All he knew was that Regulus was screaming.
It wasn't a loud pitch scream or a thick guttural scream. It wasn't loud either, Regulus probably subconsciously didn't want his parents to find out.
It was a muffled, tortured scream that seemed to claw out of his chest bringing out all his horrors. James grabbed onto Regulus' shirt trying to wake him up but the moment his hand came into contact with Regulus' skin suddenly he was lurched out of his body into Regulus's mind, beside the cursed basin he wished he never saw again.
He watched as a disoriented Regulus rose to his feet, stumbling slightly. Regulus raised out his wand and a swoosh of faint fire came and went. Regulus was about to happen again but suddenly froze and they both watched as a second inferi from behind stretched out its bone of a hand and clapped it around Regulus' ankle joining the first.
With a swiftness never before seen, James watched, eyes wide, as Regulus was plunged leg first into the water, the locket dangled between his fingers almost escaping before being caught between the middle and index finger and following Regulus into the water.
James is in the water now. The multiple inferi around him scared him, they didn't reach for him, notice him or anything. He was still scared.
His eye sight is the worst thing ever yet but he realised that the way he perceived everything was blurrier and fuzzy. Regulus' body was metres before him slowly descending into the darkness, James reached out but watched as his fingers brushed through him.
A loud splash from behind him and he watched as a mortified Kreacher got hold of Regulus and pulled him to the surface, his elf magic helping fight off the swarm of angry inferi.
Soon the world was spinning and James found himself on the banks of the beach, behind him, the ominous doorway into the cave.
So Regulus kept some of the memories from James, but James couldn't blame him. James tried with all his might to get himself out of Regulus' mind as though he was looking through a pensive. He grabbed Regulus shirts and raised them up shaking him trying to wake him up muttering over and over again, Wake up.
Regulus woke up eyes wide, movements frantic, hair messy, buttons of his pyjama shirt undone. James held him down the opposite of what he was doing earlier. He realised too late just how close they were. James slowly extricated himself from Regulus and sat at the foot of Regulus' bed.
After a beat James finally opened his mouth to speak.
"I'm sorry." Regulus glanced at James, an incredulous look in his eyes as his eyes focused on James.
"For what?" his voice, slightly scratchy and dry.
"I'm not sure."
Regulus plopped back on the bed and shifted to the side. He patted the free side.
"Come on." He wasn't asking. James picked up himself and slowly slipped onto the bed and created a slight distance between them. Regulus shook his head and pulled James, wrapping his arms and legs around him. "Don't tell me you've forgotten about my habits after 4 years."
It was now James' turn to give an incredulous look.
"I could never forget anything about you, you haunted me." Regulus looks up from James. Haunted him?
"I haunted you?"
"Yes, in every one, everything, every cat." Regulus chuckled at the last bit. His furry animagus had long since seen the light. Regulus looked down, his thoughts spiralling.
"Is that why you still call me Regulus?"
"Yes and no. I'm calling you Regulus so you sort of clock in my mind, but Regulus so I-" James paused. "So I don't-"
"Come too close?"
"Yes, I'm scared you'll disappear again. I don't know how many lives you have left and…"
"You don't know if I'm on my last one."
"Yes."
"At least I should be glad you aren't calling me 'Mr. Black' or something as horrid." James smiled.
"I hate it. I hate everything about your family except for Andromeda, Casseiopia, Sirius of course, and Narcissa, these are all people you love, so I love them." James finished matter-of-factly. Regulus grinned for the first time in a long time.
They stayed quiet, and he felt sleep join their little 'session' as he was about to fall asleep a slight thought entered his head. He voiced it.
"If it's okay with you, I always preferred Mr. Potter, Mr. Regulus Potter."