Human by Daughter
Underneath the skin there's a human
Buried deep within there's a human
And despite everything I'm still human
December 26th, 1979
The foursome landed in the Haven's kitchen with a resounding squelch.
Sopping wet and shaking from head to toe, Regulus breathed hard, belly-down on the floor beside Theya, who released him with a haggard gasp. Lake water pooled around them, though this didn't concern him anywhere near as much as the blood that spurted into it.
Looking up, he noted that the blood wasn't coming from Kreacher. He had somehow gotten out entirely unscathed, though he was clearly petrified, as his body was trembling.
Ivy was covered in a multitude of minor to moderate injuries, but the haunted look on her face made it clear that her mental torment went far beyond any physical kind. As though sensing his stare, she backed up slowly until she hit the wall of the kitchen, where she slumped to the floor. She wrapped her arms around her knees and tucked her head out of sight, beginning to rock back and forth.
If the blood wasn't coming from them…
His head whipped to Theya and he realised with a start that she was in far worse shape than any of them. The lower half of her trousers had been ripped to shreds -he assumed by grasping hands and gouging nails- and beneath the tattered remains were her calves, the flesh of which was in ribbons. Other minor injuries ranged over her skin, though none of them were as severe as the gash above her forehead. Blood gushed thickly into her eyes and slid off her face with a steady pour into the water.
Regulus scrambled to his feet, slipping as he did so.
He thought to ask Ivy what they should do, but one glance told him that she was in an entirely different world, as she'd started whispering feverish nonsense under her breath.
Thinking quickly, he placed his hands underneath Theya's armpits.
Whispering an apology, he lifted her.
She released a long, chattering wail as he clumsily placed her on the dining room table. The expanse of wood wasn't as large as he would've preferred, as her feet and head of golden hair lolled off either end. But there was no time to Transfigure it.
"Kreacher," Regulus said. "Fetch me a Wound-Cleaning Potion, a Blood-Replenishing Potion, and a Calming Draught from Ivy's medicine cabinet upstairs. Do it quickly."
There was a sharp crack.
Theya shivered and spasmed on the table, letting out low groans of pain as shaking hands tried to wipe the blood out of her eyes.
Regulus drew his wand and carefully pointed it at her headwound. "Scourgify!"
Another sharp crack reached his ears as the blood cleared itself from her face.
"Hand me the Wound-Cleaning Potion," Regulus ordered Kreacher. "And leave the Blood-Replenishing one on the table. Give some of the Calming Draught to Ivy - some, not all."
"Yes, Master." The house elf followed his instructions, before tending to Ivy.
Uncorking the vial of purple liquid, Regulus placed it open on the table.
Drawing his wand, he used Ivy's Slicing Spell to cut Theya's trousers open around her wounds and assessed them hurriedly. The lacerations went deep, and there was too much blood for him to see much else, but it was evident that they would need to be handled quickly. Turning his attention to her forehead, her put his blackthorn wand between his teeth for easy access, and messily wiped away the blood continuously oozing from her forehead. The gouge was also deep, but it could wait.
Taking the opened vial of Wound-Cleaning Potion in hand, he poured a generous amount over her leg wounds. The liquid smoked heavily on contact and Theya screamed in pain, before breaking out into heavy sobs. Coughing against the smoke, Regulus took his wand in hand again. Waving away the vapours, he shifted to disinfect the gash on her forehead.
Theya cried out again, body going temporarily rigid, before she relaxed into a sob.
Regulus cringed at the sound, looking over his shoulder.
The Calming Drought had worked wonders on Ivy, as she was now slumped over at an awkward angle, her chest rising and falling steadily, clearly asleep.
"Kreacher," Regulus said. "Give Theya the rest of the Calming Drought. Then place the locket on the kitchen counter and take Ivy to bed. Get her in some fresh clothing and heal whatever wounds that you can, then rest - but rest in her room. I want you to check in on her every half hour, in case that potion has any other nasty effects we don't know about. Understand?"
"Yes, Master," Kreacher croaked.
Regulus turned back to Theya, watching as the house elf gave her the remainder of the blue potion. Instantly, the golden-haired witch stopped sobbing. She had calmed, her chest rising and falling at as even a rate as Ivy's. But she had calmed perhaps too much, as her eyelids began fluttering as though she were about to pass out.
He was quick to follow the Drought with the dark red Blood-Replenishing Potion. Opening her mouth, he poured the liquid in. Theya sputtered against it, but swallowed after a moment.
Regulus took a moment to listen as Kreacher levitated Ivy down the corridor. Making brief eye contact with Theya, who appeared both lucid and exhausted, he gave her a weak smile.
"The hard part is over," he told her. She released a shaky breath and closed her eyes, while he raised his wand. "Vulnera Sanentur… Vulnera Sanentur… Vulnera Sanentur…"
Regulus lurked in the corridor outside of he and Ivy's bedroom, watching her sleep through the door that had been left ajar. The window's curtains weren't drawn, causing her to be bathed in the fading, hazy sunlight. Atop the grey knit blanket, she slept soundly, her wounds having been healed.
Though, her physical wounds weren't the ones he was worried about.
Watching his wife stir in her sleep, he considered waking her entirely. But she needed rest, and more importantly, he didn't know what state she would be in upon waking. She may be upset with him for what he'd made her relive, or she may not want to speak to anyone at all.
No, it was better to let her rest.
Turning away from the door, Regulus walked down the corridor to the staircase and headed down the steps. As he went, he eyed the velvety blue sofa in the sitting room. Theya was right where he'd left her on the cushions, her headwound having healed into a thick scar. He'd considered bringing her to the guest room for comfortability, but with how severe the injuries were, he'd decided it was better to keep her close.
He had already healed his own wounds, which thankfully only consisted of some bruises around his ankle and Ivy's nail marks across his throat. The scratches had left a few thin scars.
Reaching the bottom of the staircase, he raised a brow. "You're awake."
"That I am." Theya sat up on the sofa, absently tracing a finger over the blemish on her forehead. "Where's Ivy?"
"Resting." Regulus took a seat in the deep blue armchair and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "She'll be alright. Well, her body will be. I don't know about…" He shook his head. "How are you feeling?"
Theya averted her gaze. "I'm alright."
"What is it?"
She gestured to her forehead, then her legs. He had changed her into a fresh set of clothing, so her healed leg wounds were covered, but he understood her meaning.
"Well," he pressed his lips together. "I know you've got a lot of scars now, but I didn't have time to worry about that. You were in exceptionally bad shape."
"Its not that, I think the scars are wicked." She smiled briefly. "I just don't know how I could possibly explain them to Severus. The one on my forehead, sure, I could've smacked my head on a low-hanging branch or some shite. But my legs? There's no way."
"I suppose you could tell him that the bottom of a lift gave out at work?" Regulus offered half-heartedly.
Theya gave him a look.
He sighed and nodded his agreement.
Such a serious injury would've been taken care of at St. Mungo's, had the cause of them not been a highly covert mission. The fact that her wounds were treated elsewhere was rather suspicious. Not to mention, lying to Severus was tricky. They could get away with small lies, but the man wasn't daft. And Theya wasn't a Death Eater like the rest of them, so a top secret assignment couldn't be used as an excuse.
"This would all be so much easier," Theya said pointedly. "If he knew what we were up to. He would've been a huge help back there."
"You're not wrong." Regulus didn't disagree with her, but he also didn't disagree with Ivy. Both of them were right, it just so happened that his wife was more right. When it came down to it, they needed to err on the side of safety.
Glancing up at Theya, he noted the expression of hope on her face. Hope, that he would finally give in and say that they needed to tell Severus.
It was time for a subject change.
Regulus cleared his throat. "Tell me what happened while I was under."
She opened her mouth as though to argue, but seemed to think better of it. "Well, we got swarmed. They were slow, but basically unkillable and they kept piling onto the island - we were fighting tooth and nail just to keep them at bay. The next thing I knew, I was being dragged into the water. Then…"
"What?" He prompted.
"I don't know exactly," Theya pensively ran a hand through her golden hair. "Some kind of… pulse went through the air. All at once, the Inferi were thrown - ripped off me. Clearly unwillingly, seeing as they tore my calves to shreds as they went. It was the strangest thing… Then Kreacher helped me out of the water. That was when I realised that Ivy had done something to them. She told me to go get you, that the corpses would leave me alone. She pointed to where I should dive, and the Inferi were immobile, so I went to search for you. She was right, they didn't bother me."
"How'd she know where I was?"
"Dunno, you'll have to ask her. I only found you because the Inferi had gone so still. The water was stirring only in one area, near where she'd pointed to, so I dove. You must have an excellent set of lungs, you were under for a long time."
"Actually, I'm pretty sure I'd be dead right now, if not for this." He gestured to the ring on his finger, which bore the Black family crest. "A while back, Ivy told me it was an Anima Vas. She made me promise never to take it off, for my safety."
"What happened, then?" She fixed her hazel eyes on him.
"Well, I think I was both drowning and freezing to death. I started losing consciousness, and then it all just… reversed. I could feel the…" Regulus shifted uncomfortably at the memory. "The water inside me. It started vanishing the way it'd come and my body returned to its normal temperature. Shortly after that, the Inferi dragging me down were yanked away. So I swam for the surface."
Theya didn't reply for a moment, as she was busy blinking up at the ceiling, evidently trying to rid herself of tears. When she did speak again, her voice came out strangled. "You really were as good as dead, huh?"
"Yeah," Regulus admitted. "But I lived."
"It shouldn't have happened! If Severus had been there-" Theya inhaled sharply, evidently trying to reign in her temper. She shook her head and wiped her eyes. "Nevermind that now, we'll talk more about it when Ivy comes down."
Regulus's stomach clenched at the thought of how poorly that conversation was bound to go. Their trio might not be in the thick of a life and death conflict like were a mere hour ago, but Theya was clearly still at a high level of intensity.
"Anyhow," she added. "Do you want to hear something odd?"
"Always."
"When the island was swarmed, the Inferi didn't attack Ivy. They mostly ignored her or stopped to stare. They didn't touch her unless she got in the middle of things, but even then, they were just trying to get to Kreacher and I. It was like they saw her as one of them."
Regulus blinked. "I don't understand, how did she-"
"Duco Mortem."
Jumping at the sound of another voice, he realised that Ivy had taken a seat on the bottom few steps of the staircase. Through the ornate railing, he could see that her hair was damp and that she'd changed into a fresh set of clothing. Her face was paler than usual, and her arms were wrapped around herself, as though her mind was still partially trapped in the ordeal she'd endured. Given the way she was postured, Regulus was certain that she had been sitting there, listening to them, for some time.
"Duco Mortem. It translates to, I lead death," his wife added quietly. "It's one of the spells I memorised from That Which Is Natural and That Which Is Not. I used it on the Inferi."
Theya had straightened, as though confronted with a worrisome surprise, and she slowly drew her long hair over a shoulder. "How did you know that would work?"
"I didn't." Ivy appeared to be giving Theya a thorough assessment. "We were out of options. Regulus was underwater and you were getting snatched off the island. It was all I could think to try."
"So what happened, exactly?" Regulus asked. "With the vision - the trance you went into? And with that spell?"
"Well," she relaxed her arms from around herself. "In the vision, I watched the Dark Lord murder a Muggle. He appeared to be astray, a vagrant. He was unkempt and very, very thin. He was in the middle of asking for food when the Dark Lord Avada'd him. And the spell…"
Exchanging a look of intrigue with Theya, Regulus leaned forward in his seat.
"I don't know if I have the words to describe it." She spoke slowly, uncertainly. "But I'll try. I felt something shift through the air. Something like… instinct fell over me. I knew the Inferi would bend to my will - that they were under my command. I can't say for certain, but… I believe when I cast the spell, the magic knew my most urgent intent, which was to protect. Because, as the pulse went out, I watched the Inferi get yanked off of Theya and dragged off the island. In controlling them, I knew they'd been flung away from you too, Regulus. After that, they immobilised, as though waiting for direction. I was worried they'd get set off again, so I instinctively put my arms out. That seemed to steady them, or hold them in place, something like that. And lowering my arms banished them back to their depths."
"This is fucking mad," Theya rubbed her eyes. "Did you even need your wand for it? It seems to me that using your arms, or hands, is what controlled them."
Ivy looked at her, surprised, as though the thought hadn't occurred to her.
"Do you think the spell would work if we used it?" Regulus pondered aloud.
"I suppose its possible," Ivy said thoughtfully. "Worth a shot if you're in a bind. But my guess is that it'll only work for Omens of Death."
"Why?" Theya asked.
"Because Omens of Death know what it is to be dead."
Her sentence hung heavily in the air.
Regulus ran a hand through his shaggy, black hair, and tried for a light-hearted tone. "We almost became Inferi ourselves, but I have to say, we gained a lot."
Theya snorted.
He ignored her. "We got another Horcrux - which I stored with the diadem for safe keeping. We've also gained another advantage, with Ivy being able to control Inferi. I expect that could be very useful down the line. Now we know for certain that Ivy cannot be allowed near newly found Horcruxes in dire situations. We also know that her visions are definitely of those who were murdered in order to make the Horcrux. All of that means we'll be better equipped next time."
"Next time," Theya said scathingly.
Regulus winced.
He knew what was to come when she started using that tone of voice.
"Next time," there was a storm brewing in Theya's eyes as she got to her feet. "Severus should be involved."
"Theya, please," Ivy sounded exasperated. "Don't start. This day has been hard enough."
"That is why I'm starting," she said venomously. "We really could have used his help back there, don't you think?"
"We had it handled," she said tightly.
"Had it handled, my arse!" Theya seethed. "We would all be at the bottom of a lake right now if you hadn't gotten lucky!"
Ivy flinched.
"Theya, come on," Regulus tried. "Now is not the time - for either of you. Its all too fresh. You both need to be resting. Can't we talk about this tomorrow?"
"We are talking about this now," Theya snapped. "We almost died!"
Ivy was on her feet in an instant, advancing on the other witch. "I understand that today was a first for you, but what happened today, happens to Regulus and I on a regular basis. Being Death Eaters, that is what we are always dealing with."
"Oh, yes, I'm aware," Theya said bitingly. "You two are out there risking your lives and I'm fucking useless. Thank you for the reminder, Ivy, that's just brilliant."
"That is not what I'm saying and you bloody well know it," Ivy scowled. "Do not put your insecurities into my mouth, when I have never once thought of you as useless. My point, is that you can shout at me all you want, but you signed up for this. Severus did not. He has zero interest in going against the Dark Lord. You are the only one who thinks that telling him is a good idea."
"Regulus agrees with me," Theya countered.
His wife rounded on him. "You what?"
"I-" He looked between them, wide-eyed. "I think you both make good points, but I never said we should tell him now."
"You're just saying that because she's your wife," Theya told him nastily.
"I am not!" Regulus retorted. "I don't think it's worth the risk - you know what? I'm not going to argue about it. We've been over this at least a dozen times. You two have it out if you want, but I'm Switzerland from now on. Leave me out of it."
"Fine," Theya turned back to Ivy and folded her arms. "We almost died-"
"Well spotted," Ivy said dryly. "I will happily die for this if I have to. If you don't feel that way, you really should have told me long before now."
"Don't you dare question my loyalty! All I'm saying is that if we're going to die, we should have a say in how we go."
"If you tell Severus, you would be taking away his say."
"For fuck's sake!" Theya let out a frustrated yell. "Do you even think about how hard this is for me - having to keep this from Severus?"
"Do you even know who you're talking to?" Ivy shot back. "I'm well fucking aware of how hard it is - I kept it from you for years!"
"And it tore you apart! Well, guess what? I'm not you! And I can't carry around a weight like this until you decide what's best for me!"
"He. Is. Not. Ready." Ivy enunciated.
"You don't know that!"
"Yes, I do-" Ivy clenched and unclenched her fists, then sighed. Her voice turned wounded when she spoke. "Why don't you trust me?"
Theya, apparently having finally realised how vulnerable Ivy was at the moment, deflated. "I do trust you. I do, I swear, I just-"
"Just what?" Her silver eyes filled with tears. "Have I not taken every precaution to keep us safe? Have I not proven that I would die and kill for you? For Regulus? For Severus?"
Regulus pressed his fingers into his eyes.
If they'd just listened to him, he would've told him that this would happen, seeing as he knew them both all too well. Theya, having been wounded earlier, was likely to become angry and fly off the handle. Ivy, having been tormented earlier, was likely to become sad and start crying. This was precisely what he'd been trying to avoid.
"Look, I didn't mean-"
"I have given my life to this!" Ivy cried. "I have done everything to ensure our well-being! I even bought a house in the middle of bloody nowhere, so we could be secure! And now you think what, exactly? That I don't want to tell Severus for any reason other than safety?"
Theya took a deep breath. "I just think you're being overly cautious."
"Because we have to be, we do not have another option." Ivy hung her head for a moment, before wiping her eyes. "Look, you know where I stand. You know where Regulus stands. Today has been awful and I really didn't need this on top of it, so I am done. If you have any more whinging or bitching to do, do it somewhere else. I'm going to get some fucking sleep."
With that, Ivy stomped up the staircase.