Chapter 60, A Shot In The Dark

Though all the other party guests left around two in the morning, Raislen, Heather, Regulus, Kreacher and Severus stayed up playing Severus's questing game until after five. Kreacher's head began to droop as the sun rose, and he got cranky when Raislen did not roll a pleasingly high number on the dice. "Stupid Raislen should've cheated," the elf snarled in open frustration. "Now we all have to waste three more moves serving the whims of the ice dragon!"

"Someone is ready to go to bed," Heather crooned, biting her lips to keep from grinning.

"We can finish tomorrow, can't we," Regulus asked around a yawn, and Raislen nodded.

"Sure we can! We'll play over breakfast when we wake up in the morning."

"I bet it shall be closer to afternoon," Heather said around a yawn of her own.

"Sounds about right," Severus agreed, covering his mouth as he spoke, because yawning was contagious. As it happened, Heather slept all the way down the hall from Raislen, in the farthest guest room from his. Severus made an amused mental note of the fact so that he could report back to his overly concerned mum about it when he returned to Prince Manor the next day.

Severus was in his usual guest room beside Raislen's. Kreacher and Regulus had the room next door to his on the other side. They all exchanged a round of good nights and headed to bed. When he woke with a pounding head and churning belly, Severus found himself extremely relieved that he'd made up that potion with Raislen the night before, because he really needed it now! Raislen's voice dragged him from slumber, calling softly outside his closed door. "Who's thirsty for a hangover potion?"

Somehow Severus managed to get himself up and dressed. Even the sound of the doorknob turning under his hand hurt his head. Raislen waited in the hall with a silent Heather, who had a definite look of green around the gills going on. Severus leaned miserably against the wall as they waited for Kreacher and Regulus. Thankfully they only had to wait a few seconds for the two to come staggering out of their room. Raislen led the way to the library. Properly reading the mood, he did so in silence. "If the potion doesn't work, I shall hate myself," Severus grumped.

"Oh it works," Raislen said cheerfully. "I already had mine, and it works great. I feel strong, energized, mentally alert, and my head no longer pounds. As a contrast, when I woke, I thought I'd puke and I was certain that my head would explode."

"That's a grand endorsement. Now get out of my way," Regulus said, pushing Raislen aside so that he could dip his own cup into the cauldron. It stood on the reading table of the library where they'd left it the previous night. With a small groan, Kreacher took his turn, large round blue eyes half closed. His hands were shaking, causing some of the red potion to slosh from the rim of his cup and onto the fabric of the sack like tunic he wore. "Kreacher is ill," he muttered as he slurped up swallow after swallow. Heather dipped in a cup for herself with one hand and one for Severus with the other.

"Here, Kid." Severus nodded his thanks and began to drink. It did taste like ginger after all. The cinnamon they'd added gave it the perfect touch of holiday cookie. "It turned out well," he said. Even as he spoke, he could feel energy flooding his body. Energy and wellness revitalizing each and every one of his cells.

"Kreacher shall live after all," Kreacher announced happily. "Severus Snape is a genius!"

"Good," Raislen said. "Shall we have breakfast and finish our game?"

"It shall be brunch by now, but have at it," Mrs. WestCraven said from the doorway of the library. She wandered over to peer into the cauldron, then around at the rest of them. "Well you all look much better than I expected you to after all that holiday eggnog," she said with a laugh. "Good on you, Severus. You can make a nice lot of gold selling this when you're ready." She waved at the potion. "Call it Jekyll Juice. It's red like the one he used when shaking off the Hyde, you know, to revert to his normal state."

"I think Hyde was his normal state," Regulus murmured.

Mrs. WestCraven turned to him with a look of fleeting surprise on her face. "You are quite a smart and perceptive child, aren't you?" She ruffled his hair, and Regulus blushed.

"Thank you,Mam, but I'm nearly grown up."

"Yes, well, you should consider using that brilliant mind of yours for something more beneficial to your family than following a madman. Now come on to brunch, everyone." She walked briskly from the room before Regulus could answer. He and Kreacher exchanged a disgruntled glance, but neither commented. Heather's lips tightened. "She's right, you know. Regulus, you and Kreacher aught to travel with the three of us once you're done with school. Who knows what we'll find to do, but whatever it is, it shall be great."

"We will," Regulus promised. "We can do it all."

"Not to ruin our happy hangover free holiday mood," Heather said carefully, "But, Regulus, what if Voldemort doesn't win?"

Regulus frowned at her, shaking his head in exasperation as he sighed. "He may not if people like you only stand to the side and don't help. Don't you want the world to be better for magical folk?"

Heather shrugged. "Do you feel the world is bad for you, Regulus," she asked reasonably. "Are you suffering? Because you do not appear to be suffering from what I can see."

Raislen raised his hand as if in class. "I am somewhat suffering from hunger pangs right now, so can we continue this over brunch?"

Heather's lips twitched up into a small smile, then she chuckled. "Yes, Raislen. Let's go eat. But go ahead, Regulus. I do want to hear what you have to say."

Regulus nodded, following them from the room, his expression thoughtful. "It isn't about being cold or hungry or doing without. It is about the fact that we could all flourish so much more were we free to do so. We could expand more organically did we not have to hide. You can't believe that having to live in hiding doesn't harm our magical potential! There is only so much we can do if the magic can't be bloody seen."

Severus found himself listening attentively, relieved that they were all good enough friends to actually have a heart felt discussion about this sort of thing. So many people got angry simply if someone they thought well of dared to disagree with them, and things could not remain civil. He'd even heard it with Grandfather Prince's friends if talk turned to politics, and that wasn't even about Voldemort!

It was just about magical law or how things were or weren't being properly run in various departments at the Ministry. As Heather replied, they all settled down at the dining room table to enjoy plates of scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, fruit and jelly filled pastries. Severus hadn't realized just how hungry he was until his eyes took in all the delicious food. Kreacher studied the food with open skepticism until Regulus frowned and poked him in the ribs with a finger as he whispered something into his ear.

With a dubious set to his mouth, the elf began to eat. Severus had to bite back a chuckle. Kreacher likely was always certain that no one could do anything in the kitchen better than he could. "Perhaps you are correct, and perhaps you are not," Heather told Regulus thoughtfully. "We can't know until and if things ever change, but it won't be this way, Regulus. Muggles won't respond well to violence and we are outnumbered. Magic won't cow them, because many of them are crazy. Mad dogs, a lot like Sirius, and they won't be smart enough to be frightened when it comes down to it."

Raislen chuckled. "She's talking facts, though," he said, glancing around the table.

"That's deep before you've even had coffee," Severus said, reaching for the coffee pot that sat in the center of the table. Heather had put that well, though, and he could not bring himself to disagree even to make himself look worthy to Regulus for future endeavors. Regulus bit his lip, looking up from his plate to meet Heather's eyes as he replied to her. "I do wish it could be done differently, but the Muggles leave us no choice. They are even more violent by nature, after all. It's like The Dark Lord said. We have to fight fire with fire, or we shall be the ones to burn."

"Though that may sound good, it isn't going to work, Regulus," Heather insisted tiredly. "If we are ever to live among the Muggles without hiding, things shall need to be done in a different, new way that hasn't yet been tried. Some sort of middle ground. Something new has to happen, because history repeating shall just be that. You aren't wrong, but that doesn't make you right either, because history has shown as much over and over."

"What do you propose," Regulus asked.

"I don't," Heather said. "I never claimed to have a better idea just because I can spot one that won't work a mile off. I just can't stand behind something I know will fail simply because I agree with a few of your points."

Regulus gave the slightest nod as he met Heather's eyes. "And I have to try, because that middle ground you suggest does not exist yet until someone comes up with it," He said gravely.

"Just please be careful," Heather said and he smiled, nodding.

"Of course. I promise."

"Well good then," Raislen said cheerfully. "Now let's get back into our quest. I can't wait to see what the purple dragon has for us. That one is next, right, Kid?"

Severus nodded, just as eager as Raislen to get back into the exciting new game. Enjoying fantastical quests and dealing with talking dragons was a far better place to be than talks of Voldemort's flawed plans. If the topic remained there long enough, Severus could itch to tell Regulus just what an evil madman he was dealing with. Part of him itched to see Regulus's face change, the light of horror dawning in his eyes as the smug expression faded forever when it came to Voldemort.