"Welcome Master-" Kreacher paused as he regarded the second black haired man. Sirius and Kreacher's animosity has spanned for as long as Regulus had known the two. Kreacher followed every instruction given from Walburga and Orion and his masters before them. They were all dark pure blood purists.
Their ideologies welcomed him into the world. He grew up with them. He served them like that.
Sirius was a part of that, he was a rebellious brat in Kreacher's eyes who didn't deserve the blood running through his veins. Sirius not only faced opposition from his parents but from their bloody elf as well.
He lost it.
"Sirius…welcome. Forgive me for removing the Master Black, the Black name has abandoned you long ago-"
"Kreacher." Regulus cut him off, he didn't shout but Kreacher flinched. Regulus had been trying to get him off the pureblood ideals, to drain him of it. "Show our guests their rooms."
"Of course Master, Kreacher lives to serve the Noble House of Black." Kreacher shuffled back out the room and wordlessly James watched as Sirius and Remus paused,
"Later, right now we need to finish our talk." Kreacher just shook his head and walked away.
James clasped his hands together as he sat on the water fountain rim. It was cracked, the statue of the angel above it was broken in many pieces. It was probably the most beautiful thing on the street and now, a landmark for a place of horrors. Regulus hovered beside him as they faced Sirius and Remus
"Questions? Padfoot? Moony?" His tone was chipper, a forced chipper. His smile didn't reach his eyes. It almost made Regulus forget about their cohort group and names. Hogwarts was their kingdom. They ruled with pranks and jokes Until they graduated. It all fell from there.
The other two men stared over at James, then at Regulus. Finally Sirius was the one to speak.
"Who knew the missing could bring back the dead?"
"Nice to see you too brother."
"We stopped being brothers a long time ago, you made sure of that." a million little nails pierce Regulus' heart. He had, hadn't he.
"I did."
"No apology too, because Blacks never have to apologise." Sirius scoffed and Regulus fixed his gaze onto a passing couple. He and Sirius were at odds for so long, it felt like their years apart didn't change a thing.
The couple passed by but stopped a certain few paces beside them. They chattered in low tones, their gazes occasionally glancing their way. Something inside him was tingling, and James seemed to share the same thought as they both locked eyes.
Maybe they were just suspicious, they weren't from here, however looked too stiff together so they probably weren't romantically involved. He turned his attention to Sirius who kept asking why James didn't come and find him or Remus and all the while James just kept silent, biting his lip he always did that when he was in a tight spot he couldn't step out of.
Regulus only now noticed just how much he had documented James. He wondered if James still did that to him.
"So where are you two bunking in?" Remus asked, breaking Sirius' lecture/rant.
"Grimmauld place." Sirius visibly shivered, his skin turned pale, and he looked ready to pass out.
"Mon Dieu, you're living in hell with this ray of sunshine, you've been through the wringer Prongs." Regulus rolled his eyes. The couple nearby were fidgeting and whispering too much for anyone's liking.
"Let's go, I feel like we're being watched." he added the last part quietly. The four men nonchalantly hooked arms and then they were gone.
"Harry's asleep." he forwarded the report of their activities to James. Kreacher wasn't a wet blanket it seems. Harry probably had the best day ever and Kreacher too although he would never admit it, not even in his life.
"Poor thing, was probably tuckered out by Kreacher." Regulus nodded. Sirius moved forward.
"I want to se-" the building begins to shake, the glass on the windows around them shattered, cutting Sirius off. Kreacher screams pierced the room and Regulus whipped his head back in time to see a bright flash,it entered the room and blinded everyone. The light burnt the back of his eyes, all he saw were spots, black.
A shrill sound so agonisingly loud filled the room, Remus falls first to his knees, then James, the black brothers both drop at the same onto their knees, hands over ears as the sound echoed through the air. It almost sounded like a scream.
Another entered the form.
"MASTER WE'RE UNDER ATTACK! HE'S AFTER THE CHILD."
James leapt up and it clocked.
It was a scream, an amplified scream, a child's scream mixed with something more…evil.
No. It couldn't be.
The hallways of the house twisted and turned like a funhouse. A madhouse. He fell through the transfiguring floor, and a door appeared above him. He didn't slow. He followed James who was running like his life depended on it.
And it did.
The doors moved to the ceilings and the windows shattered and warped.
Kreacher's limp body laid on the floor and in front of him the door was wide open.
A welcome mat.
The door to little Harry's room wasn't wide open per se, the door had been ripped off its hinges and the wood surrounding it had been obliterated. The Dark Lord, Voldemort stood in the doorway, alone and with no Death Eaters, his head thrown back in agony as his body started to fizzle, his blood or whatever was beneath his flesh bubbled and boiled.
Moving boils of hot vapour escaped his skin. His face unrecognisable, his red eyes glared at the two men behind him. It was almost funny. Raising a finger he pointed at the child then at himself before looking back at James then at Regulus, he disappeared right in front of them, a combination of smoke and ash.
Harry was slumped against his cot, blood all over his face. Tears mixed. He was heaving and crying. A whole mess. Regulus wanted to take him in his arms but James was faster.
James rushed past Regulus, his goal a crying Harry and honestly Regulus couldn't speak when he saw the boy. He had put up a fight, he noticed little burn marks around him. His toddler magic must have kicked in but it wasn't enough. A long scar ran from his hairline, a little bit past his eye. The green in it was replaced with silver.
James took out his wand, muttering and casting different healing spells. He made little jokes left and right but they felt so wrong in the moment. Harry's bottom lip shook the entire time. Soon James put down his wand, ruffling up Harry's hair..
"It's okay bud, I'm done, you can let it all out now."
James held him close as he cried, Regulus almost wanted to join in the hug but he had questions and he needed answers to them.
The most important two.
How did The Dark Lord enter the hardest places to enter, second to no-one.
How did this child Harry Potter not only survive a killing curse but kill The Dark Lord.
They were soon surrounded by a limping Kreature, Remus and Sirius. All gazing upon the new scar on the boy's head as he cried into his papa mumbling over and over.
"It hurts."
It hurts
It hurts
Papa i can't see well
Papa
Then James quiet reassurance and his gentle rocking
I know baby I know
I know baby I know
It's going to be alright, yeah Papa's right here
Let it all out
Come on let it out
That's it
Baby boy, my baby boy I'm so sorry
I'm so sorry
He's crying now
I'm so-so sorry you don't deserve any of this
Cry all you want
"He's a horcrux now." James held the child closer singing a distant lullaby. Regulus quietly sat beside him as Sirius and Remus stayed quiet. He explained to them roughly everything he told James. James just continued his lullaby, lully Harry to sleep.
Why do seniors need lullabies?
Would not their age dictate otherwise?
They're rarely in cradles or on mothers' laps
like wiggly babies being primed for a nap
with, first, the telling of fairy tales
and then sweet singing like a nightingale.
"So you're telling me a piece of that rat bastard is in him?" Regulus slowly nods.
"Horcruxes can be in anything living, dying, dead, unalive." Regulus glanced at Harry. "We now have six horcruxes to find and destroy."
"What about Harry?" James asked, his voices low and cracking. "Destroy him?"
"No. I'll find a way, whether I have to extract it from The Dark Lord myself." his tone turned dark.
The little duplicate of James had grown on him.
After a few more hours Harry slowly fell asleep. James mumbled in his ear, continuing the lullaby.
Oh, to sleep like a baby, with nothing to fear
when in the arms of someone who cares!
Now seniors have joints that creak and ache,
and gnawing worries that keep them awake,
but really that's just a part reason why
they'd like the lulling of rock-a-byes.
"You know you're not as creaky and achy as you think." Regulus whispered. James smiled slightly and leaned into Regulus.
"I feel like it." James' beard was slowly coming in full, it slowly tickled Regulus through his shirt. His eyes had a tiredness and pain that ripped Regulus' heart like a sheet of paper. They almost mirrored his own. He looked as he felt. Exhausted and worn out.
This will be over, soon, my love, soon.
It's more seeking comfort in the fading light
when saying last words and setting things right,
about to enter their eternal home,
not facing the darkest sleep alone.