a coward that she couldn't even tell Sirius the truth?
Before he could say anything, she blurted out, "Avery told me right before school started again that Regulus plans on becoming a Death Eater. This summer."
Sirius's hand went rigid on her shoulder. "What?"
"I was trying to wait for the right moment to tell you," she said, the words tumbling out of her in a rush, "but there's been so much happening lately, and we had all just started getting on again—"
He dropped his hand like she'd scalded him, his face pale, but red was blooming high in his cheeks and crawling up his neck. "Avery told you this?"
She nodded quickly. "The day after the gala. He came back to drop off Evangeline's things and that's when I found out." She reached for his arm. "Sirius, I'm so sorry—"
He shifted out of her reach, and something in her chest cracked. His eyes had narrowed into slits.
"Why," he ground out, "would I believe a damn thing Avery says about my brother?"
She blinked. She'd thought he was upset about her holding on to the information for so long, but perhaps she'd been wrong. "He told us about what happened to his father before the Daily Prophet even broke the news. He trusted me with Evangeline." She hesitated. "I think he's telling the truth."
He snorted derisively. "Since when has Avery ever told us the full truth? I don't care about his father, and him trusting you with his sister only endangers you more. What's going to happen when the Death Eaters realize she's staying with your family, Cassie? D'you think they're just going to be fine with that? Their leader wants you on his side or dead depending on the week! Avery is just setting you up and pretending that he's not by feeding you bullshit about my brother to keep suspicion away from himself!"
"Now you're beginning to sound like a conspiracy theorist," she said.
He stared at her in disbelief. "I used to think you were smarter than this."
Anger and indignation swelled inside of her. "If you think Avery's lying, then there's only one way to prove it. Ask Regulus directly."
He dropped her gaze. "You know I can't do that."
"Why not?"
"Because he hates me, Cassie." He scoffed. "I ran away. Even when I still lived at home, I was never there for him. I could never get through to him. If he didn't hate me back then, he certainly does now that I'm a disowned blood traitor."
Cassie thought for a moment. "I'm not so sure about that." When he said nothing, she stepped forward and took his hand. This time, he didn't recoil from her touch. "You've always worried about him. You care about him, Sirius, and I'm certain Regulus knows that you do. Just talk to him. He's still your brother."
Sirius squeezed her hand once before letting go. He took several steps back, and when he looked at her again, his eyes were cold.
"No," he said. "Regulus chose his path. He chose our mother and father. He chose to be a Black. If he chooses to become a Death Eater, too, then nothing I say or do will stop him. He's made his choice."
Cassie stared. "You don't mean that."
"I do." The finality in his tone chilled her to her core, and she squeezed her hands together to stave it off. "I tried for years to free him from the sick enchantments of our mother and blood purity, and he never listened. I begged for him to run away with me, Cassie, and he never even said a word, even as I was bleeding out on the rug in front of him." His voice shook, and Cassie's vision turned blurry with tears at the raw agony in every word he spoke. "I meant it. He's on his own."
Words no longer came to her. All she could do was watch as Sirius shook his head, swiping at his eyes before he turned on his heel and stalked out of the tower.
No one came to fetch her again after that.
Time seemed to freeze almost as badly as the weather outside of the castle, but that still didn't stop January from slogging into February with little fanfare; Cassie hadn't even realized that it was a new month until it came time for her to write the dates on her piles of homework. The sixth-years were practically drowning in work in preparation for their N.E.W.T. exams at the end of the term, but with the way their workload was steadily increasing, Cassie didn't know if some of them would even make it to then.
She and Sirius had barely spoken in the weeks since she'd told him about Regulus in the Owlery. They weren't outright ignoring each other as they had prior to the winter holidays, but the tension between them was still so thick that she was tempted to light a match and see if it would catch on fire. It was disappointing and stressful, especially since they had all just seemed to work out their issues, and it was the driving force behind her impulsive decision one frosty Wednesday afternoon right after lunch.
She left early, citing that she needed to return a book to the library, and waited anxiously outside of the Great Hall, half-hidden in the shadows until she glimpsed a familiar head of wavy black hair. She extracted her wand and pointed it at Regulus Black's bookbag before muttering, "Diffindo."
The bottom of the bag split open, and the Slytherin boy's books and spare quills scattered across the flagstone floor of the entrance hall. After waving off his friends, he bent down and began to pick up his belongings, and Cassie seized her chance.
She rushed to his side and grabbed his Potions book before he could, and he looked up in confusion until he saw her. "Alderfair. Is it you who I should be thanking for this?"
"We need to talk," she said lowly, kneeling down to help him with the rest of his things. "Follow me." Before she could stride away, she turned back and pointed her wand at his bag again. "Reparo."
"Thanks," he called after her drily as she headed for the marble staircase, hoping no one could see her acting so suspicious.
But he followed her, nonetheless, all the way up to the seventh-floor corridor and her destination. He appraised the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy attempting to teach trolls how to dance with skepticism. "I'm honored you would think to show me such a masterpiece."
She rolled her eyes but ignored him, instead pacing in front of the blank wall opposite the tapestry three times and thinking I need a place to talk to someone in, I need a place to talk to someone in…
On the third time, a door appeared in the wall, and for the first time since she'd met him, Black looked distinctly ruffled. "The Come and Go Room? I thought it was just a rumor?"
"Well, it's not." She gestured to the door. "I discovered it last year when I just needed a place to get away from everyone. Come on."
She led him inside a small but handsome room decorated in neutral colors. Two plush armchairs sat across from one another on each side of a low coffee table, and all the walls were the same blank shade of beige except for the one to their right, where a crackling fireplace with an old antique clock atop the mantelpiece was nestled.
Cassie motioned for him to sit, and he did, dropping his newly-repaired bag to the carpeted floor.
"I was wondering how long it would take Avery to blab to you about me," he said, sounding bored. His hair was shorter and combed back neatly from his face, but his dark grey eyes lit up like silver and resembled Sirius's in the firelight. "Are you going to interrogate me now?"
"Something like that," she said.
"Veritaserum?" Regulus asked, amused when she pulled a vial of what looked like dishwater out of her bag. "I thought you were allergic, according to Avery."
"Not Veritaserum," she said, shaking her head. "Besides the fact that I'm allergic to it, you also have to consider that it's labeled as a controlled substance by the Ministry, and its brewing period is a full lunar cycle. It's too complicated to get my hands on or replicate. No, I just had my friend Lily whip me up an easy knockoff Truth Potion without any Jobberknoll feathers—the ingredient that gives me a reaction." She gave the vial's contents a little swirl. "It's only a fraction as potent as Veritaserum, but it suits our needs."
"Lily," he mused. "Lily Evans? The Muggle-born?"
Cassie bristled. "Does it matter? She's still the best potion-maker in the school behind your pal Snape."
"I'm aware. Slughorn gushes about her all time." He raised an eyebrow. "And I don't care if she's a Muggle-born. Keep your claws in, Gryffindor. I was only seeking clarification." He nodded to the vial. "So, you want us to down some truth serum and have a nice chat?"
"That was the idea." She uncorked the vial, letting the flat, swampy smell of the potion fill the air between them. "A secret for a secret. A truth for a truth. Are you game?"
He smirked and leaned forward, settling his elbows on his knees as he gestured to the vial. "How much is in there?"
"There should be enough for eight doses. It takes exactly sixty seconds for the potion to work, but the drawback is that its potency only lasts the same amount of time. Four sips for each of us. Thirty minutes tops, and then we're done."
He nodded. "Fair enough." His lips quirked. "Ladies first."
She blanked momentarily, shocked that he had complied so readily, but she gathered her wits about her and straightened her spine. "All right. Cheers." She took the first sip. Instantly, her tongue began to buzz and tingle, and as the minute passed, it was like her inhibitions melted down to nothing, collecting in her throat and waiting to be spoken aloud. She reminded herself to thank Lily again later.
When a full minute had passed, Regulus asked, "Are you planning on ditching Avery again like last year and getting himself and the rest of his family killed, as well?"
She blinked, the answer bubbling up immediately like she had opened a bottle of champagne. "Of course not." She frowned at the opened vial between them. "What I did with Avery…it wasn't right. I used him; I tricked him into thinking I would help him, and it came back to bite him. But believe me when I say that I'm trying to make up for it."
After her confession, her tongue felt lighter, and she breathed deeply. A long moment passed until Regulus eventually nodded. "Very well. I believe you."
He plucked the vial off the table without waiting for her reply and downed a sip. He shivered slightly after swallowing the potion, and they waited while the clock on the mantelpiece ticked on. Twenty…twenty-one…
At sixty seconds precisely, she asked her question. "Are you planning on becoming a Death Eater this summer?"
"Yes," he said, his voice almost monotone, but the truth slipped free easily. "I'm going to get the Dark Mark and join the ranks of the inner circle, like my cousin Bellatrix. I've been planning it for months."
Another minute passed, and he winced, making a face. "Urgh. That was ghastly." He shoved the vial toward her. "Your turn."
She burned with more questions, but she swallowed them down in favor of swallowing her own small sip.
"What is the real reason why your brother killed your parents?" Regulus asked her when the minute was up.
Her jaw worked for a moment before she was compelled to speak. "Voldemort made him. As punishment for trying to defect." She swallowed heavily. "Because I Obliviated him and sent him away into hiding when he tried to get out of the Death Eaters. He was forced to murder them because of what I had done."
The thick, cloying feeling in her throat loosened, and she figured her minute was up. She wiped hastily at her eyes, aware that Regulus was watching her carefully.
"You tried to help," he said simply, emotionlessly. "You chose to do what you thought was best for your brother. There's no shame in that."
She said nothing, only motioning for him to take another sip. He did, and sixty seconds slipped by.
"You told me before that the only side you're on is your own. Why, then, would you possibly want to be a Death Eater?" she asked.
"I'm on the side that helps protect the people I love." He grimaced as if the words pained him. "Right now, the favor lies with the Death Eaters. I join them, I keep my family safe." His throat bobbed. "I protect them from the wolves that came to the door when Sirius left it in shambles."
The minute ended. Cassie picked up the vial and hesitated.
"Sirius wants to protect you, too," she said quietly.
He glared at her. "Drink."
She obeyed, and her tongue once more became weighed down under the intense pressure of the truths that begged to be shared. Regulus watched the clock until the minute hand pierced through the number twelve again, and then he turned back to her.
"What's really the truth behind your fancy little locket?"
"I…I'm not sure," she croaked out. She rubbed at its chain where it hung around her neck. "I mean, I don't know the extent of it. All I know is that it's allegedly a spellbook crafted by the Seven Elder witches, one of whom was my ancestor, Norvina Alderfair. Then it belonged to another witch named Miranda Alderfair after it was gifted to her by Godric Gryffindor, and then it disappeared until my brother found it and gave it to me last year."
Regulus leaned back in his seat as she coughed slightly, her throat still feeling clogged. "A spellbook supposedly made by mythical witches. Interesting."
The glint in his eyes made her uneasy, but he grabbed the vial and took another sip, and they waited.
After a minute, she asked, "Why risk joining the Death Eaters? Why risk your neck at all with Carlisle, Voldemort? Wouldn't it be better just to stay out of it all entirely?"
He grinned. "That definitely exceeds the one-question limit." His face rippled, and he shuddered. "Ah, right, the truth. To break it down simply, I suspect I have my own Gryffindor streak inside me." He shrugged. "I fancy being the hero sometimes. And to be that I want to help change the world. On my own terms and as my own man."
"Being the hero?" she echoed. "What does that mean?"
"Ah-ah. My time's up. It's your turn again."
"Oh, fine," she grumbled, snatching up the vial and taking another sip. She flapped a hand. "Last question for me. Make it count."
"How far are you willing to go to stop Voldemort?" His eyes gazed out at her coolly from his impassive face. "Would you kill him if you had the opportunity?"
Her eyes bugged as her mouth moved wordlessly. He only watched her, calm and curious.
"I-I don't know," she said, hoarse. "I can't imagine…killing some…one…" Her fingers dug into the fabric of the armchair, her nails leaving crescent-shaped marks in the cloth. She stared at Regulus with tears in her eyes, already horrified at what was about to leave her lips. "He took everything from me. He deserves to pay with his life."
The clock ticked, and the potion released her from its grip. She sagged in her chair, her chest heaving like she'd just run a marathon. Had she really just uttered those words? Had she just admitted to wanting to kill another person?
Regulus didn't speak, waiting for her to regain some semblance of composure before sliding the vial back over to him. He brought it to his lips before pausing. "It's empty."
He turned it upside down, and indeed, not a single drop fell to the table. Somehow in her haste, she had drained the last of the potion herself.
Regulus set down the vial. "Sorry, Alderfair. Looks like you've run out of luck."
He stood and shouldered his book bag. She shot to her feet. "Wait! Please. Just—one more question."
He waited silently, expressionless, and she wrung her hands. "Please, I— What is it that you're trying to gain by becoming a Death Eater? What's your end goal here, Black? Protect your family and…then what? Watch the world fall to Voldemort and become slaves based on their blood status? Tell me what it is you're really joining him for. Please."
"You're really asking me that when you already know the answer?" His scowl turned into an arrogant smirk that was a shadow of Sirius's when she still stared at him, baffled. "Don't you remember what I told you in the dungeons last year?"
She shook her head. "No. I don't remember. What—?"
"Anyone who calls himself Dark Lord can kiss my ass," he repeated. His haughty grey eyes fixed on her pointedly, and his lip curled back. "The world has no need for a king who hides behind a false name."
His words from earlier echoed back to her. "I fancy being the hero sometimes."
"You…" she breathed.
"Now, if you don't mind, I need to be getting to Transfiguration," he said. "See you 'round, Alderfair."
"Black," she called when he reached the door. He paused with his hand on the knob and looked back at her expectantly. All she could do was shake her head. "Good luck."
"I'll make my own," he said before hesitating once more. "Does my brother know?"
Cassie nodded. "I told him."
Regulus's shoulders tensed, and he sucked in a sharp breath. "What did he have to say?"
With no truth serum compelling her anymore, she chose to lie. "He's worried about you. He doesn't want you to take this path alone."
He laughed, and the sound was broken and brittle. "Not even Veritaserum could get me to believe what you just said."
Before she could say anything else, he was out the door and gone.
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Next Chapter: The Potion Lesson
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