Chapter 52
REGULUS BLACK
Despite his family's opposition Regulus had refused to stay at home, and so he found himself at Hogwarts once more. He was amongst the few Slytherin students who had chosen to attend the school.
Most of his House had chosen to stay behind, either to support the Dark Lord or in fear of the prejudice that was now prevalent throughout the school. House Slytherin had always been a pariah within the school, and was not much liked by the rest of the Houses because of their blood purist ideologies, yet this year that dislike had turned into hate.
The attack on the Express may not have taken many lives, but had ruined quite a few of them. Three students had been attacked by Greyback, and had chosen to stay at home while four were still admitted to St. Mungo's because of dementors.
Yet the greatest tragedy of them all had been the death of his cousin, Narcissa Black. Regulus, was not much close to her but anytime they had spoken, he had found her to be kind and gentle. Even at school, her reputation was far different than those of Andromeda or Bellatrix.
She was a fairly private person whose dream in life was to live a quiet life, and yet now she had been quietened once and for all. And for what? For loving a Muggle-born boy. For breaking a cruel and non-consensual betrothal.
She had left home. She had left the Black name. She had not harmed anyone. She was innocent. Yet none of that had mattered, and she was dead. Killed in a plot hatched by her own sister and former fiancée.
It was a tragedy that had made him rethink his entire life, and Regulus knew that he had to get out of that House. That he had to leave to settle down his own heart.
He was the youngest in the family, but grandmother had always said that he was mature for his age. That he had an old soul, and now he found himself questioning everything.
And as he sat there contemplating his future, a familiar face came and sat down beside him.
"Good morning, Black," and the words broke him out of his trance, as he looked to the side and found his sole friend sitting beside him. Severus and him had been introduced to each other through the Dueling Club because of their mutual interest in Potions and Spell Craft.
By heritage, he was a half-blood. A barely acceptable existance in the eyes of his family, yet Regulus had seen no wizard as ambitious and powerful as him in his entire House. He was an absolute genius at Potions, and much like him, his life was not so simple either.
"Good morning," he answered, and he saw his dark eyes rise up on reflex as they searched for a certain red-headed Gryffindor, and Regulus knew of the affections the boy held for the red-headed Evans' twin. They had been obvious to him since the first day, but some things were simply not meant to be.
"She is not here," he answered, and he saw his shoulders droop at his words.
"It's the third time this week," Severus added, and he was surprised that he had kept track.
"She has a Potions assignment due in the first lecture," Severus added, and he was worried about Lily Evans. He was not the only one, though. The entire school was worried about her, for the tragedy she had suffered.
Lily and Narcissa were not much close, but the bond between Lily and her twin Alder was the stuff of legends. The two of them had always had each others' back, and were considered to be inseparable but now he was gone.
Alder Evans. The boy genius. The wonder boy. The founder of the Club was gone.
He was out there in the real world, fighting a real war all so he could exact his revenge on the people that had killed his fiancée. People that sadly were her and Regulus's family.
"She will be fine," Regulus added with a stiff smile.
"No professor will dare punish her," and that was true for most of the students this year. The war had taken a toll on everyone, and the Professors had been given special instructions to be as accommodating as they could be this year, and with the class sizes so shrunk and small punishments had become rather sparse.
Even McGonagall, who was notorious for her strictness, had been rather subdued this year, letting go of offenses that would usually earn a detention or two.
"It's probably all that Potter's fault," and Regulus chuckled.
"You are just jealous of the bastard," and Severus did not deny it, as he bit into his toast.
"Have we had mail yet?" and the words soured his mood as Regulus shook his head.
"Not yet," and just as he had said that, owls flocked the Hall and with the war going on, nearly every student now had a copy of the Prophet delivered to them, and soon enough their tables were piled with letters and the Paper, and they were no different.
A copy of the Prophet fell down infront of them before his own descended, and dropped a letter infront of him and flew away in an instant. Severus's owl was no different, and Regulus recognised Mrs. Snape's cursive words as Severus quickly pocketed the letter to hide it from the rest of the school. Regulus though was no different, and had a letter from his own family sitting infront of her though he had little desire to open it for he already knew what was written inside.
"Can I take the Prophet first?" he asked, ignoring the letter and Severus nodded as he wolfed down on his breakfast.
"Sure," and Regulus opened the Paper and stilled the second he saw the words on the first page, and it was as if the whole Hall read it at the same time as him, as slowly the forks and knives stopped as everyone reeled from the shock.
Shock came first, then came silence. The whispers followed soon after, and Severus noticed it as well, as he turned towards him.
"What happened?" he asked, and Regulus only lowered the Paper to let him glance at the Headlines.
~MALFOY LINE OVER! MASSACRE AT THE MALFOY MANSION! FENRIR GREYBACK DEAD! WEREWOLF MENACE KILLED!~
by Anonymous
And below the headline were two rather graphic pictures of the dead, and Regulus's eyes skimmed over the article rather quickly and though the writer named no culprit, it was obvious to everyone who was responsible for this.
"Alder..."
"Alder..."
Both of them gasped at the same time, as they turned towards each other, and none of them knew how to feel about it. The war had been going on for years, and yet for the first time in years the embers of the conflict had reached their lives. had reached the people they cared about.
And Regulus found himself facing the dilemma of his life for he did not know if he should mourn, or celebrate this loss of life. Wondered if the same retribution was coming for his own family as well, just as it had come for Narcissa.
Greyback's death was brutal, and it was as if half his body had been shattered and he knew of but one wizard who could do such a thing.
"He has done it," Severus whispered, in pain and despair and Regulus shook his head.
"No," he said as he stared at the letter that had come from home.
"He has just begun," and soon enough the bells rang and yet the whispers did not die down, and the classes began. The Professors tried their best, and yet few students paid any attention to the lectures, and in the end, McGonagall was forced to end her streak as she handed out the first detentions of the year.
Still, the news was all they could talk about during lunch and even dinner. Lily Evans remained absent from the Hall at both times, and if Severus's expression was anything to go by, it was not just the meals she was absent from.
"She did not show up for any of the classes at all," he whispered, as they sat in their room and though with the lack of students, each of them had their own room, but Regulus and Severus had gotten too used to spending their time together and would often sneak into each other's rooms just to pass the time.
"I don't blame her," Regulus, and there had been no mention of him or his family, and yet Regulus had not missed the whispers and the gazes that had lingered behind him all day.
'Next' they whispered, and he feared that they were not wrong.
"The Ministry has not said anything on this at all. They are not claiming responsibility," Regulus pointed out, and Severus shook his head.
"This was him. This was Alder," he answered.
"As for why the Ministry is not claiming this as a victory, is because they must have bigger plans for this," and there was a massive bounty of Greyback's head, one that could change a family's fortune.
"They are saying that the Ministry will hold a Press Conference in a week," Severus added, and by then Christmas Holidays would have begun.
"We will just have to wait," and neither of them spoke of the morality of the issue, for they both knew that in war there was no morality.
There was only survival.
"You will be here, right?" and he missed the question at first.
"Regulus. Regulus," and the nudge on his leg broke him out of his trance as he raised his eyes from the letter and looked up at his old friend.
"What?" he asked, and Severus seemed nervous.
"You will be here during the holidays, right?" and it was both a plea and a question for Severus, who knew that his family had been relentlessly in their persuasions to have him come back home.
He had spent months agonising over the decision, but now he had made his mind.
"No," she shook his head much to Severus's surprise.
"I will be going back home," and Severus did not take it well.
"What! Why? Have you lost your mind?" and he had not.
"I am afraid not," and his fists balled up at that.
"But why?" Severus asked as he jumped to his feet.
"You can't seriously be thinking of becoming a Death Eater," and he shook his head.
"Do you really think so little of me?" he asked, and Severus grit his teeth.
"Then why would you ever go back? You can stay with your brother or your cousin Andy. I know both of them will happily take you in," and his friend was rambling now.
"I wouldn't want to impose on them," and Severus had a quick retort.
"Then come stay with me," he suggested.
"We will have to share a room, but there is enough space to put in a second bed. We can share a room," he suggested, and he knew very well about the troubles Severus and his mother faced.
"We have shared a dorm for so many years. It won't be so different," and Regulus smiled.
"I have to back, Severus," he uttered as he evaded his gaze.
"Why?" and he could not tell him the truth. He could not.
"Because loathsome as they are, they are my family...."
.
.
.
Miles and miles away, Voldemort walked through the ruins of the Malfoy hideout and did not even spare a glance for his fallen underlings, as rage lit away his eyes. The very mansion shook with his power, and the skies darkened as he closed his eyes and searched for his lost soul and yet he found it not.
"NO! NOOOOOOOOO!"
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