(no subject)

[lls_mutant]

***

The rain pounded against their faces as they perched on the edge of a cliff. "That's where we're going," Regulus shouted over the thunder, pointing his lit wand towards the cliff facing them. Remus squinted against the water steaming into his eyes, seeing nothing but sheer rock. With a silent curse, he cast an Impervus charm on his face. It helped, but he still saw nothing. Beside him, Regulus was stripping off his robes to reveal a skin-tight Muggle t-shirt and jeans. At his gesture, Remus shrugged out of his own robes.

"We're going to have to swim," Regulus informed him unnecessarily, and then jumped off the cliff.

Remus followed.

The icy water closed over his head, and Remus flailed as the cold water bit into his skin and flooded his open mouth. He surfaced, spitting, and looked around wildly. A strong hand grabbed the back of his t-shirt and he spun, tasting salt water mingled with fear and bile at the back of his throat. A bolt of lightning struck somewhere nearby and he saw Regulus's face, wet and white in the sudden flare. Regulus pointed and they began to swim, strong crawl strokes that cut across the water.

The muscles in Remus's limbs began to burn and his eyes stung, but he pressed on, gulping air and mist and water. The salt nipped at his tongue and palate, drying his mouth even as the surface remained wet. In front of him, he could feel the currents from Regulus's kicks, and the occasional contact with flesh or wet cloth. And then there was hard, cold, wet rock beneath his hand, shocking him out of his daze. Remus wiped his eyes and fumbled in his pocket for his wand. As the light flared, he saw Regulus clinging to the rock as well, his eyes overly large in the eerie light.

"What happened?"

"We got caught in the cross-current," Regulus shouted back, his teeth chattering. "We're not at the right spot."

Remus cursed. It did nothing to help, but it made him feel a bit better. Regulus, however, wasted neither time nor breath on words. His gray eyes were now calm and determined as he pulled out his own wand and looked around. He shook his head, pulled himself up and balanced the wand on the palm of his hand. "Point me," Remus heard him command.

The wand spun, and the tip came to rest to their right.

"Useful little spell," Regulus said, and even in the half-darkness Remus could see the smug expression in his eyes. Regulus began to creep along the shelf hand over hand, and Remus followed, moving his legs to try and keep them warm. They felt like logs of ice hanging off his waist. It was torturous work.

"I don't think we're too far off," Regulus said. "We couldn't have-" The rest of his words were lost as the rock shelf crumbled beneath his weight in a shower of gravel and stones, and his head disappeared beneath the surface of the waves.

For one brief, chilling moment Remus's heart leapt at the thought that he was free- that he could leave Regulus as dead and Apparate out of here and home to the warm safety that was their flat. The next moment he was muttering the incantation for the Bubblehead charm, and swimming down through the murky water, following a trail of blood as Regulus sank. It wasn't until his hand had closed around the cloth of Regulus's shirt and he was kicking upwards that the guilt seized his heart.

They broke the surface, Regulus coughing and sputtering as the cold rain hit his face. Remus pulled them over to the wall and continued along the shelf until he found an opening in the rock. He tightened his grip on Regulus and pulled him in away from the pounding assault of the storm. He swam until he felt the bottom against his body and the shore under his hands and the collapsed, his body shaking with dry heaves from the exertion.

"You saved my life," Regulus said, once he could speak.

Remus fell onto his back, one arm flung over his face. "You needed your chance at redemption."

Regulus smiled his twisted, wry smile. "Not redemption," he corrected. "Revenge. We're here."

***

A trap. How could he have been so stupid? Now that he was here, he could see it clear as day. Frank never would have given him that folder unless he either wanted him to see that note or he was forced to; he wasn't sure which thought was worse. And fuck it, even James had figured it out, and he wasn't the bloody Auror! Sirius strained every muscle, but the Body-bind held him tight. And in front of him, Voldemort ran long, white fingers up and down his wand.

"Sirius Black," he said, more to the assembled Death Eaters than Sirius himself. In fact, he turned his back on Sirius, which caused him to curse silently that he'd been so stupid as to get himself caught in a body-bind.

"It is a pity," Voldemort continued, "that Black is not here to watch his brother die. But still, it will serve as an admirable lesson in what happens to those who are not loyal to me." He smiled. "Of course, I intend to have Black killed as well. But not for a while yet. Crucio."

Sirius's world exploded into pain.

Somewhere, some coherent part of his mind whispered that both Remus and James had endured this as well. He could bear this. He could be strong.

But they could at least scream.

***

The blood sacrifice had been easy, given that Regulus was still bleeding freely from the where he'd struck his temple against the rock. Now they stood in a vast cavern, at the edge of a lake.

"More swimming," Remus sighed. His legs hurt; after their swim, they'd walked what felt like miles to this point.

"No." Regulus pointed his wand at the water, and a boat surfaced. "We take this."

"It looks like it will only hold one person," Remus said doubtfully.

Regulus pursed his lips. "It will. But it will carry both of us."

Something deep inside Remus absorbed the words before his brain could and left him speechless and gaping at Regulus.

"That's why I needed you," Regulus said, not looking at Remus as he climbed into the boat. "Get in."

Remus numbly did so.

The silence in the cavern was oppressive, only broken by the noise of the boat cutting through water. It was only then that it dawned on Remus that there were no waves. He looked over the edge of the boat, unable to see much in the darkness and through the black of the water. He reached out, but before he touched the water, a hand grabbed his.

***

Pain coursed through Sirius, bursting from every nerve and blurring his vision into a haze of red. He was vaguely aware of laughter, and of horror as well, but those were only on the fringes of his periphery. The rest of his being was centered on the pain.

Then it ended, in such abrupt relief that Sirius would have collapsed to the floor if he hadn't been held by the Body-Bind. His breathing was ragged and sharp, and even pulling air into his lungs (how did someone breathe during a Full Body-bind anyway, his mind asked irrelevantly) flooded him with residual pain.

The red in his vision didn't go away, and his eyes stung badly. Something trickled down his cheek, and Sirius cursed inwardly, hoping it wasn't a tear. He couldn't see anything but what was directly in front of him.

"Finite incantum," Voldemort said, and Sirius felt to the ground, limbs shaking. His chest and cheek were against the smooth wood of the floor, but when he tried to lift his head he could only manage a few centimeters before he collapsed again.

The door exploded open, and he heard the shouting.

***

"You idiot!" Regulus shouted, firing a bolt of lightning at the hand grabbing Remus's. The hand retracted and Remus snatched his own back. "Are you always this stupid?"

"I didn't do anything!" Remus protested.

"You were about to touch the water!"

"Well, I… it…"

"Look, just don't touch anything unless I tell you to, all right?" Regulus snapped.

"All right."

The boat continued on through the darkness towards a green glow.

It was a tight fit for the both of them. Regulus was sitting behind Remus, and he could feel his breath on his neck. The way it shuddered made him feel better.

"Remus?"

"Yes?"

"Are your feet damp?"

"Regulus, we just climbed out of the ocean. Neither of us thought to do a Drying Charm. My feet aren't damp, they're wet. But yes. There is water coming in over the top. Bloody hell. Can't you make the boat go faster?"

"Shite. You did count, after all. Any magic will wake the Inferi," Regulus said through gritted teeth, and Remus swore to himself.

"So will swimming. But we'll have a better chance if we stay in the boat."

"Right." Regulus tapped his wand to the boat, and they began to move faster.

The water around them began to move. Remus tried to swallow, but there was a lump in his throat. Water lapped over the edge of the boat. "Regulus…."

"I know," Regulus said, and Remus could hear the way his voice trembled. He didn't think it was possible for his feet to be any wetter or any colder, but the water that sloshed in froze his skin.

A hand closed over the rim of the boat.

"FUCK!" Regulus shouted. The hand was white and decaying, with moss growing under the fingernails. The boat tipped, and both men instinctively grabbed the other side. So did another hand, this one clearly female. The boat righted itself, sinking deeper in the water.

A stream of fire shot from Regulus's wand, hitting one of the hands. There was an unearthly, gurgling shriek, and the hand retreated. He hit the second as well. "Help me!" he told Remus.

Remus tried reaching for his wand, but that intense pain flooded him again. It took a moment to understand what was happening. "Regulus!"

"What?"

"Tell me to get my wand!"

"What?"

"You told me not to touch anything!"

"Oh, for crying out loud! It wasn't supposed to be that literal! Get your wand!"

The pain lifted and Remus seized his wand, just as another hand grabbed the edge of the boat. This time it was accompanied by an arm, and as the Inferius began to pull itself over. Remus could see its face, white and slick with water, black decay eating away at the skin in the cheeks. He had a vague impression of straggly black hair and feminine features before he sent a jet of fire at the creature and it roared flailing backwards and into the water.

The bottom of the boat scraped against the shore, and Regulus shoved him from behind. "Go!" he shouted, and Remus leapt out of the boat.

The Inferi emerged from the water, a putrid stench coming along with them. Remus gagged, but there was no time for disgust. He kept shooting fire at them, but the numbers were growing. Regulus was fumbling for something in his pocket.

"Keep them at bay!" Regulus ordered. "On my word, jump back next to me!"

Remus nodded, not able to spare any breath for any more of an acknowledgement. The corpses were closing in and panic was rising in his throat, cutting into the tissue with bitter bile.

A pair of hands closed around his throat, and he couldn’t breathe.

He kicked backwards, instinctually, the way his father had taught him. The kick connected with the Inferius's knee, and the corpse buckled behind him, just enough that the grip was compromised. Remus was able to break the grip and spun around to throw an incantation… and then froze.

The Inferius looked like the others, rank with mold and decay, but he recognized the shape of the face and the wild gray hair.

Caradoc Dearborn.

His voice froze in his throat. He couldn't scream, much as he wanted to. The Inferius righted itself and lurched towards him.

It looked like Caradoc, in the face and the body and what was left of the features. But there was nothing of him in the eyes or movements. None of the life or curiosity that Remus remembered so fondly. It's not Caradoc, he told himself firmly. It's a fucking ZOMBIE!

"Incendio!"

The Inferius went up in flames.

"Remus! Get back here!" Regulus's voice cut through the roaring that was present only in Remus's ears. He obeyed, retreating until he bumped into the warm, living body of Regulus. Regulus bent and touched his wand to the ground, and around them a ring of blue fire shot up, casting an eerie light over them both. "Are you all right?" Regulus asked as Remus struggled to regain his breath.

"What is that?" Remus asked, nodding towards the fire.

"Oh. It's something I developed in Potions my fourth year," Regulus said, looking rather pleased with himself. It will keep burning for about fifteen minutes. We shouldn't need that long." He walked over to a basin that was casting a green glow. "Come here."

***

Everything happened at once.

Sirius gathered his strength and rolled over, fumbling for his wand. Several Death Eaters pulled theirs. James jumped in front of Sirius, standing between him and Voldemort. And an explosion sent a fireball roaring through the bar, culminating in the explosion of several bottles. The detonation threw several Death Eaters out of its path, either by force or by the sudden increase of pressure. Sirius didn't care which. Even Voldemort stumbled forward, a critical error as James fired at him. Sirius didn't catch the incantation, but the flesh on the Dark Lord opened.

And Voldemort began to laugh.

It was a terrible sound, high and thin and cold and like nails on a chalkboard being dragged down the raw nerve of Sirius's spine. From where he was, he could see James's face go pale, and no wonder. There was no blood. "He's not human," James whispered. But he didn't back down, even as the flames flared higher behind Voldemort.

Sirius noticed that Bellatrix still had her mask off, and she was staring in dazed awe at the wounds on Voldemort's body. The hate he felt fueled him to struggle to his knees, just as Voldemort sent a curse at James. James blocked it with a shield charm, and the curse deflected and shattered a table.

"James!" Frank Longbottom was hurtling across the room. "Get out of the way!"

"No!" James shouted. "Sirius is down!"

Get away, Sirius wanted to shout. You have a wife and a baby on the way. GET AWAY. But instead he cast a wide shield, and the curse that Voldemort threw at James rebounded and hit a Death Eater, who screamed in agony. Good.

James was kneeling down, grabbing Sirius's arm and helping him struggle to his feet. Another trickle ran down Sirius's cheek and he wiped it away, surprised to see a smear of blood on his hand when he pulled it away from his face. He looked up just in time to see Frank barrel into Voldemort.

For a moment, it was an effective ploy. Frank knocked Voldemort to the ground and managed to grab his wand. The Dark Lord must have been shocked by the simplicity or the physicality of the plan. But four Death Eaters were immediately on Frank. Sirius lifted his wand and blasted one away, and James took care of another two.

There was an explosion of red light, and Frank flew off Voldemort, his head hitting the floor with a sickening thud. Sirius stumbled forward, but James grabbed his arm and shoved Sirius behind him as Voldemort rose from the floor.

***

"What is it?" Remus asked, sniffing. The smell was rancid, like dead, decaying flesh.

"You don't want to know," Regulus said. "But we need to drink it."

"We?" Remus asked.

"We. There's ten cups in here. If you drink three, I can handle the other seven."

The eerie blue light etched Regulus's features set in determination. Remus wanted to argue, but something stopped him. Redemption, he reminded himself.

Regulus conjured two cups. He dipped them into the potion, and handed one to Remus. "Three," he reminded him, and then lifted his own cup and smiled bitterly. "To our lives as they should have been."

"Cheers." Remus put his cup to his lips and drank.

The liquid burned going down, foul and disgusting. Remus gagged, and somewhere distantly he could hear Regulus gagging as well. The world began to collapse in on itself, his vision blurring at the edges, and then someone materialized in front of him.

"Dad?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

Next to him Regulus was drinking down another cup of the potion. Remus blinked and looked again. He could see his father clearly, down to the fury and hurt etched in his face.

Regulus groaned, and the sound jerked Remus back to the present. "He can't be here," he whispered. He filled his cup again and choked down the liquid.

His father solidified.

Some tiny, clear part of his mind noticed what was wrong first. It was the perspective. His father was looking down at him at too sharp an angle.

You do not need to be any more of a freak…

Remus hastily pulled his eyes away from the apparition. Beside him, Regulus had both hands on the rim of the bowl, doubled over and gasping. He was muttering something about his mother, but Remus couldn't hear the words. He focused instead on Regulus's hands- fine, long-fingered hands that were bone-white at the knuckles as he clutched the stone. The world spun again, and there was deep growling behind him- growling he would never forget, no matter how much he wanted to.

"What is this stuff?" he asked.

Regulus didn't answer; he only drank another cup.

"Sirius," he whispered. Remus blinked and steadied himself, and saw the sweat pouring down Regulus's brow. "Don't go. Don't go!"

Remus reached out and laid a hand on Regulus's shoulder, but Regulus flung it off and filled his cup again and drank, the green liquid running down his cheek. "Drink your last glass," he commanded, his voice hoarse and raspy.

The burning that had begun in his throat, but now it spread through his body, like the warmth of alcohol but far more sinister. He remembered the feeling well, although it wasn't as intense… something like a Crucio. Remus took a deep breath and downed the last glass.

He remembered pain in his shoulder, the Cructius curse along his nerves, his bones shattering each month. He saw faces, his father, his mother, heard her screaming, heard him shouting. He was four, he was eleven, he was fifteen, he was nineteen. And then he remembered he was twenty, and he was in a cave with a Death Eater trying to destroy Voldemort, and he pushed the memories away.

The potion in the basin was nearly gone, and as Regulus scooped up the last cup, Remus could see a glistening silver locket underneath. "Is that what we're after?"

Regulus didn't answer; he just sagged against Remus for a moment, and then pulled himself to standing and pulled a tiny bag out of his pocket. "Enlarge it," he told Remus, his voice rough and raspy.

Remus obeyed.

Regulus's hands shook as he swapped the silver locket with a golden one. He then reached back into the bag and produced a vial that Remus enlarged, and poured more of the green potion into the basin "It's done," he whispered.

Remus smiled, but the smile disappeared immediately when he realized the fire was getting low. "Regulus…."

"I know. Get out your wand again, Remus." Remus obeyed, and Regulus closed his eyes. Up close, Remus could see his face was wet, but whether it was sweat or tears was impossible to tell. "You'll have to give the blood sacrifice on our way out. We won't be able to take the boat, either."

"What do you want?" Remus asked.

Regulus smiled. "Make me fly again."

***

Red eyes. How did a man have red eyes? What part of him did he have to change or lose? Sirius was no stranger to odd eye color- not with the amber eyes that both Damien and Remus had, or Doge's deep violet, or Lily's electric green. But those were rare, not inhuman. These….

The fire raged on behind him, but neither Voldemort nor most of his Death Eaters seemed overly concerned. James, on the other hand, was watching it with wild eyes as the flames crept closer to Frank's inert form.

Voldemort stepped closer, wand raised.

"This, my loyal friends, is what happens when you turn your back on me. Black was loyal once, but past service cannot redeem what has been destroyed. And when loyalty is lost and trust is broken, the price is dear."

The fire suddenly flared, turning back on itself and climbing higher, and Voldemort's concentration was broken for a moment as his eyes flicked to follow the progress. James barreled toward him, wand raised and flashing, but he was thrown back as if he'd hit an invisible wall. Voldemort smiled and sent a curse, but the curse also rebounded, striking a Death Eater behind him. The Death Eater screamed, a hideous, gurgling sound that indicated whatever Voldemort had used, it had been nasty.

That was as much as Sirius thought before he saw the misshapen robed figure with a rag across her face and a wand out.

He'd seen people dressed like that in Voldemort's service once or twice- people without masks, but with deep hoods, cowls, or veils of some sort covering their faces. Of course, "people" wasn't how they were generally listed in the Auror files, but years of association with Remus made Sirius check certain assumptions. But no werewolf, banshee, vampire, or other dark creature had the shape that the one- no, two, he realized, as he spotted another- had. Swollen at the front to a disproportionate shape, both of them. Of all Order members to answer the distress signal James must have sent….

"Oh, Merlin, no," he whispered.

He wanted to run forward and throw them both out of the way, or yell at them to leave. But his knees buckled and the room spun red, and from behind him he heard Bellatrix yelling, "Crucio!," and then pain took him again. A hand grabbed his arm and he felt a shaft of fire through him as his world jerked sideways, and then he knew nothing more.

***

The air rushed around Remus's face, but nothing cooled the burning coiled deep within his guts and wrapped around his intestines. Under his legs he could feel the labored breathing of the black Pegasus, and could only imagine what pain Regulus must be feeling. And yet, the jet wings still beat and they soared out of the cave and over the ocean, high enough that Remus felt like he could reach up and touch the stars.

They came to the top of the cliff where they'd left their robes, and Remus slid off the Pegasus's back. To his surprise, the Pegasus nuzzled his arm briefly. But when Remus transfigured Regulus back into a man, he fell to his knees, coughing.

"Maybe you should stay Transfigured until we can figure out how to treat this," Remus suggested.

Regulus shook his head and wiped his mouth. When he pulled his hand away, Remus could see dark, wet streaks on it. "This has to get done," he said, eyes blazing. "It has to- what is that?"

A glint of silver caught Remus's eye, and he turned to see a silver duck, gleaming in the moonlight. "Remus," James voice said, "come to the Shack as soon as you can. There was a trap. Sirius is hurt."

The words drove a spike of fear through Remus's soul. James wouldn't contact him like this unless it was… unless….

Regulus coughed again, the spasms wracking his body. In the moonlight, his face looked white, and Remus had the suspicion that better light wouldn't make it look any healthier. "Regulus?" he asked.

Regulus shook his head. "You have to stay," he said. "I need you here."

"For what?" The words rushed out and filled Remus with a haze of pain again, but keeping them inside would have hurt just as much. It made his head spin and ache and his legs collapsed out from under him, and he landed in an undignified heap next to Regulus. "He's probably dying," Remus whispered.

"So am I," Regulus said.

***

"Damn it, Lily, I told you-"

"James, let's not argue about this right now." Cool hands drifted over Sirius's brow. "There are more important things to worry about. Alice, how's Frank doing?"

"I've gotten half the potion down his throat."

"Good. Keep going. Sirius, can you hear me?"

Sirius tried to answer, but nothing worked.

"Will he be all right?" James demanded.

"I think so," Lily said cautiously. "He needs time. His body took an enormous trauma from what you told me. Enduring a Cruciatus under a Full Body-Bind…" her voice trailed off.

James took a Crucio too, Sirius wanted to say, but his mouth wouldn't move.

There was the crack of Apparation, and Sirius's muscles relaxed until he heard Peter's voice. "James! You look terrible! What happened?"

"They walked right into a bloody trap is what happened," Alice growled.

"Alice!" Lily admonished. "It was an ambush, Peter. Death Eaters, at the Sterling Artesa."

"Are you all right?" Peter asked, and then Sirius heard him gasp. "What happened to Sirius?"

"Cruciatus during a Full Body-Bind," James said, and his voice was tired and torn. "Lily says he'll be all right."

"Why isn't he at St. Mungo's?" Peter demanded. "And where the bloody hell is Remus?"

"He's not at St. Mungo's because the Death Eaters would expect that. It's not safe," Lily retorted. Her silence on the second matter rang more loudly than any words she could have shouted.

***

They were back in Regulus's childhood bedroom, with the old Hogwarts robe and the centerfold witch and the neatly made single bed. Remus helped Regulus into the bed and lit a lamp. The dim glow didn't do much to illuminate the room, but rather served to accentuate the shadows that lurked in the corners.

"What do you want me to do?" Remus asked.

Regulus shook his head. "Just stay while I sleep."

"Can't I go?" Remus pleaded. "I'll come back. But Sirius-"

"No, you can't." Regulus lay back. "If something happened in between-"

"Nothing will happen. No one knows where Sirius and James are. No one knows where you are."

"I don't care." The light from the lamp flared, and Remus could see the harsh lines under Regulus's eyes had deepened, cutting into his young face. With a start, he also noticed tinges of gray in the black hair. "Remus, this is too important to risk anything. Do you understand me?"

Remus thought of Sirius, hurt and possibly dying in the Shrieking Shack. Then he thought of Voldemort, reduced to ruin. If there was anything Sirius Black would die for, it was that. He sighed and sat down next to the bed.

"So what exactly did you do? I saw the locket."

"You are nosy. Let's just say I gave Voldemort my resignation letter."

"Really?"

Regulus was wearing a twisted smile. There was a dark humor in that smile, but bitterness, anger, and regret as well. Remus hoped he'd never see another one like it. "It goes something like this: Dear Voldemort, fuck you. Love, Regulus."

Remus stared at him for a long moment. "I was wrong," he finally said, with the hint of a laugh. "You're a lot like Sirius."

"No, I'm not. But thank you."

***

"James?"

"Sirius!" James flew to the side of the bed. "Are you all right?"

"What happened?" Sirius asked.

"It was a trap," James said. "As best as we can put together, Regulus never was going to be at that place tonight. Someone put the note in Regulus's file."

"Frank?" Sirius asked, although he doubted it.

"No. He came to the Sterling Artesa once he realized you'd seen the file. He… he never meant to give it to you."

"That's an understatement." Alice joined James. Sirius tried to smile at her, but he was too exhausted. "He was furious when he realized that he'd given it to you. Unfortunately, he still has no idea of who is using the Imperius Curse on Aurors. And you? What were you thinking?"

"Alice, please. I know."

"When Moody finds out-"

"He's not going to find out," Sirius said.

"Yes he is. I already sent an owl."

"Alice!" James protested.

"James. Moody has to know. So does Doge. And Lupin. Speaking of which, where's Remus?"

"I sent him a message," James insisted. "He'll be here, I'm sure."

Sirius remembered the owl from that morning, and wondered if James was right.

***

The house was quiet- so quiet that Remus could hear the ticking of a clock and Regulus's uneven breathing. He sat by the bed, elbows digging into his knees and head cradled in his hands. Outside, the world was the dull gray that permeated before the dawn broke. His stomach twisted, although the physical pain was beginning to subside. He wondered how Sirius was faring, and was afraid to think too deeply. But no spectral message came from James, so Remus had to assume Sirius was surviving.

Regulus let out a breathy, uneven sigh, and when Remus looked, his eyes were open, eerily blue in the dim light, as if they were the only color in the world.

"How are you feeling?" Remus asked.

"Better." Regulus struggled to sit up. "What time is it?"

"Almost five, I think."

"All right." Regulus scrubbed his face with his hands. "We don't have much left to do."

"What are you going to do with the locket?"

"I'll destroy that on my own. Your part is done."

"Oh." It seemed anti-climatic, in a way. "Well then."

"Right." Regulus cautiously swung his feet out of the bed. "Right," he repeated.

"What's going to happen next?" Remus asked.

"You'll be fine, I suppose, as long as you keep your wits about you. You might feel the effects of the potion for a few days, but it will fade."

"And you? You claimed you were dying."

"I will be," Regulus said. "I'm going to destroy the locket and then I am going to leave here. I am going to let them find me, although I won't let it look that way." He handed a note to Remus. "You will give this to Macnair. Tell him your conscience won't let you keep it, because you are a faithful servant to the Dark Lord. That will keep them off your tail. I wrote it down for you."

"I'll remember," Remus said, offended.

"No. You won't."

Oh. He should have known. "And you?" he pressed, ignoring the subject of a Memory Charm for now. "Why are you doing this? Why not come over to Dumbledore's side?"

"Do you know what Sirius was doing tonight?"

Remus blinked. "No."

"They set a trap for him. They're going to kill him, as a lesson to me. And then my father, and then my mother." Regulus was stone-faced, his voice was flat. "That's why we had to do this tonight. Sirius can handle himself. My parents can't."

"So you're going to-"

"Let them catch me and kill me before they can hurt my family. Yes."

Remus had to look away, because somehow he didn't think Regulus would appreciate the tears that flooded his eyes. But Regulus saw, and reached out and touched his hand.

"Thank you."

Remus wiped at his eyes. "I wish I could say I'll always remember this."

Regulus made a sound of regret. "I wish you could, too."

***

It was midmorning by the time Sirius woke up. The sunlight slanted in through the boards over the windows of the Shrieking Shack, and for a moment Sirius could almost imagine he was back at Hogwarts. "We're going to have to put up some significant protection spells," Lily said as she handed Sirius a potion to drink. "I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not. But you'd better put some up at your place as well. This is the second time you've crossed Voldemort."

"Third, actually," Lily sighed.

"What?"

She looked guilty. "It was right after Remus's mother was killed. We didn't tell you because you had so much else on your mind."

"Lily! PRONGS!"

"He and Peter took the Longbottoms back to their flat," Lily said primly. "He can't hear you. Now, how do you feel?"

"Stop trying to change the subject, Evans," Sirius growled.

"Same to you, Black. How do you feel?"

"If I can forget about the reaction I'm going to get from Moody tomorrow, not that bad," Sirius admitted. "Better than I should."

"Liar."

"Well, yes."

There was a crack, and James and Peter stood in the room. James was disheveled and worn, and there were dark circles under Peter's eyes. "Are they home?" Lily asked.

"They are. We should get Sirius home as well," Peter said.

"And when we find him, I want to know where the hell Remus has been all this time," James snarled. "When he was hurt-"

"James," Sirius tried to interrupt.

"No. This isn't right. When he was hurt you-"

"Prongs."

"Padfoot. This isn't how it works."

"It is when we're at war. There's an explanation, and it's probably not good."

James opened his mouth to argue, but Lily laid a hand on his arm. "Sirius really needs to sleep, James. And so do we."

"After the spells are up on that flat," James said.

With James on one side and Peter on the other, Sirius eased himself out of the bed. He was dizzy and sore, and he was grateful for the presence of his two best friends. "I'm ready," he said.

"All right. Hang on, Padfoot." James put his arm around Sirius's waist, and then Apparated.

The flat had never looked so good to Sirius before. He closed his eyes with relief when he saw the dirty dishes in the sink, the papers spread out on the table, and the sunlight slanting in through unbroken window panes.

"Lily will have my hide if I don't get you straight to your bed," James said with a forced laugh.

"I don't care. She's right. Can you…?" he couldn't finish the sentence, but he didn't have to. James understood. They began to walk to the bedroom. "James?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being there. For saving my arse."

"Just remember it," James said, all false bravado.

"And thank you, too, for not saying you told me so."

James just smiled.

They had reached the bedroom door, and they both stopped short.

"Well, I'll be buggered," James breathed.

Remus was in the bed, fast asleep. His face was drawn and white, and a lock of his hair had turned completely gray.